bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sharing of ADHD Information between Parents and Teachers Using an EHR-Linked Application
Authors: Michel Jeremy , Mayne Stephanie , Grundmeier Robert , Guevara James , Blum Nathan , Power Thomas , Coffin Emily , Miller Jeffrey , Fiks Alexander
Published: December 2018

Background Appropriate management of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) involves parents, clinicians, and teachers. Fragmentation of interventions between different settings can lead to suboptimal care and outcomes. Electronic systems can bridge gaps across settings. Our institution developed an email-based software to collect ADHD information from parents and teachers, which delivered data directly to the clinician within the electronic health record (EHR).

Objective We sought to adapt our institution's existing EHR-linked system for ADHD symptom monitoring to support communication between parents and teachers and then to assess child characteristics associated with sharing of ADHD information.

Methods We updated our software to support automated sharing of ADHD information between parents and teachers. Sharing was optional for parents but obligatory for teachers. We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving 590 patients at 31 primary care sites to evaluate a system for sharing of ADHD-specific health information between parents and teachers. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate associations between child characteristics and parental sharing. We further investigated the association between child characteristics and viewing of survey results delivered through the electronic communication system.

Results Most parents (64%) elected to share survey results with teachers at the first opportunity and the vast majority (80%) elected to share all possible information. Parents who elected to share usually continue sharing at subsequent opportunities (89%). Younger child age and performance impairments were associated with increased likelihood of sharing. However, parents viewed only 16% of teacher submitted surveys and teachers only viewed 30% of surveys shared by parents.

Conclusion This study demonstrates that electronic systems to capture ADHD information from parents and teachers can be adapted to support communication between them, and that parents are amenable to sharing ADHD information with teachers. However, strategies are needed to encourage viewing of shared information.
The Effect of BMI and Gender on Bleeding Events when Rivaroxaban Is Administered for Thromboprophylaxis Following Total Hip and Total Knee Arthroplasty
Authors: Krauss Eugene , Dengler Nancy , Simonson Barry , Altner Kathleen , Daly Madison , Segal Ayal , Cronin MaryAnne
Published: December 2018

Rivaroxaban is approved in Europe and the United States for thromboprophylaxis following total joint arthroplasty. As the rate of obesity increases, confirming safety and efficacy in this patient population is paramount. This retrospective chart review assessed the efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban between two body mass index (BMI) groups: normal or overweight (< 30 kg/m2) and obese or morbidly obese (≥30 kg/m2). Safety outcome was a major bleeding event, defined as a decrease in hemoglobin of at least 2 g/dL from postoperative day 1(POD 1) to discharge or a blood transfusion of at least two units. Efficacy outcome was venous thromboembolism within 35 days postoperatively. There were 68 (68/1,241; 5.48%) major bleeding events. There was no significant association between major bleeding events and BMI in the univariable analysis (p < 0.36). However, after adjusting for other factors in the multivariable model, there was a significant interaction between BMI and gender (p < 0.001). Among males, the incidence of major bleeding events was three times greater in obese/morbidly obese subjects as compared with normal/overweight male subjects (odds ratio [OR]: 3.09, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.25, 7.62). Among females, incidence of having a major bleeding event was almost two times greater in normal/overweight subjects as compared with obese/morbidly obese female subjects (OR: 2.17, 95% CI: 1.10, 4.35). Incidence of venous thromboembolism was 0.4% in each group. The authors' study results highlight a previously unexplored association between BMI and gender-dependent differences in bleeding outcomes when rivaroxaban is used for thromboprophylaxis following total joint arthroplasty.
Identifying, Analyzing, and Visualizing Diagnostic Paths for Patients with Nonspecific Abdominal Pain
Authors: Rao Goutham , Kirley Katherine , Epner Paul , Zhang Yiye , Bauer Victoria , Padman Rema , Zhou Ying , Solomonides Anthony
Published: December 2018

Background Diagnosis is complex, uncertain, and error-prone. Symptoms such as nonspecific abdominal pain are especially challenging. A diagnostic path consists of diagnostic steps taken from initial presentation until a diagnosis is obtained or the evaluation ends for other reasons. Analysis of diagnostic paths can reveal patterns associated with more timely and accurate diagnosis. Visual analytics can be used to enhance both analysis and comprehension of diagnostic paths.

Objective This article applies process-mining methods to extract and visualize diagnostic paths from electronic health records (EHRs).

Methods Patient features, actions taken (i.e., tests, referrals, etc.), and diagnoses obtained for 501 adult patients (half female, half ≥50 years of age) presenting with abdominal pain were extracted from an EHR database to construct diagnostic paths from a hospital system in suburban Chicago, Illinois, United States. A stable diagnosis was defined as the same diagnosis recorded twice in a 12-month period; a working diagnosis was recorded only once. Three different types of path visualizations were obtained.

Results A stable diagnosis was obtained in 63 (13%) patients after 12 months. In 271 (54%) patients, a working diagnosis was obtained. Mean path duration was 145.3 days (standard deviation, 195.1 days). These 63 patients received 75 stable diagnoses.

Conclusion Structured EHR data can be used to construct diagnostic paths to gain insight into diagnostic practices for complaints such as abdominal pain.
Intra-articular Corticosteroids for Knee Pain—What Have We Learned from the Equine Athlete and Current Best Practice
Authors: Lattermann Christian , McIlwraith C.
Published: December 2018

The use of intra-articular corticosteroids for traumatic arthritis and osteoarthritis (OA) is common in the horse. The beneficial and deleterious effects of the principal corticosteroids used betamethasone esters (Celestone [Soluspan], methylprednisolone acetate [Depo Medrol], and triamcinolone acetonide [TA] [Vetalog or Kenalog]) have been defined for the horse. While TA has both disease-modifying as well as symptom-modifying effects, methyl prednisolone acetate has deleterious effects on the articular cartilage. Studies in traumatically injured joints show the same rationale (suppression of deleterious mediators associated with inflammation) and positive results from the use of TA in both equine and human patients. Studies in the experimental equine OA model allow for more in-depth knowledge of disease-modifying effects. Recent insights allow us to understand posttraumatic OA as an early consequence of joint injury that may require a more aggressive and proactive treatment approach than commonly applied to date.
Cytomegalovirus Screening in Pregnancy: A Cost-Effectiveness and Threshold Analysis
Authors: Albright Catherine M. , Werner Erika F. , Hughes Brenna L.
Published: December 2018

Objective To determine threshold cytomegalovirus (CMV) infectious rates and treatment effectiveness to make universal prenatal CMV screening cost-effective.

Study Design Decision analysis comparing cost-effectiveness of two strategies for the prevention and treatment of congenital CMV: universal prenatal serum screening and routine, risk-based screening. The base case assumptions were a probability of primary CMV of 1% in seronegative women, hyperimmune globulin (HIG) effectiveness of 0%, and behavioral intervention effectiveness of 85%. Screen-positive women received monthly HIG and screen-negative women received behavioral counseling to decrease CMV seroconversion. The primary outcome was the cost per maternal quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained with a willingness to pay of $100,000 per QALY.

Results In the base case, universal screening is cost-effective, costing $84,773 per maternal QALY gained. In sensitivity analyses, universal screening is cost-effective only at a primary CMV incidence of more than 0.89% and behavioral intervention effectiveness of more than 75%. If HIG is 30% effective, primary CMV incidence can be 0.82% for universal screening to be cost-effective.

Conclusion The cost-effectiveness of universal maternal screening for CMV is highly dependent on the incidence of primary CMV in pregnancy. If efficacious, HIG and behavioral counseling allow universal screening to be cost-effective at lower primary CMV rates.
Prevalence and Predictive Factors of Histopathological Complications in Children with Esophageal Atresia
Authors: Petit Laetitia-Marie , Righini-Grunder Franziska , Ezri Jessica , Jantchou Prevost , Aspirot Ann , Soglio Dorothée Dal , Faure Christophe
Published: December 2018

Objectives Endoscopic follow-up after esophageal atresia (EA) tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) repair is recommended to detect esophageal histopathological complications. We investigated the prevalence of histopathologically proven esophageal complications (peptic esophagitis, gastric metaplasia, and eosinophilic esophagitis) and assessed the predictors of these complications in children with EA-TEF.

Materials and Methods This is a prospective longitudinal cohort study performed between September 2005 and December 2014 comprising 77 children with EA-TEF followed-up until February 2017. Univariate analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon's rank-sum test for continuous variables and the Pearson's chi-square test for categorical variables. Multivariable analysis was performed using a Cox regression hazard model. The association between clinical factors and histopathologically proven complications was estimated using a Cox regression hazard model with time until the appearance of complications as the time scale.

Results All 77 children received proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) (n = 73) or H2 receptor antagonists (H2RA). A total of 252 endoscopies were performed in 73 children (median 2.6/child, range: 1–29). Median age at study completion was 4.9 years (range: 2.3–11.5 years). Histopathologically proven complications occurred in 38 children (52%): peptic esophagitis (n = 32, 44%), eosinophilic esophagitis (n = 15, 21%), and gastric metaplasia (n = 9, 12%). A total of 82% patients were on PPI or H2RA at the time of diagnosis of histological complication. Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that patients with recurrent anastomotic strictures (>3 dilations) had a higher risk of occurrence of histopathologically proven complications over time (hazard ratio: 3.11, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.53–6.34). On univariate analysis, the result of the first endoscopy was not associated with the occurrence of histopathologically proven complications (odds ratio: 0.8, 95% CI: 0.16–3.95).

Conclusion Histopathologically proven complications with potential long-term consequences occurred in approximately 50% of children after EA-TEF repair. A history of recurrent anastomotic strictures is associated with the occurrence of these complications. The result of the first endoscopy does not predict the histopathological outcome. Children with EA-TEF warrant close and systematic long-term follow-up at specialized multidisciplinary clinics with endoscopic evaluation.
Can Platelet Mass Index Be a Parameter to Predict Intraventricular Hemorrhage in Very-Low-Birth-Weight Newborns?
Authors: Korkmaz Levent , Bastug Osman , Ozdemir Ahmet , Ceylan Mahir , Gunes Tamer , Ozturk Mehmet Adnan , Korkut Sabriye
Published: December 2018

Objective Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is an important problem in neonatal units not only in terms of its consequences but also its follow-up and the prediction of its emergence in newborns. In this study, we have compared platelet parameters such as platelet count (PC), mean platelet volume (MPV), and platelet mass index (PMI) in terms of IHV in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) newborns. Thus, we have tried to determine platelet values to guide clinicians in both the prediction and follow-up of IVH.

Study Design This is a retrospective, multicenter, and case-controlled study. In this study, 386 cases of VLBW newborns (below 1,500 g) and gestational age below 32 weeks, hospitalized and monitored between August 8, 2012, and April 7, 2018, were included. The platelet values of the cases on their 12th hour postpartum (PC1, MPV1, and PMI1) and the platelet values on days 5 to 7 (PC2, MPV2, and PMI2) were recorded in their study cards. A p-value of <0.05 was accepted as statistically significant.

Results While there was no difference of PC1, MPV1, PMI1, PC2, or MPV2 values (p > 0.05), PMI2 values in the severe stage IVH group cases were found to be significantly lower compared with other platelet parameters (p < 0.05).

Conclusion PMI2 values can provide clinicians with important knowledge that may aid them in recognizing important pathologies such as IVH.
Rechtliche Aspekte der Digitalisierung in der Medizin
Authors: Wienke A. , Friese K.
Published: December 2018

Die Digitalisierung unserer Gesellschaft, unseres Handelns und unseres Denkens wird allerorten diskutiert; in Anlehnung an ein literarisch bekannt gewordenes gallisches Dorf könnte man meinen, dass sich nur wenige Unbeugsame dem digitalen Zeitalter entgegenstemmen. Auch und gerade im Gesundheitswesen ist die Digitalisierung derzeit eines der brennendsten Themen in der Gesundheitspolitik und in aktuellen Gesetzgebungsverfahren. So hat die Bundesregierung im Koalitionsvertrag vom 14.03.2018 festgehalten, dass bis 2020 ein Aktionsplan mit konkreten Maßnahmen entwickelt werden soll. Auch die aktuellen Diskussionen um die Einführung und den Nutzungsumfang der elektronischen Gesundheitskarte dominieren weiterhin in den Medien. Nicht zu vergessen ist auch die Debatte um die Lockerung des Fernbehand-lungsverbotes, für welche sich eine große Mehrheit auf dem 121. Ärztetag im Mai 2018 ausgesprochen hat. Letztlich nimmt das Thema Digitalisierung durch die damit einhergehenden datenschutzrechtlichen Fragen an Fahrt auf; wer denkt dieser Tage dabei nicht an die EU-Datenschutzgrundverordnung (DSGVO) und die Neufassung des Bundesdatenschutzgesetzes (BDSG)?
Diagnostik von Infektionskrankheiten
Authors: Knuf M.
Published: December 2018

Infektionskrankheiten kommen in der Pädiatrie sehr häufig vor. Die meisten Infektionen stellen typische Blickdiagnosen dar und können ohne aufwändige Labordiagnostik diagnostiziert werden. Fieber ist ein sehr häufiges Symptom und kann als diagnostisches Kriterium für Infektionskrankheiten (Atemwege, Gastrointestinaltrakt) genutzt werden. Es sind klinische Kriterien zur Unterscheidung viraler von bakteriellen Infektionen verfügbar. Daneben sind seltene, nicht infektiöse Ursachen für Fieber im Kindesalter zu berücksichtigen. Andere Infektionssymptome sind Exantheme, Lymphknotenvergrößerungen und Petechien. Manchmal ist die Diagnose auch erst im Verlauf zu stellen. Labormethoden zum Nachweis von Infektionen sind der direkte mikrobiologische Erregernachweis (Abstrich, Kultur), der molekularbiologische Erregernachweis (z. B. PCR), serologische Verfahren, erregerspezifische T-Zell-Stimulation, Antigen-Schnellteste sowie Biomarker („Hilfspa-rameter“) wie Blutbild, Differenzialblutbild, Akute-Phase-Proteine (z. B. C-reaktives Protein [CrP], Interleukine [z. B. Interleukin 6], Prokalzitonin [PCT] u. a.). Neben der Testqualität (Sensitivität, Spezifität) ist die Indikationsstellung zur Diagnostik von großer Bedeutung. Molekularbiologische Methoden und sogenannte Paneluntersuchungen gewinnen mehr und mehr an Bedeutung. Die klinische Relevanz ist oftmals noch unklar. Für die Diagnose einer Infektionskrankheit sind immer die Anamnese, das klinische Bild, die mikrobiologische bzw. virologische Befundlage sowie hilfsweise der Einsatz von Biomarkern geeignet. Daneben gilt es, die altersspezifische Epidemiologie von Erregern zu berücksichtigen.
Wave coupling simulation of ICRF antenna in EAST relying on the perfectly matched layer technique
Authors: Yang H. , Zhang X. J. , Zhao Y. P. , Qin C. M. , Chan V. S. , Yuan S. , Mao Y. Z. , Hu L. Q. , Chen G. , Cheng Y. , Yang Q. X. , Wang J. H. , Yang Y. Q.
Published: December 2018

A coupling model for the waves in ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) in tokamak plasmas is described. The simulation is performed based on the finite element method. A cold plasma dielectric tensor is used. A perfectly matched layer (PML) is applied to describe the ICRF wave single-pass absorption in the core plasma. The selection of PML characteristic parameters is optimized in a wide wave frequency range and validated for plane waves and ICRF waves. The dependencies of the coupling resistance on the plasma-antenna gap, average plasma density, and plasma profiles are given. The simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results.
Extending coherence time of macro-scale diamond magnetometer by dynamical decoupling with coplanar waveguide resonator
Authors: Masuyama Y. , Mizuno K. , Ozawa H. , Ishiwata H. , Hatano Y. , Ohshima T. , Iwasaki T. , Hatano M.
Published: December 2018

Ultimate sensitivity for quantum magnetometry using nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in a diamond is limited by a number of NV centers and coherence time. Microwave irradiation with a high and homogeneous power density for a large detection volume is necessary to achieve a highly sensitive magnetometer. Here, we demonstrate a microwave resonator to enhance the power density of the microwave field and an optical system with a detection volume of 1.4 × 10−3 mm3. The strong microwave field enables us to achieve 48 ns Rabi oscillation which is sufficiently faster than the phase relaxation time of NV centers. This system combined with a decoupling pulse sequence, XY16, extends the spin coherence time (T2) up to 27 times longer than that with a spin echo method. Consequently, we obtained an AC magnetic field sensitivity of 10.8 pt/Hz using the dynamical decoupling pulse sequence.
Perspective: Fundamentals of coalescence-related dislocations, applied to selective-area growth and other epitaxial films
Authors: McMahon William E. , Vaisman Michelle , Zimmerman Jeramy D. , Tamboli Adele C. , Warren Emily L.
Published: December 2018

Although selective area growth (SAG) and coalesced SAG (cSAG) have been utilized extensively for many years to moderate the material quality of lattice-mismatched films, the geometrical factors controlling dislocations in coalesced films are difficult to visualize, and some confusion regarding the topology of dislocations for cSAG still persists. In this paper, we describe the topology of dislocations during island coalescence for cSAG, framed in terms of fundamental dislocation properties and virtual dislocations, which are used as a helpful visualization tool. We also show how the results and methods are generally applicable to coalescence of any other epitaxial film.
Laser propagation in a subcritical foam: Ion and electron heating
Authors: Belyaev M. A. , Berger R. L. , Jones O. S. , Langer S. H. , Mariscal D. A.
Published: December 2018

We develop a model for laser propagation and heating in a subcritical foam (homogeneous electron density as a fraction of critical ne,0/nc<1). Our model describes the partition of energy between ions and electrons in an expanding foam element irradiated by a laser, and we solve for the plasma conditions generated by burning down the foam microstructure. We find that a substantial fraction of laser energy goes into breaking down and homogenizing the foam microstructure, which slows down the laser heat front. We also find that the ion temperature in a plasma generated by burning down a foam can exceed the electron temperature. This is because laser energy is deposited into the expansion kinetic energy of ions as the foam microstructure burns down explosively. The higher ion temperature increases ion-acoustic wave damping which reduces stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS). We test our model against data from an experiment that shot a subcritical foam with a high intensity laser pulse on the Janus laser facility at LLNL. We find that by modeling the effect of the foam microstructure, we can explain both the experimentally measured laser propagation velocity and the backscattered SBS power.
Non-orthogonal determinants in multi-Slater-Jastrow trial wave functions for fixed-node diffusion Monte Carlo
Authors: Pathak Shivesh , Wagner Lucas K.
Published: December 2018

The accuracy and efficiency of ab initio Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) algorithms benefit greatly from compact variational trial wave functions that accurately reproduce ground state properties of a system. We investigate the possibility of using multi-Slater-Jastrow trial wave functions with non-orthogonal determinants by optimizing identical single particle orbitals independently in separate determinants. As a test case, we compute variational and fixed-node diffusion Monte Carlo (FN-DMC) energies of a C2 molecule. For a given multi-determinant expansion, we find that this non-orthogonal orbital optimization results in a consistent improvement in the variational energy and the FN-DMC energy on the order of a few tenths of an eV. In some cases, fewer non-orthogonal determinants are required compared to orthogonal ones in order to achieve similar accuracy in FN-DMC. Our calculations indicate that trial wave functions with non-orthogonal determinants can improve computed energies in a QMC calculation when compared to their orthogonal counterparts.
X-ray study of anisotropically shaped metal halide perovskite nanoparticles in tubular pores
Authors: Roemer Janina Melanie , Demchyshyn Stepan , Böhm Anton , Gutowski Olof , Frank Kilian , Sariciftci Niyazi Serdar , Kaltenbrunner Martin , Nickel Bert
Published: December 2018

Recently, we have reported that metal halide perovskite nanoparticles formed in nanoporous alumina and silicon thin films exhibit blue shifted photoluminescence due to spatial confinement, thus allowing for color tuning of the emission by varying the pore size. While perovskite nanoparticles grown in nanoporous alumina films have been integrated into LEDs, similar approaches have failed with silicon. Here, we report the results of investigating the structure of the alumina pore system and the perovskite crystallites forming within. We use two x-ray diffraction techniques, namely, small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) and high-energy microbeam wide-angle x-ray scattering (WAXS). SAXS reveals that the alumina pore system diffracts like regularly arranged tubes with the average diameter and nearest neighbor distance of 12 nm and 20 nm, respectively. High-energy microbeam WAXS shows that perovskite nanoparticles within the nanoporous alumina have a distinctly anisotropic shape with the average particle length along and perpendicular to the pore axis of 26 nm and 13 nm, respectively. In contrast, no shape anisotropy has been detected for nanoparticles inside the silicon pores in a previous study. This suggests that utilizing nanoporous alumina has a twofold advantage. First, the tubular alumina pores, spanning the entire insulating film, offer percolated paths for the perovskite to fill. Second, the elongation of the nanoparticles in the tubular alumina pores can be expected to aid device performance as the length of the nanoparticles approaches the active layer thickness (ca. 40 nm) of LEDs, while the small diameter of the crystallites accounts for the observed blue shifted emission.
Strain-enhanced topotactic hydrogen substitution for oxygen in SrTiO3 epitaxial thin film
Authors: Kutsuzawa Dai , Hirose Yasushi , Chikamatsu Akira , Nakao Shoichiro , Watahiki Yumi , Harayama Isao , Sekiba Daiichiro , Hasegawa Tetsuya
Published: December 2018

We investigated the effects of epitaxial strain on the anion composition, crystal structure, and electrical transport properties of topotactically hydrogen substituted SrTiOxHy epitaxial thin films grown on (LaAlO3)0.3(SrAl0.5Ta0.5O3)0.7(001) (LSAT), LaSrAlO4(001) (LSAO), and DyScO3(110) (DSO) substrates. Hydrogen substitution for oxygen (y ≈ 3 − x) was confirmed by X-ray diffraction measurements, elastic recoil detection analysis, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Tensile-strained SrTiOxHy/DSO films exhibited a higher hydrogen content (y = 0.87) than compressive-strained SrTiOxHy/LSAT films (y = 0.20) and almost relaxed SrTiOxHy/LSAO films (y = 0.56) after a reaction with CaH2 at 500 °C for 72 h, probably owing to enhanced oxygen diffusion under tensile strain. Metallic conduction was observed in the SrTiOxHy thin films with a low hydrogen content (y = 0.10 and 0.16 on LSAT, y = 0.20 on LSAO, and y = 0.40 on DSO), while further hydrogen substitution (y = 0.56 on LSAO and y = 0.57 and 0.87 on DSO) induced insulating behavior at low temperatures. Furthermore, comparing SrTiOxHy/LSAO (y = 0.56) and SrTiOxHy/DSO (y = 0.57) films revealed that the carrier activation ratio is drastically reduced by tensile strain. These results demonstrate the potential to strain-engineer chemical and physical properties of transition metal oxyhydride thin films.
Measurement of ultrafast dynamics of photoexcited carriers in β-Ga2O3 by two-color optical pump-probe spectroscopy
Authors: Koksal Okan , Tanen Nicholas , Jena Debdeep , Xing Huili (Grace) , Rana Farhan
Published: December 2018

We report results from ultrafast two-color optical pump-probe spectroscopy on bulk β-Ga2O3. A two-photon absorption scheme is used to photoexcite carriers with the pump pulse and free-carrier absorption of the probe pulse is used to record the subsequent dynamics of the photoexcited carriers. Our results are consistent with carrier recombination via defect-assisted processes. We also observe transient polarization-selective optical absorption of the probe pulse by defect states under nonequilibrium conditions. A rate equation model for electron and hole capture by defects is proposed and used to explain the data. Whereas the rate constants for electron capture by defects are found to be temperature-independent, they are measured to be strongly temperature-dependent for hole capture and point to a lattice deformation/relaxation process accompanying hole capture. Our results shed light on the mechanisms and rates associated with carrier capture by defects in β-Ga2O3.
Non-linear impedance spectroscopy for complete thermoelectric characterization: Beyond the zT estimation
Authors: Thiébaut E. , Pesty F. , Goupil C. , Guegan G. , Lecoeur P.
Published: December 2018

Thermoelectric measurement of the dimensionless zT=α2Tσ/κ parameter requires multiple physical quantities to be measured; therefore, there is great interest to find an experimental setup capable of measuring all these properties at once. Previous works on impedance spectroscopy have shown promising results in this direction; however, this technique does not lead to a complete characterization of the thermoelectric system without additional measurement. In order to extend impedance spectroscopy, we have investigated the measurement of the non-linear harmonic response of a Peltier device. The experiments are analyzed using an analytic model obtained by solving the heat equation in the frequency regime. Our work shows that fitting the experimental response of the system in the harmonic regime can lead to a complete characterization of the thermoelectric properties without the need of additional measurement.
Dependence of the multipole moments, static polarizabilities, and static hyperpolarizabilities of the hydrogen molecule on the H–H separation in the ground singlet state
Authors: Miliordos Evangelos , Hunt Katharine L. C.
Published: December 2018

In this work, we provide values for the quadrupole moment Θ, the hexadecapole moment Φ, the dipole polarizability α, the quadrupole polarizability C, the dipole-octopole polarizability E, the second dipole hyperpolarizability γ, and the dipole-dipole-quadrupole hyperpolarizability B for the hydrogen molecule in the ground singlet state, evaluated by finite-field configuration interaction singles and doubles (CISD) and coupled-cluster singles and doubles (CCSD) methods for 26 different H–H separations r, ranging from 0.567 a.u. to 10.0 a.u. Results obtained with various large correlation-consistent basis sets are compared at the vibrationally averaged bond length r0 in the ground state. Results over the full range of r values are presented at the CISD/d-aug-cc-pV6Z level for all of the independent components of the property tensors. In general, our values agree well with previous ab initio results of high accuracy for the ranges of H–H distances that have been treated in common. To our knowledge, for H2 in the ground state, our results are the first to be reported in the literature for Φ for r > 7.0 a.u., γ and B for r > 6.0 a.u., and C and E for any H–H separation outside a narrow range around the potential minimum. Quantum Monte Carlo values of Θ have been given previously for H–H distances out to 10.0 a.u., but the statistical error is relatively large for r > 7.0 a.u. At the larger r values in this work, αxx and αzz show the expected functional forms, to leading order in r−1. As r increases further, Θ and Φ vanish, while α, γ, and the components of B converge to twice the isolated-atom values. Components of C and E diverge as r increases. Vibrationally averaged values of the properties are reported for all of the bound states (vibrational quantum numbers υ = 0–14) with rotational quantum numbers J = 0–3.
A Polar Liquid Zwitterion Does Not Critically Destroy Cytochrome c at High Concentration: An Initial Comparative Study with a Polar Ionic Liquid
Authors: Kuroda Kosuke , Kodo Chiaki , Ninomiya Kazuaki , Takahashi Kenji
Published: December 2018

A polar carboxylate-type zwitterion with a small volume of water can dissolve cytochrome c without significant disruption, compared with the case of a popular polar carboxylate-type ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate. A change in the Soret, Q, and 615nm bands was not observed in the 80 wt-% polar zwitterion solution, whereas a shift in the Soret band, diminishing Q band, and appearance of the 615nm band was found in the 80 wt-% polar ionic liquid solution. It suggests that concentrated polar ionic liquid solutions critically disrupt the structure of cytochrome c, and the polar zwitterion solution used in this study was better than a 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate solution in a high concentration range.
The role of defensible space on the likelihood of house impact from wildfires in forested landscapes of south eastern Australia
Authors: Penman Sandra H. , Price Owen F. , Penman Trent D. , Bradstock Ross A.
Published: December 2018

The number of houses at risk from wildfire continues to increase around the world as populations continue to expand into fire-prone areas. Creating defensible space (managing fuels within a 30-m zone around a house) is a key strategy for mitigating risk, but there is a need to evaluate the key components of defensible space. This study examined house impact in 27 independent forest fires from New South Wales, Australia, between 2001 and 2009, comprising 309 houses destroyed or damaged and 618 unburnt houses. A range of spatial measures of vegetation, nearby buildings, waterbodies and topography were measured around each house. Principle Components Analysis and Generalised Additive Mixed Model analysis was used to derive the best and supported alternative models to explain the determinants of housing impact. The best model contained positive effects of vegetation touching the house and estimated Radiant Heat Flux and negative effects of distance to the nearest building and the number of nearby waterbodies on the probability of impact. The results suggest that risk could be effectively reduced by providing waterbodies, maintaining defensible space and ensuring separation between houses.
Neutrophil: A mobile fertilizer
Authors: Ng Lai Guan
Published: December 2018

In this issue of JEM, Lee et al. (https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20181170) provide evidence to show that early influx of neutrophils into omentum represents a key mechanism in establishing the premetastatic niche for the subsequent implantation of ovarian cancer cells at this site.
Metformin improves diastolic function in an HFpEF-like mouse model by increasing titin compliance
Authors: Slater Rebecca E. , Strom Joshua G. , Methawasin Mei , Liss Martin , Gotthardt Michael , Sweitzer Nancy , Granzier Henk L.
Published: December 2018

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a complex syndrome characterized by a preserved ejection fraction but increased diastolic stiffness and abnormalities of filling. Although the prevalence of HFpEF is high and continues to rise, no effective therapies exist; however, the diabetic drug metformin has been associated with improved diastolic function in diabetic patients. Here we determine the therapeutic potential of metformin for improving diastolic function in a mouse model with HFpEF-like symptoms. We combine transverse aortic constriction (TAC) surgery with deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) supplementation to obtain a mouse model with increased diastolic stiffness and exercise intolerance. Echocardiography and pressure–volume analysis reveal that providing metformin to TAC/DOCA mice improves diastolic function in the left ventricular (LV) chamber. Muscle mechanics show that metformin lowers passive stiffness of the LV wall muscle. Concomitant with this improvement in diastolic function, metformin-treated TAC/DOCA mice also demonstrate preserved exercise capacity. No metformin effects are seen in sham operated mice. Extraction experiments on skinned ventricular muscle strips show that the metformin-induced reduction of passive stiffness in TAC/DOCA mice is due to an increase in titin compliance. Using phospho-site-specific antibodies, we assay the phosphorylation of titin’s PEVK and N2B spring elements. Metformin-treated mice have unaltered PEVK phosphorylation but increased phosphorylation of PKA sites in the N2B element, a change which has previously been shown to lower titin’s stiffness. Consistent with this result, experiments with a mouse model deficient in the N2B element reveal that the beneficial effect of metformin on LV chamber and muscle stiffness requires the presence of the N2B element. We conclude that metformin offers therapeutic benefit during HFpEF by lowering titin-based passive stiffness.
Gas analysis of jian-gou mine goaf
Authors: Li Chengyu , Zhang Lili
Published: December 2018

Jiangou coal mine is a fully mechanized working face, with a height of 23 meters, serious air leakage in the goaf, easy spontaneous combustion of the coal seam, easy spontaneous combustion of the residual coal in the goaf. In order to prevent and control the spontaneous combustion fire in the goaf, we analyzed the thermal weight of B3 + 6 coal seam, obtains five characteristic temperature points. We conducted the heating and oxidation experiment of coal, analyzes the variation rule of the generated gas and its concentration with the temperature, and obtain the CO concentration distribution map of goaf based on the numerical simulation and on-site monitoring data.
Surface infiltration study of palmitic acid modification for oil-water separation
Authors: Li Ting , Wang Peiyu , Shen Yang , Su Danting , Fu Jinxiang
Published: December 2018

Removal of oil and organic pollutants from water is desired due to the frequent oil spill accidents and increase of industrial oily wastewater. The development of absorbent materials with high absorption capacity for separation and removal of oils from water should be of great importance to address environmental issues. In this paper, we reported a simple method to hydrophobic surface modification, which fabricated by palmitic acid solution-immersion processes, as well as their excellent adsorption performance for oils and organic solvents. The hydrophobicity, oil-absorption capacity and selectivity of the as-prepared sponges were evaluated. The results show that the sponges fast and selectively absorbed various kinds of oils up to above 33 times their weight. These sponges have great potentials for large-scale removal of oil or organic solvents spills from water.
Challenge and Advantage of Materials in Design and Fabrication of Composite UAV
Authors: verma Anand kishor , Pradhan Neeraj Kumar , Nehra Rajesh , Prateek
Published: December 2018

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is constructed with composite materials, including its aerodynamic surfaces wings, horizontal stabilizer, and rudder. Three main constituents of our model is Kevlar 49, carbon fibre, glass fibre. KALPANA-1 is a pusher type, tail dragger, fixed wing radio controlled medium range remotely operated composite aircraft. This is designed for Aerial surveillance & reconnaissance. It is a kind of drone which has capability of carrying 2kg of operational payload as surveillance camera and its gimbal mount unit. It can be equipped with on-board sensors for weather monitoring as civilian use of UAV. It has a carbon frame body which makes it hassle to work in all-weather environment, protecting its electronics and payload from external entities. KEVLAR-49 is reinforced at the bottom part of the fuselage to overcome hard landing & impacts. The main disadvantage of using carbon fibre is that it partially shelled the RC signals so we fixed our receiver outside of the fuselage. For camera mounting purpose a duct made in front side of fuselage. It can use as other diplomatic mission as mounting camera and robotic arm for weight lifting mechanism. Some further upgrading two semi ducts at two side of the front face of the fuselage for steerable camera mounting. Aircraft using single electrical propulsive system and large wings which helps it for a long range, good endurance and smooth steady flight. Composite materials don’t break easily, but that makes it hard to analyses if the interior structure has been damaged at all. In contrast, aluminum bends and dents easily, making it easy to detect structural damage; the same damage is much harder to detect with composite structures. Repairs can also be more difficult when a composite surface is damaged. Finally, composite materials can be expensive, but the high initial costs are typically offset by long-term cost savings and life cycle more compare to cost of material.
Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Hemp Nanofibre Reinforced Epoxy Composite
Authors: Rana S. S. , Gupta M. K.
Published: December 2018

In present study, dynamic mechanical properties of hemp nanofibre reinforced epoxy composite were carried out. The hemp nano composites were fabricated by hand lay-up technique followed by static compression using varying wt. % (1 to 5 wt. %) of nanofibres. Dynamic mechanical properties were studied in terms of storage modulus (E′), loss modulus (E″), damping (Tanδ) and glass transition temperature (Tg
). In addition, thermal stability of prepared nano composites was also analyzed using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results suggested that composite with 2 wt. % nanofibres had overall better thermal and dynamic mechanical properties than other all composites.
Mechanical, Thermal and Morphological Properties of Sisal Fibres
Authors: Sahu Parul , Gupta M. K.
Published: December 2018

Natural fibres are gaining attention day by day in industrial applications. The aim of current investigation is to enhance the performance of sisal fibre by its surface modifications. The surface modifications include alkali treatment with varying concentrations (2, 5, 10, 15 & 20 %) and coating of PLA with varying concentrations (2, 4, 6, 8 & 10 %). Treated and untreated sisal fibres were subjected to tensile test and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). In addition to this, sisal fibres were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and its structural morphology was studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Moreover, FTIR spectroscope analysis was also carried out to see the removal of hemicelluloses and lignin from sisal fibre by alkali treatment. It was observed that surface modifications had much influenced the performance of sisal fibre. On other hand, PLA coated fibre had a better performance than alkali treated fibre.
Kodaira fibrations, Kähler groups, and finiteness properties
Authors: Bridson Martin , Llosa Isenrich Claudio
Published: December 2018

We construct classes of Kähler groups that do not have finite classifying spaces and are not commensurable to subdirect products of surface groups. Each of these groups is the fundamental group of the generic fibre of a holomorphic map from a product of Kodaira fibrations onto an elliptic curve.
Exact dimensionality and projection properties of Gaussian multiplicative chaos measures
Authors: Falconer Kenneth , Jin Xiong
Published: December 2018

Given a measure

ν
\nu

on a regular planar domain

D
D

, the Gaussian multiplicative chaos measure of

ν
\nu

studied in this paper is the random measure

ν
~

{\widetilde \nu }

obtained as the limit of the exponential of the

γ
\gamma

-parameter circle averages of the Gaussian free field on

D
D

weighted by

ν
\nu

. We investigate the dimensional and geometric properties of these random measures. We first show that if

ν
\nu

is a finite Borel measure on

D
D

with exact dimension

α
>
0

\alpha >0

, then the associated GMC measure

ν
~

{\widetilde \nu }

is nondegenerate and is almost surely exact dimensional with dimension

α
−

γ
2

2

\alpha -\frac {\gamma ^2}{2}

, provided

γ
2

2

>
α

\frac {\gamma ^2}{2}>\alpha

. We then show that if

ν
t

\nu _t

is a Hölder-continuously parameterized family of measures, then the total mass of

ν
~

t

{\widetilde \nu }_t

varies Hölder-continuously with

t
t

, provided that

γ
\gamma

is sufficiently small. As an application we show that if

γ
>
0.28

\gamma >0.28

, then, almost surely, the orthogonal projections of the

γ
\gamma

-Liouville quantum gravity measure

μ
~

{\widetilde \mu }

on a rotund convex domain

D
D

in all directions are simultaneously absolutely continuous with respect to Lebesgue measure with Hölder continuous densities. Furthermore,

μ
~

{\widetilde \mu }

has positive Fourier dimension almost surely.
The Implications of Using Lagged and Baseline Exposure Terms in Longitudinal Causal and Regression Models
Authors: Mansournia Mohammad Ali , Naimi Ashley I , Greenland Sander
Published: December 2018

There are now many published applications of causal (structural) models for estimating effects of time-varying exposures in the presence of confounding by earlier exposures and confounders affected by earlier exposures. Results from these models can be highly sensitive to inclusion of lagged and baseline exposure terms for different visits. This sensitivity is often overlooked in practice; moreover, results from these models are not directly comparable to results from conventional time-dependent regression models, because the latter do not estimate the same causal parameter even when no bias is present. We thus explore the implications of including lagged and baseline exposure terms in causal and regression models, using a public data set (Caerphilly Heart Disease Study in the United Kingdom, 1979–1998) relating smoking to cardiovascular outcomes.
Point: Risk Ratio Equations for Natural Direct and Indirect Effects in Causal Mediation Analysis of a Binary Mediator and a Binary Outcome—A Fresh Look at the Formulas
Authors: Samoilenko Mariia , Lefebvre Geneviève
Published: December 2018

In this article, we review the formulas for the natural direct and indirect effects’ risk ratios introduced by Ananth and VanderWeele (Am J Epidemiol. 2011;174(1):99–108) for causal mediation analysis of a binary mediator and a binary outcome. In particular, we show that the closed-form equations Ananth and VanderWeele provided do not correspond to the log-binomial model specified by these authors for the mediator variable, but rather to a logistic model. We then provide risk ratio equations for natural direct and indirect effects that truly pertain to a log-binomial model. We conclude with a discussion on the practical implications of the binary mediator model’s specification by analysts. The related impact can be negligible or not, depending on the rareness of the mediator.
Long non-coding RNA transcriptome of uncharacterized samples can be accurately imputed using protein-coding genes
Authors: Nath Aritro , Geeleher Paul , Huang R Stephanie
Published: December 2018

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in gene regulation and are increasingly being recognized as crucial mediators of disease pathogenesis. However, the vast majority of published transcriptome datasets lack high-quality lncRNA profiles compared to protein-coding genes (PCGs). Here we propose a framework to harnesses the correlative expression patterns between lncRNA and PCGs to impute unknown lncRNA profiles. The lncRNA expression imputation (LEXI) framework enables characterization of lncRNA transcriptome of samples lacking any lncRNA data using only their PCG profiles. We compare various machine learning and missing value imputation algorithms to implement LEXI and demonstrate the feasibility of this approach to impute lncRNA transcriptome of normal and cancer tissues. Additionally, we determine the factors that influence imputation accuracy and provide guidelines for implementing this approach.
MACPET: model-based analysis for ChIA-PET
Authors: Vardaxis Ioannis , Drabløs Finn , Rye Morten B , Lindqvist Bo Henry
Published: December 2018

We present model-based analysis for ChIA-PET (MACPET), which analyzes paired-end read sequences provided by ChIA-PET for finding binding sites of a protein of interest. MACPET uses information from both tags of each PET and searches for binding sites in a two-dimensional space, while taking into account different noise levels in different genomic regions. MACPET shows favorable results compared with MACS in terms of motif occurrence and spatial resolution. Furthermore, significant binding sites discovered by MACPET are involved in a higher number of significant three-dimensional interactions than those discovered by MACS. MACPET is freely available on Bioconductor. ChIA-PET; MACPET; Model-based clustering; Paired-end tags; Peak-calling algorithm.
Spontaneous Brain Activity Predicts Task-Evoked Activity During Animate Versus Inanimate Touch
Authors: Scalabrini Andrea , Ebisch Sjoerd J H , Huang Zirui , Di Plinio Simone , Perrucci Mauro Gianni , Romani Gian Luca , Mucci Clara , Northoff Georg
Published: December 2018

The spontaneous activity of the brain is characterized by an elaborate temporal structure with scale-free properties as indexed by the power law exponent (PLE). We test the hypothesis that spontaneous brain activity modulates task-evoked activity during interactions with animate versus inanimate stimuli. For this purpose, we developed a paradigm requiring participants to actively touch either animate (real hand) or inanimate (mannequin hand) stimuli. Behaviorally, participants perceived the animate target as closer in space, temporally more synchronous with their own self, and more personally relevant, compared with the inanimate. Neuronally, we observed a modulation of task-evoked activity by animate versus inanimate interactions in posterior insula, in medial prefrontal cortex, comprising anterior cingulate cortex, and in medial superior frontal gyrus. Among these regions, an increased functional connectivity was shown between posterior insula and perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (PACC) during animate compared with inanimate interactions and during resting state. Importantly, PLE during spontaneous brain activity in PACC correlated positively with PACC task-evoked activity during animate versus inanimate stimuli. In conclusion, we demonstrate that brain spontaneous activity in PACC can be related to the distinction between animate and inanimate stimuli and thus might be specifically tuned to align our brain with its animate environment.