bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interconversion from N‐Desmethyl Clomipramine to Clomipramine and its impact on a bioequivalence study
Authors: Dubey Naveen Kr , Fozdar Bharat I.
Published: October 2018

Interconversion or back conversion from a parent compound to its metabolites or vice versa has never been clearly understood and established by using mass spectrometry. This makes it a daunting challenge for which the technique of liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry supports it while an other hyphenated technique liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection employed for investigation lacks it. Herein, a selective and sensitive liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous determination of Clomipramine and its active metabolite N‐Desmethyl Clomipramine in human plasma was developed and validated. A suitable method for investigating interconversion between Clomipramine and its active metabolite to each other by two analytical tools was achieved and its impact on a bioequivalence study was evaluated. Stable labeled internal standards i.e. Clomipramine D3 and N‐Desmethyl Clomipramine D3 were used as internal standard to track and compensate the parent compound during processing and extraction from plasma. The method involves a rapid liquid‐liquid extraction (followed by flash freezing under dry ice bath) from plasma followed by reversed gradient chromatography condition and mass spectrometry detection. The mean recovery for Clomipramine and N‐Desmethyl Clomipramine were 62.1 and 63.2%, respectively.
Sanitation approach toward resource recovery in rural and semi‐urban centers: Insight from South South Nigeria
Authors: Odey Emmanuel Alepu , Li Zifu , Giwa Abdulmoseen Segun , Etokidem Esther Uduak
Published: October 2018

Recent sanitation situations in Nigeria present public health problems, especially in rural and semi‐urban centers. Local and national government bodies in the country have defined policies to provide adequate sanitation for the populations under their control as stated in relevant decrees and policies. However, those who work as health providers in Nigeria regard conditions in many parts of the country as unhygienic and unhealthy due to a lack of adequate sanitation and because the sanitation facilities that are in place are often ineffective. Interviews with householders in rural and semi‐urban centers showed that more than 72% of the people in rural communities lack access to adequate sanitation and toilet systems, especially in public institutions. While in semi‐urban centers about 91% of the residents use septic tanks without treatment facility, the remaining 8% use toilet systems such as community toilets, wet pit latrines, and open defecation. Both rural and semi‐urban centers do not use urine‐diverting dry toilets or septic tanks with treatment facilities. Given the present sanitation situation, this study proposes a modern toilet system in rural communities that will enhance the recovery of biogas and nutrients as fertilizer for soil amendment through appropriate implementation, use, and maintenance. The results could be useful as a support for decisions on policies and strategies for adequate and improved sanitation facilities in rural and semi‐urban centers in South South Nigeria.
Solar heterogeneous photocatalysis (ZnO/UV) for textile dyes removal
Authors: Melo Maria Marcella Medeiros , Rocha Elisângela Maria Rodrigues , Silva Erika Lima
Published: October 2018

Solar photocatalytic studies were carried out using zinc oxide (ZnO) as a catalyst for the removal of the cationic methylene blue (MB) dye, and the anionic dye reactive red 198 (RR198), from simple and binary mixed solutions. The following parameters were experimentally investigated: catalyst concentrations (50–250 milliliters [ml]), initial pH of the solution (5, 7, and 9), and time of exposure (20–120 minutes [min]). The catalyst concentration has been found to be the variable with the greatest significance of the three, leading to degradation rates of up to 98% and 100%, for MB and RR198 dyes, respectively. When it comes to the RR198 dye, considerable decolorization rates (up to 75%) were achieved even at the shortest time interval (20 min). The results indicated that, especially for the RR198 dye, the majority of the color removal during the photocatalysis process was due to the adsorption of the dye onto the ZnO surface. Batch scale experiments were performed by mixing both MB and RR198 dyes in order to simulate a synthetic effluent. Color removal rates up to 98% were achieved after 90 min of sunlight exposure. Experiments in a pilot‐plant based on compound parabolic collectors were performed under the same conditions, and similar results were obtained. In addition, organic matter removal was investigated and rates up to 70% were achieved. The results showed the feasibility of the solar photocatalysis process with ZnO to achieve considerable rates of color removal from wastewater containing dyes from different classes.
Using Questions to Drive Content Area Learning: Revising Old Favorites
Authors: Fisher Douglas , Frey Nancy
Published: October 2018

Literacy instruction does not just happen during the language arts block, as students can learn more about reading and writing during science, social studies, and mathematics. This department features examples of how teachers can teach literacy across various content areas.
Supramolecular Nanofiber Templated Metal‐embedded Nitrogen‐doped Carbon Nanotubes for Efficient Electrocatalysis of Oxygen Evolution Reaction
Authors: Wu Jin , Zhao Tao , Zhang Rui , Xu Rongkuan , Gao Junkuo , Yao Juming
Published: October 2018

Nowadays, there still exists big challenges to synthesize active and inexpensive electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction. In this work, we propose a new method by using melamine‐uric acid (MAUA) supramolecular nanofibers as precursor to fabricate metal‐embedded nitrogen‐doped carbon nanotube materials (MM′@NCNTs, M, M′ = Fe, Co, Ni). The samples exhibit superior and stable catalytic performance for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline medium. In all the electrocatalysts, FeNi@NCNT shows the best electrocatalytic activity with the overpotential is only 402 mV (vs. RHE) at 10 mA·cm–2, which shows better performance than both Fe@NCNT and Ni@NCNT. The smaller Tafel slope value, with the value of 68 mV·dec–1, indicates the superior OER activity of FeNi@NCNT. These results reveal a synergistic effect between Fe, Co, and Ni, which could produce a favorable coordination environment that enhance the activity for oxygen evolution reaction.
Behavioral changes following alterations in the composition of a captive bachelor group of western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)
Authors: Gartland Kylen , McDonald Monica , Braccini Slade Stephanie , White Frances , Sanz Crickette
Published: October 2018

Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) in zoos are housed in family or bachelor groups to maximize social opportunities. While wild bachelor groups are transient, all‐male groups in zoos may be maintained for many years. Captive bachelor groups need to be carefully monitored, particularly during periods of demographic transition, due to the possibility for escalating aggression. We examined behavioral changes in a bachelor group at the Saint Louis Zoo following two significant alterations in group composition: (1) the introduction of two immature related males in 2011 and (2) the death of the dominant silverback in 2015. Behavioral data were collected on group members using 15 min focal observations with 30‐s instantaneous scans, totaling 185.25 hr for the first transition and 115.25 hr for the second transition (with equal effort in baseline and transition periods). We found that the addition of the two subadult males resulted in a significant increase in affiliation in the group often initiated by these new younger individuals, while the rate of abnormal and aggressive behavior did not change significantly. The rate of abnormal, aggressive, or affiliative behavior in the group also did not change significantly following the death of the dominant silverback. Overall, we conclude that this bachelor group and potentially others can endure possibly destabilizing social transitions and remain cohesive social units. Behavioral changes will result from transitions, but the effect on individuals or impact on the group will vary. Therefore, longitudinal monitoring of bachelor groups will be essential for effective management during any major changes.
Introduction: Reading Breath in Literature
Authors: Rose Arthur
Published: October 2018

This chapter presents current debates around breathing and breathlessness in the medical humanities and frames this collection of essays as a series of interventions that attend to literature’s role in such debates. Specifically, these essays consider what literature might offer to discussions of breath as a phenomenon that blends physiology with culturally rich metaphors.
Ebb and Flow: Breath-Writing from Ancient Rhetoric to Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg
Authors: Heine Stefanie
Published: October 2018

Following the path of Charles Olson, Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg negotiate breath as a compositional principle for a new particularly American literature. Such a poetics of breathing turns out to be a revival of classical thought. For ancient rhetoricians, especially Aristotle, Cicero and Quintilian, the breath-pause is constitutive for structuring speech. Already in the ancient approaches, a dilemma emerges: breathing is supposed to cut speech into well-measured units while physical respiration tends to be irregular. Even though the Beat poets seem to elude this problem in their attempt to adapt composition to the writer’s individual rhythms, breath, as they theorise it, is a point where bodily processes and cultural techniques intersect. The natural, organic body as Kerouac and Ginsberg celebrate it invokes a cultural memory, and thus, the idea of a purely embodied writing is upset.
Are Opioids Effective in Relieving Neuropathic Pain?
Authors: Schembri Emanuel
Published: October 2018

Neuropathic pain (NP) and its treatment are considered to constitute an unmet need, with a high-multidimensional impact on society and the sufferer. The broad spectrum of opioid analgesics is considered beneficial for acute pain, yet these drugs pose serious controversial issues due to the potential for adverse behavior and a higher chance of tolerance and addiction in long-term use. Opioids like other first-line medications for NP, will not be useful for every patient suffering from chronic NP. However, due to their possible adverse effects, opioids are considered as second- or third-line medications by various guidelines. Therefore, this literature review was conducted to evaluate the status of opioids in NP and to asses if any recent research has shed further evidence on their efficacy or the contrary. The literature reviewed showed that the mechanisms underlying NP, may themselves contribute to the reduced effect of opioids in this condition. Also, various genetic polymorphisms affecting pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic factors are discussed, providing further evidence for the variability in opioid response. Although opioids may reduce NP, nociceptive pain tends to be more responsive to opioids compared to NP. Also, opioids seem to be more effective in intermediate term studies of up to 12 weeks and being mostly effective in peripheral NP compared to  supraspinal NP and being least effective in central NP. However, there is still no robust evidence that any specific opioid agent is better than any other one for NP, but it is possible that opioids targeting multiple mechanisms may provide benefit. A limitation of many trials is the lack of consideration for the comorbid psychological aspects of NP, which tend to lower opioid analgesia.
Descartes’s Epistemic Commitment to Telescopes and Microscopes
Authors: AULISIO GEORGE J.
Published: October 2018

In theOptics, Descartes claims that telescopes and microscopes lead to morally certain knowledge. It is unclear, however, that Descartes’s expressed confidence in these instruments is warranted. In this article, I show how a limited range of telescope and microscope observations could lead to morally certain knowledge for Descartes, and how observations beyond this range admit of enough reasonable doubt to undermine moral certainty. I also explain moral certainty as a form of knowledge in Descartes’s scientific practices, his epistemic commitment to optical instruments, and I offer an explanation for why Descartes never used optical instruments in his scientific endeavours.
Genetic variation of Enterobius vermicularis among schoolchildren in Thailand
Authors: Tomanakan K. , Sanpool O. , Chamavit P. , Lulitanond V. , Intapan P.M. , Maleewong W.
Published: October 2018

Enterobiasis, caused by the nematode Enterobius vermicularis, is a common health problem among schoolchildren in Thailand. We provide the first molecular identification of this nematode from Thai schoolchildren and document genetic variation among E. vermicularis eggs using sequence analyses of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene and the nuclear ribosomal DNA second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2). A cross-sectional parasitological survey was conducted in schoolchildren (n = 491) in five regions of Thailand between May 2015 and December 2016. The diagnosis of Enterobius infection was made using the adhesive tape perianal swab technique. Enterobius eggs were recovered from 43 participants (8.75%). DNA was extracted from these eggs and the cox1 gene and partial ITS2 region amplified using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Nineteen amplified PCR products of the cox1 gene (441 bp) and 18 of the ITS2 region (623 bp) were subsequently sequenced. All sequences were identified as belonging to E. vermicularis based on database searches. Phylogenetic analysis and a median-joining network of available E. vermicularis cox1 sequences showed 66 haplotypes. We found haploclusters (types A and B) represented among the Thai sequences. Six haplotypes from Thailand fell into type A (of Nakano et al., 2006) (along with sequences from Japan and Korea) and five haplotypes into type B (with sequences from Japan, Iran, Czech Republic, Greece, Denmark and Sudan). The overall haplotype diversity (Hd) was 0.9888. Transmission of worms with type B haplotypes from primates to humans in Asia or from humans in Europe possibly occurs in Thailand.
Bi-level Game Model for Interaction between Arctic and Traditional Routes
Authors: Wang Yangjun , Zhang Ren
Published: October 2018

This paper proposes a bi-level model from the perspective of game theory to describe the effect of the rise of Arctic shipping routes on traditional routes and their response. The upper-level model demonstrates the competition between shipping companies that maximise their own profits via speed adjustment, which can be presented as a generalised Nash equilibrium problem and is solved by the generalised reduced-gradient method. The lower-level model illustrates the response of customers who reassign their demands with an elastic total demand, which is presented as a logit-type multi-path assignment problem and is solved by the iterative balancing method. A case study is used to examine the rationality of the proposed model and algorithm.
THE TWO-TRAIN SEPARATION PROBLEM ON LEVEL TRACK WITH DISCRETE CONTROL
Authors: HOWLETT PHIL
Published: October 2018

When two trains travel along the same track in the same direction, it is a common safety requirement that the trains must be separated by at least two signals. This means that there will always be at least one clear section of track between the two trains. If the safe-separation condition is violated, then the driver of the following train must adopt a revised strategy that will enable the train to stop at the next signal if necessary. One simple way to ensure safe separation is to define a prescribed set of latest allowed section exit times for the leading train and a corresponding prescribed set of earliest allowed section entry times for the following train. We will find strategies that minimize the total tractive energy required for both trains to complete their respective journeys within the overall allowed journey times and subject to the additional prescribed section clearance times. We assume that the drivers use a discrete control mechanism and show that the optimal driving strategy for each train is defined by a sequence of approximate speedholding phases at a uniquely defined optimal driving speed on each section and that the sequence of optimal driving speeds is a decreasing sequence for the leading train and an increasing sequence for the following train. We illustrate our results by finding optimal strategies and associated speed profiles for both trains in some elementary but realistic examples.
CONTENT AND SINGLETONS BRING UNIQUE IDENTIFICATION MINORS
Authors: LEHTONEN ERKKO
Published: October 2018

A new class of functions with a unique identification minor is introduced: functions determined by content and singletons. Relationships between this class and other known classes of functions with a unique identification minor are investigated. Some properties of functions determined by content and singletons are established, especially concerning invariance groups and similarity.
SPECTRA OF LINEAR FRACTIONAL COMPOSITION OPERATORS ON THE GROWTH SPACE AND BLOCH SPACE OF THE UPPER HALF-PLANE
Authors: HAN SHI-AN , ZHOU ZE-HUA
Published: October 2018

In this article, we provide a complete description of the spectra of linear fractional composition operators acting on the growth space and Bloch space over the upper half-plane. In addition, we also prove that the norm, essential norm, spectral radius and essential spectral radius of a composition operator acting on the growth space are all equal.
AC-GORENSTEIN RINGS AND THEIR STABLE MODULE CATEGORIES
Authors: GILLESPIE JAMES
Published: October 2018

We introduce what is meant by an AC-Gorenstein ring. It is a generalized notion of Gorenstein ring that is compatible with the Gorenstein AC-injective and Gorenstein AC-projective modules of Bravo–Gillespie–Hovey. It is also compatible with the notion of
$n$
-coherent rings introduced by Bravo–Perez. So a
$0$
-coherent AC-Gorenstein ring is precisely a usual Gorenstein ring in the sense of Iwanaga, while a
$1$
-coherent AC-Gorenstein ring is precisely a Ding–Chen ring. We show that any AC-Gorenstein ring admits a stable module category that is compactly generated and is the homotopy category of two Quillen equivalent abelian model category structures. One is projective with cofibrant objects that are Gorenstein AC-projective modules while the other is an injective model structure with fibrant objects that are Gorenstein AC-injectives.
The decumulation period of a personal pension with risk sharing: investment approach versus consumption approach
Authors: van Bilsen Servaas , Lans Bovenberg A.
Published: October 2018

This paper models the decumulation period of a Personal Pension with Risk sharing (PPR). We derive several relationships between the contract parameters. Individuals can adopt two approaches to the decumulation period of a PPR: the investment approach and the consumption approach. In the investment approach, individuals specify how to invest wealth and how much wealth to withdraw. Retirement consumption follows endogenously. In the consumption approach, in contrast, individuals specify retirement consumption exogenously. Investment and withdrawal policies follow endogenously. We explore these two approaches in detail. Consistent with habit formation, we allow for excess smoothness and excess sensitivity in retirement consumption.
Media Coverage, Public Interest, and Support in the 2016 Republican Invisible Primary
Authors: Reuning Kevin , Dietrich Nick
Published: October 2018

Donald Trump’s success in the 2016 presidential primary election prompted scrutiny for the role of news media in elections. Was Trump successful because news media publicized his campaign and crowded out coverage of other candidates? We examine the dynamic relationships between media coverage, public interest, and support for candidates in the time preceding the 2016 Republican presidential primary to determine (1) whether media coverage drives support for candidates at the polls and (2) whether this relationship was different for Trump than for other candidates. We find for all candidates that the quantity of media coverage had significant and long-lasting effects on public interest in that candidate. Most candidates do not perform better in the polls following increases in media coverage. Trump is an exception to this finding, receiving a modest polling bump following an increase in media coverage. These findings suggest that viability cues from news media contributed to Trump’s success and can be influential in setting the stage in primary elections.
Analysis of the Ozone Reduction Event Over the Southern Tip of South America in November 2009
Authors: Akiyoshi Hideharu , Kadowaki Masanao , Nakamura Haruna , Sugita Takafumi , Hirooka Toshihiko , Harada Yayoi , Mizuno Akira
Published: October 2018

A reduction of the total ozone over the southern tip of South America lasting 3 weeks occurred in November 2009. Analyses of the ERA‐Interim reanalysis data and the total ozone observed by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument indicate that the total ozone reduction event was caused by a migration of the polar vortex toward the South American continent at the time of the vortex breakup. The vortex migration is associated with an enhanced wave flux from the troposphere at 120–150°W and 50–60°S to the west of the South American continent to the stratosphere over the southern part of the continent, which led to a large negative geopotential height anomaly in the lower stratosphere. In November, a blocking event was diagnosed from the 500‐hPa geopotential height over the west of the South American continent. These results suggest a relation between the long‐lasting reduction of the total ozone over the southern tip of South America and the blocking phenomenon in the troposphere of the Southern Hemisphere through wave propagation from the blocking region in 2009. Analysis of the total ozone anomaly for 50–60°S and 65–75°W over the southern tip of South America in November for 1979–2015 indicates that the negative ozone anomaly in November 2009 was one of the largest anomalies in this 37‐year period and was associated with the large negative geopotential height anomaly in the lower stratosphere. Analyses of dynamical fields were also conducted for other years with large geopotential height anomalies.
The Combined Effect of Sediment Availability and Wind Regime on the Morphology of Aeolian Sand Dunes
Authors: Lü Ping , Dong Zhibao , Rozier Olivier
Published: October 2018

Aeolian‐driven sand dune orientation is a key parameter that determines dune morphology. Although wind regime, surface condition, and sediment availability all control sand dune formation, researchers have mostly put emphasis on the wind regime. However, research shows that the formation of dune orientation cannot be explained solely on wind because different dune types can form under the same wind regime in a given area. In this study, we investigate the combined effects of wind regime and sediment availability on dune orientation based on numerical simulations. The model clarifies the extent to which sediment availability influences dune orientation as well as the physical mechanisms that allow for the coexistence of different dune types. We found that linear dunes and barchans can coexist when the sediment availability is less than 10% with a localized sand source, and where barchans are situated at the extremity or on the same flank of the linear dunes. When the angle between two dominant winds is greater than 90° and sediment availability is greater than 10%, oblique dunes may occur, and they can evolve from asymmetric barchans. This study offers insight into the potential relationship between dune‐forming factors related to the wind regime and the available erodible sediment within a dune system, in view of the fact that such a model would be a valuable tool in ascertaining the causes behind complex dune formation processes.
Inferring Magma Dynamics at Veniaminof Volcano Via Application of Ambient Noise
Authors: Bennington N. , Haney M. , Thurber C. , Zeng X.
Published: October 2018

Ambient noise interferometry has become an increasingly popular tool for monitoring active volcanoes. We apply this method to investigate seven past eruptive periods at Veniaminof volcano, Alaska. Two of the largest eruptions studied show seismic velocity changes associated with preeruptive , coeruptive, and posteruptive volcanic processes. We develop and implement new analysis techniques to determine how seismic velocity changes at Veniaminof are distributed with depth. Spatiotemporal examination of these seismic velocity changes reveals evidence for the distribution of magma storage and the timescale at which magmatic fluids intrude into and reside within these storage regions in the months preceding eruption. We conduct the depth analysis using data recorded on a single seismometer. The same analysis could be applied to any volcano monitored by at least one seismometer in order to detect magmatic activity indicative of impending eruption, specifically the intrusion and migration of magmatic fluids into the volcanic system.
An Assessment of Representation of Oceanic Mesoscale Eddy‐Atmosphere Interaction in the Current Generation of General Circulation Models and Reanalyses
Authors: Yang Peiran , Jing Zhao , Wu Lixin
Published: October 2018

Oceanic mesoscale eddies interact strongly with the atmosphere, inducing heat flux that acts to dissipate the eddy potential energy. So far it remains unknown how well this oceanic mesoscale eddy‐atmosphere (OMEA) interaction is represented in the current generation of general circulation models. Here we evaluate the intensity of OMEA interaction in numerical models widely used by the community. It is found that the intensity of OMEA interaction differs significantly among models in its overall magnitude and spatial distribution. In eddy‐rich regions such as Kuroshio Extension and Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the intermodel difference can reach 40%. Surface wind strength and marine atmospheric boundary layer adjustment to mesoscale heat flux anomaly are two important factors accounting for the intermodel difference. Models with stronger surface wind tend to have higher OMEA interaction. Moreover, neglecting the marine atmospheric boundary layer adjustment, ocean‐alone model simulations overestimate OMEA interaction especially at middle and high latitudes by 20%–50%.
Three‐Dimensional Electrical Conductivity and Induced Polarization Tomography of a Rock Glacier
Authors: Duvillard P. A. , Revil A. , Qi Y. , Soueid Ahmed A. , Coperey A. , Ravanel L.
Published: October 2018

Three‐dimensional electrical resistivity and induced polarization data were collected on an unstable Alpine rock glacier in Val Thorens (Vanoise massif, France). In addition to these field data, we also performed induced polarization measurements during freeze and thaw using a soil sample and the poorly mineralized water, both from this site. In the tomograms, the electrical conductivity and the normalized chargeability show very distinctly the presence of the rock ice mixture. The chargeability itself is however quite constant over the entire investigated area with the exception of a small area associated with the presence of carboniferous rocks rich in graphite. The background chargeability is close to the dimensionless number R = 8 × 10−2, which is consistent with the prediction of the dynamic Stern layer model for the polarization of porous media. The theory implies that this dimensionless number R is independent on saturation and temperature in agreement with field observations. A main implication of this observation is that the classical Archie's law cannot be applied to describe the electrical conductivity in this type of environments with poorly mineralized pore water. Surface conductivity dominates the measured conductivity of the materials implying in turn that the electrical conductivity is related to both the water content and cation exchange capacity of the material. We propose new equations for both the electric conductivity and the normalized chargeability in this type of environments.
Fracture Network Characterization Using Stress‐Based Tomography
Authors: Afshari Moein Mohammad Javad , Somogyvári Márk , Valley Benoît , Jalali Mohammadreza , Loew Simon , Bayer Peter
Published: October 2018

Information on structural features of a fracture network at early stages of Enhanced Geothermal System development is mostly restricted to borehole images and, if available, outcrop data. However, using this information to image discontinuities in deep reservoirs is difficult. Wellbore failure data provides only some information on components of the in situ stress state and its heterogeneity. Our working hypothesis is that slip on natural fractures primarily controls these stress heterogeneities. Based on this, we introduce stress‐based tomography in a Bayesian framework to characterize the fracture network and its heterogeneity in potential Enhanced Geothermal System reservoirs. In this procedure, first a random initial discrete fracture network (DFN) realization is generated based on prior information about the network. The observations needed to calibrate the DFN are based on local variations of the orientation and magnitude of at least one principal stress component along boreholes. A Markov Chain Monte Carlo sequence is employed to update the DFN iteratively by a fracture translation within the domain. The Markov sequence compares the simulated stress profile with the observed stress profiles in the borehole, evaluates each iteration with Metropolis‐Hastings acceptance criteria, and stores acceptable DFN realizations in an ensemble. Finally, this obtained ensemble is used to visualize the potential occurrence of fractures in a probability map, indicating possible fracture locations and lengths. We test this methodology to reconstruct simple synthetic and more complex outcrop‐based fracture networks and successfully image the significant fractures in the domain.
Description of Free Energy for Immiscible Two‐Fluid Flow in Porous Media by Integral Geometry and Thermodynamics
Authors: Khanamiri Hamid Hosseinzade , Berg Carl Fredrik , Slotte Per Arne , Schlüter Steffen , Torsæter Ole
Published: October 2018

In integral geometry, intrinsic volumes are a set of geometrical variables to characterize spatial structures, for example, distribution of fluids in two‐fluid flow in porous media. McClure et al. (2018, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.3.084306) utilized this principle and proposed a geometric state function based on the intrinsic volumes. In a similar approach, we find a geometrical description for free energy of a porous system with two fluids. This is also an extension of the work by Mecke (2000, https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-45043-2_6) for energy of a single fluid. Several geometrical sets of spatial objects were defined, including bulk of the two fluids, interfaces, and three‐phase contact lines. We have simplified the description of free energy by showing how the intrinsic volumes of these sets are geometrically related. We obtain a description for energy as a function of seven microscopic geometrically independent variables. In addition, using a thermodynamic approach, we find an approximation for the free energy as a function of macroscopic parameters of saturation and pressure under quasi‐static conditions. The combination of the two energy descriptions, by integral geometry and thermodynamics, completes the relation between the associated variables and enables us to find the unknown coefficients of the intrinsic volumes and to calculate the amount of dissipated energy in drainage and imbibition processes. We show that the theory is consistent with a set of experiments performed by Schlüter et al. (2016a, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015WR018254, 2017a, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016WR019815). However, in order to be more conclusive, it needs to be tested with larger data sets.
ENPP1-Fc prevents neointima formation in generalized arterial calcification of infancy through the generation of AMP
Authors: Nitschke Yvonne , Yan Yan , Buers Insa , Kintziger Kristina , Askew Kim , Rutsch Frank
Published: October 2018

Generalized arterial calcification of infancy (GACI) is associated with widespread arterial calcification and stenoses and is caused by mutations in ENPP1. ENPP1 encodes for ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1 (ENPP1), which cleaves ATP to generate inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) and adenosine monophosphate (AMP) extracellularly. The current study was designed to define the prevalence of arterial stenoses in GACI individuals and to identify the mechanism through which ENPP1 deficiency causes intimal proliferation. Furthermore, we aimed to effectively prevent and treat neointima formation in an animal model of GACI through the systemic administration of recombinant human (rh)ENPP1-Fc protein. Based on a literature review, we report that arterial stenoses are present in at least 72.4% of GACI cases. We evaluated the effect of rhENPP1-Fc on ENPP1-silenced human vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and on induced intimal proliferation in Enpp1-deficient ttw/ttw mice treated with carotid ligation. We demonstrate that silencing ENPP1 in VSMCs resulted in a tenfold increase in proliferation relative to that of cells transfected with negative control siRNA. The addition of rhENPP1-Fc, AMP or adenosine restored the silenced ENPP1-associated proliferation. In contrast, neither PPi nor etidronate, a current off-label treatment for GACI, had an effect on VSMC proliferation. Furthermore, subcutaneous rhENPP1-Fc protein replacement was effective in preventing and treating intimal hyperplasia induced by carotid ligation in an animal model of GACI. We conclude that ENPP1 inhibits neointima formation by generating  AMP. RhENPP1-Fc may serve as an approach for the effective prevention and treatment of arterial stenoses in GACI.
Cell-free DNA release under psychosocial and physical stress conditions
Authors: Hummel E. M. , Hessas E. , Müller S. , Beiter T. , Fisch M. , Eibl A. , Wolf O. T. , Giebel B. , Platen P. , Kumsta R. , Moser D. A.
Published: October 2018

The understanding of mechanisms linking psychological stress to disease risk depend on reliable stress biomarkers. Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has emerged as a potential biomarker of cellular stress, aging, inflammatory processes, and cell death. Recent studies indicated that psychosocial stress and physical exercise might also influence its release. We compared the effects of acute psychosocial and physical exercise stress on cfDNA release by exposing 20 young, healthy men to both an acute psychosocial laboratory stressor and an acute physical exercise stressor. Venous blood and saliva samples were collected before and after stress exposure. Cell-free DNA was extracted from plasma and quantified by qPCR. Furthermore, cfDNA fragment length was analyzed and cfDNA methylation patterns were assayed across time. In addition, release of stress hormones and subjective stress responses were measured. Results showed a twofold increase of cfDNA after TSST and fivefold increase after exhaustive treadmill exercise, with an overabundance of shorter cfDNA fragments after physical exhaustion. Interestingly, cell-free mitochondrial DNA showed similar increase after both stress paradigms. Furthermore, cfDNA methylation signatures—used here as a marker for diverse cellular origin—were significantly different post stress tests. While DNA methylation decreased immediately after psychosocial stress, it increased after physical stress, suggesting different cellular sources of active DNA release. In summary, our results suggest stimulus and cell-specific regulation of cfDNA release. Whereas the functional role of stress-associated cfDNA release remains elusive, it might serve as a valuable biomarker in molecular stress research as a part of the psychophysiological stress response.
Improved estimation of cancer dependencies from large-scale RNAi screens using model-based normalization and data integration
Authors: McFarland James M. , Ho Zandra V. , Kugener Guillaume , Dempster Joshua M. , Montgomery Phillip G. , Bryan Jordan G. , Krill-Burger John M. , Green Thomas M. , Vazquez Francisca , Boehm Jesse S. , Golub Todd R. , Hahn William C. , Root David E. , Tsherniak Aviad
Published: October 2018

The availability of multiple datasets comprising genome-scale RNAi viability screens in hundreds of diverse cancer cell lines presents new opportunities for understanding cancer vulnerabilities. Integrated analyses of these data to assess differential dependency across genes and cell lines are challenging due to confounding factors such as batch effects and variable screen quality, as well as difficulty assessing gene dependency on an absolute scale. To address these issues, we incorporated cell line screen-quality parameters and hierarchical Bayesian inference into DEMETER2, an analytical framework for analyzing RNAi screens (https://depmap.org/R2-D2). This model substantially improves estimates of gene dependency across a range of performance measures, including identification of gold-standard essential genes and agreement with CRISPR/Cas9-based viability screens. It also allows us to integrate information across three large RNAi screening datasets, providing a unified resource representing the most extensive compilation of cancer cell line genetic dependencies to date.
Programming molecular topologies from single-stranded nucleic acids
Authors: Qi Xiaodong , Zhang Fei , Su Zhaoming , Jiang Shuoxing , Han Dongran , Ding Baoquan , Liu Yan , Chiu Wah , Yin Peng , Yan Hao
Published: October 2018

Molecular knots represent one of the most extraordinary topological structures in biological polymers. Creating highly knotted nanostructures with well-defined and sophisticated geometries and topologies remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate a general strategy to design and construct highly knotted nucleic acid nanostructures, each weaved from a single-stranded DNA or RNA chain by hierarchical folding in a prescribed order. Sets of DNA and RNA knots of two- or three-dimensional shapes have been designed and constructed (ranging from 1700 to 7500 nucleotides), and they exhibit complex topological features, with high crossing numbers (from 9 up to 57). These single-stranded DNA/RNA knots can be replicated and amplified enzymatically in vitro and in vivo. This work establishes a general platform for constructing nucleic acid nanostructures with complex molecular topologies.
No significant boron in the hydrated mantle of most subducting slabs
Authors: McCaig Andrew M. , Titarenko Sofya S. , Savov Ivan P. , Cliff Robert A. , Banks David , Boyce Adrian , Agostini Samuele
Published: October 2018

Boron has become the principle proxy for the release of seawater-derived fluids into arc volcanics, linked to cross-arc variations in boron content and isotopic ratio. Because all ocean floor serpentinites so far analysed are strongly enriched in boron, it is generally assumed that if the uppermost slab mantle is hydrated, it will also be enriched in boron. Here we present the first measurements of boron and boron isotopes in fast-spread oceanic gabbros in the Pacific, showing strong take-up of seawater-derived boron during alteration. We show that in one-pass hydration of the upper mantle, as proposed for bend fault serpentinisation, boron will not reach the hydrated slab mantle. Only prolonged hydrothermal circulation, for example in a long-lived transform fault, can add significant boron to the slab mantle. We conclude that hydrated mantle in subducting slabs will only rarely contribute to boron enrichment in arc volcanics, or to deep mantle recycling.
Compliant rolling-contact architected materials for shape reconfigurability
Authors: Shaw Lucas A. , Chizari Samira , Dotson Matthew , Song Yuanping , Hopkins Jonathan B.
Published: October 2018

Architected materials can achieve impressive shape-changing capabilities according to how their microarchitecture is engineered. Here we introduce an approach for dramatically advancing such capabilities by utilizing wrapped flexure straps to guide the rolling motions of tightly packed micro-cams that constitute the material’s microarchitecture. This approach enables high shape-morphing versatility and extreme ranges of deformation without accruing appreciable increases in strain energy or internal stress. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional macroscale prototypes are demonstrated, and the analytical theory necessary to design the proposed materials is provided and packaged as a software tool. An approach that combines two-photon stereolithography and scanning holographic optical tweezers is demonstrated to enable the fabrication of the proposed materials at their intended microscale.
Topological LC-circuits based on microstrips and observation of electromagnetic modes with orbital angular momentum
Authors: Li Yuan , Sun Yong , Zhu Weiwei , Guo Zhiwei , Jiang Jun , Kariyado Toshikaze , Chen Hong , Hu Xiao
Published: October 2018

New structures with richer electromagnetic properties are in high demand for developing novel microwave and optic devices aimed at realizing fast light-based information transfer and information processing. Here we show theoretically that a topological photonic state exists in a hexagonal LC circuit with short-range textures in the inductance, which is induced by a band inversion between p- and d-like electromagnetic modes carrying orbital angular momentum, and realize this state experimentally in planar microstrip arrays. Measuring both amplitude and phase of the out-of-plane electric field accurately using microwave near-field techniques, we demonstrate directly that topological interfacial electromagnetic waves launched by a linearly polarized dipole source propagate in opposite directions according to the sign of the orbital angular momentum. The open planar structure adopted in the present approach leaves much room for including other elements useful for advanced information processing, such as electric/mechanical resonators, superconducting Josephson junctions and SQUIDs.
Threatened species drive the strength of the carbonate pump in the northern Scotia Sea
Authors: Manno C. , Giglio F. , Stowasser G. , Fielding S. , Enderlein P. , Tarling G. A.
Published: October 2018

The efficiency of deep-ocean CO2 sequestration is regulated by the relative balance between inorganic and organic carbon export respectively acting through the biological carbon pump (BCP) and the carbonate counter pump (CCP). The composition and abundance of calcifying species in the prevailing oceanic plankton community plays a major role in driving the CCP. Here we assess the role of these calcifying organisms in regulating the strength of the CCP in a Southern Ocean region (northern Scotia Sea) known to be a major hotspot for the drawdown of atmospheric CO2. We show that, when shelled pteropods dominate the calcifying community, the total annual reduction of CO2 transferred to the deep ocean doubles (17%) compared to when other plankton calcifiers dominate (3–9%). Furthermore, predation enhances their contribution through the removal of organic soft tissue. Pteropods are threatened in polar regions by ocean warming and acidification. We determine that their potential decline would have major implications to the comparative strengths of the BCP and CCP.
Universal passivation strategy to slot-die printed SnO2 for hysteresis-free efficient flexible perovskite solar module
Authors: Bu Tongle , Li Jing , Zheng Fei , Chen Weijian , Wen Xiaoming , Ku Zhiliang , Peng Yong , Zhong Jie , Cheng Yi-Bing , Huang Fuzhi
Published: October 2018

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have reached an impressive efficiency over 23%. One of its promising characteristics is the low-cost solution printability, especially for flexible solar cells. However, printing large area uniform electron transport layers on rough and soft plastic substrates without hysteresis is still a great challenge. Herein, we demonstrate slot-die printed high quality tin oxide films for high efficiency flexible PSCs. The inherent hysteresis induced by the tin oxide layer is suppressed using a universal potassium interfacial passivation strategy regardless of fabricating methods. Results show that the potassium cations, not the anions, facilitate the growth of perovskite grains, passivate the interface, and contribute to the enhanced efficiency and stability. The small size flexible PSCs achieve a high efficiency of 17.18% and large size (5 × 6 cm2) flexible modules obtain an efficiency over 15%. This passivation strategy has shown great promise for pursuing high performance large area flexible PSCs.
A 34.5 day quasi-periodic oscillation in γ-ray emission from the blazar PKS 2247–131
Authors: Zhou Jianeng , Wang Zhongxiang , Chen Liang , Wiita Paul J. , Vadakkumthani Jithesh , Morrell Nidia , Zhang Pengfei , Zhang Jujia
Published: October 2018

Since 2016 October, the active galaxy PKS 2247−131 has undergone a γ-ray outburst, which we studied using data obtained with the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The emission arises from a relativistic jet in PKS 2247−131, as an optical spectrum only shows a few weak absorption lines, typical of the BL Lacertae sub-class of the blazar class of active galactic nuclei. Here we report a ≃34.5 day quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) in the emission after the initial flux peak of the outburst. Compared to one-year time-scale QPOs, previously identified in blazars in Fermi energies, PKS 2247−131 exhibits the first clear case of a relatively short, month-like oscillation. We show that this QPO can be explained in terms of a helical structure in the jet, where the viewing angle to the dominant emission region in the jet undergoes periodic changes. The time scale of the QPO suggests the presence of binary supermassive black holes in PKS 2247−131.
Author Correction: Jungle Express is a versatile repressor system for tight transcriptional control
Authors: Ruegg Thomas L. , Pereira Jose H. , Chen Joseph C. , DeGiovanni Andy , Novichkov Pavel , Mutalik Vivek K. , Tomaleri Giovani P. , Singer Steven W. , Hillson Nathan J. , Simmons Blake A. , Adams Paul D. , Thelen Michael P.
Published: October 2018

In the original version of this Article, an incorrect URL was provided in the Data Availability Statement regarding the deposition of plasmids listed in Supplementary Table 4. The correct URL is https://public-registry.jbei.org/folders/378. This error has been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.