bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stabilization of T2 relaxation and magnetization transfer in cartilage explants by immersion in perfluorocarbon liquid
Authors: Fishbein Kenneth W. , Sexton Kyle W. , Celik Hasan , Reiter David A. , Bouhrara Mustapha , Spencer Richard G.
Published: January 2019

Purpose

Magnetic resonance imaging of ex vivo cartilage measures parameters such as T2 and magnetization transfer ratio (MTR), which reflect structural changes associated with osteoarthritis. Samples are often immersed in aqueous solutions to prevent dehydration and to to improve susceptibility matching. This study sought to determine the extent to which T2 and MTR changes are attributable to immersion alone and to identify immersion conditions to minimize this confounding factor.

Methods

T2 and MTR were measured before and after immersion for up to 24 hours at 4°C. Bovine nasal and articular cartilage and human articular cartilage were studied. Experimental groups included undisturbed immersion in Fluorinert FC‐770, a susceptibility‐matched, hydrophobic liquid with minimal tissue penetration, and immersion in Fluorinert, Dulbecco’s phosphate‐buffered saline (DPBS), or saline, with removal from the magnet between scans. 19F and 1H‐MRI were used to detect cartilage penetration by Fluorinert and swelling, respectively.

Results

Saline and DPBS immersion rapidly increased T2, wet weight and cartilage volume and decreased MTR, suggesting increased water content for all cartilage types. Fluorinert‐immersed samples exhibited minimal changes in T2 or MTR. No ingress of Fluorinert was detected after 2 weeks of continuous immersion at 4°C.

Conclusion

Ex vivo quantitative MR studies of cartilage may be confounded by the effects of immersion in aqueous solution, which may be comparable to or larger than effects attributed to pathology. These effects may be mitigated by immersion in perfluorocarbon liquids such as Fluorinert FC‐770.
Sparsity adaptive reconstruction for highly accelerated cardiac MRI
Authors: Chen Chong , Liu Yingmin , Schniter Philip , Jin Ning , Craft Jason , Simonetti Orlando , Ahmad Rizwan
Published: January 2019

Purpose

To enable parameter‐free, accelerated cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR).

Methods

Regularized reconstruction methods, such as compressed sensing (CS), can significantly accelerate MRI data acquisition but require tuning of regularization weights. In this work, a technique, called Sparsity adaptive Composite Recovery (SCoRe) that exploits sparsity in multiple, disparate sparsifying transforms is presented. A data‐driven adjustment of the relative contributions of different transforms yields a parameter‐free CS recovery process. SCoRe is validated in a dynamic digital phantom as well as in retrospectively and prospectively undersampled cine CMR data.

Results

The results from simulation and 6 retrospectively undersampled datasets indicate that SCoRe with auto‐tuned regularization weights yields lower root‐mean‐square error (RMSE) and higher structural similarity index (SSIM) compared to state‐of‐the‐art CS methods. In 45 prospectively undersampled datasets acquired from 15 volunteers, the image quality was scored by 2 expert reviewers, with SCoRe receiving a higher average score (p  <  0.01) compared to other CS methods.

Conclusions

SCoRe enables accelerated cine CMR from highly undersampled data. In contrast to other acceleration techniques, SCoRe adapts regularization weights based on noise power and level of sparsity in each transform, yielding superior performance without admitting any free parameters.
Stability in a general oligopoly model
Authors: Federgruen Awi , Hu Ming
Published: January 2019

We analyze a general but parsimonious price competition model for an oligopoly in which each firm offers any number of products. The demand volumes are general piecewise affine functions of the full price vector, generated as the “regular” extension of a base set of affine functions. The model specifies aproduct assortment, along with their prices and demand volumes, in contrast to most commonly used demand models. We identify afully bestresponse operator which is monotonically increasing so that the market converges to a Nash equilibrium, when firms dynamically adjust their prices, as best responses to their competitors' prices, at least when starting in one of two price regions. Moreover, geometrically fast convergence to a common equilibrium can be guaranteed for an arbitrary starting point, under an additional condition for the price sensitivity matrix.
ZnO nanoparticles as chain elasticity reducer and structural elasticity enhancer: Correlating the degradating role and localization of ZnO with the morphological and mechanical properties of PLA/PP/ZnO nanocomposite
Authors: Keshavarzi Sahar , Babaei Amir , Goudarzi Alireza , Shakeri Alireza
Published: January 2019

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles on the morphological, mechanical, thermal, and rheological properties of PLA/PP blend. In this regard, nanocomposites containing 1, 3, and 5 wt% of ZnO nanoparticles were prepared by melt mixing. In addition, three different mixing procedures were adopted to study their effects on the microstructure of nanocomposites. The rheological behaviors demonstrated a higher elasticity and less compatibility for two phases in the case of nanocomposites containing nanoparticles in harmony with the morphological observations. Accordingly, it was correlated to the elasticity originating from the interphase, anticipated coalescence of dispersed particles as a result of degradation of PLA chains triggered by ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO‐NPs) and also agglomeration of ZnO‐NPs depending on the content of nanoparticles and chosen mixing procedure. It was also found that mixing method puts a remarkable influence on the microstructure and rheological behavior of nanocomposites. Results of mechanical characterizations and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) also confirmed the degradation induced by ZnO nanoparticles.
Application of a bio‐based polyester plasticizer modified by hydrosilicon‐hydrogenation reaction in soft PVC films
Authors: Ji Shufang , Gao Chuanhui , Wang Huizi , Liu Yuetao , Zhang Di , Zhang Shanfa , Lu Xiaotong , Wu Yumin , Hu Zunfu
Published: January 2019

A kind of bio‐based plasticizer, poly (hexanediol maleic) (MH), was synthesized using 1,6‐hexalene and maleic acid as raw materials, and it was modified by hydrosilicon‐hydrogenation reaction to improve its plasticizing efficiency. The chemical structure and plasticizing performance of MH and its modification product (MHA) were characterized by Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H‐NMR), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). It was found that the hydrosilicon‐hydrogenation modification effectively improved the plasticizing efficiency of MH, reflecting on the decreased Tg and the increased elongation at break of PVC blends. The migration resistance of PVC blends was tested and analyzed by solubility parameters, which revealed that the migration stabilities of PVC blends were promoted after modification. It was verified that the hydrogen bonding interaction between the CO group of plasticizers and α‐hydrogen of PVC exhibited in FTIR analysis was the main reason for the improvement of plasticizer performance of MH. Moreover, a new hydrogen bonding formed between SiOSi of MHA and the α‐hydrogen of PVC derived from XPS also caused the further improvement of plasticity for MHA.
NSD2 circular RNA promotes metastasis of colorectal cancer by targeting miR‐199b‐5p‐mediated DDR1 and JAG1 signalling
Authors: Chen Liang‐Yan , Zhi Zheng , Wang Lian , Zhao Yuan‐Yuan , Deng Min , Liu Yu‐Hong , Qin Yan , Tian Meng‐Meng , Liu Yao , Shen Tong , Sun Li‐Na , Li Jian‐Ming
Published: January 2019

Liver metastasis is the main cause of death in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Here, we searched for CRC metastasis‐associated circular RNA in a mouse model of liver metastasis of CRC by using RNA (transcriptome)‐sequencing. We identified a novel and conserved circular RNA, circ‐NSD2, functioning as a promoter of CRC metastasis. Circ‐NSD2 expression was elevated in CRC tissues and was markedly increased in advanced stages or metastatic tumours of CRC patients. Gain‐of‐function and loss‐of‐function experiments demonstrated that circ‐NSD2 promoted migration and metastasis of CRC in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, circ‐NSD2 acted as a sponge for the tumour suppressor miR‐199b‐5p and activated DDR1 (discoidin domain receptor tyrosine kinase 1) and JAG1 (Jagged 1) genes, which synergistically helped with cell–matrix interaction, migration and metastasis of CRC cells. Taken together, our findings highlight a novel oncogenic function of circ‐NSD2 and uncover a key mechanism for the circ‐NSD2/miR‐199b‐5p/DDR1/JAG1 axis in CRC metastasis, which may serve as a prognostic factor and therapeutic target for antimetastatic therapy in CRC patients. Copyright © 2019 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Microwave discharge in liquid n‐heptane with and without bubble flow of argon
Authors: Averin Konstantin A. , Bilera Igor V. , Lebedev Yuri A. , Shakhatov Viatcheslav A. , Epstein Irene L.
Published: January 2019

Emission spectra and gas products of microwave discharge in liquid n‐heptane with and without argon bubbling (6–40 l h−1) are investigated. The discharge was excited in a system with a coaxial input of energy. The pressure above the surface of the liquid was equal to atmospheric pressure. It is shown that the addition of argon changes the spectral composition of the plasma radiation, in which the emission of hydrogen and argon atomic lines appears. The addition of argon does not affect the rotational and vibrational temperatures of the state , the composition and the ratio of the main gas products (H2, CH4, C2H2, C2H4).
Laboratory and field survival of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on Bt and non‐Bt maize and its susceptibility to insecticides
Authors: Muraro Dionei S , Garlet Cinthia G , Godoy Daniela N , Cossa Gisele E , Rodrigues Junior Gerson L dos S , Stacke Regis F , Medeiros Sandro LP , Guedes Jerson VC , Bernardi Oderlei
Published: January 2019

BACKGROUND

Field‐evolved resistance of fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith), has been reported to Bt maize technologies in Brazil. The control failures of FAW by Bt maize increased the use of insecticides for their control. However, no information is available on the interaction between resistant FAW and their response to insecticides. Here, we evaluated the survival of FAW strains on Bt and non‐Bt maize in laboratory and field conditions, and their susceptibility to insecticides.

RESULTS

In the laboratory, resistant FAW larvae reared on Bt and non‐Bt maize showed a similar susceptibility to spinetoram (LC50 = 0.16–0.18 µg a.i. cm−2) and chlorfenapyr (LC50 = 0.17–0.20 µg a.i. cm−2). However, their susceptibility was lower than that of the susceptible strain reared on non‐Bt maize: LC50 = 0.05 (spinetoram) and 0.08 (chlorfenapyr) µg a.i. cm−2. In contrast, heterozygous strains had similar susceptibility to the susceptible strain. In field trials, no differences in FAW survival were detected between strains when the commercial dose of two insecticides was applied in Bt and non‐Bt maize.

CONCLUSION

FAW strains surviving on Bt and non‐Bt maize, at the same development stage, have similar susceptibility to insecticides. The integrated pest management practices and insect resistance management importance of these results are discussed. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
Effects of Oxygen Ratio on the Properties of Tin Oxide Thin Films Doped with Bismuth
Authors: Bang Hyo In , Seo Han Byeol , Bae Byung Seong , Yun Eui‐Jung
Published: January 2019

This study examins the effects of the oxygen ratio on the properties of bismuth (Bi)‐doped tin oxide (Bi‐SnOx) films deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering using a SnO (90 at%)‐Bi (10 at%) ceramic target. The properties of the samples are characterized by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Hall effect measurements, dynamic‐secondary ion mass spectrometry (D‐SIMS), and X‐ray diffraction (XRD). The samples deposited without oxygen gas exhibit Sn4+ and Sn2+ XPS peak areas of 44.7 and 41.1%, respectively. The Sn4+ area increases to 64.1% with increasing oxygen ratio up to 20% with a concomitant decrease of the Sn2+ area to 26%, indicating that SnO2 with n‐type conductivity is the dominant phase under a higher oxygen partial pressure. XPS shows that with increasing oxygen ratio, the chemical state of Bi changes from metallic Bi (Bi0) to Bi3+. Furthermore, with increasing oxygen ratio, the Bi content in the samples increases because of the increase in Bi2O3 formation, which causes a decrease in the number of oxygen vacancies in the samples. These results suggest that the oxygen ratio is useful for controlling Bi doping in SnOx films. Therefore, Bi doping is valuable for suppressing the formation of oxygen vacancies and improving the properties of SnOx films.
A new approach for free vibration analysis of nonuniform tall building structures with axial force effects
Authors: Ramezani Mehrnoosh , Mohammadizadeh Mohammad Reza , Shojaee Saeed
Published: January 2019

Dynamic analysis of beam‐like structures is significantly important in modeling actual cases such as tall buildings and several other related applications as well. This article studies free vibration analysis of tall buildings with nonuniform cross‐section structures. A novel and simple approach is presented to solve natural frequencies of free vibration of cantilevered tall structures with variable flexural rigidity and mass densities. These systems could be replaced by a cantilever Timoshenko beam with varying cross‐sections. The governing partial differential equation for vibration of a nonuniform Timoshenko beam under variable axial loads is transformed with varying coefficients to its weak form of integral equations. Natural frequencies can be determined by requiring the resulting integral equation, which has a nontrivial solution. The presented method in this study has fast convergence. Including high accuracy for the obtained numerical results as well. Numerical examples including framed tube as well as tube‐in‐tube structures are carried out in the study and compared with available results in the literature, and also with the results obtained from finite element analysis in order to show the accuracy of the proposed method in the study. Obtained results indicate that the presented method in this study is powerful enough for the free vibration analysis of tall buildings.
Scenarios for sustainable energy in Scotland
Authors: Child Michael , Ilonen Roope , Vavilov Mihail , Kolehmainen Mikko , Breyer Christian
Published: January 2019

High shares of renewable energy, particularly wind power, were modelled in several future scenarios for the Scottish energy system. In the first part of this work, it was determined that Scotland could produce the equivalent baseload power for supply to England at a lower overall cost (99 €/MWh) than the proposed subsidized price (112 €/MWh) to be paid for electricity generated from the proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant. This cost includes all extra generation capacity and transmission lines. In the second part of this work, it was determined that a 100% renewable energy system could be achieved at an annualized cost of 10.7 b€/a, approximately 8% less than the 11.7 b€/a expected for an energy system composed of 75% renewable energy. In the 100% renewable energy system, cost savings are achieved through effective energy storage, sector integration, and flexible generation from dispatchable renewable energy resources, such as hydropower (1.7 GWe), bioenergy, and synthetic fuels. Complementary resources to 23.4 GWe of wind power also included solar photovoltaics (10.1 GWe), tidal power (1.5 GWe), and wave power (0.3 GWe). It was also determined that carbon capture and utilization would be a preferable strategy to carbon capture and storage for Scotland. Complete defossilization of the Scottish energy system appears feasible by 2050, given the assumptions used in this study.
Water treatment residual‐coated wood mulch for addressing urban stormwater pollution
Authors: Soleimanifar Hanieh , Deng Yang , Barrett Kirk , Feng Huan , Li Xiaona , Sarkar Dibyendu
Published: January 2019

Innovative treatment materials and technologies are demanded to address urban stormwater pollutants that challenge traditional infrastructure. This study aimed to investigate adsorption behaviors of aluminum‐based water treatment residual (WTR)‐coated mulch for capturing representative runoff pollutants (i.e., P, Cu, Zn, and Pb) and evaluate its treatment performance in a filtration bed. Data from batch studies were fit using the nonlinear least square optimization technique. Adsorption kinetic data followed the pseudo‐2nd‐order reaction patterns, while the adsorption isotherm data obeyed the Freundlich models. Model fitting passed the chi‐square tests, as a statistical goodness‐of‐fit criterion, at a 90% confidence level. Column studies indicate that the WTR‐coated mulch with a bed depth of 5.1 or 10.2 cm could effectively alleviate flow‐weighted mean concentrations of these pollutants, with a minimal aluminum release, during treatment of the equivalent annual runoff in a typical U.S. Northeastern catchment. This study demonstrates that WTR‐coated mulch is an effective and safe adsorbent media to tackle urban stormwater pollution.

Practitioner points

Aluminum‐based WTR‐coated wood mulch can simultaneously and effectively capture representative metals and phosphate in urban runoff.

The pollutant adsorption follows the pseudo‐2nd‐order kinetic reaction patterns and the Freundlich isotherm model.

WTR‐coated mulch (5.1–10.2 cm bed depth) sufficiently treats the runoff generated annually in a typical U.S. Northeastern catchment.

Higher and more reliable pollutant removals can be achieved with a greater bed depth of the coated mulch in a filtration bed.

Aluminium release is minimal during application of the WTR‐coated wood mulch.
Correction to: Impacts of Coastal Land Use and Shoreline Armoring on Estuarine Ecosystems: an Introduction to a Special Issue
Authors: Prosser Diann J. , Jordan Thomas E. , Nagel Jessica L. , Seitz Rochelle D. , Weller Donald E. , Whigham Dennis F.
Published: January 2019

The article Impacts of Coastal Land Use and Shoreline Armoring on Estuarine Ecosystems: an Introduction to a Special Issue, written by Diann J. Prosser, Thomas E. Jordan, Jessica L. Nagel, Rochelle D. Seitz, Donald E. Weller, and Dennis F. Whigham.
Large-eddy simulation of temporally developing double helical vortices
Authors: Chapelier J.-B. , Wasistho B. , Scalo C.
Published: January 2019

This paper investigates the transient regime and turbulent wake characteristics of temporally developing double helical vortices via high-fidelity large-eddy simulation (LES) for circulation Reynolds numbers in the range $Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E4}}=7000{-}70\,000$, vortex-core radii between $r_{c}=0.06R$ and $0.2R$ and helical pitches in the range $h=0.36R{-}0.61R$, where $R$ is the initial helix radius. The present study achieves three objectives: (i) assess the influence of $Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E4}}$, $r_{c}$ and $h$ on the growth rates of the helical vortex instability driven by mutual inductance; (ii) characterize the type of vortex reconnection events that appear during transition; (iii) study the characteristics of turbulence in the far wake, and in particular quantify the anisotropy in the flow. The initial transient dynamics is conveniently described in terms of the non-dimensional time $t^{\star }=t\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E4}/h^{2}$, yielding the dimensionless growth rate of $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}^{\ast }\sim 20$ and collapsing of all the LES data for a given $r_{c}/h$ ratio. The vortex-core displacement growth rate is found to be Reynolds-number independent, and decreases for larger $r_{c}/h$ ratios. Several vortex reconnection events are identified during the transition, mostly initiated by the leap frogging of helical vortices. This phenomenon causes the entanglement of orthogonal vortex filaments, leading to their separation, followed by the creation of elongated threads in the axial direction. The turbulent wake generated by the breakdown of the helical vortices is found to be highly anisotropic with the axial fluctuations being dominant compared to the radial and azimuthal fluctuations (near one-dimensional turbulence). The study of integral length scales shows the presence of a strong large-scale anisotropy, retaining the memory of the initial helical pitch $h$, in particular for the integral scale in the axial direction. The large-scale anisotropy is propagated through the inertial and dissipative ranges, determined from the computation of the moments of velocity gradients in the three directions.
Filtered lifting line theory and application to the actuator line model
Authors: Martínez-Tossas Luis A. , Meneveau Charles
Published: January 2019

Lifting line theory describes the cumulative effect of shed vorticity from finite span lifting surfaces. In this work, the theory is reformulated to improve the accuracy of the actuator line model (ALM). This model is a computational tool used to represent lifting surfaces, such as wind-turbine blades in computational fluid dynamics. In ALM, blade segments are represented by means of a Gaussian body force distribution with a prescribed kernel size. Prior analysis has shown that a representation of the blade using an optimal kernel width$\unicode[STIX]{x1D716}^{opt}$of approximately one quarter of the chord size results in accurate predictions of the velocity field and loads along the blades. Also, simulations have shown that use of the optimal kernel size yields accurate representation of the tip-vortex size and the associated downwash resulting in accurate predictions of the tip losses. In this work, we address the issue of how to represent the effects of finite span wings and tip vortices when using Gaussian body forces with a kernel size larger than the optimal value. This question is relevant in the context of coarse-scale large-eddy simulations that cannot afford the fine resolutions required to resolve the optimal kernel size. For this purpose, we present a filtered lifting line theory for a Gaussian force distribution. Based on the streamwise component of the vorticity transport equation, we develop an analytical model for the induced velocity resulting from the spanwise changes in lift force for an arbitrary kernel scale. The results are used to derive a subfilter-scale velocity model that is used to correct the velocity along the blade when using kernel sizes larger than$\unicode[STIX]{x1D716}^{opt}$. Tests are performed in large-eddy simulation of flow over fixed wings with constant and elliptic chord distributions using various kernel sizes. Results show that by using the proposed subfilter velocity model, kernel-size independent predictions of lift coefficient and total lift forces agree with those obtained with the optimal kernel size.
Quantitative estimates for bending energies and applications to non-local variational problems
Authors: Goldman Michael , Novaga Matteo , Röger Matthias
Published: January 2019

We discuss a variational model, given by a weighted sum of perimeter, bending and Riesz interaction energies, that could be considered as a toy model for charged elastic drops. The different contributions have competing preferences for strongly localized and maximally dispersed structures. We investigate the energy landscape in dependence of the size of the ‘charge’, that is, the weight of the Riesz interaction energy.

In the two-dimensional case, we first prove that for simply connected sets of small elastica energy, the elastica deficit controls the isoperimetric deficit. Building on this result, we show that for small charge the only minimizers of the full variational model are either balls or centred annuli. We complement these statements by a non-existence result for large charge. In three dimensions, we prove area and diameter bounds for configurations with small Willmore energy and show that balls are the unique minimizers of our variational model for sufficiently small charge.
Binary quadratic forms and ray class groups
Authors: Eum Ick Sun , Koo Ja Kyung , Shin Dong Hwa
Published: January 2019

LetKbe an imaginary quadratic field different from$\open{Q}(\sqrt {-1})$and$\open{Q}(\sqrt {-3})$. For a positive integerN, letKNbe the ray class field ofKmodulo$N {\cal O}_K$. By using the congruence subgroup ± Γ1(N) of SL2(ℤ), we construct an extended form class group whose operation is basically the Dirichlet composition, and explicitly show that this group is isomorphic to the Galois group Gal(KN/K). We also present an algorithm to find all distinct form classes and show how to multiply two form classes. As an application, we describe Gal(KNab/K) in terms of these extended form class groups for whichKNabis the maximal abelian extension ofKunramified outside prime ideals dividing$N{\cal O}_K$.
Associations between dietary insulin load with cardiovascular risk factors and inflammatory parameters in elderly men: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Mozaffari Hadis , Namazi Nazli , Larijani Bagher , Surkan Pamela J. , Azadbakht Leila
Published: January 2019

Given the limited research on dietary insulin load (DIL), we examined DIL in relation to cardiovascular risk factors and inflammatory biomarkers in elderly men. For the present cross-sectional study, we recruited 357 elderly men. Dietary intake was assessed using FFQ. DIL was estimated by multiplying the insulin index of each food by its energy content and frequency of consumption and then summing the final value of all food items. After adjustment for covariates, a significant positive association was observed between high DIL with fasting blood sugar (FBS) levels (OR: 7·52; 95 % CI 3·38, 16·75; P=0·0001) and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (OR: 3·03; 95 % CI 1·54, 5·94; P=0·001). However, there was no association between high DIL and BMI (OR: 1·43; 95 % CI 0·75, 2·75; P=0·27), serum TAG level (OR: 0·82; 95 % CI 0·26, 2·59; P=0·73), HDL-cholesterol (OR: 2·03; 95 % CI 0·79, 5·23; P=0·13) and fibrinogen (OR: 1·57; 95 % CI 0·80, 3·06; P=0·18). Overall, elderly men with high DIL had higher FBS and hs-CRP levels than those with low DIL. Future studies are needed to clarify the association between DIL and other cardiovascular risk factors in both men and women.
Stunting, wasting and breast-feeding as correlates of body composition in Cambodian children at 6 and 15 months of age
Authors: Skau Jutta K. H. , Grenov Benedikte , Chamnan Chhoun , Chea Mary , Wieringa Frank T. , Dijkhuizen Marjoleine A. , Ritz Christian , Wells Jonathan C. , Berger Jacques , Filteau Suzanne , Roos Nanna , Michaelsen Kim F. , Friis Henrik
Published: January 2019

The study aimed at assessing stunting, wasting and breast-feeding as correlates of body composition in Cambodian children. As part of a nutrition trial (ISRCTN19918531), fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) were measured using2H dilution at 6 and 15 months of age. Of 419 infants enrolled, 98 % were breastfed, 15 % stunted and 4 % wasted at 6 months. At 15 months, 78 % were breastfed, 24 % stunted and 11 % wasted. Those not breastfed had lower FMI at 6 months but not at 15 months. Stunted children had lower FM at 6 months and lower FFM at 6 and 15 months compared with children with length-for-agez≥0. Stunting was not associated with height-adjusted indexes fat mass index (FMI) or fat-free mass index (FFMI). Wasted children had lower FM, FFM, FMI and FFMI at 6 and 15 months compared with children with weight-for-lengthz(WLZ) ≥0. Generally, FFM and FFMI deficits increased with age, whereas FM and FMI deficits decreased, reflecting interactions between age and WLZ. For example, the FFM deficits were –0·99 (95 % CI –1·26, –0·72) kg at 6 months and –1·44 (95 % CI –1·69; –1·19) kg at 15 months (interaction,P<0·05), while the FMI deficits were –2·12 (95 % CI –2·53, –1·72) kg/m2at 6 months and –1·32 (95 % CI –1·77, –0·87) kg/m2at 15 months (interaction,P<0·05). This indicates that undernourished children preserve body fat at the detriment of fat-free tissue, which may have long-term consequences for health and working capacity.
‘If I Speak, They Will Kill Me, to Remain Silent Is to Die’: Poetry of resistance in General Zia's Pakistan (1977–88)
Authors: KALRA VIRINDER S. , BUTT WAQAS
Published: January 2019

The ethnic and sectarian divisions that were part of General Zia's (1977–88) political strategies in Pakistan were resisted not only through street protest and political opposition, but also in the realm of culture. In particular, poetry was a vehicle through which to express discontent as well as to mobilize the population. By offering an analysis of a number of poems and the biographies of the political poets who wrote them, this article offers another perspective on the question of resistance in this period of Pakistan's history. Whilst the outcome of the policy of ethnic division was to divide the struggle against General Zia into a broad anti-Punjab front, this article highlights how it was class division and the securing of elite consent that were the major achievements of the Zia regime. In contrast to previous research, we highlight how resistance came from all groups in Pakistan as reflected in the poetry and literature of the time.
Oxygenic photosynthesis: history, status and perspective
Authors: Junge Wolfgang
Published: January 2019

Cyanobacteria and plants carry out oxygenic photosynthesis. They use water to generate the atmospheric oxygen we breathe and carbon dioxide to produce the biomass serving as food, feed, fibre and fuel. This paper scans the emergence of structural and mechanistic understanding of oxygen evolution over the past 50 years. It reviews speculative concepts and the stepped insight provided by novel experimental and theoretical techniques. Driven by sunlight photosystem II oxidizes the catalyst of water oxidation, a hetero-metallic Mn4CaO5(H2O)4cluster. Mn3Ca are arranged in cubanoid and one Mn dangles out. By accumulation of four oxidizing equivalents before initiating dioxygen formation it matches the four-electron chemistry from water to dioxygen to the one-electron chemistry of the photo-sensitizer. Potentially harmful intermediates are thereby occluded in space and time. Kinetic signatures of the catalytic cluster and its partners in the photo-reaction centre have been resolved, in the frequency domain ranging from acoustic waves via infra-red to X-ray radiation, and in the time domain from nano- to milli-seconds. X-ray structures to a resolution of 1.9 Å are available. Even time resolved X-ray structures have been obtained by clocking the reaction cycle by flashes of light and diffraction with femtosecond X-ray pulses. The terminal reaction cascade from two molecules of water to dioxygen involves the transfer of four electrons, two protons, one dioxygen and one water. A rigorous mechanistic analysis is challenging because of the kinetic enslaving at millisecond duration of six partial reactions (4e−, 1H+, 1O2). For the time being a peroxide-intermediate in the reaction cascade to dioxygen has been in focus, both experimentally and by quantum chemistry.Homo sapienshas relied on burning the products of oxygenic photosynthesis, recent and fossil. Mankind's total energy consumption amounts to almost one-fourth of the global photosynthetic productivity. If the average power consumption equalled one of those nations with the highest consumption per capita it was four times greater and matched the total productivity. It is obvious that biomass should be harvested for food, feed, fibre and platform chemicals rather than for fuel.
Coattails, Raincoats, and Congressional Election Outcomes
Authors: Rogers Steven
Published: January 2019

More than 60 years ago, Angus Campbell offered an explanation for why the president’s party regularly loses congressional seats in midterm elections. He argued that peripheral voters “surge” to the polls in presidential elections and support the president’s congressional co-partisans but “decline” to turn out in the midterm. In his turnout-based explanation for midterm loss, Campbell speculated that “bad weather or an epidemic may affect the vote” but largely dismissed weather’s utility to test his theory (Campbell 1960, 399). I revisit Campbell’s speculation and employ a new identification strategy to investigate the “surge and decline” account of midterm loss. I show that as the costs of voting increase—due to above-average rainfall on Election Day—the strength of the relationship between presidential and congressional voting weakens.
Waterproof coatings for high-power laser cavities
Authors: Cheng Xinbin , Dong Siyu , Zhi Song , Paschel Sebastian , Balasa Istvan , Ristau Detlev , Wang Zhanshan
Published: January 2019

With the ever-increasing laser power and repetition rate, thermal control of laser media is becoming increasingly important. Except for widely used air cooling or a bonded heat sink, water cooling of a laser medium is more effective in removing waste heat. However, how to protect deliquescent laser media from water erosion is a challenging issue. Here, novel waterproof coatings were proposed to shield Nd:Glass from water erosion. After clarifying the dependence of the waterproof property of single layers on their microstructures and pore characteristics, nanocomposites that dope SiO2 in HfO2 were synthesized using an ion-assisted co-evaporation process to solve the issue of a lack of a high-index material that simultaneously has a dense amorphous microstructure and wide bandgap. Hf0.7Si0.3O2/SiO2 multifunctional coatings were finally shown to possess an excellent waterproof property, high laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) and good spectral performance, which can be used as the enabling components for thermal control in high-power laser cavities.
Dendritic cell vaccination plus low-dose doxorubicin for the treatment of spontaneous canine hemangiosarcoma
Authors: Konduri V. , Halpert M. M. , Baig Y. C. , Coronado R. , Rodgers J. R. , Levitt J. M. , Cerroni B. , Piscoya S. , Wilson N. , DiBernardi L. , Omarbekov Z. , Seelhoff L. , Ravi V. , Douglass L. , Decker W. K.
Published: January 2019

Angiosarcoma is a deadly neoplasm of the vascular endothelium. Metastatic disease is often present at diagnosis, and 5-year survival is only 10–35%. Although there exist no immunocompetent mouse models of angiosarcoma with which to study immune-based approaches to therapy, angiosarcoma is a major killer of companion dogs, responsible for up to 2% of all canine deaths in some susceptible breeds or an estimated 120,000 per year in the US. The canine disease (HSA) often presents in the spleen as acute hemoabdomen secondary to splenic rupture. Even if life-saving splenectomy is performed, median overall survival (OS) is only 48 days, and 1-year survival is negligible. Here we report the analysis of a pilot phase I open-label trial of chemo-immunotherapy performed on consecutively presenting splenectomized canines with histologically verified HSA. Subjects received an abbreviated course of low-dose doxorubicin plus alpha interferon and an autologous dendritic cell-therapy reported to enhance durable CD8+memory. Disease was monitored monthly by abdominal ultrasound, chest X-ray, and echocardiogram. Median OS in the per protocol population was 109 days including one of five animals that died cancer-free at 16 months after documented resolution of relapsed disease. These results indicate that therapeutic administration of chemo-immunotherapy is both feasible and safe, substantiating the rationale for additional veterinary and human clinical studies.
GATA6 suppresses migration and metastasis by regulating the miR-520b/CREB1 axis in gastric cancer
Authors: Liu Hao , Du Feng , Sun Lina , Wu Qingfeng , Wu Jian , Tong Mingfu , Wang Xin , Wang Qi , Cao Tianyu , Gao Xiaoliang , Cao Jiayi , Wu Nan , Nie Yongzhan , Fan Daiming , Lu Yuanyuan , Zhao Xiaodi
Published: January 2019

Transcription factors (TFs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) are tightly linked to each other in tumor development and progression, but their interactions in gastric cancer (GC) metastasis remain elusive. Here we report a novel suppressive role of GATA6 in inhibiting GC metastasis by transactivating miR-520b. We found that GATA6 expression was significantly downregulated in metastatic GC cells and tissues and that its downregulation was correlated with a poor GC prognosis. Overexpression of GATA6 suppressed GC cell migration, invasion and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. Luciferase reporter assays and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that miR-520b is a direct transcriptional target of GATA6. Moreover, miR-520b expression was positively correlated with GATA6 expression in GC tissues, and ectopic expression of miR-520b inhibited the migration and invasion of GC cells. Furthermore, cAMP responsive element binding protein 1 (CREB1) was identified as a direct and functional target of miR-520b, and GATA6 could suppress GC cell migration and metastasis via miR-520b-mediated repression of CREB1. Downregulation of GATA6 and miR-520b may partly account for the overexpression of CREB1 in GC. In conclusion, our results provide novel insight into the TF-miRNA regulatory network involved in GC metastasis. Targeting the GATA6/miR-520b/CREB1 axis may be an effective approach for GC treatment.
Nanoparticle enhanced MRI can monitor macrophage response to CD47 mAb immunotherapy in osteosarcoma
Authors: Mohanty Suchismita , Yerneni Ketan , Theruvath Johanna Lena , Graef Claus Moritz , Nejadnik Hossein , Lenkov Olga , Pisani Laura , Rosenberg Jarrett , Mitra Siddhartha , Cordero Alejandro Sweet , Cheshier Samuel , Daldrup-Link Heike E.
Published: January 2019

CD47 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) activate tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in sarcomas to phagocytose and eliminate cancer cells. Though CD47 mAbs have entered clinical trials, diagnostic tests for monitoring therapy response in vivo are currently lacking. Ferumoxytol is an FDA-approved iron supplement which can be used “off label” as a contrast agent: the nanoparticle-based drug is phagocytosed by TAM and can be detected with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We evaluated if ferumoxytol-enhanced MRI can monitor TAM response to CD47 mAb therapy in osteosarcomas. Forty-eight osteosarcoma-bearing mice were treated with CD47 mAb or control IgG and underwent pre- and post-treatment ferumoxytol-MRI scans. Tumor enhancement, quantified as T2 relaxation times, was compared with the quantity of TAMs as determined by immunofluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. Quantitative data were compared between experimental groups using exact two-sided Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. Compared to IgG-treated controls, CD47 mAb-treated tumors demonstrated significantly shortened T2 relaxation times on ferumoxytol-MRI scans (p < 0.01) and significantly increased F4/80+CD80+ M1 macrophages on histopathology (p < 0.01). CD47 mAb-treated F4/80+ macrophages demonstrated significantly augmented phagocytosis of ferumoxytol nanoparticles (p < 0.01). Thus, we conclude that ferumoxytol-MRI can detect TAM response to CD47 mAb in mouse models of osteosarcoma. The ferumoxytol-MRI imaging test could be immediately applied to monitor CD47 mAb therapies in clinical trials.
Tetrandrine enhances the ubiquitination and degradation of Syk through an AhR-c-src-c-Cbl pathway and consequently inhibits osteoclastogenesis and bone destruction in arthritis
Authors: Jia Yugai , Tao Yu , Lv Changjun , Xia Yufeng , Wei Zhifeng , Dai Yue
Published: January 2019

Recently, we reported that tetrandrine, a natural alkaloid, could inhibit the osteoclastogenesis and bone erosion through enhancing the ubiquitination and degradation of spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk). Herein, we addressed whether and how aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) mediate the effect of tetrandrine. In vitro, tetrandrine was shown to repress RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis and the expression of osteoclast-related marker genes, which was almost completely reversed by either AhR antagonist CH223191 or siRNA. In pre-osteoclasts, tetrandrine enhanced the ubiquitination and degradation of Syk through the AhR/c-src/c-Cbl signaling pathway, downregulated the expression of phospho-Syk and phospho-PLCγ2, and inhibited the nuclear translocation of NFATc1, a master transcription factor for osteoclastogenesis. Notably, tetrandrine acted through the non-genomic pathway of the ligand-activated AhR, as evidenced by the fact that the effect of tetrandrine did not change in the absence of AhR nuclear translocator. In collagen-induced arthritis rats, oral administration of tetrandrine decreased the number of phospho-Syk-positive cells and osteoclasts, and reduced the bone erosion in the areas of the proximal tibial epiphysis excluding the cortical bone. A combined use with CH223191 almost abolished the effect of tetrandrine. These findings revealed that tetrandrine enhanced the ubiquitination and degradation of Syk and consequently repressed the osteoclastogenesis and bone destruction through the AhR-c-src-c-Cbl pathway.
Bio-realistic synaptic characteristics in the cone-shaped ZnO memristive device
Authors: Sokolov Andrey Sergeevich , Jeon Yu-Rim , Kim Sohyeon , Ku Boncheol , Choi Changhwan
Published: January 2019

We demonstrate inherent biorealistic synaptic plasticity functions in the Pt/n-ZnO/SiO2–x/Pt heterostructures, where the n-ZnO semiconductor is geometrically cone-shaped in the size of a few nanometers. The synaptic functions were achieved within a two-terminal, electroforming-free, and low-power rectifying diode-like resistive switching device. The important rate-dependent synaptic functions, such as the nonlinear transient conduction behavior, short- and long-term plasticity, paired-pulse facilitation, spike-rate-dependent plasticity and sliding threshold effect, were investigated in a single device. These characteristics closely mimic the memory and learning functions of those in biosynapses, where frequency-dependent identical spiking operations are mostly taking place, and we emulate these characteristics in the “Learning-Forgetting-Relearning” synaptic behavior. The switching dynamics in the cone-shaped n-ZnO semiconductor are correlated with the transport mechanism along the grain boundaries of the charged ion species, namely, oxygen vacancies and charged oxygen. The diffusion and generation/recombination of these defects have specific time scales of self-decay by virtue of the asymmetric profile of the n-ZnO cone defects. Finally, the essential biorealistic synaptic plasticity functions were discovered for the perspectives of dynamic/adaptive electronic synapse implementations in hardware-based neuromorphic computing.
Active control of anapole states by structuring the phase-change alloy Ge2Sb2Te5
Authors: Tian Jingyi , Luo Hao , Yang Yuanqing , Ding Fei , Qu Yurui , Zhao Ding , Qiu Min , Bozhevolnyi Sergey I.
Published: January 2019

High-index dielectric nanoparticles supporting a distinct series of Mie resonances have enabled a new class of optical antennas with unprecedented functionalities. The great wealth of multipolar responses has not only brought in new physical insight but also spurred practical applications. However, how to make such a colorful resonance palette actively tunable is still elusive. Here, we demonstrate that the structured phase-change alloy Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) can support a diverse set of multipolar Mie resonances with active tunability. By harnessing the dramatic optical contrast of GST, we realize broadband (Δλ/λ ~ 15%) mode shifting between an electric dipole resonance and an anapole state. Active control of higher-order anapoles and multimodal tuning are also investigated, which make the structured GST serve as a multispectral optical switch with high extinction contrasts (>6 dB). With all these findings, our study provides a new direction for realizing active nanophotonic devices.
In vivo proximity proteomics of nascent synapses reveals a novel regulator of cytoskeleton-mediated synaptic maturation
Authors: Spence Erin F. , Dube Shataakshi , Uezu Akiyoshi , Locke Margaret , Soderblom Erik J. , Soderling Scott H.
Published: January 2019

Excitatory synapse formation during development involves the complex orchestration of both structural and functional alterations at the postsynapse. However, the molecular mechanisms that underlie excitatory synaptogenesis are only partially resolved, in part because the internal machinery of developing synapses is largely unknown. To address this, we apply a chemicogenetic approach, in vivo biotin identification (iBioID), to discover aspects of the proteome of nascent synapses. This approach uncovered sixty proteins, including a previously uncharacterized protein, CARMIL3, which interacts in vivo with the synaptic cytoskeletal regulator proteins SrGAP3 (or WRP) and actin capping protein. Using new CRISPR-based approaches, we validate that endogenous CARMIL3 is localized to developing synapses where it facilitates the recruitment of capping protein and is required for spine structural maturation and AMPAR recruitment associated with synapse unsilencing. Together these proteomic and functional studies reveal a previously unknown mechanism important for excitatory synapse development in the developing perinatal brain.
Alveolar proteins stabilize cortical microtubules in Toxoplasma gondii
Authors: Harding Clare R. , Gow Matthew , Kang Joon Ho , Shortt Emily , Manalis Scott R. , Meissner Markus , Lourido Sebastian
Published: January 2019

Single-celled protists use elaborate cytoskeletal structures, including arrays of microtubules at the cell periphery, to maintain polarity and rigidity. The obligate intracellular parasiteToxoplasma gondiihas unusually stable cortical microtubules beneath the alveoli, a network of flattened membrane vesicles that subtends the plasmalemma. However, anchoring of microtubules along alveolar membranes is not understood. Here, we show that GAPM1a, an integral membrane protein of the alveoli, plays a role in maintaining microtubule stability. Degradation of GAPM1a causes cortical microtubule disorganisation and subsequent depolymerisation. These changes in the cytoskeleton lead to parasites becoming shorter and rounder, which is accompanied by a decrease in cellular volume. Extended GAPM1a depletion leads to severe defects in division, reminiscent of the effect of disrupting other alveolar proteins. We suggest that GAPM proteins link the cortical microtubules to the alveoli and are required to maintain the shape and rigidity of apicomplexan zoites.
Near-atomic structure of a giant virus
Authors: Fang Qianglin , Zhu Dongjie , Agarkova Irina , Adhikari Jagat , Klose Thomas , Liu Yue , Chen Zhenguo , Sun Yingyuan , Gross Michael L. , Van Etten James L. , Zhang Xinzheng , Rossmann Michael G.
Published: January 2019

Although the nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDVs) are one of the largest group of viruses that infect many eukaryotic hosts, the near-atomic resolution structures of these viruses have remained unknown. Here we describe a 3.5 Å resolution icosahedrally averaged capsid structure of Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus 1 (PBCV-1). This structure consists of 5040 copies of the major capsid protein, 60 copies of the penton protein and 1800 minor capsid proteins of which there are 13 different types. The minor capsid proteins form a hexagonal network below the outer capsid shell, stabilizing the capsid by binding neighboring capsomers together. The size of the viral capsid is determined by a tape-measure, minor capsid protein of which there are 60 copies in the virion. Homologs of the tape-measure protein and some of the other minor capsid proteins exist in other NCLDVs. Thus, a similar capsid assembly pathway might be used by other NCLDVs.
Author Correction: Remote sensing quantifies widespread abundance of permafrost region disturbances across the Arctic and Subarctic
Authors: Nitze I. , Grosse G. , Jones B. M. , Romanovsky V. E. , Boike J.
Published: January 2019

The original version of this Article contained an error in the author affiliations. Affiliation 5 incorrectly read ‘Tyumen State Oil and Gas University, Tyumen, Tyument. Oblast, Russian Federation, 625000’.This has now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.