bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Novel X-Ray Powder-Diffractometer, Measuring Preferred-Orientations
Authors: Brouwer Geert
Published: March 2019

The instrument employs a fully-focussing optical system which allows a wide range of sample-orientations and thus permits determination of the preferred-orientation distribution-function. Hence, measured peak-intensifies can be corrected for non-randomness.

The sample performs a planetary motion around the focus of the primary, monochromatic beam. The angle of incidence can be varied over a wide range of values, including both transmission and reflection. The sample can be rotated in its own plane in a controlled manner. Full illumination is obtained in any position of the sample. The diameter of the Rowland-sphere of the powder-optics remains constant and permits the use of a sphericai sample-layer.
X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry With Gas Proportional Scintillation Counters
Authors: Conde C.A.N. , dos Santos J.M.F. , Dias Teresa H.V.T. , de Campos A.J.A. , Costa Benilde F.O.
Published: March 2019

An uniform field gas proportional scintillation counter is described for X-ray fluorescence analysis applications requiring large window areas and good energy resolution at rcom temperature. This counter uses continuously purified xenon as the filling gas and a 1 inch diameter window. A quartz window Hamamatsu R562 photomultiplier is used with its window in direct contact with the gas. Measured energy resolutions were in the 12 to 13% range for the 5.9keV X–ray line. X–ray fluorescence spectra for a few samples are presented with excitation by ImC 55Fe and 244cm sources. Measured physical excitation-detection efficiencies are compared with calculated values.
The Evolution of X-ray Analytical Instrumentation at Rigaku Corporation
Authors: Shibata Atsushi
Published: March 2019

Soon after Von Laue's experiment of X-ray diffraction in 1912, a similar experiment was conducted in Japan by Prof. Terada at University of Tokyo. He made direct observation of Laue spots from rock-sault on a fluorescent screen. In 1914, Prof. Nishikawa also at University of Tokyo photographed Laue spots of spinel. The X-ray generator employed was one designed for medical use. The first X-ray diffractometer in Japan was fabricated in the 1920s at the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, It was designed with reference to Bragg's spectrometer using an ionization chamber as the X-ray detector.

In 1932, X-ray generators and cameras were manufactured by Rigaku Denki Mfg., the predecessor of the present Rigaku Corporation, Shimazu Mfg. and some other few companies. X-ray tubes at the time were Coolidge type demountable tubes.
The Evolution of X-Ray Instrumentation at Rich. Seifert & Co.
Authors: Haase A.
Published: March 2019

To facilitate orientation in time, some selected events will be briefly presented. Approximately five hundred years ago, Columbus discovered America. One hundred years ago, on November 8th, 1895, Wilhelm Conrad R6ntgen discovered the X-rays which in the German language are called after him. In 1912 Max von Laue conducted the first X-ray diffraction experiment. In 1892 Richard Seifert Sr. founded the Electrotechnical Plant in Hamburg. After World War I (1914-1918) the company founder gradually handed the firm over to his son Richard Seifert Jr. After his son had completed studies in physics and electrical engineering he conducted pioneering experiments on the application of X-rays in science and technology. From the very beginning, X-ray equipment was produced in the three fields of medicine, science and technology. It was only ten years after World War II (1939-1945) that the line of medical equipment was discontinued and the daughter [1] as a member of the third generation gradually took over executive management tasks.
The Excitation of Low Z Elements by Means of a Cylindrical Graded Multilayer as a High Energy Cut-Off in Edxrf Analysis
Authors: Kanngießer B. , Beckhoff B.
Published: March 2019

To measure X-ray fluorescence radiation of low Z elements especially requires a very high excitation intensity with an energy as close as possible to the absorption edges. Furthermore, a monochromatization of the excitation radiation and a cut-off of higher energies is desirable in order to reduce the background in the spectral region of interest.

A cylindrical graded multilayer was designed and tested to concentrate and to monochromatize the radiation of a thin window Mo fine focus tube. The variation of the dspacing is tuned to reflect the Mo La-radiation of the fine focus tube. The physical dimensions of the cylindrical shape are optimized for concentrating the Mo La tube radiation onto the specimen with a spot size of about 3 mm. This corresponds to the size of the specimens from a time dependent personal aerosol sampler used.

The multilayer is characterized with respect to its reflecting, focusing, and monochromatizing properties. Two examples of low Z element analysis are given.
Residual Stress and Microstructural Characterization Using Rietveld Refinement of a Carburized Layer in a 5120 Steel
Authors: Rangaswamy P. , Bourke M.A.M. , Lawson A. C. , Rourke J.O' , Goldstone J. A.
Published: March 2019

Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction patterns has been used to provide microstructural information complementary to conventional X-ray residual stress measurements through a carburized layer containing a maximum vol. 25 % of retained austenite. Layers in a simple specimen were removed incrementally by electropolishing and, at each depth in addition to conventional residual stress measurements in both the martensite and retained austenite, data were collected at ѱ = 0 for Rietveld refinement. The refinements provide accurate values for the lattice parameters in the respective phases that can be related to carbon content and micro-structure. Besides to providing qualitative information concerning the microstructure and possible surface decarburization, the c/a ratio of the martensite potentially offers an independent technique for determining carbon content profiles
Selfconsistent Evaluation of Non-Uniform Stress Profiles and X-Ray Elastic Constants from X-ray Diffraction Experiments
Authors: Wern H. , Suominen L.
Published: March 2019

A method to obtain the triaxial depth profiles of strains and stresses as a function of the depth below the surface is described. Instead of using inverse Laplace transforms to extract the z-profiles from the measured τ-profiles, a numerically stable inverse formalism with trigonometric basis functions is used. The formalism has already been applied with great success to the hole-drilling method for the determination of residual stresses. It requires no prior knowledge of the stress state and is suitable even for strongly non-linear stress fields. This is demonstrated by experimental data sets for the conventional Ω-, ѱ- and modified ѱ goniometers. Furthermore this method enables in situ determination of Poisson's ratio as well as the stress free lattice spacing using a selfconsistency criterion for isotropic materials. It is now possible to find a proper normalization of the residual strains and residual stresses. Because of the formulation as an inverse problem, analytical expressions for the beam path integrals could be derived even for curved surfaces. Inverse problems are often extremely ill-conditioned. Therefore the uniqueness of the solution is discussed in terms of a spectral shift of the corresponding eigenvalues.
Oxide Scale Stresses in Polycrystalune Cu/Cu2O System
Authors: Jayaraman N. , Rangaswamy Partha
Published: March 2019

An x-ray diffraction (sin2ψ) method has been successfully used to measure the oxidation stresses at room temperature in annealed and electropolished samples of polycrystalline Cu coupons of different thickness’ (0.75, 1.25, and 2.25 mm thick) oxidized for 15 and 30 minutes at temperatures 700, 800, and 900° C, Oxide scale stresses are generally a result of both differential Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) and the Pilling-Bedworth Ratio (PBR). At the oxidation temperatures of this study, the oxide scale consisted of a mixture of both CuO and Cu2O. Residual stress measurements were made in the Cu2O phase. In this system, the average stresses on the free surface of the oxide (<σ11> and <σ22>) were compressive and the average stress through the thickness (<σ22>) normal to the oxide layer was found to be tensile.
Analysis of Thin Films and Multi-Layer Thin Films containing Light Elements by XRF
Authors: Kaufmann M. , Mantler M. , Weber F.
Published: March 2019

Analysis of multi-layer thin films by XRF, using the fundamental parameter method, is a common and accurate method to determine thicknesses and chemical structure, as long as the films contain no hght elements. As an attempt to further extend the method, we present experimental results from single layer films made of carbon and silicon nitride with thicknesses ranging from 100 Å to 1000 Å, from single layer films of cobalt and oxygen matrices with varying oxygen concentration, and from complex multi-layer structures made of a combination of palladium, copper and carbon. The experimental data show a significant deviation from the results computed by the standard fundamental parameter method.
Separation of Txrf Peaks and Background Using a Spreadsheet
Authors: Brown D. B. , Cordis B. , Gilfrict J. V. , Dozier CM.
Published: March 2019

In TXRF analysis of impurities in Si wafers, one of the analytical problems is the separation of the peaks of interest (e.g., fluorescence peaks from Fe or Cr) from various background artifacts. These background artifacts include (a) a large Si Kα fluorescence peak, (b) a large peak from the scattered and diffracted primary beam (e.g., W Lβ), (c) a continuum background, (d) scattered radiation in the vicinity of the primary beam peak, (e) an escape peak from the primary beam peak, and (f) spurious Fe and Ni peaks from the detector. This paper will present a scheme for the separation of these components using a fitting procedure based on a commercial spreadsheet.
The Perspectives of High-Accuracy X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis - Some Fundamental Aspects and Applications
Authors: Smolniakov V. I.
Published: March 2019

The fundamental approach to calculating the chemical element content resulting from x-ray fluorescence measurements has been substantiated theoretically. The elaboration of the calculation algorithm has proved the physical-mathematical model for the x-ray fluorescence intensity arising from photon irradiation and spectrometry peculiarities.

Special attention has been put on the real processes, in these elaborated algorithms. They take into account all the valuable effects influencing the x-ray fluorescence intensities, as well as the. stability of the equipment measurements. The results of some applications are shown.
X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis of Ancient Glasses
Authors: Braziewicz Janusz , Karwowski Maciej , Jaskóla Marian , Pajek Marek
Published: March 2019

Different analytical methods can be applied to the analysis of the chemical composition of archeological artefacts. The methods presently used to examine archeological artefacts include: emission spectrometry, atomic absorption spectroscopy, x-ray fluorescence spectrometry and neutron activation. The use of these techniques is limited by several factors such as: the size of a sample that can be taken from the object, the availability of the method in the sense of easy access, and the cost of and time spent for the analysis.
Design and Analysis of Nanoscaled Recessed-S/D SOI MOSFET-Based Pseudo-NMOS Inverter for Low-Power Electronics
Authors: Priya Anjali , Srivastava Nilesh Anand , Mishra Ram Awadh
Published: March 2019

In this paper, a comparative analysis of nanoscaled triple metal gate (TMG) recessed-source/drain (Re-S/D) fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD SOI) MOSFET has been presented for the design of the pseudo-NMOS inverter in the nanometer regime. For this, firstly, an analytical modeling of threshold voltage has been proposed in order to investigate the short channel immunity of the studied device and also verified against simulation results. In this structure, the novel concept of backchannel inversion has been utilized for the study of device performance. The threshold voltage has been analyzed by varying the parameters of the device like the ratio of metal gate length and the recessed-source/drain thickness for TMG Re-S/D SOI MOSFET. Drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL) has also been explored in terms of recessed-source/drain thickness and the metal gate length ratio to examine short channel effects (SCEs). For the exact estimation of results, the comparison of the existing multimetal gate structures with TMG Re-S/D SOI MOSFET has also been taken under study in terms of electrostatic performance, i.e., threshold voltage, subthreshold slope, and on-off current ratio. These structures are investigated with the TCAD numerical simulator from Silvaco ATLAS. Furthermore, for the first time, TMG Re-S/D FD SOI MOSFET-based pseudo-NMOS inverter has been designed to observe the device performance at circuit levels. It has been found that the device offers high noise immunity with optimum switching characteristics, and the propagation delay of the studied circuit is recorded as 0.43 ps.
Two‐Period Dynamic versus Fixed‐Ratio Pricing Policies under Duopoly Competition
Authors: Li Hao , Yang Xi , Tu Yu , Peng Ting
Published: March 2019

This paper introduces a two‐period, pricing policy under duopoly competition between two firms offering an identical product to consumers who are intertemporal utility maximization. Firms have equal inventories of faultlessly replaceable and perishable products. The firms adjust prices to maximize profits and determine optimal pricing policies, choosing from dynamic pricing, fixed‐ratio pricing, and elastic pricing policies. According to a duopoly competition model, the consumer is limited to a single firm visit per period. The consumer decides to purchase the product at current price from a firm and remain in the market to purchase product from the other firm in the next period or exit the market. The results offer three main conclusions. First, elastic pricing is consistent with dynamic pricing. Second, the more consumers visit the firm in the first period, the more profits the firm will make. Third, we explore the effectiveness of different pricing policies. The results show that although dynamic pricing is a more complex policy than fixed‐ratio pricing, it may lead to decreased equilibrium profits when the firms sharply discounts prices and consumer rationality is unlimited.
Avoiding and Isolating Flooding Attack by Enhancing AODV MANET Protocol (AIF_AODV)
Authors: Abu Zant Mahmoud , Yasin Adwan
Published: March 2019

Security in MANET is an essential task in preventing the harm that could be caused by malicious nodes in the network. Flooding attack is one of DoS attacks that aim to exhaust the network resources by flooding the network with a lot of fake packets and messages. There are different forms of Flooding attacks, and the most common form is the request one. Request Flooding attack keeps flooding the network with a lot of requests to the fake nodes that do not exist in the network. In this research, we presented a new enhanced AODV protocol AIF AODV that can detect and isolate flooding nodes in the network. NS-2.35 is used to simulate and to prove the efficiency of the proposed technique. The results of the enhanced protocol in terms of Throughput, End to End Delay, PDF, ARE, and NRL are very close to the native AODV without Flooding attack. The comparisons with other models showed that the proposed model AIF_AODV has a better Throughput characteristic.
Characterization of Collision Avoidance in Pedestrian Crowds
Authors: Zhang Dawei , Zhu Haitao , Qiu Shi , Wang Boyan
Published: March 2019

The avoidance behavior of pedestrians was characterized in the present paper by simulating the movement of crowds in both unidirectional and bidirectional pedestrian flow. A phase change of alternative lane formation observed in real bidirectional pedestrian flows has been studied, where pedestrians tended to evade individuals in counterflow and simultaneously keep a certain distance from each other in the uniform pedestrian flow when the counterflow disappeared. What is more, the comparison between the effect of evading and pushing behavior on evacuation has been investigated in the room egress scenario. Additionally, the evading and overtaking behavior of fast pedestrians have also been simulated in heterogeneous crowds. The performance of the proposed model was compared to the experimental data and the results obtained using other evacuation models. Numerical results showed that both the phase change of alternative lane formation in bidirectional pedestrian flow and the effective evading behavior in unidirectional pedestrian flow were conductive to reduce the evacuation time of pedestrian crowds. Even though pushing behavior of fast pedestrians seemed to improve the flow through the wide exit, it might lead to the panic and other negative effect on the crowds, such as crowds trample. The proposed model in this paper could provide a theoretical basis for the pedestrian crowd management during emergency evacuation.
GnRH-R–Targeted Lytic Peptide SensitizesBRCAWild-type Ovarian Cancer to PARP Inhibition
Authors: Ma Shaolin , Pradeep Sunila , Villar-Prados Alejandro , Wen Yunfei , Bayraktar Emine , Mangala Lingegowda S. , Kim Mark Seungwook , Wu Sherry Y. , Hu Wei , Rodriguez-Aguayo Cristian , Leuschner Carola , Liang Xiaoyan , Ram Prahlad T. , Schlacher Katharina , Coleman Robert L. , Sood Anil K.
Published: March 2019

EP-100 is a synthetic lytic peptide that specifically targets the gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor on cancer cells. To extend the utility of EP-100, we aimed to identify effective combination therapies with EP-100 for ovarian cancer and explore potential mechanisms of this combination. A series of in vitro (MTT assay, immunoblot analysis, reverse-phase protein array, comet assay, and immunofluorescence staining) and in vivo experiments were carried out to determine the biological effects of EP-100 alone and in combination with standard-of-care drugs. EP-100 decreased the viability of ovarian cancer cells and reduced tumor growth in orthotopic mouse models. Of five standard drugs tested (cisplatin, paclitaxel, doxorubicin, topotecan, and olaparib), we found that the combination of EP-100 and olaparib was synergistic in ovarian cancer cell lines. Further experiments revealed that combined treatment of EP-100 and olaparib significantly increased the number of nuclear foci of phosphorylated histone H2AX. In addition, the extent of DNA damage was significantly increased after treatment with EP-100 and olaparib in comet assay. We performed reverse-phase protein array analyses and identified that the PI3K/AKT pathway was inhibited by EP-100, which we validated with in vitro experiments. In vivo experiment using the HeyA8 mouse model demonstrated that mice treated with EP-100 and olaparib had lower tumor weights (0.06 ± 0.13 g) than those treated with a vehicle (1.19 ± 1.09 g), EP-100 alone (0.62 ± 0.78 g), or olaparib alone (0.50 ± 0.63 g). Our findings indicate that combining EP-100 with olaparib is a promising therapeutic strategy for ovarian cancer.
BI1071, a Novel Nur77 Modulator, Induces Apoptosis of Cancer Cells by Activating the Nur77-Bcl-2 Apoptotic Pathway
Authors: Chen Xiaohui , Cao Xihua , Tu Xuhuang , Alitongbieke Gulimiran , Xia Zebin , Li Xiaotong , Chen Ziwen , Yin Meimei , Xu Dan , Guo Shangjie , Li Zongxi , Chen Liqun , Zhang Xindao , Xu Dingyu , Gao Meichun , Liu Jie , Zeng Zhiping , Zhou Hu , Su Ying , Zhang Xiao-kun
Published: March 2019

Nur77 (also called TR3 or NGFI-B), an orphan member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, induces apoptosis by translocating to mitochondria where it interacts with Bcl-2 to convert Bcl-2 from an antiapoptotic to a pro-apoptotic molecule. Nur77 posttranslational modification such as phosphorylation has been shown to induce Nur77 translocation from the nucleus to mitochondria. However, small molecules that can bind directly to Nur77 to trigger its mitochondrial localization and Bcl-2 interaction remain to be explored. Here, we report our identification and characterization of DIM-C-pPhCF3+MeSO3− (BI1071), an oxidized product derived from indole-3-carbinol metabolite, as a modulator of the Nur77-Bcl-2 apoptotic pathway. BI1071 binds Nur77 with high affinity, promotes Nur77 mitochondrial targeting and interaction with Bcl-2, and effectively induces apoptosis of cancer cells in a Nur77- and Bcl-2–dependent manner. Studies with animal model showed that BI1071 potently inhibited the growth of tumor cells in animals through its induction of apoptosis. Our results identify BI1071 as a novel Nur77-binding modulator of the Nur77-Bcl-2 apoptotic pathway, which may serve as a promising lead for treating cancers with overexpression of Bcl-2.
Targeting the IGF1R/PI3K/AKT Pathway Sensitizes Ewing Sarcoma to BET Bromodomain Inhibitors
Authors: Loganathan Sudan N. , Tang Nan , Holler Albert E. , Wang Nenghui , Wang Jialiang
Published: March 2019

Inhibitors of the bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) family proteins modulate EWS-FLI1 activities in Ewing sarcoma. However, the efficacy of BET inhibitors as a monotherapy was moderate and transient in preclinical models. The objective of this study was to identify the mechanisms mediating intrinsic resistance to BET inhibitors and develop more effective combination treatments for Ewing sarcoma. Using a panel of Ewing sarcoma cell lines and patient-derived xenograft lines (PDX), we demonstrated that IGF1R inhibitors synergistically increased sensitivities to BET inhibitors and induced potent apoptosis when combined with BET inhibitors. Constitutively activated AKT significantly protected Ewing sarcoma cells against BET inhibitors, suggesting that IGF1R regulates responsiveness to BET inhibitors mainly through the PI3K/AKT pathway. Although two Ewing sarcoma cell lines were resistant to IGF1R inhibitors, they retained synergistic response to a combination of BET inhibitors and mTOR inhibitors, suggesting that BET proteins, when IGF1R is not functional, cross-talk with its downstream molecules. Furthermore, the combination of a BET inhibitor and an IGF1R inhibitor induced potent and durable response in xenograft tumors, whereas either agent alone was less effective. Taken together, our results suggest that IGF1R and the downstream PI3K/AKT/mTOR kinase cascade mediate intrinsic resistance to BET inhibitors in Ewing sarcoma. These results provide the proof-of-concept for combining BET inhibitors with agents targeting the IGF1R pathway for treating advanced Ewing sarcoma.
Silencing MicroRNA-155 Attenuates Kainic Acid-Induced Seizure by Inhibiting Microglia Activation
Authors: Fu Huajun , Cheng Yiyun , Luo Haijuan , Rong Zhouyi , Li Yanfang , Lu Ping , Ye Xiaowen , Huang Weiyan , Qi Ziguo , Li Xiuying , Cheng Baoying , Wang Xintian , Yao Yi , Zhang Yun-Wu , Zheng Weihong , Zheng Honghua
Published: March 2019

Objective(s): Neuroinflammation is an important contributor to the development of seizures and epilepsy. Micro-RNA-155 (miR-155) plays a critical role in immunity and ­inflammation. This study aims to explore the function of miR-155 and miR-155-mediated inflammation in epilepsy. Methods: About 8-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were administered an intraperitoneal injection (i.p.) of kainic acid (KA) (15 mg/kg) or saline. The mice in the KA group developing acute seizure were further subjected to intracerebroventricular injection (i.c.v.) of antagomir negative control (NC) or miR-155 antagomir. Animal behavior was observed according to Racine’s scale, and electroencephalographs were recorded. Primary microglia were cultured and treated with antagomir NC or antagomir. Whole-cell electrophysiological recording was conducted to detect the spontaneous EPSCs and IPSCs in the neurons treated with different conditioned medium from those microglia. miR-155 were detected by qRT-PCR in those models, as well as in the brain or blood from epileptic patients and healthy controls. Results: miR-155 was abundantly expressed in glial cells compared with neurons, and its expression was markedly elevated in the brain of epilepsy patients and KA-induced seizure mice. Silencing miR-155 attenuated KA-induced seizure, abnormal electroencephalography, proinflammatory cytokine expression, and microglia morphology change. Moreover, conditioned media from KA-treated microglia impaired neuron excitability, whereas conditioned media from KA and miR-155 antagomir co-treated microglia had no such effects. Finally, miR-155 levels were significantly higher in the blood of epilepsy patients than those of healthy controls. Conclusion(s): These findings demonstrate that aberrant upregulation of miR-155 contributes to epileptogenesis through inducing microglia neuroinflammation.
Is Transient Global Amnesia a Network Disease?
Authors: Park Kang Min , Lee Byung In , Kim Sung Eun
Published: March 2019

Background: We evaluated a brain network using graph theoretical analysis and microstructural abnormalities of the white matter in patients with transient global amnesia (TGA). Methods: Twenty patients with TGA and healthy control subjects were recruited, and they underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scans. Graph theory was applied to obtain network measures based on DTI data. We investigated the network measures and microstructural abnormalities of white matter using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) analysis in the patients with TGA. Results: Measures of global topology were not different between the patients with TGA and healthy subjects. However, there were significant differences of hubs organization; the strength of the right superior and inferior orbitofrontal, the right inferior frontal operculum, the left superior parietal, and left postcentral gyrus, the cluster coefficient of the right middle orbitofrontal and left inferior parietal gyrus, the betweenness centrality of the left angular gyrus, and the pagerank centrality of the right superior and inferior orbitofrontal, right inferior frontal operculum, left superior parietal, and left postcentral gyrus in the patients with TGA were significantly lower than those in healthy subjects. Regarding the analysis of the white matter microstructure with TBSS, there were no differences in the fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity values between the 2 groups. Conclusions: We newly identify a reorganization of network hubs of the brain network in patients with TGA, especially in the regions of the default-mode network. These alterations of the brain network may play a role in the pathophysiologic mechanism underlying TGA and suggest that TGA is a network disease.
Combined Endoscopic and Oral Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Patients with Antibiotic-Dependent Pouchitis: Low Clinical Efficacy due to Low Donor Microbial Engraftment
Authors: Herfarth Hans , Barnes Edward L. , Long Millie D. , Isaacs Kim L. , Leith Tom , Silverstein Michael , Gerardin Ylaine , Kassam Zain
Published: March 2019

Background and Objective: A significant number of pouch patients develop antibiotic-dependent pouchitis (ADP). Microbial dysbiosis is thought to be a major driver of clinical symptoms in ADP. The objective of this proof of concept study was to evaluate safety, efficacy, and donor microbial engraftment of an intensified fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) consisting of a single endoscopic FMT followed by daily oral FMT for 2 weeks in patients with ADP. Methods: We performed a prospective placebo-controlled double-blind FMT trial in patents with established ADP and planned to enroll 20 patients in this proof of concept study. In case of non-response, patients were offered an optional open label active FMT treatment. The endpoints were safety, clinical remission without need for antibiotics during 16 weeks of follow-up, quantitative changes of fecal calprotectin (FCP), and engraftment of donor FMT as determined by metagenomic sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Results: Due to a lower than expected clinical remission rate and low FMT engraftment, enrollment in the study was stopped prematurely after 6 patients were included. All 6 patients enrolled in the placebo-controlled portion failed to respond and needed antibiotic rescue therapy shortly after FMT. FCP increased in the majority of patients in the setting of relapse after FMT. In the active open label FMT extension study 1 out of 5 patients achieved antibiotic-free clinical remission. FMT engraftment after active FMT was observed only in this single patient, whereas engraftment of donor FMT occurred in none of the other patients receiving active FMT, paralleling the lack of clinical response. Conclusions: Low donor FMT engraftment resulted in low clinical efficacy of FMT in patients with ADP. Before embarking on larger clinical trials with FMT in patients with ADP or other forms of pouchitis, it is mandatory to explore approaches for superior FMT engraftment.
CytoProcessorTM: A New Cervical Cancer Screening System for Remote Diagnosis
Authors: Crowell Elizabeth Faris , Bazin Cyril , Saunier François , Brixtel Romain , Caillot Yann , Lesner Boris , Toutain Matthieu , Ferreri Carole , Garcia Incarnation , Mathieu Marie-Claire , Vaussanvin Jérôme , Depardon Joëlle , Renouf Arnaud
Published: March 2019

Background: Current automated cervical cytology screening systems still heavily depend on manipulation of glass slides. We developed a new system called CytoProcessorTM (DATEXIM, Caen, France), which increases sensitivity and takes advantage of virtual slide technology to simplify the workflow and save worker time. We used an approach based on artificial intelligence to identify abnormal cells among the tens of thousands in a cervical preparation. Objectives: We set out to compare the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of CytoProcessorTM and the ThinPrep Imaging System (HOLOGIC, Marlborough, MA, USA). Methods: A representative population of 1,352 cases was selected from the routine workflow in a private laboratory. Diagnoses were established using the ThinPrep Imaging System and CytoProcessorTM. All discordances were resolved by a consensus committee. Results: Compared to the ThinPrep Imaging System, CytoProcessorTM significantly improves diagnostic sensitivity without compromising specificity. The sensitivity of detection of “atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) and more severe” and “low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion and more severe” was significantly higher using CytoProcessorTM. Considering that cases with a truth diagnosis of ASC-US or more severe required clinical follow-up, 1.5% of the cases (21/1,360) would have been missed if the CytoProcessorTM diagnosis had been used for clinical decision-making. In contrast, 4% of the cases (54/1,360) were missed when the ThinPrep Imaging System diagnosis was used for clinical decision-making. There were 2.6 times fewer false negatives using CytoProcessorTM. The CytoProcessorTM workflow was 1.5 times faster in terms of worker time. Conclusions: CytoProcessorTM is the first of a new generation of automated screening systems, demonstrating improved sensitivity and yielding significant gains in processing time. In addition, the fully digital nature of slide presentation in CytoProcessorTM allows the remote diagnosis of Papanicolaou tests for the first time.
Anopheles stephensi Dual Oxidase Silencing Activates the Thioester-Containing Protein 1 Pathway to Suppress Plasmodium Development
Authors: Kakani Parik , Kajla Mithilesh , Choudhury Tania Pal , Gupta Lalita , Kumar Sanjeev
Published: March 2019

We characterized the dual oxidase (Duox) gene in the major Indian malaria vector Anopheles stephensi, which regulates the generation of reactive oxygen species. The AsDuox gene encodes for a 1,475-amino-acid transmembrane protein that contains an N-terminal noncytoplasmic heme peroxidase domain, a calcium-binding domain, seven transmembrane domains, and a C-terminal cytoplasmic NADPH domain. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that A. stephensi Duox protein is highly conserved and shares 97–100% amino acid identity with other anopheline Duoxes. AsDuox is expressed in all the developmental stages of A. stephensi and the pupal stages revealed relatively higher expressions. The Duox gene is induced in Plasmodium-infected mosquito midguts, and RNA interference-mediated silencing of this gene suppressed parasite development through activation of the thioester-containing protein 1 pathway. We propose that this highly conserved anopheline Duox, being a Plasmodium agonist, is an excellent target to control malaria parasite development inside the insect host.
A questão metropolitana em jogo, entre redes de saneamento e ação pública local
Authors: Catenazzi Andrea Claudia
Published: March 2019

O ciclo da concessão operada pela Aguas Argentinas (1993 - 2006) foi um momento de mudança na gestão dos serviços urbanos, mas também revelou algumas regularidades que estruturaram a relação entre redes de saneamento e ação política local. Este trabalho destina-se a restaurar as diferentes escalas em que as disputas sobre o acesso aos serviços de saneamento foram resolvidas em três municípios da área metropolitana de Buenos Aires. O tema central é a territorialização da política de saneamento e os diversos valores concedidos às redes pelo poder local.
VES-13 and WHOQOL-bref cutoff points to detect quality of life in older adults in primary health care
Authors: Silva Samira Monteiro , Santana Alfredo Nicodemos Cruz , Silva Nayhane Nayara Barbosa da , Novaes Maria Rita Carvalho Garbi
Published: March 2019

OBJECTIVE: To determine Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES-13) and WHOQOL-bref cutoff points to detect poor quality of life (QoL) in older individuals. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study, performed in all primary health care units in Samambaia, DF, Brazil. The data were collected from August 2016 to May 2017. The sample size of 466 older individuals treated in primary health care was obtained considering a 5% margin of error, 95% confidence level, 50% prevalence, and 20% possible losses, in a population of 13,259 older individuals. The subjects answered the VES-13 and WHOQOL-bref questionnaires. They were divided into 3 subgroups: poorQoL (older individuals with self-reported very poor or poor QoL AND very dissatisfied or dissatisfied with their health), goodQoL (very good or good QoL AND very satisfied or satisfied with Health) and indeterminateQoL (NOT belonging to poorQoL or goodQoL subgroups). A receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was performed with poorQoL (case) versus goodQoL (control) to determine the cutoff score in VES-13 and WHOQOLbref. A diagnostic test using these cutoffs was carried out in all older individuals (n = 466). RESULTS: The VES-13 and WHOQOL-bref cutoff points to detect poorQoL were ≥ 2 and < 60, respectively. The area under ROC curve of VES-13 and WHOQOL-bref was 0.741 (CI95% 0.659- 0.823; p < 0.001) and 0.934 (CI95% 0.881-0.987; p < 0.001), respectively. In diagnostic tests, VES-13 showed 84% sensitivity and 98.2% negative predictive value, and WHOQOL-bref, 88% sensitivity and 99% negative predictive value. CONCLUSIONS: VES-13 score ≥ 2 and WHOQOL-bref score < 60 adequately detected poorQoL in patients treated in primary health care. Our data suggest that older individuals with these scores require special treatment such as geriatrics collaborative care to improve this scenario, considering QoL impact on mortality.
Brief Educational Intervention Improves Emergency Medical Services Stroke Recognition
Authors: Oostema J. Adam , Chassee Todd , Baer William , Edberg Allison , Reeves Mathew J.
Published: March 2019

Background and Purpose—

Recognition of stroke symptoms and hospital prenotification by emergency medical services (EMS) facilitate rapid stroke treatment; however, one-third of patients with stroke are unrecognized by EMS. To promote stroke recognition and quality measure compliant prehospital stroke care, we deployed a 30-minute online EMS educational module coupled with a performance feedback system in a single Michigan county.

Methods—

During a 24-month study period, a registry of consecutive EMS-transported suspected or unrecognized stroke cases was utilized to perform an interrupted time series analysis of the impact of the EMS education and feedback intervention. For each agency, we compared EMS stroke recognition and quality measure compliance rates, as well as emergency department performance and hospital outcomes during 12 preintervention months with performance in the remaining study months.

Results—

A total of 1805 EMS-transported cases met inclusion criteria; 1235 (68.4%) of these had ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes or transient ischemic attacks. There were no trends toward improvement in any outcome before the intervention. After the intervention, the EMS stroke recognition rate increased from 63.8% to 69.5% (
P
=0.037). Prenotification increased from 60.9% to 77.3% (
P
<0.001). Among patients with ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack, there was a trend toward higher rates of tPA (tissue-type plasminogen activator) delivery (13.9%–17.7%;
P
=0.096) and a significant increase in tPA delivery within 45 minutes (5.7%–8.9%;
P
=0.042) after intervention. However, improvements in EMS recognition were limited to the first 3 months following intervention.

Conclusions—

A brief educational intervention was associated with improved EMS stroke recognition, hospital prenotification, and faster tPA delivery. Gains were primarily observed immediately following education and were not sustained through provision of performance feedback to paramedics.
The Study of Involuntary Migration as a Hermeneutical Guide for Reading the Jacob Narrative
Authors: Strine C.A.
Published: March 2019

The patriarch Jacob is an involuntary migrant. Jacob lives as an asylum seeker from Esau’s threat of violence and then as a refugee under Laban’s protection. Eventually, Jacob returns ‘home’ to Canaan, but he finds there a society totally different than the one he remembers or imagines. Jacob resembles involuntary migrants from other cultures in all of these ways. The experiences of other involuntary migrants can and should, therefore, guide interpretation of this narrative. This article, therefore, exegetes the texts concerning Jacob in Genesis 25-33 by utilising findings from the social-scientific study of involuntary migration, James C. Scott’s work on subaltern resistance, and studies on the role of trickster narratives in the Hebrew Bible. By generating new interpretive solutions to perennially problematic passages and showing the prominence of the experience of involuntary migration in Genesis, this article outlines an important new hermeneutical approach relevant not only for this text but also for a large number of texts in the Hebrew Bible concerned with involuntary migration.
Undue Intrusion on Parties’ Autonomy Finally Amended: An Observation of Article 51 of the Jordanian Arbitration Law
Authors: Al-Hawamdeh Ahmed Mohammad , Alhusban Ahmad Abed Alla
Published: March 2019

Before its amendment in 2018, Article 51 of the Jordanian Arbitration Law stated that: ‘if the court nullifies the award, consequently it would render the arbitration agreement nullified’. The newly amendment Article 51 of the Jordanian Arbitration Law reads: ‘If the Court of Cassation […] nullifies the award that should not result in nullifying the arbitration clause unless the arbitration agreement is itself void’. Here we argue that the new amendment was long due as the previous Article unduly intruded on parties’ autonomy. This article was originally submitted before the 2018 amendment of the law and the exact wording of what the article originally suggested was adopted by the new law.
Deciphering Egyptian Rap Ciphers
Authors: Mangialardi Nicholas
Published: March 2019

In this essay, I look at hip hop music in Egypt and examine a popular rap activity known as ‘ciphering’, a verbal jam session in which rappers take turns trading lyrics over a beat. The gatherings I investigate were usually held on public city sidewalks, but Egyptian youth also exchanged short rap videos online with friends in what became a virtual cipher. Through these rap ciphers, Egyptian youth established creative spaces outside the realm of family authority where they could rehearse different selves among friends. The technologies with which they recorded and traded their videos were key to the social experience of ciphering and offered new ways of narrating the self. In this essay, I suggest that ciphering entails more than just rapping; it is a practice entangled in a range of social activities that Egyptian youth do together. Through the ritual of ciphering, rappers affirm their individuality and establish membership in groups.
China, the Abode of Arts and Crafts: Emergence and Diffusion of a Persian Saying on China in Mongol Eurasia
Authors: Calzolaio Francesco
Published: March 2019

Between 1250 and 1450 a saying about China spread across Eurasia, from Castile to the Indian subcontinent. It is the proverb known as the “eyes of the world”, according to which when it comes to arts and crafts, the Chinese see with two eyes, the Europeans with one, and other nations are blind. This metaphor was widely used by pre-modern Eurasian intellectuals to synthesize the high degree of sophistication and splendour reached by Chinese culture. It has been suggested that the adage originated either in the Byzantine world or in Mongol China, whence it spread to central Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and Europe. A study of Persian sources, however, seems to invalidate this hypothesis, suggesting a Persian origin. Such Eurasian diffusion of a Persian saying about China illustrates how easily literary images, tropes, and lore could spread across the Mongol empire and how Asian geographic and ethnographic discourses could contribute to the new representation of the world which emerged in the Mongol period. It also advocates for the inclusivity of Persian literary imagery, at times so influent as to trespass the borders both of the Persianate and of the Islamicate world.
Gilpinia infuscalae Wang & Wei, sp. nov. and a key to the Chinese Gilpinia species (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae)
Authors: WANG HANNAN , SMITH DAVID R. , XIAO WEI , NIU GENGYUN , WEI MEICAI
Published: March 2019

Gilpinia infuscalae Wang & Wei, sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae) from China is described. It is similar in color to G. nigra Okutani, 1958 from Japan but differs in the strongly infuscate wings, the simple inner spur of hind tibia and the unique lancet. The host plant is Pinus massoniana Lamb. (Pinaceae). A key to known species of Gilpinia from China is provided.
A new species of Flabelligeridae (Annelida), Trophoniella radesiensis n. sp., from Tunisia
Authors: CHAIBI MARWA , ANTIT MOUNA , BOUHEDI MARWA , MECA MIGUEL A. , GILLET PATRICK , AZZOUNA ATF , MARTIN DANIEL
Published: March 2019

The family Flabelligeridae was previously represented in Tunisia by four genera including four species: Bradabyssa villosa (Rathke, 1843), Therochaeta flabellata (M. Sars in G.O. Sars, 1872), Pherusa plumosa (Müller, 1776), and Piromis eruca (Claparède, 1869). In this paper we report a fifth genus, Trophoniella, for the first time in Tunisia. The specimens were collected in Radés Station, Gulf of Tunis (Central Mediterranean) and belong to a new species, namely Trophoniella radesiensis n. sp., which is characterized by having: (1) a very smooth tunic, body covered dorsally, ventrally, and laterally by sediment grains (except in the posterior region), and (2) well-developed parapodia showing short neurohooks from chaetiger 6 to 19 and anchylosed neurohooks from chaetiger 20. Based on the 16S, the new species belongs to a low supported Piromis/Trophoniella clade and shows a 16.1% of genetic distance from Trophoniella hephaistos Jimi & Fujiwara, 2016, the single known species of the genus sequenced to date. [Zoobank lsid: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D7C85C70-87FF-4AF4-8599-A8462B3FB8B1]
Paranticoma lepta sp. n. and Elzalia bipectinella Hope & Aryuthaka, 2009 from water bodies of Vietnam
Authors: LONG PHAN KE , TU NGUYEN DINH , GAGARIN VLADIMIR G.
Published: March 2019

Two nematode species found in water bodies of Vietnam are described and illustrated. Paranticoma lepta sp. n., found in mangroves of the Yen River estuary is morphologically close to P. bendaense Micoletzky, 1930 and P. tricerviseta Zhang, 2005. From the former species it differs by the shorter cephalic setae and shorter tail, more anteriorly located cervical setae and shorter spicules. From the second species it differs by its thicker body, comparatively longer tail, longer spicules and absence of tooth-like structures in stoma. An illustrated description of males and females of Elzalia bipectinella Hope & Aryuthaka 2009 is given, originally described from mangrove forest in the Andaman Sea coastal zone of east Thailand. Females of this species are described for the first time.
A taxonomic study of the South African terricolous weevil genus Pentatrachyphloeus Voss (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae: Trachyphloeini)
Authors: BOROVEC ROMAN , SKUHROVEC JIŘÍ
Published: March 2019

The genus Pentatrachyphloeus Voss, 1974, with two known species, is redefined and compared with related genera. An additional thirty seven new species are described here: P. andersoni sp. nov. (South Africa, Mpumalanga); P. baumi sp. nov. (South Africa, Gauteng); P. brevithorax sp. nov. (South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal); P. bufo sp. nov. (South Africa, Mpumalanga); P. endroedyi sp. nov. (South Africa, Mpumalanga); P. exiguus sp. nov. (South Africa, Mpumalanga); P. frici sp. nov. (South Africa, Limpopo); P. grobbelaarae sp. nov. (South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal); P. hanzelkai sp. nov. (South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal); P. holubi sp. nov. (South Africa, Mpumalanga); P. howdenae sp. nov. (South Africa, Mpumalanga); P. hystrix sp. nov. (South Africa, Mpumalanga); P. insignicornis sp. nov. (South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal); P. kalalovae sp. nov. (South Africa, Gauteng); P. kuscheli sp. nov. (South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal); P. laevis sp. nov. (South Africa, Mpumalanga); P. lajumensis sp. nov. (South Africa, Limpopo); P. leleupi sp. nov. (Zimbabwe, Manica); P. lesothoensis sp. nov. (Lesotho, Qacha’s Nek); P. machulkai sp. nov. (South Africa, Free State); P. marshalli sp. nov. (South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal); P. muellerae sp. nov. (South Africa, Mpumalanga); P. musili sp. nov. (South Africa, Limpopo); P. ntinini sp. nov. (South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal); P. oberprieleri sp. nov. (South Africa, Gauteng, North West); P. pavlicai sp. nov. (South Africa, Free State); P. rudyardi sp. nov. (South Africa, Limpopo); P. schoemani sp. nov. (South Africa, Limpopo); P. soutpansbergensis sp. nov. (South Africa, Limpopo); P. spinimanus sp. nov. (South Africa, Mpumalanga); P. stingli sp. nov. (South Africa, Limpopo); P. tenuicollis sp. nov. (South Africa, Mpumalanga); P. tuberculatus sp. nov. (South Africa, Mpumalanga); P. vavrai sp. nov. (South Africa, Eastern Cape); P. vossi sp. nov. (South Africa, Mpumalanga); P. vrazi sp. nov. (South Africa, Limpopo) and P. zikmundi sp. nov. (South Africa, Free State). All of the species are keyed and illustrated; ecological information is presented only where available. All species seem to be very localised, being known only from one or only a very limited number of localities. Immature stages or host plants are not known for any of the species. The species are distributed as follows: South Africa: Mpumalanga (13), Limpopo (8), KwaZulu-Natal (7), Free State (3), Gauteng (3), Eastern Cape (3), North West (1); Lesotho: Qacha’s Nek (1) and Zimbabwe: Manica (1).