bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adaptive predistortion algorithm based on the multilinear multiplier fusion
Authors: Shen Yijun , Zhang Guanhong
Published: May 2018

Aiming at solving the problem of the insufficiency in the predistortion structure and low accuracy of the memory nonlinear power amplifier in the wireless communication system, an adaptive predistortion method for dual loop learning structure based on the fusion of multilinear multiplier model recognition is put forward. On the basis of the real number delay multilinear multiplier model, an improved quantum behaved optimization (QBO) algorithm is adopted in this method to carry out indirect learning structure off‐line training of the multilinear multiplier, so as to determine the model parameters as an initial value of the predistorter. And then, the least square method (LSM) algorithm is used to carry out direct learning structure on‐line micro adjustment of the parameters of the predistorter and to conduct fitting on the nonlinearity and memory effect of the power amplifier. The method has the advantages of simple structure, fast convergence, and high precision, which has avoided the local optimum. The experimental results show that the adjacent channel power in this scheme is improved by approximately 7 dB compared with that of the classical dual loop structure predistortion method, and the linearization performance of the amplifier has been significantly improved, thus its feasibility has been verified.
Weight‐based strategy for an I/O‐intensive application at a cloud data center
Authors: Peng Junjie , Liu Danxu , Wang Yingtao , Zeng Ying , Cheng Feng , Zhang Wenqiang
Published: May 2018

Applications with different characteristics in the cloud may have different resources preferences. However, traditional resource allocation and scheduling strategies rarely take into account the characteristics of applications. Considering that an I/O‐intensive application is a typical type of application and that frequent I/O accesses, especially small files randomly accessing the disk, may lead to an inefficient use of resources and reduce the quality of service (QoS) of applications, a weight allocation strategy is proposed based on the available resources that a physical server can provide as well as the characteristics of the applications. Using the weight obtained, a resource allocation and scheduling strategy is presented based on the specific application characteristics in the data center. Extensive experiments show that the strategy is correct and can guarantee a high concurrency of I/O per second (IOPS) in a cloud data center with high QoS. Additionally, the strategy can efficiently improve the utilization of the disk and resources of the data center without affecting the service quality of applications.
Self‐balancing robot bionic intelligence multi‐dimensional decision‐making evaluation algorithm
Authors: Ding Caichang , Chen Yiqin , Chen Lin , Zhong Baorong
Published: May 2018

The self‐balancing robot multi‐dimensional decision‐making evaluation (SRMDE) algorithm is a new bionic intelligent algorithm, which adopts an overall updating evaluation strategy for the solution. For solving the multi‐dimensional function optimization problem, due to the mutual interference between the various dimensions, the convergence rate and the quality of the solution will be deteriorated by using the overall update evaluation strategy. In order to compensate for this defect, a multi‐dimensional decision‐making algorithm for self‐balancing robot based on bionic intelligence is proposed. In the iterative process of the improved algorithm, updating evaluation strategy by the dimensionality is adopted for the solution. It combines the updated value of each dimension with the value of other dimensions to form a new solution and accept the update value using greedy way this can improve the solution quality. The results show that the improved strategy can effectively improve the convergence rate of the SRMDE algorithm, and the quality of the solution is improved. Compared with the relative improved self‐balancing robot multi‐dimensional decision‐making algorithm and other evolutionary algorithms, the improved algorithm is competitive in solving the continuous function optimization problem.
Improved collusion‐resisting secure nearest neighbor query over encrypted data in cloud
Authors: Zhu Youwen , Zhang Yue , Li Xingxin , Yan Hongyang , Li Jing
Published: May 2018

Securely performing nearest neighbor query over encrypted data in cloud is an important topic in the area of cloud computing, for which Wang et al recently put forward a scheme (ie, CloudBI‐II) to address the challenging security problem: resisting the collusion of cloud server and query users. In this paper, we propose an efficient attack method that indicates CloudBI‐II will reveal the difference vectors under the collusion attack. Furthermore, we show that the difference vector disclosure will result in serious privacy breach and, thus, attain an efficient attack method to break CloudBI‐II. Namely, CloudBI‐II cannot achieve their declared security. Through theoretical analysis and experiment evaluation, we confirm that our proposed attack approach can fast recover the original data from the encrypted data set in CloudBI‐II. Finally, we provide an enhanced scheme that can efficiently resist the collusion attack.
Energy‐based tuning of metaheuristics for molecular docking on multi‐GPUs
Authors: Pérez‐Serrano J. , Imbernón B. , Cecilia J.M. , Ujaldón M.
Published: May 2018

Virtual Screening (VS) methods simulate molecular interactions in silico to look for the best chemical compound that interacts with a given molecular target. VS is becoming increasingly popular to accelerate the drug discovery process and constitute hard optimization problems with a huge computational cost. To deal with these two challenges, we have created METADOCK, an application that (1) enables a wide range of metaheuristics through a parametrized schema and (2) promotes the use of a multi‐GPU environment within a heterogeneous cluster. Metaheuristics provide approximate solutions in a reasonable time frame, but, given the stochastic nature of real‐life procedures, the energy budget goes hand in hand with acceleration to validate the proposed solution. This paper evaluates energy trade‐offs and correlations with performance for a set of metaheuristics derived from METADOCK. We establish a solid inference from minimal power to maximal performance in GPUs, and from there, to optimal energy consumption. This way, ideal heuristics can be chosen according not only to best accuracy and performance but also to energy requirements. Our study starts with a preselection of parameterized metaheuristic functions, building blocks where we will find optimal patterns from power criteria while preserving parallelism through a GPU execution. We then establish a methodology to figure out the best instances of the parameterized kernels based on energy patterns obtained, which are analyzed from different viewpoints, ie, performance, average power, and total energy consumed. We also compare the best workload distributions for optimal performance and power efficiency among Pascal and Maxwell GPUs on popular Titan models. Our experimental results demonstrate that the most power efficient GPU can be overloaded in order to reduce the total amount of energy required by as much as 20%, finding unique scenarios where Maxwell does it better in execution time, but with Pascal always ahead in performance per watt, reaching peaks of up to 40%.
An urban location service for vehicular area networks
Authors: Nebbou Tawfiq , Lehsaini Mohamed , Fouchal Hacène , Ayaida Marwane
Published: May 2018

Position‐based routing, also called geographic routing, is widely recognised as an efficient routing approach for highly dynamic and mobile networks as vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs). In this kind of networks, the high‐speed mobility of vehicles causes rapid changes on the network topology measured with vehicles density, limited‐time communication links, link failures, etc. In the meantime, the need of location service is a key issue; indeed, it will allow finding the position of a target node in order to reach it with a message. Some theoretical studies have proposed location services based on sharing nodes informations in different ways with hierarchy mechanism or with distribution mechanism or with centralization process. This paper proposes a location service deployed on RSUs (Road Side Units) for unicast routing over VANETs in urban environment. The proposed approach is able to measure the connectivity of a route. We propose then a new metric called Link Connectivity (LC) which measures this connectivity. Additionally, we have implemented our proposal using OMNET++ simulator and we have conducted extensive simulations with various scenarios to evaluate its scalability and robustness against frequent topology changes. As a conclusion, the proposed mechanism provides significant performance improvements in terms of packet delivery ratio, end‐to‐end delay, and overhead when it is compared to some other known proposals.
A sparse matrix‐vector multiplication method with low preprocessing cost
Authors: Aktemur Barış
Published: May 2018

Sparse matrix‐vector multiplication (SpMV) is a crucial operation used for solving many engineering and scientific problems. In general, there is no single SpMV method that gives high performance for all sparse matrices. Even though there exist sparse matrix storage formats and SpMV implementations that yield high efficiency for certain matrix structures, using these methods may entail high preprocessing or format conversion costs. In this work, we present a new SpMV implementation, named CSRLenGoto, that can be utilized by preprocessing the Compressed Sparse Row (CSR) format of a matrix. This preprocessing phase is inexpensive enough for the associated cost to be compensated in just a few repetitions of the SpMV operation. CSRLenGoto is based on complete loop unrolling and gives performance improvements in particular for matrices whose mean row length is low. We parallelized our method by integrating it into a state‐of‐the‐art matrix partitioning approach as the kernel operation. We observed up to 2.46× and on the average 1.29× speedup with respect to Intel MKL's SpMV function for matrices with short‐ or medium‐length rows.
A Simple Strategy to Construct Amorphous Metal‐Free Room Temperature Phosphorescent and Multi‐Color Materials
Authors: Chen Peng‐Zhong , Chen Yu‐Zhe , Tung Chen‐Ho , Yang Qing‐Zheng
Published: May 2018

It is urgent to develop a universal strategy for producing small organic molecules exhibiting efficient room temperature phosphorescence (RTP). An important contribution made by Ma and Tian et al. provides a general and applicable strategy to obtain amorphous organic molecules with efficient RTP emission by simply modifying phosphors onto β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD). The nonradiative decay processes and oxygen quenching have been significantly suppressed by the strong intermolecular hydrogen bonding between β‐CD derivatives. Furthermore, the cavity of β‐CDs endows them with the ability to incorporate the adamantane moiety of the fluorescent guest molecules to construct a supramolecular system which exhibits excellent RTP‐fluorescence dual emission properties and multicolor emission by altering the host to guest ratio and the excitation wavelength.
Why is Benzene Unique? Screening Magnetic Properties of C6H6Isomers
Authors: Janda Tomáš , Foroutan‐Nejad Cina
Published: May 2018

Magnetic properties are commonly used to identify new aromatic molecules because it is generally believed that magnetization and energetic stability are correlated. To verify the potential correlation between the energy and magnetic response properties, we examined a set of 198 isomers of C6H6. The energy and magnetic properties of these molecules can be directly compared with no need to invoke any arbitrary reference state because the studied systems are all isomers. Benzene is the global minimum on the potential energy surface of C6H6, 35 kcal mol−1lower in energy than the second most stable isomer, fulvene. Unlike its electronic energy, isotropic magnetizability of benzene is slightly lower than the average magnetizability of its isomers. Altogether,44isomers of C6H6were identified to have more negative magnetic susceptibility than benzene but were between 67.0 to 168.6 kcal mol−1higher in energy than benzene. However, benzene is unique in two ways. Analyzing the paramagnetic contribution to the magnetic susceptibility as originally suggested by Bilde and Hansen (Mol. Phys., 1997,92, 237) revealed that53 molecules have lower paramagnetic susceptibility than benzene but amongmonocyclicsystems benzene has theleast paramagnetic susceptibility. Furthermore, benzene hasthe largest out‐of‐plane magnetic susceptibilitythat originates from thestrongest ring currentamong all studied species.
Brief coping strategy enhancement for distressing voices: Predictors of engagement and outcome in routine clinical practice
Authors: Paulik Georgie , Jones Anna‐Marie , Hayward Mark
Published: May 2018

Cognitive behaviour therapy is recommended internationally as a treatment for psychosis (targeting symptoms such as auditory hallucinations, or “voices”). Yet mental health services are commonly unable to offer such resource‐intensive psychological interventions. Brief, symptom‐specific and less resource‐intensive therapies are being developed as one initiative to increase access. However, as access increases, so might the risk of offering therapy to clients who are not optimally disposed to engage with and benefit from therapy. Thus, it is important to identify who is most/least likely to engage with and benefit from therapy, and when. In the current study, 225 clients were assessed for suitability for a brief, 4‐session, manualized, cognitive behaviour therapy‐based intervention for voices (named coping strategy enhancement therapy) and 144 commenced therapy, at a transdiagnostic voices clinic based in Sussex, UK. This article reports on the value of depression, anxiety, stress, insight into the origin of voices, length of voice hearing, and demographics in the prediction of engagement and outcomes. The study found that higher levels of baseline depression, anxiety, and stress were significantly associated with poorer outcomes, especially if clients also had high levels of voice‐related distress. The engagement analyses showed that levels of voice‐related distress at baseline predicted dropout. These findings highlight the importance of assessing negative affect and voice‐related distress prior to commencing therapy for distressing voices, to help determine if the client is suitable or ready for brief‐coping strategy enhancement.
Metal‐ and Additive‐Free Oxidation of Sulfides into Sulfoxides by Fullerene‐Modified Carbon Nitride with Visible‐Light Illumination
Authors: Chen Xi , Deng Kejian , Zhou Peng , Zhang Zehui
Published: May 2018

Photocatalytic selective oxidation has attracted considerable attention as an environmentally friendly strategy for organic transformations. Some methods have been reported for the photocatalytic oxidation of sulfides into sulfoxides in recent years. However, the practical application of these processes is undermined by several challenges, such as low selectivity, sluggish reaction rates, the requirement of UV‐light irradiation, the use of additives, and the instability of the photocatalyst. Herein, a metal‐free C60/graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C3N4) composite photocatalyst was fabricated by a facile method, and well characterized by TEM, SEM, FTIR spectroscopy, XRD, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The C60/g‐C3N4 catalyst exhibited a high photocatalytic activity at room temperature for the selective oxidation of sulfides into the corresponding sulfoxides in the presence of other functional groups, due to the synergetic roles of C60 and g‐C3N4. Several important parameters have been screened, and this method afforded good to excellent yields of sulfoxides under optimal conditions. The superoxide radical (.O2−) and singlet oxygen (1O2) were identified as the oxidative species for the oxidation of sulfides into sulfoxides by exploring EPR experiments, and hence, a plausible mechanism for this oxidation was proposed. Moreover, the C60/g‐C3N4 catalyst can be easily recovered by filtration and then reused at least four times without loss in activity.
GATE, a game theory approach on traffic volume aware channel width adaptation for WBAN medical applications
Authors: Manirabona Audace , Boudjit Saadi
Published: May 2018

Traditional single channel communication in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) offers limited network throughput due to frequent interferences and congestion caused by concurrent transmissions in the same neighborhood. On the one hand, successful packet delivery requires mostly multiple retransmissions because of frequent collisions which also uses much battery. On the other hand, concurrent transmissions over multiple channels not only offer better network throughput and delays, but also reduce power consumption as packet collisions are minimized or eliminated depending upon the efficiency of the concerned channel assignment scheme. This may ensure QoS requirements of transmissions demanding high bandwidth and those that are delay sensitive such as in the case of wireless body area networks. In this paper, we consider a multiple channel wireless body area networks and propose GATE, a theoretical game approach to adapt the channel bandwidth to the volume traffic requirement. In this way, medical video and audio traffics which are likely to be much bandwidth consumer are mainly considered using their priority classes. The simulation results show good performances of the proposed system in terms of increasing throughput and significantly reducing delay and energy consumption.
Analysis of cis and trans 3‐methylfentanyl by liquid chromatography–high resolution mass spectrometry and findings in forensic toxicology casework
Authors: Fogarty Melissa F. , Papsun Donna M. , Logan Barry K.
Published: May 2018

3‐methylfentanyl (3‐MF), N‐(3‐methyl‐1‐phenethyl‐4‐piperidyl)‐N‐phenyl‐propanamide, has reappeared on the US illicit drug market since its disappearance after a series of overdose deaths in 1988. 3‐MF presents an analytical challenge, due to presence of cis and trans stereoisomers, each with different potencies, and ultimately very low concentrations in the blood after use. A method was developed using liquid chromatography–time‐of‐flight–mass spectrometry for the analysis of (±)‐cis‐3‐MF and (±)‐trans‐3‐MF in blood specimens after solid phase extraction. The linear dynamic range of this method was 0.1–10 ng/mL. Blood samples from 25 postmortem cases and 2 human performance case involving 3‐MF were submitted for quantitative analysis. The mean and median concentration for the (±)‐cis‐3‐MF were 0.84 ng/mL (±0.81) and 0.67 ng/mL, respectively, range 0.14–3.43 ng/mL. The resulting (±)‐trans‐3‐MF mean concentration was 0.46 ng/mL (±0.38) and the median concentration was 0.37 ng/mL with a range of 0.11–1.90 ng/mL. The resulting (±)‐cis‐3‐MF and (±)‐trans‐3‐MF concentrations were summed to give the total amount of 3‐MF present in the case with the resulting average concentration at 1.28 ng/mL (±1.16), median at 1.01 ng/mL and range 0.18–5.18. As the estimated dose of this compound is approximately 0.1 mg–0.5 mg with the resulting concentrations in the sub‐nanogram range, it is necessary for forensic toxicology laboratories to obtain instruments sensitive enough to detect these substances in driving under the influence of drugs and postmortem cases. Quantitation of 3‐MF with separation of (±)‐cis and (±)‐trans‐3‐MF provides additional detail for more specific toxicological interpretation.
Oysters and eelgrass: potential partners in a high pCO2 ocean
Authors: Groner Maya L. , Burge Colleen A. , Cox Ruth , Rivlin Natalie D. , Turner Mo , Van Alstyne Kathryn L. , Wyllie‐Echeverria Sandy , Bucci John , Staudigel Philip , Friedman Carolyn S.
Published: May 2018

Climate change is affecting the health and physiology of marine organisms and altering species interactions. Ocean acidification (OA) threatens calcifying organisms such as the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas. In contrast, seagrasses, such as the eelgrass Zostera marina, can benefit from the increase in available carbon for photosynthesis found at a lower seawater pH. Seagrasses can remove dissolved inorganic carbon from OA environments, creating local daytime pH refugia. Pacific oysters may improve the health of eelgrass by filtering out pathogens such as Labyrinthula zosterae (LZ), which causes eelgrass wasting disease (EWD). We examined how co‐culture of eelgrass ramets and juvenile oysters affected the health and growth of eelgrass and the mass of oysters under different pCO2 exposures. In Phase I, each species was cultured alone or in co‐culture at 12°C across ambient, medium, and high pCO2 conditions, (656, 1,158 and 1,606 μatm pCO2, respectively). Under high pCO2, eelgrass grew faster and had less severe EWD (contracted in the field prior to the experiment). Co‐culture with oysters also reduced the severity of EWD. While the presence of eelgrass decreased daytime pCO2, this reduction was not substantial enough to ameliorate the negative impact of high pCO2 on oyster mass. In Phase II, eelgrass alone or oysters and eelgrass in co‐culture were held at 15°C under ambient and high pCO2 conditions, (488 and 2,013 μatm pCO2, respectively). Half of the replicates were challenged with cultured LZ. Concentrations of defensive compounds in eelgrass (total phenolics and tannins), were altered by LZ exposure and pCO2 treatments. Greater pathogen loads and increased EWD severity were detected in LZ exposed eelgrass ramets; EWD severity was reduced at high relative to low pCO2. Oyster presence did not influence pathogen load or EWD severity; high LZ concentrations in experimental treatments may have masked the effect of this treatment. Collectively, these results indicate that, when exposed to natural concentrations of LZ under high pCO2 conditions, eelgrass can benefit from co‐culture with oysters. Further experimentation is necessary to quantify how oysters may benefit from co‐culture with eelgrass, examine these interactions in the field and quantify context‐dependency.
Aromaticity of [M3(µ‐X)3X6]0/2– (M = Re and Tc, X = Cl, Br, I) Clusters Confirmed by Ring Current Analysis and Induced Magnetic Field
Authors: Rabanal‐León Walter A. , Vásquez‐Espinal Alejandro , Yañez Osvaldo , Pino‐Rios Ricardo , Arratia‐Pérez Ramiro , Alvarez‐Thon Luis , Torres‐Vega Juan J. , Tiznado William
Published: May 2018

We present new evidence that supports the aromatic character of the clusters of formula: [M3(µ‐X)3X6]0/2– (M = Re and Tc, X = Cl, Br, I). Our computations clearly show that these clusters present a special response to an applied external magnetic field, which is characteristic of aromatic systems. Both analyzed response properties, the magnetically induced current density and the induced magnetic field, agree that the magnetic perturbation induces two concentric diatropic ring currents: the inner one inside the M3 core and the outer one around the M3(µ‐X)3 triangle. The flow strength of these two ring currents is significant, confirming the high diatropicity of these clusters. In the dianionic species, aromaticity is increased, mainly by an increment of the diatropicity of the inner ring current. These findings support a chemical bonding pattern with delocalized M–M bonds in these species.
Efficient and Functional‐Group‐Tolerant Synthesis of Substituted Furans through the Pd‐Catalyzed 5‐exo‐dig Cyclization/Coupling of γ‐Acetylenic β‐Keto Esters with (Hetero)Aryl Bromides
Authors: Kołodziejczyk Agata , Chaładaj Wojciech
Published: May 2018

We report an efficient protocol for the synthesis of 2,3,5‐trisubstituted furans through the reaction of readily available γ‐acetylenic β‐keto esters with aryl and heteroaryl bromides. The reaction, which involves a 5‐exo‐dig cyclization, coupling, and isomerization of a double bond, proceeds smoothly with very low catalyst loading (0.1 mol‐%), and shows excellent functional‐group tolerance.
2‐Acetamido‐2‐deoxy‐l‐iminosugar C‐Alkyl and C‐Aryl Glycosides: Synthesis and Glycosidase Inhibition
Authors: Fontelle Nathalie , Yamamoto Arisa , Arda Ana , Jiménez‐Barbero Jesús , Kato Atsushi , Désiré Jérôme , Blériot Yves
Published: May 2018

The synthesis of a series of six‐membered 2‐acetamido l‐iminosugar C‐alkyl and C‐aryl glycosides is reported. A diastereoselective sugar‐ring enlargement/C‐alkylation (or arylation) /ring‐contraction sequence applied to d‐gluco‐ and d‐manno‐configured 2‐acetamido azidolactols provides new l‐iminosugar C‐glycosides. The 1,2‐trans stereocontrolled introduction of the pseudoanomeric substituent in these heterocycles strongly suggests a NHAc neighbouring‐group participation. In their deprotected form, the nine iminosugars exhibit moderate hexosaminidases and β‐glucuronidase inhibition.
Kinetic Resolution of Ansa Cyclophanes by Peptide‐Catalyzed Aldol/Retro‐Aldol Reactions
Authors: Akagawa Kengo , Higuchi Junichi , Yoshikawa Isao , Kudo Kazuaki
Published: May 2018

Kinetic resolution of a planar‐chiral ansa cyclophane, 13‐formyl‐1,11‐dioxa[11]paracyclophane, was conducted by a peptide‐catalyzed aldol reaction. With a resin‐supported tripeptide, d‐Pro‐Tyr‐Phe, the resolution occurred in a moderate selectivity. It was also found that the racemic mixture of the aldol product could be resolved by a peptide‐catalyzed retro‐aldol reaction. By performing a consecutive kinetic resolution via the aldol reaction followed by the retro‐aldol reaction with the enantiopair of the tripeptide, the planar‐chiral aldol adduct was obtained in a good enantiopurity. The resin‐supported peptide catalysts could be easily removed from the reaction mixture and reused. Formyl‐substituted 1,10‐dioxa[10]paracyclophane and 1,10‐dithia[10]paracyclophane were also applicable for the resolution.
Social identification and depression: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Postmes Tom , Wichmann Lenka J. , van Valkengoed Anne M. , van der Hoef Hanneke
Published: May 2018

A meta‐analysis of 76 studies (N = 31,016) examined the relationship between social identification and depression. Overall, individuals who identify highly with a group tend to report less depression (average rz = −.15). However, a large amount of variability between studies was observed. The 95% prediction interval, which indicates the true effect size that can be expected in future research, ranged from rz = −.50 to .19. The relationship between depression and social identification is more complex than previously assumed. Some variability is related to the social identification measure used. Studies that focused on identification with interactive groups (rz = −.28) had larger effect sizes than studies that focused on social categories (rz = −.11). Moreover, studies of non‐stigmatized groups (rz = −.24) had larger effect sizes than studies of stigmatized groups (rz = −.10). In conclusion, the structure and social identity content of groups appear to play an important role in the relationship between depression and social identification.
Open‐tubular capillary electrochromatographic determination of ten sulfonamides in tap water and milk by a metal‐organic framework‐coated capillary column
Authors: Wang Xuan , Ye Nengsheng , Hu Xiaoyu , Liu Qingye , Li Jian , Peng Lin , Ma Xiaotong
Published: May 2018

In this study, a metal‐organic framework (MOF), [Mn(cam)(bpy)], was synthesized and characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. An open‐tubular capillary column was fabricated from [Mn(cam)(bpy)] via the amide coupling method. Ten types of sulfonamides were separated through the fabricated capillary column, which showed a good limits of detection (<0.07 μg/mL) and linear ranges (1–100 or 5–100 μg/mL) with a high correlation coefficients (R2 > 0.9987). The intra‐day, inter‐day and column‐to‐column relative standard deviations (RSDs) in the migration times ranged from 0.44 to 4.87%, and the peak area RSDs ranged from 0.80 to 7.28%. The developed capillary electrochromatography method can be successfully utilized for the determination of sulfonamides in tap water and milk samples.
Silica‐based organic‐inorganic hybrid nanoparticles and nanoconjugates for improved anticancer drug delivery
Authors: Ilhan‐Ayisigi Esra , Yesil‐Celiktas Ozlem
Published: May 2018

After the introduction of first generation MSNs for drug delivery with some challenges such as large particle sizes, irregular morphologies and aggregations, second generation provided uniform spherical morphologies, tunable pore/particle sizes and compositions. Henceforth, organic‐inorganic hybrid mesoporous silica nanosystems have grown rapidly and utilized for active and passive targeting of tumorigenic cells especially conjugated with organic polymers followed by third generation counterparts with improved functionalities for cancer therapy. The aim of this review article is to focus on the advancements in mesoporous silica based organic‐inorganic hybrid nanoparticles developed as drug carriers targeting cancer cells. Brief introduction to the state‐of‐the‐art in passive and active targeting methods is presented. Specifically, therapeutic, diagnostic and theranostic applications are discussed with emphases on triggered and ligand conjugated organic‐inorganic hybrid mesoporous silica nanomaterials. Although mesoporous silica nanoparticles perform well in preclinical tests, clinical translation progresses slowly as appropriate doses needs to be evaluated for human use along with biocompatibility and efficiency depending on surface modifications.
Shake‐table test performance of an inertial force‐limiting floor anchorage system
Authors: Zhang Zhi , Fleischman Robert B. , Restrepo Jose I. , Guerrini Gabriele , Nema Arpit , Zhang Dichuan , Shakya Ulina , Tsampras Georgios , Sause Richard
Published: May 2018

A new floor connecting system developed for low‐damage seismic‐resistant building structures is described herein. The system, termed Inertial Force‐Limiting Floor Anchorage System (IFAS), is intended to limit the lateral forces in buildings during an earthquake. This objective is accomplished by providing limited‐strength deformable connections between the floor system and the primary elements of the lateral force‐resisting system. The connections transform the seismic demands from inertial forces into relative displacements between the floors and lateral force‐resisting system. This paper presents the IFAS performance in a shake‐table testing program that provides a direct comparison with an equivalent conventional rigidly anchored‐floor structure. The test structure is a half‐scale, 4‐story reinforced concrete flat‐plate shear wall structure. Precast hybrid rocking walls and special precast columns were used for test repeatability in a 22‐input strong ground‐motion sequence. The structure was purposely designed with an eccentric wall layout to examine the performance of the system in coupled translational‐torsional response. The test results indicated a seismic demand reduction in the lateral force‐resisting system of the IFAS structure relative to the conventional structure, including reduced shear wall base rotation, shear wall and column inter‐story drift, and, in some cases, floor accelerations. These results indicate the potential for the IFAS to minimize damage to the primary structural and non‐structural components during earthquakes.
Demographic, psychiatric, and personality correlates of adults seeking treatment for disordered gambling with a comorbid binge/purge type eating disorder
Authors: Kim Hyoun S. , von Ranson Kristin M. , Hodgins David C. , McGrath Daniel S. , Tavares Hermano
Published: May 2018

Preliminary evidence suggests that binge/purge type eating disorders and gambling disorder may commonly co‐occur. However, this dual‐diagnosis population remains understudied. The present research examined the prevalence rates and correlates of binge/purge type eating disorders (i.e., bulimia nervosa, binge‐eating disorder, and anorexia nervosa binge/purge type) among adults seeking treatment for their gambling (N = 349). In total, 11.5% of the sample (n = 40) met criteria for a binge/purge type eating disorder, most commonly bulimia nervosa (n = 33). There was a higher preponderance of binge/purge type eating disorders in women. People with a comorbid binge/purge type eating disorder reported more days gambling, gambling‐related cognitive distortions, impulsivity, suicidality, and other current psychiatric comorbidities including addictive behaviours. These findings suggest that binge/purge type eating disorders in people seeking treatment for gambling may be more common than previously believed. Furthermore, the increased psychopathology among people with binge/purge type eating disorder and gambling disorder identify vulnerabilities of this dual‐diagnosed population that may require clinical attention.
Variations in near‐surface debris temperature through the summer monsoon on Khumbu Glacier, Nepal Himalaya
Authors: Gibson Morgan J. , Irvine‐Fynn Tristram D.L. , Wagnon Patrick , Rowan Ann V. , Quincey Duncan J. , Homer Rachel , Glasser Neil F.
Published: May 2018

Debris surface temperature is a function of debris characteristics and energy fluxes at the debris surface. However, spatial and temporal variability in debris surface temperature, and the debris properties that control it, are poorly constrained. Here, near‐surface debris temperature (Ts) is reported for 16 sites across the lower elevations of Khumbu Glacier, Nepal Himalaya, for the 2014 monsoon season. The debris layer at all sites was ≥1 m thick. We confirm the occurrence of temporal and spatial variability in Ts over a 67‐day period and investigate its controls. Ts was found to exhibit marked temporal fluctuations on diurnal, short‐term (1–8 days) and seasonal timescales. Over the study period, two distinct diurnal patterns in Ts were identified that varied in timing, daily amplitude and maximum temperature; days in the latter half of the study period (after Day of Year 176) exhibited a lower diurnal amplitude (mean = 23°C) and reduced maximum temperatures. Days with lower amplitude and minimum Ts were concurrent with periods of increased seasonal variability in on‐glacier air temperature and incoming shortwave radiation, with the increased frequency of these periods attributed to increasing cloud cover as the monsoon progressed. Spatial variability in Ts was manifested in variability of diurnal amplitude and maximum Ts of 7°C to 47°C between sites. Local slope, debris clast size and lithology were identified as the most important drivers of spatial variability in Ts, with inclusion of these three variables in the stepwise general linear models resulting in R2 ≥0.89 for six out of the seven sites. The complexity of surface energy fluxes and their influence on Ts highlight that assuming a simplified relationship between air temperature and debris surface temperature in glacier melt models, and a direct relationship between debris surface temperature and debris thickness for calculating supraglacial debris thickness, should be undertaken with caution. © 2018 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
A clarification and extension of our model of regolith formation on hillslopes
Authors: Lebedeva M.I. , Brantley S.L.
Published: May 2018

In this paper we clarify that our weathering model from 2013 did not explicitly describe weathering of soil moving downhill along hillslopes. In addition, we re‐analyze the role of the term that we neglected that describes loss of regolith mass through mineral dissolution. We derive an equation for this term by including lateral flow of water inside the model hill. For the revised hill model, we define a dimensionless parameter that allows estimation of the effect of lateral flow on the steady‐state hillslope. This parameter is equal to the ratio of averaged advective flux of dissolved species out of the hill to the rate of total denudation. The parameter also yields a criterion for the existence of a steady‐state regolith thickness for systems experiencing unidirectional advection at a constant velocity: for a ridge, the rate of downward flow of water (qy) must be less than the rate of upward movement of rock (E) after normalization by a small parameter, α. This parameter is equal to the equilibrium aqueous concentration divided by the concentration of the reacting mineral in the rock. Alternatively, a steady‐state may exist for the case of both vertical and lateral flow in a hill for any value of erosion rate if the Darcy velocities decrease with depth. Subsurface flow systems play an essential role in the existence of both steady‐state hillslopes and steady‐state regolith thicknesses. Published 2018. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Storage and weathering of landslide debris in the eastern San Gabriel Mountains, California, USA: Implications for mountain solute flux
Authors: Del Vecchio Joanmarie , Lang Karl A. , Robins Colin R. , McGuire Chris P. , Rhodes Edward J.
Published: May 2018

The weathering of silicate minerals in mountain landscapes provides a critical source of chemical solutes in the global biogeochemical cycles that sustain life on Earth. Observations from across Earth's surface indicate that the greatest flux of chemical solute is derived from rapidly eroding landscapes, where landsliding often limits the development of a continuous soil cover. In this study, we evaluate how weathering of landslide debris deposits may supplement the chemical solute flux from rapidly eroding, bedrock‐dominated landscapes. We present new measurements of depositional surface and soil morphology, soil geochemistry, and luminescence‐based depositional ages from debris stored in Cow Canyon, a tributary to the East Fork of the San Gabriel River in the eastern San Gabriel Mountains of California. Cow Canyon deposits include locally derived debris emplaced by dry colluvial and debris flow processes. Deposits have planar, low‐angle, sloping surfaces with soils exhibiting a greater degree of weathering than nearby soils formed on bedrock. A ~33–40 ka depositional age of Cow Canyon deposits exceeds the estimated recurrence time for the largest landslides in the San Gabriel Mountains, suggesting the stored landslide debris may be a persistent source of chemical solute in this landscape. To quantitatively explore the significance of landslide debris on the landscape solute flux, we predict the flux of chemical solute from bedrock and debris soils using a generic, time‐dependent model of soil mineral weathering. Our modeling illustrates that debris soils may be a primary source of chemical solute for a narrow range of conditions delimited by the initial landslide debris porosity and the comparative soil age. Broadly, we conclude that while landslide debris may be an important local reservoir of chemical solute, it is unlikely to dominate the long‐term solute flux from rapidly eroding, bedrock‐dominated landscapes. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Genetic load determines atrophy in hand cortico‐striatal pathways in presymptomatic Huntington's disease
Authors: Hong Yi , O'Donnell Lauren J. , Savadjiev Peter , Zhang Fan , Wassermann Demian , Pasternak Ofer , Johnson Hans , Paulsen Jane , Vonsattel Jean‐Paul , Makris Nikos , Westin Carl F. , Rathi Yogesh
Published: May 2018

Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder that causes progressive breakdown of striatal neurons. Standard white matter integrity measures like fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity derived from diffusion tensor imaging were analyzed in prodromal‐HD subjects; however, they studied either a whole brain or specific subcortical white matter structures with connections to cortical motor areas. In this work, we propose a novel analysis of a longitudinal cohort of 243 prodromal‐HD individuals and 88 healthy controls who underwent two or more diffusion MRI scans as part of the PREDICT‐HD study. We separately trace specific white matter fiber tracts connecting the striatum (caudate and putamen) with four cortical regions corresponding to the hand, face, trunk, and leg motor areas. A multi‐tensor tractography algorithm with an isotropic volume fraction compartment allows estimating diffusion of fast‐moving extra‐cellular water in regions containing crossing fibers and provides quantification of a microstructural property related to tissue atrophy. The tissue atrophy rate is separately analyzed in eight cortico‐striatal pathways as a function of CAG‐repeats (genetic load) by statistically regressing out age effect from our cohort. The results demonstrate a statistically significant increase in isotropic volume fraction (atrophy) bilaterally in hand fiber connections to the putamen with increasing CAG‐repeats, which connects the genetic abnormality (CAG‐repeats) to an imaging‐based microstructural marker of tissue integrity in specific white matter pathways in HD. Isotropic volume fraction measures in eight cortico‐striatal pathways are also correlated significantly with total motor scores and diagnostic confidence levels, providing evidence of their relevance to HD clinical presentation.
Reactions of 2‐Pyridyl Substituted Phosphine Oxides and Phosphonium Salts with Organometallic Reagents and in Aqueous Media
Authors: Uchida Yuzuru , Onoue Katsumi , Tada Nobuaki , Nagao Fumio , Kozawa Hideaki , Oae Shigeru
Published: May 2018

Phosphine oxides bearing two or three 2‐pyridyl groups react with organometallic reagents affording 2,2′‐bipyridyl, 2‐substituted pyridines and pyridine in good yields. Phosphonium salts and phosphine oxides, bearing at least two 2‐pyridyl or substituted 2‐pyridyl groups also give the corresponding 2,2′‐bipyridyls and pyridines upon treatment with acid or neutral solvents such as water and alcohols in substantial yields. The 2,2′‐bipyridyls are considered to be formed by ligand coupling within the pentacoordinated phosphorus intermediate formed incipiently during the reaction.
A 19F NMR Study of the Transmissive Ability of Boron‐Containing Bridged Systems with Three‐ and Four‐Coordinated Boron Atoms
Authors: Pombrik Sofya I. , Peregudov Alexander S. , Kravtsov Dmitrii N.
Published: May 2018

Two series of model compounds, Ar2BOC6H4F‐4 and Ar2B(Py)OC6H4F‐4, containing three‐and four‐coordinated boron atoms, have been synthesized. It was established by 19F NMR technique that both systems possess a similar transmissive ability that is in intermolecular coordination with pyridine does not influence the transmissive properties of the boron‐oxygen binuclear bridging group. The solvent polarity does not influence the electron transmission in the boron complexes studied.
TLR5 rs5744174 gene polymorphism is associated with the virus etiology of infant bronchiolitis but not with post‐bronchiolitis asthma
Authors: Törmänen Sari , Teräsjärvi Johanna , Lauhkonen Eero , Helminen Merja , Koponen Petri , Korppi Matti , Nuolivirta Kirsi , He Qiushui
Published: May 2018

Background and aim

Bronchiolitis is a leading cause of hospitalization in infants and is associated with a risk of subsequent asthma. The innate immunity genes, such as those encoding toll‐like receptors (TLRs), are likely to play a role in bronchiolitis and post‐bronchiolitis outcome. Thus far, only one study has considered TLR5 genes in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of TLR5 gene polymorphism with virus etiology and severity of bronchiolitis, and with post‐bronchiolitis asthma.

Methods

We recruited 164 infants (age < 6 months) hospitalized for bronchiolitis in this study and determined TLR5 rs5744174 (C > T) single nucleotide polymorphism, virus etiology and severity markers of bronchiolitis, and presence of post‐bronchiolitis asthma until age 11 to 13 years.

Results

RSV was detected in 113 (68.9%), rhinovirus in 19 (11.6%), and some other virus in 20 (12.2%) cases. Non‐RSV etiology was more common among infants with the variant CT or TT genotype in the TLR5 rs5744174 gene than in those with the CC genotype (89.7% vs 71.7%, P = 0.03). TLR5 rs5744174 polymorphism was not associated with the need of supplementary oxygen or feeding support, with the length of hospital stay, or with post‐bronchiolitis asthma at any age.

Conclusion

The TLR5 rs5744174 variant genotype may increase the susceptibility to bronchiolitis not caused by RSV.
Accuracy of 12‐hour urine collection in the diagnosis of pre‐eclampsia
Authors: Silva Rita M. , Pereira Sara R. , Rego Susana , Clode Nuno
Published: May 2018

Objective

To evaluate the accuracy of a 12‐hour urine collection to diagnose pre‐eclampsia and to determine whether time of collection influences the performance of this test.

Methods

A prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary obstetric center in Portugal between November 1, 2015, and November 30, 2016. Pregnant women (≥20 weeks) admitted for observation with suspected pre‐eclampsia were eligible for inclusion. Two consecutive 12‐hour urine samples were collected (07:00–19:00 hours vs 19:00–07:00 hours). Protein levels were measured in each 12‐hour sample, as well as in a pooled sample (07:00–07:00 hours). The diagnostic cut‐off values for pre‐eclampsia were 150 mg (12‐hour samples) and 300 mg (24‐hour sample).

Results

The study included 99 patients and diagnoses of pre‐eclampsia were confirmed among 42 (42%) patients. In all, 456 12‐hour urine samples were analyzed (equivalent to 228 24‐hour samples). Qualitative analysis (pre‐eclampsia vs no pre‐eclampsia) indicated substantial agreement between the 12‐ and 24‐hour samples (Cohen κ 0.779). The sensitivity was 85.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 81%–90%) and the specificity was 91.7% (95% CI 88%–95%). No statistically significant difference was found between the two 12‐hour collections.

Conclusion

The 12‐hour test showed acceptable accuracy for detecting pre‐eclampsia, regardless of the time of collection.
Core shell‐structured NiFe2O4@TiO2 nanoparticle‐anchored reduced graphene oxide for rapid degradation of rhodamine B
Authors: Wang Yuhang , Yan Hongxia , Zhang Qiuyu
Published: May 2018

In this work, the NiFe2O4@TiO2/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) ternary nanocomposites with high saturation magnetization and catalytic efficiency have been synthesized through the following steps. First, graphene oxide was prepared using the modified Hummer's method. Second, the NiFe2O4 nanoparticles were successfully prepared using the hydrothermal method. Third, the core shell‐structured NiFe2O4@TiO2/RGO nanocomposite precursors were easily obtained through hydrolysis reaction. The morphology of NiFe2O4@TiO2/RGO nanocomposites was characterized from scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) images. Moreover, the results of X‐ray diffraction (XRD) patterns proved that the TiO2 coating shell consisted of anatase. The vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) measurements showed that the saturation magnetization value of NiFe2O4@TiO2/RGO ternary nanocomposites was 25 emu/g. The X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed that only part of the graphite oxide (GO) was reduced to RGO in the ternary nanocomposite. The degradation experiments proved that NiFe2O4@TiO2/RGO nanocomposite exhibited the high catalytic efficiency and outstanding recyclable performance for rhodamine B (RhB).
TiO2‐SiO2 nanocomposite‐promoted efficient cyclocondensation reaction of arylmethylidenepyruvic acids with dimedone in aqueous media
Authors: Sadegh‐Samiei Sepehr , Abdolmohammadi Shahrzad
Published: May 2018

This work focuses on the successful synthesis of 4‐aryl‐7,7‐dimethyl‐5‐oxo‐1,4,5,6,7,8‐hexahydro‐2‐quinolinecarboxylic acids through a condensation reaction of arylmethylidenepyruvic acids with ammonium acetate and dimedone using a catalytic amount of TiO2–SiO2 nanocomposite (15 mol%) at room temperature in aqueous media. The principal advantage of this procedure is the relatively high yields (94–98%) with short reaction times (2 hr), under mild reaction conditions and with low environmental impact.