bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effekt eines Elterntrainingsprogramms zur sozial-kommunikativen Förderung bei Kindern mit Autismus-Spektrum-Störungen
Authors: Gruber Karolin , Fröhlich Ulrike , Noterdaeme Michele
Published: December 2013

„Training Autismus · Sprache · Kommunikation” (TASK) ist ein Elterngruppentraining zur Anbahnung sozialer Kommunikation bei Kindern mit ASD. Die Evaluierung des Trainings fand in einer nicht randomisierten, kontrollierten Pilotstudie an 22 Kindern mit ASD im Alter von 40 – 71 Monaten statt, deren Eltern entweder der TASK-Gruppe (n = 12) oder der Treatment-as-usual-Gruppe (n = 10) zugeordnet wurden. Sozial-kommunikative Kompetenzen wurden vor und unmittelbar nach der Intervention sowie innerhalb der TASK-Gruppe im Follow-up mittels Fragebögen und einer videografierten Eltern-Kind-Interaktion erhoben. Die Videodaten wurden im „Dyadic Communication Measure for Autism” verblindet kodiert. Auf Elternseite verändert sich der prozentuale Anteil synchroner Kommunikation innerhalb der TASK-Gruppe positiv (p = .049). Bei den Kindern nimmt die initiierende Kommunikation der TASK-Gruppe im Vergleich zur TAU-Gruppe zu (p = .028). Im Follow-up ist ein deutlicher prozentualer Anstieg kindlicher Kommunikation zu beobachten. Die Pilotstudie weist auf positive Effekte hin, die in einer randomisiert-kontrollierten Studie überprüft werden müssen, bevor endgültige Schlussfolgerungen gezogen werden können.
Kreativität bei Kindern und Jugendlichen mit Asperger Syndrom
Authors: Weiss Elisabeth M. , Gschaidbauer Bianca , Kaufmann Liane , Papousek Ilona , Fink Andreas
Published: December 2013

Das Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war die systematische Erfassung der Kreativitätsleistung bei 5- bis 14-jährigen Jungen mit Asperger Syndrom im Vergleich mit einer gesunden Kontrollgruppe (je n=24). Untersucht wurden sowohl quantitative Kreativitätsaspekte (Ideenflüssigkeit, Ideenflexibilität) als auch qualitative Kreativitätsaspekte (Originalität) bei zwei Altersgruppen (jüngere Kinder: 5 – 9 Jahre, ältere Kinder/Jugendliche: 10 – 14 Jahre). Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass bei Kindern/Jugendlichen mit Asperger Syndrom primär die quantitativen Aspekte der Kreativität beeinträchtigt sind (Ideenflüssigkeit und -flexibilität bei gleichbleibenden Items aus dem 5-Punkte Test), während die Kreativitätsleistung bei den abwechslungsreicheren Bildergänzungsaufgaben des Torrance Test of Creative Thinking, bei denen die Qualität/Originalität im Vordergrund steht, unbeeinträchtigt ist. In unserer Stichproben waren die Alterseffekte signifikant (jüngere Kinder zeigten schlechtere Leistungen), aber über die Gruppen vergleichbar (d. h. die Interaktionseffekte waren nicht signifikant). Im Sinne einer ressourcenorientierten Diagnostik, die für eine maßgeschneiderte Interventionsplanung unerlässlich ist, sollten also zusätzlich zu den quantitativen auch die qualitativen Aspekte kreativer und exekutiver Denkleistungen erfasst werden.
Verhaltensprobleme bei Kindern mit umschriebener und kombinierter schulischer Minderleistung
Authors: Endlich Darius , Dummert Friederike , Schneider Wolfgang , Schwenck Christina
Published: December 2013

Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war es, den Zusammenhang zwischen Lerndefiziten und Verhaltensproblemen nachzuweisen und näher zu untersuchen. Aus einer Ausgangsstichprobe von N = 929 Kindern wurde zu Beginn der zweiten Jahrgangsstufe eine Zielstichprobe von N = 94 Kindern identifiziert, die eine Lese-/Rechtschreibschwäche (LRS), eine Rechenschwäche (RS), eine kombinierte Schwäche (KOM) oder keine Schwäche (KG) aufwiesen. Diese Kinder wurden bis zur Mitte der vierten Jahrgangsstufe längsschnittlich untersucht. Verhaltensprobleme wurden über das Elternurteil (CBCL) zu Beginn der vierten Klasse erfasst. Bei Kindern mit einer Lernschwäche zeigten sich mehr Verhaltensprobleme als in der KG. In der Art der Verhaltensprobleme konnten keine Unterschiede zwischen den Gruppen LRS und RS gefunden werden. Es ergaben sich Hinweise auf vermehrte Verhaltensprobleme bei erhöhter Intensität der Lernschwäche durch die Kombination an Defiziten sowie eine überdauernde Beeinträchtigung. Die Ergebnisse verdeutlichen, dass eine Berücksichtigung kombinierter Lerndefizite sowie eine umfassende Diagnostik, die Verhaltensprobleme mit einschließt, bereits im Grundschulalter von Bedeutung sind.
Autismus-Spektrum-Störungen
Authors: Freitag Christine M. , Petermann Franz
Published: December 2013

Autismus-Spektrum-Störungen (ASS) weisen einen deutlichen Anstieg der Diagnosehäufigkeit in den letzten Jahren auf. Zudem wird eine immer größere Vielfalt von komorbiden Störungen diskutiert (u. a. ADHS, Angststörungen). Die differentialdiagnostische Unterscheidung von ASS und anderen psychischen Störungen ist komplex. Eine soziale Bedingtheit der autistischen Störung ist klar widerlegt worden, genetische Befunde bestimmen die Ursachenforschung. Bei der Therapie autistischer Störungen kommen früh- und intensivtherapeutischen (meist verhaltenstherapeutischen) Ansätzen eine zentrale Rolle zu.
Das Frankfurter Frühinterventionsprogramm (FFIP) für Vorschulkinder mit Autismus-Spektrum-Störungen (ASS)
Authors: Kitzerow Janina , Wilker Christian , Teufel Karoline , Soll Sophie , Schneider Monika , Westerwald Eva , Sachse Michael , Marinović Vesna , Berndt Kerstin , Valerian Jennifer , Feineis-Matthews Sabine , Freitag Christine M.
Published: December 2013

Autismus-Spektrum-Störungen (ASS) sind heterogene und persistierende Entwicklungsstörungen, für die in den letzten Jahrzehnten verschiedene Therapieansätze insbesondere zur frühen Förderung entwickelt wurden. Ziel dieser Studie war es, die Therapieeffekte des Frankfurter Frühinterventionsprogramms (FFIP), einem verhaltenstherapeutischen Ansatz basierend auf dem natürlichen Lernformat, in dem ambulante Einzel- und Gruppentherapie (2 Std./Wo.) mit intensiver Elternarbeit kombiniert werden, zu untersuchen. Nach dem ersten Therapiejahr zeigten sich eine signifikant beschleunigte Steigerung des Entwicklungsalters und eine Verbesserung der rezeptiven und expressiven Sprache. Ein niedrigeres chronologisches Alter und ein höheres Entwicklungsalter zu Therapiebeginn erwiesen sich als positive Einflussfaktoren auf den Zuwachs der expressiven Sprachfertigkeiten. Die Ergebnisse werden im Kontext anderer Frühförderprogramme diskutiert.
Lesion Development and Reperfusion Benefit in Relation to Vascular Occlusion Patterns after Embolic Stroke in Rats
Authors: Bouts Mark J R J , Tiebosch Ivo A C W , van der Toorn Annette , Hendrikse Jeroen , Dijkhuizen Rick M
Published: December 2013

Vascular occlusion sites largely determine the pattern of cerebral tissue damage and likelihood of subsequent reperfusion after acute ischemic stroke. We aimed to elucidate relationships between flow obstruction in segments of the internal carotid artery (ICA) and middle cerebral artery (MCA), and (1) profiles of acute ischemic lesions and (2) probability of subsequent beneficial reperfusion. Embolic stroke was induced by unilateral intracarotid blood clot injection in normotensive ( n=53) or spontaneously hypertensive ( n=20) rats, followed within 2 hours by magnetic resonance (MR) angiography (MRA), diffusion- (DWI) and perfusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (PWI). In a subset of animals ( n=9), MRI was repeated after 24 and 168 hours to determine the predictive value of the occlusion pattern on benefit of reperfusion. The extent of cerebral perfusion and diffusion abnormality was related to the pattern of flow obstruction in ICA and MCA segments. Hypertensive animals displayed significantly larger cortical perfusion lesions. Acute perfusion-diffusion lesion mismatches were detected in all animals that subsequently benefitted from reperfusion. Yet, the presence of an angiography-diffusion mismatch was more specific in predicting reperfusion benefit. Combination of DWI, PWI, and MRA exclusively informs on the impact of arterial occlusion profiles after acute ischemic stroke, which may improve prognostication and subsequent treatment decisions.
PKPD Modeling of Predictors for Adverse Effects and Overall Survival in Sunitinib‐Treated Patients With GIST
Authors: Hansson EK , Ma G , Amantea MA , French J , Milligan PA , Friberg LE , Karlsson MO
Published: December 2013

A modeling framework relating exposure, biomarkers (vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (sVEGFR)‐2, ‐3, soluble stem cell factor receptor (sKIT)), and tumor growth to overall survival (OS) was extended to include adverse effects (myelosuppression, hypertension, fatigue, and hand–foot syndrome (HFS)). Longitudinal pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic models of sunitinib were developed based on data from 303 patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumor. Myelosuppression was characterized by a semiphysiological model and hypertension with an indirect response model. Proportional odds models with a first‐order Markov model described the incidence and severity of fatigue and HFS. Relative change in sVEGFR‐3 was the most effective predictor of the occurrence and severity of myelosuppression, fatigue, and HFS. Hypertension was correlated best with sunitinib exposure. Baseline tumor size, time courses of neutropenia, and relative increase of diastolic blood pressure were identified as predictors of OS. The framework has potential to be used for early monitoring of adverse effects and clinical response, thereby facilitating dose individualization to maximize OS.

CPT Pharmacometrics Syst. Pharmacol. (2013) 2, e85; doi:10.1038/psp.2013.62; published online 4 December 2013
The relevance and applicability of oocyst prevalence as a read-out for mosquito feeding assays
Authors: Stone Will J. R. , Eldering Maarten , van Gemert Geert-Jan , Lanke Kjerstin H. W. , Grignard Lynn , van de Vegte-Bolmer Marga G. , Siebelink-Stoter Rianne , Graumans Wouter , Roeffen Will F. G. , Drakeley Chris J. , Sauerwein Robert W. , Bousema Teun
Published: December 2013

Mosquito feeding assays are important in evaluations of malaria transmission-reducing interventions. The proportion of mosquitoes with midgut oocysts is commonly used as an outcome measure, but in natural low intensity infections the effect of oocyst non-rupture on mosquito infectivity is unclear. By identifying ruptured as well as intact oocysts, we show that in low intensity P. falciparum infections i) 66.7–96.7% of infected mosquitoes experienced oocyst rupture between 11–21 days post-infection, ii) oocyst rupture led invariably to sporozoite release, iii) oocyst rupture led to salivary gland infections in 97.8% of mosquitoes and iv) 1250 (IQR 313-2400) salivary gland sporozoites were found per ruptured oocyst. These data show that infectivity can be predicted with reasonable certainty from oocyst prevalence in low intensity infections. High throughput methods for detecting infection in whole mosquitoes showed that 18s PCR but not circumsporozoite ELISA gave a reliable approximation of mosquito infection rates on day 7 post-infection.
Separation of rare earths from transition metals by liquid–liquid extraction from a molten salt hydrate to an ionic liquid phase
Authors: Rout Alok , Binnemans Koen
Published: December 2013

Rare earths can be extracted from molten calcium nitrate tetrahydrate to the ionic liquid tricaprylmethylammonium nitrate at very high loading concentrations.
A cascade reaction: ring-opening insertion of dioxaphospholane into lutetium alkyl bonds
Authors: Johnson Kevin R. D. , Hayes Paul G.
Published: December 2013

Although an organolutetium complex of a new dioxaphospholane-substituted carbazole-based pincer ligand appears immune to cyclometalation, an unusual ring-opening insertion reaction was observed.
Transcriptome and expression profiling analysis of Leuciscus waleckii: an exploration of the alkali-adapted mechanisms of a freshwater teleost
Authors: Chang Yu-Mei , Tang Ran , Dou Xin-Jie , Tao Ran , Sun Xiao-Wen , Liang Li-Qun
Published: December 2013

Transcriptome profiles of alkaline and freshwater environments ofLeuciscus waleckiiwere compared to explore the alkali-adapted mechanisms of a freshwater teleost.
Affinity-based target identification for bioactive small molecules
Authors: Kawatani Makoto , Osada Hiroyuki
Published: December 2013

A variety of new approaches of affinity-based target identification for bioactive small molecules are being developed, facilitating drug development and understanding complicated biological processes.
Design and synthesis of a novel series of N,4-diphenylpyrimidin-2-amine derivatives as potent and selective PI3Kγ inhibitors
Authors: Yang Hua-Lin , Fang Fei , Zhao Chang-Po , Li Dong-Dong , Li Jing-Ran , Sun Jian , Du Qian-Ru , Zhu Hai-Liang
Published: December 2013

Twenty-one novelN,4-diphenylpyrimidin-2-amine derivatives have been synthesized as PI3Kγ selective inhibitors and compoundC8demonstrated the most potent inhibitory activity against PI3Kγ kinase.
Nanostructured palladium-reduced graphene oxide platform for high sensitive, label free detection of a cancer biomarker
Authors: Kumar Vinod , Srivastava Saurabh , Umrao Sima , Kumar Ram , Nath Gopal , Sumana Gajjala , Saxena Preeti S. , Srivastava Anchal
Published: December 2013

We report the results of studies related to the fabrication of a palladium nanoparticle decorated-reduced graphene oxide (Pd@rGO) based electrochemical immunosensor for the label free ultrasensitive detection of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a prostate cancer biomarker.
Balanced and unbalanced waveguide power splitters based on connected bi‐omega particles
Authors: Ramaccia D. , Di Palma L. , Guarnieri G. , Scafè S. , Toscano A. , Bilotti F.
Published: December 2013

A new family of waveguide power splitters based on the use of connected bi‐omega particles is presented. The new layout consists of a H‐plane T‐junction, whose ports are characterised by the same cross‐section. The output ports are both closed with a metallic screen and energy is allowed to pass through by means of a vertical slit drilled into each metallic screen. To make the transmission efficient, two identical particles, printed on the two faces of a dielectric slab, are placed across the slits. Depending on the design, at the resonant frequencies of the two bi‐omega particles, either balanced or unbalanced power splitting is obtained between the two output ports. A proper set of numerical simulations and measurements confirm the effectiveness of the proposed design, which can be successfully used for realising compact and highly selective waveguide power splitters.
15–40 GHz wideband CMOS mixer
Authors: Cao Jia , Li Zhiqun , Li Qin , Wang Zhigong
Published: December 2013

A wideband double‐balanced mixer using 90 nm CMOS technology is demonstrated. The DC current paths of the transconductance stage and the switch stage are separated individually by an integrated transformer balun. The primary coil is absorbed in the DC path of transconductance and functions as an inductive load. Simultaneously, the secondary coils perform as a current source of the switch stage. The transconductance employs a common gate amplifier together with the gate‐inductive gain‐peaking technique for providing a wideband input matching and extending the operating bandwidth. The fabricated mixer operates from 15 to 40 GHz with around 5 dB conversion gain, matches to 50 Ω over the full band and only takes up 0.39 mm2.
6‐kV, 130‐ps rise‐time pulsed‐power circuit featuring cascaded compression by fast recovery and avalanche diodes
Authors: Kesar A. S. , Merensky L. M. , Ogranovich M. , Kardo‐Sysoev A. F. , Shmilovitz D.
Published: December 2013

Drift‐step‐recovery diodes (DSRDs) are used as ∼ 1 ns high‐voltage opening switches by pumping them slowly in the forward direction and then pulsing them quickly in the reverse direction. The fast opening occurs when the reverse current discharges the carriers that were stored in the DSRD junction during the forward cycle. Typical forward and reverse timescales are tens and a few nanoseconds, respectively. Although a state‐of‐the‐art metal‐oxide semiconductor field effect transistor may pulse the DSRD at a rise‐rate of about 20 A/ns, the DSRD itself can be used to pulse another DSRD at a rise‐rate of about 60 A/ns. An enhanced performance by the proposed method, resulting in a high‐voltage nanosecond pulse has been reported. This pulse was then further sharpened by driving a fast avalanche diode. A 6‐kV, 130‐ps rise‐time, with a rise‐rate exceeding 40 kV/ns circuit is presented.
High output power, fibre‐coupled distributed feedback lasers operating near 2.05 μm wavelength range
Authors: Bagheri M. , Frez C. , Kelly B. , Gupta J.A. , Forouhar S.
Published: December 2013

Single‐mode operation of fibre‐pigtailed distributed feedback semiconductor lasers in the 2.05 μm range has been demonstrated. The lasers are packaged inside standard butterfly modules with output powers in excess of 10 mW at the end of polarisation maintaining optical fibre. The fibre‐pigtailed lasers show excellent sidemode suppression ratios (> 50 dB) and have a mode‐hop free tunability larger than 1 nm. The output of the optical fibre has linear polarisation with better than 20 dB extinction over the operating current and temperatures.
Compact UWB BPF using coupled‐line triple‐mode resonator
Authors: Chen Hui
Published: December 2013

A novel and compact microstrip ultra‐wideband (UWB) bandpass filter (BPF) based on a triple‐mode resonator is designed, fabricated and measured. The proposed resonator is composed of a coupled line with a half‐pass characteristic, which is connected directly with each other at one end and is short‐circuited to the grounding plane at the other end. A simple structure and design approach to the proposed filter is provided and demonstrated. To implement the design on a microstrip, the directly tapped‐transition input/output ports are used to excite the coupled‐line multi‐mode resonator. The measured results are in good agreement with the electromagnetic simulated results. The proposed filter shows a 3 dB fractional bandwidth of 117.3% at the central frequency (fc) with a return loss of better than 12 dB and an insertion loss of < 0.5 dB within the passband response.
Constant frequency control of LLC resonant converter using switched capacitor
Authors: Chung S. K. , Kang B. G. , Kim M. S.
Published: December 2013

A constant frequency control of an LLC resonant converter is presented. A switched capacitor is introduced to change the resonant capacitance, which enables the control of the voltage gain at a fixed switching frequency. The operation principle of the proposed converter with a switched capacitor is discussed. The experimental results are provided to show the validity of the proposed method.
Method for restoring PPG signals using ECG correspondences and SVR
Authors: Kim H. , Kim Y. , Kim J. , Lee E.C.
Published: December 2013

A novel method for restoring photoplethysmography (PPG) signals using electrocardiography correspondences and support vector regression (SVR) is proposed. To enhance the PPG quality, five correspondences between the period signals of PPG and ECG were automatically detected, and their position and amplitude are independently trained for defining the estimator. The result shows that the quality of the PPG signal restored using the proposed method is greatly enhanced and becomes similar to that of the ECG signal.
Adaptive classification algorithm for EMC‐compliance testing of electronic devices
Authors: Singh P. , Deschrijver D. , Pissoort D. , Dhaene T.
Published: December 2013

A novel technique that facilitates near‐field (NF) scanning for electromagnetic compatibility‐compliance testing is described. It performs measurements in a sequential way with the aim of discovering multiple, possibly disjoint regions where the amplitudes of an NF component belong to certain output ranges. The measured data samples are used to train a classification model where each NF range is represented by a given class (e.g. low/medium/high NF amplitudes). The outcome of the algorithm is a visual map that clearly characterises and pinpoints the exact location and boundaries of each class. Such maps are useful, for example, to detect hotspots or regions that are prone to electromagnetic compatibility issues. The technique has been validated on a measured microstrip bend discontinuity.
75 nm T‐shaped gate for In0.17Al0.83N/GaN HEMTs with minimal short‐channel effect
Authors: Geum D.M. , Shin S.H. , Kim M.S. , Jang J.H.
Published: December 2013

Lattice‐matched InAlN/gallium nitride high electron‐mobility transistors with a 6 nm‐thick InAlN barrier layer were fabricated and characterised. By introducing a very thin InAlN Schottky layer, the short‐channel effect could be minimised. The devices with a gate length of 75 nm exhibited output resistance as high as 56.9 Ω mm together with a drain‐induced barrier lowering as low as 63 mV/V. The devices also demonstrated excellent high‐frequency characteristics such as a unity current gain cutoff frequency (fT) of 170 GHz and a maximum oscillation frequency (fmax) of 210 GHz.
Is memristor a dynamic element?
Authors: Bao B.C. , Liu Z. , Leung H.
Published: December 2013

Recently, it was found that flux φ and charge q are a pair of complementary basic physical attributes generating elementary circuit elements. With such a finding, two basic electrical circuit laws and constitutive relations of three fundamental circuit elements are rebuilt, upon which new dynamical equations describing dynamical circuits containing memristors are established. This leads to investigation of whether the memristor is a dynamic element.
Flexible meandered loop antenna for implants in MedRadio and ISM bands
Authors: Alrawashdeh R. , Huang Y. , Cao P.
Published: December 2013

A flexible meandered loop antenna is proposed, designed and realised for small cylindrical implantable devices. This antenna covers the Medical Device Radiocommunications Service (MedRadio) and the 433–434 MHz industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) bands, and is probably the smallest reported flexible implantable antenna that covers these bands. This antenna has shown a robust performance in the presence of implant internal components and has a realised gain of − 28.4 dBi inside a model of a human upper arm.
Tunable bandpass filter with low‐loss and enhanced selectivity based on controllable coupled negative resistance
Authors: Chen Jun , Zhu Xiao‐Wei , Ge Chuan , Cao Li‐Na
Published: December 2013

A tunable bandpass filter (BPF) with low‐loss and enhanced selectivity based on controllable coupled negative resistance is presented. Owing to the use of the coupled negative resistance, the insertion loss and the selectivity are improved significantly from 800 to 1000 MHz. Furthermore, a novel method of introducing an open‐circuited stub and a short‐circuited stub to control the negative resistance effect is proposed, which makes the adjustment of the negative resistance much more flexible. The measured active BPF shows a bandwidth of 56 MHz, an insertion loss of − 0.44 dB, a noise figure of 2.6 dB, 1 dB compression point of 0 dBm and third‐order intercept point of 8.8 dBm at 900 MHz.
Method for reducing micro‐Doppler effect in aircraft ISAR imaging based on compressed sensing
Authors: Su Fulin , Xiao Da , Gao Jianjun
Published: December 2013

The micro‐Doppler effect in inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) imaging for aircrafts may impair the imaging quality of the main body, which affects application in target discrimination. The current available micro‐Doppler effect reducing techniques are mainly complex and do not meet the requirement of real‐time process. In the reported work, the profile flicker of micro‐Doppler echoes is investigated by theoretical analysis and simulation. With the utilisation of this feature and based on compressed sensing, a new method which can reduce the micro‐Doppler effect by preserving the information of aircrafts simultaneously is proposed. This method avoids the transform of the data field and the calculation is much less than the existing techniques. The validity is demonstrated by real data processing results.
LED die‐on‐chip integration for fluorescence‐detection applications
Authors: Crowley B. , Gaudet V.
Published: December 2013

Conventional fluorescence‐detection systems typically involve a separate laser excitation source shining directly down towards the photodetectors, with the fluorescent sample in‐between. A major issue with such systems is the strong excitation light signal that can saturate detection circuitry and/or make detection of the fluorescent signal difficult, even with optical filtering. A fluorescence‐detection system is described consisting of light emitting diode dies bonded on top of a CMOS imaging chip. Such a system facilitates a high level of integration while potentially reducing the excitation light hitting the photodetectors. Model results are used to predict the shape of the imager response to excitation light. Experimental results confirm the validity of the model.
Ultra‐wideband SAW sensors and tags
Authors: Lamothe M. , Plessky V. , Friedt J.‐M. , Ostertag T. , Ballandras S.
Published: December 2013

A sensor system using ultra‐wideband frequency technology and passive surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors/tags has been demonstrated experimentally. The system operates with a frequency bandwidth of 500 MHz, which results in compressed RF pulses of about 2 ns duration, including just a few sinusoids with amplitude modulation. A correlation method is developed to measure the delay between two echoes with high resolution, avoiding the phase ambiguity problem. For temperature, deformation or other measurand a simple structure including only two reflectors is sufficient. This method is used in a system which simultaneously remotely measures a few temperature sensors with a resolution of 0.1°C. The operation of the system in a strongly reflecting environment (inside a metal box) is demonstrated.
Spectroscopic photo I–V diagnostics of nitride‐based high electron mobility transistor structures on Si wafers
Authors: Tong F. , Yapabandara K. , Yang C.‐W. , Khanal M. , Jiao C. , Goforth M. , Ozden B. , Ahyi A. , Hamilton M. , Niu G. , Ewoldt D.A. , Chung G. , Park M.
Published: December 2013

A simple and novel spectroscopic photo I–V method of diagnosing the homogeneity of electrically‐active defect distribution in the large area AlGaN/GaN HEMT (high electron mobility transistor) epi‐structure grown on 6‐inch silicon wafers is reported. It is of utmost importance to produce the HEMT epi‐structure electrically homogeneous across the wafer if devices with uniform electrical characteristics are to be constructed. AlGaN/GaN HEMT epi structures were grown on a silicon substrate via metal–organic chemical vapour deposition. An array of circular semi‐transparent Ni Schottky contacts was prepared on top of the diced AlGaN/GaN HEMT structure substrates, which were selected from different locations of the 6‐inch wafer. The information of the electrical homogeneity across the wafer was elucidated from the spectral dependences of the I–V characteristics collected from different locations of the AlGaN/GaN HEMT wafer. It is successfully demonstrated that the proposed spectroscopic photo I–V measurement technique can be employed to diagnose electrical homogeneity of the electrically‐active defect distribution in the AlGaN/GaN HEMT epi structure constructed on Si with minimum sample preparation steps.
Bayesian generalised likelihood ratio test‐based multiple antenna spectrum sensing for cognitive radios
Authors: Sedighi Saeid , Taherpour Abbas , Monfared Shaghayegh S.M.
Published: December 2013

In this study, the authors address the problem of multiple antenna spectrum sensing in cognitive radios by exploiting the prior information about unknown parameters. Specifically, under assumption that unknown parameters are random with the given proper distributions, the authors use a Bayesian generalised likelihood ratio test (B‐GLRT) in order to derive the corresponding detectors for three different scenarios: (i) only the channel gains are unknown to the secondary user (SU), (ii) only the noise variance is unknown to the SU, (iii) both the channel gains and noise variance are unknown to the SU. For the first and third scenarios, the authors use the iterative expectation maximisation algorithm for estimation of unknown parameters and the authors derive their convergence rate. It is shown that the proposed B‐GLRT detectors have low complexity and besides are optimal even under the finite number of samples. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed B‐GLRT detectors have an acceptable performance even under the finite number of samples and also outperform the related recently proposed detectors for multiple antenna spectrum sensing.
Joint bandwidth allocation on dedicated and shared wavelengths for QoS support in multi‐wavelength optical access network
Authors: Ni Cuiping , Gan Chaoqin , Chen Haibin
Published: December 2013

Wavelength‐division multiplexing (WDM) technology has been recognised as one of the most promising solutions in optical access network. A general ring‐based multi‐wavelength optical access network based on WDM technology, which can realise triple‐play service including point‐to‐point service and multicast service is introduced in this study. To effectively utilise the network bandwidth resources, the authors propose a joint bandwidth allocation scheme on dedicated and shared wavelengths. The proposed scheme focuses on quality of services (QoSs) support. It is carried out according to the priority queue discipline to support QoS in terms of average packet delay, packet delay variance and throughput. Moreover, with the fair‐awareness in the scheduling scheme, the lower priority services can be prevented from starvation and the over‐allocation problem can be avoided. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme can reduce average packet delay and packet delay variance for high‐priority services to ensure QoS.
Simplified compute‐and‐forward and its performance analysis
Authors: Hejazi Mohsen , Nasiri‐Kenari Masoumeh
Published: December 2013

The compute‐and‐forward (CMF) method has shown a great promise as an innovative approach to exploit interference towards achieving higher network throughput. The CMF was primarily introduced by means of information theory tools. Although there have been some recent works discussing different aspects of efficient and practical implementation of CMF, there are still some issues that are not covered. In this study, the authors first introduce a method to decrease the implementation complexity of the CMF method. They then evaluate the exact outage probability of the authors proposed simplified CMF scheme, and hereby provide an upper bound on the outage probability of the optimum CMF in all signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) values, and a close approximation of its outage probability in low SNR regimes. They also evaluate the effect of the channel estimation error (CEE) on the performance of both optimum and their proposed simplified CMF by simulations. Their simulation results indicate that the proposed method is more robust against CEE than the optimum CMF method for the examples considered.
Views of pregnant women in South Western Sydney towards dental care and an oral‐health program initiated by midwives
Authors: George Ajesh , Johnson Maree , Blinkhorn Anthony , Ajwani Shilpi , Ellis Sharon , Bhole Sameer
Published: December 2013

Issues addressed

Oral health during pregnancy is important, yet is often neglected by women. A program is currently being developed for midwives in Australia to promote maternal oral health. The aim of this study was to record the views of pregnant women in Australia towards dental care and midwives promoting oral health.

Methods

Using convenience sampling, a cross‐sectional survey was undertaken of 241 pregnant women attending a metropolitan hospital in South Western Sydney in 2010.

Results

Only 10% of women received oral‐health promotional material during pregnancy. More than 50% reported dental problems, yet only 17% had discussed this with their midwives and less than half (44.6%) had sought dental treatment. The main barriers to obtaining dental care were: lack of awareness, safety concerns about dental treatment and dental costs. Pregnant women were more likely (P < 0.05) to see a dentist if they had received information about oral health (odds ratio (OR) 3.25, 95% CI 1.34–7.90) and had private health insurance (OR 2.47, 95% CI 1.26–4.85). Most women (> 90%) were receptive to midwives providing oral‐health education, assessments and referrals to affordable dental services.

Conclusion

This study has shown that pregnant women are receiving limited dental advice and are concerned about dental costs. It has also confirmed for the first time in Australia that women are very positive about receiving oral‐health advice from midwives during their pregnancy.

So what?

Oral‐health promotion programs during pregnancy should consider using midwives to increase dental awareness among women and provide pathways to affordable dental services.
Mammalian fertility preservation through cryobiology: value of classical comparative studies and the need for new preservation options
Authors: Comizzoli Pierre , Wildt David E.
Published: December 2013

Human-related fertility preservation strategies have enormous potential for helping sustain and protect other species, especially to assist managing or ‘rescuing’ the genomes of genetically valuable individuals, including endangered species. However, wider-scale applications are limited by significant physiological variations among species, as well as a lack of fundamental knowledge of basic reproductive traits and cryosensitivity. Systematic and comparative cryopreservation studies (e.g. on membrane biophysical properties and resilience to freezing temperatures) are required to successfully recover gametes and gonadal tissues after thawing and eventually produce healthy offspring. Such data are currently available for humans and a few laboratory and livestock animals, with virtually all other species, including wildlife, having gone unstudied. Interestingly, there also are commonalities among taxa that allow a protocol developed for one species to provide useful information or guidance for another. However, when a rare animal unexpectedly dies there is no time for a prospective understanding of that species’ biophysical traits. Because the odds of success will be much lower in such instances, it is essential that more fundamental studies be directed at more species. But also worthwhile is thinking beyond these systematic characterisations to consider the potential of a ‘universal preservation protocol’ for animal biomaterials.
KpsC and KpsS are retaining 3-deoxy-
d
-
manno
-oct-2-ulosonic acid (Kdo) transferases involved in synthesis of bacterial capsules
Authors: Willis Lisa M. , Whitfield Chris
Published: December 2013

Significance

Capsules are bacterial surface structures used by many Gram-negative pathogens to evade the host immune system. They are comprised of long carbohydrate chains, called capsular polysaccharides (CPSs), which possess a lipid at one end. The lipid is connected to the CPS through an unusual linker consisting of five to nine residues of an acidic sugar 3-deoxy-
d
-
manno
-oct-2-ulosonic acid (Kdo). This study identifies two conserved proteins from CPS assembly systems, KpsC and KpsS, as the enzymes that synthesize the Kdo linker on the terminal lipid. Synthesis of this terminal glycolipid was reconstituted in vitro using purified enzymes and a synthetic lipid acceptor. The data support a unique model for CPS biosynthesis and identify these enzymes as unique targets for antibacterial therapies.
Structural insights into the Ca
2+
and PI(4,5)P
2
binding modes of the C2 domains of rabphilin 3A and synaptotagmin 1
Authors: Guillén Jaime , Ferrer-Orta Cristina , Buxaderas Mònica , Pérez-Sánchez Dolores , Guerrero-Valero Marta , Luengo-Gil Ginés , Pous Joan , Guerra Pablo , Gómez-Fernández Juan C. , Verdaguer Nuria , Corbalán-García Senena
Published: December 2013

Significance

Vesicle fusion is an important event in neuronal transmission and endocrine cell secretion. A myriad of proteins containing double C2 domains are involved in this complex process; however, how Ca
2+
and the different types of membrane lipids regulate their function is still not well understood. In this work, we provide structural insights to explain the ability of different C2 domains to interact with Ca
2+
and PI(4,5)P
2
and demonstrate the existence of a specific PI(4,5)P
2
-binding motif that provides these domains with specific properties to interact with the membrane and initiate vesicle fusion. We also demonstrate a unique molecular mechanism conferring their specificity for the different phosphoinositides, which resides in additional amino acidic residues surrounding the key interacting lysines.
Conditional ablation of HMGB1 in mice reveals its protective function against endotoxemia and bacterial infection
Authors: Yanai Hideyuki , Matsuda Atsushi , An Jianbo , Koshiba Ryuji , Nishio Junko , Negishi Hideo , Ikushima Hiroaki , Onoe Takashi , Ohdan Hideki , Yoshida Nobuaki , Taniguchi Tadatsugu
Published: December 2013

Significance

The high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein is abundantly expressed in the nucleus where it regulates chromatin function. More recently, it was found to also function in the cytoplasm and extracellular milieu for the regulation of immunity and inflammation. However, the in vivo study of HMGB1 has been hampered by the fact that HMGB1-deficient mice die soon after birth. In this study, we successfully generated
Hmgb1
-floxed mice to achieve conditional inactivation of the gene in a cell- and tissue-specific manner. We demonstrate that cytosolic HMGB1 in myeloid cells is critical for the protection of the host from endotoxemia and bacterial infection by inducing autophagy, a cellular response critical for maintaining cellular viability in the setting of various stresses including infection.
Light matrices of prime determinant
Authors: Goldstein Daniel , Hales Alfred , Stong Richard
Published: December 2013

For

A
=

(

a

i
,
j

)

A = \left (a_{i,j}\right )

a square integer matrix of prime determinant

p
p

, set
\[

w
(
A
)
=

∑

i
,
j

|

a

i
,
j

|

.

w(A)=\sum _{i,j}\left |a_{i,j}\right |.

\]
We are interested in the smallest possible value

w
p

w_p

for

w
(
A
)
,

w(A),

and we show that
\[

lim

p
→
∞

w
p

/

log
2

⁡
(
p
)
=
5

/

2.

\lim _{p\rightarrow \infty } w_p/\log _2(p)=5/2.

\]
We also show that

w
p

≤
2.5

log
2

⁡
(
p
)

w_p \leq 2.5 \log _2(p)

if and only if

p
=
2
,
7
,
13
,
37

p=2,7,13,37

or a Fermat prime. Our results can also be interpreted as being about addition chains or about presentations of finite cyclic groups.
Automated annotation of developmental stages ofDrosophilaembryos in images containing spatial patterns of expression
Authors: Yuan Lei , Pan Cheng , Ji Shuiwang , McCutchan Michael , Zhou Zhi-Hua , Newfeld Stuart J. , Kumar Sudhir , Ye Jieping
Published: December 2013

Motivation:  Drosophila melanogaster is a major model organism for investigating the function and interconnection of animal genes in the earliest stages of embryogenesis. Today, images capturing Drosophila gene expression patterns are being produced at a higher throughput than ever before. The analysis of spatial patterns of gene expression is most biologically meaningful when images from a similar time point during development are compared. Thus, the critical first step is to determine the developmental stage of an embryo. This information is also needed to observe and analyze expression changes over developmental time. Currently, developmental stages (time) of embryos in images capturing spatial expression pattern are annotated manually, which is time- and labor-intensive. Embryos are often designated into stage ranges, making the information on developmental time course. This makes downstream analyses inefficient and biological interpretations of similarities and differences in spatial expression patterns challenging, particularly when using automated tools for analyzing expression patterns of large number of images.

Results: Here, we present a new computational approach to annotate developmental stage for Drosophila embryos in the gene expression images. In an analysis of 3724 images, the new approach shows high accuracy in predicting the developmental stage correctly (79%). In addition, it provides a stage score that enables one to more finely annotate each embryo so that they are divided into early and late periods of development within standard stage demarcations. Stage scores for all images containing expression patterns of the same gene enable a direct way to view expression changes over developmental time for any gene. We show that the genomewide-expression-maps generated using images from embryos in refined stages illuminate global gene activities and changes much better, and more refined stage annotations improve our ability to better interpret results when expression pattern matches are discovered between genes.

Availability and implementation: The software package is available for download at: http://www.public.asu.edu/∼jye02/Software/Fly-Project/.

Contact:  jieping.ye@asu.edu

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
On the origin of variable structures in the winds of hot luminous stars
Authors: Michaux Yannick J. L. , Moffat Anthony F. J. , Chené André-Nicolas , St-Louis Nicole
Published: December 2013

Examination of the temporal variability properties of several strong optical recombination lines in a large sample of Galactic Wolf–Rayet (WR) stars reveals possible trends, especially in the more homogeneous WC than the diverse WN subtypes, of increasing wind variability with cooler subtypes. This could imply that a serious contender for the driver of the variations is stochastic, magnetic subsurface convection associated with the 170 kK partial-ionization zone of iron, which should occupy a deeper and larger zone of greater mass in cooler WR subtypes. This empirical evidence suggests that the heretofore proposed ubiquitous driver of wind variability, radiative instabilities, may not be the only mechanism playing a role in the stochastic multiple small-scaled structures seen in the winds of hot luminous stars. In addition to small-scale stochastic behaviour, subsurface convection guided by a global magnetic field with localized emerging loops may also be at the origin of the large-scale corotating interaction regions as seen frequently in O stars and occasionally in the winds of their descendant WR stars.
The complex methylome of the human gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori
Authors: Krebes Juliane , Morgan Richard D. , Bunk Boyke , Spröer Cathrin , Luong Khai , Parusel Raphael , Anton Brian P. , König Christoph , Josenhans Christine , Overmann Jörg , Roberts Richard J. , Korlach Jonas , Suerbaum Sebastian
Published: December 2013

The genome of Helicobacter pylori is remarkable for its large number of restriction-modification (R-M) systems, and strain-specific diversity in R-M systems has been suggested to limit natural transformation, the major driving force of genetic diversification in H. pylori. We have determined the comprehensive methylomes of two H. pylori strains at single base resolution, using Single Molecule Real-Time (SMRT®) sequencing. For strains 26695 and J99-R3, 17 and 22 methylated sequence motifs were identified, respectively. For most motifs, almost all sites occurring in the genome were detected as methylated. Twelve novel methylation patterns corresponding to nine recognition sequences were detected (26695, 3; J99-R3, 6). Functional inactivation, correction of frameshifts as well as cloning and expression of candidate methyltransferases (MTases) permitted not only the functional characterization of multiple, yet undescribed, MTases, but also revealed novel features of both Type I and Type II R-M systems, including frameshift-mediated changes of sequence specificity and the interaction of one MTase with two alternative specificity subunits resulting in different methylation patterns. The methylomes of these well-characterized H. pylori strains will provide a valuable resource for future studies investigating the role of H. pylori R-M systems in limiting transformation as well as in gene regulation and host interaction.
Male–male competition leads to less abundant but more attractive sperm
Authors: Zizzari Z. Valentina , van Straalen Nico M. , Ellers Jacintha
Published: December 2013

Males employ complex strategies to optimize their reproductive success when faced with male–male competition; for instance, they can adjust the ejaculate characteristics. In copulating species, a male may also strategically adjust his ejaculate expenditure according to female quality. Quantifying the relative contribution of ejaculate plasticity in male reproductive success is often difficult, especially when females exert postcopulatory cryptic choice. One way to quantify the functional significance of ejaculate plasticity is offered by mating systems in which the reproductive partners do not meet each other during insemination. In the collembolanOrchesella cincta, males deposit their ejaculates (spermatophores) irrespective of the presence of females. We tested whetherOrchesellamales adjust spermatophore number when exposed to the presence of another male and whether changes in spermatophore production influence female choice. We found thatOrchesellamales display plasticity in spermatophore allocation. Males decreased the spermatophore number when exposed to a rival male. Moreover, females preferentially took up spermatophores of males that were exposed to a competitor. The reduction in spermatophore number suggests, besides an adaptive response to the risk of ejaculate removal by rival males, an optimization strategy owing to the costs of more attractive spermatophores.
Rates of transposition in
Escherichia coli
Authors: Sousa Ana , Bourgard Catarina , Wahl Lindi M. , Gordo Isabel
Published: December 2013

The evolutionary role of transposable elements (TEs) is still highly controversial. Two key parameters, the transposition rate (
u
and
w
, for replicative and non-replicative transposition) and the excision rate (
e
) are fundamental to understanding their evolution and maintenance in populations. We have estimated
u
,
w
and
e
for six families of TEs (including eight members: IS1, IS2, IS3, IS4, IS5, IS30, IS150 and IS186) in
Escherichia coli
, using a mutation accumulation (MA) experiment. In this experiment, mutations accumulate essentially at the rate at which they appear, during a period of 80 500 (1610 generations × 50 lines) generations, and spontaneous transposition events can be detected. This differs from other experiments in which insertions accumulated under strong selective pressure or over a limited genomic target. We therefore provide new estimates for the spontaneous rates of transposition and excision in
E. coli
. We observed 25 transposition and three excision events in 50 MA lines, leading to overall rate estimates of
u
∼ 1.15 × 10
–5
,
w
∼ 4 × 10
−8
and
e
∼ 1.08 × 10
−6
(per element, per generation). Furthermore, extensive variation between elements was found, consistent with previous knowledge of the mechanisms and regulation of transposition for the different elements.