bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rapid tissue processing using a temperature-controlled collection device to preserve tumor biomarkers
Authors: Lerch Melissa , Kenerson Heidi , Theiss Abbey , Chafin David , Westerhoff Maria , Otter Michael , Yeung Raymond , Baird Geoffrey
Published: December 2019

Precision tissue diagnostics rely on high quality input specimens so that assay results are not affected by artifact, but advances in collection and processing of tissue specimens have lagged behind innovations in diagnostic assay development. Therefore, we have designed and evaluated a novel surgical tissue collection device that maintains and monitors sample temperature and motion throughout transport so that the major preanalytical variable of tissue temperature can be controlled and measured. This device, in combination with an improved cold–hot tissue fixation protocol affords optimal biomarker preservation in less overall time, thereby simultaneously improving diagnostic quality and turnaround time. We collected 50 primary and metastatic liver tumors using a novel transport device. Tissue was fixed using a rapid cold–hot fixation protocol and immunohistochemical assays were used to assess the performance of the device, in comparison to control tissue preserved using standard clinical fixation protocol. Two pathologists evaluated the IHC studies in a blinded fashion to determine the immunophenotype of each tumor. The observed IHC staining intensities and the clinical impressions of the immunophenotypes did not differ between tissue collected with the novel device and control tissue, while improvements in processing time were achieved. The novel cold transport device and rapid fixation protocol can be successfully and safely combined and used to monitor specimen conditions, thus preserving the diagnostic utility of specimens and improving the overall turn-around time of the diagnostic process.
How to Optimise Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) for People with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD): A Delphi Study
Authors: Spain Debbie , Happé Francesca
Published: December 2019

Children and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) can benefit from cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), yet the prevailing opinion is that this requires adaptations to accommodate commonly experienced socio-communication and neuropsychological impairments. There are, however, no empirically-derived guidelines about how best to adapt standard practice. In a three round Delphi survey, we asked expert clinicians and clinical-researchers, based in England, about how to optimise the design, delivery and evaluation of CBT for people with ASD. Of 50 people approached, 18 consented to take part in Round 1, nine in Round 2 and eight in Round 3. Using a five-point scale, participants rated the degree to which 221 statements—pertaining to the referral process, assessment, engagement, formulation, goal setting, therapy structure, interventions and techniques, homework, outcome measurement, managing endings and therapist attributes—were integral to CBT. The consensus was that 155 statements represented essential or important components of CBT. Adaptations to the structure and process of therapy were consistently endorsed, and an individualised formulation-derived approach was favoured when deciding upon which interventions and techniques to offer. Further studies are needed to clarify if adapted CBT is associated with improved treatment outcomes and acceptability.
The Emergence of Complexity from a Simple Model for Tissue Growth
Authors: Dunlop J. W. C. , Zickler G. A. , Weinkamer R. , Fischer F. D. , Fratzl P.
Published: December 2019

The growth of living tissue is known to be modulated by mechanical as well as biochemical signals. We study a simple numerical model where the tissue growth rate depends on a chemical potential describing biochemical and mechanical driving forces in the material. In addition, the growing tissue is able to adhere to a three-dimensional surface and is subjected to surface tension where not adhering. We first show that this model belongs to a wider class of models describing particle growth during phase separation. We then analyse the predicted tissue shapes growing on a solid support corresponding to a cut hollow cylinder, which could be imagined as an idealized description of a broken long bone. We demonstrate the appearance of complex shapes described by Delauney surfaces and reminiscent of the shapes of callus appearing during bone healing. This complexity of shapes arises despite the extreme simplicity of the growth model, as a consequence of the three-dimensional boundary conditions imposed by the solid support.
Fine-tuning the catalytic activity by applying nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes as catalyst supports for the hydrogenation of olefins
Authors: Sikora Emőke , Kiss Adrienn , H. Göndör Zsuzsa , Pekker Péter , Kristály Ferenc , Szőri Milán , Rágyanszki Anita , Viskolcz Béla , Fiser Béla , Vanyorek László
Published: December 2019

Nitrogen-free multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and N-doped bamboo-like carbon nanotubes (BCNTs) were synthesized by using catalytic vapor deposition (CVD) and used as catalyst support materials. Pd, Rh, Ru, and Ir have been deposited onto the nanotubes to achieve metal/nanotube catalysts. The catalytic activity of the samples was fine-tuned by changing the type of support. BCNT supported Pd and Rh (Pd/BCNT, Rh/MWCNT) catalysts were found to be the most active for liquid phase hydrogenation of octadecene amongst these samples. The initial olefin hydrogenation rate of the Pd/BCNT sample was slightly higher than the corresponding MWCNT-supported catalyst. Based on the hydrogenation reaction, the performance of these catalyst had been ranked as follows: Pd/BCNT ≈ Rh/MWCNT > Pd/MWCNT > Rh/BCNT >  > Ir/MWCNT > Ru/BCNT > Ir/BCNT > Ru/MWCNT. The structural properties of chemisorbed Pd on MWCNT and N- BCNT were also characterized by means of computational chemical methods in order to shed some light on the nature of metal binding properties of N-doped and undoped surfaces. The calculations shown preference towards the edges of the surfaces which is in good agreement with the experimental findings.
A new database of the references on international clinical practice guidelines: a facility for the evaluation of clinical research
Authors: Eriksson Magnus , Billhult Annika , Billhult Tommy , Pallari Elena , Lewison Grant
Published: December 2019

Although there are now several bibliographic databases of research publications, such as Google Scholar, Pubmed, Scopus, and the Web of Science (WoS), and some also include counts of citations, there is at present no similarly comprehensive database of the rapidly growing number of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), with their references, which sometimes number in the hundreds. CPGs have been shown to be useful for the evaluation of clinical (as opposed to basic) biomedical research, which often suffers from relatively low counts of citations in the serial literature. The objectives were to introduce a new citation database, clinical impact®, and demonstrate how it can be used to evaluate research impact of clinical research publications by exploring the characteristics of CPG citations of two sets of papers, as well as show temporal variation of clinical impact® and the WoS. The paper includes the methodology used to retain the data and also the rationale adopted to achieve data quality. The analysis showed that although CPGs tend preferentially to cite papers from their own country, this is not always the case. It also showed that cited papers tend to have a more clinical research level than uncited papers. An analysis of diachronous citations in both clinical impact® and the WoS showed that although the WoS citations showed a decreasing trend after a peak at 2–3 years after publication, this was less clear for CPG citations and a longer timescale would be needed to evaluate their impact on these documents.
“How does Austria sleep?” self-reported sleep habits and complaints in an online survey
Authors: Blume Christine , Hauser Theresa , Gruber Walter R. , Heib Dominik PJ , Winkler Thomas , Schabus Manuel
Published: December 2019

During the past years, the prevalence of sleep problems has been increasing steadily in industrial societies and represents a major social and socioeconomic burden. The situation in Austria was last evaluated in 2007 by Zeitlhofer and colleagues in a representative sample of 1000 participants. In the current study, we sought to evaluate the sleep behaviour of the Austrian population in an ongoing online survey, in which we have collected data from 986 participants (66% women, mean age 40.9 ± 16.4 years) between March 2018 and May 2019. Sleep duration was appropriate in 52% of the respondents (i.e. 7–9 h per night). However, we found an alarmingly high number of self-reported sleep problems (46%), and only 31% of the participants classified themselves as “good sleepers” using a validated self-report questionnaire (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI). Furthermore, many participants reported suffering from sleep problems for a very long time (86% > 6 months; 37% > 5 years) suggesting that currently available treatment options are either ineffective or not employed. Possible reasons for sleep problems could include irregular sleep-wake cycles, increased perceived stress levels, and the use of electronic devices just before sleep.
Childhood Emotional Abuse and Cyberbullying Perpetration Among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Trait Mindfulness
Authors: Emirtekin Emrah , Balta Sabah , Kircaburun Kagan , Griffiths Mark D.
Published: December 2019

Preliminary studies have indicated that childhood emotional maltreatment (i.e., abuse and neglect) can be associated with higher cyberbullying perpetration (CBP) among university students. The purpose of the present study was to test the direct and indirect effects of childhood emotional abuse (CEA) on CBP via trait mindfulness and trait emotional intelligence (TEI). A total of 470 adolescent students participated in the study and completed a questionnaire comprising measures of the aforementioned variables. Path analysis showed that trait mindfulness, but not TEI, was a partial mediator between CEA and CBP among the total sample, males, and females. Results indicated that there were other factors that explain the relationship between CEA and CBP in addition to lower mindfulness. These findings suggest that developing mindfulness-based intervention programs for adolescents who have been emotionally abused as a child may reduce their engagement in cyberbullying. This study is the first to document the direct role of CEA on CBP and indirect via trait mindfulness among adolescents.
From Buzz to Burst—Critical Remarks on the Term ‘Life’ and Its Ethical Implications in Synthetic Biology
Authors: Funk Michael , Steizinger Johannes , Falkner Daniel , Eichinger Tobias
Published: December 2019

In this paper, we examine the use of the term ‘life’ in the debates within and about synthetic biology. We review different positions within these debates, focusing on the historical background, the constructive epistemology of laboratory research and the pros and cons of metaphorical speech. We argue that ‘life’ is used as buzzword, as folk concept, and as theoretical concept in inhomogeneous ways. Extending beyond the review of the significant literature, we also argue that ‘life’ can be understood as aBurstwordin two concrete senses. Firstly, terms such as life easily turn into fuzzy, foggy and buzzy clouds of nonsense, if their use is not appropriately reflected. In these cases, the semantic orientation is detonated. This is theBurstword Icharacteristic of the concept of ‘life’ that we reveal for its unclear terminological use. Secondly, and in contrast toBurstword I, we show that the concept of ‘life’ can be used in a methodologically controlled way. We call this kind of useBurstword II. Here the concept of ‘life’ fulfils the function of expanding an inadequately narrow disciplinary or conceptual focus in different discursive contexts. In this second sense, ‘life’ receives an important operational function, for instance as a transdisciplinary research principle. It turns out that the innovative function and paradigm-changing power of metaphorical speech belong here as well. Finally, we illustrate three ethically relevant examples that show how ‘life’ can be applied asBurstword IIin the context of synthetic biology.
Increasing Role of Oncoplastic Surgery for Breast Cancer
Authors: Kaufman Cary S.
Published: December 2019

Purpose of Review

The goals of surgery for breast cancer have remained the same over the years, to eliminate breast cancer from the breast with the least degree of deformity. With the current expectation of long-term survival after breast cancer treatment, more attention has turned to the cosmetic result of the surgical treatment. Whether lumpectomy or mastectomy, the need for aesthetic improvement was recognized by surgeons both in and outside the USA.

Recent Findings

Oncoplastic surgery combines the skills of the cancer surgeon with those of the plastic surgeon. Sometimes, this means a team approach with a breast surgeon and a plastic surgeon both performing their mutual skills for the patient. Other times, the properly trained breast surgeon may perform some of the plastic techniques at the time of cancer surgery. Breast surgeons are rapidly gaining the ability to improve the post-cancer treatment appearance. To simplify the classification of oncoplastic techniques, we have used lower level, upper level, and highest level. The assignment of techniques to levels is based on both the technique and the surgeon’s training and experience. Much data has accumulated demonstrating the safety and efficacy of the “aesthetic cancer cure.” We describe the development of oncoplastic surgery, the techniques available, matching the right candidate with the right technique, and some comments about the future.

It is clear from both clinical benefit and patient satisfaction that oncoplastic breast cancer procedures are here to stay. Plastic surgeons will likely focus on the upper- and highest-level procedures while breast/general surgeons will learn lower-level procedures and some of upper-level procedures as needed by their locale. Opportunities to educate breast/general surgeons in these techniques will continue to increase over the next several years. Formal education in oncoplastic surgery during breast fellowships will be necessary to catch up with the rest of the surgical world outside the USA.
Identification of De Novo JAK2 and MAPK7 Mutations Related to Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Whole-Exome Sequencing in a Chinese Child and Adolescent Trio-Based Sample
Authors: Jiao Jian , Zhang Manxue , Yang Pingyuan , Huang Yan , Hu Xiao , Cai Jia , Yang Chan , Situ Mingjing , Zhang Hui , Fu Lei , Guo Kuifang , Huang Yi
Published: December 2019

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with high phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity. Whole-exome sequencing studies have shown that de novo single-nucleotide variations (SNVs) play an important role in sporadic ASD. The present study aimed to search for de novo SNVs using whole-exome sequencing in 59 unrelated Chinese ASD sporadic trios, and found 24 genes (including five reported ASD candidate genesCACNA1D,ACHE,YY1,TTN, andFBXO11) with de novo harmful SNVs. Five genes (CACNA1D,JAK2,ACHE,MAPK7, andPRKAG2) classified as “medium-confidence” genes were found to be related to ASD using the Phenolyzer gene analysis tool, which predicts the correlation between the candidate genes and the ASD phenotype. De novo SNVs inJAK2,MAPK7, andPRKAG2were first found in ASD. BothJAK2andMAPK7were involved in the regulation of the MAPK signaling pathway. Gene co-expression and inter-gene interaction networks were constructed and gene expression data in different brain regions were further extracted, revealing thatJAK2andMAPK7genes were associated with certain previously reported ASD genes and played an important role in early brain development. The findings of this study suggest that the aforementioned five reported ASD genes andJAK2andMAPK7may be related to ASD susceptibility. Further investigations of expression studies in cellular and animal models are needed to explore the mechanism underlying the involvement ofJAK2andMAPK7in ASD.
Proteolytic Processing of Neuregulin 2
Authors: Czarnek Maria , Bereta Joanna
Published: December 2019

Neuregulin 2 (NRG2) belongs to the EGF family of growth factors. Most of this family members require proteolytic cleavage to liberate their ectodomains capable of binding and activating their cognate ErbB receptors. To date, most of the studies investigating proteolytic processing of neuregulins focused on NRG1, which was shown to undergo ectodomain shedding by several ADAM proteases and BACE1 and the remaining fragment was further cleaved by γ-secretase. Recently, NRG2 attracted more attention due to its role in the neurogenesis and modulation of behaviors associated with psychiatric disorders. In this study, we used genetic engineering methods to identify proteases involved in proteolytic processing of murine NRG2. Using non-neuronal cell lines as well as cultures of primary hippocampal neurons, we demonstrated that the major proteases responsible for releasing NRG2 ectodomain are ADAM10 and BACE2. Co-expression of NRG2 and BACE2 in neurons of certain brain structures including medulla oblongata and cerebellar deep nuclei was confirmed via immunohistochemical staining. The cleavage of NRG2 by ADAM10 or BACE2 generates a C-terminal fragment that serves as a substrate for γ-secretase. We also showed that murine NRG2 is subject to post-translational modifications, substantial glycosylation of its extracellular part, and phosphorylation of the cytoplasmic tail.
Microstructural evolution of 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V submerged-arc weld metal
Authors: Schönmaier Hannah , Grimm Fred , Krein Ronny , Kirchheimer Katharina , Schnitzer Ronald
Published: December 2019

Heat-resistant V-modified 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V-weld metal is commonly used in petrochemical industry for heavy wall pressure vessels in high-temperature hydrogen service. In order to improve the reactor efficiency, the weldments have to endure even higher temperatures and pressures. Acicular ferrite (AF) is often regarded as the optimum microstructure due to its good combination of strength and toughness. As few literature about the evolution of microstructure and the final microstructure constituents of 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V weld metal is available, the current paper intends to provide comprehensive information by means of microscopy, crystallographic examination via electron backscatter diffraction and in situ observation of the austenite to ferrite phase transformation via high-temperature laser scanning confocal microscopy (HT-LSCM). The investigated weld metal exhibits a high density of complex aluminium-silicon-manganese oxides with a spherical shape and large prior austenite grains, which in combination is beneficial for intragranular nucleation of AF. Nonetheless, the examination of the transformed final microstructure was not sufficient to make an unambiguous statement about the presence of AF within the 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V weld metal. Via in-situ HT-LSCM of the phase transformation, intragranular nucleation of AF at non-metallic inclusions within the austenite grains was detected, which confirms that even though the microstructure of 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V weld metal is mainly bainitic, small amounts of AF are present.
Framing effects in the prisoner’s dilemma but not in the dictator game
Authors: Goerg Sebastian J. , Rand David , Walkowitz Gari
Published: December 2019

We systematically investigate prisoner’s dilemma and dictator games with valence framing. We find that give versus take frames influence subjects’ behavior and beliefs in the prisoner’s dilemma games but not in the dictator games. We conclude that valence framing has a stronger impact on behavior in strategic interactions, i.e., in the prisoner’s dilemma game, than in allocation tasks without strategic interaction, i.e., in the dictator game.
Quantifying the Terrestrial Carbon Feedback to Anthropogenic Carbon Emission
Authors: Goodwin Philip
Published: December 2019

The surface warming response to carbon emission is dependent on feedbacks operating in both the physical climate and carbon cycle systems, with physical climate feedbacks quantified via linearly combinable climate feedback terms, λclimate in watt per square meter per kelvin. However, land carbon feedbacks are often quantified using a two‐parameter description, with separate cumulative carbon uptake responses to surface warming, γL in petagram of carbon per kelvin, and rising atmospheric CO2 concentration, βL in petagram of carbon per parts per million. Converting the γL and βL responses to an overall terrestrial carbon feedback parameter, λcarbon in watt per square meter per kelvin, has remained problematic, with λcarbon affected by significant nonlinear interactions between carbon‐climate and carbon‐concentration responses and a nonlinear relation between atmospheric CO2 and subsequent radiative forcing. This study presents new relationships quantifying how the overall steady state terrestrial carbon feedback to anthropogenic emission, λcarbon, is dependent on the terrestrial carbon responses to rising CO2 and temperature, βL, and γL, and the physical climate feedback, λclimate. Nonlinear interactions between βL and γL responses to carbon emission are quantified via a three‐parameter description of the land carbon sensitivities to rising CO2 and temperature. Numerical vegetation model output supports the new relationships, revealing an emerging sensitivity of land carbon feedback to climate feedback of ∂λcarbon/∂λclimate ~ 0.3. The results highlight that terrestrial carbon feedback and physical climate feedback cannot be considered in isolation: Additional surface warming from stronger climate feedback is automatically compounded by reduced cooling from terrestrial carbon feedback, meanwhile around half the uncertainty in terrestrial carbon feedback originates from uncertainty in the physical climate feedback.
Greenland Ice Sheet Response to Stratospheric Aerosol Injection Geoengineering
Authors: Moore John C. , Yue Chao , Zhao Liyun , Guo Xiaoran , Watanabe Shingo , Ji Duoying
Published: December 2019

The Greenland ice sheet is expected lose at least 90% of its current volume if ice sheet summer temperatures warm by around 1.8 °C above pre‐industrial. Geoengineering by stratospheric sulfate aerosol injection might slow Greenland ice sheet melting and sea level rise by reducing summer temperature and insolation; however, such schemes could also reduce precipitation and affect large‐scale climate drivers such as the Atlantic Meridional Over‐turning Circulation (AMOC). Earlier work found that AMOC increased under geoengineering and that might lead to greater mass loss from Greenland than under greenhouse gas forcing alone. We simulated Greenland ice sheet climates using four Earth system models running the stratospheric sulfate aerosol injection experiment GeoMIP G4 and the CMIP RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 greenhouse gas scenarios that were then used to drive the surface energy and mass balance model, SEMIC. Simulated runoff is 20% lower under G4 than RCP4.5, while under RCP8.5 it is 17% higher. The mechanism is through increased Arctic sea ice concentration and reduced humidity leading to surface cooling of the ablation zone. Reduced absorption of outgoing longwave radiation caused by hydrological cycle weakening dominates associated decreases in precipitation under geoengineering and stronger AMOC than under RCP4.5. An ice dynamics model simulates 15% lower ice losses under G4 than RCP4.5. Thus, total sea level rise by 2070 from the Greenland ice sheet under G4 geoengineering is about 15–20% lower than under the RCP4.5 scenario.
An Evaluation of Kolmogorov's −5/3 Power Law Observed Within the Turbulent Airflow Above the Ocean
Authors: Ortiz‐Suslow David G. , Wang Qing
Published: December 2019

In 1941, Kolmogorov postulated that the energy distribution of turbulence, across a particular range of eddy sizes cascading to dissipation, could be uniquely described as a universal −5/3 power law. This theory was readily accepted as the basis for conceptualizing the phenomenological characteristics of turbulence and remains central to continued experimental and theoretical developments in turbulence study. However, the theory's own validity lacks final certainty. Here we present the first observation‐based evaluation of Kolmogorov's power law within the atmospheric flow above the ocean. Using a unique platform and a novel analytical approach, we found that the expected power law varies systematically with height above the surface and the local environmental state. Our findings suggest that Kolmogorov's idealized value (−5/3) is approximately valid but, under certain conditions, may depend strongly on the unique processes and dynamics near the ocean surface. This discovery should motivate a reevaluation of how Kolmogorov's framework is applied to geophysical turbulence in the vicinity of the air‐sea interface.
Preserved Fluvial Cross Strata Record Bedform Disequilibrium Dynamics
Authors: Leary Kate C. P. , Ganti Vamsi
Published: December 2019

Fluvial cross strata are an archive of ancient river morphodynamics. Controls on their preservation are well documented for bedforms equilibrated with prevailing flows; however, variability in water and sediment discharge results in bedforms that are routinely out of phase with flow conditions—termed bedform disequilibrium. Using theory and experiments of dune evolution in steady and unsteady flows, we show that preservation of cross strata is greater during unsteady flows—particularly during flood recession—when bedform disequilibrium is prevalent. The enhanced preservation of disequilibrium dynamics is associated with a high bedform preservation ratio, which results from localized increase in sedimentation rates relative to bedform migration rates due to the hierarchical bedform organization during flood recession. We find that the coefficient of variation of cross sets reflects the ratio of the time scales of formative‐flood variability and bedform adjustment. We parameterize bedform disequilibrium for rivers globally and suggest that flood variability is a key control on cross set preservation.
Extreme Atlantic Hurricane Probability of Occurrence Through the Metastatistical Extreme Value Distribution
Authors: Hosseini S. R. , Scaioni M. , Marani M.
Published: December 2019

The estimation of extreme hurricane probability is hampered by small samples and by limitations in our models of extreme tropical storms. Current best estimates of extreme hurricane probability based on the traditional extreme value theory assume hurricane arrivals to be a homogeneous Poisson process. We reformulate here, for application to Atlantic hurricanes, the Metastatistical Extreme Value Distribution (MEVD) that relaxes this key assumption in the traditional extreme value theory and uses all available observations. The MEVD application to the 1886–2017 observational record improves the accuracy of extreme Atlantic hurricane estimation by about 50% with respect to current best estimates. The MEVD allows trends to emerge above estimation uncertainty: A sliding‐window analysis shows a significant increase in extreme hurricane likelihood in the past century. This trend, previously uncertain and controversial, remains significant after correcting for hurricane underdetection in the presatellite era and when focusing only on the modern observational period (1970–2017).
Induced Seismicity in the Delaware Basin, Texas
Authors: Skoumal Robert J. , Barbour Andrew J. , Brudzinski Michael R. , Langenkamp Teresa , Kaven J. Ole
Published: December 2019

The seismicity rate in the Delaware Basin, located in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico, has increased by orders of magnitude within the past ~5 years. While no seismicity was reported in the southern Delaware Basin during 1980–2014, 37 earthquakes with M > 3 occurred in this area during 2015–2018. We generated an improved catalog of ~37,000 earthquakes in this region during 2009–2018 by applying multistation template matching at both regional and local stations using all earthquakes in the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) and TexNet catalogs. We found that the vast majority of the seismicity is most likely associated with wastewater disposal, while at least ~5% of the seismicity was induced directly by hydraulic fracturing. We inferred far‐field effects of wastewater disposal inducing earthquakes over distances >25 km. The spatial limits of seismicity correlate with geologic structures that include the Central Platform and Grisham Fault, suggesting hydrologic compartmentalization by low‐permeability boundaries. Given that the seismicity rate increased throughout the duration of the study, if industry operations continue unaltered, it is likely that both the seismicity rate and number of M > 3 earthquakes may continue to increase in the future.
Bias Correction of High‐Resolution Regional Climate Model Precipitation Output Gives the Best Estimates of Precipitation in Himalayan Catchments
Authors: Bannister Daniel , Orr Andrew , Jain Sanjay K. , Holman Ian P. , Momblanch Andrea , Phillips Tony , Adeloye Adebayo J. , Snapir Boris , Waine Toby W. , Hosking J. Scott , Allen‐Sader Clare
Published: December 2019

The need to provide accurate estimates of precipitation over catchments in the Hindu Kush, Karakoram, and Himalaya mountain ranges for hydrological and water resource systems assessments is widely recognized, as is identifying precipitation extremes for assessing hydro‐meteorological hazards. Here, we investigate the ability of bias‐corrected Weather Research and Forecasting model output at 5‐km grid spacing to reproduce the spatiotemporal variability of precipitation for the Beas and Sutlej river basins in the Himalaya, measured by 44 stations spread over the period 1980 to 2012. For the Sutlej basin, we find that the raw (uncorrected) model output generally underestimated annual, monthly, and (particularly low‐intensity) daily precipitation amounts. For the Beas basin, the model performance was better, although biases still existed. It is speculated that the cause of the dry bias over the Sutlej basin is a failure of the model to represent an early‐morning maximum in precipitation during the monsoon period, which is related to excessive precipitation falling upwind. However, applying a nonlinear bias‐correction method to the model output resulted in much better results, which were superior to precipitation estimates from reanalysis and two gridded datasets. These findings highlight the difficulty in using current gridded datasets as input for hydrological modeling in Himalayan catchments, suggesting that bias‐corrected high‐resolution regional climate model output is in fact necessary. Moreover, precipitation extremes over the Beas and Sutlej basins were considerably underrepresented in the gridded datasets, suggesting that bias‐corrected regional climate model output is also necessary for hydro‐meteorological risk assessments in Himalayan catchments.
Arctic River Delta Morphologic Variability and Implications for Riverine Fluxes to the Coast
Authors: Piliouras A. , Rowland J. C.
Published: December 2019

Arctic riverine fluxes are anticipated to increase as the Arctic warms and have a large impact on the Arctic ocean. Deltas modify the spatial and temporal distributions of riverine fluxes, but no thorough studies have been conducted to analyze Arctic delta morphologies to determine their influence on land‐ocean fluxes. We performed an analysis of six high‐latitude deltas (Colville, Kolyma, Lena, Mackenzie, Yenisei, and Yukon) to characterize delta morphologies and determine the influence of morphology on the distribution of fluxes to the coast. All six deltas deliver material to the coast at discrete locations across small areas despite differences in delta shoreline length. Large Arctic deltas exhibit large variability in channel width, which we hypothesize is due to a feedback with ice cover and retreat that favors the growth of large channels over geologic timescales. Spatial variability in island sizes suggests variability in channel activity, island nourishment, and susceptibility to drowning by sea level rise. Potential lake storage is highest on the Mackenzie delta, thus providing a means for reducing nutrient and sediment loading of the coastal ocean. Connected lakes are also prevalent on the Colville and Yukon deltas, suggesting that these deltas can filter riverine fluxes even when the deltas are not flooded. Differences in Arctic delta morphologies can be explained by varying levels of riverine and marine influence, antecedent topography, and local channel dynamics. Ice cover also plays a large role in controlling Arctic delta morphologies and dynamics that has not been previously represented in interpretations of existing delta metrics.
Quantification of Peat Thickness and Stored Carbon at the Landscape Scale in Tropical Peatlands: A Comparison of Airborne Geophysics and an Empirical Topographic Method
Authors: Silvestri Sonia , Knight Rosemary , Viezzoli Andrea , Richardson Curtis J. , Anshari Gusti Z. , Dewar Noah , Flanagan Neal , Comas Xavier
Published: December 2019

Peatlands play a key role in the global carbon cycle, sequestering and releasing large amounts of carbon. Despite their importance, a reliable method for the quantification of peatland thickness and volume is still missing, particularly for peat deposits located in the tropics given their limited accessibility, and for scales of measurement representative of peatland environments (i.e., of hundreds of km2). This limitation also prevents the accurate quantification of the stored carbon as well as future greenhouse gas emissions due to ongoing peat degradation. Here we present the results obtained using the airborne electromagnetic (AEM) method, a geophysical surveying tool, for peat thickness detection at the landscape scale. Based on a large amount of data collected on an Indonesian peatland, our results show that the AEM method provides a reliable and accurate 3‐D model of peatlands, allowing the quantification of their volume and carbon storage. A comparison with the often used empirical topographic approach, which is based on an assumed correlation between peat thickness and surface topography, revealed larger errors across the landscape associated with the empirical approach than the AEM method when predicting the peat thickness. As a result, the AEM method provides higher estimates (22%) of organic carbon pools than the empirical method. We show how in our case study the empirical method tends to underestimate the peat thickness due to its inability to accurately detect the large variability in the elevation of the peat/mineral substrate interface, which is better quantified by the AEM method.
Carbon dots: a booming material for biomedical applications
Authors: Su Wen , Wu Hao , Xu Huimin , Zhang Yang , Li Yunchao , Li Xiaohong , Fan Louzhen
Published: December 2019

The synthesis, optical properties, and biomedical applications of CDs are summarized.
Active targeting co-delivery of therapeutic Sur siRNA and an antineoplastic drug via epidermal growth factor receptor-mediated magnetic nanoparticles for synergistic programmed cell death in glioblastoma stem cells
Authors: Wang Xueqin , Li Ruifang , Zhu Yongxia , Wang Zichao , Zhang Huiru , Cui Liuqing , Duan Shaofeng , Guo Yuqi
Published: December 2019

An EGFR-targeted theranostic composite, and targeted co-delivery of therapeutic siRNAs and DOX for glioblastoma stem cell treatments.
Red-blood-cell-membrane-enveloped magnetic nanoclusters as a biomimetic theranostic nanoplatform for bimodal imaging-guided cancer photothermal therapy
Authors: Wang Sheng , Yin Yipengchen , Song Wang , Zhang Qin , Yang Zhijuan , Dong Ziliang , Xu Ye , Cai Sanjun , Wang Kuang , Yang Wuli , Wang Xuejun , Pang Zhiqing , Feng Liangzhu
Published: December 2019

Biomimetic Cyp-MNC@RBCs with high tumor homing capacity are utilized as promising nanotheranostics, enabling bimodal imaging-guided cancer photothermal therapy.
Speech Perception in Classroom Acoustics by Children With Hearing Loss and Wearing Hearing Aids
Authors: Iglehart Frank
Published: December 2019

Purpose

The classroom acoustic standard ANSI/ASA S12.60-2010/Part 1 requires a reverberation time (RT) for children with hearing impairment of 0.3 s, shorter than its requirement of 0.6 s for children with typical hearing. While preliminary data from conference proceedings support this new RT requirement of 0.3 s, peer-reviewed data that support 0.3-s RT are not available on those wearing hearing aids. To help address this, this article compares speech perception performance by children with hearing aids in RTs, including those specified in the ANSI/ASA-2010 standard. A related clinical issue is whether assessments of speech perception conducted in near-anechoic sound booths, which may overestimate performance in reverberant classrooms, may now provide a more reliable estimate when the child is in a classroom with a short RT of 0.3 s. To address this, this study compared speech perception by children with hearing aids in a sound booth to listening in 0.3-s RT.

Method

Participants listened in classroom RTs of 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9 s and in a near-anechoic sound booth. All conditions also included a 21-dB range of speech-to-noise ratios (SNRs) to further represent classroom listening environments. Performance measures using the Bamford–Kowal–Bench Speech-in-Noise (BKB-SIN) test were 50% correct word recognition across these acoustic conditions, with supplementary analyses of percent correct.

Results

Each reduction in RT from 0.9 to 0.6 to 0.3 s significantly benefited the children's perception of speech. Scores obtained in a sound booth were significantly better than those measured in 0.3-s RT.

Conclusion

These results support the acoustic standard of 0.3-s RT for children with hearing impairment in learning spaces ≤ 283 m
3
, as specified in ANSI/ASA S12.60-2010/Part 1. Additionally, speech perception testing in a sound booth did not predict accurately listening ability in a classroom with 0.3-s RT.

Supplemental Material

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.11356487
New fault‐tolerant control method for Hall signals in brushless DC motor driver of E‐bicycle
Authors: Zhang Yi , Wang Hao‐Chen , Wei Hai‐Feng , Li Yuan‐Jiang , Li Ke‐Li , Liu Wei‐Ting
Published: December 2019

A new fault‐tolerant control method for Hall sensors in brushless DC motor driver of E‐bicycle is presented. Contrary to the classical fault‐tolerant control method that focused their attention on fault diagnosis, the proposed method uses pulse‐width modulation input capture function to extract sensors' effective information and eliminate fault information, which helps to omit the process of fault diagnosis and improve the efficiency of fault‐tolerant control. The effective information of Hall sensors includes edge jump information and velocity information, which are used to correct and estimate the rotor angle under field oriented control. The effectiveness and rapidity of the proposed fault‐tolerant approach are illustrated through experimental results.
Low overhead NOMA receiver with automatic modulation classification techniques
Authors: Naderpour Masoud , Khaleghi Bizaki Hossein
Published: December 2019

Recently non‐orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) technique has been proposed for boosting spectral efficiencies in 5G cellular networks. In NOMA the transmitter maps a predefined number of user symbols on to the same resources. The conventional receiver for NOMA is the well‐known serial interference cancellation. To overcome the problem of high overhead signalling, a receiver with an automatic modulation classification (AMC) algorithm for a K‐user NOMA which identifies the modulation scheme of users before symbol detection is proposed. First, a two‐user NOMA (TU‐NOMA) scheme is treated and the receiver is extended to more general cases. For evaluating the performance of the proposed receiver its bit error rate (BER) for TU‐NOMA case has been driven and shown that this can be approximated as the sum of the demodulator BER and the AMC algorithm error probability. The simulation results show the BER degradation can be neglected if an enough number of symbols with sufficiently large SNR values are available.
Toward the energy efficiency of multi‐pulse PPM signalling for optical communication
Authors: Wu Wei‐Chiang
Published: December 2019

To improve information throughput conventional single‐pulse M‐ary pulse‐position‐modulation (PPM) scheme, multi‐pulse PPM has been proposed on the optical intensity‐modulated and direct‐detection channel. Although the multi‐pulse M‐ary PPM scheme significantly enhances throughput performance, nevertheless, the symbol error rate (SER) increases due to the loss of orthogonality between different pairs of symbols. In this study, the authors first derive the SER performance of general L pulses M‐ary PPM scheme under Poisson channel statistic. Moreover, as the green radio is essential in future network, energy efficiency becomes the major concern. Hence, they evaluate L pulses M‐ary PPM scheme by the number of reliable bits transmitted per joule of energy consumed. They analyse the trade‐off between throughput and power consumption.
Goodput‐maximised data delivery scheme for battery‐free wireless sensor network
Authors: Qiu Shuwei , Zhu Yi‐Hua , Tian Xianzhong , Chi Kaikai
Published: December 2019

In the battery‐free wireless sensor network (BF‐WSN) that harvests radio signal energy, data delivery suffers from a longer delay arising from the energy‐harvesting period. It is significant to develop an energy‐efficient, low‐delay, and reliable data gathering scheme for the BF‐WSN. The goodput‐maximised data delivery scheme (GDDS) is proposed to reliably collect time‐constrained data in the IEEE 802.15.4‐based BF‐WSN. Under the GDDS, the sink's operation period consists of multiple data gathering cycles with each incorporating three phases: charging the nodes, assigning channel occupation time for the nodes, and receiving packets from the nodes. The scheme of accumulating correct data blocks (SACDB) is used in the third phase for the sink to gather data from the nodes. The authors develop an analytical model for the SACDB, from which they derive the time and the energy consumed in transmitting a packet. Then, they derive the goodput and the energy efficiency under the proposed GDDS. The GDDS aims at maximising the goodput by optimising the charging period, the number of data blocks, and the maximum number of transmission trials under the constraint on data gathering time. Simulation results show the GDDS outperforms the existing schemes in terms of the goodput and energy efficiency.
Hybrid precoding design in multiuser large‐scale antenna systems under correlated fading
Authors: Yu Yingying , Zhang Zaichen , Wu Liang , Dang Jian
Published: December 2019

Millimetre wave (mmWave) signal is promising for the challenge of bandwidth shortage and canmotivate the research on large‐scale antenna arrays. In this paper, the authorsinvestigate the hybrid precoding design that combines with a radio frequency(RF) precoder and a digital precoder for multi‐user multiple‐input single‐output(MU‐MISO) systems with large‐scale antenna arrays. In practical large‐scaleantenna array systems, the small antenna spacing and the properties of ascattering environment can create a correlation between channel coefficients forseparated receive units. Such correlation prejudices the performance ofmulti‐user systems. This study proposes two approaches to reduce the channelcorrelation by the hybrid precoding structure. The first approach selects somevectors with the smallest influence with each other from all array responsevectors to design an angular‐based RF precoder. The second approach optimisesthe singular values characteristic of the virtual channel matrix before digitalprocessing for the RF precoder. Then, the MU‐MISO baseband precoding isimplemented by reduced RF chains. Numerical results show that they havedifferent performance depending on the environment. The first can achieve betterperformance when the channel correlation is not too high, while the second ismore effective when the channel realisation is terribly ill‐conditioned, especially for higher signal‐noise ratio (SNR).
Optimal power adaptive decode‐and‐forward cooperative device‐to‐device communication policies
Authors: Sharma Rahul , Bitragunta Sainath
Published: December 2019

Cooperative device‐to‐device (D2D) wireless systems use relays such as amplify‐and‐forward (AaF) and decode‐and‐forward (DaF). The AaF relay is simple to implement but amplifies noise as well. Conventional DaF relay does decoding and acts as a regenerative relay, hence deliver better noise performance. In this study, the authors generalise the cooperative D2D model by designing power adaptive decode‐and‐forward relays. In it, the probabilistically selected relay subject to an average relay transmit power constraint does decoding and jointly adapt its gain and transmit power as a function of the channel gains to the destination link. For the proposed cooperative D2D system model, the authors derive the optimal relaying policies which set relay gains to (i) minimise the fading averaged symbol error rate; (ii) maximise fading averaged spectral efficiency and (iii) maximise fading averaged energy efficiency. Then they present a comprehensive performance analysis of the optimal policies. The mathematical analysis includes derivations of exact expressions and their upper bound expressions. To further extend the FAvSER analysis, they investigate diversity order in an insightful scaling regime. Then they present extensive numerical results to validate the derived analytical expressions and to show that the proposed optimal relaying policies outperform the benchmark policies.
Jamming and anti‐jamming in interference channels: a stochastic game approach
Authors: Noori Hossein , Sadeghi Vilni Saeed
Published: December 2019

This study considers jamming and anti‐jamming in interference channels by way of smart hopping; and differs from the existing research studies that focus on random hopping in dedicated channels. This study additionally differs from the existing works by way of utilising inference and logical reasoning by both the jammer and target‐transmitter to predict the opponent's strategy and choose the most effective counter strategy. The jammer uses a novel strategy to degrade the target‐user's signal‐to‐interference‐plus‐noise‐ratio by directly jamming the target‐transmitter's channel, and forcing other transmitters to shift to the target‐transmitter's channel. Two scenarios are considered for a target transmitter to response: a high transmit‐power target‐user utilises smart channel‐hopping to force low transmit‐power users to concurrently use a channel not hopped by the target‐user to confuse the jammer, and a low transmit‐power target‐user evades the jammer by channel‐hopping. The authors propose two‐controller and single‐controller stochastic games for the first and latter scenarios, respectively, to model interactions with the jammer; and propose a Q‐learning algorithm to obtain smart channel hopping sequences for both the jammer and the target‐transmitter. Simulations show that the proposed anti‐jamming scheme outperforms alternative strategies, including random channel‐hopping and transmit‐power control in reducing the probability of successful jamming.