bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Asymptotic behavior to a chemotaxis consumption system with singular sensitivity
Authors: Zhao Xiangdong , Zheng Sining
Published: February 2018

We consider a chemotaxis consumption system with singular sensitivity
, vt=εΔv−uv in a bounded domain
with χ,α,ε>0. The global existence of classical solutions is obtained with n=1. Moreover, for any global classical solution (u,v) to the case of n,α≥1, it is shown that v converges to 0 in the L∞‐norm as t→∞ with the decay rate established whenever ε∈(ε0,1) with
.
Can we trust the calculation of texture indices of CT images? A phantom study
Authors: Caramella Caroline , Allorant Adrien , Orlhac Fanny , Bidault Francois , Asselain Bernard , Ammari Samy , Jaranowski Patricia , Moussier Aurelie , Balleyguier Corinne , Lassau Nathalie , Pitre‐Champagnat Stephanie
Published: February 2018

Purpose

Texture analysis is an emerging tool in the field of medical imaging analysis. However, many issues have been raised in terms of its use in assessing patient images and it is crucial to harmonize and standardize this new imaging measurement tool. This study was designed to evaluate the reliability of texture indices of CT images on a phantom including a reproducibility study, to assess the discriminatory capacity of indices potentially relevant in CT medical images and to determine their redundancy.

Methods

For the reproducibility and discriminatory analysis, eight identical CT acquisitions were performed on a phantom including one homogeneous insert and two close heterogeneous inserts. Texture indices were selected for their high reproducibility and capability of discriminating different textures. For the redundancy analysis, 39 acquisitions of the same phantom were performed using varying acquisition parameters and a correlation matrix was used to explore the 2 × 2 relationships. LIFEx software was used to explore 34 different parameters including first order and texture indices.

Results

Only eight indices of 34 exhibited high reproducibility and discriminated textures from each other. Skewness and kurtosis from histogram were independent from the six other indices but were intercorrelated, the other six indices correlated in diverse degrees (entropy, dissimilarity, and contrast of the co‐occurrence matrix, contrast of the Neighborhood Gray Level difference matrix, SZE, ZLNU of the Gray‐Level Size Zone Matrix).

Conclusions

Care should be taken when using texture analysis as a tool to characterize CT images because changes in quantitation may be primarily due to internal variability rather than from real physio‐pathological effects. Some textural indices appear to be sufficiently reliable and capable to discriminate close textures on CT images.
Technical Note: Error metrics for estimating the accuracy of needle/instrument placement during transperineal magnetic resonance/ultrasound‐guided prostate interventions
Authors: Bonmati Ester , Hu Yipeng , Villarini Barbara , Rodell Rachael , Martin Paul , Han Lianghao , Donaldson Ian , Ahmed Hashim U. , Moore Caroline M. , Emberton Mark , Barratt Dean C.
Published: February 2018

Purpose

Image‐guided systems that fuse magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with three‐dimensional (3D) ultrasound (US) images for performing targeted prostate needle biopsy and minimally invasive treatments for prostate cancer are of increasing clinical interest. To date, a wide range of different accuracy estimation procedures and error metrics have been reported, which makes comparing the performance of different systems difficult.

Methods

A set of nine measures are presented to assess the accuracy of MRI‐US image registration, needle positioning, needle guidance, and overall system error, with the aim of providing a methodology for estimating the accuracy of instrument placement using a MR/US‐guided transperineal approach.

Results

Using the SmartTarget fusion system, an MRI‐US image alignment error was determined to be 2.0 ± 1.0 mm (mean ± SD), and an overall system instrument targeting error of 3.0 ± 1.2 mm. Three needle deployments for each target phantom lesion was found to result in a 100% lesion hit rate and a median predicted cancer core length of 5.2 mm.

Conclusions

The application of a comprehensive, unbiased validation assessment for MR/US guided systems can provide useful information on system performance for quality assurance and system comparison. Furthermore, such an analysis can be helpful in identifying relationships between these errors, providing insight into the technical behavior of these systems.
Hyperpolarized Laplace NMR
Authors: Telkki Ville‐Veikko
Published: February 2018

Laplace nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), dealing with NMR relaxation and diffusion experiments, reveals details of molecular motion and provides chemical resolution complementary to NMR spectra. Laplace NMR has witnessed a great progress in past decades due to the development of methodology and signal processing, and it has lots of extremely interesting applications in various fields, including chemistry, biochemistry, geology, archaeology, and medicine. The aim of this minireview is to give a pedagogically oriented overview of Laplace NMR. It does not provide a full literature review of the field, but, instead, it elucidate the benefits and features of Laplace NMR methods through few selected examples. The minireview describes also recent progress in multidimensional Laplace NMR and Laplace inversion methods. Furthermore, the potential of modern hyperpolarization methods as well as ultrafast approach to increase the sensitivity and time‐efficiency of the Laplace NMR experiments is highlighted.
Histopathological characteristics of ketamine‐associated uropathy and their clinical association
Authors: Jhang Jia‐Fong , Hsu Yung‐Hsiang , Jiang Yuan‐Hong , Lee Cheng‐Ling , Kuo Hann‐Chorng
Published: February 2018

Aim

To investigate the histopathological findings in ketamine‐associated uropathy (KU) and their clinical association.

Methods

Thirty‐eight KU patients had received history investigation and video urodynamic study. Twelve of them were clinically mild KU who were admitted for cystoscopic hydrodistention. The other 26 patients were severe KU who were admitted for enterocystoplasty with or without ureter reimplantation. Bladder and ureter specimens were harvested during operation, and a single pathologist reviewed all specimens under hematoxylin and eosin stain. The severity of histopathological findings was graded with a 4‐point scale (0: none, 1: mild, 2: moderate, and 3: severe)

Results

Inflammatory cells infiltrations and nerve hyperplasia were found in the mucosa, muscle, and subserosal layers of KU bladders and ureter. In the mild KU bladder mucosa, the predominant component of the infiltrating inflammatory cells was lymphocytes. In contrast, neutrophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes, and plasma cells infiltration were noted in the mucosa of almost all severe KU bladders. Clinical severe KU was significantly correlated with severe to moderate lymphocytes, plasma cells, neutrophils, eosinophils infiltration, and nerve hyperplasia in bladder mucosa. KU patients with moderate or severe neutrophils or lymphocytes infiltration in bladder mucosa had significantly more severe bladder pain and smaller bladder capacity.

Conclusion

The histological findings of KU showed whole‐layer inflammation and nerve hyperplasia in bladder mucosa. The severity of inflammatory cell infiltration in the bladder mucosa is associated with clinical symptoms. A histopathological examination might be a useful tool to discriminate the KU severity in patients.
Bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis is associated with asthma: A case‐control study
Authors: Chung Shiu‐Dong , Huang Chung‐Chien , Lin Herng‐Ching , Kao Li‐Ting
Published: February 2018

Objective

Although asthma and bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC) are considered to share similar pathophysiological pathways, the relationship between asthma and BPS/IC is uncertain. This case‐control study aimed to investigate the relationship between prior asthma and BPS/IC using a large database in Taiwan.

Materials and methods

This study used data from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005. We identified 500 female patients with BPS/IC as cases and 500 propensity score‐matched females without BPS/IC as controls. We conducted logistic regressions to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for prior asthma between cases and controls.

Results

Results indicated that 143 (14.30%) of the total sampled patients had received a prior diagnosis of asthma. Moreover, prior asthma was found in 86 (17.20%) cases and 57 (11.40%) controls. The OR of prior asthma for cases was 1.61 (95%CI: 1.13‐2.32) compared to propensity score‐matched controls. Additionally, the ORs of prior asthma for females with BPS/IC aged 18‐59 and ≥60 years were 1.72 (95%CI: 1.11‐2.69) and 1.40 (95%CI: 0.74‐2.62), respectively, compared to controls.

Conclusions

We concluded that prior asthma was significantly associated with BPS/IC in a female Taiwanese population.
Convergence of the multigrid reduction in time algorithm for the linear elasticity equations
Authors: Hessenthaler A. , Nordsletten D. , Röhrle O. , Schroder J. B. , Falgout R. D.
Published: February 2018

This paper presents some recent advances for parallel‐in‐time methods applied to linear elasticity. With recent computer architecture changes leading to stagnant clock speeds, but ever increasing numbers of cores, future speedups will be available through increased concurrency. Thus, sequential algorithms, such as time stepping, will suffer a bottleneck. This paper explores multigrid reduction in time (MGRIT) for an important application area, linear elasticity. Previously, efforts at parallel‐in‐time for elasticity have experienced difficulties, for example, the beating phenomenon. As a result, practical parallel‐in‐time algorithms for this application area currently do not exist. This paper proposes some solutions made possible by MGRIT (e.g., slow temporal coarsening and FCF‐relaxation) and, more importantly, a different formulation of the problem that is more amenable to parallel‐in‐time methods. Using a recently developed convergence theory for MGRIT and Parareal, we show that the changed formulation of the problem avoids the instability issues and allows the reduction of the error using two temporal grids. We then extend our approach to the multilevel case, where we demonstrate how slow temporal coarsening improves convergence. The paper ends with supporting numerical results showing a practical algorithm enjoying speedup benefits over the sequential algorithm.
A fully coupled two‐level Schwarz preconditioner based on smoothed aggregation for the transient multigroup neutron diffusion equations
Authors: Kong Fande , Wang Yaqi , Schunert Sebastian , Peterson John W. , Permann Cody J. , Andrš David , Martineau Richard C.
Published: February 2018

The multigroup neutron diffusion equations (an approximation of the neutron transport equation) are widely used for studying the motion of neutrons and their interactions with stationary background materials. Solving the multigroup neutron diffusion equations is challenging because the unknowns are tightly coupled through scattering and fission events, and solutions with high spatial resolution of full reactor cores in multiphysics environments are frequently required. In this paper, we focus on the development of a scalable, parallel preconditioner for solving the system of equations arising from the finite‐element discretization of the multigroup neutron diffusion equations in space and an implicit finite‐difference scheme in time. The parallel preconditioner (here referred to as the “fully coupled Schwarz preconditioner”) is constructed by monolithically applying the overlapping domain decomposition method together with a smoothed aggregation‐based coarse space to the coupled system. Our approach is different from the traditional block Gauss–Seidel sweep method that applies the preconditioner from the fast group to the thermal group sequentially, and we demonstrate that it provides significant improvements in terms of both the number of iterations required and the total compute time for a system of equations with millions of unknowns on a large supercomputer.
Responding to intimate partner violence: Healthcare providers' current practices and views on integrating a safety decision aid into primary care settings
Authors: Alvarez Carmen , Debnam Katrina , Clough Amber , Alexander Kamila , Glass Nancy E.
Published: February 2018

Supportive care for survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) remains limited in primary care settings. Low‐income and Spanish‐speaking survivors of IPV are even more disadvantaged, given the dearth of linguistically and culturally appropriate interventions for IPV. We conducted semi‐structured individual interviews with 17 healthcare workers, including physicians, nurses, and social workers, to describe how healthcare workers serving primarily low‐income, Latina populations are currently screening and responding to IPV disclosure, and to explore the acceptability of integrating an interactive, personalized safety decision aid application—myPlan app—into the clinic setting. Despite recognition of IPV as a problem, none of the clinical sites had a protocol to guide screening and response to IPV disclosure. Screening practices varied across the sites, sometimes conducted by medical assistants prior to the provider visit and other times by the physician or nurse provider. When IPV was disclosed, it was often during assessment for a presenting problem such as poor sleep or anxiety. Most healthcare workers felt that clinical and community resources were limited for their patients experiencing IPV. The “warm hand‐off” to a social worker was the most common response strategy when possible; otherwise, women were given information about available resources such as hotlines and safe houses. We discuss structural, family, and individual barriers to accessing safety resources for underserved women and review how an easily accessible safety decision app, such as myPlan, could be a resource for women to safely tailor an action plan for her situation.
Prospective Studies Exploring the Possible Impact of an ID3 Polymorphism on Changes in Obesity Measures
Authors: Svendstrup Mathilde , Appel Emil V.R. , Sandholt Camilla H. , Ahluwalia Tarunveer S. , Ängquist Lars H. , Thuesen Betina H. , Jørgensen Marit E. , Pedersen Oluf , Grarup Niels , Hansen Torben , Sørensen Thorkild I.A. , Vestergaard Henrik
Published: February 2018

Objective

Changes in fat mass depend on adipogenesis and angiogenesis, mechanisms regulated by the inhibitor of differentiation‐3 (ID3). Id3 knockout mice showed attenuated increases in BMI and visceral fat mass. We hypothesized that the ID3 missense variant (rs11574‐A) would lead to an attenuated increase over time in fat mass, BMI, waist circumference (WC), and waist‐hip ratio (WHR) in humans.

Methods

The genotyped study populations included the Obesity Research Group – Genetics (ORGGEN) cohort, a cohort of men with obesity (N = 716) and of randomly selected men (N = 826) from the Danish draft register who were examined at mean ages of 20 and 46 years, and the Inter99 (N = 6,116) and Health2006 (N = 2,761) cohorts, two population‐based samples of middle‐aged people, followed up after 5 years.

Results

In meta‐analyses of all data, no association was found between rs11574‐A and changes in BMI, WC, WHR, or fat mass. We found an association between rs11574‐A and cross‐sectional BMI (N = 10,359, β: −0.16 kg/m2 per allele, 95% CI: −0.30 to −0.01, P = 0.033) and fat mass (N = 4,188, β: −0.52 kg/m2 per allele, 95% CI: −1.03 to −0.01, P = 0.046).

Conclusions

No consistent impact of the genetic variant on changes in fat mass, BMI, or fat distribution was found in three Danish cohorts.
Iridescence as Affordance: On Artefacts and Light Interference in the Renewal of Life Among the Owa (Eastern Solomon Islands)
Authors: Revolon Sandra
Published: February 2018

This article focuses on identifying the technical and cognitive processes that imbue artefacts and practices with forms of efficacy central to the relations the Owa people have with surrounding invisible entities. In particular, it aims to describe the correspondences between the schemas at work, on the one hand, in material logics, by analysing the making of magical artefacts and, on the other hand, in ritual logics, through an analysis of the practices and representations involved in Owa rituals. These two domains – technical action and ritual action – are both locally understood as ways of acting on and in the world. This efficacy rests on the relationships established between vital processes and technical processes, or more precisely on the co‐construction, by specialized humans and by invisible entities, of artificial devices that reproduce visible phenomena considered by the Owa to be visible manifestations of powerful entities’ effective capacity to intervene (mana‐ity/mana‐ization) in the world. These include a broad category of phenomena that can be seen in the atmosphere and on the bodies of living organisms and which all display, in different ways, chromatic distortions that are mobilized and imitated by Owa carvers, who apply them to the surface of magical artefacts. By illustrating one of the ways in which Owa craftsmen imitate vital processes through artefacts, this article examines what this imitation indicates about how the Owa conceive the renewal of life and act upon life in an attempt to control it. The idea of ‘vital processes’ should be understood here in a broad sense to include all the processes that benefit life and result from non‐human action.
Social Value Orientation, Expectations, and Cooperation in Social Dilemmas: A Meta–Analysis
Authors: Pletzer Jan Luca , Balliet Daniel , Joireman Jeff , Kuhlman D. Michael , Voelpel Sven C. , Van Lange Paul A.M.
Published: February 2018

Interdependent situations are pervasive in human life. In these situations, it is essential to form expectations about the others’ behaviour to adapt one's own behaviour to increase mutual outcomes and avoid exploitation. Social value orientation, which describes the dispositional weights individuals attach to their own and to another person's outcome, predicts these expectations of cooperation in social dilemmas—an interdependent situation involving a conflict of interests. Yet, scientific evidence is inconclusive about the exact differences in expectations between prosocials, individualists, and competitors. The present meta–analytic results show that, relative to proselfs (individualists and competitors), prosocials expect more cooperation from others in social dilemmas, whereas individualists and competitors do not significantly differ in their expectations. The importance of these expectations in the decision process is further highlighted by the finding that they partially mediate the well–established relation between social value orientation and cooperative behaviour in social dilemmas. In fact, even proselfs are more likely to cooperate when they expect their partner to cooperate. Copyright © 2018 European Association of Personality Psychology
Antipsychotics, Delirium, and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: What Is the Link?
Authors: Torbic Heather , Duggal Abhijit
Published: February 2018

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is an acute inflammatory process that impairs the ability of the lungs to oxygenate and ultimately leads to respiratory failure. Patients who develop ARDS often have prolonged and complicated hospital courses putting them at risk for intensive care unit (ICU) delirium. Patients with ICU delirium often need chemical sedation, mechanical ventilation, prolonged duration of ICU and hospital stays, and they experience long‐term cognitive impairment and increased mortality. In a patient with ARDS, ICU delirium further complicates the hospital course and increases the risk of morbidity and mortality. Antipsychotics are prescribed to decrease the severity and duration of ICU delirium, thus potentially decreasing their risk of morbidity and mortality. However, antipsychotics are associated with many adverse effects including respiratory failure. Given the long‐term sequelae associated with the development of ICU delirium and the risks associated with antipsychotic use, clinicians must weigh the risks and benefits of antipsychotic use. This review investigates the interrelationship between ARDS, delirium, and antipsychotic use. In addition to discussing relevant studies evaluating antipsychotics for the prevention and treatment of delirium, we investigate safety concerns with the use of antipsychotics, especially as they relate to ARDS. Using the data compiled in this review, clinicians can make an informed decision about the use of antipsychotics for the prevention or treatment of delirium, with special consideration for their patients with ARDS. Future studies are needed to critically evaluate antipsychotic timing, dose, and duration for the prevention and treatment of ICU delirium and specifically evaluate the impact in special populations, particularly patients with ARDS.
Arylamine polymers prepared via facile paraldehyde addition condensation: an effective hole‐transporting material for perovskite solar cells
Authors: Suwa Koki , Tanaka Suguru , Oyaizu Kenichi , Nishide Hiroyuki
Published: February 2018

Arylamine polymers were prepared via the facile one‐step addition condensation of N,N′‐diphenyl‐N,N′‐bis(4‐methylphenyl)‐1,4‐phenylenediamine and 4‐methoxytriphenylamine with paraldehyde. The polymers were highly soluble in common organic solvents. The non‐conjugated arylamine polymer structure was characterized and found to form tough, homogeneous, amorphous layers with a glass transition temperature above 200 °C on a substrate by a simple spin‐coating process. The polymer layers exhibited a hole mobility of the order of 10−5 cm2 V−1 s−1, which was comparable with those of previously reported arylamine polymers, and a highest occupied molecular orbital level of −5.38 eV appropriate for the hole‐transporting layer of perovskite solar cells. The perovskite cells fabricated with the polymers gave a photovoltaic conversion efficiency of 16.0%. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
An insight into the effect of composition for enhance catalytic performance of biogenic Au/Ag bimetallic nanoparticles
Authors: Leishangthem Dhaneshor , Yumkhaibam Md. Amar Khan , Henam Premananda Singh , Nagarajan Sankaranarayanan
Published: February 2018

A comprehensive knowledge of composition‐activity property relationship of nanoparticulate materials is highly desirable for applications in various catalysis reactions. We have addressed a facile green aqueous approach for preparation of Au, Ag monometallic, Au/Ag alloy as well as core‐shell bimetallic nanoparticles. The phytochemicals present in lemon grass leaves extract were employed both as natural reducing and capping agents at room temperature. X‐ray diffraction pattern, UV‐Vis spectroscopy, and energy dispersive X‐ray studies confirmed the formation of bimetallic system. The ensuing Au core/Ag shell and Au/Ag alloy bimetallic nanoparticles were crystalline and spherical in nature with identical average diameter of ~ 18 nm as measured via transmission electron microscopy. The bimetallic systems incredibly display higher catalytic potential than their monometallic counterparts which were vividly reckoned on structural effect, lattice compression, and synergistic electronic effect.
Brokerage Roles and Strategic Positions in Twitter Networks of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution
Authors: Abul‐Fottouh Deena
Published: February 2018

The Egyptian revolution of 2011 presents an important case study for research on digital activism and online mobilization, however, most of the research has focused on the online tools available to activists, without empirically examining their online social networks, or whether they reflect networks on the ground. This article uses social network theory of brokerage, social movements theory of coalition building, and social network analysis to examine the Egyptian revolution at two different time points, representing movement solidarity and schism. I examine the Twitter network structures of Egyptian activists, identifying those who occupied strategic positions connecting activists of different ideological backgrounds. I then test whether these online brokers correspond to brokers on the ground. I find that, similarly to offline activism, online brokers who connected different ideological groups were more prevalent during periods of movement solidarity than schism. However, online brokers did not match on‐the‐ground brokers, with the two groups playing different activism roles, and complementing rather than mirroring each other in advancing the revolutionary movement.
Colloidal Suspensions of Platinum Group Metal Nanoparticles (Pt, Pd, Rh) Synthesized by Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma (DBD)
Authors: Sauvageau Jean‐François , Turgeon Stéphane , Chevallier Pascale , Fortin Marc‐André
Published: February 2018

Atmospheric‐pressure plasmas produced by dielectric barrier discharge can be used to grow nanoparticles from aqueous solutions containing ions from the platinum group metals (PGM: Pt, Pd, and Rh). The technology could also be applied to recover PGM from waste solutions. In plasma electrochemistry, PGM solutions act as a liquid electrode, and a counter electrode located near the surface of the liquid is used to generate the plasma (e.g., hydrogen, argon). The treatment synthesizes nanoparticles within minutes, which can be separated from the treated solutions. In the present study, small concentrations of PGM ions (1 × 10−3m) are recuperated from aqueous solutions containing chloride ions. The efficiency of the process is quantified by elemental analysis, and the size of the colloids, measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Very high recovery yields are found for palladium (>99%), as well as for rhodium (>75%) and for platinum (>51%). Plasma electrochemistry is a very efficient and rapid process to recuperate PGM ions from water solutions (faster than conventional electrowinning) such as industrial waste, acid leach, and related effluents. The very fine and surfactant‐free nanoparticles could find promising applications as industrial and automotive catalysts.
Distributed containment control for nonlinear multiagent systems in pure‐feedback form
Authors: Cui Guozeng , Xu Shengyuan , Chen Xinkai , Lewis Frank L. , Zhang Baoyong
Published: February 2018

In this paper, the problem of distributed containment control for pure‐feedback nonlinear multiagent systems under a directed graph topology is investigated. The dynamics of each agent are molded by high‐order nonaffine pure‐feedback form. Neural networks are employed to identify unknown nonlinear functions, and dynamic surface control technique is used to avoid the problem of explosion of complexity inherent in backstepping design procedure. The Frobenius norm of the ideal neural network weighting matrices is estimated, which is helpful to reduce the number of the adaptive tuning law and alleviate the networked communication burden. The proposed distributed containment controllers guarantee that all signals in the closed‐loop systems are cooperatively semiglobally uniformly ultimately bounded, and the outputs of followers are driven into a convex hull spanned by the multiple dynamic leaders. Finally, the effectiveness of the developed method is demonstrated by simulation examples.
Fabrication of robust superhydrophobic coatings using PTFE‐MWCNT nanocomposite: Supercritical fluid processing
Authors: Subramanian Rajiv , Shanmugam Kumaran , Marappan Sathish
Published: February 2018

Fabrication of polymer‐carbon composite nanostructure with good dispersion of each other is critical for the desired application due to the nanostructure flaws, agglomeration, and poor absorption between the 2 materials. Fabrication of superhydrophobic surface coating composites of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) through supercritical fluid processing was explored in this study. Homogeneity of the composite was characterized by X‐ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy studies, which reveal that the PTFE and MWCNT are uniform in the composite. Microstructural surface evaluation of field‐emission scanning electron microscope and high‐resolution transmission electron microscope studies display that the coating composite possesses roughness structures and fibrillation of the superhydrophobic surface coating. Superhydrophobic character was evaluated on fiber‐reinforced plastic (FRP) sheets, which showed that the prepared coating composite surface showed self‐cleaning properties with a high water contact angle of 162.7°. The surface wettability was studied by increasing different temperatures (30°C to 300°C) in PTFE‐MWCNT composite, which reveals that the FRP sheets were thermally stable up to 200°C and afterward; they transformed from superhydrophobic to hydrophilic state at 250°C. The superhydrophobic surfaces are thermally stable in extreme environmental conditions, and this technique may be used and extendable for large‐scale applications.
A biofilm resistance surface yielded by grafting of antimicrobial peptides on stainless steel surface
Authors: Cao Pan , Yuan Chengqing , Xiao Jinfei , He Xiaoyan , Bai Xiuqin
Published: February 2018

Anti‐biofilm formation on the surface is a severe issue in medical implants, hull surface, and food industry. Antimicrobial peptide, magainin II, was covalently bound to stainless steel surfaces through multi‐step modification. The untreated and modified samples were analyzed by SEM‐EDS, XPS, and contact angle, respectively, which indicated the peptide was immobilized on the surfaces. The antimicrobial tests of modified samples were conducted using Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, and the results revealed that peptide modified surface decreased the biofilm and bacteria quantity of stainless steel surface.
Co‐Electrodeposited Cu2ZnSnS4 Thin Film Solar Cell and Cu2ZnSnS4 Solar Cell – BiVO4 Tandem Device for Unbiased Solar Water Splitting
Authors: Jiang Feng , Li Shuti , Ozaki Chigusa , Harada Takashi , Ikeda Shigeru
Published: February 2018

By implementing a soft‐annealing treatment of co‐electrodeposited Cu‐Zn‐Sn metallic precursor films, a Cu2ZnSnS4 thin film solar cell with a conversion efficiency of 7.66% is prepared. The co‐electrodeposition potential strongly influences the morphology, structure, and elemental ratios of the precursor. A Cu2ZnSnS4 solar cell‐BiVO4 tandem device for unbiased photoelectrochemical solar water splitting is fabricated here for the first time. The tandem cell presents a stable solar‐to‐hydrogen conversion efficiency of above 1.46% against photocorrosion during long time reaction processes in aqueous solution.
EAF Heat Recovery from Incident Radiation on Water‐Cooled Panels Using a Thermophotovoltaic System: A Conceptual Study
Authors: Saboohi Yadollah , Fathi Amorhossein , Škrjanc Igor , Logar Vito
Published: February 2018

In this paper, a conceptual study and quantification of using a thermophotovoltaic system (TPV) to convert incident radiation on furnace panels to electrical energy is presented. In typical electric arc furnaces (EAF), a considerable amount of energy is wasted during the melting process, that is, steel enthalpy, off‐gas extraction, vessel cooling, slag enthalpy, and others. Although a remarkable share of the energy is wasted in circulating water, the contained exergy is simply too low to be considered for heat recovery (under 0.5% of input exergy) in comparison to energy content of the extracted gasses and slag. In the performed study, a TPV power output is calculated as a function of arc length, slag and bath height, zone temperatures, and emissivities. Two major changes to the existent EAF model were performed in order to estimate the TPV efficiency, that is, 1) the radiative heat transfer module has been re‐developed to allow calculation of the incident radiation on the TPV, 2) the model has been extended with a TPV module, which is used to estimate the electricity produced by the TPV. The effects of TPV capacity, its distance from the slag layer and input regime on generated electrical energy are studied. The results have shown that a typical EAF, equipped with TPV system, can reduce average energy consumption by 4.8 kWh ton−1, which corresponds to approximately 0.8% overall efficiency improvement. Moreover, the capacity factor of the installed TPV is predicted at 54% over a period of one year.
Short Telomeres Induce p53 and Autophagy and Modulate Age-Associated Changes in Cardiac Progenitor Cell Fate
Authors: Matsumoto Collin , Jiang Yan , Emathinger Jacqueline , Quijada Pearl , Nguyen Nathalie , De La Torre Andrea , Moshref Maryam , Nguyen Jonathan , Levinson Aimee B. , Shin Minyoung , Sussman Mark A. , Hariharan Nirmala
Published: February 2018

Aging severely limits myocardial repair and regeneration. Delineating the impact of age-associated factors such as short telomeres is critical to enhance the regenerative potential of cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs). We hypothesized that short telomeres activate p53 and induce autophagy to elicit the age-associated change in CPC fate. We isolated CPCs and compared mouse strains with different telomere lengths for phenotypic characteristics of aging. Wild mouse strain Mus musculus castaneus (CAST) possessing short telomeres exhibits early cardiac aging with cardiac dysfunction, hypertrophy, fibrosis, and senescence, as compared with common lab strains FVB and C57 bearing longer telomeres. CAST CPCs with short telomeres demonstrate altered cell fate as characterized by cell cycle arrest, senescence, basal commitment, and loss of quiescence. Elongation of telomeres using a modified mRNA for telomerase restores youthful properties to CAST CPCs. Short telomeres induce autophagy in CPCs, a catabolic protein degradation process, as evidenced by reduced p62 and increased accumulation of autophagic puncta. Pharmacological inhibition of autophagosome formation reverses the cell fate to a more youthful phenotype. Mechanistically, cell fate changes induced by short telomeres are partially p53 dependent, as p53 inhibition rescues senescence and commitment observed in CAST CPCs, coincident with attenuation of autophagy. In conclusion, short telomeres activate p53 and autophagy to tip the equilibrium away from quiescence and proliferation toward differentiation and senescence, leading to exhaustion of CPCs. This study provides the mechanistic basis underlying age-associated cell fate changes that will enable identification of molecular strategies to prevent senescence of CPCs.
Evidence‐based systems engineering
Authors: Hybertson Duane , Hailegiorghis Mimi , Griesi Kenneth , Soeder Brian , Rouse William
Published: February 2018

Systems engineering as with many other disciplines has a foundational challenge of using evidence as the basis for decisions that need to be made in support of the engineering and operations of systems. This challenge is compounded by increasing complexity and rates of changes of modern systems and the large amount of data that is available from these systems and their environments. To address these challenges and opportunities, systems engineering needs to modernize and develop new methods, processes, and tools to ensure that best objective evidence is habitually applied. The authors propose a framework, a systematic way of leveraging available evidence to make decisions or solve problems, both in the practice of systems engineering and in its application domains. This framework includes the combining of scientific knowledge with data analytics to produce best evidence, and then applying mediating context factors to the evidence to make SE decisions. Lessons learned from evidence‐based practice in other domains, especially law and medicine, are described and incorporated into evidence‐based systems engineering (EBSE). Finally, this article provides examples of applying EBSE in practice within SE as well as in SE application domains.
Towards K‐Ion and Na‐Ion Batteries as “Beyond Li‐Ion”
Authors: Kubota Kei , Dahbi Mouad , Hosaka Tomooki , Kumakura Shinichi , Komaba Shinichi
Published: February 2018

Li‐ion battery commercialized by Sony in 1991 has the highest energy‐density among practical rechargeable batteries and is widely used in electronic devices, electric vehicles, and stationary energy storage system in the world. Moreover, the battery market is rapidly growing in the world and further fast‐growing is expected. With expansion of the demand and applications, price of lithium and cobalt resources is increasing. We are, therefore, motivated to study Na‐ and K‐ion batteries for stationary energy storage system because of much abundant Na and K resources and the wide distribution in the world. In this account, we review developments of Na‐ and K‐ion batteries with mainly introducing our previous and present researches in comparison to that of Li‐ion battery.
Bayesian estimation of climate sensitivity using observationally constrained simple climate models
Authors: Bodman Roger W. , Jones Roger N.
Published: February 2018

One‐dimensional simple climate models (SCMs) play an important role within a hierarchy of climate models. They have largely been used to investigate alternative emission scenarios and estimate global‐mean temperature change. This role has expanded through the incorporation of techniques that include Monte Carlo methods and Bayesian statistics, adding the ability to generate probabilistic temperature change projections and diagnose key uncertainties, including equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS). The latter is the most influential parameter within this class of models where it is ordinarily prescribed, rather than being an emergent property. A series of recent papers based on SCMs and Bayesian statistical methods have endeavored to estimate ECS by using instrumental observations and results from other more complex models to constrain the parameter space. Distributions for ECS depend on a variety of parameters, such as ocean diffusivity and aerosol forcing, so that conclusions cannot be drawn without reference to the joint parameter distribution. Results are affected by the treatment of natural variability, observational uncertainty, and the parameter space being explored. In addition, the highly simplified nature of SCMs means that they contain a number of implicit assumptions that do not necessarily reflect adequately the true nature of Earth's nonlinear quasi‐chaotic climate system. Differences in the best estimate and range for ECS may be partly due to variations in the structure of the SCMs reviewed in this study, along with the selection of data and the calibration details, including the choice of priors. Further investigations and model intercomparisons are needed to clarify these issues. WIREs Clim Change 2016, 7:461–473. doi: 10.1002/wcc.397

This article is categorized under:

Climate Models and Modeling > Knowledge Generation with Models
Estimation of Road Friction
Coefficient in Different Road Conditions Based on Vehicle Braking
Dynamics
Authors: Zhao You-Qun , Li Hai-Qing , Lin Fen , Wang Jian , Ji Xue-Wu
Published: February 2018

The accurate estimation of road friction coefficient in
the active safety control system has become increasingly prominent.
Most previous studies on road friction estimation have only used
vehicle longitudinal or lateral dynamics and often ignored the load
transfer, which tends to cause inaccurate of the actual road
friction coefficient. A novel method considering load transfer of
front and rear axles is proposed to estimate road friction
coefficient based on braking dynamic model of two-wheeled vehicle.
Sliding mode control technique is used to build the ideal braking
torque controller, which control target is to control the actual
wheel slip ratio of front and rear wheels tracking the ideal wheel
slip ratio. In order to eliminate the chattering problem of the
sliding mode controller, integral switching surface is used to
design the sliding mode surface. A second order linear extended
state observer is designed to observe road friction coefficient
based on wheel speed and braking torque of front and rear wheels.
The proposed road friction coefficient estimation schemes are
evaluated by simulation in ADAMS/Car. The results show that the
estimated values can well agree with the actual values in different
road conditions. The observer can estimate road friction coefficient
exactly in real-time and resist external disturbance. The proposed
research provides a novel method to estimate road friction
coefficient with strong robustness and more accurate.
Enhanced synergetic effect of Cr(VI) ion removal and anionic dye degradation with superparamagnetic cobalt ferrite meso–macroporous nanospheres
Authors: Thomas Bintu , Alexander L. K.
Published: February 2018

The overall effectiveness of a photocatalytic water treatment method strongly depends on various physicochemical factors. Superparamagnetic photocatalysts have incomparable advantage of easy separation using external magnetic fields. So, the synthesis of efficient superparamagnetic photocatalysts and the development of a deep understanding of the factors influencing their catalytic performances are important. Co
x
Zn1−x
Fe2O4 (x = 0, 0.5, 1) ferrite nanospheres were synthesized by the solvothermal route. The reduction of Cr(VI) and degradation of methyl orange (MO) impurities were carried out in single- and binary-component system under visible light irradiation. The adsorption experiments were done by the catalyst in the water solution containing the impurities. The magnetic and optical properties were studied by VSM and UV–Vis analysis. The nature of porosity was investigated using the BET method. 3D nanospheres of diameter about 5–10 nm were fabricated. The binary-contaminant system exhibited synergetic photocatalytic effect (80% improvement in activity rate) against the nanoparticles. The corresponding mechanism is discussed. CoFe2O4 exhibited better adsorption, photocatalytic and magnetic separation efficiency due to its higher surface area (50% higher), narrower band gap (25% lesser), smaller crystallite size, a strong magnetic strength (51.35 emu/g) and meso–macro hierarchical porous structure. The adsorption of Cr(VI) and MO can be approximated to the Langmuir and Freundlich model, respectively.
Elevated phospholipase D isoform 1 in Alzheimer's disease patients' hippocampus: Relevance to synaptic dysfunction and memory deficits
Authors: Krishnan Balaji , Kayed Rakez , Taglialatela Giulio
Published: February 2018

Introduction

Phospholipase D (PLD), a lipolytic enzyme that breaks down membrane phospholipids, is also involved in signaling mechanisms downstream of seven transmembrane receptors. Abnormally elevated levels of PLD activity are well‐established in Alzheimer's disease (AD), implicating the two isoforms of mammalian phosphatidylcholine cleaving PLD (PC‐PLD1 and PC‐PLD2). Therefore, we took a systematic approach of investigating isoform‐specific expression in human synaptosomes and further investigated the possibility of therapeutic intervention using preclinical studies.

Methods

Synaptosomal Western blot analyses on the postmortem human hippocampus, temporal cortex, and frontal cortex of AD patient brains/age‐matched controls and the 3XTg‐AD mice hippocampus (mouse model with overexpression of human amyloid precursor protein, presenilin‐1 gene, and microtubule‐associated protein tau causing neuropathology progressing comparable to that in human AD patients) were used to detect the levels of neuronal PLD1 expression. Mouse hippocampal long‐term potentiation of PLD1‐dependent changes was studied using pharmacological approaches in ex vivo slice preparations from wild‐type and transgenic mouse models. Finally, PLD1‐dependent changes in novel object recognition memory were assessed following PLD1 inhibition.

Results

We observed elevated synaptosomal PLD1 in the hippocampus/temporal cortex from postmortem tissues of AD patients compared to age‐matched controls and age‐dependent hippocampal PLD1 increases in 3XTg‐AD mice. PLD1 inhibition blocked effects of oligomeric amyloid β or toxic oligomeric tau species on high‐frequency stimulation long‐term potentiation and novel object recognition deficits in wild‐type mice. Finally, PLD1 inhibition blocked long‐term potentiation deficits normally observed in aging 3XTg‐AD mice.

Discussion

Using human studies, we propose a novel role for PLD1‐dependent signaling as a critical mechanism underlying oligomer‐driven synaptic dysfunction and consequent memory disruption in AD. We, further, provide the first set of preclinical studies toward future therapeutics targeting PLD1 in slowing down/stopping the progression of AD‐related memory deficits as a complementary approach to immunoscavenging clinical trials that are currently in progress.
Village Dispute Mediation in China, 2002–10: An Enduring Institution amid Rural Change
Authors: READ Benjamin L. , MICHELSON Ethan
Published: February 2018

The mediation of disputes by community leaders in China has deep historical roots and has long been among the responsibilities of neighbourhoods and villages. While most research on the topic has looked at cities, mediation is in fact more common in the countryside. This paper draws on a survey conducted in 2002 (n=2,164) and repeated in 2010 (n=2,659), covering 23 villages in five provinces, which provides detailed data on conflict from disputants themselves. We examine the evolution of this much-debated mode of conflict resolution and assess its prevalence and effectiveness relative to alternatives. We find that, even as overall rates of disputing declined, seeking intervention by village authorities remained as common a response to disputes in 2010 as it was eight years prior. The paper thus sheds light on a primary means through which the party-state has tried to maintain stability, tamp down strife, and assert its primacy at the community level.
A spatio-temporal analysis of trends in Northern Hemisphere snow-dominated area and duration, 1971–2014
Authors: Allchin Michael I. , Déry Stephen J.
Published: February 2018

Seasonal snow-cover modulates water and energy budgets across large areas of the Northern Hemisphere. Previous research, based on satellite imagery interpreted and curated by the Rutgers University Snow Laboratory, has identified significant negative and positive trends in annual snow-covered duration and area at hemispheric and continental scales between 1971 and 2014. This study uses the same dataset to generate more detailed descriptions of spatial variations in these trends, maps intraannual variations in sign, statistical significance and strength, and quantifies associations with latitude and elevation. It also considers the limitations and uncertainties associated with a binary classification of this type, and the implications for trend magnitudes of adopting alternatives to the conventional assumption of 100% (0%) actual fractional snow-covered area in ‘snow-covered’ (‘snow-free’) spatial units at different stages of the snow-season. This prompts adoption of alternative terminology, referring to ‘snow-dominated’ area and duration. In response to questions about the dataset's veracity raised by some prior studies, it discusses climatological factors of potential relevance in explaining spatio-temporal trend patterns, and considers how biases might possibly have been introduced as a result of extraneous influences.