bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Growth Parameters of Zea mays (Maize) and Talinum triangulare (Water Leaf) in Variable Iron and Potassium Growth Media
Authors: G.O. Ogunlade-Anibasa, , K.E Jibril, , E.I Otteh,
Published: September 2024

This study investigates the effects of soil heterogeneity and nutrient fortification on the growth rates of two important food crops - maize (Zea mays) and waterleaf (Talinum triangulare). With increasing population pressures and climate change impacts posing challenges to food security, strategies are needed to improve crop yields, especially in developing economies. The research conducts greenhouse trials to measure plant growth parameters in simulated potassium and iron-fortified heterogeneous, homogeneous, and control soil treatments. Key growth parameters like number of leaves, stem height and leaf area were measured weekly for both crops across the different treatment conditions. The mean weekly longest leaf length of T.triangulaire in the control, homogenous and heterogenous treatments were 1.71cm, 1.47cm and 1.79cm respectively while that of Zea mays were  22.65cm, 18.63cm and 15.70cm respectively. Similarly, the mean weekly stem height and stem width were 0.33cm, 0.65cm, 0.56cm and 0.81cm, 1.24cm, 1.29cm for the control, homogenous and heterogenous treatments of T.triangulaire while that of Zea mays for the mean weekly stem height and leaf width were 10.00cm, 6.44cm, 6.08cm and 2.11cm, 1.42cm, 1.46cm for the control, homogenous and heterogenous treatments respectively. There was no significant difference (p >0.05) in the growth parameters of Zea mays between treatments. Similarly, no significant difference was observed in the growth parameters of T.triangulaire between treatments. However, there was a significant difference (p>0.05) in the growth parameters of both crops. This suggests a species-specific response to spatial distribution of nutrients. The study aimed to understand how soil heterogeneity, when combined with nutrient amendments, influences plant growth dynamics. Findings from this work could guide nutrient management strategies and inform efforts to improve crop productivity amid soil resource variability. By focusing on maize and waterleaf - staple food and vegetable crops widely consumed globally - the findings have implications for enhancing food crop cultivation and contributing to sustainable development goals around food security, nutrition, and agricultural practices resilient to environmental changes.
Algal Biofuels: A Comprehensive Review and Analysis
Authors: Phillip Akash , Goyal Bhawna
Published: September 2024

The depletion of fossil fuels and increased atmospheric CO2 levels have precipitated a global energy and environmental crisis. The cultivation of microalgae offers a viable remedy by utilizing solar energy and assimilating CO2 for biofuel production via photosynthesis. Microalgae demonstrate rapid growth in diverse environments, rendering them a dependable biomass source for large-scale biofuel generation. Furthermore, their biofuel production can be tailored through the manipulation of growth conditions or genetic engineering. This review aims to highlight the variety of biofuels produced from microalgae and the methodologies to optimize their yield. This review also explores the economic implications of algal biofuel production in both open ponds and closed photobioreactors. Various strategies for the photo-production of biohydrogen utilizing the hydrogenase enzyme from green algae are investigated. Additionally, certain microalgae species are recognized for their potential as biodiesel sources due to their high lipid content. The lipid profiles of leading oil-producing algal strains under optimal conditions are assessed. This review further examines the potential of microalgae in synthesizing petroleum-based chemicals and in generating bioethanol and biogas from algal biomass.
Disclosure as a Tool for Communication Errors in Healthcare
Authors: Fumagalli Gisele Tomazinho , Pontes Gustavo Azevedo , Ribeiro Elaine Rossi
Published: September 2024

Introduction: Patient safety is currently the central focus of quality management, and patient care has evolved based on experiences, research and advances in the areas of education and healthcare. Among the countless tools that seek excellence in patient care and safety, Disclosure is the term that refers to the disclosure, revelation or sharing of information related to errors or adverse events with life-threatening consequences.
Aim: To understand the perceptions and experiences of healthcare professionals working in Brazilian hospitals in relation to the use of Disclosure. 
Methods: This is a descriptive study with a qualitative approach. The participants were professionals who work in the Patient Safety Centers of general hospitals in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil. Information was collected through semi-structured interviews.
Results: The participation rate in the research was 80%, totaling twelve professionals. The ideas that converged were extracted from the interviews and observations, indicating a categorical analysis approach to identify patterns and trends in the participants' responses, from which five categories could be constructed, namely: (Mis)knowledge, Disclosure, Quality and Litigation, Professional Alignment, Work Process.
Conclusions: By revisiting the proposed objective, it was possible to understand the professionals' perceptions about Disclosure in light of the five categories mentioned in the results, mainly regarding the lack of knowledge on the subject and the work process still under construction. Regarding experiences, a procedural gap was observed between hospitals that implement Disclosure and those that do not, and the prevalence of hospitals with health accreditation seals is driving the increasing increase in compliance with these requirements, mainly through the teaching and research.
Terahertz Spectroscopy in the Field of Food Safety: A Review
Authors: Jiahui Gao , Li Zheng , Yifei Wang
Published: September 2024

with the continuous improvement of people's living standards, food quality and safety problem has caused the wide attention of the whole society, the traditional food quality detection method has certain limitations, terahertz spectral technology (THZ) is a new spectral detection technology, its strong perspective, efficient spectral resolution ability, special fingerprint and nondestructive, in the field of food quality and safety detection has important application value. Due to the high efficiency of food quality and the need for accurate nondestructive testing, automated nondestructive testing for food quality and safety has aroused great interest from the food sector. Faster, accurate, reliable and simplified techniques are needed to classify good quality. With their unique low-energy, penetrating, rapid and non-destructive techniques are widely used as a non-destructive and cost-effective method in the food sector. This paper summarizes the principles and instruments of terahertz spectrum, and introduces the research progress of terahertz spectral detection in food, analyzes the problems in the field of food quality and safety detection, and discusses the future development trend of terahertz spectral technology.
Balancing Data Privacy and Compliance in Blockchain-Based Financial Systems
Authors: Joseph Sunday Abayomi
Published: September 2024

This study explores the balance between data privacy and regulatory compliance in blockchain-based financial systems, focusing on privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) such as Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) and multiparty computations (MPCs). Through a comprehensive methodology combining literature review, comparative analysis, and empirical testing on the Ethereum test network, the research reveals significant trade-offs. Implementing ZKPs increased transaction times from 5 seconds to 12 seconds and gas fees from 0.02 ETH to 0.05 ETH, while computational load rose by 60%, highlighting the impact on scalability and efficiency. Chi-Square tests and regression analysis uncovered notable algorithmic biases, with low-value accounts experiencing 15% fewer transaction approvals and small mining pools receiving 20% fewer rewards than larger counterparts. Additionally, MPCs, while offering robust privacy, increased communication overhead by 35%, posing scalability challenges. The study recommends adopting a tiered privacy approach, implementing basic privacy measures for low-sensitivity transactions, and advanced technologies like ZKPs for high-sensitivity transactions while optimizing ZKPs to reduce their computational burden and enhance transaction speeds, and integrating artificial intelligence to detect and mitigate algorithmic biases in blockchain systems. Future research should also explore hybrid privacy solutions that combine the strengths of different PETs, such as ZKPs and MPCs, to achieve both robust privacy and high efficiency. Furthermore, investigating quantum-resistant cryptographic methods is crucial to safeguarding blockchain systems against emerging threats. These insights provide valuable guidance for financial institutions, blockchain developers, and policymakers, promoting the development of blockchain-based financial systems that optimize data privacy while maintaining system performance and regulatory compliance.
Evaluating Model-assisted Estimators: A Comparative Study in High-dimensional Survey Data
Authors: Chhalotre Rakesh , Naik B. Samuel , Karthik V C , Varma Manoj , Singh Akarsh , C Balan , Gupta Ashish
Published: September 2024

Model-assisted estimators have gained significant attention due to their ability to efficiently utilize auxiliary information during the estimation process. These estimators rely on a working model that links the survey variable to the auxiliary variables, which is then fitted to the sample data to generate predictions. These predictions are subsequently integrated into the estimation procedures. In this study, were explores various model-assisted estimators including Generalized Regression (GREG), Ridge regression, Lasso regression, CART (Classification and Regression Tree), Random Forest, Cubist and Principal Components Regression (PCR) estimator. The analysis involved 2,000 samples of size 50 (n/N ≈ 10%) and employed a stepwise variable selection method to determine the most significant auxiliary variables, incrementally adding them to the model. The performance of these estimators was assessed using relative bias (RB), relative root mean square error (RRMSE) and relative efficiency (RE). Our findings reveal that tree-based models like CART and Random Forest and penalized regression estimators such as Ridge and Lasso display robustness with increased number of auxiliary variables. Among all the estimators, Random Forest consistently yielded the lowest RRMSE, particularly with five auxiliary variables, demonstrating superior efficiency. Conversely, the GREG estimator exhibited poor performance as the number of auxiliary variables increased. This study underscores the importance of selecting suitable model-assisted estimation procedures tailored to the data characteristics and the relationship between survey and auxiliary variables within this high-dimensional dataset.
Innovative Geotechnical Solutions for Sustainable Infrastructure Development
Authors: Nyame Michael , Adesanmi Bukola M.
Published: September 2024

Aim: To examine innovative geotechnical solutions for sustainable infrastructure development.
Problem Statement: The advancement in the world urbanization together with high rise in global population has alarmed the need for new infrastructures with additional innovative research to be conducted with already existing assets. Thus, It is important that geotechnical engineering should include basic practices targeting resource-efficient and environment-friendly techniques in order to add to sustainable development.
Significance of Study: This technical review critically examines the innovative geotechnical solutions for sustainable infrastructure development. The content presented in this manuscript will be beneficial to professionals in the area of geotechnical engineering.
Methodology: Recent relevant published articles in the area of innovative geotechnical solutions for sustainable infrastructure development were consulted. These include journal articles, conference papers, Asian Development Bank articles and unpublished doctoral documents.
Discussion: The six main environmental objectives of the Taxonomy Regulation to ensure the contours of an environmentally sustainable infrastructure were stated to include: (1) sustainable protection and use of marine and water resources (2) pollution control and prevention (3) switch to a circular economy (4) mitigation of climate change (5) restoration and protection of ecosystems and biodiversity and (6) adaptation of climate change. The three phase methods for sustainability infrastructure development in geotechnics were critically discussed. An imaginary excavation site in the municipality of Rozzano was referenced as a case study to reveal the application of the proposed methodology to the soil treatment systems. It was noticed that the adoption of an LCA introduces additional deep knowledge and the required quantitative analysis for sizing the assessment.
Conclusion: The examined innovative geotechnical solutions were contributory to sustainable infrastructure development.
Enhanced Tobacco Yield Prediction Using Spatial Information and Exogenous Variable-driven Machine Learning Models
Authors: Naik B. Samuel , Karthik V C , Veershetty  , Varshini B S , Sujith A S B , P Halesha , Rao S Govinda , Nayak G. H. Harish
Published: September 2024

Remote sensing technology has been essential in studying the relationship between tobacco canopy spectral characteristics and biomass yield. This study has been conducted in Garnepudi, Andhra Pradesh, employed satellite imagery obtained between 2015 and 2023 to extract vegetation indices (VI’s).  Accurately predicting yield is crucial for India's economy.  This study investigates the efficacy of various predictive models for tobacco yield forecasting using multiple vegetation indices: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (GNDVI), Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), Modified Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (MSAVI), Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Leaf Surface Water Index (LSWI). The models assessed include traditional parametric approaches (ARIMAX, MLR), machine learning techniques (ANN, SVR, RFR), and advanced ensemble methods like XGBoost. The results highlight XGBoost as the most accurate model, consistently delivering the lowest error metrics, including RMSE and MAE, across all vegetation indices. Specifically, XGBoost achieved the best performance with LAI showing RMSE of 86.657, MAE of 58.324, sMAPE of 14.354, MASE of 1.001, and QL of 29.162 respectively. They exhibited lower error metrics, as compare to the statistical and ML models underscoring their effectiveness and potential in tobacco yield prediction. This study highlights the significant role of remote sensing technology in capturing crop development patterns and accurately forecasting tobacco yield, thereby offering valuable insights for agricultural planning and decision-making. The study also addresses challenges such as data quality and model generalization, providing a comprehensive view of the research impact and future directions.
Quantifying structural states of soft mudrocks
Authors: Li B. , Wong R. C. K.
Published: May 2016

In this paper, a cm model is proposed to quantify structural states of soft mudrocks, which are dependent on clay fractions and porosities. Physical properties of natural and reconstituted soft mudrock samples are used to derive two parameters in the cm model. With the cm model, a simplified homogenization approach is proposed to estimate geomechanical properties and fabric orientation distributions of soft mudrocks based on the mixture theory. Soft mudrocks are treated as a mixture of nonclay minerals and clay‐water composites. Nonclay minerals have a high stiffness and serve as a structural framework of mudrocks when they have a high volume fraction. Clay‐water composites occupy the void space among nonclay minerals and serve as an in‐fill matrix. With the increase of volume fraction of clay‐water composites, there is a transition in the structural state from the state of framework supported to the state of matrix supported. The decreases in shear strength and pore size as well as increases in compressibility and anisotropy in fabric are quantitatively related to such transition. The new homogenization approach based on the proposed cm model yields better performance evaluation than common effective medium modeling approaches because the interactions among nonclay minerals and clay‐water composites are considered. With wireline logging data, the cm model is applied to quantify the structural states of Colorado shale formations at different depths in the Cold Lake area, Alberta, Canada. Key geomechancial parameters are estimated based on the proposed homogenization approach and the critical intervals with low strength shale formations are identified.
Location of largest earthquake slip and fast rupture controlled by along‐strike change in fault structural maturity due to fault growth
Authors: Perrin Clément , Manighetti Isabelle , Ampuero Jean‐Paul , Cappa Frédéric , Gaudemer Yves
Published: May 2016

Earthquake slip distributions are asymmetric along strike, but the reasons for the asymmetry are unknown. We address this question by establishing empirical relations between earthquake slip profiles and fault properties. We analyze the slip distributions of 27 large continental earthquakes in the context of available information on their causative faults, in particular on the directions of their long‐term lengthening. We find that the largest slips during each earthquake systematically occurred on that half of the ruptured fault sections most distant from the long‐term fault propagating tips, i.e., on the most mature half of the broken fault sections. Meanwhile, slip decreased linearly over most of the rupture length in the direction of long‐term fault propagation, i.e., of decreasing structural maturity along strike. We suggest that this earthquake slip asymmetry is governed by along‐strike changes in fault properties, including fault zone compliance and fault strength, induced by the evolution of off‐fault damage, fault segmentation, and fault planarity with increasing structural maturity. We also find higher rupture speeds in more mature rupture sections, consistent with predicted effects of low‐velocity damage zones on rupture dynamics. Since the direction(s) of long‐term fault propagation can be determined from geological evidence, it might be possible to anticipate in which direction earthquake slip, once nucleated, may increase, accelerate, and possibly lead to a large earthquake. Our results could thus contribute to earthquake hazard assessment and Earthquake Early Warning.
Microphysical controls on the isotopic composition of wintertime orographic precipitation
Authors: Moore M. , Blossey P. N. , Muhlbauer A. , Kuang Z.
Published: May 2016

The sensitivity of mixed‐phase orographic clouds, precipitation, and their isotopic content to changes in dynamics, thermodynamics, and microphysics is explored in idealized two‐dimensional flow over a mountain barrier. These simulations use the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with stable water isotopologues (HDO and
O), which have been integrated into the Thompson microphysics scheme within WRF as part of the present project. In order to understand how the isotopic composition of precipitation (
) is fixed, the mountain height, temperature, and the prescribed cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) have been varied in a series of simulations. For the given range of values explored in this work, changes in mountain height and temperature induce stronger responses in domain‐averaged
than do changes in CDNC by a factor of approximately 10. The strongest response to changing CDNC leads to local variations of
of about 3‰, though those occur in regions of weak precipitation (<0.1 mm h−1). Changes in
can be understood through the microphysical pathways by which precipitable hydrometeors are formed and by the isotopic signature associated with each pathway. The decrease in
with increasing mountain height is not just a function of decreasing temperature but also reflects the changing contributions and distinct isotopic signatures of riming of cloud liquid and vapor deposition onto snow, the leading sources of precipitation in these simulations. The changes in
with mountain height, temperature, and CDNC are governed in part by the microphysical pathways through which precipitating hydrometeors are formed and grow.
Electrical conductivity of the lowermost mantle explains absorption of core torsional waves at the equator
Authors: Schaeffer Nathanaël , Jault Dominique
Published: May 2016

Torsional Alfvén waves propagating in the Earth's core have been inferred by inversion techniques applied to geomagnetic models. They appear to propagate across the core but vanish at the equator, exchanging angular momentum between core and mantle. Assuming axial symmetry, we find that an electrically conducting layer at the bottom of the mantle can lead to total absorption of torsional waves that reach the equator. We show that the reflection coefficient depends on
, where
is the strength of the radial magnetic field at the equator, and G the conductance of the lower mantle there. With
 T, torsional waves are completely absorbed when they hit the equator if G≃1.3 × 108 S. For larger or smaller G, reflection occurs. As G is increased above this critical value, there is less attenuation and more angular momentum exchange. Our finding dissociates efficient core‐mantle coupling from strong ohmic dissipation in the mantle.
Chemical stability of levoglucosan: An isotopic perspective
Authors: Sang X. F. , Gensch I. , Kammer B. , Khan A. , Kleist E. , Laumer W. , Schlag P. , Schmitt S. H. , Wildt J. , Zhao R. , Mungall E. L. , Abbatt J. P. D. , Kiendler‐Scharr A.
Published: May 2016

The chemical stability of levoglucosan was studied by exploring its isotopic fractionation during the oxidation by hydroxyl radicals. Aqueous solutions as well as mixed (NH4)2SO4‐levoglucosan particles were exposed to OH. In both cases, samples experiencing different extents of processing were isotopically analyzed by Thermal Desorption‐Gas Chromatography‐Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (TD‐GC‐IRMS). From the dependence of levoglucosan δ13C and concentration on the reaction extent, the kinetic isotope effect (KIE) of the OH oxidation reactions was determined to be 1.00187±0.00027 and 1.00229±0.00018, respectively. Both show good agreement within the uncertainty range. For the heterogeneous oxidation of particulate levoglucosan by gas‐phase OH, a reaction rate constant of (2.67±0.03)·10−12 cm3 molecule−1S−1 was derived. The laboratory kinetic data, together with isotopic source and ambient observations, give information on the extent of aerosol chemical processing in the atmosphere.
Effects of electron temperature anisotropy on proton mirror instability evolution
Authors: Ahmadi Narges , Germaschewski Kai , Raeder Joachim
Published: May 2016

Proton mirror modes are large amplitude nonpropagating structures frequently observed in the magnetosheath. It has been suggested that electron temperature anisotropy can enhance the proton mirror instability growth rate while leaving the proton cyclotron instability largely unaffected, therefore causing the proton mirror instability to dominate the proton cyclotron instability in Earth's magnetosheath. Here we use particle‐in‐cell simulations to investigate the electron temperature anisotropy effects on proton mirror instability evolution. Contrary to the hypothesis, electron temperature anisotropy leads to excitement of the electron whistler instability. Our results show that the electron whistler instability grows much faster than the proton mirror instability and quickly consumes the electron‐free energy so that there is no electron temperature anisotropy left to significantly impact the evolution of the proton mirror instability.
Benchtop Fluorination of Fluorescent Nanodiamonds on a Preparative Scale: Toward Unusually Hydrophilic Bright Particles
Authors: Havlik Jan , Raabova Helena , Gulka Michal , Petrakova Vladimira , Krecmarova Marie , Masek Vlastimil , Lousa Petr , Stursa Jan , Boyen Hans‐Gerd , Nesladek Milos , Cigler Petr
Published: May 2016

Fluorination of diamonds modulates their optical and electromagnetic properties and creates surfaces with increased hydrophobicity. In addition, fluorination of diamonds and nanodiamonds has been recently shown to stabilize fluorescent nitrogen‐vacancy centers, which can serve as extremely sensitive single atomic defects in a vast range of sensing applications from quantum physics to high‐resolution biological imaging. Traditionally, fluorination of carbon nanomaterials has been achieved using harsh and complex experimental conditions, creating hydrophobic interfaces with difficult dispersibility in aqueous environments. Here, a mild benchtop approach to nanodiamond fluorination is described using selective Ag+‐catalyzed radical substitution of surface carboxyls for fluorine. In contrast to other approaches, this high‐yielding procedure does not etch diamond carbons and produces a highly hydrophilic interface with mixed C−F and C−OH termination. This dual functionalization of nanodiamonds suppresses detrimental hydrophobic interactions that would lead to colloidal destabilization of nanodiamonds. It is also demonstrated that even a relatively low surface density of fluorine contributes to stabilization of negatively charged nitrogen‐vacancy centers and boosts their fluorescence. The simultaneous control of the surface hydrophilicity and the fluorescence of nitrogen‐vacancy centers is an important issue enabling direct application of fluorescent nanodiamonds as nanosensors for quantum optical and magnetometry measurements operated in biological environment.
Electric Field Tunable Interlayer Relaxation Process and Interlayer Coupling in WSe2/Graphene Heterostructures
Authors: Li Yang , Qin Jing‐Kai , Xu Cheng‐Yan , Cao Jian , Sun Zhao‐Yuan , Ma Lai‐Peng , Hu Ping An , Ren Wencai , Zhen Liang
Published: May 2016

Transition metal dichalcogenides van der Waals (vdWs) heterostructures present fascinating optical and electronic phenomena, and bear tremendous significance for electronic and optoelectronic applications. As the significant merits in vdWs heterostructures, the interlayer relaxation of excitons and interlayer coupling at the heterointerface reflect the dynamic behavior of charge transfer and the coupled electronic/structural characteristics, respectively, which may give rise to new physics induced by quantum coupling. In this work, upon tuning the photoluminescence (PL) properties of WSe2/graphene and WSe2/MoS2/graphene heterostructures by virtue of electric field, it is demonstrated that the interlayer relaxation of excitons at the heterointerface in WSe2/graphene, which is even stronger than that in MoS2/graphene and WSe2/MoS2 , plays a dominant role in PL tuning in WSe2/graphene, while the carrier population in WSe2 induced by electric field has a minor contribution. In addition, it is discovered that the interlayer coupling between monolayer WSe2 and graphene is enhanced under high electric field, which breaks the momentum conservation of first order Raman‐allowed phonons in graphene, yielding the enhanced Raman scattering of defects in graphene. The interplay between electric field and vdWs heterostructures may provide versatile approaches to tune the intrinsic electronic and optical properties of the heterostructures.
Inverse associations between cardiometabolic risk factors and 25‐hydroxyvitamin D in obese American children and adolescents
Authors: Lee Miryoung , Ebert James R. , Kadakia Madhavi P. , Zhang Jin , Czerwinski Stefan A.
Published: May 2016

Objectives

To examine the association between 25‐hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations and cardiometabolic risk factors in obese American children.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study was conducted on 209 obese children (55% females, 25.8% black) aged between 6 and 19 years old. Study measurements included plasma 25(OH)D concentrations, blood pressure, lipids and oxidized LDL levels, insulin resistance (IR) indices from glucose, insulin and 5 hour oral glucose tolerance test.

Results

Fifty‐one percent of the children had vitamin D deficiency. Older age [OR (95% CI) = 1.16 (1.00, 1.35)], black race/ethnicity [15.39 (5.79, 40.92)], winter/spring season [3.46 (1.69, 7.02)] and higher body mass index (BMI) [1.05 (0.99, 1.11)] were associated with increased odds of having vitamin D deficiency. None of cardiometabolic risk factors examined were significantly associated with vitamin D deficiency in age, race/ethnicity, season, and BMI adjusted models. In age, race/ethnicity, season and BMI adjusted models, total cholesterol (β = −0.001, P = 0.013), non‐HDL‐C (β = −0.001, P = 0.014), and oxidized LDL (β = −0.087, P = 0.045) were inversely associated with log‐transformed 25(OH)D. An approximate 10 mg/dl increase in total cholesterol or in non‐HDL‐C was associated with an approximate 1.3% decrease in the geometric mean of 25(OH)D concentration. Further a 10% increase in ox‐LDL levels was associated with an approximate 0.8% decrease in the geometric mean of 25(OH)D.

Conclusion

Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in obese American children. There was evidence that some cardiometabolic risk factors including lipid levels and oxidized LDL levels were significantly inversely associated with 25(OH)D concentration in our sample. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 28:736–742, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Syndrome disintegration: Exome sequencing reveals that Fitzsimmons syndrome is a co‐occurrence of multiple events
Authors: Armour Christine M. , Smith Amanda , Hartley Taila , Chardon Jodi Warman , Sawyer Sarah , Schwartzentruber Jeremy , Hennekam Raoul , Majewski Jacek , Bulman Dennis E. ,   FORGE Canada Consortium, Suri Mohnish , Boycott Kym M.
Published: May 2016

In 1987 Fitzsimmons and Guilbert described identical male twins with progressive spastic paraplegia, brachydactyly with cone shaped epiphyses, short stature, dysarthria, and “low‐normal” intelligence. In subsequent years, four other patients, including one set of female identical twins, a single female child, and a single male individual were described with the same features, and the eponym Fitzsimmons syndrome was adopted (OMIM #270710). We performed exome analysis of the patient described in 2009, and one of the original twins from 1987, the only patients available from the literature. No single genetic etiology exists that explains Fitzsimmons syndrome; however, multiple different genetic causes were identified. Specifically, the twins described by Fitzsimmons had heterozygous mutations in the SACS gene, the gene responsible for autosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix Saguenay (ARSACS), as well as a heterozygous mutation in the TRPS1, the gene responsible in Trichorhinophalangeal syndrome type 1 (TRPS1 type 1) which includes brachydactyly as a feature. A TBL1XR1 mutation was identified in the patient described in 2009 as contributing to his cognitive impairment and autistic features with no genetic cause identified for his spasticity or brachydactyly. The findings show that these individuals have multiple different etiologies giving rise to a similar phenotype, and that “Fitzsimmons syndrome” is in fact not one single syndrome. Over time, we anticipate that continued careful phenotyping with concomitant genome‐wide analysis will continue to identify the causes of many rare syndromes, but it will also highlight that previously delineated clinical entities are, in fact, not syndromes at all. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Using fetal cells for prenatal diagnosis: History and recent progress
Authors: Beaudet Arthur L.
Published: May 2016

The potential to use fetal cells in the mother's circulation during the first or second trimester for prenatal diagnosis was described in 1968, but it has not been possible do develop a routine clinical prenatal test despite extensive commercial and academic research efforts. Early attention focused on the detection of aneuploidy, but more recent technology opens the possibility of high resolution detection of copy number abnormalities and even whole genome or exome sequencing to detect both inherited and de novo mutations. In the interim, cell‐free noninvasive prenatal testing NIPT has allowed improved detection of aneuploidy, but this has led to a sharp reduction in the number of amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling (CVS) procedures, which inevitably implies reduced detection of serious de novo deletion abnormalities. Attention has focused of both fetal nucleated red blood cells (fnRBCs) and trophoblasts. Recent progress presented at meetings, but not yet published, suggests that it will soon be possible to perform genome‐wide relatively high resolution detection of deletions and duplications by recovering fetal trophoblasts during the first trimester and analyzing them by whole gene genome amplification followed by copy number analysis using arrays or next generation sequencing. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A retrospective study of in‐hospital cardiac arrest
Authors: Fujiwara Shinsuke , Koike Tomotaka , Moriyasu Megumi , Nakagawa Masashi , Atagi Kazuaki , Lefor Alan K. , Fujitani Shigeki ,   IHCA study group
Published: May 2016

Aim

In‐hospital cardiac arrest is an important issue in health care today. Data regarding in‐hospital cardiac arrest in Japan is limited. In Australia and the USA, the Rapid Response System has been implemented in many institutions and data regarding in‐hospital cardiac arrest are collected to evaluate the efficacy of the Rapid Response System. This is a multicenter retrospective survey of in‐hospital cardiac arrest, providing data before implementing a Rapid Response System.

Methods

Ten institutions planning to introduce a Rapid Response System were recruited to collect in‐hospital cardiac arrest data. The Institutional Review Board at each participating institution approved this study. Data for patients admitted at each institution from April 1, 2011 until March 31, 2012 were extracted using the three keywords “closed‐chest compression”, “epinephrine”, and “defibrillation”. Patients under 18 years old, or who suffered cardiac arrest in the emergency room or the intensive care unit were excluded.

Results

A total of 228 patients in 10 institutions were identified. The average age was 73 ± 13 years. Males represented 64% of the patients (82/146). Overall survival after in‐hospital cardiac arrest was 7% (16/228). Possibly preventable cardiac arrests represented 15% (33/228) of patients, with medical safety issues identified in 8% (19/228). Vital sign abnormalities before cardiac arrest were observed in 63% (138/216) of patients.

Conclusions

Approximately 60% of patients had abnormal vital signs before cardiac arrest. These patients may have an improved clinical outcome by implementing a Rapid Response System.
Recurrent convulsions, hypocalcemia, and hypoparathyroidism related to delayed diagnosis of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome in a middle‐aged man
Authors: Okazaki Tomoya , Hifumi Toru , Ibata Tomohiro , Manabe Arisa , Hamaya Hideyuki , Yoshimoto Takuo , Imachi Hitomi , Murao Koji , Kawakita Kenya , Kuroda Yasuhiro
Published: May 2016

Case

A 49‐year‐old man had idiopathic epilepsy with recurrent convulsions and history of cleft palate, mental retardation, schizophrenia, and cataract. He had convulsions the day before and on the day of admission. Fosphenytoin was given i.v.; his convulsion stopped, but he lost consciousness 2 h later and was admitted. Glasgow Coma Scale score on arrival was 3. Cerebral computed tomography showed bilateral calcification in the basal ganglia. Laboratory tests showed decreased serum calcium and albumin and increased creatine kinase. He regained consciousness after i.v. calcium gluconate administration. Additionally, he showed decreased parathyroid hormone and 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D. Suspecting hypoparathyroidism, i.v. calcium gluconate was changed to oral vitamin D. His medical history and physical appearance suggested 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, confirmed by chromosomal analysis.

Outcome

The patient was discharged after 29 days and remains convulsion‐free.

Conclusion

Hypocalcemia due to hypoparathyroidism should be considered in the differential diagnosis of adult recurrent convulsions.
Discovery of atmospheric neutrino oscillations**
Authors: Kajita Takaaki
Published: May 2016

Atmospheric neutrinos are produced by cosmic ray interactions in the atmosphere. The zenith‐angle and energy dependence of the muon‐ and electron‐ neutrino events are observed in atmospheric neutrino experiments. Through these studies neutrino oscillations were discovered. In this article, studies of atmospheric neutrinos in the Kamiokande and Super‐Kamiokande experiments are described.
Pt3Co Octapods as Superior Catalysts of CO2 Hydrogenation
Authors: Khan Munir Ullah , Wang Liangbing , Liu Zhao , Gao Zehua , Wang Shenpeng , Li Hongliang , Zhang Wenbo , Wang Menglin , Wang Zhengfei , Ma Chao , Zeng Jie
Published: May 2016

As the electron transfer to CO2 is a critical step in the activation of CO2, it is of significant importance to engineer the electronic properties of CO2 hydrogenation catalysts to enhance their activity. Herein, we prepared Pt3Co nanocrystals with improved catalytic performance towards CO2 hydrogenation to methanol. Pt3Co octapods, Pt3Co nanocubes, Pt octapods, and Pt nanocubes were tested, and the Pt3Co octapods achieved the best catalytic activity. Both the presence of multiple sharp tips and charge transfer between Pt and Co enabled the accumulation of negative charges on the Pt atoms in the vertices of the Pt3Co octapods. Moreover, infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy confirmed that the high negative charge density at the Pt atoms in the vertices of the Pt3Co octapods promotes the activation of CO2 and accordingly enhances the catalytic activity.
Reductive Umpolung of Carbonyl Derivatives with Visible‐Light Photoredox Catalysis: Direct Access to Vicinal Diamines and Amino Alcohols via α‐Amino Radicals and Ketyl Radicals
Authors: Fava Eleonora , Millet Anthony , Nakajima Masaki , Loescher Sebastian , Rueping Magnus
Published: May 2016

Visible‐light‐mediated photoredox‐catalyzed aldimine–aniline and aldehyde–aniline couplings have been realized. The reductive single electron transfer (SET) umpolung of various carbonyl derivatives enabled the generation of intermediary ketyl and α‐amino radical anions, which were utilized for the synthesis of unsymmetrically substituted 1,2‐diamines and amino alcohols.
Devil rays (Chondrichthyes: Mobula) of the Arabian Seas, with a redescription of Mobula kuhlii (Valenciennes in Müller and Henle, 1841)
Authors: di Sciara Giuseppe Notarbartolo , Fernando Daniel , Adnet Sylvain , Cappetta Henri , Jabado Rima W.
Published: May 2016

Devil rays (genus Mobula) are pelagic elasmobranchs widely distributed throughout tropical, subtropical and warm‐temperate waters. Their occurrence and distribution remains poorly documented in the Arabian Seas region. A review is provided of species occurrence in these water bodies along with a synthesis of regional information on their biology and ecology.

Based on the available evidence, five Mobula species occur in the region (M. eregoodootenkee, M. japanica, M. kuhlii, M. tarapacana, and M. thurstoni). Of these, three (M. eregoodootenkee, M. tarapacana and M. thurstoni) were found to occur in the Red Sea, and three (M. eregoodootenkee, M. japanica, and M. kuhlii) were found to occur in the Arabian/Persian Gulf. Mobula japanica and M. kuhlii are reported here for the first time in Gulf waters. All five species were found in the Indian Ocean waters between the Gulf of Aden and Pakistan.

To address the still uncertain taxonomy of M. kuhlii, a redescription of this species is provided based on a sample of fresh specimen material.

Mobula diabolus is a nomen ambiguum, never used to unambiguously designate any newly described species, and its use should be avoided.

Considering the life‐history traits that make these species particularly vulnerable to fishing pressure, current levels of exploitation in by‐catch fisheries are unlikely to be sustainable, despite the fact that the trade in gill plates does not seem to be prevalent in this region. Critical knowledge gaps unfortunately still exist, crippling effective management and conservation actions.

Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Disc‐jet‐wind coupling in black hole binaries, and other stories
Authors: Fender R.
Published: May 2016

In this article, I briefly review our current understanding of the phenomenological connections between accretion flows, jets and winds in black hole binaries. I further highlight a couple of topical and important areas which need the attention of the community and should lead to interesting astro‐physics. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Modelling aperiodic X‐ray variabiity in black hole binaries as propagating mass accretion rate fluctuations: A short review
Authors: Ingram A.R.
Published: May 2016

Black hole binary systems can emit very bright and rapidly varying X‐ray signals when material from the companion accretes onto the black hole, liberating huge amounts of gravitational potential energy. Central to this process of accretion is turbulence. In the propagating mass accretion rate fluctuations model, turbulence is generated throughout the inner accretion flow, causing fluctuations in the accretion rate. Fluctuations from the outer regions propagate towards the black hole, modulating the fluctuations generated in the inner regions. Here, I present the theoretical motivation behind this picture before reviewing the array of statistical variability properties observed in the light curves of black hole binaries that are naturally explained by the model. I also discuss the remaining challenges for the model, both in terms of comparison to data and in terms of including more sophisticated theoretical considerations. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Accretion disk winds in active galactic nuclei: X‐ray observations, models, and feedback
Authors: Tombesi E.
Published: May 2016

Powerful winds driven by active galactic nuclei (AGN) are often invoked to play a fundamental role in the evolution of both supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their host galaxies, quenching star formation and explaining the tight SMBH‐galaxy relations. A strong support of this “quasar mode” feedback came from the recent X‐ray observation of a mildly relativistic accretion disk wind in a ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) and its connection with a large‐scale molecular outflow, providing a direct link between the SMBH and the gas out of which stars form. Spectroscopic observations, especially in the X‐ray band, show that such accretion disk winds may be common in local AGN and quasars. However, their origin and characteristics are still not fully understood. Detailed theoretical models and simulations focused on radiation, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) or a combination of these two processes to investigate the possible acceleration mechanisms and the dynamics of these winds. Some of these models have been directly compared to X‐ray spectra, providing important insights into the wind physics. However, fundamental improvements on these studies will come only from the unprecedented energy resolution and sensitivity of the upcoming X‐ray observatories, namely ASTRO‐H (launch date early 2016) and Athena (2028). (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Quasi periodic oscilations in active galactic nuclei
Authors: Alston W. , Fabian A. , Markevičiūte J. , Parker M. , Middleton M. , Kara E.
Published: May 2016

Quasi‐periodic oscillations (QPOs) are coherent peaks of variability power observed in the X‐ray power spectra (PSDs) of stellar mass X‐ray binaries (XRBs). A scale invariance of the accretion process implies they should be present in the active galactic nuclei. The first robust detection was a ∼ 1 h periodicity in the Seyfert galaxy RE J1034+396 from a ∼ 90 ks XMM‐Newton observation; however, subsequent observations failed to detect the QPO in the 0.3–10.0 keV band. In this talk we present the recent detection of the ∼ 1 h periodicity in the 1.0–4.0 keV band of 4 further low‐flux/spectrally‐harder observations of RE J1034+396 (see Alston et al. 2014). We also present recent work on the discovery of a QPO in the Seyfert galaxy, MS 2254.9–3712, which again is only detected in energy bands associated with the primary power‐law continuum emission (Alston et al. 2015). We conclude these features are most likely analogous to the high‐frequency QPOs observed in XRBs. In both sources, we also see evidence for X‐ray reverberation at the QPO frequency, where soft X‐ray bands and Iron Kα emission lag the primary X‐ray continuum. These time delays may provide another diagnostic for understanding the underlying QPO mechanism observed in accreting black holes. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Minimum X‐ray source size of the on‐axis corona in AGN
Authors: Dovčiak M. , Done C.
Published: May 2016

The “lamppost” model is often used to describe the X‐ray source geometry in AGN, where an infinitesimal point source is located on the black hole spin axis. This is especially invoked for narrow line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies, where an extremely broad iron line seen in episodes of low X‐ray flux can both be explained by extremely strong relativistic effects as the source approaches the black hole horizon. The most extreme spectrum seen from the NLS1 1H0707‐495 requires that the source is less than 1 GM /c2 above the event horizon in this geometry. However, the source must also be large enough to intercept sufficient seed photons from the disc to make the hard X‐ray Compton continuum which produces the observed iron line/reflected spectrum. We use a fully relativistic ray tracing code to show that this implies that the source must be substantially larger than 1GM /c2 in 1H0707‐495 if the disc is the source of seed photons. Hence the source cannot fit as close as 1 GM /c2 to the horizon, so the observed spectrum and variability are not formed purely by effects of strong gravity but probably also by changes in corona and inner accretion flow geometry. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
An intermediate‐mass black hole candidate in M51?
Authors: Earnshaw H. M.
Published: May 2016

We present the current results of an investigation into M51 ULX‐7, using archival data from XMM‐Newton, Chandra and NuSTAR, and optical and radio data from HST and VLA. The source has a consistently hard power‐law X‐ray spectrum and high short‐term variability. This is unusual variability behaviour for a ULX, as we would expect highly variable ULXs to have soft energy spectra. The power spectrum features a break at ∼ 10–3 Hz, from low frequency spectral index α = 0.1 to high frequency spectral index α = 0.8, analogous to the low frequency break found in power spectra of black holes accreting in the low/hard state. We do not observe a corresponding high frequency break, however taking the white noise level as a frequency lower limit of the break, we can calculate a black hole mass upper limit of 9.12×104 M, assuming that the ULX is in the low/hard state. While there is no radio detection, we find a flux density upper limit of 87 µJy/beam. Using the X‐ray/radio fundamental plane, we calculate a black hole mass upper limit of 1.95×105 M®. Therefore, this ULX is consistent with being an IMBH accreting in the low/hard state. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)