bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mathematical analysis of a model for the transmission dynamics of Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) and HIV coinfection
Authors: Garba Salisu M. , Mumba Chibale K. 
Published: June 2018

A deterministic model for the transmission dynamics of HIV and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) in a human population is designed and rigorously analysed. The model is shown to exhibit the phenomenon of backward bifurcation, where a stable disease‐free equilibrium coexists with a stable endemic equilibrium whenever the associated reproduction number is less than unity. This phenomenon can be removed by assuming that the coinfection of individuals with HIV and TV is negligible. Furthermore, in the absence of coinfection, the disease‐free equilibrium of the model is shown to be globally asymptotically stable whenever the associated reproduction number is less than unity. Numerical simulation of the model, using initial and demographic data, shows that increased incidence of TV in a population increases HIV incidence in the population. It is further shown that control strategies, such as the treatment, condom use, and counselling of individuals with TV symptoms, can lead to the effective control or elimination of the HIV in the population if their effectiveness level is high enough. The time to disease elimination is reduced if more than one strategy (hybrid strategy) is considered.
The Adequate Amount of Acid‐Base Buffer for Electrochemical Investigation of Proton‐Coupled Electron Transfer Reactions
Authors: Zhang Lijuan , Li Xiao , Liu Lian , Li Yanfang , Wang Jianguo 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThe effective pH occurs near the electrode surface in dilute solutions as protons are released or absorbed during proton‐coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactions. We utilize cyclic voltammetry to study the electrochemical behavior of hydroquinone, p‐benzoquinone, ascorbic acid, and dopamine in phosphate buffer. The effective pH causes peak potential changes and new peak formation. However, the electrochemical behavior of hydroquinone is independent of the buffer when the HPO42−(proton acceptor) concentration is 4.05–6 times greater than that of hydroquinone. Similar results are obtained for quinone in phosphate buffer solution. Dopamine undergoes cyclization during electrochemical oxidation, which also releases protons. Therefore, a high amount of buffer is required. Moreover, the amount of acid‐base buffer strongly affects the electrochemical behaviors of quinone and hydroquinone in acetonitrile. Our results provide a fundamental guide for determining the adequate amount of buffer for the electrochemical investigation of PCET reactions.
Design of Efficient Noble Metal Free Copper‐Promoted Nickel‐Ceria‐Zirconia Nanocatalyst for Bio‐Fuel Upgrading
Authors: Singuru Ramana , Lee Jihyeon , Dhanalaxmi Karnekanti , Reddy Benjaram M. , An Kwangjin , Mondal John 
Published: June 2018

AbstractA new series of noble metal free bimetallic Cu−Ni supported ceria‐zirconia catalysts (Cu−Ni/CZ) has been developed with various Cu/Ni ratios by a simple co‐precipitation/impregnation method. Aqueous‐phase hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of vanillin a typical compound of lignin‐derived bio‐oil, in promoting biomass refining was carried out to investigate catalytic performances under 25 bar of H2 pressure at 160oC. All the as‐synthesized catalysts were thoroughly characterised employing powder XRD, Raman spectroscopy, H2‐TPR, HR‐TEM, HAADF‐STEM, EDS Mapping, and XPS. It was found that 15 wt% Cu on Ni/CZ (Cu−Ni/CZ−B) nanocomposite enhanced activity significantly in comparison with other bimetallic or monometallic catalysts, exhibiting ∼98% of vanillin conversion and ∼94% of selectivity toward 2‐methoxy‐4‐methylphenol as a desired product. The Cu−Ni/CZ−B catalyst shows ∼4‐fold increase in activity compared with Cu−Ni/CeO2 and Cu−Ni/ZrO2, the mono oxide supported counterparts. The superior catalytic performance with improved stability were explained by synergistic effects at the interfaces of each species, in which electron interactions between Ni, Cu, and ceria‐zirconia support generated novel active sites. XRD and HR‐TEM revealed that Cu−Ni bimetallic phases were created on the ceria‐zirconia, which were responsible for enhancement of catalytic performance with no significant drop in catalytic activity with desired product selectivity for eleven successive catalytic cycles demonstrating the excellent stability and reproducibility of this catalyst system.
Synchrotron X‐Ray and Neutron Diffraction, Total Scattering, and Small‐Angle Scattering Techniques for Rechargeable Battery Research
Authors: Ren Yang , Zuo Xiaobing 
Published: June 2018

AbstractSynchrotron X‐ray and neutron scientific facilities are the most advanced resources with a large variety of state‐of‐the‐art instrumentations and powerful tools for material research. X‐rays and neutrons interact with matter in different ways and offer complementary views of materials at various levels. Here, the techniques and applications of synchrotron X‐ray and neutron diffraction, total scattering, and small‐angle scattering for rechargeable battery research are discussed. They all belong to the elastic scattering category and provide structure information on different length scales. The diffraction method is generally used to determine the phase and precise atomistic information of crystalline materials, while the total scattering coupled with pair‐distribution function analysis can probe local atomic structure of materials, independent of whether they are well crystallized or in amorphous/liquid phases. The small‐angle scattering techniques provide material size and shape information on the nanometer scale. Advantages of synchrotron high‐energy X‐rays are also presented, and it is described to be particularly suited for pair‐distribution function studies. Attention is also paid to the technical perspectives and some experimental specifications for the best uses of these methods for battery material research.
Moderne Lecksucher mit Vakuumtechnik
Authors: Wetzig Daniel 
Published: June 2018

SummaryModern leak detectors in vacuum technologyIn many areas of industrial manufacturing, quantitative leak tightness measurements are required in order to analyze product quality. This article examines three approaches to vacuum leak testing, which utilize different measuring principles and completely different working pressures. The processes are divided into “non‐gas selective”, “single gas selective” and “double gas selective”.The pressure rise method does not work gas‐selectively. In so‐called foil test chambers the pressure rise measurement is used in optimized design and is particularly suitable for leak testing in the food industry.The classic test gas vacuum leak detection is a gas‐selective method. The test gas is selectively detected and the chamber is pumped independently of the type of gas. Major innovations in current device solutions are the extension of the measuring range and improved convenience in use.To achieve a detection limit of less than 10−12 mbar·l/s, a double gas selective operation is used, residual gases from the test chamber are selectively pumped, additionally, the test gas detection is selective.
Envisioning the future of polymer therapeutics for brain disorders
Authors: Rodriguez‐Otormin Fernanda , Duro‐Castano Aroa , Conejos‐Sánchez Inmaculada , Vicent María J. 
Published: June 2018

The growing incidence of brain‐related pathologies and the problems that undermine the development of efficient and effective treatments have prompted both researchers and the pharmaceutical industry to search for novel therapeutic alternatives. Polymer therapeutics (PT) display properties well suited to the treatment of neuro‐related disorders, which help to overcome the many hidden obstacles on the journey to the central nervous system (CNS). The inherent features of PT, derived from drug(s) conjugation, in parallel with the progress in synthesis and analytical methods, the increasing knowledge in molecular basis of diseases, and collected clinical data through the last four decades, have driven the translation from “bench to bedside” for various biomedical applications. However, since the approval of Gliadel® wafers, little progress has been made in the CNS field, even though brain targeting represents an ever‐growing challenge. A thorough assessment of the steps required for successful brain delivery via different administration routes and the consideration of the disease‐specific hallmarks are essential to progress in the field. Within this review, we hope to summarize the latest developments, successes, and failures and discuss considerations on designs and strategies for PT in the treatment of CNS disorders.This article is categorized under:

Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Neurological Disease
Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology
Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease
Ethnoscapes of Exile: Political Prisoners from Indochina in a Colonial Asian World
Authors: Paterson Lorraine M. 
Published: June 2018

ABSTRACTDuring the French colonization of Indochina (1863–1954), approximately 8,000 prisoners – many of them convicted of political crimes – were exiled to twelve different geographical locations throughout the French empire. Many of these prisoners came from a Chinese background or a culturally Chinese world, and the sites to which they were exiled (even the penal colonies themselves) contained diasporic Chinese communities. Knowing Chinese might be their greatest asset, or being able to “pass” as Chinese the most valuable tool to facilitate escape. This article explores a group of political prisoners sent from French Indochina to French Guiana in 1913 and their subsequent escape, with the aid of Chinese residents. If exile is, in one sense, the ultimate exercise of colonial power – capable of moving bodies to distant locales – examining these lives through a Vietnamese lens reveals a very different story than the colonial archival record reflects.
The Transformation of Hokkaido from Penal Colony to Homeland Territory
Authors: Sakata Minako 
Published: June 2018

ABSTRACTThis article focuses on penal transportation to Hokkaido and considers the role of convict transportation in nation-state building and empire building in Japan. In the course of its discussion, the fluidity of the status of the new Japanese territory of Hokkaido will be examined along with continuities of transportation and incarceration. Although Hokkaido was officially incorporated into Japan only in 1869, many Japanese politicians and intellectuals had believed ideologically that it had been a Japanese territory since the early modern period. Depending on the domestic and diplomatic matters confronting them, the Japanese modified the status of Hokkaido and their policy towards it. For example, to secure their borders with Russia, the Japanese introduced penal transportation on the French model in 1881, but the Japanese Ministry of Justice later shifted their legal system to the German model and articles concerning transportation were deleted from the penal code. Nonetheless, the Japanese government continued to send long-term prisoners to Hokkaido, which was reframed as incarceration in a mainland prison.
Exile as Imperial Practice: Western Siberia and the Russian Empire, 1879–1900
Authors: Popova Zhanna 
Published: June 2018

AbstractMore than 800,000 people were exiled to Siberia during the nineteenth century. Exile was a complex administrative arrangement that involved differentiated flows of exiles and, in the view of the central authorities, contributed to the colonization of Siberia. This article adopts the “perspective from the colonies” and analyses the local dimension of exile to Siberia. First, it underscores the conflicted nature of the practice by highlighting the agency of the local administrators and the multitude of tensions and negotiations that the maintenance of exile involved. Secondly, by focusing on the example of the penal site of Tobolsk, where exile and imprisonment overlapped, I will elucidate the uneasy relationship between those two penal practices during Russian prison reform. In doing so, I will re-evaluate the position of exile in relation to both penal and governance practice in Imperial Russia.
Utility of state-level influenza disease burden and severity estimates to investigate an apparent increase in reported severe cases of influenza A(H1N1) pdm09 – Arizona, 2015–2016
Authors: Russell K. , Herrick K. , Venkat H. , Brady S. , Komatsu K. , Goodin K. , Berisha V. , Sunenshine R. , Perez-Velez C. , Elliott S. , Olsen S. J. , Reed C. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThe Arizona Department of Health Services identified unusually high levels of influenza activity and severe complications during the 2015–2016 influenza season leading to concerns about potential increased disease severity compared with prior seasons. We estimated state-level burden and severity to compare across three seasons using multiple data sources for community-level illness, hospitalisation and death. Severity ratios were calculated as the number of hospitalisations or deaths per community case. Community influenza-like illness rates, hospitalisation rates and mortality rates in 2015–2016 were higher than the previous two seasons. However, ratios of severe disease to community illness were similar. Arizona experienced overall increased disease burden in 2015–2016, but not increased severity compared with prior seasons. Timely estimates of state-specific burden and severity are potentially feasible and may provide important information during seemingly unusual influenza seasons or pandemic situations.
Ventilation of Oxygen to Oxygen Minimum Zone Due to Anticyclonic Eddies in the Bay of Bengal
Authors: Sarma V. V. S. S. , Udaya Bhaskar T. V. S. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractIntense oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) occurs in the middepth of the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP), Arabian Sea (AS), and Bay of Bengal (BoB). However, the occurrence of anammox/denitrification was reported only in the ETP and AS and its absence in the BoB is attributed to presence of traces of dissolved oxygen (DO). Anticyclonic eddies (ACEs) supply high‐nutrient, organic‐rich, and oxygen‐poor waters from the coastal upwelling regions leading to strengthening of OMZ in the offshore of AS and ETP. In the absence of western boundary upwelling, we hypothesize that the ACEs supply DO‐rich water leading to weakening of OMZ in the BoB. Six ACEs were sampled by bio‐argo floats and measured in situ hydrography and DO. All sampled eddies were formed in the eastern BoB, close to Andaman Sea, and moved toward west. Warm and DO‐rich waters were observed in the core of OMZ (150–300 m), influenced by ACEs, by 0.5–1.46°C and 3.2–6.5 μM, respectively, than no eddy region in the BoB. Based on the mean lifetime of ACE, the rate of ventilation in the 100–300 m was estimated to be 0.07 ± 0.02 μmol/L/day, which is 3 to 4 times higher than bacterial respiration rates (0.02 μmol/L/day). Concerns of OMZ intensification leading to denitrification/anammox conditions in the BoB have been expressed, but with several ACEs forming in time and space in the BoB the denitrification occurrence is unlikely.
Trajectories and changes in individual items of positive and negative syndrome scale among schizophrenia patients prior to impending relapse
Authors: Wang Dai , Gopal Srihari , Baker Susan , Narayan Vaibhav A. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractEffective early detection of impending relapse may offer opportunities for early interventions to prevent full relapse in schizophrenia patients. Previously reported early warning signs were not consistently validated by prospective studies. It remains unclear which symptoms are most predictive of relapse. To prioritize the symptoms to be captured by periodic self-report in technology-enabled remote assessment solutions for monitoring symptoms and detecting relapse early, we analyzed data from three relapse-prevention studies to identify individual items of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) that changed the most prior to relapse and to understand exactly when these symptoms manifested. Relapse was defined by a composite endpoint: hospitalization, suicidal/homicidal ideation, violent behavior, a 25% increase in the PANSS total score, or a significant increase in at least one of several pre-specified PANSS items. Longitudinal mixed effect models were applied to model the trajectories of individual PANSS items before relapse. Among 267 relapsed patients, the PANSS items that increased the most at relapse from randomization did not differ much by different relapse reasons or medications. A subset of seven PANSS items, including delusions, suspiciousness, hallucinations, anxiety, excitement, tension, and conceptual disorganization, had on average > 1-point of increase at relapse. The trajectories of these items suggested these items started to increase 7–10 days before relapse and reached on average 1-point of increase 0.3 ~ 1.2 days before relapse. Our results indicated that a subset of PANSS items could be leveraged to develop remote assessment solutions for monitoring symptoms and detecting relapse early in schizophrenia patients.
Close inbreeding and low genetic diversity in Inner Asian human populations despite geographical exogamy
Authors: Marchi Nina , Mennecier Philippe , Georges Myriam , Lafosse Sophie , Hegay Tatyana , Dorzhu Choduraa , Chichlo Boris , Ségurel Laure , Heyer Evelyne 
Published: June 2018

AbstractWhen closely related individuals mate, they produce inbred offspring, which often have lower fitness than outbred ones. Geographical exogamy, by favouring matings between distant individuals, is thought to be an inbreeding avoidance mechanism; however, no data has clearly tested this prediction. Here, we took advantage of the diversity of matrimonial systems in humans to explore the impact of geographical exogamy on genetic diversity and inbreeding. We collected ethno-demographic data for 1,344 individuals in 16 populations from two Inner Asian cultural groups with contrasting dispersal behaviours (Turko-Mongols and Indo-Iranians) and genotyped genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms in 503 individuals. We estimated the population exogamy rate and confirmed the expected dispersal differences: Turko-Mongols are geographically more exogamous than Indo-Iranians. Unexpectedly, across populations, exogamy patterns correlated neither with the proportion of inbred individuals nor with their genetic diversity. Even more surprisingly, among Turko-Mongols, descendants from exogamous couples were significantly more inbred than descendants from endogamous couples, except for large distances (>40 km). Overall, 37% of the descendants from exogamous couples were closely inbred. This suggests that in Inner Asia, geographical exogamy is neither efficient in increasing genetic diversity nor in avoiding inbreeding, which might be due to kinship endogamy despite the occurrence of dispersal.
Optical Chirality of Time-Harmonic Wavefields for Classification of Scatterers
Authors: Gutsche Philipp , Nieto-Vesperinas Manuel 
Published: June 2018

AbstractWe derive expressions for the scattering, extinction and conversion of the chirality of monochromatic light scattered by bodies which are characterized by aT-matrix. In analogy to the conditions obtained from the conservation of energy, these quantities enable the classification of arbitrary scattering objects due to their full, i.e. either chiral or achiral, electromagnetic response. To this end, we put forward and determine the concepts of duality and breaking of duality symmetry, anti-duality, helicity variation, helicity annhiliation and the breaking of helicity annihilation. Different classes, such as chiral and dual scatterers, are illustrated in this analysis with model examples of spherical and non-spherical shape. As for spheres, these concepts are analysed by considering non-Rayleigh dipolar dielectric particles of high refractive index, which, having a strong magnetic response to the incident wavefield, offer an excellent laboratory to test and interpret such changes in the chirality of the illumination. In addition, comparisons with existing experimental data are made.
Distinct Retinal Capillary Plexuses in Normal Eyes as Observed in Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Axial Profile Analysis
Authors: Hirano Takao , Chanwimol Karntida , Weichsel Julian , Tepelus Tudor , Sadda Srinivas 
Published: June 2018

AbstractOptical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) allows the retinal microvasculature to be visualized at various retinal depths. Previous studies introduced OCTA axial profile analysis and showed regional variations in the number and location of axially distinct vascular retinal plexuses. OCTA acquisition and processing approaches, however, vary in terms of their resulting transverse and axial resolutions, and especially the latter could potentially influence the profile analysis results. Our study imaged normal eyes using the Spectralis OCT2 with a full-spectrum, probabilistic OCTA algorithm, that, in marked contrast to split-spectrum approaches, preserves the original high OCT axial resolution also within the resulting OCTA signal. En face OCTA images are generally created by averaging flow signals over a finite axial depth window. However, we assessed regional OCTA signal profiles at each depth position at full axial resolution. All regions had two sharp vessel density peaks near the inner and outer boundaries of the inner nuclear layer, indicating separate intermediate and deep capillary plexuses. The superficial vascular plexus (SVP) separated into two distinct peaks within the ganglion cell layer in the parafoveal zone. The nasal, superior, and inferior perifovea had a deeper SVP peak that was shifted anteriorly compared to the parafoveal zone. Axial vascular density analysis with high-resolution, full spectrum OCTA thus allows healthy retinal vasculature to be precisely reconstructed and may be useful for clinically assessing retinal pathology.
Host genotype-specific microbiota do not influence the susceptibility of D. magna to a bacterial pathogen
Authors: Sison-Mangus Marilou P. , Metzger César M. J. A. , Ebert Dieter 
Published: June 2018

AbstractHost-associated microbiota have been claimed to play a role in hosts’ responses to parasitic infections, often protecting the hosts from infection. We tested for such a role in the crustacean Daphnia and the parasitic bacterium Pasteuria ramosa, a widely used model system for host-parasite interactions. We first determined the infection phenotype (i.e., resistotype) of eight clonal D. magna genotypes against four strains of P. ramosa by attachment test, followed by 16 S rDNA amplicon sequencing to determine if their genotype or their parasite resistotype influences the composition of their microbiome. We then reciprocally transplanted the microbiota of two host genotypes with opposite resistotypes to four P. ramosa isolates, followed by a reassessment of their resistotype after transplantation. We found significant differences in microbiome composition and structure between Daphnia genotypes and between Daphnia resistotypes to specific P. ramosa strains. Reciprocal microbiota exchange or making the Daphnia hosts bacteria-free, however, did not influence the resistotypes of the hosts. Thus, in contrary to what has been observed in some taxa, our results suggest that D. magna susceptibility to P. ramosa is strongly dictated by the genetic differences of the hosts and is still dependent on Daphnia’s first line of immune defense against the esophageal attachment of P. ramosa, which appears to be uninfluenced by the host’s microbiota.