bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Overview of ion source characterization diagnostics in INTF
Authors: Bandyopadhyay M. , Sudhir Dass , Bhuyan M. , Soni J. , Tyagi H. , Joshi J. , Yadav A. , Rotti C. , Parmar Deepak , Patel H. , Pillai S. , Chakraborty A.
Published: October 2015

INdian Test Facility (INTF) is envisaged to characterize ITER diagnostic neutral beam system and to establish the functionality of its eight inductively coupled RF plasma driver based negative hydrogen ion source and its beamline components. The beam quality mainly depends on the ion source performance and therefore, its diagnostics plays an important role for its safe and optimized operation. A number of diagnostics are planned in INTF to characterize the ion source performance. Negative ions and its cesium contents in the source will be monitored by optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and cavity ring down spectroscopy. Plasma near the extraction region will be studied using standard electrostatic probes. The beam divergence and negative ion stripping losses are planned to be measured using Doppler shift spectroscopy. During initial phase of ion beam characterization, carbon fiber composite based infrared imaging diagnostics will be used. Safe operation of the beam will be ensured by using standard thermocouples and electrical voltage-current measurement sensors. A novel concept, based on plasma density dependent plasma impedance measurement using RF electrical impedance matching parameters to characterize the RF driver plasma, will be tested in INTF and will be validated with OES data. The paper will discuss about the overview of the complete INTF diagnostics including its present status of procurement, experimentation, interface with mechanical systems in INTF, and integration with INTF data acquisition and control systems.
A negative ion source test facility
Authors: Melanson S. , Dehnel M. , Potkins D. , Theroux J. , Hollinger C. , Martin J. , Philpott C. , Stewart T. , Jackle P. , Williams P. , Brown S. , Jones T. , Coad B. , Withington S.
Published: October 2015

Progress is being made in the development of an Ion Source Test Facility (ISTF) by D-Pace Inc. in collaboration with Buckley Systems Ltd. in Auckland, NZ. The first phase of the ISTF is to be commissioned in October 2015 with the second phase being commissioned in March 2016. The facility will primarily be used for the development and the commercialization of ion sources. It will also be used to characterize and further develop various D-Pace Inc. beam diagnostic devices.
Numerical investigation of phase relationships in an oscillating sessile drop
Authors: Korenchenko A. E. , Malkova J. P.
Published: October 2015

Forced linear oscillations of a viscous drop placed on a horizontal surface vibrating in perpendicular direction are investigated. The problem is solved for two cases: (1) constant contact angle, and (2) pinned contact line. Phase-frequency and amplitude-frequency characteristics of oscillations of the drop apex are found for the first axisymmetrical mode of oscillations. The independence of the difference of oscillation phases of the drop apex and the substrate on fluid density, viscosity, surface tension, and drop size as well as on presence or absence of the gravity force was demonstrated.
Two-step asymptotics of scaled Dunkl processes
Authors: Andraus Sergio , Miyashita Seiji
Published: October 2015

Dunkl processes are generalizations of Brownian motion obtained by using the differential-difference operators known as Dunkl operators as a replacement of spatial partial derivatives in the heat equation. Special cases of these processes include Dyson’s Brownian motion model and the Wishart-Laguerre eigenvalue processes, which are well-known in random matrix theory. It is known that the dynamics of Dunkl processes is obtained by transforming the heat kernel using Dunkl’s intertwining operator. It is also known that, under an appropriate scaling, their distribution function converges to a steady-state distribution which depends only on the coupling parameter β as the process time t tends to infinity. We study scaled Dunkl processes starting from an arbitrary initial distribution, and we derive expressions for the intertwining operator in order to calculate the asymptotics of the distribution function in two limiting situations. In the first one, β is fixed and t tends to infinity (approach to the steady state), and in the second one, t is fixed and β tends to infinity (strong-coupling limit). We obtain the deviations from the limiting distributions in both of the above situations, and we find that they are caused by the two different mechanisms which drive the process, namely, the drift and exchange mechanisms. We find that the deviation due to the drift mechanism decays as t−1, while the deviation due to the exchange mechanism decays as t−1/2.
Evolution of the angular distribution of laser-generated fast electrons due to resistive self-collimation
Authors: Robinson A. P. L. , Schmitz H.
Published: October 2015

The evolution of the angular distribution of laser-generated fast electrons propagating in dense plasmas is studied by 3D numerical simulations. As resistively generated magnetic fields can strongly influence and even pinch the fast electron beam, the question of the effect on the angular distribution is of considerable interest. It was conjectured that in the limit of strong collimation, there will only be minimal changes to the angular distribution, whereas the largest reduction in the angular distribution will occur where there is only modest pinching of the fast electron beam and the beam is able to expand considerably. The results of the numerical simulations indicate this conjecture.
Multi-user distribution of polarization entangled photon pairs
Authors: Trapateau J. , Ghalbouni J. , Orieux A. , Diamanti E. , Zaquine I.
Published: October 2015

We experimentally demonstrate multi-user distribution of polarization entanglement using commercial telecom wavelength division demultiplexers. The entangled photon pairs are generated from a broadband source based on spontaneous parametric down conversion in a periodically poled lithium niobate crystal using a double path setup employing a Michelson interferometer and active phase stabilisation. We test and compare demultiplexers based on various technologies and analyze the effect of their characteristics, such as losses and polarization dependence, on the quality of the distributed entanglement for three channel pairs of each demultiplexer. In all cases, we obtain a Bell inequality violation, whose value depends on the demultiplexer features. This demonstrates that entanglement can be distributed to at least three user pairs of a network from a single source. Additionally, we verify for the best demultiplexer that the violation is maintained when the pairs are distributed over a total channel attenuation corresponding to 20 km of optical fiber. These techniques are therefore suitable for resource-efficient practical implementations of entanglement-based quantum key distribution and other quantum communication network applications.
Direct optical detection of current induced spin accumulation in metals by magnetization-induced second harmonic generation
Authors: Pattabi A. , Gu Z. , Gorchon J. , Yang Y. , Finley J. , Lee O. J. , Raziq H. A. , Salahuddin S. , Bokor J.
Published: October 2015

Strong spin-orbit coupling in non-magnetic heavy metals has been shown to lead to large spin currents flowing transverse to a charge current in such a metal wire. This in turn leads to the buildup of a net spin accumulation at the lateral surfaces of the wire. Spin-orbit torque effects enable the use of the accumulated spins to exert useful magnetic torques on adjacent magnetic layers in spintronic devices. We report the direct detection of spin accumulation at the free surface of nonmagnetic metal films using magnetization-induced optical surface second harmonic generation. The technique is applied to probe the current induced surface spin accumulation in various heavy metals such as Pt, β-Ta, and Au with high sensitivity. The sensitivity of the technique enables us to measure the time dynamics on a sub-ns time scale of the spin accumulation arising from a short current pulse. The ability of optical surface second harmonic generation to probe interfaces suggests that this technique will also be useful for studying the dynamics of spin accumulation and transport across interfaces between non-magnetic and ferromagnetic materials, where spin-orbit torque effects are of considerable interest.
High field terahertz emission from relativistic laser-driven plasma wakefields
Authors: Chen Zi-Yu , Pukhov Alexander
Published: October 2015

We propose a method to generate high field terahertz (THz) radiation with peak strength of GV/cm level in the THz frequency gap range of 1–10 THz using a relativistic laser interaction with a gaseous plasma target. Due to the effect of local pump depletion, an initially Gaussian laser pulse undergoes leading edge erosion and eventually evolves to a state with leading edge being step function. Interacting with such a pulse, electrons gain transverse residual momentum and excite net transverse currents modulated by the relativistic plasma frequency. These currents give rise to the low frequency THz emission. We demonstrate this process with one and two dimensional particle-in-cell simulations.
Antiferromagnetically coupled perpendicular magnetic anisotropic CoFeB/MgO films across a Mo spacer with high thermal stability
Authors: Zhang X. , Zhang Y. , Cai J. W.
Published: October 2015

The magnetic and magneto-transport properties of the multilayered MgO/CoFeB/Mo/CoFeB/MgO films have been investigated. Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and alternating ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling along the perpendicular direction as well as giant magnetoresistance have been observed in this Mo separated CoFeB/MgO structure. More importantly, the antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling of perpendicular layers is thermally stable against annealing temperature up to 400 °C, showing that the present perpendicular synthetic antiferromagnetic structure is promising for the magnetic engineering of nanodevices based on the perpendicular CoFeB/MgO system. The largest antiferromagnetic exchange coupling is obtained for Mo thickness of 0.8 nm, the corresponding exchange coupling energy density is 0.036 erg/cm2.
Temperature dependence of energy barrier in CoFeB-MgO magnetic tunnel junctions with perpendicular easy axis
Authors: Takeuchi Y. , Sato H. , Fukami S. , Matsukura F. , Ohno H.
Published: October 2015

We investigate an energy barrier E that determines the thermal stability factor of nanoscale CoFeB-MgO magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with a perpendicular easy axis as a function of temperature between 298 and 393 K. For the MTJs with a junction diameter above 43 nm, Ε is much smaller and less sensitive to the temperature than the magnetic anisotropy energy of the total recording volume. For the MTJ with a diameter of 33 nm, E and the anisotropy energy take about the same value and show similar temperature dependence. The results can be explained by considering a crossover of magnetization reversal mode from nucleation type to single-domain like type, as the device dimensions reduce.
Electronic, transport, and optical properties of bulk and mono-layer PdSe2
Authors: Sun Jifeng , Shi Hongliang , Siegrist Theo , Singh David J.
Published: October 2015

The electronic and optical properties of bulk and monolayer PdSe2 are investigated using first-principles calculations. Using the modified Becke-Johnson potential, we find semiconductor behavior for both bulk and monolayer PdSe2 with indirect gap values of 0.03 eV for bulk and 1.43 eV for monolayer, respectively. Our sheet optical conductivity results support this observation and show similar anisotropic feature in the 2D plane. We further study the thermoelectric properties of the 2D PdSe2 using Blotzmann transport model and find interestingly high Seebeck coefficients (>200 μV/K) for both p- and n-type up to high doping level (∼2 × 1013 cm−2) with an anisotropic character in an electrical conductivity suggesting better thermoelectric performance along y direction in the plane.
The effect of feeding maize silage 1 h or 9 h before the herbage meal on dry matter intake, milk production, nitrogen partitioning and rumen function of lactating dairy cows
Authors: Al-Marashdeh O. , Gregorini P. , Greenwood S. L. , Edwards G.
Published: October 2015

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of the timing of feeding maize silage before a short herbage meal on dry matter (DM) intake, milk production, nitrogen (N) partitioning and rumen function of lactating dairy cows. Ten lactating, pregnant, Friesian × Jersey rumen-fistulated dairy cows aged 4–5 years were blocked in pairs by milksolids (MS; sum of protein and fat) production (1.73 ± 0.097 kg MS/cow.day; mean ± s.d.), bodyweight (519 ± 24.7 kg), days in milk (163 ± 12.5), and body condition score (3.9 ± 0.21). Cows within pairs were randomly allocated to one of two treatments: (1) five cows were offered one-third of their estimated total DM intake (5 kg/cow.day) as maize silage after the afternoon milking at 1500 hours, ~1 h before herbage was provided (1BH); (2) five cows were offered one-third of their estimated total DM intake as maize silage after morning milking at 0700 hours, ~9 h before herbage was provided (9BH). All cows were offered two-thirds of their total estimated DM intake (11 kg/cow.day) over a period of 4 h from 1600 hours to 2000 hours as freshly cut perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and white clover (Trifolium repens) in an indoor system. Cows were adapted to diets for 9 days (Days 1–9), followed by 5 days of measurement (Days 10–14). Maize silage DM intake did not differ between treatments averaging 5.1 kg DM/cow.day. Herbage DM intake was greater (P = 0.02) for 9BH (11.2 kg DM/cow.day) than 1BH (10.4 kg DM/cow.day). Milk yield (P = 0.001) and MS production (P = 0.08) were greater for 9BH than 1BH (18.8 vs 15.4 kg/cow.day and 1.63 vs 1.48 kg MS/cow.day, respectively). There was no effect of time of supplementation on N partitioned to milk, faeces, or urine. The purine derivatives to creatinine ratio, as an indication of microbial protein production, was greater (P = 0.04) for 9BH than 1BH. Daily mean rumen pH and the concentration of total rumen volatile fatty acids, acetate, butyrate, and ammonia N were not affected by treatment. However, the peak concentration of ruminal ammonia N was 27% lower (P < 0.05) for 9BH than 1BH. The concentration of non-esterified fatty acid (P = 0.03) and beta-hydroxy butyric acid (P = 0.01) were greater for 1BH than 9BH (0.14 vs 0.09 and 0.81 vs 0.71 mmol/L, respectively). These results indicate that under herbage feed restriction, altering the time of supplementation relative to the herbage meal can increase herbage DM intake and subsequent milk production.
Retinoic acid triggers c-kit gene expression in spermatogonial stem cells through an enhanceosome constituted between transcription factor binding sites for retinoic acid response element (RARE), spleen focus forming virus proviral integration oncogene (SPFI1) (PU.1) and E26 transformation-specific (ETS)
Authors: Koli Swanand , Mukherjee Ayan , Reddy Kudumula Venkata Rami
Published: October 2015

Restricted availability of retinoic acid (RA) in the testicular milieu regulates transcriptional activity of c-kit (KIT, CD117), which aids in the determination of spermatogonial stem-cell differentiation. The effect of RA on c-kit has been reported previously, but its mode of genomic action remains unresolved. We studied the molecular machinery guiding RA responsiveness to the c-kit gene using spermatogonial stem-cell line C18–4 and primary spermatogonial cells. A novel retinoic acid response element (RARE) positioned at –989 nucleotides upstream of the transcription start site (TSS) was identified, providing a binding site for a dimeric RA receptor (i.e. retinoic acid receptor gamma (RARγ) and retinoic X receptor). RA treatment influenced c-kit promoter activity, along with endogenous c-kit expression in C18–4 cells. A comprehensive promoter deletion assay using the pGL3B reporter system characterised the region spanning –271 bp and –1011 bp upstream of the TSS, which function as minimal promoter and maximal promoter, respectively. In silico analysis predicted that the region –1011 to +58 bp comprised the distal enhancer RARE and activators such as spleen focus forming virus proviral integration oncogene (SPFI1) (PU.1), specificity protein 1 (SP1) and four E26 transformation-specific (ETS) tandem binding sites at the proximal region. Gel retardation and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays showed binding for RARγ, PU.1 and SP1 to the predicted consensus binding sequences, whereas GABPα occupied only two out of four ETS binding sites within the c-kit promoter region. We propose that for RA response, an enhanceosome is orchestrated through scaffolding of a CREB-binding protein (CBP)/p300 molecule between RARE and elements in the proximal promoter region, controlling germ-line expression of the c-kit gene. This study outlines the fundamental role played by RARγ, along with other non-RAR transcription factors (PU.1, SP1 and GABPα), in the regulation of c-kit expression in spermatogonial stem cells in response to RA.
Auxin signaling modules regulate maize inflorescence architecture
Authors: Galli Mary , Liu Qiujie , Moss Britney L. , Malcomber Simon , Li Wei , Gaines Craig , Federici Silvia , Roshkovan Jessica , Meeley Robert , Nemhauser Jennifer L. , Gallavotti Andrea
Published: October 2015

Significance

Axillary meristems are groups of plant pluripotent stem cells responsible for the formation of secondary axes of growth, such as branches and flowers. A crucial step in the initiation of new axillary meristems is the establishment of boundary domains that allow organ separation and prevent fusion defects during development. This work provides clues on the molecular mechanism by which the plant hormone auxin is involved in the formation of axillary meristems in maize inflorescences. Auxin signaling modules containing the AUXIN/INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID proteins BARREN INFLORESCENCE1 and BARREN INFLORESCENCE4 and AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR (ARF) transcriptional regulators are involved in the regulation of the boundary basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor BARREN STALK1, suggesting auxin is directly responsible for establishing boundary regions.
Lateral chirality-sorting optical forces
Authors: Hayat Amaury , Mueller J. P. Balthasar , Capasso Federico
Published: October 2015

Significance

In light of the difficulty often associated with sorting and characterizing materials by chirality, new research aimed toward the development of passive optical methods has stirred considerable excitement at the interface of analytical chemistry and physical optics. We describe here a mechanism through which chirality-sorting optical forces emerge through the interaction with the spin-angular momentum of light, a property that the community has recently learned to control with great sophistication using modern nanophotonics. In particular, the forces may be oriented perpendicularly to the propagation direction of evanescent waves, leading to a helicity-dependent lateral deflection of chiral particles in opposite directions. The highly unusual transverse optical force described herein is the strongest of its kind discovered so far to our knowledge.
Structural insights into species-specific features of the ribosome from the pathogen
Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Eyal Zohar , Matzov Donna , Krupkin Miri , Wekselman Itai , Paukner Susanne , Zimmerman Ella , Rozenberg Haim , Bashan Anat , Yonath Ada
Published: October 2015

Significance

Clinical use of the currently available antibiotics is severely compromised by the increasing resistance to them, acquired by the natural bacterial capability to manipulate their genomes. Many existing antibiotics target the fundamental process of protein biosynthesis, mainly by paralyzing the ribosome. Although antibiotics’ modes of action are similar across most eubacteria, species specificity has been detected. We determined the structures of the large ribosomal subunit from
Staphylococcus aureus
, a pathogenic bacterial species with a known capacity to become multiresistant, and of its complexes with known antibiotic compounds, as well as with a novel potential pleuromutilin derivative. Our new insights provide unique chemical tools for enhanced distinction between pathogens and the useful benign microbiome, as well as for suggesting novel sites for potential future antibiotics.
Zarathustra's metaethics
Authors: Sinhababu Neil
Published: October 2015

Nietzsche takes moral judgments to be false beliefs, and encourages us to pursue subjective nonmoral value arising from our passions. His view that strong and unified passions make one virtuous is mathematically derivable from this subjectivism and a conceptual analysis of virtue, explaining his evaluations of character and the nature of the Overman.
Taking possession of a heritage: psychologies of the subliminal and their pioneers
Authors: Miranda Punita
Published: October 2015

This essay explores some of the theoretical repercussions of the debate concerning the growth-oriented dimension of the personality that took place in the late nineteenth-century psychologies of transcendence. 1 The French–Swiss–English–American psychotherapeutic axis, 2 a ‘loose-knit alliance’ of cutting-edge scientists, investigated occult and paranormal phenomena ranging from somnambulism, hypnotic trance states, double consciousness, and multiple personalities to mediumship and pathological schizophrenic fantasies. Their insights into the complex phenomena of psychic dissociation posited a subliminal region that was not only a reservoir of trauma, but also source of a potentiality beyond normal consciousness, a notion which was continued and developed in Jung's psychology.
Comparison of the Josephson Voltage Standards of the PTB and the BIPM (part of the ongoing BIPM key comparison BIPM.EM-K10.b)
Authors: Solve S , Chayramy R , Stock M , Palafox L , Behr R
Published: October 2015

A comparison of the Josephson array voltage standards of the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) and the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Braunschweig, Germany, was carried out in October 2014 at the level of 10 V. For this exercise, options A and B of the BIPM.EM-K10.b comparison protocol were applied. Option B required the BIPM to provide a reference voltage for measurement by PTB using its Josephson standard with its own measuring device. Option A required PTB to provide a reference voltage with its Josephson voltage standard for measurement by the BIPM using an analogue nanovoltmeter and associated measurement loop.

The final results were in good agreement within the combined relative standard uncertainty of 3.9 parts in 1011 for the nominal voltage of 10 V.

Main text

To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/.

The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCEM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).
Growth, Nutrition, and Cytokine Response of Breast‐fed Infants and Infants Fed Formula With Added Bovine Osteopontin
Authors: Lönnerdal Bo , Kvistgaard Anne S. , Peerson Janet M. , Donovan Sharon M. , Peng Yong‐mei
Published: October 2015

Objectives:

Breast milk contains a high concentration of osteopontin (OPN), a protein having multiple functions. In contrast, infant formula is low in OPN. A randomized clinical trial was performed to evaluate effects of adding a highly enriched bovine OPN fraction to formula, and infants whose mothers had already decided not to breast‐feed were recruited. They were fed regular formula (F0) or the same formula with bovine OPN at 65 (F65) or 130 (F130) mg/L (50% and 100% of human milk level, respectively) from 1 to 6 months of age and were compared with a reference group of breast‐fed (BF) infants.

Methods:

Morbidity was recorded daily and 3‐day dietary records collected monthly. Anthropometry was assessed monthly, and blood samples were taken at 1, 4, and 6 months of age. Hematology and iron status, serum cytokines, plasma amino acids, and blood urea nitrogen were analyzed.

Results:

Formulas were well tolerated and there were no significant differences in formula intake or growth among the formula‐fed groups. The F130 group had significantly lower plasma threonine than the F0 and F65 groups, and significantly lower plasma branched‐chain amino acids (BCAAs) than the F0 group and, thus, was closer to BF infants. Plasma TNF‐α was higher in formula‐fed infants than in BF infants. Among the formula‐fed groups, the proinflammatory cytokine TNF‐α was significantly lower in the F65 and F130 groups than in the F0 group, suggesting that OPN downregulates inflammatory cytokines and thus affects immune function.

Conclusions:

Addition of OPN to infant formula changes amino acid metabolism and cytokine responses of FF infants and makes them more similar to BF infants. The lower prevalence of pyrexia in the F130 infants than in F0 infants suggests that adding OPN may confer health benefits.
Comparative Performance of Pediatric Weight Estimation Techniques
Authors: Abdel-Rahman Susan M. , Jacobsen Ryan , Watts Jennifer L. , Doyle Stacy L. , O'Malley Donna M. , Hefner Tiffany D. , Dowd M. Denise
Published: October 2015

Objective

We compared performance characteristics of 7 weight estimation methods examining predictive performance and human factors errors.

Methods

This was a prospective study of 80 emergency care providers (raters) and 80 children aged 2 months to 16 years. Raters estimated weights in 5 children with the following 7 strategies: visual estimation, Advanced Pediatric Life Support, Luscombe and Owens, Broselow tape, devised weight estimation method, 2D Mercy TAPE (2DT), and 3D Mercy TAPE (3DT). Quantitative errors were determined by checking rater values against values returned with optimal method use.

Results

Four hundred rater-child pairings generated 2800 weight estimates. For all methods, rater-estimated weights were less accurate than weights derived by optimal application. Skill-based, perception, and judgment/decision error were observed. For visual estimation, weights were underestimated in most children. For Advanced Pediatric Life Support/Luscombe and Owens, order of operations markedly impacted errors with 23% of calculations requiring addition first performed incorrectly versus 9% of calculations requiring multiplication first. For Broselow tape, only 63% of cases were eligible for estimation with this device, yet raters assigned a weight in 96% of cases. For Devised Weight Estimation Method, 96% of overweight and 48% of obese children were classified as slim or average. For 2DT/3DT, the 2DT was prone to more errors most commonly use of the wrong side of the device (24%). The impact of rater characteristics on error was most pronounced for methods requiring calculation.

Conclusions

Skill-based, perception, or judgment errors were observed in more than 1 of 20 cases. No singular strategy was used with 100% accuracy.
Comparing Practice Patterns Between Pediatric and General Emergency Medicine Physicians
Authors: Chime Nnenna O. , Katznelson Jessica , Gangadharan Sandeep , Walsh Barbara , Lobner Katie , Brown Linda , Gawel Marcie , Auerbach Marc
Published: October 2015

Objective

Acutely ill infants and children presenting to the emergency department are treated by either physicians with pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) training or physicians without PEM training, a good proportion of which are general emergency medicine–trained physicians (GEDPs). This scoping review identified published literature comparing the care provided to infants and children (≤21 years of age) by PEM-trained physicians to that provided by GEDPs.

Methods

The search was conducted in 2 main steps as follows: (1) initial literature search to identify available literature with evolving feedback from the group while simultaneously deciding search concepts as well as inclusion and exclusion criteria and (2) modification of search concepts and conduction of search using finalized concepts as well as review and selection of articles for final analysis using set inclusion criteria. Each study was independently assessed by 2 reviewers for eligibility and quality. Data were independently abstracted by reviewers, and authors were contacted for missing data.

Results

Our search yielded 3137 titles and abstracts. Twenty articles reporting 19 studies were included in the final analysis. The studies were grouped under type of care, diagnostic studies, medication administration, and process of care. The studies addressed differences in the management of fever, croup, bronchiolitis, asthma, urticaria, febrile seizures, and diabetic ketoacidosis.

Conclusions

This review highlights the lack of robust studies and heterogeneity of literature comparing practice patterns of PEM-trained physicians with GEDPs. We have outlined a systematic approach to reviewing a body of literature for topics that lack clear terms of comparison across studies.
Transition of Care
Authors: Dapaah-Siakwan Fredrick , Kaj Batul , Daga Ankana , Kaur Ishminder
Published: October 2015

Background

Little is known about the characteristics, clinical course, and the disposition of sick children transferred from pediatricians' offices to the emergency department (ED).

Objectives

The purpose of the study was to determine the clinical profile, ED course, and disposition of children transferred from a hospital-based pediatric clinic to the ED.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving all sick children transferred from a hospital-based clinic to the hospital's ED from January 2012 to December 2013. Data collected included demographics, acuity of illness, ED course, diagnoses, and disposition of all children.

Results

A total of 179 patients were transferred to and received care in the ED: boys, 56%; median age, 18 months; mean age, 58 months; 68% were younger than 60 months; African American, 83%; Hispanic, 12%. Sixty-eight percent of the patients were triaged as Emergency Severity Index 3 (urgent) and 13% were Emergency Severity Index 2 (high risk), with the rest categorized as nonurgent. Forty-three percent (78) were discharged home, and 57% were admitted. Age younger than 60 months, need for intravenous antibiotics, inhaled medications, plain x-rays, respiratory viral panel polymerase chain reaction (PCR), supplemental oxygen, and blood work in the ED were associated with being admitted (P < 0.05). The top 3 primary diagnoses were respiratory distress (40%), skin and soft tissue infections (15%), and other infections (10%).

Conclusions

Children transferred from a hospital-based pediatric clinic to the ED at an urban academic medical center had a high level of acuity, and almost 60% were admitted for inpatient care. Improvement in the provision of pretransfer care can potentially decrease transfers to the ED.
Through what mechanisms do protected areas affect environmental and social outcomes?
Authors: Ferraro Paul J. , Hanauer Merlin M.
Published: October 2015

To develop effective protected area policies, scholars and practitioners must better understand the mechanisms through which protected areas affect social and environmental outcomes. With strong evidence about mechanisms, the key elements of success can be strengthened, and the key elements of failure can be eliminated or repaired. Unfortunately, empirical evidence about these mechanisms is limited, and little guidance for quantifying them exists. This essay assesses what mechanisms have been hypothesized, what empirical evidence exists for their relative contributions and what advances have been made in the past decade for estimating mechanism causal effects from non-experimental data. The essay concludes with a proposed agenda for building an evidence base about protected area mechanisms.
Implications of heterogeneous impacts of protected areas on deforestation and poverty
Authors: Hanauer Merlin M. , Canavire-Bacarreza Gustavo
Published: October 2015

Protected areas are a popular policy instrument in the global fight against loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. However, the effectiveness of protected areas in preventing deforestation, and their impacts on poverty, are not well understood. Recent studies have found that Bolivia's protected-area system, on average, reduced deforestation and poverty. We implement several non-parametric and semi-parametric econometric estimators to characterize the heterogeneity in Bolivia's protected-area impacts on joint deforestation and poverty outcomes across a number of socioeconomic and biophysical moderators. Like previous studies from Costa Rica and Thailand, we find that Bolivia's protected areas are not associated with poverty traps. Our results also indicate that protection did not have a differential impact on indigenous populations. However, results from new multidimensional non-parametric estimators provide evidence that the biophysical characteristics associated with the greatest avoided deforestation are the characteristics associated with the potential for poverty exacerbation from protection. We demonstrate that these results would not be identified using the methods implemented in previous studies. Thus, this study provides valuable practical information on the impacts of Bolivia's protected areas for conservation practitioners and demonstrates methods that are likely to be valuable to researchers interested in better understanding the heterogeneity in conservation impacts.
Integrated conservation and development: evaluating a community-based marine protected area project for equality of socioeconomic impacts
Authors: Gurney Georgina G. , Pressey Robert L. , Cinner Joshua E. , Pollnac Richard , Campbell Stuart J.
Published: October 2015

Despite the prevalence of protected areas, evidence of their impacts on people is weak and remains hotly contested in conservation policy. A key question in this debate is whether socioeconomic impacts vary according to social subgroup. Given that social inequity can create conflict and impede poverty reduction, understanding how protected areas differentially affect people is critical to designing them to achieve social and biological goals. Understanding heterogeneous responses to protected areas can improve targeting of management activities and help elucidate the pathways through which impacts of protected areas occur. Here, we assessed whether the socioeconomic impacts of marine protected areas (MPAs)—designed to achieve goals for both conservation and poverty alleviation—differed according to age, gender or religion in associated villages in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Using data from pre-, mid- and post-implementation of the MPAs for control and project villages, we found little empirical evidence that impacts on five key socioeconomic indicators related to poverty differed according to social subgroup. We found suggestive empirical evidence that the effect of the MPAs on environmental knowledge differed by age and religion; over the medium and long terms, younger people and Muslims showed greater improvements compared with older people and Christians, respectively.
Guiding principles for evaluating the impacts of conservation interventions on human well-being
Authors: Woodhouse Emily , Homewood Katherine M. , Beauchamp Emilie , Clements Tom , McCabe J. Terrence , Wilkie David , Milner-Gulland E. J.
Published: October 2015

Measures of socio-economic impacts of conservation interventions have largely been restricted to externally defined indicators focused on income, which do not reflect people's priorities. Using a holistic, locally grounded conceptualization of human well-being instead provides a way to understand the multi-faceted impacts of conservation on aspects of people's lives that they value. Conservationists are engaging with well-being for both pragmatic and ethical reasons, yet current guidance on how to operationalize the concept is limited. We present nine guiding principles based around a well-being framework incorporating material, relational and subjective components, and focused on gaining knowledge needed for decision-making. The principles relate to four key components of an impact evaluation: (i) defining well-being indicators, giving primacy to the perceptions of those most impacted by interventions through qualitative research, and considering subjective well-being, which can affect engagement with conservation; (ii) attributing impacts to interventions through quasi-experimental designs, or alternative methods such as theory-based, case study and participatory approaches, depending on the setting and evidence required; (iii) understanding the processes of change including evidence of causal linkages, and consideration of trajectories of change and institutional processes; and (iv) data collection with methods selected and applied with sensitivity to research context, consideration of heterogeneity of impacts along relevant societal divisions, and conducted by evaluators with local expertise and independence from the intervention.
Achromobacter xylosoxidans endocarditis and septic arthritis in an infant affected by generalized arterial calcification of infancy
Authors: Levoy Craig S. , Hall David J. , Berman David
Published: October 2015

Introduction:

Achromobacter xylosoxidans is a non-fermentative aerobic Gram-negative bacillus, which most frequently causes nosocomial infections. Endocarditis from the pathogen has only rarely been reported and has a near-fatal outcome without surgical intervention.

Case Presentation:

We present a case of A. xylosoxidans endocarditis and septic arthritis in an infant affected by generalized arterial calcification of infancy. The patient was successfully treated with 6 weeks of intravenous colistin, meropenem and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole.

Conclusion:

This is the first reported case of colistin used to treat A. xylosoxidans endocarditis. We discuss the antibiotic challenges of treating multidrug-resistant A. xylosoxidans endocarditis in a patient who is not a surgical candidate.
Admixture, Population Structure andF-statistics
Authors: Peter Benjamin M
Published: October 2015

Many questions about human genetic history can be addressed by examining the patterns of shared genetic variation between sets of populations. A useful methodological framework for this purpose areF-statistics, that measure shared genetic drift between sets of two, three and four populations, and can be used to test simple and complex hypotheses about admixture between populations. Here, we put these statistics in context of phylogenetic and population genetic theory. We show how measures of genetic drift can be interpreted as branch lengths, paths through an admixture graph or in terms of the internal branches in coalescent trees. We show that the admixture tests can be interpreted as testing general properties of phylogenies, allowing us to generalize applications for arbitrary phylogenetic trees. Furthermore, we derive novel expressions for theF-statistics, which enables us to explore the behavior ofF-statistic under population structure models. In particular, we show that population substructure may complicate inference.

Author Summary

For the analysis of genetic data from hundreds of populations, a commonly used technique are a set of simple statistics on data from two, three and four populations. These statistics are used to test hypotheses involving the history of populations, in particular whether data is consistent with the history of a set of populations forming a tree.

Here, we provide context to these statistics by deriving novel expressions and by relating them to approaches in comparative phylogenetics. These results are useful because they provide a straightforward interpretation of these statistics under many demographic processes and lead to simplified expressions. However, the result also reveals the limitations ofF-statistics, in that population substructure may complicate inference.
Mat-aCGH: a Matlab toolbox for simultaneous multisample aCGH data analysis and visualization
Authors: Mohammadi Majid , Sharifi Noghabi Hossein
Published: October 2015

Mat-aCGH is an application toolbox for analysis and visualization of microarray-comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH or aCGH) data which is based on Matlab. Full process of aCGH analysis, from denoising of the raw data to the visualization of the desired results, can be obtained via Mat-aCGH straightforwardly. The main advantage of this toolbox is that it is collection of recent well-known statistical and information theoretic methods and algorithms for analyzing aCGH data. More importantly, the proposed toolbox is developed for multisample analysis which is one of the current challenges in this area. Mat-aCGH is convenient to apply for any format of data, robust against diverse noise and provides the users with valuable information in the form of diagrams and metrics. Therefore, it eliminates the needs of another software or package for multisample aCGH analysis. aCGH Matlab source codes and datasets are freely available and can be downloaded at:hsharifi.student.um.ac.ir/imagesm/14407/Mat–aCGH.rar.
Current systems biology approaches in hazard assessment of nanoparticles
Authors: Ehrhart Friederike , Evelo Chris , Willighagen Egon
Published: October 2015

The amount of nanoparticles (NPs) in human environment is increasing. The main sources are the increased introduction in consumer products and air pollution (diesel exhaust). It is meanwhile common knowledge that NPs behave differently as bulk material because of their nano-size. This leads in general to a higher reactivity and some other changed properties, e.g. solubility, surface potential, conductivity, and, to different effects on biological systems. The main impacts of NPs on a cellular and organism level are meanwhile well known: release of toxic ions, increased oxidative stress, and inflammation. Beside these, there is increasing evidence that NPs, especially in low dose/long exposure scenarios, affect biological systems in a broader way, interact with drugs, and exacerbate the effects of diseases. To investigate these effects systems biology approaches are the method of choice. This review summarizes the state of the art of nanoparticle effects on cells and organisms and demonstrate the add value of systems biology investigations to NP hazard assessment.
Interaction between variants in CLU and MS4A4E modulates Alzheimer's disease risk
Authors: Ebbert Mark T. W. , Boehme Kevin L. , Wadsworth Mark E. , Staley Lyndsay A. ,   for the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiativ,   Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Consortium, Mukherjee Shubhabrata , Crane Paul K. , Ridge Perry G. , Kauwe John S. K.
Published: October 2015

INTRODUCTION: Ebbert et al. reported gene-gene interactions between rs11136000-rs670139 (CLU-MS4A4E) and rs3865444-rs670139 (CD33-MS4A4E). We evaluate these interactions in the largest dataset for an epistasis study. METHODS: We tested interactions using 3837 cases and 4145 controls from ADGC using meta- and permutation analyses. We repeated meta-analyses stratified by APOEϵ4 status, estimated combined OR and population attributable fraction (cPAF), and explored causal variants. RESULTS: Results support the CLU-MS4A4E interaction and a dominant effect. An association between CLU-MS4A4E and APOEϵ4 negative status exists. The estimated synergy factor, OR, and cPAF for rs11136000-rs670139 are 2.23, 2.45 and 8.0, respectively. We identified potential causal variants. DISCUSSION: We replicated the CLU-MS4A4E interaction in a large case-control series, with APOEϵ4 and possible dominant effect. The CLU-MS4A4E OR is higher than any Alzheimer's disease locus except APOEϵ4, APP, and TREM2. We estimated an 8% decrease in Alzheimer's disease incidence without CLU-MS4A4E risk alleles and identified potential causal variants.
Loss of Dicer1 in mouse embryonic fibroblasts impairs ER stress-induced apoptosis
Authors: Gupta Ananya , Read Danielle E. , Oommen Deepu , Samali Afshin , Gupta Sanjeev
Published: October 2015

Background

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the site of folding for membrane and secreted proteins. Accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins in the ER triggers the unfolded protein response (UPR). The UPR can promote survival by reducing the load of unfolded proteins through upregulation of chaperones and global attenuation of protein synthesis. However, when ER stress is acute or prolonged cells undergo apoptosis. In this study we sought to determine the effect of globally compromised microRNA biogenesis on the UPR and ER stress-induced apoptosis

Results

Here we report the role of Dicer-dependent miRNA biogenesis during the UPR and ER stress-induced apoptosis. We show that ER stress-induced caspase activation and apoptosis is attenuated in Dicer deficient fibroblasts. ER stress-mediated induction of GRP78, the key ER resident chaperone, and also HERP, an important component of ER-associated degradation, are significantly increased in Dicer deficient cells. Expression of the BCL-2 family members BIM and MCL1 were significantly higher in Dicer-null fibroblasts. However, ER stress-mediated induction of pro-apoptotic BH3 only protein BIM was compromised in Dicer mutant cells.

Conclusions

These observations demonstrate key roles for Dicer in the UPR and implicate miRNAs as critical components of UPR.
The Electoral Politics of Housing
Authors: Lund Brian
Published: October 2015

This article surveys the territorial politics of housing policy with particular reference to the Conservative Party. It examines the how attempts to establish a new planning framework under the previous Coalition government came unstuck and sets out the implications of the planning impasse for home ownership and ‘generation rent’. The territorial and tenure dimensions of the 2015 General Election are considered and possible future Conservative conflicts over land release are explored.