bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaporation dynamics of liquid marbles at elevated temperatures
Authors: Sreejith Kamalalayam Rajan , Ooi Chin Hong , Dao Dzung Viet , Nguyen Nam-Trung
Published: April 2018

We investigate the evaporation behaviour of a group of liquid marbles at elevated temperature under various conditions.
g-C3N4/Ti3C2Tx (MXenes) composite with oxidized surface groups for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution
Authors: Sun Yuliang , Jin Di , Sun Yuan , Meng Xing , Gao Yu , Dall’Agnese Yohan , Chen Gang , Wang Xiao-Feng
Published: April 2018

Oxidized surface groups on MXenes for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.
Effective structural modification of traditional fluorophores to obtain organic mechanofluorochromic molecules
Authors: Huang Xiaobo , Qian Lebin , Zhou Yibin , Liu Miaochang , Cheng Yixiang , Wu Huayue
Published: April 2018

The review focuses on the influence of some important factors on the generation of new and/or high contrast mechanofluorochromic-active organic compounds by the structural modifications of traditional fluorophores.
Photophysical properties of palladium/platinum tetrasulfonyl phthalocyanines and their application in triplet–triplet annihilation upconversion
Authors: Che Yuanyuan , Yang Wenbo , Tang Geliang , Dumoulin Fabienne , Zhao Jianzhang , Liu Lang , İşci Ümit
Published: April 2018

Pd/Pt tetrahexylsulfonyl-substituted phthalocyanine complexes were synthesized and showed a high triplet state energy level, a long-lived triplet state and triplet–triplet-annihilation upconversion properties.
CSMA/CA analysis and enhancement for IEEE 802.11ax WLANs operating in STR mode
Authors: Politis A.C. , Hilas C.S.
Published: April 2018

An analytical model is described to estimate the performance of the carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) protocol during the simultaneous transmit/receive (STR) operation of the upcoming IEEE 802.11ax amendment for WLANs. Furthermore, based on that model, an enhancement to the operation of CSMA/CA to increase its performance during the STR mode is proposed.
Depth extraction method with subpixel matching for light‐coding‐based depth camera
Authors: Pan Yu , Liu Rongke , Du Qiuchen
Published: April 2018

Depth images extracted by light‐coding‐based depth cameras are widely used to reconstruct three‐dimensional scenes in recent years. However, the retrieved depth accuracy greatly influences the reconstruction quality. Here, the authors present an appropriate depth extraction method based on subpixel matching to improve the depth accuracy. The proposed method utilises nearest neighbour interpolation to the projector's image plane to obtain depth values at subpixel accuracy, thereby better preserving the important depth information without changing any inner structure of the depth camera. Experimental results show that the proposed method improves the depth images both on image quality and depth accuracy.
Cross‐channel regularisation for joint demosaicking and intrinsic lens deblurring
Authors: Azizi Reza , Latif Alimohammad
Published: April 2018

Here, the authors present an effective regularisation approach to colour image demosaicking. The authors’ work is inspired by the interesting observation that the cross‐channel dependencies of high‐frequency details of a colour image are supposed to correspond in all the main colour channels acquired by the sensor. Therefore, minimising their difference in the demosaicking process can significantly improve the quality of the reconstructed image. The authors also demonstrate that mosaicked image formation strictly depends on the intrinsic lens blur. Hence, in the authors’ solution to the image demosaicking as an inverse imaging problem, they take the lens blur characteristics into account. The proposed regularisation method is also based on the fact that sensor saturation significantly alters the distribution of pixel intensity and Gaussian noise. The authors develop an efficient solution to the problem via the alternating direction method of multipliers numerical solver. As a result of these steps, the proposed demosaicking approach significantly enhances the quality of reconstructed images. Experimental results and quantitative evaluations demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the existing image demosaicking methods.
Daubechies wavelet‐based local feature descriptor for multimodal medical image registration
Authors: Yelampalli Praveen Kumar Reddy , Nayak Jagadish , Gaidhane Vilas H.
Published: April 2018

A new local feature descriptor recursive Daubechies pattern (RDbW) is developed by defining andencoding the Daubechies wavelet decomposed center–neighbour pixel relationshipin the local texture. RDbW features are applied in spatial alignment(registration) of multimodal medical images using a Procrustes analysis(PA)‐based affine transformation function and the registered images are furtherfused by employing a wavelet‐based fusion method. A significant amount ofexperiments is conducted and the registration and fusion accuracy of theproposed feature descriptor is compared with the prominent existing methods suchas local binary patterns (LBP), local tetra pattern (LTrP), local diagonalextrema pattern (LDEP), and local diagonal Laplacian pattern (LDLP).Experimental results show the present registration method improves the averageregistration accuracy by 38, 47, 71, and 76% in contrast to LDLP, LDEP, LTrP,and LBP, respectively. Further, the fusion results of the current approachexhibit an average improvement in entropy by 11%, standard deviation by 6% edgestrength by 12%, sharpness by 23%, and average gradient by 16% when comparedwith all other feature descriptors used for registering the images. Conceptspresented here can be used widely in analysing the combined information presentin multimodal medical images.
Metamaterial‐inspired wideband biocompatible antenna for implantable applications
Authors: Bhattacharjee Shankar , Maity Santanu , Bhadra Chaudhuri Sekhar R. , Mitra Monojit
Published: April 2018

A compact wideband coplanar waveguide (CPW)‐fed antenna is designed for body implantable applications. The proposed antenna has an electrical dimension of only 0.42λ × 0.42λ × 0.0072λ at 2.3 GHz resonating frequency. Fractional bandwidth of 93.5% (1.35–3.5 GHz) is achieved with the low‐profile antenna. To understand the extent of miniaturisation and bandwidth enhancement of the antenna, the characteristic modal analysis is performed. The wideband feature is achieved with the application of asymmetric complementary split‐ring resonator structure through multiple mode excitations. Additional miniaturisation and impedance matching are obtained with a pair of asymmetrical arc‐shaped annular ring slots within the main radiator. The substrate and radiator have been realised using silicon and gold due to their inherent property of excellent bio‐compatibility with the human body. Single layer, as well as multi‐layers phantom model, was used to assess the performance of the antenna. Owing to the inherent wideband feature of the designed antenna, it is able to cover the desired band efficiently even after detuning in different phantom models. The designed antenna is tested in vitro with the development of proper muscle mimicking liquid and the measured results are found to be in good agreement with the simulated ones.
Incorporating variable lifetime and self‐discharge into optimal sizing and technology selection of energy storage systems
Authors: Sayfutdinov Timur , Patsios Charalampos , Bialek Janusz W. , Greenwood David M. , Taylor Phil C.
Published: April 2018

Technology selection and sizing are key aspects of the design procedure for energy storage systems (ESSs) for power system applications. Here, the authors extended existing methodologies for optimal sizing and technology selection by introducing self‐discharge effects, and variable ESS lifetime as a function of energy throughput, which results in a non‐convex optimisation problem. Simulation results confirmed that making operational lifetime a variable has a significant impact on the results of the optimal sizing and technology selection problem. More specifically, considering the variable ESS lifetime as a function of energy throughput showed that ESSs of various technologies tend to operate such that their operational lifetimes would far exceed their calendar lifetimes. This has confirmed the importance of considering operational lifetime as a variable rather than a fixed value, as without doing this could result to underutilised and/or oversized systems. Taking into account, the self‐discharge effect showed that the electrochemical technologies considered here, with the exception of supercapacitors, have low levels of self‐discharge, which are largely obscured by the significant impact of the roundtrip efficiency characteristic.
The GAPS Programme with HARPS-N at TNG
Authors: Lanza A. F. , Malavolta L. , Benatti S. , Desidera S. , Bignamini A. , Bonomo A. S. , Esposito M. , Figueira P. , Gratton R. , Scandariato G. , Damasso M. , Sozzetti A. , Biazzo K. , Claudi R. U. , Cosentino R. , Covino E. , Maggio A. , Masiero S. , Micela G. , Molinari E. , Pagano I. , Piotto G. , Poretti E. , Smareglia R. , Affer L. , Boccato C. , Borsa F. , Boschin W. , Giacobbe P. , Knapic C. , Leto G. , Maldonado J. , Mancini L. , Martinez Fiorenzano A. , Messina S. , Nascimbeni V. , Pedani M. , Rainer M.
Published: April 2018

Aims. Stellar activity is the ultimate source of radial-velocity (hereinafter RV) noise in the search for Earth-mass planets orbiting late-type main-sequence stars. We analyse the performance of four different indicators and the chromospheric index logR′HKin detecting RV variations induced by stellar activity in 15 slowly rotating (υsini≤ 5 km s−1), weakly active (logR′HK≤ −4.95) solar-like stars observed with the high-resolution spectrograph High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher for the Northern hemisphere (HARPS-N).

Methods. We consider indicators of the asymmetry of the cross-correlation function (CCF) between the stellar spectrum and the binary weighted line mask used to compute the RV, that is the bisector inverse span (BIS), ΔV, and a new indicatorVasy(mod)together with the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the CCF. We present methods to evaluate the uncertainties of the CCF indicators and apply a kernel regression (KR) between the RV, the time, and each of the indicators to study their capability of reproducing the RV variations induced by stellar activity.

Results. The considered indicators together with the KR prove to be useful to detect activity-induced RV variations in ~47 ± 18 percent of the stars over a two-year time span when a significance (two-sided p-value) threshold of one percent is adopted. In those cases, KR reduces the standard deviation of the RV time series by a factor of approximately two. The BIS, the FWHM, and the newly introducedVasy(mod)are the best indicators, being useful in 27 ± 13, 13 ± 9, and 13 ± 9 percent of the cases, respectively. The relatively limited performances of the activity indicators are related to the very low activity level andυsiniof the considered stars. For the application of our approach to sun-like stars, a spectral resolution allowingλ/Δλ≥ 105and highly stabilized spectrographs are recommended.
Resilienz – Die Widerstandskraft stärken
Authors: Helmreich Isabella , Kunzler Angela , Lieb Klaus
Published: April 2018

Der positive Blick auf sich, auf die eigenen Stärken und Fähigkeiten ist eine Kompetenz, die in der heutigen Zeit immer wichtiger wird. Dr. Isabella Helmreich, Angela Kunzler und Prof. Dr. Klaus Lieb geben Anregungen, wie Sie sich gegen Stress schützen und Ihre Widerstandskraft stärken können. Denn fest steht: Resilienz ist erlernbar.
Injuries to Cyclists due to a Dog–Bicycle Interaction
Authors: Yaacoub Alan , Loder Randall
Published: April 2018

Background Both dogs and bicycles are common in our society and thus a dog–bicycle interaction resulting in an injury to a cyclist is possible. It was the purpose of this study to investigate such injuries.

Methods The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) data for the 10-year period from 2006 through 2015 associated with bicycles were accessed. Injuries involving dogs were identified and the mechanism of injury determined. Due to the stratified and weighted nature of the NEISS data, statistical analyses were performed with SUDAAN 10 software (RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States). A p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results There were 5,184,057 emergency department visits for bicycle-associated injuries; dogs were involved in 35,254 (0.67%) cases. The average age for those involved with a dog was 33.2 years and it was 25.5 years for those in which dogs were not involved. There were more females in the dog group (34.1 vs. 27.6%). Dog involvement increased from ages 0 to 14 years, then decreased until the age of 20 years and then progressively increased. Dog-associated injuries most frequently occurred away from home, involved the knee and distal lower extremity, 49.1% sustaining dog bites. Dog bites were more common in younger individuals. Four injury mechanisms (chased by a dog, hit/collided with a dog, swerved/tried to avoid a dog or riding with a dog) accounted for 97.5% of the injuries. Those chased by a dog were younger, more commonly released from the emergency department, had an injury involving the lower extremity and frequently sustained a bite. The most severe injuries were in those who swerved/tried to avoid a dog or hit a dog.

Conclusions Approximately 1% of injuries to bicyclists are associated with dogs; one-half sustained a bite. Potential/proposed prevention strategies could be educational materials regarding bicycles and dogs to owners, dog restraint, student/parent education and educational materials in waiting rooms of veterinarians, paediatricians, family practice physicians and emergency rooms.
Conventional and unconvenstional impurity effects in superconductors (Review Article)
Authors: Pogorelov Yu. G. , Loktev V. M.
Published: April 2018

A survey is done on the effects of impurities in different types of superconductors, both conventional and unconventional, on their electronic spectra and physical properties. These effects can be generally divided on the base of validity (or not) for them of the known Anderson theorem, which is determined by the symmetries of the superconducting state vs those of the impurity perturbation. In this regard, the unconventional behavior can be naturally attributed to this theorem's failure when the impurity effects are generally much stronger and more diverse. Specific forms of such perturbations in different superconducting systems are analyzed and they reveal a variety of possible scenarios for quasiparticle spectra modification, including formation of several superconducting phases, distinguished by the types of specific narrow bands within the main spectrum gap. These phases and transitions between them, including the transition to the normal metal state, present a lot of unconventional features that can be of interest for some practical applications. The concluded observable effects are compared to the available experimental data.
Dynamics of vortex line density and heat transfer processes in superfluid helium
Authors: Kondaurova L. P.
Published: April 2018

Three dynamics equations for vortex line density are analyzed. It is shown that the Vinen equation gives the values of vortex tangle development time in the case of a constant counterflow more accurately than other alternative equations. Within the system of equations of superfluid turbulence hydrodynamics, obtained using a phenomenological approach, helium boiling times as a function of heat flux density are found, using alternative dynamics equations of vortex tangle density. Unlike the experiments in which different dependences of boiling time tboil on the heat flux density Q (tboil ∝ Qn, −4 ≤ n ≤ −2) are observed, in this case we get only a power-law dependence with an exponent of n = −4. We obtain a velocity distribution of the normal component along the channel, and the temperature dependence of the time near the heater. We conduct a comparison against the numerical and experimental results that were previously obtained in literature.
Nonlinear phenomena in the vibrations of a quartz tuning fork immersed in superfluid helium
Authors: Gritsenko I. A. , Dubchak T. A. , Mykhailenko K. A. , Sokolov S. S. , Sheshin G. A.
Published: April 2018

Experiments involving the excitation of hydrodynamic flows in superfluid helium subjected to forced vibrations of a liquid-immersed quartz tuning fork are conducted. An investigation of the nonlinear vibrations that arise with an increase in the driving force and are manifested by the distortion in the shape of the resonant amplitude-frequency characteristic, in comparison to the Lorentz curves for an extremely small force, is carried out. The nonlinear resonance curves are described using the Duffing equation, the parameters of which are found by comparing the theoretical calculations against the experimental data. The vibration velocity of the tuning fork legs as a function of the driving force, established using the Duffing equation, is similar to the dependence that was obtained earlier for the quasi-laminar He II flow and contains a cubic velocity contribution caused by the mutual friction due to phonon scattering on the quantized vortices in a turbulent flow.
Resonant properties of domain walls in low-dimension antiferromagnets
Authors: Kovalev A. S.
Published: April 2018

The eigenmodes localized near collinear domain walls in strongly anisotropic antiferromagnets were studied theoretically. In the framework of effective equations for the antiferromagnetic vector, the frequency-field dependences of these localized modes were found. The obtained analytical results were compared with the experimental data on rf resonance in a quasi-two-dimensional antiferromagnet Mn2P2S6.
Micromechanical properties of single crystals and polycrystals of pure α-titanium: anisotropy of microhardness, size effect, effect of the temperature (77–300 K)
Authors: Lubenets S. V. , Rusakova A. V. , Fomenko L. S. , Moskalenko V. A.
Published: April 2018

The anisotropy of microhardness of pure α-Ti single crystals, indentation size effect in single-crystal, course grained (CG) pure and nanocrystalline (NC) VT1-0 titanium, as well as the temperature dependences of the microhardness of single-crystal and CG Ti in the temperature range 77–300 K were studied. The minimum value of hardness was obtained when indenting into the basal plane (0001). The indentation size effect (ISE) was clearly observed in the indentation of soft high-purity single-crystal iodide titanium while it was the least pronounced in a sample of nanocrystalline VT1-0 titanium. It has been demonstrated that the ISE can be described within the model of geometrically necessary dislocations (GND), which follows from the theory of strain gradient plasticity. The true hardness and others parameters of the GND model were determined for all materials. The temperature dependence of the microhardness is in agreement with the idea of the governing role of Peierls relief in the dislocation thermally-activated plastic deformation of pure titanium as has been earlier established and justified in macroscopic tensile investigations at low temperatures. The activation energy and activation volume of dislocation motion in the strained region under the indenter were estimated.
Role of oxygen adsorption in modification of optical and surface electronic properties of MoS2
Authors: Shakya Jyoti , Kumar Sanjeev , Mohanty Tanuja
Published: April 2018

In this work, the effect of surface oxidation of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on the work function and bandgap of MoS2 has been investigated for tuning its optical and electronic properties. Transmission electron microscopy studies reveal the existence of varying morphologies of few layers of MoS2 as well as quantum dots due to the different absorbing effects of two mixed solvents on MoS2. The X-ray diffraction, electron paramagnetic resonance, and Raman studies indicate the presence of physical as well as chemical adsorption of oxygen atoms in MoS2. The photoluminescence spectra show the tuning of bandgap arising from the passivation of trapping centers leading to radiative recombination of excitons. The value of work function obtained from scanning Kelvin probe microscopy of MoS2 in mixed solvents of H2O2 and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone increases with an increase in the concentration of H2O2. A linear relationship could be established between H2O2 content in mixed solvent and measured values of work function. This work gives the alternative route towards the commercial use of defect engineered transition metal dichalcogenide materials in diverse fields.
Utilisation of stored lipids during germination in dimorphic seeds of euhalophyte Suaeda salsa
Authors: Zhao Yuanqin , Ma Yanchun , Li Qiang , Yang Yang , Guo Jianrong , Song Jie
Published: April 2018

Utilisation of stored lipids plays an important role in germination of oil seeds. In the present study, key enzyme activity (lipase, isocitrate lyase and malate synthase) in lipid utilisation was determined during germination in dimorphic seeds of euhalophyte Suaeda salsa (L.) Pall. The results revealed that the percentage of germination were highest in intertidal brown seeds, followed by inland brown seeds and then inland black seeds moistened with 0 and 300 mM NaCl during early seed germination. The same trend was found in the activity of three enzymes and soluble sugar content when seeds were moistened with 0 and 300 mM NaCl for 3 h. Salinity reduced the activity of three enzymes in inland brown and black seeds in the initial 3 h, except that salinity had no adverse effect on isocitrate lyase activity of brown seeds. Salinity had no adverse effect on three enzymes in inland brown and black seeds in the initial 30 h, except that it decreased malate synthase activity of black seeds. Salinity had no effect on three enzymes in intertidal brown seeds in the initial 3 h and 30 h. In conclusion, high activity of these enzymes in brown seeds may play an important role in utilisation of stored lipids during their rapid seed germination.
Chemical regulators of plant hormones and their applications in basic research and agriculture*
Authors: Jiang Kai , Asami Tadao
Published: April 2018

Plant hormones are small molecules that play versatile roles in regulating plant growth, development, and responses to the environment. Classic methodologies, including genetics, analytic chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular biology, have contributed to the progress in plant hormone studies. In addition, chemical regulators of plant hormone functions have been important in such studies. Today, synthetic chemicals, including plant growth regulators, are used to study and manipulate biological systems, collectively referred to as chemical biology. Here, we summarize the available chemical regulators and their contributions to plant hormone studies. We also pose questions that remain to be addressed in plant hormone studies and that might be solved with the help of chemical regulators.
Stapedotomy versus stapedectomy
Authors: Pirodda Antonio , Brandolini Cristina
Published: April 2018

Purpose:

Analysis of the differences in inner ear admittance achieved by a large fenestra in comparison with a small fenestra and its effect on bone conduction in stapes surgery.

Materials and methods:

Description of an interesting case of bilateral otosclerosis with an atypical and symmetrical behaviour of bone conduction, treated with a stapedotomy on the right ear some years before, and recently submitted to stapedectomy on the left year.

Results:

Concerning the left side, the first complete audiometry was made 15 days after stapedectomy and confirmed a bone conduction improvement, that subsequently increased until almost to the normality 42 days after surgery. The mean postoperative bone conduction difference was 13 dB considering all frequencies; when considering the frequencies between 500 and 2000 Hz the mean difference raised to 20 dB.

Conclusions:

The reported case, in which the stapedectomy was not scheduled as the first option, but derived from a particular intraoperative situation thus resulting in an almost obligatory choice, permits some interesting conceptual considerations.
Full and partial agonists evoke distinct structural changes in opening the muscle acetylcholine receptor channel
Authors: Mukhtasimova Nuriya , Sine Steven M.
Published: April 2018

The muscle acetylcholine (ACh) receptor transduces a chemical into an electrical signal, but the efficiency of transduction, or efficacy, depends on the particular agonist. It is often presumed that full and partial agonists elicit the same structural changes after occupancy of their binding sites but with differing speed and efficiency. In this study, we tested the alternative hypothesis that full and partial agonists elicit distinct structural changes. To probe structural changes, we substituted cysteines for pairs of residues that are juxtaposed in the three-dimensional structure and recorded agonist-elicited single-channel currents before and after the addition of an oxidizing reagent. The results revealed multiple cysteine pairs for which agonist-elicited channel opening changes after oxidative cross-linking. Moreover, we found that the identity of the agonist determined whether cross-linking affects channel opening. For the αD97C/αY127C pair at the principal face of the subunit, cross-linking markedly suppressed channel opening by full but not partial agonists. Conversely, for the αD97C/αK125C pair, cross-linking impaired channel opening by the weak agonist choline but not other full or partial agonists. For the αT51C/αK125C pair, cross-linking enhanced channel opening by the full agonist ACh but not other full or partial agonists. At the complementary face of the subunit, cross-linking between pairs within the same β hairpin suppressed channel opening by ACh, whereas cross-linking between pairs from adjacent β hairpins was without effect for all agonists. In each case, the effects of cross-linking were reversed after addition of a reducing reagent, and receptors with single cysteine substitutions remained unaltered after addition of either oxidizing or reducing reagents. These findings show that, in the course of opening the receptor channel, different agonists elicit distinct structural changes.
Cardiomyopathy-associated mutation in the ADP/ATP carrier reveals translation-dependent regulation of cytochromecoxidase activity
Authors: Ogunbona Oluwaseun B. , Baile Matthew G. , Claypool Steven M.
Published: April 2018

How the absence of the major mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier in yeast, Aac2p, results in a specific defect in cytochrome c oxidase (COX; complex IV) activity is a long-standing mystery. Aac2p physically associates with respiratory supercomplexes, which include complex IV, raising the possibility that its activity is dependent on its association with Aac2p. Here, we have leveraged a transport-dead pathogenic AAC2 point mutant to determine the basis for the reduced COX activity in the absence of Aac2p. The steady-state levels of complex IV subunits encoded by the mitochondrial genome are significantly reduced in the absence of Aac2p function, whether its association with respiratory supercomplexes is preserved or not. This diminution in COX amounts is not caused by a reduction in the mitochondrial genome copy number or the steady-state level of its transcripts, and does not reflect a defect in complex IV assembly. Instead, the absence of Aac2p activity, genetically or pharmacologically, results in an aberrant pattern of mitochondrial translation. Interestingly, compared with the complete absence of Aac2p, the complex IV–related defects are greater in mitochondria expressing the transport-inactive Aac2p mutant. Our results highlight a critical role for Aac2p transport in mitochondrial translation whose disturbance uniquely impacts cytochrome c oxidase.
Adult experts’ perceptions of telemental health for youth: A Delphi study
Authors: Howard Abigail , Flanagan Mindy , Drouin Michelle , Carpenter Maria , Chen Elizabeth M , Duchovic Catherine , Toscos Tammy
Published: April 2018

Objectives

Our objectives were to measure experts’ opinions and develop consensus via the Delphi process on the barriers, applications, and concerns associated with telemental health (TMH) for youth.

Materials and methods

We delivered 3 online surveys over 2 months in Summer, 2016–2025 adult experts, including adults who experienced youth depression or suicidality, parents of youth with lived experience, and professionals (ie youth mental health researchers, clinicians/staff, or educators). We used the Delphi method to construct Likert and open-ended questions, developing expert consensus over 3 iterative surveys on the barriers and benefits of TMH for youth.

Results

Adult experts identified stigma and knowledge barriers to youth mental health care. Although TMH is perceived as beneficial for screening, education, follow-up, and emotional support, no single delivery method (eg websites or instant messaging) was deemed universally beneficial.

Discussion

Adults are the developers, administrators, and gatekeepers of youth mental health care. Although adult experts see potential for TMH to supplement traditional therapy via familiar technologies, there is no consensus on the technologies by which TMH should be delivered. However, there is consensus that family members and friends provide potential pathways to care; thus, an online TMH toolkit for youth would be beneficial for both caretakers and practitioners.

Conclusion

Telemental health may not overcome barriers for crisis management but adult experts agreed that TMH had potential benefits for youth. Health care organizations should conduct research and provide training and education to youth caretakers and practitioners on potential barriers and benefits of TMH technologies for youth.
The electronic health record as a patient engagement tool: mirroring clinicians’ screen to create a shared mental model
Authors: Asan Onur , Tyszka Jeanne , Crotty Bradley
Published: April 2018

Objective

Electronic health records (EHRs) in physician offices can both enhance and detract from the patient experience. Best practices have emerged focusing on screen sharing. We sought to determine if adding a second monitor, mirroring the EHR for patients, would be welcome and useful for patients and clinicians.

Materials and Methods

This mixed-method study was conducted in a general medicine clinic from March to June 2016. Clinicians and patients met in a specially equipped exam room with a patient-facing monitor. Visits were video-recorded to assess time spent viewing the EHR and followed by interviews, which were transcribed and analyzed using established qualitative methods.

Results

Eight clinicians and 24 patients participated. Main themes included the second screen serving as a catalyst for patient engagement, augmenting the clinic visit in a meaningful way, improving transparency of the care process and documentation, and providing a substantially different experience for patients than a shared single screen. Concerns and suggestions for improvement were also reported. Quantitative results showed high patient engagement times with the EHR (25% of the visit length) compared to reports in previous studies. The median satisfaction score was 5 out of 5 for patients and 3.3 out of 5 for clinicians.

Discussion and Conclusion

Providing patient access to the EHRs with this design was linked with several benefits including improved patient engagement, education, transparency, comprehension, and trust. Future studies should explore how best to display information in such screens for patients and identify impact on care, safety, and quality.
Top Questions in Uncomplicated, Non–Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia
Authors: Sutton Jesse D , Sayood Sena , Spivak Emily S
Published: April 2018

The Infectious Diseases Society of America infection-specific guidelines provide limited guidance on the management of focal infections complicated by secondary bacteremias. We address the following 3 commonly encountered questions and management considerations regarding uncomplicated bacteremia not due to Staphylococcus aureus: the role and choice of oral antibiotics focusing on oral beta-lactams, the shortest effective duration of therapy, and the role of repeat blood cultures.
Incidence and Risk Factors for Intraoperative Seizures During Elective Craniotomy
Authors: Kutteruf Rachel , Yang Jen-Ting , Hecker James G. , Kinney Gregory A. , Furman Michele A. , Sharma Deepak
Published: April 2018

Background:

Perioperative seizures may affect 1% to 50% of patients undergoing craniotomy and adversely impact outcomes. However, data on intraoperative seizures are limited. This retrospective case-control study investigated the incidence and risk factors for intraoperative seizures during elective supratentorial craniotomy involving evoked potential monitoring.

Materials and Methods:

Patients aged 18 years or above undergoing elective supratentorial craniotomy with evoked potential monitoring who experienced intraoperative seizures at our institution between December 2008 and March 2014 were compared with a control group generated using a random number generator. Six controls were used for each case from among the patients who underwent elective supratentorial craniotomy during the same calendar year. Multivariate analysis was conducted using logistic regression to identify the risk factors for intraoperative seizures.

Results:

Among the 1916 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 45 (2.3%) had intraoperative seizures. The majority of seizures occurred during burr-hole placement or craniotomy, before lesion manipulation. Timing of seizures relative to motor evoked potential runs and stimulus intensity was variable. Significant risk factors for intraoperative seizures were seizure history (odds ratio [OR], 2.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-4.46; P=0.03), diagnosis of brain tumor (OR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.16-4.19; P=0.02), and temporal craniotomy (OR, 5.18; 95% CI, 2.03-13.25; P=0.001). Intraoperative prophylactic use of phenytoin/fosphenytoin and levetiracetam was protective against seizure (phenytoin/fosphenytoin: OR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.04-0.35; P<0.001 and levetiracetam: OR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.17-0.94; P=0.04). Phenytoin/fosphenytoin was more protective than levetiracetam (OR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.10-0.99; P=0.048).

Conclusions:

The overall incidence of intraoperative seizures was 2.3%. Independent risk factors for intraoperative seizures were seizure history, diagnosis of intracranial tumor, and temporal craniotomy. Intraoperative prophylactic anticonvulsant use was protective.
Idelalisib in Combination With Rituximab or Bendamustine or Both in Patients With Relapsed/Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Authors: Coutre Steven E. , Flinn Ian W. , de Vos Sven , Barrientos Jacqueline C. , Schreeder Marshall T. , Wagner‐Johnson Nina D. , Sharman Jeff P. , Boyd Thomas E. , Fowler Nathan , Dreiling Lyndah , Kim Yeonhee , Mitra Siddhartha , Rai Kanti , Leonard John P. , Furman Richard R.
Published: April 2018

Phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase‐delta (PI3Kδ) signaling is critical for proliferation, survival, homing, and tissue retention of malignant B cells. Idelalisib, a selective oral inhibitor of PI3Kδ, has shown considerable single‐agent activity in patients with heavily pretreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). This study evaluated the safety and clinical activity of idelalisib in combination with bendamustine (IB) or rituximab (IR) or both (IBR) in patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) CLL. Idelalisib was given continuously at 100 or 150 mg twice daily in combination with rituximab (375 mg/m2 weekly × 8 doses), bendamustine (70 or 90 mg/m2, days 1 and 2 every 4 weeks × 6 cycles) or BR (rituximab, 375 mg/m2 every 4 weeks and bendamustine, 70 mg/m2, days 1 and 2 every 4 weeks × 6 cycles). The primary endpoint was safety; secondary endpoints included overall response rate (ORR), duration of response (DOR), and progression‐free survival (PFS). Fifty‐two patients (median age 64 years) with a median of 3 prior therapies were enrolled. ORR was 84.6% (89.5% IR group, 77.8% IB group, and 86.7% IBR group). The overall median PFS was 25.6 months, and median DOR was 26.6 months. The most common grade ≥3 adverse events (≥10% of patients) were pneumonia (19.2%), diarrhea (13.5%), and febrile neutropenia (17.3%). Idelalisib‐based combination therapy with bendamustine and/or rituximab was highly active, resulting in durable tumor control in patients with heavily pretreated R/R CLL. However, its tolerability profile suggests that these regimens should be used cautiously in this patient population. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT01088048.
Presenting Signs and Symptoms of Pericardial Effusions in the Pediatric Emergency Department
Authors: Cully Matthew , Buckley Jason R. , Pifko Elysha , Titus Olivia M.
Published: April 2018

Objectives

The primary objective of this study was to describe the frequency of the most common presenting signs and symptoms of pericardial effusions, particularly with relation to the size of the effusion. The secondary objective was to review the final etiology of the pericardial effusion in those patients who had presented to a tertiary care pediatric emergency department.

Methods

This was a retrospective chart review of patients younger than 17 years who presented and were evaluated at the pediatric emergency department and subsequently diagnosed with a pericardial effusion during a period of 10 years.

Results

A total of 23 patients matched the inclusion criteria. The most common symptom was shortness of breath (65%), followed by fever (52%), fatigue (44%), and chest pain (44%). Shortness of breath (60%) and chest pain (60%) were the most frequent symptoms among patients with a small pericardial effusion. Fever (86%), cough (71%), and shortness of breath (71%) were the most frequent symptoms among patients with moderate pericardial effusion. In patients with large pericardial effusions, the most frequent symptoms were shortness of breath (63%) and abdominal pain (63%). Tachycardia (52%) and tachypnea (52%) were the most common abnormal vital signs. The most common etiology was cardiac (44%) and autoimmune disease (26%).

Conclusions

This study suggests that the presence of certain symptoms should be associated with a high index of suspicion for pericardial effusion for the pediatric emergency care physician.
Impact of Patient Age and Histological Type on Radioactive Iodine Avidity of Recurrent Lesions of Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma
Authors: Nakanishi Kenichi , Kikumori Toyone , Miyajima Noriyuki , Takano Yuko , Noda Sumiyo , Takeuchi Dai , Iwano Shingo , Kodera Yasuhiro
Published: April 2018

Background

Age is a prognostic factor for recurrent differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) and may be related to radioactive iodine (RAI) nonavidity. Indications for molecular-targeted drugs (MTDs) are currently limited to RAI-refractory DTC. Demonstrating refractoriness to RAI, mainly indicated by RAI nonavidity, may be a barrier to the introduction of MTDs for elderly patients. The present study was conducted to evaluate the impact of age and histological type on the RAI avidity of recurrent lesions of DTC.

Methods

Two hundred fifty-eight patients (189 patients with classic papillary thyroid carcinoma [cPTC], 8 patients with follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma, and 61 patients with follicular thyroid carcinoma), who underwent their first RAI whole-body scanning for recurrent DTC at our institution between 2004 and 2013, were retrospectively studied. Radioactive iodine uptake was determined by visible uptake by metastatic lesion(s) in a diagnostic RAI–whole-body scan.

Results

The prevalence of RAI-avid lung metastases in cPTC indicated a significant, inverse correlation with age (<55 years, 36.2%; ≥55 years, 3%; P < 0.001). By contrast, for follicular thyroid carcinoma, the prevalence of RAI avidity was not influenced by age. Similar tendencies were observed for lymph node metastases.

Conclusions

Radioactive iodine avidity by metastatic lesions of cPTC in elderly patients, especially those older than 55 years, was seldom demonstrated. Adherence to a strategy of restricting MTD administration after confirmation of RAI refractoriness should be revisited for elderly patients. A strategy of omitting RAI treatment should be taken into account when considering age and histological type.
Hepatic Hemangioma on SPECT Myocardial Perfusion Imaging
Authors: Taylor Susan , Francisco Tricia , Munroe Janet A. , Williams Hadyn T.
Published: April 2018

Extracardiac uptake on SPECT MPI, seen with physiologic radiotracer distribution, benign or malignant neoplasm, infection, inflammation, or granulomatous disease, may confound the accuracy of MPI or lead to unsuspected pathology. A 38-year-old woman with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis had SPECT MPI for renal transplant preoperative risk stratification, showing left anterior descending artery ischemia and an intense extracardiac soft tissue focus adjacent to the diaphragmatic right ventricle concerning for focal infection related to prior coronary or gastric surgeries or tumor. CT revealed focal herniation of liver containing a flash-fill hemangioma into the left hemithorax accounting for this focal uptake.
Increased FDG Uptake in a Giant Bone Island Mimicking Malignancy
Authors: Ran Pengcheng , Dong Aisheng , Wang Yang , Zhang Yu , Wu Shanshan
Published: April 2018

Histologically proven bone islands exhibiting increased FDG uptake have been rarely reported before. We present a case with active giant bone island in the left humerus showing increased FDG uptake with SUVmax of 3.8. The diagnosis was confirmed by open biopsy and follow-up. Increased osteoblastic activity, proliferating and active fibroblasts, and increased blood flow may contribute to the increased FDG uptake of this giant bone island. This case indicates bone island should be included in the differential diagnosis of abnormal FDG uptake in focal sclerotic bone lesions, especially in patients with known malignancy.
Incidental Detection of an Unusual Case of B-Cell Lymphoma of the Urachal Remnant on 18F-FDG PET/CT
Authors: Vadi Shelvin Kumar , Kumar Rajender , Mittal Bhagwant Rai , Singh Harmandeep , Bal Amanjit , Prakash Gaurav , Bhattacharya Anish
Published: April 2018

Neoplasms arising from the urachus are extremely rare. We present a case of a young woman with mild abdominal pain and a palpable swelling in the mid abdomen with incidental detection of a subumbilical mass. Repeated fine-needle aspiration cytology failed to reveal the true nature of the lesion. 18F-FDG PET/CT showed tracer uptake in the cranial end of urachal remnant lesion. Core biopsy from the site with maximal FDG uptake turned out to be lymphomatous involvement in urachus, which is extremely rare and previously unreported.
Pancreatic islet chromatin accessibility and conformation defines distal enhancer networks of type 2 diabetes risk
Authors: Greenwald William W , Chiou Joshua , Yan Jian , Qiu Yunjiang , Dai Ning , Wang Allen , Nariai Naoki , Aylward Anthony , Han Jee Yun , Kadakia Nikita , Barrufet Laura , Okino Mei-Lin , Drees Frauke , Vinckier Nicholas , Minichiello Liliana , Gorkin David , Avruch Joseph , Frazer Kelly , Sander Maike , Ren Bing , Gaulton Kyle J
Published: April 2018

The gene targets of enhancer activity in pancreatic islets are largely unknown, impeding discovery of islet regulatory networks involved in type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk. We mapped chromatin state, accessibility and conformation using ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq and Hi-C in human pancreatic islets, which we integrated with T2D genetic fine-mapping and islet expression QTL data. Active islet regulatory elements preferentially interacted with other active elements, often at distances over 1MB, and we identified target genes for thousands of distal islet enhancers. A third of T2D risk signals mapped in islet enhancers, and target genes regulated by these signals were specifically involved in processes related to protein transport and secretion. Among implicated target genes of T2D islet enhancer signals with no prior known role in islet function, we demonstrated that reduced IGF2BP2 activity in mouse islets leads to impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. These results link distal islet enhancer regulation of protein secretion and transport to genetic risk of T2D, and highlight the utility of high-throughput chromatin conformation maps to uncover the gene regulatory networks of complex disease.
A novel approach to modeling transcriptional heterogeneity identifies the oncogene candidate CBX2 in invasive breast carcinoma
Authors: Piqué Daniel G. , Montagna Cristina , Greally John M. , Mar Jessica C.
Published: April 2018

Oncogenes promote the development of and serve as therapeutic targets against subsets of cancers. Here, a new statistical approach that captures transcriptional heterogeneity in tumor and adjacent normal (i.e. tumor-free) mRNA expression profiles was developed to identify oncogene candidates that were overexpressed in a subset of breast tumors. Intronic DNA methylation was strongly associated with the overexpression of chromobox 2 (CBX2), an oncogene candidate that was identified using our method but not through prior analytical approaches. CBX2 overexpression in breast tumors was associated with the upregulation of genes involved in cell cycle progression and is associated with poorer 5-year survival. The predicted function of CBX2 was confirmed in vitro providing the first experimental evidence that CBX2 promotes breast cancer cell growth. Modeling mRNA expression heterogeneity in tumors is a novel powerful approach with the potential to uncover therapeutic targets that benefit subsets of cancer patients.
SoupX removes ambient RNA contamination from droplet based single-cell RNA sequencing data
Authors: Young Matthew D , Behjati Sam
Published: April 2018

Background

Droplet based single-cell RNA sequence analyses assume all acquired RNAs are endogenous to cells. However, any cell free RNAs contained within the input solution are also captured by these assays. This sequencing of cell free RNA constitutes a background contamination that confounds the biological interpretation of single-cell transcriptomic data.

Results

We demonstrate that contamination from this ‘soup’ of cell free RNAs is ubiquitous, with experiment-specific variations in composition and magnitude. We present a method, SoupX, for quantifying the extent of the contamination and estimating ‘background corrected’ cell expression profiles that seamlessly integrate with existing downstream analysis tools. Applying this method to several datasets using multiple droplet sequencing technologies, we demonstrate that its application improves biological interpretation of otherwise misleading data, as well as improving quality control metrics.

Conclusions

We present ‘SoupX’, a tool for removing ambient RNA contamination from droplet based single cell RNA sequencing experiments. This tool has broad applicability and its application can improve the biological utility of existing and future data sets.

Key Points

The signal from droplet based single cell RNA sequencing is ubiquitously contaminated by capture of ambient mRNA.

SoupX is a method to quantify the abundance of these ambient mRNAs and remove them.

Correcting for ambient mRNA contamination improves biological interpretation.