bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Birds at My Table
Authors: Jones Darryl
Published: November 2019

Feeding wild birds in gardens and backyards is one of the most popular forms of interaction between humans and wild animals. Yet despite the enormous scale of this activity and the millions of people involved throughout the world, remarkably little is known about the practice or the potential implications associated with the provisioning of vast amounts of food, all of which is additional to the bird’s natural diet. Many questions arise: Does bird feeding change wildlife communities? Does it aid the spread of disease? Is it essential for the conservation of many struggling species, especially in urban areas? And why are so many people passionately engaged, and willing to spend considerable sums on this practice? This is the first book to attempt to address these and many other questions associated with this global activity, exploring many complex issues through both science and the personal experience of bird feeders themselves.
India and the Patent Wars
Authors: Halliburton Murphy
Published: November 2019

India and the Patent Wars examines struggles over patents and access to medicine among pharmaceutical producers, activists and others under a new global intellectual property regime. India, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical exporters, has been at the center of these struggles, and this book explores multiple perspectives in these controversies including those of Indian pharmaceutical companies, which have long offered low-cost medicines to customers around the world, multinational pharmaceutical companies, which pursue patent claims in Indian courts and license drugs to Indian producers, and practitioners of ayurveda, India’s largest indigenous medical system, who are concerned about how their knowledge and practices relate to the new patent system.
Spaces of Feeling
Authors: Figlerowicz Marta
Published: November 2019

Can other people notice our affects more easily than we do? Spaces of Feeling examines modernist novels and poems that treat this possibility as electrifying, as well as deeply disturbing. Their characters and lyric speakers are undone by the realization that they depend on others to solve their inward affective conundrums—and that, to these other people, their feelings often do not seem mysterious at all. To a psychoanalyst, such realizations might sound like truisms. Spaces of Feeling shows that they become considerably weightier within the context of our contemporary approaches to affects as gateways into larger social conditions. Through close readings of works by Virginia Woolf, James Baldwin, John Ashbery, Ralph Ellison, Marcel Proust, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sylvia Plath, and Wallace Stevens, it highlights the diversity of aesthetic and sociopolitical contexts in which these affective dependencies become central to these authors’ representations of selfhood. By setting these novels and poems in conversation with the work of contemporary theorists, it also shows that the questions about subjectivity that these earlier works open remain pressing, and tantalizingly unanswered, in our present day.
Undoing Work, Rethinking Community
Authors: Chamberlain James A.
Published: November 2019

This book argues that the civic duty to perform paid work in contemporary society undermines freedom and justice. While workplace flexibility and the unconditional basic income (UBI) both offer prospects for greater freedom and justice, they also harbor the risk of shoring up the work society. To avert this danger, we must therefore reconfigure the value and place of paid work in our lives. Moreover, we need to rethink the meaning of community at a deeper level, and in particular, abandon the view that community is constructed by work, whether paid or not. This task raises significant challenges, but Jean-Luc Nancy’s work on the “inoperative community” provides key philosophical guidance. Since the relational ontology of this alternative view of community stands in stark tension with capitalism, a liberal-reformist approach to lessening the burden of paid work that fails to tackle the underlying economic and social structure offers only limited gains in terms of freedom and justice. Moving beyond the work society and more fully realizing freedom and justice therefore entails nothing short of a new conception of community and the struggle against capitalism.
Patriotic Ayatollahs
Authors: Sayej Caroleen Marji
Published: November 2019

Patriotic Ayatollahs explores the contributions of the Grand Ayatollahs to the process of state and nation-building after the 2003 Iraq war. These figures, the so-called Grand Ayatollahs, the highest-ranking clerics of Shiism, took on a new and, to many observers at the time, unexpected political role after the fall of Saddam Hussein. They served as guardians of the democratic process in Iraq, regularly intervening in the process of institution building. They also served as key public intellectuals and moral guides on key domestic issues, such as the insurgency and the emergence of violent and widespread terrorism. Their brand of political activism was novel insofar as it neither sought to reproduce the Iranian form of governance, nor adhere to the quietist model normally associated with the clerics of Iraq. Together with other new social actors who competed for power, Sistani and other leading ayatollahs played a central role in public debates, as they sought to secure their own position in the new public sphere. Drawing mainly on previously unexamined Arabic-language fatwas, speeches and communiqués of Iraq’s four grand ayatollahs, this book offers an analysis of the ways in which their new discourses and narratives shaped and framed public debates after 2003.
School of Europeanness
Authors: Dzenovska Dace
Published: November 2019

Following independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, economic and political liberalization projects were rolled out in Latvia and across Eastern Europe. While economic liberalism was welcomed, political liberalism was contested. Many in Latvia insisted on the importance of the nation alongside individual liberties and respect for diversity. From the perspective of liberal Europe, this often led to the conclusion that Latvia’s residents exhibited too much socialist mentality or nationalist sentiment and thus required lessons in political liberalism in order to become fully European. This ethnography examines the efforts to extend lessons in political liberalism to Latvia’s residents. The book argues that, rather than viewing Eastern Europe as falling behind, it should be viewed as the laboratory for forging post-Cold War political liberalism in Europe. It shows that Europe’s liberal democratic polities are based on a fundamental tension between the need to exclude and the requirement to profess and institutionalize the value of inclusion. The book provides insight with regard to the current crisis of political liberalism from a moment in time when it was still confident and from the perspective of a place and people that were thought to have never been liberal.
Twilight of the Titans
Authors: MacDonald Paul K. , Parent Joseph M.
Published: November 2019

How do great powers respond to decline? The conventional wisdom is preventive war or domestic dysfunction. This book argues that declining states are neither more prone to aggression nor political paralysis. Instead, it makes three main claims. First, the most common and effective response to decline is retrenchment because, in the competitive world of power politics, states need to stay strategically solvent. Second, the rate of decline is the most powerful determinant of what retrenchment policies states adopt. And third, international conditions are important modifiers of how and how much states retrench. Examining all great power ordinal transitions since 1870, it employs statistical analysis and structured, focused historical comparisons to test rival views of great power decline.
Labor in Israel
Authors: Preminger Jonathan
Published: November 2019

This book analyzes worker organizing and union revitalization following the decline of neocorporatism, the transformation of industrial relations and the rise of neoliberalism. Given labor’s critical role in the Zionist state-building project, it also discusses organized labor’s relationship to the political community in light of Israel’s complex relations with the Palestinians. The book asserts that despite the weakening of trade unions and the Histadrut, undermined by political and economic elites, the fragmentation of labor representation has created opportunities for those previously excluded from the neocorporatist regime. Moreover, workers are taking advantage of vestigial neocorporatist frameworks and new liberal legislation to impede neoliberal policies and renegotiate union democracy. However, the common political framework between labor and capital, the nation-state, has been subverted: capital has spread beyond “national” borders and labor has been brought into them from outside, entirely annulling labor Zionism’s premise in which “the (Hebrew) worker” was almost synonymous with “citizen.” Organized labor has lost its legitimacy. As even the right to organize is challenged, labor fights a rearguard battle, renegotiating its status vis-à-vis “old” social partners and a public which, for the most part, does not identify itself as “workers” and does not accept labor’s claim to represent it.
Neck mobility in the Jurassic plesiosaurCryptoclidus eurymerus: finite element analysis as a new approach to understanding the cervical skeleton in fossil vertebrates
Authors: Wintrich Tanja , Jonas René , Wilke Hans-Joachim , Schmitz Lars , Sander P. Martin
Published: November 2019

The sauropterygian clade Plesiosauria arose in the Late Triassic and survived to the very end of the Cretaceous. Plesiosauria evolved the greatest species diversity of any marine reptile clade, attaining a global distribution. Plesiosauria consist of two clades, Rhomaleosauridae and Neoplesiosauria. Basal Neoplesiosauria have long necks with at least 30 cervicals, but show qualitative osteological evidence for a stiff neck. Here we quantify neck mobility in lateral, ventral, and dorsal directions based on finite element modeling of neck vertebrae from the Middle Jurassic plesiosaurCryptoclidus eurymerus. We model the mobility in a single motion segment, consisting of two adjacent cervical vertebrae and the joints connecting them. Based on the model with a maximum intervertebral spacing of 3 mm, we find that inCryptoclidus, the maximum angle of lateral deflection in the motion segment was 2°. The maximum angle of ventral deflection was 5° and of dorsal deflection was 5°. When these values are multiplied by the number of cervical vertebrae, it becomes apparent that neck mobility was limited in all directions. The maximum angle of total lateral deflection in the neck was 67°. The maximum angle of total ventral deflection was 148° and of total dorsal deflection was 157°. This raises the question of the function of such a long, multi-segment but immobile neck. We posit that the long neck served in hydrodynamic and visual camouflage, hiding the bulk of the body from the small but abundant prey, such as schooling fish and squid. Neck immobility may have been advantageous in withstanding strong hydrodynamic forces acting on the neck during predatory strikes.
Short-term vasoactive agent treatment driven by physicians’ preference in acute esophageal variceal bleeding in a tertiary center
Authors: Chuah Yoen Young , Hsu Ping-I , Tsai Wei-Lun , Yu Hsien-Chung , Tsay Feng-Woei , Chen Wen-Chi , Lin Kung Hung , Lee Yeong Yeh , Wang Huay-Min
Published: November 2019

Background

Vasoactive drugs are frequently used in combination with endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) in treatment of acute esophageal variceal bleeding (EVB). The aim of study was to assess physicians’ preference of vasoactive agents in acute EVB, their reasons of preference and efficacy and safety of these short course regimens.

Methods

Cirrhotic patients with suspected EVB were screened (n = 352). Eligible patients were assigned based on the physician’s preference to either somatostatin (group S) or terlipressin (group T) followed by EVL. In group S, intravenous bolus (250 µg) of somatostatin followed by 250 µg/hour was continued for three days. In group T, 2 mg bolus injection of terlipressin was followed by 1 mg infusion every 6 h for three days.

Results

A total of 150 patients were enrolled; 41 in group S and 109 in group T. Reasons for physician preference was convenience in administration (77.1%) for group T and good safety profile (73.2%) for group S. Very early rebleeding within 49–120 h occurred in one patient in groups S and T (p = 0.469). Four patients in group S and 14 patients in group T have variceal rebleeding episodes within 6–42 d (p = 0.781). Overall treatment-related adverse effects were compatible in groups S and T (p = 0.878), but the total cost of terlipressin and somatostatin differed i.e., USD 621.32 and USD 496.43 respectively.

Conclusions

Terlipressin is the preferred vasoactive agent by physicians in our institution for acute EVB. Convenience in administration and safety profile are main considerations of physicians. Safety and hemostatic effects did not differ significantly between short-course somatostatin or terlipressin, although terlipressin is more expensive.
Performance Evaluation of Constructed Bench Terraces in Southern Zone of Tigray Region
Authors: Tassew Tuemay , Gidey Abadi , Eyasu Gebru
Published: November 2019

In the varying climate and weather environments and fast-growing population, the production of feed that could meet the demand of this ever-growing population will be challenging with limited land, soil, and water resources. In many developing countries, terraces have been constructed in sloppy, hilly and valley areas to rectify their shortage of cultivated land and severe water erosion problems to meet livelihood demands. In the southern zone of Tigray region, various labor-intensive bench terraces (BTs) have been constructed and are on the way of construction. Despite its coverage and labor intensiveness, these terraces are facing problems such as malfunctioning and collapse of structures leading to unsustainability, unproductiveness and additional labor and material costs. Thus, this study was designed to identify the basis of the above-mentioned problems and to put real solutions for the problems. A multi-disciplinary evaluation of BTs from natural resources and socioeconomic researchers was conducted to identify observational gaps in the stability and sustainability of the terraces and to put ways forward. Technical assessment and measurement of BTs were conducted onsite to evaluate and compare the specification with the recommended specification. Inappropriate site selection, water scarcity, free-grazing and neglected maintenance, poor buffer zone, and stone placement were directly or indirectly major reasons for the failure of bench terrace (BT) structures. Most of the BTs were not supported with biological soil and water conservation materials. Site selection and technical standards of BTs should be done based on recommended specifications with continuous follow-up.
On some Ternary Linear Codes and Designs obtained from the Projective Special Linear Goup PSL3(4)
Authors: Kariuki Yvonne W. , Onyango Ojiema M. , Immaculate Okombo M.
Published: November 2019

Let (G, ∗) be a group and X any set, an action of a group G on X, denoted as G×X → X, (g, x) 7→ g.x, assigns to each element in G a transformation of X that is compatible with the group structure of G. If G has a subgroup H then there is a transitive group action of G on the set (G/H) of the right co-sets of H by right multiplication. A representation of a group G on a vector space V carries the dimension of the vector space. Now, given a field F and a finite group G, there is a bijective correspondence between the representations of G on the finitedimensional F-vector spaces and finitely generated FG-modules. We use the FG -modules to construct linear ternary codes and combinatorial designs from the permutation representations of the group L3(4). We investigate the properties and parameters of these codes and designs.

We further obtain the lattice structures of the sub-modules and compare these ternary codes with the binary codes constructed from the same group.
Hyperbolic Jacobsthal Numbers
Authors: Dikmen Can Murat
Published: November 2019

In this paper, we introduce the Hyperbolic Jacobsthal numbers and we present recurrence relations, Binet's formulas, generating functions and the summation formulas for these numbers. Moreover, we investgate Lorentzian inner product for the hyperbolic Jacobsthal vectors.
Protein and Mineral Contents in Some Fish Species Available in the Brahmaputra River of Bangladesh
Authors: Eti M. S. A. , Zakir H. M. , Quadir Q. F. , Rahman M. S.
Published: November 2019

An experiment was conducted in the laboratory of the Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Mymensingh to determine protein and major mineral nutrients (viz. Ca, Mg, Na, K, P, S and Fe) in different available fish species of the Brahmaputra River of Bangladesh. Total 32 fish samples of 15 fish species were collected from three locations of the river during November 2017. The highest amount of Ca (2.00%), Mg (4.17%), Na (0.41%), K (3.24%), P (0.17%), S (0.129%) and Fe (226.9 mg kg−1) were obtained from chela (Salmophasia bacaila), chanda (Chanda nama), chingri (Macrobrachium sp.), shingi (Heteropneustes fossilis), bele (Glossogobius giuris), baim (Macrognathus aculeatus) and mola (Amblypharyngodon mola), respectively and the sequence of the mineral nutrients was K > Mg > Ca > Na > P > S > Fe. The study results revealed that 100% of daily Ca requirement can be replenished by consuming 100 g fish flesh portion of the chela (Salmophasia bacaila)/ chingri (Macrobrachium sp.)/ bele (Glossogobius giuris). Similarly, among the 15 fish species, 11 and 12 species alone can contribute 100% of Mg and K requirement for human by taking 100 g fish flesh, respectively. The maximum content of N (3.88%) was obtained from shingi (Heteropneustes fossilis), while the minimum (2.81%) was recorded from mola (Amblypharyngodon mola). The protein content among the fish samples varied between 17.6-24.3% with a mean value of 21.2%. Finally, the study results concluded that the common fishes available in the Brahmaputra River are a good source of protein and major mineral nutrients, which contributes in nutrition to the local people of the country.
Molecular Relationship among Mangifera indica L. (Mango) Varieties Using Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) Marker
Authors: Ajayi I. I. , Olawuyi O. J. , Ayodele A. E. , Faneye A. O.
Published: November 2019

This study established phylogenetic relationships among mango varieties collected from NIHORT, Ogbomosho, Saki, Oyo, Isehin and Ibadan using Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers with a view of determining their polymorphism, gene and allelic diversities. Sweet Mango UI Acc-3 had the highest total genomic DNA of 1379.00µl, while OYOM ACC-5 had the lowest concentration of 0.9 gl from total genomic DNA of 0.25.  The number of alleles ranged from 2 to 4 with an average of 2.50 alleles per locus in which the highest allelic frequency of 0.97 was recorded for EF 592217 and EF 59210 primers. However, Primer SSR20 had the highest information of polymorphic at 57.57% and highest gene diversity of 0.64. The result from the dendrogram showed that out of the three major clusters generated, the second delineated the highest number of 12 varieties in which Ogbomosho Mango Acc-2 (OGBM ACC-2) branched out at a distance of 0.15 from other varieties. Sweet Mango UI 3, Ogbomosho Mango Acc-2 (OGBM ACC-2), Julie Mango are potential future breeding accessions while Primer SSR20 could therefore be considered for further molecular breeding of other mango varieties and other tree crops in the Mangifera family.
Constraints and Suggestions Expressed by the Farmers in Availing Crop Insurance Schemes in Northern Karnataka
Authors: Jamanal S. K. , Natikar K. V. , Potdar M. P.
Published: November 2019

Crop insurance is one of the methods by which farmers can stabilize farm income, investment and guard against disastrous effect of losses due to natural hazards or low market prices. Crop insurance not only stabilizes the farm income but also helps the farmers to initiate production activity after a bad agricultural year. The study was conducted in Karnataka State during 2017-18 by using “Ex-post- facto” research design. Belgavi, Dharwad, Haveri and Vijayapura districts were selected purposely based on more number of insured farmers. Further, two taluks from each district and from each taluk three villages (i.e. total 24 villages) were selected randomly. Sample size for the study was 240. Purposive sampling procedure was used. The data collected from respondents were tabulated and analyzed by using Garrett’s Ranking Technique. The findings of the study revealed that, delay in getting the claim was the prime constraint faced by the insured farmers with a highest Garret Score (GS) of 73.53 and  ranked as first (I), followed by inadequate compensation (GS-61.51 and Rank-II) and officials bias in loss assessment (GS-56.42 and Rank-III). With respect to suggestions given by the farmers were, claim should be dispersed before starting of the next season with utmost priority by farmers with a Garret Score of 75.70 and ranked first (I), followed by creation of separate insurance cell at Block / Taluk level (GS-66.40 & Rank-II) and more number of trainings need to be organized on Crop Insurance Scheme (GS-54.91 & Rank-III). The study brought out various constraints faced by the farmers related to Crop Insurance Schemes. Thus, concerned officers should approach the State Government to make sincere efforts to pay the claim before the start of next season and conduct more number of training and awareness programmes. Non-loanee farmers also should be encouraged by simplifying the online registration process and making the ‘Samrakshane Portal’ farmer friendly.
Cytotoxic activity of methanolic fractions of different Marrubium spp. against melanoma cells is independent of antioxidant activity and total phenolic content
Authors: Kozyra Malgorzata , Korga Agnieszka , Ostrowska Marta , Humeniuk Ewelina , Adamczuk Grzegorz , Gieroba Renata , Makuch‐Kocka Anna , Dudka Jaroslaw
Published: November 2019

The Marrubium genus (horehound) has proved to be an abundant source of biologically active compounds, but there is little knowledge about its potential anticancer activity. Moreover, some Marrubium species have not been the subject of study in this regard. In this study, we performed comparative analysis of phenolic acid (PhA) content and total phenolic content in fractions obtained from methanolic extracts of Marrubium vulgare L. (common horehound), Marrubium cylleneum Boiss. & Heldr. and Marrubium friwaldskyanum Boiss herbs. We examined the cytotoxicity of these fractions against a human melanoma cancer cell line (A375) and normal human skin fibroblasts (BJ) using a 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyl‐tetrazolium bromide test, cell cycle analysis and real‐time monitoring of cell viability. We detected caffeic, p‐coumaric, ferulic and gentisic acids among the PhAs. Although the extracts obtained demonstrated low total phenolic content and did not show significant antioxidative properties, the nonhydrolyzed PhA fraction exhibited cytotoxic activity against a human melanoma cancer cell line, without affecting normal fibroblasts. Both acidic and alkaline hydrolysis abolished this activity, indicating that the esterified forms of phenolic compounds caused the observed cytotoxic effects. Further investigation of these compounds may facilitate the development of novel drugs for cancer treatment.
Lease termination and residential movement by households under the housing lease program for disaster victims in Iwate Prefecture
Authors: Meno Fumitake
Published: November 2019

Following the Great East Japan Earthquake, the housing lease program for disaster victims provided private rental houses as temporary housing to those affected by the earthquake. Many victims had to change the municipalities in which they lived when they moved into these rental houses. To examine the influence of these movements on where rebuilding occurred, data concerning lease terminations in this program in Iwate Prefecture were analyzed. Approximately 80% of the households left the leased houses, generally 2 or 6 years after the disaster. A total of 60% of households that moved to other municipalities under this lease program have not returned to their original municipalities.
A Pyrene–Poly(acrylic acid)–Polyrotaxane Supramolecular Binder Network for High‐Performance Silicon Negative Electrodes
Authors: Cho Yunshik , Kim Jaemin , Elabd Ahmed , Choi Sunghun , Park Kiho , Kwon Tae‐woo , Lee Jungmin , Char Kookheon , Coskun Ali , Choi Jang Wook
Published: November 2019

Although being incorporated in commercial lithium‐ion batteries for a while, the weight portion of silicon monoxide (SiOx, x ≈ 1) is only less than 10 wt% due to the insufficient cycle life. Along this line, polymeric binders that can assist in maintaining the mechanical integrity and interfacial stability of SiOx electrodes are desired to realize higher contents of SiOx. Herein, a pyrene–poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)–polyrotaxane (PR) supramolecular network is reported as a polymeric binder for SiOx with 100 wt%. The noncovalent functionalization of a carbon coating layer on the SiOx is achieved by using a hydroxylated pyrene derivative via the π–π stacking interaction, which simultaneously enables hydrogen bonding interactions with the PR–PAA network through its hydroxyl moiety. Moreover, the PR's ring sliding while being crosslinked to PAA endows a high elasticity to the entire polymer network, effectively buffering the volume expansion of SiOx and largely mitigating the electrode swelling. Based on these extraordinary physicochemical properties of the pyrene–PAA–PR supramolecular binder, the robust cycling of SiOx electrodes is demonstrated at commercial levels of areal loading in both half‐cell and full‐cell configurations.
Optically Pumped Lasing from Hybrid Perovskite Light‐Emitting Diodes
Authors: Kim Hoyeon , Roh Kwangdong , Murphy John P. , Zhao Lianfeng , Gunnarsson William B. , Longhi Elena , Barlow Stephen , Marder Seth R. , Rand Barry P. , Giebink Noel C.
Published: November 2019

Electrically pumped lasing from hybrid organic–inorganic metal‐halide perovskite semiconductors could lead to nonepitaxial diode lasers that are tunable throughout the visible and near‐infrared spectrum; however, a viable laser diode architecture has not been demonstrated to date. Here, an important step toward this goal is achieved by demonstrating two distinct distributed feedback light‐emitting diode architectures that achieve low threshold, optically pumped lasing. Bottom‐ and top‐emitting perovskite light‐emitting diodes are fabricated on glass and Si substrates, respectively, using a polydimethylsiloxane stamp in the latter case to nanoimprint a second‐order distributed feedback grating directly into the methylammonium lead iodide active layer. The devices exhibit room temperature thresholds as low as ≈6 µJ cm−2, a peak external quantum efficiency of ≈0.1%, and a maximum current density of ≈2 A cm−2 that is presently limited by degradation associated with excessive leakage current. In this low current regime, electrical injection does not adversely affect the optical pump threshold, leading to a projected threshold current density of ≈2 kA cm−2. Operation at low temperature can significantly decrease this threshold, but must overcome extrinsic carrier freeze‐out in the doped organic transport layers to maintain a reasonable drive voltage.
Broadband CrOCl Saturable Absorber with a Spectral Region Extension to 10.6 µm
Authors: Wang Mengxia , Zhang Jian , Wang Zhengping , Wang Ci , van Smaalen Sander , Xiao Hang , Chen Xi , Du Chenlin , Xu Xinguang , Tao Xutang
Published: November 2019

Nonlinear optical (NLO) materials with saturable absorption have attracted increasing attention because of their broad applications in the fields of optical communication, materials processing, biological detection, and surgery. However, their development is limited in the mid‐infrared (IR) range due to a lack of available materials with a wideband NLO response. Herein, the optical properties and applications of the transition metal oxychloride CrOCl, which has a broadband transparent region (0.8–18 µm) and a high laser damaged threshold, are studied. The saturable absorption of CrOCl is characterized at 1.06, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 10.6 µm with nanosecond lasers by the Z‐scan method. With CrOCl as the saturable absorber (SA), passively Q‐switched solid‐state lasers are successfully realized at 1.06, 1.33, and 1.87 µm. This study is the first to report the use of a Cr3+ material as an optical SA. The high transmittance and wideband NLO response of CrOCl indicate that CrOCl can be an excellent NLO IR material with extensive application potential in photonics.
A Mechanistic Study of the Stereochemical Outcomes of Rhodium‐Catalysed Styrene Aziridinations
Authors: Azek Emna , Spitz Cédric , Ernzerhof Matthias , Lebel Hélène
Published: November 2019

The stereoselective, rhodium‐catalysed aziridination of styrene derivatives with a chiral N‐mesyloxycarbamate was found to be highly substrate dependent. A density functional theory (DFT) study is herein reported to elucidate the stereochemical outcome of the aziridination process. Rhodium acetate was initially used as a model catalyst, followed by computational studies conducted with Rh2[(S)‐nttl]4. Both singlet and triplet rhodium nitrene species were identified as intermediates affording concomitant concerted and radical pathways. In the latter case, the radical intermediate appears to undergo a direct ring closure via a minimum energy crossing point (MECP) between the triplet and closed‐shell singlet surfaces. Exceptionally for the m‐Br‐styrene aziridination, an alternative radical pathway with a carbon‐carbon bond rotation was observed, accounting for the observed 74:26 mixture of diastereomers. The computational analysis also suggests little control of the metal nitrene conformation with Rh2(OAc)4 with the chiral N‐mesyloxycarbamate: two conformers were located affording two diastereomers of the aziridine and correlating our experimental results. On the other hand, only one conformer was found for the nitrene generated from the chiral N‐mesyloxycarbamate and Rh2[(S)‐nttl]4. The so‐called “all‐up” conformer of Rh2[(S)‐nttl]4 was not only the most stable metal nitrene species, but also afforded the lowest energy transition state. The calculated dr for p‐Br‐styrene aziridination agrees with the observed experimental result. The combination of experimental and computational results offers a detailed mechanistic picture, providing insights for further catalyst development to enhance reactivity and selectivity.

magnified image
Palladium‐Catalyzed Enantioselective Decarboxylative Allylic Alkylation of Protected Benzoin‐Derived Enol Carbonates
Authors: Lavernhe Rémi , Alexy Eric J. , Zhang Haiming , Stoltz Brian M.
Published: November 2019

The enantioselective palladium‐catalyzed decarboxylative allylic alkylation of fully substituted α‐hydroxy acyclic enol carbonates providing tetrasubstituted benzoin derivatives is reported. Investigation into the transformation revealed that preparation of the starting material as a single enolate isomer is crucial for optimal enantioselectivity. The obtained alkylation products contain multiple reactive sites that can be utilized toward the synthesis of stereochemically rich derivatives.

magnified image
The determinants of employability of people living with HIV/AIDS in Turkey
Authors: Özdemir Hülya Özkan , Tosun Selma , Özdemir Durmuş , Korkmaz Elif
Published: November 2019

Background

This study addresses an important field within HIV research, the factors affecting the determinants of the employability of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) in Turkey. The employability of PLHIV is now even more vital because the use of antiretroviral therapy improves the quality of life of patients. In spite of this, the related literature suggests that there are serious impediments to the employment of PLHIV who face considerable levels of discrimination based on their HIV status.

Methods

This is a cohort study of 170 PLHIV of working age, treated at the Izmir Bozyaka Education and Training Hospital. We use a univariate logistic model to determine the effects of all determinants of interest with probit/logit modeling and penalized maximum likelihood estimation to avoid bias and to test the robustness of results.

Results

Age, time since diagnosis, work status at diagnosis, wealth status, illicit drug use, and CD4 cell count were significantly related to the employability of PLHIV. Younger individuals had a higher probability of workforce participation. HIV‐infected patients aged 19 to 39 and 40 to 54 years were 32% and 20% more likely, respectively, to be employed. Economically better‐off PLHIV were more likely to participate in the labor force and HIV patients who were working at the time of diagnosis were more likely to be re‐employed. Time since diagnosis was negatively associated with the employment status. Compared to recently diagnosed patients, PLHIV for more than a decade were less likely to be employed. Those with high CD4 cell counts were more likely to be employed. Illicit drug use was negatively associated with employment and drug‐addicted HIV patients were less likely to be employed. Higher education did not significantly predict the employability of PLHIV.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that besides immunological status, socioeconomic factors play a substantial role in the employability of PLHIV. We suggest that even if a patient is skilled, educated, and qualified for the job, other factors such as stigma and employment discrimination in the workplace may hinder employment even among highly educated PLHIV.
Musculoskeletal symptoms associated with workplace physical exposures estimated by a job exposure matrix and by self‐report
Authors: Yung Marcus , Dale Ann Marie , Buckner‐Petty Skye , Roquelaure Yves , Descatha Alexis , Evanoff Bradley A.
Published: November 2019

Background

A job‐exposure matrix (JEM) is an efficient method to assign physical workplace exposures based on job titles. JEMs offer the possibility of linking work exposures to outcome data from national health registers that contain job titles. The French CONSTANCES JEM was constructed from self‐reported physical work exposures of asymptomatic workers participating in a large general population study. We validated this general population JEM by testing its ability to demonstrate exposure‐outcome associations for musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) symptoms.

Methods

The CONSTANCES JEM was evaluated by assigning exposure estimates to a validation sample of new participants in the CONSTANCES study (final n = 38 730). We used weighted Kappas to compare the level of agreement between JEM‐assigned and self‐reported exposures across job codes for each of the 27 physical exposure variables. We computed prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals using Poisson regression models adjusted for age and sex for pain at six body locations associated with work exposures estimated via individual self‐report and by the JEM.

Results

Agreement between individual self‐reported and JEM‐assigned exposures ranged from κ = 0.16 to 0.71; generally, the level of agreement was fair to good. We observed consistent and significant associations between pain and both self‐reported and JEM‐assigned exposures at all body locations.

Conclusions

The CONSTANCES JEM replicated known associations between physical risk factors and prevalent MSD symptoms. Physical exposure JEMs can reduce some types of information bias, and open new avenues of research in the prevention of MSDs and other health conditions related to workplace physical activities.
Occupational exposure to disinfectants and asthma incidence in U.S. nurses: A prospective cohort study
Authors: Dumas Orianne , Boggs Krislyn M. , Quinot Catherine , Varraso Raphaëlle , Zock Jan‐Paul , Henneberger Paul K. , Speizer Frank E. , Le Moual Nicole , Camargo Carlos A.
Published: November 2019

Background

Exposure to disinfectants among healthcare workers has been associated with respiratory health effects, in particular, asthma. However, most studies are cross‐sectional and the role of disinfectant exposures in asthma development requires longitudinal studies. We investigated the association between occupational exposure to disinfectants and incident asthma in a large cohort of U.S. female nurses.

Methods

The Nurses’ Health Study II is a prospective cohort of 116 429 female nurses enrolled in 1989. Analyses included 61 539 participants who were still in a nursing job and with no history of asthma in 2009 (baseline; mean age: 55 years). During 277 744 person‐years of follow‐up (2009‐2015), 370 nurses reported incident physician‐diagnosed asthma. Occupational exposure was evaluated by questionnaire and a Job‐Task‐Exposure Matrix (JTEM). We examined the association between disinfectant exposure and subsequent asthma development, adjusted for age, race, ethnicity, smoking status, and body mass index.

Results

Weekly use of disinfectants to clean surfaces only (23% exposed) or to clean medical instruments (19% exposed) was not associated with incident asthma (adjusted hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] for surfaces, 1.12 [0.87‐1.43]; for instruments, 1.13 [0.87‐1.48]). No association was observed between high‐level exposure to specific disinfectants/cleaning products evaluated by the JTEM (formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, bleach, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol quats, or enzymatic cleaners) and asthma incidence.

Conclusions

In a population of late career nurses, we observed no significant association between exposure to disinfectants and asthma incidence. A potential role of disinfectant exposures in asthma development warrants further study among healthcare workers at earlier career stage to limit the healthy worker effect.
Discovery, Scope, and Limitations of an N‐Dealkylation/N‐Arylation of Secondary Sulfonamides under Chan−Lam Conditions
Authors: West Matthew J. , Thomson Brodie , Vantourout Julien C. , Watson Allan J. B.
Published: November 2019

We report the discovery, scope, and limitations of a Cu‐mediated sulfonamide N‐dealkylation/N‐arylation reaction. Specific secondary N‐alkyl sulfonamides undergo Cu‐mediated oxidative dealkylation followed by N‐arylation under Chan−Lam conditions. The reaction is relatively general, allowing the synthesis of a range of N‐aryl secondary sulfonamides in good yield. Mechanistic investigations determined the sequence of reaction events as well as the efficiency‐limiting events. Limitations in the methodology are also presented.
A multiyear survey of helminths from wild saddleback (Leontocebus weddelli) and emperor (Saguinus imperator) tamarins
Authors: Erkenswick Gideon A. , Watsa Mrinalini , Gozalo Alfonso S. , Dudaie Shay , Bailey Lindsey , Muranda Kudakwashe S. , Kuziez Alaa , Parker Patricia G.
Published: November 2019

The establishment of baseline data on parasites from wild primates is essential to understand how changes in habitat or climatic disturbances will impact parasite–host relationships. In nature, multiparasitic infections of primates usually fluctuate temporally and seasonally, implying that the acquisition of reliable data must occur over time. Individual parasite infection data from two wild populations of New World primates, the saddleback (Leontocebus weddelli) and emperor (Saguinus imperator) tamarin, were collected over 3 years to establish baseline levels of helminth prevalence and parasite species richness (PSR). Secondarily, we explored variation in parasite prevalence across age and sex classes, test nonrandom associations of parasite co‐occurrence, and assess the relationship between group size and PSR. From 288 fecal samples across 105 individuals (71 saddleback and 34 emperor tamarins), 10 parasite taxa were identified by light microscopy following centrifugation and ethyl‐acetate sedimentation. Of these taxa, none were host‐specific, Dicrocoeliidae and Cestoda prevalences differed between host species,Prosthenorchisand Strongylida were the most prevalent. Host age was positively associated withProsthenorchisova and filariform larva, but negatively with cestode and the Rhabditoidea ova. We detected no differences between expected and observed levels of co‐infection, nor between group size and parasite species richness over 30 group‐years. Logistic models of individual infection status did not identify a sex bias; however, age and species predicted the presence of four and three parasite taxa, respectively, with saddleback tamarins exhibiting higher PSR. Now that we have reliable baseline data for future monitoring of these populations, next steps involve the molecular characterization of these parasites, and exploration of linkages with health parameters.
In‐vitro evaluation of a ciprofloxacin and azithromycin sinus stent for Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms
Authors: Lim Dong‐Jin , Skinner Daniel , Mclemore John , Rivers Nick , Elder Jeffrey Brent , Allen Mark , Koch Connor , West John , Zhang Shaoyan , Thompson Harrison M. , McCormick Justin P. , Grayson Jessica W. , Cho Do‐Yeon , Woodworth Bradford A.
Published: November 2019

Background

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by persistent inflammation and bacterial infection. Ciprofloxacin and azithromycin are commonly prescribed antibiotics for CRS, but the ability to provide targeted release in the sinuses could mitigate side effects and improve drug concentrations at the infected site. This study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the novel ciprofloxacin‐azithromycin sinus stent (CASS) in vitro.

Methods

The CASS was created by coating ciprofloxacin (hydrophilic, inner layer) and azithromycin (hydrophobic, outer layer) onto a biodegradable poly‐l‐lactic acid (PLLA) stent. In‐vitro evaluation included: (1) assessment of drug‐coating stability within the stent using scanning electron microscopy (SEM); (2) determination of ciprofloxacin and azithromycin release kinetics; and (3) assessment of anti‐biofilm activities against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Results

The ciprofloxacin nanoparticle suspension in the inner layer was confirmed by zeta potential. Both ciprofloxacin (60 µg) and azithromycin (3 mg) were uniformly coated on the surface of the PLLA stents. The CASS showed ciprofloxacin/azithromycin sustained release patterns, with 80.55 ± 11.61% of ciprofloxacin and 93.85 ± 6.9% of azithromycin released by 28 days. The CASS also significantly reduced P aeruginosa biofilm mass compared with bare stents and controls (relative optical density units at 590‐nm optical density: CASS, 0.037 ± 0.006; bare stent, 0.911 ± 0.015; control, 1.000 ± 0.000; p < 0.001; n = 3).

Conclusion

The CASS maintains a uniform coating and sustained delivery of ciprofloxacin and azithromycin, providing anti‐biofilm activities against P aeruginosa. Further studies evaluating the efficacy of CASS in a preclinical model are planned.
Characterization of nasal irrigation flow from a squeeze bottle using computational fluid dynamics
Authors: Inthavong Kiao , Shang Yidan , Wong Eugene , Singh Narinder
Published: November 2019

Background

Nasal saline irrigation has become standard of care in various sinonasal conditions, including allergic and nonallergic rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis, and in the postoperative patient. Evidence regarding the mechanisms and dynamics of liquid flow through the sinonasal cavity remains limited due to inadequate experimental models (cadaveric, 3‐dimensional [3D] printed, imaging of labeled dyes and radioisotopes). We aimed to develop a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of nasal irrigation to demonstrate sinonasal surface coverage, residence times across the mucosal surfaces, and shearing force of irrigation.

Methods

A nasal cavity geometry derived from high‐resolution paranasal sinus computed tomography (CT) scans of a healthy, unoperated, 25‐year‐old patient was created. CFD analysis was performed to assess the distribution of nasal irrigation from a tapered nozzle bottle at a forward head‐tilt position of 45 degrees with a 2‐second burst at 35 mL/second.

Results

The model demonstrates nasal irrigation from ipsilateral to contralateral with precise measures of velocity, pressure, wall shear stress, and mapping of surface coverage and residence times at specific locations and times. The nasal cavity experiences almost complete coverage of irrigation, while overflow from the nasal cavity facilitates moderate coverage of the ipsilateral maxillary (40%) and anterior ethmoid sinuses (30%). Negligible coverage of the sphenoid and frontal sinuses was noted.

Conclusion

Detailed physical mechanisms of liquid irrigation injected from a commonly used squeeze bottle were shown. Ipsilateral maxillary and ethmoid sinus penetration are primarily due to overflow rather than direct jet entry, confirming the recommendation of larger volumes of irrigation to “flood” the sinus ostia.
Unexpected Hole Doping of Graphene by Osmium Adatoms
Authors: Elias Jamie A. , Henriksen Erik A.
Published: November 2019

The electronic transport of monolayer graphene devices is studied before and after in situ deposition of a sub‐monolayer coating of osmium adatoms. Unexpectedly, and unlike all other metallic adatoms studied to date, osmium adatoms shift the charge neutrality point to more positive gate voltages. This indicates that osmium adatoms act as electron acceptors and thus leave the graphene hole‐doped. Analysis of transport data suggest that Os adatoms behave as charged impurity scatterers, albeit with a surprisingly low charge‐doping efficiency. The charge neutrality point of graphene is found to vary non‐monotonically with gate voltage as the sample is warmed to room temperature, suggesting that osmium diffuses on the surface but is not completely removed.
Porphyrin/Quinoidal‐Bithiophene‐Based Macrocycles and Their Dications: Template‐Free Synthesis and Global Aromaticity
Authors: Ren Longbin , Gopalakrishna Tullimilli Y. , Park In‐Hyeok , Han Yi , Wu Jishan
Published: November 2019

We report the template‐free synthesis and characterization of a new type of porphyrin/quinoidal‐bithiophene‐based conjugated macrocycle. X‐ray crystallographic analysis of the dimer (2MC) revealed a cyclophane‐like geometry with large dihedral angles between the porphyrin and the neighboring thiophene rings, and NMR measurements and theoretical calculations confirmed a localized aromatic character of the porphyrin/thiophene rings and quinoidal character of the bithiophene linkers. Restricted rotation of the thiophene rings linked to the porphyrin unit was observed by variable‐temperature NMR measurements. The dication (2MC2+) adopts a chair‐shaped conformation to facilitate π‐electron delocalization around the whole macrocycle. As a result, the molecule is globally aromatic, with a dominant 54 π conjugation pathway. The trimer (3MC) also shows localized aromatic character of porphyrin rings and conformational flexibility, but its dication (3MC2+) is rigid and globally aromatic with a dominant 82 π conjugation pathway.