bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Das überarbeitete DBV‐Merkblatt „Parkhäuser und Tiefgaragen“, Fassung Januar 2018
Authors: Fingerloos Frank , Meyer Lars , Bastert Heinrich
Published: March 2018

Der Deutsche Beton‐ und Bautechnik‐Verein (DBV) hatte zur Planung und Ausführung von Parkbauten in Betonbauweise erstmalig 2005 ein Merkblatt „Parkhäuser und Tiefgaragen“ herausgegeben. Darin wurden viele für den Bau von Parkbauten maßgebende Leitlinien, Empfehlungen und Hinweise zusammengefasst, die sich in der Praxis bis dahin bewährt hatten.

Später erforderten neue Erfahrungen und Erkenntnisse in Bezug auf die Dauerhaftigkeit von Betonbauteilen in Parkbauten eine Neubewertung einiger Inhalte des Merkblatts, die zu einer Überarbeitung und zu einer 2. Ausgabe des DBV‐Merkblatts im Jahr 2010 geführt hatte.

Weitere Praxiserfahrungen und Diskussionen in der Fachöffentlichkeit führten in den Folgejahren zu Vorschlägen für eine Anpassung der Regelungen zur Dauerhaftigkeit von Betonbauteilen in Parkbauten. Die Ergebnisse fanden u. a. auch Eingang in die A1‐Änderung des Nationalen Anhangs zur Bemessungsnorm im Betonbau Eurocode 2 vom Dezember 2015.

Diese Änderungen erforderten die Aktualisierung einiger Inhalte des DBV‐Merkblatts „Parkhäuser und Tiefgaragen“, die zu einer 3., überarbeiteten Ausgabe, Fassung Januar 2018, geführt haben. Dieser Beitrag erläutert die wesentlichen Empfehlungen und Änderungen zum Thema Dauerhaftigkeit von Betonbauteilen in Parkbauten aus der 3., überarbeiteten Ausgabe 2018 des DBV‐Merkblatts „Parkhäuser und Tiefgaragen“.

Hinweis: Wesentliche Inhalte dieses Berichts wurden im Januar 2018 im Tagungshandbuch des 8. Kolloquiums Parkbauten der Technischen Akademie Esslingen veröffentlicht.
Sourcing overseas biomass for EU ambitions: assessing net sustainable export potential from various sourcing countries
Authors: Mai‐Moulin Thuy , Visser Lotte , Fingerman Kevin R. , Elbersen Wolter , Elbersen Berien , Nabuurs Gert‐Jan , Fritsche Uwe R. , Del Campo Colmenar Inés , Rutz Dominik , Diaz‐Chavez Rocio A. , Roozen Axel , Weck Mathijs , Iriarte Leire , Pelkmans Luc , Sanchez Gonzalez David , Janssen Rainer , Junginger Martin
Published: March 2018

Low‐cost sustainable biomass availability in the European Union may not be able to meet increasing demand; exploring the option of importing biomass is therefore imperative for the years to come. This article assesses sustainable biomass export potential from Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Kenya, Ukraine, and the United States by applying a number of sustainability criteria. Only biomass types with the highest potential are selected, to take advantage of economies of scale, e.g. pulpwood, wood waste, and residues in the United States, and agricultural residues in Ukraine. This study found that, except for the United States, pellet markets in the sourcing regions are largely undeveloped. The export potential depends strongly on pellet mill capacity and assumed growth rates in the pellet industry. Results show that the United States, Ukraine, Indonesia, and Brazil offer the highest biomass export potential. In the Business As Usual 2030 scenario, up to 204 PJ could potentially be mobilized; in the High Export scenario this could increase to 1423 PJ, with 89% of the potential being available for costs ranging from 6.4 to 15 €/GJ. These potentials meet the European Commission requirements for a 70% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions set in the Renewable Energy Directive. The total export potentials do not reflect the net possible import potentials to the European Union, as biomass could be imported to other countries where there is a demand for it, where less strict sustainability requirements are applied, and which are proximate to the sourcing regions, notably South Korea, Japan, and China. © 2018 The Authors. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining published by Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Conditional Akaike information under covariate shift with application to small area estimation
Authors: Kawakubo Yuki , Sugasawa Shonosuke , Kubokawa Tatsuya
Published: March 2018

In this study, we consider the problem of selecting explanatory variables of fixed effects in linear mixed models under covariate shift, which is when the values of covariates in the model for prediction differ from those in the model for observed data. We construct a variable selection criterion based on the conditional Akaike information introduced by Vaida & Blanchard (2005). We focus especially on covariate shift in small area estimation and demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed criterion. In addition, numerical performance is investigated through simulations, one of which is a design‐based simulation using a real dataset of land prices. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 46: 316–335; 2018 © 2018 Statistical Society of Canada
When “Good Evidence” Is Not Enough: A Case of Global Malaria Policy Development
Authors: D'Souza Bianca J. , Parkhurst Justin O.
Published: March 2018

This paper presents findings from a case study of two different policy development processes within the WHO's malaria department. By comparing the policy processes for the interventions of intermittent preventive treatment in infants versus children, the findings suggest that “good evidence” from a technical perspective, though important, is not sufficient to ensure universal agreement and uptake of recommendations. An analysis of 29 key informant interviews finds that evidence also needs to be relevant to the policy question being asked, and that expert actors retain a concern over the legitimacy of the process by which technical evidence is brought to bear in the policy development process. Previous findings from the field of sustainable development, that evidence must be credible, salient, and legitimate to be accepted by the public, appears to apply equally within scientific advisory committees. While the WHO has principally focused on technical criteria for evidence inclusion in its policy development processes, this study suggests that the design and functionality of its advisory bodies must also enable transparent, responsive, and accepted processes of evidence review to ensure that these bodies are effective in producing advice that engenders change in policy and practice.
Anti‐tumoral effects of exercise on hepatocellular carcinoma growth
Authors: Saran Uttara , Guarino Maria , Rodríguez Sarai , Simillion Cedric , Montani Matteo , Foti Michelangelo , Humar Bostjan , St‐Pierre Marie V. , Dufour Jean‐François
Published: March 2018

Regular physical exercise has many beneficial effects, including antitumor properties, and is associated with a reduced risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Less is known about the impact of exercise on HCC growth and progression. Here, we investigated the effects of exercise on HCC progression and assessed whether any beneficial effects would be evident under sorafenib treatment and could be mimicked by metformin. American Cancer Institute rats with orthotopic syngeneic HCC derived from Morris Hepatoma‐3924A cells were randomly assigned to exercise (Exe) and sedentary groups, or sorafenib±Exe groups or sorafenib±metformin groups. The Exe groups ran on a motorized treadmill for 60 minutes/day, 5 days/week for 4 weeks. Tumor viable area was decreased by exercise, while cell proliferation and vascular density were reduced. Exercise increased the expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted from chromosome 10 and increased the phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate‐activated protein kinase, while the phosphorylation of protein kinase B, S6 ribosomal protein, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 were decreased. Transcriptomic analysis suggested major effects of exercise were on nontumoral liver rather than tumor tissue. Exercise demonstrated similar effects when combined with sorafenib. Moreover, similar effects were observed in the group treated with sorafenib+metformin, revealing an exercise‐mimicking effect of metformin. Conclusion: Exercise attenuates HCC progression associated with alterations in key signaling pathways, cellular proliferation, tumor vascularization, and necrosis. These beneficial effects are maintained when combined with sorafenib and can be mimicked by metformin. (Hepatology Communications 2018;2:607‐620)
Angiographic optical coherence tomography imaging of hemangiomas and port wine birthmarks
Authors: Waibel Jill S. , Holmes Jon , Rudnick Ashley , Woods Daniel , Kelly Kristen M.
Published: March 2018

Objectives

A current therapeutic challenge of vascular lesions is that they do not always respond effectively to laser treatment. Information on targeted vessels could potentially be used to guide laser treatments. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a useful tool for the non‐invasive imaging of tissues, including skin hemangiomas and port wine birthmarks. Dynamic OCT is able to rapidly characterize cutaneous blood vessels. The primary goal of this study was to demonstrate the ability of bedside OCT to image (i) overall vessel pattern; (ii) individual vessel morphology, diameter and depth; and (iii) total vessel density as a function of depth in infantile hemangiomas and port wine birthmarks (PWB).

Materials and Methods

This IRB approved, observational clinical trial was performed among healthy volunteers ages 3 months—73 years old. All patients presented for laser treatment of either infantile hemangiomas or PWB with skin types ranging from Fitzpatrick I–V. OCT imaging of 49 hemangioma and PWB scans were performed pre‐ and post‐treatment. The diameter and depth of the blood vessels making up the vascular lesions were measured. In addition, normal skin was scanned for comparison. Five datasets for infantile hemangiomas and five for PWB that were without motion artifacts were analyzed.

Results

Scanned lesions exhibited variable and highly heterogeneous blood vessel patterns with vessel diameters ranging from 20 to 160 μm, suggesting that the laser treatment with single pulse durations may not be optimal. The largest blood vessel diameter observed (160 μm) may not be adequately treated by commonly used pulsed dye laser pulse durations.

Conclusion

OCT allowed rapid, non‐invasive characterization of the diameter and depth of blood vessels in individual vascular lesions. Imaged lesions consisted of a heterogeneous population of vessel sizes, morphologies, and depth. Future studies could utilize this information to assist development of individualized treatment protocols in an effort to improve vascular birthmark removal. Lasers Surg. Med. 50:718–726, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Association between the rs7583431 single nucleotide polymorphism close to the activating transcription factor 2 gene and the analgesic effect of fentanyl in the cold pain test
Authors: Aoki Yoshinori , Nishizawa Daisuke , Yoshida Kaori , Hasegawa Junko , Kasai Shinya , Takahashi Kaori , Koukita Yoshihiko , Ichinohe Tatsuya , Hayashida Masakazu , Fukuda Ken‐ichi , Ikeda Kazutaka
Published: March 2018

Background

Activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2) is a member of the leucine zipper family of DNA binding proteins and is widely distributed in tissues. Several recent studies have demonstrated that this protein is involved in mechanisms that are related to pain and inflammation. However, unclear is whether polymorphisms of the ATF2 gene, which encodes the human ATF2 protein, influence pain or analgesic sensitivity. This study examined associations between the analgesic effect of fentanyl in the cold pressor‐induced pain test and polymorphisms in the ATF2 gene in 355 Japanese subjects.

Results

In this study, 33 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected, and a total of 2 linkage disequilibrium blocks with 6 Tag SNPs (rs1153702, rs7583431, rs2302663, rs3845744, rs268214, and rs1982235) were observed in the region within and around the ATF2 gene. We further analyzed associations between these Tag SNPs and clinical data. Even after multiple testing with Bonferroni adjustments, an increase in the analgesic effect of fentanyl in the cold pressor‐induced pain test was significantly associated with a greater number of the A allele of the rs7583431 SNP (linear regression, P = .001).

Conclusions

The present findings may contribute to adequate pain relief in individual patients. Although more research on the genetic factors that influence opioid sensitivity is needed, analgesic requirements may be predicted by analyzing ATF2SNPs, together with other polymorphisms of genes that are reportedly associated with opioid sensitivity, such as CREB1, OPRM1, and GIRK2.
Safety profile of blind bronchial sampling—A prospective study in pediatric intensive care unit
Authors: Gupta Neeraj , Sachdev Anil , Gupta Dhiren , Gupta Suresh
Published: March 2018

Objective

To study the safety profile of blind bronchial sampling in mechanically ventilated children.

Design

Prospective interventional study.

Setting

Tertiary level pediatric intensive care unit of a multispecialty hospital.

Patients

Children aged 1 month to 16 years on mechanical ventilator for ≥48 h, were assessed by clinical pulmonary infection score for ventilator‐associated pneumonia (VAP).

Interventions

Blind bronchial sampling was performed following standard procedural guidelines. The hemodynamic, ventilation parameters, and arterial blood gases done before, and in next 24 h post procedure were recorded and compared.

Measurements and Main Results

Among the 40 enrolled children, VAP was suspected at 5.8 ± 3.7 days post intubation with insignificant increase in median (IQR) PELOD score to 15 (11‐23) from 13.5 (11‐23) (P value 0.29). A statistically significant increase in mean blood pressure (75.5 ± 14.7 to 79.1 ± 14.2, P 0.04) and transient drop in SpO2 (98.2 ± 2.3 to 92.2 ± 9.2, P < 0.001) were noted with insignificant change in heart rate (128.7 ± 25.6 vs 132.0 ± 30.8, P 0.52), though these variations were clinically not significant. There were no major complications like significant airway bleed, arrhythmia, air leaks, edema, and change in pulmonary infiltrates during the procedure. There were no significant (either clinical or statistical) effects of BBS procedure, whether transient or prolonged, on ventilatory requirements or gas exchange parameters.

Conclusions

Blind bronchial sampling is a safe procedure in children with no major adverse events related to hemodynamics, oxygenation, and ventilation parameters.
Model selection and error estimation without the agonizing pain
Authors: Oneto Luca
Published: March 2018

How can we select the best performing data‐driven model? How can we rigorously estimate its generalization error? Statistical learning theory (SLT) answers these questions by deriving nonasymptotic bounds on the generalization error of a model or, in other words, by delivering upper bounding of the true error of the learned model based just on quantities computed on the available data. However, for a long time, SLT has been considered only as an abstract theoretical framework, useful for inspiring new learning approaches, but with limited applicability to practical problems. The purpose of this review is to give an intelligible overview of the problems of model selection (MS) and error estimation (EE), by focusing on the ideas behind the different SLT‐based approaches and simplifying most of the technical aspects with the purpose of making them more accessible and usable in practice. We start by presenting the seminal works of the 80s until the most recent results, then discuss open problems and finally outline future directions of this field of research.

This article is categorized under:

Algorithmic Development > Statistics
Functional mesoporous silica nanoparticles for bio‐imaging applications
Authors: Cha Bong Geun , Kim Jaeyun
Published: March 2018

Biomedical investigations using mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have received significant attention because of their unique properties including controllable mesoporous structure, high specific surface area, large pore volume, and tunable particle size. These unique features make MSNs suitable for simultaneous diagnosis and therapy with unique advantages to encapsulate and load a variety of therapeutic agents, deliver these agents to the desired location, and release the drugs in a controlled manner. Among various clinical areas, nanomaterials‐based bio‐imaging techniques have advanced rapidly with the development of diverse functional nanoparticles. Due to the unique features of MSNs, an imaging agent supported by MSNs can be a promising system for developing targeted bio‐imaging contrast agents with high structural stability and enhanced functionality that enable imaging of various modalities. Here, we review the recent achievements on the development of functional MSNs for bio‐imaging applications, including optical imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), computed tomography (CT), ultrasound imaging, and multimodal imaging for early diagnosis. With further improvement in noninvasive bio‐imaging techniques, the MSN‐supported imaging agent systems are expected to contribute to clinical applications in the future.

This article is categorized under:

Diagnostic Tools > In vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging

Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology
Recent progress in ICF target fabrication at RCLF
Authors: Du Kai , Liu Meifang , Wang Tao , He Xiaoshan , Wang Zongwei , Zhang Juan
Published: March 2018

Target is one of the essential parts in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments. To ensure the symmetry and hydrodynamic stability in the implosion, there are stringent specifications for the target. Driven by the need to fabricate the target required by ICF experiments, a series of target fabrication techniques, including capsule fabrication techniques and the techniques of target characterization and assembly, are developed by the Research Center of Laser Fusion (RCLF), China Academy of Engineering Physics (CAEP). The capsule fabrication techniques for preparing polymer shells, glow discharge polymer (GDP) shells and hollow glass micro-sphere (HGM) are studied, and the techniques of target characterization and assembly are also investigated in this paper. Fundamental research about the target fabrication is also done to improve the quality of the target. Based on the development of target fabrication techniques, some kinds of target have been prepared and applied in the ICF experiments.
Efficacy and safety of the compound Chinese medicine SaiLuoTong in vascular dementia: A randomized clinical trial
Authors: Jia Jianping , Wei Cuibai , Chen Shuoqi , Li Fangyu , Tang Yi , Qin Wei , Shi Lu , Gong Min , Xu Hui , Li Fang , He Jia , Song Haiqing , Yang Shanshan , Zhou Aihong , Wang Fen , Zuo Xiumei , Chu Changbiao , Liang Junhua , Jia Longfei , Gauthier Serge
Published: March 2018

Introduction

No licensed medications are available to treat vascular dementia (VaD).

Methods

Patients were randomly assigned to experimental groups (SaiLuoTong [SLT] 360 or 240 mg for groups A and B for 52 weeks, respectively) or placebo group (SLT 360 mg and 240 mg for group C only from weeks 27 to 52, respectively).

Results

Three hundred twenty‐five patients were included in final analysis. At week 26, the difference in VaD Assessment Scale–cognitive subscale scores was 2.67 (95% confidence interval, 1.54 to 3.81) for groups A versus C, and 2.48 (1.34 to 3.62) for groups B versus C (both P < .0001). However, at week 52, no difference was observed among the groups on the VaD Assessment Scale–cognitive subscale (P = .062) because of the emerging efficacy of SLT in placebo beginning at week 27.

Discussion

This study suggests that SLT is effective for treatment of VaD, and this compound Chinese medicine may represent a better choice to treat VaD.
Economic Evaluation of Yield-Increasing Wheat Seeds Using a Distance Function Approach
Authors: Wree Philipp , Sauer Johannes , Wimmer Stefan
Published: March 2018

New wheat-breeding techniques, such as hybridization and genetic modification, show increasing yield potential. This study involves estimating multi-output multi-input production technology by stochastic frontier techniques to evaluate the economic value of this yield potential. An input-oriented distance function is formulated and applied to European Farm Accountancy Data of 23 European countries. Based on the analysis, an average shadow value is derived for the increase in the marginal yield of wheat that corresponded to 18.87 €/ha. Further, technical change, technical efficiency, and returns to scale are measured for different European regions.
Autism, Metacognition, and the Deep Self
Authors: STOUT NATHAN
Published: March 2018

Many ‘deep self’ theories of moral responsibility characterize the deep self as necessarily requiring that an agent be able to reflect on her own cognitive states in various ways. In this paper, I argue that these metacognitive abilities are not actually a necessary feature of the deep self. In order to show this, I appeal to empirical evidence from research on autism spectrum disorders (ASD) that suggests that individuals with ASD have striking impairments in metacognitive abilities. I then argue that metacognitive conceptions of the deep self are implausible insofar as they fail to give a satisfactory account of the responsibility of persons with autism.
Application of BCA in Europe – Experiences and Challenges
Authors: Andersson Henrik
Published: March 2018

Although benefit-cost analysis (BCA) can be traced back to European thinkers, its first practical applications were in the United States. Recent years have witnessed a growing demand for economic appraisals of policies in different sectors in Europe, but the implementation rate is still low compared to that in the United States. This article introduces a symposium that includes four articles that present current examples of how BCA is being applied in different sectors and in different institutional settings in Europe. They deal with environmental valuation in the United Kingdom, economic analysis for investment in Sweden’s transport sector, economic versus financial returns in European Union investment project appraisal, and BCA in EU chemicals legislation. The goal is to stimulate continuing discussion on the implementation of BCA, not only in Europe but also worldwide.
The Sources and Challenges of Norm Generation in Tort Law
Authors: LEE Maria
Published: March 2018

Tort cases apply particular standards of behaviour to defendants and society, often using common-sense sounding benchmarks such as “reasonableness”. This article explores the ways in which courts establish facts, for the purpose of making a decision on appropriate standards of behaviour, by using sources of authority from the world beyond tort. Facts, rather than being separate from and prior to the application of the legal norms, are often inseparably bound with legal judgment in any particular decision. Two areas of tort law are assessed: some of the English asbestos cases, and the Dutch Urgenda climate change case. The facts required for the setting of, and compliance with, the standard of negligence in these cases are found in a range of external sources, including standards, rules and understandings from scientific bodies, regulators, legal and non-legal documents.
A Law and Economics Perspective on Judicial Risk Regulation
Authors: VAN ZEBEN Josephine
Published: March 2018

This special issue provides several perspectives on the potential and limits of judicial risk regulation as a mechanism to redress actual and perceived regulatory failures. Central to this inquiry is the legitimacy of the court system to act as a risk regulator, specifically as compared to governmental actors. This article focuses on the question of institutional competency of juridical risk regulators from a law and economics (“L&E”) perspective. L&E scholarship will be used to help to understand the relative strengths and weaknesses of courts as risk regulators and helps us decide when courts may act as substitute risk regulators and when they are better positioned as complements.
Pigs, African Swine Fever and the Principle of Regionalisation: Comments on the Appellate Body Report in the Russia – Pigs Dispute
Authors: ARCURI Alessandra , GRUSZCZYNSKI Lukasz
Published: March 2018

This commentary examines the recent Appellate Body Report in Russia – Pigs. This case is salient because it offers further clarification of the principle of regionalisation in the context of WTO law. By reading the different terms of Article 6 of the SPS Agreement in a holistic way, the Appellate Body has offered an interpretation of the legal text that arguably strengthens the principle.
Emergency! But What about Legal Protection in the EU?
Authors: BINDER Tom , KARAGIANNI Argyro , SCHOLTEN Miroslava
Published: March 2018

The EU institutions and agencies have become increasingly involved in enforcing EU law directly vis-à-vis private actors. A number of such EU entities have also acquired the so-called emergency powers, which allow interference with the legal position of a private party. Given the lack of research in this area, the question that this article addresses is whether relevant safeguards have been introduced to ensure the rule of law in such situations to prevent the abuse of executive discretion by public authorities. What are the relevant safeguards in the emergency in the EU in the first place? Having analysed relevant EU legislation and case law, the article offers a complete overview of all the existing EU entities with the emergency powers and shows a great diversity in the extent to which the EU legislator has regulated procedural safeguards in relevant law. The article discusses what safeguards need to be ensured in an emergency and argues for clarity of legislative frameworks in this respect.
Estimating Greenland surface melt is hampered by melt induced dampening of temperature variability
Authors: KREBS-KANZOW UTA , GIERZ PAUL , LOHMANN GERRIT
Published: March 2018

The positive degree-day (PDD) model provides a particularly simple approach to estimate surface melt from land ice based solely on air temperature. Here, we use a climate and snow pack simulation of the Greenland ice sheet (Modèle Atmosphérique Régional, MAR) as a reference, to analyze this scheme in three realizations that incorporate the sub-monthly temperature variability differently: (i) by local values, (ii) by local values that systematically overestimate the dampened variability associated with intense melting or (iii) by one constant value. Local calibrations reveal that incorporating local temperature variability, particularly resolving the dampened variability of melt areas, renders model parameters more temperature-dependent. This indicates that the negative feedback between surface melt and temperature variability introduces a non-linearity into the temperature – melt relation. To assess the skill of the individual realizations, we hindcast melt rates from MAR temperatures for each realization. For this purpose, we globally calibrate Greenland-wide, constant parameters. Realization (i) exhibits shortcomings in the spatial representation of surface melt unless temperature-dependent instead of constant parameters are calibrated. The other realizations perform comparatively well with constant parametrizations. The skill of the PDD model primarily depends, however, on the consistent calibration rather than on the specific representation of variability.
Bioeroding sponge assemblages: the importance of substrate availability and sediment
Authors: Marlow Joseph , Schönberg Christine H.L. , Davy Simon K. , Haris Abdul , Jompa Jamaluddin , Bell James J.
Published: March 2018

Despite global deterioration of coral reef health, not all reef-associated organisms are in decline. Bioeroding sponges are thought to be largely resistant to the factors that stress and kill corals, and are increasing in abundance on many reefs. However, there is a paucity of information on how environmental factors influence spatial variation in the distribution of these sponges, and how they might be affected by different stressors. We aimed to identify the factors that explained differences in bioeroding sponge abundance and assemblage composition, and to determine whether bioeroding sponges benefit from the same environmental conditions that can contribute towards coral mortality. Abundance surveys were conducted in the Wakatobi region of Indonesia on reefs characterized by different biotic and abiotic conditions. Bioeroding sponges occupied an average of 8.9% of available dead substrate and variation in abundance and assemblage composition was primarily attributed to differences in the availability of dead substrate. Our results imply that if dead substrate availability increases as a consequence of coral mortality, bioeroding sponge abundance is also likely to increase. However, bioeroding sponge abundance was lowest on a sedimented reef, despite abundant dead substrate. This suggests that not all forms of coral mortality will benefit all bioeroding sponge species, and sediment-degraded reefs are likely to be dominated by a few resilient bioeroding sponge species. Overall, we demonstrate the importance of understanding the drivers of bioeroding sponge abundance and assemblage composition in order to predict possible impacts of different stressors on reefs communities.
DNA barcoding mosquitoes: advice for potential prospectors
Authors: BEEBE NIGEL W.
Published: March 2018

Mosquitoes’ importance as vectors of pathogens that drive disease underscores the importance of precise and comparable methods of taxa identification among their species. While several molecular targets have been used to study mosquitoes since the initiation of PCR in the 1980s, its application to mosquito identification took off in the early 1990s. This review follows the research's recent journey into the use of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome oxidase 1 (COI or COX1) as a DNA barcode target for mosquito species identification – a target whose utility for discriminating mosquitoes is now escalating. The pros and cons of using a mitochondrial genome target are discussed with a broad sweep of the mosquito literature suggesting that nuclear introgressions of mtDNA sequences appear to be uncommon and that the COI works well for distantly related taxa and shows encouraging utility in discriminating more closely related species such as cryptic/sibling species groups. However, the utility of COI in discriminating some closely related groups can be problematic and investigators are advised to proceed with caution as problems with incomplete lineage sorting and introgression events can result in indistinguishable COI sequences appearing in reproductively independent populations. In these – if not all – cases, it is advisable to run a nuclear marker alongside the mtDNA and thus the utility of the ribosomal DNA – and in particular the internal transcribed spacer 2 – is also briefly discussed as a useful counterpoint to the COI.
Risk of dementia associated with psychotic disorders in later life: the health in men study (HIMS)
Authors: Almeida Osvaldo P. , Ford Andrew H. , Hankey Graeme J. , Yeap Bu B. , Golledge Jonathan , Flicker Leon
Published: March 2018

Background

Recent research has identified several potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia, including mental disorders. Psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia and delusional disorder, have also been associated with increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia, but currently available data difficult to generalise because of bias and confounding. We designed the present study to investigate if the presence of a psychotic disorder increased the risk of incident dementia in later life.

Methods

Prospective cohort study of a community-representative sample of 37 770 men aged 65–85 years who were free of dementia at study entry. They were followed for up to 17.7 years using electronic health records. Clinical diagnoses followed the International Classification of Diseases guidelines. As psychotic disorders increase mortality, we considered death a competing risk.

Results

A total of 8068 (21.4%) men developed dementia and 23 999 (63.5%) died during follow up. The sub-hazard ratio of dementia associated with a psychotic disorder was 2.67 (95% CI 2.30–3.09), after statistical adjustments for age and prevalent cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal and renal diseases, cancer, as well as hearing loss, depressive and bipolar disorders, and alcohol use disorder. The association between psychotic disorder and dementia risk varied slightly according to the duration of the psychotic disorder (highest for those with the shortest illness duration), but not the age of onset. No information about the use of antipsychotics was available.

Conclusion

Older men with a psychotic disorder have nearly three times greater risk of developing dementia than those without psychosis. The pathways linking psychotic disorders to dementia remain unclear but may involve mechanisms other than those associated with Alzheimer's disease and other common dementia syndromes.
Timing and predictors of severe rotavirus gastroenteritis among unvaccinated infants in low- and middle-income countries
Authors: Gruber J. F. , Becker-Dreps S. , Hudgens M. G. , Brookhart M. A. , Thomas J. C. , Jonsson Funk M.
Published: March 2018

Delays in rotavirus vaccine schedule could improve performance in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, delaying the first dose could be detrimental if infants experience severe rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) early in life. Our objective was to describe the timing and predictors of severe RVGE in unvaccinated children in LMICs. We analysed the placebo arms from two clinical trials (cohort 1: NCT00241644; cohort 2: NCT00362648). We estimated the rate, cumulative incidence (per 1000 infants) and age distribution of severe RVGE episodes. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between baseline factors and severe RVGE. Cumulative incidence at 6 months of age was 23/1000 (95% CI 15–30) in cohort 1 and 6/1000 (95% CI 3–8) in cohort 2. Early antibiotic use (compared with no use) was associated with 2.03 (95% CI 1.18–3.48) and 1.41 (95% CI 0.80–2.51) times the rate of severe RVGE in cohorts 1 and 2, respectively. The cumulative incidence of severe RVGE was low at 6 months of age, suggesting that a 4-week delay in the vaccination schedule may not result in a large number of severe RVGE episodes prior to vaccine receipt.
Subcritical Graph Classes Containing All Planar Graphs
Authors: GEORGAKOPOULOS AGELOS , WAGNER STEPHAN
Published: March 2018

We construct minor-closed addable families of graphs that are subcritical and contain all planar graphs. This contradicts (one direction of) a well-known conjecture of Noy.
Effect of the physical activity program on the treatment of resistant hypertension in primary care
Authors: Kruk Piotr J. , Nowicki Michał
Published: March 2018

Background

Regular physical activity is widely recommended for patients with arterial hypertension as an essential component of lifestyle modification. Much less is known about the impact of physical exercise on the management of treatment of resistant hypertension (RH). The aim was to assess the effect of physical activity program intensified by mobile phone text reminders on blood pressure control in subjects with RH managed in the primary care.

Methods

In total, 53 patients with primary hypertension were qualified, including 27 who met the criteria for RH and 26 with well-controlled hypertension (WCH). Ambulatory 24-h blood pressure was monitored and body composition evaluated with bioimpedance and habitual physical activity profile was determined continuously over 72 h with accelerometer. All measurements were performed at baseline and after three and six months. The patients were asked to modify their lifestyle according to American Heart Association Guidelines that included regular aerobic physical activity tailored to individual needs.

Findings

Physical activity in RH increased significantly after six months compared with control subjects (P=0.001). Office systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in the RH group decreased significantly after three months but after six months only office DBP remained significantly lower. After three months 24-h SBP decreased by 3.1±11 mmHg (P=0.08) and DBP by 2.0±6 mmHg (P=0.17) in RH, whereas in WCH respective changes were +1.2±10 and −0.3±6 mmHg. After six months 24-h BP changes were similar.

Conclusion

Individualized structured physical activity program increases physical activity in the treatment of resistant hypertensives in primary care but the effect on 24-h blood pressure is only transient.
Low-current cathode spatial harmonic magnetrons: analysis and realization based on metamaterial loaded slow wave structures
Authors: Esfahani Nasrin Nasr
Published: March 2018

This paper provides an overview of theory, design, simulation, and fabrication of novel spatial harmonic magnetrons (SHMs). An approximate analysis which provides the guidelines for the design and predicts the important characteristics of these devices will be presented. This analysis shows that the metamaterial loaded SHMs can start generating power with very small cathode current densities which is very important for designing THz sources based on SHMs. A design example with the operation frequency of 43 GHz together with the design procedure, PIC simulations, and measurement results will be examined.
The developing gut microbiota and its consequences for health
Authors: Butel M.-J. , Waligora-Dupriet A.-J. , Wydau-Dematteis S.
Published: March 2018

The developmental origin of health and disease highlights the importance of the period of the first 1000 days (from the conception to the 2 years of life). The process of the gut microbiota establishment is included in this time window. Various perinatal determinants, such as cesarean section delivery, type of feeding, antibiotics treatment, gestational age or environment, can affect the pattern of bacterial colonization and result in dysbiosis. The alteration of the early bacterial gut pattern can persist over several months and may have long-lasting functional effects with an impact on disease risk later in life. As for example, early gut dysbiosis has been involved in allergic diseases and obesity occurrence. Besides, while it was thought that the fetus developed under sterile conditions, recent data suggested the presence of a microbiotain utero, particularly in the placenta. Even if the origin of this microbiota and its eventual transfer to the infant are nowadays unknown, this placental microbiota could trigger immune responses in the fetus and would program the infant’s immune development during fetal life, earlier than previously considered. Moreover, several studies demonstrated a link between the composition of placental microbiota and some pathological conditions of the pregnancy. All these data show the evidence of relationships between the neonatal gut establishment and future health outcomes. Hence, the use of pre- and/or probiotics to prevent or repair any early dysbiosis is increasingly attractive to avoid long-term health consequences.
Global cybersecurity governance: A constitutionalist analysis
Authors: PERNICE INGOLF
Published: March 2018

With the progressive digitisation and use, in particular, of the internet of things and artificial intelligence by industries, commerce, financial services, science and education, the public administration, health services as well as individuals, our society and daily life gets more and more dependent on the security of the net: cybersecurity. The new risks are self-made, a threat to almost everybody and new in kind. And they have a global dimension. For the difficulty of attribution of cyber attacks traditional concepts of deterrence and defence are not a solution. Given the new conditions of the ‘digital constellation’ this article aims at exploring instruments and methods of cybersecurity governance in a broad sense, learning from internet governance and taking a constitutional perspective. It is based upon shared responsibility, resilience and citizens’ participation in the making and future application of an inclusive global rule-making system. Multi-stakeholder mechanisms are combined with deliberative processes, standardisation and legislative action. In accordance with the principles of global constitutionalism this new framework of global rule generation would emerge as a common democratic instrument of people to meet common challenges in addition and complementary to action for cybersecurity at the local, regional, national and supranational levels.
Suppression of Glyphosate-resistant Canada Fleabane (Conyza canadensis) in Corn with Cover Crops Seeded after Wheat Harvest the Previous Year
Authors: Cholette Taïga B. , Soltani Nader , Hooker David C. , Robinson Darren E. , Sikkema Peter H.
Published: March 2018

Glyphosate-resistant (GR) and multiple herbicide–resistant (groups 2 and 9) Canada fleabane have been confirmed in 30 and 23 counties in Ontario, respectively. The widespread incidence of herbicide-resistant Canada fleabane highlights the importance of developing integrated weed management strategies. One strategy is to suppress Canada fleabane using cover crops. Seventeen different cover crop monocultures or polycultures were seeded after winter wheat harvest in late summer to determine GR Canada fleabane suppression in corn grown the following growing season. All cover crop treatments seeded after wheat harvest suppressed GR Canada fleabane in corn the following year. At 4 wk after cover crop emergence (WAE), estimated cover crop ground cover ranged from 31% to 68%, a density of 124 to 638 plants m–2, and a range of biomass from 29 to 109 g m–2, depending on cover crop species. All of the cover crop treatments suppressed GR Canada fleabane in corn grown the following growing season from May to September compared to the no cover crop control. Among treatments evaluated, annual ryegrass (ARG), crimson clover (CC)/ARG, oilseed radish (OSR)/CC/ARG, and OSR/CC/cereal rye (CR) were the best treatments for the suppression of GR Canada fleabane in corn. ARG alone or in combination with CC provided the most consistent GR Canada fleabane suppression, density reduction, and biomass reduction in corn. Grain corn yields were not affected by the use of the cover crops evaluated for Canada fleabane suppression.
Methane stimulates massive nitrogen loss from freshwater reservoirs in India
Authors: Naqvi S. Wajih A. , Lam Phyllis , Narvenkar Gayatree , Sarkar Amit , Naik Hema , Pratihary Anil , Shenoy Damodar M. , Gauns Mangesh , Kurian Siby , Damare Samir , Duret Manon , Lavik Gaute , Kuypers Marcel M. M.
Published: March 2018

The fate of the enormous amount of reactive nitrogen released to the environment by human activities in India is unknown. Here we show occurrence of seasonal stratification and generally low concentrations of dissolved inorganic combined nitrogen, and high molecular nitrogen (N2) to argon ratio, thus suggesting seasonal loss to N2 in anoxic hypolimnia of several dam-reservoirs. However, 15N-experiments yielded low rates of denitrification, anaerobic ammonium oxidation and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium—except in the presence of methane (CH4) that caused ~12-fold increase in denitrification. While nitrite-dependent anaerobic methanotrophs belonging to the NC10 phylum were present, previously considered aerobic methanotrophs were far more abundant (up to 13.9%) in anoxic hypolimnion. Methane accumulation in anoxic freshwater systems seems to facilitate rapid loss of reactive nitrogen, with generally low production of nitrous oxide (N2O), through widespread coupling between methanotrophy and denitrification, potentially mitigating eutrophication and emissions of CH4 and N2O to the atmosphere.
Stereoselective arene formation
Authors: Link Achim , Sparr Christof
Published: March 2018

The common perception of arenes as flat and symmetric entities is juxtaposed to the counterintuitive circumstance that stereoselective arene formation offers a means to prepare an exceptional range of chiral aromatic structures in isomerically enriched form.
Label-free detection of cytochrome C by a conducting polymer-based impedimetric screen-printed aptasensor
Authors: Shafaat Atefeh , Faridbod Farnoush , Ganjali Mohammad Reza
Published: March 2018

In this study we have introduced a new sensitive and selective biosensor for the determination of cytochrome C (Cyt C) as a biomarker for cell apoptosis.
Tuning plasmons layer-by-layer for quantitative colloidal sensing with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Anderson William J. , Nowinska Kamila , Hutter Tanya , Mahajan Sumeet , Fischlechner Martin
Published: March 2018

Using layer-by-layer to precisely construct plasmon-tuneable colloidal SERS sensors with distinct active SERS regions.
MnWO4 nanoparticles as advanced anodes for lithium-ion batteries: F-doped enhanced lithiation/delithiation reversibility and Li-storage properties
Authors: Wang Wei , Wu Na , Zhou Jin-Ming , Li Feng , Wei Yu , Li Tao-Hai , Wu Xing-Long
Published: March 2018

F-Doped MnWO4 nano-particles were prepared and showed superior lithium storage performance with a high theoretical capacity and a long cycle life, as demonstrated by a capacity retention of more than 85% after cycling for 150 cycles.
Development of a sensitive method for the determination of parabens in complex samples by online coupling of magnetism-enhanced monolith-based in-tube solid phase microextraction with high performance liquid chromatography
Authors: Mei Meng , Pang Jinling , Huang Xiaojia
Published: March 2018

Due to their adverse impacts on humans, sensitive monitoring of parabens in real-life waters and beverages is necessary and interesting.
Double spin transition in a two dimensional Fe(ii) coordination network
Authors: Weselski Marek , Książek Maria , Rokosz Dominika , Dreczko Agnieszka , Kusz Joachim , Bronisz Robert
Published: March 2018

In the two dimensional coordination network [Fe(ebbtr)2(CH3CN)2](ClO4)2·4CH3CN a sequence of LS → HS → LS → HS transitions occurs.
Providing evidence for the requirements to achieve supramolecular materials based on metal–nucleobase entities
Authors: Thomas-Gipson Jintha , Beobide Garikoitz , Castillo Oscar , Luque Antonio , Pascual-Colino Jon , Pérez-Yáñez Sonia , Román Pascual
Published: March 2018

This article evaluates the strategy to design supramolecular metal–organic frameworks using metal–nucleobase entities as building units.
The synergetic effects of Ti3C2 MXene and Pt as co-catalysts for highly efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution over g-C3N4
Authors: An Xiaoqiang , Wang Wei , Wang Jiangpeng , Duan Haozhi , Shi Jintao , Yu Xuelian
Published: March 2018

The synergetic effects between Ti3C2 MXene and Pt co-catalysts significantly enhanced the photoactivity of g-C3N4 for H2 production.
Growth-modulating agents for the synthesis of Al-MOF-type materials based on assembled 1D structural subdomains
Authors: Moreno José María , Velty Alexandra , Vidal-Moya José A. , Díaz Urbano , Corma Avelino
Published: March 2018

Specific long-alkyl aromatic mono-carboxylate linkers, combined with metallic nodes, favors the formation of 1D metalorganic nanoribbon-type structural sub-units which are assembled to generate novel organized Al-MOF-type solids.
Structural diversity in pyridine and polypyridine adducts of ring slipped manganocene: correlating ligand steric bulk with quantified deviation from ideal hapticity
Authors: Cannella Anthony F. , Dey Suman Kr , MacMillan Samantha N. , Lacy David C.
Published: March 2018

The observed deviation from idealized hapticity of new and known MnCp2-adduct complexes correlates with a deviation parameter and steric bulk.
On the phase control of CuInS2 nanoparticles from Cu-/In-xanthates
Authors: Al-Shakban Mundher , Matthews Peter D. , Zhong Xiang L. , Vitorica-Yrezabal Inigo , Raftery James , Lewis David J. , O'Brien Paul
Published: March 2018

In this paper we report the synthesis characterisation of six In(iii) xanthate complexes that have been used for the synthesis of CuInS2 nanoparticles in conjunction with a Cu(i)-xanthate – we have also demonstrated an ability to control the phase of the material through choice of solvent.