bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Imaging axon regeneration within synthetic nerve conduits
Authors: Fogli Barbara , Corthout Nikky , Kerstens Axelle , Bosse Frank , Klimaschewski Lars , Munck Sebastian , Schweigreiter Rüdiger
Published: July 2019

While axons within the central nervous system (CNS) do not regenerate following injury, those in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) do, although not in a clinically satisfactory manner as only a small proportion of axons exhibit long-distance regeneration. Moreover, functional recovery is hampered by excessive axonal sprouting and aberrant reinnervation of target tissue. In order to investigate the mechanisms governing the regrowth of axons following injury, previous studies have used lesion paradigms of peripheral nerves in rat or mouse models, and reagents or cells have been administered to the lesion site through nerve conduits, aiming to improve early-stage regeneration. Morphological analysis of such in vivo experiments has however been limited by the incompatibility of synthetic nerve conduits with existing tissue-clearing and imaging techniques. We present herein a novel experimental approach that allows high-resolution imaging of individual axons within nerve conduits, together with quantitative assessment of fiber growth. We used a GFP-expressing mouse strain in a lesion model of the sciatic nerve to describe a strategy that combines nerve clearing, chemical treatment of chitosan nerve conduits, and long working distance confocal microscopy with image processing and analysis. This novel experimental setup provides a means of documenting axon growth within the actual conduit during the critical initial stage of regeneration. This will greatly facilitate the development and evaluation of treatment regimens to improve axonal regeneration following nerve damage.
Removal of radioactive cesium from an aqueous solution via bioaccumulation by microalgae and magnetic separation
Authors: Kim Ilgook , Yang Hee-Man , Park Chan Woo , Yoon In-Ho , Seo Bum-Kyoung , Kim Eun-Kyung , Ryu Byung-Gon
Published: July 2019

We evaluated the potential sequestration of cesium (Cs+) by microalgae under heterotrophic growth conditions in an attempt to ultimately develop a system for treatment of radioactive wastewater. Thus, we examined the effects of initial Cs+ concentration (100–500 μM), pH (5–9), K+ and Na+ concentrations (0–20 mg/L), and different organic carbon sources (acetate, glycerol, glucose) on Cs+ removal. Our initial comparison of nine microalgae indicated that Desmodesmus armatus SCK had removed the most Cs+ under various environmental conditions. Addition of organic substrates significantly enhanced Cs+ uptake by D. armatus, even in the presence of a competitive cation (K+). We also applied magnetic nanoparticles coated with a cationic polymer (polyethylenimine) to separate 137Cs-containing microalgal biomass under a magnetic field. Our technique of combining bioaccumulation and magnetic separation successfully removed more than 90% of the radioactive 137Cs from an aqueous medium. These results clearly demonstrate that the method described here is a promising bioremediation technique for treatment of radioactive liquid waste.
Increased LIGHT leading to sFlt-1 elevation underlies the pathogenic link between hydatidiform mole and preeclampsia
Authors: Iriyama Takayuki , Wang Guan , Yoshikawa Midori , Mimura Nobuko , Matsui Haruka , Sayama Seisuke , Kumasawa Keiichi , Nagamatsu Takeshi , Koga Kaori , Kotani Tomomi , Niimi Kaoru , Yamamoto Eiko , Kellems Rodney E. , Xia Yang , Osuga Yutaka , Fujii Tomoyuki
Published: July 2019

Hydatidiform moles are known to pose an extremely high risk of severe early-onset preeclampsia if left untreated. TNF superfamily cytokine, LIGHT has recently been reported to contribute to pathophysiology of preeclampsia. The present study aimed to investigate the involvement of LIGHT in hydatidiform moles. We measured the serum levels of LIGHT and sFlt-1 by ELISA in 17 women with complete hydatidiform mole (HM) and 20 gestational-age-matched normal pregnant women (control). As a result, the serum LIGHT levels were significantly higher in HM as compared with those in control (69.9 ± 9.6 pg/ml vs 25.4 ± 5.3 pg/ml, p = 0.0001) and the serum levels of LIGHT were significantly positively correlated with those of sFlt-1 in HM (r = 0.68, p = 0.0029). Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the expression levels of LIGHT were increased in HM placentas as compared with controls, and LIGHT and sFlt-1 were co-localized in the trophoblast cells of HM. In vitro studies using primary syncytiotrophoblast cells demonstrated that LIGHT directly induced sFlt-1 expression in trophoblast cells. Our results indicated that elevated LIGHT in the trophoblast cells of hydatidiform mole induces sFlt-1, which might underlie the pathogenic mechanism of early-onset preeclampsia developing secondary to molar pregnancies.
Catalytic cascade reactions by radical relay
Authors: Huang Huan-Ming , Garduño-Castro Monserrat H. , Morrill Charlotte , Procter David J.
Published: July 2019

Catalytic radical relays are an attractive tool for the rapid construction of complex molecular architectures.
Mechanochemically synthesized MgAl layered double hydroxide nanosheets for efficient catalytic removal of carbonyl sulfide and H2S
Authors: Mi Jinxing , Chen Xiaoping , Zhang Qiuyun , Zheng Yong , Xiao Yihong , Liu Fujian , Au Chak-tong , Jiang Lilong
Published: July 2019

Mechanochemically prepared MgAl-LDH nanosheets with high crystallinity and large surface areas show excellent activities in COS hydrolysis and H2S oxidation.
Heavily Ce3+-doped Y3Al5O12 thin films deposited by a polymer sol–gel method for fast scintillation detectors
Authors: Rubešová Kateřina , Havlíček Jan , Jakeš Vít , Nádherný Ladislav , Cajzl Jakub , Pánek Dalibor , Parkman Tomáš , Beitlerova Alena , Kučerková Romana , Hájek František , Nikl Martin
Published: July 2019

The performance of cerium-doped Y3Al5O12 (Ce3+:YAG) often depends on cerium solubility achievable in a particular preparation technology.
Large scale quantum dynamics investigations on the sensing mechanism of H2O, acetone, NO2 and O3 adsorption on the (MA)2Pb(SCN)2I2 surface
Authors: Zhang Bing , Zhou Shijie , Tong Lei , Liao Yinjie , Yi Juxia , Qi Yao , Yao Jianxi
Published: July 2019

The sensing mechanism of perovskite materials is described quantitively via bond breaking/formation and charge transfer analyses along with the dynamical processes.
Correlation of the partial charge-transfer and covalent nature of halogen bonding with the THz and IR spectral changes
Authors: Torii Hajime
Published: July 2019

Changes in the spectral intensities in the THz region are good probes for the non-electrostatic aspect of halogen bonding.
Synthesis, structure and biological evaluation of mixed ligand oxidovanadium(iv) complexes incorporating 2-(arylazo)phenolates
Authors: Lima Sudhir , Banerjee Atanu , Mohanty Monalisa , Sahu Gurunath , Kausar Chahat , Patra Samir Kumar , Garribba Eugenio , Kaminsky Werner , Dinda Rupam
Published: July 2019

Synthesis and characterization of mixed ligand oxidovanadium(iv) complexes [VIVO(L1–4)(LNN)] incorporating arylazo ligands: evaluation of DNA/BSA interaction and cytotoxicity activity.
Self-supported MoP nanocrystals embedded in N,P-codoped carbon nanofibers via a polymer-confinement route for electrocatalytic hydrogen production
Authors: Ren Jin-Tao , Chen Lei , Weng Chen-Chen , Yuan Zhong-Yong
Published: July 2019

An electropolymerization strategy was developed for the fabrication of MoP nanocrystal decorated porous carbon nanofibers, which exhibit impressive activity and stability toward the hydrogen evolution reaction.
Adaptive and automated system-optimization for heterogeneous flow-hydrogenation reactions
Authors: Fabry David C. , Heddrich Steffen , Sugiono Erli , Liauw Marcel A. , Rueping Magnus
Published: July 2019

The autonomous hydrogenation of carbonyl compounds and N-heterocycles over solid catalysts with H2 is achieved in 3D parameter space by integrating analytics, control and hardware.
Stiffening and inelastic fluidization in vimentin intermediate filament networks
Authors: Aufderhorst-Roberts Anders , Koenderink Gijsje H.
Published: July 2019

Nonlinear shear rheology reveals that intermediate filaments balance two contradictory roles: mechanoprotection by stiffening and dynamic cellular processes through softening.
Defective and ultrathin NiFe LDH nanosheets decorated on V-doped Ni3S2 nanorod arrays: a 3D core–shell electrocatalyst for efficient water oxidation
Authors: Zhou Jianqing , Yu Luo , Zhu Qiancheng , Huang Chuqiang , Yu Ying
Published: July 2019

Defective and ultrathin NiFe LDH nanosheets decorated on V-doped Ni3S2 nanorod arrays were fabricated as 3D core–shell electrocatalysts for OER.
A surface charge dependent enhanced Th1 antigen-specific immune response in lymph nodes by transfersome-based nanovaccine-loaded dissolving microneedle-assisted transdermal immunization
Authors: Wu Xuanjin , Li Yang , Chen Xiguang , Zhou Zhongzheng , Pang Jianhui , Luo Xin , Kong Ming
Published: July 2019

The efficient delivery of vaccines to draining lymph nodes and the induction of robust local immune responses are crucial for immunotherapy.
A rational design for reconciling high permittivity and breakdown strength in layered PVDF composites from TaB2@Ta2O5 nanofiller induced Schottky barrier effect
Authors: Deng Qihuang , Wu Qin , Feng Yefeng , Peng Cheng , Qin Ben , Li Xiaoxiao , Zhu Qiuyin , Xu Zhichao
Published: July 2019

A contradiction between high permittivity and breakdown strength has long been problematic for obtaining high energy density in conductor/polymer composites.
Predicting intersystem crossing efficiencies of organic molecules for efficient thermally activated delayed fluorescence
Authors: Xu Shen , Yang Qingqing , Wan Yifang , Chen Runfeng , Wang Shuang , Si Yubing , Yang Baocheng , Liu Dan , Zheng Chao , Huang Wei
Published: July 2019

Among five methods in predicting intersystem crossing of TADF molecules, NTO similarity and n-orbital analyses based on the T1 structure were found to be efficient with low computational costs and high accuracy.
Ultrastrong and conductive MXene/cellulose nanofiber films enhanced by hierarchical nano-architecture and interfacial interaction for flexible electromagnetic interference shielding
Authors: Zhan Zeying , Song Quancheng , Zhou Zehang , Lu Canhui
Published: July 2019

Ti3C2Tx/TOCNF composite papers present excellent mechanical strength and EMI shielding effectiveness due to their hierarchically aligned structure and strong intermolecular interactions.
Starting to Talk at Age 10 Years: Lessons About the Acquisition of English Speech Sounds in a Rare Case of Severe Congenital But Remediated Motor Disease of Genetic Origin
Authors: Peter Beate , Vose Caitlin , Bruce Laurel , Ingram David
Published: July 2019

Purpose

This study was conducted to observe speech development in a child whose onset of oral communication was extremely delayed. In rare cases, children are born with physical limitations that temporarily interfere with speech sound production. Whether the development of speech sound production follows the same trajectory as that in typical children at younger ages is not well understood.

Method

We present a child who was wheelchair-bound and communicated nearly exclusively via augmentative and alternative communication devices due to severe congenital motor disease and generalized hypotonia. At age 10 years, her condition improved dramatically with medication after a mutation in a dopamine-related gene was discovered, and she switched entirely to oral communication. Observation of speech development was based on chart reviews, video recordings, and direct testing at age 15 years.

Results

At age 4 years, the participant's attempts at speech showed a small phoneme inventory consisting of early-acquired phonemes and large numbers of common phonological processes. Following the medical intervention at age 10 years, mastery of velars occurred after age 12 years and mastery of liquids was still incomplete at age 15 years.

Conclusions

Findings are consistent with general growth trends in speech sound acquisition that are independent of chronological age. Theoretical considerations regarding the role of motor control in the invariant order of speech sound acquisition are posited, specifically regarding articulatory building blocks. Clinical recommendations include interprofessional management of children with complex motor disease and referrals to genetics professionals in the care of such children.
Visual Analog Scale Ratings and Orthographic Transcription Measures of Sentence Intelligibility in Parkinson's Disease With Variable Listener Exposure
Authors: Abur Defne , Enos Nicole M. , Stepp Cara E.
Published: July 2019

Purpose

While orthographic transcription (OT) is the gold standard for measures of intelligibility, it is relatively inaccessible to clinicians. This study investigates the relationship between visual analog scale (VAS) ratings and OT measures of intelligibility for speakers with Parkinson's disease (PD), with the eventual goal of developing more clinically feasible assessments of intelligibility.

Method

Twenty speakers with PD and 5 controls read 11 sentences. First, 33 listeners completed an OT task using 1 sentence from each speaker. An additional 33 listeners rated the intelligibility of 1 sentence from each speaker using a VAS, reflecting a minimized exposure VAS (MEV) task. Lastly, 14 additional listeners each rated the intelligibility of all 11 sentences produced by all speakers using a VAS, reflecting an extended exposure VAS (EEV) task. Smaller listener groups were simulated from each VAS task for comparison to scores from the OT task.

Results

There was a strong relationship between OT and both MEV and EEV. This relationship remained strong (
R
2
≥ .82) even when only 1 listener in MEV and 2 listeners in EEV were simulated per sentence.

Conclusions

VAS ratings may be a suitable alternative to OT measures of sentence intelligibility for PD using listeners with both minimal and extended exposure to the stimuli.
The Feasibility, Utility, and Safety of Communication Interventions With Mechanically Ventilated Intensive Care Unit Patients: A Systematic Review
Authors: Zaga Charissa J. , Berney Sue , Vogel Adam P.
Published: July 2019

Purpose

The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature relating to the feasibility, utility, and safety of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions and tracheostomy-related communication interventions with mechanically ventilated adult patients in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Method

MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO databases were searched for relevant articles. Studies were included if (a) they were performed in the ICU, (b) they involved participants > 18 years of age, (c) > 85% of participants were mechanically ventilated, and (d) they reported on content that related to the feasibility and/or utility and/or safety of AAC intervention and/or tracheostomy-related communication intervention. Studies were extracted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The levels of evidence for included studies were assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) guidelines.

Results

Forty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Different communication interventions relating to intubated and tracheostomized mechanically ventilated patients were reviewed, including (a) communication boards, (b) electrolarynx, (c) high-technology AAC devices, (d) tracheostomy tubes with communication-enabling features, (e) one-way valve in line with the ventilator, (f) ventilator-adjusted leak speech, (g) ventilator adjustments and one-way valve, and (h) multiple interventions. Forty-seven of 48 studies examined the feasibility and utility of the interventions. Sixteen studies examined the safety of the interventions. The included studies were composed of randomized controlled trials (
n
= 2), quasi-experimental studies (
n
= 7), cohort studies (
n
= 8), case–control (
n
= 1), case series (
n
= 23), and case reports (
n
= 7). The levels of evidence varied and ranged from high (
n
= 2), moderate (
n
= 7), low (
n
= 9), and very low (
n
= 30).

Conclusions

There is developing evidence that communication interventions with mechanically ventilated ICU patients are feasible, have utility, and are safe. Further research is warranted to guide speech pathologist–directed intervention to improve patient outcomes and the patient experience in the ICU.
Pair of diagonal slots loaded low‐profile circularly polarised patch antenna with wide 3 dB axial ratio beamwidth
Authors: Ray Mrityunjoy Kumar , Mandal Kaushik
Published: July 2019

A low‐profile circularly polarised (CP) antenna with wide 3 dB axial ratio beamwidth (ARBW) is proposed in this study. The possibilities of widening the 3 dB ARBW of single diagonal slot‐loaded conventional CP antenna have been explored successfully by incorporating a pair of rectangular slots along the diagonal line of a square patch antenna. The design parameters and the symmetrical arrangement of this pair of slots across the centre of the patch are crucial to adjust and achieve the wide 3 dB ARBW with high CP purity. Coupling between the two diagonal slots provides nearly equal and radiation patterns over a large angular range, and hence the 3 dB ARBW has been enhanced by 85.71 and 55.4% for  = 0° and  = 90° planes, respectively, in comparison to the conventional slot‐loaded CP antenna. The minimum 3 dB ARBW of 208° and a maximum of 230° have been achieved across different planes of radiation  = 0°, 45°, 90°, and 135° with a minimum axial ratio of 0.20 dB only. The absolute planar antenna of size (0.29 × 0.29 × 0.013)λ03, where λ0 is the free‐space wavelength corresponding to the CP frequency, has been fabricated and tested. The measured and simulated results show fair consistency to each other.
Stellar atmospheric parameters for 754 spectra from the X-shooter Spectral Library
Authors: Arentsen Anke , Prugniel Philippe , Gonneau Anais , Lançon Ariane , Trager Scott , Peletier Reynier , Lyubenova Mariya , Chen Yan-Ping , Falcón Barroso Jesús , Sánchez Blázquez Patricia , Vazdekis Alejandro
Published: July 2019

Context. The X-shooter Spectral Library (XSL) is an empirical stellar library at medium spectral resolution covering the wavelength range from 3000 Å to 24 800 Å. This library aims to provide a benchmark for stellar population studies.

Aims. In this work, we present a uniform set of stellar atmospheric parameters, effective temperatures, surface gravities, and iron abundances for 754 spectra of 616 XSL stars.

Methods. We used the full-spectrum fitting package ULySS with the empirical MILES library as reference to fit the ultraviolet-blue (UVB) and visible (VIS) spectra. We tested the internal consistency and we compared our results with compilations from the literature.

Results. The stars cover a range of effective temperature 2900 <  Teff <  38 000 K, surface gravity 0 <  logg <  5.7, and iron abundance −2.5 <  [Fe/H] <  +1.0, with a couple of stars extending down to [Fe/H] = −3.9. The precisions of the measurements for the G- and K-type stars are 0.9%, 0.14, and 0.06 in Teff, logg, and [Fe/H], respectively. For the cool giants with logg <  1, the precisions are 2.1%, 0.21, and 0.22, and for the other cool stars these values are 1%, 0.14, and 0.10. For the hotter stars (Teff >  6500 K), these values are 2.6%, 0.20, and 0.10 for the three parameters.
The slingshot effect as a probe of transverse motions of galaxies
Authors: Hagala R. , Llinares C. , Mota D. F.
Published: July 2019

Context. There are currently no reliable methods to measure the transverse velocities of galaxies. This is an important piece of information that is lacking in galaxy catalogues, and it could allow us to probe the physics of structure formation and to test the underlying theory of gravity. The slingshot effect (a special case of the integrated Sachs–Wolfe effect) is expected to create dipole signals in the temperature fluctuations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. This effect creates a hot spot behind and a cold spot in front of moving massive objects. The dipole signal created by the slingshot effect can be used to measure transverse velocities, but because the signal is expected to be weak, the effect has not been measured yet.

Aims. Our aim is to show that the slingshot effect can be measured by stacking the signals of galaxies falling into a collapsing cluster. Furthermore, we evaluate whether the effect can probe modified gravity.

Methods. We used data from a simulated galaxy catalogue (MultiDark Planck 2) to mimic observations. We identified a 1015 M⊙ cluster, and made maps of the slingshot effect for photons passing near 8438 infalling galaxies. To emulate instrument noise, we added uncorrelated Gaussian noise to each map. We assumed that the average velocity is directed towards the centre of the cluster. The maps were rotated according to the expected direction of motion. This assures that the dipole signal adds up constructively when stacking the maps. We compared the stacked maps to a dipole stencil to determine the quality of the signal. We also evaluated the probability of fitting the stencil in the absence of the slingshot signal.

Results. Each galaxy gives a signal of around ΔT/T ≈ 10−9, while the current precision of CMB experiments is ΔT/T ≈ 4 × 10−6. By stacking around 10 000 galaxies and performing a stencil fit, the slingshot signal can be over the detectable threshold with today’s experiments. However, due to the difficulty of distinguishing an actual signal from false positives, future CMB experiments must be used to be certain of the strength of the observed signal.
The Gao beam under a moving inertial load and harmonic compression
Authors: Dyniewicz Bartłomiej , Bajer Czesław
Published: July 2019

In the present work the dynamics of the system of a mass moving on the beam is investigated in detail numerically in the case of vibrations about a buckled state. The differential equation that describes the motion is strongly nonlinear. Simulations are based on the space-time finite element method. It enabled us easily determine the influence of the moving inertial particle. At the computational stage it becomes a real problem when the mass particle traverses joints of neighbouring elements. The results of representative and interesting computer simulations are enclosed.
Arrival Traffic Separations Modelling By Using Continuous Probability Distributions
Authors: Pawełek Adrian , Lichota Piotr
Published: July 2019

This article presents a method that allows to analyze selected aspects of past arrival traffic by modelling distributions of time separations of arriving aircraft in a chosen navigationpoint of Terminal Manoeuvring Area with the use of continuous probability distributions. Modelling arriving aircraft time separations distribution with continuous probability density functions allows to apply various mathematical tools to analyze separations distributions. Moreover, by comparing distributions parameters, quantitative analysis of separations for days with various arrival traffic intensity can be performed. Assumptions, mathematical model, application in the exemplary experimental scenario with an airport and days with low and high traffic intensity, and results are presented in this article. Real air traffic data was used for the experimental scenario. Outcomes show that the method can be used for air traffic post-analysis, e.g assessment of maintaining separation.
Damping parameters of a steel structure with a viscoelastic layer in the base node
Authors: Pawlak Zdzisław , Zwoliński Dawid
Published: July 2019

The aim of the article is to estimate the damping properties of a steel structural element equipped with a viscoelastic layer (VS) in the base node. The viscoelastic material has a good energy dissipation properties, has a relatively high strength, and its properties remain unchanged over the time. However, its damping properties may vary for different temperatures and excitation frequencies. In this work, the effect of frequency was examined, but the influence of temperature was omitted. For the selected viscoelastic material, laboratory tests were carried out to estimate its ability to dissipate energy in various load states. The viscoelastic material was then used as a washer in the joint connecting the steel element to the concrete base. The dynamic test and numerical analysis carried out for the structure with the viscoelastic layer allow estimation of some damping parameters for the considered system.
Vibration damping in road bridges – two case studies of full scale experiments
Authors: Szynal Daniel , Janas Lucjan
Published: July 2019

The paper presents the results of a vibration damping analysis of two road viaducts. The analysis was based on displacement signals recorded during the dynamic load tests carried out before an acceptance process of the viaducts. To create an additional excitation, a 5 cm high threshold was located on the road during low-velocity passages. The Logarithmic Decrement (LD) was calculated using an exponential curve fit to free vibration amplitudes. A fundamental frequency of vibration was considered. To minimize the influence of signal imperfections, a filtration process was carried out using bandpass Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) Bessel filter. The results were correlated for various degrees of excitation resulting from different velocities of loading vehicles and the presence of the threshold. Examples of appropriate and inadequate signals for the damping analysis were shown.
Common Type 2 Diabetes Genetic Risk Variants Improve the Prediction of Gestational Diabetes
Authors: Dziedziejko Violetta , Safranow Krzysztof , Tarnowski Maciej , Pawlik Andrzej
Published: July 2019

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a carbohydrate intolerance that occurs in women during pregnancy. The aims of this study were to develop a model to predict the risk of GDM development using common clinical parameters and selected genetic polymorphisms and to analyse the performance of the model using receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves. ROC analysis was used to examine whether the evaluation of genetic polymorphisms may enhance the accuracy of GDM prediction in comparison to using common clinical risk factors only. This study included 204 pregnant women with GDM and 207 pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance. The diagnosis of GDM was based on a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test at 24–28 weeks gestation. The difference between the AUC of ROC curves for the model 1 including only age and BMI and the model 2 also including 8 genetic polymorphisms was highly significant (p=0.0001) in favour of model 2 (0.090±0.023). Moreover, the additional use of 8 genetic polymorphisms may increase both the sensitivity and specificity of GDM prediction by 10%. The results of this study indicate that the use of 8 genetic polymorphisms associated with carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and type 2 diabetes [PTGS2 (COX2) rs6681231, FADS1 rs174550, HNF1B rs4430796, ADIPOQ rs266729, IL18 rs187238, CCL2 rs1024611, HHEX rs5015480 and CDKN2A/2B rs10811661] together with clinical risk factors (BMI and age) may significantly improve the prediction of GDM.
Strictureplasty in Complex Crohn's Disease: Beyond the Basics
Authors: Strong Scott A.
Published: July 2019

The strictureplasty operation was originally adopted for use in selected patients with Crohn's disease to allow for bowel conservation. The procedure and its usage have evolved over time as experience and confidence with the technique has grown. The short- and long-term outcomes of strictureplasty compared with resection attest to its safety and durable efficacy.
Novel Therapeutic Approaches of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Authors: Tyagi Sanjay , Batra Vishal
Published: July 2019

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is an uncommon disease characterized progressive remodeling of pulmonary vasculature. Although treatment for PAH have improved in last two decades but the outcome remains fatal. Currently, the therapies for PAH target three well-established pathways the nitric oxide (NO) pathway, endothelin receptors, and prostanoids. There are multiple potential targets for development of newer drugs in PAH which requires meticulous research and clinical trials.
Determinants of Pain and Predictors of Pain Relief after Ulnar Shortening Osteotomy for Ulnar Impaction Syndrome
Authors: Nuñez Fiesky A. , Marquez-Lara Alejandro , Newman Elizabeth A. , Li Zhongyu , Nuñez Fiesky A.
Published: July 2019

Background The purpose of this study is to characterize patient- and surgery-specific factors associated with perioperative pain level in patients undergoing ulnar shortening osteotomy (USO) for ulnar impaction syndrome (UIS). We hypothesize that preoperative opiate consumption, tobacco utilization, and severity of ulnar variance will be associated with less postoperative pain relief.

Methods All cases of USO between January 2010 and December 2016 for management of UIS were retrospectively reviewed. Patient demographics, smoking status, type of labor, and opioid utilization before surgery were recorded. Radiographic measurements for ulnar variance, radial tilt and inclination, as well as triangular fibrocartilage complex and distal radial-ulnar joint (DRUJ) morphology were assessed. Pre- and postoperative pain score were recorded. Regression analysis was performed to determine predictors of pain scores.

Results A total of 69 patients were included for the final analysis with a mean age of 44 years (range 17–73 years). Seventeen patients reported use of daily opioid medications at the time of surgery (25%). Patients who used opioid analgesics daily, active laborers, smokers, and patients involved in worker compensation claims had significantly less pain relief after surgery. Patients with osteotomy performed at the metaphysis had significantly more pain relief than patients that had diaphyseal osteotomy. Regression analysis identified tobacco utilization and anatomic site of osteotomy as independent predictors of postoperative pain.

Conclusion The results from this study identified smoking and location of osteotomy as independent predictors of postoperative pain relief. While smoking cessation is paramount to prevent delayed/nonunion it may also help improve pain relief following USO. The potential to achieve greater shortening with a metaphyseal osteotomy suggests that in addition to the mechanical unloading the carpus, pain relief after USO may also stem from tensioning the ulnar collateral ligaments of the wrist, the ECU subsheath, and the radioulnar ligaments.

Level of Evidence This is a Level III, therapeutic study.
18.13.2 Guanidine Derivatives (Update 2019)
Authors: Podlech J.
Published: July 2019

This chapter is an update to the earlier Science of Synthesis contribution (Section 18.13) on the preparation of guanidines, as well on their applications in organic synthesis. It focuses on the literature published in the period 2004–2017.
18.14.6 Phosphorus Analogues of Guanidine (Update 2019)
Authors: Podlech J.
Published: July 2019

This chapter is an update to the earlier Science of Synthesis contribution (Section 18.14) on the preparation of phosphorus analogues of guanidines, as well on their applications in organic synthesis. It focuses on the literature published in the period 2004–2017.
Slip-driven microfluidic devices for nucleic acid analysis
Authors: Lyu Weiyuan , Yu Mengchao , Qu Haijun , Yu Ziqing , Du Wenbin , Shen Feng
Published: July 2019

Slip-driven microfluidic devices can manipulate fluid by the relative movement of microfluidic plates that are in close contact. Since the demonstration of the first SlipChip device, many slip-driven microfluidic devices with different form factors have been developed, including SlipPAD, SlipDisc, sliding stripe, and volumetric bar chart chip. Slip-driven microfluidic devices can be fabricated from glass, quartz, polydimethylsiloxane, paper, and plastic with various fabrication methods: etching, casting, wax printing, laser cutting, micromilling, injection molding, etc. The slipping operation of the devices can be performed manually, by a micrometer with a base station, or autonomously, by a clockwork mechanism. A variety of readout methods other than fluorescence microscopy have been demonstrated, including both fluorescence detection and colorimetric detection by mobile phones, direct visual detection, and real-time fluorescence imaging. This review will focus on slip-driven microfluidic devices for nucleic acid analysis, including multiplex nucleic acid detection, digital nucleic acid quantification, real-time nucleic acid amplification, and sample-in-answer-out nucleic acid analysis. Slip-driven microfluidic devices present promising approaches for both life science research and clinical molecular diagnostics.
Public disclosure of hospital clinicians' performance data: insights from medical directors
Authors: Canaway Rachel , Prang Khic-Houy , Bismark Marie , Dunt David , Kelaher Margaret
Published: July 2019

Objective
This study gathered information from public hospital chief medical officers to better understand underlying mechanisms through which public reporting affects institutional behavioural change and decision making towards quality improvement.

Methods
This qualitative study used thematic analysis of 17 semistructured, in-depth interviews among a peak group of medical directors representing 26 health services in Victoria, Australia.

Results
The medical directors indicated a high level of in-principle support for public reporting of identifiable, individual clinician-level data. However, they also described varying conceptual understanding of what public reporting of performance data is. Overall, they considered public reporting of individual clinicians’ performance data a means to improve health care quality, increase transparency and inform consumer healthcare decision making. Most identified caveats that would need to be met before such data should be publicly released, in particular the need to resolve issues around data quality and timeliness, context and interpretation and ethics. Acknowledgement of the public’s right to access individual clinician-level data was at odds with some medical directors’ belief that such reporting may diminish trust between clinicians and their employers, thus eroding rather than motivating quality improvement.

Conclusions
Public reporting of identifiable individual healthcare clinicians’ performance data is an issue that merits robust research and debate given the effects such reporting may have on doctors and on hospital quality and safety.

What is known about the topic?
The public reporting of individual clinician-level data is a mechanism used in some countries, but not in Australia, for increasing health care transparency and quality. Clinician-level public reporting of doctors’ performance attracts contention and debate in Australia.

What does this paper add?
This paper informs debate around the public reporting of individual clinician-level performance data. Among a discrete cohort of senior hospital administrators in Victoria, Australia, there was strong in-principle support for such public reporting as a means to improve hospital quality and safety.

What are the implications for practitioners?
Before public reporting of individual clinician performance data could occur in Australia, resolution of issues would be required relating to legality and ethics, data context and interpretation, data quality and timeliness.
A variationist approach to tone categorization in Cantonese
Authors: Zhang Jingwei , Zhang Yanyong , Xu Daming
Published: July 2019

This study examines tone mergers in Hong Kong Cantonese from the perspective of variationist sociolinguistics. It
approaches the issue of whether Cantonese has six or nine tones by focusing on two ongoing tone mergers: (1) the merger of
yin qu T3 and yang qu T6, and (2) the merger of lower yin ru T8 and
yang ru T9. Speech data from fifty native Cantonese speakers in Hong Kong were collected and analyzed. The
change routes and constraint patterns of the two mergers were compared and found to be similar. The results support the six-tone
system for Hong Kong Cantonese. This study serves as an example of how the variationist approach can be used in phonological
debates.
Uncovering historical semantic connections with the help of image schemata
Authors: Hegedűs Irén , Győri Gábor
Published: July 2019

Standard etymological dictionaries agree that Modern Englishsome, sameand their Old English cognatesam-‘half’ descend from the same etymon. However, while explaining their phonological development from the same proto-form is unproblematic, their divergent meanings make the reconstruction of their semantic evolution more challenging. The paper examines the historical semantic connection between these three morphemes from a cognitive perspective and attempts to provide an explanation of how they are conceptually linked to each other. Based on a cognitive semantic analysis of the meanings of these forms, we propose that all three concepts are understood on the basis of and embedded in one and the same image schematic domain – comprised by the generalunity/multiplicityschema – and derive from entailments of its subschemata. Such an image schematic account of the conceptual connections between these meanings provides an explanation for the various paths of semantic development from the original etymon leading to the established later meanings. This approach will also facilitate the semantic reconstruction of the ancestral Proto-Indo-European form and help identify the exact cognate relationships betweensome, sameandsam-.
The decline of the Deontic nci construction in Late Modern English
Authors: Noël Dirk
Published: July 2019

Starting from a traditional corpus-based investigation of an example of constructional attrition, i.e. of a sustained drop in the frequency of use of a construction in a language’s history, this paper argues that usage data which make abstraction from individual speakers can no more account for this kind of constructional change than they can for constructionalization, the creation of new constructions. A more ‘radically’ usage-based approach to diachronic construction grammar implements the cognitive commitment of this subdiscipline of cognitive linguistics and ultimately explains all constructional change with reference to individual speakers’ grammars. Since no two speakers’ experience-based constructicons are identical, it is hypothesized that, very similar to constructionalization, constructional attrition starts from interpersonal variation and the paper encourages the use of idiolectal historical corpora to find corroboration for this. The case of constructional attrition presented in descriptive detail is that of the English Deontic nciconstruction, which is instantiated by such forms asbe compelled to, be forbidden to, be obliged toandbe permitted to. Previous research established this schema to have grown in frequency and productivity from the 14th until the 18th century and the current paper documents the start of its subsequent decline with data from the Corpus of Late Modern English Texts. It goes on to ask whether a usage-based approach should stop at offering cultural explanations for such developments and proposes a more genuinely cognitive line of explanatory attack.
Death in a multicultural society
Authors: Tay Dennis
Published: July 2019

Obituaries are a tractable source of metaphorical depictions of death, which in turn offer unique insights into the near-universality versus culture and context-specificity of metaphors. In multicultural settings, they can shed further light on the underexplored question of how metaphor use interacts with linguistic and religious identities. This paper is a case study of newspaper obituaries (N = 337) in the multicultural and multilingual context of Singapore. It uses a mixed-methods approach to uncover the types of death-related metaphors across languages and religions, their near-universal and culture-specific aspects, and significant associations between religion and metaphor use/non-use (χ² (2,N = 337) = 84.54,p < 0.001, Cramer’sV = 0.501, Log (BF10) = 47.14), language and metaphor use/non-use (χ² (1,N = 337) = 71.2,p < 0.001, Cramer’sV = 0.46, Log (BF10) = 42.25), and religion and language of the deceased (χ² (2,N = 337) = 48.11,p < 0.001, Cramer’sV = 0.378, Log (BF10) = 19.7). The findings extend prevailing discussion from the substantive contents of metaphors to the intra-societal pragmatics of their use, connecting metaphor explicitly with the construction of religious and linguistic identities.
Using formulations to manage conflicts in classroom interactions
Authors: Baraldi Claudio
Published: July 2019

In classroom interactions, facilitation of children’s autonomous choice of acting (agency) may produce conflicts among children. While facilitation does not have the function of managing these conflicts, it shares some types of action with conflict mediation, one of which is formulation. Formulation elaborates the gist of previous utterances and enhances interlocutors’ actions. This paper provides a qualitative analysis of nine transcribed sequences of interaction, included into five different programs of facilitation. The analysis shows that formulations fulfil two different functions. First (function of mediation), they are designed as developments of the gist of children’s utterances, enhancing stories of cooperation. Second (function of facilitation), they are designed as explications of the gist of children’s utterances, without enhancing cooperative stories.
The YSZ,Planck – YSZ,XMM scaling relation and its difference between cool-core and non-cool-core clusters
Authors: Zhu Yue , Wang Yuan-Hao , Zhao Hai-Hui , Jia Shu-Mei , Li Cheng-Kui , Chen Yong
Published: July 2019

We construct a sample of 70 clusters using data from XMM-Newton and Planck to investigate the Y
SZ,Planck
– Y
SZ,XMM
scaling relation and the cool-core influences on this relation. Y
SZ,XMM
is calculated by accurately de-projected temperature and electron number density profiles derived from XMM-Newton. Y
SZ,Planck
is the latest Planck data restricted to our precise X-ray cluster size θ
500. To study the cool-core influences on the Y
SZ,Planck
– Y
SZ,XMM
scaling relation, we apply two criteria, namely the limits of central cooling time and classic mass deposition rate, to distinguish cool-core clusters (CCCs) from non-cool-core clusters (NCCCs). We also use Y
SZ,Planck
from other papers, which are derived from different methods, to confirm our results. The intercept and slope of the Y
SZ,Planck
– Y
SZ,XMM
scaling relation are A = –0.86 ± 0.30 and B = 0.83 ± 0.06 respectively. The intrinsic scatter is σ
ins = 0.14 ± 0.03. The ratio of Y
SZ,Planck
/Y
SZ,XMM
is 1.03 ± 0.05, which is in excellent statistical agreement with unity. Discrepancies in the Y
SZ,Planck
– Y
SZ,XMM
scaling relation between CCCs and NCCCs are found in the observation. They are independent of the cool-core classification criteria and Y
SZ,Planck
calculation methods, although the discrepancies are more significant under the classification criteria of classic mass deposition rate. The intrinsic scatter of CCCs (0.04) is quite small compared to that of NCCCs (0.27). The ratio of Y
SZ,Planck
/Y
SZ,XMM
for CCCs is 0.89 ± 0.05, suggesting that CCCs’ Y
SZ,XMM
may overestimate the Sunyaev-Zel’dovich (SZ) signal. By contrast, the ratio of Y
SZ,Planck
/Y
SZ,XMM
for NCCCs is 1.14 ± 0.12, which indicates that NCCCs’ Y
SZ,XMM
may underestimate the SZ signal.
Observation data pre-processing and scientific data products generation of POLAR
Authors: Li Zheng-Heng , Sun Jian-Chao , Song Li-Ming , Wu Bo-Bing , Li Lu , Wen Xing , Xiao Hua-Lin , Xiong Shao-Lin , Zhang Lai-Yu , Zhang Shuang-Nan , Zhang Yong-Jie
Published: July 2019

POLAR is a compact space-borne detector initially designed to measure the polarization of hard X-rays emitted from Gamma-Ray Bursts in the energy range 50–500 keV. This instrument was launched successfully onboard the Chinese space laboratory Tiangong-2 (TG-2) on 2016 September 15. After being switched on a few days later, tens of gigabytes of raw detection data were produced in-orbit by POLAR and transferred to the ground every day. Before the launch date, a full pipeline and related software were designed and developed for the purpose of quickly pre-processing all the raw data from POLAR, which include both science data and engineering data, then to generate the high level scientific data products that are suitable for later science analysis. This pipeline has been successfully applied for use by the POLAR Science Data Center in the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) after POLAR was launched and switched on. A detailed introduction to the pipeline and some of the core relevant algorithms are presented in this paper.
The distance measurements of supernova remnants in the fourth Galactic quadrant
Authors: Shan Su-Su , Zhu Hui , Tian Wen-Wu , Zhang Hai-Yan , Yang Ai-Yuan , Zhang Meng-Fei
Published: July 2019

We take advantage of red clump stars to build the relation of the optical extinction (AV) and distance in each direction of supernova remnants (SNRs) with known extinction in the fourth Galactic quadrant. The distances of nine SNRs are determined well by this method. Their uncertainties range from 10% to 30%, which are significantly improved for eight SNRs, G279.0+1.1, G284.3–1.8, G296.1–0.5, G299.2–2.9, G308.4–1.4, G309.2–0.6, G309.8–2.6 and G332.4–0.4. In addition, SNR G284.3–1.8 with the new distance of 5.5 kpc is not likely associated with the PSR J1016–5857 at 3 kpc.
Photometric investigation and orbital period analyses of the WUMa binaries FP Lyn, FV CVn and V354 UMa
Authors: Michel Raul , Xia Qi-Qi , Higuera Jesus
Published: July 2019

New light curves and photometric solutions of FP Lyn, FV CVn and V354 UMa are presented. We found that these three systems are W-subtype shallow contact binaries. In addition, it is obvious that the light curves of FP Lyn and V354 UMa are asymmetric. Therefore, a hot spot was added on the primary star of FP Lyn and a dark spot was added on the secondary star of V354 UMa. At the same time, we added a third light to the photometric solution of FP Lyn for the final result. The obtained mass ratios and fill-out factors areq= 1.153 andf= 13.4% for FP Lyn,q= 1.075 andf= 4.6% for FV CVn, andq= 3.623 andf= 10.7% for V354 UMa respectively. The investigations of orbital period for these three systems indicate that the periods are variable. FP Lyn and V354 UMa were discovered to have secularly increasing components with rates ofdp/dt= 4.19 × 10−7d yr−1anddp/dt= 7.70 × 10−7d yr−1respectively, which are feasibly caused by conservative mass transfer from the less massive component to the more massive component. In addition, some variable components were discovered for FV CVn, including a rate ofdp/dt= −1.13 × 10−6d yr−1accompanied by a cyclic oscillation with amplitude and period of 0.0069 d and 10.65 yr respectively. The most likely explanation for the long-term decrease is angular momentum loss. The existence of an additional star is the most plausible explanation for the periodic variation.
A Correction Algorithm of QR Code on Cylindrical Surface
Authors: Li Kejing , Meng Fanwu , Huang Zhipeng , Wang Qi
Published: July 2019

When capturing a QR code on a cylinder, there may be geometric distortions due to the angle of the camera and the cylindrical deformation, which makes the QR code difficult to recognize. To solve this problem, a correction algorithm for QR codes is proposed in this paper. First, the boundary of the QR code on the cylinder is extracted by a morphological algorithm and geometry calculations. Then, the feature points on the image are accurately located. Next, the standard size of the QR code is determined by using the cross-ratio method in descriptive geometry. Finally, the image is corrected by perspective projection. It is proven that the algorithm can correct the distortion of the cylinder image effectively, and it has the ability to properly identify cylindrical QR codes.