bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Squaric acid derivative effects on the kinetics of photopolymerization of different monomers
Authors: Kabatc Janina , Kostrzewska Katarzyna , Jurek Katarzyna
Published: July 2016

Photoredox pairs, consisting of 1,3-bis(phenylamino)squaraine and tetramethylammoniumn-butyltriphenylborate or commercially available diphenyliodonium salts, are effective UV-Vis wavelength initiators for both radical and cationic polymerization.
Dramatically promoted crystallization control of organolead triiodide perovskite film by a homogeneous cap for high efficiency planar-heterojunction solar cells
Authors: Zhu Weidong , Bao Chunxiong , Lv Bihu , Li Faming , Yi Yong , Wang Yangrunqian , Yang Jie , Wang Xiaoyong , Yu Tao , Zou Zhigang
Published: July 2016

A homogeneous cap-mediated crystallization strategy can be used to realize high-quality organolead triiodide perovskite (OTP) films with greatly enhanced solar cell performance.
Retracted Article: A battle between spherical and cube-shaped Ag/AgCl nanoparticle modified imprinted polymer to achieve femtogram detection of alpha-feto protein
Authors: Karfa Paramita , Madhuri Rashmi , Sharma Prashant K.
Published: July 2016

During a competition between cube and spherical-shaped Ag/AgCl nanoparticles modified alpha-feto protein imprinted polymer, cube wins the race and found suitable detection of hepatocellular carcinoma biomarker in the femtogram range.
The Role of Socioeconomic Status in the Narrative Story Retells of School-Aged English Language Learners
Authors: Alt Mary , Arizmendi Genesis D. , DiLallo Jennifer N.
Published: July 2016

Purpose

We examined the relationship between maternal level of education as an index of socioeconomic status (SES) on the narrative story retells of school-aged children who are English language learners (ELLs) to guide interpretation of results.

Method

Using data available from the Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts database (Miller & Iglesias, 2012), we were able to compare the language samples of 907 ELL students in kindergarten and 2nd grade whose parents had different levels of education. We used a simple linear regression to see if maternal level of education was predictive of measures of vocabulary, syntax, and narrative structure in Spanish and English narrative story retells.

Results

There were no differences in language measures between children from different SES backgrounds for the Spanish language samples. There were differences with the English language samples in four of the five measures for the kindergarten sample and only three of five measures for the older children, with a smaller percentage of the variance explained.

Conclusion

Despite common knowledge that SES has a negative influence on language, the actual influence on the narrative productions of school-aged ELLs was less than anticipated for English and absent for Spanish. The implications for assessment are discussed and concluded.
Accurate model of switched reluctance motor based on indirect measurement method and least square support vector machine
Authors: Zhong Rui , Xu Yuzhe , Cao Yanping , Guo Xiaoqiang , Hua Wei , Xu Shen , Sun Weifeng
Published: July 2016

The accurate model of switched reluctance motor (SRM) is critical for performance prediction. However, due to the doubly salient structure, the flux linkage of SRM is a non‐linear function with phase current and rotor position, which makes the determination of the characteristic of SRM very difficult. In this study, indirect measurement method is used to obtain the sample data and least square support vector machine (LSSVM) is used for the prediction of flux linkage. First, the basic principles of indirect measurement and the exact methods of realisation are presented. Second, the errors in the indirect measurements are analysed and post‐processing is given to reduce them. Third, the entire static electromagnetic characteristics are obtained by the prediction of improved LSSVM. The results are compared with those of using artificial neural network and those of using less training data by LSSVM, which shows both strong learning ability and generalisation ability. Finally, a simulation model is built up using MATLAB/Simulink and the results are compared between simulation and measurement. The good agreement shows that the proposed model has good accuracy. In addition, the LSSVM does not need any prior knowledge which is much easier for modelling than the existing literatures.
Propogation characteristics of PD‐induced UHF signal in 126 kV GIS with three‐phase construction based on time–frequency analysis
Authors: Li Xi , Wang Xiaohua , Yang Aijun , Xie Dingli , Ding Dan , Rong Mingzhe
Published: July 2016

Partial discharge (PD) detection of the gas‐insulated switchgear (GIS) is an effective method for substation security. The GIS with three‐phase construction is widely used for substations. The propagation characteristics of PD‐induced ultra‐high‐frequency (UHF) signal in three‐phase GIS is investigated in this study by time–frequency analysis method. The variation of peak‐to‐peak value (Vpp) and cumulative energy, and especially the energy density in the time–frequency plane are used to represent the feature of the UHF signal. Furthermore, the different situation of the insulation defects and the detection point positions are compared, and the reason for the difference is explained as well. As a result, this study identified a novel method to determine the PD source position in the GIS with three‐phase construction.
Impact of longitudinal fields on second harmonic generation in lithium niobate nanopillars
Authors: Baghban Mohammad Amin , Gallo Katia
Published: July 2016

An optimized focused ion beam process is used to fabricate micrometer-long LiNbO3 nanopillars with diameters varying between 150 and 325 nm. Polarimetric mappings of second harmonic generation from a wavelength of 850 nm demonstrate the ability to modify the polarization features of the nonlinear response through a fine adjustment of the pillar size. The effect is ascribed to the non-negligible contribution of the longitudinal fields associated with sub-wavelength light confinement in the LiNbO3 nanopillars. The results also highlight the importance of a fine control over the nanopillar size in order to effectively engineer their nonlinear response.
Fundamental limitations in the purifications of tensor networks
Authors: De las Cuevas G. , Cubitt T. S. , Cirac J. I. , Wolf M. M. , Pérez-García D.
Published: July 2016

We show a fundamental limitation in the description of quantum many-body mixed states with tensor networks in purification form. Namely, we show that there exist mixed states which can be represented as a translationally invariant (TI) matrix product density operator valid for all system sizes, but for which there does not exist a TI purification valid for all system sizes. The proof is based on an undecidable problem and on the uniqueness of canonical forms of matrix product states. The result also holds for classical states.
Analysis of local bond-orientational order for liquid gallium at ambient pressure: Two types of cluster structures
Authors: Chen Lin-Yuan , Tang Ping-Han , Wu Ten-Ming
Published: July 2016

In terms of the local bond-orientational order (LBOO) parameters, a cluster approach to analyze local structures of simple liquids was developed. In this approach, a cluster is defined as a combination of neighboring seeds having at least nb local-orientational bonds and their nearest neighbors, and a cluster ensemble is a collection of clusters with a specified nb and number of seeds ns. This cluster analysis was applied to investigate the microscopic structures of liquid Ga at ambient pressure (AP). The liquid structures studied were generated through ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. By scrutinizing the static structure factors (SSFs) of cluster ensembles with different combinations of nb and ns, we found that liquid Ga at AP contained two types of cluster structures, one characterized by sixfold orientational symmetry and the other showing fourfold orientational symmetry. The SSFs of cluster structures with sixfold orientational symmetry were akin to the SSF of a hard-sphere fluid. On the contrary, the SSFs of cluster structures showing fourfold orientational symmetry behaved similarly as the anomalous SSF of liquid Ga at AP, which is well known for exhibiting a high-q shoulder. The local structures of a highly LBOO cluster whose SSF displayed a high-q shoulder were found to be more similar to the structure of β-Ga than those of other solid phases of Ga. More generally, the cluster structures showing fourfold orientational symmetry have an inclination to resemble more to β-Ga.
Actions of the quantum toroidal algebra of type sl2 on the space of vertex operators for Uq(gl2̂) modules
Authors: Miki Kei
Published: July 2016

Highest weight modules for Uq(gl2̂) are endowed with a structure of modules for the quantum toriodal algebra Uκ of type sl2. Using this, we define Uκ actions on the space of vertex operators for irreducible highest weight Uq(gl2̂) modules. Highest or lowest weight vectors of the thus obtained Uκ modules are expressed in terms of an intertwiner for Uq(sl2̂) modules and an extra boson. The submodules generated by these vectors are investigated.
The category of Z2n-supermanifolds
Authors: Covolo Tiffany , Grabowski Janusz , Poncin Norbert
Published: July 2016

In physics and in mathematics Z2n-gradings, n ≥ 2, appear in various fields. The corresponding sign rule is determined by the “scalar product” of the involved Z2n-degrees. The Z2n-supergeometry exhibits challenging differences with the classical one: nonzero degree even coordinates are not nilpotent, and even (respectively, odd) coordinates do not necessarily commute (respectively, anticommute) pairwise. In this article we develop the foundations of the theory: we define Z2n-supermanifolds and provide examples in the ringed space and coordinate settings. We thus show that formal series are the appropriate substitute for nilpotency. Moreover, the class of Z2•-supermanifolds is closed with respect to the tangent and cotangent functors. We explain that any n-fold vector bundle has a canonical “superization” to a Z2n-supermanifold and prove that the fundamental theorem describing supermorphisms in terms of coordinates can be extended to the Z2n-context.
Hydrodynamic effects on β-amyloid (16-22) peptide aggregation
Authors: Chiricotto Mara , Melchionna Simone , Derreumaux Philippe , Sterpone Fabio
Published: July 2016

Computer simulations based on simplified representations are routinely used to explore the early steps of amyloid aggregation. However, when protein models with implicit solvent are employed, these simulations miss the effect of solvent induced correlations on the aggregation kinetics and lifetimes of metastable states. In this work, we apply the multi-scale Lattice Boltzmann Molecular Dynamics technique (LBMD) to investigate the initial aggregation phases of the amyloid Aβ16−22 peptide. LBMD includes naturally hydrodynamic interactions (HIs) via a kinetic on-lattice representation of the fluid kinetics. The peptides are represented by the flexible OPEP coarse-grained force field. First, we have tuned the essential parameters that control the coupling between the molecular and fluid evolutions in order to reproduce the experimental diffusivity of elementary species. The method is then deployed to investigate the effect of HIs on the aggregation of 100 and 1000 Aβ16−22 peptides. We show that HIs clearly impact the aggregation process and the fluctuations of the oligomer sizes by favouring the fusion and exchange dynamics of oligomers between aggregates. HIs also guide the growth of the leading largest cluster. For the 100 Aβ16−22 peptide system, the simulation of ∼300 ns allowed us to observe the transition from ellipsoidal assemblies to an elongated and slightly twisted aggregate involving almost the totality of the peptides. For the 1000 Aβ16−22 peptides, a system of unprecedented size at quasi-atomistic resolution, we were able to explore a branched disordered fibril-like structure that has never been described by other computer simulations, but has been observed experimentally.
Revisiting the thermal effect on shock wave propagation in weakly ionized plasmas
Authors: Zhou Qianhong , Dong Zhiwei , Yang Wei
Published: July 2016

Many researchers have investigated shock propagation in weakly ionized plasmas and observed the following anomalous effects: shock acceleration, shock recovery, shock weakening, shock spreading, and splitting. It was generally accepted that the thermal effect can explain most of the experimental results. However, little attention was paid to the shock recovery. In this paper, the shock wave propagation in weakly ionized plasmas is studied by fluid simulation. It is found that the shock acceleration, weakening, and splitting appear after it enters the plasma (thermal) region. The shock splits into two parts right after it leaves the thermal region. The distance between the splitted shocks keeps decreasing until they recover to one. This paper can explain a whole set of features of the shock wave propagation in weakly ionized plasmas. It is also found that both the shock curvature and the splitting present the same photoacoustic deflection (PAD) signals, so they cannot be distinguished by the PAD experiments.
Double micropipettes configuration method of scanning ion conductance microscopy
Authors: Zhuang Jian , Li Zeqing , Jiao Yangbohan
Published: July 2016

In this paper, a new double micropipettes configuration mode of scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) is presented to better overcome ionic current drift and further improve the performance of SICM, which is based on a balance bridge circuit. The article verifies the feasibility of this new configuration mode from theoretical and experimental analyses, respectively, and compares the quality of scanning images in the conventional single micropipette configuration mode and the new double micropipettes configuration mode. The experimental results show that the double micropipettes configuration mode of SICM has better effect on restraining ionic current drift and better performance of imaging. Therefore, this article not only proposes a new direction of overcoming the ionic current drift but also develops a new method of SICM stable imaging.
Pyramidal fractal dimension for high resolution images
Authors: Mayrhofer-Reinhartshuber Michael , Ahammer Helmut
Published: July 2016

Fractal analysis (FA) should be able to yield reliable and fast results for high-resolution digital images to be applicable in fields that require immediate outcomes. Triggered by an efficient implementation of FA for binary images, we present three new approaches for fractal dimension (D) estimation of images that utilize image pyramids, namely, the pyramid triangular prism, the pyramid gradient, and the pyramid differences method (PTPM, PGM, PDM). We evaluated the performance of the three new and five standard techniques when applied to images with sizes up to 8192 × 8192 pixels. By using artificial fractal images created by three different generator models as ground truth, we determined the scale ranges with minimum deviations between estimation and theory. All pyramidal methods (PM) resulted in reasonable D values for images of all generator models. Especially, for images with sizes ≥1024×1024 pixels, the PMs are superior to the investigated standard approaches in terms of accuracy and computation time. A measure for the possibility to differentiate images with different intrinsic D values did show not only that the PMs are well suited for all investigated image sizes, and preferable to standard methods especially for larger images, but also that results of standard D estimation techniques are strongly influenced by the image size. Fastest results were obtained with the PDM and PGM, followed by the PTPM. In terms of absolute D values best performing standard methods were magnitudes slower than the PMs. Concluding, the new PMs yield high quality results in short computation times and are therefore eligible methods for fast FA of high-resolution images.
Application-oriented simplification of actuation mechanism and physical model for ionic polymer-metal composites
Authors: Zhu Zicai , Wang Yanjie , Liu Yanfa , Asaka Kinji , Sun Xiaofei , Chang Longfei , Lu Pin
Published: July 2016

Water containing ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) show complex deformation properties with water content. In order to develop a simple application-oriented model for engineering application, actuation mechanisms and model equations should be simplified as necessary. Beginning from our previous comprehensive multi-physical model of IPMC actuator, numerical analysis was performed to obtain the main factors influencing the bending deformation and the corresponding simplified model. In this paper, three aspects are mainly concerned. (1) Regarding mass transport process, the diffusion caused by concentration gradient mainly influences the concentrations of cation and water at the two electrode boundaries. (2) By specifying the transport components as hydrated cation and free water in the model, at the cathode, the hydrated cation concentration profile is more flat, whereas the concentrations of both free water and the total water show drastic changes. In general, the two influence the redistribution of cation and water but have little impact on deformation prediction. Thus, they can be ignored in the simplification. (3) An extended osmotic pressure is proposed to cover all eigen stresses simply with an effective osmotic coefficient. Combining with a few other linearized methods, a simplified model has been obtained by sacrificing the prediction precision on the transport process. Furthermore, the improved model has been verified by fitting with IPMC deformation evolved with water content. It shows that the simplified model has the ability to predict the complex deformations of IPMCs.
Effects of solution volume on hydrogen production by pulsed spark discharge in ethanol solution
Authors: Xin Y. B. , Sun B. , Zhu X. M. , Yan Z. Y. , Liu H. , Liu Y. J.
Published: July 2016

Hydrogen production from ethanol solution (ethanol/water) by pulsed spark discharge was optimized by varying the volume of ethanol solution (liquid volume). Hydrogen yield was initially increased and then decreased with the increase in solution volume, which achieved 1.5 l/min with a solution volume of 500 ml. The characteristics of pulsed spark discharge were studied in this work; the results showed that the intensity of peak current, the rate of current rise, and energy efficiency of hydrogen production can be changed by varying the volume of ethanol solution. Meanwhile, the mechanism analysis of hydrogen production was accomplished by monitoring the process of hydrogen production and the state of free radicals. The analysis showed that decreasing the retention time of gas production and properly increasing the volume of ethanol solution can enhance the hydrogen yield. Through this research, a high-yield and large-scale method of hydrogen production can be achieved, which is more suitable for industrial application.
Magnon-based logic in a multi-terminal YIG/Pt nanostructure
Authors: Ganzhorn Kathrin , Klingler Stefan , Wimmer Tobias , Geprägs Stephan , Gross Rudolf , Huebl Hans , Goennenwein Sebastian T. B.
Published: July 2016

Boolean logic is the foundation of modern digital information processing. Recently, there has been a growing interest in phenomena based on pure spin currents, which allows to move from charge to spin based logic gates. We study a proof-of-principle logic device based on the ferrimagnetic insulator Yttrium Iron Garnet, with Pt strips acting as injectors and detectors for non-equilibrium magnons. We experimentally observe incoherent superposition of magnons generated by different injectors. This allows to implement a fully functional majority gate, enabling multiple logic operations (AND and OR) in one and the same device. Clocking frequencies of the order of several GHz and straightforward down-scaling make our device promising for applications.
Single cell functional analysis of multiple myeloma cell populations correlates with diffusion profiles in static microfluidic coculture systems
Authors: Moore Thomas A. , Young Edmond W. K.
Published: July 2016

Microfluidic cell culture systems are becoming increasingly useful for studying biology questions, particularly those involving small cell populations that are cultured within microscale geometries mimicking the complex cellular microenvironment. Depending on the geometry and spatial organization of these cell populations, however, paracrine signaling between cell types can depend critically on spatial concentration profiles of soluble factors generated by diffusive transport. In scenarios where single cell data are acquired to study cell population heterogeneities in functional response, uncertainty associated with concentration profiles can lead to interpretation bias. To address this issue and provide important evidence on how diffusion develops within typical microfluidic cell culture systems, a combination of experimental and computational approaches were applied to measure and predict concentration patterns within microfluidic geometries, and characterize the functional response of culture cells based on single-cell resolution transcription factor activation. Using a model coculture system consisting of multiple myeloma cells (MMCs) and neighboring bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), we measured concentrations of three cytokines (IL-6, VEGF, and TNF-α) in conditioned media collected from separate culture compartments using a multiplex ELISA system. A 3D numerical model was developed to predict biomolecular diffusion and resulting concentration profiles within the tested microsystems and compared with experimental diffusion of 20 kDa FITC-Dextran. Finally, diffusion was further characterized by controlling exogenous IL-6 diffusion and the coculture spatial configuration of BMSCs to stimulate STAT3 nuclear translocation in MMCs. Results showed agreement between numerical and experimental results, provided evidence of a shallow concentration gradient across the center well of the microsystem that did not lead to a bias in results, and demonstrated that microfluidic systems can be tailored with specific geometries to avoid spatial bias when desired.
Optical effective media with independent control of permittivity and permeability based on conductive particles
Authors: Chung Kyungjae , Kim Reehyang , Chang Taeyong , Shin Jonghwa
Published: July 2016

We propose and prove that it is possible to decouple the electric and magnetic response of an array of conductive nanoparticles and realize a very wide range of combinations of effective permittivities and permeabilities. The principle exploits the large differences in the Thomas-Fermi screening length for longitudinal electric fields and the classical penetration depth for time-varying transverse magnetic fields. This non-resonant principle allows frequency invariance of the effective material properties with a bandwidth spanning many octaves, orders of magnitude larger than previous resonant metamaterials. An effective medium with a record-high refractive index over broadband is demonstrated as an example.
Phase stability and lattice thermal conductivity reduction in CoSb3 skutterudites, doped with chalcogen atoms
Authors: Battabyal M. , Priyadarshini B. , Pradipkanti L. , Satapathy Dillip K. , Gopalan R.
Published: July 2016

We report a significant reduction in the lattice thermal conductivity of the CoSb3 skuttertudites, doped with chalcogen atoms. Te/Se chalcogen atoms doped CoSb3 skutterudite samples (Te0.1Co4Sb12, Se0.1Co4Sb12, Te0.05Se0.05Co4Sb12) are processed by ball milling and spark plasma sintering. X-ray diffraction data combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectra indicate the doping of Te/Se chalcogen atoms in the skutterudite. The temperature dependent X-ray diffraction confirms the stability of the Te/Se doped CoSb3 skutterudite phase and absence of any secondary phase in the temperature range starting from 300 K to 773 K. The Raman spectroscopy reveals that different chalcogen dopant atoms cause different resonant optical vibrational modes between the dopant atom and the host CoSb3 skutterudite lattice. These optical vibrational modes do scatter heat carrying acoustic phonons in a different spectral range. It was found that among the Te/Se chalcogen atoms, Te atoms alter the host CoSb3 skutterudite lattice vibrations to a larger extent than Se atoms, and can potentially scatter more Sb related acoustic phonons. The Debye model of lattice thermal conductivity confirms that the resonant phonon scattering has important contributions to the reduction of lattice thermal conductivity in CoSb3 skutterudites doped with Te/Se chalcogen atoms. Lattice thermal conductivity ∼ 0.9 W/mK at 773 K is achieved in Te0.1Co4Sb12 skutterudites, which is the lowest value reported so far in CoSb3 skutterudites, doped with single Te chalcogen atom.
Design criteria for XeF2 enabled deterministic transformation of bulk silicon (100) into flexible silicon layer
Authors: Hussain Aftab M. , Shaikh Sohail F. , Hussain Muhammad M.
Published: July 2016

Isotropic etching of bulk silicon (100) using Xenon Difluoride (XeF2) gas presents a unique opportunity to undercut and release ultra-thin flexible silicon layers with pre-fabricated state-of-the-art Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) electronics. In this work, we present design criteria and mechanism with a comprehensive mathematical model for this method. We consider various trench geometries and parametrize important metrics such as etch time, number of cycles and area efficiency in terms of the trench diameter and spacing so that optimization can be done for specific applications. From our theoretical analysis, we conclude that a honeycomb-inspired hexagonal distribution of trenches can produce the most efficient release of ultra-thin flexible silicon layers in terms of the number of etch cycles, while a rectangular distribution of circular trenches provides the most area efficient design. The theoretical results are verified by fabricating and releasing (varying sizes) flexible silicon layers. We observe uniform translation of design criteria into practice for etch distances and number of etch cycles, using reaction efficiency as a fitting parameter.
Toughness enhancement in zirconium-tungsten-nitride nanocrystalline hard coatings
Authors: Dubey P. , Srivastava S. , Chandra R. , Ramana C. V.
Published: July 2016

An approach is presented to increase the toughness (KIC) while retaining high hardness (H) of Zr-W-N nanocrystalline coatings using energetic ions bombardment. Tuning KIC and H values was made possible by a careful control over the substrate bias, i.e., the kinetic energy (Uk∼9-99 J/cm3) of the bombarding ions, while keeping the deposition temperature relatively low (200 oC). Structural and mechanical characterization revealed a maximum wear resistance (H/Er∼0.23) and fracture toughness (KIC∼2.25 MPam) of ZrWN coatings at Uk∼72 J/cm3. A direct Uk-microstructure-KIC-H relationship suggests that tailoring mechanical properties for a given application is possible by tuning Uk and, hence, ZrWN-coatings’ microstructure.
Observations on roost use by the yellow-bellied sheathtail-bat (Saccolaimus flaviventris) in northern New South Wales, Australia
Authors: Clews Lukas L.
Published: July 2016

Hollow-bearing trees are recognised as essential habitat features for insectivorous bats and provide sites for mating, the rearing of young, hibernation, protection from predators, and social interaction. The characteristics of hollow-bearing trees used as roosts by insectivorous bats in Australia are poorly known. To help fill this gap, this note presents data on tree roost characteristics for the yellow-bellied sheathtail-bat (Saccolaimus flaviventris) obtained from northern New South Wales, Australia. Of the 19 roost trees observed, most were live Eucalyptus albens trees with an incomplete crown with substantial numbers of dead limbs. Roosts selected were, on average, 9.3 m high with an entrance diameter of 12.7 cm in trees with a mean diameter at breast height of 49.5 cm. All entrance hollows were located at the end of a rotten spout formed when a branch had broken off the tree. These observations are some of the first to document the characteristics of roost trees for this species in New South Wales and this information can be used by land managers to identify and retain suitable roosting habitat for S. flaviventris in the landscape.
Carrion consumption by the swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor)
Authors: Fitzsimons James A.
Published: July 2016

Macropodids are predominantly herbivores and their dentition reflects their foraging strategy. The swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) is considered to be a generalist browser, consuming a wide diversity of plants, from forbs, shrubs, grasses and sedges. However, there is some evidence that swamp wallabies are opportunists. Here, I document the consumption of the wing of a dead seabird by a swamp wallaby, the first detailed case of this species consuming carrion, and discuss other records of animal consumption in the Macropodiformes.
Association between patient age, geographical location, Indigenous status and hospitalisation for oral and dental conditions in Queensland, Australia
Authors: Caffery Liam , Bradford Natalie , Meurer Maria , Smith Anthony
Published: July 2016

A retrospective analysis of hospitalisation due to oral and dental conditions (ODC) was performed for patients in Queensland. The aim was to identify the rate and cost of hospitalisation and to examine the association between hospitalisation and age, geographical location and Indigenous status. There were 81528 admissions to Queensland’s hospitals due to ODC during the 3-year study period (2011–2013). The annual cost of ODC-related hospitalisation was estimated to be AU$87million. Indigenous infants (Z=4.08, P<0.001) and primary school children (Z=2.01, P=0.046) were significantly more likely to be hospitalised than their non-Indigenous counterparts. A non-Indigenous high school child was almost fourfold more likely to be hospitalised. There was no significant difference in the rate of hospitalisation for adults. Infants (Z=6.70, P<0.001) and primary school children (Z=8.73, P<0.001) from remote areas were significantly more likely to be hospitalised than their age-matched metropolitan counterparts. Whereas high school children (Z=2.74, P=0.006) and adults (Z=6.02, P<0.001) from remote areas were significantly less likely to be hospitalised. Our findings suggest that there is a need for alternative models of primary dental care to service remote areas of Queensland and Indigenous populations. Strategies that enable Indigenous Health Workers to provide dental care, and the use of teledentistry, are models of care that may reduce potentially preventable hospitalisations and lead to cost savings and better health outcomes.
Unexpected biases in the distribution of consecutive primes
Authors: Lemke Oliver Robert J. , Soundararajan Kannan
Published: July 2016

Significance

Prime numbers play a central role in analytic number theory, and are well known to be very well distributed among the reduced residue classes

(

mod
 
q

)

. Surprisingly, the same does not appear to be true for sequences of consecutive primes, with different patterns occurring with wildly different frequencies. We formulate a precise conjecture, based on the Hardy−Littlewood conjectures, which explains this phenomenon. In particular, we predict that all patterns do occur their fair share of the time in the limit, but that there are secondary terms only very slowly tending to zero that create the observed biases.
Accuracy evaluation of a 3D-printed individual template for needle guidance in head and neck brachytherapy
Authors: Huang Ming-Wei , Zhang Jian-Guo , Zheng Lei , Liu Shu-Ming , Yu Guang-Yan
Published: July 2016

To transfer the preplan for the head and neck brachytherapy to the clinical implantation procedure, a preplan-based 3D-printed individual template for needle insertion guidance had previously been designed and used. The accuracy of needle insertion using this kind template was assessed in vivo. In the study, 25 patients with head and neck tumors were implanted with 125I radioactive seeds under the guidance of the 3D-printed individual template. Patients were divided into four groups based on the site of needle insertion: the parotid and masseter region group (nine patients); the maxillary and paranasal region group (eight patients); the submandibular and upper neck area group (five patients); and the retromandibular region group (six patients). The distance and angular deviations between the preplanned and placed needles were compared, and the complications and time required for needle insertion were assessed. The mean entrance point distance deviation for all 619 needles was 1.18 ± 0.81 mm, varying from 0.857 ± 0.545 to 1.930 ± 0.843 mm at different sites. The mean angular deviation was 2.08 ± 1.07 degrees, varying from 1.85 ± 0.93 to 2.73 ± 1.18 degrees at different sites. All needles were manually inserted to their preplanned positions in a single attempt, and the mean time to insert one needle was 7.5 s. No anatomical complications related to inaccurately placed implants were observed. Using the 3D-printed individual template for the implantation of 125I radioactive seeds in the head and neck region can accurately transfer a CT-based preplan to the brachytherapy needle insertion procedure. Moreover, the addition of individual template guidance can reduce the time required for implantation and minimize the damage to normal tissues.
Consecutive CT-guided core needle tissue biopsy of lung lesions in the same dog at different phases of radiation-induced lung injury
Authors: Yin Zhongyuan , Deng Sisi , Liang Zhiwen , Wang Qiong
Published: July 2016

This project aimed to set up a Beagle dog model of radiation-induced lung injury in order to supply fresh lung tissue samples in the different injury phases for gene and protein research. Three dogs received 18 Gy X-ray irradiation in one fraction, another three dogs received 8 Gy in each of three fractions at weekly intervals, and one control dog was not irradiated. Acute pneumonitis was observed during the first 3 months after radiation, and chronic lung fibrosis was found during the next 4–12 months in all the dogs exposed to radiation. CT-guided core needle lung lesion biopsies were extracted from each dog five times over the course of 1 year. The dogs remained healthy after each biopsy, and 50–100 mg fresh lung lesion tissues were collected in each operation. The incidence of pneumothorax and hemoptysis was 20% and 2.8%, respectively, in the 35 tissue biopsies. A successful and stable radiation-induced lung injury dog model was established. Lung lesion tissue samples from dogs in acute stage, recovery stage and fibrosis stage were found to be sufficient to support cytology, genomics and proteomics research. This model safely supplied fresh tissue samples that would allow future researchers to more easily explore and develop treatments for radiation-induced lung injury.
Morphological and molecular features of astroblastoma, includingBRAFV600Emutations, suggest an ontological relationship to other cortical-based gliomas of children and young adults
Authors: Lehman Norman L. , Hattab Eyas M. , Mobley Bret C. , Usubalieva Aisulu , Schniederjan Matthew J. , McLendon Roger E. , Paulus Werner , Rushing Elisabeth J. , Georgescu Maria-Magdalena , Couce Marta , Dulai Mohanpal S. , Cohen Mark L. , Pierson Christopher R. , Raisanen Jack M. , Martin Sarah E. , Lehman Trang D. , Lipp Eric S. , Bonnin Jose M. , Al-Abbadi Mousa A. , Kenworthy Kara , Zhao Kevin , Mohamed Nehad , Zhang Guojuan , Zhao Weiqiang
Published: July 2016

Background.

Astroblastomas (ABs) are rare glial tumors showing overlapping features with astrocytomas, ependymomas, and sometimes other glial neoplasms, and may be challenging to diagnose.

Methods.

We examined clinical, histopathological, and molecular features in 28 archival formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded AB cases and performed survival analyses using Cox proportional hazards and Kaplan–Meier methods.

Results.

Unlike ependymomas and angiocentric gliomas, ABs demonstrate abundant distinctive astroblastic pseudorosettes and are usually Olig2 immunopositive. They also frequently exhibit rhabdoid cells, multinucleated cells, and eosinophilic granular material. They retain immunoreactivity to alpha thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome X-linked, are immunonegative to isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 R132H mutation, and only occasionally show MGMT promoter hypermethylation differentiating them from many diffuse gliomas. Like pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma, ganglioglioma, supratentorial pilocytic astrocytoma, and other predominantly cortical-based glial tumors, ABs often harbor the BRAFV600E mutation, present in 38% of cases tested (n = 21), further distinguishing those tumors from ependymomas and angiocentric gliomas. Factors correlating with longer patient survival included age less than 30 years, female gender, absent BRAFV600E, and mitotic index less than 5 mitoses/10 high-power fields; however, only the latter was significant by Cox and Kaplan–Meier analyses (n = 24; P = .024 and .012, respectively). This mitotic cutoff is therefore currently the best criterion to stratify tumors into low-grade ABs and higher-grade anaplastic ABs.

Conclusions.

In addition to their own characteristic histological features, ABs share some molecular and histological findings with other, possibly ontologically related, cortical-based gliomas of mostly children and young adults. Importantly, the presence of BRAFV600E mutations in a subset of ABs suggests potential clinical utility of targeted anti-BRAF therapy.
Multi-rate Poisson Tree Processes for single-locus species delimitation under Maximum Likelihood and Markov Chain Monte Carlo
Authors: Kapli P. , Lutteropp S. , Zhang J. , Kobert K. , Pavlidis P. , Stamatakis A. , Flouri T.
Published: July 2016

Motivation

In recent years, molecular species delimitation has become a routine approach for quantifying and classifying biodiversity. Barcoding methods are of particular importance in large-scale surveys as they promote fast species discovery and biodiversity estimates. Among those, distance-based methods are the most common choice as they scale well with large datasets; however, they are sensitive to similarity threshold parameters and they ignore evolutionary relationships. The recently introduced “Poisson Tree Processes” (PTP) method is a phylogeny-aware approach that does not rely on such thresholds. Yet, two weaknesses of PTP impact its accuracy and practicality when applied to large datasets; it does not account for divergent intraspecific variation and is slow for a large number of sequences.

Results

We introduce the multi-rate PTP (mPTP), an improved method that alleviates the theoretical and technical shortcomings of PTP. It incorporates different levels of intraspecific genetic diversity deriving from differences in either the evolutionary history or sampling of each species. Results on empirical data suggest that mPTP is superior to PTP and popular distance-based methods as it, consistently, yields more accurate delimitations with respect to the taxonomy (i.e., identifies more taxonomic species, infers species numbers closer to the taxonomy). Moreover, mPTP does not require any similarity threshold as input. The novel dynamic programming algorithm attains a speedup of at least five orders of magnitude compared to PTP, allowing it to delimit species in large (meta-) barcoding data. In addition, Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling provides a comprehensive evaluation of the inferred delimitation in just a few seconds for millions of steps, independently of tree size.

Availability

mPTP is implemented in C and is available for download athttp://github.com/Pas-Kapli/mptpunder the GNU Affero 3 license. A web-service is available athttp://mptp.h-its.org.

Contact

Paschalia.Kapli@h-its.org,Alexandros.Stamatakis@hits.org,Tomas.Flouri@h-its.org
Age-dependent changes in mean and variance of gene expression across tissues in a twin cohort
Authors: Viñuela Ana , Brown Andrew A , Buil Alfonso , Tsai Pei-Chien , Davies Matthew N , Bell Jordana T , Dermitzakis Emmanouil T , Spector Timothy D , Small Kerrin S
Published: July 2016

Gene expression changes with age have consequences for healthy aging and disease development. Here we investigate age-related changes in gene expression measured by RNA-seq in four tissues and the interplay between genotypes and age-related changes in expression. Using concurrently measured methylation array data from fat we also investigate the relationship between methylation, gene expression and age. We identified age-dependent changes in mean levels of gene expression in 5,631 genes and in splicing of 904 genes. Age related changes were widely shared across tissues, with up to 60% of age-related changes in expression and 47% on splicing in multi-exonic genes shared; amongst these we highlight effects on genes involved in diseases such as Alzheimer and cancer. We identified 137 genes with age-related changes in variance and 42 genes with age-dependent discordance between genetically identical individuals; implying the latter are driven by environmental effects. We also give four examples where genetic control of expression is affected by the aging process. Analysis of methylation observed a widespread and stronger effect of age on methylation than expression; however we did not find a strong relationship between age-related changes in both expression and methylation. In summary, we quantified aging affects in splicing, level and variance of gene expression, and show that these processes can be both environmentally and genetically influenced.
Distance Sampling inR
Authors: Miller David L , Rexstad Eric , Thomas Len , Marshall Laura , Laake Jeffrey L
Published: July 2016

Estimating the abundance and spatial distribution of animal and plant populations is essential for conservation and management. We introduce theRpackageDistancethat implements distance sampling methods to estimate abundance. We describe how users can obtain estimates of abundance (and density) using the package as well documenting the links it provides with other more specializedRpackages. We also demonstrate howDistanceprovides a migration pathway from previous software, thereby allowing us to deliver cutting-edge methods to the users more quickly.
The 5′UTR Intron of Arabidopsis GGT1 Aminotransferase Enhances Promoter Activity by Recruiting RNA Polymerase II
Authors: Laxa Miriam , Müller Kristin , Lange Natalie , Doering Lennart , Pruscha Jan Thomas , Peterhänsel Christoph
Published: July 2016

Photorespiration is essential for the detoxification of glycolate and recycling of carbon to the Calvin Benson Bassham cycle. Enzymes participating in the pathway have been identified, and investigations now focus on the regulation of photorespiration by transporters and metabolites. However, regulation of photorespiration on the gene level has not been intensively studied. Here, we show that maximum transcript abundance of Glu:glyoxylate aminotransferase 1 (GGT1) is regulated by intron-mediated enhancement (IME) of the 5′ leader intron rather than by regulatory elements in the 5′ upstream region. The intron is rich in CT-stretches and contains the motif TGTGATTTG that is highly similar to the IME-related motif TTNGATYTG. The GGT1 intron also confers leaf-specific expression of foreign promoters. Quantitative PCR analysis and GUS activity measurements revealed that IME of the GGT1 5′UTR intron is controlled on the transcriptional level. IME by the GGT1 5′UTR intron was at least 2-fold. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments showed that the abundance of RNA polymerase II binding to the intron-less construct is reduced.
The crystallographic chameleon: when space groups change skin
Authors: Nespolo Massimo , Aroyo Mois I.
Published: July 2016

VolumeAofInternational Tables for Crystallographyis the reference for space-group information. However, the content is not exhaustive because for many space groups a variety of settings may be chosen but not all of them are described in detail or even fully listed. The use of alternative settings may seem an unnecessary complication when the purpose is just to describe a crystal structure; however, these are of the utmost importance for a number of tasks, such as the investigation of structure relations between polymorphs or derivative structures, the study of pseudo-symmetry and its potential consequences, and the analysis of the common substructure of twins. The aim of the article is twofold: (i) to present a guide to expressing the symmetry operations, the Hermann–Mauguin symbols and the Wyckoff positions of a space group in an alternative setting, and (ii) to point to alternative settings of space groups of possible practical applications and not listed in VolumeAofInternational Tables for Crystallography.
(E)-1-(4-Hydroxybenzylidene)-4-methylthiosemicarbazide
Authors: Kassim Karimah , Hashim Nor Zakiah Nor , M.Yamin Bohari , Zaki Hamizah Mohd
Published: July 2016

The title compound, C9H11N3OS, is derived from methylthiosemicarbazide and hydroxybenzylidene fragments with atransconfiguration at the C=N bond. The structure is stabilized by intermolecular N—H...S, N—H...O and O—H...S hydrogen bonds that form a two-dimensional network parallel to (102).
2-Amino-1-methyl-4-oxo-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-3-ium 4-methylbenzenesulfonate
Authors: Thayanithi V. , Kumar P. Praveen , Chakkaravarthi G.
Published: July 2016

The title molecular salt, C4H8N3O+·C7H7O3S−, is composed of a 2-amino-1-methyl-4-oxo-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-3-ium cation and a 4-methylbenzenesulfonate anion. The cation is protonated at its N atom and the anion is deprotonated at its hydroxy O atom. The imidazole ring is planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.033 Å) and makes a dihedral angle of 7.87 (10)° with the benzene ring of the anion. In the crystal, the anions and cations are connected by two N—H...O hydrogen bonds, generating anR22(8) ring motif. These units are linked by further N—H...O hydrogen bonds and C—H...O and C—H...π contacts to form chains propagating along thea-axis direction.
Identifying successful strategies for honey value chains in Brazil: a conjoint study
Authors: Figueiredo Junior Hugo Santana de , Meuwissen Miranda P. M. , Van der Lans Ivo A. , Oude Lansink Alfons G. J. M.
Published: July 2016

Purpose

– Development studies rarely measure the impact of value chain strategies on performance. The purpose of this paper is to quantify the perceived contribution of strategies to the performance of three honey value chains in Brazil.

Design/methodology/approach

– The value chain structure-conduct-performance (SCP) framework was used to select strategies and two performance indicators, honey production growth and local value-added. In a conjoint study, experts were asked to judge the contribution to the two performance indicators of several hypothetical combinations of value chain strategies.

Findings

– According to the experts, adoption of specialised technical assistance, sharing resources at the production step, increase in exports, and organic certification were the strategies which contributed the most to performance. Simulations suggested that some honey value chains could have greatly increased their performance with these higher pay-off strategies.

Research limitations/implications

– Quantifying the perceived impact of individual strategies contributes to improved evaluation of development interventions.

Practical implications

– Outcomes also show that conjoint analysis is a useful method for policy evaluations in data scarce situations.

Originality/value

– The paper combines an extended SCP framework for strategy selection and conjoint analysis for strategy evaluation of value chains.