bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring hydrophobicity limits of polyproline helix with oligomeric octahydroindole‐2‐carboxylic acid
Authors: Kubyshkin Vladimir , Budisa Nediljko
Published: March 2018

The polyproline‐II helix is the most extended naturally occurring helical structure and is widely present in polar, exposed stretches and “unstructured” denatured regions of polypeptides. Can it be hydrophobic? In this study, we address this question using oligomeric peptides formed by a hydrophobic proline analogue, (2S,3aS,7aS)‐octahydroindole‐2‐carboxylic acid (Oic). Previously, we found the molecular principles underlying the structural stability of the polyproline‐II conformation in these oligomers, whereas the hydrophobicity of the peptide constructs remains to be examined. Therefore, we investigated the octan‐1‐ol/water partitioning and inclusion in detergent micelles of the oligo‐Oic peptides. The results showed that the hydrophobicity is remarkably enhanced in longer oligomeric sequences, and the oligo‐Oic peptides with 3 to 4 residues and higher are specific towards hydrophobic environments. This contrasts significantly to the parent oligoproline peptides, which were moderately hydrophilic. With these findings, we have demonstrated that the polyproline‐II structure is compatible with nonpolar media, whereas additional manipulations of the terminal functionalities feature solubility in extremely nonpolar solvents such as hexane.
Design of cancer trials based on progression‐free survival with intermittent assessment
Authors: Zeng Leilei , Cook Richard J. , Lee Ker‐Ai
Published: March 2018

Therapeutic advances in cancer mean that it is now impractical to performed phase III randomized trials evaluating experimental treatments on the basis of overall survival. As a result, the composite endpoint of progression‐free survival has been routinely adopted in recent years as it is viewed as enabling a more timely and cost‐effective approach to assessing the clinical benefit of novel interventions. This article considers design of cancer trials directed at the evaluation of treatment effects on progression‐free survival. In particular, we derive sample size criteria based on an illness‐death model that considers cancer progression and death jointly while accounting for the fact that progression is assessed only intermittently. An alternative approach to design is also considered in which the sample size is derived based on a misspecified Cox model, which uses the documented time of progression as the progression time rather than dealing with the interval censoring. Simulation studies show the validity of the proposed methods.
Effect of Spray Thickness and Collision Pressure on Spray Cooling Capacity in a Continuous Casting Process
Authors: Tsutsumi Koichi , Kubota Jun , Hosokawa Akira , Ueoka Satoshi , Nakano Hisatsugu , Kuramoto Akimasa , Sumi Ikuhiro
Published: March 2018

Recently higher slab cooling capacities have been needed to cope with high speed casting operation over the wide range of water spray rates in the secondary cooling process. However, there are few reports on the cooling capacity of the secondary cooling process, especially the spray thickness and the collision pressure in the casting direction. In this study, laboratory experiments on the cooling capacities of hydraulic and mist spray nozzles are carried under various conditions by developing several kinds of spray nozzles. From the experimental results, in order to achieve a high cooling capacity in a spray nozzle, it is important to select the proper spray thickness and collision pressure when designing the nozzle. As a result, the following new estimation equation for the total heat transfer coefficient is proposed based on a new parameter, that is, the product of spray thickness (Ld) and collision pressure (P). . This equation can be used to estimate the cooling capacity of spray nozzles without carrying out experiments with a heated sample plate.
“They Are Just Like You and Me”: Cultivating Volunteer Sympathy
Authors: Froyum Carissa
Published: March 2018

This study demonstrates the centrality of emotion work, especially sympathizing with beneficiaries of help, to sustaining volunteerism. Drawing on data from in‐depth interviews with 42 volunteers and paid volunteer coordinators, it explains how volunteers cultivate sympathy, and thus commitment to helping, by framing beneficiaries as deserving. Volunteers constructed recipients as “deserving” along three dimensions: neediness, blamelessness, and impressionability. However, challenges to deservingness disrupted sympathizing, thereby undercutting volunteers' commitment. But rather than quit, volunteers were able to salvage beneficiaries' deservingness by pointing to authority, elaborating on victimhood, relating beneficiaries to their family and friends, and universalizing risks. Engaging in emotion work reinvested volunteers in volunteering.
Fuzzy‐approximator‐based adaptive controller design using Nussbaum‐type function
Authors: Han Hugang
Published: March 2018

While the Takagi–Sugeno (T‐S) fuzzy model is widely used as a model to design a controller for a system to be controlled, there is a gap, which in this paper is referred to as uncertainty, between the T‐S fuzzy model and the system. The uncertainty is considered here in an effort to improve the control system performance. Though the basic idea to address the uncertainty in this paper is to employ a frequently used approach that utilizes a fuzzy approximator, the relevant parameters are tuned by novel adaptive laws with the help of the Nussbaum‐type function. Consequently, the closed‐loop control system is able to be asymptotically stable. In addition, simulations are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approaches proposed. © 2018 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Time-dependent observables in heavy ion collisions. Part II. In search of pressure isotropization in the φ4 theory
Authors: Kovchegov Yuri V. , Wu Bin
Published: March 2018

Abstract

To understand the dynamics of thermalization in heavy ion collisions in the perturbative framework it is essential to first find corrections to the free-streaming classical gluon fields of the McLerran-Venugopalan model. The corrections that lead to deviations from free streaming (and that dominate at late proper time) would provide evidence for the onset of isotropization (and, possibly, thermalization) of the produced medium. To find such corrections we calculate the late-time two-point Green function and the energy-momentum tensor due to a single 2 → 2 scattering process involving two classical fields. To make the calculation tractable we employ the scalar φ
4 theory instead of QCD. We compare our exact diagrammatic results for these quantities to those in kinetic theory and find disagreement between the two. The disagreement is in the dependence on the proper time τ and, for the case of the two-point function, is also in the dependence on the space-time rapidity η: the exact diagrammatic calculation is, in fact, consistent with the free streaming scenario. Kinetic theory predicts a build-up of longitudinal pressure, which, however, is not observed in the exact calculation. We conclude that we find no evidence for the beginning of the transition from the free-streaming classical fields to the kinetic theory description of the produced matter after a single 2 → 2 rescattering.
The role of observed autonomy support, reciprocity, and need satisfaction in adolescent disclosure about friends
Authors: Wuyts Dorien , Soenens Bart , Vansteenkiste Maarten , Van Petegem Stijn
Published: March 2018

Although research increasingly addresses the role of parenting in fostering adolescent disclosure, most research relied on self‐report measures of parenting and did not address the role of autonomy support. In the present observational study (conducted in Belgium), with 62 mother‐adolescent dyads (mean age mothers = 44 years; mean age adolescents = 14 years; 77% of adolescents female), we rated mothers' provision of autonomy support during a 10‐minute conversation about friendships. We found that observed maternal autonomy support was related positively to adolescents' degree of and volitional reasons for disclosure about friends. These associations were mediated by observed non‐verbal reciprocity during the conversation and by adolescent satisfaction of their needs for autonomy and relatedness. Mothers' autonomy‐support and mother‐adolescent reciprocity also predicted mothers' own psychological need satisfaction and conversation pleasure. The relevance of the findings for adolescent autonomy and disclosure are discussed.
Perforated diverticulitis: To anastomose or not to anastomose? A national survey
Authors: Shaban F. , Holtham S.
Published: March 2018

ABSTRACT

Introduction and Aims:

No consensus has been reached in the management of perforated diverticulitis. However, many surgeons opt for a Hartmann's procedure. A primary anastomosis has been shown to be a feasible alternative. We hypothesize that colorectal consultants and senior trainees are more likely to opt for a resection with primary anastomosis in selected cases than their non-colorectal counterparts.

Methods:

A national survey was conducted electronically. A questionnaire was distributed via training program directors and social media to general surgeons across the country, to assess their views on primary anastomosis in perforated diverticulitis.

Results:

Of the 90 responses to the survey, 72.2% said they would only consider an anastomosis in purulent peritonitis, 18.9% in both faecal and purulent and 8.9% would never consider it. There was a significant difference in choice of operation depending on patient and operative risk factors but no difference between grades of training or subspeciality.

Conclusion:

The survey showed that high-risk patients are more likely to have an open Hartmann's procedure irrelevant of the grade or subspeciality of the surgeon. The choice of operation in the lower risk patients was varied.

Highlights:
Associação dos polimorfismos ESRα XbaI A > G, ESRα PvuII T > C e ESRβ AlwNI T > C com o risco de desenvolver escoliose idiopática da adolescência: Revisão sistemática e metanálise genética
Authors: Sobhan Mohammad Reza , Mahdinezhad-Yazdi Masoud , Dastgheib Seyed Alireza , Jafari Mohammadali , Raee-Ezzabadi Ali , Neamatzadeh Hossein
Published: March 2018

Vários estudos de associação entre os polimorfismos genéticos nos receptores α e β de estrogênio e a escoliose idiopática da adolescência (EIA) foram publicados nas últimas duas décadas. No entanto, a associação com a EIA, especialmente em diferentes subgrupos étnicos, continua a ser controversa. Assim, o presente estudo investigou esses dados inconclusivos por meio de uma metanálise para avaliar sistematicamente essa associação.

Uma pesquisa bibliográfica foi realizada nas bases de dados PubMed, ISI Web of Science, EMBASE, SCOPUS, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) e Wanfang até 20 de janeiro de 2018. A força de associação foi avaliada por meio de razões de probabilidades (RPs) e intervalos de confiança de 95% (ICs95%).

Um total de 12 estudos de caso-controle, com 4.304 casos de EIA e 3.123 controles, atenderam aos critérios de inclusão do presente estudo. As RPs combinadas indicaram que os polimorfismos ESRα XbaI A > G, ESRα PvuII T > C e ESRβ AlwNI T > C podem não estar significativamente associados ao risco geral de desenvolvimento de EIA. No entanto, observou-se uma associação significativa entre o polimorfismo ESRα XbaI A > G e a EIA sob o modelo homozigótico (GG versus AA; RP = 1,448; IC95%: 1,052–1,993; p = 0,023).

Esta metanálise sugere que os polimorfismos ESRα XbaI A > G, ESRα PvuII T > C e ESRβ AlwNI T > C podem não estar associados ao risco geral de desenvolvimento de EIA. No entanto, ESRα XbaI A > G pode influenciar a suscetibilidade de desenvolver EIA entre indivíduos asiáticos. Considerando o tamanho e a variação étnica limitada da amostra, outros estudos de maior escala são necessários para obter uma estimativa mais precisa das associações.
UK and Ireland Zine Librarians: doing it ourselves
Authors: Callaghan Holly
Published: March 2018

UK and Ireland Zine Librarians began as a small JiscMail list created to share resources, skills, and advice for all zine librarians regardless of professional status or job title. While our US counterparts had already made great strides regarding acquisitions, cataloguing, and copyright guidance, UK and Irish zine libraries were still grappling with some of the more basic elements and finding ways to adapt these ideas to our own collections. How can institutional librarians and DIY community grassroots collections learn from each other? And can we establish a best practice of zine librarianship while remaining true to the DIY ethos of zines?
Collecting the pieces
Authors: Kassir Leila
Published: March 2018

As befits a journal for art libraries I shall begin this opinion piece with Max Ernst's quote on exhibiting Dada: ‘What's the matter with everyone, wanting to make a museum piece out of Dada? Dada was a bomb…can you imagine anyone…wanting to collect the pieces, sticking it together and displaying it?’
What we do, is (still) secret? Collection, care and accessibility of zines in UK collections
Authors: Britton Siobhan
Published: March 2018

In 2013, as the dissertation component of an MA Library and Information Studies course at University College London, I carried out a selective study of UK zine libraries and collections. Case studies of both ‘institutional’ collections that were part of established libraries like London College of Communication Library (University of the Arts London) and the British Library, and ‘independent’ collections such as Salford Zine Library, 56a Infoshop and the Edinburgh Fanzine archive were carried out to draw attention to issues around collection, care and accessibility of zine collections. As much of the literature around zine collections in libraries at that time was focused on the USA, it was important to draw attention to what was happening in the UK. This article summarizes the findings of my dissertation, and the developments in zine libraries and librarianship since I wrote it, as zine collections have become more popular and a growing field in the UK.
Developing the Stuart Hall Library Zines Collection at Iniva
Authors: Moran Stephanie
Published: March 2018

What is the importance of a zines collection to a contemporary visual arts library? What is their significance as research resources? This article explores the Stuart Hall Library zines collection, its history, management and use, and its role the context of the wider collection. It examines the collection's strengths and areas for development, including cataloguing and visibility. Key titles in the collection are described, and some of the themes and subjects covered. Local working practices and zine related activities are also discussed.
A Kármán–Howarth–Monin equation for variable-density turbulence
Authors: Lai Chris C. K. , Charonko John J. , Prestridge Katherine
Published: March 2018

We present a generalisation of the Kármán–Howarth–Monin (K–H–M) equation to include variable-density (VD) effects. The derived equation (i) reduces to the original K–H–M equation when density is a constant and (ii) leads to a VD analogue of the $4/5$-law with the same value of constant ($=4/5$) appearing as the prefactor of the dissipation rate. The equation is employed to understand negative turbulent kinetic energy production in a $\text{SF}_{6}$ turbulent round jet with an initial density ratio of 4.2. From a Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) perspective, negative production means that the mean flow is strengthened at the expense of the energy of turbulent fluctuations. We show that the associated energy transfer is accomplished by the deformation of smaller turbulent eddies into large ones in the development region of the jet and is captured by the linear scale-by-scale energy transfer term in the VD K–H–M equation. The nonlinear transfer term of the VD K–H–M equation depicts a conventional forward cascade for all eddies having a size less than the Eulerian integral length scale, regardless of their orientation. The net effect is a retarded energy cascade in the non-Boussinesq jet that has not been accounted for by existing turbulence theories. Implications of this observation for turbulence modelling are discussed.
Corrigendum: Spatial and temporal characterisation of sea-ice deformation
Authors: HUTCHINGS JENNIFER K. , ROBERTS ANDREW , GEIGER CATHLEEN A. , RICHTER-MENGE JACQUELINE
Published: March 2018

Correcting a sign error results in no changes to the key conclusions of Hutchings and others (2011). However, there is an improved agreement with previous work. Mean total sea-ice deformation scales log linearly with distance and the scaling exponent was found to be dependent on time. We find a linear relationship between the temporal scale and spatial scaling exponent, for timescales of an hour to a day. Extrapolating to the timescales of deformation resolved by RADARSAT, we find total deformation and distance scale with an exponent of between −0.16 and −0.19.
Silurian tarphyceridDiscoceras(Cephalopoda, Nautiloidea): systematics, embryonic development and paleoecology
Authors: Manda Štěpán , Turek Vojtěch
Published: March 2018

Tarphycerids were diverse and abundant in Ordovician marine faunas. Beginning at the Late Ordovician extinction, the diversity of tarphycerids declined throughout the Silurian, until their extinction in the latest Silurian. Two genera survived the Late Ordovician extinction:TrocholitesConrad, 1838 (from whichOphiocerasBarrande, 1865 probably diverged) andDiscocerasBarrande, 1867 (=GraftonocerasFoerste, 1925).Discoceras graftonense(Meek and Worthen, 1870), so far known from the US, China, and Australia, is recorded from the Silurian of Bohemia and Gotland.Discoceras stridsbergin. sp.,D.lindstroemin. sp., andD. sp. indet. from the Wenlock of Gotland andD.amissus(Barrande, 1865) from the Llandovery of Bohemia are all endemic species probably derived fromD.graftonense. The distribution ofD.graftonenseand the origin of four species ofDiscocerasin the latest Sheinwoodian and early Homerian represent the last diversification and dispersion of the Tarphycerida. No tarphycerid species originated after the mid-Homerian extinction (Mulde and Lundgreni events). SilurianDiscocerasretained the morphology and habitats of their Ordovician ancestors. The hatching time and autecology of juveniles has remained unclear. Evidence from the material studied suggests that juveniles were planktonic in habit, possessing a minute curved shell with few phragmocone chambers.Discoceras lindstroemin. sp. is exceptional owing to its heteromorphic planispiral shell with coiling that changed during ontogeny, resulting in a changing aperture orientation and decreased maneuverability.
Is biodiversity energy-limited or unbounded? A test in fossil and modern bivalves
Authors: McClain Craig R. , Heim Noel A. , Knope Matthew L. , Payne Jonathan L.
Published: March 2018

The quantity of biomass in an ecosystem is constrained by energy availability. It is less clear, however, how energy availability constrains taxonomic and functional diversity. Competing models suggest biodiversity is either resource-limited or far from any bound. We test the hypothesis that functional diversity in marine bivalve communities is constrained by energy availability, measured as particulate organic carbon (POC) flux, in the modern oceans. We find that POC flux predicts the relative prevalence of ecological modes in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Moreover, the associations of ecological modes with POC fluxes are similar between the Atlantic and Pacific despite being based on independent sets of species, indicating a direct causal relationship. We then use the relationship between POC flux and the prevalence of functional groups in the modern to test the hypothesis that the trend of increasing functional diversity in bivalves across the past 500 Myr has occurred in response to increased POC flux. We find no evidence that the earliest-appearing modes of life are preferentially associated with low-POC environments or that the mean POC flux experienced by marine bivalves has increased across geological time. To reconcile the close association between ecological mode and POC flux in the modern oceans with the lack of evidence for increasing POC fluxes across time, we propose that POC flux has not increased substantially over time but, rather, the increase in bivalve functional diversity enabled bivalves to become more abundant, to occupy a broader range of environments, and to capture a greater fraction of the total POC flux. The results here suggest at the geographic scale of oceans and through geologic time bivalve diversity was not bounded by food availability.
n-3 PUFA and obesity: from peripheral tissues to the central nervous system
Authors: de Mello Aline Haas , Uberti Marcela Fornari , de Farias Bianca Xavier , de Souza Nathalia Alberti Ribas , Rezin Gislaine Tezza
Published: March 2018

The current paradigms of prevention and treatment are unable to curb obesity rates, which indicates the need to explore alternative therapeutic approaches. Obesity leads to several damages to the body and is an important risk factor for a number of other chronic diseases. Furthermore, despite the first alterations in obesity being observed and reported in peripheral tissues, studies indicate that obesity can also cause brain damage. Obesity leads to a chronic low-grade inflammatory state, and the therapeutic manipulation of inflammation can be explored. In this context, the use ofn-3 PUFA (especially in the form of fish oil, rich in EPA and DHA) may be an interesting strategy, as this substance is known by its anti-inflammatory effect and numerous benefits to the body, such as reduction of TAG, cardiac arrhythmias, blood pressure and platelet aggregation, and has shown potential to help treat obesity. Thereby, the aim of this narrative review was to summarise the literature related ton-3 PUFA use in obesity treatment. First, the review provides a brief description of the obesity pathophysiology, including alterations that occur in peripheral tissues and at the central nervous system. In the sequence, we describe what aren-3 PUFA, their sources and their general effects. Finally, we explore the main topic linking obesity andn-3 PUFA. Animal and human studies were included and alterations on the whole organism were described (peripheral tissues and brain).
Obvious but Invisible: Ways of Knowing Health, Environment, and Colonialism in a West Coast Indigenous Community
Authors: Raibmon Paige
Published: March 2018

This paper interrogates the specific workings and stakes of slow violence onIndigenousground. It argues that despite similarities with other environmental justice struggles, Indigenous ones are fundamentally distinct because of Indigenous peoples' unique relationship to the polluted or damaged entity, to the state, and to capital. It draws from Indigenous studies, history, anthropology, geography, sensory studies, and STS, to present results from research with the Mowachaht Muchalaht First Nation, an Indigenous people on the west coast of British Columbia. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, this community used successive strategies to try to render its knowledge about health, environment, and authority visible to the settler state. Each strategy entailed particular configurations of risk, perceptibility, and uncertainty; each involved translation between epistemologies; and each implicated a distinct subject position for Indigenous peoples vis-à-vis the state. The community's initial anti-colonial, environmental justice campaign attempted to translate local, Indigenous ways of knowing into the epistemologies of environmental science and public health. After this strategy failed, community leaders launched another that leveraged the state's legal epistemology. This second strategy shifted the balance of risk and uncertainty such that state actors felt compelled to act. The community achieved victory, but at a price. Where the first strategy positioned the community as a self-determined, sovereign actor; the second positioned it as a ward of the state. This outcome illustrates the costs that modern states extract from Indigenous peoples who seek remedial action, and more generally, the mechanisms through which the colonial present is (re)produced.
Genotyping of individual Ceratonova shasta (Cnidaria: Myxosporea) myxospores reveals intra-spore ITS-1 variation and invalidates the distinction of genotypes II and III
Authors: Atkinson Stephen D. , Hallett Sascha L. , Bartholomew Jerri L.
Published: March 2018

Genotypes of the myxosporean parasite Ceratonova shasta are defined by the number of ATC repeats in the parasite's ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer region 1. These genotypes correlate with specific salmonid fish hosts. We observed coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) with mixtures of genotypes II and III, and assumed that this was a consequence of fish having an aggregate infection from multiple individual parasites. We hypothesized that although multiple ITS copies are present within a parasite spore, the DNA sequences of these copies are identical, and thus individual C. shasta spores are a single genotype. We tested this by extracting and sequencing DNA from individual myxospores. We trialed three approaches for in-tube DNA extraction; digestion with proteinase K was superior to simply rehydrating spores, or incubation in the buffer. Sequences from 14 myxospores were each a mixture of genotypes II and III. Therefore, intra-genomic ribosomal DNA variants exist within individual parasite spores, and II and III should no longer be regarded as discrete C. shasta genotypes. This single-spore genotyping approach will be a useful tool for testing validity of other C. shasta genotypes, and for correctly matching genotype with phenotype for mixed infections of other myxozoan species.
GRASSMANNIAN SEMIGROUPS AND THEIR REPRESENTATIONS
Authors: CAMILLO VICTOR , IOVANOV MIODRAG C.
Published: March 2018

The set of row reduced matrices (and of echelon form matrices) is closed under multiplication. We show that any system of representatives for the$\text{Gl}_{n}(\mathbb{K})$action on the$n\times n$matrices, which is closed under multiplication, is necessarily conjugate to one that is in simultaneous echelon form. We call such closed representative systems Grassmannian semigroups. We study internal properties of such Grassmannian semigroups and show that they are algebraic semigroups and admit gradings by the finite semigroup of partial order preserving permutations, with components that are naturally in one–one correspondence with the Schubert cells of the total Grassmannian. We show that there are infinitely many isomorphism types of such semigroups in general, and two such semigroups are isomorphic exactly when they are semiconjugate in$M_{n}(\mathbb{K})$. We also investigate their representation theory over an arbitrary field, and other connections with multiplicative structures on Grassmannians and Young diagrams.
The Control of Nutrient Run-Off from Agricultural Areas: Insights into Governance from Australia’s Sugarcane Industry and the Great Barrier Reef
Authors: Hamman Evan , Deane Felicity
Published: March 2018

Many parts of the world rely on nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus to improve farming production and increase yields. There are significant food security as well as socio-economic issues at stake. However, it is also clear that fertilizer loads are particularly damaging to aquatic environments, including lakes, rivers, coral reefs, and wetlands. This article explores governance approaches to fertilizer practices that impact on aquatic environments (eutrophication) by examining a case study of the Great Barrier Reef. Governance involves any and all forms of state and non-state control over a given set of issues. It can include, but is not limited to, rule-based approaches like regulation, although it can also involve market-driven measures like nutrient trading schemes, government grants and other financial incentives. So, which approach to governance works best to combat this particular policy question? What other insights into the design of effective regulation and governance can be gathered? In this article, the authors make three broad arguments for change: firstly, it is crucial that regulation features within government strategies; secondly, there must be a rigorous systematic evaluation of the strategies to ensure that the desired behavioural change is achieved along with the desired outcomes; thirdly, and most importantly, the strategies and the evaluation methods must be appropriate for the culture of the industry they are designed to regulate.
Safety of percutaneous axillary artery access with a suture-mediated closing device for parallel endograft aortic procedures – a retrospective pilot study
Authors: Puippe Gilbert Dominique , Kobe Adrian , Rancic Zoran , Pfiffner Roger , Lachat Mario , Pfammatter Thomas
Published: March 2018

Abstract. Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the technical success of percutaneous ultrasound-guided access to the infraclavicular axillary artery with a suture-mediated closing device for patients requiring large-sized upper extremity access. Patients and methods: In 18 consecutive patients (17 male, one female, mean age 73.5 ± 9.6 years, range 52–88 years), artery accesses with the preclosing modification for chimney endografts was gained with 20 ultrasound-guided infraclavicular axillary. Retrospectively, the following endpoints were analysed: technical success of percutaneous ultrasound-guided puncture of the infraclavicular axillary artery as well as introduction and deployment, primary successful haemostasis by preclosing, bailout procedures, overall complication rate including local vascular, cerebrovascular, and peripheral neurological complications. Results: Ultrasound-guided puncture and preclosing procedure was successful in all patients. Mean sheath size was 9.4 ± 1.6 French. Ultrasound-guided puncture as well as introduction and deployment were successful in all patients (100 %). Primary successful haemostasis by preclosing was 70 % (14/20). Postclosing with one or two devices enabled successful haemostasis in another 15 %. Bailout stent graft implantation was necessary in three accesses (15 %), either by transfemoral (n = 2) or transbrachial (n = 1) route. Overall complication rate was 16.5 %, all of them were minor haematomas. Conclusions: Percutaneous ultrasound-guided infraclavicular axillary artery access with preclosing modification seems feasible and safe. The access related complication rate is low and complications can potentially be managed by endovascular means.
Diversity of El Niño Variability Makes Prediction Challenging
Authors: Yeh Sang-Wook
Published: March 2018

The atmospheric response to El Niño, both in the Pacific region and around the world, changes with each event and is uncertain in future under the influence greenhouse gas forcing.
Isolation, purification, characterization and bioactivities of a glucan from the root of Pueraria lobata
Authors: Xu Can , Qin Ningbo , Yan Chunyan , Wang Shumei
Published: March 2018

The root of Pueraria lobata is considered to be a medicinal and edible herb for the treatment of diabetes, and it has a long history of application in China.
Self-assembly of luminescent Zn–Ln (Ln = Sm and Nd) nanoclusters with a long-chain Schiff base ligand
Authors: Bo Le , Wang Shiqing , Schipper Desmond , Yang Xiaoping , Zhu Ting , Tao Junbin
Published: March 2018

Two Zn–Ln rectangular nanoclusters [Zn8Ln4L8(OAc)8](OH)4 (Ln = Sm (1) and Nd (2)) with sizes of 9 × 19 × 28 Å were constructed using a long-chain Schiff base ligand built around a flexible (CH2)3O(CH2)2O(CH2)3 backbone, and their visible and NIR luminescence properties were determined.
Bismuth ferrite dielectric nanoparticles excited at telecom wavelengths as multicolor sources by second, third, and fourth harmonic generation
Authors: Riporto Jérémy , Demierre Alexis , Kilin Vasyl , Balciunas Tadas , Schmidt Cédric , Campargue Gabriel , Urbain Mathias , Baltuska Andrius , Le Dantec Ronan , Wolf Jean-Pierre , Mugnier Yannick , Bonacina Luigi
Published: March 2018

We demonstrate the simultaneous generation of second, third, and fourth harmonics from a dielectric nanoparticle using a telecom laser at 1560 nm.
Highly flexible touch screen panel fabricated with silver-inserted transparent ITO triple-layer structures
Authors: Wu Chia-Ching
Published: March 2018

A flexible and transparent amorphous-indium tin oxide/silver/crystalline-indium tin oxide (a-ITO/Ag/c-ITO) triple-layer structure was prepared as an electrode for capacitive-type touch screen panels (TSPs).
The enhancement and suppression of immersion mode heterogeneous ice-nucleation by solutes
Authors: Whale Thomas F. , Holden Mark A. , Wilson Theodore W. , O'Sullivan Daniel , Murray Benjamin J.
Published: March 2018

Heterogeneous nucleation of ice from supercooled liquid water by some atmospherically relevant nucleators is enhanced by ammonium salts and suppressed by alkali halides.
An automatic integrated microfluidic system for allergy microarray chips
Authors: Huang Wen-Yen , Chou Shang-Ta , Chen Chia-Hui , Chou Shan-Ying , Wu Jia-Han , Chen Yu-Chen , Lee Gwo-Bin
Published: March 2018

An integrated system combining microfluidic techniques and microarray chips was developed to automate the allergen detection process.
Identification and characterization of different tissues in blood vessel by multiplexed fluorescence lifetimes
Authors: Luo Teng , Lin Danying , Zhou Ting , Lu Yuan , Liu Shaoxiong , Qu Junle
Published: March 2018

Herein, fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) was used to directly measure eosin fluorescence lifetimes from H&E-stained umbilical artery, and a further utilization of eosin for high-content and multi-target analysis was proposed for the first time.
MOF-derived nanohybrids for electrocatalysis and energy storage: current status and perspectives
Authors: Zhang Hong , Liu Ximeng , Wu Yue , Guan Cao , Cheetham Anthony K. , Wang John
Published: March 2018

Metal–organic frameworks can be easily transformed to nanohybrids that are exceptionally good active materials for both electrocatalysis and energy storage. We review the latest developments in this area.
An intramolecular antiparallel G-quadruplex formed by human telomere RNA
Authors: Xiao Chao-Da , Shibata Tomokazu , Yamamoto Yasuhiko , Xu Yan
Published: March 2018

This is the first report of an antiparallel RNA G-quadruplex formed by a native RNA sequence.
Colloidal synthesis of monolayer-thick formamidinium lead bromide perovskite nanosheets with a lateral size of micrometers
Authors: Zhang Yukang , Wang Chuying , Deng Zhengtao
Published: March 2018

We synthesized FAPbBr3 nanosheets of monolayer thickness and a lateral size of up to micrometers with extremely blue-shifted absorption and emission.
Pd-catalyzed defluorination/arylation of α-trifluoromethyl ketones via consecutive β-F elimination and C–F bond activation
Authors: Xu Lei , Zhang Qi , Xie Qiang , Huang Bei , Dai Jian-Jun , Xu Jun , Xu Hua-Jian
Published: March 2018

Pd-catalyzed selective activation of a CF3 group by consecutive β-F elimination and C–F oxidative addition is reported herein.
One-step synthesis of ultrathin α-Co(OH)2nanomeshes and their high electrocatalytic activity toward the oxygen evolution reaction
Authors: Zhang Bingxing , Zhang Jianling , Tan Xiuniang , Tan Dongxing , Shi Jinbiao , Zhang Fanyu , Liu Lifei , Su Zhuizhui , Han Buxing , Zheng Lirong , Zhang Jing
Published: March 2018

The ultrathin α-Co(OH)2nanomeshes were synthesized by an imidazole-directed route at room temperature, which exhibit excellent electrocatalytic activity for oxygen evolution reaction.
Unexpected phase separation in Li1−xNi0.5Mn1.5O4 within a porous composite electrode
Authors: Lu Mi , Wang Jian , Fang Haitao , Hu Yongfeng , Zhou Jigang
Published: March 2018

The Ni oxidation state in Li1−xNi0.5Mn1.5O4 within a composite electrode mapped by scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) has shown unexpected variations in phase separation among and within individual battery particles, which has been experimentally correlated to both their morphology and interface structure.
Molecular structure and adsorption of dimethyl sulfoxide at the air/aqueous solution interface probed by non-resonant second harmonic generation
Authors: Wei Qianshun , Zhou Dexia , Bian Hongtao
Published: March 2018

In this study, non-resonant second harmonic generation (SHG) was used to investigate the molecular structure and adsorption of DMSO at the air/neat DMSO liquid and air/DMSO aqueous solution interfaces.
Effects of crystal structure and composition on the photocatalytic performance of Ta–O–N functional materials
Authors: Liu Qing-Lu , Zhao Zong-Yan , Yi Jian-Hong
Published: March 2018

In Ta–O–N functional materials, the interaction between atomic core and valence electronic states, and the overlapping between valence electronic states mainly influence the band gap and the band edge position. According to the requirements, Ta3N5 and TaON are suitable candidate materials for efficient photocatalyst.
Effects of dopants on the adhesion and electronic structure of a SnO2/Cu interface: a first-principles study
Authors: Li Wei-Jian , Shao Wen-Zhu , Chen Qing , Zhang Lu , Han Yu , Chen Bao-An , Wang Qiang , Zhen Liang
Published: March 2018

Using first-principles calculations, low-valence doping was found to enhance the interface adhesion of SnO2/Cu and was attributed to the formation of covalent bonds.
What dictates which ion, I− or Br−, mediates the growth of cubic Pd nanocrystals?
Authors: Wang Ze-Hong , Wu Ya-Jiao , Xue Huan-Huan , Zhou Lin-Nan , Geng Wen-Chao , Yi Hai-Bo , Li Yong-Jun
Published: March 2018

The reduction rate of Pd2+ determines which ion, I− or Br−, exclusively dictates the growth of cubic Pd nanocrystals.
A supramolecular photocatalyst composed of a polyoxometalate and a photosensitizing water-soluble porphyrin diacid for the oxidation of organic substrates in water
Authors: Ishizuka Tomoya , Ohkawa Shumpei , Ochiai Hidemi , Hashimoto Muneaki , Ohkubo Kei , Kotani Hiroaki , Sadakane Masahiro , Fukuzumi Shunichi , Kojima Takahiko
Published: March 2018

A water-soluble porphyrin (H416+) forms stable supramolecular assemblies with polyoxometalates to show photocatalytic substrate oxidation.
Cauliflower-like hierarchical silicalite-1 supported AuNPs toward improved catalytic reduction ofp-nitrophenol
Authors: Das Rituparna , Naskar Milan Kanti
Published: March 2018

AuNP impregnated cauliflower-like hierarchical silicalite-1 particles were synthesizedviaa steam-assisted crystallization (SAC) method followed by impregnation of AuNPs. The product showed improved catalytic reduction of 4-NP to 4-AP with an apparent rate constant (k) and activity parameter (κ) of 7.7 × 10−3s−1and 146.4 s−1g−1, respectively.
Triphenylstibine-substituted Fischer carbene complexes of tungsten(0): synthesis, structure, DFT and electrochemistry
Authors: Landman Marilé , Jansen van Rensburg Armand , van Rooyen Petrus H. , Conradie Marrigje M. , Conradie Jeanet
Published: March 2018

Structure and electrochemical behaviour of triphenylstibine-substituted W(0) Fischer ethoxycarbene complexes containing a heteroaryl-ring as a carbene substituent.
Flexible random lasers with tunable lasing emissions
Authors: Lee Ya-Ju , Chou Chun-Yang , Yang Zu-Po , Nguyen Thi Bich Hanh , Yao Yung-Chi , Yeh Ting-Wei , Tsai Meng-Tsan , Kuo Hao-Chun
Published: March 2018

In this study, we experimentally demonstrated a flexible random laser fabricated on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate with a high degree of tunability in lasing emissions.
Reversibly disulfide cross-linked micelles improve the pharmacokinetics and facilitate the targeted, on-demand delivery of doxorubicin in the treatment of B-cell lymphoma
Authors: Xiao Kai , Liu Qiangqiang , Al Awwad Nasir , Zhang Hongyong , Lai Li , Luo Yan , Lee Joyce S. , Li Yuanpei , Lam Kit S.
Published: March 2018

Disulfide cross-linked micellar formulation significantly improved the pharmacokinetics, tumor targeting, and anti-tumor efficacy of doxorubicin against B-cell lymphoma.
A promising solution to the limits of microscopes for smooth surfaces: fluorophore-aided scattering microscopy
Authors: Li Liang , Liu Jian , Liu Yan , Liu Chenguang , Zhang He , You Xiaoyu , Gu Kang , Wang Yuhang , Tan Jiubin
Published: March 2018

Reflected light escape and mesoscopic penetration are two serious problems for optical characterization using microscopes.
Lead-free, air-stable hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite resistive switching memory with ultrafast switching and multilevel data storage
Authors: Hwang Bohee , Lee Jang-Sik
Published: March 2018

The resistive switching memory based on a lead-free bismuth halide perovskite exhibits fast switching, multilevel data storage, and long-term air stability.
Antisolvent-assisted controllable growth of fullerene single crystal microwires for organic field effect transistors and photodetectors
Authors: Zhao Xiaoming , Liu Tianjun , Cui Yuzhou , Hou Xueyan , Liu Zilu , Dai Xingyi , Kong Jie , Shi Wenda , Dennis T. John S.
Published: March 2018

A facile antisolvent vapor diffusion method was employed to grow size-controllable C60 single crystal microwires for OFETs and photodetectors.
Novel high reactive bifunctional five- and six-membered bicyclic dicarbonate – synthesis and characterisation
Authors: Tryznowski M. , Świderska A.
Published: March 2018

The synthesis of novel, bifunctional diglycerol dicarbonate bearing a five-membered and six-membered cyclic carbonate group is presented.
SAR study on N2,N4-disubstituted pyrimidine-2,4-diamines as effective CDK2/CDK9 inhibitors and antiproliferative agents
Authors: Jing Liandong , Tang Yanbo , Goto Masuo , Lee Kuo-Hsiung , Xiao Zhiyan
Published: March 2018

Novel pyrimidine-2,4-diamine derivatives were identified as potent CDK9 and CDK2 inhibitors, and were active against tumor cells including MDA-MB-231.
Surfactant-assisted synthesis of Mo–V mixed oxide catalysts for upgraded one-step conversion of glycerol to acrylic acid
Authors: Rasteiro Letícia F. , Vieira Luiz H. , Santilli Celso V. , Martins Leandro
Published: March 2018

Rod-like crystals of Mo–V mixed oxides obtained by surfactant-assisted synthesis are very stable and highly efficient to one-step conversion of glycerol into acrylic acid.
Stabilising fleeting intermediates of stilbene photocyclization with amino-borane functionalisation: the rare isolation of persistent dihydrophenanthrenes and their [1,5] H-shift isomers
Authors: Shi Yong-gang , Mellerup Soren K. , Yuan Kang , Hu Guo-Fei , Sauriol Francoise , Peng Tai , Wang Nan , Chen Pangkuan , Wang Suning
Published: March 2018

Amino-borane functionalization is the key for isolating rare air-stable dihydrophenanthrene intermediates in stilbene photocyclization.
Solid-phase synthesis and electrochemical pseudo-capacitance of nitrogen-atom interstitial compound Co3N
Authors: Gao Jian-Fei , Zhang Wei-Bin , Zhao Zhi-Yun , Kong Ling-Bin
Published: March 2018

This work demonstrates the first application of Co3N as an electrode material for supercapacitors.
Thermal annealing reduces geminate recombination in TQ1:N2200 all-polymer solar cells
Authors: Karuthedath Safakath , Melianas Armantas , Kan Zhipeng , Pranculis Vytenis , Wohlfahrt Markus , Khan Jafar I. , Gorenflot Julien , Xia Yuxin , Inganäs Olle , Gulbinas Vidmantas , Kemerink Martijn , Laquai Frédéric
Published: March 2018

Annealing of TQ1:N2200 photovoltaic blends reduces geminate charge recombination, without compromising charge extraction, leading to higher photocurrents and device efficiency.
Audiology Students' Perspectives of Enacting and Learning Clinical Communication: A Qualitative Interview and Video Reflexivity Study
Authors: Tai Samantha , Woodward-Kron Robyn , Barr Caitlin
Published: March 2018

Purpose

Effective clinical communication is pivotal to the provision of quality hearing health care. To date, audiology students reportedly felt ill-prepared when counseling patients about their hearing impairment, yet there is a paucity of studies exploring how clinical communication is taught and learned in audiology programs. Thus, the aims of the study were (a) to explore final year audiology students' perspectives of their own clinical communication skills during an in-house university clinical placement and (b) to explore students' perceptions of their clinical communication education.

Method

Using a qualitative description approach, students were asked to coview their filmed clinical encounter using video reflexivity during a semistructured interview on clinical communication education. Fifteen final year graduate audiology students from The University of Melbourne, Australia, participated in the study. The interviews were audio-recorded and analyzed thematically.

Results

The overarching themes ofstriving to be patient-centered,assessment shapes behavior, andpower relationsemerged from students' reflection of their own clinical encounter. In addition, the themewhat students wantdescribed the perceived teaching methods that assisted students' clinical communication practices.

Conclusions

The findings of this study highlight the challenges that students perceived during their clinical placement as they strive to enact a patient-centered interaction. An assessment rubric that incorporates communication skills can provide greater opportunities for feedback and self-reflection. Additionally, clinical communication education that adopts experiential learning and is longitudinally integrated into the curriculum can further reinforce students' communication learning needs.
Computational investigation of power efficient plasma‐based reconfigurable microstrip antenna
Authors: Vyas Hardik , Chaudhury Bhaskar
Published: March 2018

A cold plasma‐based re‐configurable rectangular microstrip antenna has been computationally investigated. A power efficient frequency tunable patch antenna design is proposed wherein the substrate is replaced by a combination of air and plasma slots. The novel design consisting of plasma elements in localised regions achieves good tunability with minimal power requirements. Significant amount of frequency reconfigurability is achieved by varying the plasma density and slot configuration. A parametric study comparing the approximate power requirements and tunability of different designs has been presented. Finally the radiation properties of the proposed microplasma‐based microstrip antenna has been evaluated.
Study on the derivation of the continuous input current high‐voltage gain DC/DC converters
Authors: Farakhor Amir , Abapour Mehdi , Sabahi Mehran
Published: March 2018

This study discusses the derivation of the continuous input current high‐voltage gain DC–DC converters. These converters are very suitable for renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic power systems since high‐output‐voltage gain is required for grid connection and continuous input current is necessary for better input current regulation. In these structures, coupled inductors are used along with voltage multiplier cells to improve the voltage gain. Passive clamps are also applied to recover the remained energy in the coupled inductors and improve the efficiency. Regenerative snubbers mitigate the voltage stress on the main switch. Various advantages of the studied converters make them suitable for renewable energy sources with low‐output DC voltage. A thorough comparison section is provided to assess the performance of the presented converters. For simplicity, a converter is selected and analysed in details and design guidelines are presented. The experimental setup is implemented in the laboratory to prove the proper operation of the converter.