bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Magnetic susceptibility increases as diamagnetic molecules breakdown: Myelin digestion during multiple sclerosis lesion formation contributes to increase on QSM
Authors: Deh Kofi , Ponath Gerald D. , Molvi Zaki , Parel Gian‐Carlo T. , Gillen Kelly M. , Zhang Shun , Nguyen Thanh D. , Spincemaille Pascal , Ma Yinghua , Gupta Ajay , Gauthier Susan A. , Pitt David , Wang Yi
Published: March 2018

Background

The pathological processes in the first weeks of multiple sclerosis (MS) lesion formation include myelin digestion that breaks chemical bonds in myelin lipid layers. This can increase lesion magnetic susceptibility, which is a potentially useful biomarker in MS patient management, but not yet investigated.

Purpose

To understand and quantify the effects of myelin digestion on quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) of MS lesions.

Study Type

Histological and QSM analyses on in vitro models of myelin breakdown and MS lesion formation in vivo.

Population/Specimens

Acutely demyelinating white matter lesions from MS autopsy tissue were stained with the lipid dye oil red O. Myelin basic protein (MBP), a major membrane protein of myelin, was digested with trypsin. Purified human myelin was denatured with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). QSM was performed on phantoms containing digestion products and untreated controls. In vivo QSM was performed on five MS patients with newly enhancing lesions, and then repeated within 2 weeks.

Field Strength/Sequence

3D
‐weighted spoiled multiecho gradient echo scans performed at 3T.

Assessment

Region of interest analyses were performed by a biochemist and a neuroradiologist to determine susceptibility changes on in vitro and in vivo QSM images.

Statistical Tests

Not applicable.

Results

MBP degradation by trypsin increased the QSM measurement by an average of 112 ± 37 ppb, in excellent agreement with a theoretical estimate of 111 ppb. Degradation of human myelin by SDS increased the QSM measurement by 23 ppb. As MS lesions changed from gadolinium enhancing to nonenhancing over an average of 15.8 ± 3.7 days, their susceptibility increased by an average of 7.5 ± 6.3 ppb.

Data Conclusion

Myelin digestion in the early stages of MS lesion formation contributes to an increase in tissue susceptibility, detectable by QSM, as a lesion evolves from gadolinium enhancing to nonenhancing.

Level of Evidence: 1

Technical Efficacy: Stage 3

J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:1281–1287.
VERT, a virtual clinical environment, enhances understanding of radiation therapy planning concepts
Authors: Leong Aidan , Herst Patries , Kane Paul
Published: March 2018

Introduction

The ability to understand treatment plan dosimetry and apply this understanding clinically is fundamental to the role of the radiation therapist. This study evaluates whether or not the Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training (VERT) contributes to teaching treatment planning concepts to a cohort of first‐year radiation therapy students.

Methods

We directly compared a custom‐developed VERT teaching module with a standard teaching module with respect to the understanding of treatment planning concepts using a cross‐over design. Students self‐reported their understanding of specific concepts before and after delivery of the VERT and standard teaching modules and evaluated aspects of VERT as a learning experience. In addition, teaching staff participated in a semi‐structured interview discussing the modules from an educational perspective.

Results

Both the standard teaching module and VERT teaching module enhanced conceptual understanding and level of confidence in the student cohort after both teaching periods. The proportion of students reporting a perceived increase in knowledge/confidence was similar for the VERT teaching module for all but two scenarios. We propose that an integrated approach, providing a strong theoretical conceptual framework, followed by VERT to situate this framework in the (simulated) clinical environment combines the best of both teaching approaches.

Conclusion

This study has established for the first time a clear role for a tailored VERT teaching module in teaching RT planning concepts because of its ability to visualise conceptual information within a simulated clinical environment.
Not all rotors, effective ablation targets for nonparoxysmal atrial fibrillation, are included in areas suggested by conventional indirect indicators of atrial fibrillation drivers: ExTRa Mapping project
Authors: Sakata Kensuke , Okuyama Yusuke , Ozawa Tomoya , Haraguchi Ryo , Nakazawa Kazuo , Tsuchiya Takeshi , Horie Minoru , Ashihara Takashi
Published: March 2018

Background

Effects of nonparoxysmal atrial fibrillation (non‐PAF) ablation targeting complex fractionated atrial electrogram (CFAE) areas and/or low voltage areas (LVAs) are still controversial.

Methods and Results

A recently developed online real‐time phase mapping system (ExTRa Mapping) was used to conduct LVA mapping and simultaneous ExTRa and CFAE mapping in 28 non‐PAF patients after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Nonpassively activated areas, in the form of meandering rotors and/or multiple wavelets assumed to contain non‐PAF drivers, partly overlapped with CFAE/LVAs but not always coincided with them.

Conclusion

Real‐time rotor imaging, rather than conventional indirect indicators only, might be very useful for detecting non‐PAF drivers.
Quantitative Ultrasound Assessment of the Achilles Tendon Under Varied Loads
Authors: Sahr Meghan , Sturnick Daniel R. , Nwawka O. Kenechi
Published: March 2018

This Institutional Review Board–approved pilot study attempted to detect the correlation between ultrasound shear wave elastographic measures and tendon loads. Five male fresh‐frozen cadaveric Achilles tendons were loaded in 10‐N increments from 0 to 60 N. Shear wave velocity measurements within each Achilles tendon were obtained at each load in longitudinal and transverse orientations. Shear wave velocity measurements were correlated with tendon tension on both longitudinal and transverse plane imaging and showed moderate and strong positive correlation coefficients, respectively. Of note, limitations of the clinically available shear wave elastographic technology for measuring high velocities exist.
Ultrasound Elastography of the Median Nerve in Patients With Acromegaly: A Case‐Control Study
Authors: Burulday Veysel , Doğan Adil , Şahan Mehmet Hamdi , Arıkan Şenay , Güngüneş Aşkın
Published: March 2018

Objectives

The aim of this study was to compare the cross‐sectional area and ultrasound elastographic findings of the median nerve of patients with acromegaly and healthy participants.

Methods

The acromegaly group comprised 15 patients with a previous diagnosis of acromegaly, and an age‐ and sex‐matched control group included healthy participants. Strain elastographic and shear wave elastographic findings and the cross‐sectional areas of the groups were compared. A 6–15‐MHz multifrequency transducer was used for ultrasound evaluations.

Results

A total of 30 hands of 15 patients with acromegaly (7 male and 8 female) with a mean age ± SD of 50.00 ± 10.17 years and 40 hands of 20 healthy control participants (9 male and 11 female) with a mean age of 49.50 ± 10.17 years were taken into consideration for statistical analyses. The cross‐sectional area of the patients with acromegaly was significantly higher than that of the healthy controls (13.43 ± 3.12 versus 8.32 ± 1.94 mm2; P < .05). Median nerve stiffness was significantly increased in the acromegaly group compared with the control group (axial and longitudinal, 37.15 ± 6.4 and 37.0 ± 6.19 versus 18.7 ± 4.1 and 19.2 ± 3.58 kPa, respectively; P < .001).

Conclusions

These preliminary results have demonstrated that patients with acromegaly seem to have increased stiffness and cross‐sectional area of the median nerve compared with healthy participants.
Tribological behaviour of SnO2 nanoparticles as an oil additive on brass
Authors: Tao Chuanlin , Wang Bingxu , Barber Gary C. , Schall J. David , Lan Huiqing
Published: March 2018

In this research, the tribological behaviour of oil‐based SnO2 nanofluid was evaluated using flat‐on‐flat reciprocating sliding tests on brass. Oleic acid was used as surfactant to improve the stability of SnO2 nanofluid. The morphology of the worn surfaces was observed using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. It was found that oil‐based SnO2 nanofluid reduced the coefficient of friction up to 65.4% and the wear volume loss up to 43.7%. In the analysis of the chemical composition inside the wear track, a tribosintered or embedded patchy film containing tin was observed, which protected the surface against wear and lowered the coefficient of friction. The SnO2 nanoparticles might also roll or slide between 2 mating surfaces to prevent adhesive wear.
In silico Predicted Glucose‐1‐phosphate Uridylyltransferase (GalU) Inhibitors Block a Key Pathway Required for Listeria Virulence
Authors: Kuenemann Melaine A. , Spears Patricia A. , Orndorff Paul E. , Fourches Denis
Published: March 2018

Peptidoglycan walls of gram positive bacteria are functionalized by glycopolymers called wall teichoic acid (WTA). In Listeria monocytogenes, multiple enzymes including the glucose‐1‐phosphate uridylyltransferase (GalU) were identified as mandatory for WTA galactosylation, so that the inhibition of GalU is associated with a significant attenuation of Listeria virulence. Herein, we report on a series of in silico predicted GalU inhibitors identified using structure‐based virtual screening and experimentally validated to be effective in blocking the WTA galactosylation pathway in vitro. Several hits such as C04, a pyrimidinyl benzamide, afforded promising experimental potencies. This proof‐of‐concept study opens new perspectives for the development of potent and selective GalU inhibitors of high interest to attenuate Listeria virulence. It also underscores the high relevance of using molecular modeling for facilitating the identification of bacterial virulence attenuators and more generally antibacterials.
Multiple supercontinuum generation based on a single mode‐locked seed fiber laser
Authors: Amiri Iraj S. , Hassan N. A. , Ahmad H.
Published: March 2018

In this work, multiple supercontinuum spectrum generation using single pulsed seed fiber laser is demonstrated. A mode‐locked laser that operates at 17.6 MHz repetition rate is filtered into six different wavelengths with 1 nm full‐width‐half‐maximum over the range from 1560.4 nm to 1565.4 nm using a tunable band‐pass filter. Each filtered wavelength is amplified and launched into a highly nonlinear medium to generate supercontinuum. The multiple supercontinuum spectra span a bandwidth of over 1000 nm each—in the wavelength range from 1200 nm to 2200 nm.
Wearable planar inverted‐F antenna with stable characteristic and low specific absorption rate
Authors: Gao Guoping , Hu Bin , Wang Shaofei , Yang Chen
Published: March 2018

A dual band PIFA antenna with EBG structure in application to wearable communication system is investigated in this article. The proposed antenna is designed to work at 2.4/5.8 GHz WLAN band by two horizontal radiation units, and then the dual band EBG with two rectangular rings is designed, which is quite a simple structure. The two zero‐reflection phases and band‐gaps of S21<−20 dB are observed in the designed working bands. Both of the measurement and simulation show that the performance of the proposed antenna under bending condition is stable, and by virtue of the EBG structures, several significant characteristics are obtained such as the unidirectional radiation, high gain, and low SAR value, which are necessary for WBAN applications.
Design and analysis of a low‐pass filter utilizing a slotted‐ground‐plane resonator
Authors: Wang Chien‐Jen , Hsu Li‐Jung
Published: March 2018

In this article, the frequency‐response analysis of an H‐shaped slot resonator etched in the ground plane is shown by using transmission‐line analysis and even‐and‐odd mode analysis. Based on a stepped‐impedance structure, we systematically derive a resonance analysis of the slot resonator, addressing resonance conditions, and harmonic responses. The design rule of the slotted‐ground‐plane resonator was successfully derived. The design equations and figures regarding the impedance ratio of the H‐shaped slot resonator have been analytically proven so that the resonant modes can be predicted without electromagnetism simulation software. Aided by the proposed design procedure, we demonstrate a low‐pass filter (LPF) with a unit‐cell topology, which consists of a uniform‐impedance transmission line, an H‐shaped slot resonator, and two C‐like slot resonators which are also designed with the same design rule. By embedding the two C‐like slot resonators inside the H‐shaped slot resonator, several additional transmission zeros are excited in frequency characteristics so that the device achieves wideband rejection performance. Finally, to enhance the frequency characteristics of the LPF, a modified case is also presented by adding a rectangular stub at the transmission line.
Directional monopole antenna using half PMC and PEC ground plane
Authors: Lee Jae‐Gon , Lee Jeong‐Hae
Published: March 2018

A vertical monopole antenna having a directional radiation pattern is proposed in this paper. The proposed monopole antenna is located vertically on the half‐and‐half finite ground plane of perfect magnetic conductor (PMC) and perfect electric conductor (PEC). The ground dimension is set to be 1λ0. In case of the conventional monopole antenna, the surface currents on a ground plane are cancelled out because of the symmetrical ground with respect to the monopole. However, the surface currents of the presented monopole antenna are not cancelled out due to an asymmetrical ground and flows in one direction, so that the electromagnetic (EM) wave of an antenna does not radiate omni‐directionally but directionally. In this paper, a corrugated soft surface is employed to realize the PMC ground. The measured peak gain and the 10 dB bandwidth are measured to be 4.5 dBi and about 20% at the resonant frequency of 2.4 GHz, respectively.
Low‐loss and highly‐selective differential bandpass filter on integrated passive device process
Authors: Pakasiri Chatrpol , Hsu Keng‐Chi , Wang Sen
Published: March 2018

This letter presents a low‐loss and highly‐selective differential bandpass filter (BPF) with high common‐mode rejection ratio (CMRR). The presented integrated passive device process provides high quality lumped elements, and therefore a low insertion loss of the BPF can be obtained. The circuit also uses series‐shunt resonators for controlling its differential‐ and common‐mode transmission zeros. Moreover, with a proper choice of circuit component values, a high common‐mode rejection can be controlled at a specific frequency without alternating properties of the filter. The chip area of the filter is 3.74 mm2 including all testing pads. Additionally, the differential BPF achieves a 1.5‐dB insertion loss and 11‐dB return loss with a 73% 3‐dB bandwidth at 2.2 GHz. Finally, the peak CMRR at the frequency of interest is up to 50 dB.
Dual‐band on‐/off‐body reconfigurable antenna for wireless body area network (WBAN) applications
Authors: Tong Xuanfeng , Liu Changrong , Liu Xueguan , Guo Huiping , Yang Xinmi
Published: March 2018

A dual‐band dual‐mode reconfigurable antenna for on‐body and off‐body communication is presented. The antenna is operating at Industrial, Scientific, and Medical band, specifically, on‐body mode at 2.45 GHz band and off‐body mode at 5.8 GHz band. Ring slot is etched on the circular patch to form the off‐body mode with almost no influence on the on‐body mode. Three PIN diodes are utilized to act as switches between on‐body and off‐body modes. The total size of the antenna is π × 242 × 1.6 mm3. The antenna was fabricated to validate the simulation results. The antenna was measured on pork, measured results agree well with the simulated ones. The maximum measured gain of on‐body mode and off‐body mode are 0.36 dBi and 5.06 dBi, respectively. Specific absorption rate (SAR) value is less than 1.6 W/kg when the input power below 19.5 dBm which is enough for WBAN applications.
Tunable narrow bandwidth of a bandpass filter combined microstrip and suspended substrate stripline
Authors: Alaqil Hassan , Hong Jiasheng
Published: March 2018

This paper introduces a narrow bandwidth tunable filter. The filter has been tuned electronically by using varactor diodes. A set of mechanically tuning screws have been utilized to overcome the manufacturing tolerance of the filter's resonators. In contrast to most the combline filters, which depend on the cross‐coupling approach to generate the transmission poles, the proposed filter has a pair of transmission zeros located on both sides of the passband, by employing two uncoupled microstrip resonators that have been electronically tuned independently. The proposed filter bandwidth tuning range is 59–88 MHz with 3 dB fractional bandwidth 1.94–2.76 respectively. A detailed demonstration of the suggested tunable filter is introduced based on a mathematical approach.
Hybrid square ring patch‐slot antenna for dual‐band circular polarized operation
Authors: Hyun Mooyeol , Sung Youngje , Kim Eungsoo
Published: March 2018

A new design of a circular polarized hybrid patch‐slot antenna operating in dual band is investigated. The proposed structure is a hybrid square ring‐patch slot implemented on both sides of a single layer and has two radiating elements. The square ring patch, which operates in the low band, is implemented on the top layer of the substrate. For the high band, the square ring slot is placed on the ground plane. Each radiating element is fed by the same T‐shaped feed structure. The prototype achieves impedance bandwidths (|S11| ≤ −10 dB) of 7.73% and 12.03%, axial ratio (AR) bandwidths (AR ≤ 3 dB) of 1.7% and 2.61% at two different bands, respectively.
A compact missile‐borne conformal array antenna with off‐axis radiation
Authors: Li Cun L. , Shi Xiao W. , Wang Hai H. , Li Xin
Published: March 2018

A missile‐borne conformal array antenna with off‐axis radiation is designed in this article. 16 inclined radiation elements are connected by a power divider to form a conformal array, which consists of an active patch and a parasitic patch with an open‐circuit stub. By coplanar coupled feeding and adjusting the length of the open‐circuit stub, the radiation pattern toward axis‐direction of missile is realized. Experimental results show the antenna can cover 5.25–5.45 GHz with −10 dB return loss and with off‐axis radiation. Due to its excellent electrical performance and conformal ability, it can be widely used on the missiles.
Dual polarized triple‐band dielectric resonator based hybrid MIMO antenna for WLAN/WiMAX applications
Authors: Sahu Nikesh Kumar , Das Gourab , Gangwar Ravi Kumar
Published: March 2018

In this article, a dual polarized triple‐band dielectric resonator based hybrid multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) antenna is presented. The proposed MIMO antenna is designed with the help of two cylindrical dielectric resonators along with two symmetrical modified Y‐shaped microstrip printed lines. Two metallic strips and a slot on the ground plane are used to enhance the isolation. A prototype of the proposed design is fabricated and tested to validate the simulation outcomes. The measured outcomes confirmed that the proposed antenna can be utilized in three different frequency bands such as 2.21–3.13, 3.40–3.92, and 5.30–6.10 GHz with fractional bandwidth of 34.45%, 14.2%, and 14%, respectively. The modified Y‐shaped printed line is used to obtain circular polarization in the upper frequency band with fractional axial ratio (AR) bandwidth of 4.18%. Besides, MIMO performance has also been examined in terms of diversity parameters like envelope correlation coefficient (ECC), mean effective gain (MEG), diversity gain (DG), and channel capacity loss (CCL).
Compact spiral band pass filter with low group delay
Authors: Noraei Yeganeh Ali , Sedighy Seyed Hassan
Published: March 2018

A complementary coupled spiral transmission line with center via is proposed to design band pass filter with compact and simple profile, low group delay, and low insertion loss. A compact wideband band pass filter is designed and fabricated for demonstration which has 26% bandwidth, 0.3 dB insertion loss, and compact size as 0.41 × 0.23 λg with very low group delay, 0.28 ns. These good specifications prove the capability of the proposed approach to design of band pass filter compared with the literatures.
A combinatorial approach to enhance barrier properties of thin films on polymers: Seeding and capping of PECVD thin films by PEALD
Authors: Gebhard Maximilian , Mitschker Felix , Hoppe Christian , Aghaee Morteza , Rogalla Detlef , Creatore Mariadriana , Grundmeier Guido , Awakowicz Peter , Devi Anjana
Published: March 2018

A combinatorial approach to deposit gas barrier layers (GBLs) on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) by means of plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and plasma‐enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) is presented. Thin films of SiOx and SiOxCyHz obtained from PECVD were grown either subsequently on a PEALD seeding layer (SiO2) or were capped by ultrathin PEALD films of Al2O3 or SiO2. To study the impact of PEALD layers on the overall GBL performance, PECVD coatings with high macro defect densities and low barrier efficiency with regard to the oxygen transmission rate (OTR) were chosen. PEALD seeding layers demonstrated the ability to influence the subsequent PECVD growth in terms of the lower macro defect density (9 macro‐defects mm−2) and improved barrier performance (OTR = 0.8 cm3 m−2 day−1), while the PEALD capping‐route produced GBLs free of macro‐defects.
The three‐dimensional structure of NeoB: An aminotransferase involved in the biosynthesis of neomycin
Authors: Dow Garrett T. , Thoden James B. , Holden Hazel M.
Published: March 2018

The aminoglycoside antibiotics, discovered as natural products in the 1940s, demonstrate a broad antimicrobial spectrum. Due to their nephrotoxic and ototoxic side effects, however, their widespread clinical usage has typically been limited to the treatment of serious infections. Neomycin B, first isolated from strains of Streptomyces in 1948, is one such drug that was approved for human use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1964. Only within the last 11 years has the biochemical pathway for its production been elaborated, however. Here we present the three‐dimensional architecture of NeoB from Streptomyces fradiae, which is a pyridoxal 5′‐phosphate or PLP‐dependent aminotransferase that functions on two different substrates in neomycin B biosynthesis. For this investigation, four high resolution X‐ray structures of NeoB were determined in various complexed states. The overall fold of NeoB is that typically observed for members of the “aspartate aminotransferase” family with the exception of an additional three‐stranded antiparallel β‐sheet that forms part of the subunit–subunit interface of the dimer. The manner in which the active site of NeoB accommodates quite different substrates has been defined by this investigation. In addition, during the course of this study, we also determined the structure of the aminotransferase GenB1 to high resolution. GenB1 functions as an aminotransferase in gentamicin biosynthesis. Taken together, the structures of NeoB and GenB1, presented here, provide the first detailed descriptions of aminotransferases that specifically function on aldehyde moieties in aminoglycoside biosynthesis.
Establishment of a trans‐vaginal ultrasound‐guided pinpoint transfer method
Authors: Okamoto Sumihide
Published: March 2018

Purpose

Through the use of the trans‐vaginal ultrasound‐guided pinpoint transfer method, the aim was to ensure the safety of the embryo being transferred in cases of difficult cervixes. It also was aimed to be able to stop embryo transfers in difficult cases and to be able to restart the process under anesthesia or cryopreservation.

Methods

A new type of transfer catheter was developed. With this method, after reaching the internal os, the embryologist begins the loading of the embryo into the inner catheter. Then, the embryo transfer begins. Under the guidance of the trans‐vaginal ultrasonography, the optimal position for implantation is selected.

Results

Out of 666 cases, 14 were difficult cervixes. This transfer method enabled 221 of the 666 patients to become pregnant successfully, which was a success rate of 33.2%.

Conclusion

From start to finish, this method takes only 2 min. It is simple, fast, and reliable, with a high satisfaction rate amongst patients.
Formation of Uniform Water Microdroplets on Wrinkled Graphene for Ultrafast Humidity Sensing
Authors: Zhen Zhen , Li Zechen , Zhao Xuanliang , Zhong Yujia , Zhang Li , Chen Qiao , Yang Tingting , Zhu Hongwei
Published: March 2018

Portable humidity sensors with ultrafast responses fabricated in wearable devices have promising application prospects in disease diagnostics, health status monitoring, and personal healthcare data collecting. However, prolonged exposures to high‐humidity environments usually cause device degradation or failure due to excessive water adsorbed on the sensor surface. In the present work, a graphene film based humidity sensor with a hydrophobic surface and uniformly distributed ring‐like wrinkles is designed and fabricated that exhibits excellent performance in breath sensing. The wrinkled morphology of the graphene sensor is able to effectively prevent the aggregation of water microdroplets and thus maximize the evaporation rate. The as‐fabricated sensor responds to and recovers from humidity in 12.5 ms, the fastest response of humidity sensors reported so far, yet in a very stable manner. The sensor is fabricated into a mask and successfully applied to monitoring sudden changes in respiratory rate and depth, such as breathing disorder or arrest, as well as subtle changes in humidity level caused by talking, cough and skin evaporation. The sensor can potentially enable long‐term daily monitoring of breath and skin evaporation with its ultrafast response and high sensitivity, as well as excellent stability in high‐humidity environments.
Highly selective extraction of peptides with an N‐terminal 2‐amino alcohol structure using a hydrazide functionalized magnetic chitosan nanostructure
Authors: Yousefi Shila , Saraji Mohammad
Published: March 2018

A novel hydrazide functionalized magnetic chitosan nanostructure was developed as a sorbent for the selective extraction of peptides with N‐terminal serine and threonine. Iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by the co‐precipitation method. Chitosan was covalently bonded onto the surface of magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Magnetic chitosan was modified by glutaraldehyde as a linking agent. Hydrazide functional groups were created on the sorbent surface by immobilization of adipic dihydrazide. The sorbent characterization was performed by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The studied peptides were labeled by oxidation of the hydroxyl group in 1,2‐amino alcohol structure under controlled conditions. The aldehyde‐form peptides were immobilized on the surface of the sorbent through the hydrazide group. The formed hydrazone compounds were eluted by hydroxylamine reagent. The release oximated peptides were determined by high‐performance liquid chromatography. The effect of extraction time, elution time and elution volume on extraction performance were studied. Extraction and desorption processes were performed in 6 h. The adsorption efficiency of the sorbent was 68 and 61% for peptides with N‐terminal serine and threonine, respectively. The sorbent showed excellent specificity in extracting peptides with N‐terminal serine and threonine in the presence of a peptide with non‐N‐terminal serine and threonine.
Transition Metal‐Catalyzed Dicarbofunctionalization of Unactivated Olefins
Authors: Dhungana Roshan K. , KC Shekhar , Basnet Prakash , Giri Ramesh
Published: March 2018

Transition metal (TM)‐catalyzed difunctionalization of unactivated olefins with two carbon‐based entities is a powerful method to construct complex molecular architectures rapidly from simple and readily available feedstock chemicals. While dicarbofunctionalization of unactivated olefins has a long history typically with the use of either carbon monoxide to intercept C(sp3)‐[M] (alkyl‐TM) species or substrates lacking in β‐hydrogen (β‐Hs), development of this class of reaction still remains seriously limited due to complications of β‐H elimination arising from the in situ‐generated C(sp3)‐[M] intermediates. Over the years, different approaches have been harnessed to suppress β‐H elimination, which have led to the development of various types of olefin dicarbofunctionalization reactions even in substrates that generate C(sp3)‐[M] intermediates bearing β‐Hs with a wide range of electrophiles and nucleophiles. In this review, these developments will be discussed both through the lens of historical perspectives as well as the strategies scrutinized over the years to address the issue of β‐H elimination. However, this review article by no means is designed to be exhaustive in the field, and is merely presented to provide the readers an overview of the key reaction developments.
The case for future hadron colliders from B → K(*)μ+μ− decays
Authors: Allanach B. C. , Gripaios Ben , You Tevong
Published: March 2018

Abstract

Recent measurements in B → K
(*)
μ
+
μ
− decays are somewhat discrepant with Standard Model predictions. They may be harbingers of new physics at an energy scale potentially accessible to direct discovery. We estimate the sensitivity of future hadron colliders to the possible new particles that may be responsible for the anomalies at tree-level: leptoquarks or Z′s. We consider luminosity upgrades for a 14 TeV LHC, a 33 TeV LHC, and a 100 TeV pp collider such as the FCC-hh. In the most conservative and pessimistic models, for narrow particles with perturbative couplings, Z′ masses up to 20 TeV and leptoquark masses up to 41 TeV may in principle explain the anomalies. Coverage of Z′ models is excellent: a 33 TeV 1 ab−1 LHC is expected to cover most of the parameter space up to 8 TeV in mass, whereas the 100 TeV FCC-hh with 10 ab−1 will cover all of it. A smaller portion of the leptoquark parameter space is covered by future colliders: for example, in a μ
+
μ
−
jj di-leptoquark search, a 100 TeV 10 ab−1 collider has a projected sensitivity up to leptoquark masses of 12 TeV (extendable to 21 TeV with a strong coupling for single leptoquark production).
Elliptic genus derivation of 4d holomorphic blocks
Authors: Poggi Matteo
Published: March 2018

Abstract

We study elliptic vortices on ℂ × T
2 by considering the 2d quiver gauge theory describing their moduli spaces. The elliptic genus of these moduli spaces is the elliptic version of vortex partition function of the 4d theory. We focus on two examples: the first is a

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 1, U(N ) gauge theory with fundamental and anti-fundamental matter; the second is a

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 2, U(N ) gauge theory with matter in the fundamental representation. The results are instances of 4d “holomorphic blocks” into which partition functions on more complicated surfaces factorize. They can also be interpreted as free-field representations of elliptic Virasoro algebrae.
Unitarity and predictiveness in new Higgs inflation
Authors: Fumagalli Jacopo , Mooij Sander , Postma Marieke
Published: March 2018

Abstract

In new Higgs inflation the Higgs kinetic terms are non-minimally coupled to the Einstein tensor, allowing the Higgs field to play the role of the inflaton. The new interaction is non-renormalizable, and the model only describes physics below some cutoff scale. Even if the unknown UV physics does not affect the tree level inflaton potential significantly, it may still enter at loop level and modify the running of the Standard Model (SM) parameters. This is analogous to what happens in the original model for Higgs inflation. A key difference, though, is that in new Higgs inflation the inflationary predictions are sensitive to this running. Thus the boundary conditions at the EW scale as well as the unknown UV completion may leave a signature on the inflationary parameters. However, this dependence can be evaded if the kinetic terms of the SM fermions and gauge fields are non-minimally coupled to gravity as well. Our approach to determine the model’s UV dependence and the connection between low and high scale physics can be used in any particle physics model of inflation.
Classical and quantum aspects of Yang-Baxter Wess-Zumino models
Authors: Demulder Saskia , Driezen Sibylle , Sevrin Alexander , Thompson Daniel C.
Published: March 2018

Abstract

We investigate the integrable Yang-Baxter deformation of the 2d Principal Chiral Model with a Wess-Zumino term. For arbitrary groups, the one-loop β-functions are calculated and display a surprising connection between classical and quantum physics: the classical integrability condition is necessary to prevent new couplings being generated by renormalisation. We show these theories admit an elegant realisation of Poisson-Lie T-duality acting as a simple inversion of coupling constants. The self-dual point corresponds to the Wess-Zumino-Witten model and is the IR fixed point under RG. We address the possibility of having supersymmetric extensions of these models showing that extended supersymmetry is not possible in general.
Prenatal Diagnosis of Cryptic Translocation t(5p;17q) with Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization
Authors: Sukarova-Angelovska E. , Kocova M. , Sukarova-Stefanovska E. , Ilieva G. , Hristova-Dimkovska T. , Kostadinova-Kunovska S.
Published: March 2018

Reciprocal chromosomal rearrangements, de novo or inherited, often raise a concern about the foetal health and outcome of the affected pregnancies. The size and origin of the translocated chromosomes could be variable. Cryptic translocations often remain undetected and misdiagnosed. Several studies confirmed that there could be a loss of a certain amount of genomic material within breakpoints, which leads to uncertainties in predicting the pregnancy outcome. A 38 year pregnant woman approached our clinic for a genetic counselling. This was her first pregnancy, with normal foetal growth on ultrasound follow up. The amniocentesis was carried out due to the advanced maternal age. Conventional cytogenetic report showed putative deletion of short arm of chromosome 5. Cordocentesis was done additionally at 18 week of pregnancy due to the discrepancy between normal ultrasonographic finding and karyotype result. MLPA analysis showed that 5p critical region was present. FISH has been performed, using 5p;q probe (Cytocell aquarius, Cat No LPU 013), which showed cryptic de novo translocation 46,XX.ish t(5;17) (p15.1;q25). Decision to terminate the pregnancy was made due to the cytogenetic finding and reduced foetal growth recorded after 20th week. Examination at autopsy showed dysmorphism consistent with some features of cri du chat syndrome-micrognathia, hypertelorism, reduced fetal growth, as well as underdeveloped brain for gestational period. Novel technologies in molecular cytogenetics and array techniques could help in detecting minor imbalances and decrease the risk of the birth of malformed fetus. Combination of several prenatal methods -both ultrasonography and novel genetic techniques, in a small number of cases can help in the process of genetic counselling.
Sincipital Encephalocele, a Rare Anomaly Diagnosed Antenatally in the Late Pregnancy
Authors: Ilyas Mohd , Bhat Arshad , Khan Insha , Wani Arif Ahmad
Published: March 2018

A case of sincipital encephalocele with intracranial cyst is presented which was diagnosed at 35 weeks gestational age in a patient who had undergone no ultrasound examination earlier. The purpose of this article is to make the radiologists and the obstetricians aware of this condition, prognosis, and complications.
Robust local Hölder rigidity of circle maps with breaks
Authors: Khanin Konstantin , Kocić Saša
Published: March 2018

We prove that, for every

\varepsilon \in (0,1)

, every two

C^{2 + \alpha }

-smooth

(\alpha > 0)

circle diffeomorphisms with a break point, i.e. circle diffeomorphisms with a single singular point where the derivative has a jump discontinuity, with the same irrational rotation number

\rho \in (0,1)

and the same size of the break

c \in \mathbb{R}_{ + }\backslash \{1\}

, are conjugate to each other via a conjugacy which is

(1−\varepsilon )

-Hölder continuous at the break points. An analogous result does not hold for circle diffeomorphisms even when they are analytic.
Quantitative image analysis for evaluation of tumor response in clinical oncology
Authors: Cai Wen‐Li , Hong Guo‐Bin
Published: March 2018

The objective, accurate, and standardized evaluation of tumor response to treatment is an indispensable procedure in clinical oncology. Compared to manual measurement, computer‐assisted linear measurement can significantly improve the accuracy and reproducibility of tumor burden quantification. For irregular‐shaped and infiltrating or diffuse tumors, which are difficult to quantify by linear measurement, computer‐assisted volumetric measurement may provide a more objective and sensitive quantification to evaluate tumor response to treatment than linear measurement does. In the evaluation of tumor response to novel oncologic treatments such as targeted therapy, changes in overall tumor size do not necessarily reflect tumor response to therapy due to the presence of internal necrosis or hemorrhages. This leads to a new generation of imaging biomarkers to evaluate tumor response by using texture analysis methods, also called radiomics. Computer‐assisted texture analysis technology offers a more comprehensive and in‐depth imaging biomarker to evaluate tumor response. The application of computer‐assisted quantitative imaging analysis techniques not only reduces the inaccuracy and improves the reliability in tumor burden quantification, but facilitates the development of more comprehensive and intelligent approaches to evaluate treatment response, and hence promotes precision imaging in the evaluation of tumor response in clinical oncology. This article summarizes the state‐of‐the‐art technical developments and clinical applications of quantitative imaging analysis in evaluation of tumor response in clinical oncology.
How sensitive are mountain glaciers to climate change? Insights from a block model
Authors: BACH EVIATAR , RADIĆ VALENTINA , SCHOOF CHRISTIAN
Published: March 2018

Simple models of glacier volume evolution are important in understanding features of glacier response to climate change, due to the scarcity of data adequate for running more complex models on a global scale. Two quantities of interest in a glacier's response to climate changes are its response time and its volume sensitivity to changes in the equilibrium line altitude (ELA). We derive a simplified, computationally inexpensive model of glacier volume evolution based on a block model with volume–area–length scaling. After analyzing its steady-state properties, we apply the model to each mountain glacier worldwide and estimate regionally differentiated response times and sensitivities to ELA changes. We use a statistical method from the family of global sensitivity analysis methods to determine the glacier quantities, geometric and climatic, that most influence the model output. The response time is dominated by the climatic setting reflected in the mass-balance gradient in the ablation zone, followed by the surface slope, while volume sensitivity is mainly affected by glacier size, followed by the surface slope.
Decaffeinated coffee improves insulin sensitivity in healthy men
Authors: Reis Caio E. G. , Paiva Cicília L. R. dos S. , Amato Angélica A. , Lofrano-Porto Adriana , Wassell Sara , Bluck Leslie J. C. , Dórea José G. , da Costa Teresa H. M.
Published: March 2018

Epidemiological studies have found coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Thus, the aim of this randomised, cross-over single-blind study was to investigate the effects of regular coffee, regular coffee with sugar and decaffeinated coffee consumption on glucose metabolism and incretin hormones. Seventeen healthy men participated in five trials each, during which they consumed coffee (decaffeinated, regular (containing caffeine) or regular with sugar) or water (with or without sugar). After 1 h of each intervention, they received an oral glucose tolerance test with one intravenous dose of [1-13C]glucose. The Oral Dose Intravenous Label Experiment was applied and glucose and insulin levels were interpreted using a stable isotope two-compartment minimal model. A mixed-model procedure (PROC MIXED), with subject as random effect and time as repeated measure, was used to compare the effects of the beverages on glucose metabolism and incretin parameters (glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP)) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)). Insulin sensitivity was higher with decaffeinated coffee than with water (P<0·05). Regular coffee with sugar did not significantly affect glucose, insulin, C-peptide and incretin hormones, compared with water with sugar. Glucose, insulin, C-peptide, GLP-1 and GIP levels were not statistically different after regular and decaffeinated coffee compared with water. Our findings demonstrated that the consumption of decaffeinated coffee improves insulin sensitivity without changing incretin hormones levels. There was no short-term adverse effect on glucose homoeostasis, after an oral glucose challenge, attributable to the consumption of regular coffee with sugar.
War and democracy: the legacy of conflict in East Africa
Authors: Cheeseman Nic , Collord Michaela , Reyntjens Filip
Published: March 2018

The historical literature on statebuilding in Europe has often portrayed a positive relationship between war, state making and long-term democratisation. Similarly, a number of large-n quantitative studies have concluded that war promotes democracy – even in cases of civil war. Against this, a growing area studies literature has argued that violent conflict in developing countries is unlikely to drive either statebuilding or democratisation. However, this literature has rarely sought to systematically set out the mechanisms through which war undermines democracy. Contrasting three ‘high conflict’ cases (Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda) with two ‘low conflict’ cases (Kenya and Tanzania) in East Africa, we trace the way in which domestic conflict has undermined three key elements of the democratisation process: the quality of political institutions, the degree of elite cohesion, and the nature of civil-military relations. Taken together, we suggest that the combined effect of these three mechanisms helps to explain why Kenya and Tanzania have made significantly greater progress towards democratic consolidation than their counterparts and call for more in-depth research on the long-term legacy of conflict on democratisation in the African context.
How foraging works: Uncertainty magnifies food-seeking motivation
Authors: Anselme Patrick , Güntürkün Onur
Published: March 2018

Food uncertainty has the effect of invigorating food-related responses. Psychologists have noted that mammals and birds respond more to a conditioned stimulus that unreliably predicts food delivery, and ecologists have shown that animals (especially small passerines) consume and/or hoard more food and can get fatter when access to that resource is unpredictable. Are these phenomena related? We think they are. Psychologists have proposed several mechanistic interpretations, while ecologists have suggested a functional interpretation: The effect of unpredictability on fat reserves and hoarding behavior is an evolutionary strategy acting against the risk of starvation when food is in short supply. Both perspectives are complementary, and we argue that the psychology of incentive motivational processes can shed some light on the causal mechanisms leading animals to seek and consume more food under uncertainty in the wild. Our theoretical approach is in agreement with neuroscientific data relating to the role of dopamine, a neurotransmitter strongly involved in incentive motivation, and its plausibility has received some explanatory and predictive value with respect to Pavlovian phenomena. Overall, we argue that the occasional and unavoidable absence of food rewards has motivational effects (calledincentive hope) that facilitate foraging effort. We show that this hypothesis is computationally tenable, leading foragers in an unpredictable environment to consume more food items and to have higher long-term energy storage than foragers in a predictable environment.
Introduction: UK's Membership of the EU: Brexit and the Gains, Losses and Dilemmas for Social Policy
Authors: Plomien Ania
Published: March 2018

The United Kingdom has a long history of a fraught relationship with the European Union, a discomfort demonstrated in the 23 June 2016 referendum on the membership of the EU, in which the UK voted to leave with nearly 52 per cent majority vote. Among the key concerns underlying UK's unease with EU are the interrelated areas of the economy, polity, and society. However, public debate surrounding the event focused on a relatively narrow range of issues. The two official campaigns representing the choice in the referendum, ‘Vote Leave, take control’ and ‘Britain Stronger in Europe’, were marshalled either to support Eurosceptic feelings or to emphasise the benefits of access to the Single Market. Commonplace convictions that the EU is responsible for that which is negative, inconvenient, or difficult to explain circulated alongside (though less frequently than) the recognition of the economic privileges and opportunities that come from EU membership. The political, economic and social concerns were encapsulated in themes of taking power back from Brussels, redirecting resources from the UK's contributions to the EU budget towards nationally determined projects (most famously allocating £350 million a week for the National Health Service), and effective border control to significantly curb migration. Contradictory claims about the EU and the UK's affiliation with it were further complicated by the fact that divisions over the support for or opposition to Britain's withdrawal spanned the whole political spectrum.
Umzug von Menschen mit Demenz in ein Pflegeheim
Authors: Nguyen Natalie , Renom-Guiteras Anna , Meyer Gabriele , Stephan Astrid
Published: March 2018

Zusammenfassung. Hintergrund: Der Umzug von Menschen mit Demenz in ein Pflegeheim kann notwendig werden, wenn die häusliche Pflege nicht mehr ausreicht. Die Übergangsphase wird von Angehörigen als zusätzliche Belastung erlebt. Ziel: Die Sichtweisen von pflegenden Angehörigen und professionellen Akteuren in der Übergangsphase von Menschen mit Demenz in ein Pflegeheim wurden untersucht, um Angehörigen eine positive Gestaltung des Übergangs zu ermöglichen. Methode: Diese Sekundäranalyse beinhaltete die Daten aus allen fünf Fokusgruppen des „RightTimePlaceCare“-Projekts mit n = 30 pflegenden Angehörigen und professionellen Akteuren. Das Material bezieht sich auf nur eine Interviewfrage und wurde daher durch eine Literaturübersicht mit dem gleichen Fokus ergänzt. Ergebnisse: Die zusammengeführten Ergebnisse legten nahe, dass pflegende Angehörige bereits in der Häuslichkeit bis nach dem Umzug Unterstützung benötigten. Die Entscheidungsfindung war durch Vorbehalte gegenüber Pflegeheimen, finanzielle Aspekte und das familiäre Umfeld geprägt. Professionelle Akteure empfahlen diesbezüglich eine frühzeitige Beratung sowie das Sammeln eigener Erfahrungen mit Pflegeheimen. Professionelle Akteure sollten in der Übergangsphase als Mittler fungieren und sich dazu miteinander vernetzen. Schlussfolgerungen: Beratung in der häuslichen Situation über Entlastungs-, Wohn- und Finanzierungsmöglichkeiten könnte Familien mehr Selbstbestimmung ermöglichen. Professionelle Akteure sollten Angehörige bei ihrer Entscheidung, der Vorbereitung des Übergangs und der Eingewöhnung unterstützen.