bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Global warming in the context of 2000 years of Australian alpine temperature and snow cover
Authors: McGowan Hamish , Callow John Nikolaus , Soderholm Joshua , McGrath Gavan , Campbell Micheline , Zhao Jian-xin
Published: March 2018

Annual resolution reconstructions of alpine temperatures are rare, particularly for the Southern Hemisphere, while no snow cover reconstructions exist. These records are essential to place in context the impact of anthropogenic global warming against historical major natural climate events such as the Roman Warm Period (RWP), Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) and Little Ice Age (LIA). Here we show for a marginal alpine region of Australia using a carbon isotope speleothem reconstruction, warming over the past five decades has experienced equivalent magnitude of temperature change and snow cover decline to the RWP and MCA. The current rate of warming is unmatched for the past 2000 years and seasonal snow cover is at a minimum. On scales of several decades, mean maximum temperatures have undergone considerable change ≈ ± 0.8 °C highlighting local scale susceptibility to rapid temperature change, evidence of which is often masked in regional to hemisphere scale temperature reconstructions.
High-throughput fecundity measurements in Drosophila
Authors: Nouhaud Pierre , Mallard François , Poupardin Rodolphe , Barghi Neda , Schlötterer Christian
Published: March 2018

Fecundity is probably the most frequently studied fitness component in Drosophila. Nevertheless, currently used methods to measure fecundity are not well-suited for large-scale experiments, with many populations being assayed in parallel. Here we present a standardized pipeline to measure fecundity in many Drosophila population samples with substantially reduced hand on times. Using a high-contrast medium for egg laying, we developed a Java plug-in for ImageJ to quantify the number of eggs by image processing. We show that our method is fast and provides reliable egg counts.
Photoinduced Topological Phase Transitions in Topological Magnon Insulators
Authors: Owerre S. A.
Published: March 2018

Topological magnon insulators are the bosonic analogs of electronic topological insulators. They are manifested in magnetic materials with topologically nontrivial magnon bands as realized experimentally in a quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D) kagomé ferromagnet Cu(1–3, bdc), and they also possess protected magnon edge modes. These topological magnetic materials can transport heat as well as spin currents, hence they can be useful for spintronic applications. Moreover, as magnons are charge-neutral spin-1 bosonic quasiparticles with a magnetic dipole moment, topological magnon materials can also interact with electromagnetic fields through the Aharonov-Casher effect. In this report, we study photoinduced topological phase transitions in intrinsic topological magnon insulators in the kagomé ferromagnets. Using magnonic Floquet-Bloch theory, we show that by varying the light intensity, periodically driven intrinsic topological magnetic materials can be manipulated into different topological phases with different sign of the Berry curvatures and the thermal Hall conductivity. We further show that, under certain conditions, periodically driven gapped topological magnon insulators can also be tuned to synthetic gapless topological magnon semimetals with Dirac-Weyl magnon cones. We envision that this work will pave the way for interesting new potential practical applications in topological magnetic materials.
Selective carbon dioxide sorption by a new breathing three-dimensional Zn-MOF with Lewis basic nitrogen-rich channels
Authors: Kim Hyun-Chul , Huh Seong , Lee Do Nam , Kim Youngmee
Published: March 2018

A CO2 selective dynamic three-dimensional MOF, [Zn2(μ4-3,3′-PDBA)2(μ2-bpa)]3·(DMF)5(H2O)13, shows an unusual 3(2 + 1)-fold interpenetrated structure and phenomenal hysteretic behavior in CO2 sorption.
Octahydrocurcumin, a final hydrogenated metabolite of curcumin, possesses superior anti-tumor activity through induction of cellular apoptosis
Authors: Zhang Zhenbiao , Luo Dandan , Xie Jianhui , Lin Guosheng , Zhou Jiangtao , Liu Weihai , Li Huilin , Yi Tiegang , Su Ziren , Chen Jianping
Published: March 2018

Curcumin (CUR), a promising natural-occurring dietary compound for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), was closely associated with its metabolite.
InSe: a two-dimensional material with strong interlayer coupling
Authors: Sun Yuanhui , Luo Shulin , Zhao Xin-Gang , Biswas Koushik , Li Song-Lin , Zhang Lijun
Published: March 2018

Interlayer coupling in atomically thin, two-dimensional indium selenide (InSe) may have a significant impact on its properties, including large tunability in the band gap, height of band-edge state, phonon frequency, and high carrier mobility.
Formation and stabilization of pores in bilayer membranes by peptide-like amphiphilic polymers
Authors: Checkervarty Ankush , Werner Marco , Sommer Jens-Uwe
Published: March 2018

We study pore formation in models of lipid bilayer membranes interacting with amphiphilic copolymers mimicking anti-microbial peptides using Monte Carlo simulations and we rationalize our results by a simple brush-model for the fluid membrane.
Catalytic cyanosilylation using germylene stabilized platinum(ii) dicyanide
Authors: Sharma Mahendra Kumar , Singh Dharmendra , Mahawar Pritam , Yadav Ravi , Nagendran Selvarajan
Published: March 2018

Catalytic cyanosilylation using platinum compound 3 is reported. Compound 3 is a germylene stabilized platinum(ii) dicyanide, trans-{(iBu)2ATIGe(iPr)}2Pt(CN)2 (ATI = aminotroponiminate).
Recent advances in iodine mediated electrochemical oxidative cross-coupling
Authors: Liu Kun , Song Chunlan , Lei Aiwen
Published: March 2018

This review article gives an overview of the recent development of iodine mediated electrochemical oxidative coupling reactions.
Synthesis of CID-cleavable protein crosslinking agents containing quaternary amines for structural mass spectrometry
Authors: Hagen Susan E. , Liu Kun , Jin Yafei , Piersimoni Lolita , Andrews Philip C. , Showalter Hollis D.
Published: March 2018

Two novel cyclic quaternary amine crosslinking probes are synthesized for structural mass spectrometry of protein complexes in solution and for analysis of protein interactions in organellar and whole cell extracts.
A hierarchical porous N-doped carbon electrode with superior rate performance and cycling stability for flexible supercapacitors
Authors: Cheng Meng , Meng Yuena , Meng Qinghai , Mao Lijuan , Zhang Miao , Amin Kamran , Ahmad Aziz , Wu Sixin , Wei Zhixiang
Published: March 2018

A novel all-carbon electrode with high N-doping content and a hierarchical porous structure was obtained successfully for high performance flexible supercapacitors.
Sodium periodate/TEMPO as a selective and efficient system for amine oxidation
Authors: Galletti P. , Martelli G. , Prandini G. , Colucci C. , Giacomini D.
Published: March 2018

NaIO4/TEMPO efficiently allowed a metal-free oxidation of benzylamines to benzaldehydes with complete selectivity for N-benzyl residues in secondary amines.
Facile fabrication of hydrogel coated membrane for controllable and selective oil-in-water emulsion separation
Authors: Zhang Qingdong , Liu Na , Wei Yen , Feng Lin
Published: March 2018

For the first time, we report that the hydrogel-networks coated membrane exhibits selective separation for cationic and nonionic types of surfactants-stabilized emulsions.
Improved exploiting modification direction‐based steganography using dynamic weightage array
Authors: Saha S. , Ghosal S.K. , Chakraborty A. , Dhargupta S. , Sarkar R. , Mandal J.K.
Published: March 2018

An improved exploiting modification direction‐based image steganography technique has been proposed. The cover image is decomposed into non‐overlapping units of n pixels each to embed 2kn‐ary numbers in row major order. Here, k is the number of bits to be embedded in each pixel. Therefore, the number of bits the message sender wants to embed is not restricted by this method. The dynamic nature of the weightage array makes the process pseudo‐random by producing a different key for different message images. Experimental results ensure higher payload and reduced quality distortion of stego‐images over existing schemes.
View planning method for complete 3D digitisation of the scene
Authors: Singh M.K. , Venkatesh K.S. , Dutta A.
Published: March 2018

The problem of where to position the range sensor next for generating a completely seamless integration of a targeted surface from multiple range datasets acquired at different spatial poses is one of the challenging tasks in machine vision. A new view planning method is proposed for complete reconstruction of the real scene from the minimum number of range datasets. The generated surface model covers approximately all major attributes of the scene with minimal a priori knowledge about its geometry. Finally, the experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Feedback followed bias generation scheme for complementary passive mixer
Authors: Liao Youchun , Mei Niansong , Zhang Zhaofeng
Published: March 2018

A complementary passive mixer with feedback followed gate bias generation scheme is proposed. The gate voltage of the switches follows the common‐mode voltage (VCM) of the signal paths, so that the proposed mixer achieves constant switching gate‐to‐source bias voltage and coherent performances while VCM changes over a certain range. Furthermore, a dc offset cancelation method based on the bias generation circuit is proposed. The dc component of the intermediate frequency is feedbacked to the bias generation input to form a cancelation path. A behavioural model is deduced to prove the effect of the offset cancelation and second intercept point (IIP2) improvement. The proposed mixer is implemented in a 0.13 μm CMOS process, and measurement results show that robust performance with the VCM range of 0.5–0.7 V and 16 dB IIP2 improvement are obtained.
Analytical method for extraction of the single‐diode model parameters for photovoltaic panels from datasheet data
Authors: Franco R.A.P. , Vieira F.H.T.
Published: March 2018

In this Letter, the authors present a new analytical method for determining the parameter values for the single‐diode model of photovoltaic (PV) panels. More specifically, the authors propose explicit equations for all the parameters of the model so that their values can be directly extracted from the data provided in the PV panel datasheet. The results show that the proposed method provides smaller errors between the calculated and experimental I–V curves than other analytical approaches.
Saturated sliding mode control with limited magnitude and rate
Authors: Wang Siyi , Gao Yabing , Liu Jianxing , Wu Ligang
Published: March 2018

This study is concerned with the sliding mode control design subject to actuator saturation. The actuator saturation is formulated with the rate limitation and the standard magnitude limitation. Both the saturated sliding mode control approaches against the known and the unknown bounded uncertainties are discussed. The stability analysis for the resulting overall closed‐loop systems is conducted. Moreover, several optimisation conditions are established to estimate the attraction domain of the saturated system under the designed controllers, by determining the invariant set of the system. Finally, simulation examples are shown to illustrate the proposed control design scheme.
Animal classification using facial images with score‐level fusion
Authors: Taheri Shahram , Toygar Önsen
Published: March 2018

A real‐world animal biometric system that detects and describes animal life in image and video data is an emerging subject in machine vision. These systems develop computer vision approaches for the classification of animals. A novel method for animal face classification based on score‐level fusion of recently popular convolutional neural network (CNN) features and appearance‐based descriptor features is presented. This method utilises a score‐level fusion of two different approaches; one uses CNN which can automatically extract features, learn and classify them; and the other one uses kernel Fisher analysis (KFA) for its feature extraction phase. The proposed method may also be used in other areas of image classification and object recognition. The experimental results show that automatic feature extraction in CNN is better than other simple feature extraction techniques (both local‐ and appearance‐based features), and additionally, appropriate score‐level combination of CNN and simple features can achieve even higher accuracy than applying CNN alone. The authors showed that the score‐level fusion of CNN extracted features and appearance‐based KFA method have a positive effect on classification accuracy. The proposed method achieves 95.31% classification rate on animal faces which is significantly better than the other state‐of‐the‐art methods.
Influence of direct‐connected inverter with one power switch open circuit fault on electromagnetic field and temperature field of permanent magnet synchronous motor
Authors: Li Weili , Li Lin , Gao Hanying , Li Dong , Zhang Xiaochen , Fan Yu
Published: March 2018

For permanent magnetic motors, the faults in inverter may cause serious mechanical vibration, winding overheating, and thermal demagnetisation for the magnets. Thus, this study addresses the problem of the electromagnetic field and temperature distributions for permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) under open circuit fault (OCF) in the upper switch of one phase. Firstly, taking a 12.5 kW 2000 r/min PMSM as an example, the 2D transient electromagnetic field‐circuit coupling calculation model is established. Then the flowing paths of the three‐phase currents in inverter are analysed before and after the OCF in the upper switch of one phase. Next, by using the finite‐element method, the current harmonics, the electromagnetic torque, the rotating speed, and the losses in PMSM are investigated. Simultaneously, direct current component and torque pulsation are also derived. Based on the 3D temperature field, the temperature distributions in different parts of PMSM also are comparatively studied before and after this fault. Moreover, the temperature of permanent magnets, which is the part most seriously affected by the temperature, are further analysed. Finally, calculation and experimental tests prove the accuracy of the theoretical analysis. The obtained conclusions may provide some references for the limit operation and effective diagnosis for inverter faults.
Analytical modelling of the effect of pole offset on the output parameters of BLDC motor
Authors: Jafarboland Mehrdad , Sargazi Mostafa Miri
Published: March 2018

In this study, a new analytical model is provided to calculate the effect of the pole offset on the output parameters of brushless DC (BLDC) motor. The proposed model is based on the two‐dimensional analysis model and the direct solution of Laplace and Cauchy–Poisson equations for the magnetic field in the air gap and the magnets area. In this model, radial and tangential components of the magnetisation vector are calculated. Effect of pole offset on the radial and tangential components of magnetisation vector is derived. It is shown that in the case of a motor with pole offset although the length of the magnet decreases at the edges of the pole, the effective air‐gap length remains constant. This study proposed two coefficients to model the reduced thickness of the magnets at the edges of the poles. Therefore, the flux density is calculated in the air gap and motor magnets. Based on the proposed model, effect of pole offset on the cogging torque ripple and back‐electromotive force is achieved. These results are compared with the results of finite element and experimental tests and accuracy of the model is presented.
Evaluation of a magnetic gear for air‐cooled condenser applications
Authors: Matthee Alexander , Wang Rong‐Jie , Agenbach Charles J. , Els Daniel N.J. , Kamper Maarten J.
Published: March 2018

In high‐power industrial applications such as air‐cooled condenser fans, excessive mechanical gear failures highlight a need to investigate possible alternatives. In this study, the concentric magnetic gear (CMG) is evaluated as a potential replacement for traditional mechanical gear. For a more objective comparison between the CMG and mechanical gear, a CMG is optimally designed in accordance with the performance specifications of an existing mechanical gear. The design is further refined for performance improvements taking into account mechanical strength requirements. Based on the design a CMG prototype is manufactured and experimentally evaluated against its mechanical counterpart under the same operating conditions. The performance of both gears achieved efficiency in the mid 90% range. The mechanical gear slightly outperformed the CMG under rated operating conditions. The large unbalanced magnetic forces within the CMG are likely responsible for the larger than expected no‐load losses. With the advantage of overload protection, reduced maintenance requirements, the CMG could be a valid replacement for the mechanical gear.
Influence of rotor endcaps on the electromagnetic performance of high‐speed PM machine
Authors: Al‐Timimy Ahmed , Al‐Ani Mahir , Degano Michele , Giangrande Paolo , Gerada Chris , Galea Michael
Published: March 2018

Surface‐mounted permanent magnet (SPM) machines are preferred for high‐speed aerospace applications over induction and switched reluctance machines, since they combine the advantages of high torque density and efficiency. Also, in aerospace applications, where low rotor weight and inertia are essential requirements, a permeable hollow shaft is proposed to replace the need for rotor back‐iron and reduce the overall rotor weight. For rotor mechanical integrity, a retaining sleeve is commonly used, leading to thicker magnetic airgap. Furthermore, when permeable rotor endcaps are applied, an increase of the magnetic end leakage occurs, i.e. end‐effect. In this study, the influence of the rotor endcaps on the mechanical and electromagnetic performance of a high‐speed SPM machine is investigated through 3D‐finite element analyses. Also, different endcap thickness and different rotor shaft materials are investigated and compared in this work. Finally, a prototype of the SPM machine under study has been manufactured and tested. The comparison between simulation and experimental results is presented and discussed.
Modelling and analysis of a synchronous machine‐emulated active intertying converter in hybrid AC/DC microgrids
Authors: Alrajhi Alsiraji Hasan , Radwan Amr Ahmed A. , El‐Shatshat Ramadan
Published: March 2018

The integration of renewable energy resources into the electrical distribution systems faces several stability challenges especially in the low inertia conditions. To address these issues, this study introduces a virtual synchronous machine (VSM) control strategy for the intertying power electronic converters in the autonomous AC/DC hybrid microgrids. It is shown that the VSM‐based controller improves the system damping following the frequency disturbances and the AC/DC voltage variations. Moreover, a power management regulation topology is implemented in the active intertying converter to achieve an accurate bidirectional power flow under different loading conditions. A small‐signal state‐space model for the entire hybrid system is developed to assess the overall system performance. Time‐domain simulation results under the PSCAD/EMTDC environment are also presented to investigate the effectiveness of the proposed techniques. The introduction of the VSM control for the intertying converters in the hybrid AC/DC microgrids provides a significant improvement in the dynamic performance and increases the robustness against external disturbances.
Model approach of power networks based on unsymmetrical inertia distribution for disturbance propagation study
Authors: Qin Junda , Bi Tianshu , Liu Hao , Martin Kennth E.
Published: March 2018

With the development of grid interconnections, the propagation phenomena of disturbance are more and more apparent. They take the form of electromechanical waves. These waves could contribute to cascading events and even large blackouts. To avoid this problem and to devise a prevention control strategy, the authors present further analysis of disturbance propagation. In this study, the disturbance propagation characteristic is studied to illuminate the influence of the network structure and the line reactance. The relationship function between generator inertia and impedance is derived. The model approach of power networks based on unsymmetrical inertia distribution is presented; the electromechanical wave model of power systems is built based on the network frame structure. The simulations are carried out to demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed disturbance propagation model.
In‐use emissions testing of diesel‐driven buses in Southampton: is selective catalytic reduction as effective as fleet operators think?
Authors: Sowman Jonathan , Box Simon , Wong Alan , Grote Matt , Laila Dina S. , Gillam Gus , Cruden Andrew J. , Preston John M. , Fussey Peter
Published: March 2018

Despite the continuously tightening emissions legislation, urban concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NOx) remain at harmful levels. Road transport is responsible for a large fraction, wherein diesel engines are the principal culprits. Turbocharged diesel engines have long been preferred in heavy duty applications, due to their torque delivery and low fuel consumption. Fleet operators are under pressure to understand and control the emissions of their vehicles, yet the performance of emissions abatement technology in real‐world driving is largely unquantified. The most popular NOx abatement technology for heavy duty diesel vehicles is selective catalytic reduction. In this work, the authors empirically determine the efficiency of a factory‐fitted selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system in real‐world driving by instrumenting passenger buses with both a portable emissions measurement system and a custom‐built telematics unit to record key parameters from the vehicle diagnostics systems. They find that even in relatively favourable conditions, while there is some improvement due to the use of SCR, the vehicles operate far from the design emissions targets. The archival value of this study is in quantification of real world emissions versus design levels and the factors responsible for the discrepancy, as well as in examination of technologies to reduce this difference.
Four‐feed reconfigurable MIMO antenna for metal‐frame smartphone applications
Authors: Zhang Yong‐Hang , Yang Shi‐Rong , Ban Yong‐Ling , Qiang Yun‐Fei , Guo Jinhong , Yu Zhe‐Feng
Published: March 2018

A reconfigurable multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) antenna design for the smartphone with a metal frame capable of covering hepta‐band LTE/WWAN is proposed. The proposed antenna has four monopole slots (two long slots and two short slots) etched on the top and bottom side of the system ground, respectively. Two PIN diodes are inserted into the two long monopole slots. When these two PIN diodes are OFF, the two long monopole slots can generate the desired lower‐band (824–960 MHz) which can be applied in a 2 × 2 MIMO system. When these two PIN diodes are ON, the corresponding lengths of these two long slots are decreased to the same length as the short slots. Then these four ports can excite the desired upper‐band (1710–2690 MHz) which can be used for a 4 × 4 MIMO system. In addition, the performances of the proposed antenna including the return loss, isolation, efficiency, envelop correlation coefficient, mean effective gain, and channel capacity are presented.
Transmit beampattern synthesis for MIMO radar using extended circulating code
Authors: Li Shengyuan , Liu Nan , Zhang Linrang , Zhang Juan , Tang Shiyang , Huang Xiang
Published: March 2018

In multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) radar settings, it is often desired to transmit power only to a given location or sets of locations defined by the beampattern. Some previous works achieve transmit beampattern synthesis by developing new MIMO radar architectures. In these radar architectures, orthogonal waveforms must be utilised. In fact, the perfect orthogonal waveforms are hardly achievable so that the radar performance loss is inevitable. On the other hand, some waveform design methods, which show superior performance, are proposed. However, the modulus variation and high computational complexity impede their applications in reality. In this study, a simple method for transmit beampattern synthesis is proposed. Based on the circulating code principle, the beampattern synthesis problem has been simplified as a single waveform spectral shaping issue. To solve the spectral shaping issue, an extended circulating code (ECC) with constant modulus is provided. The proposed ECC can achieve an arbitrary beampattern with a single constant modulus waveform while the computational complexity is relatively low. Due to these properties, ECC is simple to apply in practice. The method is evaluated by simulated data and the results can verify its effectiveness.
Maximum‐likelihood angle estimator for multi‐channel FM‐radio‐based passive coherent location
Authors: Park Geun‐Ho , Kim Dong‐Gyu , Kim Ho Jae , Kim Hyoung‐Nam
Published: March 2018

Frequency‐modulation‐based (FM‐based) passive coherent location (PCL) systems can estimate the target location/velocity by exploiting a single FM channel. In order to improve the performance of PCL systems, multi‐channel‐single‐transmitter setup‐based PCL systems have been studied recently. However, it has not yet been considered for direction of arrival estimation based on the multi‐channel configuration. Thus, the authors propose a maximum‐likelihood angle estimator exploiting the multiple FM‐radio channels and derive the Cramer‐Rao bound for verifying the convergence of the proposed method in the sense of root‐mean‐square error (RMSE). In addition, they propose a target association algorithm for solving the ambiguity problem in selecting the steering vectors of each target. Computer simulations are included to show the estimation performance of the proposed method and to compare the RMSE of the single‐channel case with that of the multi‐channel case.
Multi‐static radar power allocation for multi‐stage stochastic task of missile interception
Authors: Yang Yichuan , Zhang Tianxian , Yi Wei , Kong Lingjiang , Li Xiaolong , Yang Xiaobo
Published: March 2018

Considering a multi‐stage stochastic task, in which a multi‐static radar system (MSRS) is applied to assist with missile interception, the authors study an optimisation problem of radar resource management. Specifically, under restriction of a fixed energy budget, the authors devote to minimise the loss, which is caused by the unsuccessfully intercepted missiles, through optimal power allocation (OPA) of MSRS within multiple stages. The design of OPA can be translated into a sequential decision‐making problem. The authors formulate the problem through variable definition and modelling the missile interception procedure. As the authors need to consider the randomness of multiple coupled stages and jointly allocation power between multiple radar nodes, to solve the proposed problem is of huge computational load. The authors propose a solution that combines with reinforcement learning and particle swarm optimisation. Comparing with the uniform power allocation scheme, the simulation results demonstrate that the OPA scheme designed by the proposed method is capable to achieve preferable and more stable performance for the whole missile interception. The authors' contributions include a novel optimisation resource management model for a multi‐stage stochastic task and an effective solution for the optimal resource management scheme.
Muscular Strength is Independently Associated with Cystatin C: The KORA-Age Study
Authors: Volaklis Konstantinos , Thorand Barbara , Peters Anette , Halle Martin , Margot Heier , Amann Ute , Ladwig Karl , Schulz Holger , Koenig Wolfgang , Meisinger Christa
Published: March 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate if there is a link between muscular strength (MS) and markers of chronic kidney disease (CKD) among older adults. The cross-sectional analysis based on 1041 men and women, aged 65–94 years, who participated in the KORA-Age study. Participants underwent an interview and extensive examinations including anthropometric measurements, diseases and drug intake registration, determination of health-related behaviors, collection of blood samples for measurements of cystatin C and maximal muscle strength evaluation. One-Way ANOVA revealed significant differences in both mean cystatin C (1.16±0.37 vs. 1.03±0.29 vs. 0.93±0.24 mg/L, p<0.001) and mean eGFRcysC (63.61±18.61 vs. 72.14±18.92 vs. 79.87±18.19 ml/min/1.73 m2, p<0.05) across thirds of maximal muscular strength (from lowest to highest). MS in the lowest third was significantly associated with increased odds of having elevated cystatin C (OR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.01–2.85, p=0.043) after controlling for age, gender, fat mass, fat-free mass, alcohol intake, smoking status, number of regularly used medications, multimorbidity status, hs-CRP, telomere length and levels of physical activity. Lower levels of MS are independently associated with higher concentrations of cystatin C and lower eGFRcysC in older individuals. Increasing the levels of muscular strength may be useful to prevent the age-related CKD disease of older adults.
Richtig einschätzen
Authors: Rotzinger Kerstin
Published: March 2018

Triage in der pädiatrischen Notaufnahme Zwei Säuglinge kommen in die
Notaufnahme, einer apathisch, einer laut schreiend. Welcher soll zuerst versorgt
werden? Gerade bei Patienten, die sich verbal nicht zu ihren Schmerzen äußern
können, sind objektive Einschätzungsinstrumente wichtig. Triagesysteme für
Erwachsene gibt es schon seit mehr als 200 Jahren – für die Einschätzung von
Kindern gelten dabei allerdings spezielle Regeln.
Mild preflowering drought priming improves stress defences, assimilation and sink strength in rice under severe terminal drought
Authors: Bahuguna R. N. , Tamilselvan A. , Muthurajan R. , Solis C. A. , Jagadish S. V. K.
Published: March 2018

Drought stress is a prominent and persisting constraint for sustaining global rice (Oryza sativa L.) production. Priming with mild drought can be effective in reducing the impact of severe terminal drought stress affecting seed set and grain filling in rice. The cultivars N22 (drought tolerant), NSIC Rc222 and IR64 (high yielding, drought sensitive) were tested for short-term mild drought priming before flowering and subsequently exposed to severe drought stress either at the highly sensitive flowering or at the early grain filling stage under greenhouse conditions. Drought stress increased oxidative damage and reduced photosynthesis and sink enzymatic activity, ultimately reducing seed set (20–46%) and grain yield (22–68%) across cultivars. However, priming with mild drought significantly reduced oxidative damage, and increased photosynthesis, stomatal conductance and enzymatic activity, contributing to improved sink strength, thereby significantly reducing seed set (7–18%) and grain yield (12–59%) losses. The higher activity of key enzymes associated with sink strength such as cell wall invertase and sucrose synthase in primed plants probably reduced drought-induced losses at the grain filling stage. The findings support mild drought priming before flowering as a promising strategy for reducing yield penalty by providing partial protection against subsequent severe terminal drought stress. However, application of mild drought priming at the field level would need further investigation.
Carnosine in health and disease
Authors: Artioli Guilherme Giannini , Sale Craig , Jones Rebecca Louise
Published: March 2018

Carnosine was originally discovered in skeletal muscle, where it exists in larger amounts than in other tissues. The majority of research into the physiological roles of carnosine have been conducted on skeletal muscle. Given this and the potential for muscle carnosine content to be increased with supplementation, there is now a large body of research examining the ergogenic effects (or otherwise) of carnosine. More recent research, however, points towards a potential for carnosine to exert a wider range of physiological effects in other tissues, including the brain, heart, pancreas, kidney and cancer cells. Taken together, this is suggestive of a potential for carnosine to have therapeutic benefits in health and disease, although this is by no means without complication. Herein, we will provide a review of the current literature relating to the potential therapeutic effects of carnosine in health and disease.
CLAMP/Spef1 regulates planar cell polarity signaling and asymmetric microtubule accumulation in the Xenopus ciliated epithelia
Authors: Kim Sun K. , Zhang Siwei , Werner Michael E. , Brotslaw Eva J. , Mitchell Jennifer W. , Altabbaa Mohamed M. , Mitchell Brian J.
Published: March 2018

Most epithelial cells polarize along the axis of the tissue, a feature known as planar cell polarity (PCP). The initiation of PCP requires cell–cell signaling via the noncanonical Wnt/PCP pathway. Additionally, changes in the cytoskeleton both facilitate and reflect this polarity. We have identified CLAMP/Spef1 as a novel regulator of PCP signaling. In addition to decorating microtubules (MTs) and the ciliary rootlet, a pool of CLAMP localizes at the apical cell cortex. Depletion of CLAMP leads to the loss of PCP protein asymmetry, defects in cilia polarity, and defects in the angle of cell division. Additionally, depletion of CLAMP leads to a loss of the atypical cadherin-like molecule Celrs2, suggesting that CLAMP facilitates the stabilization of junctional interactions responsible for proper PCP protein localization. Depletion of CLAMP also affects the polarized organization of MTs. We hypothesize that CLAMP facilitates the establishment of cell polarity and promotes the asymmetric accumulation of MTs downstream of the establishment of proper PCP.
Mutant LRRK2 mediates peripheral and central immune responses leading to neurodegeneration in vivo
Authors: Kozina Elena , Sadasivan Shankar , Jiao Yun , Dou Yuchen , Ma Zhijun , Tan Haiyan , Kodali Kiran , Shaw Timothy , Peng Junmin , Smeyne Richard J
Published: March 2018

Missense mutations in the leucine rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene result in late-onset Parkinson’s disease. The incomplete penetrance of LRRK2 mutations in humans and LRRK2 murine models of Parkinson’s disease suggests that the disease may result from a complex interplay of genetic predispositions and persistent exogenous insults. Since neuroinflammation is commonly associated with the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease, we examine a potential role of mutant LRRK2 in regulation of the immune response and inflammatory signalling in vivo. Here, we show that mice overexpressing human pathogenic LRRK2 mutations, but not wild-type mice or mice overexpressing human wild-type LRRK2 exhibit long-term lipopolysaccharide-induced nigral neuronal loss. This neurodegeneration is accompanied by an exacerbated neuroinflammation in the brain. The increased immune response in the brain of mutant mice subsequently has an effect on neurons by inducing intraneuronal LRRK2 upregulation. However, the enhanced neuroinflammation is unlikely to be triggered by dysfunctional microglia or infiltrated T cells and/or monocytes, but by peripheral circulating inflammatory molecules. Analysis of cytokine kinetics and inflammatory pathways in the peripheral immune cells demonstrates that LRRK2 mutation alters type II interferon immune response, suggesting that this increased neuroinflammatory response may arise outside the central nervous system. Overall, this study suggests that peripheral immune signalling plays an unexpected—but important—role in the regulation of neurodegeneration in LRRK2-associated Parkinson’s disease, and provides new targets for interfering with the onset and progression of the disease.
A Controlled Trial of Mass Drug Administration to Interrupt Transmission of Multidrug-Resistant Falciparum Malaria in Cambodian Villages
Authors: Tripura Rupam , Peto Thomas J , Chea Nguon , Chan Davoeung , Mukaka Mavuto , Sirithiranont Pasathorn , Dhorda Mehul , Promnarate Cholrawee , Imwong Mallika , von Seidlein Lorenz , Duanguppama Jureeporn , Patumrat Krittaya , Huy Rekol , Grobusch Martin P , Day Nicholas P J , White Nicholas J , Dondorp Arjen M
Published: March 2018

In Cambodian villages, 3-month mass drug administration with high coverage using dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine was safe and was followed by the absence of clinical Plasmodium falciparum cases for at least 1 year, despite the presence of multidrug-resistant parasites.
Piggy: a rapid, large-scale pan-genome analysis tool for intergenic regions in bacteria
Authors: Thorpe Harry A , Bayliss Sion C , Sheppard Samuel K , Feil Edward J
Published: March 2018

Background

The concept of the “pan-genome,” which refers to the total complement of genes within a given sample or species, is well established in bacterial genomics. Rapid and scalable pipelines are available for managing and interpreting pan-genomes from large batches of annotated assemblies. However, despite overwhelming evidence that variation in intergenic regions in bacteria can directly influence phenotypes, most current approaches for analyzing pan-genomes focus exclusively on protein-coding sequences.

Findings

To address this we present Piggy, a novel pipeline that emulates Roary except that it is based only on intergenic regions. A key utility provided by Piggy is the detection of highly divergent (“switched”) intergenic regions (IGRs) upstream of genes. We demonstrate the use of Piggy on large datasets of clinically important lineages of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.

Conclusions

For S. aureus, we show that highly divergent (switched) IGRs are associated with differences in gene expression and we establish a multilocus reference database of IGR alleles (igMLST; implemented in BIGSdb).
Integration of physical abuse clinical decision support into the electronic health record at a Tertiary Care Children’s Hospital
Authors: Suresh Srinivasan , Saladino Richard A , Fromkin Janet , Heineman Emily , McGinn Tom , Richichi Rudolph , Berger Rachel P
Published: March 2018

Objective

To evaluate the effect of a previously validated electronic health record-based child abuse trigger system on physician compliance with clinical guidelines for evaluation of physical abuse.

Methods

A randomized controlled trial (RCT) with comparison to a preintervention group was performed. RCT-experimental subjects’ providers received alerts with a direct link to a physical abuse-specific order set. RCT-control subjects’ providers had no alerts, but could manually search for the order set. Preintervention subjects’ providers had neither alerts nor access to the order set. Compliance with clinical guidelines was calculated.

Results

Ninety-nine preintervention subjects and 130 RCT subjects (73 RCT-experimental and 57 RCT-control) met criteria to undergo a physical abuse evaluation. Full compliance with clinical guidelines was 84% pre-intervention, 86% in RCT-control group, and 89% in RCT-experimental group. The physical abuse order set was used 43 times during the 7-month RCT. When the abuse order set was used, full compliance was 100%. The proportion of cases in which there was partial compliance decreased from 10% to 3% once the order set became available (P = .04). Male gender, having >10 years of experience and completion of a pediatric emergency medicine fellowship were associated with increased compliance.

Discussion/Conclusion

A child abuse clinical decision support system comprised of a trigger system, alerts and a physical abuse order set was quickly accepted into clinical practice. Use of the physical abuse order set always resulted in full compliance with clinical guidelines. Given the high baseline compliance at our site, evaluation of this alert system in hospitals with lower baseline compliance rates will be more valuable in assessing the efficacy in adherence to clinical guidelines for the evaluation of suspected child abuse.
Cancer Incidence and Multilevel Measures of Residential Economic and Racial Segregation for Cancer Registries
Authors: Krieger Nancy , Feldman Justin M , Kim Rockli , Waterman Pamela D
Published: March 2018

Background

The handful of studies (<30) on cancer and residential segregation have focused on racial segregation, primarily at the city/town level. We tested a priori hypotheses about choice of measure and level by extending use of the Index of Concentration at the Extremes (ICE) to quantify both economic and racial residential segregation, singly and combined, and conducted analyses for the total population and stratified by race/ethnicity.

Methods

Outcomes comprised Massachusetts incidence rates (2010–2014) for invasive breast, cervical, and lung cancer, analyzed in relation to census tract and city/town ICE measures for income, race/ethnicity, race/ethnicity + income, and the federal poverty line. Multilevel Poisson regression modeled observed counts of incident cases.

Results

Both choice of metric and level mattered. As illustrated by cervical cancer, in models including both the census tract and city/town levels, the rate ratio for the worst to best quintile for the total population was greatest at the census tract level for the ICE for racialized economic segregation (3.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.1 to 4.3) and least for the poverty measure (1.9, 95% CI = 1.4 to 2.6), with null associations at the city/town level. In analogous models with both levels for lung cancer, however, for the non-Hispanic black and Hispanic populations, the rate ratios for, respectively, the ICE and poverty measures, were larger (and excluded 1) at the city/town compared with the census tract level.

Conclusions

Our study suggests that the ICE for racialized economic segregation, at multiple levels, can be used to improve monitoring and analysis of cancer inequities.
Surgical Treatment of Extratemporal Epilepsy: Results and Prognostic Factors
Authors: Delev Daniel , Oehl Bernhard , Steinhoff Bernhard J , Nakagawa Julia , Scheiwe Christian , Schulze-Bonhage Andreas , Zentner Josef
Published: March 2018

BACKGROUND

Surgery is a widely accepted option for the treatment of pharmacoresistant epilepsies of extratemporal origin.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze clinical and epileptological results and to provide prognostic factors influencing seizure outcome.

METHODS

This retrospective single-center study comprises a consecutive series of 383 patients, most of whom had an identifiable lesion on MRI, who underwent resective surgery for extratemporal epilepsy. Data including diagnostic modalities, surgical treatment, histopathology, prognostic factors, and epileptological outcome were analyzed.

RESULTS

Resective procedures were located as follows: frontal (n = 183), parietal (n = 44), occipital (n = 24), and insular (n = 24). In 108 cases resection included more than 1 lobe. Histopatholological evaluation revealed focal cortical dysplasias (n = 178), tumors (n = 110), cavernomas (n = 27), gliosis (n = 42), and nonspecific findings (n = 36). A distinct epileptogenic lesion was detected in 338 (88.7%) patients. After a mean follow-up of 54 mo, 227 (62.5%) patients remained free from disabling seizures (Engel class I), and 178 (49%) were completely seizure free (Engel class Ia). There was no perioperative mortality. Permanent morbidity was encountered in 46 cases (11.8%). The following predictors were significantly associated with excellent seizure outcome (Engel I): lesion visible on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI; P = .02), noneloquent location (P = .01), complete resection of the lesion (P = .001), absence of epileptic activity postoperatively (P = .001), circumscribed histological findings (P = .001), lower age at surgery (P = .008), and shorter duration of epilepsy (P = .02).

CONCLUSION

Surgical treatment of extratemporal epilepsy provides satisfying epileptological results with an acceptable morbidity. Best results can be achieved in younger patients with circumscribed MRI lesions, which can be resected completely.
Pediatric Pontine Cavernous Malformations: The Presigmoid, Posterior Petrosal Approach
Authors: Kulwin Charles G , Payner Troy D , Nelson Rick F , Ackerman Laurie L , Fulkerson Daniel H
Published: March 2018

BACKGROUND

Brainstem cavernous malformations (cavernomas) in children have a high risk of hemorrhage and neurological deterioration. This risk is magnified if the child has a genetic predisposition for cavernoma formation. The surgical management is challenging and carries a significant risk of morbidity.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the feasibility of a posterior petrosal approach to brainstem cavernomas in a pediatric population.

METHODS

A single institution operative experience with this technique was reviewed; 2 cases were identified and are technically described here with supportive figures and illustrations, as well as a focused literature review.

RESULTS

Two pediatric cases with multiple symptomatic hemorrhages from large expanding pontine cavernomas were identified. Both cavernomas were resected through a presigmoid posterior petrosal approach. While this approach is well described in the adult literature for ventral brainstem lesions, its description for the treatment of pontine cavernomas in the pediatric populations is scarce.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates the utility and feasibility of the posterior petrosal approach in two pediatric patients at different points in cranial base development.
Cerebral Hyperperfusion Syndrome by the Numbers: Transient Focal Neurological Deficit, Imaging-Proven Focal Hyperperfusion, and High Graft Flow Rate Following Superficial Temporal Artery-Middle Cerebral Artery bypass in a Patient With Symptomatic Carotid Occlusion—Case Report
Authors: Rahme Ralph , Sudhakar Tejaswi D , Alimi Marjan , White Timothy G , Ortiz Rafael A , Langer David J
Published: March 2018

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE

Cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome (CHS) is a well-known complication of superficial temporal artery (STA) to middle cerebral artery (MCA) bypass for ischemic cerebrovascular disease. While this argues against “low flow” in the bypass construct, flow rates in the graft have not been previously quantified in the setting of CHS.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION

A 58-yr-old man presented with recurrent left hemispheric ischemic strokes and fluctuating right hemiparesis and aphasia. Vascular imaging revealed left cervical internal carotid artery occlusion and perfusion imaging confirmed left hemispheric hypoperfusion. After failing to respond to maximal medical therapy, the patient underwent single-barrel STA-MCA bypass. Postoperatively, his symptoms resolved and blood pressure (BP) was strictly controlled within normal range. However, 2 d later, he developed severe expressive aphasia. CTA demonstrated a patent bypass graft and SPECT showed focal hyperperfusion in Broca's speech area. Seizure activity was ruled out. A high graft flow rate of 52 mL/min was documented by quantitative magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). Thus, the diagnosis of CHS was made and managed with strict BP control. The patient exhibited complete recovery of speech over a period of days and was discharged home. Repeat SPECT at 4 mo showed resolution of hyperperfusion and quantitative MRA demonstrated reduction of graft flow rate to 34 mL/min.

CONCLUSION

This is the first case of perfusion imaging-proven CHS after STA-MCA bypass, where high graft flow rates are objectively documented. Our observations constitute irrefutable evidence challenging the classic belief that the STA-MCA bypass is a low-flow construct.