bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THE VIRTUE OF CURIOSITY
Authors: Ross Lewis
Published: August 2018

A thriving project in contemporary epistemology concerns identifying and explicating the epistemic virtues. Although there is little sustained argument for this claim, a number of prominent sources suggest that curiosity is an epistemic virtue. In this paper, I provide an account of the virtue of curiosity. After arguing that virtuous curiosity must be appropriately discerning, timely and exacting, I then situate my account in relation to two broader questions for virtue responsibilists: What sort of motivations are required for epistemic virtue? And do epistemic virtues need to be reliable? I will sketch an account on which curiosity is only virtuous when rooted in a non-instrumental appreciation of epistemic goods, before arguing that curiosity can exhibit intellectual virtue irrespective of whether one is reliable in satisfying it.
Antimicrobial prescribing in patients with advanced-stage illness in the antimicrobial stewardship era
Authors: Tagashira Yasuaki , Kawahara Kanae , Takamatsu Akane , Honda Hitoshi
Published: August 2018

Objective

Antimicrobials are frequently administered to patients with an advanced-stage illness. Understanding the current practice of antimicrobial use at the end of life and the factors influencing physicians’ prescribing behavior is necessary to develop an effective antimicrobial stewardship program and to provide optimal end-of-life care for terminally ill patients.

Design

A 1-year retrospective cohort study.

Setting

A public tertiary-care center.

Patients

The study included 260 adult patients who were hospitalized and later died at the study institution with an advanced-stage illness.

Results

Of 260 patients in our study cohort, 192 (73.8%) had an advanced-stage malignancy and 136 (52.3%) received antimicrobial therapy in the last 14 days of their life; of the latter, 60 (44.1%) received antimicrobials for symptom relief. Overall antimicrobial use in the last 14 days of life was 421.9 days of therapy per 1,000 patient days. Factors associated with antimicrobial use in this period included a history of antimicrobial use prior to the last 14 days of life during index hospitalization (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 4.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.67–8.84) and antipyretic use in the last 14 days of life (aOR, 4.19; 95% CI, 2.01–8.71).

Conclusion

Approximately half of the patients hospitalized with an advanced-stage illness received antimicrobials in the last 14 days of life. The factors associated with antimicrobial use at the end of life in this study are likely to explain physicians’ prescribing behaviors. In the current era of antimicrobial stewardship, reconsidering antimicrobial use in terminally ill patients is necessary.
Temperatures produced by inertially collapsing bubbles near rigid surfaces
Authors: Beig S. A. , Aboulhasanzadeh B. , Johnsen E.
Published: August 2018

The dynamics of bubbles inertially collapsing in water near solid objects have been the subject of numerous studies in the context of cavitation erosion. While non-spherical bubble collapse, re-entrant jet dynamics and emitted shock waves have received significant interest, less is known about the temperatures thereby produced and their possible connection to damage. In this article, we use highly resolved numerical simulations of a single bubble inertially collapsing near a rigid surface to measure the temperatures produced in the fluid and estimate those in the solid, as well as to identify the responsible mechanisms. In particular, we find that elevated temperatures along the wall can be produced by one of two mechanisms, depending on the initial stand-off distance of the bubble from the wall and the driving pressure: for bubbles initially far from the wall, the shock generated by the bubble collapse is the source of the high temperature, while bubbles starting initially closer migrate towards the wall and eventually come into contact with it. A scaling is introduced to describe the maximum fluid temperature along the wall as a function of the initial stand-off distance and driving pressure. To predict the temperature of the solid, we develop a semianalytical heat transfer model, which supports recent experimental observations that elevated temperatures achieved during collapse could play a role in cavitation damage to soft heat-sensitive materials.
Electroviscous Effect of Power Law Fluids in a Slit Microchannel With Asymmetric Wall Zeta Potentials
Authors: Sailaja A. , Srinivas B. , Sreedhar I.
Published: August 2018

This work analyzes the pressure driven flow of a power law fluid in a slit microchannel of asymmetric walls with electroviscous effects. The steady state Cauchy momentum and the Poisson-Boltzmann equation are solved for the velocity and the potential distribution inside the microchannel. The Debye-Huckel approximation as applicable for low zeta potentials is not made in the present work. The unknown streaming potential is solved by casting the governing equations as an optimization problem using COMSOL Multiphysics. This proposed method is very robust and can be used for a wide variety of cases. It is found that the asymmetry of the zeta potential at the two walls plays an important role on the streaming potential developed. There is a unique zeta potential ratio at which the streaming potential exhibits a maxima for both Debye-Huckel parameter and the power law index. Shear thinning fluids exhibit a stronger dependency of the streaming potential on asymmetry of the zeta potential than shear thickening fluids. For Newtonian fluids narrow slit microchannels develop larger streaming potentials compared to wider microchannels for a given asymmetry.
Evaluation of Sardari bread wheat ecotypes under the rainfed cold conditions of Iran
Authors: Roostaei M. , Jalal Kamali M. R. , Roohi E. , Mohammadi R.
Published: August 2018

Plant ecotypes represent heterogeneous, local adaptation of domesticated species and thereby provide genetic resources that meet current and new challenges for farming in drought-prone environments. A total of 536 Sardari bread wheat ecotypes, assembled from different geographical regions of Iran, were studied under rainfed cold conditions for three cropping seasons (2009–12). The main objectives were to (i) quantify the performance of the Sardari wheat ecotypes under cold rainfed conditions and (ii) provide information that would enable germplasm management and utilization in wheat breeding programmes to enhance the development of better adapted varieties for the rainfed cold conditions of Iran. All the ecotypes were evaluated for grain yield and several drought-adaptive traits. Combined analysis of variance indicated significant differences between years, ecotypes and their interaction effects for each studied trait. The Sardari wheat ecotypes showed considerable variability for the phenotypic traits and stability performance that could be utilized for wheat improvement in cold rainfed areas. Many of the Sardari wheat ecotypes exhibited a high combination of yield and stability for both drought and cold stresses, comparable to control cultivars. Multivariate analyses indicated several significant patterns among ecotypes from different geographical regions. In conclusion, selection from current Sardari wheat ecotypes may lead to yield stability and specific adaptation, which provides opportunities for this collection to be useful for genetic improvement of drought tolerance in bread wheat.
Can delay discounting deliver on the promise of RDoC?
Authors: Lempert Karolina M. , Steinglass Joanna E. , Pinto Anthony , Kable Joseph W. , Simpson Helen Blair
Published: August 2018

The National Institute of Mental Health launched the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative to better understand dimensions of behavior and identify targets for treatment. Examining dimensions across psychiatric illnesses has proven challenging, as reliable behavioral paradigms that are known to engage specific neural circuits and translate across diagnostic populations are scarce. Delay discounting paradigms seem to be an exception: they are useful for understanding links between neural systems and behavior in healthy individuals, with potential for assessing how these mechanisms go awry in psychiatric illnesses. This article reviews relevant literature on delay discounting (or the rate at which the value of a reward decreases as the delay to receipt increases) in humans, including methods for examining it, its putative neural mechanisms, and its application in psychiatric research. There exist rigorous and reproducible paradigms to evaluate delay discounting, standard methods for calculating discount rate, and known neural systems probed by these paradigms. Abnormalities in discounting have been associated with psychopathology ranging from addiction (with steep discount rates indicating relative preference for immediate rewards) to anorexia nervosa (with shallow discount rates indicating preference for future rewards). The latest research suggests that delay discounting can be manipulated in the laboratory. Extensively studied in cognitive neuroscience, delay discounting assesses a dimension of behavior that is important for decision-making and is linked to neural substrates and to psychopathology. The question now is whether manipulating delay discounting can yield clinically significant changes in behavior that promote health. If so, then delay discounting could deliver on the RDoC promise.
Asynchronous WAM with Irregular Pulse Repetition
Authors: Sadowski Jaroslaw , Stefanski Jacek
Published: August 2018

Radiolocation systems for aviation based on Multi-Lateration (MLAT) typically use a set of synchronised ground sensors to receive radio signals broadcast by onboard transmitters. In most cases, the sensor synchronisation in Wide Area Multi-Lateration Systems (WAM) is provided by Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers. However, in the case of synchronisation failure, there is still a possibility to estimate the coordinates of the tracked aircraft by using the measurements of the time of arrival taken by non-synchronised sensors. The article presents the principle of operation and equations for calculating the coordinates of an aircraft in an asynchronous multi-lateration system, together with the results of a computer simulation allowing comparison of the accuracy of position estimation between the asynchronous and the typical, synchronous MLAT. This paper contains also some comments on the required stability of the clock source for the sensors working in an asynchronous MLAT system.
Testing the programming of temperament and psychopathology in two independent samples of children with prenatal substance exposure
Authors: Lin Betty , Ostlund Brendan D. , Conradt Elisabeth , Lagasse Linda L. , Lester Barry M.
Published: August 2018

Prenatal programming models have rarely been applied to research on children with prenatal substance exposure, despite evidence suggesting that prenatal drug exposure is a form of stress that impacts neurodevelopmental outcomes and risk for psychopathology. Utilizing data from two longitudinal multisite studies comprising children prenatally exposed to substances as well as a nonexposed comparison group (Maternal Lifestyle Study,n= 1,388; Infant Development, Environment, and Lifestyle study,n= 412), we tested whether early phenotypic indicators of hypothesized programming effects, indexed by growth parameters at birth and infant temperament, served as a link between prenatal substance exposure and internalizing and externalizing behavior at age 5. Latent profile analysis indicated that individual differences in reactivity and regulation for infants prenatally exposed to substances was best characterized by four temperament profiles. These profiles were virtually identical across two independent samples, and demonstrated unique associations with adjustment difficulties nearly 5 years later. Results of path analysis using structural equation modeling also showed that increased prenatal substance exposure was linked to poorer growth parameters at birth, profiles of temperamental reactivity in infancy, and internalizing and externalizing behavior at age 5. This pathway was partially replicated across samples. This study was among the first to link known individual-level correlates of prenatal substance exposure into a specific pathway to childhood problem behavior. Implications for the developmental origins of a child's susceptibility to psychopathology as a result of intrauterine substance exposure are discussed.
An experimental test of the fetal programming hypothesis: Can we reduce child ontogenetic vulnerability to psychopathology by decreasing maternal depression?
Authors: Davis Elysia Poggi , Hankin Benjamin L. , Swales Danielle A. , Hoffman M. Camille
Published: August 2018

Maternal depression is one of the most common prenatal complications, and prenatal maternal depression predicts many child psychopathologies. Here, we apply the fetal programming hypothesis as an organizational framework to address the possibility that fetal exposure to maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy affects fetal development of vulnerabilities and risk mechanisms, which enhance risk for subsequent psychopathology. We consider four candidate pathways through which maternal prenatal depression may affect the propensity of offspring to develop later psychopathology across the life span: brain development, physiological stress regulation (hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenocortical axis), negative emotionality, and cognitive (effortful) control. The majority of past research has been correlational, so potential causal conclusions have been limited. We describe an ongoing experimental test of the fetal programming influence of prenatal maternal depressive symptoms using a randomized controlled trial design. In this randomized controlled trial, interpersonal psychotherapy is compared to enhanced usual care among distressed pregnant women to evaluate whether reducing prenatal maternal depressive symptoms has a salutary impact on child ontogenetic vulnerabilities and thereby reduces offspring's risk for emergence of later psychopathology.
Social buffering of the maternal and infant HPA axes: Mediation and moderation in the intergenerational transmission of adverse childhood experiences
Authors: Thomas Jenna C. , Letourneau Nicole , Campbell Tavis S. , Giesbrecht Gerald F. ,   Apron Study Team
Published: August 2018

Supportive social relationships can reduce both psychological and physiological responses to stressful experiences. Recently, studies have also assessed the potential for social relationships to buffer the intergenerational transmission of stress. The majority of these studies, however, have focussed on social learning as a mechanism responsible for the intergenerational transmission of stress. Evidence of biological mechanisms is lacking. The objective of the current study was, therefore, to determine whether the association between maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and infant hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis function is mediated by maternal HPA axis function during pregnancy and moderated by social support. Data were from 243 mother–infant dyads enrolled in a prospective longitudinal cohort (the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition Study). Maternal history of ACEs was retrospectively assessed while maternal perceived social support and salivary cortisol were assessed prospectively at 6–22 weeks gestation (Time 1) and 27–37 weeks gestation (Time 2), and infant cortisol reactivity to a laboratory stressor and maternal perceived social support were assessed at 5–10 months postnatal (Time 3). Results revealed that maternal HPA axis function during pregnancy mediated the effects of maternal ACEs on infant HPA axis reactivity, suggesting that the maternal HPA axis is a mechanism by which maternal early life stress is transmitted to offspring. Furthermore, social support in the prenatal and postnatal periods moderated the cascade from maternal ACEs to infant HPA axis reactivity. Specifically, prenatal social support moderated the association between ACEs and maternal HPA axis function during pregnancy, and postnatal social support moderated the association between maternal HPA axis function and infant cortisol reactivity. These findings highlight the social sensitivity of the HPA axis and suggest the utility of social relationships as an intervention target to reduce the effects of maternal early life stress on infant outcomes.
Prenatal CRH: An integrating signal of fetal distress
Authors: Sandman Curt A.
Published: August 2018

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is distributed throughout the brain and in peripheral sites but primarily is localized in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. It is a “master” stress hormone that is responsible for the synthesis of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) in the anterior pituitary gland. Behaviorally active peptide hormones, including adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) and B-endorphin, are liberated from POMC by enzymes to activate critical processes during stress. CRH is not detectable in the circulation even during extreme stress. However, during human pregnancy, the human placenta expresses the gene for CRH (pCRH) resulting in detectable levels in maternal plasma that increases 20- to 40-fold over the course of gestation. Placental CRH is identical to CRH of hypothalamic origin in size, structure, immunoreactivity, and bioactivity. However, unlike the negative feedback between adrenal cortisol and hypothalamic CRH, cortisol stimulates the synthesis and release of pCRH. The bidirectional release of pCRH into maternal and fetal compartments is associated with regulating the timing of delivery, remodeling the fetal nervous system, and influencing developmental trajectories. Fetal exposure to pCRH during early and late gestation is associated with unique patterns of cortical thinning in school-age children. Placental CRH is elevated in response to physical and behavioral stress and may be an integrative marker of early adversity.
Strategic port graph rewriting: an interactive modelling framework
Authors: FERNÁNDEZ MARIBEL , KIRCHNER HÉLÈNE , PINAUD BRUNO
Published: August 2018

We present strategic port graph rewriting as a basis for the implementation of visual modelling tools. The goal is to facilitate the specification and programming tasks associated with the modelling of complex systems. A system is represented by an initial graph and a collection of graph rewrite rules, together with a user-defined strategy to control the application of rules. The traditional operators found in strategy languages for term rewriting have been adapted to deal with the more general setting of graph rewriting, and some new constructs have been included in the strategy language to deal with graph traversal and management of rewriting positions in the graph. We give a formal semantics for the language, and describe its implementation: the graph transformation and visualisation tool Porgy.
TWO NEW SPECIES OF PARABOEA (GESNERIACEAE) FROM VIETNAM
Authors: Middleton D. J.
Published: August 2018

Two new species, Paraboea stellata D.J.Middleton and Paraboea minutiflora D.J.Middleton, are described and provisional conservation assessments given.
Postoperative feeding problems in patients with tetralogy of Fallot, pulmonary atresia, and major aortopulmonary collaterals undergoing unifocalisation surgery
Authors: Koth Andrew M. , Sakarovitch Charlotte , Sidell Douglas R. , Schultz Lisa M. , Freccero Allison , Rizzuto Sandra , Hanley Frank L. , Asija Ritu
Published: August 2018

Background

Patients with tetralogy of Fallot, pulmonary atresia, and major aortopulmonary collaterals are at risk for prolonged hospitalisation after unifocalisation. Feeding problems after congenital heart surgery are associated with longer hospital stay. We sought to determine the impact of baseline, intra-operative, and postoperative factors on the need for feeding tube use at the time of discharge.

Methods

We included patients with the aforementioned diagnosis undergoing unifocalisation from ages 3 months to 4 years from 2010 to 2016. We excluded patients with a pre-existing feeding tube. Patients discharged with an enteric tube were included in the feeding tube group. We compared the feeding tube group with the non-feeding-tube group by univariable and multi-variable logistic regression.

Results

Of the 56 patients studied, 41% used tube feeding. Median age and weight z-score were similar in the two groups. A chromosome 22q11 deletion was associated with the need for a feeding tube (22q11 deletion in 39% versus 15%, p=0.05). Median cardiopulmonary bypass time in the feeding tube group was longer (335 versus 244 minutes, p=0.04). Prolonged duration of mechanical ventilation was associated with feeding tube use (48 versus 3%, p=0.001). On multi-variable analysis, prolonged mechanical ventilation was associated with feeding tube use (odds ratio 10.2, 95% confidence intervals 1.6; 63.8).

Conclusion

Among patients with tetralogy of Fallot, pulmonary atresia, and major aortopulmonary collaterals who were feeding by mouth before surgery, prolonged mechanical ventilation after unifocalisation surgery was associated with feeding tube use at discharge. Anticipation of feeding problems in this population and earlier feeding tube placement may reduce hospital length of stay.
Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome presenting with steroid-induced bradycardia in a patient with acute rheumatic fever
Authors: Orgun Ali , Gursu Hazım A. , Cetin Ibrahim I.
Published: August 2018

Steroids are used in the treatment of acute rheumatic fever with moderate-to-severe carditis. Corticosteroids have several cardiovascular side affects that are more common in adults than in children. Corticosteroid-related bradycardia is a rarely seen side effect. Children with bradycardia following oral corticosteroid use are rarely reported previously. We present a child who developed bradycardia after oral corticosteroid treatment and concurrent Wolff–Parkinson–White pattern.
TREND INFLATION, RIGIDITIES, AND HUMAN CAPITAL GROWTH
Authors: Laguna Adelaida , Sanso Marcos
Published: August 2018

A wage setting process defined in terms of wage per hour is the key factor for obtaining negative optimal trend inflation in a closed economy. However, this inflation will be zero if the process is established on the wage per unit of human capital. The origin of both results is a dynamic mechanism that, with some differences, makes possible the attainment of a situation equivalent to wage flexibility. Finally, while the effect of trend inflation on the long-run growth rate is tiny in the first case, it is much more important in the second, highlighting the relevance of this approach.
THE MACROECONOMIC IMPACT OF MONETARY-FISCAL POLICY IN A “FISCAL DOMINANCE” WORLD
Authors: Jia Pengfei
Published: August 2018

This paper focuses on the question of what monetary and fiscal policy can do and should do in a “fiscal dominance” world. I first highlight that both “amplification” and “fiscal cushion” effects are always at work jointly in determining the evolution of inflation. I find the threshold of maturity of government bonds beyond which more aggressive monetary policy dampens inflation volatility is three quarters. In addition, I conduct welfare analysis to quantitatively evaluate the costs and benefits brought by long-term debt. My results show that the threshold of government debt maturity above which an aggressive monetary policy improves welfare is eight quarters. More importantly, I characterize optimal monetary and fiscal policy using simple and implementable rules. My results indicate an optimal monetary and fiscal combination calls for an aggressive response in both rules. Finally, I find that optimized simple monetary-fiscal rule is significantly welfare inferior to the Ramsey optimal policy.
Bilinguals as “experts”? Comparing performance of mono- to bilingual individuals via a mousetracking paradigm
Authors: DAMIAN MARKUS F. , YE WENTING , OH MINAH , YANG SIAN
Published: August 2018

The question of whether bilingualism conveys a broader advantage in executive functions has recently been controversially discussed, with the empirical findings presenting a complex pattern of positive and null results. Here we present results from three standard tasks measuring executive functions (Flanker; Simon; Spatial Stroop) in which we compared performance of English monolingual to Chinese–English bilingual young adults. Participants provided responses via movement of a computer mouse rather than the conventional key presses, which provides a rich signal of the unfolding response dynamics. Clear differences between bi- and monolinguals emerged, with the former providing more ‘efficient’ responses than the latter. Results are discussed regarding the extent to which these results can be characterised as a genuine “bilingual advantage”.
Spaceflight from Super-Earths is difficult
Authors: Hippke Michael
Published: August 2018

Many rocky exoplanets are heavier and larger than the Earth and have higher surface gravity. This makes space-flight on these worlds very challenging because the required fuel mass for a given payload is an exponential function of planetary surface gravity, exp(g0). We find that chemical rockets still allow for escape velocities on Super-Earths up to 10× Earth mass. More massive rocky worlds, if they exist, would require other means to leave the planet, such as nuclear propulsion. This is relevant for space colonization and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
Differential expression of carboxylesterases in larva and adult of Culex quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera: Culicidae) from sub-Himalayan West Bengal, India
Authors: Bharati Minu , Saha Dhiraj
Published: August 2018

Culex quinquefasciatusSay, a widely distributed mosquito in tropical and subtropical areas, is the most important vector of the filarial parasiteWuchereria bancrofti, the causative agent of lymphatic filariasis. In India, filariasis is endemic in 17 States and six Union Territories, putting about 553 million people at risk of infection. Vector control, which aims to prevent pathogen transmission through interventions targeting adult mosquito vectors, is a significant component of control of the disease. Chemical-based control represents a chief strategy in the management of mosquito vectors; however, continuous application of insecticides has led to the development of resistance in many mosquito vectors around the world. The current study aims to observe the variability of expression of carboxylesterase isozymes that play a role in detoxifying insecticides into non-toxic compounds, in different life stages ofCulexmosquitoes, to understand levels of insecticide susceptibility that may be used in integrated mosquito management for efficient vector control.C. quinquefasciatus werecollected from different localities of sub-Himalayan West Bengal, India, and adult and larval bioassays were performed against one organophosphate insecticide (chlorpyrifos) and two synthetic pyrethroid insecticides (deltamethrin and lambda-cyhalothrin). The activity of α- and β-carboxylesterases (quantitative assay) were measured in larvae and adults ofC. quinquefasciatususing a microplate assay, and measured qualitative expression by native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The study shows a differential activity of α- and β-carboxylesterases both in quantitative and qualitative assays. The quantitative assay reveals that larvae exhibit a 12.2-fold higher level activity of α-carboxylesterase and about 5.0-fold higher level of activity of β-carboxylesterase than adults. Some carboxylesterase isozymes, i.e., α-Est I-IV, α-Est VII and α-Est XI-XV were exclusively expressed in larvae, whereas α-Est V-VI and α-Est IX were expressed only in adults. In larvae, all β-Est I-IX were expressed, while in adults only β-Est IV-V was expressed. The results of adult and larval insecticide bioassay are also as per the above findings showing an LC90value of 0.017 ppm, 0.097 ppm and 0.072 ppm in the larva, and LC90value of 0.0015 ppm, 0.721 ppm, 0.364 ppm in adults against chlorpyrifos, deltamethrin and lambda-cyhalothrin, respectively.
Narcissists Stand United
Authors: Hart William , Richardson Kyle , Tortoriello Gregory K.
Published: August 2018

Abstract. Previous research suggests narcissists (vs. non-narcissists) may perceive grandiose narcissism as a less dislikeable trait in others. However, previous research has only addressed this phenomenon from the perspective of a grandiose narcissistic perceiver and not from the perspective of a vulnerable narcissistic perceiver, thus limiting understanding of whether the phenomenon unites or distinguishes between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism forms. The current study examined this phenomenon from the perspective of vulnerable and grandiose narcissistic perceivers. Participants indicated liking judgments of actors behaving in a way consistent with grandiose narcissism (narcissistically) or non-narcissistically and their attitudes toward the category “narcissists.” Although participants indicated less liking for the narcissistic (vs. non-narcissistic) actor, this relative disliking for narcissists was reduced as a function of perceiver grandiose and vulnerable narcissism; furthermore, perceiver grandiose and vulnerable narcissism each related to more positive attitudes toward “narcissists.”
Climate Change and Future Wildfire in the Western United States: An Ecological Approach to Nonstationarity
Authors: Littell Jeremy S. , McKenzie Donald , Wan Ho Yi , Cushman Samuel A.
Published: August 2018

We developed ecologically based climate‐fire projections for the western United States. Using a finer ecological classification and fire‐relevant climate predictors, we created statistical models linking climate and wildfire area burned for ecosections, which are geographic delineations based on biophysical variables. The results indicate a gradient from purely fuel‐limited (antecedent positive water balance anomalies or negative energy balance anomalies) to purely flammability‐limited (negative water balance anomalies or positive energy balance anomalies) fire regimes across ecosections. Although there are other influences (such as human ignitions and management) on fire occurrence and area burned, seasonal climate significantly explains interannual fire area burned. Differences in the role of climate across ecosections are not random, and the relative dominance of climate predictors allows objective classification of ecosection climate‐fire relationships. Expected future trends in area burned range from massive increases, primarily in flammability limited systems near the middle of the water balance deficit distribution, to substantial decreases, in fuel‐limited nonforested systems. We predict increasing area burned in most flammability‐limited systems but predict decreasing area burned in primarily fuel‐limited systems with a flammability‐limited (“hybrid”) component. Compared to 2030–2059 (2040s), projected area burned for 2070–2099 (2080s) increases much more in the flammability and flammability‐dominated hybrid systems than those with equal control and continues to decrease in fuel‐limited hybrid systems. Exceedance probabilities for historical 95th percentile fire years are larger in exclusively flammability‐limited ecosections than in those with fuel controls. Filtering the projected results using a fire‐rotation constraint minimizes overprojection due to static vegetation assumptions, making projections more conservative.
Application of Neonatologist Performed Echocardiography in the Assessment and Management of Neonatal Heart Failure unrelated to Congenital Heart Disease
Authors: Levy Philip T. , Tissot Cecile , Horsberg Eriksen Beate , Nestaas Eirik , Rogerson Sheryle , McNamara Patrick J. , El-Khuffash Afif , de Boode Willem P. ,   on behalf of the European Special Interest Group ‘Neonatologist Performed Echocardiography’ (NPE), Austin T. , Bohlin K. , Bravo M. C. , Breatnach C. R. , Breindahl M. , Dempsey E. , Groves A. M. , Gupta S. , Molnar Z. , Roehr C. C. , Savoia M. , Schubert U. , Schwarz C. E. , Sehgal A. , Singh Y. , Slieker M. G. , van der Lee R. , van Laere D. , van Overmeire B. , van Wyk L.
Published: August 2018

Neonatal heart failure (HF) is a progressive disease caused by cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular abnormalities. The most common cause of neonatal HF is structural congenital heart disease, while neonatal cardiomyopathy represents the most common cause of HF in infants with a structurally normal heart. Neonatal cardiomyopathy is a group of diseases manifesting with various morphological and functional phenotypes that affect the heart muscle and alter cardiac performance at, or soon after birth. The clinical presentation of neonates with cardiomyopathy is varied, as are the possible causes of the condition and the severity of disease presentation. Echocardiography is the selected method of choice for diagnostic evaluation, follow-up and analysis of treatment results for cardiomyopathies in neonates. Advances in neonatal echocardiography now permit a more comprehensive assessment of cardiac performance that could not be previously achieved with conventional imaging. In this review, we discuss the current and emerging echocardiographic techniques that aid in the correct diagnostic and pathophysiological assessment of some of the most common etiologies of HF that occur in neonates with a structurally normal heart and acquired cardiomyopathy and we provide recommendations for using these techniques to optimize the management of neonate with HF.
Ancestral gene acquisition as the key to virulence potential in environmental Vibrio populations
Authors: Bruto Maxime , Labreuche Yannick , James Adèle , Piel Damien , Chenivesse Sabine , Petton Bruno , Polz Martin F , Le Roux Frédérique
Published: August 2018

Diseases of marine animals caused by bacteria of the genus Vibrio are on the rise worldwide. Understanding the eco-evolutionary dynamics of these infectious agents is important for predicting and managing these diseases. Yet, compared to Vibrio infecting humans, knowledge of their role as animal pathogens is scarce. Here we ask how widespread is virulence among ecologically differentiated Vibrio populations, and what is the nature and frequency of virulence genes within these populations? We use a combination of population genomics and molecular genetics to assay hundreds of Vibrio strains for their virulence in the oyster Crassostrea gigas, a unique animal model that allows high-throughput infection assays. We show that within the diverse Splendidus clade, virulence represents an ancestral trait but has been lost from several populations. Two loci are necessary for virulence, the first being widely distributed across the Splendidus clade and consisting of an exported conserved protein (R5.7). The second is a MARTX toxin cluster, which only occurs within V. splendidus and is for the first time associated with virulence in marine invertebrates. Varying frequencies of both loci among populations indicate different selective pressures and alternative ecological roles, based on which we suggest strategies for epidemiological surveys.
PAK2–c-Myc–PKM2 axis plays an essential role in head and neck oncogenesis via regulating Warburg effect
Authors: Gupta Amit , Ajith Athira , Singh Smriti , Panday Rajendra Kumar , Samaiya Atul , Shukla Sanjeev
Published: August 2018

The histone modifiers (HMs) are crucial for chromatin dynamics and gene expression; however, their dysregulated expression has been observed in various abnormalities including cancer. In this study, we have analyzed the expression of HMs in microarray profiles of head and neck cancer (HNC), wherein a highly significant overexpression of p21-activated kinase 2 (PAK2) was identified which was further validated in HNC patients. The elevated expression of PAK2 positively correlated with enhanced cell proliferation, aerobic glycolysis and chemoresistance and was associated with the poor clinical outcome of HNC patients. Further, dissection of molecular mechanism revealed an association of PAK2 with c-Myc and c-Myc-dependent PKM2 overexpression, wherein we showed that PAK2 upregulates c-Myc expression and c-Myc thereby binds to PKM promoter and induces PKM2 expression. We observed that PAK2–c-Myc–PKM2 axis is critical for oncogenic cellular proliferation. Depletion of PAK2 disturbs the axis and leads to downregulation of c-Myc and thereby PKM2 expression, which resulted in reduced aerobic glycolysis, proliferation and chemotherapeutic resistance of HNC cells. Moreover, the c-Myc complementation rescued PAK2 depletion effects and restored aerobic glycolysis, proliferation, migration and invasion in PAK2-depleted cells. The global transcriptome analysis of PAK2-depleted HNC cells revealed the downregulation of various genes involved in active cell proliferation, which indicates that PAK2 overexpression is critical for HNC progression. Together, these results suggest that the axis of PAK2–c-Myc–PKM2 is critical for HNC progression and could be a therapeutic target to reduce the cell proliferation and acquired chemoresistance and might enhance the efficacy of standard chemotherapy which will help in better management of HNC patients.
Conical-intersection dynamics and ground-state chemistry probed by extreme-ultraviolet time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy
Authors: von Conta A. , Tehlar A. , Schletter A. , Arasaki Y. , Takatsuka K. , Wörner H. J.
Published: August 2018

Time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (TRPES) is a useful approach to elucidate the coupled electronic-nuclear quantum dynamics underlying chemical processes, but has remained limited by the use of low photon energies. Here, we demonstrate the general advantages of XUV-TRPES through an application to NO2, one of the simplest species displaying the complexity of a non-adiabatic photochemical process. The high photon energy enables ionization from the entire geometrical configuration space, giving access to the true dynamics of the system. Specifically, the technique reveals dynamics through a conical intersection, large-amplitude motion and photodissociation in the electronic ground state. XUV-TRPES simultaneously projects the excited-state wave packet onto many final states, offering a multi-dimensional view of the coupled electronic and nuclear dynamics. Our interpretations are supported by ab initio wavepacket calculations on new global potential-energy surfaces. The presented results contribute to establish XUV-TRPES as a powerful technique providing a complete picture of ultrafast chemical dynamics from photoexcitation to the final products.
Phylogenomics uncovers early hybridization and adaptive loci shaping the radiation of Lake Tanganyika cichlid fishes
Authors: Irisarri Iker , Singh Pooja , Koblmüller Stephan , Torres-Dowdall Julián , Henning Frederico , Franchini Paolo , Fischer Christoph , Lemmon Alan R. , Lemmon Emily Moriarty , Thallinger Gerhard G. , Sturmbauer Christian , Meyer Axel
Published: August 2018

Lake Tanganyika is the oldest and phenotypically most diverse of the three East African cichlid fish adaptive radiations. It is also the cradle for the younger parallel haplochromine cichlid radiations in Lakes Malawi and Victoria. Despite its evolutionary significance, the relationships among the main Lake Tanganyika lineages remained unresolved, as did the general timescale of cichlid evolution. Here, we disentangle the deep phylogenetic structure of the Lake Tanganyika radiation using anchored phylogenomics and uncover hybridization at its base, as well as early in the haplochromine radiation. This suggests that hybridization might have facilitated these speciation bursts. Time-calibrated trees support that the radiation of Tanganyika cichlids coincided with lake formation and that Gondwanan vicariance concurred with the earliest splits in the cichlid family tree. Genes linked to key innovations show signals of introgression or positive selection following colonization of lake habitats and species’ dietary adaptations are revealed as major drivers of colour vision evolution. These findings shed light onto the processes shaping the evolution of adaptive radiations.
Mapping the energy landscapes of supramolecular assembly by thermal hysteresis
Authors: Harkness V Robert W. , Avakyan Nicole , Sleiman Hanadi F. , Mittermaier Anthony K.
Published: August 2018

Understanding how biological macromolecules assemble into higher-order structures is critical to explaining their function in living organisms and engineered biomaterials. Transient, partly-structured intermediates are essential in many assembly processes and pathway selection, but are challenging to characterize. Here we present a simple thermal hysteresis method based on rapid, non-equilibrium melting and annealing measurements that maps the rate of supramolecular assembly as a function of temperature and concentration. A straightforward analysis of these surfaces provides detailed information on the natures of assembly pathways, offering temperature resolution beyond that accessible with conventional techniques. Validating the approach using a tetrameric guanine quadruplex, we obtain strikingly good agreement with previous kinetics measurements and reveal temperature-dependent changes to the assembly pathway. In an application to the recently discovered co-assembly of polydeoxyadenosine (poly(A)) and cyanuric acid, we show that fiber elongation is initiated when an unstable complex containing three poly(A) monomers acquires a fourth strand.
A biodegradable hybrid inorganic nanoscaffold for advanced stem cell therapy
Authors: Yang Letao , Chueng Sy-Tsong Dean , Li Ying , Patel Misaal , Rathnam Christopher , Dey Gangotri , Wang Lu , Cai Li , Lee Ki-Bum
Published: August 2018

Stem cell transplantation, as a promising treatment for central nervous system (CNS) diseases, has been hampered by crucial issues such as a low cell survival rate, incomplete differentiation, and limited neurite outgrowth in vivo. Addressing these hurdles, scientists have designed bioscaffolds that mimic the natural tissue microenvironment to deliver physical and soluble cues. However, several significant obstacles including burst release of drugs, insufficient cellular adhesion support, and slow scaffold degradation rate remain to be overcome before the full potential of bioscaffold–based stem-cell therapies can be realized. To this end, we developed a biodegradable nanoscaffold-based method for enhanced stem cell transplantation, differentiation, and drug delivery. These findings collectively support the therapeutic potential of our biodegradable hybrid inorganic (BHI) nanoscaffolds for advanced stem cell transplantation and neural tissue engineering.
Exceptional electrocatalytic oxygen evolution via tunable charge transfer interactions in La0.5Sr1.5Ni1−xFexO4±δ Ruddlesden-Popper oxides
Authors: Forslund Robin P. , Hardin William G. , Rong Xi , Abakumov Artem M. , Filimonov Dmitry , Alexander Caleb T. , Mefford J. Tyler , Iyer Hrishikesh , Kolpak Alexie M. , Johnston Keith P. , Stevenson Keith J.
Published: August 2018

The electrolysis of water is of global importance to store renewable energy and the methodical design of next-generation oxygen evolution catalysts requires a greater understanding of the structural and electronic contributions that give rise to increased activities. Herein, we report a series of Ruddlesden–Popper La0.5Sr1.5Ni1−xFexO4±δ oxides that promote charge transfer via cross-gap hybridization to enhance electrocatalytic water splitting. Using selective substitution of lanthanum with strontium and nickel with iron to tune the extent to which transition metal and oxygen valence bands hybridize, we demonstrate remarkable catalytic activity of 10 mA cm−2 at a 360 mV overpotential and mass activity of 1930 mA mg−1ox at 1.63 V via a mechanism that utilizes lattice oxygen. This work demonstrates that Ruddlesden–Popper materials can be utilized as active catalysts for oxygen evolution through rational design of structural and electronic configurations that are unattainable in many other crystalline metal oxide phases.
Reduced exposure to extreme precipitation from 0.5 °C less warming in global land monsoon regions
Authors: Zhang Wenxia , Zhou Tianjun , Zou Liwei , Zhang Lixia , Chen Xiaolong
Published: August 2018

The Paris Agreement set a goal to keep global warming well below 2 °C and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5 °C. Understanding how 0.5 °C less warming reduces impacts and risks is key for climate policies. Here, we show that both areal and population exposures to dangerous extreme precipitation events (e.g., once in 10- and 20-year events) would increase consistently with warming in the populous global land monsoon regions based on Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 multimodel projections. The 0.5 °C less warming would reduce areal and population exposures to once-in-20-year extreme precipitation events by 25% (18–41%) and 36% (22–46%), respectively. The avoided impacts are more remarkable for more intense extremes. Among the monsoon subregions, South Africa is the most impacted, followed by South Asia and East Asia. Our results improve the understanding of future vulnerability to, and risk of, climate extremes, which is paramount for mitigation and adaptation activities for the global monsoon region where nearly two-thirds of the world’s population lives.
Transcriptional and physiological adaptations in nucleus accumbens somatostatin interneurons that regulate behavioral responses to cocaine
Authors: Ribeiro Efrain A. , Salery Marine , Scarpa Joseph R. , Calipari Erin S. , Hamilton Peter J. , Ku Stacy M. , Kronman Hope , Purushothaman Immanuel , Juarez Barbara , Heshmati Mitra , Doyle Marie , Lardner Casey , Burek Dominicka , Strat Ana , Pirpinias Stephen , Mouzon Ezekiell , Han Ming-Hu , Neve Rachael L. , Bagot Rosemary C. , Kasarskis Andrew , Koo Ja Wook , Nestler Eric J.
Published: August 2018

The role of somatostatin interneurons in nucleus accumbens (NAc), a key brain reward region, remains poorly understood due to the fact that these cells account for < 1% of NAc neurons. Here, we use optogenetics, electrophysiology, and RNA-sequencing to characterize the transcriptome and functioning of NAc somatostatin interneurons after repeated exposure to cocaine. We find that the activity of somatostatin interneurons regulates behavioral responses to cocaine, with repeated cocaine reducing the excitability of these neurons. Repeated cocaine also induces transcriptome-wide changes in gene expression within NAc somatostatin interneurons. We identify the JUND transcription factor as a key regulator of cocaine action and confirmed, by use of viral-mediated gene transfer, that JUND activity in somatostatin interneurons influences behavioral responses to cocaine. Our results identify alterations in NAc induced by cocaine in a sparse population of somatostatin interneurons, and illustrate the value of studying brain diseases using cell type-specific whole transcriptome RNA-sequencing.
Online flow cytometric monitoring of microbial water quality in a full-scale water treatment plant
Authors: Buysschaert Benjamin , Vermijs Lotte , Naka Agathi , Boon Nico , De Gusseme Bart
Published: August 2018

The ever-increasing need for high-quality drinking and process waters, and growing public awareness about possible contamination, drive efforts for the further development of automated control of water treatment plants. For example, membrane filtration processes and reverse osmosis in particular are generally regarded as a safe barrier for inorganic, organic, and microbial contamination. Yet, to ensure the final water quality and to increase the confidence of the end-user, intensive and preferably online monitoring should be further implemented as an early-warning tool to control membrane integrity and to prevent microbial regrowth in the distributing network. In this paper, we test the applicability of flow cytometry and cytometric fingerprinting for a full-scale water treatment plant. We demonstrate in a full-scale water treatment plant that flow cytometry can be used as online monitoring tool and that changes in water quality can be observed, which are not monitored by commonly used online quality parameters. Furthermore, we illustrate with ultrafiltration that process conditions impact the flow cytometric cell counts.