bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thin Current Sheets of Sub‐ion Scales observed by MAVEN in the Martian Magnetotail
Authors: Grigorenko E. E. , Zelenyi L. M. , DiBraccio G. , Ermakov V. N. , Shuvalov S. D. , Malova H. V. , Popov V. Y. , Halekas J. S. , Mitchell D. L. , Dubinin E.
Published: June 2019

Current sheets (CSs) play a crucial role in the storage and conversion of magnetic energy in planetary magnetotails. Using high‐resolution magnetic field data from MAVEN spacecraft, we report the existence of super thin current sheets (STCSs) in the Martian magnetotail. The typical half‐thickness of the STCSs is ~5 km, and it is much less than the gyroradius of thermal protons (ρp). The STCSs are embedded into a thicker sheet with L ≥ ρp forming a multiscale current configuration. The formation of STCS does not depend on ion composition, but it is controlled by the small value of the normal component of the magnetic field at the neutral plane (BN). A number of the observed multiscale CSs are located in the parametric map close to the tearing‐unstable domain, and thus, the inner STCS can provide an additional free energy to excite ion tearing mode in the Martian magnetotail.
Larger Increases in More Extreme Local Precipitation Events as Climate Warms
Authors: Li Chao , Zwiers Francis , Zhang Xuebin , Chen Gang , Lu Jian , Li Guilong , Norris Jesse , Tan Yaheng , Sun Ying , Liu Min
Published: June 2019

Climate models project that extreme precipitation events will intensify in proportion to their intensity during the 21st century at large spatial scales. The identification of the causes of this phenomenon nevertheless remains tenuous. Using a large ensemble of North American regional climate simulations, we show that the more rapid intensification of more extreme events also appears as a robust feature at finer regional scales. The larger increases in more extreme events than in less extreme events are found to be primarily due to atmospheric circulation changes. Thermodynamically induced changes have relatively uniform effects across extreme events and regions. In contrast, circulation changes weaken moderate events over western interior regions of North America and enhance them elsewhere. The weakening effect decreases and even reverses for more extreme events, whereas there is further intensification over other parts of North America, creating an “intense gets intenser” pattern over most of the continent.
Peatland Volume Mapping Over Resistive Substrates With Airborne Electromagnetic Technology
Authors: Silvestri Sonia , Christensen Craig W. , Lysdahl Asgeir O. K. , Anschütz Helgard , Pfaffhuber Andreas A. , Viezzoli Andrea
Published: June 2019

Despite the importance of peatlands as carbon reservoirs, a reliable methodology for the detection of peat volumes at regional scale is still missing. In this study we explore for the first time the use of airborne electromagnetic (AEM) to detect and quantify peat thickness and extension of two bogs located in Norway, where peat lays over resistive bedrock. Our results show that when calibrated using a small amount of field measurements, AEM can successfully detect peat volume even in less ideal conditions, that is, relatively resistive peat over resistive substrata. We expect the performance of AEM to increase significantly in presence of a conductive substratum without need of calibration with field data. The organic carbon content retrieved from field surveys and laboratory analyses combined with the 3‐D model of the peat extracted from AEM allowed us to quantify the total organic carbon of the selected bogs, hence assessing the carbon pool.
OSIRIS‐REx Visible and Near‐Infrared Observations of the Moon
Authors: Simon A. A. , Donaldson Hanna K. L. , Drouet d'Aubigny C. Y. , Poggiali G. , Emery J. P. , Brucato J. , Cosentino R. G. , Reuter D. C. , Golish D. R. , DellaGiustina D. N. , Lunsford A. , Gorius N. , Smith P. H. , Lauretta D. S.
Published: June 2019

The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security‐Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS‐REx) mission observed the Moon during the spacecraft's Earth gravity assist in 2017. From the spacecraft view, the lunar phase was 42°, and the in‐view hemisphere was dominated by anorthositic highlands terrain. Lunar spectra obtained by the OSIRIS‐REx Visible and InfraRed Spectrometer show evidence of several candidate absorption features. We observe the 2.8‐μm hydration band, confirming the spectral results from other missions, but detected in full‐disk spectra. We also tentatively identify weak spectral features near 0.9 and 1.3 μm, consistent with lunar regolith containing a mixture of plagioclase and orthopyroxene minerals, as expected for highlands terrain.
Isolation and characterization of a thermophilic sulfur- and iron-reducing thaumarchaeote from a terrestrial acidic hot spring
Authors: Kato Shingo , Itoh Takashi , Yuki Masahiro , Nagamori Mai , Ohnishi Masafumi , Uematsu Katsuyuki , Suzuki Katsuhiko , Takashina Tomonori , Ohkuma Moriya
Published: June 2019

A deep-branching clade of Thaumarchaeota, conventionally called Terrestrial hot spring creanarchaeotic group (THSCG), is a missing link between thaumarchaeotic ammonia oxidizers and the deeper-branching non-ammonia oxidizers, such as Crenarchaeota and Candidatus Korarchaeota. Here, we report isolation of the first cultivated representative from the THSCG, named as NAS-02. Physiological characterization demonstrated that the isolate was a thermoacidophilic, sulfur- and iron-reducing organoheterotroph, which was supported by gene contents encoded in its complete genome. There was no evidence for ammonia oxidation by the isolate. Members in THSCG are likely thermophiles, and may play roles in degrading cell debris as a scavenger and in biogeochemical cycling of sulfur and iron in the hot environments, as suggested by the physiological characteristics of the isolate and the geographical distribution of the 16S rRNA gene sequences of THSCG in terrestrial hot springs and marine hydrothermal fields. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that the THSCG lineage represented by NAS-02 has gained the ability of sulfur reduction via horizontal gene transfer. Based on the phylogeny and physiology, we propose the name Conexivisphaera calidus gen. nov., sp. nov. to accommodate the isolate.
Anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation in candidate phylum ‘Atribacteria’ (JS1) inferred from genomics
Authors: Liu Yi-Fan , Qi Zhen-Zhen , Shou Li-Bin , Liu Jin-Feng , Yang Shi-Zhong , Gu Ji-Dong , Mu Bo-Zhong
Published: June 2019

The hydrocarbon-enriched environments, such as oil reservoirs and oil sands tailings ponds, contain a broad diversity of uncultured microorganisms. Despite being one of the few prokaryotic lineages that is consistently detected in both production water from oil reservoirs and stable hydrocarbon-degrading enrichment cultures originated from oil reservoirs, the physiological and ecological roles of candidate phylum “Atribacteria” (OP9/JS1) are not known in deep subsurface environments. Here, we report the expanded metabolic capabilities of Atribacteria as inferred from genomic reconstructions. Seventeen newly assembled medium-to-high-quality metagenomic assembly genomes (MAGs) were obtained either from co-assembly of two metagenomes from an Alaska North Slope oil reservoir or from previous studies of metagenomes coming from different environments. These MAGs comprise three currently known genus-level lineages and four novel genus-level groups of OP9 and JS1, which expands the genomic coverage of the major lineages within the candidate phylum Atribacteria. Genes involved in anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation were found in seven MAGs associated with hydrocarbon-enriched environments, and suggest that some Atribacteria could ferment short-chain n-alkanes into fatty acid while conserving energy. This study expands predicted metabolic capabilities of Atribacteria (JS1) and suggests that they are mediating a key role in subsurface carbon cycling.
Aβ oligomers promote oligodendrocyte differentiation and maturation via integrin β1 and Fyn kinase signaling
Authors: Quintela-López Tania , Ortiz-Sanz Carolina , Serrano-Regal Mari Paz , Gaminde-Blasco Adhara , Valero Jorge , Baleriola Jimena , Sánchez-Gómez Maria Victoria , Matute Carlos , Alberdi Elena
Published: June 2019

Alzheimer´s disease (AD) is characterized by a progressive cognitive decline that correlates with the levels of amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) oligomers. Strong evidences connect changes of oligodendrocyte function with the onset of neurodegeneration in AD. However, the mechanisms controlling oligodendrocyte responses to Aβ are still elusive. Here, we tested the role of Aβ in oligodendrocyte differentiation, maturation, and survival in isolated oligodendrocytes and in organotypic cerebellar slices. We found that Aβ peptides specifically induced local translation of 18.5-kDa myelin basic protein (MBP) isoform in distal cell processes concomitant with an increase of process complexity of MBP-expressing oligodendrocytes. Aβ oligomers required integrin β1 receptor, Src-family kinase Fyn and Ca2+/CaMKII as effectors to modulate MBP protein expression. The pharmacological inhibition of Fyn kinase also attenuated oligodendrocyte differentiation and survival induced by Aβ oligomers. Similarly, using ex vivo organotypic cerebellar slices Aβ promoted MBP upregulation through Fyn kinase, and modulated oligodendrocyte population dynamics by inducing cell proliferation and differentiation. Importantly, application of Aβ to cerebellar organotypic slices enhanced remyelination and oligodendrocyte lineage recovery in lysolecithin (LPC)-induced demyelination. These data reveal an important role of Aβ in oligodendrocyte lineage function and maturation, which may be relevant to AD pathogenesis.
Aberrant NFATc1 signaling counteracts TGFβ-mediated growth arrest and apoptosis induction in pancreatic cancer progression
Authors: Hasselluhn Marie C. , Schmidt Geske E. , Ellenrieder Volker , Johnsen Steven A. , Hessmann Elisabeth
Published: June 2019

Given its aggressive tumor biology and its exceptional therapy resistance, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a major challenge in cancer medicine and is characterized by a 5-year survival rate of <8%. At the cellular level, PDAC is largely driven by the activation of signaling pathways that eventually converge in altered, tumor-promoting transcription programs. In this study, we sought to determine the interplay between transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) signaling and activation of the inflammatory transcription factor nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFATc1) in the regulation of transcriptional programs throughout PDAC progression. Genome-wide transcriptome analysis and functional studies performed in primary PDAC cells and transgenic mice linked nuclear NFATc1 expression with pro-proliferative and anti-apoptotic gene signatures. Consistently, NFATc1 depletion resulted in downregulation of target genes associated with poor PDAC outcome and delayed pancreatic carcinogenesis in vivo. In contrast to previous reports and consistent with a concept of retained tumor suppressive TGFβ activity, even in established PDAC, TGFβ treatment reduced PDAC cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis even in the presence of oncogenic NFATc1. However, combined TGFβ treatment and NFATc1 depletion resulted in a tremendous abrogation of tumor-promoting gene signatures and functions. Chromatin studies implied that TGFβ-dependent regulators compete with NFATc1 for the transcriptional control of jointly regulated target genes associated with an unfavorable PDAC prognosis. Together, our findings suggest opposing consequences of TGFβ and NFATc1 activity in the regulation of pro-tumorigenic transcription programs in PDAC and emphasize the strong context-dependency of key transcription programs in the progression of this devastating disease.
The alteration of RhoA geranylgeranylation and Ras farnesylation breaks the integrity of the blood–testis barrier and results in hypospermatogenesis
Authors: Zhu Ruilou , Wang Jiangnan , Feng Tianxiang , Hu Xuechun , Jiang Chen , Wang Xiuxing , Li Kang , Sang Yongjuan , Hua Yue , Sun Haixiang , Yao Bing , Li Chaojun
Published: June 2019

Non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) severely affects male infertility, however, the deep mechanisms of this disease are rarely interpreted. In this study, we find that undifferentiated spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) still exist in the basal compartment of the seminiferous tubules and the blood–testis barrier (BTB) formed by the interaction of neighbor Sertoli cells (SCs) is incomplete in NOA patients with spermatogenic maturation arrest. The adhesions between SCs and germ cells (GCs) are also broken in NOA patients. Meanwhile, the expression level of geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase (Ggpps), a key enzyme in mevalonate metabolic pathway, is lower in NOA patients than that in obstructive azoospermia (OA) patients. After Ggpps deletion specifically in SCs, the mice are infertile and the phenotype of the SC-Ggpps−/− mice is similar to the NOA patients, where the BTB and the SC–GC adhesions are severely destroyed. Although SSCs are still found in the basal compartment of the seminiferous tubules, fewer mature spermatocyte and spermatid are found in SC-Ggpps−/− mice. Further examination suggests that the defect is mediated by the aberrant protein isoprenylation of RhoA and Ras family after Ggpps deletion. The exciting finding is that when the knockout mice are injected with berberine, the abnormal cell adhesions are ameliorated and spermatogenesis is partially restored. Our data suggest that the reconstruction of disrupted BTB is an effective treatment strategy for NOA patients with spermatogenic maturation arrest and hypospermatogenesis.
Emerging photoluminescence from the dark-exciton phonon replica in monolayer WSe2
Authors: Li Zhipeng , Wang Tianmeng , Jin Chenhao , Lu Zhengguang , Lian Zhen , Meng Yuze , Blei Mark , Gao Shiyuan , Taniguchi Takashi , Watanabe Kenji , Ren Tianhui , Tongay Sefaattin , Yang Li , Smirnov Dmitry , Cao Ting , Shi Su-Fei
Published: June 2019

Tungsten-based monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides host a long-lived “dark” exciton, an electron-hole pair in a spin-triplet configuration. The long lifetime and unique spin properties of the dark exciton provide exciting opportunities to explore light-matter interactions beyond electric dipole transitions. Here we demonstrate that the coupling of the dark exciton and an optically silent chiral phonon enables the intrinsic photoluminescence of the dark-exciton replica in monolayer WSe2. Gate and magnetic-field dependent PL measurements unveil a circularly-polarized replica peak located below the dark exciton by 21.6 meV, equal to E″ phonon energy from Se vibrations. First-principles calculations show that the exciton-phonon interaction selectively couples the spin-forbidden dark exciton to the intravalley spin-allowed bright exciton, permitting the simultaneous emission of a chiral phonon and a circularly-polarized photon. Our discovery and understanding of the phonon replica reveals a chirality dictated emission channel of the phonons and photons, unveiling a new route of manipulating valley-spin.
The observation of vibrating pear-shapes in radon nuclei
Authors: Butler P. A. , Gaffney L. P. , Spagnoletti P. , Konki J. , Scheck M. , Smith J. F. , Abrahams K. , Bowry M. , Cederkäll J. , Chupp T. , de Angelis G. , De Witte H. , Garrett P. E. , Goldkuhle A. , Henrich C. , Illana A. , Johnston K. , Joss D. T. , Keatings J. M. , Kelly N. A. , Komorowska M. , Kröll T. , Lozano M. , Nara Singh B. S. , O’Donnell D. , Ojala J. , Page R. D. , Pedersen L. G. , Raison C. , Reiter P. , Rodriguez J. A. , Rosiak D. , Rothe S. , Shneidman T. M. , Siebeck B. , Seidlitz M. , Sinclair J. , Stryjczyk M. , Van Duppen P. , Vinals S. , Virtanen V. , Warr N. , Wrzosek-Lipska K. , Zielinska M.
Published: June 2019

There is a large body of evidence that atomic nuclei can undergo octupole distortion and assume the shape of a pear. This phenomenon is important for measurements of electric-dipole moments of atoms, which would indicate CP violation and hence probe physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. Isotopes of both radon and radium have been identified as candidates for such measurements. Here, we observed the low-lying quantum states in 224Rn and 226Rn by accelerating beams of these radioactive nuclei. We show that radon isotopes undergo octupole vibrations but do not possess static pear-shapes in their ground states. We conclude that radon atoms provide less favourable conditions for the enhancement of a measurable atomic electric-dipole moment.
Publisher Correction: RdDM-independent de novo and heterochromatin DNA methylation by plant CMT and DNMT3 orthologs
Authors: Yaari Rafael , Katz Aviva , Domb Katherine , Harris Keith D. , Zemach Assaf , Ohad Nir
Published: June 2019

The original version of this Article contained an error in Fig. 5, in which the evolutionary origin of DRM2 was incorrectly placed prior to the divergence between gymnosperms and angiosperms . The correct evolutionary origin of DRM2 should be in angiosperms. In addition, in the “Percent methylation change” section of the Methods, Equation 1 was incorrect. This has been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper
Glutamate induces synthesis of thrombogenic peptides and extracellular vesicle release from human platelets
Authors: Gautam Deepa , Tiwari Arundhati , Nath Chaurasia Rameshwar , Dash Debabrata
Published: June 2019

Platelets are highly sensitive blood cells, which play central role in hemostasis and thrombosis. Platelet dense granules carry considerable amount of neurotransmitter glutamate that is exocytosed upon cell activation. As platelets also express glutamate receptors on their surface, it is pertinent to ask whether exposure to glutamate would affect their signalling within a growing thrombus. In this study we demonstrate that, glutamate per se induced synthesis of thrombogenic peptides, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and hypoxia-inducible factor-2α, from pre-existing mRNAs in enucleate platelets, stimulated cytosolic calcium entry, upregulated RhoA-ROCK-myosin light chain/myosin light chain phosphatase axis, and elicited extensive shedding of extracellular vesicles from platelets. Glutamate, too, incited platelet spreading and adhesion on to immobilized matrix under arterial shear, raised mitochondrial transmembrane potential associated with generation of reactive oxygen species and induced activation of AMP-activated protein kinase in platelets. Taken together, glutamate switches human platelets to pro-activation phenotype mediated mostly through AMPA receptors and thus targeting glutamate receptors may be a promising anti-platelet strategy.
IGF signalling and endocytosis in the human villous placenta in early pregnancy as revealed by comparing quantum dot conjugates with a soluble ligand
Authors: Karolczak-Bayatti Magdalena , Forbes Karen , Horn James , Teesalu Tambet , Harris Lynda K. , Westwood Melissa , Aplin John D.
Published: June 2019

A complex combination of trafficking and signaling occurs at the surface of the placenta. We explain how signals from maternal growth factors may be transmitted to deeper cell layers.
Effect of foamability on pool boiling critical heat flux with nanofluids
Authors: Raza Md. Qaisar , Kumar Nirbhay , Raj Rishi
Published: June 2019

Foaming due to the presence of stabilizing agents such as surfactants deteriorates the critical heat flux (CHF) during boiling of nanofluids. A master curve is developed to demonstrate an inverse relation between CHF and the foamability.
Monitoring the evolution of local oxygen environments during LiCoO2 charging via ex situ17O NMR
Authors: Geng Fushan , Shen Ming , Hu Bei , Liu Yufeng , Zeng Lecheng , Hu Bingwen
Published: June 2019

A LixCoO2 phase diagram based on NMR results in reference to different phase regions derived from the dV/dx vs. x plot.
Probing the guest-binding preference of three structurally similar and conformationally adaptive macrocycles
Authors: Chai Hongxin , Pan Zhi-Sheng , Yang Liu-Pan , He Shan , Pan Fangfang , Rissanen Kari , Jiang Wei
Published: June 2019

A hybrid macrocycle was synthesized by combining the features of oxatub[4]arene and zorb[4]arene. Three macrocycles show different guest-binding preferences, even in a complex mixture.
Single-molecule counting of oxidative DNA damage in telomeres from cancer cells
Authors: Zhang Yan , Hua Ruo-nan , Xiang Dongxue , Zhang Chun-yang
Published: June 2019

We demonstrate for the first time the single-molecule counting of oxidative DNA damage in telomeres from cancer cells.
Highlights from Faraday Discussion 300: hot electron science and microscopic processes in plasmonics and catalysis, London, UK, February 2019
Authors: Zaleska Anastasia , Glass Daniel
Published: June 2019

The 300th Faraday discussion on hot electron processes in plasmonics and catalysis brought together a wide spectrum of delegates from across the globe. In this paper we present a brief overview of the themes and topics presented at this meeting, highlighting the major findings of each presentation.
One-pot co-condensation strategy for dendritic mesoporous organosilica nanospheres with fine size and morphology control
Authors: Shan Bing-Qian , Xing Jun-Ling , Yang Tai-Qun , Peng Bo , Hao Pan , Zong Yu-Xin , Chen Xin-Qing , Xue Qing-Song , Zhang Kun , Wu Peng
Published: June 2019

A one-pot co-condensation strategy was developed for dendritic mesoporous organosilica nanospheres with fine size and morphology control.
In-gap state generated by La-on-Sr substitutional defects within the bulk of SrTiO3
Authors: Aiura Yoshihiro , Ozawa Kenichi , Tezuka Yasuhisa , Minohara Makoto , Samizo Akane , Bando Kyoko , Kumigashira Hiroshi , Mase Kazuhiko
Published: June 2019

La-on-Sr substitution defects in SrTiO3 generate electrons and simultaneously cause local distortion in the conduction pathway.
Correction: Sub-Doppler infrared spectroscopy of resonance-stabilized hydrocarbon intermediates: ν3/ν4 CH stretch modes and CH2 internal rotor dynamics of benzyl radical
Authors: Kortyna A. , Samin A. J. , Miller T. A. , Nesbitt D. J.
Published: June 2019

Correction for ‘Sub-Doppler infrared spectroscopy of resonance-stabilized hydrocarbon intermediates: ν3/ν4 CH stretch modes and CH2 internal rotor dynamics of benzyl radical’ by A. Kortyna et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2017, 19, 29812–29821.
The Fischer–Tropsch synthesis performance over cobalt supported on silicon-based materials: the effect of thermal conductivity of the support
Authors: Zhong Min , Guo Yuanyuan , Wang Jungang , Ma Zhancheng , Xia Ming , Chen Congbiao , Jia Litao , Hou Bo , Li Debao
Published: June 2019

The effect of thermal conductivity of support on the catalytic performance of supported Co-based Fischer–Tropsch catalysts is investigated.
Synthesis of an efficient lanthanide doped glass-ceramic based near-infrared photocatalyst by a completely waterless solid-state reaction method
Authors: Li Guobiao , Huang Shouqiang , Shen Yanwen , Lou Ziyang , Yuan Haiping , Zhu Nanwen , Wei Yancen
Published: June 2019

A novel efficient near-infrared photocatalyst of glass-ceramic/TiO2 was synthesized by a completely waterless solid-state reaction method, with optically active center CaF2 in glass-ceramic powders and anatase-TiO2 as the superficial coating.
Exploring the reactive chemistry of FOX-7: synthesis of cyclic triazinane-based energetic materials featuring the FOX-7 backbone
Authors: Yan Chao , Cheng Guangbin , Wang Kangcai , Liu Tianlin , Jin Yunhe , Yang Hongwei , Zhang Qinghua
Published: June 2019

Unexpected derivatization reaction of FOX-7 affords three cyclic triazinane-based energetic compounds featuring the FOX-7 backbone, which enriches the exciting reactive chemistry of FOX-7.
Interface dipoles of Ir(ppy)3on Cu(111)
Authors: Queck Fabian , Albrecht Florian , Mutombo Pingo , Krejci Ondrej , Jelínek Pavel , McLean Alastair , Repp Jascha
Published: June 2019

The interplay of adsorption geometry and interface dipoles of the transition-metal complex Ir(ppy)3on Cu(111) was studied using low-temperature scanning probe microscopy and density-functional-theory calculations.
Ferroelastic lattice rotation and band-gap engineering in quasi 2D layered-structure PdSe2under uniaxial stress
Authors: Lei Wen , Cai Bo , Zhou Huanfu , Heymann Gunter , Tang Xin , Zhang Shengli , Ming Xing
Published: June 2019

The quasi 2D layered-structure PdSe2is predicted to be an intrinsic ferroelastic material with a stress-driven 90° lattice rotation, which is a promising material for perspective applications in microelectromechanical and nanoelectronic device.
Phosphorus-doped graphene nanosheets anchored with cerium oxide nanocrystals as effective sulfur hosts for high performance lithium–sulfur batteries
Authors: Kim Myungjin , Lee Jeongyeon , Jeon Youngmoo , Piao Yuanzhe
Published: June 2019

Phosphorus-doped graphene nanosheets anchored with well-dispersed cerium oxide nanocrystals are used as efficient sulfur hosts for lithium–sulfur batteries.
Highly efficient and ultra-narrow bandwidth orange emissive carbon dots for microcavity lasers
Authors: Han Zhixia , Ni Yiqun , Ren Junkai , Zhang Wenfei , Wang Yunfeng , Xie Zheng , Zhou Shuyun , Yu Siu Fung
Published: June 2019

Orange emissive carbon dots with 82% PL quantum yield and 30 nm full width at half maximum are utilized as a laser gain medium to realize whispering gallery mode solid state lasers for the first time.
Polymeric raspberry-like particles via template-assisted polymerisation
Authors: Lan Yang , Liu Ji , Eiser Erika , Scherman Oren A.
Published: June 2019

Functional monodisperse raspberry-like colloids are fabricated via template-assisted polymerisation, leading to optical materials with high dispersion stability in an aqueous environment.
The emerging applications of click chemistry reactions in the modification of industrial polymers
Authors: Arslan Mehmet , Acik Gokhan , Tasdelen Mehmet Atilla
Published: June 2019

Click chemistry reactions have been applied to the modification of major industrial polymers by analysing the synthetic approaches and the resulting material properties.
Bio-based building blocks from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural via 1-hydroxyhexane-2,5-dione as intermediate
Authors: Wozniak Bartosz , Tin Sergey , de Vries Johannes G.
Published: June 2019

1-Hydroxy-2,5-hexanedione, obtained in good yield from renewable 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, is a versatile building block for a variety of new compounds.
LncRNA PTCSC3 inhibits cell proliferation in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma by down-regulating lncRNA HOTAIR
Authors: Xiao Dong , Cui Xiangyan , Wang Xin
Published: June 2019

It is known that lncRNA PTCSC3 inhibits thyroid cancer and glioma and STAT3 promotes cancer development. We, in the present study, investigated the potential involvement of PTCSC3 in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) and explored its interactions with STAT3. In the present study, we showed that plasma PTCSC3 was down-regulated in early stage LSCC patients, and the down-regulation of PTCSC3 separated in early stage LSCC patients from control group. LncRNA HOTAIR was up-regulated in early stage LSCC patients and was significantly and inversely correlated with PTCSC3 in LSCC patients. PTCSC3 overexpression led to the inhibition of HOTAIR, while PTCSC3 expression was not significantly affected by HOTAIR overexpression. PTCSC3 overexpression mediated the inhibited, while HOTAIR overexpression mediated the promoted proliferation of LSCC cells. However, cell invasion and migration were not significantly affected by PTCSC3 overexpression. In addition, HOTAIR overexpression reduced the inhibitory effects of PTCSC3 overexpression on cancer cell proliferation. Moreover, PTCSC3 overexpression mediated the down-regulation of STAT3 and STAT3 overexpression mediated the up-regulation of HOTAIR. Therefore, PTCSC3 may negatively interact with HOTAIR through STAT3 to inhibit LSCC cell proliferation.
MiR-876-5p regulates gastric cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis and migration through targeting WNT5A and MITF
Authors: Xu Zhenglei , Yu Zhichao , Tan Qinghong , Wei Cheng , Tang Qi , Wang Lisheng , Hong Yingcai
Published: June 2019

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are reported to play critical roles in various cancers. Recently, mounting miRNAs are found to exert oncogenic or tumor inhibitory role in gastric cancer (GC), however, their potential molecular mechanism in GC remains ill-defined. Currently, we aimed to elucidate the functional and mechanistic impacts of a novel miRNA on GC cellular process. The significant down-regulation of miR-876-5p in GC cells attracted our attention. In function, we performed gain-of-function assays and found that miR-876-5p overexpression repressed proliferative, anti-apoptotic and migratory abilities and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of GC cells. By applying bioinformatics prediction and mechanism experiments, we verified that miR-876-5p could double-bind to the 3′ untranslated regions (3′UTRs) of Wnt family member 5A (WNT5A) and melanogenesis associated transcription factor (MITF), thus regulating their mRNA and protein levels. Both WNT5A and MITF were highly expressed in GC cells. Additionally, we conducted loss-of-function assays and confirmed the oncogenic roles of WNT5A and MITF in GC. Finally, rescue assay uncovered a fact that miR-876-5p suppressed GC cell viability and migration, but induced cell apoptosis via targeting WNT5A and MITF. Taken together, we might offer a valuable evidence for miR-876-5p role in GC development.
Association of functional variant in GDF1 promoter with risk of congenital heart disease and its regulation by Nkx2.5
Authors: Gao Xiaobo , Zheng Panpan , Yang Liping , Luo Haiyan , Zhang Chen , Qiu Yongqiang , Huang Guoying , Sheng Wei , Ma Xu , Lu Cailing
Published: June 2019

GDF1 plays an important role in left–right patterning and genetic mutations in the coding region of GDF1 are associated with congenital heart disease (CHD). However, the genetic variation in the promoter of GDF1 with sporadic CHD and its expression regulation is little known. The association of the genetic variation in GDF1 promoter with CHD was examined in two case–control studies, including 1084 cases and 1198 controls in the first study and 582 cases and 615 controls in the second study. We identified one single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs181317402 and two novel genetic mutations located in the promoter region of GDF1. Analysis of combined samples revealed a significant association in genotype and allele frequencies of rs181317402 T/G polymorphism between CHD cases in overall or ventricular septal defects or Tetralogy of Fallot and the control group. rs181317402 allele G polymorphism was significantly associated with a decreased risk of CHD. Furthermore, luciferase assay, chromatin immunoprecipitation and DNA pulldown assay indicated that Nkx2.5 transactivated the expression of GDF1 by binding to the promoter of GDF1. Luciferase activity assay showed that rs181317402 allele G significantly increased the basal and Nkx2.5-mediated activity of GDF1 promoter, while the two genetic mutations had the opposite effect. rs181317402 TG genotype was associated with significantly increased mRNA level of GDF1 compared with TT genotype in 18 CHD individuals. Our results demonstrate for the first time that Nkx2.5 acts upstream of GDF1 and the genetic variants in GDF1 promoter may confer genetic susceptibility to sporadic CHD potentially by altering its expression.
Read, Understand, Learn, & Excel: Development and Testing of an Automated Reading Strategy Detection Algorithm for Postsecondary Students
Authors: Kucheria Priya , Sohlberg McKay Moore , Prideaux Jason , Fickas Stephen
Published: June 2019

Purpose

An important predictor of postsecondary academic success is an individual's reading comprehension skills. Postsecondary readers apply a wide range of behavioral strategies to process text for learning purposes. Currently, no tools exist to detect a reader's use of strategies. The primary aim of this study was to develop Read, Understand, Learn, & Excel, an automated tool designed to detect reading strategy use and explore its accuracy in detecting strategies when students read digital, expository text.

Method

An iterative design was used to develop the computer algorithm for detecting 9 reading strategies. Twelve undergraduate students read 2 expository texts that were equated for length and complexity. A human observer documented the strategies employed by each reader, whereas the computer used digital sequences to detect the same strategies. Data were then coded and analyzed to determine agreement between the 2 sources of strategy detection (i.e., the computer and the observer).

Results

Agreement between the computer- and human-coded strategies was 75% or higher for 6 out of the 9 strategies. Only 3 out of the 9 strategies–previewing content, evaluating amount of remaining text, and periodic review and/or iterative summarizing–had less than 60% agreement.

Conclusion

Read, Understand, Learn, & Excel provides proof of concept that a reader's approach to engaging with academic text can be objectively and automatically captured. Clinical implications and suggestions to improve the sensitivity of the code are discussed.

Supplemental Material

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.8204786
Effects of a Cycling Dual Task on Emotional Word Choice in Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Hazamy Audrey A. , Horne Sara A. , Okun Michael S. , Hass Chris J. , Altmann Lori J. P.
Published: June 2019

Purpose

Individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) demonstrate language- and emotion-related impairments; however, emotional language production has received little attention within the literature despite the fact that deficits could significantly impact one's daily interactions with loved ones and others. Multitasking (i.e., dual tasking), specifically while completing language tasks, is a common everyday occurrence and typically impacts performance on 1 or both tasks. This study compared emotional word use during discourse production in individuals with PD and healthy older adults (HOAs) under single- and dual-task conditions.

Method

Participants completed a discourse task while sitting in a quiet room and while stationary cycling. Discourse output was analyzed along several emotional and intellectual language dimensions obtained from the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count program (Pennebaker, Booth, & Francis,2007).

Results

Groups did not differ on any outcome measure in the single-task condition. However, HOAs produced a higher percentage of words associated with affective processes and positive emotion while completing the dual-task condition, whereas the PD group exhibited a decrease in production of these words. Compared to the single-task condition, during cycling, individuals with PD also produced a lower percentage of inhibition-related words.

Conclusions

These results suggest that cycling, like other types of exercise, improves mood as manifested in discourse word choice in HOAs; however, it may lead to reduced use of emotional words in individuals with PD. Expressing emotion may also be more difficult in those with PD than in HOAs and, therefore, easily disrupted in distracting circumstances.
Automating Error Frequency Analysis via the Phonemic Edit Distance Ratio
Authors: Smith Michael , Cunningham Kevin T. , Haley Katarina L.
Published: June 2019

Purpose

Many communication disorders result in speech sound errors that listeners perceive as phonemic errors. Unfortunately, manual methods for calculating phonemic error frequency are prohibitively time consuming to use in large-scale research and busy clinical settings. The purpose of this study was to validate an automated analysis based on a string metric—the unweighted Levenshtein edit distance—to express phonemic error frequency after left hemisphere stroke.

Method

Audio-recorded speech samples from 65 speakers who repeated single words after a clinician were transcribed phonetically. By comparing these transcriptions to the target, we calculated the percent segments with a combination of phonemic substitutions, additions, and omissions and derived the phonemic edit distance ratio, which theoretically corresponds to percent segments with these phonemic errors.

Results

Convergent validity between the manually calculated error frequency and the automated edit distance ratio was excellent, as demonstrated by nearly perfect correlations and negligible mean differences. The results were replicated across 2 speech samples and 2 computation applications.

Conclusions

The phonemic edit distance ratio is well suited to estimate phonemic error rate and proves itself for immediate application to research and clinical practice. It can be calculated from any paired strings of transcription symbols and requires no additional steps, algorithms, or judgment concerning alignment between target and production. We recommend it as a valid, simple, and efficient substitute for manual calculation of error frequency.
OS‐ELM‐based visual and inertial indoor localisation method with adaptive matching step
Authors: Xu Yan , Li Ningning , Zhang Jiahe
Published: June 2019

Indoor localisation has been a hot research topic because of its importance for location‐based services. The proposed method takes affine transformation matrices and inertial information as input vectors to online sequential extreme learning machine (OS‐ELM) and outputs relative translation between the two matching frames. The universal approximation capability and extreme learning speed of OS‐ELM enable the proposed method to adapt to several matching steps and reduce the localisation error to a low scale. Fuzzy multi‐objective decision making and corner detection are also used to improve the final result. Experimental results validate that the proposed method can provide a good localisation accuracy and improve the efficiency of localisation.
Online sensorless fault diagnosis and remediation strategies selection of transistors for power converter in SRD
Authors: Xu Shuai , Chen Hao , Dong Feng , Cui Sihang
Published: June 2019

The fault diagnosis methods and remediation strategies (RSs) are critical for high‐reliability operation of power converters in switched reluctance motor drive (SRD). This study presents an online sensorless fault diagnosis method and effectively selects the RSs from the reliability view. To begin with, the equations of neutral voltage are derived for each phase leg in popular asymmetric half‐bridge converter under normal and faulty operation conditions. Next, the diagnosis criterion is proposed with the combination of drive signals and neutral voltage signatures. Besides, the low‐cost circuits are designed to save the diagnosis cost, especially for the control strategies without any current or voltage sensor. Moreover, the diagnosis time can be decreased to 7 µs and not affected by the speed, load torque, control strategies and topologies. Moreover, the proposed method can also identify the multiple faults of transistors. In addition, to further enhance the reliability of power converter and then for SRD, the reliability‐oriented selection of RSs is carried out by means of the dynamic Markov model. Finally, the experiments of fault diagnosis and thermal stress measurement are conducted to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed diagnosis method and RSs selection.
FD‐based detector for medical image watermarking
Authors: Kumar Sumit , Jha Rajib Kumar
Published: June 2019

In this study, the authors propose a novel technique for medical image watermark detection using the concept of the fractional differentiator (FD). The feature of FD as a non‐linear high‐pass filter helps in watermark detection. In the region of non‐interest, the watermark image has been added in a mid‐band frequency range of the discrete cosine transform coefficients of different blocks by generating direct spread spectrum sequence. Their scheme produces noise‐free watermarked medical images. Furthermore, they derive the test statistics of the proposed detector, which is characterised by the fractional order q. The average errors in pixels (PEs), peak‐signal‐to‐noise ratio (PSNR), structural similarity index (SSIM) and cross‐correlation coefficient (CC) have been used to quantify the capability of the proposed technique over some state‐of‐the‐art techniques. The proposed technique shows that at a particular value of fractional order q, there is a significant reduction in average PEs. It causes an increment in PSNR, SSIM and CC. The proposed technique is tested on a large number of medical images and it is found that their proposed technique works better or comparable with other state‐of‐the‐art techniques.
Interest point detection method based on multi‐scale Gabor filters
Authors: Zhao Zhuo , Li Bing , Chen Lei , Xin Meiting , Gao Fei , Zhao Qiang
Published: June 2019

In this study, a novel interest point detection algorithm which combines image intensity variation and edge contour information is proposed. Firstly, the Canny edge contour detector is used to extract the edge map. Secondly, the imaginary parts of multi‐scale Gabor filters are applied to smooth input image and then the normalised information entropies at various scales can be acquired. Finally, multiplication of different normalised information entropies will be served as a new measure for interest point that can also be used for interest point detection. This method has two advantages: on the one hand, detection accuracy is greatly improved because combination information is adopted to extract interest points including contour shape information, grey variation of edge pixels and their neighbours; on the other hand, non‐interest points can be well inhabited due to multi‐scale product in detector is served as an interest point measure. Also, desirable noise robustness and time efficiency are validated through experiments. Compared with four other state‐of‐art methods, the proposed method shows excellent performance in terms of geometric transformations and localisation accuracy of repeated interest points.
Automatic and optimal segmentation of the left ventricle in cardiac magnetic resonance images independent of the training sets
Authors: Wang Zhenzhou
Published: June 2019

In cardiac imaging, the boundary of the left ventricle (LV) could be used to measure the dyssynchrony of the heart. Hence, automatic and optimal segmentation of the LV is important. Although deep learning‐based methods have achieved significant break‐throughs in the accuracy of segmenting LV, it relies on a great number of training sets and the reproduction quality of the tested cases. Due to the variety of patients, it is difficult or impossible to collect the complete training sets that cover all patients with different genders, races, and ages. Therefore, methods independent of the training sets are more reliable and efficient for clinical applications. In this study, the authors propose a training sets‐independent method to segment LV optimally and it outperforms all available state‐of‐the‐art training‐sets‐independent image segmentation methods. In addition, they propose a framework to identify the boundary of the LV automatically. They tested these segmentation methods with both good quality and poor quality images in the proposed framework and verified that the proposed segmentation method yields the optimal solution compared to other state‐of‐the‐art training‐sets‐independent segmentation methods. Based on their previous research work, the identified boundaries by the proposed approach are accurate enough for calculating the dyssynchrony of the LV.
High confidence detection for moving target in aerial video
Authors: Tian Yumin , Peng Chenhui , Wang Di , Wan Bo
Published: June 2019

The moving target detection and tracking in aerial video is a challenge task because of its moving background, smaller target sizes, lower resolution and limited onboard computing resources. In this study, a high confidence detection method based on background compensation and three‐frame‐difference method is designed, which can detect moving objects in a dynamic background accurately. First, the authors use local feature extraction and matching for image registration and demonstrate that speed‐up robust feature key points are suitable for the stabilisation task. Then, they estimate the global camera motion parameters using affine transformation which are obtained by the random sample consensus algorithm. Finally, they detect moving object by three‐frame‐difference method. As the detection results of the frame‐difference method generally exists ‘empty’ and noise, in order to select the two higher‐quality differential images to perform the logic AND operation, they add image quality assessment to the three‐frame‐difference method to obtain more accurate moving objects. Moreover, the edge detection algorithm and morphological processing are integrated together to further boost the overall detecting performance. The extensive empirical evaluations on aerial videos demonstrate that the proposed detector is very promising for the various challenging scenarios.
Three‐bit 2–18 GHz all‐pass network‐based trombone phase delay line with improved insertion loss variation
Authors: Ma Ting , Hu Feng
Published: June 2019

A complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) trombone true‐time delay (TTD) operating from 2 to 18 GHz is presented. The second‐order all‐pass network (APN) is used to construct the delay lines. The higher‐order delay response of the APN allows for a better trade‐off between the delay and bandwidth compared to the artificial transmission line structures. The all‐pass characteristic of the APN further improves the matching performance of the TTD. In order to improve the insertion loss (IL) variations between different delay states, the source degeneration by resistor–capacitor structure is used for the switching amplifiers. Two 3‐bit TTDs are fabricated in a standard 0.13 µm CMOS process, namely TTD 1 and TTD 2. TTD 1 is based on conventional switching amplifiers and TTD 2 adopts the proposed source degeneration technique. The measurement results show that the root‐mean‐square IL variation of TTD 1 and TTD 2 is better than 2 and 1.4 dB. The input and output return loss of the two TTDs is >12 dB. Delays of 270 and 265 ps are achieved by TTD 1 and TTD 2. The power consumption for TTD 1 is 2–6.2 mW and is 2–3.6 mW for TTD 2.
Crowded plant height optimisation algorithm tuned maximum power point tracking for grid integrated solar power conditioning system
Authors: Pachaivannan Nammalvar , Subburam Ramkumar , Ramkumar Umadevi , Kasinathan Padmanathan
Published: June 2019

Solar energy is the base for both photovoltaic (PV) power generation and plant growth. Inspired by this biological phenomenon, a novel crowded plant height optimisation (CPHO) algorithm was developed for solar PV maximum power point tracking (MPPT). This CPHO‐tuned MPPT algorithm was developed with the aim of obtaining the optimal duty cycle (d) for DC‐DC boost converter for maximum solar power extraction from PV panels with the help of a proportional‐integral controller. Crowded plants regulate the growth of their stem height in relation to neighbouring plants, also known as height convergence. Using this CPHO‐algorithm, the stable height of the plant found in a numerical value is taken as the optimal height of the plant. This optimal numerical value was converted into (d) for the converter. Under dynamic weather conditions, the (d) was optimally adjusted by the proposed algorithm to regulate the DC output of the converter. On the utility side, d–q vector control‐based voltage source inverter was used for PV power integration into the grid. The performance of the converter control strategy of the proposed CPHO algorithm was compared with perturb and observe algorithm‐based MPPT control, which was analysed on MATLAB/Simulink platform.