bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High performance and stable perovskite solar cells using vanadic oxide as a dopant for spiro-OMeTAD
Authors: Wang Xiaobing , Wu Jihuai , Yang Yuqian , Liu Xuping , Guo Qiyao , Song Zeyu , Li Guodong , Lan Zhang , Huang Miaoliang
Published: May 2019

Perovskite solar cells with vanadic oxide doping achieve a power conversion efficiency of 20.5%.
Modular development of metal oxide/carbon composites for electrochemical energy conversion and storage
Authors: Ji Yuanchun , Ma Yuan , Liu Rongji , Ma Yanjiao , Cao Kecheng , Kaiser Ute , Varzi Alberto , Song Yu-Fei , Passerini Stefano , Streb Carsten
Published: May 2019

The tuneable, modular design of metal oxide/carbon composites with applications in electrocatalysis and electrochemical energy storage based on polyoxometalate-functionalized metal organic frameworks is reported.
A graphdiyne-based carbon material for electroless deposition and stabilization of sub-nanometric Pd catalysts with extremely high catalytic activity
Authors: Yang Liang-Liang , Wang Hong-Juan , Wang Juan , Li Yu , Zhang Wen , Lu Tong-Bu
Published: May 2019

A new graphdiyne-based carbon material was synthesized as an ideal substrate for electroless deposition and stabilization of sub-nanometric Pd catalysts, which showed extremely high catalytic activities for the reduction of nitroarenes and Suzuki coupling reactions.
Family-dependent magnetism in atomic boron adsorbed armchair graphene nanoribbons
Authors: Yan Wei-Wei , Li Xiao-Fei , Zhang Xiang-Hua , Cao Xinrui , Deng Mingsen
Published: May 2019

Boron adsorption induces a heavily localized state right at the Fermi level only in the family of W = 3p + 1 and thus spin-splitting occurs spontaneously.
Circular RNAS: novel biomarkers of disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus?
Authors: Cortes Raquel , Forner Maria J.
Published: May 2019

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression by acting as competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) and modulating gene transcription. Several studies support the implication of circRNAs in a variety of human diseases, but research on the role of circRNAs in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is lacking. In a study recently published in Clinical Science (2018), Zhang et al. identified hsa_circ_0012919 as a potential biomarker of disease activity in SLE patients. The authors observed different circRNA expression between SLE patients and healthy controls, an association with clinical variables and with the abnormal DNA methylation present in SLE CD4+ T cells. Finally, Zhang et al. demonstrated that hsa_circ_0012919 acts as a miRNA sponge for miR-125a-3p, regulating the gene expression of targets RANTES and KLF13 that are involved in the physiology and pathophysiology of acute and chronic inflammatory processes. These findings support the role of circRNAs in the pathophysiology of SLE.
Isotropic non-Gaussian gNL-like toy models that reproduce cosmic microwave background anomalies
Authors: Hansen F. K. , Trombetti T. , Bartolo N. , Natale U. , Liguori M. , Banday A. J. , Górski K. M.
Published: May 2019

Context. Based on recent observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), claims of statistical anomalies in the properties of the CMB fluctuations have been made. Although the statistical significance of the anomalies remains only at the ∼2−3σ significance level, the fact that there are many different anomalies, several of which support a possible deviation from statistical isotropy, has motivated a search for models that provide a common mechanism to generate them.

Aims. The goal of this paper is to investigate whether these anomalies could originate from non-Gaussian cosmological models, and to determine what properties these models should have.

Methods. We present a simple isotropic, non-Gaussian class of toy models that can reproduce six of the most extensively studied anomalies. We compare the presence of anomalies found in simulated maps generated from the toy models and from a standard model with Gaussian fluctuations.

Results. We show that the following anomalies, as found in the Planck data, commonly occur in the toy model maps: (1) large-scale hemispherical asymmetry (large-scale dipolar modulation), (2) small-scale hemispherical asymmetry (alignment of the spatial distribution of CMB power over all scales ℓ = [2, 1500]), (3) a strongly non-Gaussian hot or cold spot, (4) a low power spectrum amplitude for ℓ <  30, including specifically (5) a low quadrupole and an unusual alignment between the quadrupole and the octopole, and (6) parity asymmetry of the lowest multipoles. We note that this class of toy model resembles models of primordial non-Gaussianity characterised by strongly scale-dependent gNL-like trispectra.
Galaxies lacking dark matter in the Illustris simulation
Authors: Haslbauer M. , Dabringhausen J. , Kroupa P. , Javanmardi B. , Banik I.
Published: May 2019

Context. Any viable cosmological model in which galaxies interact predicts the existence of primordial and tidal dwarf galaxies (TDGs). In particular, in the standard model of cosmology (ΛCDM), according to the dual dwarf galaxy theorem, there must exist both primordial dark matter-dominated and dark matter-free TDGs with different radii.

Aims. We study the frequency, evolution, and properties of TDGs in a ΛCDM cosmology.

Methods. We use the hydrodynamical cosmological Illustris-1 simulation to identify TDG candidates (TDGCs) and study their present-day physical properties. The positions of galaxies in the radius–mass plane, depending on their nonbaryonic content, are compared with observational data and other simulations. We also present movies on the formation of a few galaxies lacking dark matter, confirming their tidal dwarf nature. Tidal dwarf galaxy candidates can however also be formed via other mechanisms, such as from ram-pressure-stripped material or, speculatively, from cold-accreted gas.

Results. We find 97 TDGCs with Mstellar > 5 × 107M⊙ at redshift z = 0, corresponding to a co-moving number density of 2.3 × 10−4 h3 cMpc−3. The most massive TDGC has Mtotal = 3.1 × 109 M⊙, comparable to that of the Large Magellanic Cloud. Tidal dwarf galaxy candidates are phase-space-correlated, reach high metallicities, and are typically younger than dark matter-rich dwarf galaxies.

Conclusions. We report for the first time the verification of the dual dwarf theorem in a self-consistent ΛCDM cosmological simulation. Simulated TDGCs and dark matter-dominated galaxies populate different regions in the radius–mass diagram in disagreement with observations of early-type galaxies. The dark matter-poor galaxies formed in Illustris-1 have comparable radii to observed dwarf galaxies and to TDGs formed in other galaxy-encounter simulations. In Illustris-1, only 0.17 percent of all selected galaxies with Mstellar = 5 × 107−109 M⊙ are TDGCs or dark matter-poor dwarf galaxies. The occurrence of NGC 1052-DF2-type objects is discussed.
Sparkling nights and very hot days on WASP-18b: the formation of clouds and the emergence of an ionosphere
Authors: Helling Ch. , Gourbin P. , Woitke P. , Parmentier V.
Published: May 2019

Context. WASP-18b is an ultra-hot Jupiter with a temperature difference of up to 2500 K between day and night. Such giant planets begin to emerge as a planetary laboratory for understanding cloud formation and gas chemistry in well-tested parameter regimes in order to better understand planetary mass loss and for linking observed element ratios to planet formation and evolution.

Aims. We aim to understand where clouds form, their interaction with the gas-phase chemistry through depletion and enrichment, the ionisation of the atmospheric gas, and the possible emergence of an ionosphere on ultra-hot Jupiters.

Methods. We used 1D profiles from a 3D atmosphere simulation for WASP-18b as input for kinetic cloud formation and gas-phase chemical equilibrium calculations. We solved our kinetic cloud formation model for these 1D profiles, which sample the atmosphere of WASP-18b at 16 different locations along the equator and in the mid-latitudes. We derived the gas-phase composition consistently.

Results. The dayside of WASP-18b emerges as completely cloud-free as a result of the very high atmospheric temperatures. In contrast, the nightside is covered in geometrically extended and chemically heterogeneous clouds with dispersed particle size distributions. The atmospheric C/O ratio increases to >0.7 and the enrichment of the atmospheric gas with cloud particles is ρd/ρgas > 10−3. The clouds that form at the limbs appear located farther inside the atmosphere, and they are the least extended. Not all day- to nightside terminator regions form clouds. The gas phase is dominated by H2, CO, SiO, H2O, H2S, CH4, and SiS. In addition, the dayside has a substantial degree of ionisation that is due to ions such as Na+, K+, Ca+, and Fe+. Al+ and Ti+ are the most abundant of their element classes. We find that WASP-18b, as one example for ultra-hot Jupiters, develops an ionosphere on the dayside.
Mapping the structural diversity of C60 carbon clusters and their infrared spectra
Authors: Dubosq C. , Falvo C. , Calvo F. , Rapacioli M. , Parneix P. , Pino T. , Simon A.
Published: May 2019

The current debate about the nature of the carbonaceous material carrying the infrared (IR) emission spectra of planetary and proto-planetary nebulae, including the broad plateaus, calls for further studies on the interplay between structure and spectroscopy of carbon-based compounds of astrophysical interest. The recent observation of C60 buckminsterfullerene in space suggests that carbon clusters of similar size may also be relevant. In the present work, broad statistical samples of C60 isomers were computationally determined without any bias using a reactive force field, their IR spectra being subsequently obtained following local optimization with the density-functional-based tight-binding theory. Structural analysis reveals four main structural families identified as cages, planar polycyclic aromatics, pretzels, and branched. Comparison with available astronomical spectra indicates that only the cage family could contribute to the plateau observed in the 6–9 μm region. The present framework shows great promise to explore and relate structural and spectroscopic features in more diverse and possibly hydrogenated carbonaceous compounds, in relation with astronomical observations.
Effective dose coefficients for inhaled radon and its progeny: ICRP’s approach
Authors: Marsh James W. , Harrison John D. , Laurier Dominique , Tirmarche Margot
Published: May 2019

The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has recently published three reports on radon exposure: (i) Publication 115 on lung cancer risks from radon and radon progeny [1], (ii) Publication 126 on radiological protection against radon exposure [2] and (iii) Publication 137 on Occupational Intakes of Radionuclides (OIR), Part 3 [3]. The latter document gives doses coefficients for the inhalation of radon, thoron and their airborne progeny as well as recommendations for their use for the protection of workers. As with all other radionuclides, the effective dose coefficients are calculated with ICRP reference biokinetic and dosimetric models. Sufficient information and dosimetric data are given so that site-specific dose coefficients can be calculated based on measured aerosol parameter values.
Collective rituals in team sports: Implications for team resilience and communal coping
Authors: Bonk Devin , Leprince Chloé , Tamminen Katherine A. , Doron Julie
Published: May 2019

Many sports teams engage in collective rituals (e.g., the New Zealand All Blacks’ haka). While the concept has been studied extensively in other fields (e.g., social psychology and cultural anthropology), literature on collective rituals specific to sport is limited. Leveraging theoretical positions and empirical findings from across the human and social sciences, the application of an existing definition of collective ritual in team sports is explored. Complementary research is suggestive of a potential link between collective rituals and two growing topics of interest in group dynamics, namely, team resilience and communal coping. Collective rituals can bolster team resilience by strengthening the group structure and increasing a team’s social capital. They can also serve as communal coping strategies, helping to manage team stressors as they arise. However, at the extremes, collective rituals can become problematic. Over-reliance and abusive rites of passage (i.e., hazing) are considered. Potential applied implications and future research directions in sport psychology are then discussed.
Skill transfer, expertise and talent development: An ecological dynamics perspective
Authors: Seifert Ludovic , Papet Valentin , Strafford Ben William , Coughlan Edward K. , Davids Keith
Published: May 2019

In this paper, we propose an ecological dynamics perspective on expertise and talent development, with a focus on the role of skill transfer. The ecological dynamics theoretical framework provides an integrated explanation for human behaviour in sport, predicated on a conceptualisation including constraints on dynamical systems, ecological psychology and a complex systems approach in neurobiology. Three main pillars are presented (i.e., individual-environment coupling as the smallest unit of analysis; adaptation of a complex dynamical system to interacting constraints; and the regulation of action with perception) in order to discuss the functional role of behavioural variability, the usefulness of perceptual-motor exploration and the importance of general and specific skill transfer in the development of talent and expertise in athletes. In addition, practical implications for coaches and instructors are discussed, notably regarding early diversification and unstructured play and activities in talent development programs, but also through variable practice and constraints manipulation.
Psychotherapeutische Interventionen zeigen positive Effekte bei Anorexia Nervosa
Authors: Ernst Jochen
Published: May 2019

Die Anorexia Nervosa (AN) – oder auch Magersucht – ist eine v. a. bei jüngeren Frauen auftretende Erkrankung, die mit erheblichen gesundheitlichen Beeinträchtigungen und funktionellen Störungen bis hin zu höheren Sterblichkeitsraten einhergeht. Die Optimierung psychotherapeutischer Behandlungsansätze und der Nachweis von Wirkeffekten stellen eine große Herausforderung dar. Die Autoren geben in ihrer Arbeit einen systematischen Überblick zur Evidenzgrundlage psychotherapeutischer Versorgung sowie zu den unterschiedlichen Behandlungsansätzen und Wirkeffekten. Dabei werden Arbeiten bewertet, die zwischen 2008 und 2017 publiziert wurden. Gefundene Studienergebnisse werden gepoolt; von initial über 800 gescreenten Artikeln werden 18 RCT-Arbeiten (n=1247) einer Metaanalyse unterzogen und 38 Arbeiten (RCT und naturalistische Studien, n=1164) mithilfe der standardisierten Mittelwertdifferenzen analysiert. Studienbefunde zu Erwachsenen und Jugendlichen werden von den Autoren getrennt ausgewertet. Primäre Ergebnisvariable aller Studien ist die Gewichtszunahme.
Experimental study on coupled caloric effect driven by dual fields in metamagnetic Heusler alloy Ni50Mn35In15
Authors: Liang Fei-Xiang , Hao Jia-Zheng , Shen Fei-Ran , Zhou Hou-Bo , Wang Jing , Hu Feng-Xia , He Jun , Sun Ji-Rong , Shen Bao-Gen
Published: May 2019

The multicaloric and coupled caloric effect of metamagnetic shape memory alloy Ni50Mn35In15 driven by hydrostatic pressure and magnetic field has been systematically investigated. The existence of pressure significantly changes the relationship between the magnetic volume coupling coefficient and temperature. Thermodynamic analysis indicates that the magnetocaloric effect at a certain pressure is equivalent to the magnetocaloric effect at ambient pressure adjusted by the coupled caloric effect (ΔScp). This theoretical result is verified by magnetic measurements under various pressures for the Ni50Mn35In15 with the inverse magnetocaloric effect. When a pressure of 0.995 GPa is applied, the peak value of entropy change can be as high as |ΔS| ∼ 25.7 J kg−1 K−1 upon a magnetic field change of 5–0 T, which increases by 8% compared to that of ambient pressure though the magnetization change (ΔM) across martensitic transition reduces 20% owing to the shift of the transition to higher temperature by 30 K. Detailed analysis indicates that the coupled caloric effect involving the strengthened magnetostructural coupling under pressure is responsible for the enhanced entropy change. The quantitative analysis of cross coupling term driven by dual fields reveals the essence of regulated magnetocaloric effect by pressure, which will be helpful for designing new materials based on the magnetostructural coupling strength.
Estimation of nonlinear surface pressure characteristics of aerofoil: A 0-1 test approach
Authors: Arunvinthan S. , Gopal R. , Chandrasekar V. K. , Pillai S. Nadaraja
Published: May 2019

We investigate the nonlinear behaviour of the surface flow over a two-dimensional NACA 2415 airfoil undergoing turbulent inflow having 8.46% TI at Re=3.01×105 using the 0-1 test for chaos. It clearly identifies the overall surface flow changes and also finds the transitions from regular to chaotic behaviour over the airfoil surfaces. 0-1 test for chaos has been successfully applied to study the subsequent transitions associated with the flow mechanisms like flow bifurcation at the leading-edge, acceleration of the flow that propagates from the curved surfaces, splitting, merging and rolling up of vortices near the vicinity of the trailing edge. In our present study, the 0-1 test for chaos just takes the input as a time series data, measured simultaneously over the airfoil surfaces to obtain the translational dynamics in phase space by using the variables p(n) and q(n) and the asymptotic growth rate (K) calculated from the translation behaviour of variables. The translational variables take a value 0 or 1, based on the underlying dynamics of the system as regular or chaotic. Our study states that, 0-1 test for chaos seems to be efficient in accurately predicting the underlying dynamics of the surface flow induced over the airfoil under aperiodic conditions.
Pollination ecology of Tetratheca species from isolated, arid habitats (Banded Iron Formations) in Western Australia
Authors: Ladd P. G. , Yates C. J. , Dillon R. , Palmer R.
Published: May 2019

Pollination and reproductive ecology of arid zone species in Australia are neglected topics. This is particularly true of rare species, some of which are threatened by mining operations. The bee community at Windarling Range in southern Western Australia and the pollination ecology of four rare Tetratheca taxa with distributions restricted to Banded Iron Formation inselbergs in the arid south-west were examined in winter and spring to understand if pollination rate was affecting the reproductive ecology of the plants. The bee fauna on the Windarling Range was sampled using coloured pan traps at three landscape positions of ridge (where Tetratheca paynterae subsp. paynterae occurs), slope and flats and the insect visitors to T. paynterae subsp. paynterae were quantified by direct observation. The bee fauna varied over the two years with average richness higher in 2010 than 2011 and was higher on the ridge compared with the slope and flats below the inselberg. The Tetratheca species are buzz pollinated and T. paynterae subsp. paynterae is only visited by a subsection of the bee fauna, mainly Lasioglossum species, which were shown to be relatively faithful to the species in terms of the pollen they carried. Flowering mainly occurs after the winter wet season, but may occur at other times when there has been substantial rain. This may not coincide with bee activity. In the winter flowers may be poorly serviced if maximum daytime temperatures are below 20°C. However, in spring when temperatures are higher the majority of flowers were pollinated and there was no significant difference in proportion of pollinated flowers between the four taxa examined. As T. paynterae is outcrossing the propensity for bees to attend few flowers on a visit to each plant, often on the outer part of the plant canopy, will likely ensure a high success rate for seed formation. High seed set in such an arid environment with few suitable sites for seedling establishment is essential so some propagules can find safe sites for establishment to maintain population numbers.
Trophic ecology of large pelagic fish in the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, Brazil
Authors: Albuquerque F. V. , Navia A. F. , Vaske T. , Crespo O. , Hazin F. H. V.
Published: May 2019

Trophic relationships of large pelagic predators can determine the structure and dynamics of oceanic food webs. The feeding habits and trophic ecology of five large pelagic fish (Acanthocybium solandri, Coryphaena hippurus, Elagatis bipinnulata, Thunnus albacares and Thunnus atlanticus) in the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago were evaluated to determine whether there is a trophic-niche overlap or resource partitioning among them. Eighty prey items found in 1528 stomachs were identified and grouped into Cephalopoda, Cnidaria, Crustacea, Gastropoda, Teleostei and Tunicata. Exocoetidae and Scombridae were the main prey in the diet of Acanthocybium solandri. In C. hippurus, Cheilopogon cyanopterus and Exocoetus volitans were the most important prey items, whereas C. cyanopterus was the main prey for T. albacares. Thunnus atlanticus consumed a great proportion of invertebrate species, with shrimps of Sergestidae family being particularly important. The gastropod Cavolinia sp. was the most important prey for E. bipinnulata. The five species had a high trophic specialisation and a high trophic level (>4.4), whereas most dietary overlaps were consistently low. The most important factor for diet dissimilarity was the consumption of Exocoetidade. All species were classified as top predators with varied diets, indicating their structural and functional importance in the food web of the Archipelago.
Living with plague: Lessons from the Soviet Union’s antiplague system
Authors: Jones Susan D. , Atshabar Bakyt , Schmid Boris V. , Zuk Marlene , Amramina Anna , Stenseth Nils Chr.
Published: May 2019

Zoonoses, such as plague, are primarily animal diseases that spill over into human populations. While the goal of eradicating such diseases is enticing, historical experience validates abandoning eradication in favor of ecologically based control strategies (which reduce morbidity and mortality to a locally accepted risk level). During the 20th century, one of the most extensive plague-eradication efforts in recorded history was undertaken to enable large-scale changes in land use in the former Soviet Union (including vast areas of central Asia). Despite expending tremendous resources in its attempt to eradicate plague, the Soviet antiplague response gradually abandoned the goal of eradication in favor of plague control linked with developing basic knowledge of plague ecology. Drawing from this experience, we combine new gray-literature sources, historical and recent research, and fieldwork to outline best practices for the control of spillover from zoonoses while minimally disrupting wildlife ecosystems, and we briefly compare the Soviet case with that of endemic plague in the western United States. We argue for the allocation of sufficient resources to maintain ongoing local surveillance, education, and targeted control measures; to incorporate novel technologies selectively; and to use ecological research to inform developing landscape-based models for transmission interruption. We conclude that living with emergent and reemergent zoonotic diseases—switching to control—opens wider possibilities for interrupting spillover while preserving natural ecosystems, encouraging adaptation to local conditions, and using technological tools judiciously and in a cost-effective way.
Talking to Workers: From Khomeini to Ahmadinejad, how the Islamic Republic’s Discourse on Labor Changed through May Day Speeches (1979‒2009)
Authors: Morgana M. Stella
Published: May 2019

This paper explores the transformations of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s dominant narratives on labor between 1979 and 2009. By analyzing official May Day speeches of this period, it navigates multiple constructions of workers’ roles, which were systematically propagated by the IRI’s Supreme Leader and president over time. The analysis relies on the following primary sources: from the 1979 May Day sermon, pronounced by Ruhollah Khomeini, to the 2009 speech given by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, together with messages sent by Ali Khamenei, Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami. Showing how workers’ role—understood as a collective and distinct group—was gradually minimized, this paper argues that a bottom-upcleaning upprocess slowly purified May Day. In fact, the IRI progressively neglected workers as (revolutionary) social actors and interlocutors, as it stopped talking to masses and started speaking to middle classes.
G-quadruplex–forming GGA repeat region functions as a negative regulator of the Ccnb1ip1 enhancer
Authors: Islam Izzul , Baba Yuji , Witarto Arief Budi , Yoshida Wataru
Published: May 2019

An enhancer located upstream of the transcriptional start site of Ccnb1ip1 containing two GGA-rich regions and a 14-GGA repeat (GGA)14 region has been previously identified. Three copies of four GGA repeats in the c-myb promoter that form a tetrad:heptad:heptad:tetrad (T:H:H:T) dimerized G-quadruplex (G4) structure reportedly functions as both a transcriptional repressor and activator. Here, the secondary structures of the two GGA-rich and (GGA)14 regions were analyzed using circular dichroism spectral analysis, which indicated that the two GGA-rich DNAs formed parallel-type G4 structures, whereas (GGA)14 DNA formed the T:H:H:T dimerized G4 structure. Reporter assays demonstrated that individual regions did not show enhancer activity; however, the deletion of the (GGA)14 region resulted in 1.5-fold higher enhancer activity than that of the whole enhancer. These results indicate that the (GGA)14 region that forms the T:H:H:T dimerized G4 structure functions as a negative regulator of the Ccnb1ip1 enhancer.
Modeling cellular metabolomic effects of oxidative stress impacts from hydrogen peroxide and cigarette smoke on human lung epithelial cells
Authors: Yamaguchi Mei S , McCartney Mitchell M , Falcon Alexandria K , Linderholm Angela L , Ebeler Susan E , Kenyon Nicholas J , Harper Richart H , Schivo Michael , Davis Cristina E
Published: May 2019

The respiratory system is continuously exposed to variety of biological and chemical irritants that contain reactive oxygen species, and these are well known to cause oxidative stress responses in lung epithelial cells. There is a clinical need to identify biomarkers of oxidative stress which could potentially support early indicators of disease and health management. To identify volatile biomarkers of oxidative stress, we analyzed the headspace above human bronchial epithelial cell cultures (HBE1) before and after hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and cigarette smoke extract (CSE) exposure. Using stir bar and headspace sorptive extraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, we searched for volatile organic compounds (VOC) of these oxidative measures. In the H2O2 cell peroxidation experiments, four different H2O2 concentrations (0.1, 0.5, 10, 50 mM) were applied to the HBE1 cells, and VOCs were collected every 12 h over the time course of 48 h. In the CSE cell peroxidation experiments, four different smoke extract concentrations (0%, 10%, 30%, 60%) were applied to the cells, and VOCs were collected every 12 h over the time course of 48 h. We used partial-least squares (PLS) analysis to identify putative compounds from the mass spectrometry results that highly correlated with the known applied oxidative stress. We observed chemical emissions from the cells that related to both the intensity of the oxidative stress and followed distinct time courses. Additionally, some of these chemicals are aldehydes, which are thought to be non-invasive indicators of oxidative stress in exhaled human breath. Together, these results illustrate a powerful in situ cell culture model of oxidative stress that can be used to explore the putative biological genesis of exhaled breath biomarkers that are often observed in human clinical studies.
Associations Between Loss of ARID1A Expression and Clinicopathologic and Genetic Variables in T1 Early Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Kishida Yoshihiro , Oishi Takuma , Sugino Takashi , Shiomi Akio , Urakami Kenichi , Kusuhara Masatoshi , Yamaguchi Ken , Kitagawa Yuko , Ono Hiroyuki
Published: May 2019

Objectives

To evaluate the relationships between adenine-thymine-rich interactive domain 1A (ARID1A) expression and the clinicopathologic features in T1 colorectal cancer (CRC) and to investigate whether the presence of ARID1A protein is related to genetic changes.

Methods

We retrospectively studied 219 surgically resected T1 CRCs. ARID1A expression was assessed by immunohistochemical methods, and the correlation between ARID1A expression and clinicopathologic features was evaluated. The relationship between ARID1A expression and 409 cancer-related gene mutations was also evaluated using next-generation sequencing (NGS).

Results

Immunohistochemical staining indicated negative ARID1A expression in 4.6%. Loss of ARID1A expression was significantly associated with younger age, lymphatic invasion, and lymph node metastasis (LNM). NGS showed that PKHD1, RNF213, and MSH6 mutations were more frequent in ARID1A-negative tumors, whereas KRAS mutations were more common in ARID1A-positive tumors.

Conclusions

In T1 CRC, negative ARID1A expression was correlated with early onset, lymphatic invasion, and LNM. Mutations in some cancer-related genes were possibly related with ARID1A expression.
Incorporating spatial–anatomical similarity into the VGWAS framework for AD biomarker detection
Authors: Huang Meiyan , Yu Yuwei , Yang Wei , Feng Qianjin ,   Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: May 2019

Motivation

The detection of potential biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is crucial for its early prediction, diagnosis and treatment. Voxel-wise genome-wide association study (VGWAS) is a commonly used method in imaging genomics and usually applied to detect AD biomarkers in imaging and genetic data. However, existing VGWAS methods entail large computational cost and disregard spatial correlations within imaging data. A novel method is proposed to solve these issues.

Results

We introduce a novel method to incorporate spatial correlations into a VGWAS framework for the detection of potential AD biomarkers. To consider the characteristics of AD, we first present a modification of a simple linear iterative clustering method for spatial grouping in an anatomically meaningful manner. Second, we propose a spatial–anatomical similarity matrix to incorporate correlations among voxels. Finally, we detect the potential AD biomarkers from imaging and genetic data by using a fast VGWAS method and test our method on 708 subjects obtained from an Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative dataset. Results show that our method can successfully detect some new risk genes and clusters of AD. The detected imaging and genetic biomarkers are used as predictors to classify AD/normal control subjects, and a high accuracy of AD/normal control classification is achieved. To the best of our knowledge, the association between imaging and genetic data has yet to be systematically investigated while building statistical models for classifying AD subjects to create a link between imaging genetics and AD. Therefore, our method may provide a new way to gain insights into the underlying pathological mechanism of AD.

Availability and implementation

https://github.com/Meiyan88/SASM-VGWAS.
Nearly random designs with greatly improved balance
Authors: Krieger A M , Azriel D , Kapelner A
Published: May 2019

We present a procedure that divides a set of experimental units into two groups that are similar on a prespecified set of covariates and are almost as random as with a complete randomization. Under complete randomization, the difference in the standardized average between treatment and control is $O_{\rm p}(n^{-1/2})$, which may be material in small samples. We present an algorithm that reduces imbalance to $O_{\rm p}(n^{-3})$ for one covariate and $O_{\rm p}\{n^{-(1 + 2/p)}\}$ for $p$ covariates, but whose assignments are, strictly speaking, nonrandom. In addition to the metric of maximum eigenvalue of allocation variance, we introduce two metrics that capture departures from randomization and show that our assignments are nearly as random as complete randomization in terms of all measures. Simulations illustrate the results, and inference is discussed. An R package to generate designs according to our algorithm and other popular designs is available.
Using SimulATe to model the effects of antibiotic selective pressure on the dynamics of pathogenic bacterial populations
Authors: David Pedro H C , Sá-Pinto Xana , Nogueira Teresa
Published: May 2019

Antibiotics are notable weapons in fighting bacteria. Nowadays, however, the effectiveness of antibiotics is severely hindered by the increasing levels of antibiotic resistances in pathogenic bacterial populations, which can persist due to the selective pressure caused by antibiotic exposure. Arguably, the main cause of antibiotic resistances endurance in nature is antibiotic misuse, such as via overusing, inappropriate prescribing as well as the uncontrolled use in agriculture and livestock. There is also a lack of knowledge on appropriate antibiotic usage by the general public. Public scientific literacy and more research on therapeutic practices are fundamental to tackle this problem. Here, we present SimulATe a software which allows the simulation of the effects of antibiotic therapies on bacterial populations during human infections. This software can be used to develop students’ scientific literacy, using infections and antibiotic treatments as context to engage students in scientific practices, and discussions on antibiotic treatment onset and duration or on its use in immunosuppressed or critically ill individuals. SimulATe’s features also allow it to be used for research purposes allowing the simulation of real scenarios and exploration of their outcomes across the parameters’ landscape.
Mapping physiology: biophysical mechanisms define scales of climate change impacts
Authors: Choi Francis , Gouhier Tarik , Lima Fernando , Rilov Gil , Seabra Rui , Helmuth Brian
Published: May 2019

The rocky intertidal zone is a highly dynamic and thermally variable ecosystem, where the combined influences of solar radiation, air temperature and topography can lead to differences greater than 15°C over the scale of centimetres during aerial exposure at low tide. For most intertidal organisms this small-scale heterogeneity in microclimates can have enormous influences on survival and physiological performance. However, the potential ecological importance of environmental heterogeneity in determining ecological responses to climate change remains poorly understood. We present a novel framework for generating spatially explicit models of microclimate heterogeneity and patterns of thermal physiology among interacting organisms. We used drone photogrammetry to create a topographic map (digital elevation model) at a resolution of 2 × 2 cm from an intertidal site in Massachusetts, which was then fed into to a model of incident solar radiation based on sky view factor and solar position. These data were in turn used to drive a heat budget model that estimated hourly surface temperatures over the course of a year (2017). Body temperature layers were then converted to thermal performance layers for organisms, using thermal performance curves, creating ‘physiological landscapes’ that display spatially and temporally explicit patterns of ‘microrefugia’. Our framework shows how non-linear interactions between these layers lead to predictions about organismal performance and survivorship that are distinct from those made using any individual layer (e.g. topography, temperature) alone. We propose a new metric for quantifying the ‘thermal roughness’ of a site (RqT, the root mean square of spatial deviations in temperature), which can be used to quantify spatial and temporal variability in temperature and performance at the site level. These methods facilitate an exploration of the role of micro-topographic variability in driving organismal vulnerability to environmental change using both spatially explicit and frequency-based approaches.
Adult Paederus fuscipes (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) Beetles Overcome Water Loss With Increased Total Body Water Content, Energy Metabolite Storage, and Reduced Cuticular Permeability: Age, Sex-Specific, and Mating Status Effects on Desiccation
Authors: Wang Chia-Yu , Bong Lee-Jin , Neoh Kok-Boon
Published: May 2019

The ability of Paederus beetles to resist desiccation stress is vital to their adaptability in various ecological niches. How water relations and their response to desiccation vary among adult beetles of different age, sex, and mating status is unclear. We examined the water relations of adult Paederus fuscipes Curtis and the mechanisms used to reduce desiccation stress. One-day-old beetles had an exceptionally high percent total body water (%TBW) content and tolerated a high level of %TBW loss. Newly emerged beetles contained a high level of trehalose and 40 to 60% lipid content of their total dry mass, which allowed them to endure desiccation. Beetles that were 10 wk old and older exhibited reduced cuticular permeability. Glucose, glycogen, and lipid contents were crucial throughout most of the adult life span, as they helped compensate for water loss via increased water vapor absorption and metabolic water. In particular, the accumulation of lipid after mating was significant and may further confer tolerance to water loss. The effect of melanization on the desiccation tolerance of beetles was not significant. Females had better tolerance in response to desiccation stress compared with males. We suggest that the observed differences between sexes likely were a function of water relations and an effect of energy metabolite reserves. However, the mortality of females at 24-h postdesiccating stage was marginally significant compared with males. These results demonstrate that P. fuscipes adults prevent dehydration using multiple mechanisms that collectively reduce desiccation stress and increase dehydration tolerance.
Cumulative childhood adversity, adolescent psychiatric disorder and violent offending in young adulthood
Authors: Björkenstam Emma , Burström Bo , Hjern Anders , Vinnerljung Bo , Kosidou Kyriaki , Berg Lisa
Published: May 2019

Background

Childhood adversity (CA) is a risk indicator for psychiatric morbidity. Although CA has been linked to violent offending, limited research has considered adolescent psychiatric disorder as a mediating factor. The current study examined whether adolescent psychiatric disorder mediates the association between CA and violent offending.

Methods

We used a cohort of 476 103 individuals born in 1984–1988 in Sweden. Register-based CAs included parental death, substance abuse and psychiatric disorder, parental criminal offending, parental separation, public assistance, child welfare intervention and residential instability. Adolescent psychiatric disorder was defined as being treated with a psychiatric diagnosis prior to age 20. Estimates of risk of violent offending after age 20 were calculated as incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Mediation was tested with the bootstrap method.

Results

Exposure to CA was positively associated with violent offending, especially when accumulated. Individuals exposed to 4+ CAs who were also treated for psychiatric disorder had a 12-fold elevated risk for violent offending (adjusted IRR 12.2, 95% CI 10.6–14.0). Corresponding IRR among 4+ CA youth with no psychiatric disorder was 5.1 (95% CI 4.5–5.6). Psychiatric disorder mediated the association between CA and violent offending.

Conclusion

CA is associated with elevated risk for violent offending in early adulthood, and the association is partly mediated by adolescent psychiatric disorder. Individuals exposed to cumulative CA who also develop adolescent psychopathology should be regarded as a high-risk group for violent offending, by professionals in social and health services that come into contact with this group.
Health and Psychosocial Needs of Older Adults Who Are Experiencing Homelessness Following Hospital Discharge
Authors: Canham Sarah L , Custodio Karen , Mauboules Celine , Good Chloe , Bosma Harvey
Published: May 2019

Introduction

Though hospitals are a common location where older adults experiencing homelessness receive health care, an understanding of the types of supports needed upon hospital discharge is limited. We examined the unique characteristics of older homeless adults and the health and psychosocial supports required upon hospital discharge.

Design and Methods

Guided by principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR), we conducted 20 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with shelter/housing and health care providers in Metro Vancouver.

Results

Thematic analyses revealed 6 themes: (a) older people experiencing homelessness have unique vulnerabilities upon hospital discharge; (b) following hospital discharge, general population shelters are inappropriate for older adults; (c) shelter/housing options for older adults who have complex health and social needs are limited; (d) shelter/housing for older adults who require medical stabilization and convalescence after hospital discharge is needed; (e) a range of senior-specific shelter/housing options are needed; and (f) unique community supports are needed for older adults upon hospital discharge.

Discussion and Implications

As the population of older adults increases across North America, there is a parallel trend in the increased numbers of older adults who are experiencing homelessness. Not only is there often a need for ongoing medical care and respite, but there is a need for both shelter and housing options that can appropriately support individual needs.
Synergistic Effects of Temperature and Salinity on the Gene Expression and Physiology of Crassostrea virginica
Authors: Jones H R , Johnson K M , Kelly M W
Published: May 2019

The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, forms reefs that provide critical services to the surrounding ecosystem. These reefs are at risk from climate change, in part because altered rainfall patterns may amplify local fluctuations in salinity, impacting oyster recruitment, survival, and growth. As in other marine organisms, warming water temperatures might interact with these changes in salinity to synergistically influence oyster physiology. In this study, we used comparative transcriptomics, measurements of physiology, and a field assessment to investigate what phenotypic changes C. virginica uses to cope with combined temperature and salinity stress in the Gulf of Mexico. Oysters from a historically low salinity site (Sister Lake, LA) were exposed to fully crossed temperature (20°C and 30°C) and salinity (25, 15, and 7 PSU) treatments. Using comparative transcriptomics on oyster gill tissue, we identified a greater number of genes that were differentially expressed (DE) in response to low salinity at warmer temperatures. Functional enrichment analysis showed low overlap between genes DE in response to thermal stress compared with hypoosmotic stress and identified enrichment for gene ontologies associated with cell adhesion, transmembrane transport, and microtubule-based process. Experiments also showed that oysters changed their physiology at elevated temperatures and lowered salinity, with significantly increased respiration rates between 20°C and 30°C. However, despite the higher energetic demands, oysters did not increase their feeding rate. To investigate transcriptional differences between populations in situ, we collected gill tissue from three locations and two time points across the Louisiana Gulf coast and used quantitative PCR to measure the expression levels of seven target genes. We found an upregulation of genes that function in osmolyte transport, oxidative stress mediation, apoptosis, and protein synthesis at our low salinity site and sampling time point. In summary, oysters altered their phenotype more in response to low salinity at higher temperatures as evidenced by a higher number of DE genes during laboratory exposure, increased respiration (higher energetic demands), and in situ differential expression by season and location. These synergistic effects of hypoosmotic stress and increased temperature suggest that climate change will exacerbate the negative effects of low salinity exposure on eastern oysters.
The concept of hedging and its application to Southeast Asia: a critique and a proposal for a modified conceptual and methodological framework
Authors: Haacke Jürgen
Published: May 2019

In the context of the complex unipolar post-Cold War period that has witnessed China’s reemergence as an economic and military power, small and middle powers are increasingly considered to be hedging. This analysis is especially prevalent in relation to Southeast Asian countries, many of which face security challenges posed by China. However, as the literature on hedging has expanded, the concept’s analytical value is no longer obvious. Different understandings of hedging compete within the literature, and there are many criteria by which hedging is empirically ascertained, leading to confusion even over the basic question of which countries are hedging. In response, this article presents a modified conceptual and methodological framework that clearly delineates hedging from other security strategies and identifies key criteria to evaluate whether smaller powers are hedging when confronting a serious security challenge by one of the major powers. This framework is then applied to Malaysia and Singapore.
MSCs inhibits the angiogenesis of HUVECs through the miR-211/Prox1 pathway
Authors: Pan Jian , Wang Xianglong , Li Dequan , Li Jianmin , Jiang Zipei
Published: May 2019

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on the angiogenesis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). MSCs were subconjunctival injected into rat corneal alkali burn models. Their impacts on the degree of corneal neovascularization (CNV) and corneal opacity were evaluated at 3, 6, 9 and 12 days after injection. An in vitro experiment of MSCs affecting HUVECs angiogenesis was performed and evaluated using the tube formation assay. The results showed that both CNV and corneal opacity were decreased in rats after MSCs injection. In HUVECs, angiogenesis of cells was inhibited by miR-211 overexpression. miR-211 negatively regulated Prox1 expression. Knockdown of miR-211 blocked the decrease of Prox1 expression induced by MSCs and the inhibitory effect of MSCs on the angiogenesis of HUVECs. The critical role of miR-211 in MSCs inhibition of corneal angiogenesis was confirmed in rat experiments. We concluded that MSCs inhibited the angiogenesis of HUVEC through miR-211 mediating the down-regulation of Prox1.