bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical meaningfulness of Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale–Cognitive subscale change in relation to goal attainment in patients on cholinesterase inhibitors
Authors: Rockwood Kenneth , Howlett Susan E. , Hoffman Deborah , Schindler Rachel , Mitnitski Arnold
Published: March 2017

Introduction

The clinical meaningfulness of Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale–Cognitive subscale (ADAS‐Cog) subscale change is disputed. We compared 2‐ to 4‐point ADAS‐Cog changes with changes in Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) and everyday function across initial ADAS‐Cog scores and treatment responses.

Methods

This exploratory analysis evaluated mild‐moderate Alzheimer's disease patients treated with donepezil (12 months) or galantamine (8 months). Clinical meaningfulness was defined as concomitant ADAS‐Cog and GAS changes of ±3 points and/or functional improvement.

Results

Patients with ≥3‐point ADAS‐Cog improvement significantly improved on GAS but not on standard tests of everyday function. ADAS‐Cog “no change” (≤±3 points) was seen with mean GAS improvement. Initial ADAS‐Cog improvement made endpoint improvement (ADAS‐Cog 3 points and GAS 1 point) more likely (odds ratio = 6.9; 95% confidence interval = 2.5–19.5). In contrast, initial deterioration made endpoint improvement unlikely (0.33; 0.14–0.64).

Discussion

ADAS‐Cog improvement and no change were each associated with GAS improvement. Initial ADAS‐Cog worsening was unlikely to result in later improvement.

Clinical trial registration number

ISRCTN26167328.
Bounded Variable Logics and Counting
Authors: Otto Martin
Published: March 2017

Since their inception, the Perspectives in Logic and Lecture Notes in Logic series have published seminal works by leading logicians. Many of the original books in the series have been unavailable for years, but they are now in print once again. In this volume, the ninth publication in the Lecture Notes in Logic series, Martin Otto gives an introduction to finite model theory that indicates the main ideas and lines of inquiry that motivate research in this area. Particular attention is paid to bounded variable infinitary logics, with and without counting quantifiers, related fixed-point logics, and the corresponding fragments of Ptime. The relations with Ptime exhibit the fruitful exchange between ideas from logic and from complexity theory that is characteristic of finite model theory.
Second-Personal Desire
Authors: LEITE ADAM
Published: March 2017

This paper concerns desires with a distinctive interpersonal structure. ‘Second-personal desire’ seeks something of or from a particular person who is the irreplaceable, intrinsic object of the desire by virtue of his or her significance to the desirer as a participant in an interpersonal relationship in which what is desired carries interpersonal significance. Such desires involve a wish that the other person will experience one's desire as a reason in a way that involves positive interpersonally directed emotional responsiveness to one's desire. Second-personal desire thus renders one vulnerable to distinctive forms of disappointment and to the possibility that the other person is neither positively motivated by, nor positively emotionally responsive to, the possibility of such disappointment. A distinctive form of positive emotional regard is thus always at issue in second-personal desire. This form of regard is not always owed, despite our craving for it—a fact that considerably complicates interpersonal interaction. The paper concludes with an argument that the participant reactive attitudes cannot be understood without the notion of second-personal desire and that second-personal desire is consequently crucial for an adequate understanding of the normative structure of interpersonal interaction.
Aging as a Normative Phenomenon
Authors: SCHEFFLER SAMUEL
Published: March 2017

Many philosophers have discussed the normative significance of personal relationships. The implicit focus of most of these discussions is on the normative significance of active, ongoing relationships. But, of course, all relationships end eventually. This article focuses on relationships that end through the death of one of the participants. A relationship that has ended in this way can still be a source of reasons for the surviving participant. This represents a different dimension of the normative significance of personal relationships, and it is a dimension that tends to become increasingly salient as one ages. Indeed, aging is in part a normative phenomenon, because it involves significant changes in the kinds of reasons people have. This article explores some of those changes and the distinctive questions to which they give rise.
Identifying and Prioritizing Information Needs and Research Priorities of Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Practitioners
Authors: Siegfried Alexa L. , Carbone Eric G. , Meit Michael B. , Kennedy Mallory J. , Yusuf Hussain , Kahn Emily B.
Published: March 2017

Objective

This study describes findings from an assessment conducted to identify perceived knowledge gaps, information needs, and research priorities among state, territorial, and local public health preparedness directors and coordinators related to public health emergency preparedness and response (PHPR). The goal of the study was to gather information that would be useful for ensuring that future funding for research and evaluation targets areas most critical for advancing public health practice.

Methods

We implemented a mixed-methods approach to identify and prioritize PHPR research questions. A web survey was sent to all state, city, and territorial health agencies funded through the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Cooperative Agreement program and a sample of local health departments (LHDs). Three focus groups of state and local practitioners and subject matter experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were subsequently conducted, followed by 3 meetings of an expert panel of PHPR practitioners and CDC experts to prioritize and refine the research questions.

Results

We identified a final list of 44 research questions that were deemed by study participants as priority topics where future research can inform PHPR programs and practice. We identified differences in perceived research priorities between PHEP awardees and LHD survey respondents; the number of research questions rated as important was greater among LHDs than among PHEP awardees (75%, n=33, compared to 24%, n=15).

Conclusions

The research questions identified provide insight into public health practitioners’ perceived knowledge gaps and the types of information that would be most useful for informing and advancing PHPR practice. The study also points to a higher level of information need among LHDs than among PHEP awardees. These findings are important for CDC and the PHPR research community to ensure that future research studies are responsive to practitioners’ needs and provide the information required to enhance their capacity to meet the needs of the communities and jurisdictions they serve. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:552–561)
Impact of an educational workshop upon psychiatrists’ attitudes towards delirium care
Authors: O’Regan N. A. , Mohamad M. M. , Meagher D. J.
Published: March 2017

Objectives

Improving knowledge about delirium care is a key target for health care. We describe the implementation of a four-part workshop focusing upon key aspects of delirium care.

Methods

Attitudes towards and understanding of delirium diagnosis and management amongst psychiatrists were surveyed before and immediately after an educational workshop.

Results

There were 62 participants. Pre-workshop, delirium was rated highly relevant to psychiatry. Overall level of confidence in diagnosis was modest, with the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia considered the most challenging differential diagnosis. Only nine participants (15%) correctly identified DSM-5 delirium criteria. Preferred assessment of attention varied with six different approaches endorsed. Confidence was higher for managing hyperactive compared with hypoactive delirium (p<0.001). Pharmacotherapy was more frequently endorsed for hyperactive compared with hypoactive presentations, with haloperidol the most popular agent (p<0.001). A total of 41 (66%) participants completed post-workshop assessments. Post-workshop, there were significant increases to the perceived relevance of delirium (p = 0.003), confidence in overall diagnosis (p<0.001) accuracy of awareness of DSM-5 criteria (p<0.001), and confidence in treating different presentations (p<0.001). The Months Backward Test was the preferred bedside test of attention (38/40 respondents).

Conclusions

This interactive educational intervention impacted positively upon knowledge and attitudes amongst psychiatrists towards key aspects of delirium care. Further investigation can examine the impact upon longer term knowledge and behaviour.
NORMAL NUMBERS AND COMPLETENESS RESULTS FOR DIFFERENCE SETS
Authors: BEROS KONSTANTINOS A.
Published: March 2017

We consider some natural sets of real numbers arising in ergodic theory and show that they are, respectively, complete in the classes${\cal D}_2 \left( {{\bf{\Pi }}_3^0 } \right)$and${\cal D}_\omega \left( {{\bf{\Pi }}_3^0 } \right)$, that is, the class of sets which are 2-differences (respectively,ω-differences) of${\bf{\Pi }}_3^0 $sets.
Theory, empiricism and practice: Commentary on TBLT in ARAL 2016
Authors: Bygate Martin , Gass Susan M. , Mackey Alison , Oliver Rhonda , Robinson Peter
Published: March 2017

This commentary includes consideration of theory, opinion, empirical work, evaluative work and practice in a subset of papers that appeared in ARAL (2016) on task-based language teaching. Addressing the wider logic, theoretical underpinnings and instructional implications of TBLT is a serious applied linguistics challenge and one that the TBLT area is increasingly in a position to engage with in the search for evidence-based solutions to problems in designing, implementing and assessing the effects of TBLT. The contributors take a sometimes approving, occasionally critical and always forward looking perspective on the contributions of ARAL 2016 and the directions and challenges facing the field.
Judicial Partisanship and theSlaughterhouse Cases: Investigating the Relationship Between Courts and Parties
Authors: Elinson Gregory
Published: March 2017

Scholars of judicial behavior have persuasively demonstrated that parties profoundly influence the elaboration of judicial doctrine, but have paid more limited attention to understanding how courts can transform the content of party agendas. In this article, I argue that judges can work to deliberately define the issue positions adopted by the political parties with which they are affiliated. I contend that judges can, like other political actors, use the tools of their office to further explicitly partisan goals. Although they may employ traditional modes of legal reasoning, judges may nevertheless craft their decisions in ways that prioritize certain party principles over others, interpret the law in ways that knit together the beliefs of divergent factions within their party coalition, articulate principles to guide the party's incorporation of new issues, and, in some instances, begin to outline a coherent ideological vision for the party. I develop this theory through a close examination of theSlaughterhouse Cases, regularly cited as a core building block of the American constitutional canon.
Semiosis in the Pleistocene
Authors: Kissel Marc , Fuentes Agustín
Published: March 2017

A distinctive aspect of human behaviour is the ability to think symbolically. However, tracking the origin of this capability is controversial. From a Peircean perspective, to know if something truly is a symbol we need to know the cultural context in which it was created. Rather than initially asking if materials are symbols/symbolic, we offer that it is more salient to ask how they functioned as signs. Specifically we argue that using the Peircean distinction between qualisigns, sinsigns and legisigns provides support for this endeavour. The ‘flickering’ of early symbolic behaviour (the sporadic occurrences of objects with embedded social meanings in the Pleistocene archaeological record) can best be seen as sinsigns, whereas sites that show long-term presence of such materials are demonstrating the presence of legisigns: the codification of ideas. To illustrate this approach, we apply these ideas to three classes of artefacts, demonstrating how this system can address issues of relevance to palaeoanthropologists and archaeologists who often fetishize the symbolic as the one ability that makes us human.
The UN Decade of Nutrition, the NOVA food classification and the trouble with ultra-processing
Authors: Monteiro Carlos Augusto , Cannon Geoffrey , Moubarac Jean-Claude , Levy Renata Bertazzi , Louzada Maria Laura C , Jaime Patrícia Constante
Published: March 2017

Given evident multiple threats to food systems and supplies, food security, human health and welfare, the living and physical world and the biosphere, the years 2016–2025 are now designated by the UN as the Decade of Nutrition, in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. For these initiatives to succeed, it is necessary to know which foods contribute to health and well-being, and which are unhealthy. The present commentary outlines the NOVA system of food classification based on the nature, extent and purpose of food processing. Evidence that NOVA effectively addresses the quality of diets and their impact on all forms of malnutrition, and also the sustainability of food systems, has now accumulated in a number of countries, as shown here. A singular feature of NOVA is its identification of ultra-processed food and drink products. These are not modified foods, but formulations mostly of cheap industrial sources of dietary energy and nutrients plus additives, using a series of processes (hence ‘ultra-processed’). All together, they are energy-dense, high in unhealthy types of fat, refined starches, free sugars and salt, and poor sources of protein, dietary fibre and micronutrients. Ultra-processed products are made to be hyper-palatable and attractive, with long shelf-life, and able to be consumed anywhere, any time. Their formulation, presentation and marketing often promote overconsumption. Studies based on NOVA show that ultra-processed products now dominate the food supplies of various high-income countries and are increasingly pervasive in lower-middle- and upper-middle-income countries. The evidence so far shows that displacement of minimally processed foods and freshly prepared dishes and meals by ultra-processed products is associated with unhealthy dietary nutrient profiles and several diet-related non-communicable diseases. Ultra-processed products are also troublesome from social, cultural, economic, political and environmental points of view. We conclude that the ever-increasing production and consumption of these products is a world crisis, to be confronted, checked and reversed as part of the work of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and its Decade of Nutrition.
On the Analysis of Clustering in an Irradiated Low Alloy Reactor Pressure Vessel Steel Weld
Authors: Lindgren Kristina , Stiller Krystyna , Efsing Pål , Thuvander Mattias
Published: March 2017

Radiation induced clustering affects the mechanical properties, that is the ductile to brittle transition temperature (DBTT), of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steel of nuclear power plants. The combination of low Cu and high Ni used in some RPV welds is known to further enhance the DBTT shift during long time operation. In this study, RPV weld samples containing 0.04 at% Cu and 1.6 at% Ni were irradiated to 2.0 and 6.4×1023 n/m2 in the Halden test reactor. Atom probe tomography (APT) was applied to study clustering of Ni, Mn, Si, and Cu. As the clusters are in the nanometer-range, APT is a very suitable technique for this type of study. From APT analyses information about size distribution, number density, and composition of the clusters can be obtained. However, the quantification of these attributes is not trivial. The maximum separation method (MSM) has been used to characterize the clusters and a detailed study about the influence of the choice of MSM cluster parameters, primarily on the cluster number density, has been undertaken.
Faint features in the isolated galaxy CIG96
Authors: Ramírez-Moreta P. , Verdes-Montenegro L. , Leon S. , Blasco-Herrera J. , Fernández-Lorenzo M. , Yun M. ,   AMIGA Team
Published: March 2017

The AMIGA project carries out a multiwavelength study of the largest catalogue of isolated galaxies from the Local Universe (CIG, Karachentseva 1973). Compared to any other sample —field galaxies included— and using highly strict isolation criteria (unperturbed for at least ~3 Gyr, Verdes-Montenegro et al. 2005), all the results show that these galaxies have the lowest values of the physical magnitudes expected to be enhanced by interactions. This strongly supports isolated galaxies as ideal laboratories for the study of galaxy formation and evolution. Despite CIG galaxies show the lowest HI integrated profile asymmetry level when compared to any other sample, some cases present up to 50% HI asymmetry (Espada et al. 2011b). We aim to shed light over the causes and sources of such asymmetries with our deep radiointerferometric and optical observations of CIG targets. Since major mergers are ruled out by the isolation criteria, in this work we are addressing whether minor mergers, internal processes or primordial gas accretion are responsible for such asymmetries.
Modeling the kinematics and star formation history of Andromeda II by a gas-rich major merger of dwarf galaxies
Authors: Fouquet Sylvain , Łokas Ewa L. , del Pino Andrés
Published: March 2017

We present an evolutionary model for the origin of Andromeda II, a dwarf spheroidal satellite of M31. The model is an extension of the scenario proposed by Łokas et al. (2014) involving a major merger between two gas-rich disky dwarf galaxies.
Inner and outer star forming regions over the discs of spiral galaxies I. Sample characterization
Authors: Rodríguez-Baras Marina , Díaz A.I. , Rosales-Ortega F.F.
Published: March 2017

This project is aimed at understanding the dependence of star formation on the environment by analysing young stellar populations in two very different positions in disk galaxies: circumnuclear and outer disk giant regions. Integral field spectroscopy (IFS) provide an ideal means to achieve these goals providing simultaneous spatial and spectral resolution. Here we present the characterization of the work sample, composed by 671 outer regions and 725 inner regions from 263 isolated spirals galaxies observed by the CALIFA survey. The wide number of regions in both samples allows us to obtain statistically relevant results about the influence of metallicity, density and environment on star formation, and how it disseminates over the galaxy, to obtain evolutionary stories for the star-forming regions and to compare our results with models of massive star formation and galactic chemical evolution.
The stellar mass distribution of S4G disk galaxies
Authors: Díaz-García Simón , Salo Heikki , Laurikainen Eija
Published: March 2017

We use 3.6 μm imaging from the S4G survey to characterize the typical stellar density profiles (Σ*) and bars as a function of fundamental galaxy parameters (e.g. the total stellar massM*), providing observational constraints for galaxy simulation models to be compared with. We rescale galaxy images to a common frame determined by the size in physical units, by their disk scalelength, or by their bar size and orientation. We stack the resized images to obtain statistically representative average stellar disks and bars. For a givenM*bin (≥ 109M⊙), we find a significant difference in the stellar density profiles of barred and non-barred systems that gives evidence for bar-induced secular evolution of disk galaxies: (i) disks in barred galaxies show larger scalelengths and fainter extrapolated central surface brightnesses, (ii) the mean surface brightness profiles of barred and non-barred galaxies intersect each other slightly beyond the mean bar length, most likely at the bar corotation, and (iii) the central mass concentration of barred galaxies is larger (by almost a factor 2 whenT< 5) than in their non-barred counterparts. We also show that early- and intermediate-type spirals (0 ≤T< 5) host intrinsically narrower bars than the later types and S0s, whose bars are oval-shaped. We show a clear correlation between galaxy family and bar ellipticity.
Formation and evolution of spiral arms in galaxies orbiting a Virgo-like cluster
Authors: Semczuk Marcin , Łokas Ewa L.
Published: March 2017

The origin of spiral structure in disks of galaxies remains an open question. One of the theories predicts that two-armed, grand design spiral arms originate from tidal interactions with another body. Using N-body simulations we find that a Milky Way-like galaxy can develop spiral arms due to tidal force from a cluster-size dark matter halo.
Outer stellar disks and star-forming rings in S0 galaxies
Authors: Proshina I. S. , Kniazev A. Yu. , Sil’chenko O. K.
Published: March 2017

We have studied a small sample of star-forming outer rings in unbarred lenticular galaxies by means of long-slit spectroscopy. We have determined metallicities of the outer stellar disks and of the ionized gas in the rings. While the stellar disks of the S0s are metal-poor, [Z/H] < −0.4, the gas has strictly solar oxygen abundance in all the cases.
Galactoseismology in the GAIA Era
Authors: Chakrabarti Sukanya
Published: March 2017

The GAIA satellite will provide unprecedented phase-space information for our Galaxy and enable a new era of Galactic dynamics. We may soon see successful realizations of Galactoseismology, i.e., inferring the characteristics of the Galactic potential and sub-structure from a dynamical analysis of observed perturbations in the gas or stellar disk of the Milky Way. Here, we argue that to maximally take advantage of the GAIA data and other complementary surveys, it is necessary to build comprehensive models for both the stars and the gas. We outline several key morphological puzzles of the Galactic disk and proposed solutions that may soon be tested.
The stellar structure of early-type galaxies: a wide-field Mitchell Spectrograph view
Authors: Boardman N. F. , Weijmans A. , van den Bosch R. C. E. , Zhu L. , Yildirim A. , van de Ven G. , Cappellari M. , de Zeeuw P. T. , Emsellem E. , Krajnović D. , Naab T.
Published: March 2017

Much progress has been made in recent years towards understanding how early-type galaxies (ETGs) form and evolve. SAURON (Bacon et al. 2001) integral-field spectroscopy from the ATLAS3D survey (Cappellari et al. 2011) has suggested that less massive ETGs are linked directly to spirals, whereas the most massive objects appear to form from a series of merging and accretion events (Cappellari et al. 2013). However, the ATLAS3D data typically only extends to about one half-light radius (or effective radius, Re), making it unclear if this picture is truly complete.
What shapes stellar metallicity gradients of massive galaxies at large radii?
Authors: Hirschmann Michaela
Published: March 2017

We investigate the differential impact of physical mechanisms, mergers and internal energetic phenomena, on the evolution of stellar metallicity gradients in massive, present-day galaxies employing sets of high-resolution, cosmological zoom simulations. We demonstrate that negative metallicity gradients at large radii (>2Reff) originate from the accretion of metal-poor stellar systems. At larger radii, galaxies become typically more dominated by stars accreted from satellite galaxies in major and minor mergers. However, only strong galactic, stellar-driven winds can sufficiently reduce the metallicity content of the accreted stars to realistically steepen the outer metallicity gradients in agreement with observations. In contrast, the gradients of the models without winds are inconsistent with observations. Moreover, we discuss the impact of additional AGN feedback. This analysis greatly highlights the importance of both energetic processes and merger events for stellar population properties of massive galaxies at large radii. Our results are expected to significantly contribute to the interpretation of current and up-coming IFU surveys (e.g. MaNGA, CALIFA).
The Connection between Molecular Gas and Star Formation in XUV Disks
Authors: Watson Linda C.
Published: March 2017

We found that star-forming regions in extended ultraviolet (XUV) disks are generally consistent with the molecular-hydrogen Kennicutt-Schmidt law that applies within the inner, optical disk. This is true for star formation rates based on Hα + 24 μm data or FUV + 24 μm data. We estimated that the star-forming regions have ages of 1 − 7 Myr and propose that the presence or absence of molecular gas provides an additional “clock” that may help distinguish between aging and stochasticity as the explanation for the low Hα-to-FUV flux ratios in XUV disks. This contribution is a summary of the work originally presented in Watson et al. (2016).
The MESSIER surveyor: unveiling the ultra-low surface brightness universe
Authors: Valls-Gabaud David ,   the MESSIER collaboration
Published: March 2017

The MESSIER surveyor is a small mission designed at exploring the very low surface brightness universe. The satellite will drift-scan the entire sky in 6 filters covering the 200–1000 nm range, reaching unprecedented surface brightness levels of 34 and 37 mag arcsec−2 in the optical and UV, respectively. These levels are required to achieve the two main science goals of the mission: to critically test the ΛCDM paradigm of structure formation through (1) the detection and characterisation of ultra-faint dwarf galaxies, which are predicted to be extremely abundant around normal galaxies, but which remain elusive; and (2) tracing the cosmic web, which feeds dark matter and baryons into galactic haloes, and which may contain the reservoir of missing baryons at low redshifts. A large number of science cases, ranging from stellar mass loss episodes to intracluster light through fluctuations in the cosmological UV-optical background radiation are free by-products of the full-sky maps produced.
Dispersion in DLA metallicities and deuterium abundances
Authors: Dvorkin Irina , Silk Joseph , Vangioni Elisabeth , Petitjean Patrick , Olive Keith A.
Published: March 2017

Recent chemical abundance measurements of damped Lyman-alpha absorbers (DLAs) revealed a large intrinsic scatter in their metallicities. We discuss a semi-analytic model that was specifically designed to study this scatter by tracing the chemical evolution of the interstellar matter in small regions of the Universe with different mean density, from over- to underdense regions. It is shown that different histories of structure formation in these regions are reflected in the chemical properties of the proto-galaxies. We also address deuterium abundance measurements, which constitute a complementary probe of the star formation and infall histories.
The MAD View on the Outskirts of Disks
Authors: Carollo C. M. , Erroz-Ferrer S. , den Brok M. , Fagioli M. , Onodera M. , Tacchella S. ,   the MAD collaboration
Published: March 2017

We present the MUSE Atlas of Disks (MAD), a GTO program with the MUSE spectrograph on the ESO/VLT that is dedicated to the study of the optical spectroscopic properties of z = 0 disk galaxies on the star-forming ‘Main Sequence’ at < 100 pc physical resolution. MUSE pointings on the MAD galaxies extend out to ~ 2 disk scale lengths, enabling to investigate the bulge and inner disk properties of galaxies with different outer disks. Here we specifically compare, at constant stellar-mass, the stellar population properties of the inner components in disks with down-bending (Type II) and up-bending (Type III) outer profiles. We highlight similarities in the inner stellar properties of such different hosts, which point at a universal inside-out growth of disks, as well as differences which suggest an additional role of stellar migration and/or gas accretion in the growth of disk galaxies with an outer up-bending profile, as expected from theoretical models.
Surfing on the bar: the formation of anti-truncated stellar disk profiles
Authors: Herpich Jakob , Stinson Gregory S. , Dutton Aaron A. , Hans-Walter Rix , Martig Marie
Published: March 2017

The stellar radial profiles of disk galaxies are often observed to be truncated, or anti-truncated in the galaxies’ outskirts. As of now, the literature about galaxy formation lacks a model for the formation of observed anti-truncated stellar disks which is based on secular processes. We present an attempt to fill this gap. We were able to model anti-truncated disks in numerical SPH simulations of the formation of isolated galaxies. We will show that the stars in the outskirts of the simulated galactic disk are on very eccentric orbits but were formed on circular orbits at much smaller radii. We argue that a strong central bar is the main driver of the formation of such a disk configuration. The model predicts that such outer stellar disks should show very slow rotation, but high radial dispersion. If confirmed, their existence would constitute galaxy disks of qualitatively very new kinematic properties.
The dynamics of Andromeda's dwarf galaxies and stellar streams
Authors: Collins Michelle L. M. , Rich R. Michael , Ibata Rodrigo , Martin Nicolas , Preston Janet ,   The PAndAS collaboration
Published: March 2017

As part of the Z-PAndAS Keck II DEIMOS survey of resolved stars in our neighboring galaxy, Andromeda (M31), we have built up a unique data set of measured velocities and chemistries for thousands of stars in the Andromeda stellar halo, particularly probing its rich and complex substructure. In this contribution, we will discuss the structural, dynamical and chemical properties of Andromeda's dwarf spheroidal galaxies, and how there is no observational evidence for a difference in the evolutionary histories of those found on and off M31's vast plane of satellites. We will also discuss a possible extension to the most significant merger event in M31 - the Giant Southern Stream - and how we can use this feature to refine our understanding of M31's mass profile, and its complex evolution.
Exploring the connection between stellar halo profiles and accretion histories in L* galaxies
Authors: Amorisco Nicola C.
Published: March 2017

I use a library of controlled minor merger N-body simulations, a particle tagging technique and Monte Carlo generated ΛCDM accretion histories to study the highly stochastic process of stellar deposition onto the accreted stellar halos (ASHs) of L* galaxies. I explore the main physical mechanisms that drive the connection between the accretion history and the density profile of the ASH. I find that: i) through dynamical friction, more massive satellites are more effective at delivering their stars deeper into the host; ii) as a consequence, ASHs feature a negative gradient between radius and the local mass-weighed virial satellite-to-host mass ratio; iii) in L* galaxies, most ASHs feature a density profile that steepens towards sharper logarithmic slopes at increasing radii, though with significant halo-to-halo scatter; iv) the ASHs with the largest total ex-situ mass are such because of the chance accretion of a small number of massive satellites (rather than of a large number of low-mass ones).
Ultrasound imaging in the diagnosis of large vessel vasculitis
Authors: Czihal Michael , Lottspeich Christian , Hoffmann Ulrich
Published: March 2017

Abstract. Nowadays noninvasive vascular imaging has an important role in the diagnostic work-up of the large vessel vasculitides (LVV), most importantly giant cell arteritis (GCA) and Takayasu arteritis. Among the imaging modalities available, ultrasound (US) has several important advantages, including low costs, rapid and repetitive availability without exposure to radiation, and high spatial resolution for assessment of large and medium-sized arteries. Therefore, US can be regarded the first line imaging method in suspected LVV. In patients with suspected GCA, US can replace temporal artery biopsy in certain clinical scenarios, and the application of US early in the diagnostic work-up of suspected GCA in specialized fast track clinics has been suggested to reduce the rate of visual ischaemic complications and associated costs. In other LVV such as Takayasu arteritis and chronic periaortitis, the diagnostic accuracy in comparison to other noninvasive imaging methods has not been formally tested but can be considered to be excellent. However, quality of US is highly dependent on the operator’s experience, and assessment of the thoracic aorta which is frequently involved in GCA and TA is limited. The role of US in the follow-up of LVV under treatment is unclear. In view of the promising data supporting its value on the one hand and several uncertainties and controversies on the other hand, the present review article provides a comprehensive overview on current evidence for the application of US in the diagnosis and follow up of LVV. Recent multicentre study results and emerging trends such as the application of compression sonography in the diagnosis of GCA and the use of contrast enhanced ultrasound in disease activity assessment in Takayasu arteritis are discussed.
Power of Modified Brown-Forsythe and Mixed-Model Approaches in	Split-Plot Designs
Authors: Livacic-Rojas Pablo , Vallejo Guillermo , Fernández Paula , Tuero-Herrero Ellián
Published: March 2017

Abstract. Low precision of the inferences of data analyzed with univariate or multivariate models of the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) in repeated-measures design is associated to the absence of normality distribution of data, nonspherical covariance structures and free variation of the variance and covariance, the lack of knowledge of the error structure underlying the data, and the wrong choice of covariance structure from different selectors. In this study, levels of statistical power presented the Modified Brown Forsythe (MBF) and two procedures with the Mixed-Model Approaches (the Akaike’s Criterion, the Correctly Identified Model [CIM]) are compared. The data were analyzed using Monte Carlo simulation method with the statistical package SAS 9.2, a split-plot design, and considering six manipulated variables. The results show that the procedures exhibit high statistical power levels for within and interactional effects, and moderate and low levels for the between-groups effects under the different conditions analyzed. For the latter, only the Modified Brown Forsythe shows high level of power mainly for groups with 30 cases and Unstructured (UN) and Autoregressive Heterogeneity (ARH) matrices. For this reason, we recommend using this procedure since it exhibits higher levels of power for all effects and does not require a matrix type that underlies the structure of the data. Future research needs to be done in order to compare the power with corrected selectors using single-level and multilevel designs for fixed and random effects.
How Will Earth Respond to Plans for Carbon Dioxide Removal?
Authors: Lenton Andrew , Keller David , Pfister Patrik
Published: March 2017

First Workshop of the Carbon Dioxide Removal Model Intercomparison Project; Potsdam, Germany, 20–22 September 2016
Erratum: Genetic contributions to self-reported tiredness
Authors: Deary V , Hagenaars S P , Harris S E , Hill W D , Davies G , Liewald D C M ,   International Consortium for Blood Pressure GWAS,   CHARGE consortium Aging and Longevity Group,   CHARGE consortium Inflammation Group, McIntosh A M , Gale C R , Deary I J
Published: March 2017

Correction to: Molecular Psychiatry (2017) advance online publication 14 February 2017; doi:10.1038/mp.2017.5 Following publication of this paper, the authors noticed a mistake in Tables 3 and 4 and Figure 3. The genetic correlation between tiredness and C-reactive protein was displayed as 0.0165, but the correct genetic correlation is 0.
Hippocampal and prefrontal processing of network topology to simulate the future
Authors: Javadi Amir-Homayoun , Emo Beatrix , Howard Lorelei R. , Zisch Fiona E. , Yu Yichao , Knight Rebecca , Pinelo Silva Joao , Spiers Hugo J.
Published: March 2017

Topological networks lie at the heart of our cities and social milieu. However, it remains unclear how and when the brain processes topological structures to guide future behaviour during everyday life. Using fMRI in humans and a simulation of London (UK), here we show that, specifically when new streets are entered during navigation of the city, right posterior hippocampal activity indexes the change in the number of local topological connections available for future travel and right anterior hippocampal activity reflects global properties of the street entered. When forced detours require re-planning of the route to the goal, bilateral inferior lateral prefrontal activity scales with the planning demands of a breadth-first search of future paths. These results help shape models of how hippocampal and prefrontal regions support navigation, planning and future simulation.
An NS-segment exonic splicing enhancer regulates influenza A virus replication in mammalian cells
Authors: Huang Xiaofeng , Zheng Min , Wang Pui , Mok Bobo Wing-Yee , Liu Siwen , Lau Siu-Ying , Chen Pin , Liu Yen-Chin , Liu Honglian , Chen Yixin , Song Wenjun , Yuen Kwok-Yung , Chen Honglin
Published: March 2017

Influenza virus utilizes host splicing machinery to process viral mRNAs expressed from both M and NS segments. Through genetic analysis and functional characterization, we here show that the NS segment of H7N9 virus contains a unique G540A substitution, located within a previously undefined exonic splicing enhancer (ESE) motif present in the NEP mRNA of influenza A viruses. G540A supports virus replication in mammalian cells while retaining replication ability in avian cells. Host splicing regulator, SF2, interacts with this ESE to regulate splicing of NEP/NS1 mRNA and G540A substitution affects SF2–ESE interaction. The NS1 protein directly interacts with SF2 in the nucleus and modulates splicing of NS mRNAs during virus replication. We demonstrate that splicing of NEP/NS1 mRNA is regulated through a cis NEP-ESE motif and suggest a unique NEP-ESE may contribute to provide H7N9 virus with the ability to both circulate efficiently in avian hosts and replicate in mammalian cells.
Remineralization of particulate organic carbon in an ocean oxygen minimum zone
Authors: Cavan E. L. , Trimmer M. , Shelley F. , Sanders R.
Published: March 2017

Biological oceanic processes, principally the surface production, sinking and interior remineralization of organic particles, keep atmospheric CO2 lower than if the ocean was abiotic. The remineralization length scale (RLS, the vertical distance over which organic particle flux declines by 63%, affected by particle respiration, fragmentation and sinking rates) controls the size of this effect and is anomalously high in oxygen minimum zones (OMZ). Here we show in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific OMZ 70% of POC remineralization is due to microbial respiration, indicating that the high RLS is the result of lower particle fragmentation by zooplankton, likely due to the almost complete absence of zooplankton particle interactions in OMZ waters. Hence, the sensitivity of zooplankton to ocean oxygen concentrations can have direct implications for atmospheric carbon sequestration. Future expansion of OMZs is likely to increase biological ocean carbon storage and act as a negative feedback on climate change.
LRRK2 levels in immune cells are increased in Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Cook D. A. , Kannarkat G. T. , Cintron A. F. , Butkovich Laura M. , Fraser Kyle B. , Chang J. , Grigoryan N. , Factor S. A. , West Andrew B. , Boss J. M. , Tansey M. G.
Published: March 2017

Mutations associated with leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 are the most common known cause of Parkinson’s disease. The known expression of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 in immune cells and its negative regulatory function of nuclear factor of activated T cells implicates leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 in the development of the inflammatory environment characteristic of Parkinson’s disease. The aim of this study was to determine the expression pattern of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 in immune cell subsets and correlate it with the immunophenotype of cells from Parkinson’s disease and healthy subjects. For immunophenotyping, blood cells from 40 Parkinson’s disease patients and 32 age and environment matched-healthy control subjects were analyzed by flow cytometry. Multiplexed immunoassays were used to measure cytokine output of stimulated cells. Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 expression was increased in B cells (p = 0.0095), T cells (p = 0.029), and CD16+ monocytes (p = 0.01) of Parkinson’s disease patients compared to healthy controls. Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 induction was also increased in monocytes and dividing T cells in Parkinson’s disease patients compared to healthy controls. In addition, Parkinson’s disease patient monocytes secreted more inflammatory cytokines compared to healthy control, and cytokine expression positively correlated with leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 expression in T cells from Parkinson’s disease but not healthy controls. Finally, the regulatory surface protein that limits T-cell activation signals, CTLA-4 (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4), was decreased in Parkinson’s disease compared to HC in T cells (p = 0.029). In sum, these findings suggest that leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 has a regulatory role in immune cells and Parkinson’s disease. Functionally, the positive correlations between leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 expression levels in T-cell subsets, cytokine expression and secretion, and T-cell activation states suggest that targeting leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 with therapeutic interventions could have direct effects on immune cell function.
Cooperation and competition shape ecological resistance during periodic spatial disturbance of engineered bacteria
Authors: Wilson Cortney E. , Lopatkin Allison J. , Craddock Travis J. A. , Driscoll William W. , Eldakar Omar Tonsi , Lopez Jose V. , Smith Robert P.
Published: March 2017

Cooperation is fundamental to the survival of many bacterial species. Previous studies have shown that spatial structure can both promote and suppress cooperation. Most environments where bacteria are found are periodically disturbed, which can affect the spatial structure of the population. Despite the important role that spatial disturbances play in maintaining ecological relationships, it remains unclear as to how periodic spatial disturbances affect bacteria dependent on cooperation for survival. Here, we use bacteria engineered with a strong Allee effect to investigate how the frequency of periodic spatial disturbances affects cooperation. We show that at intermediate frequencies of spatial disturbance, the ability of the bacterial population to cooperate is perturbed. A mathematical model demonstrates that periodic spatial disturbance leads to a tradeoff between accessing an autoinducer and accessing nutrients, which determines the ability of the bacteria to cooperate. Based on this relationship, we alter the ability of the bacteria to access an autoinducer. We show that increased access to an autoinducer can enhance cooperation, but can also reduce ecological resistance, defined as the ability of a population to resist changes due to disturbance. Our results may have implications in maintaining stability of microbial communities and in the treatment of infectious diseases.
Potential role of fecal microbiota from patients with slow transit constipation in the regulation of gastrointestinal motility
Authors: Ge Xiaolong , Zhao Wei , Ding Chao , Tian Hongliang , Xu Lizhi , Wang Hongkan , Ni Ling , Jiang Jun , Gong Jianfeng , Zhu Weiming , Zhu Minsheng , Li Ning
Published: March 2017

The gut microbiota is involved in various physiological functions, and disturbances in the host-microbiome have been proven to contribute to the dysfunction of gut; however, whether microbiota participates in the pathogenesis of constipation remains unclear. In this study, we extracted and analyzed microbiota in feces from constipated donors who had undergone effective therapy with fecal microbiota transplantation, transplanted microbiota into pseudo-germ-free mice, and measured gut motility. These mice presented with lower pellet frequency and water percentage, smaller pellet size, delayed gastrointestinal transit time, and weaker spontaneous contractions of colonic smooth muscle. To determine the mechanism underlying delayed gut motility, microbial metabolites were measured. Short chain fatty acids and secondary bile acids were decreased in mice receiving microbiota from constipated donors. Moreover, the compositional changes of gut microbiota in constipated patients were identified, including the operational taxonomic unit, and the species richness and α diversity were much greater than those in healthy volunteers. These findings suggest that alterations of the microbiome might affect gut motility via altered microbial-derived metabolites in the development of constipation, and the restoration of disturbed microbiota might improve the clinical phenotype. This study indicates that regulating the intestinal environment may be a novel therapy strategy for constipation.
Correction: Corrigendum: Endocytic recycling protein EHD1 regulates primary cilia morphogenesis and SHH signaling during neural tube development
Authors: Bhattacharyya Sohinee , Rainey Mark A. , Arya Priyanka , Mohapatra Bhopal C. , Mushtaq Insha , Dutta Samikshan , George Manju , Storck Matthew D. , McComb Rodney D. , Muirhead David , Todd Gordon L. , Gould Karen , Datta Kaustubh , Waes Janee Gelineau-van , Band Vimla , Band Hamid
Published: March 2017

Scientific Reports 6: Article number: 20727; published online: 17 February 2016; updated: 23 March 2017 A reader alerted us of a potential error in Figure 12B and its accompanying Supplementary Figure 13B, since the indicated bands for GST fusion proteins did not correspond to the distinct expected sizes.
Correction: Corrigendum: Crystallizing highly-likely subspaces that contain an unknown quantum state of light
Authors: Siah Teo Yong , Mogilevtsev Dmitri , Mikhalychev Alexander , Řeháček Jaroslav , Hradil Zdeněk
Published: March 2017

Scientific Reports 6: Article number: 38123; published online: 01 December 2016; updated: 23 March 2017 In this Article, an additional affiliation for Dmitri Mogilevtsev has been omitted. The correct affiliations for this author are listed below: Institute of Physics, Belarus National Academy of Sciences, F.