bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Turbulence Measurements in a Corner Wall Jet1
Authors: Poole Barrett , Hall Joseph W.
Published: March 2016

The corner wall jet is similar to the standard three-dimensional wall jet with the exception that one-half of the surface has been rotated counterclockwise by 90 deg. The corner wall jet is selected for study as the geometry occurs in practical applications and is an ideal benchmark case for numerical code validation. The corner wall jet investigated here is formed using a long round pipe with a Reynolds number of 159,000. Contours of the mean and turbulent flow field were measured using hot-wire anemometry from x/D = 0 to 40. The results indicate that the ratio of lateral-to-vertical growth in the corner wall jet is approximately half that in a standard turbulent three-dimensional wall jet. The results indicate that this behavior is not simply tied to a slower development of the corner wall jet.
Design and Testing of a Highly Reconfigurable Fixture With Lockable Robotic Arms
Authors: Lu Shengnan , Ahmad Zeshan , Zoppi Matteo , Ding Xilun , Zlatanov Dimiter , Molfino Rezia
Published: March 2016

The paper describes an innovative fixture created within the AUTORECON project of the European Commission's 7th Framework Program. The fixture is designed to respond to the automotive industry's needs of high modularity and full flexibility, by allowing the secure multishape grasping of a very wide range of (often large and heavy) metal workpieces typical for car-assembly operations. The fixture is used as an end-effector of an industrial robot, which in turn acts in cooperation with other machines, such as other robots performing machining or other processes on the part. The fixturing device is both a highly reconfigurable structure and a robotic mechanism: moving as a programmable robot to reconfigure and acting as a supporting structure once a hold on the part has been established. This dual functioning has been made possible by the development of a key component, a stepless lockable revolute joint, described herein. In order to get a readily modifiable system, all parts of the fixture are designed as modules. Prototypes of the main parts and the whole fixture have been fabricated and experiments validating the design are reported.
Pressure and Draw-In Maps for Stamping Process Monitoring
Authors: Sah Sripati , Mahayotsanun Numpon , Peshkin Michael , Cao Jian , Gao Robert X.
Published: March 2016

This paper presents two tooling-integrated sensing techniques for the in situ measurement and analyses of pressure distribution at the tool–workpiece interface and material draw-in during the stamping processes. Specifically, the contact pressure distribution is calculated from the measurements by an array of force sensors embedded in the punch, whereas sheet draw-in is measured by custom-designed thin film sensors integrated in the binder. Quantification of the pressure distribution from spatially distributed sensors has been investigated as a regularization problem and solved through energy minimization. Additionally, a Bayesian framework has been established for combining finite-element analysis (FEA) based estimates of the pressure distribution with experimentally measured evidence, to achieve improved spatiotemporal resolution. A new data visualization technique termed pressure and draw-in (PDI) map has been introduced, which combine spatiotemporal information from the two sensing techniques into an illustrative representation by capturing both the tool–workpiece interaction (dynamic information) and resulting workpiece motion (kinematic information) in a series of time-stamped snap shots. Together, the two separate yet complementary process-embedded sensing methods present an effective tool for quantifying process variations in sheet metal stamping and enable new insight into the underlying physics of the process.
Parameter Inference Under Uncertainty in End-Milling γ′-Strengthened Difficult-to-Machine Alloy
Authors: Akhavan Niaki Farbod , Ulutan Durul , Mears Laine
Published: March 2016

Nickel-based alloys are those of materials that are maintaining their strength at high temperature. This feature makes these alloys a suitable candidate for power generation industry. However, high wear rate and tooling cost are known as the challenges in machining Ni-based alloys. The high wear rate causes a rapid failure of the tool, and therefore, fewer data will be available for model development. In addition, variations in material properties and hardness, residual stress, tool runout, and tolerances are some uncontrollable effects adding uncertainties to the currently developed models. To address these challenges, a probabilistic Bayesian approach using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method has been used in this work. The MCMC method is a powerful tool for parameter inference and quantification of embedded uncertainties of models. It is shown that by adding a prior probability to the observation probability, fewer experiments are required for inference. This is specifically useful in model development for difficult-to-machine alloys where high wear rate lowers the cardinality of the dataset. The combined Gibbs–Metropolis algorithm as a subset of MCMC method has been used in this work to quantify the uncertainty of the unknown parameters in a mechanistic tool wear model for end-milling of a difficult-to-machine Ni-based alloy. Maximum of 18% error and average error of 11% in the results show a good potential of this modeling in prediction of parameters in the presence of uncertainties when limited experiments are available.
Characterization of curved surface layer by Mueller matrix ellipsometry
Authors: Li Weiqi , Jiang Hao , Zhang Chuanwei , Chen Xiuguo , Gu Honggang , Liu Shiyuan
Published: March 2016

The authors apply Mueller matrix ellipsometry to characterize the curved surface layers, by utilizing the noticeable anisotropy observed from the measured data. The authors demonstrate that this anisotropy is introduced by the curved surface shape as well as the misalignment between the illumination spot and the surface vertex. An optical model is proposed to expound the anisotropy, and is applied to evaluate the curved thin thermal oxide layer on a silicon sphere crown. After incorporating the proposed optical model in the parameter extraction, the experimental results show that not only will the accuracy of the oxide layer thickness measurement at an arbitrary location on the surface be improved, the curvature radius as well as the position of detection can also be determined directly.
Role of flow for the deposition of platelets
Authors: Affeld Klaus , Schaller Jens , Wölken Thies , Krabatsch Thomas , Kertzscher Ulrich
Published: March 2016

Implants inside the cardiovascular system are subjected to blood flow. Platelet deposition usually takes place, eventually leading to thrombus formation. Tests must be performed in order to select a suitable biomaterial, but no generally accepted test method exists for biomaterials in contact with blood. At a first glance, the flow appears to play only a minor role in the complex interaction between platelets and biomaterials. However, experiments and models have indeed demonstrated the importance of flow. Flow is the mechanism by which platelets are transported to the site of deposition, enabling deposition and forming the shape of a growing thrombus. This interaction is investigated here by means of two experimental models. The first model generates the simplest shear flow, the plane Couette flow. It serves to quantify the role of the shear rate. The second model, the stagnation point flow model, features a more complex shear flow. This model is used to understand the influence of a changing flow field along the wall over which the platelets travel. The platelet deposition is observed using the two experimental models, and a numerical model is developed to reproduce and simulate the experimental results. In the numerical model, the movement of platelets is computed with a combination of convective and stochastic movements due to diffusion. The combined motion brings some platelets close to the wall. The deposition of the platelet at the wall is modeled by a stochastic model. Probability determines whether the individual platelet deposits or flows onwards. This probability is the product of three different probabilities, which are the properties of the platelet, the wall, and the flow. The results of the models are compared with the experimental results and are used to understand the experiments.
Ipsilesional anodal tDCS enhances the functional benefits of rehabilitation in patients after stroke
Authors: Allman Claire , Amadi Ugwechi , Winkler Anderson M. , Wilkins Leigh , Filippini Nicola , Kischka Udo , Stagg Charlotte J. , Johansen-Berg Heidi
Published: March 2016

Anodal tDCS applied to the ipsilesional motor cortex of patients with chronic stroke enhances the beneficial effects of motor rehabilitation.
Barriers in food allergy prevention
Authors: Singh Anne Marie
Published: March 2016

“Thin-skinned” babies are more likely to develop food allergies 2 years later.
Volatile Compounds Emitted by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Stimulate Growth of the Fungal Pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus
Authors: Briard Benoit , Heddergott Christoph , Latgé Jean-Paul
Published: March 2016

Chronic lung infections with opportunistic bacterial and fungal pathogens are a major cause of morbidity and mortality especially in patients with cystic fibrosis.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
is the most frequently colonizing bacterium in these patients, and it is often found in association with the filamentous fungus
Aspergillus fumigatus
.
P. aeruginosa
is known to inhibit the growth of
A. fumigatus
in situations of direct contact, suggesting the existence of interspecies communication that may influence disease outcome. Our study shows that the lung pathogens
P. aeruginosa
and
A. fumigatus
can interact at a distance via volatile-mediated communication and expands our understanding of interspecific signaling in microbial communities.

IMPORTANCE
Microbiota studies have shown that pathogens cannot be studied individually anymore and that the establishment and progression of a specific disease are due not to a single microbial species but are the result of the activity of many species living together. To date, the interaction between members of the human microbiota has been analyzed in situations of direct contact or liquid-mediated contact between organisms. This study showed unexpectedly that human opportunistic pathogens can interact at a distance after sensing volatiles emitted by another microbial species. This finding will open a new research avenue for the understanding of microbial communities.
Features of Circulating Parainfluenza Virus Required for Growth in Human Airway
Authors: Palermo Laura M. , Uppal Manik , Skrabanek Lucy , Zumbo Paul , Germer Soren , Toussaint Nora C. , Rima Bert K. , Huey Devra , Niewiesk Stefan , Porotto Matteo , Moscona Anne
Published: March 2016

Respiratory paramyxoviruses, including the highly prevalent human parainfluenza viruses, cause the majority of childhood croup, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia, yet there are currently no vaccines or effective treatments. Paramyxovirus research has relied on the study of laboratory-adapted strains of virus in immortalized cultured cell lines. We show that findings made in such systems about the receptor interaction and viral fusion requirements for entry and fitness—mediated by the receptor binding protein and the fusion protein—can be drastically different from the requirements for infection
in vivo
. Here we carried out whole-genome sequencing and genomic analysis of circulating human parainfluenza virus field strains to define functional and structural properties of proteins of circulating strains and to identify the genetic basis for properties that confer fitness in the field. The analysis of clinical strains suggests that the receptor binding-fusion molecule pairs of circulating viruses maintain a balance of properties that result in an inverse correlation between fusion in cultured cells and growth
in vivo
. Future analysis of entry mechanisms and inhibitory strategies for paramyxoviruses will benefit from considering the properties of viruses that are fit to infect humans, since a focus on viruses that have adapted to laboratory work provides a distinctly different picture of the requirements for the entry step of infection.

IMPORTANCE
Mechanistic information about viral infection—information that impacts antiviral and vaccine development—is generally derived from viral strains grown under laboratory conditions in immortalized cells. This study uses whole-genome sequencing of clinical strains of human parainfluenza virus 3—a globally important respiratory paramyxovirus—in cell systems that mimic the natural human host and in animal models. By examining the differences between clinical isolates and laboratory-adapted strains, the sequence differences are correlated to mechanistic differences in viral entry. For this ubiquitous and pathogenic respiratory virus to infect the human lung, modulation of the processes of receptor engagement and fusion activation occur in a manner quite different from that carried out by the entry glycoprotein-expressing pair of laboratory strains. These marked contrasts in the viral properties necessary for infection in cultured immortalized cells and in natural host tissues and animals will influence future basic and clinical studies.
Acupuncture for Irritable Bowel Syndrome: 2-Year Follow-Up of a Randomised Controlled Trial
Authors: MacPherson Hugh , Tilbrook Helen , Agbedjro Deborah , Buckley Hannah , Hewitt Catherine , Frost Chris
Published: March 2016

Background

A recent randomised controlled trial (RCT) of acupuncture as a treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) demonstrated sustained benefits over a period of 12 months post-randomisation.

Aim

To extend the trial follow-up to evaluate the effects of acupuncture at 24 months post-randomisation.

Methods

Patients in primary care with ongoing IBS were recruited to a two-arm pragmatic RCT of acupuncture for IBS. Participants were randomised to the offer of up to 10 weekly sessions of acupuncture plus usual care (n=116 patients) or to continue with usual care alone (n=117). The primary outcome was the self-reported IBS symptom severity score (IBS SSS) measured at 24 months post-randomisation. Analysis was by intention-to-treat using an unstructured multivariate linear model incorporating all repeated measures.

Results

The overall response rate was 61%. The adjusted difference in mean IBS SSS at 24 months was −18.28 (95% CI −40.95 to 4.40) in favour of the acupuncture arm. Differences at earlier time points estimated from the multivariate model were: −27.27 (−47.69 to −6.86) at 3 months; −23.69 (−45.17 to −2.21) at 6 months; −24.09 (−45.59 to −2.59) at 9 months; and −23.06 (−44.52 to −1.59) at 12 months.

Conclusions

There were no statistically significant differences between the acupuncture and usual care groups in IBS SSS at 24 months post-randomisation, and the point estimate for the mean difference was approximately 80% of the size of the statistically significant results seen at 6, 9 and 12 months.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN08827905.
Reliability and validity of the Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ) in adults with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)
Authors: Chawla Kashmira S , Talwalkar Jayant A , Keach Jill C , Malinchoc Michael , Lindor Keith D , Jorgensen Roberta
Published: March 2016

Introduction

Significant impairments in health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease have been previously described. The disease-specific HRQL among patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), however, remains unknown.

Aim

To determine the degree of construct validity of the Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ) in adults with NASH.

Methods

Participants referred for the evaluation of histology-proven NASH at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, between 1996 and 2000, were evaluated. HRQL assessment by the Short-Form 36 (SF-36) Health Survey and CLD) was performed. The primary outcome was to determine the level of correlation between overall and subscale scores for the CLDQ and SF-36 instruments.

Results

Among 79 participants (70%) with NASH completing both questionnaires (mean age, 51.2 years with 64% female gender), excellent reliability was noted for the CLDQ instrument. Significant reductions in all SF-36 domains (p<0.05 for all) including PCS and MCS scores (p<0.02 for both) among participants with NASH compared with normative data from an age-matched and sex-matched US general population sample was observed. Highly significant correlations were observed between overall CLDQ score with SF-36 PCS (r=0.82, p<0.0001) and SF-36 MCS (r=0.67, p<0.0001) scores. Similar degrees of correlation were observed between relevant subscales of the CLDQ and SF-36 as well.

Discussion

The CLDQ has excellent reliability and validity of construct for HRQL assessment in adults with NASH when compared with the SF-36. Future investigations among participants with NASH require assessing the responsiveness of the CLDQ to medical therapies and disease progression.
Intubation performance using different laryngoscopes while wearing chemical protective equipment: a manikin study
Authors: Schröder H , Zoremba N , Rossaint R , Deusser K , Stoppe C , Coburn M , Rieg A , Schälte G
Published: March 2016

Objectives

This study aimed to compare visualisation of the vocal cords and performance of intubation by anaesthetists using four different laryngoscopes while wearing full chemical protective equipment.

Setting

Medical simulation center of a university hospital, department of anaesthesiology.

Participants

42 anaesthetists (15 females and 27 males) completed the trial. The participants were grouped according to their professional education as anaesthesiology residents with experience of <2 years or <5 years, or as anaesthesiology specialists with experience of >5 years.

Interventions

In a manikin scenario, participants performed endotracheal intubations with four different direct and indirect laryngoscopes (Macintosh (MAC), Airtraq (ATQ), Glidescope (GLS) and AP Advance (APA)), while wearing chemical protective gear, including a body suit, rubber gloves, a fire helmet and breathing apparatus.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

With respect to the manikin, setting time to complete ‘endotracheal intubation’ was defined as primary end point. Glottis visualisation (according to the Cormack-Lehane score (CLS) and impairments caused by the protective equipment, were defined as secondary outcome measures.

Results

The times to tracheal intubation were calculated using the MAC (31.4 s; 95% CI 26.6 to 36.8), ATQ (37.1 s; 95% CI 28.3 to 45.9), GLS (35.4 s; 95% CI 28.7 to 42.1) and APA (23.6 s; 95% CI 19.1 to 28.1), respectively. Intubation with the APA was significantly faster than with all the other devices examined among the total study population (p<0.05). A significant improvement in visualisation of the vocal cords was reported for the APA compared with the GLS.

Conclusions

Despite the restrictions caused by the equipment, the anaesthetists intubated the manikin successfully within adequate time. The APA outperformed the other devices in the time to intubation, and it has been evaluated as an easily manageable device for anaesthetists with varying degrees of experience (low to high), providing good visualisation in scenarios that require the use of chemical protective equipment.
Medicine, belief, witchcraft and demonic possession in late seventeenth-century Ulster
Authors: Sneddon Andrew
Published: March 2016

Ireland's only published witchcraft pamphlet, written by Daniel Higgs,The Wonderful and True Relation of the Bewitching of a Young Girle in Ireland, What Ways she was Tormented, and a Receipt of the Ointment that she was Cured with(1699), works within the confines of late seventeenth-century demonology, while upholding the patriarchy of the fledgling Protestant Ascendancy. More importantly, it provides rare insight into early modern Protestant witchcraft beliefs, highlights the limits of contemporary medical care and provision and details the pathways of self-medication people resorted to. Higgs’ method of promoting self-medication as a cure to bewitchment and demonic possession was based on a remedy described in an obscure Renaissance magical text. To promote his ‘cure’ the pamphlet included a particularly vitriolic critique of the established Irish medical profession, as self-regarding and incompetent witchcraft deniers. This article uses Higgs’ pamphlet to explore the limits to/of medical knowledge in early modern Ireland and Europe.
Recent developments in understanding protein needs – How much and what kind should we eat?
Authors: Pencharz Paul B. , Elango Rajavel , Wolfe Robert R.
Published: March 2016

A novel method has been developed to determine protein requirements, which is called indicator amino acid oxidation (IAAO). This technique has been validated by comparison with the “gold standard” nitrogen balance. Using IAAO we have shown that minimum protein requirements have been underestimated by 30%–50%. The National Academy of Sciences has for macro-nutrients proposed “Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges”, which for protein is 10% to 35% of total energy. In practice, we suggest 1.5–2.2 g/(kg·day) of a variety of high-quality proteins.
FADS2genotype influences whole-body resting fat oxidation in young adult men
Authors: Roke Kaitlin , Jannas-Vela Sebastian , Spriet Lawrence L. , Mutch David M.
Published: March 2016

Considerable evidence supports an association between fatty acid desaturase 2 (FADS2) polymorphisms and the efficiency of converting alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) into eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) via the desaturation–elongation pathway. However, ALA conversion into EPA represents only 1 of the metabolic fates for this essential fatty acid, as ALA is also highly oxidized. This study demonstrates for the first time that genetic variation in FADS2 (rs174576) is not only associated with the activity of the desaturation–elongation pathway, but also whole-body fat oxidation.
DAEH: A Tool for Specifying and Monitoring the Exception Handling Policy
Authors: Abrantes Joilson , Coelho Roberta , Bonifácio Rodrigo
Published: March 2016

The exception handling policy of a system comprises the set of design rules that specify its exception handling behavior (how exceptions should be handled and thrown). Such policy is usually undocumented and implicitly defined by the system architect. For this reason, developers often consider that by just including catch-blocks in the code they are dealing with exceptional conditions. This lack of information may turn the exception handling into a generalized “goto” mechanism making the program more complex and less reliable. This work presents a domain-specific language called ECL (Exception Contract Language) to specify the exception handling policy and a runtime monitoring tool which dynamically checks this policy. The monitoring tool is implemented in the form of an aspect library, which can be added to any Java system without the need to change the application source code. We applied this approach to two large-scale web-based systems and to a set of versions of the well-known JUnit framework. The results indicate that this approach can be used to express and to automatically check the exception handling policy of a system, and consequently support the development of more robust Java systems.
NeoIDL: A Domain Specific Language for Specifying REST Contracts Detailed Design and Extended Evaluation
Authors: Lima Lucas , Bonifácio Rodrigo , Canedo Edna , de Castro Thiago Mael , Fernandes Ricardo , Palmeira Alisson , Kulesza Uirá
Published: March 2016

Service-oriented computing has emerged as an effective approach for integrating business (and systems) that might spread throughout different organizations. A service is a unit of logic modularization that hides implementation details using well-defined contracts. However, existing languages for contract specification in this domain present several limitations. For instance, both WSDL and Swagger use language-independent data formats (XML and JSON) that are not suitable for specifying contracts and often lead to heavyweight specifications. Interface description languages, such as CORBA IDL and Apache Thrift, solve this issue by providing specific languages for contract specifications. Nevertheless, these languages do not target to the REST architectural style and lack support for language extensibility. In this paper we present the design and implementation of NeoIDL, an extensible domain specific language and program generator for writing REST based contracts that are further translated into service’s implementations. In addition, we also present a systematic evaluation of our approach from different perspectives, which involved the implementation of different services using NeoIDL from the domain of Command & Control. In particular, we found initial evidences that shows that NeoIDL can contribute: (i) to bring return on investment with respect to the design and development of NeoIDL, after the implementation of 4 to 7 services; and (ii) to reduce significantly the number of lines of specification when compared to an existing service specification language such as Swagger.
A Study of Cross-National Differences in Happiness Factors Using Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Saputri Theresia Ratih Dewi , Lee Seok-Won
Published: March 2016

National happiness has been actively studied throughout the past years. The happiness factor varies due to different human perspectives. The factors used in this work include both physical needs and the mental needs of humanity, for example, the educational factor. This work identified more than 90 features that can be used to predict the country happiness. Due to numerous features, it is unwise to rely on the prediction of national happiness by manual analysis. Therefore, this work used a machine learning technique called Support Vector Machine (SVM) to learn and predict the country happiness. In order to improve the prediction accuracy, dimensionality reduction technique which is the information gain was also used in this work. This technique was chosen due to its ability to explore the interrelationships among a set of variables. Using data of 187 countries from the UN Development Project, this work is able to identify which factor needed to be improved by a certain country to increase the happiness of their citizens.
Influence of fault geometries and mechanical anisotropies on the growth and inversion of hanging-wall synclinal basins: insights from sandbox models and natural examples
Authors: Ferrer O. , McClay K. , Sellier N. C.
Published: March 2016

Salt is mechanically weaker than other sedimentary rocks in rift basins. It commonly acts as a strain localizer, and decouples supra- and sub-salt deformation. In the rift basins discussed in this paper, sub-salt faults commonly form wide and deep ramp synclines controlled by the thickness and strength of the overlying salt section, as well as by the shapes of the extensional faults, and the magnitudes and slip rates along the faults. Upon inversion of these rift basins, the inherited extensional architectures, and particularly the continuity of the salt section, significantly controls the later contractional deformation.

This paper utilizes scaled sandbox models to analyse the interplay between sub-salt structures and supra-salt units during both extension and inversion. Series 1 experiments involved baseline models run using isotropic sand packs for simple and ramp-flat listric faults, as well as for simple planar and kinked planar faults. Series 2 experiments involved the same fault geometries but also included a pre-extension polymer layer to simulate salt in the stratigraphy. In these experiments, the polymer layer decoupled the extensional and contractional strains, and inhibited the upwards propagation of sub-polymer faults. In all Series 2 experiments, the extension produced a synclinal hanging-wall basin above the polymer layer as a result of polymer migration during the deformation. During inversion, the supra-polymer synclinal basin was uplifted, folded and detached above the polymer layer. Changes in thickness of the polymer layer during the inversion produced primary welds and these permitted the sub-polymer deformation to propagate upwards into the supra-salt layers.

The experimental results are compared with examples from the Parentis Basin (Bay of Biscay), the Broad Fourteens Basin (southern North Sea), the Feda Graben (central North Sea) and the Cameros Basin (Iberian Range, Spain).
Design of Responsive and Active (Soft) Materials Using Liquid Crystals
Authors: Bukusoglu Emre , Bedolla Pantoja Marco , Mushenheim Peter C. , Wang Xiaoguang , Abbott Nicholas L.
Published: March 2016

Liquid crystals (LCs) are widely known for their use in liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Indeed, LCDs represent one of the most successful technologies developed to date using a responsive soft material: An electric field is used to induce a change in ordering of the LC and thus a change in optical appearance. Over the past decade, however, research has revealed the fundamental underpinnings of potentially far broader and more pervasive uses of LCs for the design of responsive soft material systems. These systems involve a delicate interplay of the effects of surface-induced ordering, elastic strain of LCs, and formation of topological defects and are characterized by a chemical complexity and diversity of nano- and micrometer-scale geometry that goes well beyond that previously investigated. As a reflection of this evolution, the community investigating LC-based materials now relies heavily on concepts from colloid and interface science. In this context, this review describes recent advances in colloidal and interfacial phenomena involving LCs that are enabling the design of new classes of soft matter that respond to stimuli as broad as light, airborne pollutants, bacterial toxins in water, mechanical interactions with living cells, molecular chirality, and more. Ongoing efforts hint also that the collective properties of LCs (e.g., LC-dispersed colloids) will, over the coming decade, yield exciting new classes of driven or active soft material systems in which organization (and useful properties) emerges during the dissipation of energy.
The Modern Temperature-Accelerated Dynamics Approach
Authors: Zamora Richard J. , Uberuaga Blas P. , Perez Danny , Voter Arthur F.
Published: March 2016

Accelerated molecular dynamics (AMD) is a class of MD-based methods used to simulate atomistic systems in which the metastable state-to-state evolution is slow compared with thermal vibrations. Temperature-accelerated dynamics (TAD) is a particularly efficient AMD procedure in which the predicted evolution is hastened by elevating the temperature of the system and then recovering the correct state-to-state dynamics at the temperature of interest. TAD has been used to study various materials applications, often revealing surprising behavior beyond the reach of direct MD. This success has inspired several algorithmic performance enhancements, as well as the analysis of its mathematical framework. Recently, these enhancements have leveraged parallel programming techniques to enhance both the spatial and temporal scaling of the traditional approach. We review the ongoing evolution of the modern TAD method and introduce the latest development: speculatively parallel TAD.
Rift Valley Fever: An Emerging Mosquito-Borne Disease
Authors: Linthicum Kenneth J. , Britch Seth C. , Anyamba Assaf
Published: March 2016

Rift Valley fever (RVF), an emerging mosquito-borne zoonotic infectious viral disease caused by the RVF virus (RVFV) (Bunyaviridae: Phlebovirus), presents significant threats to global public health and agriculture in Africa and the Middle East. RVFV is listed as a select agent with significant potential for international spread and use in bioterrorism. RVFV has caused large, devastating periodic epizootics and epidemics in Africa over the past ∼60 years, with severe economic and nutritional impacts on humans from illness and livestock loss. In the past 15 years alone, RVFV caused tens of thousands of human cases, hundreds of human deaths, and more than 100,000 domestic animal deaths. Cattle, sheep, goats, and camels are particularly susceptible to RVF and serve as amplifying hosts for the virus. This review highlights recent research on RVF, focusing on vectors and their ecology, transmission dynamics, and use of environmental and climate data to predict disease outbreaks. Important directions for future research are also discussed.
Lessons from HeLa Cells: The Ethics and Policy of Biospecimens
Authors: Beskow Laura M.
Published: March 2016

Human biospecimens have played a crucial role in scientific and medical advances. Although the ethical and policy issues associated with biospecimen research have long been the subject of scholarly debate, the story of Henrietta Lacks, her family, and the creation of HeLa cells captured the attention of a much broader audience. The story has been a catalyst for policy change, including major regulatory changes proposed in the United States surrounding informed consent. These proposals are premised in part on public opinion data, necessitating a closer look at what such data tell us. The development of biospecimen policy should be informed by many considerations—one of which is public input, robustly gathered, on acceptable approaches that optimize shared interests, including access for all to the benefits of research. There is a need for consent approaches that are guided by realistic aspirations and a balanced view of autonomy within an expanded ethical framework.
Epitaxy and Microstructure Evolution in Metal Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Basak Amrita , Das Suman
Published: March 2016

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) works on the principle of incremental layer-by-layer material consolidation, facilitating the fabrication of objects of arbitrary complexity through the controlled melting and resolidification of feedstock materials by using high-power energy sources. The focus of metal AM is to produce complex-shaped components made of metals and alloys to meet demands from various industrial sectors such as defense, aerospace, automotive, and biomedicine. Metal AM involves a complex interplay between multiple modes of energy and mass transfer, fluid flow, phase change, and microstructural evolution. Understanding the fundamental physics of these phenomena is a key requirement for metal AM process development and optimization. The effects of material characteristics and processing conditions on the resulting epitaxy and microstructure are of critical interest in metal AM. This article reviews various metal AM processes in the context of fabricating metal and alloy parts through epitaxial solidification, with material systems ranging from pure-metal and prealloyed to multicomponent materials. The aim is to cover the relationships between various AM processes and the resulting microstructures in these material systems.
Charge-Carrier Dynamics in Organic-Inorganic Metal Halide Perovskites
Authors: Herz Laura M.
Published: March 2016

Hybrid organic-inorganic metal halide perovskites have recently emerged as exciting new light-harvesting and charge-transporting materials for efficient photovoltaic devices. Yet knowledge of the nature of the photogenerated excitations and their subsequent dynamics is only just emerging. This article reviews the current state of the field, focusing first on a description of the crystal and electronic band structure that give rise to the strong optical transitions that enable light harvesting. An overview is presented of the numerous experimental approaches toward determining values for exciton binding energies, which appear to be small (a few milli-electron volts to a few tens of milli-electron volts) and depend significantly on temperature because of associated changes in the dielectric function. Experimental evidence for charge-carrier relaxation dynamics within the first few picoseconds after excitation is discussed in terms of thermalization, cooling, and many-body effects. Charge-carrier recombination mechanisms are reviewed, encompassing trap-assisted nonradiative recombination that is highly specific to processing conditions, radiative bimolecular (electron-hole) recombination, and nonradiative many-body (Auger) mechanisms.
Misunderstandings About the Regression Discontinuity Design in the Study of Close Elections
Authors: de la Cuesta Brandon , Imai Kosuke
Published: March 2016

Recently, the regression discontinuity (RD) design has become increasingly popular among social scientists. One prominent application is the study of close elections. We explicate several methodological misunderstandings widespread across disciplines by revisiting the controversy concerning the validity of RD design when applied to close elections. Although many researchers invoke the local or as-if-random assumption near the threshold, it is more stringent than the required continuity assumption. We show that this seemingly subtle point determines the appropriateness of various statistical methods and changes our understanding of how sorting invalidates the design. When multiple-testing problems are also addressed, we find that evidence for sorting in US House elections is substantially weaker and highly dependent on estimation methods. Finally, we caution that despite the temptation to improve the external validity, the extrapolation of RD estimates away from the threshold sacrifices the design's advantage in internal validity.
Protecting Popular Self-Government from the People? New Normative Perspectives on Militant Democracy
Authors: Müller Jan-Werner
Published: March 2016

This article assesses recent normative theorizing on militant democracy—the idea that, to protect themselves, democracies might under some circumstances have to restrict the rights of those set on undermining or outright destroying democracy. Particular attention is paid to new justifications of militant democracy that seek to avoid the danger of militant democracy itself damaging democracy, as well as to the question of who the agent deciding on implementing militant democracy ought to be. Three new challenges for thinking about militant democracy are identified: certain forms of religious belief and practice, new varieties of authoritarianism that include elections and some limited freedoms, and the question of whether international and supranational institutions can play a role in protecting democracies.
Neuregulin-1β promotes glucose uptake via PI3K/Akt in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes
Authors: Pentassuglia Laura , Heim Philippe , Lebboukh Sonia , Morandi Christian , Xu Lifen , Brink Marijke
Published: March 2016

Nrg1β is critically involved in cardiac development and also maintains function of the adult heart. Studies conducted in animal models showed that it improves cardiac performance under a range of pathological conditions, which led to its introduction in clinical trials to treat heart failure. Recent work also implicated Nrg1β in the regenerative potential of neonatal and adult hearts. The molecular mechanisms whereby Nrg1β acts in cardiac cells are still poorly understood. In the present study, we analyzed the effects of Nrg1β on glucose uptake in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes and investigated to what extent mTOR/Akt signaling pathways are implicated. We show that Nrg1β enhances glucose uptake in cardiomyocytes as efficiently as IGF-I and insulin. Nrg1β causes phosphorylation of ErbB2 and ErbB4 and rapidly induces the phosphorylation of FAK (Tyr861), Akt (Thr308and Ser473), and its effector AS160 (Thr642). Knockdown of ErbB2 or ErbB4 reduces Akt phosphorylation and blocks the glucose uptake. The Akt inhibitor VIII and the PI3K inhibitors LY-294002 and Byl-719 abolish Nrg1β-induced phosphorylation and glucose uptake. Finally, specific mTORC2 inactivation after knockdown of rictor blocks the Nrg1β-induced increases in Akt-p-Ser473but does not modify AS160-p-Thr642or the glucose uptake responses to Nrg1β. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that Nrg1β enhances glucose uptake in cardiomyocytes via ErbB2/ErbB4 heterodimers, PI3Kα, and Akt. Furthermore, although Nrg1β activates mTORC2, the resulting Akt-Ser473phosphorylation is not essential for glucose uptake induction. These new insights into pathways whereby Nrg1β regulates glucose uptake in cardiomyocytes may contribute to the understanding of its regenerative capacity and protective function in heart failure.
Methylene blue prevents retinal damage in an experimental model of ischemic proliferative retinopathy
Authors: Rey-Funes Manuel , Larrayoz Ignacio M. , Fernández Juan C. , Contartese Daniela S. , Rolón Federico , Inserra Pablo I. F. , Martínez-Murillo Ricardo , López-Costa Juan J. , Dorfman Verónica B. , Martínez Alfredo , Loidl César F.
Published: March 2016

Perinatal asphyxia induces retinal lesions, generating ischemic proliferative retinopathy, which may result in blindness. Previously, we showed that the nitrergic system was involved in the physiopathology of perinatal asphyxia. Here we analyze the application of methylene blue, a well-known soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitor, as a therapeutic strategy to prevent retinopathy. Male rats ( n = 28 per group) were treated in different ways: 1) control group comprised born-to-term animals; 2) methylene blue group comprised animals born from pregnant rats treated with methylene blue (2 mg/kg) 30 and 5 min before delivery; 3) perinatal asphyxia (PA) group comprised rats exposed to perinatal asphyxia (20 min at 37°C); and 4) methylene blue–PA group comprised animals born from pregnant rats treated with methylene blue (2 mg/kg) 30 and 5 min before delivery, and then the pups were subjected to PA as above. For molecular studies, mRNA was obtained at different times after asphyxia, and tissue was collected at 30 days for morphological and biochemical analysis. Perinatal asphyxia produced significant gliosis, angiogenesis, and thickening of the inner retina. Methylene blue treatment reduced these parameters. Perinatal asphyxia resulted in a significant elevation of the nitrergic system as shown by NO synthase (NOS) activity assays, Western blotting, and (immuno)histochemistry for the neuronal isoform of NOS and NADPH-diaphorase activity. All these parameters were also normalized by the treatment. In addition, methylene blue induced the upregulation of the anti-angiogenic peptide, pigment epithelium-derived factor. Application of methylene blue reduced morphological and biochemical parameters of retinopathy. This finding suggests the use of methylene blue as a new treatment to prevent or decrease retinal damage in the context of ischemic proliferative retinopathy.
Deletion of GPR40 fatty acid receptor gene in mice blocks mercaptoacetate-induced feeding
Authors: Li Ai-Jun , Wiater Michael F. , Wang Qing , Wank Stephen , Ritter Sue
Published: March 2016

Both increased and decreased fatty acid (FA) availability contribute to control of food intake. For example, it is well documented that intestinal FA reduces feeding by triggering enterondocrine secretion of satietogenic peptides, such as cholecystokinin (CCK) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). In contrast, mechanisms by which decreased FA availability increase feeding are not well understood. Over the past three decades substantial research related to FA availability and increased feeding has involved use of the orexigenic compound mercaptoacetate (MA). Because MA reportedly inhibits FA oxidation, it has been assumed that reduced FA oxidation accounts for the orexigenic action of MA. Recently, however, we demonstrated that MA antagonizes G protein-coupled receptor 40 (GPR40), a membrane receptor for long and medium chain FA. We also demonstrated that, by antagonizing GPR40, MA inhibits GLP-1 secretion and attenuates vagal afferent activation by FA. Because both vagal afferent activation and GLP-1 inhibit food intake, we postulated that inhibition of GPR40 by MA might underlie the orexigenic action of MA. We tested this hypothesis using male and female GPR40 knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice. Using several testing protocols, we found that MA increased feeding in WT, but not GPR40 KO mice, and that GPR40 KO mice gained more weight than WT on a high-fat diet. Metabolic monitoring after MA or saline injection in the absence of food did not reveal significant differences in respiratory quotient or energy expenditure between treatment groups or genotypes. These results support the hypothesis that MA stimulates food intake by blocking FA effects on GPR40.
Design of Wideband Multifunction Antenna Array Based on Multiple Interleaved Subarrays
Authors: Li Longjun , Wang Buhong
Published: March 2016

A new Modified Iterative Fourier Technique (MIFT) is proposed for the design of interleaved linear antenna arrays which operate at different frequencies with no grating lobes, low-sidelobe levels, and wide bandwidths. In view of the Fourier transform mapping between the element excitations and array factor of uniform linear antenna array, the spectrum of the array factor is first acquired with FFT and its energy distributions are investigated thoroughly. The relationship between the carrier frequency and the element excitation is obtained by the density-weighting theory. In the following steps, the element excitations of interleaved subarrays are carefully selected in an alternate manner, which ensures that similar patterns can be achieved for interleaved subarrays. The Peak Sidelobe Levels (PSLs) of the interleaved subarrays are further reduced by the iterative Fourier transform algorithm. Numerical simulation results show that favorable design of the interleaved linear antenna arrays with different carrier frequencies can be obtained by the proposed method with favorable pattern similarity, low PSL, and wide bandwidths.
Integrated Solution of a Back Office System for Serious Games Targeted at Physiotherapy
Authors: Martins Tiago , Carvalho Vítor , Soares Filomena
Published: March 2016

Serious games targeted at physiotherapy can be a solution to help the physical therapy professionals. However, the entire game management, in its various aspects, is under the professional’s responsibility. One way to reduce the professional management work will be to integrate a Back Office system in the game. Following this trend, the purpose of this paper is to present a modular Back Office system for centralized management of one or more games targeted at physical therapy.
Theoretical Design and First Test in Laboratory of a Composite Visual Servo-Based Target Spray Robotic System
Authors: Zhao Dongjie , Zhao Ying , Wang Xuelei , Zhang Bin
Published: March 2016

In order to spray onto the canopy of interval planting crop, an approach of using a target spray robot with a composite vision servo system based on monocular scene vision and monocular eye-in-hand vision was proposed. Scene camera was used to roughly locate target crop, and then the image-processing methods for background segmentation, crop canopy centroid extraction, and 3D positioning were studied. Eye-in-hand camera was used to precisely determine spray position of each crop. Based on the center and area of 2D minimum-enclosing-circle (MEC) of crop canopy, a method to calculate spray position and spray time was determined. In addition, locating algorithm for the MEC center in nozzle reference frame and the hand-eye calibration matrix were studied. The processing of a mechanical arm guiding nozzle to spray was divided into three stages: reset, alignment, and hovering spray, and servo method of each stage was investigated. For preliminary verification of the theoretical studies on the approach, a simplified experimental prototype containing one spray mechanical arm was built and some performance tests were carried out under controlled environment in laboratory. The results showed that the prototype could achieve the effect of “spraying while moving and accurately spraying on target.”