bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preparation and characterization of films made of poly(l-lactic acid)/poly(l-lactic acid) grafted maleic anhydride/epigallocatechin gallate blends for antibacterial food packaging
Authors: Moreno-Vásquez María J , Plascencia-Jatomea Maribel , Sánchez-Valdes Saúl , Castillo-Yáñez Francisco J , Ocaño-Higuera Víctor M , Rodríguez-Félix Francisco , Rosas-Burgos Ema C , Graciano-Verdugo Abril Z
Published: February 2016

The antimicrobial activity of films made of poly(l-lactic acid)/poly(l-lactic acid) grafted maleic anhydride(copolymer)/epigallocatechin gallate(EGCG) blend was determined. The effect of epigallocatechin gallate incorporation (0.03, 0.5, 5, and 10 wt%) as a natural antibacterial was determined by direct contact, solid and liquid culture media. The film antimicrobial activity was evaluated against two bacteria (gram-negative: Pseudomonas spp.; gram-positive: Staphylococcus aureus). The copolymer was prepared and characterized by Fourier transform infrared analysis and Molau test. Furthermore, the degree of grafting was determined. The epigallocatechin gallate migration profile through the films were determined and the minimum epigallocatechin gallate concentration in films required to show antibacterial activity was evaluated. The results showed that only the films with 10 wt% epigallocatechin gallate significantly affected ( p < 0.05) the cell morphology and inhibited the growth of S. aureus (56% with copolymer and 55% inhibition without copolymer) and Pseudomonas spp. (28% inhibition, with and without copolymer). Incorporating copolymer inhibited the growth of Pseudomonas spp. and induced morphological changes in S. aureus. The diffusion coefficient was dependent on the presence of copolymer, which increased the epigallocatechin gallate release rate. Incorporating epigallocatechin gallate and copolymer modified the film properties. Fourier transform infrared analysis indicated hydrogen bonds which were attributed to the interaction between copolymer and epigallocatechin gallate. The results demonstrate the potential application of poly(l-lactic acid) (biodegradable polymer) and copolymers in active packaging, as well as the importance of incorporating epigallocatechin gallate as a natural antibacterial agent.
Sonographic Prenatal Diagnosis of a Vascular Ring in an In Vitro Fertilization Fetus
Authors: Meyer Madison N.
Published: February 2016

The use of assisted reproductive technology, specifically in vitro fertilization, has been shown to increase the risk for the fetus having a congenital malformation as compared with a fetus conceived naturally. Congenital malformations can be effectively diagnosed prenatally through the use of sonography and fetal echocardiography. This case study presents the sonographic prenatal detection of a vascular ring in the heart of a fetus conceived through in vitro fertilization. A right aortic arch with a left ductus arteriosus was identified in the three-vessel view during a detailed fetal echocardiogram. The use of prenatal sonography, specifically fetal echocardiography, led to the accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment for the fetus.
Genesis of smectite in siliciclastics and pyroclastics of the Eocene İslambeyli Formation in the Lalapaşa region, NW Thrace, Turkey
Authors: Ekіncі Şans B. , Esenlі F. , Kadir S. , Elliott W.C.
Published: February 2016

The Eocene İslambeyli Formation in the Lalapaşa region (NW Thrace, Turkey) consists predominantly of siliciclastic clayey clastics at the bottom and of claystone, tuff and tuffaceous claystone/ sandstone/limestone in the middle and uppermost parts of this formation. Some tuff-tuffaceous beds of the middle–upper parts of the formation are economically viable bentonite depoits. The İslambeyli Formation exhibits vertical variations in the mineralogy, elemental compositions, and smectite-forming processes. Smectite was formed by weathering and diagenetic processes in the fluvial-shore environments in the lower part and by diagenetic alteration in a shallow-marine environment in the middle–upper parts of the formation. Ca-smectite flakes were formed by two processes: direct precipitation; and by means of a dissolution-precipitation mechanism from feldspar and mica. Dissolution-precipitation was most prevalent in the siliciclastic lower part of the formation. The amounts of Al, Fe, Mg and Ca required to form smectite and accessory illite were supplied mainly from the alteration of feldspars, mica and glass shards. The origin of smectite can also be explained by the inferred solution compositions given the parent phases in this formation, and the devitrification of glass shards in pyroclastic-rich middle–upper parts of the formation. In the upper beds, the observed decrease of K and Fe in the smectite structure coincided with both the increase in the amount of smectite and the increase in solution pH suggesting that precipitation of smectite developed over a prolonged period and under arid conditions.
Sparse regressions for predicting and interpreting subcellular localization of multi-label proteins
Authors: Wan Shibiao , Mak Man-Wai , Kung Sun-Yuan
Published: February 2016

Background

Predicting protein subcellular localization is indispensable for inferring protein functions. Recent studies have been focusing on predicting not only single-location proteins, but also multi-location proteins. Almost all of the high performing predictors proposed recently use gene ontology (GO) terms to construct feature vectors for classification. Despite their high performance, their prediction decisions are difficult to interpret because of the large number of GO terms involved.

Results

This paper proposes using sparse regressions to exploit GO information for both predicting and interpreting subcellular localization of single- and multi-location proteins. Specifically, we compared two multi-label sparse regression algorithms, namely multi-label LASSO (mLASSO) and multi-label elastic net (mEN), for large-scale predictions of protein subcellular localization. Both algorithms can yield sparse and interpretable solutions. By using the one-vs-rest strategy, mLASSO and mEN identified 87 and 429 out of more than 8,000 GO terms, respectively, which play essential roles in determining subcellular localization. More interestingly, many of the GO terms selected by mEN are from the biological process and molecular function categories, suggesting that the GO terms of these categories also play vital roles in the prediction. With these essential GO terms, not only where a protein locates can be decided, but also why it resides there can be revealed.

Conclusions

Experimental results show that the output of both mEN and mLASSO are interpretable and they perform significantly better than existing state-of-the-art predictors. Moreover, mEN selects more features and performs better than mLASSO on a stringent human benchmark dataset. For readers’ convenience, an online server called SpaPredictor for both mLASSO and mEN is available at http://bioinfo.eie.polyu.edu.hk/SpaPredictorServer/.
Structure-based Markov random field model for representing evolutionary constraints on functional sites
Authors: Jeong Chan-Seok , Kim Dongsup
Published: February 2016

Background

Elucidating the cooperative mechanism of interconnected residues is an important component toward understanding the biological function of a protein. Coevolution analysis has been developed to model the coevolutionary information reflecting structural and functional constraints. Recently, several methods have been developed based on a probabilistic graphical model called the Markov random field (MRF), which have led to significant improvements for coevolution analysis; however, thus far, the performance of these models has mainly been assessed by focusing on the aspect of protein structure.

Results

In this study, we built an MRF model whose graphical topology is determined by the residue proximity in the protein structure, and derived a novel positional coevolution estimate utilizing the node weight of the MRF model. This structure-based MRF method was evaluated for three data sets, each of which annotates catalytic site, allosteric site, and comprehensively determined functional site information. We demonstrate that the structure-based MRF architecture can encode the evolutionary information associated with biological function. Furthermore, we show that the node weight can more accurately represent positional coevolution information compared to the edge weight. Lastly, we demonstrate that the structure-based MRF model can be reliably built with only a few aligned sequences in linear time.

Conclusions

The results show that adoption of a structure-based architecture could be an acceptable approximation for coevolution modeling with efficient computation complexity.
MethPat: a tool for the analysis and visualisation of complex methylation patterns obtained by massively parallel sequencing
Authors: Wong Nicholas C. , Pope Bernard J. , Candiloro Ida L. , Korbie Darren , Trau Matt , Wong Stephen Q. , Mikeska Thomas , Zhang Xinmin , Pitman Mark , Eggers Stefanie , Doyle Stephen R. , Dobrovic Alexander
Published: February 2016

Background

DNA methylation at a gene promoter region has the potential to regulate gene transcription. Patterns of methylation over multiple CpG sites in a region are often complex and cell type specific, with the region showing multiple allelic patterns in a sample. This complexity is commonly obscured when DNA methylation data is summarised as an average percentage value for each CpG site (or aggregated across CpG sites). True representation of methylation patterns can only be fully characterised by clonal analysis. Deep sequencing provides the ability to investigate clonal DNA methylation patterns in unprecedented detail and scale, enabling the proper characterisation of the heterogeneity of methylation patterns. However, the sheer amount and complexity of sequencing data requires new synoptic approaches to visualise the distribution of allelic patterns.

Results

We have developed a new analysis and visualisation software tool “Methpat”, that extracts and displays clonal DNA methylation patterns from massively parallel sequencing data aligned using Bismark. Methpat was used to analyse multiplex bisulfite amplicon sequencing on a range of CpG island targets across a panel of human cell lines and primary tissues. Methpat was able to represent the clonal diversity of epialleles analysed at specific gene promoter regions. We also used Methpat to describe epiallelic DNA methylation within the mitochondrial genome.

Conclusions

Methpat can summarise and visualise epiallelic DNA methylation results from targeted amplicon, massively parallel sequencing of bisulfite converted DNA in a compact and interpretable format. Unlike currently available tools, Methpat can visualise the diversity of epiallelic DNA methylation patterns in a sample.
Systematic evaluation of the impact of ChIP-seq read designs on genome coverage, peak identification, and allele-specific binding detection
Authors: Zhang Qi , Zeng Xin , Younkin Sam , Kawli Trupti , Snyder Michael P. , Keleş Sündüz
Published: February 2016

Background

Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq) experiments revolutionized genome-wide profiling of transcription factors and histone modifications. Although maturing sequencing technologies allow these experiments to be carried out with short (36–50 bps), long (75–100 bps), single-end, or paired-end reads, the impact of these read parameters on the downstream data analysis are not well understood. In this paper, we evaluate the effects of different read parameters on genome sequence alignment, coverage of different classes of genomic features, peak identification, and allele-specific binding detection.

Results

We generated 101 bps paired-end ChIP-seq data for many transcription factors from human GM12878 and MCF7 cell lines. Systematic evaluations using in silico variations of these data as well as fully simulated data, revealed complex interplay between the sequencing parameters and analysis tools, and indicated clear advantages of paired-end designs in several aspects such as alignment accuracy, peak resolution, and most notably, allele-specific binding detection.

Conclusions

Our work elucidates the effect of design on the downstream analysis and provides insights to investigators in deciding sequencing parameters in ChIP-seq experiments. We present the first systematic evaluation of the impact of ChIP-seq designs on allele-specific binding detection and highlights the power of pair-end designs in such studies.
V3DM+: BIM interactive collaboration system for facility management
Authors: Lee Wan-Li , Tsai Meng-Han , Yang Cheng-Hsuan , Juang Jhih-Ren , Su Jui-Yu
Published: February 2016

Background

Facility management (FM) is an important phase in the building lifecycle. Although building information modeling (BIM) technology has been widely used in the design and construction phase, efforts to transfer information to the FM phase are still in the nascent stage. A good BIM-to-FM tool should be able to inherit and integrate the building information built in the design and construction phase as well as be able to provide a platform for managers to browse the information, discuss potential problems, and arrange maintenance work.

Methods

In this research, a BIM interactive collaboration system for FM is designed and implemented. Two modules were developed for optimizing the BIM system in the FM phase: the data arrangement module, which has functionalities of data importing and processing, and the data presentation module, which provides functionalities of data revealing and collaboration.

Result

From the results of an accessibility analysis, we verified that the developed system, V3DM+, can be implemented on real projects. Managers can use V3DM+ to support operation and maintenance of buildings. Moreover, a web-based platform allows users to manage facilities intuitively without investing on professionals or specialized software.

Concluding

The proposed system, V3DM+, provides a data arrangement module to integrate building information constructed by various types of commercial software and present them in a visual manner. The user can find the required information, initiate a discussion on an issue, or arrange operation and maintenance tasks directly on this system.
The standard operating procedure of the DOE-JGI Metagenome Annotation Pipeline (MAP v.4)
Authors: Huntemann Marcel , Ivanova Natalia N. , Mavromatis Konstantinos , Tripp H. James , Paez-Espino David , Tennessen Kristin , Palaniappan Krishnaveni , Szeto Ernest , Pillay Manoj , Chen I-Min A. , Pati Amrita , Nielsen Torben , Markowitz Victor M. , Kyrpides Nikos C.
Published: February 2016

The DOE-JGI Metagenome Annotation Pipeline (MAP v.4) performs structural and functional annotation for metagenomic sequences that are submitted to the Integrated Microbial Genomes with Microbiomes (IMG/M) system for comparative analysis. The pipeline runs on nucleotide sequences provided via the IMG submission site. Users must first define their analysis projects in GOLD and then submit the associated sequence datasets consisting of scaffolds/contigs with optional coverage information and/or unassembled reads in fasta and fastq file formats. The MAP processing consists of feature prediction including identification of protein-coding genes, non-coding RNAs and regulatory RNAs, as well as CRISPR elements. Structural annotation is followed by functional annotation including assignment of protein product names and connection to various protein family databases.
Silychristin, a Flavonolignan Derived From the Milk Thistle, Is a Potent Inhibitor of the Thyroid Hormone Transporter MCT8
Authors: Johannes Jörg , Jayarama-Naidu Roopa , Meyer Franziska , Wirth Eva Katrin , Schweizer Ulrich , Schomburg Lutz , Köhrle Josef , Renko Kostja
Published: February 2016

Thyroid hormones (THs) are charged and iodinated amino acid derivatives that need to pass the cell membrane facilitated by thyroid hormone transmembrane transporters (THTT) to exert their biological function. The importance of functional THTT is affirmed by the devastating effects of mutations in the human monocarboxylate transporter (MCT) 8, leading to a severe form of psychomotor retardation. Modulation of THTT function by pharmacological or environmental compounds might disturb TH action on a tissue-specific level. Therefore, it is important to identify compounds with relevant environmental exposure and THTT-modulating activity. Based on a nonradioactive TH uptake assay, we performed a screening of 13 chemicals, suspicious for TH receptor interaction, to test their potential effects on THTT in MCT8-overexpressing MDCK1-cells. We identified silymarin, an extract of the milk thistle, to be a potent inhibitor of T3 uptake by MCT8. Because silymarin is a complex mixture of flavonolignan substances, we further tested its individual components and identified silychristin as the most effective one with an IC50 of approximately 100 nM. The measured IC50 value is at least 1 order of magnitude below those of other known THTT inhibitors. This finding was confirmed by T3 uptake in primary murine astrocytes expressing endogenous Mct8 but not in MCT10-overexpressing MDCK1-cells, indicating a remarkable specificity of the inhibitor toward MCT8. Because silymarin is a frequently used adjuvant therapeutic for hepatitis C infection and chronic liver disease, our observations raise questions regarding its safety with respect to unwanted effects on the TH axis.
Mechanisms of Action of Liraglutide in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Treated With High-Dose Insulin
Authors: Vanderheiden Anna , Harrison Lindsay B. , Warshauer Jeremy T. , Adams-Huet Beverley , Li Xilong , Yuan Qing , Hulsey Keith , Dimitrov Ivan , Yokoo Takeshi , Jaster Adam W. , Pinho Daniella F. , Pedrosa Ivan , Lenkinski Robert E. , Pop Laurentiu M. , Lingvay Ildiko
Published: February 2016

Context:

The mechanisms of action of incretin mimetics in patients with long-standing type 2 diabetes (T2D) and high insulin requirements have not been studied.

Objective:

To evaluate changes in β-cell function, glucagon secretion, and fat distribution after addition of liraglutide to high-dose insulin.

Design:

A single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Setting:

University of Texas Southwestern and Parkland Memorial Hospital clinics.

Patients:

Seventy-one patients with long-standing (median, 17 years) T2D requiring high-dose insulin treatment (>1.5 U/kg/d; average, 2.2 ± 0.9 U/kg/d).

Intervention:

Patients were randomized to liraglutide 1.8 mg/d or matching placebo for 6 months.

Main Outcome Measures:

We measured changes in insulin and glucagon secretion using a 4-hour mixed-meal challenge test. Magnetic resonance-based techniques were used to estimate sc and visceral fat in the abdomen and ectopic fat in the liver and pancreas.

Results:

Glycosylated hemoglobin improved significantly with liraglutide treatment, with an end-of-trial estimated treatment difference between groups of −0.9% (95% confidence interval, −1.5, −0.4%) (P = .002). Insulin secretion improved in the liraglutide group vs placebo, as measured by the area under the curve of C-peptide (P = .002) and the area under the curves ratio of C-peptide to glucose (P = .003). Insulin sensitivity (Matsuda index) and glucagon secretion did not change significantly between groups. Liver fat and sc fat decreased in the liraglutide group vs placebo (P = .0006 and P = .01, respectively), whereas neither visceral nor pancreatic fat changed significantly.

Conclusions:

Treatment with liraglutide significantly improved insulin secretion, even in patients with long-standing T2D requiring high-dose insulin treatment. Liraglutide also decreased liver and sc fat, but it did not alter glucagon secretion.
Adrenocorticotropic hormone gel in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus: A retrospective study of patients.
Authors: Li Xiao , Golubovsky Josh , Hui-Yuen Joyce , Shah Ummara , Olech Ewa , Lomeo Rosalia , Singh Vijay , Busch Howard , Strandberg Mary Jane , Strandberg Kayla , Horowitz Leslie , Askanase Anca
Published: February 2016

Objectives: Acthar Gel is a long-acting formulation of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) with anti-inflammatory effects thought to be mediated in part through melanocortin receptor activation. This study was initiated to understand the role of Acthar Gel in SLE treatment in rheumatology practices.

Methods: This is a retrospective case series of nine adult female patients treated with Acthar Gel for at least six months at five academic centers. Treating physicians completed a one-page questionnaire on lupus medications, disease activity, and outcomes. Clinical response was defined using SLEDAI 2K and improvement in the clinical manifestation(s) being treated.

Results: The most common clinical SLE manifestations/indications requiring therapy with Acthar Gel were arthritis, rash, and inability to taper corticosteroids. The mean SLEDAI 2K score at baseline was 5.8 ± 5.0 (range 0-16). Six patients were concomitantly treated with corticosteroids (mean dose 18.3mg/day). All patients were on background SLE medications including immunosuppressives. Seven of nine patients had an overall improvement, with a decrease in SLEDAI 2K from 5.8 ± 5.0 at baseline to 3.5 ± 2.7 (range 0-8); four of five patients had improvement or resolution in arthritis, and one of two patients had resolution of inflammatory rash. Four patients discontinued corticosteroids and one patient tapered below 50% of the initial dose by 3 months of treatment with Acthar Gel. No adverse events were reported.

Conclusions: This study suggests a role for Acthar Gel as an alternative to corticosteroids in the treatment of SLE. Acthar Gel appears to be safe and well-tolerated after 6 months of treatment, with a significant reduction in disease activity.
Phytoglobin: a novel nomenclature for plant globins accepted by the globin community at the 2014 XVIII conference on Oxygen-Binding and Sensing Proteins
Authors: Hill Robert , Hargrove Mark , Arredondo-Peter Raúl
Published: February 2016

Hemoglobin (Hb) is a heme-containing protein found in the red blood cells of vertebrates. For many years, the only known Hb-like molecule in plants was leghemoglobin (Lb). The discovery that other Hb-like proteins existed in plants led to the term “nonsymbiotic Hbs (nsHbs)” to differentiate them from the Lbs. While this terminology was adequate in the early stages of research on the protein, the complexity of the research in this area necessitates a change in the definition of these proteins to delineate them from red blood cell Hb. At the 2014 XVIII Conference on Oxygen-Binding and Sensing Proteins, the group devoted to the study of heme-containing proteins, this issue was discussed and a consensus was reached on a proposed name change. We proposePhytoglobin(Phytogb) as a logical, descriptive name to describe a heme-containing (Hb-like) protein found in plants. It will be readily recognized by the research community without a prolonged explanation of the origin of the term. The classification system that has been established can essentially remain unchanged substituting Phytogb in place of nsHb. Here, we present a guide to the new nomenclature, with reference to the existing terminology and a phylogenetic scheme, placing the known Phytogbs in the new nomenclature.
Strategic Ambiguities in Indian Nuclear Doctrine Implications for Pakistan's Security
Authors: Umar Hayat Luk
Published: February 2016

Sequel to overt nuclearization in 1998, India announced its Draft Nuclear Doctrine on 17 August 1999 which was reviewed and updated by the Indian Cabinet Committee on Security in January, 2003. This paper will critically examine the broad contours of India's nuclear doctrine and trace the consequences on the security calculus of Pakistan. It reveals that Indian Nuclear Doctrine suffers from strategic ambiguities. These ambiguities, whether deliberate or a result of sketchy manifestation, detriments Pakistan's security calculus in complex ways.
Pakistan's Nuclear Program: The Context
Authors: Khalid Iqbal
Published: February 2016

The main driver of Pakistan's nuclear weapon program is existing military threat emanating from India's conventional and nuclear military capabilities. Though India often cites Chinese nuclear weapons program as the main driver for its nuclear weapons' pursuits, India's Program was on sound footings well before China's nuclear test in 1964. New Delhi's decision to go nuclear had provided Islamabad a God-sent opportunity to pullout its nuclear Program from the shadow of ambiguity and lay claims over comparable capability and capacity. For Pakistan, there was just one reason for wanting “The Bomb” that Indian Nuclear had to be countered by Pakistani nuclear, for nuclear could only be countered by nuclear. India's nuclear Program is status driven, something it thinks would place it into a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Ironically Pakistan's necessity driven nuclear Program continues to draw ire. While at the same time, India's luxury driven nuclear Program is being afforded further enablers. Pakistan has expressed willingness to join the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) simultaneously with India. Furthermore, India's dangerous doctrinal orientations and US$ 120 billion modernization and up-gradation Programs have upped the asymmetry in conventional domain vis-a-vis Pakistan. Therefore, Pakistan views deterrence through a comprehensive lens comprising conventional and nuclear capabilities. The international community needs to view Pakistan's nuclear weapon program in the context of the threat it faces. The civilian component of nuclear program is aimed at enabling Pakistan to overcome its energy shortage through nuclear fuel.
(Im)possibility of practice: Satirical objectification and essaying projects
Authors: Robbins Felix
Published: February 2016

This article develops the notion of ‘tipping points’ with respect to the gaps and slippages in my architectural practice, and the consequences when considered in terms of projecting for architecture as opposed to the production of architecture. It adopts as a ‘starting point’ the insecurities of the discipline and the predominance of ‘models of’ architecture conceived as a ‘problem-solving’ exercise. It adopts a sceptical reflection on the premise of the discipline, and the value of its product – suggesting that the perpetuation of positions to justify a product merely exacerbate the impossibility of practice. The ‘objectification’ of the discipline is contrasted with the potential dynamics of ‘projection’ – exploring a shift in emphasis towards ‘projecting’ as a means to enable complex and dynamic ‘models for’ architecture. This shift is investigated through my ongoing design research that moves within the contradictions, translations and uncertainties of historical and projective slippages of ‘reconstructions’ and ‘parts’ of houses. My projects speculate on the contingent opportunities of inhabiting an open sequence of a ‘problematic situation’, rather than the singular limitations of a ‘solution’ to a ‘problem’. My research moves towards considering the liberating potential of acknowledging that contradiction is the architectural project, rather than perpetually conceiving of contradiction as an obstacle to be repositioned or removed by the construction of an architectural product. This shift in emphasis is considered as an open sequence of ‘tipping points’ that continue to evolve within the contradictions of practice as models for projecting architecture, rather than a singular ‘tipping point’ that simply reconstructs the same model of architectural product in different terms. The tipping point in my research is ultimately an acknowledgement of the (im)possibility of practice – the inherent contradiction in projecting an architectural project that by necessity is initiated by the belief in a transformative and ameliorative quality to ‘projecting’, but also necessarily without the capacity to articulate what that quality is.
This curious device: Allurer of abundance
Authors: Withers Simon
Published: February 2016

Far away and over the River lie the Maritime Complexities, where laws of exuberance and pleasures of imagination are so gloriously made manifest, at the heart of which exists the Vista Land. A place of curiosity, invention and combination. ‘This curious device’ is an enquiry into something of the extraordinary ingenuity, discovery, mutation, enlightenment and joy that evolved from the Maritime Complexities. An abundance of information at all scales, given shape, a spatial infinity. A place that also grew dark over time, a dark mirror with which to see our times. Of abundance appropriated and misused, of hope become cold, frozen by myriad small orthodoxies.
Landscapes of anatexis: A ritual using a razor sharp blade for resurrecting the phoenix
Authors: Varnavas Nasios
Published: February 2016

Power and capital often enslave forms of poetic expression. By standardizing processes they tend to dissolve the original form, intent and true psyche of creative statements. Thinking and acting in a specific, fast-paced, efficient, mechanized or institutionalized rationale many times removes the very human factor or presence, which is scarily displaced by regulatory measures and ideological or capital concepts of a greedy consumerist pseudo-culture. In today’s highly scientific or technological jungle driven by the above, narrative, vision, belief and romance, key ingredients of intellectual evolution, seem to be getting increasingly diluted in a big pile of neutrality and mediocrity led by fat tasteless money. Architecture, which depends greatly on the booming economic landscapes, has found itself in stagnant waters, unable to shift, inspire or propose new forms of tectonic resistance to envision the future and overcome the clichés of reliving its past. It has been for years in a state of latency or safe paralysis, injected with properness, apologetic behaviour, excessive okayness and coolness, losing its once dexterous mind and body. This article imagines a 24-hour ritual, as partly scientific and partly empirical form of practice, and studies ten different fragments of architectural events/artefacts that suggest novelty: identifying specific and fragile tipping points, augmenting, subverting, challenging notions of constructing or deconstructing, and eventually restructuring the existing architectural ‘corpse’, staging its dangerous yet bright awakening. A quasi-fictional flight or daydream across these interwoven landscapes, paralleled to a human body cursed by the illness of preconception and perfection, synthesizes an anxious implicit critique on the current state of architecture, attacking it, to resurrect it from its deep lethargic sleep. Each word or slice becomes a cut seeking to fill its corpus with an eternal bright light and to suggest forms of seeing or conceiving other than the rational. The highly intuitive mechanisms formed by this ritual aim to generate a living manifesto, a way of looking at things with a will to change them. Operation tools transform from literal to metaphorical linguistic concepts and aim to metamorphose the passive architectural ‘object’ into an active container ‘body’ catalysing the restless fluid motions of life: Anatexis.
Umedecimento do substrato e temperatura na germinação e vigor de sementes de pitaya
Authors: Oliveira Júnior Jair Lucas , Almeida Neta Maria Nilfa , Santos de Souza David Andréia Márcia , De Aguiar Ana Cecília Mariana , Oliveira Gomes Anderson Gustavo , Ribeiro Amaro Hugo Tiago , Silva Donato Luan Mateus
Published: February 2016

Knowledge of appropriate conditions of water and temperature is very important for the metabolic activities involved in the germination process. However, the Rules for Testing Seeds do not indicate the volume of water and the ideal temperature for pitaya germination. The study was carried out to evaluate different water volumes in the substrate and temperatures on seeds germination and vigor of pitaya. The experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial 5 x 3, with treatments consisted of five water volumes in the substrate and three temperatures. The used water volumes was equivalent to 1.5; 2.0; 2.5; 3.0 and 3.5 times the dry weight of the substrate. Were tested at constant temperatures of 20, 25 and 30 °C. The parameters evaluated were: germination, first count of germination, emergence speed index, length and dry mass of plantlets. The temperature of 25 °C and a water volume in the range of 2.5 to 3.5 times the weight of substrate is the most suitable combination for doing germination tests and evaluating the vigor of pitaya seeds. The temperature of 20 °C and the volume of water 1.5 times the weight of the substrate inhibited germination of seeds
Toxicity and application of neem in fall armyworm
Authors: Silva Marcílio Souza , Broglio Sônia Maria Forti , Prédes Trindade Roseane Cristina , Ferrreira Emerson Santos , Gomes Ismael Barros , Micheletti Lígia Broglio
Published: February 2016

Aqueous extracts of neem, Azadirachta indica A. Juss., leaf and seed cake were tested for toxicity in Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith, 1797) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) utilizing different methods of application (foliar and systemic). Probit analysis was used to determine the LC50 and regression analysis for mortality at different concentrations of the extracts (0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0% and control treatment). Two caterpillar morphometric variables (larval length and cephalic capsule width) and the scale of damage of attacked plants were measured and, analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test (P<0.05). The LC50 values for neem seed cake and leaves were 0.13% and 0.25%, respectively. For larval length and cephalic capsule width, the larvae were more affected to the seed cake extract than leaf extract, however there was no significant difference between the methods of application for these variables. There was no difference in the scale of damage by the extracts and the methods of application analyzed. Both methods of application provided similar results and, the main differences were associated with more efficient of the seed cake extract.
Miniestaquia a partir de minicepas originadas por enxertia de pitangueira adulta
Authors: Peña Peña Martha Lucía , Zanette Flávio , Biasi Luiz Antonio
Published: February 2016

The aim of this study was to evaluate the viability of the minicutting technique in the vegetative propagation of Surinam cherry (Eugenia uniflora L.), through productivity and survival of ministumps, and rooting of minicuttings originating from grafting and treated with different concentrations of indolebutyric acid (IBA) in the successive collections. The ministumps were obtained through grafting (cleft graft) of scions collected from the selected tree onto rootstock formed by seeds collected from the same tree. To create the minigarden, the grafted seedlings were grown in root plugs and their sprouts were pruned, maintaining one pair of leaves on each sprout. From these ministumps, successive collections of sprouts (minicuttings) were made. A completely randomized experimental design was used in a 4 x 4 factorial arrangement (four periods of collection of minicuttings x four concentrations of IBA), with four replications and 20 minicuttings as an experimental unit. The survival rate of the ministumps was 100% after four successive collections of sprouts. In the higher temperature period was possible to carry out two collections of shoots. Mean yield was 2.4 minicuttings/ministump, 598.9 minicuttings/m2 in the first collection time, and 2.7 minicuttings/ministump, 681.1 minicuttings/m2 in the second collection time. Mean yield was 384.4 minicuttings/m2 /month. It was adventitious rooting of less than 1.9%. The rooting of minicuttings from grafting of the Surinam cherry is not favored with the use of IBA.
Propagação vegetativa de Juniperus chinensis
Authors: Fragoso Rosimeri De Oliveira , Zuffellato-Ribas Katia Christina , Macanhão Gustavo , Stuepp Carlos André , Koehler Henrique Soares
Published: February 2016

Juniperus chinensis L. var. kaizuka, belonging to the Cupressaceae family and known as kaizuka is a species widely used in landscaping, being different from the other varieties of the species mainly because of its tortuous growth habits. The sexual reproduction of Juniperus chinensis has disadvantages and its propagation by cuttings can facilitate the production of seedlings. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of three different concentrations of the synthetic auxin indolebutyric acid (0, 1500 and 3000 mg L-1) to promote rooting of Juniperus chinensis var. kaizuka, collected in the basal (0.5 to 2.0 m), middle (2.1 to 3.5 m) and apical (3.6 to 5.0 m) portions of the stock plant, during winter, spring and autumn of 2012, with the intent to subsidize the development of a propagation protocol for the species. After 140 days in the greenhouse, it was observed that choosing the proper season to collect cuttings is essential for the viability of vegetative propagation technique for Juniperus chinensis var. kaizuka, with the recommendation of spring as the more suitable season for rooting development. However, although the application of AIB and the collection height in the stock plant have shown significant effects on some variables, it wasn’t observed a standard, related to these factors, producing a greater induction of the radicial system of the species.
Caracterização mecânica de madeiras deterioradas em campo por meio de ultrassom e flexão estática
Authors: Stangerlin Diego Martins , Corassa Janaína De Nadai , Gatto Darci Alberto , Pereira Roberto Lessa , Castelo Patrícia Aparecida Rigatto
Published: February 2016

This study aimed to evaluate the natural resistance of four wood species exposed to field tests using ultrasound and static bending tests. Tectona grandis (teak), Azadaractina indica (neem), Inga sp. (inga) and Bagassa guianensis (tatajuba) logs with 1.2m length were subjected to field tests for 18 months, in the city of Sinop-MT. Samples were cut from healthy logs to characterize modulus of elasticity and modulus of rupture at static bending before the exposure in field test. After each period of exposure, samples were cut from the logs in three positions (in-ground contact, critical zone and above-ground). Nondestructive tests were performed using an ultrasound to determine the velocity of wave propagation in the decayed samples. Samples with lower velocities of wave propagation were subjected to the static bending tests. The results were compared with unexposed wood samples to characterize the degree of wood deterioration. Ultrasonic tests showed that samples collected from the critical zone of the logs presented lowest velocity of wave propagation. Among the species studied, teak and tatajuba wood presented the highest and the lowest natural resistance, respectively.
DATABASE FINLIV – FOCUS ON STAIRCASE METHOD
Authors: Lutovinov Maxim , Papuga Jan , Růžička Milan
Published: February 2016

This paper introduces FinLiv database focused on gathering, manipulating and providing experimental static and fatigue data. One of its new features is the ability to include also fatigue tests realized by the staircase method.
To what extent do Turkish high school students know about their body organs and organ systems?
Authors: Aydın Solmaz
Published: February 2016

This study aimed to determine high school students' familiarity with body organs and knowledge about the systems to which organs belong. It also identifies their misconceptions and deficiencies and discusses their causes. The sample of the study consisted of 244 secondary students. The study used the descriptive survey method. The findings show that the heart, lungs, kidneys and stomach are the best known organs by the students, and that they most often identified organs in the circulatory, respiratory, urinary and digestive systems rather than other systems. In addition, there are no considerable differences between the ninth, tenth, eleventh grade classes and the twelfth grade students’ knowledge and misconceptions about organs and organ systems. The most basic misconceptions identified in this study is that a majority of the students who identified the small intestine, liver, pancreas, anus and intestine thought that these organs were parts of the excretory system. In Turkey's educational system, students are taught the urinary system as the excretory system. This leads students to think that these organs are not elements of the digestive system, but those of the excretory system, which is used to defecate the excretions. For this reason, this study will also discuss this situation.
Challenges of measuring monoclonal proteins in serum
Authors: Keren David F. , Schroeder Lee
Published: February 2016

The measurement of monoclonal protein (M-protein) is vital for stratifying risk and following individuals with a variety of monoclonal gammopathies. Direct measurement of the M-protein spike by electrophoresis and immunochemical measurements of specific isotypes or free light chains pairs has provided useful information about the quantity of M-protein. Nonetheless, both traditional electrophoresis and immunochemical methods give poor quantification with M-proteins smaller than 10 g/L (1 g/dL) when in the presence of polyclonal immunoglobulins that co-migrate with the M-protein. In addition, measurements by electrophoresis of M-proteins migrating in the β- and α-regions are contaminated by normal serum proteins in those regions. The most precise electrophoretic method to date for quantification involves exclusion of the polyclonal immunoglobulins by using the tangent skimming method on electropherograms, which provides a 10-fold improvement in precision. So far, however, tangent measurements are limited to γ migrating M-proteins. Another way to improve M-protein measurements is the use of capillary electrophoresis (CE). With CE, one can employ immunosubtraction to select a region of interest in the β region thereby excluding much of the normal proteins from the M-protein measurement. Recent development of an immunochemical method distinguishing heavy/light chain pairs (separately measuring IgGK and IgGL, IgAK and IgAL, and IgMK and IgML) provides measurements that could exclude polyclonal contaminants of the same heavy chain with the uninvolved light chain type. Yet, even heavy/light results contain an immeasurable quantity of polyclonal heavy/light chains of the involved isotype. Finally, use of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) looms on the horizon as a means to provide more consistent and sensitive measurements of M-proteins.
Numerical Analysis and Computation of a Type of IMEX Method for the Time-Dependent Natural Convection Problem
Authors: Yang Yun-Bo , Jiang Yao-Lin
Published: February 2016

A new numerical regularization method for the natural convection problem is presented, which is based on a type of implicit-explicit (IMEX) second-order time-stepping schemes in temporal discretization and stabilized mixed finite element in spatial discretization. This method deals with a non-linear advection term in both the momentum equation and the energy equation by linearization. We only need to solve a linear problem at each time step and the discrete curvature of the solutions is added as a stabilization term for the velocity, the pressure and the temperature, respectively. Unconditional stability is proved and an a priori error estimate is derived. Finally, a series of numerical experiments are also given to confirm the theoretical analysis and to demonstrate the efficiency of the new method.
Hodge theory on Cheeger spaces
Authors: Albin Pierre , Leichtnam Eric , Mazzeo Rafe , Piazza Paolo
Published: February 2016

We extend the study of the de Rham operator with ideal boundary conditions from the case of isolated conic singularities,
as analyzed by Cheeger, to the case of arbitrary stratified pseudomanifolds.
We introduce a class of ideal boundary conditions and the notion of mezzoperversity, which intermediates between the standard lower and upper middle perversities in intersection theory, as interpreted in this de Rham setting, and show that the de Rham operator with these boundary conditions is Fredholm and has compact resolvent.
We also prove an isomorphism between the resulting Hodge
and

L
2

L^{2}

de Rham cohomology groups, and that these are independent of the choice of iterated edge metric.
On spaces which admit ideal boundary conditions of this type which are also self-dual, which we call ‘Cheeger spaces’, we show that these Hodge/de Rham cohomology groups satisfy Poincaré duality.
Case report of neonatal near drowning associated with underwater birth
Authors: Wright Sarah , Abdel-Latif Mohamed E.
Published: February 2016

Water immersion of labouring women during the first stage and second stage of labour significantly reduces analgesia requirements and increases women’s reported satisfaction with pushing, without adversely affecting labour duration, operative delivery rates, or foetal wellbeing. However, immersion during the third stage of labour is associated with potential serious complications that are not seen with land-based birth. Here, we present a case report of a baby born via water birth. The report illustrates increased risk of significant perinatal morbidity associated with water birth.
Reactions between peracetic acid and lipophilic extractives – methodologies and implications in post bleaching of kraft pulps
Authors: Raitanen Jan-Erik , Sundberg Anna , Konn Jonas , Smeds Annika , Willför Stefan
Published: February 2016

Pulp mills constantly look for opportunities to increase their production capacity without major investments, as well as to save in overall bleaching costs. Peracetic acid (PAA) is used in post bleaching of kraft pulps to increase pulp brightness, to prevent brightness reversion in pulp storage, and to prohibit problems caused by extractives. However, the rates and significance of reactions between PAA and lipophilic extractives in pulp bleaching are not known in detail. Hence, the reactions between PAA and model compounds of extractives have been studied as emulsions in water and directly in methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE). Unsaturated compounds were found to be reactive in both water and MTBE, and the conventional extractive analyses had to be modified. Freeze-drying the reaction mixture with subsequent trimethylsilylation and GC-analysis was a very effective analytical approach. As a result of PAA treatment, fatty acids and sterols with double bonds were shown to form epoxides and the corresponding diols. Dehydroabietic acid (DeAb) also reacted with PAA by oxidation of the benzylic position. After longer reaction times, the reaction products of the extractives were further degraded or formed cross-linked aggregates. The epoxides and diols were also identified in samples from pulp mills applying PAA in post bleaching.
Synthesis of Butyl Acetate in a Membrane Reactor in a Flow-Through Mode
Authors: Liu Guangrui , Guo Shiwei , He Benqiao , Li Jianxin , Qian Xiaoming
Published: February 2016

A composite catalytic membrane (CCM), as a heterogeneous catalyst, was prepared from sulfonated polyethersulfone (SPES) and polyethersulfone (PES) impregnating polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) non-woven fabric by solvent evaporation method, which was employed to produce butyl acetate from continuous esterification of acetic acid with n-butyl alcohol in a flow-through mode. The pervaporation-assisted esterification was also carried out to promote forward reaction of the esterification through online removing the water produced. The results showed that the n-butyl alcohol conversion was over 95.0 % at the reaction temperature of 363 K, the initial acetic acid/n-butyl alcohol molar ratio of 4:1 and the residence time of 4,000 s in single flow-through mode. In the pervaporation-assisted esterification, an obvious enhancement in conversion was achieved compared with the esterification without pervaporation. And the CCMs presented a good catalytic activity and stability.