bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Additive‐Assisted Crystallization Dynamics in Two‐Step Fabrication of Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Abzieher Tobias , Mathies Florian , Hetterich Michael , Welle Alexander , Gerthsen Dagmar , Lemmer Uli , Paetzold Ulrich W. , Powalla Michael
Published: October 2017

Perovskite absorber layers for thin‐film solar cells can be fabricated by a variety of methods including solution‐ and vacuum‐based methods. Solution‐processed perovskite thin‐films prepared by two‐step methods often suffer from small grains and thus reduced optoelectronic performance. In this work, a simple and universal way to control the crystallization dynamics of perovskite (CH3NH3PbI3) layers prepared by thermal evaporation of lead iodide and a subsequent solution‐based conversion in methylammonium iodide solution is presented. By adding small concentrations of the non‐toxic additive hypophosphorous acid (HPA) in the second fabrication step, a facile way to maintain improved morphology and high quality perovskite films with large crystal size and low number of pin‐holes is demonstrated. Therefore, this approach provides an additional handle to influence the structural properties of perovskite films. In this study, the improved morphology results in an overall increase in power conversion efficiency from 5.1% to 8.0%. The additive‐assisted control of crystallization dynamics in perovskite layers is shown to be suitable both for small area deposition techniques, like spin‐coating, as well as large scale deposition techniques, such as inkjet printing. Moreover, it is validated that the additive improves the crystallization on a large variety of substrate materials as well as in ambient and inert process environments.
Detecting changes in location using distribution‐free control charts with big data
Authors: Sparks R. , Chakraborti S.
Published: October 2017

This paper proposes a simple distribution‐free control chart for monitoring shifts in location when the process distribution is continuous but unknown. In particular, we are concerned with big data applications where there are sufficient in‐control data that can be used to specify certain quantiles of interest which, in turn, are used to assess whether the new, incoming data to be monitored are in control. The distribution‐free chart is shown to lose very little power against the Shewhart charts designed for normally distributed data. The proposed charts offer a practical and robust alternative to the classical Shewhart charts which assume normality, particularly when monitoring quantiles and the data distribution is skewed. The effect of the size of the reference sample is examined on the assumption that the quantiles are known. Conclusions and recommendations are offered.
General concepts, assumptions, drawbacks, and misuses in kinetic Monte Carlo and microkinetic modeling simulations applied to computational heterogeneous catalysis
Authors: Prats Hèctor , Illas Francesc , Sayós Ramón
Published: October 2017

In the present article, we survey two common approaches widely used to study the kinetics of heterogeneous catalytic reactions. These are kinetic Monte Carlo simulations and microkinetic modeling. We discuss typical assumptions, advantages, drawbacks, and differences of these two methodologies. We also illustrate some wrong concepts and inaccurate procedures used too often in this kind of kinetics studies. Thus, several issues as for instance minimum energy diagrams, diffusion processes, lateral interactions, or the accuracy of the reaction rates are discussed. Some own examples mainly based on water gas shift reaction over Cu(111) and Cu(321) surfaces are chosen to explain the different developed topics on the kinetics of heterogeneous catalytic reactions.
How effective are reducing plasma afterglows at atmospheric pressure in removing sulphide layers: Application on tarnished silver, sterling silver and copper
Authors: Schalm Olivier , Storme Patrick , Gambirasi Arianna , Favaro Monica , Patelli Alessandro
Published: October 2017

A plasma afterglow from a gas mixture of 5 vol% H2in He is able to remove tarnish layers on pure silver in a matter of seconds. This dry, localized, and noncontact cleaning technique is a promising method to clean historical objects where silver is combined with organic materials and where traditional cleaning techniques are not recommended. However, historical objects are often manufactured with silver alloys but somehow their tarnish layers are removed less effectively with plasma treatments. To understand the different impact of the afterglow, the surfaces of corroded silver, sterling silver, and copper coupons are characterized before and after plasma treatment by a multianalytical approach combing optical and confocal microscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled to energy dispersive X‐ray analysis and chronopotentiometry. The analyses demonstrate that the few hundred nanometre‐thick tarnish layer on pure silver is transformed through the whole thickness resulting in a porous metallic film. On top of that metallic film, some isolated remnant Ag2S particles are found. For sterling silver, a yellowing of the surface occurs. The Ag‐rich corrosion products are reduced to a large extent, while the Cu‐rich corrosion products are only partially reduced. For corroded copper, no apparent visual change is observed at a macroscopic scale, although the morphology of the surface changed. The results allow an evaluation of the cleaning efficiency and provide a deeper understanding of hydrogen plasma effects on the transformation of sulphide corrosion layers at atmospheric pressure.
Analysis of polymer parts: buried problems
Authors: Walzak Mary Jane , Bloomfield Heather
Published: October 2017

The analysis of manufactured parts for the source of defects is challenging as these defects are often buried below the surface. An example of this type of problem is a defect that occurs in a molded and multilayered painted part.

The automotive industry continues to increase the amount of plastics used in their vehicles in order to reduce weight and increase fuel efficiencies. The polymers are usually specified based on their mechanical properties as it is these properties that will dictate the effectiveness of the polymer in replacing a metal part. The paintability of the surface is often a secondary consideration.

The polymer alloy of polycarbonate and acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene is used in some interior and exterior car components. This polymer alloy has a number of mechanical properties that make it attractive for use in automotive parts, however, variations in its domain structure can have an effect on its properties. The process of identifying the root cause of a defect occurring on a painted molded polycarbonate/acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene part will be examined. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Three‐part joint modeling methods for complex functional data mixed with zero‐and‐one–inflated proportions and zero‐inflated continuous outcomes with skewness
Authors: Li Haocheng , Staudenmayer John , Wang Tianying , Keadle Sarah Kozey , Carroll Raymond J.
Published: October 2017

We take a functional data approach to longitudinal studies with complex bivariate outcomes. This work is motivated by data from a physical activity study that measured 2 responses over time in 5‐minute intervals. One response is the proportion of time active in each interval, a continuous proportions with excess zeros and ones. The other response, energy expenditure rate in the interval, is a continuous variable with excess zeros and skewness. This outcome is complex because there are 3 possible activity patterns in each interval (inactive, partially active, and completely active), and those patterns, which are observed, induce both nonrandom and random associations between the responses. More specifically, the inactive pattern requires a zero value in both the proportion for active behavior and the energy expenditure rate; a partially active pattern means that the proportion of activity is strictly between zero and one and that the energy expenditure rate is greater than zero and likely to be moderate, and the completely active pattern means that the proportion of activity is exactly one, and the energy expenditure rate is greater than zero and likely to be higher. To address these challenges, we propose a 3‐part functional data joint modeling approach. The first part is a continuation‐ratio model to reorder the ordinal valued 3 activity patterns. The second part models the proportions when they are in interval (0,1). The last component specifies the skewed continuous energy expenditure rate with Box‐Cox transformations when they are greater than zero. In this 3‐part model, the regression structures are specified as smooth curves measured at various time points with random effects that have a correlation structure. The smoothed random curves for each variable are summarized using a few important principal components, and the association of the 3 longitudinal components is modeled through the association of the principal component scores. The difficulties in handling the ordinal and proportional variables are addressed using a quasi‐likelihood type approximation. We develop an efficient algorithm to fit the model that also involves the selection of the number of principal components. The method is applied to physical activity data and is evaluated empirically by a simulation study.
Implications of Accelerated Solidification Rates Seen in Belt Casting on Precipitation in Nb Bearing Steels
Authors: Slater Carl , Kostryzhev Andrii , Marenych Olexandra , Davis Claire
Published: October 2017

High temperature confocal microscopy (using cooling rates of 1 and 20 °C s−1) has been used in conjunction with segregation modeling (for cooling rates of 0.1–100 °C s−1) to understand the implications that high cooling rates, representative of that seen for belt casting, has on compositional inhomogeneity and precipitation in high strength low alloy steels. Due to the increased level of segregation (and reduced back diffusion) precipitates are predicted, and shown, to form in the interdendritic solute rich regions at temperatures higher than would be expected under equilibrium conditions at the higher cooling rate. This results in a larger volume fraction of precipitates in samples held at 1000 °C after being cooled at 20 °C s−1 compared to those cooled at 1 °C s−1.
A comparison of resampling and recursive partitioning methods in random forest for estimating the asymptotic variance using the infinitesimal jackknife
Authors: Brokamp Cole , Rao MB , Ryan Patrick , Jandarov Roman
Published: October 2017

The infinitesimal jackknife (IJ) has recently been applied to the random forest to estimate its prediction variance. These theorems were verified under a traditional random forest framework that uses classification and regression trees and bootstrap resampling. However, random forests using conditional inference trees and subsampling have been found to be not prone to variable selection bias. Here, we conduct simulation experiments using a novel approach to explore the applicability of the IJ to random forests using variations on the resampling method and base learner. Test data points were simulated and each trained using random forest on one hundred simulated training data sets using different combinations of resampling and base learners. Using conditional inference trees instead of traditional classification and regression trees as well as using subsampling instead of bootstrap sampling resulted in a much more accurate estimation of prediction variance when using the IJ. The random forest variations here have been incorporated into an open‐source software package for the R programming language. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Electrochemistry of Iron and Cobalt Complexes Supported by a Pentadentate Amine‐bis(phenolate) Ligand
Authors: Song Xiao‐Wei , Guo Chang , Chen Chang‐Neng
Published: October 2017

The pentadentate amine‐bis(phenolate) ligand 6,6′‐(dipyridin‐2‐ylmethylazanediyl)bis(methylene)bis(2,4‐dimethylphenol) (H2L) was prepared and characterized. This ligand readily coordinates with FeIII or CoIII ions, and the resulting complexes [FeIIILCl] (1) and [CoIIIL(H2O)]Cl (2) were characterized by elemental analysis. X‐ray structural studies show that the ligand in complexes 1 and 2 acts as a pentadentate ligand, leaving one coordination side of the transition metal available for exogenous ligands such as chloride ion (1) or water (2) ligand, and the central metal atoms are hexacoordinate in a similar distorted octahedral arrangement. Electrochemical studies reveal that each of the complexes exhibits multiple redox processes in the potential window investigated. Complex 1 shows one reversible oxidative event at 0.32 V and one quasi‐reversible reduction event at –1.03 V, while the complex 2 displays one reversible oxidative event at 0.18 V and one quasi‐reversible reduction at –0.64 V.
The Basic Surgical Skills Course in Sub‐Saharan Africa: An Observational Study of Effectiveness
Authors: Fergusson Stuart J. , Sedgwick David M. , Ntakiyiruta Georges , Ntirenganya Faustin
Published: October 2017

Background

The Basic Surgical Skills (BSS) course is a common component of postgraduate surgical training programmes in sub‐Saharan Africa, but was originally designed in a UK context, and its efficacy and relevance have not been formally assessed in Africa.

Methods

An observational study was carried out during a BSS course delivered to early‐stage surgical trainees from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Technical skill in a basic wound closure task was assessed in a formal Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSAT) before and after course completion. Participants completed a pre‐course questionnaire documenting existing surgical experience and self‐perceived confidence levels in surgical skills which were to be taught during the course. Participants repeated confidence ratings and completed course evaluation following course delivery.

Results

A cohort of 17 participants had completed a pre‐course median of 150 Caesarean sections as primary operator. Performance on the OSAT improved from a mean of 10.5/17 pre‐course to 14.2/17 post‐course (mean of paired differences 3.7, p < 0.001). Improvements were seen in 15/17 components of wound closure. Pre‐course, only 47% of candidates were forming hand‐tied knots correctly and 38% were appropriately crossing hands with each throw, improving to 88 and 76%, respectively, following the course (p = 0.01 for both components). Confidence levels improved significantly in all technical skills taught, and the course was assessed as highly relevant by trainees.

Conclusion

The Basic Surgical Skills course is effective in improving the basic surgical technique of surgical trainees from sub‐Saharan Africa and their confidence in key technical skills.
Less is More: The Impact of Multidisciplinary Thyroid Conference on the Treatment of Well‐Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma
Authors: Moore Maureen D. , Postma Emily , Gray Katherine D. , Ullmann Timothy M. , Hurley James R. , Goldsmith Stanley , Sobel Vivian R. , Schulman Aaron , Scognamiglio Theresa , Christos Paul J. , Hassett Erin , Luick Jessica , Whitehall Dana , Zarnegar Rasa , Fahey Thomas J.
Published: October 2017

Background

In 2006, a multidisciplinary thyroid conference (MDTC) was implemented to better plan management of thyroid cancer patients at our institution. This study assessed the clinical impact of a MDTC on radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment patterns.

Methods

A prospective database (2003–2014) collected patient and tumor characteristics, RAI doses, and tumor recurrences. Patients treated with total thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid carcinoma ≥1 cm were stratified based on American Thyroid Association (ATA) risk classification. RAI regimens were compared before initiation of MDTC (2003–2005, n = 88), after establishment of MDTC (2007–2009, n = 95), and after the release of 2009 ATA guidelines (2011–2014, n = 181). RAI doses were defined as low (≤75 mCi), intermediate (76–150 mCi), and high (>150 mCi).

Results

There was a significant decrease in the number of patients who received high‐dose RAI after implementation of MDTC compared to before initiation of MDTC in the intermediate and high‐risk patient groups (p = 0.04 and p < 0.01) without an associated increase in tumor recurrence (11 vs. 7%, p = 0.74). On multivariable analysis, presentation of a patient at MDTC was a negative predictor for receiving high‐dose RAI (p = 0.002). As might be expected, there was also a significant decrease in use of RAI after the 2009 ATA guidelines were issued compared to after implementation of MDTC (p < 0.01).

Conclusion

In conjunction with implementation of a thyroid malignancy multidisciplinary conference, we observed significantly decreased postoperative dosing of RAI without increased tumor recurrence. The 2009 ATA guidelines were associated with a further decrease in RAI administration. Treatment for patients with thyroid carcinoma is optimized by a multidisciplinary approach.
Spatially explicit dynamic N‐mixture models
Authors: Zhao Qing , Royle J. Andrew , Boomer G. Scott
Published: October 2017

Knowledge of demographic parameters such as survival, reproduction, emigration, and immigration is essential to understand metapopulation dynamics. Traditionally the estimation of these demographic parameters requires intensive data from marked animals. The development of dynamic N‐mixture models makes it possible to estimate demographic parameters from count data of unmarked animals, but the original dynamic N‐mixture model does not distinguish emigration and immigration from survival and reproduction, limiting its ability to explain important metapopulation processes such as movement among local populations. In this study we developed a spatially explicit dynamic N‐mixture model that estimates survival, reproduction, emigration, local population size, and detection probability from count data under the assumption that movement only occurs among adjacent habitat patches. Simulation studies showed that the inference of our model depends on detection probability, local population size, and the implementation of robust sampling design. Our model provides reliable estimates of survival, reproduction, and emigration when detection probability is high, regardless of local population size or the type of sampling design. When detection probability is low, however, our model only provides reliable estimates of survival, reproduction, and emigration when local population size is moderate to high and robust sampling design is used. A sensitivity analysis showed that our model is robust against the violation of the assumption that movement only occurs among adjacent habitat patches, suggesting wide applications of this model. Our model can be used to improve our understanding of metapopulation dynamics based on count data that are relatively easy to collect in many systems.
Sublingual Buprenorphine Efficacy in Renal Colic Pain Relief: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial
Authors: Mozafari Javad , Masoumi Kambiz , Forouzan Arash , Motamed Hassan , Saki Malehi Amal , Dezham Marzieh
Published: October 2017

Introduction

This study was designed to compare the analgesic efficacy of sublingual (SL) buprenorphine and intravenous (IV) ketorolac for renal colic pain relief.

Methods

The present study was carried out as a double-blind, double-dummy randomized clinical trial in patients diagnosed with acute renal colic attending the emergency department. The study subjects were 63 patients with confirmed renal stones. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups. One group, which included 32 patients, received SL buprenorphine tablets (2 mg) with an IV placebo, and another group, including 31 patients, received ketorolac tromethamine (30 mg) with a SL placebo. After medication, the pain of subjects was measured by a standard visual pain analogous scale (VPAS) in minutes 0, 20, 40, and 60 of study. Also, probable adverse effects were recorded.

Results

In 28.1% of patients in the buprenorphine group, the mean pain score decreased from 9.2 to 5.9, 2.8, and 1.5 after 20, 40, and 60 min, respectively, as determined by VPAS. Also, in 38.7% of patients in the ketorolac group, the mean pain score decreased from 9.1 to 5.5, 3.0, and 1.6 after 20, 40, and 60 min, respectively, as determined by VPAS. The two groups did not significantly differ for pain reduction at 20, 40, and 60 min (P value = 0.16, 0.34, and 0.3, respectively). No adverse effects were seen in the ketorolac group, but vomiting (18.8%), nausea (18.8%), and dizziness (21.9%) were detected in the buprenorphine group.

Conclusions

We found no difference between SL buprenorphine and intravenous ketorolac in renal colic pain relief but more adverse effects in the buprenorphine group.

Trial Registration Iranian Registry of Clinical trials identifier, IRCT2015041421773N1.
Spatially discrete reaction–diffusion equations with discontinuous hysteresis
Authors: Gurevich Pavel , Tikhomirov Sergey
Published: October 2017

We address the question: Why may reaction–diffusion equations with hysteretic nonlinearities become ill-posed and how to amend this? To do so, we discretize the spatial variable and obtain a lattice dynamical system with a hysteretic nonlinearity. We analyze a new mechanism that leads to appearance of a spatio-temporal pattern called
rattling
: the solution exhibits a propagation phenomenon different from the classical traveling wave, while the hysteretic nonlinearity, loosely speaking, takes a different value at every second spatial point, independently of the grid size. Such a dynamics indicates how one should redefine hysteresis to make the continuous problem well-posed and how the solution will then behave. In the present paper, we develop main tools for the analysis of the spatially discrete model and apply them to a prototype case. In particular, we prove that the propagation velocity is of order

at^{−1/ 2}

as

t\rightarrow \infty

and explicitly find the rate

a

.
To use the brief psychiatric rating scale to detect disorganized speech in schizophrenia: Findings from the REAP‐AP study
Authors: Chon Park Yong , Kanba Shigenobu , Chong Mian‐Yoon , Tripathi Adarsh , Kallivayalil Roy Abraham , Avasthi Ajit , Grover Sandeep , Chee Kok Yoon , J. Tanra Andi , Maramis Marigarita M. , Yang Shu‐Yu , Sartorius Norman , Tan Chay‐Hoon , Shinfuku Naotaka , Park Seon‐Cheol
Published: October 2017

Our study aimed to assess the psychometric validity of the conceptual disorganization item and other items of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) for detecting disorganized speech in patients with schizophrenia. We included 357 schizophrenia patients with disorganized speech and 1082 without disorganized speech from the survey centers in India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, and Taiwan, using the data from the Research on Asian Psychotropic Patterns for Antipsychotics (REAP‐AP) study. After adjusting the effects of confounding variables, a binary logistic regression model was fitted to identify BPRS items independently associated with disorganized speech. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to identify optimum cut‐off scores and their sensitivities and specificities for detecting disorganized speech. After adjusting the effects of confounding variables, the fitted binary logistic regression model indicated that conceptual disorganization (P < 0.0001), uncooperativeness (P = 0.010) and excitement (P = 0.001) were independently associated with disorganized speech. The ROC curve revealed that the conceptual disorganization item could accurately detect disorganized speech in patients with schizophrenia both separately and in combination with uncooperativeness and excitement. The subscale for conceptual disorganization, uncooperativeness and excitement items in the BPRS is a promising psychometric tool for detecting disorganized speech.
THE IMPERATIVE IN –TOIN PLAUTUS AND TERENCE
Authors: Barrios-lech Peter
Published: October 2017

Latin is one of the best documented and most extensively studied of any language: nearly every area has been subject to continued and intense scrutiny, with ideas from recent subfields of linguistics providing a fresh look at some old topics. The Latin future (or –to) imperative, the form that conveys commands for non-immediate execution, constitutes precisely such a topic in Latin linguistics: from the Roman Imperial period on, students have demarcated the usages, syntax and context-specific features associated with this form; more recently, scholars have applied ideas from various linguistic subfields to achieve new insights. Given that the –toimperative is so well understood, it might come as a surprise to find that some matters pertaining to it are still debated. This paper will address four such contested areas: first, its register (is it colloquial—that is, a feature of everyday speech—or elevated?); second, the form's politeness (is the –toimperative ‘softer’ than the present imperative?); third, the temporal scope of the –toimperative (can it everreallypertain to orders for immediate execution, and thus overlap with the present imperative?); and fourth, the sensitivity of the form to social factors, that is, to the identity of the speaker and the addressee. (Did slaves avoid using the form with superiors? Did women, held to be more polite than men, refrain from it? By contrast, was the speech of citizen males characterized by a high frequency of the –toimperative?)
Perception of valence and arousal in German emotion terms: A comparison between 9-year-old children and adults
Authors: BAHN DANIELA , KAUSCHKE CHRISTINA , VESKER MICHAEL , SCHWARZER GUDRUN
Published: October 2017

Two major semantic features of emotion concepts have been shown to impact performance in emotion perception tasks: valence and arousal. To design psycholinguistic experiments with emotion terms as stimuli, norms are required that indicate valence and arousal values for individual words. Although such norms are usually obtained from ratings of adults, they are often also used in developmental studies. This procedure raises the question of whether children and adults perceive emotional valence and arousal of words in the same way, and consequently, whether adults’ ratings are adequate when constructing stimulus sets for children. The present study obtained valence and arousal ratings for 48 German emotion terms from three different groups: 9-year-old children and adults tested in a controlled laboratory setting, and adults tested via online survey. Results demonstrate high correlations for valence and arousal across settings. The comparison between children and adults also revealed high correlations, suggesting that children at the age of 9 already display adultlike behavior in their evaluation of emotion terms. A small difference was found for absolute rating values of arousal, with children rating words less arousing than adults. Overall, 9-year-olds and adults are sufficiently similar in their perception of emotion to warrant the use of adult valence and arousal ratings in the analysis of children data.
On the total mean curvature of a compact space-like submanifold in Lorentz–Minkowski spacetime
Authors: Palmas Oscar , Palomo Francisco J. , Romero Alfonso
Published: October 2017

By means of several counterexamples, the impossibility to obtain an analogue of the Chen lower estimation for the total mean curvature of any compact submanifold in Euclidean space for the case of compact space-like submanifolds in Lorentz–Minkowski spacetime is shown. However, a lower estimation for the total mean curvature of a four-dimensional compact space-like submanifold that factors through the light cone of six-dimensional Lorentz–Minkowski spacetime is proved by using a technique completely different from Chen's original one. Moreover, the equality characterizes the totally umbilical four-dimensional round spheres in Lorentz–Minkowski spacetime. Finally, three applications are given. Among them, an extrinsic upper bound for the first non-trivial eigenvalue of the Laplacian of the induced metric on a four-dimensional compact space-like submanifold that factors through the light cone is proved.
Editor's Note
Authors: AHLQUIST KAREN
Published: October 2017

What a brilliant idea JSAM was in 2007. In eleven volumes (and counting), it has engaged at least three generations of readers with deeply researched and thoughtful articles, imaginative (and hefty) bibliographies, and reviews of print scholarship and a growing array of media. Authors, editors, reviewers, submission evaluators, leadership and staff members at the Society for American Music and Cambridge University Press, all of whom are responsible for the journal's quality and even its very existence: thank you.
Vitamin D and L-Isoleucine Promote Antimicrobial Peptide hBD-2 Production in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells from Elderly Individuals
Authors: Castañeda-Delgado Julio E. , Araujo Zajda , Gonzalez-Curiel Irma , Serrano Carmen J. , Rivas Santiago Cesar , Enciso-Moreno Jose A. , Rivas-Santiago Bruno
Published: October 2017

Abstract. Elderly individuals are susceptible to develop infectious diseases; promoting innate immunity to prevent infections is a key issue. Human β-defensin-2 (hBD-2) is an antimicrobial peptide with antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties. L-isoleucine and vitamin D are important molecules that induce hBD-2. The Aim of this study was to determine the use L-isoleucine and Vitamin D to induce hBD-2 in cells from healthy elderly individuals and elderly individuals with recurrent infections. We explored three groups: young adults (n = 20) used as control group, elderly adults (n = 18) and elderly with recurrent infections (n = 11). PBMCs (peripheral blood mononuclear cells) were isolated from the different groups and then were treated with L-isoleucine or vitamin D3. hBD-2 concentration was assessed with a sandwich enzyme Immunosorbent assay by triplicate. Using the vehicle as a mock control. Our results showed that a percentage of the individuals responded to the treatments producing hBD-2 (p < 0.05). These results showed that both molecules induced hBD-2 in elderly individuals and can be potentially used as prophylactic therapy to decrease infection diseases rates in this vulnerable group.
Factors Influencing Professional Help-Seeking for Suicidality
Authors: Han Jin , Batterham Philip J. , Calear Alison L. , Randall Rebecca
Published: October 2017

Abstract. Background: Evidence suggests that the majority of people with suicidality do not seek help. Little systematic evaluation of factors influencing professional help-seeking has been done. Aims: To systematically evaluate the factors that influence professional help-seeking for suicidality. Method: Published quantitative and qualitative studies in Medline and PsycInfo databases were reviewed following PRISMA. Results: In all, 55 relevant studies were identified. Of these, 15 studies examined professional help-seeking intentions for perceived suicidal ideation, among people with or without suicidality; 21 studies examined professional help-seeking behavior among people with suicidality; and 19 studies examined suicidal decedents' health services use. Several potential important barriers were identified including high self-reliance, lack of perceived need for treatment, and stigmatizing attitudes toward suicide, toward mental health issues, and toward seeking professional treatment. The presence of suicidality and mental health issues was found to generally decrease help-seeking intentions for perceived suicidal ideation while facilitating actual service use. Social support and informal support from family and friends also played an important role in professional help-seeking. Limitations: Although the majority of the included studies were of sound quality, some of the factors identified in the review were assessed in relatively few studies, and most of the included studies were conducted in industrialized countries. Conclusion: Further quantitative and qualitative studies examining the potential important factors in broader community samples, especially in developing countries, are needed.
Peng and Van der Wiel Receive the 2017 James R. Holton Award
Authors:   AGU
Published: October 2017

Jianfei Peng and Karin van der Wiel will receive the 2017 James R. Holton Award at the 2017 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, to be held 11–15 December in New Orleans, La. The award recognizes “outstanding scientific research and accomplishments by early-career scientists” who are “no more than three years past the award of the Ph.D. degree.”
Current applications of multiparameter flow cytometry in plasma cell disorders
Authors: Jelinek T , Bezdekova R , Zatopkova M , Burgos L , Simicek M , Sevcikova T , Paiva B , Hajek R
Published: October 2017

Multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC) has become standard in the management of patients with plasma cell (PC) dyscrasias, and could be considered mandatory in specific areas of routine clinical practice. It plays a significant role during the differential diagnostic work-up because of its fast and conclusive readout of PC clonality, and simultaneously provides prognostic information in most monoclonal gammopathies. Recent advances in the treatment and outcomes of multiple myeloma led to the implementation of new response criteria, including minimal residual disease (MRD) status as one of the most relevant clinical endpoints with the potential to act as surrogate for survival. Recent technical progress led to the development of next-generation flow (NGF) cytometry that represents a validated, highly sensitive, cost-effective and widely available technique for standardized MRD evaluation, which also could be used for the detection of circulating tumor cells. Here we review current applications of MFC and NGF in most PC disorders including the less frequent solitary plasmocytoma, light-chain amyloidosis or Waldenström macroglobulinemia.
Prevalence of myeloma precursor state monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance in 12372 individuals 10–49 years old: a population-based study from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
Authors: Landgren O , Graubard B I , Kumar S , Kyle R A , Katzmann J A , Murata K , Costello R , Dispenzieri A , Caporaso N , Mailankody S , Korde N , Hultcrantz M , Therneau T M , Larson D R , Cerhan J R , Rajkumar S V
Published: October 2017

We studied the prevalence of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) in younger individuals, age 10–49 years, using samples from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) III. NHANES prevalence rates were standardized to the 2000 US total population. Among 12 372 individuals (4073 blacks, 4146 Mexican-Americans, 3595 whites, and 558 others), MGUS was identified in 63 persons (0.34%, 95% CI 0.23–0.50). The prevalence of MGUS was significantly higher in blacks (0.88%, 95% CI 0.62–1.26) compared with whites (0.22%, 95% CI 0.11–0.45), P=0.001. The prevalence of MGUS in Mexican-Americans was at an intermediate level (0.41%, 95% CI 0.23–0.73). The disparity in prevalence of MGUS between blacks and whites was most striking in the 40–49 age-group; 3.26% (95% CI 2.04–5.18) versus 0.53% (95% CI 0.20–1.37), P=0.0013. There was a trend to earlier age of onset of MGUS in blacks compared with whites. MGUS was seen in only two persons in the 10–19 age-group (both Mexican-American), and in three persons in the 20–29-year age-group (all of whom were black). In persons less than 50 years of age, MGUS is significantly more prevalent, with up to 10 years earlier age of onset, in blacks compared with whites.
Craniofacial manifestations in osteogenesis imperfecta type III in South Africa
Authors: Chetty Manogari , Roberts Tina Sharon , Stephen Lawrence , Beighton Peter
Published: October 2017

Objectives:

Osteogenesis imperfecta type III (OMIM 259420) is a severe autosomal recessive disorder. Affected individuals have multiple fractures, develop limb deformities with spinal malalignment and stunted stature.

Materials and methods:

The frequency of Osteogenesis imperfecta type III (OI III) is relatively high in the indigenous Black African population of South Africa. A review of the literature revealed a paucity of information regarding the craniofacial manifestations of the disorder in this ethnic group. The findings in 64 affected persons are documented.

Results:

These abnormalities are related to the abnormal bone matrix which results in a deformed skull and dental malocclusion. The physiological process of swallowing may be an aetiological factor in the progressive development of a flattened palate. Mild changes in the shape of the head of the mandibular condyle and a lack of cortical bone on the joint surfaces were observed on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. Affected persons had marked variations in the paranasal sinuses, including sinus hypoplasia and partial opacification. Cranial base anomalies were diagnosed from cephalometric radiographs and lateral skull radiographs. Platybasia and a ‘J’ shaped sella turcica were observed.

Conclusion:

The craniofacial abnormalities emphasize the importance of a raised level of awareness in terms of dental management and the challenges.
The Austrian Spinal Cord Injury Study: a registry for patients living with a traumatic spinal cord injury
Authors: Aschauer-Wallner Stephanie , Mattiassich Georg , Aigner Ludwig , Resch Herbert ,   on behalf of the ASCIS study group
Published: October 2017

Study design

Establishing the structure of a prospective spinal cord injury (SCI) patient registry.

Objectives

To develop a registry for patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) in Austria as a base for addressing research questions, improving patient outcomes, and establishing a platform for future clinical trials.

Settings

Coordinating institution: Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Austria; participating partners are located in nine states in Austria.

Methods

The Austrian Spinal Cord Injury Study (ASCIS) collects longitudinal data on simple forms within a 7-stage follow-up examination timeline.

Results

The implementation of the ASCIS in 2012 created the first nationwide SCI patient registry in Austria. ASCIS is currently implemented in 17 trauma hospitals in 9 Austrian states, and over 150 individuals with acute tSCI have been registered to date. As in Austria, the structure of the health-care system does not involve a specialized SCI center covering the primary health care and the rehabilitation care, major challenges have to be overcome to involve all participating primary centers and rehabilitation centers, which perform tSCI patient care, for ASCIS. Through implementing ASCIS, a network of SCI clinicians and researchers, which is now beginning to support translational research and to initiate clinical trials for patients with tSCI, has formed.

Conclusions

ASCIS is uniquely positioned in Austria to capture detailed information from the early acute to the chronic phases of tSCI, to provide this information also to bigger and translational settings, and to connect researchers and clinicians to facilitate clinical research on tSCI.
Electrically-driven single-photon sources based on colloidal quantum dots with near-optimal antibunching at room temperature
Authors: Lin Xing , Dai Xingliang , Pu Chaodan , Deng Yunzhou , Niu Yuan , Tong Limin , Fang Wei , Jin Yizheng , Peng Xiaogang
Published: October 2017

Photonic quantum information requires high-purity, easily accessible, and scalable single-photon sources. Here, we report an electrically driven single-photon source based on colloidal quantum dots. Our solution-processed devices consist of isolated CdSe/CdS core/shell quantum dots sparsely buried in an insulating layer that is sandwiched between electron-transport and hole-transport layers. The devices generate single photons with near-optimal antibunching at room temperature, i.e., with a second-order temporal correlation function at zero delay (g(2)(0)) being <0.05 for the best devices without any spectral filtering or background correction. The optimal g(2)(0) from single-dot electroluminescence breaks the lower g(2)(0) limit of the corresponding single-dot photoluminescence. Such highly suppressed multi-photon-emission probability is attributed to both novel device design and carrier injection/recombination dynamics. The device structure prevents background electroluminescence while offering efficient single-dot electroluminescence. A quantitative model is developed to illustrate the carrier injection/recombination dynamics of single-dot electroluminescence.
Recommendation for incorporation of a different lymph node scoring system in future AJCC N category for oral cancer
Authors: Lee Ching-Chih , Su Yu-Chieh , Hung Shih-Kai , Chen Po-Chun , Huang Chung-I. , Huang Wei-Lun , Lin Yu-Wei , Yang Ching-Chieh
Published: October 2017

To compare the prognostic value of 3 different lymph node scoring systems “ log odds of positive nodes (LODDS), lymph node ratio (rN), and lymph node yield “ in an effort to improve the staging of oral cancer. We identified 3958 oral cancer patients from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database from 2007 to 2013. In univariate analysis, LODDS, pN, rN, and lymph node yield were prognostic factors for 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) and overall survival (OS). Multivariate analysis indicated that patients with LODDS 4 had worst 5-year DSS and OS. Stage migration occurred in pN1 and pN2 patients with LODDS 4. In pN1 patients, those with LODDS 4 had the worst 5-year DSS (41.2%) and OS (31.6%) than patients with pN1 and LODDS 2–3. In pN2 patients, those with LODDS4 had the worst 5-year DSS (34.5%) and OS (27.4%) than patients with pN2 and LODDS 2–3. The proposed staging system, which incorporates LODDS with AJCC pN, had better discriminability and prediction accuracy for predicting survival. We also noted that patients with LODDS 4 given adjuvant radiotherapy had better 5-year DSS and OS. The LODDS should be considered as a future candidate measurement for N category in oral cancer.
Erratum: Multiferroic coreshell magnetoelectric nanoparticles as NMR sensitive nanoprobes for cancer cell detection
Authors: Nagesetti Abhignyan , Rodzinski Alexandra , Stimphil Emmanuel , Stewart Tiffanie , Khanal Chooda , Wang Ping , Guduru Rakesh , Liang Ping , Agoulnik Irina , Horstmyer Jeffrey , Khizroev Sakhrat
Published: October 2017

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML version of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.
Connexin 43 Hemichannels Regulate the Expression of Wound Healing-Associated Genes in Human Gingival Fibroblasts
Authors: Tarzemany Rana , Jiang Guoqiao , Jiang Jean X. , Larjava Hannu , Häkkinen Lari
Published: October 2017

Connexin 43 (Cx43) is the most ubiquitous connexin in various cells, and presents as hemichannels (HCs) and gap junctions (GJs) on the cell membrane. We have recently shown that Cx43 abundance was strongly reduced in fibroblasts of human gingival wounds, and blocking Cx43 function in cultured human gingival fibroblasts (GFBLs) strongly regulated the expression of wound healing-related genes. However, it is not known whether these responses involved Cx43 HCs or GJs. Here we show that Cx43 assembled into distinct GJ and HC plaques in GFBLs both in vivo and in vitro. Specific blockage of Cx43 HC function by TAT-Gap19, a Cx43 mimetic peptide, significantly upregulated the expression of several MMPs, TGF-β signaling molecules, Tenascin-﻿C, and VEGF-A, while pro-fibrotic molecules, including several extracellular matrix proteins and myofibroblast and cell contractility-related molecules, were significantly downregulated. These changes were linked with TAT-Gap19-induced suppression of ATP signaling and activation of the ERK1/2 signaling pathway. Collectively, our data suggest that reduced Cx43 HC function could promote fast and scarless gingival wound healing. Thus, selective suppression of Cx43 HCs may provide a novel target to modulate wound healing.
Activation of PKA in cell requires higher concentration of cAMP than in vitro: implications for compartmentalization of cAMP signalling
Authors: Koschinski Andreas , Zaccolo Manuela
Published: October 2017

cAMP is a ubiquitous second messenger responsible for the cellular effects of multiple hormones and neurotransmitters via activation of its main effector, protein kinase A (PKA). Multiple studies have shown that the basal concentration of cAMP in several cell types is about 1 μM. This value is well above the reported concentration of cAMP required to half-maximally activate PKA, which measures in the 100–300 nM range. Several hypotheses have been suggested to explain this apparent discrepancy including inaccurate measurements of intracellular free cAMP, inaccurate measurement of the apparent activation constant of PKA or shielding of PKA from bulk cytosolic cAMP via localization of the enzyme to microdomains with lower basal cAMP concentration. However, direct experimental evidence in support of any of these models is limited and a firm conclusion is missing. In this study we use multiple FRET-based reporters for the detection of cAMP and PKA activity in intact cells and we establish that the sensitivity of PKA to cAMP is almost twenty times lower when measured in cell than when measured in vitro. Our findings have important implications for the understanding of compartmentalized cAMP signalling.
A Quantitative Point-of-Need Assay for the Assessment of Vitamin D3 Deficiency
Authors: Vemulapati S. , Rey E. , O’Dell D. , Mehta S. , Erickson D.
Published: October 2017

Vitamin D is necessary for the healthy growth and development of bone and muscle. Vitamin D deficiency, which is present in 42% of the US population, is often undiagnosed as symptoms may not manifest for several years and long-term deficiency has been linked to osteoporosis, diabetes and cancer. Currently the majority of vitamin D testing is performed in large-scale commercial laboratories which have high operational costs and long times-to-result. Development of a low-cost point-of-need assay could be transformative to deficiency analysis in limited-resource settings. The best biomarker of vitamin D status, 25hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3), however, is particularly challenging to measure in such a format due to complexities involved in sample preparation, including the need to separate the marker from its binding protein. Here we present a rapid diagnostic test for the accurate, quantitative assessment of 25(OH)D3 in finger-stick blood. The assay is accompanied by a smartphone-assisted portable imaging device that can autonomously perform the necessary image processing. To achieve accurate quantification of 25(OH)D3, we also demonstrate a novel elution buffer that separates 25(OH)D3 from its binding protein in situ, eliminating the need for sample preparation. In human trials, the accuracy of our platform is 90.5%.