bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Self‐report dieting and long‐term changes in body mass index and waist circumference
Authors: Sares‐Jäske L. , Knekt P. , Männistö S. , Lindfors O. , Heliövaara M.
Published: March 2019

Objective

This prospective study explores whether dieting attempts and previous changes in weight predict changes in body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC).

Methods

The study was based on the representative Finnish Health 2000 Survey and on its follow‐up examination 11 years later. The sample included 2,785 participants, aged 30–69. BMI and WC were determined at health examinations. Information on dieting attempts and previous changes in weight was collected using a questionnaire including questions on whether participant had tried to lose weight (no/yes), gained weight (no/yes) or lost weight (no/yes) during the previous year.

Results

At baseline, 32.8% were dieters. Of these, 28.4% had lost weight during the previous year. Dieters had higher BMI and WC than non‐dieters. During the follow‐up, the measures increased more in dieters and in persons with previous weight loss. The mean BMI changes in non‐dieters versus dieters were 0.74 (standard deviation [SD] 2.13) kg/m2 and 1.06 (SD 2.77) kg/m2 (P = 0.002), respectively. The corresponding numbers for those with no previous weight change versus those who had lost weight were 0.65 (SD 2.07) kg/m2 and 1.52 (SD 2.61) kg/m2. The increases in BMI and WC were most notable in dieters with initially normal weight.

Conclusions

The increases in BMI and WC were greater in dieters than in non‐dieters, suggesting dieting attempts to be non‐functional in the long term in the general population.
Genomic landscape of inverted urothelial papilloma and urothelial papilloma of the bladder
Authors: Isharwal Sumit , Hu Wenhuo , Sarungbam Judy , Chen Ying‐bei , Gopalan Anuradha , Fine Samson W , Tickoo Satish K , Sirintrapun Sahussapont J , Jadallah Sana , Loo Florence L , Pietzak Eugene J , Cha Eugene K , Bochner Bernard H , Berger Michael F , Iyer Gopa , Solit David B , Reuter Victor E , Al‐Ahmadie Hikmat
Published: March 2019

Inverted urothelial papilloma (IUP) and urothelial papilloma (UP) are rare urothelial neoplasms that typically follow a benign clinical course. Oncogenic mutations in FGFR3, HRAS, and the TERT promoter have been reported in these entities but no comprehensive molecular analysis has been performed. We sought to characterize the genomic landscape of IUP and UP using whole‐exome and targeted next‐generation sequencing. In IUP, 10 of 11 tumors harbored oncogenic hotspot mutations in HRAS and the remaining tumor had an oncogenic KRAS mutation. None of the IUP tumors harbored TERT promoter or FGFR3 mutations. In UP, 8 of 11 tumors had oncogenic KRAS mutations and two had oncogenic HRAS mutations. One UP tumor had oncogenic mutations in FGFR3, PIK3CA, and the TERT promoter, and arose in a patient with recurrent non‐invasive papillary urothelial carcinomas. In contrast to urothelial carcinoma, the APOBEC mutational signature was not present in any IUP and UP tumors, and oncogenic alterations in chromatin remodeling genes were uncommon in both IUP and UP. The current study suggests that IUP and UP are driven primarily by RAS pathway activation and lack the more common genomic features of urothelial cancers. Copyright © 2019 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Secret safety warnings on medicines: A case study of information access requests
Authors: Torka Marc , Mintzes Barbara , Bhasale Alice , Fabbri Alice , Perry Lucy , Lexchin Joel
Published: March 2019

Purpose

There has been less attention to the transparency of postmarket evidence of harmful effects of medicines than of premarket clinical trial data. This is a case study of requests for Australian “direct health professional communications” (DHPCs). These letters are used by regulators and manufacturers to inform clinicians of emergent evidence of harm. DHPCs are not made public by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

Methods

We requested all DHPCs sent out in Australia from 2007 to 2016 inclusive for 207 drugs that were subject to safety advisories over this decade in Canada, the United Kingdom, and/or the United States. We contacted 39 manufacturers (February to May 2018), with repeat requests to nonrespondents, and a follow‐up freedom‐of‐information (FOI) request to the TGA.

Results

Fifteen companies provided information, either sending DHPCs (n = 4, on five drugs) or affirming none were sent out (n = 11). The remaining 24 of 39 (62%) companies did not provide DHPCs: nine (23%) refused the request, often citing commercial confidentiality; the rest provided no answer despite repeat requests. In total, we had no information for 170 of 207 (82%) of the drugs. Our FOI request to the TGA was unsuccessful.

Conclusions

Our experience highlights unacceptable secrecy concerning safety warnings previously sent to thousands of Australian clinicians. In the absence of explicit regulatory policy supporting disclosure, companies differed in their response. These letters warn of serious and often life‐threatening harm and guide safer care; full ongoing public access is needed, ideally in searchable online databases.
Accelerated testing method to estimate the long‐term hydrostatic strength of semi‐crystalline plastic pipes
Authors: Taherzadehboroujeni Mehrzad , Kalhor Roozbeh , Fahs Gregory B. , Moore Robert B. , Case Scott W.
Published: March 2019

The ability to quickly develop predictions of the service lifetime of plastic pipes at different load levels allows designers to choose the best plastic material and design pipe for a specific application. Additionally, it helps material producers to rapidly design, manufacture, test, screen, and modify the base polymeric material. The aim of this study is to introduce a combined experimental and analytical framework to develop accelerated lifetime estimates for semi‐crystalline plastic pipes which is sensitive to the structure, orientation, and morphology changes introduced by changing processing conditions. To accomplish this task, high density polyethylene (HDPE) is chosen as the exemplary base material and custom fixtures are developed to admit tensile and hoop burst tests on the as‐manufactured HDPE pipes. A pressure‐modified Eyring flow equation is employed to predict the rupture lifetime of HDPE pipes using the measured mechanical properties under uniaxial tensile and compression loading in different temperatures and strain rates. The method allows the prediction of pipe service lifetimes in excess of 50 years using experiments conducted over approximately 10 days instead of the traditional 13 months. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 60:879–888, 2020. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers
Development and characterization of poly(vinyl alcohol) and casein blend films
Authors: U Durmaz Bedriye , Aytac Ayse
Published: March 2019

Blends of plasticized casein (CA) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) at various ratios were prepared using the solution‐casting method. The prepared blend solutions were cast onto polystyrene petri plates and bend films were obtained. The characterization of films was performed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, tensile testing, thermogravimetric analysis, contact angle measurements and water vapour permeability. According to spectroscopic analysis, there were interactions between the CA and PVA molecules. The tensile test results showed that the tensile strength of CA increased with increasing PVA content. The flexibility of plasticized CA film increased with the incorporation of PVA. The thermal stability and water vapour barrier properties of plasticized CA improved on blending with PVA. As a result, it was seen that blend films were successfully produced using plasticized CA and PVA with potential for use in biodegradable packaging applications. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
Wood and water: How trees modify wood development to cope with drought
Authors: Rodriguez‐Zaccaro F. Daniela , Groover Andrew
Published: March 2019

Societal Impact Statement

Drought plays a conspicuous role in forest mortality, and is expected to become more severe in future climate scenarios. Recent surges in drought‐associated forest tree mortality have been documented worldwide. For example, recent droughts in California and Texas killed approximately 129 million and 300 million trees, respectively. Drought has also induced acute pine tree mortality across east‐central China, and across extensive areas in southwest China. Understanding the biological processes that enable trees to modify wood development to mitigate the adverse effects of drought will be crucial for the development of successful strategies for future forest management and conservation.

Summary

Drought is a recurrent stress to forests, causing periodic forest mortality with enormous economic and environmental costs. Wood is the water‐conducting tissue of tree stems, and trees modify wood development to create anatomical features and hydraulic properties that can mitigate drought stress. This modification of wood development can be seen in tree rings where not only the amount of wood but also the morphology of the water‐conducting cells are modified in response to environmental conditions. In this review, we provide an overview of how trees conduct water, and how trees modify wood development to affect water conduction properties in response to drought. We discuss key needs for new research, and how new knowledge of wood formation can play a role in the conservation of forests under threat by climate change.
Molluscicidal activity of cardiac glycosides isolated from Adenium obesum
Authors: Alzabib Ali A , Abobakr Yasser , Al‐Sarar Ali S , Hussein Hamdy I , Basudan Omer A , El‐Gamal Ali A , Abdel‐Kader Maged S , El_Komy Mahmoud H
Published: March 2019

BACKGROUND

Terrestrial mollusks are one of most important agricultural pests worldwide. Natural phytochemicals have an extended history as a source of pesticides. This study was planned to isolate molluscicidal active compounds from the stems of Adenium obesum.

RESULTS

The benzene‐soluble fraction of the hydroethanolic extract displayed the most potent molluscicidal activity against Monacha obstructa among different solvent fractions with a median lethal dose (LD50) of 4.91 µg g−1 body weight (bw). The bioactivity‐guided chemical exploration of the benzene‐soluble fraction led to the isolation of two known cardiac glycosides, cerberin and neriifolin which showed significant molluscicidal activity with LD50 values of 5.39 and 4.3 µg g−1 bw, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Isolation of the cardiac glycoside neriifolin from A. obesum and the molluscicidal activity of cerberin and neriifolin against terrestrial snails are reported for the first time. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
Biomimetic Bacterial Identification Platform Based on Thermal Transport Analysis Through Surface Imprinted Polymers: From Proof of Principle to Proof of Application
Authors: Heidt Benjamin , Rogosic Renato , Lowdon Joseph W. , Desmond‐Kennedy Muriel , Jurgaityte Kaste , Ferrer Orri Jordi , Kronshorst Yara , Mendez Stephanie , Polyakova Elizaveta , Rice Henry T. , Crijns Francy , Diliën Hanne , Steen Redeker Erik , Eersels Kasper , van Grinsven Bart , Cleij Thomas J.
Published: March 2019

Accurate and sensitive detection of bacteria is crucial in medicine for diagnosis and effective treatment of infectious diseases. Current state‐of‐the art methods consist of either traditional time consuming microbiological analysis or rapid, sensitive molecular techniques that require expensive readout equipment. In previous work, the authors of this paper combined synthetic bacteria receptors, so‐called surface imprinted polymers (SIPs), with a novel thermal biosensor readout methodology for the detection of bacteria in urine. In this follow‐up study, the potential of the method for application in urinary tract infection (UTI) diagnosis is further studied. The reproducibility of the method is assessed by expanding the study and analyzing the sensor's performance in urine samples obtained from four healthy adults. The samples are spiked with increasing concentrations of Escherichia coli to obtain different dose‐response curves. The results of this study show that the method is reproducible over the studied population and variables such as age, gender and osmolality do not seem to influence the test. All results fall within the previously established dynamic range of 104–105 bacteria mL−1 which fits well within the diagnostic window of classical microbiological UTI tests. Further tests conducted on a urine sample 24 h after spiking illustrate the problem with traditional microbiology tests as the sensor response has significantly decreased due to the presence of a significant amount of dead bacteria in the day‐old sample. These results confirm that fast, point‐of‐care analysis of fresh urine samples is advantageous over classic laborious techniques in terms of accurate diagnosis.
A Gas‐Sensitive SPIM Sensor for Detection of Ethanol Using SnO2 as Sensing Element
Authors: Wang Mengyun , Truong Hoang A. , Werner Carl F. , Miyamoto Ko‐ichiro , Yoshinobu Tatsuo
Published: March 2019

In this study, a gas‐sensitive scanning photo‐induced impedance microscopy (SPIM) sensor using tin dioxide (SnO2) as sensing element is proposed, which detects the local impedance change on the sensor surface in response to ethanol vapor. The impedance change of the SnO2 film is detected by monitoring the AC photocurrent signal induced by a laser beam. This measurement can be done in a spatially resolved manner by using a scanning laser beam and two‐dimensional maps are obtained thanks to the light‐addressability of SPIM. This technique is expected to be applied to the visualization of gas distributions on the sensing surface.
Improving of the Rise and Decay Rates of an Ultraviolet Photodetector Using Stepwise Annealed ZnO Nanorods
Authors: Kim Dongwan , Leem Jae‐Young
Published: March 2019

ZnO nanorods (NRs) are grown on a ZnO seed layer using the hydrothermal method and subsequently annealed with increasing step of annealing from zero to three. The ZnO NRs without the annealing have the longest length and diameter, and it is decreased with increasing step of annealing, owing to the recrystallization during step‐annealing. The ZnO NRs step‐annealed for three times exhibit the highest intensity of the near‐band‐edge (NBE) emission, whereas ZnO NRs without annealing have the lowest intensity of NBE emission. With respect to the deep‐level (DL) emissions, broad yellow and green emissions are observed, and the intensity of DL emission decreases with increasing step of annealing. Further, the low‐temperature photoluminescence spectrum measured at 12 K of the ZnO nanorods step‐annealed for three times contains a donor‐bound exciton (D°X) emission, as well as emissions related to the donor–acceptor pair (DAP) transition and the first‐order and second‐order longitudinal optical phonon replicas of DAP transition. Finally, with respect to the photoresponse, the ZnO NRs step‐annealed for three times exhibit the fastest rise and decay rates compared with the other NRs.
In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy Study of Molybdenum Oxide Contacts for Silicon Solar Cells
Authors: Ali Haider , Koul Supriya , Gregory Geoffrey , Bullock James , Javey Ali , Kushima Akihiro , Davis Kristopher O.
Published: March 2019

In this study, a molybdenum oxide (MoOx) and aluminum (Al) contact structure for crystalline silicon (c‐Si) solar cells is investigated using a combination of transmission line measurements (TLM) and in‐situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Cross‐sectional high‐resolution TEM (HRTEM) micrographs reveal a ≈2 nm silicon oxide (SiOx) interlayer at c‐Si/MoOx interface in the as‐deposited state, indicating that formation of SiOx occurs during deposition of MoOx. Moreover, oxygen diffusion takes place from MoOx toward Al resulting in the formation of a ≈2–3 nm aluminum oxide (AlOx) interlayer at the MoOx/Al interface. Overall, it is observed that MoOx/Al contact is relatively stable upon annealing up to 200 °C and still retains ohmic transport with sufficiently low contact resistivity.
Optical Cavity Based on GaN Planar Nanowires Grown by Selective Area Metal‐Organic Vapor Phase Epitaxy
Authors: Pozina Galia , Ivanov Konstantin A. , Mitrofanov Maxim I. , Kaliteevski Mikhail A. , Morozov Konstantin M. , Levitskii Iaroslav V. , Voznyuk Gleb V. , Evtikhiev Vadim P. , Rodin Sergey N.
Published: March 2019

GaN planar nanowires (NWs) are fabricated by selective area metal‐organic vapor phase epitaxy using focused ion beam etching of trench pattern in the Si3N4 mask. Two crystallographic orientations of NWs along and directions are investigated. The coherent growth is confirmed for both directions; however, the best morphology, crystalline and optical properties are found in the GaN planar NWs fabricated along the axis. Cathodoluminescence (CL) at 5 K reveals a presence of Fabry–Perot modes in the region of 1.8–2.5 eV for the NWs fabricated in the direction. The position and intensity of the Fabry–Perot peaks vary depending on measured point within the NW, which is explained by the model based on the Purcell coefficient calculations. It is shown that small fluctuations in the NW thickness cause a noticeable shift of the Fabry–Perot modes energies, while the enhancement or reduction of the emission intensity for the Fabry–Perot peaks depend on the position of the emitter inside the planar NW.
Physics‐Guided Data‐Mining Driven Design of Room‐Temperature Multiferroic Perovskite Oxides
Authors: Yu Jian , Itoh Mitsuru
Published: March 2019

Multiferroic perovskite oxides with ferromagnetic and ferroelectric ordering simultaneously are being extensively sought for a potential linear magnetoelectric coupling effect – ferroelectric polarization switched by magnetic field and magnetization reversed by electric field, which are promising for nonvolatile high‐density electric‐writing/magnetic reading memory and spintronic applications. Using the reliable extant data of perovskite oxides, physics‐guided data‐mining is carried out to unveil the room temperature multiferroic chemistry. Double perovskite oxides with rocksalt‐type d5–d3 network on the B‐site are mined out to be promising multiferroic compounds with parallel ferroelectric polarization and magnetization. In the selective chemical space, BiFeO3–BiCrO3–PbTiO3 ternary solid solution within some range of composition in double‐perovskite structure is designed with the assistance of domain knowledge and demonstrated experimentally to be ferrimagnetic and ferroelectric with both Curie temperatures above 300 K. Suitable synthesis method for processing highly resistive ceramic samples is necessarily required for electrical switching characterizations and device applications. Physics‐guided data‐mining driven material design is illustrated to be an efficient approach to accelerate the discovery of novel multiferroic crystals.
Occurrence and detection of impact multipath simulations of bending angle
Authors: Zou Xiaolei , Liu Hui , Kuo Ying‐Hwa
Published: March 2019

In the moist tropical lower troposphere, atmospheric refractivity fields are strongly affected by water vapour and have complicated, non‐spherically symmetric structures. Strong horizontal gradients of refractivity could make the simulated bending angle by raytracing a multivalued function of the impact parameter, which is called impact multipath for brevity. In this study, we first show such occurrences of impact multipath in the tropical lower troposphere using the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/Global Forecast System analysis as input to a raytracing operator for COSMIC radio occultations (ROs) in March and April 2017. An up‐to‐600 m lift in altitude for the impact parameter is observed for simulated RO rays in the presence of a strong horizontal gradient of refractivity over 250 km distances from the perigee, rendering the simulation bending angles multivalued functions of impact parameter. A quality‐control procedure is then developed to effectively identify the large variations of parameter along the simulated rays and impact multipath simulations while keeping the simulated rays below and above the multivalued rays. Many more RO data in the boundary layer could be used for data assimilation in numerical weather prediction by not removing the RO data below the impact multipath levels in the moist tropical lower troposphere.
Thermostat or thermometer? A Finnish perspective on the overloaded role of sustainability indicators in societal transition
Authors: Lyytimäki Jari
Published: March 2019

Various expectations are placed on national‐level sustainability indicators. Ideally, they should serve as efficient tools for transformations, leading societies to sustainable paths by creating a comprehensive, reliable, timely, and easy‐to‐understand picture of the key ecological, socio‐cultural, and economic trends. Most, if not all, indicator initiatives so far have been unable to meet such grandiose expectations. This has evoked criticism of and scepticism towards the indicator approach, but has also motivated improvement of indicator sets and knowledge brokerage processes. This article discusses the role of sustainability indicators in societal transition by examining the experiences gained from the preparation and launch of a sustainable development indicator set specifically aimed at supporting national‐level policymaking in Finland. It is concluded that better recognition of the tensions between attempts to improve the quality of indicators and attempts to enhance their use in policy is key to meeting the expectations placed upon sustainability indicators.
The environmental consequences of fossil fuels in China: National and regional perspectives
Authors: Xu Bingjie , Zhong Ruoyu , Hochman Gal , Dong Kangyin
Published: March 2019

Control of the increasing fossil fuel‐based carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and the associated environmental consequences are important for sustainable development in China. Nevertheless, very few studies have investigated the environmental consequences of China's fossil fuels at both the national and regional levels. For this purpose, this study explores the dynamic relationships among CO2emissions, economic growth, and consumption of various fossil fuels (i.e., coal, petroleum, and natural gas) in China, using the panel dataset of 30 provinces for the period 1997–2015. Considering the significant differences across various regions, the whole sample and different regions in China are analyzed separately. The estimated results, at both the national and regional levels, provide strong evidence in favor of the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis for CO2emissions in China. Furthermore, increasing coal and petroleum consumption significantly promotes CO2emissions. Conversely, natural gas offers a cleaner substitute for other fossil fuels (i.e., coal and petroleum); its substitution effect may be influenced by the share of natural gas in the total energy needs. Finally, the above findings highlight several policy implications for the Chinese government's policymakers to effectively reduce CO2emissions in China, thereby setting the nation on a sustainable development path.
Design and Synthesis of 2‐Amino‐thiophene‐proline‐conjugates and Their Anti‐tubercular Activity against Mycobacterium Tuberculosis H37Ra
Authors: Baravkar Sachin B. , Wagh Mahendra A. , Nawale Laxman U. , Choudhari Amit S. , Bhansali Sujit , Sarkar Dhiman , Sanjayan Gangadhar J.
Published: March 2019

The emergence of extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR‐TB) and multi‐drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR‐TB) has necessitated the development of new drugs with short chemotherapy treatment regime and cost effectiveness. To overcome these challenges, we are reporting the synthesis of a series of 2‐amino‐thiophene‐proline‐conjugates which show potent in‐vitro and ex‐vivo anti‐tubercular (anti‐TB) activity against mycobacterium tuberculosis (mtb) H37Ra. The synthesis of these 2‐amino‐thiophene‐proline‐conjugates was carried out via solution phase peptide coupling reactions using methyl‐2‐aminothiophene‐3‐carboxylate 8 as an intermediate obtained by modified gewald reaction. Intermediate 8 was coupled with different amino acids to obtain dipeptides 3, 4, 5, 6 a and 7. Priliminary anti‐TB assay data encoureaged us to synthesize modified proline derivatives 6 b‐6 k via formation of a benzoxazinone intermediate 16. Most of these conjugates are active against mtb H37Ra in both active (A) and dormant (D) strains. They are also active against drug resistant mtb H37Ra strains. A trifluoroethyl ester analog, 6 i was the most potent among the series [MIC 1 μg/mL] along with 6 f and 6 g [MIC 2–6 μg/mL]. Cytotoxicity studies suggested that, these compounds are less cytotoxic to human cell lines HeLa, MCF‐7, HUVEC and hence possess high selectivity index (SI). Docking studies revealed that the binding mode of most active compounds 6 i, 6 g and 6 f is in accordance with their bioactivity studies having docking score −8.969, −8.446 and −7.865, respectively. Moreover, in silico ADME properties suggest that all the compounds possess drug like properties.
SiO2@TiO2:Sm3+ with Diverse Phase Structure and Morphology: Photoluminescence and Simulated Solar Light‐Activated Photodegradation Properties
Authors: Chang Meiqi , Zou Haifeng , Chen Jie , Sheng Ye , Song Yanhua
Published: March 2019

Sm3+ doped SiO2@TiO2 nanospheres with diverse morphology have been successfully prepared. The size of SiO2 could be adjusted not only by changing the etching time but also through varying the coating method of TiO2. Sol‐gel and solvothermal methods were adopted to investigate the effect of coating conditions on morphology and properties of the products. Photocatalytic results showed that core‐shell structures obtained by solvothermal method possess the highest photodegradation efficiency, which reached 98% for degradation of methyl orange within 30 min under simulated solar light irradiation. The trapping experiments were performed and the possible photocatalytic mechanism was proposed. Yolk‐shell structures obtained through solvothermal method exhibited the strongest orange‐red emission intensity, however, for the samples obtained through a sol‐gel process, the luminescence intensities of the products showed the oppose trend, which is the result of a combination of light utilization, specific surface area and crystallinity. In addition, the X‐ray diffraction analysis results of products calcined at 900 °C manifested that a certain amount of Sm3+ ions inhibit the formation of rutile phase effectively, but the inhibitory effect is not proportional to its concentration. This article provides deeper insight into photocatalytic and luminescence bi‐functional properties of SiO2@TiO2:Sm3+ nanospheres with diverse morphology obtained through different preparation methods.
Pyridazine‐Containing Diazatwistanthracene and Tetraazatwisttetracene: Synthesis, Crystal Structures and Third Order Non‐linear Optical Properties
Authors: Fan Mingxuan , Shen Yuqiang , Zheng Yusen , Yu Xianglin , Li Miao , Xu Liang , Wang Jiapei , Yang Li , Li Junbo
Published: March 2019

In this paper, two pyridazine‐heterocycles‐containing azaacenes 9,12‐diphenylphenanthro[4,5‐fgh]phthalazine (DPPA) and 2,9‐di‐tert‐butyl‐4,7,11,14‐tetraphenylpyridazino[4′,5′:9,10]phenanthro[4,5‐fgh]phthalazine (TPPA) have been synthesized and fully characterized. The single crystal analysis of TPPA showed that TPPA molecule exhibits a twisted structure with the dihedral angel of 27° between pyrene and pyridazine unit, which suppresses the π‐π stackings in the solid state. The two‐photon absorption properties of DPPA and TPPA were investigated, respectively, by using the femtosecond Z‐scan technique. The results showed that both DPPA and TPPA showed moderate two‐photon absorption cross‐section values, and the larger one was found to be 454 GM with TPPA. Obviously, the introduction of pyridazine ring into the skeleton of acenes forming a A−D‐A structure could lead to a much larger two‐photon absorption coefficient and two‐photon absorption cross section.
Enhanced Charge Transfer by Passivation Layer in 3DOM Ferroelectric Heterojunction for Water Oxidation in HCO3−/CO2 System
Authors: Cai Zihe , Yan Yang , Liu Lin , Lin Shengxuan , Hu Xiaobin
Published: March 2019

Photoelectrochemical carbon dioxide conversion to fuels such as carbon monoxide, methanol, and ethylene exhibits great potential to solve energy issues. Unfortunately, CO2 conversion efficiency is still low due to violent charge recombination at the photoanode. Herein, a novel 3D macroporous ferroelectric heterojunction composed of BiFeO3 and LiNbO3 is developed by a template‐assisted sol–gel method, aiming at facilitating charge transfer kinetics. As expected, a tremendous enhancement of photocurrent density (300 times vs bare planar BiFeO3 film) and charge transfer efficiency (up to 76%) is obtained in the HCO3−/CO2 system without any cocatalyst. The photoelectrochemical performance is switchable by poling to form a depolarization electric field. Photoelectrochemical impedance spectroscopy reveals that the charge transfer resistance decreases due to the synergistic effect of BiFeO3 3D macroporous skeleton and LiNbO3 passivation layer by tuning surface states. These results suggest a novel strategy for enhancing photoelectrochemical water oxidation as the anodic reaction of CO2 reduction.
Reversible Image Contrast Manipulation with Thermally Tunable Dielectric Metasurfaces
Authors: Zangeneh Kamali Khosro , Xu Lei , Ward Jonathan , Wang Kai , Li Guixin , Miroshnichenko Andrey E. , Neshev Dragomir , Rahmani Mohsen
Published: March 2019

Increasing demand for higher resolution of miniaturized displays requires techniques achieving high contrast tunability of the images. Employing metasurfaces for image contrast manipulation is a new and rapidly growing field of research aiming to address this need. Here, a new technique to achieve image tuning in a reversible fashion is demonstrated by dielectric metasurfaces composed of subwavelength resonators. It is demonstrated that by controlling the temperature of a metasurface the encoded transmission pattern can be tuned. To this end, two sets of nanoresonators composed of nonconcentric silicon disks with a hole that exhibit spectrally sharp Fano resonances and forming a Yin‐Yang pattern are designed and fabricated. Through exploitation of the thermo‐optical properties of silicon, full control of the contrast of the Yin‐Yang image is demonstrated by altering the metasurface temperature by ΔT ≈ 100 °C. This is the first demonstrated technique to control an image contrast by temperature. Importantly, the turning technique does not require manipulating the external stimulus, such as polarization or angle of the illumination and/or the refractive index of this environment. These results open many opportunities for transparent displays, optical switches, and tunable illumination systems.
Nickel Oxide as Efficient Hole Transport Materials for Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Yin Xingtian , Guo Yuxiao , Xie Haixia , Que Wenxiu , Kong Ling Bing
Published: March 2019

Organic–inorganic halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have achieved great success in recent years with a demonstrated power conversion efficiency (PCE) increasing rapidly from 3.8% to 22.3% for single junction devices. Most high‐performance PSCs consist of a perovskite absorber sandwiched between an electron transport layer (ETL) and a hole transport layer (HTL), which extracts electrons (holes) and blocks holes (electrons) from the absorber efficiently. Inorganic hole transport materials have extracted extensive attention due to their higher mobility and better stability. Particularly, the excellent hole selective transport property of nickel oxide (NiOx) has been highlighted by its recent application in organometallic halide PSCs, due to the favorable band alignment formed between the halide perovskite absorber and NiOx HTL. This comprehensive review summarizes the recent progress in the fabrication of NiOx films and their application in PSCs. Special attention is paid to the optoelectronic properties of NiOx films, which strongly depend on the synthesis methods and post‐treatment conditions, as well as the resulting photovoltaic device performance. Surface modification and doping strategies that are used to improve the optoelectronic properties of NiOx films and the resulting device performance are discussed with emphasis. Finally, a short perspective of NiOx‐based PSCs is also provided.
End user nonmalicious, counterproductive computer security behaviors: concept, development, and validation of an instrument
Authors: Ifinedo Princely
Published: March 2019

Employees' engagement in nonmalicious, counterproductive computer security behaviors (CCSB) poses a threat to organizations' information systems (IS) resources and assets. In order to understand CCSB, there is a need to propose theoretical foundations to research the phenomenon and to offer useful tools to help organizations assess such behaviors in their particular contexts. Relevant instruments that systematically measure or assess workers' participation in CCSB remain underdeveloped. This study proposes an instrument to assess engagement in CCSB. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed three subscales of CCSB, that is, “careless use of IS resources,” “procrastinating carrying out required IS actions,” and “improper use of IS resources.” The instrument's relevance to research and practice is discussed and directions for future research are outlined.
Dynamics of participation: System dynamics and participation—An empirical review
Authors: Király Gábor , Miskolczi Péter
Published: March 2019

The practice of participation has gained prominence in several disciplines recently. The present study discusses how participation meets system dynamics, a particular modelling method, which looks at complex systems from an endogenous viewpoint. System dynamics has always oriented itself towards practical problems and engaged with clients actively. This tradition is represented in contemporary participatory methods. We can underpin the involvement of stakeholders in a number of ways: with normative arguments (participation is a democratic right), substantive (involvement produces better knowledge), instrumental (participation improves the chance of success), and transformative ones (improvement of social capital). We discuss three schools of participatory system dynamics. First, group model building, a professional and practical method. Next, participatory system dynamics modelling, which is rooted in public policy decisions and aims to involve stakeholders actively. Finally, community‐based system dynamics aims for the empowerment of communities, with long‐term deep commitment on the part of the researcher.
Rapamycin Induced Autophagy Inhibits Inflammation-Mediated Endplate Degeneration by Enhancing Nrf2/Keap1 Signaling of Cartilage Endplate Stem Cells
Authors: Zuo Rui , Wang Yanqiu , Li Jie , Wu Junlong , Wang Wenkai , Li Bin , Sun Chao , Wang Ziwen , Shi Chunmeng , Zhou Yue , Liu Minghan , Zhang Chao
Published: March 2019

Cartilage endplate (CEP) calcification inhibits the transport of metabolites and nutrients in the intervertebral disk and is an important initiating factor of intervertebral disk degeneration. However, the mechanisms governing CEP degeneration have not been thoroughly elucidated. In this study, we established a mouse CEP degeneration model and showed that autophagy insufficiency caused the degeneration of CEP. We found that the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) increased the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and caused cell senescence and osteogenic differentiation of cartilage endplate stem cells (CESCs), whereas rapamycin-induced autophagy protected CESCs from TNF-α-induced oxidative stress and cell senescence. Furthermore, rapamycin-induced autophagy helped CESCs maintain the chondrogenic properties and inhibited extracellular matrix protease expression and osteogenic differentiation. Further study revealed that autophagy activated by rapamycin or inhibited by chloroquine influenced the expression and nuclear translocation of Nrf2, thereby controlling the expression of antioxidant proteins and the scavenging of ROS. Taken together, the results indicate that rapamycin-induced autophagy enhances Nrf2/Keap1 signaling and promotes the expression of antioxidant proteins, thereby eliminating ROS, alleviating cell senescence, reducing the osteogenic differentiation of CESCs, and ultimately protecting CEPs from chronic inflammation-induced degeneration. Stem Cells  2019;37:828–840
Chlorpyrifos activates cell pyroptosis and increases susceptibility on oxidative stress‐induced toxicity by miR‐181/SIRT1/PGC‐1α/Nrf2 signaling pathway in human neuroblastoma SH‐SY5Y cells
Authors: Zhao Meng‐Wen , Yang Pu , Zhao Ling‐Ling
Published: March 2019

Background

The insecticide exposure has been linked to Parkinson's disease (PD). In the present study, we used a most widely used cell line in study of PD, the SH‐SY5Y cells, to investigate mechanisms of chlorpyrifos (CPF) induced cell toxicity and the possible roles of cell pyroptosis and oxidative stress in SH‐SY5Y cells, as well as role of miR‐181/SIRT1/PGC‐1α/Nrf2 signaling pathway in this process.

Methods

SH‐SY5Y cells were treated with different concentrations of CPF. Cell viability was measured using CCK‐8 assay. Cell pyroptosis was determined by immunofluorescence of caspase‐1 and TUNEL assay. The miR‐181 (has‐miR‐181‐5p) level was determined by qRT‐PCR. Expression of SIRT1, PGC‐1α, Nrf2, and pyroptosis related proteins NLRP3, caspase‐1, IL‐1β, and IL‐18 was determined by both qRT‐PCR and Western blotting.

Results

Cell viability was found to be decreased with the increased CPF concentrations. The pyroptosis related proteins, ROS levels, as well as level of caspase‐1 and the TUNEL positive cells were all significantly up‐regulated by CPF. Meanwhile, expression of miR‐181 and pyroptosis proteins was also enhanced, while the SIRT1/PGC‐1α/Nrf2 signaling was inhibited by CPF. Knockdown of Nrf2 significantly up‐regulated the expression of pyroptosis related proteins, ROS level, caspase‐1, and the TUNEL positive cells, while over‐expression of Nrf2 resulted in opposite results. The expression of PGC‐1α and Nrf2 was significantly down‐regulated when SIRT1 was inhibited, while over‐expressed SIRT1 led to increased PGC‐1α and Nrf2 levels. Besides, miR‐181 promoted the CPF induced activation of pyroptosis and oxidative stress, as well as down‐regulated SIRT1/PGC‐1α/Nrf2 signaling, while inhibition of miR‐181 led to opposite results.

Conclusions

Chlorpyrifos could inhibit cell proliferation, activate cell pyroptosis and increase susceptibility on oxidative stress‐induced toxicity by elevating miR‐181 through down‐regulation of the SIRT1/PGC‐1α/Nrf2 pathway in human neuroblastoma SH‐SY5Y cells. This study might give deeper insights for mechanisms of CPF induced toxicity and might give some novel research targets for PD treatment.
Transcriptomic analyses of human bronchial epithelial cells BEAS‐2B exposed to brominated flame retardant (tetrabromobisphenol A)
Authors: Wu Shijin , Zhu Zhenzhen , Chen Jialin , Wu Mei , Qiu Lequan
Published: March 2019

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are supposed to act as disruptors of cell signaling, but the underlying mechanisms remain less clear. Human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS‐2B) were used to investigate the toxic effect and gene expression changes induced by tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA). By genome‐wide approaches with Illumina RNA‐seq, 87 genes were identified to exhibit ≥1.5‐fold changes in expression after treatment by TBBPA for 48 h, among which, 79 were upregulated and 8 were downregulated. Gene ontology (GO) annotation enriched unigenes were divided into three clusters: biological process (BP), cellular component (CC) and molecular function (MF). Pathway analysis showed that NF‐κB, TNF signaling, toll‐like receptor, MAPK signaling and B‐cell receptor were the most prominent pathways affected by TBBPA, which play key roles in regulating cell proliferation and cell differentiation, inflammatory response. Finally, for verifying the accuracy of microarray analysis, qRT‐PCR was used to analyze the transcription level of key genes in the above signaling pathways, and ELISA assay confirmed the effect of TBBPA on the levels of CXCL‐2, CCL‐3, CCL‐4, IL‐1β, TNF‐α, and IL‐6. These findings provided important information for further exploitation of the mechanisms under‐lying BFR‐induced adverse health effects.
Holographic response of electron clouds
Authors: Gran U. , Tornsö M. , Zingg T.
Published: March 2019

Abstract

In order to make progress towards more realistic models of holographic fermion physics, we use gauge/gravity duality to compute the dispersion relations for quasinormal modes and collective modes for the electron cloud background, i.e. the non-zero temperature version of the electron star. The results are compared to the corresponding results for the Schwarzschild and Reissner-Nordström black hole backgrounds, and the qualitative differences are highlighted and discussed.
Structure of anomalies of 4d SCFTs from M5-branes, and anomaly inflow
Authors: Bah Ibrahima , Nardoni Emily
Published: March 2019

Abstract

We study the ’t Hooft anomalies of four-dimensional superconformal field theories that arise from M5-branes wrapped on a punctured Riemann surface. In general there are two independent contributions to the anomalies. There is a bulk term obtained by integrating the anomaly polynomial of the world-volume theory on the M5-branes over the Riemann surface; this contribution knows about the punctures only through its dependence on the Euler characteristic of the surface. The second set of contributions comes from local data at the punctures; these terms are independent from the bulk data of the surface. Using anomaly inflow in M-theory, we describe the general structure of the anomalies for cases when the four-dimensional theories preserve

$$ \mathcal{N}=2 $$

N
=
2

supersymmetry. We additionally discuss the anomalies corresponding to (p, q) punctures in

$$ \mathcal{N}=1 $$

N
=
1

theories.
(0,4) brane box models
Authors: Hanany Amihay , Okazaki Tadashi
Published: March 2019

Abstract

Two-dimensional

$$ \mathcal{N}=\left(0,\ 4\right) $$

N
=

0
,

4

supersymmetric quiver gauge theories are realized as D3-brane box configurations (two dimensional intervals) which are bounded by NS5-branes and intersect with D5-branes. The periodic brane configuration is mapped to D1-D5-D5′ brane system at orbifold singularity via T-duality. The matter content and interactions are encoded by the

$$ \mathcal{N}=\left(0,\ 4\right) $$

N
=

0
,

4

quiver diagrams which are determined by the brane configurations. The Abelian gauge anomaly cancellation indicates the presence of Fermi multiplets at the NS-NS′ junction. We also discuss the brane construction of

$$ \mathcal{N}=\left(0,\ 4\right) $$

N
=

0
,

4

supersymmetric boundary conditions in 3d

$$ \mathcal{N}=4 $$

N
=
4

gauge theories involving two-dimensional boundary degrees of freedom that cancel gauge anomaly.
Principles of confounder selection
Authors: VanderWeele Tyler J.
Published: March 2019

Selecting an appropriate set of confounders for which to control is critical for reliable causal inference. Recent theoretical and methodological developments have helped clarify a number of principles of confounder selection. When complete knowledge of a causal diagram relating all covariates to each other is available, graphical rules can be used to make decisions about covariate control. Unfortunately, such complete knowledge is often unavailable. This paper puts forward a practical approach to confounder selection decisions when the somewhat less stringent assumption is made that knowledge is available for each covariate whether it is a cause of the exposure, and whether it is a cause of the outcome. Based on recent theoretically justified developments in the causal inference literature, the following proposal is made for covariate control decisions: control for each covariate that is a cause of the exposure, or of the outcome, or of both; exclude from this set any variable known to be an instrumental variable; and include as a covariate any proxy for an unmeasured variable that is a common cause of both the exposure and the outcome. Various principles of confounder selection are then further related to statistical covariate selection methods.
Evaluation of radial basis function neural network minimizing L-GEM for sensor-based activity recognition
Authors: Zhang Shuai , Ng Wing W. Y. , Zhang Jianjun , Nugent Chris D. , Irvine Naomi , Wang Ting
Published: March 2019

Sensor-based activity recognition involves the automatic recognition of a user’s activity in a smart environment using computational methods. The use of wearable devices and video-based approaches have attracted considerable interest in ubiquitous computing. Nevertheless, these methods have limitations such as issues with privacy invasion, ethics, comfort and obtrusiveness. Environmental sensors are an increasingly promising consideration in the ubiquitous computing domain for long-term monitoring, as these devices are non-invasive to inhabitants, yet certain challenges remain with activity recognition in sensorised environments, for example, addressing the challenge of intraclass variation between activities and reasoning from low-level uncertain information. In an effort to address these challenges, this paper proposes and evaluates the performance of a Radial Basis Function Neural Network approach for activity recognition with environmental sensors. The model is trained using the Localized Generalization Error and focuses on the generalization ability by considering both the training error and stochastic sensitivity measure. This measures the network output fluctuation with respect to the minor perturbation of input, to address the tolerance of the low-level uncertain sensor data. This approach is compared with three benchmark Neural Network approaches, including a popular deep learning approach using an Autoencoder, and it is evaluated with a simulated dataset as well as a number of publicly available datasets. The proposed method has shown advantages over the other models for all four evaluated datasets. This paper provides insights into the importance of model generalization abilities and an initial analysis of the limitation of deep Neural Networks with respect to sensor-based activity recognition.
Family Change and Changing Family Demography
Authors: Seltzer Judith A.
Published: March 2019

Increases in life expectancy, high rates of movement into and out of couple relationships, and increasing exposure to stepfamilies raise new questions about who is in a family, the distinction between who lives together and who is a family member, and the extent to which family members are expected to meet the long-term obligations that define kinship. These questions are important because families have traditionally served as a vital private safety net for family members. Demographic changes increase family members’ uncertainty about their relationships. Family ties are less stable and more uncertain among the economically disadvantaged, and uncertainty may exacerbate these disadvantages by weakening individuals’ ability to rely on family members’ support to alleviate hardship. I argue that demographers should focus on individuals’ family relationships to gain insight into living arrangements and family dynamics. I also outline the development of family concepts and improvements in study design to identify principles that demographers should incorporate in new research to shed light on families’ support for their members.