bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine inhibit bladder cancer cell growth by targeting basal autophagy and enhancing apoptosis
Authors: Lin Yi‐Chia , Lin Ji‐Fan , Wen Sheng‐I , Yang Shan‐Che , Tsai Te‐Fu , Chen Hung‐En , Chou Kuang‐Yu , Hwang Thomas I‐Sheng
Published: February 2017

Chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), two antimalarial drugs, are suggested to have potential anticancer properties. in the present study, we investigated the effects of CQ and HCQ on cell growth of bladder cancer with emphasis on autophagy inhibition and apoptosis induction in vitro. The results showed that CQ and HCQ inhibited the proliferation of multiple human bladder cell lines (including RT4, 5637, and T24) in a time‐ and dose‐dependent fashion, especially in advanced bladder cancer cell lines (5637 and T24) compared to immortalized uroepithelial cells (SV‐Huc‐1) or other reference cancer cell lines (PC3 and MCF‐7). We found that 24‐hour treatment of CQ or HCQ significantly decreased the clonogenic formation in 5637 and T24 cells compared to SV‐Huc‐1. As human bladder cancer tumor exhibits high basal level of autophagic activities, we detected the autophagic flux in cells treated with CQ and HCQ, showing an alternation in LC3 flux in CQ‐ or HCQ‐treated cells. Moreover, bladder cancer cells treated with CQ and HCQ underwent apoptosis, resulting in increased caspase 3/7 activities, increased level of cleaved poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP), caspase 3, and DNA fragmentation. Given these results, targeting autophagy with CQ and HCQ represents an effective cancer therapeutic strategy against human bladder cancer.
Discussants' Reactions
Authors: Bowen James
Published: February 2017

The past few years have been particularly troublesome for the American people, not the least of the worries being a concern with the Russian challenge to the American way of life. The incredible successes of the Russians in orbiting satellites and exploding nuclear weapons has been both a disturbing and a sobering thought to the United States, long secure in its isolation and power, and in the belief that it was the best society on earth. More than a decade ago an enduringPax Americanabased upon the unilateral possession of the atomic bomb disappeared; with the launching of various Sputniki since 1958 morale has dropped even lower.
Introduction
Authors: Kaestle Carl F.
Published: February 2017

The History of Education Quarterly has done it again. Despite many scholars' previous attempts to summarize the state of the art in historical studies of literacy, this special issue will now be the best, up-to-date place for a novice to start. It should be required reading for everyone interested in this subfield. The editors have enlisted an impressive roster of prominent scholars in the field, and these authors have provided us with an excellent array of synthetic reviews, methodological and theoretical discussions, and exemplary research papers.
Editorial Note
Authors: McClellan B. Edward
Published: February 2017

To the readers of the History of Education Quarterly:

With the publication of this issue, an important era in the life of the History of Education Quarterly comes to an end. For nearly twenty years the Quarterly has been published at New York University, where both the business and editorial offices have been located. Now those offices are being moved to Indiana University at Bloomington, where future issues will be published.
Importance of serological cross-reactivity amongToxoplasma gondii, Hammondiaspp.,Neosporaspp.,Sarcocystisspp. andBesnoitia besnoiti
Authors: GONDIM LUÍS F. P. , MINEO JOSÉ R. , SCHARES GEREON
Published: February 2017

Toxoplasma gondii, Neosporaspp.,Sarcocystisspp.,Hammondiaspp. andBesnoitia besnoitiare genetically related cyst-forming coccidia. Serology is frequently used for the identification ofT. gondii, Neosporaspp. andB. besnoiti-exposed individuals. Serologic cross-reactions occur in different tests among animals infected withT. gondiiandH. hammondi,as well as among animals infected byT. gondiiandN. caninum. Infections caused byN. caninumandN. hughesiare almost indistinguishable by serology.Neospora caninum, B. besnoitiandSarcocystisspp. infections in cattle show some degree of serologic cross-reactivity. Antibody cross-reactivity betweenNeosporaspp. andH. heydorni-infected animals is suspected, but not proven to occur. We review serologic cross-reactivity among animals and/or humans infected withT. gondii, Neosporaspp.,Sarcocystisspp.,Hammondiaspp. andB. besnoiti. Emphasis is laid upon antigens and serological methods forN. caninumdiagnosis which were tested for cross-reactivity with related protozoa. Species-specific antigens, as well as stage-specific proteins have been identified in some of these parasites and have promising use for diagnosis and epidemiological surveys.
Parasitism as the main factor shaping peptide vocabularies in current organisms
Authors: ZEMKOVÁ MICHAELA , ZAHRADNÍK DANIEL , MOKREJŠ MARTIN , FLEGR JAROSLAV
Published: February 2017

Self/non-self-discrimination by vertebrate immune systems is based on the recognition of the presence of peptides in proteins of a parasite that are not contained in the proteins of a host. Therefore, a reduction of the number of ‘words’ in its own peptide vocabulary could be an efficient evolutionary strategy of parasites for escaping recognition. Here, we compared peptide vocabularies of 30 endoparasitic and 17 free-living unicellular organisms and also eight multicellular parasitic and 16 multicellular free-living organisms. We found that both unicellular and multicellular parasites used a significantly lower number of different pentapeptides than free-living controls. Impoverished pentapeptide vocabularies in parasites were observed across all five clades that contain both the parasitic and free-living species. The effect of parasitism on a number of peptides used in an organism's proteins is larger than effects of all other studied factors, including the size of a proteome, the number of encoded proteins, etc. This decrease of pentapeptide diversity was partly compensated for by an increased number of hexapeptides. Our results support the hypothesis of parasitism-associated reduction of peptide vocabulary and suggest that T-cell receptors mostly recognize the five amino acids-long part of peptides that are presented in the groove of major histocompatibility complex molecules.
Characterizing cognitive heterogeneity on the schizophrenia–bipolar disorder spectrum
Authors: Van Rheenen T. E. , Lewandowski K. E. , Tan E. J. , Ospina L. H. , Ongur D. , Neill E. , Gurvich C. , Pantelis C. , Malhotra A. K. , Rossell S. L. , Burdick K. E.
Published: February 2017

Background

Current group-average analysis suggests quantitative but not qualitative cognitive differences between schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD). There is increasing recognition that cognitive within-group heterogeneity exists in both disorders, but it remains unclear as to whether between-group comparisons of performance in cognitive subgroups emerging from within each of these nosological categories uphold group-average findings. We addressed this by identifying cognitive subgroups in large samples of SZ and BD patients independently, and comparing their cognitive profiles. The utility of a cross-diagnostic clustering approach to understanding cognitive heterogeneity in these patients was also explored.

Method

Hierarchical clustering analyses were conducted using cognitive data from 1541 participants (SZn= 564, BDn= 402, healthy controln= 575).

Results

Three qualitatively and quantitatively similar clusters emerged within each clinical group: a severely impaired cluster, a mild-moderately impaired cluster and a relatively intact cognitive cluster. A cross-diagnostic clustering solution also resulted in three subgroups and was superior in reducing cognitive heterogeneity compared with disorder clustering independently.

Conclusions

Quantitative SZ–BD cognitive differences commonly seen using group averages did not hold when cognitive heterogeneity was factored into our sample. Members of each corresponding subgroup, irrespective of diagnosis, might be manifesting the outcome of differences in shared cognitive risk factors.
Anti-dumping Practices and China's Implementation of WTO Rulings
Authors: Zhou Weihuan , Zhang Shu
Published: February 2017

We explore China's behaviour in taking anti-dumping actions, with a focus on those which have been challenged under the WTO dispute settlement mechanism. We argue that the typical motivations behind China's resort to anti-dumping measures include protection, retaliation, industrial development and export promotion. These motivations are likely to carry more weight than China's observance of WTO obligations when deciding whether to impose anti-dumping measures and whether to implement WTO rulings. Brief recommendations are provided to foreign governments and exporters on how to avoid China's anti-dumping actions.
UNDERGROUND PITS (CHULTUNES) IN THE SOUTHERN MAYA LOWLANDS: EXCAVATION RESULTS FROM CLASSIC PERIOD MAYA SITES IN NORTHWESTERN PETÉN
Authors: Cagnato Clarissa
Published: February 2017

Chultunes— underground pits carved into bedrock — have been reported by the hundreds in the Maya region, yet debate on their principal use continues to this day. Sincechultuneshave not yielded solid data to answer the questions posed by Maya archeologists, they are sometimes not completely excavated or reported in detail. This article presents a review of previous work onchultunesin the Maya lowlands, followed by the presentation of new data from sixchultunesexcavated at archaeological sites in northwestern Petén, Guatemala. I argue that, although these underground features were primarily used for utilitarian purposes, there is strong evidence thatchultunesalso had ritual importance to the ancient Maya. The variability in the shape, size, and associated cultural materials, including macrobotanical remains, justifies further in-depth investigations ofchultunes. Archaeologists should consider investigating these features more systematically, as a larger comparative sample ofchultunescould aid in assessing whether there are local patterns of construction, use, and reuse. Thus, excavations of these features should be encouraged.
Rural Society and the Painters’ Trade in Post-Reformation England
Authors: TITTLER ROBERT
Published: February 2017

This article examines two opposing views on the role and presence of painters in post-Reformation rural England. The art historian William Gaunt concluded that painters simply ‘vanished’ from the local scene in their flight to London; the historical geographer John Patten saw non-agricultural workers in general flocking to the rural scene in the same era. Drawing on a database of over 2,600 working painters, the article explores the presence and role of the painters’ occupation in rural England between 1500 and 1640. It emphasises the painters’ accommodation to changing consumer demands; it offers a revised view of their geographic distribution over time; it shows that painters continued to serve the rural scene, albeit in somewhat different ways and from different locales than before.
Agricultural Output Growth in a Proto- and Early Industrial Setting: Evidence from Sharecropping in Western Westphalia and the Lower Rhineland, c. 1740–1860
Authors: KOPSIDIS MICHAEL , PFISTER ULRICH , SCHOLTEN FRIEDERIKE , BRACHT JOHANNES
Published: February 2017

An evidence-based time series on agricultural growth prior to 1850 only exists for very few German territories. Except for Saxony, there is no series available for the pre-1815 period. Based on sharecropping contracts from the estate of Anholt, we reconstruct the development of crop production for western Westphalia and the lower Rhineland c. 1740–1860. Our results show that parallel to Saxony, agricultural growth in this north-west German region was driven entirely by demand from a growing number of households engaged in proto-industrial and early industrial manufacture production. Fully commercialised land tenure systems dominated in Anholt from the beginning of the early modern period, and manorial institutions had little relevance for rural property relations. Hence, the radical French and Prussian agrarian reforms at the beginning of the nineteenth century had no effect on agricultural production. In a north-west European comparison, Anholt's sharecroppers performed rather well during this decisive formation period culminating in early industrialisation.
Polycentric orders and post-disaster recovery: a case study of one Orthodox Jewish community following Hurricane Sandy
Authors: STORR VIRGIL HENRY , GRUBE LAURA E. , HAEFFELE-BALCH STEFANIE
Published: February 2017

Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast of the United States on 29 October 2012, flooding hundreds of thousands of homes and costing over $50 billion in property damage. After Hurricane Sandy residents and communities required food, water and clothing, and in the weeks and months following, there was demand for cleaning supplies, building materials and contracting services. Polycentric orders, because of their flexibility and access to local knowledge, are well suited to respond to the challenges of disaster. We highlight the importance of privately provided social services within polycentric orders and illustrate that the private provision of these services was important to post-disaster recovery in the Orthodox Jewish community in the Rockaway Peninsula in New York.
Before and after urban warfare: Conflict prevention and transitions in cities
Authors: Sampaio Antônio
Published: February 2017

The rising pressures of urbanization in fragile and conflict-affected countries have increased concerns about the vulnerability of cities to armed threats. Changes in the character of armed conflict during the twenty-first century and its effects on cities in the developing world have exposed gaps in the planning and practice of peace and security, which retain a “nation-State bias” that circumvents local perspectives and agencies. Whereas full-scale use of military power in cities remains as destructive today as it has ever been, international organizations such as the United Nations have called for changed approaches to State tactics in urban areas. Mechanisms designed to prevent conflict or to help countries transition back to peace are particularly key if massive human and economic damages are to be avoided in a world of increasingly dense cities. Another key concern is the vulnerability of developing-world cities to low-intensity, if protracted, forms of violence by non-State actors, particularly in post-conflict contexts. Conflict prevention and peace transitions in cities (including mainstream international tools such as peacekeeping, stability and reconstruction aid) are affected by specifically urban pressures linked to rising populations, migration, ethnic tensions, institutional deterioration and the weakening of urban services. Therefore, the physical and social characteristics of cities interact with military and developmental policies in unique ways. An understanding of key local actors, services and institutions affecting urban drivers of armed conflict – an urban strategic environment – can help practitioners and strategists to craft comprehensive policies.
The Maternal Emotional Climate Predicts Twin Sibling Relationship Quality
Authors: Mark Katharine M. , Pike Alison , Latham Rachel M. , Oliver Bonamy R.
Published: February 2017

We investigated the association between maternal expressed emotion and twin relationship quality, after controlling for a maternal questionnaire measure of the mother–child relationship. This was explored within a community sample of 156 mothers and their two young twin children (Mchild age= 3.69 years;SDchild age= 0.37). Mothers reported on the twin–twin relationship and the mother–child relationship via questionnaire. They were also interviewed about each child using the innovative Preschool Five Minute Speech Sample (Daley et al., 2003), which yields information about relative positive:negative maternal expressed emotion. Mothers who expressed more family-wide positive emotion and less family-wide negative emotion also reported more positivity, but not negativity, within the twin relationship — even when controlling for questionnaire reports of the mother–child relationship. Counter to expectations, discrepancies in mothers’ expressed emotion between their twins also predicted more positive sibling relationships. Our findings corroborate the well established spill-over effect, whereby families are viewed as emotional units of interdependent individuals, none of whom can be understood in isolation from one another. Most importantly, the Preschool Five Minute Speech Sample provides information about mothering that questionnaire reports may not, and thus it is a useful tool in better understanding the twin family system.
Apollo 11 Command Module Goes on Tour
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: February 2017

The exhibit includes Buzz Aldrin's gloves and an injector plate from the rocket's first-stage engine, which was recovered from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
Three-dimensional organotypic co-culture model of intestinal epithelial cells and macrophages to study Salmonella enterica colonization patterns
Authors: Barrila Jennifer , Yang Jiseon , Crabbé Aurélie , Sarker Shameema F. , Liu Yulong , Ott C. Mark , Nelman-Gonzalez Mayra A. , Clemett Simon J. , Nydam Seth D. , Forsyth Rebecca J. , Davis Richard R. , Crucian Brian E. , Quiriarte Heather , Roland Kenneth L. , Brenneman Karen , Sams Clarence , Loscher Christine , Nickerson Cheryl A.
Published: February 2017

Three-dimensional models of human intestinal epithelium mimic the differentiated form and function of parental tissues often not exhibited by two-dimensional monolayers and respond to Salmonella in key ways that reflect in vivo infections. To further enhance the physiological relevance of three-dimensional models to more closely approximate in vivo intestinal microenvironments encountered by Salmonella, we developed and validated a novel three-dimensional co-culture infection model of colonic epithelial cells and macrophages using the NASA Rotating Wall Vessel bioreactor. First, U937 cells were activated upon collagen-coated scaffolds. HT-29 epithelial cells were then added and the three-dimensional model was cultured in the bioreactor until optimal differentiation was reached, as assessed by immunohistochemical profiling and bead uptake assays. The new co-culture model exhibited in vivo-like structural and phenotypic characteristics, including three-dimensional architecture, apical-basolateral polarity, well-formed tight/adherens junctions, mucin, multiple epithelial cell types, and functional macrophages. Phagocytic activity of macrophages was confirmed by uptake of inert, bacteria-sized beads. Contribution of macrophages to infection was assessed by colonization studies of Salmonella pathovars with different host adaptations and disease phenotypes (Typhimurium ST19 strain SL1344 and ST313 strain D23580; Typhi Ty2). ﻿﻿In addition, Salmonella were cultured aerobically or microaerobically, recapitulating environments encountered prior to and during intestinal infection, respectively﻿. All Salmonella strains exhibited decreased colonization in co-culture (HT-29-U937) relative to epithelial (HT-29) models, indicating antimicrobial function of macrophages. Interestingly, D23580 exhibited enhanced replication/survival in both models following invasion. Pathovar-specific differences in colonization and intracellular co-localization patterns were observed. These findings emphasize the power of incorporating a series of related three-dimensional models within a study to identify microenvironmental factors important for regulating infection.
Swing-like pool boiling on nano-textured surfaces for microgravity applications related to cooling of high-power microelectronics
Authors: Sinha-Ray Sumit , Zhang Wenshuo , Stoltz Barak , Sahu Rakesh P. , Sinha-Ray Suman , Yarin Alexander L.
Published: February 2017

Here, we demonstrate that heat removed in pool boiling from a heater mimicking high-power microelectronics could be used to facilitate a swing-like motion of the heater before being finally dissipated. This swing-like motion could be beneficial for shedding a large vapor bubble that encapsulates high-power heaters in microgravity where buoyancy force is unavailable for vapor bubble removal. The swing-like motion is propelled by vapor bubble recoil, the force which exists irrespective of gravity and buoyancy. We also demonstrate that this force could be significantly enhanced by depositing on the heater surface supersonically blown polymer nanofibers with cross-sectional diameters below 100 nm. These nanofibers provide additional nucleation sites, resulting in much more frequent bubble nucleation and departure, and thus a higher overall vapor recoil force propelling the heater motion. Such nanofibers strongly adhere to the heater surface and withstand prolonged harsh pool boiling. The measured velocity of the model swing-like heater in Novec 7300 fluid is about 1 cm/s.
Novel protein acetyltransferase, Rv2170, modulates carbon and energy metabolism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Lee Wonsik , VanderVen Brian C. , Walker Suzanne , Russell David G.
Published: February 2017

Recent data indicate that the metabolism of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) inside its host cell is heavily dependent on cholesterol and fatty acids. Mtb exhibits a unique capacity to co-metabolize different carbon sources and the products from these substrates are compartmentalized metabolically. Isocitrate lies at one of the key nodes of carbon metabolism and can feed into either the glyoxylate shunt (via isocitrate lyase) or the TCA cycle (via isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH) activity) and we sought to better understand the regulation at this junction. An isocitrate lyase-deficient mutant of Mtb (Δicl1) exhibited a delayed growth phenotype in stearic acid (C18 fatty acid) media and we isolated rescue mutants that had lost this growth delay. We found that mutations in the gene rv2170 promoted Mtb replication under these conditions and rescued the growth delay in a Δicl1 background. The Mtb Rv2170 protein shows lysine acetyltransferase activity, which is capable of post-translationally modifying lysine residues of the ICDH protein leading to a reduction in its enzymatic activity. Our data show that contrary to most bacteria that regulate ICDH activity through phosphorylation, Mtb is capable of regulating ICDH activity by acetylation. This mechanism of regulation is similar to that utilized for mammalian mitochondrial ICDH.
Medaka insulin-like growth factor-2 supports self-renewal of the embryonic stem cell line and blastomeres in vitro
Authors: Yuan Yongming , Hong Yunhan
Published: February 2017

Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) regulate diverse processes including energy metabolism, cell proliferation and embryonic development. They activate the IGF signaling pathway via binding to cell surface receptors. Here we report an essential role of IGF2 in maintaining the pluripotency of embryonic stem (ES) cell from medaka (Oryzias latipes). The medaka igf2 gene was cloned for prokaryotically expression of IGF2 ligand and green fluorescent protein-tagged IGF2 namely IGF2:GFP. With flow cytometry analysis, we demonstrated that the IGF2:GFP can bind to the cultured ES cells from medaka and zebrafish respectively. We also verified that IGF2 is able to activate the phosphorylation of Erk1/2 and Akt, and sustain the viability and pluripotency of medaka ES cells in culture. Furthermore, we characterized the binding of IGF2:GFP to freshly isolated blastomeres by fluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy. Most importantly, we revealed the important role of IGF2 in supporting the derivation of blastomeres in short-term culture. Therefore, Medaka IGF2 is essential for the self-renewal of cultured ES cells and blastomeres from fish embryos. This finding underscores a conserved role of the IGF signaling pathway in stem cells from fish to mammals.
A novel laminated polycaprolactone/paper/silver electrode for lead(ii) detection
Authors: Yu Peng , Heist Christopher A. , Remcho Vincent T.
Published: February 2017

A maskless fabrication method was developed to produce silver electrodes on paper substrates capable of detecting 16 nM Pb2+.
Structure-based optimisation of non-steroidal cytochrome P450 17A1 inhibitors
Authors: Larsen Morten , Hansen Cecilie H. , Rasmussen Tobias B. , Islin Julie , Styrishave Bjarne , Olsen Lars , Jørgensen Flemming Steen
Published: February 2017

Five new non-steroidal inhibitors for cytochrome P450 17A1 were identified by structure-based optimisation.
Colloidal metal oxide nanocrystals as charge transporting layers for solution-processed light-emitting diodes and solar cells
Authors: Liang Xiaoyong , Bai Sai , Wang Xin , Dai Xingliang , Gao Feng , Sun Baoquan , Ning Zhijun , Ye Zhizhen , Jin Yizheng
Published: February 2017

This review bridges the chemistry of colloidal oxide nanocrystals and their application as charge transporting interlayers in solution-processed optoelectronics.
Optimal parameter values for the control of gene regulation
Authors: Brajesh R. G. , Raj Nikhil , Saini Supreet
Published: February 2017

How does a transcription network arrive at the particular values of biochemical interactions defining it?
Recent trends in smart and flexible three-dimensional cross-linked polymers: synthesis of chitosan–ZnO nanocomposite hydrogels for insulin drug delivery
Authors: El-Mekawy Rasha E. , Jassas Rabab S.
Published: February 2017

A new approach to form chitosan–ZnO nanocomposite hydrogels by a cross-linking reaction between a chitosan, 1,6-hexandiisocyanate, and ZnO nanoparticles in different concentrations (1–7%) under ultrasound radiation.
Regioselective access of alkylidendibenzo[c,f]oxocine framework via cyclocarbopalladation/cross-coupling cascade reactions and reductive Heck strategy
Authors: Ghosh Tapas
Published: February 2017

Palladium-catalyzed dual strategies of cascade cyclocarbopalladation/cross-coupling of alkynes and a reductive Heck reaction have been developed to construct dibenzo[c,f]oxocine frameworks with tri- and tetra-substituted exo-cyclic alkenes with high stereo- and regio-control.
Amberlyst-15 catalysed oxidative esterification of aldehydes using a H2O2trapped oxidant as a terminal oxidant
Authors: Gayakwad Eknath M. , Patil Vilas V. , Shankarling Ganapati S.
Published: February 2017

A simple and efficient method has been developed for the selective oxidative esterification of aldehydes using commercially available Amberlyst-15 as a catalyst.
Cu nanoparticles immobilized on montmorillonite by biquaternary ammonium salts: a highly active and stable heterogeneous catalyst for cascade sequence to indole-2-carboxylic esters
Authors: Lang Wencheng , Yang Qin , Song Xueping , Yin Mengyun , Zhou Limei
Published: February 2017

Cu-Q-MMT catalyst was prepared by immobilizing Cu nanoparticals on the biquaternary ammonium salts modified montmorillonite and exhibited high activity for cascade sequence to indole-2-carboxylic esters.
Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) study on the degradation of acrylic polyurethane coatings
Authors: Lu Fuyou , Song Baodong , He Pei , Wang Zhi , Wang Jixiao
Published: February 2017

Degradation of acrylic polyurethane coatings with different NCO/OH values was evaluated by EIS technology.
Effective thermal transport properties in multiphase biological systems containing carbon nanomaterials
Authors: Gong Feng , Liu Jin , Yang Jian , Qin Jingang , Yang Yunlong , Feng Tingting , Liu Wenlong , Duong Hai M. , Papavassiliou Dimitrios V. , Wu Mengqiang
Published: February 2017

Here we report computational results from an off-lattice Monte Carlo investigation of the effective thermal transport properties in multiphase biological systems containing carbon nanomaterials.
Efficient cocktail chemotherapy by co-delivery of a hydrogen sulfide-releasing aspirin prodrug and paclitaxel via single nanoparticles
Authors: Cai Lulu , He Lin , Wang Yan , Zhong Jian , Zhao Chengjian , Zeng Shi , Yu Jiying , Bian Yuan , Wei Yuquan , Cai Wei , Long Enwu , Jiao Pengcheng , Yan Junfeng , Xu Quan
Published: February 2017

A cocktail composed of hydrogen sulfide-releasing aspirin (HS-ASP) and paclitaxel (PTX) in a single delivery system was formulated and provides a promising platform for the cocktail treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.
Photoinduced electron transfer from rylenediimide radical anions and dianions to Re(bpy)(CO)3 using red and near-infrared light
Authors: La Porte Nathan T. , Martinez Jose F. , Hedström Svante , Rudshteyn Benjamin , Phelan Brian T. , Mauck Catherine M. , Young Ryan M. , Batista Victor S. , Wasielewski Michael R.
Published: February 2017

Photoinduced electron transfer dynamics are described for a set of dyads comprising rylenediimide anion chromophores and a Re(bpy)(CO)3 metal center.
Covalent self-assembled nanoparticles with pH-dependent enhanced tumor retention and drug release for improving tumor therapeutic efficiency
Authors: Hao Yongwei , Zheng Cuixia , Wang Lei , Hu Yujie , Guo Haochen , Song Qingling , Zhang Hongling , Zhang Zhenzhong , Zhang Yun
Published: February 2017

A covalent phenylboronic acid (PBA)-based self-assembly nanosystem has been constructed for achieving pH-dependent enhanced tumor retention and drug release.
Preparation of an antimicrobial surface by direct assembly of antimicrobial peptide with its surface binding activity
Authors: Chen Junjian , Zhu Yuchen , Song Yancheng , Wang Lin , Zhan Jiezhao , He Jingcai , Zheng Jian , Zhong Chunting , Shi Xuetao , Liu Sa , Ren Li , Wang Yingjun
Published: February 2017

The designed antimicrobial peptide has surface binding activity onto titanium, gold, polymethyl methacrylate and hydroxyapatite substrates.
Identification of vegetal species in wooden objects using in situ microextraction-assisted voltammetry of microparticles
Authors: Doménech-Carbó Antonio , Doménech-Carbó María Teresa , Ferragud-Adam Xavier , Ortiz-Miranda Annette S. , Montoya Noemí , Pasíes-Oviedo Trinidad , Peiró-Ronda María Amparo , Vives-Ferrándiz Jaime , Carrión Marco Yolanda
Published: February 2017

A method for identifying vegetal species in wooden objects using microextraction-assisted voltammetry of microparticles is described.
Separation/purification of ethylene from an acetylene/ethylene mixture in a pillared-layer porous metal–organic framework
Authors: Hazra Arpan , Jana Saibal , Bonakala Satyanarayana , Balasubramanian Sundaram , Maji Tapas Kumar
Published: February 2017

A 3D pillared-layer porous framework with narrow channels decorated with polar pore surfaces has been developed for efficient removal of C2H2 from a C2H2/C2H4 mixture at RT.
Direct observation of the rise of delayed fluorescence in dithienylbenzothiadiazole and its role in the excited state dynamics of a donor–acceptor–donor molecule
Authors: Mohanty Maneesha Esther , Madhu Chakali , Reddy Vanammoole Lakshmi , Paramasivam Mahalingavelar , Bangal Prakriti Ranjan , Rao Vaidya Jayathirtha
Published: February 2017

Fast reverse intersystem crossing in a donor–acceptor system used in OLED and OPV materials.
A comparison of copper and acid site zeolites for the production of nitric oxide for biomedical applications
Authors: Russell Samantha E. , González Carballo Juan María , Orellana-Tavra Claudia , Fairen-Jimenez David , Morris Russell E.
Published: February 2017

Copper-exchanged and acidic zeolites are shown to produce nitric oxide (NO) from a nitrite source in biologically active (nanomolar) concentrations.
“Masked” Lewis-acidity of an aluminum α-phosphinoamide complex
Authors: Zijlstra Harmen S. , Pahl Jürgen , Penafiel Johanne , Harder Sjoerd
Published: February 2017

An aluminum complex with a bulky α-Ph2P-amide ligand is not sufficiently Lewis-acidic for activation of Cp*2ZrMe2 but reacts irreversibly as an Al/P FLP reagent with alkenes and other unsaturated substrates.
Structural origin of the enhanced ionic conductivity upon Nb doping in Sr11Mo4O23 defective double perovskite
Authors: Miranda C. D. , López C. A. , Pedregosa J. C. , Alonso J. A.
Published: February 2017

We report a substantial enhancement of the oxide-ion conductivity in Sr11Mo4O23 achieved by Nb doping the Mo sites.
Metal- and additive-free oxygen-atom transfer reaction: an efficient and chemoselective oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides with cyclic diacyl peroxides
Authors: Gan Shaoyan , Yin Junjie , Yao Yuan , Liu Yang , Chang Denghu , Zhu Dan , Shi Lei
Published: February 2017

Metal- and additive-free sulfoxidation was developed using cyclic diacyl peroxides as oxygen sources and a single two-electron transfer mechanism was suggested.
Croconamides: a new dual hydrogen bond donating motif for anion recognition and organocatalysis
Authors: Jeppesen Anne , Nielsen Bjarne E. , Larsen Dennis , Akselsen Olivia M. , Sølling Theis I. , Brock-Nannestad Theis , Pittelkow Michael
Published: February 2017

We introduce bis-aryl croconamides as a new member in the family of dual hydrogen bonding anion receptors.
Polyoxometalate-based supramolecular hydrogels constructed through host–guest interactions
Authors: Lin Chang-Gen , Fura Gizaw D. , Long Yong , Xuan Weimin , Song Yu-Fei
Published: February 2017

We present the successful fabrication of POM-based hydrogels through the host–guest interactions between the inclusion complex of Anderson–adamantane and 6-acrylamido-β-CD.
A highly selective and sensitive fluorescent probe for lactate dehydrogenase based on ultrabright adenosine monophosphate capped gold nanoclusters
Authors: Liu Jiao , Li Hong-Wei , Wu Yuqing
Published: February 2017

The ultrabright AuNCs@AMP are used as fluorescence probe to detect lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) with high sensitivity and selectivity, showing an extremely low detection limit of 0.2 nM (26 pg μL−1, 0.8 U L−1).
Nitrogen-doped porous activated carbon derived from cocoon silk as a highly efficient metal-free electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction
Authors: Fu Peng , Zhou Lihua , Sun Lihua , Huang Baohua , Yuan Yong
Published: February 2017

Nitrogen-doped porous activated carbon (PAC) has been fabricated via a facile heat-treatment and chemical activation of cocoon silk. The prepared PAC exhibits excellent ORR catalytic activity.
Dielectric relaxation of nonaqueous ionic liquid microemulsions: polarization, microstructure, and phase transition
Authors: Zhang Cancan , Zhen Zhen , Ma Liyan , Zhao Kongshuang
Published: February 2017

Two nonaqueous ionic liquid (IL) microemulsions (toluene/TX-100/[bmim][PF6] and [bmim][BF4]/TX-100/benzene) were studied by dielectric spectroscopy covering a wide frequency range (40 Hz to 110 MHz).
Imposing high-symmetry and tuneable geometry on lanthanide centres with chelating Pt and Pd metalloligands
Authors: Sørensen Mikkel A. , Weihe Høgni , Vinum Morten G. , Mortensen Jesper S. , Doerrer Linda H. , Bendix Jesper
Published: February 2017

Tetragonal lanthanide complexes of Pd and Pt metalloligands with tuneable geometries demonstrate how the electronic structure of lanthanide centres can be engineered.
Puckered-layer-structured germanium monosulfide for superior rechargeable Li-ion battery anodes
Authors: Sung Geon-Kyu , Park Cheol-Min
Published: February 2017

Puckered-layer-structured germanium monosulfide (GeS) and corresponding amorphous-carbon-decorated nanocomposites (GeS–C) were synthesized and used to fabricate Li-ion battery anodes which displayed remarkable reversible capacity above 1050 mA h g−1after 100 cycles.
Transmitter diversity scheme for OFCDMA systems based on space‐time spreading with iterative detection receiver
Authors: Mansour Ahmed Hassan , Saleh Mona Z. , Elramly Salwa H.
Published: February 2017

Orthogonal frequency code division multiple access (OFCDMA) system is one of the most promising multi‐user wireless communications systems. It outperforms orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and multi‐carrier CDMA (MC‐CDMA) through utilisation of two‐dimensional spreading. This study proposes a downlink air interface that targets data rate increase and bit error rate (BER) performance enhancement with low complexity receiver. The proposed system is an integration of space‐time spreading (STS) and OFCDMA that exploits transmit diversity needed for BER enhancing and data rate boosting with low complexity advantage. Further BER improvement was achieved using an effective iterative interference cancellation (IIC) algorithm at the receiver. Analytical and complexity analyses for the proposed system performance are presented in addition to simulation results. The proposed system attains better performance with lower complexity compared to the STS‐aided direct sequence MC‐CDMA that uses beamforming as a closed‐loop transmit diversity. Moreover, the effect of frequency domain spreading factor with different number of iteration loops is investigated. The achieved BER performance was very close to maximal ratio receive combining system with 1Tx and 4Rx. A considerable improvement was obtained by increasing the number of IIC iteration loops. The system performance was enhanced significantly with the frequency domain spreading factor increase.
Predictive current control of a new three‐phase voltage source inverter with phase shift compensation
Authors: Luo Yixiao , Liu Chunhua , Yu Feng
Published: February 2017

This study presents a finite‐control‐set model predictive current control (FCS‐MPCC) with phase shift compensation for a cost‐effective voltage source inverter. Firstly, the FCS‐MPCC algorithm uses the discrete‐time model of the inverter to predict the coming value of the load current. In addition, a cost function is defined to evaluate all possible voltage vectors from the inverter, where the cost function is selected. Moreover, a pulse computation module is developed to obtain the final switching signals for insulated‐gate bipolar transistors. In addition, the problem of current distortion caused by phase shift is solved by employing a time interval compensation factor. Furthermore, a comparison between the hysteresis control, pulse‐width modulation control, and proposed predictive control is presented in terms of the steady‐state and dynamic performances. Both simulation and experiment are conducted, which confirm the validity of the proposed control scheme of FCS‐MPCC.
Transition from eruptive to confined flares in the same active region
Authors: Zuccarello F. P. , Chandra R. , Schmieder B. , Aulanier G. , Joshi R.
Published: February 2017

Context.Solar flares are sudden and violent releases of magnetic energy in the solar atmosphere that can be divided into two classes: eruptive flares, where plasma is ejected from the solar atmosphere resulting in a coronal mass ejection (CME), and confined flares, where no CME is associated with the flare.

Aims.We present a case study showing the evolution of key topological structures, such as spines and fans, which may determine the eruptive versus non-eruptive behavior of the series of eruptive flares followed by confined flares, which all originate from the same site.

Methods.To study the connectivity of the different flux domains and their evolution, we compute a potential magnetic field model of the active region. Quasi-separatrix layers are retrieved from the magnetic field extrapolation.

Results.The change in behavior of the flares from one day to the next – from eruptive to confined – can be attributed to the change in orientation of the magnetic field below the fan with respect to the orientation of the overlaying spine rather than an overall change in the stability of the large-scale field.

Conclusions.Flares tend to be more confined when the field that supports the filament and the overlying field gradually becomes less anti-parallel as a direct result of changes in the photospheric flux distribution, being themselves driven by continuous shearing motions of the different magnetic flux concentrations.
A conformal boundary for space-times based on light-like geodesics: The 3-dimensional case
Authors: Bautista A. , Ibort A. , Lafuente J. , Low R.
Published: February 2017

A new causal boundary, which we will term the l-boundary, inspired by the geometry of the space of light rays and invariant by conformal diffeomorphisms for space-times of any dimension m≥3, proposed by one of the authors [R. J. Low, The Space of Null Geodesics (and a New Causal Boundary), Lecture Notes in Physics 692 (Springer, 2006), pp. 35–50] is analyzed in detail for space-times of dimension 3. Under some natural assumptions, it is shown that the completed space-time becomes a smooth manifold with boundary and its relation with Geroch-Kronheimer-Penrose causal boundary is discussed. A number of examples illustrating the properties of this new causal boundary as well as a discussion on the obtained results will be provided.
Parameter independent low-power heteronuclear decoupling for fast magic-angle spinning solid-state NMR
Authors: Equbal Asif , Madhu P. K. , Meier Beat H. , Nielsen Niels Chr. , Ernst Matthias , Agarwal Vipin
Published: February 2017

Major advances have recently been made in the field of heteronuclear dipolar decoupling in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). These developments have improved the resolution and sensitivity of the NMR spectrum of spins coupled to protons. One such new scheme, denoted as rCWApA, has proven to be robust with practically no need for parameter optimization [A. Equbal et al. Chem. Phys. Lett., 635, 339 (2015)]. Most of the experiments with rCWApA have been carried out in the regimes of slow to moderate magic-angle spinning while simultaneously applying high decoupling radio-frequency amplitudes. Here, we explore the performance of the rCWApA sequence and its predecessor rCWA in the regime of low-power radio-frequency irradiation and fast magic-angle spinning. The robustness of the refocused continuous-wave (rCW) schemes to experimental parameters such as pulse lengths and offset irradiation is demonstrated. Numerical simulations and analytical theory have been used to understand the effects of various nuclear spin interactions on the decoupling performance of the low-power rCW decoupling scheme relative to other decoupling methods. This has lead to the design of an “optimum low-power decoupling sequence” that can be used without parameter optimization. This result is particularly important in the context of samples with low signal to noise.
Puzzle of magnetic moments of Ni clusters revisited using quantum Monte Carlo method
Authors: Lee Hung-Wen , Chang Chun-Ming , Hsing Cheng-Rong
Published: February 2017

The puzzle of the magnetic moments of small nickel clusters arises from the discrepancy between values predicted using density functional theory (DFT) and experimental measurements. Traditional DFT approaches underestimate the magnetic moments of nickel clusters. Two fundamental problems are associated with this puzzle, namely, calculating the exchange-correlation interaction accurately and determining the global minimum structures of the clusters. Theoretically, the two problems can be solved using quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) calculations and the ab initio random structure searching (AIRSS) method correspondingly. Therefore, we combined the fixed-moment AIRSS and QMC methods to investigate the magnetic properties of Nin (n = 5-9) clusters. The spin moments of the diffusion Monte Carlo (DMC) ground states are higher than those of the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof ground states and, in the case of Ni8–9, two new ground-state structures have been discovered using the DMC calculations. The predicted results are closer to the experimental findings, unlike the results predicted in previous standard DFT studies.
Thickness dependence study of current-driven ferromagnetic resonance in Y3Fe5O12/heavy metal bilayers
Authors: Fang Z. , Mitra A. , Westerman A. L. , Ali M. , Ciccarelli C. , Cespedes O. , Hickey B. J. , Ferguson A. J.
Published: February 2017

We use ferromagnetic resonance to study the current-induced torques in YIG/heavy metal bilayers. YIG samples with thickness varying from 14.8 nm to 80 nm, with the Pt or Ta thin film on top, are measured by applying a microwave current into the heavy metals and measuring the longitudinal DC voltage generated by both spin rectification and spin pumping. From a symmetry analysis of the FMR lineshape and its dependence on YIG thickness, we deduce that the Oersted field dominates over spin-transfer torque in driving magnetization dynamics.
Large topological Hall effect in nonchiral hexagonal MnNiGa films
Authors: Ding Bei , Li Yueqing , Xu Guizhou , Wang Yue , Hou Zhipeng , Liu Enke , Liu Zhongyuan , Wu Guangheng , Wang Wenhong
Published: February 2017

We report a systematic study of the magnetic and transport properties of magnetron sputtered nonchiral hexagonal MnNiGa films on the thermally oxidized Si substrates as a function of film thickness. A large topological Hall effect (THE) is observed, and its magnitude increases correspondingly with increasing the film thickness. The large THE appears in a very wide temperature range of 10 K–300 K in a magnetic field region where the field-dependent Hall resistivity largely deviates from the magnetization. Moreover, the measurements on the cubic MnNiGa films do not show any evidence of the existence of THE. These results indicate that the non-collinear spin configurations from geometrical frustration of Mn moments are the likely origin of the observed large THE in hexagonal MnNiGa films.
Electrical characteristics of a bendable a-Si:H thin film transistor with overlapped gate and source/drain regions
Authors: Oh Hyungon , Cho Kyoungah , Kim Sangsig
Published: February 2017

In this study, we investigate the influence of an overlap between the gate and source/drain regions of a-Si:H thin film transistors (TFTs) on their electrical characteristics under tensile or compressive strain through experiment and mechanical simulation. The strain distribution in the a-Si:H TFT for a bending radius of 2 mm reveals that the strain at both ends of the TFT is ten times larger than that at the source-drain current path. The overlap lowers the stress sustained by the TFT in the region comprised between the channel and the gate insulator; therefore, TFTs with the overlap operate even at a tensile strain of 2.54%. In particular, the overlap is remarkably effective on relaxing the stress sustained in the interface between the gate insulator and the gate electrode, consequently improving the electrical stability of the bent TFT.
Distortion dependent intersystem crossing: A femtosecond time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy study of benzene, toluene, and p-xylene
Authors: Stephansen Anne B. , Sølling Theis I.
Published: February 2017

The competition between ultrafast intersystem crossing and internal conversion in benzene, toluene, and p-xylene is investigated with time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations. By exciting to S2 out-of-plane symmetry breaking, distortions are activated at early times whereupon spin-forbidden intersystem crossing becomes (partly) allowed. Natural bond orbital analysis suggests that the pinnacle carbon atoms distorting from the aromatic plane change hybridization between the planar Franck-Condon geometry and the deformed (boat-shaped) S2 equilibrium geometry. The effect is observed to increase in the presence of methyl-groups on the pinnacle carbon-atoms, where largest extents of σ and π orbital-mixing are observed. This is fully consistent with the time-resolved spectroscopy data: Toluene and p-xylene show evidence for ultrafast triplet formation competing with internal conversion, while benzene appears to only decay via internal conversion within the singlet manifold. For toluene and p-xylene, internal conversion to S1 and intersystem crossing to T3 occur within the time-resolution of our instrument. The receiver triplet state (T3) is found to undergo internal conversion in the triplet manifold within ≈100–150 fs (toluene) or ≈180–200 fs (p-xylene) as demonstrated by matching rise and decay components of upper and lower triplet states. Overall, the effect of methylation is found to both increase the intersystem crossing probability and direct the molecular axis of the excited state dynamics.