bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparing the mechanical response of di‐, tri‐, and tetra‐functional resin epoxies with reactive molecular dynamics
Authors: Radue Matthew S. , Jensen Benjamin D. , Gowtham S. , Klimek‐McDonald Danielle R. , King Julia A. , Odegard Gregory M.
Published: November 2017

The influence of monomer functionality on the mechanical properties of epoxies is studied using molecular dynamics (MD) with the Reax Force Field (ReaxFF). From deformation simulations, the Young's modulus, yield point, and Poisson's ratio are calculated and analyzed. Comparison between the network structures of distinct epoxies is further advanced by the monomeric degree index (MDI). Experimental validation demonstrates the MD results correctly predict the relationship in Young's moduli. Therefore, ReaxFF is confirmed to be a useful tool for studying the mechanical behavior of epoxies. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2018, 56, 255–264
Efficient and Fast Synthesis of Few‐Layer Black Phosphorus via Microwave‐Assisted Liquid‐Phase Exfoliation
Authors: Bat‐Erdene Munkhjargal , Batmunkh Munkhbayar , Shearer Cameron J. , Tawfik Sherif Abdulkader , Ford Michael J. , Yu LePing , Sibley Alexander J. , Slattery Ashley D. , Quinton Jamie S. , Gibson Christopher T. , Shapter Joseph G.
Published: November 2017

High‐quality, few‐layer black‐phosphorus (BP) flakes are prepared in a common organic solvent with very short processing times using microwave‐assisted liquid‐phase exfoliation. A comprehensive range of analysis, combined with density‐functional theory calculations, confirms that the product prepared using the microwave technique is few‐layer BP with small‐ and large‐area flakes. The suspended exfoliated BP sheets show excellent stability, while samples dispersed onto silicon from the suspensions exhibit low oxidation levels after several days in ambient conditions. This straightforward synthesis method is facile, efficient, and extremely fast, and does not involve use of any surfactant or ultrasonication steps and will facilitate future development of phosphorene research.
Toward High‐Performance Polymer Photovoltaic Devices for Low‐Power Indoor Applications
Authors: Yang Shun‐Shing , Hsieh Zong‐Chun , Keshtov Muchamed L. , Sharma Ganesh D. , Chen Fang‐Chung
Published: November 2017

This article describes the performance of organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices, incorporating three different polymer/fullerene derivative blends, under low‐level lighting conditions. The devices exhibit much higher power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) under indoor lighting conditions than they do under sunlight. The best‐performing device is capable of delivering a power output of 22.57 μW cm−2, corresponding to a PCE of 13.76%, under illumination with indoor lighting conditions at 500 lux. Increasing the open‐circuit voltage (Voc) of the OPV devices is the most critical factor for achieving high device performance for low‐power indoor applications. Therefore, the device power output will be maximized if we could obtain a larger energy difference between the highest occupied molecular orbital of the polymer donor and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of the electron acceptor, thereby ensuring a high value of Voc.
One Classroom, One iPad, Many Stories
Authors: Fantozzi Victoria B. , Johnson Christi , Scherfen Anneliese
Published: November 2017

Every day, we are surrounded by stories in print, on social media, in blogs, on the radio, and in stories from our friends and family. The ways people make meaning and communicate are increasingly multimodal and digital; yet, the preschool classroom, for all its multimodal learning, is sometimes devoid of technology. In this action research project, the authors integrated an iPad into a play‐based preschool classroom to support emergent literacy and playful storytelling. The students used multimodal and multi‐actor storytelling to collaborate, navigate their places in the classroom, and connect their school experiences to their home lives.
Holographic correlation functions in Critical Gravity
Authors: Anastasiou Giorgos , Olea Rodrigo
Published: November 2017

Abstract

We compute the holographic stress tensor and the logarithmic energy-momentum tensor of Einstein-Weyl gravity at the critical point. This computation is carried out performing a holographic expansion in a bulk action supplemented by the Gauss-Bonnet term with a fixed coupling. The renormalization scheme defined by the addition of this topological term has the remarkable feature that all Einstein modes are identically cancelled both from the action and its variation. Thus, what remains comes from a nonvanishing Bach tensor, which accounts for non-Einstein modes associated to logarithmic terms which appear in the expansion of the metric. In particular, we compute the holographic 1-point functions for a generic boundary geometric source.
Integrability and black-hole microstate geometries
Authors: Bena Iosif , Turton David , Walker Robert , Warner Nicholas P.
Published: November 2017

Abstract

We examine some recently-constructed families of asymptotically-AdS3 ×

$$ {\mathbb{S}}^3 $$

S
3

supergravity solutions that have the same charges and mass as supersymmetric D1-D5- P black holes, but that cap off smoothly with no horizon. These solutions, known as superstrata, are quite complicated, however we show that, for an infinite family of solutions, the null geodesic problem is completely integrable, due to the existence of a non-trivial conformal Killing tensor that provides a quadratic conservation law for null geodesics. This implies that the massless scalar wave equation is separable. For another infinite family of solutions, we find that there is a non-trivial conformal Killing tensor only when the left-moving angular momentum of the massless scalar is zero. We also show that, for both these families, the metric degrees of freedom have the form they would take if they arose from a consistent truncation on

$$ {\mathbb{S}}^3 $$

S
3

down to a (2 + 1)-dimensional space-time. We discuss some of the broader consequences of these special properties for the physics of these black-hole microstate geometries.
Nationalism and Nationalist Agitation in Africa: The Nigerian Trajectory
Authors: Olasupo Olusola , Olayide Oladeji Isaac , Ijeoma E. O. C.
Published: November 2017

The need to reclaim African territory – economically, socially, and politically – from imperialism and colonialism united Africans, especially after the Second World War, in pressing for the independence of African nations from colonialism is imperative. This period marked the emergence of Nationalism or Nationalist Movements in Africa. Nationalism presupposes African unity against European domination and rule in Africa or the creation in Africa united ‘nation-states’ as well as their economic and political transformation. Using the Nigerian case as analytical compass, this paper interrogates the concepts of Nationalism and Nationalist Agitations in Africa, especially during the colonial and the postcolonial periods. The paper employs historical and descriptive approaches and relies solely on secondary sources of data. The paper notes that, while all the ethnic-nationalities in Nigeria united against colonial rule and fought for its independence, sooner after independence in October 1960, the country began to divide against itself along ethno-religious-cultural cleavages. This division culminated in the Civil War fought between 1967 and 1970 and the continuous agitations by various ethnic-nationalities that make up the country either for more relevance within the larger Nigerian State or for outright abrogation of the State and creation of 'our own state'. These agitations are captured by the concept of Self Determination. The paper therefore concludes that there has been serious transformation in the meaning of Nationalism from what it used to mean under colonialism and presently under postcolonial state. The paper notes that this transformation is due in part to the colonial origin of the state itself and the insincerity of the postcolonial African leaders to make the state a 'nation-state'. To reawaken the Nigerianness nay Africanness nationalism, the paper recommends a political structure, which allows each ethnic-nationality some latitude of self-rule/governance in the likes of genuine federalism. Also there is need for spirited efforts at engendering good, transparent and fair governance, which will rapidly take many Africans out of the mouldy pond of poverty. This, we hope, will not only results in development of the states, but also transfer loyalties of the critical mass of the populace away from their micro ethnic-nationalities back to the state and strengthens the state against centrifugal forces.
Learning to prescribe intravenous fluids: A scoping review
Authors: McCrory Richard F. R. , Gormley Gerard Joseph , Maxwell Alexander Peter , Dornan Tim
Published: November 2017

Introduction Prescribing intravenous (IV) fluid therapy is a core skill expected of qualified doctors at the point of graduation, but medical graduates often feel ill-equipped to perform this task. This lack of preparedness contributes to treatment-related patient harm. This scoping review maps the current state of published evidence about how junior doctors prescribe IV fluid therapy and learn how to do it. Methods We searched five electronic databases and grey literature from 1994 until June 2016 for articles describing any aspect of IV fluid prescribing practice or its education. A total of 63 articles were selected for analysis. Using the WHO Guide to Good Prescribing to categorize the extracted findings, our review focuses on prescribing IV fluids in adult generalist settings. Results Most articles studied IV fluid prescribing from the perspective of the doctor. Junior clinicians struggled to conceptualize IV fluid prescribing as a ‘whole task’ in authentic work settings and lacked support. Educational interventions to improve IV fluid prescribing often focused on enhancing prescriber knowledge about fluid and electrolyte balance rather than execution of the prescribing task. Conclusions Our understanding of IV fluid prescribing as a holistic integrated skill is patchy, as is its performance. Current IV fluid prescribing education appears insufficient to foster safe and effective practice. For education to achieve the ultimate goal of safer prescribing in workplaces, we need a clearer understanding of how healthcare professionals prescribe IV fluids in real world practice.
Use of porcine small intestinal submucosa for pediatric endoscopic tympanic membrane repair
Authors: Basonbul Razan A. , Cohen Michael S.
Published: November 2017

Tympanic membrane perforationsoccur frequently in children, and can result in hearing loss, otorrhea, pain, and cholesteatoma. Due to the narrower ear canal in children, a postauricular incision is often needed to access the tympanic membrane for surgical repair. Endoscopic approaches are increasingly being used for tympanic membrane repair, reducing the need for postauricular incisions. As the need for a postauricular incision decreases, the demand for non‐autologous grafting material has increased. Acellular porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS) has been described in the literature as an alternative to commonly used autologous grafts, and is well suited for use with transcanal endoscopic ear surgery as a minimally invasive approach. This paper describes techniques for use of SIS in endoscopic tympanic membrane repair in children.
40th Anniversary Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment Guest Editorial
Authors: Ewing Jan
Published: November 2017

The Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment (ASSBI) celebrated its 40th anniversary at the annual conference in Melbourne this year. The conference theme was apposite:

‘Looking Back to Look Ahead’

and we have decided that this celebratory edition of the journal should continue that theme.
Head-on collisions of vortex rings upon round cylinders
Authors: New T. H. , Zang B.
Published: November 2017

Vortical structures and behaviour associated with vortex-ring collisions upon round cylinders with different cylinder-to-vortex-ring diameter ratios were studied using laser-induced fluorescence and time-resolved particle-image velocimetry techniques. Circular vortex rings of Reynolds number 4000 and three diameter ratios of $D/d=1$, 2 and 4 were considered in the present investigation. Results reveal that the collision behaviour is very different from that associated with flat surfaces, in which vortex disconnection and reconnection processes caused by the strong interactions between primary and secondary vortex rings produce small-scale vortex ringlets that eject away from the cylinders. For the cylinder with the largest diameter ratio used here, these vortex ringlets move towards each other along the collision axis, where they eventually collide to produce a vortex dipole that propagates upstream. However, as the diameter ratio decreases, these vortex ringlets are produced further away from the collision axis, which results in them ejecting away from the cylinder at increasingly larger angles relative to the collision axis. Trajectories of key vortex cores were extracted from the experimental results to demonstrate quantitatively the strong sensitivity of these vortical motions upon the diameter ratio. Furthermore, significant differences in the primary vortex-ring circulation along convex surfaces and straight edges after the collisions are observed. In particular, vortex flow models are presented here to better illustrate the highly three-dimensional flow dynamics of the collision behaviour, as well as highlighting the strong dependency of the secondary vortex-ring formation, vortex disconnection/reconnection processes, and ejection of the resulting vortex ringlets upon the diameter ratio. As such, these results are expected to shed more light on the more general scenario of vortex-ring collisions upon arbitrarily contoured solid boundaries.
Editorial
Authors: Mackinlay Elizabeth , Nakata Martin , Barney Katelyn
Published: November 2017

We are very pleased to bring you Volume 46.2 of the Australian Journal of Indigenous Education. In conversation as Indigenous and non-Indigenous educators working towards social justice in education, the papers in this Volume explore key questions across school, tertiary education and policy contexts. One of the key challenges for those of us working in Indigenous education landscapes in Australia and globally continues to be the ways in which policy plays out and is performed through high stakes testing of various shapes and forms. Like policy itself, ‘testing’ is linked to discourse about Indigenous peoples, capacity for educational ‘success’ and the kinds of pedagogies and teacher-ly performativities that might be enacted to achieve such outcomes. This is a necessarily complex landscape and the discussions we present in this Volume ask us to take pause and consider the relationship between policy, testing and educational practice and the ways these interface with Indigenous ways of being, doing and knowing.
Does Government Support Respond to Governments’ Social Welfare Rhetoric or their Spending? An Analysis of Government Support in Britain, Spain and the United States
Authors: Bernardi Luca , Adams James
Published: November 2017

Issue ownership theory posits that when social welfare is electorally salient, left-wing parties gain public support by rhetorically emphasizing social welfare issues. There is less research, however, on whether left-wing governing parties benefit from increasing social welfare spending. That is, it is not known whether leftist governments gain from acting on the issues they rhetorically emphasize. This article presents arguments that voters will not react to governments’ social welfare rhetoric, and reviews the conflicting arguments about how government support responds to social welfare spending. It then reports time-series, cross-sectional analyses of data on government support, governments’ social welfare rhetoric and social welfare spending from Britain, Spain and the United States, that support the prediction that government rhetoric has no effects. The article estimates, however, that increased social welfare spending sharply depresses support for both left- and right-wing governments. These findings highlight a strategic dilemma for left-wing governments, which lose public support when they act on their social welfare rhetoric by increasing welfare spending.
DermotropicLeishmania donovaniin Sri Lanka: visceralizing potential in clinical and preclinical studies
Authors: KARIYAWASAM K. K. G. D. U. L. , SELVAPANDIYAN A. , SIRIWARDANA H. V. Y. D. , DUBE A. , KARUNANAYAKE P. , SENANAYAKE S. A. S. C. , DEY R. , GANNAVARAM S. , NAKHASI H. L. , KARUNAWEERA N. D.
Published: November 2017

The visceralizing potential of apparently dermotropicLeishmania donovaniin Sri Lanka (L. donovani-SL) was investigated through long-term follow-up of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) patients andin vivoandin vitroexperimental infection models. CL patients (n= 250) treated effectively with intra-lesional antimony therapy were followed-up six monthly for 4 years. There was no clinical evidence of visceralization of infection (VL) during this period. Infection of BALB/c mice withL. donovani-SL (test) through intra-dermal route led to the development of cutaneous lesions at the site of inoculation with no signs of systemic dissemination, in contrast to the observations made in animals similarly infected with a visceralizing strain ofL. donovani-1S (control). Cytokine (IL-10, IFN-γ) release patterns of splenocytes and lymph node cell cultures derived from mice primed with experimental infections (with either test or control parasites) revealed significantly high IFN-γ response associated with test mice with CL, while prominent IL-10 levels were observed in association with control mice with VL. Furthermore, diminished infection efficiency, intracellular growth and survival ofL. donovani-SL parasites compared withL. donovani-1S were evident throughin vitromacrophage infection experiments. These studies confirm, for the first time, the essential dermotropic nature ofL. donovani-SL suggesting natural attenuation of virulence of local parasite strains.
“DOES IT BUZZ?”: IMAGE AND TEXT IN EDWARD LEAR'S LIMERICKS
Authors: Hassett Constance W.
Published: November 2017

The limericks of Edward Lear(1812–1888) prompted a mid-Victorian craze that flourishes to this day. Gorgeously illustrated new limericks appear in a 2015 issue ofPoetrymagazine (Madrid), a five-line skewering of Stalin is tucked into a recentNew York Timesobituary (Grimes). The newly founded Edward Lear Society celebrates at the Knowsley estate, and the keeper of the Edward Lear website adds a new feature on Lear and Comics. The British Academy's Chatterton lecturer attends to Lear's birds, including the parrot that “seized” a man's nose and the raven that “danced a quadrille” (Bevis 39, 41) – Lear's first work, it must be remembered, was the magnificentIllustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots(1832). Of course he is best known today as a writer of nonsense (Peck 15). The illustrated limerick, his lighthearted venture into a double genre, perennially raises questions among his admirers and scholars about the internal dynamics linking its components. Borrowing from recent discussions of various picture-poem combinations, one might call the illustrated limericks inA Book of Nonsense“picture-limericks” (Dilworth 42), “imagetexts” (Mitchell,Picture Theory89), or “iconotexts” (Louvel). As the labels all suggest, the core issue is the proximity of two media and whether or how they converge.
Revisiting the Bujang Valley: A Southeast Asian entrepôt complex on the maritime trade route
Authors: MURPHY STEPHEN A.
Published: November 2017

In the early 1830s and 1840s, a British colonial official by the name of Colonel James Low uncovered evidence for an early culture with Indic traits in a river system known as the Bujang Valley. On the west coast of the Thai-Malay peninsula, the Bujang Valley is today located in the Malaysian state of Kedah. However, it wasn't until just before World War II that excavations took place, conducted by H. G. Quaritch Wales and his wife Dorothy. Their discoveries and subsequent publications led to the first real attempts to explain the origins and extent of this civilisation and its place within the larger South and Southeast Asian world. In the intervening years between Quaritch Wales's excavations and the present day, considerably more research has taken place within the Bujang Valley, though this has not been without controversy. Recently claims and counter-claims regarding the antiquity of Hinduism and Buddhism at the site have arisen in some quarters within Malaysia. It therefore seems pertinent that this material be re-evaluated in light of new scholarship and discoveries as well as the prevailing paradigms of interactions between South and Southeast Asia. This paper presents an updated reading of this material and argues that the Bujang Valley should be seen as a cosmopolitan trading port with substantive evidence for the presence of Hinduism and Buddhism.
Integrated planning and the design of urban agglomeration: Bernhard Hafner's Comparative Simulation of Alternative Urban Prototypes
Authors: Gethmann Daniel
Published: November 2017

Cybernetic simulation programs that renewed the development process of urban agglomerations began to emerge as part of a paradigm shift that took place in the 1960s. During this period, changes in urban planning evolved in the context of cybernetically-informed research methods, in which architects and systems scientists focused on the environmental control of social and cultural planning processes. As such, the urban fabric became an object of planning and regulation. These events in turn generated the need for ‘big data’ processing in architecture. Consequently, the reconfiguration of urban architectural fabric emerged as a topic of scientific operation.

In this context, in 1967, the Architecture Machine Group developed ‘Urban 5’, a planning program for urban participation based on man-machine dialogue. In the late 1960s, systems scientist Jay Wright Forrester also developed ‘Urban Dynamics’, a computer simulation exploring the interdependence of urban population, housing, and industry in the urban fabric. It was in this same 1967 environment that the Austrian architect Bernhard Hafner began to work autonomously, and without any personal relation to the other two projects, on a program for the ‘Comparative Simulation of Alternative Urban Prototypes’, based on the assumption that the design of urban forms had to be accompanied by the simulation of fields of urban dispersion.
Witless slaves or lively artifacts? A debate of the 1960s
Authors: Müggenburg Jan , Pias Claus
Published: November 2017

During late modernism, the promise of, not only vaguely, but also precisely predicting the future had acquired enormous prestige. When evoked, this predictive project lent power, legitimacy, and a cohesive identity to endeavours in almost any realm of society and culture – including the discipline of architecture. In particular, in cybernetics, seen as a means of regulating and controlling complex systems, these optimistic ideas of ‘mastering the big picture’ flourished.

Under the heading of ‘Cybernetics: Circular Casual, and Feedback Mechanisms in Biological and Social Systems’, the umbrella organisation Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation hosted ten conferences on this very topic between 1946 and 1951. These events, known as the Macy Conferences, provided a forum for the collation and presentation of existing research, and in retrospect can be seen to have been the most important ‘get-together’ of their kind, judged in relation to subsequent crucial findings in the history of science after the Cold War. Based upon the theoretical framework of the terms of ‘information’, ‘feedback’, and ‘analog/digital’, they searched for that single universal theory of regulation and control – which they claimed might be applied to any species, machine, economic or psychological process, aesthetic or sociological phenomenon. As a consequence, cybernetics transformed into a tool to describe and explain methodologies not only in its own core knowledge/ research area, but became seen as a subject capable of giving answers to societal questions of any kind. In doing so, cybernetics linked new scientific-technical methods with all issues of social relevance.
Processes and practices in computational design
Authors: Bredella Nathalie , Höfler Carolin
Published: November 2017

Every architectural design emerges from a process. The different tools and media constitutive of these processes in turn foster approaches to architecture, as well as the creation of new categories of knowledge. With the progressive development of computer-based design techniques, the contemplation of the procedural aspects of architecture becomes increasingly significant for the production and reception of architecture.

It is from this perspective that this special issue sets out to examine the specific roles that processes and practices play in computer-based design by seeking to illuminate those techno-cultural contexts and historical and intellectual bonds that unite them. Which traditions and strategies, and what historical correlations among architecture, culture, and technology, have motivated and shaped the development of computer-based design processes?
AN EXTENSION OF THE BANACH–STONE THEOREM
Authors: BACHIR MOHAMMED
Published: November 2017

We establish an extension of the Banach–Stone theorem to a class of isomorphisms more general than isometries in a noncompact framework. Some applications are given. In particular, we give a canonical representation of some (not necessarily linear) operators between products of function spaces. Our results are established for an abstract class of function spaces included in the space of all continuous and bounded functions defined on a complete metric space.
The Brazilian Family Health Strategy and the management of intestinal parasitic infections
Authors: Ignacio Caroline Ferraz , de Lima Barata Martha Macedo , de Moraes Neto Antonio Henrique Almeida
Published: November 2017

Aim

This study analyzed the management of intestinal parasitic infections in the Family Health Strategy covering Brazilian urban slums.

Background

The Family Health Strategy is the preferred strategy for providing public, community-based primary health care in the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). Through this strategy, Family Health teams are responsible for the health of residents of a defined territory, including health promotion, health education and control of neglected tropical diseases such as intestinal parasitic infections.

Methods

Knowledge, attitudes and practices surveys were applied with Family Health team members (n=58) and patients (n=571) of an agglomeration of Brazilian urban slums in Rio de Janeiro.

Findings

The management of intestinal parasitic infections and health promotion were limited. Health education was not considered an essential aspect of team members’ work and did not include environmental or social determinants of health. Community health workers and urban slum residents presented similar knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding intestinal parasitic infections.

Conclusions

Multiple, competing demands promote prioritization of the aspects of care where curative, biomedical activities predominate over prevention and an integral approach to health. However, the complex processes involving the cycle of poverty and disease go beyond the biomedical, limiting the potential for health in urban slums. Implications include a need to better prepare health professionals for primary health care services through reflection on local concerns and the social determinants of health, highlighting the importance of territorialized care and permanent education.
Die elterliche Paarbeziehung in Familien mit Kindern mit ADHS: Wechselwirkungen zwischen Partnerschaftsstörungen und kindlicher Symptomatik
Authors: Zemp Martina
Published: November 2017

Zusammenfassung. Der Einfluss der Familie in Bezug auf die Entstehung und Aufrechterhaltung der ADHS bei Kindern ist wissenschaftlich gut fundiert, jedoch hat sich die einschlägige Forschung weitgehend auf das elterliche Erziehungsverhalten oder die Qualität der Eltern-Kind-Beziehung konzentriert. Die Rolle der elterlichen Partnerschaft in betroffenen Familien wurde in der Literatur bislang vernachlässigt. Diese Übersichtsarbeit fasst den aktuellen Forschungsstand zu den Zusammenhängen von Partnerschaftsstörungen und kindlicher ADHS zusammen und diskutiert chronische Paarkonflikte als Risikofaktor für die Entwicklung von ADHS-Symptomen. Basierend auf dem gegenwärtigen Kenntnisstand wird ein integratives Modell postuliert, das von einer genetischen Vulnerabilität für die kindliche ADHS ausgeht, mit der Partnerschaftsstörungen interagieren. Es stellt dar, wie Partnerschaftsstörungen mit ihren möglichen direkten und indirekten Folgen für die Ätiologie, Aufrechterhaltung und/oder Verstärkung von kindlichen ADHS-Symptomen bedeutsam sein können, welche wiederum auf die Paarbeziehung zurückwirken. Das Review verdeutlicht die Wichtigkeit von Paarpräventionsprogrammen zur Vorbeugung von kindlichen Störungen sowie die angemessene Berücksichtigung von Partnerschaftskonflikten in der Diagnostik und Therapie von Familien mit ADHS-betroffenen Kindern.
Jacobson Receives 2017 Ronald Greeley Early Career Award in Planetary Science
Authors:   AGU
Published: November 2017

Seth A. Jacobson will receive the 2017 Ronald Greeley Early Career Award in Planetary Science at the 2017 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, to be held 11–15 December in New Orleans, La. The award recognizes “significant early career contributions to planetary science.”
Malin Receives 2017 Whipple Award
Authors:   AGU
Published: November 2017

Michael C. Malin will receive the 2017 Whipple Award at the 2017 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, to be held 11–15 December in New Orleans, La. The award recognizes “an individual who has made an outstanding contribution in the field of planetary science.”
Zhao Receives 2017 Fred L. Scarf Award
Authors:   AGU
Published: November 2017

Hong Zhao will receive the 2017 Fred L. Scarf Award at the 2017 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, to be held 11–15 December in New Orleans, La. This award is given annually to “one honoree in recognition of an outstanding dissertation that contributes directly to solar–planetary science.”
How Will Climate Change Affect the United States in Decades to Come?
Authors: Wuebbles Donald , Fahey David , Hibbard Kathy
Published: November 2017

A new U.S. government report shows that climate is changing and that human activities will lead to many more changes. These changes will affect sea levels, drought frequency, severe precipitation, and more.
Imaging the transient heat generation of individual nanostructures with a mechanoresponsive polymer
Authors: Chen Xueqin , Xia Qing , Cao Yue , Min Qianhao , Zhang Jianrong , Chen Zixuan , Chen Hong-Yuan , Zhu Jun-Jie
Published: November 2017

Measuring the localized transient heat generation is critical for developing applications of nanomaterials in areas of photothermal therapy (PTT), drug delivery, optomechanics and biological processes engineering. However, accurate thermometry with high spatiotemporal resolution is still a challenge. Here we develop a thermosensitive polymer-capped gold nanorod (AuNRs@pNIPAAm), which has temperature-dependent local surface plasmon resonance spectra due to the submolecular conformational change of pNIPAAm molecules. We measure the conformational dynamics on individual gold nanorods at the milliseconds level by the developed spatiotemporal resolution plasmonic spectroscopy (SRPS) and find that it has a fast (<4 ms), linear and reversible mechanoresponse to temperature changes as small as 80 mK. The rapid and highly sensitive thermosensitive AuNRs@pNIPAAm opens a new way to achieve spatiotemporal thermometry for potential applications in PTT and other biological research.
Effect of titanium implants with strontium incorporation on bone apposition in animal models: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Shi Junyu , Li Yuan , Gu Yingxin , Qiao Shichong , Zhang Xiaomeng , Lai Hongchang
Published: November 2017

This systematic review aims to assess the efficacy of titanium (Ti) implant surfaces with or without strontium (Sr) incorporation on osseointegration in animal experimental studies. An electronic search was conducted using databases of PubMed and EMBASE up to November 2016 to identify studies focusing on osseointegration of strontium-modified titanium implants following PRISMA criteria. The primary outcome was the percentage of bone-to-implant contact (BIC) around the implants with or without strontium-modified surface. Of the 1320 studies, 17 studies fulfilling the inclusion criteria were finally included. A random effect meta-analysis was conducted based on BIC in 17 studies, and the results demonstrated considerable heterogeneity (I² = 79%). A sensitivity analysis found that three studies using the same surface modification method were the major source of the heterogeneity. Therefore, exploratory subgroup analysis was performed. Subgroup one including 14 studies showed a standard mean differences (SMD) of 1.42 (95% CI, 1.13–1.71) with no heterogeneity (I² = 0.0%), while subgroup two including the other three studies showed a SMD of 9.49.95% CI, 7.51–11.47) with low heterogeneity (I² = 0.1%). Sr-modified implants in both subgroups showed significantly higher BIC than unmodified implants (P < 0.01). The results showed a statistically significant effect of Sr-modified titanium implant surfaces on osseointegration and bone apposition in animal models.
Functional characterization of the Ucp1-associated oxidative phenotype of human epicardial adipose tissue
Authors: Chechi Kanta , Voisine Pierre , Mathieu Patrick , Laplante Mathieu , Bonnet Sébastian , Picard Frédéric , Joubert Philippe , Richard Denis
Published: November 2017

Brown fat presence and metabolic activity has been associated with lower body mass index, higher insulin sensitivity and better cardiometabolic profile in humans. We, and others, have previously reported the presence of Ucp1, a marker of brown adipocytes, in human epicardial adipose tissue (eAT). Characterization of the metabolic activity and associated physiological relevance of Ucp1 within eAT, however, is still awaited. Here, we validate the presence of Ucp1 within human eAT and its ‘beige’ nature. Using in-vitro analytical approaches, we further characterize its thermogenic potential and demonstrate that human eAT is capable of undergoing enhanced uncoupling respiration upon stimulation. Direct biopsy gene expression analysis reveals a negative association between thermogenic markers and oxidative stress-related genes in this depot. Consistently, isoproterenol (Iso) stimulation of eAT leads to a downregulation of secreted proteins included in the GO terms ‘cell redox homeostasis’ and ‘protein folding’. In addition, cardiac endothelial cells exhibit a downregulation in the expression of adhesion markers upon treatment with Iso-stimulated eAT derived conditioned media. Overall, these observations suggest that Ucp1- associated metabolic activity plays a significant role in local tissue homeostasis within eAT and can plausibly alter its communication with neighboring cells of the cardiovascular system.
Associations between Th17-related inflammatory cytokines and asthma in adults: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Zhou Ting , Huang Xiji , Zhou Yun , Ma Jixuan , Zhou Min , Liu Yuewei , Xiao Lili , Yuan Jing , Xie Jungang , Chen Weihong
Published: November 2017

Chronic airway inflammation is recognized as an essential process in the pathogenesis of asthma. Cytokine profiles derived from immune and inflammation cells such as T-helper (Th) cells, eosinophilia and neutrophilia are not limited to the Th2 type in asthma. However, little is understood about associations between Th2-low inflammatory cytokine profiles and risk of asthma in adults. A case-control study of 910 adult asthma and 881 healthy controls was conducted. Inflammatory cytokines screening was undertaken by high-throughput protein microarray technology, and Th17-related inflammatory cytokines (IL17A, IL-9, adipsin and CCL11) were finally selected. Associations between these four cytokines and adult asthma risk were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression models. We observed that plasma IL-17A and IL-9 levels were significantly increased in asthmatics when compared with controls. However, the plasma expressions of adipsin and CCL11 in asthmatics were significantly lower than that in health controls. The adjusted ORs (95%CI) of association between IL-17A, IL-9, adipsin and CCL11 expressions and adult asthma were 3.08 (1.91, 4.97), 1.93 (1.41, 2.64), 10.02 (6.99, 14.37) and 3.29 (2.36, 4.59), respectively (all Ptrend < 0.0001). Our results suggested that elevated IL-17A and IL-9 expressions and decreased levels of adipsin and CCL11 were positively associated with adult asthma.
The Elusive Evidence of Volcanic Lightning
Authors: Genareau K. , Gharghabi P. , Gafford J. , Mazzola M.
Published: November 2017

Lightning strikes are known to morphologically alter and chemically reduce geologic formations and deposits, forming fulgurites. A similar process occurs as the result of volcanic lightning discharge, when airborne volcanic ash is transformed into lightning-induced volcanic spherules (LIVS). Here, we adapt the calculations used in previous studies of lightning-induced damage to infrastructure materials to determine the effects on pseudo-ash samples of simplified composition. Using laboratory high-current impulse experiments, this research shows that within the lightning discharge channel there is an ideal melting zone that represents roughly 10% or less of the total channel radius at which temperatures are sufficient to melt the ash, regardless of peak current. The melted ash is simultaneously expelled from the channel by the heated, expanding air, permitting particles to cool during atmospheric transport before coming to rest in ash fall deposits. The limited size of this ideal melting zone explains the low number of LIVS typically observed in volcanic ash despite the frequent occurrence of lightning during explosive eruptions.
Stimulation of primordial follicle assembly by estradiol-17β requires the action of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP2)
Authors: Chakraborty Prabuddha , Roy Shyamal K.
Published: November 2017

Primordial follicle (PF) pool determines the availability of follicles for ovulation in all mammals. Premature depletion of the PF reserve leads to subfertility or infertility. Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) promotes PF formation by facilitating oocyte and granulosa cell development. Estradiol-17β (E2) upregulates PF formation in developing hamster ovaries. However, if BMP2 mediates E2 effect is not known. We hypothesize that E2 facilitates the effect of BMP2 on somatic to granulosa cell transition. BMP2 and E2 together significantly upregulated the percentage of PFs in hamster fetal ovaries in vitro compared with either of the treatments alone. E2 also promoted BMP2 expression in vivo. Inhibition of BMP2 receptors suppressed E2-stimulation of PF formation while knockdown of BMP2 in vitro significantly suppressed the E2 effect. In contrast, estrogen receptor blocker did not affect BMP2 action. Inhibition of the activity of E2 or BMP2 receptors, either alone or combined during the last two days of the culture (C6-C8) resulted in a significant decrease in PF formation by C8, suggesting that both BMP2 and E2 action is essential for somatic cell differentiation for PF formation. Together, the results suggest that E2 activates BMP2-BMPR system leading to the formation of primordial follicles.
SUMOylation regulates the localization and activity of Polo-like kinase 1 during cell cycle in the silkworm, Bombyx mori
Authors: Li Zhiqing , Cui Qixin , Xu Jian , Cheng Daojun , Wang Xiaoyan , Li Bingqian , Lee Jae Man , Xia Qingyou , Kusakabe Takahiro , Zhao Ping
Published: November 2017

Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) is a crucial cell cycle regulator by its specific localization and activity during cell cycle. It has been shown that the phosphorylation and ubiquitylation of Plk1 are required for its own activation and localization. Here, we report that SUMOylation regulates the activity of Plk1 in the lepidopteran insect of Bombyx mori. In the absence of SUMOylation, it causes the lost localization of Plk1 on centrosomes and kinetochores, as well as an uneven distribution in midzone. We further identify that the putative SUMOylation site of Bombyx Plk1 at lysine 466 is required for its localization on centrosomes, and K466 mutation in Plk1 could influence its interaction with Smt3/Ubc9 complex. These findings are also confirmed by Drosophila Polo and human Plk1, which together reveals a conserved role of Plk1 SUMOylation in mammals. Moreover, conjugation of Smt3 to Plk1 SUMOylation mutant promotes its localization on centrosomes and kinetochores, and rescues functional defects of chromosome alignment in cells depleted of endogenous Plk1. Altogether, the present data indicate that the SUMOylation of Plk1 could participate in proper chromosome alignment and segregation during mitosis, and provides a novel layer for the regulation of Plk1 localization and activity throughout cell cycle.
Charge Generation and Recombination in Organic Solar Cells
Authors: Brauer J. C. , Causa' M. , Banerji N.
Published: November 2017

Organic solar cells promise cheap, flexible and lightweight modules for the conversion of solar energy to electricity. Power conversion efficiencies >11% can now be achieved. To further increase this performance, it is essential to gain a deeper understanding of the photophysical processes occurring in organic photovoltaic devices. In particular, it must be clarified how charges are generated, which involves light absorption, the splitting of the exciton at a donor–acceptor junction and separation of the ensuing electron–hole pair to charges that can be transported to the electrodes and extracted as a photocurrent. At the same time, geminate and non-geminate recombination losses must be characterised because these compete with the generation of usable charges and reduce the efficiency of the solar cells. All these processes have been thoroughly studied in recent years, but many controversies and open questions remain. In this chapter, we review the latest insights and emerging pictures concerning charge generation and recombination in organic solar cells, with a focus on blends of conjugated polymer electron donors with fullerene electron acceptors. The role of delocalisation, hot states and the structure and phase morphology of solid state thin films are at the centre of our discussion.
FTIR imaging detects diet and genotype-dependent chemical composition changes in wild type and mutantC. elegansstrains
Authors: Bouyanfif A. , Liyanage S. , Hewitt J. E. , Vanapalli S. A. , Moustaid-Moussa N. , Hequet E. , Abidi N.
Published: November 2017

FTlR detects differences in functional groups in different regions ofC. elegans. Distribution of colors indicates changes in chemical composition.
Plasmonic and photo-electrochemical enhancements of the AuAg@Au/RGO–C3N4 nanocomposite for the detection of DA
Authors: Wang Jin , Xu Hui , Li Shumin , Yan Bo , Shi Yuting , Wang Caiqin , Du Yukou
Published: November 2017

Plasmonic photocatalyst has attracted significant attention due to its valuable theoretical study and promising practical applications in solar cells, functional composites, and sensors.
Long-wavelength fluorescent boronate probes for the detection and intracellular imaging of peroxynitrite
Authors: Sedgwick Adam C. , Han Hai-Hao , Gardiner Jordan E. , Bull Steven D. , He Xiao-Peng , James Tony D.
Published: November 2017

Two boronate fluorescent probes have been developed for the detection of peroxynitrite (TCFB1andTCFB2).
Chemistry of mammalian metallothioneins and their interaction with amyloidogenic peptides and proteins
Authors: Atrián-Blasco Elena , Santoro Alice , Pountney Dean L. , Meloni Gabriele , Hureau Christelle , Faller Peter
Published: November 2017

Tutorial focusing on the chemistry of mammalian metallothioneins, important to understand its biological functions in zinc and copper metabolism, detoxification and oxidative stress.
Unusual intramolecular CH⋯O hydrogen bonding interaction between a sterically bulky amide and uranyl oxygen
Authors: Kannan Shanmugaperumal , Kumar Mukesh , Sadhu Biswajit , Jaccob Madhavan , Sundararajan Mahesh
Published: November 2017

An unusual intramolecular CH⋯O hydrogen bonding interaction between a sterically bulky amide and uranyl oxygen is found to selectively extract uranyl.
Anti-viral RNAi nanoparticles protect shrimp against white spot disease
Authors: Ufaz Shai , Balter Adi , Tzror Chen , Einbender Shai , Koshet Ori , Shainsky-Roitman Janna , Yaari Zvi , Schroeder Avi
Published: November 2017

Nearly 20% of cultured shrimp die every year due to viral diseases. In this study, we evaluated the capacity of nanoparticulate RNA interference (RNAi) to down-regulate genes in Penaeus vannamei shrimp and protect shrimp against white spot syndrome virus (WSSV, i.e. white spot disease).
Ambra1 induces autophagy and desensitizes human prostate cancer cells to cisplatin
Authors: Liu Jie , Chen Zhiyuan , Guo Jia , Wang Lei , Liu Xiuheng
Published: November 2017

Prostate cancer (PCa), the second most mortal cancer from developed countries, presents a high level of chemoresistance. There is emerging evidence underscores the critical role of autophagy in the onset, progression, and chemoresistance of PCa. In the present study, we investigated the possible role of a novel autophagy regulator, activating molecule in beclin1-regulated autophagy1 (Ambra1), a novel ATG gene in the sensitivity or PCa cells to cisplatin. We explored the regulation by the Ambra1 manipulation on the induction of apoptosis and autophagy in human PCa DU145 cells in the presence of cisplatin, via up- or down-regulating Ambra1 expression. In addition, we examined the colony forming of DU145 cells post cisplatin treatment and Ambra1 manipulation. Our results demonstrated that the Ambra1 up-regulation reduced, whereas Ambra1 knockdown increased the cisplatin-induced apoptosis, caspase 3 cleavage, and poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) cleavage. Interestingly, we also found significant autophagy induction in the cisplatin-treated DU145 cells, with increased autophagic vesicles, up-regulated autophagy-related markers. However, the cisplatin-induced autophagy was up-regulated by the Ambra1 overexpression or was down-regulated by the Ambra1 knockdown. In addition, the colony forming was also positively regulated by Ambra1 in DU145 cells post cisplatin treatment. In conclusion, Ambra1 negatively regulates the cisplatin-induced apoptosis and the cisplatin-mediated growth reduction in DU145 cells, in association with the Ambra1-mediated autophagy promotion. It implies that Ambra1-mediated autophagy might be an important mechanism underlining the sensitivity reduction of PCa cells.
Impact of bacterial sRNAs in stress responses
Authors: Holmqvist Erik , Wagner E. Gerhart H.
Published: November 2017

Bacterial life is harsh and involves numerous environmental and internal challenges that are perceived as stresses. Consequently, adequate responses to survive, cope with, and counteract stress conditions have evolved. In the last few decades, a class of small, non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) has been shown to be involved as key players in stress responses. This review will discuss — primarily from an enterobacterial perspective — selected stress response pathways that involve antisense-type sRNAs. These include themes of how bacteria deal with severe envelope stress, threats of DNA damage, problems with poisoning due to toxic sugar intermediates, issues of iron homeostasis, and nutrient limitation/starvation. The examples discussed highlight how stress relief can be achieved, and how sRNAs act mechanistically in regulatory circuits. For some cases, we will propose scenarios that may suggest why contributions from post-transcriptional control by sRNAs, rather than transcriptional control alone, appear to be a beneficial and universally selected feature.