bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trends detection of flu based on ensemble models with emotional factors from social networks
Authors: Sun Xiao , Ren Fuji , Ye Jiaqi
Published: December 2016

Influenza is an acute respiratory illness and widespread activity that occurs every year. Detection and prevention of influenza in its earliest stage would reduce the spread range of the illness. Sina microblog is a popular microblogging service in China, which can be treated as perfect reference sources for flu detection because of its real‐time character. A large number of active users post about their daily life continually. In this paper, we investigate the real‐time flu detection problem and propose a flu detection model with emotion factors and semantic information. First, we extract flu‐related microblog posts automatically in real time by adopting support vector machine (SVM) filter and semantic features. We use association rule mining to extract strongly associated features as additional features for posts to overcome the limitation of 140 words, including sentiment information, which can help us to classify the posts without flu‐related features. Then, the conditional random field model is revised and applied to detect the transition time of flu so that we can find out which place is more likely to have influenza outbreak and when it is more likely to have influenza outbreak in a city or province in China. Experimental results on detecting flu situation during certain times in some locations show the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed model, which might help health authorities in predicting flu outbreak ahead and take timely control action and response. © 2016 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Clinical and ultrasound characteristics of surgically removed adnexal lesions with largest diameter ≤ 2.5 cm: a pictorial essay
Authors: Di Legge A. , Pollastri P. , Mancari R. , Ludovisi M. , Mascilini F. , Franchi D. , Jurkovic D. , Coccia M. E. , Timmerman D. , Scambia G. , Testa A. , Valentin L.
Published: December 2016

Objectives

To describe the ultrasound characteristics, indications for surgery and histological diagnoses of surgically removed adnexal masses with a largest diameter of ≤ 2.5 cm (very small tumors), to estimate the sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis of malignancy by subjective assessment of ultrasound images of very small tumors and to present a collection of ultrasound images of surgically removed very small tumors, with emphasis on those causing diagnostic difficulty.

Methods

Information on surgically removed adnexal tumors with a largest diameter of ≤ 2.5 cm was retrieved from the ultrasound databases of seven participating centers. The ultrasound images were described using the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis terminology. The original diagnosis, based on subjective assessment of the ultrasound images by the ultrasound examiner, was used to calculate the sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis of malignancy.

Results

Of the 129 identified adnexal masses with largest diameter ≤ 2.5 cm, 104 (81%) were benign, 15 (12%) borderline malignant and 10 (8%) invasive tumors. The main indication for performing surgery was suspicion of malignancy in 22% (23/104) of the benign tumors and in all 25 malignant tumors. None of the malignant tumors was a unilocular cyst (vs 50% of the benign tumors), all malignancies contained solid components (vs 43% of the benign tumors), 80% of the borderline tumors had papillary projections (vs 21% of the benign tumors and 20% of the invasive malignancies) and all invasive tumors and 80% of the borderline tumors were vascularized on color/power Doppler examination (vs 44% of the benign tumors). The ovarian crescent sign was present in 85% of the benign tumors, 80% of the borderline tumors and 50% of the invasive malignancies. The sensitivity of diagnosis of malignancy by subjective assessment of ultrasound images was 100% (25/25) and the specificity was 86% (89/104). Excluding unilocular cysts, the specificity was 71% (37/52). Analysis of images illustrated the difficulty in distinguishing benign from borderline very small cysts with papillations and benign from malignant very small well vascularized (color score 3 or 4) solid adnexal tumors.

Conclusions

Very small malignant tumors manifest generally accepted ultrasound signs of malignancy. Small unilocular cysts are usually benign, while small non‐unilocular masses, particularly ones with solid components, incur a risk of malignancy and pose a clinical dilemma. © 2016 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Caching algorithms for broadcasting and multicasting in disruption tolerant networks
Authors: Tian Feng , Liu Bo , Zhou Haibo , Rui Yun , Chen Jiacheng , Xiong Jian , Gui Lin
Published: December 2016

In delay and disruption tolerant networks, the contacts among nodes are intermittent. Because of the importance of data access, providing efficient data access is the ultimate aim of analyzing and exploiting disruption tolerant networks. Caching is widely proved to be able to improve data access performance. In this paper, we consider caching schemes for broadcasting and multicasting to improve the performance of data access. First, we propose a caching algorithm for broadcasting, which selects the community central nodes as relays from both network structure perspective and social network perspective. Then, we accommodate the caching algorithm for multicasting by considering the data query pattern. Extensive trace‐driven simulations are conducted to investigate the essential difference between the caching algorithms for broadcasting and multicasting and evaluate the performance of these algorithms. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Delivery of therapeutics with nanoparticles: what's new in cancer immunotherapy?
Authors: Fontana Flavia , Liu Dongfei , Hirvonen Jouni , Santos Hélder A.
Published: December 2016

The application of nanotechnology to the treatment of cancer or other diseases has been boosted during the last decades due to the possibility to precise deliver drugs where needed, enabling a decrease in the drug's side effects. Nanocarriers are particularly valuable for potentiating the simultaneous co‐delivery of multiple drugs in the same particle for the treatment of heavily burdening diseases like cancer. Immunotherapy represents a new concept in the treatment of cancer and has shown outstanding results in patients treated with check‐point inhibitors. Thereby, researchers are applying nanotechnology to cancer immunotherapy toward the development of nanocarriers for delivery of cancer vaccines and chemo‐immunotherapies. Cancer nanovaccines can be envisioned as nanocarriers co‐delivering antigens and adjuvants, molecules often presenting different physicochemical properties, in cancer therapy. A wide range of nanocarriers (e.g., polymeric, lipid‐based and inorganic) allow the co‐formulation of these molecules, or the delivery of chemo‐ and immune‐therapeutics in the same system. Finally, there is a trend toward the use of biologically inspired and derived nanocarriers. In this review, we present the recent developments in the field of immunotherapy, describing the different systems proposed by categories: polymeric nanoparticles, lipid‐based nanosystems, metallic and inorganic nanosystems and, finally, biologically inspired and derived nanovaccines. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2017, 9:e1421. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1421

This article is categorized under:

Biology-Inspired Nanomaterials > Lipid-Based Structures

Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease

Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology
Bimetallic Pt/Sn‐based Nanoparticles in Ionic Liquids as Nanocatalysts for the Selective Hydrogenation of Cinnamaldehyde
Authors: Dietrich Christine , Schild Dieter , Wang Wu , Kübel Christian , Behrens Silke
Published: December 2016

The exceptional physico‐chemical properties of ionic liquids are exploited for the synthesis and catalytic application of heterometallic nanoparticles. Pt/Sn‐based nanoparticles with 2–3 nm diameter are synthesized by chemical reduction of the metal salt precursors in the ionic liquid (i.e., methyltrioctylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide) using triethylborohydride as reducing agent. Investigations by X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy suggest the formation of randomly alloyed Pt/Sn‐based nanoparticles. The tin precursor and the platinum to tin ratio of the precursors are shown to influence the nature of the nanoparticles. The selective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde is used to probe the catalytic performance of the Pt/Sn nanoparticles, demonstrating the effect of tin alloying on the catalytic activity and selectivity to the α,β‐unsaturated cinnamic alcohol.
Hydrocarbon Source Potential of the Proterozoic Sirban Limestone Formation, NW Himalaya, Jammu
Authors: Hakhoo Naveen , Thusu Bindra , Mani Devleena , Bhat Ghulam M. , Craig Jonathan , Thurow Juergen , Hafiz Mateen , Kanungo Sudeep , Koul Sumita , Ahmed Waquar
Published: December 2016

The Proterozoic Sirban Limestone Formation (SLFm) crops out as detached allochthons in the northwest Himalaya (Jammu region, India) and has its coeval equivalents laterally disposed in the west in Salt Range, in the north-west in Abbotabad (Pakistan) and in southeast in Himachal Pradesh (India). The oil and gas occurrences have been reported from the Proterozoic successions globally and the hydrocarbon potential of the SLFm cannot be ruled out.

The interbedded shales and algal laminated dolostones within the SLFm have yielded microflora comparable to those reported in the North African Neoproterozoic sandstones and the Late Proterozoic carbonates of the giant oil and gas fields of the Siberian Platform. The SLFm contains a rich and diverse biota comprising ~ 10% of the rock volume in thin section. The rich organic assemblage justified a hydrocarbon source potential analysis of the SLFm, tested in this study by Rock Eval (RE) pyrolysis.

RE pyrolysis yielded a total organic carbon (TOC) content of 0.02 to 1 wt. % with very low Hydrogen Index (HI) values for the shales and TOC content averaging 0.02 wt. % for the dolostones. The organically lean shales and dolostones exhibit Tmax values indicative of immature to post mature stage. But, since these values are for the samples with complex thermal and tectonic history the results may be unreliable. The highly altered organic matter and kerogen present in the SLFm had the potential to generate hydrocarbons and presently indicates no significant source potential. This study is important for understanding the hydrocarbon occurrences in the SLFm particularly in light of the recent oil and gas discoveries from the coeval Proterozoic successions.
Electronic Health Records and Medical Big Data
Authors: Hoffman Sharona
Published: December 2016

This book helps readers gain an in-depth understanding of electronic health record (EHR) systems, medical big data, and the regulations that govern them. It analyzes both the shortcomings and benefits of EHR systems, exploring the law's response to the creation of these systems, highlighting gaps in the current legal framework, and developing detailed recommendations for regulatory, policy, and technological improvements. Electronic Health Records and Medical Big Data addresses not only privacy and security concerns but also other important challenges, such as those related to data quality and data analysis. In addition, the author formulates a large body of recommendations to improve the technology's safety, security, and efficacy for both clinical and secondary (such as research) uses of medical data.
Analysis and Modeling of Radio Wave Propagation
Authors: Coleman Christopher John
Published: December 2016

This comprehensive guide helps readers understand the theory and techniques needed to analyze and model radio wave propagation in complex environments. All of the essential topics are covered, from the fundamental concepts of radio systems, to complex propagation phenomena. These topics include diffraction, ray tracing, scattering, atmospheric ducting, ionospheric ducting, scintillation, and propagation through both urban and non-urban environments. Emphasis is placed on practical procedures, with detailed discussion of numerical and mathematical methods providing readers with the necessary skills to build their own propagation models and develop their own techniques. MATLAB functions illustrating key modeling ideas are provided online. This is an invaluable resource for anyone wanting to use propagation models to understand the performance of radio systems for navigation, radar, communications, or broadcasting.
MODEL SELECTION AND AVERAGING OF HEALTH COSTS IN EPISODE TREATMENT GROUPS
Authors: Huang Shujuan , Hartman Brian , Brazauskas Vytaras
Published: December 2016

Episode Treatment Groups (ETGs) classify related services into medically relevant and distinct units describing an episode of care. Proper model selection for those ETG-based costs is essential to adequately price and manage health insurance risks. The optimal claim cost model (or model probabilities) can vary depending on the disease. We compare four potential models (lognormal, gamma, log-skew-tand Lomax) using four different model selection methods (AIC and BIC weights, Random Forest feature classification and Bayesian model averaging) on 320 ETGs. Using the data from a major health insurer, which consists of more than 33 million observations from 9 million claimants, we compare the various methods on both speed and precision, and also examine the wide range of selected models for the different ETGs. Several case studies are provided for illustration. It is found that Random Forest feature selection is computationally efficient and sufficiently accurate, hence being preferred in this large data set. When feasible (on smaller data sets), Bayesian model averaging is preferred because of the posterior model probabilities.
Global and local aspects of entrainment in temporal plumes
Authors: Krug Dominik , Chung Daniel , Philip Jimmy , Marusic Ivan
Published: December 2016

To date, the understanding of the role buoyancy plays in the entrainment process in unstable configurations such as turbulent plumes remains incomplete. Towards addressing this question, we set up a flow in which a plume evolves in time instead of space. We demonstrate that the temporal problem is equivalent to a spatial plume in a strong coflow and address in detail how the temporal plume can be realized via direct numerical simulation. Using numerical data of plume simulations up to $Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}}\approx 100$, we show that the entrainment coefficient can be determined consistently using a global entrainment analysis in an integral framework as well as via a local approach. The latter is based on a study of the local propagation of the turbulent/non-turbulent interface relative to the fluid. Locally, this process is dominated by small-scale diffusion which is amplified by interface convolutions such that the total entrained flux is independent of viscosity. Further, we identify a direct buoyancy contribution to entrainment by baroclinic torque, which accounts for 8 %–12 % of the entrained flux locally, comparable to the 15 % buoyancy contribution at the integral level. It appears that the baroclinic torque is a mechanism that might explain higher values of the entrainment coefficient in spatial plumes compared with jets.
A lowermost Ordovician tabulate-like coralomorph from the Precordillera of western Argentina: a main component of a reef-framework consortium
Authors: Carrera Marcelo G. , Astini Ricardo A. , Gomez Fernando J.
Published: December 2016

Although putative corals of uncertain affinities occur in the early Cambrian, the earliest definite tabulate corals have not been described prior to the Early Ordovician in North America. This paper reports a new finding of a tabulate-like coralomorph forming part of biostratigraphically well-constrained reef mounds in the latest Cambrian–Early Ordovician La Silla Formation in the Argentine Precordillera. The oldest record of the coralomorph genus Amsassia is reported and a new species, A. argentina, is erected. The discovery of this genus in the lowermost Ordovician modifies the previously proposed paleogeographic distribution and patterns of origination and migration routes of this coral-like organism. Amsassia argentina n. sp. constitutes a main framework builder together with a complex microbial consortium. This oldest occurrence of Amsassia as a reef builder represents a new record of a skeletal organism in the gap of metazoan reef constructors after the demise of archaeocyaths in the late early Cambrian.
Brisbane church architecture of the 1960s
Authors: Daunt Lisa Marie
Published: December 2016

The twentieth century was a time of massive upheaval in the intellectual, theological and architectural spheres of society. Two world wars, massive post-war population growth and a building boom coincided with the Second Vatican Council and the liturgical movement within the Christian churches, and encountered the modern movement in architecture. This prompted a demand for a re-evaluation of church building design. In Brisbane, new approaches to church building design emerged in the 1960s, with widely divergent results. The architects, denominations and church parishes within the city — although all sought to address liturgical change and emphasise the active participation of the congregation in the services — held different opinions on how the quintessential church characteristics, immanence and transcendence, could be adapted to modern times. Analysing three exemplary Christian churches in Brisbane, this article demonstrates how in each of these designs their architects sought to evoke immanence and transcendence in a decisively new and modern manner, seeking inspiration from progressive ideas in Europe, Britain and America while striving to create buildings suited to the climate of South-East Queensland. Liturgical change, modern architecture and regional climate considerations provided compounding opportunities to rethink church design from first principles.
Aquila's Greek Targum: Reconsidering the Rabbinical Setting of an Ancient Translation
Authors: Giambrone Anthony
Published: December 2016

Aquila of Sinope, the legendary second-century translator and convert to Judaism, appears in both Jewish and Christian tradition. Recent literature on his famous Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures is surprisingly limited, however. Dominique Barthélemy's landmark monograph on the Minor Prophets’ scroll gives some significant introductory attention to Aquila and the influence of Rabbi Akiva upon him, but the study's influential (if traditional) conclusions cannot be considered final. Lester Grabbe, in particular, has critiqued Barthélemy's portrayal of Aquila as a zealous follower (“un chaud partisan”) of Akiva and of his characteristic manner of exegesis (especially the inclusive sense he gave the accusative particle’ēt). If there are real reasons informing this conventional depiction of Aquila, for Grabbe, “no isolated theory linking a particular translation with a particular figure of Jewish literature can truly claim serious attention,” without considerably more information about how the whole spectrum of Greek recensional activity interacted with all the diverse forms of ancient Jewish interpretation. Grabbe offers an important critique. At the same time, he requires a considerable advance in our knowledge. Indeed, given many irremediable uncertainties touching the precise information Grabbe would demand, it is not clear how far conclusions in this area can ever be entirely distanced from conjectures.
I Hear Islam Singing: Shahab Ahmed's What Is Islam? The Importance of Being Islamic
Authors: Pregill Michael E.
Published: December 2016

At the time of Shahab Ahmed's untimely death on 17 September 2015, he left behind many admiring colleagues, students, friends, and family, as well as a weighty tome of monumental significance—What Is Islam? The Importance of Being Islamic. It is tragic when an author's first book is published posthumously, perhaps even more so in this case given that Ahmed's work is poised to have a pervasive influence on the field of Islamic Studies and has already garnered numerous accolades. Like a supermassive celestial body, this dense book exerts an irresistible attraction and alters the intellectual trajectory of those drawn into its orbit. What Is Islam? poses difficult questions no one in the field can ignore, even if one disagrees with its premises, methods, or conclusions. We are collectively the poorer for being unable to engage directly with the author in the many discussions that are sure to be provoked by the book's meteoric impact.
UNLIKELY BEDFELLOWS: THE EVOLUTION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND DEVELOPMENT
Authors: Brighton Claire
Published: December 2016

Poverty and environmental degradation are two of the gravest issues facing the planet today. The most obvious means of addressing each issue, however, appears ostensibly to undermine the other. While environmental and development strategies are largely associated with the concept of sustainable development that emerged in the 1990s, the debate between these two interests dates back to the 1940s. This article seeks to fill an apparent gap in environmental scholarship by presenting a history of the environmental protection/development relationship. It will argue that, rather than being the product of an organic development process, the concept of sustainable development and the principles underlying it were consciously shaped by a number of international actors with vested interests in their trajectory. Understanding why and how this was permitted is important not only for its capacity to throw light on the past, but also for its ability to assist in understanding and predicting the future.
Leading the Way: The United Kingdom's financial and trade relations with Socialist China, 1949–1966
Authors: PERUZZI ROBERTO
Published: December 2016

This article aims to deepen scholarly understanding of the special political and economic connection between Britain and Socialist China during the 1950s and the 1960s. After 1949, the British government had substantive reasons to preserve a link with Beijing, despite the unfolding of the Cold War. First, British assets in China were numerous. Second, the Crown colony of Hong Kong was an indispensable strategic enclave, although militarily indefensible. Third, the Foreign Office considered that Asia should represent an exception to unquestioned British loyalty to the Atlantic alliance, since the United Kingdom needed to prove that it was able to represent and preserve Commonwealth interests in the area. The article will point out that the United Kingdom maintained a privileged role as the main trading partner of the People's Republic of China (PRC) outside the Socialist bloc, thanks to the financial and commercial role played by Hong Kong. This is proved through an analysis of the fate of British financial institutions in China, which represented a favourable exception in the bleak scenario of the PRC nationalization process, as well as of the industrial development of the British colony, which was based on importing food and labour from the mainland, while serving as a financial hub in support of the PRC economy.
Reward-related neural activity and structure predict future substance use in dysregulated youth
Authors: Bertocci M. A. , Bebko G. , Versace A. , Iyengar S. , Bonar L. , Forbes E. E. , Almeida J. R. C. , Perlman S. B. , Schirda C. , Travis M. J. , Gill M. K. , Diwadkar V. A. , Sunshine J. L. , Holland S. K. , Kowatch R. A. , Birmaher B. , Axelson D. A. , Frazier T. W. , Arnold L. E. , Fristad M. A. , Youngstrom E. A. , Horwitz S. M. , Findling R. L. , Phillips M. L.
Published: December 2016

Background

Identifying youth who may engage in future substance use could facilitate early identification of substance use disorder vulnerability. We aimed to identify biomarkers that predicted future substance use in psychiatrically un-well youth.

Method

LASSO regression for variable selection was used to predict substance use 24.3 months after neuroimaging assessment in 73 behaviorally and emotionally dysregulated youth aged 13.9 (s.d.= 2.0) years, 30 female, from three clinical sites in the Longitudinal Assessment of Manic Symptoms (LAMS) study. Predictor variables included neural activity during a reward task, cortical thickness, and clinical and demographic variables.

Results

Future substance use was associated with higher left middle prefrontal cortex activity, lower left ventral anterior insula activity, thicker caudal anterior cingulate cortex, higher depression and lower mania scores, not using antipsychotic medication, more parental stress, older age. This combination of variables explained 60.4% of the variance in future substance use, and accurately classified 83.6%.

Conclusions

These variables explained a large proportion of the variance, were useful classifiers of future substance use, and showed the value of combining multiple domains to provide a comprehensive understanding of substance use development. This may be a step toward identifying neural measures that can identify future substance use disorder risk, and act as targets for therapeutic interventions.
‘Frail worms of the earth’: philosophical reflections on the meaning of life
Authors: HAMILTON CHRISTOPHER
Published: December 2016

Many philosophers in the analytic tradition have recently sought to explore the question of the meaning of life. In the first part of this article I subject two important approaches from this tradition – those of John Cottingham and Susan Wolf – to criticism. I then suggest that Cottingham and Wolf articulate certain assumptions about the meaning of life that are widely shared amongst analytic philosophers. I go on to subject those assumptions to criticism and seek to develop an alternative approach to the question, one that is largely overlooked in the contemporary literature.
Research into practice: Listening strategies in an instructed classroom setting
Authors: Graham Suzanne
Published: December 2016

This paper considers research and practice relating to listening in instructed classroom settings, limiting itself to what might be called unidirectional listening (Macaro, Graham & Vanderplank 2007) – in other words, where learners listen to a recording, a TV or radio clip or lecture, but where there is no communication back to the speaker(s). A review of the literature relating to such listening reveals a tendency for papers to highlight two features in their introductory lines: first, the acknowledged importance of listening as a skill underpinning second language (L2) acquisition more broadly, and second, the relative paucity of research into listening compared with the skills of speaking, reading or writing. In the last ten years or so, however, there has been a growth in the number of studies conducted in the field, as evidenced in Vandergrift's review in 2007 and Vanderplank's more recent overview (2013). Consequently, my view is that it is possible to identify from that research certain key principles in relation to listening within instructed settings, particularly regarding listening strategies.
Christopher Brumfit Thesis Award Winner 2014 – Hilde van Zeeland: Four studies on vocabulary knowledge in and from listening: Findings and implications for future research
Authors: van Zeeland Hilde
Published: December 2016

This paper discusses four studies from a recently completed Ph.D. thesis (van Zeeland, 2014a) on L2 listening and vocabulary knowledge. Two studies focused on the recognition of spoken vocabulary knowledge in isolation and in context, as well as the assessment of it, and two studies explored lexical inferencing and incidental vocabulary acquisition from listening. This paper summarises the main findings and discusses implications for future research. Together, the studies emphasise the need for more research attention to spoken vocabulary knowledge, especially in continuous speech. They also show how listening could contribute to expanding vocabulary knowledge, and emphasise several factors that future research on this topic should take into account.
Research in language assessment
Authors: Knoch Ute
Published: December 2016

Since its inception in 1990, the Language Testing Research Centre (LTRC) at the University of Melbourne has earned an international reputation for its work in the areas of language assessment and testing as well as program evaluation. The mission of the centre is: (1) to carry out and promote research and development in language testing; (2) to develop tests and other appropriate proficiency measurement instruments for English and other languages; (3) to evaluate programmes of language learning and teaching; (4) to provide consultancy services in evaluation and testing; and (5) to provide education and training in the area of language assessment.
The view from the street: the landscape of polite shopping in Georgian York
Authors: JENKINS MATTHEW
Published: December 2016

Shopping during the eighteenth century is increasingly viewed by scholars as an important leisure activity, and an integral part of wider schemes of urban improvement. However, the physical evidence in the form of standing buildings is rarely considered. This article will demonstrate how a detailed examination and reconstruction of the urban landscape of York can illuminate how these practices were performed. The use of building biographies also allows owners to be identified and linked with specific shop types and surviving fabric. This enables exploration of how the physical environment influenced perceptions of the streetscape and the experience of interior retail space.
Architecture that bows to the artist: Musée Soulages
Authors: Luescher Andreas
Published: December 2016

This paper examines the museum dedicated to Pierre Soulages and its relationship with Soulages, the city of Rodez, the Forirail Garden (which is the site of the museum), and the ideas and practices realised by Catalan architects Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem and Ramon Vilalta (RCR). The Musée Soulages is defined by the colour black and the luminous fluidity of steel as designed by RCR Arquitectes; it is also aligned with an environmental ecology that literally and figuratively represents the town of Rodez with its Notre-Dame Cathedral. The central thesis is that the Musée Soulages inducts the visitor into a role of active participation and exchange in an atmosphere of transcendental logic, and, ultimately, a new way to experience black as a colour rather than the lack of one. A visitor to the Musée Soulages becomes part of a theatrical event in which two actors —one French abstract painter, three Catalan architects—communicate in physical terms about the metaphysical environment, and the relationship between the scenographic and the tectonic in architecture. The Musée Soulages is a fascinating metaphorical representation of not only Pierre Soulages's character and his work, but also of the role of the built environment and material culture that is intertwined with the body of Soulages's expressive works. This essay focuses on the material and symbolic gestures created by Pierre Soulages and RCR Arquitectes to maintain and promote their particular world views, and examines the ways in which their expressive mediums and ideas are by turn harmonious and contradictory.
Relationships Between Social Networks and Mental Health
Authors: Baggio Stéphanie , Luisier Victorin , Vladescu Cristina
Published: December 2016

Abstract. Social networks have an important effect on health, and social network analysis has become essential for understanding human behavior and vulnerability. Using exponential random graph models (ERGM), this study explores the associations between mental health and network structure (or more specifically, mental health homophily) and the association between poor mental health and social isolation. Two classes of Romanian adolescents aged 12–14 years participated in the study (n = 26 in each class). We assessed school network, sociodemographic covariates, and mental health using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). ERGM was first used to test the presence of sex and mental health homophily and then to test whether mental health was a predictor of social isolation. The results showed homophily patterns regarding sex and mental health. Moreover, participants with a higher SDQ score had a lower probability of a tie. Overall, this study showed how social networks are structured with different forms of homophily and that adolescents with poor mental health are more likely to be social isolates. Thus, prevention and interventions should focus on these vulnerable adolescents. Methodological advances like ERGM constitute a promising avenue for further research.
Effect of Cognitive Style on Prospective-Retrospective Memory Slips
Authors: Mefoh Philip C. , Ezeh Valentine C.
Published: December 2016

Abstract. We examined the effect of cognitive style on prospective and retrospective memory slips using the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) and the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ). A group of 233 undergraduate students (55% women) of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, whose mean age was 19.66 years (SD = 3.02), participated in this study. Using bivariate linear regression to analyze the data, we found that cognitive style accounted for 7% of the variation in prospective memory slips and 21% of the variation in retrospective memory slips. The findings demonstrated that cognitive style significantly negatively predicted prospective and retrospective memory slips: As field independence increased, prospective and retrospective memory slips decreased.
Temporal stability and molecular persistence of the bone marrow plasma cell antibody repertoire
Authors: Wu Gabriel C. , Cheung Nai-Kong V. , Georgiou George , Marcotte Edward M. , Ippolito Gregory C.
Published: December 2016

Plasma cells in human bone marrow (BM) are thought to be responsible for sustaining lifelong immunity, but its underlying basis is controversial. Here we use high-throughput sequence analysis of the same individual across 6.5 years to show that the BM plasma cell immunoglobulin heavy chain repertoire is remarkably stable over time. We find a nearly static bias in individual and combinatorial gene usage across time. Analysis of a second donor corroborates these observations. We also report the persistence of numerous BM plasma cell clonotypes (∼2%) identifiable at all points assayed across 6.5 years, supporting a model of serological memory based upon intrinsic longevity of human plasma cells. Donors were adolescents who completely recovered from neuroblastoma prior to the start of this study. Our work will facilitate differentiation between healthy and diseased antibody repertoires, by serving as a point of comparison with future deep-sequencing studies involving immune intervention.
Coupled ATPase-adenylate kinase activity in ABC transporters
Authors: Kaur Hundeep , Lakatos-Karoly Andrea , Vogel Ramona , Nöll Anne , Tampé Robert , Glaubitz Clemens
Published: December 2016

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, a superfamily of integral membrane proteins, catalyse the translocation of substrates across the cellular membrane by ATP hydrolysis. Here we demonstrate by nucleotide turnover and binding studies based on31P solid-state NMR spectroscopy that the ABC exporter and lipid A flippase MsbA can couple ATP hydrolysis to an adenylate kinase activity, where ADP is converted into AMP and ATP. Single-point mutations reveal that both ATPase and adenylate kinase mechanisms are associated with the same conserved motifs of the nucleotide-binding domain. Based on these results, we propose a model for the coupled ATPase-adenylate kinase mechanism, involving the canonical and an additional nucleotide-binding site. We extend these findings to other prokaryotic ABC exporters, namely LmrA and TmrAB, suggesting that the coupled activities are a general feature of ABC exporters.
Observing coherence effects in an overdamped quantum system
Authors: Lien Y. -H. , Barontini G. , Scheucher M. , Mergenthaler M. , Goldwin J. , Hinds E. A.
Published: December 2016

It is usually considered that the spectrum of an optical cavity coupled to an atomic medium does not exhibit a normal-mode splitting unless the system satisfies the strong coupling condition, meaning the Rabi frequency of the coherent coupling exceeds the decay rates of atom and cavity excitations. Here we show that this need not be the case, but depends on the way in which the coupled system is probed. Measurements of the reflection of a probe laser from the input mirror of an overdamped cavity reveal an avoided crossing in the spectrum that is not observed when driving the atoms directly and measuring the Purcell-enhanced cavity emission. We understand these observations by noting a formal correspondence with electromagnetically induced transparency of a three-level atom in free space, where our cavity acts as the absorbing medium and the coupled atoms play the role of the control field.
Differential Association of Metabolic Risk Factors with Open Angle Glaucoma according to Obesity in a Korean Population
Authors: Kim Hyun-Ah , Han Kyungdo , Lee Yun-Ah , Choi Jin A , Park Yong-Moon
Published: December 2016

The associations of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) with intraocular pressure and primary open angle glaucoma (OAG) have been reported. This study aimed to determine whether a difference in association exists between OAG and metabolic risk factors according to obesity status among Korean adults. A total of 8,816 participants (≥40 years) in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were classified into obese, body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2 and non-obese, BMI < 25 kg/m2. The prevalence of MetS was 40.1% in non-obese OAG and 66.0% in obese OAG. The prevalence of OAG increased with increasing number components for MetS in total population and in non-obese subjects (P < 0.001, respectively), while the prevalence of OAG was not associated with number of components for MetS in obese subjects (P = 0.14). In non-obese individuals, subjects with high triglycerides, high blood pressure (BP), and MetS were more likely to have OAG compared with those without high triglycerides, high BP, and MetS after adjusting for potential confounders. However, MetS or its components exhibited no significant association with glaucoma status in obese individuals. Our study provides understanding on the differences in association of OAG with MetS and its components according to obesity status.
Blockade of neuronal dopamine D2 receptor attenuates morphine tolerance in mice spinal cord
Authors: Dai Wen-Ling , Xiong Feng , Yan Bing , Cao Zheng-Yu , Liu Wen-Tao , Liu Ji-Hua , Yu Bo-Yang
Published: December 2016

Tolerance induced by morphine remains a major unresolved problem and significantly limits its clinical use. Recent evidences have indicated that dopamine D2 receptor (D2DR) is likely to be involved in morphine-induced antinociceptive tolerance. However, its exact effect and molecular mechanism remain unknown. In this study we examined the effect of D2DR on morphine antinociceptive tolerance in mice spinal cord. Chronic morphine treatment significantly increased levels of D2DR in mice spinal dorsal horn. And the immunoreactivity of D2DR was newly expressed in neurons rather than astrocytes or microglia both in vivo and in vitro. Blockade of D2DR with its antagonist (sulpiride and L-741,626, i.t.) attenuated morphine antinociceptive tolerance without affecting basal pain perception. Sulpiride (i.t.) also down-regulated the expression of phosphorylation of NR1, PKC, MAPKs and suppressed the activation of astrocytes and microglia induced by chronic morphine administration. Particularly, D2DR was found to interact with μ opioid receptor (MOR) in neurons, and chronic morphine treatment enhanced the MOR/D2DR interactions. Sulpiride (i.t.) could disrupt the MOR/D2DR interactions and attenuate morphine tolerance, indicating that neuronal D2DR in the spinal cord may be involved in morphine tolerance possibly by interacting with MOR. These results may present new opportunities for the treatment and management of morphine-induced antinociceptive tolerance which often observed in clinic.
Protein Inhibitor of Activated STAT Y (PIASy) Regulates Insulin Secretion by Interacting with LIM Homeodomain Transcription Factor Isl1
Authors: Yan Chengzhi , Yu Chulin , Zhang Di , Cui Yan , Zhou Jinlian , Cui Sheng
Published: December 2016

It is known that the LIM homeodomain transcription factor Isl1 is highly expressed in all pancreatic endocrine cells and functions in regulating pancreatic development and insulin secretion. The Isl1 mutation has been found to be associated with type 2 diabetes, but the mechanism responsible for Isl1 regulation of insulin synthesis and secretion still needs to be elucidated. In the present study, the protein inhibitor of activated STAT Y (PIASy) was identified as a novel Isl1-interacting protein with a yeast two-hybrid system, and its interaction with Isl1 was further confirmed by a co-immunoprecipitation experiment. PIASy and Isl1 colocalize in human and mouse pancreas and NIT beta cells. Furthermore, PIASy and Isl1 upregulate insulin gene expression and insulin secretion in a dose-dependent manner by activating the insulin promoter. PIASy and Isl1 mRNA expression levels were also increased in type 2 diabetic db/db mice. In addition, our results demonstrate that PIASy and Isl1 cooperate to activate the insulin promoter through the Isl1 homeodomain and PIASy ring domain. These data suggest that that PIASy regulates insulin synthesis and secretion by interacting with Isl1 and provide new insight into insulin regulation, although the detailed molecular mechanism needs to be clarified in future studies.
An IFIH1 gene polymorphism associated with risk for autoimmunity regulates canonical antiviral defence pathways in Coxsackievirus infected human pancreatic islets
Authors: Domsgen Erna , Lind Katharina , Kong Lingjia , Hühn Michael H. , Rasool Omid , van Kuppeveld Frank , Korsgren Olle , Lahesmaa Riitta , Flodström-Tullberg Malin
Published: December 2016

The IFIH1 gene encodes the pattern recognition receptor MDA5. A common polymorphism in IFIH1 (rs1990760, A946T) confers increased risk for autoimmune disease, including type 1-diabetes (T1D). Coxsackievirus infections are linked to T1D and cause beta-cell damage in vitro. Here we demonstrate that the rs1990760 polymorphism regulates the interferon (IFN) signature expressed by human pancreatic islets following Coxsackievirus infection. A strong IFN signature was associated with high expression of IFNλ1 and IFNλ2, linking rs1990760 to the expression of type III IFNs. In the high-responding genotype, IRF-1 expression correlated with that of type III IFN, suggesting a positive-feedback on type III IFN transcription. In summary, our study uncovers an influence of rs1990760 on the canonical effector function of MDA5 in response to an acute infection of primary human parenchymal cells with a clinically relevant virus linked to human T1D. It also highlights a previously unrecognized connection between the rs1990760 polymorphism and the expression level of type III IFNs.
A quantitative comparison of micro-CT preparations in Dipteran flies
Authors: Swart Peter , Wicklein Martina , Sykes Dan , Ahmed Farah , Krapp Holger G.
Published: December 2016

X-ray-based 3D-imaging techniques have gained fundamental significance in research areas ranging from taxonomy to bioengineering. There is demand for the characterisation of species-specific morphological adaptations, micro-CT (μCT) being the method of choice in small-scale animals. This has driven the development of suitable staining techniques to improve absorption-based tissue contrast. A quantitative account on the limits of current staining protocols for preparing μCT specimen, however, is still missing. Here we present a study that quantifies results obtained by combining a variety of different contrast agents and fixative treatments that provides general guidance for μCT applications, particularly suitable for insect species. Using a blowfly model system (Calliphora), we enhanced effective spatial resolution and, in particular, optimised tissue contrast enabling semi-automated segmentation of soft and hard tissue from μCT data. We introduce a novel probabilistic measure of the contrast between tissues: PTC. Our results show that a strong iodine solution provides the greatest overall increase in tissue contrast, however phosphotungstic acid offers better inter-tissue discriminability. We further show that using paraformaldehyde as a fixative as opposed to ethanol, slows down the uptake of a staining solution by approximately a factor of two.
Broadband near-infrared metamaterial absorbers utilizing highly lossy metals
Authors: Ding Fei , Dai Jin , Chen Yiting , Zhu Jianfei , Jin Yi , Bozhevolnyi Sergey I.
Published: December 2016

Radiation absorbers have increasingly been attracting attention as crucial components for controllable thermal emission, energy harvesting, modulators, etc. However, it is still challenging to realize thin absorbers which can operate over a wide spectrum range. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate thin, broadband, polarization-insensitive and omnidirectional absorbers working in the near-infrared range. We choose titanium (Ti) instead of the commonly used gold (Au) to construct nano-disk arrays on the top of a silicon dioxide (SiO2) coated Au substrate, with the quality (Q) factor of the localized surface plasmon (LSP) resonance being decreased due to the intrinsic high loss of Ti. The combination of this low-Q LSP resonance and the propagating surface plasmon (PSP) excitation resonance, which occur at different wavelengths, is the fundamental origin of the broadband absorption. The measured (at normal light incidence) absorption is over 90% in the wavelength range from 900 nm to 1825 nm, with high absorption persisting up to the incident angle of ~40°. The demonstrated thin-film absorber configuration is relatively easy to fabricate and can be realized with other properly selected materials.
Mice lacking WRB reveal differential biogenesis requirements of tail-anchored proteins in vivo
Authors: Rivera-Monroy Jhon , Musiol Lena , Unthan-Fechner Kirsten , Farkas Ákos , Clancy Anne , Coy-Vergara Javier , Weill Uri , Gockel Sarah , Lin Shuh-Yow , Corey David P. , Kohl Tobias , Ströbel Philipp , Schuldiner Maya , Schwappach Blanche , Vilardi Fabio
Published: December 2016

Tail-anchored (TA) proteins are post-translationally inserted into membranes. The TRC40 pathway targets TA proteins to the endoplasmic reticulum via a receptor comprised of WRB and CAML. TRC40 pathway clients have been identified usingin vitroassays, however, the relevance of the TRC40 pathwayin vivoremains unknown. We followed the fate of TA proteins in two tissue-specific WRB knockout mouse models and found that their dependence on the TRC40 pathwayin vitrodid not predict their reaction to receptor depletionin vivo. The SNARE syntaxin 5 (Stx5) was extremely sensitive to disruption of the TRC40 pathway. Screening yeast TA proteins with mammalian homologues, we show that the particular sensitivity of Stx5 is conserved, possibly due to aggregation propensity of its cytoplasmic domain. We establish that Stx5 is an autophagy target that is inefficiently membrane-targeted by alternative pathways. Our results highlight an intimate relationship between the TRC40 pathway and cellular proteostasis.