bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Laser emission in a 3D nanoporous polymer replica of amorphous blue phase III
Authors: Gandhi Sahil Sandesh , Li Yong , Luo Dan , Chien Liang‐Chy 
Published: January 2018

ABSTRACTWide‐temperature polymer stabilized cubic blue phases (BPI and BPII) facilitated the emergence of practically feasible band‐edge BP lasers. However, the mysterious “blue fog” amorphous BPIII always remained elusive in terms of its applicability to photonic devices due to its random amorphous structure devoid of photonic bandgaps and due to the difficulty in effectively identifying and stabilizing it for practical applications. We present the first photonic device based on amorphous BPIII by demonstrating that a three‐dimensional BPIII polymer scaffold or template, when infiltrated with liquid crystal and laser dye, forms a system where random lasing action is generated due to multiple scattering events occurring in the nanoporous and disordered polymer replica of BPIII. This study represents a facile approach for the development of photonic devices which favorably exploit unique polymer network morphologies for laser emission. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2018, 56, 551–557
Microfluidics‐based liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry multiple reaction monitoring approach for the relative quantification of Burkholderia cenocepacia secreted virulence factors
Authors: Depluverez Sofie , Daled Simon , De Waele Stijn , Planckaert Sören , Schoovaerts Jolien , Deforce Dieter , Devreese Bart 
Published: January 2018

RationaleBurkholderia cenocepacia is an opportunistic pathogen that is commonly isolated from patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Quorum sensing has been suggested to play a role in the activity of type II and type VI secretion systems and the release of virulence factors. Apart from the classical acyl homoserine lactone quorum sensing, B. cenocepacia also uses the diffusible signal factor system (DSF). Quantitative information on the true impact of DSF molecules on the release of ZmpA and other virulence factors is lacking.MethodsBased on results of a label‐free proteomics analysis addressing changes in the secretome in response to DSFs, a panel of peptides was selected to develop a microfluidics liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) method implementing single reaction monitoring (SRM) to quantify B. cenocepacia virulence factors.ResultsIncrease in secretion of virulence factors upon treatment with BDSF was observed for ZmpA and Aida, but not for ZmpB. Type VI secretion system dependent Hcp1 and TecA were decreased. However, non‐physiological amounts of BDSF were needed to provoke the effect. DSFs from P. aeruginosa and S. maltophilia were also affecting virulence factor secretion, but the effect was smaller than for the endogenous BDSF.ConclusionsMicrofluidics‐based SRM is a useful tool to quantitatively assess the impact of quorum sensing on the release of virulence factors by (opportunistic) pathogens.
Enhanced Ultrafast Nonlinear Optical Response in Ferrite Core/Shell Nanostructures with Excellent Optical Limiting Performance
Authors: Perumbilavil Sreekanth , López‐Ortega Alberto , Tiwari Gaurav Kumar , Nogués Josep , Endo Tamio , Philip Reji 
Published: January 2018

AbstractNonlinear optical nanostructured materials are gaining increased interest as optical limiters for various applications, although many of them suffer from reduced efficiencies at high‐light fluences due to photoinduced deterioration. The nonlinear optical properties of ferrite core/shell nanoparticles showing their robustness for ultrafast optical limiting applications are reported. At 100 fs ultrashort laser pulses the effective two‐photon absorption (2PA) coefficient shows a nonmonotonic dependence on the shell thickness, with a maximum value obtained for thin shells. In view of the local electric field confinement, this indicates that core/shell is an advantageous morphology to improve the nonlinear optical parameters, exhibiting excellent optical limiting performance with effective 2PA coefficients in the range of 10−12 cm W−1 (100 fs excitation), and optical limiting threshold fluences in the range of 1.7 J cm−2. These values are comparable to or better than most of the recently reported optical limiting materials. The quality of the open aperture Z‐scan data recorded from repeat measurements at intensities as high as 35 TW cm−2, indicates their considerably high optical damage thresholds in a toluene dispersion, ensuring their robustness in practical applications. Thus, the high photostability combined with the remarkable nonlinear optical properties makes these nanoparticles excellent candidates for ultrafast optical limiting applications.
Metal–Organic Framework Encapsulation for the Preservation and Photothermal Enhancement of Enzyme Activity
Authors: Tadepalli Sirimuvva , Yim Jieun , Cao Sisi , Wang Zheyu , Naik Rajesh R. , Singamaneni Srikanth 
Published: January 2018

AbstractInterfacing biomolecules with functional materials is a key strategy toward achieving externally‐triggered biological function. The rational integration of functional proteins, such as enzymes, with plasmonic nanostructures that exhibit unique optical properties such as photothermal effect provides a means to externally control the enzyme activity. However, due to the labile nature of enzymes, the photothermal effect of plasmonic nanostructures is mostly utilized for the enhancement of the biocatalytic activity of thermophilic enzymes. In order to extend and utilize the photothermal effect to a broader class of enzymes, a means to stabilize the immobilized active protein is essential. Inspired by biomineralization for the encapsulation of soft tissue within protective exteriors in nature, metal–organic framework is utilized to stabilize the enzyme. This strategy provides an effective route to enhance and externally modulate the biocatalytic activity of enzymes bound to functional nanostructures over a broad range of operating environments that are otherwise hostile to the biomolecules.
Tuning the Carrier Confinement in GeS/Phosphorene van der Waals Heterostructures
Authors: Wang Chan , Peng Lei , Qian Qi , Du Jinyan , Wang Sufan , Huang Yucheng 
Published: January 2018

AbstractVan der Waals (vdW) heterostructures, which have the advantage of integrating excellent properties of the stacked 2D materials by vdW interactions, have gained increasing attention recently. In this work, within the framework of density functional theory calculations, the electronic properties of vdW heterostructure composed of phosphorene (BP) in black phosphorus phase and GeS monolayer are systematically explored. The results show that the carriers are not separated for both lattice‐match and lattice‐mismatch heterostructures. For the lattice‐match heterostructure, it is found that changing monolayer of GeS to bilayer can increase the energy difference of valence band offsets between GeS and BP, thus realizing electron–hole separation. For the lattice‐mismatch heterostructure, altering the layer distance can transform the heterostructure into a typical type‐I alignment, but applying the electric field or doping with 2, 3, 5, 6‐tetrafluoro‐7, 7, 8, 8‐tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4TCNQ) can make it display a perfect desirable type‐II alignment, where holes migration and electrons transfer are revealed to account respectively for the phenomenon of carrier separation. It is believed that the work would greatly enlarge the potential application of the BP‐based heterostructures in photoelectronics and further stimulate the investigation enthusiasms on other fashionable heterostructures and even unassuming heterostructures in which the charming electronic properties can be modulated to emerge by various general methods.
Cold‐inducible RNA binding protein in cancer and inflammation
Authors: Lujan Daniel A. , Ochoa Joey L. , Hartley Rebecca S. 
Published: January 2018

RNA binding proteins (RBPs) play key roles in RNA dynamics, including subcellular localization, translational efficiency and metabolism. Cold‐inducible RNA binding protein (CIRP) is a stress‐induced protein that was initially described as a DNA damage‐induced transcript (A18 hnRNP), as well as a cold‐shock domain containing cold‐stress response protein (CIRBP) that alters the translational efficiency of its target messenger RNAs (mRNAs). This review summarizes recent work on the roles of CIRP in the context of inflammation and cancer. The function of CIRP in cancer appeared to be solely driven though its functions as an RBP that targeted cancer‐associated mRNAs, but it is increasingly clear that CIRP also modulates inflammation. Several recent studies highlight roles for CIRP in immune responses, ranging from sepsis to wound healing and tumor‐promoting inflammation. While modulating inflammation is an established role for RBPs that target cytokine mRNAs, CIRP appears to modulate inflammation by several different mechanisms. CIRP has been found in serum, where it binds the TLR4‐MD2 complex, acting as a Damage‐associated molecular pattern (DAMP). CIRP activates the NF‐κB pathway, increasing phosphorylation of Iκκ and IκBα, and stabilizes mRNAs encoding pro‐inflammatory cytokines. While CIRP promotes higher levels of pro‐inflammatory cytokines in certain cancers, it also decreases inflammation to accelerate wound healing. This dichotomy suggests that the influence of CIRP on inflammation is context dependent and highlights the importance of detailing the mechanisms by which CIRP modulates inflammation. WIREs RNA 2018, 9:e1462. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1462This article is categorized under:

RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease
RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein–RNA Interactions: Functional Implications
Veni, vidi, vici: the success of wtf meiotic drivers in fission yeast
Authors: López Hernández José Fabricio , Zanders Sarah E. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractMeiotic drivers are selfish DNA loci that can bias their own transmission into gametes. Owing to their transmission advantages, meiotic drivers can spread in populations even if the drivers or linked variants decrease organismal fitness. Meiotic drive was first formally described in the 1950s and is thought to be a powerful force shaping eukaryotic genomes. Classic genetic analyses have detected the action of meiotic drivers in plants, filamentous fungi, insects and vertebrates. Several of these drive systems have limited experimental tractability and relatively little is known about the molecular mechanisms of meiotic drive. Recently, however, meiotic drivers were discovered in a yeast species. The Schizosaccharomyces pombe wtf gene family contains several active meiotic drive genes. This review summarizes what is known about the wtf family and highlights its potential as a highly tractable experimental model for molecular and evolutionary characterization of meiotic drive.
Erythritol production by yeasts: a snapshot of current knowledge
Authors: Carly Frédéric , Fickers Patrick 
Published: January 2018

AbstractErythritol is a four‐carbon sugar alcohol produced by microorganisms as an osmoprotectant. It could be used as a natural sweetener in the pharmaceutical and food industries. Here, a snapshot of current knowledge on erythritol metabolism and synthesis, optimization of its production and more precise process and producer strain improvement is presented.
Principle Guided Investing: The Use of Exclusionary Screens and Its Implications for Green Investors
Authors: von Arx Urs 
Published: January 2018

Summary
This paper examines how “green” investors can induce firms to invest in clean production technology. The 1-period model incorporates heterogeneous agents — Markowitz investors and green investors — and two groups of firms working either with clean or polluting technology. Since green investors apply exclusionary environmental screens, some firms will invest in abatement technology in order to switch to a clean technology and thereby raising firm value. The number of firms working with clean technology will be larger, the higher the proportion of green investors, the lower costs of abatement technology, the higher diversification benefits of stocks of clean firms and if positive spill-overs for clean firms exist.
Could Regional and Cantonal Banks Reduce Credit Risk through National Diversification?
Authors: Rime Bertrand 
Published: January 2018

SummaryThis paper estimates the reduction of credit risk that can be achieved in Switzerland through a national diversification of bank lending. Using a credit risk model based on corporate default rates, we find that the risk of a nationally diversified loan portfolio can be up to 20% smaller than the average of the risks of cantonal portfolios. From a financial stability perspective, this substantial risk diversification potential should motivate particular scrutiny on the more than hundred Swiss banks staying on the regional business model.
Risk Factors for the Swiss Stock Market
Authors: Ammann Manuel , Steiner Michael 
Published: January 2018

Summary
The four risk factors controlling for the market, size, value, and momentum effect have become a state-of-the-art framework for various applications in financial markets research. However, previous work shows that these broadly recognized risk factors are country-specific. For these reasons, this paper develops and analyses these factors for the Swiss stock market from January 1990 to December 2005, building on a high quality dataset and taking into account specific characteristics of the Swiss stock market. We find a negative size premium of −0.67% p.a. and a positive value premium of 2.35% p.a. Both, however, show a time-varying character. The momentum effect is the most pronounced with a premium of 10.33% p.a. The results are robust and validated by a comparison to data from the US. Furthermore, we find that the explanatory power of the factors is high, confirming their relevance to the Swiss stock market.
The Effect of Entry Regulation on Process Innovation in the Swiss Mail Industry
Authors: Dietl Helmut M. , Grütter Andreas , Lutzenberger Martin , Felisberto Cátia , Finger Matthias 
Published: January 2018

Summary
We develop an industry specific model of price competition with product differentiation to analyze the effect of entry regulation on process innovation in the Swiss mail industry. We consider the four most prominent scenarios: Regulated monopoly, end-to-end competition, worksharing without bypass, and work-sharing with bypass. Based on model calibration with data from the Swiss letter market, we find that the incentives to invest in process innovations decrease with deregulation. However, even accounting for this fact, the efficiency gains of a partial liberalization, i.e. worksharing, ensure an increase in social welfare.
Consumer-Directed Health Care: Can Consumers Look After Themselves?
Authors: McFadden Daniel , Winter Joachim , Heiss Florian 
Published: January 2018

Summary
In health care systems today, including those of Switzerland and the United States, participants do not necessarily see the big picture of lifetime health costs and quality of life, and in many systems consumers and providers lack the incentives to manage preventative and chronic care to minimize lifetime private and social health costs. Resource allocation problems induced by asymmetric information and misaligned incentives are exacerbated if consumers fail to have the acuity or perspective needed to make choices consistent with their self-interest when faced with complex health care choices with ambiguous future consequences. This paper examines rationality of consumers’ health perceptions and choices using as a natural experiment the recent introduction in the United States of a highly subsidized market for prescription drug insurance, and draws lessons from this experiment on the practicality of “Consumer Directed Health Care” as an approach to achieving efficient allocation of health care resources by confronting consumers with the full marginal costs of the services they use.
Valuation of Environmental Goods in Profit and Non-Profit Housing Sectors: Evidence from the Rental Market in the City of Zurich
Authors: Banfi Silvia , Filippini Massimo , Horehájová Andrea 
Published: January 2018

Summary
This paper analyses the impact of electromagnetic pollution, noise and air pollution on the rent level for the aggregated and disaggregated market in the city of Zurich, Switzerland. Although there is no conclusive assessment about the health impacts of electromagnetic radiation people are nonetheless concerned about possible long term risks associated with the exposure. This risk perception may affect the price of dwellings located close to antenna. The regression results show that the environmental variables considered have the expected sign and are highly significant, with exception of the presence of an antenna and the air pollution for the non-profit submarket. However, the greatest part of the variation is explained by the structural variables.
The Impact of Housing Market Segmentation between Tourists and Residents on the Hedonic Price for Landscape Quality
Authors: Soguel Nils , Martin Marc-Jean , Tangerini Alexandre 
Published: January 2018

SummaryMarket segmentation is an important issue when estimating the implicit price for an environmental amenity from a surrogate market like property. This paper tests the hypothesis of a segmentation of the housing market between tourists and residents and computes the implicit price for natural landscape quality in Swiss alpine resorts. The results show a clear segmentation between both groups of consumers, although tests also show that the estimated coefficient for landscape is similar in the tourists’ model and in the residents’. However, since the functional form is non linear, the nominal — rather than relative — value of a change in natural landscape quality is higher in the tourist housing market than in the residents’. Hence, considering the segmentation of the market between tourists and residents is essential in order to provide valid estimates of the nominal implicit price of natural landscape quality.
The Marginal Cost of Saving a Life in Health Care: Age, Gender and Regional Differences in Switzerland
Authors: Felder Stefan , Werblow Andreas 
Published: January 2018

Summary
This paper estimates the marginal cost of saving a life using age- and gender-specific health care expenditures and mortality rates of the 26 Swiss cantons for the period 1997 to 2006. It shows almost triple the marginal cost of saving a life for women as compared to men, reflecting a lower marginal elasticity of medical inputs, a lower mortality rate and higher spending on health care for women. Medical technology does not differ across cantons while the marginal cost of saving a life does. Wealthy cantons spend more on saving a life at the margin and show a smaller gender gap in longevity.
Price-setting behaviour in Switzerland: Evidence from CPI micro data
Authors: Kaufmann Daniel 
Published: January 2018

SummaryThis paper investigates price-setting behaviour of firms based on the individual price quotes underlying the Swiss consumer price index. The data set covers the years from 1993 to 2005. Six main findings emerge from the analysis. (i) Prices are sticky; the median duration amounts to 4.6 quarters. (ii) Price-setting behaviour is heterogeneous across sectors and outlet characteristics. (iii) Price changes are sizeable; the median absolute size amounts to 9.4%. (iv) There is little evidence of downward price stickiness; almost half of all price changes are decreases. An exception is the service sector, however, where there is evidence of asymmetries in price-setting due to downward rigid wages. (v) Firms respond to expected cost shocks at the date of their occurrence; VAT rate changes do not lead to more price adjustments before they take effect. (vi) There is some evidence that firms adjust their behaviour according to the state of the economy; in particular, firms facing higher rates of inflation adjust prices more frequently.
Unemployment and monetary policy in Switzerland
Authors: Kugler Peter , Sheldon George 
Published: January 2018

SummaryThis paper investigates the impact of the monetary policy change of the Swiss National Bank (SNB) in 1999 on the Swiss labor market on the basis of a Phillips relationship. Theoretical considerations as well as previous empirical work suggest that the SNB’s shift to a more inflation-targeted policy should have increased real-wage flexibility and lowered the NAIRU, the sacrifice ratio, and the level and persistence of inflation in Switzerland. Our results tend to confirm these expectations, although a number of the measured effects are not statistically significant.
Variety Gains from Trade in Switzerland
Authors: Mohler Lukas 
Published: January 2018

SummarySince the seminal work of Krugman(1979), variety gains from trade are recognized as an important channel of welfare gains. In this paper, the gains from variety are estimated for Switzerland. It is found that despite the openness of the Swiss economy these gains are not substantial and smaller than in other countries; specifically compared to the gains in the United States. It is shown that the reasons for this result are twofold: First, the Swiss imports are shown not to be as differentiated as their U.S. counterparts; consequently, new varieties do not provide the same value to consumers. Second, variety growth of imports in Switzerland is much smaller compared to variety growth in larger countries. It is furthermore shown that this latter effect is quantitatively more important than the first.
Redistribution in Switzerland: Social cohesion or simple smoothing of lifetime incomes?
Authors: Engler Monika 
Published: January 2018

Summary
Using the example of Switzerland, this paper examines the extent to which the state and the social security institutions change the income distribution. Two sets of questions are examined: (1) Who benefits from the public services, and who bears the public costs? (2) To what extent does an annual redistribution involve redistribution (a) across households with different lifetime income, and (b) across different phases of life within the same households? Budget incidence analyses and pseudo panel procedures allow to compare annual and lifetime household incomes that arise before and after transfers. The results suggest that public interventions induce substantial redistribution, which is due primarily however, to income-smoothing transfers within households and not to redistribution across households.
Aging and the financing of social security in Switzerland
Authors: Keuschnigg Christian , Keuschnigg Mirela , Jaag Christian 
Published: January 2018

SummaryThe gains in life expectancy are expected to double the dependency ratio and increase population by 10% in Switzerland until 2050. To quantify the effects on social security and public finances, we use an overlapping generations model with five margins of labor supply: labor market participation, hours worked, job search, retirement, and on-the-job training. A passive fiscal strategy would be very costly. A comprehensive reform, including an increase in the retirement age to 68 years, may limit the tax increases to 4 percentage points of value added tax and reduce the decline of per capita income to less than 6%.