bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Size-ordered 63Ni nanocluster film as a betavoltaic battery unit
Authors: Borisyuk P. V. , Yakovlev V. P. , Vasiliev O. S. , Lebedinskii Yu. Yu. , Fetisov V. V. , Kozlova T. I. , Kozodaev M. G.
Published: April 2018

We create thin metallic films formed as a size-ordered deposition of Ni nanoclusters whose sizes are distributed over the range of 2–7 nm. The morphology, chemical composition, and electrical characteristics of the films are measured. The conductivity of the films under investigation changes approximately as the inverse square root of the average nanocluster size. We observe experimentally that, under irradiation by electrons with energies of 10–25 keV, the films show signs of being subjected to the electromotive force. We discuss how this effect is connected with the size-ordered spatial distribution of metallic nanoclusters. We analyze the possibility of using 63Ni nanocluster films in betavoltaic battery units and estimate the expected efficiency of converting β-decay energy into electricity.
Surface tension effects on fully developed liquid layer flow over a convex corner
Authors: Bhatti Ifrah , Farid Saadia , Ullah Saif , Riaz Samia , Faryad Maimoona
Published: April 2018

This investigation deals with the study of fully developed liquid layer flow along with surface tension effects, confronting a convex corner in the direction of fluid flow. At the point of interaction, the related equations are formulated using double deck structure and match asymptotic techniques. Linearized solutions for small angle are obtained analytically. The solutions corresponding to similar flow neglecting surface tension effects are also recovered as special case of our general solutions. Finally, the influence of pertinent parameters on the flow, as well as a comparison between models, are shown by graphical illustration.
High temperature superconductivity in distinct phases of amorphous B-doped Q-carbon
Authors: Narayan Jagdish , Bhaumik Anagh , Sachan Ritesh
Published: April 2018

Distinct phases of B-doped Q-carbon are formed when B-doped and undoped diamond tetrahedra are packed randomly after nanosecond laser melting and quenching of carbon. By changing the ratio of doped to undoped tetrahedra, distinct phases of B-doped Q-carbon with concentration varying from 5.0% to 50.0% can be created. We have synthesized three distinct phases of amorphous B-doped Q-carbon, which exhibit high-temperature superconductivity following the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer mechanism. The first phase (QB1) has a B-concentration ∼17 at. % (Tc = 37 K), the second phase (QB2) has a B-concentration ∼27 at. % (Tc = 55 K), and the third phase (QB3) has a B-concentration ∼45 at. % (Tc expected over 100 K). From geometrical modeling, we derive that QB1 consists of randomly packed tetrahedra, where one out of every three tetrahedra contains a B atom in the center which is sp3 bonded to four carbon atoms with a concentration of 16.6 at. %. QB2 consists of randomly packed tetrahedra, where one out of every two tetrahedra contains a B atom in the center which is sp3 bonded to four carbon atoms with a concentration of 25 at. %. QB3 consists of randomly packed tetrahedra, where every tetrahedron contains a B atom in the center which is sp3 bonded to four carbon atoms with a concentration of 50 at. %. We present detailed high-resolution TEM results on structural characterization, and EELS and Raman spectroscopy results on the bonding characteristics of B and C atoms. From these studies, we conclude that the high electronic density of states near the Fermi energy level coupled with moderate electron-phonon coupling result in high-temperature superconductivity in B-doped Q-carbon.
Comparison of plastic, high density carbon, and beryllium as indirect drive NIF ablators
Authors: Kritcher A. L. , Clark D. , Haan S. , Yi S. A. , Zylstra A. B. , Callahan D. A. , Hinkel D. E. , Berzak Hopkins L. F. , Hurricane O. A. , Landen O. L. , MacLaren S. A. , Meezan N. B. , Patel P. K. , Ralph J. , Thomas C. A. , Town R. , Edwards M. J.
Published: April 2018

Detailed radiation hydrodynamic simulations calibrated to experimental data have been used to compare the relative strengths and weaknesses of three candidate indirect drive ablator materials now tested at the NIF: plastic, high density carbon or diamond, and beryllium. We apply a common simulation methodology to several currently fielded ablator platforms to benchmark the model and extrapolate designs to the full NIF envelope to compare on a more equal footing. This paper focuses on modeling of the hohlraum energetics which accurately reproduced measured changes in symmetry when changes to the hohlraum environment were made within a given platform. Calculations suggest that all three ablator materials can achieve a symmetric implosion at a capsule outer radius of ∼1100 μm, a laser energy of 1.8 MJ, and a DT ice mass of 185 μg. However, there is more uncertainty in the symmetry predictions for the plastic and beryllium designs. Scaled diamond designs had the most calculated margin for achieving symmetry and the highest fuel absorbed energy at the same scale compared to plastic or beryllium. A comparison of the relative hydrodynamic stability was made using ultra-high resolution capsule simulations and the two dimensional radiation fluxes described in this work [Clark et al., Phys. Plasmas 25, 032703 (2018)]. These simulations, which include low and high mode perturbations, suggest that diamond is currently the most promising for achieving higher yields in the near future followed by plastic, and more data are required to understand beryllium.
A multifunctional force microscope for soft matter with in situ imaging
Authors: Roberts Paul , Pilkington Georgia A. , Wang Yumo , Frechette Joelle
Published: April 2018

We present the multifunctional force microscope (MFM), a normal and lateral force-measuring instrument with in situ imaging. In the MFM, forces are calculated from the normal and lateral deflection of a cantilever as measured via fiber optic sensors. The motion of the cantilever is controlled normally by a linear micro-translation stage and a piezoelectric actuator, while the lateral motion of the sample is controlled by another linear micro-translation stage. The micro-translation stages allow for travel distances that span 25 mm with a minimum step size of 50 nm, while the piezo has a minimum step size of 0.2 nm, but a 100 μm maximum range. Custom-designed cantilevers allow for the forces to be measured over 4 orders of magnitude (from 50 μN to 1 N). We perform probe tack, friction, and hydrodynamic drainage experiments to demonstrate the sensitivity, versatility, and measurable force range of the instrument.
RF assisted switching in magnetic Josephson junctions
Authors: Caruso R. , Massarotti D. , Bolginov V. V. , Ben Hamida A. , Karelina L. N. , Miano A. , Vernik I. V. , Tafuri F. , Ryazanov V. V. , Mukhanov O. A. , Pepe G. P.
Published: April 2018

We test the effect of an external RF field on the switching processes of magnetic Josephson junctions (MJJs) suitable for the realization of fast, scalable cryogenic memories compatible with Single Flux Quantum logic. We show that the combined application of microwaves and magnetic field pulses can improve the performances of the device, increasing the separation between the critical current levels corresponding to logical “0” and “1.” The enhancement of the current level separation can be as high as 80% using an optimal set of parameters. We demonstrate that external RF fields can be used as an additional tool to manipulate the memory states, and we expect that this approach may lead to the development of new methods of selecting MJJs and manipulating their states in memory arrays for various applications.
Multi-scale coarse-graining for the study of assembly pathways in DNA-brick self-assembly
Authors: Fonseca Pedro , Romano Flavio , Schreck John S. , Ouldridge Thomas E. , Doye Jonathan P. K. , Louis Ard A.
Published: April 2018

Inspired by recent successes using single-stranded DNA tiles to produce complex structures, we develop a two-step coarse-graining approach that uses detailed thermodynamic calculations with oxDNA, a nucleotide-based model of DNA, to parametrize a coarser kinetic model that can reach the time and length scales needed to study the assembly mechanisms of these structures. We test the model by performing a detailed study of the assembly pathways for a two-dimensional target structure made up of 334 unique strands each of which are 42 nucleotides long. Without adjustable parameters, the model reproduces a critical temperature for the formation of the assembly that is close to the temperature at which assembly first occurs in experiments. Furthermore, the model allows us to investigate in detail the nucleation barriers and the distribution of critical nucleus shapes for the assembly of a single target structure. The assembly intermediates are compact and highly connected (although not maximally so), and classical nucleation theory provides a good fit to the height and shape of the nucleation barrier at temperatures close to where assembly first occurs.
Molecular dynamics simulations of polyethers and a quaternary ammonium ionic liquid as CO2 absorbers
Authors: Cardoso Piercarlo Fortunato , Fernandez Juan S. L. C. , Lepre Luiz Fernando , Ando Rômulo Augusto , Costa Gomes Margarida F. , Siqueira Leonardo J. A.
Published: April 2018

The properties of mixtures of butyltrimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, [N4111][NTf2], with poly(ethyleneglycol) dimethyl ether, PEO, were described as a function of PEO chain size by molecular dynamics simulations. Both PEO chain size and mixture composition revealed to play a significant role in determining the structure and the dynamics of the fluids. The remarkably higher viscosity observed for mixtures composed by 0.25 mole fraction of PEO was attributed to the increase in the gauche population of OCCO dihedral of the polyether of longer chains. The negative solvation enthalpy (ΔsolH < 0) and entropy (ΔsolS < 0) revealed a favorable CO2 absorption by the neat and mixture systems. The CO2 absorption was higher in neat PEO, particularly considering longer chains. The gas solubility in the mixtures presented intermediate values in comparison to the neat PEO and neat ionic liquid. The CO2 solutions had their structures discussed in the light of the calculated radial and spatial distribution functions.
Cadmium zinc telluride as a mid-infrared variable retarder
Authors: FitzGerald William , Taherion Saeid , Kumar F. Joseph , Giles David , Hore Dennis
Published: April 2018

The electro-optic behavior of cadmium zinc telluride is examined in the mid-infrared region between 3 and 11 μm, for applied DC field strengths of up to 106 V/m. The measurements performed here include full characterization of the polarization state of the transmitted light by means of the Stokes vector. We demonstrate the suitability of this material for DC variable retarder applications such as those achieved by quarter- or half-wave retardation. A comparison of two different metallic coatings for electrodes, gold and indium, reveals important differences in performance that are attributed to the homogeneity of the field through the bulk of the crystal. We illustrate that, in the case of both metals, the same electro-optic coefficients are measured, but regions of higher and lower retardation result in significant depolarization in the case of gold. Such depolarization may adversely affect the contrast ratio in a light valve, or increase the voltage necessary for the operation of an arbitrary polarization state generator.
Active and passive transport of cargo in a corrugated channel: A lattice model study
Authors: Dey Supravat , Ching Kevin , Das Moumita
Published: April 2018

Inside cells, cargos such as vesicles and organelles are transported by molecular motors to their correct locations via active motion on cytoskeletal tracks and passive, Brownian diffusion. During the transportation of cargos, motor-cargo complexes (MCCs) navigate the confining and crowded environment of the cytoskeletal network and other macromolecules. Motivated by this, we study a minimal two-state model of motor-driven cargo transport in confinement and predict transport properties that can be tested in experiments. We assume that the motion of the MCC is directly affected by the entropic barrier due to confinement if it is in the passive, unbound state but not in the active, bound state where it moves with a constant bound velocity. We construct a lattice model based on a Fokker Planck description of the two-state system, study it using a kinetic Monte Carlo method and compare our numerical results with analytical expressions for a mean field limit. We find that the effect of confinement strongly depends on the bound velocity and the binding kinetics of the MCC. Confinement effectively reduces the effective diffusivity and average velocity, except when it results in an enhanced average binding rate and thereby leads to a larger average velocity than when unconfined.
Vortex dynamics and heat transfer behind self-oscillating inverted flags of various lengths in channel flow
Authors: Yu Yuelong , Liu Yingzheng , Chen Yujia
Published: April 2018

The influence of an inverted flag’s length-to-channel-width ratio (C* = L/W) on its oscillating behavior in a channel flow and the resultant vortex dynamics and heat transfer are determined experimentally. Three systems with C* values of 0.125, 0.250, and 0.375 were chosen for comparison. The interaction of highly unsteady flow with the inverted flag is measured with time-resolved particle image velocimetry. Variations in the underlying flow physics are discussed in terms of the statistical flow quantities, flag displacement, phase-averaged flow field, and vortex dynamics. The results show that the increase in C* shifts the occurrence of the flapping regime at high dimensionless bending stiffness. With the flag in the flapping region, three distinct vortex dynamics—the von Kármán vortex street, the G mode, and the singular mode—are identified at C* values of 0.375, 0.250, and 0.125, respectively. Finally, the heat transfer enhancement from the self-oscillating inverted flag is measured to serve as complementary information to quantify the cause-and-effect relationship between vortex dynamics and wall heat transfer. The increase in C* strongly promotes wall heat removal because disruption of the boundary layer by the energetic vortices is substantially intensified. Among all systems, wall heat transfer removal is most efficient at the intermediate C* value of 0.250.
Anomalous van der Waals-Casimir interactions on graphene: A concerted effect of temperature, retardation, and non-locality
Authors: Ambrosetti Alberto , Silvestrelli Pier Luigi
Published: April 2018

Dispersion forces play a major role in graphene, largely influencing adhesion of adsorbate moieties and stabilization of functional multilayered structures. However, the reliable prediction of dispersion interactions on graphene up to the relevant ∼10 nm scale is an extremely challenging task: in fact, electromagnetic retardation effects and the highly non-local character of π electrons can imply sizeable qualitative variations of the interaction with respect to known pairwise approaches. Here we address both issues, determining the finite-temperature van der Waals (vdW)-Casimir interaction for point-like and extended adsorbates on graphene, explicitly accounting for the non-local dielectric permittivity. We find that temperature, retardation, and non-locality play a crucial role in determining the actual vdW scaling laws and the stability of both atomic and larger molecular adsorbates. Our results highlight the importance of these effects for a proper description of systems of current high interest, such as graphene interacting with biomolecules, and self-assembly of complex nanoscale structures. Due to the generality of our approach and the observed non-locality of other 2D materials, our results suggest non-trivial vdW interactions from hexagonal mono-layered materials from group 14 of the periodic table, to transition metal dichalcogenides.
Theoretical characterization on the size-dependent electron and hole trapping activity of chloride-passivated CdSe nanoclusters
Authors: Cui Yingqi , Cui Xianhui , Zhang Li , Xie Yujuan , Yang Mingli
Published: April 2018

Ligand passivation is often used to suppress the surface trap states of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) for their continuous photoluminescence output. The suppression process is related to the electrophilic/nucleophilic activity of surface atoms that varies with the structure and size of QD and the electron donating/accepting nature of ligand. Based on first-principles-based descriptors and cluster models, the electrophilic/nucleophilic activities of bare and chloride-coated CdSe clusters were studied to reveal the suppression mechanism of Cl-passivated QDs and compared to experimental observations. The surface atoms of bare clusters have higher activity than inner atoms and their activity decreases with cluster size. In the ligand-coated clusters, the Cd atom remains as the electrophilic site, while the nucleophilic site of Se atoms is replaced by Cl atoms. The activities of Cd and Cl atoms in the coated clusters are, however, remarkably weaker than those in bare clusters. Cluster size, dangling atoms, ligand coverage, electronegativity of ligand atoms, and solvent (water) were found to have considerable influence on the activity of surface atoms. The suppression of surface trap states in Cl-passivated QDs was attributed to the reduction of electrophilic/nucleophilic activity of Cd/Se/Cl atoms. Both saturation to under-coordinated surface atoms and proper selection for the electron donating/accepting strength of ligands are crucial for eliminating the charge carrier traps. Our calculations predicted a similar suppressing effect of chloride ligands with experiments and provided a simple but effective approach to assess the charge carrier trapping behaviors of semiconductor QDs.
Enhanced radial growth of Mg doped GaN nanorods: A combined experimental and first-principles study
Authors: Nayak Sanjay , Kumar Rajendra , Pandey Nidhi , Nagaraja K. K. , Gupta Mukul , Shivaprasad S. M.
Published: April 2018

We discuss the microstructural origin of enhanced radial growth in magnesium (Mg) doped single crystalline wurtzite gallium nitride (w-GaN) nanorods (NRs) grown by MBE, using electron microscopy and first-principles Density Functional Theory calculations. Experimentally, we observe that Mg incorporation increases the surface coverage of the grown samples as a consequence of an increase in the radial growth rate of the NRs. We also observe that the coalescence of NRs becomes prominent and the height at which coalescence between proximal rods occurs decreases with increase in Mg concentration. From first-principles calculations, we find that the surface free energy of the Mg doped surface reduces with increasing Mg concentration in the samples. The calculations further suggest a reduction in the adsorption energy and the diffusion barrier of Ga adatoms along [112¯0] on the side wall surface of the NRs as the underlying mechanism for the observed enhancement in the radial growth rate of GaN NRs. The physics and chemistry behind reduction of the adsorption energy of Ga ad-atoms on the doped surface are explained in the light of electronic structure of the relevant surfaces.
Boron monosulfide: Equation of state and pressure-induced phase transition
Authors: Cherednichenko K. A. , Kruglov I. A. , Oganov A. R. , Le Godec Y. , Mezouar M. , Solozhenko V. L.
Published: April 2018

Quasi-hydrostatic compression of rhombohedral boron monosulfide (r-BS) has been studied up to 50 GPa at room temperature using diamond-anvil cells and angle-dispersive synchrotron X-ray diffraction. A fit of the experimental P–V data to the Vinet equation of state yields the bulk modulus B0 of 42.2(1.4) GPa and its first pressure derivative B0′ of 7.6(2) that are in excellent agreement with our ab initio calculations. Formation of a new high-pressure phase of boron monosulfide (hp-BS) has been observed above 35 GPa. According to ab initio evolutionary crystal structure predictions combined with Rietveld refinement of high-pressure X-ray diffraction data, the structure of hp-BS has trigonal symmetry and belongs to the space group P-3m1. As it follows from the electron density of state calculations, the phase transformation is accompanied by an insulator-metal transition.
Communication: Fast dynamics perspective on the breakdown of the Stokes-Einstein law in fragile glassformers
Authors: Puosi F. , Pasturel A. , Jakse N. , Leporini D.
Published: April 2018

The breakdown of the Stokes-Einstein (SE) law in fragile glassformers is examined by Molecular-Dynamics simulations of atomic liquids and polymers and consideration of the experimental data concerning the archetypical ortho-terphenyl glassformer. All the four systems comply with the universal scaling between the viscosity (or the structural relaxation) and the Debye-Waller factor ⟨u2⟩, the mean square amplitude of the particle rattling in the cage formed by the surrounding neighbors. It is found that the SE breakdown is scaled in a master curve by a reduced ⟨u2⟩. Two approximated expressions of the latter, with no and one adjustable parameter, respectively, are derived.
Vibrational tug-of-war: The pKA dependence of the broad vibrational features of strongly hydrogen-bonded carboxylic acids
Authors: Van Hoozen Brian L. , Petersen Poul B.
Published: April 2018

Medium and strong hydrogen bonds give rise to broad vibrational features frequently spanning several hundred wavenumbers and oftentimes exhibiting unusual substructures. These broad vibrational features can be modeled from first principles, in a reduced dimensional calculation, that adiabatically separates low-frequency modes, which modulate the hydrogen bond length, from high-frequency OH stretch and bend modes that contribute to the vibrational structure. Previously this method was used to investigate the origin of an unusual vibrational feature frequently found in the spectra of dimers between carboxylic acids and nitrogen-containing aromatic bases that spans over 900 cm−1 and contains two broad peaks. It was found that the width of this feature largely originates from low-frequency modes modulating the hydrogen bond length and that the structure results from Fermi resonance interactions. In this report, we examine how these features change with the relative acid and base strength of the components as reflected by their aqueous pKA values. Dimers with large pKA differences are found to have features that can extend to frequencies below 1000 cm−1. The relationships between mean OH/NH frequency, aqueous pKA, and O–N distance are examined in order to obtain a more rigorous understanding of the origin and shape of the vibrational features. The mean OH/NH frequencies are found to correlate well with O–N distances. The lowest OH stretch frequencies are found in dimer geometries with O–N distances between 2.5 and 2.6 Å. At larger O–N distances, the hydrogen bonding interaction is not as strong, resulting in higher OH stretch frequencies. When the O–N distance is smaller than 2.5 Å, the limited space between the O and N determines the OH stretch frequency, which gives rise to frequencies that decrease with O–N distances. These two effects place a lower limit on the OH stretch frequency which is calculated to be near 700 cm−1. Understanding how the vibrational features of strongly hydrogen-bonded structures depend on the relative pKA and other structural parameters will guide studies of biological structures and analysis of proton transfer studies using photoacids.
Sharp uncertainty relations for number and angle
Authors: Busch Paul , Kiukas Jukka , Werner R. F.
Published: April 2018

We study uncertainty relations for pairs of conjugate variables like number and angle, of which one takes integer values and the other takes values on the unit circle. The translation symmetry of the problem in either variable implies that measurement uncertainty and preparation uncertainty coincide quantitatively, and the bounds depend only on the choice of two metrics used to quantify the difference of number and angle outputs, respectively. For each type of observable, we discuss two natural choices of metric and discuss the resulting optimal bounds with both numerical and analytical methods. We also develop some simple and explicit (albeit not sharp) lower bounds, using an apparently new method for obtaining certified lower bounds to ground state problems.
Nanoelectronics get a new power source
Authors: Patrick Chris
Published: April 2018

Researchers propose a betavoltaic battery that will use size-ordered 63Ni nanocluster films.
Heterochromatin protects retinal pigment epithelium cells from oxidative damage by silencing p53 target genes
Authors: Gong Lili , Liu Fangyuan , Xiong Zhen , Qi Ruili , Luo Zhongwen , Gong Xiaodong , Nie Qian , Sun Qian , Liu Yun-Fei , Qing Wenjie , Wang Ling , Zhang Lan , Tang Xiangcheng , Huang Shan , Li Gen , Ouyang Hong , Xiang Mengqing , Nguyen Quan Dong , Liu Yizhi , Li David Wan-Cheng
Published: April 2018

Significance

Oxidative stress-induced damage to retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cells is critically implicated in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in the elderly. Here we report that oxidative stress-induced heterochromatin formation is essential to promote RPE survival. Mechanistically, oxidative damage-induced formation of heterochromatin occurs at the 53 target promoters of apoptosis genes and is regulated by p53 sumoylation. Our study demonstrates mechanistic links among chromatin conformation, p53 sumoylation, and RPE cell death. We propose that targeting heterochromatin provides a novel strategy for AMD treatment.
The dual origin of gesture
Authors: Boutet Dominique
Published: April 2018

This article questions some aspects ofMcNeill’s (2014)“imagistic” conception of gesture and his theory of the origin of language. In their stead, the article presents a kinesiological approach, and advances a hypothesis for a dual origin of symbolic gesture. The significance of the human artifactual environment in this context allows us to give precedence to brachial articulation over image. In nonhuman apes, the dyadic brachial origins of gestures show striking similarities in form and meaning to human brachial gestures. Manual gestures linked to object manipulation appeared as humankind acquired manual skills. These gestures express triadic values. Before speech, humans most probably already used dyadic symbolic gestures.
Military L2 immersion
Authors: Vincze Laszlo , Joyce Nick , Vehkalahti Kimmo
Published: April 2018

The purpose of the present study was to examine some of the motivations and longitudinal consequences of military service in L2
Swedish for L1 Finnish conscripts in Finland’s only Swedish language garrison. Cross-sectional data (N = 42),
analyzed with Bayesian path analysis, indicates that promotional instrumentality enhanced participants’ L2 ideal selves, but
integrative orientation did not. The L2 ideal self predicts L2 learning intentions in the army, but only among learners with low
L2 proficiency at the beginning of military service. Longitudinal data (N = 17), analyzed with a Bayesian model
selection procedure, shows that after six months in the army, participants reported higher levels of L2 proficiency, lower levels
of L2 use anxiety and more positive attitudes towards L2 speakers than at the beginning of military service.
The (pro)nominalizer -la(ŋ) in Tamangic
Authors: Honda Isao
Published: April 2018

As is well known, it is not uncommon in TB that nominalized clauses are used in various types of constructions, such as relative clauses, purpose clauses, verb complements, and free-standing independent clauses. Noonan (1997), for instance, shows the multi-functionality of the nominalized clause with a nominalizer -wa in Chantyal (Tamangic). The current article discusses another nominalizer -la(ŋ) in Tamangic. In many Tamangic languages/dialects the suffix la(ŋ) may be used to form possessive pronominal expressions (e.g. ‘someone’s/something’s one’). It can thus be more specifically described as a pronominalizer. There is evidence that in many Tamangic dialects the suffix has developed into a genitive marker. This paper further suggests a possibility that la(ŋ) is historically related to a number of verb suffixes, such as complementizers and finite verb suffixes used in free-standing independent clauses.
The cell biology of systemic insulin function
Authors: Tokarz Victoria L. , MacDonald Patrick E. , Klip Amira
Published: April 2018

Insulin is the paramount anabolic hormone, promoting carbon energy deposition in the body. Its synthesis, quality control, delivery, and action are exquisitely regulated by highly orchestrated intracellular mechanisms in different organs or “stations” of its bodily journey. In this Beyond the Cell review, we focus on these five stages of the journey of insulin through the body and the captivating cell biology that underlies the interaction of insulin with each organ. We first analyze insulin’s biosynthesis in and export from the β-cells of the pancreas. Next, we focus on its first pass and partial clearance in the liver with its temporality and periodicity linked to secretion. Continuing the journey, we briefly describe insulin’s action on the blood vasculature and its still-debated mechanisms of exit from the capillary beds. Once in the parenchymal interstitium of muscle and adipose tissue, insulin promotes glucose uptake into myofibers and adipocytes, and we elaborate on the intricate signaling and vesicle traffic mechanisms that underlie this fundamental function. Finally, we touch upon the renal degradation of insulin to end its action. Cellular discernment of insulin’s availability and action should prove critical to understanding its pivotal physiological functions and how their failure leads to diabetes.
The cGAS–cGAMP–STING pathway connects DNA damage to inflammation, senescence, and cancer
Authors: Li Tuo , Chen Zhijian J.
Published: April 2018

Detection of microbial DNA is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism that alerts the host immune system to mount a defense response to microbial infections. However, this detection mechanism also poses a challenge to the host as to how to distinguish foreign DNA from abundant self-DNA. Cyclic guanosine monophosphate (GMP)–adenosine monophosphate (AMP) synthase (cGAS) is a DNA sensor that triggers innate immune responses through production of the second messenger cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP), which binds and activates the adaptor protein STING. However, cGAS can be activated by double-stranded DNA irrespective of the sequence, including self-DNA. Although how cGAS is normally kept inactive in cells is still not well understood, recent research has provided strong evidence that genomic DNA damage leads to cGAS activation to stimulate inflammatory responses. This review summarizes recent findings on how genomic instability and DNA damage trigger cGAS activation and how cGAS serves as a link from DNA damage to inflammation, cellular senescence, and cancer.
The Variation of Catalyst and Carrier Gas on Anisole Deoxygenation Reaction
Authors: Ariyani D , Nugrahaningtyas Khoirina Dwi , Heraldy E
Published: April 2018

This research aims to determine the best catalyst and carrier gas in anisole deoxygenation reaction. The reaction was carried out over a flow system with a variation of catalyst CoMo A (CoMo/USY reduction), CoMo B (CoMo/USY oxidation-reduction), and CoMo C (CoMo/ZAA oxidation-reduction). In addition, variation of carrier gas nitrogen and hydrogen was investigated. The result was analyzed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS). The deoxygenation anisole result showed that CoMo A catalyst with hydrogen as the carrier gas has the highest total product yield (50.72 %), intermediate product yield (38.49 % in phenol and 6.99 % in benzaldehyde), and deoxygenation yield (5.24 %). The CoMo C catalyst exhibited the most selective deoxygenation product. The nitrogen carrier gas with the CoMo C catalyst has the best selectivity of benzene product (93.92 %).
Mixed 𝐴₂-𝐴_{∞} estimates of the non-homogeneous vector square function with matrix weights
Authors: Treil Sergei
Published: April 2018

This paper extends the results from a work of Hytönen, Petermichl, and Volberg about sharp

A
2

A_2

-

A
∞

A_\infty

estimates with matrix weights to the non-homogeneous situation.
Tensor products and sums of 𝑝\mspace{1𝑚𝑢}-harmonic functions, quasiminimizers and 𝑝\mspace{1𝑚𝑢}-admissible weights
Authors: Björn Anders , Björn Jana
Published: April 2018

The tensor product of two

p

p\mspace {1mu}

-harmonic functions is in general not

p

p\mspace {1mu}

-harmonic, but we show that it is a quasiminimizer. More generally, we show that the tensor product of two quasiminimizers is a quasiminimizer. Similar results are also obtained for quasisuperminimizers and for tensor sums. This is done in weighted

R

n

\mathbf {R}^n

with

p

p\mspace {1mu}

-admissible weights. It is also shown that the tensor product of two

p

p\mspace {1mu}

-admissible measures is

p

p\mspace {1mu}

-admissible. This last result is generalized to metric spaces.
Zero, finite rank, and compact big truncated Hankel operators on model spaces
Authors: Ma Pan , Yan Fugang , Zheng Dechao
Published: April 2018

In this paper, we obtain sufficient and necessary conditions for big truncated Hankel operators on model spaces to be zero, or of finite rank or compact. Our main tools are the properties of Hardy Hankel operators and function algebras.
Efficient population-scale variant analysis and prioritization with VAPr
Authors: Birmingham Amanda , Mark Adam M , Mazzaferro Carlo , Xu Guorong , Fisch Kathleen M
Published: April 2018

With the growing availability of population-scale whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing, demand for reproducible, scalable variant analysis has spread within genomic research communities. To address this need, we introduce the Python package Variant Analysis and Prioritization (VAPr). VAPr leverages existing annotation tools ANNOVAR and MyVariant.info with MongoDB-based flexible storage and filtering functionality. It offers biologists and bioinformatics generalists easy-to-use and scalable analysis and prioritization of genomic variants from large cohort studies.

Availability and implementation

VAPr is developed in Python and is available for free use and extension under the MIT License. An install package is available on PyPi at https://pypi.python.org/pypi/VAPr, while source code and extensive documentation are on GitHub at https://github.com/ucsd-ccbb/VAPr.
MP-LAMP: parallel detection of statistically significant multi-loci markers on cloud platforms
Authors: Yoshizoe Kazuki , Terada Aika , Tsuda Koji
Published: April 2018

Exhaustive detection of multi-loci markers from genome-wide association study datasets is a computationally challenging problem. This paper presents a massively parallel algorithm for finding all significant combinations of alleles and introduces a software tool termed MP-LAMP that can be easily deployed in a cloud platform, such as Amazon Web Service, as well as in an in-house computer cluster. Multi-loci marker detection is an unbalanced tree search problem that cannot be parallelized by simple tree-splitting using generic parallel programming frameworks, such as Map-Reduce. We employ work stealing and periodic reduce-broadcast to decrease the running time almost linearly to the number of cores.

Availability and implementation

MP-LAMP is available at https://github.com/tsudalab/mp-lamp.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Modelling gear and fishers size selection for escapees, discards, and landings: a case study in Mediterranean trawl fisheries
Authors: Mytilineou Chryssi , Herrmann Bent , Mantopoulou-Palouka Danai , Sala Antonello , Megalofonou Persefoni
Published: April 2018

Gear selectivity and discards are important issues related to fisheries management but separately modelled. This work examines for the first time the overall size-selection pattern on the total amount of individuals of a species entering the trawl codend. An innovative approach was used based on modelling the escapement through the codend in the sea and the subsequently selection process by the fisher on the deck of the fishing vessel resulting into the discards and landings. Three different trawl codends and three species were investigated in the case study conducted. A dual sequential model accounting for both gear size-selectivity and the subsequent fisher-size-selectivity was applied, under the hypothesis that a fish entering the codend can follow a multinomial distribution with three probabilities, the escape, the discard and the landing probability, respectively. The model described the escape probability through the gear and the landing probability by the fisher as S-shaped curves leading to a bell-shaped curve for the discard probability affected by both gear and fisher selection. The model described well the experimental data in all cases. Sampling scheme of three compartments proved adequate. The model provides at the same time selectivity and discards parameters useful in fisheries management.
Introduction
Authors: Kazdin Alan E.
Published: April 2018

This chapter conveys the overall challenges in relation to mental disorders and their care. The challenges are the enormous need for effective clinical services and our current inability to provide them. The chapter breaks down the scope of mental illness and the paucity of treatment services into parts to convey the size of the problem and challenges, and states that the purpose of the book is to examine what can be done to reduce the personal and social burdens of mental illness. The chapter provides an overview of the focus of the book and sets the stage for elaborating the challenges and novel options to address them, noting that well above and beyond psychotherapy, there are other remarkable opportunities for helping people to overcome impairing conditions, as well as to improve life.
Treatment Gap
Authors: Kazdin Alan E.
Published: April 2018

This chapter details the enormous gap between the number of individuals in need of mental health services and the number who actually receive the services. Key challenges in providing services are presented, along with the barriers that must be addressed, minimized, or neutralized if interventions are to reduce the burdens of mental illness. System barriers such as the financial cost of treatment, policy and legal regulations, and limitations in the resources to provide treatment, among other obstacles are d discussed. Attitudinal barriers are addressed including stigma associated with mental illness, mental health literacy, and others. Novel additional barriers are covered including issues surrounding case identification and the model of intervention delivery.
Novel Models of Delivery 2
Authors: Kazdin Alan E.
Published: April 2018

This chapter builds on the prior chapter with an additional set of models that can deliver psychosocial interventions and reach many people in need of services. The chapter covers six models: best-buy interventions, lifestyle changes, use of social media, entertainment-education, socially assistive robotics, and social network interventions. The chapter author describes the models, provides examples, and explains how they complement and improve on the dominant model of psychotherapy as a way of reaching people in need of services. Also emphasized is the importance of having multiple models to deliver psychosocial interventions.
Expanding Our Perspectives on Interventions, Models of Delivery, and Clinical Care
Authors: Kazdin Alan E.
Published: April 2018

This chapter considers topics that can assist in reducing the burdens of mental illness beyond the novel models of delivery discussed previously. The topics include the utility of expanding our interventions to include “weak” interventions that are low cost but highly scalable, providing special attention to those whose burdens are particularly great, promoting interventions that can affect both physical and mental health, targeting transmechanisms and early pathways leading to multiple disorders, and improving the base level of health in society. Stepped care is discussed in relation to sequencing interventions as well as models of delivery.
Conceptualizing the Challenge and Moving to Solutions
Authors: Kazdin Alan E.
Published: April 2018

This chapter places the challenge of reducing the burdens of mental illness in broader contexts and progresses from these to concrete recommendations on how to proceed toward next steps. The notions of wicked problems and grand challenges provide two contexts for understanding the challenge. From broad concepts, the chapter moves to means of addressing challenges and making progress in concrete ways to reduce the burdents of mental illness. Illustrations are provided of promising efforts in relation to physical health, mental disorders, and substance use and abuse. The critical role of assessment, especially large-scale surveillance measures from public health, is also discussed.
Evaluating Implementation
Authors: Morrison Julie Q. , Harms Anna L.
Published: April 2018

The objective of this chapter is to describe the evaluation methods, techniques, and tools involved in measuring implementation fidelity. Implementation fidelity is defined and the distinction between process evaluation and formative evaluation is described. The body of knowledge known as implementation research is introduced, and the National Implementation Research Network’s Implementation Drivers Framework and implementation stages are presented. The use of manuals, protocols, checklists, and practice profiles to support high-fidelity practitioner behaviors are illustrated. Research-validated tools for assessing implementation fidelity within a multi-tiered system of support initiative are highlighted. This chapter concludes with a discussion regarding the use of established criterion for judging implementation fidelity and the critical importance of measuring implementation fidelity linked to intended student outcomes.
Developing an Evaluation Plan
Authors: Morrison Julie Q. , Harms Anna L.
Published: April 2018

The objective of Chapter 4 is to provide practical guidelines for developing evaluation plans. Practical tips for writing measurable goals and objectives are provided first following by guidance for developing a logic model based on the program’s theory of change. Guidance is provided for writing evaluation questions and linking the questions to evaluation methods. Useful templates for designing and communicating evaluation plans and roles, responsibilities, and milestones are presented in this chapter. This chapter on developing an evaluation plan incorporates content and concepts from the previous chapters on program evaluation approaches (Chapter 1), evaluating program implementation (Chapter 2), and evaluating teacher professional learning opportunities (Chapter 3).
School Refusal Behavior
Authors: Kearney Christopher A.
Published: April 2018

This chapter provides a definition and description of the concept of school refusal behavior in children and adolescents. The chapter focuses on definitions of key terms, epidemiology, common behaviors and symptoms associated with problematic absenteeism, and short- and long-term outcomes of problematic absenteeism. However, a main focus is on how these characteristics pertain to, and illustrate, the real-life cases seen by the reader. Chapter 1 also include an overview of the book’s approach. The chapter discusses the purpose of this book and characteristics of youths with school refusal behavior. The chapter also presents a model for understanding school refusal behavior and for guiding assessment and intervention.
Applying Social Psychology to Law and the Legal Process
Authors: Saks Michael J.
Published: April 2018

This chapter offers an overview of the early interweaving of law with social psychology and related social sciences on topics such as judicial decision-making, jury decision-making, eyewitness identification, procedural justice, persuasion, negotiation, psychological foundations of evidence, and the psychology of expert testimony and of aspects of the tort litigation system. Briefly discussed are the author’s two books—Social Psychology in Court and The Use/Nonuse/Misuse of Applied Social Research in the Courts—from the founding era that gathered together much of that already rich variety of work. The final third of the chapter describes some of the recent continuing work on a number of those topics.
Mental Disability, Criminal Responsibility, and Civil Commitment
Authors: Morse Stephen J.
Published: April 2018

This chapter interweaves a history and analysis of these issues in the formative years of the American Psychology–Law Society with the author’s involvement in writing about it and in taking part in public debates and the creation of legislation. The author opens with autobiographical sketch that explains the development of his interest in law and psychology, criminal responsibility, and civil commitment. Later, he shares his perspective after years of involvement in these areas of study. The theoretical and practical problems and the author’s attempts to remedy them are then canvassed. The chapter concludes with an assessment of the present state of these issues.
Framing, Institutionalizing, and Nurturing Research in Psychology and Law
Authors: Sales Bruce D.
Published: April 2018

This chapter provides a personal narrative of the author’s role in the development of psychology and law as recognized subfield in psychology. The chapter considers his integrative model for combining the fields, including how his own work demonstrated the various types of possible interactions: psychological science studying law and law-related topics; psychologists aiding in the law’s administration; law affecting psychology science and practice; and using legal insights to improve psychology and create integrated psycholegal interventions. The chapter concludes by considering three approaches the author employed to institutionalize and nurture the field, including training programs, publication outlets, and convincing the psychological and legal communities of the importance of psychology and law as a newly emerging field of scholarship and practice.
Developmental Psycholegal Capacities
Authors: Grisso Thomas
Published: April 2018

This chapter provides a history of theory and research, beginning in the 1970s, on the abilities of children and adolescents to make decisions related to their civil and criminal rights. In this context, the author describes his entry into the field of psychology and law in the 1970s with his seminal studies of juveniles’ capacities to waive Miranda rights. The chapter then inventories the growth of research, to the present, on children’s decision-making capacities in legal contexts. Research has focused especially on youths’ competence to make decisions as medical patients and as defendants, as well as perspectives on their reduced criminal culpability due to developmental immaturity.
Correctional Psychology
Authors: Brodsky Stanley L.
Published: April 2018

This chapter describes my 1970s entry into the field as a psychologist in a maximum-security prison. My examination of the roles, contributions, and failures of psychologists in the criminal justice system led to a series of conferences at Lake Wales, Florida, joining the correctional psychology program at University of Alabama, and testifying in class action suites about systemic flaws in prisons, This led in turn to my fascination with the process of testifying in court, starting a psychology–law journal, and facilitating court mandates to achieve prisoner classification in a state prison system. As the field of psychology and law shifted from correctional to forensic psychology, I became engaged in conceptualizing and applying knowledge to understanding and practice in both forensic and correctional psychology.