bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
1.6.4 Rare Earth Metal Mediated Domino Reactions
Authors: Ohshima T.
Published: December 2017

Rare earth metals, comprising 17 chemical elements in the periodic table, are relatively abundant in the Earth’s crust despite their name. In the series of lanthanides, a systematic contraction of the ionic radii is observed when going from lanthanum to lutetium (often referred to as the lanthanide contraction), but this variation is so smooth and limited, with ca. 1% contraction between two successive lanthanides, that it is possible to fine-tune the ionic radii, Lewis acidity, and Brønsted basicity of rare earth complexes. As a result of the large size of the lanthanide ions compared to other metal ions, lanthanide ions have high coordination numbers, varying from 6 to 12. Due to the strong oxophilicity of rare earth elements, their metal ions have a hard Lewis acidic nature. Most particularly, rare earth metal trifluoromethanesulfonates [M(OTf)3] have been regarded as new types of Lewis acids and are stable and active in the presence of many Lewis bases. Another important type of rare earth metal species, the rare earth metal alkoxides [M(OR)3], exhibit both Lewis acidity and Brønsted basicity. These collated characteristic features of rare earth based complexes, such as high coordination numbers, a hard Lewis acidic nature, high compatibility with various functional groups, ease of fine-tuning, and multifunctionality, have led to the development of a variety of domino reactions catalyzed largely by rare earth metal trifluoromethanesulfonates and alkoxides.
2.1 Photocatalytic Oxidation
Authors: Griesbeck A. G. , Sillner S. , Kleczka M.
Published: December 2017

In this chapter, the transfer of molecular oxygen to organic substrates initiated by the action of an electronically excited catalyst with a substrate molecule or with triplet oxygen is described. Most of the primary products that derive from these reactions have an intact oxygen–oxygen bond (i.e., they are peroxides, hydroperoxides, or acyclic/cyclic dialkyl peroxides) or they are, in subsequent steps, converted into reduced products such as alcohols, ethers, or carbonyl compounds.
2.3 Water as an Oxygen Source for Oxidation Reactions
Authors: Garrido-Barros P. , Funes-Ardoiz I. , Farràs P. , Gimbert-Suriñach C. , Maseras F. , Llobet A.
Published: December 2017

The use of water as oxygen source for the catalytic oxidation of organic substrates is a clean alternative to the commonly used methods that utilize oxidizing agents based on contaminant metals such as chromium or manganese. In this chapter, a detailed description of the thermodynamic requirements of this type of reaction is given, with particular emphasis on the so-called organic-substrate-assisted water splitting (OSA-WS) reaction that generates hydrogen gas as the only byproduct of the reaction. Important considerations regarding the metal catalyst needed to perform these reactions are discussed, followed by specific examples described in the literature. Among them, are examples of epoxidation of alkenes, oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides, and oxidation of alcohols to the corresponding carboxylic acids. In some cases, the energy input to perform the reaction comes from visible light by using photosensitizers or semiconductors as light-harvesting agents. Finally, two examples of photoelectrochemical cells (PECs) are described, where light-induced oxidation and reduction half reactions take place in separate compartments. This design provides an easy-to-process reaction where the oxidized organic compound and hydrogen gas byproduct are generated in independent compartments, and at the same time avoids undesired side reactions that may occur as a result of the mixture.
4 Allylic, Benzylic, and Propargylic Oxidation
Authors: Chen P. , Liu G.
Published: December 2017

Oxidation reactions of C—H bonds are fundamental in modern organic synthesis and always attract much attention. Over the last three decades, remarkable progress in the oxidation of allylic and benzylic C—H bonds has been made, whereas only a few examples of the oxidation of propargylic C—H bonds have been reported. In this review, the catalytic oxidation of allylic, benzylic, and propargylic C—H bonds is summarized. It covers the construction of C—O, C—N, C—C, and C—F bonds. Some rare examples of C—B and C—Si bond formation in benzylic oxidations are also included.
An Alaska case study: Electrical transmission
Authors: Miranda Luis , Mueller-Stoffels Marc , Whitney Erin
Published: December 2017

Electrical transmission lines in Alaska vary from overhead to submarine to underground installations. Analysis indicates that overhead transmission lines are the least expensive to build, ranging from $100 000 to $400 000/mile. Cost variability is influenced by pole spacing, pole heights, line ratings, river crossings, and the amount of work on energized power lines. Submarine lines and underground lines are substantially more expensive than overhead lines, ranging from less than $3 000 000 to more than $4 500 000/mile although there is some uncertainty in the datasets. When broken down by major cost components, the cost category including materials, construction, and installation comprises just over half of the total costs, with remaining costs distributed among the control system, substation, switchyard, road clearance, indirect costs, and contingencies. Operation and maintenance costs range from $2800/mile to $4200/mile, with an average of $3560/mile. Expected lifetimes are 20–30 years. In general, the transmission technology market is not as dynamic as other energy markets. Financing and initiatives to encourage interties may create bigger loads and economies of scale.
Analytical electron acoustic solitary wave solution for the forced KdV equation in superthermal plasmas
Authors: Ali Rustam , Saha Asit , Chatterjee Prasanta
Published: December 2017

Analytical electron acoustic solitary wave (EASW) solution is investigated in the presence of periodic force for an unmagnetized plasma consisting of cold electron fluid, superthermal hot electrons, and stationary ions. Employing the reductive perturbation technique, the forced Korteg-de Vries (KdV) equation is derived for electron acoustic waves. For the first time, an analytical solution for EASWs is derived in the presence of periodic force. The effects of the ratio between hot electron and cold electron number densities at equilibrium (α), spectral index (κ), speed of the traveling wave (M), strength (f0), and frequency (ω) of the periodic force are studied on the analytical solution of EASWs. It is observed that the parameters α, κ, M, f0, and ω affect significantly the structures of the electron acoustic solitary waves. The results may have relevance in laboratory plasmas as well as in space plasma environments.
Low-temperature binding of NO adsorbed on MIL-100(Al)—A case study for the application of high resolution pulsed EPR methods and DFT calculations
Authors: Mendt Matthias , Barth Benjamin , Hartmann Martin , Pöppl Andreas
Published: December 2017

The low-temperature binding of nitric oxide (NO) in the metal-organic framework MIL-100(Al) has been investigated by pulsed electron nuclear double resonance and hyperfine sublevel correlation spectroscopy. Three NO adsorption species have been identified. Among them, one species has been verified experimentally to bind directly to an 27Al atom and all its relevant 14N and 27Al hyperfine interaction parameters have been determined spectroscopically. Those parameters fit well to the calculated ones of a theoretical cluster model, which was derived by density functional theory (DFT) in the present work and describes the low temperature binding of NO to the regular coordinatively unsaturated Al3+ site of the MIL-100(Al) structure. As a result, the Lewis acidity of that site has been characterized using the NO molecule as an electron paramagnetic resonance active probe. The DFT derived wave function analysis revealed a bent end-on coordination of the NO molecule adsorbed at that site which is almost purely ionic and has a weak binding energy. The calculated flat potential energy surface of this species indicates the ability of the NO molecule to freely rotate at intermediate temperatures while it is still binding to the Al3+ site. For the other two NO adsorption species, no structural models could be derived, but one of them is indicated to be adsorbed at the organic part of the metal-organic framework. Hyperfine interactions with protons, weakly coupled to the observed NO adsorption species, have also been measured by pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance and found to be consistent with their attribution to protons of the MIL-100(Al) benzenetricarboxylate ligand molecules.
Electron energy distribution function in a pulsed 2.45GHz hydrogen magnetoplasma: Study of the decay
Authors: Jauberteau J. L. , Jauberteau I. , Cortázar O. D. , Megía-Macías A.
Published: December 2017

This work is devoted to the study of the Electron Energy Distribution Function (EEDF) during the decay (afterglow) of a pulsed magnetoplasma working at 2.45GHz in H2. The experiments are performed under resonance (B=0.087T) and off resonance (B=0.120T) conditions, at low (0.38Pa) and high pressure (0.62Pa) for incoming power ranging from 300W to 1500W. At steady state i.e. before the discharge decay, the EEDF profile exhibits three main components of which amplitude changes under experimental conditions. A low energy component (εe<10eV) is observed whatever experimental conditions are. An intermediate energy component is observed at energy ranging from 5eV to 15eV under resonance conditions. A high energy component is observed up to 30eV in the EEDF tail, mainly under off resonance conditions. Standard fitting methods are used to study the change of the different EEDF components versus time during afterglow. We show that the three components stand for different times: The low and high energy component stand from 10μs to 15μs and the intermediate energy component stands for only 5μs. The different decay characteristic times are discussed and the results are correlated to the electron recombination processes in the discharge, to the reminiscent incoming power observed up to 30μs, and to the peak observed in the reflected power during decays. We show that the low energy component decay is due to the electron recombination process, which is limited by the charge transfer process which produces H3+.
Landau quantization effects on hole-acoustic instability in semiconductor plasmas
Authors: Sumera P. , Rasheed A. , Jamil M. , Siddique M. , Areeb F.
Published: December 2017

The growth rate of the hole acoustic waves (HAWs) exciting in magnetized semiconductor quantum plasma pumped by the electron beam has been investigated. The instability of the waves contains quantum effects including the exchange and correlation potential, Bohm potential, Fermi-degenerate pressure, and the magnetic quantization of semiconductor plasma species. The effects of various plasma parameters, which include relative concentration of plasma particles, beam electron temperature, beam speed, plasma temperature (temperature of electrons/holes), and Landau electron orbital magnetic quantization parameter η, on the growth rate of HAWs, have been discussed. The numerical study of our model of acoustic waves has been applied, as an example, to the GaAs semiconductor exposed to electron beam in the magnetic field environment. An increment in either the concentration of the semiconductor electrons or the speed of beam electrons, in the presence of magnetic quantization of fermion orbital motion, enhances remarkably the growth rate of the HAWs. Although the growth rate of the waves reduces with a rise in the thermal temperature of plasma species, at a particular temperature, we receive a higher instability due to the contribution of magnetic quantization of fermions to it.
Ultra-low specific contact resistivity (1.4 × 10−9 Ω·cm2) for metal contacts on in-situ Ga-doped Ge0.95Sn0.05 film
Authors: Wu Ying , Luo Sheng , Wang Wei , Masudy-Panah Saeid , Lei Dian , Liang Gengchiau , Gong Xiao , Yeo Yee-Chia
Published: December 2017

A heavily Ga-doped Ge0.95Sn0.05 layer was grown on the Ge (100) substrate by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), achieving an active doping concentration of 1.6 × 1020 cm−3 without the use of ion implantation and high temperature annealing that could cause Sn precipitation or surface segregation. An advanced nano-scale transfer length method was used to extract the specific contact resistivity ρc between the metal and the heavily doped p-Ge0.95Sn0.05 layer. By incorporating Sn into Ge and in-situ Ga doping during the MBE growth, an ultra-low ρc of 1.4 × 10−9 Ω·cm2 was achieved, which is 50% lower than the ρc of p+-Ge control and is also the lowest value obtained for metal/p-type semiconductor contacts.
A first-principles study of gas molecule adsorption on borophene
Authors: Liu Tingting , Chen Yuhong , Zhang Meiling , Yuan Lihua , Zhang Cairong , Wang Jing , Fan Jiajia
Published: December 2017

Borophene, a new two-dimensional material, was recently synthesized. The unique anisotropic structure and excellent properties of borophene have attracted considerable research interest. This paper presents a first-principles study of the adsorption of gas molecules (CO, CO2, NH3, NO, NO2 and CH4) on borophene. The adsorption configurations, adsorption energies and electronic properties of the gas molecules absorpted on borophene are determined, and the mechanisms of the interactions between the gas molecules and borophene are evaluated. We find that CO, CO2, NH3, NO and NO2 are chemisorbed on borophene, while CH4 is physisorbed on borophene. Furthermore, our calculation also indicate that CO and CO2 are chemisorbed on borophene with moderate adsorption energy and NO, NO2 and NH3 are chemisorbed on borophene via strong covalent bonds. Moreover, CO is found as an electron donor, while CO2 an electron acceptor. The chemisorption of CO and CO2 on borophene increases the electrical conductivity, so It seems that borophene has the potential to be used in high-sensitivity CO and CO2 gas sensors.
Contact-free calibration of an asymmetric multi-layer interferometer for the surface force balance
Authors: Balabajew Marco , van Engers Christian D. , Perkin Susan
Published: December 2017

The Surface Force Balance (SFB, also known as Surface Force Apparatus, SFA) has provided important insights into many phenomena within the field of colloid and interface science. The technique relies on using white light interferometry to measure the distance between surfaces with sub-nanometer resolution. Up until now, the determination of the distance between the surfaces required a so-called “contact calibration,” an invasive procedure during which the surfaces are brought into mechanical contact. This requirement for a contact calibration limits the range of experimental systems that can be investigated with SFB, for example, it precludes experiments with substrates that would be irreversibly modified or damaged by mechanical contact. Here we present a non-invasive method to measure absolute distances without performing a contact calibration. The method can be used for both “symmetric” and “asymmetric” systems. We foresee many applications for this general approach including, most immediately, experiments using single layer graphene electrodes in the SFB which may be damaged when brought into mechanical contact.
Dynamic cholesteric liquid crystal superstructures photoaligned by one-step polarization holography
Authors: Li Sen-Sen , Shen Yuan , Chang Zhen-Ni , Li Wen-Song , Xu Yan-Chao , Fan Xing-Yu , Chen Lu-Jian
Published: December 2017

A convenient approach to modulate the fingerprint textures of methyl red (MR) doped cholesteric liquid crystals by asymmetric photoalignment in the green-light waveband is presented, resulting in the generation of voltage-controllable helical superstructures. The interaction between the MR molecules and the incident light polarization determines the initial twisted planar geometry, providing a multivariant control over the stripe directions of fingerprint textures by applying a proper electric field. The key factors for precise manipulation of fingerprint stripes in a predictable and rewritable manner are analyzed theoretically and investigated experimentally, which involves the alignment asymmetry, the ratio of cell gap to natural pitch length, and the chirality of chiral dopant. Dynamic periodic fingerprint textures in shapes of dashed curve and dashed line are further demonstrated by utilizing a facile one-step polarization holography process using two beams with orthogonal circular and orthogonal linear polarizations, respectively. It is believed that the practical approach described in this study would enrich the research contents of self-assembled hierarchical superstructures using soft liquid crystal building blocks.
Individual differences are more important than the emotional category for the perception of emotional expressions
Authors: Moltchanova Elena , Bartneck Christoph
Published: December 2017

Emotional facial expression are an important communication channel between artificial characters and their users. Humans are trained to perceive emotions. Robots and virtual agents can use them to make their inner states transparent. Literature reported that some emotional types, such as anger, are perceived as being more intense than others. Other studies indicated that gender influences the perception. Our study shows that once the individual differences amongst participants are included in the statistical analysis, then the emotion type has no further explanatory power. Artificial characters therefore should adapt to their specific users.
Exploring preschool children’s preferences for artificial animal appearances according to the uncanny valley phenomenon
Authors: Lu Chia-Chen , Lin Yuan-Ming
Published: December 2017

This paper proposes extending the appearance of artefacts from human to zoomorphic on the basis of the uncanny valley phenomenon, while simultaneously realising the effects of bionic species, product realism, and gender differences on preschool children’s preferences for artificial animal appearances. In this study, animal toys were created as stimuli and a three-factor experiment was conducted with preschool children. Overall, the children demonstrated significantly stronger preferences for animal toys with extremely high or moderate realism compared with those with extremely low realism. Specifically, the boys preferred the toys with extremely high realism, and the girls preferred those with moderate realism. We conclude with some suggestions regarding the direction of design guidelines for the appearance of artificial animals, to facilitate the design and creation of animal products that promote human–robot interactions and design education.
The awareness of joint attention
Authors: Grynszpan Ouriel , Nadel Jacqueline , Martin Jean-Claude , Fossati Philippe
Published: December 2017

This study investigates a specific aspect of joint attention, that is, the emergence of the sense that one is leading the attentional focus of others. Thirty participants were placed in front of two avatars and had to pay attention to objects that were also attended to by the avatars. Unbeknownst to the participant, the avatars’ gaze orientations were alternately controlled by the participant’s eyes. Eye-tracking data were collected and participants were enquired about their experience to account for their sense of agency. Only five participants noticed that the avatars were following their gaze. The 25 participants who remained unaware that they controlled the avatars nevertheless modified their gazing behavior with an increase in direct gaze toward one of the avatars. This outcome highlights a dissociation between an implicit feeling that a change occurred and the explicit awareness of being the cause of this change.
Raisingturn outin Late Modern English
Authors: Serrano-Losada Mario
Published: December 2017

Present-day Englishturn outis used in several constructions with mirative and evidential overtones. Among these, the raised subject construction and the impersonal construction stand out. The current paper provides a diachronic account of the changes that led to the emergence of these constructions. It examines the semantic and syntactic configuration ofturn outand the mechanisms whereby this verb developed evidential and mirative readings during the Late Modern English period. The record shows thatturn outdeveloped abruptly from a full lexical (predominantly resultative and change-of-state) control verb into a raising verb in the course of the eighteenth century. This change was triggered by a process of semantic generalization and subjectification whereby the verb acquired evidential and, most notably, mirative nuances. Analogy seems to have played an important role as well, since the evidence suggests that other constructions somewhat similar in form (syntactic structural usage) and meaning facilitated this process. The bulk of the data examined in this study were drawn from theOxford English Dictionaryand theCorpus of Late Modern English Texts, version 3.0.
From mirativity to argumentation
Authors: Arigne Viviane
Published: December 2017

This study is an analysis of the relation between emotion and cognition exhibited by the various uses of meditative-polemic should in English. In its primary uses linked to the expression of emotions, the syntactic construction exhibits a negative evaluative meaning in the superordinate clause, which posits the propositional content of the subordinate clause as counter-expected and therefore endowed with a mirative value. In more intellectual uses in which the superordinate clause does not explicitly express negative meanings, the semantic mirative meaning is preserved, illustrating a case of multistratal modality. In these cases, the initial mirative value is exploited in argumentation as discursive mirativity, counter-expectancy being used as a built-in foundation for more elaborate meanings, allowing a subject to express a particular value while anticipating contradiction on the part of another subject.
Mirative fronting in German
Authors: Trotzke Andreas
Published: December 2017

This paper presents an examination of syntactic constructions that are associated with the mirative interpretation of marking propositional content as being surprising or unexpected to the speaker. I report experimental evidence showing that certain options of marked word order in German are particularly suitable in mirative contexts. Cross-linguistic evidence offers good reasons to assume that mirative marking is also reflected in word order patterns. Having identified word order variation as one option to trigger mirative interpretations of utterances, I discuss the issue of distinguishing between information-structural and mirative effects of marked syntactic configurations.
Mirativity in Spanish
Authors: Sánchez López Cristina
Published: December 2017

This paper analyzes how the semantic category of mirativity is expressed by means of particles in standard Spanish. Specifically, I study the verb-based particlemira‘look’, and argue for considering it as a mirative particle, which marks the sentence it modifies like new and unexpected information. I describe its properties in both declarative and exclamative sentences and propose a syntactic and semantic analysis. Crucially, the study of this particle permits us to look deeper into the relationship between the semantic category of mirativity and the grammatical and illocutionary category of exclamative. Assuming that mirativity and exclamativity are categories of a different nature that should be differentiated, it is shown that they are expected to coincide in some privileged constructions, where the semantic and formal contributions of the mirativemiraand the exclamative construction can be isolated.
Don’t believe in a paradigm that you haven’t manipulated yourself!
Authors: Zeisler Bettina
Published: December 2017

A speaker may conceptualise a situation from three different modal ‘perspectives’: epistemic, evidential, and attitudinal. Languages differ in which of these concepts they perspectivise and how a grammaticalised concept may be extended to the other two. ‘Lesser-known’ languages tend to be misrepresented in the typological literature. E.g., the Modern Tibetic languages, including the Ladakhi dialects, are said to have grammaticalised the concept ofevidentiality. However, their ‘evidential’ systems differ from the cross-linguistically acknowledged evidential systems, in thatspeaker attitudeis co-grammaticalised and knowledge based on perception shares properties with knowledge based on inferences. DeLancey therefore claimed that these systems also encodemirativity. The starting point for the development of these typologically rather uncommon ‘evidential’ systems was a lexical marker for non-commitment (oradmirativity): the auxiliaryḥdug.
Opportunities for ecological intensification: lessons and insights from the System of Rice/crop Intensification - their implications for agricultural research and development approaches.
Authors: Stoop W. A. , Sabarmatee Sabarmatee , Pushpalatha Sivasubramanian Pushpalatha Sivasubramanian , Ravindra A. , Debashish Sen Debashish Sen , Prasad S. C. , Thakur A. K.
Published: December 2017

A growing and increasingly urbanized global population will raise the pressures to intensify agricultural production systems, as the total surface area of arable lands remains constant or even diminishes in many parts of the world. Mainstream agricultural research and development have been emphasizing a 'green revolution' type intensification largely based on new seeds of crop varieties, while relying on agrochemicals to achieve short-term economic sustainability. During the 1980s the 'System of Rice Intensification (SRI)' was empirically developed in Madagascar. This set of practices was initially and widely rejected by mainstream (rice) research in spite of its often spectacular grain yields as obtained in farmer fields across many Asian and African countries. Some of the practices proved equally relevant for other crops such as wheat maize and sugarcane. SRI's popularity among Indian smallholders, originated from its attractive yields at reduced rates/costs for seeds, water, nutrients and chemicals (fertilizers and pesticides). These features have sparked research into both the agronomic/biological as well as socioeconomic/humanity disciplines. This paper seeks to capitalize on the lessons learned from SRI, also with respect to other crops, and explores additional opportunities for intensification based on ecological processes as supported by insights from (soil) microbiological, biochemical and molecular research. Recent studies suggest that soil organic matter, plant roots, soil biota and biodiversity of plants and (micro-) organisms - rather than agrochemicals - will be the critical elements of environment-friendly and sustainable forms of agriculture. To capitalize on these factors, large reductions in plant densities (>50%) would be required to allow expanded root systems as the basis for increased plant physiological efficiency. The paper elaborates also on the socioeconomic/cultural issues involved in possible transitions as farmer's technical/managerial skills and insights were crucial in the successful introduction and dissemination of SRI practices so far. The article is based on an extensive review of literature complemented by field observations and farmer interviews in different parts of India and West Africa.
Hydrogen gas and its role in cell signalling.
Authors: Wilson H. R. , Veal D. , Whiteman M. , Hancock J. T.
Published: December 2017

Hydrogen gas (H
2
) was once thought to be inert in biological systems but it has now become apparent that exposure of a wide range of organisms, including animals and plants, to H
2
or hydrogen-rich water has beneficial effects. It is involved in plant development, and alleviation of stress and illness, such as reperfusion injury. Here, an overview of how H
2
interacts with organisms is given.
TarHunter, a tool for predicting conserved microRNA targets and target mimics in plants
Authors: Ma Xuan , Liu Chunyan , Gu Lianfeng , Mo Beixin , Cao Xiaofeng , Chen Xuemei
Published: December 2017

In plants, the targets of deeply conserved microRNAs (miRNAs) were comprehensively studied. Evidence is emerging that targets of less conserved miRNAs, endogenous target mimics (eTM) and non-canonical targets play functional roles. Existing plant miRNA prediction tools lack a cross-species conservation filter and eTM prediction function. We developed a tool named TarHunter that features a strict cross-species conservation filter and capability of predicting eTMs. TarHunter has higher recall or precision rate as compared with other tools, and the conservation filter effectively increases prediction precision. TarHunter prediction combined with degradome analysis uncovered previously neglected miRNA targets including non-canonical target sites from various plant species, which are available at the TarHunter website (http://tarhunter.genetics.ac.cn/).

Availability and implementation

The code of TarHunter is available on Github (https://github.com/XMaBio).

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Genuine Smiles by Patients During Marital Interactions are Associated with Better Caregiver Mental Health
Authors: Lwi Sandy J , Casey James J , Verstaen Alice , Connelly Dyan E , Merrilees Jennifer , Levenson Robert W
Published: December 2017

Objective

Providing care for a spouse with dementia is associated with an increased risk for poor mental health. To determine whether this vulnerability in caregivers is related to the expression of positive emotion, we examined 57 patients with Alzheimer’s disease and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia and their spouses as they discussed a marital conflict.

Method

Facial behavior during the discussion was objectively coded to identify Duchenne (i.e., genuine) smiles and non-Duchenne (i.e., polite) smiles. Caregiver mental health was measured using the Medical Outcomes Survey.

Results

Greater expression of Duchenne smiles by patients was associated with better caregiver mental health, even when accounting for covariates (i.e., diagnosis, patient cognitive functioning, and caregiver marital satisfaction). Greater expression of non-Duchenne smiles by patients was associated with worse caregiver health, but only when covariates were entered in the model. Expression of Duchenne and non-Duchenne smiles by caregivers was not associated with caregiver mental health.

Discussion

Patients’ expression of Duchenne and non-Duchenne smiles may reveal important aspects of the emotional quality of the patient–caregiver relationship that influence caregiver burden and mental health.
Design and evaluation of an incoherent feed-forward loop for an arsenic biosensor based on standard iGEM parts
Authors: Barone Federico , Dorr Francisco , Marasco Luciano E , Mildiner Sebastián , Patop Inés L , Sosa Santiago , Vattino Lucas G , Vignale Federico A , Altszyler Edgar , Basanta Benjamin , Carlotto Nicolás , Gasulla Javier , Giménez Manuel , Grande Alicia , Nieto Moreno Nicolás , Bonomi Hernán R , Nadra Alejandro D
Published: December 2017

The diversity and flexibility of life offers a wide variety of molecules and systems useful for biosensing. A biosensor device should be robust, specific and reliable. Inorganic arsenic is a highly toxic water contaminant with worldwide distribution that poses a threat to public health. With the goal of developing an arsenic biosensor, we designed an incoherent feed-forward loop (I-FFL) genetic circuit to correlate its output pulse with the input signal in a relatively time-independent manner. The system was conceived exclusively based on the available BioBricks in the iGEM Registry of Standard Biological Parts. The expected behavior in silico was achieved; upon arsenic addition, the system generates a short-delayed reporter protein pulse that is dose dependent to the contaminant levels. This work is an example of the power and variety of the iGEM Registry of Standard Biological Parts, which can be reused in different sophisticated system designs like I-FFLs. Besides the scientific results, one of the main impacts of this synthetic biology project is the influence it had on team’s members training and career choices which are summarized at the end of this article.
A systems-based approach to patient care after liver transplantation
Authors: Gillespie Mark , Rizzolo Denise
Published: December 2017

Liver transplantation is a cure to many devastating acute and end-stage liver diseases. In the immediate postoperative period, patients are prone to graft, end-organ, and immunosuppressive complications. This article reviews the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of acute postoperative liver transplant complications.
Small-Scale Sustainable Water Project Decreases Infections, Complements Short-Term Medical Missions
Authors: Johanson Linda , Claypool Carol
Published: December 2017

Many communities in developing countries do not have access to clean water, which is essential to health. This project involved the installation of clean water filters in two rural Guatemalan villages, a small-scale sustainable community project proposed by a short-term medical mission team and accomplished in partnership with local missionaries. The percentage of infections in adult visitors to medical clinics was assessed pre- and post-installation of filters, and although not statistically significant, decreased.
Diagnostic Challenges in Nocardia Keratitis
Authors: Behaegel Joséphine , Ní Dhubhghaill Sorcha , Koppen Carina
Published: December 2017

Objective:

To present a case of diagnostic confusion in Nocardia keratitis in a contact lens wearer and to illustrate the characteristic clinical findings of this rare entity.

Methods:

Case report of Nocardia keratitis that was mistaken for acanthamoeba, herpetic, and fungal keratitis in three tertiary corneal referral centers before the correct diagnosis of Nocardia infection was made.

Results:

A 29-year-old contact lens wearer was referred to our hospital for a contact lens–associated bacterial keratitis, not improving under standard bacterial treatment. Biomicroscopy revealed a circular corneal ulcer and pinhead lesions arranged in a wreath pattern. Initial scraping revealed no positive cultures and confocal microscopy findings were suspicious for fungal keratitis. Only after a poor response to protozoal and fungal treatment, and a negative herpes serology, Nocardia was suspected. This suspicion was confirmed with a positive culture and the topical amikacin and ciprofloxacin were started. The infiltrate responded promptly and resolved, leaving a small corneal scar and a good visual recovery.

Conclusion:

Because of its infrequent occurrence and its variable clinical picture, Nocardia keratitis is easily misdiagnosed. Although a rare entity, this infection should be added to the differential diagnosis in contact lens–related keratitis not responding to first-line antibiotics and presenting with patchy anterior stromal infiltrates.
Zika Virus and the Rio Olympic Games
Authors: Hamilton Bruce , Exeter Dan , Beable Sarah , Coleman Lynne , Milne Chris
Published: December 2017

Objective:

To evaluate the impact of Zika virus on preparation and management of the New Zealand (NZ) Olympic team.

Design:

Descriptive manuscript.

Setting:

New Zealand Olympic Health team preparation and management during the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, 2016.

Patients (or Participants):

New Zealand Olympic Team members.

Interventions (or Assessment of Risk Factors):

This manuscript describes the approaches used by the NZ Olympic Health team to the minimization of risk from Zika virus.

Main Outcome Measures:

Although descriptive of approach forms most of the article, the results of Zika virus serology are presented.

Results:

The NZ Olympic Health team took a proactive approach to risk mitigation, including extensive education, clothing changes, mosquito spray, mosquito nets, and voluntary postexposure testing. No positive serology was observed in those tested.

Conclusions:

The outbreak of Zika virus in Brazil, the associated complication of microcephaly, and the evolving understanding of virus transmission created significant uncertainty for NZ Olympic team members. The proactive approach taken by the health team to the mitigation of risk, combined with the anticipated low risk of arbovirus transmission over the period of the games, resulted in enhanced confidence from team members and no reports of positive serology.
Displaced Clavicle Fractures in Cyclists: Return to Athletic Activity After Anteroinferior Plate Fixation
Authors: van der Ven Denise J. C. , Timmers Tim K. , Broeders Ivo A. M. J. , van Olden Ger D. J.
Published: December 2017

Background:

One of the most commonly observed injuries in cycling is fracture of the clavicle. Nevertheless, there is limited literature available on clinical outcomes after plate fixation of clavicle fractures in cyclists, rehabilitation protocols, and the time to return to sports.

Purpose:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the functional outcome, complications, and return to athletic activity at short-term follow-up after surgical repair.

Study Design:

Case series.

Methods:

Between January 2008 and October 2014, all professional and recreational cyclists presenting with a new clavicle fracture at the emergency department were prospectively recorded. All patients had an anteroinferior plate fixation, variable angle locking compression plate (DePuySynthes). Patients were seen at 2, 6, and 24 weeks at the outpatient clinic to gather Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) and Constant shoulder questionnaires and radiographs were made. Cyclists were allowed to resume outside training 1 week after surgery.

Results:

Ten professional cyclists and 15 recreational cyclists were included. All (25/25) patients returned to cycling after plate fixation. Mean Constant scores and mean DASH scores of 96.8 ± 4.1 and 5.1 ± 5.5 at 6 weeks and 99.1 ± 1.5 and 2.9 ± 4.6 at 24 weeks were measured. There were 3 complications: 1 patient developed a nonunion, there was 1 wound infection requiring antibiotics, and in 1 patient, a refracture occurred.

Conclusion:

Plate fixation for cyclists with displaced clavicle fractures was successful in terms of fast return to previous level of athletic activity. It is a valuable and safe option for athletes in cycling.
Predictors of Resectability and Survival in Patients With Borderline and Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer who Underwent Neoadjuvant Treatment With FOLFIRINOX
Authors: Michelakos Theodoros , Pergolini Ilaria , Castillo Carlos Fernández-del , Honselmann Kim C. , Cai Lei , Deshpande Vikram , Wo Jennifer Y. , Ryan David P. , Allen Jill N. , Blaszkowsky Lawrence S. , Clark Jeffrey W. , Murphy Janet E. , Nipp Ryan D. , Parikh Aparna , Qadan Motaz , Warshaw Andrew L. , Hong Theodore S. , Lillemoe Keith D. , Ferrone Cristina R.
Published: December 2017

Objective:

The aim of this study was to determine (1) whether preoperative factors can predict resectability of borderline resectable (BR) and locally advanced (LA) pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) after neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX, (2) which patients might benefit from adjuvant therapy, and (3) survival differences between resected BR/LA patients who received neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX and upfront resected patients.

Background:

Patients with BR/LA PDAC are often treated with FOLFIRINOX to obtain a margin-negative resection, yet selection of patients for resection remains challenging.

Methods:

Clinicopathologic data of PDAC patients surgically explored between 04/2011-11/2016 in a single institution were retrospectively collected.

Results:

Following neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX, 141 patients were surgically explored (BR: 49%, LA: 51%) and 110 (78%) were resected. Resected patients had lower preoperative CA 19-9 levels (21 vs 40 U/mL, P = 0.03) and smaller tumors on preoperative computed tomography (CT) scan (2.3 vs 3.0 cm, P = 0.03), but no predictors of resectability were identified. Median overall survival (OS) was 34.2 months from diagnosis for all FOLFIRINOX patients and 37.7 months for resected patients. Among resected patients, preoperative CA 19-9 >100 U/mL and >8 months between diagnosis and surgery predicted a shorter postoperative disease-free survival (DFS); Charlson comorbidity index >1, preoperative CA 19-9 >100 U/mL and tumor size (>3.0 cm on CT or >2.5 cm on pathology) predicted decreased OS. DFS and OS were significantly better for BR/LA PDAC patients treated with neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX compared with upfront resected patients (DFS: 29.1 vs 13.7, P < 0.001; OS: 37.7 vs 25.1 months from diagnosis, P = 0.01).

Conclusion:

BR/LA PDAC patients with no progression on neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX should be offered surgical exploration. Except size, traditional pathological parameters fail to predict survival among resected FOLFIRINOX patients. Resected FOLFIRINOX patients have survival that appears to be superior than that of resectable patients who go directly to surgery.
A delay-deterministic model for inferring fitness effects from time-resolved genome sequence data
Authors: Nené Nuno R. , Dunham Alistair S. , Illingworth Christopher J. R.
Published: December 2017

A common challenge arising from the observation of an evolutionary system over time is to infer the magnitude of selection acting upon a specific genetic variant, or variants, within the population. The inference of selection may be confounded by the effects of genetic drift in a system, leading to the development of inference procedures to account for these effects. However, recent work has suggested that deterministic models of evolution may be effective in capturing the effects of selection even under complex models of demography, suggesting the more general application of deterministic approaches to inference. Responding to this literature, we here note a case in which a deterministic model of evolution may give highly misleading inferences, resulting from the non-deterministic properties of mutation in a finite population. We propose an alternative approach which corrects for this error, which we denote the delay-deterministic model. Applying our model to a simple evolutionary system we demonstrate its performance in quantifying the extent of selection acting within that system. We further consider the application of our model to sequence data from an evolutionary experiment. We outline scenarios in which our model may produce improved results for the inference of selection, noting that such situations can be easily identified via the use of a regular deterministic model.
Collective animal navigation and migratory culture: from theoretical models to empirical evidence
Authors: Berdahl Andrew M. , Kao Albert B. , Flack Andrea , Westley Peter A. H , Codling Edward A. , Couzin Iain D. , Dell Anthony I. , Biro Dora
Published: December 2017

Animals often travel in groups, and their navigational decisions can be influenced by social interactions. Both theory and empirical observations suggest that such collective navigation can result in individuals improving their ability to find their way and could be one of the key benefits of sociality for these species. Here we provide an overview of the potential mechanisms underlying collective navigation and review the known, and supposed, empirical evidence for such behaviour, and highlight interesting directions for future research. We further explore how both social and collective learning during group navigation could lead to the accumulation of knowledge at the population level, resulting in the emergence of migratory culture.
Methods for chair restraint and training of the common marmoset on oculomotor tasks
Authors: Johnston Kevin D. , Barker Kevin , Schaeffer Lauren , Schaeffer David , Everling Stefan
Published: December 2017

The oculomotor system is the most thoroughly understood sensorimotor system in the brain, due in large part to electrophysiological studies carried out in macaque monkeys trained to perform ocuolomotor tasks. A disadvantage of the macaque model is that many cortical oculomotor areas of interest lie within sulci, making high-density array and laminar recordings impractical. Further, many techniques of molecular biology developed in rodents, such as transgenic animals and optogenetic manipulation of neuronal subtypes, are limited in this species. The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) may potentially bridge the gap between systems neuroscience in macaques and molecular techniques, and additionally possesses a smooth cortex allowing easy access to frontoparietal oculomotor areas. To date, techniques for restraint and training of these animals to perform oculomotor tasks remain in an early stage of development. Here we provide details of a custom-designed chair for restraint of marmosets, a combination head restraint/recording chamber providing stability suitable for eye movement and neural recordings, and a training protocol for oculomotor tasks. As proof-of-principle, we report the results of a psychophysical study in marmosets trained to perform a saccade task using these methods, showing that, as in rhesus and humans, marmosets exhibit a “gap effect” – a decrease in reaction time when the fixation stimulus is removed prior to the onset of a visual saccade target. These results provide evidence that the common marmoset is a suitable model for neurophysiogical investigations of oculomotor control.

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY

The ability to carry out neuronal recordings in behaving primates has provided a wealth of information regarding the neural circuits underlying the control of eye movements. Such studies require restraint of the animal within a primate chair, head fixation, methods of acclimating the animals to this restraint, and the use of operant conditioning methods for training on oculomotor tasks. In contrast to the macaque model, relatively few studies have reported in detail methods for use in the common marmoset. Here we detail custom-designed equipment and methods by which we have used to successfully train head-restrained marmosets to perform basic oculomotor tasks.
Controlling motion artefact levels in MR images by suspending data acquisition during periods of head motion
Authors: Castella Rémi , Arn Lionel , Dupuis Estelle , Callaghan Martina F. , Draganski Bogdan , Lutti Antoine
Published: December 2017

Head movements are a major source of MRI artefacts that hamper radiological assessment and computer-based morphological and functional measures of the human brain. Prospective motion correction techniques continuously update the MRI scanner based on head position information provided by an external tracking system. While prospective motion correction significantly improves data quality, strong motion artefacts may remain with large head motions or when motion takes place at sensitive times of the acquisition. Here we present a framework that allows the suspension of data acquisition when head motion is predicted to have a strong negative impact on data quality. The predictor, calculated in real-time during the acquisition, accounts for the amplitude of the signal acquired at the time of the motion, thereby offering a re-acquisition strategy more efficient than relying on head speed alone. The suspension of data acquisition is governed by the trade-off between image degradation due to motion and prolonging the scan time. This trade-off can be tuned by the user according to the desired level of image quality and the participant‘s tolerability. We test the framework using two motion experiments and two head coils. Significant improvements in data quality are obtained with stringent threshold values for the suspension of acquisition. Substantial reductions in motion artefact levels are also achieved with minimal prolongation of scan time. However, high levels of motion artefacts occasionally remain despite stringent thresholds with the 64-channel head coil, an effect that might be attributed to head movement in the sharp sensitivity profile of this coil.