bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vivax infection alters peripheral B‐cell profile and induces persistent serum IgM
Authors: Patgaonkar Mandar , Herbert Fabien , Powale Krushali , Gandhe Prajakta , Gogtay Nithya , Thatte Urmila , Pied Sylviane , Sharma Shobhona , Pathak Sulabha
Published: August 2018

B cell–mediated humoral responses are essential for controlling malarial infection. Studies have addressed the effects of Plasmodium falciparum infection on peripheral B‐cell subsets but not much is known for P. vivax infection. Furthermore, majority of the studies investigate changes during acute infection, but not after parasite clearance. In this prospective study, we analysed peripheral B‐cell profiles and antibody responses during acute P. vivax infection and upon recovery (30 days post‐treatment) in a low‐transmission area in India. Dengue patients were included as febrile‐condition controls. Both dengue and malaria patients showed a transient increase in atypical memory B cells during acute infection. However, transient B cell‐activating factor (BAFF)–independent increase in the percentage of total and activated immature B cells was observed in malaria patients. Naïve B cells from malaria patients also showed increased TLR4 expression. Total IgM levels remained unchanged during acute infection but increased significantly at recovery. Serum antibody profiling showed a parasite‐specific IgM response that persisted at recovery. A persistent IgM autoantibody response was also observed in malaria but not dengue patients. Our data suggest that in hypoendemic regions acute P. vivax infection skews peripheral B‐cell subsets and results in a persistent parasite‐specific and autoreactive IgM response.
Semi‐dominant mutation in the cysteine‐rich receptor‐like kinase gene, ALS1, conducts constitutive defence response in rice
Authors: Du D. , Liu M. , Xing Y. , Chen X. , Zhang Y. , Zhu M. , Lu X. , Zhang Q. , Ling Y. , Sang X. , Li Y. , Zhang C. , He G.
Published: August 2018

Plants have evolved a sophisticated two‐branch defence system to prevent the growth and spread of pathogen infection. The novel Cys‐rich repeat (CRR) containing receptor‐like kinases, known as CRKs, were reported to mediate defence resistance in plants. For rice, there are only two reports of CRKs. A semi‐dominant lesion mimic mutant als1 (apoptosis leaf and sheath 1) in rice was identified to demonstrate spontaneous lesions on the leaf blade and sheath.

A map‐based cloning strategy was used for fine mapping and cloning of ALS1, which was confirmed to be a typical CRK in rice. Functional studies of ALS1 were conducted, including phylogenetic analysis, expression analysis, subcellular location and blast resistance identification.

Most pathogenesis‐related (PR) genes and other defence‐related genes were activated and up‐regulated to a high degree. ALS1 was expressed mainly in the leaf blade and sheath, in which further study revealed that ALS1 was present in the vascular bundles. ALS1 was located in the cell membrane of rice protoplasts, and its mutation did not change its subcellular location. Jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA) accumulation were observed in als1, and enhanced blast resistance was also observed.

The mutation of ALS1 caused a constitutively activated defence response in als1. The results of our study imply that ALS1 participates in a defence response resembling the common SA‐, JA‐ and NH1‐mediated defence responses in rice.
Genetic diversity and aggressiveness of Erwinia psidii on Eucalyptus spp. in Brazil
Authors: Montoya‐Estrada C. N. , Hermenegildo P. S. , Alvarez‐Romero P. I. , Badel J. L. , Guimarães L. M. S. , Alfenas A. C.
Published: August 2018

The genetic variability and aggressiveness of Brazilian Erwinia psidii isolates from Eucalyptus spp. was studied and compared with reference isolates from guava (Psidium guajava). Repetitive element sequence (rep)‐based PCR markers of 101 isolates from Eucalyptus spp. and five from guava showed that the populations of E. psidii displayed a relatively low genetic variability. No correlation of genetic clustering based on rep‐PCR analysis with geographic origin or host of origin was observed, indicating that genome rearrangements associated with adaptation to a particular host were not detected by these molecular markers. A higher genotypic richness was detected in the Mato Grosso do Sul population, probably reflecting a pathogen dissemination associated with the recent expansion in eucalypt plantations. Wilcoxon and ANOVA tests of disease severity data indicated differences in aggressiveness among isolates and an isolate × clone interaction. The area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) and disease severity for some isolates were significantly different between two susceptible clones tested. Notably, isolate LPF681 from guava was not able to cause disease on a susceptible Eucalyptus urophylla clone, suggesting that some co‐evolution between pathogen and host has taken place. The variability in aggressiveness and virulence among isolates of E. psidii observed in this study will be important for the establishment of appropriate screening approaches to select for disease resistance.
What is palliative care? Perceptions of healthcare professionals
Authors: Wallerstedt Birgitta , Benzein Eva , Schildmeijer Kristina , Sandgren Anna
Published: August 2018

Background

Despite increased attention and knowledge in palliative care, there is still confusion concerning how to interpret the concept of palliative care and implement it in practice. This can result in difficulties for healthcare professionals in identifying patients whom would benefit from palliative care, which, in turn, could lead to a delay in meeting patients’ needs.

Aim

To explore healthcare professionals’ perceptions of palliative care.

Method

Data were collected through twelve interprofessional focus group interviews in community care and hospital wards in south Sweden (n = 74). All interviews were analysed with latent content analysis.

Results

Three domains were revealed: first, a blurred conceptual understanding as participants described palliative care using synonyms, diagnoses, phases, natural care and holism; second, a challenge to communicate transitions concerned the importance of how and when the transition to palliative care was communicated and documented; finally, a need for interprofessional collaboration was described as well as the consequences for severely ill persons, relatives and healthcare professionals when it was not established.

Conclusion

The perceptions about how to interpret palliative care differed as well as when palliative care should be offered and decided, which might have practical consequences. How long a person has left to live is of great significance for decision‐making, caregiving and preparation in palliative care. The challenge is to use interprofessional communication to promote understanding and collaborate across varied care levels. Integrating palliative care across diverse care levels could be one way to reduce the ambiguity of palliative care.
Pheno‐Deep Counter: a unified and versatile deep learning architecture for leaf counting
Authors: Giuffrida Mario Valerio , Doerner Peter , Tsaftaris Sotirios A.
Published: August 2018

Direct observation of morphological plant traits is tedious and a bottleneck for high‐throughput phenotyping. Hence, interest in image‐based analysis is increasing, with the requirement for software that can reliably extract plant traits, such as leaf count, preferably across a variety of species and growth conditions. However, current leaf counting methods do not work across species or conditions and therefore may lack broad utility. In this paper, we present Pheno‐Deep Counter, a single deep network that can predict leaf count in two‐dimensional (2D) plant images of different species with a rosette‐shaped appearance. We demonstrate that our architecture can count leaves from multi‐modal 2D images, such as visible light, fluorescence and near‐infrared. Our network design is flexible, allowing for inputs to be added or removed to accommodate new modalities. Furthermore, our architecture can be used as is without requiring dataset‐specific customization of the internal structure of the network, opening its use to new scenarios. Pheno‐Deep Counter is able to produce accurate predictions in many plant species and, once trained, can count leaves in a few seconds. Through our universal and open source approach to deep counting we aim to broaden utilization of machine learning‐based approaches to leaf counting. Our implementation can be downloaded at https://bitbucket.org/tuttoweb/pheno-deep-counter.
Generation of Spatially Coherent Light at Extreme Ultraviolet Wavelengths
Authors: Bartels Randy A. , Paul Ariel , Green Hans , Kapteyn Henry C. , Murnane Margaret M. , Backus Sterling , Christov Ivan P. , Liu Yanwei , Attwood David , Jacobsen Chris
Published: August 2018

We present spatial coherence measurements of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light generated through the process of high-harmonic up-conversion of a femtosecond laser. With a phase-matched hollow-fiber geometry, the generated beam was found to exhibit essentially full spatial coherence. The coherence of this laser-like EUV source was shown by recording Gabor holograms of small objects. This work demonstrates the capability to perform EUV holography with a tabletop experimental setup. Such an EUV source, with low divergence and high spatial coherence, can be used for experiments involving high-precision metrology, inspection of optical components for EUV lithography, and microscopy and holography with nanometer resolution. Furthermore, the short time duration of the EUV radiation (a few femtoseconds) will enable EUV microscopy and holography to be performed with ultrahigh time resolution.
Scale-invariant magnetoresistance in a cuprate superconductor
Authors: Giraldo-Gallo P. , Galvis J. A. , Stegen Z. , Modic K. A. , Balakirev F. F. , Betts J. B. , Lian X. , Moir C. , Riggs S. C. , Wu J. , Bollinger A. T. , He X. , Božović I. , Ramshaw B. J. , McDonald R. D. , Boebinger G. S. , Shekhter A.
Published: August 2018

Cranking up the field

Cuprate superconductors have many unusual properties even in the “normal” (nonsuperconducting) regions of their phase diagram. In the so-called “strange metal” phase, these materials have resistivity that scales linearly with temperature, in contrast to the usual quadratic dependence of ordinary metals. Giraldo-Gallo
et al.
now find that at very high magnetic fields—up to 80 tesla—the resistivity of the thin films of a lanthanum-based cuprate scales linearly with magnetic field as well, again in contrast to the expected quadratic law. This dual linear dependence presents a challenge for theories of the normal state of the cuprates.

Science
, this issue p.
479
Here, there, and everywhere: The importance of ER membrane contact sites
Authors: Wu Haoxi , Carvalho Pedro , Voeltz Gia K.
Published: August 2018

It's all about your contacts

Membrane contact sites have recently come to the fore of our understanding of interorganelle communication. Wuet al.review how these important structures help to promote a variety of key functions, including organelle division and lipid transfer. Focusing on contacts between the endoplasmic reticulum and a variety of organelles or the plasma membrane reveals the generality and importance of these contacts in cellular homeostasis and organismal health.

Science, this issue p.eaan5835
The role of electron-electron interactions in two-dimensional Dirac fermions
Authors: Tang Ho-Kin , Leaw J. N. , Rodrigues J. N. B. , Herbut I. F. , Sengupta P. , Assaad F. F. , Adam S.
Published: August 2018

Computers tease out interaction effects

Although graphene is often thought of as a material in which electron-electron interactions are negligible, some of its properties cannot be explained by such a simple picture. Tang
et al.
undertook comprehensive quantum Monte Carlo numerical calculations that consider both long-range and contact interactions in systems that, like graphene, have two-dimensional (2D) Dirac electrons. Different 2D Dirac materials systems, such as topological insulators and graphene on various substrates, reside in different parts of the resulting phase diagram.

Science
, this issue p.
570
Ancient convergent losses ofParaoxonase 1yield potential risks for modern marine mammals
Authors: Meyer Wynn K. , Jamison Jerrica , Richter Rebecca , Woods Stacy E. , Partha Raghavendran , Kowalczyk Amanda , Kronk Charles , Chikina Maria , Bonde Robert K. , Crocker Daniel E. , Gaspard Joseph , Lanyon Janet M. , Marsillach Judit , Furlong Clement E. , Clark Nathan L.
Published: August 2018

Adaptive conflicts with the modern world

Mammals evolved in terrestrial environments. Those that now live in the marine environment have had to adapt to the particular selective pressures that this environment imposes. Meyeret al.surveyed the genomes of several marine mammal species to identify regions of convergent change. Multiple losses of theParaoxonase 1gene are evident in marine mammals, likely resulting from remodeling of lipid metabolism or antioxidant networks. The multiple occurrences of this loss of function across taxa indicate an evolutionary benefit. However,Paraoxonase 1is the primary mammalian defense against organophosphorus toxicity. Marine mammals may be at a great disadvantage in the Anthropocene if run-off of this agricultural product into the marine environment continues.

Science, this issue p.591
Lacteal junction zippering protects against diet-induced obesity
Authors: Zhang Feng , Zarkada Georgia , Han Jinah , Li Jinyu , Dubrac Alexandre , Ola Roxana , Genet Gael , Boyé Kevin , Michon Pauline , Künzel Steffen E. , Camporez Joao Paulo , Singh Abhishek K. , Fong Guo-Hua , Simons Michael , Tso Patrick , Fernández-Hernando Carlos , Shulman Gerald I. , Sessa William C. , Eichmann Anne
Published: August 2018

Zipping up obesity

Chylomicrons are specialized particles that carry dietary fats from the intestine to the bloodstream for absorption into the body. Lacteals are lymphatic vessels that act as the highway for chylomicron transport, but it is unclear how passage occurs. Zhang
et al.
report that two endothelial cell receptors, neuropilin-1 (NRP1) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR1, also known as FLT1), are required to convert the entry spaces between lacteals from open junctions to closed, zipped structures (see the Perspective by McDonald). Mice that were fed a high-fat diet were subsequently rendered resistant to weight gain if NRP1 and FLT1 were inactivated.

Science
, this issue p.
599
; see also p.
551
HAIRY MERISTEM with WUSCHEL confines CLAVATA3 expression to the outer apical meristem layers
Authors: Zhou Yun , Yan An , Han Han , Li Ting , Geng Yuan , Liu Xing , Meyerowitz Elliot M.
Published: August 2018

Enough but not too many stem cells

In the shoot apical meristem of plants, just the right number of stem cells generates a steady supply of cells with which to build differentiated tissues. Too few stem cells, and the plant cannot grow. Too many, and growth runs amok. Zhou
et al.
analyzed the controls on stem cell proliferation. They found that the HAIRY MERISTEM proteins define a domain within which WUSCHEL (WUS) cannot work, but beyond which WUS is left free to promote stem cell proliferation.

Science
, this issue p.
502
Computational and neurobiological foundations of leadership decisions
Authors: Edelson Micah G. , Polania Rafael , Ruff Christian C. , Fehr Ernst , Hare Todd A.
Published: August 2018

Leadership and responsibility

Leadership of groups is of paramount importance and pervades almost every aspect of society. Leadership research has rarely used computational modeling or neuroimaging techniques to examine mechanistic or neurobiological underpinnings of leadership choices. Edelsonet al.found empirically and theoretically that the choice to lead rests on a metacognitive process (see the Perspective by Fleming and Bang). Individuals who showed less “responsibility aversion” had higher leadership scores. A computational model combining signal detection theory with prospect theory provided a mechanistic understanding of this preference. Neuroimaging experiments showed how the key theoretical concepts are encoded in the activity and connectivity of a brain network that comprises the medial prefrontal cortex, the superior temporal gyrus, the temporal parietal junction, and the anterior insula.

Science, this issue p.467; see also p.eaat0036
Disrupting Gram-Negative Bacterial Outer Membrane Biosynthesis through Inhibition of the Lipopolysaccharide Transporter MsbA
Authors: Alexander Mary Kate , Miu Anh , Oh Angela , Reichelt Mike , Ho Hoangdung , Chalouni Cecile , Labadie Sharada , Wang Lan , Liang Jun , Nickerson Nicholas N. , Hu Huiyong , Yu Lan , Du Miaofen , Yan Donghong , Park Summer , Kim Janice , Xu Min , Sellers Benjamin D. , Purkey Hans E. , Skelton Nicholas J. , Koehler Michael F. T. , Payandeh Jian , Verma Vishal , Xu Yiming , Koth Christopher M. , Nishiyama Mireille
Published: August 2018

There is a critical need for new antibacterial strategies to counter the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. In Gram-negative bacteria, the outer membrane (OM) provides a protective barrier against antibiotics and other environmental insults.
Maternal mental health and childhood injury: evidence from the UK Millennium Cohort Study
Authors: Hope Steven , Deighton Jessica , Micali Nadia , Law Catherine
Published: August 2018

Objective

We assessed whether maternal mental health problems increased rates for child injury during the preschool years and mid-childhood, and the extent to which associations could be accounted for by a range of potential explanatory factors.

Design

We analysed the UK Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative sample with data collected throughout childhood. Multinomial regression was used to investigate whether two measures of maternal mental health (diagnosed depression/anxiety and psychological distress) were associated with subsequent childhood injury. Models adjusted for sociodemographics, parenting and child externalising behaviours.

Main outcome measure

Maternal report of unintentional injuries (none, 1, 2+) recorded at three data collection periods (3–5 years; 5–7 years; 7–11 years).

Results

The analytic sample comprised n=9240 families who participated 3–11 years with complete data on exposures and outcomes (multiply imputing missing covariates). Exposure to maternal mental health problems was associated with increased rates of subsequent childhood injuries. Associations attenuated after adjustment for potential explanatory factors, although they remained elevated. For example, high maternal distress was associated with injuries 3–5 years (adjusted relative risk ratio (aRRR): 1 injury=1.18, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.61; 2+ injuries=2.22, 95% CI 1.22 to 4.02); injuries 5–7 years (aRRR: 1 injury=1.31, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.76; 2+ injuries=1.84, 95% CI 1.09 to 3.09); and injuries 7–11 years (aRRR: 1 injury=1.03, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.31; 2+ injuries=1.33, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.81).

Conclusions

Children exposed to mothers with mental health problems had higher rates of childhood injury than those not exposed. If further investigation of this association suggests causality then it will be important to test measures that address mothers’ mental health issues with a view to reducing injuries among their children.
Falls in paediatric Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease: a 6-month prospective cohort study
Authors: Kennedy Rachel A , Carroll Kate , Hepworth Graham , Paterson Kade L , Ryan Monique M , McGinley Jennifer L
Published: August 2018

Objective

To prospectively study falls in children and adolescents with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT).

Design

Prospective cohort study.

Setting

Neuromuscular outpatient clinic of a tertiary paediatric hospital.

Patients

Sixty children and adolescents (‘children’) aged 4–18 years, 30 with CMT and 30 typically developing (TD).

Main outcome measures

Falls rate over 6 months and falls characteristics questionnaire.

Results

Twenty-two children with CMT reported falling at least once in 6 months compared with eight TD children (CMT 2819 (0–1915), TD 31 (0–6) total falls (range)). Detailed falls characteristics were collected from 242 individual falls (CMT 216, TD 26). Injurious falls were reported by 19 children with CMT (74 falls) compared with 2 TD children (3 falls), with cuts, grazes and bruising most common. No fractures were sustained and no child required hospitalisation. However, 12 injuries from falls in children with CMT required management by a healthcare provider, versus none in TD children. Tripping was the most common mechanism of falls in both groups. Age was the strongest predictor of falls (ρ=−0.53, p=0.006) with all children (CMT and TD) aged <7 years falling. Balance was the strongest impairment-related predictor of falls (ρ=−0.47, p=0.02). The conservative estimate of risk of falls in children and adolescents with CMT was 33 times higher than their TD peers (incidence rate ratio=32.8, 95% CI 10.2 to 106.0).

Conclusions

Children and adolescents with CMT fall more often than TD peers and sustain more injuries when they fall.
Impact of sharing electronic health records with patients on the quality and safety of care: a systematic review and narrative synthesis protocol
Authors: Neves Ana Luisa , Carter Alexander W , Freise Lisa , Laranjo Liliana , Darzi Ara , Mayer Erik K
Published: August 2018

Introduction

Providing patients with access to electronic health records (EHRs) has emerged as a promising solution to improve quality of care and safety. As the efforts to develop and implement EHR-based data sharing platforms mature and scale up worldwide, there is a need to evaluate the impact of these interventions and to weigh their relative risks and benefits, in order to inform evidence-based health policies. The aim of this work is to systematically characterise and appraise the demonstrated benefits and risks of sharing EHR with patients, by mapping them across the six domains of quality of care of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) analytical framework (ie, patient-centredness, effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness, equity and safety).

Methods and analysis

CINAHL, Cochrane, Embase, HMIC, Medline/PubMed and PsycINFO databases will be searched from January 1997 to August 2017. Primary outcomes will include measures related with the six domains of quality of care of the IOM analytical framework. The quality of the studies will be assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool, the ROBINS-I Tool and the Drummond’s checklist. A narrative synthesis will be conducted for all included studies. Subgroup analysis will be performed by domain of quality of care domain and by time scale (ie, short-term, medium-term or long-term impact). The body of evidence will be summarised in a Summary of Findings table and its strength assessed according to the GRADE criteria.

Ethics and dissemination

This review does not require ethical approval as it will summarise published studies with non-identifiable data. This protocol complies with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses Protocols guidelines. Findings will be disseminated widely through peer-reviewed publication and conference presentations, and patient partners will be included in summarising the research findings into lay summaries and reports.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42017070092.
A call for Applied Knowledge and Lived Interdisciplinarity in the medical care of depressed employees: a cross-sectional survey with German occupational physicians and psychotherapists
Authors: Nassri Lina , Schneider Isabell , Gaum Petra Maria , Lang Jessica
Published: August 2018

Objectives

To identify approaches for an effective patient-centred care of depressed employees, we investigated occupational physicians’ (OPs) and psychotherapists’ (PTs) knowledge about job stressors on the development of depression, application of this knowledge, interdisciplinary cooperation and perceived barriers.

Study design

A cross-sectional online survey.

Participants

OPs (163; 48.5% male) and PTs (69; 43.5% male) providing complete data on the survey out of 257 OPs and 112 PTs who started the survey. There have been 458 (OPs) and 821 (PTs) initial clicks.

Methods

Main outcome measures were the importance ratings of specific job stressors, the frequency of asking patients about those stressors, the need for interdisciplinary cooperation, as well as perceived barriers for cooperation. We performed multivariate analysis of variance, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and Spearman’s rank-order correlations.

Results

The achieved response rate for OPs was 56.1% and for PTs 13.6%. Both disciplines agreed on the importance of job stressors regarding depression (ICC=0.90; 95% CI: 0.54 to 0.98), but both ranked these factors differently from the current state of research. As to knowledge application, OPs showed positive associations between the importance of job stressors and the frequency of asking employees about them (eg, job insecurity (rs=0.20, p=0.005)) and PTs for social stressors (eg, interpersonal conflicts (rs=0.38, p=0.001)). OPs (mean=3.41) reported a higher necessity of interdisciplinary cooperation than PTs (mean=3.17; F(1,230)=7.02, p=0.009). Furthermore, cooperation was reported as difficult to implement. PTs perceived barriers (eg, time restriction) as more hindering (mean=3.2) than OPs (mean=2.8; F(1,171)=8.16, p=0.005).

Conclusions

Both disciplines are aware of the relevance of job stressors as risk factors for depression, but should be encouraged to ask employees more frequently about them. The need for interdisciplinary cooperation and possible barriers are discussed. It is crucial to emphasise the meaning of sufficient cooperation, since closing this gap for improving patient-centred care especially for employees suffering from depression is necessary.
Content analysis of tobacco content in UK television
Authors: Barker Alexander B , Whittamore Kathy , Britton John , Cranwell Jo
Published: August 2018

Aims

Exposure to audiovisual tobacco content in media is a risk factor for smoking in young people. While tobacco content in films has been extensively documented, content in mainstream television has received relatively little attention. We report an analysis of tobacco content in a sample of UK free-to-air prime-time television broadcasts in 2015, and compare this with a similar analysis from 2010.

Design

Content analysis of all programmes and advertisements or trailers broadcast on the five national UK free-to-air channels in the UK between 18:00 and 22:00 during three separate weeks in September, October and November 2015.

Setting

Great Britain.

Participants

None (media analysis only).

Measurements

Occurrence of any tobacco, tobacco use, implied use, other tobacco reference/related objects and branding in every 1 min coding interval.

Findings

Tobacco content occurred in 33% of all programmes and 8% of all adverts or programme trailer breaks. Actual tobacco use occurred in 12% of all programmes broadcast. Tobacco-related objects, primarily no smoking signs, occurred in 2% of broadcasts; implied tobacco use and tobacco branding were also rare. The majority of tobacco content occurred after the 21:00 watershed.

Conclusions

These findings are virtually unchanged from our earlier analysis of programme content from 2010. Audiovisual tobacco content remains common in UK television programmes.
Sitting cross-legged for 30 min alters lower limb shear stress pattern but not flow-mediated dilation or arterial stiffness
Authors: Tremblay Joshua C. , Stimpson Taylor V. , Murray Kristen M. , Pyke Kyra E.
Published: August 2018

Prolonged sitting decreases lower limb endothelial function via sustained reductions in mean shear rate. We tested whether 30 min of sitting cross-legged differentially impacts superficial femoral artery shear rate pattern, flow-mediated dilation (FMD), and leg pulse-wave velocity (PWV) compared with sitting flat-footed. Sitting cross-legged attenuated the reduction in mean and antegrade shear rate and increased arterial pressure compared with sitting flat-footed. Superficial femoral artery FMD and leg PWV were unaltered following either sitting position.
Area Segmentation of Images Using Watershed and Anisotropic Gaussian Kernels
Authors: Lian Jihong , Jia Kaili , Li Yunhong , Zhang Qiuming , Zhang Zhenyu , Zhang Baojun
Published: August 2018

Image segmentation as one of the primary steps in image analysis for object identification has received much attention lately, the main aim being to recognize homogeneous regions of an image which belong to different objects. A noise-robust edge detector SCHEME based on anisotropic Gaussian Kernels (ANGKs) is proposed in this paper by combining the region-merging algorithm to obtain higher quality segmentation results, which consist of three basic blocks. The first two blocks give rise to an initial partition of an image, while the last block attains the final segmentation by iteratively merging similar fragmented regions. A series of experiments is used to evaluate the performance of the method. The experimental results show that the proposed method has good noise robustness and localization accuracy, and can solve the problem of over-segmentation effectively, the simulation result supports our proposed main ideas.
Long time stability for the dispersive SQG equation and Boussinesq equations in Sobolev space Hs
Authors: Wan Renhui
Published: August 2018

Dispersive SQG equation have been studied by many works (see, e.g., [M. Cannone, C. Miao and L. Xue, Global regularity for the supercritical dissipative quasi-geostrophic equation with large dispersive forcing, Proc. Londen. Math. Soc. 106 (2013) 650–674; T. M. Elgindi and K. Widmayer, Sharp decay estimates for an anisotropic linear semigroup and applications to the surface quasi-geostrophic and inviscid Boussinesq systems, SIAM J. Math. Anal. 47 (2015) 4672–4684; A. Kiselev and F. Nazarov, Global regularity for the critical dispersive dissipative surface quasi-geostrophic equation, Nonlinearity 23 (2010) 549–554; R. Wan and J. Chen, Global well-posedness for the 2D dispersive SQG equation and inviscid Boussinesq equations, Z. Angew. Math. Phys. 67 (2016) 104]), which is very similar to the 3D rotating Euler or Navier–Stokes equations. Long time stability for the dispersive SQG equation without dissipation was obtained by Elgindi–Widmayer [Sharp decay estimates for an anisotropic linear semigroup and applications to the surface quasi-geostrophic and inviscid Boussinesq systems, SIAM J. Math. Anal. 47 (2015) 4672–4684], where the initial condition [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] plays a important role in their proof. In this paper, by using the Strichartz estimate, we can remove this initial condition. Namely, we only assume the initial data is in the Sobolev space like [Formula: see text]. As an application, we can also obtain similar result for the 2D Boussinesq equations with the initial data near a nontrivial equilibrium.
Older Adults’ Deployment of ‘Distrust’
Authors: Knowles Bran , Hanson Vicki L.
Published: August 2018

Older adults frequently deploy the concept of distrust when discussing digital technologies, and it is tempting to assume that distrust is largely responsible for the reduced uptake by older adults witnessed in the latest surveys of technology use. To help understand the impact of distrust on adoption behavior, we conducted focus groups with older adults exploring how, in what circumstances, and to what effect older adults articulate distrust in digital technologies. Our findings indicate that distrust is not especially relevant to older adults’ practical decision making around technology (non-)use. The older adults in our study used the language of distrust to open up discussions around digital technologies to larger issues related to values. This suggests that looking to distrust as a predictor of non-use (e.g., in Technology Acceptance Model studies) may be uniquely unhelpful in the case of older adults, as it narrows the discussion of technology acceptance and trust to interactional issues, when their use of distrust pertains to much wider concerns. Likewise, technology adoption should not be viewed as indicative of trust or an endorsement of technology acceptability. Older adults using-while-distrusting offers important insights into how to design truly acceptable digital technologies.
Interpretive Impacts of Text Visualization
Authors: Baumer Eric P. S. , Snyder Jaime , Gay Geri K.
Published: August 2018

Information visualizations are often evaluated as a tool in terms of their ability to support performance of a specific task. This article argues that value can be gained by instead evaluating visualizations from a communicative perspective. Specifically, it explores how text visualization can influence the impacts that framing has on the perception of political issues. Using data from a controlled laboratory study, the results presented here demonstrate that exposure to a text visualization can mitigate framing effects. Furthermore, it also shows a transfer effect, where participants who saw the visualization remained uninfluenced by framing in subsequent texts, even when the visualization was absent. These results carry implications for the methods used to evaluate information visualization systems, for understanding the cognitive and interpretive mechanisms by which framing effects occur, and for exploring the design space of interactive text visualization.
Electromechanical Design of Self‐Similar Inspired Surface Electrodes for Human‐Machine Interaction
Authors: Huang YongAn , Dong Wentao , Zhu Chen , Xiao Lin
Published: August 2018

Stable acquisition of electromyography (EMG)/electrocardiograph (ECG) signal is critical and challenging in dynamic human‐machine interaction. Here, self‐similar inspired configuration is presented to design surface electrodes with high mechanical adaptability (stretchability and conformability with skin) and electrical sensitivity/stability which are usually a pair of paradoxes. Mechanical and electrical coupling optimization strategies are proposed to optimize the surface electrodes with the 2nd‐order self‐similar serpentine configuration. It is devoted the relationship between the geometric shape parameters (height‐space ratio η, scale factor β, and line width w), the areal coverage α, and mechanical adaptability, based on which an open network‐shaped electrode is designed to stably collect high signal‐to‐noise ratio signals. The theoretical and experimental results show that the electrodes can be stretched > 30% and conform with skin wrinkle. The interfacial strength of electrode and skin is measured by homemade peeling test experiment platform. The surface electrodes with different line widths are used to record ECG signals for validating the electrical stability. Conformability reduces background noises and motion artifacts which provides stable recording of ECG/EMG signals. Further, the thin, stretchable electrodes are mounted on the human epidermis for continuous, stable biopotential signal records which suggests the way to high‐performance electrodes in human‐machine interaction.
Rock Mechanics Characteristics Test and Optimization of High-Efficiency Mining in Dajishan Tungsten Mine
Authors: Zhao Kang , Gu Shuijie , Yan Yajing , Li Qiang , Xiao Wanqi , Liu Guoqing
Published: August 2018

Rock mechanics test is not only the basis for obtaining the mechanical parameters of rock but also an important means for studying rock mechanics and engineering. In this paper, the uniaxial compression deformation test, Brazilian splitting test, and cornea pressure shear test are carried out for rocks in the Dajishan tungsten mine. The basic mechanical parameters such as uniaxial compressive strength, tensile strength, elastic modulus, Poisson’s ratio, and internal friction angle of ore rock and surrounding rock are obtained. Meanwhile, damage characteristics of rock are deeply studied and analyzed under different experimental conditions. According to rock mechanics parameters which are obtained from indoor rock mechanics tests, three design schemes of stope structure parameters are optimized by using the FLAC3D numerical simulation software. On the premise of ensuring the stability of the stope structure, the recovery rate of ore and the production capacity of the stope are taken into consideration. It is suggested that the second scheme should be adopted for mines (18 m for ore room and 7 m for ore pillar), which provides scientific guidance for the safe and efficient mining of mines.
Asymptotic Behavior of Solutions to Reaction-Diffusion Equations with Dynamic Boundary Conditions and Irregular Data
Authors: Duan Yonghong , Hu Chunlei , Chai Xiaojuan
Published: August 2018

This paper is concerned with the asymptotic behavior of solutions to reaction-diffusion equations with dynamic boundary conditions as well as L1-initial data and forcing terms. We first prove the existence and uniqueness of an entropy solution by smoothing approximations. Then we consider the large-time behavior of the solution. The existence of a global attractor for the solution semigroup is obtained in L1(Ω¯,dν). This extends the corresponding results in the literatures.
Surface Superrotation
Authors: Caballero Rodrigo , Carlson Henrik
Published: August 2018

Equatorial superrotation is commonly observed in simulations of Earth and planetary climates, but it is almost without exception found to occur only at upper levels, with zero or easterly winds at the surface. Surface superrotation—a state with climatological zonal-mean westerlies at the equatorial surface—would lead to a major reorganization of the tropical ocean circulation with important consequences for global climate. Here, we examine the mechanisms that give rise to surface superrotation. We identify four theoretical scenarios under which surface superrotation may be achieved. Using an axisymmetric model forced by prescribed zonal-mean torques, we provide concrete examples of surface superrotation under all four scenarios. We also find that we can induce surface superrotation in a full-complexity atmospheric general circulation model, albeit in an extreme parameter range (in particular, convective momentum transport is artificially increased by almost an order of magnitude). We conclude that a transition to surface superrotation is unlikely in Earthlike climates, including ancient or future warm climates, though this conclusion is subject to the currently large uncertainties in the parameterization of convective momentum transport.
Predisposing, reinforcing and enabling factors for physical activity in boys and girls from socially disadvantaged communities
Authors: Noonan Robert J , Boddy Lynne M , Knowles Zoe R , Fairclough Stuart J
Published: August 2018

Objective:

This study investigated relative associations between physical activity and selected predisposing, reinforcing and enabling factors among 9- to 10-year-old children from socially disadvantaged communities and examined the extent to which these associations varied by sex.

Design:

Cross-sectional design.

Setting:

Ten public primary schools in Liverpool, England.

Methods:

A total of 194 children (107 girls) completed measures of stature, body mass, waist circumference and cardiorespiratory fitness. Physical activity, physical activity self-efficacy, perceived physical competence and parental physical activity support were self-reported. Sex-specific associations were examined by multiple linear regression and mediator analyses using bootstrapping method.

Results:

Boys’ physical activity was positively associated with parental physical activity support and perceived physical competence ( p < .01), whereas girls’ physical activity was positively associated with parental physical activity support and physical activity self-efficacy ( p < .01). Sex-specific mediation analyses revealed that perceived physical competence and physical activity self-efficacy partially mediated the association between parental physical activity support and boys’ and girls’ physical activity, respectively.

Conclusion:

As parents influence child physical activity directly and indirectly their involvement in future child physical activity intervention programmes is essential. Formative research with parents living in socially disadvantaged communities is warranted to explore the range and interaction of challenges they face to support different modes of physical activity participation for their children.
Education or Sophistication
Authors: Pearson Haydn Sanborn
Published: August 2018

“A class of seventh grade girls, particularly, set me thinking. They had a cultivated pose of polite boredom with life. Their attitude to their teacher was one of well-bred toleration.”
“To Him that Hath”
Authors: McClure Worth
Published: August 2018

That the specially gifted child is denied his rightful opportunity for development in the schools, is the contention of Superintendent McClure in this article. He here re-affirms the position taken by him at the Detroit meeting of the Department of Superintendence.
Democratic Features in Kalamazoo Schools
Authors: Drake E. H.
Published: August 2018

To free the schoolroom and the school from unnatural restraint is a fundamental need of education in a democracy, according to Superintendent Drake, who has indicated in this article some of the democratic ideals and practices of the Kalamazoo schools.
Adjusting the College Student
Authors: Fraser George M.
Published: August 2018

“College personnel work” is not designed to eliminate failure in general. It is designed to eliminate failures which are due to causes which can be checked and which, when understood by the student, he will aid in checking.”
The Blight of the Academic
Authors: Chrisman Lewis H.
Published: August 2018

Why do some teachers make learning attractive, while others make it an object of disgust and loathing?
Close-ups of Good Teaching
Authors: Clem Orlie M.
Published: August 2018

A class in English and one in Guidance are described in this third article of a continuing series
The Path Taken and Not Taken in Social Epistemology
Authors: Fuller Steve
Published: August 2018

I respond to William Lynch’s critique of the sympathetic reading of my work provided by Remedios and Dusek in Knowing Humanity in the Social World: The Path of Steve Fuller’s Social Epistemology. Lynch harks back to my early works, which he sees as a promoting a ‘naturalism’ lacking in the later works. In response, I observe that my commitment to naturalism has always been ‘reflexive’, which has led me to break with conventional forms of naturalism, though sticking closely to the spirit of science.
Composite hierarchical control for Markovian jump systems with multiple disturbances and time-varying fault
Authors: Yao Xiuming , Zhang Nuandi , Park Ju H
Published: August 2018

We investigate a robust fault-tolerant control problem for continuous-time Markovian jump systems with an actuator fault and multiple disturbances (one is norm-bounded, whereas the other can be modelled by an exogenous system). Our aim is to construct, simultaneously, a model-dependent disturbance observer for modelling the disturbance estimate and a model-dependent fault diagnosis observer for the time-varying fault estimate and then propose a composite hierarchical control scheme by integrating the fault and disturbance estimates using a state feedback control strategy. Application of the [Formula: see text] control methodology ensures stochastic stability of the resulting composite system with fault compensation, disturbance attenuation and rejection performances. On the basis of Lyapunov stability theory, the existence conditions of the disturbance observer, fault diagnosis observer and composite controller are derived from the solution to a convex optimization problem. Finally, a numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed techniques.
Evaluation of the Effect of Tissue Compression on the Results of Shear Wave Elastography Measurements
Authors: Vachutka Jaromir , Sedlackova Zuzana , Furst Tomas , Herman Miroslav , Herman Jan , Salzman Richard , Dolezal Ladislav
Published: August 2018

Shear wave imaging is considered to be more precise and less operator dependent when compared with strain imaging. It enables quantitative and reproducible data (Young’s modulus of the imaged tissue). However, results of shear wave imaging can be affected by a variety of different factors. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of the pressure applied by the ultrasound probe during examination on the measured values of Young’s modulus. The effect of the tissue compression on the results of the real-time shear wave elastography was evaluated via the gelatine phantom measurements, via the ex vivo experiments with pig liver, and via the in vivo measurements of the thyroid gland stiffness on healthy volunteers. The results of our measurements confirmed that the measured value of Young’s modulus increases with the increasing pressure applied on the imaged object. The highest increase was observed during the ex vivo experiments (400%), and the lowest increase was detected in the case of the phantom measurements (8%). A two- to threefold increase in Young’s modulus was observed between the minimum and maximum pressure in the case of the in vivo elastography measurements of thyroid gland. The Veronda-Westman theoretical model was used for the description of the tissue nonlinearity. We conclude that tissue compression by the force exerted on the probe can significantly affect the results of the real-time shear wave elastography measurements. Minimum pressure should be used when measuring the absolute value of Young’s modulus of superficial organs.
L2 distribution of Chinese connectives: Towards a comprehensive understanding of a discourse grammar
Authors: Lu Yuan
Published: August 2018

This study investigated second language distribution of Chinese connectives by tallying responses on a mini-discourse completion test taken by English-speaking learners with different language learning backgrounds and at different proficiency levels. The results showed that an underuse pattern underlay practically all Chinese connectives as a result of learners’ attention distributed among the three layers of language (i.e. semantic-lexical, syntactic-structural, and discourse-textual layers). The underuse of Chinese connectives, especially for obligatorily paired ones, was moderated by learners’ heritage language background and increased proficiency. Even though Chinese connectives’ syntactic position/obligatoriness effect was not evinced, learners demonstrated sensitivity to the cognitive complexity of semantic relationships marked by connectives, producing more connectives to signal more cognitively complex relationships in general. Meanwhile, the cognitive complexity of connectives seemed to have a threshold effect that beyond a certain level, the excessive cognitive load imposed on learners diminished their use of connectives. This study sheds light on the understanding of Chinese connectives as a multifaceted discourse grammar in second language acquisition.