bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determinants of Neonatal Readmission in Healthy Term Infants: Results from a Nested Case–Control Study
Authors: Hensman Angelita M. , Erickson-Owens Debra A. , Sullivan Mary C. , Quilliam Brian J.
Published: March 2020

Objective The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence and identify the factors associated with neonatal readmission among healthy term infants.

Study Design A nested case–control study with matching was conducted at a large level III perinatal hospital with approximately 8,700 deliveries each year. Each case infant (n = 130) was matched to two control infants (n = 260) on the case infant's date of birth (±7 days) and the mother's maternal age (<20 years, 20–29, 30–39, and >39 years). All infants were selected from a cohort of eligible term, healthy, in-state infants admitted to the newborn unit postdelivery from January 1, 2016 to May 8, 2017. Data were analyzed using hierarchical conditional logistic regression.

Results The incidence of neonatal readmission was 2.2%, and all readmissions occurred within 8.6 days of birth. Earlier gestational age (37 weeks; odds ratio [OR]: 4.11, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.79–9.45; 38 weeks OR: 1.29, CI 0.60–2.75; [ref] 39 weeks), jaundice on day two of life (OR: 2.45; CI: 1.40–4.30), maternal group B streptococcus chemoprophylaxis (OR: 2.55; CI: 1.23–5.28 [Ref N/A]) were associated with readmission. Delivery by cesarean section (OR: 0.31, CI: 0.12–0.79) and each milliliter of formula [first three days] (OR: 0.96; CI: 0.993–0.999) were protective.

Conclusion Neonatal readmission in healthy term infants may potentially be reduced with identification of modifiable determinants of readmission prior to discharge. Policies to capture the true incidence of neonatal readmissions should include admissions to hospitals other than the birth hospital.
Clinical Presentation, Diagnosis, and Management of Mesenteric Vasculopathies in Pediatric Patients
Authors: Khoncarly Saeed M. , Khoncarly Sarah M. , Clark Jennifer , McDaniel Janice D.
Published: March 2020

Mesenteric vasculopathies in pediatric patients pose a challenge for clinicians due to their nonspecific clinical presentations and the lack of reported clinical experience. Few cases have been reported in literature and knowledge of mesenteric vasculopathies has not been thoroughly understood. Diagnosis and management of mesenteric vasculopathies in children is heavily dependent on proper radiologic imaging. In this review, we attempt to consolidate information regarding the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of mesenteric vasculopathies of congenital malformations, genetic anomalies, vasculitis, and ischemic insults. Pediatric interventional radiology is providing a forefront of minimally invasive techniques for both diagnosis and treatment of various pathologies of the mesenteric vasculature.
Fibonacci Sequence in Flexion-Extension Complex of Index Digit
Authors: Kumar Arunachalam
Published: March 2020

Flexion and extension of are simple to and fro movements of the digits. The articulations producing the fully extended or flexed finger are simple condyles. Analysis of the kinetics of the exercise shows that despite its seemingly rudimentary biomechanical sortie, flexionextension of the fingers follows a characteristic mathematical precision and geometric equilibrium, circumscribing a cochlea spiral. Moreover, linear measurements of each osseous elements of the individual digit show a sequential series of increments in dimension, a rise that strictly adheres to the Fibonacci ration. To exemplify the principles of motion, this brief paper describes the movements at example this study describes the flexion-extension complex of the index finger of the hand.
Controlled Release Dinoprostone Insert and Foley Compared to Foley Alone: A Randomized Pilot Trial
Authors: Edwards Rodney K. , Norris Michelle L. , West Mitchell D. , Zornes Christina , Loeffler Katherine A. , Peck Jennifer D.
Published: March 2020

Objective The aim of study is to compare, in a pilot study, combined dinoprostone vaginal insert and Foley catheter (DVI + Foley) with Foley alone (Foley) for cervical ripening and labor induction at term.

Study Design In this open-label pilot randomized controlled trial, women not in labor, with intact membranes, no prior uterine incision, an unfavorable cervix, gestational age ≥37 weeks, and a live, nonanomalous singleton fetus in cephalic presentation were randomly assigned, stratified by parity, to DVI + Foley or Foley. Oxytocin was used in both groups after cervical ripening. Primary outcome was time to vaginal delivery.

Results From April 2017 to January 2018, 100 women were randomized. Median (25–75th percentile) time to vaginal delivery for nulliparous women was 21.2 (16.6–38.0) hours with DVI + Foley (n = 26) compared with 31.3 (23.3–46.9) hours with Foley (n = 24) (Wilcoxon p = 0.05). Median time to vaginal delivery for parous women was 17.1 (13.6–21.9) hours with DVI + Foley (n = 25) compared with 14.8 (12.7–19.5) hours with Foley (n = 25) (Wilcoxon p = 0.21). Results were also analyzed to consider the competing risk of cesarean using cumulative incidence functions.

Conclusion Compared with Foley alone, combined use of the dinoprostone vaginal insert and Foley for cervical ripening may shorten time to vaginal delivery for nulliparous but not parous women.
An Evaluation to Establish the Acceptable Serum Triglyceride Levels in Neonates Receiving Intravenous Fat Emulsion Infusion in a Multicenter Retrospective Study
Authors: Chan Belinda , Lian Anh , Baer Vickie , Robinson Mandy , Ou Zhining , Presson Angela P. , Zinkhan Erin K.
Published: March 2020

Objective This study aimed to establish neonatal serum triglyceride (TG) level reference ranges during lipid infusion and correlate peak TG with neonatal outcomes.

Study Design This is a retrospective review of 356 neonates with 696 TG measures obtained in four neonatal intensive care units between 2015 and 2017. TG was evaluated collectively to establish a reference range and a threshold limit. To analyze the effects of a higher TG threshold, neonates were categorized by their peak TG: <180 (TG<180), 180 to 400 (TG180–400), and > 400 mg/dL (TG>400). Univariable and multivariable regression models were constructed to compare peak TG to patient characteristic and clinical outcomes.

Results The frequency of TG > 400 mg/dL was 5% and found only in neonates weighing < 1.5 kg. Neonates in the TG180–400 (n = 91) group were significantly lower in birth weight and gestational age, had lower 5-minute APGAR scores, and had increased ventilatory requirement when compared with neonates in the TG<180 (n = 240) group (all p < 0.001). The TG180–400 group had increased risk of severe intraventricular hemorrhage (p = 0.02) and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (p = 0.03). Elevated TG was associated with mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 14.4, p < 0.001) in univariable analysis, but the relationship weakened (OR: 4.4, p = 0.05) after adjusting for comorbidities in multivariable logistic regression.

Conclusion It is unclear if the adverse outcomes seen in neonates with higher peak TG were due to elevated TG alone, or whether illness severity predicted the increased TG. More prospective studies are needed to further delineate the relationships.
Anatomy of tragedy: the skeptical gothic in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Authors: Ruttkay Veronika
Published: March 2020

Combining philosophical and literary perspectives, this paper argues that Mary Shelley’sFrankensteinis informed by a skeptical problematic that may be traced back to the work of the young David Hume. As the foundational text on romantic monstrosity,Frankensteinhas been studied from various critical angles, including that of Humean skepticism by Sarah Tindal Kareem (Eighteenth-century fiction and the reinvention of wonder. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2014) and Monique Morgan (Romant Net 44, doi:10.7202/013998ar, 2006). However, the striking connections with Hume’sTreatisehave not been fully explored. The paper begins by comparing the three narrators ofFrankensteinwith three figures appearing in Hume’s Conclusion to Book I: the anatomist, the explorer, and the monster. It proceeds by looking at the hybrid “anatomies” offered by Hume and Shelley, suggesting thatFrankensteinmight be regarded as a tragic re-enactment and radicalization of Hume’s skeptical impasse. Whereas Hume alerted his readers to the dangers of a thoroughgoing skepticism only to steer his argument in a new direction, Shelley shows those dangers realized in the “catastrophe” of the Monster’s birth. While Hume had called attention to the impossibility of conducting strictly scientific experiments on “moral subjects”, Shelley devises a counterfactual plot and a multi-layered narrative structure in order to explore that very impossibility. InterpretingFrankensteinas an instance of the “skeptical gothic”, I suggest that both the monster and the scientist (Victor) share some traits with Hume’s radically skeptical philosopher, including a tendency to give up responsibility for what Stanley Cavell (The Claim of Reason: Wittgenstein, skepticism, morality, and tragedy. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1979) called “the maintenance of shared forms of life”. Relying on the work of Cavell, this paper argues that skepticism inFrankensteinis manifested as tragedy, traceable in Shelley’s reliance on tragic tropes throughout the novel.
An algorithm for fractional Schrödinger equation in case of Morse potential
Authors: Al-Raeei Marwan , El-Daher Moustafa Sayem
Published: March 2020

Based on methods of numerical integration and Riemann–Liouville definition of the fractional derivatives, we find a numerical algorithm to find solutions of the time independent fractional Schrödinger equation for Morse potential or the quantum oscillator potential in one dimension, and the iteration formula is applied for multiple values of the fractional parameter of the space dependent fractional Schrödinger equation and multiple values of energy. We define and use the dimensionless form of the space dependent fractional Schrödinger equation of Morse potential. We employ the iteration formula of the time independent fractional Schrödinger equation of Morse potential to find the wave functions in the case of hydrogen chloride and hydrogen fluoride molecules for a certain value of the fractional parameter of the space dependent fractional Schrödinger equation and for many values of the dimensionless energy of each molecule.
Discrete Painlevé equations from singularity patterns: The asymmetric trihomographic case
Authors: Grammaticos B. , Ramani A. , Willox R. , Satsuma J.
Published: March 2020

We derive the discrete Painlevé equations associated with the affine Weyl group E8(1) that can be represented by an (in the Quispel-Roberts-Thompson sense) “asymmetric” trihomographic system. The method used in this paper is based on singularity confinement. We start by obtaining all possible singularity patterns for a general asymmetric trihomographic system and discard those patterns that cannot lead to confined singularities. Working with the remaining ones, we implement the confinement conditions and derive the corresponding discrete Painlevé equations, which involve two variables. By eliminating either of these variables we obtain a “symmetric” equation. Examining all these equations of a single variable, we find that they coincide exactly with those derived in previous works of ours, thereby establishing the completeness of our results.
Transverse magnetic field effects on spatial electron temperature distribution in a 13.56 MHz parallel plate capacitive discharge
Authors: Binwal S. , Patil Y. , Karkari S. K. , Nair L.
Published: March 2020

The effect of a transverse magnetic field on spatial electron temperature Te distribution along the line joining the center of capacitively driven rectangular discharge plates, operated at 13.56 MHz in a push-pull configuration, has been presented. It is found that the electron temperature distribution is almost uniform at low operating pressure (1 Pa). However, as the background pressure increases, the electron temperature tends to peak near the discharge plates. The overall magnitude in Te is also found to increase throughout the volume on account of increasing the background pressure. This experimental observation has been qualitatively depicted by COMSOL Multiphysics® fluid simulation. A plausible explanation has been given to explain the rise in Te due to the combined effect of the magnetic field and background pressure in this setup.
Collisionless tangential discontinuity between pair plasma and electron–proton plasma
Authors: Dieckmann M. E.
Published: March 2020

We study with a one-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation the expansion of a pair cloud into a magnetized electron–proton plasma as well as the formation and subsequent propagation of a tangential discontinuity that separates both plasmas. Its propagation speed takes the value that balances the magnetic pressure of the discontinuity against the thermal pressure of the pair cloud and the ram pressure of the protons. Protons are accelerated by the discontinuity to a speed that exceeds the fast magnetosonic speed by the factor of 10. A supercritical fast magnetosonic shock forms at the front of this beam. An increasing proton temperature downstream of the shock and ahead of the discontinuity leaves the latter intact. We create the discontinuity by injecting a pair cloud at a simulation boundary into a uniform electron–proton plasma, which is permeated by a perpendicular magnetic field. Collisionless tangential discontinuities in the relativistic pair jets of x-ray binaries (microquasars) are in permanent contact with the relativistic leptons of their inner cocoon, and they become the sources of radio synchrotron emissions.
Multi-scale cellular engineering: From molecules to
organ-on-a-chip
Authors: Huang Ngan F. , Chaudhuri Ovijit , Cahan Patrick , Wang Aijun , Engler Adam J. , Wang Yingxiao , Kumar Sanjay , Khademhosseini Ali , Li Song
Published: March 2020

Recent technological advances in cellular and molecular engineering have provided new insights into biology and enabled the design, manufacturing, and manipulation of complex living systems. Here, we summarize the state of advances at the molecular, cellular, and multi-cellular levels using experimental and computational tools. The areas of focus include intrinsically disordered proteins, synthetic proteins, spatiotemporally dynamic extracellular matrices, organ-on-a-chip approaches, and computational modeling, which all have tremendous potential for advancing fundamental and translational science. Perspectives on the current limitations and future directions are also described, with the goal of stimulating interest to overcome these hurdles using multi-disciplinary approaches.
Self-assembled shape evolution of the domain wall and formation of nanodomain wall traces induced by multiple IR laser pulse irradiation in lithium niobate
Authors: Shur Vladimir Ya. , Mingaliev Evgeniy A. , Kosobokov Mikhail S. , Nebogatikov Maksim S. , Lobov Alexey I. , Makaev Andrey V.
Published: March 2020

The formation of the domain structure in congruent lithium niobate crystals by multiple pulse irradiation using an infrared laser was studied experimentally. The qualitative change of the domain wall shape with an increase of the pulse number was revealed. The chains of isolated nanodomains representing the domain wall traces appeared after each laser pulse irradiation in the samples with an irradiated polar surface covered by an indium–tin oxide layer. This effect allowed extraction of the detailed information about the evolution of the domain wall shape. The domain kinetics under the action of the pyroelectric field has been considered. The mechanism of the self-assembled shape evolution of the moving domain wall as a result of the local wall accelerations and retardations caused by the shape fluctuations (bumps and valleys) was proposed. The experimentally observed formation of the quasi-regular comb-like domain structures with randomly distributed bumps and valleys was confirmed by computer simulation. The discovered effects allowed us to create the stable random and quasi-regular domain structures and open the way for further development of the domain engineering methods.
First-principles study of large-amplitude dynamic Jahn–Teller effects in vanadium tetrafluoride
Authors: Nandipati K. R. , Vasilyev O. A. , Navarkin I. S. , Solomonik V. G. , Domcke W.
Published: March 2020

Transition metal tetrahalides are a class of highly symmetric molecules for which very few spectroscopic data exist. Exploratory ab initio calculations of electronic potential energy functions indicate that the equilibrium molecular geometries of the vanadium, niobium, and tantalum tetrafluorides (i.e., VF4, NbF4, and TaF4) exhibit strong distortions from the tetrahedral configuration in their electronic ground state (2E) and first excited state (2T2) along the nuclear displacement coordinates of e symmetry. The distortions result from the E × e and T2 × e Jahn–Teller (JT) effects, respectively. In addition, there are weaker distortions in the 2T2 state along the coordinates of t2 symmetry due to the T2 × t2 JT effect. The description of the large-amplitude dynamics induced by these JT effects requires the construction of JT Hamiltonians beyond the standard model of JT theory, which is based on Taylor expansions up to second order in normal-mode displacements. These higher-order JT Hamiltonians were constructed in this work by expansions of the electronic potentials of the title molecule in terms of symmetry invariant polynomials in symmetry-adapted nuclear displacement coordinates for the bending modes of VF4. A multi-configuration electronic structure method was employed to determine the coefficients of these high-order polynomial expansions from first principles. Using these large-amplitude Jahn–Teller Hamiltonians, the vibronic spectra of VF4 were computed. The spectra illustrate the effects of large-amplitude fluxional nonadiabatic dynamics due to exceptionally strong E × e and T2 × e JT couplings. In addition, the vibronic spectrum of the T2 × (e + t2) JT effect, including the bending mode of t2 symmetry, was computed. The spectrum displays strong inter-mode coupling effects exhibiting a vibronic structure, which is substantially different from that predicted by independent-mode approximation. These results represent the first ab initio study of dynamical Jahn–Teller effects in VF4.
Analysis of the eight parameter variation of the resonant tunneling diode (RTD) in the rapid thermal annealing process with resistance compensation effect
Authors: Zhao Fan , Wang Yidian , Guo Weilian , Cong Jia , Tee Clarence Augustine T. H. , Song Le , Zheng Yelong
Published: March 2020

The rapid thermal annealing process is a key technology to control the parameters of the resonant tunneling diode (RTD) and to achieve high performance for the device. In this paper, the rapid thermal annealing process on the planar RTD has been investigated experimentally. In the experiment, the annealing sample chips of different annealed times have been recorded from the annealing equipment and their I–V characteristics have been measured accordingly. From the I–V characteristics, the negative resistance and the series resistance of the RTD can be obtained. Thus, the relationship between these parameters and annealing time can be established. Finally, by analyzing the concept of the resistance compensation effect, this study explains fully and in detail the dependency of the RTD parameter variation on the annealing time. VP and Vi are significantly reduced, greatly lowering RS, which in return also reduces the heat loss of the circuit and the power consumption of the RTD digital circuits as well as the RTD terahertz oscillator. As VV decreases, negative resistance RN is increased, and thus, the output power of the RTD terahertz oscillator is increased. These results are very useful in the study of RTD devices and fabrication technology.
Diamond Brillouin laser in the visible
Authors: Bai Zhenxu , Williams Robert J. , Kitzler Ondrej , Sarang Soumya , Spence David J. , Wang Yulei , Lu Zhiwei , Mildren Richard P.
Published: March 2020

Brillouin lasers providing extremely narrow-linewidth are emerging as a powerful tool for microwave photonics, coherent communications, quantum processors, and spectroscopy. So far, laser performance and applications have been investigated for a handful of select materials and using guided-wave structures such as micro-resonators, optical fibers, and chip-based waveguides. Here, we report a Brillouin laser based on free-space laser action in an extreme optical material. Continuous-wave lasing 167 GHz from a 532 nm pump is demonstrated in diamond using a doubly resonant ring cavity, generating a pump-limited output power of 11 W. The Brillouin gain coefficient is measured to be 79 cm GW−1 with a linewidth of 12 MHz. These properties, along with an exceptionally high Brillouin frequency and wide transmission range, make diamond Brillouin lasers a promising high-power source of narrow-linewidth output and mm-wave beat notes.
High performance hydrogen/oxygen terminated CVD single crystal diamond radiation detector
Authors: Su Kai , Ren Zeyang , Zhang Jinfeng , Liu Linyue , Zhang Jincheng , Zhang Yachao , He Qi , Zhang Chunfu , Ouyang Xiaoping , Hao Yue
Published: March 2020

We report the performance of a single crystal diamond radiation detector with gold films on hydrogen-terminated diamond as electrical contacts and oxygen-terminated diamond as surface isolation between electrodes. The origin-symmetric current-voltage characteristics showed excellent Ohmic contact behavior. An extremely low dark current value of 7.46 × 10−13 A/mm2 was measured at an electric field of 1 V/μm. The charge collection efficiency and energy resolution of this detector were 99.01% and 1.5% for holes, and 98.6% and 1.7% for electrons under irradiation with 241Am α-particles. Under 60Co γ-ray irradiation with a dose rate of 1.271 Gy/s, the gain factor, specific sensitivities, and signal-to-noise ratio were 49.46, 12.43 μC/Gy·mm3, and 1 × 106 at 200 V bias voltage (0.66 V/μm), respectively. A rise time of 347.4 ps of the response to a pico-second pulsed electron source was also measured. This research provides a possibility to improve the performance of the diamond radiation detector through diamond surface modification.
Quantum Hall resistance dartboards using graphene p-n junction devices with Corbino geometries
Authors: Liu C.-I. , Patel D. K. , Marzano M. , Kruskopf M. , Hill H. M. , Rigosi A. F.
Published: March 2020

The use of multiple current terminals on millimeter-scale graphene p-n junction devices fabricated with Corbino geometries, or quantum Hall resistance dartboards, has enabled the measurement of several fractional multiples of the quantized Hall resistance at the ν = 2 plateau (RH ≈ 12 906 Ω). Experimentally obtained values agreed with the corresponding numerical simulations performed with the LTspice circuit simulator. More complicated designs of the quantum Hall resistance dartboard were simulated to establish the potential parameter space within which these Corbino-type devices could output resistance. Most importantly, these measurements support simpler processes of ultraviolet lithography as a more efficient means of scaling up graphene-based device sizes while maintaining sufficiently narrow junctions.
Expansion velocity of plasma corona surrounding exploding aluminum foil
Authors: Rousskikh A. G. , Zhigalin A. S. , Oreshkin V. I. , Baksht R. B.
Published: March 2020

This paper presents the results of measuring the expansion velocity of the plasma generated by an electrical breakdown occurring along an exploding aluminum foil. The test foils were 6 μm thick and 20 mm long; their width was varied in the range of 0.93 to 1.05 mm. The foil explosion was initiated by a sinusoidal current of period 1780 ns. The current amplitude was varied by varying the charge voltage of a 0.25-μF capacitor (10, 20, and 30 kV), and it was about 6.5, 14, and 22 kA, respectively. The plasma velocity measurements were performed using two grounded probes located at different distances from the edges and the center of the exploding foil (from 2 to 16 mm). The time interval was measured between the occurrence of a probe signal and the initiation of breakdown along the foil. The plasma expansion velocity was estimated from the measured time of flight of the plasma from the foil to a probe. Besides the probe measurements, optical images of the exploding foil and of the expanding luminous plasma were recorded using an HFSC Pro framing camera with an exposure time of 3 ns. These investigations made it possible to visualize the shape of the forming plasma sheath and to measure the expansion velocity of the bulk of the desorbed gases and metal vapor as a function of time. In addition, they gave ideas of the processes occurring in the near-electrode regions at the time of breakdown initiation.
Comparison and analysis of shockwave characteristics between underwater pulsed discharge and metal wire explosion
Authors: Liu Yi , Ren Yi-Jia , Liu Si-Wei , Lin Fu-Chang , Liu Yang , Shen Yin-Kuo
Published: March 2020

In order to study the difference in energy conversion efficiency of the shockwaves induced by the expansion of the plasma channel generated by underwater metal wire explosion (MWE) and subsonic streamer breakdown discharge (SSBD), a test stand was constructed, and the experimental results were obtained based on the condition that the voltages of the two discharge modes were the same at the time of the formation of plasma channels. The results showed that the peak value of shockwaves induced by the expansion of the channel and the energy conversion efficiency of MWE were much higher than those of SSBD. The reason lies in the difference in the injected power at the formation moment of the plasma channel and the difference in the time distribution of energy deposited into channels.
Bulk viscosity of liquid noble gases
Authors: Chatwell René Spencer , Vrabec Jadran
Published: March 2020

An equation of state for the bulk viscosity of liquid noble gases is proposed. On the basis of dedicated equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations, a multi-mode relaxation ansatz is used to obtain precise bulk viscosity data over a wide range of liquid states. From this dataset, the equation of state emerges as a two-parametric power function with both parameters showing a conspicuous saturation behavior over temperature. After passing a temperature threshold, the bulk viscosity is found to vary significantly over density, a behavior that resembles the frequency response of a one pole low-pass filter. The proposed equation of state is in good agreement with available experimental sound attenuation data.
A zeroth-order active-space frozen-orbital embedding scheme for multireference calculations
Authors: He Nan , Evangelista Francesco A.
Published: March 2020

Multireference computations of large-scale chemical systems are typically limited by the computational cost of quantum chemistry methods. In this work, we develop a zeroth-order active space embedding theory [ASET(0)], a simple and automatic approach for embedding any multireference dynamical correlation method based on a frozen-orbital treatment of the environment. ASET(0) is combined with the second-order multireference driven similarity renormalization group and tested on several benchmark problems, including the excitation energy of 1-octene and bond-breaking in ethane and pentyldiazene. Finally, we apply ASET(0) to study the singlet–triplet gap of p-benzyne and 9,10-anthracyne diradicals adsorbed on a NaCl surface. Our results show that despite its simplicity, ASET(0) is a powerful and sufficiently accurate embedding scheme applicable when the coupling between the fragment and the environment is in the weak to medium regime.
Dispersion of particles in two-dimensional circular vortices
Authors: Graef F. , Zavala Sansón L. , Plata L. , Ochoa J.
Published: March 2020

The spreading of n particles simultaneously released is modeled numerically and analytically using a Langevin’s equation. In the numerical experiments, particles are dispersed utilizing the random walk technique plus advection caused by a vortex with rigid-body rotation (RV) or irrotational (IV). In each vortex, the dispersion is described analyzing the statistical behavior of the particles’ position as a function of time t. In the RV case, analytical expressions for the statistics indicate (like the numerical experiments) that the dispersion or variance is linear in t and the diffusion coefficient D depends on the angular speed Ω of the vortex. If the time scale of the random walk is much smaller than the rotation period (i.e., Δt ≪ 2π/Ω), then D decreases lightly if Ω increases relative to a pure two-dimensional (2D) random walk. In the experiments of the IV in which all particles start at the same point, we observe an asymmetric dispersion (the cloud becomes a comet and then a spiral), which leads to a rapid growth in the variance proportional to t3 in the first time steps. This anomalous dispersion occurs while the particles distribute around the origin and the spiral reaches to form a belt. Afterward, the variance grows linearly in t as in standard dispersion, but D is in general larger than the case without the vortex, even if initially the particles formed a ring around the origin. D tends to increase with the circulation for more intense vortices.
Plasmon enhanced second harmonic generation by periodic arrays of triangular nanoholes coupled to quantum emitters
Authors: Drobnyh Elena , Sukharev Maxim
Published: March 2020

Optical properties of periodic arrays of nanoholes of a triangular shape with experimentally realizable parameters are examined in both linear and nonlinear regimes. By utilizing a fully vectorial three-dimensional approach based on the nonlinear hydrodynamic Drude model describing metal coupled to Maxwell’s equations and Bloch equations for molecular emitters, we analyze linear transmission, reflection, and nonlinear power spectra. Rigorous numerical calculations demonstrating second and third harmonic generation by the triangular hole arrays are performed. It is shown that both the Coulomb interaction of conduction electrons and the convective term contribute on equal footing to the nonlinear response of metal. It is demonstrated that the energy conversion efficiency in the second harmonic process is the highest when the system is pumped at the localized surface plasmon resonance. When molecular emitters are placed on a surface of the hole array line shapes, the second harmonic signal exhibits three peaks corresponding to second harmonics of the localized surface plasmon mode and upper and lower polaritonic states.
Sensitive and fast measurement of surface temperature with a thermogalvanic cell
Authors: Schönig Marco , Schuster Rolf
Published: March 2020

Thermogalvanic cells may be viewed as electrochemical thermocouples. Here, we demonstrate their potential for sensitive and fast sensing of the surface temperature of a thin Au sheet, in contact with a 0.08 M equimolar ferri-/ferrocyanide solution in 26% KOH. We obtained a sensitivity of about 10 μK, because of the large Peltier coefficient of the electrochemical reaction at the electrode-electrolyte junction. The resolution is limited by the thermal noise of the electrochemical system and could be quantitatively explained by the thermal noise of a Randles equivalent circuit of the cell. Since no thermal contact resistances to bulky temperature sensors are involved, we achieved a response time smaller than 300 μs, which may be potentially lowered to a few microseconds. By using the thermogalvanic cell as a sensor for electrochemical microcalorimetry, we calibrated the system, in full agreement with a simulation of its thermal behavior.
Seafood-borne parasites in Australia: human health risks, fact or fiction?
Authors: Shamsi Shokoofeh
Published: March 2020

Seafood is an increasingly popular source of healthy protein. Since 1961, the average annual increase in global food fish consumption has been twice as high as population growth and exceeds the consumption of meat from all terrestrial animals combined1. The following overview of seafood safety concerns is intended to help readers to understand potential risks associated with parasites in seafood products and the need for a national approach to reduce or minimise them. It is important to note that parasite infections are not limited to seafood: all other types of foods, including vegetables and red meat can also be infected with a broad range of parasites, some of which are more dangerous than parasites in seafood. The main issue is lack of science based contemporaneous safety protocols which focus on seafood-borne parasites. As a result, in Australia regulatory control of parasites in seafood lags far behind other food sectors. Seafood safety is a broad topic. The focus of this article is on an understudied field in Australia, seafood-borne parasitic diseases. The word ‘seafood' in this context encompasses fish and shellfish products from marine and freshwater ecosystems that are, directly or indirectly, meant for human consumption.
Glanders: re-emergence of an ancient zoonosis
Authors: Ellis Patricia
Published: March 2020

Glanders, although known to be endemic in certain regions/countries of the Old and New Worlds for centuries, had been largely overlooked as a threat to equine and human health until the disease re-emerged in the Middle East in 2004. The exponential growth in international horse movements, both legal and illegal, mainly for performance purposes, has enhanced the risk of global spread of glanders in the Middle East and elsewhere. Ever since the First World War, the glanders bacillus has been recognised as a potential biological warfare agent.
Life history and ecology of the elegant snake-eyed skink (Cryptoblepharus pulcher) in south-eastern Australia
Authors: Pike David A. , Roznik Elizabeth A. , Webb Jonathan K. , Shine Richard
Published: March 2020

Detailed information on life history and ecology is essential for successful conservation and management. However, we have relatively little detailed data on the life history and ecology of most small lizard species, relative to other vertebrates, especially those that have undergone recent taxonomic changes. We studied the ecology of the elegant snake-eyed skink (Cryptoblepharus pulcher), a lizard that occurs on trees, fences, walls, and rock outcroppings in eastern Australia that spans temperate to tropical environments. In our temperate-zone study population living in natural habitat, individuals are active year-round, and gravid females were found during the months of September through December. Sexual maturity is reached in 12 months, lifespan is at least three years, and clutch size is typically two eggs. In laboratory incubation experiments, larger eggs were more likely to hatch. Low incubation temperatures (averaging 23 ± 7.5°C versus high temperatures averaging 26 ± 7.5°C) increased incubation duration significantly (range 56–72 days versus 40–51 days) and reduced the body size of hatchlings significantly (17.8 mm versus 18.7 mm snout–vent length). Skinks sheltered beneath small rocks that were not shared simultaneously with predatory snakes, and that reached average temperatures that were up to 3°C warmer during the day than unused rocks. Preferred microhabitats include substrates of rock or soil, and the largest rocks were occasionally shared by up to four individuals of all body size/sex combinations (5.8% of observations were shared, 30.2% of individual rocks were shared). Our study expands upon knowledge of the widespread genus Cryptoblepharus by providing detailed life history and ecological information on C. pulcher that can serve as a baseline for future studies.
Active efficient coding explains the development of binocular vision and its failure in amblyopia
Authors: Eckmann Samuel , Klimmasch Lukas , Shi Bertram E. , Triesch Jochen
Published: March 2020

The development of vision during the first months of life is an active process that comprises the learning of appropriate neural representations and the learning of accurate eye movements. While it has long been suspected that the two learning processes are coupled, there is still no widely accepted theoretical framework describing this joint development. Here, we propose a computational model of the development of active binocular vision to fill this gap. The model is based on a formulation of the active efficient coding theory, which proposes that eye movements as well as stimulus encoding are jointly adapted to maximize the overall coding efficiency. Under healthy conditions, the model self-calibrates to perform accurate vergence and accommodation eye movements. It exploits disparity cues to deduce the direction of defocus, which leads to coordinated vergence and accommodation responses. In a simulated anisometropic case, where the refraction power of the two eyes differs, an amblyopia-like state develops in which the foveal region of one eye is suppressed due to inputs from the other eye. After correcting for refractive errors, the model can only reach healthy performance levels if receptive fields are still plastic, in line with findings on a critical period for binocular vision development. Overall, our model offers a unifying conceptual framework for understanding the development of binocular vision.
The atomistic level structure for the activated human κ-opioid receptor bound to the full Gi protein and the MP1104 agonist
Authors: Mafi Amirhossein , Kim Soo-Kyung , Goddard William A.
Published: March 2020

The kappa opioid receptor (κOR) is an important target for pain therapeutics to reduce depression and other harmful side effects of existing medications. The analgesic activity is mediated by κOR signaling through the adenylyl cyclase-inhibitory family of Gi protein. Here, we report the three-dimensional (3D) structure for the active state of human κOR complexed with both heterotrimeric Gi protein and MP1104 agonist. This structure resulted from long molecular dynamics (MD) and metadynamics (metaMD) simulations starting from the 3.1-Å X-ray structure of κOR–MP1104 after replacing the nanobody with the activated Gi protein and from the 3.5-Å cryo-EM structure of μOR–Gi complex after replacing the 168 missing residues. Using MD and metaMD we discovered interactions to the Gi protein with strong anchors to two intracellular loops and transmembrane helix 6 of the κOR. These anchors strengthen the binding, contributing to a contraction in the binding pocket but an expansion in the cytoplasmic region of κOR to accommodate G protein. These remarkable changes in κOR structure reveal that the anchors are essential for activation.
The impossibility of low-rank representations for triangle-rich complex networks
Authors: Seshadhri C. , Sharma Aneesh , Stolman Andrew , Goel Ashish
Published: March 2020

Significance

Our main message is that the popular method of low-dimensional embeddings provably cannot capture important properties of real-world complex networks. A widely used algorithmic technique for modeling these networks is to construct a low-dimensional Euclidean embedding of the vertices of the network, where proximity of vertices is interpreted as the likelihood of an edge. Contrary to common wisdom, we argue that such graph embeddings do not capture salient properties of complex networks. We mathematically prove that low-dimensional embeddings cannot generate graphs with both low average degree and large clustering coefficients, which have been widely established to be empirically true for real-world networks. This establishes that popular low-dimensional embedding methods fail to capture significant structural aspects of real-world complex networks.
Speakers are able to categorize vowels based on tongue somatosensation
Authors: Patri Jean-François , Ostry David J. , Diard Julien , Schwartz Jean-Luc , Trudeau-Fisette Pamela , Savariaux Christophe , Perrier Pascal
Published: March 2020

Significance

Auditory speech perception is known to categorize continuous acoustic inputs into discrete phonetic units, and this property is generally considered to be crucial for the acquisition and the preservation of phonological classes in a native language. Somatosensory input associated with speech production has also been shown to influence speech perception when the acoustic signal is unclear, inducing shifts in category boundaries. Using a specifically designed experimental paradigm we were able to demonstrate that in the absence of auditory feedback, somatosensory feedback on its own enables the identification of phonological categories. This finding indicates that both the auditory and orosensory correlates of speech articulation could jointly contribute to the emergence, the maintenance, and the evolution of phonological categories.
Connectivity at the origins of domain specificity in the cortical face and place networks
Authors: Kamps Frederik S. , Hendrix Cassandra L. , Brennan Patricia A. , Dilks Daniel D.
Published: March 2020

It is well established that the adult brain contains a mosaic of domain-specific networks. But how do these domain-specific networks develop? Here we tested the hypothesis that the brain comes prewired with connections that precede the development of domain-specific function. Using resting-state fMRI in the youngest sample of newborn humans tested to date, we indeed found that cortical networks that will later develop strong face selectivity (including the “proto” occipital face area and fusiform face area) and scene selectivity (including the “proto” parahippocampal place area and retrosplenial complex) by adulthood, already show domain-specific patterns of functional connectivity as early as 27 d of age (beginning as early as 6 d of age). Furthermore, we asked how these networks are functionally connected to early visual cortex and found that the proto face network shows biased functional connectivity with foveal V1, while the proto scene network shows biased functional connectivity with peripheral V1. Given that faces are almost always experienced at the fovea, while scenes always extend across the entire periphery, these differential inputs may serve to facilitate domain-specific processing in each network after that function develops, or even guide the development of domain-specific function in each network in the first place. Taken together, these findings reveal domain-specific and eccentricity-biased connectivity in the earliest days of life, placing new constraints on our understanding of the origins of domain-specific cortical networks.
CUL3
BPM
E3 ubiquitin ligases regulate MYC2, MYC3, and MYC4 stability and JA responses
Authors: Chico Jose Manuel , Lechner Esther , Fernandez-Barbero Gemma , Canibano Esther , García-Casado Gloria , Franco-Zorrilla Jose Manuel , Hammann Philippe , Zamarreño Angel M. , García-Mina Jose M. , Rubio Vicente , Genschik Pascal , Solano Roberto
Published: March 2020

The jasmonate (JA)-pathway regulators MYC2, MYC3, and MYC4 are central nodes in plant signaling networks integrating environmental and developmental signals to fine-tune JA defenses and plant growth. Continuous activation of MYC activity is potentially lethal. Hence, MYCs need to be tightly regulated in order to optimize plant fitness. Among the increasing number of mechanisms regulating MYC activity, protein stability is arising as a major player. However, how the levels of MYC proteins are modulated is still poorly understood. Here, we report that MYC2, MYC3, and MYC4 are targets of BPM (BTB/POZ-MATH) proteins, which act as substrate adaptors of CUL3-based E3 ubiquitin ligases. Reduction of function of CUL3
BPM
in
amiR-bpm
lines,
bpm235
triple mutants, and
cul3ab
double mutants enhances MYC2 and MYC3 stability and accumulation and potentiates plant responses to JA such as root-growth inhibition and MYC-regulated gene expression. Moreover, MYC3 polyubiquitination levels are reduced in
amiR-bpm
lines. BPM3 protein is stabilized by JA, suggesting a negative feedback regulatory mechanism to control MYC activity, avoiding harmful runaway responses. Our results uncover a layer for JA-pathway regulation by CUL3
BPM
-mediated degradation of MYC transcription factors.
Diet modulates brain network stability, a biomarker for brain aging, in young adults
Authors: Mujica-Parodi Lilianne R. , Amgalan Anar , Sultan Syed Fahad , Antal Botond , Sun Xiaofei , Skiena Steven , Lithen Andrew , Adra Noor , Ratai Eva-Maria , Weistuch Corey , Govindarajan Sindhuja Tirumalai , Strey Helmut H. , Dill Ken A. , Stufflebeam Steven M. , Veech Richard L. , Clarke Kieran
Published: March 2020

Epidemiological studies suggest that insulin resistance accelerates progression of age-based cognitive impairment, which neuroimaging has linked to brain glucose hypometabolism. As cellular inputs, ketones increase Gibbs free energy change for ATP by 27% compared to glucose. Here we test whether dietary changes are capable of modulating sustained functional communication between brain regions (network stability) by changing their predominant dietary fuel from glucose to ketones. We first established network stability as a biomarker for brain aging using two large-scale (
n
= 292, ages 20 to 85 y;
n
= 636, ages 18 to 88 y) 3 T functional MRI (fMRI) datasets. To determine whether diet can influence brain network stability, we additionally scanned 42 adults, age < 50 y, using ultrahigh-field (7 T) ultrafast (802 ms) fMRI optimized for single-participant-level detection sensitivity. One cohort was scanned under standard diet, overnight fasting, and ketogenic diet conditions. To isolate the impact of fuel type, an independent overnight fasted cohort was scanned before and after administration of a calorie-matched glucose and exogenous ketone ester (
d
-β-hydroxybutyrate) bolus. Across the life span, brain network destabilization correlated with decreased brain activity and cognitive acuity. Effects emerged at 47 y, with the most rapid degeneration occurring at 60 y. Networks were destabilized by glucose and stabilized by ketones, irrespective of whether ketosis was achieved with a ketogenic diet or exogenous ketone ester. Together, our results suggest that brain network destabilization may reflect early signs of hypometabolism, associated with dementia. Dietary interventions resulting in ketone utilization increase available energy and thus may show potential in protecting the aging brain.
Epistatic contributions promote the unification of incompatible models of neutral molecular evolution
Authors: de la Paz Jose Alberto , Nartey Charisse M. , Yuvaraj Monisha , Morcos Faruck
Published: March 2020

We introduce a model of amino acid sequence evolution that accounts for the statistical behavior of real sequences induced by epistatic interactions. We base the model dynamics on parameters derived from multiple sequence alignments analyzed by using direct coupling analysis methodology. Known statistical properties such as overdispersion, heterotachy, and gamma-distributed rate-across-sites are shown to be emergent properties of this model while being consistent with neutral evolution theory, thereby unifying observations from previously disjointed evolutionary models of sequences. The relationship between site restriction and heterotachy is characterized by tracking the effective alphabet dynamics of sites. We also observe an evolutionary Stokes shift in the fitness of sequences that have undergone evolution under our simulation. By analyzing the structural information of some proteins, we corroborate that the strongest Stokes shifts derive from sites that physically interact in networks near biochemically important regions. Perspectives on the implementation of our model in the context of the molecular clock are discussed.