bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fetal brain imaging in isolated congenital heart defects – a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Jansen Fenna A. R. , Everwijn Sheila M. P. , Scheepjens Robert , Stijnen Theo , Peeters‐Scholte Cacha M. P. C. D. , van Lith Jan M. M. , Haak Monique C.
Published: May 2016

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are associated with neurodevelopmental (ND) delay. This study aims to assess evidence for impaired prenatal brain development, in fetuses with CHD. A systematical search was performed, and 34 studies evaluating the fetal brain [magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasound] in isolated CHD were included (1990–2015). Data regarding cerebral abnormalities, head circumference growth and middle cerebral artery flow were extracted. Prenatal MRI was studied in ten articles (445 fetuses), resulting in a pooled prevalence of 18% (95%CI −6%; 42%) for combined structural and acquired cerebral abnormalities. Prenatal head circumference was studied in 13 articles (753 fetuses), resulting in a pooled z‐score of −0.51 (95%CI −0.84; −0.18). Doppler was studied in 21 articles (1412 fetuses), resulting in a lower middle cerebral artery pulsatility index (z‐score −0.70 95%CI −0.99; −0.41) in left‐sided CHD only. We conclude that prenatal MRI and ultrasound demonstrate brain abnormalities, delay in head growth and brainsparing in subgroups of CHD. However, large MRI studies are scarce, and ultrasound data are biased towards severe and left‐sided CHD. Long‐term follow‐up studies correlating prenatal findings with postnatal ND outcome are limited, and data are lacking to support counseling families regarding ND outcome based on prenatal findings suggestive of altered brain development. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Application of the Multistate Tuberculosis Pharmacometric Model in Patients With Rifampicin‐Treated Pulmonary Tuberculosis
Authors: Svensson RJ , Simonsson USH
Published: May 2016

This is the first clinical implementation of the Multistate Tuberculosis Pharmacometric (MTP) model describing fast‐, slow‐, and nonmultiplying bacterial states of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Colony forming unit data from 19 patients treated with rifampicin were analyzed. A previously developed rifampicin population pharmacokinetic (PK) model was linked to the MTP model previously developed using in vitro data. Drug effect was implemented as exposure‐response relationships tested at several effect sites, both alone and in combination. All MTP model parameters were fixed to in vitro estimates except Bmax. Drug effect was described by an on/off effect inhibiting growth of fast‐multiplying bacteria in addition to linear increase of the stimulation of the death rate of slow‐ and nonmultiplying bacteria with increasing drug exposure. Clinical trial simulations predicted well three retrospective clinical trials using the final model that confirmed the potential utility of the MTP model in antitubercular drug development.
Thermal and structural studies of CdSe nanorods synthesized by solvothermal process
Authors: Zuala Lalhriat , Agarwal Pratima
Published: May 2016

CdSe nanorods with wurtzite structure are synthesized by solvothermal process for different reaction time in a mixed solvent of hydrazine hydrate [H6N2O], ammonia [NH3], and de‐ionzed water. Cadmium acetate [Cd(CH3COO)2 · 2H2O] and sodium selenite [Na2SeO3] are precursors used for cadmium and selenium ions, respectively. Structural parameters are obtained using Williamson–Hall plot of the X‐ray diffraction data. Energy dispersive X‐ray analysis measurements show that the nanorods are slightly cadmium rich and stoichiometry improves with reaction time. Field emission scanning electron microscope images show morphological changes in CdSe nanoparticle with reaction time. While particles synthesized for shorter reaction time are mostly spherical and oval shape, longer reaction time results in mostly elongated rod‐shape particles. Thermal stability of the nanorods is studied using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). All the samples have high thermal stability without significant weight loss up to about 590 °C. The kinetics of thermal decomposition studied using Coats–Redfern method shows that the decomposition follow contracting cylinder model, which assumes that nucleation occurs rapidly on the surface of the cylindrical nanoparticles. Thermodynamic parameters in the decomposition such as activation energy, change in entropy, enthalpy of activation, and Gibbs free energy are also calculated.
N‐acetylcysteine eradicates Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms in bone cement
Authors: Onger Mehmet Emin , Gocer Hasan , Emir Dilek , Kaplan Suleyman
Published: May 2016

Biofilm is an example of bacterial group behavior. We investigated the effect of N‐acetylcysteine (NAC) alone and in combination with ciprofloxacin on Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm formation. Four groups (each contains six molds) of standardized bone cement molds were infected. NAC, ciprofloxacin each alone, and NAC/ciprofloxacin combination were evaluated in point of inhibiting and eradicating biofilm capacity using microbiological and electron microscopical evaluation techniques. Microbial counts and electron microscopical observations showed that the effect of NAC and ciprofloxacin combination on biofilm formation in bone cement is valuable. NAC enhances the beneficial effect of ciprofloxacin when used in combination with it in bone cement. SCANNING 38:766–770, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Meeting Characters in Caldecotts: What Does This Mean for Today's Readers?
Authors: Koss Melanie D. , Martinez Miriam , Johnson Nancy J.
Published: May 2016

We examined representations of main characters in Caldecott Award winner and honor books over the past 25 years. Each book containing a human main character was coded for the following features: culture/ethnicity, gender, age, place where character lives, time period in which the character lives, disability, religion, socioeconomic status, and language usage. Although we found some promising changes in representation across the decades, overall the main characters in contemporary Caldecott books are predominantly White and show minimal diversity in terms ofSES, disability, religion, or language usage. We use the metaphor of mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors to reflect on what appears to be a gulf between the students in today's schools that are becoming increasingly diverse and the characters they meet in Caldecott books.
Designing a ‘concept of operations’ architecture for next-generation multi-organisational service networks
Authors: Harrington Tomás Seosamh , Srai Jagjit Singh
Published: May 2016

Networked service organisations are increasingly adopting a ‘smarter networking’ philosophy in their design of more agile and customer-focused supply models. Changing consumer behaviours and the emergence of transformative technologies—industry 4.0, artificial intelligence, big data analytics, the Internet of Things—are driving a series of innovations, in terms of ‘products’ and business models, with major implications for the industrial enterprise, in their design of more ‘digitalised’ supply chains. For B2B systems, emerging ‘product-service’ offerings are requiring greater visibility, alignment and integration across an increasingly complex network of multiple partners and collaborators, in order to deliver a better service and customer ‘experience’. To support the design and operation of these multi-organisational service networks, we outline a concept of operations architecture here, underpinned by the literature and network theory, and demonstrate application using a series of exemplar case studies. Focusing on relational elements and the processes key to network integration within service supply networks, the cases inform a set of operating principles and protocols—applicable to all stakeholders ‘cooperating’, within a ‘shared’ environment. Equally critical is to understand how digital technologies may influence future operating philosophies. This article extends our theoretical understanding of network organisations, from a traditional ‘product’ perspective to that of ‘services’, and presents the case for developing a common, unified approach to designing diverse forms of multi-partner service networks.
Experimental results of the tribology of aluminum measured with a pin-on-disk tribometer: Testing configuration and additive effects
Authors: Ahmer S. M. H. , Jan L. S. , Siddig M. A. , Abdullah S. F.
Published: May 2016

The friction coefficient, wear rate, and wear coefficient of the aluminum metal surface were measured at room temperature (≈300 K) with a pin-on-disk machine at a fixed load of 196.2 N. Two different testing configurations were adopted: (1) aluminum pin vs. Helix oil-on-steel disk (AHS) and (2) aluminum pin vs. 10% Polytron plus 90% helix oil-on-steel disk (APS). In the AHS configuration, the wear of the aluminum surface was found to be approximately 70 μm; however, in the APS configuration the wear dropped to 20 μm, revealing a marked decrement of one-third of the wear of aluminum. The volume wear rate of the metal in the unaided Helix oil was estimated to be 1.28×10–3 mm3/min. The additive minimized the volume wear rate of the aluminum metal by orders of magnitude to 6.08×10–5 mm3/min. Similarly, the wear coefficient of the aluminum pin, calculated in the AHS configuration, rendered a value of 1.27×10–10 m2/N. In the APS configuration, the same parameter was 4.22×10–11 m2/N, that is to say, an order of magnitude lower than the preceding value. The observed coefficient of friction for aluminum is 0.012 in Helix oil and falls to a remarkably lower value of 0.004 through the Polytron additive. The experimental findings demonstrate that Polytron additive substantially lessens the wear of the aluminum surface; in effect, the wear coefficient and the wear rate decline linearly. This singularity may be linked to the ability of Polytron to impregnate the crystal structure of the metal due to its ionic character and the consequent adherence to the metallic surface as a hard surface layer.
A morphometric and molecular study of the apoptosis observed on tadpoles’ tail explants under the exposition of triiodothyronine in different homeopathic dilutions
Authors: Carrasco Solange , Ferreira Cláudia M , Bonamin Leoni V , Goldenstein-Schainberg Cláudia , Martins Vanessa , Capelozzi Vera L , Guedes José Roberto Pereira
Published: May 2016

Background:
As a therapeutic system, homeopathy is supported by: i) similitude and experimentation in healthy individuals, ii) potentization. A challenge for researchers consists in looking for signals in water (or vehicle) to explain the storage of information in extremely high dilutions and the transfer of such information to the living systems. Anuran amphibian metamorphosis is controlled by thyroid hormones (TH), including the resorption of the tadpole tail. Apoptosis is a genetically regulated form of cell death that can be triggered by various extracellular and intracellular stimuli resulting in coordinated activation of a family of cysteine proteases called caspases.

Methods:
This study was blind and randomized. It performed in three stages: I) the identification of the most effective T3 homeopathic dilution to induce apoptotic reactions in Rana (Lithobates) catesbeianus tadpole tail explants stimulated by T3 in substantial, II) study of different controls and III) detection in explants under the action of the most effective dilution of T3, as established in Stage I.

Results:
There was no statistically significant difference between tail macroscopic dimensions between the groups. T3 10cH decreased the expression of caspase 3/7 mRNA, in explants treated with T3 20 nM.

Conclusion:
The present experiment is in agreement with the hypothesis that T3, at a 10cH homeopathic dilution, changes the metamorphosis molecular network.
The development of a pulsating supraglacial stream
Authors: ST. Germain S. L. , Moorman B. J.
Published: May 2016

Supraglacial streams are a significant part of the glacial hydrological system and important for understanding the connection between glacial hydrology and glacier dynamics. Here we determine the factors that influence the development of step-pool formation and pulsating flow in a supraglacial stream on Bylot Island, Nunavut. Results show that during the second week of a 2-week study, multiple successive rainfall events occurred, stream temperature increased and ablation decreased; which also caused stream discharge to decrease. In addition, the stream, which flowed over a 13 m high waterfall off the front of Fountain Glacier, rapidly formed 21 step-pools and began to pulsate. The pulsating phenomenon involved the complete stoppage of flow over the waterfall and the subsequent restart between 8 and 20 s later. Pulsating flow resulted from rapid changes in the streambed morphology. In particular, the formation of the step-pool sequence was caused by helical flow around meander bends and hydrologically induced slippage along transverse shear planes, evidenced by observations of high-pressure artesian flow from transverse fractures. Contrary to previous literature, this study shows that high discharge is not necessarily the cause of step-pool formation and pulsating flow within supraglacial streams.
Unequal Life Chances and Choices: How Subjective Well-Being Metrics Can Inform Benefit-Cost Analysis
Authors: Graham Carol
Published: May 2016

Individuals who are compromised in their ability to either believe in or plan for their future will make very different valuations of future benefits than will those who have more means and capabilities. These valuations could apply across a wide spectrum, from health care and insurance to investments in education to retirement savings. Data based on time trade-offs and other hypothetical questions will lead to large gaps in contingency valuations which, taken at face value, would lead to regressive outcomes. Individuals who discount the future are unlikely to be responsive to information intended to mitigate risk or to nudges designed to guide behavior away from risky choices. For example, these differential responses result in particular preventive policies having much less than the intended benefit values. Subjective well-being metrics can help circumvent the problem by comparing the reported well-being of individuals who are actually in different arrangements, such as those who have taken up health insurance or not, or in different work arrangements. Still, subjective well-being metrics are a compliment and not a substitute for the standard data that is used in BCA.
Local energy of a bubble system and its loss due to acoustic radiation
Authors: Wang Qianxi
Published: May 2016

Energy concentration and loss due to a violent collapsing bubble are essential phenomena to many applications such as cavitation erosion, biomedical ultrasonics, sonochemistry, cavitation cleaning and underwater explosions. It has been generally known that the energy of a bubble system is radiated away as an acoustic wave and dissipated by viscosity. However, there is no study in the scientific literature on the time history of the energy of a bubble system in a compressible flow. Here we have introduced the local energy of a non-spherical bubble system, consisting of the energy of the interior gas, the interface and the exterior liquid in the inner asymptotic region. The local energy determines the local bubble and flow dynamics, including the concentration of energy, stress and momentum. We obtain a simple formula for the radiated energy associated with acoustic radiation in terms of the bubble volume history. We perform calculations of the energy history for a transient bubble in a compressible liquid in an infinite domain, subject to buoyancy and near a rigid boundary, respectively. Our calculations show that the local energy of a transient bubble follows a step function in time, being nearly conserved for most of each cycle of oscillation but decreasing rapidly and significantly at bubble inception and at the end of collapse, due to the emission of steep pressure waves or shock waves. The loss of the local energy of the bubble system due to the emission of steep pressure waves and the associated damping of the bubble oscillation are diminished by buoyancy effects and decrease with the buoyancy parameter. Similarly, the loss of the local energy of a bubble system is diminished by the presence of a rigid boundary and decreases with the proximity of the bubble to the boundary. We also analyse the energy concentration of single bubble sonoluminescence in a standing acoustic wave.
Generalised quasilinear approximation of the helical magnetorotational instability
Authors: Child Adam , Hollerbach Rainer , Marston Brad , Tobias Steven
Published: May 2016

Motivated by recent advances in direct statistical simulation (DSS) of astrophysical phenomena such as out-of-equilibrium jets, we perform a direct numerical simulation (DNS) of the helical magnetorotational instability (HMRI) under the generalised quasilinear approximation (GQL). This approximation generalises the quasilinear approximation (QL) to include the self-consistent interaction of large-scale modes, interpolating between fully nonlinear DNS and QL DNS whilst still remaining formally linear in the small scales. In this paper we address whether GQL can more accurately describe low-order statistics of axisymmetric HMRI when compared with QL by performing DNS under various degrees of GQL approximation. We utilise various diagnostics, such as energy spectra in addition to first and second cumulants, for calculations performed for a range of Reynolds and Hartmann numbers (describing rotation and imposed magnetic field strength respectively). We find that GQL performs significantly better than QL in describing the statistics of the HMRI even when relatively few large-scale modes are kept in the formalism. We conclude that DSS based on GQL (GCE2) will be significantly more accurate than that based on QL (CE2).
OCaml-Java: The Java Virtual Machine as the target of an OCaml compiler
Authors: CLERC XAVIER
Published: May 2016

This article presents how the compiler from the OCaml-Java project generates Java bytecode from OCaml sources. Targeting the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is a technological challenge, but gives access to a platform where OCaml can leverage multiple cores and access numerous libraries. We present the main design choices regarding the runtime and the various optimizations performed by the compiler that are crucial to get decent performance on a JVM. The challenge is indeed not only to generate bytecode but to generateefficientbytecode, and to provide a runtime library whose memory footprint does not impede the efficiency of the garbage collector. We focus on the strategies that differ from the original OCaml compiler, as the constraints are quite different on the JVM when compared to native code. The level of performance reached by the OCaml-Java compiler is assessed through benchmarks, comparing with both the original OCaml implementation and the Scala language.
Understanding Volcanic Eruptions Where Plates Meet
Authors: Azzaro Raffaele , De Rosa Rosanna
Published: May 2016

A new project elucidates the relationships between tectonics and volcanic systems and how they influence hazards on Italy's Mount Etna and Vulcano and Lipari islands.
Engineering electrocatalytic activity in nanosized perovskite cobaltite through surface spin-state transition
Authors: Zhou Shiming , Miao Xianbing , Zhao Xu , Ma Chao , Qiu Yuhao , Hu Zhenpeng , Zhao Jiyin , Shi Lei , Zeng Jie
Published: May 2016

The activity of electrocatalysts exhibits a strongly dependence on their electronic structures. Specifically, for perovskite oxides, Shao-Horn and co-workers have reported a correlation between the oxygen evolution reaction activity and the eg orbital occupation of transition-metal ions, which provides guidelines for the design of highly active catalysts. Here we demonstrate a facile method to engineer the eg filling of perovskite cobaltite LaCoO3 for improving the oxygen evolution reaction activity. By reducing the particle size to ∼80 nm, the eg filling of cobalt ions is successfully increased from unity to near the optimal configuration of 1.2 expected by Shao-Horn’s principle. Consequently, the activity is significantly enhanced, comparable to those of recently reported cobalt oxides with eg∼1.2 configurations. This enhancement is ascribed to the emergence of spin-state transition from low-spin to high-spin states for cobalt ions at the surface of the nanoparticles, leading to more active sites with increased reactivity.
ERK5 signalling rescues intestinal epithelial turnover and tumour cell proliferation upon ERK1/2 abrogation
Authors: de Jong Petrus R. , Taniguchi Koji , Harris Alexandra R. , Bertin Samuel , Takahashi Naoki , Duong Jen , Campos Alejandro D. , Powis Garth , Corr Maripat , Karin Michael , Raz Eyal
Published: May 2016

The ERK1/2 MAPK signalling module integrates extracellular cues that induce proliferation and differentiation of epithelial lineages, and is an established oncogenic driver, particularly in the intestine. However, the interrelation of the ERK1/2 module relative to other signalling pathways in intestinal epithelial cells and colorectal cancer (CRC) is unclear. Here we show that loss ofErk1/2in intestinal epithelial cells results in defects in nutrient absorption, epithelial cell migration and secretory cell differentiation. However, intestinal epithelial cell proliferation is not impeded, implying compensatory mechanisms. Genetic deletion ofErk1/2or pharmacological targeting of MEK1/2 results in supraphysiological activity of the ERK5 pathway. Furthermore, targeting both pathways causes a more effective suppression of cell proliferation in murine intestinal organoids and human CRC lines. These results suggest that ERK5 provides a common bypass route in intestinal epithelial cells, which rescues cell proliferation upon abrogation of ERK1/2 signalling, with therapeutic implications in CRC.
A critical role for Piezo2 channels in the mechanotransduction of mouse proprioceptive neurons
Authors: Florez-Paz Danny , Bali Kiran Kumar , Kuner Rohini , Gomis Ana
Published: May 2016

Proprioceptors are responsible for the conscious sensation of limb position and movement, muscle tension or force and balance. Recent evidence suggests that Piezo2 is a low threshold mechanosensory receptor in the peripheral nervous system, acting as a transducer for touch sensation and proprioception. Thus, we characterized proprioceptive neurons in the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus that are involved in processing proprioceptive information from the face and oral cavity. This is a specific population of neurons that produce rapidly adapting mechanically-activated currents that are fully dependent on Piezo2. As such, we analyzed the deficits in balance and coordination caused by the selective deletion of the channel in proprioceptors (conditional knockout). The data clearly shows that Piezo2 fulfills a critical role in a defined homogeneous population of proprioceptor neurons that innervate the head muscles, demonstrating that this ion channel is essential for mammalian proprioceptive mechanotransduction.
Integrated metabolomic and transcriptome analyses reveal finishing forage affects metabolic pathways related to beef quality and animal welfare
Authors: Carrillo José A. , He Yanghua , Li Yaokun , Liu Jianan , Erdman Richard A. , Sonstegard Tad S. , Song Jiuzhou
Published: May 2016

Beef represents a major dietary component and source of protein in many countries. With an increasing demand for beef, the industry is currently undergoing changes towards naturally produced beef. However, the true differences between the feeding systems, especially the biochemical and nutritional aspects, are still unclear. Using transcriptome and metabolome profiles, we identified biological pathways related to the differences between grass- and grain-fed Angus steers. In the latissimus dorsi muscle, we have recognized 241 differentially expressed genes (FDR < 0.1). The metabolome examinations of muscle and blood revealed 163 and 179 altered compounds in each tissue (P < 0.05), respectively. Accordingly, alterations in glucose metabolism, divergences in free fatty acids and carnitine conjugated lipid levels, and altered β-oxidation have been observed. The anti-inflammatory n3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are enriched in grass finished beef, while higher levels of n6 PUFAs in grain finished animals may promote inflammation and oxidative stress. Furthermore, grass-fed animals produce tender beef with lower total fat and a higher omega3/omega6 ratio than grain-fed ones, which could potentially benefit consumer health. Most importantly, blood cortisol levels strongly indicate that grass-fed animals may experience less stress than the grain-fed individuals. These results will provide deeper insights into the merits and mechanisms of muscle development.
Cross-Split of Dislocations: An Athermal and Rapid Plasticity Mechanism
Authors: Kositski Roman , Kovalenko Oleg , Lee Seok-Woo , Greer Julia R. , Rabkin Eugen , Mordehai Dan
Published: May 2016

The pathways by which dislocations, line defects within the lattice structure, overcome microstructural obstacles represent a key aspect in understanding the main mechanisms that control mechanical properties of ductile crystalline materials. While edge dislocations were believed to change their glide plane only by a slow, non-conservative, thermally activated motion, we suggest the existence of a rapid conservative athermal mechanism, by which the arrested edge dislocations split into two other edge dislocations that glide on two different crystallographic planes. This discovered mechanism, for which we coined a term “cross-split of edge dislocations”, is a unique and collective phenomenon, which is triggered by an interaction with another same-sign pre-existing edge dislocation. This mechanism is demonstrated for faceted α-Fe nanoparticles under compression, in which we propose that cross-split of arrested edge dislocations is resulting in a strain burst. The cross-split mechanism provides an efficient pathway for edge dislocations to overcome planar obstacles.
Molecular Subtyping of Serous Ovarian Cancer Based on Multi-omics Data
Authors: Zhang Zhe , Huang Ke , Gu Chenglei , Zhao Luyang , Wang Nan , Wang Xiaolei , Zhao Dongsheng , Zhang Chenggang , Lu Yiming , Meng Yuanguang
Published: May 2016

Classification of ovarian cancer by morphologic features has a limited effect on serous ovarian cancer (SOC) treatment and prognosis. Here, we proposed a new system for SOC subtyping based on the molecular categories from the Cancer Genome Atlas project. We analyzed the DNA methylation, protein, microRNA and gene expression of 1203 samples from 599 serous ovarian cancer patients. These samples were divided into nine subtypes based on RNA-seq data and each subtype was found to be associated with the activation and/or suppression of the following four biological processes: immunoactivity, hormone metabolic, mesenchymal development and the MAPK signaling pathway. We also identified four DNA methylation, two protein expression, six microRNA sequencing and four pathway subtypes. By integrating the subtyping results across different omics platforms, we found that most RNA-seq subtypes overlapped with one or two subtypes from other omics data. Our study sheds light on the molecular mechanisms of SOC and provides a new perspective for the more accurate stratification of its subtypes.
Methyl iodine over oceans from the Arctic Ocean to the maritime Antarctic
Authors: Hu Qihou , Xie Zhouqing , Wang Xinming , Yu Juan , Zhang Yanli
Published: May 2016

Studies about methyl iodide (CH3I), an important atmospheric iodine species over oceans, had been conducted in some maritime regions, but the understanding of the spatial distribution of CH3I on a global scale is still limited. In this study, we reports atmospheric CH3I over oceans during the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Research Expeditions. CH3I varied considerably with the range of 0.17 to 2.9 pptv with absent of ship emission. The concentration of CH3I generally decreased with increasing latitudes, except for higher levels in the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere than in the low latitudes. For sea areas, the Norwegian Sea had the highest CH3I concentrations with a median of 0.91 pptv, while the Central Arctic Ocean had the lowest concentrations with all values below 0.5 pptv. CH3I concentration over oceans was affected by many parameters, including sea surface temperature, salinity, dissolved organic carbon, biogenic emissions and input from continents, with distinctive dominant factor in different regions, indicating complex biogeochemical processes of CH3I on a global scale.
A robust operational model for predicting where tropical cyclone waves damage coral reefs
Authors: Puotinen Marji , Maynard Jeffrey A. , Beeden Roger , Radford Ben , Williams Gareth J.
Published: May 2016

Tropical cyclone (TC) waves can severely damage coral reefs. Models that predict where to find such damage (the ‘damage zone’) enable reef managers to: 1) target management responses after major TCs in near-real time to promote recovery at severely damaged sites; and 2) identify spatial patterns in historic TC exposure to explain habitat condition trajectories. For damage models to meet these needs, they must be valid for TCs of varying intensity, circulation size and duration. Here, we map damage zones for 46 TCs that crossed Australia’s Great Barrier Reef from 1985–2015 using three models – including one we develop which extends the capability of the others. We ground truth model performance with field data of wave damage from seven TCs of varying characteristics. The model we develop (4MW) out-performed the other models at capturing all incidences of known damage. The next best performing model (AHF) both under-predicted and over-predicted damage for TCs of various types. 4MW and AHF produce strikingly different spatial and temporal patterns of damage potential when used to reconstruct past TCs from 1985–2015. The 4MW model greatly enhances both of the main capabilities TC damage models provide to managers, and is useful wherever TCs and coral reefs co-occur.
Synthesis of Tunable Band Gap Semiconductor Nickel Sulphide Nanoparticles: Rapid and Round the Clock Degradation of Organic Dyes
Authors: Molla Aniruddha , Sahu Meenakshi , Hussain Sahid
Published: May 2016

Controlled shape and size with tuneable band gap (1.92–2.41 eV), nickel sulphide NPs was achieved in presence of thiourea or thioacetamide as sulphur sources with the variations of temperature and capping agents. Synthesized NPs were fully characterized by powder XRD, IR, UV-vis, DRS, FE-SEM, TEM, EDX, XPS, TGA and BET. Capping agent, temperature and sulphur sources have significant role in controlling the band gaps, morphology and surface area of NPs. The catalytic activities of NPs were tested for round the clock (light and dark) decomposition of crystal violet (CV), rhodamine B (RhB), methylene blue (MB), nile blue (NB) and eriochrome black T (EBT). Agitation speed, temperature, pH and ionic strength have significant role on its catalytic activities. The catalyst was found to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) both in presence and absence of light which is responsible for the decomposition of dyes into small fractions, identified with ESI-mass spectra.
Resuspension and atmospheric transport of radionuclides due to wildfires near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 2015: An impact assessment
Authors: Evangeliou N. , Zibtsev S. , Myroniuk V. , Zhurba M. , Hamburger T. , Stohl A. , Balkanski Y. , Paugam R. , Mousseau T. A. , Møller A. P. , Kireev S. I.
Published: May 2016

In April and August 2015, two major fires in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) caused concerns about the secondary radioactive contamination that might have spread over Europe. The present paper assessed, for the first time, the impact of these fires over Europe. About 10.9 TBq of 137Cs, 1.5 TBq of 90Sr, 7.8 GBq of 238Pu, 6.3 GBq of 239Pu, 9.4 GBq of 240Pu and 29.7 GBq of 241Am were released from both fire events corresponding to a serious event. The more labile elements escaped easier from the CEZ, whereas the larger refractory particles were removed more efficiently from the atmosphere mainly affecting the CEZ and its vicinity. During the spring 2015 fires, about 93% of the labile and 97% of the refractory particles ended in Eastern European countries. Similarly, during the summer 2015 fires, about 75% of the labile and 59% of the refractory radionuclides were exported from the CEZ with the majority depositing in Belarus and Russia. Effective doses were above 1 mSv y−1 in the CEZ, but much lower in the rest of Europe contributing an additional dose to the Eastern European population, which is far below a dose from a medical X-ray.
Deep Patient: An Unsupervised Representation to Predict the Future of Patients from the Electronic Health Records
Authors: Miotto Riccardo , Li Li , Kidd Brian A. , Dudley Joel T.
Published: May 2016

Secondary use of electronic health records (EHRs) promises to advance clinical research and better inform clinical decision making. Challenges in summarizing and representing patient data prevent widespread practice of predictive modeling using EHRs. Here we present a novel unsupervised deep feature learning method to derive a general-purpose patient representation from EHR data that facilitates clinical predictive modeling. In particular, a three-layer stack of denoising autoencoders was used to capture hierarchical regularities and dependencies in the aggregated EHRs of about 700,000 patients from the Mount Sinai data warehouse. The result is a representation we name “deep patient”. We evaluated this representation as broadly predictive of health states by assessing the probability of patients to develop various diseases. We performed evaluation using 76,214 test patients comprising 78 diseases from diverse clinical domains and temporal windows. Our results significantly outperformed those achieved using representations based on raw EHR data and alternative feature learning strategies. Prediction performance for severe diabetes, schizophrenia, and various cancers were among the top performing. These findings indicate that deep learning applied to EHRs can derive patient representations that offer improved clinical predictions, and could provide a machine learning framework for augmenting clinical decision systems.
Detection of one-dimensional migration of single self-interstitial atoms in tungsten using high-voltage electron microscopy
Authors: Amino T. , Arakawa K. , Mori H.
Published: May 2016

The dynamic behaviour of atomic-size disarrangements of atoms—point defects (self-interstitial atoms (SIAs) and vacancies)—often governs the macroscopic properties of crystalline materials. However, the dynamics of SIAs have not been fully uncovered because of their rapid migration. Using a combination of high-voltage transmission electron microscopy and exhaustive kinetic Monte Carlo simulations, we determine the dynamics of the rapidly migrating SIAs from the formation process of the nanoscale SIA clusters in tungsten as a typical body-centred cubic (BCC) structure metal under the constant-rate production of both types of point defects with high-energy electron irradiation, which must reflect the dynamics of individual SIAs. We reveal that the migration dimension of SIAs is not three-dimensional (3D) but one-dimensional (1D). This result overturns the long-standing and well-accepted view of SIAs in BCC metals and supports recent results obtained by ab-initio simulations. The SIA dynamics clarified here will be one of the key factors to accurately predict the lifetimes of nuclear fission and fusion materials.
Molecular determinants of plaque size as an indicator of dengue virus attenuation
Authors: Goh Kenneth Choon Meng , Tang Choon Kit , Norton Diana Catherine , Gan Esther Shuyi , Tan Hwee Cheng , Sun Bo , Syenina Ayesa , Yousuf Amjad , Ong Xin Mei , Kamaraj Uma Sangumathi , Cheung Yin Bun , Gubler Duane J , Davidson Andrew , St John Ashley Lauren , Sessions October Michael , Ooi Eng Eong
Published: May 2016

The development of live viral vaccines relies on empirically derived phenotypic criteria, especially small plaque sizes, to indicate attenuation. However, while some candidate vaccines successfully translated into licensed applications, others have failed safety trials, placing vaccine development on a hit-or-miss trajectory. We examined the determinants of small plaque phenotype in two dengue virus (DENV) vaccine candidates, DENV-3 PGMK30FRhL3, which produced acute febrile illness in vaccine recipients and DENV-2 PDK53, which has a good clinical safety profile. The reasons behind the failure of PGMK30FRhL3 during phase 1 clinical trial, despite meeting the empirically derived criteria of attenuation, have never been systematically investigated. Using in vitro, in vivo and functional genomics approaches, we examined infections by the vaccine and wild-type DENVs, in order to ascertain the different determinants of plaque size. We show that PGMK30FRhL3 produces small plaques on BHK-21 cells due to its slow in vitro growth rate. In contrast, PDK53 replicates rapidly, but is unable to evade antiviral responses that constrain its spread hence also giving rise to small plaques. Therefore, at least two different molecular mechanisms govern the plaque phenotype; determining which mechanism operates to constrain plaque size may be more informative on the safety of live-attenuated vaccines.
Direct determination of three-phase contact line properties on nearly molecular scale
Authors: Winkler P. M. , McGraw R. L. , Bauer P. S. , Rentenberger C. , Wagner P. E.
Published: May 2016

Wetting phenomena in multi-phase systems govern the shape of the contact line which separates the different phases. For liquids in contact with solid surfaces wetting is typically described in terms of contact angle. While in macroscopic systems the contact angle can be determined experimentally, on the molecular scale contact angles are hardly accessible. Here we report the first direct experimental determination of contact angles as well as contact line curvature on a scale of the order of 1nm. For water nucleating heterogeneously on Ag nanoparticles we find contact angles around 15 degrees compared to 90 degrees for the corresponding macroscopically measured equilibrium angle. The obtained microscopic contact angles can be attributed to negative line tension in the order of −10−10 J/m that becomes increasingly dominant with increasing curvature of the contact line. These results enable a consistent theoretical description of heterogeneous nucleation and provide firm insight to the wetting of nanosized objects.
KLF4 transcriptionally activates non-canonical WNT5A to control epithelial stratification
Authors: Tetreault Marie-Pier , Weinblatt Daniel , Shaverdashvili Khvaramze , Yang Yizeng , Katz Jonathan P.
Published: May 2016

Epithelial differentiation and stratification are essential for normal homeostasis, and disruption of these processes leads to both injury and cancer. The zinc-finger transciption factor KLF4 is a key driver of epithelial differentiation, yet the mechanisms and targets by which KLF4 controls differentiation are not well understood. Here, we define WNT5A, a non-canonical Wnt ligand implicated in epithelial differentiation, repair, and cancer, as a direct transcriptional target that is activated by KLF4 in squamous epithelial cells. Further, we demonstrate functionally that WNT5A mediates KLF4 control of epithelial differentiation and stratification, as treatment of keratinocytes with WNT5A rescues defective epithelial stratification resulting from KLF4 loss. Finally, we show that the small GTPase CDC42 is regulated by KLF4 in a WNT5A dependent manner. As such, we delineate a novel pathway for epithelial differentiation and stratification and define potential therapeutic targets for epithelial diseases.
Differential contributions of subregions of medial temporal lobe to memory system in amnestic mild cognitive impairment: insights from fMRI study
Authors: Chen Jiu , Duan Xujun , Shu Hao , Wang Zan , Long Zhiliang , Liu Duan , Liao Wenxiang , Shi Yongmei , Chen Huafu , Zhang Zhijun
Published: May 2016

Altered function of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) is a valuable indicator of conversion from amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) to Alzheimer’s disease. This study is to delineate the functional circuitry of multiple subdivisions of parahippocampal gyrus and hippocampus (HIP) and to examine how this knowledge contributes to a more principled understanding of the contributions of its subregions to memory in aMCI. The functional connectivity (FC) analysis was performed in 85 aMCI and 129 healthy controls. The aMCI demonstrated the distinct disruptive patterns of the MTL subregional connectivity with the whole-brain. The right entorhinal cortex (ERC) and perirhinal cortex (PRC) showed increased connectivity with the left inferior and middle occipital gyrus, respectively, which potentially indicated a compensatory mechanism. Furthermore, the right altered MTL subregional FC was associated with episodic memory performance in aMCI. These results provide novel insights into the heterogeneous nature of its large-scale connectivity in MTL subregions in memory system underlying the memory deficits in aMCI. It further suggests that altered FC of MTL subregions is associated with the impairment of the differential encoding stages of memories and the functional changes in the specific right HIP-ERC-PRC-temporal circuitry may contribute to the impairment of episodic memory in aMCI.
Feasibility demonstration of a massively parallelizable optical near-field sensor for sub-wavelength defect detection and imaging
Authors: Mostafavi Mahkamehossadat , Diaz Rodolfo E.
Published: May 2016

To detect and resolve sub-wavelength features at optical frequencies, beyond the diffraction limit, requires sensors that interact with the electromagnetic near-field of those features. Most instruments operating in this modality scan a single detector element across the surface under inspection because the scattered signals from a multiplicity of such elements would end up interfering with each other. However, an alternative massively parallelized configuration, capable of interrogating multiple adjacent areas of the surface at the same time, was proposed in 2002. Full physics simulations of the photonic antenna detector element that enables this instrument, show that using conventional red laser light (in the 600 nm range) the detector magnifies the signal from an 8 nm particle by up to 1.5 orders of magnitude. The antenna is a shaped slot element in a 60 nm silver film. The ability of this detector element to resolve λ/78 objects is confirmed experimentally at radio frequencies by fabricating an artificial material structure that mimics the optical permittivity of silver scaled to 2 GHz and “cutting” into it the slot antenna. The experimental set-up is also used to demonstrate the imaging of a patterned surface in which the critical dimensions of the pattern are λ/22 in size.
Jurassic zircons from the Southwest Indian Ridge
Authors: Cheng Hao , Zhou Huaiyang , Yang Qunhui , Zhang Lingmin , Ji Fuwu , Dick Henry
Published: May 2016

The existence of ancient rocks in present mid-ocean ridges have long been observed but received less attention. Here we report the discovery of zircons with both reasonably young ages of about 5 Ma and abnormally old ages of approximate 180 Ma from two evolved gabbroic rocks that were dredged from the Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR) in the Gallieni fracture zone. U–Pb and Lu–Hf isotope analyses of zircons were made using ion probe and conventional laser abrasion directly in petrographic thin sections. Young zircons and their host oxide gabbro have positive Hf isotope compositions (εHf = +15.7–+12.4), suggesting a highly depleted mantle beneath the SWIR. The spread εHf values (from−2.3 to−4.5) of abnormally old zircons, together with the unradiogenic Nd-Hf isotope of the host quartz diorite, appears to suggest an ancient juvenile magmatism along the rifting margin of the southern Gondwana prior to the opening of the Indian Ocean. A convincing explanation for the origin of the unusually old zircons is yet to surface, however, an update of the theory of plate tectonics would be expected with continuing discovery of ancient rocks in the mid-oceanic ridges and abyssal ocean basins.
Disentangling the initiation from the response in joint attention: an eye-tracking study in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders
Authors: Billeci L , Narzisi A , Campatelli G , Crifaci G , Calderoni S , Gagliano A , Calzone C , Colombi C , Pioggia G , Muratori F ,   ALERT group, Raso Rossella , Ruta Liliana , Rossi Ilaria , Ballarani Agnese , Fulceri Francesca , Darini Alessandra , Maroscia Emilia , Lattarulo Caterina , Tortorella Gaetano , Siracusano Rosamaria , Comminiello Valentina
Published: May 2016

Joint attention (JA), whose deficit is an early risk marker for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), has two dimensions: (1) responding to JA and (2) initiating JA. Eye-tracking technology has largely been used to investigate responding JA, but rarely to study initiating JA especially in young children with ASD. The aim of this study was to describe the differences in the visual patterns of toddlers with ASD and those with typical development (TD) during both responding JA and initiating JA tasks. Eye-tracking technology was used to monitor the gaze of 17 children with ASD and 15 age-matched children with TD during the presentation of short video sequences involving one responding JA and two initiating JA tasks (initiating JA-1 and initiating JA-2). Gaze accuracy, transitions and fixations were analyzed. No differences were found in the responding JA task between children with ASD and those with TD, whereas, in the initiating JA tasks, different patterns of fixation and transitions were shown between the groups. These results suggest that children with ASD and those with TD show different visual patterns when they are expected to initiate joint attention but not when they respond to joint attention. We hypothesized that differences in transitions and fixations are linked to ASD impairments in visual disengagement from face, in global scanning of the scene and in the ability to anticipate object’s action.
The NADPH oxidase NOX2 as a novel biomarker for suicidality: evidence from human post mortem brain samples
Authors: Schiavone S , Neri M , Mhillaj E , Morgese M G , Cantatore S , Bove M , Riezzo I , Tucci P , Pomara C , Turillazzi E , Cuomo V , Trabace L
Published: May 2016

Recent evidence points towards a role of oxidative stress in suicidality. However, few studies were carried out on the sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in subjects with suicidal behaviour. We have previously demonstrated that the NADPH oxidase NOX2-derived oxidative stress has a major role in the development of neuropathological alterations observed in an animal model of psychosis. Here, we investigated the possible increase in NOX2 in post mortem brain samples of subjects who died by asphyctic suicide (AS) compared with controls (CTRL) and subjects who died by non-suicidal asphyxia (NSA). We found that NOX2 expression was significantly higher in the cortex of AS subjects than in the other two experimental groups. NOX2 immunostaining was mainly detected in GABAergic neurons, with a minor presence of NOX2-positive-stained cells in glutamatergic and dopaminergic neurons, as well as astrocytes and microglia. A sustained increase in the expression of 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine, an indirect marker of oxidative stress, was also detected in the cortex of AS subjects, compared with CTRL and NSA subjects. A significant elevation in cortical interleukin-6 immunoreactivity in AS subjects suggested an involvement of cytokine-associated molecular pathways in NOX2 elevations. Our results suggest that the increase in NOX2-derived oxidative stress in the brain might be involved in the neuropathological pathways leading to suicidal behaviour. These results may open innovative insights in the identification of new pathogenetic and necroscopic biomarkers, predictive for suicidality and potentially useful for suicide prevention.