bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design and experimental verification of dual‐Fed, self‐diplexed cavity‐backed slot antenna using HMSIW technique
Authors: Kumar Arvind , Chaturvedi Divya , Raghavan Singaravelu
Published: January 2019

A dual‐fed low‐profile self‐diplexed slot antenna is proposed for 5.2/5.8 GHz applications. The antenna mainly comprises a half‐mode substrate integrated waveguide (HMSIW)‐based cavity, loaded with a slot and microstrip feedlines. A radiating slot is etched on the upper metal cladding of the HMSIW cavity which splits the cavity into two sections. When each section is excited by using two orthogonally placed feedlines, it generates two frequency bands around 5.2 and 5.8 GHz. By finely tuning the antenna dimensions, a very high isolation of better than 30 dB is realised between the input‐ports. Thereby, the proposed antenna exhibits the self‐diplexing property. Finally, the proposed antenna is fabricated and the experimentally tested. The experimental results show a close mutual agreement with simulations. Moreover, the antenna shows unidirectional, stable and similar radiation characteristics at both the operating frequencies with maintaining planar configuration. The proposed design provides an easier, compact and a more cost‐effective solution for RF front‐end components and substitutes the conventional complex diplexer networks.
Variations of P‐shape microstrip antennas for multi‐band dual polarised response
Authors: Deshmukh Amit A. , Verma Priyanka , Pawar Shefali
Published: January 2019

A novel design of a P‐shape microstrip antenna is proposed. The stub in the P‐shape patch modifies the frequency and resonant mode distributions at second‐order TM20 mode which along with TM10 and TM01 modes yields dual‐polarised triple‐frequency response, showing 1−1.5% of impedance bandwidth (BW) at each frequency. To enhance the gain, air‐suspended designs for the P‐shape patch are proposed. It yields the broadside gain of 1.5−5 dBi across three frequencies. Enhancement in BW of the P‐shape patch is obtained by using its gap‐coupled variations leading to 69‐ or 96‐shape configurations. On a thinner substrate, these gap‐coupled antennas give BW of 3−5% across three frequencies.
Width‐varying conductor‐backed coplanar waveguide‐based low‐pass filter with a constant signal trace to adjacent grounds separation
Authors: Al Shamaileh Khair A. , Dib Nihad I. , Abushamleh Said A.
Published: January 2019

In this study, the authors introduce a new and systematic procedure for the design and optimisation of a conductor‐backed coplanar waveguide low‐pass filter (LPF). The width of the centre conductor (i.e. signal trace) is modelled in a truncated Fourier series, whereas the gap to the adjacent grounds is maintained constant relative to the width variation. Transmission lines theory is adopted to model the LPF and establish an optimisation setup. Three optimisation techniques; namely, trust‐region‐reflective algorithm, symbiotic organism search, and genetic algorithm are investigated to minimise the developed bound‐constrained non‐linear objective function. To verify the proposed procedure, an LPF with a cutoff frequency of 2 GHz is optimised, simulated, and measured. The transmission parameter in the passband is found to be in the range −0.3 ± 0.1 dB, and better than −30 dB in the stopband.
Vertically‐integrated differential filtering patch antenna excited by a balun bandpass filter
Authors: Jin Huayan , Luo Guo Qing , Che Wenquan , Chin Kuo‐Sheng , Pan Yujian , Yu Yufeng
Published: January 2019

This study develops a differential‐fed filtering patch antenna, which features superior frequency selectivity, compact size, low cross‐polarisation, and symmetrical radiation patterns. The proposed antenna consists of a rectangular patch on the top layer, which is differentially fed by a balun bandpass filter on the bottom layer. A pair of rectangular coupling slots were etched on the middle layer for energy coupling. The patch antenna performs not only as the radiator but also as the last resonator of the whole filter circuit for compactness. A prototype of the proposed filtering antenna operating at 2.45 GHz was fabricated and tested. The measured in‐band peak gain is 5.9 dBi with steep roll‐off at band edges, and the out‐of‐band gain is less than  − 25 dBi. Moreover, symmetrical radiation patterns and low cross‐polarisation levels of  − 22 dB are also realised for the proposed filtering antenna.
Compact wearable MIMO antenna with improved port isolation for ultra‐wideband applications
Authors: Kumar Biswas Ashim , Chakraborty Ujjal
Published: January 2019

In this communication, a compact two‐element ultra‐wideband (UWB) wearable multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) antenna with high port isolation is presented. The proposed structure is composed of jeans material in which an ‘8’ shaped stub is placed on the middle position of the antenna backside and connected to the partially suppressed ground structure to improve the port isolation characteristics. The antenna covers the frequency range from 2.74 to 12.33 GHz (about 127.27%) with the port isolation of >26 dB over the entire UWB frequency range. The envelope correlation co‐efficient is found to be <0.025 with a high diversity gain (DG>9.9) throughout the complete operating band. The channel capacity loss for the proposed MIMO antenna is <0.13 bit/s/Hz. The imprinted optimised UWB MIMO antenna covers the area size of 55 × 35 mm2. The performances of the proposed antenna by the simulation and experimentation equally designated it a blameless candidate for the UWB applications.
Electric field analysis and structure design of the box of bird guard used in 220 kV transmission line
Authors: Kuang Yanjun , Li Yanglin , Deng Yongqing , Huang Daochun , Qiu Zhibin
Published: January 2019

Bird activities including the defecation, nesting, and flight are easy to cause electrical faults of overhead transmission lines, study on the prevention measures of bird damage to transmission lines is of great significance to ensure the stable and reliable operation of the power system. With the establishment of finite element simulation model, the effects of box of bird guard with different material on the electric field and potential distribution on transmission line insulators are studied. Besides, combined with the theory of air discharge and the results of simulation, the influence of rainwater on the air gap around the insulator breakdown characteristics is studied when the water is drained from a scupper at the bottom of the box of bird guard, and a reasonable design scheme for the box of bird guard scupper is proposed. The research results here can provide a guidance for the selection and key parameters’ design of the box of bird guard.
Investigations on the safe stroke of mechanical HVDC vacuum circuit breaker
Authors: Xia Ning , Zou Jiyan , Liang Deshi , Gao Yang , Huang Zhihui , Wang Yongxing
Published: January 2019

Here, a DC vacuum arc interruption test based on the hybrid high‐speed actuator and the method of commutation is carried out in the synthetic loop system. The safe stroke is one of the basic breaking parameters. The minimum safe stroke directly determines the commutation time and breaking property of the mechanical DC vacuum circuit breaker. The main circuit breaker is a high‐speed vacuum switch driven by electromagnetic repulsion actuator. In order to simplify its control system, the commutation switch also adopts high‐speed vacuum switch. The main current source for verification test of this DC breaker system is provided by a LC oscillator circuit with lower frequency. Simulations with some experiments were completed on breaking process of this system by PSCAD. The breaking current is 4 kA by the DC breaker system proposed here, the opening speed is about 2.417 m/s in this experimental system; From the results, the simulation and experimental waveforms are compared and analysed, and some effects on safe stroke of the DC vacuum circuit breaker is studied. The shortest arcing time is about 0.89 ms and the minimum safe stroke is about 2.15 mm under the lower voltages.
Multiple water band detections in the CARMENES near-infrared transmission spectrum of HD 189733 b
Authors: Alonso-Floriano F. J. , Sánchez-López A. , Snellen I. A. G. , López-Puertas M. , Nagel E. , Amado P. J. , Bauer F. F. , Caballero J. A. , Czesla S. , Nortmann L. , Pallé E. , Salz M. , Reiners A. , Ribas I. , Quirrenbach A. , Aceituno J. , Anglada-Escudé G. , Béjar V. J. S. , Guenther E. W. , Henning T. , Kaminski A. , Kürster M. , Lampón M. , Lara L. M. , Montes D. , Morales J. C. , Tal-Or L. , Schmitt J. H. M. M. , Zapatero Osorio M. R. , Zechmeister M.
Published: January 2019

Aims. We explore the capabilities of CARMENES for characterising hot-Jupiter atmospheres by targeting multiple water bands, in particular, those at 1.15 and 1.4 μm. Hubble Space Telescope observations suggest that this wavelength region is relevant for distinguishing between hazy and/or cloudy and clear atmospheres.

Methods. We observed one transit of the hot Jupiter HD 189733 b with CARMENES. Telluric and stellar absorption lines were removed using SYSREM, which performs a principal component analysis including proper error propagation. The residual spectra were analysed for water absorption with cross-correlation techniques using synthetic atmospheric absorption models.

Results. We report a cross-correlation peak at a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of 6.6, revealing the presence of water in the transmission spectrum of HD 189733 b. The absorption signal appeared slightly blueshifted at –3.9 ± 1.3 km s−1. We measured the individual cross-correlation signals of the water bands at 1.15 and 1.4 μm, finding cross-correlation peaks at S/N of 4.9 and 4.4, respectively. The 1.4 μm feature is consistent with that observed with the Hubble Space Telescope.

Conclusions. The water bands studied in this work have been mainly observed in a handful of planets from space. Being able also to detect them individually from the ground at higher spectral resolution can provide insightful information to constrain the properties of exoplanet atmospheres. Although the current multi-band detections can not yet constrain atmospheric haze models for HD 189733 b, future observations at higher S/N could provide an alternative way to achieve this aim.
Context in synthetic biology: Memory effects of environments with mono-molecular reactions
Authors: Falk Johannes , Bronstein Leo , Hanst Maleen , Drossel Barbara , Koeppl Heinz
Published: January 2019

Synthetic biology aims at designing modular genetic circuits that can be assembled according to the desired function. When embedded in a cell, a circuit module becomes a small subnetwork within a larger environmental network, and its dynamics is therefore affected by potentially unknown interactions with the environment. It is well-known that the presence of the environment not only causes extrinsic noise but also memory effects, which means that the dynamics of the subnetwork is affected by its past states via a memory function that is characteristic of the environment. We study several generic scenarios for the coupling between a small module and a larger environment, with the environment consisting of a chain of mono-molecular reactions. By mapping the dynamics of this coupled system onto random walks, we are able to give exact analytical expressions for the arising memory functions. Hence, our results give insights into the possible types of memory functions and thereby help to better predict subnetwork dynamics.
Effects of oxygen ion implantation on single-crystalline MgB2 thin films
Authors: Pham Duong , Jung Soon-Gil , Tran Duc H. , Park Tuson , Kang Won Nam
Published: January 2019

We studied the effects of oxygen (O) ion irradiation on superconducting properties of single-crystalline MgB2 thin films with various thicknesses (130, 410, 850, and 1300 nm). Low irradiation energy was used to implant ions into the films. The correlation thickness of the top-implanted layer and the thickness of the bottom-clean layer could be adjusted by controlling irradiating energy. An interesting exponential dependence of Tc on the thickness ratio of these layers was found possibly due to the conventional proximity effect. The MgO, which is known as an effective pinning source for MgB2, was induced in implanted films. Thus, despite the use of low irradiation energy, the field performance critical current density, Jc(H), was significantly improved in most cases of irradiated films. The pinning force density (Fp) showed a crossover from surface pinning to a normal point pinning mechanism. These results indicate that the superconducting and the pinning mechanism in single-crystalline MgB2 could be well managed by the oxygen ion implantation.
Transferable density functional tight binding for carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen: Application to shock compression
Authors: Cawkwell M. J. , Perriot R.
Published: January 2019

A new parameterization for density functional tight binding (DFTB) theory, lanl31, has been developed for molecules containing carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. Optimal values for the Hubbard Us, on-site energies, and the radial dependences of the bond integrals and repulsive potentials were determined by numerical optimization using simulated annealing to a modest database of ab initio-calculated atomization energies and interatomic forces. The transferability of the optimized DFTB parameterization has been assessed using the CHNO subset of the QM-9 database [R. Ramakrishnan et al., Sci. Data 1, 140022 (2014)]. These analyses showed that the errors in the atomization energies and interatomic forces predicted by our model are small and in the vicinity of the differences between density functional theory calculations with different basis sets and exchange-correlation functionals. Good correlations between the molecular dipole moments and HOMO-LUMO gaps predicted by lanl31 and the QM-9 data set are also found. Furthermore, the errors in the atomization energies and forces derived from lanl31 are significantly smaller than those obtained from the ReaxFF-lg reactive force field for organic materials [L. Liu et al., J. Phys. Chem. A 115, 11016 (2011)]. The lanl31 DFTB parameterization for C, H, N, and O has been applied to the molecular dynamics simulation of the principal Hugoniot of liquid nitromethane, liquid benzene, liquid nitrogen, pentaerythritol tetranitrate, trinitrotoluene, and cyclotetramethylene tetranitramine. The computed and measured Hugoniot loci are in excellent agreement with experiment, and we discuss the sensitivity of the loci to the underestimated shock heating that is a characteristic of classical molecular dynamics simulations.
Capillary surface wave formation and mixing of miscible liquids during droplet impact onto a liquid film
Authors: Ersoy Nuri Erdem , Eslamian Morteza
Published: January 2019

In order to advance the understanding of the process of droplet impact on wet surfaces, realized in various applications such as droplet-based coating methods (inkjet printing, aerosol-jet, and spray coating), we studied the impact of a dyed water droplet onto a clear water film. The color contrast in images allowed investigation of mixing process of the like liquids during the rapid dynamic stage and beyond. Four Weber numbers (We), in the range of 121–304, and four dimensionless film thickness to droplet diameter ratios (h*), in the range of 0.092–0.367, were considered. The aforementioned numbers correspond to the film thickness of 0.4–1.6 mm, droplet size of 4.36 mm, and impact velocity of 1.4–2.2 m/s. While the experimental database is rather comprehensive and can be used for further detailed analysis, here we focused on less-explored topics of capillary surface waves formed outside the crater and found the wave characteristics and their role in mixing. Within the range of parameters studied here, we found that the outer capillary surface waves were created as a result of perturbing the liquid film by droplet impact, but the wave characteristics such as frequency (400-500 Hz) were not a strong function of the impact We number. We also observed six mixing mechanisms of miscible liquids, including the expansion/compression waves and turbulence created upon impact, stable crown wall formation with an acute wall angle, which causes a tsunami-type of flow, unstable crown leading to fingering and splashing, capillary waves, and molecular diffusion.
Tuning valence electron concentration in the Mo13Ge23-Ru2Ge3 pseudobinary system for enhancement of the thermoelectric properties
Authors: Sasaki Takayuki , Kuwahara Shimpei , Ohishi Yuji , Muta Hiroaki , Kurosaki Ken
Published: January 2019

Nowotny Chimney-Ladder (NCL) compounds are attracting increased attention as good thermoelectric (TE) materials. Although the TE properties of Si-based NCL compounds such as higher manganese silicides are well investigated, those of Ge-based ones are scarcely studied. Here, we demonstrate that a series of the Ge-based NCL compounds in the Mo13Ge23-Ru2Ge3 pseudobinary system, i.e., Mo1-xRuxGe1.769, shows quite low lattice thermal conductivity as well as good electrical properties like a material called phonon-glass electron-crystal and thus it shows good TE properties. By tuning the valence electron concentration, the TE properties are optimized and the maximum zT, called materials dimensionless figure of merit, reaches 0.23 for x = 0.6 in Mo1-xRuxGe1.769, which is approximately 15 times higher than that of x = 0 in Mo1-xRuxGe1.769, i.e., Mo13Ge23.
An AIMD study of dissociative chemisorption of methanol on Cu(111) with implications for formaldehyde formation
Authors: Gerrits Nick , Kroes Geert-Jan
Published: January 2019

An important industrial process is methanol steam reforming, which is typically used in conjunction with copper catalysts. However, little agreement exists on the reaction mechanisms involved on a copper catalyst. Therefore, we have performed research yielding additional insight into the reaction mechanism for dissociative chemisorption of methanol on Cu(111) using ab initio molecular dynamics, supported by static calculations of the molecule-surface interaction with density functional theory. Our work predicts that after the initial dissociation, formaldehyde is formed through three different mechanisms. Additionally, it is observed that at high energy, CH cleavage is the dominant pathway instead of the formerly presumed OH cleavage pathway. Finally, in order to describe the interaction of methanol with the metal surface, the SRP32-vdW functional is used, which has been previously developed and tested for CHD3 on Ni(111), Pt(111), and Pt(211) using the Specific Reaction Parameter (SRP) approach. In this work, the SRP32-vdW functional is applied to methanol on Cu(111) as well, in the hope that future experiments can validate the transferability of the SRP32-vdW functional to chemically related molecule-metal surface systems.
Influence of peeling and inorganic calcium concentration on the utilisation of giant taro (Alocasia macrorrhiza) corm meal by laying hens
Authors: Diarra S. S. , Wamekeni I. , Vunagilee A. , Lavaka H. , Finau T.
Published: January 2019

The effects of peeling and limestone flour level on the utilisation of Alocasia macrorrhiza corm meal (ACM) by laying hens were investigated. Maize-based diets with two concentrations of limestone flour (40 and 60 g/kg) and diets containing 200 g peeled and unpeeled ACM meal/kg with the same levels of limestone flour were fed to five replicate pens containing 10 20-week-old Shaver brown pullets (1635 ± 148 g), each for 105 days. Results showed no interaction or main effects of ACM or limestone concentration on feed intake, egg weight, egg mass, feed conversion efficiency, egg shape index, surface area and Haugh unit (P > 0.05). Feeding whole ACM with 40 g limestone/kg diet reduced hen-day production and shell thickness (P < 0.05) but this was overcome by increasing limestone concentration to 60 g/kg diet. Peeled ACM with both concentrations of limestone flour maintained laying performance and egg quality. We concluded that feeding 200 g whole ACM depresses egg production and shell quality in laying hens, but increasing dietary limestone concentration overcomes this adverse effect. The concentration of limestone flour in the diet has no effect on laying performance. Higher inclusion levels of ACM, calcium source and level that will maintain laying performance and reduce feed cost need to be investigated.
Real-time dissection of dynamic uncoating of individual influenza viruses
Authors: Qin Chong , Li Wei , Li Qin , Yin Wen , Zhang Xiaowei , Zhang Zhiping , Zhang Xian-En , Cui Zongqiang
Published: January 2019

Significance

Influenza A virus (IAV) is one of the most important human pathogens, and it is crucial to understand its life cycle to develop antiviral strategies. However, IAV uncoating, an essential step in viral infection, has remained incomprehensible. Here, via the construction of infectious IAV virions encapsulating quantum dots, we tracked the uncoating and viral ribonucleoprotein complex (vRNP) dynamics of single IAV virions. Our results reveal that after viral fusion and uncoating, IAV vRNP segments are released separately into the cytosol, and individual vRNPs undergo a three-stage active nuclear import process and display two diffusion patterns within the nucleus. These findings reveal uncoating and vRNP trafficking mechanisms which may assist in developing new strategies to block IAV infection.
Bilingual language control across modalities
Authors: Struys Esli , Surmont Jill , Van de Craen Piet , Kepinska Olga , Van den Noort Maurits
Published: January 2019

Bilingual language control has previously been tested separately in tasks of language comprehension and language production. Whereas these studies have suggested that local control processes are selectively recruited during mixed-language production, the present study investigated whether measures of global control show the same dependence on modality, or are shared across modalities. Thirty-eight Dutch-French bilingual young adults participated by completing two tasks of bilingual language control in both modalities. Global accuracy on mixed-language comprehension was related to mixing costs on bilingual verbal fluency, but only when compared to the L2-baseline. Global performance on mixed-language production was related to forward (L1-to-L2) switch costs. Finally, a significant correlation was found between the mixing cost on verbal fluency and forward switch costs on the comprehension task. The results are interpreted as evidence for the involvement of monitoring processes in bilingual language control across modality. The results also highlight the relevance of language switch directionality.
The role of fruit heteromorphism in the naturalization of Asteraceae
Authors: Fenesi Annamária , Sándor Dorottya , Pyšek Petr , Dawson Wayne , Ruprecht Eszter , Essl Franz , Kreft Holger , Pergl Jan , Weigelt Patrick , Winter Marten , Van Kleunen Mark
Published: January 2019

Background and Aims

Fruit heteromorphism is considered to be a bet-hedging strategy to cope with spatially or temporally heterogeneous environments. The different behaviours of the fruit morphs of the same species might also be beneficial during naturalization, once the species has been introduced to a new range. Yet, no study to date has tested the association between fruit heteromorphism and global-scale naturalization success for a large set of plant species.

Methods

We compiled two large datasets on fruit heteromorphism in Asteraceae. One dataset was on native species in Central Europe (n = 321) and the other was on species frequently planted as ornamentals (n = 584). Using phylogenetic linear and logistic regressions, we tested whether heteromorphic species are more likely to naturalize outside their native range, and in more regions of the world than monomorphic species. We also tested whether the effect of heteromorphism is modulated by life history and height of the species.

Key Results

We show that heteromorphic species were more likely to naturalize outside their native range. However, among the naturalized species, heteromorphic and monomorphic species did not differ in the number of world regions where they became naturalized. A short life span and tall stature both promoted naturalization success and, when life history and height were included in the models, the effect of fruit heteromorphism on the ability to naturalize became non-significant. Nevertheless, among tall plants, heteromorphic ornamental species were significantly more likely to become naturalized in general and in more regions than monomorphic species.

Conclusions

Our results provide evidence that in Asteraceae the production of heteromorphic fruits is associated with naturalization success. It appears, however, that not fruit heteromorphism per se, but a successful combination of other biological traits in fruit heteromorphic species, namely short life span and tall stature, contributes to their naturalization success.
queryMed: Semantic Web functions for linking pharmacological and medical knowledge to data
Authors: Rivault Y , Dameron O , Le Meur N
Published: January 2019

In public health research and more precisely in the reuse of electronic health data, selecting patients, identifying specific events and interpreting results typically requires biomedical knowledge. The queryMed R package aims to facilitate the integration of medical and pharmacological knowledge stored in formats compliant with the Linked Data paradigm (e.g. OWL ontologies and RDF datasets) into the R statistical programming environment. We show how it allowed us to identify all the drugs prescribed for critical limb ischemia (CLI) and also to detect one contraindicated prescription for one patient by linking a medical database of 1003 CLI patients to ontologies.

Availability and implementation

queryMed is readily usable for medical data mappings and enrichment. Sources, R vignettes and test data are available on GitHub (https://github.com/yannrivault/queryMed) and are archived on Zenodo (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1323481).
The Dynamic Associations Between Cortical Thickness and General Intelligence are Genetically Mediated
Authors: Schmitt J Eric , Raznahan Armin , Clasen Liv S , Wallace Greg L , Pritikin Joshua N , Lee Nancy Raitano , Giedd Jay N , Neale Michael C
Published: January 2019

The neural substrates of intelligence represent a fundamental but largely uncharted topic in human developmental neuroscience. Prior neuroimaging studies have identified modest but highly dynamic associations between intelligence and cortical thickness (CT) in childhood and adolescence. In a separate thread of research, quantitative genetic studies have repeatedly demonstrated that most measures of intelligence are highly heritable, as are many brain regions associated with intelligence. In the current study, we integrate these 2 streams of prior work by examining the genetic contributions to CT–intelligence relationships using a genetically informative longitudinal sample of 813 typically developing youth, imaged with high-resolution MRI and assessed with Wechsler Intelligence Scales (IQ). In addition to replicating the phenotypic association between multimodal association cortex and language centers with IQ, we find that CT–IQ covariance is nearly entirely genetically mediated. Moreover, shared genetic factors drive the rapidly evolving landscape of CT–IQ relationships in the developing brain.
Cost-Effectiveness of a Therapeutic Tai Ji Quan Fall Prevention Intervention for Older Adults at High Risk of Falling
Authors: Li Fuzhong , Harmer Peter , Eckstrom Elizabeth , Fitzgerald Kathleen , Akers Laura , Chou Li-Shan , Pidgeon Dawna , Voit Jan , Winters-Stone Kerri
Published: January 2019

Background

Data on the cost-effectiveness of proven fall prevention exercise interventions are limited. We aimed to establish the cost-effectiveness of Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance (TJQMBB) compared with a conventional exercise intervention for older adults at high risk of falling.

Methods

We conducted a trial-based cost-effectiveness analysis involving 670 older adults who had a history of falling or impaired mobility. Participants received one of three interventions—TJQMBB, multimodal exercise, or stretching exercise (control)—each of which was implemented twice weekly for 24 weeks. The primary cost-effectiveness measure was the incremental cost per additional fall prevented, comparing TJQMBB and multimodal exercise to Stretching and TJQMBB to multimodal exercise, with a secondary measure of incremental cost per additional quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained. The intervention was conducted between February 2015 and January 2018, and cost-effectiveness was estimated from a health care system perspective over a 6-month time horizon.

Results

The total cost to deliver the TJQMBB intervention was $202,949 (an average of $906 per participant); for multimodal exercise, it was $223,849 ($1,004 per participant); and for Stretching, it was $210,468 ($903 per participant). Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios showed that the multimodal exercise was cost-effective ($850 per additional fall prevented; $27,614 per additional QALY gained) relative to Stretching; however, TJQMBB was the most economically dominant strategy (ie, having lower cost and being clinically more efficacious) compared with multimodal and stretching exercises with regard to cost per additional fall prevented and per additional QALY gained. TJQMBB had a 100% probability of being cost-effective, relative to Stretching, at a threshold of $500 per each additional fall prevented and $10,000 per additional QALY gained. Sensitivity analyses showed the robustness of the results when extreme cases, medical costs only, and missing data were considered.

Conclusions

Among community-dwelling older adults at high risk for falls, TJQMBB is a cost-effective means of reducing falls compared with conventional exercise approaches.

Trial Registration

Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02287740).
Performance of length-based data-limited methods in a multifleet context: application to small tunas, mackerels, and bonitos in the Atlantic Ocean
Authors: Pons Maite , Kell Laurence , Rudd Merrill B , Cope Jason M , Lucena Frédou Flávia
Published: January 2019

Large scombrids, commercial tuna species, are regularly assessed and managed. However, most of the small scombrids, many mackerels and bonitos, lack accurate catch data to implement traditional stock assessments despite their economic importance in many small-scale fisheries. In this study, we analysed different approaches using length composition data from multiple fleets with different gear selectivity to assess small scombrids in the Atlantic Ocean. Using simulated populations, we compared two length-based methods (length-based spawning potential ratio and length-based integrated mixed effects ), under different length data grouping scenarios. We found that using length data from the fleet targeting the broadest range of sizes resulted in the lowest bias in spawning potential ratio of all options tested. Based on these results, we used biological and length data to estimate a quantitative proxy of current stock status for ten small scombrid stocks in the Atlantic Ocean. We found that some stocks are likely to be overfished, such as little tunny (Euthynnus alletteratus) in the Southeast Atlantic and wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) in the Northwest Atlantic. This is a starting point in the estimation of stock status for these species, but should not be thought of as a replacement for other more data-intensive assessments.
Local Integration and Shared Resource Management in Protracted Refugee Camps: Findings from a Study in the Horn of Africa
Authors: Smith Lahra , Howard Douglas A , Giordano Mark , Yossinger Nili Sarit , Kinne Lara , Martin Susan F
Published: January 2019

In light of global reforms to speed up local integration in protracted refugee settings, refugees and host communities need more capacity-building support around natural-resource management and resource-sharing. This article presents the findings of research conducted in Ethiopia and Djibouti focused on refugees and environmental resource management. Using remote sensing and land cover change analyses, as well as qualitative interviewing of refugees and local host community members in two protracted refugee camps, a multidisciplinary research team assessed the environmental impact of the camps as well as the perceptions of the two groups of these impacts. The open-ended interviews also proved useful in exploring concerns about the integration of refugees more generally. The findings suggest a set of understandings among both communities about the need for more information exchange, greater education and human-capacity-building and livelihoods development. These are all objectives shared by national governments of the region and the international community as laid out in recent global policy documents and require more coordination and new funding priorities.
The association between longer haemodialysis treatment times and hospitalization and mortality after the two-day break in individuals receiving three times a week haemodialysis
Authors: Fotheringham James , Sajjad Ayesha , Stel Vianda S , McCullough Keith , Karaboyas Angelo , Wilkie Martin , Bieber Brian , Robinson Bruce M , Massy Ziad A , Jager Kitty J
Published: January 2019

Background

On the first haemodialysis (HD) day after the 2-day break in three times a week (3×W) in-centre HD, mortality and hospitalization are higher. If longer HD sessions prescribed 3×W is associated with a reduction in these events is unknown.

Methods

HD session length in 19 557 prevalent European in-centre 3×W HD patients participating in the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (1998–2011) were categorized into <200, 200–225, 226–250 or >250 min. Standardized event rates on the first (HD1) versus the second (HD2) HD day after the 2-day break, with supporting Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for patient and dialysis characteristics, were generated for all-cause mortality, all-cause hospitalization, out-of-hospital death and fluid overload hospitalization.

Results

By comparing HD1 with HD2, increased rates of all endpoints were observed (all P < 0.002). As HD session lengthened across the four groups, all-cause mortality per 100 patient-years on the HD1 (23.0, 20.4, 16.4 and 14.6) and HD2 (26.1, 13.3, 13.4 and 12.1) reduced. Similar improvements were observed for out-of-hospital death but were less marked for hospitalization endpoints. However, even patients dialysing >250 min were at significantly greater risk on HD1 when compared with their HD2 for out-of-hospital death [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.1, 95% CI 1.0–4.3], all-cause hospitalization (HR = 1.3, 95% CI 1.2–1.4) and fluid overload hospitalization (HR = 3.2, 95% CI 1.8–6.0).

Conclusions

Despite the association between reduced mortality across all dialysis days in patients performing longer sessions, elevated risk on the first dialysis day relative to the second persists even in patients dialysing 4.5 h 3×W.
Association of serum uromodulin with mortality and cardiovascular disease in the elderly—the Cardiovascular Health Study
Authors: Steubl Dominik , Buzkova Petra , Garimella Pranav S , Ix Joachim H , Devarajan Prasad , Bennett Michael R , Chaves Paulo H M , Shlipak Michael G , Bansal Nisha , Sarnak Mark J
Published: January 2019

Background

Uromodulin (UMOD) is released by renal tubular cells into the serum (sUMOD) and urine. Lower urine UMOD has been linked to mortality and cardiovascular disease but much less is known about sUMOD. We evaluated the association of sUMOD with these outcomes in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods

We measured sUMOD in a random subcohort of 933 participants enrolled in the Cardiovascular Health Study. The associations of sUMOD with all-cause mortality, incident heart failure (HF) and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD; myocardial infarction, stroke and mortality due to coronary disease or stroke) were evaluated using multivariable Cox regression, adjusting for study participants’ demographics, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), albuminuria and CVD risk factors. Generalized additive models with splines were used to address the functional form of sUMOD with outcomes. Due to nonlinear associations of sUMOD with all outcomes, 2.5% of the values on either end of the sUMOD distribution were excluded from the analyses, limiting the range of sUMOD to 34.3–267.1 ng/mL.

Results

The mean age was 78 ± 5 years, 40% were male, sUMOD level was 127 ± 64 ng/mL, eGFR was 63 mL/min/1.73 m2 and 42% had CKD defined as eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Patients in the lower sUMOD quartiles had lower eGFR and higher albuminuria (P < 0.01, respectively). During a median follow-up of 9.9 years, 805 patients died, 283 developed HF and 274 developed CVD. In multivariable analysis, higher sUMOD was significantly associated with a lower hazard for mortality {hazard ratio [HR] 0.89 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.80–0.99] per 1 standard deviation (SD) higher sUMOD}, CVD [HR 0.80 (95% CI 0.67–0.96)] and the composite endpoint [HR 0.88 (95% CI 0.78–0.99)]; the association with HF was not statistically significant [HR 0.84 (95% CI 0.70–1.01)].

Conclusion

Higher sUMOD is independently associated with a lower risk for mortality and CVD in older adults.
Vote budgets and Dodgson’s method of marks
Authors: Bossert Walter , Suzumura Kotaro
Published: January 2019

We examine voting rules that are inspired by Dodgson’s method of marks (to be distinguished from the procedure that is commonly referred to as Dodgson’s rule) by means of two criteria. Each voter decides how to allocate a vote budget (which is common to all voters, and need not be exhausted) to the candidates. Our first criterion is a richness condition: we demand that, for any possible preference ordering a voter may have, there is a feasible allocation of votes that reflects these preferences. A (tight) lower bound on the vote budget is established. Adding a strategy-proofness condition as a second criterion, we recommend that the vote budget be given by the lower bound determined in our first result.
Individual-Specific fMRI-Subspaces Improve Functional Connectivity Prediction of Behavior
Authors: Kashyap Rajan , Kong Ru , Bhattacharjee Sagarika , Li Jingwei , Zhou Juan , Yeo Thomas
Published: January 2019

There is significant interest in using resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) to predict human behavior. Good behavioral prediction should in theory require RSFC to be sufficiently distinct across participants; if RSFC were the same across participants, then behavioral prediction would obviously be poor. Therefore, we hypothesize that removing common resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) signals that are shared across participants would improve behavioral prediction. Here, we considered 803 participants from the human connectome project (HCP) with four rs-fMRI runs. We applied the common and orthogonal basis extraction (COBE) technique to decompose each HCP run into two subspaces: a common (group-level) subspace shared across all participants and a subject-specific subspace. We found that the first common COBE component of the first HCP run was localized to the visual cortex and was unique to the run. On the other hand, the second common COBE component of the first HCP run and the first common COBE component of the remaining HCP runs were highly similar and localized to regions within the default network, including the posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus. Overall, this suggests the presence of run-specific (state-specific) effects that were shared across participants. By removing the first and second common COBE components from the first HCP run, and the first common COBE component from the remaining HCP runs, the resulting RSFC improves behavioral prediction by an average of 11.7% across 58 behavioral measures spanning cognition, emotion and personality.

Highlights

We decomposed rs-fMRI signals into common subspace & individual-specific subspace

Common subspace is shared across all Human Connectome Project (HCP) participants

Common subspaces are different across runs, suggesting state-specific effects

Individual-specific subspaces are unique to individuals

Removal of common subspace signals improve behavioral prediction by 11.7%
Assessment of the new World Health Organization’s dengue classification for predicting severity of illness and level of healthcare required
Authors: Ajlan Balgees A. , Alafif Maram M. , Alawi Maha M. , Akbar Naeema A. , Aldigs Eman K. , Madani Tariq A.
Published: January 2019

The objective of this observational study was to assess the validity of the new dengue classification proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2009 and to develop pragmatic guidelines for case triage and management. This retrospective study involved 357 laboratory-confirmed cases of dengue infection diagnosed at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia over a 4-year period from 2014 to 2017. The sensitivity of the new classification for identifying severe cases was limited (65.0%) but higher than the old one (30 0%). It had a higher sensitivity for identifying patients who needed advanced healthcare compared to the old one (72.0% versus 32.0%, respectively). We propose adding decompensation of chronic diseases and thrombocytopenia-related bleeding to the category of severe dengue in the new classification. This modification improves sensitivity from 72.0% to 97.5% for identifying patients who need advanced healthcare without altering specificity (96.7%). It also improves sensitivity in predicting severe outcomes from 32% to 88.0%. In conclusion, the new classification had a low sensitivity for identifying patients needing advanced care and for predicting morbidity and mortality. We propose to include decompensation of chronic diseases and thrombocytopenia-related bleeding to the category of severe dengue in the new classification to improve the sensitivity of predicting cases requiring advanced care.

Author summary

Dengue fever, the most prevalent arthropod-borne viral disease in human, has been conventionally classified into four main categories: non-classical, classical, dengue hemorrhagic fever, and dengue shock syndrome. Several studies reported lack of correlation between the categories of the conventional classification and the disease severity. As a consequence, the World Health organization proposed in 2008 a new classification that divides dengue into two categories: non-severe and severe dengue; the non-severe dengue is further divided into two categories: dengue with warning signs and dengue without warning signs. In this retrospective study we reviewed 357 cases of dengue diagnosed in our institution over a 4-year period to assess the validity of the new dengue classification in order to develop pragmatic guidelines for case triage and management in the Emergency Departments. We found that the sensitivity of the new classification for identifying severe cases was limited even though it had a higher sensitivity for identifying patients who needed advanced healthcare compared to the old one. We propose adding decompensation of chronic diseases and low platelets-related bleeding to the category of severe dengue in the new classification. This modification dramatically improves the sensitivity for identifying patients who need advanced healthcare and the sensitivity to predict severe outcomes.
Electrophysiological measures of sleep pressure during wakefulness in the course of isolation at the Concordia Antarctica station and physical activity as a countermeasure
Authors: Petit Gaetan , Abeln Vera , Summerer Leopold , Schneider Stefan , Huber Reto
Published: January 2019

Concordia station in Antarctica is one of the most remote human outpost on Earth. Because of its geographical location, a winterover at Concordia shares a lot of stressors with a space mission. Following a recent study on the markers of sleep pressure during wakefulness on board of the International Space Station, we were investigating if long term isolation in a space analogue station shows similar effects on sleep pressure. Unlike in space, markers of sleep pressure did not increase during isolation’s constant darkness period in Antarctica. When measures of sleep pressure were high in the evening, psychological strain was increased, emphasising the importance of keeping sleep pressure under physiological levels during the mission. As a first indication for a countermeasure, we showed that one hour of bicycle exercise during lunch time could decrease sleep pressure. All these observations need to be further studied in a more controlled environment.
Temperature dependence of allelopathy duality and its influence on boreal forest succession-A case analysis of Picea schrenkiana
Authors: Ruan Xiao , Yang Li , Yu Min-fen , Li Zhao-hui , Zhao Ying-xian , Pan Cun-de , Jiang De-an , Wang Qiang
Published: January 2019

Global warming in conjunction with various biotic or abiotic interferences has been jeopardizing the ecosystem of boreal forests. By integrating field inspection with experimental simulation, this work comprehensively investigated the allelopathic effects of a key allelochemical 3,4-dihydroxyacetophenone (DHAP) in the exudates of P. schrenkiana needles on its seed and seedling growth, endogenous hormone metabolism and antioxidant enzyme activity, identified the existence of DHAP allelopathy duality at a certain temperature with an inflection concentration point (e.g. about 0.25 mM at dark/light temperature of 4/12 °C) as the boundary between promotional and inhibitory effect, and verified that the inflection point of DHAP concentration would inevitably shift to a lower level as temperature increased. Consequently, this paper gives a scientific explanation into the intrinsic mechanism of P. schrenkiana degradation due to allelopathy, but also presents a new approach to explore the relationship between forest evolution and global warming.

Highlight

A quantitative description on the duality of 3, 4-dihydroxyacetophenone (DHAP) as a promoter or an inhibitor to affect the seed germination, seedling growth and root development of P. schrenkiana, as well as the antioxidant enzyme activities and hormone contents.

The new findings of DHAP inflection concentration as boundary to divide the promotional and inhibitory effect of allelopathy which would decrease as environment temperatures rise.

An explanation into the intrinsic mechanism of P. schrenkiana degradation due to allelopathy, and a new approach to explore the relationship between forest evolution and global warming.