bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Testing the Use of 210Pbex to Study Sediment Connectivity in a Mediterranean Mountain Basin with Badlands
Authors: Moreno‐de las Heras Mariano , Gallart Francesc , Latron Jérôme , Martínez‐Carreras Núria , Ferrer Laura , Estrany Joan
Published: February 2017

Basin management demands a sound understanding of sediment dynamics, particularly in Mediterranean mountain catchments with badlands, which affect water bodies and freshwater ecosystems. Connectivity has emerged as a framework for understanding how sediments move between geomorphic zones. We analyse the feasibility of excess lead‐210 (210Pbex) to study sediment connectivity in a 4‐km2 Mediterranean mountain basin with badlands (Vallcebre research catchments, Eastern Pyrenees) by applying mass‐balance models for hypothesis generation and experimental testing. Badlands in the area are weathered by freezing during the winter and are eroded in summer by high‐intensity showers. The eroded sediments may remain deposited within the streams from months to years. Application of 210Pbex balance models in our basin suggests: (i) a saw‐tooth seasonal pattern of badland surface 210Pbex activities (increasing from October to May, and depleted in summer) and (ii) a downstream increase in sediment activity due to fallout lead‐210 accumulation in stream‐bed sediment deposits. Our experimental results (obtained during 2013 and 2014) showed low sediment 210Pbex concentrations, illustrating the fresh‐rock origin of sediments, but also hampering their study due to high measurement uncertainty (especially for sediments with d50 > 20 μm) and dependence on sampling methods. Suspended sediment 210Pbex activity reproduced the simulated seasonal activity patterns for the badland surfaces. However, sediment activity decreased downstream, suggesting that flushing of fine sediments by flooding prevents fallout lead‐210 accumulation on the stream bed. Overall, high sediment connectivity was revealed between the badlands, streams and outlet of the basin, as well as the fast transmission of 210Pbex by the finest sediment fraction. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Introduction of Woody Plants for Freshwater Wetland Restoration Alters the Archaeal Community Structure in Soil
Authors: Liu Xiao‐Yan , Tao Kai‐Yun , Sun Jing , He Chi‐Quan , Cui Jun , Chen Xue‐Ping
Published: February 2017

Due to the severe degradation of wetland ecosystems in China, great efforts, such as the reconstruction of forested wetlands, have been devoted to restore the damaged and degraded wetlands to support species diversity and ecosystem services. However, less attention has been given to the diversity and ecological significance of prokaryotes of the domain Archaea compared with prokaryotes of the domain Bacteria during the reconstruction of forested wetlands. Here, the effects of introduced woody plants (Taxodium distichumandAlnus trabeculosa) on the archaeal community in a freshwater wetland in the Yangtze estuary were investigated. The results showed that Thaumarchaeota obviously predominated at three studied sites in the freshwater wetland, the relative abundance of which decreased with increasing depth, ranging from 93.9% (0–10 cm) to 1.9% (30–40 cm) in mudflats, from 100% (0–10 cm) to 64.8% (30–40 cm) inT. distichumsediment and from 100% (0–10 cm) to 66.7% (40–50 cm) inA. trabeculosasediment. The abundances of the archaealamoAgene in woody plant sediments, ranging from 3.27 × 107to 2.45 × 108copies g−1dry soil, were significantly higher than those in bare mudflat, ranging from 9.23 × 106to 1.35 × 107copies g−1dry soil. The archaeal community, which was significantly affected by pH, microbial carbon and SO42−contents according to a canonical correspondence analysis, was significantly altered by plants and soil depth (p< 0.05). These results indicated that the introduction of woody plants stimulates the proliferation of Thaumarchaeota, especially ammonia‐oxidizing archaea, which could be important contributors to the N cycle in forested wetland ecosystems. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The choice of the DNA extraction method may influence the outcome of the soil microbial community structure analysis
Authors: Zielińska Sylwia , Radkowski Piotr , Blendowska Aleksandra , Ludwig‐Gałęzowska Agnieszka , Łoś Joanna M. , Łoś Marcin
Published: February 2017

Metagenomics approaches and recent improvements in the next‐generation sequencing methods, have become a method of choice in establishing a microbial population structure. Many commercial soil DNA extraction kits are available and due to their efficiency they are replacing traditional extraction protocols. However, differences in the physicochemical properties of soil samples require optimization of DNA extraction techniques for each sample separately. The aim of this study was to compare the efficiency, quality, and diversity of genetic material extracted with the use of commonly used kits. The comparative analysis of microbial community composition, displayed differences in microbial community structure depending on which kit was used. Statistical analysis indicated significant differences in recovery of the genetic material for 24 out of 32 analyzed phyla, and the most pronounced differences were seen for Actinobacteria. Also, diversity indexes and reproducibility of DNA extraction with the use of a given kit, varied among the tested methods. As the extraction protocol may influence the apparent structure of a microbial population, at the beginning of each project many extraction kits should be tested in order to choose one that would yield the most representative results and present the closest view to the actual structure of microbial population.
Minimal clinically important differences for the experiences of daily living parts of movement disorder society–sponsored unified Parkinson's disease rating scale
Authors: Horváth Krisztina , Aschermann Zsuzsanna , Kovács Márton , Makkos Attila , Harmat Márk , Janszky József , Komoly Sámuel , Karádi Kázmér , Kovács Norbert
Published: February 2017

Background: The minimal clinically important difference is the smallest change of scores clinically meaningful to patients.

Objectives: We aimed to calculate these threshold values in association with the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society UPDRS (MDS‐UPDRS) Parts I and II and to evaluate the feasibility of the composite score of Part I and II (MDS‐UPDRS I+II) as an outcome.

Methods: Nine hundred eighty‐five paired investigations of 365 patients were reviewed, implementing three different techniques simultaneously.

Results: Based on the ordinal regression modeling, the MDS‐UPDRS I+II score is an applicable outcome measure. Any improvement greater than 2.64 points or any worsening more than 2.45 points on MDS‐UPDRS Part I represent a minimal, yet clinically meaningful change. In reference to Part II, the smallest changes considered clinically relevant were 3.05 and 2.51 points for improvement and deterioration, respectively. The thresholds for MDS‐UPDRS I+II were 5.73 points for improvement and 4.70 points for worsening.

Conclusions: Our minimal clinically important difference thresholds can be utilized in clinical practice in judging clinical relevance. © 2016 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Nationwide genetic analysis for molecularly unresolved cystic fibrosis patients in a multiethnic society: implications for preconception carrier screening
Authors: Behar Doron M. , Inbar Ori , Shteinberg Michal , Gur Michal , Mussaffi Huda , Shoseyov David , Ashkenazi Moshe , Alkrinawi Soliman , Bormans Concetta , Hakim Fahed , Mei‐Zahav Meir , Cohen‐Cymberknoh Malena , Dagan Adi , Prais Dario , Sarouk Ifat , Stafler Patrick , Bar Aluma Bat El , Akler Gidon , Picard Elie , Aviram Micha , Efrati Ori , Livnat Galit , Rivlin Joseph , Bentur Lea , Blau Hannah , Kerem Eitan , Singer Amihood
Published: February 2017

Background

Preconception carrier screening for cystic fibrosis (CF) is usually performed using ethnically targeted panels of selected mutations. This has been recently challenged by the use of expanded, ethnically indifferent, pan‐population panels. Israel is characterized by genetically heterogeneous populations carrying a wide range of CFTR mutations. To assess the potential of expanding the current Israeli preconception screening program, we sought the subset of molecularly unresolved CF patients listed in the Israeli CF data registry comprising ~650 patients.

Methods

An Israeli nationwide genotyping of 152 CF cases, representing 176 patients lacking molecular diagnosis, was conducted. Molecular analysis included Sanger sequencing for all exons and splice sites, multiplex ligation probe amplification (MLPA), and next‐generation sequencing of the poly‐T/TG tracts.

Results

We identified 54 different mutations, of which only 16 overlapped the 22 mutations included in the Israeli preconception screening program. A total of 29/54 (53.7%) mutations were already listed as CF causing by the CFTR2 database, and only 4/54 (7.4%) were novel. Molecular diagnosis was reached in 78/152 (51.3%) cases. Prenatal diagnosis of 24/78 (30.8%) cases could have been achieved by including all CFTR2‐causing mutations in the Israeli panel.

Conclusions

Our data reveal an overwhelming hidden abundance of CFTR gene mutations suggesting that expanded preconception carrier screening might achieve higher preconception detection rates.
Synchronization of complex networks with time‐varying inner coupling and outer coupling matrices
Authors: Zhang Chuan , Wang Xingyuan , Wang Chunpeng
Published: February 2017

Synchronization of complex networks with time‐varying coupling matrices is studied in this paper. Two kinds of time‐varying coupling are taken into account. One is the time‐varying inner coupling in the node state space and the other is the time‐varying outer coupling in the network topology space. By respectively setting linear controllers and adaptive controllers, time‐varying complex networks can be synchronized to a desired state. Meanwhile, different influences of the control parameters of linear controllers and adaptive controllers on the synchronization have also been investigated. Based on the Lyapunov function theory, we construct appropriate positive‐definite functions, and several sufficient synchronization criteria are obtained. Numerical simulations further illustrate the effectiveness of conclusions. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effects of exogenous fatty acids and niacin on human monocyte‐macrophage plasticity
Authors: Montserrat‐de la Paz Sergio , Rodriguez Dolores , Cardelo Magdalena P. , Naranjo Maria C. , Bermudez Beatriz , Abia Rocio , Muriana Francisco J.G. , Lopez Sergio
Published: February 2017

Scope

Macrophage plasticity allows adapting to different environments, having a dual activity in inflammatory‐related diseases. Our hypothesis is that the type of dietary fatty acids into human postprandial triglyceride‐rich lipoproteins (TRLs), alone or in combination with niacin (vitamin B3), could modulate the plasticity of monocytes‐macrophages.

Methods and results

We isolated TRLs at the postprandial peak from blood samples of healthy volunteers after the ingestion of a meal rich in saturated fatty acids (SFAs), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) or MUFAs plus omega‐3 long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs). Autologous monocytes isolated at fasting were first induced to differentiate into naïve macrophages. We observed that postprandial TRL‐MUFAs, particularly in combination with niacin, enhance competence to monocytes to differentiate and polarise into M2 macrophages. Postprandial TRL‐SFAs made polarised macrophages prone to an M1 phenotype. In contrast to dietary SFAs, dietary MUFAs in the meals plus immediate‐release niacin primed circulating monocytes for a reduced postprandial pro‐inflammatory profile.

Conclusion

Our study underlines a role of postprandial TRLs as a metabolic entity in regulating the plasticity of the monocyte‐macrophage lineage and also brings an understanding of the mechanisms by which dietary fatty acids are environmental factors fostering the innate immune responsiveness in humans.
Thermal properties of glass fiber reinforced polyamide 6 composites throughout the direct long‐fiber reinforced thermoplastic process
Authors: Whitfield Thomas , Kuboki Takashi , Wood Jeffrey , Ugresic Vanja , Sathyanarayana Shyam , Dagnon Koffi
Published: February 2017

The direct long‐fiber reinforced thermoplastic (D‐LFT) process offers a streamlined material processing technique and decreases the degradation of the material. To ensure product consistency and process optimization, it is imperative to understand how the process sequence affects degradation and thermal properties of the material during the D‐LFT process. This study investigates variation in molecular weight and thermal properties of the glass fiber reinforced polyamide 6 (PA6) composites throughout the D‐LFT process. Viscosity number (VN) measurements, thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses were performed on samples taken from different locations along the D‐LFT process. It was found that VN, which is a measure of molecular weight of the PA6 base resin, decreased throughout the processes. In contrast, TGA results suggested that apparent activation energy for decomposition increased during consecutive process stages. Non‐isothermal DSC results showed that there were no significant changes to the degree of crystallization; however, isothermal DSC results indicated that later stages of the process showed a decrease in crystallization half‐time, and the largest changes were observed in areas after the two extrusion portions of the process. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 58:46–54, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers
Iodine Pentoxide Nano‐rods for High Density Energetic Materials
Authors: Hobosyan Mkhitar A. , Martirosyan Karen S.
Published: February 2017

The iodine pentoxide is one of the most advanced oxidizers for nanostructured energetic formulations among the thermites due to the highest energy release per volume 25.7 kJ cm−3. The size and shape of iodine pentoxide particles have a strong impact on the pressurization rates during the reaction. Although micro‐sized iodine pentoxide particles are commercially available, nano‐sized particles, which are desired for various nano‐energetic applications, are not available on the market. Conventional wet chemical methods are unable to produce iodine pentoxide nanoparticles due to high solubility in water. In this study, we demonstrate fabrication of iodine pentoxide nano‐rods by high energy mechanical treatment of micro‐sized I2O5 particles. Tuning the energy dose in high‐energy ball milling is allowing to produce I2O5 nano‐rods with diameter of 50–100 nm and length of 300–600 nm. The produced nano‐rods exhibited 10 % smaller decomposition energy compared to the precursor of micro particles. The experiments showed that the nano‐energetic materials prepared with nano‐sized I2O5 rods have pressure discharge value of 43.4 MPa g−1 which is two times higher than using commercial iodine pentoxide particles.
Efficient Sensitivity Reducing and Hygroscopicity Preventing of Ultra‐Fine Ammonium Perchlorate for High Burning‐Rate Propellants
Authors: Yang Zhijian , Gong Feiyan , Ding Ling , Li Yubin , Yang Guangcheng , Nie Fude
Published: February 2017

In this research, several inert materials, including some functional carbon materials, paraffin wax and the well‐known insensitive energetic material 1,3,5‐triamino‐2,4,6‐trinitrobenzene (TATB) were selected to reduce the undesirable high sensitivity and hygroscopicity of ultra‐fine ammonium perchlorate (UF‐AP) via polymer modified coating. Structure, sensitivity, thermal and hygroscopicity performances of the UF‐AP based composites were systematically studied by scanning electron microscopy, sensitivity tests, thermal experiments, contact angle, and hygroscopicity analysis. The results showed that both the impact and friction sensitivity of UF‐AP can be remarkably reduced, respectively, with only a small amount of 2 % (in mass) desensitization agents. Meanwhile, improved thermal decomposition was gained, and the hygroscopicity can also be reduced to a large extent. Propellants containing 10 % coated UF‐AP in mass were processed and tested, the burning rate reached 45.7 mm s−1, 50 % higher compared with that of normal AP, with remarkably reduced impact sensitivity from 11.5 J to 29.6 J and friction sensitivity from 76 % to 28 %.
BECN2 interacts with ATG14 through a metastable coiled‐coil to mediate autophagy
Authors: Su Minfei , Li Yue , Wyborny Shane , Neau David , Chakravarthy Srinivas , Levine Beth , Colbert Christopher L. , Sinha Sangita C.
Published: February 2017

ATG14 binding to BECN/Beclin homologs is essential for autophagy, a critical catabolic homeostasis pathway. Here, we show that the α‐helical, coiled‐coil domain (CCD) of BECN2, a recently identified mammalian BECN1 paralog, forms an antiparallel, curved homodimer with seven pairs of nonideal packing interactions, while the BECN2 CCD and ATG14 CCD form a parallel, curved heterodimer stabilized by multiple, conserved polar interactions. Compared to BECN1, the BECN2 CCD forms a weaker homodimer, but binds more tightly to the ATG14 CCD. Mutation of nonideal BECN2 interface residues to more ideal pairs improves homodimer self‐association and thermal stability. Unlike BECN1, all BECN2 CCD mutants bind ATG14, although more weakly than wild type. Thus, polar BECN2 CCD interface residues result in a metastable homodimer, facilitating dissociation, but enable better interactions with polar ATG14 residues stabilizing the BECN2:ATG14 heterodimer. These structure‐based mechanistic differences in BECN1 and BECN2 homodimerization and heterodimerization likely dictate competitive ATG14 recruitment.
Chemical lift‐off process for nitride LEDs from an Eco‐GaN template using an AlN/strip‐patterned‐SiO2 sacrificial layer
Authors: Horng Ray‐Hua , Hsueh Hsu‐Hung , Ou Sin‐Liang , Tsai Chi‐Tsung , Tsai Tsung‐Yen , Wuu Dong‐Sing
Published: February 2017

In this research, a nitride light‐emitting diode (LED) fabricated on an electroplated Cu substrate can be removed from a GaN/sapphire (Eco‐GaN) template by conducting the chemical lift‐off (CLO) process using an AlN/strip‐patterned‐SiO2 intermediate sacrificial layer. The regrowth GaN epilayer deposited on AlN/patterned SiO2/Eco‐GaN can achieve a high crystal quality via the epitaxial lateral overgrowth process. To etch the patterned SiO2 and AlN layers, the HF and 80 °C‐KOH solutions were used, respectively. Due to the use of low‐temperature KOH solution, the GaN epilayer would suffer less damage during the CLO process, improving the reuse feasibility for the Eco‐GaN template. Moreover, when the etching treatment was used for the AlN layer, a highly lateral etching rate of 0.5 mm h−1 was achieved. Compared to the conventional LED, the vertical‐type LED/Cu substrate had a higher output power of 212 mW (at 350 mA). Based on our estimation, the output power of LED prepared on Cu substrate had an 86% improvement in comparison to that of conventional LED. Obviously, the good optoelectronic performance of the LED/Cu device can be obtained after performing the CLO process. Furthermore, the separated Eco‐GaN template has high potential for reuse applications, indicating that this technique is helpful to the cost‐effective LED fabrication.
Estimation of graphene surface stability against the adsorption of environmental and technological chemical agents
Authors: Kvashnin Alexander G. , Avramov Pavel V. , Sakai Seiji , Nechaev Yuri S. , Sorokin Pavel B.
Published: February 2017

The ability of graphene to resist the chemical transformations caused by chemisorption of several environmental and technological chemical agents (H2, O2, H2O, H2O2) was studied using DFT ab initio calculations of potential energy surfaces of adsorption on perfect and defect (single vacancy and Stone–Wales defect) graphene with zero and finite curvature. Beside the evident result that structural imperfections such as curvature and atomic defects make graphene chemically vulnerable, it was found that the two kinds of impact of vacancies and Stone–Wales defects on the chemical stability of a sp2‐hybridized carbon lattice are essentially different. In the latter case, chemisorption barriers for any kind of chemical agents decrease with increasing curvature but, in the case of single vacancies the finite curvature lowers the adsorption probability for oxygen‐based molecules. In general, it was shown that single‐layered graphene could be used as an effective protecting coating against environmental and technological chemical agents.
Revisiting Bloch oscillations in homogeneous and binary chains from an exact quantum mechanical perspective
Authors: Lyra M. L. , Caetano R. A.
Published: February 2017

We present an exact analytic approach to study Bloch oscillations which allows to study cases where the semiclassical arguments are not valid. The method is focused on the velocity operator V. Two representative examples are addressed here: (i) the superposition of AC and DC electric fields in a one‐dimensional chain and (ii) the binary uni‐dimensional chain under the action of a static electric field. For the first case, it is demonstrated that, depending on the frequency of the AC field, an unidirectional movement emerges whose velocity depends on the magnitude of the AC and DC fields, on the phase of the AC field and on the convolution of the initial wavepacket with itself displaced by one lattice spacement. We also show the limit where the semiclassical approach can be used. For the second case, we show that the transition between two mini‐bands plays a significant role in the dynamics of the electronic wavepacket. In this case, the Bloch oscillations are characterized by two main frequencies and combinations of them.
Experimental evaluation of magnified haptic feedback for robot‐assisted needle insertion and palpation
Authors: Meli Leonardo , Pacchierotti Claudio , Prattichizzo Domenico
Published: February 2017

Background

Haptic feedback has been proven to play a key role in enhancing the performance of teleoperated medical procedures. However, due to safety issues, commercially‐available medical robots do not currently provide the clinician with haptic feedback.

Methods

This work presents the experimental evaluation of a teleoperation system for robot‐assisted medical procedures able to provide magnified haptic feedback to the clinician. Forces registered at the operating table are magnified and provided to the clinician through a 7‐DoF haptic interface. The same interface is also used to control the motion of a 6‐DoF slave robotic manipulator. The safety of the system is guaranteed by a time‐domain passivity‐based control algorithm.

Results

Two experiments were carried out on stiffness discrimination (during palpation and needle insertion) and one experiment on needle guidance.

Conclusions

Our haptic‐enabled teleoperation system improved the performance with respect to direct hand interaction of 80%, 306%, and 27% in stiffness discrimination through palpation, stiffness discrimination during needle insertion, and guidance, respectively.
Adaptation and disturbance rejection for output synchronization of incrementally output–feedback passive systems
Authors: Kim Hongkeun , De Persis Claudio
Published: February 2017

This paper addresses the output synchronization problem of incrementally output–feedback passive nonlinear systems in the presence of exogenous disturbances. Two kinds of distributed controllers are proposed: one placed at the nodes and the other placed at the edges. Each of them is synthesized on the basis of the adaptive control method to cope with the shortage of passivity and on the internal model principle to deal with the disturbances. The proposed controllers synchronize the outputs of the nonlinear systems when the solution of the closed‐loop system is bounded. On the basis of this, we present a class of systems for which the boundedness of the solutions is guaranteed. The analysis used in this paper is also applicable to a case where systems are coupled via links modeled by dynamical systems. Simulation results of a network of Van der Pol oscillators show the effectiveness of the proposed methods. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Robust direct data‐driven controller tuning with an application to vehicle stability control
Authors: Formentin S. , Garatti S. , Rallo G. , Savaresi S. M.
Published: February 2017

In direct data‐driven controller tuning, a mathematical model of the plant is not needed, as the control law is directly derived from experimental data. Because the most widely used data‐driven techniques are based on the assumption that the underlying dynamics – albeit unknow – is linear, the performance of the resulting controller may not be acceptable with systems whose operating region vary along the time. In this paper, we discuss how to robustify linear data‐driven design by exploiting the features of scenario optimization. More specifically, we carry out a modified version of the well known virtual reference feedback tuning approach where probabilistic performance guarantees are given also when the current operating condition is different from the one observed in the controller identification experiment. We validate the proposed approach on a vehicle stability control problem, via a thorough simulation campaign on a multibody simulator. The experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach in a complex real‐world setting. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Certificateless encryption secure against selective opening attack
Authors: Wang Huige , Chen Kefei , Qin Baodong , Wang Liangliang
Published: February 2017

The notion of selective opening attacks (SOAs) was first introduced by Dwork et al. at FOCS'99. Informally, an encryption scheme is SOA secure if an adversary is given a vector of ciphertexts and can adaptively corrupt some fraction of them by obtaining not only their messages but also their randomness, the uncorrupted ciphertexts retain secure. Provably achieving security against SOA has been proven extremely challenging. In this paper, we propose a security model to capture simulation‐based selective opening chosen‐plaintext attacks (SIM‐SO‐CPA) for certificateless encryption. We provide a concrete construction and prove its security in our simulation‐based selective opening chosen‐plaintext attack security model, based on the real or random and computational Diffie–Hellman assumptions. Compared with previous SOA‐secure public key encryption and identity‐based encryption, our certificateless encryption scheme is more simple and efficient. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Magneto‐Photoluminescence Based on Two‐Photon Excitation in Lanthanide‐Doped Up‐Conversion Crystal Particles
Authors: Xu Hengxing , Qin Wei , Li Mingxing , Wu Ting , Hu Bin
Published: February 2017

Experimental studies on magneto‐photoluminescence based on two‐photon excitation in up‐conversion Y2O2S:Er, Yb crystal particles are reported. It is found that the up‐conversion photoluminescence generated by two‐photon excitation exhibits magnetic field effects at room temperature, leading to a two‐photon excitation‐induced magneto‐photoluminescence, when the two‐photon excitation exceeds the critical intensity. By considering the spin selection rule in electronic transitions, it is proposed that spin‐antiparallel and spin‐parallel transition dipoles with spin mixing are accountable for the observed magneto‐photoluminescence. Specifically, the two‐photon excitation generates spin‐antiparallel electric dipoles between 4S3/2–4I15/2 in Er3+ ions. The antiparallel spins are conserved by exchange interaction within dipoles. When the photoexcitation exceeds the critical intensity, the Coulomb screening can decrease the exchange interaction. Consequently, the spin–orbital coupling can partially convert the antiparallel dipoles into parallel dipoles, generating a spin mixing. Eventually, the populations between antiparallel and parallel dipoles reach an equilibrium established by the competition between exchange interaction and spin–orbital coupling. Applying a magnetic field can break the equilibrium by disturbing spin mixing through introducing spin precessions, changing the spin populations on antiparallel and parallel dipoles and leading to the magneto‐photoluminescence. Therefore, spin‐dependent transition dipoles present a convenient mechanism to realize magneto‐photoluminescence in multiphoton up‐conversion crystal particles.
Ultrathin Anatase TiO2 Nanosheets for High‐Performance Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production
Authors: Li Ming , Chen Ying , Li Wei , Li Xiang , Tian He , Wei Xiao , Ren Zhaohui , Han Gaorong
Published: February 2017

An ethanol solvothermal route has been developed to prepare ultrathin anatase TiO2 nanosheets with dominant {001} facets (≈97%), a thickness of ≈2.5 nm, and a side length of ≈200 nm. The introduction of ethanol solvent significantly enhances the content of surface chemisorbed F− on the TiO2 nanosheet, which has a higher stability and further lowers the surface energy of {001} facets, giving rise to the large percentage of active {001} facets. Adopting well‐defined morphology, such nanosheets loaded with 1 wt% Pt exhibit an H2 evolution rate as high as 17.86 mmol h−1 g−1, and the corresponding apparent quantum efficiency has been determined to be 34.2%.
TMAP: Discovering relevant API methods through text mining of API documentation
Authors: Pandita Rahul , Jetley Raoul , Sudarsan Sithu , Menzies Timothy , Williams Laurie
Published: February 2017

Developers often migrate their applications to support various platform/programming‐language application programming interfaces (APIs) to retain existing users and to attract new users. To migrate an application written using 1 API (source) to another API (target), a developer must know how the methods in the source API map to the methods in the target API. Given that a typical platform or language exposes a large number of API methods, manually discovering API mappings is prohibitively resource‐intensive and may be error prone. The goal of this research is to support software developers in migrating an application from a source API to a target API by automatically discovering relevant method mappings across APIs using text mining on the natural language API method descriptions. This paper proposes text mining based approach (TMAP) to discover relevant API mappings. To evaluate our approach, we used TMAP to discover API mappings for 15 classes across (1) Java and C# API; and (2) Java ME and Android API. We compared the discovered mappings with state‐of‐the‐art source code analysis‐based approaches: Rosetta and StaMiner. Our results indicate that TMAP on average found relevant mappings for 56% and 57% more methods compared to the Rosetta and the StaMiner approaches, respectively.
Particle fracture and debonding during orthogonal machining of metal matrix composites
Authors: Pramanik A. , Zhang L. C.
Published: February 2017

This paper investigates the particle fracture and debonding during machining of metal matrix composite (MMC) due to developed stress and strain, and interaction with moving tool by finite element analysis. The machining zone was divided into three regions: primary, secondary and tertiary deformation zones. The tendency of particles to fracture in each deformation zone was investigated. The findings of this study were also discussed with respect to the experimental results available in the literature. It was found that particles at the cutting path in the tertiary deformation zone fractured as it interacted with tool. In the secondary deformation zone, particles interacted with other particles as well as cutting tool. This caused debonding and fracture of huge number of particles as those were moving up along the rake face with the chips. No particle fracture was noted at the primary deformation zone. The results obtained from finite element analysis were very similar to those obtained from experimental studies.
Salience, central executive, and sensorimotor network functional connectivity alterations in failed back surgery syndrome
Authors: Kolesar Tiffany A. , Bilevicius Elena , Kornelsen Jennifer
Published: February 2017

Objective

This study examined the altered patterns of functional connectivity in task-positive resting state networks in failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) patients compared to healthy controls using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This work stems from a previous study in which alterations in the task-negative default mode network were investigated.

Design

Participants underwent a 7-minute resting state fMRI scan in which they lay still, with eyes closed, in the absence of a task.

Setting

Scanning took place at the National Research Council’s 3 Tesla MRI magnet in Winnipeg, Canada.

Subjects

Fourteen patients with FBSS and age- and gender-matched controls participated in this study. Three patients were removed from the analyses due to image artefact (n = 1) and effective pain treatment (n = 2). Eleven patients (5 female, mean age 52.7 years) and their matched controls were included in the final analyses.

Methods

Resting state fMRI data were analyzed using an independent component analysis, yielding three resting state networks of interest: the salience network (SN), involved in detection of external stimuli, central executive network (CEN), involved in cognitions, and sensorimotor network (SeN), involved in sensory and motor integration. Analysis of Variance contrasts were performed for each network, comparing functional connectivity differences between FBSS patients and healthy controls.

Results

Alterations were observed in all three resting state networks, primarily relating to pain and its processing in the FBSS group. Specifically, compared to healthy controls, FBSS patients demonstrated increased functional connectivity in the anterior cingulate cortex within the SN, medial frontal gyrus in the CEN, and precentral gyrus within the SeN. FBSS patients also demonstrated decreased functional connectivity in the medial frontal gyrus in the SeN compared to healthy controls. Interestingly, we also observed internetwork functional connectivity in the SN and SeN.

Conclusions

FBSS is associated with altered patterns of functional connectivity in the SN, CEN, and SeN. Taken together with our previous work, this reveals that a chronic pain condition can have a dramatic effect on the connectivity of multiple resting state networks.

Implications

These data suggest that a chronic pain condition—FBSS—is associated with disruptions to networks of functional connectivity in brain areas that are involved in numerous functions, including pain processing, sensation, and movement. It is possible that the alterations in these networks may contribute to other common chronic pain comorbidities, such as disrupted cognitions or anxiety. Previous research shows that during experimentally-induced pain, these networks can return to initial levels of functioning, indicating that these functional alterations are likely not permanent.
Tolerability and safety of the intake of bovine milk oligosaccharides extracted from cheese whey in healthy human adults
Authors: Smilowitz Jennifer T. , Lemay Danielle G. , Kalanetra Karen M. , Chin Elizabeth L. , Zivkovic Angela M. , Breck Melissa A. , German J. Bruce , Mills David A. , Slupsky Carolyn , Barile Daniela
Published: February 2017

Mechanistic research suggests a unique evolutionary relationship between complex milk oligosaccharides and cognate bifidobacteria enriched in breast-fed infants. Bovine milk oligosaccharides (BMO) were recently identified as structurally and functionally similar to human milk oligosaccharides. The present single-blind three-way crossover study is the first to determine the safety and tolerability of BMO consumption by healthy human participants (n 12) and its effects on faecal microbiota and microbial metabolism. Participants consumed each supplement (placebo-control; low- and high-BMO doses) for eleven consecutive days, followed by a 2-week washout period prior to initiating the next supplement arm. Low and high BMO doses were consumed as 25 and 35 % of each individual's daily fibre intake, respectively. Safety and tolerability were measured using standardised questionnaires on gut and stomach discomfort and stool consistency. Faecal extracts were profiled for bacterial populations by next-generation sequencing (NGS) and bifidobacteria presence was confirmed using quantitative PCR. Urine was analysed for changes in microbial metabolism using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-NMR). Consumption of both the low and high BMO doses was well tolerated and did not change stool consistency from baseline. Multivariate analysis of the NGS results demonstrated no change in faecal microbiota phyla among the placebo-control and BMO supplement groups. In conclusion, BMO supplementation was well tolerated in healthy adults and has the potential to shift faecal microbiota toward beneficial strains as part of a synbiotic treatment with probiotic cultures that selectively metabolise oligosaccharides.
THE LMMP FOR LOG CANONICAL 3-FOLDS IN CHARACTERISTIC
Authors: WALDRON JOE
Published: February 2017

We prove that one can run the log minimal model program for log canonical 3-fold pairs in characteristic $p>5$. In particular, we prove the cone theorem, contraction theorem, the existence of flips and the existence of log minimal models for pairs with log divisor numerically equivalent to an effective divisor. These follow from our main results, which are that certain log minimal models are good.
Photometric Asymmetry Between Clockwise and Counterclockwise Spiral Galaxies in SDSS
Authors: Shamir Lior
Published: February 2017

While galaxies with clockwise and counterclockwise handedness are visually different, they are expected to be symmetric in all of their other characteristics. Previous experiments using both manual analysis and machine vision have shown that the handedness of Sloan Digital Sky Survey galaxies can be predicted with accuracy significantly higher than mere chance using its photometric data alone. However, some of these previous experiments were based on manually classified galaxies, and the results may therefore be subjected to bias originated from the human perception. This paper describes an experiment based on a set of 162,514 galaxies classified automatically to clockwise and counterclockwise spiral galaxies, showing that the source of the asymmetry in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) database is not the human perception bias. The results are compared to two smaller datasets, and confirm the observation that the handedness of SDSS galaxies can be predicted by their photometry. The experiment also shows statistically significant differences in the measured magnitude of SDSS galaxies, according which galaxies with clockwise patterns are brighter than galaxies with counterclockwise patterns. The magnitude of that difference changes across RA ranges, and exhibits a strong correlation with the cosine of the right ascension.
Demand for Law and the Security of Property Rights: The Case of Post-Soviet Russia
Authors: GANS-MORSE JORDAN
Published: February 2017

Studies of property rights overwhelmingly focus on whether states expropriate or protect property, overlooking the crucial issue of whether private sector actors willusestate institutions. By contrast, I argue that the “supply” of formal legal institutions often fails to ensure firms will rely on the state for property rights protection. Instead, firms frequently avoid formal legal institutions and turn to illegal strategies based on violence or corruption. Whether firms adopt legal strategies depends on: (1) firm-level practices and beliefs that impede the use of law, (2) the effectiveness of illegal strategies, and (3) coordination problems resulting from firms’ expectations about each other’s strategies. Drawing on interviews with firms, lawyers, and private security agencies, as well as an original survey of Russian enterprises, I illustrate how “demand-side” factors led to a surprising increase in Russian firms’ reliance on formal legal institutions over the past two decades. The findings suggest that comprehensive understanding of property rights and the rule of law requires not only attention to state institutions’ effectiveness, but also to private actors’ strategies.
Essential fatty acids in the nutrition of severely neurologically disabled children
Authors: Hals Jardar , Bjerve K. S. , Nilsen H. , Svalastog A. G. , Ek J.
Published: February 2017

Since the food habits of many elderly people are inadequate, the first experiment of the present study tested whether flavour amplification induces changes in preferences for and consumption of food and thus might result in a nutritional benefit. Two panels, one of 260 and one of 120 subjects, aged 19–98 years, took part in the study in which preferences for flavour-amplified yoghurt and Quorn® were measured. For both products, only a few of the young subjects (20 %) preferred the high flavour level; the percentage of subjects preferring the high flavour levels increased with age. These changes were highly significant. In a second experiment, participants received, underad libitumconditions over 2 d in random order, a dish of yoghurt with either a high or a low flavour level. When adjusted for total consumption quantity, consumption of the highly flavoured yoghurt was not significantly correlated with age (r-0·03,P= 0·35). In a third experiment, odour perception was measured by determining the detection threshold for isoamylacetate. BMI values were obtained and the relationships between BMI and odour perception, age, preference and consumption were assessed in the age group 40–65 years. A significant correlation was observed between age and BMI (r0·51,P< 0·0005). No significant correlation was observed between BMI and relative consumption of highly flavoured yoghurt (r-0·14,P= 0·14). A significant correlation was observed between BMI and preference for flavour-amplified yoghurt (r0·35,P< 0·001). However, no significant correlation was observed between BMI and odour perception (r0·07,P= 0·32). With increasing age, a combined influence of age, sex, BMI and odour perception on food preference is to be expected. According to our multiple regression analysis, BMI showed a significant partial regression coefficient (standardized β 0·36,P= 0·03). In conclusion, flavour amplification of food for older adults deserves attention, but specific approaches, which are tailored to the candidate food systems and older adult target groups, are needed.
Beneficial influence of an indigenous low-iron diet on serum indicators of iron status in patients with chronic liver disease
Authors: Tandon Neelu , Thakur Varsha , Guptan Raj Kumar C. , Sarin Shiv K.
Published: February 2017

The main Fe storage organ in the body is the liver. In patients with chronic liver disease, secondary Fe overload is common. Phlebotomy, often used in the West to reduce Fe overload to improve the efficacy of interferon therapy, is not socially acceptable in India. We assessed the efficacy of a low-Fe diet in reducing serum Fe levels. Nineteen patients with hepatitis B- and C-related chronic liver disease, ten with normal (< 25 μmol/l) baseline serum Fe levels (group A) and nine with high (> 25 μmol/l) serum Fe levels (group B) were included. All the subjects were advised to eat a low-Fe diet. The daily Fe intake was reduced approximately 50 % by consumption of the rice-based diet. Haemoglobin, serum Fe, transferrin saturation index (TSI), ferritin and alanine transaminase (EC2.6.1.2) levels were studied at 1 and 4 months. Dietary Fe intake and body weight were closely monitored. All patients complied with the dietary regimen and at 4 months significant (P< 0·001) reductions from baseline were seen in serum Fe (20 (SD 3)V. 12 (sd 4) μmol/l group A; 30 (sd 3)v. 19 (sd 7) μmol/l group B) and TSI (38 (sd 8)v. 23 (sd 9) % group A; 53 (sd 15)v. 34 (sd 13) %, group B) in both the groups, albeit earlier in group B subjects. Serum ferritin levels, however, reduced only in group A (112 (sd 62)v. 43 (sd 25) ng/ml,P< 0·05) and not in group B. Non-significant reductions in haemoglobin levels were seen in both groups. Alanine transaminase levels reduced significantly (P< 0·05) in both the groups (95 (sd 49)v. 44 (sd 25) IU/l, group A; 82 (sd 16)v. 51 (sd 14) IU/l group B). Thus, a low-Fe diet results in significant reductions in serum Fe and TSI levels, irrespective of baseline Fe levels. This diet should be evaluated to improve the efficacy of interferon therapy in patients with hepatitis B- and C-related chronic liver disease.
In vitro fermentability of dextran, oligodextran and maltodextrin by human gut bacteria
Authors: Olano-Martin Estibaliz , Mountzouris Konstantinos C. , Gibson Glenn R. , Rastall Robert A.
Published: February 2017

Anaerobic batch culture fermenters were used for a preliminary screening of the in vitro utilization by human gut microflora of dextran and novel oligodextrans (I, II and III) produced in the University of Reading (UK). Glucose and fructooligosaccharides (FOS) were used as reference carbohydrates. As expected, FOS acted as a good prebiotic in that it selectively increased numbers of bifidobacteria in the early stages of the fermentation. Dextran and oligodextrans each resulted in an enrichment of bifidobacteria in the batch cultures, with high levels of persistence up to 48 h. They also produced elevated levels of butyrate ranging from 5 to 14·85 mmol/l. To more effectively simulate conditions that prevail in different regions of the large intestine, a three-stage continuous culture cascade system was used to study further the fermentation of dextran, a low-molecular-mass oligodextran (IV) and maltodextrin. Oligodextran IV was shown to be the best substrate for bifidobacteria and lactobacilli with steady-state populations of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli being higher in all three vessels of the gut model than the respective populations resulting from dextran and maltodextrin. A maximum difference of 1·9 log was observed in vessel 1 for both bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in the case of dextran fermentation, while 1·4 log and 0·8 log in vessel 3 were the maximum differences for bifidobacteria and lactobacilli when maltodextrin was used as the carbohydrate source. Moreover, dextran and oligodextran appeared to stimulate butyrate production, with a maximum production up to 25·39 mmol/l in vessel 3 when fermenting dextran, followed by 21·70 mmol/l in the case of oligodextran IV and only 12·64 mmol/l in the case of maltodextrin.