bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Simultaneous positive and negative optical patterning with dye-sensitized CdSe quantum dots
Authors: Märker Björn , Hiller Jonas , Wackenhut Frank , Braun Kai , Meixner Alfred , Scheele Marcus
Published: October 2019

CdSe quantum dots are functionalized with the organic dye iron β-tetraaminophthalocyanine to reward a solution-processable hybrid material with two individually addressable optical resonances. We exploit this dual functionality during optical write/optical read patterning experiments and show that it is possible to simultaneously write complex optical patterns with positive and negative fluorescence contrast. This is enabled by a fluorescence enhancement under near-resonant excitation of the quantum dots in combination with a fluorescence bleaching during excitation of the singlet transition of the phthalocyanine. The presence of the organic dye not only enables negative optical patterning but also enhances the contrast during positive patterning. Furthermore, the patterning result is strongly dependent on the excitation wavelength during readout. Our results highlight the new possibilities that arise from combining inorganic quantum dots and organic π-systems into hybrid nanocomposites.
Ab initio calculation on spectroscopic properties and radiative lifetimes of low-lying excited states of NaK
Authors: Zhang Shi-yang , Xie Feng , Jia Feng-dong , Li Xiao-kang , Wang Ru-quan , Li Rui , Wu Yong , Zhong Zhi-ping
Published: October 2019

We performed high-level ab initio calculations on electronic structure of NaK. The potential energy curves (PECs) of 10 Λ-S states correlated with the three lowest dissociation limits have been calculated. On the basis of the calculated PECs, the spectroscopic constants of the bound Λ-S states are obtained, which are in good agreement with experimental results. The maximum vibrational quantum numbers of the singlet ground state X1Σ+ and the triplet ground state a3Σ+ have been analyzed with the semiclassical scattering theory. Transition properties including transition dipole moments, Franck-Condon factors, and radiative lifetimes have been investigated. The research results indicate that such calculations can provide fairly reliable estimation of parameters for the ultracold alkali diatomic molecular experiment.
Imaging the [1+1] two-photon dissociation dynamics of Br2+ in a cold ion beam
Authors: Liang Hao , Zhou Zheng-fang , Hua Ze-feng , Zhao Yun-xiao , Feng Shao-wen , Chen Yang , Zhao Dong-feng
Published: October 2019

The [1+1] two-photon dissociation dynamics of mass-selected 79Br2+ has been studied in a cold ion beam using a cryogenic cylindrical ion trap velocity map imaging spectrometer. The quartet 14Σu,3/2− state of 79Br2+ is employed as an intermediate state to initiate resonance enhanced two-photon excitation to high-lying dissociative states in the 4.0–5.0 eV energy region above the ground rovibronic state. Total kinetic energy release (TKER) and the two-dimensional recoiling velocity distributions of fragmented 79Br+ ions are measured using the technique of DC-slice velocity map imaging. Branching ratios for individual state-resolved product channels are determined from the TKER spectra. The measured photofragment angular distributions indicate that the dissociation of 79Br2+ occurs in dissociative Ω=3/2 state via ΔΩ=0 parallel transition from the 14Σu,3/2− intermediate state. Due to the considerable spin-orbit coupling effects in the excited states of 79Br2+, higher-lying dissociative quartet states are likely responsible for the observed photodissociation processes.
Selective oxidation of aldehyde over hydroxymethyl group catalyzed by gold nanoparticles in aqueous phase
Authors: Chong Han-bao , Gao Gui-qi , Li Guang
Published: October 2019

A protocol for selectively oxidizing aldehyde over hydroxymethyl group is developed, using biomass starch protected gold nanoparticles (NPs) as catalyst. The Au NPs show high selectivity that aldehyde is oxidized into carboxylic acid while alcoholic hydroxyl group stays intact in selective oxidation of 4-(hydroxymethyl)-benzaldehyde. The heterogeneous catalysis system is composed of soluble catalysts and insoluble substrate. The gold catalyst is prepared, preserved and applied for catalytic oxidation all in water. After reaction conditions are optimized, H2O2 is found to be the best oxidizing agent with complete conversion. Besides, the gold catalyst displays good versitility for aldehyde derivatives. After reaction completes, organic components are extracted by organic solvent and gold NPs in water are separated and recycled.
Localisation of phospholipase Cζ1 (PLCZ1) and postacrosomal WW-binding protein (WBP2 N-terminal like) on equine spermatozoa and flow cytometry quantification of PLCZ1 and association with cleavage in vitro
Authors: Gonzalez-Castro Raul A. , Amoroso-Sanches Fabio , Stokes JoAnne E. , Graham James K. , Carnevale Elaine M.
Published: October 2019

Oocyte activation is initiated when a fertilising spermatozoon delivers sperm-borne oocyte-activating factor(s) into the oocyte cytoplasm. Candidates for oocyte activation include two proteins, phospholipase Cζ1 (PLCZ1) and postacrosomal WW-binding protein (PAWP; also known as WBP2 N-terminal like (WBP2NL)). We localised PLCZ1 and WBP2NL/PAWP in stallion spermatozoa and investigated the PLCZ1 content and sperm parameters as well as cleavage after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). PLCZ1 was identified as 71-kDa protein in the acrosomal and postacrosomal regions, midpiece and principal piece of the tail. Anti-WBP2NL antibody identified two WBP2NL bands (~28 and ~32kDa) in the postacrosomal region, midpiece and principal piece of the tail. PLCZ1 and WBP2NL expression was positively correlated (P=0.04) in sperm heads. Flow cytometry evaluation of PLCZ1 revealed large variations in fluorescence intensity and the percentage of positively labelled spermatozoa among stallions. PLCZ1 expression was significantly higher in viable than non-viable spermatozoa, and DNA fragmentation was negatively correlated with PLCZ1 expression and the percentage of positively labelled spermatozoa (P<0.05). The use of equine sperm populations considered to have high versus low PLCZ1 content resulted in significantly higher cleavage rates after ICSI of bovine and equine oocytes, supporting the importance of PLCZ1 for oocyte activation.
Modulation of the fungal mycobiome is regulated by the chitin-binding receptor FIBCD1
Authors: Moeller Jesper B. , Leonardi Irina , Schlosser Anders , Flamar Anne-Laure , Bessman Nicholas J. , Putzel Gregory Garbès , Thomsen Theresa , Hammond Mark , Jepsen Christine S. , Skjødt Karsten , Füchtbauer Ernst-Martin , Farber Donna L. , Sorensen Grith L. , Iliev Iliyan D. , Holmskov Uffe , Artis David
Published: October 2019

Host–microbiota interactions are critical in regulating mammalian health and disease. In addition to bacteria, parasites, and viruses, beneficial communities of fungi (the mycobiome) are important modulators of immune- and tissue-homeostasis. Chitin is a major component of the fungal cell wall, and fibrinogen C containing domain 1 (FIBCD1) is a chitin-binding protein; however, the role of this molecule in influencing host–mycobiome interactions in vivo has never been examined. Here, we identify direct binding of FIBCD1 to intestinal-derived fungi and demonstrate that epithelial-specific expression of FIBCD1 results in significantly reduced fungal colonization and amelioration of fungal-driven intestinal inflammation. Collectively, these results identify FIBCD1 as a previously unrecognized microbial pattern recognition receptor through which intestinal epithelial cells can recognize and control fungal colonization, limit fungal dysbiosis, and dampen intestinal inflammation.
Intratumoral delivery of RIG-I agonist SLR14 induces robust antitumor responses
Authors: Jiang Xiaodong , Muthusamy Viswanathan , Fedorova Olga , Kong Yong , Kim Daniel J. , Bosenberg Marcus , Pyle Anna Marie , Iwasaki Akiko
Published: October 2019

Cytosolic nucleic acid–sensing pathways can be triggered to enhance immune response to cancer. In this study, we tested the antitumor activity of a unique RIG-I agonist, stem loop RNA (SLR) 14. In the immunogenic tumor models, we observed significant tumor growth delay and an extended survival in SLR14-treated mice. SLR14 also greatly improved antitumor efficacy of anti-PD1 antibody over single-agent treatment. SLR14 was mainly taken up by CD11b+ myeloid cells in the tumor microenvironment, and many genes associated with immune defense were significantly up-regulated after treatment, accompanied by increase in the number of CD8+ T lymphocytes, NK cells, and CD11b+ cells in SLR14-treated tumors. Strikingly, SLR14 dramatically inhibited nonimmunogenic B16 tumor growth, and the cured mice developed an immune memory. Furthermore, a systemic antitumor response was observed in both bilateral and tumor metastasis models. Collectively, our results demonstrate that SLR14 is a promising therapeutic RIG-I agonist for cancer treatment, either alone or in combination with existing immunotherapies.
Microglia drive APOE-dependent neurodegeneration in a tauopathy mouse model
Authors: Shi Yang , Manis Melissa , Long Justin , Wang Kairuo , Sullivan Patrick M. , Remolina Serrano Javier , Hoyle Rosa , Holtzman David M.
Published: October 2019

Chronic activation of brain innate immunity is a prominent feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and primary tauopathies. However, to what degree innate immunity contributes to neurodegeneration as compared with pathological protein-induced neurotoxicity, and the requirement of a particular glial cell type in neurodegeneration, are still unclear. Here we demonstrate that microglia-mediated damage, rather than pathological tau-induced direct neurotoxicity, is the leading force driving neurodegeneration in a tauopathy mouse model. Importantly, the progression of ptau pathology is also driven by microglia. In addition, we found that APOE, the strongest genetic risk factor for AD, regulates neurodegeneration predominantly by modulating microglial activation, although a minor role of apoE in regulating ptau and insoluble tau formation independent of its immunomodulatory function was also identified. Our results suggest that therapeutic strategies targeting microglia may represent an effective approach to prevent disease progression in the setting of tauopathy.
CoverBLIP: accelerated and scalable iterative matched-filtering for magnetic resonance fingerprint reconstruction*
Authors: Golbabaee Mohammad , Chen Zhouye , Wiaux Yves , Davies Mike
Published: October 2019

Current popular methods for magnetic resonance fingerprint (MRF) recovery are bottlenecked by the heavy computations of a matched-filtering step due to the growing size and complexity of the fingerprint dictionaries in multi-parametric quantitative MRI applications. We address this shortcoming by arranging dictionary atoms in the form of cover tree structures and adopt the corresponding fast approximate nearest neighbour searches to accelerate matched-filtering. For datasets belonging to smooth low-dimensional manifolds cover trees offer search complexities logarithmic in terms of data population. With this motivation we propose an iterative reconstruction algorithm, named CoverBLIP, to address large-size MRF problems where the fingerprint dictionary i.e. discrete manifold of Bloch responses, encodes several intrinsic NMR parameters. We study different forms of convergence for this algorithm and we show that provided with a notion of embedding, the inexact and non-convex iterations of CoverBLIP linearly convergence toward a near-global solution with the same order of accuracy as using exact brute-force searches. Our further examinations on both synthetic and real-world datasets and using different sampling strategies, indicates between 2–3 orders of magnitude reduction in total search computations. Cover trees are robust against the curse-of-dimensionality and therefore CoverBLIP provides a notion of scalability—a consistent gain in time-accuracy performance—for searching high-dimensional atoms which may not be easily preprocessed (i.e. for dimensionality reduction) due to the increasing degrees of non-linearities appearing in the emerging multi-parametric MRF dictionaries.
Study of gravitational deflection of light ray
Authors: Roy Saswati , Sen Asoke Kumar
Published: October 2019

Gravitational deflection of light ray is one of the famous predictions of Einstein’s general theory of relativity. The deflection of light ray, as it passes around a gravitational mass, can be calculated by different methods such as null geodesics method and material medium approach. In this paper a comparative study will be done for gravitational deflection of light ray, calculated by different authors using different methods. In this study, different gravitating body such as static, rotating and charged body will be considered which are represented by Schwarzschild metric, Kerr metric, Reissner-Nordström metric and Janis-Newman-Winicour metric.
Black hole mass estimation of ULXs and its dependence on model parameters
Authors: Singha Akram Chandrajit , Devi A Senorita
Published: October 2019

In the present work, we have analysed Chandra observational data of 38 galaxies which are obtained from the public data archive of Chandra X-ray Centre. 75 sources with data counts above 200 are considered for the analysis. The spectra of these sources were fitted using the absorbed disk blackbody model. Based on the estimated X-ray luminosity, we have categorized the sources into X-ray binaries (XRBs), ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs), extremely luminous X-ray sources (ELXs) and hyperluminous X-ray sources (HLXs). We estimate the black hole (BH) mass of all the point sources detected in the sample galaxies using the disk blackbody model, assuming that the inner disk radius, Rin ∼ 10GM/c2. It is found that most of the ULXs and ELXs harbouring stellar mass black holes are in hard states while those harbouring intermediate mass black holes (IMBHs) are in soft states. In case of HLXs, those harbouring IMBHs are found to be in hard states whereas a small population of soft sources are seen harbouring stellar mass black holes thereby accreting above their Eddington luminosity.
Electrochemical behaviour of ternary MoS2/rGO heterostructure and PPyNTs nanocomposites for supercapacitor electrode
Authors: Sarmah D , Kumar A
Published: October 2019

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) are two dimensional materials used as charge storage electrode materials. MoS2-rGO heterostructures have been synthesized by self-assembly of positively charged MoS2 nanosheets with negatively charged graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets in varying ratios. GO was reduced by hydrothermal route without using any reducing agent. MoS2-rGO heterostructures were synthesized in 3 different ratios of 1:2, 1:1, and 2:1. MoS2-rGO/PPyNTs nanocomposite was prepared by adding 40 wt% of MoS2-GO nanocomposite in pre-synthesized PPyNTs followed by hydrothermal reduction of GO. Structure and morphology of the nanocomposites were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, FTIR and TGA. Further, electrochemical properties of the nanocomposites were evaluated with cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Capacitive response is found to be highest for the 1:1 MoS2-rGO/PPyNTs/ITO electrode. 1:1 MoS2-rGO/PPyNTs/ITO ternary electrode delivers enhanced specific capacitance of 1561 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 current density and specific capacitance of 786 F g−1 (50% of capacitive retention) at 15 A g−1 exhibiting an excellent rate performance. 1:1 MoS2-rGO/PPyNTs/ITO ternary electrode exhibits 76 % of cycling stability after 5,000 charge-discharge cycles at 10-fold of current density.
Risk of particulate matter on birth outcomes in relation to maternal socio-economic factors: a systematic review
Authors: Heo Seulkee , Fong Kelvin C , Bell Michelle L
Published: October 2019

A growing number of studies provide evidence of an association between exposure to maternal air pollution during pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes including low birth weight (LBW) and preterm birth. Prevention of these health effects of air pollution is critical to reducing the adverse infant outcomes, which can have impacts throughout the life course. However, there is no consensus on whether the association between air pollution exposure and birth outcomes varies by maternal risk factors including demographic characteristics and socio-economic status (SES). Such information is vital to understand potential environmental health disparities. Our search found 859 unique studies, of which 45 studies met our inclusion criteria (January 2000–July 2019). We systematically reviewed the 45 identified epidemiologic studies and summarized the results on effect modifications by maternal race/ethnicity, educational attainment, income, and area-level SES. We considered adverse birth outcomes of preterm birth, LBW, small for gestational age (SGA), and stillbirth. Suggestive evidence of higher risk of particulate matter (PM) in infants of African–American/black mothers than infants of other women was found for preterm birth and LBW. We found weak evidence that PM risk was higher for infants of mothers with lower educational attainment for preterm birth and LBW. Due to the small study numbers, we were unable to conclude whether effect modification is present for income, occupation, and area-level SES, and additional research is needed. Furthermore, adverse birth outcomes such as SGA and stillbirth need more study to understand potential environmental justice issues regarding the impact of PM exposure during pregnancy on birth outcomes.
Assessment of Arterial Stiffness in Patients With Resistant Hypertension: Additional Insights Into the Pathophysiology of This Condition?
Authors: Alsharari Reem , Lip Gregory Y H , Shantsila Alena
Published: October 2019

BACKGROUND

Good understanding of the pathophysiological mechanism(s) of resistant hypertension (RH) and the relationship to vascular dysfunction is important for optimal blood pressure control.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The aim of this review article is to summarize the available data on the methods of arterial stiffness assessment, and their usefulness in RH. Several studies that provide information on the noninvasive methods of evaluation of arterial stiffness have been discussed; specifically, pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (AIx) tests. Increased arterial stiffness, elevated AIx, and impaired endothelial function all act as indicators and predictors of cardiovascular events in patients with hypertension (HTN).

CONCLUSION

Our review suggests that PWV and AIx are impaired in patients with severe HTN. Early assessment of these characteristics can potentially be of value in patients with RH.
BioSwitch: a tool for the detection of bistability and multi-steady state behaviour in signalling and gene regulatory networks
Authors: Yordanov Pencho , Stelling Joerg , Otero-Muras Irene
Published: October 2019

Motivation

Multi-steady state behaviour, and in particular multi-stability, provides biological systems with the capacity to take reliable decisions (such as cell fate determination). A problem arising frequently in systems biology is to elucidate whether a signal transduction mechanism or a gene regulatory network has the capacity for multi-steady state behaviour, and consequently for a switch-like response to stimuli. Bifurcation diagrams are a powerful instrument in non-linear analysis to study the qualitative and quantitative behaviour of equilibria including bifurcation into different equilibrium branches and bistability. However, in the context of signalling pathways, the inherent large parametric uncertainty hampers the (direct) use of standard bifurcation tools.

Results

We present BioSwitch, a toolbox to detect multi-steady state behaviour in signalling pathways and gene regulatory networks. The tool combines results from chemical reaction network theory with global optimization to efficiently detect whether a signalling pathway has the capacity to undergo a saddle node bifurcation, and in case of multi-stationarity, provides the exact coordinates of the bifurcation where to start a numerical continuation analysis with standard bifurcation tools, leading to two different branches of equilibria. Bistability detection in the G1/S transition pathway of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is included as an illustrative example.

Availability and implementation

BioSwitch runs under the popular MATLAB computational environment, and is available at https://sites.google.com/view/bioswitch.
Independence conditions and the analysis of life history studies with intermittent observation
Authors: Cook Richard J , Lawless Jerald F
Published: October 2019

Multistate models provide a powerful framework for the analysis of life history processes when the goal is to characterize transition intensities, transition probabilities, state occupancy probabilities, and covariate effects thereon. Data on such processes are often only available at random visit times occurring over a finite period. We formulate a joint multistate model for the life history process, the recurrent visit process, and a random loss to follow-up time at which the visit process terminates. This joint model is helpful when discussing the independence conditions necessary to justify the use of standard likelihoods involving the life history model alone and provides a basis for analyses that accommodate dependence. We consider settings with disease-driven visits and routinely scheduled visits and develop likelihoods that accommodate partial information on the types of visits. Simulation studies suggest that suitably constructed joint models can yield consistent estimates of parameters of interest even under dependent visit processes, providing the models are correctly specified; identifiability and estimability issues are also discussed. An application is given to a cohort of individuals attending a rheumatology clinic where interest lies in progression of joint damage.
‘The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name’: The Role of Compassion in Social Work Practice
Authors: Tanner Denise
Published: October 2019

The concept of compassion has little prominence in social work literature or in social work curricula, in contrast with those of nursing. This is despite compassion being a valued attribute of social workers from the perspectives of service users. This article considers the meaning of compassion, possible reasons for its absence from social work parlance and its potential contribution to social work practice. Whereas empathy is seen as comprising affective and cognitive components, compassion is defined in terms of affective and behavioural elements. More specifically, compassion is perceived as comprising both of ‘feelings for’ the person who is suffering and a desire to act to relieve the suffering. The desire to act is distinct from the act itself. Focusing primarily on the ‘desire to act’ component of compassion, the article suggests that the emotional health and mental well-being of social workers may be enhanced, rather than jeopardised, by acknowledging, facilitating and nourishing compassionate relationships with service users. It proposes that the emotional risks to social workers emanate not from the toll of feeling compassion for those in distress, but rather from a thwarting of their desire to act to alleviate suffering. It is argued that organisations have an important role in facilitating compassionate practice and possible avenues are considered to bring compassion into the fold of social work education, practice and research.
Impact of physical activity, protein intake and social network and their combination on the development of frailty
Authors: Haider Sandra , Grabovac Igor , Drgac Deborah , Mogg Christine , Oberndorfer Moritz , Dorner Thomas Ernst
Published: October 2019

Background

Frailty is a geriatric condition associated with adverse health outcomes. As physical inactivity, low protein intake and poor social network are known risk factors, we aimed to assess the influence of these parameters and their interaction in an 11-year follow-up study on a Europe-wide level.

Methods

Data from the Study on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe were used, including 22 226 community-dwelling robust and prefrail persons aged ≥50 years, from 11 countries. Frailty was assessed with the ‘Frailty Instrument for Primary care of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe’. Additionally, self-reported physical activity (PA), protein intake and satisfaction with social network were assessed. The impact of these parameters on the development of frailty was calculated using multivariate cox regressions.

Results

Performing no regular PA, was associated with higher hazards ratio (HRs) for frailty compared with performing regular PA [men: 1.90 (95%CI: 1.50–2.42); women: 1.65 (95%CI: 1.25–2.18)]; HRs for low protein intake were 1.16 (95%CI: 0.93–1.46) for men and 1.05 (95%CI: 0.80–1.37) for women. And HR for poor social network were 0.92 (95%CI: 0.74–1.15) for men and 1.72 (95%CI: 1.31–2.27)] for women. In general, persons with a combination of two of the assessed risk factors had a higher risk for frailty compared with those with no or only one of the risk factors. However, no significant synergy index could be found.

Conclusion

The results illustrate the importance of PA, but also of nutritional and social network to prevent frailty.
The streptothricin acetyltransferase (sat) gene as a positive selectable marker for methanogenic archaea
Authors: Farley Kristen R , Metcalf William W
Published: October 2019

A repertoire of sophisticated genetic tools has significantly enhanced studies of Methanosarcina genera, yet the lack of multiple positive selectable markers has limited the types of genetic experiments that can be performed. In this study, we report the development of an additional positive selection system for Methanosarcina that utilizes the antibiotic nourseothricin and the Streptomyces rochei streptothricin acetyltransferase (sat) gene, which may be broadly applicable to other groups of methanogenic archaea. Nourseothricin was found to inhibit growth of four different methanogen species at concentrations ≤300 μg/ml in liquid or on solid media. Selection of nourseothricin resistant transformants was possible in two genetically tractable Methanosarcina species, M. acetivorans and M. barkeri, using the sat gene as a positive selectable marker. Additionally, the sat marker was useful for constructing a gene deletion mutant strain of M. acetivorans, emphasizing its utility as a second positive selectable marker for genetic analyses of Methanosarcina genera. Interestingly, two human gut-associated methanogens Methanobrevibacter smithii and Methanomassillicoccus luminyensis were more sensitive to nourseothricin than either Methanosarcina species, suggesting the nourseothricin-sat gene pair may provide a robust positive selection system for development of genetic tools in these and other methanogens.
Sestrin2 as Serum Protein Marker and Potential Therapeutic Target for Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Rai Nitish , Upadhyay Ashish Datt , Goyal Vinay , Dwivedi Sadanand , Dey Aparajit Ballav , Dey Sharmistha
Published: October 2019

Sestrin2 (Sesn2) appears to mediate neuroprotection against Parkinson’s disease (PD)-associated pathophysiology, however, the mechanism is unknown. This pilot study examines serum Sesn2 level in PD patients and older adult control and also interrogates the rescue effect of Syzygium aromaticum extract on the neurotoxicity by paraquat in neuroblastoma cells. The blood sample was collected from 36 PD patients and 54 older adult control and concentration of serum Sesn2 was measured by surface plasmon resonance and western blot. A significantly elevated level of Sesn2 (p < .0001) was observed in sera of PD group (15.96 ± 2.428 ng/μL) than the control (13.65 ± 2.125 ng/μL) which was further confirmed by western blotting. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (0.76) determined the threshold value of ≥14.58 ng/μL for differentiating PD from control. The S aromaticum extract exhibited the rescue effect from paraquat induced toxicity in SH-SY5Y cells. Further, these cells showed dose-dependent downregulation of p53, Sesn2, and phosphorylated-AMPK with concomitant increase in phosphorylated-p70S6K level than paraquat-treated cells. The differential level of Sesn2 in study subjects proposes its utility as one of the potential serum markers in PD. The ethanolic extract of S aromaticum may serve as a novel platform for management of PD-associated neurotoxicity.
Seismic anisotropy time variations at Mt Etna
Authors: Nardone Lucia , Bianco Francesca , Zaccarelli Lucia , Patanè Domenico
Published: October 2019

The aim of this paper is to study the temporal variations in the seismic wavefield associated with the stress changes in the dynamic features of the Mt Etna volcanic activity. We used shear wave splitting analysis on a huge data set of local earthquakes, in order to identify changes of the local stress field at Mt Etna during the time interval from 2006 to 2011. This analysis allows us to obtain two parameters: the polarization direction of the fast shear wave (φ) and the time delay of the slow shear wave (Td,time delay between the split shear waves). Orientation of φ generally provides information about the anisotropic symmetry and stress direction whereas Td provide information about the average crack density along the ray path.

Based on our findings it is possible to divide Etna Volcano in three different sectors, each one distinguished by typical fast wave polarization direction. We find that the western part of the volcano is controlled by the regional tectonic stress field having a NS and EW directions. Instead, the eastern part of the volcano is mainly controlled by the local volcanic stress, particularly an EW local stress field in the NE sector (Pernicana), and a quasi NS local stress field in the SE sector (Mascalucia, Timpe), where previous studies evidenced: (i) some low-Qp anomaly regions between 0 and about 6 km depth, probably associated with high pore pressure and the intense faulting and (ii) by magnetotelluric surveys, several high conductivity zones, up to 8 km depth, related to a diffuse presence of hydrothermal activity and fluid circulation. Temporal variations in time delay, mostly before the 2008–2009 lateral eruption, can be interpreted as stress accumulation increase with a consequent release of stress due to coalescing of microcracks in the conduit for the eruption of magma.
Chiral Hodge Cohomology and Mathieu Moonshine
Authors: Song Bailin
Published: October 2019

We construct a filtration of chiral Hodge cohomolgy of a K3 surface $X$, such that its associated graded object is a unitary representation of the $\mathcal{N}=4$ superconformal vertex algebra with central charge $c=6$ and its subspace of primitive vectors has the property; its equivariant character for a symplectic automorphism $g$ of finite order acting on $X$ agrees with the McKay–Thompson series for $g$ in Mathieu moonshine.
A governance model for the application of AI in health care
Authors: Reddy Sandeep , Allan Sonia , Coghlan Simon , Cooper Paul
Published: October 2019

As the efficacy of artificial intelligence (AI) in improving aspects of healthcare delivery is increasingly becoming evident, it becomes likely that AI will be incorporated in routine clinical care in the near future. This promise has led to growing focus and investment in AI medical applications both from governmental organizations and technological companies. However, concern has been expressed about the ethical and regulatory aspects of the application of AI in health care. These concerns include the possibility of biases, lack of transparency with certain AI algorithms, privacy concerns with the data used for training AI models, and safety and liability issues with AI application in clinical environments. While there has been extensive discussion about the ethics of AI in health care, there has been little dialogue or recommendations as to how to practically address these concerns in health care. In this article, we propose a governance model that aims to not only address the ethical and regulatory issues that arise out of the application of AI in health care, but also stimulate further discussion about governance of AI in health care.
Diagnosis of Infectious Fluid Collections in Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction: The Role of Ultrasound
Authors: Banuelos Joseph , Esquer-Garrigos Zerelda , Sohail M Rizwan , Abu-Ghname Amjed , VanBuren Wendaline M , Tran Nho V , Nguyen Minh-Doan T , Hesley Gina K , Asaad Malke , Sharaf Basel
Published: October 2019

Objective

Implant-based breast reconstruction after mastectomy remains the most common reconstructive modality worldwide. Infection is a frequent complication that negatively affects the reconstructive outcome and increases health-care costs. The aim of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of ultrasonography in identifying fluid collections in patients with breast implant infection.

Methods

After receiving institutional review board approval, a retrospective chart review was performed on patients who presented with breast implant infection after breast reconstruction, during the period 2009–2017. To estimate the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound (US) in detecting fluid collections, only patients with US evaluation and surgery during the same admission were included.

Results

In total, 64 patients with 64 infected implants met the inclusion criteria. Infected devices included 44 (69%) tissue expanders, and 20 (31%) implants, of which 40 (62%) were placed in the subpectoral and 24 (38%) prepectoral positions. Periprosthetic fluid was identified by US preoperatively in 45 (70%) of the patients, and a fluid collection was found in 61 (95%) of the patients during surgery. Sensitivity and specificity of US were 74% and 100%, respectively. Inaccurate US results were more likely in patients with silicone implants than patients with saline expander implants.

Conclusion

Caution should be exercised in interpreting negative US findings in patients with silicone implants in the setting of infection. Other imaging modalities should be explored if US results are negative in cases with high clinical suspicion.
Effects of 17β-estradiol injection and red-spectrum light on eyestalk hormones and vitellogenesis of the ornamental cleaner shrimp Lysmata amboinensis (De Man, 1888) (Decapoda: Caridea: Lysmatidae)
Authors: Choi Ji Yong , Choi Cheol Young , Jung Min-Min
Published: October 2019

We analyzed the effects of 17β-estradiol (E2) injection and red light on the sexual maturation and vitellogenesis of the cleaner shrimp Lysmata amboinensis (De Man, 1888) by measuring the change of mRNA expression levels of eyestalk and vitellogenesis-related hormones induced by both factors. We examined the eyestalk crustacean hyperglycemic hormone (CHH) and vitellogenesis-inhibiting hormone (VIH) genes. The E2 injection did not affect changes of eyestalk hormones. The red light, however, caused a significant increase (P < 0.05) of CHH promoting maturity and a significant decrease of VIH, which suppressed vitellogenesis. The vitellogenin receptor (VTG-R) and mRNA expression (in situ hybridization) also caused the E2 injection and red-wavelength irradiation to induce synthesis of vitellogenin (VTG). Red-light-induced gonadal maturation, promoting hormone and VTG synthesis, but E2 did not change the eyestalk hormone. Red-light irradiation could thus be used as a novel, maturity-promoting alternative method in the culture of the species, which is different from the eyestalk-ablation method that has so far been used.
Social behavior of the Pederson cleaner shrimp Ancylomenes pedersoni (Chace, 1958) (Decapoda: Caridea: Palemonidae) in the Caribbean Sea: size- and gender-based dominance hierarchy
Authors: Gilpin Jessica A , Chadwick Nanette E
Published: October 2019

Social interactions among Pederson cleaner shrimp Ancylomenes pedersoni (Chace, 1958), an associate of sea anemones, likely affect cleaning services to reef fishes, but major aspects of their social group structure and behavior remain unknown. We hypothesized that Pederson shrimp form dominance hierarchies expressed through size- and gender-based behavioral interactions. Observation of 116 shrimp on coral reefs at St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, revealed that they formed social groups of ~3 or 4 individuals (range 1–9) per host sea anemone, as a mix of large females, medium-size males, and/or small juveniles. Social groups were not rigidly size-structured, in that body size ratio between adjacent individuals did not differ significantly from random. Individuals, however, were spatially structured such that distance between shrimp and the tentacles of the host anemone decreased significantly with shrimp body size; large individuals occupied the anemone tentacle crown, whereas smaller shrimp perched on reef or sand substrates adjacent to the anemone. During laboratory experiments, shrimp exhibited five types of exploitation competition behaviors toward client fish models (signal, approach, clean, no response, retreat), and four types of interference competition behaviors toward conspecific shrimp (approach, attack, no response, retreat). Large females more frequently signaled toward, approached, and cleaned fish models than did males and juveniles, which did not respond or retreated. Females also approached and attacked conspecifics more than did males and juveniles, which retreated at frequencies that increased with decreasing body size. We conclude that Pederson shrimp form gender and size-based hierarchies in which large females monopolize food resources (ectoparasites on client fishes), and interfere with resource access by smaller males and juveniles. These behaviors cause them to spatially partition microhabitats on anemones, and hypothetically could lead to males and juveniles dispersing among anemones more frequently than females. These shrimp social interactions may thus enhance spatial and temporal variation among cleaning stations, with consequences for the health and mobility of reef fishes.
The Inducible CYP4C71 Can Metabolize Imidacloprid in Laodelphax striatellus (Hemiptera: Delphacidae)
Authors: Xiao Qianqian , Deng Lei , Elzaki Mohammed Esmail Abdalla , Zhu Lin , Xu Yanfei , Han Xiangyu , Wang Chunyu , Han Zhaojun , Wu Min
Published: October 2019

Laodelphax striatellus (Fallén) is an important rice pest species which has developed high resistance to imidacloprid. Previous studies have demonstrated that CYP6AY3v2 and CYP353D1v2 were constitutively overexpressed in a imidacloprid resistant strain and can metabolize imidacloprid to mediated metabolic resistance. Further studies still needed to explore whether there are other L. striatellus P450 enzymes that can also metabolize imidacloprid. In this study, the expression level of L. striatellus CYP4C71 was significantly upregulated both in laboratory strains and field strains of L. striatellus after imidacloprid treatment for 4 h. The capability of CYP4C71 to metabolize imidacloprid was investigated. The full-length CYP4C71 was cloned, and its open reading frame was 1,515 bp with an enzyme estimated to be 505 amino acid residues in size. Furthermore, CYP4C71 was heterologously expressed along with L. striatellus cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR) in insect cells. A carbon monoxide difference spectra analysis confirmed the successful expression of CYP4C71. The recombinant CYP4C71 showed high P450 O-demethylation activity with PNP as a substrate. In vitro metabolism studies showed that recombinant CYP4C71 can metabolize imidacloprid to an easily excreted hydroxy-form. The rate of imidacloprid depletion in response to imidacloprid concentration revealed Michaelis Menten kinetics (R2 fitted curve = 0.99) with a relative low affinity: Kcat = 0.032 ± 0.009 pmol depleted imidacloprid/min/pmol P450 and Km=85.19 ± 2.93 μM. A relative big Km (85.19 ± 2.93 μM) indicated relative low imidacloprid’s affinity for the CYP4C71 enzyme. In conclusion, CYP4C71 was another P450 enzyme that can metabolize imidacloprid with a relatively low affinity.
Effects of Temperature on Demographic Parameters of Bryobia praetiosa (Acari: Tetranychidae)
Authors: Ullah Mohammad Shaef , Kamimura Tatsuya , Gotoh Tetsuo
Published: October 2019

The clover mite, Bryobia praetiosa Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), is an agricultural pest, as well as a frequent invader of hospitals and homes. However, its adaptability to different temperatures is not well understood. We used age- and stage-specific life tables to investigate the effects of temperature on demographic parameters of B. praetiosa from 15 to 35°C under a long-day photoperiod (16:8 [L:D] h). The clover mite is a thelytokous species (consisting of only females) due to its infection with the symbiotic bacterium Wolbachia. The egg-to-adult development time of female B. praetiosa decreased as the temperature increased from 15 to 32.5°C. At 35°C, females laid eggs, but no eggs hatched. The lower thermal threshold (t0) and the thermal constant (K) for egg-to-adult females were 8.7°C and 274.1 degree-days, respectively. The intrinsic optimum temperature (TØ) was 22.4°C. The oviposition period decreased with increasing temperature. Fecundity was highest at 20°C and extremely low at 30°C. The net reproductive rate (R0) decreased as the temperature increased from 15 to 30°C, but no significant difference was observed between 15 and 20°C. The intrinsic rate of natural increase (r) varied from 0.0721/d at 15°C to 0.1679/d at 25°C, and then decreased to 0.1203/d at 30°C. These results should be useful in developing management strategies for B. praetiosa.
Merit Ptah, “The First Woman Physician”: Crafting of a Feminist History with an Ancient Egyptian Setting
Authors: Kwiecinski Jakub M
Published: October 2019

Merit Ptah is widely described as “the first woman physician and scientist” on the Internet and in popular history books. This essay explores the origins of this figure, showing that Merit Ptah came into being in the 1930s when Kate Campbell Hurd-Mead misinterpreted a report about an authentic ancient Egyptian healer. Merit Ptah gradually became a prominent figure in popular historical accounts during second-wave of feminism, and, in the twenty-first century she appeared in Wikipedia and subsequently spread throughout the Internet as a female (sometimes black African) founding figure. The history of Merit Ptah reveals powerful mechanisms of knowledge creation in the network of amateur historians, independently from the scholarly community. The case of Merit Ptah also pinpoints factors enabling the spread of erroneous historical accounts: the absence of professional audience, the development of echo chambers due to an obscured chain of knowledge transmission, the wide reach of the Internet, the coherence with existing preconceptions, the emotional charge of heritage, and even – in the case of ancient Egypt – the tendency to perceive certain pasts through a legendary lens. At the same time, the story of Merit Ptah reveals how important role models have been for women entering science and medicine.
Non-linear phenomenology of disformally coupled quintessence
Authors: Llinares Claudio , Hagala Robert , Mota David F
Published: October 2019

The quintessence model is one of the simplest and better known alternatives to Einstein’s theory for gravity. The properties of the solutions have been studied in great detail in the background, linear and non-linear contexts in cosmology. Here we discuss new phenomenology that is induced by adding disformal terms to the interactions. Among other results, we show analytically and using cosmological simulations ran with the code isis that the model possesses a mechanism through which it is possible to obtain repulsive fifth forces, which are opposite to gravity. Although the equations are very complex, we also find that most of the new phenomenology can be explained by studying background quantities. We used our simulation data to test approximate relations that exist between the metric and scalar field perturbations as well as between the fifth force and gravity. Excellent agreement was found between exact and approximated solutions, which opens the way for running disformal gravity cosmological simulations using simply a Newtonian solver. These results could not only help us to find new ways of testing gravity, but also provide new motivations for building alternative models.
Semi-analytic forecasts for JWST – II. Physical properties and scaling relations for galaxies at z = 4–10
Authors: Yung L Y Aaron , Somerville Rachel S , Popping Gergö , Finkelstein Steven L , Ferguson Harry C , Davé Romeel
Published: October 2019

The long anticipated James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will be able to directly detect large samples of galaxies at very high redshift. Using the well-established, computationally efficient Santa Cruz semi-analytic model, with recently implemented multiphase gas partitioning, and H2-based star formation recipes, we make predictions for a wide variety of galaxy properties for galaxy populations at z = 4–10. In this work, we provide forecasts for the physical properties of high-redshift galaxies and links to their photometric properties. With physical parameters calibrated only to z ∼ 0 observations, our model predictions are in good agreement with current observational constraints on stellar mass and star formation rate distribution functions up to z ∼ 8. We also provide predictions representing wide, deep, and lensed JWST survey configurations. We study the redshift evolution of key galaxy properties and the scaling relations among them. Taking advantage of our models’ high computational efficiency, we study the impact of systematically varying the model parameters. All distribution functions and scaling relations presented in this work are available at https://www.simonsfoundation.org/semi-analytic-forecasts-for-jwst/.
NADA-FLD: a general relativistic, multidimensional neutrino-hydrodynamics code employing flux-limited diffusion
Authors: Rahman N , Just O , Janka H-T
Published: October 2019

We present the new code NADA-FLD to solve multidimensional neutrino-hydrodynamics in full general relativity (GR) in spherical polar coordinates. The energy-dependent neutrino transport assumes the flux-limited diffusion approximation and evolves the neutrino energy densities measured in the frame comoving with the fluid. Operator splitting is used to avoid multidimensional coupling of grid cells in implicit integration steps involving matrix inversions. Terms describing lateral diffusion and advection are integrated explicitly using the Allen–Cheng or the Runge–Kutta–Legendre method, which remain stable even in the optically thin regime. We discuss several toy-model problems in one and two dimensions to test the basic functionality and individual components of the transport scheme. We also perform fully dynamic core-collapse supernova (CCSN) simulations in spherical symmetry. For a Newtonian model, we find good agreement with the M1 code ALCAR, and for a GR model, we reproduce the main effects of GR in CCSNe already found by previous works.