bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Charge transport and structure in semimetallic polymers
Authors: Rudd Sam , Franco‐Gonzalez Juan F. , Kumar Singh Sandeep , Ullah Khan Zia , Crispin Xavier , Andreasen Jens W. , Zozoulenko Igor , Evans Drew 
Published: October 2017

ABSTRACTOwing to changes in their chemistry and structure, polymers can be fabricated to demonstrate vastly different electrical conductivities over many orders of magnitude. At the high end of conductivity is the class of conducting polymers, which are ideal candidates for many applications in low‐cost electronics. Here, we report the influence of the nature of the doping anion at high doping levels within the semi‐metallic conducting polymer poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) on its electronic transport properties. Hall effect measurements on a variety of PEDOT samples show that the choice of doping anion can lead to an order of magnitude enhancement in the charge carrier mobility > 3 cm2/Vs at conductivities approaching 3000 S/cm under ambient conditions. Grazing Incidence Wide Angle X‐ray Scattering, Density Functional Theory calculations, and Molecular Dynamics simulations indicate that the chosen doping anion modifies the way PEDOT chains stack together. This link between structure and specific anion doping at high doping levels has ramifications for the fabrication of conducting polymer‐based devices. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2018, 56, 97–104
Home supply of emergency oral steroids and reduction in asthma healthcare utilization
Authors: Sarzynski Lisa M. , Turner Tiffany , Stukus David R. , Allen Elizabeth 
Published: October 2017

AbstractObjectiveTo determine if children with moderate‐to‐severe persistent asthma have decreased healthcare utilization after receiving a prescription and instructions to use an at home emergency supply of oral steroids during asthma exacerbations.MethodsA quasi‐experimental design study with a historical control from retrospective chart review was performed for patients aged 2‐18 years seen in a tertiary care pediatric pulmonary clinic for moderate to severe persistent asthma. Baseline utilization of the emergency department, inpatient hospital, and pediatric intensive care unit for asthma exacerbations was collected from 24 months prior to initial prescription for at home steroids and compared with 12 months post‐intervention using Poisson Regression. A subgroup analysis was performed for ages 6‐18 evaluating school age children alone.ResultsPatients (N = 132) were averaged 10 years ± 3.9 years of age and 57% of patients were male. Emergency Department visit rates significantly declined in the 12 months after receiving a prescription and instructions for home emergency steroid supply compared with the 12 months prior to this intervention (0.39 visits/patient/year vs 0.67, P < 0.01). There was a trend for a decline in inpatient (0.27 visits/patient/year vs 0.11, P = 0.09) and pediatric intensive care unit stay rates (0.11 visits/patient/year vs 0.05, P = 0.06). A subgroup analysis of ages 6‐18 found similar results.ConclusionsIncorporation of home emergency oral steroids into the home management plan of children with moderate‐to‐severe asthma can reduce asthma related Emergency Department visits.
Interleukin 1β polymorphism and serum level are associated with pediatric asthma
Authors: Sobkowiak Paulina , Wojsyk‐Banaszak Irena , Kowalewska Maja , Wasilewska Eliza , Langwiński Wojciech , Kycler Zdzisława , Skibińska Maria , Bręborowicz Anna , Jassem Ewa , Szczepankiewicz Aleksandra 
Published: October 2017

AbstractBackground and AimInterleukin‐1 is a pro‐inflammatory cytokine found in two forms (α and β). The α form is mainly cell‐bound, whereas IL‐1β is primarily secreted by macrophages in response to immune system stimulation. We hypothesized that polymorphic variants of interleukin 1 genes may play a role in childhood asthma risk. The aim of this study was to investigate if IL‐1α and β polymorphism is associated with asthma in a pediatric population and if the genotype affects its serum level.MethodsThe studied population included 310 children aged 6‐18 years old (152 with asthma and 158 healthy children). Genotypes were determined with real‐time PCR method using TaqMan Genotyping Assays. Serum level was measured with ELISA Set. Statistical analysis was done in Statistica v.12.0. Linkage disequilibrium and haplotype analysis was done in Haploview v. 4.2.ResultsWe found that three IL‐1β polymorphisms rs1143634, rs1143633, and rs1143643 were associated with allergic asthma risk (P = 0.034; OR = 1.523; P = 0.024, OR = 1.477; 0.044, OR = 1.420, respectively). We also found a strong linkage disequilibrium between these polymorphisms and CAC haplotype was associated significantly with asthma risk (P = 0.023). For IL1α, we did not observe association with asthma. We then analyzed if IL‐1β expression was altered in serum and we found that asthmatic children showed significantly higher IL‐1β levels than healthy controls (P = 0.047). No association with asthma was observed for IL‐1 α variants.ConclusionsThis study indicates that IL‐1β gene polymorphism may affect allergic asthma risk in children.
Finite‐time stability of switched nonlinear time‐varying systems via indefinite Lyapunov functions
Authors: Chen Guopei , Yang Ying 
Published: October 2017

SummaryThis note considers the problem of finite‐time stability (FTS) for switched nonlinear time‐varying systems. First, a relaxed condition is proposed to verify the FTS of nonlinear time‐varying systems by using an indefinite Lyapunov function. Then, the result obtained is extended to study the FTS of switched nonlinear time‐varying systems. Several relaxed conditions are given by using a common indefinite Lyapunov function and multiple indefinite Lyapunov functions. Moreover, the corresponding estimates on convergence regions and times of systems are also given. Comparing with the existing results, the conditions obtained allow the time derivative of Lyapunov functions of subsystems (or systems) to be indefinite and all subsystems to be not finite‐time stable or even unstable. Finally, a numerical example is given to illustrate the theoretical results.
A General Strategy Assisted with Dual Reductants and Dual Protecting Agents for Preparing Pt‐Based Alloys with High‐Index Facets and Excellent Electrocatalytic Performance
Authors: Luan Chenglong , Zhou Qing‐Xiang , Wang Yao , Xiao Yun , Dai Xiaoping , Huang Xing‐Liang , Zhang Xin 
Published: October 2017

AbstractSynthesizing noble metallic nanoparticles (NPs) enclosed by high‐index facets (HIFs) is challenged as it involves the tuning of growth kinetics, the selective adsorption of certain chemical species, and the epitaxial growth from HIF enclosed seeds. Herein, a simple and general strategy is reported by using dual reduction agents and dual capping agents to prepare Pt‐based alloy NPs with HIFs, in which both glycine and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) serve as the reductants and capping agents. Due to the facilely tunable growth/nucleation rates and protecting abilities of the reductants and capping agents, Pt concave nanocube (CNC), binary Pt–Ni CNC, ternary Pt–Mn–Cu CNC, and Pt–Mn–Cu ramiform polyhedron alloy NPs terminated by HIFs as well as other NPs with well‐defined morphologies such as Pt–Mn–Cu nanocube and Pt–Mn–Cu nanoflower are obtained with this approach. Owing to the high density of low‐coordinated Pt sites (HIF structure) and the unique electronic effect of Pt–Mn–Cu ternary alloys, the as‐prepared Pt–Mn–Cu NPs show enhanced catalytic activity toward methanol and formic acid electro‐oxidation reactions with excellent stability. This work provides a promising methodology for designing and fabricating Pt‐based alloy NPs as efficient fuel cell catalyst.
The Brain Drain Myth: Retention of Specialist Surgical Graduates in East, Central and Southern Africa, 1974–2013
Authors: Hutch Avril , Bekele Abebe , O’Flynn Eric , Ndonga Andrew , Tierney Sean , Fualal Jane , Samkange Christopher , Erzingatsian Krikor 
Published: October 2017

AbstractBackgroundThis study assesses the retention of specialist surgical graduates from training programmes across eight countries in East, Central and Southern Africa from 1974 to 2013. It addresses the gap in existing data by analysing retention rates of surgical graduates by comparing graduating institution to current location. Data were assessed by country, region, specialty and gender with a view to informing national and regional healthcare and education strategies.MethodsTwenty‐five institutions train surgeons in the ten countries covered by the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA)—24 Universities and the College itself. These institutions were requested in November 2014 to supply details of graduates from their postgraduate surgical training programmes. Complete graduate lists were returned by the College and 14 universities by March 2016. These surgical graduates were compared against the database of current practising surgeons in the region held by COSECSA. Data were cross‐checked against medical council registers, surgical society records, and with members and fellows of COSECSA.ResultsData were incomplete for 126 surgical graduates. Of the remaining 1038 surgical graduates, 85.1% were retained in the country they trained in, while 88.3% were retained within the COSECSA region. Ninety‐three per cent (93.4%) were retained within Africa. Of the eight countries, Malawi had the highest retention rate with 100% of surgical graduates remaining in country, while Zimbabwe had the lowest rate with 65.5% remaining.ConclusionHigh surgical graduate retention rates across the region indicate that the expansion of national surgical training initiatives is an effective solution to addressing the surgical workforce shortage in East, Central and Southern Africa and counters long‐held arguments regarding brain drain in this region.
Noncommunicable Diseases After the Great East Japan Earthquake: Systematic Review, 2011–2016
Authors: Murakami Aya , Sasaki Hiroyuki , Pascapurnama Dyshelly Nurkartika , Egawa Shinichi 
Published: October 2017

ABSTRACTObjectiveNoncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including mental disorders, have become major threats to human health worldwide. People with NCDs are particularly vulnerable to disasters. We systematically reviewed reports describing studies of NCDs at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) to clarify the circumstances of people with NCDs and to build strong measures to support them.MethodsRelevant articles published from March 2011 through December 2016 were collected by searching the PubMed database (National Library of Medicine). We specifically examined reports describing NCDs and including the key words “East Japan Earthquake.” NCDs included every disease type aside from injury and infectious disease.ResultsWe collected 160 relevant articles, 41 of which described NCDs that existed in residents before the GEJE. Articles describing respiratory diseases and mental illnesses were found most frequently. Interruption of regular treatment was the most frequent problem, followed by lack of surveillance capacity. We found 101 reports describing NCDs that had developed after the GEJE, of which 60% were related to mental health issues.ConclusionsNCDs pose major health issues after large-scale disasters. Establishment of strong countermeasures against interruption of treatment and surveillance systems to ascertain medical needs for NCDs are necessary to prepare for future disasters. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018; 12: 396–407)
Non-Desarguesian planes and weak associativity
Authors: Burn R. P. 
Published: October 2017

During the 19th century various criticisms of Euclid's geometry emerged and alternative axiom systems were constructed. That of David Hilbert ([1], 1899) paid particular attention to the independence of the axioms, and it is his insights which have shaped many of the further developments during the 20th century.We can, from his insights, define an affine plane as a set of points, with distinguished subsets called lines such thatAxiom 1: Given two distinct points, there is a unique line containing them both.Axiom 2: Given a line L and a point, p, not contained in L, there is a unique line containing p which does not intersect L.Axiom 3: There exist at least three points, not belonging to the same line.
MIDDLE EAST ENCOUNTERS 69 DEGREES NORTH LATITUDE: SYRIAN REFUGEES AND EVERYDAY HUMANITARIANISM IN THE ARCTIC
Authors: Naguib Nefissa 
Published: October 2017

AbstractIn late 2015, approximately 2,000 Syrian asylum seekers made their way into Norway via the Arctic passage from Russia. What ensued are “global moments,” breakthrough events that have reshaped lives and futures for both the refugees and those who aided them, and it is the latter group on which this article focuses. As refugees began arriving in Arctic Norway, Refugees Welcome to the Arctic, an ad hoc grassroots organization, was formed to assist them. This group of ordinary people, most of them with no previous humanitarian experience, took action in defiance of Norwegian government policies, and providing food became the focus of their efforts. Refugees Welcome to the Arctic members often described being motived to act by their own traumatic memories of the region's experience of World War II, a time of deprivation and brutality suffered at the hands of the retreating German army. Food, as an enactment of compassion, is shown to be a powerful means through which people connect in very personal, concrete ways to the humanitarian enterprise.
WHOSEMISAFIRS?NEGOTIATING DIFFERENCE ALONG THE TURKISH–SYRIAN BORDER
Authors: Dağtaş Seçil 
Published: October 2017

AbstractThis article examines the figure of themisafir(guest) as it personifies the combined domains of everyday and institutional hospitality in Hatay, a contested border province annexed to Turkey from French Mandate Syria in 1939, and home today to over 400,000 displaced Syrians. Based on fieldwork conducted between 2010 and 2012 in Hatay's administrative capital, Antakya, I focus on the perspectives of the region's bilingual (Turkish-Arabic) Jewish and Christian populations about the officialmisafirstatus of the first Syrian arrivals. I argue that the sudden transformation of Syrians from familialmisafirs to governmentalmisafirs in the early days of the Syrian conflict ruptured the hierarchical domains of reciprocity that have historically shaped the cross-border relations between these communities. In this process, Antakya's religious minorities recognized and negotiated the limits of their own residence, difference, and citizenship in Turkey, and invoked the lived practices of hospitality that exist beside but also transcend ethnoreligious and national identities. By examining how historical articulations of religious and national difference along the Turkish–Syrian border are entwined with the figure of themisafirat the interpersonal level, this article contributes to debates on hospitality in scholarship on the Middle East and in migration literature.
GOVERNANCE STRATEGIES AND REFUGEE RESPONSE: LEBANON IN THE FACE OF SYRIAN DISPLACEMENT
Authors: Fakhoury Tamirace 
Published: October 2017

AbstractThis article discusses how the Lebanese state has responded to displacement from Syria (2011–17), and how the resulting policy formulation processes and discourses have constructed the relationship between the hosting state and the refugee. It focuses especially on how this small state has negotiated its politics of reception and choice of policy tools amid dysfunctional institutions and political disputes. To this end, it uses the lens of Lebanon's model of sectarian power sharing to understand the polity's response to mass displacement. This process has been structured by the defining dynamics of the country's politics of sectarianism: slack governance, an elite fractured model, and a politics of dependence on external and domestic nonstate actors. The Lebanese model offers broader insights into types of coping mechanisms that emerge in the context of forced migration, notably when a formal refugee regime is absent. The article contends that states lacking a legal asylum framework and grappling with various governance hurdles are likely to draw on the repertoire of their political regime to deal with displacement.
Divided citizenship: how retirement in the host country affects the financial status of intra-European Union migrants
Authors: BRIDGEN PAUL , MEYER TRAUTE 
Published: October 2017

AbstractSince European Union (EU) enlargement in 2003, labour migration from East to West and South to North has increased. It is to be expected that a share of these workers will want to retire in their host countries. According to the academic literature, EU legislation protects such mobility well by allowing the transfer of rights accrued in any EU country to another. However, such research has focused on legislation, not outcomes. We know little about how migration will affect the financial status of retired migrants in their host country and their ability to sustain a life there, should they stay after retirement. Using migration, wage and pension policy data (Eurostat, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), this paper projects the post-retirement incomes of a range of hypothetical EU migrants, selected in relation to the most common migratory flows since 2003. After having worked in their home countries (Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Italy) for at least ten years, these people move to richer countries (Italy, Spain, Germany, United Kingdom) and work there for at least 30 years. To determine whether they can remain settled after decades of labour force participation in the host country, the paper adds their pension entitlements from home and host countries and compares this income with the relative poverty line of the host countries. This shows that good portability of entitlements matters little when these are very low because of a large wage gap between home and host country. Thus, after at least 30 years of enjoying all citizenship rights as workers, most of these individuals are projected to receive incomes below the relative poverty line of their host countries and thus experience a sharp drop in this status. Their citizenship is diminished. The paper concludes by considering policies that could avoid such an outcome.
Using underwater video to assess megabenthic community vulnerability to trawling in the Grande Vasière (Bay of Biscay)
Authors: MÉRILLET LAURÈNE , MOUCHET MAUD , ROBERT MARIANNE , SALAÜN MICHÈLE , SCHUCK LUCIE , VAZ SANDRINE , KOPP DOROTHÉE 
Published: October 2017

SUMMARYTrawling activities are considered to be one of the main sources of disturbance to the seabed worldwide. We aimed to disentangle the dominance of environmental variations and trawling intensity in order to explain the distribution of diversity patterns over 152 sampling sites in the French trawl fishing-ground, the Grande Vasière. Using a towed underwater video device, we identified 39 taxa to the finest taxonomic level possible, which were clustered according to their vulnerability to trawling disturbance based on functional traits. Using generalized linear models, we investigated whether the density distribution of each vulnerability group was sensitive to trawling intensity and habitat characteristics. Our analyses revealed a structuring effect of depth and substratum on community structure. The distribution of the more vulnerable group was a negative function of trawling intensity, while the distributions of the less vulnerable groups were independent of trawling intensity. Video monitoring coupled with trait-based vulnerability assessment of macro-epibenthic communities might be more relevant than the traditional taxonomic approach to identifying the areas that are most vulnerable to fishing activities in conservation planning.
Bioefficacy of enhanced diatomaceous earth and botanical powders on the mortality and progeny production of Acanthoscelides obtectus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Sitophilus granarius (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae) and Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) in stored grain cereals
Authors: Adarkwah Charles , Obeng-Ofori Daniel , Hörmann Vanessa , Ulrichs Christian , Schöller Matthias 
Published: October 2017

Abstract
Food losses caused by insects during postharvest storage are of paramount economic importance worldwide, especially in Africa. Laboratory bioassays were conducted in stored grains to determine the toxicity of powders of Eugenia aromatica and Moringa oleifera alone or combined with enhanced diatomaceous earth (Probe-A® DE, 89.0% SiO2 and 5% silica aerogel) to adult Sitophilus granarius, Tribolium castaneum and Acanthoscelides obtectus. Adult mortality was observed up to 7 days, while progeny production was recorded at 6–10 weeks. LD50 and LT50 values for adult test insects exposed to plant powders and DE, showed that A. obtectus was the most susceptible towards the botanicals (LD50 0.179% and 0.088% wt/wt for E. aromatica and M. oleifera, respectively), followed by S. granarius. Tribolium castaneum was most tolerant (LD50 1.42% wt/wt and 1.40% wt/wt for E. aromatica and M. oleifera, respectively). The combined mixture of plant powders and DE controlled the beetles faster compared to the plant powders alone. LT50 ranged from 55.7 h to 62.5 h for T. castaneum exposed to 1.0% M. oleifera and 1.0% DE, and 0.5% E. aromatica and 1.0% DE, respectively. Botanicals caused significant reduction of F1 adults compared to the control. Combined action of botanical insecticides with DE as a grain protectant in an integrated pest management approach is discussed.
PTP4A1 promotes TGFβ signaling and fibrosis in systemic sclerosis
Authors: Sacchetti Cristiano , Bai Yunpeng , Stanford Stephanie M. , Di Benedetto Paola , Cipriani Paola , Santelli Eugenio , Piera-Velazquez Sonsoles , Chernitskiy Vladimir , Kiosses William B. , Ceponis Arnold , Kaestner Klaus H. , Boin Francesco , Jimenez Sergio A. , Giacomelli Roberto , Zhang Zhong-Yin , Bottini Nunzio 
Published: October 2017

AbstractSystemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterized by fibrosis of skin and internal organs. Protein tyrosine phosphatases have received little attention in the study of SSc or fibrosis. Here, we show that the tyrosine phosphatase PTP4A1 is highly expressed in fibroblasts from patients with SSc. PTP4A1 and its close homolog PTP4A2 are critical promoters of TGFβ signaling in primary dermal fibroblasts and of bleomycin-induced fibrosis in vivo. PTP4A1 promotes TGFβ signaling in human fibroblasts through enhancement of ERK activity, which stimulates SMAD3 expression and nuclear translocation. Upstream from ERK, we show that PTP4A1 directly interacts with SRC and inhibits SRC basal activation independently of its phosphatase activity. Unexpectedly, PTP4A2 minimally interacts with SRC and does not promote the SRC–ERK–SMAD3 pathway. Thus, in addition to defining PTP4A1 as a molecule of interest for TGFβ-dependent fibrosis, our study provides information regarding the functional specificity of different members of the PTP4A subclass of phosphatases.