bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Translational Metabolism: A multidisciplinary approach towards precision diagnosis of inborn errors of metabolism in the omics era
Authors: Wanders Ronald J. A. , Vaz Frederic M. , Ferdinandusse Sacha , van Kuilenburg André B. P. , Kemp Stephan , van Karnebeek Clara D. , Waterham Hans R. , Houtkooper Riekelt H.
Published: February 2019

The laboratory diagnosis of inborn errors of metabolism has been revolutionized in recent years, thanks to the amazing developments in the field of DNA sequencing including whole exome and whole genome sequencing (WES and WGS). Interpretation of the results coming from WES and/or WGS analysis is definitely not trivial especially since the biological relevance of many of the variants identified by WES and/or WGS, have not been tested experimentally and prediction programs like POLYPHEN‐2 and SIFT are far from perfect. Correct interpretation of WES and/or WGS results can only be achieved by performing functional studies at multiple levels (different metabolomics platforms, enzymology, in vitro and in vivo flux analysis), often requires studies in model organisms like zebra fish, Caenorhabditis elegans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, mutant mice and others, and also requires the input of many different disciplines to make this Translational Metabolism approach effective.
Argininosuccinic aciduria: Recent pathophysiological insights and therapeutic prospects
Authors: Baruteau Julien , Diez‐Fernandez Carmen , Lerner Shaul , Ranucci Giusy , Gissen Paul , Dionisi‐Vici Carlo , Nagamani Sandesh , Erez Ayelet , Häberle Johannes
Published: February 2019

The first patients affected by argininosuccinic aciduria (ASA) were reported 60 years ago. The clinical presentation was initially described as similar to other urea cycle defects, but increasing evidence has shown overtime an atypical systemic phenotype with a paradoxical observation, that is, a higher rate of neurological complications contrasting with a lower rate of hyperammonaemic episodes. The disappointing long‐term clinical outcomes of many of the patients have challenged the current standard of care and therapeutic strategy, which aims to normalize plasma ammonia and arginine levels. Interrogations have raised about the benefit of newborn screening or liver transplantation on the neurological phenotype. Over the last decade, novel discoveries enabled by the generation of new transgenic argininosuccinate lyase (ASL)‐deficient mouse models have been achieved, such as, a better understanding of ASL and its close interaction with nitric oxide metabolism, ASL physiological role outside the liver, and the pathophysiological role of oxidative/nitrosative stress or excessive arginine treatment. Here, we present a collaborative review, which highlights these recent discoveries and novel emerging concepts about ASL role in human physiology, ASA clinical phenotype and geographic prevalence, limits of current standard of care and newborn screening, pathophysiology of the disease, and emerging novel therapies. We propose recommendations for monitoring of ASA patients. Ongoing research aims to better understand the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of the systemic disease to design novel therapies.
Increased El Niño–Southern Oscillation sensitivity of tree growth on the southern Tibetan Plateau since the 1970s
Authors: Cheng Xuehan , Lyu Lixin , Büntgen Ulf , Cherubini Paolo , Qiu Hongyan , Zhang Qi‐Bin
Published: February 2019

El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) affects various components of the Earth's climate systems but its role on the Tibetan Plateau remains poorly understood. Hydroclimatic changes in Asia's water tower can have substantial effects on the functioning and productivity of agricultural and natural ecosystems, and thus the wellbeing of many millions of people. Here, we use well‐replicated ring‐width chronologies from 10 juniper sites on the southern Tibetan Plateau to associate variations in tree growth with ENSO events between 1645 and 2001 CE. An empirical orthogonal function (EOF) was applied to emphasize regional growth coherency and climate sensitivity. May–June moisture availability was found to be most important for ring‐width formation, and most growth anomalies coincided with documentary evidence of hydroclimatic extremes. The superposed epoch analysis (SEA) and the composite analysis showed an increased ENSO sensitivity in tree growth on the southern Tibetan Plateau since the 1970s, possibly due to global warming, calls for integration of large‐scale ocean–atmosphere climate feedbacks into regional forest management strategies in future warming scenarios.
Elucidating space, climate, edaphic, and biodiversity effects on aboveground biomass in tropical forests
Authors: Ali Arshad , Lin Si‐Liang , He Jie‐Kun , Kong Fan‐Mao , Yu Jie‐Hua , Jiang Hai‐Sheng
Published: February 2019

Aim and hypothesis

This study aims to disentangle the direct and indirect roles of space, climate, edaphic, and biodiversity effects on aboveground biomass in natural tropical forests, thereby evaluating the relative effects and contribution of abiotic and biotic factors on aboveground biomass. We hypothesized that the space effect drives the longitudinal, latitudinal, and elevational patterns in climatic and edaphic factors, thereby directly and indirectly determining the relationships between biodiversity and aboveground biomass in natural tropical forests.

Methods

We used structural equation modelling for linking spatial, climatic, edaphic, and biotic factors of aboveground biomass, using data from 247,691 trees across 907 tropical forest plots (total sampling area of 145.23 ha) of Hainan Island in Southern China.

Results

Aboveground biomass increased directly with functional dominance, individual tree size inequality, and climatic water availability but decreased directly with space and edaphic effects. However, space effect increased aboveground biomass indirectly via simultaneously differential direct changes (positive, negative, and non‐significant) in climatic, edaphic, and biotic factors. As such, indirect effects of mean annual temperature and climatic water availability decreased aboveground biomass through differential direct changes in biotic factors, but opposite was true for soil fertility.

Conclusions

We argue that, despite the high relative contribution of biodiversity to aboveground biomass, the direct and indirect roles of space, climatic, and edaphic effects are also important for explaining biotic factors and aboveground biomass under the predictions of several abiotic‐based hypotheses. Hence, conserving biodiversity across space is important for forest management and land development under climate change.
Accelerated degradation of Lake Inle (Myanmar): A baseline study for environmentalists and developers
Authors: Michalon Martin , Gunnell Yanni , Lejot Jérôme , Mialhe François , Aung Toe
Published: February 2019

This study takes stock of the confusion that exists around the environmental state of Lake Inle, a flagship destination for tourism in Myanmar. Reports on the dynamics of its iconic floating gardens and on the evolution of the Lake's dimensions in response to land‐use change in the watershed are inconsistent and provide a poor basis for policymaking. Here, we (a) present a critical overview of the literature concerning land degradation around Lake Inle; (b) provide an independent and quantitative reexamination of the Lake's size; (c) carry out a methodic assessment of the history of floating gardens based on written sources, interviews, and high‐resolution imagery from 1967, 1983, 2002, and 2014; and (d) produce the first comprehensive and biseasonal bathymetric survey of the Lake, thereby providing a baseline water volume estimate fit for future monitoring purposes. Results challenge previous reports and show that floating agriculture boomed in the 1970s (11 km2 in 1967 and 29 km2 in 1983), peaked in 2002 (35 km2), then declined slightly (33 km2 in 2014). Our bathymetric survey reveals that the Lake volume at the peak of the 2015 rainy season was 122.6 × 106 m3, with maximum water depths having diminished substantially from 6 m (as reported in 1918) to just 3 m today as a combined result of sediment aggradation and waterlevel decline (−1 m in 25 years). Those dynamics have critical implications for the sustainability of floating agriculture, fishing, and the local tourist economy.
Sinonasal malignancies: Endoscopic treatment outcomes
Authors: Carlton Daniel A. , David Beahm D. , Chiu Alexander G.
Published: February 2019

Sinonasal malignancies are rare and heterogeneous cancers located adjacent to critical neurovascular structures. Proximity to the orbit, brain, cranial nerves, and carotid arteries make surgical resection technically challenging and potentially morbid. The gold standard surgical procedure for these cancers has traditionally been the open craniofacial resection. Endoscopic endonasal approaches emerged in the last two decades as a viable alternative for carefully selected patients. The rarity and heterogeneity of the cancers precludes randomized controlled trials. Evidence for surgical approaches is based on case series and multi‐analyses. Current evidence demonstrates that endoscopic approaches do not compromise survival and have lower complication rates. This article provides an update of the current literature examining outcomes for the endoscopic treatment of sinonasal malignancies.
Outcomes After Listing for Liver Transplant in Patients With Acute‐on‐Chronic Liver Failure: The Multicenter North American Consortium for the Study of End‐Stage Liver Disease Experience
Authors: O’Leary Jacqueline G. , Bajaj Jasmohan S. , Tandon Puneeta , Biggins Scott W. , Wong Florence , Kamath Patrick S. , Garcia‐Tsao Guadalupe , Maliakkal Benedict , Lai Jennifer , Fallon Michael , Vargas Hugo E. , Thuluvath Paul , Subramanian Ram , Thacker Leroy R. , Reddy K. Rajender
Published: February 2019

Acute‐on‐chronic liver failure (ACLF) characterized with ≥2 extrahepatic organ failures in cirrhosis carries a high mortality. Outcomes of patients listed for liver transplantation (LT) after ACLF and after LT are largely unknown. The North American Consortium for the Study of End‐Stage Liver Disease prospectively enrolled 2793 nonelectively hospitalized patients with cirrhosis; 768 were listed for LT. Within 3 months, 265 (35%) received a LT, 395 remained alive without LT, and 108 died/delisted. Compared with nonlisted patients, those listed were younger and more often had ACLF, acute kidney injury, and a higher admission Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score. ACLF was most common in patients who died/delisted, followed by those alive with and without LT respectively, (30%, 22%, and 7%, respectively; P < 0.001). At LT, median MELD was 27.9% and 70% were inpatients; median time from hospitalization to LT was 26 days. Post‐LT survival at 6 months was unchanged between those with and without ACLF (93% each at 6 months). There was no difference in 3‐ and 6‐month mean post‐LT creatinine in those with and without ACLF, despite those with ACLF having a higher mean pre‐LT creatinine and a higher rate of perioperative dialysis (61%). In conclusion, patients with and without ACLF had similar survival after transplant with excellent renal recovery in both groups.
Widespread microglial activation in multiple system atrophy
Authors: Kübler Dorothee , Wächter Tobias , Cabanel Nicole , Su Zhangjie , Turkheimer Federico E. , Dodel Richard , Brooks David J. , Oertel Wolfgang H. , Gerhard Alexander
Published: February 2019

Background

The pattern and role of microglial activation in multiple system atrophy is largely unclear. The objective of this study was to use [11C](R)‐PK11195 PET to determine the extent and correlation of activated microglia with clinical parameters in MSA patients.

Methods

Fourteen patients with the parkinsonian phenotype of MSA (MSA‐P) with a mean disease duration of 2.9 years (range 2‐5 years) were examined with [11C](R)‐PK11195 PET and compared with 10 healthy controls.

Results

Patients with the parkinsonian phenotype of MSA showed a significant (P ≤ 0.01) mean increase in binding potentials compared with healthy controls in the caudate nucleus, putamen, pallidum, precentral gyrus, orbitofrontal cortex, presubgenual anterior cingulate cortex, and the superior parietal gyrus. No correlations between binding potentials and clinical parameters were found.

Conclusions

In early clinical stages of the parkinsonian phenotype of MSA, there is widespread microglial activation as a marker of neuroinflammatory changes without correlation to clinical parameters in our patient population. © 2019 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
Assessing the performance evaluation of different convective parameterization schemes in simulating the intensity of severe cyclonic storms over the Bay of Bengal region
Authors: Singh Kuvar S. , Tyagi Bhishma , Verma Virendra K. , Maity Suman
Published: February 2019

In the present work, the performance of six convective parameterization schemes (CPSs) of the Weather Research and Forecasting model is tested for the intensity simulation of the cyclonic storms Mala, Sidr, Nargis, Aila, Laila, Jal and Thane which formed over the Bay of Bengal, with a special focus on Jal (formed in November 2010). It is found that the Grell‐3, new Kain–Fritsch and old simplified Arakawa–Schubert CPSs provide higher intensity and give higher divergence in the upper‐level convective precipitation rate, horizontal eddy viscosity, eddy viscosity of heat and total advective moisture tendency than other tested CPSs. It is noted that no single CPS can be assumed “best” for simulating all characteristics of a storm including intensity, track, rainfall amount, the spatial distribution of rainfall, and landfall (time and location). The study also incorporated some of the critically simulated parameters such as vorticity (shear, curvature and total), latent heating, relative humidity, equivalent potential temperature, cloud water content and cloud fraction in the intensity forecast and their importance in the cyclone forecast is discussed. The CPSs influence the forecasted convective precipitation rate of the storm and have a good correlation with the maximum surface wind, cloud fraction and upper‐level divergence.
Predictive Computational Tools for Assessment of Ecotoxicological Activity of Organic Micropollutants in Various Water Sources in Brazil
Authors: de Morais e Silva Luana , Lorenzo Vitor Prates , Lopes Wilton Silva , Scotti Luciana , Scotti Marcus Tullius
Published: February 2019

The increase of chemical pollutants detected in different aquatic environments over the past few years has been in the focus of several studies related to their occurrence, transport, fate, and hazards, or risks to human and environmental health. In Brazil, recent studies have been conducted on the occurrence of a series of organic micropollutants (OMPs) in aquatic environments. Nevertheless, the toxicological information and environmental behavior for most of these pollutants are still difficult to evaluate. We obtained consensus models using a combination of VolSurf and Dragon descriptors and Random Forest approach to predict the toxicity against Daphnia magna and Pimephales promelas for compounds identified in different sources of water in Brazil. The models showed satisfactory performance when compared with other approaches, such as Toxicity Estimation Software Tool (T.E.S.T.), etc. Both models can be used as complementary tools to aid in the prediction of organic compounds against both organisms.
Removing ring artifacts in cone‐beam CT via TV‐Stokes and unidirectional total variation model
Authors: Wu Huantang , Li Jianwu , Wang Hong
Published: February 2019

Purpose

It often happens that cone‐beam corrupted tomography (CBCT) images have some ring artifacts due to the inconsistent response of detector pixels. Removing ring artifacts in CBCT images without impairing the image quality is critical. The purpose of this study is to implement a whole new method of removing ring artifacts in CBCT images based on TV‐Stokes denoising equation and unidirectional total variation (UTV).

Methods

This method is based on the polar coordinates, where the ring artifacts are shown as horizontal parallel stripes. To begin with, we design a UTV model with the constraint of zero divergence condition to only smooth vertical tangent vectors, and keep horizontal tangent vectors unchanged. In turn, the corresponding smooth normal vectors can be obtained. Next, in order to reconstruct the clean image that fits the obtained normal vectors, the UTV model about the potential clean image is added to the original TV‐Stokes denoising equation.

Results

Our method was applied to simulated data and real corrupted data to verify its performance. High‐quality corrected images without ring artifacts were obtained. In the simulated experiments, our method is not only able to obtain the most complete corrected images, but also capable of acquiring the best quantitative assessments among several different methods. In the experiments of real data, the proposed method was effective in removing ring artifacts and in preserving the original details. Comparative results on several experiments illustrated that our algorithm corrects ring artifacts effectively and outperforms the two compared methods on objective indices and subjective image quality.

Conclusions

Benefiting from the TV‐Stokes equation and the UTV model, the proposed scheme can be effectively applied to remove ring artifacts in CBCT images, simultaneously preserving the original image details and structure well. Furthermore, this new algorithm can be applied directly on reconstructed images, thus eliminating the requirement for additional imaging data.
A boundary element approach for solving plane elastostatic equations of anisotropic functionally graded materials
Authors: Ang Whye‐Teong
Published: February 2019

A boundary element method is proposed for the numerical solution of an important class of boundary value problems governed by plane elastostatic equations of anisotropic functionally graded materials. The grading function of the material properties may be any general function that varies smoothly from point to point in the material. The proposed boundary element method is applied to solve some specific problems to check its validity and accuracy.
Metabolic Syndrome is Associated with Ceramide Accumulation in Visceral Adipose Tissue of Women with Morbid Obesity
Authors: Choromańska Barbara , Myśliwiec Piotr , Razak Hady Hady , Dadan Jacek , Myśliwiec Hanna , Chabowski Adrian , Mikłosz Agnieszka
Published: February 2019

Objective

Accelerated transmembrane transport of long‐chain fatty acids dependent on fatty acid transporters is responsible for lipid accumulation and, eventually, the development of metabolic syndrome. This study determined the content of lipids (ceramide [CER], diacylglycerol [DAG], triacylglycerol, and free fatty acid [FFA]) and the expression of fatty acid translocase (FAT/CD36) and plasma membrane fatty acid‐binding protein in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue of women with morbid obesity without metabolic syndrome (MetSx−) or with metabolic syndrome (MetSx+) and compared the results with those of lean controls without metabolic syndrome.

Methods

Lipid content and fatty acid composition in each lipid subclass were estimated by gas liquid chromatography. For total, plasma membrane, and mitochondrial expression of fatty acid transporters, subfractionation with subsequent Western blot technique was used.

Results

A greater content of triacylglycerol in VAT of participants with obesity (MetSx−) was found. However, only the MetSx+ subjects had increased content of CER in VAT in relation to subcutaneous adipose tissue in MetSx+ and lean individuals. This was accompanied by increased total and membrane expression of FAT/CD36 in VAT in MetSx+ subjects. Accordingly, mitochondrial expression of FAT/CD36 and plasma membrane fatty acid‐binding protein was decreased in both groups of subjects with obesity.

Conclusions

Metabolic syndrome is associated with the accumulation of CER in VAT, possibly related to increased FAT/CD36 protein expression.
Incidence of invasive Haemophilus influenzae infections in children with sickle cell disease
Authors: Yee Marianne E. , Bakshi Nitya , Graciaa Sara H. , Lane Peter A. , Jerris Robert C. , Wang Yun F. , Yildirim Inci
Published: February 2019

Background

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at increased risk for invasive infection with encapsulated bacteria. Antibiotic prophylaxis and immunizations against Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) have decreased the overall incidence of invasive infections and have shifted distribution of serotypes causing disease toward those not covered by immunizations. We sought to determine the current incidence of invasive H. influenzae infections in children with SCD and to describe the clinical features and management of these infections.

Methods

Microbiology reports of a large pediatric tertiary care center were reviewed to identify all isolates of H. influenzae detected in sterile body fluid cultures from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2017. Results were compared with the center's comprehensive clinical database of all children with SCD to identify all cases of children ages 0 to18 years with SCD with invasive H. influenzae disease for the same time period.

Results

We captured 2444 patients with SCD, with 14,336 person‐years. There were eight episodes of H. influenzae bacteremia in seven children with SCD (five type f, two non‐typable, one type a). Most episodes (7 of 8) were in children < 5 years. The incidence rate of invasive H. influenzae in SCD was 0.58/1000 person‐years for ages 0 to 18 years and 1.60/1000 person‐years for children age < 5 years. There were no deaths from H. influenzae infection.

Conclusions

In the era of universal antibiotic prophylaxis and immunization against Hib, invasive H. influenzae disease due to nonvaccine serotypes remains a risk for children with SCD, particularly those under five years of age.
Use of dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitors and the risk of arthralgia: Population‐based cohort and nested case–control studies
Authors: Wang Chen‐Yu , Fu Shau‐Huai , Yang Rong‐Sen , Hsiao Fei‐Yuan
Published: February 2019

Purpose

The objective of this study was to investigate the association between the administration of dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 (DPP‐4) inhibitors (cumulative duration, timing, and individual substance) and the risk of arthralgia by using a nationwide database with two methodological approaches including cohort and nested case–control study designs.

Methods

Using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database, we identified patients who were newly prescribed with DPP‐4 inhibitors, thiazolidinediones (TZDs), or acarbose between 1 March 2009 and 31 December 2012. The exposure of studied drugs was categorized into five exclusive categories: DPP‐4 inhibitor, TZD, acarbose, combined use, or non‐use, and assessed in a time‐varying manner. Time‐dependent Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the association between DPP‐4 inhibitors and the risk of arthralgia. Particularly, we tested the impact of different cumulative duration, timing, and individual substance of DPP‐4 inhibitors use on risk of arthralgia. A corresponding nested case–control study using conditional logistic regression was conducted to verify this association.

Results

An increased risk of arthralgia was observed during the first year after initiating DPP‐4 inhibitors (adjusted Hazard Ratio = 1.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04‐1.75) but the risk declined with cumulative use. This duration–response relation was not found in TZDs use and acarbose use. In the nested case–control study, there was a slightly increased risk of arthralgia (aOR = 1.08; 95% CI, 1.04‐1.12) associated with current DPP‐4 inhibitor use.

Conclusion

A relatively higher risk of arthralgia was associated with the initial administration of DPP‐4 inhibitors, however, the risk declined among long‐term users.
Isotactic polypropylene toughened with poly(acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene): Compatibilizing role of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene
Authors: Liu Jingru , Zhu Xinxu
Published: February 2019

The β‐nucleating activity and toughening effect of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) graft copolymer on isotactic polypropylene (iPP) and the compatibilizing role of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (PP‐g‐MAH) on the iPP/ABS blends were investigated. The results show that ABS can induce the formation of β‐crystal in iPP, and its β‐nucleating efficiency depends on its concentration and dispersibility. The relative content of β‐crystal form is up to 36.19% with the addition of 2% ABS. The tensile and impact properties of the iPP were dramatically enhanced by introducing ABS. The incorporation of PP‐g‐MAH into the iPP/ABS blends inhibits the formation of β‐crystal. The crystallization peaks of the blends shift toward higher temperature, due to the heterogeneous nucleation effect of PP‐g‐MAH on iPP. The toughness of iPP/ABS blends improved due to favorable interfacial interaction resulting from the compatibilization of PP‐g‐MAH is significantly better than the β‐crystal toughening effect induced by ABS. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:E317–E326, 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers
Effect of carbon nanotubes content on the vulcanization kinetic in styrene–butadiene rubber compounds
Authors: García Daniela B. , Mansilla Marcela A. , Crisnejo Matías , Farabollini Hernán , Escobar Mariano M.
Published: February 2019

Styrene–butadiene rubber compounds reinforced with commercial multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) in amounts between 0.5 and 10 parts per hundred of rubber (phr) were mixed in a two‐roll mill. A compound with 40 phr of carbon black (CB) was prepared as reference. From rheometric curves at five different temperatures (between 140°C and 180°C), a similar maximum torque and vulcanization time values in the samples reinforced with 10 phr of MWCNT and 40 phr of CB were obtained. The Kamal–Sourour model was used to analyze the influence of the MWCNT content and the vulcanization temperature on the cure rate and induction time. Then, through an Arrhenius plot, it became evident the effect of the reinforcement content on the activation energy of the vulcanization process. Mechanical properties of normalized sheets vulcanized at 160°C indicate that content between 5 and 10 phr of MWCNT are enough to reach a similar performance to that sample with 40 phr of CB. SEM analysis exhibits a good dispersion of MWCNT. Swelling experiments point out a similar absorption degree of toluene in the compounds with 5 phr of MWCNT and 40 phr of CB. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:E327–E336, 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers
Preparation and characterization of polyimide/kaolinite nanocomposite films based on functionalized kaolinite
Authors: Chen Shiwei , Yang Zhizhou , Wang Fuzhong
Published: February 2019

The polyimide/kaolinite nanocomposite films based on the functionalized kaolinite were prepared and studied systematically. The natural kaolinite was modified by the indirect coupling to obtain the reactive kaolinite, which could be dispersed uniformly in the polymer matrix. It was found that the reactive kaolinite had effect on the crystal structure and increased the molecular weight of the polyimide. The significant improvement in the water resistance, thermal stability and mechanical property of polyimide/kaolinite nanocomposite was achieved with the addition of the reactive kaolinite. The tensile strength of polyimide/kaolinite nanocomposite increased by 40.6% compared to pure polyimide, Young's modulus of polyimide/kaolinite nanocomposite was increased to 1.95 GPa from 1.56 GPa. Finally, the mechanism to prepare the polyimide/kaolinite nanocomposite was proposed. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:E380–E386, 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers
Extension of Einstein's Law for Power‐Law Fluid to Describe a Suspension of Spherical Particles: Application to Recycled Polymer Flow
Authors: El Hajj Sleiman Ghinwa , Petit Isabelle , Allanic Nadine , Belhabib Sofiane , Madec Yannick , Deterre Rémi
Published: February 2019

In this work, Einstein's equation is extended considering a power‐law suspending fluid without any Newtonian approximation. To validate the developed equation, an experimental setup is carried out. Polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) are injected at different volume fractions. The pressure drops measured in a cylindrical die are analyzed. The results show that the developed relationship allows better prediction of the viscosity of PP/PE blends compared to existing laws. During the recycling of PP, some pollutants are likely to be present in the polymer, mostly PE which tends to form a heterogeneous melt with PP. At low volume fractions, PE disperses mostly as solid spheres in PP due to its higher viscosity, but the viscosity of the PP/PE mixtures is hard to predict. Several studies have derived equivalent viscosity equations for dispersed spherical suspensions in shear‐thinning polymers. Nevertheless, these equations mainly refer to Einstein's equation for suspended spheres in Newtonian fluids. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:E387–E396, 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers
Comparative Proteomic Analysis Reveals the Upregulation of Ketogenesis in Cardiomyocytes Differentiated from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Authors: Kim Sunjoo , Jeon Ju Mi , Kwon Oh Kwang , Choe Mu Seog , Yeo Han Cheol , Peng Xiaojun , Cheng Zhongyi , Lee Min Young , Lee Sangkyu
Published: February 2019

Diverse metabolic pathways, such as the tricarboxylic acid cycle, pyruvate metabolism, and oxidative phosphorylation, regulate the differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to cells of specific lineages and organs. Here, the protein dynamics during cardiac differentiation of human iPSCs into cardiomyocytes (CMs) are characterized. The differentiation is induced by N‐(6‐methyl‐2‐benzothiazolyl)‐2‐[(3,4,6,7‐tetrahydro‐4‐oxo‐3‐phenylthieno[3,2‐d]pyrimidin‐2‐yl)thio]‐acetamide, a Wnt signaling inhibitor, and confirmed by the mRNA and protein expression of cTnT and MLC2A in CMs. For comparative proteomics, cells from three stages, namely, hiPSCs, cardiac progenitor cells, and CMs, are prepared using the three‐plex tandem mass tag labeling approach. In total, 3970 proteins in triplicate analysis are identified. As the result, the upregulation of proteins associated with branched chain amino acid degradation and ketogenesis by the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis are observed. The levels of 3‐hydroxymethyl‐3‐methylglutaryl‐CoA lyase, 3‐hydroxymethyl‐3‐methylglutaryl‐CoA synthase 2, and 3‐hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase 1, involved in ketone body metabolism, are determined using western blotting, and the level of acetoacetate, the final product of ketogenesis, is higher in CMs. Taken together, these observations indicate that proteins required for the production of diverse energy sources are naturally self‐expressed during cardiomyogenic differentiation. Furthermore, acetoacetate concentration might act as a regulator of this differentiation.
On Representations of the Quantum Holonomy Diffeomorphism Algebra
Authors: Aastrup Johannes , Grimstrup Jesper Møller
Published: February 2019

In this paper we establish the existence of the non‐perturbative theory of quantum gravity known as quantum holonomy theory by showing that a Hilbert space representation of the algebra, which is an algebra generated by holonomy‐diffeomorphisms and by translation operators on an underlying configuration space of connections, exist. We construct operators, which correspond to the Hamiltonian of general relativity and the Dirac Hamiltonian, and show that they give rise to their classical counterparts in a classical limit. We also find that the structure of an almost‐commutative spectral triple emerge in the same limit. The Hilbert space representation, that we find, is non‐local, which appears to rule out spacial singularities such as the big bang and black hole singularities. Finally, the framework also permits an interpretation in terms of non‐perturbative Yang‐Mills theory as well as other non‐perturbative quantum field theories. This paper is the first of two, where the second paper contains mathematical details and proofs.
Highly Excavated Octahedral Nanostructures Integrated from Ultrathin Mesoporous PtCu3 Nanosheets: Construction of Three‐Dimensional Open Surfaces for Enhanced Electrocatalysis
Authors: Wu Fengxia , Niu Wenxin , Lai Jianping , Zhang Wei , Luque Rafael , Xu Guobao
Published: February 2019

Developing electrocatalysts with ultrathin nanostructures and high mesoporosity is a relevant high‐priority research direction toward enhancing the performance of noble metals. Herein, mesoporous, highly excavated octahedral PtCu3 nanostructures are prepared by a facile one‐pot synthesis. The mesoporous, highly excavated octahedral PtCu3 nanostructures are built with mutually perpendicular interlaced mesoporous nanosheets with a thickness of ≈4.5 nm. Benefiting from its mesoporous features, three‐dimensional (3D) open surfaces, ultrathin nanosheets, and a Cu‐rich surface, PtCu3 exhibits excellent electrocatalytic performance and high antipoisoning activity toward the methanol oxidation reaction.
Platinum Group Nanowires for Efficient Electrocatalysis
Authors: Shao Qi , Lu Kunyan , Huang Xiaoqing
Published: February 2019

At the frontier of electrocatalysis, there is a research endeavor focusing on platinum group (PG)‐based nanomaterials due to their fantastic morphological diversity and superior catalytic performance. In contrast to catalysts with other morphologies, nanowire catalysts show great potential in electrocatalysis due to their large surface area, abundant high‐index facet sites for catalysis, quick electron and mass transport for better conductivity, promotion for recycling and 3D structure construction, and good prohibition for vulnerability to dissolution, Ostwald ripening, and aggregation. Yet, it is challenging to endow PG nanowires with a precise control on size, shape, and composition. Here, the recently available strategies for designing PG‐based nanowire electrocatalysts with enhanced activity and stability are highlighted. A summary of the synthetic methods for generating different kinds of nanowires with detailed experimental parameters is also provided, with particular emphases on the recent progress of PG‐based nanowires for boosting the electrocatalytic reactions, including fuel cell reactions, hydrogen evolution reaction, and oxygen evolution reaction. In the final section, available perspectives on the future development of PG‐based nanowires for enhanced catalytic performances are discussed separately.
Trespassers and Existential Import
Authors: Wong Kai-Yee , Hung Chi-Ho ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: February 2019

It is a received view of the post-Fregean predicate logic that a universal statement has no existential import and thus does not entail its particular (existential) counterpart. This paper takes issue with the view by discussing the trespasser case, which has widely been employed for supporting the view. The trespasser case in fact involves a shift of context. Properly understood, the case provides no support for the received view but rather suggests that we rethink the ‘quantity view’ of the existential import of quantifiers
The Face-Value Theory, Know-that, Know-wh and Know-how
Authors: Felappi Giulia ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: February 2019

For sentences such as "(1) Columbus knows that the sea is unpredictable" there is a face-value theory, according to which ‘that’-clauses are singular terms denoting propositions. Famously, Prior raised an objection to the theory, but defenders of the face-value theory such as Forbes, King, Künne, Pietroski and Stanley urged that the objection could bemet by maintaining that in (1) ‘to know’ designates a complex relation along the lines of being in a state of knowledge having as content. Is the theory safe, then? The aim of this paper is to show that a new problem for the theory arises if we consider some clauses other than ‘that’-clauses.
Facing complexity, crisis, and risk: Opportunities and challenges in international human resource management
Authors: Farndale Elaine , Horak Sven , Phillips Jean , Beamond Maria
Published: February 2019

International human resource management (IHRM) as a field of practice involves heightened levels of complexity compared to domestic HRM based on the multitude of contexts in which multinational firms operate. As complexity increases, so do levels of risk and the chance the firm must deal with crisis situations. Based on articles presented at the 3rd Global Conference on IHRM, this special issue focuses on how IHRM can contribute to organization success when faced with extreme operating conditions. This editorial provides a backdrop to the articles by describing the challenging economic, political, and social environments impacting organizations, exploring conditions from the recent past and current day such as the global financial crisis, trends toward political nationalism, aging populations, and growing immigrant workforces. The focus lies on exploring how HRM can respond to such challenging external contexts to continue to contribute added value to the firm.
Anhydrobiosis in yeasts: Psychrotolerant yeasts are highly resistant to dehydration
Authors: Khroustalyova Galina , Giovannitti Gaia , Severini Daria , Scherbaka Rita , Turchetti Benedetta , Buzzini Pietro , Rapoport Alexander
Published: February 2019

Yeast cells are able to transition into a state of anhydrobiosis (temporary reversible suspension of metabolism) under conditions of desiccation. One of the most efficient approaches for understanding the mechanisms underlying resistance to dehydration–rehydration is to identify yeasts, which are stable under such treatments, and compare them with moderately resistant species and strains. In the current study, we investigated the resistance to dehydration–rehydration of six psychrotolerant yeast strains belonging to two species. All studied strains of Solicoccozyma terricola and Naganishia albida were found to be highly resistant to dehydration–rehydration. The viability of S. terricola strains was close to 100%. Such results have not been previously reported in studies of anhydrobiosis in yeasts. The plasma membrane changes, revealed by determining its permeability under various rehydration conditions, were also surprisingly minimal. Thus, the high level of resistance of psychrotolerant yeast strains might be related to the chemical composition and molecular organisation of their plasma membranes. Aside from plasma membrane characteristics, other important factors may also influence the maintenance of yeast cell viability under conditions of dehydration–rehydration.
Hexanuclear Wheel‐Shaped Lithium N‐(2,6‐Diisopropylphenyl)‐N′‐(2‐pyridylethyl)benzamidinate
Authors: Kalden Diana , Görls Helmar , Westerhausen Matthias , Krieck Sven
Published: February 2019

Lithiation of N‐(2,6‐diisopropylphenyl)‐N′‐(2‐pyridylethyl)benzamidine (1) with LiN(SiMe3)2 in a solvent mixture of toluene and TMEDA yields hexameric lithium N‐(2,6‐diisopropylphenyl)‐N′‐(2‐pyridylethyl)benzamidinate (2), which can be purified by recrystallization from a solvent mixture of toluene and THF. The three‐coordinate lithium ions have T‐shaped coordination spheres. The negative charge is delocalized within the 1,3‐diazaallylic system, which adopts a (syn‐Z)‐arrangement.
O(D, D) gauge fields in the T-dual string Lagrangian
Authors: Hatsuda Machiko , Siegel Warren
Published: February 2019

Abstract

We present the string Lagrangian with manifest T-duality. Not only zero-modes but also all string modes are doubled. The gravitational field is an O(D, D) gauge field. We give a Lagrangian version of the section condition for the gauge invariance which compensates the O(D, D) transformation from the gravitational field and the GL(2D) coordinate transformation. We also show the gauge invariance of the line element of the manifest T-duality space and the O(D, D) condition on the background. Different sections describe dual spaces.
Universality of Toda equation in $$ \mathcal{N}=2 $$ superconformal field theories
Authors: Bourget Antoine , Rodriguez-Gomez Diego , Russo Jorge G.
Published: February 2019

Abstract

We show that extremal correlators in all Lagrangian

$$ \mathcal{N}=2 $$

N
=
2

superconformal field theories with a simple gauge group, when suitably defined the

$$ {\mathbb{S}}^4 $$

S
4

, are governed by the same universal Toda system of equations, which dictates the structure of extremal correlators to all orders in the perturbation series. A key point is the construction of a convenient orthogonal basis for the chiral ring, by arranging towers of operators in order of increasing dimension, which has the property that the associated two-point functions satisfy decoupled Toda chain equations. We explicitly verify this in all known SCFTs based on SU(N) gauge groups as well as in superconformal QCD based on orthogonal and symplectic groups. As a by-product, we find a surprising non-renormalization property for the

$$ \mathcal{N}=2 $$

N
=
2

SU(N) SCFT with one hypermultiplet in the rank-2 symmetric representation and one hypermultiplet in the rank-2 antisymmetric representation, where the two-loop terms of a large class of supersymmetric observables identically vanish.
Cumulative material damage from train of ultrafast infrared laser pulses
Authors: Hanuka A. , Wootton K. P. , Wu Z. , Soong K. , Makasyuk I. V. , England R. J. , Schächter L.
Published: February 2019

We developed a systematic experimental method to demonstrate that damage threshold fluence (DTF) for fused silica changes with the number of femtosecond laser (800 nm, $65\pm 5~\text{fs}$, 10 Hz and 600 Hz) pulses. Based on the experimental data, we were able to develop a model which indicates that the change in DTF varies with the number of shots logarithmically up to a critical value. Above this value, DTF approaches an asymptotic value. Both DTF for a single shot and the asymptotic value as well as the critical value where this happens, are extrinsic parameters dependent on the configuration (repetition rate, pressure and geometry near or at the surface). These measurements indicate that the power of this dependence is an intrinsic parameter independent of the configuration.
Cosmopolitan Immigration Attitudes in Large European Cities: Contextual or Compositional Effects?
Authors: MAXWELL RAHSAAN
Published: February 2019

Europe is geographically divided on the issue of immigration. Large cities are the home of Cosmopolitan Europe, where immigration is viewed positively. Outside the large cities—and especially in the countryside—is Nationalist Europe, where immigration is a threat. This divide is well documented and much discussed, but there has been scant research onwhypeople in large cities are more likely to have favorable opinions about immigration. Debates about geographic differences generally highlight two explanations: contextual or compositional effects. I evaluate the two with data from the European Social Survey, the Swiss Household Panel, and the German Socio-Economic Panel. Results support compositional effects and highlight the importance of (demographic and cultural) mechanisms that sort pro-immigration people into large cities. This has several implications for our understanding of societal divisions in Europe; most notably that geographic polarization is a second-order manifestation of deeper (demographic and cultural) divides.
Novel host immune evasion strategy of the endoparasitoid Drino inconspicuoides
Authors: Yamashita K. , Zhang K. , Ichiki R.T. , Nakamura S. , Furukawa S.
Published: February 2019

The tachinid fly Drino inconspicuoides (Diptera: Tachinidae) is an ovolarviparous endoparasitoid whose larvae develop in the host haemocoel and avoids the host immune system. In this study, we investigated the immune evasion mechanisms of this species during infestation in the host Mythimna separata (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). We discovered a unique ‘cloak’ that surrounded D. inconspicuoides larvae that penetrated into the host and determined through genomic polymerase chain reaction analysis that this structure originated from the host rather than the tachinid. The ‘cloak’ contained both haemocytes and fat body cells from the host, with the haemocytes assembling around the larvae first and the fat body cells then covering the haemocyte layer, following which the two mixed. Living D. inconspicuoides larvae that were wrapped in the ‘cloak’ were not melanized whereas encapsulated dead larvae were melanized, suggesting that this structure contributes to the avoidance of host immune reactions.
Genetic structure and range expansion ofZeugodacus Cucurbitae(Diptera: Tephritidae) in Africa
Authors: Delatte H. , De Meyer M. , Virgilio M.
Published: February 2019

Hypotheses about the worldwide colonization routes of the melon fly,Zeugodacus cucurbitae(Diptera: Tephritidae), are mainly based on sparse historical records. Here we aim at reconstructing the colonization history of the African continent based on an improved description of the population structure ofZ. cucurbitaeand approximate Bayesian analyses. Individuals ofZ. cucurbitaewere sampled in 17 localities from East, West and Central Africa and genotyped at 19 microsatellite markers. Bayesian analyses showed intracontinental population structuring with populations from Uganda diverging from those of Tanzania and populations from Burundi and Kenya showing traces of admixture with West African samples. Approximate Bayesian Computation provided support to the hypothesis of a single introductionZ. cucurbitaeinto East Africa and subsequent expansion to West Africa, each colonization event was followed by a bottleneck that promoted population divergence within Africa. Parameter estimates suggested that these events are roughly compatible with the historical records ofZ. cucurbitaepresence in sub-Saharan Africa (viz. 1936 in East Africa and 1999 in West Africa) and allow excluding alternative hypotheses on older or multiple introductions ofZ. cucurbitae.
ΑΛΗΘΙΝΟΣ (‘HIGH QUALITY’) IN AMPHIS, FR. 26 AND OTHER LATE CLASSICAL AND EARLY HELLENISTIC AUTHORS
Authors: Olson S. Douglas
Published: February 2019

LSJ s.v. A defines ἀληθινός as meaning ‘truthful, trusty’ of persons and ‘true, genuine’ of objects, and offers Amphis, fr. 26 (preserved at Ath. Deipn. 2.57b and 7.277c, and identified in the latter passage as drawn from a play entitled Leukas) as an example of the second sense:ὅστις ἀγοράζων ὄψον <- x- ˘ ->ἐξὸν ἀπολαύειν ἰχθύων ἀληθινῶνῥαφανῖδας ἐπιθυμεῖ πρίασθαι, μαίνεταιAnyone who, when shopping for dainties …wants to purchase radishes, when he has a chanceto enjoy alêthinoi fish, is crazy.The context of the fragment is unknown. But the speaker is patently drawing a contrast not between ‘real fish’ and something that resembles fish (‘false fish’), as LSJ would have it, but between a type of fish that any sensible person would buy for dinner, should the opportunity arise, and radishes, which are edible but unexciting fare. So too at Macho 28–32, when King Ptolemy's guests were served a variegated rockfish (πετραίου … ποικίλου), three κωβιοί cut into steaks, and καράβων … ἀληθινῶν (29)—literally ‘real crayfish’—they were astonished and delighted. The reaction suggests that the banqueters were happy because the crayfish Ptolemy served matched the quality of the other seafood he set before them, not because the king had declined to deceive them (sc. by serving a different food disguised as crayfish).