bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan
Authors: Watanabe Manabu
Published: May 2020

Since its initial outbreak in China, in December, 2019, COVID-19 has spread rapidly across the globe. At the time of writing, on April 29, 2020, infections had been confirmed in more than 200 countries and regions and 3,018,681 infections and 207,973 deaths had been recorded. In Japan, the first confirmed case of SARS-CoV-2 infection was reported on January 16, 2020, since when, the number of domestic infections and the death toll have reached 13,852 and 389, respectively, representing exponential increases. Moreover, both domestically and internationally, the shortage of medical resources and the spread of infection among medical personnel, caused by nosocomial transmissions have become problematic. The pathology of COVID-19, including the exact infection route, remains largely unknown. Given the unavailability of an effective cure and vaccine, people are required to respond to this adversity without becoming complacent. The global efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic are ongoing endeavors, far from over. New epidemiological data and clinical findings are emerging on a daily basis, making it critical to always refer to the latest information.
Robust and precise identification of the hygro-expansion of single fibers: a full-field fiber topography correlation approach
Authors: Vonk N. H. , Verschuur N. A. M. , Peerlings R. H. J. , Geers M. G. D. , Hoefnagels J. P. M.
Published: May 2020

Over the past decades, natural fibers have become an important constituent in multiple engineering- and biomaterials. Their high specific strength, biodegradability, low-cost production, recycle-ability, vast availability and easy processing make them interesting for many applications. However, fiber swelling due to moisture uptake poses a key challenge, as it significantly affects the geometric stability and mechanical properties. To characterize the hygro-mechanical behavior of fibers in detail, a novel micromechanical characterization method is proposed which allows continuous full-field fiber surface displacement measurements during wetting and drying. A single fiber is tested under an optical height microscope inside a climate chamber wherein the relative humidity is changed to capture the fiber swelling behavior. These fiber topographies are, subsequently, analyzed with an advanced Global Digital Height Correlation methodology dedicated to extract the full three-dimensional fiber surface displacement field. The proposed method is validated on four different fibers: flat viscose, trilobal viscose, 3D-printed hydrogel and eucalyptus, each having different challenges regarding their geometrical and hygroscopic properties. It is demonstrated that the proposed method is highly robust in capturing the full-field fiber kinematics. A precision analysis shows that, for eucalyptus, at 90% relative humidity, an absolute surface strain precision in the longitudinal and transverse directions of, respectively, 1.2 × 10-4and 7 × 10-4is achieved, which is significantly better than existing techniques in the literature. The maximum absolute precision in both directions for the other three tested fibers is even better, demonstrating that this method is versatile for precise measurements of the hygro-expansion of a wide range of fibers.

Graphic abstract
Nonsingularity and Stationarity Results for Quasi-Variational Inequalities
Authors: Dreves Axel , Sagratella Simone
Published: May 2020

The optimality system of a quasi-variational inequality can be reformulated as a non-smooth equation or a constrained equation with a smooth function. Both reformulations can be exploited by algorithms, and their convergence to solutions usually relies on the nonsingularity of the Jacobian, or the fact that the merit function has no nonoptimal stationary points. We prove new sufficient conditions for the absence of nonoptimal constrained or unconstrained stationary points that are weaker than some known ones. All these conditions exploit some properties of a certain matrix, but do not require the nonsingularity of the Jacobian. Further, we present new necessary and sufficient conditions for the nonsingularity of the Jacobian that are based on the signs of certain determinants. Additionally, we consider generalized Nash equilibrium problems that are a special class of quasi-variational inequalities. Exploiting their structure, we also prove some new sufficient conditions for stationarity and nonsingularity results.
Career destinations of graduates from a medical school with an 18-week longitudinal integrated clerkship in general practice: a survey of alumni 6 to 8 years after graduation
Authors: Glynn Liam G. , Regan Andrew O. , Casey Monica , Hayes Peter , O’Callaghan Michael , O’Dwyer Patrick , Culhane Aidan , Cuddihy John , Connell Billy O. , Stack Gary , O’Flynn Gerry , O’Donnell Patrick , O’Connor Raymond , McKeague Helena , Grath Deirdre Mc
Published: May 2020

Background

There is a worldwide recruitment and retention crisis in general practice. Workforce planning has identified the need to train more general practitioners as an urgent priority. Exposure of medical students to general practice as part of the formal and hidden curriculum, the use of longitudinal integrated clerkships, and positive experiences and role models in general practice are all thought to be contributing factors to doctors choosing careers in general practice.

Aim

The aim of this study was to identify career destinations of medical school graduates in a medical school with an 18-week longitudinal integrated clerkship in general practice.

Design and setting

This study was conducted in a single graduate entry medical school at the University of Limerick, Ireland.

Participants

Medical school alumni 6–8 years after graduation.

Method

A survey of graduating cohorts of the medical school from 2011 to 2013 was conducted through email and telephone.

Results

There were a total of 175 alumni for the period 2011 to 2013. Data was collected on 92% (161/175) through an online survey, follow-up email and telephone interview, and was triangulated with searches of professional registration databases and information from key informants. Between 6 and 8 years after graduation, a total of 43% of alumni were engaged in general practice as a career.

Conclusion

The reform of the delivery of general practice within medical school curricula should be considered by medical schools, curriculum designers and policy-makers as part of an overall strategy to address the recruitment and retention of general practitioners as part of the global healthcare workforce.
Spatial reasoning skills about 2D representations of 3D geometrical shapes in grades 4 to 9
Authors: Fujita Taro , Kondo Yutaka , Kumakura Hiroyuki , Kunimune Susumu , Jones Keith
Published: May 2020

Given the important role played by students’ spatial reasoning skills, in this paper we analyse how students use these skills to solve problems involving 2D representations of 3D geometrical shapes. Using data from in total 1357 grades 4 to 9 students, we examine how they visualise shapes in the given diagrams and make use of properties of shapes to reason. We found that using either spatial visualisation or property-based spatial analytic reasoning is not enough for the problems that required more than one step of reasoning, but also that these two skills have to be harmonised by domain-specific knowledge in order to overcome the perceptual appearance (or “look”) of the given diagram. We argue that more opportunities might be given to both primary and secondary school students in which they can exercise not only their spatial reasoning skills but also consolidate and use their existing domain-specific knowledge of geometry for productive reasoning in geometry.
An investigation of the ultrasonic joining process parameters effect on the mechanical properties of metal-composite hybrid joints
Authors: Feistauer E. E. , dos Santos J. F. , Amancio-Filho S. T.
Published: May 2020

The ultrasonic joining process was recently introduced as an alternative concept to join through-the-thickness reinforced metal-composite hybrid structures. In this work, the investigation of joining process parameters effect on the joint mechanical performance of Ti-6Al-4V-glass-fiber-reinforced polyetherimide overlap joints was carried out by Box-Behnken design of experiments. The individual and combined effects of joining energy, sonotrode oscillation amplitude, and joining pressure on the ultimate lap shear force were elucidated by response surfaces method and analysis of variance. As a result of this study, a set of optimized joining parameters were obtained to produce joints with high ultimate lap shear force. The obtained reliable reduced model (R2 = 82%) displays a major influence of joining energy (25.3%) and sonotrode oscillation amplitude (21.2%) on the joint mechanical performance. Two-way interaction response surfaces were used to support strategies to optimize the maximum ultimate lap shear force. By comparing the optimized joint condition produced in this work with previously published results an improvement of 79% in ultimate lap shear force was attained, thereby, proving the potential of the proposed process optimization procedure.
Event abstraction in process mining: literature review and taxonomy
Authors: van Zelst Sebastiaan J. , Mannhardt Felix , de Leoni Massimiliano , Koschmider Agnes
Published: May 2020

The execution of processes in companies generates traces of event data, stored in the underlying information system(s), capturing the actual execution of the process. Analyzing event data, i.e., the focus of process mining, yields a detailed understanding of the process, e.g., we are able to discover the control flow of the process and detect compliance and performance issues. Most process mining techniques assume that the event data are of the same and/or appropriate level of granularity. However, in practice, the data are extracted from different systems, e.g., systems for customer relationship management, Enterprise Resource Planning, etc., record the events at different granularity levels. Hence, pre-processing techniques that allow us to abstract event data into the right level of granularity are vital for the successful application of process mining. In this paper, we present a literature study, in which we assess the state-of-the-art in the application of such event abstraction techniques in the field of process mining. The survey is accompanied by a taxonomy of the existing approaches, which we exploit to highlight interesting novel directions.
The Impact of Passion on Sales Performance: Is Negotiation a Missing Link?
Authors: Tran Mai Dong , Nguyen Phong Nguyen
Published: May 2020

This study introduces the passion construct to the sales management literature and proposes a model of passion that links two types of passion – harmonious passion and obsessive passion – to sales performance via four different negotiation strategies. Results from a survey of 322 salespeople from various industries in a metropolitan city indicate that harmonious passion positively influences the integrating and obliging negotiation strategies, which enhance sales performance. On the other hand, obsessive passion is found to positively affect avoiding and dominating negotiation strategies, which are also related to sales performance. The study also provides future research and practical implications for job passion and performance management in B2B companies in a transition market.
Mental Disorders in Firefighters Following Large-Scale Disaster
Authors: Wagner Shannon L. , White Nicole , Randall Christine , Regehr Cheryl , White Marc , Alden Lynn E. , Buys Nicholas , Carey Mary G. , Corneil Wayne , Fyfe Trina , Matthews Lynda R. , Fraess-Phillips Alex , Krutop Elyssa
Published: May 2020

Firefighting service is known to involve high rates of exposure to potentially traumatic situations, and research on mental health in firefighting populations is of critical importance in understanding the impact of occupational exposure. To date, the literature concerning prevalence of trauma-related mental disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has not distinguished between symptomology associated routine duty-related exposure and exposure to large-scale disaster. The present systematic review synthesizes a heterogeneous cross-national literature on large-scale disaster exposure in firefighters and provides support for the hypothesis that the prevalence of PTSD, major depressive disorder, and anxiety disorders are elevated in firefighters compared with rates observed in the general population. In addition, we conducted narrative synthesis concerning several commonly assessed predictive factors for disorder and found that sociodemographic factors appear to bear a weak relationship to mental disorder, while incident-related factors, such as severity and duration of disaster exposure, bear a stronger and more consistent relationship to the development of PTSD and depression in cross-national samples. Future work should expand on these preliminary findings to better understand the impact of disaster exposure in firefighting personnel.
The development and implementation of stewardship initiatives to optimize the prevention and treatment of cytomegalovirus infection in solid-organ transplant recipients
Authors: Jorgenson Margaret R. , Descourouez Jillian L. , Schulz Lucas T. , Goldrosen Kerry A. , Rice John P. , Redfield Robert R. , Saddler Christopher M. , Smith Jeannina A. , Mandelbrot Didier A.
Published: May 2020

Classical stewardship efforts have targeted immunocompetent patients; however, appropriate use of antimicrobials in the immunocompromised host has become a target of interest. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is one of the most common and significant complications after solid-organ transplant (SOT). The treatment of CMV requires a dual approach of antiviral drug therapy and reduction of immunosuppression for optimal outcomes. This dual approach to CMV management increases complexity and requires individualization of therapy to balance antiviral efficacy with the risk of allograft rejection. In this review, we focus on the development and implementation of CMV stewardship initiatives, as a component of antimicrobial stewardship in the immunocompromised host, to optimize the management of prevention and treatment of CMV in SOT recipients. These initiatives have the potential not only to improve judicious use of antivirals and prevent resistance but also to improve patient and graft survival given the interconnection between CMV infection and allograft function.
Surface plasma wave in spin-polarized semiconductor quantum plasma
Authors: Kumar Punit , Ahmad Nafees
Published: May 2020

The possibilities of surface plasma wave (SPW) on a metal-vacuum interface in semiconductor quantum plasma by considering the effects of Coulomb exchange (CE) interaction and the spin-polarization has been explored. The dispersion for the SPW has been setup using the modified quantum hydrodynamic (QHD) model taking into account the Fermi pressure, the quantum Bohm force, the CE, and the electron spin. The optical gain of SPW has been evaluated. It is found that CE effects and spin-polarization increases the wave frequency and enhances the gain during the stimulated emission.
From Ideological to Humanistic Interpretations
Authors: Cazorla-Sánchez Antonio
Published: May 2020

The recent evolution of both the historiography on the Spanish Civil War, and even the general population's perception of the conflict, cannot be separated from the changes in the political and cultural paradigms in Europe since the end of the Cold War. By this I mean that Europeans, but not only them, have been evolving from a mostly ideological view of the past to an increasingly humanistic one.
Open-Inquiry Course Design in the Public Policy Classroom
Authors: Pennock Andrew
Published: May 2020

This article describes a variant of experiential course design—open inquiry—that has learning-how-to-learn (or metacognition about learning) as a primary course goal. In open-inquiry designs, students first choose the problems that they will study during the course. They then co-create each class period as the semester progresses. They recognize deficiencies in their own content knowledge, skills, and learning processes and take actions to remedy them. By reflecting on their successes and failures, students practice the skill of self-directed learning. This process of metacognitive reflection is a crucial skill that they will need when they face novel problems after graduation. In open-inquiry courses, students have produced high-quality work by learning about substantive policy areas that they choose to study, developing the policy skills that they deem important, and growing in their understanding about how they learn effectively.
Building Resilience and Interconnectedness among Humans and Nonhuman Entities: Aminatta Forna’s Happiness
Authors: Sarikaya-Şen Merve
Published: May 2020

Using the theoretical tools provided by the conceptualisations of resilience and interconnectedness, this article carries out a comprehensive analysis of Aminatta Forna’s Happiness (2008). The starting hypothesis explored in this article is that Happiness represents the transformational process of suffering and/or psychological wounds through the reparative agency of interconnectedness among humans as well as between humans and animals. Accordingly, this article will first demonstrate how the novel represents the possibility of healing one’s psychological wounds through the stories of Attila and Jean, the two protagonists falling in love after a chance encounter. It will then explore how the novel presents the necessity of establishing relationality between the self and the other in coping with adversities. Finally, it will elaborate on the indispensable coexistence between humans and animals in the novel, which provides the characters with the possibility for achieving the ecological self. In doing so, this article will demonstrate that Happiness succeeds in representing the need for an interdependent world and the impossibility of a sovereign self in order to achieve happiness in the contemporary age.
The interplay between emotion and modality in the Foreign-Language effect on moral decision making
Authors: Brouwer Susanne
Published: May 2020

This study examined whether theForeign-Language effect, an increase in bilinguals’ rate of rational decisions to moral dilemmas in their foreign versus their native language, is influenced by emotion and the modality in which the dilemmas are presented. 154 Dutch–English bilinguals were asked to read and listen to personal and impersonal moral dilemmas in Dutch or in English. Importantly, the reading task had the character of a self-paced reading task to resemble the listening task as closely as possible. In both modalities, participants’ task was to indicate whether the proposed action was appropriate or not. Results showed that the Foreign-Language effect was present for personal dilemmas only. In addition, an effect of modality demonstrated that participants took overall more rational decisions during the listening than the reading task. These findings give insight in the interplay between language, emotion and task demands, revealing that moral decision making is context-dependent.
The extent and nature of television food advertising to children and adolescents in the Russian Federation
Authors: Kontsevaya AV , Imaeva AE , Balanova YA , Kapustina AV , Breda J , Jewell JM , Salakhov ER , Drapkina OM , Boyland E
Published: May 2020

Objective:

To assess the frequency, healthfulness and promotional techniques of television food advertising to children and adolescents in the Russian Federation.

Design:

A cross-sectional study was conducted to monitor food and beverage television advertising. For the five most popular TV channels among children and adolescents, TV broadcasts were recorded for two weekdays and two weekends (320 h) during March–May 2017. Recordings were screened for advertisements. Food advertisements were categorised by food categories and as either ‘permitted’ or ‘not permitted’ for advertising to children in accordance with World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe Nutrient Profile Model (NPM), and promotional techniques in advertisements were recorded.

Results:

Overall, 11 678 advertisements were coded. Across all channels, food and drink (19·2 %) were the most frequently advertised product type. The most common food categories advertised were beverages (except juices, milk drinks and energy drinks) (24·1 %); yoghurts and other dairy foods (15 %); and chocolate and confectionery (12·3 %). A majority (64·2 %) of food and drink products advertised should not be permitted for advertising to children according to the NPM. The most frequently used persuasive appeals in the food advertisements were low price (15·4 %), product novelty (11·8 %) and enjoyment (10·0 %).

Conclusions:

Children and adolescents in the Russian Federation are likely exposed to a substantial number of unhealthy food advertisements. There is a need to consider policies to restrict children’s exposure to unhealthy food advertising on television in the Russian Federation.
This Week: Our Summer Reading List!
Authors:   AGU
Published: May 2020

Here’s what we hope to read this stay-at-home summer. What are you reading?
On the influence of density and morphology on the Urban Heat Island intensity
Authors: Li Yunfei , Schubert Sebastian , Kropp Jürgen P. , Rybski Diego
Published: May 2020

The canopy layer urban heat island (UHI) effect, as manifested by elevated near-surface air temperatures in urban areas, exposes urban dwellers to additional heat stress in many cities, specially during heat waves. We simulate the urban climate of various generated cities under the same weather conditions. For mono-centric cities, we propose a linear combination of logarithmic city area and logarithmic gross building volume, which also captures the influence of building density. By studying various city shapes, we generalise and propose a reduced form to estimate UHI intensities based only on the structure of urban sites, as well as their relative distances. We conclude that in addition to the size, the UHI intensity of a city is directly related to the density and an amplifying effect that urban sites have on each other. Our approach can serve as a UHI rule of thumb for the comparison of urban development scenarios.
Pregnancy reprograms the epigenome of mammary epithelial cells and blocks the development of premalignant lesions
Authors: Feigman Mary J. , Moss Matthew A. , Chen Chen , Cyrill Samantha L. , Ciccone Michael F. , Trousdell Marygrace C. , Yang Shih-Ting , Frey Wesley D. , Wilkinson John E. , dos Santos Camila O.
Published: May 2020

Pregnancy causes a series of cellular and molecular changes in mammary epithelial cells (MECs) of female adults. In addition, pregnancy can also modify the predisposition of rodent and human MECs to initiate oncogenesis. Here, we investigate how pregnancy reprograms enhancer chromatin in the mammary epithelium of mice and influences the transcriptional output of the oncogenic transcription factor cMYC. We find that pregnancy induces an expansion of the active cis-regulatory landscape of MECs, which influences the activation of pregnancy-related programs during re-exposure to pregnancy hormones in vivo and in vitro. Using inducible cMYC overexpression, we demonstrate that post-pregnancy MECs are resistant to the downstream molecular programs induced by cMYC, a response that blunts carcinoma initiation, but does not perturb the normal pregnancy-induced epigenomic landscape. cMYC overexpression drives post-pregnancy MECs into a senescence-like state, and perturbations of this state increase malignant phenotypic changes. Taken together, our findings provide further insight into the cell-autonomous signals in post-pregnancy MECs that underpin the regulation of gene expression, cellular activation, and resistance to malignant development.
High-throughput transcriptomic and proteomic profiling of mesenchymal-amoeboid transition in 3D collagen
Authors: Čermák Vladimír , Gandalovičová Aneta , Merta Ladislav , Harant Karel , Rösel Daniel , Brábek Jan
Published: May 2020

The plasticity of cancer cell invasion represents substantial hindrance for effective anti-metastatic therapy. To better understand the cancer cells’ plasticity, we performed complex transcriptomic and proteomic profiling of HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells undergoing mesenchymal-amoeboid transition (MAT). As amoeboid migratory phenotype can fully manifest only in 3D conditions, all experiments were performed with 3D collagen-based cultures. Two previously described approaches to induce MAT were used: doxycycline-inducible constitutively active RhoA expression and dasatinib treatment. RNA sequencing was performed with ribo-depleted total RNA. Protein samples were analysed with tandem mass tag (TMT)-based mass spectrometry. The data provide unprecedented insight into transcriptome and proteome changes accompanying MAT in true 3D conditions.
CassavaMap, a fine-resolution disaggregation of cassava production and harvested area in Africa in 2014
Authors: Szyniszewska Anna Maria
Published: May 2020

Cassava, the third main source of carbohydrates in Africa, provides daily nutrition for over 700 million people on the continent and a vital source of income for subsistence farmers. Despite its importance, our knowledge of the heterogeneity of its distribution in the landscape is limited and outdated. Information on cassava production and harvested area are typically available on aggregated administrative unit level with highly variable temporal range of records, often over a decade old, and represented on a coarse ~10 km by 10 km grid. Here, cassava production and harvested area administrative unit level data for 32 countries are standardised to 2014 FAO reported levels and disaggregated based on the distribution of the rural population in 2014. The grid obtained represents a significant improvement on the previous studies in terms of both spatial resolution (~1 km by 1 km) and temporal accuracy. Enhanced representation of cassava production and harvested area in Africa is an essential resource for policy making as well as designing strategies to manage its main pathogens.
Unexpected linker-dependent Brønsted acidity in the (Zr)UiO-66 metal organic framework and application to biomass valorization
Authors: Fu Guangxia , Cirujano Francisco G. , Krajnc Andraž , Mali Gregor , Henrion Mickaël , Smolders Simon , De Vos Dirk E.
Published: May 2020

The functionality of the UiO-66(Zr) linkers affects the number of defects on the Zr6 clusters, leading to differences in the MOFs' Brønsted acidity, which promotes the dehydration of fructose into HMF.
Silver nanoclusters: synthesis, structures and photoluminescence
Authors: Xie Yun-Peng , Shen Yang-Lin , Duan Guang-Xiong , Han Jun , Zhang Lai-Ping , Lu Xing
Published: May 2020

This review summarizes recent advances in silver nanoclusters focusing on their controlled synthesis, crystal structures and photoluminescence.
Mechanism and origins of gold-catalyzed domino cyclization to spiroindolines: the role of periplanar cooperation and hydrogen bonding interactions
Authors: Li Yunhe , Zhao Xiang
Published: May 2020

The detailed mechanism and origins of gold-catalyzed domino cyclization to indoloazocines are systematically studied by density functional theory.
Iodine-promoted synthesis of pyrazoles from 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds and oxamic acid thiohydrazides
Authors: Komendantova Anna S. , Lyssenko Konstantin A. , Zavarzin Igor V. , Volkova Yulia A.
Published: May 2020

A novel approach to 3,4-dicarbonyl-substituted pyrazoles from 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds and oxamic acid thiohydrazides was developed via iodine-promoted cascade imination/halogenation/cyclization/ring contraction reaction.
Iridium-catalyzed arylation of sulfoxonium ylides and arylboronic acids: a straightforward preparation of α-aryl ketones
Authors: Shu Bing , Wang Xiao-Tong , Shen Zi-Xuan , Che Tong , Zhong Mei , Song Jia-Lin , Kang Hua-Jie , Xie Hui , Zhang Luyong , Zhang Shang-Shi
Published: May 2020

A highly efficient iridium(iii)-catalyzed arylation coupling of sulfoxonium ylides with arylboronic acids to generate α-aryl ketones has been established for the first time.
Estimation of a stronger heparin binding locus in fibronectin domain III14using thermodynamics and molecular dynamics
Authors: Gupta Sakshi , Tiwari Neha , Verma Jyoti , Waseem Mohd , Subbarao Naidu , Munde Manoj
Published: May 2020

Binding Thermodynamics of FHIP I and FHIP II with heparin.
MoO2 nanoparticles embedded in N-doped hydrangea-like carbon as a sulfur host for high-performance lithium–sulfur batteries
Authors: Wang Yasai , Feng Guilin , Wang Yang , Wu Zhenguo , Chen Yanxiao , Guo Xiaodong , Zhong Benhe
Published: May 2020

Lithium–sulfur batteries are considered to be promising energy storage devices owing to their high energy density, relatively low price and abundant resources.
Green synthesis and characterisation of novel [1,3,4]thiadiazolo/benzo[4,5]thiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidines via multicomponent reaction using vanadium oxide loaded on fluorapatite as a robust and sustainable catalyst
Authors: Kerru Nagaraju , Gummidi Lalitha , Maddila Surya Narayana , Bhaskaruni Sandeep V. H. S. , Maddila Suresh , Jonnalagadda Sreekantha B.
Published: May 2020

We synthesized material with different loading of vanadia on fluorapatite (V2O5/FAp), and excellent activity was showed for the synthesis of pyrimidine derivatives (90–97%) in ethanol medium for short reaction time.
Isolation of antioxidant peptides from yak casein hydrolysate
Authors: Liu Qianxia , Yang Min , Zhao Baotang , Yang Fumin
Published: May 2020

Enzymatic hydrolysis of protein is a principal method to obtain antioxidant peptides.
Ultrathin quasi-hexagonal gold nanostructures for sensing arsenic in tap water
Authors: Udayan Anu Prathap M. , Kachwala Batul , Karthikeyan K. G. , Gunasekaran Sundaram
Published: May 2020

Monodispersed colloidal gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized by an easy, cost-effective, and eco-friendly method for electrochemical detection of As(iii).
Design of organic structure directing agents to guide the synthesis of zeolites for the separation of ethylene–ethane mixtures
Authors: Daeyaert Frits , Deem Michael W.
Published: May 2020

Structure directing agents were designed in this work to aid in the synthesis of four zeolites predicted to efficiently separate ethane and ethylene.
Preparation of sulfonated carbon-based catalysts from murumuru kernel shell and their performance in the esterification reaction
Authors: da Luz Corrêa Ana Paula , Bastos Rafael Roberto Cardoso , Rocha Filho Geraldo Narciso da , Zamian José Roberto , Conceição Leyvison Rafael Vieira da
Published: May 2020

In the present study, heterogeneous acid catalysts for fatty acid esterification reactions were synthesized using agro-industrial waste from murumuru kernel shells.
Conformational design concepts for anions in ionic liquids
Authors: Philippi Frederik , Pugh David , Rauber Daniel , Welton Tom , Hunt Patricia A.
Published: May 2020

Interchangeable functional groups for imide ions are investigated computationally, new ILs with low/high viscosity are designeda prioriand experimentally characterised.
Metal–organic-frameworks on 3D-printed electrodes: in situ electrochemical transformation towards the oxygen evolution reaction
Authors: Ying Yulong , Browne Michelle Philippa , Pumera Martin
Published: May 2020

In situ electrochemical transformation of ZIF-67 into porous oxides on a 3D-printed electrode towards the highly efficient and stable oxygen evolution reaction.
An asymmetric small molecule acceptor for organic solar cells with a short circuit current density over 24 mA cm−2
Authors: Cai Fangfang , Peng Hongjian , Chen Honggang , Yuan Jun , Hai Jiefeng , Lau Tsz-Ki , Wang Ju , Hu Yunbin , Liu Wei , Lu Xinhui , Zou Yingping
Published: May 2020

Acceptor Y22 with an asymmetric hexacyclic A–DA′D–A structure achieved a high PCE of 15.4% and a high Jsc of 24.37 mA cm−2, which are among the best values reported for asymmetric acceptor based binary organic solar cells.
Development of self-adhesive pulp-capping agents containing a novel hydrophilic and highly polymerizable acrylamide monomer
Authors: Yoshihara Kumiko , Nagaoka Noriyuki , Okihara Takumi , Irie Masao , Matsukawa Akihiro , Pedano Mariano Simón , Maruo Yukinori , Yoshida Yasuhiro , Van Meerbeek Bart
Published: May 2020

Several studies have shown the clinical success of hydraulic calcium-silicate cements (hCSCs) for direct and indirect pulp capping and root repair.
Questing functions and structures of hypothetical proteins from Campylobacter jejuni: a computer-aided approach
Authors: Gazi Md. Amran , Mahmud Sultan , Fahim Shah Mohammad , Islam Md. Rezaul , Das Subhasish , Mahfuz Mustafa , Ahmed Tahmeed
Published: May 2020

Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) is considered to be one of the most frequent causes of bacterial gastroenteritis globally, especially in young children. The genome of C. jejuni contains many proteins with unknown functions termed as hypothetical proteins (HPs). These proteins might have essential biological role to show the full spectrum of this bacterium. Hence, our study aimed to determine the functions of HPs, pertaining to the genome of C. jejuni. An in-silico work flow integrating various tools were performed for functional assignment, three-dimensional structure determination, domain architecture predictors, subcellular localization, physicochemical characterization, and protein–protein interactions (PPIs). Sequences of 267 HPs of C. jejuni were analyzed and successfully attributed the function of 49 HPs with higher confidence. Here, we found proteins with enzymatic activity, transporters, binding and regulatory proteins as well as proteins with biotechnological interest. Assessment of the performance of various tools used in this analysis revealed an accuracy of 95% using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Functional and structural predictions and the results from ROC analyses provided the validity of in-silico tools used in the present study. The approach used for this analysis leads us to assign the function of unknown proteins and relate them with the functions that have already been described in previous literature.
Development of Speech Intelligibility Between 30 and 47 Months in Typically Developing Children: A Cross-Sectional Study of Growth
Authors: Hustad Katherine C. , Mahr Tristan , Natzke Phoebe E. M. , Rathouz Paul J.
Published: May 2020

Purpose

We sought to establish normative growth curves for intelligibility development for the speech of typically developing children as revealed by objectively based orthographic transcription of elicited single-word and multiword utterances by naïve listeners. We also examined sex differences, and we compared differences between single-word and multiword intelligibility growth.

Method

One hundred sixty-four typically developing children (92 girls, 72 boys) contributed speech samples for this study. Children were between the ages of 30 and 47 months, and analyses examined 1-month age increments between these ages. Two different naïve listeners heard each child and made orthographic transcriptions of child-produced words and sentences (n= 328 listeners). Average intelligibility scores for single-word productions and multiword productions were modeled using linear regression, which estimated normal-model quantile age trajectories for single- and multiword utterances.

Results

We present growth curves showing steady linear change over time in 1-month increments from 30 to 47 months for 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 95th percentiles. Results showed that boys did not differ from girls and that, prior to 35 months of age, single words were more intelligible than multiword productions. Starting at 41 months of age, the reverse was true. Multiword intelligibility grew at a faster rate than single-word intelligibility.

Conclusions

Children make steady progress in intelligibility development through 47 months, and only a small number of children approach 100% intelligibility by this age. Intelligibility continues to develop past the fourth year of life. There is considerable variability among children with regard to intelligibility development.

Supplemental Material

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12330956
Single‐switch high‐efficiency hybrid boost–Ćuk DC/DC converter with high‐voltage gain and low‐voltage stress
Authors: Andrade António Manuel Santos Spencer , Faistel Tiago Miguel Klein , Guisso Ronaldo Antonio
Published: May 2020

This study proposes a new hybrid non‐isolated DC–DC converter suitable for photovoltaic applications, which can be extended to other applications such as electric vehicles, fuel cells etc. The proposed converter combines the main characteristics of boost and Ćuk converters with a coupled inductor, voltage multiplier, and super‐lift cell. Additionally, the proposed topologies present reduced voltage stress across the semiconductors when compared to similar converters and high efficiency. Experimental results obtained using a laboratory prototype (35 V/400 V and 200 W) validate the efficacy and viability of the proposed topology.
Techno‐economic potential of battery energy storage systems in frequency response and balancing mechanism actions
Authors: Kirli Desen , Kiprakis Aristides
Published: May 2020

Batteries offer a combination of balancing and regulation services within a smart grid to improve its resilience and flexibility. Maintaining an acceptable state of health and the highest rate of return requires dynamic modelling of the asset and rigorous optimisation. The authors compare the technical cost and economic benefit of battery employment in dynamic frequency and balancing mechanism actions in a smart grid. They use the services procured by National Grid in the UK as a case study but the methodology is globally applicable, including developing grid infrastructures. Their methodology yields the most optimum scenario of service participation, accounting for the dynamic degradation and considering variable pricing of electricity throughout the day. Additionally, it advises the most optimal despatch schedule and price declarations for the battery over the course a day and a year, employing particle swarm optimisation algorithm and historic data. Their results demonstrate that ordinarily frequency response is preferred due to its lower technical toll and payments for availability rather than despatch. However, the proposed despatch schedule including both services provides the highest profit. They anticipate this methodology to become the basis for more sophisticated battery models that integrate the service despatch optimisation, dynamic lifetime degradation and economic analysis.
Le spin des électrons se transporte-t-il comme leur charge ?
Authors: Cadiz Fabian , Rowe Alistair C.H. , Paget Daniel
Published: May 2020

Pour répondre aux besoins croissants de la microélectronique, il a été proposé de transmettre l’information par le spin de l’électron, cette variable quantique dont l’analogue classique est la rotation sur lui-même.

Il serait naturel de penser que la charge de l’électron et son spin se transportent de manière identique, si l’on excepte la tendance de toute orientation de spin à disparaitre par relaxation. Et pourtant, plusieurs études fondamentales montrent que le spin peut se transporter de façon indépendante de l’électron qui le porte, et donc « vivre sa vie » comme une particule autonome.

Cet article est consacré à ces résultats fortement contre-intuitifs.
High-affinity oligoclonal TCRs define effective adoptive T cell therapy targeting mutant KRAS-G12D
Authors: Sim Malcolm J. W. , Lu Jinghua , Spencer Matthew , Hopkins Francis , Tran Eric , Rosenberg Steven A. , Long Eric O. , Sun Peter D.
Published: May 2020

Complete cancer regression occurs in a subset of patients following adoptive T cell therapy (ACT) of ex vivo expanded tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). However, the low success rate presents a great challenge to broader clinical application. To provide insight into TIL-based immunotherapy, we studied a successful case of ACT where regression was observed against tumors carrying the hotspot mutation G12D in the KRAS oncogene. Four T cell receptors (TCRs) made up the TIL infusion and recognized two KRAS-G12D neoantigens, a nonamer and a decamer, all restricted by human leukocyte antigen (HLA) C*08:02. Three of them (TCR9a, 9b, and 9c) were nonamer-specific, while one was decamer-specific (TCR10). We show that only mutant G12D but not the wild-type peptides stabilized HLA-C*08:02 due to the formation of a critical anchor salt bridge to HLA-C. Therapeutic TCRs exhibited high affinities, ranging from nanomolar to low micromolar. Intriguingly, TCR binding affinities to HLA-C inversely correlated with their persistence in vivo, suggesting the importance of antigenic affinity in the function of therapeutic T cells. Crystal structures of TCR–HLA-C complexes revealed that TCR9a to 9c recognized G12D nonamer with multiple conserved contacts through shared CDR2β and CDR3α. This allowed CDR3β variation to confer different affinities via a variable HLA-C contact, generating an oligoclonal response. TCR10 recognized an induced and distinct G12D decamer conformation. Thus, this successful case of ACT included oligoclonal TCRs of high affinity recognizing distinct conformations of neoantigens. Our study revealed the potential of a structural approach to inform clinical efforts in targeting KRAS-G12D tumors by immunotherapy and has general implications for T cell-based immunotherapies.
New measuring method of fiber alignment in precision torsion pendulum experiments*
Authors: Wang Bing-Jie , Xu Li , Zeng Wei-You , Wang Qing-Lan
Published: May 2020

Testing the extreme weak gravitational forces between torsion pendulum and surrounding objects will indicate new physics which attracts many interests. In these measurements, the fiber alignment plays a crucial role in fulfilling high precision placement measurement, especially in measuring the deviation between the fiber and source mass or other objects. The traditional way of the fiber alignment requires to measure the component of the pendulum body and then transfer to the torsion fiber by some complicated calculations. A new method is reported here by using a CCD camera to get the projection image of the torsion fiber, which is a direct and no-contact measurement. Furthermore, the relative position change of the torsion fiber can also be monitored during the experiment. In our experiment, the alignment between the fiber and the center of the turntable has been operated as an example. Our result reaches the accuracy of several micrometers which is higher than the previous method.
Social as much as environmental: the drivers of tree biomass in smallholder forest landscape restoration programmes
Authors: Wells Geoff J , Fisher Janet , Jindal Rohit , Ryan Casey M
Published: May 2020

A major challenge for forest landscape restoration initiatives is the lack of quantitative evidence on how social factors drive environmental outcomes. Here we conduct an interdisciplinary quantitative analysis of the environmental and social drivers of tree biomass accumulation across 639 smallholder farms restoring native tree species in Mexico, Uganda and Mozambique. We use environmental and social data to assess the relative effects of key hypothesised drivers on aboveground biomass accumulation at the farm-level over ten years. We supplement this with a qualitative analysis of perspectives from local farmers and agroforestry technicians on the potential causal mechanisms of the observed social effects. We find that the material wellbeing of farmers (e.g. assets) and access to agroforestry knowledge explain as much variation in biomass as water availability. Local perspectives suggest that this is caused by the higher adaptive capacity of some farmers and their associated ability to respond to social-ecological shocks and stresses. Additionally, the variation in biomass between farms increased over time. Local perspectives suggested that this was caused by emergent exogenous and stochastic influences which cannot be reliably predicted in technical analyses and guidance. To deal with this persistent uncertainty, local perspectives emphasised the need for flexible and adaptive processes at the farm- and village-levels. The consistency of these findings across three countries suggests these findings are relevant to similar forest restoration interventions. Our findings provide novel quantitative evidence of a social-ecological pathway where the adaptive capacity of local land users can improve ecological processes. Our findings emphasize the need for forest restoration programmes to prioritise investment in the capabilities of local land users, and to ensure that rules support, rather than hinder, adaptive management.
Down and upconversion photoluminescence of ZrO2:Er3+ phosphor irradiated with 120 MeV gold ions
Authors: Lokesha H S , Nagabhushana K R , Chithambo M L , Singh Fouran
Published: May 2020

Down conversion and upconversion photoluminescence of pristine and gold ion irradiated ZrO2:Er3+ phosphor synthesized by solution combustion are reported. The crystallinity of the sample as analysed by x-ray diffraction shows a monoclinic phase having a crystallite size of about 57 nm calculated using Williamson—Hall formula. Field emission scanning electron microscopy shows that the shape and size of phosphor grains are non uniform. The down conversion photoluminescence of ZrO2:Er3+ has sharp emission bands in the red, green and blue regions of the spectrum. These emissions are corresponding to f–f transitions of Er3+ ions under excitation of 379 nm. In particular, the emission has maxima at 467, 492, 526, 548 and 660 nm correspond to 4F3/2 → 4I15/2, 4F7/2 → 4I15/2, 2H11/2 → 4I15/2, 4S3/2 → 4I15/2 and 4F9/2 → 4I15/2 transitions respectively. Interestingly, the PL emission intensity (excitation at 379 nm) is enhanced 1.6 times higher than pristine sample after 120 MeV Au ion irradiation for a fluence of 1 × 1010 ions cm−2. The blue to green emission ratio increases with the increase in ion fluence. Therefore, emission of the color shift towards bluish-white color with ion fluence. The lifetime of 4S3/2 level is found to be 16.9 and 71.5 μs for pristine and Au ion irradiated (1 × 1012 ions cm−2) ZrO2:Er3+ respectively. In near infrared (NIR) region, the PL emission band is observed at 1531 nm corresponding to 4I13/2 → 4I15/2 transition of Er3+ under excitation of 980 nm. The sample emits intense green emission and relatively weak red emission in up conversion PL under excitation of 980 nm. The ratio of intensities of red and green emission changes after Au ion irradiation is attributed to the corresponding change in the lattice symmetry in the host. Resulting in strong up conversion emission from two photon absorption process.
Oxidation behavior of 316L austenitic stainless steel in high temperature air with long-term exposure
Authors: Huang Xi , Xiao Kai , Fang Xiaodong , Xiong Zicheng , Wei Lihua , Zhu Pengcheng , Li Xiaoyan
Published: May 2020

The oxidation behavior of 316L stainless steel exposed at 400, 600 and 800 °C air for 100, 500 and 1000 h was investigated using different characterization techniques. Weight gain obeys a parabolic law, but the degree of deviation of n index is increasingly larger with the increase of temperature. A double oxide film, including Cr2O3 and Fe2O3 oxide particles in outer and FeCr2O4 oxides in inner, is observed at 400 °C. As regards to samples at 600 °C, a critical exposure period around 100 h exists in the oxidation process, at which a compact oxide film decorated with oxide particles transforms to a loose oxide layer with a pore-structure. In addition, an oxide film containing Fe-rich outer oxide layer and Cr-rich inner oxide layer is observed at 600 °C for 500 and 1000 h. Spallation of oxide scale is observed for all samples at 800 °C regardless of exposure periods, resulting in different oxidation morphologies, and the degree of spallation behavior is getting worse. A double oxide film with the same chemical composition as 600 °C is observed, and the thickness increases over exposure periods.