bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Novel graphene-like two-dimensional bilayer germanene dioxide: electronic structure and optical properties
Authors: Dou Yan-Mei , Zhang Chang-Wen , Li Ping , Wang Pei-Ji
Published: March 2019

Using ab initio calculations, we present a two-dimensional (2D) α-2D-germanene dioxide material with an ideal sp3 bonding network which possesses a large band gap up to 2.50 eV.
Structures, photoresponse properties and DNA binding abilities of 4-(4-pyridinyl)-2-pyridone salts
Authors: Mandal Tripti , Dey Arka , Pathak Sudipta , Islam Md. Maidul , Konar Saugata , Ortega-Castro Joaquín , Seth Saikat Kumar , Ray Partha Pratim , Frontera Antonio , Mukhopadhyay Subrata
Published: March 2019

The optical band gap energies in several 2-pyridone derivatives have been measured using solid state UV to explore their semiconductor behavior. The electric current measurements for the four compounds exhibit enhanced photoconduction properties under irradiation of light.
Zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 for shape stabilization and enhanced thermal stability of paraffin-based phase change materials
Authors: Hu Yiwen , Song Xiuduo , Zheng Qilong , Wang Jiangning , Pei Jiangfei
Published: March 2019

Micro-sized ZIF-67 crystals were prepared and used as the reinforcing material to design novel paraffin-based composite phase change materials with a polymethyl methacrylate shell.
Enhanced, parallel liquid crystal alignment based on polystyrene substituted with phthalimidoyl groups
Authors: Kim Taehyung , Ju Changha , Park Chanhyuk , Kang Hyo
Published: March 2019

Polystyrene substituted with phthalimide can enhance liquid crystal alignment behavior and stability and switch orientation direction from perpendicular to parallel.
Efficient synthesis of epoxybutane from butanediol via a two-step process
Authors: Niu Xin , Wang Liguo , Cao Junya , Cao Yan , He Peng , Zhou Junya , Li Huiquan
Published: March 2019

A novel approach for the synthesis of epoxybutane via decarboxylation of butenyl carbonate derived from butanediol was developed for the first time.
Expression of concern: A study on the luminescence properties of gamma-ray-irradiated white light emitting Ca2Al2SiO7:Dy3+ phosphors fabricated using a combustion-assisted method
Authors: Shore Andrew
Published: March 2019

Expression of concern for ‘A study on the luminescence properties of gamma-ray-irradiated white light emitting Ca2Al2SiO7:Dy3+ phosphors fabricated using a combustion-assisted method’ by Geetanjali Tiwari et al., RSC Adv., 2016, 6, 49317–49327.
Photon upconversion utilizing energy beyond the band gap of crystalline silicon with a hybrid TES-ADT/PbS quantum dots system
Authors: Nishimura Naoyuki , Allardice Jesse R. , Xiao James , Gu Qifei , Gray Victor , Rao Akshay
Published: March 2019

Photon upconversion with an excitation of energy below the band gap of crystalline silicon was demonstrated with a hybrid system consisting of molecules based on a thiophene conjugated acene (i.e., TES-ADT) and lead sulphide (PbS) quantum dots.
A core–shell MnO2@Au nanofiber network as a high-performance flexible transparent supercapacitor electrode
Authors: Singh Soram Bobby , Singh Thangjam Ibomcha , Kim Nam Hoon , Lee Joong Hee
Published: March 2019

A highly transparent core–shell MnO2@AuNF network electrode is fabricated for a flexible portable energy storage device
Penta-PdX2 (X = S, Se, Te) monolayers: promising anisotropic thermoelectric materials
Authors: Lan Yang-Shun , Chen Xiang-Rong , Hu Cui-E , Cheng Yan , Chen Qi-Feng
Published: March 2019

Thermoelectric materials can be used to convert waste heat into electrical energy, which is considered to be a cleaner form of energy that reduces carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions.
A low-cost and reusable photothermal membrane for solar-light induced anti-bacterial regulation
Authors: Pan Qianhao , Zhang Shiming , Li Ruiting , He Yonglin , Wang Yapei
Published: March 2019

In this work, a simple, low-cost, and applicable strategy for preparing membranes which allow photothermal conversion and have excellent anti-bacterial ability is proposed.
Feedforward decoupling control for rigid rotor system of active magnetically suspended high‐speed motors
Authors: Zhao Haoyu , Zhu Changsheng
Published: March 2019

In order to eliminate the coupling between of radial four degree‐of‐freedoms (DOFs) in a rigid rotor supported by two radial active magnetic bearings and to suppress the rotor imbalance vibration, a feedforward decoupling control was proposed, and then the rotor imbalance compensation based on imbalance identification was used after the rotor system had been decoupled. A time‐optimal tracking differentiator was used to improve the performances of feedforward decoupling control and imbalance compensation. Numerical simulations and experiment results show that the radial four DOF coupling system could be completely decoupled into four single DOF systems by the feedforward decoupling controller, the imbalance vibration of the decoupled system could be effectively suppressed by the imbalance compensation, the performances of decoupling and imbalance compensation could be improved and the anti‐interference ability of the control system could be enhanced by using the time‐optimal tracking differentiator.
Ka‐band planar Vivaldi antenna with a core for high gain
Authors: Hoang Manh‐Ha , Yang Kansheng , John Matthias , McEvoy Patrick , Ammann Max J.
Published: March 2019

A planar Vivaldi antenna structure with a core element is proposed for high gain. Techniques to achieve a significant gain improvement over the full Ka (24–40 GHz) band are implemented; including a frequency‐independent excitation method, the introduction of logarithmic ripple on the lateral edges and enclosing the antenna in a dielectric material.
New parameter tuning method for LCC/LCC compensated IPT system with constant voltage output based on LC resonance principles
Authors: Chen Yang , Yang Naijian , Li Qiao , He Zhengyou , Mai Ruikun
Published: March 2019

Compensation topologies with constant current (CC) or constant voltage (CV) play essential roles in inductive power transfer (IPT) systems. This article describes basic LC resonance principles, which can analyse the output characteristics of all the compensation topologies with CC or CV outputs. By combining LC principles, a new parameter tuning method for LCC/LCC topology with CV output is proposed, followed by efficiency analysis and sensitivity analysis as per various configurations. Moreover, comparing with conventional topologies, it indicates that the LCC/LCC topology has three advantages: (i) The output voltage is load‐independent, and it can easily achieve zero phase angle (ZPA) or zero voltage switching (ZVS); (ii) This topology can free the design from the restrictions enforced by the loosely coupled transformer parameters; (iii) The topology is equipped with high‐order harmonic suppression capability. Finally, a 1300‐W laboratory‐scale prototype with a 15 cm air gap was built to verify the theoretical analysis. The experimental results demonstrate the feasibility and superiority of the proposed LCC/LCC IPT system with new parameter tuning method.
Data‐driven disturbance source identification for power system oscillations using credibility search ensemble learning
Authors: Ul Banna Hasan , Solanki Sarika Khushalani , Solanki Jignesh
Published: March 2019

Low‐frequency oscillations in power system degrade power quality and may trigger blackouts. This study identifies the source location of these oscillations using measurements from phasor measurement unit (PMU), offline credibility estimation and classification models. The performance of these classification models is ranked for each reported feature to use highly ranked models during the online stage. This proposed framework named as credibility search ensemble learning was tested and validated with promising results using western interconnection power system in North America (WECC‐179). The reliability and robustness of the proposed framework were checked against measurement errors in PMUs as well as for practical topology change scenarios. Experimental results and performance comparison with average weight‐based approach proved that the proposed approach is capable enough to predict the source location of oscillations with good accuracy. An interfacing tool, for MATLAB‐WEKA, was developed and employed in this work for validation and testing of the proposed approach.
Variational method for a backward problem for a time-fractional diffusion equation
Authors: Wei Ting , Xian Jun
Published: March 2019

This paper is devoted to solve a backward problem for a time-fractional diffusion equation by a variational method. The regularity of a weak solution for the direct problem as well as the existence and uniqueness of a weak solution for the adjoint problem are proved. We formulate the backward problem into a variational problem by using the Tikhonov regularization method, and obtain an approximation to the minimizer of the variational problem by using a conjugate gradient method. Four numerical examples in one-dimensional and two-dimensional cases are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Kasuserwerb in der Erstsprache Türkisch: Eine Untersuchung zur Akkusativ- und Dativproduktion von bilingual türkisch-deutschsprachigen Kindern
Authors: Gökgöz Kübra , Gagarina Natalia , Klassert Annegret
Published: March 2019

Während für den monolingualen Erwerb des Türkischen ausreichend Evidenzen vorliegen, dass Kasus innerhalb der ersten drei Lebensjahre erworben wird und Erwerbsprobleme ein sicherer Indikator für SSES sind, ist dies für den bilingualen Erwerb nicht ausreichend geklärt. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht in longitudinalen Daten von ungestörten 18 zwei- bis vierjährigen bilingual türkisch-deutsch-sprachigen Kindern die Korrektheitswerte, Entwicklungsmuster und Fehlertypen in einem Elizitierungstest für Akkusativ und Dativ in der Erstsprache Türkisch. Auch nach dem vierten Lebensjahr sind die getesteten Bereiche nicht von allen Kindern vollständig erworben. Der Kasus ist demnach unter bilingualen Erwerbsbedingungen ein vulnerabler Bereich und als alleiniger Marker nicht geeignet, um zwischen gestörter und ungestörter bilingualer Sprachentwicklung zu unterscheiden. Das häufige Ausweichen auf pronominale Reaktionen und andere Wörter auf Grund lexikalischer Unsicherheiten, verdeutlicht die Notwendigkeit von erstsprachlichen Kompetenzen bei der Beurteilung der Korrektheit der Reaktionen.
Orthogeriatrie
Authors: Liener Ulrich , Peters Kerstin , Hartwig Erich , Hoffmann Reinhard , Bücking Benjamin
Published: March 2019

Die Anzahl osteoporotischer Frakturen und multimorbider Patienten ist in den letzten Jahren angestiegen und wird weiter steigen. Aufgrund der substanziellen Morbidität und Mortalität von Fragilitätsfrakturen bei diesen Patienten hat inzwischen ein Paradigmenwechsel – weg von der Sichtweise einer unfallchirurgischen Monoverletzung, hin zu der Sichtweise eines orthogeriatrischen Syndroms – stattgefunden. Neben der Frakturversorgung beinhaltet dieses Konzept auch eine medikamentöse Therapie der Osteoporose.
Abirateron plus Prednison beim neu diagnostizierten Hochrisiko-metastasierten hormonsensitiven Prostatakarzinom (mHSPC)
Authors: Miller Kurt
Published: March 2019

Die Ergebnisse der beiden Studien LATITUDE 1 und STAMPEDE 2 zur Kombinationstherapie von Abirateron plus Prednison (Abirateron/P) mit konventioneller ADT haben eine praxisverändernde Alternative zur kombinierten Hormon-Chemotherapie mit ADT plus Docetaxel in der Erstlinientherapie des neu diagnostizierten Hochrisiko-metastasierten hormonsensitiven Prostatakarzinoms (mHSPC) aufgezeigt. In beiden Studien führte Abirateron/P zu einer deutlichen Verlängerung des progressionsfreien und Gesamtüberlebens. Ob Abirateron/P plus ADT als neuer Goldstandard beim neu diagnostizierten Hochrisiko-mHSPC anzusehen ist, kann derzeit nicht sicher beurteilt werden, da direkte Vergleichsstudien noch fehlen. Die vorliegenden indirekten Daten zeigen aber, dass Abirateron/P eine mindestens vergleichbare, wenn nicht sogar etwas höhere Effektivität aufweist, bei einer insgesamt besseren Verträglichkeit.
Changing trends of incidence and prognosis of thyroid
carcinoma
Authors: Farahati Jamshid , Mäder Uwe , Gilman Elena , Görges Rainer , Maric Ines , Binse Ina , Hänscheid Heribert , Herrmann Ken , Buck Andreas , Bockisch Andreas
Published: March 2019

Aim to evaluate the time trend of epidemiology of follicular cell derived
thyroid cancer (TC) based on data from a well documented cancer registry.

Methods Population based data on TC from Lower Franconia (LF), Germany,
within 1981 and 2015 were analysed to estimate the regional epidemiology of TC.
The incidence was assessed in 5-year-intervals for gender, histology, and tumor
stage.

Results Incidence of TC solely attributable to papillary TC (PTC) doubled
mainly in T1- and T2-stages within the evaluation period from 4.5 to
8.7/100.000/y in females and 1.7 to 4.1/100.000/y in males. There was no
significant change of follicular TC (FTC), whereas anaplastic TC (ATC) decreased
in the same interval. The number of lymph-node metastases and T3-cases
increased, while the frequency of T4-stage and distant metastases decreased.
Increased incidences of T1- and T2-stages suggest an over-diagnosis. In
contrast, increasing number of tumors at T3-stage and with lymph node
involvement contradict the over-diagnosis as the only reason for rising
incidence. Declining of T4-stages in spite of increasing of T3-stages and
N1-cases indicates the value of timely detection and treatment of TC. In
accordance, reduced incidence of advanced cancers with M1-stage and ATC cases
promote our current management of TC.

Conclusion Timely diagnosis and adequate risk-adopted treatment of thyroid
cancer reduce the frequency of high-risk cases with distant metastases and the
possible protracted dedifferentiation of TC to anaplastic features. Our analyses
support the management algorithm in thyroid cancer according to the recent
guidelines of German Nuclear Medicine Society.
N-Halo Reagents: Modern Synthetic Approaches for Heterocyclic Synthesis
Authors: de Andrade Vitor , de Mattos Marcio
Published: March 2019

Heterocyclic chemistry is an essential frontier in science and a source of novel biologically active compounds. The development of innovative synthetic methodologies that allows access to different heterocyclic rings is of critical interest to the scientific community. This review will focus on recent applications of N-halo compounds (e.g., N-halosuccinimides, trihaloisocyanuric acids, N-halosulfonamides, etc.) in heterocyclic construction via electrophilic cyclization, asymmetric halocyclization, oxidative cyclization, and radical processes.

1 Introduction

2 N-Halo Reagent Mediated Heterocyclic Construction and Functionalization

2.1 Electrophilic Halocyclizations

2.1.1 Asymmetric Halocyclizations

2.2 Radical Halocyclizations

2.3 Oxidative Halocyclizations

2.4 Miscellaneous Halocyclization Reactions

3 Summary and Outlook
Cationic distribution, exchange interactions, and relaxation dynamics in Zn-diluted MnCo2O4 nanostructures
Authors: Pramanik P. , Joshi D. C. , Tiwari N. , Sarkar T. , Pittala S. , Salman O. O. , Manga M.-M. , Thota S.
Published: March 2019

We report an experimental investigation of the electronic structure and magnetic properties of bulk and nanosized MnCo2O4 diluted with Zn. The cationic distribution for tetrahedral A-site dilution is (Co1−yA2+ZnyA2+)A[Mn3+Co3+]BO4±δ, whereas B-site dilution results in (Co2+)A[Mn1−xB3+ZnxB2+Co3+]BO4−δ. The strength of exchange interaction Jij between the magnetic ions in a bulk spinel lattice decreases by ∼15% for A-site dilution relative to the undiluted compound; however, B-site dilution results in an enhancement in Jij by 17%. The frequency and temperature dependence of dynamic-susceptibility [χac(f,T)] studies of nanostructured compounds reveals the existence of spin-glass like behavior below the freezing temperature TF∼125.7K (for xB=0.2) and 154.3 K (yA=0.1). Relaxation time τ follows the Power-Law variation with a dynamical critical exponent zν=6.17 and microscopic spin relaxation time τo=4.4×10−15s for xB=0.2 (for yA=0.1, zν=5.2 and τo=5.4×10−13s). The amplitude and peak position in χac(T) decreases with an increase in the DC bias field, which indicates that the spin-glass phase can survive in the presence of low fields forming a critical line with an exponent 2/3. This behavior is similar to the de Almeida-Thouless (AT-line) analysis in the T-H phase diagram which supports the existence of spin-glass like behavior below TF in these Zn diluted spinels.
Size-dependent luminescence kinetics of rare-earth Er3+ ions in Y2O3 nanospheres
Authors: Zaitsev S. V. , Kiselev A. P. , Zverkova I. I. , Yablonskiy A. N. , Matveevskaya N. A. , Tolmachev A. V.
Published: March 2019

The luminescence kinetics of Er ions in Y2O3:Er nanospheres with diameters of 75–270 nm has been studied. A pronounced decrease in the luminescence decay times for Er3+ ion transitions in the green-red visible range is observed with increasing diameter up to 270 nm, unlike near-infrared emission at ∼1.5 μm. This finding is attributed to the appearance of photonic modes accelerating spontaneous luminescence, which is confirmed by a model calculation of bound optical states in the studied nanospheres.
Gold as a standard phase reference in complex sum frequency generation measurements
Authors: Marmolejos Joam M. , Bisson Patrick J. , Shultz Mary Jane
Published: March 2019

Complex, soft interfaces abound in the environment, biological systems, and technological applications. Probing these interfaces, particularly those buried between two condensed phases presents many challenges. The only current method capable of probing such interfaces with molecular specificity is the vibrational spectroscopy, sum frequency generation (SFG). SFG is a nonlinear method, which often results both in small signals from minority species being lost in the noise and nonunique separation of resonances. Both issues can be addressed if the complex amplitude rather than the intensity—the square of the amplitude—spectrum is measured. Thus, several methods have been developed to determine the complex spectrum by measuring the sample of interest with respect to a nonresonant material. Incorrect assumptions about the phase of the nonresonant material can result in ambiguity about the sample complex components. This ambiguity can be removed if a phase standard is identified and the phase of the chosen reference material is measured against the standard. This paper reports both verification of a phase standard—Z-cut quartz—and measurement of the phase of gold against this standard. Using this phase standard, the standard phase of Au is determined to be −222° with 532 nm excitation and ppp polarization.
Probing the impact of carbon quantum dots on partially unwound helical mode in ferroelectric liquid crystals
Authors: Gangwar Lokesh K. , Kumar Aditya , Singh Gautam , Choudhary Amit , Rajesh  , Singh Surinder P. , Biradar Ashok M.
Published: March 2019

We report the modulation in dielectric properties of a ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) by using carbon quantum dots (CQDs) of size ∼4–5 nm. The appearance of a low frequency dielectric relaxation mode in the FLC, called the partially unwound helical mode (p-UHM), is controlled by CQDs with a FLC material in two different ways. Firstly, CQDs are dispersed into the bulk of the FLC before filling into a sample cell, and secondly, they are deposited onto the surface of a substrate. In both cases, the p-UHM has been found suppressed due to the modulation of a helicoidal structure at the interface of the FLC and the surface of the substrate of the sample cell. It has also been confirmed that CQDs at the interface of the FLC and the surface of the substrate have not affected the intrinsic properties of the FLC material. On the other hand, CQDs in the bulk of the FLC have shown remarkable variations in the fundamental properties of the FLC material. The suppression of the dielectric mode is confirmed by high-resolution dielectric spectroscopy, optical textures, and contact angle measurements. The concept of appearance and disappearance of the p-UHM process leads to the understanding of FLC systems in confined geometries for various display and non-display applications.
Separated variables and wave functions for rational gl(N) spin chains in the companion twist frame
Authors: Ryan Paul , Volin Dmytro
Published: March 2019

We propose a basis for rational gl(N) spin chains in an arbitrary rectangular representation (SA) that factorises the Bethe vectors into products of Slater determinants in Baxter Q-functions. This basis is constructed by repeated action of fused transfer matrices on a suitable reference state. We prove that it diagonalises the so-called B-operator; hence, the operatorial roots of the latter are the separated variables. The spectrum of the separated variables is also explicitly computed, and it turns out to be labeled by Gelfand-Tsetlin patterns. Our approach utilises a special choice of the spin chain twist which substantially simplifies derivations.
REMP: A hybrid perturbation theory providing improved electronic wavefunctions and properties
Authors: Behnle Stefan , Fink Reinhold F.
Published: March 2019

We propose a new perturbation theoretical approach to the electron correlation energy by choosing the zeroth order Hamiltonian as a linear combination of the corresponding “Retaining the Excitation degree” (RE) and the Møller-Plesset (MP) operators. In order to fulfill Kato cusp conditions, the RE and MP contributions are chosen to sum up to one. 15% ± 5% MP contribution is deduced to be in an optimal range from a fit of the first order REMP wavefunction to near full configuration interaction reference data. For closed shell systems, the same range of MP weights shows best performance for equilibrium bond distances and vibrational wavenumbers of diatomic molecules, the reaction energies in the spin component scaled MP2 fit set, the transition energies of the BHPERI test set, and the parameterized coupled cluster with singles and doubles (pCCSD) fit set. For these properties, REMP outperforms all other tested perturbation theories at second order and shows equal performance as the best coupled pair approaches or pCCSD methods as well as the best double hybrid density functionals. Furthermore, REMP is shown to fulfill all required fundamental boundary conditions of proper wavefunction based quantum chemical methods (unitary invariance and size consistency).
Collective Thomson scattering model for arbitrarily drifting
bi-Maxwellian velocity distributions
Authors: Abramovic I. , Salewski M. , Moseev D.
Published: March 2019

In this paper we derive the equations of collective Thomson scattering (CTS) for an arbitrarily drifting magnetized plasma described by a bi-Maxwellian distribution. The model allows the treatment of anisotropic plasma with different parallel and perpendicular temperatures (with respect to the magnetic field) as well as parallel and perpendicular plasma drift. As could be expected, parallel observation directions are most sensitive to the parallel temperature and drift, whereas perpendicular observation directions are most sensitive to the perpendicular temperature and the perpendicular drift along the observation direction. The perpendicular drift can be related to the radial electric field. Measurements with a spectral resolution better than 0.5 MHz are necessary for the inference of the radial electric field. This spectral resolution and the required scattering geometry are attainable with the current setup of the CTS diagnostic on Wendelstein 7-X.
A theoretical study on the infrared signatures of proton-bound rare gas dimers (Rg–H+–Rg), Rg = {Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe}
Authors: Tan Jake A. , Kuo Jer-Lai
Published: March 2019

The infrared spectrum of proton-bound rare gas dimers has been extensively studied via matrix isolation spectroscopy. However, little attention has been paid on their spectrum in the gas phase. Most of the Rg2H+ has not been detected outside the matrix environment. Recently, ArnH+ (n = 3-7) has been first detected in the gas-phase [D. C. McDonald et al., J. Chem. Phys. 145, 231101 (2016)]. In that work, anharmonic theory can reproduce the observed vibrational structure. In this paper, we extend the existing theory to examine the vibrational signatures of Rg2H+, Rg = {Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe}. The successive binding of Rg to H+ was investigated through the calculation of stepwise formation energies. It was found that this binding is anti-cooperative. High-level full-dimensional potential energy surfaces at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVQZ//MP2/aug-cc-pVQZ were constructed and used in the anharmonic calculation via discrete variable representation. We found that the potential coupling between the symmetric and asymmetric Rg-H+ stretch (ν1 and ν3 respectively) causes a series of bright n1ν1 + ν3 progressions. From Ne2H+ to Xe2H+, an enhancement of intensities for these bands was observed.
Structures of benzonitrile dimer radical cation and the protonated dimer: Observation of hydronium ion core solvated by benzonitrile molecules
Authors: Mason Kyle A. , Pearcy Adam C. , Hamid Ahmed M. , El-Shall M. Samy
Published: March 2019

The recent discovery of benzonitrile (C6H5CN), one of the simplest nitrogen-bearing polar aromatic molecules, in the interstellar medium motivates structural characterization of the benzonitrile-containing molecular ions as potential precursors for nitrogen-containing complex organics in space. Herein, we present mass-selected ion mobility measurements combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations to reveal, for the first time, the structures of the benzonitrile dimer radical cation, the protonated dimer, and the protonated hydrated small clusters in the gas phase. The measured collision cross sections of the investigated ions in helium are in excellent agreement with the calculated values of the lowest energy DFT structures. Unlike the dimer radical cations of nonpolar aromatic molecules which adopt parallel sandwich configurations, the (C6H5CN)2·+ displays a symmetrically planar geometry with a double hydrogen bond formed between the nitrogen and hydrogen atoms. The protonated dimer has the structure of a proton-bound dimer (C6H5CNH+NCC6H5) where the bridging proton connects the nitrogen atoms in the two benzonitrile molecules resulting in a calculated collision cross section of 101.1 Å2 in excellent agreement with the measured value of 103.3 Å2. The structure of the hydrated protonated trimer consists of a hydronium ion core solvated by three benzonitrile molecules. By locating the proton on the lower proton affinity water molecule, the resulting hydronium ion can be fully solvated by forming three ionic hydrogen bonds with the benzonitrile molecules. These unique structural motifs could be useful for the molecular design and recognition involving charged aromatic systems and also for the search of nitrogen-containing complex organics in space.
TINP1 homolog is required for planarian regeneration
Authors: Sun Yujia , Gao Tingting , Zhang Shoutao , Zhang Yizhe , Tian Qingnan
Published: March 2019

The planarian flatworm is an ideal system for the study of regeneration in vivo. In this study, we focus on TINP1, which is one of the most conserved proteins in eukaryotic organisms. We found that TINP1 was expressed in parenchymal region through whole body as well as central nervous system (CNS) during the course of regeneration. RNA interference targeting DjTINP1 caused lysis defects in regenerating tissues and a decreased in cell division and expression levels of DjpiwiA and Djpcna. Furthermore, the expression levels of DjTINP1 were decreased when we inhibited the TGF-β signal by knockdown of smad4, which is the sole co-smad and has been proved to control the blastema patterning and central nervous system (CNS) regeneration in planarians. These findings suggest that DjTINP1 participate in the maintenance of neoblasts and be required for proper cell proliferation in planarians as a downstream gene of the TGF-β signal pathway.
Progress toward divertor detachment on TCV within H-mode operating parameters
Authors: Harrison J R , Theiler C , Février O , Oliviera H de , Maurizio R , Verhaegh K , Perek A , Karpushov A , Lipschultz B , Duval B P , Feng X , Henderson S , Labit B , Linehan B , Merle A , Reimerdes H , Sheikh U , Tsui C K , Vijvers W A J , Wüthrich C
Published: March 2019

Recent experiments on Tokamak à Configuration Variable have made significant progress toward partial detachment of the outer divertor in neutral beam heated H-mode plasmas in conventional and alternative divertor configurations. The heating power required to enter H-mode was measured in a range of divertor configurations. It is found that at the core densities most favourable for H-mode access, the L–H threshold power is largely independent of the poloidal flux expansion and major radius of the outer divertor, and in the snowflake minus configuration. A factor 2 reduction in the outer divertor power load was achieved in ELM-free (using a fuelling and nitrogen seeding) and ELMy (using nitrogen seeding) H-mode plasmas. No significant reduction in the outer divertor particle flux was achieved in the ELM-free scenarios, compared with ~30% reduction in the most strongly detached ELMy cases. The poloidal flux expansion at the outer divertor was not found to significantly alter the cooling of the divertor in the ELM-free scenarios.
Non-local impact of link failures in linear flow networks
Authors: Strake Julius , Kaiser Franz , Basiri Farnaz , Ronellenfitsch Henrik , Witthaut Dirk
Published: March 2019

The failure of a single link can degrade the operation of a supply network up to the point of complete collapse. Yet, the interplay between network topology and locality of the response to such damage is poorly understood. Here, we study how topology affects the redistribution of flow after the failure of a single link in linear flow networks with a special focus on power grids. In particular, we analyze the decay of flow changes with distance after a link failure and map it to the field of an electrical dipole for lattice-like networks. The corresponding inverse-square law is shown to hold for all regular tilings. For sparse networks, a long-range response is found instead. In the case of more realistic topologies, we introduce a rerouting distance, which captures the decay of flow changes better than the traditional geodesic distance. Finally, we are able to derive rigorous bounds on the strength of the decay for arbitrary topologies that we verify through extensive numerical simulations. Our results show that it is possible to forecast flow rerouting after link failures to a large extent based on purely topological measures and that these effects generally decay with distance from the failing link. They might be used to predict links prone to failure in supply networks such as power grids and thus help to construct grids providing a more robust and reliable power supply.
A universal macroscopic theory of surface plasma waves and their losses
Authors: Deng Hai-Yao
Published: March 2019

Recently, we have revealed an intrinsic instability of metals due to surface plasma waves (SPWs) and raised the prospect of using it to create lossless SPWs. The counter-intuitive nature of this finding prompts one to ask, why had not this instability been disclosed before, given the long history of this subject? If this instability does exist, how far is it from reality? The present work is devoted to answering these questions. To this end, we derive a unified macroscopic theory of SPWs that applies to any type of electron dynamics, be they local or non-local, classical or quantum-mechanical. In light of this theory, we analyze the behaviors of SPWs according to several electron dynamics models, including the widely used local dielectric model, the hydrodynamic model and the specular reflection model, in addition to the less common semi-classical model. We find that, in order to unveil the instability, one must (i) self-consistently treat surface effects without any of the usually imposed auxiliary conditions and (ii) include translation symmetry breaking effects in electron dynamics. As far as we are concerned, none existing work had fulfilled both (i) and (ii). To assess the possibility of realizing the instability, we analyze two very important factors: the dielectric interfacing the metal and inter-band transitions, which both were ignored in our recent work. Whereas inter-band absorption—together with Landau damping—is shown adverse to the instability, a dielectric brings it closer to occurrence. One may even attain it in common plasmonic materials such as silver under not so tough conditions.
Psychosocial Stress and Overweight and Obesity: Findings From the Chicago Community Adult Health Study
Authors: Cuevas Adolfo G , Chen Ruijia , Thurber Katherine A , Slopen Natalie , Williams David R
Published: March 2019

Background

Psychosocial stress has been implicated as a risk factor for overweight and obesity. However, research on psychosocial stressors and overweight and obesity has typically focused on single stressors in isolation, which may overestimate the impact of a specific stressor and fail to describe the role of cumulative stress on overweight and obesity risk.

Purpose

This study explores the association between overweight/obesity and cumulative exposure to a wide range of psychosocial stressors, among a multiracial/ethnic sample of adults.

Methods

Using secondary data from the Chicago Community Adult Health Study (n = 2,983), we conducted multinomial logistic regression analyses to quantify associations between eight psychosocial stressors, individually and in combination, and measured overweight and obesity, adjusted for sociodemographic factors, alcohol use and smoking.

Results

In separated covariate-adjusted models, childhood adversities (odds ratio [OR] = 1.16; confidence interval [CI] = [1.03, 1.30]), acute life events (OR = 1.18; CI = [1.04, 1.34]), financial strain (OR = 1.30; CI = [1.15, 1.47]), and relationship stressors (OR = 1.18; CI = [1.04, 1.35]) were associated with increased odds of obesity. In a model adjusted for all stressors simultaneously, financial strain was the only stressor independently associated with overweight (OR = 1.17; CI = [1.00, 1.36]) and obesity (OR = 1.21; CI = [1.05, 1.39]). Participants with stress exposure in the highest quintile across 2, 3, or ≥4 (compared to no) types of stressors had significantly higher odds of obesity.

Conclusions

Multiple types of stressors may be risk factors for obesity, and cumulative exposure to these stressors may increase the odds of obesity. Reducing exposure to stressors at the population level may have the potential to contribute to reducing the burden of obesity.
The Influence of Supply Management on Farmland Values in Ontario
Authors: Vyn Richard J , Rude James
Published: March 2019

Supply management programs for Canada's dairy and poultry sectors are intended to reduce price volatility and provide fair returns for producers. However, the reduced risk and higher returns for these producers may contribute to higher farmland values. This paper estimates the impact of supply management on farmland values in the Canadian province of Ontario using a hedonic approach based on over 25,000 farmland sales. The results indicate that farmland values have been positively impacted by supply‐managed livestock density. In addition, a recent policy change ‐ a cap on the price of dairy quota ‐ is found to further contribute to increased farmland values.
Spatially varying age–period–cohort analysis with application to US mortality, 2002–2016
Authors: Chernyavskiy Pavel , Little Mark P , Rosenberg Philip S
Published: March 2019

Many public health databases index disease counts by age groups and calendar periods within geographic regions (e.g., states, districts, or counties). Issues around relative risk estimation in small areas are well-studied; however, estimating trend parameters that vary across geographic regions has received less attention. Additionally, small counts (e.g., $\lt10$) in most publicly accessible databases are censored, further complicating age–period–cohort (APC) analysis in small areas. Here, we present a novel APC model with left-censoring and spatially varying intercept and trends, estimated with correlations among contiguous geographic regions. Like traditional models, our model captures population-scale trends, but it can also be used to characterize geographic disparities in relative risk and age-adjusted trends over time. To specify the joint distribution of our three spatially varying parameters, we adapt the generalized multivariate conditional autoregressive prior, previously used for multivariate disease mapping. Specified in this manner, region-specific parameters are correlated spatially, and also to one another. Estimation is performed using the No-U-Turn Hamiltonian Monte Carlo sampler in Stan. We conduct a simulation study to assess the performance of the proposed model relative to the standard model, and conclude with an application to US state-level opioid overdose mortality in men and women aged 15–64 years.
“Not for Lazy Moms”: The Real Housewives of Potomac’s Monique Samuels and the Branding of Black Motherhood
Authors: Hornsby Elizabeth R
Published: March 2019

This article explores how Monique Samuels’s role in The Real Housewives of Potomac (TRHOP) and in her Not For Lazy Moms (NFLM) branded spaces, works both for and against the new momism to make visible black women’s experiences navigating essentialism, choice, and the identity work of black motherhood. Samuels’s positionality as a black woman leveraging her essential oils storyline into building a brand for herself brings the franchise into new cultural terrain: “the new momism.” Douglas and Michaels (2004) describe the new momism as a celebration of motherhood that encourages agency and autonomy but ultimately centers on intense devotion to childrearing. Samuels’s TRHOP storylines and extratextual self-fashioning deploy the tenets of the new momism and disrupt its inherent white supremacy to authenticate her identity through essential oils as a wellness commodity and curate an affective space for black women with her NFLM lifestyle brand.
International Jurisprudence Concerning the Group or Unity Principle in Territorial Allocation
Authors: Ma Xuechan
Published: March 2019

In the past one hundred years, a series of international cases have addressed the group or unity principle in the context of territorial allocation. This article provides an analysis of such jurisprudence, and concludes that this principle can act as a mediating principle to inform the interpretation and application of the primary rules relating to territorial acquisition, thus raising a presumption about the extent and scope of an established territorial title. By showing respect for the natural link between land territories that form an integral group or unity, this principle might provide an efficient and pragmatic approach to settling territorial disputes.
The Role of 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in the Diagnosis of Left-sided Endocarditis: Native vs Prosthetic Valves Endocarditis
Authors: de Camargo Raphael Abegão , Sommer Bitencourt Marcio , Meneghetti José Claudio , Soares Jose , Gonçalves Luís Fernando Tonello , Buchpiguel Carlos Alberto , Paixão Milena Ribeiro , Felicio Marilia Francesconi , de Matos Soeiro Alexandre , Varejão Strabelli Tania Mara , Mansur Alfredo Jose , Tarasoutchi Flavio , Tavares de Oliveira Mucio , Bianchi Castelli Jussara , Menosi Gualandro Danielle , Zoboli Pocebon Lucas , Blankstein Ron , Alavi Abass , Moore John Edmund , Millar Beverley Cherie , Focaccia Siciliano Rinaldo
Published: March 2019

Background

18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG-PET/CT) has emerged as a useful diagnostic tool for suspected infective endocarditis (IE) in patients with prosthetic valves or implantable devices. However, there is limited evidence regarding use of 18F-FDG-PET/CT for the diagnosis of native valve endocarditis (NVE).

Methods

Between 2014 and 2017, 303 episodes of left-sided suspected IE (188 prosthetic valves/ascending aortic prosthesis and 115 native valves) were studied. 18F-FDG-PET/CT accuracy was determined in the subgroups of patients with NVE and prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE)/ascending aortic prosthesis infection (AAPI). Associations between inflammatory infiltrate patterns and 18F-FDG-PET/CT uptake were investigated in an exploratory ad hoc histological analysis.

Results

Among 188 patients with PVE/AAPI, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of 18F-FDG-PET/CT focal uptake were 93%, 90%, 89%, and 94%, respectively, while among 115 patients with NVE, the corresponding values were 22%, 100%, 100%, and 66%. The inclusion of abnormal 18F-FDG cardiac uptake as a major criterion at admission enabled a recategorization of 76% (47/62) of PVE/AAPI cases initially classified as “possible” to “definite” IE. In the histopathological analysis, a predominance of polymorphonuclear cell inflammatory infiltrate and a reduced extent of fibrosis were observed in the PVE group only.

Conclusions

Use of 18F-FDG-PET/CT at the initial presentation of patients with suspected PVE increases the diagnostic capability of the modified Duke criteria. In patients who present with suspected NVE, the use of 18F-FDG-PET/CT is less accurate and could only be considered a complementary diagnostic tool for a specific population of patients with NVE.
Patterns of medication use and the burden of polypharmacy in patients with chronic kidney disease: the German Chronic Kidney Disease study
Authors: Schmidt Insa M , Hübner Silvia , Nadal Jennifer , Titze Stephanie , Schmid Matthias , Bärthlein Barbara , Schlieper Georg , Dienemann Thomas , Schultheiss Ulla T , Meiselbach Heike , Köttgen Anna , Flöge Jürgen , Busch Martin , Kreutz Reinhold , Kielstein Jan T , Eckardt Kai-Uwe
Published: March 2019

Background

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) bear a substantial burden of comorbidities leading to the prescription of multiple drugs and a risk of polypharmacy. However, data on medication use in this population are scarce.

Methods

A total of 5217 adults with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) between 30 and 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 or an eGFR ≥60 mL/min/1.73m2 and overt proteinuria (>500 mg/day) were studied. Self-reported data on current medication use were assessed at baseline (2010–12) and after 4 years of follow-up (FU). Prevalence and risk factors associated with polypharmacy (defined as the regular use of five or more drugs per day) as well as initiation or termination of polypharmacy were evaluated using multivariable logistic regression.

Results

The prevalence of polypharmacy at baseline and FU was almost 80%, ranging from 62% in patients with CKD Stage G1 to 86% in those with CKD Stage G3b. The median number of different medications taken per day was eight (range 0–27). β-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and statins were most frequently used. Increasing CKD G stage, age and body mass index, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and a history of smoking were significantly associated with both the prevalence of polypharmacy and its maintenance during FU. Diabetes mellitus was also significantly associated with the initiation of polypharmacy [odds ratio (OR) 2.46, (95% confidence interval 1.36–4.45); P = 0.003].

Conclusion

Medication burden in CKD patients is high. Further research appears warranted to address the implications of polypharmacy, risks of drug interactions and strategies for risk reduction in this vulnerable patient population.
An Improvement of the CS Attack to DSC Cipher
Authors: Liu Hanqiu , Jin Chenhui
Published: March 2019

The DECT standard cipher (DSC) is a 64-bit stream cipher, which was used in the digital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT) standard to protect the privacy of users. The Coisel–Sanchez (CS) attack proposed by Coisel and Sanchez in CHES 2015 is the most effective cryptanalysis against the DSC cipher up to now. Based on the CS attack, we present an improved attack in which an information collection method with unknown memory is used to improve the utilization of information and the message classification technique is adopted to reduce the computation time of evaluation indexes. Meanwhile, we present an improved pre-sieving technique to avoid the computation of evaluation indexes of a large number of incorrect candidates. Our known plaintext attack requires only 2 min of communication compared to 3 min for the CS attack. By analyzing 213 keystreams, our approach is able to increase the success probability of retrieving secret key from 55–89%. As far as we know, the attack we present in this paper is the most effective one among the existing attacks to the DSC cipher.
Mitral valve repair using edge-to-edge technique in various situations: real-world experiences
Authors: Hirji Sameer A , Del Val Fernando Ramirez , Yazdchi Farhang , Lee Jiyae , Ejiofor Julius , Kolkailah Ahmed A , Chowdhury Ritam , McGurk Siobhan , Kaneko Tsuyoshi
Published: March 2019

OBJECTIVES

Edge-to-edge (E2E) mitral valve repair (MVP) is a versatile technique used in various situations for mitral regurgitation (MR). This technique has been regaining attention, given the increasing use of the MitraClip procedure. This real-world study evaluates the durability of the E2E technique in different settings.

METHODS

From January 2002 to May 2015, a total of 303 patients with at least moderate MR who underwent E2E MVP were identified. Patients undergoing isolated MVP (n = 133) and concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting or other valvular procedures (N = 170) were included. Cox proportional hazards modelling was used to evaluate the risk factors for cumulative survival, or MV event (i.e. MV reintervention or MR recurrence) while event-free survival—defined as time to composite outcome of either death or MV event—was determined using competing risk Kaplan–Meier analysis. Median follow-up duration was 6.9 (interquartile range 5.8) years.

RESULTS

The most common MR aetiology was myxomatous (34%), followed by Barlow’s disease (27.7%), and ischaemic (21.5%). E2E MVP was performed for the following indications: persistent MR (51.5%), systolic anterior motion prophylaxis (22.1%), transaortic approach (17.5%) and systolic anterior motion treatment post-MVP (8.9%). Concomitant ring annuloplasty was performed in 224 patients (73.9%). Operative mortality was 3.6% and MV event rate was 18.5%. Significant predictors of decreased survival included age, renal insufficiency, peripheral vascular disease and ischaemic MR aetiology (all P < 0.050). No ring annuloplasty (HR 2.79; P < 0.001) was the only significant predictor of MV events. Estimated event-free survival for the overall cohort was 8.5 years, and shortest for functional (non-ischaemic; 6.6 years) and ischaemic aetiology (5.5 years).

CONCLUSIONS

E2E repair is a versatile MVP technique, which can be used in prevention and treatment of systolic anterior motion, transaortic approach or with concomitant techniques, with reasonable outcomes. Ischaemic aetiology and absence of ring annuloplasty were associated with worse cumulative survival and MV event rates, respectively, which raises some concern in light of the expanding indication for MitraClip system.