bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chemico‐mineralogical changes of ultramafic topsoil during stockpiling: implications for post‐mining restoration
Authors: Quintela‐Sabarís Celestino , L'Huillier Laurent , Mouchon Liane‐Clarisse , Montargès‐Pelletier Emmanuelle , Echevarria Guillaume
Published: April 2018

Lateritic topsoils, which are usually removed and stored apart before mining operations take place, play an essential role in the success of post‐mining restoration. They contain elements to recover chemical (organic matter, nutrients) and biological (seed and bud banks, microorganisms) fertility of the soil. Conserving topsoil fertility during storage time is essential for a successful use of topsoil during restoration. In this study, different chemico‐mineralogical properties of a lateritic topsoil from the Goro nickel mine (New Caledonia) were monitored from its original in situ emplacement on the soil profile, immediately after its stockpiling and after 24 months of storage. Our analyses show that topsoil experienced noticeable changes immediately after storage, mostly produced by mixing of different soil profiles. Cation Exchange Capacities and concentrations of most elements did not vary even after 24 months of storage. However, a slight reduction of Ni, Cr, K, Na and of the C:N ratio, and an increase of Ca have been observed. Stockpiling has not affected negatively the chemical fertility of the topsoil, although biological parameters should be considered to have a complete view of stockpiling sustainability.
Splicing mutations in human genetic disorders: examples, detection, and confirmation
Authors: Anna Abramowicz , Monika Gos
Published: April 2018

Precise pre-mRNA splicing, essential for appropriate protein translation, depends on the presence of consensus “cis” sequences that define exon-intron boundaries and regulatory sequences recognized by splicing machinery. Point mutations at these consensus sequences can cause improper exon and intron recognition and may result in the formation of an aberrant transcript of the mutated gene. The splicing mutation may occur in both introns and exons and disrupt existing splice sites or splicing regulatory sequences (intronic and exonic splicing silencers and enhancers), create new ones, or activate the cryptic ones. Usually such mutations result in errors during the splicing process and may lead to improper intron removal and thus cause alterations of the open reading frame. Recent research has underlined the abundance and importance of splicing mutations in the etiology of inherited diseases. The application of modern techniques allowed to identify synonymous and nonsynonymous variants as well as deep intronic mutations that affected pre-mRNA splicing. The bioinformatic algorithms can be applied as a tool to assess the possible effect of the identified changes. However, it should be underlined that the results of such tests are only predictive, and the exact effect of the specific mutation should be verified in functional studies. This article summarizes the current knowledge about the “splicing mutations” and methods that help to identify such changes in clinical diagnosis.
Baricitinib in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and an Inadequate Response to Conventional Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs in United States and Rest of World: A Subset Analysis
Authors: Wells Alvin F. , Greenwald Maria , Bradley John D. , Alam Jahangir , Arora Vipin , Kartman Cynthia E.
Published: April 2018

Introduction

This article evaluates the efficacy and safety of baricitinib 4 mg versus placebo in United States including Puerto Rico (US) and rest of the world (ROW) subpopulations using data pooled from RA-BEAM and RA-BUILD, which enrolled patients with moderate-to-severe adult-onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods

In RA-BEAM, patients with an inadequate response (IR) to methotrexate, at least one X-ray erosion, and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) ≥ 6 mg/L were randomized to placebo or orally administered baricitinib 4 mg daily or subcutaneously administered adalimumab 40 mg every other week. In RA-BUILD, patients with an IR to at least one conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (csDMARD) and with hsCRP ≥ 3.6 mg/L were randomized to placebo or baricitinib 2 or 4 mg daily. Patients in both trials were biologic naive. In this post hoc analysis, data from both studies were pooled (714 baricitinib 4 mg-treated, 716 placebo-treated patients).

Results

Overall, 188 US and 1242 ROW patients were included. Subgroups differed in baseline characteristics including race, weight, age, time since RA diagnosis, current corticosteroid use, and previous csDMARD use. At weeks 12 and 24, baricitinib-treated patients had larger responses compared to placebo-treated patients for multiple efficacy outcomes: American College of Rheumatology 20/50/70 response, low disease activity, remission, Disease Activity Score 28-C-reactive protein, and Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index. Overall, similar efficacy was observed in US and ROW subgroups with no notable safety differences between subgroups at weeks 12 or 24.

Conclusion

Baricitinib 4 mg was efficacious compared to placebo in US and ROW subpopulations. Safety was similar between subgroups.

Funding

Eli Lilly & Company and Incyte Corporation.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers, NCT01721057; NCT01710358.
Interior regularity for fractional systems
Authors: Caffarelli Luis , Dávila Gonzalo
Published: April 2018

We study the regularity of solutions of elliptic fractional systems of order 2
s
,

s \in (0,1)

, where the right hand side
f
depends on a nonlocal gradient and has the same scaling properties as the nonlocal operator. Under some structural conditions on the system we prove interior Hölder estimates in the spirit of [1]. Our results are stable in
s
allowing us to recover the classic results for elliptic systems due to S. Hildebrandt and K. Widman [11] and M. Wiegner [19].
Challenges associated with biomarker‐based classification systems for Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Illán‐Gala Ignacio , Pegueroles Jordi , Montal Victor , Vilaplana Eduard , Carmona‐Iragui María , Alcolea Daniel , Dickerson Bradford C. , Sánchez‐Valle Raquel , de Leon Mony J. , Blesa Rafael , Lleó Alberto , Fortea Juan ,   Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: April 2018

Introduction

We aimed to evaluate the consistency of the A/T/N classification system.

Methods

We included healthy controls, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia patients from Alzheimer's disease Neuroimaging Initiative. We assessed subject classification consistency with different biomarker combinations and the agreement and correlation between biomarkers.

Results

Subject classification discordance ranged from 12.2% to 44.5% in the whole sample; 17.3%–46.4% in healthy controls; 11.9%–46.5% in mild cognitive impairment, and 1%–35.7% in dementia patients. Amyloid, but not neurodegeneration biomarkers, showed good agreement both in the whole sample and in the clinical subgroups. Amyloid biomarkers were correlated in the whole sample, but not along the Alzheimer's disease continuum (as defined by a positive amyloid positron emission tomography). Neurodegeneration biomarkers were poorly correlated both in the whole sample and along the Alzheimer's disease continuum. The relationship between biomarkers was stage‐dependent.

Discussion

Our findings suggest that the current A/T/N classification system does not achieve the required consistency to be used in the clinical setting.
Understanding hallucinations in probable Alzheimer's disease: Very low prevalence rates in a tertiary memory clinic
Authors: Linszen Mascha M.J. , Lemstra Afina W. , Dauwan Meenakshi , Brouwer Rachel M. , Scheltens Philip , Sommer Iris E.C.
Published: April 2018

Introduction

Averaging at 13.4%, current literature reports widely varying prevalence rates of hallucinations in patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD), and is still inconclusive on contributive factors to hallucinations in AD.

Methods

This study assessed prevalence, associated factors and clinical characteristics of hallucinations in 1227 patients with probable AD, derived from a tertiary memory clinic specialized in early diagnosis of dementia. Hallucinations were assessed with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory.

Results

Hallucination prevalence was very low, with only 4.5% (n = 55/1227) affected patients. Hallucinations were mostly visual (n = 40/55) or auditory (n = 12/55). Comorbid delusions were present in over one‐third of cases (n = 23/55).

Hallucinations were associated with increased dementia severity, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and a lifetime history of hallucination‐evoking disease (such as depression and sensory impairment), but not with age or gender.

Discussion

In the largest sample thus far, we report a low prevalence of hallucinations in probable AD patients, comparable to rates in non‐demented elderly. Our results suggest that hallucinations are uncommon in early stage AD. Clinicians that encounter hallucinations in patients with early AD should be sensitive to hallucination‐evoking comorbidity.
The use of Centiloids for applying [11C]PiB classification cutoffs across region‐of‐interest delineation methods
Authors: Tudorascu Dana L. , Minhas Davneet S. , Lao Patrick J. , Betthauser Tobey J. , Yu Zheming , Laymon Charles M. , Lopresti Brian J. , Mathis Chet A. , Klunk William E. , Handen Benjamin L. , Christian Bradley T. , Cohen Ann D.
Published: April 2018

Introduction

Centiloid standardization was developed to establish a quantitative outcome measure of amyloid burden that could accommodate the integration of different amyloid positron emission tomography radiotracers or different methods of quantifying the same tracer. The goal of this study was to examine the use of Centiloids for establishing amyloid classification cutoffs for differing region‐of‐interest (ROI) delineation schemes.

Methods

Using ROIs from hand‐drawn delineation in native space as the gold standard, we compared standard uptake value ratios obtained from the 6 hand‐drawn ROIs that determine amyloid‐positivity classification with standard uptake value ratio obtained from 3 different automated techniques (FreeSurfer, Statistical Parametric Mapping, and superimposed hand‐drawn ROIs in Pittsburgh Compound B template space). We tested between‐methods reliability using repeated measures models and intraclass correlation coefficients.

Results

We found high reliability between the hand‐drawn standard method and other methods for almost all the regions considered. However, small differences in standard uptake value ratio were found to lead to unreliable classifications when the hand‐drawn native space‐derived cutoffs were used across other ROI delineation methods.

Discussion

The use of Centiloid standardization greatly improved the agreement of Pittsburgh Compound B classification across methods and may serve as an alternative method for applying cutoffs across methodologically different outcomes.
Building open source security into agile application builds
Authors: Mackey Tim
Published: April 2018

Open source software offers many benefits, not least of which is the way that readily available software components and libraries can speed development. By not having to constantly reinvent the wheel, developers are able to adopt agile development methods that are adaptive, responsive – and fast. But there's also a risk involved.

Using open source software offers many benefits and can speed development. But there are risks involved.

Changes to applications are being made so quickly and so often that it is difficult to understand and review them for risk. And application development and security practices often appear to be at odds. To employ open source components safely, organisations need visibility into which components they're using. Tim Mackey of Black Duck by Synopsys examines how DevOps teams can utilise automated software composition analysis (SCA).
Reducing the threat surface to minimise the impact of cyber-attacks
Authors: Bhardwaj Akashdeep , Goundar Sam
Published: April 2018

As datacentre operations and the accessing of applications over the Internet increases, cyber-attackers view this as a surge in the threat surface area that they are able to attack. The increase in available area is directly proportional to the inbound access ports as well as application and network device vulnerabilities. These are available in form of open exploits that can be utilised during an attack.

As datacentre operations and the accessing of applications over the Internet increases, cyber-attackers view this as a surge in the threat surface they are able to attack.

The increase in available attack area is directly proportional to the inbound access ports as well as application and network device vulnerabilities. Akashdeep Bhardwaj and Sam Goundar propose a method for reducing the threat surface area by measuring security vulnerabilities to produce a score and then reducing the benefits obtained when exploiting the resource.
Remarks By David D. Caron
Authors: Caron David D.
Published: April 2018

In my lecture, I address an issue that is underappreciated, certainly not addressed, yet critically important to what international law values—the theme of this year's ASIL Annual Meeting. To put the topic in dramatic terms, it is that scene at a dinner party where all appears serene but then a seemingly minor comment gives rise to a harsh response; it is that moment when there is a glimpse of a serious disagreement beneath the surface that has bubbled up unexpectedly.
Introductory Remarks by R. Doak Bishop
Authors: Bishop R. Doak
Published: April 2018

Welcome to our roundtable discussion on the balancing of rights and obligations of states and investors. In the past fifteen years, the number of investor-state disputes has grown exponentially, mainly as a result of arbitration clauses contained in investment treaties. The significant number of publicly available decisions and awards has allowed us to form views—and concerns—about both process and outcomes. Some of the concerns have led to the introduction of changes, not only in treaties but also in underlying investment policies. In some instances, states have issued interpretations of particular provisions. In recent years, multilateral initiatives have developed recommendations on how future investment treaties might be improved.
Remarks by Maxwell Chibundu
Authors: Chibundu Maxwell
Published: April 2018

Good morning and my welcome to the audience. I would like to thank our panel chair, Dr. Jacobson, my co-panelists, and especially the panel's organizer, Professor Mortimer Sellers, who has been a terrific friend and colleague for over a quarter century. He exemplifies all that is commendable about modern cosmopolitans. It is a genuine pleasure to be back as an ASIL Annual Meeting participant, and I congratulate the meeting organizers for a very good conference.
Metacognitive reflection and insight therapy (MERIT) for patients with schizophrenia
Authors: de Jong S. , van Donkersgoed R. J. M. , Timmerman M. E. , aan het Rot M. , Wunderink L. , Arends J. , van Der Gaag M. , Aleman A. , Lysaker P. H. , Pijnenborg G. H. M.
Published: April 2018

Background

Impaired metacognition is associated with difficulties in the daily functioning of people with psychosis. Metacognition can be divided into four domains: Self-Reflection, Understanding the Other's Mind, Decentration, and Mastery. This study investigated whether Metacognitive Reflection and Insight Therapy (MERIT) can be used to improve metacognition.

Methods

This study is a randomized controlled trial. Patients in the active condition (n= 35) received forty MERIT sessions, the control group (n= 35) received treatment as usual. Multilevel intention-to-treat and completers analyses were performed for metacognition and secondary outcomes (psychotic symptomatology, cognitive insight, Theory of Mind, empathy, depression, self-stigma, quality of life, social functioning, and work readiness).

Results

Eighteen out of 35 participants finished treatment, half the drop-out stemmed from therapist attrition (N= 5) or before the first session (N= 4). Intention-to-treat analysis demonstrated that in both groups metacognition improved between pre- and post-measurements, with no significant differences between the groups. Patients who received MERIT continued to improve, while the control group returned to baseline, leading to significant differences at follow-up. Completers analysis (18/35) showed improvements on the Metacognition Assessment Scale (MAS-A) scales Self Reflectivity and metacognitive Mastery at follow-up. No effects were found on secondary outcomes.

Conclusions

On average, participants in the MERIT group were, based on MAS-A scores, at follow-up more likely to recognize their thoughts as changeable rather than as facts. MERIT might be useful for patients whose self-reflection is too limited to benefit from other therapies. Given how no changes were found in secondary measures, further research is needed. Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Application of Real-Coded Genetic Algorithm in Ship Weather Routing
Authors: Wang Hong-Bo , Li Xiao-Gang , Li Peng-Fei , Veremey Evgeny I. , Sotnikova Margarita V.
Published: April 2018

Solving the problem of ship weather routing has been always a goal of nautical navigation research and has been investigated by many scientists. The operation schedule of an oceangoing ship can be influenced by wave or wind disturbances, which complicate route planning. In this paper, we present a real-coded genetic algorithm to determine the minimum voyage route time for point-to-point problems in a dynamic environment. A fitness assignment method based on an individual's position in the sorted population is presented, which greatly simplifies the calculation of fitness value. A hybrid mutation operator is proposed to enhance the search for the optimal solution and maintain population diversity. Multi-population techniques and an elite retention strategy are employed to increase population diversity and accelerate convergence rates. The effectiveness of the algorithm is demonstrated by numerical simulation experiments.
Longitudinal point prevalence survey of antibacterial use in Northern Ireland using the European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption (ESAC) PPS and Global-PPS tool
Authors: Al-Taani G. M. , Scott M. , Farren D. , Gilmore F. , Mccullagh B. , Hibberd C. , Mccorry A. , Versporten A. , Goossens H. , Zarb P. , Aldeyab M. A.
Published: April 2018

Antimicrobial resistance is a limiting factor for the success of the treatment of infectious diseases and is associated with increased morbidity and cost. The present study aims to evaluate prescribing patterns of antimicrobials and quantify progress in relation to targets for quality improvement in the prescription of antimicrobials in Northern Ireland's secondary care sector using three repetitive point prevalence surveys (PPS) over a 6-year period: the European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption (ESAC-PPS) in 2009 and 2011 and the Global-PPS on Antimicrobial Consumption and Resistance in 2015. Out of 3605 patients surveyed over the three time points, 1239 (34.4%) were treated with an antibiotic, the most frequently prescribed antibiotic groups were a combination of penicillins, including β-lactamase inhibitors. Compliance with hospital antibiotic policies in 2009, 2011 and 2015 were 54.5%, 71.5% and 79.9%, respectively. Likewise, an indication for treatment was recorded in patient notes 88.5%, 87.7% and 90.6% in 2009, 2011 and 2015, respectively, and surgical prophylactic antibiotic prescriptions for >24 h was 3.9%, 3.2% and 0.7% in 2009, 2011 and 2015, respectively. Treatment based on biomarker data was used in 61.5% of cases. In conclusion, a general trend in the improvement of key antimicrobial-related quality indicators was noted. The PPS tool provided a convenient, inexpensive surveillance system of antimicrobial consumption and should be considered an essential component to establish and maintain informed antibiotic stewardship in hospitals.
Safety of tracheal intubation in the presence of cardiac disease in paediatric ICUs
Authors: Gradidge Eleanor A. , Bakar Adnan , Tellez David , Ruppe Michael , Tallent Sarah , Bird Geoffrey , Lavin Natasha , Lee Anthony , Nadkarni Vinay , Adu-Darko Michelle , Bain Jesse , Biagas Katherine , Branca Aline , Breuer Ryan K. , Brown Calvin , Bysani Kris , Emeriaud Guillaume , Gangadharan Sandeep , Giuliano John S. , Howell Joy D. , Krawiec Conrad , Lee Jan Hau , Li Simon , Meyer Keith , Miksa Michael , Napolitano Natalie , Nett Sholeen , Nuthall Gabrielle , Orioles Alberto , Owen Erin B. , Parker Margaret M. , Parsons Simon , Polikoff Lee A. , Rehder Kyle , Saito Osamu , Sanders Ron C. , Shenoi Asha , Simon Dennis W. , Skippen Peter W. , Tarquinio Keiko , Thompson Anne , Toedt-Pingel Iris , Walson Karen , Nishisaki Akira ,   For National Emergency Airway Registry for Children (NEARKIDS) Investigators and Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigators (PALISI)
Published: April 2018

Introduction

Children with CHD and acquired heart disease have unique, high-risk physiology. They may have a higher risk of adverse tracheal-intubation-associated events, as compared with children with non-cardiac disease.

Materials and methods

We sought to evaluate the occurrence of adverse tracheal-intubation-associated events in children with cardiac disease compared to children with non-cardiac disease. A retrospective analysis of tracheal intubations from 38 international paediatric ICUs was performed using the National Emergency Airway Registry for Children (NEAR4KIDS) quality improvement registry. The primary outcome was the occurrence of any tracheal-intubation-associated event. Secondary outcomes included the occurrence of severe tracheal-intubation-associated events, multiple intubation attempts, and oxygen desaturation.

Results

A total of 8851 intubations were reported between July, 2012 and March, 2016. Cardiac patients were younger, more likely to have haemodynamic instability, and less likely to have respiratory failure as an indication. The overall frequency of tracheal-intubation-associated events was not different (cardiac: 17% versus non-cardiac: 16%, p=0.13), nor was the rate of severe tracheal-intubation-associated events (cardiac: 7% versus non-cardiac: 6%, p=0.11). Tracheal-intubation-associated cardiac arrest occurred more often in cardiac patients (2.80 versus 1.28%; p<0.001), even after adjusting for patient and provider differences (adjusted odds ratio 1.79; p=0.03). Multiple intubation attempts occurred less often in cardiac patients (p=0.04), and oxygen desaturations occurred more often, even after excluding patients with cyanotic heart disease.

Conclusions

The overall incidence of adverse tracheal-intubation-associated events in cardiac patients was not different from that in non-cardiac patients. However, the presence of a cardiac diagnosis was associated with a higher occurrence of both tracheal-intubation-associated cardiac arrest and oxygen desaturation.
Effects of Self-Image on Anxiety, Judgement Bias and Emotion Regulation in Social Anxiety Disorder
Authors: Lee Hannah , Ahn Jung-Kwang , Kwon Jung-Hye
Published: April 2018

Background: Research to date has focused on the detrimental effects of negative self-images for individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD), but the benefits of positive self-images have been neglected. Aims: The present study examined the effect of holding a positive versus negative self-image in mind on anxiety, judgement bias and emotion regulation (ER) in individuals with SAD. Method: Forty-two individuals who met the diagnostic criteria for SAD were randomly assigned to either a positive or a negative self-image group. Participants were assessed twice with a week's interval in between using the Reactivity and Regulation Situation Task, which measures social anxiety, discomfort, judgement bias and ER, prior to and after the inducement of a positive or negative self-image. Results: Individuals in the positive self-image group reported less social anxiety, discomfort and distress from social cost when compared with their pre-induction state. They also used more adaptive ER strategies and experienced less anxiety and discomfort after using ER. In contrast, individuals in the negative self-image group showed no significant differences in anxiety, judgement bias or ER strategies before and after the induction. Conclusions: This study highlights the beneficial effects of positive self-images on social anxiety and ER.
Application of PROMICE Q‐Transect in Situ Accumulation and Ablation Measurements (2000–2017) to Constrain Mass Balance at the Southern Tip of the Greenland Ice Sheet
Authors: Hermann Mauro , Box Jason E. , Fausto Robert S. , Colgan William T. , Langen Peter L. , Mottram Ruth , Wuite Jan , Noël Brice , van den Broeke Michiel R. , van As Dirk
Published: April 2018

With nine southern Greenland ice sheet ablation area locations, the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE) “Q‐transect” is a source of snow accumulation and ice ablation data spanning 17 years (2000 to present). Snow water equivalence measurements below equilibrium line altitude enable resolving the location and magnitude of an orographic precipitation maximum. Snow depth skillfully predicts snow water equivalence in this region, for which we find no evidence of change 2001–2017. After describing observed accumulation and ablation spatiotemporal patterns, we examine surface mass balance (SMB) in 5.5‐km HIRHAM5, 7.5‐km Modèle Atmosphèrique Régional (MAR) v3.7, and 1‐km Regional Atmospheric Climate Model (RACMO2.3p2) regional climate model (RCM) output. HIRHAM5 and RACMO2.3p2 overestimate accumulation below equilibrium line altitude by 2 times. MAR SMB is closer to observations but lacks a distinct orographic peak. RCM ablation underestimation is attributable to overestimated snowfall (HIRHAM5 and RACMO2.3p2), overestimated bare ice albedo (MAR), and underestimation of downward turbulent heat fluxes. Calibrated ablation area RCM SMB data yield −0.3 ± 0.5 Gt/a SMB of the 559‐km2 marine‐terminating Sermilik glacier (September 2000 to October 2012). Using Enderlin et al. (2014, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013GL059010) ice discharge data, Sermilik glacier's total mass balance is −1.3 ± 0.5 Gt/a with interannual variability dominated by SMB. The area specific mass loss is 17 to 20 times greater than the whole ice sheet mass loss after Andersen et al. (2015, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2014.10.015) and Colgan et al. (2015, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2015.06.016), highlighting the Q‐transect's situation in an ice mass loss hot spot.
Nutrient Loss Rates in Relation to Transport Time Scales in a Large Shallow Lake (Lake St. Clair, USA—Canada): Insights From a Three‐Dimensional Model
Authors: Bocaniov Serghei A. , Scavia Donald
Published: April 2018

A nutrient mass balance and a three‐dimensional, coupled hydrodynamic‐ecological model, calibrated and validated for Lake St. Clair with observations from 2009 and 2010, were integrated to estimate monthly lake‐scale nutrient loss rates, and to calculate 3 monthly transport time scales: flushing time, water age, and water residence time. While nutrient loss rates had statistically significant relationships with all transport time scale measures, water age had the strongest explanatory power, with water age and nutrient loss rates both smaller in spring and fall and larger in summer. We show that Lake St. Clair is seasonally divided into two discrete regions of contrasting water age and productivity. The north‐western region is dominated by oligotrophic waters from the St. Clair River, and south‐eastern region is dominated by the nutrient enriched, more productive waters from the Thames‐Sydenham River complex. The spatial and temporal variations in local transport scales and nutrient loss rates, coupled with strong seasonal variations in discharge and nutrient loads from the major tributaries, suggest the need for different load reduction strategies for different tributaries.
YOU Should Advocate for Science
Authors: Hills Denise , Horton Daniel , Loureiro Rafael , Popendorf Kimberly , Downs Christine , Doel Ronald , Clement T. , Kobelski Adam
Published: April 2018

Are you engaged in rigorous science? If so, ask your elected representatives to fund it robustly and predictably and to oppose policies that impede scientific progress.
Senate OK’s New NASA Head by Razor-Thin Margin
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: April 2018

Bridenstine, the first politician to lead the agency, is urged to run NASA in a nonpartisan manner and to support its science missions.
On the Role of Last Closed Drift Shell Dynamics in Driving Fast Losses and Van Allen Radiation Belt Extinction
Authors: Olifer L. , Mann I. R. , Morley S. K. , Ozeke L. G. , Choi D.
Published: April 2018

We present observations of very fast radiation belt loss as resolved using high time resolution electron flux data from the constellation of Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites. The time scale of these losses is revealed to be as short as ∼0.5–2 hr during intense magnetic storms, with some storms demonstrating almost total loss on these time scales and which we characterize as radiation belt extinction. The intense March 2013 and March 2015 storms both show such fast extinction, with a rapid recovery, while the September 2014 storm shows fast extinction but no recovery for around 2 weeks. By contrast, the moderate September 2012 storm which generated a three radiation belt morphology shows more gradual loss. We compute the last closed drift shell (LCDS) for each of these four storms and show a very strong correspondence between the LCDS and the loss patterns of trapped electrons in each storm. Most significantly, the location of the LCDS closely mirrors the high time resolution losses observed in GPS flux. The fast losses occur on a time scale shorter than the Van Allen Probes orbital period, are explained by proximity to the LCDS, and progress inward, consistent with outward transport to the LCDS by fast ultralow frequency wave radial diffusion. Expressing the location of the LCDS in L*, and not model magnetopause standoff distance in units of RE, clearly reveals magnetopause shadowing as the cause of the fast loss observed by the GPS satellites.
A Physical Model of the Proton Radiation Belts of Jupiter inside Europa's Orbit
Authors: Nénon Q. , Sicard A. , Kollmann P. , Garrett H. B. , Sauer S. P. A. , Paranicas C.
Published: April 2018

A physical model of the Jovian trapped protons with kinetic energies higher than 1 MeV inward of the orbit of the icy moon Europa is presented. The model, named Salammbô, takes into account the radial diffusion process, the absorption effect of the Jovian moons, and the Coulomb collisions and charge exchanges with the cold plasma and neutral populations of the inner Jovian magnetosphere. Preliminary modeling of the wave‐particle interaction with electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves near the moon Io is also performed. Salammbô is validated against in situ proton measurements of Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, Galileo Probe, and Galileo Orbiter. A prominent feature of the MeV proton intensity distribution in the modeled area is the 2 orders of magnitude flux depletion observed in MeV measurements near the orbit of Io. Our simulations reveal that this is not due to direct interactions with the moon or its neutral environment but results from scattering of the protons by electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves.
CERA‐20C: A Coupled Reanalysis of the Twentieth Century
Authors: Laloyaux Patrick , de Boisseson Eric , Balmaseda Magdalena , Bidlot Jean‐Raymond , Broennimann Stefan , Buizza Roberto , Dalhgren Per , Dee Dick , Haimberger Leopold , Hersbach Hans , Kosaka Yuki , Martin Matthew , Poli Paul , Rayner Nick , Rustemeier Elke , Schepers Dinand
Published: April 2018

CERA‐20C is a coupled reanalysis of the twentieth century which aims to reconstruct the past weather and climate of the Earth system including the atmosphere, ocean, land, ocean waves, and sea ice. This reanalysis is based on the CERA coupled atmosphere‐ocean assimilation system developed at ECMWF. CERA‐20C provides a 10 member ensemble of reanalyses to account for errors in the observational record as well as model error. It benefited from the prior experience of the retrospective atmospheric analysis ERA‐20C. The dynamical model and the data assimilation systems initially developed for NWP had been modified to take into account the evolution of the radiative forcing and the observing system. To limit the impact of changes in the observing system throughout the century, only conventional surface observations have been used in the atmosphere. CERA‐20C improves the specification of the background and the observation errors, two key elements to ensure a consistent weighting of the uncertainties across geophysical variables, space, and time. The quality of CERA‐20C has been evaluated against other centennial reanalyses and independent observations. Although CERA‐20C inherits some limitations of ERA‐20C to represent correctly the tropical cyclones in the first part of the century, it shows significant improvements in the troposphere, compared to ERA‐20C and 20CRv2c (the twentieth century reanalysis produced by NOAA/CIRES). A preliminary study of the climate variability in CERA‐20C has been carried out. CERA‐20C improves on the representation of atmosphere‐ocean heat fluxes and mean sea level pressure compared to previous uncoupled ocean and atmospheric historical reanalyses performed at ECMWF.
Survey of Antithrombotic Treatment in Rural Patients (>60 years) with Atrial Fibrillation in East China
Authors: Wei Yong , Xu Juan , Wu Haiqing , Zhou Genqing , Chen Songwen , Wang Caihong , Shen Yahong , Yang Shunhong , Wang Bin , He Zheng , Sun Jianping , Sun Weidong , Ouyang Ping , Liu Shaowen
Published: April 2018

The prevalence and antithrombotic treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) in Chinese rural population is not well known. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which antithrombotic treatment was prescribed for rural AF patients >60 years. We identified 828 AF patients from 36734 rural residents >60 years in Shanghai China. Our data indicated the overall prevalence rate of AF was 2.3% in rural population >60 years in East China and 38.9% of AF patients underwent antithrombotic therapy, including warfarin (5.9%), aspirin (29.6%), clopidogrel (2.9%) and aspirin combined with clopidogrel (0.5%). Of enrolled subjects, 98.4% had CHA2DS2-VASc score ≥1, 72.0% had HAS-BLED score <3 and 59.2% had CHA2DS2-VASc score ≥2 with HAS-BLED score <3. Missing early detection (34.9%), delay in seeking treatment for asymptomatic AF (25.5%) and doctors’s incomplete inform of AF-related risk of stroke to patients (21.7%) were three dominant causes for failing anticoagulant usage. In conclusion, most AF patients were with a high risk of thrombosis and a low risk of bleeding in China, but a large majority of them failed to take anticoagulants mainly for missing an early screening of AF and lack of awareness on AF for both patients and primary care physicians.
Water-compatible Molecularly Imprinted Polymers
Authors: Zhang Huiqi
Published: April 2018

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are tailor-made synthetic receptors with high affinity and selectivity toward target analytes. They have proven to be promising substitutes for biological receptors because of their high molecular recognition ability, stability, ease of preparation, and low cost. Despite tremendous progress made in the development of various MIPs in the past four decades, the design of MIPs that are capable of directly and selectively recognizing small organic molecules in complex aqueous solutions (in particular in real, undiluted biological samples) has been a long-standing challenge, which significantly limited the practical applications of the MIPs in many bioanalytical and biomedical areas, including food safety control, environmental monitoring, and clinical diagnostics. Over the past two decades, much effort has been devoted to addressing this issue. This book chapter presents an overview of the advances made in the development of water-compatible MIPs, with an emphasis being mainly focused on those achieved in our laboratory.
Recent developments in actinide metallacycles
Authors: Zi Guofu
Published: April 2018

Recent developments in the synthesis and reactivity of actinide metallacycles are highlighted.
An efficient non-fullerene acceptor based on central and peripheral naphthalene diimides
Authors: Rao Pedada S. , Gupta Akhil , Srivani Doli , Bhosale Sidhanath V. , Bilic Ante , Li Jingliang , Xiang Wanchun , Evans Richard A. , Bhosale Sheshanath V.
Published: April 2018

Through the coupling of central and terminal naphthalene diimide functionalities, a unique non-fullerene electron acceptor, coded as N10, was designed, synthesized, characterized and applied in solution-processable bulk-heterojunction devices.
Cultivating crystal lattice distortion in IrO2via coupling with MnO2 to boost the oxygen evolution reaction with high intrinsic activity
Authors: Zhou Zhenhua , Zaman Waqas Qamar , Sun Wei , Cao Li-mei , Tariq Muhammad , Yang Ji
Published: April 2018

Enhancing the OER performance by cultivating Jahn–Teller distortion in IrO2 with Mn oxide being the substrate material.
Thresholds of photolysis of O2 and of formation of O3 from O2 dispersed in solid neon
Authors: Lo Jen-Iu , Chou Sheng-Lung , Peng Yu-Chain , Lu Hsiao-Chi , Ogilvie J. F. , Cheng Bing-Ming
Published: April 2018

Irradiation of O2 dispersed in solid Ne with light of wavelength less than 200 nm produced O, O2 and O3.
Reply to the ‘Comment on “Hydride, gold(i) and related derivatives of the unsaturated ditungsten anion [W2Cp2(μ-PCy2)(μ-CO)2]−”’ by M. Green, Dalton Transactions, 2018, 47, DOI: 10.1039/C8DT00044A
Authors: García-Vivó Daniel , Ruiz Miguel A.
Published: April 2018

The half-electron and CBC representations of the unsaturated complexes [M2Cp2(μ-H)(μ-PR2)(CO)2] (M = Mo, W) are equivalent descriptions of the tricentric M2H bonding in these hydride-bridged molecules.
Enhanced Fenton-like catalytic performance of N-doped graphene quantum dot incorporated CuCo2O4
Authors: Nekoeinia Mohsen , Salehriahi Farideh , Moradlou Omran , Kazemi Hojjat , Yousefinejad Saeed
Published: April 2018

In the present study, a novel nanocomposite based on CuCo2O4 and N-doped graphene quantum dots (N-GQDs) as an iron-free heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst was prepared by a two-step solvothermal method.
Magnetic and thermodynamic properties of α, β, γ and δ-MnO2
Authors: Zhou Chunsheng , Wang Jianfang , Liu Xin , Chen Fengying , Di Youying , Gao Shengli , Shi Quan
Published: April 2018

Four different structures of manganese dioxide particles with good dispersity were obtained by hydrothermal and co-precipitation methods, and their magnetic and thermodynamic properties were studied in the temperature from (1.9 to 300) K.
Bifunctional electrocatalysts of MOF-derived Co–N/C on bamboo-like MnO nanowires for high-performance liquid- and solid-state Zn–air batteries
Authors: Chen Ya-Nan , Guo Yibo , Cui Huijuan , Xie Zhaojun , Zhang Xin , Wei Jinping , Zhou Zhen
Published: April 2018

MnO@Co–N/C composites were fabricated with excellent bifunctional catalytic activity and outstanding performance for both liquid- and solid-state Zn–air batteries. The excellent electrocatalytic activities are attributed to the unique 1D nanowire structure with abundant Co–Nx active sites and a high specific surface area.
A facile method for the synthesis of graphene-like 2D metal oxides and their excellent catalytic application in the hydrogenation of nitroarenes
Authors: Lei Lijun , Wu Zhiwei , Liu Huan , Qin Zhangfeng , Chen Chengmeng , Luo Li , Wang Guofu , Fan Weibin , Wang Jianguo
Published: April 2018

Pd supported on 2D CeO2 nanosheets synthesized by a modified EISA method exhibits excellent catalytic performance in the hydrogenation of nitroarenes.
Media‐based modulation for secrecy communications
Authors: Yildirim I. , Basar E. , Kurt G. K.
Published: April 2018

Media‐based modulation (MBM) concept is exploited to increase physical layer (PHY) security in the presence of an illegitimate listener. A precoding design is developed to increase the mutual secrecy rate of MBM, and the secrecy mutual information expressions are derived. The provided analyses and numerical results have also shown that MBM is a perfect candidate for PHY security by providing the maximum achievable secrecy mutual information, even in the presence of channel estimation errors.
Energy‐efficient user association and cell sleeping strategy for multi‐tier ultra‐dense small cell networks
Authors: Sun Yang , Chang Yongyu
Published: April 2018

In this letter, the authors formulate the energy‐efficient user association and cell sleeping optimisation problem which applies to the multi‐tier ultradense network scenarios as a complex 0–1 integer programming and propose an alternating iterative method to solve the problem via two low‐complexity sub‐problems. The simulation results show that the proposed strategy can steadily reduce overall energy consumption compared with the existing strategies.
Deriving scale normalisation factors for a GLoG detector
Authors: Khan Mohammad A.U. , Khan Tariq M. , Bailey Donald G. , Kittaneh Omar
Published: April 2018

In computer vision, blob detection is used to obtain regions of interest that could signal the presence of objects or parts with application to object recognition and object tracking. One of the more common blob detectors is based on the Laplacian of Gaussian (LoG). However, most blob detectors developed in the past assume circular blobs, and these detectors do not perform as well with elliptical blobs, a more prevalent scenario in real images. A generalised LoG (GLoG) detector was proposed recently to deal specifically with elliptical blobs. To formulate the GLoG in a multi‐scale framework, its response must be made scale invariant. Toward that end, necessary and sufficient conditions are presented here, with the normalisation factors derived for a scale‐invariant GLoG detector. The factors are validated with a synthetic example and are further tested with two real‐world images.
Omnidirectional dipole antenna with wideband and low gain variation
Authors: Afoakwa Samuel , Jung Young‐Bae
Published: April 2018

This study presents an omnidirectional dipole antenna with wideband and low gain variation in the horizontal plane. The antenna is made up of two driven dipoles and two parasitic dipoles placed symmetrically on both sides of a central ground plane. The driven dipole is made up of two planar arms printed on both sides of the substrate. Two small slits on both sides of the driven dipole, a large centrally placed slit in the driven dipole, extensions on both sides of the driven dipole with different dimensions, and parasitic dipoles are introduced to greatly enhance the bandwidth and also attain a low gain variation. The fabricated antenna achieves a wide impedance bandwidth of 105.5% (1.36–4.4 GHz) for S11 ≤ −10 dB, and an average gain of 4.14 dBi with a low gain variation of 2 dB. The antenna may find applications in 2G/3G/LTE frequency bands.
Low RCS and broadband metamaterial‐based low‐profile antenna using PCM
Authors: Ren Junyi , Jiang Wen , Gong Shuxi
Published: April 2018

In this study, a novel cross layout of polarisation conversion metamaterial (PCM) is investigated for the first time. Based on the principle of phase cancellation, the cross structure can reduce radar cross section (RCS) significantly over a wider band compared with the chessboard configuration. The low‐profile metamaterial‐based antenna is composed of the cross PCM structure and a driven patch sandwiched between the PCM patches and the ground plane. Simulated and measured results show that compared with the microstrip patch antenna, the proposed antenna can achieve a wider impedance bandwidth of 6.05–7.52 GHz (21.7%) and milder gain variation in the working band, while the monostatic RCS can be reduced over 5.8–18.0 GHz (102.5%).
Controllable optical bistability in double quantum dot molecule
Authors: Yu Chunchao , Sun Lihui , Zhang Huafeng , Chen Fang
Published: April 2018

The optical bistability (OB) in the quantum dot molecules with four energy levels in a unidirectional ring cavity has been investigated. The authors find that the OB behaviour in the proposed system can be controlled by the system's different parameters such as electronic cooperation parameter, Rabi frequency of the two coupling laser field, decay rate, three frequency detuning, in which the parameters sensitivity is studied. The proposed system can be used for all optical switching and logic.
Reform of power system governance in the context of system change
Authors: Wright Andrew C.
Published: April 2018

Regulatory, commercial and governance arrangements form an integral part of any power system. They ensure that the underlying physical system fulfils the critical public function of electricity supply within agreed social and environmental constraints. If either the physical system or societal expectations change, the regulatory, commercial and institutional framework will need to adapt in response. This is necessary to ensure continued good outcomes for consumers at a reasonable cost. Power systems in many countries are going through rapid and substantial change, as a result of the twin pressures of decarbonisation and technological innovation. The power system is moving from one dominated by large‐scale, transmission‐connected, flexible thermal power stations serving passive demand, to an integrated smart system connecting increasingly distributed and intermittent energy resources integrated with an active demand side. As a result, there is a need for far‐reaching reforms of institutions, charging arrangements, market structures and regulations. Fundamental notions, such as security of supply and the universal service obligation need to be revisited. This is a challenge for policy makers and regulators wherever these changes are taking place.
t ‐ZrO2 prepared by a novel zirconium oxalate synthesised solvothermally
Authors: Ni Siyu , Li Yafeng
Published: April 2018

In this work, the authors intentionally employ the oxalic acid (OA) to replace terephthalic acid to synthesise a novel zirconium oxalate under the similar reaction condition with UIO‐66. The powder X‐ray diffraction and thermal gravimetric analysis confirm that as‐synthesised zirconium oxalate is a pure phase and oxalate serves as bridging ligand. Scanning electron microscope indicates that zirconium oxalate is aggregated together by several micrometres of needle‐like crystals. After zirconium oxalate is calcined at 500°C, the product is the pure tetragonal zirconia (ZrO2) with high crystallinity. The morphology and particle size of ZrO2 are basically unmodified with a comparison with the zirconium oxalate. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that the structural carbon acts as a phase transformation promoter to stabilise the tetragonal ZrO2.
Rayleigh–Taylor instability of a magnetic tangential discontinuity in the presence of oscillating gravitational acceleration
Authors: Ruderman M. S.
Published: April 2018

We study the magnetic Rayleigh–Taylor (MRT) instability of a magnetohydrodynamic interface in an infinitely conducting incompressible plasma in the presence of oscillating gravity acceleration. We show that the evolution of the interface shape is described by the Mathieu equation. Written in the dimensionless form this equation contains two parameters, a and q. The parameter q can be considered as the dimensionless wavenumber. The two parameters are related by a = Kq2, where K, in turn, depends on the ratio of densities at the two sides of the interface, ζ, the parameter s determining the relative magnitude of the gravity acceleration, the magnetic shear angle α, and the angle ϕ determining the direction of the perturbation wave vector. We calculate the dependence of the instability increment on q at fixed K, and the dependence on K of the maximum value of the increment with respect to q. We apply the theoretical results to the stability of a part of the heliopause near its apex point. Using the typical values of plasma and magnetic field parameters near the heliopause we obtain that the instability growth time is comparable with the solar cycle period.