bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An efficient CO2 fixation reaction with epoxides catalysed by in situ formed blue vanadium catalyst from dioxovanadium(+5) complex: moisture enhanced and atmospheric oxygen retarded catalytic activity
Authors: Borah Rakhimoni , Deori Naranarayan , Brahma Sanfaori
Published: January 2020

In situ formed vanadium(+4) species catalyzed carbon dioxide fixation reaction, leading to 99% conversion of epoxides to cyclic carbonates under mild conditions is reported here, along with the study on the in situ formed catalyst to some extent.
An ultrasensitive self-driven broadband photodetector based on a 2D-WS2/GaAs type-II Zener heterojunction
Authors: Jia Cheng , Huang Xiaowen , Wu Di , Tian Yongzhi , Guo Jiawen , Zhao Zhihui , Shi Zhifeng , Tian Yongtao , Jie Jiansheng , Li Xinjian
Published: January 2020

A self-driven photodetector based on WS2/GaAs type-II Zener heterojunction is fabricated, which shows a broadband response spectrum from 200 to 1550 nm beyond the limitation of the bandgaps with a high responsivity and specific detectivity.
A MIL-47(V) derived hierarchical lasagna-structured V2O3@C hollow microcuboid as an efficient sulfur host for high-performance lithium–sulfur batteries
Authors: Yang Jing , Wang Bo , Jin Fan , Ning Yu , Luo Hao , Zhang Jian , Wang Fei , Wang Dianlong , Zhou Yu
Published: January 2020

A V-MOF (MIL-47) derived V2O3@C hollow microcuboid with a hierarchical lasagna-like structure has been constructed, which exhibits great potential as a sulfur host for lithium–sulfur batteries.
Unraveling the kinetics of the structural development during polymerization-induced self-assembly: decoupling the polymerization and the micelle structure
Authors: Takahashi Rintaro , Miwa Shotaro , Sobotta Fabian H. , Lee Ji Ha , Fujii Shota , Ohta Noboru , Brendel Johannes C. , Sakurai Kazuo
Published: January 2020

Upon extending a hydrophobic polymer chain from the end of a preceding hydrophilic chain in aqueous solutions, the resultant block copolymers may eventually undergo self-assembly.
Role of supramolecular policosanol oleogels in the protection of retinyl palmitate against photodegradation
Authors: Tian Yixing , Acevedo Nuria C.
Published: January 2020

Exposure of retinyl palmitate (RP) to ultraviolet radiation can lead to its photo-degradation and loss of biological activity.
Green fabrication of a complementary electrochromic device using water-based ink containing nanoparticles of WO3 and Prussian blue
Authors: Tajima Kazuki , Watanabe Hiroshi , Nishino Mizuka , Kawamoto Tohru
Published: January 2020

We fabricated a complementary electrochromic device (ECD) by using water-dispersible nanoparticles (NP) of Prussian blue (PB) and WO3 by using a wet process, which involved just coating.
High-pressure formation of antimony nitrides: a first-principles study
Authors: Lian Lili , Liu Yan , Li Da , Wei Shuli
Published: January 2020

The structural phase transition, electronic properties, and bonding properties of antimony nitrides have been studied by using a first principles method.
Development and evaluation of an automated multi-channel multiplug filtration cleanup device for pesticide residue analysis on mulberry leaves and processed tea
Authors: Wu Yangliu , An Quanshun , Wu Jun , Li Ping , He Jianhong , Pan Canping
Published: January 2020

An automated device based on QuEChERS cleanup was developed, which is simple, fully automated, highly precise and highly efficient.
Hydrophilic polymer-stabilized porous composite membrane for water evaporation and solar desalination
Authors: Han Xiaoning , Zang Linlin , Zhang Shaochun , Dou Tianwei , Li Liang , Yang Jian , Sun Liguo , Zhang Yanhong , Wang Cheng
Published: January 2020

A polymer-stabilized interfacial evaporator was designed with a porous structure, and exhibited excellent water evaporation and solar desalination performance.
Circularly polarised luminescence (CPL) control of oligopeptide–Eu(iii) hybridized luminophores by interaction with peptide side chains
Authors: Mimura Yuki , Sato Takuya , Motomura Yuki , Yoshikawa Hiroki , Shizuma Motohiro , Kitamatsu Mizuki , Imai Yoshitane
Published: January 2020

The CPL sign is controllable by varying the number of naphthalene units and peptide/Eu(iii) coordination ratio.
Self-assembled CeVO4/Au heterojunction nanocrystals for photothermal/photoacoustic bimodal imaging-guided phototherapy
Authors: Wang Junrong , Hu Yubo , Chen Junyang , Ye Cong
Published: January 2020

CeVO4/Au NCs can be used as an effective photothermal/photoacoustic bimodal imaging-guided theranostic anticancer agent for near-infrared (NIR) light-mediated photothermal/photodynamic therapy.
Rigor and reproducibility in polymer nanoparticle synthesis and characterization
Authors: Sims Kenneth R. , Maceren Julian P. , Strand Alexander Ian , He Brian , Overby Clyde , Benoit Danielle S. W.
Published: January 2020

Novel modeling and process control approaches provide useful insights to improve rigor and reproducibility in polymer nanoparticle synthesis and characterization.
Untangling a complex relationship: teaching beliefs and instructional practices of assistant chemistry faculty at research-intensive institutions
Authors: Popova Maia , Shi Lu , Harshman Jordan , Kraft Annika , Stains Marilyne
Published: January 2020

In this era of instructional transformation of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses at the postsecondary level in the United States, the focus has been on educating science faculty about evidence-based instructional practices,i.e.practices that have been empirically proven to enhance student learning outcomes. The literature on professional development at the secondary level has demonstrated a tight interconnectedness between ones’ beliefs about teaching and learning and one's instructional practices and the need to attend to faculty's beliefs when engaging them in instructional change processes. Although discipline-based education researchers have made great strides in characterizing instructional practices of STEM faculty, much less attention has been given to understanding the beliefs of STEM about teaching and learning. Knowledge of instructors’ thinking can inform faculty professional development initiatives that encourage faculty to reflect on the beliefs that drive their classroom practices. Therefore, this study characterized the interplay between beliefs and instructional practices of nineteen assistant chemistry professors. Luft and Roehrig's Teaching Beliefs Interview protocol was used to capture beliefs; classroom observations and course artifacts were collected to capture practices. Clear trends were identified between faculty's beliefs (characterized through constant-comparative analysis and cluster analysis) and practices (characterized with Blumberg's Learner-Centered Teaching Rubric). Overall, beliefs of most of the participants were somewhat aligned with their instructional practices, with the exception of one cluster of faculty who held student-centered beliefs, but received only moderate scores on the Learner-Centered Teaching Rubric.
α-Glucuronosyl and α-glucosyl diacylglycerides, natural killer T cell-activating lipids from bacteria and fungi
Authors: Burugupalli Satvika , Almeida Catarina F. , Smith Dylan G. M. , Shah Sayali , Patel Onisha , Rossjohn Jamie , Uldrich Adam P. , Godfrey Dale I. , Williams Spencer J.
Published: January 2020

Microbial α-glycosyl diacylglycerides when presented by the antigen presenting molecule CD1d are recognized by both classical type I and atypical Natural Killer T cell receptors.
Cuboidal liquid crystal phases under multiaxial geometrical frustration
Authors: Palacio-Betancur Viviana , Armas-Pérez Julio C. , Villada-Gil Stiven , Abbott Nicholas L. , Hernández-Ortiz Juan P. , de Pablo Juan J.
Published: January 2020

Chiral LCs confined in spheroids exhibit new families of morphologies as a result of geometrical frustration.
Seawater-enhanced tough agar/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)/clay hydrogel for anti-adhesion and oil/water separation
Authors: Zhu Yi , Lin Ling , Zeng Jinjin , Tang Xu , Liu Yuansen , Wu Peng , Xu Chang’an
Published: January 2020

Seawater-enhanced tough APNC gel used for anti-adhesion and oil/water separation.
Temperature tunability in Sr1−xCaxFeO3−δ for reversible oxygen storage: a computational and experimental study
Authors: Popczun Eric J. , Tafen De Nyago , Natesakhawat Sittichai , Marin Chris M. , Nguyen-Phan Thuy-Duong , Zhou Yunyun , Alfonso Dominic , Lekse Jonathan W.
Published: January 2020

Sr1−xCaxFeO3−δ oxygen carriers can be designed for specific reaction conditions through selective Ca2+ inclusion at the A-site.
Correction: l-Ascorbic acid oxygen-induced micro-electronic fields over metal-free polyimide for peroxymonosulfate activation to realize efficient multi-pathway destruction of contaminants
Authors: Cao Wenrui , Lyu Lai , Deng Kanglan , Lu Chao , Hu Chun
Published: January 2020

Correction for ‘l-Ascorbic acid oxygen-induced micro-electronic fields over metal-free polyimide for peroxymonosulfate activation to realize efficient multi-pathway destruction of contaminants’ by Wenrui Cao et al., J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020, DOI: 10.1039/c9ta10284a.
Prediction of radio interference from HVDC transmission lines based on corona discharge characteristics
Authors: Huang Caowei , Yin Han , Xu Pengfei , Zhang Bo , He Jinliang , Liu Jianben
Published: January 2020

Many research works have proved that it is viable to predict the radio interference (RI) of high‐voltage alternating current transmission lines by corona cage test. However, it is uncertain whether the same method can be adopted for RI prediction of high‐voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission lines, since the corona performance of HVDC lines is obviously affected by the widely distributed space charge. In this study, the detailed corona current characteristics, such as the current pulse amplitude, rise time, half‐wave time, and repetition frequency are systematically studied by the reduced‐scale experiment and the relationship between the average corona current and the RI excitation current is confirmed. Furthermore, based on the experimental study, a method for predicting the RI level of HVDC transmission lines by the corona cage test is proposed. The RI level of a ±800 kV bipolar HVDC transmission line is predicted and compared with the measured result, which verifies the validity of the proposed method.
Electromagnetic modelling using T‐A formulation for high‐temperature superconductor (RE)Ba2Cu3Ox high field magnets
Authors: Wang Yawei , Bai Hongyu , Li Jianwei , Zhang Min , Yuan Weijia
Published: January 2020

Second generation (2G) high‐temperature superconductor (HTS) (RE)Ba2Cu3Ox (REBCO) shows a great potential in building high field magnets beyond 23.5 T. The electromagnetic modelling is vital for the design of HTS magnet, however, this always suffers the challenge of huge computation for high field magnets with large number of turns. This study presents a novel electromagnetic modelling based on T‐A formulation for REBCO magnets with thousands of turns. An equivalent turn method is proposed to reduce the number of turns in calculation, so that the computation cost can be reduced significantly, and meanwhile the key electromagnetic behaviour of HTS magnet can be simulated with enough accuracy. The ramping operation of a fully HTS magnet with 12,000 turns are analysed using both the original T‐A model with actual turns and improved T‐A model with equivalent turns. The two models show a good agreement on the key electromagnetic behaviours of the magnet: distribution of current density, magnetic fields, screen current induced field and magnetisation loss, so that this improved T‐A model using equivalent turns is validated. The T‐A modelling of REBCO magnet is a powerful tool for the electromagnetic analysis of industry‐scale high field magnets.
Onset electric field of soil ionisation around grounding electrode under lightning
Authors: Zhang Bo , Li Zhizhong , Wang Sen
Published: January 2020

Onset electric field of soil ionisation is one of the basic parameters to analyse the lightning impulse performance of a grounding electrode, which has been fully investigated based on experiments on hemispherical electrode or rod‐to‐rod gap. Until now, there has been lack of onset electric field of rod‐to‐plane gap, which is the real situation for grounding electrode. In this study, the soil ionisation around the grounding electrode is studied by experiment. Method to judge the start of ionisation is discussed. Both the effect of the soil resistivity and that of the radius of the grounding electrode on the onset electric field of soil ionisation are investigated. It shows that the onset electric field decreases as the radius of the electrode increases, while increases as the soil resistivity increases. A formula to predict the onset field with respect to soil resistivity and the radius of the grounding electrode is proposed.
The stellar-to-halo mass relation over the past 12 Gyr
Authors: Girelli G. , Pozzetti L. , Bolzonella M. , Giocoli C. , Marulli F. , Baldi M.
Published: January 2020

Aims. Understanding the link between the galaxy properties and the dark matter halos they reside in and their coevolution is a powerful tool for constraining the processes related to galaxy formation. In particular, the stellar-to-halo mass relation (SHMR) and its evolution throughout the history of the Universe provides insights on galaxy formation models and allows us to assign galaxy masses to halos in N-body dark matter simulations. To address these questions, we determine the SHMR throughout the entire cosmic history from z ∼ 4 to the present.

Methods. We used a statistical approach to link the observed galaxy stellar mass functions on the COSMOS field to dark matter halo mass functions up to z ∼ 4 from the ΛCDM DUSTGRAIN-pathfinder simulation, which is complete for Mh >  1012.5 M⊙, and extended this to lower masses with a theoretical parameterization. We propose an empirical model to describe the evolution of the SHMR as a function of redshift (either in the presence or absence of a scatter in stellar mass at fixed halo mass), and compare the results with several literature works and semianalytic models of galaxy formation. We also tested the reliability of our results by comparing them to observed galaxy stellar mass functions and to clustering measurements.

Results. We derive the SHMR from z = 0 to z = 4, and model its empirical evolution with redshift. We find that M*/Mh is always lower than ∼0.05 and depends both on redshift and halo mass, with a bell shape that peaks at Mh ∼ 1012 M⊙. Assuming a constant cosmic baryon fraction, we calculate the star-formation efficiency of galaxies and find that it is generally low; its peak increases with cosmic time from ∼30% at z ∼ 4 to ∼35% at z ∼ 0. Moreover, the star formation efficiency increases for increasing redshifts at masses higher than the peak of the SHMR, while the trend is reversed for masses lower than the peak. This indicates that massive galaxies (i.e., galaxies hosted at halo masses higher than the SHMR peak) formed with a higher efficiency at higher redshifts (i.e., downsizing effect) and vice versa for low-mass halos. We find a large scatter in results from semianalytic models, with a difference of up to a factor ∼8 compared to our results, and an opposite evolutionary trend at high halo masses. By comparing our results with those in the literature, we find that while at z ∼ 0 all results agree well (within a factor of ∼3), at z >  0 many differences emerge. This suggests that observational and theoretical work still needs to be done. Our results agree well (within ∼10%) with observed stellar mass functions (out to z = 4) and observed clustering of massive galaxies (M* >  1011 M⊙ from z ∼ 0.5 to z ∼ 1.1) in the two-halo regime.
L1 Adaptive for Aircraft Lateral Fault Tolerant Control with Actuator Failure
Authors: Zhou Yan , Liu Huiying , Li Jing
Published: January 2020

When aircraft is laterally controlled, actuator failure may cause matched/unmatched uncertainties. In order to deal with the uncertainty, a fault-tolerant controller is designed by using L1 adaptive control method. An aircraft lateral model was established by considering faults and disturbances, the effects of the uncertainty and interference were counteracted by using L1 adaptive controller in order to ensure the rapid adaptation and robustness, and then the stability and transient performance of the closed-loop system were proven through Lyapunov method. In the case of multiplicative fault, additive fault and stuck fault, the uncertainties of model parameter were added to simulate simultaneously. Simulation results showed that the present control method in both single-fault mode and hybrid-failure mode could ensure the uniform bounded control signal and parameter estimation, effectively eliminates the effect of the faults and had the good fault tolerance and robustness.
Toxoplasma gondii in women of childbearing age and during pregnancy: seroprevalence study in Central and Southern Italy from 2013 to 2017
Authors: Fanigliulo Daniela , Marchi Serena , Montomoli Emanuele , Trombetta Claudia Maria
Published: January 2020

Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide health problem. Infection in pregnant women can result in severe fetal morbidity or in subclinical neonatal infection; most subclinical cases develop ocular and neurological sequelae. The purpose of this serological study was to assess the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in two populations of women of childbearing age in Siena (Tuscany, Central Italy) and Bari (Apulia, Southern Italy) between 2013 and 2017 and in a group of pregnant women in Bari in 2016–2017. Serum samples were tested for the presence of specific anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibodies by a commercially available ELISA test. The percentage of seropositive subjects in Bari was significantly higher than in Siena (22.4% vs. 12.4%) and an age-related trend was observed. A low prevalence of T. gondii infection (13.8%) was observed among the pregnant women tested. In addition to showing a significant difference between Central and Southern Italy, this study provides updated data on T. gondii seroprevalence in women during childbearing age and pregnancy. The results confirm a trend toward a decrease, especially in younger people and pregnant women.
Posterior versus direct anterior approach in revision hip arthroplasty using Kerboull-type plate
Authors: Baba Tomonori , Homma Yasuhiro , Jinnai Yuta , Tanabe Hiroki , Banno Sammy , Watari Taiji , Kaneko Kazuo
Published: January 2020

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to investigate revision with a Kerboull-type plate through the posterior approach (PA) and direct anterior approach (DAA) and compare the clinical outcome.

Subjects and methods: Fifty-four patients (56 hip joints) underwent revision surgery in which acetabular reconstruction was performed concomitantly using the Kerboull-type plate and allogeneic bone. Revision surgery through DAA was performed in 21 hip joints and these were compared with 34 hip joints treated through PA. There was no significant difference in the patient demographics between the DAA and PA.

Results: There was no significant difference between the operative times in the DAA and PA groups (203.2 ± 43.5 and 211.7 ± 41.8 min). There was a significant difference between the intraoperative blood loss in the DAA and PA groups (503.9 ± 223.7 mL and 703.8 ± 329.6 mL, respectively, p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the modified Harris Hip Score in the DAA and the PA groups. The loosening of the acetabular component was observed in four cases (11.8%) in the PA group. In the DAA and PA groups, the 5-year survival rates were 100 and 85.7%, respectively. Recurrent dislocation of the hip was observed in six cases (one case in the DAA group (4.8%) and five cases in the PA group (14.7%)).

Conclusions: It was verified that the difference in the surgical approach of acetabular reconstruction concomitantly using the Kerboull-type plate and allogeneic bone graft influenced the postoperative outcome.
Successful surgical management of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis by inductive therapy with albendazole – a case report
Authors: Bartels Michael , Schmidt Thomas , Lübbert Christoph
Published: January 2020

We report the case of a 65-year-old female patient with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis (AE) caused by Echinococcus multilocularis. This infrequent zoonosis has a considerable morbidity and mortality. The malignant appearing hepatic mass was initially misdiagnosed as cholangiocarcinoma of the right hepatic lobe (segments VII, VIII, and IVa, sized 10.9 cm × 7.6 cm) involving the right and middle hepatic vein and extending close to the left hepatic vein. During exploratory laparotomy, the frozen-section biopsy was indicative of AE (World Health Organization [WHO] classification: stage P3N0M0). Due to the high operative risk, it was decided to pretreat the patient with albendazole as inductive therapy in order to remove the AE secondarily in accordance with the patient’s request. After year-long treatment with albendazole (under strict control of the maximum blood levels), a right hemihepatectomy was successfully performed. Postoperative treatment with albendazole had to be stopped prematurely after 11 months due to considerable subjective intolerance and a more-than-tenfold elevation of transaminases despite normal therapeutic albendazole blood levels. A 18F-FDG-PET/CT scan revealed no evidence of AE residues. Conducting follow-up examinations by 18F-FDG-PET/CT scans every 2 years is planned in order to recognize possible recurrence at an early stage.
Age and Sex Influence Thyroid Hormone Effects in Target Tissues with
Organ-Specific Responses
Authors: Kerp Helena , Gassen Janina , Führer Dagmar
Published: January 2020

Age and sex impact prevalence and clinical features of thyroid disease.
Thyroid dysfunction occurs with a higher frequency in elderly patients and
females. Moreover, age alters clinical presentation of hyper- and
hypothyroidism and onset of thyroid hormone (TH) related co-morbidities
leading to increased risk for underdiagnosis and maltreatment in the
elderly. Rodent models allow further insights into mechanisms of age- and
sex-dependent TH action in target tissues. In this review, we summarize
findings from mouse studies showing distinct effects of age and sex on
systemic versus organ-specific TH action and discuss their wider implication
for clinical care.
Treatment of Childhood Reflex Epilepsies
Authors: Ilyas Mohammed , Pawar Kailash Tulshiram , Baig Mirza Waseem Mohammad
Published: January 2020

Reflex epilepsies are characterized by the presence of epileptic seizures, which are consistently or stereotypically evoked by a specific afferent stimulus (i.e., flashes of light, startles, a particular movement, or cognitive task). Seizures in them are generally refractory to medical treatment requiring polytherapy. Avoiding the trigger and antiepileptic therapy may likely abolish these seizures. However, in some cases, the use of specific technologies and addressing associated comorbidities may be necessary. In this study, we review the pathophysiological basis for different treatment approaches as well as recent advances in the management of reflex epilepsies.
Levetiracetam Treatment-Associated Acute Rhabdomyolysis in an Adolescent
Authors: Aslan Nagehan , Yildizdas Dincer , Huseyınlı Behruz , Horoz Ozden Ozgur , Mert Gulen Gul , Ekinci Faruk , Ozcanyuz Duygu
Published: January 2020

Etiology of rhabdomyolysis includes hereditary muscle enzyme deficiencies, trauma, viral infections, excessive exercise, hypothyroidism, and medications such as colchicine, lithium, and statins. Several studies have reported that various antiepileptic drugs may induce rhabdomyolysis. Levetiracetam is one of the antiepileptic drugs implicated in the etiology of rhabdomyolysis. Herein, we present a case of rhabdomyolysis in an adolescent treated with levetiracetam. We wanted to draw attention to the increasing trend of levetiracetam-associated rhabdomyolysis frequency in pediatric patients.
Single-Center Use of Prothrombin Complex Concentrate in Pediatric Patients
Authors: Karube Takaharu , Andersen Courtney , Tobias Joseph D.
Published: January 2020

Coagulation disturbances frequently occur in critically ill children. Four-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (4F-PCC) may have a potential role in managing these patients while avoiding concerns associated with fresh frozen plasma. However, data on this product in critically ill children is scarce. We retrospectively identified 24 critically ill pediatric patients who received 4F-PCC. The primary indication was to correct coagulopathy and control bleeding in the trauma or surgical setting. 4F-PCC effectively decreased the international normalized ratio level, a surrogate marker of hemostasis. Further study is warranted to identify efficacy, indications, optimal dosing, and adverse effects in the critically ill pediatric patients.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo: What We Do and Do Not Know
Authors: Nuti Daniele , Zee David S. , Mandalà Marco
Published: January 2020

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is common, sometimes terrifying, but rarely portends serious disease. It is usually easily diagnosed and treated, and both the patient and the physician are immediately gratified. While much has been learned about the pathogenesis of BPPV in the past decades, many of its features remain mysterious, and one must still be wary of the rare times it mimics a dangerous brain disorder. Here we review common, relatively well understood clinical features of BPPV but also emphasize what we do not know and when the physician must look deeper for a more ominous cause.
Vestibular Migraine I: Mechanisms, Diagnosis, and Clinical Features
Authors: Baloh Robert W.
Published: January 2020

Vestibular migraine (VM), also known as migrainous vertigo or migraine-associated vertigo, is characterized by recurrent vestibular attacks often accompanied by migraine headaches and other migraine symptoms. It is one of the most common presenting complaints to physicians in primary care, otolaryngology, and neurology. Epidemiologic data suggest that VM may affect 1 to 3% of the general population and 10 to 30% of patients seeking treatment for dizziness. Attacks typically last minutes to hours and range from spontaneous and positional vertigo to extreme sensitivity to self and surround motion. As with headaches, nausea, and vomiting, phonophobia and photophobia are common accompanying symptoms. The clinical spectrum of VM and its underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are just being identified, with much debate about the causal relationship of vestibular symptoms and headache, no evidence-based guidelines for clinical management, limited characterization of its disease burden, and little information about its negative impact on health-related quality of life.
Relationship between Sedative Antihistamines and the Duration of Febrile Seizures
Authors: Daida Atsuro , Yamanaka Gaku , Tsujimoto Shin-ichi , Yokoyama Mina , Hayashi Kuniyoshi , Urayama Kevin Y. , Ishida Yasushi , Manabe Atsushi , Kusakawa Isao , Ogihara Masaaki , Kawashima Hisashi
Published: January 2020

Some studies have shown that sedative antihistamines prolong febrile seizure duration. Although the collective evidence is still mixed, the Japanese Society of Child Neurology released guidelines in 2015 that contraindicated the use of sedative antihistamines in patients with febrile seizure. Focused on addressing limitations of previous studies, we conducted a cross-sectional study to evaluate the relationship between febrile seizure duration and the use of sedative antihistamines. Data were collected from patients who visited St. Luke's International Hospital due to febrile seizure between August 2013 and February 2016. Patients were divided into groups based on their prescribed medications: sedative antihistamine, nonsedative antihistamine, and no antihistamine. Seizure duration was the primary outcome and was examined using multivariate analyses. Of the 426 patients included, sedative antihistamines were administered to 24 patients. The median seizure duration was approximately 3 minutes in all three groups. There was no statistical difference in the bivariate (p = 0.422) or multivariate analyses (p = 0.544). Our results do not support the relationship between sedative antihistamine use and prolonged duration of febrile seizure. These results suggest that the use of antihistamines may be considered for patients with past history of febrile seizure, when appropriate.
Self-medication with antibiotics in Maputo, Mozambique: practices, rationales and relationships
Authors: Rodrigues Carla F.
Published: January 2020

Self-medication, as a form of self-care, is a common practice worldwide, and often involves the use of both over-the-counter and prescription-only medicines, including antibiotics, anti-malarials and others. Increasing concerns over the global emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance point to the need to reduce and optimise the use of antimicrobial medicines, both in human and animal health. Over the past few decades, numerous studies on self-medication with antibiotics have sought to determine the prevalence, risks and/or factors related to ‘inappropriate’ use in different parts of the world. Yet much of this literature tends to follow a rather normative approach, which regards such practices as problematic and often irrational, frequently overlooking structural aspects, situated circumstances and individuals’ own reasoning. Based on a mixed methods social science research project in Maputo, which included a household survey, observations in pharmacies and interviews with users and healthcare providers, this paper aims to discuss self-medication in light of local users’ everyday practical reasoning. While situating self-medication within local contextual contingencies, the analysis highlights the ways in which personal and socially shared experiences, articulated with forms of knowledge and information provided by different sources, shape and inform practices of and attitudes towards self-medication with antibiotics. By looking at self-medication beyond (non-)prescription use, and by examining individuals’ decisions within their socioeconomic and therapeutic landscapes in Maputo, this study sheds light on the structural and relational factors that contribute to certain consumption practices that do not always follow biomedical recommendations of ‘rational’ or ‘appropriate’ use, helping to deconstruct and further problematise the various legitimate meanings and understandings of ‘responsible’ use.
Reaction of GeO2 with Ge and crystallization of GeO2 on Ge
Authors: Xie Min , Nishimura Tomonori , Yajima Takeaki , Toriumi Akira
Published: January 2020

Despite a renewed interest in germanium (Ge) as a material for beyond the silicon (Si) era for electronic and photonic applications, the GeO2/Ge interface remains to be controlled for making the best of Ge's advantages. Not only electrical challenges but also structural challenges must be considered. The crystallization of GeO2 on Ge without the desorption of GeO is clearly demonstrated. This demonstration means that the desorption of GeO observed in a GeO2/Ge stack is not the sole indicator of deterioration of the GeO2/Ge gate stack. Moreover, a study using atomic force microscopy demonstrates that a nonuniform reaction at the GeO2/Ge interface [with root mean square (rms) roughness of 2.3 nm] is observed on the initially flat Ge surface (rms: 0.3 nm). Furthermore, a reaction at the GeO2/Si interface is experimentally investigated in comparison with the GeO2/Ge case, and crystalline Ge islands are demonstrated to form on Si. These findings are of fundamental interest as well as of technical importance from the viewpoint of Ge-based electronics and photonics.
Internal insulation condition identification for high-voltage capacitor voltage transformers based on possibilistic fuzzy clustering
Authors: Meng Zhan , Chen Qing , Li Hongbin , See Chan Hwang
Published: January 2020

The internal insulation condition of capacitor voltage transformers (CVTs) is a key influence factor that affects their measurement performance and safe operation. However, the internal insulation would age along with long-time operation and degrade due to environmental factors, and once the insulation degradation grows, serious damage and even explosion may happen in CVTs; hence, it is necessary to monitor the internal insulation condition of CVTs, and the fault type and fault degree need to be identified. In this paper, a data-driven internal insulation condition identification method for CVTs is proposed. Both the amplitude and phase of the output voltage of CVTs are collected, and then, recognition models based on the combination of the output voltages and distribution topology of CVTs in substations are built. A possibilistic fuzzy clustering method is used to monitor the internal insulation condition of CVTs, and different types and different degrees of insulation faults could be identified effectively. Finally, the proposed method is verified in several cases; not only the preset typical faults in the method could be identified effectively but also the faults beyond the preset faults could be diagnosed.
Site-directed targeting of transcriptional activation-associated proteins to repressed chromatin restores CRISPR activity
Authors: Daer René , Hamna Fatima , Barrett Cassandra M. , Haynes Karmella A.
Published: January 2020

Previously, we used an inducible, transgenic polycomb chromatin system to demonstrate that closed, transcriptionally silenced chromatin reduces Cas9 editing. Here, we investigated strategies to enhance Cas9 editing efficiency by artificially perturbing closed chromatin. We tested UNC1999, a small molecule inhibitor that blocks enhancer of zeste homolog 2, an enzyme that maintains closed polycomb chromatin. We also tested DNA-binding, transiently expressed activation-associated proteins (AAPs) that are known to support an open, transcriptionally active chromatin state. When cells that carried a polycomb-repressed transgene (luciferase) were treated with UNC1999 or the AAP fusion Gal4P65, we observed loss of histone 3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3), a silencing-associated chromatin feature, at the transgene. Only Gal4P65 treatment showed full restoration of luciferase expression. Cas9 activity, determined by insertion deletion mutations, was restored in Gal4P65-expressing cells, while no CRISPR enhancement was observed with UNC1999 treatment. CRISPR activity was also restored by other Gal4-AAP fusions that did not activate luciferase expression. Our results demonstrate the use of DNA-binding, activator-associated fusion proteins as an effective method to enhance Cas9 editing within polycomb-repressed chromatin.
Bionic torus as a self-adaptive soft grasper in robots
Authors: Zang Hongbin , Liao Bing , Lang Xin , Zhao Zi-Long , Yuan Weifeng , Feng Xi-Qiao
Published: January 2020

For the development of advanced robots, there is an increasing demand to design self-adaptive envelope graspers that can take objects of unknown shapes, sizes, and softness. Inspired by the predation strategy of sea anemones, we propose a soft actuator by filling liquid into a torus. When a pulling force is applied at the interior skin of the torus, its exterior skin will roll inward and suck the target. Similar to the predation behavior of sea anemones, the inward crimping of the skin is able to grip and hold objects with different shapes, weights, and materials. By adjusting the rolling direction and length of the torus skin, the object could be engulfed, swallowed, and released. The prototype of such a gripper is fabricated, which demonstrates the versatility of application in various environments. This work provides an alternative route for designing self-adaptive graspers.
The building blocks of a brain-inspired computer
Authors: Kendall Jack D. , Kumar Suhas
Published: January 2020

Computers have undergone tremendous improvements in performance over the last 60 years, but those improvements have significantly slowed down over the last decade, owing to fundamental limits in the underlying computing primitives. However, the generation of data and demand for computing are increasing exponentially with time. Thus, there is a critical need to invent new computing primitives, both hardware and algorithms, to keep up with the computing demands. The brain is a natural computer that outperforms our best computers in solving certain problems, such as instantly identifying faces or understanding natural language. This realization has led to a flurry of research into neuromorphic or brain-inspired computing that has shown promise for enhanced computing capabilities. This review points to the important primitives of a brain-inspired computer that could drive another decade-long wave of computer engineering.
Phase transformation and enhanced coercivity in B-N-doped MnAl nanocrystalline bulk alloys prepared by high pressure torsion
Authors: Si Ping-Zhan , Choi Chul-Jin , Park Jihoon , Ge Hong-Liang , Du Juan
Published: January 2020

High coercivity B-N-doped MnAl alloys were prepared by the traditional induction melting, high temperature homogenization, water-quenching, post-annealing, and severe plastic deformation process. The massive phase transformation of the ε→τ in the B-N-doped ε-MnAl occurs at the temperatures above 680 K and accomplishes at 760 K, both of which are slightly higher than those of the ε-MnAl without elemental doping. The Currie point of the B-N-doped τ-MnAl is measured to be 620 K, which is lower than that of the doping-free τ-MnAl. High-pressure torsion was employed to decrease the crystal size and increase the coercivity of samples. A coercivity up to 0.54 T was achieved in the B/N doped MnAl bulk sample after severe plastic deformation under 6 GPa. The aging processing on the severely deformed samples enhances the remanent magnetization significantly and decreases the coercivity slightly. Our work shows that the high-pressure torsion process is effective in developing coercivity in MnAl-based bulk magnet.
Engineering of magnetic properties and domain wall dynamics in Fe-Ni-based amorphous microwires by annealing
Authors: Zhukova V. , Talaat A. , Corte-Leon P. , Blanco J. M. , Ipatov M. , Zhukov A.
Published: January 2020

We present experimental studies related to the influence of annealing on domain wall (DW) dynamics and magnetic hysteresis of Fe-Ni-rich microwires. As-prepared and annealed Fe62Ni15.5Si7.5B15 and Fe49.6Ni27.9Si7.5B15 microwires present perfectly rectangular hysteresis loops and single DW propagation. DW velocity, v, DW mobility, S, and coercivity, Hc, of both studied microwires have been considerably affected after annealing. In Fe62Ni15.5Si7.5B15 microwires, we observed a gradual S increase with annealing time, tann, increasing. However, a non-monotonic S (tann) dependence was observed in Fe49.6Ni27.9Si7.5B15 microwires. We discussed observed dependencies in terms of different magnetoelastic anisotropy, domain walls stabilization, and different Curie temperatures of studied microwires.
Effect of direct-current magnetic field on the specific absorption rate of metamagnetic CoMnSi: A potential approach to switchable hyperthermia therapy
Authors: Ugochukwu K. C. , Sadiq M. M. , Biegel E. S. , Meagher L. , Hill M. R. , Sandeman K. G. , Haydon A. , Suzuki K.
Published: January 2020

Materials with 1st order antiferromagnetic (AFM) to high-magnetization (MM) phase transition known for their inverse magnetocaloric effect, abrupt rise in magnetization and magnetoelastic coupling, are promising for application in combined simultaneous diagnosis and targeted cancer therapy. A therapy that combines alternating-current (ac) and direct-current (dc) magnetic fields for simultaneous magnetic hyperthermia therapy (MHT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), using same magnetic particles for heating and as contrast agents. We report a proof-of-concept study on the induction heating ability of 1st order metamagnetic material with moderate specific absorption rates (SAR) and no tendency for agglomeration, for potential MHT and MRI cancer therapy. CoMnSi, a metamagnetic antiferromagnet (MM) was used in this study because of its desirable ability to rapidly switch from a low to high magnetization state in an applied dc bias field condition without particle agglomeration on field removal. The results showed that the magnetization switched from < 20 Am2kg-1 at 0.75 T to about 53.31 Am2kg-1 at 1.0 T applied dc field, a field large enough for magnetic resonance imaging. An SAR value of 10.7 Wg-1 was obtained under an ac field of 31.0 kAm-1 at 212.0 kHz. When combined with a dc bias field of 1.0 T, SAR values of 9.83 Wg-1 and 6.65 Wg-1 were obtained in the directions 45° and 90° away from the dc bias field direction respectively. These SAR values obtained from CoMnSi particles in the presence of simultaneous ac and dc magnetic field bias are in comparison, at least 25 times greater than those obtained from 2nd order magnetic phase transition Fe3O4 suspension. It is observed that Fe3O4 particles showed large suppression of SAR, and agglomeration under the same experimental conditions. This study shows the great potential of 1st order phase transition metamagnets for simultaneous MHT and MRI cancer therapy using MRI equipment.
Bond relaxation and electronic properties of two-dimensional Sb/MoSe2 and Sb/MoTe2 van der Waals heterostructures
Authors: Bo Maolin , Li Hanze , Huang Zhongkai , Li Lei , Yao Chuang
Published: January 2020

van der Waals heterostructures have recently garnered interest for application in high-performance photovoltaic materials. Consequently, understanding the basic electronic characteristics of these heterostructures is important for their utilization in optoelectronic devices. The electronic structures and bond relaxation of two-dimensional (2D) Sb/transition metal disulfide (TMDs, MoSe2, and MoTe2) van der Waals heterostructures were systematically studied using the bond-charge (BC) correlation and hybrid density functional theory. We found that the Sb/MoSe2 and Sb/MoTe2 heterostructures had indirect bandgaps of 0.701 eV and 0.808 eV, respectively; furthermore, these heterostructures effectively modulated the bandgaps of MoSe2 (1.463 eV) and MoTe2 (1.173 eV). The BC correlation revealed four bonding state contributions (electron-holes and antibonding, nonbonding, and bonding states) of the heterostructures. Our results provide an in-depth understanding of the Sb/TMD van der Waals heterojunction, which should be utilized to design 2D metal/semiconductor-based devices.
Numerical assessment for accuracy and GPU acceleration of TD-DMRG time evolution schemes
Authors: Li Weitang , Ren Jiajun , Shuai Zhigang
Published: January 2020

The time dependent density matrix renormalization group (TD-DMRG) has become one of the cutting edge methods of quantum dynamics for complex systems. In this paper, we comparatively study the accuracy of three time evolution schemes in the TD-DMRG, the global propagation and compression method with the Runge-Kutta algorithm (P&C-RK), the time dependent variational principle based methods with the matrix unfolding algorithm (TDVP-MU), and with the projector-splitting algorithm (TDVP-PS), by performing benchmarks on the exciton dynamics of the Fenna-Matthews-Olson complex. We show that TDVP-MU and TDVP-PS yield the same result when the time step size is converged and they are more accurate than P&C-RK4, while TDVP-PS tolerates a larger time step size than TDVP-MU. We further adopt the graphical processing units to accelerate the heavy tensor contractions in the TD-DMRG, and it is able to speed up the TDVP-MU and TDVP-PS schemes by up to 73 times.
Real-time observation of jumping and spinning nanodroplets
Authors: Olshin Pavel K. , Voss Jonathan M. , Drabbels Marcel , Lorenz Ulrich J.
Published: January 2020

The manipulation of liquids at nanoscale dimensions is a central goal of the emergent nanofluidics field. Such endeavors extend to nanodroplets, which are ubiquitous objects involved in many technological applications. Here, we employ time-resolved electron microscopy to elucidate the formation of so-called jumping nanodroplets on a graphene surface. We flash-melt a thin gold nanostructure with a laser pulse and directly observe how the resulting nanodroplet contracts into a sphere and jumps off its substrate, a process that occurs in just a few nanoseconds. Our study provides the first experimental characterization of these morphological dynamics through real-time observation and reveals new aspects of the phenomenon. We observe that friction alters the trajectories of individual droplets. Surprisingly, this leads some droplets to adopt dumbbell-shaped geometries after they jump, suggesting that they spin with considerable angular momentum. Our experiments open up new avenues for studying and controlling the fast morphological dynamics of nanodroplets through their interaction with structured surfaces.
Analytical classical density functionals from an equation learning network
Authors: Lin S.-C. , Martius G. , Oettel M.
Published: January 2020

We explore the feasibility of using machine learning methods to obtain an analytic form of the classical free energy functional for two model fluids, hard rods and Lennard–Jones, in one dimension. The equation learning network proposed by Martius and Lampert [e-print arXiv:1610.02995 (2016)] is suitably modified to construct free energy densities which are functions of a set of weighted densities and which are built from a small number of basis functions with flexible combination rules. This setup considerably enlarges the functional space used in the machine learning optimization as compared to the previous work [S.-C. Lin and M. Oettel, SciPost Phys. 6, 025 (2019)] where the functional is limited to a simple polynomial form. As a result, we find a good approximation for the exact hard rod functional and its direct correlation function. For the Lennard–Jones fluid, we let the network learn (i) the full excess free energy functional and (ii) the excess free energy functional related to interparticle attractions. Both functionals show a good agreement with simulated density profiles for thermodynamic parameters inside and outside the training region.