bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design, synthesis and antimycobacterial activity of hybrid molecules combining pyrazinamide with a 4-phenylthiazol-2-amine scaffold
Authors: Zitko Jan , Jand'ourek Ondřej , Paterová Pavla , Navrátilová Lucie , Kuneš Jiří , Vinšová Jarmila , Doležal Martin
Published: February 2018

Hybrid compounds based on a combination of the first-line antitubercular pyrazinamide and a formerly identified antimycobacterial scaffold of 4-arylthiazol-2-amine were designed.
Correction: Diketopyrrolopyrrole based organic semiconductors with different numbers of thiophene units: symmetry tuning effect on electronic devices
Authors: Liu Qian , Surendran Abhijith , Feron Krishna , Manzhos Sergei , Jiao Xuechen , McNeill Christopher R. , Bottle Steven E. , Bell John , Leong Wei Lin , Sonar Prashant
Published: February 2018

Correction for ‘Diketopyrrolopyrrole based organic semiconductors with different numbers of thiophene units: symmetry tuning effect on electronic devices’ by Qian Liu et al., New J. Chem., 2018, DOI: 10.1039/c7nj03505e.
Electron microscopy of polyoxometalate ions on graphene by electrospray ion beam deposition
Authors: Vats N. , Rauschenbach S. , Sigle W. , Sen S. , Abb S. , Portz A. , Dürr M. , Burghard M. , van Aken P. A. , Kern K.
Published: February 2018

We present HRTEM imaging of [PW12O40]3− on graphene after chemically selective deposition by electrospray ion-beam deposition (ES-IBD).
Macromonomers, telechelics and more complex architectures of PMA by a combination of biphasic SET-LRP and biphasic esterification
Authors: Moreno Adrian , Jezorek Ryan L. , Liu Tong , Galià Marina , Lligadas Gerard , Percec Virgil
Published: February 2018

Macromonomers and telechelics of PMAviabiphasic SET-LRP and biphasic esterification with potassium acrylate.
Simultaneous multiple single nucleotide polymorphism detection based on click chemistry combined with DNA-encoded probes
Authors: Zhou Qian-Yu , Yuan Fang , Zhang Xiao-Hui , Zhou Ying-Lin , Zhang Xin-Xiang
Published: February 2018

A novel strategy utilizing a DNA template-directed CuAAC click reaction to mimic a ligation reaction based on DNA ligase was successfully established for multiple SNP detection with high sensitivity and specificity.
A bead–spring chain as a one-dimensional polyelectrolyte gel
Authors: Manning Gerald S.
Published: February 2018

The physical principles underlying expansion of a single-chain polyelectrolyte coil caused by Coulomb repulsions among its ionized groups, and the expansion of a cross-linked polyelectrolyte gel, are probably the same.
Power efficiency optimisation of wireless‐powered full‐duplex relay systems
Authors: Chen Ruirui , Zhang Hailin
Published: February 2018

In this study, the authors study the power efficiency optimisation in wireless‐powered full‐duplex relay (WFR) systems, where the entire transmission process can be partitioned into wireless power transfer phase (WP) and full‐duplex information transmission phase (FP). For WFR systems with same source transmit power, where the source transmit powers of WP and FP are same, they first prove that the power efficiency is a strictly concave function over the time‐switching factor, and an optimal time allocation scheme is proposed to maximise the power efficiency. Then, for the given time‐switching protocol, the optimal power allocation strategy is obtained by analysing the derivative of the power efficiency with respect to the transmit power. Finally, they propose the joint power and time allocation scheme. For WFR systems with different source transmit power, where the source transmit powers of WP and FP are different, the optimal time allocation scheme and optimal power allocation strategy are derived by studying the derivative of the power efficiency. Furthermore, the joint power and time allocation scheme is proposed to maximise the power efficiency. Simulation results are presented to validate the authors' proposed schemes for the WFR systems.
Robust estimator design for periodic neural networks with polytopic uncertain weight matrices and randomly occurred sensor nonlinearities
Authors: Rao Hong‐Xia , Xu Yong , Zhang Bin , Yao Deyin
Published: February 2018

This work addresses the problem of the estimator design for the periodic neural networks with polytopic uncertain connection weight matrices. The polytopic uncertainty is used to model the uncertain weight matrices. Bernoulli processes are employed to characterise the randomly occurred sensor nonlinearities, where the sensors are distributed in a large area. A Lyapunov function which depends both on the polytopic vertices and the period is constructed to improve the performance of the estimator. Sufficient conditions of the stochastic stability with performance for the augmented system are established, and the corresponding gains of the estimator are designed. Finally, an illustrative numerical example is given.
Crumpling effects and specific absorption rates of flexible AMC integrated antennas
Authors: Alemaryeen Ala , Noghanian Sima
Published: February 2018

This study presents the design of a wearable textile‐based monopole antenna integrated with a flexible artificial magnetic conductor (AMC). The proposed design covers the industrial, scientific, and medical 2.45 GHz band. An AMC reflector is utilised to isolate the human body from undesired electromagnetic radiation and to improve the antenna radiation characteristics. A monopole antenna was backed with an AMC reflector and tested in free space and on human body models. The inclusion of an AMC reflector increases the front‐to‐back ratio and antenna gain in free space. On the human body models, the AMC antenna provides stable performance and a reduction in specific absorption rate levels compared with using the conventional monopole antenna. Moreover, the performance of the antenna with and without the AMC reflector under different crumpling conditions has been studied and presented. The effect of crumpling on reflection phase characteristics of the AMC reflector has been analysed as well.
Directional cyclic demodulation with application to identification of rotor oil‐film instability fault coupled with rub–impact
Authors: Liu Xiaofeng , Bo Lin , Hongling Luo
Published: February 2018

In the state of oil‐film instability coupled with rub–impact, the vibration signal of rotor‐bearing system generally presents the weak non‐linear frequency modulation (FM) features. In order to get a deep insight into the complicated FM phenomenon, the mechanism analysis is carried out on the motion model of non‐linear Jeffcott rotor in oil‐film instability coupled with rub–impact fault. The method of directional cyclic demodulation is proposed to extract the weak FM information embodied in the strong oil‐film instability vibration. In this method, the directional cyclic autocorrelation density (DCRD) is adopted to infuse the information of two‐directional vibration signals, and then is sliced along the cyclic frequency axis. The FM features and rotor motion direction are extracted from the slice of DCRD. Then the experimental research on the rotor‐bearing system demonstrates the validity of the proposed method.
Singular integral equations in diffraction by multilayer grating of graphene strips in the THz range
Authors: Kaliberda Mstislav , Lytvynenko Leonid , Pogarsky Sergey
Published: February 2018

Diffraction of the H-polarized electromagnetic wave by multilayer graphene grating in the THz range is considered. The scattered field is represented in the spectral domain via unknown spectral functions. The mathematical model is based on the graphene surface impedance and the method of singular integral equations. The numerical solution is obtained by the Nystrom-type method of discrete singularities. The scattering and absorption characteristics as functions of frequency and distance between layers are studied.
Early results of total hip arthroplasty using dual-mobility cup in patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head
Authors: Assi Chahine , Kheir Nadim , Samaha Camille , Kouyoumdjian Pascal , Yammine Kaissar
Published: February 2018

Introduction: Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) remains a therapeutic challenge for patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA). The majority of these patients are young with high functional demand, and show an increased risk of dislocation following surgery than patients with osteoarthritis. The use of double mobility cup (DMC) has been linked with lower rates of complications when compared to conservative cups; however, the literature is scarce over DMC results in patients with ONFH. The aim of the study is to report the early outcomes of patients with ONFH treated with THA-DMC.Materials: A retrospective analysis of patients suffering from ONFH who underwent THA using DMC (THA-DMC) from 2006 to 2015 were evaluated for functional status and risk of post-operative complications. Thirty THA-DMC in 26 patients with a mean follow-up of 51 months were evaluated clinically (modified Hip Harris Score) and radiologically.Results: The mean age of the included patients was 54.9 years. At final follow-up, the mean modified Hip Harris score was 98.7 ± 2.7 and no dislocation episodes or revision surgeries were recorded. The radiological assessment revealed no signs of migration/tilting, radiolucent lines, periprosthetic osteolysis or heterotopic ossification over the DMC component and the femoral stem. The survival rate over 51 months of follow-up was 100%.Discussion: The use of the new generation of dual mobility cup in patients with ONFH showed excellent functional early results with no major complications such as dislocation.
Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis as a Complication of Scrub Typhus in Children
Authors: Roy Soumya , Chakrabartty Subroto
Published: February 2018

Scrub typhus is a re-emerging threat throughout the world. The spectra of clinical pictures and possible complications are both varied and being increasingly reported. Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is an infrequent demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system that is precipitated by infections and immunizations. There are only two documented cases of ADEM-associated scrub typhus published in the medical literature. We report the first pediatric case wherein a 5-year-old boy presented with high fever, altered sensorium, seizure, quadriparesis, and neck rigidity. He was ultimately diagnosed as a case of scrub typhus with ADEM. After treatment with intravenous doxycycline and methylprednisolone, the fever subsided but residual neurodeficits, such as inability to sit, stand, and talk, as well as bowel bladder dysfunctions persisted. He was subsequently transferred to long-term rehabilitation care.
Bilateral Striatal Necrosis after Sydenham's Chorea in a 7-Year-Old Boy: A 2-Year Follow-Up
Authors: Canavese C. , Casabianca M. , Olivieri C. , Mancini S. , Migliore G. , Versace A. , Tocchet A. , Vitiello B. , Davico C.
Published: February 2018

Child bilateral striatal necrosis (BSN) is a rare and etiologically heterogeneous condition. An association with group A streptococcus (GAS) infection was previously reported in two cases of BSN in infancy and early childhood. We here report on a 7-year-old boy who developed chorea and dystonia 20 days after symptomatic recovery from Sydenham's chorea. Repeated brain magnetic resonance imaging scans, obtained before, soon after the onset of the post-Sydenham symptoms, and 1 year later were consistent with an evolution from bilateral striatal microbleeding to necrosis, and consequently reduced basal ganglia volume and enlargement of the frontal horns. No support was found for other possible autoimmune, infectious, metabolic, toxic or genetic etiologies for BSN. Prednisone treatment was instituted and continued for 1 year. Two years after the onset of the post-Sydenham symptoms, the child, although much improved, still has generalized dystonic–choreic movements. This case confirms and extends into school age, the link between GAS and BSN.
Targeting Hepatitis D
Authors: Rizzetto Mario
Published: February 2018

New therapeutic strategies to treat chronic hepatitis D are directed to deprive the hepatitis D virus (HDV) of functions necessary to complete its life cycle that are provided by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and by the host. Current options are (1) the block by the synthetic peptide Myrcludex B of HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) entry into cells through the inhibition of the sodium taurocholate cotransporting receptor; (2) the inhibition with lonafarnib of the farnesylation of the large HD antigen, required for virion assembly; (3) the presumed reduction by the nucleic acid polymer REP 2139 of the release of the HBsAg and subviral HBV particles necessary for HD virion morphogenesis. Lonafarnib and Myrcludex in monotherapy reduced serum HDV-RNA but did not reduce the HBsAg and HD viremia rebounded after therapy; they may provide additional efficacy to pegylated interferon alpha (Peg IFN-α) therapy. Treatment with REP-2139 in combination with Peg IFN-α induced a sustained clearance both of the HDV-RNA and HBsAg in 5 of 12 patients, providing the best interim results so far obtained in the therapy of chronic hepatitis D.
Development and Validation of a Natural Language Processing Tool to Identify Patients Treated for Pneumonia across VA Emergency Departments
Authors: Jones B. , South B. , Shao Y. , Lu C.C. , Leng J. , Sauer B. , Gundlapalli A. , Samore M. , Zeng Q.
Published: February 2018

Background Identifying pneumonia using diagnosis codes alone may be insufficient for research on clinical decision making. Natural language processing (NLP) may enable the inclusion of cases missed by diagnosis codes.

Objectives This article (1) develops a NLP tool that identifies the clinical assertion of pneumonia from physician emergency department (ED) notes, and (2) compares classification methods using diagnosis codes versus NLP against a gold standard of manual chart review to identify patients initially treated for pneumonia.

Methods Among a national population of ED visits occurring between 2006 and 2012 across the Veterans Affairs health system, we extracted 811 physician documents containing search terms for pneumonia for training, and 100 random documents for validation. Two reviewers annotated span- and document-level classifications of the clinical assertion of pneumonia. An NLP tool using a support vector machine was trained on the enriched documents. We extracted diagnosis codes assigned in the ED and upon hospital discharge and calculated performance characteristics for diagnosis codes, NLP, and NLP plus diagnosis codes against manual review in training and validation sets.

Results Among the training documents, 51% contained clinical assertions of pneumonia; in the validation set, 9% were classified with pneumonia, of which 100% contained pneumonia search terms. After enriching with search terms, the NLP system alone demonstrated a recall/sensitivity of 0.72 (training) and 0.55 (validation), and a precision/positive predictive value (PPV) of 0.89 (training) and 0.71 (validation). ED-assigned diagnostic codes demonstrated lower recall/sensitivity (0.48 and 0.44) but higher precision/PPV (0.95 in training, 1.0 in validation); the NLP system identified more “possible-treated” cases than diagnostic coding. An approach combining NLP and ED-assigned diagnostic coding classification achieved the best performance (sensitivity 0.89 and PPV 0.80).

Conclusion System-wide application of NLP to clinical text can increase capture of initial diagnostic hypotheses, an important inclusion when studying diagnosis and clinical decision-making under uncertainty.
Does Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Stent Differentially Improve Survival in a Subset of Cirrhotic Patients?
Authors: Trebicka Jonel
Published: February 2018

Does transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt stent (TIPS) improve survival in a subgroup of patients? Yes. TIPS nearly halves portal pressure and increases the effective blood volume. In cases of acute variceal hemorrhage and with a high risk of treatment failure, defined as either hepatic venous pressure gradient higher than 20 mm Hg, Child B with active bleeding at the endoscopy, or Child C with less than 14 points, early or preemptive placement of TIPS (within 72 hours) improves survival. Also, in suitable patients with intractable or refractory ascites, TIPS improves survival if placed early in the course of treatment. While TIPS does not improve survival in other situations, it improves disease management, especially in patients without TIPS contraindications but with refractory bleeding, early rebleeding, portal vein thrombosis, and hepatorenal syndrome. Experience gained at the centers and follow-up of TIPS patients are key features that improve outcome. Important factors for selection and follow-up include cardiac function, inflammation, sarcopenia, age, and early evaluation for liver transplantation.
Medikamentöse Therapie kardiologischer Erkrankungen im Alter
Authors: Schwinger Robert
Published: February 2018

Elderly people show increased probability to develop atherosclerotic diseases; in consequence heart failure – most often following coronary heart disease – as well as atrial fibrillation is more common. Following guidelines may lead to polypharmacy, i. e. use of more than 5 drugs daily. Thus, drug interactions as well as side effects become more likely; especially in elderly patients reduced kidney function has to be taken into account. Only drugs which have shown to prolong life or to reduce symptoms in controlled clinical trials should be used. There is little evidence to use low dose aspirin or lipid lowering agents in primary prevention especially in elderly. ACE inhibitors, β blocker and MRA are effective to improve symptoms and outcome in HFrEF but not in HFmEF or HFpEF. This also holds true for the elderly. Withdrawal of long term diuretic treatment in the elderly patients may lead to symptoms of heart failure or increase in blood pressure to hypertensive values often. In coronary heart disease ß blocker may be used to control symptoms as well as to reduce the need for coronary intervention following 1 year after myocardial infarction. Because the risk of stroke increases with age more than the risk of bleeding, the absolute benefit of oral anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation patients is highest in the elderly. NOAK appear to be safer and at least as efficacious as warfarin.
Prospective Comparison of a Metal-Free Ceramic Total Knee Arthroplasty with an Identical Metal System
Authors: Trieb Klemens , Ullmann David , Metzinger Katharina , Kramar Reinhard , Mauerer Andreas , Hofstätter Stefan , Fiala Rainer
Published: February 2018

Aims The aim of this open-label, prospective, short-term study was to carry out an initial comparison of a completely metal-free ceramic with a geometrically identical metallic arthroplasty over a 1-year follow-up period.

Methods This study investigates a completely metal-free system using a composite matrix material containing aluminum oxide (Al2O3, BPK-S Integration, Peter Brehm GmbH, Weisendorf, Germany) or zirconium oxide (ZrO2, BPK-S Integration Ceramic, Biolox Delta-CeramTec GmbH, Plochingen, Germany). Eighty patients (40 in each group) received either a completely metal-free ceramic system (matrix of aluminum and zirconium oxide) or an anatomically identical metallic knee system made of a cobalt-chromium alloy. Clinical assessment was performed preoperatively, and during follow-up at 3 and 12 months, using the Knee Society Score, Oxford Knee Score, and EQ-5D-VAS. For radiological evaluation, standard preoperative and postoperative standardized radiographs were taken at the given follow-up visits.

Results The postoperative clinical scores improved significantly at the 3- and 12-month follow-ups, but did not differ statistically between the two groups. The radiologically evaluated mean postoperative mechanical and anatomical axes showed proper alignment within both groups at all times. No revision surgery had to be performed, and no complications or loosening were recorded whatsoever.

Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study comparing a total ceramic metal-free knee system with a geometrically identical metallic TKA (total knee arthroplasty). Longer follow-ups will be required to demonstrate the overall efficiency of this TKR and perhaps to expand its medical indication.
Koriander: Coriandrum sativum L. – Eine Heilpflanze mit vielen Facetten
Authors: Israel Sabine
Published: February 2018

Der ursprünglich aus dem östlichen Mittelmeergebiet stammende, anpassungsfähige Koriander hat in den letzten 3000 Jahren einen globalen Siegeszug angetreten. Die verschiedensten Kulturen schätzen ihn als Gewürz- und Heilpflanze. Dem typischen Geruch verdankt der Koriander seinen Namen. Im Griechischen bedeutet „koris“ Wanze und „aneson“ Anis, welches den Duft der reifen Früchte beschreibt. Bei uns trägt er die Namen Gartenkoriander, Stinkdill, Krapfenkorn, Kaliander, Wandläusekraut, Schwindelkraut, Asiatische Petersilie oder Wanzenkümmel. Dass eine Pflanze, die zumindest im unreifen Stadium doch recht eigenartig riecht eine solche Bedeutung besitzt, muss an ihren „inneren Werten“ liegen. Tatsächlich kann die Korianderpflanze in vielerlei Hinsicht mit besonderen Inhaltsstoffen aufwarten, die zunehmend in den Fokus neuerer wissenschaftlicher Untersuchungen gelangt sind. Dieses Pflanzenporträt möchte einen kleinen Einblick in die vielfältigen Wirkungsweisen der Korianderpflanze vermitteln.
Myasthenia Gravis: Family Planning, Pregnancy and Delivery
Authors: Thieme Andrea , Kalischewski Petra
Published: February 2018

Myasthenia gravis affects women younger than 40 about three times more frequently than men. Therefore, questions about family planning, pregnancy and delivery are common for these patients and their treating physicians. The outcome for mother and child depends a good deal on knowledge of the influence of pregnancy on myasthenia, therapy options, the relationship between the disease and delivery and the newborn. This paper provides an overview of these situations to support women with myasthenia gravis and their physicians in their decision-making regarding desire for children, the course of pregnancy and delivery and neonatal considerations. With thorough advice, good preparation and support of partners and families, the desire for a child can come true for patients with myasthenia gravis. Taking special precautions and with interdisciplinary treatment, the risks for mother and child can be minimized.
Influence of lateral boundaries on transport in quasi-two-dimensional flow
Authors: Fang Lei , Ouellette Nicholas T.
Published: February 2018

We assess the impact of lateral coastline-like boundaries on mixing and transport in a laboratory quasi-two-dimensional turbulent flow using a transfer-operator approach. We examine the most coherent sets in the flow, as defined by the singular vectors of the transfer operator, as a way to characterize its mixing properties. We study three model coastline shapes: a uniform boundary, a sharp embayment, and a sharp headland. Of these three, we show that the headland affects the mixing deep into the flow domain because it has a tendency to pin transport barriers to its tip. Our results may have implications for the siting of coastal facilities that discharge into the ocean.
Reference Data for the Density, Viscosity, and Surface Tension of Liquid Al–Zn, Ag–Sn, Bi–Sn, Cu–Sn, and Sn–Zn Eutectic Alloys
Authors: Dobosz Alexandra , Gancarz Tomasz
Published: February 2018

The data for the physicochemical properties viscosity, density, and surface tension obtained by different experimental techniques have been analyzed for liquid Al–Zn, Ag–Sn, Bi–Sn, Cu–Sn, and Sn–Zn eutectic alloys. All experimental data sets have been categorized and described by the year of publication, the technique used to obtain the data, the purity of the samples and their compositions, the quoted uncertainty, the number of data in the data set, the form of data, and the temperature range. The proposed standard deviations of liquid eutectic Al–Zn, Ag–Sn, Bi–Sn, Cu–Sn, and Sn–Zn alloys are 0.8%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 0.2%, and 0.1% for the density, 8.7%, 4.1%, 3.6%, 5.1%, and 4.0% for viscosity, and 1.0%, 0.5%, 0.3%, N/A, and 0.4% for surface tension, respectively, at a confidence level of 95%.
Trapping of diffusing particles by spiky absorbers
Authors: Skvortsov Alexei T. , Berezhkovskii Alexander M. , Dagdug Leonardo
Published: February 2018

We study trapping of particles diffusing on a flat surface by complex-shaped absorbers formed by periodic absorbing spikes protruding from absorbing circular cores. It is shown that a spiky absorber can be replaced by an equivalent, from the trapping point of view, circular absorber of properly chosen radius. A simple expression for the effective absorber radius in terms of the geometric parameters of the spiky absorber (the number and length of the spikes and the core radius) is derived. To check its accuracy and to establish the range of its applicability, we run Brownian dynamics simulations and obtain the mean lifetimes of particles diffusing inside a reflecting circle with different spiky absorbers placed in its center. These mean lifetimes are then compared with their counterparts given by the theory for equivalent circular absorbers. There is an excellent agreement between the lifetimes obtained by the two methods when the radius of the reflecting circle is sufficiently large.
Quantitative characterization of semiconductor structures with a scanning microwave microscope
Authors: Korolyov S. A. , Reznik A. N.
Published: February 2018

In this work, our earlier method for measuring resistance Rsh of semiconductor films with a near-field scanning microwave microscope [A. N. Reznik and S. A. Korolyov, J. Appl. Phys. 119, 094504 (2016)] is studied in a 0.1 kΩ/sq < Rsh < 15 kΩ/sq range. The method is based on a microscope model in the form of a monopole or dipole antenna interacting with an arbitrary layered structure. The model fitting parameters are determined from the data yielded by calibration measurements on a system of etalon samples. The performance of the method was analyzed experimentally, using strip-probe and coaxial-probe microscopes in the frequency range of 1-3 GHz. For test structures, we used doped GaN films on the Al2O3 substrate and also transistor structures based on the AlGaN/GaN heterojunction and AlGaAs/GaAs/InGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well with a conducting channel. The obtained microwave microscope data were compared with the results of measurements by the van der Pauw method. At the first stage of the experiment, the calibration etalons were bulk homogeneous samples with different permittivity/conductivity values. In this case, satisfactory agreement between the microscope and the van der Pauw data was obtained with a strip probe on all tested samples in the entire range of Rsh. With a coaxial probe, such accordance was observed only in high-ohmic samples with Rsh > 1 kΩ/sq. The use of GaN film structures as a calibration system helped to increase the accuracy of the coaxial-probe-aided measurement of Rsh to a level of ∼10%.
Quantitative magneto-optical investigation of superconductor/ferromagnet hybrid structures
Authors: Shaw G. , Brisbois J. , Pinheiro L. B. G. L. , Müller J. , Blanco Alvarez S. , Devillers T. , Dempsey N. M. , Scheerder J. E. , Van de Vondel J. , Melinte S. , Vanderbemden P. , Motta M. , Ortiz W. A. , Hasselbach K. , Kramer R. B. G. , Silhanek A. V.
Published: February 2018

We present a detailed quantitative magneto-optical imaging study of several superconductor/ferromagnet hybrid structures, including Nb deposited on top of thermomagnetically patterned NdFeB and permalloy/niobium with erasable and tailored magnetic landscapes imprinted in the permalloy layer. The magneto-optical imaging data are complemented with and compared to scanning Hall probe microscopy measurements. Comprehensive protocols have been developed for calibrating, testing, and converting Faraday rotation data to magnetic field maps. Applied to the acquired data, they reveal the comparatively weaker magnetic response of the superconductor from the background of larger fields and field gradients generated by the magnetic layer.
Fundamental incorporation of the density change during melting of a confined phase change material
Authors: Hernández Ernesto M. , Otero José A.
Published: February 2018

The modeling of thermal diffusion processes taking place in a phase change material presents a challenge when the dynamics of the phase transition is coupled to the mechanical properties of the container. Thermo-mechanical models have been developed by several authors, however, it will be shown that these models only explain the phase transition dynamics at low pressures when the density of each phase experiences negligible changes. In our proposal, a new energy-mass balance equation at the interface is derived and found to be a consequence of mass conservation. The density change experienced in each phase is predicted by the proposed formulation of the problem. Numerical and semi-analytical solutions to the proposed model are presented for an example on a high temperature phase change material. The solutions to the models presented by other authors are observed to be well-behaved close to the isobaric limit. However, compared to the results obtained from our model, the change in the fusion temperature, latent heat, and absolute pressure is found to be greatly overestimated by other proposals when the phase transition is studied close to the isochoric regime.
A smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) study on polydisperse sediment from technical activities on seabed
Authors: Tran-Duc Thien , Phan-Thien Nhan , Khoo Boo Cheong
Published: February 2018

Technical activities to collect poly-metallic nodules on a seabed are likely to disturb the top-layer sediment and re-suspend it into the ambient ocean water. The transport of the re-suspended polydisperse-sized sediment is a process in which particles’ size variation leads to a difference in their settling velocities; and thus the polydispersity in sizes of sediment has to be taken into account in the modeling process. The sediment transport within a window of 12 km is simulated and analyzed numerically in this study. The sediment characteristic and the ocean current data taken from the Peru Basin, Pacific Ocean, are used in the simulations. More than 50% of the re-suspended sediment are found to return to the bottom after 24 h. The sediment concentration in the ambient ocean water does not exceed 3.5 kg/m3 during the observed period. The deposition rate steadily increases and reaches 70% of the sediment re-suspension rate after 24 h. The sediment plume created by the activities comprises mainly very fine sediment particles (clays and silts), whereas coarser particles (sands) are found in abundance in the deposited sediment within 1 km from the source location. It is also found that the deposition process of the re-suspended sediment is changed remarkably as the current velocity increases from 0.05 m/s (medium current) to 0.1 m/s (strong current). The strong sediment deposition trend is also observed as the sediment source moves continuously over a region due to the sediment scattering effect.
Simultaneous formation of multiscale hierarchical surface morphologies through sequential wrinkling and folding
Authors: Wang Yu , Sun Qingyang , Xiao Jianliang
Published: February 2018

Highly organized hierarchical surface morphologies possess various intriguing properties that could find important potential applications. In this paper, we demonstrate a facile approach to simultaneously form multiscale hierarchical surface morphologies through sequential wrinkling. This method combines surface wrinkling induced by thermal expansion and mechanical strain on a three-layer structure composed of an aluminum film, a hard Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film, and a soft PDMS substrate. Deposition of the aluminum film on hard PDMS induces biaxial wrinkling due to thermal expansion mismatch, and recovering the prestrain in the soft PDMS substrate leads to wrinkling of the hard PDMS film. In total, three orders of wrinkling patterns form in this process, with wavelength and amplitude spanning 3 orders of magnitude in length scale. By increasing the prestrain in the soft PDMS substrate, a hierarchical wrinkling-folding structure was also obtained. This approach can be easily extended to other thin films for fabrication of multiscale hierarchical surface morphologies with potential applications in different areas.
Comparing the accuracy of perturbative and variational calculations for predicting fundamental vibrational frequencies of dihalomethanes
Authors: Krasnoshchekov Sergey V. , Schutski Roman S. , Craig Norman C. , Sibaev Marat , Crittenden Deborah L.
Published: February 2018

Three dihalogenated methane derivatives (CH2F2, CH2FCl, and CH2Cl2) were used as model systems to compare and assess the accuracy of two different approaches for predicting observed fundamental frequencies: canonical operator Van Vleck vibrational perturbation theory (CVPT) and vibrational configuration interaction (VCI). For convenience and consistency, both methods employ the Watson Hamiltonian in rectilinear normal coordinates, expanding the potential energy surface (PES) as a Taylor series about equilibrium and constructing the wavefunction from a harmonic oscillator product basis. At the highest levels of theory considered here, fourth-order CVPT and VCI in a harmonic oscillator basis with up to 10 quanta of vibrational excitation in conjunction with a 4-mode representation sextic force field (SFF-4MR) computed at MP2/cc-pVTZ with replacement CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVQZ harmonic force constants, the agreement between computed fundamentals is closer to 0.3 cm−1 on average, with a maximum difference of 1.7 cm−1. The major remaining accuracy-limiting factors are the accuracy of the underlying electronic structure model, followed by the incompleteness of the PES expansion. Nonetheless, computed and experimental fundamentals agree to within 5 cm−1, with an average difference of 2 cm−1, confirming the utility and accuracy of both theoretical models. One exception to this rule is the formally IR-inactive but weakly allowed through Coriolis-coupling H–C–H out-of-plane twisting mode of dichloromethane, whose spectrum we therefore revisit and reassign. We also investigate convergence with respect to order of CVPT, VCI excitation level, and order of PES expansion, concluding that premature truncation substantially decreases accuracy, although VCI(6)/SFF-4MR results are still of acceptable accuracy, and some error cancellation is observed with CVPT2 using a quartic force field.
Laser-driven ultrafast antiproton beam
Authors: Li Shun , Pei Zhikun , Shen Baifei , Xu Jiancai , Zhang Lingang , Zhang Xiaomei , Xu Tongjun , Yu Yong , Bu Zhigang
Published: February 2018

Antiproton beam generation is investigated based on the ultra-intense femtosecond laser pulse by using two-dimensional particle-in-cell and Geant4 simulations. A high-flux proton beam with an energy of tens of GeV is generated in sequential radiation pressure and bubble regime and then shoots into a high-Z target for producing antiprotons. Both yield and energy of the antiproton beam increase almost linearly with the laser intensity. The generated antiproton beam has a short pulse duration of about 5 ps and its flux reaches 2×1020 s−1 at the laser intensity of 2.14×1023W/cm2. Compared to conventional methods, this new method based on the ultra-intense laser pulse is able to provide a compact, tunable, and ultrafast antiproton source, which is potentially useful for quark-gluon plasma study, all-optical antihydrogen generation, and so on.
Headlands slow mixing into the flow
Authors: Patrick Chris
Published: February 2018

Researchers model how different types of coastline affect offshore mixing, the results of which help inform coastal facility planning.
Can sugar be used as an explosive?
Authors: Larter Raima
Published: February 2018

Studies of the effects of high pressure and shear on otherwise inert sucrose show “mechanochemistry” at work.
Relative contribution of overweight and obesity to rising public hospital in-patient expenditure in South Australia
Authors: Larg Allison , Moss John R. , Spurrier Nicola
Published: February 2018

Objective Arguments to fund obesity prevention have often focused on the growing hospital costs of associated diseases. However, the relative contribution of overweight and obesity to public hospital expenditure growth is not well understood. This paper examines the effect of overweight and obesity on acute public hospital in-patient expenditure in South Australia over time compared with other expenditure drivers. Methods Annual inflation-adjusted acute public admitted expenditure attributable to a high body mass index was estimated for 2007–08 and 2011–12 and compared with other expenditure drivers. Results Expenditure attributable to overweight and obesity increased by A$45million, from 4.7% to 5.4% of total acute public in-patient expenditure. This increase accounted for 7.8% of the A$583million total expenditure growth, whereas the largest component of total growth (62.4%) was a real increase in the average cost per separation. Conclusions The relatively minor contribution of overweight and obesity to expenditure growth over the time period examined invites reflection on arguments to boost preventive spending that centre upon reducing hospital costs. These arguments may inadvertently detract attention from the considerable health and social burdens of overweight and obesity and from unrelated sources of expenditure growth that reduce opportunities for state governments to fund obesity prevention programs despite their comparative benefits to population health. What is known about the topic? Stand-alone estimates suggest that overweight and obesity are placing a considerable financial burden on the Australian public healthcare system. What does this paper add? Our findings challenge common perceptions about the relative importance of overweight and obesity in the context of rising public in-patient expenditure in Australia. What are the implications for practitioners? Consistent serial estimates of overweight- and obesity-attributable expenditure enable its tracking and comparison with other potentially controllable expenditure drivers that may also warrant attention. Explicit consideration of population health trade-offs in expenditure-related decisions, including in enterprise bargaining, would enhance transparency in priority setting.
The geomicrobiology of mining environments
Authors: Santini Talitha C , Gagen Emma J
Published: February 2018

As the global population increases, so does the demand for minerals and energy resources. Demand for some of the major global commodities is currently growing at rates of: copper – 1.6% p.a.1; iron ore: 1.4% p.a.2; aluminium – 5% p.a.3; rare earth elements – 7% p.a.4, driven not only by population growth in China, India, and Africa, but also by increasing urbanisation and industrialisation globally. Technological advances in renewable energy production and storage, construction materials, transport, and computing could see demand for some of these resources spike by 2600% over the next 25 years under the most extreme demand scenarios5. Coupled with declining ore grades, this demand means that the global extent of mining environments is set to increase dramatically. Land disturbance attributed to mining was estimated to be 400 000 km2 in 20076, with projected rates of increase of 10 000 km2 per year7. This will increase the worldwide extent of mining environments from around 500 000 km2 at present to 1 330 000 km2 by 2100, larger than the combined land area of New South Wales and Victoria (1 050 000 km2), making them a globally important habitat for the hardiest of microbial life. The extreme geochemical and physical conditions prevalent in mining environments present great opportunities for discovery of novel microbial species and functions, as well as exciting challenges for microbiologists to apply their understanding to solve complex remediation problems.
Two new species of Phryssonotus (Diplopoda : Synxenidae) from southern and western Australia
Authors: Huynh Cuong , Veenstra Anneke A.
Published: February 2018

For many years Phryssonotus novaehollandiae Silvestri, 1923 was thought to be the only species of this genus present in Australia. Specimens collected from three geographically separated populations had similar taxonomically important morphological characters and body lengths. However, their body scale trichomes exhibited three distinctive patterns: a trapezoid, T-shape, or dark banding, and the length-to-width ratios of their trichomes also differed. These differences, as well as results of phylogenetic analysis using 18S and COI gene regions from representatives of the three populations, suggested that more than one Phryssonotus species were present. Specimens of Phryssonotus preserved in ethanol can prove difficult to distinguish because the colour patterning gradually fades. Examination of the colour patterns of live specimens, other morphological characters and DNA analysis together, were found to be the most reliable method of correctly distinguishing between these three species. P. novaehollandiae Silvestri, 1923, the first described species collected from South Australia, remains, with its range extended to inland Victoria, and two new species (P. australis, sp. nov. and P. occidentalis, sp. nov.) are described.
Double-stranded DNA break polarity skews repair pathway choice during intrachromosomal and interchromosomal recombination
Authors: Ling Alexanda K. , So Clare C. , Le Michael X. , Chen Audrey Y. , Hung Lisa , Martin Alberto
Published: February 2018

Significance

DNA lesions initiated by activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) during class switch recombination (CSR) are diverse, and knowledge of the relationship between specific DNA lesions and DNA repair outcomes remains incomplete. Using the Cas9 endonuclease, we show that Cas9 models AID-mediated lesions leading to CSR and chromosomal translocations, and that double-stranded DNA breaks (DSBs) with 5′ overhangs skew intrachromosomal and interchromosomal end-joining toward alternative end-joining. These data establish a role for DSB end polarity in choosing the DNA repair pathway. This work provides a greater understanding of how diverse DNA lesions are differentially repaired, which will improve our understanding of the mechanism of physiological processes required for adaptive immunity and protective mechanisms that maintain genomic integrity from diverse threats.
Epistemic and evidential modification in Spanish and Portuguese
Authors: Kocher Anna
Published: February 2018

This article focuses on three constructions in Spanish and Portuguese that contain epistemic and evidential modifiers. It proposes that these constructions can be analyzed as cases of near-synonymy. Two of them are attested cross-linguistically: in the first, the modifiers function as predicative adjectives in impersonal copula clauses, while in the second, they are sentential adverbs. In the third type of construction, typical of the languages under investigation, the modifiers are followed by the complementizerqueand introduce root clauses. The first part of the article describes the interpretive contrasts between the three constructions. The modifiers receive a different (inter)subjective reading depending on the construction in which they appear. Additionally, they operate on different levels of (non-)at-issue meaning. The second part of the article presents a quantitative study that complements the insights from the first part. In this empirical study, the influence of the text type, the modifier and the language on the choice of construction is modeled statistically. The results support the idea that the constructions are stylistic near-synonyms since their choice is strongly determined by the text type they appear in.
Directness vs. indirectness
Authors: Marsily Aurélie
Published: February 2018

The aim of this paper is to examine the cross-cultural differences between (in)direct Spanish and French request formulations, adopting a pragmatic approach. More specifically, this study focusses on pragmatic equivalences in request formulations in informal and educational contexts, in French and Spanish corpora. In order to do so, a taxonomy was developed, based on the literature and on the analysis of the Spanish and French corpora. The analysis of the data shows that, on the one hand, direct strategies are among the most frequent request formulations in both corpora and, on the other, some formulations are similar in Spanish and in French but that their pragmatic interpretation or their frequency differs.
Hidden age-related hearing loss and hearing disorders
Authors: Salvi Richard , Ding Dalian , Jiang Haiyan , Chen Guang-Di , Greco Antonio , Manohar Senthilvelan , Sun Wei , Ralli Massimo
Published: February 2018

Age-related hearing loss, which affects roughly 35% of those over the age of 70, is the second most common disorder among the elderly. The severity of age-related hearing loss may actually be worse if assessments are made under more realistic conditions, such as communicating in noise. Emerging data from humans and animal models suggest that damage to the inner hair cells and/or type I neurons that relay sound information to the brain may contribute to hearing deficits in a noisy background. Data obtained from carboplatin-treated chinchillas suggest that tone-in-noise thresholds are a sensitive and frequency dependent method of detecting damage to the IHC/type I system. Therefore, tone detection thresholds measured in broadband noise may provide an efficient method of detecting the deficits in specific frequency regions. Preliminary data obtained in elderly subject with normal thresholds in quiet compared to young subjects illustrate the importance of repeating these measurements in broadband noise because thresholds in noise were worse for our elderly subjects than young subjects, even though both groups had similar hearing thresholds in quiet. N-acetyl cysteine supplementation which protects against inner hair cell loss in animal models may represent a viable therapy for protecting the inner hair cell/type I neurons.
ADAM17 is required for EGF-R–induced intestinal tumors via IL-6 trans-signaling
Authors: Schmidt Stefanie , Schumacher Neele , Schwarz Jeanette , Tangermann Simone , Kenner Lukas , Schlederer Michaela , Sibilia Maria , Linder Markus , Altendorf-Hofmann Annelore , Knösel Thomas , Gruber Elisabeth S. , Oberhuber Georg , Bolik Julia , Rehman Ateequr , Sinha Anupam , Lokau Juliane , Arnold Philipp , Cabron Anne-Sophie , Zunke Friederike , Becker-Pauly Christoph , Preaudet Adele , Nguyen Paul , Huynh Jennifer , Afshar-Sterle Shoukat , Chand Ashwini L. , Westermann Jürgen , Dempsey Peter J. , Garbers Christoph , Schmidt-Arras Dirk , Rosenstiel Philip , Putoczki Tracy , Ernst Matthias , Rose-John Stefan
Published: February 2018

Colorectal cancer is treated with antibodies blocking epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R), but therapeutic success is limited. EGF-R is stimulated by soluble ligands, which are derived from transmembrane precursors by ADAM17-mediated proteolytic cleavage. In mouse intestinal cancer models in the absence of ADAM17, tumorigenesis was almost completely inhibited, and the few remaining tumors were of low-grade dysplasia. RNA sequencing analysis demonstrated down-regulation of STAT3 and Wnt pathway components. Because EGF-R on myeloid cells, but not on intestinal epithelial cells, is required for intestinal cancer and because IL-6 is induced via EGF-R stimulation, we analyzed the role of IL-6 signaling. Tumor formation was equally impaired in IL-6−/− mice and sgp130Fc transgenic mice, in which only trans-signaling via soluble IL-6R is abrogated. ADAM17 is needed for EGF-R–mediated induction of IL-6 synthesis, which via IL-6 trans-signaling induces β-catenin–dependent tumorigenesis. Our data reveal the possibility of a novel strategy for treatment of colorectal cancer that could circumvent intrinsic and acquired resistance to EGF-R blockade.