bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Atmospheric pressure plasma co‐polymerization of two acrylate precursors: Toward the control of wetting properties
Authors: Mertz Grégory , Delmée Maxime , Bardon Julien , Martin Arnaud , Ruch David , Fouquet Thierry , Garreau Samar , Airoudj Aissam , Marguier Adeline , Ploux Lydie , Roucoules Vincent
Published: July 2018

The plasma copolymerization of two acrylate precursors with different hydrophobic side chains, namely 1H,1H,2H,2H‐perfluorododecyl acrylate (PFDA) and dodecyl acrylate (DOCA), were deposited at atmospheric pressure. By adding different ratios of PFDA into the DOCA solution changes in the chemistry and microstructure were observed and examined using multiple techniques combining FTIR, XPS, SEM, and AFM. Increasing the content of PFDA led to an increase in the F/C ratio and the roughness of the deposits. Considering such variation when PFDA increases, different growth mechanisms are proposed. Finally, adjusting the monomer ratio demonstrates the feasibility of controlling the wettability of the coatings from hydrophobic to superhydrophobic.
Student cities or cities of graduates? The case of Lodz and its students declared preferences
Authors: Sokołowicz Mariusz E.
Published: July 2018

The growing share of students in an urban population contributes significantly to the intellectual potential of cities and regions. It enables the development of labour markets, housing markets, and increases local consumption; this also enriches urban culture and creates an environment for new ideas to flourish. However, the question is how to retain this valuable human capital after graduation. In numerous student cities in Central and Eastern Europe, graduates decide to leave the places they studied in to settle in capital cities or abroad. Most studies on this phenomenon reveal that highly skilled people are guided in their decisions regarding migration by both economic and noneconomic factors. This paper presents the case study of Lodz, the third largest city in Poland, which has experienced a shift from its high level of attractiveness to students to a lower level of attractiveness to graduates. The study is based on cyclical research conducted among students of all public universities operating in the city. It reveals the durability of the city's image in time but also the temporary rather than permanent nature of the willingness to leave the city. In addition, it also reveals certain discrepancies concerning willingness to stay between students originating from Lodz and those born outside the city. Finally, the study confirms that noneconomic factors of migration (primarily the labour market situation), such as relational ties, self‐attachment to the city, and marketing activities equally strongly affect students' decisions regarding staying in or leaving the city.
Measurement of the Indirect Band Gap of Diamond with EELS in STEM
Authors: Korneychuk Svetlana , Guzzinati Giulio , Verbeeck Jo
Published: July 2018

In this work, a simple method to measure the indirect band gap of diamond with electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is showed. The authors discuss the momentum space resolution achievable with EELS and the possibility of deliberately selecting specific transitions of interest. Based on a simple 2 parabolic band model of the band structure, the authors extend our predictions from the direct band gap case discussed in previous work, to the case of an indirect band gap. Finally, the authors point out the emerging possibility to partly reconstruct the band structure with EELS exploiting our simplified model of inelastic scattering and support it with experiments on diamond.
Finite‐time sliding mode stabilization using dirty differentiation and disturbance compensation
Authors: Furtat I. , Orlov Y. , Fradkov A.
Published: July 2018

Novel robust finite‐time stabilizing algorithms are developed side by side for the state and output feedback designs. Being initially developed for a nonlinear cascade second‐order system, these algorithms are straightforwardly extendible to electromechanical systems of relative degree two. The proposed synthesis is based on the disturbance compensation, relying on the dirty differentiation and sliding mode approach, and it is applicable to a wider class of disturbances than that addressed in the literature. Simulation results illustrate the efficiency of the resulting synthesis procedure and support analytical results.
Initiator‐Free Natural Light‐Driven Vapor Phase Synthesis of a Porous Network of 3D Polystyrene Branched Carbon Nanofiber Grafted Polyurethane for Hexane /Water Separation
Authors: Baig Nadeem , Saleh Tawfik A.
Published: July 2018

A unique approach of vapor phase polymerization is introduced to synthesize a 3D porous network of polystyrene branched carbon nanofiber on polyurethane (CNF/PS) using natural light (NL) initiation. The introduced natural light vapor phase polymerization of the styrene in the confined reactor containing CNF grafted PU offers a porous network with substantial stability. The natural light in a confined reactor performed two major functions. Its first role was to vaporize the styrene by increasing the reactor temperature and, in the second step, it generated styrene radicals. The radical styrene in vapor phase reacted with CNF to produce polystyrene branches by generating active sites on CNF. Without CNF, the polymerization on polyurethane (PU) provided a very delicate and fragile surface; however, CNF reinforced the 3D porous structure and provided active sites for radical polymerization. After polymerization, the surface area of the PU was substantially increased from 9 to 184 m2/g and the pore size was decreased from 2567 to 10 Å. The 3D porous network of natural light assisted polystyrene branched carbon nanofiber supported PU (3D‐NL‐PS/CNF/PU) provided a highly hydrophobic surface with a high water contact angle of ≈148±3°. The prepared 3D network was found to be highly oleophilic and provided rapid gravity driven separation of hexane and water without using any external force.
Protein Corona Mediated Uptake and Cytotoxicity of Silver Nanoparticles in Mouse Embryonic Fibroblast
Authors: Barbalinardo Marianna , Caicci Federico , Cavallini Massimiliano , Gentili Denis
Published: July 2018

Medical applications of nanoparticles (NPs) require understanding of their interactions with living systems in order to control their physiological response, such as cellular uptake and cytotoxicity. When NPs are exposed to biological fluids, the adsorption of extracellular proteins on the surface of NPs, creating the so‐called protein corona, can critically affect their interactions with cells. Here, the effect of surface coating of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the adsorption of serum proteins (SPs) and its consequence on cellular uptake and cytotoxicity in mouse embryonic fibroblasts are shown. In particular, citrate‐capped AgNPs are internalized by cells and show a time‐ and dose‐dependent toxicity, while the passivation of the NP surface with an oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG)‐alkanethiol drastically reduces their uptake and cytotoxicity. The exposure to growth media containing SPs reveals that citrate‐capped AgNPs are promptly coated and stabilized by proteins, while the AgNPs resulting from capping with the OEG‐alkanethiol are more resistant to adsorption of proteins onto their surface. Using NIH‐3T3 cultured in serum‐free, the key role of the adsorption of SPs onto surface of NPs is shown as only AgNPs with a preformed protein corona can be internalized by the cells and, consequently, carry out their inherent cytotoxic activity.
Fluorination Triggered New Small Molecule Donor Materials for Efficient As‐Cast Organic Solar Cells
Authors: Yang Yuting , Wang Kai , Li Gongqiang , Ran Xueqin , Song Xin , Gasparini Nicola , Zhang Qian‐Qian , Lai Xue , Guo Xiao , Meng Fei , Du Mengzhen , Huang Wei , Baran Derya
Published: July 2018

Solution‐processable small molecules (SMs) have attracted intense attention due to their definite molecular structures, less batch‐to‐batch variation, and easier structure control. Herein, two new SM donors based on substituted isatin unit (DI3T, DI3T‐2F) are synthesized and applied as electron donors with the mixture of PC71BM to construct organic photovoltaics. As a result, 5,6‐difluoro isatin derivative (DI3T‐2F) obtains a power conversion efficiency of 7.80% by a simple solution spin‐coating fabrication process without any additives, solvent, or thermal annealing process. More intuitively, due to stronger intermolecular interaction and higher hole mobility after the incorporation of fluorine atoms in end units, the devices present good tolerance to active layer thickness. The results indicate that DI3T‐2F shows promising potential for large‐scale printing processes and flexible application of efficient small molecule organic solar cells.
Natural Plant Materials as Dielectric Layer for Highly Sensitive Flexible Electronic Skin
Authors: Wan Yongbiao , Qiu Zhiguang , Huang Jun , Yang Jingyi , Wang Qi , Lu Peng , Yang Junlong , Zhang Jianming , Huang Siya , Wu Zhigang , Guo Chuan Fei
Published: July 2018

Nature has long offered human beings with useful materials. Herein, plant materials including flowers and leaves have been directly used as the dielectric material in flexible capacitive electronic skin (e‐skin), which simply consists of a dried flower petal or leaf sandwiched by two flexible electrodes. The plant material is a 3D cell wall network which plays like a compressible metamaterial that elastically collapses upon pressing plus some specific surface structures, and thus the device can sensitively respond to pressure. The device works over a broad‐pressure range from 0.6 Pa to 115 kPa with a maximum sensitivity of 1.54 kPa−1, and shows high stability over 5000 cyclic pressings or bends. The natural‐material‐based e‐skin has been applied in touch sensing, motion monitoring, gas flow detection, and the spatial distribution of pressure. As the foam‐like structure is ubiquitous in plants, a general strategy for a green, cost‐effective, and scalable approach to make flexible e‐skins is offered here.
Runx1 Role in Epithelial and Cancer Cell Proliferation Implicates Lipid Metabolism and Scd1 and Soat1 Activity
Authors: Jain Prachi , Nattakom Mary , Holowka David , Wang Dong Hao , Thomas Brenna J. , Ku Amy Tsu , Nguyen Hoang , Ibrahim Sherrif F. , Tumbar Tudorita
Published: July 2018

The role of lipid metabolism in epithelial stem cell (SC) function and carcinogenesis is poorly understood. The transcription factor Runx1 is known to regulate proliferation in mouse epithelial hair follicle (HF) SCs in vivo and in several mouse and human epithelial cancers. We found a novel subset of in vivo Runx1 HFSC target genes related to lipid metabolism and demonstrated changes in distinct classes of lipids driven by Runx1. Inhibition of lipid-enzymes Scd1 and Soat1 activity synergistically reduces proliferation of mouse skin epithelial cells and of human skin and oral squamous cell carcinoma cultured lines. Varying Runx1 levels induces changes in skin monounsaturated fatty acids (e.g., oleate, a product of Scd1) as shown by our lipidome analysis. Furthermore, varying Runx1 levels, the inhibition of Scd1, or the addition of Scd1-product oleate, individually affects the plasma membrane organization (or fluidity) in mouse keratinocytes. These factors also affect the strength of signal transduction through the membranes for Wnt, a pathway that promotes epithelial (cancer) cell proliferation and HFSC activation. Our working model is that HFSC factor Runx1 modulates the fatty acid production, which affects membrane organization, facilitating signal transduction for rapid proliferation of normal and cancer epithelial cells.
Perioperative Outcomes of Laparoscopic Minor Hepatectomy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the Elderly
Authors: Goh Brian K. P. , Chua Darren , Syn Nicholas , Teo Jin‐Yao , Chan Chung‐Yip , Lee Ser‐Yee , Jeyaraj Prema Raj , Cheow Peng‐Chung , Chow Pierce K. H. , Ooi London L. P. J. , Chung Alexander Y. F.
Published: July 2018

Introduction

This study aims to evaluate the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic minor hepatectomy (LMH) in elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods

A total of 40 consecutive elderly (≥ 70 years) patients were compared with 94 young patients (< 70 years). The 40 patients were also compared with 85 consecutive elderly patients who underwent open minor hepatectomies (OMH). After 1:1 propensity‐score matching (PSM), 32 LMHs were compared with 32 OMHs in elderly patients.

Results

Comparison between the baseline characteristics of elderly and young HCC patients showed that elderly patients were significantly more likely to have comorbidities, ASA score > 2, non‐hepatitis B, previous liver resection and larger tumor size. Comparison between perioperative outcomes demonstrated that elderly patients were significantly more likely to have a longer operation time, increased blood loss, increased need for blood transfusion, longer Pringles duration and longer postoperative stay. Comparison between LMH and OMH in elderly patients demonstrated no significant difference in baseline characteristics except the LMH cohort were significantly more likely to have > 1 comorbidity, higher platelet count and lower median AFP level. Comparison between outcomes before and after PSM demonstrated that LMH was associated with longer operation time, increased blood loss, longer Pringles duration but decreased postoperative pulmonary complications and shorter postoperative stay compared to OMH.

Conclusion

LMH is safe and feasible in elderly patients with HCC. However, LMH in elderly patients is associated with poorer perioperative outcomes compared to LMH in young patients. Comparison between LMH and OMH in elderly patients demonstrated advantages in terms of decreased pulmonary complications and shorter length of stay at the expense of increased operation time and blood loss.
Die Bodenrichtwertentwicklung bebauter Grundstücke in Überschwemmungsgebieten. Eine volkswirtschaftliche Betrachtung
Authors: Brödner Romy
Published: July 2018

2002, 2010, 2013 – from time to time, Germany is hit by severe flood events. In addition to these large-scale events, local floods tend to periodically catch the population unprepared and cause losses running into billion Euro. So far, technical measures for flood protection have been provided publicly but the remaining risks are in the responsibility of the people concerned. Therefore, approaches relying on economic instruments should come into focus to develop a more efficient and equitable system. Based on the examination of land value trends of developed land in eleven high-risk cities in the Federal State of Saxony for the years 2000 to 2016, this article investigates the question whether there is an impact of flood risk on the valuation of land. On the one hand, flood plains and unaffected regions are compared in a descriptive way; on the other hand, a multiple linear regression illustrates the link between land values and flood hazard. While a decreasing development can be detected for land values in almost all areas considered, it turns out to be more pronounced in fixed flood areas. According to the current state of research, the regression shows that the situation of a flood region is significant for land values. To counteract this negative value development, it is even more important to minimise the risk of flooding, especially in built-up areas, or to lower the risk. Preventive flood protection, transparency in spatial planning, financial incentives for buildings, and citizen participation in spatial planning can help achieving this aim.
The Emergence and Decline of Southern Baptist Congregations in a Southeastern County, 1784–2011: An Ecological Analysis
Authors: May Matthew
Published: July 2018

Studies of the growth and decline of religious organizations tend to focus on the ability of American religious institutions to adapt within an open market system, but theories of adaptation may overstate the ability of organizations to respond to changes in their environment. Theories of selection, on the other hand, emphasize the role environmental forces play in organizational growth and decline. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the usefulness of an ecological theory of selection for modeling growth and decline in a population of religious organizations. To test this model, I use historical data on a population of Southern Baptist congregations in the southeastern United States from 1784 to 2011. My analyses indicate that the processes of denominational growth and decline are consistent with the expectations of ecological theories of selection.
Transition to ultimate Rayleigh–Bénard turbulence revealed through extended self-similarity scaling analysis of the temperature structure functions
Authors: Krug Dominik , Zhu Xiaojue , Chung Daniel , Marusic Ivan , Verzicco Roberto , Lohse Detlef
Published: July 2018

In turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard (RB) convection, a transition to the so-called ultimate regime, in which the boundary layers (BL) are of turbulent type, has been postulated. Indeed, at very large Rayleigh number $Ra\approx 10^{13}{-}10^{14}$ a transition in the scaling of the global Nusselt number $Nu$ (the dimensionless heat transfer) and the Reynolds number with $Ra$ has been observed in experiments and very recently in direct numerical simulations (DNS) of two-dimensional (2D) RB convection. In this paper, we analyse the local scaling properties of the lateral temperature structure functions in the BLs of this simulation of 2D RB convection, employing extended self-similarity (ESS) (i.e., plotting the structure functions against each other, rather than only against the scale) in the spirit of the attached-eddy hypothesis, as we have recently introduced for velocity structure functions in wall turbulence (Krug et al., J. Fluid Mech., vol. 830, 2017, pp. 797–819). We find no ESS scaling at $Ra$ below the transition and in the near-wall region. However, beyond the transition and for large enough wall distance $z^{+}>100$, we find clear ESS behaviour, as expected for a scalar in a turbulent boundary layer. In striking correspondence to the $Nu$ scaling, the ESS scaling region is negligible at $Ra=10^{11}$ and well developed at $Ra=10^{14}$, thus providing strong evidence that the observed transition in the global Nusselt number at $Ra\approx 10^{13}$ indeed is the transition from a laminar type BL to a turbulent type BL. Our results further show that the relative slopes for scalar structure functions in the ESS scaling regime are the same as for their velocity counterparts, extending their previously established universality. The findings are confirmed by comparing to scalar structure functions in three-dimensional turbulent channel flow.
Distance-varying assortativity and clustering of the international trade network–ADDENDUM
Authors: Abbate Angela , De Benedictis Luca , Fagiolo Giorgio , Tajoli Lucia
Published: July 2018

In the original publication of this article (Abbate et al. 2018), a disclaimer was omitted. The authors wish to state the following:

The views expressed in this study are the authors' and do not necessarily reflect those of the Swiss National Bank.

The authors regret the omission.
Elijah in Dorset: William Freke and Enthusiasm in England and the Atlantic World at the Turn of the Eighteenth Century
Authors: Greig Martin
Published: July 2018

In 1709, William Freke, a pious, well-educated, and well-read English gentleman living in Dorset, declared to the world that he was the second coming of Elijah, sent to announce the arrival of the New Jerusalem and to proclaim the beginning of Christ's reign upon earth. There is no evidence to indicate that anyone at the time took him seriously, and given this absence of contemporary interest, it might be tempting to dismiss Freke as an isolated and insignificant crackpot. But this would be a misreading of his career. Research over the past couple of decades has decisively determined that the twenty years following 1690 were a period of intense religious speculation in England and the larger Atlantic world when expectations of the millennium were high. Far from being an isolated enthusiast crying in the wilderness, Freke was in fact a prophet who was connected in a variety of ways to a much larger network of religious enthusiasts in England and on the Continent that reveals much about the religious milieu of, and the millenarian interconnections that existed during, the last decade of the seventeenth and first decade of the eighteenth century.
“My Temple Should Be a House of Prayer”: The Use and Misuse of Carolingian Churches
Authors: Polanichka Dana M.
Published: July 2018

This essay explores eighth- and early ninth-century Frankish understandings and experiences of churches as holy spaces, arguing that myriad textual genres demonstrate the widespread Carolingian belief in churches as highly sacred spaces as well as the significant variations in the specifics and execution of that belief. The first part of the article details how Carolingian legislation worked to define, recognize, and maintain the sacred space of churches by insisting upon specific, respectful behaviors within them. The central portion of the article considers epistolary and hagiographical texts that describe and, at times, accept transgressions of these laws, including by an elite member of the Carolingian court. The article contends that not all misbehavior and misuse of churches defiled them; rather, inappropriate behaviors often highlighted or activated the sanctity of a space in a way that legislation could not. This essay, in triangulating Carolingian legislative, hagiographical, and epistolary texts, opens a window onto the views of the laity regarding churches as sacred spaces. Ultimately, it raises questions about the extent (and limits) of Frankish beliefs regarding spatial sacrality, the reach of the Carolingian reform efforts, and the nature of lay religiosity.
Electron acoustic super solitary waves in a magnetized plasma
Authors: Kamalam T. , Steffy S. V. , Ghosh S. S.
Published: July 2018

An electron acoustic super solitary wave has been derived using the Sagdeev pseudopotential technique for a four component magnetized plasma consisting of the beam and bulk fluid electrons and two ions with Maxwell Boltzmann distributions. This is the first theoretical report of a super solitary wave in a magnetized plasma which has no direct association with the singularity of the pseudopotential. It shows a narrow and spiky subwell near the low potential which causes the lateral inversion of the wiggle for the bipolar electric field vis-á-vis the unmagnetized plasma. An analytical formalism was developed to identify these novel kinds of super solitary waves and their transition processes have been characterized. It was observed that the super solitary wave is directly influenced by the singularity of the pseudopotential lying in the vicinity of the solution. The first ever prediction of the electron acoustic super solitary wave raises the possibility of its application to the interpretation of the satellite observations of the electrostatic field data.
A fun, active and sociable life on display – nursing home presentations on Instagram
Authors: CARLSTEDT ELISABETH
Published: July 2018

Swedish nursing homes’ use of Instagram has increased vastly in the past few years. Instagram is understood as a means to manage the image they wish to mediate to the public. This article examines what is displayed in the nursing homes’ Instagram accounts, and what kind of reality is thereby constructed. The data consist of 338 Instagram images from four nursing homes’ Instagram accounts. It is found that nursing home life is primarily depicted on Instagram as active, sociable and fun, with informal, friendly relations between staff and residents, and residents able to continue to live as before, if not better, and to interact with surrounding society. Frailty, boredom, loneliness and death were absent from the data, as were mundane care activities. The article concludes that the presentations in the Instagram accounts challenge the traditional idea of nursing homes as total institutions, and the decline and loss associated with living in such institutions; however, there is a risk that these idyllic presentations conceal the inherent problems of nursing home life.
Stiffness analysis and experimental validation of modular-type hybrid antagonistic tendon-driven joint systems
Authors: Jeong Hyunhwan , Kang Bongki , Cheong Joono
Published: July 2018

This paper proposes a new antagonistic tendon-driven joint (TDJ) that exhibits higher stiffness and larger travel range than conventional types of TDJs. A detailed mathematical analysis of the stiffness of the proposed TDJ is conducted and compared to other TDJs. The effect of the tendon length is taken into consideration to establish a more precise and realistic stiffness model of the proposed TDJ. Thereafter, two hardware prototypes of the proposed TDJ design, developed in the form of a packaged modular structure that integrates two TDJs, are introduced. Using these prototypes, the stiffness characteristics of the proposed TDJs are verified through experimentation. Additionally, experimental results on the stiffness behavior during the mimicked needle insertion tasks are provided. Results show that the proposed TDJs present much higher stiffness than conventional ones and thus give a potential benefit to precision manipulation.
Vitamin D-binding protein is inversely associated with the incidence of gastrointestinal and ear infections in school-age children
Authors: Palframan K.M. , Robinson S.L. , Mora-Plazas M. , Marin C. , Villamor E.
Published: July 2018

Circulating 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) is related to decreased rates of gastrointestinal and ear infections in school-age children. Vitamin D-binding protein (DBP) transports 25(OH)D and exerts immunological functions; however, it is unknown whether DBP is associated with infectious morbidity in children. We quantified plasma DBP concentrations in 540 school-age children at the time of recruitment into a cohort study in Bogotá, Colombia and obtained daily information on infectious morbidity symptoms and doctor visits during the school year. We compared the incidence rates of gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms across quartiles of DBP concentration by estimating adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% confidence interval (CI). We also estimated the per cent of the associations between DBP and morbidity that were mediated through 25(OH)D using a counterfactual frame. Mean ±s.d.DBP concentration was 2650 ± 1145 nmol/l. DBP was inversely associated with the rates of diarrhoea with vomiting (IRR for quartiles 2–4vs.1 = 0.48; 95% CI 0.25–0.92;P= 0.03) and earache/ear discharge with fever (IRR for quartiles 2–4vs.1 = 0.29; 95% CI 0.12–0.71;P= 0.006). The DBP–morbidity associations were not mediated through 25(OH)D. We conclude that plasma DBP predicts lower incidence of gastrointestinal and ear infections in school-age children independent of 25(OH)D.
Refined stability thresholds for localized spot patterns for the Brusselator model in
Authors: CHANG Y. , TZOU J. C. , WARD M. J. , WEI J. C.
Published: July 2018

In the singular perturbation limit ε → 0, we analyse the linear stability of multi-spot patterns on a bounded 2-D domain, with Neumann boundary conditions, as well as periodic patterns of spots centred at the lattice points of a Bravais lattice in $\mathbb{R}^2$, for the Brusselator reaction–diffusion model

$$
\begin{equation*}
v_t = \epsilon^2 \Delta v + \epsilon^2 - v + fu v^2 \,, \qquad \tau
u_t = D \Delta u + \frac{1}{\epsilon^2}\left(v - u v^2\right) \,,
\end{equation*}
$$

where the parameters satisfy 0 < f < 1, τ > 0 and D > 0. A previous leading-order linear stability theory characterizing the onset of spot amplitude instabilities for the parameter regime D = ${\mathcal O}$(ν−1), where ν = −1/log ϵ, based on a rigorous analysis of a non-local eigenvalue problem (NLEP), predicts that zero-eigenvalue crossings are degenerate. To unfold this degeneracy, the conventional leading-order-in-ν NLEP linear stability theory for spot amplitude instabilities is extended to one higher order in the logarithmic gauge ν. For a multi-spot pattern on a finite domain under a certain symmetry condition on the spot configuration, or for a periodic pattern of spots centred at the lattice points of a Bravais lattice in $\mathbb{R}^2$, our extended NLEP theory provides explicit and improved analytical predictions for the critical value of the inhibitor diffusivity D at which a competition instability, due to a zero-eigenvalue crossing, will occur. Finally, when D is below the competition stability threshold, a different extension of conventional NLEP theory is used to determine an explicit scaling law, with anomalous dependence on ϵ, for the Hopf bifurcation threshold value of τ that characterizes temporal oscillations in the spot amplitudes.
Impact of the Spanish smoke-free laws on cigarette sales, 2000–2015: partial bans on smoking in public places failed and only a total tobacco ban worked
Authors: Pinilla Jaime , López-Valcárcel Beatriz G. , Negrín Miguel A.
Published: July 2018

In January 2006, the Spanish government enacted a tobacco control law that banned smoking in bars and restaurants, with exceptions depending on the floor space of the premises. In January 2011, further legislation in this area was adopted, removing these exceptions. We analyse the effect produced on cigarette sales by these two bans. We approach this problem using an interrupted time series analysis while accounting for the potential effects of autocorrelation and seasonality. The data source used was the official data on legal sales of tobacco in Spain, from January 2000 to December 2015 (excluding the Canary Islands and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla). As confounder variables, we use the log-transformed average prices for manufactured and hand-rolled cigarettes (or the average minimum excise tax as a proxy), and log-transformed real-household disposable income. The implementation of a total smoke-free ban in Spain was associated with an immediate reduction in cigarette sales between 9% to 11%. In contrast, in the period immediately following the partial ban, no such reduction was detected, beyond the trend already present. Our results indicate that, in Spain, partial bans on smoking in public places failed, and that only a total tobacco ban worked.
Israel and the Islamist Challenge: Old Dilemmas, New Approaches
Authors: Daoud Suheir Abu Oksa
Published: July 2018

This paper explains Israel's decision to outlaw the Islamic Movement Northern Faction in Israel (IMNF) and examines the methods and strategies adopted by the IMNF and its leaders that prompted the state's actions. Based on the British Defense Regulations from the British Mandate for Palestine, the State of Israel outlawed the IMNF on November 17, 2015, accusing the group of incitement, racism, and terrorism. Sheykh Kamal Khatib, former deputy leader of IMNF, declared that the IMNF had been a tool to serve the Islamic project and regardless of having been outlawed, the movement “would find a “thousand ways” to serve that project.’” I argue that the IMNF's shift in focus from the Palestinians to the larger Muslim community disrupted politics within Israel. Even so, Israel's policy change was based on political and personal calculations, rather than on national and regional security pressures.
Catholicity Without Leviathan: Stanley Hauerwas's Perspective on the Church as an Alternative Political Community
Authors: Untea Ionut
Published: July 2018

The article brings into focus a series of political arguments of Stanley Hauerwas's “theological politics” and argues that these arguments are in stark contrast with the theoretical perspective of a political rule by a god-like Leviathan, an image inherited in modern and contemporary political culture from the early modern English philosopher Thomas Hobbes. The first section focuses on Hauerwas's arguments regarding the political potential of the term “Catholicity” to represent an alternative to the coercive politics reinforced by the post-Enlightenment nation state. The second section proposes a reflection on the way the Church's Catholicity may be expressed politically without falling into the temptation of involving the Leviathan to sort out the issues generated by its diversity. The concluding section illustrates how Hauerwas uses his approach of a universal unity of Christians “without Leviathan” in his exhortation addressed to American Christians to say “no” to Donald Trump's version of communal unity that is rather based on “total allegiance” to the United States and on “repressive politics”.
“I Have Been Bullied at Workplace!”: A Qualitative Study on Italian Employees’ Stories
Authors: Caputo Andrea
Published: July 2018

The present study explored some common thematic domains which characterized workplace bullying stories of adult Italian participants. Emotional Text Analysis was performed on 28 workplace bullying stories in order to detect the main themes (cluster analysis) and latent factors (correspondence analysis) emerging in bullied workers’ narratives. Five thematic domains were detected in the textual corpus (p < .05, at 95% confidence level), which are respectively referred to as: organizational constraints (14.10%), treatment discrimination (10.04%), unjust accusations (30.77%), emotional abuse (14.53%), and job duty changes (30.56%). Four latent factors explained the overall data variance: Sense of precariousness (F1, 34.38% of variance), lack of recognition (F2, 26.35%), feeling of exclusion (F3, 23.01%) and job disengagement (F4, 16.27%). From the emotional experience shaping the relationship between bullied workers and their work environments, this research study allows the identification of some organizational situations that are “at risk” for workplace bullying in order to promote better organizational health.
Motorische Entwicklung und Händigkeit in den ersten beiden Lebensjahren
Authors: Krombholz Heinz
Published: July 2018

Zusammenfassung. Der Zusammenhang von motorischer Entwicklung in den ersten beiden Lebensjahren und der Händigkeit von Kindern (N = 367) wurde untersucht. 18 motorische Meilensteine wurden erfasst, 14 betreffen die Grob- und vier die Handmotorik. Die Händigkeit wurde durch eine Befragung der Eltern zum Zeitpunkt des Erreichens des Meilensteins („Freies und sicheres Gehen“) ermittelt, den die Kinder im durchschnittlichen Alter von 14 Monaten bewältigten. 42.1 % der Kinder bevorzugten ihre rechte, 9.6 % ihre linke Hand, 32 % gebrauchten beide Hände gleich häufig. 16.4 % der Eltern konnten keine Angaben zur Händigkeit machen. Kinder, die bereits eine ausgeprägte Präferenz für die rechte Hand zeigten, bewältigten die meisten der Meilensteine früher als linkshändige und Kinder ohne Bevorzugung einer Hand. Kinder, deren Eltern keine Angabe zur Händigkeit machten, zeigten keine Nachteile gegenüber Rechtshändern. Unterschiede hinsichtlich der Entwicklung körperlicher Merkmale konnten zwischen den Gruppen nicht nachgewiesen werden. Der Anteil der Jungen unter den Linkshändern war deutlich höher als der der Mädchen. Mit Ausnahme des Meilensteins „Sitzen“ konnten keine Unterschiede im Erreichen der Meilensteine zwischen den Geschlechtern nachgewiesen werden.
Segmentation of the Main Himalayan Thrust Revealed by Low‐Temperature Thermochronometry in the Western Indian Himalaya
Authors: Eugster Patricia , Thiede Rasmus C. , Scherler Dirk , Stübner Konstanze , Sobel Edward R. , Strecker Manfred R.
Published: July 2018

Despite remarkable tectonostratigraphic similarities along the Himalayan arc, pronounced topographic and exhumational variability exists in different morphotectonic segments. The processes responsible for this segmentation are debated. Of particular interest is a 30‐ to 40‐km‐wide orogen‐parallel belt of rapid exhumation that extends from central Nepal to the western Himalaya and its possible linkage to a midcrustal ramp in the basal décollement, and the related growth of Lesser Himalayan duplex structures. Here we present 26 new apatite fission track cooling ages from the Beas‐Lahul region, at the transition from the Central to the Western Himalaya (~77°–78°E) to investigate segmentation in the Himalayan arc from a thermochronologic perspective. Together with previously published data from this part of the orogen, we document significant lateral changes in exhumation between the Dhauladar Range to the west, the Beas‐Lahul region, and the Sutlej area to the east of the study area. In contrast to the Himalayan front farther east, exhumation in the far western sectors is focused at the frontal parts of the mountain range and associated with the hanging wall of the Main Boundary Thrust fault ramp. Our results allow us to spatially correlate the termination of the rapid exhumation belt with a midcrustal ramp to the west. We suggest that a plunging anticline at the northwestern edge of the Larji‐Kullu‐Rampur window represents the termination of the Central Himalayan segment, which is related to the evolution of the Lesser Himalayan duplex.
Early Jurassic Rifting of the Arabian Passive Continental Margin of the Neo‐Tethys. Field Evidence From the Lurestan Region of the Zagros Fold‐and‐Thrust Belt, Iran
Authors: Tavani Stefano , Parente Mariano , Vitale Stefano , Iannace Alessandro , Corradetti Amerigo , Bottini Cinzia , Morsalnejad Davoud , Mazzoli Stefano
Published: July 2018

The Arabian passive margin formed at the southern margin of the Neo‐Tethys ocean during the breakup of Pangea. In the Lurestan region of the Zagros mountain belt, the deformed Arabian continental paleo‐margin can be reconstructed as originally consisting of distinct crustal domains, including a proximal sector and a distal continental ribbon, separated by a deep‐water trough, known as the Radiolarite Basin. Such an architecture was shaped by the continental rifting process, thus reflecting timing and style of continent separation, which is generally assumed to have occurred during the Permo‐Triassic interval. This study reports evidence of syn‐sedimentary extensional faults, unconformities, and facies changes in the Mesozoic stratigraphic succession of the Lurestan region, which point to a major Jurassic extensional pulse. In detail, extension reached its climax at the end of the Early Jurassic, when tectonically driven drowning of the long‐lived Triassic to Early Jurassic carbonate platform led to the transition from shallow‐ to deep‐water environments in large areas of the inner margin, coevally with the development of the Radiolarite Basin. Our findings suggest a two‐step continental rifting in this area, with the first Permo‐Triassic phase predating an Early Jurassic one.
Repeated photoporation with graphene quantum dots enables homogeneous labeling of live cells with extrinsic markers for fluorescence microscopy
Authors: Liu Jing , Xiong Ranhua , Brans Toon , Lippens Saskia , Parthoens Eef , Zanacchi Francesca Cella , Magrassi Raffaella , Singh Santosh K. , Kurungot Sreekumar , Szunerits Sabine , Bové Hannelore , Ameloot Marcel , Fraire Juan C. , Teirlinck Eline , Samal Sangram Keshari , Rycke Riet De , Houthaeve Gaëlle , De Smedt Stefaan C. , Boukherroub Rabah , Braeckmans Kevin
Published: July 2018

In the replacement of genetic probes, there is increasing interest in labeling living cells with high-quality extrinsic labels, which avoid over-expression artifacts and are available in a wide spectral range. This calls for a broadly applicable technology that can deliver such labels unambiguously to the cytosol of living cells. Here, we demonstrate that nanoparticle-sensitized photoporation can be used to this end as an emerging intracellular delivery technique. We replace the traditionally used gold nanoparticles with graphene nanoparticles as photothermal sensitizers to permeabilize the cell membrane upon laser irradiation. We demonstrate that the enhanced thermal stability of graphene quantum dots allows the formation of multiple vapor nanobubbles upon irradiation with short laser pulses, allowing the delivery of a variety of extrinsic cell labels efficiently and homogeneously into live cells. We demonstrate high-quality time-lapse imaging with confocal, total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF), and Airyscan super-resolution microscopy. As the entire procedure is readily compatible with fluorescence (super resolution) microscopy, photoporation with graphene quantum dots has the potential to become the long-awaited generic platform for controlled intracellular delivery of fluorescent labels for live-cell imaging.
Sensing of cytosolic LPS through caspy2 pyrin domain mediates noncanonical inflammasome activation in zebrafish
Authors: Yang Dahai , Zheng Xin , Chen Shouwen , Wang Zhuang , Xu Wenting , Tan Jinchao , Hu Tianjian , Hou Mingyu , Wang Wenhui , Gu Zhaoyan , Wang Qiyao , Zhang Ruilin , Zhang Yuanxing , Liu Qin
Published: July 2018

The noncanonical inflammasome is critical for cytosolic sensing of Gram-negative pathogens. Here, we show that bacterial infection induces caspy2 activation in zebrafish fibroblasts, which mediates pyroptosis via a caspase-5-like activity. Zebrafish caspy2 binds directly to lipopolysaccharide via the N-terminal pyrin death domain, resulting in caspy2 oligomerization, which is critical for pyroptosis. Furthermore, we show that caspy2 is highly expressed in the zebrafish gut and is activated during infection. Knockdown of caspy2 expression impairs the ability of zebrafish to restrict bacterial invasion in vivo, and protects larvae from lethal sepsis. Collectively, our results identify a crucial event in the evolution of pattern recognition into the death domain superfamily-mediated intracellular lipopolysaccharide-sensing pathway in innate immunity.
Global rewiring of cellular metabolism renders Saccharomyces cerevisiae Crabtree negative
Authors: Dai Zongjie , Huang Mingtao , Chen Yun , Siewers Verena , Nielsen Jens
Published: July 2018

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a Crabtree-positive eukaryal model organism. It is believed that the Crabtree effect has evolved as a competition mechanism by allowing for rapid growth and production of ethanol at aerobic glucose excess conditions. This inherent property of yeast metabolism and the multiple mechanisms underlying it require a global rewiring of the entire metabolic network to abolish the Crabtree effect. Through rational engineering of pyruvate metabolism combined with adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE), we demonstrate that it is possible to obtain such a global rewiring and hereby turn S. cerevisiae into a Crabtree-negative yeast. Using integrated systems biology analysis, we identify that the global rewiring of cellular metabolism is accomplished through a mutation in the RNA polymerase II mediator complex, which is also observed in cancer cells expressing the Warburg effect.
Uniaxial stress flips the natural quantization axis of a quantum dot for integrated quantum photonics
Authors: Yuan Xueyong , Weyhausen-Brinkmann Fritz , Martín-Sánchez Javier , Piredda Giovanni , Křápek Vlastimil , Huo Yongheng , Huang Huiying , Schimpf Christian , Schmidt Oliver G. , Edlinger Johannes , Bester Gabriel , Trotta Rinaldo , Rastelli Armando
Published: July 2018

The optical selection rules in epitaxial quantum dots are strongly influenced by the orientation of their natural quantization axis, which is usually parallel to the growth direction. This configuration is well suited for vertically emitting devices, but not for planar photonic circuits because of the poorly controlled orientation of the transition dipoles in the growth plane. Here we show that the quantization axis of gallium arsenide dots can be flipped into the growth plane via moderate in-plane uniaxial stress. By using piezoelectric strain-actuators featuring strain amplification, we study the evolution of the selection rules and excitonic fine structure in a regime, in which quantum confinement can be regarded as a perturbation compared to strain in determining the symmetry-properties of the system. The experimental and computational results suggest that uniaxial stress may be the right tool to obtain quantum-light sources with ideally oriented transition dipoles and enhanced oscillator strengths for integrated quantum photonics.
Automated single-molecule imaging in living cells
Authors: Yasui Masato , Hiroshima Michio , Kozuka Jun , Sako Yasushi , Ueda Masahiro
Published: July 2018

An automated single-molecule imaging system developed for live-cell analyses based on artificial intelligence-assisted microscopy is presented. All significant procedures, i.e., searching for cells suitable for observation, detecting in-focus positions, and performing image acquisition and single-molecule tracking, are fully automated, and numerous highly accurate, efficient, and reproducible single-molecule imaging experiments in living cells can be performed. Here, the apparatus is applied for single-molecule imaging and analysis of epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs) in 1600 cells in a 96-well plate within 1 day. Changes in the lateral mobility of EGFRs on the plasma membrane in response to various ligands and drug concentrations are clearly detected in individual cells, and several dynamic and pharmacological parameters are determined, including the diffusion coefficient, oligomer size, and half-maximal effective concentration (EC50). Automated single-molecule imaging for systematic cell signaling analyses is feasible and can be applied to single-molecule screening, thus extensively contributing to biological and pharmacological research.
Author Correction: RPAP3 provides a flexible scaffold for coupling HSP90 to the human R2TP co-chaperone complex
Authors: Martino Fabrizio , Pal Mohinder , Muñoz-Hernández Hugo , Rodríguez Carlos F. , Núñez-Ramírez Rafael , Gil-Carton David , Degliesposti Gianluca , Skehel J. Mark , Roe S. Mark , Prodromou Chrisostomos , Pearl Laurence H. , Llorca Oscar
Published: July 2018

In the originally published version of this article, the affiliation details for Hugo Muñoz-Hernández, Carlos F. Rodríguez and Oscar Llorca incorrectly omitted ‘Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Ramiro de Maeztu 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain’. This has now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.
Subjective time expansion with increased stimulation of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells
Authors: Yang Pei-Ling , Tsujimura Sei-ichi , Matsumoto Akiko , Yamashita Wakayo , Yeh Su-Ling
Published: July 2018

Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) contain photoreceptors that are especially sensitive to blue light. Nevertheless, how blue light and ipRGCs affect time perception remains unsolved. We used the oddball paradigm and manipulated the background light to examine whether and how blue light and ipRGCs affect perceived duration. In the oddball paradigm, participants were asked to judge the duration of the target (oddball), compared to that of the standard, with a two alternative-forced-choice procedure. When the background light was controlled to be either blue or red in Experiment 1, results showed that blue light led to longer subjective duration compared to red light. Experiment 2 further clarified the contribution of the ipRGCs. A set of multi-primary projector system that could manipulate the ipRGC stimulation were used, while the color and luminance of the background lights were kept constant throughout. Results showed that increased stimulation of ipRGCs under metameric background expanded subjective time. These results suggest that ipRGC stimulation increases arousal/attention so as to expand subjective duration.