bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synergistic effect of organic acid on the dissolution of mixed nickel-cobalt hydroxide precipitate in sulphuric acid solution
Authors: Kursunoglu Sait
Published: April 2019

The synergistic effect of an organic acid on the dissolution of nickel and cobalt from a mixed nickel-cobalt hydroxide precipitate (MHP) in sulphuric acid solution was studied. The effects of sulphuric acid concentration, the type of organic acid, leaching time, leaching temperature and stirring speed on the dissolution of the metals were experimentally investigated. It was observed that there is no beneficial effect of leaching temperature and stirring speed on the dissolution of the metals from the used MHP product which contains 37.7% Ni, 2.1% Co and 5.6% Mn. It was found that citric acid was more effective than oxalic acid for the dissolution of nickel and manganese, whereas oxalic acid was more effective than citric acid for the dissolution of cobalt. The addition of oxalic acid into the leaching system, however, affected the dissolution of nickel negatively because nickel precipitate as nickel oxalate. Therefore, the use of citric acid as synergist for sulphuric acid leaching of MHP product is more promising. After 60 min of leaching, 90.9% Ni, 84.2% Co and 98.1% Mn were dissolved under the following conditions: 0.75 M sulphuric acid, 2 g citric acid, 1/10 solid-to-liquid ratio, 400 rpm stirring speed and 30 °C temperature. The experimental results demonstrate that the addition of citric acid as a synergist for sulphuric acid leaching of a MHP product provides beneficial effect for the dissolution of nickel, cobalt and manganese.
La disparition de quoi ?
Authors: Coffin Jean-Christophe
Published: April 2019

L’article suggère que la notion de débilité mentale a scandé la science médico-psychologique tout au long du XXesiècle. Les premières études sur les enfants abordaient régulièrement ce sujet et plusieurs des noms des médecins qui sont entrés dans l’Histoire sont associés à cette notion. Après le deuxième conflit mondial, la débilité mentale est particulièrement explorée dans les années 1960 et elle est popularisé dans le corps social à travers la presse, notamment, et devient un enjeu important pour l’organisation scolaire française. Des critiques de plus en plus importantes s’exprimèrent par la suite et on assista au déclin puis à la disparition du terme dans les années 1980 et suivantes. Les membres des professions médico-psychologiques eux-mêmes ont abandonné le terme plus pour des raisons liées à l’évolution des idées psychopathologiques que sous la contrainte des critiques. Il est important de souligner que les catégories de la déficience mentale ou de la déficience intellectuelle demeurent elles bien présentes et qu’il y a plusieurs raisons de penser que c’est là que se trouve l’ancien enfant débile mental.
The combination of 13N-ammonia and
18F-FDG PET/CT in the identification of metabolic phenotype of
primary human brain tumors
Authors: Yi Chang , Shi Xinchong , Yu Donglan , Luo Ganhua , Zhang Bing , He Qiao , Zhang Xiangsong
Published: April 2019

Aim This pilot study made a preliminary attempt to distinguish different
metabolic phenotypes of primary human brain tumors with dual tracer
13N-ammonia and 18F-FDG.

Methods 74 patients were included in this study including 12 benign
meningiomas (B-MEN), 4 malignant meningiomas (M-MEN), 15 low-grade gliomas
(LGG), 32 high-grade gliomas (HGG) and 11 primary central nervous system
lymphomas (PCNSL). All patients underwent 13N-ammonia and
18F-FDG PET imaging. Semi-quantification analysis by
tumor-to-gray matter (T/G) ratios was used for the evaluation of tracer uptakes.
After the calculation of canonical discriminant functions, cross validation was
done for all cases to evaluate the differential efficacy of dual tracers.

Results According to the visual analysis, B-MEN were characterized by
lower uptake of 18F-FDG and higher uptake of 13N-ammonia,
while PCNSLs displayed contrary results. Both M-MEN and HGG had higher uptake of
18F-FDG and 13N-ammonia, while LGG displayed negative
results for both tracers. According to the T/G ratios analysis, the accuracy of
predicted tumor classification by means of canonical discriminant analysis for
B-MEN, LGG, HGG and PCNSL was 91.7 %, 100 %, 84.4 % and 93.3 % respectively; the
overall accuracy was 90.5 %.

Conclusion The combination of dual tracer 13N-ammonia and
18F-FDG has a certain potential in distinguishing different types
of brain tumors (meningiomas, gliomas and PCNSL). However, an advantage of the
additional use of 13N-ammonia PET compared to a combined diagnosis
with MRI and 18F-FDG PET could not be demonstrated and requires
further studies.
1,10-Phenanthroline- or Electron-Promoted Cyanation of Aryl Iodides
Authors: Mitsudo Koichi , Yoshioka Kazuki , Hirata Takayuki , Mandai Hiroki , Midorikawa Koji , Suga Seiji
Published: April 2019

A 1,10-phenanthroline-promoted cyanation of aryl iodides has been developed. 1,10-Phenanthroline worked as an organocatalyst for the reaction of aryl iodides with tetraalkylammonium cyanide to afford aryl cyanides. A similar reaction occurred through an electroreductive process.
Characterization of Major and Clinically Relevant Non-Major Bleeds in the APEX Trial
Authors: Yee Megan , Gibson C. , Nafee Tarek , Kerneis Mathieu , Daaboul Yazan , Korjian Serge , Chi Gerald , AlKhalfan Fahad , Hernandez Adrian , Hull Russell , Cohen Alexander , Goldhaber Samuel
Published: April 2019

Background Among medically ill patients treated with thromboprophylaxis, betrixaban was not associated with an increase in major bleeding compared with enoxaparin, but an increase in clinically relevant non-major (CRNM) bleeding was observed. The aim of this analysis is to describe the severity and clinical consequences of major and CRNM bleeding in the APEX trial.

Methods The APEX trial randomized 7,513 hospitalized acutely ill medical patients to receive either enoxaparin for 6 to 14 days or betrixaban for 35 to 42 days. Subjects receiving a concomitant strong p-glycoprotein inhibitor or with creatinine clearance <30 mL/min were administered a reduced dose of study drug.

Results A total of 25 (0.7%) and 21 (0.6%) major bleeds occurred in the betrixaban and enoxaparin arms, respectively (p = NS) and a total of 91 (2.5%) and 38 (1.0%) CRNM bleeds occurred in the betrixaban and enoxaparin arm (p < 0.001), respectively. Most major bleeds were considered moderate or severe and most CRNM bleeds were considered mild and moderate (p = NS). One fatal major bleed occurred in each treatment arm. Rates of major or CRNM bleeds resulting in new or prolonged hospitalization (major: 44.0 vs. 28.6%; CRNM: 12.1 vs. 21.1%) or study treatment interruption or cessation (major: 72.0 vs. 71.4%; CRNM: 71.3 vs. 68.4%) were similar between treatment arms (p = NS).

Conclusions In the APEX trial, CRNM bleeds were mild or moderate in nature and had less of a clinical impact than major bleeds. The severity and clinical sequela of bleeds in the betrixaban arm were comparable to those in the enoxaparin arm.

Clinical Trial Registration URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov.; Unique identifier: NCT01583218.
Study on the preparation and corrosion resistance of hydroxyapatite/stearic acid superhydrophobic composite coating on magnesium alloy surface
Authors: Zhu Jiyuan , Dai Xuanjun , Xiong Jingwen
Published: April 2019

Magnesium alloys have been widely used as a new medical metal implant material because of their good physicochemical properties, biodegradability and biocompatibility. But magnesium alloys are very chemically active and easily corroded after being implanted in the human body. In this paper, a hydroxyapatite/fatty acid salt superhydrophobic composite film was prepared on the surface of magnesium alloys by hydrothermal method. By testing, the water contact angle of the prepared composite film layer reaches 154.5°, and the corrosion current density is reduced by two orders of magnitude, which effectively improves the corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys. The hydrophobic properties of the prepared superhydrophobic composite membrane show good chemical stability. This preparation method can have good application prospects in industry and medical materials because of its simplicity and efficiency.
S-shaped microfiber based diaphragm supported optical microphone
Authors: Dass Sumit , Kachhap Santosh , Jha Rajan
Published: April 2019

We propose and demonstrate a simple and highly sensitive optical microphone based on S-shaped tapered fibre (STF). The short pigtailed end of the STF is attached to the centre of a thin circular nitrile diaphragm. The applied acoustic signal deforms the nitrile diaphragm and due to the affixation, the STF structure gets modified leading to change in the bending angles of the two STF bends. As a consequence, the photodetector output, detecting the reflected light intensity of the STF, varies in accordance with the applied acoustic signal. Various properties of the proposed sensing setup can be easily tailored by changing the diaphragm diameter and thickness, and the shapes and size of the STF. For an optimized configuration, the proposed sensor achieves a sensitivity of 3.07 mV Pa−1 and a minimum detectable pressure of 36.48 mPa Hz−1. The sensor shows a linear behaviour up to 1300 Hz and the experimental value of its first order natural frequency is 1455 Hz.
NGSEP3: accurate variant calling across species and sequencing protocols
Authors: Tello Daniel , Gil Juanita , Loaiza Cristian D , Riascos John J , Cardozo Nicolás , Duitama Jorge
Published: April 2019

Motivation

Accurate detection, genotyping and downstream analysis of genomic variants from high-throughput sequencing data are fundamental features in modern production pipelines for genetic-based diagnosis in medicine or genomic selection in plant and animal breeding. Our research group maintains the Next-Generation Sequencing Experience Platform (NGSEP) as a precise, efficient and easy-to-use software solution for these features.

Results

Understanding that incorrect alignments around short tandem repeats are an important source of genotyping errors, we implemented in NGSEP new algorithms for realignment and haplotype clustering of reads spanning indels and short tandem repeats. We performed extensive benchmark experiments comparing NGSEP to state-of-the-art software using real data from three sequencing protocols and four species with different distributions of repetitive elements. NGSEP consistently shows comparative accuracy and better efficiency compared to the existing solutions. We expect that this work will contribute to the continuous improvement of quality in variant calling needed for modern applications in medicine and agriculture.

Availability and implementation

NGSEP is available as open source software at http://ngsep.sf.net.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
sbgntikz—a TikZ library to draw SBGN maps
Authors: Rougny Adrien
Published: April 2019

The systems biology graphical notation (SBGN) has emerged as the main standard to represent biological maps graphically. It comprises three complementary languages: Process Description, for detailed biomolecular processes; Activity Flow, for influences of biological activities and Entity Relationship, for independent relations shared among biological entities. On the other hand, TikZ is one of the most commonly used package to ‘program’ graphics within TEX/LATEX. Here, we present sbgntikz, a TikZ library that allows drawing and customizing SBGN maps directly into TEX/LATEX documents, using the TikZ language. sbgntikz supports all glyphs of the three SBGN languages, and offers options that facilitate the drawing of complex glyph assembly within TikZ. Furthermore, sbgntikz is provided together with a converter that allows transforming any SBGN map stored under the SBGN Markup Language into a TikZ picture, or rendering it directly into a PDF file.

Availability and implementation

sbgntikz, the SBGN-ML to sbgntikz converter, as well as a complete documentation can be freely downloaded from https://github.com/Adrienrougny/sbgntikz/. The library and the converter are compatible with all recent operating systems, including Windows, MacOS, and all common Linux distributions.

Supplementary information

Supplementary material is available at Bioinformatics online.
A decision-theoretic approach to the evaluation of machine learning algorithms in computational drug discovery
Authors: Watson Oliver P , Cortes-Ciriano Isidro , Taylor Aimee R , Watson James A
Published: April 2019

Motivation

Artificial intelligence, trained via machine learning (e.g. neural nets, random forests) or computational statistical algorithms (e.g. support vector machines, ridge regression), holds much promise for the improvement of small-molecule drug discovery. However, small-molecule structure-activity data are high dimensional with low signal-to-noise ratios and proper validation of predictive methods is difficult. It is poorly understood which, if any, of the currently available machine learning algorithms will best predict new candidate drugs.

Results

The quantile-activity bootstrap is proposed as a new model validation framework using quantile splits on the activity distribution function to construct training and testing sets. In addition, we propose two novel rank-based loss functions which penalize only the out-of-sample predicted ranks of high-activity molecules. The combination of these methods was used to assess the performance of neural nets, random forests, support vector machines (regression) and ridge regression applied to 25 diverse high-quality structure-activity datasets publicly available on ChEMBL. Model validation based on random partitioning of available data favours models that overfit and ‘memorize’ the training set, namely random forests and deep neural nets. Partitioning based on quantiles of the activity distribution correctly penalizes extrapolation of models onto structurally different molecules outside of the training data. Simpler, traditional statistical methods such as ridge regression can outperform state-of-the-art machine learning methods in this setting. In addition, our new rank-based loss functions give considerably different results from mean squared error highlighting the necessity to define model optimality with respect to the decision task at hand.

Availability and implementation

All software and data are available as Jupyter notebooks found at https://github.com/owatson/QuantileBootstrap.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Diagnostic Accuracy of Transabdominal Ultrasound in Detecting Intestinal Inflammation in Paediatric IBD Patients—a Systematic Review
Authors: van Wassenaer Elsa A , de Voogd Floris A E , van Rijn Rick R , van der Lee Johanna H , Tabbers Merit M , van Etten-Jamaludin Faridi S , Gecse Krisztina B , Kindermann Angelika , de Meij Tim G J , D’Haens Geert R , Benninga Marc A , Koot Bart G P
Published: April 2019

Background and Aims

Currently used non-invasive tools for monitoring children with inflammatory bowel disease [IBD], such as faecal calprotectin, do not accurately reflect the degree of intestinal inflammation and do not provide information on disease location. Ultrasound [US] might be of added value. This systematic review aimed to assess the diagnostic test accuracy of transabdominal US in detecting intestinal inflammation in children with IBD in both diagnostic and follow-up settings.

Methods

We systematically searched PubMed, Embase [Ovid], Cochrane Library, and CINAHL [EBSCO] databases for studies assessing diagnostic accuracy of transabdominal US for detection of intestinal inflammation in patients diagnosed or suspected of IBD, aged 0–18 years, with ileo-colonoscopy and/or magnetic resonance enterography [MRE] as reference standards. Studies using US contrast were excluded. Risk of bias was assessed with QUADAS-2.

Results

The search yielded 276 records of which 14 were included. No meta-analysis was performed, because of heterogeneity in study design and methodological quality. Only four studies gave a clear description of their definition for an abnormal US result. The sensitivity and specificity of US ranged from 39-93% and 90–100% for diagnosing de novo IBD, and 48–93% and 83–93% for detecting active disease during follow-up, respectively.

Conclusions

The diagnostic accuracy of US in detecting intestinal inflammation as seen on MRE and/or ileo-colonoscopy in paediatric IBD patients remains inconclusive, and there is currently no consensus on defining an US result as abnormal. Prospective studies with adequate sample size and methodology are needed before US can be used in the diagnostics and monitoring of paediatric IBD.
Performance study of coal-fired power generation system combined with renewable solar energy source based on thermodynamic analysis
Authors: Wang Juan
Published: April 2019

China’s coal resources are abundant, so the total amount of carbon emissions is large. In order to achieve ecologically sustainable development, clean energy such as solar energy is used to generate electricity. This study briefly introduced the composition and working process of solar energy and coal-fired power generation system, analyzed its working principle with thermodynamics, established the corresponding thermodynamic model to simulate and then analyzed the change of the photoelectric conversion efficiency and the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) with the change of collector area under different loads of solar energy and coal-fired power generation system. The results showed that the photoelectric conversion efficiency increased first and then decreased with the increase of the collector area under different loads, and the higher the load was, the higher the photoelectric conversion efficiency would be; the LCOE decreased first and then increased with the increase of the collector area under different loads, and the higher the load was, the lower the LCOE would be.
Cognitive Psychology and the Metaphysics of Meaning
Authors: Johnston Mark , Leslie Sarah-Jane
Published: April 2019

This chapter distinguishes the clusters of psychologically real heuristics that govern our use of terms—the “psi-concepts”—from the “phi-concepts” or meanings that are the semantic determinants of the extensions of the terms in question, and hence of the truth-conditions of the sentences that contain those terms. Concerning the psi-concepts the chapter proposes a new, empirically motivated, and philosophically consequential amendment to both the theory-theory and the prototype theory, namely the generic encoding hypothesis: the heuristics which typically guide our use of terms by exploiting prevalence, cue-validity, and causal explanatory structure are properly formulated in generic terms. The chapter then explores the philosophical consequences of the generic encoding hypothesis, exploring its destructive impact on the method of cases (with particular attention to its use in the philosophy of personal identity), philosophical analysis, the “normativity of meaning,” and the idea that we know how to use terms by grasping meanings.
Learning from My Daughter
Authors: Kittay Eva Feder
Published: April 2019

Disability offers a significant challenge to long-held philosophical views of the nature of the good life, what offers meaning in our lives, the importance of care, and the centrality of reason, as well as questions of justice, dignity, and personhood. In Learning from My Daughter, the author claims that living with a daughter who has multiple and significant disabilities, including cognitive disabilities, has been utterly transformative for thinking about her training, career and research as a philosopher. Interweaving the personal voice with the philosophical, the book argues that cognitive disability should reorient us to what truly matters; raises the question of whether normalcy is necessary for a good life; considers the ethical questions regarding prenatal testing and what it implies for understanding disability, the family, and ethically informed bioethics; and discusses the importance of care and an ethic built on an adequate understanding of care as it ought to be—not simply in how it is—practiced. The end of the book takes on the controversial case of Ashley X and the ethics of growth attenuation. In Learning from My Daughter, the disabled person takes center stage, but so does the ethic that needs to guide care. An ethic of care—if properly understood, the author claims—can be an ethical theory that is most useful for fully integrating disabled people and allowing them to live lives that are joyful and fulfilling.
Confessors
Authors: Bugyis Katie Ann-Marie
Published: April 2019

The chief aim of Chapter 4 is to reassess the impact of both local and more universal reform efforts to clericalize the practice of penance in communities of Benedictine nuns during the central Middle Ages. According to the prevailing historiography, various reform efforts over the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth centuries effectively charged priests with hearing nuns’ confessions. Yet, as this chapter shows, study of the extant prayer books and psalters, produced by or altered for nuns’ use, demonstrates that they served as confessors not only for their consorors but also for visiting pilgrims and laity affiliated with their communities. Several of these prayers are adaptations of mass-texts traditionally said by priests within the context of the Mass and would have cast the women who recited them in markedly sacerdotal roles and even recognized their performance of ministries around the altars of their churches, including handling the eucharistic vessels and consecrated elements.
Conclusion
Authors: Bugyis Katie Ann-Marie
Published: April 2019

The Conclusion offers a final assessment of the use of the term “ministry” in the preceding chapters to comprehend the variety of liturgical and pastoral roles and responsibilities—both in their idealized forms and in their actual practices—that Benedictine nuns in England assumed during the central Middle Ages according to the sources that preserve their lives. It also stresses the need for future scholarship to pursue the threads of continuity in Benedictine nuns’ ministries across the central and later Middle Ages. Close studies of the extant documents of practice and other material remains from women’s communities in late medieval England may yet unveil more ministers of Christ, charged with the spiritual care of fellow sisters, laity, vowed religious, and clerics who sought their hospitality, counsel, instruction, healing, absolution, and intercession.
Tethered Fates
Authors: Hertel Shareen
Published: April 2019

Global supply chains extend throughout the developing world, but we know surprisingly little about company–community interaction. This book engages multiple sources of data to map the evolution and contemporary scope of “stakeholder dialogue” in the business and human rights arena. It draws on the 7,000-company database of the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, and on original interviews with community members in two factory towns in the Dominican Republic, to illustrate economic rights challenges in light manufacturing communities. Tethered Fates maps trends in stakeholder dialogue by region and industry sector globally. It demonstrates that companies tend to engage stakeholders in sectors where the sunk costs are high (such as the extractive sector) rather than in sectors where the threat of exit looms large (such as light manufacturing). The book then offers a view into local community members’ perceptions of the prospects for dialogue with companies and the challenges of everyday life, through comparative case studies of two textile manufacturing towns in the Dominican Republic. Tethered Fates does more than simply explain why stakeholder dialogue often falls short as a vehicle for safeguarding economic rights and promoting community development; it also offers an assessment of the varieties of emerging policy alternatives for moving beyond the current state of practice.
Negotiating Internet Governance
Authors: Radu Roxana
Published: April 2019

What is at stake for how the Internet continues to evolve is the preservation of its integrity as a single network. In practice, its governance is neither centralized nor unitary; it is piecemeal and fragmented, with authoritative decision-making coming from different sources simultaneously: governments, businesses, international organizations, technical and academic experts, and civil society. Historically, the conditions for their interaction were rarely defined beyond basic technical coordination, due at first to the academic freedom granted to the researchers developing the network and, later on, to the sheer impossibility of controlling mushrooming Internet initiatives. Today, the search for global norms and rules for the Internet continues, be it for cybersecurity or artificial intelligence, amid processes fostering the supremacy of national approaches or the vitality of a pluralist environment with various stakeholders represented. This book provides an incisive analysis of the emergence and evolution of global Internet governance, unpacking the complexity of more than 300 governance arrangements, influential debates, and political negotiations over four decades. Highly accessible, this book breaks new ground through a wide empirical exploration and a new conceptual approach to governance enactment in global issue domains. A tripartite framework is employed for revealing power dynamics, relying on: (a) an extensive database of mechanisms of governance for the Internet at the global and regional level; (b) an in-depth analysis of the evolution of actors and priorities over time; and (c) a key set of dominant practices observed in the Internet governance communities. It explains continuity and change in Internet-related negotiations, opening up new directions for thinking and acting in this field.
The Buck-Passing Account and The No-Priority View
Authors: Cosker-Rowland Rach
Published: April 2019

According to the No-Priority View (NPV), what it is to be a reason for a pro-attitude cannot be analysed in terms of value but neither can what it is to be good or of value be analysed in terms of reasons for pro-attitudes. NPV has been defended by Jonathan Dancy and W. D. Ross. This chapter argues that there are several reasons to accept the buck-passing account of value (BPA) over NPV. First, BPA explains striking correlations between reasons and value that NPV does not. Second, BPA explains why value does not give non-derivative reasons to have pro-attitudes; NPV cannot do this. Third, BPA is more qualitatively parsimonious than NPV, and, as explained in this chapter, there are strong reasons to prefer more to less qualitatively parsimonious theories. Fourth, BPA explains why similar theoretical debates arise about reasons and value; NPV cannot do this. Fifth, BPA is more informative than NPV.
Reasons First
Authors: Cosker-Rowland Rach
Published: April 2019

This chapter extends the buck-passing account of value and morality motivated and defended in the rest of the book to provide an account of all of practical normativity in terms of reasons. In doing so, this chapter argues that accounts of what it is to be a normative reason in terms of ought, evidence of what ought to be done, being good as a basis, and fittingness, should be rejected; and that ought and fittingness should instead be analysed in terms of reasons. So this chapter argues that reasons are more fundamental than oughts and fittingness. The combination of the view that reasons are the most basic normative property in terms of which other normative properties can be analysed and the buck-passing accounts of value and morality in terms of reasons provides an illuminating and fruitful account of all of practical normativity in terms of reasons. This chapter shows how the case for the buck-passing account of value and morality can be extended to make a case for a reasons-first or reasons fundamentalist account of practical normativity.
ADP-ribosylation signalling and human disease
Authors: Palazzo Luca , Mikolčević Petra , Mikoč Andreja , Ahel Ivan
Published: April 2019

ADP-ribosylation (ADPr) is a reversible post-translational modification of proteins, which controls major cellular and biological processes, including DNA damage repair, cell proliferation and differentiation, metabolism, stress and immune responses. In order to maintain the cellular homeostasis, diverse ADP-ribosyl transferases and hydrolases are involved in the fine-tuning of ADPr systems. The control of ADPr network is vital, and dysregulation of enzymes involved in the regulation of ADPr signalling has been linked to a number of inherited and acquired human diseases, such as several neurological disorders and in cancer. Conversely, the therapeutic manipulation of ADPr has been shown to ameliorate several disorders in both human and animal models. These include cardiovascular, inflammatory, autoimmune and neurological disorders. Herein, we summarize the recent findings in the field of ADPr, which support the impact of this modification in human pathophysiology and highlight the curative potential of targeting ADPr for translational and molecular medicine.
Synaptic memory devices from CoO/Nb:SrTiO
3
junction
Authors: Zhao Le , Xu Jie , Shang Xiantao , Li Xue , Li Qiang , Li Shandong
Published: April 2019

Non-volatile memristors are promising for future hardware-based neurocomputation application because they are capable of emulating biological synaptic functions. Various material strategies have been studied to pursue better device performance, such as lower energy cost, better biological plausibility, etc. In this work, we show a novel design for non-volatile memristor based on CoO/Nb:SrTiO
3
heterojunction. We found the memristor intrinsically exhibited resistivity switching behaviours, which can be ascribed to the migration of oxygen vacancies and charge trapping and detrapping at the heterojunction interface. The carrier trapping/detrapping level can be finely adjusted by regulating voltage amplitudes. Gradual conductance modulation can therefore be realized by using proper voltage pulse stimulations. And the spike-timing-dependent plasticity, an important Hebbian learning rule, has been implemented in the device. Our results indicate the possibility of achieving artificial synapses with CoO/Nb:SrTiO
3
heterojunction. Compared with filamentary type of the synaptic device, our device has the potential to reduce energy consumption, realize large-scale neuromorphic system and work more reliably, since no structural distortion occurs.
Adsorption of Cd(II) in water by mesoporous ceramic functional nanomaterials
Authors: Xue Zhongjun , Liu Na , Hu Hongxiang , Huang Jieying , Kalkhajeh Yusef Kianpoor , Wu Xiuyuan , Xu Nian , Fu Xiaofei , Zhan Linchuan
Published: April 2019

Mesoporous ceramic functional nanomaterials (MCFN) is a self-assembled environmental adsorbent with a monolayer molecular which is widely used in the treatment of industrial wastewater and contaminated soil. This work aimed to study the relationship between the adsorption behaviour of Cd(II) by MCFN and contact time, initial concentration, MCFN dosage, pH, oscillation rate and temperature through a batch adsorption method. The adsorption kinetic and isotherm behaviours were well described by the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models. The batch characterization technique revealed that MCFN had several oxygen-containing functional groups. Using Langmuir model, the maximum adsorption capacity of MCFN for Cd(II) was 97.09 mg g−1at pH 6, 25°C, dosage of 0.2 g and contact time of 180 min. Thermodynamic study indicated that the present adsorption process was feasible, spontaneous and exothermic at the temperature range of 25–55°C. The results of this study provide an important enlightenment for Cd removal or preconcentration of porous ceramic nanomaterial adsorbents for environmental applications.
Evolutionary drivers of kype size in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): domestication, age and genetics
Authors: Perry William Bernard , Solberg Monica Favnebøe , Besnier Francois , Dyrhovden Lise , Matre Ivar Helge , Fjelldal Per Gunnar , Ayllon Fernando , Creer Simon , Llewellyn Martin , Taylor Martin I. , Carvalho Gary , Glover Kevin Alan
Published: April 2019

The diversity of reproduction and associated mating patterns in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) has long captivated evolutionary biologists.Salmo salarexhibit strategies involving migration, bold mating behaviours and radical morphological and physiological change. One such radical change is the elongation and curvature of the lower jaw in sexually mature males into a hook-like appendage called the kype. The kype is a secondary sexual characteristic used in mating hierarchies and a prime candidate for sexual selection. As one of the core global aquaculture fish species, however, mate choice, and thus sexual selection, has been replaced by industrial artificial fertilization seeking to develop more commercially viable strains. Removal of mate choice provides a unique opportunity to examine the kype over successive generations in the absence of sexual selection. Here we use a large-scale common-garden experiment, incorporating six experimental strains (wild, farmed and wild × farmed hybrids), experiencing one to three sea winters, to assess the impact of age and genetic background. After controlling for allometry, fork length-adjusted kype height (AKH) was significantly reduced in the domesticated strain in comparison to two wild strains. Furthermore, genetic variation at a locus on linkage group SSA1 was associated with kype height, and a locus on linkage group SSA23 was associated with fork length-adjusted kype length (AKL). The reduction in fork length-AKH in domesticated salmon suggests that the kype is of importance in mate choice and that it has decreased due to relaxation of sexual selection. Fork length-AKL showed an increase in domesticated individuals, highlighting that it may not be an important cue in mate choice. These results give us insight into the evolutionary significance of the kype, as well as implications of genetic induced phenotypic change caused by domesticated individuals escaping into the natural environment.
Larval foraging decisions in competitive heterogeneous environments accommodate diets that support egg-to-adult development in a polyphagous fly
Authors: Morimoto Juliano , Tabrizi Shabnam Tarahi , Lundbäck Ida , Mainali Bishwo , Taylor Phillip W. , Ponton Fleur
Published: April 2019

In holometabolous insects, larval nutrition is a key factor underpinning development and fitness. Heterogeneity in the nutritional environment and larval competition can force larvae to forage in suboptimal diets, with potential downstream fitness effects. Little is known about how larvae respond to competitive heterogeneous environments, and whether variation in these responses affects current and next generations. Here, we designed nutritionally heterogeneous foraging arenas by modifying nutrient concentration, where groups of the polyphagous fruit fly
Bactrocera tryoni
could forage freely at various levels of larval competition. Larval foraging preferences were highly consistent and independent of larval competition, with greatest foraging propensity for high (100%) followed by intermediate (80% and 60%) nutrient concentration diets, and avoidance of lower concentration diets (less than 60%). We then used these larval preferences (i.e. 100%, 80% and 60% diets) in fitness assays in which larvae competition was maintained constant, and showed that nutrient concentrations selected by the larvae in the foraging trials had no effect on fitness-related traits such as egg hatching and pupation success, adult flight ability, sex ratio, percentage of emergence, nor on adult cold tolerance, fecundity and next-generation pupal weight. These results support the idea that polyphagous species can exploit diverse hosts and nutritional conditions with minimal fitness costs to thrive in new environments.
On the figure of elastic planets I: gravitational collapse and infinitely many equilibria
Authors: Jia Fei , Kodio Ousmane , Chapman S. Jon , Goriely Alain
Published: April 2019

A classic problem of elasticity is to determine the possible equilibria of an elastic planet modelled as a homogeneous compressible spherical elastic body subject to its own gravitational field. In the absence of gravity, the initial radius is given and the density is constant. With gravity and for small planets, the elastic deformations are small enough so that the spherical equilibria can be readily obtained by using the theory of linear elasticity. For larger or denser planets, large deformations occur and the general theory of nonlinear elasticity is required to obtain the solution. Depending on the elastic model, we show that there may be parameter regimes where there exist no equilibrium or arbitrarily many equilibria. Yet, at most two of them are dynamically stable with respect to radial disturbances. In some of these models, there is a critical initial radius at which spherical solutions cease to exist. For planets with larger initial radii, there is no spherical solution as the elastic forces are not sufficient to balance the gravitational force. Therefore, the system undergoes gravitational collapse, an unexpected phenomenon within the framework of classical continuum mechanics.
Assessing the economic impacts of IT service shutdown during the York flood of 2015 in the UK
Authors: Xia Yang , Guan Dabo , Steenge Albert E. , Dietzenbacher Erik , Meng Jing , Mendoza Tinoco David
Published: April 2019

In this paper we focus on the ‘Christmas’ flood in York (UK), 2015. The case is special in the sense that little infrastructure was lost or damaged, while a single industry (IT services) was completely knocked out for a limited time. Due to these characteristics, the standard modelling techniques are no longer appropriate. An alternative option is provided by the Hypothetical Extraction Method, or HEM. However, there are restrictions in using the HEM, one being that no realistic substitutes exist for inputs from industries that were affected. In this paper we discuss these restrictions and show that the HEM performs well in the York flood case. In the empirical part of this paper we show that a three-day shutdown of the IT services caused a £3.24 m to £4.23 m loss in York, which is equivalent to 10% of the three days' average GVA (Gross Value Added) of York city. The services sector (excluding IT services) sustained the greatest loss at £0.80 m, where the business support industry which was predominantly hit. This study is the first to apply a HEM in this type of flood on a daily basis.
Fluctuating selection strength and intense male competition underlie variation and exaggeration of a water strider's male weapon
Authors: Toubiana William , Khila Abderrahman
Published: April 2019

Sexually selected traits can reach high degrees of phenotypic expression and variation under directional selection. A growing number of studies suggest that such selection can vary in space, time and form within and between populations. However, the impact of these fluctuations on sexual trait evolution is poorly understood. In the water striderMicrovelia longipes, males display striking trait exaggeration and phenotypic variation manifested as extreme differences in the rear leg length. To study the origin and maintenance of this exaggerated trait, we conducted comparative behavioural, morphometric and reaction norm experiments in a selection ofMicroveliaspecies. We uncovered differences both in the mating behaviour and the degree of sexual dimorphism across these species. Interestingly,M. longipesevolved a specific mating behaviour where males compete for egg-laying sites, consisting of small floating objects, to intercept and copulate with gravid females. Through male–male competition assays, we demonstrated that male rear legs are used as weapons to dominate egg-laying sites and that intense competition is associated with the evolution of rear leg length exaggeration. Field observations revealed rapid fluctuation inM. longipeshabitat stability and the abundance of egg-laying sites. Paternity tests using genetic markers demonstrated that small males could only fertilize about 5% of the eggs when egg-laying sites are limiting, whereas this proportion increased to about 20% when egg-laying sites become abundant. Furthermore, diet manipulation and artificial selection experiments also showed that the exaggerated leg length inM. longipesmales is influenced by both genetic and nutritional factors. Collectively, our results highlight how fluctuation in the strength of directional sexual selection, through changes in the intensity of male competition, can drive the exaggeration and phenotypic variation in this weapon trait.
The Third Plague Pandemic in Europe
Authors: Bramanti Barbara , Dean Katharine R. , Walløe Lars , Chr. Stenseth Nils
Published: April 2019

Plague has a long history on the European continent, with evidence of the disease dating back to the Stone Age. Plague epidemics in Europe during the First and Second Pandemics, including the Black Death, are infamous for their widespread mortality and lasting social and economic impact. Yet, Europe still experienced plague outbreaks during the Third Pandemic, which began in China and spread globally at the end of the nineteenth century. The digitization of international records of notifiable diseases, including plague, has enabled us to retrace the introductions of the disease to Europe from the earliest reported cases in 1899, to its disappearance in the 1940s. Using supplemental literature, we summarize the potential sources of plague in Europe and the transmission of the disease, including the role of rats. Finally, we discuss the international efforts aimed at prevention and intervention measures, namely improved hygiene and sanitation, that ultimately led to the disappearance of plague in Europe.
Why has transparency evolved in aposematic butterflies? Insights from the largest radiation of aposematic butterflies, the Ithomiini
Authors: McClure Melanie , Clerc Corentin , Desbois Charlotte , Meichanetzoglou Aimilia , Cau Marion , Bastin-Héline Lucie , Bacigalupo Javier , Houssin Céline , Pinna Charline , Nay Bastien , Llaurens Violaine , Berthier Serge , Andraud Christine , Gomez Doris , Elias Marianne
Published: April 2019

Defended species are often conspicuous and this is thought to be an honest signal of defences, i.e. more toxic prey are more conspicuous. Neotropical butterflies of the large Ithomiini tribe numerically dominate communities of chemically defended butterflies and may thus drive the evolution of mimetic warning patterns. Although many species are brightly coloured, most are transparent to some degree. The evolution of transparency from a warning-coloured ancestor is puzzling as it is generally assumed to be involved in concealment. Here, we show that transparent Ithomiini species are indeed less detectable by avian predators (i.e. concealment). Surprisingly, transparent species are not any less unpalatable, and may in fact be more unpalatable than opaque species, the latter spanning a larger range of unpalatability. We put forth various hypotheses to explain the evolution of weak aposematic signals in these butterflies and other cryptic defended prey. Our study is an important step in determining the selective pressures and constraints that regulate the interaction between conspicuousness and unpalatability.
Predicting population change from models based on habitat availability and utilization
Authors: Matthiopoulos Jason , Field Christopher , MacLeod Ross
Published: April 2019

The need to understand the impacts of land management for conservation, agriculture and disease prevention are driving demand for new predictive ecology approaches that can reliably forecast future changes in population size. Currently, although the link between habitat composition and animal population dynamics is undisputed, its function has not been quantified in a way that enables accurate prediction of population change in nature. Here, using 12 house sparrow colonies as a proof-of-concept, we apply recent theoretical advances to predict population growth or decline from detailed data on habitat composition and habitat selection. We show, for the first time, that statistical population models using derived covariates constructed from parametric descriptions of habitat composition and habitat selection can explain an impressive 92% of observed population variation. More importantly, they provide excellent predictive power under cross-validation, anticipating 81% of variability in population change. These models may be embedded in readily available generalized linear modelling frameworks, allowing their rapid application to field systems. Furthermore, we use optimization on our sample of sparrow colonies to demonstrate how such models, linking populations to their habitats, permit the design of practical and environmentally sound habitat manipulations for managing populations.
Aging-related inflammation driven by cellular senescence enhances NAD consumption via activation of CD38+pro-inflammatory macrophages
Authors: Covarrubias Anthony J. , Kale Abhijit , Perrone Rosalba , Lopez-Dominguez Jose Alberto , Pisco Angela Oliveira , Kasler Herbert G. , Schmidt Mark S. , Wiley Christopher D. , Iyer Shankar S. , Basisty Natan , Wu Qiuxia , Kwok Ryan , Heckenbach Indra , Shin Kyong-Oh , Lee Yong-Moon , Ben-Sahra Issam , Ott Melanie , Schilling Birgit , Ishihara Katsuhiko , Quake Stephen R. , Newman John , Brenner Charles , Campisi Judith , Verdin Eric
Published: April 2019

Decline in tissue NAD levels during aging is linked to aging and its associated diseases. However, the mechanism for aging-associated NAD decline remains unclear. Here we report that pro-inflammatory M1-like macrophages, but not naïve or M2 macrophages, accumulate in metabolic tissues including visceral white adipose tissue and the liver during aging. Remarkably, these M1-like macrophages highly express the NAD consuming enzyme CD38 and have enhanced CD38-dependent NADase activity. We also find that senescent cells progressively accumulate in visceral white adipose tissue during aging and that inflammatory cytokines found in the supernatant from senescent cells (Senescence associated secretory proteins, SASP) induce macrophages to proliferate and to express CD38. These results highlight a new causal link between visceral tissue senescence and tissue NAD decline during aging and represent a novel therapeutic opportunity targeting maintenance of NAD levels during aging.
Implicit learning and exploitation of regularities involve hippocampal and prefrontal theta activity
Authors: Spaak Eelke , de Lange Floris P.
Published: April 2019

Observers rapidly and seemingly automatically learn to predict where to expect relevant items when those items are repeatedly presented in the same spatial context. This form of statistical learning in visual search has been studied extensively using a paradigm known as contextual cueing. The neural mechanisms underlying the learning and exploiting of such regularities remain unclear. We sought to elucidate these by examining behaviour and recording neural activity using magneto-encephalography (MEG) while observers were implicitly acquiring and exploiting statistical regularities. Computational modelling of behavioural data suggested that after repeated exposures to a spatial context, participants’ behaviour was marked by an abrupt switch to an exploitation strategy of the learnt regularities. MEG recordings showed that the initial learning phase was associated with larger hippocampal theta band activity for repeated scenes, while the subsequent exploitation phase showed larger prefrontal theta band activity for these repeated scenes. Strikingly, the behavioural benefit of repeated exposures to certain scenes was inversely related to explicit awareness of such repeats, demonstrating the implicit nature of the expectations acquired. This elucidates how theta activity in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex underpins the implicit learning and exploitation of spatial statistical regularities to optimize visual search behaviour.