bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is Electric Battery Storage Overrated as a Clean Technology?
Authors: Russo Thomas N. , Kim Kwangjin “Marcus”
Published: October 2019

The United States and the world are undergoing an accelerated energy transition with high stakes regarding energy security (i.e., the availability, affordability, accessibility, reliability, and acceptability of energy). Concerns about climate change and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are dominating the debate about which energy technologies are politically most acceptable to meet energy needs. Renewable energy, energy efficiency, and electric battery storage technologies appear to be the preferred technologies. However, we believe the notion that renewables and electric storage (batteries) are “clean” has been overstated. This column will shed some light on the following: what “clean energy” means; the environmental impacts of lithium‐ion batteries; and what governments and electric vehicle and battery companies must do to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and reduce environmental impacts associated with the lithium‐ion electric battery supply chain.
Gleisstopfen: Modellierung der Stopfpickel‐Schotterbett‐Interaktion
Authors: Barbir Olja , Pistrol Johannes , Kopf Fritz , Adam Dietmar , Auer Florian , Antony Bernhard
Published: October 2019

Der Zustand des Gleisschotterbetts ist einer der wichtigsten Faktoren für den sicheren und ökonomischen Betrieb von Gleisanlagen. Um den idealen Zeitpunkt für die Schotterreinigung oder die Erneuerung des Schotters zu finden bzw. auch um die Gebrauchstauglichkeit und Leistung über den gesamten Lebenszyklus zu erhöhen, ist die Kenntnis über den Schotterzustand bzw. über die Abnutzung des Schotters von größter Wichtigkeit. Das Gleisstopfen als zentraler Prozess der Gleisinstandhaltungsarbeiten beeinflusst die Instandhaltungsintervalle maßgeblich und ist notwendig für die Wiederherstellung der korrekten Gleislage. Während des Stopfvorgangs bilden die Stopfpickel ein dynamisches Interaktionssystem mit dem Gleisschotter. Die translatorische Beistellbewegung wird durch die dynamische Anregung der Pickel überlagert, um den Gleisschotter unterhalb der Schwellen bestmöglich zu verdichten. Die genannte Interaktion wurde an verschiedenen Standorten in Österreich messtechnisch erfasst und dient als Grundlage für einen Vergleich mit den Ergebnissen eines neu entwickelten, semi‐analytischen mechanischen Modells. Schlussfolgerungen bzgl. des unterschiedlichen Verhaltens und Widerstands gegen weitere Verdichtung von abgenutztem und neuem Schotter werden getroffen und im vorliegenden Beitrag diskutiert.
Functional responses of the hippocampus to hyperexcitability depend on directed, neuron‐specific KCNQ2 K+ channel plasticity
Authors: Carver Chase M. , Hastings Shayne D. , Cook Mileah E. , Shapiro Mark S.
Published: October 2019

M‐type (KCNQ2/3) K+ channels play dominant roles in regulation of active and passive neuronal discharge properties such as resting membrane potential, spike‐frequency adaptation, and hyper‐excitatory states. However, plasticity of M‐channel expression and function in nongenetic forms of epileptogenesis are still not well understood. Using transgenic mice with an EGFP reporter to detect expression maps of KCNQ2 mRNA, we assayed hyperexcitability‐induced alterations in KCNQ2 transcription across subregions of the hippocampus. Pilocarpine and pentylenetetrazol chemoconvulsant models of seizure induction were used, and brain tissue examined 48 hr later. We observed increases in KCNQ2 mRNA in CA1 and CA3 pyramidal neurons after chemoconvulsant‐induced hyperexcitability at 48 hr, but no significant change was observed in dentate gyrus (DG) granule cells. Using chromogenic in situ hybridization assays, changes to KCNQ3 transcription were not detected after hyper‐excitation challenge, but the results for KCNQ2 paralleled those using the KCNQ2‐mRNA reporter mice. In mice 7 days after pilocarpine challenge, levels of KCNQ2 mRNA were similar in all regions to those from control mice. In brain‐slice electrophysiology recordings, CA1 pyramidal neurons demonstrated increased M‐current amplitudes 48 hr after hyperexcitability; however, there were no significant changes to DG granule cell M‐current amplitude. Traumatic brain injury induced significantly greater KCNQ2 expression in the hippocampal hemisphere that was ipsilateral to the trauma. In vivo, after a secondary challenge with subconvulsant dose of pentylenetetrazole, control mice were susceptible to tonic–clonic seizures, whereas mice administered the M‐channel opener retigabine were protected from such seizures. This study demonstrates that increased excitatory activity promotes KCNQ2 upregulation in the hippocampus in a cell‐type specific manner. Such novel ion channel expressional plasticity may serve as a compensatory mechanism after a hyperexcitable event, at least in the short term. The upregulation described could be potentially leveraged in anticonvulsant enhancement of KCNQ2 channels as therapeutic target for preventing onset of epileptogenic seizures.
Risk and protective factors for suicide among Guyanese youth: Youth and stakeholder perspectives
Authors: Arora Prerna G. , Persaud Sarika , Parr Kayla
Published: October 2019

Guyana, a low‐to‐middle‐income country (LMIC) in South America, leads the world in youth suicide. As an understanding of risk and protective factors is critical to the development of culturally informed suicide prevention efforts, research exploring these factors among youth in Guyana is needed. The current study expands on current research on adolescent suicide in Guyana and LMICs broadly by using qualitative focus groups and interviews to explore adult stakeholders' and youth's perspectives. Participants included 17 adult stakeholders and 40 adolescents in Guyana. Data were analysed using a grounded theory approach. Themes related to participants' perceptions of risk factors for suicide included demographic characteristics, pressure and expectations, adults' responses to youth, limited coping with stressful life events and exposure to suicide. Themes related to protective factors for suicide included positive social support and involvement in community activities. Findings have implications for the development and tailoring of suicide prevention efforts for Guyanese youth.
SUITABILITY OF SHALLOW GROUNDWATER FOR IRRIGATION: THE CASE OF THE WONJI SHOA SUGAR ESTATE (ETHIOPIA)
Authors: Dinka Megersa Olumana , Tadesse Kassahun Birhanu
Published: October 2019

This study evaluated the possibility of conjunctive use (CU) of shallow groundwater (SGW) and surface water for irrigation at the Wonji Shoa Sugar Estate (WSSE) (Ethiopia). Irrigation suitability was investigated by taking 46 SGW samples from piezometers and hand‐dug wells. Many physicochemical parameters (Mg2+, Na+, Ca2+, K+, CO3−, SO42−, HCO3−, Cl−, TH, EC, TDS and pH) and other indices (MAR (magnesium adsorption ratio), SSP (soluble sodium percentage), SAR (sodium absorption ratio), RSC (residual sodium carbonate), KR (Kelly's ratio) and permeability index (PI)) were analysed following standard procedures. The salinity and infiltration problems of SGW were found to be none to moderate with no chloride and boron ion toxicity. The sodium ion toxicity problems are slight to moderate. The SGW is generally categorized under C3S1 (high salinity and low sodium hazard). However, a high value of SSP and RSC indicates a high possibility of occurrence of infiltration problems when using SGW. Hence, CU of SGW and surface water must be practised to minimize the potential problems of infiltration and salinization and their associated difficulties in soil and sugar cane productivity. Therefore, during CU planning, optimum irrigation scheduling that considers the in situ use of groundwater table must be practised. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Discriminating polymorph distributions in pharmaceutical tablets using stimulated Raman scattering microscopy
Authors: Sarri Barbara , Canonge Rafaël , Audier Xavier , Lavastre Valérie , Pénarier Géraldine , Alie Jean , Rigneault Hervé
Published: October 2019

Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) imaging is used to probe active pharmaceutical ingredient exhibiting polymorphism within compact tablets. We show that few SRS images performed at selected wavenumbers allow to access both active pharmaceutical ingredients polymorphs and excipients from which molecular mapping is retrieved over millimetre‐size areas. We exemplified the approach using SRS images acquired at five wavenumbers to map clopidogrel and amibegron polymorphs embedded into excipients (polyethylene glycol, corn starch, and mannitol tablets). Our study demonstrates that SRS imaging can be used as a novel fast molecular mapping technique for pharmaceutical tablets characterization.
Effect of Benzheterazoles on the Micellar Behavior of Sodium Dodecylsulfate in Dimethylsulfoxide: A Conductometric and Spectroscopic Approach
Authors: Chauhan Suvarcha , Manglam Anand Kumar , Kumari Santosh , Kaundal Pooja , Sundaresan Chittor N.
Published: October 2019

In this article, we report intermolecular interactions in terms of the effect of benzfused heterocyclic compounds, i.e., 2‐thioureidobenzimidazole and 2‐thioureidobenzoxazole (0.00, 0.01, and 0.05 mol kg−1), on the micellization behavior of sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS) (1–52 mmol kg−1) in dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) at different temperatures (293.15–313.15 K) through conductometric and spectroscopic investigations. The variation of specific conductance with SDS concentration has been utilized to estimate the critical micelle concentration (
CMC). The above‐performed techniques infer that the presence of additives results in a decrease in the CMC values. Various standard thermodynamic parameters such as free energy change (), enthalpy change (), and entropy change () of micellization have been determined using the temperature dependence of CMC. The above calculated parameters and also UV–visible and fluorescence spectroscopy have been used to obtain information regarding the various interactions between the compounds and surfactant aggregates. In addition, an attempt has also been made to examine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the heterocompounds, which indicates the effectiveness of these compounds against fungus growth at a particular concentration. These synthetic heterocyclic compounds find increasing applications in material science, medicinal chemistry, and biochemistry due to their antifungal and antioxidant properties.
Knowledge combination and sustainability of the Eyre Peninsula's fishing industry in Australia
Authors: Quartey Samuel Howard , Wells Sam
Published: October 2019

This paper develops a knowledge combination view on sustainable industries by investigating the Eyre Peninsula's fishing industry in Australia. Although the notion of knowledge combination has received great attention, it is less researched at the industry level. Researchers examining knowledge combination have paid less attention to sustainable industries, which this paper seeks to address. After examining the Eyre Peninsula's fishing industry by interviewing 54 different individual actors representing a wide range of sectors within the industry, this study uncovers the following seven distinctive bundles of knowledge that when combined can underpin the sustainability of the industry: sustainability, industrial, intergenerational, institutional, collective, scientific, and technological knowledge. The findings also reveal that different integrating mechanisms supported the combination and integration of the bundles of knowledge towards the sustainability of the Eyre Peninsula's fishing industry. The findings further suggest that the combination of these knowledge explains current improvements in environmental, economic, and social sustainable practices within the industry. The primary contribution of this paper is to introduce and develop a knowledge combination view on sustainable industries and also add to the literature on knowledge‐based view of sustainability. The theoretical, managerial, and research implications of these findings are discussed.
Structured Light from Lasers
Authors: Forbes Andrew
Published: October 2019

Structured light is derived from the ability to tailor light, usually referring to the spatial control of its amplitude, phase, and polarization. Although a venerable topic that dates back to the very first laser designs, structuring light at the source has seen an explosion in activity over the past decade, fuelled by a modern toolkit that exploits the versatility of diffractive structures, liquid crystals, metasurfaces/metamaterials, and exotic laser geometries, as well as a myriad of applications that range from imaging, microscopy, and laser material processing to optical communication. Here, the recent progress in creating and controlling structured light is reviewed, with particular emphasis on structuring light at the source: structured light lasers. The various design approaches, including pump shaping, cavity geometries, and the use of custom intracavity optical elements, implemented in a variety of lasers from microchip solutions to high‐power fibers are covered in a tutorial style. The history and latest developments in the field are reviewed, elucidating the various structured light patterns that have been created from lasers, including orbital angular momentum and vector states of light. Finally, the present challenges and limitations are highlighted, along with comments on likely future trends.
Π11‐Martin‐Löf randomness and Π11‐Solovay completeness
Authors: Sureson Claude
Published: October 2019

Developing an analogue of Solovay reducibility in the higher recursion setting, we show that results from the classical computably enumerable case can be extended to the new context.
FTIR Studies on PMMA‐LiNO3 Polymer Electrolyte
Authors: Patil Vilas S. , Vithya K. , Premalatha M. , Sundaresan B.
Published: October 2019

Flexible and free standing solid polymer electrolytes are prepared using solution casting technique comprising PMMA and LiNO3. The properties of the polymer system are further improved by adding nanofillers to the polymer matrix. Hence in the present work, the nanofiller Al2O3 is added to PMMA‐LiNO3 network. The increase in amorphous nature of the polymer with increase in LiNO3 and Al2O3 is revealed by XRD. The interaction of LiNO3 and Al2O3 with the polymer PMMA is analyzed by FTIR.
Effect of Cu Doping on Structural and Optical Properties of ZnO Nanoparticles Using Sol–Gel Method
Authors: Kumbhar Deepak , Kumbhar Sarita , Salunke Govind , Nalawade Rekha , Nalawade Avinash
Published: October 2019

ZnO has large exciton binding energy (60 meV) and wide direct band gap (3.37 eV). It is a promising base materials for optoelectronics applications. To optimize its optical properties, Cu doped ZnO is synthesized by low cost sol–gel method and analyzed by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV–vis spectroscopy. The XRD analysis reveals that the samples are polycrystalline with hexagonal wurtzite structure. It also indicates that there is no impurity peaks present in prepared samples and shows that the samples are stoichiometric. SEM images of Cu doping exhibit a slight variation in grain size. In addition, the absorption spectrum of pure and Cu doped ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) are studied and Tauc plots show band gap narrowing effect on Cu doping concentration to use it as advance material in diiferent devices.
Study of Interaction between Human Hemoglobin and Antitubercular Isoniazid Drug with Its Detection
Authors: Patil Shilpa R. , Mahanwar Sunanda T. , Gunjal Datta B. , Wakshe Saubai B. , Anbhule Prashant V. , Kolekar Govind B.
Published: October 2019

The high intake of antitubercular isonicotinyl hydrazide (INH) is hazardous to human body. Hence, there is a need for its detection. For this reason, we study interaction between human hemoglobin (HHb) and INH by applying fluorescence and UV–vis spectroscopic techniques. Fluorimetric as well as UV–vis results showed the formation of complex between HHb and INH. The proposed HHb‐based fluorescence method was applied directly for the determination of INH in pharmaceutical sample.
In Vitro Study of Ethyl‐4‐(3,4.5‐trimethoxyphenyl)‐2,7,7‐trimethyl‐5‐oxo1,4,5,6,7,8‐hexahydroquinoline‐3‐carboxylate and Bovine Serum Albumin Using Multi‐Spectroscopic Techniques and Molecular Docking
Authors: Kumbhar Sunil D. , Gore Anil H. , Choudhari Prafulla B. , Barooah Nilotpal , Anbhule Prashant V. , Sonavane Yogesh S. , Kolekar Govind B. , Bodake Anita J.
Published: October 2019

The binding of quinolone derivative ethyl‐4‐(3,4.5‐trimethoxyphenyl)‐2,7,7‐trimethyl‐5‐oxo1,4,5,6,7,8‐hexahydroquinoline‐3‐carboxylate (ETMTMHQC) to bovine serum albumin (BSA) is investigated by various spectroscopic methods and molecular docking analysis. The fluorescence quenching spectroscopic results show that ETMTMHQC bind to the protein BSA. The binding constant value is found to be 5.2 × 10−6 K (mol dm3). The thermodynamic parameter of the system shows increase in temperature with gradual decrease in Stern–Volmer quenching constant thereby indicating static quenching mode. Negative entropy and positive enthalpy indicate the hydrogen bonding interaction. The (r) distance between BSA and ETMTMHQC obtained from fluorescence resonance energy transfer is found to be 7.0 nm. The UV–visible spectra reveal the increase in absorbance on formation of BSA–ETMTMHQC complex. The CD spectral study indicates reduction of α‐helical structure in BSA and small changes in the tertiary structure of the protein. ETMTMHQC interacts strongly with BSA, and small changes in protein morphology are advised by molecular docking results. Moreover, docking results show that ETMTMHQC binds to BSA at ASN390 residue.
Synthesis and Characterization of Pb‐Doped MnS Thin Films
Authors: Sonavane D. K. , Jare S. K. , Shaikh M. A. , Suryawanshi R. V. , Kathare R. V. , Bulakhe R. N.
Published: October 2019

Pure and Pb‐doped MnS thin films are prepared by chemical bath deposition (CBD) method onto glass substrates at 60 °C temperature. The films are characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X‐ray analysis, and optical absorption spectroscopy. The particle size of the crystalline is determined from the XRD patterns using Scherrer formula and is 47 nm for MnS thin films. The particle size shows a change in the case of the Pb‐doped film. The optical band gap of MnS thin film is found to be 3.1 eV, which decreases on doping with Pb. SEM graphs of doping of Pb in MnS confirmed the formation of spherical superstructure and indicate that the Pb2+ is successfully substituted into the MnS host structure of the Mn2+ site.
Durable Self‐Cleaning Superhydrophobic Coating of SiO2–Cyanoacrylate Adhesive via Facile Dip Coat Technique
Authors: Sutar Rajaram S. , Latthe Sanjay S. , Bhosale A. K. , Xing Ruimin , Liu Shanhu
Published: October 2019

The hydrophobic silica nanoparticles have been widely used in the fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces. In this study, we prepared superhydrophobic coating using hydrophobic SiO2 nanoparticles by facile dip coat technique. After that, a layer of cyanoacrylate adhesive was applied to improve the durability of the superhydrophobic coating. Finally, the coating was annealed at 200 °C for 10 min. A water drop on prepared superhydrophobic coating showed contact angle ≈173° and sliding angle ≈1°. The prepared superhydrophobic coating revealed self‐cleaning behavior for more than 2 years. This approach can be useful for fabrication of superhydrophobic coating for practical industrial application including solar panel, windows glass, vehicle glass and fabrics, and so on.
Preparation of Sodium Silicate–Based Aerogels Using a Two‐Step Sol–Gel Process and Ambient Pressure Drying
Authors: Bangi Uzma K. H. , Pandit Shivani S. , Bagal Dhanashri B. , Park Hyung‐Ho
Published: October 2019

The experimental result on the preparation of sodium silicate–based aerogels using a two‐step sol–gel process and ambient pressure drying is presented. The silica aerogels are prepared by following the procedure, namely, gel preparation, shaking of the gel in water and methanol, silylation/washing of the gel, and finally drying of the silylated gel at ambient pressure. The influence of various sol–gel and preparation parameters such as wt% of silica (2–6 wt%), NH4F:HCl molar ratios (0–0.5), and aging periods (0 to 24 h) on the physical and textural properties of the aerogels is studied. The physical properties such as bulk density, thermal conductivity, optical transmission, as well as the textural properties using BET analysis are studied. It is observed that the silica aerogels prepared using 3 wt% of silica, NH4F:HCl molar ratio of 0.333, and 3‐h aging period have low density ≈0.11 g cc–1, low thermal conductivity ≈0.12 W mK–1, as well as larger BJH (desorption) and BET surface areas of around 900 and 590 m2 g–1, respectively. The as‐synthesized aerogels have reduced processing period of 36 h and posses larger surface area. The as‐synthesized aerogels can be applied for thermal insulation purpose.
Dielectric Studies of Lanthanum‐Doped BaNd2Ti3O10
Authors: Abhange Parshuram B. , Kokare Shrikant R.
Published: October 2019

The low dielectric loss, high dielectric constant, high quality factor are the most desirable characteristics of the microwave dielectric materials. Many researchers are paying their attention to synthesize non‐lead based perovskite ceramic, due to the hazardous nature of lead based ceramics. Here, the BaNd2−xLaxTi3O10 (for x = 0.02 and 0.04) material is synthesized by choosing the solid state reaction method, which is easy and of low cost. The synthesized material is then taken for characterization to study its dielectric properties.
Sulfated Tin Oxide: An Immensely Potent and Reusable Catalyst for the Synthesis of Benzimidazole Derivatives
Authors: Kagne Raju , Niwadange Sandeep , Kalalawe Virbhadra , Gutte Raoji , Munde Dashrath
Published: October 2019

In this research, a new strategy for synthesis of benzimidazoles via condensing o‐phenylenediamine and substituted aldehydes by adopting prepared sulfated tin oxide as solid heterogenous catalyst in water ethanol system (1:1‐v/v) at reflux condition has been developed. The solid sulfated tin oxide is synthesized and confirmed by XRD, EDS map, SEM images, and FTIR. The reaction is optimized for different solvents and loading of catalyst. The yields of all benzimidazole derivatives are observed in the range of 80–94%. All the synthesized benzimidazoles are analyzed by spectral data. The use of ecologically benign catalyst sulfated tin oxide, solvent system, ample substrate scope with good atom economy, environmental affordability, and easy work up makes this protocol green.
Studies on Dielectric Properties of ADP Crystals
Authors: Bharati B. , Devendrappa Mahalesh , Pushapajali G. M. , Sannakki Basavaraja
Published: October 2019

Ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (NH4HPO4, ADP) is an excellent inorganic nonlinear optical material with different device applications. The present work is based on the pure ADP crystals that is successfully grown from aqueous solution by slow evaporation technique at room temperature. The grown crystals are subjected to various characterizations like XRD, and dielectric studies. The crystalline nature and tetragonal structure of the grown crystals having lattice parameters are observed by powder X‐ray diffraction analysis. The dielectric properties such as dielectric constant and dielectric loss for the crystals at different areas are studied as a function of frequency in the range 50 kHz to 5 MHz at room temperature. It is found that the dielectric permittivity decreased exponentially at lower frequency region up to 1 kHz and then the dielectric permittivity remains constant at higher frequency region as the frequency increased. It is observed that as area of ADP crystal increases the dielectric constant increases and for area of 42 mm2 the dielectric constant value is high among all the different areas of ADP crystals.
Developing the e‐commerce sector for the fishery industry: What business are we really in?
Authors: Alemu Mohammed Hussen , Sigurdsson Valdimar , Fagerstrøm Asle , Foxall Gordon Robert
Published: October 2019

In this study, we use the theory of the marketing firm to explain marketing relationships between consumers and firms selling fish in the context of developing the e‐commerce sector for the fishery industry. We use a unique dataset composed of quantitative and qualitative data to provide a behavioral economic analysis and interpretation. The results reveal interdependent managerial and consumer behavioral relationships, indicating the presence of bilateral contingencies. The results also provide some indication of the theory of transaction cost, where cost‐intensive activities are likely to be internalized within marketing firms selling fish.
Fractional‐order DOB‐sliding mode control for a class of noncommensurate fractional‐order systems with mismatched disturbances
Authors: Wang Jing , Shao Changfeng , Chen Xiaolu , Chen YangQuan
Published: October 2019

This article proposes a novel fractional‐order sliding mode control based on the disturbance observer for a class of noncommensurate fractional‐order systems with mismatched disturbances. Firstly, the noncommensurate fractional‐order system is decomposed into several subsystems with commensurate order. Then the fractional‐order disturbance observers are designed independently to estimate the mismatched disturbances for each subsystems. Based on the designed disturbance observers, a uniform fractional‐order sliding mode control is proposed. The proposed method can deal with the mismatched disturbances and has better control performance. The simulations on single‐link flexible manipulator system demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Near‐field analysis of discrete bowtie plasmonic nanoantennas
Authors: Moreno Camilo , Méndez‐Lozoya Javier , González Gabriel , González Francisco J. , Boreman Glenn
Published: October 2019

A discrete antenna is a discretized version of a traditional antenna design which enhances the antenna properties (such as field intensity, multi‐band, compact size, and low sidelobe levels) of its traditional counterpart. In this work, a classical bowtie antenna is discretized using circular elements of different sizes. Numerical simulations and near‐field optical scanning microscopy are performed on classical and discrete bowtie antennas in the infrared. Simulations show that discrete antennas have an increased bandwidth and an increased number of electric‐field hotspots and near‐field measurements confirm the increment of hotspots. These characteristics make discrete antennas potentially useful in applications where an extended region of localized electric field enhancements is of interest.
Preparation of graphene/poly(vinyl alcohol) composite hydrogel films with enhanced electrical and mechanical properties
Authors: Alam Ashraful , Moussa Mahmoud
Published: October 2019

Electrically conductive and robust composite hydrogel films are the increasing demand for compact and portable energy storage systems and biosensor. We herein present a simple route for electrically conductive and strong graphene/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composite hydrogel films by a casting method using processable graphene sheets. Both pure PVA and graphene/PVA composite hydrogel films were characterized by various techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), electrical, and mechanical measurements. High‐quality, processable graphene sheets effectively enhanced the composite's electrical conductivity; a percolation threshold was achieved at 4.6 vol% of graphene mass loading. At 10 wt% nanomaterials loading, Young's modulus, and tensile strength improved by 369% and 930%, respectively, compared with neat PVA hydrogel films. The significant reinforcement found in composite films containing water attributed to strong interface between water, high‐quality graphene sheets, and PVA polymer chains. As supercapacitor electrodes, composite hydrogel film delivered a gravimetric capacitance of 9.5 F/g. This work provides a new approach for fabricating electrically conductive hydrogel films using nonconducting polymer for supercapacitor.
Toughening of epoxy thermosets with polystyrene‐block‐polybutadiene‐block‐ polystyrene triblock copolymer via formation of nanostructures
Authors: Ding Hao , Zhao Bingjie , Mei Honggang , Li Lei , Zheng Sixun
Published: October 2019

In this contribution, we reported to utilize polystyrene‐block‐polybutadiene‐block‐polystyrene (PS‐b‐PB‐b‐PS), a commercial triblock copolymer to toughen epoxy thermosets. First, a PS‐b‐PB‐b‐PS triblock copolymer was chemically modified with hydroboration‐oxidation reaction, with which the midblock was hydroxylated whereas the endblocks remained unaffected. It was found that the degree of hydroxylation was well controlled. One of the hydroxylated PS‐b‐PB‐b‐PS samples was then used as the macromolecular initiator to synthesize a poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐grafted PS‐b‐PB‐b‐PS via the ring‐opening polymerization. It was found that the PS‐b‐PB‐b‐PS with poly(ε‐caprolactone) grafts can be successfully employed to nanostructure epoxy thermosets; the “core‐shell” microdomains composed of PB and PS were generated in the nanostructured thermosets. The nanostructured thermosets displayed improved fracture toughness. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:2387–2396, 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers
High‐performance printable paper‐like composites derived from plastic flexible film wastes
Authors: Fan Chunying , An Hongli , Du Juan , Luo Yan
Published: October 2019

Owing to lack of proper recycling methods, plastic flexible film wastes are usually directly discarded or incinerated, which brings about severe environmental pollution. Therefore, converting plastic wastes into value‐added products has received more and more attention in recent years. In this work, paper‐like composites derived from plastic flexible film wastes were prepared via the thermally induced phase separation method by adding polyethylene‐graft‐maleic anhydride (PE‐g‐MAH) as a compatibilizer and fumed silica as an additive. The resulting paper‐like composites were characterized by SEM and infrared spectroscopy. Other properties such as mechanical properties, thermal properties, whiteness, printability and adsorption performance were also tested in detail. It was found that remarkable enhancements in mechanical, thermal and printable properties of the paper‐like composites were obtained when nano‐SiO2loading was 2.5–3 wt%. Uniformly distributed holes that can endow good printability by providing space for ink or other functional molecules were observed by using SEM. Furthermore, the CIE whiteness value of the resulting composites can reach 91.6%–96.7% on adding nano‐SiO2. Additionally, the paper‐like composites integrating nano‐SiO2and PE‐g‐MAH exhibited good solid ink affinity and high water or oil adsorption capacity. Thus, according to this research, high‐performance printable paper‐like composites used as major components of multifunctional papers can be prepared based on plastic flexible film wastes. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
Interspecies Comparison of the Bacterial Response to Allicin Reveals Species‐Specific Defense Strategies
Authors: Wüllner Dominik , Haupt Annika , Prochnow Pascal , Leontiev Roman , Slusarenko Alan J. , Bandow Julia E.
Published: October 2019

Allicin, a broad‐spectrum antimicrobial agent from garlic, disrupts thiol and redox homeostasis, proteostasis, and cell membrane integrity. Since medicine demands antimicrobials with so far unexploited mechanisms, allicin is a promising lead structure. While progress is being made in unraveling its mode of action, little is known on bacterial adaptation strategies. Some isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli withstand exposure to high allicin concentrations due to as yet unknown mechanisms. To elucidate resistance and sensitivity‐conferring cellular processes, the acute proteomic responses of a resistant P. aeruginosa strain and the sensitive species Bacillus subtilis are compared to the published proteomic response of E. coli to allicin treatment. The cellular defense strategies share functional features: proteins involved in translation and maintenance of protein quality, redox homeostasis, and cell envelope modification are upregulated. In both Gram‐negative species, protein synthesis of the majority of proteins is downregulated while the Gram‐positive B. subtilis responded by upregulation of multiple regulons. A comparison of the B. subtilis proteomic response to a library of responses to antibiotic treatment reveals 30 proteins specifically upregulated by allicin. Upregulated oxidative stress proteins are shared with nitrofurantoin and diamide. Microscopy‐based assays further indicate that in B. subtilis cell wall integrity is impaired.
Reliability of Protein Abundance and Synthesis Measurements in Human Skeletal Muscle
Authors: Srisawat Kanchana , Hesketh Katie , Cocks Matt , Strauss Juliette , Edwards Ben J. , Lisboa Paulo J. , Shepherd Sam , Burniston Jatin G.
Published: October 2019

The repeatability of dynamic proteome profiling (DPP), which is a novel technique for measuring the relative abundance (ABD) and fractional synthesis rate (FSR) of proteins in humans, is investigated. LC–MS analysis is performed on muscle samples taken from male participants (n = 4) that consumed 4 × 50 mL doses of deuterium oxide (2H2O) per day for 14 days. ABD is measured by label‐free quantitation and FSR is calculated from time‐dependent changes in peptide mass isotopomer abundances. One‐hundred one proteins have at least one unique peptide and are used in the assessment of protein ABD. Fifty‐four of these proteins meet more stringent criteria and are used in the assessment of FSR data. The median (M), lower‐, (Q1) and upper‐quartile (Q3) values for protein FSR (%/d) are M = 1.63, Q1 = 1.07, and Q3 = 3.24, respectively. The technical CV of ABD data has a median value of 3.6% (Q1 1.7% to Q3 6.7%), whereas the median CV of FSR data is 10.1% (Q1 3.5% to Q3 16.5%). These values compare favorably against other assessments of technical repeatability of proteomics data, which often set a CV of 20% as the upper bound of acceptability.
motifeR: An Integrated Web Software for Identification and Visualization of Protein Posttranslational Modification Motifs
Authors: Wang Shisheng , Cai Yue , Cheng Jingqiu , Li Wenxue , Liu Yansheng , Yang Hao
Published: October 2019

With an exponential growth in applications identifying protein post‐translational modifications via mass spectrometry, discovery and presentation of motifs surrounding those modification sites have become increasingly desirable. Despite a few tools being designed, there is still a scarcity of effective and polyfunctional software for such analysis and illustrations. In this study, a versatile and user‐friendly web tool is developed, motifeR, for extracting and visualizing statistically significant motifs from large datasets. Particularly, several functions are also integrated for processing multi‐modification sites enrichment. Public datasets are applied to test their usability, indicating that some concurrent modification sites may form motifs and that peptides with low location probability may be not identified randomly and can be included to support motif discovery. In addition, for human phosphoproteomics datasets, the characterization of differential kinase signaling networks can be estimated and modeled by combining kinase‐substrate relations based on the NetworKIN database as an optional feature for users. The motifeR toolkit can be conveniently operated by any scientific community or individuals, even those without any bioinformatics background and is freely available at https://www.omicsolution.org/wukong/motifeR.
Wavelet isolation of meridionally moving geopotential height perturbations near the subtropics of eastern Africa and their relationship with the Madden–Julian Oscillation
Authors: Gahtan Jennifer , Roundy Paul E.
Published: October 2019

Prior to the onset of convection over the western Indian Ocean for many Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) events, equatorward‐propagating upper tropospheric negative geopotential height anomalies are observed along the east coast of Africa. To identify these signals independently from the MJO, we calculate partial meridional‐temporal wavelet transforms averaged between 35 and 45°E and centred in the subtropics. During times when the amplitudes of MJO indices are strong and leading up to convective onset over the western Indian Ocean, increased wavelet power relative to the mean state is observed in the equatorward direction at intraseasonal time‐scales from both hemispheres. Regressions against groups of equatorward intraseasonal wavelet transform time series centred on negative anomalies in the subtropics show extratropical Rossby wave trains extending to the west across the Atlantic similar to signals previously observed leading up to the onset of Indian basin convection in composite MJO events. Compared to globally averaged mean‐state power spectra in the subtropics, increased equatorward propagation of upper tropospheric geopotential height anomalies occurs regionally near eastern Africa on intraseasonal time‐scales, which suggests that local mean‐state conditions, in addition to the MJO, may influence meridional wave propagation. Since these anomalies may in turn influence the onset of MJO convection over the western Indian Ocean and have higher local power, mean‐state conditions near the subtropics of eastern Africa may change the timing of the MJO.
Exploring odd‐even effects of simple oligomer‐like DRCNnT series: a study based on density functional theory/time‐dependent density functional theory calculations
Authors: Wang Wenjing , Zheng Shaohui
Published: October 2019

Odd‐even effects of short‐circuit current density and power conversion efficiency (PCE) are an interesting phenomenon in some organic solar cells. Although some explanations have been given, why they behave in such a way is still an open question. In the present work, we investigate a set of acceptor‐donor‐acceptor simple oligomer‐like small molecules, named the DRCNnT (n = 5‐9) series, to give an insight into this phenomenon because the solar cells based on them have high PCE (up to 10.08%) and show strong odd‐even effects in experiments. By modeling the DRCNnT series and using density functional theory, we have studied the ground‐state electronic structures of the DRCNnT (n = 5‐9) series in condensed phase. The calculated results reproduce the experimental trends well. Furthermore, we find that the exciton‐binding energies of the DRCNnT series may be one of the key parameters to explain this phenomenon because they also show odd‐even effects. In addition, by studying the effects of alkyl branch and terminal group on odd‐even effects of dipole moment, we find that eliminating one or two alkyl branches does not break the odd‐even effects of dipole moments, but eliminating one or two terminal groups does. Finally, we conclude that removing one alkyl branch close to the terminal group of DRCN5T can decrease highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy (thus increasing open circuit voltage) and increase dipole moment (thus enhancing charge separation and short‐circuit current). This could be a new and simple method to increase the PCE of DRCN5T‐based solar cells.
17.4: Invited Paper: A Novel Compensation Circuit for AMOLED Source Driver
Authors: Gong Peng , Li Hong Ge
Published: October 2019

We proposed a new compensation circuit to solve the nonuniformity of TFT characteristics and degeneration of OLED device. The compensation circuit includes sense processing cell and emission current sampled circuit. The channel multiplexing for the digital sense processing cell is used. The area of compensation circuit is reduced effectively.
Two‐stage enrichment clinical trial design with adjustment for misclassification in predictive biomarkers
Authors: Lin Yong , Shih Weichung J. , Lu Shou‐En
Published: October 2019

A two‐stage enrichment design is a type of adaptive design, which extends a stratified design with a futility analysis on the marker negative cohort at the first stage, and the second stage can be either a targeted design with only the marker positive stratum, or still the stratified design with both marker strata, depending on the result of the interim futility analysis. In this paper, we consider the situation where the marker assay and the classification rule are possibly subject to error. We derive the sequential tests for the global hypothesis as well as the component tests for the overall cohort and the marker‐positive cohort. We discuss the power analysis with the control of the type I error rate and show the adverse impact of the misclassification on the powers. We also show the enhanced power of the two‐stage enrichment over the one‐stage design and illustrate with examples of the recent successful development of immunotherapy in non–small‐cell lung cancer.
Multi‐stage enrichment and basket trial designs with population selection
Authors: Li Wen , Zhao Jing , Li Xiaoyun , Chen Cong , Beckman Robert A.
Published: October 2019

As biomarker information from early‐phase trials can be unreliable due to high variability, it is logical to take a prospective two‐stage approach when designing a late‐phase confirmatory trial, ie, refining the target population at the first stage and performing the hypothesis testing at the second stage. The use of a reliable intermediate endpoint at the first stage can further improve the trial efficiency from both time and cost perspectives. Nevertheless, there are needs for expanding such two‐stage confirmatory designs to more stages for monitoring efficacy on the refined population. There is limited literature on this matter, particularly for two popular designs with population selection midway, ie, the biomarker enrichment design and the basket design. In this manuscript, we focus on these two popular designs and discuss how to implement the interim efficacy analyses after population refinement while controlling type I error. Power and stopping probability are also explored for the two designs.
Cover Image, Volume 9, Issue 6
Authors: Duran‐Frigola Miquel , Fernández‐Torras Adrià , Bertoni Martino , Aloy Patrick
Published: October 2019

The cover image is based on the Advanced Review Formatting biological big data for modern machine learning in drug discovery, by Miquel Duran‐Frigola, Adrià Fernández‐Torras, Martino Bertoni and Patrick Aloy. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcms.1408

image
Hydrodynamics of massless integrable RG flows and a non-equilibrium c-theorem
Authors: Horváth D. X.
Published: October 2019

Abstract

We study Euler scale hydrodynamics of massless integrable quantum field theories interpolating between two non-trivial renormalisation group fixed points after inhomogeneous quantum quenches. Using a partitioning protocol with left and right initial thermal states and the recently developed framework of generalised hydrodynamics, we focus on current and density profiles for the energy and momentum as a function of ξ = x/t, where both x and t are sent to infinity. Studying the first few members of the A

n
and D

n
massless flows we carry out a systematic treatment of these series and generalise our results to other unitary massless models.

In our analysis we find that the profiles exhibit extended plateaux and that non-trivial bounds exist for the energy and momentum densities and currents in the non-equilibrium stationary state, i.e. when ξ = 0. To quantify the magnitude of currents and densities, dynamical central charges are defined and it is shown that the dynamical central charge for the energy current satisfies a certain monotonicity property. We discuss the connection of the Landauer-Büttiker formalism of transport with our results and show that this picture can account for some of the bounds for the currents and for the monotonicity of the dynamical central charge. These properties are shown to be present not only in massless flows but also in the massive sinh-Gordon model suggesting their general validity and the correctness of the Landauer-Büttiker interpretation of transport in integrable field theories. Our results thus imply the existence of a non-equilibrium c-theorem as well, at least in integrable models. Finally we also study the interesting low energy behaviour of the A2 model that corresponds to the massless flow from the tricritical to the critical Ising field theory.
Adversarially-trained autoencoders for robust unsupervised new physics searches
Authors: Blance Andrew , Spannowsky Michael , Waite Philip
Published: October 2019

Abstract

Machine learning techniques in particle physics are most powerful when they are trained directly on data, to avoid sensitivity to theoretical uncertainties or an underlying bias on the expected signal. To be able to train on data in searches for new physics, anomaly detection methods are imperative, which can be realised by an autoencoder acting as an unsupervised classifier. The last source of uncertainties affecting the classifier are then experimental uncertainties in the reconstruction of the final-state objects. To mitigate their effect on the classifier and to allow for a realistic assessment of the method, we propose to combine the autoencoder with an adversarial neural network to remove its sensitivity to the smearing of the final-state objects. We quantify its effect and show that one can achieve a robust anomaly detection in resonance-induced

$$ t\overline{t} $$

t

t
¯

final states.
Multipartite reflected entropy
Authors: Bao Ning , Cheng Newton
Published: October 2019

Abstract

We discuss two methods that, through a combination of cyclically gluing copies of a given n-party boundary state in AdS/CFT and a canonical purification, creates a bulk geometry that contains a boundary homologous minimal surface with area equal to 2 or 4 times the n-party entanglement wedge cross-section, depending on the parity of the party number and choice of method. The areas of the minimal surfaces are each dual to entanglement entropies that we define to be candidates for the n-party reflected entropy. In the context of AdS3/CFT2, we provide a boundary interpretation of our construction as a multiboundary wormhole, and conjecture that this interpretation generalizes to higher dimensions.
Global regularity and convergence to equilibrium of reaction–diffusion systems with nonlinear diffusion
Authors: Fellner Klemens , Latos Evangelos , Tang Bao Quoc
Published: October 2019

We study the boundedness and convergence to equilibrium of weak solutions to reaction–diffusion systems with nonlinear diffusion. The nonlinear diffusion is of porous medium type, and the nonlinear reaction terms are assumed to grow polynomially and to dissipate (or conserve) the total mass. By utilising duality estimates, the dissipation of the total mass and the smoothing effect of the porous medium equation, we prove that if the exponents of the nonlinear diffusion terms are high enough, then weak solutions are bounded, locally Hölder continuous and their $$L^{\infty }(\Omega )$$

L
∞

(
Ω
)

-norm grows in time at most polynomially. In order to show convergence to equilibrium, we consider a specific class of nonlinear reaction–diffusion models, which describe a single reversible reaction with arbitrarily many chemical substances. By exploiting a generalised logarithmic Sobolev inequality, an indirect diffusion effect and the polynomial in time growth of the $$L^{\infty }(\Omega )$$

L
∞

(
Ω
)

-norm, we show an entropy–entropy production inequality which implies exponential convergence to equilibrium in $$L^p(\Omega )$$

L
p

(
Ω
)

-norm, for any $$1\le p < \infty $$

1
≤
p
<
∞

, with explicit rates and constants.