bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Palmitic Acid-BSA enhances Amyloid-β production through GPR40-mediated dual pathways in neuronal cells: Involvement of the Akt/mTOR/HIF-1α and Akt/NF-κB pathways
Authors: Kim Jeong Yeon , Lee Hyun Jik , Lee Sei-Jung , Jung Young Hyun , Yoo Dae Young , Hwang In Koo , Seong Je Kyung , Ryu Jung Min , Han Ho Jae
Published: June 2017

The pathophysiological actions of fatty acids (FAs) on Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which are possibly mediated by genomic effects, are widely known; however, their non-genomic actions remain elusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the non-genomic mechanism of extra-cellular palmitic acid (PA) regulating beta-amyloid peptide (Aβ) production, which may provide a link between obesity and the occurrence of AD. In an obese mouse model, a high-fat diet (HFD) significantly increased the expression levels of APP and BACE1 as well as the AD pathology in the mouse brain. We further found that PA conjugated with bovine serum albumin (PA-BSA) increased the expression of APP and BACE1 and the production of Aβ through the G protein-coupled receptor 40 (GPR40) in SK-N-MC cells. PA-BSA coupling with GPR40 significantly induced Akt activation which is required for mTOR/p70S6K1-mediated HIF-1α expression and NF-κB phosphorylation facilitating the transcriptional activity of the APP and BACE1 genes. In addition, silencing of APP and BACE1 expression significantly decreased the production of Aβ in SK-N-MC cells treated with PA-BSA. In conclusion, these results show that extra-cellular PA coupled with GPR40 induces the expression of APP and BACE1 to facilitate Aβ production via the Akt-mTOR-HIF-1α and Akt-NF-κB pathways in SK-N-MC cells.
Maternal smoking and autism spectrum disorder: meta-analysis with population smoking metrics as moderators
Authors: Jung Yonwoo , Lee Angela M. , McKee Sherry A. , Picciotto Marina R.
Published: June 2017

While exposure to nicotine during developmental periods can significantly affect brain development, studies examining the association between maternal smoking and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring have produced conflicting findings, and prior meta-analyses have found no significant association. Our meta-analysis used a novel approach of investigating population-level smoking metrics as moderators. The main meta-analysis, with 22 observational studies comprising 795,632 cases and 1,829,256 control participants, used a random-effects model to find no significant association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and ASD in offspring (pooled odds ratio (OR) = 1.16, 95% CI: 0.97–1.40). However, meta-regression analyses with moderators were significant when we matched pooled ORs with adult male smoking prevalence (z = 2.55, p = 0.01) in each country, using World Health Organization data. Our study shows that using population-level smoking metrics uncovers significant relationships between maternal smoking and ASD risk. Correlational analyses show that male smoking prevalence approximates secondhand smoke exposure. While we cannot exclude the possibility that our findings reflect the role of paternal or postnatal nicotine exposure, as opposed to maternal or in utero nicotine exposure, this study underlines the importance of investigating paternal and secondhand smoking in addition to maternal smoking in ASD.
PARP-1 overexpression contributes to Cadmium-induced death in rat proximal tubular cells via parthanatos and the MAPK signalling pathway
Authors: Luo Tongwang , Yuan Yan , Yu Qi , Liu Gang , Long Mengfei , Zhang Kanglei , Bian Jianchun , Gu Jianhong , Zou Hui , Wang Yi , Zhu Jiaqiao , Liu Xuezhong , Liu Zongping
Published: June 2017

Parthanatos is a newly discovered form of PARP-1-dependent programmed cell death. It has been reported to play an important role in several cancer or tumour cells; however, few studies have been performed in normal cells. Cadmium is a highly toxic pollutant and is reported to induce autophagy and apoptosis in multiple cell types. Although cadmium toxicity induces cell death, the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. Therefore, in this study we aimed to investigate the mechanism of Cadmium -induced cell damage using rat proximal tubular cell line NRK-52E and primary rat proximal tubular (rPT) cells. Our results indicated that parthanatos and the MAPK signalling pathway contribute to Cadmium-induced cell death, and that oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage play key roles in this process. In addition, parthanatos with oxidative stress has a synergistic effect on apoptosis, and JNK1/2 and p38 contribute to parthanatos.
Sex Hormones, Gonadotropins, and Sex Hormone-binding Globulin in Infants Fed Breast Milk, Cow Milk Formula, or Soy Formula
Authors: Fang Xin , Wang Lei , Wu Chunhua , Shi Huijing , Zhou Zhijun , Montgomery Scott , Cao Yang
Published: June 2017

Measurement of endogenous hormones in early life is important to investigate the effects of hormonally active environmental compounds. To assess the possible hormonal effects of different feeding regimens in different sample matrices of infants, 166 infants were enrolled from two U.S hospitals between 2006 and 2009. The children were classified into exclusive soy formula, cow milk formula or breast milk regimens. Urine, saliva and blood samples were collected over the first 12 months of life. Estradiol, estrone, testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels were measured in the three matrices. Lower estradiol and LH levels were found in urine and saliva samples of soy formula-fed boys compared to cow formula-fed boys. Higher LH level was found in urine samples of soy formula-fed girls compared to cow formula-fed girls. However, we found neither a neonatal testosterone rise in the boys nor a gender-specific difference in testosterone levels, which suggests that urinary testosterone levels may not accurately reflect blood levels during mini-puberty. Nevertheless, our study shows that blood, urine and saliva samples are readily collectible and suitable for multi-hormone analyses in children and allow examination of hypotheses concerning endocrine effects from dietary compounds.
A thermophilic cell-free cascade enzymatic reaction for acetoin synthesis from pyruvate
Authors: Jia Xiaojing , Liu Ying , Han Yejun
Published: June 2017

Acetoin (3-hydroxy-2-butanone) is an important bio-based platform chemical with wide applications. In vitro enzyme catalysed synthesis exhibits great feasibility in the production of chemicals with high purity. In the present work, a synthetic pathway involving a two-step continuous reaction was constructed in vitro for acetoin production from pyruvate at improved temperature. Thermostable candidates, acetolactate synthase (coAHASL1 and coAHASL2 from Caldicellulosiruptor owensensis OL) and α-acetolactate decarboxylase (bsALDC from Bacillus subtilis IPE5-4) were cloned, heterologously expressed, and characterized. All the enzymes showed maximum activities at 65–70 °C and pH of 6.5. Enzyme kinetics analysis showed that coAHASL1 had a higher activity but lower affinity against pyruvate than that of coAHASL2. In addition, the activities of coAHASL1 and bsALDC were promoted by Mn2+ and NADPH. The cascade enzymatic reaction was optimized by using coAHASL1 and bsALDC based on their kinetic properties. Under optimal conditions, a maximum concentration of 3.36 ± 0.26 mM acetoin was produced from 10 mM pyruvate after reaction for 24 h at 65 °C. The productivity of acetoin was 0.14 mM h−1, and the yield was 67.80% compared with the theoretical value. The results confirmed the feasibility of synthesis of acetoin from pyruvate with a cell-free enzyme catalysed system at improved temperature.
Hybrid Resonators and Highly Tunable Terahertz Metamaterials Enabled by Vanadium Dioxide (VO2)
Authors: Wang Shengxiang , Kang Lei , Werner Douglas H.
Published: June 2017

Hybrid metamaterials that exhibit reconfigurable responses under external stimulus, such as electric fields and light radiation, have only recently been demonstrated by combining active media with patterned metallic structures. Nevertheless, hybrid terahertz (THz) metamaterials whose spectral performance can be dynamically tuned over a large scale remain rare. Compared with most active media (for instance, silicon) that provide limited activity, vanadium dioxide (VO2), which exhibits an insulator-to-metal transition, has been recently explored to facilitate dynamically tunable metamaterials. More importantly, the phase transition yields a three orders of magnitude increase in THz electrical conductivity, which suggests the potential for creating VO2 based hybrid resonators that operate at THz frequencies. Here, we show that an integration of VO2 structures and conventional metallic resonating components can enable a class of highly tunable THz metamaterials. Considering the widely studied phase-transition dynamics in VO2, the proposed hybrid metamaterials are capable of offering ultrafast modulation of THz radiation.
Combined influence of poor health behaviours on the prevalence and 15-year incidence of age-related macular degeneration
Authors: Gopinath Bamini , Liew Gerald , Flood Victoria M. , Joachim Nichole , Burlutsky George , Mitchell Paul
Published: June 2017

We aimed to establish the collective influence of four lifestyle practices (physical activity, diet, smoking and alcohol consumption) on the prevalence and incidence of AMD. At baseline, 2428 participants aged 49+ with complete lifestyle and AMD data were examined, and of these, 1903 participants were re-examined 15 years later. AMD was assessed from retinal photographs. A health behaviour score was calculated, allocating 1 point for each poor behaviour: current smoking; fruits and vegetables consumed <4 serves daily; <3 episodes of physical activity per week; and >2 alcoholic drinks per day. Cross-sectional analysis showed that participants who engaged in all 4 poor health behaviours (n = 29) versus those who did not engage in unhealthy behaviours (reference group; n = 677) had greater odds of any and late AMD: multivariable-adjusted OR, 5.14 (95% CI, 1.04–25.45) and OR 29.53 (95% CI 2.72–321.16), respectively. A marginally non-significant association was observed between increasing number of poor health behaviours and 15-year incidence of early AMD (multivariable-adjusted P-trend = 0.08). Our data suggests that motivating patients with AMD to eat better, exercise more, limit alcohol intake and avoid smoking seems advisable to decelerate the development or worsening of existing AMD.
Using biomaterials to rewire the process of wound repair
Authors: Stejskalová Anna , Almquist Benjamin D.
Published: June 2017

This review discusses recent advances in using biomaterials to actively modulate various stages of wound healing from haemostasis through resolution.
Synthesis and characterization of catalytically active thiazolium gold(i)-carbenes
Authors: Dince Clément C. , Meoded Roy A. , Hilvert Donald
Published: June 2017

Thiazolium gold(i)-carbenes have been found to catalyze 5-endo-dig carbocyclization of an acetylenic dicarbonyl compound in organic solvents and hydroalkoxylation of an allene in aqueous buffer.
Homogeneous and heterogeneous catalytic (dehydrogenative) oxidation of oleochemical 1,2-diols to α-hydroxyketones
Authors: Vu Nam Duc , Guicheret Boris , Duguet Nicolas , Métay Estelle , Lemaire Marc
Published: June 2017

The preparation of alpha-hydroxyketones derived from fatty acid derivatives has been reported under homogeneous and heterogeneous conditions.
Computational design of amyloid self-assembling peptides bearing aromatic residues and the cell adhesive motif Arg-Gly-Asp
Authors: Jonnalagadda Sai Vamshi R. , Ornithopoulou Eirini , Orr Asuka A. , Mossou Estelle , Trevor Forsyth V. , Mitchell Edward P. , Bowler Matthew W. , Mitraki Anna , Tamamis Phanourios
Published: June 2017

FESEM picture of the amyloid fibrils formed by the computationally designed self-assembling peptide RGDSGAITIGY.
A statistical analytical model for hydrophilic electropore characterization: a comparison study
Authors: Marracino P. , Liberti M. , Vernier P. T. , Apollonio F.
Published: June 2017

A new procedure for lipid pore characterization, which extracts the pore geometry from a statistical analysis of the tridimensional surface of the pore, is compared with other methods in the literature.
Role of compensating Li/Fe incorporation in Cu0.945Fe0.055−xLixO: structural, vibrational and magnetic properties
Authors: Nasir Mohd. , Patra N. , Ahmed Md. A. , Shukla D. K. , Kumar Sunil , Bhattacharya D. , Prajapat C. L. , Phase D. M. , Jha S. N. , Biring Sajal , Sen Somaditya
Published: June 2017

Monoclinic single phase Cu0.945Fe0.055−xLixO, with Cu2+ properly substituted by Fe3+ and Li1+, shows enhanced magnetic moment with stronger FM coupling due to Li1+ doping.
RuO2-coated vertical graphene hybrid electrodes for high-performance solid-state supercapacitors
Authors: Han Zhao Jun , Pineda Shafique , Murdock Adrian T. , Seo Dong Han , Ostrikov Kostya (Ken) , Bendavid Avi
Published: June 2017

Solid-state supercapacitors can be fabricated by uniformly coating RuO2onto vertical graphene (VG) using a simple, scalable, low-cost and solution-free method. The binder-free RuO2/VG hybrid electrodes possess a high areal capacitance, low electrical resistance, good frequency response, and excellent stability, shedding light on the commercialisation of Ru-based energy storage devices.
Hierarchical NiCo2O4nanosheets on carbon nanofiber films for high energy density and long-life Li–O2batteries
Authors: Liu Guoxue , Zhang Lei , Wang Suqing , Ding Liang-Xin , Wang Haihui
Published: June 2017

An efficiently catalytic, lightweight, and binder-free cathode with hierarchical NiCo2O4nanosheets grown on carbon nanofibers is rationally designed and synthesized.
Effects of bone substitute architecture and surface properties on cell response, angiogenesis, and structure of new bone
Authors: Bobbert F. S. L. , Zadpoor A. A.
Published: June 2017

This paper presents an overview of the effect of porous biomaterial architecture on seeding efficiency, cell response, angiogenesis, and bone formation.
Synthesis and characterization of carbazolo[2,1-a]carbazole in thin film and single crystal field-effect transistors
Authors: Más-Montoya Miriam , Cerón-Carrasco José Pedro , Hamao Shino , Eguchi Ritsuko , Kubozono Yoshihiro , Tárraga Alberto , Curiel David
Published: June 2017

Carbazole-based azaphenacene with high performance in organic field-effect transistors.
Hybrid DC converter with low switching loss and less ripple current
Authors: Lin B.R.
Published: June 2017

A hybrid DC/DC converter is studied for direct current microgrid applications to have benefits of low switching losses with wide range of operation load, less winding turns of transformer secondary side, low ripple current on output side and high circuit efficiency. The studied converter includes a phase‐shift pulse‐width modulation full‐bridge circuit and a half‐bridge circuit to reduce the switching losses at lagging‐leg switches. In the secondary side of the studied converter, two inductors, four diodes and two transformers are adopted to perform partial ripple current reduction and minimise the winding turns. The studied converters are verified with a 1200 W prototype by the experimental results.
Low‐cost support for search and rescue operations using off‐the‐shelf sensor technologies
Authors: Nurmi P. , Tarkoma S.
Published: June 2017

Effectiveness of early response is critical to the successful outcome of search‐and‐rescue operations with the likelihood of survival witnessing a steep decline after 72 h. Due to the unpredictable and sudden nature of incidents official response is often slow, resulting in people lacking formal training being responsible for early response. To facilitate these people, low‐cost technological solutions for assisting in search‐and‐rescue missions are introduced. A framework is introduced and three prototypes build around the framework and the suitability of different sensing technologies for assisting search‐and‐rescue missions is discussed.
Arumberiamorph structure in modern microbial mats: implications for Ediacaran palaeobiology
Authors: Kolesnikov Anton V. , Danelian Taniel , Gommeaux Maxime , Maslov Andrey V. , Grazhdankin Dmitriy V.
Published: June 2017

In the course of studying modern halotolerant microbial mats in salterns near the village of Kervalet, western France, we observed fanning-out and curved series of macroscopic ridges on the surface of a newly formed biofilm. The structure resembles the late Ediacaran fossil Arumberia which is globally distributed in Australia, Avalonia, Baltica, Siberia and India, always confined to intertidal and delta-plain settings subject to periodic desiccation or fluctuating salinity. Although the origin of the structure observed in modern microbial mats remains enigmatic, wrinkled and rugose variants of microbial biofilms in general exhibit increased levels of resistance to several environmental stresses. By analogy, the fossil Arumberia could be interpreted as a microbial mat morphotype (the “Arumberia” morph) developed in response to environmental perturbations in terminal Ediacaran shallow marine basins. If environmental conditions are likely to be responsible for the formation of Arumberia, it is not that a specific biological community has survived since the Ediacaran – it is that the biological response of microbial communities that manifested itself quite commonly in certain terminal Ediacaran and early Cambrian environments can still be found (seemingly in much more restricted settings) today.
Late Jurassic – Early Cretaceous continental extension in northeast Asia – Relationships to plate kinematics
Authors: Daoudene Yannick , Gapais Denis , Cogné Jean-Pascal , Ruffet Gilles
Published: June 2017

Northeast Asia is the greatest area in the world where continental extension is documented, from Transbaikalia to the Pacific coast. The major extensional events occurred during Late Jurassic - Early Cretaceous times and are marked by rift basins filled with continental sediments and volcanic rocks, metamorphic core complexes, and extensive magmatism. Here, we review the different types of extensional structures in the region using our own examples from eastern Mongolia, including new data from the Gobi area, and those previously documented in the adjacent regions. We further provide a compilation of available ages, including new data from Transbaikalia, to constrain crustal stretching throughout northeastern Asia. Our analysis shows that extension is not correlated to orogenic collapse, but is coeval with two major changes in plate kinematics that occurred at ca. 140 Ma: the closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean and a major change in the subduction direction of the Izanagi oceanic plate towards northeast Asia, from high-angle to low-angle convergence. These major changes in plate kinematics combined with an abnormally hot pre-extension state of the continental lithosphere might have triggered spreading in northeast Asia.
Ventral C1 Fracture Combined with Congenital Posterior Cleft: What to Do?
Authors: Dammann Philipp , Schoemberg Tobias , Ahmadipour Yahya , Payer Michael , Sure Ulrich , Tessitore Enrico , Özkan Neriman , Gembruch Oliver
Published: June 2017

Background and Objective We present a treatment approach for a rare condition of patients with a ventral C1 fracture and a congenital cleft in the posterior arch (half-ring Jefferson fracture) with an intact transverse atlantal ligament. Our technique aims to achieve stability of the atlanto-occipital and atlantoaxial joints while preserving mobility of the upper cervical spine.

Patients and Methods Two male patients, 43 years and 29 years of age, respectively, were admitted to our hospital due to a fracture of the ventral arch of the atlas with no damage of the transverse atlantal ligament. Both men also presented a congenital cleft of the posterior arch. Initial conservative management with a halo-thoracic vest was performed in one case and failed. As a result, surgical treatment was performed in both cases using bilateral C1 mass screws and a transverse connector.

Results The patients showed no neurologic deficits on follow-up examination 4 weeks after surgery with a full range of head and neck motion. Computed tomography (CT) showed no dislocation of the implanted material with good dorsal alignment and a stable ventral fracture distance. Follow-up CT showed osseous stability in both cases with the beginning of bony ossification of the bone graft.

Conclusion Isolated instable fractures of the ventral arch of the atlas with a congenital cleft of the posterior arch with no damage of the transverse atlantal ligament can be stabilized using bilateral C1 mass screws and a transverse connector preserving upper cervical spine mobility.
Prophylaxe und Therapie der Glukokortikoid-induzierten Osteoporose
Authors: Oelzner Peter , Wolf Gunter
Published: June 2017

Die Glukokortikoid-induzierte Osteoporose (GK-OP) ist eine der häufigsten Formen der Osteoporose. Epidemiologischen Untersuchungen zufolge nehmen 0,5–0,9% der Bevölkerung Glukokortikoide (GK) ein, bei den über 50-jährigen liegt diese Zahl bei ca. 3%. Das Frakturrisiko ist unter chronischer GK-Therapie auf das Doppelte erhöht und liegt auf Grund der bevorzugten Wirkung von GK auf den trabekulären Knochen für Wirbelkörperfrakturen noch höher. Pathogenetisch liegt der GK-OP eine Verminderung von Knochenmasse und – qualität zugrunde, welche aus suppressiven Effekten von GK auf die Zahl und Funktion von Osteoblasten und Osteocyten und einer Steigerung der Knochenresorption resultiert. Systemische Effekte welche zu Sarkopenie mit erhöhtem Sturzrisiko, hormonellen Veränderungen und negativer Kalziumbilanz führen, können die ungünstigen Wirkungen von GK auf den Knochen weiter amplifizieren. Eine Osteoporose-Basisdiagnostik inklusive Osteodensitometrie sollte immer dann erfolgen, wenn mit einer GK-Therapie von mindestens 2,5 mg/d Prednisolonäquivalent über mehr als 3 Monate zu rechnen ist. Das Frakturrisiko ist bereits nach 3 Monaten GK-Therapie erhöht. Daher ist eine frühzeitige Intervention zur Hemmung des GK-induzierten Knochenmasseverlustes angezeigt. Die Leitlinien des Dachverbandes osteologischer Gesellschaften (DVO) liefern die Grundlage für eine am kalkulierten Frakturrisiko orientierte Prophylaxe und Therapie der GK-OP. Zu den allgemeinen Maßnahmen zählen Sturzprävention und Verbesserung von Muskelmasse und Koordination ebenso wie eine ausreichende Versorgung mit Kalzium und Vitamin D. Die Indikationsstellung für eine über diese Maßnahmen hinausgehende spezifische medikamentöse Therapie basiert auf dem individuellen Frakturrisiko, welches entscheidend durch GK-Dosis und Dauer der Therapie, Alter, Geschlecht und weitere Risikofaktoren einschließlich der mit GK behandelten Grunderkrankung bestimmt wird. Für die Umsetzung der Empfehlungen ist insbesondere im prophylaktischen Ansatz eine Kalkulation der geplanten GK-Dauer und Dosis essentiell. In diesem Zusammenhang bieten die Leitlinien zur Therapie der verschiedenen entzündlich rheumatischen Erkrankungen eine wichtige Orientierungshilfe. Bei GK-Dosen von≥7,5 PubMed mg/d Prednisolonäquivalent über mehr als 3 Monate ist eine spezifische medikamentöse Therapie bei einem T-Score von<− 1,5 bzw. beim Vorliegen einer niedrig-traumatischen Wirbelkörperfraktur oder multipler peripherer Frakturen indiziert. GK-Dosen zwischen 2,5 und 7,5 mg/d bedingen eine Absenkung der durch Alter, Geschlecht und weitere Risikofaktoren bestimmten Therapieschwelle. Eine Prävention des GK-induzierten Knochenmasseverlustes und von vertebralen Frakturen wurde sowohl für Bisphosphonate als auch für Teriparatid nachgewiesen.Bisphosphonate eignen sich insbesondere zur Prävention, Teriparatid zur Behandlung der schweren Osteoporose mit prävalenten Frakturen. Entscheidend ist eine noch konsequentere Umsetzung der Empfehlungen zur Prophylaxe und Therapie der GK-OP.
Non-isothermal buoyancy-driven exchange flows in inclined pipes
Authors: Eslami B. , Shariatnia S. , Ghasemi H. , Alba K.
Published: June 2017

We study non-isothermal buoyancy-driven exchange flow of two miscible Newtonian fluids in an inclined pipe experimentally. The heavy cold fluid is released into the light hot one in an adiabatic small-aspect-ratio pipe under the Boussinesq limit (small Atwood number). At a fixed temperature, the two fluids involved have the same viscosity. Excellent qualitative and quantitative agreement is first found against rather recent studies in literature on isothermal flows where the driving force of the flow comes from salinity as opposed to temperature difference. The degree of flow instability and mixing enhances as the pipe is progressively inclined towards vertical. Similar to the isothermal limit, maximal rate of the fluids interpenetration in the non-isothermal case occurs at an intermediate angle, β. The interpenetration rate increases with the temperature difference. The degree of fluids mixing and diffusivity is found to increase in the non-isothermal case compared to the isothermal one. There has also been observed a novel asymmetric behavior in the flow, never reported before in the isothermal limit. The cold finger appears to advance faster than the hot one. Backed by meticulously designed supplementary experiments, this asymmetric behavior is hypothetically associated with the wall contact and the formation of a warm less-viscous film of the fluid lubricating the cold more-viscous finger along the pipe. On the other side of the pipe, a cool more-viscous film forms decelerating the hot less-viscous finger. Double diffusive effects associated with the diffusion of heat and mass (salinity) are further investigated. In this case and for the same range of inclination angles and density differences, the level of flow asymmetry is found to decrease. The asymmetric behaviour of the flow is quantified over the full range of experiments. Similar to the study of Salort et al. [“Turbulent velocity profiles in a tilted heat pipe,” Phys. Fluids 25(10), 105110-1–105110-16 (2013)] for tilted heat pipes, a small Richardson number of Ri≈0.05 is found, above which flow laminarization occurs. In terms of the dimensionless numbers of the problem, it is found that the interpenetrative speeds of the heavy and light fluid layers in non-isothermal and double-diffusive cases increase with the dimensionless temperature difference, rT, Atwood number, At, Grashof number, Gr, Reynolds number, Re, Nahme number, Na, and Péclet number, Pe but decreases with Prandtl number, Pr, and Brinkman number, Br.
Magnitude of pseudopotential localization errors in fixed node diffusion quantum Monte Carlo
Authors: Krogel Jaron T. , Kent P. R. C.
Published: June 2017

Growth in computational resources has lead to the application of real space diffusion quantum Monte Carlo to increasingly heavy elements. Although generally assumed to be small, we find that when using standard techniques, the pseudopotential localization error can be large, on the order of an electron volt for an isolated cerium atom. We formally show that the localization error can be reduced to zero with improvements to the Jastrow factor alone, and we define a metric of Jastrow sensitivity that may be useful in the design of pseudopotentials. We employ an extrapolation scheme to extract the bare fixed node energy and estimate the localization error in both the locality approximation and the T-moves schemes for the Ce atom in charge states 3+ and 4+. The locality approximation exhibits the lowest Jastrow sensitivity and generally smaller localization errors than T-moves although the locality approximation energy approaches the localization free limit from above/below for the 3+/4+ charge state. We find that energy minimized Jastrow factors including three-body electron-electron-ion terms are the most effective at reducing the localization error for both the locality approximation and T-moves for the case of the Ce atom. Less complex or variance minimized Jastrows are generally less effective. Our results suggest that further improvements to Jastrow factors and trial wavefunction forms may be needed to reduce localization errors to chemical accuracy when medium core pseudopotentials are applied to heavy elements such as Ce.
Time-dependent N-electron valence perturbation theory with matrix product state reference wavefunctions for large active spaces and basis sets: Applications to the chromium dimer and all-trans polyenes
Authors: Sokolov Alexander Yu. , Guo Sheng , Ronca Enrico , Chan Garnet Kin-Lic
Published: June 2017

In earlier work [A. Y. Sokolov and G. K.-L. Chan, J. Chem. Phys. 144, 064102 (2016)], we introduced a time-dependent formulation of the second-order N-electron valence perturbation theory (t-NEVPT2) which (i) had a lower computational scaling than the usual internally contracted perturbation formulation and (ii) yielded the fully uncontracted NEVPT2 energy. Here, we present a combination of t-NEVPT2 with a matrix product state (MPS) reference wavefunction (t-MPS-NEVPT2) that allows us to compute uncontracted dynamic correlation energies for large active spaces and basis sets, using the time-dependent density matrix renormalization group algorithm. In addition, we report a low-scaling MPS-based implementation of strongly contracted NEVPT2 (sc-MPS-NEVPT2) that avoids computation of the four-particle reduced density matrix. We use these new methods to compute the dissociation energy of the chromium dimer and to study the low-lying excited states in all-trans polyenes (C4H6 to C24H26), incorporating dynamic correlation for reference wavefunctions with up to 24 active electrons and orbitals.
Formation of epitaxial Ti-Si-C Ohmic contact on 4H-SiC C face using pulsed-laser annealing
Authors: De Silva Milantha , Kawasaki Teruhisa , Miyazaki Takamichi , Koganezawa Tomoyuki , Yasuno Satoshi , Kuroki Shin-Ichiro
Published: June 2017

Epitaxial Ti-Si-C Ohmic contacts on the 4H-SiC C-face for SiC power devices by pulsed-laser annealing were demonstrated. Titanium (Ti) is one of the carbon-interstitial type metals. In a conventional nickel silicide (NiSi) electrode on SiC, carbon agglomeration at the silicide/SiC interface occurs, and the contact resistance between NiSi and SiC substrates becomes larger. For the carbon agglomeration suppression, a nanosecond non-equilibrium laser annealing was performed, and also Ti was deposited for the formation of both silicide and carbide. As a result, the lowest specific contact resistance of 4.0 × 10−4 Ω cm2 was obtained for an Al/Ti-Si-C/SiC structure at a laser power of 2.5 J/cm2. The Ti-Si-C Ohmic electrode showed TiC and Ti5Si3 crystal phases, and these crystals were epitaxially grown on 4H-SiC at the interface.
Permanent water swelling effect in low temperature thermally reduced graphene oxide
Authors: Papamatthaiou S. , Argyropoulos D.-P. , Masurkar A. , Cavallari M. R. , Farmakis F. , Kymissis I. , Georgoulas N.
Published: June 2017

We demonstrate permanent water trapping in reduced graphene oxide after high relative humidity exposure. For this purpose, we grew graphene oxide films via spin-coating on glass substrates followed by thermal reduction. The electrical resistance of the planar device was then measured. We observed that resistance is significantly increased after water vapor exposure and remains stable even after 250 days in ambient conditions. Various techniques were applied to desorb the water and decrease (recover) the material's resistance, but it was achieved only with low temperature thermal annealing (180 °C) under forming gas (H2/N2 mixture). The permanent effect of water absorption was also detected by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.
The fabrication and characterization of flexible single-crystalline silicon and germanium p-intrinsic-n photodetectors on plastic substrates
Authors: Dang Mengjiao , Yuan Hao-Chih , Ma Zhenqiang , Ma Jianguo , Qin Guoxuan
Published: June 2017

The flexible photodetector is the essential device for many of the optoelectronic applications and its performance can be influenced by a number of factors, including semiconductor materials, illumination conditions, device structures, etc. Therefore, in order to better design and use the flexible photodetectors, it is necessary to understand how these factors affect their performance. In this study, we fabricated flexible lateral p-intrinsic-n photodetectors formed with single-crystalline silicon and germanium nanomembranes on polyethylene terephthalate substrates. The performance of the flexible photodetectors with various dimensions is presented under different illumination conditions. The influences of different semiconductor materials, illumination conditions (wavelength and power of the incident light), and dimensions of the intrinsic region (length and width) on the photocurrent and efficiency are investigated, and the underlying mechanisms are studied based on experimental, simulation, and theoretical analysis. The results provide guidelines for the design and fabrication of flexible single-crystalline semiconductor photodetectors on the plastic substrates.
Forming-free high-endurance Al/ZnO/Al memristor fabricated by dual ion beam sputtering
Authors: Kumar Amitesh , Das Mangal , Garg Vivek , Sengar Brajendra S. , Htay Myo Than , Kumar Shailendra , Kranti Abhinav , Mukherjee Shaibal
Published: June 2017

We report dual ion beam sputtering fabrication of an Al/ZnO/Al memristor displaying forming-free bipolar resistive switching characteristics with memristive behavior without necessitating any post-processing steps. A nearly amorphous ZnO thin film and an appropriate concentration of oxygen vacancies play a significant role in imparting forming-free, stable, and reliable behavior to memory cells. Besides, sufficient non-lattice oxygen ions in the film play a crucial role in the resistive switching process. The AlOx interface layer is observed to strongly affect the switching mechanism in the memory device by altering the barrier at the Al/ZnO interface. The device shows stable switching behavior for >250 cycles with good retention and stable set/reset voltages.
Dielectric and energy storage performances of polyimide/BaTiO3 nanocomposites at elevated temperatures
Authors: Sun Weidong , Lu Xiaoju , Jiang Jianyong , Zhang Xin , Hu Penghao , Li Ming , Lin Yuanhua , Nan Ce-Wen , Shen Yang
Published: June 2017

Polyimide (PI) films with extremely high breakdown strength (451 kV/mm), energy density (5.2 J/cm3), and discharge efficiency (86.7%) at the room temperature are fabricated by simple solution casting method. Barium titanate (BaTiO3) nanoparticles are introduced into PI matrix, giving rise to enhanced dielectric permittivity (6.8) and low dielectric loss (0.012). Dielectric and energy storage performances of the BTO/PI nanocomposites are thoroughly investigated up to 200 °C. The breakdown strengths of both pure PI and BTO/PI nanocomposites decrease dramatically with the increase in the temperature, owing to the low thermal conductivity of PI and the consequent thermal runaway caused by the accumulation of Joule heat under high electric field. Despite of the enhanced electric displacement, BTO/PI nanocomposites exhibit low discharge energy density due to the substantially compromised breakdown strength induced by the BTO nanoparticles.
Gonorrhoea testing and positivity in non-remote Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services
Authors: Harrod Mary Ellen , Couzos Sophia , Ward James , Saunders Mark , Donovan Basil , Hammond Belinda , Delaney-Thiele Dea , Belfrage Mary , Williams Sid , Smith Lucy Watchirs , Kaldor John M.
Published: June 2017

Background
Gonorrhoea occurs at high levels in young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in remote communities, but there are limited data on urban and regional settings. An analysis was undertaken of gonorrhoea testing and positivity at four non-remote Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services participating in a collaborative research network. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of clinical encounter data derived from electronic medical records at participating services. Data were extracted using the GRHANITE program for all patients aged 15–54 years from 2009 to 2013. Demographic characteristics and testing and positivity for gonorrhoea were calculated for each year. Results: A total of 2971 patients (2571 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander) were tested for gonorrhoea during the study period. Among Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander patients, 40 (1.6%) tested positive. Gonorrhoea positivity was associated with clinic location (higher in the regional clinic) and having had a positive chlamydia test. By year, the proportion of patients aged 15–29 years tested for gonorrhoea increased in both men (7.4% in 2009 to 15.9% in 2013) and women (14.8% in 2009 to 25.3% in 2013). Concurrent testing for chlamydia was performed on 86.3% of testing occasions, increasing from 75% in 2009 to 92% in 2013. Factors related to concurrent testing were sex and year of test. Conclusions: The prevalence of gonorrhoea among young Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in non-remote settings suggests that the current approach of duplex testing for chlamydia and gonorrhoea simultaneously is justified, particularly for women.
Association between sexually transmissible infection testing, numbers of partners and talking to partners and friends about sexual health: survey of young adults
Authors: Hendry Natalie A. , Brown Graham , Dowsett Gary W. , Carman Marina
Published: June 2017

Background
Young adults, aged 18–30 years, comprise the largest proportion of sexually transmissible infection (STI) notifications in Australia compared with other age groups. Understanding the influence of partner and friendship networks on their STI testing practices may enhance health promotion efforts to increase testing for this group. Method: Participants aged 21–30 years, living in Australia for ≥3 years, were recruited within nightlife precincts in Melbourne, Australia. They completed a survey on demographic items, sexual health attitudes, sexual health knowledge and STI testing experiences and perceptions. Responses to items related to talking to partners and friends about STI testing were allocated partner and friend communication scores. Analyses included χ2 tests of independence and independent sample t-tests. Results: Overall, 36.5% (61/167) of participants had tested for STIs in the previous 12 months. Of those who had tested for STIs, most had significantly higher numbers of sexual partners in the same period (P < 0.05), and were significantly more likely to have felt at risk of STI acquisition (P < 0.05). Significantly greater mean partner and friend communication scores were associated with higher numbers of sexual partners, feeling at risk of STIs, and testing for STIs in the previous 12 months (all P < 0.05). There were no significant differences when participants were stratified by gender or age. Conclusion: Talking to partners and friends about STI testing is associated with testing rates for young adults. Feeling at risk and increased numbers of sexual partners may be associated with the promotion of STI testing among friends and partners.
Heretics, Infidels, and Iconoclasts
Authors: Locke Joseph
Published: June 2017

This chapter recreates the freewheeling religious world of the late nineteenth century by exploring the institutional weaknesses, theological wrangling, and lack of numerical strength that plagued evangelical denominations in Texas in the years after Reconstruction. Spiritualists and other heterodox faiths attracted numerous followers, denominations such as the Southern Baptists lacked robust organizational authority, and theological controversies embroiled churches across the state. Rather than building up united denominations, religious leaders such as Benajah Harvey Carroll busied themselves expelling heretics and suppressing spiritual dissent. And while freethinkers such as William Cowper Brann and James Dickson Shaw established themselves as a presence in the state, evangelical churches still struggled to fill pews.
Marking Morality
Authors: Locke Joseph
Published: June 2017

In their pursuit of prohibition and moral politics, religious activists both harnessed and subverted two dominant regional discourses—those surrounding race and gender—to clothe themselves in the garb of righteousness. Prohibition did not merely reflect or reproduce regional norms, but neither did it occur in isolation from them. The creation of the clerics’ moral community depended on an ever-changing amalgamation of race, gender, class, religion, and politics. For instance, although white prohibitionists made explicit appeals to a “better sort” of black southerners, they simultaneously used African American opposition to moral reform as evidence for the need of laws disfranchising black voters. Likewise, male religious leaders loudly proclaimed themselves honorable defenders of female virtue, and while they welcomed female foot soldiers, their notion of male guardianship prevented them from accepting female activists as equal participants in the prohibition crusade.
Unto the Breach
Authors: Locke Joseph
Published: June 2017

An aggressive clerical mood penetrated the deepest ranks of religious leadership and convinced evangelical Texans to overcome their doubts and refuse to yield any longer to the culture of anticlericalism. All over the state—and the region—activists undertook the prohibition crusade. Moral reforms attracted massive numbers, mobilized communities, created new organizations and institutions, and ultimately transformed the very nature of religion in Texas. Politics and Christianity became increasingly intertwined, grafted together so seamlessly that the two seemed indistinguishable. Religious leaders preached the prohibition gospel and, fighting county by county in local option elections, dried up great swaths of the state.
Anything That Ought to Be Done
Authors: Locke Joseph
Published: June 2017

Fleeting political defeats could not blunt the rising power of Texas’s evangelical activists, and clerics’ cloistered denominational worlds sustained their efforts through all of the bitter political battles over prohibition and other moral reforms during the early twentieth century. Shielded from the stormy winds of politics and the public’s anticlericalism, the clerical culture nourished new generations with the gospel of politics and southern religious leaders pushed triumphantly into public life behind the issue of prohibition. Aggressive religious leaders such as J. Frank Norris and Robert Shuler outmaneuvered hostile politicians, including Governor James Ferguson, and elevated Morris Sheppard, the “father of national prohibition” and a firm champion of Christian nationalism, to the U.S. Senate. By the time the United States entered World War I, clerics were well-positioned to implement the Eighteenth Amendment, allowing for the national prohibition of alcohol.
Genre
Authors: Rascaroli Laura
Published: June 2017

The taxonomic difficulties generated by the essay film are rooted in its in-between positioning vis-à-vis genres, which facilitates the subversion of their conventions and the uncovering of their ideological underpinnings. The chapter works through these ideas by engaging with a particular type of essayistic ethnofiction, as represented by Luis Buñuel’s Las Hurdes (Land without Bread, 1933), Werner Herzog’s Fata Morgana (1971), and Ben Rivers’s Slow Action (2011). Located somewhere between documentary and fiction, surrealism and ethnography, science fiction and anthropology, these texts create generic interstices from within which the project of ethnography is satirized and deconstructed—and discourses of otherness, nature, culture, power, imperialism, ecology, and sustainability are both foregrounded and called into question.
Temporality
Authors: Rascaroli Laura
Published: June 2017

Opening with a discussion of the diptych form in film, seen as a dialogic structure activated in a spatiotemporal in-betweenness, this chapter focuses on films constructed around an interstice between incommensurable temporalities. In particular, it looks at filmic practices that spatialize time and at films that articulate the road as a palimpsest through which a diachronic way of thinking develops. The first case study is a diptych by Cynthia Beatt, Cycling the Frame (1988) and The Invisible Frame (2009), which follow the actor Tilda Swinton while she cycles the route along the Berlin Wall, before and after its fall, respectively. The second example, Davide Ferrario’s La strada di Levi (Primo Levi’s Journey, 2007), retraces the route traveled by the writer Primo Levi on his return to Italy after his release from Auschwitz. The temporal gaps carved and exploited by these films are at once material, historical, and ideological.
Spiritual Recognition of Empire
Authors: Azaransky Sarah
Published: June 2017

This chapter examines how international travel influenced a network of black Christian activists and intellectuals who developed theological and political responses to Jim Crow in the mid-1930s. Chief among them was Howard Thurman, who led a delegation of black Christians on a five-month speaking tour of India. The chapter explores how India challenged Thurman to articulate a black Christian theological perspective in light of colonialism and segregation in the United States. The chapter also investigates the importance of the YWCA for black women developing international solidarities with peoples of color. It considers lesser known thinkers who were theologically and politically astute, like Celestine Smith, Juliette Derricotte, and Sue Bailey Thurman.
It’s Not Rational
Authors: Mirowski Philip , Nik-Khah Edward
Published: June 2017

Given our plan to discuss epistemology in all its various guises in the modern history of orthodox economics, we begin this book by squarely confronting the treatment of Truth in economic theory. We suggest that broader cultural attitudes toward Truth and its accessibility are situated in a context larger than economics, using detective stories as our example. From there, we proceed to discuss some attempts to shoehorn the “history of rationality” into the history of economics.
The Standard Narrative and the Bigger Picture
Authors: Mirowski Philip , Nik-Khah Edward
Published: June 2017

Many believe there has been an “information revolution” in economics, but almost no one has taken the effort to explain its timing and content. Information was added as an American Economic Association subject category in 1976; it is therefore almost exclusively a postwar phenomenon. This chapter explores the conventional narratives that are often broached in orthodox economics concerning the rise of information in economics, and discovers that generalist intellectual historians have not much improved upon these urban legends. Epistemic asymmetry between economist and agent is often elided. By contrast, we stress questions touching on the epistemology and ontology of information.
Natural Science Inspirations
Authors: Mirowski Philip , Nik-Khah Edward
Published: June 2017

The main impetus to the formalization of information came from the natural sciences, with the premier example being Shannon information theory. We briefly describe it, and link it to the sciences of war. Fritz Machlup became one of the earliest skeptics of the spread of information concepts throughout the social sciences.
Hayek Changes His Mind
Authors: Mirowski Philip , Nik-Khah Edward
Published: June 2017

One of the greatest errors in the history of economics is to presume Hayek had a single stance toward the epistemology of the market and of agents. We report on recent research that argues for three different positions over the course of his life: Knowledge dispersed, tacit, and impersonal. This trajectory will prove significant for the rest of our narrative.