bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Critical aspects and challenges for intervertebral disc repair and regeneration—Harnessing advances in tissue engineering
Authors: Buckley Conor T. , Hoyland Judith A. , Fujii Kengo , Pandit Abhay , Iatridis James C. , Grad Sibylle
Published: July 2018

Low back pain represents the highest burden of musculoskeletal diseases worldwide and intervertebral disc degeneration is frequently associated with this painful condition. Even though it remains challenging to clearly recognize generators of discogenic pain, tissue regeneration has been accepted as an effective treatment option with significant potential. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine offer a plethora of exploratory pathways for functional repair or prevention of tissue breakdown. However, the intervertebral disc has extraordinary biological and mechanical demands that must be met to assure sustained success. This concise perspective review highlights the role of the disc microenvironment, mechanical and clinical design considerations, function vs mimicry in biomaterial‐based and cell engineering strategies, and potential constraints for clinical translation of regenerative therapies for the intervertebral disc.
Study of the chromatographic parameters of ultra‐high‐performance supercritical fluid chromatography and method development using a design of experiments approach for the quantification of pesticides in lettuce
Authors: de Lima Karen Priscila , Sales Fontes Jardim Isabel Cristina , Breitkreitz Márcia Cristina
Published: July 2018

We examine the potential of ultra‐high‐performance supercritical fluid chromatography for multiresidue quantification of ten pesticides commonly applied to lettuce and compares it to ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography. Initially, a thorough study of the stationary and mobile phase composition and injection solvent was carried out. In a second step, a chemometric approach based on design of experiments was used to simultaneously study the influence of temperature, pressure, and percentage of ethanol on the retention, resolution and symmetry of the peaks. Using this approach, it was possible to obtain the Design Space, a robust region where complete separation of the analytes was achieved, with acceptable peak shape. Both methods were validated according to the figures of merit: selectivity, linearity, quantification limit, accuracy (in terms of recovery), and precision (repeatability and intermediate precision) and used to quantify the pesticides in lettuce samples. Comparing both techniques, it was concluded that the limits of quantification, accuracy, and precision were similar. However, in supercritical fluid chromatography, a reduced volume of organic solvent was used, the method was faster and generated lower amounts of residues.
Beyond image: Imagined experiences of a destination
Authors: Cherifi Barbora , Smith Andrew , Maitland Robert , Stevenson Nancy
Published: July 2018

The aim of this study is to explore the idea that people can imagine themselves in a destination and can have imagined experiences. This broadens our understanding of how people think about destinations and provides an extension of the established destination image literature and that which explores actual tourist experiences. The research involved asking 300 Czech residents who had never been to London to imagine what it would be like to visit. Their responses were examined qualitatively using thematic analysis. The findings suggest that people can imagine experiences and that these involve a range of sensations, much like “real” experiences.
Comprehensive assessment of soil quality for different wetlands in a Chinese delta
Authors: Wang Dawei , Bai Junhong , Wang Wei , Zhang Guangliang , Cui Baoshan , Liu Xinhui , Li Xiaowen
Published: July 2018

Soil quality is usually considered a powerful tool to reveal soil degradation status and wetland ecosystem health. It is insufficient to reflect actual soil quality based on soil fertility or heavy metal pollution assessment, respectively. A comprehensive assessment was performed to combine soil fertility and heavy metal contamination together, on the basis of 13 soil physical, chemical, biological indicators and six heavy metals, in the Pearl River Delta of China including urban river wetland (URW), ditch wetland (DW), riparian wetland (RiW), and reclaimed wetland (ReW). The moderate fertility level was observed according to the minimum data set, including total nitrogen (TN), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), total phosphorus, total potassium, sand, and salinity. DW soils had significantly higher soil fertility index values than RiW and ReW soils. Low TN, soil organic carbon (SOC), MBC levels, and sandy loam texture revealed potential chemical, biological and physical degradation risks, especially for ReW. In addition, wetland soils were heavily contaminated by heavy metals, particularly for Cd, according to Nemerow Pollution Index. URW soils exhibited significantly higher pollution levels than ReW soils. According to the methodology of comprehensive assessment, soil quality belonged to moderate and low grades because of severe heavy metal pollution, following with moderate nutrition level. Consequently, pollution treatment, fertility (e.g., SOC, N, P, and K), and soil texture improvement are crucial to improving soil quality, preventing further degradation and promoting ecological conservation and sustainability of coastal wetlands in the Pearl River Delta.
Analysis of saline groundwater infiltration into two loam soils
Authors: Sun Junna , He Fuhong , Zhang Zhenhua , Shao Hongbo , Pan Yinghua , Yang Runya , Li Wenxue , Li Peng , Zheng Mengzhu
Published: July 2018

Irrigation with saline groundwater may cause salt accumulation in the soil and even land degradation in coastal areas. The aim of this study was to reveal how the changes in groundwater salinity affect the infiltration characteristics under controlled conditions. One‐dimensional vertical infiltration experiments were conducted in uniform columns of silty clay‐loam and sandy‐loam under different salinity levels of irrigation groundwater (0, 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, and 12 g L−1 NaCl). The results showed that as groundwater salinity increased, the infiltration capacity of the silty clay‐loam increased under low salinity levels but decreased under higher salinity levels, with a turning point at the salinity of 6 g L−1 NaCl. However, there were no significant differences in the infiltration capacity of the sandy‐loam under salinity levels of 1–9 g L−1 NaCl, whereas a significant increase was found under 12 g L−1 NaCl. The infiltration capacity of the sandy‐loam was consistently higher compared with the silty clay‐loam under different salinity levels. Under short‐term irrigation with a conventional amount of 750–900 m3 ha−1, extracting groundwater with the salinity of <6 g L−1 NaCl obtained higher desalination efficiency in the silty clay‐loam and resulted in less salt accumulation in the surface soil (0–20 cm). Under the same amount of irrigation with groundwater containing 1–12 g L−1 NaCl, the increase of soil salt content was relatively small in the sandy‐loam and might not significantly affect crop growth.
Isotopic biogeochemical indicators of evapotranspiration and nitrogen flows in a check‐dam catchment in the Loess Plateau, China
Authors: Chen Shibo , Huang Yong , Wang Linhua , Chen Weiliang , Wang Yafeng , Gao Yang
Published: July 2018

The increasingly fragile environment and associative nitrogen (N) biogeochemical cycle have become critical environmental and ecological issues in China's Loess Plateau. However, N flow and N source for typical catchments remain poorly understood in the Loess Plateau. In this study, we measured concentrations and isotopic signatures of N, hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) in both rainfall and river water. Results showed that baseflow variation in total nitrogen (TN) concentrations ranged from 0.16 to 32.70 mg L−1. The monthly TN deposition flux and monthly TN wet deposition concentration to river water were shown significant variations between rainy and dry seasons. The range of variation in δ2H values for rainfall and baseflow was from −90.0‰ to 19.8‰ and from −67.2‰ to −38.4‰, respectively, whereas δ18O–H2O values ranged from −12.1‰ to +2.7‰ and from −9.3‰ to −3.6‰, respectively. The Local Meteoric Water Line in the check‐dam catchment was δ2H = 7.35 δ18O + 2.29 (R2 = 0.93). Furthermore, NO3− δ15N and δ18O values in baseflow ranged from −2.0‰ to +20.5‰ and from +8.0‰ to +15.6‰, respectively. The results indicated that rainfall was affected by below‐cloud secondary evaporation and caused strong isotopic kinetic fractionation to occur during the precipitation process. The NO3− in runoff was mainly derived from the nitrification of soil organic matter and manure or sewage, for which the proportion of manure or sewage was from 50.5% to 83%.
Dynamics of a Lorenz‐type multistable hyperchaotic system
Authors: Chen Yu‐Ming
Published: July 2018

Little seems to be known about the multistable hyperchaotic systems. In this paper, based on the classical Lorenz system, a new Lorenz‐type hyperchaotic system with a curve of equilibria is proposed. Firstly, the local stability of the curve of equilibria is studied, based on this, infinity many singular degenerate heteroclinic cycles are proved numerically coexisting in the phase space of this hyperchaotic system. Secondly, the discovery of lots of coexisting behaviors mean that this hyperchaotic system possess multistability, such as (i) chaotic attractor and periodic attractor, (ii) different periodic attractors, (iii) chaotic attractor and singular degenerate heteroclinic cycle, and (iv) periodic attractor and singular degenerate heteroclinic cycle. Thirdly, in order to study the global dynamical behavior, the technique of Poincaré compactification is used to investigate the dynamics at infinity of this hyperchaotic system.
DPFGSE‐MDEC‐J‐resolved COSY: An efficient method for selectively measuring proton–proton spin coupling constants of the multiplet signals
Authors: Furihata Kazuo , Tashiro Mitsuru
Published: July 2018

Natural products such as polyketides often possess various spin systems, consisting of a methine group directly bonded to a methyl group (e.g., ─CHA─CHB(CH3)─CHC─). The methine proton HB splits into a broadened multiplet by coupling with several vicinal protons, rendering analysis difficult of nJH–H with respect to HB in double‐quantum filtered COSY or exclusive COSY. For the purpose of measuring nJH–H in the aforesaid spin system, we have developed new techniques, named multifrequency homo‐decoupling (MDEC)‐J‐resolved COSY and DPFGSE‐MDEC‐J‐resolved COSY. This method incorporates MDEC pulse scheme into J‐resolved COSY for the selective decouple of individual methyl groups, avoiding decoupling of the target protons resonating in methyl region. Determinations of nJH–H of the multiplet signals can easily be performed using the proposed pulse sequence.
An adaptive remeshing procedure for discontinuous finite element limit analysis
Authors: Zhang Rui , Li Liang , Zhao Lianheng , Tang Gaopeng
Published: July 2018

An adaptive remeshing procedure is proposed for discontinuous finite element limit analysis. The procedure proceeds by iteratively adjusting the element sizes in the mesh to distribute local errors uniformly over the domain. To facilitate the redefinition of element sizes in the new mesh, the interelements discontinuous field of elemental bound gaps is converted into a continuous field, ie, the intensity of bound gap, using a patch‐based approximation technique. An analogous technique is subsequently used for the approximation of element sizes in the old mesh. With these information, an optimized distribution of element sizes in the new mesh is defined and then scaled to match the total number of elements specified for each iteration in the adaptive remeshing process. Finally, a new mesh is generated using the advancing front technique. This adaptive remeshing procedure is repeated several times until an optimal mesh is found. Additionally, for problems involving discontinuous boundary loads, a novel algorithm for the generation of fan‐type meshes around singular points is proposed explicitly and incorporated into the main adaptive remeshing procedure. To demonstrate the feasibility of our proposed method, some classical examples extracted from the existing literary works are studied in detail.
Development of an orthotopic canine prostate cancer model expressing human GRPr
Authors: Tweedle Michael F. , Ding Haiming , Drost William T. , Dowell Joshua , Spain James , Joseph Mathew , Elshafae Said M. , Menendez Maria‐Isabela , Gong Li , Kothandaraman Shankaran , Dirksen Wessel P. , Wright Chadwick L. , Bahnson Robert , Knopp Michael V. , Rosol Thomas J.
Published: July 2018

Background

Ace‐1 canine prostate cancer cells grow orthotopically in cyclosporine immunosuppressed laboratory beagles. We previously transfected (human Gastrin‐Releasing Peptide Receptor, huGRPr) into Ace‐1 cells and demonstrated receptor‐targeted NIRF imaging with IR800‐G‐Abz4‐t‐BBN, an agonist to huGRPr. Herein, we used the new cell line to develop the first canine prostate cancer model expressing a human growth factor receptor.

Methods

Dogs were immunosuppressed with cyclosporine, azathioprine, prednisolone, and methylprednisolone. Their prostate glands were implanted with Ace‐1huGRPr cells. The implantation wounds were sealed with a cyanoacrylic adhesive to prevent extraprostatic tumor growth. Intraprostatic tumors grew in 4‐5 week. A lobar prostatic artery was then catheterized via the carotid artery and 25‐100 nmol IR800‐Abz4‐t‐BBN was infused in 2 mL followed by euthanasia in dogs 1‐2, and recovery for 24 h before euthanasia in dogs 3‐6. Excised tissues were imaged optically imaged, and histopathology performed.

Results

Dog1 grew no tumors with cyclosporine alone. Using the four drug protocol, Dogs 2‐6 grew abundant 1‐2 mm intracapsular and 1‐2 cm intraglandular tumors. Tumors grew >5 cm when the prostate cancer cells became extracapsular. Dogs 4‐6 with sealed prostatic capsule implantation sites had growth of intracapsular and intraglandular tumors and LN metastases at 5 weeks. High tumor to background BPH signal in the NIRF images of sectioned prostate glands resulted from the 100 nmol dose (∼8 nmol/kg) in dogs 2‐4 and 50 nmol dose in dog 5, but not from the 25 nmol dose in Dog 6. Imaging of mouse Ace‐1huGRPr tumors required an intravenous dose of 500 nmol/kg body wt. A lymph node that drained the prostate gland was detectable in Dog 4. Histologic findings confirmed the imaging data.

Conclusion

Ace‐1huGRPr cells created viable, huGRPr‐expressing tumors when implanted orthotopically into immune‐suppressed dogs. Local delivery of an imaging agent through the prostatic artery allowed a very low imaging dose, suggesting that therapeutic agents could be used safely for treatment of early localized intraglandular prostate cancer as adjuvant therapy for active surveillance or focal ablation therapies, or for treating multifocal intraglandular disease where focal ablation therapies are not indicated or ineffective.
Defect‐Induced Anomalous Transverse Resistivity in an Itinerant Ferromagnetic Oxide
Authors: Kan Daisuke , Shimakawa Yuichi
Published: July 2018

Phenomena giving rise to voltages transverse to electric currents, such as anomalous and topological Hall effects, have been at the heart of modern condensed matter physics. Here, we show that epitaxial thin films of the itinerant ferromagnetic oxide SrRuO3 exhibit anomalous transverse resistivity associated with magnetization reversal, which is reminiscent of the emergence of the topological Hall effect. The behavior of the anomalous transverse resistivity of SrRuO3 films is found to depend on Ru vacancies. The anomalous peaking behavior in the transverse resistivity is enhanced when the film is thin enough that Ru vacancies significantly influence the magneto‐transport properties. Furthermore, films with fewer Ru vacancies exhibit no anomaly in transverse resistivity. Our observations imply that the Ru vacancies significantly influence the transverse resistivity in SrRuO3 and that defect‐induced changes in electronic structure are a plausible origin for the emergence of the anomalous peaking behavior in the transverse resistivity.
Atomistic Simulation of the Interaction Between Point Defects and Twin Boundary
Authors: Zhang Liang , Shibuta Yasushi , Lu Cheng , Huang Xiaoxu
Published: July 2018

While nanotwinned metals have been proven to show excellent mechanical properties, they are generally anticipated to be less effective in the alleviation of radiation damage. However, recent in situ studies have indicated that some nanotwinned metals exhibit unprecedented radiation tolerance, and the unexpected self‐healing of twin boundaries in response to radiation was observed. To reveal the underlying atomic mechanisms, we performed long‐time molecular dynamics simulations to study the dynamic interaction between twin boundary and some typical radiation‐induced point defects, including vacancy cluster and self‐interstitial atoms. The defective structures of coherent twin boundary which contains incoherent twin segment or self‐interstitial atoms are considered, and these structure features are found to effectively improve the ability of twin boundary to act as a sink for point defects.
Binary decision diagram–based methods for risk assessment of systems subject to propagated failures and parametric uncertainties
Authors: Qiu Siqi , Ming Henry X.G.
Published: July 2018

Propagated failures between components mean that the failure of one component may cause the failures of other components within the system. Because propagated failures contribute greatly to the system unavailability, it is important to take into account propagated failures between components when modeling systems. Sometimes, it may be difficult to obtain the precise values of some parameters due to many reasons, such as the insufficiency of historical data and the randomness of statistical data. In this case, interval values can be given instead of precise values to represent the parametric uncertainty related to the values of parameters. This paper proposes explicit and implicit binary decision diagram–based methods to model systems subject to propagated failures and to evaluate the failure probability of systems under parametric uncertainty. The proposed methods are applied to a near head‐to‐head railway accident to evaluate the occurrence probability of accidents.
Fused lasso regression for identifying differential correlations in brain connectome graphs
Authors: Yu Donghyeon , Lee Sang Han , Lim Johan , Xiao Guanghua , Craddock Richard Cameron , Biswal Bharat B.
Published: July 2018

In this paper, we propose a procedure to find differential edges between 2 graphs from high‐dimensional data. We estimate 2 matrices of partial correlations and their differences by solving a penalized regression problem. We assume sparsity only on differences between 2 graphs, not graphs themselves. Thus, we impose an ℓ2 penalty on partial correlations and an ℓ1 penalty on their differences in the penalized regression problem. We apply the proposed procedure in finding differential functional connectivity between healthy individuals and Alzheimer's disease patients.
Firm non‐market capabilities and the effect of supranational institutional safeguards on the location choice of international investments
Authors: Albino‐Pimentel Joao , Dussauge Pierre , Shaver J. Myles
Published: July 2018

Research Summary: We investigate the extent to which firms rely on supranational institutional safeguards versus their non‐market capabilities to offset the risks of investing abroad. We argue that firms with non‐market capabilities are insensitive to supranational institutional safeguards when choosing the location of their international investments. We show that supranational agreements between an investor's home and host nation, operationalized as bilateral investment treaties (BITs), increase the likelihood of investment, but there is substantial firm heterogeneity with respect to this relationship. Firms with various forms of non‐market capabilities are not sensitive to BITs, whereas other firms are more likely to invest under BITs. We advance the understanding of how firm non‐market capabilities can substitute for supranational institutional arrangements in addressing risks associated with host country institutional weaknesses.

Managerial Summary: The risk of expropriation is one of the main concerns companies have when investing abroad. Because of this, many countries implement bilateral investment treaties (BITs) to safeguard foreign investments, alleviate foreign investor concerns, and promote investments. We show that only those companies without political competence or political connections favor countries with BITs when choosing where to invest. Companies with political competence or political connections, on the other hand, ignore BITs and apparently rely on their ability to influence governments whenever their foreign investments face expropriation threats. As a result, politically connected or competent companies can enter markets most of their competitors lacking these capabilities shy away from. They can, therefore, do business in environments in which they face less competition.
The effects of zoo visitors on Quokka (Setonix brachyurus) avoidance behavior in a walk‐through exhibit
Authors: Learmonth Mark James , Sherwen Sally , Hemsworth Paul H.
Published: July 2018

The behavior of zoo animals may be influenced by visitors, with possible implications on animal welfare. We examined the effects of the presence of visitors on the presence and visibility of free‐ranging quokkas (Setonix brachyurus) in preferred areas of a walk‐through enclosure at Melbourne Zoo, Australia. In a controlled experiment, two visitor treatments were randomly imposed: (1) enclosure open to visitors as normal (“Open”) and (2) enclosure closed to visitors (“Closed”). Treatments were imposed for 2‐day periods, with five replicates of each treatment (10 2‐day periods in total). Instantaneous point sampling of camera footage at 1‐min intervals from 09:00 to 16:00 hr each day recorded the location and visibility of quokkas. Data were analyzed using a two‐factor ANOVA (visitor treatment and study area), with 2‐day summary values as the unit of analysis. While the presence of quokkas in the study areas was not affected by treatment, fewer (p < 0.05) quokkas were visible from the visitor paths and more (p < 0.05) quokkas were obscured from the visitor paths in the “Open” treatment than the “Closed” treatment. Number of quokkas differed between study areas across treatments (p < 0.01), but there was no interaction (p > 0.05) between visitor treatment and study area. The reduction in quokka visibility when visitors were present indicates that visitors were at least moderately fear provoking for the quokkas in this experiment, but further research is required to examine the effects of visitor presence and behaviors on the behavior and stress physiology of quokkas in walk‐through enclosures, as there may be possible welfare implications.
Exact Bremsstrahlung functions in ABJM theory
Authors: Bianchi Lorenzo , Preti Michelangelo , Vescovi Edoardo
Published: July 2018

Abstract

In this paper we study the Bremsstrahlung functions for the

$$ \frac{1}{6}\mathrm{B}\mathrm{P}\mathrm{S} $$

1
6

B
P
S

and the

$$ \frac{1}{2}\mathrm{B}\mathrm{P}\mathrm{S} $$

1
2

B
P
S

Wilson lines in ABJM theory. First we use a superconformal defect approach to prove a conjectured relation between the Bremsstrahlung functions associated to the geometric (B
1/6

φ

) and R-symmetry (B
1/6

θ

) deformations of the

$$ \frac{1}{6}\mathrm{B}\mathrm{P}\mathrm{S} $$

1
6

B
P
S

Wilson line. This result, non-trivially following from a defect supersymmetric Ward identity, provides an exact expression for B
1/6

θ

based on a known result for B
1/6

φ

. Subsequently, we explore the consequences of this relation for the

$$ \frac{1}{2}\mathrm{B}\mathrm{P}\mathrm{S} $$

1
2

B
P
S

Wilson line and, using the localization result for the multiply wound Wilson loop, we provide an exact closed form for the corresponding Bremsstrahlung function. Interestingly, for the comparison with integrability, this expression appears particularly natural in terms of the conjectured interpolating function h(λ). During the derivation of these results we analyze the protected defect supermultiplets associated to the broken symmetries, including their two- and three-point correlators.
Development and prospect of high-power doped fibers
Authors: Wang Yibo , Chen Gui , Li Jinyan
Published: July 2018

Ytterbium-doped fibers have become the optimum gain media of high-power fiber lasers thanks to a simple energy structure, which strongly reduces the excited state absorption, and a low quantum defect and a high optic–optic conversion efficiency, which means the low thermal load. In this paper, we take a review of the current state of the art in terms of $\text{Yb}^{3+}$ doped fibers for high-power fiber lasers, including the development of the fabrication techniques. The research work to overcome the challenges for $\text{Yb}^{3+}$ doped fibers, which affect the stability of output power and beam quality, will be demonstrated. Direction of further research is presented and the goal is to look for a fiber design, to boost single fiber output power, stabilize the laser power and support robust single-mode operation.
Successful simultaneous transcatheter treatment for a secundum atrial septal defect complicated by valvular pulmonary stenosis in an infant
Authors: Asada Dai , Tomita Hideshi , Fujii Takanari
Published: July 2018

Only few reports have described successful simultaneous transcatheter intervention for CHD in infants. We present an infant with secundum atrial septal defect complicated by valvular pulmonary stenosis. Percutaneous transcatheter pulmonary valvuloplasty was performed first, followed by transcatheter closure of the secundum atrial septal defect uneventfully. Simultaneous transcatheter correction is an effective therapeutic option even in infants.
A few suggestions on broadening the cross-linguistic relevance of the Multilink model
Authors: MISHRA RAMESH KUMAR
Published: July 2018

In their keynote article, Dijkstra, Wahl, Buytenhuijs, van Halem, Al-jibouri, De Korte & Rekke (2018) propose a new model that aims to integrate and take care of the possible shortcomings of both the Revised Hierarchical Model (RHM, Kroll & Stewart, 1994) and Bilingual Interactive Activation model (BIA and several of its later versions, Dijkstra & Van Heuven, 1998). They begin their proposal by examining the objections/issues raised by Brysbaert and Duyck (2010) on RHM. It is well known that RHM is a developmental, production-based model which mostly predicted performance on translation-based tasks albeit with different predictions for translation recognition vs. production with regard to second language proficiency; BIA being a connectionist model of bilingual word recognition majorly emphasized on language non –selective selection and parallel language activation. Having been developed in and around Dutch (English as the second language), it took cognate status and orthographic similarity between words very seriously. Cognate status and orthographic similarity as factors won't count much as theoretical constructs around which a hypothesis could be developed if we look round the diverse types of orthographies and phonologies we find around the world.
Penta-band microstrip patch antenna with small frequency ratios using metamaterial for wireless applications
Authors: Chaurasia Praveen , Kanaujia Binod Kumar , Dwari Santanu , Khandelwal Mukesh Kumar
Published: July 2018

A novel shape penta-band microstrip patch antenna is presented in this paper. The proposed antenna shows five operating frequencies and can be used for various wireless applications, i.e. 2.58 GHz for non-direct line of sight, wireless Internet service providers, and compatible with Navini Networks; 3.17 and 3.42 GHz for WiMAX; 4 GHz for C-band application such as weather radar systems; and 5.3 GHz for higher WLAN. Very small frequency ratios of the values 1.2286, 1.078, 1.169, and 1.325 are achieved between two consecutive resonant frequencies. Antenna design techniques for achieving five bands are presented and discussed step by step. The analysis is done by Ansoft HFSS v.15, and results are verified with experimental results of fabricated prototypes.
Design and performance analysis of dual-band wearable compact low-profile antenna for body-centric wireless communications
Authors: Al-Sehemi Abdullah , Al-Ghamdi Ahmed , Dishovsky Nikolay , Atanasov Nikolay , Atanasova Gabriela
Published: July 2018

In this paper, we present a novel dual-band wearable compact flexible antenna for body-centric wireless communications (BCWCs). The design is based on a modified planar dipole with parasitic elements, meandered lines, and a rectangular reflector embedded into a hydrophobic rubber-textile multilayer substrate in order to get both good antenna performance and mechanical properties. The antenna's structure is analyzed and optimized in free space (FS), on a numerical and an experimental homogeneous flat phantom. The overall dimensions of the antenna are 50 mm × 40 mm × 4.6 mm and a prototype mass of 11 g, which makes it suitable for practical applications in BCWCs. The built prototype resonated at 2.47 GHz with a |S11|−26.90 dB and at 5.42 GHz with a |S11|−24.60 dB in the FS. The measured bandwidths are 500 MHz (2.2–2.7 GHz) and 1000 MHz (4.65–5.75 GHz) at lower and higher bands, respectively. The antenna exhibits a measured maximum gain of 1.17 dBi at 2.66 GHz and a radiation efficiency of 28.44% in FS. The 10 g average maximum specific absorption rate is 0.165 W/kg at 2.70 GHz and 0.520 W/kg at 5.24 GHz when the antenna is placed on the numerical phantom at net input power 0.1 W.
Experimental demonstration of tunable refractometer based on orbital angular momentum of longitudinally structured light
Authors: Dorrah Ahmed H. , Zamboni-Rached Michel , Mojahedi Mo
Published: July 2018

The index of refraction plays a decisive role in the design and classification of optical materials and devices; therefore, its proper and accurate determination is essential. In most refractive index (RI) sensing schemes, however, there is a trade-off between providing high-resolution measurements and covering a wide range of RIs. We propose and experimentally demonstrate a novel mechanism for sensing the index of refraction of a medium by utilizing the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of structured light. Using a superposition of co-propagating monochromatic higher-order Bessel beams with equally spaced longitudinal wavenumbers, in a comb-like setting, we generate non-diffracting rotating light structures in which the orientation of the beam’s intensity profile is sensitive to the RI of the medium (here, a fluid). In principle, the sensitivity of this scheme can exceed ~2700°/RI unit (RIU) with a resolution of ~$$10^{ - 5}$$
1

0

-
5

 RIU. Furthermore, we show how the unbounded degrees of freedom associated with OAM can be deployed to offer a wide dynamic range by generating structured light that evolves into different patterns based on the change in RI. The rotating light structures are generated by a programmable spatial light modulator. This provides dynamic control over the sensitivity, which can be tuned to perform coarse or fine measurements of the RI in real time. This, in turn, allows high sensitivity and resolution to be achieved simultaneously over a very wide dynamic range, which is a typical trade-off in all RI sensing schemes. We thus envision that this method will open new directions in refractometry and remote sensing.
Evolutionary trends in host physiology outweigh dietary niche in structuring primate gut microbiomes
Authors: Amato Katherine R , Sanders Jon G , Song Se Jin , Nute Michael , Metcalf Jessica L , Thompson Luke R , Morton James T , Amir Amnon , McKenzie Valerie J , Humphrey Gregory , Gogul Grant , Gaffney James , Baden Andrea L , Britton Gillian A O , Cuozzo Frank P , Di Fiore Anthony , Dominy Nathaniel J , Goldberg Tony L , Gomez Andres , Kowalewski Martin M , Lewis Rebecca J , Link Andres , Sauther Michelle L , Tecot Stacey , White Bryan A , Nelson Karen E , Stumpf Rebecca M , Knight Rob , Leigh Steven R
Published: July 2018

Over the past decade several studies have reported that the gut microbiomes of mammals with similar dietary niches exhibit similar compositional and functional traits. However, these studies rely heavily on samples from captive individuals and often confound host phylogeny, gut morphology, and diet. To more explicitly test the influence of host dietary niche on the mammalian gut microbiome we use 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomics to compare the gut microbiota of 18 species of wild non-human primates classified as either folivores or closely related non-folivores, evenly distributed throughout the primate order and representing a range of gut morphological specializations. While folivory results in some convergent microbial traits, collectively we show that the influence of host phylogeny on both gut microbial composition and function is much stronger than that of host dietary niche. This pattern does not result from differences in host geographic location or actual dietary intake at the time of sampling, but instead appears to result from differences in host physiology. These findings indicate that mammalian gut microbiome plasticity in response to dietary shifts over both the lifespan of an individual host and the evolutionary history of a given host species is constrained by host physiological evolution. Therefore, the gut microbiome cannot be considered separately from host physiology when describing host nutritional strategies and the emergence of host dietary niches.
Chemotaxis of Escherichia coli to major hormones and polyamines present in human gut
Authors: Lopes Joana G , Sourjik Victor
Published: July 2018

The microorganisms in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract can influence the metabolism, immunity, and behavior of animal hosts. Increasing evidence suggests that communication between the host and the microbiome also occurs in the opposite direction, with hormones and other host-secreted compounds being sensed by microorganisms. Here, we addressed one key aspect of the host–microbe communication by studying chemotaxis of a model commensal bacterium, Escherichia coli, to several compounds present abundantly in the GI tract, namely catecholamines, thyroid hormones, and polyamines. Our results show that E. coli reacts to five out of ten analyzed chemicals, sensing melatonin, and spermidine as chemorepellents and showing mixed responses to dopamine, norepinephrine and 3,4-dihydroxymandelic acid. The strongest repellent response was observed for the polyamine spermidine, and we demonstrate that this response involves the low-abundance chemoreceptor Trg and the periplasmic binding protein PotD of the spermidine uptake system. The chemotactic effects of the tested compounds apparently correlate with their influence on growth and their stability in the GI tract, pointing to the specificity of the observed behavior. We hypothesize that the repellent responses observed at high concentrations of chemoeffective compounds might enable bacteria to avoid harmful levels of hormones and polyamines in the gut and, more generally, antimicrobial activities of the mucous layer.
Observation of nuclear quantum effects and hydrogen bond symmetrisation in high pressure ice
Authors: Meier Thomas , Petitgirard Sylvain , Khandarkhaeva Saiana , Dubrovinsky Leonid
Published: July 2018

Hydrogen bond symmetrisations in H-bonded systems triggered by pressure-induced nuclear quantum effects (NQEs) is a long-known concept but experimental evidence in high-pressure ices has remained elusive with conventional methods. Theoretical works predicted quantum-mechanical tunneling of protons within water ices to occur at pressures above 30 GPa, and the H-bond symmetrisation transition to occur above 60 GPa. Here we used 1H-NMR on high-pressure ice up to 97 GPa, and demonstrate that NQEs govern the behavior of the hydrogen bonded protons in ice VII already at significantly lower pressures than previously expected. A pronounced tunneling mode was found to be present up to the highest pressures of 97 GPa, well into the stability field of ice X, where NQEs are not anticipated in a fully symmetrised H-bond network. We found two distinct transitions in the NMR shift data at about 20 GPa and 75 GPa attributed to the step-wise symmetrisation of the H-bond.
Author Correction: Electrochemical Performance of Supercapacitor with Stacked Copper Foils Coated with Graphene Nanoplatelets
Authors: Chiam S. L. , Lim H. N. , Hafiz S. M. , Pandikumar A. , Huang N. M.
Published: July 2018

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper.
Author Correction: Multidisciplinary study of the secondary immune response in grandparents re-exposed to chickenpox
Authors: Ogunjimi B. , Van den Bergh J. , Meysman P. , Heynderickx S. , Bergs K. , Jansens H. , Leuridan E. , Vorsters A. , Goossens H. , Laukens K. , Cools N. , Van Tendeloo Viggo , Hens N. , Van Damme P. , Smits Evelien , Beutels Ph.
Published: July 2018

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.
Task-specific and variability-driven activation of cognitive control processes during motor performance
Authors: Stuhr Christina , Hughes Charmayne Mary Lee , Stöckel Tino
Published: July 2018

It has long been postulated that cognitive and motor functions are functionally intertwined. While the idea received convincing support from neuroimaging studies providing evidence that motor and cognitive processes draw on common neural mechanisms and resources, findings from behavioral studies are rather inconsistent. The purpose of the present study was to identify and verify key factors that act on the link between cognitive and motor functions. Specifically we investigated whether it is possible to predict motor skills from cognitive functions. While our results support the idea that motor and cognitive functions are functionally intertwined and different motor skills entail distinct cognitive functions, our data also strongly suggest that the impact of cognitive control processes on motor skill proficiency depends on performance variability, i.e. on how challenging a motor task is. Based on these findings, we presume that motor skills activate specific cognitive control processes on two levels: basic processes that are solely related to the type of the motor task, and variability-driven processes that come into play when performance variability is high. For practitioners, these findings call for specific and challenging motor training interventions to directly tap into the to-be-improved cognitive skills and to involve a maximum of cognitive processes.
A Multiwell-Based Detection Platform with Integrated PDMS Concentrators for Rapid Multiplexed Enzymatic Assays
Authors: Wei Xi , Do Vu Q. , Pham Sang V. , Martins Diogo , Song Yong-Ak
Published: July 2018

We report an integrated system for accelerating assays with concentrators in a standard 12-well plate (ISAAC-12) and demonstrate its versatility for rapid detection of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 expression in the cell culture supernatant of breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 by accelerating the enzymatic reaction and end-point signal intensity via electrokinetic preconcentration. Using direct printing of a conductive ion-permselective polymer on a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) channel, the new microfluidic concentrator chip can be built without modifying the underlying substrate. Through this decoupling fabrication strategy, our microfluidic concentrator chip can easily be integrated with a standard multiwell plate, the de facto laboratory standard platform for high-throughput assays, simply by reversible bonding on the bottom of each well. It increases the reaction rate of enzymatic assays by concentrating the enzyme and the reaction product inside each well simultaneously for rapid multiplexed detection.
Culture of haploid blastocysts in FGF4 favors the derivation of epiblast stem cells with a primed epigenetic and transcriptional landscape
Authors: He Runsheng , Kidder Benjamin L.
Published: July 2018

Pluripotent stem cells within the inner cell mass and epiblast of mammalian embryos have the capacity to form all lineages in the adult organism, while multipotent trophoblast stem (TS) cells derived from the trophectoderm are capable of differentiating into fetal lineages of the placenta. While mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells and epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs) exhibit distinct expression patterns and utilize distinct external signaling pathways for self-renewal, because mouse EpiSCs resemble human ES cells they are a useful model to investigate mechanisms of human ES cell self-renewal and differentiation. Recent studies have shown that haploid embryos and ES cells can be generated from chemically-activated unfertilized mouse oocytes. However, it is unclear whether EpiSCs or TS cells can be derived from haploid embryos. Here, we describe the derivation of EpiSCs from haploid blastocyst-stage embryos using culture conditions that promote TS cell self-renewal. Maternal (parthenogenetic/gynogenetic) EpiSCs (maEpiSCs) functionally and morphologically resemble conventional EpiSCs. Established maEpiSCs and conventional EpiSCs are diploid and exhibit a normal number of chromosomes. Moreover, global expression analyses and epigenomic profiling revealed that maEpiSCs and conventional EpiSCs exhibit similarly primed transcriptional programs and epigenetic profiles, respectively. Altogether, our results describe a useful experimental model to generate EpiSCs from haploid embryos, provide insight into self-renewal mechanisms of EpiSCs, and suggest that FGF4 is not sufficient to derive TS cells from haploid blastocyst-stage embryos.
Feasibility and safety of shared EEG/EOG and vision-guided autonomous whole-arm exoskeleton control to perform activities of daily living
Authors: Crea Simona , Nann Marius , Trigili Emilio , Cordella Francesca , Baldoni Andrea , Badesa Francisco Javier , Catalán José Maria , Zollo Loredana , Vitiello Nicola , Aracil Nicolas Garcia , Soekadar Surjo R.
Published: July 2018

Arm and finger paralysis, e.g. due to brain stem stroke, often results in the inability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) such as eating and drinking. Recently, it was shown that a hybrid electroencephalography/electrooculography (EEG/EOG) brain/neural hand exoskeleton can restore hand function to quadriplegics, but it was unknown whether such control paradigm can be also used for fluent, reliable and safe operation of a semi-autonomous whole-arm exoskeleton restoring ADLs. To test this, seven abled-bodied participants (seven right-handed males, mean age 30 ± 8 years) were instructed to use an EEG/EOG-controlled whole-arm exoskeleton attached to their right arm to perform a drinking task comprising multiple sub-tasks (reaching, grasping, drinking, moving back and releasing a cup). Fluent and reliable control was defined as average ‘time to initialize’ (TTI) execution of each sub-task below 3 s with successful initializations of at least 75% of sub-tasks within 5 s. During use of the system, no undesired side effects were reported. All participants were able to fluently and reliably control the vision-guided autonomous whole-arm exoskeleton (average TTI 2.12 ± 0.78 s across modalities with 75% successful initializations reached at 1.9 s for EOG and 4.1 s for EEG control) paving the way for restoring ADLs in severe arm and hand paralysis.
Differential profiling of lacrimal cytokines in patients suffering from thyroid-associated orbitopathy
Authors: Kishazi Edina , Dor Marianne , Eperon Simone , Oberic Aurélie , Turck Natacha , Hamedani Mehrad
Published: July 2018

The aim was to investigate the levels of cytokines and soluble IL-6R in the tears of patients with thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO) disease. Schirmer’s test was adopted to collect tears from TAO patients (N = 20, 17 women, mean age (±SD): 46.0 years (±13.4)) and healthy subjects (N = 18, 10 women, 45.4 years (±18.7)). Lacrimal cytokines and soluble IL-6R (sIL-6R) were measured using a 10-plex panel (Meso Scale Discovery Company) and Invitrogen Human sIL-6R Elisa kit, respectively. Tear levels of IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-13, IL-6 and TNF-α appeared significantly higher in TAO patients than in healthy subjects. Interestingly, IL-10, IL-12p70 and IL-8 levels increased in tears whatever the form of TAO whereas IL-13, IL-6 and TNF-α levels were significantly elevated in inflammatory TAO patients, meaning with a clinical score activity (CAS) ≥ 3, compared to controls. Furthermore, only 3 cytokines were strongly positively correlated with CAS (IL-13 Spearman coeff. r: 0.703, p = 0.0005; IL-6 r: 0.553, p = 0.011; IL-8 r: 0.618, p = 0.004, respectively). Finally, tobacco use disturbed the levels of several cytokines, especially in patient suffering of TAO. The differential profile of lacrimal cytokines could be useful for the diagnosis of TAO patients. Nevertheless, the tobacco use of these patients should be taken into account in the interpretation of the cytokine levels.
Various roles of heme oxygenase-1 in response of bone marrow macrophages to RANKL and in the early stage of osteoclastogenesis
Authors: Florczyk-Soluch Urszula , Józefczuk Ewelina , Stępniewski Jacek , Bukowska-Strakova Karolina , Mendel Mateusz , Viscardi Monika , Nowak Witold Norbert , Józkowicz Alicja , Dulak Józef
Published: July 2018

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1; encoded by Hmox1), a downstream target of the Nrf2 transcription factor, has been postulated to be a negative regulator of osteoclasts (OCLs) differentiation. Here, we further explored such a hypothesis by examining HO-1 effects in different stages of osteoclastogenesis. We confirmed the inhibition of the expression of OCLs markers by Nrf2. In contrast, both the lack of the active Hmox1 gene or HO-1 silencing in OCLs precursor cells, bone marrow macrophages (BMMs), decreased their differentiation towards OCLs, as indicated by the analysis of OCLs markers such as TRAP. However, no effect of HO-1 deficiency was observed when HO-1 expression was silenced in BMMs or RAW264.7 macrophage cell line pre-stimulated with RANKL (considered as early-stage OCLs). Moreover, cobalt protoporphyrin IX (CoPPIX) or hemin, the known HO-1 inducers, inhibited OCLs markers both in RANKL-stimulated RAW264.7 cells and BMMs. Strikingly, a similar effect occurred in HO-1−/− cells, indicating HO-1-independent activity of CoPPIX and hemin. Interestingly, plasma of HO-1−/− mice contained higher TRAP levels, which suggests an increased number of bone-resorbing OCLs in the absence of HO-1 in vivo. In conclusion, our data indicate that HO-1 is involved in the response of bone marrow macrophages to RANKL and the induction of OCLs markers, but it is dispensable in early-stage OCLs. However, in vivo HO-1 appears to inhibit OCLs formation.