bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experimental and Analytical Strength Characterization of an Ultrasonic Welded Lap Shear Joint
Authors: Ibekwe Samuel , Mensah Patrick F. , Joshi Ghanashyam , Li Guoqiang , Stubblefield Michael
Published: April 2020

An experimental study on ultrasonic welding of thermoplastic, which is a prelude to study how the technology can be adapted to join composite materials, was conducted. Three sets of specimen were studied to investigate the influence of energy guide on the bonded specimen. No major statistical difference between the ‘energy guides’ of the tested thermoplastic Celuka™ coupons were noted. Failure of the welded specimen was by shear at the interface. A 75% drop in strength for the bonded material was observed.
Deformation and Fracture Characteristics of Cenosphere Filled Epoxies Under Compressive Loading Conditions
Authors: Gupta Nikhil , Woldesenbet Eyassu
Published: April 2020

Close cell structured foams are made by incorporation of cenospheres in polymeric materials. Low moisture absorption characteristics and considerably higher compressive strength of these materials compared to open cell structured foams make them suitable for use as core materials in sandwich structured materials. Incorporation of cenospheres in the epoxy resins enhances their impact strength and damage tolerance, especially if these materials are used in sandwich configurations. Present study analyzes and compares the effect of incorporation of cenospheres like flyash and glass microballoons in the epoxy resins on the deformation and fracture behavior of the material. Approach based on determination of local stress intensity factors is used to obtain estimate of the stresses in the material.
Development of New International Standards for Composite Piping Systems for the Marine and Offshore Oil and Gas Industries
Authors: Lea Richard H.
Published: April 2020

The development of international standards for composite piping systems that are used in the Marine and Offshore Oil & Gas Industries is a recognized customer need. These industries are global in nature. It is not uncommon to see project specifications written in London and Houston, fabrication of the vessel hull in a Korean yard, topsides construction in Indonesia and project location off the coast of West Africa. Operator supplied specifications could come from The Netherlands, France, Norway as well as numerous other countries. In addition, certifying agencies such as ABS, Lloyds or DNV could be involved that must follow international maritime rules and regulations.

A concerted effort has been made within the past five years to address these issues. Operators worldwide have come together with composite pipe manufacturers, engineering firms and certifying agencies to develop international standards that address these issues.

Anyone considering the use of composite piping in the Marine and/or Offshore Oil & Gas Industries should consider the ASTM and ISO Standards that are in the final stages of development.

ASTMF-1173 Rewrite is a purchasing document that is being balloted at the present time. It was developed by ASTM F25.13.03 workgroup.

ISO WD 15840 is the international version of ASTM F-1173 Rewrite. It has been circulated to the international community for comments. It was developed by ISO/TC8/SC3/WG4.

ISO WD 14692 is a rewrite of original United Kingdom Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA) document that was adopted in March 1994. It has been circulated to the international community for comments and is in it’s final stage of development. It was developed by ISO/TC 67/SC 6/WG 5. This document is an engineering specification and recommended practice document.

When finalized and passed by the various committees ISO 15840 and ISO 14692 should be used in conjunction with each other. They are compatible documents based on performance criteria.

It is the opinion of many who have been in the composite pipe business for over 20 years that these are the most important documents ever developed by our industry. They are grossly overdue.

However, while standards are a recognized customer need, standards that are not fully understood by operators, piping engineers and installation teams can be dangerous and misinterpreted. Knowledge of the unique properties of composite materials must be a perquisite to those using these standards.

Standards that are not fully understood in the hands of the uneducated is a formula for disaster.
Developing a Design Envelope for Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) Piping Systems According to ISO 14692
Authors: Schmit Kevin
Published: April 2020

There are many methods available for designing GRP (glass reinforced plastic) piping systems for internal pressure. These include short term methods such as those found in ASME RTP-1 and long term methods such as ASTM D2996. Other standards, such as ASME B31.3, ASTM F1173, and ABS Rules for Steel Vessels and MODUs, provide options for both long term and short term methods. ASME RTP-1 goes one step further by allowing a design process based on design calculations only.

This paper will provide the details for designing GRP piping systems according to a new standard, ISO 14692. This method involves generating a design envelope to address all stresses from the design conditions of the system. This paper will also provide a comparison of this method’s advantages and disadvantages to other standards currently in use.
Platform Equipment and Operations for Extended Reach Remediation
Authors: Crawford James R. , Crawford Jaime , Baugh Benton F.
Published: April 2020

A discussion of the equipment and preparation necessary to be made on an offshore platform for effective extended reach services.
An Investigation of Slug Flow in Hilly Terrain Pipelines
Authors: Bagci Suat , Al-Shareef Adel
Published: April 2020

Two-phase flow in hilly terrain pipelines can cause significant practical operating problems. When slugs flow in a hilly terrain pipeline that contains sections of different inclinations they undergo a change of length and slug flow characteristics as the slug move from section to section. In addition, slugs can be generated at low elbows, dissipate at top elbows and shrink or grow in length as they travel along the pipe.

A mathematical model and a computer program was developed to simulate these phenomena. The model was based on the sink/source concept at the pipeline connections. A connection between two pipeline sections of different slopes was conveniently called elbow. An elbow accumulates liquid as a sink, and releases liquid as a source. The sink/source has a characteristic capacity of its own. This capacity is positive if the liquid can indeed be accumulated at the elbow or negative if the liquid is actually drained away from the elbow. This type of treatment effectively isolates the flow upstream from an elbow from that downstream, while still allowing flow interactions between two detailed pipeline sections. The hydrodynamic flow model was also used to calculate the film liquid holdup in horizontal and inclined pipelines. The model can successfully predict the liquid film holdup if the liquid film height is assumed to be uniform through the gas pocket. Many other models were used to calculate all the needed parameters to perform the sink/source model.

The overall effect of a hill or terrain on slug flow depends on the operating flow rates and pipeline configurations. For special case of near constant slug frequency corresponding to moderately high superficial liquid and gas velocities, this effect was found to be small. The changes in the film characteristics between two adjacent pipeline sections were found to be mostly responsible for the pseudo-slug generation, slug growth and dissipation in the downstream pipeline sections. The film liquid holdup decreased with increasing pipe diameter. The unit slug length increased at the upstream inclined pipes and decreased at the downstream inclined pipes with increasing pipe diameter. The possibility of pseudo-slug generation was increased at large pipe diameters even at high sink capacities. At low sink capacities, no pseudo-slugs were generated at high superficial velocities. The slug flow characteristics was more effected by low superficial gas and liquid velocities, large pipe diameters and shallow pipeline inclinations.
Three Phase Slug Tracking With PeTra
Authors: Larsen Marit , Hedne Pål
Published: April 2020

This paper presents numerical simulations of slug flow in multiphase pipeline systems using a novel simulation tool PeTra. The slug tracking scheme in PeTra is described. A major feature in PeTra is a moving grid together with a fully integrated front tracking scheme. The slug tracking model enables tracking of slug fronts with limited numerical diffusion. PeTra has been implemented in C++ using object-oriented methods resulting in a flexible and dynamic code. The numerical simulations are compared with experimental data and field data.
Naturally Driven Flow, Heat and Mass Transfer in Soil Saturated With Light Fuel Vapor and Heated Asymmetrically
Authors: Mohamad A. A. , Karim G. A.
Published: April 2020

Natural convection heat and mass transfer in a soil saturated with light fuel vapor and heated from one side is modeled and solved numerically. The system is simulated as a porous medium in a large horizontal enclosure exposed to ambient air from the top and saturated with a fuel vapor from the bottom. It is assumed that one of the vertical boundaries is heated to a constant temperature while the other vertical boundary kept cold at the ambient temperature. The problem is approximated as a two-dimensional, steady state, laminar flow with constant properties.

The rate of outflow of species is calculated together with the rates of heat and mass transfer. Also, flow, temperature and species distributions are shown. For a thermally driven flow, i.e., N<1.0, the flow is driven into the cavity from a distance if the strength of the heat source and/or the permeability of the porous medium is high. For N>1.0, solutal plumes and complex flow pattern are formed as N increases. Such results will aid in providing guidelines for reducing the fire hazards from fuel wetted soils.
Modeling of Premixed Combustion in a Double-Layered Radiant Porous Burner
Authors: Younis L. , Mohamad A. A. , Wierzba I.
Published: April 2020

Porous radiant burners are widely used in industry to provide a uniform source of heat flux with reduced emissions. Such burners have provided high rates of heat transfer by radiation while preventing flame flashback. The work to be presented relates to the modeling of the combustion process in a double-layered flat porous burner. The burner employs a low porosity layer on the upstream side and high porosity layer on the downstream side of the homogenous fuel-air mixture flow.

The nonequilibrium model is adopted. The energy equations for the gas and solid media are solved numerically with a one step reaction (Arrhenius type) energy release rate for the gas-phase. The solid phase is considered to be non-reactive. The thermophysical properties of the gas and solid phases are assumed to be functions of temperature. The effects of thermal conductivity and thickness of the layers on the flame stabilization within the porous medium and radiant energy output are investigated and discussed. The high thermal conductivity layer diffuses heat and thus has significant effects on the flame location and flame temperature. However, the high thermal conductivity of the layer also contributes to a decrease in the radiant energy. It was found that generally the flame stabilizes at the interface between the two layers. When the thermal conductivity of the upstream low porosity layer was too low (e.g. 0.1 W/m.K), the flame was stabilized within the low porosity layer.
ASE: A New Approach for Qualitative Groupware Development Projects?
Authors: Pahnke Cornelia , Knöll Heinz-Dieter , Moreton Robert
Published: April 2020

Groupware is a general term for software applications that are designed to streamline the collection and dissemination of information, based on the concept of the learning organization. The main problem of using groupware efficiently is the need for an increasing amount of creative and conceptional work. For this reasons we have tested the Animated Systems Engineering (ASE) within student groups in two projects, because we need user participation in all phases of the reorganization so that there is a wide acceptance of the groupware concept. This implies to focus on the human factor as the key for success. But nevertheless, we want to show that Project Management has to be a well structured and method based process. We have tried to combine both in our new approach.
A Process Flow Model of ISO 14001 for the Implementation of an Environmental Management System
Authors: Arnoni Yoram (Jerry)
Published: April 2020

There is increasing interest all over the world in Environmental Management Systems. Many Japanese electronic companies have mandated that their plants should be registered to ISO 14001 irrespective of what country they are located in. The big three automobile manufacturers in the United States have requested their suppliers to become registered to ISO 14001 within the next few years.

The EPA is openly supporting Environmental Management Systems including ISO 14001. Twenty-two US States have enacted legislation that encourages voluntary environmental audits by granting immunity to certain non-compliance issues that was discovered during the audit, providing prior notice of the audit was given to the state and the auditee had no prior knowledge of the non-compliance.

In response to the interest in Environmental Management Systems, this paper highlights the process flow from one environmental core element to the next in flow diagrams and gives examples from a number of implemented systems.

There are a number of system concepts comprising of core elements that are described in ISO 14001 but the link between the core elements are not always immediately obvious. The main processes are as follows:

• Identifying aspects, evaluating which are significant and then implementing control procedures for those issues, monitoring/measuring the outcome of the controls and reporting to management for corrective action or continuous improvement.

• Identification of regulatory issues that apply to the organizations activities, keeping up to date with regulatory changes and reporting to regulatory offices as may be required.

• Identifying which aspects that the organization wishes to pursue as an improvement program. The improvement program will include objectives, measurable targets for those objectives, the means by which those objectives will be achieved, the time frame and people responsible for the program.

• Internal assessments, corrective actions, preventive actions and management review and re-action.

An understanding of the EMS core elements and their inter relationship will be of interest to those who are considering implementing an Environmental management System in their organization.
Numerical Simulation of Corrosion Inhibitor Transport in Pipelines Carrying Oil-Water Mixtures
Authors: Rojas-Figueroa Antonio , Fairuzov Yuri V.
Published: April 2020

The transport of corrosion inhibitors in a pipeline carrying crude oil-water mixture has been studied using a transient liquid-liquid two-phase flow model. The fluid flow model (the hydrodynamic model) is based on a two-fluid model of two-phase flow. The model allows simulating the transfer of inhibitor from one phase to another (inhibitor partitioning) under steady state and transient oil-water flow conditions. Both stratified and dispersed flow patterns can be modeled. Numerical simulations are presented to demonstrate the effects of topography of the line, locations of the inhibitor injection point, flow pattern, and partitioning of the inhibitor between the phases on the distribution of inhibitor concentration along the pipeline. The modeling can be used to predict the inhibitor volume needed to be injected (the dose rate) in order to provide the required inhibitor concentration in critical sections of crude-oil pipelines.
Performance of Fluid Flow and Thermal Models for Subsea Satellite Wells
Authors: Minami Kazuioshi , Almeida Alcino R. , Santos Martha S. , Oliveira Alexandre P.
Published: April 2020

Accurate calculation of pressure and temperature profiles is crucial for correctly predicting production rates and wax deposition and hydrate plugging tendencies of subsea wells and flowlines. In the present work, the commonly used empirical pressure drop correlations coupled with heat transfer models, both in the wellbore and the subsea flowlines, are evaluated against measured steady-state data from field operations. The reference data are from Campos Basin ultra-deep waters high flowrate subsea wells (from 1,000 to 1,850 m water depth, 3,280 to 6,070 ft), covering flow rates from 1,000 to 3,150 m3/d (6,280 to 20,000 bpd) through 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 in nominal diameter tubings and up to 11 km (6.8 mi) long, 6 in ID insulated flexible flowlines.

Descriptions of the evaluated models, production system geometry, and fluid properties are included in the paper.
Calculations of Temperatures in Multistructure Wave Fronts
Authors: Sano Yukio , Abe Akihisa
Published: April 2020

In the previous study, two Inside Temperature (ITdQ=0 and ITIM) methods for estimating the temperature distributions in steady wave fronts in a thermoviscous material were established and the ITIM method was shown qualitatively to be effective for shock compressions where the effect of viscosity was distinguished. In this paper, these two methods are applied to the shock compressions of Yittria-doped Tetragonal Zirconia (YTZ) that is a thermoviscous material with a multiple shock Hugoniot. The YTZ Hugoniot consists of three partial curves including two kinks, that are the Hugoniot Elastic Limit (HEL) and the phase transition point. The shock temperatures evaluated by the ITIM method were close to the accurate temperatures obtained by the Walsh-Christian method in the whole stress range to 140 GPa examined here. Furthermore, the inside temperature distributions were approximately accurate because the effect of viscosity was distinguished in the shock compression. By these facts, it was considered that the fundamental assumption and the assumption on heat transport used in the ITIM method were valid and as a result, this method was effective. In addition, the influence of heat transport on the temperatures and thermoelastic stresses was examined.
Design Criterion for Increasing the Performance of the Energy Plants
Authors: Kececiler Abdullah
Published: April 2020

Since the middle of this century the growing fact of the unexpected environmental conditions and the rapid increase in the energy consumption have resulted in the fact that the efficient use of the energy and to exploit a new and renewable energy resources are inevitable. In the recent years, increasing importance in the issue of the best use of available energy resources are discussed with the application of the combined heat-power plants. In this paper, the performance of the conventional energy plants and combined heat-power plants are compared. For this reason a new design criterions for the combined heat-power plant are introduced here.

The rationality of these new design criterions are tested in thermal energy and gas turbine plants. The obtained results are then compared with the conventional energy plants. It is proven that this new design methodology will provide more energy saving and minimize the heat losses that is produced during energy production.
The effects of projectile mass on ballistic pendulum displacement
Authors: Sanders James C.
Published: April 2020

The maximum displacement from equilibrium of a ballistic pendulum is analyzed as a function of projectile mass. The displacement can be determined according to the conservation laws of energy and momentum, which are applied in three stages. For an ideal spring-gun, the pendulum's maximum displacement height should increase monotonically with the mass of the projectile until the mass of the projectile and the effective mass of the pendulum are equal, after which the displacement height decreases monotonically with projectile mass. The additional mass of the spring and driver mechanism shifts this peak towards higher projectile masses. This relationship was tested using a cup-catcher and a set of blocks of varying mass as the projectiles, and the pendulum maximum displacement does indeed increase with mass to a point before slowly decreasing.
Dynamics of two freely rotating dipoles
Authors: Haugen Peter T. , Edwards Boyd F.
Published: April 2020

The equations of motion for two spherical dipoles moving freely in a plane are obtained. Special consideration is given to when the two spheres are in contact. Investigations of equilibria, small-amplitude motion, and large-amplitude motion reveal that possible motions are exclusively quasi-periodic. Two distinct modes are identified, one of which is isomorphic with the simple pendulum, complete with a regime where it ceases to be periodic, and the angular displacement grows continuously at high energy.
Systematic study of the starburst effect
Authors: Zhang Haokai , Huang Yuhua , Zhang Gaolong
Published: April 2020

The starburst effect generally refers to the phenomenon where radial bright lines emerge from a light source in photographs. In this work, the light intensity distribution of the diffraction pattern is calculated and carefully measured, which shows a power-law decay with the distance to the image center. The exponent of the power-law decay depends on the shape of the aperture. A specific method is proposed to calculate the analytical solution of the diffraction pattern caused by a polygonal hole, which is based on the superposition principle of light amplitudes. The dominant factors on this effect are also investigated experimentally, such as the aperture size and light parallelism. This paper provides a systematic study for the starburst effect, which can be used in teaching students majoring in physics.
A New Spin on Gender: How Parents of Male Baton Twirlers (Un)Do Gender Essentialism
Authors: Haltom Trenton M.
Published: April 2020

Families and sports are spaces for “doing” and “undoing” gender. The author presents qualitative interviews with 30 American men who recall their parents’ involvement in the gender atypical sport of baton twirling. The author analyzes the data using “doing” and “undoing” gender as well as “hard” and “soft” essentialism frameworks. Mothers are often supportive of their sons’ twirling, contributing to “undoing” gender and relaxing “soft essentialism.” Fathers do not see baton twirling as a normative pathway to manhood or masculinity, thus reinforcing “hard essentialism.” Fathers often take on an absentee role in their sons’ twirling. In rare cases, fathers “do” gender by reformulating their sons’ twirling into a more recognizable sport. Findings consider how parents navigate gender when sons cross gendered boundaries in sports and the consequences for gender inequality.
Delocalized electron effect on single metal sites in ultrathin conjugated microporous polymer nanosheets for boosting CO
2
cycloaddition
Authors: Zhang Xiaofei , Liu Haitao , An Pengfei , Shi Yanan , Han Jianyu , Yang Zhongjie , Long Chang , Guo Jun , Zhao Shenlong , Zhao Kun , Yin Huajie , Zheng Lirong , Zhang Binhao , Liu Xiaoping , Zhang Lijuan , Li Guodong , Tang Zhiyong
Published: April 2020

Electronic state of single metal sites in ultrathin CMP nanosheets is tuned via delocalized effect of conjugated skeletons.
Laser-engineered heavy hydrocarbons: Old materials with new opportunities
Authors: Zang X. , Jian C. , Ingersoll S. , Li Huashan , Adams J. J. , Lu Z. , Ferralis N. , Grossman J. C.
Published: April 2020

Laser ablation combined with chemical diversity of heavy hydrocarbons (tar, coal, and pitch) provides tunability of properties.
PhoQ is an unsaturated fatty acid receptor that fine-tunes
Salmonella
pathogenic traits
Authors: Carabajal María Ayelén , Viarengo Gastón , Yim Lucía , Martínez-Sanguiné Adriana , Mariscotti Javier F. , Chabalgoity José A. , Rasia Rodolfo M. , Véscovi Eleonora García
Published: April 2020

Unsaturated fatty acids promote
Salmonella
infection by directly repressing the transmembrane sensor PhoQ.
Development of Novel Anti-influenza Thiazolides with Relatively Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Potentials
Authors: Zhao Lei , Yan Yunzheng , Dai Qingsong , Li Xingzhou , Xu Ke , Zou Gang , Yang Keyu , Li Wei , Guo Xiaojia , Yang Jingjing , Li Yuexiang , Xia Qing , Cao Ruiyuan , Zhong Wu
Published: April 2020

Seasonal and pandemic influenza causes 650,000 deaths annually in the world. The emergence of drug resistance to specific anti-influenza virus drugs such as oseltamivir and baloxavir marboxil highlights the urgency of novel anti-influenza chemical entity discovery. In this study, we report a series of novel thiazolides derived from an FDA-approved drug, nitazoxanide, with antiviral activity against influenza and a broad range of viruses. The preferred candidates 4a and 4d showed significantly enhanced anti-influenza virus potentials, with 10-fold improvement compared to results with nitazoxanide, and were effective against a variety of influenza virus subtypes including oseltamivir-resistant strains.
Pseudomonas Can Survive Tailocin Killing via Persistence-Like and Heterogenous Resistance Mechanisms
Authors: Kandel Prem P. , Baltrus David A. , Hockett Kevin L.
Published: April 2020

Phage tail-like bacteriocins (tailocins) are bacterially produced protein toxins that mediate competitive interactions between cocolonizing bacteria. Both theoretical and experimental research has shown there are intransitive interactions between bacteriocin-producing, bacteriocin-sensitive, and bacteriocin-resistant populations, whereby producers outcompete sensitive cells, sensitive cells outcompete resistant cells, and resistant cells outcompete producers. These so-called rock-paper-scissors dynamics explain how all three populations occupy the same environment, without one driving the others extinct. Using Pseudomonas syringae as a model, we demonstrate that otherwise sensitive cells survive bacteriocin exposure through a physiological mechanism. This mechanism allows cells to survive bacteriocin killing without acquiring resistance. We show that a significant fraction of the target cells that survive a lethal dose of tailocin did not exhibit any detectable increase in survival during a subsequent exposure. Tailocin persister cells were more prevalent in stationary- rather than log-phase cultures. Of the fraction of cells that gained detectable resistance, there was a range from complete (insensitive) to incomplete (partially sensitive) resistance. By using genomic sequencing and genetic engineering, we showed that a mutation in a hypothetical gene containing 8 to 10 transmembrane domains causes tailocin high persistence and that genes of various glycosyltransferases cause incomplete and complete tailocin resistance. Importantly, of the several classes of mutations, only those causing complete tailocin resistance compromised host fitness. This result indicates that bacteria likely utilize persistence to survive bacteriocin-mediated killing without suffering the costs associated with resistance. This research provides important insight into how bacteria can escape the trap of fitness trade-offs associated with gaining de novo tailocin resistance.

IMPORTANCE Bacteriocins are bacterially produced protein toxins that are proposed as antibiotic alternatives. However, a deeper understanding of the responses of target bacteria to bacteriocin exposure is lacking. Here, we show that target cells of Pseudomonas syringae survive lethal bacteriocin exposure through both physiological persistence and genetic resistance mechanisms. Cells that are not growing rapidly rely primarily on persistence, whereas those growing rapidly are more likely to survive via resistance. We identified various mutations in lipopolysaccharide biogenesis-related regions involved in tailocin persistence and resistance. By assessing host fitness of various classes of mutants, we showed that persistence and subtle resistance are mechanisms P. syringae uses to survive competition and preserve host fitness. These results have important implications for developing bacteriocins as alternative therapeutic agents.
B Cell-Intrinsic Expression of Interferon Regulatory Factor 1 Supports Chronic Murine Gammaherpesvirus 68 Infection
Authors: Jondle C. N. , Johnson K. E. , Uitenbroek A. A. , Sylvester P. A. , Nguyen C. , Cui W. , Tarakanova V. L.
Published: April 2020

Gammaherpesviruses establish lifelong infection in over 95% of all adults and are associated with B cell lymphomas. The virus’s manipulation of the germinal center response and B cell differentiation to establish lifelong infection is thought to also precipitate malignant transformation, through a mechanism that remains poorly understood. The host transcription factor IRF-1, a well-established tumor suppressor, selectively attenuates MHV68-driven germinal center response, a phenotype that we originally hypothesized to occur in a B cell-intrinsic manner. In contrast, in testing, B cell-intrinsic IRF-1 expression promoted the MHV68-driven germinal center response and the establishment of chronic infection. Our report highlights the underappreciated multifaceted role of IRF-1 in MHV68 infection and pathogenesis.
Allelic-Specific Regulation of xCT Expression Increases Susceptibility to Tuberculosis by Modulating microRNA-mRNA Interactions
Authors: Wang Wenfei , Cai Yi , Deng Guofang , Yang Qianting , Tang Peijun , Wu Meiying , Yu Ziqi , Yang Fan , Chen Jianyong , Werz Oliver , Chen Xinchun
Published: April 2020

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent globally, and the development of multidrug resistance represents a serious health concern, particularly in the developing world. Novel effective treatments are urgently required. xCT expression is known to increase susceptibility to TB, and certain polymorphisms in the gene encoding this protein interrupt the binding of microRNA and prevent its suppression. Taking advantage of the FDA approval for the use of sulfasalazine (SASP), which inhibits xCT-mediated cystine transport in humans, we demonstrate how host genotype-specific therapies tailored to the xCT genotype can improve TB outcomes.
Association between pre-diabetes and microvascular and macrovascular disease in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes
Authors: Palladino Raffaele , Tabak Adam G , Khunti Kamlesh , Valabhji Jonathan , Majeed Azeem , Millett Christopher , Vamos Eszter P
Published: April 2020

Objective

The associated risk of vascular disease following diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in people previously identified as having pre-diabetes in real-world settings is unknown. We examined the presence of microvascular and macrovascular disease in individuals with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes by glycemic status within 3 years before diagnosis.

Research design and methods

We identified 159 736 individuals with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink database in England between 2004 and 2017. We used logistic regression models to compare presence of microvascular (retinopathy and nephropathy) and macrovascular (acute coronary syndrome, cerebrovascular and peripheral arterial disease) disease at the time of type 2 diabetes diagnosis by prior glycemic status.

Results

Half of the study population (49.9%) had at least one vascular disease, over one-third (37.4%) had microvascular disease, and almost a quarter (23.5%) had a diagnosed macrovascular disease at the time of type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

Compared with individuals with glycemic values within the normal range, those detected with pre-diabetes before the diagnosis had 76% and 14% increased odds of retinopathy and nephropathy (retinopathy: adjusted OR (AOR) 1.76, 95% CI 1.69 to 1.85; nephropathy: AOR 1.14, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.19), and 7% higher odds of the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.12) in fully adjusted models at time of diabetes diagnosis.

Conclusions

Microvascular and macrovascular diseases are detected in 37%–24% of people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. Pre-diabetes before diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is associated with increased odds of microvascular disease and acute coronary syndrome. Detection of pre-diabetes might represent an opportunity for reducing the burden of microvascular and macrovascular disease through heightened attention to screening for vascular complications.
Factors influencing the early initiation of breast feeding in public primary healthcare facilities in Northeast Nigeria: a mixed-method study
Authors: Shobo Olukolade George , Umar Nasir , Gana Ahmed , Longtoe Peter , Idogho Omokhudu , Anyanti Jennifer
Published: April 2020

Introduction

The early initiation of breast feeding is a high-impact intervention that gives newborns a better chance of survival. We assess the barriers and facilitators influencing the practice of early breast feeding of newborns in public primary healthcare facilities (PHCs) in Northeast Nigeria, to influence the planning of programmes targeted at improving newborn care in the region.

Method

We used an explanatory mixed-method approach. We conducted case observation of childbirths and newborn care for the quantitative arm, and interviewed mothers and birth attendants 1 hour after childbirth for the qualitative arm. The analysis for the quantitative arm was done with SPSS V.23. For the qualitative arm, we transcribed the audio files, coded the texts and categorised them using thematic analysis.

Result

We observed 393 and 27 mothers for the quantitative and qualitative arms of the study, respectively. The quantitative arm shows that 39% of mothers did not breastfeed their newborns within 1 hour of birth. The qualitative arm shows that 37% of mothers did not breastfeed within 1 hour of birth. Themes that describe the barriers to early breast feeding in public PHCs are: birth attendants’ unwillingness or inability to accommodate mothers’ safe traditional practices, ineffective rooming-in practices, staff shortages, lack of privacy in the lying-in ward and poor implementation of visiting-hour policy in public PHCs. The pregnant women denied safe traditional birth practices like chanting, praying or reading religious books during delivery are five times more likely not to breastfeed newborns within the first hour of birth (relative risk=4.5, 95% CI 1.2–17.1) compared with pregnant women allowed these practices.

Conclusion

Stakeholders must increase their focus on improving breastfeeding practices in public PHCs. Instituting policies that protect mothers’ privacy and finding innovative ways to accommodate and promote safe traditional practices in the intrapartum and postpartum period in PHCs will improve the early breast feeding of newborns in these PHCs.
Outcomes tested in non-pharmacological interventions in mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia: a scoping review
Authors: Couch Elyse , Lawrence Vanessa , Co Melissa , Prina Matthew
Published: April 2020

Objectives

Non-pharmacological treatments are an important aspect of dementia care. A wide range of interventions have been trialled for mild dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, the variety of outcome measures used in these trials makes it difficult to make meaningful comparisons. The objective of this study is to map trends in which outcome measures are used in trials of non-pharmacological treatments in MCI and mild dementia.

Design

Scoping review.

Data sources

EMBASE, PsychINFO, Medline and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials were searched from inception until February 2018. An additional search was conducted in April 2019

Eligibility

We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) testing non-pharmacological interventions for people diagnosed with MCI or mild dementia. Studies were restricted to full RCTs; observational, feasibility and pilot studies were not included.

Charting methods

All outcome measures used by included studies were extracted and grouped thematically. Trends in the types of outcome measures used were explored by type of intervention, country and year of publication.

Results

91 studies were included in this review. We extracted 358 individual outcome measures, of which 78 (22%) were used more than once. Cognitive measures were the most frequently used, with the Mini-Mental State Examination being the most popular.

Conclusions

Our findings highlight an inconsistency in the use of outcome measures. Cognition has been prioritised over other domains, despite previous research highlighting the importance of quality of life and caregiver measures. To ensure a robust evidence base, more research is needed to highlight which outcome measures should be used over others.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42018102649.
Clinical characteristics of hospitalised patients with schizophrenia who were suspected to have coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Hubei Province, China
Authors: Liu Xuebing , Lin Hong , Jiang Haifeng , Li Ruihua , Zhong Na , Su Hang , Li Yi , Zhao Min
Published: April 2020

Background

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, no data have been available for hospitalised psychiatric patients who are suspected to have COVID-19. We performed a comprehensive investigation of the clinical features of hospitalised patients with schizophrenia with or without suspected COVID-19 in Hubei Province, China.

Aim

To explore the clinical characteristics of hospitalised patients with schizophrenia with suspected COVID-19 in Hubei Province, China.

Methods

21 hospitalised patients with schizophrenia with suspected COVID-19 (COVID-19 suspected group) in the isolation ward of a mental health hospital in Wuhan and 30 hospitalised patients with schizophrenia (clean group) in the general ward of another mental health hospital in Yichang were recruited. We retrospectively reviewed their clinical characteristics, laboratory findings and chest CT results before 21 February 2020. We also compared the emotional and mental symptoms between the two groups.

Results

Medical records revealed that 21 COVID-19 suspected patients were transferred to the isolation ward between 30 January 2020 and 15 February 2020. The mean age (SD) of COVID-19 suspected patients was 43.1 (2.6). 12 (57.1%) patients showed abnormalities on chest CT before onset of respiratory symptoms. 14 (66.7%) patients had psychiatric medications adjustment after detection of abnormal chest CT findings. By 21 February, one patient was confirmed to have COVID-19. Even though the remaining 20 (95.2%) were negative for at least two reverse transcription PCR tests, 11 (52.4%) patients met the diagnostic criteria for clinically confirmed cases. Compared with patients in the clean group, patients in the suspected COVID-19 group showed significantly higher stress, depression and anxiety levels and poorer sleep quality.

Conclusion

Setting up an independent isolation ward for hospitalised psychiatric patients who are suspected to have symptoms of COVID-19 helped control the spread of the epidemic. Patients with schizophrenia suspected to have COVID-19 showed increased stress and mood and sleep disturbances, which should be appropriately managed.
Testimonial injustice: discounting women’s voices in health care priority setting
Authors: Gallagher Siun , Little John Miles , Hooker Claire
Published: April 2020

Testimonial injustice occurs when bias against the credibility of certain social identities results in discounting of their contributions to deliberations. In this analysis, we describe testimonial injustice against women and how it figures in macroallocation procedure. We show how it harms women as deliberators, undermines the objective of inclusivity in macroallocation and affects the justice of resource distributions. We suggest that remedial action is warranted in order to limit the effects of testimonial injustice in this context, especially on marginalised and disadvantaged groups, and propose three areas for action, whose implementation might feasibly be achieved by those immediately involved in macroallocation.
Chondroitin sulfate mediates liver responses to injury induced by dual endothelin receptor inhibition
Authors: Ryanto Gusty Rizky Teguh , Yorifuji Kennosuke , Ikeda Koji , Emoto Noriaki
Published: April 2020

Although dual endothelin receptor antagonists (ERAs) show great promise for treating various conditions, their propensity to induce liver injury limits their clinical usage. Inflammation and fibrosis are important processes in liver responses to injury and it has been suggested that they and dual ERA-induced liver injury are mediated by the proteoglycan component chondroitin sulfate (CS), which is synthesized by CHST3 and CHST13. In this study, we investigated whether dual ER inhibition in the liver could alter CHST3 and CHST13 expression and thus CS production and whether liver CS content could prevent inflammatory and fibrosis responses after liver injury. We observed increased CHST3 and CHST13 expression after liver injury in bile duct ligated mice and histologically confirmed abundant CS deposition in the injured liver. Moreover, treating Hep3B cells with a dual ERA mimic significantly increased CHST3 and CHST13 expression, inflammatory cytokine levels, and glycosaminoglycan deposition. Furthermore, pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic markers were observed after dual ERA treatment, while treatment with CS-degrading chondroitinase ABC was able to successfully reverse these phenotypes. These observations suggest that CHST3- and CHST13-induced CS production can mediate liver injury responses caused by dual ER inhibition and thus could be an alternative pathway for treating ERA-induced liver injury.
Baryon-Dark matter interaction in presence of magnetic fields in light of EDGES signal
Authors: Bhatt Jitesh R. , Natwariya Pravin Kumar , Nayak Alekha C. , Pandey Arun Kumar
Published: April 2020

We have shown that in presence of a cosmic magnetic field the bounds on baryon dark matter cross-section ($${\hat{\sigma }}$$σ^), dark-matter mass ($$m_d$$md) and values of the magnetic field ($$B_0$$B0) can strongly influence each other. This requires to rework the bounds on $${\hat{\sigma }}\,$$σ^, $$m_d$$md and $$B_0$$B0 which can explain the observed absorption signal by EDGES collaboration. The upper limit on the magnetic field strength can modify in presence of baryon-dark matter interaction cross-section. In the presence of a strong magnetic field, a large baryon-dark matter interaction cross-section is required to balance magnetic heating of gas to explain the EDGES signal as compared to a weak magnetic field. Subsequently, the strong magnetic-fields can even erase the 21 cm signal–this gives an upper bound on the strength of magnetic-fields, dark-matter mass and baryon-dark matter cross-section. In the special case when $${\hat{\sigma }}$$σ^ = 0, one can recover the bound on magnetic field strength calculated in [1]. In this work we find that the allowed range of the primordial magnetic field can increase by three orders of magnitude in comparison with [1]. We get upper bound on the magnetic field strength: $$3.48\times 10^{-6}$$3.48×10-6 G for the dark matter mass $$\lesssim 10^{-2}$$≲10-2 GeV.
Pricing Competition Under Specific Discrete Choice Models
Authors: Etebari Farhad
Published: April 2020

Recent developments of information technology have increased market’s competitive pressure and products’ prices turned to be paramount factor for customers’ choices. These challenges influence traditional revenue management models and force them to shift from quantity-based to price-based techniques and incorporate individuals’ decisions within optimization models during pricing process. Multinomial logit model is the simplest and most popular discrete choice model, which suffers from an independence of irrelevant alternatives limitation. Empirical results demonstrate inadequacy of this model for capturing choice probability in the itinerary share models. The nested logit model, which appeared a few years after the multinomial logit, incorporates more realistic substitution pattern by relaxing this limitation. In this paper, a model of game theory is developed for two firms which customers choose according to the nested logit model. It is assumed that the real-time inventory levels of all firms are public information and the existence of Nash equilibrium is demonstrated. The firms adapt their prices by market conditions in this competition. The numerical experiments indicate decreasing firm’s price level simultaneously with increasing correlation among alternatives’ utilities error terms in the nests.
An anisotropic model for represent compact stars
Authors: Estevez-Delgado Joaquin , Cabrera Jose Vega , Ceballos Joel Arturo Rodriguez , Paulin-Fuentes Jorge Mauricio
Published: April 2020

Starting from a perfect fluid solution we constructed a generalization with anisotropic pressures and regular geometry as well as the pressures, the density and the speed of sound, these are also positive and monotonic decreasing functions. The speed of sound is lower than the speed of light, that is to say, the condition of causality is not broken. The model satisfies all the energy conditions and the radial [Formula: see text] and tangential [Formula: see text] speeds and complies with [Formula: see text] because of this the solution is stable according to the stability criteria related with the concept of cracking. The maximum value of the compactness factor [Formula: see text] which is lower than the Buchdahl limit and associated to neutron stars. In a complementary manner, we realize an analysis of the behavior of a star with a mass of [Formula: see text], with a fixed value of the anisotropy parameter and different compactness values, giving as a result that their central density [Formula: see text] and the superficial density [Formula: see text], the maximum values match the value of greater compactness of the model with a stellar radius of 6506.921 m.
The causal approach proof for the equivalence of SDKP4 and SQED4 at tree-level
Authors: Beltrán J. , Pimentel B. M. , Soto D. E.
Published: April 2020

The description of the electromagnetic interaction of charged spinless particles is usually formulated by the Scalar Quantum Electrodynamics. However, there is an alternative formulation given by the Duffin–Kemmer–Petiau theory: the Scalar DKP gauge theory. The proof of the equivalence between these two formulations has been discussed in many researches, but there is not yet a conclusive proof. In this paper, we initiate a complete proof in the framework of the Causal Perturbation theory, showing that both scalar formulations provide the same results for the differential cross-section at tree level.
Application of the Density Matrix Formalism for Obtaining the Channel Density of a Dual Gate Nanoscale Ultra-Thin MOSFET and its Comparison with the Semi-Classical Approach
Authors: Pratap Surender , Sarkar Niladri
Published: April 2020

Density Matrix Formalism using quantum methods has been used for determining the channel density of dual gate ultra-thin MOSFETs. The results obtained from the quantum methods have been compared with the semi-classical methods. This paper discusses in detail the simulation methods using self-consistent schemes and the discretization procedures for constructing the Hamiltonian Matrix for a dual gate MOSFET consisting of oxide/semiconductor/oxide interface and the self-consistent procedure involving the discretization of Poisson’s equation for satisfying the charge neutrality condition in the channel of different thicknesses. Under quantum methods, the channel densities are determined from the diagonal elements of the density matrix. This successfully simulates the size quantization effect for thin channels. For semi-classical methods, the Fermi–Dirac Integral function is used for the determination of the channel density. For thin channels, the channel density strongly varies with the values of the effective masses. This variation is simulated when we use Quantum methods. The channel density also varies with the asymmetric gate bias and this variation is more for thicker channels where the electrons get accumulated near the oxide/semiconductor interface. All the calculations are performed at room temperature (300[Formula: see text]K).