bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A robust hybrid nonlinear guidance law for intercepting a non-cooperative maneuvering target
Authors: Yan Xiaodong , Lyu Shi 
Published: October 2019

ABSTRACTThis paper has proposed a new robust hybrid nonlinear guidance law, which accounts for a missile’s terminal line-of-sight (LOS) angle constraint, in order to intercept a non-cooperative maneuvering target. The proposed hybrid nonlinear guidance strategy consists of two phases; in the first phase, a guidance law named PIGL is derived from prescribed performance control and the inertial delay control method. In PIGL, a revised prescribed performance function is put forward, and a prescribed performance controller with unknown uncertainties is then derived. The controller smoothly drives both the LOS angle and its rate to a predesigned small region under unknown uncertainties that are induced by target’s maneuvers within a fixed time. Then, a guidance law named SIGL is activated, which is derived from sliding mode control and inertial delay control. By driving the desired sliding mode variable to zero within a finite time, the SIGL guidance law is able to achieve high terminal interception accuracy. The robustness of both of the proposed sub-guidance laws has been proved explicitly in this paper. The hybrid guidance law has the advantage of a tunable convergence rate of the LOS angle and the rate of the LOS angle at the beginning period, by which an excessive large initial maneuver can be avoided. Meanwhile, the hybrid guidance law also has the advantage of lower sensitivity to errors in the estimation of the time-to-go.
Recent advancements in exon-skipping therapies using antisense oligonucleotides and genome editing for the treatment of various muscular dystrophies
Authors: Hwang Jaeho , Yokota Toshifumi 
Published: October 2019

AbstractMuscular dystrophy is a group of genetic disorders characterised by degeneration of muscles. Different forms of muscular dystrophy can show varying phenotypes with a wide range of age, severity and location of muscle deterioration. Many palliative care options are available for muscular dystrophy patients, but no curative treatment is available. Exon-skipping therapy aims to induce skipping of exons with disease-causing mutations and/or nearby exons to restore the reading frame, which results in an internally truncated, partially functional protein. In antisense-mediated exon-skipping synthetic antisense oligonucleotide binds to pre-mRNA to induce exon skipping. Recent advances in exon skipping have yielded promising results; the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved eteplirsen (Exondys51) as the first exon-skipping drug for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and in vivo exon skipping has been demonstrated in animal models of dysferlinopathy, limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2C and congenital muscular dystrophy type 1A. Novel methods that induce exon skipping utilizing Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) are also being developed where splice site mutations are created within the genome to induce exon skipping. Challenges remain as exon-skipping agents can have deleterious non-specific effects and different in-frame deletions show phenotypic variance. This article reviews the state of the art of exon skipping for treating muscular dystrophy and discusses challenges and future prospects.
How faithfully do HIV clinicians administer the PHQ-9 depression screening tool in high-volume, low-resource clinics? Results from a depression treatment integration project in Malawi
Authors: Pence Brian W. , Stockton Melissa A. , Mphonda Steven M. , Udedi Michael , Kulisewa Kazione , Gaynes Bradley N. , Hosseinipour Mina C. 
Published: October 2019

Background.
Integration of mental health services into nonspecialist settings is expanding in low and middle income countries (LMICs). Among many factors required for success, such programs require reliable administration of mental health screening tools. While several tools have been validated in carefully conducted research studies, few studies have assessed how reliably nonspecialist clinicians administer these tools to low-literacy LMIC populations in routine care.

Methods.
Ninety-seven patients accessing human immunodeficiency virus primary care in Malawi who completed Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 depression screening with their clinician then completed a second PHQ-9 with a trained research assistant (RA) blinded to the first result.

Results.
Compared to clinicians, RAs identified more patients with any depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 score ⩾5: 38% v. 32%), moderate/severe symptoms (PHQ-9 ⩾ 10: 14% v. 6%), any suicidality (14% v. 4%), and active suicidality (3% v. 2%). Across these indicators, clinician and RA ratings had strong overall agreement (81–97%) but low corrected Kappa agreement (31–59%). Treating RA results as the reference standard of a carefully supervised research administration of the PHQ-9, clinician administration had high specificity (90–99%) but low sensitivity (23–68%) for these indicators.

Conclusions.
In routine care in LMICs, clinicians may administer validated mental health screening tools with varying quality. To ensure quality, integration programs must incorporate appropriate and ongoing training, support, supervision, and monitoring.
Technocracy, Trust and Democracy: Evidence on Citizens’ Attitudes from a Natural Experiment in Italy
Authors: Merler Silvia 
Published: October 2019

AbstractDuring the eurozone crisis, technocratic governments were appointed in several eurozone countries, becoming in the eyes of many the embodiment of the EU's democratic deficit. In spite of the central place that these technocratic governments occupy in the scholarly debate, however, we have remarkably little evidence on Europeans’ attitudes towards technocracy, and technocratic governments are under-studied from an empirical standpoint. We contribute to the very limited empirical literature on this topic by using a novel natural experiment design, in the context of the 2011 Italian crisis that led to the appointment of the Monti technocratic cabinet. We hypothesize that the effect of technocratic appointments on citizens’ satisfaction with democracy is a priori uncertain, and it depends on the balance of a trade-off between reduced input participation and increased output effectiveness. Overall, the results point to citizens’ attitudes towards technocracy being more complex than often assumed in the debate.
‘You live and breathe it…’: Exploring experiences of workplace cyberbullying among New Zealand nurses
Authors: D'Souza Natalia , Catley Bevan , Tappin David , Forsyth Darryl 
Published: October 2019

AbstractCyberbullying presents a new workplace issue with initial research demonstrating strong links to negative outcomes for individuals and organisations across a range of sectors. Yet, detailed accounts of target experiences of cyberbullying remain largely unexamined. To address this crucial research gap, this study explores nurses' experiences of workplace cyberbullying – a profession with high rates of workplace bullying. Adopting a work environment perspective, this paper provides an in-depth examination of eight cases of workplace cyberbullying that emphasise the practical and theoretical complexities associated with this emerging workplace hazard. Specifically, workplace cyberbullying is often experienced within a broader pattern of bullying behaviours, leading to a potentially wider scope of harm for those involved. A new typology of cyberbullying based on the source of perpetration is also presented that contributes to our growing understanding of the issue while extending the knowledge base for the effective management of workplace cyberbullying.
Cross correlation of CIELAB color reflectance data from archive photographs and line-scan images of sediment
Authors: Murton Della K. , Crowhurst Simon J. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractArchive color photographs—particularly of sites where sediment is no longer available—are an underused resource that potentially contains detailed paleoenvironmental information. To investigate this potential, two sets of digital images were taken, at different times, of loess, glaciolacustrine, and deep-sea sediments. The first image set was taken using standard digital cameras. Lighting conditions and sediment surface preparation varied, in a similar way to characteristics likely to be encountered in archive photographs. The second image set was taken by a high-resolution, line-scan camera with an integrated light source. CIELAB (Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage) color reflectance data were obtained from both image sets and analyzed by cross correlation. Of the three reflectance parameters (L*, a*, and b*), L* reflectance is the most compromised by differences in ambient lighting or moisture content. Textural distinctions appear to be an important factor influencing the cross correlations and produce multiple, relatively weak solutions for the glaciolacustrine sediments, whereas the texturally uniform loess and deep-sea sediments produce a single, best-fit solution. Comparison of a* reflectance records from an undated marine sequence with a chronologically constrained sequence from the same site indicates the potential to apply color reflectance to produce preliminary age models.
Compressive–tensile rock markings
Authors: Bednarik Robert G. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractA form of natural rock marking is described from a site on the coast of Fujian in China. Having been defined as rock art, it has now been found to be natural, caused by the release of massive kinetic energy in collisions between large blocks of granite. A combination of compressive and tensile stresses has yielded geometric changes to the fabric of the rock, and the selective weathering of modified parts of the rock has produced visually distinct, large surface markings resembling a rising Sun. The processes involved are considered in the light of research into the similar effects of explosives on rock.
The effects of omega-3 fatty acids on neuropsychological functioning and brain morphology in mid-life adults: a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Leckie Regina L. , Lehman David E. , Gianaros Peter J. , Erickson Kirk I. , Sereika Susan M. , Kuan Dora C. H. , Manuck Stephen B. , Ryan Christopher M. , Yao Jeffrey K. , Muldoon Matthew F. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractBackgroundThe diet of most adults is low in fish and, therefore, provides limited quantities of the long-chain, omega-3 fatty acids (LCn-3FAs), eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids (EPA, DHA). Since these compounds serve important roles in the brain, we sought to determine if healthy adults with low-LCn-3FA consumption would exhibit improvements in neuropsychological performance and parallel changes in brain morphology following repletion through fish oil supplementation.MethodsIn a randomized, controlled trial, 271 mid-life adults (30–54 years of age, 118 men, 153 women) consuming ⩽300 mg/day of LCn-3FAs received 18 weeks of supplementation with fish oil capsules (1400 mg/day of EPA and DHA) or matching placebo. All participants completed a neuropsychological test battery examining four cognitive domains: psychomotor speed, executive function, learning/episodic memory, and fluid intelligence. A subset of 122 underwent neuroimaging before and after supplementation to measure whole-brain and subcortical tissue volumes.ResultsCapsule adherence was over 95%, participant blinding was verified, and red blood cell EPA and DHA levels increased as expected. Supplementation did not affect performance in any of the four cognitive domains. Exploratory analyses revealed that, compared to placebo, fish oil supplementation improved executive function in participants with low-baseline DHA levels. No changes were observed in any indicator of brain morphology.ConclusionsIn healthy mid-life adults reporting low-dietary intake, supplementation with LCn-3FAs in moderate dose for moderate duration did not affect neuropsychological performance or brain morphology. Whether salutary effects occur in individuals with particularly low-DHA exposure requires further study.
Use of Neuroimaging to Inform Optimal Neurocognitive Criteria for Detecting HIV-Associated Brain Abnormalities
Authors: Campbell Laura M. , Fennema-Notestine Christine , Saloner Rowan , Hussain Mariam , Chen Anna , Franklin Donald , Umlauf Anya , Ellis Ronald J. , Collier Ann C. , Marra Christina M. , Clifford David B. , Gelman Benjamin B. , Sacktor Ned , Morgello Susan , McCutchan J. Allen , Letendre Scott , Grant Igor , Heaton Robert K. ,   for the CHARTER Group
Published: October 2019

AbstractObjective:Frascati international research criteria for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) are controversial; some investigators have argued that Frascati criteria are too liberal, resulting in a high false positive rate. Meyer et al. recommended more conservative revisions to HAND criteria, including exploring other commonly used methodologies for neurocognitive impairment (NCI) in HIV including the global deficit score (GDS). This study compares NCI classifications by Frascati, Meyer, and GDS methods, in relation to neuroimaging markers of brain integrity in HIV.Method:Two hundred forty-one people living with HIV (PLWH) without current substance use disorder or severe (confounding) comorbid conditions underwent comprehensive neurocognitive testing and brain structural magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Participants were classified using Frascati criteria versus Meyer criteria: concordant unimpaired [Frascati(Un)/Meyer(Un)], concordant impaired [Frascati(Imp)/Meyer(Imp)], or discordant [Frascati(Imp)/Meyer(Un)] which were impaired via Frascati criteria but unimpaired via Meyer criteria. To investigate the GDS versus Meyer criteria, the same groupings were utilized using GDS criteria instead of Frascati criteria.Results:When examining Frascati versus Meyer criteria, discordant Frascati(Imp)/Meyer(Un) individuals had less cortical gray matter, greater sulcal cerebrospinal fluid volume, and greater evidence of neuroinflammation (i.e., choline) than concordant Frascati(Un)/Meyer(Un) individuals. GDS versus Meyer comparisons indicated that discordant GDS(Imp)/Meyer(Un) individuals had less cortical gray matter and lower levels of energy metabolism (i.e., creatine) than concordant GDS(Un)/Meyer(Un) individuals. In both sets of analyses, the discordant group did not differ from the concordant impaired group on any neuroimaging measure.Conclusions:The Meyer criteria failed to capture a substantial portion of PLWH with brain abnormalities. These findings support continued use of Frascati or GDS criteria to detect HIV-associated CNS dysfunction.
THREE CHARACTERIZATIONS OF STRICT COHERENCE ON INFINITE-VALUED EVENTS
Authors: FLAMINIO TOMMASO 
Published: October 2019

AbstractThis article builds on a recent paper coauthored by the present author, H. Hosni and F. Montagna. It is meant to contribute to the logical foundations of probability theory on many-valued events and, specifically, to a deeper understanding of the notion of strict coherence. In particular, we will make use of geometrical, measure-theoretical and logical methods to provide three characterizations of strict coherence on formulas of infinite-valued Łukasiewicz logic.
Identifying the critical time points for mental health of asylum seekers and refugees in high-income countries
Authors: Giacco Domenico 
Published: October 2019

Abstract

Aims
High heterogeneity was found in the prevalence rates of mental disorders in adult asylum seekers and refugees in high-income countries. This may be related to different problems. Among them, there is a changing exposure to risk and protective factors for mental health at different phases of these people's life before migration, and during the migratory journey and resettlement. This study aimed at identifying and distinguishing time points in which distinct risk and protective factors for the mental health of asylum seekers and refugees may occur.

Methods
Systematic review and narrative synthesis. A systematic search was carried out for the period January 2017–August 2019, given the existence of systematic reviews of the evidence up to January 2017.

Results
Two hundred and fifty-two studies were identified with our search and 31 studies were included. The critical time points identified are: (a) before the travel; (b) during the travel; (c) at initial settlement in the host country; (d) when attempting to integrate in the host country; (e) when the immigration status is challenged or revoked. Some factors such as sense of belonging in the host country can be risk factors or protective factors depending on the time point.

Conclusions
These five critical time points can guide the development and selection of well-timed preventive and treatment interventions. They could also be used to stratify samples in epidemiological studies and meta-analyses. At present, we know much more on risk factors than on protective factors. Knowing more about protective factors may inform the development of interventions to foster them.
MicroRNA-455-3p promotes TGF-β signaling and inhibits osteoarthritis development by directly targeting PAK2
Authors: Hu Shu , Zhao Xiaoyi , Mao Guping , Zhang Ziji , Wen Xingzhao , Zhang Chengyun , Liao Weiming , Zhang Zhiqi 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs, miR) play a key role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). Few studies have examined the regulatory role of P21-activated kinases (PAKs), a family of serine/threonine kinases, in OA. The aim of this study was to determine whether miR-455-3p can regulate cartilage degeneration in OA by targeting PAK2. MiR-455-3p knockout mice showed significant degeneration of the knee cartilage. MiR-455-3p expression increased and PAK2 expression decreased in the late stage of human adipose-derived stem cell (hADSC) chondrogenesis and in chondrocytes affected by OA. Furthermore, in both miR-455-3p-overexpressing chondrocytes and PAK2-suppressing chondrocytes, cartilage-specific genes were upregulated, and hypertrophy-related genes were downregulated. A luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-455-3p regulates PAK2 expression by directly targeting the 3′-untranslated regions (3′UTRs) of PAK2 mRNA. IPA-3, a PAK inhibitor, inhibited cartilage degeneration due to OA. Moreover, suppressing PAK2 promoted R-Smad activation in the TGF/Smad signaling pathway in chondrocytes. Altogether, our results suggest that miR-455-3p promotes TGF-β/Smad signaling in chondrocytes and inhibits cartilage degeneration by directly suppressing PAK2. These results thus indicate that miR-455-3p and PAK2 are novel potential therapeutic agents and targets, respectively, for the treatment of OA.
NRARP displays either pro- or anti-tumoral roles in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia depending on Notch and Wnt signaling
Authors: Pinto Inês , Duque Mafalda , Gonçalves Joana , Akkapeddi Padma , Oliveira Mariana L. , Cabrita Rita , Yunes J. Andrés , Durum Scott K. , Barata João T. , Fragoso Rita 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive hematological malignancy with a dismal prognosis in patients with resistant or relapsed disease. Although NOTCH is a known driver in T-ALL, its clinical inhibition has significant limitations. Our previous studies suggested that NRARP, a negative regulator of Notch signaling, could have a suppressive role in T-ALL. Here, we report that NRARP levels are significantly increased in primary T-ALL cells suggesting that NRARP is not sufficient to block NOTCH oncogenic signals. Interestingly, although NRARP overexpression blocks NOTCH1 signaling and delays the proliferation of T-ALL cells that display high levels of Notch1 signaling, it promotes the expansion of T-ALL cells with lower levels of Notch1 activity. We found that NRARP interacts with lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 (LEF1) and potentiates Wnt signaling in T-ALL cells with low levels of Notch. Together these results indicate that NRARP plays a dual role in T-ALL pathogenesis, regulating both Notch and Wnt pathways, with opposite functional effects depending on Notch activity. Consistent with this hypothesis, mice transplanted with T-cells co-expressing NOTCH1 and NRARP develop leukemia later than mice transplanted with T-NOTCH1 cells. Importantly, mice transplanted with T-cells overexpressing NRARP alone developed leukemia with similar kinetics to those transplanted with T-NOTCH1 cells. Our findings uncover a role for NRARP in T-ALL pathogenesis and indicate that Notch inhibition may be detrimental for patients with low levels of Notch signaling, which would likely benefit from the use of Wnt signaling inhibitors. Importantly, our findings may extend to other cancers where Notch and Wnt play a role.
Reconstructing neuronal circuitry from parallel spike trains
Authors: Kobayashi Ryota , Kurita Shuhei , Kurth Anno , Kitano Katsunori , Mizuseki Kenji , Diesmann Markus , Richmond Barry J. , Shinomoto Shigeru 
Published: October 2019

AbstractState-of-the-art techniques allow researchers to record large numbers of spike trains in parallel for many hours. With enough such data, we should be able to infer the connectivity among neurons. Here we develop a method for reconstructing neuronal circuitry by applying a generalized linear model (GLM) to spike cross-correlations. Our method estimates connections between neurons in units of postsynaptic potentials and the amount of spike recordings needed to verify connections. The performance of inference is optimized by counting the estimation errors using synthetic data. This method is superior to other established methods in correctly estimating connectivity. By applying our method to rat hippocampal data, we show that the types of estimated connections match the results inferred from other physiological cues. Thus our method provides the means to build a circuit diagram from recorded spike trains, thereby providing a basis for elucidating the differences in information processing in different brain regions.
Local electronic descriptors for solute-defect interactions in bcc refractory metals
Authors: Hu Yong-Jie , Zhao Ge , Zhang Baiyu , Yang Chaoming , Zhang Mingfei , Liu Zi-Kui , Qian Xiaofeng , Qi Liang 
Published: October 2019

AbstractThe interactions between solute atoms and crystalline defects such as vacancies, dislocations, and grain boundaries are essential in determining alloy properties. Here we present a general linear correlation between two descriptors of local electronic structures and the solute-defect interaction energies in binary alloys of body-centered-cubic (bcc) refractory metals (such as W and Ta) with transition-metal substitutional solutes. One electronic descriptor is the bimodality of thed-orbital local density of states for a matrix atom at the substitutional site, and the other is related to the hybridization strength between the valancesp-andd-bands for the same matrix atom. For a particular pair of solute-matrix elements, this linear correlation is valid independent of types of defects and the locations of substitutional sites. These results provide the possibility to apply local electronic descriptors for quantitative and efficient predictions on the solute-defect interactions and defect properties in alloys.