bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mechano‐electric and mechano‐chemo‐transduction in cardiomyocytes
Authors: Izu Leighton T. , Kohl Peter , Boyden Penelope A. , Miura Masahito , Banyasz Tamas , Chiamvimonvat Nipavan , Trayanova Natalia , Bers Donald M. , Chen‐Izu Ye
Published: December 2019

Cardiac excitation‐contraction (E‐C) coupling is influenced by (at least) three dynamic systems that couple and feedback to one another (see Abstract Figure). Here we review the mechanical effects on cardiomyocytes that include mechano‐electro‐transduction (commonly referred to as mechano‐electric coupling, MEC) and mechano‐chemo‐transduction (MCT) mechanisms at cell and molecular levels which couple to Ca2+‐electro and E‐C coupling reviewed elsewhere. These feedback loops from muscle contraction and mechano‐transduction to the Ca2+ homeodynamics and to the electrical excitation are essential for understanding the E‐C coupling dynamic system and arrhythmogenesis in mechanically loaded hearts. This white paper comprises two parts, each reflecting key aspects from the 2018 UC Davis symposium: MEC (how mechanical load influences electrical dynamics) and MCT (how mechanical load alters cell signalling and Ca2+ dynamics). Of course, such separation is artificial since Ca2+ dynamics profoundly affect ion channels and electrogenic transporters and vice versa. In time, these dynamic systems and their interactions must become fully integrated, and that should be a goal for a comprehensive understanding of how mechanical load influences cell signalling, Ca2+ homeodynamics and electrical dynamics. In this white paper we emphasize current understanding, consensus, controversies and the pressing issues for future investigations. Space constraints make it impossible to cover all relevant articles in the field, so we will focus on the topics discussed at the symposium.

image
Contracting striated muscle has a dynamic I‐band spring with an undamped stiffness 100 times larger than the passive stiffness
Authors: Powers Joseph D. , Bianco Pasquale , Pertici Irene , Reconditi Massimo , Lombardi Vincenzo , Piazzesi Gabriella
Published: December 2019

Key points

Fast sarcomere‐level mechanics in contracting intact fibres from frog skeletal muscle reveal an I‐band spring with an undamped stiffness 100 times larger than the known static stiffness.

This undamped stiffness remains constant in the range of sarcomere length 2.7–3.1 µm, showing the ability of the I‐band spring to adapt its length to the width of the I‐band.

The stiffness and tunability of the I‐band spring implicate titin as a force contributor that, during contraction, allows weaker half‐sarcomeres to equilibrate with in‐series stronger half‐sarcomeres, preventing the development of sarcomere length inhomogeneity.

This work opens new possibilities for the detailed in situ description of the structural–functional basis of muscle dysfunctions related to mutations or site‐directed mutagenesis in titin that alter the I‐band stiffness.

Force and shortening in the muscle sarcomere are due to myosin motors from thick filaments pulling nearby actin filaments toward the sarcomere centre. Thousands of serially linked sarcomeres in muscle make the shortening (and the shortening speed) macroscopic, while the intrinsic instability of in‐series force generators is likely prevented by the cytoskeletal protein titin that connects the thick filament with the sarcomere end, working as an I‐band spring that accounts for the rise of passive force with sarcomere length (SL). However, current estimates of titin stiffness, deduced from the passive force–SL relation and single molecule mechanics, are much smaller than what is required to avoid the development of large inhomogeneities among sarcomeres. In this work, using 4 kHz stiffness measurements on a population of sarcomeres selected along an intact fibre isolated from frog skeletal muscle contracting at different SLs (temperature 4°C), we measure the undamped stiffness of an I‐band spring that at SL > 2.7 µm attains a maximum constant value of ∼6 pN nm−1 per half‐thick filament, two orders of magnitude larger than expected from titin‐related passive force. We conclude that a titin‐like dynamic spring in the I‐band, made by an undamped elastic element in‐series with damped elastic elements, adapts its length to the SL with kinetics that provide force balancing among serially linked sarcomeres during contraction. In this way, the I‐band spring plays a fundamental role in preventing the development of SL inhomogeneity.
Improving Retention Rate of LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 Cathode Material Synthesized Using Glycerol Solvent
Authors: Hamad Khaleel I. , Xing Yangchuan
Published: December 2019

This paper reports an enhanced retention rate of LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 (NCA) cathode material for Li-ion batteries synthesized with glycerol as a solvent and a reactant. Glycerol is a fuel and the heat released during synthesis could be considered as an additional free energy source for material preparation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show an early stage of crystallization of the produced powder. Early crystallization in the NCA material at low temperatures was believed to hinder cationic mixing that would occur at higher temperatures during calcination. As a result, cycling of the NCA material shows a very stable capacity. The NCA material displays 97% capacity retention at 1C (1C = 200 mA/g) after 50 cycles, 87.6% at 0.3C after 100 cycles, and 93.6% at 0.1C after 70 cycles, which are better than those reported previously.
Effect of Different Arc Welding Processes on the Metallurgical and Mechanical Properties of Ramor 500 Armor Steel
Authors: Günen Ali , Bayar Selçuk , Karakaş Mustafa Serdar
Published: December 2019

In the present study, Ramor 500 armor steel plates were automatically welded using cold metal transfer arc welding (CMT), gas metal arc welding (GMAW), and hybrid plasma arc welding (HPAW) methods. To investigate the effects of three different fusion welding methods on metallurgical and mechanical properties, the welded joints were examined using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and also subjected to radiographic, hardness, tensile, and notched impact tests. The weld metal (WM) region of the GMAW and HPAW joints consisted of massive austenite. In the CMT welded joint, the WM consisted mainly of dendritic austenite and a minor amount of δ-ferrite. Regardless of the welding process, the hardness of both the WM and heat-affected zone (HAZ) regions was found to be higher than the base metal (BM). The tensile strengths obtained by CMT, GMAW, and HPAW were 45%, 50%, and 65% of the BM, respectively. Cleavage-type brittle fractures occurred in the GMAW and HPAW welded joints, while localized ductile fractures occurred in the CMT joints. Tensile test specimens of the CMT joints fractured in the WM, while the GMAW and HPAW joints fractured in the HAZ. In terms of notch toughness, the CMT joints exhibited better impact resistance compared with the BM. GMAW and HPAW joints displayed less impact resistance than the BM, with values comparable with previous studies in the literature.
A Method for Measuring Thermal Conductivity of Low-Dimensional Materials Based on DC Heating
Authors: Yang Xiao , Zheng Xinghua , Yang Zheng , Wang Liang , Chen Haisheng
Published: December 2019

Due to the small size of low-dimensional materials, traditional experimental methods can hardly meet the requirements of accurate measurement. This paper presented a method for measuring the thermal conductivity of low-dimensional materials based on DC heating. This method adopted a micro-machining process to prepare a measuring electrode in advance, and only needed to suspend the object (one-dimensional wire or two-dimensional film) on the electrodes and maintain close contact. Finally, a standard diameter of 20 μm platinum wire was used to verify the measurement accuracy of this method. The application and future development of thermal conductivity testing structures for low-dimensional materials were also prospected.
Condensation of NH3 Within a Plate Heat Exchanger of Small Diameter Channel
Authors: Tao Xuan , Kirkenier Joost , Ferreira Carlos Infante
Published: December 2019

Most plate heat exchangers (PHEs) have hydraulic diameters in the range of 2∼5 mm and show characteristics of both macro-channels and micro-channels. Both gravity and surface tension have non-negligible influences and determine the heat transfer and frictional pressure drop.

This paper investigates NH3 condensation in a PHE with a hydraulic diameter of 2.99 mm. The large surface tension of NH3 enhances the micro-channel characteristics. The heat transfer coefficients (HTCs) are compared with homogeneous and separated models, respectively. Both models have been previously compared with the experimental data of HFCs, hydrocarbons and HFOs. The prediction for NH3 is generally good since the deviations are small, while the sensitivity to mass fluxes and vapor qualities cannot be estimated properly. The data of frictional pressure drop are predicted by a correlation of two-phase Fanning friction factor, which is based on homogeneous flow and includes the influences of mass fluxes, vapor qualities, hydraulic diameters, chevron angles, etc. The fluid properties of NH3 are significantly different between liquid and vapor phases, and the averaged density derived from homogeneous flow is under-estimated. The prediction is improved by calculating the averaged density from the void fraction models of separated flow.
Subcooled Flow Boiling on Micro-Porous Structured Copper Surface in a Vertical Mini-Gap Channel
Authors: Li Junye , Zhou Kan , Li Wei
Published: December 2019

An experimental investigation of subcooled flow boiling in a large width-to-height-ratio, one-sided heating rectangular mini-gap channel was conducted with deionized water as the working fluid. The super-hydrophobicity micro-porous structured copper surface was utilized in the experiments. High speed flow visualization was conducted to illustrate the effects of heat flux and mass rate on the heat transfer coefficient and flow pattern on the surfaces. The mass fluxes were in the range of 200–500 kg/m2s, the wall heat fluxes were spanned from 40–400 kW/m2. With increments of imposed heat flux, the slopes of boiling curves for superhydrophobic micro-porous copper surfaces increased rapidly, indicating the Onset of Nucleate Boiling. Heat transfer characteristics were discussed with variation of heat fluxes and mass fluxes, the trends of which were analyzed with the aid of high speed flow visualization.
Experimental Study of Saturated Flow Boiling in Vertical Narrow Microchannel
Authors: Lin Yuhao , Zhou Kan , Li Junye , Li Wei , Zhu Hua , Zhang Zhengjiang , Du Jincai
Published: December 2019

An experimental study of saturated flow boiling in a high-aspect-ratio one-side-heating rectangular microchannel is conducted with deionized water as the working fluid. The bottom surface of the microchannel is constructed of two different material, one is the untreated hydrophilic silicon wafer with a contact angle of 65° ± 3°, the other is the super-hydrophilic silicon wafer deposited with a thin film of 100-nm-thickness silicon dioxide through PECVD with a contact angle less than 5°. The heat transfer characteristics of saturated flow boiling in the microchannel is studied and the flow pattern is photographed with a high speed camera. It is found that the heat transfer mechanism is dominated by convective evaporation, the heat flux transfers through the conduction and convection in the thin liquid film and evaporation at the interface between the vapor and liquid. The thinner the liquid film, the greater the heat transfer coefficient. The local dryout phenomenon is observed on the untreated hydrophilic surface while the super-hydrophilic surface can restrict the occurrence of local dryout phenomenon. This study proposes the modified Li (2010) correlation as a formula for calculating the heat transfer coefficient.
Electrorepulsion in Nanofluids: Experimental Characterization for a Stable Behavior
Authors: Chen Daming , Vasco Diego A. , Di Capua H. Mario , Guzmán Amador M.
Published: December 2019

The present work in nanofluids is focusing into using the electro-kinetic phenomenal occurring around nanoparticles immersed in a base fluid as a method to stabilize a nanofluid and enhance its thermal conductivity. The electro-kinetic physic establishes, that when an electrolyte solution is in contact with a solid, an electric double layer (EDL) is produced on the solid surface. Due to the high concentration of ions with the same charge around of the particle surface, “it is possible to stabilize a nanofluid by the action of an electro repulsive force caused by ions over the nanoparticle surface and enhance its thermal conductivity as the concentration of the solutions increases”. The nanofluid samples were prepared by the two-step method and a continuous ultrasonication. 1wt% and 3wt% concentration (mass fraction) of Titanium oxide, Anatase (TiO2) nanoparticles, is added in an electrolyte solution (base fluid) made of different concentration of Potassium Chloride (KCl), and deionized water. The pH of the base fluid is maintained constant adding HEPES as a buffering agent. To measure the different level of stability for the nanofluid we used the thermal conductivity enhancement of the base fluid by nanoparticles. The experimental results under controlled temperature condition show that an electrolyte solution with nanoparticles after 20 days of preparation, presents a higher thermal conductivity with respect to the base fluid with an improvement rate ranging from 0.43±0.12% to 0.72±0.12% for 1wt%, and 2.15±0.17% to 3.03±0.21% for 3wt% of nanoparticles added respectively. The higher improvement shows sign of a major level of homogeneity of the nanofluid, and this behavior seems to be directly proportional to the KCl concentration.
Numerical Simulation on the Evaporation of a Nonspherical Sessile Droplet
Authors: Cui Wenbin , Fu Benwei
Published: December 2019

When a droplet resting on a surface, its shape can be nonspherical or asymmetrical due to the surface heterogeneity, and surface temperature and evaporation flux may distribute asymmetrically during evaporation process thereafter. The evaporation of a nonspherical sessile droplet was simulated regarding heat and mass transfer process in this paper, which consists of part of a spherical cap and part of an ellipsoidal cap. Due to its asymmetrical shape, the surface temperature, saturated vapor concentration and evaporation flux distribute asymmetrically. The average surface temperature and average saturated vapor concentration are higher at ellipsoid side, but the average evaporation flux is higher at sphere side. Furthermore, due to the bigger curvature radius at ellipsoid side, the droplet evaporates faster at this side.
Molecular Mechanism of Water Transport Through Cellulose Cell Wall Matrix
Authors: Sun Jiaqi , Zhang XinRong
Published: December 2019

In plant living tissue, water can flow across cells by different paths, through cell membranes (transcellular path) and plasmodesmata (symplastic path), or through the continuous cell walls matrix (apoplastic path). The relative contribution of these three paths in living tissue is currently unclear and could vary according to species, tissue developmental stage or physiological conditions. Experiments suggested that apoplastic water movement predominates during transpiration. The objective of this study was to investigate the hydraulic process of cellulose cell wall pathway.

The effective pore diameter for water flow through the primary wall matrix is between 2 and 20nm. Inside the cell wall polymer porous, there exist hydrophilic/hydrophobic crystal surfaces based on structure anisotropic. Besides, hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction and van der Waals (vdW) dispersion force play an important role in water transport inside the Nano cellulose porous. Therefore, the molecular dynamics simulation was applied to reveal the molecular mechanism of surface boundary effect together with various driving force during water passing through cellulose cell wall matrix Nano channel.
A Modified Correlation for Flow Boiling Heat Transfer in Plate Heat Exchangers
Authors: Lv Tong , Zheng Boren , Li Wei , Ayub Zahid
Published: December 2019

Corrugated plate heat exchangers are increasingly used in two-phase flow applications for their flexible and compact size and the efficient heat transfer performance. This paper presents a review of recent studies on the subject and creates a database containing 533 data points from experiment studies. The collected database covers seven working fluids, a wide range of vapor quality (both mean and local) 0.01–0.94, heat flux 0.5–46 kW m−2, mass flux 5.5–137 kg m−2 s−1, chevron angle 30°–70°, and hydraulic diameter 1.7–4.0 mm. Based on the database a brief comparison between several previous correlations are discussed. A new prediction method for flow boiling heat transfer coefficient is generated by multiple regression analysis and modifying an existing correlation. It was observed that the modified correlation shows a better agreement and predicts 74.3% of data points within ±30% error band and 94.9% within ±50% error band.
Effect of Particle Sedimentation on Sessile Nanofluid Droplet
Authors: Jin Ming , Hu DingHua
Published: December 2019

The effect of particle sedimentation on the evaporation rate of nanofluid droplets on a heated substrate is studied numerically. A two-dimension model of droplet evaporation and deposition using Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) method is developed, considering evaporation cooling, two-phase heat transfer, mass diffusion, nanoparticle transport and free surface evolution. The effects of temperature and particle concentration distribution on the total and local evaporation rate of millimeter-sized sessile nanofluid droplets with varying substrate temperature are numerically analyzed. It is shown that the nanoparticle concentration nearby the droplet edge is much higher than that nearby droplet center, and also the sedimentation at droplet edge is much more than that at droplet center. The non-uniform nanoparticle concentration inside droplets leads to a greater temperature difference along the free surface.
A Numerical Study of Electrode Arrangements for Precise Microdrop Generation in an Electrowetting-Based Digital Microfluidic Platform
Authors: Guan Yin , Li Baiyun , Zhu Mengnan , Cheng Shengjie , Tu Jiyue , Xing Lu
Published: December 2019

Owing to the wide applications in a large variety of multi-disciplinary areas, electrowetting-based digital microfluidics (DMF) has received considerable attention in the last decade. However, because of the complexity involved in the droplet generation process, the techniques and configurations for precise and controllable microdrop generation are still unclear. In this paper, a numerical study has been performed to investigate the impact of electrode arrangements on microdrop generation in an electrowetting-based DMF Platform proposed by a previously published experimental work. The governing equations for the microfluidic flow are solved by a finite volume formulation with a two-step projection method on a fixed numerical domain. The free surface of the microdrop is tracked by a coupled level-set and volume-of-fluid (CLSVOF) method, and the surface tension at the free surface is computed by the continuum surface force (CSF) scheme. A simplified viscous force scheme based on the ‘Hele-Shaw cell’ model is adopted to evaluate the viscous force exerted by the parallel plates. The generation process has been simulated with three different electrode arrangements, namely, ‘SL’, ‘SW’, and ‘SQ’. The effect of electrode arrangement on microdrop volume has been investigated. Besides, the influences of the initial microdrop location and volume on the generation process for the ‘SL’ design have been studied. The results can be used to advance microdrop generation techniques for various electrowetting-based DMF applications.
Electrokinetic Energy Conversion in Conical Nanochannels: Regulation Effect due to Conicity
Authors: Qian Fang , Huang Deng , Zhang Wenyao , Li Wenbo , Wang Qiuwang , Zhao Cunlu
Published: December 2019

Electrokinetic energy conversion being a promising clean energy production technology utilizes the electric double layer (EDL) in a nanochannel to convert hydrodynamic energy to electrical power. The previous research mainly focuses on the electrokinetic energy conversion in straight nanochannels. In this work, we perform a systematic investigation of electrokinetic energy conversion in a conical nanochannel. For this purpose, a multiphysical model consisting of the Planck-Nernst-Poisson equation and Navier-Stokes equation was formulated and solved numerically. Particularly, we discover various regulation effects in the electrokinetic energy conversion in conical nanochannels that the energy conversion characteristics (streaming potential, streaming current and I-V characteristics) are different for a forward pressure difference and a backward pressure difference of the same magnitude. These regulation effects are found to be caused by the conicity of channel. Then the effects of the channel conicity, applied pressure difference and the surface charge density on the performance of electrokinetic energy conversion are discussed in details. It is generally shown that the regulation effects are enhanced by increasing the conicity, pressure difference and surface charge density. The conclusions from this work can serve as important reference and guidelines for the design and operation of electrokinetic energy conversion devices.
MFP-Based Monte Carlo Method for Nanostructure Phonon Transport
Authors: Yu Jincai , Ye Wenjing , Huang Baoling , Villaroman Daniel Josephus , Wang Qi
Published: December 2019

Phonon Monte Carlo method is a popular method for modeling particle dominated phonon transport. Its accuracy critically depends on its inputs such as relaxation time and dispersion, which are difficult to be obtained accurately and efficiently. As a result, empirical models with many fitting parameters are often used. In addition, for large-scale 3D nanostructured systems, the required computational cost is very high. In this article, we present an efficient and highly parallelizable phonon Monte Carlo method using MFP-cumulative thermal conductivity as the only input. The efficiency is enhanced by incorporating the recently proposed variance-reduction method, and the accuracy is ensured because the MFP-based cumulative thermal conductivity can be accurately obtained by experiments or first principles calculation. Moreover, with the MEP-cumulative thermal conductivity as the input, optical phonons can be naturally included in the calculation, which further improves the accuracy.
Mechanism Research of Coupling Drag Reduction and Heat Transfer on Surface With Different Liquid-Solid Interaction
Authors: Shi Lin , Hu Chengzhi , Bai Minli , Lv Jizu , Li Yubai
Published: December 2019

In order to study the effect of liquid-solid interaction and surface temperature on drag reduction and heat transfer, non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation is performed to investigate the density profile, velocity profile, velocity slip and temperature profile of fluid by changing liquid-solid interaction factor α and surface temperature. The result shows that there is a low density layer near the surface when α is small (weak liquid-solid interaction), larger α (strong liquid-solid interaction) can induce density oscillation and solid-like layer near the surface. Velocity slip will decrease as the increases of α. It’s worth noting that for α < 0.02, the density oscillation becomes more obvious as the rises of temperature, which impairs drag reduction; For α > 0.02 , the rises of temperature will impair the oscillation, which enhances drag reduction. Due to the existence of low density layer, the heat transfer capacity is very weak when α is small, but the capacity will be enhanced as the increases of α.
Study on the Flow and Heat Transfer Characteristics of Micro-Scale Droplets and Fluid on Dynamic Liquid Film Condition by Lattice Boltzmann Method
Authors: He Yichao , Li Yan , Ding Zhuang , Yuan Han , Mei Ning
Published: December 2019

The lab on a chip is of great value in the analytical chemistry, biology and pharmacy. So that it is very important to study the formation and control of droplet in chips. The fluid flowing under the condition of dynamic liquid film is researched innovatively in this paper. Its inspiration is derived from bionics (fish skin, etc.), which has a broad application prospect in reducing the resistance in water and weakening the heat transfer. Dynamic liquid film refers to the dynamic thin liquid layer with the hydrophilic property on the surface of wall under the pressure of outside fluid flow. The insolubility between liquid film and fluid creates a relatively stable flowing environment. In this paper, the formation and influencing factors of the droplet in the microfluidic chip are studied by the Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), and the flow and heat transfer characteristics of fluid in microchannel is studied with microfluidic chip as the carrier under the condition of insoluble dynamic liquid film existing on the wall surface. LBM has certain advantages in boundary processing, parallel operation and tracing phase interface automatically. Using SC model of LBM (for two component flow), the process of formation and movement of the droplet in microfluidic chip are simulated numerically after verified by Laplace‘s law. The result shows that the hydrophobic characteristics between the discrete phase and the wall surface and increased flow rate of the continuous phase will decrease the droplets’ volume and increase the producing frequency. In addition, the fluid flow in the microchannel is simulated under the condition of insoluble dynamic liquid film on the wall surface. The simulation result shows that when the fluid flow rate increases, the friction loss decreases and the heat transfer capacity decreases with the existence of the liquid film. The lower the dissolution trend between fluid and liquid film is, the greater the variation trend of fluid parameters will be. By comparing the results of experiment and simulation, the consistent results are obtained.
Numerical Study on Successive Liquid Metal Alloy Droplet Depositions
Authors: Adaikalanathan Vimalan , Tong Albert Y.
Published: December 2019

Successive liquid metal alloy droplet impingements find extensive applications in additive manufacturing technologies and a detailed knowledge about the flow behavior, phase transformation and free surface deformation is required to have a complete understanding and optimization of the process parameters. Experimental research in this field is limited due to extremely small length and time scales involved. Numerical simulation of such process involves challenges like tracking deforming interfaces, modelling the successive droplets, surface tension, flow field and solidification. A non-isothermal enthalpy-based porosity model is used to numerically study the phase change characteristics of successive liquid metal droplet depositing onto a substrate. The flow governing equations are solved using the finite volume scheme. The Coupled Level Set Volume of Fluid (CLSVOF) method is used to track the free surface and the surface tension is modelled using the Continuum Surface Force (CSF) method. The splat morphology, phase change characteristics and effects of various impact conditions on successive columnar droplet depositions are examined.
Variability in the Response of Bacterial Community Assembly to Environmental Selection and Biotic Factors Depends on the Immigrated Bacteria, as Revealed by a Soil Microcosm Experiment
Authors: Wu Xiaogang , Wang Yun , Zhu Ying , Tian Hao , Qin Xianchao , Cui Changzheng , Zhao Liping , Simonet Pascal , Zhang Xiaojun
Published: December 2019

The soil microbiota conducts important biological ecosystem functions, but the mechanism underlying community-environment interactions for soil microbiota remains unclear. By using two distinct soils for cross inoculation, we successfully simulated the assembly of the bacterial community in sterile soil. Thus, the reasons why inoculum and recipient have dominated community assembly in previous investigations are investigated in this study. We found that inoculated bacteria presided over environmental selection for community assembly due to the varied difference of ecological equivalent bacteria, either divergent or convergent. The significance of neutrality for the ecologically equivalent bacterial species that immigrated into the recipients should be emphasized in exploring the mechanisms of community assembly. Our finding is helpful for understanding the community-environment interaction, a basic question in ecology, and it would shed light on this issue that has perplexed scientists for many years.
Drug Repurposing of Bromodomain Inhibitors as Potential Novel Therapeutic Leads for Lymphatic Filariasis Guided by Multispecies Transcriptomics
Authors: Chung Matthew , Teigen Laura E. , Libro Silvia , Bromley Robin E. , Olley Dustin , Kumar Nikhil , Sadzewicz Lisa , Tallon Luke J. , Mahurkar Anup , Foster Jeremy M. , Michalski Michelle L. , Dunning Hotopp Julie C.
Published: December 2019

The current treatment regimen for lymphatic filariasis is mostly microfilaricidal. In an effort to identify new drug candidates for lymphatic filariasis, we conducted a three-way transcriptomics/systems biology study of one of the causative agents of lymphatic filariasis,
Brugia malayi
, its
Wolbachia
endosymbiont
w
Bm, and its vector host
Aedes aegypti
at 16 distinct
B. malayi
life stages.
B. malayi
upregulates the expression of bromodomain-containing proteins in the adult female, embryo, and microfilaria stages.
In vitro
, we find that the existing cancer therapeutic JQ1(+), which is a bromodomain and extraterminal protein inhibitor, has adulticidal activity in
B. malayi
.
A case of contrast-induced encephalopathy
Authors: Neilan Patrick , Urbine Daniel
Published: December 2019

The differential diagnosis of the patient with encephalopathy is broad and remains a common yet challenging problem for critical care physicians. A case is presented of contrast-induced encephalopathy in an 81-year-old man undergoing a left heart catheterisation after receiving iopamidol, a low-osmolar contrast agent. Immediately after receiving contrast, our patient experienced severe headache, agitation, altered mentation and significant skin hypersensitivity. This rare, acute and reversible neurological disturbance can be associated with administration of intra-arterial, osmotic, iodinated contrast. Although uncommon, it is important to recognise the various presentations, risk factors and treatment of this condition.
Oral sarcoidosis aiding in diagnosis of underlying systemic disease
Authors: Bagchi Sudeshna , Shah Neha , Sheikh Mahmud Abdul , Chatterjee Rudra Prasad
Published: December 2019

Sarcoidosis is a chronic, multisystemic, granulomatous disease of unknown aetiology characterised by the formation of non-caseating granuloma. It shows slight female predominance and has a bimodal age distribution. Lungs, skin, eye and liver are commonly affected. The oral lesion, though uncommon, may present as submucosal nodule, papule or superficial ulceration. Occasionally, oral lesion may be the first manifestation of underlying systemic disease. This case is interesting because it emphasises that dental practitioners may play a key role in early recognition of the clinical presentation of this multifaceted disease, and thereby aid in the diagnosis of the systemic condition. The present report deals with a case of sarcoidosis affecting the buccal mucosa in a 48-year-old woman. The patient was treated with oral prednisolone and within 4 months of corticosteroid therapy, the oral lesion regressed with no recurrence or new lesion noted over a period of 1 year.
Finding the best fit: examining the decision-making of augmentative and alternative communication professionals in the UK using a discrete choice experiment
Authors: Webb Edward J D , Lynch Yvonne , Meads David , Judge Simon , Randall Nicola , Goldbart Juliet , Meredith Stuart , Moulam Liz , Hess Stephane , Murray Janice
Published: December 2019

Objectives

Many children with varied disabilities, for example, cerebral palsy, autism, can benefit from augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems. However, little is known about professionals’ decision-making when recommending symbol based AAC systems for children. This study examines AAC professionals’ preferences for attributes of AAC systems and how they interact with child characteristics.

Design

AAC professionals answered a discrete choice experiment survey with AAC system and child-related attributes, where participants chose an AAC system for a child vignette.

Setting

The survey was administered online in the UK.

Participants

155 UK-based AAC professionals were recruited between 20 October 2017 and 4 March 2018.

Outcomes

The study outcomes were the preferences of AAC professionals’ as quantified using a mixed logit model, with model selection performed using a step-wise procedure and the Bayesian Information Criterion.

Results

Significant differences were observed in preferences for AAC system attributes, and large interactions were seen between child attributes included in the child vignettes, for example, participants made more ambitious choices for children who were motivated to communicate using AAC, and predicted to progress in skills and abilities. These characteristics were perceived as relatively more important than language ability and previous AAC experience.

Conclusions

AAC professionals make trade-offs between attributes of AAC systems, and these trade-offs change depending on the characteristics of the child for whom the system is being provided.
Associations between shift work characteristics, shift work schedules, sleep and burnout in North American police officers: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Peterson Scott A , Wolkow Alexander P , Lockley Steven W , O'Brien Conor S , Qadri Salim , Sullivan Jason P , Czeisler Charles A , Rajaratnam Shantha M W , Barger Laura K
Published: December 2019

Objectives

To examine associations between shift work characteristics and schedules on burnout in police and whether sleep duration and sleepiness were associated with burnout.

Methods

Police officers (n=3140) completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, personal accomplishment) and self-reported shift schedules (irregular, rotating, fixed), shift characteristics (night, duration, frequency, work hours), sleep duration and sleepiness.

Results

Irregular schedules, long shifts (≥11 hours), mandatory overtime, short sleep and sleepiness were associated with increased risk of overall burnout in police. Police working a greater frequency of long shifts were more likely to have emotional exhaustion (adjusted OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.35 to 2.72) than those not working long shifts. Night shifts were associated with depersonalisation (1.32, 1.05 to 1.66) compared with not working nights. Police working mandatory overtime had increased risk of emotional exhaustion (1.37, 1.14 to 1.65) than those who did not. Compared with fixed schedules, irregular schedules were associated with emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation (1.91, 1.44 to 2.54 and 1.39, 1.02 to 1.89, respectively). Police sleeping <6 hours were more likely to have emotional exhaustion (1.60, 1.33 to 1.93) than those sleeping longer, and excessive sleepiness was associated with emotional exhaustion (1.81, 1.50 to 2.18).

Conclusions

Irregular schedules and increased night shifts, sleep disturbances and work hours were related to higher burnout risk in police. Future research should evaluate work schedules in law enforcement that optimise shift duration and frequency, and increase consistency in scheduling and control over work hours to limit burnout in police.
Impact of legislative reform on benefit access and disability duration in workers’ compensation: an interrupted time series study
Authors: Collie Alex , Beck Dianne , Gray Shannon Elise , Lane Tyler Jeremiah
Published: December 2019

Objectives

To determine the impact of legislative changes to the New South Wales (NSW) workers’ compensation scheme on injured workers access to benefits, insurer claim processing and work disability duration.

Methods

Population-based interrupted time series study of workers’ compensation claims made in NSW 2 years before and after legislative amendment in June 2012. Outcomes included incidence of accepted claims per 100 000 workers, the median and 75th percentile insurer decision time in days, and the median and 75th percentile of work disability duration in weeks. Effects were assessed relative to a comparator of seven other Australian workers’ compensation jurisdictions.

Results

n=1 069 231 accepted workers’ compensation claims were analysed. Claiming in NSW fell 15.3% following legislative reform, equivalent to 46.6 fewer claims per 100 000 covered workers per month. This effect was greater in time loss claims (17.3%) than medical-only claims (10.3%). Across models, there were consistent trend increases in insurer decision time. Median work disability duration increased following the legislative reform.

Conclusions

The observed reduction in access to benefits was consistent with the policy objective of improving the financial sustainability of the compensation scheme. However, this was accompanied by changes in other markers of performance that were unintended, and are suggestive of adverse health consequences of the reform. This study demonstrates the need for care in reform of workers’ compensation scheme policy.
Temperature-dependent electrical resistivity and magnetoresistance characteristics of Zn1−xVxO thin films above Mott critical density
Authors: Saha Debabrata
Published: December 2019

Temperature-dependent (5–200 K) electrical resistivity and magnetoresistance (MR) measurements were carried out on [Formula: see text] (x = 0.5–4 at.%) thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The free electron concentration in the films was found to be in the range of [Formula: see text](1.7–4.7) [Formula: see text] which is much higher compared to the Mott critical density required for the onset of insulator-to-metal transition in ZnO. All the films exhibited small negative MR in the entire temperature and magnetic field range indicating weak-localization as the dominant effect. However, some unusual MR behavior was observed at 5 K for the film with highest static-disorder parameter. Such characteristics have been well-explained by considering the interplay of negative MR (arising due weak-localization and spin-disorder scattering) and positive MR (caused by s–d exchange interaction induced spin-splitting of the conduction band).
An Industrial Production Line Dynamic Target Tracking System Based on HAAR and CAMSHIFT
Authors: Tian Xuejun , Feng Haowen , Chen Jieyan
Published: December 2019

Aiming at the detection and tracking of moving targets in industrial automation system, a dynamic target tracking algorithm based on HAAR and CAMSHIFT is proposed. A cascade HAAR classifier is designed and trained for tracking targets. CAMSHIFT algorithm is used to track and detect moving targets quickly. The system is tested on Raspberry Pi embedded platform. The results show that the algorithm can detect the target correctly and track the target effectively.
A Hierarchical Approach Based on ACO and PSO by Neighborhood Operators for TSPs Solution
Authors: Eldem Hüseyin , Ülker Erkan
Published: December 2019

It is known that some of the algorithms in optimization field have originated from inspiration from animal behaviors in nature. Natural phenomena such as searching behavior of ants for food in a collective way, movements of birds and fish groups as swarms provided the inspiration for solutions of optimization problems. Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP), a classical problem of combinatorial optimization, has implementations in planning, scheduling and various scientific and engineering fields. Ant colony optimization (ACO) and Particle swarm optimization (PSO) techniques have been commonly used for TSP solutions. The aim of this paper is to propose a new hierarchical ACO- and PSO-based method for TSP solutions. Enhancing neighboring operators were used to achieve better results by hierarchical method. The performance of the proposed system was tested in experiments for selected TSPLIB benchmarks. It was shown that usage of ACO and PSO methods in hierarchical structure with neighboring operators resulted in better results than standard algorithms of ACO and PSO and hierarchical methods in literature.
The free spectrum of A5
Authors: Cocke William , Skabelund Dane
Published: December 2019

We obtain a formula for the orders of the relatively free groups of finite rank in the variety generated by the alternating group [Formula: see text]. This is accomplished by explicitly determining the structure of the commutator subgroups of these groups.
Bounded homomorphisms and finitely generated fiber products of lattices
Authors: DeMeo William , Mayr Peter , Ruškuc Nik
Published: December 2019

We investigate when fiber products of lattices are finitely generated and obtain a new characterization of bounded lattice homomorphisms onto lattices satisfying a property we call Dean’s condition (D) which arises from Dean’s solution to the word problem for finitely presented lattices. In particular, all finitely presented lattices and those satisfying Whitman’s condition satisfy (D). For lattice epimorphisms [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] are finitely generated and [Formula: see text] satisfies (D), we show the following: If [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are bounded, then their fiber product (pullback) [Formula: see text] is finitely generated. While the converse is not true in general, it does hold when [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are free. As a consequence, we obtain an (exponential time) algorithm to decide boundedness for finitely presented lattices and their finitely generated sublattices satisfying (D). This generalizes an unpublished result of Freese and Nation.
Weakly minimal groups with a new predicate
Authors: Conant Gabriel , Laskowski Michael C.
Published: December 2019

Fix a weakly minimal (i.e. superstable [Formula: see text]-rank [Formula: see text]) structure [Formula: see text]. Let [Formula: see text] be an expansion by constants for an elementary substructure, and let [Formula: see text] be an arbitrary subset of the universe [Formula: see text]. We show that all formulas in the expansion [Formula: see text] are equivalent to bounded formulas, and so [Formula: see text] is stable (or NIP) if and only if the [Formula: see text]-induced structure [Formula: see text] on [Formula: see text] is stable (or NIP). We then restrict to the case that [Formula: see text] is a pure abelian group with a weakly minimal theory, and [Formula: see text] is mutually algebraic (equivalently, weakly minimal with trivial forking). This setting encompasses most of the recent research on stable expansions of [Formula: see text]. Using various characterizations of mutual algebraicity, we give new examples of stable structures of the form [Formula: see text]. Most notably, we show that if [Formula: see text] is a weakly minimal additive subgroup of the algebraic numbers, [Formula: see text] is enumerated by a homogeneous linear recurrence relation with algebraic coefficients, and no repeated root of the characteristic polynomial of [Formula: see text] is a root of unity, then [Formula: see text] is superstable for any [Formula: see text].
Fixed point theorem for set-valued mappings with new type of inequalities
Authors: Nguyen Luong V. , Phuong Luu T.
Published: December 2019

In this paper, we present a fixed point theorem for multivalued mappings satisfying new inequalities without using the Pompeiu–Hausdorff distance. The results generalize the famous Feng and Liu’s result [Feng and Liu, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 317 (2006) 103–112] and some known results in the literature. Some examples are given to illustrate our results.
FARIMA MODELING OF SUNSPOT HALE CYCLES TIME SERIES
Authors: HASSAN DANISH , AKHTER MUHAMMAD FAHIM , ABBAS SHAHEEN
Published: December 2019

The influence of solar activity on climate system at regional or global scales cannot be neglected. In this study, we will stimulate full-length sunspot time series (1932–2014) and all four Hale cycles by fractional auto regressive integrated moving average (FARIMA ([Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text])) model. By minimizing Akaike information criterion (AIC), Bayesian–Schwarz information criterion (BIC) and Hannan–Quinn information criterion (HIC), the best FARIMA model for full-length sunspot time series is [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] is the back shift operator and [Formula: see text] is a white noise.
A Rare Case of Isolated Ureteral Diaphragmatic Herniation: Case Report and Review of Literature
Authors: Abou Heidar Nassib , Elsemesmani Hussein , Elamine Ahmad , Natout Mustafa
Published: December 2019

Diaphragmatic ureteral hernias are rare causes of ipsilateral renal obstruction. Management strategies varies from conservative to ureteral stenting to operative herniorraphy and reduction. We present a case of a 71-year-old man who was found to have an incidental right ureteral diaphragmatic herniation causing an asymptomatic kidney obstruction. He was managed conservatively with no evidence of increased hydronephrosis on serial imaging and no deterioration of biochemical renal function. We review all similar cases published in the literature and discuss the optimal treatment strategies.
Patterns of Raised Blood Pressure in Vietnam: Findings from the WHO STEPS Survey 2015
Authors: Hoang Van Minh , Tran Quoc Bao , Vu Thi Hoang Lan , Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan , Kim Bao Giang , Pham Quynh Nga , Nguyen Tuan Lam , Lai Duc Truong , Nakagawa Jun , Shin Hai-Rim , Kim Warrick Junsuk , Riley Leanne , Wadhwani Christina , Truong Dinh Bac , Tran Dac Phu
Published: December 2019

This study aims to describe the prevalence of raised blood pressure and the situation of management for raised blood pressure among the adult population in Vietnam. It also aims to examine the association between diversified socioeconomic and behavioral factors of raised blood pressure and awareness of raised blood pressure. Data were obtained from the STEPS survey conducted in Vietnam in 2015. Survey sample was nationally representative with a total of 3,856 people aged 18–69 years old. The study outcomes included raised blood pressure and awareness of and control of raised blood pressure. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the association of socioeconomic and behavior risk factors with the outcome variables. The overall prevalence of raised blood pressure in Vietnam in 2015 was 18.9% (95% CI: 17.4%–20.6%). The prevalence of raised blood pressure was higher among men. Significantly correlated factors with raised blood pressure were age, sex, body mass index, and diabetes status. Levels of awareness of raised blood pressure were higher among the older age group and overweight people and lower among ethnic minority groups. Raised blood pressure in Vietnam is a serious problem due to its magnitude and the unacceptably high unawareness rate in the population. Public health actions dealing with the problems of raised blood pressure are urgent, while taking into account its relationship with sex and socioeconomic status. It is clear that the interventions should address all people in society, with a focus on disadvantaged groups which are the rural and ethnic minority peoples.