bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Three‐Armed Polymer with Tunable Self‐Assembly and Self‐Healing Properties Based on Benzene‐1,3,5‐tricarboxamide and Metal–Ligand Interactions
Authors: Li Chunmei , Tan Jiaojun , Guan Zhibin , Zhang Qiuyu
Published: March 2019

The dynamic nature of supramolecules makes them useful in the fields of smart devices. The combination of multiple dynamic interactions in one material may bring some enhanced properties in mechanical property, self‐healing property, or recyclability. Thus, it is significantly meaningful to design new materials with multi‐dynamic bonds and clarify their bonding mechanisms. Here, a novel three‐armed polymer based on benzene‐1,3,5‐tricarboxamide (BTA) is developed and the polymer could be further complexed by metal ions to form dynamic zinc–imidazole interactions. In this system, BTA is located in the center, and the ligand‐functionalized monomer is copolymerized with n‐butyl acrylate to form three chains. This is the first time BTA is introduced to a self‐healing system to endow the polymer with assembly and self‐healing properties. The composition, chemical structure, assembly behavior, mechanical properties, and self‐healing properties of the polymer are investigated. It is revealed that the assembly behavior of the polymer depends on the BTA contents and time. The mechanical property can be easily tuned by ligand/metal ratio and is significantly adjusted by the polymer chain length and environment humidity. Long polymer chains not only contribute to good mechanical property but also promote the self‐healing process due to the effective physical entanglement.
Tumor suppressor KIF1Bβ regulates mitochondrial apoptosis in collaboration with YME1L1
Authors: Ando Koji , Yokochi Tomoki , Mukai Akira , Wei Gao , Li Yuanyuan , Kramer Sonja , Ozaki Toshinori , Maehara Yoshihiko , Nakagawara Akira
Published: March 2019

KIF1Bβ, a member of the kinesin superfamily of motor proteins, is a haploinsufficient tumor suppressor mapped to chromosome 1p36.2, which is frequently deleted in neural crest–derived tumors, including neuroblastoma and pheochromocytoma. While KIF1Bβ acts downstream of the nerve growth factor (NGF) pathway to induce apoptosis, further molecular functions of this gene product have largely been unexplored. In this study, we report that KIF1Bβ destabilizes the morphological structure of mitochondria, which is critical for cell survival and apoptosis. We identified YME1L1, a mitochondrial metalloprotease responsible for the cleavage of the mitochondrial GTPase OPA1, as a physical interacting partner of KIF1Bβ. KIF1Bβ interacted with YME1L1 through its death‐inducing region, as initiated the protease activity of YME1L1 to cleave the long forms of OPA1, resulting in mitochondrial fragmentation. Overexpression of YME1L1 promoted apoptosis, while knockdown of YME1L1 promoted cell growth. High YME1L1 expression was significantly associated with a better prognosis in neuroblastoma. Furthermore, in NGF‐deprived PC12 cells, KIF1Bβ and YME1L1 were upregulated, accompanied by mitochondrial fragmentation and apoptotic cell death. Small interfering RNA–mediated knockdown of either protein alone, however, remarkably inhibited the NGF depletion–induced apoptosis. Our findings indicate that tumor suppressor KIF1Bβ plays an important role in intrinsic mitochondria–mediated apoptosis through the regulation of structural and functional dynamics of mitochondria in collaboration with YME1L1. Dysfunction of the KIF1Bβ/YME1L1/OPA1 mechanism may be involved in malignant biological features of neural crest–derived tumors as well as the initiation and progression of neurodegenerative diseases.
Stimulus Sensitive Foot Myoclonus: A Clue to Coeliac Disease
Authors: Jesús Silvia , Latorre Anna , Vinuela Angel , Fahn Stanley , Bhatia Kailash P. , Balint Bettina
Published: March 2019

Background

Coeliac disease (CD) is an autoimmune enteropathy that may feature extraintestinal manifestations including cerebellar ataxia and myoclonus.

Methods and Results

A descriptive series of five patients with CD who presented with prominent stimulus‐sensitive foot myoclonus.

Conclusions

Stimulus‐sensitive foot myoclonus is a distinct clinical sign and may be a useful clue to the diagnosis of CD.
A product integration method for the approximation of the early exercise boundary in the American option pricing problem
Authors: Nedaiasl Khadijeh , Bastani Ali Foroush , Rafiee Aysan
Published: March 2019

Integral equation methods are now becoming well‐established tools in the study of financial models used in theory and practice. In this paper, we investigate the fully nonlinear weakly singular nonstandard Volterra integral equations representing the early exercise boundary of American option contracts, which gained popularity in recent years. We propose a product integration approach based on linear barycentric rational interpolation to solve the problem. The price of the option will then be computed using the obtained approximation of the early exercise boundary and a barycentric rational quadrature. The convergence of the approximation scheme will also be analyzed. Finally, some numerical experiments based on the introduced method are presented and compared with some exiting approaches.
An S‐ to Ku‐wideband low‐noise amplifier using asymmetric π filter and shunt‐peaking technique with simultaneous input match and noise flatness
Authors: Jing Kai , Yu Ningmei , Quan Xing
Published: March 2019

A single‐stage S to Ku band (2‐18 GHz) low noise amplifier (LNA) employing asymmetric π input match network and inductive shunt‐peaking technique in 0.18 μm SiGe BiCMOS is presented. Shunt‐shunt feedback is utilized to ensure wide operating as well as form a noise suppression topology. With the process of SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) featuring f
T/fmax of 240/280 GHz, the measurement of the proposed LNA results in S11 below −10 dB, S21 of 19.6 ± 0.8 dB and 2.2‐3.2 dB noise figure (NF) from 2 to 18 GHz, drawing 9 mA DC current from a 3.3 V supply.
SpinStudioJ: A cross‐platform NMR data acquisition and processing workbench based on a plug‐in architecture
Authors: Liu Zao , Chen Zhiwei
Published: March 2019

Flexibility and extensibility are important issues in the design of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) software, as these determine the ability to integrate a variety of continuously evolving data acquisition and processing methods. Here, SpinStudioJ is introduced. It is an NMR data acquisition and processing workbench with a plug‐in‐based architecture. The workbench is based on Eclipse Rich Client Platform, which provides a plug‐and‐play runtime mechanism and rich graphical user interface functionality. New data acquisition methods and processing algorithms can be easily integrated into the SpinStudioJ workbench by defining extension points, without the need to redistribute existing modules. The software is independent of operating systems, as it leverages the cross‐platform feature of the Java virtual machine.
Analysis of magnetization transfer (MT) influence on quantitative mapping of T2 relaxation time
Authors: Radunsky Dvir , Blumenfeld‐Katzir Tamar , Volovyk Osnat , Tal Assaf , Barazany Daniel , Tsarfaty Galia , Ben‐Eliezer Noam
Published: March 2019

Purpose

Multi‐echo spin‐echo (MESE) protocol is the most effective tool for mapping T2 relaxation in vivo. Still, MESE extensive use of radiofrequency pulses causes magnetization transfer (MT)‐related bias of the water signal, instigated by the presence of macromolecules (MMP). Here, we analyze the effects of MT on MESE signal, alongside their impact on quantitative T2 measurements.

Methods

Study used 3 models: in vitro urea phantom, ex vivo horse brain, and in vivo human brain. MT ratio (MTR) was measured between single‐SE and MESE protocols under different scan settings including varying echo train lengths, number of slices, and inter‐slice gap. MTR and T2 values were extracted for each model and protocol.

Results

MT interactions biased MESE signals, and in certain settings, the corresponding T2 values. T2 underestimation of up to 4.3% was found versus single‐SE values in vitro and up to 13.8% ex vivo, correlating with the MMP content. T2 bias originated from intra‐slice saturation of the MMP, rather than from indirect saturation in multi‐slice acquisitions. MT‐related signal attenuation was caused by slice crosstalk and/or partial T1 recovery, whereas smaller contribution was caused by MMP interactions. Inter‐slice gap had a similar effect on in vivo MTR (21.2%), in comparison to increasing the number of slices (18.9%).

Conclusions

MT influences MESE protocols either by uniformly attenuating the entire echo train or by cumulatively attenuating the signal along the train. Although both processes depend on scan settings and MMP content, only the latter will cause underestimation of T2.
Dynamic MRI using model‐based deep learning and SToRM priors: MoDL‐SToRM
Authors: Biswas Sampurna , Aggarwal Hemant K. , Jacob Mathews
Published: March 2019

Purpose

To introduce a novel framework to combine deep‐learned priors along with complementary image regularization penalties to reconstruct free breathing & ungated cardiac MRI data from highly undersampled multi‐channel measurements.

Methods

Image recovery is formulated as an optimization problem, where the cost function is the sum of data consistency term, convolutional neural network (CNN) denoising prior, and SmooThness regularization on manifolds (SToRM) prior that exploits the manifold structure of images in the dataset. An iterative algorithm, which alternates between denoizing of the image data using CNN and SToRM, and conjugate gradients (CG) step that minimizes the data consistency cost is introduced. Unrolling the iterative algorithm yields a deep network, which is trained using exemplar data.

Results

The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed framework can offer fast recovery of free breathing and ungated cardiac MRI data from less than 8.2s of acquisition time per slice. The reconstructions are comparable in image quality to SToRM reconstructions from 42s of acquisition time, offering a fivefold reduction in scan time.

Conclusions

The results show the benefit in combining deep learned CNN priors with complementary image regularization penalties. Specifically, this work demonstrates the benefit in combining the CNN prior that exploits local and population generalizable redundancies together with SToRM, which capitalizes on patient‐specific information including cardiac and respiratory patterns. The synergistic combination is facilitated by the proposed framework.
Diffusion‐weighted MRI with intravoxel incoherent motion modeling for assessment of muscle perfusion in the thigh during post‐exercise hyperemia in younger and older adults
Authors: Adelnia Fatemeh , Shardell Michelle , Bergeron Christopher M. , Fishbein Kenneth W. , Spencer Richard G. , Ferrucci Luigi , Reiter David A.
Published: March 2019

Aging is associated with impaired endothelium‐dependent vasodilation that leads to muscle perfusion impairment and contributes to organ dysfunction. Impaired muscle perfusion may result in inadequate delivery of oxygen and nutrients during and after muscle contraction, leading to muscle damage. The ability to study the relationship between perfusion and muscle damage has been limited using traditional muscle perfusion measures, which are invasive and risky. To overcome this limitation, we optimized a diffusion‐weighted MRI sequence and validated an intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) analysis based on Monte Carlo simulation to study muscle perfusion impairment with aging during post‐exercise hyperemia. Simulation results demonstrated that the bias of IVIM‐derived perfusion fraction (fp) and diffusion of water molecules in extra‐vascular tissue (D) ranged from −3.3% to 14% and from −16.5% to 0.002%, respectively, in the optimized experimental condition. The dispersion in fp and D ranged from 3.2% to 9.5% and from 0.9% to 1.1%, respectively. The mid‐thigh of the left leg of four younger (21–30 year old) and four older (60–90 year old) healthy females was studied using the optimized protocol at baseline and at seven time increments occurring every 3.25 min following in‐magnet dynamic knee extension exercise performed using a MR‐compatible ergometer with a workload of 0.4 bar for 2.5 min. After exercise, both fp and D significantly increased in the rectus femoris (active muscle during exercise) but not in adductor magnus (inactive muscle), reflecting the fact that the local increase in perfusion with both groups showed a maximum value in the second post‐exercise time‐point. A significantly greater increase in perfusion from the baseline (p < 0.05) was observed in the younger group (37 ± 12.05%) compared with the older group (17.57 ± 15.92%) at the first post‐exercise measurement. This work establishes a reliable non‐invasive method that can be used to study the effects of aging on dynamic changes in muscle perfusion as they relate to important measures of physical function.
A systematic review of the public administration literature to identify how to increase public engagement and participation with local governance
Authors: Schafer Josephine Gatti
Published: March 2019

A systematic review of the public administration literature on public engagement and participation is conducted with the expressed intent to develop an actionable evidence base for public managers. Over 900 articles, in nine peer‐reviewed public administration journals are screened on the topic. The evidence from 40 articles is classified, summarized, and applied to inform the managerial practice of activating and recruiting the participation of the public in the affairs of local governance. The review also provides brief explanation on how systematic reviews can fill a need in governance from the evidence‐based management perspective.
A normative approach on lobbying. Public policies and representation of interests in Argentina
Authors: Sadi Gabriel , Ramos Meneghetti Marisa
Published: March 2019

Public policies and regulations need to broaden the voices represented in the deliberation and search for solutions to societal problems. The practice of lobbying is a legitimate and legal way to reach public decision makers in order to contribute to a more participatory and plural democracy despite its bad reputation. As a general characteristic, Latin America still has shortcomings in the development of participatory democracy. Due to the lack of an organized civic culture, resources, or ignorance, civil society does not usually use planned methods for an effective exercise of the right to petition public authorities and reduces its areas of incidence to sporadic demonstrations around specific issues. However, it is possible to recognize certain key cases promoted in Argentina by civil society organizations that have achieved their purposes, such as laws related to eating disorders, equal marriage, and assisted fertilization.
Integrase Inhibitors: After 10 Years of Experience, Is the Best Yet to Come?
Authors: Brooks Kristina M. , Sherman Elizabeth M. , Egelund Eric F. , Brotherton Amy , Durham Spencer , Badowski Melissa E. , Cluck David B.
Published: March 2019

The era of the integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs) for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection began with raltegravir in 2007. Since that time, several other INSTIs have been introduced including elvitegravir, dolutegravir, and, most recently, bictegravir, that have shown great utility as part of antiretroviral regimens in both treatment‐naive and treatment‐experienced patients. At present, antiretroviral guidelines fully endorse the INSTI class as part of all first‐line treatment regimens. After 10 years of experience with INSTIs, newer agents are on the horizon such as cabotegravir and MK‐2048 for potential use as either HIV pre‐exposure prophylaxis or maintenance therapy. This review provides a brief overview of the INSTI class including agents currently available and those still in development, reviews available data from both completed and ongoing clinical trials, and outlines simplification strategies using INSTIs.
Adjustable‐Function Beam Shaping Methods
Authors: Brodsky Alexander , Kaplan Natan , Liebl Stefan , Franke Rainer
Published: March 2019

Laser welding is used in a wide range of industrial applications including automotive, aerospace, semiconductors, electronics, medical, power, defense, and others. The raw laser beam is not the optimal shape for many industrial applications in general and especially in the field of welding, brazing, soldering, and other similar processes. Compared to other laser material processing applications, these processes stand out in terms of the required laser power (multi kW) and the highly multimode beams often used. A process‐specific tailored laser intensity distribution can improve throughput, seam height, strength, and the edge smoothness of the joints.
Numerical Simulation and Unsteady Combustion Model of AP/HTPB Propellant under Depressurization by Rotation
Authors: Ye Zhen‐W. , Yu Yong‐G.
Published: March 2019

In order to study micro‐scale combustion characteristics of base‐bleed propellant ammonium perchlorate/hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene (AP/HTPB) under rotation condition, a two‐dimensional unsteady rotating combustion model of periodic sandwich model of AP/HTPB was established. In the gas phase, a two‐step overall reaction was used to couple the gas‐solid boundary layer, the rotational momentum was fitted and the numerical simulation comparative analysis under the initial combustion pressure of 0.1 MPa–5 MPa and the rotation velocity of 0–10 800 r min−1 was experimented. The results show that under the conditions of an initial combustion pressure of 3.5 MPa, a depressurization rate of 1000 MPa s−1 and a rotation velocity of 10 200 r min−1, the formation of a narrow diffusion‐controlled chemical reaction zone appears in the initial stage of depressurization. When the combustion pressure drops to about 0.88 MPa, the flame shows dual characteristics: diffusion‐controlled and premixed combustion. When the pressure dropped to 0.1 MPa, the flame is premixed combustion. The steady combustion process at different combustion pressures and different rotational velocities was analyzed numerically. The results show that there is a linear positive correlation between the flame deflection angle and the pressure. When the rotation velocity is lower than 10 000 r min−1, the deflection angle of the gas flame increases linearly with the rotation velocity. However, when the rotation velocity is higher than 10 000 r min−1, the deflection angle and the rotation velocity of the gas flame increase exponentially. The trend of the average Reynolds number of the combustion surface is basically the same as that of the deflection angle of the gas flame. Therefore, the average Reynolds number of the combustion surface can be used to describe the influence of rotation and pressure on the deflection angle of the gas phase flame.
Combustion of HTPB Based Solid Fuels Containing Metals and Metal Hydrides with Nitrous Oxide
Authors: Young Gregory , Risha Grant A. , Connell Terrence L. , Yetter Richard A.
Published: March 2019

An experimental investigation of the combustion characteristics of HTPB‐based solid fuels containing aluminum and aluminum hydride has been conducted. Aluminum is commonly used as a fuel supplement in solid rocket propellants because of its ability to increase the specific impulse of a propellant. Similarly, aluminum hydride, or alane, is another attractive fuel supplement because it can significantly (∼7–8 %) increase specific impulse even beyond that of aluminum. In this study, the regression rates of a baseline fuel (pure HTPB) were compared with that of fuels containing either aluminum or alane as additives using a counterflow combustion experiment with nitrous oxide (N2O) as the oxidizer. The additives were investigated in concentrations of 10, 20, and 40 % by weight of the fuels. The addition of aluminum at all loadings resullted in a decrease in the regression rate relative to the baseline, whereas the addition of alane resulted in at worst similar regression rates and at best (highest loading) approximately a 20 % increase in regression rate. The decomposition behavior of selected fuels was analyzed using traditional thermal analysis techniques; thermal gravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry
Domain‐specific virtual processors as a portable programming and execution model for parallel computational workloads on modern heterogeneous high‐performance computing architectures
Authors: Lyakh Dmitry I.
Published: March 2019

We advocate domain‐specific virtual processors (DSVP) as a portability layer for expressing and executing domain‐specific computational workloads on modern heterogeneous HPC architectures, with applications in quantum chemistry. Specifically, in this article we extend, generalize and better formalize the concept of a domain‐specific virtual processor as applied to scientific high‐performance computing. In particular, we introduce a system‐wide recursive (hierarchical) hardware encapsulation mechanism into the DSVP architecture and specify a concrete microarchitectural design of an abstract DSVP from which specialized DSVP implementations can be derived for specific scientific domains. Subsequently, we demonstrate, an example of a domain‐specific virtual processor specialized to numerical tensor algebra workloads, which is implemented in the ExaTENSOR library developed by the author with a primary focus on the quantum many‐body computational workloads on large‐scale GPU‐accelerated HPC platforms.
Double‐hole‐mediated coupling of anionic dopants in perovskite NaNbO3 for efficient solar water splitting
Authors: Wang Jiajun , Teng Jing , Pu Lizhi , Huang Jing , Wang Ying , Li Qunxiang
Published: March 2019

Doping is an effective strategy to improve the photocatalytic performances of semiconductor photocatalyst for water splitting. In this work, we perform extensive hybrid density functional calculations to investigate perovskite NaNbO3 with anionic monodoping with N, C, P, and S dopants as well as with (N + N), (C + S), and (N + P) codoping pairs. Theoretical results clearly reveal that the band structures of NaNbO3 can be effectively tailored by introducing double‐hole‐mediated coupling of anion‐anion pairs. Compared with the monodoping cases, the anion‐anion codoped NaNbO3 systems not only have substantially narrowed band gaps, but also can eliminate the unoccupied localized states appearing above the Fermi level, which are disastrous for photocatalysis as they may trap the photogenerated carriers. Optical absorption curves further convince that the codoped NaNbO3 can effectively harvest visible light. The band edge positions with respect to the redox potentials of water demonstrate that the (N + N) codoped NaNbO3 are desirable for efficient solar water splitting.
Identification of new interferences leached from plastic microcentrifuge tubes in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry
Authors: Chai Yunfeng , Chen Hongping , Gao Guanwei , Liu Xin , Lu Chengyin
Published: March 2019

Rationale

The incredible sensitivity of the modern mass spectrometry instrument enables scientists to detect a large number of molecules ranging from small organic compounds to biological macromolecules. However, the same sensitivity often throws up challenges with respect to background interferences and contaminants. The identification and source of these contaminants is very important for reducing background contamination and ensuring the accuracy of the analysis results.

Methods

The interfering compounds were analyzed by high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with a hybrid quadrupole‐orbitrap mass spectrometer. The structural analysis was conducted by obtaining the accurate masses of precursors and their fragment ions. The retention time and MS/MS spectrum of one of the interfering compounds (N‐lauryldiethanolamine) were compared with an authentic standard to reach an unequivocal structural assignment.

Results

The interferences (m/z 274 and 318 in positive mode) were observed during the analysis of herbicides in tea samples by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS). Their structures were identified to be N‐lauryldiethanolamine and N‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)‐N‐(2‐(2‐hydroxyethoxy)ethyl)dodecylamine by fragmentation interpretation and further confirmed by a standard compound. These interferences were found to be leached from the plastic microcentrifuge tubes used during sample pretreatment. The plastic tubes from two of the five suppliers tested were found to contain these two interferences.

Conclusions

In this work, we presented an example about the observation, identification and source of interferences in ESI‐MS. The N‐lauryldiethanolamine and other ethoxylated aliphatic alkylamines are common plastic antistatic agents. They possess high proton affinity so that they show a strong response in ESI positive mode. In order to avoid their interference during mass spectrometric analysis we need to choose plastic tubes (or other plastic materials) that do not contain such antistatic agents.
Output feedback preview control for polytopic uncertain discrete‐time systems with time‐varying delay
Authors: Li Li , Yuan Yuanlong
Published: March 2019

This paper considers the preview tracking control problem of polytopic uncertain discrete‐time systems with a time‐varying delay subject to a previewable reference signal. First, a model transformation is employed and a discrete‐time system with a time‐invariant delay and an external disturbance is obtained. The difference operator method can be extended to derive an augmented error system that includes future information on the reference signal. Then, a previewable reference signal is fully utilized through reformulation of the output equation while considering the output feedback. Based on the small gain theorem, a static output feedback controller with preview actions is designed such that the output can asymptotically track the reference signal. Finally, numerical simulation examples also illustrate the superiority of the desired preview controller for the uncertain system in the paper.
Bayesian estimation of the average treatment effect on the treated using inverse weighting
Authors: Capistrano Estelina S. M. , Moodie Erica E. M. , Schmidt Alexandra M.
Published: March 2019

We develop a Bayesian approach to estimate the average treatment effect on the treated in the presence of confounding. The approach builds on developments proposed by Saarela et al in the context of marginal structural models, using importance sampling weights to adjust for confounding and estimate a causal effect. The Bayesian bootstrap is adopted to approximate posterior distributions of interest and avoid the issue of feedback that arises in Bayesian causal estimation relying on a joint likelihood. We present results from simulation studies to estimate the average treatment effect on the treated, evaluating the impact of sample size and the strength of confounding on estimation. We illustrate our approach using the classic Right Heart Catheterization data set and find a negative causal effect of the exposure on 30‐day survival, in accordance with previous analyses of these data. We also apply our approach to the data set of the National Center for Health Statistics Birth Data and obtain a negative effect of maternal smoking during pregnancy on birth weight.
Mechanism of Direct Electrophilic Aromatic Amination: an Electrophile is Found by Quantum‐Chemical Study
Authors: Stankevich Ksenia S. , Bondarev Alexander A. , Lavrinenko Anastasia K. , Filimonov Victor D.
Published: March 2019

Direct amination is an extremely valuable reaction, allowing for the one‐step preparation of aromatic amines. However, its mechanism was poorly studied. Here, for the first time, using quantum chemical calculations, we have shown that direct amination of arenes by hydrazoic acid follows the classical SEAr mechanism with aminodiazonium cation H2N3+ as electrophile. The peculiarity of H2N3+ electronic structure has been described using our novel method for tracing the molecular orbitals. The located stationary points and transition states allowed us to define direct amination as SEAr reaction, which rate is determined by early transition state between π‐ and σ‐complexes. Considering the calculated reaction constant ρ and an early transition state, we placed direct amination of arenes by HN3 somewhere in‐between nitration and halogenations. Our results explain the accumulated experimental data and open a prospect for the development of the new aminating agents working in milder conditions.
A Supramolecular Gel to Reduce Tool Wear and Protect Surfaces during Metalworking
Authors: Chowdhury Srayoshi Roy , Chidambaram C. T.  , Podder Debasish , Sasmal Supriya , Debnath Mintu , Kumaraswamidhas LA , Dutta Suman , Haldar Debasish
Published: March 2019

Metalworking includes creating tiny designer parts, fitting of the parts and assemblies to large scale structures by forming, cutting, and joining. The processes produce lots of dust, pollutants, noise and heat. A metalworking supramolecular gel has been developed to improve workpiece quality, to reduce tool wear and protect newly cut metal surface. An efficient NDI‐based gelator for silicon oil has been synthesized and investigated. From X‐ray single crystal studies, the dodecyl groups adopt all anti conformation on both side of the diimide and the compound self‐assembled to form supramolecular sheet‐like structure. The compound successfully imbololized silicon oil and formed a soft gel at 4 wt% (w/v). From mechanical response, storage modulus (G’) was greater than loss modulus (G”) and did not cross each other over the entire range of angular frequency, which indicates that the gel is elastic in nature. The FE‐SEM images showed that the gel is made of entangled fibers. Further the gel was used during metal cutting and grinding to reduce tool wear, and was found to prevent the sparking, absorb the dust and finally release the silicon oil to protect newly cut metal surface.
In Situ Wrapping SiO with Carbon Nanotubes as Anode Material for High‐Performance Li–Ion Batteries
Authors: Li Jianbin , Wang Lei , Liu Fangming , Liu Wenjing , Luo Caikun , Liao Yingling , Li Xuan , Qu Meizhen , Wan Qi , Peng Gongchang
Published: March 2019

Silicon‐based material as lithium‐ion anodes has attracted huge attention owing to their ultrahigh capacity. However, they usually undergo severe volume expansion over the repeated lithiation/delithiation processes and have low electronic conductivity, leading to the inferior cycling stability and the poor rate capability. Here, an in‐situ growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the surface of SiO composite was prepared and then encapsulated by the amorphous carbon derived from high softening point pitch. SEM and TEM studies show that SiO was firmly wrapped with CNTs and well coated with the amorphous carbon. Meanwhile, nitrogen adsorption‐desorption measurement indicated the prepared composite SiO@CNTs/C was hierarchical pore structure, which can shorten the lithium‐ion transport pathway and enhance the structural stability. The prepared SiO@CNTs/C exhibited an excellent long‐term cycling stability (a high reversible specific capacity of 821.7 mAh g−1, and a high capacity retention of 95.9% to the 3rd cycle after 200 cycles), and prominent rate capacity, indicating the great potential of SiO@CNTs/C anode for practical application.
Hedonism, Desirability and the Incompleteness Objection
Authors: Andrić Vuko ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: March 2019

Hedonism claims that all and only pleasure is intrinsically good. One worry about Hedonism focuses on the “only” part: Are there not things other than pleasure, such as personal projects and relationships, that are intrinsically good? If so, it can be objected that Hedonism is incomplete. In this paper, I defend Hedonism against this objection by arguing for a distinction between goodness and desirability that understands “desirability” as a deontic concept, in terms of “reason to desire”, but goodness as an evaluative concept. Based on this distinction, I attempt to show that Hedonists should accept that things other than pleasure, such as personal projects and relationships, are desirable for their own sakes but deny that these things are intrinsically good [Corrections added on 3 May 2019 after first online publication: The original abstract text is now the first paragraph of the paper’s introduction. An updated abstract has been added.]
Seroprevalence of Q fever in cattle, sheep and goats in the Volta region of Ghana
Authors: Johnson Sherry A. M. , Kaneene John B. , Asare‐Dompreh Kweku , Tasiame William , Mensah Ivy G. , Afakye Kofi , Simpson Shirley V. , Addo Kwasi
Published: March 2019

Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetii, a causative agent of abortion in livestock and febrile illness in humans. Outbreaks of human cases of Q fever have been reported in Australia and the Netherlands, which was linked to abortions in goat and sheep farms. In Ghana, information on Q fever in both livestock and humans is scanty. This study sought to determine the seroprevalence of Q fever in livestock in the Tongu area of the Volta region of Ghana. It was a cross sectional study with blood sampled from 204 cattle, 158 sheep and 100 goats. An indirect ELISA test was performed to detect Q fever antibodies in the serum of livestock. A total of 20 farms were sampled across the municipalities and an overall prevalence of Q fever was 21.6%. Specie‐specific prevalence was 28.4% (45/158) for sheep, 21.7% (45/204) for cattle and 10% (10/100) for goats. Abortions were reported on all the farms sampled and most farmers lived in close proximity to the farms sampled. Q fever is prevalent in the North Tongu area and requires the attention of the veterinary and health authorities, using the One‐ Health approach in order to control its occurrence and save lives.
Participation of wind power producers in day‐ahead and balancing markets: An overview and a simulation‐based study
Authors: Algarvio Hugo , Lopes Fernando , Couto António , Estanqueiro Ana
Published: March 2019

At present, a harmonized pan‐European electricity market (EM) is a close reality. While in day‐ahead markets (DAMs) the harmonization is at an advanced stage, in balancing markets (BMs) still exist some challenging issues, notably the remuneration of imbalances: some countries have simple and clear methods, but others consider complex methods that are not appealing to the participation of variable renewable energy (VRE). The participation of VRE in BMs is technically feasible, although with some restrictions to guarantee security and stability. Thus the economic attractiveness of these markets should be increased in order to enable full integration of VRE without feed‐in‐tariffs or other incentives. This article presents an overview of EMs, focusing on European BMs, and also investigates the benefits of the participation of wind power producers (WPPs) in BMs at both economic and technical levels. In particular, the article presents a new strategy allowing WPPs to bid in BMs. It also presents a study involving four scenarios, where WPPs participate in: (a) the DAM (baseline scenario), (b) the DAM and the automatic‐activated frequency restoration reserve market, (c) the DAM and the manually activated FRR (mFRR) market, and (d) the DAM and a 15‐min mFRR market. The simulations are performed with the agent‐based system MATREM (for Multi‐Agent TRading in EMs). For the last scenario, the results indicate an increase around 6% in the wind energy value to the market, a decrease of 12% in the total reserve used, and a decrease around 16% in the costs from the BM.

This article is categorized under:

Wind Power > Systems and Infrastructure

Wind Power > Economics and Policy

Energy Systems Analysis > Economics and Policy
Are we born equal: a study of intergenerational income mobility in China
Authors: Jin Mengjie , Bai Xuemei , Li Kevin X , Shi Wenming
Published: March 2019

Studies show that the gain from China's remarkable growth of the past 35 years has not been evenly shared, especially through the intergenerational transmission of income. To address this concern, we use data from China Health and Nutrition Survey and find the intergenerational income elasticity to be 0.466 in 2011, which suggests that sons’ incomes are affected by their fathers’ economic statuses to a large extent. A cross-country comparison indicates that the degree of generational income mobility in China is lower than that in many developed nations. Meanwhile, by investigating possible transmission channels, we find that the fathers’ investments in the sons’ education and occupation play substantial roles in intergenerational transmission of income. The results not only demonstrate the trends in intergenerational income mobility in China, but also identify the most likely transmission channels, which is of great importance to improving social equality.
“XI SHUAI” 蟋蟀 (“CRICKET”) AND ITS CONSEQUENCES: ISSUES IN EARLY CHINESE POETRY AND TEXTUAL STUDIES
Authors: Kern Martin
Published: March 2019

The present article explores questions about the composition, performance, circulation, and transmission of early Chinese poetry by examining a small number of poems from the receivedMao shiand their counterparts in recently discovered manuscripts. Starting from a close examination of the poem “Xi shuai” (“Cricket”), the essay briefly discusses the problems we face in dealing with looted manuscripts before advancing toward rethinking the patterns of early Chinese poetic composition and transmission. Instead of taking individual poems as discrete, reified objects in the form we encounter them in theMao shi, it is suggested to read them as particular instantiations of circumscribed repertoires where the individual poetic text is but one of many realizations of a shared body of ideas and expressions. This analysis is informed by the examination of both manuscript texts and the received literature, but also by comparative perspectives gained from both medieval Chinese literature and other ancient and medieval literary traditions. In emphasizing the formation of poetry as a continuous process, it leaves behind notions of “the original text,” authorship, and the moment of “original composition”—notions that held no prominence in the early Chinese literary tradition before the empire.
Attaining the age threshold for adolescent mental health services: factors associated with transition of care in the independent sector in Ireland
Authors: Bond L. , Feeney A. , Collins R. , Khurshid I. , Healy S. , Murtagh A. , Power P.
Published: March 2019

Objectives

The transition from adolescent to adult mental health services (AMHS) is associated with disengagement, poor continuity of care and patient dissatisfaction. The aim of this retrospective and descriptive study was to describe the ‘care pathways’ in an independent mental health service when adolescents reach age 18 and to investigate the level of engagement of those who transitioned to independent AMHS.

Methods

This is a retrospective, naturalistic and descriptive study in design. All patients discharged from the St Patrick’s Adolescent Mental Health Service aged 17 years and 6 months and older, during a 3-year period between January 2014 and December 2016, were included. Electronic records were used to collect socio-demographic and clinical details and to determine engagement rates in adolescents who transferred to independent adult services.

Results

A total of 180 patients aged over 17 years and 6 months were discharged from the adolescent service. Of these, 45.6% were discharged to their GP, 28.9% to public mental health services and 25.6% to independent mental health services. The majority who transitioned to independent AMHS went to a Young Adult Service, which had high engagement rates at 3 and 12 months post-transition.

Conclusions

In this independent mental health service, less than half of adolescents who reach the transition age are referred onto AMHS. Engagement rates were found to be high among those referred on to a specialised young adult service.
Intraspecific variability, biostratigraphy and paleobiological significance of the Southern Gondwana ammonoid genusLytohoplitesSpath
Authors: Vennari Verónica V. , Aguirre-Urreta Beatriz
Published: March 2019

LytohoplitesSpath, 1925 is a late Tithonian–?early Berriasian ammonoid genus with a southern perigondwanean distribution. TwoLytohoplitesspecies,L.burckhardti(Mayer-Eymar in Burckhardt, 1900) (type species) andL.vetustoides(Burckhardt, 1903), were originally described from carbonate successions of the Vaca Muerta Formation, Neuquén Basin, Argentina. Nevertheless, the holotype ofL.burckhardticonsisted of a single incomplete specimen that is currently missing. This situation compelled the search for newLytohoplitesspecimens in Argentina and the selection of a neotype forL.burckardti. NewLytohoplitesrepresentatives were obtained through bed-by-bed collections performed at five localities in the Neuquén Basin. In addition to the taxonomic revision of theLytohoplitesspecies occurring in the basin, a paleobiological approach was preferred to conduct a paleontological analysis ofL.burckhardti, including a description of its ontogeny, probable sexual dimorphism, and spectrum of intraspecific variability. Results of the qualitative and quantitative analyses supported the homogeneity ofL.burckhardtias a taxonomic unit, thus implying thatL.vetustoidesshould be considered its synonym.Lytohoplitesin the Neuquén Basin is restricted to beds assigned to the AndeanSubsteueroceras koeneniAssemblage Zone (upper Tithonian–lower Berriasian), and not to the AndeanCorongoceras alternansAssemblage Zone (upper Tithonian). Furthermore, the paleobiogeographic distribution ofLytohoplitesaround southern Gondwana and the herein reported occurrence ofL.subcylindricusCollignon, 1962, otherwise only known from Madagascar, lend support to the existence of a functional trans-Gondawana seaway at least since the upper Tithonian.
Subsidiary Networks and Foreign Subsidiary Performance: A Coopetition Perspective
Authors: Liu Yang , Jiao Jie , Xia Jun
Published: March 2019

From a coopetition perspective, we differentiate between a multinational enterprise's product-similar subsidiary network and product-different subsidiary network in a host country. We argue that the product-similar network will have a curvilinear (inverted U-shaped) effect on foreign subsidiary performance, whereas the product-different network will produce a monotonic (positive) effect. Moreover, we introduce host-country economic advantage and intangible resource of the subsidiary as moderators into the relationship between subsidiary network and performance. Using longitudinal panel data of foreign subsidiaries, we find evidence that when host-country economic advantage is large, and the level of intangible asset intensity is high, the inverted U-shaped effect of product-similar subsidiary network is less pronounced. Moreover, host-country economic advantage and intangible asset intensity both enhance the positive effect of product-different subsidiary network. However, the moderating effect of intangible asset intensity is opposite to our prediction.
REALITY, ARTIFICE, AND CHANGING LANDSCAPES IN THE HOUSE OF MARCUS LUCRETIUS IN POMPEII
Authors: Trentin Summer
Published: March 2019

In the 1855 edition of his guide to Pompeii, the French artist and archaeologist Ernest Breton begins a chapter on the city's houses and shops with a print showing tourists in a grand Pompeian residence (figure 1). At the rear of an atrium with an enormous impluvium, a man contemplates a raised garden while a well-dressed couple approaches from the right. Behind them, in the roofless remains of the house, the garden's ancient sculptural display remains in situ; animals and deities inhabit a landscape dominated by a shrine-like niche, a pool, and pillars painted with trees. Deep shadows and encroaching vegetation set a romantic, melancholic mood. This is the House of Marcus Lucretius (IX.3.5), excavated less than a decade prior and, at the time, one of the ancient city's most famous sights. As is typical of nineteenth-century illustrations of Pompeii, the size of the house is exaggerated: while the decorative scheme and arrangement of the rooms is accurate, the garden is too highly elevated and too large in proportion to the figures. The atrium's disproportionate impluvium is a complete fabrication, the actual impluvium having been dismantled in antiquity. Despite the artistic licence, Breton and his imagined tourists follow the same path as ancient visitors to the house, drawn toward the garden and its sculptures by the manipulation of space and decoration.
Greek History
Authors: Vlassopoulos Kostas
Published: March 2019

Ancient Sparta has become a major field of study in ancient history over the last four decades. But so far it has largely remained an issue for Sparta specialists, while the rest of Greek historians have rarely put Sparta at the centre of their attention. The two-volume Blackwell Companion to Sparta, edited by Anton Powell, is a major contribution which should give Sparta its rightful place in the study of Greek history. This companion should stand as a model for companion volumes: the twenty-nine contributions manage to combine introducing beginners and non-specialists to the field, providing encyclopaedic coverage of the evidence and the aspects of the subject, and asking new questions and offering new points of view. The volume is divided into an introduction and four further sections: on Spartan origins and archaic Sparta; on political and military history from the Persian Wars to the Roman period; on the politics, economy, society, and culture of classical, Hellenistic, and Roman Sparta; and on the reception of Sparta in the modern West.
General
Authors: Petrovic Ivana , Petrovic Andrej
Published: March 2019

‘Why Classics matters’ is an important question and Neville Morley offers his answer in a slim volume published in Polity's Why It Matters series which is advertised as follows: ‘word-leading thinkers make the case for the importance of their subjects and aim to inspire a new generation of students’. Morley opens the book with a chapter entitled ‘What's Wrong with Classics’ and presents himself in the afterword as ‘a historian who does ancient stuff’, whose ‘ability to appreciate Latin poetry…or spot subtle intertextual references is, to say the least, negligible’ (126). His first chapter provides basic information about the standing and importance of classical languages in the Western curriculum from the Middle Ages to the present day and then focuses on the (much discussed) issue of gender and class: yes, Classics used to be the epitome of the aristocratic male education, not only in Britain (the main focus of Morley's book) but throughout Europe. This fact, and the trite topos of the sadistic at worst, mind-numbingly boring at best, Classics teacher is illustrated with many quotations from literature, from Eliot'sMiddlemarchto Tartt'sThe Secret History. From classical knowledge as cultural capital Morley pivots to Classics as ‘a weapon in the culture wars and the clash of civilizations’ (35) and to far-right internet memes, which leads him to the conclusion that Classics matters today precisely because it is dangerous and deeply problematic. At some point in this chapter he swerves into narrowing down Classics to mean ‘ancient history’ – approximately at the point where he remarks that classicists themselves have actually been ‘at the forefront of questioning traditional understanding of the classical word and how it should be studied’ (36), so his answer as to why Classics does matter mostly pertains to the study of ancient history (and, to a degree, reception):

But we do need people who know classical antiquity, who can compare it with other historical periods and cultural traditions, explore how it has shaped the present (for good and ill), and chart ways in which our societies can draw positive inspiration from it for the future. (40)