bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quantifying the effectiveness of ITS in improving safety of VRUs
Authors: Silla Anne , Rämä Pirkko , Leden Lars , van Noort Martijn , de Kruijff Janiek , Bell Daniel , Morris Andrew , Hancox Graham , Scholliers Johan
Published: January 2017

This paper presents the results of a safety impact assessment, providing quantitative estimates of the safety impacts of ten intelligent transport systems (ITS) which were designed to improve safety, mobility and comfort of vulnerable road users (VRUs). The evaluation method originally developed to assess safety impacts of ITS for cars was now adapted for assessing safety impacts of ITS for VRUs. The main results of the assessment showed that nine ITS included in the quantitative safety impact assessment affected traffic safety in a positive way by preventing fatalities and injuries. At full penetration the highest effects were obtained for Pedestrian and Cyclists Detection System + Emergency Braking (PCDS+EBR), VRU Beacon System (VBS) and Intersection Safety (INS). The estimates for PCDS+EBR showed the maximum reduction of 7.5% on all road fatalities at full penetration, which comes down to an medium estimate of around 1,900 fatalities saved per year in the EU‐28 when applying the 2012 accident data and 100% penetration rate. The results regarding future scenarios showed the highest effects in number of reduced fatalities per system in the European Union (EU)‐28 in 2030 for PCDS+EBR (−200 fatalities), Blind Spot Detection (BSD) (−22 fatalities), INS (−20 fatalities) and VBS (−11 fatalities).
Adaptive resource allocation scheme for cognitive radio vehicular ad‐hoc network in the presence of primary user emulation attack
Authors: Das Deepa , Das Susmita
Published: January 2017

Following the characteristics of the cognitive radio (CR) and the exponential increase of the vehicles, it is envisioned to deploy CR in vehicular ad‐hoc network (VANET) in near future. Due to the mobility of the vehicles, it is quite challenging to find the vacant band and to reuse it for data transmission purpose without affecting the primary network. Further, the presence of primary user emulation attack (PUEA) in the VANET makes this task more complicated. Hence, an accurate detection technique and proper power allocation to the vehicular secondary users (VSUs) are the two major factors which need to be addressed for reliable data transmission. Hence this study attempts to evaluate the performance metrics of the CR‐VANET considering the spatial correlation among the local decisions of the VSUs in the presence of PUEA. The energy efficiency maximisation with adaptive power allocation to the VSUs is achieved by the authors’ proposed scheme based on genetic algorithm under the constraints of interference power to the primary receiver, minimum achievable data rate and maximum transmission power limit. The system performance is investigated in detail through the simulation‐based study and analysis.
Internet‐based communication platform for residential DR programmes
Authors: Kuzlu Murat , Rahman Md Moshiur , Pipattanasomporn Manisa , Rahman Saifur
Published: January 2017

The objective of this study is to present the architecture and laboratory experimentation of an Internet‐based communication platform to enable residential demand response (DR) programmes that do not rely on the advanced metering infrastructure (smart meters). Technologies and software that serve as the building blocks for the proposed platform, together with the messaging architecture based on the open automated DR protocol, are discussed. Security features necessary to secure DR implementation for a residential sector are also presented. The proposed platform has been implemented in a laboratory environment to showcase how the overall system can function. The proposed Internet‐based communication platform is expected to quickly and reliably enable a large number of households to participate in DR programmes without smart meter deployment, while ensuring customer data privacy and comfort.
Efficient scalable sensor node placement algorithm for fixed target coverage applications of wireless sensor networks
Authors: Njoya Arouna Ndam , Thron Christopher , Barry Jordan , Abdou Wahabou , Tonye Emmanuel , Siri Lawrencia Konje Nukenine , Dipanda Albert
Published: January 2017

Large applications of sensor networks, such as environmental risk monitoring, require the deployment of hundreds or even thousands of nodes. This study proposes and implements a novel stochastic physics‐based optimisation algorithm that is both efficient (guarantees full target coverage with a reduced number of sensors) and scalable (meaning that it can be executed for very large‐scale problems in a reasonable computation time). The algorithm employs ‘virtual sensors’ which move, merge, recombine, and ‘explode’ during the course of the algorithm, where the process of merging and recombining virtual sensors reduces the number of actual sensors while maintaining full coverage. The parameters which control sensor merging and explosion are varied during the algorithm to perform the same function as an annealing schedule in simulated annealing. Simulation results illustrate the rapidity and the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Effect of surfactants on SrM core–shell nanoparticles synthesised at low temperature
Authors: Kumar M. Rajesh , Hong R.Y.
Published: January 2017

Different morphology of surfactant capped SrFe12O19 nanoparticles have been synthesised using the co‐precipitation method, by adding organic template (oxalic acid) as dispersant during citric acid addition. sodium hexametaphosphate and polyvinyl pyrrolidone used as capping agents. Calcinated surfactant capped SrFe12O19 has been characterised using X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis, Raman spectroscopy and vibrating sample magnetometer. The influence of the surfactants on the morphology of SrFe12O19 core–shell nanoparticles was studied.
Input- or output-unary sweeping transducers are weaker than their 2-way counterparts
Authors: Guillon Bruno
Published: January 2017

In a previous paper we showed that two-way (nondeterministic) transducers with unary input and output alphabets have the same recognition power as the sweeping ones. We show that this no longer holds when one of the alphabets has cardinality at least 2.
Bracht zur Notfallversorgung: „Es müssen harte Kriterien her“
Authors: Dorner Carola
Published: January 2017

Die Notfallversorgung beschäftigt zurzeit alle Krankenhäuser. Ihre Struktur und Finanzierung soll reformiert, 600 Ambulanzen möglicherweise geschlossen werden – der Rest ist Rätsel und wird heiß auf dem Gesundheitskongress des Westens diskutiert. Wir sprachen vorab mit dem Referenten Matthias Bracht.
Gefährdeter Gatekeeper
Authors: Weimer Tobias
Published: January 2017

Das Entlassmanagement in Kliniken ist anfällig für „Aufmerksamkeiten“. Es sollte daher Teil des Compliance-Management-Systems sein.
Klinikunternehmen: Auf-/Absteiger des Monats
Authors: Schmidt Hartmut
Published: January 2017

Börsenexperte Hartmut Schmidt analysiert für kma die Jahresabschlüsse* ausgewählter Kliniken.
Manager des Jahres 2016: Ansgar Jonietz, Gründer und Chef von „Was hab’ ich?“
Authors: Gaede Kirsten
Published: January 2017

Viele Kranke verstehen ihre Befunde nicht. Seit Kurzem gibt es eine Lösung: Mit Hilfe ehrenamtlicher Medizinstudenten und Ärzte übersetzt das Start-up „Was hab’ ich?“ von Ansgar Jonietz Befunde in laienverständliche Sprache. So hilft das Unternehmen Patienten und fördert die kommunikativen Fähigkeiten der Mediziner – nicht zuletzt, weil es auch Uni-Kurse anbietet und soeben einen Patientenbrief entwickelt hat. Dieser wird sogar vom BMG gefördert, das sich von der Befundübersetzung großen volkswirtschaftlichen Nutzen verspricht.
13. DGIV-Bundeskongress: Zur Entwicklung der sektorenübergreifenden gesundheitlichen Versorgung und Bedarfsplanung
Authors: Spitzer Stefan G.
Published: January 2017

Die Deutsche Gesellschaft für Integrierte Versorgung im Gesundheitswesen e.V. legte auf ihrem 13. Bundeskongress am 1. Dezember 2016 ihr Positionspapier 2016 vor.
Suppression of Mg propagation into subsequent layers grown by MOCVD
Authors: Agarwal Anchal , Tahhan Maher , Mates Tom , Keller Stacia , Mishra Umesh
Published: January 2017

Low temperature (LT) flow modulation epitaxy (FME) or “pulsed” growth was successfully used to prevent magnesium from Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) grown p-GaN:Mg layers riding into subsequently deposited n-type layers. Mg concentration in the subsequent layers was lowered from ∼1 × 1018 cm−3 for a medium temperature growth at 950 °C to ∼1 × 1016 cm−3 for a low temperature growth at 700 °C via FME. The slope of the Mg concentration drop in the 700 °C FME sample was 20 nm/dec—the lowest ever demonstrated by MOCVD. For growth on Mg implanted GaN layers, the drop for a medium temperature regrowth at 950 °C was ∼10 nm/dec compared to >120 nm/dec for a high temperature regrowth at 1150 °C. This drop-rate obtained at 950 °C or lower was maintained even when the growth temperature in the following layers was raised to 1150 °C. A controlled silicon doping series using LT FME was also demonstrated with the lowest and highest achieved doping levels being 5 × 1016 cm−3 and 6 × 1019 cm−3, respectively.
Effect of scrape-off-layer current on reconstructed tokamak equilibrium
Authors: King J. R. , Kruger S. E. , Groebner R. J. , Hanson J. D. , Hebert J. D. , Held E. D. , Jepson J. R.
Published: January 2017

Methods are described that extend fields from reconstructed equilibria to include scrape-off-layer current through extrapolated parametrized and experimental fits. The extrapolation includes both the effects of the toroidal-field and pressure gradients which produce scrape-off-layer current after recomputation of the Grad-Shafranov solution. To quantify the degree that inclusion of scrape-off-layer current modifies the equilibrium, the χ-squared goodness-of-fit parameter is calculated for cases with and without scrape-off-layer current. The change in χ-squared is found to be minor when scrape-off-layer current is included; however, flux surfaces are shifted by up to 3 cm. The impact on edge modes of these scrape-off-layer modifications is also found to be small and the importance of these methods to nonlinear computation is discussed.
Perfect commuting-operator strategies for linear system games
Authors: Cleve Richard , Liu Li , Slofstra William
Published: January 2017

Linear system games are a generalization of Mermin’s magic square game introduced by Cleve and Mittal. They show that perfect strategies for linear system games in the tensor-product model of entanglement correspond to finite-dimensional operator solutions of a certain set of non-commutative equations. We investigate linear system games in the commuting-operator model of entanglement, where Alice and Bob’s measurement operators act on a joint Hilbert space, and Alice’s operators must commute with Bob’s operators. We show that perfect strategies in this model correspond to possibly infinite-dimensional operator solutions of the non-commutative equations. The proof is based around a finitely presented group associated with the linear system which arises from the non-commutative equations.
Phase transition of a symmetric diblock copolymer induced by nanorods with different surface chemistry
Authors: Guo Yu-qi , Pan Jun-xing , Sun Min-na , Zhang Jin-jun
Published: January 2017

We investigate the phase transition of a symmetric diblock copolymer induced by nanorods with different surface chemistry. The results demonstrate that the system occurs the phase transition from a disordered structure to ordered parallel lamellae and then to the tilted layered structure as the number of rods increases. The dynamic evolution of the domain size and the order parameter of the microstructure are also examined. Furthermore, the influence of rod property, rod-phase interaction, rod-rod interaction, rod length, and polymerization degree on the behavior of the polymer system is also investigated systematically. Moreover, longer amphiphilic nanorods tend to make the polymer system form the hexagonal structure. It transforms into a perpendicular lamellar structure as the polymerization degree increases. Our simulations provide an efficient method for determining how to obtain the ordered structure on the nanometer scales and design the functional materials with optical, electronic, and magnetic properties.
External injection and acceleration of electron bunch in front of the plasma wakefield produced by a periodic chirped laser pulse
Authors: Eslami Esmaeil , Afhami Saeedeh
Published: January 2017

Herein, we present the analytical results on the behavior of the electron bunch injected in front of the plasma wakefield produced by a chirped laser pulse. In particular, a periodic chirped pulse may produce an ultra-relativistic electron bunch with a relatively small energy spread. The electrons are trapped near the region of the first accelerating maximum of the wakefield and are compressed in both the longitudinal and transverse directions (betatron oscillation). Our results are in good agreement with the one-dimensional results recently published.
Long-range interactions from the many-pair expansion: A different avenue to dispersion in DFT
Authors: de Silva Piotr , Zhu Tianyu , Van Voorhis Troy
Published: January 2017

One of the several problems that plague majority of density functional theory calculations is their inability to properly account for long-range correlations giving rise to dispersion forces. The recently proposed many-pair expansion (MPE) [T. Zhu et al., Phys. Rev. B 93, 201108(R) (2016)] is a hierarchy of approximations that systematically corrects any deficiencies of an approximate functional to finally converge to the exact energy. This is achieved by decomposing the total density into a sum of two-electron densities and accounting for successive two-, four-, six-,… electron interactions. Here, we show that already low orders of MPE expansion recover the dispersion energy accurately. To this end, we employ the Pariser-Parr-Pople Hamiltonian and study the behavior of long-range interactions in trans-polyacetylene as well as stacks of ethylene and benzene molecules. We also show how convergence of the expansion is affected by electron conjugation and the choice of the density partitioning.
A generalized Ewald decomposition for screened Coulomb interactions
Authors: Dharuman Gautham , Stanton Liam G. , Glosli James N. , Murillo Michael S.
Published: January 2017

Medium-range interactions occur in a wide range of systems, including charged-particle systems with varying screening lengths. We generalize the Ewald method to charged systems described by interactions involving an arbitrary dielectric response function ϵ(𝐤). We provide an error estimate and optimize the generalization to find the break-even parameters that separate a neighbor list-only algorithm from the particle-particle particle-mesh algorithm. We examine the implications of different choices of the screening length for the computational cost of computing the dynamic structure factor. We then use our new method in molecular dynamics simulations to compute the dynamic structure factor for a model plasma system and examine the wave-dispersion properties of this system.
Temperature behavior of the conduction electrons in the nitrogen-doped 3C SiC monocrystals as studied by electron spin resonance
Authors: Savchenko D. , Kalabukhova E. , Prokhorov A. , Lančok J. , Shanina B.
Published: January 2017

The temperature behavior of the electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra of nitrogen donors in n-type bulk 3C SiC monocrystals with (ND − NA) ≈ 1017 cm−3 was studied at T = 10–50 K. The triplet lines due to the hyperfine (hf) interaction with 14N nuclei (I = 1, 99.6%) along with a single line with similar isotropic g values of 2.0050(3) were observed in the ESR spectrum of n-type 3C SiC monocrystals in the temperature interval from 10 to 35 K. The observed reduction of the hf splitting for the nitrogen donor residing cubic position (Nk) in the temperature interval from 15 to 35 K was attributed to the motion narrowing effect of the hf splitting. With further increase of the temperature up to 35 K, only one single line with a Lorentzian lineshape was observed in the ESR spectrum of n-type 3C SiC, which was previously assigned in the literature to the unknown deeper donor center. Based on the temperature behavior of the ESR linewidth, integral intensity, and g-value, we have attributed this signal to the conduction electrons (CEs). The temperature dependence of the CE ESR linewidth was described by an exponential law (Orbach process) with the value of the activation energy ΔE ≈ 40 meV close to the energy separation between 1 s(E) excited energy level and conduction band for nitrogen donors. The nitrogen donor pairs were found in the ESR spectrum of n-type 3C SiC. The electrical characteristics of 3C SiC sample were studied by using the contact-free microwave conductivity. The energy ionization of nitrogen donor Ei = 51.4 meV was obtained from the fitting of the experimental data with the theory.
Pressure effects on structure and dynamics of metallic glass-forming liquid
Authors: Hu Yuan-Chao , Guan Peng-Fei , Wang Qing , Yang Yong , Bai Hai-Yang , Wang Wei-Hua
Published: January 2017

Although the structure and dynamics of metallic glass-forming liquids have been extensively investigated, studies of the pressure effects are rare. In the present study, the structural and dynamical properties of a ternary metallic liquid are systematically studied via extensive molecular dynamics simulations. Our results clearly show that, like isobaric cooling, isothermal compression could also slow down the dynamics of metallic liquid, leading to glass formation. However, the temperature- and pressure-induced glass transitions differ in the formation of local coordination structures and the variation of fragility. The increase of the kinetic fragility with increasing pressure is also accompanied by a monotonic structural fragility change. These findings may suggest a link between dynamics and structure. In addition, with increasing pressure, the dynamics becomes more heterogeneous, as revealed by the non-Gaussian parameter and dynamic correlation length. Here the length scales of both slow and fast domains are examined and discussed by analyzing the four-point dynamic structure factor associated with spatial correlations of atomic mobility. These correlation lengths coexist in the metallic liquids and grow comparatively in the considered temperature and pressure ranges. Finally, the scaling relation between the relaxation times and correlation lengths is discussed, which is found to be consistent with the spirit of Adam-Gibbs and random first-order transition theories.
Switching between optical bistability and multistability in plasmonic multilayer nanoparticles
Authors: Daneshfar Nader , Naseri Tayebeh
Published: January 2017

We study the nonlinear optical response of multilayer metallic nanoparticles driven by an electromagnetic wave, which can show large field enhancement, hence significantly enhancing optical processes. In addition to optical bistability (OB), we find that optical multistability (OM), which plays a more important role in some applications than OB, is achievable and can be obtained in a multilayer plasmonic nanoparticle. Our results demonstrate that owing to strong localized fields created in the core and each layer of multilayer nanoshells, which occurs in the particles at frequencies close to the surface plasmon resonance, multilayer nanoparticles are promising systems with unique optical characteristics to control the light by light at the nanometer scale. It is demonstrated that OB can be converted to OM via adjusting the wavelength of the applied field and the size of the nanoshell, and the system can manifest optical hysteresis. It is found that the optical bistable or multistable threshold and the shape of hysteresis loops are strongly dependent on the thickness of shells, the incident wavelength, the permittivity of the surrounding medium, and the composition of the core and the inner/outer layers. We also give a discussion on the impact of the exciton-plasmon interaction and the intrinsic size effect on the nonlinear optical response of multilayer spherical nanoparticles.
GaN-based light emitting diodes using p-type trench structure for improving internal quantum efficiency
Authors: Kim Garam , Sun Min-Chul , Kim Jang Hyun , Park Euyhwan , Park Byung-Gook
Published: January 2017

In order to improve the internal quantum efficiency of GaN-based LEDs, a LED structure featuring a p-type trench in the multi-quantum well (MQW) is proposed. This structure has effects on spreading holes into the MQW and reducing the quantum-confined stark effect (QCSE). In addition, two simple fabrication methods using electron-beam (e-beam) lithography or selective wet etching for manufacturing the p-type structure are also proposed. From the measurement results of the manufactured GaN-based LEDs, it is confirmed that the proposed structure using e-beam lithography or selective wet etching shows improved light output power compared to the conventional structure because of more uniform hole distribution. It is also confirmed that the proposed structure formed by e-beam lithography has a significant effect on strain relaxation and reduction in the QCSE from the electro-luminescence measurement.
Effects of growth conditions on the quality of B-doped graphene films
Authors: You Y. , Wang C. , Xu Y. L. , Wan J. X. , Ren W. , Fang X. H. , Chen X. Y.
Published: January 2017

Boron-doped graphene (B-doped graphene) films with large area, high quality, and good uniformity are successfully prepared by chemical vapor deposition using ethylboronic acid (C2H7BO2) as the sole precursor. The pre-treatment of the copper foil and post-annealing are introduced to the growth process and proved to be greatly influential to the quality of B-doped graphene. The films prepared are mainly monolayer with the transmittance of about 97.1%, the B/C ratio of about 2.3%, the sheet resistance of 1.5–3 kΩ/◻, and the carrier density of 1.13 × 1013 cm−2 at room temperature.
Electrical switching of antiferromagnets via strongly spin-orbit coupled materials
Authors: Li Xi-Lai , Duan Xiaopeng , Semenov Yuriy G. , Kim Ki Wook
Published: January 2017

Electrically controlled ultra-fast switching of an antiferromagnet (AFM) is shown to be realizable by interfacing it with a material of strong spin-orbit coupling. The proximity interaction between the sublattice magnetic moments of a layered AFM and the spin-polarized free electrons at the interface offers an efficient way to manipulate antiferromagnetic states. A quantitative analysis, using the combination with a topological insulator as an example, demonstrates highly reliable 90° and 180° rotations of AFM magnetic states under two different mechanisms of effective torque generation at the interface. The estimated switching speed and energy requirement are in the ps and aJ ranges, respectively, which are about two-three orders of magnitude better than the ferromagnetic counterparts. The observed differences in the magnetization dynamics may explain the disparate characteristic responses. Unlike the usual precessional/chiral motions in the ferromagnets, those of the AFMs can essentially be described as a damped oscillator with a more direct path. The impact of random thermal fluctuations is also examined.
A 3-input all magnetic full adder with misalignment-free clocking mechanism
Authors: Li Zheng , Krishnan Kannan M.
Published: January 2017

The clocking field misalignment is a critical issue for the application of Magnetic Quantum-dot Cellular Automata (MQCA). Recent work demonstrates a novel architecture to address this issue—by progressively tuning the shape anisotropy, we could enforce a misalignment-free signal propagation and logic operation. In this paper, we propose a novel architecture of a 3-input full adder based on the 45°-clocking field mechanism. The effectiveness of this design is confirmed through both simulation and experiments. Our work paves the way for the application of MQCA logic.
Diffraction radiation based on an anti-symmetry structure of spoof surface-plasmon waveguide
Authors: Xu Jun Jun , Jiang Xing , Zhang Hao Chi , Wang Jiafu , Qu Shaobo , Cui Tie Jun
Published: January 2017

Spoof surface-plasmon (SP) modes can be excited efficiently and propagate along the surface of double-layer corrugated metallic strips with anti-symmetry. Here, we propose a spoof SP structure with diffraction radiation, which is achieved by introducing phase-reversal geometry into the SP waveguide structure with a π-phase shift for adjacently reversed units. At the junction between two adjacent units, the discontinuity of the periodic structure can be viewed as a perturbation to generate space harmonics, thereby enabling efficient conversion of SP modes into free-space radiation modes. We demonstrate experimentally that the resultant radiation is analogous to Cherenkov radiation wakes, which occurs in the form of a radiation cone. The vast majority of the energy based on the surface wave is emitted into the free space. We expect that the proposed method could be an alternative to transforming the spoof SP modes into the radiation modes.
The realization of information focus in monolingual and bilingual native Spanish
Authors: Leal Tania , Destruel Emilie , Hoot Bradley
Published: January 2017

The strategies used to signal information focus — the non-presupposed part of a sentence — in Spanish are under debate. The literature suggests that focus must appear rightmost; however, empirical evidence shows that speakers also realize focus in-situ. Moreover, there is limited research investigating the effects of language variety or knowledge of another language on focus marking. We address these questions via a paced elicited production task, testing speakers who learned Spanish naturalistically in infancy, including two groups of monolinguals and two groups of Spanish/English bilinguals: (a) Spanish natives who learned English after childhood, and (b) early bilinguals exposed to English in early childhood (heritage speakers). Confirming previous empirical studies, results show that all participant groups choose a similar range of focus-marking strategies, vastly preferring in-situ marking with rightmost marking used rarely. Results challenge both theoretical accounts of Spanish focus realization and expectations of special vulnerability at the syntax-discourse interface for bilinguals.
Current and future management of the young child with early onset wheezing
Authors: Burbank Allison J. , Szefler Stanley J.
Published: January 2017

Purpose of review

In this review, we discuss current thinking in relation to available guidelines for the care of preschool-aged children with recurrent wheezing, while highlighting the gaps in our knowledge and discussing changes that could occur over the next 5 years.

Recent findings

The Asthma Predictive Index as well as allergen-specific IgE, peripheral eosinophil count and exhaled nitric oxide are perhaps underutilized sources of information that can assist in predicting progression to asthma and response to therapies. Inhaled corticosteroids and leukotriene receptor antagonists decrease impairment and exacerbation frequency in wheezing children but are not disease modifying. Macrolides may be useful during acute wheezing episodes for preventing progression to more severe symptoms. Monoclonal antibodies targeting IgE and TH2 cytokines have been successful in trials of adults and older children with asthma, but trials in younger children are needed.

Establishing the phenotype and endotype of young wheezing children can be useful for prognostication of future asthma risk as well as for selection of the most appropriate treatment. Primary asthma prevention strategies are needed during the critical developmental window in early life prior to the onset of irrecoverable loss of lung function.
ASSESSMENT OF THE RETINAL STRUCTURE IN CHILDREN WITH INCONTINENTIA PIGMENTI
Authors: Mangalesh Shwetha , Chen Xi , Tran-Viet Du , Viehland Christian , Freedman Sharon F. , Toth Cynthia A.
Published: January 2017

Purpose:

This report aims at expanding the current knowledge of retinal microanatomy in children with incontinentia pigmenti using hand-held spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT).

Methods:

We reviewed OCT scans from 7 children (4 weeks–13 years) obtained either in the clinic or during an examination under anesthesia. The scans were analyzed for anatomical changes in the outer and inner retina, by certified graders. Medical records were assessed for systemic findings.

Results:

We observed abnormal retinal findings unilaterally in three children. We found inner and outer retinal thinning temporally in two participants. This thinning was present prior to and persisted after treatment. One child showed a distorted foveal contour and significant retinal thickening secondary to dense epiretinal membrane and vitreomacular traction. All other children had normal retinae.

Conclusion:

Hand-held SDOCT imaging of the retina has brought to light additional retinal structural defects that were not previously reported or visualized via routine clinical ophthalmic examination including retinal photography. Despite a normal foveal structure and visual acuity, we identified inner and outer retinal thinning on SDOCT which may benefit from future functional assessment such as visual field testing.
Robot-Assisted Mitral Valve Repair with Posterior Leaflet Extension for Rheumatic Disease
Authors: Onan Burak , Aydin Unal , Kahraman Zeynep , Erkanli Korhan , Bakir Ihsan
Published: January 2017

Mitral valve repair has been one of the widely used applications of robotic surgery. Patients with rheumatic mitral disease usually present at an early age with thickening, retraction, or fusion of the leaflets and subvalvular apparatus. Robotic mitral repair can be feasible among this group of patients, rather than replacement. Herein, we describe a young woman who presented with rheumatic mitral valve insufficiency. A complex mitral repair with posterior leaflet extension with an autologous pericardial patch was successfully conducted using robot assistance.
Perioperative β-Blockers in Patients Undergoing Noncardiac Surgery-Scientific Misconduct and Clinical Guidelines
Authors: Karam Dhauna , Arora Rohit
Published: January 2017

Background:

β-blocker use in perioperative period of noncardiac surgeries has been a topic of debate since many years. Earlier studies conducted in the 90s showed decreased cardiac adverse events and improved postoperative outcomes with β-blocker use. Based on this, the ACCF and ESC published guidelines strongly supporting β-blocker use. But contemporaneous studies conducted revealed conflicting evidence and have also proven some of the earlier studies to be fraudulent. Although ACCF guidelines have been updated to partially reflect the changes, ESC guidelines continue to support β-blocker use.

Areas of Uncertainty:

In light of the ACCF and ESC guidelines supporting β-blocker use in perioperative period of noncardiac surgeries, our aim was to review the available literature and consolidate evidence in this regard.

Data Sources:

PubMed search was conducted to include relevant studies between 1950 and 2015.

Results:

We reviewed 24 eligible studies and few debates conducted in this regard. Based on our review, our findings were as follows: β-blockers should be continued throughout perioperative period in patients who were on β-blockers before surgery for other indications such as angina, hypertension, and symptomatic arrhythmias. Preoperative β-blockers are indicated in patients undergoing high risk vascular surgery or those having high preoperative Cardiac Risk Index Score. In patients with intermediate-to-low cardiac risk, the proven benefit is not sufficient enough to suggest universal use.

Conclusions:

Based on our review, we conclude that the use of β-blockers in perioperative period of noncardiac surgeries should be determined on an individual basis based on risk–benefit analysis. Guideline organizations should update their recommendations based on new evidence.
Point-of-Care Sexually Transmitted Infection Diagnostics: Proceedings of the STAR Sexually Transmitted Infection—Clinical Trial Group Programmatic Meeting
Authors: Cristillo Anthony D. , Bristow Claire C. , Peeling Rosanna , Van Der Pol Barbara , de Cortina Sasha Herbst , Dimov Ivan K. , Pai Nitika Pant , Jin Shin Dong , Chiu Ricky Y.T. , Klapperich Catherine , Madhivanan Purnima , Morris Sheldon R. , Klausner Jeffrey D.
Published: January 2017

The goal of the point-of-care (POC) sexually transmitted infection (STI) Diagnostics meeting was to review the state-of-the-art research and develop recommendations for the use of POC STI diagnostics. Experts from academia, government, nonprofit, and industry discussed POC diagnostics for STIs such as Chlamydia trachomatis, human papillomavirus, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis, and Treponema pallidum. Key objectives included a review of current and emerging technologies, clinical and public health benefits, POC STI diagnostics in developing countries, regulatory considerations, and future areas of development. Key points of the meeting are as follows: (i) although some rapid point-of-care tests are affordable, sensitive, specific, easy to perform, and deliverable to those who need them for select sexually transmitted infections, implementation barriers exist at the device, patient, provider, and health system levels; (ii) further investment in research and development of point-of-care tests for sexually transmitted infections is needed, and new technologies can be used to improve diagnostic testing, test uptake, and treatment; (iii) efficient deployment of self-testing in supervised (ie, pharmacies, clinics, and so on) and/or unsupervised (ie, home, offices, and so on) settings could facilitate more screening and diagnosis that will reduce the burden of sexually transmitted infections; (iv) development of novel diagnostic technologies has outpaced the generation of guidance tools and documents issued by regulatory agencies; and (v) questions regarding quality management are emerging including the mechanism by which poor-performing diagnostics are removed from the market and quality assurance of self-testing is ensured.
Polycomb-Mediated Chromatin Loops Revealed by a Sub-Kilobase Resolution Chromatin Interaction Map
Authors: Eagen Kyle P. , Lieberman Aiden Erez , Kornberg Roger D.
Published: January 2017

The locations of chromatin loops inDrosophilawere determined by Hi-C (chemical cross-linking, restriction digestion, ligation, and high-throughput DNA sequencing). Whereas most loop boundaries or “anchors” are associated with CTCF protein in mammals, loop anchors inDrosophilawere found most often in association with the polycomb group (PcG) protein Polycomb (Pc), a subunit of Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1). Loops were frequently located within domains of PcG-repressed chromatin. Promoters located at PRC1 loop anchors regulate some of the most important developmental genes and are less likely to be expressed than those not at PRC1 loop anchors. Although DNA looping has most commonly been associated with enhancer-promoter communication, our results indicate that loops are also associated with gene repression.
Identification of Mechanisms of Functional Signaling Between Human Hippocampus Regions
Authors: Sanchez-Romero Ruben , Ramsey Joseph D. , Liang Jackson C. , Glymour Clark
Published: January 2017

Background

Standard BOLD connectivity analyses depend on aggregating the signals of individual voxels within regions of interest (ROIs). In certain cases, this spatial aggregation implies a loss of valuable functional and anatomical information about subsets of voxels that drive the ROI level connectivity.

New Method

We use the FGES algorithm, a data-driven score-based graphical search method, to identify subsets of voxels that are chiefly responsible for exchanging signals between ROIs. We apply the method to high-resolution resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data from medial temporal lobe regions of interest of a single healthy individual measured repeated times over a year and a half.

Results

The FGES algorithm recovered subsets of voxels within larger medial temporal lobe ROIs of entorhinal cortex and hippocampus subfields that show spatially consistency across different scanning sessions, and are statistically significant under tests that validate the role of these subsets as main drivers of effective connectivity between hippocampal regions of interest.

Comparison with Existing Methods

In contrast to standard functional connectivity methods, the FGES algorithm is robust against false positive connections produced by transitive closures of adjacencies (correlation methods) and common effect conditioning (Markov random field methods).

Conclusions

The FGES algorithm allows for identification of communication subsets of voxels driving the connectivity between regions of interest, recovering valuable anatomical and functional information that is lost when ROIs are aggregated. The FGES algorithm is specially suited for voxelwise connectivity research, given its short running time and scalability to big data problems.
Predicting Transcriptional Regulatory Activities with Deep Convolutional Networks
Authors: Paggi Joe , Lamb Andrew , Tian Kevin , Hsu Irving , Cedoz Pierre-Louis , Kawthekar Prasad
Published: January 2017

Massively parallel reporter assays (MPRAs) are a method to probe the effects of short sequences on transcriptional regulation activity. In a MPRA, short sequences are extracted from suspected regulatory regions, inserted into reporter plasmids, transfected into cell-types of interest, and the transcriptional activity of each reporter is assayed. Recently, Ernst et al. presented MPRA data covering 15750 putative regulatory regions. We trained a multitask convolutional neural network architecture using these sequence expression readouts which predicts as output the expression level outputs across four combinations of cell types and promoters. The model allows for the assigning of importance scores to each base throughin silicomutagenesis, and the resulting importance scores correlated well with regions enriched for conservation and transcription factor binding.
CRISPR-RT: A web service for designing CRISPR-C2c2 crRNA with improved target specificity
Authors: Zhu Houxiang , Richmond Emily , Liang Chun
Published: January 2017

CRISPR-Cas systems have been successfully applied in genome editing. Recently, the CRISPR-C2c2 system has been reported as a tool for RNA editing. Here we describe CRISPR-RT (CRISPRRNA-Targeting), the first web service to help biologists design the crRNA with improved target specificity for the CRISPR-C2c2 system. CRISPR-RT allows users to set up a wide range of parameters, making it highly flexible for current and future research in CRISPR-based RNA editing. CRISPR-RT covers major model organisms and can be easily extended to cover other species. CRISPR-RT will empower researchers in RNA editing. It is available athttp://bioinfolab.miamioh.edu/CRISPR-RT.
riboviz: analysis and visualization of ribosome profiling datasets
Authors: Carja Oana , Xing Tongji , Plotkin Joshua B. , Shah Premal
Published: January 2017

Using high-throughput sequencing to monitor translation in vivo, ribosome profiling can provide critical insights into the dynamics and regulation of protein synthesis in a cell. Since its introduction in 2009, this technique has played a key role in driving biological discovery, and yet it requires a rigorous computational toolkit for widespread adoption. We developed a processing pipeline and browser-based visualization,riboviz, that allows convenient exploration and analysis of riboseq datasets. In implementation,ribovizconsists of a comprehensive and flexible backend analysis pipeline that allows the user to analyze their private unpublished dataset, along with a web application for comparison with previously published public datasets.

Availability and implementation

JavaScript and R source code and extra documentation are freely available fromhttps://github.com/shahpr/RiboViz, while the web-application is live atwww.riboviz.org.
The piggyBac transposon-derived genes TPB1 and TPB6 mediate essential transposon-like excision during the developmental rearrangement of key genes in Tetrahymena thermophila
Authors: Cheng Chao-Yin , Young Janet M. , Lin Chih-Yi Gabriela , Chao Ju-Lan , Malik Harmit S. , Yao Meng-Chao
Published: January 2017

Ciliated protozoans perform extreme forms of programmed somatic DNA rearrangement during development. The model ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila removes 34% of its germline micronuclear genome from somatic macronuclei by excising thousands of internal eliminated sequences (IESs), a process that shares features with transposon excision. Indeed, piggyBac transposon-derived genes are necessary for genome-wide IES excision in both Tetrahymena (TPB2 [Tetrahymena piggyBac-like 2] and LIA5) and Paramecium tetraurelia (PiggyMac). T. thermophila has at least three other piggyBac-derived genes: TPB1, TPB6, and TPB7. Here, we show that TPB1 and TPB6 excise a small, distinct set of 12 unusual IESs that disrupt exons. TPB1-deficient cells complete mating, but their progeny exhibit slow growth, giant vacuoles, and osmotic shock sensitivity due to retention of an IES in the vacuolar gene DOP1 (Dopey domain-containing protein). Unlike most IESs, TPB1-dependent IESs have piggyBac-like terminal inverted motifs that are necessary for excision. Transposon-like excision mediated by TPB1 and TPB6 provides direct evidence for a transposon origin of not only IES excision machinery but also IESs themselves. Our study highlights a division of labor among ciliate piggyBac-derived genes, which carry out mutually exclusive categories of excision events mediated by either transposon-like features or RNA-directed heterochromatin.
Targeting Argonaute to chromatin
Authors: Wendte Jered M. , Pikaard Craig S.
Published: January 2017

In many eukaryotes, siRNAs bound to Argonaute proteins guide chromatin-modifying enzymes to complementary loci, resulting in transcriptional gene silencing. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that siRNAs base-pair with longer RNAs produced at target loci, but the possibility that siRNAs base-pair directly with DNA remains an attractive hypothesis. In a recent study, Shimada et al. (pp. 2571–2580) conducted experiments that address these alternative hypotheses, yielding additional evidence that fission yeast siRNA–Argonaute silencing complexes are recruited to target loci exclusively via interactions with nascent transcripts.
Crystal structure of (3E)-5-nitro-3-(2-phenylhydrazinylidene)-1H-indol-2(3H)-one
Authors: Velasques Jecika Maciel , Gervini Vanessa Carratu , Bortoluzzi Adaílton João , Farias Renan Lira de , Oliveira Adriano Bof de
Published: January 2017

The reaction between 5-nitroisatin and phenylhydrazine in acidic ethanol yields the title compound, C14H10N4O3, whose molecular structure deviates slightly from a planar geometry (r.m.s. deviation = 0.065 Å for the mean plane through all non-H atoms). An intramolecular N—H...O hydrogen bond is present, forming a ring of graph-set motifS(6). In the crystal, molecules are linked by N—H...O and C—H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions into a two-dimensional network along (120), and rings of graph-set motifR22(8),R22(26) andR44(32) are observed. Additionally, a Hirshfeld surface analysis suggests that the molecules are stacked along [100] through C=O...Cginteractions and indicates that the most important contributions for the crystal structure are O...H (28.5%) and H...H (26.7%) interactions. Anin silicoevaluation of the title compound with the DHFR enzyme (dihydrofolate reductase) was performed. The isatin–hydrazone derivative and the active site of the selected enzyme show N—H...O(ASP29), N—H...O(ILE96) andCg...Cg(PHE33) interactions.
Crystal structure of bis{(S)-1-[2-(diphenylphosphanyl)ferrocenyl]-(R)-ethyl}ammonium bromide dichloromethane monosolvate
Authors: Zirakzadeh Afrooz , Stöger Berthold , Kirchner Karl
Published: January 2017

During the synthesis of an FeBr2complex with the PNP ligand (R,R,SFc,SFc)-[Fe2(C5H5)2(C38H35NP2)] (1), single crystals of the dichloromethane monosolvate of the Br−salt of the protonated ligand1H+were obtained serendipitously,i.e.[Fe2(C5H5)2(C38H36NP2)]Br·CH2Cl2. The crystal structure of1H·Br·CH2Cl2was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The mean bond lengths in the ferrocene units are Fe—C = 2.049 (3) Å and C—C = 1.422 (4) Å within the cyclopentadienyl rings. The mean C—N bond length is 1.523 (4) Å. The interplanar angle between the two connected cyclopentadienyl rings is 49.2 (2)°. One ferrocene moiety adopts a staggered conformation, whereas the other is between staggered and eclipsed. The Br−ions and the CH2Cl2molecules are located in channels extending along <100>. One ammonium H atom forms a hydrogen bond with the Br−ion [H...Br = 2.32 (4) Å and C—H...Br = 172 (3)°]. The second ammonium H atom is not involved in hydrogen bonding.
Crystal structure of tris[(4,7,13,16,21,24-hexaoxa-1,10-diazabicyclo[8.8.8]hexacosane-κ8N2,O6)rubidium] rubidium nonastannide
Authors: Klein Wilhelm , He Haiyan , Fässler Thomas F.
Published: January 2017

The crystal structure of the title compound, [Rb(C18H36N2O6)]3RbSn9, consists of deltahedral [Sn9]4–cluster anions, Rb+cations and cryptand molecules, which partially sequester the cations. Those cations, which are not coordinated by cryptand molecules, are neighboured directly to the [Sn9]4–clusters and interconnect them to form∞1[RbSn9]3–chains. These chains extend parallel to [001] and are arranged in a pseudo-hexagonal rod packing, separated by the Rb-cryptand complex cations.
A new one-dimensional NiIIcoordination polymer with a two-dimensional supramolecular architecture
Authors: Zhong Kai-Long
Published: January 2017

A new one-dimensional NiIIcoordination polymer of 1,3,5-tris(imidazol-1-ylmethyl)benzene, namelycatena-poly[[aqua(sulfato-κO)hemi(μ-ethane-1,2-diol-κ2O:O′)[μ3-1,3,5-tris(1H-imidazol-1-ylmethyl)benzene-κ3N3,N3′,N3′′]nickel(II)] ethane-1,2-diol monosolvate monohydrate], {[Ni(SO4)(C18H18N6)(C2H6O2)0.5(H2O)]·C2H6O2·H2O}n, was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The NiIIcation is coordinated by three N atoms of three different 1,3,5-tris(imidazol-1-ylmethyl)benzene ligands, one O atom of an ethane-1,2-diol molecule, by a sulfate anion and a water molecule, forming a distorted octahedral NiN3O3coordination geometry. The tripodal 1,3,5-tris(imidazol-1-ylmethyl)benzene ligands link the NiIIcations, generating metal–organic chains running along the [100] direction. Adjacent chains are further connected by O—H...O hydrogen bonds, resulting in a two-dimensional supermolecular architecture running parallel to the (001) plane. Another water molecule and a second ethane-1,2-diol molecule are non-coordinating and are linked to the coordinating sulfate ionsviaO—H...O hydrogen bonds.
(Z)-1,4-Bis(2-chlorophenyl)-2-(methylsulfanyl)but-2-ene-1,4-dione
Authors: Ravi A. J. , Vinayaka A. C. , Roopashree K. R. , Sadashiva M. P. , Devarajegowda. H. C.
Published: January 2017

In the title compound, C17H12Cl2O2S, the benzene rings are inclined to one another by 84.59 (16)°. The enaminone group is present in a synclinal conformation with respect to the chlorobenzene moiety. The configuration of the C=C bond is Z. There is a short intramolecular C—H...O contact present forming an S(6) ring motif. In the crystal, molecules are linked by C—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming layers lying parallel to the (10-1) plane.
1-(3-Chlorophenyl)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(5-chlorothiophen-2-yl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole
Authors: Prabhudeva M. G. , Naveen S. , Raghavendra K. R. , Dileep Kumar A. , Kumara Karthik , Lokanath N. K. , Ajay Kumar K.
Published: January 2017

In the title compound, C19H13Cl3N2S, the central dihydropyrazole ring adopts an envelope conformation with the chiral C atom as the flap. In the crystal, molecules are linked by weak C—H...Cl hydrogen bonds into supramolecular chains propagating along the b-axis direction.