bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Artificial Intelligence for Participatory Health: Applications, Impact, and Future Implications
Authors: Denecke Kerstin , Gabarron Elia , Grainger Rebecca , Konstantinidis Stathis Th. , Lau Annie , Rivera-Romero Octavio , Miron-Shatz Talya , Merolli Mark
Published: April 2019

Objective: Artificial intelligence (AI) provides people and professionals working in the field of participatory health informatics an opportunity to derive robust insights from a variety of online sources. The objective of this paper is to identify current state of the art and application areas of AI in the context of participatory health.

Methods: A search was conducted across seven databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsychInfo, ACM Digital Library, IEEExplore, and SCOPUS), covering articles published since 2013. Additionally, clinical trials involving AI in participatory health contexts registered at clinicaltrials.gov were collected and analyzed.

Results: Twenty-two articles and 12 trials were selected for review. The most common application of AI in participatory health was the secondary analysis of social media data: self-reported data including patient experiences with healthcare facilities, reports of adverse drug reactions, safety and efficacy concerns about over-the-counter medications, and other perspectives on medications. Other application areas included determining which online forum threads required moderator assistance, identifying users who were likely to drop out from a forum, extracting terms used in an online forum to learn its vocabulary, highlighting contextual information that is missing from online questions and answers, and paraphrasing technical medical terms for consumers.

Conclusions: While AI for supporting participatory health is still in its infancy, there are a number of important research priorities that should be considered for the advancement of the field. Further research evaluating the impact of AI in participatory health informatics on the psychosocial wellbeing of individuals would help in facilitating the wider acceptance of AI into the healthcare ecosystem.
Artificial Intelligence in Clinical Decision Support: Challenges for Evaluating AI and Practical Implications
Authors: Magrabi Farah , Ammenwerth Elske , McNair Jytte Brender , De Keizer Nicolet F. , Hyppönen Hannele , Nykänen Pirkko , Rigby Michael , Scott Philip J. , Vehko Tuulikki , Wong Zoie Shui-Yee , Georgiou Andrew
Published: April 2019

Objectives: This paper draws attention to: i) key considerations for evaluating artificial intelligence (AI) enabled clinical decision support; and ii) challenges and practical implications of AI design, development, selection, use, and ongoing surveillance.

Method: A narrative review of existing research and evaluation approaches along with expert perspectives drawn from the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) Working Group on Technology Assessment and Quality Development in Health Informatics and the European Federation for Medical Informatics (EFMI) Working Group for Assessment of Health Information Systems.

Results: There is a rich history and tradition of evaluating AI in healthcare. While evaluators can learn from past efforts, and build on best practice evaluation frameworks and methodologies, questions remain about how to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of AI that dynamically harness vast amounts of genomic, biomarker, phenotype, electronic record, and care delivery data from across health systems. This paper first provides a historical perspective about the evaluation of AI in healthcare. It then examines key challenges of evaluating AI-enabled clinical decision support during design, development, selection, use, and ongoing surveillance. Practical aspects of evaluating AI in healthcare, including approaches to evaluation and indicators to monitor AI are also discussed.

Conclusion: Commitment to rigorous initial and ongoing evaluation will be critical to ensuring the safe and effective integration of AI in complex sociotechnical settings. Specific enhancements that are required for the new generation of AI-enabled clinical decision support will emerge through practical application.
Outcomes after Split Abdominal Wall Muscle Flap Repair for Large Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernias
Authors: Molino José A. , García Martínez Laura , Guillén Burrieza Gabriela , Peiró Ibáñez José Luís , López-Fernández Sergio , Laín Ana , Ruiz Campillo Cesar , Lloret Roca Josep , López Manuel
Published: April 2019

Introduction Repair of large congenital diaphragmatic hernias (CDHs) is challenging. As primary repair is not always feasible, patches are commonly used. An alternative treatment is split abdominal wall muscle flap repair, which uses vascularized autologous tissue. The aim of this study was to analyze the long-term outcome of large CDH defects undergoing split abdominal wall muscle repair.

Materials and Methods This is a retrospective review (2003–2016) of large CDH treated by split abdominal wall muscle flap repair.

Results In a total of 107 CDH patients, the abdominal muscle flap technique was used in 10 (9.3%); 7 had been prenatally treated with tracheal occlusion. Two patients experienced recurrence at 2 months and 6 years, respectively. Only one patient required abdominoplasty due to abdominal wall muscle weakness. Two patients developed progressive scoliosis; one of them required orthopaedic treatment. Minor chest wall deformities were detected in seven, but only one required orthopaedic treatment. The lung-to-head ratio was 0.79 in patients developing musculoskeletal deformities, and 1.5 in those without this complication (p < 0.05). Median follow-up was 11.2 years (3.5–14.2), and all patients were alive at the time of writing this article.

Conclusion The split abdominal wall muscle flap technique is a valid option for repair of large CDH. Associated musculoskeletal deformities seem to be influenced not only by the repair technique used but also by the degree of pulmonary hypoplasia and inherent pathophysiological changes.
Symmetric, explicit numerical integrator for molecular dynamics equations of motion with a generalized friction
Authors: Fukuda Ikuo
Published: April 2019

A general mathematical scheme to construct symmetric, explicit numerical integrators of Newtonian equations of motion endowed with a generalized friction is provided for a molecular dynamics (MD) study. The exact integrations are done for all the decomposed vector fields, including the one that contains the friction term. On the basis of the symmetric composition scheme with the adjoint for the resulting maps, integrators with any local order of accuracy can be systematically constructed. Among them, the second order P2S1 integrator gives the least evaluation of atomic force and potential, which are most time consuming in MD simulations. As examples of the friction function, three functional types are considered: constant, Laurent polynomial, and exponential with respect to the kinetic energy. Several MD equations of motion fall into these categories, and the numerical examinations of their integrators using model systems give positive results on the accuracy and efficiency. The extended phase-space scheme also presents an invariant function, which allows us to easily detect numerical errors in the integration process by monitoring the function value.
Electrical and thermal effects on electromechanical performance of stretchable thin gold films on PDMS substrates for stretchable electronics
Authors: Zhao Yang , Yu Mei , Liu Zhiyuan , Yu Zhe
Published: April 2019

Stretchable electrodes comprising thin gold films with initial nanocracks on elastic substrates of poly(dimethylsiloxane) are developed in this work, which can be stretched reversibly while maintaining conductivity to an applied uniaxial strain as large as 120%. Reliable electromechanical performance is essential for the application of stretchable electronics as bioelectronic interfaces under various working conditions; therefore, the electrical and thermal effects on the electromechanical performance of the stretchable gold film electrodes are investigated in this work. It is found that the stretchability deteriorates to some extent depending on the electrical and thermal treatments. Microstructures and stress analysis in the cracks are studied, along with crack quantification. It is believed that the decrease of the stretchability is ascribed to the combination of the crack widening by thermal mismatch stress and crack tip smoothening by the electromigration phenomenon. Therefore, the current density and temperature through the electrodes should be controlled within a certain range for wide applications in order to maintain a stable performance of the electrodes. This study also provides some guiding significance for the design of other stretchable electronic devices composed of two materials with large different physical properties.
Quantification of hole-trap concentration in degraded polymer light-emitting diodes using impedance spectroscopy
Authors: Niu Quan , Wetzelaer Gert-Jan A. H. , Blom Paul W. M. , Irina Crăciun N.
Published: April 2019

The degradation of polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) under current stress is governed by the formation of hole traps. The presence of traps is reflected in the low-frequency response of PLEDs by a negative contribution to the capacitance that originates from trap-assisted recombination. Since the relaxation time scales with the (inverse) concentration of traps, impedance spectroscopy measurements allow for a quantitative determination of the amount of traps formed during degradation. We demonstrate that the obtained hole trap concentration is in agreement with the amount found by numerically modeling the increase in the PLED driving voltage. Impedance spectroscopy measurements are therefore useful as an in-situ characterization tool during PLED degradation, providing information on trap formation without numerical device modeling.
Identification of kinetic order parameters for non-equilibrium dynamics
Authors: Paul Fabian , Wu Hao , Vossel Maximilian , de Groot Bert L. , Noé Frank
Published: April 2019

A popular approach to analyze the dynamics of high-dimensional many-body systems, such as macromolecules, is to project the trajectories onto a space of slowly varying collective variables, where subsequent analyses are made, such as clustering or estimation of free energy profiles or Markov state models. However, existing “dynamical” dimension reduction methods, such as the time-lagged independent component analysis (TICA), are only valid if the dynamics obeys detailed balance (microscopic reversibility) and typically require long, equilibrated simulation trajectories. Here, we develop a dimension reduction method for non-equilibrium dynamics based on the recently developed Variational Approach for Markov Processes (VAMP) by Wu and Noé. VAMP is illustrated by obtaining a low-dimensional description of a single file ion diffusion model and by identifying long-lived states from molecular dynamics simulations of the KcsA channel protein in an external electrochemical potential. This analysis provides detailed insights into the coupling of conformational dynamics, the configuration of the selectivity filter, and the conductance of the channel. We recommend VAMP as a replacement for the less general TICA method.
A 4-channel, vector network analyzer microwave imaging prototype based on software defined radio technology
Authors: Meaney Paul , Hartov Alexander , Bulumulla Selaka , Raynolds Timothy , Davis Cynthia , Schoenberger Florian , Richter Sebastian , Paulsen Keith
Published: April 2019

We have implemented a prototype 4-channel transmission-based, microwave measurement system built on innovative software defined radio (SDR) technology. The system utilizes the B210 USRP SDR developed by Ettus Research that operates over a 70 MHz–6 GHz bandwidth. While B210 units are capable of being synchronized with each other via coherent reference signals, they are somewhat unreliable in this configuration and the manufacturer recommends using N200 or N210 models instead. For our system, N-series SDRs were less suitable because they are not amenable to RF shielding required for the cross-channel isolation necessary for an integrated microwave imaging system. Consequently, we have configured an external reference that overcame these limitations in a compact and robust package. Our design exploits the rapidly evolving technology being developed for the telecommunications environment for test and measurement tasks with the higher performance specifications required in medical microwave imaging applications. In a larger channel configuration, the approach is expected to provide performance comparable to commercial vector network analyzers at a fraction of the cost and in a more compact footprint.
Measurement of SiGe composition in 3-D semiconductor Fin Field Effect Transistor devices
Authors: Gribelyuk M. A. , Fu B. , Zhao W. W.
Published: April 2019

A Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)-based method is suggested to measure the composition of SiGe in 3-D structures using Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS). The method accounts for the presence of films other than SiGe within the TEM lamella in the electron beam direction. The partial cross section of inelastic scattering of Ge was calibrated using a reference structure, which was earlier analyzed by Electron Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDX) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry. The composition of SiGe in the p-FET Fin Field Effect Transistor devices with the overlaying Si oxynitride films was measured as a demonstration of the method. We show that the application of EELS yields smaller measurement errors of the SiGe composition as compared to EDX. The effect of beam damage in thin SiGe films surrounded by Si oxynitride is evaluated and compared to the blanket Si/SiGe structures. The method can be applied to the development of novel devices and state-of-the-art processes where the composition of SiGe plays a critical role.
Ballistic rectification based on inhomogeneous magnetic stray fields
Authors: Szelong M. , Ludwig A. , Wieck A. D. , Kunze U.
Published: April 2019

We present a ballistic rectification effect in an orthogonal four-terminal cross junction where the symmetry is broken by local magnetic fields. The input current is injected between opposing branches and the current-free branches serve as potential probes. The local magnetic field is induced by two permalloy (Py) stripes with a magnetic single-domain structure, where one end of each stripe is positioned close to the junction center. The Py stripes are oriented such that an external in-plane magnetic field can magnetize them into two different main configurations having either equally or oppositely magnetized ends. Equal magnetic ends are expected to result in a Hall-effect device, while for opposite magnetic ends, the stray field should deflect the electrons into the same output lead for both current polarities, leading to a rectifying behavior. Here, we present the proof of concept for stray-field controlled transfer characteristics. First, we show by magnetic force microscopy that both configurations are stable and the Py stripes exhibit a remanent magnetic single-domain structure. Second, we demonstrate the influence of the remanent magnetization on the low-temperature dc characteristics which are superimposed by a parasitic background. Third, we present the extracted Hall and the rectified voltage which are, respectively, linearly and parabolically dependent on the input current up to ±55 μA.
Pressure dependence of the silicon carbide synthesis temperature
Authors: Limandri S. , Garbarino G. , Sifre D. , Mezouar M. , Galván Josa V.
Published: April 2019

The starting temperature for SiC synthesis from elemental silicon, carbon black, and graphite powders was determined for pressures ranging from 0.8 to 11 GPa by in situ X-ray diffraction experiments. The synthesized SiC corresponds to the cubic 3C phase with the presence of stacking faults along the [111] direction. The lowest density of the stacking faults is achieved when black carbon is used instead of graphite. The minimum temperature to start the Si + C → SiC reaction slightly decreases when the pressure is increased up to 6 GPa and the reaction begins before silicon melts. For pressures higher than 8 GPa, the starting temperature increases, and the formation of SiC from the SiII phase requires the complete melting of silicon. Bulk modulus Bo = 236(14) GPa was obtained for the synthesized SiC phase.
Electrostatic memory in KTaO3
Authors: Wadehra Neha , Chakraverty S.
Published: April 2019

Perovskite oxide materials with strong spin–orbit coupling (SOC) have tremendous potential for next generation spin-electronic devices. In this work, we present the creation of artificial electrical domains on the conducting surface of KTaO3 (KTO) having strong SOC. A conductive atomic force microscopy tip has been used to induce extremely small electrically active charge domains on the surface of KTO. The versatility of creating such nanodomains is that the features can be written and erased with nanometer scale precision. The written signal (phase difference between the written and unwritten regions) on KTO has turned out to be much higher than that on other reported perovskite oxides. Kelvin probe force microscopy measurements are performed to probe the surface potential and work function changes in the regions of nano-electrical domains. Magnetic force microscopy measurements suggest generation of a magnetic field when electrostatic charge is written in a dipolar configuration which can be utilized in future nano-electric devices.
Multistate reversible copolymerization of non-Markovian chains under low conversion conditions
Authors: Gaspard Pierre
Published: April 2019

The reversible kinetics of copolymerization is solved analytically for the multistate mechanism proposed by Coleman and Fox [J. Chem. Phys. 38, 1065 (1963)] under low conversion conditions where the concentrations of monomeric species are chemostatted and stay constant in time. Although the rates of this mechanism only depend on the currently attached or detached monomer, the growing macromolecular chain forms a non-Markovian sequence that is characterized by matrices associated with every monomeric unit composing the sequence. These matrices are obtained by solving the kinetic equations, and they determine the growth velocity of the copolymers, the statistical properties of its possible sequences, as well as the thermodynamics of the copolymerization process.
Multi-channel signal transmission method of non-contact slip ring based on capacitive coupling and quasi-time division multiplexing
Authors: Feng Xin , Fu Zhuang , Wei Baochen , Weng Yihang
Published: April 2019

The single-axis rotary inertial navigation system can use the rotary joint to compensate the drift error of the inertial components. Therefore, whether the signal can be transmitted in the rotary joint freely, accurately, for a long time, and without maintenance determines the accuracy of inertial navigation. A noncontact slip ring based on capacitive coupling and quasitime division multiplexing is proposed in this paper. First, the theoretical calculation is carried out on the method of signal transmission using two pairs of capacitors, and the factors affecting signal quality are analyzed. Second, the principle of quasitime division multiplexing and Manchester encoding is used to solve the problems such as converting multiple signals into a single signal, capacitor cannot transmit DC signal, and signal synchronization. Finally, an improved differential transmission method is designed to enhance the anti-interference of the system and to solve the level mismatch of the primary and secondary circuits. In this paper, a prototype is designed to verify the method. When the transmission rate of the three navigation signals is 1 Mbps, the navigation signals can be transmitted without distortion. And the maximum transmission frequency is 17 MHz, which can be further improved. The experimental results show that the proposed method provides a new design for the signal transmission of noncontact power slip ring. It has the advantages of high reliability, fast transmission rate, and good versatility. It can be applied to aviation, aerospace, navigation, wind power generation, and other fields where the power and signal need to be transmitted simultaneously.
Density effects of graphene oxide quantum dots on characteristics of Zr0.5Hf0.5O2 film memristors
Authors: Yan Xiaobing , Li Hui , Zhang Lei , Lu Chao , Zhao Jianhui , Zhou Zhenyu , Wang Hong , Wang Jingjuan , Li Xiaoyan , Pei Yifei , Qin Cuiya , Wang Gong , Xiao Zuoao , Zhao Qianlong , Wang Kaiyang , Ren Deliang , Zheng Shukai
Published: April 2019

Memristor characteristics have been reported to be enhanced by inserting graphene oxide quantum dots (GOQDs) in oxide layers. However, it has not been studied how the density of GOQDs affects the resistive switching behavior of memristor devices. In this work, memristor devices in the structure of Ag/Zr0.5Hf0.5O2 (ZHO)/GOQDs/ZHO/Pt are fabricated and tested. The device measurement results show that as the applied voltage is scanned, if the density of GOQDs increases, the resistance adjustment of fabricated memristor devices shifts from abruptly to gradually. Moreover, the resistance of a high-GOQD-density device is modulated by controlling the amplitude, width, polarity, and number of applied voltage pulses. Furthermore, the fabricated memristor device demonstrates basic synaptic behavior, including tunable conductance, short-term plasticity, long-term plasticity, spike-timing-dependent facilitation, and paired-pulse facilitation. These phenomena are attributed to the high density of GOQDs, which prevents Ag+ from migrating through the switching layers, and hence, the formation of Ag conductive filaments is slower. This study reveals that the proposed memristor device with an appropriate density of GOQDs has great potential in artificial electronic synaptic applications.
Brownian dynamics of fully confined suspensions of rigid particles without Green’s functions
Authors: Sprinkle Brennan , Donev Aleksandar , Bhalla Amneet Pal Singh , Patankar Neelesh
Published: April 2019

We introduce a Rigid-Body Fluctuating Immersed Boundary (RB-FIB) method to perform large-scale Brownian dynamics simulations of suspensions of rigid particles in fully confined domains, without any need to explicitly construct Green’s functions or mobility operators. In the RB-FIB approach, discretized fluctuating Stokes equations are solved with prescribed boundary conditions in conjunction with a rigid-body immersed boundary method to discretize arbitrarily shaped colloidal particles with no-slip or active-slip prescribed on their surface. We design a specialized Split–Euler–Maruyama temporal integrator that uses a combination of random finite differences to capture the stochastic drift appearing in the overdamped Langevin equation. The RB-FIB method presented in this work only solves mobility problems in each time step using a preconditioned iterative solver and has a computational complexity that scales linearly in the number of particles and fluid grid cells. We demonstrate that the RB-FIB method correctly reproduces the Gibbs-Boltzmann equilibrium distribution and use the method to examine the time correlation functions for two spheres tightly confined in a cuboid. We model a quasi–two-dimensional colloidal crystal confined in a narrow microchannel and hydrodynamically driven across a commensurate periodic substrate potential mimicking the effect of a corrugated wall. We observe partial and full depinning of the colloidal monolayer from the substrate potential above a certain wall speed, consistent with a transition from static to kinetic friction through propagating kink solitons. Unexpectedly, we find that particles nearest to the boundaries of the domain are the first to be displaced, followed by particles in the middle of the domain.
Adsorption and reactions of propenoic acid and 2-fluoropropanoic acid on Cu(100) and O/Cu(100)
Authors: Lin Hong-Ping , Yang Zi-Xian , Lee Szu-Han , Chen Tai-You , Chen You-Jyun , Chen Yun-Hsien , Chen Guan-Jie , Zhan Sheng-Xun , Lin Jong-Liang
Published: April 2019

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy, and temperature-programmed reaction/desorption have been employed to investigate the adsorption and reaction pathways of CH2=CHCOOH and CH3CHFCOOH on Cu(100) and oxygen-precovered Cu(100) [O/Cu(100)]. In the case of CH2=CHCOOH on O/Cu(100), CH2=CHCOO is the surface intermediate detected between 110 K and 400 K. CH2=CHCOO is adsorbed vertically and can change adsorption sites at a higher temperature. The propenoate (acrylate) decomposes at higher temperatures (>500 K), with formation of >C=C=O (ketenylidene) surface species and gaseous products. On Cu(100), CH2=CHCOOH is adsorbed in dimer form and can dissociate to generate CH2=CHCOO and CH3CHCOO intermediates on the surface. The CH3CHCOO continuously recombines with the H from deprotonation of CH2=CHCOOH, resulting in the formation CH3CH2COO. The co-existing CH2=CHCOO and CH3CH2COO further decompose at ∼550 K to evolve reaction products, but without >C=C=O being detected. On O/Cu(100), CH3CHFCOOH readily deprotonates to form CH3CHFCOO at 120 K. This intermediate reacts on the surface at ∼460 K to evolve gaseous products, also producing CH2=CHCOO. In the case of Cu(100), deprotonation of CH3CHFCOOH occurs at ∼250 K, forming CH3CHFCOO. Without oxygen on the surface, this intermediate decomposes into HF and CH2=CHCOO at ∼455 K.
H-mode grade confinement in L-mode edge plasmas at negative triangularity on DIII-D
Authors: Marinoni A. , Austin M. E. , Hyatt A. W. , Walker M. L. , Candy J. , Chrystal C. , Lasnier C. J. , McKee G. R. , Odstrčil T. , Petty C. C. , Porkolab M. , Rost J. C. , Sauter O. , Smith S. P. , Staebler G. M. , Sung C. , Thome K. E. , Turnbull A. D. , Zeng L. ,   DIII-D Team
Published: April 2019

Plasmas with a negative triangularity shape have been created on the DIII-D tokamak that, despite maintaining standard L-mode edge radial profiles, reach volume averaged pressure levels typical of H-mode scenarios. Within the auxiliary power available for these experiments, plasmas exhibit near-zero power degradation while sustaining βN = 2.7 and H98,y2 = 1.2 for several energy confinement times. Detailed comparison with matched discharges at positive triangularity indicates that Trapped Electron Modes are weakened at negative triangularity, consistent with increased confinement and reduced intensity of fluctuations in electron density, electron temperature, and ion density. These results indicate that a negative triangularity plasma operating without an edge pedestal might provide an attractive scenario for operations in future reactors.
Comparative study of the PBE and SCAN functionals: The particular case of alkali metals
Authors: Kovács Péter , Tran Fabien , Blaha Peter , Madsen Georg K. H.
Published: April 2019

The SCAN meta-generalized gradient approximation (GGA) functional is known to describe multiple properties of various materials with different types of bonds with greater accuracy, compared to the widely used PBE GGA functional. Yet, for alkali metals, SCAN shows worse agreement with experimental results than PBE despite using more information about the system. In the current study, this behavior for alkali metals is explained by identifying an inner semicore region which, within SCAN, contributes to an underbinding. The inner semicore push toward larger lattice constants is a general feature but is particularly important for very soft materials, such as the alkali metals, while for harder materials the valence region dominates.
Optical emission spectra of high current and high voltage generated arcs representing lightning
Authors: Mitchard D. , Widger P. , Clark D. , Carr D. , Haddad A.
Published: April 2019

A recently developed spectrographic technique was used for the comparison of observed optical emission spectra from self-breakdown in air of high current and high voltage impulse arcs which are often used to represent the respective components of a natural lightning strike for a variety of lightning studies. These components are separated as it is practically impossible to simultaneously generate both in a single arc within the laboratory. The high current aspect is typically related to the amount of damage a lightning arc does to an impacted object and can be used to characterize conductivity properties, whereas the high voltage aspect is typically related to the attachment mechanism of lightning to an object when creating a path to ground and can be used to characterize insulation properties. The spectra of a range of high current arcs up to 100 kA and high voltage arcs up to 120 kV across a 14 mm air-gap between a pair of hemispherical tungsten electrodes were investigated and compared with the natural lightning reference spectrum reconstructed from the literature. All three spectra were found to present similar trends, but the high voltage arc had notably lower blackbody radiation, indicating a less energetic and cooler arc. Further, whereas atomic lines from oxygen and nitrogen were clearly present, an atomic line from argon was not prominent, indicating that the bulk energy delivered into the air was in the range of 1400–1520 kJ/mol. The high current arc, much like natural lightning, delivered a bulk energy greater than 1520 kJ/mol.
Exploitation of nanoparticle-protein interactions for early disease detection
Authors: Papi Massimiliano , Palmieri Valentina , Palchetti Sara , Pozzi Daniela , Digiacomo Luca , Guadagno Elia , del Basso De Caro Marialaura , Di Domenico Marina , Ricci Serena , Pani Roberto , Mahmoudi Morteza , Di Carlo Angelina , Caracciolo Giulio
Published: April 2019

The main diagnostic tools for primary and metastatic central nervous system (CNS) tumors are the anamnestic neurological examination and the imaging tests, which are expensive and lack specificity. In recent years, the shell of macromolecules which forms on nanoparticles (NPs) when they are exposed to human blood, also known as hard corona (HC), became a powerful tool in diagnostics. Indeed, HC can act as a “nano-concentrator” of serum proteins and can detect minor changes in the protein concentration at the very early stages of disease development. In this paper, we characterized lipid NP HC formed in blood samples from patients affected by meningeal tumors. We found that the HCs of meningeal tumor patients could be discriminated from those of healthy subjects. Our results show that emerging HC-based technologies will pave the way for early diagnosis of CNS cancer.
The desire for shelter
Authors: Marks Michael P.
Published: April 2019

Among scholars and practitioners of politics, a common way of thinking about insecure political systems is to conceptualize the lack of political order in terms of metaphorically fragile and collapsed states. The suggested solution to state fragility and collapse is often the policy of nation- and state-building. This chapter uses the theory of conceptual metaphor to understand the discursive and policy relationships between the metaphorical concepts of nation- and state-building and their counterparts in the conceptual metaphors of fragile and collapsed states. The chapter finds that fear of exposure and vulnerability in a world without shelter provides a logic for the physical protection supplied by the state and the remedy that nation- and state-building provide when that structure is in jeopardy.
Barbed wire around Serbia
Authors: Đurović Tatjana , Silaški Nadežda
Published: April 2019

Using a theoretical framework of Critical Metaphor Analysis (Charteris-Black 2004; Musolff 2004, 2006) and Critical Discourse Analysis (Hart 2010; Hart & Cap 2014; Šarić et al. 2010) the chapter investigates the role of metaphors in the construction of the national, viewed here through the prism of migrant discourse, and how this reflects on Serbia’s EU accession process. We analyse a data collection compiled from texts published in Serbian print and electronic news media in 2015–2016, focusing on verbal instantiations of the containment image schema and the wall metaphor scenario to show how Serbian officials exploit metaphors in order to present the migrant crisis as a new obstacle to Serbia’s becoming part of the EU inner space.
Direct quotation in second language writing
Authors: Wiemeyer Leonie
Published: April 2019

Though the explicit reference to prior literature in the field is considered a characteristic feature of academic writing, there is a notable lack of corpus-linguistic research into the manifestations of intertextuality, especially in L2 academic writing (Keck 2015). This contribution explores L2 writers’ use of direct quotation in real-life disciplinary assignments. It presents a learner corpus-based study investigating the form, textual integration, and attribution of direct quotes in research papers written by advanced German learners of English. The study shows that at the advanced undergraduate level, L2 writers are familiar with formal aspects of direct quotation and conventions of intertextuality. However, insecurities with regard to length, syntactic integration, and purpose of direct quotes remain that need to be addressed in teaching.
Speech rate revisited
Authors: Gráf Tomáš
Published: April 2019

The present study aims to explore the effect of elicitation-task design on speech rate. The data derives from the Czech learner subcorpus of the Louvain International Database of Spoken English Interlanguage (LINDSEI_CZ), its native English counterpart the Louvain Corpus of Native English Conversation (LOCNEC) and a corpus of native Czech recorded by the same speakers as in LINDSEI_CZ. Speech rates in words per minute are compared using ANOVA. Significantly lower speech rates are found especially in the picture-based task, showing that such tasks are cognitively demanding both for learners and natives. Differences between monologic and dialogic tasks are smaller and not statistically significant. The study explores possible reasons for these differences and draws implications for corpus design and research design as well as for language assessment.
Engineered SUMO/protease system identifies Pdr6 as a bidirectional nuclear transport receptor
Authors: Vera Rodriguez Arturo , Frey Steffen , Görlich Dirk
Published: April 2019

Cleavage of affinity tags by specific proteases can be exploited for highly selective affinity chromatography. The SUMO/SENP1 system is the most efficient for such application but fails in eukaryotic expression because it cross-reacts with endogenous proteases. Using a novel selection system, we have evolved the SUMOEu/SENP1Eu pair to orthogonality with the yeast and animal enzymes. SUMOEu fusions therefore remain stable in eukaryotic cells. Likewise, overexpressing a SENP1Eu protease is nontoxic in yeast. We have used the SUMOEu system in an affinity-capture-proteolytic-release approach to identify interactors of the yeast importin Pdr6/Kap122. This revealed not only further nuclear import substrates such as Ubc9, but also Pil1, Lsp1, eIF5A, and eEF2 as RanGTP-dependent binders and thus as export cargoes. We confirmed that Pdr6 functions as an exportin in vivo and depletes eIF5A and eEF2 from cell nuclei. Thus, Pdr6 is a bidirectional nuclear transport receptor (i.e., a biportin) that shuttles distinct sets of cargoes in opposite directions.
Quantifying arbitrary-spin-wave-driven domain wall motion, the creep nature of domain wall and the mechanism for domain wall advances
Authors: Gao Zhong-Chen , Su Yuanchang , Weng Lianghao , Hu Jingguo , Park Chan
Published: April 2019

Domain wall motion (DWM) by spin waves (SWs) in different waveforms in a magnetic nanostripe is investigated via micromagnetic simulations. Diversified DWMs are observed. It is found that SW harmonic drives DWM most efficiently and irregular SW may cause abnormal excitation spectrum for DWM in the low-frequency range. We prove that SW harmonic is the basic element when interacting with DW and causes simple creeping motion of DW (i.e. forward propagation of DW accompanied with oscillation) with the same frequency as applied SW harmonic. Under irregular/polychromatic SW, DW makes responses to the energies carried by constituent SW harmonics, instead of overall exhibited torques, and simultaneously conducts multiple creeping motions. This finding enables the analysis for the induced DWM under arbitrary SW. Mapping of SW inside DW reveals that the simple creeping motion is due to real-space expansion and contraction inside DW and the monolithic translation of DW. It is further elucidated that the former relates to the transmitting of spin torques of SW through DW and the latter corresponds to the absorption of spin torques by DW. The overall absorbed spin torques point to direction same as SW propagation and drive DW forward. In addition, the absorption mechanism is evidenced by the well agreement between absorption of SW and averaged velocity of DW.
Supporting background stimuli
Authors: Abraham William J.
Published: April 2019

‘Supporting background stimuli’ explains how John Wesley’s connections with the Moravians, which had such a dramatic impact upon him when he was a young missionary, reveal that he was part of an international network of revival and awakening that stretched from Germany to England and into the New World. There was a shift from Christianity as a mere system of orthodox beliefs, to Christianity as a living relationship with God that leads to love of God and neighbour. The great themes of this form of Christianity were new birth and sanctification. John Wesley’s job as the Methodists’ leader was to reform the nation, especially the church, and to spread scriptural holiness throughout the land.
7. Pluralities
Authors: Jack Belinda
Published: April 2019

Many of us, most of us, spend a very large part of our days reading. But what we read is in myriad forms. ‘Pluralities’ suggests that there is surely an argument for ‘reading’ to become a plural with a new sense—readings. On the face of it, one of the apparently biggest changes in relation to reading is a matter of medium. Most of us spend most of our time reading electronic or digital media—on our PCs or laptops, our notebooks or smartphones. A range of new media can be considered in relation to reading. New media and new ideas for narrative, which exploit their possibilities, make new demands on readers.
1. First principles
Authors: Preston Andrew
Published: April 2019

The United States began its existence as an act of foreign policy. It is no exaggeration to say that the nation owes its very existence to the successful pursuit of war and diplomacy. ‘First principles’ explains that over a period of forty years, from the outbreak of revolution in 1775 to the end of war with Britain in 1815, the founding generation established and consolidated a new nation by responding to a series of international challenges. Along the way, they established a set of first principles of foreign relations: namely, unilateralism, exceptionalism, and expansionism. These would shape Americans’ engagement with the wider world for centuries to come.
2. Expansionism
Authors: Preston Andrew
Published: April 2019

Over the course of nearly three hundred years, the people who inhabited what came to be called the United States enlarged their territorial holdings. As they did so, their belief that expansion wasn’t just inevitable but righteous took hold: progress was good, the United States represented progress, and so many started believing that the best thing for all concerned was to stretch US borders as far as possible. ‘Expansionism’ explains how the period between the War of 1812 and the Civil War unleashed these restless impulses and their violent effects across a continent, and set the ideological template for even greater expansions to follow.
Understanding which people with dementia are at risk of inappropriate care and avoidable transitions to hospital near the end-of-life: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Leniz Javiera , Higginson Irene J , Stewart Robert , Sleeman Katherine E
Published: April 2019

Background

transitions between care settings near the end-of-life for people with dementia can be distressing, lead to physical and cognitive deterioration, and may be avoidable.

Objective

to investigate determinants of end-of-life hospital transitions, and association with healthcare use, among people with dementia.

Design

retrospective cohort study.

Setting

electronic records from a mental health provider in London, linked to national mortality and hospital data.

Subjects

people with dementia who died in 2007–2016.

Methods

end-of-life hospital transitions were defined as: multiple admissions in the last 90 days (early), or any admission in the last three days of life (late). Determinants were assessed using logistic regression.

Results

of 8,880 people, 1,421 (16.0%) had at least one end-of-life transition: 505 (5.7%) had early, 788 (8.9%) late, and 128 (1.5%) both types. Early transitions were associated with male gender (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.11–1.59), age (>90 vs <75 years OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.49–0.97), physical illness (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.20–1.94), depressed mood (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.17–1.90), and deprivation (most vs least affluent quintile OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.37–0.90). Care home residence was associated with fewer early (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.53 to 0.76) and late (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.97) transitions. Early transitions were associated with more hospital admissions throughout the last year of life compared to those with late and no transitions (mean 4.56, 1.89, 1.60; P < 0.001).

Conclusions

in contrast to late transitions, early transitions are associated with higher healthcare use and characteristics that are predictable, indicating potential for prevention.
mirTime: identifying condition-specific targets of microRNA in time-series transcript data using Gaussian process model and spherical vector clustering
Authors: Kang Hyejin , Ahn Hongryul , Jo Kyuri , Oh Minsik , Kim Sun
Published: April 2019

Background

MicroRNAs, small noncoding RNAs, are conserved in many species, and they are key regulators that mediate post-transcriptional gene silencing. Since biologists cannot perform experiments for each of target genes of thousands of microRNAs in numerous specific conditions, prediction on microRNA target genes has been extensively investigated. A general framework is a two-step process of selecting target candidates based on sequence and binding energy features and then predicting targets based on negative correlation of microRNAs and their targets. However, there are few methods that are designed for target predictions using time-series gene expression data.

Results

In this article, we propose a new pipeline, mirTime, that predicts microRNA targets by integrating sequence features and time-series expression profiles in a specific experimental condition. The most important feature of mirTime is that it uses the Gaussian process regression model to measure data at unobserved or unpaired time points. In experiments with two datasets in different experimental conditions and cell types, condition-specific target modules reported in the original papers were successfully predicted with our pipeline. The context specificity of target modules was assessed with three (correlation-based, target gene-based and network-based) evaluation criteria. mirTime showed better performance than existing expression-based microRNA target prediction methods in all three criteria.

Availability and implementation

mirTime is available at https://github.com/mirTime/mirtime.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
gpart: human genome partitioning and visualization of high-density SNP data by identifying haplotype blocks
Authors: Kim Sun Ah , Brossard Myriam , Roshandel Delnaz , Paterson Andrew D , Bull Shelley B , Yoo Yun Joo
Published: April 2019

For the analysis of high-throughput genomic data produced by next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, researchers need to identify linkage disequilibrium (LD) structure in the genome. In this work, we developed an R package gpart which provides clustering algorithms to define LD blocks or analysis units consisting of SNPs. The visualization tool in gpart can display the LD structure and gene positions for up to 20 000 SNPs in one image. The gpart functions facilitate construction of LD blocks and SNP partitions for vast amounts of genome sequencing data within reasonable time and memory limits in personal computing environments.

Availability and implementation

The R package is available at https://bioconductor.org/packages/gpart.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Functions of cyclins and CDKs in mammalian gametogenesis†
Authors: Chotiner Jessica Y , Wolgemuth Debra J , Wang P Jeremy
Published: April 2019

Cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are key regulators of the cell cycle. Most of our understanding of their functions has been obtained from studies in single-cell organisms and mitotically proliferating cultured cells. In mammals, there are more than 20 cyclins and 20 CDKs. Although genetic ablation studies in mice have shown that most of these factors are dispensable for viability and fertility, uncovering their functional redundancy, CCNA2, CCNB1, and CDK1 are essential for embryonic development. Cyclin/CDK complexes are known to regulate both mitotic and meiotic cell cycles. While some mechanisms are common to both types of cell divisions, meiosis has unique characteristics and requirements. During meiosis, DNA replication is followed by two successive rounds of cell division. In addition, mammalian germ cells experience a prolonged prophase I in males or a long period of arrest in prophase I in females. Therefore, cyclins and CDKs may have functions in meiosis distinct from their mitotic functions and indeed, meiosis-specific cyclins, CCNA1 and CCNB3, have been identified. Here, we describe recent advances in the field of cyclins and CDKs with a focus on meiosis and early embryogenesis.
Systematic Review of Literature: Social Capital and Adolescents who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Authors: Byatt Timothy J , Dally Kerry , Duncan Jill
Published: April 2019

Outcomes have improved for adolescents who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) in recent years in areas such as language and speech; however, outcomes such as pragmatic and psychosocial development are still not equal to adolescents with typical hearing. This systematic review of literature explored recent research as it pertains to social capital and adolescents who are DHH. The inclusion criteria were extended to include other populations who are DHH and adolescents with other disabilities to identify future research directions. Themes identified in the reviewed literature viewed through social capital theory included psychosocial outcomes; the importance of language; the benefit of online social networking sites; the role of the family; the role of the school; inclusion and identity; role models; and post-school transition. Results demonstrated that social capital is an area with much promise as it relates to buffering outcomes for adolescents who are DHH. More empirical evidence is required in the form of quantitative research using validated social capital instruments and qualitative research that gives a voice to adolescents who are DHH. The role of social capital in facilitating inclusion, identity, and friendships, were identified as possible future research directions.