bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Functionalization of inorganic nanomaterials with pillar[n]arenes
Authors: Chen Jiao , Wang Yang , Wang Chenwei , Long Renhua , Chen Tingting , Yao Yong
Published: May 2019

The construction and application of the functionalization of inorganic nanomaterials, such as metal nanoparticles, QDs, MSNs, and MOFs, with pillar[n]arenes have been summarized and discussed in this Feature Article.
Synthesis and reactivity of [Au(NHC)(Bpin)] complexes
Authors: Zinser Caroline M. , Nahra Fady , Falivene Laura , Brill Marcel , Cordes David B. , Slawin Alexandra M. Z. , Cavallo Luigi , Cazin Catherine S. J. , Nolan Steven P.
Published: May 2019

A new class of [Au(NHC)(Bpin)] complexes has been synthesized and their unusual reactivity was investigated using computational and experimental methods.
First principles calculations of surface dependent electronic structures: a study on β-FeOOH and γ-FeOOH
Authors: Sakamoto Yuki , Noda Yusuke , Ohno Kaoru , Koike Kayo , Fujii Katsushi , Suzuki Tomiko M. , Morikawa Takeshi , Nakamura Shinichiro
Published: May 2019

The surface dependent electronic structures of β-FeOOH and γ-FeOOH were studied using density functional calculations.
Structural dynamics of an excited donor–acceptor complex from ultrafast polarized infrared spectroscopy, molecular dynamics simulations, and quantum chemical calculations
Authors: Rumble Christopher A. , Vauthey Eric
Published: May 2019

Infrared anisotropy experiments and mixed quantum/classical computations demonstrate large scale reorientation following excitation of a donor/acceptor complex.
Controlled functionalization ofo-carboraneviatransition metal catalyzed B–H activation
Authors: Quan Yangjian , Xie Zuowei
Published: May 2019

This review summarizes recent advances in transition metal catalyzed vertex-specific BH functionalization ofo-carborane for controlled synthesis of its derivatives.
Iridium porphyrin complexes with μ-nitrido, hydroxo, hydrosulfido and alkynyl ligands
Authors: So Shiu-Chun , Cheung Wai-Man , Chiu Wai-Hang , de Vere-Tucker Matthew , Sung Herman H.-Y. , Williams Ian D. , Leung Wa-Hung
Published: May 2019

Iridium porphyrin complexes containing μ-nitrido, hydroxo, hydrosulfido, and alkynyl ligands have been synthesized and structurally characterized, and their oxidation has been studied.
Ligand mixed-valence and electrical conductivity in coordination complexes containing a redox-active phenalenol-substituted ligand
Authors: Dale Sarah , Bonanno Nico M. , Pelaccia Mark , Lough Alan J. , Miyawaki Atsuhiro , Takahashi Kazuyuki , Lemaire Martin T.
Published: May 2019

Neutral Fe3+ and Co3+ complexes are reported featuring mixed-valent open- and closed-shell ligands, low energy IVCT bands and electrical conductivity.
Correction: Co3O4-nanoparticle-entrapped nitrogen and boron codoped mesoporous carbon as an efficient electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution
Authors: Tang Duihai , Sun Xue , Yu Huan , Zhang Wenting , Zhang Ling , Li Xuefeng , Qiao Zhen-An , Zhu Junjiang , Zhao Zhen
Published: May 2019

Correction for ‘Co3O4-nanoparticle-entrapped nitrogen and boron codoped mesoporous carbon as an efficient electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution’ by Duihai Tang et al., Dalton Trans., 2019, DOI: 10.1039/c8dt05033c.
New talent: Asia-Pacific
Authors: Chandrasekhar Vadapalli , Jin Guo-Xin , Low Paul J.
Published: May 2019

Welcome to this themed issue of Dalton Transactions entitled “New Talent: Asia-Pacific.”
Partial cation substitution reduces iodide ion transport in lead iodide perovskite solar cells
Authors: Ferdani Dominic W. , Pering Samuel R. , Ghosh Dibyajyoti , Kubiak Peter , Walker Alison B. , Lewis Simon E. , Johnson Andrew L. , Baker Peter J. , Islam M. Saiful , Cameron Petra J.
Published: May 2019

Perovskite solar cells containing a mixture of A-site cations show increased activation energies for iodide diffusion.
The controllable C2 arylation and C3 diazenylation of indoles with aryltriazenes under ambient conditions
Authors: Liu Yonghong , Ma Xia , Wu Gengxin , Liu Ziran , Yang Xiang , Wang Bin , Liu Chenjiang , Zhang Yonghong , Huang Yan
Published: May 2019

The controllable C2 arylation and C3 diazenylation of indoles with aryltriazenes under ambient conditions was investigated.
Asymmetric synthesis of spirooxindole-fused spirothiazolonesviasquaramide-catalysed reaction of 3-chlorooxindoles with 5-alkenyl thiazolones
Authors: Song Yong-Xing , Du Da-Ming
Published: May 2019

An efficient and practical squaramide-catalysed asymmetric formal [2 + 1] cycloaddition of 3-chlorooxindoles with 5-alkenyl thiazolones afforded spirooxindole-fused spirothiazolones in high yields with excellent stereoselectivities.
Surface modification of self-assembled isoporous polymer membranes for pressure-dependent high-resolution separation
Authors: Ou Yang , Zhou Di , Xu Zhi-Kang , Wan Ling-Shu
Published: May 2019

Polymer membranes with narrow pore size distribution demonstrate great performance in high-resolution and high-efficiency separation.
Prognostic value of magnetic resonance imaging features in low-grade gliomas
Authors: Deng Liang , Shen Liangfang , Shen Lin , Zhao Zhao , Peng Yingpeng , Liu Hongjiao , Liu Haipeng , Zhang Guangying , Li Zhanzhan , Li Kai , Shen Erdong , Liu Yuanyuan , Liu Chao , Huang Xinqiong
Published: May 2019

Introduction: The treatment strategy for low-grade gliomas (LGGs) is still controversial, and there are no standardized criteria to predict the prognosis of patients with LGGs. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a routine test for preoperative diagnosis for LGG and can reflect the destructive features for the tumor. In the present study, we aimed to explore the relationship between the MRI features and prognosis in patients with LGG.

Methods: Clinical data of 80 patients with pathologically proved LGGs between January 2010 and December 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. MRI features were classified as contrast enhancement pattern (focal enhancement, diffuse enhancement and ring-like enhancement), necrosis and cysts based on the preoperative MR images. Kaplan–Meier method and multivariate analysis were performed on the data by SPSS software to explore the prognostic significance of MRI features.

Results: Patients with cystic LGG had a significantly longer 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) than that with no cyst (90.9 ± 8.7 vs 65.7 ± 9.1%, P=0.045). Multivariate analysis further verified cyst as an independent prognosis factor for PFS (P=0.027, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.084). Additionally, patients with ring-like enhancement exhibited significantly longer 5-year PFS time in the Kaplan–Meier survival curves (100 vs 67.2 ± 7.7%, P=0.049). There was no significant difference in PFS and overall survival (OS) between patients with or without necrosis.

Conclusion: Our study suggests that cyst formation and ring-like enhancement on preoperative MR images can be useful to predict a favorable prognosis in patients with LGGs.
Text extraction from natural scene images using Renyi entropy
Authors: Karpagam Angia Venkatesan , Manikandan Mohan
Published: May 2019

Nowadays, development in machine vision incorporated with artificial intelligence surpasses the ability of human intelligence and its application expands exponentially with the increasing number of electronic gadgets in our day‐to‐day life. The explosive revolution in multimedia research leads to the need for expanding the utility of texts in a machine vision environment to promote web search operation. Hence, extracting text from images forms the core aspect of information retrieval‐based intelligent system. This article is aimed towards extracting text from unconstrained environments. Here, the significance of the CIE‐Lab colour space is analysed over text localisation assisted through Renyi entropy‐based thresholding. The proposed algorithm is tested on the MSRA Text Detection 500 dataset (MSRA‐TD500) and Street View Text (SVT) datasets, which are challenging datasets. Authors’ proposed Renyi entropy‐based text localisation algorithm is successful in identifying blurred texts, texts with different font characteristics and multi‐lingual texts with manifold orientations from complex background natural scenes.
Novel PLL for power converters under unbalanced and distorted grid conditions
Authors: Wang Jianguo , Wang Jihong , Luo Xing
Published: May 2019

A novel phase‐locked loop (PLL) with simple structure is proposed in the present work for three‐phase power converters under adverse grid conditions. Based on a synchronous rotating frame PLL (SRF‐PLL), multi‐resonant harmonic compensators with the ability of accommodating frequency deviations are employed in the feedback path of a pre‐filter. As a result, the negative‐sequence component and harmonic distortions of grid voltage can be attenuated. Different from existing methods, only classical regulators are used, avoiding complicated networks for the decoupling of unbalance and harmonics and thus greatly simplifying the control algorithm. The proposed method is analysed and designed in both the continuous s ‐domain and discrete z‐ domain, whereby stable, fast, accurate, and robust responses are achieved. Simulation results have been obtained to show the improved performance of the proposed PLL compared with two widely used methods.
Switched reluctance motor design for electric vehicles based on harmonics and back EMF analysis
Authors: Bukhari Abid Ali Shah , Alalibo Belema Prince , Cao Wenping , Lin Zhengyu , Shaikh Shahid Hussain , Soomro Toufique Ahmed , Ansari Shahzeb , Jandan Fayyaz Ali
Published: May 2019

Permanent magnet synchronous motors are widely accepted in automotive applications. The high torque density, high rotational speed with maximum efficiency in electric vehicle applications is technically challenging for motor design. However, these machines are expensive and difficult to work at high‐temperature harsh environment due to permanent magnets demagnetisation features. Alternatively, switched reluctance motors can provide similar output characteristics and a wider speed. Thus these are considered to be more fault tolerant and more reliable. This study proposes a 20 kW, three‐phase switched reluctance motor and analyse its overall performance and harmonic contents. The study is conducted by optimising the slot filling factor, excitation voltage and switching sequence of an asymmetrical half bridge converter. A finite element model is used to predict the core and copper losses and other influencing parameters. Simulation results are presented and analysed the effectiveness of the proposed switched reluctance motor (SRM).
IDM based on image classification with CNN
Authors: Manikonda Santhosh K.G. , Gaonkar Dattatraya N.
Published: May 2019

Distributed generation (DG) has seen tremendous growth to meet the needs of ever‐increasing energy demand. Most of these distributed sources are renewable in nature and connected at the consumer end. The increasing penetration of DG sources has made their control and operation complex. One of the issues that are responsible for this increased complexity is islanding. This study presents a new islanding detection method (IDM) that is based on deep learning approach, using a convolution neural network (CNN). The proposed method first converts time‐series data to images and then uses them to train and test the designed CNN. A CNN is specifically designed to perform islanding detection. The results using the designed CNN are compared with IDMs based on artificial NN and support vector machine. These comparisons show that islanding detection performed using deep learning technique has better detection accuracy. Also, the proposed method performs well even for noisy data.
Approach to suppress the ambipolar current conduction and improve radiofrequency performance in polarity control electrically doped hetero TFET
Authors: Chandan Bandi Venkata , Nigam Kaushal , Kondekar Pravin , Sharma Dheeraj
Published: May 2019

In this work, a distinctive approach for the suppression of ambipolar behaviour of novel polarity control electrically doped hetero tunnel field effect transistor (TFET) has been reported. For this purpose, a wider band gap material, gallium arsenide phosphide has been employed at drain/channel regions. However, narrow band‐gap material, silicon has been used in the source region. This combination of materials leads to a huge reduction in the ambipolar current and significant improvement in ON‐state current due to the reduction in the electric field at the drain/channel interface and improvement in tunnelling rate at the source/channel interface, respectively. The proposed device also reduces the drain to source capacitance due to the presence of potential barrier width which leads to improvement in the radiofrequency performance. Therefore, the proposed device is very useful for ultralow power circuit applications. Moreover, polarity gates (PG1 and PG2) have been considered for the formation of n+ (drain) and p+ (source) regions. Hence, the proposed structure avoids ion implantation, random doping fluctuation, and high thermal budget unlike in the case of conventional TFETs, as the latter is physically doped. All the simulations have been performed using ATLAS software.
Recovering the unsigned photospheric magnetic field from Ca II K observations
Authors: Chatzistergos Theodosios , Ermolli Ilaria , Solanki Sami K. , Krivova Natalie A. , Giorgi Fabrizio , Yeo Kok Leng
Published: May 2019

Context. A number of studies have aimed at defining the exact form of the relation between magnetic field strength and Ca II H and K core brightness. All previous studies have however been restricted to isolated regions on the solar disc or to a limited set of observations.

Aims. We reassess the relationship between the photospheric magnetic field strength and the Ca II K intensity for a variety of surface features as a function of the position on the disc and the solar activity level. This relationship can be used to recover the unsigned photospheric magnetic field from images recorded in the core of Ca II K line.

Methods. We have analysed 131 pairs of high-quality, full-disc, near-co-temporal observations from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (SDO/HMI) and Precision Solar Photometric Telescope (Rome/PSPT) spanning half a solar cycle. To analytically describe the observationally determined relation, we considered three different functions: a power law with an offset, a logarithmic function, and a power-law function of the logarithm of the magnetic flux density. We used the obtained relations to reconstruct maps of the line-of-sight component of the unsigned magnetic field (unsigned magnetograms) from Ca II K observations, which were then compared to the original magnetograms.

Results. We find that both power-law functions represent the data well, while the logarithmic function is good only for quiet periods. We see no significant variation over the solar cycle or over the disc in the derived fit parameters, independently of the function used. We find that errors in the independent variable, which are usually not accounted for, introduce attenuation bias. To address this, we binned the data with respect to the magnetic field strength and Ca II K contrast separately and derived the relation for the bisector of the two binned curves. The reconstructed unsigned magnetograms show good agreement with the original ones. Root mean square differences are less than 90 G. The results were unaffected by the stray-light correction of the SDO/HMI and Rome/PSPT data.

Conclusions. Our results imply that accurately processed and calibrated Ca II K observations can be used to reconstruct unsigned magnetograms by using the relations derived in our study.
Peak star formation efficiency and no missing baryons in massive spirals
Authors: Posti Lorenzo , Fraternali Filippo , Marasco Antonino
Published: May 2019

It is commonly believed that galaxies use, throughout Hubble time, a very small fraction of the baryons associated with their dark matter halos to form stars. This so-called low star formation efficiency f⋆ ≡ M⋆/fbMhalo, where fb ≡ Ωb/Ωc is the cosmological baryon fraction, is expected to reach its peak at nearly L* (at efficiency ≈20%) and decline steeply at lower and higher masses. We have tested this using a sample of nearby star-forming galaxies, from dwarfs (M⋆ ≃ 107 M⊙) to high-mass spirals (M⋆ ≃ 1011 M⊙) with HI rotation curves and 3.6 μm photometry. We fit the observed rotation curves with a Bayesian approach by varying three parameters, stellar mass-to-light ratio Υ⋆, halo concentration c, and mass Mhalo. We found two surprising results: (1) the star formation efficiency is a monotonically increasing function of M⋆ with no sign of a decline at high masses, and (2) the most massive spirals (M⋆ ≃ 1−3 × 1011 M⊙) have f⋆ ≈ 0.3−1, i.e. they have turned nearly all the baryons associated with their halos into stars. These results imply that the most efficient galaxies at forming stars are massive spirals (not L* galaxies); they reach nearly 100% efficiency, and thus once both their cold and hot gas is considered in the baryon budget, they have virtually no missing baryons. Moreover, there is no evidence of mass quenching of the star formation occurring in galaxies up to halo masses of a few × 1012 M⊙.
Operative Therapie des Harnblasenkarzinoms: Fortschritte der letzten 50 Jahre
Authors: Bolenz Christian , Hautmann Richard E.
Published: May 2019

Innerhalb der letzten 5 Jahrzehnte wurden bei der operativen Therapie des Harnblasenkarzinoms enorme Behandlungsfortschritte erzielt. Diese haben die Morbidität und Mortalität der Erkrankung deutlich reduziert. Neben einem kontinuierlich zunehmenden Verständnis der Tumorbiologie trugen zu einer erfolgreicheren Behandlung viele Neuentwicklungen endoskopischer Instrumente und Methoden sowie neue chirurgische Techniken für die radikale Zystektomie (RZ) bei. Durch eine bessere klinisch-pathologische Risikostratifizierung der Patienten stehen mittlerweile unterschiedliche Behandlungspfade zur Verfügung. Diese reichen von wiederholten endoskopischen Resektionen über eine risikoadaptierte adjuvante Instillationstherapie bis hin zur RZ, die darüber hinaus Bestandteil eines multimodalen kurativen Konzeptes sein kann. Zum 50-jährigen Jubiläum der Aktuellen Urologie geben wir einen Überblick über die wichtigsten Fortschritte seit dem Jahr 1969 und die aktuellen Entwicklungen bei der operativen Therapie des Harnblasenkarzinoms. Moderne endoskopische Bildgebungsverfahren („enhanced cystoscopy“) und das molekulare Subtyping verbessern die Risikoeinschätzung. Außerdem bestehen erste Erfahrungen mit der roboterassistierten RZ, neue Tendenzen zur Standardisierung von Techniken, ein verbessertes perioperatives Management sowie Initiativen zur Qualitätsmessung von funktionellem und onkologischem Outcome. All diese Entwicklungen werden die Lebensqualität und die Heilungsraten von Patienten mit einem Harnblasenkarzinom weiter verbessern.
Rheumatologie und Hepatologie: Diagnostik und Therapie von
autoimmunen Lebererkrankungen
Authors: Zipprich Alexander
Published: May 2019

Unter autoimmunen Lebererkrankungen werden im klassischen Sinne 3 verschiedene
Entitäten, die Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH), die Primär biliäre Cholangitis (PBC)
und die Primär sklerosierende Cholangitis (PSC) verstanden. Der nachfolgende
Übersichtartikel fokusiert auf die Diagnostik und die Therapie dieser 3
autoimmunen Lebererkrankungen und gibt eine Übersicht zu möglichen zusätzlich
assoziierten Autoimmunerkrankungen.
Copper-Catalyzed Deoxygenative C2-Sulfonylation of Quinoline N-Oxides with DABSO and Phenyldiazonium Tetrafluoroborates for the Synthesis of 2-Sulfonylquinolines via a Radical Reaction
Authors: Li Guang-Hui , Dong Dao-Qing , Deng Qi , Yan Shi-Qiang , Wang Zu-Li
Published: May 2019

An efficient and practical method for the synthesis of 2-sulfonylquinolines through copper-catalyzed deoxygenative C2-sulfonylation of quinoline N-oxides with 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane bis(sulfur dioxide) (DABSO) and phenyldiazonium tetrafluoroborates is demonstrated. Products with various substituents were obtained in moderate to high yields.
Impact of a Two-Filter Cerebral Embolic Protection Device on the Complexity and Risk of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement
Authors: Voss Stephanie , Deutsch Marcus-André , Schechtl Johanna , Erlebach Magdalena , Sideris Konstantinos , Lange Rüdiger , Bleiziffer Sabine
Published: May 2019

Background There is a growing use of cerebral protection devices in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). We aimed to analyze if the use of these devices itself has an impact on the complexity and the risk of TAVR.

Methods Between February 2016 and July 2017, 391 patients underwent transfemoral TAVR with Medtronic CoreValve Evolut R (n = 196) or Edwards Sapien 3 (n = 195). In 39 patients, the Claret Sentinel™ embolic protection device (CS-EPD) was used. Prospectively collected data were retrospectively analyzed, comparing fluoroscopy/operation time, amount of contrast used, vascular events, and postprocedural renal function in TAVR patients with (n = 39) and without (n = 352) CS-EPD.

Results The CS-EPD was placed through the right radial (n = 35) or brachial (n = 4) artery. Procedural success rate defined as correct deployment and retraction of both filters was 94.9%. No device-related vascular complications occurred. TAVR patients with CS-EPD showed a significantly higher total operation time, total fluoroscopy time, and amount of used contrast (85.4 ± 39.3 vs. 64 ± 29.8 minutes, p = 0.002; 20.7 ± 9.3 vs. 13.7 ± 7 minutes, p ≤ 0.001; 133.7 ± 42.6 vs. 109.7 ± 44.5 mL, p = 0.001). Comparing the initial third of patients receiving a CS-EPD with the last third of CS-EPD cases, procedural time had decreased significantly (102.5 ± 34.9 vs. 67 ± 11.9; p = 0.002). There were no differences in postprocedural renal failure (p = 0.80).

Conclusion Our data add evidence that the application of the CS-EPD is not associated with an additional risk for the patient. Although procedural time and amount of contrast are still higher when using the CS-EPD, there were no device-related complications or increased incidence of renal failure.
Integration of bandgap-engineered double-stacked channel layers with nitrogen doping for high-performance InGaO TFTs
Authors: Cheng Yen-Chi , Chang Sheng-Po , Yang Chun-Po , Chang Shoou-Jinn
Published: May 2019

High-performance indium-gallium oxide (IGO) thin film transistors (TFTs) with a double-stacked channel layer (DSCL) were obtained by the in-situ nitrogen doping technique. By means of their distinctive feature of bandgap narrowing, devices with an IGO/IGO:N double-stacked channel showed superior electrical characteristics (μFE = 25 cm2/V s and ION/IOFF > 108) than those with a single channel layer. Moreover, owing to the reduced oxygen vacancies, the bias stability was significantly improved. Through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis, we optimized the model of bandgap engineering. It not only provides an explicit principle for the design of the DSCL configuration but also facilitates the manufacture of high-quality passivation-free TFTs for practical applications.
Numerical simulation of two coalescing turbulent forced plumes in linearly stratified fluids
Authors: Lou Yingzhong , He Zhiguo , Jiang Houshuo , Han Xiqiu
Published: May 2019

A computational fluid dynamic model that can solve the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations and the species transport equation is developed to simulate two coalescing turbulent forced plumes, which are released with initial momentum and buoyancy flux into a linearly stable stratified environment. The velocity fields, turbulence structures, and entrainment of two plumes with different source separations and source buoyancy fluxes are analyzed quantitatively, in comparison with a series of physical experiments. An empirical parameterization is proposed to predict the amplification of the maximum rise height of two coalescing forced plumes caused by superposition and mutual entrainment. The maximum values of both turbulent kinetic energy and turbulence dissipation rate decrease monotonically with the increase in source separation of the two turbulent plumes. However, the trajectory of the maximum turbulent viscosity attained in the plume cap region presents two notable enhancements. This variation may be attributed to the turbulence transported from the touching region and the strong mixing around the neutrally buoyant layer between two plumes, while the mixing is caused by the lateral convection and the rebound after overshooting. The plume entrainment coefficient in near vent stems has a positive relationship with the source Richardson number. A transition of flow regimes to plume-like flows would occur when the contribution of initial momentum is important. The entrainment coefficient will decrease in the touching region of two plumes due to mutual entrainment, while the superposition of plumes can lead to distortion of the boundary of plume sectors.
A comparatively experimental study on the temperature-dependent performance of thermophotovoltaic cells
Authors: Zhang Chao , Liao Zhenghai , Tang Liangliang , Liu Zhuming , Huo Rongling , Wang Zhiping , Qiu Kuanrong
Published: May 2019

The power output and the efficiency of a thermophotovoltaic (TPV) system are determined by the radiation from a heat source, TPV cells, system parasitic losses, cell cooling subsystems, etc. The cells are core devices of a system, and the performance of the cells can be characterized by a number of parameters, including open circuit voltage (Voc), short circuit current density (Isc), and maximum output power density (Pm). The cell temperature has a great effect on these parameters. Although several papers have reported the dependence of these parameters on the cell temperature, few studies experimentally examined the temperature-dependent performance of the TPV cells or comparatively analyzed them. In this study, we investigated how the fundamental parameters of GaSb, Ge, and InGaAsSb cells varied with their operating temperatures using a home-built TPV prototype. The measured data indicate that the cell temperature significantly affects the performance of the TPV cells. Variations of these parameters with the cell temperature are different for various TPV cells. The Voc and Pm of the GaSb, Ge, and InGaAsSb cells decreased linearly with increasing cell temperature, while the Isc increased slightly. The normalized value of the temperature coefficient for the Pm of the GaSb was lower than those for the Ge and InGaAsSb cells, which indicated that the GaSb cells were relatively less sensitive to cell temperature. The results provided in this study are useful to improve cell performance and design TPV systems.
ZnO/Si and ZnO/Ge bilayer tunneling field effect transistors: Experimental characterization of electrical properties
Authors: Kato Kimihiko , Matsui Hiroaki , Tabata Hitoshi , Takenaka Mitsuru , Takagi Shinichi
Published: May 2019

In this study, we experimentally characterize the electrical properties of a bilayer tunneling field effect transistor (TFET) with a heterotunneling junction composed of an oxide-semiconductor source and a group-IV-semiconductor channel in detail. Bilayer TFETs with a n-ZnO/p-Si or n-ZnO/p-Ge heterotunneling junction with type-II energy band alignment are fabricated by pulsed-laser deposition of a zinc oxide (ZnO) layer on Si or Ge with various impurity concentrations. The evidence of the TFET operation are examined through a comparison of the electrical characteristics with ZnO thin film transistors as well as the tunneling junction area dependence, which is important for clarifying the operating mechanism. The source material and its impurity concentration significantly affect the Id-Vg and Id-Vd characteristics of the bilayer TFETs, with reducing tunneling barrier height and tunneling distance. The influence of the source materials and doping concentrations is also studied by simulation. As a result, the minimum subthreshold swing (SS) of 71 mV/dec and the Ion/Ioff ratio of ∼6 × 108 have been achieved for n-ZnO/p-Si and n-ZnO/p-Ge TFETs, respectively, at room temperature. It is also found that the fabricated TFET shows weak measurement temperature dependencies of Ion and SS, which are expected for TFETs, with the extremely low off-state current in a fA/μm range. These characterizations of the electrical characteristics of the bilayer TFETs are important not only for a physical understanding of the operating mechanism but also for further improvement of the TFET performance.
Ab initio spectroscopic characterization of the radical CH3OCH2 at low temperatures
Authors: Yazidi O. , Senent M. L. , Gámez V. , Carvajal M. , Al-Mogren M. Mogren
Published: May 2019

Spectroscopic and structural properties of methoxymethyl radical (CH3OCH2, RDME) are determined using explicitly correlated ab initio methods. This radical of astrophysical and atmospheric relevance has not been fully characterized at low temperatures, which has delayed astrophysical research. We provide rovibrational parameters, excitations to the low energy electronic states, torsional and inversion barriers, and low vibrational energy levels. In the electronic ground state (X2A), which appears “clean” from nonadiabatic effects, the minimum energy structure is an asymmetric geometry whose rotational constants and dipole moment have been determined to be A0 = 46 718.67 MHz, B0 = 10 748.42 MHz, and C0 = 9272.51 MHz, and 1.432D (μA = 0.695D, µB = 1.215D, µC = 0.302D), respectively. A variational procedure has been applied to determine torsion-inversion energy levels. Each level splits into 3 subcomponents (A1/A2 and E) corresponding to the three methyl torsion minima. Although the potential energy surface presents 12 minima, at low temperatures, the infrared band shapes correspond to a surface with only three minima because the top of the inversion Vα barrier at α = 0° (109 cm−1) stands below the zero point vibrational energy and the CH2 torsional barrier is relatively high (∼2000 cm−1). The methyl torsion barrier was computed to be ∼500 cm−1 and produces a splitting of 0.01 cm−1 of the ground vibrational state.
Australian Magpie
Authors: Kaplan Gisela
Published: May 2019

The Australian magpie is one of our nation’s most popular and iconic birds. It is loved for its impressive vocal abilities, propensity to play, excellent parenting and willingness to form enduring friendships with people.
Written by award-winning author Gisela Kaplan, a leading authority on animal behaviour and Australian birds, this second edition of Australian Magpie is a thoroughly updated and substantially expanded account of the behaviour of these birds. With new chapters on classification, cognition and caring for young, it reveals the extraordinary capabilities of the magpie, including its complex social behaviour. The author, who has devoted more than 20 years to studying and interacting with magpies, brings together the latest research on the magpie’s biology and behaviour, along with information on the origin of magpies, their development and health not published previously.
This fascinating book has a wide appeal to bird lovers, amateur ornithologists and naturalists, as well as those with a scientific or professional interest in avian behaviour and ecology and those interested in the importance of native birds to the environment.
Corrigendum to: In silico characterisation and functional validation of chilling tolerant divergence 1 (COLD1) gene in monocots during abiotic stress
Authors: Anunanthini P. , Manoj V. M. , Sarath Padmanabhan T. S. , Dhivya S. , Narayan J. Ashwin , Appunu C. , Sathishkumar R.
Published: May 2019

The G protein-coupled receptor is one of the major transmembrane proteins in plants. It consists of an α subunit, a β subunit and three γ subunits. Chilling tolerant divergence 1 (COLD1) includes a Golgi pH receptor (GPHR) domain, which maintains cell membrane organisation and dynamics, along with abscisic acid linked G protein-coupled receptor (ABA_GPCR) that regulates the signalling pathways during cold stress. In the present study, we performed characterisation of a homologous COLD1 from the economically important monocot species Oryza sativa L., Zea mays L., Sorghum bicolor (L.)Moench and Erianthus arundinaceus (L.) Beauv. IK 76-81, a wild relative of Saccharum. COLD1 was isolated from E. arundinaceus IK 76-81, analysed for its evolution, domain, membrane topology, followed by prediction of secondary, tertiary structures and functionally validated in all four different monocots. Gene expression studies of COLD1 revealed differential expression under heat, drought, salinity and cold stresses in selected monocots. This is the first study on regulation of native COLD1 during abiotic stress in monocots, which has opened up new leads for trait improvement strategies in this economically important crop species.
Evaluating the microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir processed Al–Si alloy
Authors: Golafshani Kamran Babapour , Nourouzi Salman , Jamshidi Aval Hamed
Published: May 2019

In this study, mechanical behaviour and microstructural evolution in friction stir processing (FSP) of casting hypereutectic A390 aluminium alloy have been investigated. The mechanical behaviour of FSP samples was investigated by measuring the strain rate sensitivity using shear punch testing. The room-temperature shear punch tests were conducted at shear strain rates in the range of 10−4–10−1 s−1. The results indicate that the strain rate sensitivity index increases from about 0.015 to 0.120 for as-cast A390 after third FSP pass and then experiences a further growth in FSP passes. The increase in the grain size and CuAl2 intermetallic particle size result in a reduction in strain sensitivity index as well as shear strength after third FSP pass.
The PHLPP2 phosphatase is a druggable driver of prostate cancer progression
Authors: Nowak Dawid G. , Katsenelson Ksenya Cohen , Watrud Kaitlin E. , Chen Muhan , Mathew Grinu , D’Andrea Vincent D. , Lee Matthew F. , Swamynathan Manojit Mosur , Casanova-Salas Irene , Jibilian Megan C. , Buckholtz Caroline L. , Ambrico Alexandra J. , Pan Chun-Hao , Wilkinson John E. , Newton Alexandra C. , Trotman Lloyd C.
Published: May 2019

Metastatic prostate cancer commonly presents with targeted, bi-allelic mutations of the PTEN and TP53 tumor suppressor genes. In contrast, however, most candidate tumor suppressors are part of large recurrent hemizygous deletions, such as the common chromosome 16q deletion, which involves the AKT-suppressing phosphatase PHLPP2. Using RapidCaP, a genetically engineered mouse model of Pten/Trp53 mutant metastatic prostate cancer, we found that complete loss of Phlpp2 paradoxically blocks prostate tumor growth and disease progression. Surprisingly, we find that Phlpp2 is essential for supporting Myc, a key driver of lethal prostate cancer. Phlpp2 dephosphorylates threonine-58 of Myc, which renders it a limiting positive regulator of Myc stability. Furthermore, we show that small-molecule inhibitors of PHLPP2 can suppress MYC and kill PTEN mutant cells. Our findings reveal that the frequent hemizygous deletions on chromosome 16q present a druggable vulnerability for targeting MYC protein through PHLPP2 phosphatase inhibitors.
AKAP79/150 recruits the transcription factor NFAT to regulate signaling to the nucleus by neuronal L-type Ca2+channels
Authors: Murphy Jonathan G. , Crosby Kevin C. , Dittmer Philip J. , Sather William A. , Dell’Acqua Mark L.
Published: May 2019

In neurons, regulation of activity-dependent transcription by the nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) depends upon Ca2+influx through voltage-gated L-type calcium channels (LTCC) and NFAT translocation to the nucleus following its dephosphorylation by the Ca2+-dependent phosphatase calcineurin (CaN). CaN is recruited to the channel by A-kinase anchoring protein (AKAP) 79/150, which binds to the LTCC C-terminus via a modified leucine-zipper (LZ) interaction. Here we sought to gain new insights into how LTCCs and signaling to NFAT are regulated by this LZ interaction. RNA interference–mediated knockdown of endogenous AKAP150 and replacement with human AKAP79 lacking its C-terminal LZ domain resulted in loss of depolarization-stimulated NFAT signaling in rat hippocampal neurons. However, the LZ mutation had little impact on the AKAP–LTCC interaction or LTCC function, as measured by Förster resonance energy transfer, Ca2+imaging, and electrophysiological recordings. AKAP79 and NFAT coimmunoprecipitated when coexpressed in heterologous cells, and the LZ mutation disrupted this association. Critically, measurements of NFAT mobility in neurons employing fluorescence recovery after photobleaching and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy provided further evidence for an AKAP79 LZ interaction with NFAT. These findings suggest that the AKAP79/150 LZ motif functions to recruit NFAT to the LTCC signaling complex to promote its activation by AKAP-anchored calcineurin.
Spindle–F-actin interactions in mitotic spindles in an intact vertebrate epithelium
Authors: Kita Angela M. , Swider Zachary T. , Erofeev Ivan , Halloran Mary C. , Goryachev Andrew B. , Bement William M.
Published: May 2019

Mitotic spindles are well known to be assembled from and dependent on microtubules. In contrast, whether actin filaments (F-actin) are required for or are even present in mitotic spindles has long been controversial. Here we have developed improved methods for simultaneously preserving F-actin and microtubules in fixed samples and exploited them to demonstrate that F-actin is indeed associated with mitotic spindles in intact Xenopus laevis embryonic epithelia. We also find that there is an “F-actin cycle,” in which the distribution and organization of spindle F-actin changes over the course of the cell cycle. Live imaging using a probe for F-actin reveals that at least two pools of F-actin are associated with mitotic spindles: a relatively stable internal network of cables that moves in concert with and appears to be linked to spindles, and F-actin “fingers” that rapidly extend from the cell cortex toward the spindle and make transient contact with the spindle poles. We conclude that there is a robust endoplasmic F-actin network in normal vertebrate epithelial cells and that this network is also a component of mitotic spindles. More broadly, we conclude that there is far more internal F-actin in epithelial cells than is commonly believed.
The association of grip strength with health outcomes does not differ if grip strength is used in absolute or relative terms: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Ho Frederick K W , Celis-Morales Carlos A , Petermann-Rocha Fanny , Sillars Anne , Welsh Paul , Welsh Claire , Anderson Jana , Lyall Donald M , Mackay Daniel F , Sattar Naveed , Gill Jason M R , Pell Jill P , Gray Stuart R
Published: May 2019

Background

higher grip strength is associated with better health outcomes. The optimal way to report grip strength (i.e. absolute vs. relative) for prediction, however, remains to be established.

Methods

in participants (aged 37–73 at baseline) from the UK Biobank, we examined the associations of grip strength, expressed in absolute terms (kilograms) and relative to anthropometric variables, with mortality and disease incidence, after exclusion of the first 2 years of follow-up, and compared risk predictions scores of handgrip strength when differentially expressed.

Results

of the 356 721 participants included in the analysis 6,234 died (1.7%) and 4,523 developed CVD (1.3%) over a mean follow-up of 5.0 years (ranging from 3.3 to 7.8) for mortality and 4.1 years (ranging from 2.4 to 7.0) for disease incidence data. As expected, baseline higher grip strength was associated with lower risk of all-cause and cause specific mortality and incidence. These associations did not meaningfully differ when grip-strength was expressed in absolute terms, vs. relative to height, weight, fat-free mass, BMI, fat-free mass index and fat-free mass, or as z-scores. Similarly the different ways of expressing grip strength had little effect on the ability of grip strength to improve risk prediction, based on C-index change, of an office-based risk score.

Conclusions

the ability of grip strength to predict mortality is not altered by changing how it is expressed.
How demographic processes shape animal social networks
Authors: Shizuka Daizaburo , Johnson Allison E
Published: May 2019

Demographic processes play a key role in shaping the patterns of social relations among individuals in a population. Social network analysis is a powerful quantitative tool for assessing the social structure formed by associations between individuals. However, demographic processes are rarely accounted for in such analyses. Here, we summarize how the structure of animal social networks is shaped by the joint effects of social behavior and turnover of individuals and suggest how a deeper understanding of these processes can open new, exciting avenues for research. Death or dispersal can have the direct effect of removing an individual and all its social connections, and can also have indirect effects, spurring changes in the distribution of social connections between remaining individuals. Recruitment and integration of juveniles and immigrant into existing social networks are critical to the emergence and persistence of social network structure. Together, these behavioral responses to loss and gain of social partners may impact how societies respond to seasonal or catastrophic turnover events. The fitness consequences of social position (e.g., survival and reproductive rates) may also create feedback between the social network structure and demography. Understanding how social structure changes in response to turnover of individuals requires further integration between long-term field studies and network modeling methods. These efforts will likely yield new insights into the connections between social networks and life history, ecological change, and evolutionary dynamics.
A survey on identification and quantification of alternative polyadenylation sites from RNA-seq data
Authors: Chen Moliang , Ji Guoli , Fu Hongjuan , Lin Qianmin , Ye Congting , Ye Wenbin , Su Yaru , Wu Xiaohui
Published: May 2019

Alternative polyadenylation (APA) has been implicated to play an important role in post-transcriptional regulation by regulating mRNA abundance, stability, localization and translation, which contributes considerably to transcriptome diversity and gene expression regulation. RNA-seq has become a routine approach for transcriptome profiling, generating unprecedented data that could be used to identify and quantify APA site usage. A number of computational approaches for identifying APA sites and/or dynamic APA events from RNA-seq data have emerged in the literature, which provide valuable yet preliminary results that should be refined to yield credible guidelines for the scientific community. In this review, we provided a comprehensive overview of the status of currently available computational approaches. We also conducted objective benchmarking analysis using RNA-seq data sets from different species (human, mouse and Arabidopsis) and simulated data sets to present a systematic evaluation of 11 representative methods. Our benchmarking study showed that the overall performance of all tools investigated is moderate, reflecting that there is still lot of scope to improve the prediction of APA site or dynamic APA events from RNA-seq data. Particularly, prediction results from individual tools differ considerably, and only a limited number of predicted APA sites or genes are common among different tools. Accordingly, we attempted to give some advice on how to assess the reliability of the obtained results. We also proposed practical recommendations on the appropriate method applicable to diverse scenarios and discussed implications and future directions relevant to profiling APA from RNA-seq data.
Data imbalance in CRISPR off-target prediction
Authors: Gao Yuli , Chuai Guohui , Yu Weichuan , Qu Shen , Liu Qi
Published: May 2019

For genome-wide CRISPR off-target cleavage sites (OTS) prediction, an important issue is data imbalance—the number of true OTS recognized by whole-genome off-target detection techniques is much smaller than that of all possible nucleotide mismatch loci, making the training of machine learning model very challenging. Therefore, computational models proposed for OTS prediction and scoring should be carefully designed and properly evaluated in order to avoid bias. In our study, two tools are taken as examples to further emphasize the data imbalance issue in CRISPR off-target prediction to achieve better sensitivity and specificity for optimized CRISPR gene editing. We would like to indicate that (1) the benchmark of CRISPR off-target prediction should be properly evaluated and not overestimated by considering data imbalance issue; (2) incorporation of efficient computational techniques (including ensemble learning and data synthesis techniques) can help to address the data imbalance issue and improve the performance of CRISPR off-target prediction. Taking together, we call for more efforts to address the data imbalance issue in CRISPR off-target prediction to facilitate clinical utility of CRISPR-based gene editing techniques.
Modeling local dependence in latent vector autoregressive models
Authors: Tran Trung Dung , Lesaffre Emmanuel , Verbeke Geert , Duyck Joke
Published: May 2019

We propose a Bayesian latent vector autoregressive (LVAR) model to analyze multivariate longitudinal data of binary and ordinal variables (items) as a function of a small number of continuous latent variables. We focus on the evolution of the latent variables while taking into account the correlation structure of the responses. Often local independence is assumed in this context. Local independence implies that, given the latent variables, the responses are assumed mutually independent cross-sectionally and longitudinally. However, in practice conditioning on the latent variables may not remove the dependence of the responses. We address local dependence by further conditioning on item-specific random effects. A simulation study shows that wrongly assuming local independence may give biased estimates for the regression coefficients of the LVAR process as well as the item-specific parameters. Novel features of our proposal include (i) correcting biased estimates of the model parameters, especially the regression coefficients of the LVAR process, obtained when local dependence is ignored and (ii) measuring the magnitude of local dependence. We applied our model on data obtained from a registry on the elderly population in Belgium. The purpose was to examine the values of oral health information on top of general health information.
Gaussian process regression for survival time prediction with genome-wide gene expression
Authors: Molstad Aaron J , Hsu Li , Sun Wei
Published: May 2019

Predicting the survival time of a cancer patient based on his/her genome-wide gene expression remains a challenging problem. For certain types of cancer, the effects of gene expression on survival are both weak and abundant, so identifying non-zero effects with reasonable accuracy is difficult. As an alternative to methods that use variable selection, we propose a Gaussian process accelerated failure time model to predict survival time using genome-wide or pathway-wide gene expression data. Using a Monte Carlo expectation–maximization algorithm, we jointly impute censored log-survival time and estimate model parameters. We demonstrate the performance of our method and its advantage over existing methods in both simulations and real data analysis. The real data that we analyze were collected from 513 patients with kidney renal clear cell carcinoma and include survival time, demographic/clinical variables, and expression of more than 20 000 genes. In addition to the right-censored survival time, our method can also accommodate left-censored or interval-censored outcomes; and it provides a natural way to combine multiple types of high-dimensional -omics data. An R package implementing our method is available in the Supplementary material available at Biostatistics online.