bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Do financial incentives increase treatment adherence in people with severe mental illness? A systematic review
Authors: Burton Alexandra , Marougka Stamatina , Priebe Stefan
Published: April 2019

Aim – To identify whether financial or material incentives improve treatment adherence in people with severe mental illness. Method – A systematic review of studies published between 1950 and 2008 was conducted. EMBASE, MEDLINE, EBM, AMED and PsycINFO were searched. Studies were included if a financial or material incentive was offered and if the sample had a severe mental illness. Results – Fourteen articles were identified; three studies on adherence to psychiatric treatment and one on physical exercise. Ten articles used incentives for adherence to substance misuse treatment programmes. In all studies, financial incentives were associated with an increase in adherence; however the effect was not always maintained once the incentive was withdrawn. Conclusion – While existing research suggests that financial incentives may improve treatment adherence in severely mentally ill populations, very few studies focus on psychiatric treatment. Further research may address the long term effectiveness of incentives on adherence in this population.

Declaration of Interest: The authors on this paper were supported by funds from the Wellcome Trust. All authors worked on a Wellcome Trust funded qualitative focus group study exploring stakeholder views on offering patients financial incentives to adhere to antipsychotic medication. Priebe is also lead applicant on a National Institute of Health Research (England) (NIHR) awarded grant to conduct a clinical trial on the use of financial incentives to achieve maintenance antipsychotic medication adherence.
National Synchrotron Light Source II cryogenic plant at BNL
Authors: Sitnikov A. , Sharma S. , Gash W. , Rose J.
Published: April 2019

A cryogenic plant will be installed at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) to supply the liquid helium for six superconducting cavities. This paper describes the configuration of the cryogenic plant and the main design considerations for selecting equipment and components.
Nanometre multi-axis manipulator with interferometer control
Authors: Giorgetta J.-L. , Asensio M.-C. , Avila J.
Published: April 2019

As one of the latest beamlines at the Synchrotron Radiation SOLEIL facility, ANTARES beamline will offer an X-ray nanoprobe able to combine four powerful non-destructive techniques: (i) angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, (ii) core-level photoemission (X-ray photo electron spectroscopy), (iii) X-ray absorption spectroscopy and (iv) X-ray fluorescence. ANTARES microscope has implemented a powerful and innovative nano-scanning photoemission microscope technique using three independent detectors in combination with a 14 integrated-axes manipulator. Microscope motion requirements involve linear and rotary positioning based on non-magnetic ceramic servo motors, compatible with ultra-high-vacuum conditions. A complete four-head interferometer system monitors continuously, with nano-metric precision, the alignment of the sample and focalization optics during the scanning operation. An accurate electronic feedback avoids image distortion due to mechanical vibrations or thermal effects.
Caregiver Awards Support Early-Career Researchers
Authors: Sengupta Aditi , Sulman Benjamin , Brown Zachary , Ruiz-Urig�en Melany
Published: April 2019

To celebrate AGU's first 100 years, the Biogeosciences Early Career Committee looks toward the future by offering caregiver support to early-career conference attendees.
Earth’s Eccentric Orbit Helped Preserve Rare Soft-Tissue Fossils
Authors: Redd Nola
Published: April 2019

Cyclical changes in Earth’s orbit helped to preserve rare fossils in Morocco.
First Possible Marsquake Detected
Authors: Cartier Kimberly
Published: April 2019

First earthquakes, then moonquakes, now marsquakes: a robotic lander comes through with the first detection of seismic activity on Mars.
Characterisation and optimisation of ion discrimination in a mini ion funnel for a miniature mass spectrometer
Authors: Zhang Xiaohua , Huo Xinming , Tang Fei , Zha Zhuoyue , Yang Fengbo , Ni Yafan , Wang Yanjun , Zhou Mingfei , Wang Xiaohao
Published: April 2019

The ion discrimination in ion funnel was characterized. And a funnel RF scanning injection method was introduced to overcome the ion discrimination.
Effect of a potassium promoter on the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis of light olefins over iron carbide catalysts encapsulated in graphene-like carbon
Authors: Tian Zhipeng , Wang Chenguang , Yue Jun , Zhang Xinghua , Ma Longlong
Published: April 2019

Enhanced FTO catalyst performance and catalyst stability are achieved over a graphene-like carbon encapsulated iron carbide catalyst, which is prepared by a facile pyrolysis method.
MnO–carbon nanofiber composite material toward electro-chemical N2 fixation under ambient conditions
Authors: Zheng Xiangjiang , Zhang Zhenhua , Li Xuemei , Ding Caifeng
Published: April 2019

MnO–CNF was constructed via electrospinning as a NRR electrocatalyst with an NH3 yield of 35.9 μg h−1 mgcat−1 in neutral solution under ambient conditions.
In situ growth of a POMOF-derived nitride based composite on Cu foam to produce hydrogen with enhanced water dissociation kinetics
Authors: Tang Yu-Jia , Wang Yu , Zhu Hong-Jing , Zhou Kun , Lan Ya-Qian
Published: April 2019

A polyoxometalate-based MOFs and derived nitride-based composite was synthesized in situ on copper foam as an efficient HER electrocatalyst with enhanced water dissociation kinetics.
A universal strategy to improve the mechanical stability of flexible organic thin film transistors
Authors: Wang Xiumei , Yang Huihuang , Cao Shuguang , Zhong Jianfeng , Fang Yuan , Liu Yaqian , Lin Zhixian , Chen Huipeng , Guo Tailiang
Published: April 2019

In flexible electronic systems, mechanical deformation is a key factor that impacts the mechanical stability of flexible devices.
Performance analysis for interference limited two‐way relay network with antenna selection
Authors: Khan Imtiyaz , Kanth Dhulipudi Krishna , Singh Poonam
Published: April 2019

This study presents the performance analysis of multiple‐antenna two‐way amplify‐and‐forward relay network in an interference‐limited environment. To avoid the high feedback overhead and to fully exploit a multiple‐antenna diversity, the authors employ transmit and receive antenna selection at the user node and analog network coding at the relaying node. Specifically, they formulate the exact expressions of the generalised signal‐to‐interference‐plus‐noise ratio (SINR). On the basis of the derived SINR, the upper‐bounded cumulative distribution function is obtained. Subsequently, the outage probability (OP) and symbol error rate (SER) are determined and investigated. To assess the overall performance of the system, they present approximate but simple expressions for the overall OP (OOP) and overall SER. To gain insights, asymptotic expressions of OP and OOP are provided, which enable the characterisation of the achievable coding gain and diversity order of the system. Besides, they derive upper bounds on the achievable rate based on Jensen's inequality. Furthermore, they formulate three optimisation problems to minimise outage, namely optimal relay location under fixed power allocation, optimal power allocation under fixed relay location, and joint ORL and power allocation. Finally, the tightness of their analysis is attested through Monte Carlo simulation.
Fog‐based semantic model for supporting interoperability in IoT
Authors: Rahman Hafizur , Hussain Md. Iftekhar
Published: April 2019

Cloud computing has several favourable characteristics for supporting Internet of things (IoT) applications and services. While provisioning support for heterogeneous devices adapting different semantics in IoT, cloud‐based technology is highly used. In semantic model, attaching additional information to raw sensory data is accomplished with the help of ontology. However, the longer distance between the cloud and IoT devices becomes a bottleneck for critical IoT applications. In this study, the authors proposed a fog‐based semantic model called semantic‐fog to reduce this gap. The proposed model shifts some of the frequently used semantic services of the cloud to the edge of the sensor network. Additionally, it provides an efficient off‐loading technique among fog–fog and fog–cloud devices to reduce task execution time and energy consumption of the fog nodes. Furthermore, an effective mapping method for converting raw sensory data into Resource Description Framework format is also presented in this work. A comparative analysis among the relevant cloud‐based computing models and the proposed semantic‐fog model is performed in terms of service delay, energy consumption, network usage, and the total cost of the system. Simulation results show that semantic‐fog outperforms the cloud‐based models almost in all the aspects considered.
Enhanced embedded zerotree wavelet algorithm for lossy image coding
Authors: Boujelbene Rania , Boubchir Larbi , Ben Jemaa Yousra
Published: April 2019

Embedded zerotree wavelet (EZW) algorithm is the well‐known effective coding technique for low‐bit‐rate image compression. In this study, the authors propose a modification of this algorithm, namely new enhanced EZW (NE‐EZW), allowing to achieve a high compression performance in terms of peak‐signal‐to‐noise ratio and bitrate for lossy image compression. To distribute probabilities in a more efficient way, the proposed approach is based on increasing the number of coefficients not to be encoded by the use of new symbols. Furthermore, the proposed method optimises the binary coding by the use of the compressor cell operator. Experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed scheme over the conventional EZW and other improved EZW schemes for both natural and medical image coding applications. They have also shown that the proposed approach outperforms the most well‐known algorithms, namely set partitioning in hierarchical trees (SPIHT) and JPEG2000.
Dual polarity DC–DC converter integrated grid‐tied single‐phase transformer less inverter for solar application
Authors: Ghosh Saikat Subhra , Nathan Kumaran S. , Siwakoti Yam P. , Long Teng
Published: April 2019

This study proposes a novel single‐phase transformer‐less inverter, using the principle of combined Ćuk SEPIC (CCS) converter for grid‐connected photovoltaic (PV) systems. The new inverter has a common ground between the grid and the PV source, which helps to eliminate the leakage current for the grid‐connected PV application. Unlike common ground‐type charge‐pump‐based transformer‐less inverter, this topology eliminates inrush current and hence reduces the current stress on the components. The CCS allows voltage control with both step‐up and step‐down abilities, along with more robustness against solar panel side fault. Further, application of wide band‐gap devices, such as SiC MOSFETs allows higher switching frequency to be achieved, and thus reduction of the passive components. A novel switching strategy, proposed here allows current in both directions, positive and negative (to the load/grid or from the load/grid, for reactive loads), making the converter suitable for grid connection (unity power factor), as well as stand‐alone operation. The proposed concept has been discussed in detail, along with simulation results. Finally, a prototype hardware has been fabricated and the experimental results are reported.
Fault tolerant single‐phase capacitor start capacitor run induction motor powered with cascaded multilevel quasi impedance source inverter
Authors: Rahman Syed , Meraj Mohammad , Iqbal Atif , Ben‐Brahim Lazhar , Alammari Rashid , Abu‐Rub Haitham
Published: April 2019

In this study, the performance of fault tolerant single‐phase capacitor start capacitor run induction motor powered using seven‐level quasi‐impedance source inverter (qZSI) is analysed. The seven‐level inverter consists of three units of qZSI connected in cascade. When one of the qZSI module fails (due to semiconductor failure), the resultant rms voltage applied to the motor will be reduced by one‐third. This leads to reduction in both mechanical speed and electromagnetic torque of the motor. To restore the performance of the motor to pre‐fault condition, the voltage deficit must be compensated. In conventional CHB inverter, it is not possible to achieve the pre‐fault voltage. However, in qZSI, it is possible to achieve required voltage boost by application of shoot through duty cycle. Here, voltage of other two healthy operating modules can be boosted to reach pre‐fault inverter output voltage during post‐fault condition. The maximum voltage boost achievable is limited by the maximum shoot‐through duty cycle which is related with modulation index. To verify the concept, simulation results of single‐phase capacitor‐start capacitor‐run induction motor with or without proposed control algorithm are discussed. Experimental results for the proposed algorithm with RL load are discussed.
Successive injections modulation of a direct three‐phase to single‐phase AC/AC converter for a contactless electric vehicle charger
Authors: Kusumah Ferdi Perdana , Kyyrä Jorma
Published: April 2019

This paper proposes a successive injection modulation (SIM) method for a direct three‐phase to single‐phase AC/AC converter of a contactless electric vehicle (EV) charger. The converter has a fewer bi‐directional switches than a matrix converter without a neutral line connection. It operates using injection and free‐wheeling oscillation commutations based on a zero‐current switching mechanism. Analytical calculations were derived using a steady‐state analysis. Simulation results were obtained to validate the calculations. The proposed modulation increases output power three times compared to a non‐successive one with the same circuit setup.
High‐voltage switch‐mode assisted linear amplifier based voltage source for dielectric low frequency‐domain spectroscopy measurements
Authors: Nielsen Shawn D. , Walker Geoffrey R.
Published: April 2019

This study presents a switch‐mode assisted linear amplifier (SMALA) designed for use as a frequency‐domain spectroscopy (FDS) excitation voltage source for the diagnostic testing of oil/paper insulation systems in large power transformers. The developed voltage source has a low output voltage noise level and low harmonic content and is capable of driving highly capacitive loads with a maximum output voltage of 800 Vp‐p in the frequency range of DC to 100 Hz and current limited to 20 mA. Disturbances in the output voltage associated with switching of the main switching amplifier are minimised through the control of the switching time, taking the slew rate of the correction amplifier into account. The switching time of the main switching amplifier can be effectively controlled using a combination of a simple RC filter on the output of the main switching amplifier and controlling the rise‐time and fall‐time of the MOSFET gate drive voltage. Using the developed SMALA unit, it was possible to perform FDS measurement on an oil/paper‐insulated transformer at an elevated excitation voltage. This resulted in a non‐linear response current, manifesting as odd harmonics in the measured current.
Study on high voltage ride through control strategy of PMSG‐based wind turbine generation system with SCESU
Authors: Liu Guangchen , Hu Jianwen , Tian Guizhen , Xu Lie , Wang Shengtie
Published: April 2019

Regarding PMSG‐based wind turbine generation system, this study proposes a super‐capacitor energy storage unit (SCECU) connected parallel to the DC‐link of the back‐to‐back converter to enhance its high voltage ride through performance. The analysis of the operation and control for the grid‐side converter and SCECU are conducted. Based on real‐time digital simulators (RTDS), a model of PMSG‐based wind turbine with SCECU is developed, and the simulation results show that the SCECU absorbs the imbalanced energy and the grid‐side converter absorbs inductive reactive power during the period of voltage swell. The simulation results based on RTDS verify the correctness and feasibility of the high voltage ride through control strategy.
Mass reduction of superconducting power generators for large wind turbines
Authors: Kails Kevin , Li Quan , Mueller Markus
Published: April 2019

High temperature superconductors (HTS) enable very compact electric machines with high power density. Here, an HTS power generator based on authors’ previous double claw pole design is studied and improved. The original design of the double claw pole machine features a stationary field core to provide support and access to the superconducting field winding and its cryostat. It does not serve any other purpose. However, a homopolar field passes through it. The improvement was made to replace the field core by iron‐cored copper coils, creating an inner stator within the generator to increase the electric loading. Through this step, the power output of the generator was increased from 10 to 11.6 MW, increasing the power density from 54.28 to 63.54 W/kg while maintaining the same outer diameter.
Research on a novel drive unit of fast mechanical switch with modular double capacitors
Authors: Zhou Yannan , Huang Yulong , Wen Weijie , Lu Jingwei , Cheng Tiehan , Gao Shutong
Published: April 2019

The fast mechanical switch is one of the key devices for high‐voltage direct‐current circuit breakers (DCCB), and the mechanical contacts separation time determines the operating time of hybrid mechanical circuit breakers. With the increasing of the voltage and power levels of DC system, numerous technical challenges begin to emerge. For high‐voltage system, the new research and the series arrangements of very fast mechanical switches include designing new drive unit to satisfy larger load mass and longer travel stroke. Aimed to reducing the peak value of electric force, a novel drive unit by using modular double capacitors has been proposed here. Based on the equivalent circuit method (ECM), the mathematical model of Thomson coil (TC) actuator which is the drive unit in fast mechanical switch is established. First, the time sequence of capacitance discharge is studied. Then, the electromagnetic force can be divided into five types in different time sequences, and the characteristics of the electromagnetic force are analysed. Finally, it is concluded that using a combination electromagnetic force with three approximate peaks can reduce the impact of the metal plate, which improve the reliability of the fast switch.
DC protection for a multi‐terminal HVDC network including offshore wind power, featuring a reduced DC circuit breaker count
Authors: Parker Max A. , Holliday Derrick , Finney Stephen J.
Published: April 2019

Large offshore wind farms located far from shore, as are being planned or built in the North Sea, will require high‐voltage DC (HVDC) transmission to shore, and multi‐terminal HVDC could offer further benefits. Currently proposed methods to protect against faults in the DC network are based on extremely fast‐acting DC circuit breakers located on all cable ends, leading to high cost. A method is proposed based around discharging the DC network to isolate the fault, which drastically reduces the circuit breaker requirement, while making use of the inherent current‐limiting behaviour of the wind turbines. The validity of this approach is demonstrated in simulation.
Universal droop controller for DC–DC converter interfaces onto a modular multi‐tiered DC microgrid
Authors: Williamson Samuel J. , Kitson Joanne , Griffo Antonio , Macêdo Wilson
Published: April 2019

Microgrids are usually based on single voltage levels, supporting a number of distributed generation sources and loads. This paper describes a multi‐tier DC microgrid, with multiple voltage levels able to source and supply different power demands. A universal droop controller is developed for this multi‐tier microgrid, able to connect uni‐ and bi‐directional elements on to the grid. Simulations are used to demonstrate the functionality of the controller to allow autonomous load sharing based on decentralised control, with bi‐directional power transfer between tiers to balance supply and demand at each level. Power can also be directly sent from one element of the microgrid to another, which is demonstrated through simulation, allowing for integration with future peer‐to‐peer energy trading systems.
Adaptive MF tuned fuzzy logic speed controller for BLDC motor drive using ANN and PSO technique
Authors: Ramya Amirthalingam , Balaji Mahadevan , Kamaraj Vijayarajan
Published: April 2019

This work focuses on adaptive controller design using fuzzy Logic (FL) controller to get better dynamic performance under non‐linearities and parameter uncertainties. In the proposed controller, the membership function (MF) parameters are tuned in line with the parameter variations of the motor. The steady state, regulatory and servo response of the proposed controller are analysed to highlight the merits of the controller. The simulation results indicate that the proposed controller possesses good tracking capability and faster response time in comparison with conventional schemes.
Battery energy management strategies for UK firm frequency response services and energy arbitrage
Authors: Gundogdu Burcu , Gladwin Daniel , Stone David
Published: April 2019

Due to the increasing renewable penetration, there is potential for larger and faster grid frequency fluctuations increasing the risk of system instability. The National Grid Electricity Transmission, primary electricity transmission network operator in the UK, has introduced various frequency response services that are developed to provide a real‐time response to deviations in the grid frequency. A battery energy storage system is a suitable choice for delivering such services. Here, a control algorithm is presented which generates a charge/discharge power output with respect to deviations in the grid frequency and the required specifications. Using the real UK electricity prices, an arbitrage control algorithm has been also developed to deliver different types of grid balancing services, while scheduling throughout the day for energy arbitrage. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm delivers both dynamic and non‐dynamic firm frequency response and also enhanced frequency response to specifications, while generating arbitrage revenue in the balancing market. Simulation results on a 1 MW/1 MWh lithium‐titanate BESS are provided to verify the proposed algorithm based on the control of an experimentally validated battery model.
Solving the distance discrepancy for the open cluster NGC 2453
Authors: González-Díaz D. , Moni Bidin C. , Silva-Villa E. , Carraro G. , Majaess D. , Moitinho A. , Orquera-Rojas C. , Morales Marín C. A. L. , Morales-Campaña E.
Published: April 2019

Context. The open cluster (OC) NGC 2453 is of particular importance since it has been considered to host the planetary nebula (PN) NGC 2452, however their distances and radial velocities are strongly contested.

Aims. In order to obtain a complete picture of the fundamental parameters of the OC NGC 2453, 11 potential members were studied. The results allowed us to resolve the PN NGC 2452 membership debate.

Methods. Radial velocities for the 11 stars in NGC 2453 and the PN were measured and matched with Gaia data release 2 (DR2) to estimate the cluster distance. In addition, we used deep multi-band UBVRI photometry to get fundamental parameters of the cluster via isochrone fitting on the most likely cluster members, reducing inaccuracies due to field stars.

Results. The distance of the OC NGC 2453 (4.7 ± 0.2 kpc) was obtained with an independent method solving the discrepancy reported in the literature. This result is in good agreement with an isochrone fitting of 40–50 Myr. On the other hand, the radial velocity of NGC 2453 (78 ± 3 km s−1) disagrees with the velocity of NGC 2452 (62 ± 2 km s−1). Our results show that the PN is a foreground object in the line of sight.

Conclusions. Due to the discrepancies found in the parameters studied, we conclude that the PN NGC 2452 is not a member of the OC NGC 2453.
Emergency Department Ophthalmology Consultations in a Tertiary Care Hospital
Authors: Heiferman Michael , Khanna Saira , Gu David , Agron Samantha , Eichinger Sarah , Bryar Paul
Published: April 2019

Objective The main objective of this article is to characterize ophthalmology consultations in the emergency department (ED) of a tertiary care hospital and identify specific ways to modify the curriculum for ophthalmology and emergency medicine residency programs to train residents to effectively manage eye-related consultations.

Design This is a retrospective chart review study of ED encounters between January 1, 2008 and January 1, 2017 during which ophthalmology was consulted.

Setting Single-center urban tertiary care center.

Participants All adult patients who were seen by the ophthalmology consultation service in the ED during the study time period.

Main Outcome Measured We identified the reason for and timing of ophthalmology consultation; diagnoses made in the ED and follow-up ophthalmology clinic visit; procedures resulting from consultation; and communication with a senior resident, fellow, or attending.

Results We identified 3,583 consecutive ED encounters with an ophthalmology consultation over a 9-year period. About 51.1% of patients were female and mean age of patients was 49 years. Blurry vision/vision loss was the most common reason for consultation (24.8%) and posterior vitreous detachment was the most common diagnosis made in the ED by the ophthalmology team (11.0%). Of the patients with documented follow-up ophthalmology clinic visits, 96.7% of diagnoses made at the first ophthalmology clinic visit were the same as those determined in the ED. About 12.7% of visits resulted in a procedure with the most common being eyelid laceration repairs, pars plana vitrectomy, and laser retinopexy. Overall, 40.4% of visits required communication with a senior resident, fellow, or attending. The frequency of residents seeking assistance from more senior ophthalmologists decreased over the course of the academic year (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions This study provides data that ophthalmology residency training programs can use to more effectively prepare residents for consultations in the ED. Furthermore, identifying the reasons for consultation and subsequent diagnoses can guide the education of emergency medicine physicians to improve their ability to diagnose and triage ophthalmologic presentations.
Optogenetic fMRI interrogation of brain-wide central vestibular pathways
Authors: Leong Alex T. L. , Gu Yong , Chan Ying-Shing , Zheng Hairong , Dong Celia M. , Chan Russell W. , Wang Xunda , Liu Yilong , Tan Li Hai , Wu Ed X.
Published: April 2019

Significance

The vestibular system provides a critical role to coordinate balance and movement, yet it remains an underappreciated sense. Functional MRI (fMRI) reveals much information about brain-wide sensory and cognitive processes. However, fMRI mapping of regions that actively process vestibular information remains technically challenging, as it can permit only limited movement during scanning. Here, we deploy fMRI and optogenetic stimulation of vestibular excitatory neurons to visualize numerous brain-wide central vestibular pathways and interrogate their functional roles in multisensory processing. Our study highlights multiple routes to investigate vestibular functions and their integration with other sensory systems. We reveal a method to gain critical knowledge into this critical brain system.
γδ-T cells promote IFN-γ–dependentPlasmodiumpathogenesis upon liver-stage infection
Authors: Ribot Julie C. , Neres Rita , Zuzarte-Luís Vanessa , Gomes Anita Q. , Mancio-Silva Liliana , Mensurado Sofia , Pinto-Neves Daniel , Santos Miguel M. , Carvalho Tânia , Landry Jonathan J. M. , Rolo Eva A. , Malik Ankita , Silva Daniel Varón , Mota Maria M. , Silva-Santos Bruno , Pamplona Ana
Published: April 2019

Cerebral malaria (CM) is a major cause of death due toPlasmodiuminfection. Both parasite and host factors contribute to the onset of CM, but the precise cellular and molecular mechanisms that contribute to its pathogenesis remain poorly characterized. Unlike conventional αβ-T cells, previous studies on murine γδ-T cells failed to identify a nonredundant role for this T cell subset in experimental cerebral malaria (ECM). Here we show that mice lacking γδ-T cells are resistant to ECM when infected withPlasmodium bergheiANKA sporozoites, the liver-infective form of the parasite and the natural route of infection, in contrast with their susceptible phenotype if challenged withP. bergheiANKA-infected red blood cells that bypass the liver stage of infection. Strikingly, the presence of γδ-T cells enhanced the expression ofPlasmodiumimmunogenic factors and exacerbated subsequent systemic and brain-infiltrating inflammatory αβ-T cell responses. These phenomena were dependent on the proinflammatory cytokine IFN-γ, which was required during liver stage for modulation of the parasite transcriptome, as well as for downstream immune-mediated pathology. Our work reveals an unanticipated critical role of γδ-T cells in the development of ECM uponPlasmodiumliver-stage infection.
Mic60 exhibits a coordinated clustered distribution along and across yeast and mammalian mitochondria
Authors: Stoldt Stefan , Stephan Till , Jans Daniel C. , Brüser Christian , Lange Felix , Keller-Findeisen Jan , Riedel Dietmar , Hell Stefan W. , Jakobs Stefan
Published: April 2019

Significance

The intricate folding of the mitochondrial inner membrane is essential for the functioning of mitochondria as cellular powerhouses. The mitochondrial contact site and cristae organizing system (MICOS) complex is localized at the crista junctions and is key for the establishment of proper architecture of the mitochondrial inner membrane. Relying on optical nanoscopy and focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy, we demonstrate that Mic60, a subunit of the MICOS complex, forms clusters distributed in two opposing distribution bands, which can be twisted to produce a helical arrangement of the cristae. Our findings suggest that the Mic60 clusters are physically coupled along and across the mitochondrial tubules. The visualization of these distributions bands opens the door to a microscopic investigation of the proteins that scaffold mitochondria.
Oncogenic mutations at the EGFR ectodomain structurally converge to remove a steric hindrance on a kinase-coupled cryptic epitope
Authors: Orellana Laura , Thorne Amy H. , Lema Rafael , Gustavsson Johan , Parisian Alison D. , Hospital Adam , Cordeiro Tiago N. , Bernadó Pau , Scott Andrew M. , Brun-Heath Isabelle , Lindahl Erik , Cavenee Webster K. , Furnari Frank B. , Orozco Modesto
Published: April 2019

Significance

EGFR cancer mutations display an astonishing tissue-specific asymmetry: in lung cancer, mutations target the intracellular kinase (KD), while in glioblastomas (GBMs), a variety of missense clusters and deletions concentrate at the ectodomain (ECD). Intriguingly, GBM-activating mutations share a paradoxical preference for inhibitors that bind the inactive kinase. By integrating simulations, small-angle X-ray scattering, and GBM models, we demonstrate that ECD mutants converge to a transition state characterized by a cryptic epitope, allosterically coupled to an intermediate kinase, and synergistically blocked by antibodies and inhibitors. Our findings indicate that apparently heterogeneous aberrations remove a similar steric restrain on KD activation. The diversity of structural tricks in ECD mutants to achieve the same conformational state constitutes a potent example of molecular mimicry and convergence.
PD-1+regulatory T cells amplified by PD-1 blockade promote hyperprogression of cancer
Authors: Kamada Takahiro , Togashi Yosuke , Tay Christopher , Ha Danbee , Sasaki Akinori , Nakamura Yoshiaki , Sato Eiichi , Fukuoka Shota , Tada Yasuko , Tanaka Atsushi , Morikawa Hiromasa , Kawazoe Akihito , Kinoshita Takahiro , Shitara Kohei , Sakaguchi Shimon , Nishikawa Hiroyoshi
Published: April 2019

Significance

PD-1 blockade is a cancer immunotherapy effective in various types of cancer. However, we observed rapid cancer progression, called hyperprogressive disease (HPD), in ∼10% of advanced gastric cancer patients treated with anti–PD-1 monoclonal antibody. Tumors of HPD patients possessed highly proliferating FoxP3+Treg cells after treatment, contrasting with their reduction in non-HPD tumors. In vitro PD-1 blockade augmented proliferation and suppressive activity of human Treg cells. Likewise, murine Treg cells that were deficient in PD-1 signaling were more proliferative and immunosuppressive. Thus, HPD may occur when PD-1 blockade activates and expands tumor-infiltrating PD-1+Treg cells to overwhelm tumor-reactive PD-1+effector T cells. Depletion of the former may therefore help treat and prevent HPD.
Protect, modify, deprotect (PMD): A strategy for creating vaccines to elicit antibodies targeting a specific epitope
Authors: Weidenbacher Payton A. , Kim Peter S.
Published: April 2019

Significance

The discovery of broadly neutralizing Abs (bnAbs) against infectious agents such as influenza virus and HIV-1 has sparked interest in creating vaccines that focus an Ab response toward a particular epitope of a protein. These “immunofocusing” strategies have shown promise but are also burdened with inherent limitations. We introduce an immunofocusing method called protect, modify, deprotect (PMD) that uses a bnAb as a molecular stencil to create vaccine candidates that direct the immune response toward the epitope of the bnAb. PMD has the potential to provide epitope-specific immunofocusing, in a generalizable manner.
Pyrophosphate amplification reaction for measuring amino acid concentrations with high sensitivity using aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase from Escherichia coli
Authors: Nakatsuka Tomoko , Aoki Hideyuki , Kida Mikiko , Kugimiya Akimitsu
Published: April 2019

To measure amino acid concentrations with high sensitivity, the pyrophosphate amplification reaction conditions of histidyl-tRNA synthetase (HisRS) and tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase (TyrRS) were examined. The amount of pyrophosphate produced by reactions involving HisRS and TyrRS was amplified compared with the amount of the initial substrate L-amino acid after the addition of excess adenosine-5′-triphosphate and magnesium ions, with incubation at 50°C in an alkaline pH. The amount of pyrophosphate produced in the HisRS and TyrRS reactions was approximately 24- and 16-fold higher than the initial amount of L-His and L-Tyr, respectively. The pyrophosphate amplification reactions involving HisRS and TyrRS showed high substrate specificity for L-His and L-Tyr, respectively. Products of pyrophosphate amplification were identified as p1, p4-di(adenosine) 5′-tetraphosphate, and adenosine-5′-monophosphate using high-performance liquid chromatography. A strong positive correlation was observed for 0 to 50 μM of L-His and L-Tyr in the pyrophosphate amplification reaction (R = 0.98 and R = 1.00, respectively).

Abbreviations: L-His: L-histidine; L-Tyr: L-tyrosine; aaRSs: aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases; ATP: adenosine-5′-triphosphate; aminoacyl-AMP-aaRS: aminoacyl-adenylate intermediate; Ap4A, P1, P4-di(adenosine) 5ʹ-tetraphosphate; AMP: adenosine-5′-monophosphate; PAR: pyrophosphate amplification rate
A study of the portrayal of information related to (central) auditory processing disorder on social media
Authors: Deshpande Shruti Balvalli , Deshpande Aniruddha K. , O’Brien Colleen A. , McMonagle Kristen L.
Published: April 2019

Purpose:

Individuals and family members of people with health-related conditions such as suspected or diagnosed (central) auditory processing disorder ((C)APD), often turn to social media to gain information, find support and connect with peers and professionals as they navigate through their challenges. The purpose of this investigation was to study the portrayal of (C)APD related information on social media platforms.

Method:

Information related to (C)APD on popular social media platforms like Facebook (pages and groups), Twitter, YouTube and Instagram was systematically categorized, quantified and analysed. Keywords ‘central auditory processing disorder’ and ‘auditory processing disorder’ were used to identify and categorize posts across the platforms. Social media metrics such as ‘likes’, ‘dislikes’, ‘members’, ‘subscribers’, ‘views’ and ‘comments’ were utilized to study trends.

Results:

Instagram, YouTube and Facebook Pages were popular among service provides, were used for sharing information as well as personal stories. YouTube was popular for sharing videos of assessment and management of (C)APD. We found significant differences on the Kruskal–Wallis test with post-hoc Bonferroni corrections between different functional categories of YouTube videos based on the number of likes, views, comments and the interaction quotient. Facebook groups served as virtual support groups and we did not find significant differences between public and closed groups with respect to membership on the Mann–Whitney U test (p = .085). Instagram and Twitter were popular for sharing research.

Conclusion:

This investigation reveals that people in the (C)APD community leave their digital footprints via popular social media websites. Such information could be utilized by audiologists and speech language pathologists in counselling and for promoting authentic and reliable information. Also, this study provides insights regarding sharing research related findings and communicating with academicians/scientists via social media.
Happiness and the role of social protection: how types of social spending affected individuals’ life satisfaction in OECD countries, 1980–2012
Authors: Nordheim Oda , Martinussen Pål E.
Published: April 2019

The growing literature on individual determinants of subjective well-being has given little attention to political factors. This paper considers the welfare state, and how social expenditure affects individuals’ self-reported life satisfaction. The statistical analysis uses indicators of subjective well-being, reflecting individuals from OECD-countries between 1980 and 2012, with data gathered from the Eurobarometer and the World Values Survey - which are analysed in comparison. The results suggest that social spending should be studied in terms of underlying branches when addressing its implications. The results find social spending to be uncorrelated with levels of subjective well-being when considered in terms of total levels. When considered as types of spending however, a majority of the elements are found to have significant impacts. The findings show mixed results among the two data sets; however, important similarities are found in the way social spending related to health care and poverty are having positive impacts, and spending associated with unemployment and labour market programmes have negative impacts. As the correlations of the underlying elements affect life satisfaction in different directions, total social spending appears to be uncorrelated with subjective well-being, although the true impact depends on which socialpolicies are being promoted through such spending.
Tailored emission to boost open-circuit voltage in solar cells
Authors: Anttu Nicklas , Kivisaari Pyry , Chen Yang
Published: April 2019

Recently, a lot of research focus has been on how to make solar cells more efficient. One direction is to enhance the open-circuit voltage V
oc by optimizing the emission of photons in the cell, where emission is a necessary loss process due to the reciprocity between absorption and emission of light. Here, we performed a Shockley-Queisser detailed balance analysis to predict the benefit of managing emitted photons in a single-junction solar cell. First, at low internal luminescence efficiency η
int, non-radiative recombination dominates, and management of emitted photons plays negligible role for V
oc. Similarly, for an external luminescence efficiency η
ext < 10%, externally emitted photons play negligible role, and V
oc is set either by non-radiative recombination; or parasitic absorption of internally emitted photons. For higher η
ext, the V
oc can be boosted, maximally by 15%, by restricting the external emission to match the incidence cone of the AM1.5D sun light spectrum. Such emission restriction corresponds to lower escape probability of internally emitted photons, enhances photon recycling, drops η
ext, and actually makes the solar cell into a worse LED. Finally, for partly diffuse incident light, by restricting the angular emission for photons in a 130 nm wavelength range around the bandgap, we predict a maximum 14% relative boost in solar cell efficiency. The results of this paper are intended to serve as a general guideline on how to utilize emission-tuning possibilities to develop highly efficient photovoltaic devices.
Evidence of ferromagnetic ground state and strong spin phonon coupling in Zr2TiAl with bi-axial strain: first principles study
Authors: Reddy P V Sreenivasa , Lee Seung-Cheol , Bhattacharjee Satadeep
Published: April 2019

A detailed study on the inter-metallic alloy, Zr2TiAl, has been carried out using first principle electronic structure calculations. We found that a small value of bi-axial strain/stress cause a phase change from anti-ferromagnetic(AFM) to ferromagnetic(FM) with a structural transition from face center cubic (fcc) to body center tetragonal (bct). Calculated electronic band structures show that all strained structures are metallic in nature with Zr-d and Ti-d orbital dominated energy bands near the Fermi level(E
F
). The stability of FM phase is confirmed with phonon dispersion calculations by using density functional perturbation theory (DFPT). It has been observed that AFM state with both positive and negative bi-axial stress exhibits unstable modes while corresponding FM state shows no such instability. This clearly indicates the existence of large spin phonon coupling in this material.
Investment in reward by ant-dispersed plants consistently selects for better partners along a geographic gradient
Authors: Levine Nataly , Ben-Zvi Gilad , Seifan Merav , Giladi Itamar
Published: April 2019

Seed dispersal by ants (myrmecochory) is an asymmetric, presumably mutualistic interaction, where a few ant species benefit many plants. Myrmecochorous plants express specialized adaptations, most notably a large elaiosome, which promote interactions with efficient seed dispersers while decreasing interactions with poor dispersers, resulting in de facto partner choice. However, because variation in plants’ investment in reward and ant response to them may vary spatially and temporally, it is unclear whether such specialization is consistent along geographic gradients; especially towards myrmecochory’s range margin. To answer this question on context-dependent partner choice, we first estimated variation in reward investment by co-occurring myrmecochores along a steep environmental gradient in a Mediterranean region. Second, we tested whether variation in plant investment in reward was positively and consistently correlated with the quality of dispersal plant received along the same gradient. Using in situ cafeteria experiments, we simultaneously presented diaspores of locally co-occurring myrmecochorous species to ants of two guilds representing high- and low-quality dispersers. We then recorded ant-seed behaviour, seed preference and seed removal rates for each ant guild. We found both overall and within-site high variation among plant species in the total and relative investment in elaiosomes. Both ant guilds removed substantial proportion of the seeds. However, scavenging ants (high-quality dispersers) clearly preferred diaspores with larger elaiosomes, whereas granivorous ants (low-quality dispersers) exhibited no preference. Furthermore, both the variation in plant traits and the corresponding response of different ant guilds were consistent along the studied geographic gradient. This consistency holds even when granivores, which removed seeds in a non-selective fashion and provided apparently low-quality seed dispersal services, were, at least numerically, the dominant ant guild. This dominance and the consistency of the partner choice shed light on the functionality of elaiosomes at the margins of myrmecochory’s distribution.
Sepsis in the era of data-driven medicine: personalizing risks, diagnoses, treatments and prognoses
Authors: Liu Andrew C , Patel Krishna , Vunikili Ramya Dhatri , Johnson Kipp W , Abdu Fahad , Belman Shivani Kamath , Glicksberg Benjamin S , Tandale Pratyush , Fontanez Roberto , Mathew Oommen K , Kasarskis Andrew , Mukherjee Priyabrata , Subramanian Lakshminarayanan , Dudley Joel T , Shameer Khader
Published: April 2019

Sepsis is a series of clinical syndromes caused by the immunological response to infection. The clinical evidence for sepsis could typically attribute to bacterial infection or bacterial endotoxins, but infections due to viruses, fungi or parasites could also lead to sepsis. Regardless of the etiology, rapid clinical deterioration, prolonged stay in intensive care units and high risk for mortality correlate with the incidence of sepsis. Despite its prevalence and morbidity, improvement in sepsis outcomes has remained limited. In this comprehensive review, we summarize the current landscape of risk estimation, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis strategies in the setting of sepsis and discuss future challenges. We argue that the advent of modern technologies such as in-depth molecular profiling, biomedical big data and machine intelligence methods will augment the treatment and prevention of sepsis. The volume, variety, veracity and velocity of heterogeneous data generated as part of healthcare delivery and recent advances in biotechnology-driven therapeutics and companion diagnostics may provide a new wave of approaches to identify the most at-risk sepsis patients and reduce the symptom burden in patients within shorter turnaround times. Developing novel therapies by leveraging modern drug discovery strategies including computational drug repositioning, cell and gene-therapy, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats -based genetic editing systems, immunotherapy, microbiome restoration, nanomaterial-based therapy and phage therapy may help to develop treatments to target sepsis. We also provide empirical evidence for potential new sepsis targets including FER and STARD3NL. Implementing data-driven methods that use real-time collection and analysis of clinical variables to trace, track and treat sepsis-related adverse outcomes will be key. Understanding the root and route of sepsis and its comorbid conditions that complicate treatment outcomes and lead to organ dysfunction may help to facilitate identification of most at-risk patients and prevent further deterioration. To conclude, leveraging the advances in precision medicine, biomedical data science and translational bioinformatics approaches may help to develop better strategies to diagnose and treat sepsis in the next decade.