bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lumbar Spine Injuries: Primary Prevention in Amateur and Professional Golf Players
Authors: Goebel Dietmar , Drollinger Frank , Drollinger Andrea
Published: November 2018

In the sport of golf, there is no standard teaching method or swing technique even though golf is known for overuse injuries. This prospective study was to analyze classic swing kinematics in comparison with the Free-Release® method and to define a physiological golf swing. Two hundred eighty-three players, age 50–59 years, were included in the study. For both swing techniques, examination addressed swing visualization, center of pressure (COP), center of mass (COM), as well as pelvic movement in relationship to different standing widths. The position of the spine was evaluated in the frontal and lateral planes. Using the classic technique, no golfer was able to describe his swing parameters, which would be necessary for visualization and to tolerate physiological range of movement, whereas players using the Free-Release method® were able to provide such a description. COP and COM showed pathological swing mechanics for the classic technique, whereas for the Free-Release method mechanics were physiological. We conclude that to prevent lumbar spine injury, the classic swinging technique, which is characterized by lateral shear forces, static and dynamic pelvic side bending while rotating with high force against the spine, and an unbalanced COM and COP, should be substituted by the Free-Release technique as a new physiological guideline.
Influence of Medication-Induced Preconditioning or Remote Ischemic Preconditioning on the Intrinsic Vascular Extracellular RNA/Ribonuclease System in Cardioprotection
Authors: Tolkmitt Konstantin J. , Simsekyilmaz Sakine , Schipke Julia , Mühlfeld Christian , Preissner Klaus T. , Böning Andreas
Published: November 2018

Background It has been demonstrated that remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) increases ribonuclease (RNase) levels and protects the heart by reducing extracellular ribonucleic acid (eRNA). As medication-induced preconditioning (MIPC) is also a powerful tool for cardioprotection, we examined the influence of both types of preconditioning on the eRNA/RNase system.

Methods In 17 male rats, RIPC (3 × 5 minute hind-leg ischemia) or MIPC (isoflurane and buprenorphine anesthesia) was performed. Five rats served as control and did not undergo preconditioning (non-MIPC). After preconditioning, eRNA levels and RNase activity were determined in plasma, and the hearts were mounted on a blood-perfused Langendorff ischemia/reperfusion apparatus. Hemodynamic, metabolic, and electron microscopic parameters were determined. Furthermore, MIPC with one anesthetic drug only (isoflurane, buprenorphine, or etomidate) was induced in another five rats. After 30 minutes, eRNA levels and RNase activity were determined and compared with an RIPC group (n = 5).

Results The plasma of RIPC-treated rats had higher RNase activity and lower eRNA levels than that of MIPC-treated rats. In addition, RIPC increased RNase activity more than MIPC with one drug alone. The RNase activity and eRNA levels in these MIPC groups differed considerably. Hemodynamic parameters of RIPC- and MIPC-treated hearts were better preserved after 90-minute ischemia than those of non-MIPC hearts. No obvious differences were noted between MIPC and RIPC regarding hemodynamics, metabolism, or structural parameters.

Conclusions Our results suggest that RIPC does not have any additional cardioprotective benefit in this experimental system. However, the influence of RIPC on the eRNA/RNase system was greater than that of MIPC.
METoclopramide Administration as a Strategy to Overcome MORPHine-ticagrelOr Interaction in PatientS with Unstable Angina PectorIS—The METAMORPHOSIS Trial
Authors: Sikora Joanna , Niezgoda Piotr , Barańska Malwina , Buszko Katarzyna , Skibińska Natalia , Sroka Wiktor , Pstrągowski Krzysztof , Siller-Matula Jolanta , Bernd Jilma , Gorog Diana , Navarese Eliano , Marszałł Michał , Kubica Jacek
Published: November 2018

Extensive search for methods of overcoming morphine-related delay of the absorption and onset of action of oral P2Y12 inhibitors in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome is on-going. The aim of the trial was to investigate whether metoclopramide co-administration could reduce this delay and improve the pharmacokinetics (PKs) and pharmacodynamics (PDs) of ticagrelor and its active metabolite AR-C124900XX. Plasma concentration of both compounds and platelet reactivity were evaluated in nine pre-defined time points within 6 hours after administration of ticagrelor loading dose. The results of our study show that mean platelet activity within the first hour was noticeably higher in metoclopramide-naive patients. Moreover, ticagrelor mean plasma concentration was significantly higher within the initial four time points (15, 30, 45, 60 minutes) in patients receiving metoclopramide (p = 0.039; p = 0.009; p = 0.005; p = 0.008, respectively). To conclude, the co-administration of metoclopramide in patients presenting with unstable angina and treated with morphine, has a beneficial effect on the PK/PD profile of ticagrelor and its metabolite; however, its impact on ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients requires further investigation.
Diagnostic Pathway to Nonsense Mutation Dystrophinopathy: A Tertiary-Center, Retrospective Experience
Authors: Ardıçlı Didem , Haliloğlu Goknur , Alikaşifoğlu Mehmet , Topaloğlu Haluk
Published: November 2018

Up to 15% of Duchenne's muscular dystrophy (DMD) is caused by nonsense mutations (nm-DMD). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the age at diagnosis, presentations, and diagnostic approach in 43 nm-DMD boys. The mean age at presentation and diagnosis was 3 years and 4 years, respectively. Presenting signs or symptoms were asymptomatic creatine kinase (CK) elevation (40%), muscle weakness (30%), motor delay (18%), and walking difficulties (12%). Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the most commonly deleted exons were negative (n = 17), and muscle biopsy was consistent with dystrophinopathy (n = 24). In all patients, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) followed by direct sequencing of all exons, revealed nm-DMD. Mean age at genetic diagnosis was 6 years 8 months. Patients were evaluated in two-time periods, between 2006 and 2011 (Group I: n = 10) and 2011 and 2017 (Group II: n = 33). The mean age at diagnosis/genetic confirmation in Group I and in Group II was 3 years 9 months/10 years, and 4 years 1 month/5 years 9 months, respectively. Most frequently performed first step diagnostic tests in Group I and Group II were muscle biopsy and MLPA.

Our study reflects the change in the age at genetic diagnosis and diagnostic approach to nm-DMD depending on the advances and availability of genetic testing.
Spontaneous Otogenic Pneumocephalus: Case Series and Update on Management
Authors: Eggerstedt Michael , Hong Scott , Eddelman Daniel B. , Smith Ryan M. , Munoz Lorenzo , Byrne Rich W. , Wiet R. Mark
Published: November 2018

Objectives This study is aimed to report the largest independent case series of spontaneous otogenic pneumocephalus (SOP) and review its pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and treatment.

Design Four patients underwent a middle cranial fossa approach for repair of the tegmen tympani and tegmen mastoideum. A comprehensive review of the literature regarding this disease entity was performed.

Setting U.S. tertiary academic medical center.

Participants: Patients presenting to the lead author's clinic or to the emergency department with radiographic evidence of SOP. Symptoms included headache, otalgia, and neurologic deficits.

Main Outcome Measures Patients were assessed for length of stay, postoperative length of stay, and neurologic outcome. Three of four patients returned to their neurologic baseline following repair.

Results Four patients were successfully managed via a middle cranial fossa approach to repairing the tegmen mastoideum.

Conclusion The middle cranial fossa approach is an effective strategy to repair defects of the tegmen mastoideum. SOP remains a clinically rare disease, with little published information on its diagnosis and treatment.
Quasi-periodic solutions for generalized Kaup system with quasi-periodic forcing
Authors: Shi Yanling , Xu Xindong
Published: November 2018

In this paper, a one-dimensional quasi-periodically forced Kaup system ∂tu=∂xv,∂tv=∂xu−13∂xxxu−εϕ(t)(u+u3)x with periodic boundary conditions is considered, where ε is a small positive parameter and ϕ(t) is a real analytic quasi-periodic function in t with frequency vector ω*=(ω1*,ω2*,…,ωm*). It is proved that, under a suitable hypothesis on ϕ(t), there are many quasi-periodic solutions that correspond to finite dimensional invariant tori. The proof relies on a Birkhoff normal form and an infinite dimensional Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser theorem.
Dynamic-force extraction for micro-propulsion testing: Theory and experimental validation
Authors: Wang Chuansheng , Guan Changbin , Liu Xuhui , Wang Xudong , Li Fei , Yu Xilong
Published: November 2018

A dynamic-force extraction, based on the least-squares method, is proposed for micro-propulsion testing. Having modeled the displacement oscillation of a micro-newton torsional pendulum, the time evolution of the dynamic force may be calculated if the stand constants are well calibrated. According to the linear characteristic of the motion equation, a reconstruction of the dynamic thrust reduces to solving linear equations. The simulation analysis shows that the error is affected by the sensor noise and the low-pass filter as well as the sampling rate. Validation experiments were performed showing that this method reconstructs the dynamic force well up to 8 Hz with an error less than 15 μN. The noise-induced error moreover varies little with frequency.
Heterogeneous reactions of SO2 on the hematite(0001) surface
Authors: Zhao Hailiang , Sheng Xia , Fabris Stefano , Salahub Dennis R. , Sun Tao , Du Lin
Published: November 2018

Heterogeneous reactions at the surfaces of mineral dusts represent a key process in the formation of atmospheric aerosols. To quantify the rate of aerosol formation in climate modeling as well as combat hazardous aerosols, a deep understanding of the mechanisms of these reactions is essential. In the present work, density functional theory calculations, including a Hubbard-like +U correction, were employed to elucidate the reaction between SO2 and the hematite(0001) surface. Three reaction conditions are considered: dry, wet, and aerobic. In the absence of water and oxygen, adsorption energies of SO2 on the clean Fe–O3–Fe-termination were found to be about −0.8 to −1.0 eV and resulted in the formation of an adsorbed SO3-like species. The addition of water leads to surface hydroxylation and has little effect on promoting the SO2 adsorption. Under such circumstances, an HSO3-like species was formed with a smaller adsorption energy of about −0.5 eV. By contrast, the presence of molecular oxygen enhances the SO2 adsorption significantly as the two species combine to form sulfate SO42−, with adsorption energies of −1.31 to −1.64 eV. The calculated vibrational frequencies of the adsorbate species provide insight into the surface bonding and a useful spectral fingerprinting for experimental measurements. These results elucidate the atomistic mechanism of the reaction between SO2 and hematite and highlight the important role of atmospheric O2 in the formation of sulfates.
Optical sectioning with a Wiener-like filter in Fourier integral imaging microscopy
Authors: Sánchez-Ortiga E. , Llavador A. , Saavedra G. , García-Sucerquia J. , Martínez-Corral M.
Published: November 2018

Non-scanning, single-shot, 3D integral microscopy with optical sectioning is presented. The method is based on the combination of Fourier-mode integral microscopy with a 3D deconvolution technique. Specifically, the refocused volume provided by a regular back-projection algorithm is 3D deconvolved with a synthetic 3D impulse response function that takes into account the number and positions of the elemental images. The use of this hybrid technique provides a stack of true-color depth-refocused images with significant gain of optical sectioning. The stack can be used, among other applications, to inspect inside the thick microscope specimen, to calculate collections of perspective views with fine angular resolution and extended full parallax, and also to display 3D images in an integral monitor. The method here presented is validated with both simulation and experimental data.
Dislocations behavior in highly mismatched III-Sb growth and their impact on the fabrication of top-down n + InAs/p + GaSb nanowire tunneling devices
Authors: El Kazzi S. , Alian A. , Hsu B. , Favia P. , Merckling C. , Lu W. , del Alamo J. A. , Collaert N.
Published: November 2018

We study in this work the growth and fabrication of top-down highly doped n + InAs(Si)/p + GaSb(Si) Esaki tunneling diodes on (001) GaAs substrates. A careful investigation on the highly mismatched GaSb/GaAs growth is first conducted by means of Reflection High-Energy Electron Diffraction (RHEED), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses. These results are expected to pave the way to methods for III-Sb buffer layer’s integration with low threading dislocation (TD) densities. A comparison between AFM, XRD, defect revealing by chemical etching and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is then presented to calculate the precise TD density and its influence on the device structure. In the last part, we report on first operating sub-30 nm III-V vertical NW tunneling devices on (001) commercial GaAs substrates.
Temperature dependence of secondary electron emission: A new route to nanoscale temperature measurement using scanning electron microscopy
Authors: Khan M. I. , Lubner S. D. , Ogletree D. F. , Dames C.
Published: November 2018

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is ubiquitous for imaging but is not generally regarded as a tool for thermal measurements. Here, the temperature dependence of secondary electron (SE) emission from a sample's surface is investigated. Spatially uniform SEM images and the net charge flowing through a sample were recorded at different temperatures to quantify the temperature dependence of SE emission and electron absorption. The measurements also demonstrated charge conservation during thermal cycling by placing the sample inside a Faraday cup to capture the emitted SEs and back-scattered electrons from the sample. The temperature dependence of SE emission was measured for four semiconducting materials (Si, GaP, InP, and GaAs) with response coefficients found to be of magnitudes ∼100−1000 ppm/K. The detection limits for temperature changes were no more than ±8 °C for 60 s acquisition time.
Probing the effect of interface on vortex pinning efficiency of one-dimensional BaZrO3 and BaHfO3 artificial pinning centers in YBa2Cu3O7-x thin films
Authors: Gautam Bibek , Sebastian Mary Ann , Chen Shihong , Misra Shikhar , Huang Jijie , Javier Baca F. , Emergo Rose , Haugan Timothy , Xing Zhongwen , Wang Haiyan , Wu Judy Z.
Published: November 2018

C-axis-aligned one-dimensional artificial pinning centers (1D-APCs) provide strong correlated pinning of magnetic vortices and enhance critical current density Jc in superconducting YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO) films and coated conductors. A fundamental question arises on what determines the pinning efficiency of different 1D-APCs. To shed light on this question, this work investigates the correlation between the 1D-APC/YBCO interface and the pinning efficiency of 1D-APCs of BaHfO3 (BHO) and BaZrO3 (BZO) of comparable diameters of 5–6 nm. Intriguingly, a highly coherent BHO 1D-APC/YBCO interface is revealed even at a high BHO doping level of 6 vol. %, in contrast to a semi-coherent BZO 1D-APC/YBCO interface with a large number of dislocations. This leads to a profound effect on the pinning efficiency of these 1D-APCs. Specifically, a record high pinning force density peak Fp,max ∼ 182.0 GN m−3 at Hmax > 9.0 T and 65 K is obtained in the former, which is 2.5 times of the best reported in the latter. Moreover, a ratio of Hmax to accommodation field H* determined from the 1D-APC areal concentration is found up to 3.5 in the former in contrast to 0.7 in the latter, demonstrating the critical impact of the APC/YBCO interface on the pinning efficiency of 1D-APCs.
Temperature and pressure induced Raman studies of C60 oxide
Authors: Mondal Trisha , Tripathi Ajay , Tiwari Archana , Zhang Jinying , Shripathi Thoudinja , Shinohara Hisanori
Published: November 2018

We present temperature, laser power, and pressure dependent Raman spectral analysis of C60 oxide (C60O) thin films prepared by the photolysis method. The first order temperature, laser power, and pressure coefficients of the Raman frequencies are evaluated and are utilized for evaluating the thermal conductivity of C60O. Its thermal conductivity is found to be 0.7 W m−1 K−1 which is marginally higher than that of bulk C60. Raman frequencies corresponding to C–O and C–C bonds blueshift with a decrease in temperature which is attributed to the thermal contraction of C60O molecules. The density functional measurements have been performed to optimize C60O structure. The contraction in the C–O bond length has been corroborated with the experimental Raman shifts at different temperatures and is used to evaluate the linear expansion coefficient of C60O. Pressure induced compression and polymerization of C60O clusters are also illustrated. This study highlights the interplay between thermal and mechanical transformations in the C60O cluster which may regulate its thermoelectric properties by tuning the intermolecular interactions.
A nozzle for high-density supersonic gas jets at elevated temperatures
Authors: Heyl C. M. , Schoun S. B. , Porat G. , Green H. , Ye J.
Published: November 2018

We present the development of a gas nozzle providing high-density gas at elevated temperatures inside a vacuum environment. Fused silica is used as the nozzle material to allow the placement of the nozzle tip in close proximity to an intense, high-power laser beam, while minimizing the risk of sputtering nozzle tip material into the vacuum chamber. Elevating the gas temperature increases the gas-jet forward velocity, allowing us to replenish the gas volume in the laser-gas interaction region between consecutive laser shots. The nozzle accommodates a 50 μm opening hole from which a supersonic gas jet emerges. Heater wires are used to bring the nozzle temperature up to 730 °C, while a cooling unit ensures that the nozzle mount and the glued nozzle-to-mount connection is kept at a temperature below 50 °C. The presented nozzle design is used for high-order harmonic generation in hot gases using gas backing pressures of up to 124 bars.
Perturbation approach to the Hill equation with a slowly varying parameter with application to the inflationary cosmology
Authors: Koutvitsky Vladimir A. , Maslov Eugene M.
Published: November 2018

We develop a general perturbative approach to solving the Hill equation with a slowly varying parameter based on the Floquet theory and asymptotic expansions in the vicinity of the exact solutions with a “frozen” parameter. Equations of this type describe parametric resonance in a wide class of physical systems being under the influence of slowly varying factors. In particular, such equations describe the parametric instability of the fluctuations of the inflaton scalar field oscillating near a minimum of the effective potential in an expanding universe. We give a general procedure for constructing asymptotic solutions of the Hill equation and write out explicit formulas of the zero-order and first-order approximations. As an example, we consider the ϕ2–ϕ4 inflaton potential and construct the approximate solutions of the corresponding Lamé equation with the energy density of the oscillating scalar background as a slowly varying parameter. The obtained solutions are found to be in good agreement with the results of direct numerical integration. Based on these, we find the shape and characteristic size of a single scalar field fluctuation.
2-Methoxyoestradiol impairs mouse embryo implantation via F-spondin
Authors: Guajardo-Correa Emanuel , Mena-Silva Denisse , Diaz Patricia , Godoy-Guzmán Carlos , Cardenas Hugo , Orihuela Pedro A.
Published: November 2018

The anti-implantation effects of high oestradiol (E2) concentrations could be mediated by E2 metabolites. Herein, we examined whether 2-methoxyoestradiol (2ME) impairs embryo implantation via its target protein F-spondin. Mice on Day 3 of pregnancy were treated with E2 concomitantly with the cathecol-O-methyl transferase inhibitor OR486 and the number of implanted embryos was recorded 5 days later. The effect of 2ME or 4-methoxyoestradiol (4ME) on embryo implantation was also investigated. Plasma and uterine levels of 2ME were measured 0.5, 1 or 3h after E2 treatment while the mRNA for spondin 1 (Spon1) and F-spondin were determined in the uterus 3, 6, 12 or 24h after 2ME treatment. Finally, the effect of a neutralising F-spondin antibody on the anti-implantation effect of 2ME was explored. OR486 blocked the anti-implantation effect of E2; 2ME, but not 4ME, affected embryo implantation. The 2ME concentration was increased after 0.5 and 1h in plasma and 3h in uterine fluid following E2 treatment. 2ME increased levels of Spon1 at 12 and 24h although F-spondin was increased at 12h. F-spondin antibody blocked the effect of 2ME on embryo implantation. We conclude that 2ME impairs mouse embryo implantation via activation of F-spondin in the uterus.
Sex steroids influence the plasma membrane transformation in the uterus of the fat-tailed dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata, Marsupialia)
Authors: Dudley Jessica S. , Murphy Christopher R. , Thompson Michael B. , Lindsay Laura A. , McAllan Bronwyn M.
Published: November 2018

The uterine epithelium undergoes remodelling to become receptive to blastocyst implantation during pregnancy in a process known as the plasma membrane transformation. There are commonalities in ultrastructural changes to the epithelium, which, in eutherian, pregnancies are controlled by maternal hormones, progesterone and oestrogens. The aim of this study was to determine the effects that sex steroids have on the uterine epithelium in the fat-tailed dunnart Sminthopsis crassicaudata, the first such study in a marsupial. Females were exposed to exogenous hormones while they were reproductively quiescent, thus not producing physiological concentrations of ovarian hormones. We found that changes to the protein E-cadherin, which forms part of the adherens junction, are controlled by progesterone and that changes to the desmoglein-2 protein, which forms part of desmosomes, are controlled by 17β-oestradiol. Exposure to a combination of progesterone and 17β-oestradiol causes changes to the microvilli on the apical surface and to the ultrastructure of the uterine epithelium. There is a decrease in lateral adhesion when the uterus is exposed to progesterone and 17β-oestradiol that mimics the hormone environment of uterine receptivity. We conclude that uterine receptivity and the plasma membrane transformation in marsupial and eutherian pregnancies are under the same endocrine control and may be an ancestral feature of therian mammals.
Smoke radiocarbon measurements from Indonesian fires provide evidence for burning of millennia-aged peat
Authors: Wiggins Elizabeth B. , Czimczik Claudia I. , Santos Guaciara M. , Chen Yang , Xu Xiaomei , Holden Sandra R. , Randerson James T. , Harvey Charles F. , Kai Fuu Ming , Yu Liya E.
Published: November 2018

Significance

We report radiocarbon (
14
C) measurements of carbonaceous aerosol originating from fires on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. These data provide information about what types of ecosystems burned and are critical for linking the human health effects of fires to the anthropogenic build-up of atmospheric CO
2
. Our measurements confirm that peat emissions were the dominant source of aerosols in Singapore during the 2015 El Niño and provide a means for monitoring the success of policies designed to protect peatland areas during future drought events.
Large changes in biomass burning over the last millennium inferred from paleoatmospheric ethane in polar ice cores
Authors: Nicewonger Melinda R. , Aydin Murat , Prather Michael J. , Saltzman Eric S.
Published: November 2018

Significance

Biomass burning influences the climate system through direct emissions of aerosols, greenhouse gases, and chemically reactive gases. There is uncertainty and controversy regarding variations in past biomass burning, making it difficult to establish the climate sensitivity of biomass burning in current climate models. This study presents new measurements of ethane in air trapped in polar ice cores. The results indicate that biomass burning emissions exceeded modern levels during the Medieval Period (1000–1500 CE) but then decreased substantially during the Little Ice Age (1600–1800 CE), indicating the sensitivity of biomass burning to climate during the preindustrial era. Such positive feedbacks between biomass burning and climate may make it difficult to achieve societal climate goals.
Elastic and Li-ion–percolating hybrid membrane stabilizes Li metal plating
Authors: Pang Quan , Zhou Laidong , Nazar Linda F.
Published: November 2018

Significance

Lithium metal batteries are capable of revolutionizing the battery marketplace for electrical vehicles. They are, however, plagued by the reactive Li metal–electrolyte interface and growth of Li dendrites on cycling, which pose concerns to both cell performance and safety. We demonstrate that a Li metal negative electrode can be stabilized by a hybrid inorganic/organic membrane that is grown directly onto it. A solid electrolyte phase offers percolated Li
+
-ion–conducting channels and the infiltration of an elastic polymer endows membrane flexibility to accommodate volume changes. The protected electrode allows Li deposition/stripping with 95.8% efficiency and stable operation of an electrochemical cell for 2,000 cycles. This rationally structured membrane represents an interface engineering approach toward stabilized Li metal electrodes.
SIR proteins create compact heterochromatin fibers
Authors: Swygert Sarah G. , Senapati Subhadip , Bolukbasi Mehmet F. , Wolfe Scot A. , Lindsay Stuart , Peterson Craig L.
Published: November 2018

Significance

Eukaryotic chromosomes are organized into specialized, nucleoprotein domains that can regulate nuclear functions. Heterochromatin is a silenced chromatin region essential for maintaining genomic stability and driving developmental processes. Cell biological studies have indicated that heterochromatin is highly condensed, though the complicated structure and dynamics of heterochromatin have rendered it difficult to characterize. Here we reconstitute heterochromatin fibers with purified components and exploit a powerful combination of sedimentation velocity, molecular modeling, and atomic force microscopy to characterize the stoichiometry and condensed conformation of heterochromatin fibers.
Differential growth and shape formation in plant organs
Authors: Huang Changjin , Wang Zilu , Quinn David , Suresh Subra , Hsia K. Jimmy
Published: November 2018

Significance

Plant leaves and flower petals in nature exhibit a wide variety of complex 3D shapes. Formation of these shapes has largely been studied from genetic and biomolecular viewpoints, overlooking contributions from biophysical factors such as mechanical stress and deformation. By means of computational simulations and quantitative analyses of the growth strains in live plant organs, we develop fundamental mechanistic insights into how nature invokes mechanics in the evolution of four commonly found shapes in plant organs by differential growth. We also demonstrate how these common shapes can be synthetically reproduced in hydrogel using this mechanistic understanding. Our study provides a broad scientific framework for rationalizing plant organ morphogenesis, but also provides pathways for generating bioinspired 3D architectures in soft materials.
Change in household fuels dominates the decrease in PM
2.5
exposure and premature mortality in China in 2005–2015
Authors: Zhao Bin , Zheng Haotian , Wang Shuxiao , Smith Kirk R. , Lu Xi , Aunan Kristin , Gu Yu , Wang Yuan , Ding Dian , Xing Jia , Fu Xiao , Yang Xudong , Liou Kuo-Nan , Hao Jiming
Published: November 2018

Significance

The Chinese government has taken efforts to tackle the nation’s severe ambient fine particle (PM
2.5
) pollution. Our results suggest that reduced household solid-fuel consumption was the leading contributor to the rapid decrease in the integrated exposure to ambient and household PM
2.5
pollution during 2005–2015, even though there was no explicit household control policy. In contrast, the emission reductions from power plants, industry, and transportation contributed much less to the decrease of integrated exposure. Clean household heating fuels have become part of recent control policies in northern China, but such policy would be strengthened if extended to heating and cooking countrywide since shift of the remaining household solid fuels to clean fuels could additionally avoid an estimated half-million premature deaths annually.
Oscillating path between self-similarities in liquid pinch-off
Authors: Lagarde Antoine , Josserand Christophe , Protière Suzie
Published: November 2018

Significance

Droplet pinch-off is one of the most commonly examined free surface flows displaying a finite-time singularity and can serve as the basis upon which to better understand similar singular behavior. A liquid filament connecting the droplet to the rest of the fluid thins before it breaks and passes through several self-similar regimes that have been thought independent of external conditions. These regimes are essentially asymptotic, and it is an open question how exactly the system passes through them. We find to our surprise that external conditions strongly affect the transient path connecting these regimes and even can temporarily prevent the fluid thread from evolving through self-similar profiles. Our results raise many questions about the influence of boundary conditions on such self-similar dynamics.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms alter kinase anchoring and the subcellular targeting of A-kinase anchoring proteins
Authors: Smith F. Donelson , Omar Mitchell H. , Nygren Patrick J. , Soughayer Joseph , Hoshi Naoto , Lau Ho-Tak , Snyder Calvin G. , Branon Tess C. , Ghosh Debapriya , Langeberg Lorene K. , Ting Alice Y. , Santana Luis F. , Ong Shao-En , Navedo Manuel F. , Scott John D.
Published: November 2018

Significance

Dissemination of chemical information throughout the cell is a fundamental biological process with clinical relevance. Pathological changes in local signaling enzyme activity are linked to diseases, including schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiac arrhythmias, and seizures. Mining of patient datasets has uncovered genetic variation in A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs) that promotes mislocalization of protein kinase A (PKA). We investigate 42 SNPs in AKAPs that interrupt association with PKA to impact local cAMP signaling. The most detrimental variants are situated within the hydrophobic face of a conserved helical region on the AKAP that is essential for kinase anchoring. An unexpected outcome is the discovery of an alternative targeting mechanism for AKAPs that utilizes the intact PKA holoenzymes as cytoplasmic “anchors.”
A cell separation checkpoint that enforces the proper order of late cytokinetic events
Authors: Brace Jennifer L. , Doerfler Matthew D. , Weiss Eric L.
Published: November 2018

Eukaryotic cell division requires dependency relationships in which late processes commence only after early ones are appropriately completed. We have discovered a system that blocks late events of cytokinesis until early ones are successfully accomplished. In budding yeast, cytokinetic actomyosin ring contraction and membrane ingression are coupled with deposition of an extracellular septum that is selectively degraded in its primary septum immediately after its completion by secreted enzymes. We find this secretion event is linked to septum completion and forestalled when the process is slowed. Delay of septum degradation requires Fir1, an intrinsically disordered protein localized to the cytokinesis site that is degraded upon septum completion but stabilized when septation is aberrant. Fir1 protects cytokinesis in part by inhibiting a separation-specific exocytosis function of the NDR/LATS kinase Cbk1, a key component of “hippo” signaling that induces mother–daughter separation. We term this system enforcement of cytokinesis order, a checkpoint ensuring proper temporal sequence of mechanistically incompatible processes of cytokinesis.
TLR8 and its endogenous ligand miR-21 contribute to neuropathic pain in murine DRG
Authors: Zhang Zhi-Jun , Guo Jian-Shuang , Li Si-Si , Wu Xiao-Bo , Cao De-Li , Jiang Bao-Chun , Jing Peng-Bo , Bai Xue-Qiang , Li Chun-Hua , Wu Zi-Han , Lu Ying , Gao Yong-Jing
Published: November 2018

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are nucleic acid–sensing receptors and have been implicated in mediating pain and itch. Here we report that Tlr8−/− mice show normal itch behaviors, but have defects in neuropathic pain induced by spinal nerve ligation (SNL) in mice. SNL increased TLR8 expression in small-diameter IB4+ DRG neurons. Inhibition of TLR8 in the DRG attenuated SNL-induced pain hypersensitivity. Conversely, intrathecal or intradermal injection of TLR8 agonist, VTX-2337, induced TLR8-dependent pain hypersensitivity. Mechanistically, TLR8, localizing in the endosomes and lysosomes, mediated ERK activation, inflammatory mediators’ production, and neuronal hyperexcitability after SNL. Notably, miR-21 was increased in DRG neurons after SNL. Intrathecal injection of miR-21 showed the similar effects as VTX-2337 and inhibition of miR-21 in the DRG attenuated neuropathic pain. The present study reveals a previously unknown role of TLR8 in the maintenance of neuropathic pain, suggesting that miR-21–TLR8 signaling may be potential new targets for drug development against this type of chronic pain.
Genetic models reveal origin, persistence and non-redundant functions of IL-17–producing γδ T cells
Authors: Sandrock Inga , Reinhardt Annika , Ravens Sarina , Binz Christoph , Wilharm Anneke , Martins Joana , Oberdörfer Linda , Tan Likai , Lienenklaus Stefan , Zhang Baojun , Naumann Ronald , Zhuang Yuan , Krueger Andreas , Förster Reinhold , Prinz Immo
Published: November 2018

γδ T cells are highly conserved in jawed vertebrates, suggesting an essential role in the immune system. However, γδ T cell–deficient Tcrd−/− mice display surprisingly mild phenotypes. We hypothesized that the lack of γδ T cells in constitutive Tcrd−/− mice is functionally compensated by other lymphocytes taking over genuine γδ T cell functions. To test this, we generated a knock-in model for diphtheria toxin–mediated conditional γδ T cell depletion. In contrast to IFN-γ–producing γδ T cells, IL-17–producing γδ T cells (Tγδ17 cells) recovered inefficiently after depletion, and their niches were filled by expanding Th17 cells and ILC3s. Complementary genetic fate mapping further demonstrated that Tγδ17 cells are long-lived and persisting lymphocytes. Investigating the function of γδ T cells, conditional depletion but not constitutive deficiency protected from imiquimod-induced psoriasis. Together, we clarify that fetal thymus-derived Tγδ17 cells are nonredundant local effector cells in IL-17–driven skin pathology.
The Difference latinidad Makes
Authors: López Marissa
Published: November 2018

This essay-review examines three recent works in the study of Chicanx literature, Robert Con Davis-Undiano’s Mestizos Come Home!: Making and Claiming Mexican American Identity (2017), Karen Roybal’s Archives of Dispossession: Recovering the Testimonios of Mexican American Herederas, 1848–1960 (2017), and María Josefina Saldaña-Portillo’s Indian Given: Racial Geographies across Mexico and the United States (2016). López is primarily concerned with how the books position themselves in relation to broader discussions around latinidad. She structures her investigation around three main axes: racial discourse, intersections of politics and form, and periodization in literary studies. The books, she argues, trace an aesthetic and political trajectory leading from concerns over representation and canon formation to wholesale interrogations of genre and political action. López reads this trajectory in the context of theoretical developments in Critical Ethnic studies that privilege difference over diversity.
Reading and Writing Travels: Maximilien Misson, Samuel Waring and the Afterlives of European Voyages, c.1687–1714
Authors: Ansell Richard
Published: November 2018

Travel writing often underpins studies of how people in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Britain and Ireland understood themselves and the wider world. Scholars have focused on the representation of foreign encounters in print, however, with little attention given to how readers used travel books. Most histories of travel similarly deal only with experiences abroad, with few considering the return home. This article uses one work, Maximilien Misson’s New Voyage to Italy, and one reader, Samuel Waring, to explore the ‘afterlives’ of travel and travel books, closing the gap between the history of travel and the study of travel literature. Waring, a gentleman from Ireland, accompanied Misson to Italy in 1687–8, taking notes that reveal the origins of an influential book. He returned to A New Voyage to Italy in the decades afterwards, generating valuable evidence of contemporary engagement with travel writing. Waring’s notes and drafts hint at the reception of Misson’s book and place it within a body of ‘travels’, particularly in English and French. This transnational dimension complicates arguments about travel literature and national identity, but Waring instead encourages scholars to examine the role of books in self-fashioning. He used his reading, memories and souvenirs to present himself as a gentleman, a connoisseur and an example to his family, discussing Italy with returned and armchair travellers. The afterlives of travel and travel books provide a more complex understanding of how, and to what social ends, people with lived or vicarious experience of ‘abroad’ built understandings of the world beyond Britain and Ireland.
A cross-sectional audit of distress in patients undergoing adjuvant therapy or follow-up in central nervous system malignancies
Authors: Patil Vijay M , Malhotra Mridul , Tonse Raees , Deodhar Jayita , Chandrasekharan Arun , Pande Nikhil , Bhattacharjee Atanu , Jalali Rakesh
Published: November 2018

Background

Unaddressed high distress leads to noncompliance with treatment, negatively affects quality of life, and may also have a negative impact on the prognosis of cancer patients. Patients with brain tumors have higher levels of distress than the general population and hence we hypothesize that even routine visits during adjuvant treatment or follow-up are likely to be stressful. This analysis was performed to identify the incidence of distress and factors affecting it.

Methods

This was an audit of 84 consecutive patients seen in an adult neuro-medical oncology outpatient department who were either receiving adjuvant chemotherapy or were on follow-up. Distress screening with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) distress thermometer was performed. Patients in whom distress was scored as 4 or above were considered as having high distress. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were performed to identify factors affecting distress.

Results

The median age of the cohort was 40 years (interquartile range, 28.3 to 50 years). Actionable distress defined as a distress score of 4 or more was seen in 52 patients (61.9%, 95% CI 51.2% to 71.5%). Presence of physical deficit (odds ratio [OR] = 3.412, P = .020) and treatment under the private category (OR = 5.273, P = .003) had higher odds of having high distress.

Conclusion

A high proportion of brain tumor patients either on adjuvant chemotherapy or on follow-up have high distress levels that need to be addressed even during follow-up.
Benefit of Intracystic Bleomycin for Symptomatic Recurrent Rathke Cleft Cyst
Authors: Ung Timothy H , Yang Michael , Wang Mary , Harland Tessa , Lillehei Kevin O
Published: November 2018

BACKGROUND

Management of recurrent Rathke cleft cysts (RCC) is problematic. The mainstay of treatment has been reoperation with cyst drainage. Radical cyst resection, although effective, results in a high incidence of diabetes insipidus. Several case reports suggest a potential benefit to radiation therapy or the use of intracystic bleomycin. The intracystic application of bleomycin is known to be beneficial in the treatment of cystic craniopharyngioma; however, its usefulness in the treatment of recurrent RCC has yet to be proven.

OBJECTIVE

To present our 6-yr experience using intracystic bleomycin for recurrent RCC.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective chart review of patients with RCC who underwent surgical resection between January 2010 and May 2016 by a single surgeon. Specific attention was paid to patients with recurrent RCC.

RESULTS

Of the 59 patients operated on for RCC during this 6-yr interval, 6 patients with symptomatic recurrent RCC were identified and received intracystic bleomycin at the time of reoperation. To date, no symptomatic cyst recurrence has been documented in the patients receiving bleomycin (mean = 38.8 mo, range 21.2-79.8 mo).

CONCLUSION

The use of intracystic bleomycin appears to be a safe and potentially effective treatment option in patients with recurrent RCC. Additional studies with longer follow-up are needed to further define the role of bleomycin in recurrent RCC.
Color Hurts. The Effect of Color on Pain Perception
Authors: Wiercioch-Kuzianik Karolina , Bąbel Przemysław
Published: November 2018

Background Research suggests that colors may have an effect on human behavior, cognition, and emotions; however, little is known about their influence on pain perception. The aim of these two studies was to investigate whether colors have an impact on pain perception and to find the mechanism that underlies the influence of colors on pain.

Methods In both studies, participants received electrocutaneous pain stimuli of the same intensity preceded by one of six colors (red, green, orange, blue, pink, or yellow) or a blank slide, which served as a control condition. In the first study, the intensity of experienced pain was measured; in the second study, both experienced and expected pain was measured.

Results The studies revealed that colors increased the intensity of experienced pain in comparison with the noncolor condition (blank slide), regardless of both the sex of participants and whether they noticed a relationship between colors and pain intensity. Particularly, participants rated pain stimuli preceded by red as being more painful compared with pain stimuli preceded by other colors, especially green and blue.

Conclusions It is concluded that colors have an impact on pain perception. Our results have important implications for the color lights paradigm applied in studies on placebo effects.
‘May’ and ‘Shall’ and ‘Must’: Power or Duty?
Authors: Samuels Alec
Published: November 2018

The words ‘may’ and ‘shall’ and ‘must’ appear in many statutes. Not surprisingly, over the years, a myriad of particular instances has appeared in the law reports. From all this body of law can any principles be deduced? Are there any authoritative texts?
Mouse Academy: high-throughput automated training and trial-by-trial behavioral analysis during learning
Authors: Qiao Mu , Zhang Tony , Segalin Cristina , Sam Sarah , Perona Pietro , Meister Markus
Published: November 2018

Progress in understanding how individual animals learn will require high-throughput standardized methods for behavioral training but also advances in the analysis of the resulting behavioral data. In the course of training with multiple trials, an animal may change its behavior abruptly, and capturing such events calls for a trial-by-trial analysis of the animal’s strategy. To address this challenge, we developed an integrated platform for automated animal training and analysis of behavioral data. A low-cost and space-efficient apparatus serves to train entire cohorts of mice on a decision-making task under identical conditions. A generalized linear model (GLM) analyzes each animal’s performance at single-trial resolution. This model infers the momentary decision-making strategy and can predict the animal’s choice on each trial with an accuracy of ~80%. We also assess the animal’s detailed trajectories and body poses within the apparatus. Unsupervised analysis of these features revealed unusual trajectories that represent hesitation in the response. This integrated hardware/software platform promises to accelerate the understanding of animal learning.
High satellite repeat turnover in great apes studied with short- and long-read technologies
Authors: Cechova Monika , Harris Robert S. , Tomaszkiewicz Marta , Arbeithuber Barbara , Chiaromonte Francesca , Makova Kateryna D.
Published: November 2018

Satellite repeats are a structural component of centromeres and telomeres, and in some instances their divergence is known to drive speciation. Due to their highly repetitive nature, satellite sequences have been understudied and underrepresented in genome assemblies. To investigate their turnover in great apes, we studied satellite repeats of unit sizes up to 50 bp in human, chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, and Sumatran and Bornean orangutans, using unassembled short and long sequencing reads. The density of satellite repeats, as identified from accurate short reads (Illumina), varied greatly among great ape genomes. These were dominated by a handful of abundant repeated motifs, frequently shared among species, which formed two groups: (1) the (AATGG)nrepeat (critical for heat shock response) and its derivatives; and (2) subtelomeric 32-mers involved in telomeric metabolism. Using the densities of abundant repeats, individuals could be classified into species. However clustering did not reproduce the accepted species phylogeny, suggesting rapid repeat evolution. Several abundant repeats were enriched in males vs. females; using Y chromosome assemblies or FIuorescent In Situ Hybridization, we validated their location on the Y. Finally, applying a novel computational tool, we identified many satellite repeats completely embedded within long Oxford Nanopore and Pacific Biosciences reads. Such repeats were up to 59 kb in length and consisted of perfect repeats interspersed with other similar sequences. Our results based on sequencing reads generated with three different technologies provide the first detailed characterization of great ape satellite repeats, and open new avenues for exploring their functions.