bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Compact acoustic lens composed of annular cavities covered by a membrane
Authors: Korozlu Nurettin , Cicek Ahmet
Published: October 2018

A thin planar acoustic lens composed of concentric annular slits on a circular steel plate covered by a membrane made up of aluminum foil is numerically designed, and its performance in focusing low-frequency sound in air is experimentally demonstrated. Resonant fundamental modes of the membrane-backed cavities are calculated via the Finite-Element Method. By carefully adjusting the radii of the concentric cavities, the phase discontinuity across the cavities can be employed to achieve constructive interference of sound waves at a focal length of 200 mm, which is close to the acoustic wavelength, at 2190 Hz. The designed lens has an overall radius which is approximately one fourth of the radius of a conventional acoustic Fresnel lens employing a wavelength path length difference between adjacent cavities.
Enhanced scattering induced by electrostatic correlations in concentrated solutions of salt-free dipolar and ionic polymers
Authors: Kumar Rajeev , Lokitz Bradley , Long Timothy E. , Sumpter Bobby G.
Published: October 2018

We present a generalized theory for studying the static monomer density-density correlation function (structure factor) in concentrated solutions and melts of dipolar as well as ionic polymers. The theory captures effects of electrostatic fluctuations on the structure factor and provides insights into the origin of experimentally observed enhanced scattering at ultralow wavevectors in salt-free ionic polymers. It is shown that the enhanced scattering can originate from a coupling between the fluctuations of electric polarization and monomer density. Local and non-local effects of the polarization resulting from finite sized permanent dipoles and ion-pairs in dipolar and charge regulating ionic polymers, respectively, are considered. Theoretical calculations reveal that, similar to the salt-free ionic polymers, the structure factor for dipolar polymers can also exhibit a peak at a finite wavevector and enhanced scattering at ultralow wavevectors. Although consideration of dipolar interactions leads to attractive interactions between monomers, the enhanced scattering at ultralow wavevectors is predicted solely on the basis of the electrostatics of weakly inhomogeneous dipolar and ionic polymers without considering the effects of any aggregates or phase separation. Thus, we conclude that neither aggregation nor phase separation is necessary for observing the enhanced scattering at ultralow wavevectors in salt-free dipolar and ionic polymers. For charge regulating ionic polymers, it is shown that electrostatic interactions between charged monomers get screened with a screening length, which depends not only on the concentration of “free” counterions and coions, but also on the concentration of “adsorbed” ions on the polymer chains. Qualitative comparisons with the experimental scattering curves for ionic and dipolar polymer melts are presented using the theory developed in this work.
Properties of Rouse polymers with actively driven regions
Authors: Osmanović Dino
Published: October 2018

We study theoretically the physical properties of Rouse polymers when a subset of monomers along the backbone is subjected to an additional driving force of exponentially correlated fluctuating noise. In other words, the polymers are made up of two kinds of particle, one of which has an additional coupling to an active bath that subjects those particles to extra forces. We analyze properties of these active polymers, such as the end to end distance and the local structure induced by active kicks. We then proceed to quantify how the dynamics of such polymers depend on the proportion of monomers which are being actively driven, and show how the dynamics transitions from the normal Rouse like behavior to substantially faster dynamics. Finally we analyze some of the non-equilibrium properties induced in these systems, such as the irreversibility.
Graphics processing unit (GPU) aided wavefront-based autofocusing in microscopy
Authors: Jiang Zhilong , Kong Yan , Liu Fei , Liu Cheng , Wang Shouyu
Published: October 2018

Based on the wavefront sensing and propagation, the wavefront-based autofocus approach is proposed for potentially adopted in rapid autofocusing since it can precisely locate the focal plane but only requiring much fewer multi-focal image captures. However, due to the much time spent in serial numerical calculation and analysis, this method fails to improve the autofocusing efficiency as expected. In order to further accelerate the autofocusing speed, we improve this method by adopting the parallel computing in the numerical wavefront propagation and focal analysis procedures based on the graphics processing unit (GPU). Proved by experiments relying on our self-built system, the time consuming for autofocusing can be drastically reduced within 1 s, besides, it can guarantee extremely high focal determination accuracy in various sample cases, indicating that the GPU aided wavefront-based method can be future adopted in commercial microscopes for precise and rapid autofocusing.
Computational predictions of stable phase for antiperovskite Na3OCl via tilting of Na6O octahedra
Authors: Pham Tan-Lien , Samad Abdus , Kim Hye Jung , Shin Young-Han
Published: October 2018

We study the structural stability of crystalline Na3OCl in terms of cohesive energies and phonon spectra through the tilting of Na6O octahedra. We prove that the crystal Na3OCl can be stabilized through octahedral tilts by comparing 14 tilted structures that are consistent with the Howard and Stokes’ group-theoretical analysis of the octahedral tilting in perovskites. We found that all the 14 tilted structures of Na3OCl have lower energies than the cubic Pm3¯m structure by about 11 to 16 meV per five-atom unit cell. The tilt angles along the pseudocubic [100], [010], and [001] directions vary in the range of 2.6°–9.3°. While the Pnma and P21/m structures of Na3OCl are found as the two most stable ones, only the P21/m phase has stable phonon vibrations with a direct band gap of 3.38 eV at the Γ point.
A low frequency tunable miniature inertial pendulum energy harvester
Authors: Ding Wenjun , Cao Hui , Zhang Baoshou , Wang Keyan
Published: October 2018

A low frequency tunable miniature inertial pendulum energy harvester for underwater mooring platforms is proposed. This apparatus is a horizontal rotational energy harvester with a rolling pendulum. Accordingly, it can harvest energy from the rotational base excitation associated with low frequency over the range of 0.1 Hz to 0.4 Hz, even with large amplitude. Moreover, the natural frequency can be adjusted by geometrical tenability, manipulating the angular orientation of the layout of the harvester, for enhancing energy harvesting. The energy harvesting performance of the device is investigated through numerical simulations and experimental measurements. The harvester proposed in this work can be utilized on miniature ocean platforms over a broad low-frequency range of 0.1 Hz–0.4 Hz.
Constructing a non-additive non-interacting kinetic energy functional approximation for covalent bonds from exact conditions
Authors: Jiang Kaili , Nafziger Jonathan , Wasserman Adam
Published: October 2018

We present a non-decomposable approximation for the non-additive non-interacting kinetic energy (NAKE) for covalent bonds based on the exact behavior of the von Weizsäcker (vW) functional in regions dominated by one orbital. This covalent approximation (CA) seamlessly combines the vW and the Thomas-Fermi functional with a switching function of the fragment densities constructed to satisfy exact constraints. It also makes use of ensembles and fractionally occupied spin-orbitals to yield highly accurate NAKE for stretched bonds while outperforming other standard NAKE approximations near equilibrium bond lengths. We tested the CA within Partition-Density Functional Theory (P-DFT) and demonstrated its potential to enable fast and accurate P-DFT calculations.
Deeper penetration of surface effects on particle mobility than on hopping rate in glassy polymer films
Authors: Lam Chi-Hang
Published: October 2018

Free surfaces in glassy polymer films are known to induce surface mobile layers with enhanced dynamics. Using molecular dynamics simulations of a bead-spring model, we study a wide variety of layer-resolved structural and dynamical properties of polymer films equilibrated at a low temperature. Surface enhancement on thermally induced particle hopping rates is found to terminate abruptly only about 5 particle diameters from the free surface. In contrast, enhancement on the net motions of particles measured at longer time scales penetrates at least 2 particle diameters deeper. The diverse penetration depths show the existence of a peculiar sublayer, referred to as the inner-surface layer, in which surface enhanced mobility is not caused by more frequent particle hops but instead by a reduced dynamic heterogeneity associated with diminished hopping anti-correlations. Confinement effects of the free surface thus provide a unique mechanism for varying the dynamic heterogeneity and hopping correlations while keeping the hopping rate constant. Our results highlight the importance of correlations among elementary motions to glassy slowdown and suggest that dynamic facilitation is mediated via perturbations to the correlations rather than the rate of elementary motions.
Nucleation instability in supercooled Cu–Zr–Al glass-forming liquids
Authors: Ryltsev R. E. , Klumov B. A. , Chtchelkatchev N. M. , Shunyaev K. Yu.
Published: October 2018

Few general models representing certain classes of real glass-forming systems play a special role in computer simulations of supercooled liquid and glasses. Recently, it was shown that one of the most widely used model glassformers—the Kob-Andersen binary mixture—crystalizes in quite lengthy molecular dynamics simulations, and moreover, it is in fact a very poor glassformer at large system sizes. Thus, our understanding of crystallization stability of model glassformers is far from complete due to the fact that relatively small system sizes and short time scales have been considered so far. Here we address this issue for two embedded atom models intensively used last years in numerical studies of Cu–Zr–(Al) bulk metallic glasses. Exploring the structural evolution of Cu64.5Zr35.5 and Cu46Zr46Al8 alloys at continuous cooling and isothermal annealing, we observe that both systems nucleate in sufficiently lengthy simulations, although critical nucleation time for the latter is an order of magnitude higher than that for the former. We show that Cu64.5Zr35.5 is actually unstable to crystallization for large system sizes (N > 20 000). Both systems crystallize with the formation of tetrahedrally close packed Laves phases of different types. We argue that nucleation instability of the simulated Cu64.5Zr35.5 alloy is due to the fact that its composition is very close to that for the stable Cu2Zr compound with a C15 Laves phase structure.
Electrical control of magnetic proximity effect in a graphene/multiferroic heterostructure
Authors: Song Hua-Ding , Zhu Peng-Fei , Yang Xin , Qin Maosen , Ren Zhaohui , Duan Chun-Gang , Han Gaorong , Liao Zhi-Min , Yu Dapeng
Published: October 2018

The proximity effect, which offers a proper route to extend the properties of 2D materials, is of great current interest. In hybrid systems formed by graphene and multiferroic materials, effective manipulation of the proximity effect is expected through magneto-electric coupling. In this work, we report the electrical control of the magnetic proximity effect in graphene/BiFeO3 heterostructures. The obvious ferroelectric gating effect on graphene is achieved using BiFeO3 as a top gate. The interfacial magnetic exchange field has a notable dependence on the top gate voltage, giving rise to an electrical modulation on Zeeman splitting and energy gap inside N = 0 Landau level of graphene. Our findings suggest graphene/BiFeO3 heterostructures provide a broad avenue for realization of future multiferroic electronics and spintronics.
Stochastic motion of vortex filaments in He II under random force
Authors: Nemirovskii S. K.
Published: October 2018

Langevin dynamics are applied to describe the stochastic motion of vortex filaments in He II under random force. The article describes a functional formalism, which is a modification of the method developed earlier by Migdal to deal with the stochastic dynamics of classical vortex filaments. In particular, starting with the Langevin-type equation, the functional Fokker–Planck equation for the characteristic functional was obtained. Based on this equation, and under the assumption that the random force correlator satisfies the fluctuation-dissipation theorem, thermodynamic equilibrium in a system of chaotic quantized vortices was investigated. Additionally, the case of stationary helium and the case of counterflow with the constant relative velocity of the normal and superfluid components were considered. Some physical consequences of the results obtained are also discussed.
Dynamics of vortex loops after reconnection in superfluid helium at different temperatures
Authors: Andryushchenko V. A. , Kondaurova L. P.
Published: October 2018

This work addresses the numerical modeling of vortex loops in superfluid helium after loop reconnection at various temperatures. Modeling was conducted within the vortex filament method using the full Biot-Savart equation. It was found that the dynamics of vortex loops substantially depend on the initial position of the loops, and that temperature affects the number and size of the formed loops, the amplitude of the Kelvin waves and their decay behavior as well as the velocity of motion of the loops and their separate elements. The time dependence of the distance between the nearest elements of the emergent vortex loop is described by the power law, with the power of 1/2 before and after reconnection.
Spectrum of elementary excitations of the Bose system with allowance for pair correlations
Authors: Poluektov Yu. M.
Published: October 2018

Here, it was shown that the chain of equations, which is similar to the Bogoliubov chain in the theory of classical gases, may be obtained for the quasi-averages of the products of field operators in the system of Bose particles. The closed system of dynamic equations, which accounts for both the one-particle condensate and pair correlations, was obtained at zero temperature for the case where it is sufficient to confine ourselves to taking into account the quasi-averages of one field operator and the products of two field operators. The spectrum of excitations in a spatially homogeneous state was studied, and it was shown that this spectrum has two branches: the sound branch and the branch with an energy gap at zero momentum. The possibility of the existence of quasiparticle excitations with an energy gap in superfluid helium was discussed in connection with experiments on the absorption of microwave radiation.
Influence of aerogel deformation on spin diffusion in liquid 3He: how to take correlations into account?
Authors: Melnikovsky L. A.
Published: October 2018

The transformation law for the correlation function of a nematic aerogel during its deformation is obtained. An approach to describe spin diffusion in 3He, which is confined in a deformed aerogel assuming weak correlation, is proposed. The anisotropy of the diffusion coefficient in a plane perpendicular to the aerogel strands remains small, even for significant deformation.
A 5-year retrospective cohort study of unplanned readmissions in an Australian tertiary paediatric hospital
Authors: Zhou Huaqiong , Della Phillip , Roberts Pamela , Porter Paul , Dhaliwal Satvinder
Published: October 2018

Objective
The aim of this study was to examine the characteristics and prevalence of all-cause unplanned hospital readmissions at a tertiary paediatric hospital in Western Australia from 2010 to 2014.

Methods
A retrospective cohort descriptive study was conducted. Unplanned hospital readmission was identified using both 28- and 30-day measurements from discharge date of an index hospital admission to the subsequent related unplanned admission date. This allowed international comparison.

Results
In all, 73132 patients with 134314 discharges were identified. During the 5-year period, 4070 discharges (3.03%) and 3330 patients (4.55%) were identified as 30-day unplanned hospital readmissions. There were minimal differences in the rate of readmissions on Days 28, 29 and 30 (0.2%). More than 50% of readmissions were identified as a 5-day readmission. Nearly all readmissions for croup and epiglottitis occurred by Day 5; those for acute bronchiolitis and obstructive sleep apnoea requiring tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy occurred by Day 15 and those for acute appendicitis and abdominal and pelvic pain occurred by Day 30.

Conclusion
This study highlights the variability in the distribution of time intervals from discharge to readmission among diagnoses, suggesting the commonly used 28- or 30-day readmission measurement requires review. It is crucial to establish an appropriate measurement for specific paediatric conditions related to readmissions for the accurate determination of the prevalence and actual costs associated with readmissions.

What is known about this topic?
Unplanned hospital readmissions result in inefficient use of health resources. Australia has used 28 days to measure unplanned readmissions. However, the 30-day measurement is commonly used in the literature. Only five Australian studies were identified with a focus on readmissions associated with specific paediatric health conditions.

What does this paper add?
This is the first known study examining paediatric all-cause unplanned same-hospital readmissions in Western Australia. The study used both 28- and 30-day measures from discharge to unplanned readmission to allow international comparison. More than half the unplanned hospital readmissions occurred between Day 0 and Day 5 following discharge from the index admission. Time intervals from discharge date to readmission date varied for diagnosis-specific readmissions of paediatric patients.

What are the implications for practitioners?
Targeting the top principal index admission diagnoses identified for paediatric readmissions is critical for improvement in the continuity of discharge care delivery, health resource utilisation and associated costs. Because 52% of unplanned readmissions occurred in the first 5 days, urgent investigation and implementation of prevention strategies are required, especially when the readmission occurs on the date of discharge.
High variation in camera trap-model sensitivity for surveying mammal species in northern Australia
Authors: Heiniger Jaime , Gillespie Graeme
Published: October 2018

Context
The use of camera traps as a wildlife survey tool has rapidly increased, and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the technology is imperative to assess the degree to which research objectives are met.

Aims
We evaluated the differences in performance among three Reconyx camera-trap models, namely, a custom-modified high-sensitivity PC850, and unmodified PC850 and HC550.

Methods
We undertook a controlled field trial to compare the performance of the three models on Groote Eylandt, Northern Territory, by observing the ability of each model to detect the removal of a bait by native mammals. We compared variation in detecting the known event, trigger numbers, proportion of false triggers and the difference in detection probability of small to medium-sized mammals.

Key results
The high-sensitivity PC850 model detected bait take 75% of the time, as opposed to 33.3% and 20% for the respective unmodified models. The high-sensitivity model also increased the detection probability of the smallest mammal species from 0.09 to 0.34. However, there was no significant difference in detection probability for medium-sized mammals.

Conclusions
Despite the three Reconyx camera models having similar manufacturer-listed specifications, they varied substantially in their performance. The high-sensitivity model vastly improved the detection of known events and the detection probability of small mammals in northern Australia.

Implications
Failure to consider variation in camera-trap performance can lead to inaccurate conclusions when multiple camera models are used. Consequently, researchers should carefully consider the parameters and capabilities of camera models in study designs. Camera models and their configurations should be reported in methods, and variation in detection probabilities among different models and configurations should be incorporated into analyses.
Functional and evolutionary genomic inferences in
Populus
through genome and population sequencing of American and European aspen
Authors: Lin Yao-Cheng , Wang Jing , Delhomme Nicolas , Schiffthaler Bastian , Sundström Görel , Zuccolo Andrea , Nystedt Björn , Hvidsten Torgeir R. , de la Torre Amanda , Cossu Rosa M. , Hoeppner Marc P. , Lantz Henrik , Scofield Douglas G. , Zamani Neda , Johansson Anna , Mannapperuma Chanaka , Robinson Kathryn M. , Mähler Niklas , Leitch Ilia J. , Pellicer Jaume , Park Eung-Jun , Van Montagu Marc , Van de Peer Yves , Grabherr Manfred , Jansson Stefan , Ingvarsson Pär K. , Street Nathaniel R.
Published: October 2018

Significance

We performed de novo, full-genome sequence analysis of two
Populus
species, North American quaking and Eurasian trembling aspen, that contain striking levels of genetic variation. Our results showed that positive and negative selection broadly affects patterns of genomic variation, but to varying degrees across coding and noncoding regions. The strength of selection and rates of sequence divergence were strongly related to differences in gene expression and coexpression network connectivity. These results highlight the importance of both positive and negative selection in shaping genome-wide levels of genetic variation in an obligately outcrossing, perennial plant. The resources we present establish aspens as a powerful study system enabling future studies for understanding the genomic determinants of adaptive evolution.
Functional structures of US state governments
Authors: Kosack Stephen , Coscia Michele , Smith Evann , Albrecht Kim , Barabási Albert-László , Hausmann Ricardo
Published: October 2018

Significance

Understanding of modern government is limited by a lack of comprehensive, reliable, comparable data on what governments do and how they are organized to execute their diverse responsibilities. We demonstrate that such data can be collected from the extensive footprint that governments leave on the Internet, opening a range of unresolved puzzles and questions about modern government to closer empirical inquiry. The online footprint of the 50 US state governments reflects their close embeddedness with state economies and suggests that other factors widely hypothesized to influence government play more limited roles, including location and income. It also casts doubt on the degree to which state government functional structures systematically reflect voters’ recent ideological preferences.
Current CaCO3dissolution at the seafloor caused by anthropogenic CO2
Authors: Sulpis Olivier , Boudreau Bernard P. , Mucci Alfonso , Jenkins Chris , Trossman David S. , Arbic Brian K. , Key Robert M.
Published: October 2018

Significance

The geological record contains numerous examples of “greenhouse periods” and ocean acidification episodes, where the spreading of corrosive (CO2-enriched) bottom waters enhances the dissolution of CaCO3minerals delivered to the seafloor or contained within deep-sea sediments. The dissolution of sedimentary CaCO3neutralizes excess CO2, thus preventing runaway acidification, and acts as a negative-feedback mechanism in regulating atmospheric CO2levels over timescales of centuries to millennia. We report an observation-based indication and quantification of significant CaCO3dissolution at the seafloor caused by man-made CO2. This dissolution is already occurring at various locations in the deep ocean, particularly in the northern Atlantic and near the Southern Ocean, where the bottom waters are young and rich in anthropogenic CO2.
Diverse segments of the US public underestimate the environmental concerns of minority and low-income Americans
Authors: Pearson Adam R. , Schuldt Jonathon P. , Romero-Canyas Rainer , Ballew Matthew T. , Larson-Konar Dylan
Published: October 2018

Significance

Perceived norms (e.g., beliefs about the consensus views of others) have been shown to predict a broad range of proenvironmental behaviors. We document widespread underestimation of the environmental concerns of a broad range of sociodemographic groups among the US public. This underestimation was largest for judgments of minorities’ and low-income Americans’ concerns—groups that indicate high levels of environmental concern in public opinion surveys—and tracked with stereotypes of environmentalists as white and highly educated, similarly widely shared across demographic groups. These findings point to false beliefs about the environmental concerns of vulnerable populations as a potential impediment to addressing environmental inequities and broadening public participation in environmental decision making.
Temporal variability largely explains top-down/bottom-up difference in methane emission estimates from a natural gas production region
Authors: Vaughn Timothy L. , Bell Clay S. , Pickering Cody K. , Schwietzke Stefan , Heath Garvin A. , Pétron Gabrielle , Zimmerle Daniel J. , Schnell Russell C. , Nummedal Dag
Published: October 2018

Significance

Our results demonstrate that access to high-resolution spatiotemporal activity data and multiscale, contemporaneous measurements is critical to understanding oil- and gas-related methane emissions. Careful consideration of all factors influencing methane emissions—including temporal variation—is necessary in scientific and policy discussions to develop effective strategies for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas infrastructure.
Quantifying resilience of humans and other animals
Authors: Scheffer Marten , Bolhuis J. Elizabeth , Borsboom Denny , Buchman Timothy G. , Gijzel Sanne M. W. , Goulson Dave , Kammenga Jan E. , Kemp Bas , van de Leemput Ingrid A. , Levin Simon , Martin Carmel Mary , Melis René J. F. , van Nes Egbert H. , Romero L. Michael , Olde Rikkert Marcel G. M.
Published: October 2018

All life requires the capacity to recover from challenges that are as inevitable as they are unpredictable. Understanding this resilience is essential for managing the health of humans and their livestock. It has long been difficult to quantify resilience directly, forcing practitioners to rely on indirect static indicators of health. However, measurements from wearable electronics and other sources now allow us to analyze the dynamics of physiology and behavior with unsurpassed resolution. The resulting flood of data coincides with the emergence of novel analytical tools for estimating resilience from the pattern of microrecoveries observed in natural time series. Such dynamic indicators of resilience may be used to monitor the risk of systemic failure across systems ranging from organs to entire organisms. These tools invite a fundamental rethinking of our approach to the adaptive management of health and resilience.
IL-15 enhanced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity mediated by NK cells and macrophages
Authors: Zhang Meili , Wen Bernard , Anton Olga M. , Yao Zhengsheng , Dubois Sigrid , Ju Wei , Sato Noriko , DiLillo David J. , Bamford Richard N. , Ravetch Jeffrey V. , Waldmann Thomas A.
Published: October 2018

Significance

Previously we demonstrated that IL-15 by continuous infusion at 2 μg/kg/d for 10 days induced a 38-fold increase in circulating natural killer (NK) cells and a 358-fold increase in CD56brightNK cells. In the present study we demonstrated that IL-15 enhanced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) of tumor-directed monoclonal antibodies in two systems. Both NK cells and macrophages were required for optimal therapeutic responses. These studies support clinical trials of IL-15 combined with tumor-directed monoclonal antibodies. In translation of this study, a phase I trial of IL-15 combined with alemtuzumab has been opened for patients with adult T cell leukemia (ATL) NCT02689453.
Estimating species distribution and abundance in river networks using environmental DNA
Authors: Carraro Luca , Hartikainen Hanna , Jokela Jukka , Bertuzzo Enrico , Rinaldo Andrea
Published: October 2018

Significance

Organisms leave traces of DNA in their environment [environmental DNA (eDNA)], such as cells in mucus or feces. When extracted from water or soil, eDNA can be used to track the presence of a target species or the composition of entire communities. In rivers, eDNA dynamics are modulated by transport and decay. Here, we use hydrologically based models to reconstruct the upstream distribution and abundance of target species throughout a river network from eDNA measurements. We validate our method by estimating the catchment-wide biomass distribution of a sessile invertebrate and its parasite, causing disease in salmonids. This work unlocks the power of eDNA for monitoring biodiversity across broad geographies in a way hitherto unfeasible with traditional survey approaches.
Preferred end coordinates and somatic variants as signatures of circulating tumor DNA associated with hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Jiang Peiyong , Sun Kun , Tong Yu K. , Cheng Suk Hang , Cheng Timothy H. T. , Heung Macy M. S. , Wong John , Wong Vincent W. S. , Chan Henry L. Y. , Chan K. C. Allen , Lo Y. M. Dennis , Chiu Rossa W. K.
Published: October 2018

Significance

Cell-free DNA fragmentation is a nonrandom process. We showed that cell-free DNA fragments with ends at certain genomic coordinates had higher likelihoods of being derived from hepatocellular carcinoma. Other coordinates were associated with cell-free DNA molecules originating from the liver. Quantitative assessment of cell-free DNA molecules bearing these respective groups of end signatures correlated with the amounts of tumor-derived or liver-derived DNA in plasma. There were millions of tumor-associated plasma DNA end coordinates across the genome. Due to their high prevalence, they were more readily detectable than somatic mutations as a cancer signature in plasma. Hence, detection of tumor-associated plasma DNA ends may offer a cost-effective means of capturing evidence for the presence of cancer through liquid biopsy assessment.
Names Shakespeare Didn’t Invent: Imogen, Olivia, and Viola Revisited
Authors: Uckelman Sara L.
Published: October 2018

Just as Shakespeare’s plays left their indelible stamp on the English language, so too did his names influence the naming pool in England at the beginning of the 17th century and beyond. Today, certain popular modern names are often described as inventions of Shakespeare. In this article, we revisit three names which are often listed as coinages of Shakespeare’s and show that this received wisdom, though oft-repeated, is in fact incorrect. The three names are Imogen, the heroine of Cymbeline; and Olivia and Viola, the heroines of Twelfth Night. All three of these names pre-date Shakespeare’s use. Further, we show in two of the three cases that it is plausible that Shakespeare was familiar with this earlier usage. We conclude by briefly discussing why these names are commonly mistakenly attributed to Shakespeare’s imagination; and we examine the weaker, but not mistaken, claims which may underlie these attributions.
Trump's tariff impact on Africa and the ambiguous role of African agency
Authors: Kohnert Dirk
Published: October 2018

The current debate on Trump’s tariffs focuses on the big global players and competitors of the USA. Africa plays virtually no role in international scholarly perceptions of the impact of US protective tariffs on imported steel, aluminium and cars. Nevertheless, there are such effects and these are more than peanuts, as will be shown in this Briefing.
Understanding the gyroscope sensor: a quick guide to teaching rotation movements using a smartphone
Authors: de Jesus V L B , Pérez C A C , de Oliveira A L , Sasaki D G G
Published: October 2018

Currently, the number of smartphones with an embedded gyroscope sensor has been increasing due games whose performance relies on 3D augmented reality. In general, teaching papers on the gyroscope sensor address very simple spatial configuration, where the fixed rotation axis coincides to the z-axis of the smartphone. This work presents five experimental setups with different spatial orientations of a smartphone on a turntable. The total angular velocity vector of the turntable is constant, but its projections on the three fixed Cartesian axes of the smartphone varies for the five spatial orientations investigated. For the sake of consistency, the magnitude of the vector sum of the three angular velocities components yielded by the gyroscope sensor was checked by video analysis using the free software, Tracker. The internal consistency between the results provided by this video analysis technique and data from the gyroscope assures us this sensor is reliable for teaching proposals. The main goals of this paper are (i) encourage teachers to effectively incorporate the gyroscope sensor of smartphones in to their classrooms, especially in high schools and undergraduate physics and engineering courses; (ii) spread in the academic syllabus the Tait–Bryan convention, a very intuitive way to perform 3D rotations and; (iii) explain how to interpret data of the three components of angular velocity obtained by the gyroscope sensor in different spatial orientations.
Public and teacher response to Einsteinian physics in schools
Authors: Foppoli Alexander , Choudhary Rahul , Blair David , Kaur Tejinder , Moschilla John , Zadnik Marjan
Published: October 2018

Einsteinian physics represents a distinct paradigm shift compared to Newtonian physics. There is worldwide interest in introducing Einsteinian physics concepts early in school curriculum and trials have demonstrated that this is feasible. However introducing Einsteinian concepts from an early age requires more than suitable curriculum and teaching resources—it also requires teacher training and public support. This paper describes a pilot study used in an attempt to gauge public and teacher support. This entailed giving teachers, who included the entire staff of a primary school, and self-selected family groups an in-depth understanding of proposed curriculum content through public outreach and professional development workshops. We assessed their attitudes through questionnaires. Comments and opinions from the public were also collected from online resources. Results show overwhelming support from both teachers and the public. We assessed attitudes of children as well as adults and obtained opinions regarding the appropriate age at which to begin to introduce Einsteinian concepts.
Is Histological Evaluation of Reduction Mammaplasty Specimens Worthwhile?
Authors: Demirdover Cenk , Geyik Alper , Vayvada Haluk , Menderes Adnan
Published: October 2018

Background

Reduction mammaplasty (RM) is one of the most common plastic surgery procedures. Despite its cost, the total number of RM procedures continues to increase every year.

Objectives

The purpose of this study is to review the prevalence of benign and malignant breast lesions among women who live in the Aegean region of Turkey, based on our university hospital’s records and to compare our results with those in the literature.

Methods

Seven hundred and thirty-three consecutive female patients who underwent RM between January 2003 and January 2017 in the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery were included in this study.

Results

One hundred and sixty-five patients (23.4%) had preoperative breast imaging results. According to the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BIRADS), most of these patients had BI-RADS-2 and BIRADS-1 findings (41.21% and 40%, respectively). Fibrocystic changes were the most common lesions (81.3%). Sixty-eight patients (9.6%) had normal breast tissue on the right side and 34 patients (4.8%) had the same on the left side. Five patients (0.71%) had atypical ductal hyperplasia and no atypical lobular carcinoma. Four patients (0.56%) had occult breast cancer and one patient (0.14%) had benign phyllodes tumor.

Conclusions

RM is a good opportunity to detect proliferative lesions and occult breast cancer. While meeting the patient’s aesthetic desires, the plastic surgeon should consider for histopathological evaluation. We suggest that every part of the breast tissue should be sent to pathological examination regardless of the weight of the specimen. Even if health insurance does not cover its cost, patients should be informed about the importance of this process.

Level of Evidence: 4
Non-invasive imaging of the coronary arteries
Authors: Adamson Philip D , Newby David E
Published: October 2018

Non-invasive imaging of the coronary arteries is an enterprise in rapid development. From the research perspective, there is great demand for in vivo techniques that can reliably identify features of high-risk plaque that may offer insight into pathophysiological processes and act as surrogate indicators of response to therapeutic intervention. Meanwhile, there is clear clinical need for greater accuracy in diagnosis and prognostic stratification. Fortunately, ongoing technological improvements and emerging data from randomized clinical trials are helping make these elusive goals a reality. This review provides an update on the current status of non-invasive coronary imaging with computed tomography, magnetic resonance, and positron emission tomography with a focus on current clinical applications and future research directions.
Xenotransplantation: Progress Along Paths Uncertain from Models to Application
Authors: Platt Jeffrey L , Cascalho Marilia , Piedrahita Jorge A
Published: October 2018

For more than a century, transplantation of tissues and organs from animals into man, xenotransplantation, has been viewed as a potential way to treat disease. Ironically, interest in xenotransplantation was fueled especially by successful application of allotransplantation, that is, transplantation of human tissue and organs, as a treatment for a variety of diseases, especially organ failure because scarcity of human tissues limited allotransplantation to a fraction of those who could benefit. In principle, use of animals such as pigs as a source of transplants would allow transplantation to exert a vastly greater impact than allotransplantation on medicine and public health. However, biological barriers to xenotransplantation, including immunity of the recipient, incompatibility of biological systems, and transmission of novel infectious agents, are believed to exceed the barriers to allotransplantation and presently to hinder clinical applications. One way potentially to address the barriers to xenotransplantation is by genetic engineering animal sources. The last 2 decades have brought progressive advances in approaches that can be applied to genetic modification of large animals. Application of these approaches to genetic engineering of pigs has contributed to dramatic improvement in the outcome of experimental xenografts in nonhuman primates and have encouraged the development of a new type of xenograft, a reverse xenograft, in which human stem cells are introduced into pigs under conditions that support differentiation and expansion into functional tissues and potentially organs. These advances make it appropriate to consider the potential limitation of genetic engineering and of current models for advancing the clinical applications of xenotransplantation and reverse xenotransplantation.
COMT and Alpha-Tocopherol Effects in Cancer Prevention: Gene-Supplement Interactions in Two Randomized Clinical Trials
Authors: Hall Kathryn T , Buring Julie E , Mukamal Kenneth J , Vinayaga Moorthy M , Wayne Peter M , Kaptchuk Ted J , Battinelli Elisabeth M , Ridker Paul M , Sesso Howard D , Weinstein Stephanie J , Albanes Demetrius , Cook Nancy R , Chasman Daniel I
Published: October 2018

Background

Vitamins are among the most frequently used supplements (48% of US adults). However, little is known about contributions of genetic variation to their efficacy and safety. Multiple pathways link catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) to the vitamin E supplement, alpha-tocopherol, and cancer.

Methods

Here we determined if COMT exerted pharmacogenetic effects on cancer prevention in two randomized trials of alpha-tocopherol supplementation. Pharmacogenetic effects of common COMT rs4680 (val158met), which encodes a nonsynonymous valine-to-methionine substitution, were examined in the trial plus a 10-year post-trial follow-up (overall) period of The Women’s Genome Health Study (WGHS, N = 23 294), a 10-year alpha-tocopherol and aspirin trial with 10 years post-trial follow-up. Results were validated in a case/control (N = 2396/2235) subset of the Alpha-Tocopherol Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study (ATBC, N = 29 133). The primary outcome was total cancers. Rates of cancer types prevalent in women (colorectal, breast, lung, uterine, and lymphoma/leukemia) were also examined. All statistical tests were two-sided.

Results

Random-effects meta-analysis of rs4680 genotype strata, in WGHS and ATBC overall periods, revealed differential alpha-tocopherol effects compared with placebo: met/met (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.88; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.80 to 0.97; P = .01), val/met (HR = 0.99; 95% CI = 0.92 to 1.06; P = .74), and val/val (HR = 1.18; 95% CI = 1.06 to 1.31; P = .002) with a statistically significant COMT by alpha-tocopherol interaction (Pinteraction <.001). Timing of effects differed, with stronger effects in WGHS trial and ATBC post-trial.

Conclusion

Pharmacogenetic analysis of COMT and cancer prevention in two large randomized trials revealed statistically significant COMT by alpha-tocopherol interaction, such that alpha-tocopherol was beneficial among rs4680 met-allele (28.0%), but not val-allele (22.8%) homozygotes. These effects indicate the need for additional studies of genetic variation as a determinant of the benefits and possible harms of over-the-counter supplements, like alpha-tocopherol, used for health promotion.
Towards an informed quest for accretion disc winds in quasars: the intriguing case of Ton 28
Authors: Nardini E , Lusso E , Bisogni S
Published: October 2018

We report on the detection of a blueshifted Fe K absorption feature in two consecutive XMM–Newton  observations of the luminous blue quasar Ton 28, at the 4σ cumulative significance. The rest energy of 9.2 keV implies the presence of an accretion disc wind with bulk outflow velocity of ∼0.28c, while the kinetic power is most likely a few per cent of the quasar luminosity. Remarkably, Ton 28 had been specifically selected as an optimal target to reveal an ultra-fast X-ray wind based on its total luminosity (Lbol > 1046 erg s−1) and [O iii] λ5007 Å equivalent width (EW < 6 Å), suggestive of high accretion rate and low inclination, respectively. Other peculiar optical/UV emission-line properties include narrow Hβ, strong Fe ii, and blueshifted C iv . These are key parameters in the Eigenvector 1 formalism, and are frequently found in active galaxies with ongoing accretion disc winds, hinting at a common physical explanation. Provided that the effectiveness of our selection method is confirmed with similar sources, this result could represent the first step towards the characterization of black hole winds through multiwavelength indicators in the absence of high-quality X-ray spectra.
Categorical Exclusions: How Racialized Gender Regulation Reproduces Reentry Hardship
Authors: Greene Joss T
Published: October 2018

Since gender organizes key reentry services such as housing, formerly incarcerated people seeking resources must successfully inhabit a gender category. Drawing on seven months of ethnography and 79 interviews with service providers and formerly incarcerated transgender people, I show that these organizational practices of gender categorization are racialized and impact resource access. Most gender-segregated housing programs rely on biology-based definitions of gender. These gender rules create workable options for trans men to stay with women, but bar trans women from women’s spaces. Once in gendered housing programs, clients need to navigate gender assessment in interactions. Trans men employed several strategies to establish gendered selves who were easily categorized as either male or female, which allowed them to access stable housing. Gender sanctioning posed a major problem for black trans women. Black trans women were highly scrutinized in women’s programs, characterized as illegitimate based on biological definitions of gender, and harassed for any perceived deviation from gender norms. When harassment escalated into conflict, they were expelled from programs. Regulation of black trans women’s womanhood led to systematic material deprivation. By understanding the connections between categorical exclusions and exclusion from resources we can better understand the reproduction of reentry hardship and inequality more broadly.
Phenotypic and Genetic Characterization of Botrytis cinerea Population from Kiwifruit in Sichuan Province, China
Authors: Pei Yan-gang , Tao Qin-jun , Zheng Xiao-juan , Li Ying , Sun Xiao-fang , Li Zhi-fei , Qi Xiao-bo , Xu Jing , Zhang Min , Chen Hua-bao , Chang Xiao-li , Tang Hui-min , Sui Li-yun , Gong Guo-shu
Published: October 2018

Botrytis cinerea (anamorph of Botryotinia fuckeliana) causes gray mold on numerous plants, including kiwifruit. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the phenotypic and genetic characteristics of the Botrytis cinerea population from kiwifruit in Sichuan Province, China. In all, 176 isolates were collected from kiwifruit orchards from eight geographic regions in Sichuan. All isolates were identified as B. cinerea sensu stricto based on the combined datasets, including morphological criteria, determination of the Bc-hch allele, and phylogenetic analysis of the genes RPB2, G3PDH, and HSP60. Three colony types (i.e., sclerotial, mycelial, and conidial) were observed on potato dextrose agar after 2 weeks, with sclerotial isolates, the predominant category, accounting for 40.91%. No obvious differences in microscopic characteristics were observed among the three types. Three genotypes of transposable elements were identified in the B. cinerea population: boty, flipper, and transposa types. The most prevalent genotype from different geographic populations of B. cinerea was transposa; in contrast, the flipper genotype accounted for only 3.98% of the total population, whereas the vacuma genotype was absent. According to MAT locus amplification, 87 and 89 isolates are MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 type, respectively, and the two mating types were found to be balanced overall in the population. Forty-eight representative isolates were all able to cause gray mold to some extent, and disease severities were significantly different between the cultivars Hongyang and Hort16A (P < 0.01). Disease severity was significantly greater on young leaves than on mature leaves (P < 0.01). No significant relationship was found between pathogenicity and geographical region, colony type, or transposon distribution. The results obtained in the present study suggest a relatively uniform species diversity of Botrytis but rich phenotypic and genetic differentiation within the B. cinerea population on kiwifruit in China. Utilizing resistant cultivars and rain-shelter cultivation instead of fungicides may be an effective approach to delaying pathogen variability.