bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ilex paraguariensis, white mulberry and chromium picolinate in patients with pre‐diabetes
Authors: Derosa Giuseppe , D’Angelo Angela , Maffioli Pamela
Published: January 2020

Aim

to evaluate if a nutraceutical compound containing Ilex paraguariensis, White Mulberry and Chromium Picolinate can ameliorate glycemic status in patients with pre‐diabetes.

Methods

we enrolled patients with IFG or IGT, not taking other hypoglycemic compounds. Patients were randomized to take placebo or the nutraceutical compound for 3 months, in a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled design. Both treatments were self‐administered once a day, 1 tablet during the breakfast.

Results

a reduction of FPG was observed with the nutraceutical combination (−7.8%). Furthermore, there was a decrease of HOMA‐IR with the nutraceutical combination (−7.9%). M value was higher (p < 0.05 vs baseline and p < 0.05 vs placebo) at the end of the treatment. We obtained a reduction of Tg with the nutraceutical combination (−8.3%). About 16.6% of patients treated with nutraceutical returned to have a normal glycemia (< 100 mg/dL), and all patients had an improvement of insulin‐resistance, in particular 67% of patients returned to have a M value inside range of normal insulin sensitivity.

Conclusions

a nutraceutical containing Ilex paraguariensis, White Mulberry and Chromium Picolinate at 500 mg can be helpful in improving glycemia and Tg value, in patients with pre‐diabetes.
An extension of water retention and conductivity functions to dryness
Authors: Inforsato Leonardo , de Jong van Lier Quirijn , Pinheiro Everton Alves Rodrigues
Published: January 2020

Water retention (WR) and hydraulic conductivity (HC) are essential properties to predict water flow in soils. Commonly, these soil physical properties are represented by equations relating pressure head, soil water content, and hydraulic conductivity. The commonly used empirical equations used for this purpose have a limited range of reliability, not functioning properly in the very dry range. An approach to extend the reliability and applicability of these models has been p hed piecewise equations added to the base model and implying in changes in the base model paramete. We propose a modification of the model commonly known as Peters‐Durner‐Iden (PDI), extending the reliability of most common base models without the need to change the original parameters. The transformation is analytically equivalent, interchangeable and allows to anchor the retention function at any point instead of the residual water content. The Van Genuchten, Kosugi, Brooks‐Corey and Groenevelt equations can easily be combined to the proposed model, which may be used to predict water flow in the dry range where the commonly used equations are not reliable.
Analysis of microbial utilization of rice straw in paddy soil using a DNA‐SIP approach
Authors: Guo Tengfei , Zhang Qian , Ai Chao , Liang Guoqing , He Ping , Lei Qiuliang , Zhou Wei
Published: January 2020

Considering the close connection between soil microorganisms with carbon (C) cycling, the aim of this study was to identify the specific bacterial and fungal microbes that assimilate 13C from incorporated rice straw and explore their dynamics and characteristics during straw decomposition in paddy soil. Soil microcosms based on 12/13C‐labeled rice straw were incubated with the determination of CO2 production at 1, 3, 7, 14, 28, 56 and 90 days after straw incorporation. Meanwhile, the targeted soil bacterial and fungal communities were characterized using a DNA‐based stable isotope probing (DNA‐SIP) approach combined with Illumina MiSeq sequencing. Rice straw decomposed rapidly in the first 2 weeks, coupled with a large turnover of soil native organic matter. During this process, Actinobacteria including the orders Streptomycetales, Caternulisporales and Corynebacteriales dominated the community utilizing rice straw‐derived C with a succession from Streptomyces, to Kitasatospora, to Catenulispora. At Days 56 to 90, the dominant orders assimilating rice straw‐derived 13C were Micrococcales, Sphingobacteriia, Gammaproteobacteria from phyla Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria, respectively. The fungal orders Onygenales, Capnodiales, Sordariales and Pleosporales showed stronger ability of 13C utilization at late decomposition stage. Taken together, along with stimulation of soil organic matter mineralization after rice straw addition, dynamics of 13C‐assimilating bacterial and fungal groups with various characteristics were identified.
Multifunction covalent coatings for separation of amino acids, biogenic amines, steroid hormones, and ketoprofen enantiomers by capillary electrophoresis and capillary electrochromatography
Authors: Kravchenko Anastasia , Kolobova Ekaterina , Kartsova Liudmila
Published: January 2020

In this study, the preparation process of multifunctional coating based on imidazole and β‐cyclodextrin has been developed. The synthesis includes several steps: activation of fused silica capillary walls via alkali, then process of silylation and finally functionalization with imidazole and β‐cyclodextrin derivative. The latter step was carried over 22 h at 100°C at 750 mg/mL concentration of p‐toluenesulfonyl‐β‐cyclodextrin. It was established that the coatings thus obtained are stable within pH 2–7 range but decompose in alkaline medium. The stationary phase developed in this study allows simultaneous separation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic analytes. Chiral separation of ketoprofen enantiomers was also achieved with the newly developed covalent coating. It was found that covalent coating based on imidazole and β‐cyclodextrin exceeded the dynamic coatings of similar structure in terms of repeatability, analysis time and the limits of detection.
Developmental dynamics of cloned Mexican bighorn sheep embryos using morphological quality standards
Authors: Hernández Martínez Sarahí , Hernández Pichardo José E. , Vazquez Avendaño José R. , Ambríz García Demetrio Alonso , Navarro Maldonado María del Carmen
Published: January 2020

The developmental dynamics of cloned Mexican bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis mexicana) embryos were evaluated based on morphological quality standards. Categories determined by standards were correlated with the embryonic development stage, number of nuclei and viability. The results showed no differences in the blastocyst rate between the experimental (cloned Mexican bighorn sheep embryos) and control (parthenogenetic domestic sheep embryos) groups (p > .05), while type IV fragmentation was higher in clones (p < .05). The standards allowed for the identification of embryos that divided at least once or fragmented after 24 hr of culture. The highest percentage of morulae appeared at 96 hr, the final stages of development: nonsegmented, blocked, fragmented and blastocysts appeared at 192 hr. Embryonic quality decreased over time, making 96 hr the ideal time point to predict the final morphological quality of embryos. Nuclear staining of the morulae and blastocysts showed that higher embryo quality was associated with a higher percentage of normal and viable blastomeres. The evaluated criteria allowed for descriptions of the dynamics, stage and quality of cloned Mexican bighorn sheep embryos with a high degree of reliability. In addition, developmental anomalies, including fragmentation, multinucleation and blocking, were identified.
Simulation and engineering demonstration of the advanced treatment of rainy overflow wastewater using a combined system of storage tank‐wastewater treatment plant‐wetland
Authors: Jin Zhujing , Wu Weizhong , Li Jinhua , Yang Fengle , Zhou Baoxue
Published: January 2020

We propose a new technology to advanced treat overflow wastewater from a combined sewer system using a storage tank‐wastewater treatment plant (STP)‐constructed wetland (CW) system. The engineering demonstration (a 7,500 m3 storage tank and a 3,436 m2 CW) has been built to treat the combined sewer overflows (CSOs) at the largest combined rainwater/wastewater overflow outlet in the middle reaches of the Xinbaoxiang River, which is the second largest river in the Dianchi Lake Basin. During the rainfall period, CSOs enter the storage tank. After sedimentation purification, the higher concentration CSOs at the bottom enter the STP, and the upper low‐concentration CSOs enter CWs, thereby linking the multiple means of treating CSOs and minimizing the impact of CSOs on the STP. During the dry season, CWs can also assist in purification of polluted river water. The supernatant (COD <80 mg/L) and the bottom part water (COD >200 mg/L) of the storage tank were sent to CWs and STP, respectively, for treatment. The project was stably operated over 6 months. The final effluent qualities were 12, 1.79, and 0.18 mg/L for COD, TN, and TP, respectively, which achieved the surface water class V standard.

Practitioner points

A combined system of storage tank‐wastewater treatment plant‐wetland was proposed to advanced treat overflow wastewater of rainy season.

The SWMM could calculate the water quality and volume of overflow under different rainfall conditions in the runoff area.

The effluent of the engineering demonstration reached the standard of surface water class V.
Double logarithms in $$ \mathcal{N} $$ ≥ 4 supergravity: weak gravity and Shapiro’s time delay
Authors: Vera Agustín Sabio
Published: January 2020

Abstract

A study of the double logarithmic in the center-of-mass energy, s, contributions to the four-graviton scattering amplitude is presented for four-dimensional

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

≥ 4 supergravities. This includes a novel representation for the coefficients of the perturbative expansion based on exactly solvable recurrences. A review is given of the structure in the complex angular momentum plane for the t-channel partial wave singularities of the different amplitudes. Working in impact parameter representation, ρ, it is shown that the resummation of double logarithms makes gravity weaker in regions of small ρ and large s. This screening of the gravitational interaction at short distances in the double logarithmic sector of the amplitudes is more acute as the number of gravitinos in the theory increases. It brings corrections to the eikonal phase which can change the sign of the graviton’s deflection angle and generate regions with repulsive interaction. For very small impact parameters there appears a constant negative shift in both the eikonal phase and Shapiro’s time delay which is not large enough to generate causality violation.
Unilaterale Netzhautblutungen bei Säuglingen – 2 Fälle von Schütteltrauma?
Authors: Barth T. , Altmann M. , Batzlsperger C. , Jägle H. , Helbig H.
Published: January 2020

Ein 2,5 Monate alter Junge und ein 2 Monate altes Mädchen wurden wegen schwerer Bewusstseinstrübung pädiatrisch behandelt. Bei beiden Kindern fanden sich Subduralhämatome. Bei Verdacht auf nichtakzidentelles Schädel-Hirn-Trauma (NAHI) erfolgte eine Untersuchung des Augenhintergrundes, bei der sich bei beiden Säuglingen unilaterale Netzhautblutungen zeigten. Nach intensiver Differenzialdiagnostik wurde in beiden Fällen der Verdacht auf ein NAHI gestellt und eine rechtsmedizinische Begutachtung initiiert. Wichtig an dieser Fallserie ist, dass die Einseitigkeit von Netzhautblutungen ein NAHI nicht ausschließt.
Challenges for better care based on the course of maternal body mass index, weight gain and multiple outcome in twin pregnancies: a population-based retrospective cohort study in Hessen/Germany within 15 years
Authors: Schubert Julia , Timmesfeld Nina , Noever Kathrin , Arabin Birgit
Published: January 2020

Introduction

Studies on maternal weight, gestational weight gain and associated outcomes in twin pregnancies are scarce. Therefore, we analyzed these items in a large cohort.

Methods

Data from 10,603/13,725 total twin pregnancies from the perinatal database in Hessen, Germany between 2000 and 2015 were used after exclusion of incomplete or non-plausible data sets. The course of maternal and perinatal outcomes was evaluated by linear and logistic regression models.

Results

The rate of twin pregnancies increased from 1.5 to 1.9% (p < 0.00001). Mean maternal age and pre-pregnancy weight rose from 31.4 to 32.9 years and from 68.2 to 71.2 kg, respectively (p < 0.001). The rates of women with a body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2 increased from 11.9 to 16.9% with a mean of 24.4–25.4 kg/m2 (p < 0.001). The overall increase of maternal weight/week was 568 g, the 25th quartile was 419, the 75th quartile 692 g/week. The total and secondary caesareans increased from 68.6 to 73.3% and from 20.6 to 39.8%, respectively (p < 0.001). Rates of birthweight < 1500 g and of preterm birth < 28 and from 28 to 33 + 6 weeks all increased (p < 0.01). No significant changes were observed in the rates of stillbirth, perinatal mortality and NICU admissions.

Conclusion

The global trend of the obesity epidemic is equally observed in German twin pregnancies. The increase of mean maternal weight and the calculated quartiles specific for twin pregnancies help to identify inadequate weight gain in twin gestations. Policy makers should be aware of future health risks specified for singleton and twin gestations.
Gender-specific differences in valvular heart disease
Authors: Nitsche Christian , Koschutnik Matthias , Kammerlander Andreas , Hengstenberg Christian , Mascherbauer Julia
Published: January 2020

The development of new devices and treatment options has greatly increased the interest in heart valve diseases. In this context, the consideration of gender differences in diagnosis, treatment success, and prognosis is of great importance. Available data show that women and men with heart valve disease have different risk profiles, which have a significant impact on treatment outcomes and prognosis.

It is the purpose of this review article to give an overview of gender-related differences in patients with valvular heart disease, regarding clinical presentation, treatment, and outcomes. In light of the emerging treatment possibilities, future research should emphasize the role of gender since both sexes benefit from tailored management.
Segmental coupling effects during correction of three-dimensional lumbar deformity using lateral lumbar interbody fusion
Authors: Yamaguchi Hiroto , Nojiri Hidetoshi , Miyagawa Kei , Inoue Nozomu , Kaneko Kazuo
Published: January 2020

Purpose

Lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) has been performed to correct spinal deformity associated with lumbar degenerative disease. Although its usefulness has been studied, there are no reports of quantitative evaluation in three dimensions. Our purpose is to quantitate 3D deformity of the patients with lumbar degenerative disease and correction of the deformity by LLIF using patient-specific 3D CT models.

Methods

We measured the disc height and 3D alignment of the lumbar spine in 28 patients with degenerative disease undergoing LLIF using patient-specific 3D CT models created preoperatively and 3 months after surgery. The 3D alignment was calculated as wedge, lordosis and axial rotation angles at each motion segment. The disc height and the rotational angles were compared between before and after LLIF.

Results

A strong positive correlation was found between the wedge angle and the axial rotation angles (r = 0.718, P < 0.001) in the patients with lumbar degenerative disease preoperatively. The wedge and axial rotation angles decreased after surgery (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). A positive correlation was found between the corrected wedge angle and the corrected axial rotation angle (r = 0.46, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

The present study demonstrated positive correlations between the wedge deformity and the axial rotational deformity in the patients with lumbar degenerative disease. The axial rotational deformity was simultaneously corrected with LLIF only by leveling the intervertebral wedge deformity via cage insertion without additional correction procedure.

Graphic abstract

These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.
Factors associated with decision-making on prophylactic hysterectomy and attitudes towards gynecological surveillance among women with Lynch syndrome (LS): a descriptive study
Authors: Kalamo Mari H. , Mäenpää J. U. , Seppälä T. T. , Mecklin J. P. , Huhtala H. , Sorvettula K. , Pylvänäinen K. , Staff S.
Published: January 2020

To prevent endometrial carcinoma in Lynch syndrome (LS), regular gynecological surveillance visits and prophylactic surgery are recommended. Previous data have shown that prophylactic hysterectomy is an effective means of cancer prevention, while the advantages and disadvantages of surveillance are somewhat unclear. We aimed to evaluate female LS carriers’ attitudes towards regular gynecological surveillance and factors influencing their decision-making on prophylactic surgery that have not been well documented. Pain experienced during endometrial biopsies was also evaluated. Postal questionnaires were sent to LS carriers undergoing regular gynecological surveillance. Questionnaires were sent to 112 women with LS, of whom 76 responded (68%). Forty-two (55%) had undergone prophylactic hysterectomy by the time of the study. The majority of responders (64/76; 84.2%) considered surveillance appointments beneficial. Pain level during endometrial biopsy was not associated with the decision to undergo prophylactic surgery. The level of satisfaction the women had with the information and advice provided during surveillance was significantly associated with the history of prophylactic hysterectomy (satisfaction rate of 73.2% versus 31.8% of nonoperated women, p = 0.003). The women who had undergone prophylactic surgery were older than the nonoperated women both at mutation testing (median of 42.3 years versus 31.6 years, p < 0.001) and at the time of the study (median of 56.9 years versus 46.0 years, respectively, p < 0.001). Women with LS pathogenic variants have positive experiences with gynecological surveillance visits, and their perception of the quality of the information and advice obtained plays an important role in their decision-making concerning prophylactic surgery.
Influence of Horizontal and Vertical Barriers on Fire Development for Ventilated Façades
Authors: Čolić Antonela , Pečur Ivana Banjad
Published: January 2020

Although using various innovative materials for ventilated facade systems positively contribute to the energy efficiency of buildings, the application of such materials can also pose a certain risk of fire propagation through the façade. In the last decade, medium and large-scale tests, as well as numerical analysis have been performed to assess the impact of fire barriers on fire propagation through ventilated façades. However, the number of fire barriers and their specific positions can also have an effect on the fire safety of facades, which has not been studied. Consequently, the question arises whether real fire exposure on a façade can be adequately simulated and analysed in sufficient detail, by using large-scale testing methods. This paper aims to conduct a parametric analysis on a broader range of large-scale samples by using the procedure given in the standard BS 8414-1:2015 + A1:2017. To understand better the impact of the number and position of cavity barriers for different types of insulation materials (stone wool/PIR/phenolic foam) used in modern façade systems with non-combustible cladding (ACM-A2). Seven tests were carried out in Croatia between October 2017 and April 2018. In the case of combustible insulation, two horizontal barriers were insufficient in preventing fire propagation. Temperatures accumulated above 600°C, reaching 840°C in PIR insulation and 979°C in phenolic foam insulation. For the same sample designed with non-combustible insulation, the maximum temperature measured was 133°C. Facades with combustible insulation passed the test only when four horizontal barriers were used. The existence of vertical barriers had a positive impact on preventing the fire propagation because the insulation on the left side of the chamber, behind the vertical barrier, remained undamaged. Vertical barriers on the right side of the chamber delayed the horizontal fire propagation from the main wall to the wing wall depending on the type of insulation. The results from these tests can serve as a basis for future research on the effects of fire barriers on fire propagation.
Visual statistical learning in children with and without DLD and its relation to literacy in children with DLD
Authors: Lammertink Imme , Boersma Paul , Rispens Judith , Wijnen Frank
Published: January 2020

Visual statistical learning (VSL) has been proposed to underlie literacy development in typically developing (TD) children. A deficit in VSL may thus contribute to the observed problems with written language in children with dyslexia. Interestingly, although many children with developmental language disorder (DLD) exhibit problems with written language similar to those seen in children with dyslexia, few studies investigated the presence of a VSL deficit in DLD, and we know very little about the relation between VSL and literacy in this group of children. After testing 36 primary-school-aged children (ages 7;8–10;4) with DLD and their TD peers on a self-paced VSL task, two reading tasks and a spelling task, we find no evidence for or against a VSL deficit in DLD, nor for associations between VSL and literacy in DLD. We discuss the implications for our understanding of language (and literacy) difficulties in children with DLD.
Internalisation of Relations
Authors: Rojek Paweł
Published: January 2020

The discussion about internal and external relations usually concerns what kind of relations exist. In this paper, I take up another question, namely whether external relations can become internal and internal relations become external. My starting point is the concept of a “relational collapse” formulated by the Soviet and Ukrainian philosopher Avenir Uemov. I try to develop his idea, distinguishing two senses of internal relation, based on the concepts of ground and essence. As I argue, internalisation may consist either on groundation or essentialisation of relations. Contrary to Uemov, both of these processes seem to be reversible, so we should also introduce the concepts of ungroundation and accidentalisation of relations. These four concepts form a framework for the general theory of internalisation and externalisation of relations. This framework seems to be particularly useful in analysis of some problems in social ontology.
Thymus Regeneration and Future Challenges
Authors: Shichkin Valentin P. , Antica Mariastefania
Published: January 2020

Thymus regenerative therapy implementation is severely obstructed by the limited number and expansion capacity in vitro of tissue-specific thymic epithelial stem cells (TESC). Current solutions are mostly based on growth factors that can drive differentiation of pluripotent stem cells toward tissue-specific TESC. Target-specific small chemical compounds represent an alternative solution that could induce and support the clonal expansion of TESC and reversibly block their differentiation into mature cells. These compounds could be used both in the composition of culture media designed for TESC expansion in vitro, and in drugs development for thymic regeneration in vivo. It should allow reaching the ultimate objective - autologous thymic tissue regeneration in paediatric patients who had their thymus removed in the course of cardiac surgery.
A duration approach for the measurement of biometric risks in life insurance
Authors: Radermacher Marius , Recht Peter
Published: January 2020

Duration concepts are standard methods for measuring interest rate risks of portfolios, liabilities or other cash flows. Macaulay duration, effective duration and key-rate duration are widely used in practice according to different types of yield curves. In this paper, we will present a formulation for a forward rate duration measure by using multi-dimensional Taylor series approximation. It allows to measure the interest rate risk based on arbitrary forward rates. This approach can easily be adopted for biometric risk management, allowing the definition of a biometric duration. The biometric duration will be applied to actuarial present values of premiums and benefits as well as the actuarial reserve to quantify the corresponding biometric risk. It proves to be an easy-to-use tool in the actuarial practise.
Bridging the disciplinary gap in conservation agriculture research, in Malawi. A review
Authors: Hermans Thirze D. G. , Whitfield Stephen , Dougill Andrew J. , Thierfelder Christian
Published: January 2020

Conservation Agriculture has emerged as a popular form of climate smart agriculture aimed at enhancing climate change resilience for smallholder farmers across Africa. Despite positive biophysical results, adoption rates remain low. It has been acknowledged that improved understanding of farmer decision-making is needed due to the variation in socio-economic and agro-ecological contexts which drives the research agenda to answer the question ‘what forms of Conservation Agriculture work, where, and why?’. To fully understand this question, we need to approach the study of Conservation Agriculture within complex farming systems by collating and integrating different forms of knowledge. In this paper, we discuss (1) a comparison of disciplinary approaches to evaluating Conservation Agriculture in Malawi, (2) the identification of the knowledge gaps that persist at the intersection of these disciplines and (3) recommendations for alternative and interdisciplinary approaches in addressing these knowledge gaps. With a focus on published studies from Malawi, we show that the Conservation Agriculture literature represents two distinct approaches to addressing the question ‘what forms of Conservation Agriculture work, where, and why?’, namely agro-ecological and socio-economic and that neither of these approaches can address the full scope of this question, in particular its ‘why’ component. To overcome these challenges, there is a need for access to compatible, comprehensive data sets, methodological approaches including farmer participation and ethnography, through on-farm trial research as a middle ground between disciplinary approaches.
A multivariate regression parametric study on DEM input parameters of free-flowing and cohesive powders with experimental data-based validation
Authors: El-Kassem Bilal , Salloum Nizar , Brinz Thomas , Heider Yousef , Markert Bernd
Published: January 2020

One of the key challenges in the implementation of discrete element method (DEM) to model powder’s flow is the appropriate selection of material parameters, where empirical approaches are mostly applied. The aim of this study is to develop an alternative systematic numerical approach that can efficiently and accurately predict the influence of different DEM parameters on various sought macroscopic responses, where, accordingly, model validation based on experimental data is applied. Therefore, design of experiment and multivariate regression analysis, using an optimized quadratic D-optimal design model and new analysis tools, i.e., adjusted response and Pareto graphs, are applied. A special focus is laid on the impact of six DEM microscopic input parameters (i.e., coefficients of static and rolling friction, coefficient of restitution, particle size, Young’s modulus and cohesion energy density) on five macroscopic output responses (i.e., angle of repose, porosity, mass flow rate, translational kinetic energy and computation time) using angle of repose tests applied to free-flowing and cohesive powders. The underlying analyses and tests show, for instance, the substantial impact of the rolling friction coefficient and the minor role of the static friction coefficient or the particle size on the angle of repose in cohesive powders. In addition, in both powders, the porosity parameter is highly influenced by the static and rolling friction coefficients.
Effects of rumen-protected folic acid and betaine supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestion, rumen fermentation and blood metabolites in Angus bulls
Authors: Wang C. , Liu C. , Zhang G. W. , Du H. S. , Wu Z. Z. , Liu Q. , Guo G. , Huo W. J. , Zhang J. , Pei C. X. , Chen L. , Zhang S. L.
Published: January 2020

This study evaluated the effects of rumen-protected folic acid (RPFA) and betaine (BT) on growth performance, nutrient digestion and blood metabolites in bulls. Forty-eight Angus bulls were blocked by body weight and randomly assigned to four treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial design. BT of 0 or 0·6 g/kg DM was supplemented to diet without or with the addition of 6 mg/kg DM of folic acid from RPFA, respectively. Average daily gain increased by 25·2 and 6·29 % for addition of BT without RPFA and with RPFA, respectively. Digestibility and ruminal total volatile fatty acids of neutral-detergent fibre and acid-detergent fibre increased, feed conversion ratio and blood folate decreased with the addition of BT without RPFA, but these parameters were unchanged with BT addition in diet with RPFA. Digestibility of DM, organic matter and crude protein as well as acetate:propionate ratio increased with RPFA or BT addition. Ruminal ammonia-N decreased with RPFA addition. Activity of carboxymethyl cellulase, cellobiase, xylanase, pectinase and protease as well as population of total bacteria, protozoa,Fibrobacter succinogenesandRuminobacter amylophilusincreased with RPFA or BT addition. Laccase activity and total fungi,Ruminococcus flavefaciensandPrevotella ruminicolapopulation increased with RPFA addition, whereasRuminococcus albuspopulation increased with BT addition. Blood glucose, total protein, albumin, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 increased with RPFA addition. Addition of RPFA or BT decreased blood homocysteine. The results indicated that addition of BT stimulated growth and nutrient digestion in bulls only when RPFA was not supplemented.
Images of Transition: the Ways of Death in Celtic Hispania
Authors: Simón Francisco Marco
Published: January 2020

Having in mind that the knowledge of context is essential to the reading and interpretation of ancient images, this paper deals with unconventional iconographies displaying key elements of the funerary ideology among the peoples of Indo-European Hispania. Two main itineraries – over water and by air – which are not mutually exclusive, are considered in those transits to the Other World in a visual history that, by calling on ancestral memory, help to construct new Romano-Celtic identities.
Bracers or Bracelets? About the Functionality and Meaning of Bell Beaker Wrist-guards
Authors: Fokkens Harry , Achterkamp Yvonne , Kuijpers Maikel
Published: January 2020

The Bell Beaker bracers, or wrist-guards, are traditionally thought to have functioned as archery equipment, protecting the arm against the sting of the bowstring. Their position on the body is therefore thought to have been on the inside of the lower arm. Through analysis of the position in which wrist-guards are found, we have come to the conclusion that they were, however, more often than not fastened to the outside of the arm, which leads us to consider a range of new possible uses and meanings for the bracers. With combined information from archaeological and ethnographic surveys we have come to think of the stone wrist-guard as an artefact that was associated with a martial, ideologically-laden activity in the Bell Beaker culture.
The Ausonian Pottery of Lipari (Aeolian Islands, Sicily) – a Typological
and Petrological Assessment
Authors: W. Williams John , Levi Sara T.
Published: January 2020

A petrographic analysis of 74 Ausonian (Late Bronze Age) sherds from the
Acropolis of Lipari (Aeolian Islands, Sicily) was undertaken to ascertain
whether they represent intrusive mainland Italian Subapenninian and
Protovillanovan imports, as their typology might suggest, or were the
products of an indigenous island economy. The sample included ‘impasto’ and
painted pottery and was extended to include 15 Apenninian sherds from the
preceding Milazzese cultural phase. The Acropolis has an almost unbroken
stratified ceramic succession from the Middle Neolithic to the early
historic period and the site is located in an island with a restricted, but
well defined, volcanic geology. The petrographic evidence indicates that the
Ausonian pottery is the product of the indigenous insular economy using both
local and imported materials. This conclusion suggess that new ceramic forms
were quickly transposed by the ‘native’ potters of Lipari to produce an
indigenous ‘Subapenninian’ and ‘Protovillanovan’ range of wares.
Landscape Narratives: the South East Cheviots Project
Authors: Topping Peter , Blood Keith , Bowden Mark , Carter Anne , Fenner Vickie , Mackay Donnie , McOmish David , Pearson Trevor , Sainsbury Iain , Sinton Philip , Welfare Humphrey
Published: January 2020

‘The huts are now roofless, the fires of the hearths quenched for ever, the fortifications levelled; yet these ruins have out-lasted the erections of more civilized times, and they still remain to tell us something of the busy population who hunted, tended flocks, tilled the ground, and quarrelled and fought, at a very distant period (in the valley of the Breamish)’. George Tate (1863, 302)

This paper describes the results of the South East Cheviots Project undertaken by the former Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (RCHME; now part of English Heritage) during the 1980s. An area of 66 square kilometres was analytically recorded, ranging from the Breamish Valley in the north to Alnham in the south and from Brandon in the east to Schill Moor in the west. The project recorded with metrical accuracy all forms of cultivation remains, field systems, and settlements of all periods (only the prehistoric evidence will be reviewed in this paper). This landscape approach has led to a greater understanding of settlement histories in these remarkably well-preserved uplands. Recent excavations undertaken by the Northumberland Archaeological Group (NAG) and Durham University, under the auspices of the Northumberland National Park Authority (NNPA), have helped to clarify and contextualise further aspects of the chronology of settlement and landscape change recorded by the SECP.
Enacting the ‘civilian plus’: International humanitarian actors and the conceptualization of distinction
Authors: Sutton Rebecca
Published: January 2020

The civilian-combatant frame persists as the main legal lens through which lawyers organize the relationships of conflict zone actors. As a result, little attention has been paid in international legal scholarship to different gradations of ‘civilianness’ and the ways in which some civilians might compete to distinguish themselves from each other. Drawing attention to international humanitarian actors – particularly those working for NGOs – this article explores the micro-strategies these actors engage in to negotiate their relative status in war. Original qualitative empirical findings from South Sudan illuminate the way in which humanitarians struggle over distinction with individuals working for the UN peacekeeping mission, UNMISS. As is shown, humanitarian actors are doing away with a static civilian-combatant binary in their daily practice. A more fluid logic informs both their self-conceptualization and their interactions with others who share the operational space. Humanitarian actors envision civilianness as a contingent concept, and they operate according to a continuum along which everything is a matter of degree and subtle gradation. As civilianness is detached from the civilian, any given actor might acquire or shed civilian-like, or combatant-like, characteristics at any moment. The distinction practices that humanitarian actors enact can be understood as a bid for legibility, so that they might be rendered intelligible in international law and in the eyes of other actors as a special kind of civilian – the ‘civilian plus’.
1918 and a Hundred Years of Habsburg and Yugoslav Historiography
Authors: Vojinović Miloš
Published: January 2020

A century has passed since the demise of the Habsburg Empire and the birth of Yugoslavia, and for the last hundred years, historians have tried to make sense of this change. I strive to answer the question, what are the loudest silences of the two states’ historiographies? I employ a mountain metaphor, and argue that although a mountain looks different from various positions, every mountain still has only one shape. I analyze how the turbulent history of the last hundred years pushed historians toward different “truths” and watchtowers, and demonstrate how both historiographies were shrouded around notions of loss and creation, in the case of both Hapsburg and Yugoslav historiographies, respectively. This essay argues that the loudest silence of both historiographies is the fact that historiography itself constitutes, at least in part, the “mountain” of both Yugoslav and Habsburg history.
Searching for the Ukrainian Revolution
Authors: Yekelchyk Serhy
Published: January 2020

This article discusses the possible ways of conceptualizing the revolutionary and nation-building struggles in the Ukrainian lands between 1917 and 1921. The author argues that these processes, which stemmed from the collapse of two European empires, display features not easily accommodated within the traditional interpretive model of the “Russian Revolution.” In comparison, the Ukrainian concept of “national-liberation struggle” is too reductionist and teleological. The term “Ukrainian Revolution,” which was widely used by the participants of these events, is better suited for an inclusive analysis of this period that emphasizes the significance of the national factor without ignoring the others. Rather than “nationalizing” the story of the Revolution, such an approach highlights the transnational dimensions of the Ukrainian question.
Hydraulic Fracturing Induced Seismicity in the Southern Sichuan Basin Due to Fluid Diffusion Inferred From Seismic and Injection Data Analysis
Authors: Tan Yuyang , Hu Jun , Zhang Haijiang , Chen Yukuan , Qian Jiawei , Wang Quanfeng , Zha Huasheng , Tang Pan , Nie Zhou
Published: January 2020

In the southern Sichuan Basin, China, the recent increase in the seismic activity has been suspected to be related to hydraulic fracturing stimulation for producing the shale gas. In this study, we used the monitoring data from a local seismic network within the shale gas blocks to study the earthquakes near the shale gas production wells that have detailed injection data. Comparison of the timing of earthquakes and stimulation schedule of the studied well pads indicates an apparent correlation between the seismic activity and hydraulic fracturing. The results of seismic velocity tomography reveal that the reactivation of preexisting faults due to fluid diffusion is the primary cause of the observed earthquakes. Focal mechanism analysis combined with geomechanical modeling indicates that the increased pore pressures resulted from hydraulic fracturing are sufficient to trigger seismic slip on the faults.
On the Impacts of El Niño Events: A New Monitoring Approach Using Complex Network Analysis
Authors: Lu Zhenghui , Yuan Naiming , Chen Lin , Gong Zhiqiang
Published: January 2020

It is well known that El Niño events can induce worldwide impacts. However, the fact that strong El Niño events do not necessarily induce strong impacts raises a new research question: how to estimate the impacts of El Niño events in advance? To address this question, we studied the El Niño impacts from the perspective of complex network. By comparing the results from five El Niño events with distinct impacts, we found that the phase transition of the surface air temperature network over tropical Pacific is closely related to the El Niño impacts. This phenomenon was used to explain the less‐than‐expected impacts of the strong 2015/2016 El Niño, which is suggested more like a Central Pacific‐Eastern Pacific mixed El Niño. To monitor the impacts objectively, we further proposed an index, which can be used in real‐time operations.
Flow‐to‐Sliding Transition in Crystal‐Bearing Magma
Authors: Qin Zhipeng , Suckale Jenny
Published: January 2020

The presence of crystals in magmatic flows introduces spatial heterogeneity, which can build up to the degree that the flow behavior of the crystal‐bearing magma becomes substantially different from that of a pure melt. One example is the transition from flow to sliding, in which the deformation in the crystalline magma is concentrated almost entirely in a thin interfacial layer as opposed to being distributed in a typical flow profile throughout the domain. In this study, we use numerical reproductions of existing laboratory experiments of Fuji basalt in a rotational viscometer to identify when the flow‐to‐sliding transition is likely to occur in crystal‐bearing magma. We utilize a direct numerical method to resolve the interactions between the crystals and the magmatic melt at the scale of individual interfaces in 2‐D. All phase interactions and their aggregate effects on the flow emerge self‐consistently from the simulation itself. We find that the long‐range hydrodynamic interactions between crystals create nonlinear flow behavior even at low crystal fractions. By performing simulations in different geometries, we show that the formation and stability of force chains in crystal‐bearing magma depend sensitively not only on the crystal shape and size but also on the geometry of the experimental apparatuses. Our simulations are consistent with the observed discrepancies in previous laboratory measurements of shear thinning behavior, highlighting the delicacies of using point measurements in experiments to constrain the bulk rheology of crystal‐bearing magma.
The life cycle of cancer-associated fibroblasts within the tumour stroma and its importance in disease outcome
Authors: D’Arcangelo Elisa , Wu Nila C. , Cadavid Jose L. , McGuigan Alison P.
Published: January 2020

The tumour microenvironment (TME) determines vital aspects of tumour development, such as tumour growth, metastases and response to therapy. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are abundant and extremely influential in this process and interact with cellular and matrix TME constituents such as endothelial and immune cells and collagens, fibronectin and elastin, respectively. However, CAFs are also the recipients of signals—both chemical and physical—that are generated by the TME, and their phenotype effectively evolves alongside the tumour mass during tumour progression. Amid a rising clinical interest in CAFs as a crucial force for disease progression, this review aims to contextualise the CAF phenotype using the chronological framework of the CAF life cycle within the evolving tumour stroma, ranging from quiescent fibroblasts to highly proliferative and secretory CAFs. The emergence, properties and clinical implications of CAF activation are discussed, as well as research strategies used to characterise CAFs and current clinical efforts to alter CAF function as a therapeutic strategy.
Differential Repair Protein Recruitment at Sites of Clustered and Isolated DNA Double-Strand Breaks Produced by High-Energy Heavy Ions
Authors: Jakob Burkhard , Dubiak-Szepietowska Monika , Janiel Ellen , Schmidt Alina , Durante Marco , Taucher-Scholz Gisela
Published: January 2020

DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair is crucial to maintain genomic stability. The fidelity of the repair depends on the complexity of the lesion, with clustered DSBs being more difficult to repair than isolated breaks. Using live cell imaging of heavy ion tracks produced at a high-energy particle accelerator we visualised simultaneously the recruitment of different proteins at individual sites of complex and simple DSBs in human cells. NBS1 and 53BP1 were recruited in a few seconds to complex DSBs, but in 40% of the isolated DSBs the recruitment was delayed approximately 5 min. Using base excision repair (BER) inhibitors we demonstrate that some simple DSBs are generated by enzymatic processing of base damage, while BER did not affect the complex DSBs. The results show that DSB processing and repair kinetics are dependent on the complexity of the breaks and can be different even for the same clastogenic agent.
Three-dimensional water mapping of succulent Agave victoriae-reginae leaves by terahertz imaging
Authors: Singh Abhishek K. , Pérez-López Arely V. , Simpson June , Castro-Camus Enrique
Published: January 2020

While terahertz imaging has been used before for the determination of water content in vegetative tissue, most studies have either presented measurements of the temporal evolution of water content at a single-point of the plant or have presented two-dimensional images of leaves, demonstrating the potential of the technique, but relatively little of such information has been used to support biologically relevant conclusions. In this article we introduce terahertz time-domain spectroscopic imaging as a technique for the determination of the three-dimensional distribution of water in succulent plant tissues. We present the first three-dimensional water mapping of an agave leaf, which demonstrates an unprecedented capability to study the water retention mechanisms within succulent plants. We found that agave leaves are composed of a low-hydration outer tissue layer, defined by the outermost layer of vascular tissue that surrounds a high-hydration tissue, the carbohydrate rich hydrenchyma. The findings are supported by histological images and the correlation between the water content and carbohydrate presence is consistent with recently published findings of a remarkably large hydration shell associated with agave fructans.
Machine learning-based prediction of glioma margin from 5-ALA induced PpIX fluorescence spectroscopy
Authors: Leclerc Pierre , Ray Cedric , Mahieu-Williame Laurent , Alston Laure , Frindel Carole , Brevet Pierre-François , Meyronet David , Guyotat Jacques , Montcel Bruno , Rousseau David
Published: January 2020

Gliomas are infiltrative brain tumors with a margin difficult to identify. 5-ALA induced PpIX fluorescence measurements are a clinical standard, but expert-based classification models still lack sensitivity and specificity. Here a fully automatic clustering method is proposed to discriminate glioma margin. This is obtained from spectroscopic fluorescent measurements acquired with a recently introduced intraoperative set up. We describe a data-driven selection of best spectral features and show how this improves results of margin prediction from healthy tissue by comparison with the standard biomarker-based prediction. This pilot study based on 10 patients and 50 samples shows promising results with a best performance of 77% of accuracy in healthy tissue prediction from margin tissue.