bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Surgical Management of Pulmonary Mucormycosis in Third-Trimester Pregnancy
Authors: Ramirez Joel , Urisman Anatoly , Kukreja Jasleen , Kratz Johannes
Published: June 2018

Background Pulmonary mucormycosis is a rare fungal infection that carries a high mortality. Given the rarity of this disease, its management has not been well established.

Case Description We report a 36-year-old female presenting with right middle and lower lobe pulmonary mucormycosis during the third trimester of pregnancy. Diagnosis was established using chest computed tomography followed by bronchoalveolar lavage and lung biopsy. Prompt initiation of amphotericin B and right middle and lower lobe lobectomy resulted in maternal survival and fetal viability.

Conclusion This favorable outcome is attributed to extensive communication between treatment teams in addition to comprehensive surgical planning.
Primary Cardiac B-Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Disguised as a Pacemaker Endocarditis
Authors: Fleißner Felix , Molitoris Ulrich , Rösler Wiebke , Kühn Christian
Published: June 2018

Background Pacemaker infections rates are high compared with the incidence of primary malignant cardiac tumors. However, they can look alike in diagnostics and patient presentation.

Case Description We hereby report a rare case of a suspected pacemaker endocarditis which in fact turned out to be a primary cardiac B cell lymphoma. The lymphoma was removed surgically.

Conclusion Sometimes we encounter the unexpected. Suboptimal preoperative diagnostics certainly lead to the faulty conclusion of an endocarditis. Nonetheless, even such an enhanced primary cardiac tumor can be resected with good clinical outcome and long-term survival.
Platelet-Rich Plasma for the Treatment of Androgenic Alopecia: A Systematic Review
Authors: Chen Jenny , Justicz Natalie , Lee Linda
Published: June 2018

The use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has become increasingly commonplace in facial plastic surgery for the treatment of androgenic alopecia (AGA). However, this treatment remains novel with a range of application techniques and outcomes described in the literature. Herein, the authors systematically review the existing literature on the use and efficacy of PRP for AGA. Systematic review of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases was performed. Case reports were excluded. Twenty-four papers met inclusion criteria for this study: 8 randomized control trials and 16 prospective cohort studies. Twenty-one studies used clinical criteria to diagnose AGA, while three used confirmatory biopsies. PRP was injected with or without the use of a numbing agent, and most studies performed multiple injections (three or more separated by several weeks). Twenty-one studies reported positive outcomes by objective criteria (88%), while three suggested that there was no clinical improvement, although in two of these studies patients still reported increased satisfaction. There were no complications reported other than transient edema/erythema and pain/headache associated with the procedure. The existing literature suggests that PRP is a low-risk intervention to treat AGA associated with good patient satisfaction and objective improvements in outcomes. Further research is needed to optimize preparation and delivery methods as well as standardize measurements of clinical outcomes.
Distally Based Peroneus Brevis Muscle Flap for Large Leg, Ankle, and Foot Defects: Anatomical Finding and Clinical Application
Authors: Abd-Al-Moktader Magdy
Published: June 2018

Background Peroneus brevis muscle flap is a distinguished, distally based safe flap that can be manipulated to cover small defects in the leg and ankle. For large-sized defects, a more distal, larger flap is required either locally or distantly.

Methods Forty-two distally based peroneus brevis muscle flaps were elevated in 42 patients (30 males and 12 females) with major lower leg, ankle, and proximal foot defects of 6 to 15 cm in length and 6 to 12 cm in width. Anatomical findings were recorded as number, size, and sources of blood supply, entry sites, the lowermost two arterial supplies, internal distribution of blood supply to the muscle, the relationship between external and internal distribution of the blood vessels, the length of the muscle, the entry site of the main artery, and the splitting of the proximal portion of the peroneus brevis muscle to increase its width to sufficiently cover large defects.

Results The anatomical findings suggested that the muscle can be safely extended to cover a large defect in the leg, ankle, or proximal foot. In addition, the longitudinal splitting of the muscle increases its width by up to three times, making it an excellent long-surviving flap to cover a large defect.

Conclusion A distally based peroneus brevis muscle flap has a rich blood supply and safely reaches the proximal foot, with a secure splitting to cover large defects in the leg, ankle, and proximal foot.
Parallel Stenting for Treatment of an In-stent Chronic Total Occlusion after Successful Dissection Reentry Technique
Authors: Koutouzis Michael , Kintis Konstantinos , Kontopodis Eleftherios , Nikitas Georgios , Lazaris Efstathios
Published: June 2018

Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) for chronic total occlusions (CTO) are the most challenging type of procedure in interventional cardiology and are traditionally associated with increased complexity and reduced procedural success rates. New techniques, such as retrograde approach and dissection reentry technique, offer alternatives in case of traditional antegrade wiring failure. In this paper, we present a successful implantation of a stent parallel to other existing stent in an in-stent CTO (IS-CTO) using dissection reentry technique. The technical details involved and the clues to successful outcome in an individual with in-stent CTO are discussed.
Toxins Are an Excellent Source of Therapeutic Agents against Cardiovascular Diseases
Authors: Koh Cho Yeow , Modahl Cassandra , Kulkarni Namrata , Kini R. Manjunatha
Published: June 2018

Venomous and hematophagous animals use their venom or saliva for survival, to obtain food, and for self-defense. Venom and saliva from these animals are cocktails of bioactive molecules primarily composed of proteins and peptides. These molecules are called toxins because they cause unwanted consequences on prey. They exhibit unique, diverse, and specific biological activities that perturb normal physiological processes of their prey and host. However, the potential of toxins as inspirations for the development of therapeutic agents or pharmacological tools has also long been recognized. In addition to their small size, the exquisite selectivity and structural stability of toxins make them attractive as starting molecule in the development of therapeutic and diagnostic agents. Drug discovery and development from venomous and hematophagous animals against cardiovascular diseases have been particularly successful. Some of the notable success include antihypertensive (captopril and enalapril) and antiplatelet agents (tirofiban and eptifibatide), as well as anticoagulants (lepirudin and bivalirudin). Highlighted in this review are many venom or saliva-derived cardiovascular-active proteins and peptides of therapeutic interest, including those that are currently in preclinical stages and those that have been approved by FDA and currently in the market. The authors attempt to summarize their structure, function, mechanism of action, and development with respect to cardiovascular diseases.
Surgery for Triple Pathology of Giant Vestibular Schwannoma Associated with Carotid Artery Stenosis and Intracranial Aneurysm: Case Report
Authors: Sirko Andriy , Dzyak Lyudmila , Romanukha Dmytro , Pilipenko Grigoriy , Cherednychenko Yuri
Published: June 2018

Here we report the case of a 56-year-old woman who presented with a highly unusual combination of three pathologies, namely a giant left-sided vestibular schwannoma, severe stenosis of the left internal carotid artery, and a right anterior cerebral artery aneurysm. The chosen approach comprised three consecutive surgical procedures, namely (1) aneurysm embolization, (2) carotid stenosis stenting, and (3) vestibular schwannoma excision. This approach avoided complications and achieved a satisfactory functional outcome. To the best of our knowledge, this combination of three conditions has not been previously reported in the English-language literature.
Economic Analysis of Using Free Fat Graft or Acellular Dermis to Prevent Post-parotidectomy Frey Syndrome
Authors: Svider Peter , Raza Syed , Zuliani Giancarlo , Carron Michael , Shkoukani Mahdi , Hojjat Houmehr
Published: June 2018

A decision tree was constructed to determine the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of grafting techniques used to prevent Frey Syndrome. The authors performed a sensitivity analysis to calculate what the probability of preventing Frey Syndrome would have to be and maximum costs associated with using grafting techniques to warrant their use as more “cost-effective” choice than using neither. Decision pathways utilized were uses of (1) free fat graft (FFG), (2) acellular dermis, and (3) no grafting. The probability of developing Frey syndrome and costs were extracted from previous studies to construct the decision tree. The primary effectiveness was the ICER of FFG or acellular dermis to prevent Frey syndrome. The initial outcomes included preventing Frey syndrome (effectiveness = 1) or developing Frey syndrome (effectiveness = 0). Compared with not using a graft, the ICER of using FFG and acellular dermis were $10,628 and $50,813, respectively. Frey syndrome was found in 2.6% of patients postoperatively in FFG group, 9.8% of patients in acellular dermis group, and 30.7% of patients who did not have a graft. The ICER shows absolute dominance of FFG with lower cost and high effectiveness over acellular dermis. This economic evaluation strongly supports the use of FFG over acellular dermis as cost-effective approach for prevention of postparotidectomy Frey syndrome.
Endovascular Stent Graft Exclusion of an Iatrogenic Tracheoinnominate Fistula after Unsuccessful Surgical Repair
Authors: Woerner Andrew , Koo Kevin , Monroe Eric
Published: June 2018

A 10-year-old girl with metachromatic leukodystrophy developed a tracheoinnominate artery fistula and massive hemoptysis following tracheostomy, initially requiring open surgical repair. Massive hemoptysis recurred at 1 month due to suspected pericardial patch dehiscence. The authors herein describe the subsequent emergent treatment by stent graft exclusion and review the existing literature surrounding this rare and potentially fatal condition.
Zervikale Dystonien
Authors: Reichel Gerhard , Kamm Christoph , Kang Jun Suk , Müngersdorf Martina , Paus Sebastian , Reuter Iris , Stenner Andrea , Weise David
Published: June 2018

Zervikale Dystonien sind die häufigsten fokalen Dystonien. Der apparativen Diagnostik müssen eine gründliche allgemeine klinische neurologische Untersuchung und eine exakte phänomenologische Bewertung voran gestellt werden. Bei der Detektion der dystonen Muskeln hilft das Collum-Caput Concept, da nahezu alle Halsmuskeln entweder am Kopf oder an der HWS wirken. Die Behandlung mit Botulinumtoxin ist das therapeutische Mittel der Wahl.
Evaluation einer neuropsychologischen Testbatterie an psychiatrischen und psychosomatischen Patienten
Authors: Bartl Helga , Buschert Verena , Zwanzger Peter , Diemer Julia , Brunnauer Alexander
Published: June 2018

Neuropsychologische Untersuchungen sollten ein integraler Bestandteil der klinisch-psychiatrischen Diagnostik sein. Die gängigen Testverfahren wurden bisher jedoch nicht ausreichend an dieser Klientel untersucht. In der vorliegenden Untersuchung wurde eine im klinischen Alltag bewährte neuropsychologische Testbatterie evaluiert. Hierzu wurden Daten von 226 psychisch kranken Patienten anhand von Faktoren- und Regressionsanalysen ausgewertet. Es erwies sich als sinnvoll, drei Faktoren zu extrahieren (Speed, Gedächtnis, Exekutivfunktionen), zu denen sich die Einzeltests plausibel zuordnen ließen. Anhand regressionsanalytischer Berechnungen konnte zudem ein zeitökonomisches Basisassessment aus drei Einzeltests (TAP Alertness, VLMT und Matrizentest) ermittelt werden. Zusammenfassend kann vor dem Hintergrund der Akzeptanz, Ökonomie und faktoriellen Struktur die evaluierte Testbatterie für den Einsatz bei psychiatrischen und psychosomatischen Patienten empfohlen werden.
Stressreagibilität bei Alkoholabhängigen unter Berücksichtigung von Abstinenzdauer und Krankheitsschwere
Authors: Tolic Ilija , Soyka Michael
Published: June 2018

Hintergrund Bei der Entstehung und Aufrechterhaltung von Alkoholabhängigkeit spielt Stress als Risikofaktor eine wichtige Rolle. Die Berücksichtigung von Stressreaktions- und Stressverarbeitungsmechanismen bei Alkoholabhängigen ist für die Aufrechterhaltung von Abstinenz im Alltag von Relevanz. Ebenso wichtig ist die Berücksichtigung von Krankheitsschwere, die ihrerseits Einfluss auf die Abstinenz insbesondere auf das Verlangen nach Alkohol ausübt. In zahlreichen Studien wurde die Abstinenzdauer, nicht aber die Krankheitsschwere ausreichend berücksichtigt.

Ziel Untersucht wird, ob neben der Abstinenzdauer auch die Schwere der Alkoholabhängigkeit einen Einfluss auf die Stressreagibilität und Stressverarbeitung hat. Zudem soll geprüft werden bei welchen Patienten sich der Einfluss zeigt. Die Ergebnisse könnten mehr Klarheit in der komplexen bidirektionalen Beziehung zwischen Alkoholabhängigkeit und Stress bringen, aber auch für die Behandlung von Betroffenen nützlich sein.

Methoden Im Querschnittsdesign wurden 64 Alkoholabhängige und 30 gesunde Probanden untersucht. Die Patientenstichprobe wurde nach Abstinenzdauer von 7 und 70 Tagen in jeweils zwei Gruppen aufgeteilt. Ebenso nach Krankheitsschwere in leicht-mittelschwer und schwer. Mit Trierer Sozial Stresstest (TSST) wurden alle Probanden akutem Stress ausgesetzt. Erhoben wurden Parameter wie Cortisol im Speichel, elektrodermale Aktivität (EDA), Puls, suchtspezifische Variablen (Schwere der Abhängigkeit, Trinkdauer, Trinkmenge, Suchtdruck, Leberenzyme, familiäre Vorgeschichte, Anzahl Therapien, Rauchen, uvm.), psychopathologische Variablen (Angst, Depression, kritische Lebensereignisse, Persönlichkeitsstörungen), akute und chronische Stressverarbeitung, sowie Alltagsbelastungen.

Ergebnisse Schwerkranke Patienten reagieren schwächer und etwas verzögert auf Stress, zeigen dafür aber eine verlängerte Stressreaktion im Vergleich zu leicht-mittelschwerkranken und Gesunden. Dies ist unabhängig von der Abstinenzdauer (7 oder 70 Tage). Schwerkranke zeigten stärkere Flucht- und Vermeidungsreaktionen, starkes Bedürfnis nach sozialer Unterstützung und die intensive gedankliche Weitebeschäftigung als akute Stressbewältigungsstile. Als Zeichen chronischer Stressbelastung wurden erhöhte Werte in Bereichen Mangel an sozialer Anerkennung, soziale Spannungen und Isolation festgestellt. Außerdem zeigten Schwerkranke stärkere familiäre Vorbelastung, stärkeren Suchtdruck, höhere Ängstlichkeit, längere Trinkdauer und mehr einschneidende Lebensereignisse als Leicht-mittelschwerkranke.

Schlussfolgerungen Für eine differenzierte Beurteilung von Stressreagibilität und Stressverarbeitung bei Alkoholabhängigkeit scheint neben Abstinenzdauer auch die Krankheitsschwere eine wichtige Rolle zu spielen. Weitere Anstrengungen sind nötig, um die Ergebnisse in die Behandlungsprogramme zu implementieren.
A psychology of the film
Authors: Tan Ed S.
Published: June 2018

The cinema as a cultural institution has been studied by academic researchers in the arts and humanities. At present, cultural media studies are the home to the aesthetics and critical analysis of film, film history and other branches of film scholarship. Probably less known to most is that research psychologists working in social and life science labs have also contributed to the study of the medium. They have examined the particular experience that motion pictures provide to the film audience and the mechanisms that explain the perception and comprehension of film, and how movies move viewers and to what effects. This article reviews achievements in psychological research of the film since its earliest beginnings in the 1910s. A leading issue in the research has been whether understanding films is a bottom-up process, or a top-down one. A bottom-up explanation likens film-viewing to highly automated detection of stimulus features physically given in the supply of images; a top-down one to the construction of scenes from very incomplete information using mental schemata. Early film psychologists tried to pinpoint critical features of simple visual stimuli responsible for the perception of smooth movement. The riddle of apparent motion has not yet been solved up to now. Gestalt psychologists were the first to point at the role of mental structures in seeing smooth movement, using simple visual forms and displays. Bottom-up and top-down approaches to the comprehension of film fought for priority from the 60s onwards and became integrated at the end of the century. Gibson’s concept of direct perception led to the identification of low-level film-stylistic cues that are used in mainstream film production, and support film viewers in highly automated seamless perception of film scenes. Hochberg’s argument for the indispensability of mental schemata, too, accounted for the smooth cognitive construction of portrayed action and scenes. Since the 90s, cognitive analyses of narration in film by film scholars from the humanities have revolutionised accounts of the comprehension of movies. They informed computational content analyses that link low-level film features with meaningful units of film-story-telling. After a century of research, some perceptual and cognitive mechanisms that support our interaction with events in the real world have been uncovered. Today, the film experience at large has reappeared on the agenda. An integration of top-down and bottom-up mechanisms is sought in explaining the remarkable intensity of the film experience. Advances are now being made in grasping what it is like to enjoy movies, by describing the absorbing and moving qualities of the experience. As an example, a current account of film viewers' emotional experience is presented. Further advances in our understanding of the film experience and its underlying mechanisms can be expected if film psychologists team up with cognitive film studies, computer vision and the neurosciences. This collaboration is also expected to allow for research into mainstream and other genres as forms of art.
Hofstadter’s butterfly and Langlands duality
Authors: Ikeda Kazuki
Published: June 2018

We address the Hofstadter problem on a two-dimensional square lattice system. We propose a novel perspective on its mathematical structure of the corresponding tight-binding Hamiltonian from a viewpoint of the Langlands duality, a mathematical conjecture relevant to a wide range of the modern mathematics including number theory, solvable systems, representations, and geometry. It is known that the Hamiltonian can be algebraically written by means of the quantum group Uq(sl2). We claim that Hofstadter’s fractal is deeply related with the Langlands duality of the quantum group. In addition, from this perspective, the existence of the corresponding elliptic curve expression interpreted from the tight-binging Hamiltonian implies a more fascinating connection with the Langlands program and quantum geometry.
First-principles study of the properties for crystal Ge2Sb2Te5 with Ge vacancy
Authors: Yang Fei , Chen Tian , Wang Minglei , Yan Beibei , Wan Luxu , Ke Daoming , Dai Yuehua
Published: June 2018

Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) is a technologically important phase-change material for data storage, where the fast reversible phase transition between crystalline and amorphous states is used for recording information. The effects of vacancies on crystal GST were investigated by ab initio calculations. Based on analysis of the vacancy formation energy, the GST structure with Ge vacancy (VGe) was found to be the most stable. Thereafter, the influence of VGe defects on crystal GST structure was deliberated by analyzing the band structure, electron density difference, total density of states (TDOS) and partial density of states (PDOS) of GST structure. The results reveal that VGe can promote the Fermi level enter into the valence band, which makes the GST material exhibit more pronounced properties of P-type semiconductors. Nevertheless, VGe shows a slight effect on the chemical bond characters. When VGe concentration maintained at 20% in the GST structure, the band gap is the widest about 0.45eV. Moreover, VGe can result in the electrons in s orbital of Ge, Sb and p, d orbitals of Te make a contribution to the valence band, while electrons in p and d orbitals of Ge, Sb are more favorable to conduction band.
Heralded channel Holevo superadditivity bounds from entanglement monogamy
Authors: Gao L. , Junge M. , Laracuente N.
Published: June 2018

We introduce a class of channels called heralded channels, which generalize the quantum erasure channel composed with an arbitrary other quantum channel. We show that monogamy of squashed entanglement limits the superadditivity of Holevo capacity of heralded channels in the regime of rare success (frequent erasure). We prove that in the limit of near-zero success probability, the classical capacity of the heralded channel converges to its Holevo information, which is equal to success probability times the single-letter Holevo information of the channel with which erasure is composed. We also show how entanglement monogamy applies to non-classicality in quantum games, and we consider how faithful monogamous entanglement measures may bound other entanglement-dependent quantities in many-party scenarios.
Wireless power transfer using relay resonators
Authors: Saha Chitta , Anya Ihechiluru , Alexandru Cristina , Jinks Robert
Published: June 2018

This paper presents an advanced design configuration of a wireless power transfer system using overlapping relay coil techniques for free loading position. The work undertaken investigates the tuning position of prototype relay coils in a horizontal configuration in order to evaluate power transfer efficiency versus increasing operating distance between the transmitter and receiver coils. A prototype relay coil system was evaluated to determine the optimum distance between the transmitter and receiver. Finite element magnetic simulation was used to appraise the magnetic field distribution and power transfer efficiency with respect to a strongly coupled magnetic resonance condition. Experimental and simulation results analysis suggest that the proposed design could achieve 85%–90% efficiency within a 4 cm operational distance. Finally, the experimental results were analyzed and compared with the simulation results.
Ablation enhancement of metal in ultrashort double-pulse experiments
Authors: Zhang Kaihu , Zhang Jiabo , Jiang Lan , Li Xin , Liu Yan , Li Bo , Lu Yongfeng
Published: June 2018

We report an ablation enhancement (both deepening and widening in ablation profiles) on nickel by ultrashort double-pulse laser irradiation, an exception of the typical reduction trend observed in ablation rates for metals irradiated with double-pulse excitations. Maximized at a pulse-separation (τs) of approximately 4 ps, the enhancement was observed before τs was increased to approximately the electron-lattice energy relaxation time. An achievement of ablation, by temporal shaping a weak pulse with energy well below the single-pulse ablation threshold into two considerably weaker pulses, was demonstrated. It is proposed that the enhanced electron-phonon coupling and drop of electronic heat conductivity, both of which result from the reductions in electron temperature (by pulse shaping), co-contribute to the widening in ablation profiles, while the former one is responsible for the deepening. This letter proposed an ablation enhancement approach to ultrashort laser processing of nickel.
Laser-induced electron emission from Au nanowires: A probe for orthogonal polarizations
Authors: Jones Eric R. , Huang Wayne C. , Basnet Gobind , Flanders Bret N. , Batelaan Herman
Published: June 2018

Photoelectron field emission, induced by femtosecond laser pulses focused on metallic nanotips, provides spatially coherent and temporally short electron pulses. The properties of the photoelectron yield give insight into both the material properties of the nanostructure and the exciting laser focus. Ultralong nanoribbons, grown as a single crystal attached to a metallic taper, are sources of electron field emission that have not yet been characterized. In this report, photoemission from gold nanoribbon samples is studied and compared to emission from tungsten and gold tips. We observe that the emission from sharp tips generally depends on one transverse component of the exciting laser field, while the emission of a blunted nanoribbon is found to be sensitive to both components. We propose that this property makes photoemission from nanoribbons a candidate for position-sensitive detection of the longitudinal field component in a tightly focused beam.
Investigation of local structural phase transitions in 95Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-5BaTiO3 piezoceramics by means of in-situ transmission electron microscopy
Authors: Neagu Alexandra , Tai Cheuk-Wai
Published: June 2018

The temperature-dependence of superstructure reflections, diffuse scattering intensity, and ferroelectric domain morphology for 95Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-5BaTiO3 ceramics was investigated by in-situ transmission electron microscopy. A subtle local structural phase transition was observed around 110 °C. This local phase transition is characterized by a transformation in the dominant octahedral-tilt system from antiphase to in-phase tilting and was correlated with the depolarization mechanism common in this type of materials. Simulations of the octahedral-tilt disorder were developed at different temperatures which enabled us to provide a comprehensive structural model that explains the temperature-dependence of superstructure reflections and electron diffuse scattering intensity. This model revealed that plate-like in-phase nanodomains tilted about three orthogonal axes coexist with an antiphase tilted matrix, even at room temperature. With increasing temperature, the concentration of in-phase nanodomains is increased till a critical volume fraction is reached. We propose that these plate-like in-phase nanodomains are an inherent characteristic of NBT-based compounds and that the local phase transition observed around 110 °C leads to a disruption in the long-range ferroelectric order and is responsible for the depolarization mechanism.
A new route to finding bounds on the generalized spectrum of many physical operators
Authors: Milton Graeme W.
Published: June 2018

Here we obtain bounds on the generalized spectrum of that operator whose inverse, when it exists, gives Green’s function. We consider the wide range of physical problems that can be cast in a form where a constitutive equation J(x) = L(x)E(x) − h(x) with a source term h(x) holds for all x in some domain Ω and relates fields E and J that satisfy appropriate differential constraints, symbolized by E∈EΩ0 and J∈J¯Ω, where EΩ0 and J¯Ω are orthogonal spaces that span the space HΩ of square-integrable fields in which h lies. Boundedness and coercivity conditions on the moduli L(x) ensure that there exists a unique E for any given h, i.e., E = GΩh, which then establishes the existence of Green’s function GΩ. We show that the coercivity condition is guaranteed to hold if weaker conditions, involving generalized quasiconvex functions, are satisfied. The advantage is that these weaker conditions are easier to verify, and for multiphase materials, they can be independent of the geometry of the phases. For L(x) depending linearly on a vector of parameters z = (z1, z2, …, zn), we obtain constraints on z that ensure that Green’s function exists and hence which provide bounds on the generalized spectrum.
The influence of negative pressure during gas extraction in low-permeability coal seams on the effect of gas extraction
Authors: Zhao Dan , Pan Jingtao
Published: June 2018

In order to improve the extraction method of gas extraction in coal seams with low permeability, the quadratic polynomial formula between the amount of extracted pure gas and negative pressure during gas extraction (NPGE) can be deduced based on the basic theory of oil and gas seepage mechanics in porous media and the pressure function theory of distribution of gas pressure. By using the measurement of orifice flowmeter, the formula of the amount of extracted mixed gas can be acquired and then the expression between the gas extraction concentration (GEC) and NPGE is deduced. Thus, the equation set concerning gas extraction effect is composed of three equations: the equation between the amount of extracted pure gas and NPGE, the formula for calculating the amount of extracted mixed gas, and the formula of relationship between the GEC and NPGE. According to the equation set, the GEC and the amount of extracted pure gas are calculated to further draw the scatter diagram and trend line of function. Afterwards, by analyzing the calculation result and trend line of functions, it can be seen that the increase amplitude of GEC is limited by improving the NPGE. By observing the on-site NPGE of the 20109 Wangjialing Coal mine (Shanxi Province, China), it can be speculated that with increasing NPGE, the increase trends of the GEC and the amount of extracted pure gas were consistent with that deduced theoretical formula for calculating the amount of extracted pure gas. It was basically shown as a quadratic polynomial relation in which the amount of extracted pure gas insignificantly increased. Therefore, it is infeasible to improve the gas extraction in coal seams with low permeability only relying on increasing the NPGE, and other technology methods are necessary.
Communication: Contact values of pair distribution functions in colloidal hard disks by test-particle insertion
Authors: Stones Adam Edward , Dullens Roel P. A. , Aarts Dirk G. A. L.
Published: June 2018

We apply Henderson’s method for measuring the cavity distribution function y(r) [J. Henderson, Mol. Phys. 48, 389 (1983)] to obtain the pair distribution function at contact, g(σ+). In contrast to the conventional distance-histogram method, no approximate extrapolation to contact is required. The resulting equation of state from experiments and simulations of hard disks agrees well with the scaled particle theory prediction up to high fluid packing fractions. We also provide the first experimental measurement of y(r) inside the hard core, which will allow for a more complete comparison with theory. The method’s flexibility is further illustrated by measuring the partial pair distribution functions of binary hard-disk mixtures in simulation. The equation for the contact values can be used to derive familiar results from statistical geometry.
Electrical nucleation and detection of single 360° homochiral Néel domain walls measured using the anomalous Nernst effect
Authors: Cubukcu Murat , Venkateshvaran Deepak , Wittmann Angela , Wang Shu-Jen , Di Pietro Riccardo , Auffret Stephane , Vila Laurent , Wunderlich Joerg , Sirringhaus Henning
Published: June 2018

Using a thermoelectric measurement, we demonstrate the nucleation and detection of a single 360° homochiral Néel domain wall (DW), formed by an independently nucleated pair of 180° Néel DWs having the same helicity in a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy track. The DW formation is governed by strong interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) and detected at room temperature using the anomalous Nernst effect (ANE). A large DMI can be generated at an interface where the symmetry is broken between a material having a large spin-orbit coupling and a thin ferromagnetic layer. The ANE voltage, VANE∝∇T×M, is sensitive to the magnitude of the out-of-plane magnetization M through a confined in-plane temperature gradient ∇T and allows for the direct thermoelectrical detection of the DW position with nanoscale accuracy along the track. Here, we present evidence that independently nucleated pairs of 180° Néel DWs in microwire devices can be brought together by an applied magnetic field to form a 360° homochiral Néel DW. Subsequently, we show that a strong magnetic field needs to be applied in order to annihilate the 360° DW due to the strong interfacial DMI in our Pt/Co(0.6nm)/AlOx multilayers. In addition to enabling a high magnetic storage and data transfer rate with low power consumption in novel computational and storage devices, such DWs facilitate a reduction in bit size down to a few nanometers with metastability.
Targeting the IL33–NLRP3 axis improves therapy for experimental cerebral malaria
Authors: Strangward Patrick , Haley Michael J. , Albornoz Manuel G. , Barrington Jack , Shaw Tovah , Dookie Rebecca , Zeef Leo , Baker Syed M. , Winter Emma , Tzeng Te-Chen , Golenbock Douglas T. , Cruickshank Sheena M. , Allan Stuart M. , Craig Alister , Liew Foo Y. , Brough David , Couper Kevin N.
Published: June 2018

Significance

Cerebral malaria (CM) is a neurological complication of malaria infection that, despite antimalarial drug treatment, results in fatality or neurodisability in approximately 25% of cases. Thus, there is an urgent clinical need to develop therapies that can improve the efficacy of antimalarial drugs to prevent or reverse cerebral pathology. Here, we show in an experimental mouse model of CM (ECM) that IL33 administration can improve survival and reduce pathology in the brain over antimalarial drugs alone. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that IL33 enhances recovery from ECM by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome-induced inflammatory responses within the brain. These results suggest that IL33 and NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors may be effective adjunctive therapies for CM.
Quorum sensing and iron regulate a two-for-one siderophore gene cluster in
Vibrio harveyi
Authors: McRose Darcy L. , Baars Oliver , Seyedsayamdost Mohammad R. , Morel François M. M.
Published: June 2018

Significance

Siderophores are small molecules used by microbes to acquire the essential metal Fe in environments ranging from infections to the open ocean. Although many bacteria use quorum sensing (QS) to regulate siderophore production, the resulting siderophore concentrations and their utility for Fe uptake have been underexplored. We report that
Vibrio harveyi
uses a “two-for-one,” QS- and Fe-repressed gene cluster to produce cell-associated siderophores at low cell density and accumulate soluble siderophores at high cell density. Fe-uptake experiments show that these soluble siderophores are used in Fe acquisition. We also find that QS repression helps prevent the accumulation of siderophore concentrations in excess of cellular uptake capacities, an explanation that may be generalizable to other bacteria.
Denominations of humans
Authors: Mignot Elise , Marty Caroline
Published: June 2018

In English, the lexicon is one of the many areas affected by the asymmetry in the treatment of humans and inanimates. The study focuses on compounds. We compare compounds denoting human animates to those denoting inanimates. We find that there are proportionately few compounds for humans, and that this small proportion reveals a tendency for human animate nouns to be more opaque than nouns for inanimates. We propose that this is due to the way we conceptualize humans, i.e. as more than the sum of their parts. Humans resist transparent denominations because reducing a person to one characteristic amounts to ignoring his or her essential complexity. We take this to be a manifestation ofanthropocentrismin language. Moreover, when human animate nounsarecompounds (in spite of their tendency to be opaque), they exhibit two semantic characteristics that are not shared by inanimate nouns. The first one is that they tend to be derogatory. This again indicates that humans cannot easily be reduced to one characteristic. If they are, denominations tend to be negatively loaded. The second one is that they often involve the representation of apersonal relationship(for example, apaper boydelivers newspapers, i.e. comes to someone’s place). Transparency is therefore meaningful.
Bringing the toys to life
Authors: Nelson Diane , Vihman Virve-Anneli
Published: June 2018

In the children’s film Toy Story, toys spring to life when their human owners are away, creating an alternative world of transferred animacy relations signalled by visual and linguistic cues. The storylines and characters explore the nature of animacy and relationships between conspecifics and ‘others’. Our analysis focuses on the use of referring expressions over the course of the narrative, as they reflect the animacy of their referents. We relate these findings to well-established scales of animacy which link our perception of the world to the categories imposed by language. We find that, as predicted by models of animacy proposed by Dahl (2008) and Yamamoto (1999), among others, shifts in reference – specifically from common noun to proper noun to pronoun, and from collective to individuated referents – reflect characters’ shifting conceptualisation of, and empathy with, each other. We argue that referring expressions are used at key points in the film script to subtly mediate accessible cues to animacy like eyes, speech and motion, and to guide viewers’ empathies and allegiances, extending our understanding of animacy beyond ordinary anthropocentrism.
Animals, animacy and anthropocentrism
Authors: Sealey Alison
Published: June 2018

This paper explores various ways in which contemporary British English depicts degrees of animacy among nonhuman animals, and demonstrates the anthropocentric qualities of much discourse about animals. The first section reviews discussions of animacy in relevant research literature, highlighting how these often take for granted a categorical distinction between humans and other animals, before demonstrating how both corpus-assisted approaches to discourse analysis and developments in the analysis of animacy point to a more complex picture. The second section discusses the implications of recent work in social theory for understanding organisms, and their degrees of animacy, from the perspective of networks rather than hierarchies. The third section of the paper presents analyses of an electronically stored corpus of language about animals. Three analyses of naming terms, descriptors and verbal patterns associated with various non-human animals illustrate a range of ways in which their animacy is denoted and connoted. They also demonstrate the influence of discourse type and human purpose on depictions of animals and assumptions about their animacy.
*Sings myself happy birthday*
Authors: Virtanen Tuija
Published: June 2018

This paper explores linguistic egocentrism in English through the lens of virtual performatives, i.e. self-referential stand-alone predications in the third person singular present tense through which users perform virtual action or emotion. The focus is on microblogging for apparently recreational purposes, where visibility, rather than reciprocity, must be a primary concern. Findings show that the common or garden virtual performative consistently relying on an externalized self occasionally turns into a variant where the self is subsequently reassumed, and then again possibly re-externalized within the same construction. The syntactic and discursive systematicity manifest in these constructions forbids treating them as erroneous. The paper discusses the benefits of this way of externalizing and optionally reassuming self, through fluctuation between third-person and first-person references, and touches upon metapragmatic awareness and logophoricity. In creating digital culture, virtual performatives point to users’ pragmatic adaptation of their public, social self to environments manifesting a high degree of context collapse.
Embodied departure from focal objects in a lingua franca campus tour
Authors: Hosoda Yuri , Aline David
Published: June 2018

This conversation analytic study examines the interaction coordinated between two amateur tour guides and a guided visitor for initiating departure from various objects during a campus tour managed through Japanese as a lingua franca. The data come from a 40-minute tour at a Taiwanese university in which two Taiwanese students acted as guides for one American professor. The resulting analysis revealed the guided visitor’s active role in determining departure from focal objects through deployment of assessments and bodily movements. This study supports findings from previous research on various languages by providing empirical evidence that the following two phenomena are highly consistent across languages and that they hold true even in lingua franca interaction: (1) assessments are routinely deployed to close a sequence; and (2) assessments are made recognizable as initiating closings when they act in concert with sequential positioning, bodily movements, the environmental context, and objects in the immediate surround.
Evidentials as a mark of genre
Authors: Albelda Marco Marta
Published: June 2018

This paper aims to study the different types and pragmatic functions of the Spanish evidential forms found in four discursive genres, in order to observe if any restrictions apply. All the evidentials are studied in a corpus containing 100,000 words, evenly distributed over colloquial conversations, press news, academic papers, and parliamentary debates. Specifically, together with the pragmatic functions of these evidentials, the four dimensionsmode of knowing,type of source,accessibility,anddegree of precisionare analysed. The results reveal different tendencies in the use of evidentials, depending on the genre, and support the claim that the behaviour of evidentials is conditioned by the specific characteristics of each genre.
The role of cinematic techniques in understanding character affect
Authors: Clinton James A. , Briner Stephen W. , Sherrill Andrew M. , Ackerman Thomas , Magliano Joseph P.
Published: June 2018

Filmmakers must rely on cinematic devices of perspective (close-ups and point-of-view shot sequencing) to emphasize facial expressions associated with affective states. This study explored the extent to which differences in the use of these devices across two films that have the same content lead to differences in the understanding of the affective states of characters. Participants viewed one of two versions of the films and made affective judgments about how characters felt about one another with respect to saddness and anger. The extent to which the auditory and visual contexts were present when making the judgments was varied across four experiments. The results of the study showed judgments about sadness differed across the two films, but only when the entire context (sound and visual input) were present. The results are discussed in the context of the role of facial expressions and context in inferring basic emotions.
A sixth sense
Authors: Komeda Hidetsugu , Taira Tomohiro , Tsunemi Kohei , Kusumi Takashi , Rapp David N.
Published: June 2018

Stories with twist endings are popular, but little research has examined how readers experience them. To begin developing such an account, we examined the affective responses that emerge during stories with twist endings. In Experiment 1, 28 Japanese participants read a story with a twist ending. Greater empathy and stronger expectations were associated with slower reading times during participants’ first reading of the story. However, on participants’ second reading, greater empathy and stronger expectations were associated with faster reading times. In Experiment 2, we tested the generality of these effects by asking 36 English-speaking participants to read four stories with twist endings. The results were similar to Experiment 1. Readers’ initial and recurring responses to stories with twist endings reflect changes in surprise and empathy. These feelings underlie engagement with and interest in unexpected and often incoherent contents, which are characteristics of stories with twist endings.
Extracellular vesicles from endothelial progenitor cells promote thyroid follicle formation
Authors: Degosserie Jonathan , Heymans Charlotte , Spourquet Catherine , Halbout Mathias , D'Auria Ludovic , Van Der Smissen Patrick , Vertommen Didier , Courtoy Pierre J. , Tyteca Donatienne , Pierreux Christophe E.
Published: June 2018

Organogenesis is a complex and dynamic process requiring reciprocal communication between different cell types. In the thyroid, thyrocyte progenitors secrete the angiocrine factor, VEGFA, to recruit endothelial cells. In return, endothelial cells promote thyrocyte organisation into spherical follicular structures, which are responsible for thyroid hormone synthesis and storage. Medium conditioned by endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) can promote follicle formation and lumen expansion (i.e. folliculogenesis) in an ex vivo culture system of thyroid lobes. Here, we postulated that endothelial cells instruct thyrocyte progenitors by producing extracellular vesicles (EVs). We found that medium conditioned by EPCs contain EVs with exosomal characteristics and that these vesicles can be incorporated into thyrocyte progenitors. By mass spectrometry, laminin peptides were abundantly identified in the EV preparations, probably co‐sedimenting with EVs. Laminin‐α1 silencing in EPC abrogated the folliculogenic effect of EVs. However, density gradient separation of EVs from laminins revealed that both EV‐rich and laminin‐rich fractions exhibited folliculogenic activity. In conclusion, we suggest that endothelial cells can produce EVs favouring thyrocyte organisation into follicles and lumen expansion, a mechanism promoted by laminin‐α1.
A beginner’s guide to rigor and reproducibility in fluorescence imaging experiments
Authors: Lee Jen-Yi , Kitaoka Maiko
Published: June 2018

Fluorescence light microscopy is an indispensable approach for the investigation of cell biological mechanisms. With the development of cutting-edge tools such as genetically encoded fluorescent proteins and superresolution methods, light microscopy is more powerful than ever at providing insight into a broad range of phenomena, from bacterial fission to cancer metastasis. However, as with all experimental approaches, care must be taken to ensure reliable and reproducible data collection, analysis, and reporting. Each step of every imaging experiment, from design to execution to communication to data management, should be critically assessed for bias, rigor, and reproducibility. This Perspective provides a basic “best practices” guide for designing and executing fluorescence imaging experiments, with the goal of introducing researchers to concepts that will help empower them to acquire images with rigor.
Genetically encoded lipid biosensors
Authors: Wills Rachel C. , Goulden Brady D. , Hammond Gerald R. V.
Published: June 2018

Lipids convey both structural and functional properties to eukaryotic membranes. Understanding the basic lipid composition and the dynamics of these important molecules, in the context of cellular membranes, can shed light on signaling, metabolism, trafficking, and even membrane identity. The development of genetically encoded lipid biosensors has allowed for the visualization of specific lipids inside individual, living cells. However, a number of caveats and considerations have emerged with the overexpression of these biosensors. In this Technical Perspective, we provide a current list of available genetically encoded lipid biosensors, together with criteria that determine their veracity. We also provide some suggestions for the optimal utilization of these biosensors when both designing experiments and interpreting results.