bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High sensitive sensing by a laser diode with dual optical feedback operating at period-one oscillation
Authors: Ruan Yuxi , Liu Bin , Yu Yanguang , Xi Jiangtao , Guo Qinghua , Tong Jun
Published: July 2019

Laser dynamics have great potential for various applications, ranging from cryptography to microwave photonics and instrumentation. This letter presents a design for achieving high sensitive sensing and measurement using the dynamics of a laser diode (LD) with a dual external cavity. In the design, one cavity is used to control the dynamics, making the LD operate at the period-one (P1) oscillation state, and the other one is associated with the quantities to be measured. The Lang-Kobayashi equations are modified and solved to develop a bifurcation diagram for the design, from which we determine the P1 state and investigate the sensing performance within this state. It is shown that, when operating in P1, the laser intensity exhibits an oscillation with its amplitude modulated by a traditional optical feedback interferometric (OFI) signal (generated with a single cavity and LD operating at the steady state). It is also observed that the modulation depth is remarkably larger than the magnitude of a traditional OFI signal. This leads to a significant increase in the sensitivity of sensing and measurement and hence provides an attractive solution for the detection of very small or weak physical quantities. An experimental system is designed, and the experimental results verify the high sensitive sensing performance of the proposed design.
Evaluation of full valence correlation energies and gradients
Authors: Zimmerman Paul M. , Rask Alan E.
Published: June 2019

Complete-active-space self-consistent field (CASSCF) wave functions are central to understanding strongly correlated molecules as they capture the entirety of electronic interactions within a subset of the orbital space. The most interesting case for CASSCF is the full valence limit, where all bonding and an equal number of virtual orbitals are included in the active space, and no approximation is made in selecting the important valence orbitals or electrons. While conventional algorithms require exponential computational time to evaluate full valence CASSCF, this article shows that the method of increments can do the same with polynomial effort, in a new method denoted iCASSCF. The method of increments can also provide density matrices and other necessary ingredients for the construction of the nuclear gradient. These goals are met through a many-body expansion that breaks the problem into smaller pieces that are subsequently reassembled to form close approximations of conventional CAS results. Practical demonstrations on a number of medium-sized molecules, with up to 116 valence electrons correlated in 116 orbitals, show the power of this methodology.
Artificial intelligence-based behavioral analysis of protein in a nanoscale cubic space on a Si substrate
Authors: Nishiyama Katsuhiko
Published: July 2019

Special behaviors of proteins have been exploited and used for biomedical devices and biosensors; fundamentally, the behavior of proteins on solid surfaces is fascinating. However, no comprehensive understanding has been garnered from current studies. In our study, the behavior of tetrapeptides in active sites of papain in a nanoscale cubic space on a solid surface was analyzed using a synergistic combination of artificial intelligence and computer simulations. After identifying suitable tetrapeptides, half of them were deemed not suitable for free papain adsorption. A nanoscale cubic space enabled novel functions of those proteins to be captured. Additionally, the decision tree identified attributes that governed suitability. The decision tree would be an effective tool to comprehend the big picture of the complex behavior.
Record high operational temperature achieved using a thermoelectrically cooled THz quantum cascade laser
Authors: Mandel Savannah
Published: July 2019

By means of a nonequilibrium Green’s function model, terahertz quantum cascade laser operates up to 210.5 K, breaking the previous temperature record.
The scientific legacy of the Apollo program
Authors: Jolliff Bradley L. , Robinson Mark S.
Published: July 2019

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Together, the six Apollo landings laid the foundation for modern planetary science.
Birds of Prey of Australia
Authors: Debus Stephen
Published: July 2019

Raptors are popular and iconic birds, and are important ecologically, with some species listed as threatened. Yet they are among the most difficult birds to identify. This fully updated Third Edition of the popular and award-winning field guide Birds of Prey of Australia contains two sections: a field guide with distribution maps, detailed illustrations and information on identification; and a handbook which includes an overview of the current knowledge about raptors, including their biology, ecology and behaviour. An illustrated section on difficult-to-distinguish species pairs is also included, along with new photographs.
Birds of Prey of Australia will appeal to a wide range of readers, including ornithologists, raptor biologists, birdwatchers, wildlife rescuers/carers, raptor rehabilitators, zookeepers, naturalists, bushwalkers, ecological consultants, fauna authorities, park rangers, state forestry personnel and students.
Beyond Orientalism: When Marceline Desbordes-Valmore carried Saʿdi’s Roses to France
Authors: Hartley Julia Caterina
Published: July 2019

This article follows a thread of translation and intertextual dialogue, taking us from the thirteenth-century Persian poet Saʿdi to the nineteenth-century French poet Marceline Desbordes-Valmore. It reads Desbordes-Valmore’s poem ‘Les roses de Saadi’ (1860) with the two passages from Saʿdi’sGolestānfrom which it was inspired, shedding new light on the poem’s metapoetic subtext. The original Persian text is compared to two French translations that were circulating at the time when Desbordes-Valmore was writing. This analysis of theGolestān’sreception forms the basis for the argument that Desbordes-Valmore recast in secular terms Saʿdi’s discourse on poetic language, emphasizing the continuity, rather than difference, between her concerns and Saʿdi’s. The case of Desbordes-Valmore thus reveals a forgotten facet of nineteenth-century French engagements with Middle Eastern culture: one of identification and literary influence, which existed alongside the processes of “othering” for which the period is better known.
Isolation and identification of N6-isopentenyladenosine as the cytotoxic constituent of a marine sponge Oceanapia sp.
Authors: Nakamukai Shohei , Ise Yuji , Ohtsuka Susumu , Okada Shigeru , Matsunaga Shigeki
Published: June 2019

N 6-Isopentenyladenosine (i6A) was isolated from a marine sponge Oceanapia sp. as the major cytotoxic constituent along with N6-isopentenyladenosine 5ʹ-monophosphate (i6AP) which was inactive. The structures of i6A and i6AP were assigned by a combination of the analysis of NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. This is the first isolation of i6A and i6AP from a marine sponge.
Building Praise: Augustan Rome and Epideictic
Authors: Lamp Kathleen S.
Published: July 2019

In this essay, I examine two epideictic artifacts from the Roman Principate, The Res Gestae Divi Augusti and the summi viri, arguing Augustus used them to reshape the model of a good leader, in part, by emphasizing contributing to the built environment of the city. Additionally, the public and visual nature of these artifacts made them highly accessible to those outside of the Roman elite, who may have sought social mobility through the imperial bureaucracy allowing for more diverse participation in the Roman government. I close by considering the influence of classical exemplars on U.S. civic spaces.
Identity and Difference in Aelius Aristides’ “Regarding Sarapis”
Authors: Atwill Janet M. , Portz Josie
Published: July 2019

This article posits that bringing diversity to histories of rhetoric may require not only revising canons but also “unwriting” the narratives of Western civilization in which canonical figures have been cast. Two conventions of these narratives are of special significance: fixed identities and narrative coherence. Focusing on the cultural contexts of Aelius Aristides’ “Regarding Sarapis,” we suggest that these conventions obscure the cultural differences that were always there.
Synaptic neurexin-1 assembles into dynamically regulated active zone nanoclusters
Authors: Trotter Justin H. , Hao Junjie , Maxeiner Stephan , Tsetsenis Theodoros , Liu Zhihui , Zhuang Xiaowei , Südhof Thomas C.
Published: July 2019

Neurexins are well-characterized presynaptic cell adhesion molecules that engage multifarious postsynaptic ligands and organize diverse synapse properties. However, the precise synaptic localization of neurexins remains enigmatic. Using super-resolution microscopy, we demonstrate that neurexin-1 forms discrete nanoclusters at excitatory synapses, revealing a novel organizational feature of synaptic architecture. Synapses generally contain a single nanocluster that comprises more than four neurexin-1 molecules and that also includes neurexin-2 and/or neurexin-3 isoforms. Moreover, we find that neurexin-1 is physiologically cleaved by ADAM10 similar to its ligand neuroligin-1, with ∼4–6% of neurexin-1 and ∼2–3% of neuroligin-1 present in the adult brain as soluble ectodomain proteins. Blocking ADAM10-mediated neurexin-1 cleavage dramatically increased the synaptic neurexin-1 content, thereby elevating the percentage of Homer1(+) excitatory synapses containing neurexin-1 nanoclusters from 40–50% to ∼80%, and doubling the number of neurexin-1 molecules per nanocluster. Taken together, our results reveal an unexpected nanodomain organization of synapses in which neurexin-1 is assembled into discrete presynaptic nanoclusters that are dynamically regulated via ectodomain cleavage.
Guaranteed global optimization of thin-film optical systems
Authors: Azunre Paul , Jean Joel , Rotschild Carmel , Bulovic Vladimir , Johnson Steven G , Baldo Marc A
Published: July 2019

A parallel deterministic global optimization algorithm for thin-film multilayer optical coatings is developed. This algorithm enables locating a global solution to an optimization problem in this class to within a user-specified tolerance. More specifically, the algorithm is a parallel branch-and-bound method with applicable bounds on the merit function computed using Taylor models. This study is the first one, to the best of our knowledge, to attempt guaranteed global optimization of this important class of problems, thereby providing an overview and an assessment of the current state of such techniques in this domain. As a proof of concept on a small scale, the method is illustrated numerically and experimentally in the context of antireflection coatings for silicon solar cells—we design and fabricate a three-layer dielectric stack on silicon that exhibits an average reflectance of (2.53 ± 0.10)%, weighted over a broad range of incident angles and the solar spectrum. The practicality of our approach is assessed by comparing its computational cost relative to traditional stochastic global optimization techniques which provide no guarantees on their solutions. While our method is observed to be significantly more computationally expensive, we demonstrate via our proof of concept that it is already feasible to optimize sufficiently simple practical problems at a reasonable cost, given the current accessibility of cloud computing resources. Ongoing advances in distributed computing are likely to bring more design problems within the reach of deterministic global optimization methods, yielding rigorous guaranteed solutions in the presence of practical manufacturing constraints.
The effect of fermentation process on physical and chemical characteristics of pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhiuzus [F.A.C. Weber] Britton & Rose) stem flour
Authors: Soedjatmiko H , Chrisnasari R , Hardjo P H
Published: July 2019

Research interest on fiber has increased rapidly in the last decade due to its complexity and functional properties towards the human body. In this research group, pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhiuzus [F.A.C. Weber] Britton & Rose) stem flour is a promising candidate as new food resources since it contains a high amount of fiber and vitamin C as well as demonstrates both antioxidant and antibacterial activities. However, this pitaya stem flour has very low solubility in water that makes its application in food product very limited. In this study, pitaya stem flour has been fermented by Trichoderma reesei in a variation of inoculum concentration (3 % and 5 %) and fermentation time (24 to 60 h). The fermentation processes reduce the ash and water content of the flour, increase the soluble fiber content as well as its solubility. During the fermentation, the colour of the flour has changed. It becomes brighter and brownish. The best fermentation condition marked by its highest soluble fiber content is achieved by 3 % (w/v) of T. reesei inoculum with 60 h incubation time.
Antibacterial activity roll on deodorant with Pluchea indica (L.) leaf extract against Staphylococcus epidermidis (Evans 1916 ) in vitro
Authors: Komala O , Wiendarlina I Y , Rizqiyana N
Published: July 2019

Pluchea indica L. is a medicinal plant that is often used to eliminate body odor. This research aims to test effectiveness roll on deodorant as an antibacterial against Staphylococcus epidermidis (Evans, 1916) and it’s stability test. Antibacterial activity test used dilution method. Phytochemical analysis were carried out qualitatively. Roll on deodorant test for four types stored at 28 °C to 30 °C for 8 wk includes observation of the color, odour and homogeneity, irritation test, pH test, viscosity and specific gravity. The results showed P. indica leaf extract’s roll on deodorant have antibacterial effect against S. epidermidis. P. indica leaf extract have compounds consisting of flavonoids, saponins, tannin and alkaloids. Roll on deodorant stored on 28 °C to 30 °C for 8 wk showed stable for color, odour and homogeneity. Deodorant roll on have a pH of 4.52 to 5.53, viscosity 331.8 cP to 340.8 cP, specific gravity 1.0107 g mL−1 to 1.0397 g mL−1, and do not cause irritation.
Exploring EEG based Authentication for Imaginary and Non-imaginary tasks using Power Spectral Density Method
Authors: Zhi Chin Tze , Saidatul A , Ibrahim Z
Published: June 2019

Biometric technology has swiftly emerged as a go-to solution for improving cyber security especially in financial fraud and security threats. EEG based-authentication is best of security in cyber security application as it is unique and cannot be replicated. The aim of this study is to investigate the possibility of adopting imaginary or non-imaginary task for human authentication. In this study, twenty subjects were recruited from undergraduate students with age ranging from 19 to 30 years old. The subject must be healthy and right-handed. The subjects were required to perform non-imaginary task (left hand or right hand movement) and imaginary task (just need to imagine the movement of left hand or right hand). Duration for each task is 1 minute and take rest for 1 minute between the tasks. Truscan EEG device (Deymed Diagnostic, Alien Technic, Czech Republic) with 19 channels were used to collect EEG data with 1024 Hz frequency sampling and the impedance is kept below 5 kOhm. Bandpass filter was used in pre-processing to extract alpha (8-13Hz) and beta (14-30Hz) waves. The signal was segmented and the power spectral density were calculated by Welch’s method and Burg’s method. The statistical features (mean, median, mode, variance, standard deviation, minimum and maximum) were obtained from PSD were used as input of classifier. K-nearest neighbour classifier (KNN) and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) were applied for classification. In conclusion, Welch method gives the highest classification accuracy which is 98% for beta waves from channel C4 with the K-nearest neighbour classifier. Imaginary task shows the higher classification accuracy which is 98.03% instead of non-imaginary task which is 94.95%. Thus, imaginary task is more suitable for authentication.
Spectral Efficiency Improving Technique in OCDMA-VLC system for IoT Application using Catenated-OFDM Modulation Scheme
Authors: Nawawi N. M. , Anuar M. S. , Junita M. N. , Talib M. F.
Published: June 2019

Visible light communication (VLC) technology offers unregulated, unlicensed and huge bandwidth to meet the growing demand in future indoor communication system. One of the major challenge in VLC system is in improving transmission speed with optimize the bandwidth capacity. The method to improve spectral usage is using advanced modulation formats such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). In this work, a new approach for modulation technique based on multiband OFDM has been developed which capable to improve the spectral efficiency and optimize the data rate. A proposed technique is then adapted in OCDMA-VLC environment to analyse the reliability of the proposed scheme in high capacity network. Different selection of parameter values such as bit rates, number of bands and effective received power will have different effect on the system performance. Numerical result shown that the catenated-OFDM outperforms conventional OFDM by five times spectral efficiency improvement and eight times spectral efficiency improvement at their five and eight number of bands respectively. It is also shown that the proposed catenated-OFDM design is working well even at very high bit rate of 15 Gbps. Moreover, there are enhancement in receiver sensitivity with 7.3 dB power penalty compared to previous work.
Path Loss Analysis Considering Doppler Shift Effect on Cellular Communication for Connected Car Application at Rural Area
Authors: Hamid A F A , Rahman M T A , Rahman A , Zabidi M M M
Published: June 2019

In this paper, the study on path loss of cellular communication is conducted by experiment and simulation on three different communication modules at rural area. This three-communication module will have different carrier frequency to determine the effect of doppler shift to communication path loss of moving vehicle. To enhance the accuracy of these studies, both simulation and experiment output will be compared. Simulation studies will be based on proposed modified path loss model. For the experimental portion, the Path Loss will be determined based on two things: the measured received power on communication modules antenna and transmit power from base station. From this experiment, the best selection of communication module by considering the fading effect from doppler shift is selected to be used in connected car.
Pellet Mill Fixed Dies Type for Production of Solid Fuel Pellets from Acacia mangium Bark
Authors: Arnalis Renjani Rengga , Wulandani Dyah
Published: June 2019

Biomass pellet or pellets are bio solid fuel made from compacted sawdust and other bio waste. Pelletized processes consist of three major unit operations, i.e. drying, size reduction (grinding), and densification. Increasing biomass density needs a machine, to produce pellet with best quality. Pellet mill or pelletization machine in Indonesia still expensive because due to import duties, difficult maintenance process, and suitable for small and medium enterprise or industry. The purpose of this study was to design a prototype pellet mill integrated size reduction that encompasses size reduction as well as extrusion using the fixed dies type pelletizing method, and fabricated using locally available construction materials. Main features of the machine are hopper, gearbox, electric motor (2.23 kW, 1 phase, 3 hp rating), axial shaft, roller, and fixed dies. Material used in this research was A.mangium bark and the results of this study indicated the pellet mill has been able to produce pellets with a throughput capacity of 7.70 kg/h, with rotation speed 68.98 rpm, and load of machine range 0.44-0.51 kW.
Magnetic and structural Behavior of Fe-CoO Nanocomposites Mechanically Milled
Authors: Younes Abderrahmane , Khorchef Mohamed , Bouamer Amirouche , Amar Hichem
Published: June 2019

The Fe60(CoO)40 nanostructured alloys have been prepared from pure iron and cobalt oxide powders by mechanical alloying technique within a high energy planetary ball-mill. Morphology, microstructural and magnetic properties of this powder were investigated by a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The effect of time of milling on magnetic behaviour of Fe(CoO) nanostructured composite has been investigated. Apparition of new phase polycrystalline sample having a size in the range of 12 and 26 nm, it is confirmed by X-ray diffraction testing. The enhanced magnetic properties and structural behaviour of the nanoparticle are due by the diminution of size of crystallite. After 40 hours of milling, the appearance of spinel structure of CoFe2O4. The reduction in particle size leads to a significant increase in magnetic hardening, the coercive field at room temperature increases from 6 Oe to 208 Oe
Tsirelson’s problem and an embedding theorem for groups arising from non-local games
Authors: Slofstra William
Published: June 2019

Tsirelson’s problem asks whether the commuting operator model for two-party quantum correlations is equivalent to the tensor-product model. We give a negative answer to this question by showing that there are non-local games which have perfect commuting-operator strategies, but do not have perfect tensor-product strategies. The weak Tsirelson problem, which is known to be equivalent to the Connes embedding problem, remains open.

The examples we construct are instances of (binary) linear system games. For such games, previous results state that the existence of perfect strategies is controlled by the solution group of the linear system. Our main result is that every finitely-presented group embeds in some solution group. As an additional consequence, we show that the problem of determining whether a linear system game has a perfect commuting-operator strategy is undecidable.
Clinical Validation of Discordant Trunk Driver Mutations in Paired Primary and Metastatic Lung Cancer Specimens
Authors: Tseng Li-Hui , De Marchi Federico , Pallavajjalla Aparna , Rodriguez Erika , Xian Rena , Belchis Deborah , Gocke Christopher D , Eshleman James R , Illei Peter , Lin Ming-Tseh
Published: July 2019

Objectives

To propose an operating procedure for validation of discordant trunk driver mutations.

Methods

Concordance of trunk drivers was examined by next-generation sequencing in 15 patients with two to three metastatic lung cancers and 32 paired primary and metastatic lung cancers.

Results

Tissue identity was confirmed by genotyping 17 single-nucleotide polymorphisms within the panel. All except three pairs showed concordant trunk drivers. Quality assessment conducted in three primary and metastatic pairs with discordant trunk drivers indicates metastasis from a synchronous or remote lung primary in two patients. Review of literature revealed high discordant rates of EGFR and KRAS mutations, especially when Sanger sequencing was applied to examine primary and lymph node metastatic tumors.

Conclusions

Trunk driver mutations are highly concordant in primary and metastatic tumors. Discordance of trunk drivers, once confirmed, may suggest a second primary cancer. Guidelines are recommended to establish standard operating procedures for validation of discordant trunk drivers.
‘To Stay the Murderer’s Hand and the Rapist’s Passions, and for the Safety and Security of Civil Society’: The Emergence of Racial Disparities in Capital Punishment in Jim Crow New Orleans
Authors: Adler Jeffrey S
Published: June 2019

This essay examines capital punishment in New Orleans between 1920 and 1945. Building on a quantitative analysis of case-level data culled from police, court, and prison records, it explores the emergence of racial disparities in death-penalty sentencing and charts the increasing use of capital punishment as a mechanism of racial control. The paper focuses on four surprising and counter-intuitive patterns in the application of the death penalty. First, shifts in the use of capital punishment during this era bore no connection to patterns of violent crime. Second, changes in death-penalty sentencing were only loosely related to overall trends in homicide conviction. Third, and most surprising, Orleans Parish jurors, particularly during the 1920s, sent white killers to the gallows at a higher rate than African American killers. And fourth, the analysis of case-level records reveals dramatic shifts in death-penalty sentencing during the 1930s, particularly the development of a pronounced racial disparity in the application of capital punishment. Prosecutors also exploited the threat of capital charges to secure guilty pleas from African American suspects, and thus changes in death-penalty sentencing contributed to racial disparities in incarceration. In short, this micro-analysis helps to explain when and why the death penalty became a core component of Jim Crow criminal justice.
Simultaneous prediction of multiple outcomes using revised stacking algorithms
Authors: Xing Li , Lesperance Mary L , Zhang Xuekui
Published: June 2019

Motivation

HIV is difficult to treat because its virus mutates at a high rate and mutated viruses easily develop resistance to existing drugs. If the relationships between mutations and drug resistances can be determined from historical data, patients can be provided personalized treatment according to their own mutation information. The HIV Drug Resistance Database was built to investigate the relationships. Our goal is to build a model using data in this database, which simultaneously predicts the resistance of multiple drugs using mutation information from sequences of viruses for any new patient.

Results

We propose two variations of a stacking algorithm which borrow information among multiple prediction tasks to improve multivariate prediction performance. The most attractive feature of our proposed methods is the flexibility with which complex multivariate prediction models can be constructed using any univariate prediction models. Using cross-validation studies, we show that our proposed methods outperform other popular multivariate prediction methods.

Availability and implementation

An R package is being developed. In the meantime, R code can be requested by email.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Chronic white matter lesion activity predicts clinical progression in primary progressive multiple sclerosis
Authors: Elliott Colm , Belachew Shibeshih , Wolinsky Jerry S , Hauser Stephen L , Kappos Ludwig , Barkhof Frederik , Bernasconi Corrado , Fecker Julian , Model Fabian , Wei Wei , Arnold Douglas L
Published: June 2019

Chronic active and slowly expanding/evolving lesions with smouldering inflammation are neuropathological correlates of progressive multiple sclerosis. Elliott et al. report that T1-weighted measures of chronic lesion activity predict clinically progressive multiple sclerosis, may represent a longitudinal neuroimaging correlate of smouldering demyelination and axonal loss, and are reduced by ocrelizumab.
Dysregulated oscillatory connectivity in the visual system in autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Seymour Robert A , Rippon Gina , Gooding-Williams Gerard , Schoffelen Jan M , Kessler Klaus
Published: June 2019

Autism Spectrum Disorder is often accompanied by sensory symptoms. Using magnetoencephalography to measure gamma and alpha band cortical activity in affected individuals, Seymour et al. corroborate the hypothesis that aberrant sensory processing is linked to atypical functional connectivity within and between areas of the visual system.
Natural Law, Catholicism, and the Protestant Critique: Why We Are Really Not That Far Apart
Authors: Beckwith Francis J
Published: July 2019

Catholics and Evangelical Protestants often find themselves on the same side on a variety of issues in bioethics. However, some Evangelicals have expressed reluctance to embrace the natural law reasoning used by Catholics in academic and policy debates. In this article, I argue that the primary concerns raised by Evangelicals about natural law reasoning are, ironically, concerns expressed by and intrinsic to the natural law tradition itself. To show this, I address two types of Protestant critics: (1) the Frustrated Fellow Traveler and (2) the Solo Scripturist.
The End of Sex: Finis or Telos?
Authors: Meilaender Gilbert
Published: July 2019

In a widely noted book, Henry Greely has suggested that “the end of sex” is on the horizon. By this he means that sexual activity for pleasure will be increasingly disconnected from the process by which children are conceived—a result of the growing availability of what he terms Easy PGD. This essay explores the possibility that this sense (i.e., finis) of an “end” of sex fails to attend adequately to another sense of “end”—namely, the telos that connects human sexual activity to the birth of children. Articulating a Christian understanding of procreation, the essay notes that Easy PGD may invite us to miss the human significance of the connection between the love-giving and life-giving aspects of sexual activity.
Cadmium versus Lanthanum Effects on Spontaneous Electrical Activity and Expression of Connexin Isoforms Cx26, Cx36, and Cx45 in the Human Fetal Cortex
Authors: Kocovic Dusica M , Limaye Pallavi V , Colburn Lauren C H , Singh Mandakini B , Milosevic Milena M , Tadic Jasmina , Petronijevic Milos , Vrzic-Petronijevic Svetlana , Andjus Pavle R , Antic Srdjan D
Published: June 2019

Electrical activity is important for brain development. In brain slices, human subplate neurons exhibit spontaneous electrical activity that is highly sensitive to lanthanum. Based on the results of pharmacological experiments in human fetal tissue, we hypothesized that hemichannel-forming connexin (Cx) isoforms 26, 36, and 45 would be expressed on neurons in the subplate (SP) zone. RNA sequencing of dissected human cortical mantles at ages of 17–23 gestational weeks revealed that Cx45 has the highest expression, followed by Cx36 and Cx26. The levels of Cx and pannexin expression between male and female fetal cortices were not significantly different. Immunohistochemical analysis detected Cx45- and Cx26-expressing neurons in the upper segment of the SP zone. Cx45 was present on the cell bodies of human SP neurons, while Cx26 was found on both cell bodies and dendrites. Cx45, Cx36, and Cx26 were strongly expressed in the cortical plate, where newborn migrating neurons line up to form cortical layers. New information about the expression of 3 “neuronal” Cx isoforms in each cortical layer/zone (e.g., SP, cortical plate) and pharmacological data with cadmium and lanthanum may improve our understanding of the cellular mechanisms underlying neuronal development in human fetuses and potential vulnerabilities.
Preparing for the Worst: Evidence that Older Adults Proactively Downregulate Negative Affect
Authors: Corbett Brittany , Rajah M Natasha , Duarte Audrey
Published: June 2019

Previous studies have only investigated age-related differences in emotional processing and encoding in response to, not in anticipation of, emotional stimuli. In the current study, we investigated age-related differences in the impact of emotional anticipation on affective responses and episodic memory for emotional images. Young and older adults were scanned while encoding negative and neutral images preceded by cues that were either valid or invalid predictors of image valence. Participants were asked to rate the emotional intensity of the images and to complete a recognition task. Using multivariate behavioral partial least squares (PLS) analysis, we found that greater anticipatory recruitment of the amygdala, ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), and hippocampus in older adults predicted reduced memory for negative than neutral images and the opposite for young adults. Seed PLS analysis further showed that following negative cues older adults, but not young adults, exhibited greater activation of vmPFC, reduced activation of amygdala, and worse memory for negative compared with neutral images. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to provide evidence that the “positivity effect” seen in older adults’ memory performance may be related to the spontaneous emotional suppression of negative affect in anticipation of, not just in response to, negative stimuli.
Bacteremia Among Febrile Patients Attending Selected Healthcare Facilities in Ibadan, Nigeria
Authors: Popoola Oluwafemi , Kehinde Aderemi , Ogunleye Veronica , Adewusi Oluwafemi J , Toy Trevor , Mogeni Ondari D , Aroyewun Eunice O , Agbi Sarah , Adekanmbi Olukemi , Adepoju Akinlolu , Muyibi Sufiyan , Adebiyi Ini , Elaturoti Oluseyi O , Nwimo Chukwuemeka , Adeoti Hadizah , Omotosho Temitope , Akinlabi Olabisi C , Adegoke Paul A , Adeyanju Olusoji A , Panzner Ursula , Baker Stephen , Park Se Eun , Marks Florian , Okeke Iruka N
Published: June 2019

Background

The relative contribution of bacterial infections to febrile disease is poorly understood in many African countries due to diagnostic limitations. This study screened pediatric and adult patients attending 4 healthcare facilities in Ibadan, Nigeria, for bacteremia and malaria parasitemia.

Methods

Febrile patients underwent clinical diagnosis, malaria parasite testing, and blood culture. Bacteria from positive blood cultures were isolated and speciated using biochemical and serological methods, and Salmonella subtyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction. Antimicrobial susceptibility was tested by disk diffusion.

Results

A total of 682 patients were recruited between 16 June and 16 October 2017; 467 (68.5%) were <18 years of age. Bacterial pathogens were cultured from the blood of 117 (17.2%) patients, with Staphylococcus aureus (69 [59.0%]) and Salmonella enterica (34 [29.1%]) being the most common species recovered. Twenty-seven (79.4%) of the Salmonella isolates were serovar Typhi and the other 7 belonged to nontyphoidal Salmonella serovarieties. Thirty-four individuals were found to be coinfected with Plasmodium falciparum and bacteria. Five (14.7%) of these coinfections were with Salmonella, all in children aged <5 years. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that most of the Salmonella and Staphylococcus isolates were multidrug resistant.

Conclusions

The study demonstrates that bacteria were commonly recovered from febrile patients with or without malaria in this location. Focused and extended epidemiological studies are needed for the introduction of typhoid conjugate vaccines that have the potential to prevent a major cause of severe community-acquired febrile diseases in our locality.
Asymptomatic Infection and Transmission of Pertussis in Households: A Systematic Review
Authors: Craig Rodger , Kunkel Elizabeth , Crowcroft Natasha S , Fitzpatrick Meagan C , de Melker Hester , Althouse Benjamin M , Merkel Tod , Scarpino Samuel V , Koelle Katia , Friedman Lindsay , Arnold Callum , Bolotin Shelly
Published: July 2019

We conducted a systematic review to describe the frequency of mild, atypical, and asymptomatic infection among household contacts of pertussis cases and to explore the published literature for evidence of asymptomatic transmission. We included studies that obtained and tested laboratory specimens from household contacts regardless of symptom presentation and reported the proportion of cases with typical, mild/atypical, or asymptomatic infection. After screening 6789 articles, we included 26 studies. Fourteen studies reported household contacts with mild/atypical pertussis. These comprised up to 46.2% of all contacts tested. Twenty-four studies reported asymptomatic contacts with laboratory-confirmed pertussis, comprising up to 55.6% of those tested. Seven studies presented evidence consistent with asymptomatic pertussis transmission between household contacts. Our results demonstrate a high prevalence of subclinical infection in household contacts of pertussis cases, which may play a substantial role in the ongoing transmission of disease. Our review reveals a gap in our understanding of pertussis transmission.
Syphilis Self-testing: A Nationwide Pragmatic Study Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in China
Authors: Wang Cheng , Cheng Weibin , Li Changchang , Tang Weiming , Ong Jason J , Smith M Kumi , Fu Hongyun , Marks Michael , Nie Juan , Zheng Heping , Tucker Joseph D , Yang Bin
Published: June 2019

Background

Syphilis self-testing may help expand syphilis testing among men who have sex with men (MSM). China has rapidly scaled up human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) self-testing, creating an opportunity for integrated syphilis self-testing. However, there is a limited literature on implementing syphilis self-testing.

Methods

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among Chinese MSM in 2018. Participants completed a survey instrument including sociodemographic characteristics, sexual behaviors, syphilis self-testing, and HIV self-testing history. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to identify correlates of syphilis self-testing. We also recorded potential harms associated with syphilis self-testing.

Results

Six hundred ninety-nine MSM from 89 cities in 21 provinces in China completed the study. A total of 361/699 (51.7%) men tested for syphilis, of whom 174/699 (24.9%) men used syphilis self-testing. Among 174 who had self-tested, 90 (51.7%) reported that the self-test was their first syphilis test and 161 (92.5%) reported that they undertook syphilis self-testing together with HIV self-testing. After adjusting for covariates, syphilis self-testing was correlated with disclosure of sexual orientation to family or friends (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.32–2.73), reporting 2–5 male sexual partners (aOR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.04–3.16), HIV self-testing (aOR, 39.90; 95% CI, 17.00–93.61), and never tested for syphilis in the hospital (aOR, 2.96; 95% CI, 1.86–4.72). Self-reported harms associated with syphilis self-testing were minimal.

Conclusions

Scaling up syphilis self-testing could complement facility-based testing in China among MSM. Self-testing may increase first-time testing and has limited harms. Our findings suggest that syphilis self-testing could be integrated into HIV self-testing services.
Nuclear disarmament and the end of the chemical weapons ‘system of restraint’
Authors: Wirtz James J.
Published: June 2019

With the Cold War as a starting point, it was possible for decades to offer an optimistic assessment of a general trend towards disarmament when it came to describing the future of chemical and nuclear weapons. Recent developments, however, make it difficult to continue to advance this assessment. Equally disturbing is the fact that the greatest disarmament setbacks occurred in the realm of chemical weapons, the realm that enjoyed the greatest success. The article thus begins by making the case that developments in nuclear policies were actually on the side of the angels. Indeed, one could even have made the case that the international community was coming closer to treating nuclear weapons in the same manner as they treated chemical weapons, which had largely vanished from world politics by the turn of the century. The article then explores why the chemical weapons success story ended, and what its end might portend for the role of nuclear weapons in world politics.
Mortality from extrathymic malignancy after thymic tumour resections: incidences and risk factors
Authors: Hamaji Masatsugu , Sozu Takashi , Machida Ryunosuke , Watanabe Shun-Ichi , Yoshida Kazuo , Toyooka Shinichi , Tanahashi Masayuki , Kondo Kazuya , Horio Hirotoshi , Okumura Meinoshin , Date Hiroshi
Published: June 2019

OBJECTIVES

To identify risk factors associated with extrathymic malignancy-related mortality after thymic epithelial tumour resection.

METHODS

The Japanese Association for Research on the Thymus database registered the records of 2835 patients collected from 32 Japanese institutions from 1991 to 2010. The cumulative incidence function of death due to extrathymic malignancies or recurrence was calculated, with other causes of death as competing risks. Relevant risk factors associated with extrathymic malignancy-related deaths in patients with thymoma were evaluated using the Fine and Gray model.

RESULTS

In total, 2701 patients were eligible for the analysis (thymoma, 2374; thymic carcinoma, 273; thymic neuroendocrine tumour, 54). The median follow-up period was 4.6 years. The cumulative incidence function of death due to extrathymic malignancies at 10 years was 2.2% (3.2% due to recurrence) in patients with thymoma, 1.6% (38.6% due to recurrence) in patients with thymic carcinoma and 0% (36.6% due to recurrence) in patients with thymic neuroendocrine tumour. In the multivariable analysis, age (every 10 years) at thymectomy [hazard ratio (HR) 2.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.53–3.14; P < 0.001], male gender (HR 2.62, 95% CI 1.19–5.77; P = 0.017) and previous malignancies (HR 3.09, 95% CI 1.18–8.11; P = 0.022) were significant factors for death due to extrathymic malignancies after thymectomy.

CONCLUSIONS

Continued management and early detection of extrathymic malignancies may improve survival of patients with thymoma who are male, of advanced age, or have previous malignancies. Prospective studies are required to further investigate the management of extrathymic malignancies.
Perverse Coherent Sheaves on Blow-ups at Codimension 2 Loci
Authors: Koseki Naoki
Published: June 2019

Let $f \colon X \to Y$ be the blow-up of a smooth projective variety $Y$ along its codimension two smooth closed subvariety. In this paper, we show that the moduli space of stable sheaves on $X$ and $Y$ are connected by a sequence of flip-like diagrams. The result is a higher dimensional generalization of the result of Nakajima and Yoshioka, which is the case of $\dim Y=2$. As an application of our general result, we study the birational geometry of the Hilbert scheme of two points.
3D collagen architecture regulates cell adhesion through degradability, thereby controlling metabolic and oxidative stress
Authors: Velez Daniel O , Ranamukhaarachchi Sural K , Kumar Aditya , Modi Rishi N , Lim Esther W , Engler Adam J , Metallo Christian M , Fraley Stephanie I
Published: June 2019

The collagen-rich tumor microenvironment plays a critical role in directing the migration behavior of cancer cells. 3D collagen architectures with small pores have been shown to confine cells and induce aggressive collective migration, irrespective of matrix stiffness and density. However, it remains unclear how cells sense collagen architecture and transduce this information to initiate collective migration. Here, we tune collagen architecture and analyze its effect on four core cell-ECM interactions: cytoskeletal polymerization, adhesion, contractility, and matrix degradation. From this comprehensive analysis, we deduce that matrix architecture initially modulates cancer cell adhesion strength, and that this results from architecture-induced changes to matrix degradability. That is, architectures with smaller pores are less degradable, and degradability is required for cancer cell adhesion to 3D fibrilar collagen. The biochemical consequences of this 3D low-attachment state are similar to those induced by suspension culture, including metabolic and oxidative stress. One distinction from suspension culture is the induction of collagen catabolism that occurs in 3D low-attachment conditions. Cells also upregulate Snail1 and Notch signaling in response to 3D low-attachment, which suggests a mechanism for the emergence of collective behaviors.
Clinical experience with new formulation SUBA®-itraconazole for prophylaxis in patients undergoing stem cell transplantation or treatment for haematological malignancies
Authors: Nield Blake , Larsen Stephen R , van Hal Sebastiaan J
Published: June 2019

Background

SUper BioAvailability-itraconazole (SUBA®-itraconazole) was introduced into Australia in April 2014 as a substitute for standard itraconazole on the basis of improved bioavailability, tolerance and interpatient variability. Shortly after its introduction, our centre converted to the novel formulation for mould prophylaxis in patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT, autologous HSCT or treatment for haematological malignancies with an intermediate/high risk of invasive fungal infection (IFI).

Methods

A single-institution, investigator-initiated retrospective cohort study was conducted between June 2016 and April 2018 to assess therapeutic drug concentrations, safety and tolerability of a standard prophylactic dose of SUBA®-itraconazole.

Results

A total of 74 patients were assessed across 98 admissions with 178 measured itraconazole trough concentrations. The median duration of prophylaxis was 15.5 (1–59) days. No significant correlation was identified between trough concentrations and patient demographics including gender and weight. Drug concentrations were reduced by gastric acid suppression and diarrhoea. Therapeutic itraconazole trough concentrations (≥0.5 mg/L) were achieved at a median of 7 (95% CI = 6–8) days, with 87% of patients achieving therapeutic concentrations at day 14 (expected steady-state). One (1%) proven/probable IFI and 5 (5%) possible breakthrough IFIs were identified. Although adverse events were experienced by 42% of the cohort, only a single event was directly attributable to SUBA®-itraconazole, resulting in change of prophylactic agent.

Conclusions

SUBA®-itraconazole achieved rapid therapeutic trough concentrations, was associated with low rates of IFI and was well tolerated in the study population. This formulation should be considered a realistic and safe first-line agent for the prevention of IFIs in those undergoing HSCT and intermediate/high-risk therapy for haematological malignancies.
Emotional, cognitive and social factors of antimicrobial prescribing: can antimicrobial stewardship intervention be effective without addressing psycho-social factors?
Authors: Donisi V , Sibani M , Carrara E , Del Piccolo L , Rimondini M , Mazzaferri F , Bovo C , Tacconelli E
Published: June 2019

There is increasing evidence that psycho-social factors can influence antimicrobial prescribing practice in hospitals and the community, and represent potential barriers to antimicrobial stewardship interventions. Clinicians are conditioned both by emotional and cognitive factors based on fear, uncertainty, a set of beliefs, risk perception and cognitive bias, and by interpersonal factors established through social norms and peer and doctor–patient communication. However, a gap is emerging between research and practice, and no stewardship recommendation addresses the most appropriate human resource allocation or modalities to account for psycho-social determinants of prescribing. There is a need for translation of the evidence available from human behaviour studies to the design and implementation of stewardship interventions and policies at hospital and community levels. The integration of behaviour experts into multidisciplinary stewardship teams seems essential to positively impact on prescribers’ communication and decision-making competencies, and reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing.