bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thermoactivated heat transfer mechanism in molecular crystals: Thermal conductivity of benzophenone single crystals
Authors: Jeżowski A. , Strzhemechny M. A. , Krivchikov A. I. , Pyshkin O. S. , Romantsova O. O. , Korolyuk O. A. , Zloba D. I. , Horbatenko Yu. V. , Filatova A.
Published: January 2019

Thermal conductivities of two benzophenone single crystals have been measured at temperatures from 4.7 to 270 K. The experimental data for both are consistent for temperatures above 15 K. The thermal conductivity of benzophenone can be represented as a sum of two contributions: κ1 + κTA where κ1 is due to the standard phonon mechanisms accepted for ordered crystals and κTA takes into account the heat flow due to intermolecular hopping of thermally activated intramolecular vibrational modes. The thermal activation contribution in unsubstituted benzophenone is substantially smaller when compared to that in any of the two para-bromobenzophenone polymorphs studied previously. Unlike in the 4-bromobenzophenone crystals, the microscopic agent responsible for intramolecular excitation(s) was not determined. The characteristic intramolecular excitation energy was evaluated to be 220 K, about three times less compared to 4-bromobenzophenone.
The performance enhancement and temperature dependence of piezoelectric properties for Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.30PbTiO3 single crystal by alternating current polarization
Authors: Zhang Zhang , Xu Jialin , Yang Lili , Liu Sixing , Xiao Junjie , Zhu Rongfeng , Li Xiaobing , Wang Xi’an , Luo Haosu
Published: January 2019

The comparison and analysis of piezoelectric properties for [001]-oriented PMN-0.30PT by different polarization conditions were investigated. It should be noticed that the average piezoelectric coefficients d33 of PMN-0.30PT crystals were 1860 pC/N by alternating current (AC) polarization and 1380 pC/N by direct current (DC) polarization, which indicates a promotion of 35.3%. The domain patterns in the [001] surface of PMN-0.30PT single crystals under different polarization conditions are obtained by piezo-response force microscopy. The enhancement of piezoelectric performance by AC polarization is attributed to the regular stripe domains with high domain wall density. With the temperature increased to TR-T, both the values of dielectric constant εrT and piezoelectric coefficients d33 under AC polarization condition maintain higher compared to traditional DC poled samples. In addition, both the values of e33 and ε33S under AC polarization retain higher than that of DC polarization, suggesting that the special domain structure with high domain wall density by AC polarization keeps a stable state as the temperature increased to TR-T. When the temperature increased from TR-T to TT-C, the piezoelectric properties of crystals (εrT and d33) under different polarization conditions become the same status, which indicates that the domain structure under the different conditions of polarization may tend to the similar state and the extrinsic contribution from the domain wall motion by AC polarization is disappeared.
Inertial motor on a single piezoelectric actuator for a low-temperature near-field scanning optical microscope
Authors: Mishakov G. V. , Demikhov E. I. , Sharkov A. V.
Published: January 2019

The impact of such factors as the shape of the applied voltage pulse, the friction force, and the mass of the movable part on the motor operation at low temperatures is experimentally investigated. Important added features in the motor design are support springs. These springs prevent one part of the slider clamp from shifting relative to the other during motion. The optimization of the factors listed above provided for reliable withdrawal of the microscope’s fiber probe with a speed of up to 0.2 µm/step at a temperature of 5 K.
Magnetization behavior of electrochemically synthesized Co2MnSn full Heusler alloy nanowire arrays
Authors: Safeer Affan , Ahmad Naeem , Khan Suleman , Azam Liaqat Ali , Bashir Danyal
Published: January 2019

Highly ordered Co2MnSn full Heusler alloy nanowire (NW) arrays were for the first time electrochemically synthesized into an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template. In order to obtain the full Heusler alloy composition (2:1:1) in NWs, the sinusoidal waveform of different voltages was applied during electrodeposition. Elemental analysis exhibited that Co0.48Mn0.25Sn0.26 and Co0.49Mn0.26Sn0.24 NWs were successfully synthesized at 16 V and 17 V, where the nominal composition ratio of Co:Mn:Sn was equal to Co2MnSn full Heusler alloys composition. The crystal structure demonstrated that Heusler NWs were crystallized into an A2-type magnetically disordered structure with an average lattice constant of ∼5.83 Å. The magnetization behavior of NWs predicated that the easy axis was along the wire long axis due to the dominance of shape anisotropy. An average saturation magnetization (Ms) and coercivity (Hc) along the easy axis of Heusler NWs was obtained at about ∼2500 emu/cm3 and ∼440 Oe, respectively. The difference between total effective anisotropy energy (Keff) and magnetostatic anisotropy energies (Kms) illustrated that the magnetic anisotropy in Co0.49Mn0.26Sn0.24 NWs was also mainly contributed by magnetocrystalline anisotropy. Furthermore, the angular dependence of Hc revealed that the magnetization reversal mode in Heusler NWs existed on the vortex mode and transversal mode at low and high angles, respectively.
Enhancement of localized surface plasmon resonance by inter-band transitions in an Au based nanoshell structure
Authors: Dong H. M. , Han F. W. , Duan Y. F. , Shen X. P. , Huang F. , Zhang J. , Tan R. B.
Published: January 2019

We present a theoretical study on plasmonic properties of an Au based nanoshell structure in which the localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) and the inter-band electronic transitions (IBTs) are presented. The optical properties of Au nanoshell are depicted by a corrected dielectric function of Drude-Lorentz mode, and Mie theory is applied to calculate the absorption efficiencies. It shows that there are two localized surface plasmon absorption peaks, which are induced from the outside LSPRs and the inside LSPRs, respectively. The positions of these two peaks can shift by changing core radius and shell thickness. By varying the core radius and thickness of the shells, the LSPRs are modulated with the IBTs, leading to the strong interactions between the LSPRs and the IBTs. It is found that the LSPRs and IBTs can couple with each other and the new resonance absorption peaks can be observed. Our results show that the LSPRs are enhanced by the IBTs. This enhancement can be applied to improve biosensor signals and advanced plasmonic applications.
Oblique propagation of ion-acoustic solitary waves in a magnetized plasma with electrons following a generalized distribution function
Authors: Sultana S. , Islam S. , Mamun A. A. , Schlickeiser R.
Published: January 2019

A magnetized plasma containing inertial ions and non-inertial electrons following a generalized distribution function, which reduces to Maxwellian, κ type superthermal, and trapped distribution functions for different limiting cases, is considered. The reductive perturbation method is employed to examine the formation and basic features of small but finite amplitude obliquely propagating ion-acoustic solitary waves (OPIASWs) in such a magnetized plasma. The effects of the parameters involving superthermal and trapped distribution functions, obliqueness, and external magnetic field on the basic features of OPIASWs are identified. The applications of the results of this work in different space and laboratory plasma situations are briefly discussed.
Evolution of the micropulse structure of an electron beam propagating in air
Authors: Miller R. B. , McChesney P. , Harris J. R. , Myers N.
Published: January 2019

As part of the Air Force Research Laboratory's ongoing research in particle accelerators and beams, we have been investigating the propagation of electron beams of intermediate energy (1-100 MeV) in air. Of interest are the formation of the radiation shower and the detailed structure of the micropulses when the beams are produced by microwave linear accelerators. The experimental measurements and the supporting numerical simulations reported here indicate that the micropulse structure of the beam is well-preserved, even in the case of rather severe energy straggling and multiple scattering.
Low dimensional magnetism in the trirutile tantalates Co1−xMgxTa2O6 with weak-ferromagnetic features
Authors: Baral R. , Fierro H. S. , Martinez L. M. , Singamaneni S. R. , Nair H. S.
Published: January 2019

The magnetic properties of the low-dimensional trirutile tantalates Co1−xMgxTa2O6 [x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0] are reported in this paper. CoTa2O6 is an antiferromagnet with a transition temperature at TN=6.6 K, while showing a very broad peak in the magnetic susceptibility at ≈12 K owing to the low dimensionality of the magnetic interactions. In our study, where Mg is introduced at the Co position, we see the disappearance of the broad transition for high values of x. For the x=0.1 composition, three transitions are observed in the magnetization at 28 K, 6 K, and 3.3 K. Our analysis of magnetization data using the anisotropic Heisenberg and the Ising models for spin chains points out that the magnetic interactions in Co1−xMgxTa2O6 are indeed low dimensional. Field-induced metamagnetic transitions are observed in the case of x=0 and x=0.1 compositions of Co1−xMgxTa2O6, which are evident in the magnetization isotherms at T=2 K. Interestingly, we find that with progressive doping up to x=0.5 and 0.7, we obtain higher magnetization pointing to the possibility of weak-ferromagnetism. This might point toward the formation of single-chain magnets, which opens up a new possibility in low dimensional oxides for spintronics applications.
A Landau-fluid closure for arbitrary frequency response
Authors: Wang Libo , Zhu Ben , Xu Xue-qiao , Li Bo
Published: January 2019

The kinetic Landau-fluid (LF) closure which can be regarded as the exact closure is derived. For Maxwellian plasma, the kinetic closure is the same as Hammett-Perkins closure in static limit and totally the same with Chang-Callen closure. A new LF closure for arbitrary frequency response constructed with harmonic average technique is presented in this paper. This new LF closure bridges the existing LF closures in the low and high frequency limits: it recovers Hammett-Perkins closure when weight coefficient κ = 0 and converges to Chang-Callen closure at high frequency when weight coefficient κ = 1. By picking an appropriate κ, the harmonic average closure contains both nonlocal transport and local transport and the resulting fluid response function of a three moment fluid model well matches the exact kinetic response function within the entire frequency range. On the computational side, a sum of diffusion-convection solves (SDCS) method is developed to facilitate numerical implementation of the harmonic average LF closure. By using SDCS method, good agreement is achieved for the response functions between driven initial-value simulations and matrix eigenvalue calculations within the BOUT++ framework. The harmonic average closure of shifted-Maxwellian is also outlined.
Molecular interaction between asymmetric ligand-capped gold nanocrystals
Authors: Liu Xuepeng , Lu Pin , Zhai Hua
Published: January 2019

Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations are performed to study the potential of mean force (PMF) between two asymmetric gold nanocrystals (NCs) capped by alkylthiols in a vacuum. We systematically investigate the dependence of the PMF on the sizes and capping ligand lengths of two NCs. The results show that the potential well depth scales linearly with increasing total length of two capping ligands on asymmetric dimers, but it hardly depends on the NC size. The predicted equilibrium distance between two asymmetric NCs grows significantly and linearly with the total size of two NCs and exhibits only a slight increase with increasing total ligand length. These findings are explained in terms of the amount of ligand interdigitation between NC surfaces as well as its alterations caused by the change in ligand length and NC size. Furthermore, we introduce a simple formula to estimate the equilibrium distance of two asymmetric NCs. On the basis of the computed PMFs, we propose an empirical two-body potential between asymmetric capped gold NCs.
Selection and morphology of expletive subject clitics in northern Italian dialects
Authors: Ferrarotti Lorenzo
Published: January 2019

This paper aims to sketch a morphological typology of 3sg expletive subject clitics (ESCs) in northern Italian dialects (NIDs). In order to show a variation greater than that reported in descriptive studies, a preliminary examination of the ESCs of some varieties of Piedmontese is made, with particular reference to the impersonal verbs sembra (‘it seems’) and bisogna (an impersonal only verb meaning ‘it is necessary’). Keeping the same focus, such a microvariational analysis is then extended to the whole of NIDs, seeking to draw up a morphological typology linked to syntax-semantic interface hypotheses. Lastly, some suggestions about a crosslinguistic comparison and some diachronic facts are presented.
Contact-induced phenomena in the Alps
Authors: Casalicchio Jan , Padovan Andrea
Published: January 2019

The main question underlying this chapter is to what extent language contact can affect syntactic structure. To tackle this issue we examine two relevant phenomena found in two minority languages spoken in the region Trentino-Alto Adige/South Tyrol: clitic climbing in Dolomitic Ladin and the use of the Romance complementizer ke in Cimbrian. Both phenomena are usually considered as the result of a contact-induced change influenced by the neighbouring Italo-Romance varieties. However, it is shown that the rising of clitic climbing is a language-internal process which is only accelerated by the contact with Italian. Similarly, the lexical borrowing of the complementizer ke in Cimbrian does not entail that its syntactic properties are also borrowed.
Part-of-speech patterns in legal genres
Authors: Breeze Ruth
Published: January 2019

Four corpora constructed from different genre families in business law (academic texts, case law, legal documents, and legislation) are analysed in terms of key parts of speech. The differences between them show that legal academic writing and case law tend to follow patterns comparable to argumentative texts elsewhere, while documents and legislation show unusual patterns of cohesion and modality. These phenomena are related to the functional requirements of the genres in question, and to disciplinary conventions.
Dictator’s Instagram: personal and political narratives in a Chechen leader’s social network
Authors: Rodina Elena , Dligach Dmitriy
Published: January 2019

The purpose of this study is to explore how social networks, Instagram in particular, can be utilized by an autocrat in order to construct and promote the image of a charismatic leader. To do so, we conduct a topic modelling of 6854 Instagram posts made by Ramzan Kadyrov, the dictatorial head of the autonomous Chechen Republic in the Russian Federation. We then analyze the verbal framing of 24 dominant topics. The study concludes that the main rhetorical device that Kadyrov employs is a merging of personal and political themes throughout his posts. He personalizes political discussion by discussing public interest topics through the prism of his own personal life, and inserts political discourse into personal, intimate posts about his family, pastimes, and friends. The study shows that this tactic, often understood by media researchers as an oppositional device for harnessing popular support against an autocratic state, can be just as successfully employed by an autocratic leader. Kadyrov, who in his Instagram combines the tactics of a populist politician and an internet celebrity, has shaped a personality that can be best described as a “flirting populist” (Vezjak, Boris. 2018. “Dobro zmaguje: predsednik kot krščanski populist.” In Media Res (personal blog), https://vezjak.com/2018/01/02/dobro-zmagujepredsednik- kot-krscanski-populist/), which, as we suggest, is a new, online technology-enhanced type of a political figure.
Effectiveness of Seasonal Influenza Vaccination in Children in Senegal During a Year of Vaccine Mismatch: A Cluster-randomized Trial
Authors: Diallo Aldiouma , Diop Ousmane M , Diop Doudou , Niang Mbayame Nd , Sugimoto Jonathan D , Ortiz Justin R , Faye El hadji Abdourahmane , Diarra Bou , Goudiaby Deborah , Lewis Kristen D C , Emery Shannon L , Zangeneh Sahar Z , Lafond Kathryn E , Sokhna Cheikh , Halloran M Elizabeth , Widdowson Marc-Alain , Neuzil Kathleen M , Victor John C
Published: January 2019

Background

The population effects of influenza vaccination in children have not been extensively studied, especially in tropical, developing countries. In rural Senegal, we assessed the total (primary objective) and indirect effectiveness of a trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV3).

Methods

In this double-blind, cluster-randomized trial, villages were randomly allocated (1:1) for the high-coverage vaccination of children aged 6 months through 10 years with either the 2008–09 northern hemisphere IIV3 or an inactivated polio vaccine (IPV). Vaccinees were monitored for serious adverse events. All village residents, vaccinated and unvaccinated, were monitored for signs and symptoms of influenza illness using weekly home visits and surveillance in designated clinics. The primary outcome was all laboratory-confirmed symptomatic influenza.

Results

Between 23 May and 11 July 2009, 20 villages were randomized, and 66.5% of age-eligible children were enrolled (3918 in IIV3 villages and 3848 in IPV villages). Follow-up continued until 28 May 2010. There were 4 unrelated serious adverse events identified. Among vaccinees, the total effectiveness against illness caused by the seasonal influenza virus (presumed to all be drifted A/H3N2, based on antigenic characterization data) circulating at high rates among children was 43.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 18.6–60.9%). The indirect effectiveness against seasonal A/H3N2 was 15.4% (95% CI -22.0 to 41.3%). The total effectiveness against illness caused by the pandemic influenza virus (A/H1N1pdm09) was -52.1% (95% CI -177.2 to 16.6%).

Conclusions

IIV3 provided statistically significant, moderate protection to children in Senegal against circulating, pre-2010 seasonal influenza strains, but not against A/H1N1pdm09, which was not included in the vaccine. No indirect effects were measured. Further study in low-resource populations is warranted.

Clinical Trials Registration

NCT00893906.
Characterization of γδ T Cells in Intestinal Mucosa From Patients With Early-Onset or Long-Standing Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Their Correlation With Clinical Status
Authors: Lo Presti Elena , Di Mitri Roberto , Mocciaro Filippo , Di Stefano Anna Barbara , Scibetta Nunzia , Unti Elettra , Cicero Giuseppe , Pecoraro Giulia , Conte Elisabetta , Dieli Francesco , Meraviglia Serena
Published: January 2019

Background and Aims

Inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] is a complex chronic inflammatory disease of the human gut with no clear aetiology. Traditionally, dysregulated adaptive immune responses play an important role even though accumulating evidence suggests a role also for innate immunity. Because of the well-known plasticity of γδ T cells, we investigated their percentage occurrence, phenotypic features and effector functions in the intestinal mucosa of early-onset and long-standing IBD patients, as compared to healthy subjects.

Methods

Fresh biopsies from 30 Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis patients were obtained and digested, and cells were analysed by flow cytometry.

Results

We found a reduced frequency of Vδ1 T cells in tissue from early and late IBD patients (2.24% and 1.95%, respectively, vs 5.44% in healthy tissue) but an increased frequency of Vδ2 T cells in the gut of late IBD patients (3.19% in late patients vs 1.5% in early patients and 1.65% in healthy tissue). The infiltrating Vδ2 T cells had predominant effector memory and terminally differentiated phenotypes and produced elevated levels of tumour necrosis factor-α [TNF-α] and interleukin-17 [IL-17]. The frequency of tissue Vδ2 T cells correlated with the extent of the inflammatory response and the severity of IBD.

Conclusion

Our study shows that tissue Vδ1 T cells are decreased in IBD patients while Vδ2 T cells are increased in the gut of IBD patients and contribute to TNF-α production. Moreover, we identify an as yet unappreciated role of Vδ2 T cells in IL-17 production in the gut of long-standing IBD patients, suggesting that they also participate in the chronic inflammatory process.
Does health literacy explain the link between structural stratifiers and adolescent health?
Authors: Paakkari Leena T , Torppa Minna P , Paakkari Olli-Pekka , Välimaa Raili S , Ojala Kristiina S A , Tynjälä Jorma A
Published: January 2019

Background

The concept of health literacy (HL) may help us to better understand the mechanisms leading to health disparities, and to focus on the factors that can be influenced. However, not much is yet known about how HL is related to health disparities, or whether the association exists among adolescents. The aim of the study was to examine the associations between structural stratifiers, HL and health indicators among adolescents.

Methods

The nationally representative Finnish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey data (n=3833) were collected from 13- and 15-year-old pupils in the spring of 2014. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated, and separate path models were estimated for the perceived health and health behaviour measures.

Results

HL was found to be an independent factor explaining disparities in health. Higher HL was related to positive health outcomes. HL also acted as a mediator between health behaviours and structural stratifiers, except for gender. School achievement and educational aspirations were among the factors explaining the HL level, which in turn, explained the health indicators.

Conclusion

The concept of HL is of use in understanding health disparities. In particular, HL provides a mechanism via which school achievement and educational plans affect health outcomes. Low HL places adolescents who have poor school achievement and who do not intend to continue on an academic path in an unequal position with respect to their health.
European Integration Theory
Authors: Wiener Antje , Börzel Tanja A. , Risse Thomas
Published: January 2019

European Integration Theory provides an overview of the major approaches to European integration, from federalism and neofunctionalism to liberal intergovernmentalism, social constructivism, normative theory, and critical political economy. Each chapter represents a contribution to the ‘mosaic of integration theory’. The contributors reflect on the development, achievements, and problems of their respective approach. In the fully revised and updated third edition, the contributors examine current crises with regard to the economy, migration, and security. Two concluding chapters assess, comparatively, the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, and look at the emerging issues. The third edition includes new contributions on the topics of regional integration, discourse analysis, federalism, and critical political economy.
Genomic Analysis of Plasmodium vivax in Southern Ethiopia Reveals Selective Pressures in Multiple Parasite Mechanisms
Authors: Auburn Sarah , Getachew Sisay , Pearson Richard D , Amato Roberto , Miotto Olivo , Trimarsanto Hidayat , Zhu Sha Joe , Rumaseb Angela , Marfurt Jutta , Noviyanti Rintis , Grigg Matthew J , Barber Bridget , William Timothy , Goncalves Sonia Morgado , Drury Eleanor , Sriprawat Kanlaya , Anstey Nicholas M , Nosten Francois , Petros Beyene , Aseffa Abraham , McVean Gil , Kwiatkowski Dominic P , Price Ric N
Published: January 2019

The Horn of Africa harbors the largest reservoir of Plasmodium vivax in the continent. Most of sub-Saharan Africa has remained relatively vivax-free due to a high prevalence of the human Duffy-negative trait, but the emergence of strains able to invade Duffy-negative reticulocytes poses a major public health threat. We undertook the first population genomic investigation of P. vivax from the region, comparing the genomes of 24 Ethiopian isolates against data from Southeast Asia to identify important local adaptions. The prevalence of the Duffy binding protein amplification in Ethiopia was 79%, potentially reflecting adaptation to Duffy negativity. There was also evidence of selection in a region upstream of the chloroquine resistance transporter, a putative chloroquine-resistance determinant. Strong signals of selection were observed in genes involved in immune evasion and regulation of gene expression, highlighting the need for a multifaceted intervention approach to combat P. vivax in the region.
Learning The Hard Way: The Effect of Violent Conflict on Student Academic Achievement
Authors: Brück Tilman , Di Maio Michele , Miaari Sami H
Published: January 2019

We study the effect of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict on various education outcomes for Palestinian high school students in the West Bank during the Second Intifada (2000–2006). Exploiting within-school variation in the number of conflict-related Palestinian fatalities during the academic year, we show that the conflict reduces the probability of passing the final exam, the total test score, and the probability of being admitted to university. The effect of conflict varies with the type and the timing of the violent events the student is exposed to and it is not significant for students in the upper tail of the test score distribution. We discuss various possible transmission mechanisms explaining our main result. Evidence suggests a role for both the conflict-induced deterioration of school infrastructures and the worsening in the student's psychological well-being due to direct exposure to violent events.
Longitudinal e-Cigarette and Cigarette Use Among US Youth in the PATH Study (2013–2015)
Authors: Stanton Cassandra A , Bansal-Travers Maansi , Johnson Amanda L , Sharma Eva , Katz Lauren , Ambrose Bridget K , Silveira Marushka L , Day Hannah , Sargent James , Borek Nicolette , Compton Wilson M , Johnson Sarah E , Kimmel Heather L , Kaufman Annette R , Limpert Jean , Abrams David , Cummings K Michael , Goniewicz Maciej L , Tanski Susanne , Travers Mark J , Hyland Andrew J , Pearson Jennifer L
Published: January 2019

Background

Evidence is accumulating that youth who try Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS, e-cigarettes) may go on to try cigarettes. This analysis examines the bidirectional patterns of ENDS and cigarette use among US youth over one year and uses propensity score matching (PSM) to examine frequency of ENDS use on changes in cigarette smoking.

Methods

Our analysis included 11 996 participants who had two waves of available data (Wave 1 [W1] 2013–2014; Wave 2 [W2] 2014–2015) drawn from the longitudinal Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study. Cross-sectional weighted prevalence estimates are reported for cigarettes and ENDS. We used PSM to estimate the likelihood of ENDS use at W1 and to draw matched analytic samples, then used regression (logistic or linear) models to examine the effect of W1 ENDS use on W2 cigarette smoking. All statistical tests were two-sided.

Results

In weighted analyses, 69.3% of W1 past-30-day cigarette smokers exhibited past-30-day smoking at W2; 42.2% of W1 past-30-day ENDS users were using ENDS at W2. W1 ever use of either product was similarly associated with W2 new use of the other product. Unweighted PSM models indicated W1 cigarette-naïve ENDS use was associated with W2 ever-cigarette smoking (n = 676; adjusted odds ratio = 3.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.95 to 5.45, P < .001); W1 ever-ENDS use did not affect change in cigarette frequency at W2 (n = 1020, beta = 0.31, 95% CI = −0.76 to 1.39, P = .57); 1–5 days ENDS use compared with ever, no past-30-day ENDS use was associated with a statistically significant decrease of W2 smoking days (n = 256, beta = −2.64, 95% CI = −4.96 to −0.32; P = .03); and W1 6+ day ENDS users did not show a decrease in frequency of cigarette smoking.

Conclusions

Ever-ENDS use predicts future cigarette smoking, and frequency of ENDS use has a differential impact on subsequent cigarette smoking uptake or reduction. These results suggest that both cigarettes and ENDS should be targeted in early tobacco prevention efforts with youth.
Diet and risk of glioma: combined analysis of 3 large prospective studies in the UK and USA
Authors: Kuan Ai Seon , Green Jane , Kitahara Cari M , De González Amy Berrington , Key Tim , K. Reeves Gillian , Floud Sarah , Balkwill Angela , Bradbury Kathryn , Liao Linda M , Freedman Neal D , Beral Valerie , Sweetland Siân ,   The Million Women Study, the NIH-AARP study, and the PLCO study
Published: January 2019

Background

Available evidence on diet and glioma risk comes mainly from studies with retrospective collection of dietary data. To minimize possible differential dietary recall between those with and without glioma, we present findings from 3 large prospective studies.

Methods

Participants included 692 176 from the UK Million Women Study, 470 780 from the US National Institutes of Health–AARP study, and 99 148 from the US Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. Cox regression yielded study-specific adjusted relative risks for glioma in relation to 15 food groups, 14 nutrients, and 3 dietary patterns, which were combined, weighted by inverse variances of the relative risks. Separate analyses by <5 and ≥5 years follow-up assessed potential biases related to changes of diet before glioma diagnosis.

Results

The 1 262 104 participants (mean age, 60.6 y [SD 5.5] at baseline) were followed for 15.4 million person-years (mean 12.2 y/participant), during which 2313 incident gliomas occurred, at mean age 68.2 (SD 6.4). Overall, there was weak evidence for increased glioma risks associated with increasing intakes of total fruit, citrus fruit, and fiber and healthy dietary patterns, but these associations were generally null after excluding the first 5 years of follow-up. There was little evidence for heterogeneity of results by study or by sex.

Conclusions

The largest prospective evidence to date suggests little, if any, association between major food groups, nutrients, or common healthy dietary patterns and glioma incidence. With the statistical power of this study and the comprehensive nature of the investigation here, it seems unlikely we have overlooked major effects of diet on risk of glioma that would be of public health concern.
Materialists and altruists in a charitable donation experiment
Authors: Fielding David , Knowles Stephen , Robertson Kirsten
Published: January 2019

This paper presents results from a laboratory experiment that draws on insights from economics on different incentives for generosity and insights from social psychology on different personality types. Firstly, we test whether the effect of an appeal to pure altruism versus an appeal to self-interest varies across subjects. We find that there is substantial variation, and this variation is strongly correlated with a subject’s level of materialism. Secondly, we test whether spoken appeals and written appeals have different effects. We find no evidence for such a difference. These results have important implications for charities’ fundraising strategies and for experimental design.
Who Gets What? The Interactive Effect of MPs’ Sex in Committee Assignments in Portugal
Authors: Espírito-Santo Ana , Sanches Edalina Rodrigues
Published: January 2019

This article investigates the role of key individual-level factors, namely expertise, seniority and preferences in women’s assignments to legislative committees. It focuses on Portugal and draws on biographical data on MPs in five elections until 2009 and interviews with 20 legislators in 2014. The results show that female and male MPs have a similar probability of being appointed to powerful and economic issue committees, but female MPs are more likely to be appointed to social issue committees regardless of expertise and seniority. Although this outcome might be the product of their own preferences, it is influenced by embedded gender norms.
Ingrowth of Nociceptive Receptors into Diseased Cervical Intervertebral Disc Is Associated with Discogenic Neck Pain
Authors: Wu Bing , Yang Liang , Peng Baogan
Published: January 2019

Objective. To investigate the distribution of nociceptive nerve fibers in the cervical intervertebral discs of patients with chronic neck pain and determine whether these nociceptive nerve fibers are related to discogenic neck pain. Methods. We collected 43 samples of cervical intervertebral discs from 34 patients with severe chronic neck pain (visual analog scale [VAS] ≥ 70 mm), 42 samples from 36 patients who suffered cervical spondylotic radiculopathy or myelopathy without neck pain or with mild neck pain (VAS ≤ 30 mm) and 32 samples from eight donators to investigate their innervation immunohistochemically using an antibody against neuropeptide substance P. Results. The immunohistochemical investigation revealed that substance P–positive nerve fibers were obviously increased in number and deeply ingrown into the inner anulus fibrosus and even into the nucleus pulposus in the degenerative cervical discs of patients with severe neck pain in comparison with the discs of patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy or myelopathy and normal control discs (P<0.01). Conclusions. The current study may indicate a key role of nociceptive nerve fibers in the pathogenesis of neck pain of cervical disc origin.
OSF-Builder: A New Tool for Constructing and Representing Evolutionary Histories Involving Introgression
Authors: Scholz Guillaume E , Popescu Andrei-Alin , Taylor Martin I , Moulton Vincent , Huber Katharina T
Published: January 2019

Introgression is an evolutionary process which provides an important source of innovation for evolution. Although various methods have been used to detect introgression, very few methods are currently available for constructing evolutionary histories involving introgression. In this article, we propose a new method for constructing such evolutionary histories whose starting point is a species forest (consisting of a collection of lineage trees, usually arising as a collection of clades or monophyletic groups in a species tree), and a gene tree for a specific allele of interest, or allele tree for short. Our method is based on representing introgression in terms of a certain “overlay” of the allele tree over the lineage trees, called an overlaid species forest (OSF). OSFs are similar to phylogenetic networks although a key difference is that they typically have multiple roots because each monophyletic group in the species tree has a different point of origin. Employing a new model for introgression, we derive an efficient algorithm for building OSFs called OSF-Builder that is guaranteed to return an optimal OSF in the sense that the number of potential introgression events is minimized. As well as using simulations to assess the performance of OSF-Builder, we illustrate its use on a butterfly data set in which introgression has been previously inferred. The OSF-Builder software is available for download from https://www.uea.ac.uk/computing/software/OSF-Builder.
The change of Th17/Treg cells and IL-10/IL-17 in Chinese children with Henoch–Schonlein purpura
Authors: Li Bowen , Ren Qian , Ling Jizu , Tao Zhongbin , Yang Xuemei , Li Yuning
Published: January 2019

Background:

To date, the relationship of Th17 and Treg cells to Henoch–Schonlein purpura (HSP) in children remains controversial. Therefore, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to reveal the potential role of the Th17 and Treg cells in children in acute stage of HSP.

Methods:

PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI) were systematically searched for eligible studies up to November 03, 2017. Quality assessment was carried out according to the modification of the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The data were analyzed by Stata SE12.0 (StataCorp, College Station, TX). Standard mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was calculated continuous data.

Results:

A total of 25 eligible studies were identified after a thorough literature search. The pooled results of the meta-analysis showed that values of Th17 frequency (SMD = 2.60; 95% CI: 1.98 to 3.23; P < .0001; I2 = 90.3%, P < .0001) and IL-17 level (SMD = 3.53; 95% CI: 2.71 to 4.35; P < .0001; I2 = 95.6%, P < .001) were significantly higher in children with HSP as compared to healthy children. In contrast, our analysis showed significant lower values of Treg frequency (SMD = -2.86; 95% CI: -3.53 to -2.19; P < .001; I2 = 92.4%, P < .001). However, no significance of IL-10 level was observed between children with HSP and healthy children (SMD = -1.22; 95% CI: -2.78 to 0.33; P < .01; I2 = 95.9%, P < .001).

Conclusion:

In conclusion, our meta-analysis indicated that increased frequency of Th17 cells and level of IL-17, but lower frequency of Treg cells are associated with HSP in childhood. Considering the limitations of this meta-analysis, large-scaled studies need to be conducted to validate the current results.
Neural correlates of the effects of tDCS stimulation over the LIFG for phonological processing in dyslexia
Authors: de Almeida Lílian Rodrigues , Hansen Peter C.
Published: January 2019

Findings of neuroimaging and brain stimulation research suggest that the motor system takes part in phonological processing at least to some extent in healthy speakers. Phonological processing involves a core network of brain regions, the dorsal pathway, where motoric aspects of speech sounds are analysed by the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) and auditory aspects by the left superior temporal gyrus (LSTG). The extent to which each node of the dorsal pathway takes part in phonological processing has been shown to depend on the nature of the task and on the functional integrity of the network. Tasks of speech production rely more on the LIFG, and tasks of speech perception rely more on the LSTG. Persons with dyslexia (PWD) are known to present a deficit in phonological processing. Neuroimaging research has shown that dyslexia typically affects the LSTG, with hypoactivation, and the LIFG, with hyperactivation. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been widely used for cognitive research in humans. It has been recently suggested in the literature that perturbations induced by brain stimulation can cause the weights of nodes in cognitive networks to transiently rearrange. In this study we used tDCS and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the functioning of the dorsal pathway for phonological processing in PWD with tasks of speech production and speech perception. We targeted the LIFG with anodal, cathodal and sham tDCS. For healthy speakers, cathodal tDCS should downregulate performance when the target had high relevance for the task, such as the LIFG for speech production. For targets of smaller relevance, improved performance should be observed due to compensation by the most relevant node(s). Anodal tDCS should improve performance as a function of the relevance of the target for the task. PWD were expected to deviate from this pattern to some extent, especially when compensation by the LSTG was needed during cathodal tDCS of the LIFG for a task of speech perception. Results corroborated the theoretical claim that codes for articulation take part in the processing of speech sounds. However, our findings showed that the PWD pattern of response to tDCS for phonological processing in tasks of speech production and speech perception differed from that expected for healthy speakers. Anodal tDCS of the LIFG induced larger facilitation for the speech perception than for the speech production task, as well as larger compensation for the latter under cathodal tDCS. Findings indicate that tDCS is a promising diagnosis tool for the investigation of alterations in phonological processing caused by dyslexia.
PaKman: Scalable Assembly of Large Genomes on Distributed Memory Machines
Authors: Ghosh Priyanka , Krishnamoorthy Sriram , Kalyanaraman Ananth
Published: January 2019

De novo genome assembly is a fundamental problem in the field of bioinformatics, that aims to assemble the DNA sequence of an unknown genome from numerous short DNA fragments (aka reads) obtained from it. With the advent of high-throughput sequencing technologies, billions of reads can be generated in a matter of hours, necessitating efficient parallelization of the assembly process. While multiple parallel solutions have been proposed in the past, conducting a large-scale assembly at scale remains a challenging problem because of the inherent complexities associated with data movement, and irregular access footprints of memory and I/O operations. In this paper, we present a novel algorithm, called PaKman, to address the problem of performing large-scale genome assemblies on a distributed memory parallel computer. Our approach focuses on improving performance through a combination of novel data structures and algorithmic strategies for reducing the communication and I/O footprint during the assembly process. PaKman presents a solution for the two most time-consuming phases in the full genome assembly pipeline, namely, k-mer counting and contig generation.A key aspect of our algorithm is its graph data structure, which comprises fat nodes (or what we call “macro-nodes”) that reduce the communication burden during contig generation. We present an extensive performance and qualitative evaluation of our algorithm, including comparisons to other state-of-the-art parallel assemblers. Our results demonstrate the ability to achieve near-linear speedups on up to 8K cores (tested); outperform state-of-the-art distributed memory and shared memory tools in performance while delivering comparable (if not better) quality; and reduce time to solution significantly. For instance, PaKman is able to generate a high-quality set of assembled contigs for complex genomes such as the human and wheat genomes in a matter of minutes on 8K cores.
Respiratory Muscle Training Improves Speech and Pulmonary Function in COPD Patients in a Home Health Setting - a Pilot Study
Authors: Bausek N , Havenga L , Aldarondo S
Published: January 2019

Clinical Context and Key Findings

Home-based COPD managment, as provided by certified home-health providers, represents a cornerstone of patient care.

Resporatory muscle trainig (RMT) reduces symptoms of COPD and improves underlying respiratory muscle weakness, and may be a beneficial adjunct of standard of care treatment plans.

This 4 Week pilot study shows that RMT in combination with a standard of care home-based COPD management program can improve pulmonary and speech functions.
The crystal structure of BaH6As4O14 redetermined, revealing the localization of the hydrogen atoms
Authors: Weil Matthias
Published: January 2019

The crystal structure of barium hexahydrogen cyclo-tetradecaoxidotetraarsenate(V), was redetermined. In comparison with the previous determination [Blum, Durif & Guitel. (1977). Acta Cryst. B33, 3222–3224] the positions of the hydrogen atoms were located, and more precise data in terms of bond lengths and angles were obtained. The crystal structure is composed of an eight-coordinate Ba2+ cation and a condensed oxoarsenate anion with connectivity [As[4](OH)1/1O1/1O2/2As[6](OH)2/1O1/2]2
2–. O—H...O hydrogen bonds between isolated anions consolidate the crystal packing.
A numerical method for solving fractional differential equations
Authors: ul Abdeen Zain , Rehman Mujeeb ur
Published: January 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a computational technique based on Newton–Cotes quadrature rule for solving fractional order differential equation.

Design/methodology/approach

The numerical method reduces initial value problem into a system of algebraic equations. The method presented here is also applicable to non-linear differential equations. To deal with non-linear equations, a recursive sequence of approximations is developed using quasi-linearization technique.

Findings

The method is tested on several benchmark problems from the literature. Comparison shows the supremacy of proposed method in terms of robust accuracy and swift convergence. Method can work on several similar types of problems.

Originality/value

It has been demonstrated that many physical systems are modelled more accurately by fractional differential equations rather than classical differential equations. Therefore, it is vital to propose some efficient numerical method. The computational technique presented in this paper is based on Newton–Cotes quadrature rule and quasi-linearization. The key feature of the method is that it works efficiently for non-linear problems.
Combined effects of ferromagnetic particles and magnetic field on mixed convection in the Falkner-Skan system using DRA
Authors: Kezzar Mohamed , Boumaiza Nawel , Tabet Ismail , Nafir Nourreddine
Published: January 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to traitted the combined effects of ferromagnetic particles and magnetic field on mixed convection in the Falkner Skan equation using analytical solution by the Duan–Rach method.

Design/methodology/approach

Visualization and grouping of effects of various physical parameters such as electrical conductivity of ferro-particles (electrical conductivity calculated using Maxwell model), ferro fluid volume fraction for Magnetite-Fe3O4-water and magnetic field represented by the Hartmann number in a set of third- and second-order nonlinear coupled ordinary differential equations. This set of equations is analytically processed using the Duan–Rach Approach (DRA).

Findings

Obtained DRA results are validated using a numerical solution (Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg-based shooting method). The main objective of this research is to analyze the influence of physical parameters, in particular electrical conductivity, Ferrofluid volume fraction in the case of Magnetite-Fe3O4-water, in addition to the types of solid nanoparticles and Hartmann number on dynamic and thermal distributions (velocity/temperature). Results of the comparison between the numerical solution (Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg-based shooting method) and the analytical solution (DRA) show that the DRA data are in good agreement with numerical data and available literature.

Originality/value

The study uses Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg-based shooting method) and the analytical solution (DRA) to investigate the effect of mixed convection, in the presence of Ferro particles (Magnetite-Fe3O4) in a basic fluid (water for example) and subjected to an external magnetic field on the Falkner–Skan system.