bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Greener Approach to Prepare Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents
Authors: Gomez Federico J. V. , Espino Magdalena , Fernández María A. , Silva María F.
Published: June 2018

Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) is one of the hottest issues in the field of green chemistry. However, it is possible to make them greener? Herein we propose a new microwave (MW) assisted preparation demanding only seconds. The MW‐NADES were challenged with those obtained by the classical Heating & Stirring procedure in terms of green analytical metrics and physical parameters. Indeed, the following analytical applications were tested: a) extraction media for phenolics and alkaloids from plant, b) enhancers for electrochemical detection of phenolic compounds. Our results demonstrate outstanding environmental advantages as the dramatic decrease of synthesis time (the shortest time to date, 60 minutes to 20 seconds) and energy consumption (650 times lower). The analytical performance and physicochemical parameters were comparable with the traditional NADES.
Gabriel Synthesis of Hexakis(aminomethyl)benzene and Its Derivatization
Authors: Masuda Junya , Kondo Seiya , Matsumoto Yoshiteru , Yamanaka Masamichi
Published: June 2018

Hexakis(aminomethyl)benzene, which is a key precursor for various hexa‐substituted functional molecules, was synthesized by Gabriel synthesis. Nucleophilic substitution of hexakis(bromomethyl)benzene with potassium phthalimide gave hexakis(phthalimidemethyl)benzene in excellent yield. Hydrazinolysis of the phthalimide moieties of hexakis(phthalimidemethyl)benzene afforded a mixture of hexakis(aminomethyl)benzene and 2,3‐dihydrophthalazine‐1,4‐dione. Pure hexakis(aminomethyl)benzene was isolated as its hexahydrochloride upon treating the mixture with HCl. Hexakis‐amides and hexakis‐tosylamide were prepared from hexahydrochloride of hexakis(aminomethyl)benzene in good to high yields. Alkyl‐substituted hexakis‐amide shows extremely high solubility in non‐polar organic solvents like chloroform and n‐hexane. Density functional theory calculation of the structure of hexakis‐amide show that all substituents were oriented to the same side (aaaaaa conformation) via intramolecular hydrogen bonding.
Iodine‐Catalyzed One‐Pot Decarboxylative Sulfenylation of Electron‐Rich Arenes and Indoles
Authors: Ravi Chitrakar , Semwal Rashmi , Kumar Rahul , Reddy Narreddula N. K. , Adimurthy Subbarayappa
Published: June 2018

Elemental iodine catalyzed decarboxylative sulfenylation (mono‐ or di) of electron‐rich alkoxybenzoic acids using benzenesulfonohydrazides as sulfenylating agent for the synthesis of diaryl sulfides under transition metal‐free conditions has been described. The method also works for the decarboxylative thioarylation (mono‐ or di) of indole carboxylic acids. Reactions showed very good functional group tolerance and excellent yields of sulfinylated products.
Photoluminescence, Self cleaning and Photocatalytic Behavior of Waterborne Hyperbranched Polyester/Carbon dot@TiO2 Nanocomposite
Authors: Hazarika Deepshikha , Saikia Devabrata , Gupta Kuldeep , Mandal Manabendra , Karak Niranjan
Published: June 2018

Functional materials with innovative optical features have attracted cumulative attention owing to their indispensable and inimitable roles in the advanced human‐civilization. Thus, in the present work, an excellent excitation wavelength dependent down‐ and up‐conversion photo‐luminescent carbon dot@TiO2 containing waterborne hyperbranched polyester nanocomposite was reported for the first time. Further, the thermosets of the nanocomposite were transparent and emitted different colors on exposure of different wavelengths of UV light. Most interestingly, the nanocomposite showed anti‐reflecting as well as self‐cleaning properties. The self‐cleaning behavior was achieved through photocatalytic degradation of different organic contaminants namely pesticide, phenol, bis‐phenol A and mixed dyes under normal sunlight. Further, the thermosetting nanocomposite can be used as an efficient photocatalyst for reduction of common nitro‐aromatic compound under normal sunlight. The nanocomposites also exhibited strong antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterial strains. Thus, the studied nanocomposite has remarkable prospect in different advanced applications.
Microfluidics Based Magnetophoresis: A Review
Authors: Alnaimat Fadi , Dagher Sawsan , Mathew Bobby , Hilal‐Alnqbi Ali , Khashan Saud
Published: June 2018

Magnetophoresis, the manipulation of trajectory of micro‐scale entities using magnetic forces, as employed in microfluidic devices is reviewed at length in this article. Magnetophoresis has recently garnered significant interest due to its simplicity, in terms of implementation, as well as cost‐effectiveness while being efficient and biocompatible. Theory associated with magnetophoresis is illustrated in this review along with different sources for creating magnetic field gradient commonly employed in microfluidic devices. Additionally, this article reviews the state‐of‐the‐art of magnetophoresis based microfluidic devices, where positive‐ and negative‐magnetophoresis are utilized for manipulation of micro‐scale entities (cells and microparticles), employed for operations such as trapping, focusing, separation, and switching of microparticles and cells. The article concludes with a brief outlook of the field of magnetophoresis.
An intraosseous malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor in the mandible of a patient with neurofibromatosis type 1
Authors: Takaichi Mayu , Tomihara Kei , Fujiwara Kumiko , Imaue Shuichi , Miwa Shigeharu , Noguchi Makoto
Published: June 2018

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are sarcomas that originate in peripheral nerves or neurilemma cells. Here, we report an extremely rare case of an intraosseous MPNST in the mandible of a patient with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). A 57‐year‐old woman with a history of NF1 was referred to our hospital because she had abnormal sensations at her left mandible. She was diagnosed with MPNST and underwent radical resection, although local recurrence and multiple metastases were detected during follow‐up. Despite receiving palliative radiotherapy, the patient died at 13 months after the initial diagnosis.
An Assessment of Marine Reservoir Corrections for Radiocarbon Dates on Walrus from the Foxe Basin Region of Arctic Canada
Authors: Dyke Arthur S , Savelle James M , Szpak Paul , Southon John R , Howse Lesley , Desrosiers Pierre M , Kotar Kathryn
Published: June 2018

Archaeological sites in the Canadian Arctic often contain substantial quantities of marine mammal bones and in some cases completely lack terrestrial mammal bones. A distrust of radiocarbon (14C) dates on marine mammal bones among Arctic archaeologists has caused many sites to be insufficiently dated. The goal of this study was to investigate the marine reservoir effect on Atlantic walrus in the Foxe Basin region of the Canadian Arctic through a two-pronged approach: dating of live-harvested specimens of known age collected prior to AD 1955 and dating of pairs of animal remains (walrus and caribou) from stratigraphically contemporaneous levels within archaeological features. 14C dates on pre-bomb, live-harvested walrus indicate that a ΔR value of 160±50 yr be used in calibrating dates on walrus from this region. These results differed significantly from a similar set of pre-bomb mollusks, which argues against applying mollusk-based corrections to marine mammals. The results of comparative dating of caribou and walrus from archaeological features provided maximum estimates of reservoir ages that were more varied than the directly measured ages. Although about half of inferred ΔR values overlap the museum specimen results, the others indicate that the assumption of contemporaneity does not hold true.
A Natural Hulk: Australia’s Carceral Islands in the Colonial Period, 1788–1901
Authors: Roscoe Katherine
Published: June 2018

During the British colonial period, at least eleven islands off the coast of Australia were used as sites of “punitive relocation” for transported European convicts and Indigenous Australians. This article traces the networks of correspondence between the officials and the Colonial Office in London as they debated the merits of various offshore islands to incarcerate different populations. It identifies three roles that carceral islands served for colonial governance and economic expansion. First, the use of convicts as colonizers of strategic islands for territorial and commercial expansion. Second, to punish transported convicts found guilty of “misconduct” to maintain order in colonial society. Third, to expel Indigenous Australians who resisted colonization from their homeland. It explores how, as “colonial peripheries”, islands were part of a colonial system of punishment based around mobility and distance, which mirrored in microcosm convict flows between the metropole and the Australian colonies.
TheDepósito de Degredadosin Luanda, Angola: Binding and Building the Portuguese Empire with Convict Labour, 1880s to 1932
Authors: Coates Timothy J.
Published: June 2018

After ignoring its holdings in Africa for the first half of the nineteenth century, the European scramble for colonies in the 1880s forced the Portuguese state to adopt a new policy to cement its tenuous hold on its two largest African colonies: Angola and Mozambique. This challenge occurred just as the penal reform movement of the nineteenth century was arriving in Portugal, with a new penitentiary in Lisbon and new legal codes aimed at reforming convicts through their labour. This article examines the rationale and impact of theDepósito de Degredados(Depot for Transported Convicts) in Luanda, Angola, the larger of the two prisons established to supervise the work of convicts sent from Portugal and Portugal’s Atlantic colonies of Cape Verde, Portuguese Guinea, and São Tomé.
Faecal N excretion as an approach for estimating organic matter intake by free-ranging sheep and cattle
Authors: Kozloski G. V. , Zilio E. M. C. , Ongarato F. , Kuinchtner B. C. , Saccol A. G. , Genro T. C. M. , Oliveira L. , Faria B. M. , Cezimbra I. M. , Quadros F. L. F.
Published: June 2018

The current study aimed to test whether organic matter intake by free-ranging ruminants could be estimated from the amount of nitrogen (N) excreted in faeces and to compare this approach to conventional techniques. An equation describing the relationship between excreted N and nutrient intake was developed in indoor digestibility trials conducted with male sheep (n= 36) and cattle (n= 24) housed in metabolism cages and solely fed hay harvested from a local rangeland. Faecal N excretion was linearly related to organic matter (OM) intake without a significant animal species effect. To evaluate the linear equation, data from free-ranging trials conducted with sheep and cattle were used. The faecal N approach was compared with eitherin situdigestibility plus external marker (n= 123) orn-alkanes (n= 272) to estimate OM intake and digestible OM intake. Estimates obtained through the faecal N approach did not closely fit those obtained with either conventional technique for any variable. Averaging all individual values, the supply of metabolizable energy (ME) estimated through faecal N was similar to the required level, whereas both thein situandn-alkanes techniques overestimated ME supply. In conclusion, OM intake by free-ranging sheep and cattle can be estimated based on the amount of N excreted in faeces with some advantages over conventional techniques: knowledge about herbage attributes is not required and it accounts for individual variability on selectivity and digestion processes.
The effect of cochlear implant bed preparation and fixation technique on the revision cochlear implantation rate
Authors: Pamuk A E , Pamuk G , Jafarov S , Bajin M D , Saraç S , Sennaroğlu L
Published: June 2018

Objective

This study aimed to determine the effect of the subperiosteal tight pocket technique versus the bone recess with suture fixation technique on the revision cochlear implantation rate and complications.

Methods

This retrospective study included 1514 patients who underwent cochlear implantation by 2 senior surgeons between October 2002 and January 2016. Revision cases were identified and analysed.

Results

In all, 52 patients (3.34 per cent) underwent revision cochlear implantation. The revision rate was 7.18 per cent in the subperiosteal tight pocket group versus 2.37 per cent in the bone recess with suture fixation group (p< 0.001). Device failure was the most common reason for revision surgery in both groups. There was a significant difference in the device failure rate between the bone recess with suture fixation group (2.11 per cent) and subperiosteal tight pocket group (6.88 per cent) (p< 0.001).

Conclusion

Accurate fixation of the cochlear implant receiver/stimulator is crucial for successful cochlear implantation. As the bone recess with suture fixation technique is associated with a lower revision rate and a similar complication rate as the subperiosteal tight pocket technique, it should be the preferred fixation technique for cochlear implantation.
Diagnostic role of mean platelet volume in tonsillitis with and without peritonsillar abscess
Authors: Nakao Y , Tanigawa T , Kano F , Tanaka H , Katahira N , Ogawa T , Murotani K , Nagata T , Shibata R
Published: June 2018

Objective

To assess the diagnostic role of mean platelet volume in tonsillitis with and without peritonsillar abscess.

Methods

Mean platelet volume and other laboratory data were retrospectively investigated.

Results

Mean platelet volume was significantly lower in the tonsillitis group (7.8 per cent ± 0.7 per cent) than in the control group (8.7 per cent ± 0.6 per cent; p < 0.0001), and it was significantly lower in the abscess group (7.5 per cent ± 0.6 per cent) than in the no abscess group (8.0 per cent ± 0.7 per cent; p = 0.0277). White blood cell counts and C-reactive protein levels were not significantly different between patients with an abscess and those without. The mean platelet volume cut-off values for the diagnosis of tonsillitis and peritonsillar abscess were 7.95 fl and 7.75 fl, respectively.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that a decreased mean platelet volume is associated with the development and severity of tonsillitis. This finding provides useful diagnostic information for physicians treating patients with tonsillitis.
Patulous Eustachian tube obliteration using endovascular coils: a novel technique
Authors: Jolly K , Darr A , Chavda S V , Ahmed S K
Published: June 2018

Background

Patulous Eustachian tube is a distressing condition characterised by chronic patency of the Eustachian tube and its failure to close. Patients typically present with symptoms of autophony and aural fullness. In patients requiring surgical intervention, a variety of different procedures have been demonstrated (both transtympanic and endonasal), with limited success. Evidence of the effectiveness of a number of surgical interventions is limited to small case series only.

Objective

This paper describes a novel treatment for patulous Eustachian tube using a 3 mm VortX Diamond endovascular coil.

Case report

A transnasal endoscopic approach was adopted, with cannulation of the Eustachian tube orifice using a Relieva sinus guide suction tube from a balloon sinuplasty set. The coil was deployed 1.5 cm deep into the Eustachian tube. Post-operative imaging was used to confirm correct positioning. Regular follow up was arranged. The patient reported complete resolution of her symptoms.

Conclusion

The technique has so far proved highly effective and minimally invasive. It will be employed in more patients to fully establish its effectiveness in treating patulous Eustachian tube.
Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis and laryngeal involvement: review of the literature and a cross-sectional prospective experience
Authors: Seccia V , Cristofani-Mencacci L , Dallan I , Fortunato S , Bartoli M L , Sellari-Franceschini S , Latorre M , Paggiaro P L , Baldini C
Published: June 2018

Background

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis and granulomatosis with polyangiitis show variable otorhinolaryngological involvement. Up to 14 per cent of granulomatosis with polyangiitis patients have subglottis involvement; little is known about the laryngeal involvement in eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis.

Method

A literature review was conducted, together with a prospective cross-sectional analysis of 43 eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis patients. All patients underwent fibre-optic laryngoscopy with narrow-band imaging, and completed health-related questionnaires.

Results

The literature review showed only two cases of laryngeal involvement in eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis; in our cohort, no cases of subglottis stenosis were found, but local signs of laryngeal inflammation were present in 72 per cent of cases. Of the patients, 16.2 per cent had a pathological Reflux Finding Score (of 7 or higher).

Conclusion

Laryngeal inflammation in eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis is frequent. It is possibly due more to local factors than to eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis itself. However, ENT evaluation is needed to rule out possible subglottis inflammation. These findings are in line with current literature and worthy of confirmation in larger cohorts.
Cartilage rim augmented fascia tympanoplasty: a more effective composite graft model than temporalis fascia tympanoplasty
Authors: Kolethekkat A A , Al Abri R , Al Zaabi K , Al Marhoobi N , Jose S , Pillai S , Mathew J
Published: June 2018

Objective

To validate a newly introduced cartilage rim augmented temporalis fascia tympanoplasty technique by statistically comparing it with the morphological and audiological outcomes of traditional temporalis fascia tympanoplasty.

Methods

A retrospective comparative study was conducted on 115 patients who underwent tympanoplasty during 2013 and 2015. Fifty-eight patients underwent temporalis fascia tympanoplasty and 57 underwent cartilage rim augmented fascia tympanoplasty.

Results

In the cartilage fascia group, graft healing was achieved in 94.7 per cent of cases; in the temporalis fascia group, the graft take-up rate was 70 per cent. In those with a normal ossicular chain, the post-operative air–bone gap was within 20 dB in 92.6 per cent of cartilage fascia group cases and in 69.7 per cent of the temporalis fascia group cases, which was a statistically significant difference. Among the defective ossicular chain cases, the post-operative air–bone gap was within 20 dB in 76.9 per cent in the cartilage fascia group, as against 57.1 per cent in the temporalis fascia group.

Conclusion

Cartilage rim augmented temporalis fascia tympanoplasty has a definite advantage over the temporalis fascia technique in terms of superior graft take up and statistically significant hearing gain in those with normal ossicular mobility.
HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT FOR DECISION MAKING IN LATIN AMERICA: GOOD PRACTICE PRINCIPLES
Authors: Pichon-Riviere Andrés , Soto Natalie C. , Augustovski Federico Ariel , García Martí Sebastián , Sampietro-Colom Laura
Published: June 2018

Objectives:

The aim of this study was to identify good practice principles for health technology assessment (HTA) that are the most relevant and of highest priority for application in Latin America and to identify potential barriers to their implementation in the region.

Methods:

HTA good practice principles proposed at the international level were identified and then explored during a deliberative process in a forum of assessors, funders, and product manufacturers.

Results:

Forty-two representatives from ten Latin American countries participated. Good practice principles proposed at the international level were considered valid and potentially relevant to Latin America. Five principles were identified as priority and with the greatest potential to be strengthened at this time: transparency in the production of HTA, involvement of relevant stakeholders in the HTA process, mechanisms to appeal decisions, clear priority-setting processes in HTA, and a clear link between HTA and decision making. The main challenge identified was to find a balance between the application of these principles and the available resources in a way that would not detract from the production of reports and adaptation to the needs of decision makers.

Conclusions:

The main recommendation was to progress gradually in strengthening HTA and its link to decision making by developing appropriate processes for each country, without trying to impose, in the short-term, standards taken from examples at the international level without adequate adaptation of these to local contexts.
Post-immunisation fever and the antibody response to measles-containing vaccines
Authors: Carazo Perez S. , Bureau A. , De Serres G.
Published: June 2018

Fever is a common adverse event following measles vaccination, more frequent among older children and those receiving Measles-Mumps-Rubella-Varicella vaccinevs.Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine, two factors associated with a better antibody response. However, the role of fever in the immunogenicity of measles-containing vaccines (MCV) is unclear. We performed a post-hoc pooled analysis of data of 5 216 11 to 22 month-old children receiving MCV from 2004 to 2012 in Europe and USA to evaluate the association between post-immunisation fever and antibody response, measured by geometric mean concentrations (GMCs). We further evaluated fever as an effect modifier or a mediator in the associations between the type of MCV or the age at first vaccination and vaccine immunogenicity. After the first dose, fever was associated with 60% higher GMCs (95% CI 1.51–1.68). For children vaccinated at ⩾12 months, the fever did not modify and minimally mediated (2% to 3%) the association between age and antibody response. Fever mediated 18% of the association between type of MCV and GMCs. In a model including fever, age and type of vaccine, fever was the strongest predictor of GMCs. These results suggest that fever is associated with a stronger measles antibody response independently of age and type of MCV.
Underlying trend, seasonality, prediction, forecasting and the contribution of risk factors: an analysis of globally reported cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus
Authors: Da'ar Omar B. , Ahmed Anwar E.
Published: June 2018

This study set out to identify and analyse trends and seasonal variations of monthly global reported cases of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). It also made a prediction based on the reported and extrapolated into the future by forecasting the trend. Finally, the study assessed contributions of various risk factors in the reported cases. The motivation for this study is that MERS-CoV remains among the list of blueprint priority and potential pandemic diseases globally. Yet, there is a paucity of empirical literature examining trends and seasonality as the available evidence is generally descriptive and anecdotal. The study is a time series analysis using monthly global reported cases of MERS-CoV by the World Health Organisation between January 2015 and January 2018. We decomposed the series into seasonal, irregular and trend components and identified patterns, smoothened series, generated predictions and employed forecasting techniques based on linear regression. We assessed contributions of various risk factors in MERS-CoV cases over time. Successive months of the MERS-CoV cases suggest a significant decreasing trend (P = 0.026 for monthly series and P = 0.047 for Quarterly series). The MERS-CoV cases are forecast to wane by end 2018. Seasonality component of the cases oscillated below or above the baseline (the centred moving average), but no association with the series over time was noted. The results revealed contributions of risk factors such as camel contact, male, old age and being from Saudi Arabia and Middle East regions to the overall reported cases of MERS-CoV. The trend component and several risk factors for global MERS-CoV cases, including camel contact, male, age and geography/region significantly affected the series. Our statistical models appear to suggest significant predictive capacity and the findings may well inform healthcare practitioners and policymakers about the underlying dynamics that produced the globally reported MERS-CoV cases.
Emerging trends: Artificial Intelligence, China and my new job at Baidu
Authors: CHURCH KENNETH WARD
Published: June 2018

It is amazing that I have written for more than a year on Emerging Trends without mentioning China’s investments in Artificial Intelligence (AI). Now that I have moved to Baidu, I would like to take this opportunity to share some of my personal observations with what’s happening in China over the past 25 years. The top universities in China have always been very good, but they are better today than they were 25 years ago, and they are on a trajectory to become the biggest and the best in the world. China is investing big time in what we do, both in the private sector and the public sector. Kai-Fu Lee is bullish on his investments in AI and China. There is a bold government plan for AI with specific milestones for parity with the West in 2020, major breakthroughs by 2025 and the envy of the world by 2030.
Cohort effects in mortality modelling: a Bayesian state-space approach
Authors: Fung Man Chung , Peters Gareth W. , Shevchenko Pavel V.
Published: June 2018

Cohort effects are important factors in determining the evolution of human mortality for certain countries. Extensions of dynamic mortality models with cohort features have been proposed in the literature to account for these factors under the generalised linear modelling framework. In this paper we approach the problem of mortality modelling with cohort factors incorporated through a novel formulation under a state-space methodology. In the process we demonstrate that cohort factors can be formulated naturally under the state-space framework, despite the fact that cohort factors are indexed according to year-of-birth rather than year. Bayesian inference for cohort models in a state-space formulation is then developed based on an efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo sampler, allowing for the quantification of parameter uncertainty in cohort models and resulting mortality forecasts that are used for life expectancy and life table constructions. The effectiveness of our approach is examined through comprehensive empirical studies involving male and female populations from various countries. Our results show that cohort patterns are present for certain countries that we studied and the inclusion of cohort factors are crucial in capturing these phenomena, thus highlighting the benefits of introducing cohort models in the state-space framework. Forecasting of cohort models is also discussed in light of the projection of cohort factors.
Global public–private partnerships and the new constitutionalism of the refugee regime
Authors: MACHACEK MARK
Published: June 2018

Since the early 2000s, regimes and institutions of global governance have undergone a paradigmatic shift in their relations with multinational corporations. The United Nations, in particular, has increasingly embraced big business as ‘partner’ in humanitarian response and development with the establishment of ‘global public–private partnerships’ (GP3s). This article situates this emerging mode of global governance within the recent academic discussions on Global Constitutionalism from a critical political economy perspective, focusing on the case of the UN Refugee Agency’s GP3s in refugee protection and assistance. Critically inquiring into GP3s not only as informal global constitutional arrangements but also as a set of political relations, this article asks: what is the constitutional and political nature of UNHCR–business partnerships? What impacts, if any, do they have on the agency? And, what does this mean for understanding global constitutionalism? The article argues that UNHCR partnerships are constituted as asymmetrical political relations in terms of their distributions of power, benefits, risks and commitments, that they are having neoliberal-oriented constitutive effects on the agency and that these constitutional dynamics challenge the more mainstream and liberal-based conceptualisations, analyses and promotion of current global constitutionalism processes.
Accounting for Civilian Casualties: From the Past to the Future
Authors: Jewell Nicholas P. , Spagat Michael , Jewell Britta L.
Published: June 2018

Assessment of the extent of civilian casualties during times of conflict presents significant challenges in data collection, quantitative methods, interpretation, and presentation. In this article, we briefly consider the motivation and use of casualty accounting and review historical approaches to these questions with illustrative comments on the US Civil War, World War I, World War II, and other conflicts. We provide an overview of several accounting methodologies including excess mortality, epidemiologic surveys, direct and indirect counts, multiple list estimation, and crowdsourcing. We reflect on the evolution toward modern approaches to casualty assessments, permitted by both a deeper understanding of human rights and by contemporaneous technological advances in data collection techniques. Our goal is to introduce several areas of research that deserve attention from social science historians and statisticians.
Neodymium Evidence for Increased Circumpolar Deep Water Flow to the North Pacific During the Middle Miocene Climate Transition
Authors: Kender Sev , Bogus Kara A. , Cobb Ty D. , Thomas Deborah J.
Published: June 2018

Low salinity surface water inhibits local deepwater formation in the modern North Pacific. Instead, southern‐sourced Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) fills the basin, which is the product of water masses formed from cold sinking centers in the Southern Ocean and North Atlantic. This CDW is responsible for transporting a significant amount of global heat and dissolved carbon in the deep Pacific Ocean. The history of its flow and the broader overturning circulation are widely assumed to be sensitive to climate perturbations. However, insufficient records exist of CDW presence in the deep North Pacific with which to evaluate its evolution and role in major climate transitions of the past 23 Ma. Here we report sedimentary coatings and fish teeth neodymium isotope values—tracers for water‐mass mixing—from deepwater International Ocean Discovery Program Site U1438 (4.7 km water depth) in the Philippine Sea, northwest Pacific Ocean. Our results indicate the water mass shifted from a North Pacific source in the early Miocene to a southern source by ~14 Ma. Within the age model and temporal constraints, this major reorganization of North Pacific water mass structure may have coincided with ice sheet build up on Antarctica and is most consistent with an increased northward flux of CDW due to enhanced sinking of cold water forced by Antarctic cooling. The northward extent of this flux may have remained relatively constant during much of the past 14 Ma.
Solar Wind Signatures Throughout the High‐Latitude Atmosphere
Authors: Francia P. , Regi M. , De Lauretis M.
Published: June 2018

A series of studies during the last decade have shown clear evidence of solar wind‐related periodicities in the variations of different parameters of the lower (troposphere/stratosphere) and upper (thermosphere/ionosphere) atmosphere, over the high‐latitude regions. This commentary is prompted by a recent study of the fluctuations of neutral density, winds, and temperatures near 90 km, which provides evidence of such a solar wind‐related response in the mesosphere as well. It is timely to point out to the wider geophysical community that solar wind responses at different altitudes strongly indicate that the whole atmospheric column has a response to solar wind high‐speed streams, something that few atmospheric scientists would have anticipated 10 years ago. Reviews of the wider body of work in this research field, however, conclude that different processes of solar wind‐atmosphere coupling dominate at different altitudes and there remain unanswered questions about some of the details of these mechanisms and their relative importance. We therefore suggest that the studies considered here could usefully be extended in their methodology in order to constrain the mechanisms involved, rather than just identifying the solar wind driver. One example would be to examine time delays between the input, that is, the solar wind variations, and the response at different altitudes; another is to look for latitudinal variations in the amplitude of effects.
The Search for Active Marsquakes Using Subpixel Coregistration and Correlation: Best Practice and First Results
Authors: Grindrod Peter M. , Hollingsworth James , Ayoub Francois , Hunt Simon A.
Published: June 2018

The state of seismic activity on Mars is currently unknown. On Earth, coseismic displacement has been observed using visible wavelength images and subpixel coregistration and correlation techniques. We apply this method to Mars with the COSI‐Corr (Co‐registration of Optically Sensed Images and Correlation) software package using High‐Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) images, focusing on part of the Cerberus Fossae fault system. We derive best practices for applying this method to the study of coseismic displacements on Mars. Using a time series of eight overlapping HiRISE images, we achieve pixel coregistration with a mean accuracy of about 1/50 of a pixel. We see no clear evidence for coseismic displacement in this region during a time period of over 8 years. One possible displacement signal (1–2 m of west‐east displacement over a length scale of about 50 m) that has similarities to terrestrial coseismic deformation was dismissed as the result of incomplete correction of steep topography during the coregistration stage. Ancillary observations of recurring slope lineae (RSL) activity in the surrounding fault system offer no supporting evidence for the occurrence of coseismic displacement but do seem to suggest RSL activity that does not fit into previous seasonal timescales. Although it is unlikely that we have observed coseismic displacement in our study area during this time period, the best practice method and the accuracy of our results offer encouragement for future studies. HiRISE, Context Camera, and Color and Stereo Surface Imaging System images can be used to complement and independently verify in situ seismic observations by the InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport) lander or source location changes from the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter spacecraft.
Effects of the Invasive Freshwater Mussel Limnoperna fortunei on Sediment Properties and Accumulation Rates
Authors: Tokumon Romina , Boltovskoy Demetrio , Cataldo Daniel
Published: June 2018

Since its introduction into South America around 1990, the freshwater bivalve Limnoperna fortunei (the golden mussel) has spread rapidly and is now a dominant component of the benthic and periphytic fauna in many rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Sizable impacts of this nonindigenous species on nutrient recycling, plankton abundance and composition, and trophic relationships with fishes have been reported, but its effects on the sediments have received little attention. In this work, we use eighteen 20‐L flow‐through experimental units with and without mussels where changes in the mass and characteristics of the sediments accumulated throughout a yearly cycle in monthly, biannual, and annual intervals are analyzed. Experimental units with mussels yielded almost 2 times more sediments than units without mussels and contained significantly higher loads of organic matter and total N. Total P was not affected by the presence of mussels. Sediments accumulated in the biannual and annual experimental units agreed well with the yields of the monthly units, but the vertical stratification of organic matter, N, and P was unpatterned. Seasonal changes in the volume of total sediments, biodeposits, and their organic matter and N contents were positively associated with ambient water temperature and with intermediate (~150–250 NTU, nephelometric turbidity units) turbidity. Our results suggest that ecosystem‐wide modifications in the living conditions of the benthic epifaunal and infaunal organisms in waterbodies invaded by the mussel are likely significant, although variable locally, regionally, and across taxa.
Past Carbonate Preservation Events in the Deep Southeast Atlantic Ocean (Cape Basin) and Their Implications for Atlantic Overturning Dynamics and Marine Carbon Cycling
Authors: Gottschalk Julia , Hodell David A. , Skinner Luke C. , Crowhurst Simon J. , Jaccard Samuel L. , Charles Christopher
Published: June 2018

Micropaleontological and geochemical analyses reveal distinct millennial‐scale increases in carbonate preservation in the deep Southeast Atlantic (Cape Basin) during strong and prolonged Greenland interstadials that are superimposed on long‐term (orbital‐scale) changes in carbonate burial. These data suggest carbonate oversaturation of the deep Atlantic and a strengthened Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) during the most intense Greenland interstadials. However, proxy evidence from outside the Cape Basin indicates that AMOC changes also occurred during weaker and shorter Greenland interstadials. Here we revisit the link between AMOC dynamics and carbonate saturation in the deep Cape Basin over the last 400 kyr (sediment cores TN057‐21, TN057‐10, and Ocean Drilling Program Site 1089) by reconstructing centennial changes in carbonate preservation using millimeter‐scale X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) scanning data. We observe close agreement between variations in XRF Ca/Ti, sedimentary carbonate content, and foraminiferal shell fragmentation, reflecting a common control primarily through changing deep water carbonate saturation. We suggest that the high‐frequency (suborbital) component of the XRF Ca/Ti records indicates the fast and recurrent redistribution of carbonate ions in the Atlantic basin via the AMOC during both long/strong and short/weak North Atlantic climate anomalies. In contrast, the low‐frequency (orbital) XRF Ca/Ti component is interpreted to reflect slow adjustments through carbonate compensation and/or changes in the deep ocean respired carbon content. Our findings emphasize the recurrent influence of rapid AMOC variations on the marine carbonate system during past glacial periods, providing a mechanism for transferring the impacts of North Atlantic climate anomalies to the global carbon cycle via the Southern Ocean.
Spatter matters – distinguishing primary (eruptive) and secondary (non-eruptive) spatter deposits
Authors: Jones T. J. , Houghton B. F. , Llewellin E. W. , Parcheta C. E. , Höltgen L.
Published: June 2018

Spatter is a common pyroclastic product of hawaiian fountaining, which typically forms vent-proximal ramparts or cones. Based on textural characteristics and field relations of spatter from the 1969 Mauna Ulu eruption of Kīlauea, Hawai’i, three spatter types were identified: (1) Primary spatter deposited as spatter ramparts and isolated cones during the peak of episode 1; (2) Late-stage spatter comprising dense, small volume, vent proximal deposits, formed at the end of episode 1; (3) Secondary spatter preserved in isolated mounds around tectonic ground cracks that we interpret to have formed by the disruption of overlying lava. We propose that not all spatter deposits are evidence of primary magmatic fountaining. Rather, deposits can be “secondary” in nature and associated with lava drain-back, disruption, and subsequent ejection from tectonic cracks. Importantly, these secondary pyroclastic deposits are difficult to distinguish from primary eruptive features based on field relations and bulk clast vesicularity alone, allowing for the potential misinterpretation of eruption vents, on Earth and in remotely sensed planetary data, thereby misinforming hazard maps and probabilistic assessments. Here, we show that vesicle number density provides a statistically-robust metric by which to discriminate primary and secondary spatter, supporting accurate identification of eruptive vents.
Protective effect of hydroxysafflor yellow A against acute kidney injury via the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway
Authors: Bai Juan , Zhao Jinyi , Cui Dongxiao , Wang Fan , Song Ying , Cheng Lianghua , Gao Kai , Wang Jin , Li Long , Li Shujun , Jia Yanyan , Wen Aidong
Published: June 2018

This study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) on ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced acute kidney injury via the TLR4/NF-κB pathway, both in vitro and in vivo. Rats were subjected to removal of the right kidney and I/R injury to the left kidney. Rats subjected to renal I/R injury were treated with HSYA at 0.5 h prior to I/R injury. Renal function, histopathological analysis, and cells apoptosis were measured in vivo. In vitro, proximal renal tubular cells (HK-2) were subjected to hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). Apoptotic cell death and inflammatory cytokines, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), and nuclear factor (NF)-κB expression were determined. Treatment of I/R rats with HSYA markedly reduced the levels of serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen, attenuated renal cell apoptosis, alleviated changes in renal tissue morphology, and reduced IL-1β, TNF-α, and caspase-3 release. In vitro, HSYA effectively decreased NF-κB p65 and inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6. Thus, HSYA can protect renal function from I/R injury by ameliorating acute kidney injury and partly by promoting tubular cell survival via the TLR4/NF-κB pathway. These results suggest that HSYA can be used to prevent I/R-induced acute kidney injury.
Ductile bulk metallic glass by controlling structural heterogeneities
Authors: Scudino S. , Bian J. J. , Shakur Shahabi H. , Şopu D. , Sort J. , Eckert J. , Liu G.
Published: June 2018

A prerequisite to utilize the full potential of structural heterogeneities for improving the room-temperature plastic deformation of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) is to understand their interaction with the mechanism of shear band formation and propagation. This task requires the ability to artificially create heterogeneous microstructures with controlled morphology and orientation. Here, we analyze the effect of the designed heterogeneities generated by imprinting on the tensile mechanical behavior of the Zr52.5Ti5Cu18Ni14.5Al10 BMG by using experimental and computational methods. The imprinted material is elastically heterogeneous and displays anisotropic mechanical properties: strength and ductility increase with increasing the loading angle between imprints and tensile direction. This behavior occurs through shear band branching and their progressive rotation. Molecular dynamics and finite element simulations indicate that shear band branching and rotation originates at the interface between the heterogeneities, where the characteristic atomistic mechanism responsible for shear banding in a homogeneous glass is perturbed.
Colorectal cancer-associated Streptococcus infantarius subsp. infantarius differ from a major dairy lineage providing evidence for pathogenic, pathobiont and food-grade lineages
Authors: Kaindi Dasel Wambua Mulwa , Kogi-Makau Wambui , Lule Godfrey Nsereko , Kreikemeyer Bernd , Renault Pierre , Bonfoh Bassirou , Otaru Nize , Schmid Thomas , Meile Leo , Hattendorf Jan , Jans Christoph
Published: June 2018

Streptococcus infantarius subsp. infantarius (Sii), a member of the Streptococcus bovis/Streptococcus equinus complex (SBSEC), predominates as dairy-adapted and non-adapted variants in fermented dairy products (FDP) in East and West Africa. Epidemiologic data suggest an association with colorectal cancer for most SBSEC members, including Sii from Kenyan patients. Phylogenetic relationships of East African human (EAH) isolates to those of dairy and pathogenic origin were analysed to better estimate potential health implications via FDP consumption. The MLST-derived population structure was also evaluated to provide host, disease, geography and dairy adaptation associations for 157 SBSEC isolates, including 83 novel Sii/SBSEC isolates of which 40 originated from Kenyan colonoscopy patients. Clonal complex (CC) 90 was delineated as potential pathogenic CC for Sii. Single EAH, West African dairy (WAD), food and animal Sii isolates clustered within CC-90, suggesting a potential link to pathogenic traits for CC-90. The majority of EAH and WAD Sii were clustered in a shared clade distinct from CC-90 and East African dairy (EAD) isolates. This indicates shared ancestry for the EAH and WAD clade and limitations to translate disease associations of EAH and CC-90 to EAD Sii, which could support the separation of pathogenic, pathobiont/commensal and food lineages.
All-depth dispersion cancellation in spectral domain optical coherence tomography using numerical intensity correlations
Authors: Jensen Mikkel , Israelsen Niels Møller , Maria Michael , Feuchter Thomas , Podoleanu Adrian , Bang Ole
Published: June 2018

In ultra-high resolution (UHR-) optical coherence tomography (OCT) group velocity dispersion (GVD) must be corrected for in order to approach the theoretical resolution limit. One approach promises not only compensation, but complete annihilation of even order dispersion effects, and that at all sample depths. This approach has hitherto been demonstrated with an experimentally demanding ‘balanced detection’ configuration based on using two detectors. We demonstrate intensity correlation (IC) OCT using a conventional spectral domain (SD) UHR-OCT system with a single detector. IC-SD-OCT configurations exhibit cross term ghost images and a reduced axial range, half of that of conventional SD-OCT. We demonstrate that both shortcomings can be removed by applying a generic artefact reduction algorithm and using analytic interferograms. We show the superiority of IC-SD-OCT compared to conventional SD-OCT by showing how IC-SD-OCT is able to image spatial structures behind a strongly dispersive silicon wafer. Finally, we question the resolution enhancement of $$\sqrt{2}$$

2

that IC-SD-OCT is often believed to have compared to SD-OCT. We show that this is simply the effect of squaring the reflectivity profile as a natural result of processing the product of two intensity spectra instead of a single spectrum.
Large-Area, Cost-Effective, Ultra-Broadband Perfect Absorber Utilizing Manganese in Metal-Insulator-Metal Structure
Authors: Aalizadeh Majid , Khavasi Amin , Butun Bayram , Ozbay Ekmel
Published: June 2018

Achieving broadband absorption has been a topic of intensive research over the last decade. However, the costly and time consuming stage of lithography has always been a barrier for the large-area and mass production of absorbers. In this work, we designed, fabricated, and characterized a lithography-free, large-area compatible, omni-directional, ultra-broadband absorber that consists of the simplest geometrical configuration for absorbers: Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM). We introduced and utilized Manganese (Mn) for the first time as a very promising metal for broadband absorption applications. We optimized the structure step-by-step and compared Mn against the other best candidates introduced so far in broadband absorption structures and showed the better performance of Mn compared to them. It also has the advantage of being cheaper compared to metals like gold that has been utilized in many patterned broadband absorbers. We also presented the circuit model of the structure. We experimentally achieved over 94 percent average absorption in the range of 400–900 nm (visible and above) and we obtained absorption as high as 99.6 percent at the wavelength of 626.4 nm. We also experimentally demonstrated that this structure retains broadband absorption for large angles up to 70 degrees.