bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The metabolic cross‐talk between epithelial cancer cells and stromal fibroblasts in ovarian cancer progression: Autophagy plays a role
Authors: Thuwajit Chanitra , Ferraresi Alessandra , Titone Rossella , Thuwajit Peti , Isidoro Ciro
Published: September 2017

Cancer and stromal cells, which include (cancer‐associated) fibroblasts, adipocytes, and immune cells, constitute a mixed cellular ecosystem that dynamically influences the behavior of each component, creating conditions that ultimately favor the emergence of malignant clones. Ovarian cancer cells release cytokines that recruit and activate stromal fibroblasts and immune cells, so perpetuating a state of inflammation in the stroma that hampers the immune response and facilitates cancer survival and propagation. Further, the stroma vasculature impacts the metabolism of the cells by providing or limiting the availability of oxygen and nutrients. Autophagy, a lysosomal catabolic process with homeostatic and prosurvival functions, influences the behavior of cancer cells, affecting a variety of processes such as the survival in metabolic harsh conditions, the invasive growth, the development of immune and chemo resistance, the maintenance of stem‐like properties, and dormancy. Further, autophagy is involved in the secretion and the signaling of promigratory cytokines. Cancer‐associated fibroblasts can influence the actual level of autophagy in ovarian cancer cells through the secretion of pro‐inflammatory cytokines and the release of autophagy‐derived metabolites and substrates. Interrupting the metabolic cross‐talk between cancer cells and cancer‐associated fibroblasts could be an effective therapeutic strategy to arrest the progression and prevent the relapse of ovarian cancer.
Suprafascial dissection of the pedicled groin flap: A safe and practical approach to flap harvest
Authors: Abdelrahman Mohamed , Zelken Jonathan , Huang Ren‐Wen , Hsu Chung‐Chen , Lin Chih‐Hung , Lin Yu‐Te , Lin Cheng‐Hung
Published: September 2017

Background

The groin flap has been relied upon for more than 4 decades and is well suited for reconstruction of the mutilated hand. Classic groin flap harvest is subfascial and includes the superficial circumflex iliac artery (SCIA). SCIA perforator flaps have shown that one perforator is sufficient to supply a large flap without breaching fascia. Accordingly, we routinely preserve the fascia and rely wholly on the superficial branch of the SCIA, sparing the deep branch. We aim to investigate the safety of suprafascial flap elevation and encourage a paradigm shift in reconstruction with groin flap transfer.

Methods

Between 2008 and 2013, 77 hand injuries were treated with pedicled groin flap transfers. According to surgeons' preference, 49 flaps were elevated with conventional technique (“subfascial”) and 28 were harvested with suprafascial approach (“fascia sparing”). Demographic data including flap size, operative time, and outcome were reviewed in both approaches and compared.

Results

Suprafascial flaps were taken as large as 32 × 12 cm2 and subfascial flaps large as 30 × 10 cm2 (p = 0.08). Operative time was 268.2 ± 104.7 minutes in the suprafascial group and 227.4 ± 89.0 in the subfascial group (p = 0.14). One suprafascial flap (3.6%) had partial necrosis compared to four subfascial flaps (8.2%) (p = 0.65). All patients were followed for a minimum of six months. All the wounds finally healed without further flap reconstruction, and all the patients were back to the normal life with activities.

Conclusion

Suprafascial dissection is safe and does not adversely influence outcomes. Thinner flaps are expected to facilitate flap insetting and reduce revisionary debulking surgery.

Level of Evidence

III (Therapeutic)
Triple Conformal Geometric Algebra for Cubic Plane Curves
Authors: Easter Robert Benjamin , Hitzer Eckhard
Published: September 2017

The triple conformal geometric algebra (TCGA) for the Euclidean
‐plane extends CGA as the product of 3 orthogonal CGAs and thereby the representation of geometric entities to general cubic plane curves and certain cyclidic (or roulette) quartic, quintic, and sextic plane curves. The plane curve entities are 3‐vectors that linearize the representation of nonlinear curves, and the entities are inner product null spaces with respect to all points on the represented curves. Each inner product null space entity also has a dual geometric outer product null space form. Orthogonal or conformal (angle preserving) operations (as versors) are valid on all TCGA entities for inversions in circles, reflections in lines, and by compositions thereof, isotropic dilations from a given center point, translations, and rotations around arbitrary points in the plane. A further dimensional extension of TCGA also provides a method for anisotropic dilations. Intersections of any TCGA entity with a point, point pair, line, or circle are possible. The TCGA defines commutator‐based differential operators in the coordinate directions that can be combined to yield a general n‐directional derivative.
Region‐specific impairment of the cervical spinal cord (SC) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A preliminary study using SC templates and quantitative MRI (diffusion tensor imaging/inhomogeneous magnetization transfer)
Authors: Rasoanandrianina Henitsoa , Grapperon Aude‐Marie , Taso Manuel , Girard Olivier M. , Duhamel Guillaume , Guye Maxime , Ranjeva Jean‐Philippe , Attarian Shahram , Verschueren Annie , Callot Virginie
Published: September 2017

In this preliminary study, our objective was to investigate the potential of high‐resolution anatomical imaging, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and conventional/inhomogeneous magnetization transfer imaging [magnetization transfer (MT)/inhomogeneous magnetization transfer (ihMT)] at 3 T, analyzed with template‐extracted regions of interest, to measure the atrophy and structural changes of white (WM) and gray (GM) matter spinal cord (SC) occurring in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Ten patients with ALS and 20 age‐matched healthy controls were recruited. SC GM and WM areas were automatically segmented using dedicated templates. Atrophy indices were evaluated from T2*‐weighted images at each vertebral level from cervical C1 to C6. DTI and ihMT metrics were quantified within the corticospinal tract (CST), posterior sensory tract (PST) and anterior GM (aGM) horns at the C2 and C5 levels. Clinical disabilities of patients with ALS were evaluated using the Revised ALS Functional Rating Scale, upper motor neuron (UMN) and Medical Research Council scorings, and correlated with MR metrics. Compared with healthy controls, GM and WM atrophy was observed in patients with ALS, especially at lower cervical levels, where a strong correlation was also observed between GM atrophy and the UMN score (R = −0.75, p = 0.05 at C6). Interestingly, a significant decrease in ihMT ratio was found in all regions of interest (p < 0.0008), fractional anisotropy (FA) and MT ratios decreased significantly in CST, especially at C5 (p < 0.005), and λ// (axial diffusivity) decreased significantly in CST (p = 0.0004) and PST (p = 0.003) at C2. Strong correlations between MRI metrics and clinical scores were also found (0.47 < |R| < 0.87, p < 0.05). Altogether, these preliminary results suggest that high‐resolution anatomical imaging and ihMT imaging, in addition to DTI, are valuable for the characterization of SC tissue impairment in ALS. In this study, in addition to an important SC WM demyelination, we also observed, for the first time in ALS, impairments of cervical aGM.
Local and global properties of the harmonic polynomial cell method: In‐depth analysis in two dimensions
Authors: Ma S. , Hanssen F.‐C. W. , Siddiqui M. A. , Greco M. , Faltinsen O. M.
Published: September 2017

A detailed and systematic analysis is performed on the local and global properties of the recently developed harmonic polynomial cell (HPC) method, a very accurate and efficient field solver for problems governed by the Laplace equation. At the local cell level, a simple rule is identified for the proper choice of harmonic polynomials in the local representation of the velocity potential in cells with symmetry properties. The local solution error, its convergence rate, its dependence on the cell topology, its distribution inside the cell, and its features across cells with different dimensions are carefully examined with relevant findings for HPC numerical implementations. At the global level, the error convergence rate is analytically estimated in terms of error contributions from the boundary conditions and from inside the liquid domain. In most cases, the error associated with boundary conditions dominates the global error. In order to minimize it, Quadtree grid strategies or high‐order local expressions of the velocity potential are proposed for cells near critical boundary portions. To model accurately the boundary conditions on rigid or deformable surfaces with generic geometries, 3 different grid strategies are proposed by adopting concepts of immersed boundary method and overlapping grids. They are comparatively studied for a circular rigid cylinder in infinite fluid and for the propagation of a free‐surface wave. Then, an immersed boundary strategy, using numerical choices suggested in this paper, is successfully compared against a fully nonlinear boundary element method for the case of a surface‐piercing circular cylinder heaving in otherwise calm water.
Modeling of uncertainty for flood wave propagation induced by variations in initial and boundary conditions using expectation operator on explicit numerical solutions
Authors: Wu Shiang‐Jen , Hsu Chih‐Tsung
Published: September 2017

This study proposes a framework for uncertainty analysis by incorporating explicit numerical solutions of governing equations for flood wave propagation with the expectation operator. It aims at effectively evaluating the effect of variations in initial and boundary conditions on the estimation of flood waves. Spatiotemporal semivariogram models are employed to quantify the correlation of the variables in time and space. The 1D nonlinear kinematic wave equation for the overland flow (named EVO_NS_KWE) is applied in the model development. Model validation is made by comparison with the Monte Carlo simulation model in the calculation of statistical properties of model outputs (ie, flow depths), that is, the mean, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation. The results from the model validation show that the EVO_NS_KWE model can produce excellent approximations of the mean and less satisfactory approximations of the standard deviation and coefficient of variation compared with those obtained by using the Monte Carlo simulation model. It concludes that the uncertainties of flow depths in the domain are significantly affected by variations in the boundary condition. Future application of the EVO_NS_KWE model enables the evaluation of uncertainty in model outputs induced by the initial and boundary condition subject to uncertainty and will also provide corresponding probabilistic information for risk quantification method.
Local error estimates of the finite element method for an elliptic problem with a Dirac source term
Authors: Bertoluzza Silvia , Decoene Astrid , Lacouture Loïc , Martin Sébastien
Published: September 2017

The solutions of elliptic problems with a Dirac measure right‐hand side are not
in dimension
and therefore the convergence of the finite element solutions is suboptimal in the
‐norm. In this article, we address the numerical analysis of the finite element method for the Laplace equation with Dirac source term: we consider, in dimension 3, the Dirac measure along a curve and, in dimension 2, the punctual Dirac measure. The study of this problem is motivated by the use of the Dirac measure as a reduced model in physical problems, for which high accuracy of the finite element method at the singularity is not required. We show a quasioptimal convergence in the
‐norm, for
on subdomains which exclude the singularity; in the particular case of Lagrange finite elements, an optimal convergence in
‐norm is shown on a family of quasiuniform meshes. Our results are obtained using local Nitsche and Schatz‐type error estimates, a weak version of Aubin‐Nitsche duality lemma and a discrete inf‐sup condition. These theoretical results are confirmed by numerical illustrations.
Influence of clay nanofillers on properties of ethylene‐octene copolymers
Authors: Tesarikova Alice , Merinska Dagmar , Kalous Jiri , Svoboda Petr
Published: September 2017

The article deals with preparation, properties and usage of ethylene‐octene copolymers/clay films. Different properties of two types of ethylene‐octene copolymers (Engage 8540 and Engage 8842) with 17 and 45 wt% of octene (EOC‐17 and EOC‐45) were compared in nanocomposites with two types of clays—Cloisite 93A and Dellite 67. The aim was to evaluate the influence of (nano)filler type on ethylene‐octene nanocomposites properties. Mechanical and thermal properties, morphology, and UV radiation degradation were observed. Furthermore, permeability of three different gasses was determined. EOC nanocomposites perform a higher elongation at break, especially EOC‐45. Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) showed an increase of E′ modulus of all nanocomposites in a wide range of temperatures compared to pure EOC. Intercalation of nanofillers was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD). It has been proved that EOC‐45 has a better dispersion EOC‐17. DSC analysis showed a shift in a crystallization temperature for EOC‐17, where the nanofiller acted as a nucleation agent due to the worse dispersion. Barrier properties were improved by almost 100% by addition of organoclay for all measured gasses; they were best for EOC‐17 nanocomposites due to a higher crystallinity. XRD together with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed much better dispersion for EOC‐45 nanocomposites. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and accelerated UV aging showed CO peaks for EOC nanocomposites. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:4581–4593, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers
Latino immigrant parents’ financial stress, depression, and academic involvement predicting child academic success
Authors: Gilbert Lauren R. , Spears Brown Christia , Mistry Rashmita S.
Published: September 2017

The current study examines Mexican‐heritage immigrant parents’ financial stress, English language fluency, and depressive symptoms as risk factors for parental academic involvement and child academic outcomes. Participants were 68 Latino immigrant (from Mexico) third and fourth graders and their parents. Results from a structural equation model analysis indicated that Latino parents who reported greater financial stress also reported higher levels of depressive symptoms; this, in turn, was related to lower parent‐reported levels of engagement in the monitoring and transmission of implicit and explicit valuing of academics. Parental monitoring of academics was positively associated with children's success in mathematics and transmission of implicit and explicit valuing of academics was positively associated with children's success in language arts. The current study extends support for the Family Economic Stress Model by demonstrating connections between parental stress, emotional well‐being, and child academic outcomes, through parental involvement in children's academics in a Latino‐heritage sample.
Network‐Wide Screen Identifies Variation of Novel Precise On‐Module Targets Using Conformational Modudaoism
Authors: Li Bing , Liu Jun , Yu Yanan , Wang Pengqian , Zhang Yingying , Ni Xumin , Liu Qiong , Zhang Xiaoxu , Wang Zhong , Wang Yongyan
Published: September 2017

Modular targeting is promising in drug research at the network level, but it is challenging to quantificationally identify the precise on‐modules. Based on a proposed Modudaoism (MD), we defined conserved MD (MDc) and varied MD (MDv) to quantitatively evaluate the conformational and energy variations of modules, and thereby identify the conserved and discrepant allosteric modules (AMs). Compared to the Zsummary, MDc/MDv got an optimized result of module preserved ratio and modular structure. In the mice anti‐ischemic networks, 3, 5, and 1 conserved AMs as well as 4, 1, and 3 on‐modules of baicalin (BA), jasminoidin (JA), and ursodeoxycholic acid (UA) were identified by MDc and MDv, 5 unique AMs and their characteristic actions were revealed. Besides, co‐immunoprecipitation (Co‐IP) experiments validated the representative modular structure. MDc/MDv method can quantitatively define the conformational variations of modules and screen the precise on‐modules network‐wide, which may provide a promising strategy for drug discovery.
Theoretical aspects of upscale error growth through the mesoscales: an analytical model
Authors: Bierdel L. , Selz T. , Craig G.C.
Published: September 2017

Recent numerical studies suggest that convective instability and latent heat release quickly amplify errors in numerical weather predictions and lead to a complete loss of predictability on scales below 100 km within a few hours. These errors then move further upscale, eventually contaminating the balanced flow and projecting on to synoptic‐scale instabilities. According to this picture, the errors have to transition from geostrophically unbalanced to balanced motion while propagating through the mesoscale. Geostrophic adjustment was suggested as the dynamical process of this transition, but so far has not been clearly identified.

In the current study, an analytical framework for the geostrophic adjustment of an initial point‐like pulse of heat is developed on the basis of the linearized, hydrostatic Boussinesq equations. The heat pulse is thought to model a convective cloud or an error within the prediction of a cloud. A time‐dependent solution for both transient and balanced flow components is derived from the analytical model. The solution includes the Green's function of the problem, which enables the extension of the model to arbitrary heat sources by linear superposition. Spatial and temporal scales of the geostrophic adjustment mechanism are deduced and diagnostics are proposed that could be used to demonstrate the geostrophic adjustment process in complex numerical simulations of midlatitude convection and upscale error growth.
Metabolic profile of Rhizoma coptidis in human plasma determined using ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with high‐resolution mass spectrometry
Authors: Zhang Qing‐Shan , Wang Gao‐Wa , Han Zhi‐Qiang , Chen Xiang‐Mei , Na Risu , Jin Haburi , Li Ping , Bu Renbatu
Published: September 2017

Rationale

Rhizoma coptidis extract and its alkaloids show various pharmacological activities, but its metabolic profile in human plasma has not been thoroughly investigated. In the present research, the metabolism of Rhizoma coptidis at a clinical dose (5 g/60 kg/day) was systematically analyzed to determine its biotransformation processes in human plasma.

Methods

In this research, the metabolites of Rhizoma coptidis in human plasma after oral administration of Rhizoma coptidis extract at a clinical dose were investigated using ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with high‐resolution LTQ‐Orbitrap mass spectrometry. The structural elucidation of the constituents was confirmed by comparing their retention times (tR) and MSn fragments with those of standards and literature reports.

Results

In total, two prototypes and twelve metabolites were detected in human plasma. The two prototypes were confidently identified using reference standards. Of the compounds detected, M7 (berberrubinen‐9‐O‐glucuronide) was the most abundant based on its peak area, which indicates that this compound might be a pharmacokinetic marker for Rhizoma coptidis alkaloids in humans. Based on the metabolites detected in human plasma, a possible metabolic pathway for Rhizoma coptidis in vivo was proposed.

Conclusions

The results indicated that the alkaloids in Rhizoma coptidis were extensively biotransformed in vivo mainly via conjugation with glucuronic acid (GluA) or sulfuric acid (SulA) to form phase II metabolites, and the GluA metabolites are likely the dominant form in human plasma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first in vivo evaluation of the metabolic profile of the whole Rhizoma coptidis extract in human plasma, which is essential for determining the chemicals responsible for the pharmacological activities of Rhizoma coptidis in vivo. Moreover, it would be beneficial for us to further systematically study the pharmacokinetic behavior of Rhizoma coptidis in humans.
Innovating Insight
Authors: Lawlor Terry
Published: September 2017

The market research industry has had a tough time. There are plenty of reasons for this, all much‐discussed already, but the good news is that it has brought us to a point where innovation is at the forefront of thinking as we consider the future.
The future of research is intelligence augmentation
Authors: Philips Stephen
Published: September 2017

For those that keep abreast of technological developments in the research industry it may seem the pace has really picked up in the last few years. 10 years ago who would have expected the impact that DIY, automation, artificial intelligence and even virtual reality would have?
Happy birthday!
Authors: Bowman Jo
Published: September 2017

ESOMAR celebrates 70 years of change
Quantification of Etoposide Hypersensitivity: A Sensitive, Functional Method for Assessing Pluripotent Stem Cell Quality
Authors: Secreto Frank J. , Li Xing , Smith Alyson J. , Bruinsma Elizabeth S. , Perales-Clemente Ester , Oommen Saji , Hawse Gresin , Hrstka Sybil C. L. , Arendt Bonnie K. , Brandt Emma B. , Wigle Dennis A. , Nelson Timothy J.
Published: September 2017

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) hold great promise in diagnostic and therapeutic applications. However, translation of hiPSC technology depends upon a means of assessing hiPSC quality that is quantitative, high-throughput, and can decipher malignant teratocarcinoma clones from normal cell lines. These attributes are lacking in current approaches such as detection of cell surface makers, RNA profiling, and/or teratoma formation assays. The latter remains the gold standard for assessing clone quality in hiPSCs, but is expensive, time-consuming, and incompatible with high-throughput platforms. Herein, we describe a novel method for determining hiPSC quality that exploits pluripotent cells’ documented hypersensitivity to the topoisomerase inhibitor etoposide (CAS No. 33419-42-0). Based on a study of 115 unique hiPSC clones, we established that a half maximal effective concentration (EC50) value of <300 nM following 24 hours of exposure to etoposide demonstrated a positive correlation with RNA profiles and colony morphology metrics associated with high quality hiPSC clones. Moreover, our etoposide sensitivity assay (ESA) detected differences associated with culture maintenance, and successfully distinguished malignant from normal pluripotent clones independent of cellular morphology. Overall, the ESA provides a simple, straightforward method to establish hiPSC quality in a quantitative and functional assay capable of being incorporated into a generalized method for establishing a quality control standard for all types of pluripotent stem cells.
Structural Optimization of (Aum‐Agn‐Pdo‐Ptp) (m=10 and n+o+p=10) Tetrametallic Clusters Using a Combined Empirical Potential‐Density Functional (EP‐DF) Approach
Authors: Srivastava Ruby
Published: September 2017

The putative global minimum structures of (Aum‐Agn‐Pdo‐Ptp) (m=10 and n+o+p=10) tetrametallic clusters with 20 atoms are obtained by basin hopping algorithm using Gupta potential parameters. A system‐comparison approach through combined empirical potential (EP)‐density functional (DF) method is adopted to investigate the energy competition and segregation effect for thirty six structural motifs. Vibrational analysis has been carried out to check the stability of these doped metal clusters. The thermal and chemical stability are measured by binding energy and HOMO‐LUMO gap. We have calculated the excess mixing energy, mixing energy and mixing coefficient, order parameter, average nearest neighbor distance (ANND) and shape deformation parameter for these doped metal clusters. Mixing/segregation effect is also discussed. Overall the calculated energy by EP parameters is lower for moderate number of (Pt, Pd) or higher number of Pt atoms and reasonably accurate for the other doped clusters. Results show that Au and Ag atoms occupy the surface sites while Pt and Pd atoms prefer mostly to the inner and middle shell.
Metrology of Multiphoton Microscopes Using Second Harmonic Generation Nanoprobes
Authors: Mahou Pierre , Malkinson Guy , Chaudan Élodie , Gacoin Thierry , Beaurepaire Emmanuel , Supatto Willy
Published: September 2017

In multiphoton microscopy, the ongoing trend toward the use of excitation wavelengths spanning the entire near‐infrared range calls for new standards in order to quantify and compare the performances of microscopes. This article describes a new method for characterizing the imaging properties of multiphoton microscopes over a broad range of excitation wavelengths in a straightforward and efficient manner. It demonstrates how second harmonic generation (SHG) nanoprobes can be used to map the spatial resolution, field curvature, and chromatic aberrations across the microscope field of view with a precision below the diffraction limit and with unique advantages over methods based on fluorescence. KTiOPO4 nanocrystals are used as SHG nanoprobes to measure and compare the performances over the 850–1100 nm wavelength range of several microscope objectives designed for multiphoton microscopy. Finally, this approach is extended to the post‐acquisition correction of chromatic aberrations in multicolor multiphoton imaging. Overall, the use of SHG nanoprobes appears as a uniquely suited method to standardize the metrology of multiphoton microscopes.
An iteration‐based interactive analysis method to design dynamic service‐oriented systems
Authors: Xie Wuping , Xue Jinyun , Jiang Dongming , Song Lan
Published: September 2017

Service‐oriented paradigm presents numerous new software development patterns and idioms. Software systems are implemented by composing existing third‐party services deployed in the open environment, which is significantly different from traditional software development methodologies in which systems are built through developing modules after system design in a closed environment. Therefore, it is urgent to raise a new design method to adapt to this new circumstance. We concentrate on reusing as many deployed services as possible then introduce a new life cycle model named Taiji model to illustrate this development process. The iteration‐based interactive analysis method following the model is proposed to design service‐oriented systems based on the view of extracting non‐creative activities from a creative activity through defining new notations or applying new rules. The method includes the interactive analysis process that analyzes requirements with deployed services in a local point of view and the iterative analysis process that redesigns system with new knowledge in a global perspective. Meanwhile, the reusable service threshold value is defined to build the uncertain candidate service set (UCSS) of each module in analysis process. The reliability and flexibility of systems can be improved through the quantitative static structure analysis on the basis of the UCSS of systems. Meanwhile, a practical dynamic service binding method that selects services according to actual states of invoking them is presented on the basis of the UCSS containing them. Finally, we also give a case study to illustrate the feasibility of this method. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
First‐trimester risk assessment based on ultrasound and cell‐free DNA vs combined screening: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Kagan K. O. , Sroka F. , Sonek J. , Abele H. , Lüthgens K. , Schmid M. , Wagner P. , Brucker S. , Wallwiener D. , Hoopmann M.
Published: September 2017

Objective

This was a randomized controlled trial to compare risk assessment by first‐trimester combined screening (FTCS) with an approach that combines a detailed ultrasound examination at 11–13 weeks' gestation and cell‐free DNA (cfDNA) analysis.

Methods

Pregnant women with a normal first‐trimester ultrasound examination at 11–13 weeks' gestation (fetal nuchal translucency (NT) ≤ 3.5 mm and no fetal defects) were randomized into one of two groups. In the first group, risk of aneuploidy was assessed using FTCS based on the most recent UK Fetal Medicine Foundation algorithm. In the second group, risk assessment was based on ultrasound findings and cfDNA analysis. An additional tube of blood was collected for FTCS in case the cfDNA analysis was uninformative. Primary outcome was false‐positive rate in screening for trisomy 21. A case was considered false positive if the karyotype was not trisomy 21 and if the risk for trisomy 21 was >1:100, irrespective of the method of risk calculation. Results were compared using 95% CIs using the Clopper–Pearson method.

Results

Between October 2015 and December 2016, 1518 women with singleton pregnancy underwent first‐trimester screening. Thirty‐one (2.0%) pregnancies were not eligible for randomization due to increased NT (> 3.5 mm) and/or fetal defect. After exclusion of women who declined randomization (n = 87) and cases of fetal death and loss to follow‐up (n = 24), 688 pregnancies were randomized into the FTCS arm and 688 into the ultrasound + cfDNA analysis arm. There were no differences in maternal and gestational age, maternal weight and BMI, ethnicity, use of assisted reproduction and cigarette smoking between the two arms. In the ultrasound + cfDNA analysis arm, median risk for trisomy 21 was 1 in 10 000. None of the cases had a risk above 1: 100 (95% CI, 0.0–0.5%). In the FTCS arm, the median risk for trisomy 21 was 1 in 3787 and in 17 cases, the risk was higher than 1:100, which corresponds to 2.5% (95% CI, 1.5–3.9%) of the FTCS study‐arm population.

Conclusion

Our study has shown that first‐trimester risk assessment for trisomy 21 that includes a detailed ultrasound examination as well as NT measurement and is followed by cfDNA testing is associated with a significant reduction in the false‐positive rate compared with FTCS. This approach obviates the need for maternal serum free β‐human chorionic gonadotropin and pregnancy‐associated plasma protein‐A in screening for fetal aneuploidy. Copyright © 2017 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
The 3-Dimensional Fermi Liquid Description for the Iron-Based Superconductors
Authors: Misawa Setsuo
Published: September 2017

The quasiparticles in the normal state of iron-based superconductors have been shown to behave universally as a 3-dimensional Fermi liquid. Because of interactions and the presence of sharp Fermi surfaces, the quasiparticle energy contains, as a function of the momentum

$$\varvec{p}$$

p

, a term of the form

$$( p - p_0)^3 \ln {( |p-p_0|/p_0)} $$

(
p
-

p
0

)

3

ln

(
|
p
-

p
0

|
/

p
0

)

, where

$$p = | \varvec{p} |$$

p
=
|

p

|

and

$$p_0$$

p
0

is the Fermi momentum. The electronic specific heat coefficient, magnetic susceptibility (Knight shift), electrical resistivity, Hall coefficient and thermoelectric power divided by temperature follow, as functions of temperature T, the logarithmic formula

$$a-b T^2 \ln {(T/T^*)}$$

a
-
b

T
2

ln

(
T
/

T
∗

)

,

$$a, \, b$$

a
,

b

and

$$T^*$$

T
∗

being constant; these formulae have been shown to explain the observed data for all iron-based superconductors. It is shown that the concept of non-Fermi liquids or anomalous metals which appears in the literature is not needed for descriptions of the present systems. When the superconducting transition temperature

$$T_{\mathrm {C}}$$

T
C

and the b / a value for the resistivity are plotted as functions of the doping content x, there appear various characteristic diagrams in which regions of positive correlation and those of negative correlation between

$$T_{\mathrm {C}}$$

T
C

and b / a are interconnected; from these diagrams, we may make speculations about the types of superconductivity and the crossover between them.
The Role of Ni-P Coating Structure on Fly Ash Cenospheres in the Formation of Magnesium Matrix Composites
Authors: Braszczyńska-Malik Katarzyna N. , Kamieniak Jacek
Published: September 2017

The role of the Ni-P coating structure on fly ash cenospheres in the fabrication of magnesium matrix composites has been investigated. Two composites based on AZ91 commercial magnesium alloys with hollow aluminosilicate cenospheres were fabricated by the negative pressure infiltration technique. Two kinds of cenospheres (i.e., as Ni-P coated and after heat treatment) were used in order to determine the influence of the Ni-P coating structure on creating interfaces between the components. Microstructure analyses were carried out by light microscopy, atomic force microscopy, XRD, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy. Al3Ni2 and Mg2Ni intermetallic phases at the component interfaces were formed in the composite with as-received Ni-P-coated cenospheres. After heat treatment of the Ni-P-coated cenospheres, NiO was created outside the external layer of the Ni-P coatings and this oxide remained stable at the component interfaces during composite fabrication. In both cases, the Ni-P coating prevented the reaction between the cenosphere walls and the magnesium matrix alloy, which contributed to obtaining intact cenospheres, unfilled by the matrix alloy.
Influence de l'état sanitaire des populations du passé sur la mortalité en temps de peste : contribution à la paléoépidémiologie
Authors: Kacki S.
Published: September 2017

Les épidémies de peste qui ont régulièrement frappé l'Europe depuis le viesiècle de notre ère, bien que largement documentées par les sources historiques, restent encore mal connues du point de vue épidémiologique. Une incertitude demeure notamment quant à savoir si la maladie cibla préférentiellement certaines catégories de population ou entraîna au contraire une mortalité uniforme. Le présent travail contribue à cette discussion par le prisme de l'étude anthropologique et paléopathologique d'un large corpus de squelettes médiévaux et modernes (n = 1090) issus de quatre sites d'inhumation de pestiférés et de deux cimetières paroissiaux utilisés hors contexte épidémique. Les résultats révèlent une signature démographique commune aux séries de peste, qui s'avère distincte d'un modèle de mortalité naturelle, mais en adéquation avec la structure d'une population vivante préindustrielle. L'analyse de divers indicateurs de stress suggère par ailleurs que les victimes de la peste jouissaient d'un meilleur état de santé préexistant que les individus morts d'autres causes. Les résultats tendent à prouver que les facteurs causaux de ces lésions, d'accoutumé responsables d'une diminution des chances de survie, n'eurent qu'une faible influence sur le risque de mourir de l'infection pesteuse. L'étude démontre in fine que la peste fut par le passé à l'origine d'une mortalité non sélective, frappant indistinctement les personnes des deux sexes, de tout âge et de toute condition sanitaire.
Innovation in care for individuals with cognitive impairment: Can reimbursement policy spread best practices?
Authors: Borson Soo , Chodosh Joshua , Cordell Cyndy , Kallmyer Beth , Boustani Malaz , Chodos Anna , Dave Jatin K. , Gwyther Lisa , Reed Susan , Reuben David B. , Stabile Stephen , Willis‐Parker Monica , Thies William
Published: September 2017

There is now an unprecedented opportunity to improve the care of the over 5 million people who are living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and many more with cognitive impairment due to brain injury, systemic diseases, and other causes. The introduction of a new Medicare care planning benefit—long sought openly by advocacy organizations and clinicians and badly needed by patients and families—could greatly improve health care quality, but only if widely and fully implemented. We describe the components of this new benefit and its promise of better clinical care, as well as its potential to create a new platform for clinical and health outcomes research. We highlight external factors—and some that are internal to the benefit structure itself—that challenge the full realization of its value, and we call for broad public and professional engagement to ensure that it will not fail.
Microdissection testicular sperm extraction (micro‐TESE): Predictive value of preoperative hormonal levels and pathology in non‐obstructive azoospermia
Authors: Eken Alper , Gulec Feray
Published: September 2017

The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of preoperative hormonal levels and pathology, as well as the outcome of microsurgical testicular sperm extraction in patients with non‐obstructive azoospermia (NOA), presenting to our clinic for treatment of infertility. The records of 145 men with NOA who underwent microdissection testicular sperm extraction (micro‐TESE) between March 2013 and November 2016 were studied. The patient's age, testicular volume, hormonal profile for follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and testosterone (TT), and testicular pathology were recorded. The sperm retrieval, the clinical pregnancy and live birth delivery rates were noted. Our testicular sperm retrieval rate was 65.5%. There was no statistical difference in age, testicular volume, or hormonal levels in the TESE‐positive and negative groups. Hypospermatogenesis was found in testicular histopathology in 57 of 117 patients (48.7%) who underwent testicular biopsy. Sertoli Cell‐Only (SCO) syndrome was seen in 20.5%, Germ Cell Maturation Arrest (MA) in 16.3%, and Atrophy‐hyalinization in 14.5%. Seven men had Klinefelter's syndrome (KS), four of whom were TESE‐positive. There were no adverse effects of the procedure except for infection at the incision site in one patient. Single intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles were performed in 92 couples leading to 41 clinical pregnancies and 26 live birth deliveries. Micro‐TESE is a safe procedure in experienced hands and provides infertile men with NOA an opportunity to father children. However unselected candidates with NOA should be counselled at the outset that only 17.9% will eventually become biological fathers.
Coping with pain in intimate situations: Applying the avoidance-endurance model to women with vulvovaginal pain
Authors: Flink Ida Katrina , Engmana Linnéa , Ter Kuile Moniek M. , Thomtén Johanna , Linton Steven J.
Published: September 2017

Background and aims

Chronic vulvovaginal pain is strikingly common and has a serious impact on women’s lives. Nevertheless, there are few longitudinal studies focusing on mechanisms involved in the pain development. One area of interest is how women cope with sexual activities and how this affects their pain. In this study, avoidance and endurance coping behaviors were explored as possible mediators of the relation between catastrophizing and pain, cross-sectionally and longitudinally.

Methods

251 women (18-35 years old) with vulvovaginal pain were recruited in university settings and filled out questionnaires about their pain, catastrophizing and coping behaviors at two occasions, with five months in between. Multiple mediation models were tested, exploring avoidance and endurance as mediators of the relation between catastrophizing and pain.

Results

The results showed that avoidance was an influential mediator of the link between catastro¬phizing and pain. Using multiple mediation models we found that although the indirect effects of both avoidance and endurance were significant cross-sectionally, only avoidance was a significant mediator in the combined model exploring associations over time.

Conclusions

This study indicates that the strategies women with vulvovaginal pain use for coping with sexual activities are important for the course of pain. Avoidance and, to a lesser degree, endurance strate¬gies were identified as important mediators of the effects of catastrophizing on pain. When exploring the links over time, only avoidance emerged as a significant mediator.

Implications

In this longitudinal study, catastrophizing was linked to vulvovaginal pain, via avoidance and endurance of sexual activities. Hence, targeting catastrophizing early on in treatment, as well as addressing coping, may be important in clinical interventions.
The IRIS Consortium (Florence, Italy) and RDA-Lite: a peaceful and profitable cohabitation
Authors: D'Ambrosio Margaret
Published: September 2017

The IRIS Consortium is able to accommodate in its union catalogue RDA records derived from two authoritative sources, The Library of Congress and the Berenson Library (The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies). The consortium's position at this time, however, is to integrate into our original cataloguing some of the most useful aspects of RDA without taking the full ‘plunge’ into RDA (toolkit subscription, retraining, etc.). In Italy we may very well be, for varying reasons, in a not uncommon situation.
Using Microwave Soil Heating to Inhibit Invasive Species Seed Germination
Authors: De Wilde Mélissa , Buisson Elise , Yavercovski Nicole , Willm Loïc , Bieder Livia , Mesléard François
Published: September 2017

Successful invasive plant eradication is rare, because the methods used target the adult stage, not taking into account the development capacity of a large seedbank. Heating by microwave was considered, because it offers a means to quickly reach the temperature required for loss of seed viability and inhibition of germination. Previous results were not encouraging, because homogeneous and deep-wave penetration was not achieved, and the various parameters that can affect treatment effectiveness were incompletely addressed. This study aimed to determine, under experimental conditions, the best microwave treatment to inhibit invasive species seed germination in terms of power (2, 4, 6 kW) and duration (2, 4, 8 min) of treatments and depending on soil moisture (10%, 13%, 20%, 30%) and seed burial depth (2, 12 cm). Three invasive species were tested: Bohemian knotweed, giant goldenrod, and jimsonweed. The most effective treatments required relatively high power and duration (2kW8min, 4kW4min, 6kW2min, and 6kW4min; 4kW8min and 6kW8min were not tested for technical reasons), and their effectiveness diminished with increasing soil moisture with germination percentage between 0% and 2% for the lowest soil moisture, 0% and 56% for intermediate soil moisture, and 27% and 68% in control treatments. For the highest soil moisture, only 2kW8min and 4kW4min reduced germination percentage between 2% and 19%. Occasionally, germination of seeds located at the 12-cm depth was more strongly affected. Giant goldenrod seeds were the most sensitive, probably due to their small size. Results are promising and justify further experiments before developing a field microwave device to treat large volumes of soil infested by invasive seed efficiently and with reasonable energy requirements. Other types of soil, in terms of texture and organic matter content, should be tested in future experiments, because these factors influence soil water content and, consequently, microwave heating.
Are We Providing Enough to Those Who Have Too Little? Measuring Poverty Relief
Authors: Jusko Karen L. , Weisshaar Katherine
Published: September 2017

This manuscript presents a new measure of safety net program effectiveness—a “poverty relief ratio”—that is based on the estimated relationship between market income and social transfers, and reports the amount of income support provided, relative to the amount required to provide for all low-income households’ basic needs. In an important advance over the standard poverty reduction rate measures, the poverty relief ratio preserves the rank order of observations across varying poverty thresholds. In this paper, we introduce this measure and demonstrate its validity by tracking major changes in federal policy and cross-state variation in safety net programs.
On the Authenticity of a Relic: An Archaeometric Investigation of the Supposed Bread Sack of Saint Francesco of Assisi
Authors: Rasmussen K L , Degano I , Colombini M P , Kjeldsen F , van der Plicht J
Published: September 2017

The relic “the sack of Saint Francesco” has for the first time been investigated by scientific means. The sack is kept at the Franciscan Friary of Folloni near Montella in southern Italy. According to legend, the sack appeared on the doorstep of the Friary in the winter of 1224 containing bread sent from St Francesco (St Francis of Assisi), who at that time was in France. The bread was allegedly brought to the friary by an angel. We analyzed samples of the sack to obtain a radiocarbon (14C) date and to search for any remaining traces of bread. The 14C date yielded a calibrated age range of AD 1220–1295 (2σ), which places the textile in the right timeframe according to the legend. Chemical analysis by gas-chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (GC-MS) revealed the presence of ergosterol (5, 7, 22-ergostatrien-3b-ol), a known biomarker of brewing, baking, or agriculture. In this paper we have further substantiated the validity of ergosterol as a biomarker for the past presence of bread. It appears that there is a fine correspondence between the Franciscan legend and the two most decisive scientific methods relevant for analyzing the sack. Although it is not proof, our analysis shows that the sack indeed could be authentic.
A cinema for the unborn: moving pictures, mental pictures and Electra Sparks's New Thought film theory
Authors: ELLIS PATRICK
Published: September 2017

In the 1910s, New York suffragette Electra Sparks wrote a series of essays in theMoving Picture Newsthat advocated for cine-therapy treatments for pregnant women. Film was, in her view, the great democratizer of beautiful images, providing high-cultural access to the city's poor. These positive ‘mental pictures’ were important for her because, she claimed, in order to produce an attractive, healthy child, the mother must be exposed to quality cultural material. Sparks's championing of cinema during its ‘second birth’ was founded upon the premise of New Thought. This metaphysical Christian doctrine existed alongside the self-help and esoteric publishing domains and testified, above all, to the possibility of the ‘mind-cure’ of the body through the positive application of ‘mental pictures’. Physiologically, their method began best in the womb, where the thoughts of the mother were of utmost importance: the eventual difference between birthing an Elephant Man or an Adonis. This positive maternal impression was commonplace in New Thought literature; it was Sparks's innovation to apply it to cinema. Investigating Sparks's film theory, practice and programming reveals her to be a harbinger of the abiding analogy between mind and motion picture that occupies film theorists to this day.