bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rotational and translational dynamics and their relation to hydrogen bond lifetimes in an ionic liquid by means of NMR relaxation time experiments and molecular dynamics simulation
Authors: Strate Anne , Neumann Jan , Overbeck Viviane , Bonsa Anne-Marie , Michalik Dirk , Paschek Dietmar , Ludwig Ralf
Published: April 2018

We report a concerted theoretical and experimental effort to determine the reorientational dynamics as well as hydrogen bond lifetimes for the doubly ionic hydrogen bond +OH⋯O− in the ionic liquid (2-hydroxyethyl)trimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [Ch][NTf2] by using a combination of NMR relaxation time experiments, density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Due to fast proton exchange, the determination of rotational correlation times is challenging. For molecular liquids, 17O-enhanced proton relaxation time experiments have been used to determine the rotational correlation times for the OH vectors in water or alcohols. As an alternative to those expensive isotopic substitution experiments, we employed a recently introduced approach which is providing access to the rotational dynamics from a single NMR deuteron quadrupolar relaxation time experiment. Here, the deuteron quadrupole coupling constants (DQCCs) are obtained from a relation between the DQCC and the δ1H proton chemical shifts determined from a set of DFT calculated clusters in combination with experimentally determined proton chemical shifts. The NMR-obtained rotational correlation times were compared to those obtained from MD simulations and then related to viscosities for testing the applicability of popular hydrodynamic models. In addition, hydrogen bond lifetimes were derived, using hydrogen bond population correlation functions computed from MD simulations. Here, two different time domains were observed: The short-time contributions to the hydrogen lifetimes and the reorientational correlation times have roughly the same size and are located in the picosecond range, whereas the long-time contributions decay with relaxation times in the nanosecond regime and are related to rather slow diffusion processes. The computed average hydrogen bond lifetime is dominated by the long-time process, highlighting the importance and longevity of hydrogen-bonded ion pairs in these ionic liquids.
Controlled electromigration protocol revised
Authors: Zharinov Vyacheslav S. , Baumans Xavier D. A. , Silhanek Alejandro V. , Janssens Ewald , Van de Vondel Joris
Published: April 2018

Electromigration has evolved from an important cause of failure in electronic devices to an appealing method, capable of modifying the material properties and geometry of nanodevices. Although this technique has been successfully used by researchers to investigate low dimensional systems and nanoscale objects, its low controllability remains a serious limitation. This is in part due to the inherent stochastic nature of the process, but also due to the inappropriate identification of the relevant control parameters. In this study, we identify a suitable process variable and propose a novel control algorithm that enhances the controllability and, at the same time, minimizes the intervention of an operator. As a consequence, the algorithm facilitates the application of electromigration to systems that require exceptional control of, for example, the width of a narrow junction. It is demonstrated that the electromigration rate can be stabilized on pre-set values, which eventually defines the final geometry of the electromigrated structures.
Magnetic field manipulation of spin current in a single-molecule magnet tunnel junction with two-electron Coulomb interaction
Authors: Zhang Chao , Yao Hui , Nie Yi-Hang , Liang Jiu-Qing , Niu Peng-Bin
Published: April 2018

In this work, we study the generation of spin-current in a single-molecule magnet (SMM) tunnel junction with Coulomb interaction of transport electrons and external magnetic field. In the absence of field the spin-up and -down currents are symmetric with respect to the initial polarizations of molecule. The existence of magnetic field breaks the time-reversal symmetry, which leads to unsymmetrical spin currents of parallel and antiparallel polarizations. Both the amplitude and polarization direction of spin current can be controlled by the applied magnetic field. Particularly when the magnetic field increases to a certain value the spin-current with antiparallel polarization is reversed along with the magnetization reversal of the SMM. The two-electron occupation indeed enhances the transport current compared with the single-electron process. However the increase of Coulomb interaction results in the suppression of spin-current amplitude at the electron-hole symmetry point. We propose a scheme to compensate the suppression with the magnetic field.
Probe measurements of the electron velocity distribution function in beams: Low-voltage beam discharge in helium
Authors: Sukhomlinov V. , Mustafaev A. , Timofeev N.
Published: April 2018

Previously developed methods based on the single-sided probe technique are altered and applied to measure the anisotropic angular spread and narrow energy distribution functions of charged particle (electron and ion) beams. The conventional method is not suitable for some configurations, such as low-voltage beam discharges, electron beams accelerated in near-wall and near-electrode layers, and vacuum electron beam sources. To determine the range of applicability of the proposed method, simple algebraic relationships between the charged particle energies and their angular distribution are obtained. The method is verified for the case of the collisionless mode of a low-voltage He beam discharge, where the traditional method for finding the electron distribution function with the help of a Legendre polynomial expansion is not applicable. This leads to the development of a physical model of the formation of the electron distribution function in a collisionless low-voltage He beam discharge. The results of a numerical calculation based on Monte Carlo simulations are in good agreement with the experimental data obtained using the new method.
Correlating contact line capillarity and dynamic contact angle hysteresis in surfactant-nanoparticle based complex fluids
Authors: Harikrishnan A. R. , Dhar Purbarun , Agnihotri Prabhat K. , Gedupudi Sateesh , Das Sarit K.
Published: April 2018

Dynamic wettability and contact angle hysteresis can be correlated to shed insight onto any solid-liquid interaction. Complex fluids are capable of altering the expected hysteresis and dynamic wetting behavior due to interfacial interactions. We report the effect of capillary number on the dynamic advancing and receding contact angles of surfactant-based nanocolloidal solutions on hydrophilic, near hydrophobic, and superhydrophobic surfaces by performing forced wetting and de-wetting experiments by employing the embedded needle method. A segregated study is performed to infer the contributing effects of the constituents and effects of particle morphology. The static contact angle hysteresis is found to be a function of particle and surfactant concentrations and greatly depends on the nature of the morphology of the particles. An order of estimate of line energy and a dynamic flow parameter called spreading factor and the transient variations of these parameters are explored which sheds light on the dynamics of contact line movement and response to perturbation of three-phase contact. The Cox-Voinov-Tanner law was found to hold for hydrophilic and a weak dependency on superhydrophobic surfaces with capillary number, and even for the complex fluids, with a varying degree of dependency for different fluids.
Evolution of optical properties and band structure from amorphous to crystalline Ga2O3 films
Authors: Zhang Fabi , Li Haiou , Cui Yi-Tao , Li Guo-Ling , Guo Qixin
Published: April 2018

The optical properties and band structure evolution from amorphous to crystalline Ga2O3 films was investigated in this work. Amorphous and crystalline Ga2O3 films were obtained by changing the growth substrate temperatures of pulsed laser deposition and the crystallinity increase with the rising of substrate temperature. The bandgap value and ultraviolet emission intensity of the films increase with the rising of crystallinity as observed by means of spectrophotometer and cathodoluminescence spectroscopy. Abrupt bandgap value and CL emission variations were observed when amorphous to crystalline transition took place. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy core level spectra reveal that more oxygen vacancies and disorders exist in amorphous Ga2O3 film grown at lower substrate temperature. The valence band spectra of hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy present the main contribution from Ga 4sp for crystalline film deposited at substrate temperature of 500 oC, while extra subgap states has been observed in amorphous film deposited at 300 oC. The oxygen vacancy and the extra subgap density of states are suggested to be the parts of origin of bandgap and CL spectra variations. The experimental data above yields a realistic picture of optical properties and band structure variation for the amorphous to crystalline transition of Ga2O3 films.
The wave equation in Friedmann-Robertson-Walker space-times and asymptotics of the intensity and distance relationship of a localised source
Authors: Starko Darij , Craig Walter
Published: April 2018

Variations in redshift measurements of Type 1a supernovae and intensity observations from large sky surveys are an indicator of a component of acceleration in the rate of expansion of space-time. A key factor in the measurements is the intensity-distance relation for Maxwell’s equations in Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) space-times. In view of future measurements of the decay of other fields on astronomical time and spatial scales, we determine the asymptotic behavior of the intensity-distance relationship for the solution of the wave equation in space-times with an FRW metric. This builds on previous work done on initial value problems for the wave equation in FRW space-time [Abbasi, B. and Craig, W., Proc. R. Soc. London, Ser. A 470, 20140361 (2014)]. In this paper, we focus on the precise intensity decay rates of the special cases for curvature k = 0 and k = −1, as well as giving a general derivation of the wave solution for −∞ < k < 0. We choose a Cauchy surface {(t, x) : t = t0 > 0} where t0 represents the time of an initial emission source, relative to the Big Bang singularity at t = 0. The initial data [g(x), h(x)] are assumed to be compactly supported; supp(g, h) ⊆ BR(0) and terms in the expression for the fundamental solution for the wave equation with the slowest decay rate are retained. The intensities calculated for coordinate time {t : t > 0} contain correction terms proportional to the ratio of t0 and the time differences ρ = t − t0. For the case of general curvature k, these expressions for the intensity reduce by scaling to the same form as for k = −1, from which we deduce the general formula. We note that for typical astronomical events such as Type 1a supernovae, the first order correction term for all curvatures −∞ < k < 0 is on the order of 10−4 smaller than the zeroth order term. These correction terms are small but may be significant in applications to alternative observations of cosmological space-time expansion rates.
Fabrication of amorphous IGZO thin film transistor using self-aligned imprint lithography with a sacrificial layer
Authors: Kim Sung Jin , Kim Hyung Tae , Choi Jong Hoon , Chung Ho Kyoon , Cho Sung Min
Published: April 2018

An amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (a-IGZO) thin film transistor (TFT) was fabricated by a self-aligned imprint lithography (SAIL) method with a sacrificial photoresist layer. The SAIL is a top-down method to fabricate a TFT using a three-dimensional multilayer etch mask having all pattern information for the TFT. The sacrificial layer was applied in the SAIL process for the purpose of removing the resin residues that were inevitably left when the etch mask was thinned by plasma etching. This work demonstrated that the a-IGZO TFT could be fabricated by the SAIL process with the sacrificial layer. Specifically, the simple fabrication process utilized in this study can be utilized for the TFT with a plasma-sensitive semiconductor such as the a-IGZO and further extended for the roll-to-roll TFT fabrication.
Back-irradiation photonic sintering for defect-free high-conductivity metal patterns on transparent plastic
Authors: Kwak Ji Hye , Chun Su Jin , Shon Chae-Hwa , Jung Sunshin
Published: April 2018

Photonic sintering has attracted considerable attention for printed electronics. It irradiates high-intensity light onto the front surface of metal nanoparticle patterns, which often causes defects such as delamination, cavities, and cracks in the patterns. Here, a back-irradiation photonic sintering method is developed for obtaining defect-free high-conductivity metal patterns on a transparent plastic substrate, through which high-intensity light is irradiated onto the back surface of the patterns for a few milliseconds. Ag patterns back-irradiated with ∼10.0 J cm−2 are defect-free in contrast to front-irradiated patterns and exhibited an electrical conductivity of ∼2.3 × 107 S m−1. Furthermore, real-time high-speed observation reveals that the mechanisms that generate defects in the front-irradiated patterns and prevent defects in the back-irradiated patterns are closely related to vapor trapping. In contrast to the latter, in the former, vapor is trapped and delaminates the patterns from the substrate because the front of the patterns acts as a barrier to vapor venting.
Simulation of cathode spot crater formation and development on CuCr alloy in vacuum arc
Authors: Wang Lijun , Zhang Xiao , Wang Yuan , Yang Ze , Jia Shenli
Published: April 2018

The two-dimensional (2D) rotary axisymmetric model is used to describe the formation and development of a cathode spot on a copper-chromium alloy (CuCr) in a vacuum arc. The model includes hydrodynamic equations and the heat transfer equation. Parameters used in this model come from experiments and other researchers' work. The influence of parameters is analyzed, and the simulation results are compared with pure metal simulation results. In simulation, the depth of the cathode crater is from 0.5 μm to 1.1 μm, the radius of the cathode crater is from 1.6 μm to 2.6 μm, the maximum velocity of the droplet is from 200 m/s to 600 m/s, and the maximum temperature is from 3500 K to 5000 K which is located in the area with a radius of 0.5–1.5 μm. The simulation results show that a smooth cathode surface is advantageous for reducing ablation, the ablation on the CuCr alloy is smaller than that on the pure metal cathode electrode, and the cathode spot appears on the chromium grain only on CuCr. The simulation results are in good agreement with the experiment.
Non-idealities in the 3ω method for thermal characterization in the low- and high-frequency regimes
Authors: Jaber Wassim , Chapuis Pierre-Olivier
Published: April 2018

This work is devoted to analytical and numerical studies of diffusive heat conduction in configurations considered in 3ω experiments, which aim at measuring thermal conductivity of materials. The widespread 2D analytical model considers infinite media and translational invariance, a situation which cannot be met in practice in numerous cases due to the constraints in low-dimensional materials and systems. We investigate how thermal boundary resistance between heating wire and sample, native oxide and heating wire shape affect the temperature fields. 3D finite element modelling is also performed to account for the effect of the bonding pads and the 3D heat spreading down to a typical package. Emphasis is given on the low-frequency regime, which is less known than the so-called slope regime. These results will serve as guides for the design of ideal experiments where the 2D model can be applied and for the analyses of non-ideal ones.
Magnetic-sensor performance evaluated from magneto-conductance curve in magnetic tunnel junctions using in-plane or perpendicularly magnetized synthetic antiferromagnetic reference layers
Authors: Nakano T. , Oogane M. , Furuichi T. , Ando Y.
Published: April 2018

The automotive industry requires magnetic sensors exhibiting highly linear output within a dynamic range as wide as ±1 kOe. A simple model predicts that the magneto-conductance (G-H) curve in a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) is perfectly linear, whereas the magneto-resistance (R-H) curve inevitably contains a finite nonlinearity. We prepared two kinds of MTJs using in-plane or perpendicularly magnetized synthetic antiferromagnetic (i-SAF or p-SAF) reference layers and investigated their sensor performance. In the MTJ with the i-SAF reference layer, the G-H curve did not necessarily show smaller nonlinearities than those of the R-H curve with different dynamic ranges. This is because the magnetizations of the i-SAF reference layer start to rotate at a magnetic field even smaller than the switching field (Hsw) measured by a magnetometer, which significantly affects the tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) effect. In the MTJ with the p-SAF reference layer, the G-H curve showed much smaller nonlinearities than those of the R-H curve, thanks to a large Hsw value of the p-SAF reference layer. We achieved a nonlinearity of 0.08% FS (full scale) in the G-H curve with a dynamic range of ±1 kOe, satisfying our target for automotive applications. This demonstrated that a reference layer exhibiting a large Hsw value is indispensable in order to achieve a highly linear G-H curve.
Recommendations to maintain immune health in athletes
Authors: Walsh Neil P.
Published: April 2018

Numerous studies over the last 35 years report an increase in upper respiratory infection (URI) symptoms in athletes during periods of heavy training and competition. Challenges athletes face such as heavy exercise and life stress influence immune function via activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system and the resulting immunoregulatory hormones. Both innate and acquired immunity are often reported to decrease transiently in the hours after heavy exertion, typically 15–70%: prolonged heavy training sessions in particular have been shown to decrease immune function; potentially providing an ‘open window’ for opportunistic infections. Whether the observed changes in immunity with acute strenuous exercise or periods of heavy training account for the increased susceptibility to URI symptoms remains contentious. Nevertheless, there is little doubt that URI symptoms hinder athletic training and competition; underpinning the need to identify the prominent risk factors and appropriate countermeasures. Recent studies have identified prominent risk factors, including: intensified training in the winter; long‐haul travel; low energy availability; high levels of psychological stress and anxiety; and depression. Given the shared pathways and effector limbs for the body's response to physical and psychological challenges, it is logical that psychological strain influences immunity and illness incidence in athletes under heavy training; indeed, stress and anxiety have recently been shown to modify the immune response to exercise. This mini‐review provides new insights and evidence‐based recommendations for coping with the various challenges that athletes encounter on immune health, including: heavy exercise; life stress; sleep disruption; environmental extremes and nutritional deficits.
Anabolic–androgenic steroid use and correlates in Norwegian adolescents
Authors: Sandvik Morten Renslo , Bakken Anders , Loland Sigmund
Published: April 2018

This paper surveys the prevalence and correlates of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) use among Norwegian adolescents, and examines the degree to which sports participation is a mediating or moderating factor to well‐known correlations between AAS use and problem behaviour. The data come from the “Ungdata” study, a cross‐national youth survey system offered to all municipalities in Norway (response rate: 74%, N = 77,572). The study demonstrates a lifetime prevalence of AAS use of 1.27% and a higher prevalence among boys (1.81%) than girls (0.76%). The analyses show that AAS use is clearly related to problem behaviour such as violence and other substance use. When controlling for problem behaviour, there are no correlations between AAS use and exercising in a sports club or on one's own, whilst there is a weak positive correlation between AAS use and exercising in a gym or engaging in other forms of physical exercise such as dancing or martial arts. These patterns are more or less the same for boys and for girls. We conclude that adolescent AAS use is a low‐prevalence phenomenon that primarily takes place in smaller subgroups of individuals who engage in other forms of problem behaviour as well.
Presenting self-monitoring test results for consumers: the effects of graphical formats and age
Authors: Tao Da , Yuan Juan , Qu Xingda
Published: April 2018

Objective

To examine the effects of graphical formats and age on consumers’ comprehension and perceptions of the use of self-monitoring test results.

Methods

Participants (36 older and 36 young adults) were required to perform verbatim comprehension and value interpretation tasks with hypothetical self-monitoring test results. The test results were randomly presented by four reference range number lines: basic, color enhanced, color/text enhanced, and personalized information enhanced formats. We measured participants’ task performance and eye movement data during task completion, and their perceptions and preference of the graphical formats.

Results

The 4 graphical formats yielded comparable task performance, while text/color and personalized information enhanced formats were believed to be easier and more useful in information comprehension, and led to increased confidence in correct comprehension of test results, compared with other formats (all p’s < .05). Perceived health risk increased as the formats applied more information cues (p = .008). There were age differences in task performance and visual attention (all p’s < .01), while young and older adults had similar perceptions for the 4 formats. Personalized information enhanced format was preferred by both groups.

Conclusions

Text/color and personalized information cues appear to be useful for comprehending test results. Future work can be directed to improve the design of graphical formats especially for older adults, and to assess the formats in clinical settings.
The outflow structure of GW170817 from late-time broad-band observations
Authors: Troja E , Piro L , Ryan G , van Eerten H , Ricci R , Wieringa M H , Lotti S , Sakamoto T , Cenko S B
Published: April 2018

We present our broad-band study of GW170817 from radio to hard X-rays, including NuSTAR and Chandra observations up to 165  d after the merger, and a multimessenger analysis including LIGO constraints. The data are compared with predictions from a wide range of models, providing the first detailed comparison between non-trivial cocoon and jet models. Homogeneous and power-law shaped jets, as well as simple cocoon models are ruled out by the data, while both a Gaussian shaped jet and a cocoon with energy injection can describe the current data set for a reasonable range of physical parameters, consistent with the typical values derived from short GRB afterglows. We propose that these models can be unambiguously discriminated by future observations measuring the post-peak behaviour, with Fν ∝ t∼−1.0 for the cocoon and Fν∝ t∼−2.5 for the jet model.
Nuclear Spin Attenuates the Anesthetic Potency of Xenon Isotopes in Mice
Authors: Li Na , Lu Dongshi , Yang Lei , Tao Huan , Xu Younian , Wang Chenchen , Fu Lisha , Liu Hui , Chummum Yatisha , Zhang Shihai
Published: April 2018

What We Already Know about This Topic

What This Article Tells Us That Is New

Background

Xenon is an elemental anesthetic with nine stable isotopes. Nuclear spin is a quantum property which may differ among isotopes. Xenon 131 (131Xe) has nuclear spin of 3/2, xenon 129 (129Xe) a nuclear spin of 1/2, and the other seven isotopes have no nuclear spin. This study was aimed to explore the effect of nuclear spin on xenon anesthetic potency.

Methods

Eighty C57BL/6 male mice (7 weeks old) were randomly divided into four groups, xenon 132 (132Xe), xenon 134 (134Xe), 131Xe, and 129Xe groups. Due to xenon’s low potency, loss of righting reflex ED50 for mice to xenon was determined with 0.50% isoflurane. Loss of righting reflex ED50 of isoflurane was also measured, and the loss of righting reflex ED50 values of the four xenon isotopes were then calculated. The exact polarizabilities of the isotopes were calculated.

Results

Combined with 0.50% isoflurane, the loss of righting reflex ED50 values were 15 ± 4%, 16 ± 5%, 22 ± 5%, and 23 ± 7% for 132Xe, 134Xe, 131Xe, and 129Xe, respectively. For xenon alone, the loss of righting reflex ED50 values of 132Xe, 134Xe, 131Xe, and 129Xe were 70 ± 4%, 72 ± 5%, 99 ± 5%, and 105 ± 7%, respectively. Four isotopes had a same exact polarizability of 3.60 Å3.

Conclusions

Xenon isotopes with nuclear spin are less potent than those without, and polarizability cannot account for the difference. The lower anesthetic potency of 129Xe may be the result of it participating in conscious processing and therefore partially antagonizing its own anesthetic potency. Nuclear spin is a quantum property, and our results are consistent with theories that implicate quantum mechanisms in consciousness.
The Seven-Year Cost-Effectiveness of Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Versus Cervical Disc Arthroplasty
Authors: Kim Jun S. , Dowdell James , Cheung Zoe B. , Arvind Varun , Sun Li , Jandhyala Chanakya , Ukogu Chierika , Ranson William , Jacobs Samantha , McAnany Steven , Cho Samuel Kang-Wook
Published: April 2018

Study Design.

Markov model analysis.

Objective.

The aim of this study was to determine the 7-year cost-effectiveness of single-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) versus cervical disc replacement (CDR) for the treatment of cervical disc degeneration.

Summary of Background Data.

Both ACDF and CDR are acceptable surgical options for the treatment of symptomatic cervical disc degeneration. Past studies have demonstrated at least equal effectiveness of CDR when compared with ACDF in large randomized Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) studies. Short-term cost-effectiveness analyses at 5 years have suggested that CDR may be the preferred treatment option. However, adjacent segment disease and other postoperative complications may occur after 5 years following surgery.

Methods.

A Markov model analysis was used to evaluate data from the LDR Mobi-C IDE study, incorporating five Markov transition states and seven cycles with each cycle set to a length of 1 year. Transition state probabilities were determined from complication rates, as well as index and adjacent segment reoperation rates from the IDE study. Raw SF-12 data were converted to health state utility values using the SF-6D algorithm for 174 CDR patients and 79 ACDF patients.

Results.

Assuming an ideal operative candidate who is 40-years-old and failed appropriate conservative care, the 7-year cost was $103,924 for ACDF and $105,637 for CDR. CDR resulted in the generation of 5.33 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), while ACDF generated 5.16 QALYs. Both ACDF and CDR were cost-effective, but the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was $10,076/QALY in favor of CDR, which was less than the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of $50,000/QALY.

Conclusion.

ACDF and CDR are both cost-effective strategies for the treatment of cervical disc degeneration. However, CDR is the more cost-effective procedure at 7 years following surgery. Further long-term studies are needed to validate the findings of this model.

Level of Evidence: 1
Practice of Teledermatopathology: A Systematic Review
Authors: Saleh Jasmine
Published: April 2018

Introduction:

Teledermatopathology has the potential to revolutionize the practice of diagnosing skin diseases. This review provides an overview of the advantages, limitations, and future directions of teledermatopathology.

Methods:

MEDLINE was searched via PubMed and Google Scholar databases for relevant articles published from 2012 to the present. Additional articles were also identified by hand-searching.

Results:

A total of 2675 citations were identified in the initial search. Two thousand five hundred seventy-three were excluded based on duplicates and review of titles and abstracts. Eighty studies failed to meet the inclusion criteria, resulting in a total of 22 articles for analysis. Nine additional articles were hand-searched.

Conclusions:

Recent studies report that telepathology increases access to specialists, reduces interpretive errors and health care expenditures, improves the efficiency of workflow, and optimizes patient outcomes. It also facilitates international collaboration by widening global access to dermatopathology services and providing educational resources in underserved areas. However, the quality and regulations of digital slide imaging in teledermatopathology need to be improved.
Frankincense Essential Oil as a Supportive Therapy for Cancer-Related Fatigue
Authors: Reis Debra , Jones Tisha Throne
Published: April 2018

Fatigue experienced by patients diagnosed with cancer can be debilitating and can be challenging to manage. The use of supportive therapies such as essential oils is gaining popularity among patients diagnosed with cancer. This article describes one patient's experience using frankincense (Boswellia carterii) essential oil to help in the management of her fatigue. The topical application of the frankincense helped to take her fatigue from being barely able to lift her head to being able to do some basic activities of daily living.
Effectiveness of Integrative Restoration (iRest) Yoga Nidra on Mindfulness, Sleep, and Pain in Health Care Workers
Authors: Livingston Eva , Collette-Merrill Katreena
Published: April 2018

This article examines the effectiveness of Integrative Restoration (iRest) Yoga Nidra meditation on mindfulness, sleep, and pain in health care workers. As health care workers provide emotional support to patients, it is not uncommon for workers to experience both physical and mental exhaustion. One holistic approach to support employees is mindfulness training. iRest Yoga Nidra is a complementary and integrative health therapy that increases mindfulness. A pre-/postinterveniton descriptive survey design was used. Before and after experiencing iRest meditation, participants completed a 51-item questionnaire consisting of demographics plus 3 validated instruments: the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and Department of Defense/Veterans Administration (DoD/VA) Pain Supplemental Questions (PSQ). A total of 15 participants completed both questionnaires. Postintervention FFMQ scores were significantly higher than preintervention (z = −3.294, P = .001). The highest subscale scores were “acting with awareness” and “nonjudging of inner experience.” There was a not a significant difference in the mean ESS scores at baseline and follow-up. However, there was a strong negative correlation between the mean ESS improvement score and the number of weeks attended (r
s = −0.705, P = .003). There was a not a significant difference in the mean pain baseline and follow-up scores. This study showed significant improvement in mindfulness of health care workers following a guided 8-week iRest Yoga Nidra program. The results of this study may provide some insight into helping health care workers deal with the demands of their profession in a positive manner, thus leading to an improved workplace environment.
Effectiveness of Topical Sucralfate in the Management of Pressure Ulcer in Hospitalized Patients: A Prospective, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial
Authors: Ala Shahram , Saeedi Majid , Gholipour Afshin , Ahmadi Motahareh , Asoodeh Ali , Shiva Afshin
Published: April 2018

Background:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of topical sucralfate in the management of pressure ulcer (PU) in hospitalized patients.

Methods:

Forty hospitalized patients with stage II PU were included in this prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial and were randomly divided into 2 groups receiving either sucralfate gel or placebo, on a daily basis. The patients were visited every day for 14 days, the ulcer was evaluated using the Pressure Ulcer Scale for Healing (PUSH) and changes to the measured scores over time were used as an indicator of wound healing.

Results:

There were no statistically significant differences in any of the demographic characteristics between both groups. Both of the interventions reduced the average PUSH score, and at the end of the trial, all but 2 patients were healed. One in each group discontinued the trial because of exacerbation of the ulcer. No significant between-group difference in the average PUSH score reduction was observed (6.36 ± 2.11 vs. 5.89 ± 1.41, P = 0.42). Although the average healing time was less in the sucralfate group (6.05 ± 2.17 vs. 7.78 ± 3.42), the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.07).

Conclusions:

Sucralfate gel does not improve healing of PU compared with placebo.
Shyer and larger bird species show more reduced fear of humans when living in urban environments
Authors: delBarco-Trillo Javier
Published: April 2018

As the natural habitats of many species are degraded or disappear, there is scope for these species to be established in urban habitats. To ease the establishment and maintenance of urban populations of more species we need to better understand what degree of phenotypical change to expect as different species transition into urban environments. During the first stages of urban colonization, behavioural changes such as an increase in boldness are particularly important. A consistent response in urban populations is to decrease the distance at which individuals flee from an approaching human (flight initiation distance, or FID). Performing a phylogenetic generalized least-squares (PGLS) analysis on 130 avian species, I found that the largest changes in FID between rural and urban populations occur in species that are larger-bodied and naturally shy (higher rural FID), two phenotypic traits that are not normally associated with urban colonizers. More unlikely species may thus be able to colonize urban environments, especially if we design cities in ways that promote such urban colonizations.
Ex vivogut culture for studying differentiation and migration of small intestinal epithelial cells
Authors: Sun Xiaofei , Fu Xing , Du Min , Zhu Mei-Jun
Published: April 2018

Epithelial cultures are commonly used for studying gut health. However, due to the absence of mesenchymal cells and gut structure, epithelial culture systems including recently developed three-dimensional organoid culture cannot accurately representin vivogut development, which requires intense cross-regulation of the epithelial layer with the underlying mesenchymal tissue. In addition, organoid culture is costly. To overcome this, a new culture system was developed using mouse embryonic small intestine. Cultured intestine showed spontaneous peristalsis, indicating the maintenance of the normal gut physiological structure. During 10 days ofex vivoculture, epithelial cells moved along the gut surface and differentiated into different epithelial cell types, including enterocytes, Paneth cells, goblet cells and enteroendocrine cells. We further used the establishedex vivosystem to examine the role of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) on gut epithelial health. Tamoxifen-induced AMPKα1 knockout vastly impaired epithelial migration and differentiation of the developingex vivogut, showing the crucial regulatory function of AMPKα1 in intestinal health.
Photocatalytic degradation of sulfamethazine in aqueous solution using ZnO with different morphologies
Authors: Yi Zhigang , Wang Juan , Jiang Tao , Tang Qiong , Cheng Ying
Published: April 2018

In this study, photocatalytic experiments of 20 mg l
−1
sulfamethazine (SMN) in aqueous solution containing ZnO with different morphologies, tetra-needle-like ZnO (T-ZnO), flower-like ZnO (F-ZnO) and nanoparticles ZnO (P-ZnO), were performed. The results indicated that photocatalytic degradation of SMN was effective and followed the pseudo-first-order reaction, but the degree of SMN mineralization showed obvious differences using ZnO with different shapes. After 12 h irradiation, 86%, 71% and 50% of the initial total organic carbon was eliminated in SMN suspension containing T-ZnO, F-ZnO and P-ZnO, respectively. The release ratio of sulfur was close to 100% in the presence of T-ZnO, but reached to 86% and 67% in the presence of F-ZnO and P-ZnO, respectively. The release ratio of nitrogen was about 76%, 63% and 40% using T-ZnO, F-ZnO and P-ZnO as photocatalyst, respectively. The morphology of ZnO played an important role in determining its catalytic activity. Seven intermediates were observed and identified in the UV/T-ZnO reaction system by LC-MS/MS analysis, and a possible degradation pathway was proposed.
The relationship between substrate morphology and biological performances of nano-silver-loaded dopamine coatings on titanium surfaces
Authors: Zhang Weibo , Wang Shuang , Ge Shaohua , Chen Jialong , Ji Ping
Published: April 2018

Biomedical device-associated infection (BAI) and lack of osseointegration are the main causes of implant failure. Therefore, it is imperative for implants not only to depress microbial activity and biofilm colonization but also to prompt osteoblast functions and osseointegration. As part of the coating development for implants, the interest of
in vitro
studies on the interaction between implant substrate morphology and the coating's biological performances is growing. In this study, by harnessing the adhesion and reactivity of bioinspired polydopamine, nano-silver was successfully anchored onto micro/nanoporous as well as smooth titanium surfaces to analyse the effect of substrate morphology on biological performances of the coatings. Compared with the smooth surface, a small size of nano-silver and high silver content was found on the micro/nanoporous surface. More mineralization happened on the coating on the micro/nanoporous structure than on the smooth surface, which led to a more rapid decrease of silver release from the micro/nanoporous surface. Antimicrobial tests indicated that both surfaces with resulting coating inhibit microbial colonization on them and growth around them, indicating that the coating eliminates the shortcoming of the porous structure which render the implant extremely susceptible to BAI. Besides, the multiple osteoblast responses of nano-silver-loaded dopamine coatings on both surfaces, i.e. attachment, proliferation and differentiation, have deteriorated, however the mineralized surfaces of these coatings stimulated osteoblast proliferation and differentiation, especially for the micro/nanoporous surface. Therefore, nano-silver-loaded dopamine coatings on micro/nanoporous substratum may not only reduce the risk of infection but also facilitate mineralization during the early post-operative period and then promote osseointegration owing to the good osteoblast-biocompatibility of the mineralized surface. These results clearly highlight the influence of the substrate morphology on the biological performances of implant coating.
Digested sludge-derived three-dimensional hierarchical porous carbon for high-performance supercapacitor electrode
Authors: Zhang Jia-Jia , Fan Hao-Xiang , Dai Xiao-Hu , Yuan Shi-Jie
Published: April 2018

Digested sludge, as the main by-product of the sewage sludge anaerobic digestion process, still contains considerable organic compounds. In this protocol, we report a facile method for preparing digested sludge-derived self-doped porous carbon material for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes via a sustainable pyrolysis/activation process. The obtained digested sludge-derived carbon material (HPDSC) exhibits versatile O-, N-doped hierarchical porous framework, high specific surface area (2103.6 m
2
 g
−1
) and partial graphitization phase, which can facilitate ion transport, provide more storage sites for electrolyte ions and enhance the conductivity of active electrode materials. The HPDSC-based supercapacitor electrodes show favourable energy storage performance, with a specific capacitance of 245 F g
−1
at 1.0 A g
−1
in 0.5 M Na
2
SO
4
; outstanding cycling stability, with 98.4% capacitance retention after 2000 cycles; and good rate performance (211 F g
−1
at 11 A g
−1
). This work provides a unique self-doped three-dimensional hierarchical porous carbon material with a favourable charge storage capacity and at the same time finds a high value-added and environment-friendly strategy for disposal and recycling of digested sludge.
Homophily, heterophily and the diversity of messages among decision-making individuals
Authors: Ramazi Pouria , Riehl James , Cao Ming
Published: April 2018

To better understand the intriguing mechanisms behind cooperation among decision-making individuals, we study the simple yet appealing use of preplay communication or cheap talk in evolutionary games, when players are able to choose strategies based on whether an opponent sends the same message as they do. So when playing games, in addition to pure cooperation and defection, players have two new strategies in this setting: homophilic (respectively, heterophilic) cooperation which is to cooperate (respectively, defect) only with those who send the same message as they do. We reveal the intrinsic qualities of individuals playing the two strategies and show that under the replicator dynamics, homophilic cooperators engage in a battle of messages and will become dominated by whichever message is the most prevalent at the start, while populations of heterophilic cooperators exhibit a more harmonious behaviour, converging to a state of maximal diversity. Then we take Prisoner’s Dilemma (PD) as the base of the cheap-talk game and show that the hostility of heterophilics to individuals with similar messages leaves no possibility for pure cooperators to survive in a population of the two, whereas the one-message dominance of homophilics allows for pure cooperators with the same tag as the dominant homophilics to coexist in the population, demonstrating that homophilics are more cooperative than heterophilics. Finally, we generalize an existing convergence result on population shares associated with weakly dominated strategies to a broadly applicable theorem and complete previous research on PD games with preplay communication by proving that the frequencies of all types of cooperators, i.e. pure, homophilic and heterophilic, converge to zero in the face of defectors. This implies homophily and heterophily cannot facilitate the long-term survival of cooperation in this setting, which urges studying cheap-talk games under other reproduction dynamics.
Land uplift creates important meadow habitat and a potential original niche for grassland species
Authors: Auffret Alistair G. , Cousins Sara A. O.
Published: April 2018

Semi-natural grasslands have been severely affected by agricultural land-use change. However, the isostatic land adjustment following deglaciation in the Northern Hemisphere means that new land is continually being created in coastal areas. We modelled isostatic adjustment during the last 4000 years in a region of the Baltic coast to estimate the emergence of potential grassland habitat. We also compared the α and β diversity of existing managed and abandoned coastal meadows, and assessed their contribution to biodiversity at landscape scales. We estimated that half the 7866 km2of emerging land had the potential to become coastal meadow habitat, which is an order of magnitude larger than the total area of all valuable semi-natural grassland in the study region today. The small area of managed coastal habitat remaining was found to have a disproportionate influence on the richness of threatened species at landscape scales, but our results also show that continued management is essential for the maintenance of grassland biodiversity. Our combination of approaches identifies uplifted coastal meadows as an additional original niche for grassland plant species, while highlighting that low-intensity disturbance through grassland management is essential for the maintenance of diversity at multiple scales.
Heritable spouse effects increase evolutionary potential of human reproductive timing
Authors: Evans Simon R. , Waldvogel Dominique , Vasiljevic Nina , Postma Erik
Published: April 2018

Sexual reproduction is inherently interactive, especially in animal species such as humans that exhibit extended pair bonding. Yet we have little knowledge of the role of male characteristics and their evolutionary impact on reproductive behavioural phenotypes, to the extent that biologists typically consider component traits (e.g. reproductive timing) as female-specific. Based on extensive genealogical data detailing the life histories of 6435 human mothers born across four centuries of modern history, we use an animal modelling approach to estimate the indirect genetic effect of men on the reproductive phenotype of their partners. These analyses show that a woman's reproductive timing (age at first birth) is influenced by her partner's genotype. This indirect genetic effect is positively correlated with the direct genetic effect expressed in women, such that total heritable variance in this trait is doubled when heritable partner effects are considered. Our study thus suggests that much of the heritable variation in women's reproductive timing is mediated via partner effects, and that the evolutionary potential of this trait is far greater than previously appreciated.
Microbial decay analysis challenges interpretation of putative organ systems in Cambrian fuxianhuiids
Authors: Liu Jianni , Steiner Michael , Dunlop Jason A. , Shu Degan
Published: April 2018

The Chengjiang fossilLagerstätte(Cambrian Stage 3) from Yunnan, southern China is renowned for its soft-tissue preservation. Accordingly structures in fuxianhuiids, radiodontans and great appendage arthropods have been interpreted as the nervous and cardiovascular systems, including brains, hearts and blood vessels. That such delicate organ systems survive the fossilization process seems remarkable; given that this mode of preservation involves major taphonomic changes, such as flattening, microbial degradation, chemical alteration and replacement. Here, we document a range of taphonomic preservation states in numerous articulated individuals ofFuxianhuia protensa. We suggest that organic (partly iron mineral-replaced) bulbous structures in the head region, previously interpreted as brain tissue, along with sagittally located organic strands interpreted as part of the cardiovascular system or as nerve cords, may be better explained as microbial biofilms that developed following decomposition of the intestine, muscle and other connective tissues, forming halos surrounding the original organic remains.