bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ni(OH)2 nanoplates decorated on graphene nanosheets for alkaline secondary batteries
Authors: He Wenxiu , Zhu Yuanyi , Meng Jing , Liu Bin , Zhang Yongqiang
Published: October 2018

The β-nickel hydroxide/reduced graphene oxide (β-Ni(OH)2/RGO) nanocomposites were successfully synthesized by the microwave-assisted method. The as-obtained samples are composed of β-Ni(OH)2 nanoplates deposited homogeneously on the surfaces of the RGO layer. The discharge capacity of the β-Ni(OH)2/RGO composite decreases from 316.3 to 259.9 mA h/g at the discharge rate from 0.2 to 10 C, and the capacity decreases slightly by 17.8%. The excellent capacity and rate capability are assigned to the well-defined nanocrystallinity of the disorder hexagonal β-Ni(OH)2 nanoplates growing and anchoring on the surface of the RGO layer with the most numerous of available active sites, which provide more comfort spaces for protons and ions. The superior capacity of pseudocapacitive β-Ni(OH)2 and good conductivity of RGO make the β-Ni(OH)2/RGO composites a promising battery-type material for high-performance alkaline rechargeable batteries.
Hidden order in amorphous structures: Extraction of nearest neighbor networks of amorphous Nd–Fe alloys with Gabriel graph analyses
Authors: Terasawa Asako , Gohda Yoshihiro
Published: October 2018

Using the scheme of Delaunay and Gabriel graphs, we analyzed the amorphous structures of computationally created Nd–Fe alloys for several composition ratios based on melt quench simulations with finite temperature first-principles molecular dynamics. By the comparison of the radial distribution functions of the whole system and those derived from the Delaunay and Gabriel graphs, it was shown that the Gabriel graphs represent the first nearest neighbor networks well in the examined amorphous systems. From the Gabriel graph analyses, we examined the coordination structures of amorphous Nd–Fe alloys statistically. We found that the ranges of distributions of coordination numbers are wider at the lower Nd composition ratios. The angular distributions among three adjacent atoms were also analyzed, and it was found that the steeper the angular distributions become the higher the Nd composition ratios are. These features mean that the orders in the amorphous system become stronger as the Nd ratio increases, which corresponds to the appearance of crystalline grain boundary phases at high Nd composition ratios [T. T. Sasaki et al., Acta Mater. 115, 269–277 (2016)].
On evaluating x-ray imaging crystals with synchrotron radiation
Authors: Pereira N. R. , Macrander A. T. , Stoeckl C. , Baronova E. O.
Published: October 2018

Bent crystals used in diagnostics of plasmas combine x-rays diffracted from across the crystal. Therefore imperfections in the resulting 1-D spectrum or 2-D image are not the best way to find out why one particular crystal may differ in its performance from another and what, if anything, to do about it. Instead, here we want to measure the diffraction locally, with the necessary resolution. Nominally monochromatic and unidirectional radiation from the synchrotron’s standard x-ray optics proved to be insufficient for the purpose. Here much better radiation comes from the x-ray topography setup at the x-ray optics testing beamline 1-BM at the Advanced Photon Source, thanks to a specially designed quartz conditioning crystal. Some worrisome features in a bent crystal’s diffraction have thereby disappeared, while minor fabrication flaws remain highly visible.
Quantitative analysis and optimization of magnetization precession initiated by ultrafast optical pulses
Authors: Lattery Dustin M. , Zhu Jie , Zhang Delin , Wang Jian-Ping , Crowell Paul A. , Wang Xiaojia
Published: October 2018

Magnetic storage and magnetic memory have recently shifted towards the use of magnetic thin films with large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) to simultaneously satisfy the requirements in storage density and thermal stability. Understanding the magnetic switching process and its dependence on the Gilbert damping (α) of materials with large PMA is crucial for developing low-power consumption, fast-switching, and high-thermal stability devices. The need to quantify α of materials with large PMA has resulted in the development of the all-optical ultrafast Time-Resolved Magneto-optical Kerr Effect (TR-MOKE) technique. While TR-MOKE has demonstrated its capability of capturing magnetization dynamics of materials with large PMA, a quantitative analysis regarding the operational optimization of this emerging technique is still lacking. In this paper, we discuss the dependence of the TR-MOKE signal on the magnitude and angle of the applied field, by utilizing a numerical algorithm based on the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation. The optimized operational conditions that produce the largest TR-MOKE signals are predicted. As an experimental verification, we conduct TR-MOKE measurements on a representative sample of a tungsten-seeded CoFeB PMA thin film to show the excellent agreement of the model prediction with measurements. Our analysis results in a better understanding of the external field influence on the magnetization precession processes. The results of this work can also provide guidance on selecting operational conditions of the TR-MOKE technique to achieve optimal signal-to-noise ratios and thus more accurate measurements of magnetization dynamics.
A flux-balanced fluid model for collisional plasma edge turbulence: Model derivation and basic physical features
Authors: Majda Andrew J. , Qi Di , Cerfon Antoine J.
Published: October 2018

We propose a new reduced fluid model for the study of the drift wave–zonal flow dynamics in magnetically confined plasmas. Our model can be viewed as an extension of the classic Hasegawa-Wakatani (HW) model and is based on an improved treatment of the electron dynamics parallel to the field lines, to guarantee a balanced electron flux on the magnetic surfaces. Our flux-balanced HW (bHW) model contains the same drift-wave instability as previous HW models, but unlike these models, it converges exactly to the modified Hasegawa-Mima model in the collisionless limit. We rely on direct numerical simulations to illustrate some of the key features of the bHW model, such as the enhanced variability in the turbulent fluctuations and the existence of stronger and more turbulent zonal jets than the jets observed in other HW models, especially for high plasma resistivity. Our simulations also highlight the crucial role of the feedback of the third-order statistical moments in achieving a statistical equilibrium with strong zonal structures. Finally, we investigate the changes in the observed dynamics when more general dissipation effects are included and, in particular, when we include the reduced model for ion Landau damping originally proposed by Wakatani and Hasegawa.
Femtosecond laser induced Coulomb explosion imaging of aligned OCS oligomers inside helium nanodroplets
Authors: Pickering James D. , Shepperson Benjamin , Christiansen Lars , Stapelfeldt Henrik
Published: October 2018

Dimers and trimers of carbonyl sulfide (OCS) molecules embedded in helium nanodroplets are aligned by a linearly polarized 160 ps long moderately intense laser pulse and Coulomb exploded with an intense 40 fs long probe pulse in order to determine their structures. For the dimer, recording of 2D images of OCS+ and S+ ions and covariance analysis of the emission directions of the ions allow us to conclude that the structure is a slipped-parallel shape similar to the structure found for gas phase dimers. For the trimer, the OCS+ ion images and the corresponding covariance maps reveal the presence of a barrel-shaped structure (as in the gas phase) but also other structures not present in the gas phase, most notably a linear chain structure.
Testing dynamical system variables for reconstruction
Authors: Carroll T. L.
Published: October 2018

Analyzing data from dynamical systems often begins with creating a reconstruction of the trajectory based on one or more variables, but not all variables are suitable for reconstructing the trajectory. The concept of nonlinear observability has been investigated as a way to determine if a dynamical system can be reconstructed from one signal or a combination of signals [L. A. Aguirre, IEEE Trans. Educ. 38, 33 (1995); C. Letellier, L. A. Aguirre, and J. Maquet, Phys. Rev. E 71, 066213 (2005); L. A. Aguirre, S. B. Bastos, M. A. Alves, and C. Letellier, Chaos 18, 013123 (2008); L. A. Aguirre and C. Letellier, Phys. Rev. E 83, 066209 (2011); and E. Bianco-Martinez, M. S. Baptista, and C. Letellier, Phys. Rev. E 91, 062912 (2015)]; however, nonlinear observability can be difficult to calculate for a high dimensional system. In this work, I compare the results from nonlinear observability to a continuity statistic that indicates the likelihood that there is a continuous function between two sets of multidimensional points—in this case, two different reconstructions of the same attractor from different signals are simultaneously measured. Without a metric against which to test the ability to reconstruct a system, the predictions of nonlinear observability and continuity are ambiguous. As an additional test on how well different signals can predict the ability to reconstruct a dynamical system, I use the fitting error from training a reservoir computer.
Halogen bond in the water adduct of chloropentafluoroethane revealed by rotational spectroscopy
Authors: Chen Junhua , Wang Juan , Zheng Yang , Feng Gang , Gou Qian
Published: October 2018

The rotational spectrum of the chloropentafluoroethane-water complex has been investigated by pulsed jet Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy. Experimental rotational and quadrupole coupling constants of five isotopologues imply that the two subunits are held together by an almost linear C–Cl⋯O halogen bond. Water lies effectively in the symmetric plane of C2F5Cl and undergoes a plausible free internal rotation. The experimental structure and dissociation energies of the complex are also deduced.
Research Update: Recombination and open-circuit voltage in lead-halide perovskites
Authors: Kirchartz Thomas , Krückemeier Lisa , Unger Eva L.
Published: October 2018

The high open-circuit voltage and the slow recombination in lead-halide perovskite solar cells has been one of the main contributors to their success as photovoltaic materials. Here, we review the knowledge on recombination in perovskite-based solar cells, compare the situation with silicon solar cells, and introduce the parameters used to describe recombination and open-circuit voltage losses in solar cells. We first discuss the effect of lifetimes and surface recombination velocities on photovoltaic performance before we study the microscopic origin of charge-carrier lifetimes. The lifetimes depend on defect positions and densities and on the kinetic prefactors that control the phonon-assisted interaction between the extended states in the conduction and valence band and the localized defect states. We finally argue that the key to understand the long lifetimes and high open-circuit voltages is a combination of a low density of deep defects and a slow dissipation of energy via multiphonon processes due to the low phonon energies in the lead-halide perovskites.
Oscillatory rarefied gas flow inside a three dimensional rectangular cavity
Authors: Wang Peng , Su Wei , Zhang Yonghao
Published: October 2018

The oscillatory rarefied gas flow in a three-dimensional (3D) rectangular cavity, which is frequently encountered in micro-electro-mechanical systems, is investigated on the basis of the gas kinetic theory. The effects of the cavity aspect ratio, the cavity depth ratio, and the oscillation frequency of the driving lid on flow characteristics and damping force are systematically studied using the discrete unified gas-kinetic scheme over a broad range of gas rarefactions. For the highly rarefied flow, when the lid oscillates at a low frequency, as a consequence of the strong rarefaction effect, the damping force on the lid in a 3D cavity could even be smaller than that of a corresponding 2D one (i.e., the depth in the lateral direction approaching infinity). This finding contradicts our intuitive understanding that the damping force is expected to be amplified due to the presence of the lateral walls. Meanwhile, when the lid oscillation frequency becomes sufficiently high, due to the effect of gas anti-resonance, the damping force on the oscillating lid will increase again as the depth reduces for the highly rarefied flow. In addition, the gas resonance and anti-resonance found inside the 2D cavity also appear in 3D ones, and the anti-resonance and resonance frequencies as a function of the cavity aspect ratio are nearly the same. However, the presence of the lateral walls will suppress their formation: the smaller the depth, the weaker the intensity of the (anti-)resonance. These findings can help to design the structure of the micro-electro-mechanical devices.
Study shows the critical point of zero anisotropy can be achieved in a wide range of film thicknesses
Authors: McConnon Aili
Published: October 2018

Fine-tuning of magnetic anisotropy via film thickness provides a straight and simple way to manipulate the spin axis of a magnetic film.
Relational monogamy, condomless sex, and perceptions of pornography as sexual information in an English sample
Authors: Wright Paul J. , Miezan Ekra , Sun Chyng , Steffen Nicola J.
Published: October 2018

Background
This study assessed perceptions of pornography as a source of sexual information and condomless sex among a heterosexual sample of sexually active adult pornography consumers in England. Methods: Participants were drawn from an anonymous online survey of culture and sexuality. Results: There was no association between perceiving pornography as a source of sexual information and condomless sex among participants who were in monogamous relationships. Conversely, perceiving pornography as a source of sexual information was associated with condomless sex among participants who were not in monogamous relationships. Conclusion: The results of this study further the research literature on pornography and condomless sex in two ways. First, they suggest that studies that do not take relational monogamy into account may falsely conclude that pornography and condomless sex are unrelated. Second, they suggest that in addition to assessing the use of pornography, studies should measure the degree to which pornography is seen as a means of sexual pedagogy.
Association mapping, transcriptomics, and transient expression identify candidate genes mediating plant–pathogen interactions in a tree
Authors: Muchero Wellington , Sondreli Kelsey L. , Chen Jin-Gui , Urbanowicz Breeanna R. , Zhang Jin , Singan Vasanth , Yang Yongil , Brueggeman Robert S. , Franco-Coronado Juan , Abraham Nivi , Yang Jeong-Yeh , Moremen Kelley W. , Weisberg Alexandra J. , Chang Jeff H. , Lindquist Erika , Barry Kerrie , Ranjan Priya , Jawdy Sara , Schmutz Jeremy , Tuskan Gerald A. , LeBoldus Jared M.
Published: October 2018

Invasive microbes causing diseases such as sudden oak death negatively affect ecosystems and economies around the world. The deployment of resistant genotypes for combating introduced diseases typically relies on breeding programs that can take decades to complete. To demonstrate how this process can be accelerated, we employed a genome-wide association mapping of
ca
. 1,000 resequenced
Populus trichocarpa
trees individually challenged with
Sphaerulina musiva
, an invasive fungal pathogen. Among significant associations, three loci associated with resistance were identified and predicted to encode one putative membrane-bound L-type receptor-like kinase and two receptor-like proteins. A susceptibility-associated locus was predicted to encode a putative G-type D-mannose–binding receptor-like kinase. Multiple lines of evidence, including allele analysis, transcriptomics, binding assays, and overexpression, support the hypothesized function of these candidate genes in the
P. trichocarpa
response to
S. musiva
.
Epidemiology of the silent polio outbreak in Rahat, Israel, based on modeling of environmental surveillance data
Authors: Brouwer Andrew F. , Eisenberg Joseph N. S. , Pomeroy Connor D. , Shulman Lester M. , Hindiyeh Musa , Manor Yossi , Grotto Itamar , Koopman James S. , Eisenberg Marisa C.
Published: October 2018

Significance

The 2013–2014 silent polio epidemic in Israel was a setback to global eradication efforts because Israel had previously been certified as polio-free by the World Health Organization. Fortunately, Israel has a robust environmental surveillance program that detected the epidemic and allowed rapid mobilization of a vaccine campaign before any cases of acute flaccid paralysis. This kind of silent (caseless) epidemic will be increasingly common as we approach global eradication, demonstrating the need for both enhanced environmental surveillance and an accompanying inference framework to translate environmental data into public health metrics. We incorporate environmental data into a population-level disease transmission model, generating insights into the epidemiology of the outbreak. This framework can be used to guide future interventions.
Multiscale effects of heating and cooling on genes and gene networks
Authors: Charlebois Daniel A. , Hauser Kevin , Marshall Sylvia , Balázsi Gábor
Published: October 2018

Most organisms must cope with temperature changes. This involves genes and gene networks both as subjects and agents of cellular protection, creating difficulties in understanding. Here, we study how heating and cooling affect expression of single genes and synthetic gene circuits in
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
. We discovered that nonoptimal temperatures induce a cell fate choice between stress resistance and growth arrest. This creates dramatic gene expression bimodality in isogenic cell populations, as arrest abolishes gene expression. Multiscale models incorporating population dynamics, temperature-dependent growth rates, and Arrhenius scaling of reaction rates captured the effects of cooling, but not those of heating in resistant cells. Molecular-dynamics simulations revealed how heating alters the conformational dynamics of the TetR repressor, fully explaining the experimental observations. Overall, nonoptimal temperatures induce a cell fate decision and corrupt gene and gene network function in computationally predictable ways, which may aid future applications of engineered microbes in nonstandard temperatures.
Overstanding Idren
Authors: Slade Benjamin
Published: October 2018

This study examines two distinctive neologistic processes within Rasta Talk. (1)Overstandingis morphological refashioning of a word that replaces morphemes (actual or perceived) which are misaligned with respect to the connotations of the word itself. Thus the wordunderstanding,bearing positive connotations, is repaired by transforming the negatively mis-connotating sub-componentunder-intoover-.(2)Iformationis the targeting of (depending on a word’s structure) either the first syllable or the first segment for replacement by /ai/ or /j/; e.g.ancientandfoodbecomeI-cientandyood,respectively. These two processes contribute greatly to the salient properties of Rasta Talk, and involve a large degree of complexity which merits detailed scrutiny.
TCU-initial backchannel overlap in storytelling
Authors: Rühlemann Christoph
Published: October 2018

While overlap represents one of the major mainstays of conversation-analytic research, the phenomenon of overlap involving backchannels in TCU-initial position has largely gone unnoticed. This study addresses this gap focusing on backchannels occurring in overlap in storytelling interaction. The investigation combines both quantitative and qualitative methods and is based on small but representative samples drawn from the audio files available for the Narrative Corpus. The primary discovery of this study is that TCU-initial backchannel overlaps typically occur at points where the storytelling’s progressivity is decelerated, either due to delays in the backchannel’s production or to the teller interrupting the telling’s linearity to insert background information, upgrade references, or slip in digressions. An alternative environment for the occurrence of TCU-initial backchannel overlap is around the story climax. Data are in British English.
Affect as narrative action in the Global South
Authors: Rowlett Benedict J. L.
Published: October 2018

This paper focuses on the performance of small stories from two Cambodian men interviewed by the researcher about the relationships
they form with men from the Global North. The analysis attends to the empirical significance of these performances by focusing on
the mobilization of affect as an interactional linguistic and narrative resource that foregrounds social action in this context.
In this way, these small stories reveal how these men may challenge and reshape dominant social discourses at this sexualised
North/South interface. Bringing to the field of narrative inquiry approaches from queer linguistics, and Southern perspectives,
this paper is therefore tasked with exploring what the field may potentially gain from these areas, especially regarding the
theoretical and methodological possibilities of a North/South dialogue in the production of knowledge.
Building stories
Authors: Elliot Michelle L. , Bonsall Aaron
Published: October 2018

In this article we present findings from two separate narrative phenomenological studies interested in the narrative representations of experiences. While meeting original research aims, unexpected accounts of the meaningful experience derived from participation in the studies emerged. The shared methodological approach is introduced, followed by explorations of time, space, actors, and scenes as co-constructed story-telling and story-making considerations. The discussion highlights that while researcher positionality is itself not a novel focus, the potential influence of engagement in research must be acknowledged. The “data” therefore transcends the narrative shared to become a secondary experience with a constitutive influence on how the research relationship and participation in research is considered, analysed and interpreted.
From conceptualization to constructions in Finnish as an L2
Authors: Lesonen Sirkku , Suni Minna , Steinkrauss Rasmus , Verspoor Marjolijn
Published: October 2018

This study traces the individual learning trajectories of an adult beginner L2 Finnish learner in expressing the extralinguistic concept of evaluation from a dynamic usage-based perspective. Our results provide support for the view of learner language as a dynamic system in which patterns wax and wane and in which a change in one component has the potential to affect the whole system. In the early stages of learning there was a strong preference to use lexical verbs first, and then adjectives. The study also shows that variability plays a role. Finally, the study confirms that the learning of L2 constructions is in some cases item based. However, another highly frequent and superficially similar verbal construction in our data did not develop from a fixed formula. The role of instruction and the learner’s explicit knowledge as well as possibly input frequencies may have played a role in the different developmental trajectories.
La promesa atenuada en el discurso parlamentario español
Authors: Kern Beate
Published: October 2018

Abstracto

El presente estudio se propone analizar la relación entre la atenuación y un acto de habla específico, partiendo del ejemplo de la promesa en el discurso político, más concretamente en los debates parlamentarios españoles. Al enunciar una promesa, el hablante se impone a sí mismo una obligación, por lo que un incumplimiento podría amenazar su propia imagen, sobre todo cuando se trata de un político bajo la observación pública. Esta situación comunicativa podría favorecer el empleo de atenuadores orientados a la autoprotección del hablante, lo que el análisis de corpus (diario de sesiones delCongreso de los Diputados 1982–2014) confirma. Además, se muestra que la tendencia a atenuar la promesa varía en función del destinatario, del contenido y del estilo personal del hablante. Los procedimientos de atenuación más utilizados son las impersonalizaciones y las estructuras condicionales.
Atenuación con disminución prosódica significativa en géneros con distinto grado de planificación discursiva
Authors: Cabedo Nebot Adrián
Published: October 2018

Abstracto

Este estudio analiza la frecuencia de grupos entonativos con disminución prosódica y atenuación pragmática en tres géneros discursivos del español: la conversación coloquial, la entrevista televisiva y el monólogo humorístico. En total, se han recogido 3365 grupos entonativos, de los que 237 han manifestado valores reducidos fónicamente; el criterio de discriminación ha sido que los valores de velocidad elocutiva, rango tonal o intensidad se distancien 1.65 desviaciones típicas de la media del hablante. Los datos indican que entre un 15 y un 20% de grupos entonativos por género utilizan disminuciones prosódicas y que, de ellos, la mitad corresponden a casos de atenuación pragmática. Al mismo tiempo, los resultados señalan que los discursos menos planificados prefieren una o dos estrategias prosódicas, habitualmente bajadas de intensidad, mientras que discursos más planificados, como el monólogo humorístico, usan todas las estrategias fónicas con igualdad.
De la escritura científica a la conversación coloquial adolescente
Authors: Mihatsch Wiltrud
Published: October 2018

Abstracto

Tipo, al igual que sus cognados en otras lenguas, se origina como un latinismo de raíz griega que cobra impulso en las postrimerías del siglo XIX, especialmente en los escritos científicos y académicos, y desempeña un papel importante en los procesos de clasificación y sistematización. Un siglo más tarde, la frecuencia de uso detipopresenta un nuevo incremento drástico en algunas variedades del español, en particular en el lenguaje juvenil. En estas variedades,tipofunciona como atenuador y despliega una serie de funciones relacionadas: aproximativo, marcador de cita, marcador focal y marcador discursivo. El presente artículo se propone explicar el pasaje de las funciones comunicativas detipoen textos académicos y científicos a las funciones pragmáticas en las variedades coloquiales del español, particularmente, en el español de la Argentina. Los cambios producidos, tal como se mostrará en el trabajo, pueden ser concebidos como procesos de proceduralización, típicos de la gramaticalización y la pragmaticalización. Sin embargo, también resulta necesario recurrir tanto a informaciones sociolingüísticas como a diversas tradiciones o géneros discursivos para explicar los cambios producidos entre el siglo XIX y el XX, y los llamativos paralelismos en otras lenguas, no solo románicas. El estudio se basa en un análisis cualitativo de corpus.1
¿Quién atenúa y cuándo en español?
Authors: De Cock Barbara , Marsily Aurélie , Pizarro Pedraza Andrea , Rasson Marie
Published: October 2018

Abstracto

En este análisis, abordamos la atenuación en español desde la variación entre géneros discursivos orales (conversaciones, interacciones en clase, debates parlamentarios y entrevistas sociolingüísticas). Basándonos en el análisis deBriz (2007)de la atenuación en conversaciones informales y entrevistas, en la propuesta deFraser (1990)yBlas Arroyo (2005)en cuanto al impacto del contrato conversacional en el carácter marcado o no de una estrategia, y en la propuesta metodológica presentada enBriz y Albelda (2013), proponemos un análisis de algunos fenómenos de atenuación en español peninsular. Mostramos que, tanto en la atenuación del decir como en la atenuación de lo dicho, los fenómenos se distribuyen de forma variada entre los géneros discursivos incluidos. Queda claro, pues, que cada género tiene un perfil distinto en cuanto al uso de la atenuación, lo que tiene un impacto a la vez en el análisis de la atenuación y en el análisis de géneros discursivos.
‘Lo que se debe hacer es cambiar un poco el estilo de vida’
Authors: Hernández Flores Nieves , Rodríguez Tembrás Vanesa
Published: October 2018

Abstracto

Este trabajo estudia las estrategias de atenuación utilizadas en consejos médicos durante consultas de atención primaria. El objetivo es relacionar el uso de atenuantes con el efecto social producido en la imagen de los interactuantes de acuerdo con los roles desempeñados en la interacción concreta. Para tal fin, se analizan, desde perspectivas pragmalingüísticas y sociopragmáticas, dos fragmentos de consultas médicas en que los consejos del médico se realizan utilizando estrategias de atenuación. Los resultados muestran que en caso de existir riesgo para la imagen del paciente el uso de atenuantes consigue el efecto social de atenuar o mitigar los riesgos para la imagen de ambos (cortesía atenuadora); sin embargo, cuando ese riesgo no se evidencia, los atenuantes contribuyen a alcanzar una función de realce de sus respectivas imágenes (cortesía valorizante).
The underestimated worth of predatory and parasitic mites in India: does it really have to import exotic species for biological control?
Authors: Gupta S. K. , Kumar P. S.
Published: October 2018

Predatory and parasitic mites are likely to assume a greater role in crop protection as world attention is now focused on finding out alternative means of agricultural pest management, and some may be beneficial in the medical and veterinary fields. This review on the status of research on predatory and parasitic mites in India is written in the light of the recent push for introduction of exotic phytoseiid mites into the country. It provides an overview of the predatory mites associated with agri-horticultural crops as well as of some insects of public health importance in India and also of some known from outside the country for appreciating their potential. It has information on predatory mites representing 27 families under three orders, viz. Mesostigmata, Trombidiformes (suborder Prostigmata), Sarcoptiformes (suborder Oribatida, cohort Astigmatina and also cohort excluding Astigmatina). Since phytoseiid mites are the most dominant, highly effective, economically important and widespread predators, the major emphasis has been laid on this family. The promising predators that emerged out of this review are:
Amblyseius channabasavannai
,
A. herbicolus
,
A. largoensis
,
Euseius alstoniae
,
E. finlandicus
,
E. ovalis
,
Neoseiulus fallacis
,
N. longispinosus
,
Scapulaseius suknaensis
,
Transeius tetranychivorus
(Phytoseiidae);
Agistemus fleschneri
,
A. industani
,
Eryngiopus coimbatorensis
(Stigmaeidae);
Anystis baccarum
,
Walzia Indiana
(Anystidae);
Cunaxa setirostris
(Cunaxidae);
Pronematus fleshneri
(Lolinidae); and
Pyemotes tritici
(Pyemotidae), all associated with various agri-horticultural crops;
Microtrombidium saharanpuri
and
Arrenurus
species parasitizing housefly and mosquitoes, respectively. Since many of the predatory mite families appear to be still unexplored, those need immediate attention for exploration, documentation and profitable exploitation. The need to give more emphasis and encouragement to indigenous predatory mites than to exotic species is also discussed.
miR-10b-5p Regulates C2C12 Myoblasts Proliferation and Differentiation
Authors: Ge Guihua , Yang Dongli , Tan Ya , Chen Ying , Jiang Dongmei , Jiang Anan , Li Qiang , Liu Yihui , Zhong Zhijun , Li Xuewei , Zhang Shunhua , Zhu Li
Published: October 2018

The development of skeletal muscle is a complex process including myoblasts proliferation and differentiation. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at post-transcriptional level. Increasing evidences indicate that miRNAs are important regulators in myogenic processes. Here, we reported that the expression of miR-10b-5p steadily decreased during myoblasts proliferation, but significantly increased during myoblasts differentiation. The over-expression of miR-10b-5p promoted myoblasts proliferation and blunted myofiber formation in C2C12 cells, while miR-10b-5p down-regulation showed an opposite result. At the same time, we observed that the down-regulation of nuclear factor of activated T-cells 5 (NFAT5) repressed the differentiation of C2C12 cells, and interestingly, miR-10b-5p could suppress NFAT5 expression. Luciferase activity assays confirmed that miR-10b-5p directly target the 3ʹ-untranslated region (3ʹ-UTR) of NFAT5. Overall, we proposed here a novel insight that miR-10b-5p regulates the proliferation and differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts, and the impact on myogenic differentiation is partly through targeting NFAT5.

Abbreviations: NFAT5: nuclear factor of activated T-cells 5; Cyclin B: cycle protein B; Cyclin D1: cycle protein D1; Cyclin E: cycle protein E; CDK4: cyclin-dependent kinase 4; MyoD: myogenic differentiation antigen; MyoG: myogenin; Myf5: myogenic factor 5; MRF4: myogenic regulatory factor 4; MyHC: myosin heavy chain; AQP5: aquaporin-5; CACNA1C: calcium voltage-gated channel subunit alpha1 C; SRF: serum response factor; Pax7: paired box 7; KLF4: Kruppel-like factor 4; 3'-UTR: 3'-untranslated region; GM: growth medium; DM: differentiation medium
Xanthine Oxidase Inhibition by Febuxostat in Macrophages Suppresses Angiotensin II-Induced Aortic Fibrosis
Authors: Kondo Masateru , Imanishi Masaki , Fukushima Keijo , Ikuto Raiki , Murai Yoichi , Horinouchi Yuya , Izawa-Ishizawa Yuki , Goda Mitsuhiro , Zamami Yoshito , Takechi Kenshi , Chuma Masayuki , Ikeda Yasumasa , Fujino Hiromichi , Tsuchiya Koichiro , Ishizawa Keisuke
Published: October 2018

BACKGROUND

Several reports from basic researches and clinical studies have suggested that xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitors have suppressive effects on cardiovascular diseases. However, the roles of a XO inhibitor, febuxostat (FEB), in the pathogenesis of vascular remodeling and hypertension independent of the serum uric acid level remain unclear.

METHODS

To induce vascular remodeling in mice, angiotensin II (Ang II) was infused for 2 weeks with a subcutaneously implanted osmotic minipump. FEB was administered every day during Ang II infusion. Aortic fibrosis was assessed by elastica van Gieson staining. Mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells (RAW) and mouse embryonic fibroblasts were used for in vitro studies.

RESULTS

FEB suppressed Ang II-induced blood pressure elevation and aortic fibrosis. Immunostaining showed that Ang II-induced macrophage infiltration in the aorta tended to be suppressed by FEB, and XO was mainly colocalized in macrophages, not in fibroblasts. Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) mRNA expression was induced in the aorta in the Ang II alone group, but not in the Ang II + FEB group. Ang II induced α-smooth muscle actin-positive fibroblasts in the aortic wall, but FEB suppressed them. XO expression and activity were induced by Ang II stimulation alone but not by Ang II + FEB in RAW. FEB suppressed Ang II-induced TGF-β1 mRNA expression in RAW.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggested that FEB ameliorates Ang II-induced aortic fibrosis via suppressing macrophage-derived TGF-β1 expression.
Associations Between Control Beliefs and Response Time Inconsistency in Older Adults Vary as a Function of Attentional Task Demands
Authors: Cerino Eric S , Stawski Robert S , Geldhof G John , MacDonald Stuart W S
Published: October 2018

Objective

Control beliefs are established correlates of cognitive aging. Despite recent demonstrations that response time inconsistency (RTI) represents a proxy for cognitive processing efficiency, few investigations have explored links between RTI and psychosocial correlates. We examined associations among RTI and control beliefs (perceived competence and locus of control) for two choice-response time (RT) tasks varying in their attentional demands.

Method

Control beliefs and RTI were measured weekly for 5 weeks in a sample of 304 community-dwelling older adults (Mage = 74.11 years, SD = 6.05, range = 64–92, 68.58% female).

Results

Multilevel models revealed that for the attentionally demanding task, reporting higher perceived competence than usual was associated with lower RTI for relatively younger participants and greater RTI for relatively older participants. For the less attentionally demanding task, reporting higher perceived competence than usual was associated with lower RTI for relatively older participants. Links between locus of control and RTI were comparatively scant.

Discussion

Our findings suggest that control beliefs may have adaptive and maladaptive influences on RTI, depending on dimension of control beliefs, individual differences in level of control beliefs and age, as well as attentional task demands. Both for whom and when control beliefs can be leveraged to optimize cognitive aging are discussed.
Is the Quality of Nursing Homes Countercyclical? Evidence From 2001 Through 2015
Authors: Huang Sean Shenghsiu , Bowblis John R
Published: October 2018

Background and Objectives

To examine whether nursing homes (NHs) provide better quality when unemployment rates rise (countercyclical) and explore mechanisms contributing to the relationship between quality and unemployment rates.

Research Design and Methods

The study uses the data on privately owned, freestanding NHs in the continental United States that span a period from 2001 through 2015. The empirical analysis relies on panel fixed-effect regressions with the key independent variable being the county-level unemployment rate. NH quality is measured using deficiencies, outcomes, and care process measures. We also examine nursing staff levels, as well as employee turnover and retention.

Results

NHs have better quality when unemployment rates increase. Higher unemployment rates are associated with fewer deficiencies and lower deficiency scores. This countercyclical relationship is also found among other quality measures. In terms of mechanisms, we find higher nursing staff levels, lower employee turnover, and better workforce retention when unemployment rates rise. Improvement in staffing is likely contributing to better quality during recessions. Interestingly, these effects predominately occur in for-profit NHs for deficiencies and staffing levels.

Discussions and Implications

NH quality is countercyclical. With near record-low unemployment rates in 2018, regulatory agencies should pay close attention to NH quality when and where the local economy registers strong growth. On the other hand, the finding of the unemployment rate–staffing/turnover relationship also suggests that policies increasing staffing and reducing employee turnover may not only improve NH quality but also have the potential to smooth quality fluctuations between business cycles.
Scattering Fans
Authors: Reading Nathan
Published: October 2018

Scattering diagrams arose in the context of mirror symmetry, Donaldson–Thomas theory, and integrable systems. We show that a consistent scattering diagram with minimal support cuts the ambient space into a complete fan. A special class of scattering diagrams, the cluster scattering diagrams, is closely related to cluster algebras. We show that the cluster scattering fan associated to an exchange matrix $B$ refines the mutation fan for $B$ (a complete fan that encodes the geometry of mutations of $B$). We conjecture that, when $B$ is $n\times n$ for $n>2$, these two fans coincide if and only if $B$ is of finite mutation type.
Blockchain-based platforms for genomic data sharing: a de-centralized approach in response to the governance problems?
Authors: Shabani Mahsa
Published: October 2018

Blockchain-based platforms are emerging to provide solutions for technical and governance challenges associated with genomic data sharing. Providing capabilities for distributed data stewardship and participatory access control along with effective ways for enforcement of the data access agreements and data ownership are among the major promises of these platforms.
Nurse-Led, Shared Medical Appointments for Common Gastrointestinal Conditions—Improving Outcomes Through Collaboration With Primary Care in the Medical Home: A Prospective Observational Study
Authors: Novak Kerri L , Halasz Jennifer , Andrews Christopher , Johnston Colleen , Schoombee Willem , Tanyingoh Divine , Kaplan Gilaad G , van Zanten Sander Veldhuyzen , Swain Mark
Published: October 2018

Background

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are common gastrointestinal disorders accounting for a significant demand for specialty care. The aim of this study was to evaluate safety, access and outcomes of patients assessed by a nurse-led, shared medical appointment.

Methods

This prospective observational study utilized a sample of 770 patients referred to a gastroenterology Central Access and Triage for routine GERD, dyspepsia or IBS from 2011 to 2014. Patient demographics, clinical indication, frequency and outcomes of endoscopy, quality of life, wait times and long-term outcomes (>2 years) were compared between 411 patients assigned to a nurse-led, shared medical appointment and 359 patients assigned to clinic for a gastroenterology physician consultation.

Results

The nurse-led, shared medical appointment pathway compared with usual care pathway had shorter median wait times (12.6 weeks versus 137.1 weeks, P < 0.0001), fewer endoscopic exams (50.9% versus 76.3%, P < 0.0001), less gastroenterology re-referrals (4.6% versus 15.6%, P < 0.0001), and reduced visits to the emergency department (6.1% versus 12.0%, P = 0.004). After two years of follow-up, outcomes were no different between the pathways.

Conclusions

Patients with GERD, IBS or dyspepsia who attend the nurse-led, shared medical appointment have improved access to care and reduced resource utilization without increased risk of significant gastrointestinal outcomes after two years of follow-up.
Disappearing act
Authors: Yahr Jayme
Published: October 2018

The American self-made businessman Daniel J. Terra (1911–1996) collected art as a testament to his patriotism and in an attempt to establish his cultural prowess. Between 1971 and his death in 1996, Terra amassed a collection of 605 paintings, works on paper, and sculpture, made possible by a small network of art dealers who aided Terra in his rapid transformation of the American art market. After a failed attempt to donate his collection to the Art Institute of Chicago, Terra created not one, but two museums in Illinois and one in France over the course of twelve years. Each Terra-backed museum struggled to find visitors, structures of support, and strategic vision while under his control. With the disappearance of each museum, the story of Terra’s art collection became inexorably intertwined with concepts of value, identity, and the physical shift from private hobby to public endeavour.
Theories of truth based on four-valued infectious logics
Authors: Da Ré Bruno , Pailos Federico , Szmuc Damian
Published: October 2018

Infectious logics are systems that have a truth-value that is assigned to a compound formula whenever it is assigned to one of its components. This paper studies four-valued infectious logics as the basis of transparent theories of truth. This take is motivated (i) as a way to treat different pathological sentences (like the Liar and the Truth-Teller) differently, namely, by allowing some of them to be truth-value gluts and some others to be truth-value gaps and (ii) as a way to treat the semantic pathology suffered by at least some of these sentences as infectious. This leads us to consider four distinct four-valued logics: one where truth-value gaps are infectious, but gluts are not; one where truth-value gluts are infectious, but gaps are not; and two logics where both gluts and gaps are infectious, in some sense. Additionally, we focus on the proof theory of these systems, by offering a discussion of two related topics. On the one hand, we prove some limitations regarding the possibility of providing standard Gentzen sequent calculi for these systems, by dualizing and extending some recent results for infectious logics. On the other hand, we provide sound and complete four-sided sequent calculi, arguing that the most important technical and philosophical features taken into account to usually prefer standard calculi are, indeed, enjoyed by the four-sided systems.
Evidence of a large-scale positive rotation–metallicity correlation in the Galactic thick disc
Authors: Re Fiorentin Paola , Lattanzi Mario G , Spagna Alessandro
Published: October 2018

This study is based on high quality astrometric and spectroscopic data from the most recent releases by Gaia and APOGEE. We select $58\, 882$ thin and thick disc red giants in the Galactocentric (cylindrical) distance range 5 < R < 13 kpc and within |$z$| < 3 kpc, for which full chemo-kinematical information is available. Radial chemical gradients, $\partial \rm {[M/H]} / \partial \rm {R}$, and rotational velocity–metallicity correlations, $\partial V_\phi / \partial \rm {[M/H]}$, are re-derived firmly uncovering that the thick disc velocity–metallicity correlation maintains its positiveness over the 8 kpc range explored. This observational result is important as it sets experimental constraints on recent theoretical studies on the formation and evolution of the Milky Way disc and on cosmological models of Galaxy formation.
Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Guidelines for the Treatment of Adults With Metastatic Brain Tumors: Executive Summary
Authors: Olson Jeffrey J , Kalkanis Steven N , Ryken Timothy C
Published: October 2018

BACKGROUND

The Congress of Neurological Surgeons systematic review and evidence-based clinical practice parameter guidelines for the treatment of adults with metastatic brain tumors was first published in 2010. Because of the time elapsed since that publication, an update of this set of guidelines based on literature published since is now indicated.

OBJECTIVE

To establish the best evidence-based management of metastatic brain tumors over all commonly used diagnostic and treatment modalities in regularly encountered clinical situations.

METHODS

Literature searches regarding management of metastatic brain tumors with whole brain radiation therapy, surgery, stereotactic radiosurgery, chemotherapy, prophylactic anticonvulsants, steroids, instances of multiple brain metastases, and emerging and investigational therapies were carried out to answer questions designed by consensus of a multidisciplinary writing group.

RESULTS

Recommendations were created and their strength linked to the quality of the literature data available thus creating an evidence-based guideline. Importantly, shortcomings and biases to the literature data are brought out so as to provide guidance for future investigation and improvements in the management of patients with metastatic brain tumors.

CONCLUSION

This series of guidelines was constructed to assess the most current and clinically relevant evidence for management of metastatic brain tumors. They set a benchmark regarding the current evidence base for this management while also highlighting important key areas for future basic and clinical research, particularly on those topics for which no recommendations could be formulated.

The full guideline can be found at: https://www.cns.org/guidelines-treatment-adults-metastatic-brain-tumors/chapter_1.