bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Windowing UWB microwave, mm‐wave multi‐port S‐parameter measurements using open‐ended excess electrical length
Authors: Askari Gholamreza , Kamarei Mahmoud
Published: May 2017

Multi‐port measurements are a big challenge in circuits' verification, especially when the frequency increases. This study presents a new technique for measuring S‐parameters of multi‐port ultra‐wideband (UWB) microwave and mm‐wave circuits. The concepts are based on direct or indirect applying modulated UWB impulse radio in desired bandwidth to the one port of the modified multi‐port circuit and gathering the reflected signal in the same port and the output signal in the second port in time domain, and the other ports are left opened with a special designed added electrical length. Then by applying intelligent windowing in time domain to the gathering data, and using fast Fourier transform, the desired S‐parameters are extracted. Validation of this technique is verified by design and fabrication of a three‐port UWB Wilkinson power divider in 22–30 GHz. The simulation and measurement results of the reflection and transmission S‐parameters by using this new technique are very close to those are extracted with the conventional vector network analysers S‐parameters measurements and show the ability and the accuracy of this technique.
How Are Neonatology Fellows Trained for Antenatal Periviability Counseling?
Authors: Williams David , Carter Brian , Feltman Dalia
Published: May 2017

Background Studies have shown rates of life-sustaining treatments for periviable newborns vary by center, centers' differing periviability approaches affect trainees' views, and formal communication training for neonatology fellows is uncommon. Parents of imperiled newborns report unmet emotional and spiritual needs. This study sought to understand how fellows learn to support parents and their periviable newborns through exposure to institutional clinical approaches and by formal curriculum.

Methods All the U.S. neonatology fellowship program directors were invited to complete an online anonymous survey. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics.

Results In this study, 56 of 98 directors (57%) responded. Training centers differed in delivery room options offered and recommended for periviable newborns. Providing parents written information and neonatology and obstetrics co-counseling were uncommon. Directors reported weaknesses in training fellows to support parents' spiritual and emotional needs, and < 50% reported formal policies for involving social workers or chaplain. Fellows learned periviability counseling in 95% programs by observing attending physicians; however, only 54% directors reported typical joint daytime counseling with fellows and attending physicians.

Conclusion Training programs exposed fellows to different periviability care approaches, identified weaknesses in teaching support provision for parents' needs, and appeared to miss opportunities for clinical modeling of counseling and comfort care provision.
Berufstätigkeit und Rückkehr an den Arbeitsplatz bei stationär-psychiatrisch behandelten Patienten
Authors: Mernyi Lena , Hölzle Patricia , Hamann Johannes
Published: May 2017

Ziel der Studie Untersuchung der Beschäftigungsquote und des Wiedereinstiegs in den Beruf unter stationär-psychiatrisch behandelten Patienten.

Methodik Stichtagsvollerhebung stationär-psychiatrisch behandelter Patienten im Großraum München/Augsburg und anschließende Einzelinterviews.

Ergebnisse 21 % der 815 untersuchten Patienten hatten ein festes Arbeitsverhältnis. Viele Patienten kehrten nicht wieder an ihren Arbeitsplatz zurück.

Schlussfolgerung Patienten sind nach Entlassung gefährdet, aus dem Arbeitsleben auszuscheiden. Deshalb, sollten arbeitsbezogene Belastungsfaktoren in der Behandlung frühzeitig thematisiert werden und Unterstützung beim Wiedereinstiegsprozess gewährleistet werden.
Gruppendiskussionen in der Versorgungsforschung – Teil 1: Einführung und Überlegungen zur Methodenwahl und Planung
Authors: Pohontsch Nadine , Müller Veronika , Brandner Susanne , Karlheim Christoph , Jünger Saskia , Klindtworth Katharina , Stamer Maren , Höfling-Engels Nicole , Kleineke Vera , Brandt Benigna , Xyländer Margret , Patzelt Christiane , Meyer Thorsten
Published: May 2017

Versorgungsforscher_innen beschäftigen sich mit den Akteur_innen, Strukturen und Auswirkungen von Gesundheitsversorgung. Dies umfasst z. B. die Frage, wie soziale Faktoren, Finanzierungssysteme, Organisationsstrukturen, Technologien und persönliche Verhaltensweisen sich auf die Akteure und Ergebnisse des Versorgungsprozesses auswirken. Im Zuge dessen finden auch qualitative Methoden, die das Handeln von Menschen unter ihren jeweiligen Lebensbedingungen und nicht im klinisch-experimentellen Kontext betrachten, Anwendung. Gruppenverfahren gehören dabei zu den grundlegenden Erhebungszugängen der qualitativen Versorgungsforschung. Um die Potenziale von Gruppenverfahren (Gruppendiskussion bzw. Fokusgruppen) innerhalb der Versorgungsforschung sichtbar zu machen, sollen diese im Rahmen von 2 Artikeln in ihren Facetten und bezogen auf die Anwendung in der Versorgungsforschung dargestellt werden. Wir möchten mit diesem ersten Artikel Versorgungsforscher_innen dazu anregen, über bestimmte Fragen zu Wahl und Varianten der Methode sowie zur Planung von Gruppenverfahren nachzudenken, wie z. B. Stichprobenbildung und Gruppenzusammensetzung, aber auch die konkrete Datenerhebung und Aspekte des Datenschutzes. Im (in Vorbereitung befindlichen) Folgeartikel zum Thema Gruppendiskussion wird eine theoretische Betrachtung des Begriffs der ‚Gruppe‘ ebenso im Fokus stehen wie die Moderation, unterschiedliche mögliche Auswertungsverfahren/-strategien und der Bereich der qualitativen Online-Forschung.
Aristolic Acid Derivatives from the Bark of Antidesma ghaesembilla
Authors: Schäfer Sibylle , Schwaiger Stefan , Stuppner Hermann
Published: May 2017

Antidesma ghaesembilla is an important medicinal and food plant in many Asian countries. Ten substances could be isolated from the dichloromethane and methanol extract: sitostenone (3), daucosterol (4), chavibetol (5), asperphenamate (6), protocatechuic acid (7), vanillic acid-4-O-β-D-glucoside (8), 1-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-3-O-methyl-phloroglucinol (9), and aristolic acid II-8-O-β-D-glucoside (10), and two new aristolic acid derivatives, 10-amino-5,7-dimethoxy-aristolic acid II (= 6-amino-9,11-dimethoxyphenanthro[3,4-d]-1,3-dioxole-5-carboxylic acid; 1) and 5,7-dimethoxy-aristolochic acid II (= 9,11-dimethoxy-6-nitrophenantro[3,4-d]-1,3-dioxole-5-carboxylic acid; 2). Exposure to humans of some of these compounds is associated with a severe disease today known as aristolochic acid nephropathy. Therefore, the traditional usage of this plant has to be reconsidered carefully.
Isolation and Structure Characterization of Cytotoxic Phorbol Esters from the Seeds of Croton tiglium
Authors: Du Qizhen , Zhao Yongchun , Liu Hongchun , Tang Chunping , Zhang Minmin , Ke Changqiang , Ye Yang
Published: May 2017

Nine new and eleven known phorbol esters were isolated from an acetone extract of the seeds of Croton tiglium. Their structures were determined by extensive analysis of spectroscopic data. Eleven of these compounds were evaluated for their inhibition activity on human tumor cell lines HL-60 and lung carcinoma A549. 12-O-Tiglylphorbol-13-acetate (11), 12-O-(2-methyl)-butyrylphorbol-13-aetate (12), and 12-O-tiglylphorbol-13-isobutyrate (13) exhibited strong inhibition activity against both HL-60 and A549 cell lines with IC50 values ≤ 0.02 and ≤ 0.1 µg/mL, respectively. Compound 18 showed strong inhibition activity against the HL-60 cell line with an IC50 value of 0.02 µg/mL.
Periodic nonlinear sliding modes for two uniformly magnetized spheres
Authors: Edwards Boyd F. , Edwards John M.
Published: May 2017

A uniformly magnetized sphere slides without friction along the surface of a second, identical sphere that is held fixed in space, subject to the magnetic force and torque of the fixed sphere and the normal force. The free sphere has two stable equilibrium positions and two unstable equilibrium positions. Two small-amplitude oscillatory modes describe the sliding motion of the free sphere near each stable equilibrium, and an unstable oscillatory mode describes the motion near each unstable equilibrium. The three oscillatory modes remain periodic at finite amplitudes, one bifurcating into mixed modes and circumnavigating the free sphere at large energies. For small energies, the free sphere is confined to one of the two discontiguous domains, each surrounding a stable equilibrium position. At large energies, these domains merge and the free sphere may visit both positions. The critical energy at which these domains merge coincides with the cumulation point of an infinite cascade of mixed-mode bifurcations. These findings exploit the equivalence of the force and torque between two uniformly magnetized spheres and the force and torque between two equivalent point dipoles, and offer clues to the rich nonlinear dynamics of this system. Online MagPhyx visualizations illustrate the dynamics.
Observation of Bloch oscillations with a threshold
Authors: Stützer Simon , Solntsev Alexander S. , Nolte Stefan , Sukhorukov Andrey A. , Szameit Alexander
Published: May 2017

We demonstrate experimentally Bloch oscillations, which occur above a certain threshold value of the effective potential gradient in lattices with specially modulated coupling between the neighboring sites. We formulate the general conditions for this phenomenon, arising due to the competition between the tilting and broadening of the transmission band, and explain why no threshold was present in any previous observations. Our experiments are performed in inhomogeneous photonic lattices, which represent the process of quantum two-mode squeezing in Fock space, underpinning a fundamental quantum-classical correspondence.
The enhancement mechanism of glycolic acid on the formation of atmospheric sulfuric acid–ammonia molecular clusters
Authors: Zhang Haijie , Kupiainen-Määttä Oona , Zhang Xiuhui , Molinero Valeria , Zhang Yunhong , Li Zesheng
Published: May 2017

Highly oxidized multifunctional organic molecules, which span a wide range of low volatilities, are capable of driving particle formation as well as the initial growth of particles in the atmosphere. However, their participant mechanism in new particle formation still remains largely ambiguous. Here we present an investigation of the potentially participant mechanism of the simplest hydroxyl acid, glycolic acid (GA) on clusters formation by sulfuric acid (SA) and ammonia (A). Density functional theory calculations at the M062X/6-311++G(3df,3pd) level of theory combining with atmospheric cluster dynamics code simulations of (𝐒𝐀)x⋅𝐀y⋅(𝐆𝐀)z cluster (y≤x + z ≤ 3) systems at different temperatures (298, 278, 258, 238, and 218 K) give direct evidence of the enhancement effect of GA on the formation rates of SA-A-based clusters at high concentration of GA and T = 238 K and 218 K. Moreover, within GA’s enhancement concentrations, the enhancement strength R of GA presents a positive dependence on its atmospheric concentrations and a negative dependence on temperature. A competitive relationship between SA and GA has been identified through the negative dependence of R on the concentrations of SA. The influence of A on R is more complex that R first increases, reaching a maximum value, and then decreases with the increasing concentration of A. Finally, the combination of the traced growth paths of the system with the enhancement strength of GA suggests a “catalytic” enhancement mechanism of GA where GA acts as a mediate bridge for the formation of pure SA-A-based clusters.
Impact of ultra-thin Al2O3–y layers on TiO2–x ReRAM switching characteristics
Authors: Trapatseli Maria , Cortese Simone , Serb Alexander , Khiat Ali , Prodromakis Themistoklis
Published: May 2017

Transition metal-oxide resistive random access memory devices have demonstrated excellent performance in switching speed, versatility of switching and low-power operation. However, this technology still faces challenges like poor cycling endurance, degradation due to high electroforming (EF) switching voltages and low yields. Approaches such as engineering of the active layer by doping or addition of thin oxide buffer layers have been often adopted to tackle these problems. Here, we have followed a strategy that combines the two; we have used ultra-thin Al2O3–y buffer layers incorporated between TiO2–x thin films taking into account both 3+/4+ oxidation states of Al/Ti cations. Our devices were tested by DC and pulsed voltage sweeping and in both cases demonstrated improved switching voltages. We believe that the Al2O3–y layers act as reservoirs of oxygen vacancies which are injected during EF, facilitate a filamentary switching mechanism and provide enhanced filament stability, as shown by the cycling endurance measurements.
Self-similar analysis of fluid flow, heat, and mass transfer at orthogonal nanofluid impingement onto a flat surface
Authors: Avramenko A. A. , Shevchuk I. V. , Abdallah S. , Blinov D. G. , Tyrinov A. I.
Published: May 2017

Momentum, heat, and mass transfer in the vicinity of a stagnation point at uniform impingement of a nanofluid onto a flat plate were investigated. The novelty of the work consists in obtaining self-similar forms for the Hiemenz flow of a nanofluid and the self-similar representation of the velocity, thermal, and diffusion boundary layer equations derived on the basis of symmetry analysis using discrete symmetries. Momentum, energy, and concentration equations in the self-similar form were solved numerically. In frames of this analysis, functional dependence of the physical properties of nanofluids (viscosity, thermal conductivity, and diffusion coefficient) on concentration and temperature profiles was included as a part of the mathematical model, whose form enables including different models for the thermophysical properties of the nanofluid. Also novel are numerical results that revealed the influence of the nanoparticle concentration on the velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles, as well as on the normalized Nusselt numbers and surface friction coefficients illustrated in the form of analytical relations and graphically. The focus was put not only on modeling of heating of a colder wall by a hotter nanofluid but also on cooling of a hotter wall by a colder nanofluid. For the latter case, theoretical results were validated against experimental data available in the literature. Effects of various dimensionless parameters on the Nusselt number and surface friction coefficient were elucidated.
Alignment of a vector magnetometer to an optical prism
Authors: Dietrich M. R. , Bailey K. G. , O’Connor T. P.
Published: May 2017

A method for alignment of a vector magnetometer to a rigidly attached prism is presented. This enables optical comparison of the magnetometer axes to physical surfaces in the apparatus, and thus an absolute determination of the magnetic field direction in space. This is in contrast with more common techniques, which focus on precise determination of the relative angles between magnetometer axes, and so are more suited to measuring differences in the direction of magnetic fields. Here we demonstrate precision better than 500 μrad on a fluxgate magnetometer, which also gives the coil orthogonality errors to a similar precision. The relative sensitivity of the three axes is also determined, with a precision of about 5 × 10−4.
Self-consistent generalized Langevin equation theory of the dynamics of multicomponent atomic liquids
Authors: Lázaro-Lázaro Edilio , Mendoza-Méndez Patricia , Elizondo-Aguilera Luis Fernando , Perera-Burgos Jorge Adrián , Ramírez-González Pedro Ezequiel , Pérez-Ángel Gabriel , Castañeda-Priego Ramón , Medina-Noyola Magdaleno
Published: May 2017

A fundamental challenge of the theory of liquids is to understand the similarities and differences in the macroscopic dynamics of both colloidal and atomic liquids, which originate in the (Newtonian or Brownian) nature of the microscopic motion of their constituents. Starting from the recently discovered long-time dynamic equivalence between a colloidal and an atomic liquid that share the same interparticle pair potential, in this work we develop a self-consistent generalized Langevin equation theory for the dynamics of equilibrium multicomponent atomic liquids, applicable as an approximate but quantitative theory describing the long-time diffusive dynamical properties of simple equilibrium atomic liquids. When complemented with a Gaussian-like approximation, this theory is also able to provide a reasonable representation of the passage from a ballistic to diffusive behavior. We illustrate the applicability of the resulting theory with three particular examples, namely, a monodisperse and a polydisperse monocomponent hard-sphere liquid and a highly size-asymmetric binary hard-sphere mixture. To assess the quantitative accuracy of our results, we perform event-driven molecular dynamics simulations, which corroborate the general features of the theoretical predictions.
Using valence bond methods to estimate intramolecular basis set superposition errors
Authors: Jensen Frank
Published: May 2017

We show that a valence bond type wave function with non-orthogonal orbitals, and enforcing a restriction of which basis functions a given molecular orbital is allowed to be expanded in, can be used to estimate intramolecular basis set superposition errors. The method can be considered as a generalization of the valence bond strictly/extremely localized molecular orbital methods, or as a generalization of the strictly monomer molecular orbital, block-localized wave function, and absolutely localized molecular orbital approaches for intermolecular systems. The method underestimates charge transfer interactions but can be used to estimate the magnitude of basis set superposition errors for relative conformational energies.
Optical properties and charge carrier dynamics of CdTe quantum dots in silicate glasses
Authors: Li Wenke , Zhang Wenchao , Xia Mengling , Liu Chao , Wang Jing
Published: May 2017

CdTe quantum dots (QDs) in silicate glasses were fabricated through conventional melt-quenching and heat-treatment; steady-state and transient optical properties of CdTe QDs were investigated. CdTe QDs with diameters of 2.3–5.9 nm with photoluminescence in the range of 553–768 nm were precipitated in the glasses. Time-resolved photoluminescence and transient absorption analysis showed that photoluminescence of CdTe QDs was composed of intrinsic emission and defect emission. Oxidation of Te2− and formation of Te2 during thermal treatment led to the unpassivated Cd2+ on the surface of CdTe QDs and formation of shallow trapping states. The photo-generated electrons were trapped by the shallow surface states of CdTe QDs within 0.4±0.03 ps, and Auger recombination processes occurred within a timescale of 3.2±0.35 ps. Both intrinsic emission and defect emission with effective lifetimes of several nanoseconds and dozens of nanoseconds were observed.
Foam Au driven by 4ω–2ω ignition laser pulse for inertial confinement fusion
Authors: Lan Ke , Song Peng
Published: May 2017

Green light (2ω) has the potential to drive ignition target for laser fusion with significantly more energy than blue light (3ω) and a relatively higher damage threshold for the optic components in the final optic assembly, but it has issues of a relatively low laser to x-ray conversion efficiency and a hard x-ray spectrum as compared to 3ω. In this paper, we propose to drive a foam hohlraum wall with an ignition laser pulse by taking a 4ω laser at the pre-pulse and a 2ω laser at the main-pulse, called as 4ω–2ω ignition pulse. This novel design has the following advantages: (1) benefiting from 2ω of its relatively high energy output and low damage threshold during main-pulse; (2) benefiting from foam in its relatively high laser to x-ray conversion efficiency and relatively low M-band fraction in re-emission; (3) benefiting from 4ω of its low LPI and low M-band fraction during pre-pulse. From our one-dimensional simulations with the Au material, the laser to x-ray conversion in a foam driven by 4ω–2ω pulse has an increase of 28% as compared to a solid target driven by 3ω with the same pulse shape. The relatively thin optical depth of foam is one of the main reasons for the increase of laser to x-ray conversion efficiency inside a foam target.
Temperature-dependent properties of single long-wavelength InGaAs quantum dots embedded in a strain reducing layer
Authors: Olbrich Fabian , Kettler Jan , Bayerbach Matthias , Paul Matthias , Höschele Jonatan , Portalupi Simone Luca , Jetter Michael , Michler Peter
Published: May 2017

We report on temperature-dependent investigations of single metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy-grown In(Ga)As/GaAs quantum dots at wavelengths above 1 μm. Here, two types of samples are compared, whereas the quantum dots differ in the material composition and are embedded in a strain reducing layer to achieve an emission redshift. The analysis is performed by standard micro-photoluminescence spectroscopy, time-correlated photon counting, and intensity second-order autocorrelation measurements. It is found that the long-wavelength quantum dots experience a high charge carrier confinement (∼200 meV), but the thermal emission of carriers into the barrier or the wetting layer is mainly dominated by the shell spacing of individual dots. Additionally, we demonstrate that the single-dot carrier dynamics is reservoir-dominated. The influence of the strain reducing layers seems to cause this effect, leading to changes in the effective dot filling rate and charge configuration. Single-photon emission is preserved up to 77 K for a sample spectrally reaching the telecom O-band and then allowing for quantum dot single-photon operation at liquid nitrogen temperatures.
Inverse Bremsstrahlung absorption in under-dense plasma with Kappa distributed electrons
Authors: Sharifian M. , Ghoveisi F. , Firouzi Farrashbandi N.
Published: May 2017

Absorption and averaged energy absorption are studied in a plasma system comprising of Kappa distributed electrons. Electrons temperature and Kappa parameter influences on the absorption and the averaged energy absorption. The increase in the electron kappa parameters causes the absorption to increase. Results may be helpful, in understanding the absorption phenomena in laser plasma interaction in the presence of Kappa distributed electrons.
Changes in electron and hole traps in GaN-based light emitting diodes from near-UV to green spectral ranges
Authors: Lee In-Hwan , Polyakov A. Y. , Smirnov N. B. , Zinovyev R. A. , Bae Kang-Bin , Chung Tae-Hoon , Hwang Sung-Min , Baek J. H. , Pearton S. J.
Published: May 2017

Deep electron and hole traps were studied by admittance spectroscopy (AS) and deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) with electrical and optical (ODLTS) injection for GaN-based multi-quantum-well (MQW) light emitting diodes (LEDs) operating in the near-UV (385–390 nm), blue (445 nm), and green (515 nm) spectral regions. AS spectra were dominated by freezing out of Mg acceptors at temperatures around 150 K, by shallow centers in the MQW region, and, for green LEDs, by deeper electron traps with a level near Ec − 0.27 eV located in the MQW region. DLTS spectra showed electron traps with levels Ec − 0.8 eV (NUV), Ec − 0.5 eV (blue), Ec − 0.6 eV (blue and NUV), and Ec − 0.27(green LEDs). In ODLTS, hole traps near Ev + 0.75 eV (NUV), Ev + 0.65 eV (blue), and Ev + 0.45 eV (green LEDs) originating in the quantum well (QW) region were detected (the QW character was confirmed by using excitation light that generated electron-hole pairs only within the QWs). The levels of the electron and hole traps in LED structures differing in the In composition in the QWs were well aligned with respect to the vacuum level.
Fold-change detection and scale invariance of cell–cell signaling in social amoeba
Authors: Kamino Keita , Kondo Yohei , Nakajima Akihiko , Honda-Kitahara Mai , Kaneko Kunihiko , Sawai Satoshi
Published: May 2017

Significance

Recent works have hinted at an ability of cells to respond in the exact same manner to a fold change in the input stimulus. The property is thought to allow cells to function properly regardless of changes in the absolute concentrations of signaling molecules. Despite its general importance, however, evidence has remained scarce. The present work demonstrated that, in the social amoeba
Dictyostelium
, a response to cell–cell communication molecules is fold-change dependent and that this property is tightly linked to the condition that allows them to oscillate collectively, and thus to organize into a multicellular form. Such properties may be of importance for robustness of other developmental systems where oscillatory signaling plays a pivotal role in defining multicellular organization.
Emotions travelling across cultures
Authors: Baicchi Annalisa
Published: May 2017

This article examines the ‘Adjem+PP’ construction in the English-Italian language pair (e.g.,angry at my audacity/arrabbiato per la mia audacia) with the aim of identifying the kinaesthetic embodied schemas that motivate the language of emotions. The analysis of corpus data highlights the interplay between culture and mind, and the cross-linguistic comparison offers some interesting observations that appear to undermine some stereotypes about the way in which emotions are conceived of in the two cultures. Comparative semantics foregrounds the non-diagrammatic rendition in the translation of emotion language and allows for typological hypotheses about cultural cognition and the connection between Talmy’s dichotomy of manner-framed and path-framed languages.
Identity, emotions and cultural differences in English and Polish online comments
Authors: Lewandowska-Tomaszczyk Barbara
Published: May 2017

The focus of the present paper is to examine the extent to which the language used in Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) and online discourse emotional behavior are good predictors of individual and groupcultural typesand their identities. It is argued that theidentity markingCMC interactants develop has to be stronger, more salient, and, possibly less ambiguous than that used in direct conversation and that theemotionality markersthe users apply in their discussion,particularly those engaging negative emotions and reflecting negative judgments, are argued to be used by online discussants for the purpose of increasing the CMC commentators’conversational visibility. The questions of cultural and linguistic divergence between English and Polish emotional communication patterns are the main points discussed. Three sets of corpus materials are used and the research methodology involves both the qualitative analysis of the emotion types as well as a quantitative (frequency) approach, particularly with respect to culture-specific corpus-generated collocation patterns.
‘This silence doesn’t find favor in my eyes’
Authors: Vardi Ruti
Published: May 2017

Examination of the figurative construction [X find favor in Y’s eyes] ([X ffi Y]) in Biblical and Israeli Hebrew reveals semantic and pragmatic differences in its use. In Biblical Hebrew, the construction reflects an ancient cultural conceptualization (Sharifian 2011) ofxen‘favor’ in which it is associated with the eyes of God or humans of high social status. The distribution of [X ffi Y] in this language emphasizes social and cultural hierarchies based on this ancient conceptualization of favor. Although originating from Biblical Hebrew, the use of the construction in Israeli Hebrew does not reflect the ancient conceptualization of xen ‘favor’ that had motivated its emergence. The analysis shows the differences in meaning and pragmatic function of [X ffi Y] in the two language variants, with a focus on contexts of use and the social-cultural identity of participants. This study illustrates the involvement of cultural conceptualization and scenarios in linguistic expression.
“Leave no one behind”
Authors: McEntee-Atalianis Lisa J.
Published: May 2017

In September 2015 the United Nations (UN) adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offering an internationally agreed blueprint for economic, environmental and social development. However those most in need and specifically targeted by the SDGs face significant barriers in accessing information and knowledge about the goals and sustainability in a language or medium that can be understood. Drawing on previous research on the UN’s language policy and practice (McEntee-Atalianis, 2006, 2015, 2016) and analyses of recent UN reports and resolutions on multilingualism, information policy and practice and the SDGs, this article examines the current status of multilingualism and information transfer within the Organisation. Significant linguistic and digital barriers are identified. It is argued that the UN must plan in more linguistically plural and inclusive ways by developing a tri-sectoral communication network strategy involving civil society, public and private sectors in order to facilitate knowledge transfer and participation, thereby ensuring that no one is left behind.
Categorial flexibility as an artefact of the analysis
Authors: Palmer Bill
Published: May 2017

Hoavasaandriahave been analysed as pronouns in some contexts, and articles in others, an apparent case of flexibility in functional categories. However, this analysis depends on an assumption that pronouns are NP head. An alternative analysis employing the Determiner Phrase (DP) demonstrates that in all contextssa/riaoccupy the same syntactic position: DP head. They are always pronouns, alternating with articles in D, an analysis supported by evidence that 1st/2nd pronouns behave in an identical way. This unified analysis gives no grounds for positing membership of separate categories. In contrast, in Standard Fijian (SF) articles and pronouns occupy different syntactic positions: SF pronouns are not in D, but in N. The paper concludes that structures such as DP have considerable descriptive power; pronouns behave variably across Oceanic; and Hoavasa/riaare pronouns in all contexts. Their apparent flexibility was an artefact of earlier analyses, not a feature of the grammar.
Two agreement markers in Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS)
Authors: Krebs Julia , Wilbur Ronnie B. , Roehm Dietmar
Published: May 2017

For many of the sign languages studied to date, different types of agreement markers have been described which express agreement in transitive constructions involving non-inflecting (plain) verbs and sometimes even inflected agreement verbs. Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS) belongs to the group of sign languages employing two different agreement markers (agrm-bc/agrm-mf), which will be described in this paper. In an online questionnaire, we focused on two questions: (i) whether both forms of agreement markers are rated as equally acceptable by Deaf ÖGS-signers and hearing native signers, and (ii) whether there is a preferred syntactic position (pre- vs. postverbal) for these markers. Data analysis confirmed that both agreement markers are accepted by ÖGS-signers and that both agreement markers are slightly preferred in preverbal position. Further, possible origins of both agreement markers are discussed.
Video-Based Electroshocking Platform to Identify Lamprey Ammocoete Habitats: Field Validation and New Discoveries in the Columbia River Basin
Authors: Arntzen Evan V. , Mueller Robert P.
Published: May 2017

A deepwater electroshocking platform (DEP), developed to sample larval lampreys (ammocoetes) and associated habitat in depths up to 15 m, was recently tested in the field. Searches were conducted at a known rearing location (mouth of the Wind River, Washington) and at locations on the Cowlitz River, Washington, where ammocoetes had not previously been found. At the Wind River, video-imaged ammocoetes ranged from 50 to 150 mm in water depths between 1.5 and 4.5 m, and were more common in sediments containing organic silt. Ammocoetes (n = 137) were detected at 61% (summer) and 50% (winter). Following the field verification, the DEP was used on the lower 11.7 km of the Cowlitz River. Ammocoetes (n = 41) were found at 26% specific search locations. Cowlitz River sediment containing ammocoetes was also dominated by silt with organic material, often downstream of alluvial bars in water depths from 0.8 to 1.7 m. Test results indicated the DEP was successful at detecting ammocoetes with little to no impact in relation to other sampling methods. The DEP can also be used to characterize lamprey ammocoete habitats.

Received October 21, 2016; accepted March 17, 2017 Published online May 12, 2017
Age Validation of Brown Trout in Driftless Area Streams in Wisconsin using Otoliths
Authors: Haglund Justin M. , Mitro Matthew G.
Published: May 2017

Accurate age estimation is important for understanding salmonid population dynamics and managing fisheries. In this study, we validated the age of Brown Trout Salmo trutta in four Driftless Area streams of southwestern Wisconsin using otoliths from known-age fish. We tagged and released known age-1 Brown Trout with coded wire tags in spring 2010–2015. Age-1 Brown Trout were identified by length and verified by identifying a single annulus in a subsample of otoliths. Brown Trout were recaptured 1 to 5 years after tagging to extract otoliths for aging and coded wire tags to identify known age. We used three readers to independently estimate age using otoliths for 249 Brown Trout, and we quantified bias and precision. Complete agreement (all readers assigned the same age) was 74%, partial agreement (at least two readers assigned the same age) was 98%, and consensus agreement with known age (all readers agreed on a consensus on age when assigned ages differed) was 93% with a coefficient of variation of 9.4%. Consensus agreement by age varied from 81% for age 3 (n = 31) to 98% for age 1 (n = 132) and 100% for age 5 (n = 6). We conclude that using otoliths is a valid approach for estimating the age of Brown Trout ages 1–5 in productive streams as found in Wisconsin's Driftless Area and that the use of multiple readers and consensus agreement can improve aging accuracy.

Received Feburary 6, 2017; accepted May 5, 2017Published online June 30, 2017
Nucleolar caspase-2: Protecting us from DNA damage
Authors: O’Byrne Kenneth J. , Richard Derek J.
Published: May 2017

Caspase-2 triggers apoptosis, but how it is activated by different stimuli is unclear. In this issue, Ando et al. (2017. J. Cell Biol. https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201608095) delineate two pathways of caspase-2 activation and show that, in response to DNA damage, caspase-2 forms a complex with the PIDDosome and NPM1 within the nucleolus.
On the Stability of the 𝐶^{∞}-Hypoellipticity under Perturbations
Authors: Parenti Cesare , Parmeggiani Alberto
Published: May 2017

We study the problem of perturbations of

C
∞

C^\infty

-hypoelliptic operators by lower order terms. After giving several examples which show many different possibilities, we then prove a stability result which shows that a hypoelliptic linear partial differential operator

P
P

which loses finitely many derivatives and whose formal adjoint

P
∗

P^*

is still hypoelliptic (but with no assumption on the loss of derivatives) remains hypoelliptic with the same loss of derivatives after perturbation by a lower order linear partial differential operator (whose order depends on the loss of derivatives).
Complete spectral sets and numerical range
Authors: Davidson Kenneth , Paulsen Vern , Woerdeman Hugo
Published: May 2017

We define the complete numerical radius norm for homomorphisms from any operator algebra into

B

(

H

)

\mathcal B(\mathcal H)

, and show that this norm can be computed explicitly in terms of the completely bounded norm. This is used to show that if

K
K

is a complete

C
C

-spectral set for an operator

T
T

, then it is a complete

M
M

-numerical radius set, where

M
=

1
2

(
C
+

C

−
1

)

M=\frac 12(C+C^{-1})

. In particular, in view of Crouzeix’s theorem, there is a universal constant

M
M

(less than 5.6) so that if

P
P

is a matrix polynomial and

T
∈

B

(

H

)

T \in \mathcal B(\mathcal H)

, then

w
(
P
(
T
)
)
≤
M
‖
P

‖

W
(
T
)

w(P(T)) \le M \|P\|_{W(T)}

. When

W
(
T
)
=

D

¯

W(T) = \overline {\mathbb D}

, we have

M
=

5
4

M = \frac 54

.
Phosphorylation of NHE3-S719regulates NHE3 activity through the formation of multiple signaling complexes
Authors: Sarker Rafiquel , Cha Boyoung , Kovbasnjuk Olga , Cole Robert , Gabelli Sandra , Tse Chung Ming , Donowitz Mark
Published: May 2017

Casein kinase 2 (CK2) binds to the NHE3 C-terminus and constitutively phosphorylates a downstream site (S719) that accounts for 40% of basal NHE3 activity. The role of CK2 in regulation of NHE3 activity in polarized Caco-2/bbe cells was further examined by mutation of NHE3-S719to A (not phosphorylated) or D (phosphomimetic). NHE3-S719A but not -S719D had multiple changes in NHE3 activity: 1) reduced basal NHE3 activity—specifically, inhibition of the PI3K/AKT-dependent component; 2) reduced acute stimulation of NHE3 activity by LPA/LPA5R stimulation; and 3) reduced acute inhibition of NHE3 activity—specifically, elevated Ca2+related (carbachol/Ca2+ionophore), but there was normal inhibition by forskolin and hyperosmolarity. The S719A mutant had reduced NHE3 complex size, reduced expression in lipid rafts, increased BB mobile fraction, and reduced binding to multiple proteins that bind throughout the NHE3 intracellular C-terminus, including calcineurin homologous protein, the NHERF family and SNX27 (related PDZ domains). These studies show that phosphorylation of the NHE3 at a single amino acid in the distal part of the C-terminus affects multiple aspects of NHE3 complex formation and changes the NHE3 lipid raft distribution, which cause changes in specific aspects of basal as well as acutely stimulated and inhibited Na+/H+exchange activity.
Estimating National-Level Exposure to Antineoplastic Agents in the Workplace: CAREX Canada Findings and Future Research Needs
Authors: Hall Amy L. , Demers Paul A. , Astrakianakis George , Ge Calvin , Peters Cheryl E.
Published: May 2017

Objectives:

Occupational exposure to antineoplastic agents occurs in various environments and is associated with increased cancer risk and adverse reproductive outcomes. National-level information describing the location and extent of occupational exposure to antineoplastic agents is unavailable in Canada and most other countries. CAREX Canada aimed to estimate the prevalence and relative levels of occupational exposures to antineoplastic agents across work setting, occupation, and sex.

Methods:

‘Exposure’ was defined as any potential for worker contact with antineoplastic agents. Baseline numbers of licensed workers were obtained from their respective professional bodies. For unlicensed workers, Census data or data extrapolated from human resources reports (e.g., staffing ratios) were used. Prevalence was estimated by combining population estimates with exposure proportions from peer-reviewed and grey literature. Exposure levels (classified as low, moderate, and high) by occupation and work setting were estimated qualitatively by combining estimates of contact frequency and exposure control practices.

Results:

Approximately 75000 Canadians (0.42% of the total workforce) are estimated as occupationally exposed to antineoplastic agents; over 75% are female. The largest occupational group exposed to antineoplastic agents is community pharmacy workers, with 30200 exposed. By work setting, 39000 workers (52% of all exposed) are located in non-hospital settings; the remaining 48% are exposed in hospitals. The majority (75%) of workers are in the moderate exposure category.

Conclusions:

These estimates of the prevalence and location of occupational exposures to antineoplastic agents could be used to identify high-risk groups, estimate disease burden, and target new research and prevention activities. The limited secondary data available for developing these estimates highlights the need for increased quantitative measurement and documentation of antineoplastic agent contamination and exposure, particularly in work environments where use is emerging.
Chromatin accessibility prediction via convolutional long short-term memory networks withk-mer embedding
Authors: Min Xu , Zeng Wanwen , Chen Ning , Chen Ting , Jiang Rui
Published: May 2017

Motivation

Experimental techniques for measuring chromatin accessibility are expensive and time consuming, appealing for the development of computational approaches to predict open chromatin regions from DNA sequences. Along this direction, existing methods fall into two classes: one based on handcrafted k-mer features and the other based on convolutional neural networks. Although both categories have shown good performance in specific applications thus far, there still lacks a comprehensive framework to integrate useful k-mer co-occurrence information with recent advances in deep learning.

Results

We fill this gap by addressing the problem of chromatin accessibility prediction with a convolutional Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network with k-mer embedding. We first split DNA sequences into k-mers and pre-train k-mer embedding vectors based on the co-occurrence matrix of k-mers by using an unsupervised representation learning approach. We then construct a supervised deep learning architecture comprised of an embedding layer, three convolutional layers and a Bidirectional LSTM (BLSTM) layer for feature learning and classification. We demonstrate that our method gains high-quality fixed-length features from variable-length sequences and consistently outperforms baseline methods. We show that k-mer embedding can effectively enhance model performance by exploring different embedding strategies. We also prove the efficacy of both the convolution and the BLSTM layers by comparing two variations of the network architecture. We confirm the robustness of our model to hyper-parameters by performing sensitivity analysis. We hope our method can eventually reinforce our understanding of employing deep learning in genomic studies and shed light on research regarding mechanisms of chromatin accessibility.

Availability and implementation

The source code can be downloaded from https://github.com/minxueric/ismb2017_lstm.

Supplementary information

Supplementary materials are available at Bioinformatics online.
False discovery rate control incorporating phylogenetic tree increases detection power in microbiome-wide multiple testing
Authors: Xiao Jian , Cao Hongyuan , Chen Jun
Published: May 2017

Motivation

Next generation sequencing technologies have enabled the study of the human microbiome through direct sequencing of microbial DNA, resulting in an enormous amount of microbiome sequencing data. One unique characteristic of microbiome data is the phylogenetic tree that relates all the bacterial species. Closely related bacterial species have a tendency to exhibit a similar relationship with the environment or disease. Thus, incorporating the phylogenetic tree information can potentially improve the detection power for microbiome-wide association studies, where hundreds or thousands of tests are conducted simultaneously to identify bacterial species associated with a phenotype of interest. Despite much progress in multiple testing procedures such as false discovery rate (FDR) control, methods that take into account the phylogenetic tree are largely limited.

Results

We propose a new FDR control procedure that incorporates the prior structure information and apply it to microbiome data. The proposed procedure is based on a hierarchical model, where a structure-based prior distribution is designed to utilize the phylogenetic tree. By borrowing information from neighboring bacterial species, we are able to improve the statistical power of detecting associated bacterial species while controlling the FDR at desired levels. When the phylogenetic tree is mis-specified or non-informative, our procedure achieves a similar power as traditional procedures that do not take into account the tree structure. We demonstrate the performance of our method through extensive simulations and real microbiome datasets. We identified far more alcohol-drinking associated bacterial species than traditional methods.

Availability and implementation

R package StructFDR is available from CRAN.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Percutaneous Interspinous Spacer vs Decompression in Patients with Neurogenic Claudication: An Alternative in Selected Patients?
Authors: Meyer Bernhard , Baranto Adad , Schils Frederic , Collignon Frederic , Zoega Bjorn , Tan Leong , LeHuec Jean-Charles ,   NICE Trial Study Group
Published: May 2017

BACKGROUND

Standalone interspinous process devices (IPDs) to treat degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis with neurogenic intermittent claudication (NIC) have shown ambiguous results in the literature.

OBJECTIVE

To show that a minimally invasive percutaneous IPD is safe and noninferior to standalone decompressive surgery (SDS) for patients with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis with NIC.

METHODS

A multicenter, international, randomized, controlled trial (RCT) was con- ducted. One hundred sixty-three patients, enrolled at 19 sites, were randomized 1:1 to treatment with IPD or SDS and were followed for 24 mo.

RESULTS

There was significant improvement in Zurich Claudication Questionnaire physical function, as mean percentage change from baseline, for both the IPD and the SDS groups at 12 mo (primary endpoint) and 24 mo (−32.3 ± 32.1, −37.5 ± 22.8; and −37.9 ± 21.7%, −35.2 ± 22.8, both P < .001). IPD treatment was not significantly noninferior (margin: 10%) to SDS treatment at 12 mo (P = .172) but was significantly noninferior at 24 mo (P = .005). Symptom severity, patient satisfaction, visual analog scale leg pain, and SF-36 improved in both groups over time. IPD showed lower mean surgical time and mean blood loss (24 ± 11 min and 6 ± 11 mL) compared to SDS (70 ± 39 min and 189 ± 148 mL, both P < .001). Reoperations at index level occurred in 18.2% of the patients in the IPD group and in 9.3% in the SDS group.

CONCLUSION

Confirming 3 recent RCTs, we could show that IPD as well as open decompression achieve similar results in relieving symptoms of NIC in highly selected patients. However, despite some advantages in secondary outcomes, a higher reoperation rate for IPD is confirmed.