bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Crystal structure, solid phase diffusion path and coefficient of Zr-doped Li4Ti5O12
Authors: Shi Zheng , Wang Shengping , Wei Qingyun
Published: August 2019

The influences of the crystal structure of Zr-doped lithium titanate prepared by the sol–gel method on the lithium ion diffusion coefficient and rate performance were studied. Compared with the pure phase Li4Ti5O[Formula: see text], Zr-doped lithium titanate presented a high discharge capacity as well as a good rate performance and cycle performance, and Li4Zr[Formula: see text]Ti[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text] yielded the best electrochemical performance. Li4Zr[Formula: see text]Ti[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text] possessed capacities of 162 (1st) and 143 (100th) mAh g[Formula: see text] at 5[Formula: see text]mA[Formula: see text]cm[Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text]100% of the coulombic efficiency. The area of the migration surface of Li4Ti5O[Formula: see text] is proportional to the square of the lattice constant, so Li4Zr[Formula: see text]Ti[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text] demonstrated the largest migration surface with 8.3600 Å of “[Formula: see text]”. The larger the migration surface is, the lower the activation energy for lithium ion migration is, and the easier it is for lithium ions to diffuse and migrate.
Additive Manufacturing Applications in Industry 4.0: A Review
Authors: Haleem Abid , Javaid Mohd
Published: August 2019

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a set of technologies and are vital to fulfilling different requirements of Industry 4.0. So, there is a need to study different additive manufacturing applications toward its achievement. From the Scopus database, different research articles on “Industry 4.0” and “additive manufacturing applications in Industry 4.0” are identified and studied through a bibliometric analysis. It shows that there is an increasing trend of publications in this new area. Industry 4.0 has entered new markets which focus on customer delight by adding values in product and services. It supports automation, interoperability, actionable insights and information transparency. There are different components vital to implement Industry 4.0 requirements. Through this extensive literature review based work, we identified different components of Industry 4.0 and explained the critical ones briefly. Finally, 13 important AM applications in Industry 4.0 are identified. The main limitation of the AM manufactured part is of comparable low strength and associated quality, coupled with a high cost of the printing machine system. In this upcoming industrial revolution, AM is a crucial technology which has become the main component of product innovation and development. This disruptive technology can fulfil different challenges in the future manufacturing system and help the industry to produce innovative products. For this futuristic manufacturing system, additive manufacturing is an upcoming paradigm, and Industry 4.0 will use its potential to achieve required goals.
Improving Industrial Systems Reliability — An Application in Sugar Industry
Authors: Kumar Ramesh , Kadyan M. S.
Published: August 2019

To improve the reliability of the industrial systems, the main requirement is to identify the most expected failures and to minimize the effects of such failures. This can be achieved through availability evaluation of the systems of the industry. Here, the performance analysis of molasses (by-product of sugarcane) making system is carried out. The system consists of four subsystems, namely: Crystallizer, C-fore worker, C-after Worker and Melter. Functioning of these subsystems is in series and within subsystems have different working configurations. Equations associated with the system model are developed and solved to get the state probabilities by using supplementary variable technique. A particular case is also considered to show the availability and expected behavior of the molasses making system. Numerical results are obtained to explain the effect of subsystems working behavior.
Queering consent
Authors: Edenfield Avery C.
Published: August 2019

For decades, sexual violence prevention and sexual consent have been a recurrent topic on college campuses and in popular media, most recently because of the success of the #MeToo movement. As a result, institutions are deeply invested in communicating consent information. This article problematizes those institutional attempts to teach consent by comparing them to an alternative grounded in queer politics. This alternative information may provide a useful path to redesigning consent information by destabilizing categories of gender, sexuality, and even consent itself.
Fast Radio Bursts: An Extragalactic Enigma
Authors: Cordes James M. , Chatterjee Shami
Published: August 2019

We summarize our understanding of millisecond radio bursts from an extragalactic population of sources. Fast radio bursts (FRBs) occur at an extraordinary rate, thousands per day over the entire sky with radiation energy densities at the source about ten billion times larger than those from Galactic pulsars. We survey FRB phenomenology, source models and host galaxies, coherent radiation models, and the role of plasma propagation effects in burst detection. The FRB field is guaranteed to be exciting: New telescopes will expand the sample from the current ∼80 unique burst sources (and only a few secure localizations and redshifts) to thousands, with burst localizations that enable host-galaxy redshifts emerging directly from interferometric surveys. ▪ FRBs are now established as an extragalactic phenomenon. ▪ Only a few sources are known to repeat. Despite the failure to redetect other FRBs, they are not inconsistent with all being repeaters. ▪ FRB sources may be new, exotic kinds of objects or known types in extreme circumstances. Many inventive models exist, ranging from alien spacecraft to cosmic strings, but those concerning compact objects and supermassive black holes have gained the most attention. A rapidly rotating magnetar is a promising explanation for FRB 121102 along with the persistent source associated with it, but alternative source models are not ruled out for it or other FRBs. ▪ FRBs are powerful tracers of circumsource environments, “missing baryons” in the intergalactic medium (IGM), and dark matter. ▪ The relative contributions of host galaxies and the IGM to propagation effects have yet to be disentangled, so dispersion measure distances have large uncertainties.
Altering rat sexual behavior to teach hormonal regulation of brain imprinting
Authors: Geisert Rodney D. , Schmelzle Amanda L. , Smith Michael F. , Green Jonathan A.
Published: August 2019

In this teaching laboratory, students design and perform an experiment to determine estrogen’s role in imprinting the brain of neonatal rats to express either male or female sexual behavior. A discussion question is provided before the laboratory exercise in which each student is asked to search the literature and provide written answers to questions and to formulate an experiment to test the role of estrogen in imprinting the mating behavior of male and female rats. Students discuss their answers to the questions in laboratory with the instructor and design an experiment to test their hypothesis. In male rats, testosterone is converted by aromatase expressed by neurons in the brain to estrogen. Production of estrogen in the brain of neonatal rats imprints mating behavior in males, where a lack of estrogen action in the brain imprints female sexual behavior. The model involves administering exogenous testosterone to imprint male behavior in female pups or administration of an aromatase inhibitor (letrozole) or an estrogen receptor antagonist (ICI 182,780) to imprint female sexual behavior in male pups. In the model, litters of neonatal pups are treated with either carrier (control), testosterone propionate, aromatase inhibitor (letrozole), or an estrogen receptor antagonist (ICI 182,780) postnatally on days 1 and 3. Alteration of mating behavior is evaluated through the numbers of males and females that breed and establish pregnancy. This is a very simple protocol that provides an excellent experiment for student discussion on the effects of hormone action on imprinting brain sexual behavior.
What’s in the pipeline for lower functional gastrointestinal disorders in the next 5 years?
Authors: Camilleri Michael
Published: August 2019

The overall objectives of this review are to summarize actionable biomarkers for organic etiology of lower functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) that lead to individualized treatment for their FGIDs and to assess the pipeline for novel approaches to the management of constipation, diarrhea, and chronic abdominal pain in lower FGIDs. The new approaches to therapy include ion exchangers/transporters for functional constipation (sodium-glucose cotransporter 1, Na+/H+ exchanger 3, and solute carrier family 26 member 3 inhibitors), bile acid modulators for constipation such as ileal bile acid transporter inhibitors and fibroblast growth factor 19 analog for functional constipation, and bile acid sequestrants or farnesoid X receptor agonists for functional diarrhea. Treatment for chronic abdominal pain remains an unmet need in patients with lower FGIDs, and promising novel approaches include delayed-release linaclotide, nonclassical opioid visceral analgesics, and selective cannabinoid receptor agonists. The role of probiotics, fecal microbial transplantation, and possible future microbiome therapies is discussed.
Regulation of mitochondrial fragmentation in microvascular endothelial cells isolated from the SU5416/hypoxia model of pulmonary arterial hypertension
Authors: Suresh Karthik , Servinsky Laura , Jiang Haiyang , Bigham Zahna , Zaldumbide Joel , Huetsch John C. , Kliment Corrine , Acoba Michelle G. , Kirsch Brian J. , Claypool Steven M. , Le Anne , Damarla Mahendra , Shimoda Larissa A.
Published: August 2019

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a morbid disease characterized by progressive right ventricle (RV) failure due to elevated pulmonary artery pressures (PAP). In PAH, histologically complex vaso-occlusive lesions in the pulmonary vasculature contribute to elevated PAP. However, the mechanisms underlying dysfunction of the microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs) that comprise a significant portion of these lesions are not well understood. We recently showed that MVECs isolated from the Sugen/hypoxia (SuHx) rat experimental model of PAH (SuHx-MVECs) exhibit increases in migration/proliferation, mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS; mtROS) production, intracellular calcium levels ([Ca2+]i), and mitochondrial fragmentation. Furthermore, quenching mtROS with the targeted antioxidant MitoQ attenuated basal [Ca2+]i, migration and proliferation; however, whether increased mtROS-induced [Ca2+]i entry affected mitochondrial morphology was not clear. In this study, we sought to better understand the relationship between increased ROS, [Ca2+]i, and mitochondrial morphology in SuHx-MVECs. We measured changes in mitochondrial morphology at baseline and following inhibition of mtROS, with the targeted antioxidant MitoQ, or transient receptor potential vanilloid-4 (TRPV4) channels, which we previously showed were responsible for mtROS-induced increases in [Ca2+]i in SuHx-MVECs. Quenching mtROS or inhibiting TRPV4 attenuated fragmentation in SuHx-MVECs. Conversely, inducing mtROS production in MVECs from normoxic rats (N-MVECs) increased fragmentation. Ca2+ entry induced by the TRPV4 agonist GSK1017920A was significantly increased in SuHx-MVECs and was attenuated with MitoQ treatment, indicating that mtROS contributes to increased TRPV4 activity in SuHx-MVECs. Basal and maximal respiration were depressed in SuHx-MVECs, and inhibiting mtROS, but not TRPV4, improved respiration in these cells. Collectively, our data show that, in SuHx-MVECs, mtROS production promotes TRPV4-mediated increases in [Ca2+]i, mitochondrial fission, and decreased mitochondrial respiration. These results suggest an important role for mtROS in driving MVEC dysfunction in PAH.
Nur77 limits endothelial barrier disruption to LPS in the mouse lung
Authors: Zhu Ni , Zhang Guan-Xin , Yi Bing , Guo Zhi-Fu , Jang Soohwa , Yin Yongqiang , Yang Fan , Summer Ross , Sun Jianxin
Published: August 2019

Nur77 is an orphan nuclear receptor implicated in the regulation of a wide range of biological processes, including the maintenance of systemic blood vessel homeostasis. Although Nur77 is known to be expressed in the lung, its role in regulating pulmonary vascular functions remains entirely unknown. In this study, we found that Nur77 is expressed at high levels in the lung, and its expression is markedly upregulated in response to LPS administration. While the pulmonary vasculature of mice that lacked Nur77 appeared to function normally under homeostatic conditions, we observed a dramatic decrease in its barrier functions after exposure to LPS, as demonstrated by an increase in serum proteins in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and a reduction in the expression of endothelial junctional proteins, such as vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin) and β-catenin. Similarly, we found that siRNA knockdown of Nur77 in lung microvascular endothelial cells also reduced VE-cadherin and β-catenin expression and increased the quantity of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled dextran transporting across LPS-injured endothelial monolayers. Consistent with Nur77 playing a vascular protective role, we found that adenoviral-mediated overexpression of Nur77 both enhanced expression of VE-cadherin and β-catenin and augmented endothelial barrier protection to LPS in cultured cells. Mechanistically, Nur77 appeared to mediate its protective effects, at least in part, by binding to β-catenin and preventing its degradation. Our findings demonstrate a key role for Nur77 in the maintenance of lung endothelial barrier protection to LPS and suggest that therapeutic strategies aimed at augmenting Nur77 levels might be effective in treating a wide variety of inflammatory vascular diseases of the lung.
CARM1 regulates senescence during airway epithelial cell injury in COPD pathogenesis
Authors: Sarker Rim S. J. , Conlon Thomas M. , Morrone Carmela , Srivastava Barkha , Konyalilar Nur , Verleden Stijn E. , Bayram Hasan , Fehrenbach Heinz , Yildirim Ali Önder
Published: August 2019

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a life-threatening lung disease. Although cigarette smoke was considered the main cause of development, the heterogeneous nature of the disease leaves it unclear whether other factors contribute to the predisposition or impaired regeneration response observed. Recently, epigenetic modification has emerged to be a key player in the pathogenesis of COPD. The addition of methyl groups to arginine residues in both histone and nonhistone proteins by protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) is an important posttranslational epigenetic modification event regulating cellular proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and senescence. Here, we hypothesize that coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase-1 (CARM1) regulates airway epithelial cell injury in COPD pathogenesis by controlling cellular senescence. Using the naphthalene (NA)-induced mouse model of airway epithelial damage, we demonstrate that loss of CC10-positive club cells is accompanied by a reduction in CARM1-expressing cells of the airway epithelium. Furthermore, Carm1 haploinsuffficent mice showed perturbed club cell regeneration following NA treatment. In addition, CARM1 reduction led to decreased numbers of antisenescent sirtuin 1-expressing cells accompanied by higher p21, p16, and β-galactosidase-positive senescent cells in the mouse airway following NA treatment. Importantly, CARM1-silenced human bronchial epithelial cells showed impaired wound healing and higher β-galactosidase activity. These results demonstrate that CARM1 contributes to airway repair and regeneration by regulating airway epithelial cell senescence.
Glomerular permeability is not affected by heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan deficiency in zebrafish embryos
Authors: Khalil Ramzi , Lalai Reshma A. , Wiweger Malgorzata I. , Avramut Cristina M. , Koster Abraham J. , Spaink Herman P. , Bruijn Jan A. , Hogendoorn Pancras C. W. , Baelde Hans J.
Published: August 2019

Proteinuria develops when specific components in the glomerular filtration barrier have impaired function. Although the precise components involved in maintaining this barrier have not been fully identified, heparan sulfate proteoglycans are believed to play an essential role in maintaining glomerular filtration. Although in situ studies have shown that a loss of heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans increases the permeability of the glomerular filtration barrier, recent studies using experimental models have shown that podocyte-specific deletion of heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan assembly does not lead to proteinuria. However, tubular reabsorption of leaked proteins might have masked an increase in glomerular permeability in these models. Furthermore, not only podocytes but also glomerular endothelial cells are involved in heparan sulfate synthesis in the glomerular filtration barrier. Therefore, we investigated the effect of a global heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan deficiency on glomerular permeability. We used a zebrafish embryo model carrying a homozygous germline mutation in the ext2 gene. Glomerular permeability was assessed with a quantitative dextran tracer injection method. In this model, we accounted for tubular reabsorption. Loss of anionic sites in the glomerular basement membrane was measured using polyethyleneimine staining. Although mutant animals had significantly fewer negatively charged areas in the glomerular basement membrane, glomerular permeability was unaffected. Moreover, heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan-deficient embryos had morphologically intact podocyte foot processes. Glomerular filtration remains fully functional despite a global reduction of heparan sulfate.
Renovascular disease induces mitochondrial damage in swine scattered tubular cells
Authors: Nargesi Arash Aghajani , Zhu Xiang-Yang , Conley Sabena M. , Woollard John R. , Saadiq Ishran M. , Lerman Lilach O. , Eirin Alfonso
Published: August 2019

Scattered tubular-like cells (STCs) contribute to repair neighboring injured renal tubular cells. Mitochondria mediate STC biology and function but might be injured by the ambient milieu. We hypothesized that the microenviroment induced by the ischemic and metabolic components of renovascular disease impairs STC mitochondrial structure and function in swine, which can be attenuated with mitoprotection. CD24+/CD133+STCs were quantified in pig kidneys after 16 wk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) or lean diet (Lean) with or without concurrent renal artery stenosis (RAS) ( n = 6 each). Pig STCs were isolated and characterized, and mitochondrial structure, membrane potential, and oxidative stress were assessed in cells untreated or incubated with the mitoprotective drug elamipretide (1 nM for 6 h). STC-protective effects were assessed in vitro by their capacity to proliferate and improve viability of injured pig tubular epithelial cells. The percentage of STCs was higher in MetS, Lean + RAS, and MetS + RAS kidneys compared with Lean kidneys. STCs isolated from Lean + RAS and MetS + RAS pigs showed mitochondrial swelling and decreased matrix density, which were both restored by mitoprotection. In addition, mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP production were reduced and production of reactive oxygen species elevated in MetS, Lean + RAS, and MetS + RAS STCs. Importantly, mitoprotection improved mitochondrial structure and function as well as the capacity of MetS + RAS STCs to repair injured tubular cells in vitro. Renovascular disease in swine is associated with a higher prevalence of STCs but induces structural and functional alterations in STC mitochondria, which impair their reparative potency. These observations suggest a key role for mitochondria in the renal reparative capacity of STCs.
The Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis
Authors: Cryan John F. , O'Riordan Kenneth J. , Cowan Caitlin S. M. , Sandhu Kiran V. , Bastiaanssen Thomaz F. S. , Boehme Marcus , Codagnone Martin G. , Cussotto Sofia , Fulling Christine , Golubeva Anna V. , Guzzetta Katherine E. , Jaggar Minal , Long-Smith Caitriona M. , Lyte Joshua M. , Martin Jason A. , Molinero-Perez Alicia , Moloney Gerard , Morelli Emanuela , Morillas Enrique , O'Connor Rory , Cruz-Pereira Joana S. , Peterson Veronica L. , Rea Kieran , Ritz Nathaniel L. , Sherwin Eoin , Spichak Simon , Teichman Emily M. , van de Wouw Marcel , Ventura-Silva Ana Paula , Wallace-Fitzsimons Shauna E. , Hyland Niall , Clarke Gerard , Dinan Timothy G.
Published: August 2019

The importance of the gut-brain axis in maintaining homeostasis has long been appreciated. However, the past 15 yr have seen the emergence of the microbiota (the trillions of microorganisms within and on our bodies) as one of the key regulators of gut-brain function and has led to the appreciation of the importance of a distinct microbiota-gut-brain axis. This axis is gaining ever more traction in fields investigating the biological and physiological basis of psychiatric, neurodevelopmental, age-related, and neurodegenerative disorders. The microbiota and the brain communicate with each other via various routes including the immune system, tryptophan metabolism, the vagus nerve and the enteric nervous system, involving microbial metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids, branched chain amino acids, and peptidoglycans. Many factors can influence microbiota composition in early life, including infection, mode of birth delivery, use of antibiotic medications, the nature of nutritional provision, environmental stressors, and host genetics. At the other extreme of life, microbial diversity diminishes with aging. Stress, in particular, can significantly impact the microbiota-gut-brain axis at all stages of life. Much recent work has implicated the gut microbiota in many conditions including autism, anxiety, obesity, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. Animal models have been paramount in linking the regulation of fundamental neural processes, such as neurogenesis and myelination, to microbiome activation of microglia. Moreover, translational human studies are ongoing and will greatly enhance the field. Future studies will focus on understanding the mechanisms underlying the microbiota-gut-brain axis and attempt to elucidate microbial-based intervention and therapeutic strategies for neuropsychiatric disorders.
Brain-Computer Interface Channel-Selection Strategy Based on Analysis of Event-Related Desynchronization Topography in Stroke Patients
Authors: Li Chong , Jia Tianyu , Xu Quan , Ji Linhong , Pan Yu
Published: August 2019

In the last decade, technology-assisted stroke rehabilitation has been the focus of research. Electroencephalogram- (EEG-) based brain-computer interface (BCI) has a great potential for motor rehabilitation in stroke patients since the closed loop between motor intention and the actual movement established by BCI can stimulate the neural pathways of motor control. Due to the deficits in the brain, motor intention expression may shift to other brain regions during and even after neural reorganization. The objective of this paper was to study the event-related desynchronization (ERD) topography during motor attempt tasks of the paretic hand in stroke patients and compare the classification performance using different channel-selection strategies in EEG-based BCI. Fifteen stroke patients were recruited in this study. A cue-based experimental paradigm was applied in the experiment, in which each patient was required to open the palm of the paretic or the unaffected hand. EEG was recorded and analyzed to measure the motor intention and indicate the activated brain regions. Support vector machine (SVM) combined with common spatial pattern (CSP) algorithm was used to calculate the offline classification accuracy between the motor attempt of the paretic hand and the resting state applying different channel-selection strategies. Results showed individualized ERD topography during the motor attempt of the paretic hand due to the deficits caused by stroke. Statistical analysis showed a significant increase in the classification accuracy by analyzing the channels showing ERD than analyzing the channels from the contralateral sensorimotor cortex (SM1). The results indicated that for stroke patients whose affected motor cortex is extensively damaged, the compensated brain regions should be considered for implementing EEG-based BCI for motor rehabilitation as the closed loop between the altered activated brain regions and the paretic hand can be stimulated more accurately using the individualized channel-selection strategy.
Experimental Investigations on Aircraft Blade Cooling Holes and CFD Fluid Analysis in Electrochemical Machining
Authors: Chai Mingxia , Li Zhiyong , Yan Hongjuan , Sun Xiaoyu
Published: August 2019

The flow field distribution in an interelectrode gap is one of the important factors that affect the machining accuracy and surface quality in the electrochemical machining (ECM) process for aircraft blades. In the ECM process, some process parameters, e.g., machining clearance, processing voltage, and solution concentration, may result in electrolyte fluid field to be complex and unstable, which makes it very difficult to predict and control the machining accuracy of ECM. Therefore, 30 sets of experiments for cooling hole making in ECM were carried out, and furthermore, the machining accuracy and stability of cooling hole were concentrated. In addition, the flow channel of the geometrical model of the gap flow field was established and analyzed according to the electrolyte flow state simulation by CFD. The effects of the flow velocity mode on the machining accuracy and stability for cooling hole making were investigated and determined in detail.
Oscillation Criteria for Third‐Order Emden–Fowler Differential Equations with Unbounded Neutral Coefficients
Authors: Chatzarakis George E. , Grace Said R. , Jadlovská Irena , Li Tongxing , Tunç Ercan
Published: August 2019

New sufficient conditions for the oscillation of all solutions to a class of third‐order Emden–Fowler differential equations with unbounded neutral coefficients are established. The criteria obtained essentially improve related results in the literature. In particular, as opposed to known results, new criteria can distinguish solutions of third‐order differential equations with different behaviors. Examples are also provided to illustrate the results.
High Levels of C-Reactive Protein Are Associated with an Increased Risk of Ovarian Cancer: Results from the Ovarian Cancer Cohort Consortium
Authors: Peres Lauren C. , Mallen Adrianne R. , Townsend Mary K. , Poole Elizabeth M. , Trabert Britton , Allen Naomi E. , Arslan Alan A. , Dossus Laure , Fortner Renée T. , Gram Inger T. , Hartge Patricia , Idahl Annika , Kaaks Rudolf , Kvaskoff Marina , Magliocco Anthony M. , Merritt Melissa A. , Quirós J. Ramón , Tjonneland Anne , Trichopoulou Antonia , Tumino Rosario , van Gils Carla H. , Visvanathan Kala , Wentzensen Nicolas , Zeleniuch-Jacquotte Anne , Tworoger Shelley S.
Published: August 2019

Growing epidemiologic evidence supports chronic inflammation as a mechanism of ovarian carcinogenesis. An association between a circulating marker of inflammation, C-reactive protein (CRP), and ovarian cancer risk has been consistently observed, yet, potential heterogeneity of this association by tumor and patient characteristics has not been adequately explored. In this study, we pooled data from case–control studies nested within six cohorts in the Ovarian Cancer Cohort Consortium (OC3) to examine the association between CRP and epithelial ovarian cancer risk overall, by histologic subtype and by participant characteristics. CRP concentrations were measured from prediagnosis serum or plasma in 1,091 cases and 1,951 controls. Multivariable conditional logistic regression was used to estimate ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CI). When CRP was evaluated using tertiles, no associations with ovarian cancer risk were observed. A 67% increased ovarian cancer risk was found for women with CRP concentrations >10 mg/L compared with <1 mg/L (OR = 1.67; 95% CI = 1.12–2.48). A CRP concentration >10 mg/L was positively associated with risk of mucinous (OR = 9.67; 95% CI = 1.10–84.80) and endometrioid carcinoma (OR = 3.41; 95% CI = 1.07–10.92), and suggestively positive, although not statistically significant, for serous (OR = 1.43; 95% CI = 0.82–2.49) and clear cell carcinoma (OR = 2.05; 95% CI = 0.36–11.57; Pheterogeneity = 0.20). Heterogeneity was observed with oral contraceptive use (Pinteraction = 0.03), where the increased risk was present only among ever users (OR = 3.24; 95% CI = 1.62–6.47). This study adds to the existing evidence that CRP plays a role in ovarian carcinogenesis and suggests that inflammation may be particularly implicated in the etiology of endometrioid and mucinous carcinoma.

Significance:

C-reactive protein is involved in ovarian carcinogenesis, and chronic inflammation may be particularly implicated in the etiology of mucinous and endometrioid carcinomas.
Fungal Endogenous Endophthalmitis Secondary to Magnusiomyces capitatus
Authors: Rota Nestore , Danese Carla , Menchini Francesca , Pignatto Silvia , Peghin Maddalena , Bassetti Matteo , Lanzetta Paolo
Published: August 2019

We report the case of a 68-year-old immunocompetent patient with a dilatation of the ascending aorta, intraluminal vegetations, and pseudoaneurysmatic bulging who presented with unilateral fungal endogenous endophthalmitis 8 days after coronary angiogram. The isolated pathogen resulted to be Magnusiomyces capitatus, a filamentous, yeast-like fungus that can be commonly found in normal human microflora, with an immunosuppression-related pathogenicity. A literature research revealed a single case of ophthalmic infection – a keratitis – caused by this pathogen. Furthermore, we add a review of mycotic endophthalmitis related to aortic infection.
Contact, Conflict, and Crisis in Eastern Christianity
Authors: Clay J. Eugene
Published: August 2019

In this issue of Canadian-American Slavic Studies, eight authors explore Eastern Christian communities from the sixteenth to the twenty-first centuries. Originating as papers presented at the sixth biennial conference of the Association for the Study of Eastern Christian History and Culture (http://easternchristianity.org) at Rhodes College in 2015, these articles have been carefully selected for their original contributions and revised for publication. From disputes over monastic landholding in the sixteenth century to the vicious persecutions of the Soviet period, Eastern Christians have responded creatively to historical crises, even as they have faced both internal and external conflicts. These thought-provoking essays provide significant analyses of these responses and offer penetrating insights into Eastern Christianity.
Roman Catholic Polemicists, Russian Orthodox Publicists, and the Tsar-Pope Myth in France, 1842–1862
Authors: Bailey Heather
Published: August 2019

In the mid-nineteenth century it was typical for French Roman Catholic publicists to allege that the tsar was the supreme head or “pope” of the Russian Church and that consequently, the Russian Church was completely enslaved to the state. While this idea was largely created by Catholic publicists, some Russian Orthodox individuals contributed intentionally or unintentionally to exaggerated notions of the Russian emperor’s spiritual authority, demonstrating that the Orthodox publicists who wanted to defend Russian interests did not always agree about what those interests really were or about how best to defend them. Following Italy’s national unification (1859–1860), French public figures used these narratives about the Russian tsar-pope to promote specific policies towards Rome and the papacy. For French Roman Catholic publicists, the tsar-pope myth proved that it was vital to preserve unity between the French Church and Rome and to defend the papacy’s temporal power as a guarantor of the Roman Catholic Church’s independence.
Taxonomic status of three controversial species of Cephalanthera (Orchidaceae) from Korea based on morphological and molecular data

Authors: SHIN HYE WOO , LEE CHANG SHOOK , CHOI SUN A , EUM SANG MI , LEE NAM SOOK
Published: August 2019

The taxonomic status of three of the seven Cephalanthera species in Korea is controversial: C. erecta var. oblanceolata, C. subaphylla, and C. shizuoi. To clarify their taxonomic status, we used molecular data of ITS of nuclear DNA, and three regions of chloroplast DNA (matK, rpl16 and trnL-F), in addition to morphological characters. We analyzed 82 accessions collected from 26 sites including the other four taxa: C. erecta, C. falcata, C. longibractea, and C. longifolia. The analysis of ITS, matK, rpl16 and trnL-F data showed that Cephalanthera erecta var. oblanceolata should be treated as a synonym of C. erecta. Molecular data supported that C. subaphylla is an independent species rather than a variety or forma of C. erecta. Cephalanthera shizuoi was currently treated as a synonym of C. erecta or C. longifolia based on morphology and the molecular data supported that C. shizuoi should not be recognized as distinct species; but C. shizuoi should be a synonym of C. longifolia, not a synonym of C. erecta.
An Early Permian crinoid fauna from Crete*
Authors: WEBSTER GARY D.
Published: August 2019

Early Permian crinoids are reported from a small cape at Bali, north central Crete, Greece. The specimens have undergone low-grade metamorphism, but are moderately well preserved. At the generic level the fauna shows greatest affinity with North American faunas and secondarily with Timor faunas. This is the first Paleozoic crinoid fauna reported from Greece.New taxa introduced are: Synbathocrinus cretensis n. sp., Apographiocrinus nodosus n. sp., Pyndaxocrinus granulatus n. sp., Protencrinus baliensis n. sp., and Artichthyocrinus koenigi n. sp.
Ludwig Döderlein’s Pioneering Research on Echinoderms, Ecology and Evolution: A brief historical review*

Authors: PAWSON DAVID L. , RUTHENSTEINER BERNHARD , HOEKSEMA BERT W. , SCHOLZ JOACHIM
Published: August 2019

The German zoologist and paleontologist Ludwig Heinrich Philip Döderlein (1855–1936) was one of the foremost echi­noderm researchers of his time. Self-taught in many subjects of natural science, he rose from provincial obscurity to international fame. We present some aspects of: a) his life history; b) his echinoderm research; c) his contributions to ecology and evolutionary biology, with the coral genus Fungia as an example; and d) his achievements in building up and promoting biological collections. The latter is illustrated by the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, being second only to the Zoological Museum of Strasbourg in the diversity of Döderlein specimens that survived the perils of two world wars.
13. The Importance of Protected Areas
Authors: Wilson John , Primack Richard
Published: August 2019

Establishing protected areas is the most effective method for safeguarding biodiversity. Seventeen percent of Sub-Saharan Africa’s land surface is included in over 7,500 protected areas, with new reserves and parks regularly designated. On contrast, only 7% of the region’s marine and coastal environments are protected, with protection highly uneven among countries. Government agencies and conservation organisations set priorities for establishing new protected areas based on the relative distinctiveness, endangerment, and utility of a species or ecosystems. Many protected areas are established to preserve species of special significance, unique ecosystems, wilderness areas, and concentrations of threatened species. While protected areas have previously been designed haphazardly, conservation biologists are developing guidelines for designing more effective protected areas. Through a monitoring process, they can receive needed information to evaluate whether management activities are achieving their intended objectives or need to be adapted. As general guidelines, protected areas should be large whenever possible, and should not be fragmented, and conservation planners should aim to create linked networks of conservation areas to encourage wildlife dispersal. Moreover, managing interactions with local people and visitors is critical to the success of protected areas and should be part of a management plan. To obtain and maintain local support, managements plans should consider benefit sharing and co-management partnerships.
14. Conservation on Unprotected Lands
Authors: Wilson John , Primack Richard
Published: August 2019

Many species persist outside protected areas, in areas such as traditional farmland, sustainably logged forests, and unprotected rangelands. These areas can and must play a more important role in ongoing conservation efforts. For instance, traditional peoples that live on undeveloped land have beliefs that are compatible with biodiversity conservation, and so there are conservation strategies that are designed to benefit both these traditional communities and protect biodiversity. Moreover, areas intensively used by humans can also contribute to conservation efforts. Biodiversity-friendly techniques are being developed and implemented for the agriculture, logging, and fisheries industries, many which have been adopted. Mines and other extractive industries can participate in biodiversity offset programmes, and partner with conservation organisations to contribute to local biodiversity protection. But there remains a need to monitor the activities of extractive industries to ensure that cost-cutting measures do not lead to biodiversity losses. Integrated conservation and development projects (ICDPs) and community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) projects link biodiversity conservation with economic development. There is however a need to ensure these approaches remain resilient to challenges that may threaten their long-term success. Human-wildlife conflict, such as livestock predation and crop raiding, remains a major conservation challenge. Multiple mechanisms have been developed to help victims overcome or mitigate such losses. Some of these have even allowed victims to benefit from the animals they previously thought of as nuisances.
Temperature-Driven Rise in Extreme Sub-Hourly Rainfall
Authors: Bürger G. , Pfister A. , Bronstert A.
Published: August 2019

Estimates of present and future extreme sub-hourly rainfall are derived from a daily spatial followed by a sub-daily temporal downscaling, the latter of which incorporates a novel, and crucial, temperature sensitivity. Specifically, daily global climate fields are spatially downscaled to local temperature T and precipitation P, which are then disaggregated to a temporal resolution of 10 min using a multiplicative random cascade model. The scheme is calibrated and validated with a group of 21 station records of 10-min resolution in Germany. The cascade model is used in the classical (denoted as MC) and in the new T-sensitive (MC+) version, which respects local Clausius–Clapeyron (CC) effects such as CC scaling. Extreme P is positively biased in both MC versions. Observed T sensitivity is absent in MC but well reproduced by MC+. Long-term positive trends in extreme sub-hourly P are generally more pronounced and more significant in MC+ than in MC. In units of 10-min rainfall, observed centennial trends in annual exceedance counts (EC) of P > 5 mm are +29% and in 3-yr return levels (RL) +27%. For the RCP4.5-simulated future, higher extremes are projected in both versions MC and MC+: per century, EC increases by 30% for MC and by 83% for MC+; the RL rises by 14% for MC and by 33% for MC+. Because the projected daily P trends are negligible, the sub-daily signal is mainly driven by local temperature.
Effects of Neural Mechanisms of Pretask Resting EEG Alpha Information on Situational Awareness: A Functional Connectivity Approach
Authors: Kaur Ardaman , Chaujar Rishu , Chinnadurai Vijayakumar
Published: August 2019

Objective

In this study, the influence of pretask resting neural mechanisms on situational awareness (SA)-task is studied.

Background

Pretask electroencephalography (EEG) information and Stroop effect are known to influence task engagement independently. However, neural mechanisms of pretask resting absolute alpha (PRAA) and pretask resting alpha frontal asymmetry (PRAFA) in influencing SA-task which is undergoing Stroop effect is still not understood.

Method

The study involved pretask resting EEG measurements from 18 healthy individuals followed by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) acquisition during SA-task. To understand the effect of pretask alpha information and Stroop effect on SA, a robust correlation between mean reaction time, SA Index, PRAA, and PRAFA were assessed. Furthermore, neural underpinnings of PRAA, PRAFA in SA-task, and functional connectivity were analyzed through the EEG-informed fMRI approach.

Results

Significant robust correlation of reaction time was observed with SA Index (Pearson: r = .50, pcorr = .05) and PRAFA (Pearson: r = .63; pcorr = .01), respectively. Similarly, SA Index significantly correlated with PRAFA (Pearson: r = .56, pcorr = .01; Spearman: r = .61, pcorr = .007), and PRAA (Pearson: r = .59, pcorr = .005; Spearman: r = .59, pcorr = .002). Neural underpinnings of SA-task revealed regions involved in visual-processing and higher-order cognition. PRAA was primarily underpinned at frontal-temporal areas and functionally connected to SA-task regions pertaining to the emotional regulation. PRAFA has correlated with limbic and parietal regions, which are involved in integration of visual, emotion, and memory information of SA-task.

Conclusion

The results suggest a strong association of reaction time with SA-task and PRAFA and strongly support the hypothesis that PRAFA, PRAA, and associated neural mechanisms significantly influence the outcome of SA-task.

Application

It is beneficial to study the effect of pretask resting information on SA-task to improve SA.
Perceived quality of education: A comparative study of undergraduate and postgraduate social work students at BSSS, Bhopal
Authors: Simon Richi
Published: August 2019

Quality is a wide-ranging and active concept conceived differently by different people. This article tries to establish the concept from the viewpoint of the learners. The article describes the construct based on five attributes, namely, content validity, reliability, fairness, engagement and motivation, and consequential relevance as perceived by the learner which social work, being a new discipline, urgently needs. The study employed a mixed research method whereby undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Department of Social Work in The Bhopal School of Social Sciences (BSSS) were selected using convenience sampling. The article will be useful for the administrators and the faculties in enhancing the quality of social work education.
The digitalization of a social work theory: Experiences of a German child welfare social worker
Authors: Spensberger Florian
Published: August 2019

A German child welfare practitioner describes the municipal endeavor to digitalize aspects of a social work theory within an electronic information system for use in daily practice and its reception of the practitioners. Reflections on implications for practice and future research are provided.
An Island of Killing and Slaughter: Anti-Guerrilla Warfare and Civilian-Targeted Violence in Panay, 1943
Authors: Maddox Kelly
Published: August 2019

Between July and December 1943, Japanese forces in Panay, the Philippines, perpetrated large-scale and widespread atrocities that deliberately targeted the civilian populace of the island. Houses were burned, crops destroyed, livestock slaughtered, and thousands of civilians of all ages and genders were killed. These atrocities were employed strategically as part of an anti-guerrilla campaign designed to compel civilians to give up their support for a guerrilla resistance movement which had flourished in Panay since the surrender of USAFFE troops in May 1942. The conduct of Japanese troops during this campaign was a drastic departure from earlier anti-guerrilla efforts which had avoided attacks against the civilian population in favour of pacification policies. In this article, I draw on Japanese, Philippine and US sources to reconstruct the history of anti-guerrilla warfare and civilian-targeted violence in Panay, a case that has received limited scholarly attention, to build a more complete picture of the context in which Japanese strategy shifted so dramatically in 1943. I explore the circumstances in which Japanese commanders decided to employ violence against civilians and offer some insights into the factors that shaped the radicalisation of military strategy useful for understanding atrocities perpetrated by Japanese forces in other contexts.
Outfoxing the Eagle: Soviet, East European and Cuban Involvement in Nicaragua in the 1980s
Authors: Yordanov Radoslav
Published: August 2019

This paper examines the relations of the Soviet Union, Cuba, and the East European socialist states with Nicaragua from Anastasio Somoza's removal in July 1979 until Violeta Chamorro's election victory in February 1990, using a wide array of original documents, collected from Polish, Hungarian, Bulgarian, German and Czech diplomatic, party and security services archives. It delves deeply into the motivations behind the Kremlin's circumscribed approach, attempting to break new ground by looking in detail at Moscow's communication and coordination with its East European allies and Cuba, aimed at supporting Managua without risking major confrontation with Washington. This research aims to contribute to the existing historiography by looking not only at the motivations behind Soviet and Eastern Bloc involvement, but also by taking into account the circumstances preventing Moscow and its allies from developing more comprehensive political and economic relations with the Sandinista regime.
Phonetic Category Formation is Perceptually Driven During the Early Stages of Adult L2 Development
Authors: Casillas Joseph V.
Published: August 2019

Research on the acquisition of L2 phonology in sequential language learners has stressed the importance of language use and input as a means to accurate production and perception; however, the two constructs are difficult to evaluate and control. This study focuses on the role of language use during the initial stages of development of phonetic categories related to stop voicing and analyzes the relationship between production and perception. Native English-speaking late learners of Spanish provided production/perception data on a weekly basis throughout the course of a seven-week immersion program in which L1 use was prohibited. The production/perception data were analyzed using generalized linear mixed effects models. Generalized additive mixed models were used to analyze and compare the learning trajectories of each modality. The analyses revealed phonetic learning in both production and perception over the course of the program. Perception gains paralleled those of native bilinguals by the conclusion of the program and preceded production gains. This study is novel in that it provides production/perception data in a semi-longitudinal design. Moreover, the beginning adult learners are examined in a learning context in which L1 use was minimal and L2 input was maximized. Taken together, the experiments suggest that L2 phonetic category formation can occur abruptly, at an early stage of development, is perceptually driven, and appears to be particularly fragile during the initial stages of learning.