bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
HR‐LC‐ESI‐Orbitrap‐MS based metabolite profiling of Prunus dulcis Mill. (Italian cultivars Toritto and Avola) husks and evaluation of antioxidant activity
Authors: Bottone Alfredo , Masullo Milena , Montoro Paola , Pizza Cosimo , Piacente Sonia
Published: February 2019

Introduction

Prunus dulcis Mill. is a plant cultivated for the production of its edible seeds, known as sweet almonds. In the last decades almond demand has highly increased due to their wide use in the industrial manufacturing of almond‐based foods; this has led to a huge production of waste materials, mainly corresponding to shells and husks.

Objective

To achieve a deeper understanding of the chemical composition of almond husks with the aim of exploring these byproducts as a source of bioactives to be used in nutraceutical and cosmetic formulations.

Methods

Methanol, ethanol and ethanol–water extracts of the almond husks were analysed by high‐resolution liquid chromatography electrospray ionisation Orbitrap mass spectrometry (HR‐LC‐ESI‐Orbitrap‐MS) in negative ion mode. Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) data were acquired by using the Data‐Dependent Scan experiment, allowing the precursor ion to be selected as the most intense peak during LC‐MS analyses. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments were performed on a Bruker DRX‐600 spectrometer. Folin–Ciocalteu, DPPH• (2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl) and TEAC (Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity) assays were employed to determine the total phenolic content and the radical scavenging activity of the extracts.

Results

The LC‐MS/MS analysis of the methanol extract guided the isolation of phloroglucinol derivatives, flavonoids and terpenes. Eco‐friendly extraction methods showed to be selective in extracting flavonoids while the comparison of the LC‐MS profiles of the Italian cultivars Toritto and Avola showed significant differences, confirming how different growing conditions may influence the metabolome of a plant species.

Conclusion

This study led to a deeper insight into the chemical constituents of almond husks and showed how the eco‐friendly extraction resulted in an effective method to obtain extracts rich in antioxidant sources.
A systematic review of methods for determining cross‐sectional active medications using pharmacy databases
Authors: Anderson Timothy S. , Xu Edison , Whitaker Evans , Steinman Michael A.
Published: February 2019

Purpose

Pharmacy dispensing databases are often used to identify patients' medications at a particular time point, for example to measure prescribing quality or the impact of medication use on clinical outcomes. We performed a systematic review of studies that examined methods to assess medications in use at a specific point in time.

Methods

Comprehensive literature search to identify studies that compared active medications identified using pharmacy databases to medications identified using nonautomated data sources. Two investigators independently reviewed abstracts and full‐text material.

Results

Of 496 studies screened, 29 studies evaluating 50 comparisons met inclusion criteria. Twenty‐nine comparisons evaluated fixed look‐back period approaches, defining active medications as those filled in a specified period prior to the index date (range 84‐730 days). Fourteen comparisons evaluated medication‐on‐hand approaches, defining active medications as those for which the most recent fill provided sufficient supply to last through the study index date. Sensitivity ranged from 48% to 93% for fixed look‐back period approaches and 35% to 97% for medication‐on‐hand approaches. Interpretation of comparative performance of methods was limited by use of different reference sources, target medication classes, and databases across studies. In four studies with head‐to‐head comparisons of these methods, sensitivity of the medication‐on‐hand approach was a median of 7% lower than the corresponding fixed look‐back approach.

Conclusions

The reported accuracy of methods for identifying active medications using pharmacy databases differs greatly across studies. More direct comparisons of common approaches are needed to establish the accuracy of methods within and across populations, medication classes, and databases.
Controlled synthesis of thermoresponsive polymers derived from l‐Lysine, a biorenewable resource
Authors: Liu Junmei , Gu Jin , Luo Jing , Wang Shixue , Zhang Hao , Tao Youhua
Published: February 2019

Renewable lysine was cyclized to its corresponding α‐amino‐ε‐caprolactam and then underwent the reaction with acryloyl chloride to harvest a 2‐acrylamido‐caprolactam (ACL) monomer. Subsequent reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer copolymerization of the obtained monomer with oligo(ethylene glycol)acrylate (OEGA) gave well‐defined P(ACL‐co‐OEGA) with low distribution. Nuclear magnetic resonance , size exclusion chromatography, and matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization–time‐of‐flight–mass spectrometry measurements indicated the controlled feature of the polymerization. Moreover, the resultant copolymers demonstrated thermoresponsiveness, and the cloud points (Tcp) can be adjusted from 34 to 79 °C, by changing pH values, and the fraction of cyclic lysine. These results suggested that these lysine‐based thermoresponsive polymers might be used as new materials in biomedical fields. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019, 57, 862–868
Exposure–Response‐Based Product Profile–Driven Clinical Utility Index for Ipatasertib Dose Selection in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Zhu Rui , Poland Bill , Wada Russ , Liu Qi , Musib Luna , Maslyar Daniel , Cho Eunpi , Yu Wei , Ma Han , Jin Jin Yan , Budha Nageshwar
Published: February 2019

The aims of this work were to characterize ipatasertib exposure–response (E‐R) relationships in a phase II study and to quantitatively assess benefit‐risk using a clinical utility index approach to support ipatasertib phase III dose selection in patients with metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer. Logistic regression and Cox proportional‐hazards models characterized E‐R relationships for safety and efficacy endpoints, respectively. Exposure metrics with and without considering dose interruptions/reductions (modifications) were tested in the E‐R models. Despite a steeper E‐R relationship when accounting for dose modifications, similar dose‐response projections were generated. The clinical utility index analysis assessed important attributes, weights, and clinically meaningful cutoff/tradeoff values based on predefined minimal, target, and optimistic product profiles. Ipatasertib 400 mg daily, showing the highest probability of achieving the minimal product profiles and better benefit‐risk balance than other doses (200–500 mg daily), was selected for further development in metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer.
Photoconductive Behavior of the PPV/RGO Composites: Insights of Charge Transfer Process
Authors: Ilie Mirela , Dragoman Daniela , Baibarac Mihaela
Published: February 2019

The paper deals with a study of composites based on poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) (PPV) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) in terms of photoconductivity and photocurrent (PC) dynamics in charge‐discharge cyclic processes. The explanation for the photoconductive behavior is built with the support of DeVore and Onsager theories. Scanning samples in both directions involves charge transport, to and from, available energy states called defect centers. The existence of these centers is confirmed by a decrease in the composite bandgap caused by the RGO localized states which are situated slightly above the first HOMO level in the PPV bandgap. The contribution of RGO to the photoconductive properties of PPV is revealed through a photocurrent value with two orders of magnitude higher than for PPV.
The effect of cumin supplementation on metabolic profiles in patients with metabolic syndrome: A randomized, triple blind, placebo‐controlled clinical trial
Authors: Morovati Ashti , Pourghassem Gargari Bahram , Sarbakhsh Parvin , Azari Hushyar , Lotfi‐Dizaji Lida
Published: February 2019

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of interconnected serious disorders, which is a major health problem whose prevalence is increasing. Oxidative stress and inflammation contribute to the disease pathogenesis and its complications. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of Cuminum cyminum L. (which has antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties) essential oil (CuEO) supplementation on inflammatory and antioxidant status in patients with MetS. In this clinical trial, 56 patients with MetS aged 18–60 years received either 75‐mg CuEO or placebo soft gel, thrice daily, for 8 weeks. Data on anthropometric parameters, food consumption, tumor necrosis factor alpha, high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase, catalase, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were assessed at the beginning and at the end of the study. Compared with the placebo group, CuEO increased SOD (149.17; 95% CI, [67.93, 230.42]), TAC (0.24; 95% CI, [0.09, 0.38]) and decreased MDA (−0.36; 95% CI, [−0.66, 0.06]), (p < 0.01). In within‐group analysis, CuEO led to 13.3% decrease in MDA and 6.7% increase in TAC levels (p < 0.04). The results indicated that CuEO supplementation can improve some antioxidative indices, as SOD and TAC, while decreasing MDA in patients with MetS.
Bronchoscopic observation with linked colour imaging
Authors: Yamamoto Shinichi , Shibano Tomoki , Sogabe Masaya , Negishi Hideki , Mitsuda Sayaka , Endo Shunsuke
Published: February 2019

We report two cases of the comparison of diagnosis made with linked color imaging (LCI) and conventional white‐light imaging (WLI) on the same patients. In case 1, a 75‐year‐old man in whom right upper lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection was performed due to lung cancer had signs of bronchitis on postoperative day 8. The LCI demonstrated slight inflammatory changes that were not detectable with the conventional WLI on the tracheal wall. In case 2, in a 61‐year‐old woman who was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, the bronchial wall was checked to confirm the extent of the tumour. The submucosal vascularity and tumour margin on the bronchial mucosa were better visible on LCI than on WLI. We could easily detect the mucosal inflammatory lesion and the malignant lesion with LCI in comparison with conventional WLI. Both mucosal inflammatory and malignant lesions were better visible with LCI in comparison to WLI.
Low‐complexity adaptive tracking control of MIMO nonlinear systems with unknown control directions
Authors: Zhang Jin‐Xi , Yang Guang‐Hong
Published: February 2019

This paper is concerned with the tracking control problem for a class of multiple‐input–multiple‐output systems with unmatched disturbances and the unknown additive and multiplicative nonlinearities. The objective is to provide a low‐complexity control solution in the sense that (i) approximating structures are not involved, despite unknown nonlinearities and (ii) iterative calculations of command derivatives are avoided in the backstepping design. A robust adaptive control strategy is proposed to fulfill the task. In the control design, a new‐type adaptive law is first developed to update Nussbaum gains to handle control direction uncertainties, while ensuring Nussbaum gains bounded. Then, the potential robustness of error constraint techniques is exploited to counteract the effects of unknown nonlinearities and disturbances and achieve predefined transient and steady‐state tracking performance. Finally, simulation results are given to illustrate the above theoretical findings.
The mixed model for the analysis of a repeated‐measurement multivariate count data
Authors: Martin Ivonne , Uh Hae‐Won , Supali Taniawati , Mitreva Makedonka , Houwing‐Duistermaat Jeanine J.
Published: February 2019

Clustered overdispersed multivariate count data are challenging to model due to the presence of correlation within and between samples. Typically, the first source of correlation needs to be addressed but its quantification is of less interest. Here, we focus on the correlation between time points. In addition, the effects of covariates on the multivariate counts distribution need to be assessed. To fulfill these requirements, a regression model based on the Dirichlet‐multinomial distribution for association between covariates and the categorical counts is extended by using random effects to deal with the additional clustering. This model is the Dirichlet‐multinomial mixed regression model. Alternatively, a negative binomial regression mixed model can be deployed where the corresponding likelihood is conditioned on the total count. It appears that these two approaches are equivalent when the total count is fixed and independent of the random effects. We consider both subject‐specific and categorical‐specific random effects. However, the latter has a larger computational burden when the number of categories increases. Our work is motivated by microbiome data sets obtained by sequencing of the amplicon of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. These data have a compositional structure and are typically overdispersed. The microbiome data set is from an epidemiological study carried out in a helminth‐endemic area in Indonesia. The conclusions are as follows: time has no statistically significant effect on microbiome composition, the correlation between subjects is statistically significant, and treatment has a significant effect on the microbiome composition only in infected subjects who remained infected.
Synthesis and Applications of Red‐Emissive Carbon Dots
Authors: Wang Jianying , Zhu Yuhua , Wang Lei
Published: February 2019

Carbon dots (CDs), a new class of fluorescent carbon nanoparticles (less than 10 nm in size), have been widely applied in various fields, including sensors, bioimaging, catalysis, light‐emitting devices (LEDs), and photoelectronic devices, owing to their unique properties such as low toxicity, bio‐compatibility, high photostability, easy surface modification, and up‐conversion fluorescence, over the past decades. Recently, multiple‐color‐emissive CDs, especially red‐emissive CDs (RCDs), have drawn much attention owing to their unique advantages, like the ability to penetrate the animal bodies without the disturbance of strong tissue autofluorescence, multiple‐color fluorescence displaying or sensing, and the capacity to be one essential component to obtain white LED (WLED). In this review, we focused on the progress of recently‐emerging RCDs in the past five years, including their synthetic methods (hydrothermal, solvothermal, reflux condensation and microwave techniques), influencing factors (precursors, solvents, elements doping, surface chemistry) and various applications (bioimaging, sensor, photocatalysis and WLEDs), with a perspective on the future advancements.
The dog (Canis familiaris) as a translational model of autism: It is high time we move from promise to reality
Authors: Topál József , Román Viktor , Turcsán Borbála
Published: February 2019

Selecting appropriate animal models for a particular human phenomenon is a difficult but important challenge. The difficulty lies in finding animal behaviors that are not only sufficiently relevant and analog to the complex human symptoms (face validity) but also have similar underlying biological and etiological mechanisms (translational or construct validity), and have “human‐like” responses to treatment (predictive validity). Over the past several years, the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) has become increasingly proposed as a model for comparative and translational neuroscience. In parallel to the recent advances in canine behavior research, dogs have also been proposed as a model of many human neuropsychiatric conditions, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this opinion paper we will shortly discuss the challenging nature of autism research then summarize the different neurocognitive frameworks for ASD making the case for a canine model of autism. The translational value of a dog model stems from the recognition that (a) there is a large inter‐individual variability in the manifestation of dogs' social cognitive abilities including both high and low phenotypic extremes; (b) the phenotypic similarity between the dog and human symptoms are much higher than between the rodent and human symptoms; (c) the symptoms are functionally analogous to the human condition; and (d) more likely to have similar etiology.

This article is categorized under:

Psychology > Comparative Psychology

Cognitive Biology > Evolutionary Roots of Cognition
Brewster's dark patch: a neglected optical phenomenon in the landscape
Authors: Können G. P.
Published: February 2019

Under clear skies and a low Sun, a dark patch appears on a surface of water at 90° from the Sun. The phenomenon is a naked‐eye manifestation of the polarisation of light of the blue sky. Although this every‐day occuring phenomenon is very conspicuous, it is only since 1980 that it has been discussed in the literature.
Mimicry, deception and competition: The life of competing endogenous RNAs
Authors: Grüll Marc P. , Massé Eric
Published: February 2019

Since their discovery, small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) were thought to be regulated exclusively at the transcriptional level. However, accumulating data from recent reports indicate that posttranscriptional signals can also modulate the function and stability of sRNAs. One of these posttranscriptional signals are competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs). Commonly called RNA sponges, ceRNAs can effectively sequester sRNAs and prevent them from binding their cognate target messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Subsequently, they prevent sRNA‐dependent regulation of translation and stability of mRNA targets. While some ceRNAs seem to be expressed constitutively, others are intricately regulated according to environmental conditions. The outcome of ceRNA binding to a sRNA reaches beyond simple sequestration. Various effects observed on sRNA functions extend from reducing transcriptional noise to promote RNA turnover. Here, we present a historical perspective of the discovery of ceRNAs in eukaryotic organisms and mainly focus on the synthesis and function of select, well‐described, ceRNAs in bacterial cells.

This article is categorized under:

RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Small Molecule–RNA Interactions

Translation > Translation Regulation

RNA Turnover and Surveillance > Regulation of RNA Stability
Advances in the histopathological characterization of breast tissue using combined X‐ray fluorescence and X‐ray diffraction data in a multivariate analysis approach
Authors: Johnston Eric M. , Dao Erica , Farquharson Michael J.
Published: February 2019

Previous studies have shown that the combination of X‐ray fluorescence and X‐ray diffraction data can be used as a histopathological characterization tool for breast tissue. Recent advances in energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence techniques have allowed for benchtop systems to produce useful results in a reasonable time frame, allowing for clinical implementation to be realized. Using a polarized energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence and energy‐dispersive X‐ray diffraction system optimized for measuring soft tissues, 38 breast tissue samples (19 normal and 19 diseased) were interrogated. The measured elemental concentrations and adipose and fibrous tissue contents were used in a principal component analysis study to determine the variables that produced the most differentiation between the normal and diseased tissues. For each sample, a soft independent modeling of class analogy technique was utilized to create classification models using the K, Fe, and Zn concentration and adipose and fibrous tissue content of all other breast samples. The class model produced from both X‐ray fluorescence and X‐ray diffraction data correctly classified 31 of 38 samples with no false positives or false negatives, showing improvement from solely X‐ray fluorescence models or X‐ray diffraction models alone, and demonstrates the usefulness of such a technique.
Diagram, valence‐to‐core, and hypersatellite Kβ X‐ray transitions in metallic chromium
Authors: Zeeshan Faisal , Hoszowska Joanna , Dousse Jean‐Claude , Sokaras Dimosthenis , Weng Tsu‐Chien , Alonso‐Mori Roberto , Kavčič Matjaz , Guerra Mauro , Sampaio Jorge Miguel , Parente Fernando , Indelicato Paul , Marques José Pires , Santos José Paulo
Published: February 2019

We report on measurements of the Kβ diagram, valence‐to‐core (VtC), and hypersatellite X‐ray spectra induced in metallic Cr by photon single and double K‐shell ionization. The experiment was carried out at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource using the seven‐crystal Johann‐type hard X‐ray spectrometer of the beamline 6‐2. For the Kβ diagram and VtC transitions, the present study confirms the line shape features observed in previous works, whereas the Khβ hypersatellite transition was found to exhibit a complex spectral line shape and a characteristic low‐energy shoulder. The energy shift of the hypersatellite relative to the parent diagram line was deduced from the measurements and compared with the result of extensive multiconfiguration Dirac–Fock (MCDF) calculations. A very good agreement between experiment and theory was found. The MCDF calculations were also used to compute the theoretical line shape of the hypersatellite. A satisfactory agreement was obtained between the overall shapes of the experimental and theoretical spectra, but deviations were observed on the low‐ and high‐energy flanks of the hypersatellite line. The discrepancies were explained by chemical effects, which were not considered in the MCDF calculations performed for isolated atoms.
The scattering waves from an object in an elastic‐fluid layered structure
Authors: Elmorabie Khaled M. , Yahya Rania R.
Published: February 2019

In this work, we have investigated the scattered elastic waves from an object in a system consisting of an elastic layer above a fluid half‐space. A time‐harmonic load is applied upon the upper boundary surface, while the object is free of stresses. By constructing the corresponding Green's functions, a coupled system of boundary integral equations (BIE) over the contour of the object is formulated. The scattered waves are obtained by using the collocation technique which reduced the BIE to a system of linear algebraic equations. The results are compared with the case without the fluid to show the influence of the fluid pressure on the scattered waves. Numerical examples are carried to demonstrate the scattered waves from an object in different geometrical shapes.
Erratum to: Lepton flavor changing Higgs decays in the littlest Higgs model with T-parity
Authors: del Aguila Francisco , Ametller Lluis , Illana Jose Ignacio , Santiago Jose , Talavera Pere , Vega-Morales Roberto
Published: February 2019

The sentence in between eqs. (2.16) and (2.17) should read: Ψ
R
transforms under T-parity.
Berends-Giele currents in Bern-Carrasco-Johansson gauge for F3- and F4-deformed Yang-Mills amplitudes
Authors: Garozzo Lucia M. , Queimada Leonel , Schlotterer Oliver
Published: February 2019

Abstract

We construct new representations of tree-level amplitudes in D-dimensional gauge theories with deformations via higher-mass-dimension operators α

′

F
3 and α

′2
F
4. Based on Berends-Giele recursions, the tensor structure of these amplitudes is compactly organized via off-shell currents. On the one hand, we present manifestly cyclic representations, where the complexity of the currents is systematically reduced. On the other hand, the duality between color and kinematics due to Bern, Carrasco and Johansson is manifested by means of non-linear gauge transformations of the currents. We exploit the resulting notion of Bern-Carrasco-Johansson gauge to provide explicit and manifestly local double-copy representations for gravitational amplitudes involving α

′

R
2 and α

′2
R
3 operators.
A theory of reparameterizations for AdS3 gravity
Authors: Cotler Jordan , Jensen Kristan
Published: February 2019

Abstract

We rewrite the Chern-Simons description of pure gravity on global AdS3 and on Euclidean BTZ black holes as a quantum field theory on the AdS boundary. The resulting theory is (two copies of) the path integral quantization of a certain coadjoint orbit of the Virasoro group, and it should be regarded as the quantum field theory of the boundary gravitons. This theory respects all of the conformal field theory axioms except one: it is not modular invariant. The coupling constant is 1/c with c the central charge, and perturbation theory in 1/c encodes loop contributions in the gravity dual. The QFT is a theory of reparametrizations analogous to the Schwarzian description of nearly AdS2 gravity, and has several features including: (i) it is ultraviolet-complete; (ii) the torus partition function is the vacuum Virasoro character, which is one-loop exact by a localization argument; (iii) it reduces to the Schwarzian theory upon compactification; (iv) it provides a powerful new tool for computing Virasoro blocks at large c via a diagrammatic expansion. We use the theory to compute several observables to one-loop order in the bulk, including the “heavy-light” limit of the identity block. We also work out some generalizations of this theory, including the boundary theory which describes fluctuations around two-sided eternal black holes.
Forensic genetic analysis of population of Madhya Pradesh with PowerPlex Fusion 6C™ Multiplex System
Authors: Dixit Shivani , Shrivastava Pankaj , Kumawat R. K. , Kaitholia Kamlesh , Dash Hirak Ranjan , Sharma Harsh , Choubey Gyaneshwer
Published: February 2019

Performance of PowerPlex Fusion 6C kit (PP F6C) was assessed in 374 unrelated individuals belonging to Madhya Pradesh, an Indian state. The study evaluated the forensic parameters for the loci included in PP F6C Multiplex System. The combined discrimination power (CPD) and combined exclusion power (CPE) were 1 and 0.999999995, respectively, for all 23 autosomal STR loci. SE33 showed the greatest power of discrimination (0.990) in the studied population, whereas TPOX showed the lowest (0.843). The availability of three Y-STR loci in the Multiplex System is suitable for assessing male contribution and amelogenin deletion in a single Multiplex PCR simultaneously. The study also presents the first global report on polymorphism in the Indian population on SE 33 autosomal STR loci and PP Fusion 6C Multiplex System. The results revealed that the studied STR Multiplex System is highly polymorphic and suitable for forensic purposes.
The functional impact of G protein-coupled receptor 142 (Gpr142) on pancreatic β-cell in rodent
Authors: Al-Amily Israa Mohammad , Dunér Pontus , Groop Leif , Salehi Albert
Published: February 2019

We have recently shown that the G protein-coupled receptor 142 (GPR142) is expressed in both rodent and human pancreatic β-cells. Herein, we investigated the cellular distribution of GPR142 within islets and the effects of selective agonists of GPR142 on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in the mouse islets and INS-1832/13 cells. Double-immunostaining revealed that GPR142 immunoreactivity in islets mainly occurs in insulin-positive cells. Potentiation of GSIS by GPR142 activation was accompanied by increased cAMP content in INS-1832/13 cells. PKA/Epac inhibition markedly suppressed the effect of GPR142 activation on insulin release. Gpr142 knockdown (Gpr142-KD) in islets was accompanied by elevated release of MCP-1, IFNγ, and TNFα during culture period and abolished the modulatory effect of GPR142 activation on the GSIS. Gpr142-KD had no effect on Ffar1, Ffar2, or Ffar3 mRNA while reducing Gpr56 and increasing Tlr5 and Tlr7 mRNA expression. Gpr142-KD was associated with an increased expression of Chrebp, Txnip, RhoA, and mitochondrial Vdac1 concomitant with a reduced Pdx1, Pax6, and mitochondrial Vdac2 mRNA levels. Long-term exposure of INS-1832/13 cells to hyperglycemia reduced Gpr142 and Vdac2 while increased Chrebp, Txnip, and Vdac1 mRNA expression. GPR142 agonists or Bt2-cAMP counteracted this effect. Glucotoxicity-induced decrease of cell viability in Gpr142-KD INS-1 cells was not affected by GPR142-agonists while Bt2-cAMP prevented it. The results show the importance of Gpr142 in the maintenance of pancreatic β-cell function in rodents and that GPR142 agonists potentiate GSIS by an action, which most likely is due to increased cellular generation of second messenger molecule cAMP.
Presence and influence in lobbying: Evidence from Dodd-Frank
Authors: Ban Pamela , You Hye Young
Published: February 2019

Interest groups face many choices when lobbying: when, who, and how to lobby. We study interest group lobbying across two stages of regulatory policymaking: the congressional and agency rulemaking stages. We investigate how the Securities and Exchange Commission responds to interest groups at the end of these stages using a new, comprehensive lobbying dataset on the Dodd-Frank Act. Our approach examines citations in the SEC's final rules which reference and acknowledge the lobbying activities of specific interest groups. We find that more than 2,900 organizations engaged in different types of lobbying activities either during the congressional bill stage, the agency rulemaking stage, or both. Meetings with the SEC and hiring former SEC employees are strongly associated with the citation of an organization in a final rule. Comments submitted by trade associations and members of Congress are cited more in a final rule compared to other organizations. While there is more variety in the types of organizations who lobby the bureaucracy than those who lobby Congress, presence does not necessarily lead to recognition or influence.
Certifying Private Security Companies: Effectively Ensuring the Corporate Responsibility to Respect Human Rights?
Authors: MACLEOD Sorcha , DEWINTER-SCHMITT Rebecca
Published: February 2019

The key purpose of this article is to critically assess the extent to which auditing and certification to quality assurance and risk management standards containing human rights-related requirements are an adequate and effective means of ensuring that private security companies internalize their responsibility to respect human rights. Based on participant observation, interviews and publicly accessible data, it concludes that in the absence of the adoption of specific assurance measures in the certification and oversight processes, the constructivist ‘tipping point’ resulting in the internalization of the corporate responsibility to respect may not be attained when there is inadequate norm compliance or, worse yet, norm regression.
Support for community mental health teams post-suicide
Authors: McGuire E. , Murthy S.
Published: February 2019

Suicide is a relatively common event in those seeking psychiatric care. However, its impact is nonetheless traumatic and devastating for those involved in the care of the patient. Community mental health teams (CMHTs) address every aspect of a patient’s life, which creates a unique relationship between the team and the patient. Patient suicide can have serious, detrimental effects on individual team members, on the functioning of the team itself and on the care of other patients in the aftermath of such an event. In spite of this, there are limited protocols to guide CMHTs in this situation. This article seeks to emphasise the impact of patient suicide on CMHTs as a specific entity. It highlights the need for more research in this area, in order to direct the formation of more coherent local and national guidelines.
More variations on the Steiner-Lehmus theme
Authors: Abu-Saymeh Sadi , Hajja Mowaffaq
Published: February 2019

The celebrated Steiner-Lehmus theorem states that if the internal bisectors of two angles of a triangle are equal, then the triangle is isosceles. In other words, if P is the incentre of triangle ABC, and if BP and CP meet the sides AC and AB at B′and C′, respectively, then
The continued search for sums of powers
Authors: Derby Nigel
Published: February 2019

In a previous paper [1], I described a method for computing sums of powers via a matrix composed from Pascal's triangle. (The motivation for this came from a mathematical puzzle posed by Paul Maslanka in the Guardian.) Since then I have read or viewed a number of papers on sums of powers. Some were nearly four hundred years old and the most recent one was published this year. One rather obscure work I stumbled across was ‘On the sums of powers of natural numbers’ by the Japanese mathematician Mr T. Kariya, published in Tokyo in 1907. If any readers know more of Mr Kariya I would be glad to hear about him.
Conics and a generalised conical pendulum
Authors: Daners Daniel , Wigmore Theresa
Published: February 2019

There is a long tradition of using geometry to solve problems from mechanics. Unfortunately this tradition is not practised much in schools and university any more.

With this exposition we would like to demonstrate how elementary properties of ellipses can be used to solve a problem related to the conical pendulum. The problem of the conical pendulum is to consider a mass attached to one end of a light inextensible string of length with the other end attached at the top of a vertical rod. The mass is moving about the rod in uniform circular motion in a horizontal plane. Given the angular velocity of the mass, the question is to determine the angle the string makes with the rod.
How many real attractive fixed points can a polynomial have?
Authors: Coelho Terence , Kalantari Bahman
Published: February 2019

While the notion of roots of a quadratic polynomial is rudimentary in high school mathematics, that of its fixed points is uncommon. A real or complex number is a fixed point of a polynomial p (x) p (θ) = θ. The fact that the notion of fixed point of polynomials is not commonly covered in high school or undergraduate mathematics is surprising because the relevance of the fixed points of a quadratic can be demonstrated easily via iterative methods for the approximation of such numbers as , when the quadratic formula offers no remedy.
Missed connection: relations between Italian anti-fascist emigration and British forces in Egypt (1940–1944)
Authors: Cacciatore Nicola
Published: February 2019

Italian anti-fascists started to emigrate from the moment that Mussolini seized power. These émigrés, orfuorusciti, tried to organise themselves to put an end to Mussolini’s regime, but found themselves confronting a number of unexpected difficulties in their host countries. Among them,Giustiza e Libertà(GL) was one of the most active organisations. One of the problems they had to face was the issue of how best to deal with their hosts without compromising their integrity as Italians, and as patriots. The case of Paolo Vittorelli (Raffaele Battino), who is the subject of this article, presents a clear case study of this issue and shows how close collaboration between Italian anti-fascists and western democracies (in this case, the United Kingdom) was hindered by ideological problems. The study of such episodes helps us to shed light not only on the mentality of the GL émigrés, but also on the way the Italian Resistance would later approach the issue of working together with the Allies during the Italian campaign of 1943–1945.
In-stream wetland deposits, megadroughts, and cultural change in the northern Atacama Desert, Chile
Authors: Tully Craig D. , Rech Jason A. , Workman T. Race , Santoro Calogero M. , Capriles José M. , Gayo Eugenia M. , Latorre Claudio
Published: February 2019

A key concern regarding current and future climate change is the possibility of sustained droughts that can have profound impacts on societies. As such, multiple paleoclimatic proxies are needed to identify megadroughts, the synoptic climatology responsible for these droughts, and their impacts on past and future societies. In the hyperarid Atacama Desert of northern Chile, many streams are characterized by perennial flow and support dense in-stream wetlands. These streams possess sequences of wetland deposits as fluvial terraces that record past changes in the water table. We mapped and radiocarbon dated a well-preserved sequence of in-stream wetland deposits along a 4.3-km reach of the Río San Salvador in the Calama basin to determine the relationship between regional climate change and the incision of in-stream wetlands. The Río San Salvador supported dense wetlands from 11.1 to 9.8, 6.4 to 3.5, 2.8 to 1.3, and 1.0 to 0.5 ka and incised at the end of each of these intervals. Comparison with other in-stream wetland sequences in the Atacama Desert, and with regional paleoclimatic archives, indicates that in-stream wetlands responded similarly to climatic changes by incising during periods of extended drought at ~9.8, 3.5, 1.3, and 0.5 ka.
Reduction of the statistical error in electromagnetic gyrokinetic particle-in-cell simulations
Authors: Hatzky R. , Kleiber R. , Könies A. , Mishchenko A. , Borchardt M. , Bottino A. , Sonnendrücker E.
Published: February 2019

The $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}f$-PIC method is widely used for electrostatic particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. Its basic idea is the ansatz $f=f_{0}+\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}f$ ($\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}f$-ansatz) where the particle distribution function $f$ is split into a usually time-independent background $f_{0}$ and a time-dependent perturbation $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}f$. In principle, it can also be used for electromagnetic gyrokinetic PIC simulations, but the required number of markers can be so large that PIC simulations become impractical. The reason is a decreasing efficiency of the $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}f$-ansatz for the so-called ‘Hamiltonian formulation’ using $p_{\Vert }$ as a dynamic variable. As a result, the density and current moment of the distribution function develop large statistical errors. To overcome this obstacle we propose to solve the potential equations in the symplectic formulation using $v_{\Vert }$ as a dynamic variable. The distribution function itself is still evolved in the Hamiltonian formulation which is better suited for the numerical integration of the parallel dynamics. The contributions from the full Jacobian of phase space, a finite velocity sphere of the simulation domain and a shifted Maxwellian as a background are considered. Special care has been taken at the discretisation level to make damped magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) mode simulations within a realistic gyrokinetic model feasible. This includes devices like e.g. large tokamaks with a small aspect ratio.
Of Gypsy Barons and the Power of Love: Operetta Programming and Popularity in the Postwar Soviet Union
Authors: Tomoff Kiril
Published: February 2019

This article utilises a nearly unique collection of material (theatre box office data) and the reports of Soviet bureaucrats charged with overseeing musical theatre to analyse the programming and reception of operetta performed in the Soviet Union from 1945 to 1948, a period during which Soviet society shifted from world war to Cold War, and music, musical life and musical theatres underwent ideological scrutiny and endured intervention by the Communist Party’s Central Committee. It argues that although official programming and audience preferences were rarely in sync, their disjuncture followed a surprising pattern according to which Russian operetta-going audiences proved both more conservative and more patriotic than those responsible for the programming in operetta theatres. Marked differences between this Russian pattern and patterns observable in other republics – Ukraine gets particular attention – also attest to the diversity of taste and official ambitions for musical programming in the postwar Soviet Union.
Ivan Susaninby Catterino Cavos andA Life for the Tsarby Mikhail Glinka: Comparing the Incomparable
Authors: Giust Anna
Published: February 2019

The myth of Mikhail Glinka still divides the history of Russian music, to the point that any influence on the creation of Russian opera before him is considered part of ‘prehistory’ in artistic terms. This is certainly true for the works of Catterino Cavos, a Venetian composer who made his career as a music director at the St Petersburg Imperial Theatres. The main purpose of this article is to compare Cavos’s operaIvan Susanin(1815) with Glinka’sA Life for the Tsar(1836), in order to highlight aspects of continuity in the process of creating the Russian operatic tradition. In this analysis, both Western and Russian traditions will be taken into consideration, which will enable a better assessment of Cavos’s contribution to the evolution of Russian music within a European frame.
The monumental landscape from below: public statues, popular interaction and nationalism in late nineteenth-century Amsterdam
Authors: PETTERSON ANNE
Published: February 2019

Public monuments are considered an important tool in the nineteenth-century nation-building project. Yet while the intended (nationalist) message of the monumental landscape is often clear, the popular perception of the statues and memorials has been little problematized. This contribution analyses the popular interaction with public monuments in late nineteenth-century Amsterdam and questions whether ordinary people understood the nationalist meaning. With the help of visual sources – engravings, lithographs and the novel medium of photography – we become aware of the multilayered meanings and usages of the monuments in daily urban life, thus tackling the methodological challenge of studying the monumental landscape from below.
Paramedic and Emergency Medical Technician Reflections on the Ongoing Impact of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks
Authors: Smith Erin C. , Burkle Frederick M.
Published: February 2019

Introduction

In the years following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City (New York USA), otherwise known as 9/11, first responders began experiencing a range of health and psychosocial impacts. Publications documenting these largely focus on firefighters. This research explores paramedic and emergency medical technician (EMT) reflections on the long-term impact of responding to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Methods

Qualitative methods were used to conduct interviews with 54 paramedics and EMTs on the 15-year anniversary of 9/11.

Results

Research participants reported a range of long-term psychosocial issues including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, insomnia, relationship breakdowns and impact on family support systems, and addictive and risk-taking behaviors. Ongoing physical health issues included respiratory disorders, eye problems, and cancers.

Discussion

These findings will go some way to filling the current gap in the 9/11 evidence-base regarding the understanding of the long-term impact on paramedics and EMTs. The testimony of this qualitative research is to ensure that an important voice is not lost, and that the deeply personal and richly descriptive experiences of the 9/11 paramedics and EMTs are not forgotten.

SmithEC,BurkleFMJr.Paramedic and emergency medical technician reflections on the ongoing impact of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.Prehosp Disaster Med.2019;34(1):56–61.
New Insight into the Development of the Respiratory Acini in Rabbits: Morphological, Electron Microscopic Studies, and TUNEL Assay
Authors: Mokhtar Doaa M. , Hussein Manal T. , Hussein Marwa M. , Abd-Elhafez Enas A. , Kamel Gamal
Published: February 2019

This study investigated the histomorphological features of developing rabbit respiratory acini during the postnatal period. On the 1st day of postnatal life, the epithelium of terminal bronchiole consisted of clear cells which intercalated between few ciliated and abundant non-ciliated (Clara) cells. At this age, the rabbit lung was in the alveolar stage. The terminal bronchioles branched into several alveolar ducts, which opened into atria that communicated to alveolar sacs. All primary and secondary inter-alveolar septa were thick and showed a double-capillary network (immature septa). The primitive alveoli were lined largely by type-I pneumocytes and mature type-II pneumocytes. The type-I pneumocytes displayed an intimate contact with the endothelial cells of the blood capillaries forming the blood–air barrier (0.90 ± 0.03 µm in thickness). On the 3rd day, we observed intense septation and massive formation of new secondary septa giving the alveolar sac a crenate appearance. The mean thickness of the air–blood barrier decreased to reach 0.78 ± 0.14 µm. On the 7th day, the terminal bronchiole epithelium consisted of ciliated and non-ciliated cells. The non-ciliated cells could be identified as Clara cells and serous cells. New secondary septa were formed, meanwhile the inter-alveolar septa become much thinner and the air–blood barrier thickness was 0.66 ± 0.03 µm. On the 14th day, the terminal bronchiole expanded markedly and the pulmonary alveoli were thin-walled. Inter-alveolar septa become much thinner and single capillary layers were observed. In the 1st month, the secondary septa increased in length forming mature cup-shaped alveoli. In the 2nd month, the lung tissue grew massively to involve the terminal respiratory unit. In the 3rd month, the pulmonary parenchyma appeared morphologically mature. All inter-alveolar septa showed a single-capillary layer, and primordia of new septa were also observed. The thickness of the air–blood barrier was much thinner; 0.56 ± 0.16 µm. TUNEL assay after birth revealed that the apoptotic cells were abundant and distributed in the epithelium lining of the pulmonary alveoli and the interstitium of the thick interalveolar septa. On the 7th day, and onward, the incidence of apoptotic cells decreased markedly. This study concluded that the lung development included two phases: the first phase (from birth to the 14th days) corresponds to the period of bulk alveolarization and microvascular maturation. The second phase (from the 14th days to the full maturity) corresponds to the lung growth and late alveolarization.
The Politics of Regime Mainstreaming: Knowledge Production and the Institutionalization of Islamic Finance
Authors: Sandal Nukhet A.
Published: February 2019

Islamic finance has been surprisingly undertheorized in the international relations literature. In this paper, I fill this gap by investigating the dynamics of mainstreaming within the Islamic finance regime in global markets. Using the norm diffusion literature, I argue that the development and diffusion of Islamic economics, and the corresponding expertise, have followed three distinct steps. First, Islamic economics initially was a critique of capitalism and world markets; second, it was “nationalized” by the political leaders of major Muslim-majority countries; and third, it became an integral part of world markets. By tracing the development of Islamic finance as part of global politics, I situate it within a theoretical framework and show the wider implications of this economic framework for global politics.
The Abundance, Size, and Spacing of Lakes and Reservoirs Connected to River Networks
Authors: Gardner J. R. , Pavelsky T. M. , Doyle M. W.
Published: February 2019

Descriptions of river network topology do not include lakes/reservoirs that are connected to rivers. We describe the properties and scaling patterns of river network topology across the contiguous United States: how lake/reservoir abundance, median lake/reservoir size, and median lake/reservoir spacing change with river size. Typically, lake/reservoir abundance decreases, median lake/reservoir size increases, but median lake/reservoir spacing is uniform across river size. There is a characteristic lake/reservoir size of 0.01–0.05 km2 and a characteristic lake/reservoir spacing of 1–5 km that shifts to 27–61 km in larger rivers. Climate explains more of the variance in river network topology than both glacial history and constructed reservoirs. Our results provide conceptual models for building river network topologies to assess how lake/reservoir abundance, size, and spacing effect the transport, storage, and cycling of water, materials, and organisms across networks.