bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Unique stabilizing mechanism provided by biocompatible choline-based ionic liquids for inhibiting dissociation of inactivated foot-and-mouth disease virus particles
Authors: Lin Xuan , Yang Yanli , Li Shuai , Song Yanmin , Ma Guanghui , Su Zhiguo , Zhang Songping
Published: May 2019

Choline-based ionic liquids provide a unique stabilizing mechanism for inhibiting the dissociation of inactivated foot-and-mouth disease virus particles.
Correction: Fabrication of graphene oxide/montmorillonite nanocomposite flexible thin films with improved gas-barrier properties
Authors: Kim Se Jung , Kim Tan young , Kang Byung Hyun , Lee Gun-Hwan , Ju Byeong-Kwon
Published: May 2019

Correction for ‘Fabrication of graphene oxide/montmorillonite nanocomposite flexible thin films with improved gas-barrier properties’ by Se Jung Kim et al., RSC Adv., 2018, 8, 39083–39089.
LncRNA-H19 promotes hepatic lipogenesis by directly regulating miR-130a/PPARγ axis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Liu Jun , Tang Tao , Wang Guo-Dong , Liu Bo
Published: May 2019

Background: As one of the most common liver disorders worldwide, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) begins with the abnormal accumulation of triglyceride (TG) in the liver. Long non-coding RNA-H19 was reported to modulate hepatic metabolic homeostasis in NAFLD. However, its molecular mechanism of NAFLD was not fully clear.

Methods: In vitro and in vivo models of NAFLD were established by free fatty acid (FFA) treatment of hepatocytes and high-fat feeding mice, respectively. Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) and Oil-Red O staining detected liver tissue morphology and lipid accumulation. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining examined peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) level in liver tissues. ELISA assay assessed TG secretion. Luciferase assay and RNA pull down were used to validate regulatory mechanism among H19, miR-130a and PPARγ. The gene expression in hepatocytes and liver tissues was detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting.

Results: H19 and PPARγ were up-regulated, while miR-130a was down-regulated in NAFLD mouse and cellular model. H&E and Oil-Red O staining indicated an increased lipid accumulation. Knockdown of H19 inhibited steatosis and TG secretion in FFA-induced hepatocytes. H19 could bind to miR-130a, and miR-130a could directly inhibit PPARγ expression. Meanwhile, miR-130a inhibited lipid accumulation by down-regulating NAFLD-related genes PPARγ, SREBP1, SCD1, ACC1 and FASN. Overexpression of miR-130a and PPARγ antagonist GW9662 inhibited lipogenesis and TG secretion, and PPARγ agonist GW1929 reversed this change induced by miR-130a up-regulation.

Conclusion: Knockdown of H19 alleviated hepatic lipogenesis via directly regulating miR-130a/PPARγ axis, which is a novel mechanistic role of H19 in the regulation of NAFLD.
Circulating microRNA-378 levels serve as a novel biomarker for assessing the severity of coronary stenosis in patients with coronary artery disease
Authors: Li Hongshi , Gao Fei , Wang Xiaowei , Wu Jiahong , Lu Kunze , Liu Minghao , Li Rongrong , Ding Lingling , Wang Rong
Published: May 2019

Background: Circulating microRNAs (miRNA) are steady preserved in blood plasma. Multiple evidences have shown that miRNAs play a crucial role in cardiovascular disease including miRNA-378, which has been illustrated to participate in diverse physiological and pathological processes of cardiovascular disease. In the present study, we aim to explore the expression of plasma miRNA-378 and its clinical significance in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods: MiRNA-378 expression in blood plasma was performed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in 215 CAD patients and 52 matched controls of healthy populations. Medical information of all patients including the results of coronary angiography (CAG) was acquired through hospital information system (HIS). Spearman’s correlation, binary linear regression, and covariance analysis were used to examine the association between miRNA-378 and relative clinical risk factors. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was applied to evaluate the value of miRNA-378 in predicting the disease severity of coronary lesion.

Results: Plasma miR-378 expression was significantly down-regulated in CAD patients compared with healthy controls. Relative miR-378 level was shown conversely correlated with Gensini score, which present the severity of coronary artery lesions. Moreover, it is indicated that miR-378 expression can effectively distinguish patients with or without coronary artery stenosis.

Conclusions: Plasma miR-378 levels appear to be a promising non-invasive biomarker, but require to be further validated by a large cohort study in future.
Endoglin is a conserved regulator of vasculogenesis in zebrafish – implications for hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia
Authors: Zhang Ding , Zhou Fang , Zhao Xiuli , Liu Bao , Chen Jingyu , Yang Jun
Published: May 2019

Hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is a progressive vascular disease with high mortality and prevalence. There is no effective treatment of HHT due to the lack of comprehensive knowledge of its underlying pathological mechanisms. The majority of HHT1 patients carry endoglin (ENG) mutations. Here, we used Danio rerio (zebrafish) as an in vivo model to investigate the effects of endoglin knockdown on vascular development. According to phylogenetic analyses and amino acid sequence similarity analyses, we confirmed that endoglin is conserved in vertebrates and descended from a single common ancestor. Endoglin is highly expressed in the vasculature beginning at the segmentation period in zebrafish. Upon endoglin knockdown by morpholinos, we observed disruption in the intersegmental vessels (ISVs) and decreased expression of several vascular markers. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) results implied that the BMP-binding endothelial regulator (bmper) is a gene affected by endoglin knockdown. Rescue experiments demonstrated that overexpression of bmper significantly increased the number of endothelial cells (ECs) and reduced the defects at ISVs in zebrafish. Moreover, there was enhanced tube formation in ENG mutant ECs derived from a HHT patient after human recombinant BMPER (hrBMPER) stimulation. Taken together, our results suggest that bmper, a potential downstream gene of ENG, could be targeted to improve vascular integrity in HHT.
Long noncoding RNA HOXA-AS2 promotes non-small cell lung cancer progression by regulating miR-520a-3p
Authors: Liu Yunpeng , Lin Xingyu , Zhou Shiyao , Zhang Peng , Shao Guoguang , Yang Zhiguang
Published: May 2019

Background: The HOXA cluster antisense RNA 2 (HOXA-AS2) has recently been discovered to be involved in carcinogenesis in multiple cancers. However, the role and underlying mechanism of HOXA-AS2 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) yet need to be unraveled. Methods: HOXA-AS2 expression in NSCLC tissues and cell lines was detected using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Furthermore, the effects of HOXA-AS2 on NSCLC cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion were assessed by MTS, flow cytometry, wound healing and transwell invasion assays, respectively. Starbase2.0 predicted and luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays were used to validate the association of HOXA-AS2 and miR-520a-3p in NSCLC cells. Results: Our results revealed that HOXA-AS2 in NSCLC tissues were up-regulated and cell lines, and were associated with poor prognosis and overall survival. Further functional assays demonstrated that HOXA-AS2 knockdown significantly inhibited NSCLC cell proliferation, induced cell apoptosis and suppressed migration and invasion. Starbase2.0 predicted that HOXA-AS2 sponge miR-520a-3p at 3′-UTR, which was confirmed using luciferase reporter and RIP assays. miR-520a-3p expression was inversely correlated with HOXA-AS2 expression in NSCLC tissues. In addition, miR-520a-3p inhibitor attenuated the inhibitory effect of HOXD-AS2-depletion on cell proliferation, migration and invasion of NSCLC cells. Moreover, HOXA-AS2 could regulate HOXD8 and MAP3K2 expression, two known targets of miR-520a-3p in NSCLC. Conclusion: These findings implied that HOXA-AS2 promoted NSCLC progression by regulating miR-520a-3p, suggesting that HOXA-AS2 could serve as a therapeutic target for NSCLC.
The Close AGN Reference Survey (CARS)
Authors: Neumann J. , Gadotti D. A. , Wisotzki L. , Husemann B. , Busch G. , Combes F. , Croom S. M. , Davis T. A. , Gaspari M. , Krumpe M. , Pérez-Torres M. A. , Scharwächter J. , Smirnova-Pinchukova I. , Tremblay G. R. , Urrutia T.
Published: May 2019

The absence of star formation in the bar region that has been reported for some galaxies can theoretically be explained by shear. However, it is not clear how star-forming (SF) bars fit into this picture and how the dynamical state of the bar is related to other properties of the host galaxy. We used integral-field spectroscopy from VLT/MUSE to investigate how star formation within bars is connected to structural properties of the bar and the host galaxy. We derived spatially resolved Hα fluxes from MUSE observations from the CARS survey to estimate star formation rates in the bars of 16 nearby (0.01 <  z <  0.06) disc galaxies with stellar masses between 1010 M⊙ and 1011 M⊙. We further performed a detailed multicomponent photometric decomposition on images derived from the data cubes. We find that bars clearly divide into SF and non-SF types, of which eight are SF and eight are non-SF. Whatever the responsible quenching mechanism is, it is a quick process compared to the lifetime of the bar. The star formation of the bar appears to be linked to the flatness of the surface brightness profile in the sense that only the flattest bars (nbar≤0.4) are actively SF (SFRb >  0.5 M⊙ yr−1). Both parameters are uncorrelated with Hubble type. We find that star formation is 1.75 times stronger on the leading than on the trailing edge and is radially decreasing. The conditions to host non-SF bars might be connected to the presence of inner rings. Additionally, from testing an AGN feeding scenario, we report that the star formation rate of the bar is uncorrelated with AGN bolometric luminosity. The results of this study may only apply to type-1 AGN hosts and need to be confirmed for the full population of barred galaxies.
PELICAN: deeP architecturE for the LIght Curve ANalysis
Authors: Pasquet Johanna , Pasquet Jérôme , Chaumont Marc , Fouchez Dominique
Published: May 2019

We developed a deeP architecturE for the LIght Curve ANalysis (PELICAN) for the characterization and the classification of supernovae light curves. It takes light curves as input, without any additional features. PELICAN can deal with the sparsity and the irregular sampling of light curves. It is designed to remove the problem of non-representativeness between the training and test databases coming from the limitations of the spectroscopic follow-up. We applied our methodology on different supernovae light curve databases. First, we tested PELICAN on the Supernova Photometric Classification Challenge for which we obtained the best performance ever achieved with a non-representative training database, by reaching an accuracy of 0.811. Then we tested PELICAN on simulated light curves of the LSST Deep Fields for which PELICAN is able to detect 87.4% of supernovae Ia with a precision higher than 98%, by considering a non-representative training database of 2k light curves. PELICAN can be trained on light curves of LSST Deep Fields to classify light curves of the LSST main survey, which have a lower sampling rate and are more noisy. In this scenario, it reaches an accuracy of 96.5% with a training database of 2k light curves of the Deep Fields. This constitutes a pivotal result as type Ia supernovae candidates from the main survey might then be used to increase the statistics without additional spectroscopic follow-up. Finally we tested PELICAN on real data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. PELICAN reaches an accuracy of 86.8% with a training database composed of simulated data and a fraction of 10% of real data. The ability of PELICAN to deal with the different causes of non-representativeness between the training and test databases, and its robustness against survey properties and observational conditions, put it in the forefront of light curve classification tools for the LSST era.
COMP2CAT: hunting compact double radio sources in the local Universe
Authors: Jimenez-Gallardo A. , Massaro F. , Capetti A. , Prieto M. A. , Paggi A. , Baldi R. D. , Grossova R. , Ostorero L. , Siemiginowska A. , Viada S.
Published: May 2019

We present a catalog of compact double radio galaxies (hereafter COMP2CAT) listing 43 edge-brightened radio sources whose projected linear size does not exceed 60 kpc, the typical size of their host galaxies. This is the fifth in a series of radio source catalogs recently created, namely: FRICAT, FRIICAT, FR0CAT, and WATCAT, each of which focuses on a different class of radio galaxies. The main aim of our analysis is to attain a better understanding of sources with intermediate morphologies between FR IIs and FR 0s. COMP2CAT sources were selected from an existing catalog of radio sources based on NVSS, FIRST and SDSS observations because they have (i) edge-brightened morphologies typical of FR IIs, (ii) redshifts z <  0.15, and (iii) projected linear sizes smaller than 60 kpc. With radio luminosities at 1.4 GHz 1038 ≲ L1.4 ≲ 1041 erg s−1, COMP2CAT sources appear as the low radio luminosity tail of FR IIs. However, their host galaxies are indistinguishable from those of large-scale radio sources: they are luminous (−21 ≳ Mr ≳ −24), red, early-type galaxies with black hole masses in the range 107.5 ≲ MBH ≲ 109.5 M⊙. Moreover, all but one of the COMP2CAT sources are optically classifiable as low-excitation radio galaxies, in agreement with being the low radio luminosity tail of FR Is and FR IIs. This catalog of compact double sources, which is ∼47% complete at z <  0.15, can potentially be used to clarify the role of compact double sources in the general evolutionary scheme of radio galaxies.
A putative mechanism of the Sodium/Iodide Symporter regulation during repetitive administration of stable Iodide described by a Systems Biology approach
Authors: Cohen David , Lebsir Dalila , Tack Karine , Benderitter Marc , Souidi Maâmar
Published: May 2019

A single dose of potassium iodide (KI) against a prolonged exposure to repeated radioactivity might not be effective enough to protect the thyroid. Our group have shown that a repetitive dose of KI for eight days offers efficient protection without adverse effects in male rats [1].
Histological long-term effects in relevant tissues after 131I contamination of two Wistar rat models
Authors: Mezaguer-Lekouaghet Meriem , Badreddine Abdelwahab , Mameri Saadia , Souidi Maamar , Baz Ahcène , Lounis-Mokrani Zohra
Published: May 2019

Procedures using iodine-131 (131I) represent about 90% of all therapies in nuclear medicine [1, 2]. It is important to evaluate the long-term biological effects of 131I treatment on non-target organs in order to improve the patient radioprotection.

The aim of this work is to use an experimental animal model to contribute to the understanding of some biological effects induced by 131I contamination, and especially histological effects.

Two models of Wistar rats with (Tr+) and without thyroid (Tr-) were orally contaminated with iodine and after 8 months they were sacrificed and the histological effects on some relevant tissues such as thyroid, testes, liver and kidneys were been studied.

Thyroid tissue analysis revealed that in the case of the Tr+ model compared to their control (Tr+ uncontaminated), 50% of the slides examined had remodeled the thyroid tissue with rare follicles choked by fibrosis and with epithelial changes. However, for Tr- compared to their control, the examined slides reveal the presence of a small, completely atrophied thyroid mass associated with vesicular fibrosis and with detachment of the colloid.

For the renal organ, disturbances are observed: inflammation of the presence of tissue fibrosis and glomerular necrosis. For the liver, there is an appearance of inflammatory focus in different degrees around the portals. However, the results of the testes of both models compared to their controls revealed no histological abnormalities. The observed histological effects are correlated with the corresponding absorbed dose received by each organ and calculated using the RODES software [3, 4].
Possible role of auroral oval-related currents in two intense magnetic storms recorded by old mid-latitude observatories Clementinum and Greenwich
Authors: Valach Fridrich , Hejda Pavel , Revallo Miloš , Bochníček Josef
Published: May 2019

Some recent studies point out that currents related to the auroral oval, electrojets and field aligned currents (FACs), are serious candidates for the mechanism of the intense mid-latitude magnetic storms. It is interesting to re-analyse historical data under the light of this modern knowledge. In this aim, we analysed two intense magnetic storms that were recorded by observatories Clementinum (Prague) and Greenwich on 17 November 1848 and 4 February 1872, respectively. The latter has been marked as an extraordinary event by several authors, in particular in connection with auroras. The former, however, has been little known in the space weather community. Both these events possessed swift and extensive variations of the horizontal (H) component (>400 nT and >500 nT, respectively) and were accompanied by auroras sighted at very low magnetic latitudes. This implies that the auroral oval on the north hemisphere was vastly extended southward. The variations of the magnetic declination also indicate that during these events the auroral oval was situated at magnetic latitudes lower than those of the observatories. The storms studied in this paper occurred at different magnetic local times (MLTs), ~23 MLT and ~19 MLT. Therefore, they might represent mid-latitude events related to different parts of the auroral oval. In this paper, theH-variation recorded at Clementinum in 1848 is interpreted to be a substorm due to the ionospheric substorm electrojet. The Greenwich event registered in 1872 then seems to be a combination of the ring-current storm with a positive variation of theH-component caused by the eastward electrojet. Both the events of 1848 and 1872 appear to exemplify phenomena that are common in high magnetic latitudes but which may occasionally happen also at mid-latitudes.
[99mTc]Tilmanocept Lymphscintigraphy after inconclusive [99mTc]Nanocolloid Scan in Breast Cancer
Authors: Kircher Malte , Seifert Simone , Kircher Stefan , Lapa Constantin
Published: May 2019

Introduction

Lymphatic mapping for identification and subsequent removal of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) is an established procedure in breast cancer and cutaneous melanoma to minimize the extent of surgery (and thus, associated morbidity), simplify histopathological processing and subsequently provide prognostic information and help choose the optimal patient management. Established methods for SLN mapping include visual identification of nodal staining after peritumoral injection of a (blue) dye or the use of lymphoscintigraphy with technetium-labelled nanocolloid. In experienced hands, success rates for both methods exceed 95 %, nonetheless in some patients they fail despite correct application and imaging techniques. Potential reasons for false-negative SLN detection rates –beyond poor tracer injection technique or imaging of the wrong nodal basin- include inadequate pathologic examination of the SLN or complete replacement of the SLN with neoplastic disease, causing the injected tracer to completely bypass the infiltrated node 1.

Beyond colloid particles, the more specific receptor-targeting small molecule [99mTc]Tilmanocept has recently been approved for scintigraphic SLN detection. Tilmanocept, or mannosyl diethylene-triamine-pentaacetate (DTPA) dextran, has a small molecular size of approximately 7 nm and works via specific binding to the mannose receptor (CD206) 2. The mannose receptor is particularly overexpressed on macrophages and dendritic precursor cells within lymph nodes, thus uptake in lymph nodes is not dependent on particle size 2, 3. In pilot studies scintigraphic SLN detection with [99mTc]Tilmanocept was superior to dye staining 4. Given its beneficial properties, [99mTc]Tilmanocept might offer advantages over the alternatively used radiocolloids. We present four cases of [99mTc]Tilmanocept application after inconclusive or unsuccessful attempts of SLN detection using [99mTc]nanocolloid lymphoscintigraphy.
Cp*CoIII-Catalyzed C–H Functionalization and Asymmetric Reactions Using External Chiral Sources
Authors: Yoshino Tatsuhiko , Matsunaga Shigeki
Published: May 2019

This account describes Cp*CoIII-catalyzed C–H functionalization reactions developed in our group between 2013 and 2018. Cp*CoIII catalysts not only serve as inexpensive alternatives to Cp*RhIII catalysts but also exhibit unique reactivity and selectivity in several transformations. In the latter part of this review, we introduce catalytic asymmetric C–H functionalization reactions using achiral RhIII or CoIII catalysts with chiral disulfonates or carboxylic acids as external chiral sources.

1 Introduction and Overview

2 Cp*CoIII-Catalyzed C–H Functionalization Reactions

2.1 C–H Addition Reactions to Polar Double Bonds

2.2 Cp*Co(CO)I2 and [Cp*CoI2]2 Precursors for the C2-selective C–H Amidation of Indoles

2.3 C–H Functionalization of Carbamoyl-Protected Indoles Using Alkynes

2.4 C–H Allylation Using Allyl Alcohols

2.5 Cyclization Reactions of O-Acyloximes and Alkynes

2.6 Other Miscellaneous Reactions

3 Enantioselective C–H Functionalization Reactions by Hybrid Catalysis

3.1 Cp*RhIII/Chiral Disulfonate Catalysts for the Enantioselective C–H Addition to Enones

3.2 Enantioselective C–H Cleavage Using Chiral Carboxylic Acids

4 Summary and Perspective
New Zinc Catalyst for Hydrosilylation of Carbonyl Compounds
Authors: Alshakova Iryna D. , Nikonov Georgii I.
Published: May 2019

A new zinc complex was synthesized and applied in the catalytic hydrosilylation of carbonyl compounds. Optimization of the reaction conditions showed that the presence a substoichiometric amount of methanol accelerates the process significantly. The reaction can proceed at very low catalyst load (down to 0.1 mol%) under mild reaction conditions. The reaction tolerates the presence of C=C bonds, and thus can be useful for the synthesis of allylic alcohols from α,β-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones.
A Novel Homozygous Mutation in the FUCA1 Gene Highlighting Fucosidosis as a Cause of Dystonia: Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Wali Gautam , Wali G. M. , Sue Carolyn M. , Kumar Kishore R.
Published: May 2019

Background Fucosidosis is a rare lysosomal disorder caused by mutations in the FUCA1 gene. We describe here a novel homozygous mutation in FUCA1 in an Indian fucosidosis case. Furthermore, we summarize the clinical and genetic findings in the most recently reported individuals with fucosidosis.

Case The proband is an 8-year-old boy born to consanguineous parents. He had generalized dystonia and bilateral spasticity as well as coarse facies, dysostosis multiplex, recurrent infections, angiokeratoma corporis diffusum, and visceromegaly. Whole exome sequencing analysis detected a homozygous canonical splice variant in the FUCA1 gene [Chr1(GRCh37):g.24172346C > T; NM_000147.4:c.1261–1G > A], not previously reported as causative of a human phenotype. Low levels of α-fucosidase in patient leukocytes and a positive qualitative urine based thin layer chromatography test for fucosidosis confirmed the diagnosis. Our literature review identified 89 cases of fucosidosis since the last major review. We show that dystonia is a rare manifestation (12%) and that only a small minority of cases receive treatment with transplantation (3.37%).

Conclusion We report a novel homozygous mutation in FUCA1 as the cause of severe neurological phenotype including generalized dystonia. Early recognition of fucosidosis may be important for consideration of promising treatment options, such as bone marrow transplantation.
Is It Better to Routinely Use Tourniquet for Knee Arthroscopic Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Wang Jinyou , Xu Wennan , Lv Jiayin
Published: May 2019

The use of tourniquet in knee arthroscopic surgery is a routine technique and provides convenience for the operation. However, the adverse effects caused by tourniquet during the operation are noticed by more and more researchers. The purpose of our study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effects of tourniquet use in knee arthroscopy. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines, we searched databases like PubMed, Cochrane library, EMBASE, and Web of Science from inception of the database up to November 20, 2018, using the keywords “ anterior cruciate ligament,” “meniscectomy,” “arthrocopy,” etc. to identify randomized clinical trials. A total of 16 randomized controlled trials involving 1,132 participants fulfilled the inclusion criteria with 582 patients in tourniquet group and 550 patients in nontourniquet group. Compared with tourniquet group, nontourniquet group had less postoperative blood loss and less consumption of analgesic. There was no significant difference between the two groups in intraoperatively arthroscopic visualization, postoperative pain score, postoperative quadriceps muscle strength, and operation time. Our study suggested that compared with tourniquet use, arthroscopic surgery of the knee without tourniquet did not appear to have any disadvantage, and the current evidence was more inclined not to use tourniquet as a routine procedure during the knee arthroscopic surgery.
The Difference between Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Measurements of Tibial Tubercle–Trochlear Groove Distance for Patients with or without Patellofemoral Instability: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Tan Si Heng Sharon , Lim Beatrice Ying , Chng Kiat Soon Jason , Doshi Chintan , Wong Francis K.L. , Lim Andrew Kean Seng , Hui James Hoipo
Published: May 2019

The tibial tubercle–trochlear groove (TT–TG) distance was originally described for computed tomography (CT) but has recently been used on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) without sufficient evidence demonstrating its validity on MRI. The current review aims to evaluate (1) whether there is a difference in the TT–TG distances measured using CT and MRI, (2) whether both the TT–TG distances measured using CT and MRI could be used to differentiate between patients with or without patellofemoral instability, and (3) whether the same threshold of 15 to 20 mm can be applied for both TT–TG distances measured using CT and MRI. The review was conducted using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRSIMA) guidelines. All studies that compared TT–TG distances either (1) between CT and MRI or (2) between patients with and without patellofemoral instability were included. A total of 23 publications were included in the review. These included a total of 3,040 patients. All publications reported the TT–TG distance to be greater in patients with patellofemoral instability as compared to those without patellofemoral instability. This difference was noted for both TT–TG distances measured on CT and on MRI. All publications also reported the TT–TG distance measured on CT to be greater than that measured on MRI (mean difference [MD] = 1.79 mm; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.91–2.68). Pooling of the studies revealed that the mean TT–TG distance for the control group was 12.85 mm (95% CI: 11.71–14.01) while the mean TT–TG distance for patients with patellofemoral instability was 18.33 mm (95% CI: 17.04–19.62) when measured on CT. When measured on MRI, the mean TT–TG distance for the control group was 9.83 mm (95% CI: 9.11–10.54), while the mean TT–TG distance for patients with patellofemoral instability was 15.33 mm (95% CI: 14.24–16.42). Both the TTTG distances measured on CT and MRI could be used to differentiate between patients with and without patellofemoral instability. Patients with patellofemoral instability had significantly greater TT–TG distances than those without. However, the TT–TG distances measured on CT were significantly greater than that measured on MRI. Different cut-off values should, therefore, be used for TT–TG distances measured on CT and on MRI in the determination of normal versus abnormal values. Pooling of all the patients included in the review then suggest for 15.5 ± 1.5 mm to be used as the cut off for TT–TG distance measured on CT, and for 12.5 ± 2 mm to be used as the cut-off for TT–TG distance measured on MRI. The Level of evidence for this study is IV.
Impact of Tourniquet Use on Systemic Inflammatory Parameters, Functional Physical Recovery, and Cardiovascular Outcomes of Patients Undergoing Knee Arthroplasty: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Bressi Edoardo , Longo Umile Giuseppe , Mangiacapra Fabio , Candela Vincenzo , Berton Alessandra , Salvatore Giuseppe , Capuano Marialessia , Proietti Riccardo , Denaro Vincenzo
Published: May 2019

The benefits of tourniquet use during orthopaedic surgery are controversial. We aim to investigate its effects on systemic inflammation, functional physical recovery, and cardiovascular complications of patients undergoing knee arthroplasty. We enrolled 129 consecutive patients (57 treated with tourniquet vs. 72 in the control group) undergoing total unilateral knee arthroplasty, followed by inpatient rehabilitation protocol at our institution. Blood samples were drawn in all patients at baseline and within 24 hours after surgery for complete blood cell count assessment. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were calculated as the ratio between the absolute number of neutrophil and platelets over the absolute number of lymphocytes, respectively. The numeric rating scale (NRS; 0–10) assessed the current pain, day after the surgery. All subjects underwent physical functional evaluation measured by the modified Barthel's index (MBI) at the end of the rehabilitation. We also recorded the incidence of major bleeding, typical angina, and occurrence of atrial fibrillation after surgery. In the overall population, a significant postprocedural increase in NLR and PLR was observed (p < 0.001). Baseline NLR and PLR were similar in patients with and without tourniquet (1.5 ± 0.8 vs. 1.95 ± 1.2, p = 0.081; 120 ± 42 vs. 131 ± 55, p = 0.240); however, patients treated with tourniquet showed significantly lower NLR at 24 hours (6.1 ± 3.6 vs. 8.1 ± 5.7, p = 0.043). NRS scores were significantly higher in the tourniquet group without compromising functional and physical recovery whereas no significant differences were appreciated in MBI scores between the two groups. Moreover, the rates of postoperative atrial fibrillation (1 [2%] vs. 9 [12%], p = 0.042) and major bleeding (2 [4%] vs. 11 [15%], p = 0.038) were significantly lower in the tourniquet group. Tourniquet seems a useful tool which is able to mitigate the inflammatory activation and prevent the occurrence of atrial fibrillation and major bleeding without altering functional physical recovery of patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty.
On combining the conductor-like screening model and optimally tuned range-separated hybrid density functionals
Authors: Sachse Torsten , Martínez Todd J. , Presselt Martin
Published: May 2019

Range-separated hybrid functionals whose range-separation parameter γ has been nonempirically tuned to a particular molecule have been shown to yield frontier orbital energies and other properties in very good agreement with experiments. However, many cases, such as organic optoelectronic devices, require the description of molecules embedded in an environment. This can be done by combining the γ-tuning procedure with polarizable continuum models in general and the very versatile conductor-like screening model in particular. There are at least two different ways of performing this combination. The partially vertical γ-tuning employs equilibrium solvation throughout. The strictly vertical γ-tuning, on the other hand, employs nonequilibrium solvation to obtain ionization energies. In this article, we compare ground-state and excited-state properties of several different molecules relevant to organic optoelectronics that were obtained using both of the two different tuning procedures. While there are significant differences in the ground-state properties, we see virtually no difference in the excited-state properties. Given these results, we conclude that both tuning procedures have to be used in conjunction for the correct description of both ground-state and excited-state properties.
The positive mass theorem with angular momentum and charge for manifolds with boundary
Authors: Bryden Edward T. , Khuri Marcus A. , Sokolowsky Benjamin D.
Published: May 2019

Motivated by the cosmic censorship conjecture in mathematical relativity, we establish the precise mass lower bound for an asymptotically flat Riemannian 3-manifold with nonnegative scalar curvature and minimal surface boundary, in terms of angular momentum and charge. In particular, this result does not require the restrictive assumptions of simple connectivity and completeness, which are undesirable from both a mathematical and physical perspective.
Multicomponent density functional theory with density fitting
Authors: Mejía-Rodríguez Daniel , de la Lande Aurélien
Published: May 2019

Multicomponent Density Functional Theory (MDFT) is a promising methodology to incorporate nuclear quantum effects, such as zero-point energy or tunneling, or to simulate other types of particles such as muons or positrons using particle densities as basic quantities. As for standard electronic DFT, a still ongoing challenge is to achieve the most efficient implementations. We introduce a multicomponent DFT implementation within the framework of auxiliary DFT, focusing on molecular systems comprising electrons and quantum protons. We introduce a dual variational procedure to determine auxiliary electron and proton densities which leads to a succession of approximate energy expressions. Electronic and protonic fitted densities are employed in (i) electron-electron, proton-proton, and electron-proton classical Coulomb interactions and (ii) electron exchange-correlation, proton-proton exchange, and electron-proton correlation (EPC) potentials. If needed, exact exchange among electrons or among protons is computed by the variational fitting of the corresponding Fock potential. The implementation is carried out in deMon2k. We test various electron proton correlation functionals on proton affinities. We find that auxiliary densities can be safely used in electron-electron, proton-proton, and electron-proton classical Coulomb interactions, as well as in EPC, albeit with some precautions related to the choice of the electronic auxiliary basis set that must be flexible enough. Computational tests reported indicate that introduction of density fitting in MDFT is clearly advantageous in terms of computational effort with good scaling properties with respect to the number of electrons and protons treated at the DFT level.
Design and implementation of bound-to-quasibound GaN/AlGaN photovoltaic quantum well infrared photodetectors operating in the short wavelength infrared range at room temperature
Authors: Mensz Piotr M. , Dror Ben , Ajay Akhil , Bougerol Catherine , Monroy Eva , Orenstein Meir , Bahir Gad
Published: May 2019

In this paper, we discuss the design of photovoltaic quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) based on polar GaN/AlGaN multiquantum wells (MQWs). Getting a reasonable escape probability of the excited electron requires adjusting the bound-to-quasibound intersubband transition in the absorbing quantum well and engineering the polarization-related internal electric field in the barriers. This can be achieved with a MQW period that consists of 3 layers, namely, the active quantum well, an extraction barrier, and an injection barrier, the latter being thin enough to allow tunneling transport. Following this design scheme, we demonstrate bound-to-quasibound GaN/AlGaN QWIPs with peak photocurrent response at 2.3 μm, operating at room temperature in both photovoltaic and photoconductive modes. Based on high-resolution x-ray diffraction measurements, the entire detector structure, which included a 40-period MQW with 30 nm-thick barriers, along with top and bottom contact layers of combined thickness above 900 nm, was grown pseudomorphically on an AlGaN-on-sapphire template. A room-temperature responsivity of 88 μA/W was measured at zero bias, increasing up to 302 μA/W at −1.0 V bias. The responsivity reached its maximum at 150–200 K, where it was approximately a factor of 2 higher than at room temperature. Ideas for a new device structure to improve the QWIP response in the photovoltaic mode are proposed.
Characteristics of plasmon transmittivity over potential barriers
Authors: Akbari-Moghanjoughi M.
Published: May 2019

In this research, we consider plasmon tunneling through the intrinsic chemical potential barriers using the Schrödinger-Poisson model. The Schrödinger-Poisson system is reduced to the linear coupled pseudoforce system, and the electrostatic as well as wavefunction solutions are derived and used to obtain the transmittivity and reflectivity of plasmon excitations through the double and triple metallic barriers with various parameter settings. It is remarked that the choice of chemical potential (Fermi energy for metals) in quantum barriers has a significant effect on the transmission amplitude of collective electron excitations. For triple metallic barriers, it is found that the transmittivity spectrum possesses distinct transmission valleys in the energy spectrum, which may be attributed to the interactions of single-electron oscillations with the collective electrostatic excitations. Current research can have important applications in fast quantum tunneling devices with intrinsic chemical potential barriers and helps in the development of rapidly growing fields of plasmonics and nanometallic technology.
Triple condensate halo from a single water droplet impacting upon a cold surface
Authors: Zhao Yugang , Zhu Fangqi , Zhang Hui , New Tze How , Jin Liwen , Yang Chun
Published: May 2019

Understanding the dynamics of water droplets impacting upon a solid surface is of importance from both fundamental and practical standpoints. While the impact dynamics of a water droplet upon a heated surface has been extensively studied, the impact characteristics of droplets upon a cold surface remain elusive. Here, we report the formation of a triple condensate halo observed during a water droplet impacting at low velocity upon a cold surface. Due to the interplay of droplet impact and vapor mass diffusion during the droplet spreading and cooling processes, two condensation stages occur, engendering this unique condensate halo with three distinctive bands. We further examine experimentally the effects of droplet impact velocity (in terms of Weber number) and substrate temperature on the three bands of condensate halo. We also provide scaling analyses to explain the experimental results. Our experimental investigation and theoretical analysis reported in this study reveal insights into the droplet impact dynamics and the associated condensation heat transfer.
Direct observation of state-filling at hybrid tin oxide/organic interfaces
Authors: Hörmann Ulrich , Zeiske Stefan , Park Soohyung , Schultz Thorsten , Kickhöfel Sebastian , Scherf Ullrich , Blumstengel Sylke , Koch Norbert , Neher Dieter
Published: May 2019

Electroluminescence (EL) spectra of hybrid charge transfer states at metal oxide/organic type-II heterojunctions exhibit bias-induced spectral shifts. The reasons for this phenomenon have been discussed controversially and arguments for either electric field-induced effects or the filling of trap states at the oxide surface have been put forward. Here, we combine the results of EL and photovoltaic measurements to eliminate the unavoidable effect of the series resistance of inorganic and organic components on the total voltage drop across the hybrid device. For SnOx combined with the conjugated polymer [ladder type poly-(para-phenylene)], we find a one-to-one correspondence between the blueshift of the EL peak and the increase of the quasi-Fermi level splitting at the hybrid heterojunction, which we unambiguously assign to state filling. Our data are resembled best by a model considering the combination of an exponential density of states with a doped semiconductor.
Nonlinear XUV-optical transient grating spectroscopy at the Si L2,3–edge
Authors: Bohinc R. , Pamfilidis G. , Rehault J. , Radi P. , Milne C. , Szlachetko J. , Bencivenga F. , Capotondi F. , Cucini R. , Foglia L. , Masciovecchio C. , Mincigrucci R. , Pedersoli E. , Simoncig A. , Mahne N. , Cannizzo A. , Frey H. M. , Ollmann Z. , Feurer T. , Maznev A. A. , Nelson K. , Knopp G.
Published: May 2019

Time-resolved transient grating (TG) spectroscopy facilitates detailed studies of electron dynamics and transport phenomena by means of a periodic excitation of matter with coherent ultrashort light pulses. Several current and next generation free-electron laser (FEL) facilities provide fully coherent pulses with few femtosecond pulse durations and extreme ultraviolet (XUV) photon energies. Thus, they allow for transient grating experiments with periodicities as small as tens of nanometers and with element specific photon energies. Here, we demonstrate the element specificity of XUV TG (X-TG) experiments by tuning the photon energy across the Si L2,3-edge of Si3N4. We observe a shortening of the signal decay when increasing the XUV photon energy above the absorption edge. The analysis of the wavelength dependent signal shows that the faster decay is driven by the increase in the charge carrier density. From the decay constants the interband Auger coefficient at elevated temperatures and high electron densities has been determined.
Pressure, surface tension, and curvature in active systems: A touch of equilibrium
Authors: Wittmann René , Smallenburg Frank , Brader Joseph M.
Published: May 2019

We explore the pressure of active particles on curved surfaces and its relation to other interfacial properties. We use both direct simulations of the active systems as well as simulations of an equilibrium system with effective (pair) interactions designed to capture the effects of activity. Comparing the active and effective passive systems in terms of their bulk pressure, we elaborate that the most useful theoretical route to this quantity is via the density profile at a flat wall. This is corroborated by extending the study to curved surfaces and establishing a connection to the particle adsorption and integrated surface excess pressure (surface tension). In the ideal-gas limit, the effect of curvature on the mechanical properties can be calculated analytically in the passive system with effective interactions and shows good (but not exact) agreement with simulations of the active models. It turns out that even the linear correction to the pressure is model specific and equals the planar adsorption in each case, which means that a known equilibrium sum rule can be extended to a regime at small but nonzero activity. In turn, the relation between the planar adsorption and the surface tension is reminiscent of the Gibbs adsorption theorem at an effective temperature. At finite densities, where particle interactions play a role, the presented effective-potential approximation captures the effect of density on the dependence of the pressure on curvature.
Collective dynamics of globally delay-coupled complex Ginzburg-Landau oscillators
Authors: Thakur Bhumika , Sen Abhijit
Published: May 2019

The effect of time-delayed coupling on the collective behavior of a population of globally coupled complex Ginzburg-Landau oscillators is investigated. A detailed numerical study is carried out to study the impact of time delay on various collective states that include synchronous states, multicluster states, chaos, amplitude-mediated chimeras, and incoherent states. It is found that time delay can bring about significant changes in the dynamical properties of these states including their regions of existence and stability. In general, an increase in time delay is seen to lower the threshold value of the coupling strength for the occurrence of such states and to shift the existence domain toward more negative values of the linear dispersion parameter. Further insights into the numerical findings are provided, wherever possible, by exact equilibrium and stability analysis of these states in the presence of time delay.
Design, characterization, and performance of a hard x-ray transmission microscope at the National Synchrotron Light Source II 18-ID beamline
Authors: Coburn David Scott , Nazaretski Evgeny , Xu Weihe , Ge Mingyuan , Longo Cindy , Xu Huijuan , Gofron Kazimierz , Yin Zhijian , Chen Huang Han , Hwu Yeukuang , Lee Wah-Keat
Published: May 2019

A transmission X-ray microscope has been designed and commissioned at the 18-ID Full-field X-ray Imaging beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source II. This instrument operates in the 5–11 keV range, and, with the current set of optics, is capable of 30 nm spatial resolution imaging, with a field of view of about 40 μm. For absorption contrast, the minimum exposure time for a single projection image is about 20 ms and an entire 3D tomography data set can be acquired in under 1 min. The system enables tomographic reconstructions with sub-50 nm spatial resolution without the use of markers on the sample or corrections for rotation run-outs.
Stimulated Brillouin scattering behaviors in multi-ion species plasmas in high-temperature and high-density region
Authors: Feng Q. S. , Zheng C. Y. , Liu Z. J. , Cao L. H. , Wang Q. , Xiao C. Z. , He X. T.
Published: May 2019

Different IAW modes excited by stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and different SBS behaviors in several plasmas composed of ion species relevant to inertial confinement fusion in the high-temperature and high-density region have been studied by Vlasov-Maxwell simulations. Firstly, the linear theory is taken to analyze the linear process of IAW and SBS in multi-ion species plasmas. Secondly, the nonlinear effects on SBS in CH and AuB plasmas have been studied in detail. Especially, particle trapping will lead to nonlinear Landau damping and nonlinear frequency shift (NFS) of IAW. Particle trapping will decrease IAW Landau damping and make SBS in CH plasmas transform from convective instability in the linear regime into absolute instability. The NFS from particle trapping and harmonic generation in AuB plasmas will lead to a positive shift of the IAW frequency and make the frequency of SBS scattering light experience an obvious negative shift. And, the nonlinear model can give a good explanation of the nonlinear phenomena. Lastly, the saturation mechanisms are analyzed. The main nonlinear saturation mechanisms of SBS include NFS from particle trapping and harmonic generation, energy dissipation by spectrum broadening, and pump depletion. Microscale kinetic simulations of SBS are interesting, difficult, and could have an impact on the current understanding of the instability, particularly in the nonlinear regime where wave-particle interactions contribute to the saturation of reflectivity.