bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Higgs-boson plus dijets: higher-order matching for high-energy predictions
Authors: Andersen Jeppe R. , Hapola Tuomas , Heil Marian , Maier Andreas , Smillie Jennifer M.
Published: August 2018

Abstract

Several important processes and analyses at the LHC are sensitive to higher-order perturbative corrections beyond what can currently be calculated at fixed order. The formalism of High Energy Jets (HEJ) calculates the corrections systematically enhanced for a large ratio of the centre-of-mass energy to the transverse momentum of the observed jets. These effects are relevant in the analysis of e.g. Higgs-boson production in association with dijets within the cuts devised to enhance the contribution from Vector Boson Fusion (VBF).

HEJ obtains an all-order approximation, based on logarithmic corrections which are matched to fixed-order results in the cases where these can be readily evaluated. In this paper we present an improved framework for the matching utilised in HEJ, which for merging of tree-level results is mathematically equivalent to the one used so far. However, by starting from events generated at fixed order and supplementing these with the all-order summation, it is computationally simpler to obtain matching to calculations of high multiplicity.

We demonstrate that the impact of the higher-multiplicity matching on predictions is small for the gluon-fusion (GF) contribution of Higgs-boson production in association with dijets in the VBF-region, so perturbative stability against high-multiplicity matching has been achieved within HEJ. We match the improved HEJ prediction to the inclusive next-to-leading order (NLO) cross section and compare to pure NLO in the h → γγ channel with standard VBF cuts.
Effective field theory after a new-physics discovery
Authors: Alte Stefan , König Matthias , Neubert Matthias
Published: August 2018

Abstract

When a new heavy particle is discovered at the LHC or at a future high-energy collider, it will be interesting to study its decays into Standard Model particles using an effective field-theory framework. We point out that the proper effective theory must be based on non-local operators defined in soft-collinear effective theory (SCET). For the interesting case where the new resonance is a gauge-singlet spin-0 boson, which is the first member of a new sector governed by a mass scale M , we show how a consistent scale separation between M and the electroweak scale v is achieved up to next-to-next-to-leading order in the expansion parameter λ ∼ v/M . The Wilson coefficients in the effective Lagrangian depend in a non-trivial way on the mass of the new resonance and the masses of yet undiscovered heavy particles. Large logarithms of the ratio M/v can be systematically resummed using the renormalization group. We develop a SCET toolbox, with which it is straightforward to construct the relevant effective Lagrangians for new heavy particles with other charges and spin.
Assessment of Subject and Physician Satisfaction after Long-Term Treatment of Glabellar Lines with AbobotulinumtoxinA (Dysport®/Azzalure®): Primary Results of the APPEAL Noninterventional Study
Authors: Gubanova Elena , Haddad Tabet May , Bergerova Yvonne , Moiseieva Olena , Chemeris Andrey , Sanches Elena , Sharova Alisa , Rodriguez Pose Luisa , Raymond Romain , Prygova Inna , Carlisle Ian
Published: August 2018

Background

Although the short- and long-term effectiveness of abobotulinumtoxinA (Dysport®/Azzalure®) for glabellar line (GL) treatment is well established, reporting of subject satisfaction over repeat treatment cycles is limited. The APPEAL study aimed to assess subject satisfaction with long-term GL treatment with abobotulinumtoxinA in a real-life setting.

Methods

APPEAL was a noninterventional, prospective, longitudinal study in subjects administered ≥ 3 abobotulinumtoxinA injection cycles for moderate-to-severe GL, according to routine clinical practice. Subjects completed a satisfaction questionnaire at 3 weeks (± 7 days) after each cycle. Primary endpoint included subjects’ overall satisfaction with GL after three injection cycles. Secondary endpoints included satisfaction after Cycles 1 and 2 and factors associated with satisfaction after each cycle. Physician satisfaction was also assessed after Cycles 1 and 3.

Results

Of 150 subjects enrolled, 135 completed the overall subject satisfaction questionnaire after Cycle 3. At 3 weeks after Cycle 3, 99.3% of subjects were ‘very satisfied’ (74.1%) or ‘satisfied’ (25.2%) with GL. Levels of subject satisfaction and associated factors after Cycles 1 and 2 were as large and significant as after Cycle 3 (83–100%, depending on question). Physicians’ satisfaction with GL appearance, facial expression, and overall satisfaction was almost complete after the first injection (≥ 97.4%) and unanimous after the third (100%).

Conclusions

In the APPEAL study, overall satisfaction was high after three abobotulinumtoxinA injection cycles for GL based on both subjects’ (99.3%) and physicians’ (100.0%) assessments. High levels of subject satisfaction reported after Cycle 1 were maintained with repeated injections. No new safety signals were observed.

Level of Evidence IV

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

Trial registration NCT02353897
Lettered words in Chinese dictionaries
Authors: Li Lan , Gong Qi
Published: August 2018

Language use in the digital era has led to the surge of lettered words in non-Romanised languages. Some linguistic purists have concerns for these unwanted alien elements although lettered words have become a signifcant part of modern Chinese lexicon. Their omnipresence has also created a challenge to dictionary compilation. Although lettered words have entered Chinese dictionaries, what are the selection criteria? How can they ft into macro- and microstructures of dictionaries? This paper probed into a list of over 1000 lettered words from a recently published Chinese dictionary, analysed their origins, word class, and uses in modern Chinese together with corpus data. The findings show that lettered words are mainly used as nouns, and can also function as verbs, adjectives and adverbs. They are extensively used in diferent genres by diferent people. The challenge of including lettered words in Chinese dictionaries is also discussed. Drawing on the FUDGE factor analysis by Metcalf (Predicting new words: the secret of their success. Houghton Mifin Company, New York, 2002), the authors suggest that the treatment of lettered words in a Chinese dictionary should have practical guidelines for selection, defnition, pronunciation and usage. Frequency, unobtrusiveness, diversity of use and endurance of lettered words ought to be taken into consideration.
Personality Traits and the Early Origins of Political Sophistication: Openness to Experience or Intellectualism?
Authors: Blanchet Alexandre
Published: August 2018

Recent research using the Big Five model of personality traits has highlighted the importance of personality traits to explaining diverse political behaviours and attitudes. The trait labelled openness to experience has also been found to positively affect political knowledge. This investigation seeks to distinguish two different components of openness: the aesthetic and the intellectual facets. An analysis of the 2015 Canadian Election Study (CES), the 2012 American National Election Study (ANES) and the 2013 ANES Recontact Study was conducted to explore this question. Openness had no significant impact on political knowledge when a measure that more precisely targets intellectualism, as represented by need for cognition, was included. However, open individuals did exhibit higher levels of interest in politics. Finally, openness to experience and need for cognition fostered political knowledge with frequency of political discussion and exposure to disagreement in the CES respondents (Canadians) but not in the ANES respondents (Americans).
TRANSFORMING THE PALMER DROUGHT SEVERITY INDEX INTO A STANDARDIZED MULTI-SCALAR INDEX: ASSESSING THE NORMALITY ASSUMPTION UNDER SOUTH AMERICA TROPICAL-SUBTROPICAL CONDITIONS
Authors: BLAIN GABRIEL CONSTANTINO , XAVIER ANA CAROLINA FREITAS
Published: August 2018

Two of the most common criticisms over the widely used Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) is that it cannot be calculated at different time scales and it is not as spatially comparable as other Standardized Drought Indices (SDI), such as the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). Therefore, the hypothesis that the PDSI may be transformed into a multi-scalar index sharing the same normalized nature of others SDI has been proposed in the scientific literature. This hypothesis was extensively evaluated in this study by statistical methods largely used to assess and improve the performance of others standardized drought indices (e.g. SPI). In general terms, these methods evaluated the ability of the transformed/probability-based Palmer's Index to approach the standard normal distribution. The strategy of basing the selection of a distribution for calculating such an index on its performance within the range of typical drought and flood events was adopted. The testing region was the State of São Paulo, a tropical-subtropical region of Brazil. Time scales ranging from 1- to 12-month and Available Water Capacity equal to 50, 100 and 150 mm were also considered. A computational algorithm for calculating the new version of the Palmer's index is also provided. The Generalized Logistic distribution with parameters estimated by the maximum likelihood method is recommended to calculate the new index. The results of the normality tests are consistent with the above-mentioned strategy. From a scientific standpoint, the results support the hypothesis of this study. Therefore, we conclude that the new Standardized Palmer Drought Index (SPDI) is capable of meeting the normally assumption under tropical-subtropical climatic conditions of Brazil. In other words, the new SPDI has shown to be capable of representing floods and drought events in a similar probabilistic/normalized way. This conclusion holds true for time scales ranging from 1- to 12-month and Available Water Capacity equal to 50, 100 and 150 mm.
How might the cultural significance of storytelling in Deaf communities influence the development of a life-story work intervention for Deaf people with dementia? A conceptual thematic review
Authors: Young Alys , Ferguson-Coleman Emma , Keady John
Published: August 2018

Although life-story work is an established form of support for people with dementia and their carers, culturally Deaf people who are sign language users have been excluded from this practice. There is no evidence base for the cultural coherence of this approach with Deaf people who sign, nor any prior investigation of the linguistic and cultural adaptation that might be required for life-story work to be effective for sign language users with dementia. Given the lack of empirical work, this conceptual thematic literature review approaches the topic by first investigating the significance of storytelling practices amongst Deaf communities across the lifespan before using the findings to draw out key implications for the development of life-story work with culturally Deaf people who experience dementia and their formal and informal carers (whether Deaf or hearing). The reviewed work is presented in three themes: (a) the cultural positioning of self and others, (b) learning to be Deaf and (c) resistance narratives and narratives of resistance. The article concludes that life-story work has the potential to build on lifelong storying practices by Deaf people, the functions of which have included the (re)forming of cultural identity, the combating of ontological insecurity, knowledge transmission, the resistance of false identity attribution, and the celebration of language and culture.
A survey on evolutionary-aided design in robotics
Authors: Radhakrishna Prabhu Shanker G. , Seals Richard C. , Kyberd Peter J. , Wetherall Jodie C.
Published: August 2018

The evolutionary-aided design process is a method to find solutions to design and optimisation problems. Evolutionary algorithms (EAs) are applied to search for optimal solutions from a solution space that evolves over several generations. EAs have found applications in many areas of robotics. This paper covers the efforts to determine body morphology of robots through evolution and body morphology with the controller of robots or similar creatures through co-evolution. The works are reviewed from the perspective of how different algorithms are applied and includes a brief explanation of how they are implemented.
Dietary protein and changes in markers of cardiometabolic health across 20 years of follow-up in middle-aged Americans
Authors: Hruby Adela , Jacques Paul F
Published: August 2018

Objective

Dietary protein plays a role in counteracting age-related muscle loss. However, limited long-term data exist on protein intake and markers of cardiometabolic health, which tend to deteriorate with age.

Design

Prospective cohort study. FFQ-derived protein intake (g/d) and cardiometabolic markers were assessed up to five times across 20 years. Markers included systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures, circulating lipids (total, HDL and LDL cholesterol; TAG), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), fasting glucose (FG), weight and waist circumference (WC). Mixed models accounting for repeated measures were used to estimate adjusted mean annualized changes in outcomes per quartile category of protein.

Setting

Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort, USA.

Subjects

Participants (n3066) with 12 333 unique observations, baseline (mean (sd)) age=54·0 (9·7) years, BMI=27·4 (4·9) kg/m2, 53·5 % female.

Results

In fully adjusted models, there were favourable associations (mean (se)) of total protein with annualized changes in SBP (lowestv. highest intake: 0·34 (0·06)v. 0·04 (0·06) mmHg,Ptrend=0·001) and eGFR (−1·03 (0·06)v. −0·87 (0·05) ml/min per 1·73 m2,Ptrend=0·046), unfavourable associations with changes in FG (0·013 (0·004)v. 0·028 (0·004) mmol/l,Ptrend=0·004) and no associations with weight, WC, DBP or lipids. Animal protein was favourably associated with SBP and unfavourably with FG and WC; plant protein was favourably associated with FG and WC.

Conclusions

The present study provides evidence that protein intake may influence changes in cardiometabolic health independent of change in weight in healthy adults and that protein’s role in cardiometabolic health may depend on the protein source.
Emergent Macrophyte Root Architecture Controls Subsurface Solute Transport
Authors: Nikolakopoulou M. , Argerich A. , Drummond J. D. , Gacia E. , Martí E. , Sorolla A. , Sabater F.
Published: August 2018

Emergent macrophytes (helophytes) grow in the active channel of fluvial ecosystems. Subsurface flow beneath this area (i.e., hyporheic zone) is considered critical for ecological processes. However, little is known about the influence of helophyte roots on subsurface solute transport. We investigated the effect of three helophyte species with different root architecture (Iris pseudacorus L., Phragmites australis L., and Scirpus lacustris L.) on solute transport along subsurface flow paths. We considered both the physical and the biological roles of the roots, expecting that (1) roots will act as structures that create heterogeneities in the sediment (physical role); thus, root architecture will alter subsurface flow paths; (2) roots will remove water via evapotranspiration (biological role), leading to slower flow velocity; and (3) both scenarios will result in longer water residence times. We performed conservative tracer pulse additions in 12 flow‐through flumes subjected to four treatments: absence of helophytes (Control) and presence of helophytes (Iris, Scirpus, and Phragmites). Tracer breakthrough curves were used to compare solute transport patterns between the treatments by fitting a mobile‐immobile model and by applying temporal moment analysis. Results showed that helophyte roots increase subsurface water residence time by creating heterogeneities in the substrate and by removing water. Furthermore, hydraulic retention increased with the percent volume of fine roots but decreased in the presence of thicker roots. Based on these results we suggest that the root architecture of helophytes and their capacity to remove water via evapotranspiration should be considered when planning stream restoration activities aimed to improve water quality.
Author Correction: Bisphosphonate enhances TRAIL sensitivity to human osteosarcoma cells via death receptor 5 upregulation
Authors: Moon Myung-Hee , Jeong Jae-Kyo , Seo Jae-Suk , Seol Jae-Won , Lee You-Jin , Xue Meilang , Jackson Christopher J. , Park Sang-Youel
Published: August 2018

After publication of this article, the authors noticed an error in the figure section.
Nanoparticle architecture preserves magnetic properties during coating to enable robust multi-modal functionality
Authors: Woodard Lauren E. , Dennis Cindi L. , Borchers Julie A. , Attaluri Anilchandra , Velarde Esteban , Dawidczyk Charlene , Searson Peter C. , Pomper Martin G. , Ivkov Robert
Published: August 2018

Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MIONs) have established a niche as a nanomedicine platform for diagnosis and therapy, but they present a challenging surface for ligand functionalization which limits their applications. On the other hand, coating MIONs with another material such as gold to enhance these attachments introduces other complications. Incomplete coating may expose portions of the iron oxide core, or the coating process may alter their magnetic properties. We describe synthesis and characterization of iron oxide/silica/gold core-shell nanoparticles to elucidate the effects of a silica-gold coating process and its impact on the resulting performance. In particular, small angle neutron scattering reveals silica intercalates between iron oxide crystallites that form the dense core, likely preserving the magnetic properties while enabling formation of a continuous gold shell. The synthesized silica-gold-coated MIONs demonstrate magnetic heating properties consistent with the original iron oxide core, with added x-ray contrast for imaging and laser heating.
Structural basis for polymerase η–promoted resistance to the anticancer nucleoside analog cytarabine
Authors: Rechkoblit Olga , Choudhury Jayati Roy , Buku Angeliki , Prakash Louise , Prakash Satya , Aggarwal Aneel K.
Published: August 2018

Cytarabine (AraC) is an essential chemotherapeutic for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and resistance to this drug is a major cause of treatment failure. AraC is a nucleoside analog that differs from 2′-deoxycytidine only by the presence of an additional hydroxyl group at the C2′ position of the 2′-deoxyribose. The active form of the drug AraC 5′-triphosphate (AraCTP) is utilized by human replicative DNA polymerases to insert AraC at the 3′ terminus of a growing DNA chain. This impedes further primer extension and is a primary basis for the drug action. The Y-family translesion synthesis (TLS) DNA polymerase η (Polη) counteracts this barrier to DNA replication by efficient extension from AraC-terminated primers. Here, we provide high-resolution structures of human Polη with AraC incorporated at the 3′-primer terminus. We show that Polη can accommodate AraC at different stages of the catalytic cycle, and that it can manipulate the conformation of the AraC sugar via specific hydrogen bonding and stacking interactions. Taken together, the structures provide a basis for the ability of Polη to extend DNA synthesis from AraC terminated primers.
Author Correction: Node property of weighted networks considering connectability to nodes within two degrees of separation
Authors: Amano Shun-ichi , Ogawa Ken-ichiro , Miyake Yoshihiro
Published: August 2018

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.
Chromatin de-condensation by switching substrate elasticity
Authors: Rabineau Morgane , Flick Florence , Ehlinger Claire , Mathieu Eric , Duluc Isabelle , Jung Matthieu , Senger Bernard , Kocgozlu Leyla , Schaaf Pierre , Lavalle Philippe , Freund Jean-Noël , Haikel Youssef , Vautier Dominique
Published: August 2018

Mechanical properties of the cellular environment are known to influence cell fate. Chromatin de-condensation appears as an early event in cell reprogramming. Whereas the ratio of euchromatinversusheterochromatin can be increased chemically, we report herein for the first time that the ratio can also be increased by purely changing the mechanical properties of the microenvironment by successive 24 h-contact of the cells on a soft substrate alternated with relocation and growth for 7 days on a hard substrate. An initial contact with soft substrate caused massive SW480 cancer cell death by necrosis, whereas approximately 7% of the cells did survived exhibiting a high level of condensed chromatin (21% heterochromatin). However, four consecutive hard/soft cycles elicited a strong chromatin de-condensation (6% heterochromatin) correlating with an increase of cellular survival (approximately 90%). Furthermore, cell survival appeared to be reversible, indicative of an adaptive process rather than an irreversible gene mutation(s). This adaptation process is associated with modifications in gene expression patterns. A completely new approach for chromatin de-condensation, based only on mechanical properties of the microenvironment, without any drug mediation is presented.
Expression of key genes affecting artemisinin content in five Artemisia species
Authors: Salehi Maryam , Karimzadeh Ghasem , Naghavi Mohammad Reza , Naghdi Badi Hassanali , Rashidi Monfared Sajad
Published: August 2018

Artemisinin, an effective anti-malarial drug is synthesized in the specialized 10-celled biseriate glandular trichomes of some Artemisia species. In order to have an insight into artemisinin biosynthesis in species other than A. annua, five species with different artemisinin contents were investigated for the expression of key genes that influence artemisinin content. The least relative expression of the examined terpene synthase genes accompanied with very low glandular trichome density (4 No. mm−2) and absence of artemisinin content in A. khorassanica (S2) underscored the vast metabolic capacity of glandular trichomes. A. deserti (S4) with artemisinin content of 5.13 mg g−1 DW had a very high expression of Aa-ALDH1 and Aa-CYP71AV1 and low expression of Aa-DBR2. It is possible to develop plants with high artemisinin synthesis ability by downregulating Aa-ORA in S4, which may result in the reduction of Aa-ALDH1 and Aa-CYP71AV1 genes expression and effectively change the metabolic flux to favor more of artemisinin production than artemisinic acid. Based on the results, the Aa-ABCG6 transporter may be involved in trichome development. S4 had high transcript levels and larger glandular trichomes (3.46 fold) than A. annua found in Iran (S1), which may be due to the presence of more 2C-DNA (3.48 fold) in S4 than S1.
Charge-patching method for the calculation of electronic structure of polypeptides
Authors: Sun Chang-Liang , Liu Li-Ping , Tian Fubo , Ding Fu , Wang Lin-Wang
Published: August 2018

Based on the CPM method, the charge densities of polypeptides can be generated and their electronic structure can be further calculated.
First principles mechanistic study of self-limiting oxidative adsorption of remote oxygen plasma during the atomic layer deposition of alumina
Authors: Fomengia Glen N. , Nolan Michael , Elliott Simon D.
Published: August 2018

Saturation takes place during the oxygen plasma pulse when1O atoms oxidize the methyl-covered alumina surface to produce surface hydroxyls and CH2O as by-product.
A new carbon allotrope with orthorhombic symmetry formed via graphitic sheet buckling
Authors: Li Zhen-Zhen , Wang Jian-Tao
Published: August 2018

We identified by ab initio calculations a new simple orthorhombic carbon allotrope with Pmc21 (C2v2) symmetry that has a 32-atom unit cell in all-sp3 hybridized covalent bonds.
Ta3N5 nanoparticles/TiO2 hollow sphere (0D/3D) heterojunction: facile synthesis and enhanced photocatalytic activities of levofloxacin degradation and H2 evolution
Authors: Jiang Yinhua , Jing Xuan , Zhu Kun , Peng ZhiYuan , Zhang Jianming , Liu Yan , Zhang Wenli , Ni Liang , Liu Zhanchao
Published: August 2018

A novel 0D/3D Ta3N5 nanoparticles/TiO2 hollow sphere heterojunction with efficient solar-light-driven levofloxacin degradation and H2 evolution is fabricated.
Selenium deficiency induces duodenal villi cell apoptosis via an oxidative stress-induced mitochondrial apoptosis pathway and an inflammatory signaling-induced death receptor pathway
Authors: Wang Jianfa , Liu Zhe , He Xianjing , Lian Shuai , Liang Jianbin , Yu Debin , Sun Dongbo , Wu Rui
Published: August 2018

Selenium (Se) is an important nutritional trace element possessing antioxidant properties. Our goal was to elucidate the effect and mechanism of Se deficiency on the intestinal cell fate. One-day-old three-yellow chickens were fed a low Se diet for 1, 3, and 5 weeks. Histologic characteristics, protein expression profiles, antioxidant activities, inflammatory signaling, and the apoptosis status in duodenum mucosa were investigated. Histological results showed that Se deficiency could increase inflammatory cell infiltration, karyopyknosis of the epithelial cells, cytoplasm vacuolization and dissolution of goblet cells. The proteomics results indicated that Se deficiency could induce apoptosis of cells in duodenal villi via inhibition of antioxidant redox signaling and activation of NF-κB signaling. Further analysis results showed that Se deficiency decreased the total antioxidant capacity of duodenum mucosa via down-regulating the transcription level and activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPX), reduced glutathione (GSH), and thioredoxin reductase (TrxR). The NF-κB signaling pathway was activated by Se deficiency-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS). TUNEL, DNA ladder, immunohistochemical assay, and western blotting proved that selenium deficiency could induce duodenal villi cell apoptosis. The results also indicated that Se deficiency can cause duodenal villi cell apoptosis via an oxidative stress-induced mitochondrial apoptosis pathway (intrinsic pathway) and an inflammatory signaling-induced death receptor pathway (extrinsic pathway). Our data may provide new insight into the prevention and treatment of chronic diarrhea caused by Se deficiency.
A nanoscale porous glucose-based polymer for gas adsorption and drug delivery
Authors: Jiang Xiaowei , Wang Qiuliang , Liu Yunfei , Fu Xiaohui , Luo Yali , Lyu Yinong
Published: August 2018

A glucose-based nanoporous organic polymer with the –OH group shows significant CO2 uptake capacities and good drug release behaviour.
Synthesis of iminoisoindolinones via a cascade of the three-component Ugi reaction, palladium catalyzed isocyanide insertion, hydroxylation and an unexpected rearrangement reaction
Authors: Ren Zhi-Lin , He Ping , Lu Wen-Ting , Sun Mei , Ding Ming-Wu
Published: August 2018

A new palladium-catalyzed reaction involving cascade isocyanide insertion, hydroxylation and unexpected rearrangement was developed to construct iminoisoindolinones.
Circular dichroism and circularly polarised luminescence of bipyrenyl oligopeptides, with piperidines added in the peptide chains
Authors: Mimura Yuki , Kitamura Sayaka , Shizuma Motohiro , Kitamatsu Mizuki , Imai Yoshitane
Published: August 2018

We found that chiral oligopeptides bearing two-pendant pyrenyl units exhibited circularly polarised luminescence (CPL) originating from intramolecular excimers in various solvents, and the sign of their CPL signals depended on the solvent and piperidine unit in peptide chain.
Linear defects forming the ground state of polar free standing smectic-C* films
Authors: Dolganov Pavel V. , Kats Efim I. , Dolganov Vladimir K. , Cluzeau Philippe
Published: August 2018

A striped labyrinth-like structure can form in free-standing films of a calamitic ferroelectric liquid crystal near the temperatures of thinning transitions.
Aspirin enhances the sensitivity of hepatocellular carcinoma side population cells to doxorubicin via miR-491/ABCG2
Authors: Xie Zheng-Yuan , Liu Mao-Sheng , Zhang Cong , Cai Peng-Cheng , Xiao Zhi-Hua , Wang Fen-Fen
Published: August 2018

Objective: To explore whether aspirin (ASA) enhances the sensitivity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) side population (SP) cells to doxorubicin (Doxo) via miR-491/ATP-binding cassette sub-family G member 2 (ABCG2).

Methods: Non-SP and SP cells were isolated from MHCC-97L cell line using flow cytometry analysis and fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Colony formation assay was performed to determine the colony-formation ability of cells. Cell viability of SP cells was determined with the MTT assay. Luciferase reporter assay was applied in confirming the binding between miR-491 and ABCG2.

Results: Although the Doxo treatment lowered the colony-formation ability of both non-SP and SP cells, the colony-formation ability of SP cells was 2-fold higher than that of non-SP cells (P<0.05). Doxo slightly inhibited the cell viability of SP cells in a concentration-dependent manner; the addition of ASA dramatically enhanced the inhibitory effect of Doxo on SP cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner (P<0.05). Compared with non-SP cells, the miR-491 expression was significantly decreased in SP cells, which was significantly reversed by ASA (P<0.05). miR-491 directly controlled the ABCG2 expression. In the presence of Doxo, miR-491 inhibitor reduced the inhibitory effect of ASA on the cell viability of SP cells, which was significantly reversed by knockdown of ABCG2 (P<0.05).

Conclusion: ASA enhanced the sensitivity of SP cells to Doxo via regulating the miR-491/ABCG2 signaling pathway.
Proposed ontology for cognitive radar systems
Authors: Horne Colin , Ritchie Matthew , Griffiths Hugh
Published: August 2018

Cognitive radar is a rapidly developing area of research with many opportunities for innovation. A significant obstacle to development in this discipline is the absence of a common understanding of what constitutes a cognitive radar. The proposition in this study is that radar systems should not be classed as cognitive, or not cognitive, but should be graded by the degree of cognition exhibited. The authors introduce a new taxonomy framework for cognitive radar against which research, experimental and production systems can be benchmarked, enabling clear communication regarding the level of cognition being discussed.
The difference in ocular lens equivalent dose to ERCP personnel between prone and left lateral decubitus positions: a prospective randomized study
Authors: Angsuwatcharakon Phonthep , Janjeurmat Worawarut , Krisanachinda Anchali , Ridtitid Wiriyaporn , Kongkam Pradermchai , Rerknimitr Rungsun
Published: August 2018

Background and study aims Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is commonly performed in a prone or left lateral decubitus (LLD) position. The ocular lens equivalent doses between the two positions may be different because in the LLD position the tube voltage will automatically increase to maintain the image quality, and the increased distance between the image intensifier and the X-ray tube may result in more scattered radiation. We aimed to compare the ocular lens equivalent doses of ERCP personnel between the two different positions.

Patients and methods Fifty-five patients with ERCP indications were randomized to either prone or LLD positions. One patient in an LLD position was excluded due to technical reasons. Indications for ERCP, patients’ vertical thicknesses, fluoroscopy parameters, patients’ skin dose rates, and the ocular-lens equivalent doses of ERCP personnel were compared.

Results Baseline characteristics were no different except for vertical thickness, which was significantly higher in the LLD group. The ocular lens equivalent doses (prone vs. LLD) of the primary endoscopist (19.2 vs. 30.7 µSv, P = 0.035), and the nurse anesthetist (17.3 vs. 42.2 µSv, P = 0.002) were significantly lower in the prone group than in the LLD group. The calculated annual number of procedures not to exceed the exposure allowance in prone and LLD positions were 1,042 and 651 procedures for the primary endoscopist and 1,157 and 473 procedures for the nurse anesthetist, respectively.

Conclusions Ocular-radiation exposure to ERCP personnel was one-third lower in the prone than in LLD position. Therefore, more annual ERCPs could be performed by the personnel.
Kardiopulmonale Reanimation im Weltall
Authors: Schmitz Jan , Kerkhoff Steffen , Braunecker Stefan , Warnecke Tobias , Hinkelbein Jochen
Published: August 2018

Aufgrund der guten medizinischen Selektion, der guten körperlichen Konstitution und der engmaschigen, intensiven Betreuung sind relevante medizinische Probleme bei Astronauten im Weltall vergleichsweise selten. Bisher sind 5 relevante Methoden zur Durchführung von Thoraxkompressionen im Rahmen einer kardiopulmonalen Reanimation (CPR) in Schwerelosigkeit entwickelt worden. Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist die Darstellung dieser 5 Techniken sowie das Aufzeigen von möglichen Problemen in Zusammenhang mit einer CPR im Weltall in Zukunft. Bisher liegen keine praktischen Erfahrungen zu einer Reanimation im Weltall vor. Alle bisher publizierten Studien wurden entweder im Parabelflug oder unter simulierten Bedingungen (z.B. Unterwasser oder in einem Aufhängeapparat) auf der Erde durchgeführt. Zukünftig sind, gerade für längere Raumflüge, weitere Analysen und detailliertere Vorgaben notwendig.
Postelectrocution Massive Brain Infarcts
Authors: Kareem Kaiser , Nayil Khursheed , Ali Zulfikar , Dar Bashir , Ramzan Altaf
Published: August 2018

Acute brain infarct is an uncommon complication of electrical injury, and only a few cases have been reported. A young man sustained a high-voltage electrical injury followed by a fall from height. Imaging revealed right hemibrain infarct. He was operated for that, but did not make much progress. Electric shock injury with the high-voltage current even for short period of contact may cause massive infarction of brain, and prognosis remains dismal.
Sodium Tetradecyl Sulfate Sclerotherapy for Venous Malformation of the Tongue: A Single-Center Experience
Authors: Inbaraj Alfred , Keshava Shyamkumar , Moses Vinu , Koshy George , Ahmed Munawwar , Mammen Suraj , Selvaraj Dheepak , Premkumar Prabhu , Gupta Ashish , Agarwal Sunil
Published: August 2018

Purpose To study the safety and effectiveness of sclerotherapy with 3% sodium tetradecyl sulfate (STS) in the management of venous malformation (VM) of the tongue.

Materials and Methods The clinical and imaging data of patients with tongue VM treated with STS sclerotherapy over a period of 15 years (2002–2017) were reviewed. Safety was assessed based on the incidence of minor and major complications. Effectiveness was assessed by clinical improvement (reduction in symptoms and size) on a 10-point scale.

Results The study included 44 patients (26 men and 18 women). The median age was 24 years at the time of treatment. Eight patients were lost to follow-up. Four patients (4 of 44, 9%) had complications including venous bleeding needing compression, self-limiting hematuria, significant swelling of the tongue requiring prolonged intubation, and arterial bleeding due to injury to the lingual artery. Clinical improvement was seen in 30 (30 of 36, 83%). The median clinical improvement was 4.5 on the 10-point scale, with a range of 1 to 8. Twelve (12 of 36, 33.3%) patients demonstrated 1 to 40% improvement in the lesion size and 18 (50%) had 41 to 80% improvement.

Conclusion Sclerotherapy with 3% STS is safe and effective in treating venous malformations of the tongue with minimal complications.
Diagnostik und Therapie der allergischen Rhinitis/Rhinokonjunktivitis
Authors: Kopp M. V. , Gerstlauer M. , Ankermann T.
Published: August 2018

Die allergische Rhinitis (AR) ist die häufigste chronische Erkrankung bei Kindern und Jugendlichen. Die AR wird zu häufig nicht diagnostiziert, nicht behandelt und in ihrer Bedeutung unterschätzt. Neben den charakteristischen Symptomen Niesen, nasaler Juckreiz, behinderte Nasenatmung und Rhinorrhoe belastet die Erkrankung auch durch Beeinträchtigung der Lebensqualität und Verschlechterung eines bestehenden Asthma bronchiale. Die Diagnose beruht auf Anamnese, charakteristischen Symptomen, Analyse der Sensibilisierung durch Haut-Prick-Test (HPT) oder Bestimmung spezifischer IgE-Antikörper und evtl. spezifischen Provokationstesten. Die Therapie besteht aus Allergenkarenz, Kochsalzspülungen, Pharmakotherapie mit Antihistaminika, Chromonen, Glukokortikoiden und der spezifischen Immuntherapie.
Ankle Joint Control in People with Chronic Ankle Instability During Run-and-cut Movements
Authors: Fuerst Patrick , Gollhofer Albert , Lohrer Heinz , Gehring Dominic
Published: August 2018

Despite a considerable amount of research, the deficits causing recurrent sprains in people with chronic ankle instability are still unclear. Changes in frontal plane kinematics and decreased peroneal activation have been proposed as potential underlying mechanisms, but whether people with ankle instability show deficits in control of injury-relevant movements is not well understood. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to analyse ankle joint kinematics and kinetics as well as neuromuscular activation during dynamic change-of-direction movements. Eighteen participants with functional instability, 18 participants with functional and mechanical instability and 18 healthy controls performed 45° sidestep-cutting and 180° turning movements in reaction to light signals. During sidestep-cutting both instability groups displayed significantly lower inversion angles than controls when the trials with the highest maximum inversion angle of each participant were compared. In turning movements, participants with functional instability presented significantly lower average maximum inversion angles than controls as well as higher peroneal activation before foot strike than participants with both functional and mechanical instability. We theorize that the observed changes in movement kinematics of participants with chronic ankle instability are the result of a protective strategy to limit frontal plane ankle joint loading in potentially harmful situations.
Stoichiometric network analysis of a reaction system with conservation constraints
Authors: Čupić Željko , Maćešić Stevan , Novakovic Katarina , Anić Slobodan , Kolar-Anić Ljiljana
Published: August 2018

Stoichiometric Network Analysis (SNA) is a powerful method that can be used to examine instabilities in modelling a broad range of reaction systems without knowing the explicit values of reaction rate constants. Due to a lack of understanding, SNA is rarely used and its full potential is not yet fulfilled. Using the oscillatory carbonylation of a polymeric substrate [poly(ethylene glycol)methyl ether acetylene] as a case study, in this work, we consider two mathematical methods for the application of SNA to the reaction models when conservation constraints between species have an important role. The first method takes conservation constraints into account and uses only independent intermediate species, while the second method applies to the full set of intermediate species, without the separation of independent and dependent variables. Both methods are used for examination of steady state stability by means of a characteristic polynomial and related Jacobian matrix. It was shown that both methods give the same results. Therefore, as the second method is simpler, we suggest it as a more straightforward method for the applications.
Characteristics of high frequency interruption for vacuum DC breakers
Authors: Qin Taotao , Zhang Ying , Dong Enyuan , Zou Jiyan
Published: August 2018

Post arc current can reflect the residual plasma in the electrode gap and the zero zone characteristics, so it has a great influence on the interruption of the breakers. In this paper, a permanent magnet-repulsive force hybrid actuator is designed, and the post arc current measurement system is established. Based on the forced current zero method, a series of high frequency DC interruption experiments are carried out in the synthetic test circuit with vacuum interrupters. The influence of the commutation frequency and recovery voltage on the vacuum DC interruption is investigated. The results show that a short lag phase about 80 ns exists between the post arc current and recovery voltage. High commutation frequency leads to the rise of the post arc current, which is disadvantageous for the vacuum DC interruption. The post arc current also rises with the increase in the recovery voltage. The interruption is not just affected by the di/dt and du/dt. In this study, failing interruption at the first current zero happens when the transient recovery voltage is near 2800 V. The current chopping occurs easily at high commutation frequency. And the chopping current value is proportional to the commutation frequency, which is up to 120 A at 4.0 kHz.
Dynamic acousto-elastic response of single fatigue cracks with different microstructural features: An experimental investigation
Authors: Jin Jiang , Rivière Jacques , Ohara Yoshikazu , Shokouhi Parisa
Published: August 2018

Nonlinearity of damaged materials is often assumed to be correlated with the cumulative length of micro-cracks discounting the influence of crack width and roughness. To investigate the influence of microstructural features of realistic cracks on the nonlinear elastic properties, Dynamic Acousto-Elastic Testing (DAET) is performed on two aluminum alloy samples (30 × 40 × 170 mm3) with a single fatigue-crack. The cracks on the two samples are of similar length but have dissimilar microstructural features due to the different stress intensity factors used during the fatigue tests. DAET is carried out with a surface wave probe to measure the near-surface nonlinearity at a number of locations along each crack. The geometric features of the cracks, including crack width and roughness, are extracted from a series of scanning electron microscope images. DAET results demonstrate that nonlinearity varies along the crack; both samples exhibit greater nonlinearity near the notch, where the crack is wider than near the crack tip. However, the nonlinearity parameters obtained from the sample with a smoother crack are one order of magnitude larger than those of the sample with a relatively rough crack. In addition, the nonlinearity signatures of the two cracks exhibit very different tension/compression asymmetry. This study provides valuable data that not only directly correlates the nonlinear ultrasonic signatures and crack interface features but also illuminates the micro-mechanisms and origins of the measured nonlinearities.
Modeling of interaction between arc and macroparticle in vacuum trigatron
Authors: Wang Lijun , Yang Ze , Zhang Xiao , Jia Shenli , Zhong Wei , Xu Ao
Published: August 2018

This work investigates the interaction between high current vacuum arc (HCVA) and the macroparticle (MP) generated from the cathode spots in the small-size vacuum trigatron. Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model is used to describe the arc column. MPs are added into the MHD model, which are described by discrete phase model. The control equations of MPs include charging equation, motion equation, and heat transfer equation, in which the evaporation of MPs is also considered. Based on the above model, the effects of the diameter and initial velocity of MPs on the characteristics of them are studied. Simulation results show that MPs leave the interelectrode gap with a deflection angle larger than the initial angle under the influence of plasma. The motion of MPs is similar to that of projectiles. MPs with smaller diameter or slower velocity are influenced by the arc plasma more significantly. MPs can act as a source of the plasma, but these influences are not obvious in HCVA. What may be more harmful to the trigatron is the charging process of MPs during post-arc process.
Excitation energies of embedded open-shell systems: Unrestricted frozen-density-embedding time-dependent density-functional theory
Authors: Böckers Michael , Neugebauer Johannes
Published: August 2018

Frozen–density-embedding (FDE) linear response time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) is generalized to the case of spin-unrestricted reference orbitals. FDE-TDDFT in the uncoupled approximation is applied to calculate vertical excitation energies of diatomic radicals interacting with closed-shell atoms (helium) or molecules like water. Unrestricted FDE-TDDFT can reproduce the vertical valence excitation energies obtained from conventional supermolecular TDDFT with good accuracy, provided that a good embedding potential is available. To investigate the influence of approximate embedding potentials, we also combine the unrestricted FDE-TDDFT formalism with projection-operator and potential reconstruction techniques, thus enabling calculations with accurate (“exact”) embedding potentials.
Spatial propagation and damping of ordinary electromagnetic mode
Authors: Khokhar Tajammal H. , Yoon P. H. , López R. A. , Murtaza G.
Published: August 2018

The spatial propagation and damping of the ordinary electromagnetic mode is studied by making use of the Vlasov approach and treating the wave vector as complex while treating the frequency as real. Such a treatment is applicable to situations where an incident electromagnetic wave from outside the spatially confined plasma is absorbed at the plasma surface, or is transmitted into the plasma. This approach of investigating the behavior of plasma wave characteristics shows certain features that are fundamentally different from the analogous wave analysis from the view point of the customary initial value problem in which the wave frequency is treated as complex while regarding the wave vector as real. Both numerical and analytical methods are employed in order to unveil the complicated structure of the hitherto unexplored spatial structure of the ordinary electromagnetic wave as it either propagates in space or suffers spatial attenuation. Possible applications of the present findings are discussed.
Experimental and theoretical studies on the elasticity of tungsten to 13 GPa
Authors: Qi Xintong , Cai Nao , Chen Ting , Wang Siheng , Li Baosheng
Published: August 2018

Compressional (VP) and shear wave (VS) velocities of polycrystalline tungsten have been measured up to ∼13 GPa at room temperature using ultrasonic interferometry in a multi-anvil apparatus. Using finite strain equation of state approaches, the elastic bulk and shear moduli and their pressure dependences are derived yielding KS0=325.9±4.8  GPa,  G0=164.1±2.5  GPa, KS0′=3.65±0.05, and G0′=1.28±0.02. On the basis of the current experimental data, the high-pressure behavior of Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, and ductility/brittleness for tungsten are also investigated. Complementary to the experimental data, the single crystal elastic constants, as well as the elastic anisotropy of tungsten are computed using density functional theory (DFT). The Voigt-Reuss-Hill average of the bulk and shear moduli calculated using the single crystal elastic constants from DFT are found comparable to the current experimental results within about 5%. The present study offers a dataset for the elasticity of polycrystalline bcc tungsten to a maximum pressure more than 25-fold higher than other previous ultrasonic studies, which can further our understanding about the elastic, mechanical, and electronic properties of tungsten under extreme conditions as well as thermodynamic modelling of its alloys.