bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Relationship Between Self-Reported Sexually Explicit Media Consumption and Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in China
Authors: Xu Yin , Zheng Yong , Rahman Qazi
Published: January 2017

Introduction

Previous studies have indicated that viewing sexually explicit media (SEM) might be associated with sexual risk behaviors in men who have sex with men (MSM). However, most prior research has not explored this association cross-culturally or the potential influence that important covariates might have on the association.

Aim

To explore the association between self-reports of viewing SEM depicting various sexual risk behaviors and engagement in sexual risk behaviors after controlling for relevant covariates in MSM in China.

Methods

Three hundred fourteen Chinese MSM participated in a web-based survey.

Main Outcome Measures

SEM consumption, sexual risk behavior, and measurements of covariates.

Results

SEM consumption was frequent in MSM in China. Viewing a larger proportion of SEM depicting sexual risk behaviors was associated with a larger number of regular partners with whom MSM reported engaging in sexual risk behaviors, but not with the number of casual partners, after controlling for covariates. HIV-related knowledge and seeking male sex partners were associated with the number of regular partners with whom MSM had engaged in sexual risk behaviors. Seeking sexual sensation, HIV-related knowledge, and seeking male sex partners were associated with the number of casual partners with whom MSM had engaged in sexual risk behaviors.

Conclusion

Future research exploring the relation between SEM use and sexual health risk behaviors should consider theoretically important psychological and behavioral covariates.
Geometry, mass balance and thinning at Eklutna Glacier, Alaska: an altitude-mass-balance feedback with implications for water resources
Authors: SASS LOUIS C. , LOSO MICHAEL G. , GECK JASON , THOMS EVAN E. , MCGRATH DANIEL
Published: January 2017

We analyzed glacier surface elevations (1957, 2010 and 2015) and surface mass-balance measurements (2008–2015) on the 30 km2Eklutna Glacier, in the Chugach Mountains of southcentral Alaska. The geodetic mass balances from 1957 to 2010 and 2010 to 2015 are −0.52 ± 0.46 and −0.74 ± 0.10 m w.e. a−1, respectively. The glaciological mass balance of −0.73 m w.e. a−1from 2010 to 2015 is indistinguishable from the geodetic value. Even after accounting for loss of firn in the accumulation zone, we found most of the mass loss over both time periods was from a broad, low-slope basin that includes much of the accumulation zone of the main branch. Ice-equivalent surface elevation changes in the basin were −1.0 ± 0.8 m a−1from 1957 to 2010, and −0.6 ± 0.1 m a−1from 2010 to 2015, shifting the glacier hypsometry downward and resulting in more negative mass balances: an altitude-mass-balance feedback. Net mass loss from Eklutna Glacier accounts for 7 ± 1% of the average inflow to Eklutna Reservoir, which is entirely used for water and power by Anchorage, Alaska's largest city. If the altitude-mass-balance feedback continues, this ‘deglaciation discharge dividend’ is likely to increase over the short-term before it eventually decreases due to diminishing glacier area.
Dietary patterns by reduced rank regression are associated with obesity and hypertension in Australian adults
Authors: Livingstone Katherine M. , McNaughton Sarah A.
Published: January 2017

Evidence linking dietary patterns (DP) and obesity and hypertension prevalence is inconsistent. We aimed to identify DP derived from energy density, fibre and sugar intakes, as well as Na, K, fibre, SFA and PUFA, and investigate associations with obesity and hypertension. Adults (n 4908) were included from the cross-sectional Australian Health Survey 2011–2013. Two 24-h dietary recalls estimated food and nutrient intakes. Reduced rank regression derived DP with dietary energy density (DED), fibre density and total sugar intake as response variables for obesity and Na:K, SFA:PUFA and fibre density as variables for hypertension. Poisson regression investigated relationships between DP and prevalence ratios (PR) of overweight/obesity (BMI≥25 kg/m2) and hypertension (blood pressure≥140/90 mmHg). Obesity-DP1 was positively correlated with fibre density and sugars and inversely with DED. Obesity-DP2 was positively correlated with sugars and inversely with fibre density. Individuals in the highest tertile of Obesity-DP1 and Obesity-DP2, compared with the lowest, had lower (PR 0·88; 95 % CI 0·81, 0·95) and higher (PR 1·09; 95 % CI 1·01, 1·18) prevalence of obesity, respectively. Na:K and SFA:PUFA were positively correlated with Hypertension-DP1 and inversely correlated with Hypertension-DP2, respectively. There was a trend towards higher hypertension prevalence in the highest tertile of Hypertension-DP1 compared with the lowest (PR 1·18; 95 % CI 0·99, 1·41). Hypertension-DP2 was not associated with hypertension. Obesity prevalence was inversely associated with low-DED, high-fibre and high-sugar (natural sugars) diets and positively associated with low-fibre and high-sugar (added sugars) diets. Hypertension prevalence was higher on low-fibre and high-Na and SFA diets.
“A valid electoral exercise”? Uganda's 1980 Elections and the Observers’ Dilemma
Authors: Willis Justin , Lynch Gabrielle , Cheeseman Nic
Published: January 2017

The presence at Uganda's 1980 general elections of a Commonwealth Observer Group might be seen as a seminal moment. This was the first formal international observation of polls in a sovereign African state and the precursor of multiple similar missions that later became routine. Yet the 1980 mission sits uneasily in the history of election observation. The observers endorsed the results despite evidence of malpractice, and Uganda plunged into civil war within months. Internationally, the mission is now either forgotten or treated as an embarrassment. Within Uganda, it has been denounced as part of an outsider conspiracy to foist an unwanted president on an unwilling people. This article argues that the 1980 mission was neither entirely seminal nor an aberration, and that both the elections and observation were driven partly by actors within Uganda rather than simply imposed by outsiders. The availability of UK government records allows us to see the events of 1980 as a particularly clear example of a recurring “observers’ dilemma.” Ideally, elections combine democracy and state-building. They offer people a choice as to who will lead or represent them, and at the same time they assert through performance a crucial distinction between a capable, ordering state and a law-abiding citizenry. Yet these two aspects of elections may be in tension; a poll that offers little or no real choice may still perform “stateness” through substantial, orderly public participation. When that happens in what would now be called a “fragile state,” should international observers denounce the results?
Sources and Contextualizations: Comparing Eighteenth-Century North African and Western European Institutions
Authors: Cerutti Simona , Grangaud Isabelle
Published: January 2017

Our collaborative project originates in an attempt to articulate the intrinsic specificity of cases and contexts within a resolutely comparative approach. We focus particularly on what we believe to be the major limitation of comparison, namely the supposed need to rigidify the objects of comparison, to detach them from their contingent specificities and reduce cases to a set of data homogeneous enough to be compared. Our intent is to start a critical discussion regarding the hypothetical need to let go of specificity as the condition of comparison. With this in mind, we propose a comparative approach focused on sources rather than objects, and we consider them in terms of actions endowed with intentionality. The present study compares two institutions: thedroit d'aubaine, and the Bayt al-mâl or Treasury, a traditional Islamic fiscal institution found in a number of Ottoman-era governments, whose prerogatives have typically been reduced to managing heirless estates and burying the poor. In theory, theaubaineand the Bayt al-mâl belong to distinct cultural and historical realms. Yet, as we demonstrate here, a careful analysis of the sources produced by each institution helps unpack these “cultural” constructions, produces new contexts in which both can be situated, and sheds light on the process of their construction and their amenability to comparison.
STRUCTURE ANALYSIS AND BIOMASS MODELS FOR PLUM TREE (PRUNUS DOMESTICA L.) IN ECUADOR
Authors: VELÁZQUEZ-MARTÍ B. , CAZCO-LOGROÑO C.
Published: January 2017

The development of dendrometric methodologies could allow accurate estimation of variables associated with the crown, such as primary production (fruit and timber) and tree vigor. The aim of this work was to develop a suitable method to estimate woody biomass in plum trees (Prunus domestica L.) in Imbabura, Ecuador by using an adapted dendrometry. Form factors and regression models were defined for branch volume calculation. From this, the distribution of woody biomass in the crown tree was characterized in every stratum. Occupation Factor and regression models were obtained in order to calculate the biomass in the crown tree, which can be used to estimate the CO2 captured in its structure during its development. Regression models for calculation of whole volume of the tree and pruned biomass were directly obtained from crown diameter and crown height with Rajustated2 of 0.74 and 0.81. The average moisture content of green material was 51%, and the average density of dry material was 0.66 ± 0.07 g cm−3. Proximate analysis of plum wood showed at 79.8 ± 9.2% volatiles and 2.1 ± 0.3% ash. Elemental analysis of the wood pointed to 46.5 ± 1.2% C, 6.1 ± 0.5% H, 46.3 ± 1.2% O, 0.6 ± 0.3% N, 0.06 ± 0.02% S and 0.02 ± 0.01% Cl. Cl, S and N contents are lower than the limits established by the standard EN 14691-part 4. With 46% of C, considering the relation 3.67 (44/12) between CO2 and C content, the CO2 sequestrated in the materials is 1.11 Mg m−3 wood material. Such method represents a tool to manage orchard resources and for assessing other parameters, such as raw materials for cultivation, fruit production, CO2 sink and waste materials (residual wood) used for energy or industry.
Growth of spike in relativistic Gaussian laser beam in a plasma and its effect on third-harmonic generation
Authors: Ahmad N. , Mahmoud S. T. , Purohit G.
Published: January 2017

A paraxial ray formalism is developed to study the evolution of an on axis intensity spike on a Gaussian laser beam in a plasma dominated by relativistic and ponderomotive non-linearities. Ion motion is taken to be frozen. A single beam width parameter characterizes the evolution of the spike. The spike introduces two competing influences: diffraction divergence and self-convergence. The former grows with the reduction in spot size of the spike, while the latter depends on the gradient in non-linear permittivity. Parameter δ = (ωpr00/c) a00/(3.5 r00/r01) characterizes the relative importance of the two, where r01 and r00 are the spike and main beam radii, ωp is the plasma frequency, and a00 is the normalized laser amplitude. For δ > 1, the intensity ripple causes faster self-focusing of the beam; higher the ripple amplitude stronger the focusing. In the opposite limit, diffraction divergence increases more rapidly, slowing down the self-focusing of the beam. As the beam intensity rises due to self-focusing, it causes stronger generation of the third harmonic.
Are patients bypassing paediatric cardiology outreach clinics?
Authors: Fletcher Alexander , Samson Ray , McLeod Karen
Published: January 2017

Previous studies have identified that receiving specialist care close to home can positively influence patients’ experience. Despite this, a review of cardiology outpatient appointments at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow demonstrated that a large number of families are bypassing their local children’s cardiology centre to attend cardiac clinics at the specialist children’s surgical centre. We used patient questionnaire, audit of local facilities, and examined the relationship between diagnosis and bypass numbers to better understand factors influencing this trend. Our results suggest that patient preference, short travelling distance to specialist children’s cardiac centre, a more severe cardiac diagnosis, and inconsistent local facilities, expertise, and support are likely to influence a family’s decision to bypass their local children’s cardiology centre.
Prevalence of anaemia, deficiencies of iron and vitamin A and their determinants in rural women and young children: a cross-sectional study in Kalalé district of northern Benin
Authors: Alaofè Halimatou , Burney Jennifer , Naylor Rosamond , Taren Douglas
Published: January 2017

Objective

To identify the magnitude of anaemia and deficiencies of Fe (ID) and vitamin A (VAD) and their associated factors among rural women and children.

Design

Cross-sectional, comprising a household, health and nutrition survey and determination of Hb, biochemical (serum concentrations of ferritin, retinol, C-reactive protein and α1-acid glycoprotein) and anthropometric parameters. Multivariate logistic regression examined associations of various factors with anaemia and micronutrient deficiencies.

Setting

Kalalé district, northern Benin.

Subjects

Mother–child pairs (n 767): non-pregnant women of reproductive age (15–49 years) and children 6–59 months old.

Results

In women, the overall prevalence of anaemia, ID, Fe-deficiency anaemia (IDA) and VAD was 47·7, 18·3, 11·3 and 17·7 %, respectively. A similar pattern for anaemia (82·4 %), ID (23·6 %) and IDA (21·2 %) was observed among children, while VAD was greater at 33·6 %. Greater risk of anaemia, ID and VAD was found for low maternal education, maternal farming activity, maternal health status, low food diversity, lack of fruits and vegetables consumption, low protein foods consumption, high infection, anthropometric deficits, large family size, poor sanitary conditions and low socio-economic status. Strong differences were also observed by ethnicity, women’s group participation and source of information. Finally, age had a significant effect in children, with those aged 6–23 months having the highest risk for anaemia and those aged 12–23 months at risk for ID and IDA.

Conclusions

Anaemia, ID and VAD were high among rural women and their children in northern Benin, although ID accounted for a small proportion of anaemia. Multicentre studies in various parts of the country are needed to substantiate the present results, so that appropriate and beneficial strategies for micronutrient supplementation and interventions to improve food diversity and quality can be planned.
Fostering Democracy? Associations and Local Politics in Nineteenth-Century The Hague
Authors: Furnée Jan Hein
Published: January 2017

This case study of the Dutch residential capital of The Hague explores the relationship between nineteenth-century associational life and local politics, testing the well-known argument of scholars such as Robert Putnam, that high numbers and high levels of participation in local voluntary associations are often positively correlated with processes of local political democratization. A quantitative analysis of (double) membership in the city's most prominent social clubs and cultural associations, and a qualitative analysis of the political culture within these clubs, offer a better understanding regarding why the impact of a vibrant local associational culture on local democracy has not always been as positive as political scientists have often tended to assume.
New Approaches to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Learning Disabilities in an International Context
Authors: Alahmadi Nsreen
Published: January 2017

Abstract. Learning disability (LD) is a term frequently used to describe neurological disorders affecting academic and school performance. Although often applied, this term is not precisely defined. While the new DSM-V has substantially redefined LD, problems still remain, including the influence of different cultural experiences and the near absence of proposals for the application of biomarkers in LD diagnosis. This paper discusses these issues and calls for more emphasis to be placed on the identification and application of biomarkers for LD diagnosis. In addition, it proposes that these biomarkers should be incorporated into a more comprehensive bio-psycho-social diagnosis model of LD.
Lipidome determinants of maximal lifespan in mammals
Authors: Bozek Katarzyna , Khrameeva Ekaterina E. , Reznick Jane , Omerbašić Damir , Bennett Nigel C. , Lewin Gary R. , Azpurua Jorge , Gorbunova Vera , Seluanov Andrei , Regnard Pierrick , Wanert Fanelie , Marchal Julia , Pifferi Fabien , Aujard Fabienne , Liu Zhen , Shi Peng , Pääbo Svante , Schroeder Florian , Willmitzer Lothar , Giavalisco Patrick , Khaitovich Philipp
Published: January 2017

Maximal lifespan of mammalian species, even if closely related, may differ more than 10-fold, however the nature of the mechanisms that determine this variability is unresolved. Here, we assess the relationship between maximal lifespan duration and concentrations of more than 20,000 lipid compounds, measured in 669 tissue samples from 6 tissues of 35 species representing three mammalian clades: primates, rodents and bats. We identify lipids associated with species’ longevity across the three clades, uncoupled from other parameters, such as basal metabolic rate, body size, or body temperature. These lipids clustered in specific lipid classes and pathways, and enzymes linked to them display signatures of greater stabilizing selection in long-living species, and cluster in functional groups related to signaling and protein-modification processes. These findings point towards the existence of defined molecular mechanisms underlying variation in maximal lifespan among mammals.
Multiple measures could alleviate long-branch attraction in phylogenomic reconstruction of Cupressoideae (Cupressaceae)
Authors: Qu Xiao-Jian , Jin Jian-Jun , Chaw Shu-Miaw , Li De-Zhu , Yi Ting-Shuang
Published: January 2017

Long-branch attraction (LBA) is a major obstacle in phylogenetic reconstruction. The phylogenetic relationships among Juniperus (J), Cupressus (C) and the Hesperocyparis-Callitropsis-Xanthocyparis (HCX) subclades of Cupressoideae are controversial. Our initial analyses of plastid protein-coding gene matrix revealed both J and C with much longer stem branches than those of HCX, so their sister relationships may be attributed to LBA. We used multiple measures including data filtering and modifying, evolutionary model selection and coalescent phylogenetic reconstruction to alleviate the LBA artifact. Data filtering by strictly removing unreliable aligned regions and removing substitution saturation genes and rapidly evolving sites could significantly reduce branch lengths of subclades J and C and recovered a relationship of J (C, HCX). In addition, using coalescent phylogenetic reconstruction could elucidate the LBA artifact and recovered J (C, HCX). However, some valid methods for other taxa were inefficient in alleviating the LBA artifact in J-C-HCX. Different strategies should be carefully considered and justified to reduce LBA in phylogenetic reconstruction of different groups. Three subclades of J-C-HCX were estimated to have experienced ancient rapid divergence within a short period, which could be another major obstacle in resolving relationships. Furthermore, our plastid phylogenomic analyses fully resolved the intergeneric relationships of Cupressoideae.
Associations of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index and gestational weight gain with birth outcomes in Shanghai, China
Authors: Xiao Lingli , Ding Guodong , Vinturache Angela , Xu Jian , Ding Yifang , Guo Jialin , Huang Liping , Yin Xuelei , Qiao Jing , Thureraja Inesh , Ben Xiaoming
Published: January 2017

Recent data suggests that abnormal maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) or gestational weight gain (GWG) is associated with unfavorable delivery outcomes. However, limited clinical evidence is available to support this correlation in China. Participating 510 mother-infant pairs were recruited from the Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, China, between January 1st and 30th 2016. Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI was categorized according to the China’s classification and GWG according to the 2009 Institute of Medicine recommendations (IOM). Linear regression tested the associations between pre-pregnancy BMI or GWG and length of gestation, birthweight, length, and head circumference. Logistic regression assessed the associations between pre-pregnancy BMI or GWG and macrosomic, small- (SGA) and large- (LGA) for-gestational-age infants. Overweight/obese women showed increased length of gestation and birthweight, but did not have a higher risk of macrosomic and LGA infants compared with normal weight women. Women with excessive GWG showed increased length of gestation, birthweight, length, and head circumference, and were more likely to deliver macrosomic and LGA infants compared with women with adequate GWG. Although a relatively low proportion of women from Shanghai area are overweight/obese or exhibit excessive GWG, both high pre-pregnancy BMI and excessive GWG influence perinatal outcomes.
Leucine-Rich Repeat Kinase 2 (Lrrk2)-Sensitive Na+/K+ ATPase Activity in Dendritic Cells
Authors: Hosseinzadeh Zohreh , Singh Yogesh , Shimshek Derya R. , van der Putten Herman , Wagner Carsten A. , Lang Florian
Published: January 2017

Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (Lrrk2) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease. Lrrk2 is expressed in diverse cells including neurons and dendritic cells (DCs). In DCs Lrrk2 was shown to up-regulate Na+/Ca2+-exchanger activity. The elimination of Ca2+ by Na+/Ca2+ -exchangers requires maintenance of the Na+ gradient by the Na+/K+ -ATPase. The present study thus explored whether Lrrk2 impacts on Na+/K+ -ATPase expression and function. To this end DCs were isolated from gene-targeted mice lacking Lrrk2 (Lrrk2−/−) and their wild-type littermates (Lrrk2+/+). Na+/K+ -ATPase activity was estimated from K+ induced, ouabain sensitive, current determined by whole cell patch clamp. Na+/K+ -ATPase α1 subunit transcript and protein levels were determined by RT-qPCR and flow cytometry. As a result, the K+ induced current was significantly smaller in Lrrk2−/− than in Lrrk2+/+ DCs and was completely abolished by ouabain (100 μM) in both genotypes. The K+ induced, ouabain sensitive, current in Lrrk2+/+ DCs was significantly blunted by Lrrk2 inhibitor GSK2578215A (1 μM, 24 hours). The Na+/K+ -ATPase α1 subunit transcript and protein levels were significantly lower in Lrrk2−/− than in Lrrk2+/+ DCs and significantly decreased by Lrrk2 inhibitor GSK2578215A (1 μM, 24 hours). In conclusion, Lrrk2 is a powerful regulator of Na+/K+ -ATPase expression and activity in dendritic cells.
Change in microbial community in landfill refuse contaminated with antibiotics facilitates denitrification more than the increase in ARG over long-term
Authors: Wu Dong , Chen Guanzhou , Zhang Xiaojun , Yang Kai , Xie Bing
Published: January 2017

In this study, the addition of sulfamethazine (SMT) to landfill refuse decreased nitrogen intermediates (e.g. N2O and NO) and dinitrogen (N2) gas fluxes to <0.5 μg-N/kg-refuse·h−1, while the N2O and N2 flux were at ~1.5 and 5.0 μg-N/kg-refuse·h−1 respectively in samples to which oxytetracycline (OTC) had been added. The ARG (antibiotic resistance gene) levels in the refuse increased tenfold after long-term exposure to antibiotics, followed by a fourfold increase in the N2 flux, but SMT-amended samples with the largest resistome facilitated the denitrification (the nitrogen accumulated as NO gas at ~6 μg-N/kg-refuse·h−1) to a lesser extent than OTC-amended samples. Further, deep sequencing results show that long-term OTC exposure partially substituted Hyphomicrobium, Fulvivirga, and Caldilinea (>5%) for the dominant bacterial hosts (Rhodothermus, ~20%) harboring nosZ and norB genes that significantly correlated with nitrogen emission pattern, while sulfamethazine amendment completely reduced the relative abundance of the “original inhabitants” functioning to produce NOx gas reduction. The main ARG carriers (Pseudomonas) that were substantially enriched in the SMT group had lower levels of denitrifying functional genes, which could imply that denitrification is influenced more by bacterial dynamics than by abundance of ARGs under antibiotic pressures.
A New Efficient Hybrid Intelligent Model for Biodegradation Process of DMP with Fuzzy Wavelet Neural Networks
Authors: Huang Mingzhi , Zhang Tao , Ruan Jujun , Chen Xiaohong
Published: January 2017

A new efficient hybrid intelligent approach based on fuzzy wavelet neural network (FWNN) was proposed for effectively modeling and simulating biodegradation process of Dimethyl phthalate (DMP) in an anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (AAO) wastewater treatment process. With the self learning and memory abilities of neural networks (NN), handling uncertainty capacity of fuzzy logic (FL), analyzing local details superiority of wavelet transform (WT) and global search of genetic algorithm (GA), the proposed hybrid intelligent model can extract the dynamic behavior and complex interrelationships from various water quality variables. For finding the optimal values for parameters of the proposed FWNN, a hybrid learning algorithm integrating an improved genetic optimization and gradient descent algorithm is employed. The results show, compared with NN model (optimized by GA) and kinetic model, the proposed FWNN model have the quicker convergence speed, the higher prediction performance, and smaller RMSE (0.080), MSE (0.0064), MAPE (1.8158) and higher R2 (0.9851) values. which illustrates FWNN model simulates effluent DMP more accurately than the mechanism model.
Persistence of strong and switchable ferroelectricity despite vacancies
Authors: Raeliarijaona Aldo , Fu Huaxiang
Published: January 2017

Vacancies play a pivotal role in affecting ferroelectric polarization and switching properties, and there is a possibility that ferroelectricity may be utterly eliminated when defects render the system metallic. However, sufficient quantitative understandings of the subject have been lacking for decades due to the fact that vacancies in ferroelectrics are often charged and polarization in charged systems is not translationally invariant. Here we perform first-principles studies to investigate the influence of vacancies on ferroelectric polarization and polarization switching in prototypical BaTiO3 of tetragonal symmetry. We demonstrate using the modern theory of polarization that, in contrast to common wisdom, defective BaTiO3 with a large concentration of vacancies "Equation missing" (or "Equation missing", or "Equation missing") possesses a strong nonzero electric polarization. Breaking of Ti-O bonds is found to have little effect on the magnitude of polarization, which is striking. Furthermore, a previously unrecognized microscopic mechanism, which is particularly important when vacancies are present, is proposed for polarization switching. The mechanism immediately reveals that (i) the switching barrier in the presence of "Equation missing" is small with ΔE = 8.3 meV per bulk formula cell, and the polarization is thus switchable even when vacancies exist; (ii) The local environment of vacancy is surprisingly insignificant in polarization switching. These results provide profound new knowledge and will stimulate more theoretical and experimental interest on defect physics in FEs.
Noise-tunable nonlinearity in a dispersively coupled diffusion-resonator system using superconducting circuits
Authors: Rhén Christin , Isacsson Andreas
Published: January 2017

The harmonic oscillator is one of the most widely used model systems in physics: an indispensable theoretical tool in a variety of fields. It is well known that an otherwise linear oscillator can attain novel and nonlinear features through interaction with another dynamical system. We investigate such an interacting system: a superconducting LC-circuit dispersively coupled to a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). We find that the SQUID phase behaves as a classical two-level system, whose two states correspond to one linear and one nonlinear regime for the LC-resonator. As a result, the circuit’s response to forcing can become multistable. The strength of the nonlinearity is tuned by the level of noise in the system, and increases with decreasing noise. This tunable nonlinearity could potentially find application in the field of sensitive detection, whereas increased understanding of the classical harmonic oscillator is relevant for studies of the quantum-to-classical crossover of Jaynes-Cummings systems.
Escape rate and diffusion of a Stochastically Driven particle
Authors: Piscitelli Antonio , Pica Ciamarra Massimo
Published: January 2017

The dynamical properties of a tracer repeatedly colliding with heat bath particles can be described within a Langevin framework provided that the tracer is more massive than the bath particles, and that the collisions are frequent. Here we consider the escape of a particle from a potential well, and the diffusion coefficient in a periodic potential, without making these assumptions. We have thus investigated the dynamical properties of a Stochastically Driven particle that moves under the influence of the confining potential in between successive collisions with the heat bath. In the overdamped limit, both the escape rate and the diffusion coefficient coincide with those of a Langevin particle. Conversely, in the underdamped limit the two dynamics have a different temperature dependence. In particular, at low temperature the Stochastically Driven particle has a smaller escape rate, but a larger diffusion coefficient.
Recent advances in real-time and in situ analysis of an electrode–electrolyte interface by mass spectrometry
Authors: Lu Jusheng , Hua Xin , Long Yi-Tao
Published: January 2017

Novelty: Recent advances in real-time and in situ monitoring of an electrode–electrolyte interface by mass spectrometry are reviewed.
Self-assembly of ultra-small micelles from amphiphilic lipopeptoids
Authors: Lau King Hang Aaron , Castelletto Valeria , Kendall Thomas , Sefcik Jan , Hamley Ian W. , Reza Mehedi , Ruokolainen Janne
Published: January 2017

Self-assembly of peptoids was directed with a lipid tail to form ultra-small and stable micelles as a basis for peptidomimetic nanospheres.
Stable amphiphilic supramolecular self-assembly based on cyclodextrin and carborane for the efficient photodynamic therapy
Authors: Xiong Hejian , Zhou Dongfang , Zheng Xiaohua , Qi Yanxin , Wang Yongheng , Jing Xiabin , Huang Yubin
Published: January 2017

We synthesized stable supramolecular nanoparticles based on the high affinity of carboranes and β-cyclodextrin for efficient photodynamic therapy.
How gold nanoparticles can be used to probe the structural changes of a pH-responsive hydrogel
Authors: Schmidt Maximilian M. , Wu Shanglin , Cui Zhengxing , Nguyen Nam T. , Faulkner Michael , Saunders Brian R.
Published: January 2017

Incorporating gold nanoparticles within a pH-responsive hydrogel enables the surface plasmon resonance signal and metal-induced fluorescence quenching to be used to study local network structure and probe gel swelling remotely.
Hexagonal Zn1−xCdxS (0.2 ≤ x ≤ 1) solid solution photocatalysts for H2 generation from water
Authors: Mei Zongwei , Zhang Mingjian , Schneider Julian , Wang Wei , Zhang Ning , Su Yantao , Chen Bingkun , Wang Shufeng , Rogach Andrey L. , Pan Feng
Published: January 2017

A series of hexagonal Zn1−xCdxS photocatalysts with variable composition (0.2 ≤ x ≤ 1) is synthesized by a solvothermal method.
A H-titanate nanotube with superior oxidative desulfurization selectivity
Authors: Lu Shu-xiang , Zhong Hua , Mo Dong-mei , Hu Zhen , Zhou Hua-lan , Yao Yue
Published: January 2017

H-TiNTs were used as catalysts for the oxidation of dibenzothiophene. Compounds existing in fuels do not show any influence on DBT removal. Ti-hydroperoxide is responsible for the superior selectivity of H-TiNTs. The selective oxidation mechanism of H-TiNTs was proposed.
Biocompatible magnetic tris(2-aminoethyl)amine functionalized nanocrystalline cellulose as a novel nanocarrier for anticancer drug delivery of methotrexate
Authors: Rahimi Mahdi , Shojaei Salman , Safa Kazem D. , Ghasemi Zarrin , Salehi Roya , Yousefi Bahman , Shafiei-Irannejad Vahid
Published: January 2017

A smart, pH-responsive and biocompatible nanocarrier, aimed to achieve an efficient targeted drug delivery system, was facilely synthesized.
Highly sensitive detection of silver ions using a silver-specific DNA based nano-porous micro-resonator
Authors: Jang Kuewhan , You Juneseok , Park Chanho , Na Sungsoo
Published: January 2017

Detection of silver ions is based on a frequency shift of a resonator upon interaction between silver ions and cytosine bases.
Redox-responsive release of active payloads from depolymerized nanoparticles
Authors: Lv Li-Ping , Jiang Shuai , Inan Alper , Landfester Katharina , Crespy Daniel
Published: January 2017

The difference in the reactivity of two monomers, aniline (ANI) and 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole (DMcT), was employed to design nanoparticles with completely different nanostructures.
The degradation and persistence of five pharmaceuticals in an artificial climate incubator during a one year period
Authors: Yin Lina , Ma Ruixue , Wang Bin , Yuan Honglin , Yu Gang
Published: January 2017

The degradation and persistence of five pharmaceuticals in an artificial climate incubator during a one year period.
808 nm light responsive nanotheranostic agents based on near-infrared dye functionalized manganese ferrite for magnetic-targeted and imaging-guided photodynamic/photothermal therapy
Authors: Deng Kerong , Chen Yinyin , Li Chunxia , Deng Xiaoran , Hou Zhiyao , Cheng Ziyong , Han Yanqiu , Xing Bengang , Lin Jun
Published: January 2017

Schematic diagram of 808 nm light mediated antitumor nanotheranostic agents for synchronous magnetic targeted and MR imaging guided photothermal/photodynamic therapy.
High efficiency planar Sn–Pb binary perovskite solar cells: controlled growth of large grains via a one-step solution fabrication process
Authors: Li Lingang , Zhang Fan , Hao Yuying , Sun Qinjun , Li Zhanfeng , Wang Hua , Cui Yanxia , Zhu Furong
Published: January 2017

A well-controlled one-step method, assisted by sec-butyl alcohol solvent engineering and N,N-dimethylformamide solvent annealing under an N2 atmosphere, is developed for the growth of a high quality CH3NH3Pb(1−x)SnxI3 perovskite film.
Efficient sidelink re‐establishment scheme in device‐to‐device communications‐based public safety networks
Authors: Lee W.J. , Ryu H.S. , Chung M.Y.
Published: January 2017

In cellular‐based public safety networks, user equipments (UEs) located in coverage area of active cells are able to act as relay UEs (RUEs). These RUEs provide cellular services to isolated UEs (IUEs). Due to mobility of both an IUE and a RUE, a link between them may be disconnected. Thus, it is necessary to newly establish a link between the IUE and another RUE. Unfortunately, it may cause that packets sent by previous RUE to be lost during the link re‐establishment procedure. An efficient sidelink re‐establishment procedure is proposed to reduce link re‐establishment set‐up delay. The performance of the proposed method compared with the conventional scheme used in 3rd Generation Partnership Project is evaluated. The proposed scheme shows better performance than the conventional scheme in terms of signalling overhead and set‐up delay for sidelink re‐establishment.
Common‐mode noise cancellation circuit for wearable ECG
Authors: Noro Mutsumi , Anzai Daisuke , Wang Jianqing
Published: January 2017

Wearable electrocardiogram (ECG) is attracting much attention for monitoring heart diseases in healthcare and medical applications. However, an imbalance usually exists between the contact resistances of sensing electrodes, so that a common mode noise caused by external electromagnetic field can be converted into the ECG detection circuit as a differential mode interference voltage. In this study, after explaining the mechanism of how the common mode noise is converted to a differential mode interference voltage, the authors propose a circuit with cadmium sulphide photo‐resistors for cancelling the imbalance between the contact resistances and confirm its validity by simulation experiment. As a result, the authors found that the interference voltage generated at the wearable ECG can be effectively reduced to a sufficient small level.
The Use of Bilateral Internal Mammary Artery Grafting in Different Degrees of Obesity
Authors: Hassanein Wael , Ennker Jürgen , Keshk Noha , Bauer Stefan , Sodian Ralf , Hegazy Yasser
Published: January 2017

Background Obesity is a limiting factor for the use of bilateral internal mammary arteries (BIMAs). Therefore, we assessed the safety of their use in different degrees of obesity.

Patients and Methods We studied two groups of patients with obesity using propensity matching. The first group received single internal mammary artery and saphenous vein grafts (SIMA group, 526 patients) and the second group received bilateral internal mammary arteries (BIMA group, 526 patients). Patients were classified further according to their body mass index (BMI) into overweight (BMI = 25–29.9 kg/m2), obese (BMI = 30–34.9 kg/m2), and severely obese (BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2).

Results Preoperative data were similar regarding age (62.78 ± 9.96 vs. 62.98 ± 9.66 years; p = 0.734), female sex (17.5 vs. 18.6%; p = 0.631), diabetes mellitus (26.3 vs. 27.2%; p = 0.74), EuroSCORE (3.21 ± 2.23 vs. 3.18 ± 2.41; p = 0.968), and COPD (16 vs. 16%; p = 1). No significant differences were noticed between the two groups regarding the number of peripheral anastomoses (3.09 ± 0.84 vs. 3.12 ± 0.83; p = 0.633), myocardial infarction (1.7 vs. 1.7%; p = 1), reexploration (1.3 vs. 2.1%; p = 0.34), deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) (2.1 vs. 2.9%; p = 0.43), and 30-day mortality (0.8 vs. 1.1%; p = 0.53). Multivariate analysis identified BMI and intensive care unit stay as independent predictors for DSWI. However, postoperative blood loss (694.56 ± 631.84 vs. 811.67 ± 688.73 mL; p < 0.001) and the incidence of pneumothorax (1 vs. 2.7%; p = 0.037) were higher in BIMA group.

Conclusion Patients with obesity can benefit from BIMA grafting. However, postoperative blood loss and the incidence of pneumothorax can be higher using this technique.
The effect of underlayers on the reversal of perpendicularly magnetized multilayer thin films for magnetic micro- and nanoparticles
Authors: Vemulkar T. , Mansell R. , Petit D. C. M. C. , Cowburn R. P. , Lesniak M. S.
Published: January 2017

Perpendicularly magnetized microparticles offer the ability to locally apply high torques on soft matter under an applied magnetic field. These particles are engineered to have a zero remanence magnetic configuration via synthetic antiferromagnetic coupling using a Ru coupling interlayer. The flexibility offered by the top down thin film fabrication process in a CoFeB/Pt perpendicular thin film is demonstrated by using the Pt interlayer thicknesses in a Pt/Ru/Pt antiferromagnetic coupling multilayer to tune the applied magnetic field value of the easy axis spin-flip transition to saturation and hence the field value at which the magnetic particles are magnetically activated via a distinct transition to saturation. The importance of a Ta buffer layer on the magnetic behavior of the stack is shown. While Au capping layers are desirable for biotechnology applications, we demonstrate that they can drastically change the nucleation and propagation of domains in the film, thereby altering the reversal behavior of the thin film. The effect of Au underlayers on a multilayer thin film composed of repeated motifs of a synthetic antiferromagnetic building block is also investigated.
Theoretical study of OCCHCN as a potential alternative insulation gas for SF6
Authors: Chen Zhiguo , Zhang Hui , Shang Yan , Chen Qingguo , Han Baozhong , Li Zesheng
Published: January 2017

Cyanoketene (OCCHCN) has been reported as a potential alternative insulation gas for SF6 in Patent US0135817. Stationary point equilibrium geometries on the ground state have been optimized at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level, and the harmonic vibration frequencies are calculated at the same level. The HOMO-LUMO energy gaps (Eg), ionization potentials (IP), and electron affinities (EA) of the studied molecules are obtained. The minimum energy path (MEP) is obtained by the intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC) theory, and the energetic information is further refined by QCISD(T) (single-point) method. The results show that OCCHCN can be used as SF6 alternative insulation gas in high voltage equipment according to potential energy surface analysis. As the isomerization and the cleavage reactions potential barriers are lower than the Eg and IP values, resulting in OCCHCN is not easy to be ionized and excited.
Experimental determination of reader resolution using PRS patterns and application to media cluster size measurement
Authors: Valcu Bogdan F. , Wu Xiao , Albuquerque Goncalo , Papusoi Cristian , Desai Mrugesh
Published: January 2017

A technique to determine experimentally the reader resolution in magnetic recording by using pseudo-random sequence (PRS) patterns written on the disc is presented. The spectrum of the PRS signal is analyzed to extract simultaneously the width of the magnetic transitions and the reader sensitivity as a function of frequency. When playback spacing is increased, reader sensitivity rolls off faster with frequency, in good quantitative agreement with modeling results involving micromagnetic simulation of the reader. The reader sensitivity is further employed to de-convolve the magnetic cluster size from measured spectra of media noise.
Ag3PO4 nanoparticle-decorated Ni/C nanocapsules with tunable electromagnetic absorption properties
Authors: Cui Caiyun , Zhou Pingping , Liu Xianguo , Or Siu Wing , Ho S. L.
Published: January 2017

Core/shell-structured nickel/carbon (Ni/C) nanocapsules with Ag3PO4 nanoparticle decoration (Ag3PO4@Ni/C) are prepared by an arc-discharge process and an ion-exchange process. The Ag3PO4@Ni/C nanocapsules show a clear decoration of Ag3PO4 nanoparticles of 4–20 nm diameter on the C shell of the Ni/C nanocapsules of ∼60 nm diameter. The amount of Ag3PO4 nanoparticles that can be decorated on the Ni/C nanocapsules depends on the volume of Na2HPO4 reactant used in the ion-exchange process. The Ag3PO4@Ni/C nanocapsules demonstrate interestingly high and tunable electromagnetic absorption properties with different amounts of Ag3PO4 nanoparticle decoration in the paraffin-bonded composites over the 2–18 GHz microwave range. The nanocapsules prepared with 100 ml Na2HPO4 exhibit much enhanced dielectric and magnetic losses for an improved electromagnetic impedance match. These result in a large reflection loss (RL) of -31.4 dB at 12.3 GHz for a small absorber thickness of 2.6 mm in conjunction with a very wide effective absorption bandwidth (for RL<-10 dB) of 14 GHz (4–18 GHz) at a wide absorber thickness range of 1.4–5.0 mm.
Introducing the Sylvester Graben, a ?Neoproterozoic depocenter on the eastern flank of the Toko Syncline, southern Georgina Basin, Queensland
Authors: Willink Robbert J. , Palmer Nathan C. , Davies Mathew , Woodfull Chris , Stuart-Smith Peter , Verdel Charles
Published: January 2017

Regional 2D seismic lines acquired in 2013 along the eastern edge of the Toko Syncline in Queensland have imaged a complexly faulted, northwest–southeast trending graben below subcropping Cambrian carbonates. At its deepest, this depocenter contains some 3,500 m of sediments that are inferred to be of Neoproterozoic age, if not older at depth. Surface outcrops of this succession are mapped as the Sylvester Sandstone. Shallow core holes confirm that the uppermost ~1,000 m of sediments are of fluvioglacial, glacio lacustrine and glacial origin, overlain by a thin carbonate of Lower Cambrian age based on the occurrence of archaeocyathids. Unconformably underlying this succession is an internally reflective sedimentary section that is up to 2,500 m which has not been drilled to date.
Although the localised development of Neoproterozoic depocenters below Cambrian carbonates in the Toko Syncline has been inferred previously based on vintage seismic and gravity data, such features were not imaged as clearly as on the newly acquired seismic. Inferred sediments in this faulted graben may be correlatives of the Neoproterozoic succession in the Amadeus Basin and could be prospective for hydrocarbons as well as ore deposits.
Estimation of risk factors associated with difficult birth in ewes
Authors: Horton B. J. , Corkrey R. , Hinch G. N.
Published: January 2017

In eight closely recorded Australian Merino and crossbred sheep flocks, all lamb deaths were examined and the cause of deaths identified if possible. Dystocia was identified as one of the major causes of lamb death and this study examined factors that could be used to identify ewes at high risk of dystocia, either to avoid dystocia or to assist with early intervention where possible. Dystocia was least common in lambs of ~4.8 kg, but there was a higher risk at both lower and higher birthweights. Dystocia with both low and high birthweight was more common in older ewes, ranging from negligible low birthweight dystocia in ewes less than 3 years old at lambing, to 5% in older ewes. Low birthweight dystocia increased with increasing litter size, with 40% dystocia in ewes at least 4 years of age with triplets. In contrast, high birthweight dystocia was not affected by litter size. A previous record of low birthweight dystocia was a risk factor for future low birthweight dystocia, but the same relationship was not observed for high birthweight dystocia. A high lambing ease score (difficult birth) with high birthweight was a risk factor for future high birthweight dystocia, but this was not the case for low birthweight dystocia. These differences between the risk factors for low and high birthweight dystocia suggest that they have different causes. High ewe liveweight and condition score during pregnancy may be additional indicators of the risk of dystocia, particularly for ewes with high liveweight in the first 60 days of pregnancy. For most ewes dystocia was difficult to predict, but there was a small proportion of ewes with a very high risk of dystocia and if these could be identified in advance they could be monitored much more closely than the rest of the flock.