bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Searching crowd knowledge to recommend solutions for API usage tasks
Authors: Campos Eduardo C. , de Souza Lucas B. L. , Maia Marcelo de A.
Published: October 2016

Stack Overflow (SO) is a question and answer service directed to issues related to software development. In SO, developers post questions related to a programming topic and other members of the site can provide answers to help them. The information available on this type of service is also known as ‘crowd knowledge’ and currently is one important trend in supporting activities related to software development.

We present an approach that makes use of ‘crowd knowledge’ in SO to recommend information that can assist developer activities. This strategy recommends a ranked list of question‐answer pairs from SO based on a query. The criteria for ranking are based on three main aspects: the textual similarity of the pairs with respect to the query related to the developer's problem, the quality of the pairs, and a filtering mechanism that considers only ‘how‐to’ posts. We conducted an experiment considering programming problems on three different topics (Swing, Boost and LINQ) widely used by the software development community to evaluate the proposed recommendation strategy. The results have shown that for Lucene + Score + How-to approach, 77.14% of the assessed activities have at least one recommended pair proved to be useful concerning the target programming problem. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of intrauterine retention and postmortem interval on body weight following intrauterine death: implications for assessment of fetal growth restriction at autopsy
Authors: Man J. , Hutchinson J. C. , Ashworth M. , Heazell A. E. , Levine S. , Sebire N. J.
Published: October 2016

Objective

According to the classification system used, 15–60% of stillbirths remain unexplained, despite undergoing recommended autopsy examination, with variable attribution of fetal growth restriction (FGR) as a cause of death. Distinguishing small‐for‐gestational age (SGA) from pathological FGR is a challenge at postmortem examination. This study uses data from a large, well‐characterized series of intrauterine death autopsies to investigate the effects of secondary changes such as fetal maceration, intrauterine retention and postmortem interval on body weight.

Methods

Autopsy findings from intrauterine death investigations (2005–2013 inclusive, from Great Ormond Street Hospital and St George's Hospital, London) were collated into a research database. Growth charts published by the World Health Organization were used to determine normal expected weight centiles for fetuses born ≥ 24 weeks' gestation, and the effects of intrauterine retention (maceration) and postmortem interval were calculated.

Results

There were 1064 intrauterine deaths, including 533 stillbirths ≥ 24 weeks' gestation with a recorded birth weight. Of these, 192 (36%) had an unadjusted birth weight below the 10th centile and were defined as SGA. The majority (86%) of stillborn SGA fetuses demonstrated some degree of maceration, indicating a significant period of intrauterine retention after death. A significantly greater proportion of macerated fetuses were present in the SGA population compared with the non‐SGA population (P = 0.01). There was a significant relationship between increasing intrauterine retention interval and both more severe maceration and reduction in birth weight (P < 0.0001 for both), with an average artifactual reduction in birth weight of around −0.8 SD of expected weight. There was an average 12% reduction in fetal weight between delivery and autopsy and, as postmortem interval increased, fetal weight loss increased (P = 0.0001).

Conclusion

Based on birth weight alone, 36% of stillbirths are classified as SGA. However, fetuses lose weight in utero with increasing intrauterine retention and continue to lose weight between delivery and autopsy, resulting in erroneous overestimation of FGR. Copyright © 2016 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Assumption propagation through annotated programs
Authors: Chaudhari Dipak L. , Damani Om
Published: October 2016

In the correct-by-construction programming methodology, programs are incrementally derived from their formal specifications, by repeatedly applying transformations to partially derived programs. At an intermediate stage in a derivation, users may have to make certain assumptions to proceed further. To ensure that the assumptions hold true at that point in the program, certain other assumptions may need to be introduced upstream as loop invariants or preconditions. Typically these other assumptions are made in an ad hoc fashion and may result in unnecessary rework, or worse, complete exclusion of some of the alternative solutions. In this work, we present rules for propagating assumptions through annotated programs. We show how these rules can be integrated in a top-down derivation methodology to provide a systematic approach for propagating the assumptions, materializing them with executable statements at a place different from the place of introduction, and strengthening of loop invariants with minimal additional proof efforts.
Incarceration and Household Asset Ownership
Authors: Turney Kristin , Schneider Daniel
Published: October 2016

A considerable literature documents the deleterious economic consequences of incarceration. However, little is known about the consequences of incarceration for household assets—a distinct indicator of economic well-being that may be especially valuable to the survival of low-income families—or about the spillover economic consequences of incarceration for families. In this article, we use longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to examine how incarceration is associated with asset ownership among formerly incarcerated men and their romantic partners. Results, which pay careful attention to the social forces that select individuals into incarceration, show that incarceration is negatively associated with ownership of a bank account, vehicle, and home among men and that these consequences for asset ownership extend to the romantic partners of these men. These associations are concentrated among men who previously held assets. Results also show that post-incarceration changes in romantic relationships are an important pathway by which even short-term incarceration depletes assets.
Relevance of anatomy to medical education and clinical practice: perspectives of medical students, clinicians, and educators
Authors: Sbayeh Amgad , Choo Mohammad A. Qaedi , Quane Kathleen A. , Finucane Paul , McGrath Deirdre , O’Flynn Siun , O’Mahony Siobhain M. , O’Tuathaigh Colm M. P.
Published: October 2016

Introduction Against a backdrop of ever-changing diagnostic and treatment modalities, stakeholder perceptions (medical students, clinicians, anatomy educators) are crucial for the design of an anatomy curriculum which fulfils the criteria required for safe medical practice. This study compared perceptions of students, practising clinicians, and anatomy educators with respect to the relevance of anatomy education to medicine.

Methods A quantitative survey was administered to undergraduate entry (n = 352) and graduate entry students (n = 219) at two Irish medical schools, recently graduated Irish clinicians (n = 146), and anatomy educators based in Irish and British medical schools (n = 30). Areas addressed included the association of anatomy with medical education and clinical practice, mode of instruction, and curriculum duration.

Results Graduate-entry students were less likely to associate anatomy with the development of professionalism, teamwork skills, or improved awareness of ethics in medicine. Clinicians highlighted the challenge of tailoring anatomy education to increase student readiness to function effectively in a clinical role. Anatomy educators indicated dissatisfaction with the time available for anatomy within medical curricula, and were equivocal about whether curriculum content should be responsive to societal feedback.

Conclusions The group differences identified in the current study highlight areas and requirements which medical education curriculum developers should be sensitive to when designing anatomy courses.
On condensate of solutions for the Chern–Simons–Higgs equation
Authors: Lin Chang-Shou , Yan Shusen
Published: October 2016

This is the first part of our comprehensive study on the structure of doubly periodic solutions for the Chern–Simons–Higgs equation with a small coupling constant. We first classify the bubbling type of the blow-up point according to the limit equations. Assuming that all the blow-up points are away from the vortex points, we prove the non-coexistence of different bubbling types in a sequence of bubbling solutions. Secondly, for the CS type bubbling solutions, we obtain an existence result without the condition on the blow-up set as in [4]. This seems to be the first general existence result of the multi-bubbling CS type solutions which is obtained under nearly necessary conditions. Necessary and sufficient conditions are also discussed for the existence of bubbling solutions blowing up at vortex points.
Advocating for Patients: Honoring Professional Trust
Authors: Galuska Lee
Published: October 2016

Perioperative nurse leaders create conditions for nurses in all health care settings that allow them to advocate for patients when they are unable to advocate for themselves; these conditions also enable nurses to enter into therapeutic relationships with patients and their families and establish trust. The nursing leadership practices that facilitate this advocacy include promoting continuity of care and patient relationships; helping to ensure practice environments support teamwork and collaboration; providing behavioral expectations for communication and conflict management; and supporting practices that promote self‐care and ongoing professional development, flexibility, creativity, and innovation to meet patient care needs. A comprehensive professional practice model provides a framework for nurses to practice more fully and to skillfully care and successfully advocate for patients.
Self‐Healing and Self‐Care for Nurses
Authors: Crane Patricia J. , Ward Suzanne F.
Published: October 2016

The potential effects of self‐care techniques to increase nurses’ effectiveness and influence positive patient care outcomes have often been underestimated. Today, nurses experience increased stress as a result of more work hours and greater patient loads. Research studies demonstrate the value to an organization and to individuals of educating nurses about self‐care. Studies also show that how being aware of individual reaction patterns is vital to learning more effective coping mechanisms. In this article, we discuss the aspects of body, mind, emotions, and spirit as they relate to self‐care; present self‐care change techniques; and offer some practical self‐care exercises. Most self‐care skills can be learned and implemented in a short period of time. Nurses are encouraged to experiment with the various techniques to determine the most effective ones for them.
Review of supershort avalanche electron beam during nanosecond-pulse discharges in some gases
Authors: Tarasenko Victor F. , Zhang Cheng , Baksht Evgenii Kh. , Burachenko Alexander G. , Shao Tao , Beloplotov Dmitry V. , Lomaev Mikhail I. , Yan Ping , Kozyrev Andrey V. , Semeniuk Natalia S.
Published: October 2016

Supershort avalanche electron beam (SAEB) plays an important role in nanosecond-pulse discharges. This paper aims at reviewing experiments results on characteritics of SAEB and its spectra in different gases in nanosecond-pulse discharges. All the joint experiments were carried in the Institute of High Current Electronics of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In these experiments, the generation of a SAEB in SF6 in an inhomogeneous electric field was studied on three generators with pulse rise times of 0.3, 0.5 and ∼2 ns. Firstly, the comparison of SAEB parameters in SF6 with those obtained in other gases (air, nitrogen, argon, and krypton) is introduced. Secondly, the SAEB spectra in SF6 and air at pressures of 10 kPa (75 torr), and 0.1 MPa (750 torr) are reviewed and discussed. Finally, 1.5-D theoretical simulation of the supershort pulse of the fast electron beam in a coaxial diode filled with SF6 at atmospheric pressure is described. The simulation was carried out in the framework of hybrid model for discharge and runaway electron kinetics. The above research progress can provide better understanding of the investigation into the mechanism of nanosecond-pulse discharges.
Immoderate greatness: Is great power restraint a practical grand strategy?
Authors: Onea Tudor
Published: October 2016

The article examines when and how often great powers are likely to follow a grand strategy of restraint and whether there is any evidence that they have ever done so. The question has considerable implications for the ongoing US grand strategy debate. Restraint refers to the practice of self-discipline in the use of force for self-defence or for addressing massive power imbalances; and in extending security commitments to foreign political actors. The first part of the article examines statistics in the last two hundred years on great power involvement in wars and disputes as well as on their commitments to alliances and dependencies. The second part considers whether two seeming cases of the dominant power scaling down its international involvement – Ming China withdrawal from naval mastery in the fifteenth century and Victorian Britain splendid isolation – represent instances of genuine restraint.
‘The most beautiful of wars’: Carl von Clausewitz and small wars
Authors: Scheipers Sibylle
Published: October 2016

Carl von Clausewitz was both an avid analyst of small wars and people’s war and, during the wars of liberation, a practitioner of small war. While Clausewitz scholars have increasingly recognised the centrality of small wars for Clausewitz’s thought, the sources and inspirations of his writings on small wars have remained understudied. This article contextualises Clausewitz’s thought on small wars and people’s war in the tradition of German philosophical and aesthetic discourses around 1800. It shows how Clausewitz developed core concepts such as the integration of passion and reason and the idea of war in its ‘absolute perfection’ as a regulative ideal in the framework of his works on small wars and people’s war. Contextualising Clausewitz inevitably distances him from the twenty-first-century strategic context, but, as this article shows, it can help us to ask pertinent questions about the configuration of society, the armed forces and the government in today’s Western states.
Experimental evaluation of temperature distribution of a vapor cell using a Hilbert transform procedure
Authors: Cai He , Wang You , Gao Ming , Zhang Wei , Jiang Zhigang , Han Juhong , An Guofei , Wang Shunyan , Xue Liangping , Wang Hongyuan , Zhou Jie
Published: October 2016

A diode-pumped alkali vapor laser (DPAL) is one of the most promising candidates of the next-generation high-powered laser source. As the saturated number density of alkali vapor is highly dependent on the temperature inside a vapor cell, the temperature distribution in the cross-section of a cell will greatly affect the homogeneity of a laser medium and the output characteristics of a DPAL. In this paper, we developed an algorithm based on the regime concluding quasi-Hilbert transform to evaluate the phase aberration of a wavefront when the probe beam passes through the vapor cell placed in one arm of a Mach–Zehnder interference setup. According to the theoretical algorithm, we deduced the temperature distribution of a cesium vapor cell for different heating conditions. The study is thought to be useful for development of a high-powered laser.
Compressibility effects in the shear layer over a rectangular cavity
Authors: Beresh Steven J. , Wagner Justin L. , Casper Katya M.
Published: October 2016

The influence of compressibility on the shear layer over a rectangular cavity of variable width has been studied in a free stream Mach number range of 0.6–2.5 using particle image velocimetry data in the streamwise centre plane. As the Mach number increases, the vertical component of the turbulence intensity diminishes modestly in the widest cavity, but the two narrower cavities show a more substantial drop in all three components as well as the turbulent shear stress. This contrasts with canonical free shear layers, which show significant reductions in only the vertical component and the turbulent shear stress due to compressibility. The vorticity thickness of the cavity shear layer grows rapidly as it initially develops, then transitions to a slower growth rate once its instability saturates. When normalized by their estimated incompressible values, the growth rates prior to saturation display the classic compressibility effect of suppression as the convective Mach number rises, in excellent agreement with comparable free shear layer data. The specific trend of the reduction in growth rate due to compressibility is modified by the cavity width.
A new method for isolating turbulent states in transitional stratified plane Couette flow
Authors: Taylor J. R. , Deusebio E. , Caulfield C. P. , Kerswell R. R.
Published: October 2016

We present a new adaptive control strategy to isolate and stabilize turbulent states in transitional, stably stratified plane Couette flow in which the gravitational acceleration (non-dimensionalized as the bulk Richardson number$Ri$) is adjusted in time to maintain the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) of the flow. We demonstrate that applying this method at various stages of decaying stratified turbulence halts the decay process and allows a succession of intermediate turbulent states of decreasing energy to be isolated and stabilized. Once the energy of the initial flow becomes small enough, we identify a single minimal turbulent spot, and lower-energy states decay to laminar flow. Interestingly, the turbulent states which emerge from this process have very similar time-averaged$Ri$, but TKE levels different by an order of magnitude. The more energetic states consist of several turbulent spots, each qualitatively similar to the minimal turbulent spot. This suggests that the minimal turbulent spot may well be the lowest-energy turbulent state which forms a basic building block of stratified plane Couette flow. The fact that a minimal spot of turbulence can be stabilized, so that it neither decays nor grows, opens up exciting opportunities for further study of spatiotemporally intermittent stratified turbulence.
On pressure impulse of a laser-induced underwater shock wave
Authors: Tagawa Yoshiyuki , Yamamoto Shota , Hayasaka Keisuke , Kameda Masaharu
Published: October 2016

We experimentally examine a laser-induced underwater shock wave paying special attention to the pressure impulse, the time integral of the pressure evolution. Plasma formation, shock-wave expansion and the pressure in water are observed simultaneously using a combined measurement system that obtains high-resolution nanosecond-order image sequences. These detailed measurements reveal a distribution of the pressure peak which is not spherically symmetric. In contrast, remarkably, the pressure impulse is found to be symmetrically distributed for a wide range of experimental parameters, even when the shock waves are emitted from an elongated region. The structure is determined to be a collection of multiple spherical shock waves originating from point-like plasmas in the elongated region.
Monogamous Canadian Citizenship, Constructing Foreignness and the Limits of Harm Discourse
Authors: Gaucher Megan
Published: October 2016

TheZero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act(2015) targets immigrants suspected of engaging in polygamy. While polygamy is already illegal in Canada and non-immigrant polygamous arrangements exist within Canadian borders, the framing of polygamy as a foreign practice portrays this familial arrangement as a threat to Canadian national values. Effects on women and children have traditionally provided a convincing argument for state regulation of polygamy; however, the combination of state under—and over—enforcement suggests that relying solely on a harm framework inadequately captures the complexities of state treatment. In this paper, I argue that the state's primary motivations for defending monogamy are not necessarily rooted in the avoidance of harm but in the preservation of a particular type of citizenship.
J.E. Bernier and the historical record
Authors: MacEachern Alan
Published: October 2016

In the 1920s, Canada developed and promoted a sector claim to the Arctic archipelago based on the 1880 transfer from Great Britain and on subsequent occupation, as expressed in licensing, patrols, and posts. The fact that in July 1909 the government-sponsored explorer J.E. Bernier had claimed the sector by planting a flag, indeed, the fact that Canada had him planting flags at all, complicated if not contradicted this narrative. This research note shows that Canadian government officials of the 1920s misunderstood or, more likely, deliberately mischaracterised Bernier's earlier sovereignty work, and in doing so have distorted our historical understanding of it. The note also argues that, contrary to recent writing in this journal, it is likely that Bernier did not make an earlier sector claim in August 1907.
The Cultural Revolution and Its Legacies in International Perspective
Authors: Lovell Julia
Published: October 2016

This article explores the rhetoric and reality of the Cultural Revolution as an international phenomenon, examining (through published and oral histories) the ways in which it was perceived and interpreted beyond China. It focuses in particular on the diverse impact of Maoist ideas and practice on the counterculture movement of Western Europe and North America during the late 1960s and 1970s. Within Europe, Cultural Revolution Maoism galvanized Dadaist student protest, nurtured feminist and gay rights activism, and legitimized urban guerrilla terrorism. In the United States, meanwhile, it bolstered a broad programme of anti-racist civil rights campaigns and narrow Marxist-Leninist party-building. Despite Mao's hopes to launch a global permanent revolution, it appears that, over the long term, enthusiasm for the Cultural Revolution in Western Europe, the United States and parts of South-East Asia helped to splinter the radical left and assisted the right in consolidating its power throughout the 1980s and beyond.
Prospective use of whole genome sequencing (WGS) detected a multi-country outbreak ofSalmonellaEnteritidis
Authors: INNS T. , ASHTON P. M. , HERRERA-LEON S. , LIGHTHILL J. , FOULKES S. , JOMBART T. , REHMAN Y. , FOX A. , DALLMAN T. , DE PINNA E. , BROWNING L. , COIA J. E. , EDEGHERE O. , VIVANCOS R.
Published: October 2016

Since April 2015, whole genome sequencing (WGS) has been the routine test forSalmonellaidentification, surveillance and outbreak investigation at the national reference laboratory in England and Wales. In May 2015, an outbreak ofSalmonellaEnteritidis cases was detected using WGS data and investigated. UK cases were interviewed to obtain a food history and links between suppliers were mapped to produce a food chain network for chicken eggs. The association between the food chain network and the phylogeny was explored using a network comparison approach. Food and environmental samples were taken from premises linked to cases and tested forSalmonella. Within the outbreak single nucleotide polymorphism defined cluster, 136 cases were identified in the UK and 18 in Spain. One isolate from a food containing chicken eggs was within the outbreak cluster. There was a significant association between the chicken egg food chain of UK cases and phylogeny of outbreak isolates. This is the first publishedSalmonellaoutbreak to be prospectively detected using WGS. This outbreak in the UK was linked with contemporaneous cases in Spain by WGS. We conclude that UK and Spanish cases were exposed to a common source ofSalmonella-contaminated chicken eggs.
Brexit: a challenge for the UK constitution, of the UK constitution?
Authors: Gordon Michael
Published: October 2016

The United Kingdom 2016 referendum on membership of the European Union – challenges of pursuing the decision to withdraw – challenges for the UK constitution in commencing, executing, concluding, and legitimising EU withdrawal – domestic constitutional requirements for triggering Article 50 TEU – roles of UK government, UK Parliament, and devolved institutions in Brexit – a second referendum or a national general election on withdrawal terms – exiting the EU as a challenge of the UK’s political constitution – Brexit as exposing limitations of the UK’s current constitutional arrangements and architecture – Brexit as an unprecedented event and the centrality of politics – constitutional factors contributing to the outcome of the referendum – concerns about sovereignty and the (im)possibility of a national response – potential implications of the referendum for the UK and for the EU
RUIN’S PROGENY
Authors: Brown Karida L. , Murphy Michael W. , Porcelli Apollonya M.
Published: October 2016

Extractive industries have long been a topic of study in environmental social science. These studies have focused on how extractive industries, as linked to global capitalism, degrade local communities and their environments, but have failed to consider their racialized effects. At the same time, when scholars have examined the intersection of race and the environment, their analyses tend towards the quantification and mapping of the disproportionate environmental burdens that weigh upon communities of color. Both literatures neglect to examine the intersection of race and the environment from a phenomenological perspective. Our research intervenes in the literature by asking: (1) How is the environment implicated in conditioning racialized subjectivities? And (2) How do landscapes and environment impact the formation of collective identity and sense of belonging for African Americans? In this article, we focus on the lived experience of a generation of Black coal miners and their families, who migrated throughout the central Appalachian region during the twentieth century Great Migration. This study offers an empirical investigation into the “landscapes of meaning” that can emerge from the experience of racialized displacement from land and environment. Further, in documenting the lived experience of this group of African Americans, this study also counters the otherwise dominant narrative that portrays Appalachian people as hopeless, helpless, and homeless; and White. Data for this study are drawn from the EKAAMP collection, a community-driven participatory archive aimed at documenting the lives of African American coal miners and their families. This work offers three contributions: It (1) reinserts agency into the analysis of communities affected by extractive economies; (2) invigorates the productive tensions that underlie considerations of the inextricable linkages between environment and the phenomenological experience of racialization; and (3) reconsiders the long-standing historical intersections between environment, community, and race.
Volcanic Ash Contributes to Climate Cooling
Authors: Branscombe Alexandra
Published: October 2016

A new study shows that atmospheric ash reflects solar radiation months after volcanic eruptions.
Donor polymer design enables efficient non-fullerene organic solar cells
Authors: Li Zhengke , Jiang Kui , Yang Guofang , Lai Joshua Yuk Lin , Ma Tingxuan , Zhao Jingbo , Ma Wei , Yan He
Published: October 2016

To achieve efficient organic solar cells, the design of suitable donor–acceptor couples is crucially important. State-of-the-art donor polymers used in fullerene cells may not perform well when they are combined with non-fullerene acceptors, thus new donor polymers need to be developed. Here we report non-fullerene organic solar cells with efficiencies up to 10.9%, enabled by a novel donor polymer that exhibits strong temperature-dependent aggregation but with intentionally reduced polymer crystallinity due to the introduction of a less symmetric monomer unit. Our comparative study shows that an analogue polymer with a C2 symmetric monomer unit yields highly crystalline polymer films but less efficient non-fullerene cells. Based on a monomer with a mirror symmetry, our best donor polymer exhibits reduced crystallinity, yet such a polymer matches better with small molecular acceptors. This study provides important insights to the design of donor polymers for non-fullerene organic solar cells.
Stoichiometric and irreversible cysteine-selective protein modification using carbonylacrylic reagents
Authors: Bernardim Barbara , Cal Pedro M.S.D. , Matos Maria J. , Oliveira Bruno L. , Martínez-Sáez Nuria , Albuquerque Inês S. , Perkins Elizabeth , Corzana Francisco , Burtoloso Antonio C.B. , Jiménez-Osés Gonzalo , Bernardes Gonçalo J. L.
Published: October 2016

Maleimides remain the reagents of choice for the preparation of therapeutic and imaging protein conjugates despite the known instability of the resulting products that undergo thiol-exchange reactions in vivo. Here we present the rational design of carbonylacrylic reagents for chemoselective cysteine bioconjugation. These reagents undergo rapid thiol Michael-addition under biocompatible conditions in stoichiometric amounts. When using carbonylacrylic reagents equipped with PEG or fluorophore moieties, this method enables access to protein and antibody conjugates precisely modified at pre-determined sites. Importantly, the conjugates formed are resistant to degradation in plasma and are biologically functional, as demonstrated by the selective imaging and detection of apoptotic and HER2+ cells, respectively. The straightforward preparation, stoichiometric use and exquisite cysteine selectivity of the carbonylacrylic reagents combined with the stability of the products and the availability of biologically relevant cysteine-tagged proteins make this method suitable for the routine preparation of chemically defined conjugates for in vivo applications.
Disulfide-activated protein kinase G Iα regulates cardiac diastolic relaxation and fine-tunes the Frank–Starling response
Authors: Scotcher Jenna , Prysyazhna Oleksandra , Boguslavskyi Andrii , Kistamas Kornel , Hadgraft Natasha , Martin Eva D. , Worthington Jenny , Rudyk Olena , Rodriguez Cutillas Pedro , Cuello Friederike , Shattock Michael J. , Marber Michael S. , Conte Maria R. , Greenstein Adam , Greensmith David J. , Venetucci Luigi , Timms John F. , Eaton Philip
Published: October 2016

The Frank–Starling mechanism allows the amount of blood entering the heart from the veins to be precisely matched with the amount pumped out to the arterial circulation. As the heart fills with blood during diastole, the myocardium is stretched and oxidants are produced. Here we show that protein kinase G Iα (PKGIα) is oxidant-activated during stretch and this form of the kinase selectively phosphorylates cardiac phospholamban Ser16—a site important for diastolic relaxation. We find that hearts of Cys42Ser PKGIα knock-in (KI) mice, which are resistant to PKGIα oxidation, have diastolic dysfunction and a diminished ability to couple ventricular filling with cardiac output on a beat-to-beat basis. Intracellular calcium dynamics of ventricular myocytes isolated from KI hearts are altered in a manner consistent with impaired relaxation and contractile function. We conclude that oxidation of PKGIα during myocardial stretch is crucial for diastolic relaxation and fine-tunes the Frank–Starling response.
Direct penetration of spin-triplet superconductivity into a ferromagnet in Au/SrRuO3/Sr2RuO4 junctions
Authors: Anwar M. S. , Lee S. R. , Ishiguro R. , Sugimoto Y. , Tano Y. , Kang S. J. , Shin Y. J. , Yonezawa S. , Manske D. , Takayanagi H. , Noh T. W. , Maeno Y.
Published: October 2016

Efforts have been ongoing to establish superconducting spintronics utilizing ferromagnet/superconductor heterostructures. Previously reported devices are based on spin-singlet superconductors (SSCs), where the spin degree of freedom is lost. Spin-polarized supercurrent induction in ferromagnetic metals (FMs) is achieved even with SSCs, but only with the aid of interfacial complex magnetic structures, which severely affect information imprinted to the electron spin. Use of spin-triplet superconductors (TSCs) with spin-polarizable Cooper pairs potentially overcomes this difficulty and further leads to novel functionalities. Here, we report spin-triplet superconductivity induction into a FM SrRuO3 from a leading TSC candidate Sr2RuO4, by fabricating microscopic devices using an epitaxial SrRuO3/Sr2RuO4 hybrid. The differential conductance, exhibiting Andreev-reflection features with multiple energy scales up to around half tesla, indicates the penetration of superconductivity over a considerable distance of 15 nm across the SrRuO3 layer without help of interfacial complex magnetism. This demonstrates potential utility of FM/TSC devices for superspintronics.
Surpassing the no-cloning limit with a heralded hybrid linear amplifier for coherent states
Authors: Haw Jing Yan , Zhao Jie , Dias Josephine , Assad Syed M. , Bradshaw Mark , Blandino Rémi , Symul Thomas , Ralph Timothy C. , Lam Ping Koy
Published: October 2016

The no-cloning theorem states that an unknown quantum state cannot be cloned exactly and deterministically due to the linearity of quantum mechanics. Associated with this theorem is the quantitative no-cloning limit that sets an upper bound to the quality of the generated clones. However, this limit can be circumvented by abandoning determinism and using probabilistic methods. Here, we report an experimental demonstration of probabilistic cloning of arbitrary coherent states that clearly surpasses the no-cloning limit. Our scheme is based on a hybrid linear amplifier that combines an ideal deterministic linear amplifier with a heralded measurement-based noiseless amplifier. We demonstrate the production of up to five clones with the fidelity of each clone clearly exceeding the corresponding no-cloning limit. Moreover, since successful cloning events are heralded, our scheme has the potential to be adopted in quantum repeater, teleportation and computing applications.
Time-resolved single dopant charge dynamics in silicon
Authors: Rashidi Mohammad , Burgess Jacob A. J. , Taucer Marco , Achal Roshan , Pitters Jason L. , Loth Sebastian , Wolkow Robert A.
Published: October 2016

As the ultimate miniaturization of semiconductor devices approaches, it is imperative that the effects of single dopants be clarified. Beyond providing insight into functions and limitations of conventional devices, such information enables identification of new device concepts. Investigating single dopants requires sub-nanometre spatial resolution, making scanning tunnelling microscopy an ideal tool. However, dopant dynamics involve processes occurring at nanosecond timescales, posing a significant challenge to experiment. Here we use time-resolved scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy to probe and study transport through a dangling bond on silicon before the system relaxes or adjusts to accommodate an applied electric field. Atomically resolved, electronic pump-probe scanning tunnelling microscopy permits unprecedented, quantitative measurement of time-resolved single dopant ionization dynamics. Tunnelling through the surface dangling bond makes measurement of a signal that would otherwise be too weak to detect feasible. Distinct ionization and neutralization rates of a single dopant are measured and the physical process controlling those are identified.
Transcriptome analyses provide insights into the phylogeny and adaptive evolution of the mangrove fern genus Acrostichum
Authors: Zhang Zhang , He Ziwen , Xu Shaohua , Li Xinnian , Guo Wuxia , Yang Yuchen , Zhong Cairong , Zhou Renchao , Shi Suhua
Published: October 2016

The mangrove fern genusAcrostichumgrows in the extremely unstable marine intertidal zone under harsh conditions, such as high salt concentrations, tidal rhythms and long-term climate changes. To explore the phylogenetic relationships and molecular mechanisms underlying adaptations in this genus, we sequenced the transcriptomes of two species ofAcrostichum,A. aureumandA. speciosum, as well as a species in the sister genus,Ceratopteris thalictroides. We obtained 47,517, 36,420 and 60,823 unigenes for the three ferns, of which 24.39–45.63% were annotated using public databases. The estimated divergence time revealed thatAcrostichumadapted to the coastal region during the late Cretaceous, whereas the two mangrove ferns from the Indo West-Pacific (IWP) area diverged more recently. Two methods (the modified branch-site model and the Khmethod) were used to identify several positively selected genes, which may contribute to differential adaptation of the twoAcrostichumspecies to different light and salt conditions. Our study provides abundant transcriptome data and new insights into the evolution and adaptations of mangrove ferns in the inhospitable intertidal zone.
Identification and validation of candidate epigenetic biomarkers in lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Daugaard Iben , Dominguez Diana , Kjeldsen Tina E. , Kristensen Lasse S. , Hager Henrik , Wojdacz Tomasz K. , Hansen Lise Lotte
Published: October 2016

Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism that regulates gene expression, and disease-specific methylation changes can be targeted as biomarkers. We have compared the genome-wide methylation pattern in tumor and tumor-adjacent normal lung tissue from four lung adenocarcinoma (LAC) patients using DNA methylation microarrays and identified 74 differentially methylated regions (DMRs). Eighteen DMRs were selected for validation in a cohort comprising primary tumors from 52 LAC patients and tumor-adjacent normal lung tissue from 32 patients by methylation-sensitive high resolution melting (MS-HRM) analysis. Significant increases in methylation were confirmed for 15 DMRs associated with the genes and genomic regions: OSR1, SIM1, GHSR, OTX2, LOC648987, HIST1H3E, HIST1H3G/HIST1H2BI, HIST1H2AJ/HIST1H2BM, HOXD10, HOXD3, HOXB3/HOXB4, HOXA3, HOXA5, Chr1(q21.1).A, and Chr6(p22.1). In particular the OSR1, SIM1 and HOXB3/HOXB4 regions demonstrated high potential as biomarkers in LAC. For OSR1, hypermethylation was detected in 47/48 LAC cases compared to 1/31 tumor-adjacent normal lung samples. Similarly, 45/49 and 36/48 LAC cases compared to 3/31 and 0/31 tumor-adjacent normal lung samples showed hypermethylation of the SIM1 and HOXB3/HOXB4 regions, respectively. In conclusion, this study has identified and validated 15 DMRs that can be targeted as biomarkers in LAC.
β-Arrestin 1’s Interaction with TC45 Attenuates Stat signaling by dephosphorylating Stat to inhibit antimicrobial peptide expression
Authors: Sun Jie-Jie , Yang Hui-Ting , Niu Guo-Juan , Feng Xiao-Wu , Lan Jiang-Feng , Zhao Xiao-Fan , Wang Jin-Xing
Published: October 2016

Impaired phosphatase activity leads to the persistent activation of signal transducers and activators of transcription (Stat). In mammals, Stat family members are often phosphorylated or dephosphorylated by the same enzymes. To date, only one Stat similar to mammalian Stat5a/b has been found in crustaceans and there have been few studies in Stat signal regulation in crustaceans. Here, we report that β-arrestin1 interacts with TC45 (45-kDa form of T cell protein tyrosine phosphatase) in the nucleus to attenuate Stat signaling by promoting dephosphorylation of Stat. Initially, we showed that Stat translocates into the nucleus to induce antimicrobial peptide (AMP) expression after bacterial infection. βArr1 enters the nucleus of hemocytes and recruits TC45 to form the βarr1-TC45-Stat complex, which dephosphorylates Stat efficiently. The interaction of TC45 with Stat decreased and Stat phosphorylation increased in βarr1-silenced shrimp (Marsupenaeus japonicus) after challenge with Vibrio anguillarum. βArr1 directly interacts with Stat in nucleus and accelerates Stat dephosphorylation by recruiting TC45 after V. anguillarum challenge. Further study showed that βarr1 and TC45 also affect AMP expression, which is regulated by Stat. Therefore, βarr1 and TC45 are involved in the anti-V. anguillarum immune response by regulating Stat activity negatively to decrease AMP expression in shrimp.
Albumin Homodimers in Patients with Cirrhosis: Clinical and Prognostic Relevance of a Novel Identified Structural Alteration of the Molecule
Authors: Baldassarre Maurizio , Domenicali Marco , Naldi Marina , Laggetta Maristella , Giannone Ferdinando A. , Biselli Maurizio , Patrono Daniela , Bertucci Carlo , Bernardi Mauro , Caraceni Paolo
Published: October 2016

Decompensated cirrhosis is associated to extensive post-transcriptional changes of human albumin (HA). This study aims to characterize the occurrence of HA homodimerization in a large cohort of patients with decompensated cirrhosis and to evaluate its association with clinical features and prognosis. HA monomeric and dimeric isoforms were identified in peripheral blood by using a HPLC-ESI-MS technique in 123 cirrhotic patients hospitalized for acute decompensation and 50 age- and sex-comparable healthy controls. Clinical and biochemical parameters were recorded and patients followed up to one year. Among the monomeric isoforms identified, the N- and C-terminal truncated and the native HA underwent homodimerization. All three homodimers were significantly more abundant in patients with cirrhosis, acute-on-chronic liver failure and correlate with the prognostic scores. The homodimeric N-terminal truncated isoform was independently associated to disease complications and was able to stratify 1-year survival. As a result of all these changes, the monomeric native HA was significantly decreased in patients with cirrhosis, being also associated with a poorer prognosis. In conclusion homodimerization is a novel described structural alteration of the HA molecule in decompensated cirrhosis and contributes to the progressive reduction of the monomeric native HA, the only isoform provided of structural and functional integrity.
Procedural performance following sleep deprivation remains impaired despite extended practice and an afternoon nap
Authors: Kurniawan Irma Triasih , Cousins James Nicholas , Chong Pearlynne L. H. , Chee Michael W. L.
Published: October 2016

The negative impact of sleep loss on procedural memory is well established, yet it remains unclear how extended practice opportunities or daytime naps can modulate the effect of a night of sleep deprivation. Here, participants underwent three training and test conditions on a sequential finger tapping task (SFTT) separated by at least one week. In the first condition they were trained in the evening followed by a night of sleep. Two further conditions took place where evening training was followed by a night of total sleep deprivation (TSD). One of the TSD conditions included a one-hour nap opportunity (15:00). Compared to the condition in which sleep was permitted, a night of TSD resulted in poorer performance across 4 practices the following day (10:00–19:00). The deleterious effect of a single night of TSD on procedural performance, was neither clearly alleviated by an afternoon nap nor by multiple practice opportunities. Interestingly, significant gains in performance were observed in all conditions after a one-week delay. Recovery sleep on subsequent nights thus appeared to nullify the effect of a single night of sleep deprivation, underscoring the importance of offline consolidation on the acquisition of procedural skill.
Valproate inhibits MAP kinase signalling and cell cycle progression in S. cerevisiae
Authors: Desfossés-Baron Kristelle , Hammond-Martel Ian , Simoneau Antoine , Sellam Adnane , Roberts Stephen , Wurtele Hugo
Published: October 2016

The mechanism of action of valproate (VPA), a widely prescribed short chain fatty acid with anticonvulsant and anticancer properties, remains poorly understood. Here, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used as model to investigate the biological consequences of VPA exposure. We found that low pH strongly potentiates VPA-induced growth inhibition. Transcriptional profiling revealed that under these conditions, VPA modulates the expression of genes involved in diverse cellular processes including protein folding, cell wall organisation, sexual reproduction, and cell cycle progression. We further investigated the impact of VPA on selected processes and found that this drug: i) activates markers of the unfolded protein stress response such as Hac1 mRNA splicing; ii) modulates the cell wall integrity pathway by inhibiting the activation of the Slt2 MAP kinase, and synergizes with cell wall stressors such as micafungin and calcofluor white in preventing yeast growth; iii) prevents activation of the Kss1 and Fus3 MAP kinases of the mating pheromone pathway, which in turn abolishes cellular responses to alpha factor; and iv) blocks cell cycle progression and DNA replication. Overall, our data identify heretofore unknown biological responses to VPA in budding yeast, and highlight the broad spectrum of cellular pathways influenced by this chemical in eukaryotes.
Global-scale river flood vulnerability in the last 50 years
Authors: Tanoue Masahiro , Hirabayashi Yukiko , Ikeuchi Hiroaki
Published: October 2016

The impacts of flooding are expected to rise due to population increases, economic growth and climate change. Hence, understanding the physical and spatiotemporal characteristics of risk drivers (hazard, exposure and vulnerability) is required to develop effective flood mitigation measures. Here, the long-term trend in flood vulnerability was analysed globally, calculated from the ratio of the reported flood loss or damage to the modelled flood exposure using a global river and inundation model. A previous study showed decreasing global flood vulnerability over a shorter period using different disaster data. The long-term analysis demonstrated for the first time that flood vulnerability to economic losses in upper-middle, lower-middle and low-income countries shows an inverted U-shape, as a result of the balance between economic growth and various historical socioeconomic efforts to reduce damage, leading to non-significant upward or downward trends. We also show that the flood-exposed population is affected by historical changes in population distribution, with changes in flood vulnerability of up to 48.9%. Both increasing and decreasing trends in flood vulnerability were observed in different countries, implying that population growth scenarios considering spatial distribution changes could affect flood risk projections.
Terahertz reflectometry imaging for low and high grade gliomas
Authors: Ji Young Bin , Oh Seung Jae , Kang Seok-Gu , Heo Jung , Kim Sang-Hoon , Choi Yuna , Song Seungri , Son Hye Young , Kim Se Hoon , Lee Ji Hyun , Haam Seung Joo , Huh Yong Min , Chang Jong Hee , Joo Chulmin , Suh Jin-Suck
Published: October 2016

Gross total resection (GTR) of glioma is critical for improving the survival rate of glioma patients. One of the greatest challenges for achieving GTR is the difficulty in discriminating low grade tumor or peritumor regions that have an intact blood brain barrier (BBB) from normal brain tissues and delineating glioma margins during surgery. Here we present a highly sensitive, label-free terahertz reflectometry imaging (TRI) that overcomes current key limitations for intraoperative detection of World Health Organization (WHO) grade II (low grade), and grade III and IV (high grade) gliomas. We demonstrate that TRI provides tumor discrimination and delineation of tumor margins in brain tissues with high sensitivity on the basis of Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained image. TRI may help neurosurgeons to remove gliomas completely by providing visualization of tumor margins in WHO grade II, III, and IV gliomas without contrast agents, and hence, improve patient outcomes.