bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of Chronic Inflammation, Assessed by hs-CRP, on the Association between Red Cell Distribution Width and Arterial Cardiovascular Disease: The Tromsø Study
Authors: Lappegård Jostein , Ellingsen Trygve , Hindberg Kristian , Mathiesen Ellisiv , Njølstad Inger , Wilsgaard Tom , Løchen Maja-Lisa , Brækkan Sigrid , Hansen John-Bjarne
Published: May 2018

Red cell distribution width (RDW), a measure of variability in size of circulating erythrocytes, is associated with arterial cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the impact of chronic inflammation as measured by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) on this relationship, and explore whether RDW could be a mediator in the causal pathway between inflammation and arterial CVD. Baseline characteristics, including RDW and hs-CRP, were obtained from 5,765 individuals attending a population-based cohort study. We followed up participants from inclusion in the fourth survey of the Tromsø Study (1994/1995) until December 31, 2012. Multivariable Cox-regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for incident myocardial infarction (MI) and ischemic stroke across quintiles of hs-CRP and RDW. Subjects with hs-CRP in the highest quintile had 44% higher risk of MI (HR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.14–1.80), and 64% higher risk of ischemic stroke (HR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.20–2.24) compared with subjects in the lowest quintile. RDW mediated 7.2% (95% CI: 4.0–30.8%) of the association between hs-CRP and ischemic stroke. Subjects with RDW in the highest quintile had 22% higher risk of MI (HR: 1.22, 95% CI: 0.98–1.54) and 44% higher risk of ischemic stroke (HR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.06–1.97) compared with subjects in the lowest quintile. These risk estimates were slightly attenuated after adjustments for hs-CRP. Our findings suggest that chronic inflammation is not a primary mechanism underlying the relationship between RDW and arterial CVD.
On the existence of topological dyons and dyonic black holes in anti-de Sitter Einstein-Yang-Mills theories with compact semisimple gauge groups
Authors: Baxter J. Erik
Published: May 2018

Here we study the global existence of “hairy” dyonic black hole and dyon solutions to four-dimensional, anti-de Sitter Einstein-Yang-Mills theories for a general simply connected and semisimple gauge group G, for the so-called topologically symmetric systems, concentrating here on the regular case. We generalise here cases in the literature which considered purely magnetic spherically symmetric solutions for a general gauge group and topological dyonic solutions for su(N). We are able to establish the global existence of non-trivial solutions to all such systems, both near existing embedded solutions and as |Λ| → ∞. In particular, we can identify non-trivial solutions where the gauge field functions have no zeroes, which in the su(N) case proved important to stability. We believe that these are the most general analytically proven solutions in 4D anti-de Sitter Einstein-Yang-Mills systems to date.
Comparison of four large-eddy simulation research codes and effects of model coefficient and inflow turbulence in actuator-line-based wind turbine modeling
Authors: Martínez-Tossas Luis A. , Churchfield Matthew J. , Yilmaz Ali Emre , Sarlak Hamid , Johnson Perry L. , Sørensen Jens N. , Meyers Johan , Meneveau Charles
Published: May 2018

Large-eddy simulation (LES) of a wind turbine under uniform inflow is performed using an actuator line model (ALM). Predictions from four LES research codes from the wind energy community are compared. The implementation of the ALM in all codes is similar and quantities along the blades are shown to match closely for all codes. The value of the Smagorinsky coefficient in the subgrid-scale turbulence model is shown to have a negligible effect on the time-averaged loads along the blades. Conversely, the breakdown location of the wake is strongly dependent on the Smagorinsky coefficient in uniform laminar inflow. Simulations are also performed using uniform mean velocity inflow with added homogeneous isotropic turbulence from a public database. The time-averaged loads along the blade do not depend on the inflow turbulence. Moreover, and in contrast to the uniform inflow cases, the Smagorinsky coefficient has a negligible effect on the wake profiles. It is concluded that for LES of wind turbines and wind farms using ALM, careful implementation and extensive cross-verification among codes can result in highly reproducible predictions. Moreover, the characteristics of the inflow turbulence appear to be more important than the details of the subgrid-scale modeling employed in the wake, at least for LES of wind energy applications at the resolutions tested in this work.
Parameter estimation of extended free-burning electric arc within 1 kA
Authors: Sun Qiuqin , Liu Hao , Wang Feng , Chen She , Zhai Yujia
Published: May 2018

A long electric arc, as a common phenomenon in the power system, not only damages the electrical equipment but also threatens the safety of the system. In this work, a series of tests on a long electric arc in free air have been conducted. The arc voltage and current data were obtained, and the arc trajectories were captured using a high speed camera. The arc images were digitally processed by means of edge detection, and the length is formulated and achieved. Based on the experimental data, the characteristics of the long arc are discussed. It shows that the arc voltage waveform is close to the square wave with high-frequency components, whereas the current is almost sinusoidal. As the arc length elongates, the arc voltage and the resistance increase sharply. The arc takes a spiral shape with the effect of magnetic forces. The arc length will shorten briefly with the occurrence of the short-circuit phenomenon. Based on the classical Mayr model, the parameters of the long electric arc, including voltage gradient and time constant, with different lengths and current amplitudes are estimated using the linear least-square method. To reduce the computational error, segmentation interpolation is also employed. The results show that the voltage gradient of the long arc is mainly determined by the current amplitude but almost independent of the arc length. However, the time constant is jointly governed by these two variables. The voltage gradient of the arc with the current amplitude at 200–800 A is in the range of 3.9 V/cm–20 V/cm, and the voltage gradient decreases with the increase in current.
Theoretical quantification of shock-timing sensitivities for direct-drive inertial confinement fusion implosions on OMEGA
Authors: Cao D. , Boehly T. R. , Gregor M. C. , Polsin D. N. , Davis A. K. , Radha P. B. , Regan S. P. , Goncharov V. N.
Published: May 2018

Using temporally shaped laser pulses, multiple shocks can be launched in direct-drive inertial confinement fusion implosion experiments to set the shell on a desired isentrope or adiabat. The velocity of the first shock and the times at which subsequent shocks catch up to it are measured through the velocity interferometry system for any reflector diagnostic [T. R. Boehly et al., Phys. Plasmas 18, 092706 (2011)] on OMEGA [T. R. Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)]. Simulations reproduce these velocity and shock-merger time measurements when using laser pulses designed for setting mid-adiabat (α ∼ 3) implosions, but agreement degrades for lower-adiabat (α ∼ 1) designs. Simulation results indicate that the shock timing discrepancy is most sensitive to details of the density and temperature profiles in the coronal plasma, which influences the laser energy coupled into the target, and only marginally sensitive to the target offset and beam power imbalance. To aid in verifying the coronal profile's influence, a new technique under development to infer coronal profiles using x-ray self-emission imaging [A. K. Davis et al., Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. 61, BAPS.2016.DPP.NO8.7 (2016)] can be applied to the pulse shapes used in shock-timing experiments.
Gyrokinetic theory of slab universal modes and the non-existence of the gradient drift coupling (GDC) instability
Authors: Rogers Barrett N. , Zhu Ben , Francisquez Manaure
Published: May 2018

A gyrokinetic linear stability analysis of a collisionless slab geometry in the local approximation is presented. We focus on k∥=0 universal (or entropy) modes driven by plasma gradients at small and large plasma β. These are small scale non-MHD instabilities with growth rates that typically peak near k⊥ρi∼1 and vanish in the long wavelength k⊥→0 limit. This work also discusses a mode known as the Gradient Drift Coupling (GDC) instability previously reported in the gyrokinetic literature, which has a finite growth rate γ=β/[2(1+β)]Cs/|Lp| with Cs2=p0/ρ0 for k⊥→0 and is universally unstable for 1/Lp≠0. We show that the GDC instability is a spurious, unphysical artifact that erroneously arises due to the failure to respect the total equilibrium pressure balance p0+B02/(8π)=constant, which renders the assumption B0′=0 inconsistent if p0′≠0.
Unsteady aerodynamics of a pitching-flapping-perturbed revolving wing at low Reynolds number
Authors: Chen Long , Wu Jianghao , Zhou Chao , Hsu Shih-Jung , Cheng Bo
Published: May 2018

Due to adverse viscous effects, revolving wings suffer universally from low efficiency at low Reynolds number (Re). By reciprocating wing revolving motion, natural flyers flying at low Re successfully exploit unsteady effects to augment force production and efficiency. Here we investigate the aerodynamics of an alternative, i.e., a revolving wing with concomitant unsteady pitching and vertical flapping perturbations (a pitching-flapping-perturbed revolving wing). The current work builds upon a previous study on flapping-perturbed revolving wings (FP-RWs) and focuses on combined effects of pitching-flapping perturbation on force generation and vortex behaviors. The results show that, compared with a FR-RW, pitching motion further (1) reduces the external driving torque for rotating at 0° angle of attack (α0) and (2) enhances lift and leads to a self-rotating equilibrium at α0 = 20°. The power loading of a revolving wing at α0 = 20° can be improved using pitching-flapping perturbations with large pitching amplitude but small Strouhal number. Additionally, an advanced pitching improves the reduction of external driving torque, whereas a delayed pitching weakens both the lift enhancement and the reduction of external driving torque. Further analysis shows that pitching effects can be mainly decomposed into the Leading-Edge-Vortex (LEV)-mediated pressure component and geometric projection component, together they determine the force performance. LEV circulation is found to be determined by the instantaneous effective angle of attack but could be affected asymmetrically between upstroke and downstroke depending on the nominal angle of attack. Pitching-flapping perturbation thus can potentially inspire novel mechanisms to improve the aerodynamic performance of rotary wing micro air vehicles.
Experimental implementation of a degenerate optical resonator supporting more than 46 Laguerre-Gaussian modes
Authors: Cheng Ze-Di , Li Qiang , Liu Zheng-Hao , Yan Fei-Fei , Yu Shang , Tang Jian-Shun , Zhou Zheng-Wei , Xu Jin-Shi , Li Chuan-Feng , Guo Guang-Can
Published: May 2018

Great efforts have been made to investigate photon's orbital angular momentum (OAM) due to its comprehensive applications ranging from micro-manipulation to biosciences. Recently, it has been proposed that the unlimited OAM number can be used as synthetic degrees of freedom and can be used for quantum simulation. Here, we demonstrate a vital step in manipulating such kind of unlimited degree of freedom simultaneously. We construct an optical resonator with four spherical mirrors, which is predicted to support lights in different Laguerre-Gaussian modes with well-defined OAMs. The transmitted peaks of more than 46 Laguerre-Gaussian modes are observed to be overlapped within the bandwidth of the resonator. The transmitted beam profiles are further obtained by locking the resonator. Our experimental results establish the critical techniques to manipulate multiple-OAM degrees of freedom, which are useful for quantum simulation.
Enhanced discharge energy density of rGO/PVDF nanocomposites: The role of the heterointerface
Authors: Zhang Ye , Wang Yaqiong , Qi Shaojun , Dunn Steve , Dong Hanshan , Button Tim
Published: May 2018

Recent reports of conductive-filler/polymer composites with large dielectric permittivity (K) make them potential candidates for flexible capacitors. Hence, an interesting question is how these high K composites behave under a strong electric field strength. In this letter, we use in-situ-reduced graphite oxide (rGO)/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) nanocomposites as an example to study the energy storage behaviour of high K materials. We show the dielectric behaviour contrasts between weak and strong fields. High K materials inevitably become more lossy with increasing field strength. Simultaneously, we reveal that the in-situ reduction temperature can affect the energy storage performance. Improved energy storage performance is achieved for a nanocomposite reduced at a moderate temperature. When reduced at 160 °C, a device with an rGO volume fraction of 1.5 vol. % displayed a discharge energy density of 0.67 J/cm3 at 50 MV/m. This was 2.9 times greater than pure PVDF. We develop a model to explain this behaviour that proposes a reduced electrical contrast of the rGO/PVDF heterointerface minimising the recombination of localized charge carriers. Our results indicate, simultaneously, the potential and limitation of high K nanocomposites and shed light on the optimisation of the design and fabrication of high discharge energy density flexible capacitors for microelectronic devices.
Effect of surface hydroxyl groups on heat capacity of mesoporous silica
Authors: Marszewski Michal , Butts Danielle , Lan Esther , Yan Yan , King Sophia C. , McNeil Patricia E. , Galy Tiphaine , Dunn Bruce , Tolbert Sarah H. , Hu Yongjie , Pilon Laurent
Published: May 2018

This paper quantifies the effect of surface hydroxyl groups on the effective specific and volumetric heat capacities of mesoporous silica. To achieve a wide range of structural diversity, mesoporous silica samples were synthesized by various methods, including (i) polymer-templated nanoparticle-based powders, (ii) polymer-templated sol-gel powders, and (iii) ambigel silica samples dried by solvent exchange at room temperature. Their effective specific heat capacity, specific surface area, and porosity were measured using differential scanning calorimetry and low-temperature nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements. The experimentally measured specific heat capacity was larger than the conventional weight-fraction-weighted specific heat capacity of the air and silica constituents. The difference was attributed to the presence of OH groups in the large internal surface area. A thermodynamic model was developed based on surface energy considerations to account for the effect of surface OH groups on the specific and volumetric heat capacity. The model predictions fell within the experimental uncertainty.
Integrating AlInN interlayers into InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells for enhanced green emission
Authors: Sun Wei , Al Muyeed Syed Ahmed , Song Renbo , Wierer Jonathan J. , Tansu Nelson
Published: May 2018

Significant enhancement in green emission by integrating a thin AlInN barrier layer, or interlayer (IL), in an InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well (MQW) is demonstrated. The MQWs investigated here contains 5 periods of an InGaN QW, a 1 nm thick AlInN IL, and a 10 nm thick GaN barrier grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. To accommodate the optimum low-pressure (20 Torr) growth of the AlInN layer a growth flow sequence with changing pressure is devised. The AlInN IL MQWs are compared to InGaN/AlGaN/GaN MQWs (AlGaN IL MQWs) and conventional InGaN/GaN MQWs. The AlInN IL MQWs provide benefits that are similar to AlGaN ILs, by aiding in the formation of abrupt heterointerfaces as indicated by X-ray diffraction omega-2theta (ω-2θ) scans, and also efficiency improvements due to high temperature annealing schedules during barrier growth. Room temperature photoluminescence of the MQW with AlInN ILs shows similar performance to MQWs with AlGaN ILs, and ∼4–7 times larger radiative efficiency (pump intensity dependent) at green wavelengths than conventional InGaN/GaN MQWs. This study shows the InGaN-based MQWs with AlInN ILs are capable of achieving superior performance to conventional InGaN MQWs emitting at green wavelengths.
Particle-in-cell modeling of laser Thomson scattering in low-density plasmas at elevated laser intensities
Authors: Powis Andrew T. , Shneider Mikhail N.
Published: May 2018

Incoherent Thomson scattering is a non-intrusive technique commonly used for measuring local plasma density. Within low-density, low-temperature plasmas and for sufficient laser intensity, the laser may perturb the local electron density via the ponderomotive force, causing the diagnostic to become intrusive and leading to erroneous results. A theoretical model for this effect is validated numerically via kinetic simulations of a quasi-neutral plasma using the particle-in-cell technique.
Hydrogen Promoted Decomposition of Ammonium Dinitramide: an ab initio Molecular Dynamics Study
Authors: Tan Ling-hua , Xu Jian-hua , Shi Lei , Xu Xu-ran , Wang Gui-xiang , Jiang Wei
Published: May 2018

Thermal decomposition of a famous high oxidizer ammonium dinitramide (ADN) under high temperatures (2000 and 3000 K) was studied by using the ab initio molecular dynamics method. Two different temperature-dependent initial decomposition mechanisms were observed in the unimolecular decomposition of ADN, which were the intramolecular hydrogen transfer and N—NO2 cleavage in N(NO2)−. They were competitive at 2000 K, whereas the former one was predominant at 3000 K. As for the multimolecular decomposition of ADN, four different initial decomposition reactions that were also temperature-dependent were observed. Apart from the aforementioned mechanisms, another two new reactions were the intermolecular hydrogen transfer and direct N—H cleavage in NH4+. At the temperature of 2000 K, the N—NO2 cleavage competed with the rest three hydrogen-related decomposition reactions, while the direct N—H cleavage in NH4+ was predominant at 3000 K. After the initial decomposition, it was found that the temperature increase could facilitate the decomposition of ADN, and would not change the key decomposition events. ADN decomposed into small molecules by hydrogen-promoted simple, fast and direct chemical bonds cleavage without forming any large intermediates that may impede the decomposition. The main decomposition products at 2000 and 3000 K were the same, which were NH3, NO2, NO, N2O, N2, H2O, and HNO2.
Agent-Based Network Modeling Study of Immune Responses in Progression of Ulcerative Colitis
Authors: Wu Dao-rong , Yu Hai-shan , Liao Jie-lou
Published: May 2018

Ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease, is a chronic inflammatory disorder that results in ulcers of the colon and rectum without known etiology. Ulcerative colitis causes a huge public health care burden particularly in developed countries. Many studies suggest that ulcerative colitis results from an abnormal immune response against components of commensal microbiota in genetically susceptible individuals. However, understanding of the disease mechanisms at cellular and molecular levels remains largely elusive. In this paper, a network model is developed based on our previous study and computer simulations are performed using an agent-based network modeling to elucidate the dynamics of immune response in ulcerative colitis progression. Our modeling study identifies several important positive feedback loops as a driving force for ulcerative colitis initiation and progression. The results demonstrate that although immune response in ulcerative colitis patients is dominated by anti-inflammatory/regulatory cells such as alternatively activated macrophages and type II natural killer T cells, proinflammatory cells including classically activated macrophages, T helper 1 and T helper 17 cells, and their secreted cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-12, interleukin-23, interleukin-17 and interferon-γ remain at certain levels (lower than those in Crohn's disease, another inflammatory bowel disease). Long-term exposure to these proinflammatory components, causes mucosal tissue damage persistently, leading to ulcerative colitis. Our simulation results are qualitatively in agreement with clinical and laboratory measurements, offering novel insight into the disease mechanisms.
Selective Synthesis of Different-Sized Gold Nanoclusters through HCl-Etching and -Growth Effect
Authors: Huang Ting , Sun Zhi-hu , Pan Guo-qiang
Published: May 2018

Controllable syntheses of different-sized gold nanoclusters are of great significance for their fundamental science and practical applications. In this work, we achieve the controllable and selective syntheses of Au7 and Au13 clusters through adding HCl to the traditional Au11 synthetic route at different reaction time. Time-dependent mass spectra and UV-Vis spectra were employed to monitor these two HCl-directed processes, and revealed the distinct roles of HCl as an etchant or a growth promotor, respectively. Furthermore, parallel experiments on independent synthetic routes involving only non-chlorine H+ (acetic acid) or Cl− (tetraethy lammonium chloride) instead of HCl were performed, which illustrated the main role of H+-etching and Cl−-assisted growth in HCl-directed cluster synthetic routes. We propose the HCl-etching is mainly achieved via the H+ action to break the Au(I)-PPh3 part of clusters, while the HCl-promoted growth is realized via the attachment of Au-Cl species to the pre-formed clusters.
Isolation of state-dependent monoclonal antibodies against the 12-transmembrane domain glucose transporter 4 using virus-like particles
Authors: Tucker David F. , Sullivan Jonathan T. , Mattia Kimberly-Anne , Fisher Christine R. , Barnes Trevor , Mabila Manu N. , Wilf Rona , Sulli Chidananda , Pitts Meghan , Payne Riley J. , Hall Moniquetta , Huston-Paterson Duncan , Deng Xiaoxiang , Davidson Edgar , Willis Sharon H. , Doranz Benjamin J. , Chambers Ross , Rucker Joseph B.
Published: May 2018

Significance

Generating mAbs against the native extracellular epitopes of multispanning membrane proteins is challenging, and as a result, few nonpeptidic mAbs against transporters have ever been isolated. Our approach here using virus-like particles and divergent host species for immunizations provides a means to overcome these challenges. The specific mAbs isolated here recognize native GLUT4 on the cell surface and can distinguish its different conformational states, thus representing some of the only state-specific mAbs ever isolated against any transporter. Epitope mapping of these mAbs revealed their binding sites as well as the mechanisms by which amino acids control the inward-open and outward-open states of GLUT4. Our studies demonstrate a valuable platform to isolate functional mAbs against important multispanning membrane proteins.
Muscle tensions merge to cause a DNA replication crisis
Authors: Brayson Daniel , Ho Chin Yee , Shanahan Catherine M.
Published: May 2018

In this issue, Wang et al. (2018. J. Cell Biol. https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201708137) show that disruption to different mechanical domains of muscle cells converge at the linker of nucleoskeleton to cytoskeleton complex to affect DNA endoreplication potentially via barrier to autointegration factor–mediated epigenetic mechanisms.
I Learn, You Learn, We Gain Experience in Crop Insurance Markets
Authors: Santeramo Fabio G
Published: May 2018

The relevance and the impact of experience in insurance markets are underinvestigated. From Italian farm‐level data we estimate a dynamic discrete‐choice model of participation to investigate the role of experience. The methodology, coupled with exploratory analysis, allows one to compare how different sources of experience influence the crop insurance decision making process. We found that direct experience is a catalyst for insurance participation for medium and large farms. The experience indirectly acquired is also relevant, especially for small farms. Policy implications include the importance of information campaigns and of bolstering uptake to exploit the advantages of the inertia and spillover effects that emerge from experience.
Using meshes for MeSH term enrichment and semantic analyses
Authors: Yu Guangchuang
Published: May 2018

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is the NLM controlled vocabulary used to manually index articles for MEDLINE/PubMed. MeSH provides unique and comprehensive annotations for life science. The meshes package implements measurement of the semantic similarity of MeSH terms and gene products to help using MeSH vocabulary in knowledge mining. Enrichment analysis to extract the biological meanings from gene list, expression profile and genomic regions is also provided using MeSH annotation. Meshes supports more than 70 species and provides high quality visualization methods to help interpreting analysis results.

Availability and implementation

meshes is released under Artistic-2.0 License. The source code and documents are freely available through Bioconductor (https://www.bioconductor.org/packages/meshes).

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
An E-Liquid Flavor Wheel: A Shared Vocabulary Based on Systematically Reviewing E-Liquid Flavor Classifications in Literature
Authors: Krüsemann Erna J Z , Boesveldt Sanne , de Graaf Kees , Talhout Reinskje
Published: May 2018

Introduction

E-liquids are available in a high variety of flavors. A systematic classification of e-liquid flavors is necessary to increase comparability of research results. In the food, alcohol, and fragrance industry, flavors are classified using flavor wheels. We systematically reviewed literature on flavors related to electronic cigarette use, to investigate how e-liquid flavors have been classified in research, and propose an e-liquid flavor wheel to classify e-liquids based on marketing descriptions.

Methods

The search was conducted in May 2017 using PubMed and Embase databases. Keywords included terms associated with electronic cigarette, flavors, liking, learning, and wanting in articles. Results were independently screened and reviewed. Flavor categories used in the articles reviewed were extracted.

Results

Searches yielded 386 unique articles of which 28 were included. Forty-three main flavor categories were reported in these articles (eg, tobacco, menthol, mint, fruit, bakery/dessert, alcohol, nuts, spice, candy, coffee/tea, beverages, chocolate, sweet flavors, vanilla, and unflavored). Flavor classifications of e-liquids in literature showed similarities and differences across studies. Our proposed e-liquid flavor wheel contains 13 main categories and 90 subcategories, which summarize flavor categories from literature to find a shared vocabulary. For classification of e-liquids using our flavor wheel, marketing descriptions should be used.

Conclusions

We have proposed a flavor wheel for classification of e-liquids. Further research is needed to test the flavor wheels’ empirical value. Consistently classifying e-liquid flavors using our flavor wheel in research (eg, experimental, marketing, or qualitative studies) minimizes interpretation differences and increases comparability of results.

Implications

We reviewed e-liquid flavors and flavor categories used in research. A large variation in the naming of flavor categories was found and e-liquid flavors were not consistently classified. We developed an e-liquid flavor wheel and provided a guideline for systematic classification of e-liquids based on marketing descriptions. Our flavor wheel summarizes e-liquid flavors and categories used in literature in order to create a shared vocabulary. Applying our flavor wheel in research on e-liquids will improve data interpretation, increase comparability across studies, and support policy makers in developing rules for regulation of e-liquid flavors.
Patterns of E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults: Review of the Impact of E-Cigarettes on Cigarette Smoking
Authors: Glasser Allison , Abudayyeh Haneen , Cantrell Jennifer , Niaura Raymond
Published: May 2018

There is concern that e-cigarette use among youth and young adults (YAs) may lead to future cigarette or other combustible tobacco product use. A synthesis of the literature on this topic is needed because existing longitudinal studies are limited in number and not consistent in their conclusions. We conducted a search in PubMed through December 31, 2017 for peer-reviewed studies related to e-cigarette patterns of use. Of 588 relevant studies, 26 had a youth or YA sample, were longitudinal in design, and assessed e-cigarette use at baseline and cigarette smoking at follow-up. Most studies followed a sample over time and compared cigarette smoking at follow-up between baseline e-cigarette users and nonusers. Other studies examined the difference at follow-up in cigarette smoking status among smokers according to e-cigarette use at baseline. Results suggest that, among never smokers, e-cigarette use is associated with the future (6 months to 2.5 years) cigarette trial; however, firm conclusions cannot be drawn because of limitations including small sample size, measurement of experimental use (ie, ever use, past 30-day use) rather than established use, and inadequate controls for potentially confounding variables. Conclusions also cannot be drawn from studies examining the impact of e-cigarette use among smokers due to the limited number of studies and additional limitations. A comprehensive understanding of this literature is needed to inform policy makers and consumers for evidence-based decision-making and to guide future research on e-cigarette use among youth and young adults.

Implications

The present article provides a review of the impact of e-cigarette use on subsequent cigarette smoking among youth and YAs. Studies presented here suggest that e-cigarette use among nonsmokers is associated with subsequent cigarette smoking, but study designs are subject to numerous limitations. Future research should focus on addressing the characteristics that put youth and YAs at the risk of using either product and how appeal and accessibility of these products are related to product use in order to inform future policy-making.
Finding treatable genetic obesity: strategies for success
Authors: Dayton Kristin , Miller Jennifer
Published: May 2018

Purpose of review

Genetic obesity is responsible for up to 7% of severe childhood obesity. Although current Pediatric Endocrine Society guidelines recommend assessment of children with early-onset morbid obesity and hyperphagia for underlying genetic disorders, a vast majority of patients are not being appropriately screened for genetic obesity syndromes.

Recent findings

With advances in genetic testing, more genetic causes of obesity are being identified. Treatments are likely to be individualized, depending on the cause of the obesity, and must be targeted at addressing the underlying cause. Investigational therapies include melanocortin-4 receptor antagonists, oxytocin and medications targeting the endocannabinoid system.

Improved identification of patients with genetic obesity syndromes will lead to development of new treatments and personalized management of these diseases.
Pediatric Diabetic Ketoacidosis With Hypotensive Shock and Rash—An Unusual Presentation
Authors: Pasternak Yehonatan , Niv Omer , Waisman Yehezkel (Hezi)
Published: May 2018

We describe a previously healthy adolescent boy who presented with respiratory distress, hypotensive shock, and a diffuse erythematous rash. The final diagnosis was diabetic ketoacidosis. Caregivers should be alert to this unusual combination of symptoms in the emergency department setting in order to improve the recognition and management of children with new-onset diabetes.
Predicting double negativity using transmitted phase in space coiling metamaterials
Authors: Maurya Santosh K. , Pandey Abhishek , Shukla Shobha , Saxena Sumit
Published: May 2018

Metamaterials are engineered materials that offer the flexibility to manipulate the incident waves leading to exotic applications such as cloaking, extraordinary transmission, sub-wavelength imaging and negative refraction. These concepts have largely been explored in the context of electromagnetic waves. Acoustic metamaterials, similar to their optical counterparts, demonstrate anomalous effective elastic properties. Recent developments have shown that coiling up the propagation path of acoustic wave results in effective elastic response of the metamaterial beyond the natural response of its constituent materials. The effective response of metamaterials is generally evaluated using the ‘S’ parameter retrieval method based on amplitude of the waves. The phase of acoustic waves contains information of wave pressure and particle velocity. Here, we show using finite-element methods that phase reversal of transmitted waves may be used to predict extreme acoustic properties in space coiling metamaterials. This change is the difference in the phase of the transmitted wave with respect to the incident wave. This method is simpler when compared with the more rigorous ‘S’ parameter retrieval method. The inferences drawn using this method have been verified experimentally for labyrinthine metamaterials by showing negative refraction for the predicted band of frequencies.
A primitive actinopterygian braincase from the Tournaisian of Nova Scotia
Authors: Wilson Conrad D. , Pardo Jason D. , Anderson Jason S. 
Published: May 2018

The vertebrate fossil record of the earliest Carboniferous is notoriously poorly sampled, obscuring a critical interval in vertebrate evolution and diversity. Recent studies of diversity across the Devonian–Carboniferous boundary have proposed a vertebrate mass extinction at the end-Devonian, and recent phylogenies suggest that the origin of the actinopterygian crown may have occurred in the earliest Carboniferous, as part of a broader recovery fauna. However, the data necessary to test this are limited. Here, we describe a partial actinopterygian skull, including diagnostic elements of the posterior braincase, from the Tournaisian Horton Bluff Formation of Blue Beach, Nova Scotia. The braincase surprisingly shows a confluence of characters common in Devonian taxa but absent in Mississippian forms, such as an open spiracular groove; lateral dorsal aortae that pass through open broadly separated, parallel grooves in the ventral otoccipital region, posterior to the articulation of the first infrapharyngobranchial and an intertemporal–supratemporal complex. Phylogenetic analysis places it deep within the actinopterygian stem, among Devonian moythomasiids and mimiids, suggesting more phylogenetically inclusive survivorship of stem group actinopterygians across the end-Devonian mass extinction. With a high lineage survivorship in tetrapods and lungfish across the Devonian–Carboniferous boundary and high vertebrate diversity at Tournaisian localities, this hints at a more gradual turnover between Devonian and Carboniferous vertebrate faunas.
Metal-free C60/CNTs/g-C3N4ternary heterostructures: synthesis and enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance
Authors: Lin Xue , Zhao Rui , Xi Yang , Li Xiangyu , Shi Junyou , Yan Ning
Published: May 2018

A metal-free C60/CNTs/g-C3N4nanoheterostructure with excellent visible-light photocatalysis for rhodamine B (Rh B) degradation has been reported. Via a convenient low-temperature solution-phase method, g-C3N4nanosheets can serve as substrate for dispersion of C60/CNTs. The loading of C60/CNTs onto g-C3N4nanosheets surfaces significantly enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4catalyst, for oxidation of organic pollutant (Rh B, 100%). Excellent photocatalytic properties of C60/CNTs/g-C3N4can be predominantly attributed to the intimate interfacial contact among constructing compounds, increased specific surface area and enhanced light adsorption efficiency resulted from C60/CNTs carbon materials. Particularly, the synergistic heterostructure interaction remarkably hinders the electron–hole pairs recombination, giving rise to significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance of C60/CNTs/g-C3N4in comparison with other counterparts.
Enamel formation and growth in non-mammalian cynodonts
Authors: O'Meara Rachel N. , Dirks Wendy , Martinelli Agustín G.
Published: May 2018

The early evolution of mammals is associated with the linked evolutionary origin of diphyodont tooth replacement, rapid juvenile growth and determinate adult growth. However, specific relationships among these characters during non-mammalian cynodont evolution require further exploration. Here, polarized light microscopy revealed incremental lines, resembling daily laminations of extant mammals, in histological sections of enamel in eight non-mammalian cynodont species. In the more basal non-probainognathian group, enamel extends extremely rapidly from cusp to cervix. By contrast, the enamel of mammaliamorphs is gradually accreted, with slow rates of crown extension, more typical of the majority of non-hypsodont crown mammals. These results are consistent with the reduction in dental replacement rate across the non-mammalian cynodont lineage, with greater rates of crown extension required in most non-probainognathians, and slower crown extension rates permitted in mammaliamorphs, which have reduced patterns of dental replacement in comparison with many non-probainognathians. The evolution of mammal-like growth patterns, with faster juvenile growth and more abruptly terminating adult growth, is linked with this reduction in dental replacement rates and may provide an additional explanation for the observed pattern in enamel growth rates. It is possible that the reduction in enamel extension rates in mammaliamorphs reflects an underlying reduction in skeletal growth rates at the time of postcanine formation, due to a more abruptly terminating pattern of adult growth in these more mammal-like, crownward species.
Determining erosion rates in Allchar (Macedonia) to revive the lorandite neutrino experiment
Authors: Vermeesch Pieter , Rittner Martin , Schimmelpfennig Irene , Benedetti Lucilla , Team ASTER
Published: May 2018

205
Tl in the lorandite (TiAsS
2
) mine of Allchar (Majdan, FYR Macedonia) is transformed to
205
Pb by cosmic ray reactions with muons and neutrinos. At depths of more than 300 m, muogenic production would be sufficiently low for the 4.3 Ma old lorandite deposit to be used as a natural neutrino detector. Unfortunately, the Allchar deposit currently sits at a depth of only 120 m below the surface, apparently making the lorandite experiment technically infeasible. We here present 25 erosion rate estimates for the Allchar area using
in situ
produced cosmogenic
36
Cl in carbonates and
10
Be in alluvial quartz. The new measurements suggest long-term erosion rates of 100–120 m Ma
−1
in the silicate lithologies that are found at the higher elevations of the Majdanksa River valley, and 200–280 m Ma
−1
in the underlying marbles and dolomites. These values indicate that the lorandite deposit has spent most of its existence at depths of more than 400 m, sufficient for the neutrinogenic
205
Pb component to dominate the muon contribution. Our results suggest that this unique particle physics experiment is theoretically feasible and merits further development.
Energy extraction from vortex-induced vibrations using period-1 rotation of an autoparametric pendulum
Authors: Das Santanu , Wahi Pankaj
Published: May 2018

We propose and analyse the feasibility of extracting energy from vortex-induced vibrations using rotating motion of an attached pendulum. The resulting autoparametric pendulum system is studied primarily to understand the effect of pendulum motion on the performance of the harvester which is typically ignored to result in a simple parametric pendulum. We find that rotating motions are possible only for small values of the pendulum mass when compared with the effective mass of the vibrating structure. However, the pendulum motion reduces the basin of attraction as well as the range of system parameters corresponding to the existence of rotary solutions. This significantly alters the harvester performance. By contrast, the evolution of the pendulum coordinates (angular position and velocity) remains largely unaffected by this interaction. Hence, for the purpose of design of controllers to robustly initiate/maintain rotation from arbitrary disturbances, the simplification to a parametric pendulum is reasonable while for the design of the harvester, this exercise is completely unsatisfactory.
Could hydrodynamic Rossby waves explain the westward drift?
Authors: Bardsley O. P.
Published: May 2018

A novel theory for the origin of the westward drift of the Earth’s magnetic field is proposed, based upon the propagation of hydrodynamic Rossby waves in the liquid outer core. These waves have the obscure property that their crests always progress eastwards—but, for a certain subset, energy can nevertheless be transmitted westwards. In fact, this subset corresponds to sheet-like flow structures, extended in both the axial and radial directions, which are likely to be preferentially excited by convective upwellings in the Earth’s rapidly rotating outer core. To enable their analysis, thequasi-geostrophic(QG) approximation is employed, which assumes horizontal motions to be independent of distance along the rotation axis, yet accounts for variations in the container height (i.e. the slope of the core–mantle boundary). By projecting the momentum equation onto flows of a QG form, a general equation governing their evolution is derived, which is then adapted for the treatment of two initial value problems—in both Cartesian and spherical geometries—which demonstrate the preference for westward energy propagation by the waves in question. The merits of this mechanism as an explanation for westward drift are discussed.
Evolution of genomic variation in the burrowing owl in response to recent colonization of urban areas
Authors: Mueller Jakob C. , Kuhl Heiner , Boerno Stefan , Tella Jose L. , Carrete Martina , Kempenaers Bart
Published: May 2018

When a species successfully colonizes an urban habitat it can be expected that its population rapidly adapts to the new environment but also experiences demographic perturbations. It is, therefore, essential to gain an understanding of the population structure and the demographic history of the urban and neighbouring rural populations before studying adaptation at the genome level. Here, we investigate populations of the burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia), a species that colonized South American cities just a few decades ago. We assembled a high-quality genome of the burrowing owl and re-sequenced 137 owls from three urban–rural population pairs at 17-fold median sequencing coverage per individual. Our data indicate that each city was independently colonized by a limited number of founders and that restricted gene flow occurred between neighbouring urban and rural populations, but not between urban populations of different cities. Using long-range linkage disequilibrium statistics in an approximate Bayesian computation approach, we estimated consistently lower population sizes in the recent past for the urban populations in comparison to the rural ones. The current urban populations all show reduced standing variation in rare single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), but with different subsets of rare SNPs in different cities. This lowers the potential for local adaptation based on rare variants and makes it harder to detect consistent signals of selection in the genome.
Local interactions underlying collective motion in human crowds
Authors: Rio Kevin W. , Dachner Gregory C. , Warren William H.
Published: May 2018

It is commonly believed that global patterns of motion in flocks, schools and crowds emerge from local interactions between individuals, through a process of self-organization. The key to explaining such collective behaviour thus lies in deciphering these local interactions. We take an experiment-driven approach to modelling collective motion in human crowds. Previously, we observed that a pedestrian aligns their velocity vector (speed and heading direction) with that of a neighbour. Here we investigate the neighbourhood of interaction in a crowd: which neighbours influence a pedestrian's behaviour, how this depends on neighbour position, and how the influences of multiple neighbours are combined. In three experiments, a participant walked in a virtual crowd whose speed and heading were manipulated. We find that neighbour influence is linearly combined and decreases with distance, but not with lateral position (eccentricity). We model the neighbourhood as (i) a circularly symmetric region with (ii) a weighted average of neighbours, (iii) a uni-directional influence, and (iv) weights that decay exponentially to zero by 5 m. The model reproduces the experimental data and predicts individual trajectories in observational data on a human ‘swarm’. The results yield the first bottom-up model of collective crowd motion.
Mate choice in the eye and ear of the beholder? Female multimodal sensory configuration influences her preferences
Authors: Ronald Kelly L. , Fernández-Juricic Esteban , Lucas Jeffrey R.
Published: May 2018

A common assumption in sexual selection studies is that receivers decode signal information similarly. However, receivers may vary in how they rank signallers if signal perception varies with an individual's sensory configuration. Furthermore, receivers may vary in their weighting of different elements of multimodal signals based on their sensory configuration. This could lead to complex levels of selection on signalling traits. We tested whether multimodal sensory configuration could affect preferences for multimodal signals. We used brown-headed cowbird (
Molothrus ater
) females to examine how auditory sensitivity and auditory filters, which influence auditory spectral and temporal resolution, affect song preferences, and how visual spatial resolution and visual temporal resolution, which influence resolution of a moving visual signal, affect visual display preferences. Our results show that multimodal sensory configuration significantly affects preferences for male displays: females with better auditory temporal resolution preferred songs that were shorter, with lower Wiener entropy, and higher frequency; and females with better visual temporal resolution preferred males with less intense visual displays. Our findings provide new insights into mate-choice decisions and receiver signal processing. Furthermore, our results challenge a long-standing assumption in animal communication which can affect how we address honest signalling, assortative mating and sensory drive.