bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In vivo and in vitro protective effects of omeprazole against neuropathic pain
Authors: Chanchal Sanjay K. , Mahajan Umesh B. , Siddharth Sumit , Reddy Navyya , Goyal Sameer N. , Patil Prakash H. , Bommanahalli Basavaraj P. , Kundu Chanakya N. , Patil Chandragouda R. , Ojha Shreesh
Published: July 2016

Apart from reducing the acid secretion, omeprazole inhibits activation of the nuclear factor-κB, release of inflammatory cytokines and chemotaxis of neutrophils. These mechanisms prompted us to evaluate antineuropathic effect of omeprazole in the chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced rat model of neuropathic pain and LPS mediated ROS-induced U-87 cells. Omeprazole at 50 mg/kg/day/oral for 14 days significantly reduced the intensity of neuropathic pain estimated as paw withdrawal latency, withdrawal pressure threshold and restored the motor nerve conduction velocity in the constricted nerve, when compared with respective groups. The histological findings revealed the protective effect of omeprazole against the CCI-induced damage. Omeprazole significantly decreased the levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) as compared to their respective control groups. It also reduced the oxidative stress by up regulating the SOD, catalase activity and decreasing MDA content. Similarly, in-vitro study, LPS mediated ROS-induced U-87 cells, omeprazole reduced the oxidative stress as well as the release of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6. Altogether, these results suggest that, neuroprotective effect of omeprazole is mediated through preventing release of proinflammatory cytokines, augmenting endogenous anti-oxidant defense system and maintain the structural integrity of sciatic nerve from the CCI-induced structural damage and inflammatory changes.
Degraded tropical rain forests possess valuable carbon storage opportunities in a complex, forested landscape
Authors: Alamgir Mohammed , Campbell Mason J. , Turton Stephen M. , Pert Petina L. , Edwards Will , Laurance William F.
Published: July 2016

Tropical forests are major contributors to the terrestrial global carbon pool, but this pool is being reduced via deforestation and forest degradation. Relatively few studies have assessed carbon storage in degraded tropical forests. We sampled 37,000 m2 of intact rainforest, degraded rainforest and sclerophyll forest across the greater Wet Tropics bioregion of northeast Australia. We compared aboveground biomass and carbon storage of the three forest types, and the effects of forest structural attributes and environmental factors that influence carbon storage. Some degraded forests were found to store much less aboveground carbon than intact rainforests, whereas others sites had similar carbon storage to primary forest. Sclerophyll forests had lower carbon storage, comparable to the most heavily degraded rainforests. Our findings indicate that under certain situations, degraded forest may store as much carbon as intact rainforests. Strategic rehabilitation of degraded forests could enhance regional carbon storage and have positive benefits for tropical biodiversity.
Health costs of reproduction are minimal despite high fertility, mortality and subsistence lifestyle
Authors: Gurven Michael , Costa Megan , Ben Trumble  , Stieglitz Jonathan , Beheim Bret , Eid Rodriguez Daniel , Hooper Paul L. , Kaplan Hillard
Published: July 2016

Women exhibit greater morbidity than men despite higher life expectancy. An evolutionary life history framework predicts that energy invested in reproduction trades-off against investments in maintenance and survival. Direct costs of reproduction may therefore contribute to higher morbidity, especially for women given their greater direct energetic contributions to reproduction. We explore multiple indicators of somatic condition among Tsimane forager-horticulturalist women (Total Fertility Rate = 9.1; n = 592 aged 15–44 years, n = 277 aged 45+). We test whether cumulative live births and the pace of reproduction are associated with nutritional status and immune function using longitudinal data spanning 10 years. Higher parity and faster reproductive pace are associated with lower nutritional status (indicated by weight, body mass index, body fat) in a cross-section, but longitudinal analyses show improvements in women’s nutritional status with age. Biomarkers of immune function and anemia vary little with parity or pace of reproduction. Our findings demonstrate that even under energy-limited and infectious conditions, women are buffered from the potential depleting effects of rapid reproduction and compound offspring dependency characteristic of human life histories.
All framing effects are not created equal: Low convergent validity between two classic measurements of framing
Authors: Zhen Shanshan , Yu Rongjun
Published: July 2016

Human risk-taking attitudes can be influenced by two logically equivalent but descriptively different frames, termed the framing effect. The classic hypothetical vignette-based task (Asian disease problem) and a recently developed reward-based gambling task have been widely used to assess individual differences in the framing effect. Previous studies treat framing bias as a stable trait that has genetic basis. However, these two paradigms differ in terms of task domain (loss vs. gain) and task context (vignette-based vs. reward-based) and the convergent validity of these measurements remains unknown. Here, we developed a vignette-based task and a gambling task in both gain and loss domains and tested correlations of the framing effect among these tasks in 159 young adults. Our results revealed no significant correlation between the vignette-based task in the loss domain and the gambling task in the gain domain, indicating low convergent validity. The current findings raise the question of how to measure the framing effect precisely, especially in individual difference studies using large samples and expensive neuroscience methods. Our results suggest that the framing effect is influenced by both task domain and task context and future research should be cautious about the operationalization of the framing effect.
Environmental Effects on Hysteresis of Transfer Characteristics in Molybdenum Disulfide Field-Effect Transistors
Authors: Shimazu Yoshihiro , Tashiro Mitsuki , Sonobe Satoshi , Takahashi Masaki
Published: July 2016

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has recently received much attention for nanoscale electronic and photonic applications. To explore the intrinsic properties and enhance the performance of MoS2-based field-effect transistors, thorough understanding of extrinsic effects such as environmental gas and contact resistance of the electrodes is required. Here, we report the effects of environmental gases on the transport properties of back-gated multilayered MoS2 field-effect transistors. Comparisons between different gases (oxygen, nitrogen and air and nitrogen with varying relative humidities) revealed that water molecules acting as charge-trapping centers are the main cause of hysteresis in the transfer characteristics. While the hysteresis persisted even after pumping out the environmental gas for longer than 10 h at room temperature, it disappeared when the device was cooled to 240 K, suggesting a considerable increase in the time constant of the charge trapping/detrapping at these modestly low temperatures. The suppression of the hysteresis or instability in the easily attainable temperature range without surface passivation is highly advantageous for the device application of this system. The humidity dependence of the threshold voltages in the transfer curves indicates that the water molecules dominantly act as hole-trapping centers. A strong dependence of the on-state current on oxygen pressure was also observed.
Highly efficient single-junction GaAs thin-film solar cell on flexible substrate
Authors: Moon Sunghyun , Kim Kangho , Kim Youngjo , Heo Junseok , Lee Jaejin
Published: July 2016

There has been much interest in developing a thin-film solar cell because it is lightweight and flexible. The GaAs thin-film solar cell is a top contender in the thin-film solar cell market in that it has a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) compared to that of other thin-film solar cells. There are two common structures for the GaAs solar cell: n (emitter)-on-p (base) and p-on-n. The former performs better due to its high collection efficiency because the electron diffusion length of the p-type base region is much longer than the hole diffusion length of the n-type base region. However, it has been limited to fabricate highly efficient n-on-p single-junction GaAs thin film solar cell on a flexible substrate due to technical obstacles. We investigated a simple and fast epitaxial lift-off (ELO) method that uses a stress originating from a Cr/Au bilayer on a 125-μm-thick flexible substrate. A metal combination of AuBe/Pt/Au is employed as a new p-type ohmic contact with which an n-on-p single-junction GaAs thin-film solar cell on flexible substrate was successfully fabricated. The PCE of the fabricated single-junction GaAs thin-film solar cells reached 22.08% under air mass 1.5 global illumination.
Prevention of PVDF ultrafiltration membrane fouling by coating MnO2 nanoparticles with ozonation
Authors: Yu Wenzheng , Brown Matthew , Graham Nigel. J. D.
Published: July 2016

Pre-treatment is normally required to reduce or control the fouling of ultrafiltration (UF) membranes in drinking water treatment process. Current pre-treatment methods, such as coagulation, are only partially effective to prevent long-term fouling. Since biological activities are a major contributor to accumulated fouling, the application of an oxidation/disinfection step can be an effective complement to coagulation. In this study, a novel pre-treatment method has been evaluated at laboratory scale consisting of the addition of low dose ozone into the UF membrane tank after coagulation and the use of a hollow-fibre membrane coated with/without MnO2 nanoparticles over a test period of 70 days. The results showed that there was minimal fouling of the MnO2 coated membrane (0.5 kPa for 70 days), while the uncoated membrane experienced both reversible and irreversible fouling. The difference was attributed to the greatly reduced presence of bacteria and organic matter because of the catalytic decomposition of ozone to hydroxyl radicals and increase of the hydrophilicity of the membrane surface. In particular, the MnO2 coated membrane had a much thinner cake layer, with significantly less polysaccharides and proteins and much less accumulated organic matter within the membrane pores.
Vanadium isotope ratio measurements in fruit-bodies of Amanita muscaria
Authors: Malinovsky Dmitry , Kashulin Nikolay A.
Published: July 2016

A new method has been developed for precise vanadium isotope ratio measurements by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) inAmanita muscaria– a widespread toxic and hallucinogenic mushroom which is also known for its ability to bio-accumulate vanadium.
The solvation structure of alprazolam
Authors: Sridhar Akshay , Johnston Andrew J. , Varathan Luxmmi , McLain Sylvia E. , Biggin Philip C.
Published: July 2016

Alprazolam is a benzodiazepine that is commonly prescribed for the treatment of anxiety and other related disorders.
Size-dependent concentrations of thermal vacancies in solid films
Authors: Gao Panpan , Wu Quan , Li Xi , Ma Hongxin , Zhang Hao , Volinsky Alex A. , Qiao Lijie , Su Yanjing
Published: July 2016

Size-dependent vacancy concentration in thin films at 300 K.
Cationic mono and dicarbonyl pincer complexes of rhodium and iridium to assess the donor properties of PCcarbeneP ligands
Authors: Smith Joel D. , Logan Jessamyn R. , Doyle Lauren E. , Burford Richard J. , Sugawara Shun , Ohnita Chiho , Yamamoto Yohsuke , Piers Warren E. , Spasyuk Denis M. , Borau-Garcia Javier
Published: July 2016

The donor properties of five different PCcarbeneP ligands are assessed by evaluation of the CO stretching frequencies in iridium(i) and rhodium(i) carbonyl cations.
First three-dimensional actinide polyrotaxane framework mediated by windmill-like six-connected oligomeric uranyl: dual roles of the pseudorotaxane precursor
Authors: Mei Lei , Xie Zhen-ni , Hu Kong-qiu , Wang Lin , Yuan Li-yong , Li Zi-jie , Chai Zhi-fang , Shi Wei-qun
Published: July 2016

The first 3D uranyl polyrotaxane framework with a pseudorotaxane guest trapped in an octahedral cavity was synthesized based on tetra-nuclear uranyl.
Time-lapse lens-free imaging of cell migration in diverse physical microenvironments
Authors: Mathieu Evelien , Paul Colin D. , Stahl Richard , Vanmeerbeeck Geert , Reumers Veerle , Liu Chengxun , Konstantopoulos Konstantinos , Lagae Liesbet
Published: July 2016

Lens-free imaging using coherent illumination is established as an inexpensive and reliable alternative to conventional phase contrast microscopy for live-cell imaging applications.
Amide bond-containing monodisperse polyethylene glycols beyond 10 000 Da
Authors: Wan Zihong , Li Yu , Bo Shaowei , Gao Ming , Wang Xuemeng , Zeng Kai , Tao Xin , Li Xuefei , Yang Zhigang , Jiang Zhong-Xing
Published: July 2016

Monodisperse polyethylene glycols above 4000 Da, including the longest one to date (10 262 Da), can be prepared from oligoethylene glycol-containing ω-amino acids through solid phase synthesis.
Organocatalytic vinylogous Mannich reaction of trimethylsiloxyfuran with isatin-derived benzhydryl-ketimines
Authors: Rainoldi Giulia , Sacchetti Alessandro , Silvani Alessandra , Lesma Giordano
Published: July 2016

We report the synthesis of chiral quaternary 3-aminooxindole butenolides by BINOL-derived phosphoric acid-catalyzed addition of trimethylsiloxyfuran to isatin-derived ketimines.
Ti3C2Tx(MXene)–polyacrylamide nanocomposite films
Authors: Naguib Michael , Saito Tomonori , Lai Sophia , Rager Matthew S. , Aytug Tolga , Parans Paranthaman M. , Zhao Meng-Qiang , Gogotsi Yury
Published: July 2016

Herein we report on the synthesis and characterization of MXene–polyacrylamide (PAM) nanocomposite films. The as-prepared composites are flexible and the conductivity was increased significantly to 3.3 × 10−2S m−1with only 6 wt% MXene loading.
Recent advances in non-chemically amplified photoresists for next generation IC technology
Authors: Ghosh Subrata , Pradeep Chullikkattil P. , Sharma Satinder K. , Reddy Pulikanti Guruprasad , Pal Satyendra P. , Gonsalves Kenneth E.
Published: July 2016

The present article reviews the recent advances in the area of non-chemically amplified photoresists particularly for sub-30 nm nodes.
Laser irradiation durability of photorefractive ferroelectric liquid crystal blends containing terthiophene photoconductive chiral dopants
Authors: Sasaki Takeo , Yoshino Masanori , Naka Yumiko , Le Khoa V. , Sassa Takafumi
Published: July 2016

Photochemical durability of a photorefractive ferroelectric liquid crystal blend sandwiched between two transparent electrodes was investigated.
A new imidazolium-based polymeric ionic liquid gel with high adsorption capacity for perrhenate
Authors: Han Dong , Li Xingxiao , Peng Jing , Xu Ling , Li Jiuqiang , Li Huibo , Zhai Maolin
Published: July 2016

New imidazolium-based polymeric ionic liquid gel with high adsorption capacity for perrhenate prepared by γ-radiation induced polymerization and crosslinking.
Towards the fabrication of biohybrid silk fibroin materials: entrapment and preservation of chloroplast organelles in silk fibroin films
Authors: Mitropoulos Alexander N. , Marelli Benedetto , Perotto Giovanni , Amsden Jason , Kaplan David L. , Omenetto Fiorenzo G.
Published: July 2016

Chloroplasts extracted from spinach leaves were entrapped in B. mori silk fibroin films to investigate the maintenance of their photosynthetic activity in a dry environment.
Paris saponin I inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis through down-regulating AKT activity in human non-small-cell lung cancer cells and inhibiting ERK expression in human small-cell lung cancer cells
Authors: Liu Zhen , Zheng Qi , Chen Wenzhu , Man Shuli , Teng Yuou , Meng Xin , Zhang Yongmin , Yu Peng , Gao Wenyuan
Published: July 2016

PSI regulated AKT activity in NSCLC and inhibited ERK expression in SCLC.
N-Heterotriangulene chromophores with 4-pyridyl anchors for dye-sensitized solar cells
Authors: Meinhardt Ute , Lodermeyer Fabian , Schaub Tobias A. , Kunzmann Andreas , Dral Pavlo O. , Sale Anna Chiara , Hampel Frank , Guldi Dirk M. , Costa Ruben D. , Kivala Milan
Published: July 2016

A series of N-heterotriangulenes decorated with 4-pyridyl anchors were synthesized and their performance in n-type TiO2- and ZnO-based dye-sensitized solar cells investigated.
Fabrication of poly(ester-urethane)urea elastomer/gelatin electrospun nanofibrous membranes for potential applications in skin tissue engineering
Authors: Yu Kui , Zhou Xiangxiang , Zhu Tonghe , Wu Tong , Wang Juan , Fang Jun , El-Aassar M. R. , El-Hamshary Hany , El-Newehy Mohamed , Mo Xiumei
Published: July 2016

In this study, PEUU was blended with gelatin for electrospun nanofiber and nanoyarn. PEUU/gelatin with a mass ratio of 75 : 25 showed better comprehensive property than nanofiber thus paving way for the further research in tissue engineering field.
Catalytic performance of supported g-C3N4 on MCM-41 in organic dye degradation with peroxymonosulfate
Authors: Dong Huijie , Wei Mingyu , Li Jun , Fang Jia , Gao Long , Li Xiaoxia , Xu Aihua
Published: July 2016

The supported graphitic carbon nitride on MCM-41 was prepared through an in situ thermal approach and was successfully used as an efficient catalyst for dyes degradation with peroxymonosulfate.
Flexible thermo-electrochemical cells using Iodolyte HI-30 for conversion of low-grade heat to electrical energy
Authors: Ahmad Zubair , Bhadra Jolly , Touati Farid , Alashraf Abdullah , Shakoor R. A. , Al-Thani N. J.
Published: July 2016

In this research work, we investigated the flexible thermo-electro chemicals cells (TECs) for the conversion of low-grade heat into electrical energy.
Achieving nano-gold stability through rational design
Authors: Barrett Dean H. , Scurrell Michael S. , Rodella Cristiane B. , Diaz Beatriz , Billing David G. , Franklyn Paul J.
Published: July 2016

Au nanoparticles isolated on the tips of a thermally stable, radially aligned nano-structure providing a highly sinter-resistant catalyst.
Semi‐real‐time algorithm for fast pattern matching
Authors: Dong Jing , Liu Haibo
Published: July 2016

A semi‐real‐time pattern‐matching algorithm consisting of an offline and online stage is proposed. The approach of the proposed algorithm is to perform a significant amount of the calculation required by pattern matching in the offline stage. This necessitates only a small amount of calculation in the online process to reject a great number of mismatched positions. The proposed algorithm first uses triangle inequality and orthogonal decomposition to derive the lower bounds of the distances between the pattern and the candidate windows of the base image. Then, mismatched candidate windows are rejected if their lower bounds exceed an adaptive threshold. The proposed method accelerates the online processing effectively while yielding the identical result as a full search algorithm. The proposed algorithm was compared with other state‐of‐the‐art algorithms and the result confirms that the proposed algorithm has a distinct speed advantage over the other algorithms for online processing.
Stability mechanism and emergency control of power system with wind power integration
Authors: Chen Lei , Min Yong , Dai Yuanhang , Wang Maohai
Published: July 2016

In power system electromechanical transients, wind power (WP) with power electronic interfaces is more capable of controlling active power compared to synchronous generators (SGs), but less capable of controlling voltage. WP is beneficial to transient rotor angle stability because it improves the deceleration of SG, but it is detrimental to transient voltage stability. A mechanism of WP inducing voltage instability is studied. The fast dynamics related to power electronic control transients can be neglected, and the WP is simplified to static power injection model in electromechanical transients. The WP is modelled with power balance algebraic equations, and the system dynamic equations are differential algebraic equations (DAEs). The trajectory encountering a singular point of the DAE corresponds to transient voltage instability in the system. The power balance equation of the WP becomes unsolvable at the point. Simulation results validate the mechanism, and reveal the variation of instability mode of a wind‐thermal‐bundled sending system. When the proportion of WP in the system increases, the dominant stability problem changes from rotor angle stability to voltage stability, and the stability of the system first gets better then gets worse. An emergency control strategy against the transient voltage instability induced by WP is proposed. WP is shed to shift the singular surface and avoid encountering singular points. An approach to select the most effective locations for WP shedding is proposed.
Erfolg und Präzision in der Lingualtechnik – Der erste Ein-/Abdruck zählt
Authors: Wiechmann D. , Bantleon H-P. , Foltin A.
Published: July 2016

Vollständig individualisierte linguale Apparaturen gewährleisten voraussagbare und präzise Behandlungsergebnisse für jegliche Art von Malokklusion. Voraussetzung für den Behandlungserfolg sind 3 essentielle Punkte: die fehlerfreie Präzisionsabformung, die strikte Einhaltung des Klebeprotokolls unter Anwendung des richtigen Equipments und die genaue Befolgung des empfohlenen Behandlungsprotokolls. Von Anfang an erfordert dies ein hohes Maß an Präzision auch seitens des Behandlers.
Two-dimensional resonance Raman spectroscopy of oxygen- and water-ligated myoglobins
Authors: Molesky Brian P. , Guo Zhenkun , Cheshire Thomas P. , Moran Andrew M.
Published: July 2016

Two-dimensional resonance Raman (2DRR) spectroscopy has recently been developed as a tool for studies of structural heterogeneity and photochemical dynamics in condensed phases. In this paper, 2DRR spectroscopy is used to investigate line broadening mechanisms of both oxygen- and water-ligated myoglobins. General signatures of anharmonicity and inhomogeneous line broadening are first established with model calculations to facilitate signal interpretation. It is shown that the present quasi-degenerate version of 2DRR spectroscopy is insensitive to anharmonicity, because signal generation is allowed for harmonic modes. Rather, the key information to be gained from 2DRR spectroscopy pertains to the line broadening mechanisms, which are fairly obvious by inspection of the data. 2DRR signals acquired for both heme protein systems reveal significant heterogeneity in the vibrational modes local to the heme’s propionic acid side chains. These side chains are known to interact with solvent, because they protrude from the hydrophobic pocket that encloses the heme. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that the heterogeneity detected in our 2DRR experiments reflects fluctuations in the geometries of the side chains. Knowledge of such thermal motions will be useful for understanding protein function (e.g., ligand binding) because the side chains are an effective “gateway” for the exchange of thermal energy between the heme and solvent.
Cooling rate dependence of simulated Cu64.5Zr35.5 metallic glass structure
Authors: Ryltsev R. E. , Klumov B. A. , Chtchelkatchev N. M. , Shunyaev K. Yu.
Published: July 2016

Using molecular dynamics simulations with embedded atom model potential, we study structural evolution of Cu64.5Zr35.5 alloy during the cooling in a wide range of cooling rates γ ∈ (1.5 ⋅ 109, 1013) K/s. Investigating short- and medium-range orders, we show that the structure of Cu64.5Zr35.5 metallic glass essentially depends on cooling rate. In particular, a decrease of the cooling rate leads to an increase of abundances of both the icosahedral-like clusters and Frank-Kasper Z16 polyhedra. The amounts of these clusters in the glassy state drastically increase at the γmin = 1.5 ⋅ 109 K/s. Analysing the structure of the glass at γmin, we observe the formation of nano-sized crystalline grain of Cu2Zr intermetallic compound with the structure of Cu2Mg Laves phase. The structure of this compound is isomorphous with that for Cu5Zr intermetallic compound. Both crystal lattices consist of two types of clusters: Cu-centered 13-atom icosahedral-like cluster and Zr-centered 17-atom Frank-Kasper polyhedron Z16. That suggests the same structural motifs for the metallic glass and intermetallic compounds of Cu–Zr system and explains the drastic increase of the abundances of these clusters observed at γmin.
On-chip clearing of arrays of 3-D cell cultures and micro-tissues
Authors: Grist S. M. , Nasseri S. S. , Poon T. , Roskelley C. , Cheung K. C.
Published: July 2016

Three-dimensional (3-D) cell cultures are beneficial models for mimicking the complexities of in vivo tissues, especially in tumour studies where transport limitations can complicate response to cancer drugs. 3-D optical microscopy techniques are less involved than traditional embedding and sectioning, but are impeded by optical scattering properties of the tissues. Confocal and even two-photon microscopy limit sample imaging to approximately 100–200 μm depth, which is insufficient to image hypoxic spheroid cores. Optical clearing methods have permitted high-depth imaging of tissues without physical sectioning, but they are difficult to implement for smaller 3-D cultures due to sample loss in solution exchange. In this work, we demonstrate a microfluidic platform for high-throughput on-chip optical clearing of breast cancer spheroids using the SeeDB, ClearT2, and ScaleSQ clearing methods. Although all three methods are able to effectively clear the spheroids, we find that SeeDB and ScaleSQ more effectively clear the sample than ClearT2; however, SeeDB induces green autofluorescence while ScaleS causes sample expansion. Our unique on-chip implementation permits clearing arrays of 3-D cultures using perfusion while monitoring the 3-D cultures throughout the process, enabling visualization of the clearing endpoint as well as monitoring of transient changes that could induce image artefacts. Our microfluidic device is compatible with on-chip 3-D cell culture, permitting the use of on-chip clearing at the endpoint after monitoring the same spheroids during their culture. This on-chip method has the potential to improve readout from 3-D cultures, facilitating their use in cell-based assays for high-content drug screening and other applications.
Fiber optic relative humidity sensor based on the tilted fiber Bragg grating coated with graphene oxide
Authors: Wang Youqing , Shen Changyu , Lou Weimin , Shentu Fengying , Zhong Chuan , Dong Xinyong , Tong Limin
Published: July 2016

A fiber optic relative humidity (RH) sensor based on the tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG) coated with graphene oxide (GO) film was presented. Amplitudes of the cladding mode resonances of the TFGB varies with the water sorption and desorption processes of the GO film, because of the strong interactions between the excited backward propagating cladding modes and the GO film. By detecting the transmission intensity changes of the cladding mode resonant dips at the wavelength of 1557 nm, the maximum sensitivity of 0.129 dB/%RH with a linear correlation coefficient of 99% under the RH range of 10–80% was obtained. The Bragg mode of TFBG can be used as power or wavelength references, since it is inherently insensitive to RH changes. In addition, the proposed humidity sensor shows a good performance in repeatability and stability.
Evaluation of discharge energy density of antiferroelectric ceramics for pulse capacitors
Authors: Xu Ran , Xu Zhuo , Feng Yujun , Wei Xiaoyong , Tian Jingjing , Huang Dong
Published: July 2016

The energy in pulse capacitors need to discharge rapidly to obtain high peak power. However, the discharge energy density of antiferroelectric (AFE) dielectrics for pulse capacitors is traditionally evaluated by hysteresis loop (defined as quasi-static method). To verify whether the quasi-static method is suitable for pulse applications, AFE ceramics Pb0.94La0.04[(Zr0.70Sn0.30)0.86Ti0.14]O3 were prepared, and their discharge energy density was calculated by hysteresis loop and pulse current (defined as dynamic method), respectively. A significant difference was found between these two kinds of results. Under 36 kV/cm, the discharge energy density calculated by 1 Hz hysteresis loop was 0.35 J/cm3 while that by pulse discharge current was only 0.18 J/cm3. It was found that the discharge energy density declined with increasing test frequency (0.1 Hz–100 Hz) and decreased further via dynamic hysteresis loop in microseconds scale. This declination can be explained by the viscous force during the motion of the domain wall. Thus, for pulse capacitors, it is more reasonable and practical to evaluate discharge energy density of AFE by pulse current than by quasi-static hysteresis loop.
Use of thermoelectric generator for water flow metering
Authors: Alothman Abdulmohsen A. , Zakaria Mohamed Y. , Hajj Muhammad R. , Masri Sami F.
Published: July 2016

We propose using a thermoelectric generator as a flow meter without requiring additional components. We do so by relating the power generated from the flow of hot water in a pipe to the flow rate. The results show that the steady state values of the power and voltage are more or less independent of the flow rate. On the other hand, the peak power varies significantly with the flow rate. As such, we develop through data analysis a relation between the nondimensional harvested peak power and the Reynolds number. Different sets of experiments are performed to assess the dependence of the developed relation on the boundary conditions. An equation governing this relation is obtained. The proposed approach provides a self-powered monitoring device for quantifying flow rates in pipes conveying hot water.
Using historic maps and citizen science to investigate the abundance and condition of survey reference ‘blaze' trees
Authors: Spooner Peter G. , Shoard Jake
Published: July 2016

Large old trees often possess important biodiversity and heritage values. This study investigated the occurrence and condition of survey reference trees in a typical rural landscape in New South Wales. A community survey (citizen science) method, in conjunction with a systematic examination of historic maps, was conducted to locate reference trees for subsequent field survey of their biophysical attributes and statistical analyses. In a combined study area ~5000 km2, we found 81 old reference trees, where an estimated 1.3–2.6% of the original number remains. Tree blazes ranged from 14 to 140 years in age, where most were 120–130 years old, and predominately of the Eucalyptus species. Blaze age was strongly correlated with the thickness of bark overgrowth. Types of reference trees identified included several PM (permanent marker) trees, a cemetery marker, a trig station and 15 benchmark (BM) trees. Eleven BM trees located were related to 1928–1932 irrigation surveys and were previously undocumented. Many reference trees were found in minor road reserves or in conjunction with clumps of other large trees. Being a form of living heritage, our results show that survey trees are succumbing to the ravages of time.
Performance of Juvenile Cutthroat Trout Translocated as Embryos from Five Populations into a Common Habitat
Authors: Andrews Tessa C. , Shepard Bradley B. , Litt Andrea R. , Kruse Carter G. , Lee Nelson M. , Clancey Patrick , Zale Alexander V. , Taper Mark L. , Kalinowski Steven T.
Published: July 2016

The distributions of most native trout species in western North America have been severely reduced, and conservation of many of these species will require translocation into vacant habitats following removal of nonnative species. A critical question managers have is “Does it matter which donor sources are used for these translocations?” We present a case study that addressed this question for a large native trout translocation project in Montana. We introduced embryos from five source populations of Westslope Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi to a large, fishless watershed in Montana following removal of nonnative fish with piscicides. Source populations providing embryos for translocations were three nearby (<120 km) wild populations, the state of Montana's captive Westslope Cutthroat Trout hatchery conservation population (initiated 32 years ago using fish from wild populations located >350 km from the translocation site), and a population in captivity for one generation comprised of individuals from the three wild populations used as single sources for this project, which were variably crossed (59% within populations and 41% between populations) to provide embryos. We used remote-site incubators at six different sites to introduce approximately 35,000 embryos from 400 genotyped parents. We later resampled and genotyped 1,450 of these individuals at age 1 and age 2. Juvenile survival for the more genetically diverse Montana Westslope Cutthroat Trout conservation population was twice as high as for other source populations, even though these other source populations were geographically closer to the translocation site than populations used to make the Montana Westslope Cutthroat Trout conservation population. Body weight for progeny from the two captive populations was higher than for progeny from wild source populations, and some differences were observed in body condition among source populations. Continued monitoring over several generations will be necessary to determine the eventual contributions of each source population and the relevance of these initial findings.

Received October 9, 2015; accepted February 27, 2016 Published online July 20, 2016
Precipitation of carbonitrides and high-temperature strength in heat-affected zone of high-Nb containing fire-resistant steel
Authors: Wang H. H. , Qin Z. P. , Wei R. , Wan X. L. , Wu K. M. , Misra R. D. K.
Published: July 2016

The morphology and structure of precipitates in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of fire-resistant steel were studied by transmission electron microscopy, while the simulated elevated temperature strength studies were carried out to elucidate the effect of precipitation state on strength at high temperature. The precipitates were identified as (Nb,Ti)(C,N) with FCC structure. A high density of fine (Nb,Ti)(C,N) precipitated in subcritical HAZ. As the peak temperature of thermal cycle was increased, the density and size of particles were observed to decrease. During austenisation, precipitates were dissolved mostly in the coarse-grained heat-affected zone and dissolved totally in the fusion line. The higher strength at 600 °C was present in coarse-grained heat-affected zone and lower in intercritical heat-affected zone. The different precipitate condition in sub-HAZs led to the different evolution behaviour of carbonitrides on heating and thus high-temperature strength.
Three value ranges for symmetric self-mappings of the unit disc
Authors: Koch Julia , Schleißinger Sebastian
Published: July 2016

Let

D

\mathbb {D}

be the unit disc and

z
0

∈

D

.

z_0\in \mathbb {D}.

We determine the value range

{
f
(

z
0

)

|

f
∈

R

≥

}

\{f(z_0)\,|\, f\in \mathcal {R}^\geq \}

, where

R

≥

\mathcal {R}^\geq

is the set of holomorphic functions

f
:

D

→

D

f:\mathbb {D}\to \mathbb {D}

with

f
(
0
)
=
0

f(0)=0

and

f
′

(
0
)
≥
0

f’(0)\geq 0

that have only real coefficients in their power series expansion around

0
0

, and the smaller set

\{f(z_0)\,|\, f\in \mathcal {R}^\geq , \text {f

is typically real}\}.

Furthermore, we describe a third value range

{
f
(

z
0

)

|

f
∈

I

}

\{ f(z_0) \,|\, f \in \mathcal {I}\}

, where

I

\mathcal {I}

consists of all univalent self-mappings of the upper half-plane

H

\mathbb {H}

with hydrodynamical normalization which are symmetric with respect to the imaginary axis.
ntHash: recursive nucleotide hashing
Authors: Mohamadi Hamid , Chu Justin , Vandervalk Benjamin P. , Birol Inanc
Published: July 2016

Motivation

Hashing has been widely used for indexing, querying and rapid similarity search in many bioinformatics applications, including sequence alignment, genome and transcriptome assembly, k-mer counting and error correction. Hence, expediting hashing operations would have a substantial impact in the field, making bioinformatics applications faster and more efficient.

Results

We present ntHash, a hashing algorithm tuned for processing DNA/RNA sequences. It performs the best when calculating hash values for adjacent k-mers in an input sequence, operating an order of magnitude faster than the best performing alternatives in typical use cases.

Availability and implementation

ntHash is available online at http://www.bcgsc.ca/platform/bioinfo/software/nthash and is free for academic use.

Contacts

hmohamadi@bcgsc.ca or ibirol@bcgsc.ca

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
TopPIC: a software tool for top-down mass spectrometry-based proteoform identification and characterization
Authors: Kou Qiang , Xun Likun , Liu Xiaowen
Published: July 2016

Summary: Top-down mass spectrometry enables the observation of whole complex proteoforms in biological samples and provides crucial information complementary to bottom-up mass spectrometry. Because of the complexity of top-down mass spectra and proteoforms, it is a challenging problem to efficiently interpret top-down tandem mass spectra in high-throughput proteome-level proteomics studies. We present TopPIC, a tool that efficiently identifies and characterizes complex proteoforms with unknown primary structure alterations, such as amino acid mutations and post-translational modifications, by searching top-down tandem mass spectra against a protein database.

Availability and Implementation:  http://proteomics.informatics.iupui.edu/software/toppic/

Contact:  xwliu@iupui.edu

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
LEVER: software tools for segmentation, tracking and lineaging of proliferating cells
Authors: Winter Mark , Mankowski Walter , Wait Eric , Temple Sally , Cohen Andrew R.
Published: July 2016

The analysis of time-lapse images showing cells dividing to produce clones of related cells is an important application in biological microscopy. Imaging at the temporal resolution required to establish accurate tracking for vertebrate stem or cancer cells often requires the use of transmitted light or phase-contrast microscopy. Processing these images requires automated segmentation, tracking and lineaging algorithms. There is also a need for any errors in the automated processing to be easily identified and quickly corrected. We have developed LEVER, an open source software tool that combines the automated image analysis for phase-contrast microscopy movies with an easy-to-use interface for validating the results and correcting any errors.

Availability and Implementation: LEVER is available free and open source, licensed under the GNU GPLv3. Details on obtaining and using LEVER are available at http://n2t.net/ark:/87918/d9rp4t.

Contact:  acohen@coe.drexel.edu
Online interactive analysis of protein structure ensembles with Bio3D-web
Authors: Skjærven Lars , Jariwala Shashank , Yao Xin-Qiu , Grant Barry J.
Published: July 2016

Summary: Bio3D-web is an online application for analyzing the sequence, structure and conformational heterogeneity of protein families. Major functionality is provided for identifying protein structure sets for analysis, their alignment and refined structure superposition, sequence and structure conservation analysis, mapping and clustering of conformations and the quantitative comparison of their predicted structural dynamics.

Availability: Bio3D-web is based on the Bio3D and Shiny R packages. All major browsers are supported and full source code is available under a GPL2 license from http://thegrantlab.org/bio3d-web.

Contact:  bjgrant@umich.edu or lars.skjarven@uib.no
When Alzheimer disease strikes early
Authors: Perkins Amanda
Published: July 2016

Alzheimer disease is generally seen in individuals age 65 and older; however, in approximately 5% of cases, it occurs in those younger than age 65.
Preoperative Evaluation Clinic Visit Is Associated with Decreased Risk of In-hospital Postoperative Mortality
Authors: Blitz Jeanna D. , Kendale Samir M. , Jain Sudheer K. , Cuff Germaine E. , Kim Jung T. , Rosenberg Andrew D.
Published: July 2016

Background

As specialists in perioperative medicine, anesthesiologists are well equipped to design and oversee the preoperative patient preparation process; however, the impact of an anesthesiologist-led preoperative evaluation clinic (PEC) on clinical outcomes has yet to be fully elucidated. The authors compared the incidence of in-hospital postoperative mortality in patients who had been evaluated in their institution’s PEC before elective surgery to the incidence in patients who had elective surgery without being seen in the PEC.

Methods

A retrospective review of an administrative database was performed. There were 46 deaths from 64,418 patients (0.07%): 22 from 35,535 patients (0.06%) seen in PEC and 24 from 28,883 patients (0.08%) not seen in PEC. After propensity score matching, there were 13,964 patients within each matched set; there were 34 deaths (0.1%). There were 11 deaths from 13,964 (0.08%) patients seen in PEC and 23 deaths from 13,964 (0.16%) patients not seen in PEC. A subanalysis to assess the effect of a PEC visit on deaths as a result of failure to rescue (FTR) was also performed.

Results

A visit to PEC was associated with a reduction in mortality (odds ratio, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.22 to 0.96, P = 0.04) by comparison of the matched cohorts. The FTR subanalysis suggested that the proportion of deaths attributable to an unanticipated surgical complication was not significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.141).

Conclusions

An in-person assessment at the PEC was associated with a reduction in in-hospital mortality. It was difficult to draw conclusions about whether a difference exists in the proportion of FTR deaths between the two cohorts due to small sample size.
A Population-based Study Evaluating the Association between Surgery in Early Life and Child Development at Primary School Entry
Authors: O’Leary James D. , Janus Magdalena , Duku Eric , Wijeysundera Duminda N. , To Teresa , Li Ping , Maynes Jason T. , Crawford Mark W.
Published: July 2016

Background

It is unclear whether exposure to surgery in early life has long-term adverse effects on child development. The authors aimed to investigate whether surgery in early childhood is associated with adverse effects on child development measured at primary school entry.

Methods

The authors conducted a population-based cohort study in Ontario, Canada, by linking provincial health administrative databases to children’s developmental outcomes measured by the Early Development Instrument (EDI). From a cohort of 188,557 children, 28,366 children who underwent surgery before EDI completion (age 5 to 6 yr) were matched to 55,910 unexposed children. The primary outcome was early developmental vulnerability, defined as any domain of the EDI in the lowest tenth percentile of the population. Subgroup analyses were performed based on age at first surgery (less than 2 and greater than or equal to 2 yr) and frequency of surgery.

Results

Early developmental vulnerability was increased in the exposed group (7,259/28,366; 25.6%) compared with the unexposed group (13,957/55,910; 25.0%), adjusted odds ratio, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.08. Children aged greater than or equal to 2 yr at the time of first surgery had increased odds of early developmental vulnerability compared with unexposed children (odds ratio, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.10), but children aged less than 2 yr at the time of first exposure were not at increased risk (odds ratio, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.98 to 1.10). There was no increase in odds of early developmental vulnerability with increasing frequency of exposure.

Conclusions

Children who undergo surgery before primary school age are at increased risk of early developmental vulnerability, but the magnitude of the difference between exposed and unexposed children is small.
Inappropriate dose of multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors: the original sin
Authors: Kotecki Nuria , Penel Nicolas
Published: July 2016

Purpose of review

The use of antiangiogenic tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is challenging and often requires dose adaptation and transient or definitive treatment interruption. We believe that the inappropriate recommended dose of TKI is related to no optimal study designs in the early development of the drug.

Recent findings

As an example of this, we described herein some pitfalls made in the successive development of sunitinib, sorafenib, regorafenib, and pazopanib, but there are several other examples of early drugs development illustrating this issue.

Regarding the antiangiogenic TKI mechanism of action, we strongly feel that innovative approaches are needed such as extended dose-limiting toxicity period or a better definition of the induced toxicity. Furthermore, before classic phase II/III trials, an intermediate step may be needed to better define the recommended phase II dose, such as a randomized phase I/II trial with several expansion cohorts.
Polycystic ovary syndrome in adolescents: a review of past year evidence
Authors: Javed Asma , Chelvakumar Gayathri , Bonny Andrea E.
Published: July 2016

Purpose of review

Despite the fact that polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common disorder, much remains unknown or controversial regarding the cause, diagnosis, and management of this disorder, particularly in adolescents where normal pubertal events can overlap with the PCOS phenotype.

Recent findings

We put forth a critical assessment of recent literature on PCOS in adolescents, with particular focus on new information regarding the pathogenesis, diagnosis, associated morbidities, and management.

Although the evidence is increasing, there is still a critical need for large, prospective studies of adolescents with PCOS. Given the current level of evidence, a definitive diagnosis of PCOS is not necessary to effectively identify and treat manifestations of this syndrome in adolescents. Currently, ovarian imaging is not recommended in the diagnostic evaluation of PCOS in adolescents until high-quality data for defining polycystic ovarian morphology are available in this age group. Weight loss remains the safest and most effective treatment option for obese or overweight adolescents with PCOS. Clinicians should be mindful of the significant associated psychological morbidity and effectively screen and manage these conditions in adolescents with manifestations of PCOS.