bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of a novel UHPLC-MS/MS-based platform to quantify amines, amino acids and methylarginines for applications in human disease phenotyping
Authors: Ahmetaj-Shala Blerina , Olanipekun Michael , Tesfai Abel , MacCallum Niall , Kirkby Nicholas S. , Quinlan Gregory J. , Shih Chih-Chin , Kawai Ryota , Mumby Sharon , Paul-Clark Mark , Want Elizabeth J. , Mitchell Jane A.
Published: September 2018

Amine quantification is an important strategy in patient stratification and personalised medicine. This is because amines, including amino acids and methylarginines impact on many homeostatic processes. One important pathway regulated by amine levels is nitric oxide synthase (NOS). NOS is regulated by levels of (i) the substrate, arginine, (ii) amino acids which cycle with arginine and (iii) methylarginine inhibitors of NOS. However, biomarker research in this area is hindered by the lack of a unified analytical platform. Thus, the development of a common metabolomics platform, where a wide range of amino acids and methylarginines can be measured constitutes an important unmet need. Here we report a novel high-throughput ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) platform where ≈40 amine analytes, including arginine and methylarginines can be detected and quantified on a molar basis, in a single sample of human plasma. To validate the platform and to generate biomarkers, human plasma from a well-defined cohort of patients before and after coronary artery bypass surgery, who developed systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), were analysed. Bypass surgery with SIRS significantly altered 26 amine analytes, including arginine and ADMA. Consequently, pathway analysis revealed significant changes in a range of pathways including those associated with NOS.
3D multiscale imaging of human vocal folds using synchrotron X-ray microtomography in phase retrieval mode
Authors: Bailly Lucie , Cochereau Thibaud , Orgéas Laurent , Henrich Bernardoni Nathalie , Rolland du Roscoat Sabine , McLeer-Florin Anne , Robert Yohann , Laval Xavier , Laurencin Tanguy , Chaffanjon Philippe , Fayard Barbara , Boller Elodie
Published: September 2018

Human vocal folds possess outstanding abilities to endure large, reversible deformations and to vibrate up to more than thousand cycles per second. This unique performance mainly results from their complex specific 3D and multiscale structure, which is very difficult to investigate experimentally and still presents challenges using either confocal microscopy, MRI or X-ray microtomography in absorption mode. To circumvent these difficulties, we used high-resolution synchrotron X-ray microtomography with phase retrieval and report the first ex vivo 3D images of human vocal-fold tissues at multiple scales. Various relevant descriptors of structure were extracted from the images: geometry of vocal folds at rest or in a stretched phonatory-like position, shape and size of their layered fibrous architectures, orientation, shape and size of the muscle fibres as well as the set of collagen and elastin fibre bundles constituting these layers. The developed methodology opens a promising insight into voice biomechanics, which will allow further assessment of the micromechanics of the vocal folds and their vibratory properties. This will then provide valuable guidelines for the design of new mimetic biomaterials for the next generation of artificial larynges.
Proteome analysis reveals a role of rainbow trout lymphoid organs during Yersinia ruckeri infection process
Authors: Kumar Gokhlesh , Hummel Karin , Noebauer Katharina , Welch Timothy J. , Razzazi-Fazeli Ebrahim , El-Matbouli Mansour
Published: September 2018

Yersinia ruckeriis the causative agent of enteric redmouth disease in salmonids. Head kidney and spleen are major lymphoid organs of the teleost fish where antigen presentation and immune defense against microbes take place. We investigated proteome alteration in head kidney and spleen of the rainbow trout followingY.ruckeristrains infection. Organs were analyzed after 3, 9 and 28 days post exposure with a shotgun proteomic approach. GO annotation and protein-protein interaction were predicted using bioinformatic tools. Thirty four proteins from head kidney and 85 proteins from spleen were found to be differentially expressed in rainbow trout during theY.ruckeriinfection process. These included lysosomal, antioxidant, metalloproteinase, cytoskeleton, tetraspanin, cathepsin B and c-type lectin receptor proteins. The findings of this study regarding the immune response at the protein level offer new insight into the systemic response toY.ruckeriinfection in rainbow trout. This proteomic data facilitate a better understanding of host-pathogen interactions and response of fish againstY.ruckeribiotype 1 and 2 strains. Protein-protein interaction analysis predicts carbon metabolism, ribosome and phagosome pathways in spleen of infected fish, which might be useful in understanding biological processes and further studies in the direction of pathways.
Isolated hallucination is less predictive than thought disorder in psychosis: Insight from a longitudinal study in a clinical population at high risk for psychosis
Authors: Zhang TianHong , Xu LiHua , Tang YingYing , Cui HuiRu , Wei YanYan , Tang XiaoChen , Hu Qiang , Wang Yan , Zhu YiKang , Jiang LiJuan , Hui Li , Liu XiaoHua , Li ChunBo , Wang JiJun
Published: September 2018

Perceptual abnormalities (PAs) such as auditory hallucinations are one of the most common symptoms of psychotic patients. However, it remains unclear whether symptoms of sub-clinical PAs also play a key role in predicting psychosis. In an ongoing prospective follow-up study of individuals at a clinical high risk (CHR) of psychosis, we evaluated the potential of first-time experience of PAs and/or thought content disorders (TCDs) to predict psychosis. Conversion to psychosis was the major focus of this follow-up study. A total of 511 CHRs were recruited, of whom 443 (86.7%) completed the clinical follow-up of at least 6 months and up to 2 years. CHRs were divided into four groups according to the presence of PAs and/or TCDs. At the follow-up endpoint, 39 (19.9%) CHRs in the “TCDs-only” group, 2 (8.3%) in the “PAs-only” group, 45 (17.0%) in the “TCDs-and-PAs” group, and 1 (3.8%) in the “None” group converted to psychosis. Survival analysis revealed a higher conversion rate in CHRs with TCDs compared with those with PAs only. CHRs with isolated PAs had shown a higher level of dysphoric mood at baseline compared with those with TCDs. About 89% TCDs contents were related with their experienced PAs. Compared with TCDs, the isolated PAs are not strongly associated with increased susceptibility to psychosis.
Analysis of gut microbiota profiles and microbe-disease associations in children with autism spectrum disorders in China
Authors: Zhang Mengxiang , Ma Wei , Zhang Juan , He Yi , Wang Juan
Published: September 2018

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a set of complex neurodevelopmental disorders. Recent studies reported that children with ASD have altered gut microbiota profiles compared with typical development (TD) children. However, few studies on gut bacteria of children with ASD have been conducted in China. Here, in order to elucidate changes of fecal microbiota in children with ASD, 16S rRNA sequencing was conducted and the 16S rRNA (V3-V4) gene tags were amplified. We investigated differences in fecal microbiota between 35 children with ASD and 6 TD children. At the phylum level, the fecal microbiota of ASD group indicated a significant increase of the Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio. At the genus level, we found that the relative abundance of Sutterella, Odoribacter and Butyricimonas was much more abundant in the ASD group whereas the abundance of Veillonella and Streptococcus was decreased significantly compared to the control group. Functional analysis demonstrated that butyrate and lactate producers were less abundant in the ASD group. In addition, we downloaded the association data set of microbe–disease from human microbe–disease association database and constructed a human disease network including ASD using our gut microbiome results. In this microbe–disease network based on microbe similarity of diseases, we found that ASD is positively correlated with periodontal, negatively related to type 1 diabetes. Therefore, these results suggest that microbe-based disease analysis is able to predict novel connection between ASD and other diseases and may play a role in revealing the pathogenesis of ASD.
Cultivated and wild Pleurotus ferulae ethanol extracts inhibit hepatocellular carcinoma cell growth via inducing endoplasmic reticulum stress- and mitochondria-dependent apoptosis
Authors: Yang Yi , Yuan Pengfei , Wei Xianxian , Fu Changshuang , Li Jinyu , Wang Weilan , Wang Xinhui , Li Yijie , Li Jinyao
Published: September 2018

Pleurotus ferulae is a kind of editable mushroom and has various biological functions such as antitumor, antioxidation and immunoregulation. Wild P. ferulae was successfully domesticated but the antitumor function and mechanisms of cultivated and wild P. ferulae need to be compared and explored. Here, we prepared cultivated and wild P. ferulae ethanol extracts (PFEE-C and PFEE-W) and compared their antitumor effect on hepatocellular carcinoma. Our data showed that PFEE-C and PFEE-W significantly inhibited the growth of H22 and HepG2 cells through induction of apoptosis. PFEE-W exhibited higher antitumor activity than PFEE-C. Both PFEE-C and PFEE-W induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress characterized by the up-regulated levels of phosphorylated JNK, cleaved caspase-12 and HSP70, and mitochondrial dysfunction characterized by the reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential and the release of cytochrome c, which promoted the cleavage of caspase-3, -7, -9 and PARP. Moreover, PFEE-C and PFEE-W significantly increased ROS generation in H22 cells and suppressed H22 cell migration through reducing the levels of matrix metalloproteinase -2 and -9. Further, PFEE-C inhibited H22 tumor growth in mouse model and improved the survival of tumor mice. These results indicated that PFEE-C and PFEE-W could inhibit hepatocellular carcinoma cell growth through ER stress- and mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathways.
Direct observation of dynamic interaction between a functional group in a single SBR chain and an inorganic matter surface
Authors: Shinohara Ken-ichi , Makida Yuu
Published: September 2018

As a composite of hybrid organic-inorganic materials, blending hydrophilic silica microparticles with oil-extended rubber can improve vehicle tire performance but the nanometer scale effects of microparticle inclusion have not been thoroughly studied. Here, we used atomic force microscopy (AFM) video imaging to closely investigate the behavior of functionalized and unmodified styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), as models for tire rubber, on mica surfaces. The hydrophilic silica microparticle surface could be simulated by a mica substrate because both have silanol groups on their surface. Using AFM video imaging, we tracked the behavior of individual SBR polymer chains on mica surfaces to reveal how polymer modification affects the interaction of SBR with mica surfaces. We measured the diffusion coefficients and spring constants of single SBR polymer chains for the first time, demonstrating that it is possible to parameterize the relationship between the molecular dynamic structure of a polymer and rubber properties of the vulcanized compound.
The effect of the heart rate lowering drug Ivabradine on hemodynamics in atherosclerotic mice
Authors: Xing R. , Moerman A. M. , Ridwan R. Y. , Gaalen K. van , Meester E. J. , van der Steen A. F. W. , Evans P. C. , Gijsen F. J. H. , Van der Heiden K.
Published: September 2018

The heart rate lowering drug Ivabradine was shown to improve cardiac outcome in patients with previous heart failure. However, in patients without heart failure, no beneficial effect of Ivabradine was observed. Animal studies suggested a preventive effect of Ivabradine on atherosclerosis which was due to an increase in wall shear stress (WSS), the blood flow-induced frictional force exerted on the endothelium, triggering anti-inflammatory responses. However, data on the effect of Ivabradine on WSS is sparse. We aim to study the effect of Ivabradine on (i) the 3D WSS distribution over a growing plaque and (ii) plaque composition. We induced atherosclerosis in ApoE−/− mice by placing a tapered cast around the right common carotid artery (RCCA). Five weeks after cast placement, Ivabradine was administered via drinking water (15 mg/kg/day) for 2 weeks, after which the RCCA was excised for histology analyses. Before and after Ivabradine treatment, animals were imaged with Doppler Ultrasound to measure blood velocity. Vessel geometry was obtained using contrast-enhanced micro-CT. Time-averaged WSS during systole, diastole and peak WSS was subsequently computed. Ivabradine significantly decreased heart rate (459 ± 28 bpm vs. 567 ± 32 bpm, p < 0.001). Normalized peak flow significantly increased in the Ivabradine group (124.2% ± 40.5% vs. 87.3% ± 25.4%, p < 0.05), reflected by an increased normalized WSS level during systole (110.7% ± 18.4% vs. 75.4% ± 24.6%, p < 0.05). However, plaque size or composition including plaque area, relative necrotic core area and macrophage content were not altered in mice treated with Ivabradine compared to controls. We conclude that increased WSS in response to Ivabradine treatment did not affect plaque progression in a murine model.
Axially perpendicular offset scheme for obtaining Raman spectra of housed samples in glass bottles with minimized glass-peak background
Authors: Duy Pham K. , Vu Tung D. , Chang Kyeol , Chung Hoeil
Published: September 2018

An axially perpendicular offset (APO) scheme based on an axially perpendicular geometrical arrangement of laser illumination and photon detection is proposed as a versatile tool for the minimization of the glass background in direct measurements of Raman spectra of samples housed in glass bottles.
Sericin hydrogels promote skin wound healing with effective regeneration of hair follicles and sebaceous glands after complete loss of epidermis and dermis
Authors: Qi Chao , Xu Luming , Deng Yan , Wang Guobin , Wang Zheng , Wang Lin
Published: September 2018

Treating full-thickness skin injury with photo-crosslinkable sericin hydrogel for scarless regeneration with effective restoration of skin appendages.
Benzylic C(sp3)–H bond sulfonylation of 4-methylphenols with the insertion of sulfur dioxide under photocatalysis
Authors: Gong Xinxing , Chen Jiahao , Lai Lifang , Cheng Jiang , Sun Jiangtao , Wu Jie
Published: September 2018

Sulfonylation of the benzylic C–H bond is developed through a three-component reaction of aryldiazonium tetrafluoroborates, 4-methylphenols and sodium metabisulfite (Na2S2O5). The inorganic sulfite of sodium metabisulfite is used as the SO2 surrogate.
Selectable texture in epitaxial ferroelectric BaTiO3 films integrated with silicon
Authors: Lyu Jike , Fina Ignasi , Solanas Raul , Fontcuberta Josep , Sánchez Florencio
Published: September 2018

The texture of epitaxial ferroelectric BaTiO3 films on buffered silicon is controlled by selection of the wafer orientation and buffer layers.
Halide ion recognition via chalcogen bonding in the solid state and in solution. Directionality and linearity
Authors: Kumar Vijith , Leroy César , Bryce David L.
Published: September 2018

Benzylic selenocyanates are versatile anion receptors which operate in solution and in the solid state via chalcogen bonding interactions.
Substrate-affected lattice structural evolution in compressed monolayer ReS2
Authors: Yan Yalan , Liu Hao , Han Yonghao , Li Fangfei , Gao Chunxiao
Published: September 2018

The split of the Ag-5 Raman mode above 1.7 GPa can be due to the substrate-affected strain in compressed monolayer ReS2.
Tin(ii) oxide carbodiimide and its relationship to SnO
Authors: Dolabdjian Konstantin , Görne Arno L. , Dronskowski Richard , Ströbele Markus , Meyer Hans-Jürgen
Published: September 2018

Sn2O(CN2) was obtained from a solid-state metathesis. Its crystal structure incorporates a Sn2+ ion with a 5s2 lone pair and was analyzed in relation to that of SnO by electronicstructure calculations and a COHP bonding analysis.
Controllable synthesis and photoreduction performance towards Cr(vi) of BiOCl microrods with exposed (110) crystal facets
Authors: Peng Yin , Mao Yan Ge , Kan Peng Fei , Liu Jin Yun , Fang Zhen
Published: September 2018

BiOCl microrod exposed (110) facets was synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method using sodium citrate as capping agent. It exhibits outstanding photoreduction performance towards Cr(vi) at neutral and acid condition.
Facile preparation of N-doped graphene quantum dots as quick-dry fluorescent ink for anti-counterfeiting
Authors: Pang Youyou , Zhao Rujian , Lu Yao , Liu Jiyang , Dong Xiaoping , Xi Fengna
Published: September 2018

N-GQDs are synthesized using a simple and fast one-step protocol and applied for preparing quick-dry fluorescent ink for both writing and printing.
Phosphorescent cyclometalated iridium(iii) complexes: synthesis, photophysics, DNA interaction, cellular internalization, and cytotoxic activity
Authors: Bhat Satish S. , Revankar Vidyanand K. , Pinjari Rahul V. , Naveen S. , Lokanath N. K. , Kumbar Vijay , Bhat Kishore , Kokare Dhoolesh G.
Published: September 2018

Phosphorescent cyclometalated quinoline-appended iridium(iii) complexes undergo rapid cellular internalization and accumulate throughout the cell.
Dendronised diazapyrenium derivatives: host–guest complexes in aqueous solution
Authors: Molloy Jennifer K. , Bergamini Giacomo , Baroncini Massimo , Hahn Uwe , Ceroni Paola
Published: September 2018

Water soluble dendrimers, containing a diazapyrenium core, bind CB[7] with a higher association constant than CB[8].
The first general synthesis of 2-C-(β-d-glycopyranosyl)pyrimidines and their evaluation as inhibitors of some glycoenzymes
Authors: Szennyes Eszter , Bokor Éva , Langer Peter , Gyémánt Gyöngyi , Docsa Tibor , Sipos Ádám , Somsák László
Published: September 2018

The first systematic study on the synthesis of 2-C-(β-d-glycopyranosyl)pyrimidines either from amidine A or glycosyl cyanides B and 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds.
Expansion enhanced nanoscopy
Authors: Li Rongqin , Chen Xuanze , Lin Zixi , Wang Yao , Sun Yujie
Published: September 2018

We developed new strategies to retain and increase the labeling density of expanded samples and accomplished expansion enhanced nanoscopy (ExN).
FeCl3-promoted tandem 1,4-conjugate addition/6-endo-digcyclization/oxidation of propargylamines and benzoylacetonitriles/malononitriles: direct access to functionalized 2-aryl-4H-chromenes
Authors: He Xinwei , Wang Hui , Cai Xiaoting , Li Qianqian , Tao Jiajia , Shang Yongjia
Published: September 2018

Efficient and concise procedure for the synthesis of 2-aryl-4H-chromenes based on a tandem reaction of propargylamines and benzoylacetonitriles/malononitriles in the presence of FeCl3as an environmentally friendly promoter.
Full and partial hydrolysis of poly(2-oxazoline)s and the subsequent post-polymerization modification of the resulting polyethylenimine (co)polymers
Authors: Mees Maarten A. , Hoogenboom Richard
Published: September 2018

This review discusses the full and partial hydrolysis of poly(2-oxazoline)s as well as the synthetic methods that have been reported to modify the resulting secondary amine groups.
Sulfur(vi) fluoride exchange as a key reaction for synthesizing biaryl sulfate core derivatives as potent hepatitis C virus NS5A inhibitors and their structure–activity relationship studies
Authors: You Youngsu , Kim Hee Sun , Park Jung Woo , Keum Gyochang , Jang Sung Key , Kim B. Moon
Published: September 2018

SuFEx chemistry was utilized for the design and synthesis of potent HCV NS5A inhibitors featuring a biaryl sulfate core.
Self-assembly of an oligo(p-phenylenevinylene)-based molecule on an HOPG surface: insights from multi-scale simulation and STM observation
Authors: Qin Yuan , Yang Yingying , Yao Man , Xue Xiaowan , Wang Xudong , Huang Hao , Chen Ting , Wang Dong , Wan Lijun
Published: September 2018

DFT and MD simulations together with STM investigation were perfomed to study the weak interactions and structural stability of an oligo(p-phenylenevinylene)-based molecule on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite surface at different temperatures.
Mitochondria targeting IR780-based nanoGUMBOS for enhanced selective toxicity towards cancer cells
Authors: Chen Mi , Bhattarai Nimisha , Cong Mingyan , Pérez Rocío L. , McDonough Karen C. , Warner Isiah M.
Published: September 2018

Mitochondria targeting nanoGUMBOS were successfully fabricated based on self-assembly of IR780 GUMBOS with different counter-anions that show promising anticancer effects.
Lubrication and plasticization behavior of large-size micro-spherical structured SiO2for natural rubber
Authors: Zhao Shuai , Shao Xiaoming , Liu Xiaolin , Jiang Licong , Zhao Zheng , Xie Shicheng , Li Lin , Xin Zhenxiang
Published: September 2018

In many rubber dynamic applications such as tires and seals, imparting excellent flex fatigue properties and processing behavior are of prime importance. Micro-spherical N90 and N98 play boundary lubrication action during rubber processing.
A one-step fluorescent biosensing strategy for highly sensitive detection of HIV-related DNA based on strand displacement amplification and DNAzymes
Authors: Yan Xiaoyu , Tang Min , Yang Jianru , Diao Wei , Ma Hongmin , Cheng Wenbin , Que Haiying , Wang Tong , Yan Yurong
Published: September 2018

A one-step fluorescent biosensing strategy for highly sensitive detection of HIV-related DNA based on strand displacement amplification and Mg2+-dependent DNAzyme reaction.
The detailed acoustic signature of a micro-confined cavitation bubble
Authors: Scognamiglio Chiara , Magaletti Francesco , Izmaylov Yaroslava , Gallo Mirko , Casciola Carlo Massimo , Noblin Xavier
Published: September 2018

The acoustic signature of bubbles confined in water enclosures is precisely detected. Bubbles resonant frequency and damping are thus characterised as function of the enclosures volume.
A full overview of international standards assessing the long-term stability of perovskite solar cells
Authors: Holzhey Philippe , Saliba Michael
Published: September 2018

Perovskite solar cells have emerged as promising candidates for photovoltaics. Passing existing standards is a necessary minimum requirement for a possible commercialisation. Here, we analyse the most current international stability standards and to which degree perovskites have passed them. We then elaborate on the most pertinent challenges for the long-term stability of perovskites in the coming years.
Enzymatically synthesized poly(amino-co-ester) polyplexes for systemic delivery of pcDNA-miRNA-214 to suppress colorectal cancer liver metastasis
Authors: Luo Hui-yan , Yang Zhe , Wei Wei , Li Ying-qin , Pu Hengying , Chen Ya , Sheng Hui , Liu Jie , Xu Rui-hua
Published: September 2018

Upregulation of miRNA-214 expression level by PPMS polyplexes can efficiently inhibit colorectal cancer liver metastasis.
Room temperature phosphorescence vs. thermally activated delayed fluorescence in carbazole–pyrimidine cored compounds
Authors: Serevičius Tomas , Bučiūnas Tadas , Bucevičius Jonas , Dodonova Jelena , Tumkevičius Sigitas , Kazlauskas Karolis , Juršėnas Saulius
Published: September 2018

The carbazole–pyrimidine core is a versatile system for both room temperature phosphorescence and thermally activated delayed emission.
High efficiency and highly saturated red emitting inverted quantum dot devices (QLEDs): optimisation of their efficiencies with low temperature annealed sol–gel derived ZnO as the electron transporter and a novel high mobility hole transporter and thermal annealing of the devices
Authors: Kathirgamanathan Poopathy , Kumaraverl Muttulingam , Bramananthan Nicola , Ravichandran Seenivasagam
Published: September 2018

Quantum dot lighting emitting diodes are promising candidates for high efficiency and wide colour gamut displays.
Highly sensitive, stretchable and wearable strain sensors using fragmented conductive cotton fabric
Authors: Souri Hamid , Bhattacharyya Debes
Published: September 2018

Recent advancements in stretchable, flexible and wearable strain sensors, based on natural materials, show their interesting potential for use in human motion detection, soft robotics and human–machine interactions.
Variability in Interpreting “Educational Performance” for Children With Speech Sound Disorders
Authors: Farquharson Kelly , Boldini Lisa
Published: September 2018

Purpose

Speech sound disorders (SSDs) can have a negative impact on literacy development, social–emotional well-being, and participation across the life span. Despite this, many public schools do not provide appropriate or timely services to this population of children. In large part, this is a result of variation in how state and local agencies interpret “educational performance” as outlined within the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. The purpose of this study was to explore which educational performance factors speech-language pathologists (SLPs) consider when determining eligibility for children with SSDs.

Method

This study surveyed public school SLPs to investigate how educational performance is interpreted for children with SSDs. Data from 575 SLPs across the United States are included.

Results

Results supported variability in interpretation of educational performance within a nationwide sample of SLPs. Specifically, SLPs appear to consider educational performance as multidimensional. We also found within-state and between-states variability, indicating ambiguity in interpreting federal mandates. Finally, caseload size and number of years of experience were significantly related to which educational performance factors SLPs chose.

Conclusion

There is significant variability across the United States with respect to factors considered part of educational performance for children with SSD. This variability reflects the general quality and specificity of guidelines and/or special education code published by individual states. Clinical and legislative recommendations are included.
Wind power forecast with error feedback and its economic benefit in power system dispatch
Authors: Ji Tianyao , Hong Dongyi , Zheng Jiehui , Wu Qinghua , Yang Xiaoyu
Published: September 2018

This study proposes a novel prediction model for uni‐ and multi‐variable forecast, where error feedback is added to the original forecast value predicted using the persistence model. The error feedback mechanism is constructed to find out the relationship between the errors and the original forecast values. Simulation studies are carried out using wind power data obtained from two databases, and the results demonstrate that the proposed model provides a more accurate and stable forecast compared to other methods. Based on this, the economic benefit of accurate wind power forecast has been analysed for power system dispatch, which aims to minimise the operation cost. The dispatch results of two scenarios have shown that accurate forecast result decreases the cost of reserve capacity, balancer set invoking capacity and the possibility of wind curtailment, which leads to more economic dispatch of power systems.
Multi‐frame super‐resolution algorithm using common vector approach
Authors: Seke Erol , Anagün Yıldıray , Adar Nihat
Published: September 2018

Super‐resolution (SR) applications aim to use information within one or more low‐resolution (LR) image(s) to obtain high‐resolution (HR) image(s). LR images might well be the consecutive frames of a video sequence. When multiple LR images are used as input, motion estimation (ME) between portions of images is an important step of the solution for this ill‐posed problem. In this study, the authors employed translational optical flow for ME, followed by common vector approach (CVA) for HR image reconstruction from multiple sources. CVA provides a way to reduce outliers caused by noise, occlusion, shadows and incorrect ME. HR image blocks are obtained by combining common and difference vectors of the blocks’ class that are handled separately. Noise in difference vectors is reduced by a known noise reduction method before combining. Separate handling of common and difference parts guarantees better results and greatly reduce artefacts. Compared to the state‐of‐the‐art, experimental results confirm the authors’ achievement by visual, peak signal‐to‐noise ratio and structural similarity index measures criteria.
Bi2O3 quantum dots decorated TiO2 nanobelt heterojunctions with enhanced visible‐light photoactivity
Authors: Chen Zimei , Wang Jinguo , Zhai Guangjun , He Rong , Jia Xin , Sun Qiuyan , Men Yong
Published: September 2018

Bi2O3 quantum dots decorated TiO2 nanobelt heterojunctions were synthesised by a facile two‐step hydrothermal process. The Bi2O3 quantum dots highly dispersed on the surface of TiO2 nanobelts resulted in more photosensitising sites and Bi2O3–TiO2 heterojunctions, leading to the enhanced absorbance for visible light. The strong Bi2O3–TiO2 interaction promoted the rapid transfer of photoelectrons from Bi2O3 to TiO2 and thus inhibited their recombination with holes. Meanwhile, the high‐surface area facilitated the adsorption and diffusion of reactant molecules. As a result, this photocatalyst exhibited highly enhanced photoactivity in degradation of organic dyes under visible‐light irradiation, which also displayed strong durability owing to the strong Bi2O3–TiO2 interaction against the leaching of Bi2O3 quantum dots.
Fast immunofluorescence lateral flow test strip approach for detection of homocysteine
Authors: Chen Wei , Ang Chaoman , Lou Doudou , Ji Yongxin , Huang Ling , Zhu Yefei , Guo Zhirui , Gu Ning , Zhang Yu
Published: September 2018

The study developed a novel quantitative detection method of homocysteine (Hcy), an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, based on an immunofluorescent test strip. The fluorescent nanospheres (F‐NSs) were prepared by embedding fluorophores (Cy5) into poly(styrene‐acrylate) copolymer nanospheres, then conjugated with streptavidin (SA) to obtain SA/F‐NSs as a signal amplification label stored in sample diluents. Biotin–antibody was fixed on the conjugate pad to specifically capture S ‐adenosyl Hcy (SAH) in the sample, where SAH was transformed from S ‐adenosyl methionine (SAM) by Hcy S ‐methyltransferase catalysis using Hcy as a substrate, the formed SAH could be trapped by SA/F‐NSs and biotin–antibody conjugates in a competitive way with SAH–bovine serum albumin fixed on the test line, a detection limit of 0.27 μM Hcy was achieved. The fluorescence intensity of F‐NSs remained stable during 273 days of storage, the bioactivity of the test strip was stable during 12 months of storage, and the strip possessed good reproducibility (intra‐assay variability of 5.8%). Furthermore, other structural analogues SAM and cysteine showed negative results, validating the excellent specificity of the strips.
Effectivity comparison between aspirin, propolis, and bee pollen as an antiplatelet based on bleeding time taken on mice
Authors: Martina Sake Juli , Luthfi Muhammad , Govindan Pradeepa , Wahyuni Arlinda Sari
Published: September 2018

The use of standard antiplatelet therapy for cardiovascular disease patients has many side effects. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of Propolis and Bee Pollen, two bee products, as antiplatelet and in comparison with Aspirin. This is an experimental study with posttest only control group design. The samples were 32 mice, divided into 4 groups: placebo, administration of aspirin (10.4 mg/kg-bw/day), Propolis (65 mg/kg-bw/day), and Bee Pollen (68 mg/kg-bw/day). The study was conducted for 12 days and the suspensions were given orally. The bleeding time was then measured using tail-bleeding technique. The data collected was bleeding time in seconds. All samples completed the study. The mean bleeding time for placebo, Aspirin, Propolis and Bee Pollen groups were 106.1, 442.9, 310.1, and 203 in seconds respectively. ANOVA and Bonferroni tests showed a significant difference between Propolis and placebo groups (p=0.003), no difference between Propolis and Aspirin groups (p=0.100), no difference between Bee Pollen and placebo groups (p=0.442), and a significant difference between Bee Pollen and Aspirin groups (p=0.000). Administration of Propolis in mice showed prolongation of bleeding time while Bee Pollen did not prove to have antiplatelet effects.
Coconut husk ash as heterogenous catalyst for biodiesel production from cerbera manghas seed oil
Authors: Husin Husni , Abubakar Abubakar , Ramadhani Suci , Sijabat Cici Ferawati Br. , Hasfita Fikri
Published: September 2018

The research on the use of coconut husk as a solid catalyst for transesterification reaction of Cerbera manghas oil into biodiesel has been done. The aim of this study is to investigate the performance of coconut husk ash for biodiesel production from Cerbera manghas seed oil. Coconut husk is prepared by burning in air to obtain potassium oxide as active phase. The coconut husk is analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRD spectrum shows that the peak characteristics of potassium oxide can be observed in the diffractogram. The particle size of the catalyst ranging from 1 - 3 μm with pentagonal structure. The coconut husk ash solid catalyst is used in the transesterification reaction of Cerbera manghas oil in a batch reactor. Biodiesel yield of 88.6% can be achieved over coconut husk ash catalyst, using a 10 wt.% of catalyst, reaction temperature at 3 hours, and a methanol-to-oil ratio of 6: 1. This solid catalyst can be separated easily from the reaction system and not soluble in methanol or methyl esters. The coconut husk ash catalyst is high potential to be developed as one of the solid catalysts to convert Cerbera manghas oil to biodiesel.
Comparative Study of Gait Gender Identification using Gait Energy Image (GEI) and Gait Information Image (GII)
Authors: Asmara Rosa Andrie , Masruri Irtafa , Rahmad Cahya , Siradjuddin Indrazno , Rohadi Erfan , Ronilaya Ferdian , Handayani Anik Nur , Hasanah Qonitatul
Published: September 2018

Identifying gender from the pedestrian video is one crucial key to study demographics in such areas. With current video surveillance technology, identifying gender from a distance is possible. This research proposed the utilization of computer vision to identify gender based on their walking gait. The data feature used to determine gender based on their walking gait divided into five parts, namely the head, chest, back, waist & buttocks, and legs. Two different methods are used to perform the real-time gender gait recognition process, i.e., Gait Energy Image (GEI) and Gait Information Image (GII), while the Support Vector Machine (SVM) method used as the data classifier. The experimental results show that the process of identifying gender based on walking with GEI method is 55% accuracy and GII method is 60% accuracy. From these results, it can conclude that the method GII with SVM classifier has the best accuracy in the process of gender classification
Sustainable Power Generation by Tidal Current Turbine in Straits of Malacca
Authors: Ghazvinei P. T. , Darvishi H.H. , Bhatia A.
Published: September 2018

Marine current power is a significant energy resource which is yet to be exploited for efficient energy production. Malaysia, being a tropical country is rich in renewable sources and tidal power is one of them. In Malaysia, Straits of Malacca is a potential site to establish a tidal current turbine. In the current study, the potential sites of the Straits of Malacca are discussed. A detailed review about the generator suitable for the Straits of Malacca with the associated challenges has also been discussed. Furthermore, the suitable solution for such challenges is proposed. The role of simulation in choosing an appropriate site and generator has also been reviewed. The focus of the study is to propose a generator suitable for the flow characteristics of the Straits of Malacca.
Chemoselective and Metal-Free Synthesis of Aryl Esters from the Corresponding Benzylic Alcohols in Aqueous Medium Using TBHP/TBAI as an Efficient Catalytic System
Authors: Bhar Sanjay , Nandy Sneha , Ghatak Avishek , Das Asit
Published: September 2018

A novel and transition-metal-free strategy has been developed for the synthesis of aryl esters starting from corresponding benzylic primary alcohols as the exclusive substrates using tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as a terminal oxidant in the presence of catalytic amount of tetrabutylammonium iodide (TBAI) and imidazole, where the aliphatic alcohols remained unaffected. These reactions are highly chemoselective and associated with high yield and wide applicability accommodating a wide range of substituents. Excellent chemoselectivity has also been demonstrated through intramolecular competition experiments. This protocol can be considered as an important analogue of Tishchenko reaction using benzylic alcohols as the substrates instead of benzaldehydes.
A Synthesis of 4-Chloro-2-(trichloromethyl)pyrimidines and Their Study in Nucleophilic Substitution
Authors: Romero-Ortega Moisés , Trujillo-Lagunas Michelle , Medina-Mercado Ignacio , Zaragoza-Galicia Ivann , Olivo Horacio
Published: September 2018

A convenient two-step, one-pot synthesis of 4-chloro-2-(trichloromethyl)pyrimidines starting from 2-(trichloromethyl)-1,3-diazabutadienes is described. These nitrogen heterocycles were prepared by a sequential acylation/intramolecular cyclization reaction between 2-(trichloromethyl)-1,3-diazabutadienes and acyl chlorides in the presence of triethylamine followed by treatment with POCl3. This is the first report for the synthesis of this type of 4-chloro-2-(trichloromethyl)pyrimidine derivatives and serves as a source for a wide variety of other substituted pyrimidines by nucleophilic substitution reactions.
Combining Oxoammonium Cation Mediated Oxidation and Photoredox Catalysis for the Conversion of Aldehydes into Nitriles
Authors: Leadbeater Nicholas , Nandi Jyoti , Witko Mason
Published: September 2018

A method to oxidize aromatic aldehydes to nitriles has been developed. It involves a dual catalytic system of 4-acetamido-TEMPO and visible-light photoredox catalysis. The reaction is performed using ammonium persulfate as both the terminal oxidant and nitrogen source.
Organic Photoredox Catalysis for Pschorr Reaction: A Metal-Free and Mild Approach to 6H-Benzo[c]chromenes
Authors: Feng Gaofeng , He Jing-Yao , Bai Qi-Fan , Jin Chengan
Published: September 2018

An expedient organic photoredox Pschorr reaction has been developed that opens up a synthetic route to 6H-benzo[c]chromenes. The process can be performed under mild conditions by using eosin Y as a photoredox catalyst and acetonitrile as the solvent. The diazonium salts can be either preformed or generated in situ from the corresponding amines with t-BuONO. The process is amenable to gram-sale synthesis of 6H-benzo[c]chromenes, which can be further transformed into both 6H-benzo[c]chromen-6-ones through oxidation or to 6H-benzo[c]chromen-6-amine through sp3 C–H bond amination. The protocol provides an attractive route for the synthesis of a library of 6H-benzo[c]chromes.
A Heuristic Evaluation to Assess Use of After Visit Summaries for Supporting Continuity of Care
Authors: Tremoulet Patrice , Krishnan Ramya , Karavite Dean , Muthu Naveen , Regli Susan , Will Amy , Michel Jeremy
Published: September 2018

Background Outpatient providers often do not receive discharge summaries from acute care providers prior to follow-up visits. These outpatient providers may use the after-visit summaries (AVS) that are given to patients to obtain clinical information. It is unclear how effectively AVS support care coordination between clinicians.

Objectives Goals for this effort include: (1) developing usability heuristics that may be applied both for assessment and to guide generation of medical documents in general, (2) conducting a heuristic evaluation to assess the use of AVS for communication between clinicians, and (3) providing recommendations for generating AVS that effectively support both patient/caregiver use and care coordination.

Methods We created a 17-item heuristic evaluation instrument for assessing usability of medical documents. Eight experts used the instrument to assess each of four simulated AVS. The simulations were created using examples from two hospitals and two pediatric patient cases developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Results Experts identified 224 unique usability problems ranging in severity from mild to catastrophic. Content issues (e.g., missing medical history, marital status of a 2-year-old) were rated as most severe, but widespread formatting and structural problems (e.g., inconsistent indentation, fonts, and headings; confusing ordering of information) were so distracting that they significantly reduced readers' ability to efficiently use the documents. Overall, issues in the AVS from Hospital 2 were more severe than those in the AVS from Hospital 1.

Conclusion The new instrument allowed for quick, inexpensive evaluations of AVS. Usability issues such as unnecessary information, poor organization, missing information, and inconsistent formatting make it hard for patients, caregivers, and clinicians to use the AVS. The heuristics in the new instrument may be used as guidance to adapt electronic health record systems so that they generate more useful and usable medical documents.
Influence of the thickness of a nanometric copper interlayer on Au/dielectric thermal boundary conductance
Authors: Blank Maïté , Weber Ludger
Published: September 2018

The influence of the thickness of a thin (1.5–30 nm) copper layer on the thermal boundary conductance (TBC) at the interface between gold and silicon, sapphire and diamond, respectively, was studied using Time Domain Thermoreflectance. Overall, a monotonic increase in the TBC was observed over the first 10 nm, before reaching a plateau. In some cases, it was also observed that an interlayer reduces the TBC as compared to the reference system. This is rationalized by assuming that the TBC evolution as a function of the interlayer thickness is controlled by (i) a contribution of the gold layer that has to be taken into account for all phonons having a wavelength larger than the interlayer thickness and (ii) a thickness-dependent resistance within the interlayer that appears when the electron-phonon coupling is incomplete, i.e., typically over the first 10 nm. A model is proposed in which the contribution to thermal boundary conductance by phonons coming directly from the gold layer is estimated using a simple Debye approximation, while the resistance that appears within the interlayer is estimated by g(T) times h with g(T) the electron-phonon coupling factor and h the interlayer thickness. This results in a system with three resistances in series, i.e., the metal-metal and metal-dielectric interfacial resistances and the interlayer resistance, and a contribution due to phonons of the gold layer. A reasonably good agreement between this model and experimental data is observed.
Measuring the wall depletion length of nanoconfined DNA
Authors: Bhandari Aditya Bikram , Reifenberger Jeffrey G. , Chuang Hui-Min , Cao Han , Dorfman Kevin D.
Published: September 2018

Efforts to study the polymer physics of DNA confined in nanochannels have been stymied by a lack of consensus regarding its wall depletion length. We have measured this quantity in 38 nm wide, square silicon dioxide nanochannels for five different ionic strengths between 15 mM and 75 mM. Experiments used the Bionano Genomics Irys platform for massively parallel data acquisition, attenuating the effect of the sequence-dependent persistence length and finite-length effects by using nick-labeled E. coli genomic DNA with contour length separations of at least 30 µm (88 325 base pairs) between nick pairs. Over 5 × 106 measurements of the fractional extension were obtained from 39 291 labeled DNA molecules. Analyzing the stretching via Odijk’s theory for a strongly confined wormlike chain yielded a linear relationship between the depletion length and the Debye length. This simple linear fit to the experimental data exhibits the same qualitative trend as previously defined analytical models for the depletion length but now quantitatively captures the experimental data.
Suppression of grey state and optimization of the single photon emission of a colloidal semiconductor at room temperature
Authors: Au Thi Huong , Buil Stéphanie , Quélin Xavier , Hermier Jean-Pierre , Lai Ngoc Diep
Published: September 2018

The excitation energy dependency of single colloidal CdSe-CdS core-shell nanocrystals is investigated at ambient conditions. It was demonstrated that the photoluminescence blinking effect is totally suppressed by optically exciting nanocrystals with a laser wavelength located at a very low absorption spectrum range. The mechanism of this effect is theoretically attributed to excitation of only the core instead of both the core and the shell. The signal to noise ratio and the photon count are also significantly improved and better purity in terms of single photon generation is achieved.
Thin shell model for the nonlinear fluid instability of cylindrical shells
Authors: Zhao K. G. , Xue C. , Wang L. F. , Ye W. H. , Wu J. F. , Ding Y. K. , Zhang W. Y. , He X. T.
Published: September 2018

A thin shell model is developed to describe the nonlinear fluid instability growth in a gravitational field or/and driven by a pressure difference in cylindrical convergent geometry in the style of Ott [Phys. Lett. 29, 1429 (1972)]. The differential equations of motion are obtained by analyzing the forces (i.e., the gravitational field and pressure difference) on the cylindrical thin shell. The nonlinear evolution and deformation of the thin shell in the presence of the gravitational field or/and pressure difference are investigated by numerical calculations. When the perturbed thin shell is driven by the gravitational field, the linear growth rates obtained from our model are compared with the analytical formula and they agree well with each other. Furthermore, the evolution of thin shell overall agrees with the weakly nonlinear (WN) theory [Wang et al., Phys. Plasmas 20, 042708 (2013)]. When the thin shell with an unperturbed interface is driven by a nonuniform pressure difference with a single-mode spatial modulation, the perturbation growth can be observed at the surface. In addition, mode-coupling processes between the single-mode perturbed interface and the large-scale drive asymmetry on the thin shell are addressed.
Effect of inhomogeneous mesoporosity and defects on the luminescent properties of slanted silicon nanowires prepared by facile metal-assisted chemical etching
Authors: Adhila T. K. , Hemam Rachna D. , Nanda K. K. , Barshilia Harish C.
Published: September 2018

Slanted silicon nanowires show an improved optical absorption and better electrical contact than the vertical silicon nanowires. High aspect ratio mesoporous slanted silicon nanowires oriented along the ⟨100⟩ direction are fabricated by a facile two-step metal-assisted chemical etching process. Inhomogeneous porosity with a pore diameter of 2–10 nm is identified by the analysis of transmission electron microscopy, angle dependent Raman spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurements. Slanted silicon nanowires possess a core/shell structure, and the porosity varies from top to bottom of the slanted silicon nanowires. The presence of neutral oxygen defects, self-trapped excitons, and surface defects is identified by photoluminescence spectroscopy, and the results are correlated with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data. In addition to mesoporosity, defects such as self-trapped excitons, oxygen vacancies, and surface defects on Si/SiOx interface contribute to the luminescence of slanted silicon nanowires. Red shift in the photoluminescence with increasing etching time is explained using quantum confinement luminescent center model. Understanding the role of defects and porosity in slanted silicon nanowires is highly desirable to increase the efficiency of silicon nanowires based optoelectronic devices.