bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of ON and OFF cholinergic amacrine cells in the human fetal retina
Authors: Zhang Chi , Yu Wan‐Qing , Hoshino Akina , Huang Jing , Rieke Fred , Reh Thomas A. , Wong Rachel O.L.
Published: February 2018

Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) expressing retinal amacrine cells are present across vertebrates. These interneurons play important roles in the development of retinal projections to the brain and in motion detection, specifically in generating direction‐selective responses to moving stimuli. ChAT amacrine cells typically comprise two spatially segregated populations that form circuits in the ‘ON’ or ‘OFF’ synaptic layers of the inner retina. This stereotypic arrangement is also found across the adult human retina, with the notable exception that ChAT expression is evident in the ON but not OFF layer of the fovea, a region specialized for high‐acuity vision. We thus investigated whether the human fovea exhibits a developmental path for ON and OFF ChAT cells that is retinal location‐specific. Our analysis shows that at each retinal location, human ON and OFF ChAT cells differentiate, form their separate synaptic layers, and establish non‐random mosaics at about the same time. However, unlike in the adult fovea, ChAT immunostaining is initially robust in both ON and OFF populations, up until at least mid‐gestation. ChAT expression in the OFF layer in the fovea is therefore significantly reduced after mid‐gestation. OFF ChAT cells in the human fovea and in the retinal periphery thus follow distinct maturational paths.
Unsupervised Screening of Vibrational Spectra by Principal Component Analysis for Identifying Molecular Clusters
Authors: Kiefer Johannes , Eisen Kristina
Published: February 2018

Vibrational spectra are commonly used to study molecular interactions in solutions. However, the data analysis is often demanding and requires significant experience in order to obtain meaningful results. This study demonstrates that principal component analysis (PCA) can serve as an unsupervised tool for initial screening of non‐ideal mixture systems. Taking the aqueous solutions of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as an example, PCA reveals—easily and fast—the two prominent stoichiometries at 1:2 and 1:1 molar DMSO:water ratio and significantly outperforms elaborate spectral profile analysis or common algorithms as indirect hard modeling (IHM) or multivariate curve resolution (MCR). The corresponding molecular 1:1 and 1:2 clusters are known to be dominating configurations in the solutions.
Nucleation Control and Separation of Stable and Metastable Polymorphs of L‐histidine Through Novel Swift Cooling Crystallization Process
Authors: Supriya Sundareswaran , Sivan Settu , Srinivasan Karuppannan
Published: February 2018

Nucleation control, separation and crystal growth of polymorphic forms of the well‐known amino acid L‐histidine from pure aqueous solution is investigated by adopting the novel swift cooling crystallization process for the first time. The concomitant nucleation behavior of the stable orthorhombic and metastable monoclinic polymorphs of L‐histidine is investigated under different supersaturation conditions. While lower‐level of supersaturation favours the nucleation of stable polymorph, higher‐level supersaturation favours the nucleation of metastable polymorph of L‐histidine. By this way, the nucleated concomitant polymorphs of L‐histidine are separated successfully and grown as single crystals from pure aqueous solution without using any additives or anti‐solvents. Morphology of the nucleated polymorphs are identified through optical microscopy and confirmed by optical goniometry. Also, the morphological importance of different growth faces is evaluated. The distinction in the crystal system of the two polymorphs is identified by powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD) and their crystallographic unit cell structure is refined by single crystal X‐ray diffraction (SCXRD) analyses. The thermal stability of the grown polymorphs is judged through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Results suggest that the supersaturation plays a key role in the nucleation and growth behaviour of the stable and metastable polymorphs of L‐histidine in aqueous solution.
Simulated eutrophication and browning alters zooplankton nutritional quality and determines juvenile fish growth and survival
Authors: Taipale Sami Johan , Kahilainen Kimmo Kalevi , Holtgrieve Gordon William , Peltomaa Elina Talvikki
Published: February 2018

The first few months of life is the most vulnerable period for fish and their optimal hatching time with zooplankton prey is favored by natural selection. Traditionally, however, prey abundance (i.e., zooplankton density) has been considered important, whereas prey nutritional composition has been largely neglected in natural settings. High‐quality zooplankton, rich in both essential amino acids (EAAs) and fatty acids (FAs), are required as starting prey to initiate development and fast juvenile growth. Prey quality is dependent on environmental conditions, and, for example, eutrophication and browning are two major factors defining primary producer community structures that will directly determine the nutritional quality of the basal food sources (algae, bacteria, terrestrial matter) for zooplankton. We experimentally tested how eutrophication and browning affect the growth and survival of juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) by changing the quality of basal resources. We fed the fish on herbivorous zooplankton (Daphnia) grown with foods of different nutritional quality (algae, bacteria, terrestrial matter), and used GC‐MS, stable isotope labeling as well as bulk and compound‐specific stable isotope analyses for detecting the effects of different diets on the nutritional status of fish. The content of EAAs and omega‐3 (ω‐3) polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs) in basal foods and zooplankton decreased in both eutrophication and browning treatments. The decrease in ω‐3 PUFA and especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was reflected to fish juveniles, but they were able to compensate for low availability of EAAs in their food. Therefore, the reduced growth and survival of the juvenile fish was linked to the low availability of DHA. Fish showed very low ability to convert alpha‐linolenic acid (ALA) to DHA. We conclude that eutrophication and browning decrease the availability of the originally phytoplankton‐derived DHA for zooplankton and juvenile fish, suggesting bottom‐up regulation of food web quality.
Depressed hydraulic redistribution of roots more by stem refilling than by nocturnal transpiration for Populus euphratica Oliv. in situ measurement
Authors: Yu Tengfei , Feng Qi , Si Jianhua , Mitchell Patrick J. , Forster Michael A. , Zhang Xiaoyou , Zhao Chunyan
Published: February 2018

During the night, plant water loss can occur either through the roots, as hydraulic redistribution (HR), or through the leaves via the stoma, as nocturnal transpiration (En), which was methodologically difficult to separate from stem refilling (Re). While HR and En have been reported across a range of species, ecosystem, and climate zone, there is little understanding on the interactions between En and/or Re and HR. As water movement at night occurs via gradients of water potential, it is expected that during periods of high atmospheric vapor pressure deficit (VPD), water loss via En will override water loss via HR. To test this hypothesis, sap flow in stems and roots of Populus euphratica Oliv. trees, growing in a riparian zone in a hyperarid climate, was measured once in a year. Nocturnal stem sap flow was separated into En and Re using the “forecasted refilling” method. Substantial nocturnal sap flow (38% of 24‐hr flux on average) was observed and positively correlated with VPD; however, the strength of the correlation was lower (R2 = .55) than diurnal sap flow (Ed) (R2 = .72), suggesting that nocturnal stem sap flow was attributed to both water loss through the canopy and replenishment of water in stem tissues. Partitioning of nocturnal sap flow shows that Re constituted approximately 80%, and En ~20%, of nocturnal sap flow. The amount of root sap flow attributed to redistribution was negatively related to Ed (R2 = .69) and the amount of acropetally sap flow in stems, Re (R2 = .41) and En (R2 = .14). It was suggested that the magnitude of HR is more strongly depressed by Re that was recharge to the water loss via Ed than by En. It was consistent with whole‐tree water balance theory, that the nighttime upward sap flow to xylem, stem refilling and transpiration, may depress hydraulic redistribution of roots.
Geographic range velocity and its association with phylogeny and life history traits in North American woody plants
Authors: Harnik Paul G. , Maherali Hafiz , Miller Joshua H. , Manos Paul S.
Published: February 2018

The geographic ranges of taxa change in response to environmental conditions. Yet whether rates of range movement (biotic velocities) are phylogenetically conserved is not well known. Phylogenetic conservatism of biotic velocities could reflect similarities among related lineages in climatic tolerances and dispersal‐associated traits. We assess whether late Quaternary biotic velocities were phylogenetically conserved and whether they correlate with climatic tolerances and dispersal‐associated traits. We used phylogenetic regression and nonparametric correlation to evaluate associations between biotic velocities, dispersal‐associated traits, and climatic tolerances for 28 woody plant genera and subgenera in North America. The velocities with which woody plant taxa shifted their core geographic range limits were positively correlated from time step to time step between 16 and 7 ka. The strength of this correlation weakened after 7 ka as the pace of climate change slowed. Dispersal‐associated traits and climatic tolerances were not associated with biotic velocities. Although the biotic velocities of some genera were consistently fast and others consistently slow, biotic velocities were not phylogenetically conserved. The rapid late Quaternary range shifts of plants lacking traits that facilitate frequent long‐distance dispersal has long been noted (i.e., Reid's Paradox). Our results are consistent with this paradox and show that it remains robust when phylogenetic information is taken into account. The lack of association between biotic velocities, dispersal‐associated traits, and climatic tolerances may reflect several, nonmutually exclusive processes, including rare long‐distance dispersal, biotic interactions, and cryptic refugia. Because late Quaternary biotic velocities were decoupled from dispersal‐associated traits, trait data for genera and subgenera cannot be used to predict longer‐term (millennial‐scale) floristic responses to climate change.
Does plant diversity affect the water balance of established grassland systems?
Authors: Leimer Sophia , Bischoff Sebastian , Boch Steffen , Busch Verena , Escher Peter , Fischer Markus , Hänsel Falk , Hölzel Norbert , Kerber Katja , Klaus Valentin H. , Kleinebecker Till , Michalzik Beate , Nauss Thomas , Schäfer Deborah , Schöning Ingo , Schwarz Martin T. , Siemens Jan , Thieme Lisa , Wöllauer Stephan , Wilcke Wolfgang
Published: February 2018

Evidence from experimental grasslands indicated that plant biodiversity modifies the water cycle, but it is unclear if this is also true for established land‐use systems. Therefore, we investigated how actual evapotranspiration (ETa), downward flux (DF), and upward flux (UF) in soil are related with land use and plant diversity in agriculturally managed grassland. In three Central European regions (“Biodiversity Exploratories”), we studied 29 grassland plots (50 × 50 m; 9–11 plots per region) covering the land‐use classes pasture, mown pasture, and meadow, in at least triplicate per region. From 2010 to 2015, we measured soil moisture, meteorological conditions, plant species richness, cover, and number of species in the functional groups of grasses, herbs, and legumes, aboveground biomass and root biomass on each plot. Annual ETa, DF, and UF were calculated for two soil layers with a soil water balance model and statistically analysed for land‐use and biodiversity effects with analysis of variance. Water fluxes were not significantly affected by land‐use class. UF did not vary between plots with different species richness and plant functional group composition. DF from topsoil increased with increasing number of grass species. ETa from topsoil decreased with increasing species richness and with the number of herb or legume species, whereas ETa from subsoil increased. Our results demonstrate that plant diversity influences the soil depth partitioning of water use, but the complex drivers of this relationship in agriculturally managed grassland still need to be disentangled.
Rhodium(III)‐Catalyzed Regioselective Direct C4‐Alkylation and C2‐Annulation of Indoles: Straightforward Access to Indolopyridone
Authors: Biswas Aniruddha , Samanta Rajarshi
Published: February 2018

A straightforward RhIII‐catalyzed strategy was developed for the site‐selective C4‐alkylation and C2‐annulation of indole by using electronically variable diazo esters. The transformation was accomplished with the assist of an oxime directing group at the C3 position of the indole core with wide scope and functional‐group tolerance. The method directly provided an indolopyridone core. The selectivity was triggered by the reactivity of the diazo coupling partner.
Development of Glass‐sealed Gold Nanoelectrodes for in vivo Detection of Dopamine in Rat Brain
Authors: Ding Shushu , Liu Yingzi , Ma Chunrong , Zhang Junqi , Zhu Anwei , Shi Guoyue
Published: February 2018

In vivo monitoring of dopamine (DA) in cerebral nervous system with no traumatic brain injury is still a challenging work for reliably evaluating the role that DA plays in physical and cognitive functionality. In this work, to reduce the traumatic injury on the brain tissue, we develop a glass‐sealed Au nanoelectrode (GSNE) with nanoscale physical dimention for cerebral DA detection. First, an Au microwire was sealed into the pre‐thinned silica capillary. Then, the obtained Au/capillary assembly was pulled into two tips followed by polishing away the excess glass to expose the Au nanotip. The morphology of GSNE was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that this nanoelectrode can be quickly fabricated with high reproducibility. By further electrodepositing cluster‐like gold nanostructure on GSNE and modifying Nafion, amperometric detection of DA with high sensitivity and good selectivity were achieved on the Nafion‐modified Au/GSNE. Moreover, the Nafion‐modified Au/GSNE possessed advantages of easy tissue insertion and minimum tissue disturbance. Thus, the developed electrochemical nanosensor was successfully used for amperometrically monitoring DA level in the striatum of anesthetic rats.
Development of a Novel Versatile Method for Determination of two Antihistamines in Association with Naphazoline Using Cathodically Pretreated Boron‐doped Diamond Electrode
Authors: Oliveira Thiago da Costa , Freitas Jhonys Machado , Muñoz Rodrigo Alejandro Abarza , Richter Eduardo Mathias
Published: February 2018

Antihistamines such as pheniramine (PHN) or chlorpheniramine (CPH) are commonly associated with naphazoline (NPZ) in eye drops and nasal decongestants. In this work, a batch‐injection analysis system with multiple pulse amperometric (BIA‐MPA) detection has been applied for the first time for fast simultaneous determination of naphazoline (NPZ) and pheniramine (PHN) or NPZ and chlorpheniramine (CPH). PHN or CPH was selectively detected at +1.1 V and both PHN and NPZ or CPH and NPZ were detected at +1.3 V using boron doped diamond (BDD) as working electrode and Britton‐Robinson (BR) buffer (pH=10.0) as supporting electrolyte. The current of NPZ can then be obtained by subtraction of the currents detected at both potential pulses and applying a correction factor (CF). The proposed method presented good intra‐day repeatability (RSD between 0.7 and 3.2 % for PHN; 0.7 and 2.1 % for CPH; 1.5 and 4.0 % for NPZ; n=20), high analytical frequency (>80 injections h−1), and limits of detection of 0.64, 0.47 and 0.11 μmol L−1 for PHN, CPH and NPZ, respectively. The results obtained with the proposed method are in agreement with those obtained by HPLC (95 % confidence level).
Prussian Blue Analogues as Promising Thermal Power Generation Materials
Authors: Fukuzumi Yuya , Amaha Kaoru , Kobayashi Wataru , Niwa Hideharu , Mortitomo Yutaka
Published: February 2018

The thermal coefficient (α=dV/dT) of redox potential (V) enables an efficient thermal power generation using waste heat. Actually, a battery‐type thermocell, which consists of two kinds of redoxable solids with different α as anode and cathode, is demonstrated to produce electric energy in thermal cycles. To fabricate high performance device, α is systematically investigated in three kinds of Prussian blue analogues (PBAs), NaxCo[Fe(CN)6]0.71 (abbreviated as NCF71), NaxCo[Fe(CN)6]0.90 (NCF90) and NaxMn[Fe(CN)6]0.83 (NMF83), against the Na+ concentration (x). NCF90 shows the highest positive α (=1.4 mV K−1) in the lower‐lying plateau while NMF83 shows the highest negative α (=−0.4 mV K−1) in the lower‐lying plateau. In addition, the NCF90/NMF83 thermocell produces 5.5 meV/NCF90 in the initial cycle between TL (=286 K) and TH (=313 K). The thermal efficiency (η=2.3 %) reaches 27 % of the Carnot efficiency (ηcarnot=8.7 %). Thus, PBAs are promising materials for thermal power generation.
Tropical mountain passes are out of reach – but not for arboreal species
Authors: Scheffers Brett R , Williams Stephen E
Published: February 2018

According to a prevailing hypothesis, lowland tropical organisms are unlikely to successfully cross mountain passes because they have neither acclimated nor adapted to the colder temperatures found at higher elevations. However, this expectation assumes that changes in temperature are uniform across space and fails to account for the presence of diverse microclimates created by structurally complex ecosystems, such as rainforests. We collected and analyzed temperature data from Afrotropical, Indomalayan, and Australasian tropical mountain ecosystems to determine the degree of overlap between lowland and upland “thermal regimes” in three selected microenvironments. The thermal regimes of upland and lowland forest canopies overlapped to a greater extent than the thermal regimes of upland and lowland soils or ground‐level sites. Tree‐dwelling animals may therefore be able to bypass temperature constraints imposed by geography by virtue of where they live, which could lead to broader distributions and greater resilience to climatic change and variability as compared with ground‐dwelling species.
Comparison of the aromatic profile of traditional and modern types of Huang Jiu (Chinese rice wine) by aroma extract dilution analysis and chemical analysis
Authors: Chen Shuang , Xu Yan , Qian Michael C.
Published: February 2018

The differences in aroma profiles between traditional and modern types of Huang Jiu (Chinese rice wine) have been evaluated by sensory evaluation, comparative aroma extract dilution analysis (cAEDA), and chemical analysis. Sensory analysis revealed that traditional Huang Jiu has a higher overall aroma intensity than modern Huang Jiu, with contributions from the significantly higher intensity of the Qu aroma, as well as smoky, caramel notes. The cAEDA revealed 34 and 22 odor‐active regions with flavor dilution (FD) factors of ≥64 for the traditional and modern types of Huang Jiu, respectively. Twenty‐six odor‐active regions were detected with higher FD factors in traditional Huang Jiu. A total of 34 aroma compounds were then quantitatively measured in different types of Huang Jiu, and their odor activity values (OAVs) were calculated. The compounds with the highest OAVs in both types of Huang Jiu were 3‐methylbutanoic acid, vanillin, phenylacetaldehyde, ethyl hexanoate, and ethyl butanoate. The OAVs of benzaldehyde, geosmin, γ‐decalactone, and phenol were greater than 1 in traditional Huang Jiu, but less than 1 in modern types of Huang Jiu. These results revealed that the different sensory characteristics of the two types of Huang Jiu can be explained by the significantly different levels of benzaldehyde, vanillin, sotolon, geosmin, and phenolic compounds.
Salvage skull base reconstruction in the endoscopic era: Vastus lateralis free tissue transfer
Authors: Kang Stephen Y. , Eskander Antoine , Hachem Ralph Abi , Ozer Enver , Teknos Theodoros N. , Old Matthew O. , Prevedello Daniel M. , Carrau Ricardo L.
Published: February 2018

Background

When locoregional flaps fail to reconstruct the skull base, the microvascular surgeon faces several reconstructive challenges. We present our technique and results of salvage anterior skull base reconstruction utilizing the vastus lateralis free tissue transfer (VLFTT).

Methods

Four patients with anterior skull base defects after previous locoregional flap failure underwent free tissue transfer reconstruction with VLFTT.

Results

The success rate of free tissue transfer was 100%. Complete separation of the intracranial and sinonasal cavities was achieved in all patients; thus, resolving the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage in all patients. The VLFTT was inset through a minimally invasive approach utilizing an anterior maxillotomy via a gingivobuccal incision, an endoscopic medial maxillectomy, and endoscopic inset in all patients. No vein grafts were needed.

Conclusion

This technique permits endoscopic endonasal inset and placement of reliable, well vascularized free tissue that may be utilized for complex, secondary reconstruction of the skull base.
The effect of statin use on the incidence of prostate cancer: A population‐based nested case–control study
Authors: Dawe David E. , Ye Xibiao , Czaykowski Piotr , Jassal Davinder , Singh Harminder , Skarsgard David , Aprikian Armen , Mahmud Salaheddin M
Published: February 2018

Preclinical studies suggest statins may help prevent prostate cancer (PC), but epidemiologic results are mixed. Many epidemiological studies have relatively short prediagnosis drug exposure data, which may miss some statin use. We completed a nested case–control study investigating the impact of statin use on PC diagnosis and clinically significant PC using data from men aged ≥40 years in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan between 1990 and 2010. Drug exposure histories were derived from a population‐based prescription drug database. We used conditional logistic regression to model use of statins as a class and stratified analyses for groups defined by lipophilicity. Clinically significant PC was defined as Gleason score 8–10 OR stage C or D or III or IV at diagnosis. 12,745 cases of PC were risk‐set matched on age and geographic location to 50,979 controls. Greater than 90% of subjects had prediagnosis drug exposure histories >15 years. 2,064 (16.2%) cases and 7,956 (15.6%) controls were dispensed one or more statin prescriptions. In multivariable models, ever prescription of statins was not associated with PC diagnosis (OR 0.97; 95% CI 0.90–1.05). Neither lipophilic statins (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.88–1.04) nor hydrophilic statins (OR 1.06, 95% CI 0.95–1.20) impacted PC diagnosis. There was no effect of the dose or duration of statin use. Diagnosis of clinically significant PC decreased with statin use (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.73–0.97). Statin use is not associated with overall PC risk, regardless of duration or dose of statin exposure. Statin use is associated with a decreased risk of clinically significant PC.
Negative Mass Can Be Positively Useful in Quantum Mechanics
Authors: Chen Yu‐Hsin , Chao Sheng D.
Published: February 2018

We show that in nonrelativistic quantum mechanics, the concept of negative mass can be utilized to solve Schrödinger equations and increase the convergence rates of the basis set expansion solutions for quantum eigenvalue problems. In particular, when a negative‐mass particle moves under a repulsive interaction, the state of motion turns out to be bound at a positive energy. This counterintuitive behavior can be employed to deal with physical systems where repulsive interactions strongly perturb the stable states established by the competing attractive interactions such as many‐electron atoms. Helium‐like atoms are used to illustrate the solution scheme.
A constructive characterisation of circuits in the simple (2,1)‐sparse matroid
Authors: McCourt Thomas A. , Nixon Anthony
Published: February 2018

A simple graphis a (2, 1)‐circuit ifandfor every proper subgraphHofG. Motivated, in part, by ongoing work to understand unique realisations of graphs on surfaces, we derive a constructive characterisation of (2, 1)‐circuits. The characterisation uses the well‐known 1‐extension andX‐replacement operations as well as several summation moves to glue together (2, 1)‐circuits over small cutsets.
On the SERS quantitative determination of organic dyes
Authors: Ricci Marilena , Trombetta Elisa , Castellucci Emilio , Becucci Maurizio
Published: February 2018

The use of surface‐enhanced Raman scattering methods for the quantitative determination of different molecular species is not trivial as many parameters seriously affect the outcome of any experiment. In this work, we use as a case study the quantitative analysis of ionic organics dyes. We report on the role of different molecular properties to the modulation of the surface‐enhanced Raman scattering signal, the useful dynamic range for the determination, the dynamics of the molecule‐nanoparticle interaction process, and the time dependency of the signal. The consequences on the quantitative determination on dye mixtures, often found in the analysis of artworks, are discussed.
Long‐term quality of life after esophagectomy with gastric pull‐up
Authors: Mantoan Silvia , Cavallin Francesco , Pinto Eleonora , Saadeh Luca M. , Alfieri Rita , Cagol Matteo , Bellissimo Maria C. , Castoro Carlo , Scarpa Marco
Published: February 2018

Background and Objectives

Data on long‐term health‐related quality of life (HRQL) after esophagectomy for cancer show contradictory results. The aim was to analyze long‐term HRQL at 3 or more years after esophagectomy.

Methods

Survivors were identified among patients who had undergone esophagectomy during 2007‐2013 using the local clinic database. Quality of life was assessed using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ‐C30 and OG25 questionnaires. Specific aspects were selected a priori and compared with published scores from European healthy subjects (mean difference, MD).

Results

Sixty‐five long‐term survivors (median follow‐up 4 years) were identified. All functional scales and most symptom scales were clinically similar between EC long‐term survivors and European healthy subjects. Survivors reported more problems concerning eating (MD 13.1, 95% C.I. 10.6‐15.6) and reflux (MD 19.7, 95% C.I. 15.9‐23.5). HQRL variation from discharge to long term was available in 27 participants who reported improvements in role functioning (MD 40.1, 95%C.I. 24.3‐56.0) and dysphagia (MD −41.9, 95% C.I. −51.7 to 32.0).

Conclusions

Long‐term HRQL after esophagectomy is similar between EC survivors and European healthy subjects, despite persisting reflux and eating problems. Further research may focus on improvements of postoperative alimentary habits.
Is BMI associated with post‐operative complication risk among patients undergoing major abdominal surgery for cancer? A systematic review
Authors: Hughes Tasha M. , Shah Kejal , Noria Sabrena , Pawlik Timothy
Published: February 2018

We systematically reviewed 118 studies comparing peri‐operative outcomes among obese and non‐obese patients. Obesity was associated with longer operative time in 60% of available studies. Just 35.8% of studies that evaluated overall morbidity identified high morbidity in obese patients. Lymph node yield or surgical margin status, was only affected by obesity in 19.6% of studies. In this review obesity was frequently found to have no effect on peri‐operative and oncologic outcomes.
The effect of publishing a highly cited paper on a journal's impact factor: A case study of the Review of Particle Physics
Authors: Liu Weishu , Liu Fang , Zuo Chao , Zhu Junwen
Published: February 2018

Key points

A more general and continuous form of ‘A short history of SHELX’ phenomenon has been found.

The Review of Particle Physics (RPP) series, which is called the bible in the particle physics field, is highly cited by other research papers.

The RPP phenomenon is found in different journals and is affected by the host journal's impact factor and publication size.

The RPP phenomenon provides a big or small, but temporary, boost to its host journal's impact factor.
Synthesis of Macromolecules Containing Phenylalanine and Aliphatic Building Blocks
Authors: Chan‐Seng Delphine , Louwsma Jeroen , Lutz Jean‐François , Joly Stéphane
Published: February 2018

Aiming at developing efficient interfacial agents for fiber‐reinforced composite materials, macromolecules are designed to have different components able to stick to the fiber and be compatible with the polymer matrix, respectively. Herein, macromolecules are prepared by solid‐phase synthesis considering phenylalanine residues to promote adsorption of the macromolecule on aramid fibers and aliphatic building blocks to interact with a hydrophobic polymer matrix. Using phenylalanine as building block for the preparation of macromolecules by iterative synthesis has been shown to be challenging. Thus, the screening of various parameters for the optimization of the synthesis of these macromolecules is discussed in this communication. A preliminary thermal study by thermal gravimetric analysis is conducted to evaluate their thermal stability.
Safety margins versus profit maximization
Authors: Vetter Henrik
Published: February 2018

Under uncertainty, firms risk bankruptcy. We ask, in symmetric duopoly with stochastic demand, what happens when one firm minimizes the probability of negative profits while the other maximizes expected profits. When fixed costs are small, a firm can reduce the likelihood of negative profits. However, under a large fixed cost, the chance of negative profits increases upon deviation from a profit‐maximizing strategy. In any event, if one firm adopts a safety‐first strategy, the other firm has higher profits and a better survival chance by maximizing expected profit. Finally, we compare a profit maximizing to a safety‐first strategy in relation to ownership and control in firms.
2′‐Fluoro‐6′‐methylene carbocyclic adenosine and its phosphoramidate prodrug: A novel anti‐HBV agent, active against drug‐resistant HBV mutants
Authors: Singh Uma S. , Mulamoottil Varughese A. , Chu Chung K.
Published: February 2018

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Currently, clinically approved nucleos(t)ide analogs (NAs) are very efficient in reducing the load of hepatitis B virus (HBV) with minimum side effects. However, the long‐term administration of antiviral drugs promotes HBV for potential drug resistance. To overcome this problem, combination therapies are administered, but HBV progressively altered mutations remain a threat. Therefore, optimally designed NAs are urgently needed to treat drug‐resistant HBV. Herein, 2′‐fluoro‐6′‐methylene carbocyclic adenosine (FMCA) and its phosphoramidate (FMCAP) have been discovered, which may be utilized in combination therapies for curing drug‐resistant chronic hepatitis B. In preclinical studies, these carbocyclic NAs demonstrated potential anti‐HBV activity against adefovir, as well as lamivudine (LMV/LAM) drug‐resistant mutants. In vitro, these molecules have demonstrated significant activity against LMV/entecavir (ETV) triple mutants (L180M + S202G + M204V). Also, preliminary studies of FMCA/FMCAP in chimeric mice and female Non‐obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD/SCID) mouse models having the LMV/ETV triple mutant have shown a high rate of reduction of HBV DNA levels compared to ETV. In this review, we have summarized preclinical studies of FMCA and its phosphoramidate prodrug (FMCAP).
Recurrent solutions of the linearly coupled complex cubic‐quintic Ginzburg‐Landau equations
Authors: Gao Peng
Published: February 2018

In this paper, we will establish the bounded solutions, periodic solutions, quasiperiodic solutions, almost periodic solutions, and almost automorphic solutions for linearly coupled complex cubic‐quintic Ginzburg‐Landau equations, under suitable conditions. The main difficulty is the nonlinear terms in the equations that are not Lipschitz‐continuity, traditional methods cannot deal with the difficulty in our problem. We overcome this difficulty by the Galerkin approach, energy estimate method, and refined inequality technique.
Super‐wideband CPW fed modified square monopole antenna with stabilized radiation characteristics
Authors: Okas Piyush , Sharma Anand , Gangwar Ravi Kumar
Published: February 2018

This article explores the design and analysis of a CPW fed modified square monopole antenna for super wideband (SWB) application. Three key features of proposed radiating structure are: (1) semi‐circular base provides smother impedance variation and helpful in the creation of more than decade (10:1) impedance bandwidth (super‐wideband); (2) modified square shaped monopole reduce the lower frequency of operation and create larger BDR value (7871.49); (3) trimmed edges provide stabilized radiation characteristics even at higher frequencies. In order to endorse the simulated outcomes, prototype of proposed antenna structure is fabricated and tested. Good settlement is to be found between measured and simulated outcomes. From experimental results, it confirms that the proposed radiator is operating over more than decade (14.52:1) bandwidth that is, 0.95‐13.8 GHz (VSWR < 2). Time domain analysis of proposed radiator also supports its applicability for SWB applications. The proposed radiator is quite appropriate for different wireless applications such as Amature Radio, Digital Audio Broadcasting, ISM, Wi‐Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, WLAN, and UWB applications.
A quad‐band dual‐polarized monopole antenna for GNSS/UMTS/WLAN/WiMAX applications
Authors: Brar Rajveer Singh , Saurav Kushmanda , Sarkar Debdeep , Srivastava Kumar Vaibhav
Published: February 2018

A quad‐band dual‐polarized monopole with asymmetrical microstrip feed line is proposed in this article. The proposed antenna exhibits a linearly polarized behavior in three operating bands for UMTS, WLAN 2.4 GHz, and WiMAX 3.5 GHz applications while a circularly polarized nature in the lowermost band for the GPS/GLONASS. The multiband operation is achieved because of λ/4 mode of resonances of three different monopole lengths and 3λ/4 mode of longer monopole. The 3λ/4 mode of larger monopole is controlled by using an L‐Shaped stub to make it useful for WiMAX application (3.5 GHz). The circular polarization for GPS (band‐L1, 1575 MHz) is achieved by using an L‐shaped slit with the ground plane which leads to generation of magnetic current orthogonal to the longest monopole current corresponding to the lowermost resonance frequency. The proposed antenna exhibits impedance bandwidths of 11.22%, 7.9%, 6.84%, and 4.26% at the resonant frequencies of 1.5, 2.02, 2.46, and 3.51 GHz, respectively. The axial ratio bandwidth corresponding to the GPS band is 2.5%. The proposed antenna has dual sense circular polarization (LHCP in θ = 0° and RHCP in θ = 180°) and bi‐directional radiation patterns at GPS/GLONASS band along with stable gain and good efficiency in all the operating bands.
Wideband and low RCS circularly polarized slot antenna based on polarization conversion of metasurface for satellite communication application
Authors: Zheng Qi , Guo Chenjiang , Ding Jun
Published: February 2018

A wideband low‐profile circularly polarized (CP) slot antenna with low radar cross section (RCS) based on polarization conversion of metasurface (MS) for C‐band satellite communication system is presented and investigated. The corner‐truncated square MS is utilized to transform linearly polarized (LP) incident wave to CP radiation. Simulated results show that the CP antenna achieves an impedance bandwidth of 33.6% (4.45–6.25 GHz) and a 3‐dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidth of 18.2% (5.05–6.05 GHz). The antenna gain ranges from 7.25 to 7.95 dBic across the operating band. In addition, simulated results demonstrate that RCS of proposed antenna is reduced over 10 dB from 4.40 to 6.00 GHz with respect to traditional slot antenna. The simulated monostatic RCS of the antenna is lower than −30 dBsm in the whole operating band. Finally, an overall size of 38.8 mm
38.8 mm
3.5 mm (
at 5.50 GHz) antenna is fabricated and measured. The experimental results are in good agreement with the simulated ones.
Uric acid sensing using tapered silica optical fiber coated with zinc oxide nanorods
Authors: Yusof H. H. M. , Rahim H. R. A. , Thokchom S. , Dimyati K. , Harun S. W.
Published: February 2018

In this paper, fiber‐optic sensors by different tapered lengths of silica optical fiber (SOF) coated with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods were fabricated and demonstrated to detect different concentrations of uric acid. The SOFs were tapered in the length of 1 cm, 3 cm, 5 cm, and 7 cm using flame brushing technique. ZnO nanorods were coated on the surface of the tapered SOFs for 24 hours using sol‐gel immersion method. The sensing experiment was performed by dipping the SOF in the uric acid solution. One end of the SOF was connected to a light source and while the other end to an optical analyzer. The output of the sensor was analyzed for different uric acid concentration from 0 ppm to 500 ppm with the different tapered lengths of SOF sensors. The result shows that the sensor with tapered length of 7 cm had the highest sensitivity response of 0.0006 mV/ppm with linearity of 98.52%. In addition, all tapered size of sensor shows significant improvement of sensing performance with sensitivity consistently improved from 1 cm to 7 cm with good linearity as ZnO nanorods coated the tapered lengths. The detection limit was found to be at 0.2 ppm in the range of uric acid concentration.
Quad‐ and sext‐band bandpass filter based on multimode resonator utilizing SIRs‐loaded tapered‐line
Authors: Li Xiaokun , Zhang Yonghong , Tian Yin , Yang Yang , Fan Yong
Published: February 2018

On a basis of multimode resonator (MMR) using SIRs‐loaded tapered‐line (SIRTL),novel quad‐ and sext‐band bandpass filter are investigated and fabricated. Due to some merits like existing accurate analytical technique, simplicity in construction and excellent matching behavior, parabolic tapered‐line are selected as the building block of MMR. In addition, with SIRs loaded at different points of tapered‐line, quad‐ and sext‐band responses can be obtained. Moreover, relationship between parabolic tapered‐line and profile of microstrip is set up. Accordingly, circular‐profile microstrip has been chosen to realize parabolic tapered‐line. Therefore, designs of quad‐ and sext‐band bandpass filter become available. Good agreement between simulated and measured results validates the design method.
Quarter‐wavelength printed quadrifilar helical antenna design for UHF RFID handheld reader applications
Authors: Chiu Chien‐Wen , Wang Wei‐Hsu , Wang Hwang‐Cheng
Published: February 2018

This article presents a compact size and light weight PQHA for handheld UHF RFID reader applications. Quarter‐wavelength inverted‐F resonators are employed as the basic radiation elements for the four arms of the QHA. The height of the designed reader antenna is only 27 mm so that it features compact size but still preserves satisfactory electrical performance. The antenna is fed by a four‐port quadrature phase feeding system fabricated by only lumped elements. The feeding system printed on a FR4 substrate measures only 60 × 60 × 1.6 mm3. The measured fractional bandwidth of the proposed PQHA system is about 21% and the 3‐dB axial ratio bandwidth ranging from 800 to 1000 MHz covers the whole UHF RFID band. The measured maximum gain is around 3.2 dBic in the North American band and the 3‐dB beamwidth is about 120° at 920 MHz. The measured reading distance along line of sight is approximately 7.2 m using a commercial 4W EIRP reader and a standard tag. The advantages of the antenna are easy implementation, light weight and low cost, making it suitable for handheld UHF RFID reader applications.
Dual‐mode bandpass substrate integrated waveguide filter with a complementary split ring resonator
Authors: Guo Hui , An Xiang , Lv Zhi‐Qing
Published: February 2018

We present a new bandpass filter by combining an isosceles right‐triangle substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) cavity with a complementary split ring resonator (CSRR) together. The first and second modes of the SIW cavity are used to form a desirable passband with the help of a perturbation metallic via‐hole. We introduce a CSRR at the ground plate of the SIW cavity to produce two controllable transmission zeros at the upper stopband, which improve the upper stopband characteristic greatly. Moreover, at the lower stopband, we make use of a pair of T‐shape stub‐loaded resonators to generate a transmission zero, and thus improve the out‐of‐band rejection greatly. To validate our design scheme, a filter sample has been fabricated and measured. The measured results and simulation ones are in good agreements. The filters show advantages of compactness, sharp stopband rejection, high frequency‐selectivity, and controllable passband and transmission zeros.
Dual linear polarized cavity‐backed patch rectenna with DC power management network for optimized wireless RF power transfer
Authors: Lee D.‐J. , Khang S.‐T. , Chae S.‐C. , Yu J.‐W.
Published: February 2018

In this paper, we present a compact dual linear polarized cavity‐backed patch rectenna for optimized wireless RF power transfer with DC power management network. The proposed rectenna is composed of a minimized patch radiator with a backed cavity, the feeding network and a rectifying circuit with DC power management network. The minimized patch radiator with the backed cavity reduces the physical size and enhances the bandwidth. The feeding network is designed to receive all kinds of polarized waves. The rectifying circuit converts received RF energy to DC energy and effectively combines DC energy from each polarization port by DC power management network. The DC power management network also properly operates a load with certain constant voltage. The proposed rectenna is simulated and measured to verify the performance. Each antenna shows about 5.3 dBi peak gain and each rectifying circuit shows about 50% RF to DC conversion efficiency at 0 dBm input power. Due to dual linear polarization, it is observed that received output efficiency is larger than 46% regardless of incident polarization angle.
Design of a high‐gain omni directional microstrip dipole array with low side lobe level in the elevation plane
Authors: Darvazehban Amin , Khaledian Seiran , Manoochehri Omid , Salari Mohammad Ali
Published: February 2018

A novel low‐cost high‐gain antenna array with omnidirectional radiation pattern for applications in X‐band (8.5–11.5 GHz) is proposed. A maximum gain of 13.6 dB and a side lobe level of −18 dB in the elevation plane have been achieved using an array consisting of 16 microstrip dipole antennas. Synthesis of Chebyshev amplitude distribution was done by using constant attenuators. This system is specifically useful for point‐to‐ multipoint communications and direction finding systems. The whole system was fabricated and simulation results are in good agreement with the measurements.
A wideband wide‐angle ultrathin low profile metamaterial microwave absorber
Authors: Marathe Dushyant , Kulat Kishore
Published: February 2018

In the recent article, Sood and Tripathi (Microwave Opt Technol Lett., 58: 1131–1135. doi:10.1002/mop.29741) proposed metamaterial absorber structure composed of inclined hexagonal patch printed on grounded dielectric substrate. The reported structure was shown to have wideband absorptivity having 10‐dB bandwidth of 5.02 GHz from 8.81 GHz to 13.83 GHz. In this report, we claim that the reported structure is not a metamaterial absorber. We find that for reported structure peak absorptivity is less than 13%. The low value of absorption in our opinion is caused due to crosspolarization effect rather than absorption.
A 1.8 GHz wideband high power amplifier with flat gain response by exploiting microstrip high‐pass‐filter
Authors: Malik Waqar Ahmad , Sheta Abdelfattah Ahmed , Elshafiey Ibrahim
Published: February 2018

A 1.8 GHz broadband high power amplifier (PA) with 144% fractional bandwidth is presented in this article. The proposed PA achieves a power added efficiency of 40%–56% for the entire band. To ensure flat gain response, a novel idea of integrating a microstrip high pass filter (HPF) in the input matching network is proposed. The incorporation of HPF reduces the unusual high gain at low frequency and thus results in a flat gain of 14.4 ±1 dB for the entire band. The matching circuits are realized on Taconic RF35 with dielectric constant of 3.5 and thickness of 0.76 mm. The high fractional bandwidth of the proposed PA makes it suitable to be used for the recent and future wireless communication systems.
A dual‐band MIMO antenna decoupled by a meandering line resonator for WLAN applications
Authors: Deng Jing Ya , Wang Zhu Jun , Li Jin Yong , Guo Li Xin
Published: February 2018

In this article, a couple of dual‐band MIMO antenna operating in 2.4–2.48 GHz and 5.15‐5.825 GHz bands for WLAN applications is presented. The WLAN MIMO antenna system comprised double dual‐band monopole structures and a meandering line decoupling resonator connected to the ground. The two antenna elements have a distance of 15.3 mm which is about 1/8 wavelength at 2.4 GHz. The coupling between two ports at 2.4 GHz is decreased from −9 dB to −25 dB by involving the meandering‐line resonator. Since the return loss becomes worse after the meandering line resonator is involved for decoupling, the parasitic elements are used to improve the matching performance in the working frequency band. The simulation model is designed and manufactured. The measurement results show the antenna system is an eligible candidate in MIMO WLAN applications.
Raman amplification by employing data modulated pump signals for bi‐directional communication
Authors: Farooq Muhammad Ahmad , Ghafoor Salman
Published: February 2018

We propose a symmetric 10 × 10 Gb/s bidirectional wavelength division multiplexed passive optical link having a length of 80‐km supported only by Raman amplification through pre‐amplified data modulated uplink channels. The conventionally ignored wavelength region of E‐band has been utilized for employing pre‐amplified data modulated Raman pumps. The proposed network allows the use of single low‐cost and low‐power amplifier for distributed Raman amplification instead of multiple high‐cost Raman laser pump modules.
Miniaturized wideband bandpass filter with enhanced selectivity and stopband suppression
Authors: Huang Tao , Shao Zhen Hai , Chen Zhizhang
Published: February 2018

In this article, a wideband microstrip bandpass filter with cross‐coupling is presented. The filter adopts a short‐stub‐loaded dual‐mode resonator (SSL‐DMR) and two stepped‐impedance spurline resonators (SISLRs) to achieve size miniaturization. Meanwhile, the trisection topology is utilized to achieve two transmission zeros (TZs) on both sides of the passband, with which good sideband selectivity can be exhibited. Furthermore, the SISLRs at the input and output ports can also contribute to another TZ at higher frequency of the upper stopband, which cannot be acquired by utilizing the conventional uniform‐impedance resonator (UIR) or stepped‐impedance resonator (SIR). To verify the aforementioned concept, a filter with a miniaturized size of 0.16 λg × 0.75 λg is designed, fabricated, and measured (λg denotes to the guided wavelength at central frequency). Measured results of the fabricated prototype are in good agreement with the simulated ones. Meanwhile, the fabricated filter achieves a fractional bandwidth about 44.5%, a minimum in‐band insertion loss of 0.6 dB, and a stopband rejection over 20 dB up to the fourth harmonic of the operation center frequency.