bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ovarian reserve after internal iliac artery ligation
Authors: Mathyk Begum A. , Cetin Berna A. , Atakul Nil , Koroglu Nadiye , Bahat Pinar Y. , Turan Gokce , Yuksel Ilkbal T.
Published: July 2018

Aim

Ligation of major vessels supplying ovaries may alter hormones and ovarian reserve due to disturbances of vascular circulation. Our purpose is to measure serum anti‐Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels and ovarian volume in patients who had internal iliac artery ligation (IIAL) and/or IIAL plus hysterectomy due to uterine atony.

Methods

Patients who underwent IIAL and IIAL+ hysterectomy were evaluated 6 months after their operations and were compared with the control group. The hormones, ovarian volume and antral follicle count (AFC) were measured in each group.

Results

Serum AMH levels in the post‐partum 6th month interval were lower in the IIAL group than in the control group and were the lowest in the IIAL+ hysterectomy group. Similar to AMH results, AFC and ovarian volumes were also lowest in the IIAL+ hysterectomy group.

Conclusion

IIAL and hysterectomy are lifesaving interventions during peripartum hemorrhage; however, they might alter ovarian reserve in the short term.
Basic research on uterus transplantation in nonhuman primates in Japan
Authors: Kisu Iori , Banno Kouji , Matoba Yusuke , Adachi Masataka , Aoki Daisuke
Published: July 2018

Uterus transplantation (UTx) is now a potential option for women with uterine factor infertility to have a child. However, UTx is still in an experimental stage and basic animal studies including in nonhuman primates are needed for accumulation of data that will provide important information for establishment of UTx in humans. Herein, we summarized our experiences using cynomolgus macaques, with the goal of promoting further development of UTx studies in nonhuman primates. Our basic studies using cynomolgus macaques were summarized, including the results of other teams in nonhuman primates. Our team in Japan launched UTx research in 2009 using cynomolgus macaques and has accumulated a large archive of results in the UTx research field, including examination of uterine blood flow, surgical procedures of autologous and allogeneic UTx, organ perfusion methods in deceased donor models, immunological response and rejection and ischemia/reperfusion injury. We achieved the first delivery after autologous UTx in primates and the first periodic recovery of menstruation after allogeneic UTx in nonhuman primate models. Results from animal studies, including those in nonhuman primates, provide the basis for clinical application of UTx. Therefore, our accumulated data since 2009 and our basic experience in cynomolgus macaque are meaningful for future UTx trials in Japan. In addition, more validation in nonhuman primate models is needed for resolution of medical issues and further development of UTx in humans, despite clinical application of UTx in several countries.
Structural Complexity of the Cerebellum and Cerebral Cortex is Reduced in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 2
Authors: Marzi Chiara , Ciulli Stefano , Giannelli Marco , Ginestroni Andrea , Tessa Carlo , Mascalchi Mario , Diciotti Stefano
Published: July 2018

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Fractal dimension (FD) is an index of structural complexity of cortical gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM). Application of FD to pontocerebellar degeneration has revealed cerebellar changes. However, so far, possible concurrent cerebral changes and progression of changes in brain complexity have not been investigated.

METHODS

We computed FD of cerebellar and cerebral cortex and WM derived from longitudinal brain MRI of patients with spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2), which is an inherited cause of pontocerebellar degeneration. Nine SCA2 patients and 16 age‐matched healthy controls were examined twice (3.6 ± .7 and 3.3 ± 1.0 years apart, respectively) on the same 1.5T MR scanner with T1‐weighted imaging. Cortical GM and WM of the cerebrum and cerebellum were segmented using FreeSurfer and FD of these segmentations were computed.

RESULTS

At baseline, FD values of cerebellar GM and WM were significantly (P < .001) lower in SCA2 patients (2.48 ± .04 for GM and 1.74 ± .09 for WM) than in controls (2.56 ± .02 for GM and 2.22 ± .19 for WM). Also, FD values of cerebral GM were significantly (P < .05) lower in SCA2 patients (2.39 ± .03) than in controls (2.43 ± .02). No significant differences were observed for FD of the cerebral WM. The rate of change of FD values was not significantly different between SCA2 patients and controls.

CONCLUSIONS

The structural complexity of the cerebellum and cerebral cortex is reduced in SCA2 patients. Fractal analysis seems not to be able to demonstrate progression of changes associated with degeneration in SCA2.
Effect of mercury chloride on oxidative stress and nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2 signalling molecule in liver and kidney of laying hens
Authors: Ma Y. , Zheng Y. X. , Dong X. Y. , Zou X. T.
Published: July 2018

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of mercury chloride (HgCl2) on the deposition of mercury (Hg), histopathology and oxidative stress in liver and kidney of laying hens. The gene expressions of antioxidant enzymes and nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2 (Nrf2)‐Kelch‐like ECH‐associated protein 1 (Keap1) were further studied to uncover the molecular mechanism. A total of 960 40‐week‐old Hyline brown laying hens were randomly allocated to five treatments with eight pens per treatment and 24 hens per pen. The hens were fed with five experimental diets containing graded levels of Hg at 0.270, 1.250, 3.315, 9.405 and 27.230 mg/kg respectively. Results revealed that both deposition of Hg and score of injury in liver and kidney were significantly increased as dietary Hg dosage up to 27.230 mg/kg diet. Deposition of Hg was positively related to score of injury in liver and kidney of laying hens. Besides, the activities of superoxidative dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px), and glutathione (GSH) content all significantly decreased (p < 0.05), while malondialdehyde (MDA) content significantly increased (p < 0.05) after Hg exposure in liver and kidney of laying hens. In addition, positive relationships occurred between antioxidant enzyme activities and antioxidant enzyme gene expressions except between SOD activity and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) gene expression in liver. Meanwhile, Nrf2 gene expression was positively related to antioxidant gene expressions and negatively connected with Keap1 gene expression. Negative relationships occurred between Nrf2 and Keap1 protein levels in liver and kidney. In conclusion, Hg could dose‐dependently damage liver and kidney and induced hepatic and renal oxidative stress by means of suppressing Nrf2‐Keap1 signalling molecule in laying hens.
Matrix metalloproteinase‐7 in periodontitis with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Zeidán‐Chuliá F. , Yilmaz D. , Häkkinen L. , Könönen E. , Neves de Oliveira B.‐H. , Güncü G. , Uitto V.‐J. , Caglayan F. , Gürsoy U. K.
Published: July 2018

Background and Objective

Elevated levels of matrix metalloproteinase‐7 (MMP7) have been observed in serum samples of subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and in gingival tissues of subjects with periodontitis. The aim of the present study was to collect in vivo and in silico evidence on the role of MMP7 in the interplay between T2DM and generalized periodontitis (GP).

Material and Methods

The extent of MMP7 expression and localization were immunohistochemically analyzed in gingival tissues of patients with GP with T2DM (T2DM/GP, n = 11), systemically healthy patients with GP (n = 7), and systemically and periodontally healthy controls (n = 11). An in silico network model was built to determine the interactions between MMP7 and T2DM pathways. Regulation of neutrophil transmigration by MMP7 was analyzed in a knock‐out mice model.

Results

In human gingival tissues, the proportion of cells with robust MMP7 expression was elevated in patients with T2DM/GP in comparison to controls (P = .014). According to the in silico analysis, “hydroxyl radical” and “hydrogen peroxide” compounds were among the most central nodes of the network, and were within the shortest paths connecting “glucose” to “MMP7.” In MMP7 knock‐out mice, an intense accumulation of neutrophils was observed in the gingival epithelium as compared to wild‐type mice (P = .0001).

Conclusion

Elevated MMP7 expression in gingival tissues of patients with T2DM/GP is related to the activation of reactive oxygen species by hyperglycemia. Suppression of MMP7 expression results in impaired neutrophil transmigration in gingiva.
Ex vivo penetration of fosfomycin into healthy andLawsonia intracellularis‐colonized swine intestinal mucosa
Authors: Pérez Gaudio Denisa Soledad , Martínez Guadalupe , Fernández Paggi María Belén , Decundo Julieta María , Romanelli Agustina , Dieguez Susana Nelly , Soraci Alejandro Luis
Published: July 2018

Fosfomycin (FOS) is an antibiotic used, mostly in Latin America, for the treatment of lung and enteric infections of pigs. Intracellular fluids of enterocytes can act as biophase forLawsonia intracellularis, the causative agent of porcine proliferative enteropathy (PPE). The aim of this study was to determine whether the presence ofL. intracellularisin the enterocytes modifies FOS penetration. Eight healthy pigs in growth‐finishing stage were used to produce healthy (group A) andL. intracellularis‐colonized (group B) intestinal explants. For both groups, treatment consisted of a 580 μg/ml concentration of calcium FOS, which was added to each explant (0.5–6 hr). For group B, the Enterisol Ileitis®vaccine was used as source of the micro‐organism. Previously to the assay, the time necessary forL. intracellularisto colonize the enterocytes was defined. Also, a PCR protocol was optimized to determine the presence of the pathogen in the explants. There were nonstatistical differences for the penetration of the antibiotic into healthy andL. intracellularis‐colonized enterocytes. MIC90of FOS forL. intracellularisis unknown; nevertheless, MIC90of various antibiotics ranges between 0.125 and 128 μg/ml. FOS reaches inside the enterocyte concentrations which surpass the MICs90of other antibiotics that also act by the inhibition of cell wall synthesis; however, further studies should be carried out to determine fosfomycin MIC90forL. intracellularisto discern the usefulness of this antibiotic in the treatment of PPE.
Expression of ameloblastin in the human tooth germ and ameloblastoma
Authors: Panneer Selvam Suganya , Ponniah Irulandy
Published: July 2018

Objective

To analyse the immunohistochemical expression of ameloblastin in the bell stage of tooth germ and compare with ameloblastoma to determine the level of differentiation of tumour cells.

Study design

This study included eleven human tooth germs with four in the early and seven in the late bell stage, and six selected archival tissue samples of ameloblastomas were studied using haematoxylin and eosin, Masson's trichrome and ameloblastin.

Results

All eleven tooth germs reacted positively to ameloblastin with a characteristic inverted and sequential pattern of expression in the acellular zone of the dental papilla and enamel organ. Of the six cases of ameloblastoma, five cases showed a variable level of expression of ameloblastin in the tumour cells, whereas in one case, ameloblastin was negative in the tumour cells but positive in the stromal fibrous tissue collar.

Conclusion

Expression of ameloblastin in human tooth germ is related to differentiation and mineralization, and it correlates with the state of differentiation of the tumour cells in ameloblastoma.
Evolution of vertebrate postcranial complexity: axial skeleton regionalization and paired appendages in a Devonian jawless fish
Authors: Chevrinais Marion , Johanson Zerina , Trinajstic Kate , Long John , Morel Catherine , Renaud Claude B. , Cloutier Richard
Published: July 2018

One of the major events in vertebrate evolution involves the transition from jawless (agnathan) to jawed (gnathostome) vertebrates, including a variety of cranial and postcranial innovations. It has long been assumed that characters such as the pelvic girdles and fins, male intromittent organs independent from the pelvic girdles, as well as a regionalized axial skeleton first appeared in various basal gnathostome groups if not at the origin of gnathostomes. Here we describe the first occurrence of pelvic girdles and intromittent organs in the Late Devonian jawless anaspid‐like fish Euphanerops longaevus Woodward (Miguasha Lagerstätte, eastern Canada), associated with a morphologically differentiated region of the axial skeleton. Morphological differentiation of the axial skeleton is also described for the first time in an extant jawless fish, the sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus Linnaeus. Our data indicate that regionalization of the axial skeleton occurred earlier in vertebrate evolutionary history than previously appreciated. This regionalization is coupled with modifications of the appendicular skeleton in Euphanerops. These new observations combined with a new phylogenetic analysis of early vertebrates provide a more precise understanding of how the appendicular and axial skeletons developed and evolved within vertebrate evolutionary history.
Breeding for boron tolerance in lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) using a high‐throughput phenotypic assay and molecular markers
Authors: Rodda Matthew S. , Sudheesh Shimna , Javid Muhammad , Noy Dianne , Gnanasambandam Annathurai , Slater Anthony T. , Rosewarne Garry M. , Kaur Sukhjiwan
Published: July 2018

This study describes the identification of a quantitative trait locus (QTL) in the recombinant inbred line population of ILL2024 × ILL6788 and subsequent validation of associated molecular markers. A high‐quality genetic linkage map was constructed with 758 markers that cover 1,057 cM, with an average intermarker distance of 2 cM. QTL analysis revealed a single genomic region on Lc2 to be associated with B tolerance and accounted for up to 76% of phenotypic variation (Vp). The best markers for B tolerance were assessed for their utility in routine breeding applications using validation panels of diverse lentil germplasm and breeding material derived from ILL2024. A marker generated from the dense genetic map of this study was found to be the most accurate of all markers available for B tolerance in lentil, with a success rate of 93% within a large breeding pool derived from ILL2024. However, given the number of the unrelated lines for which the marker–trait association was not conserved, B tolerance screening is still required at later stages to confirm predicted phenotypes.
Skin commensal bacteria Staphylococcus epidermidis promote survival of melanocytes bearing UVB‐induced DNA damage, while bacteria Propionibacterium acnes inhibit survival of melanocytes by increasing apoptosis
Authors: Wang Zhenping , Choi Jae‐Eun , Wu Chia‐Chi , Di Nardo Anna
Published: July 2018

Background/Purpose

Skin commensal bacteria have been described to help orchestrate skin homeostasis, signaling through innate immunity pathways. This study for the first time aimed at studying the relationship between skin commensals and melanocytes after UVB exposure.

Methods

An in vitro UVB radiation model with normal human epidermal melanocytes (NHMs) and skin commensal bacteria supernatant from Staphylococcus epidermidis and Propionibacterium acnes was established. Melanocytes DNA damage, cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD), and cellular proliferation marker Ki‐67 were measured by ELISA and immunofluorescence staining. Cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry and PCR array and RT‐qPCR.

Results

Normal human epidermal melanocytes are able to survive and proliferate while bearing DNA damage after UVB radiation. Skin commensal bacteria S. epidermidis and its by‐product LTA promote melanocytes survival by inducing upregulation of TRAF1, CASP14, CASP5, and TP73. On the other hand, P. acnes can inhibit UVB‐irradiated melanocytes survival by increasing apoptosis.

Conclusion

Our studies show different aspects of commensal activity on melanocytes during irradiation. The possible balance achieved by the different skin commensal can influence NHM potential to become cancer cells.
Early development of porcine parthenogenetic embryos and reduced expression of primed pluripotent marker genes under the effect of lysophosphatidic acid
Authors: Zhu Xiusheng , Li Lanyu , Gao Bangjun , Zhang Dandan , Ren Yanyan , Zheng Beibei , Li Mengmei , Shi Deshun , Huang Ben
Published: July 2018

To further promote the early development of porcine embryos and capture “naïve” pluripotent state within blastocyst, the experiment explored the effects of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) on the early development of porcine parthenogenetic embryos and the expression of pluripotency relevant genes. The results showed that the addition of 50 μM LPA significantly improved parthenogenetic embryo cleavage rate (82.7% vs. 74.7%, p < 0.05), blastocyst rate (24.5% vs. 11.3%, p < 0.05) and blastocyst cell count (56 ± 7.9 vs. 42 ± 1.0, p < 0.05) than that of the control group. In addition, immunostaining experiment determined that the fluorescence intensity of OCT4 was also significantly higher than that of the control group. The quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT–PCR) test revealed that addition of 50 μM LPA could significantly enhance the expression level of pluripotent gene OCT4 and trophoblast marker genes CDX2, however, decrease the expression of primitive hypoblast marker gene GATA4. The results also indicated that LPA might decrease the expression of GATA4 through the ROCK signalling pathway. For further investigating the effect of the addition of LPA on the expression of “primed” and “naïve” genes, we also detected the expression of those pluripotency‐related genes by qRT–PCR. The results showed addition of LPA had no significant effect on the expression of “naïve” pluripotent genes, but it was able to significantly decrease the expression of “primed” pluripotent genes, NODAL and Activin‐A; furthermore, it also could significantly improve the expression of OCT4 and c‐Myc which act as two important ES cell renewal factors. Above all, the addition of LPA can facilitate the early development of porcine parthenogenetic embryos, which may be able to benefit for capturing “naïve” pluripotency in vitro through inhibiting “primed” pluripotency.
Tenofovir alafenamide associated fatal lactic acidosis in an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipient
Authors: Alsunaid Sammar R. , Ashraf Humayun , Soubani Ayman O.
Published: July 2018

Fatal lactic acidosis has been reported while on the treatment with Nucleoside/nucleotide analogues (NA) for the treatment of hepatitis B, C and HIV. No cases of such a complication have been reported in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. We present a 65‐year male who underwent autologous HSCT for the treatment of multiple myeloma. Prior to transplant he was started on single agent tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) for treatment of resolved hepatitis B infection. He presented few weeks later with severe lactic acidosis. Other causes of lactic acidosis were excluded. The patient died of multi‐organ failure despite stopping TAF and aggressive supportive care. The case demonstrates the need for increased awareness of this potential complication of NA treatment in the course of transplantation.
Unrecognized pre‐transplant disseminated Coxiella burnetti infection diagnosed in a post‐transplant heart‐kidney recipient
Authors: Jandhyala Deeksha , Farid Saira , Mahmood Maryam , Deziel Paul , Abu Saleh Omar , Raoult Didier , Beam Elena
Published: July 2018

To the best of our knowledge, we report the first case of pre‐transplant unrecognized disseminated Coxiella burnetii infection, unmasked in the post‐transplant period leading to both heart and kidney allograft dysfunction. A 59 year old man with a history of simultaneous heart‐kidney transplantation due to end stage heart failure from severe aortic regurgitation (AR) and cryoglobulinemic immune complex mediated concentric necrotizing glomerulonephritis (GN), presents with a history of intermittent fevers and fatigue. Prior to transplantation he was treated for multiple episodes of culture negative endocarditis requiring bio‐prosthetic valve replacement. Evaluation of fever included a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) that revealed a large hyperechoic mass on the anterior mitral leaflet with perforation, severe mitral regurgitation and moderate AR. Blood cultures were negative at that time. Owing to development of allograft mitral and aortic valve insufficiency, he underwent allograft bio‐prosthetic mitral valve (MV) replacement and aortic valvuloplasty 2 years following his transplantation. Pathologic examination of the allograft mitral valve demonstrated fibrinopurulent exudate with degenerating bacterial organisms, consistent with vegetation and myxoid degenerative changes. Due to a high suspicion for native heart C. burnetii prosthetic valve endocarditis prior to transplantation, we re‐evaluated the native explanted heart histopathology, as well as the explanted allograft MV. Cardiac allograft and native MV were positive for C. burnetii by real‐time PCR. C. burnetii serology was consistent with persistent infection as well.
Evolutionary history of the genus Sorex (Soricidae, Eulipotyphla) as inferred from multigene data
Authors: Bannikova Anna A. , Chernetskaya Daria , Raspopova Alexandra , Alexandrov Dmitry , Fang Yun , Dokuchaev Nikolai , Sheftel Boris , Lebedev Vladimir
Published: July 2018

The genus Sorex is one of the most diverse and ecologically successful lineages of the family Soricidae. We present the first multilocus nuclear phylogeny focusing on the nominal subgenus Sorex s.str., which is distributed mainly in the northern Palearctic. The nuclear tree (six exons) provides more resolution than the mitochondrial data (cytb) and supports subdivision into eight species groups within Sorex s.str., most of which correspond to those recognized from chromosome data. The European species S. alpinus is consistently placed as the basal lineage in the Palearctic clade, while the next split separates the east‐Tibetan group of striped shrews (S. aff. cylindricauda, S. bedfordiae, S. excelsus). Within the remaining species, the following well‐supported clades are identified at the supra‐group level: “araneus” species group+S. samniticus; the “caecutiens” group+the “minutus” group, the latter also including S. minutissimus, S. gracillimus and S. thibetanus. S. raddei and S. roboratus represent separate lineages with no close relatives. The fossil‐calibrated molecular clock placed the divergence between Sorex s.str. and Otisorex at the Early/Middle Miocene boundary. Basal radiation of the crown Sorex s.str. was estimated to have occurred in the middle of the Late Miocene. A more than threefold increase in the diversification rate is inferred for the Early Pliocene. Taxonomic implications including potential genus ranks for Sorex s.str. and Otisorex are discussed. S. alpinus is placed in the monotypic subgenus Homalurus. The full species status of S. buchariensis and S. thibetanus and close relationships between S. cf. cansulus and S. caecutiens are confirmed.
Comparing the Life Quality of the Students in the Faculty of Sports Sciences and the Faculty of Education
Authors: Kiliç Tahir , Bayköse Nazmi , Kaplan Kıvılcım
Published: July 2018

Objective of this study is to compare the life quality of the students in the Faculty of Sports Sciences and the Faculty of Education in Akdeniz University for the education year 2017-2018. The sample of the research study was composed of 895 students (448 female, 447 male) from Akdeniz University, Faculty of Sports Sciences and the Faculty of Education. The life qualityes of the studentes were evaluated according to the Turkish brief questionnaire (WOQOL-BREF TR) of WHOQOL life quality scale. WHOQOL life quality scale was developed by WOQOL group. WOQOL-BREF, a shorter form of this test, which involved 100 items, was developed by the same group and it was interpreted into Turkish afterwards, by Fidaner et al. (1999). Originally composed of 26 items, this scale's Turkish version was comprised of 27 items. The data was analyzed via SPSS package program. In order to determine the differences in socio-demographic features of the participant students, one-way variance analysis (ANOVA) was used, and for observing the group differences, Tukey HSD and Independent Sample T Test were used. When the results of the Life Quality Scale of the students were analyzed, it was observed that there was statistically no significant difference in any sub-dimension of the life satisfaction, including the life satisfaction total points.
Sex‐based differences in apnoea of prematurity: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Bairam Aida , Laflamme Nathalie , Drolet Christine , Piedboeuf Bruno , Shah Prakesh S. , Kinkead Richard ,   on behalf of the Canadian Neonatal Network Investigators
Published: July 2018

New Findings

What is the central question of the study?

Is there a sex‐based difference in the incidence of apnoea of prematurity and the success or failure of caffeine therapy in preterm infants?

What is the main finding and its importance?

Our data show that females received fewer days of caffeine treatment than males. This was most noticeable in infants born between 260/7 and 276/7 weeks of gestational age. These results highlight the importance of considering sex in clinical and basic research investigating the pathophysiology of apnoea of prematurity.

This retrospective cohort study assessed whether sex influences the occurrence of apnoea of prematurity (AOP) in preterm infants. The analysis included a cohort of 24,387 preterm infants born between the gestational ages (GA) of 240/7 and 336/7 weeks that were admitted to tertiary neonatal care units participating in the Canadian Neonatal Network from January 2011 to December 2015. Of those, 13,983 (57%) were diagnosed with AOP. More females were diagnosed with AOP than males, but the difference in the male/female ratio was marginal (P = 0.058). The majority (89%) of infants diagnosed with AOP received caffeine (89% of males; 89% of females). By using the discontinuation of caffeine therapy as a proxy for the resolution of significant AOP, data analysis showed that females born before 336/7 weeks of GA stopped caffeine treatment earlier than males whether the caffeine was discontinued before 34 or 37 weeks of GA. Consequently, females had fewer days of caffeine therapy than males, especially infants born between 260/7 and 276/7 weeks (P < 0.004), 280/7 and 296/7 weeks (P < 0.03), and 320/7 and 336/7 weeks of GA (P < 0.04). Similar trends were observed when the corrected GA at discontinuation of caffeine was used. Given that AOP is indicative of an immature respiratory system, our data suggest that the maturation of the respiratory system might occur more rapidly in females than males. We conclude that sex needs to be considered in future studies on AOP.
Design of unidirectional acoustic probes with flexible directivity patterns using two acoustic particle velocity sensors
Authors: Wang Yong , Yang Yixin , Yu Shiduo
Published: July 2018

This letter proposes a method of designing unidirectional acoustic probes with flexible directivity patterns using two acoustic particle velocity sensors. The closed-form weighting vector of this two-sensor array is accurately derived by finding the minimum mean square error approximation to a desired directivity pattern that is expressed in a general form. Different unidirectional acoustic probes can be obtained by properly selecting the desired directivity pattern, and the previously proposed particle velocity gradient-based design approach can be thought of as a special case of the proposed method. Simulations and experimental results demonstrate the good performance of the proposed method.
Effects of consonantal context on the learnability of vowel categories from infant-directed speech
Authors: Adriaans Frans
Published: July 2018

Recent studies have shown that vowels in infant-directed speech (IDS) are characterized by highly variable formant distributions. The current study investigates whether vowel variability is partially due to consonantal context, and explores whether consonantal context could support the learning of vowel categories from IDS. A computational model is presented which selects contexts based on frequency in the input and generalizes across contextual categories. Improved categorization performance was found on a vowel contrast in American–English IDS. The findings support a view in which the infant's learning mechanism is anchored in context, in order to cope with acoustic variability in the input.
Polio outbreaks in the DRC threaten eradication effort
Authors: Roberts Leslie
Published: July 2018

Vaccine-derived virus spreads despite emergency response
Lawmakers ask NIH and CDC charities for more on donors
Authors: Mervis Jeffrey
Published: July 2018

Congressional panel seeks greater transparency on private donations to foundations that aid federal research
Optical interferometers sharpen views of the sky
Authors: Mann Adam
Published: July 2018

In New Mexico, a renewed attempt to build an optical array could bring spy satellites into focus
Is FDA's revolving door open too wide?
Authors: Piller Charles
Published: July 2018

Many FDA staff overseeing drug reviews end up working for makers of those drugs
Biological uptake and reversible scavenging of zinc in the global ocean
Authors: Weber Thomas , John Seth , Tagliabue Alessandro , DeVries Tim
Published: July 2018

Controlling zinc in the oceans

Zinc, a key micronutrient for marine phytoplankton, has a global distribution remarkably similar to that of silicic acid, even though Zn and Si have very different biogeochemical cycles. Weber
et al.
investigated why this is so by combining model calculations and observations. They found that biological uptake in the Southern Ocean and reversible scavenging of Zn onto sinking particles both affect the distribution of Zn in the ocean. Thus, Zn and Si distributions will be affected differently by future changes in ocean temperature, pH, and carbon fluxes.

Science
, this issue p.
72
A liquid phase of synapsin and lipid vesicles
Authors: Milovanovic Dragomir , Wu Yumei , Bian Xin , De Camilli Pietro
Published: July 2018

Going through a phase

Neuronal communication at synapses relies on regulated neurotransmitter secretion. Neurotransmitters are stored in small vesicles that are organized in clusters within nerve terminals. On stimulation, the vesicles fuse with the presynaptic plasma membrane, but despite their tight packing, replacement synaptic vesicles are rapidly recruited. Vesicles newly reformed by membrane recycling randomly intermix with the clusters. Milovanovic
et al.
show that synapsin, an abundant synaptic vesicle–associated protein, organizes these vesicle clusters by liquid-liquid phase separation—like oil in water (see the Perspective by Boczek and Alberti).

Science
, this issue p.
604
; see also p.
548
Unusual high thermal conductivity in boron arsenide bulk crystals
Authors: Tian Fei , Song Bai , Chen Xi , Ravichandran Navaneetha K. , Lv Yinchuan , Chen Ke , Sullivan Sean , Kim Jaehyun , Zhou Yuanyuan , Liu Te-Huan , Goni Miguel , Ding Zhiwei , Sun Jingying , Udalamatta Gamage Geethal Amila Gamage , Sun Haoran , Ziyaee Hamidreza , Huyan Shuyuan , Deng Liangzi , Zhou Jianshi , Schmidt Aaron J. , Chen Shuo , Chu Ching-Wu , Huang Pinshane Y. , Broido David , Shi Li , Chen Gang , Ren Zhifeng
Published: July 2018

Moving the heat aside with BAs

Thermal management becomes increasingly important as we decrease device size and increase computing power. Engineering materials with high thermal conductivity, such as boron arsenide (BAs), is hard because it is essential to avoid defects and impurities during synthesis, which would stop heat flow. Three different research groups have synthesized BAs with a thermal conductivity around 1000 watts per meter-kelvin: Kang
et al.
, Li
et al.
, and Tian
et al.
succeeded in synthesizing high-purity BAs with conductivities half that of diamond but more than double that of conventional metals (see the Perspective by Dames). The advance validates the search for high-thermal-conductivity materials and provides a new material that may be more easily integrated into semiconducting devices.

Science
, this issue p.
575
, p.
579
, p.
582
; see also p.
549
A new brain circuit in feeding control
Authors: Diano Sabrina
Published: July 2018

Components of a neural circuit that regulates body weight are found
Nebivolol nanoparticles: a first catalytic use in Biginelli and Biginelli-like reactions
Authors: Khaskel Anamika , Barman Pranjit , Maiti Subir Kumar , Jana Utpal
Published: July 2018

Herein, we report the catalytic activity of nebivolol nanoparticles a novel organocatalyst for the synthesis of DHPMs and DHPM-5-carboxamides. The nanoparticles are confirmed by DSC, TEM, AFM, and IR spectroscopy. The catalyst can be readily recovered and reused for the next four runs without any significant impact on the yields of the products. The products are fully characterized by FTIR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and distortionless enhanced polarization transfer (DEPT) NMR. The methodology adopted here offers several advantages such as solvent-free reaction, low loading of catalyst, short reaction times, and quantifiable yields.
Local uniqueness of certain geodesics related to Heegaard splittings
Authors: Liang Liang , Li Fengling , Lei Fengchun , Wu Jie
Published: July 2018

Suppose [Formula: see text] is a Heegaard splitting and [Formula: see text] is an essential separating disk in [Formula: see text] such that a component of [Formula: see text] is homeomorphic to [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we prove that if there is a locally complicated simplicial path in [Formula: see text] connecting [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text], then the geodesic connecting [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text] is unique. Moreover, we give a sufficient condition such that [Formula: see text] is keen and the geodesic between any pair of essential disks on the opposite sides has local uniqueness property.
Distributed Scheduling of Event Analytics across Edge and Cloud
Authors: Ghosh Rajrup , Simmhan Yogesh
Published: July 2018

Internet of Things (IoT) domains generate large volumes of high-velocity event streams from sensors, which need to be analyzed with low latency to drive decisions. Complex Event Processing (CEP) is a Big Data technique to enable such analytics and is traditionally performed on Cloud Virtual Machines (VM). Leveraging captive IoT edge resources in combination with Cloud VMs can offer better performance, flexibility, and monetary costs for CEP. Here, we formulate an optimization problem for
energy-aware placement of CEP queries
, composed as an analytics dataflow, across a collection of edge and Cloud resources, with the goal of minimizing the end-to-end latency for the dataflow. We propose a Genetic Algorithm (GA) meta-heuristic to solve this problem and compare it against a brute-force optimal algorithm (BF). We perform detailed real-world benchmarks on the compute, network, and energy capacity of edge and Cloud resources. These results are used to define a realistic and comprehensive simulation study that validates the BF and GA solutions for 45 diverse CEP dataflows, LAN and WAN setup, and different edge resource availability. We compare the GA and BF solutions against random and Cloud-only baselines for different configurations for a total of 1,764 simulation runs. Our study shows that GA is within 97% of the optimal BF solution that takes hours, maps dataflows with 4--50 queries in 1--26s, and only fails to offer a feasible solution ≤20% of the time.
MuscleIO
Authors: Duente Tim , Schulte Justin , Pfeiffer Max , Rohs Michael
Published: July 2018

Receiving and reacting to notifications on mobile devices can be cumbersome. We propose MuscleIO, the use of electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) for notification output and electromyography (EMG) for reacting to notifications. Our approach provides a one-handed, eyes-free, and low-effort way of dealing with notifications. We built a prototype that interleaves muscle input and muscle output signals using the same electrodes. EMS and EMG alternate such that the EMG input signal is measured in the gaps of the EMS output signal, so voluntary muscle contraction is measured during muscle stimulation.

Notifications are represented as EMS signals and are accepted or refused either by a directional or a time-based EMG response. A lab user study with 12 participants shows that the directional EMG response is superior to the time-based response in terms of reaction time, error rate, and user preference. Furthermore, the directional approach is the fastest and the most intuitive for users compared to a button-based smartwatch interface as a baseline.
Energy-Ball
Authors: Fan Xiaoran , Ding Han , Li Sugang , Sanzari Michael , Zhang Yanyong , Trappe Wade , Han Zhu , Howard Richard E.
Published: July 2018

Wireless power transfer (WPT) promises to deliver energy to devices that are otherwise hard to charge or replace batteries for. This paper presents a new power transfer approach by aligning the phases of a collection of radio frequency (RF) energy chargers at the target receiver device. Our approach can ship energy over tens of meters and to mobile targets. More importantly, our approach leads to a highly asymmetric energy density distribution in the charging area: the energy density at the target receiver is much higher than the energy density at other locations. It is a departure from existing beamforming based WPT systems that have high energy along the energy beam path. Such a technology can enable a large array of batteryless Internet of Things applications and render them much more robust and long-running. Thanks to its asymmetric energy distribution, our approach potentially can be scaled up to ship higher level of energy over longer distances.

In this paper, we design, prototype, and evaluate the proposed energy transfer approach, referred to as Energy-Ball. We implement an Energy-Ball testbed that consists of 17 N210 and 4 B210 Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) nodes, yielding a 20 x 20 m2 energy delivery area. We conduct carefully designed experiments on the testbed. We demo that the energy density of Energy-Ball at the target spot is considerably higher than the energy density elsewhere, with the peak to average power ratio of 8.72. We show that Energy-Ball can transfer energy to any point within the area. When the receiver moves at a speed of 0.5 m/s, Energy-Ball can transfer 80% of optimal power to the mobile receiver. Further, our results also show Energy-Ball can deliver over 0.6mw RF power that enables batteryless sensors at any point across the area.
Addressing The Privacy Paradox through Personalized Privacy Notifications
Authors: Jackson Corey Brian , Wang Yang
Published: July 2018

Privacy behaviors of individuals are often inconsistent with their stated attitudes, a phenomenon known as the "privacy paradox." These inconsistencies may lead to troublesome or regrettable experiences. To help people address these privacy inconsistencies, we propose a personalized privacy notification approach that juxtaposes users' general privacy attitudes towards specific technologies and the potential privacy riskiness of particular instances of such technology, right when users make decisions about whether and/or how to use the technology under consideration. Highlighting the privacy inconsistencies to users was designed to nudge them in making decisions in a way that aligns with their privacy attitudes.

To illustrate this approach, we chose the domain of mobile apps and designed a privacy discrepancy interface that highlights this discrepancy between users' general privacy attitudes towards mobile apps and the potential privacy riskiness of a particular app, nudging them to make app installation and/or permission granting decisions reflecting their privacy attitudes. To evaluate this interface, we conducted an online experiment simulating the process of installing Android apps. We compared the privacy discrepancy approach with several existing privacy notification approaches. Our results suggest that the behaviors of participants who used the privacy discrepancy interface better reflected their privacy attitudes than the other approaches.
When Virtual Reality Meets Internet of Things in the Gym
Authors: Rabbi Fazlay , Park Taiwoo , Fang Biyi , Zhang Mi , Lee Youngki
Published: July 2018

With the advent of immersive virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMD), we envision that immersive VR will revolutionize the personal fitness experience in our daily lives. Toward this vision, we present JARVIS, a virtual exercise assistant that is able to provide an immersive and interactive gym exercise experience to a user. JARVIS is enabled by the synergy between Internet of Things (IoT) and immersive VR. JARVIS employs miniature IoT sensing devices removably attachable to exercise machines to track a multitude of exercise information including exercise types, repetition counts, and progress within each repetition in real time. Based on the tracked exercise information, JARVIS shows the user the proper way of doing the exercise in the virtual exercise environment, thereby helping the user to better focus on the target muscle group. We have conducted both in-lab experiments and a pilot user study to evaluate the performance and effectiveness of JARVIS, respectively. Our in-lab experiments with fifteen participants show that JARVIS is able to segment exercise repetitions with an average accuracy of 97.96% and recognize exercise types with an average accuracy of 99.08%. Our pilot user study with ten participants shows statistically significant improvements in perceived enjoyment, competence, and usefulness with JARVIS compared to a traditional machine exercise setting (p < 0.05). Finally, our surface electromyography (sEMG) signal analysis conducted during the pilot user study shows statistically significant improvement in terms of muscle activation (p < 0.01), indicating the potential of JARVIS in providing an engaging and effective guidance for machine exercises.
Effect of Distinct Ambient Noise Types on Mobile Interaction
Authors: Sarsenbayeva Zhanna , van Berkel Niels , Velloso Eduardo , Kostakos Vassilis , Goncalves Jorge
Published: July 2018

The adverse effect of ambient noise on humans has been extensively studied in fields like cognitive science, indicating a significant impact on cognitive performance, behaviour, and emotional state. Surprisingly, the effect of ambient noise has not been studied in the context of mobile interaction. As smartphones are ubiquitous by design, smartphone users are exposed to a wide variety of ambient noises while interacting with their devices. In this paper, we present a structured analysis of the effect of six distinct ambient noise types on typical smartphone usage tasks. The evaluated ambient noise types include variants of music, urban noise and speech. We analyse task completion time and errors, and find that different ambient noises affect users differently. For example, while speech and urban noise slow down text entry, being exposed to music reduces completion time in target acquisition tasks. Our study contributes to the growing research area on situational impairments, and we compare our results to previous work on the effect of cold-induced situational impairments. Our results can be used to support smartphone users through adaptive interfaces which respond to the ongoing context of the user.
Duet
Authors: Vasisht Deepak , Jain Anubhav , Hsu Chen-Yu , Kabelac Zachary , Katabi Dina
Published: July 2018

Although past work on RF-based indoor localization has delivered important advances, it typically makes assumptions that hinder its adoption in smart home applications. Most localization systems assume that users carry their phones on them at home, an assumption that has been proven highly inaccurate in past measurements. The few localization systems that do not require the user to carry a device on her, cannot tell the identity of the person; yet identification is essential to most smart home applications. This paper focuses on addressing these issues so that smart homes can benefit from recent advances in indoor localization.

We introduce Duet, a multi-modal system that takes as input measurements from both device-based and device-free localization. Duet introduces a new framework that combines probabilistic inference with first order logic to reason about the users' most likely locations and identities in light of the measurements. We implement Duet and compare it with a baseline that uses state-of-art WiFi-based localization. The results of two weeks of monitoring in two smart environments show that Duet accurately localizes and identifies the users for 94% and 96% of the time in the two places. In contrast, the baseline is accurate 17% and 42% respectively.
RF-ECG
Authors: Wang Chuyu , Xie Lei , Wang Wei , Chen Yingying , Bu Yanling , Lu Sanglu
Published: July 2018

As an important indicator of autonomic regulation for circulatory function, Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is widely used for general health evaluation. Apart from using dedicated devices (e.g, ECG) in a wired manner, current methods search for a ubiquitous manner by either using wearable devices, which suffer from low accuracy and limited battery life, or applying wireless techniques (e.g., FMCW), which usually utilize dedicated devices (e.g., USRP) for the measurement. To address these issues, we present RF-ECG based on Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) RFID, a wireless approach to sense the human heartbeat through an RFID tag array attached on the chest area in the clothes. In particular, as the RFID reader continuously interrogates the tag array, two main effects are captured by the tag array: the reflection effect representing the RF-signal reflected from the heart movement due to heartbeat; the moving effect representing the tag movement caused by chest movement due to respiration. To extract the reflection signal from the noisy RF-signals, we develop a mechanism to capture the RF-signal variation of the tag array caused by the moving effect, aiming to eliminate the signals related to respiration. To estimate the HRV from the reflection signal, we propose a signal reflection model to depict the relationship between the RF-signal variation from the tag array and the reflection effect associated with the heartbeat. A fusing technique is developed to combine multiple reflection signals from the tag array for accurate estimation of HRV. Experiments with 15 volunteers show that RF-ECG can achieve a median error of 3% of Inter-Beat Interval (IBI), which is comparable to existing wired techniques.
Law and the Dead Body: Is a Corpse a Person or a Thing?
Authors: Stroud Ellen
Published: July 2018

The central puzzle of the law of the dead is that a corpse is both a person and a thing. A dead human body is a material object—a messy, maybe dangerous, perhaps valuable, often useful, and always tangible thing. But a dead human being is also something very different: It is also my father, and my friend, perhaps my child, and some day, me. For even the most secular among us, a human corpse is at the least a very peculiar and particular kind of thing. Scholars generally divide the law of the dead body into the three intertwined realms of defining, using, and disposing of the dead, and debates in each realm center on where and how to draw the line between person and object. The thing-ness of the dead human body is never stable or secure.