bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chemoselective cyclization of N-sulfonyl ketimines with ethenesulfonyl fluorides: access to trans-cyclopropanes and fused-dihydropyrroles
Authors: Arupula Sanjeeva Kumar , Gudimella Santosh K. , Guin Soumitra , Mobin Shaikh M. , Samanta Sampak
Published: March 2019

A stereo- and chemoselective ring closing reaction of N-sulfonyl ketimines with ethene sulfonyl fluorides promoted by DBU is reported. This selective C–C vs. C–N bond cyclization process delivers to trans-cyclopropanes (dr up to ≤99 : 1) and fused-dihydropyrroles.
LncRNA SNHG20 predicts a poor prognosis and promotes cell progression in epithelial ovarian cancer
Authors: Wang Dandan , Dai Jianrong , Hou Shunyu , Qian Yonghong
Published: March 2019

The long noncoding RNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 20 (SNHG20) has been demonstrated to play a crucial role in cancer progression. However, the functions of SNHG20 in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) are not well established. The aim of the present study was to investigate SNHG20 clinical significance and its underlying mechanism in proliferation and metastasis in EOC. The expression level of SNHG20 was identified via in situ hybridization (ISH) and quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). The proliferative and metastatic capacities by silencing SNHG20 expression in A2780 and CAOV-3 cells were measured by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and transwell assays. The molecular mRNA and protein expressions were examined using qRT-PCR, Western blot, and double immunofluorescent staining. SNHG20 expression was markedly higher in serous EOC tissues than that in adjacent tissues and closely correlated with histological grade and lymph node (LN) status. Patients with high SNHG20 showed a shorter overall survival (OS) and SNHG20 was an independent risk factor for the prognosis of serous EOC. Knockdown of SNHG20 remarkably inhibited EOC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, which was associated with dysregulation of P21, Cyclin D1, E-cadherin, and Vimentin. These results suggest that SNHG20 may serve as an independent prognostic predictor and function as a noncoding oncogene in EOC progression, which might be a possible novel diagnostic marker and treatment target.
Confidence of School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists and School Psychologists in Assessing Students With Hearing Loss and Other Co-Occurring Disabilities
Authors: Muncy Monica P. , Yoho Sarah E. , McClain Maryellen Brunson
Published: March 2019

Purpose

This study assessed the confidence of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and school psychologists (SPs) in working with children with hearing loss (HL) and other co-occurring disabilities. Professionals' opinions on barriers to and importance of interdisciplinary collaboration were also of interest.

Method

A 59-item online survey was distributed to SLPs and SPs in the United States through state professional organizations and social media posts. A total of 320 respondents completed the survey and met criteria. Perceptions of confidence across 5 different skill set types were assessed, along with experiences and attitudes concerning professional training and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Results

A 2-way analysis of variance revealed significant main effects of profession and skill set type on professionals' confidence in assessing a student with HL and other co-occurring disabilities, as well as their confidence in determining the etiology of a student's difficulties. Results from a multiple linear regression revealed the number of students worked with who have HL and the amount of training in graduate school as significant predictors of confidence in both aforementioned skill set types. Results indicate that respondents value interdisciplinary collaboration but that time and access to other professionals are barriers to collaboration.

Conclusions

Results of the current study indicate that many school-based SLPs and SPs have insufficient training or experience in working with students who have HL and other co-occurring disabilities. Limited training and experience with this unique population among practitioners have the potential to affect the quality of services provided to these students and thus need to be addressed within the school system and the fields of school psychology and speech-language pathology.

Supplemental Material

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.7772867
Textile split ring resonator antenna integrated by embroidery
Authors: Hao J. , Leblanc A. , Burgnies L. , Djouadi A. , Cochrane C. , Rault F. , Koncar V. , Lheurette É.
Published: March 2019

A split ring resonator (SRR) antenna integrated in textile by embroidery is reported. The antenna was designed and produced by targeting two goals. First, a size reduction of the antenna was achieved by means of an SRR. Secondly, the connection loss was reduced by using a copper wire dipole fixed by embroidery. On the basis of numerical simulations, three operating modes are evidenced depending on the individual resonance frequency either of the dipole or resonator‐related. Especially, a balanced mode is confirmed by experiments with two resonances measured at 1.8 and 2.2 GHz with a return loss greater than 31 dB. Finally, the textile antenna exhibits a radiation pattern similar to the radiation pattern of a dipole antenna.
Optimal design of LCL filter in grid‐connected inverters
Authors: Kim Yong‐Jung , Kim Hyosung
Published: March 2019

As an essential part in technologies for energy storage systems (ESSs) or renewable energy systems (RESs), grid‐connected inverters need power passive filters to meet grid regulations. As typical passive filters, L filter and LCL filter are employed. Although LCL filter is more cost‐effective than L filter, a design of LCL filter is more complicated than L filter. LCL filter has three filter elements: inverter‐side inductor, grid‐side inductor, and filter capacitor. To design the three elements for LCL filter, three or more simultaneous equations should be required, which means that three or more design target should exist. Since conventional design methods for LCL filter do not suggest clear targets and do follow try & error method which cannot be matched exactly with design targets, the conventional methods cannot be optimal design. In this study, a filter inductance ratio to minimise total filter inductance, a filter admittance to meet grid regulation and characteristic impedance for low current stress of switch stack are suggested as design goals. Optimal design equation is proposed to meet the three design goals. The proposed method can solve unique filter elements for LCL filter without iterative try & error. The design method is evaluated through simulation and experiment.
Modelling and control design of reconfigurable wireless power transfer system for transmission efficiency maximisation and output voltage regulation
Authors: Cao Yuan , Abu Qahouq Jaber A.
Published: March 2019

In a wireless power transfer (WPT) system, higher transmission efficiency and regulated output/load voltage/power are two major design targets or criteria of interest. This study presents the modelling, control design and stability evaluation of a reconfigurable WPT (R‐WPT) system which can achieve constant receiver/load's voltage/power and realises transmission efficiency maximisation under varying transmission distances (DIS) and misalignment (MIS) conditions in addition to varying load conditions. The controller is realised to adaptively switch between different sizes of drive loops and load loops. As a result, the loop‐coil coupling factors are optimised to realise transmission efficiency maximisation. The small‐signal modelling of the complete closed‐loop control R‐WPT system is derived to evaluate the system stability during different configurations and different DIS/MIS conditions. Detailed sets of experimental results are provided and discussed throughout the study to give insight on the system modelling, operation and performance.
HDO and SO2 thermal mapping on Venus
Authors: Encrenaz T. , Greathouse T. K. , Marcq E. , Sagawa H. , Widemann T. , Bézard B. , Fouchet T. , Lefèvre F. , Lebonnois S. , Atreya S. K. , Lee Y. J. , Giles R. , Watanabe S.
Published: March 2019

Since January 2012 we have been monitoring the behavior of sulfur dioxide and water on Venus, using the Texas Echelon Cross-Echelle Spectrograph (TEXES) imaging spectrometer at the NASA InfraRed Telescope Facility (IRTF, Mauna Kea Observatory). We present here the observations obtained between January 2016 and September 2018. As in the case of our previous runs, data were recorded around 1345 cm−1 (7.4 μm). The molecules SO2, CO2, and HDO (used as a proxy for H2O) were observed, and the cloudtop of Venus was probed at an altitude of about 64 km. The volume mixing ratio of SO2 was estimated using the SO2/CO2 line depth ratios of weak transitions; the H2O volume mixing ratio was derived from the HDO/CO2 line depth ratio, assuming a D/H ratio of 200 times the Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water (VSMOW). As reported in our previous analyses, the SO2 mixing ratio shows strong variations with time and also over the disk, showing evidence of the formation of SO2 plumes with a lifetime of a few hours; in contrast, the H2O abundance is remarkably uniform over the disk and shows moderate variations as a function of time. We performed a statistical analysis of the behavior of the SO2 plumes, using all TEXES data between 2012 and 2018. They appear mostly located around the equator. Their distribution as a function of local time seems to show a depletion around noon; we do not have enough data to confirm this feature definitely. The distribution of SO2 plumes as a function of longitude shows no clear feature, apart from a possible depletion around 100E–150E and around 300E–360E. There seems to be a tendency for the H2O volume mixing ratio to decrease after 2016, and for the SO2 mixing ratio to increase after 2014. However, we see no clear anti-correlation between the SO2 and H2O abundances at the cloudtop, neither on the individual maps nor over the long term. Finally, there is a good agreement between the TEXES results and those obtained in the UV range (SPICAV/Venus Express and UVI/Akatsuki) at a slightly higher altitude. This agreement shows that SO2 observations obtained in the thermal infrared can be used to extend the local time coverage of the SO2 measurements obtained in the UV range.
Fast and easy super-sample covariance of large-scale structure observables
Authors: Lacasa Fabien , Grain Julien
Published: March 2019

We present a numerically cheap approximation to super-sample covariance (SSC) of large-scale structure cosmological probes, first in the case of angular power spectra. No new elements are needed besides those used to predict the considered probes, thus relieving analysis pipelines from having to develop a full SSC modeling, and reducing the computational load. The approximation is asymptotically exact for fine redshift bins Δz → 0. We furthermore show how it can be implemented at the level of a Gaussian likelihood or a Fisher matrix forecast as a fast correction to the Gaussian case without needing to build large covariance matrices. Numerical application to a Euclid-like survey show that, compared to a full SSC computation, the approximation nicely recovers the signal-to-noise ratio and the Fisher forecasts on cosmological parameters of the wCDM cosmological model. Moreover, it allows for a fast prediction of which parameters are going to be the most affected by SSC and at what level. In the case of photometric galaxy clustering with Euclid-like specifications, we find that σ8, ns, and the dark energy equation of state w are particularly heavily affected. We finally show how to generalize the approximation for probes other than angular spectra (correlation functions, number counts, and bispectra) and at the likelihood level, allowing for the latter to be non-Gaussian if necessary. We release publicly a Python module allowing the implementation of the SSC approximation and a notebook reproducing the plots of the article.
Understanding Health Information Technology Induced Medication Safety Events by Two Conceptual Frameworks
Authors: Wang Ju , Liang Hongyuan , Kang Hong , Gong Yang
Published: March 2019

Background While health information technology (health IT) is able to prevent medication errors in many ways, it may also potentially introduce new paths to errors. To understand the impact of health IT induced medication errors, this study aims to conduct a retrospective analysis of medication safety reports.

Methods From the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience database, we identified reports in which health IT is a contributing factor to medication errors. We applied two conceptual frameworks, Sittig and Singh's sociotechnical model and Coiera's information value chain, to examine the identified reports.

Results We identified 152 unique reports on health IT induced medication errors as the final report set for review. The majority (65.13%) of the reports involved multiple contributing factors according to the sociotechnical model. Three dimensions, that is, clinical content, human–computer interface, and people, were involved in more reports than the others. The transition of the effects of health IT on medication practice was summarized using information value chain. Health IT related contributing factors may lead to receiving wrong information, missing information, receiving partial information and delayed information, and receiving wrong information and missing information tend to cause the commission errors in decision-making.

Conclusion The two frameworks provide an opportunity to understand a comprehensive context of safety event and the impact of health IT induced errors on medication safety. The sociotechnical model helps identify the aspects causing medication safety issues. The information value chain helps uncover the effect of the health IT induced medication errors on health care process and patient outcomes.
Entanglement dynamics at flat surfaces: Investigations using multi-chain molecular dynamics and a single-chain slip-spring model
Authors: Kirk Jack , Wang Zuowei , Ilg Patrick
Published: March 2019

The dynamics of an entangled polymer melt confined in a channel by parallel plates is investigated by Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations of a detailed, multi-chain model. A primitive path analysis predicts that the density of entanglements remains approximately constant throughout the gap and drops to lower values only in the immediate vicinity of the surface. Based on these observations, we propose a coarse-grained, single-chain slip-spring model with a uniform density of slip-spring anchors and slip-links. The slip-spring model is compared to the Kremer-Grest MD bead-spring model via equilibrium correlation functions of chain orientations. Reasonably good agreement between the single-chain model and the detailed multi-chain model is obtained for chain relaxation dynamics, both away from the surface and for chains whose center of mass positions are at a distance from the surface that is less than the bulk chain radius of gyration, without introducing any additional model parameters. Our results suggest that there is no considerable drop in topological interactions for chains in the vicinity of a single flat surface. We infer from the slip-spring model that the experimental plateau modulus of a confined polymer melt may be different to a corresponding unconfined system even if there is no drop in topological interactions for the confined case.
Super-resolution imaging and field of view extension using a single camera with Risley prisms
Authors: Wang Zihan , Cao Jie , Hao Qun , Zhang Fanghua , Cheng Yang , Kong Xianyue
Published: March 2019

A novel imaging method using Risley prisms is proposed to achieve super-resolution imaging and field of view (FOV) extension. The mathematical models are developed, and the solutions to sub-pixel imaging for super-resolution reconstruction are presented. Simulations show that the proposed method can enhance the image resolution up to optical diffraction limit of the optical system for imaging systems whose resolution is limited by pixel size. A prototype is developed. Experimental results show that the scene resolving capacity can be enhanced by 2.0 times with a resolution improvement factor of 4, and the FOV extension results accord with the simulations, providing a promising approach for super-resolution reconstruction, large FOV imaging, and foveated imaging with low cost and high efficiency.
A new multi-channel Mach probe measuring the radial ion flow velocity profile in the boundary plasma of the W7-X stellarator
Authors: Cai J. , Liang Y. , Killer C. , Liu S. , Hiller A. , Knieps A. , Schweer B. , Höschen D. , Nicolai D. , Offermanns G. , Satheeswaran G. , Henkel M. , Hollfeld K. , Grulke O. , Drews P. , Krings T. , Li Y.
Published: March 2019

Ion flow velocity measurement in the edge and scraper-off layer region is beneficial to understand the confinement related phenomenon in fusion devices such as impurity transport and plays an important role in impurity control. During the Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) operation phase 1.2a, a multi-channel (MC) Mach probe mounted on the multi-purpose manipulator has been used to measure radial profiles of edge ion flow velocity. This MC-Mach probe consists of two polar and two radial arrays of directional Langmuir pins (28 pins in total) serving for different aims, of which the polar arrays could obtain a polar distribution of ion saturation current, while the radial arrays can be used to study the dynamic process of a radially propagated event. In this paper, we report the observation of the radially outward propagation of a low frequency mode with a speed of around 200 m/s. The first measurement of the radial ion flow velocity profile using the MC-Mach probe in the boundary plasma of the W7-X with an island divertor will also be presented.
Verification of azimuthal current generation employing a rotating magnetic field plasma acceleration method in an open magnetic field configuration
Authors: Furukawa T. , Shimura K. , Kuwahara D. , Shinohara S.
Published: March 2019

Time-varying, azimuthal electron current is obtained from measured two-dimensional profiles of excited magnetic fields, using the Rotating Magnetic Field (RMF) plasma acceleration method in an open magnetic field configuration. The RMF is applied orthogonally to cylindrical plasma, leading to the azimuthal current drive via the Hall effect. Here, dc azimuthal current, whose magnitude is equivalent to that of ac azimuthal current with twice the RMF frequency, is verified for the first time. In addition, an expected current reversal is found, with the RMF rotation direction changing by 180°.
Compact radiation module for THz spectroscopy using 300 GHz continuous-wave clinotron
Authors: Likhachev Alexander , Danik Alexander , Kovshov Yurii , Kishko Sergey , Ponomarenko Sergey , Martseniak Oleksandr , Khutoryan Eduard , Ogawa Isamu , Idehara Toshitaka , Kuleshov Alexei
Published: March 2019

The results of the development of compact radiation module based on a 300 GHz continuous-wave (CW) clinotron are presented. The clinotron oscillator is proposed as a part of the module designated for high-field dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) systems for applications in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The simulation results of clinotron radiation spectra considering the influence of accelerating voltage pulsations are compared with the requirements for THz radiation linewidth for efficient NMR signal enhancement. Based on the simulations, the 300 GHz CW clinotron oscillator was developed and tested together with the high-voltage (HV) power supply, providing the output voltage stability better than 20 ppm. The frequency stability of 33 ppm was observed during the clinotron operation within several hours. The spectral linewidth is better than 8 MHz at 300 GHz that satisfies the requirements for DNP-NMR spectroscopy.
Comparative study of the influence of pulsed and continuous wave laser heating on the mobilization of carbon and its chemical reaction with iron in a diamond anvil cell
Authors: Aprilis G. , Kantor I. , Kupenko I. , Cerantola V. , Pakhomova A. , Collings I. E. , Torchio R. , Fedotenko T. , Chariton S. , Bykov M. , Bykova E. , Koemets E. , Vasiukov D. M. , McCammon C. , Dubrovinsky L. , Dubrovinskaia N.
Published: March 2019

Laser heating in a diamond anvil cell (DAC) is a common method for studying material behavior at high-pressure and high-temperature conditions. It has been previously proven that during continuous wave (CW) laser heating of a sample, carbon of the diamond anvils is mobilized, and its diffusion into the sample can lead to undesirable chemical reactions, which, if not detected, may cause misinterpretations of the results of the experiment. Minimizing the heating time with the use of a pulsed laser (PL) is thought to reduce the risk of possible carbon contamination of the sample; however, this has not been proven experimentally. Here, we report the results of our comparative study of the effect of pulsed and continuous wave (CW) laser heating on the mobilization of carbon and its chemical interaction with iron in a diamond anvil cell. Using X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy, Synchrotron Mössbauer Source spectroscopy, and Synchrotron X-ray diffraction, we examined iron samples that were laser heated in DACs in various pressure transmitting media (neon, argon, and potassium chloride). According to our results, the use of the PL heating does not prevent the sample from carbon contamination. A reaction between carbon and iron happens within a few seconds even at moderate temperatures. We found that one analytical technique was generally insufficient to fully characterize the phase composition of the laser-heated samples.
Optimization of highly excited matrix product states with an application to vibrational spectroscopy
Authors: Baiardi Alberto , Stein Christopher J. , Barone Vincenzo , Reiher Markus
Published: March 2019

An efficient approximation to the full configuration interaction solution can be obtained with the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) algorithm without a restriction to a predefined excitation level. In a standard DMRG implementation, however, excited states are calculated with a ground-state optimization in the space orthogonal to all lower lying wave function solutions. A trivial parallelization is therefore not possible, and the calculation of highly excited states becomes prohibitively expensive, especially in regions with a high density of states. Here, we introduce two variants of the DMRG algorithm that allows us to target directly specific energy regions and therefore highly excited states. The first one, based on shift-and-invert techniques, is particularly efficient for low-lying states but is not stable in regions with a high density of states. The second one, based on the folded auxiliary operator, is less efficient but more accurate in targeting high-energy states. We apply the algorithm to the solution of the nuclear Schrödinger equation but emphasize that it can be applied to the diagonalization of general Hamiltonians as well, such as the electronic Coulomb Hamiltonian to address X-ray spectra. In combination with several root-homing algorithms and a stochastic sampling of the determinant space, excited states of interest can be adequately tracked and analyzed during the optimization. We validate these algorithms by calculating several highly excited vibrational states of ethylene and demonstrate that we can accurately calculate prominent spectral features of large molecules such as the sarcosine-glycine dipeptide.
A cell lines derived microfluidic liver model for investigation of hepatotoxicity induced by drug-drug interaction
Authors: Deng Jiu , Zhang Xiuli , Chen Zongzheng , Luo Yong , Lu Yao , Liu Tingjiao , Wu Zhengzhi , Jin Yu , Zhao Weijie , Lin Bingcheng
Published: March 2019

The poor metabolic ability of cell lines fails to meet the requirements of an in vitro model for drug interaction testing which is crucial for the development or clinical application of drugs. Herein, we describe a liver sinusoid-on-a-chip device composed of four kinds of transformed cell lines (HepG2 cells, LX-2 cells, EAhy926 cells, and U937 cells) that were ordered in a physiological distribution with artificial liver blood flow and biliary efflux flowing in the opposite direction. This microfluidic device applied three-dimensional culturing of HepG2 cells with high density (107 ml−1), forming a tightly connected monolayer of EAhy926 cells and achieving the active transport of drugs in HepG2 cells. Results showed that the device maintained synthetic and secretory functions, preserved cytochrome P450 1A1/2 and uridine diphosphate glucuronyltransferase enzymatic activities, as well as sensitivity of drug metabolism. The cell lines derived device enables the investigation of a drug-drug interaction study. We used it to test the hepatotoxicity of acetaminophen and the following combinations: “acetaminophen + rifampicin,” “acetaminophen + omeprazole,” and “acetaminophen + ciprofloxacin.” The variations in hepatotoxicity of the combinations compared to acetaminophen alone, which is not found in a 96-well plate model, in the device were −17.15%, 14.88%, and −19.74%. In addition, this result was similar to the one tested by the classical primary hepatocyte plate model (−13.22%, 13.51%, and −15.81%). Thus, this cell lines derived liver model provides an alternative to investigate drug hepatotoxicity, drug-drug interaction.
Well-behaved versus ill-behaved density functionals for single bond dissociation: Separating success from disaster functional by functional for stretched H2
Authors: Hait Diptarka , Rettig Adam , Head-Gordon Martin
Published: March 2019

Unrestricted density functional theory (DFT) methods are typically expected to describe the homolytic dissociation of nonpolar single bonds in neutral species with qualitative accuracy, due to the lack of significant delocalization error. We however find that many widely used density functional approximations fail to describe features along the dissociation curve of the simple H2 molecule. This is not a universal failure of DFT in the sense that many classic functionals like PBE and B3LYP give very reasonable results, as do some more modern methods like MS2. However, some other widely used functionals like B97-D (empirically fitted) and TPSS (non-empirically constrained) predict qualitatively wrong static polarizabilities, force constants, and some even introduce an artificial barrier against association of independent H atoms to form H2. The polarizability and force constant prediction failures appear to stem from incomplete spin localization into individual H atoms beyond the Coulson-Fischer point, resulting in “fractionally bonded” species where the ionic contributions to the Slater determinant are not completely eliminated, unlike the case of unrestricted Hartree-Fock. These errors therefore appear to be a consequence of poor self-consistent density prediction by the problematic functional. The same reasons could potentially lead to spurious barriers toward H atom association, indirectly also leading to incorrect forces. These unphysicalities suggest that the use of problematic functionals is probably unwise in ab initio dynamics calculations, especially if strong electrostatic interactions are possible.
Molecular rotation in 3 dimensions at an air/water interface using femtosecond time resolved sum frequency generation
Authors: Rao Yi , Qian Yuqin , Deng Gang-Hua , Kinross Ashlie , Turro Nicholas J. , Eisenthal Kenneth B.
Published: March 2019

This paper presents the first study of the rotations of rigid molecules in 3 dimensions at the air/water interface, using the femtosecond time resolved sum frequency generation (SFG) technique. For the purpose of this research, the aromatic dye molecule C153 was chosen as an example of a molecule having two functional groups that are SFG active, one being the hydrophilic —C=O group and the other the hydrophobic —CF3 group. From polarized SFG measurements, the orientations of the two chromophores with respect to the surface normal were obtained. On combining these results with the known relative orientation of the two chromophores in the molecule yields the absolute orientation of C153 at the air/water interface. It was found that the —CF3 axis projected towards the bulk air at an angle of 59° with respect to the interface normal and the —C=O group projected towards the bulk water at an angle of 144°. In order to observe the rotational motions of C153 at the air/water interface, the approach was used to perturb the ground electronic state equilibrium orientational distribution using a polarized resonant pump pulse, which preferentially excites ground state molecules that have their electronic S0 → S1 transition moment aligned closely to the electric field of the incident pump pulse. As a consequence of the photoselection perturbation, the orientational distribution of the remaining ground state molecules was not the equilibrium distribution. Similarly, the orientational distribution of the excited state molecules that were created by the polarized pump pulse was not in their final equilibrium orientational distribution. The rotational motions of the interfacial molecules towards equilibrium were obtained from time dependent measurements of the intensities of the SFG signal generated by the simultaneous incidence at the air/water interface of a visible probe pulse plus an IR probe pulse. In this way, the recovery times to achieve the orientational equilibrium of the two chromophores including the orientation of the normal of the C153 plane with respect to the interface were obtained. The photo-selection process shifts the average orientation angle of the hydrophilic —C=O group by an increase of 4° ± 0.6° with a rotational recovery time constant of 130 ± 20 ps, which is the time to return to an orientational equilibrium distribution. The hydrophobic –CF3 group undergoes a shift that increases its angle by 8° ± 1.5° with a rotational recovery time constant of 210 ± 38 ps. We find that the orientational change of the molecular normal is 4° ± 0.5° and has a rotational recovery time constant of 125 ± 26 ps. The interface-specific time-dependent polarized measurements allowed us to monitor the orientational motions of molecules at interfaces, both in 3 dimensions and in real time.
Controlled symmetry breaking and vortex dynamics in intersecting flows
Authors: Burshtein Noa , Shen Amy Q. , Haward Simon J.
Published: March 2019

Vortices are a ubiquitous feature in complex flows and turbulence, but their dynamics are challenging to study due to their typically transient nature. Here, we perform a detailed study of the vortex dynamics and interactions associated with a symmetry-breaking flow instability at a 4-way intersection. By precisely controlling the flow rate (hence the Reynolds number, Re) of the flow about a critical value, we are able to induce the merging of two co-rotating vortices into a single structure and similarly to induce a single vortex to split into two. Using quantitative flow velocimetry, both processes are recorded with high spatial and temporal resolution. We find that both the merging and the splitting of vortices are exponential processes, with a rate that depends on the imposed Re. The vortex dynamics in our system are intimately connected with the symmetry-breaking transition and are affected by the degree of vortex confinement, which we control by varying the aspect ratio (α) of the flow geometry. We show how the confinement affects the fundamental nature of the flow transition, which varies from super through subcritical as α is increased. Our results are of direct relevance to understanding and predicting flow transitions and vortex dynamics in flow intersections, particularly in confined environments such as in microfluidic (lab-on-a-chip) devices and in the circulatory system, and may be relevant to the prediction of vortex interactions in general.
Extracts of forage plants affect the developmental competence of ovine oocytes in vitro
Authors: Amir Anna Aryani , Kelly Jennifer M. , Kleemann David O. , Durmic Zoey , Blache Dominique , Martin Graeme B.
Published: March 2019

Forage plants may contain secondary compounds that disrupt reproduction in ruminants so, as ‘duty of care’, proposed new forage species need to be tested for harmful effects on reproduction before industrial release. We evaluated the effects of Bituminaria bituminosa, Medicago sativa, Chicorium intybus, Trifolium subterraneum, Trifolium pratense, Biserrula pelecinus and Eremophila glabra, on the in vitro developmental competence of ovine oocytes. Crude methanolic extracts of each plant were added to the medium (final concentrations: 0, 50 or 100 μg dry extract per mL) used for in vitro maturation of cumulus-oocyte complexes derived from abattoir-sourced adult ewe ovaries. After in vitro fertilisation, we quantified cleavage rate, blastocyst rate, hatching rate, blastocyst efficiency, and total blastocyst cell number (TCN). Extract from B. pelecinus, at 50 μg/mL concentration, increased cleavage rate at (P < 0.05), and at 100 μg/mL, increased blastocyst rate and efficiency (P < 0.05). The other plant extracts did not affect these measures. TCN was affected by stage of development and treatment, but not by the interaction between stage and treatment. Within treatments, TCN was increased by C. intybus (at both 50 and 100 μg/mL) but decreased by M. sativa (at both 50 and 100 μg/mL; P < 0.05). We conclude that methanolic extracts of forage plants, present during in vitro oocyte maturation, did not disrupt subsequent fertilisation and embryo development until the blastocyst stage. On the contrary, B. pelecinus appears to improve fertilisation and embryo development. Overall, these observations suggest that these plants will not disrupt in vivo oocyte maturation but further testing is still required, especially for the other stages of the reproductive process.
Parkinson’s disease-linked
D620N VPS35
knockin mice manifest tau neuropathology and dopaminergic neurodegeneration
Authors: Chen Xi , Kordich Jennifer K. , Williams Erin T. , Levine Nathan , Cole-Strauss Allyson , Marshall Lee , Labrie Viviane , Ma Jiyan , Lipton Jack W. , Moore Darren J.
Published: March 2019

Mutations in the
vacuolar protein sorting 35 ortholog
(
VPS35
) gene represent a cause of late-onset, autosomal dominant familial Parkinson’s disease (PD). A single missense mutation, D620N, is considered pathogenic based upon its segregation with disease in multiple families with PD. At present, the mechanism(s) by which familial
VPS35
mutations precipitate neurodegeneration in PD are poorly understood. Here, we employ a germline
D620N VPS35
knockin (KI) mouse model of PD to formally establish the age-related pathogenic effects of the D620N mutation at physiological expression levels. Our data demonstrate that a heterozygous or homozygous D620N mutation is sufficient to reproduce key neuropathological hallmarks of PD as indicated by the progressive degeneration of nigrostriatal pathway dopaminergic neurons and widespread axonal pathology. Unexpectedly, endogenous D620N VPS35 expression induces robust tau-positive somatodendritic pathology throughout the brain as indicated by abnormal hyperphosphorylated and conformation-specific tau, which may represent an important and early feature of mutant VPS35-induced neurodegeneration in PD. In contrast, we find no evidence for α-synuclein–positive neuropathology in aged
VPS35
KI mice, a hallmark of Lewy body pathology in PD. D620N VPS35 expression also fails to modify the lethal neurodegenerative phenotype of human A53T-α-synuclein transgenic mice. Finally, by crossing
VPS35
KI and null mice, our data demonstrate that a single
D620N VPS35
allele is sufficient for survival and early maintenance of dopaminergic neurons, indicating that the D620N VPS35 protein is fully functional. Our data raise the tantalizing possibility of a pathogenic interplay between mutant VPS35 and tau for inducing neurodegeneration in PD.
Environment-dependent fitness gains can be driven by horizontal gene transfer of transporter-encoding genes
Authors: Milner David S. , Attah Victoria , Cook Emily , Maguire Finlay , Savory Fiona R. , Morrison Mark , Müller Carolin A. , Foster Peter G. , Talbot Nicholas J. , Leonard Guy , Richards Thomas A.
Published: March 2019

Significance

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is the transfer of genetic information between genomes by a route other than from parent to offspring. Of particular interest here are the transfers of transporter-encoding genes, which can allow an organism to utilize a new metabolite, often via the acquisition of a single foreign gene. Here we have identified a range of HGT events of transporter-encoding genes, characterized the substrate preferences for each HGT encoded protein, and demonstrated that the gain of one of these HGTs can provide yeast with a distinct competitive advantage in a given environment. This has wide implications for understanding how acquisition of single genes by HGT can drastically influence the environments fungi can colonize.
TIM-mediated inhibition of HIV-1 release is antagonized by Nef but potentiated by SERINC proteins
Authors: Li Minghua , Waheed Abdul A. , Yu Jingyou , Zeng Cong , Chen Hui-Yu , Zheng Yi-Min , Feizpour Amin , Reinhard Björn M. , Gummuluru Suryaram , Lin Steven , Freed Eric O. , Liu Shan-Lu
Published: March 2019

Significance

TIM proteins inhibit release of HIV-1 and other enveloped viruses. However, it is currently unknown whether and how the virus counteracts this restriction. In this work, we demonstrate that Nef proteins of HIV-1 and other lentiviruses function as antagonists to overcome the TIM-mediated restriction. TIM-1 is more potent at inhibiting release of Nef-deficient HIV-1 relative to wild-type (WT) HIV-1, and ectopic expression of Nef relieves this restriction. Interestingly, we find that SERINC proteins potentiate TIM-mediated inhibition of HIV-1 release likely by stabilizing TIM-1 expression. Our work reveals a role for lentiviral
Nef
in antagonizing TIMs, in part through SERINCs.
Chinese scholarship in Cognitive Translation Studies
Authors: Sun Sanjun , Xiao Kairong
Published: March 2019

In the last two decades, cognitive translation studies in China has been gaining momentum, which is spurred by
three lines or perspectives of inquiry: psychology (especially cognitive psychology and psycholinguistics), cognitive linguistics,
and translation process research (TPR). Despite the limited numbers of researchers in the first two lines, their increasing number
of monographs reflects their influence. Also, while the first two lines have distinctive Chinese characteristics, TPR has been
quite parallel to its Western counterpart. This paper offers a survey of Chinese researchers in the three lines, mainly including
those in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. It briefly presents dissertations, publications and current lines of
work. As many of the researchers publish in Chinese only, this paper provides a window for looking at the Chinese research scene
in cognitive translation studies.
Cell cycle– and genomic distance–dependent dynamics of a discrete chromosomal region
Authors: Ma Hanhui , Tu Li-Chun , Chung Yu-Chieh , Naseri Ardalan , Grunwald David , Zhang Shaojie , Pederson Thoru
Published: March 2019

In contrast to the well-studied condensation and folding of chromosomes during mitosis, their dynamics during interphase are less understood. We deployed a CRISPR-based DNA imaging system to track the dynamics of genomic loci situated kilobases to megabases apart on a single chromosome. Two distinct modes of dynamics were resolved: local movements as well as ones that might reflect translational movements of the entire domain within the nucleoplasmic space. The magnitude of both of these modes of movements increased from early to late G1, whereas the translational movements were reduced in early S phase. The local fluctuations decreased slightly in early S and more markedly in mid-late S. These newly observed movements and their cell cycle dependence suggest the existence of a hitherto unrecognized compaction–relaxation dynamic of the interphase chromosome fiber, operating concurrently with changes in the extent of overall movements of loci in the 4D genome.
The Cultural Importance of Edible Insects in Oaxaca, Mexico
Authors: Hurd Kayla J , Shertukde Shruti , Toia Trevor , Trujillo Angelina , Pérez Ramona L , Larom David L , Love John J , Liu Changqi
Published: March 2019

Insects have great potential to serve as a sustainable food source owing to their notable nutritional value, high feed conversion rate, and low environmental footprint. The sharing of well-established recipes in cultures where insect consumption is normalized can facilitate new product development among cultures where consumption is resisted. In the current investigation, we traveled to both rural and urban areas of Oaxaca, Mexico and studied the collection, processing, retailing, and eating practices of edible insects such as chapulines [Sphenarium purpurascens Charpentier (Pyrgomorphidae, Orthoptera) and Melanoplus mexicanus (Saussure) (Acrididae, Orthoptera)], chicatanas [Atta mexicana (F. Smith) (Formicidae, Hymenoptera)], maguey worms [Comadia redtenbacheri (Hammerschmidt) (Cossidae, Lepidoptera)], and cochineal [Dactylopius coccus Costa (Dactylopiidae, Hemiptera)]. In rural communities where access to other animal-based foods has been limited, insects provided important nutritional value that today also translates into important economic value. Community members know the habits of the insects and are skilled at collecting them using sophisticated techniques. After collection, the insects are often toasted with or without seasonings for flavor and preservation. The processed insects are readily available in urban markets, and their importance in Oaxacan cuisine cannot be overestimated. Chapulines, chicatanas, and maguey worms are key ingredients in many spice mixes, salsas, and mole sauces. Cochineal is used as a food colorant. These insects are also found in a variety of foods, both sweet and savory, including omelets, tamales, quesadillas, chocolate truffles, and sorbets. As evidenced by the culinary uses of insects in Oaxaca, there is substantial potential for edible insects to become a delicacy in Western cultures.
Long-Term Associations Between Disaster Experiences and Cardiometabolic Risk: A Natural Experiment From the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
Authors: Shiba Koichiro , Hikichi Hiroyuki , Aida Jun , Kondo Katsunori , Kawachi Ichiro
Published: March 2019

We investigated the association between disaster experience and the cardiometabolic risk of survivors 2.5 years after disaster onset, adjusting for health information predating the disaster, using natural experiment data stemming from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. We used data from a cohort of adults aged 65 years or older in Iwanuma City, Japan, located 80 km (128 miles) west of the earthquake epicenter. The baseline survey was completed 7 months before the disaster, and the follow-up survey was performed among survivors approximately 2.5 years after the disaster. The survey data were linked to medical records with information on objectively measured cardiometabolic risk factors (n = 1,195). The exposure of interest was traumatic disaster experiences (i.e., housing damage and loss of loved ones). Fixed-effects regression showed that complete housing destruction was significantly associated with a 0.81-unit greater change in body mass index (weight (kg)/height (m)2; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.24, 1.38), a 4.26-cm greater change in waist circumference (95% CI: 1.12, 7.41), and a 4.77-mg/dL lower change in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (95% CI: −7.96, −1.58) as compared with no housing damage. We also observed a significant association between major housing damage and decreased systolic blood pressure. Continued health checkups and supports for victims who lost homes should be considered to maintain their cardiometabolic health.
Experimentally induced antipredator responses are mediated by social and environmental factors
Authors: Groenewoud Frank , Kingma Sjouke A , Bebbington Kat , Richardson David S , Komdeur Jan
Published: March 2019

Nest predation is a common cause of reproductive failure for many bird species, and various antipredator defense behaviors have evolved to reduce the risk of nest predation. However, trade-offs between current reproductive duties and future reproduction often limit the parent’s ability to respond to nest predation risk. Individual responses to experimentally increased nest predation risk can give insights into these trade-offs. Here, we investigate whether social and ecological factors affect individual responses to predation risk by experimentally manipulating the risk of nest predation using taxidermic mounts in the cooperative breeding Seychelles warbler (Acrocephalus sechellensis). Our results show that dominant females, but not males, alarm called more often when they confront a nest predator model alone than when they do so with a partner, and that individuals that confront a predator together attacked more than those that did so alone. Dominant males increased their antipredator defense by spending more time nest guarding after a presentation with a nest predator, compared with a nonpredator control, but no such effect was found for females, who did not increase the time spent incubating. In contrast to incubation by females, nest guarding responses by dominant males depended on the presence of other group members and food availability. These results suggest that while female investment in incubation is always high and not dependent on social and ecological conditions, males have a lower initial investment, which allows them to respond to sudden changes in nest predation risk.
MeSHProbeNet: a self-attentive probe net for MeSH indexing
Authors: Xun Guangxu , Jha Kishlay , Yuan Ye , Wang Yaqing , Zhang Aidong
Published: March 2019

Motivation

MEDLINE is the primary bibliographic database maintained by National Library of Medicine (NLM). MEDLINE citations are indexed with Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), which is a controlled vocabulary curated by the NLM experts. This greatly facilitates the applications of biomedical research and knowledge discovery. Currently, MeSH indexing is manually performed by human experts. To reduce the time and monetary cost associated with manual annotation, many automatic MeSH indexing systems have been proposed to assist manual annotation, including DeepMeSH and NLM’s official model Medical Text Indexer (MTI). However, the existing models usually rely on the intermediate results of other models and suffer from efficiency issues. We propose an end-to-end framework, MeSHProbeNet (formerly named as xgx), which utilizes deep learning and self-attentive MeSH probes to index MeSH terms. Each MeSH probe enables the model to extract one specific aspect of biomedical knowledge from an input article, thus comprehensive biomedical information can be extracted with different MeSH probes and interpretability can be achieved at word level. MeSH terms are finally recommended with a unified classifier, making MeSHProbeNet both time efficient and space efficient.

Results

MeSHProbeNet won the first place in the latest batch of Task A in the 2018 BioASQ challenge. The result on the last test set of the challenge is reported in this paper. Compared with other state-of-the-art models, such as MTI and DeepMeSH, MeSHProbeNet achieves the highest scores in all the F-measures, including Example Based F-Measure, Macro F-Measure, Micro F-Measure, Hierarchical F-Measure and Lowest Common Ancestor F-measure. We also intuitively show how MeSHProbeNet is able to extract comprehensive biomedical knowledge from an input article.