bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Punching Shear Strength of Reinforced Concrete Flat Slabs with Macro Synthetic Fibers
Authors: Nassif Nadia , Altoubat Salah , Maalej Mohamed , Estephane Pierre
Published: May 2020

Discrete macro fibers such as steel and synthetic have been recognized as an attractive material to improve concrete properties such as flexural toughness, shear strength, impact characteristics, deflection capacity and concrete ductility. In this paper, the effect of macro synthetic fibers on punching shear resistance and cracking behaviour of reinforced concrete slabs was investigated. A total of six reinforced concrete slabs were designed, instrumented and tested in displacement control mode, under monotonic center-point load in simply supported configuration. Synthetic fibers were added to the concrete slabs at dosage rates of 0.5% and 1% by volume. The results have shown a significant increase of the punching shear strength, energy absorption capacity and ductility of the slabs. The addition of 0.5% and 1% of macro synthetic fiber to the slab increased punching shear strength by 30% and 70% and increased energy absorbance by 40% and 80%, respectively.
Search for the maximal threshold Co content for the oxidation behaviour point of view for 25wt.%Cr-containing TaC-strengthened cast superalloys designed for use at 1200°C on long time
Authors: Berthod P , Gomis J P
Published: May 2020

The base of chromia-forming cast superalloys is the most often constituted of nickel and/or cobalt. Both elements may be simultaneously present, for instance Co for promoting good mechanical properties and Ni for stabilizing the austenitic matrix and favouring good ductility and machinability. In service, superalloys must also resist hot oxidation, property favoured by Ni but disadvantaged by Co. In (Ta,C)-rich cast superalloys exposed at high temperature, the intergranular strength may be enhanced by the very efficient TaC carbides while the higher the Co content the stronger the matrix creep resistance. In this work, six alloys designed to be chromia-forming and TaC-strengthened were exposed to laboratory air at 1200°C for 170 hours, to examine how the deterioration by oxidation and the evolution with time of the strengthening carbides in the bulk may be influenced by the Co/Ni ratio in the case of this important family of superalloys. The characterization of the formed oxide scales and of the morphologic evolution of the carbides allowed identifying a {0.6Co-0.4Ni}-proportion for the base elements. Such combination obviously allows keeping a chromia-forming behaviour and a good adherence of the protective oxide scale on the alloy, as well as a good resistance of the TaC against fragmentation.
Modeling and simulation of a gauge shaped beam coupled with macro fiber composite for energy harvesting application
Authors: Ibrahim D S , Sun B B , Sharif U , Oluseyi O A
Published: May 2020

This paper presents a novel unimorph piezoelectric cantilever with non-conventional geometry named as gauge shaped beam to investigate stress, Eigen frequencies and electric potential for improved vibration energy scavenging. The harvester is made of macro fiber composite (MFC) as the active piezoelectric layer bonded to a brass substrate. Complete transversely isotropic elastic and piezoelectric properties are assigned to the composite structure in a three-dimensional finite element model using COMSOL Multiphysics. Dynamic behaviour of the proposed structure was simulated and the results obtained were compared with traditional rectangular geometry. The results proved that the gauge shaped beam has a higher stress distribution around the gauge length, enhanced electric potential and lower resonance frequencies than the conventional rectangular structure which makes it better for the design of piezoelectric based vibration energy harvesters.
Relations between microstructure and hardness of plain carbon steels using eddy current technique
Authors: Costa Isadora M. O. A. , Mesplont Christophe , Bouquerel Jérémie , Vogt Jean-Bernard
Published: May 2020

Heat-treatments were carried out on carbon steels ranging from 0.03 to 0.78 wt%C, in order to produce various ferrite-pearlite microstructures. The specimens were characterized by metallographic examinations and microhardness measurements. A clear dependence was found between microstructure characteristics and eddy current outputs measured by means of an electromagnetic sensor: resistance was observed to increase, while inductive reactance decreased in the order of pearlite and ferrite microstructures, and with decreasing interlamellar spacing of pearlite. These components are related to the electrical resistivity and magnetic permeability of the steels. The potentiality of this technique was highlighted for monitoring phase proportions, quantitatively assessing pearlite interlamellar spacing, giving also information about mechanical properties, such as hardness. It reveals the great potential of eddy current testing as a reliable non-destructive tool for metallurgical and mechanical characterization of carbon steels.
Measurement of Mass Transfer Coefficient of CO2–Amine System from Absorption Process
Authors: Limlertchareonwanit Thanakornkan , Maneeintr Kreangkrai , Charinpanitkul Tawatchai
Published: May 2020

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the main factors for climate change issues. Absorption is the technology to remove CO2 from various industries. The equipment used is the packed column to promote high mass transfer rate and to study the overall mass transfer coefficient (KGav). The KGav is an important parameter for designing and scaling up of packed column. Therefore, the objective of this work is to measure KGav for CO2 absorption into the aqueous solution of monoethanolamine (MEA) in a random-packed column and to investigate effect of parameters on KGav. The parameters are the solvent flow rate from 5.3-15.9 m3/m2h, CO2 initial loading from 0.0-0.2 mole/mole and CO2 content in gas phase from 5-15 %v/v. The results show that KGav increases as the solvent flow rate and solvent concentration increase. The CO2 content in gas phase provides relatively high impact on KGav with an increase in the CO2 content.
Understanding the properties of liquid-crystalline polymers by computational modeling
Authors: Binder Kurt , Egorov Sergei A , Milchev Andrey , Nikoubashman Arash
Published: May 2020

A topical review of recent theoretical work on the properties of lyotropic solutions and melts containing semiflexible polymers in thermal equilibrium is given, with a focus on the liquid-crystalline and smectic order of these systems in the bulk and under confinement. Starting with a discussion of single chain properties in terms of the Kratky-Porod worm-like chain model and its limitations, extensions along the lines of Onsager’s theory for the isotropic-nematic transition of solutions of hard rods are briefly reviewed. This discussion is followed by a review of recent Molecular Dynamics simulations and classical Density Functional Theory calculations. It is argued that, even in the simplest case of athermal solutions, coarse-grained polymer models must include three lengths: the contour length L, the persistence length

ℓ

p

, and the effective chain thickness D. The discussion is then extended to semiflexible polymers in solutions with thermally driven transitions, where the isotropic-isotropic phase separation competes with the isotropic-nematic transition. Basic physical phenomena due to confinement of these systems in thin films with either repulsive or attractive walls are briefly reviewed, and conditions for the formation of strongly ordered surface layers are identified.
7. Conjectures and theorems
Authors: Wilson Robin
Published: May 2020

‘Conjectures and theorems’ investigates a number of topics, such as the distribution of prime numbers, and two unsolved problems, Goldbach’s conjecture and the twin prime conjecture. The factorization of positive integers into primes is unique, but this does not hold for certain other systems of numbers. A more in-depth look at unique factorization gives deeper results, including a proposed result of Gauss. Mathematicians in the 1950s and 1960s confirmed that he was correct, as shown in the so-called ‘Baker-Heegner-Stark theorem’.
1. How we smell
Authors: Cobb Matthew
Published: May 2020

‘How we smell’ explains the processes, mechanisms, and anatomy behind smell or olfaction. What is the dimensionality of smell? Ancient Greek and Roman philosophers argued that pleasant smells were made up of round atoms and unpleasant smells of pointed ones; while the detail is incorrect, the theory is accurate. When we smell something, olfactory neurons send a response into the brain where they converge with cells with the same receptor type to form a ball-shaped structure, the glomerulus. Higher order neurons then combine signals across glomeruli to extract olfactory information from the environment. All animals with a brain share this basic wiring diagram for detecting smells.
What is globalization?
Authors: Steger Manfred B.
Published: May 2020

‘What is globalization?’ uses the story of how a lost iPhone turned its American owner into an Internet celebrity in China to illustrate our increased interconnectedness in both embodied and disembodied globalization (safer, faster air travel, and improved digital technology). When searching for a definition of globalization, it helps to distinguish between globalization, globality, and the global imaginary, which is people’s growing consciousness of the world as a single whole. Globalization as a process does not automatically lead to globalization as a condition. It is a complex, uneven set of processes taking place across world-time and world-space. Globalization is about intensifying planetary interconnectivity.
The cultural dimension of globalization
Authors: Steger Manfred B.
Published: May 2020

Cultural globalization arises from increased cultural flows across the world. ‘The cultural dimension of globalization’ focuses on the tension between cultural sameness and cultural difference, broadly defining culture as the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of people or society. The globalization of culture is often primarily attributed to international mass media. New technologies such as satellite television and the Internet have created a steady flow of images and messages which have had a strong effect on cultures and communities, profoundly impacting the way people experience their everyday lives. As the world becomes more connected, language diversity is decreasing as more languages become obsolete.
Surviving the surge: Evaluation of early impact of COVID-19 on inpatient pharmacy services at a community teaching hospital
Authors: McConachie Sean , Martirosov Dmitriy , Wang Bryan , Desai Neha , Jarjosa Sabrina , Hsaiky Lama
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has presented novel challenges to healthcare systems; however, an analysis of the impact of the pandemic on inpatient pharmacy services has not yet been conducted.

Methods

Results of an observational assessment of operational and clinical pharmacy services at a community teaching hospital during the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic are presented. Service outcomes of the inpatient pharmacy were evaluated from February 1 to April 8, 2020. Outcomes during the weeks preceding the first COVID-19 admission (February 1 to March 11, 2020) and during the pandemic period (March 12 to April 8, 2020) were compared. Evaluated outcomes included daily order verifications, clinical interventions, and usage of relevant medications. An exploratory statistical analysis was conducted using Student’s t test.

Results

During the pandemic period, the number of new order verifications decreased from approximately 5,000 orders per day to 3,300 orders per day (P < 0.01), a reduction of 30% during the first 4 weeks of the pandemic compared to the weeks prior. Average daily pharmacokinetic dosing consults were reduced in the pandemic period (from 82 to 67; P < 0.01) compared to the prepandemic period; however, total daily pharmacist interventions did not differ significantly (473 vs 456; P = 0.68). Dispensing of hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, enoxaparin, and sedative medications increased substantially during the pandemic period (P < 0.01 for all comparisons).

Conclusion

The operational and clinical requirements of an inpatient pharmacy department shifted considerably during the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pharmacy departments must be adaptable in order to continue to provide effective pharmaceutical care during the pandemic.
Herbivory and anti-herbivore defences in wild and cultivated Cnidoscolus aconitifolius: disentangling domestication and environmental effects
Authors: Solís-Montero Virginia , Martínez-Natarén Daniela A , Parra-Tabla Víctor , Ibarra-Cerdeña Carlos , Munguía-Rosas Miguel A
Published: May 2020

Phenotypic changes in plants during domestication may disrupt plant–herbivore interactions. Because wild and cultivated plants have different habitats and some anti-herbivore defences exhibit some plasticity, their defences may be also influenced by the environment. Our goal was to assess the effects of domestication and the environment on herbivory and some anti-herbivore defences in chaya (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius) in its centre of domestication. Herbivores, herbivory, and direct and indirect anti-herbivore defences were assessed in wild and cultivated plants. The same variables were measured in the field and in a common garden to assess environmental effects. Our results show that domestication increased herbivory and herbivore abundance, but reduced direct and some indirect defences (ants). The environment also affected the herbivore guild (herbivore abundance and richness) and some direct and indirect defences (trichome number and ants). There was also an interaction effect of domestication and the environment on the number of trichomes. We conclude that domestication and the environment influence herbivory and anti-herbivore defences in an additive and interactive manner in chaya.
Benchmark of software tools for prokaryotic chromosomal interaction domain identification
Authors: Magnitov Mikhail D , Kuznetsova Veronika S , Ulianov Sergey V , Razin Sergey V , Tyakht Alexander V
Published: May 2020

Motivation

The application of genome-wide chromosome conformation capture (3C) methods to prokaryotes provided insights into the spatial organization of their genomes and identified patterns conserved across the tree of life, such as chromatin compartments and contact domains. Prokaryotic genomes vary in GC content and the density of restriction sites along the chromosome, suggesting that these properties should be considered when planning experiments and choosing appropriate software for data processing. Diverse algorithms are available for the analysis of eukaryotic chromatin contact maps, but their potential application to prokaryotic data has not yet been evaluated.

Results

Here, we present a comparative analysis of domain calling algorithms using available single-microbe experimental data. We evaluated the algorithms’ intra-dataset reproducibility, concordance with other tools and sensitivity to coverage and resolution of contact maps. Using RNA-seq as an example, we showed how orthogonal biological data can be utilized to validate the reliability and significance of annotated domains. We also suggest that in silico simulations of contact maps can be used to choose optimal restriction enzymes and estimate theoretical map resolutions before the experiment. Our results provide guidelines for researchers investigating microbes and microbial communities using high-throughput 3C assays such as Hi-C and 3C-seq.

Availability and implementation

The code of the analysis is available at https://github.com/magnitov/prokaryotic_cids.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Event history analysis of dynamic networks
Authors: Sit T , Ying Z , Yu Y
Published: May 2020

Statistical analysis on networks has received growing attention due to demand from various emerging applications. In dynamic networks, one of the key interests is to model the event history of time-stamped interactions among nodes. We model dynamic directed networks via multivariate counting processes. A pseudo partial likelihood approach is exploited to capture the network dependence structure. Asymptotic results are established. Numerical experiments are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposal.
Hyperexcitability in Aging Is Lost in Alzheimer’s: What Is All the Excitement About?
Authors: Lockwood Colin T , Duffy Charles J
Published: May 2020

Neuronal hyperexcitability has emerged as a potential biomarker of late-onset early-stage Alzheimer’s disease (LEAD). We hypothesize that the aging-related posterior cortical hyperexcitability anticipates the loss of excitability with the emergence of impairment in LEAD. To test this hypothesis, we compared the behavioral and neurophysiological responses of young and older (ON) normal adults, and LEAD patients during a visuospatial attentional control task. ONs show frontal cortical signal incoherence and posterior cortical hyper-responsiveness with preserved attentional control. LEADs lose the posterior hyper-responsiveness and fail in the attentional task. Our findings suggest that signal incoherence and cortical hyper-responsiveness in aging may contribute to the development of functional impairment in LEAD.
From Easing Lockdowns to Scaling Up Community-based Coronavirus Disease 2019 Screening, Testing, and Contact Tracing in Africa—Shared Approaches, Innovations, and Challenges to Minimize Morbidity and Mortality
Authors: Nachega Jean B , Grimwood Ashraf , Mahomed Hassan , Fatti Geoffrey , Preiser Wolfgang , Kallay Oscar , Mbala Placide K , Muyembe Jean-Jacques T , Rwagasore Edson , Nsanzimana Sabin , Ngamije Daniel , Condo Jeanine , Sidat Mohsin , Noormahomed Emilia V , Reid Michael , Lukeni Beatrice , Suleman Fatima , Mteta Alfred , Zumla Alimuddin
Published: May 2020

The arrival of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the African continent resulted in a range of lockdown measures that curtailed the spread of the infection but caused economic hardship. African countries now face difficult choices regarding easing of lockdowns and sustaining effective public health control measures and surveillance. Pandemic control will require efficient community screening, testing, and contact tracing; behavioral change interventions; adequate resources; and well-supported, community-based teams of trained, protected personnel. We discuss COVID-19 control approaches in selected African countries and the need for shared, affordable, innovative methods to overcome challenges and minimize mortality. This crisis presents a unique opportunity to align COVID-19 services with those already in place for human immunodeficiency virus, tuberculosis, malaria, and non communicable diseases through mobilization of Africa’s interprofessional healthcare workforce. By addressing the challenges, the detrimental effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on African citizens can be minimized.
Persistence of Hybrid Diagnosability of Regular Networks Under Testing Diagnostic Model
Authors: Lian Guanqin , Zhou Shuming , Cheng Eddie , Liu Jiafei , Chen Gaolin
Published: May 2020

Diagnosability is an important metric to fault tolerance and reliability for multiprocessor systems. However, plenty of research on fault diagnosability focuses on node failure. In practical scenario, not only node failures take place but also link malfunctions may arise. In this work, we investigate the diagnosability of general regular networks with failing nodes as well as missing malfunctional links. Let $S$ be a set of the missing links and broken-down nodes. We first prove that the diagnosability of the survival graph $G\setminus S$ persists $\delta (G\setminus S)$ under the PMC model (Preparata, F.P., Metze, G. and Chien, R.T. (1967) On the connection assignment problem of diagnosable systems. IEEE Trans. Electron. Comput., EC-16, 848–854) for a $t$-regular and $t$-connected triangle-free network $G$ subject to $|S|\leq t-1$ and $|V(G)|\geq 3t-2$ ($t\geq 3$). Furthermore, we determine the diagnosability of $G\setminus S$ for some kinds of extensively explored $t$-regular networks with triangles subject to $|S|\leq t-1$ ($t\geq 3$).
Risk of Uveitis in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease on Immunosuppressive Drug Therapy
Authors: Barberio Julie , Kim Seoyoung C , Roh Miin , Lewis James D , Desai Rishi J
Published: May 2020

Background

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients may develop anterior uveitis.

Methods

An observational cohort of IBD patients followed new users of (1) tumor necrosis factor inhibitor versus nonbiologic agents or (2) adalimumab versus infliximab until occurrence of anterior uveitis or treatment change/discontinuation. Cox-proportional hazards models estimated hazard ratios in propensity score-matched cohorts of Crohn disease or ulcerative colitis patients.

Results

No statistically significant differences in the risk of uveitis were observed between initiators of nonbiologics and tumor necrosis factor inhibitor. Effect estimates for adalimumab versus infliximab were highly imprecise due to limited outcomes.

Conclusions

Uveitis risk was not different between IBD patients treated with immunosuppressives.
Warming and disturbance alter soil microbiome diversity and function in a northern forest ecotone
Authors: Van Nuland Michael E , Smith Dylan P , Bhatnagar Jennifer M , Stefanski Artur , Hobbie Sarah E , Reich Peter B , Peay Kabir G
Published: May 2020

The response to global change by soil microbes is set to affect important ecosystem processes. These impacts could be most immediate in transitional zones, such as the temperate-boreal forest ecotone, yet previous work in these forests has primarily focused on specific subsets of microbial taxa. Here, we examined how bacterial and fungal communities respond to simulated above- and below-ground warming under realistic field conditions in closed and open canopy treatments in Minnesota, USA. Our results show that warming and canopy disturbance shifted bacterial and fungal community structure as dominant bacterial and fungal groups differed in the direction and intensity of their responses. Ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungal communities with greater connectivity (higher prevalence of strongly interconnected taxa based on pairwise co-occurrence relationships) were more resistant to compositional change. Warming effects on soil enzymes involved in the hydrolytic and oxidative liberation of carbon from plant cell walls and nutrients from organic matter were most strongly linked to fungal community responses, although community structure–function relationships differed between fungal guilds. Collectively, these findings indicate that warming and disturbance will influence the composition and function of microbial communities in the temperate-boreal ecotone, and fungal responses are particularly important to understand for predicting future ecosystem functioning.
Fcirc: A comprehensive pipeline for the exploration of fusion linear and circular RNAs
Authors: Cai Zhaoqing , Xue Hongzhang , Xu Yue , Köhler Jens , Cheng Xiaojie , Dai Yao , Zheng Jie , Wang Haiyun
Published: May 2020

Background

In cancer cells, fusion genes can produce linear and chimeric fusion-circular RNAs (f-circRNAs), which are functional in gene expression regulation and implicated in malignant transformation, cancer progression, and therapeutic resistance. For specific cancers, proteins encoded by fusion transcripts have been identified as innovative therapeutic targets (e.g., EML4-ALK). Even though RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) technologies combined with existing bioinformatics approaches have enabled researchers to systematically identify fusion transcripts, specifically detecting f-circRNAs in cells remains challenging owing to their general sparsity and low abundance in cancer cells but also owing to imperfect computational methods.

Results

We developed the Python-based workflow “Fcirc” to identify fusion linear and f-circRNAs from RNA-Seq data with high specificity. We applied Fcirc to 3 different types of RNA-Seq data scenarios: (i) actual synthetic spike-in RNA-Seq data, (ii) simulated RNA-Seq data, and (iii) actual cancer cell–derived RNA-Seq data. Fcirc showed significant advantages over existing methods regarding both detection accuracy (i.e., precision, recall, F-measure) and computing performance (i.e., lower runtimes).

Conclusion

Fcirc is a powerful and comprehensive Python-based pipeline to identify linear and circular RNA transcripts from known fusion events in RNA-Seq datasets with higher accuracy and shorter computing times compared with previously published algorithms. Fcirc empowers the research community to study the biology of fusion RNAs in cancer more effectively.
High-quality human preimplantation embryos stimulate endometrial stromal cell migration via secretion of microRNA hsa-miR-320a
Authors: Berkhout Robbert P , Keijser Remco , Repping Sjoerd , Lambalk Cornelis B , Afink Gijs B , Mastenbroek Sebastiaan , Hamer Geert
Published: May 2020

STUDY QUESTION

How do high-quality human preimplantation embryos influence the endometrium to promote their own implantation?

SUMMARY ANSWER

High-quality human preimplantation embryos secrete a specific microRNA (miRNA), hsa-miR-320a, which promotes migration of human endometrial stromal cells (hESCs).

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

We have previously shown that high-quality human preimplantation embryos excrete unknown factors that influence migration of hESCs.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION

Embryo excreted miRNAs, specifically those excreted by high-quality embryos, were identified and their effect on hESCs was determined by measuring the migration capacity and gene expression patterns of primary isolated hESCs.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS

Embryo conditioned medium (ECM) from routine ICSI procedures was used to identify embryo excreted miRNAs. miRNome analyses were performed on ECM from individually cultured embryos with high morphological quality, with low morphological quality or empty control medium. MiRNA mimics and inhibitors were then used to further study the effect of miRNAs of interest on migration and gene expression of hESCs. Migration assays were performed using hESCs that were obtained from endometrial biopsies performed on hysterectomy specimens from women that received surgery for spotting due to a niche in a cesarean section scar.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE

By using miRNA mimics and inhibitors, we showed that hsa-miR-320a alone can stimulate migration of decidualized hESCs, accurately resembling the response typically triggered only by high-quality embryos. Transcriptome analysis further demonstrated that this effect is very likely mediated via altered expression of genes involved in cell adhesion and cytoskeleton organization.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION

The effect of hsa-miR-320a on hESCs was measured in vitro. Further studies on the in vivo effect of hsa-miR-320a are warranted.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

Implantation failure is one of the major success limiting factors in human reproduction. By secreting hsa-miR-320a, high-quality human preimplantation embryos directly influence hESCs, most likely to prime the endometrium at the implantation site for successful implantation. Together, our results indicate that hsa-miR-320a may be a promising target to further increase success rates in assisted reproduction.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)

The study was funded by the Amsterdam University Medical Centers and the Amsterdam Reproduction & Development Research Institute. R.P.B., G.H. and S.M. have a patent on the use of hsa-miR-320a in assisted reproduction treatments pending.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

N/A.
Crohn’s Disease Differentially Affects Region-Specific Composition and Aerotolerance Profiles of Mucosally Adherent Bacteria
Authors: Shahir Nur M , Wang Jeremy R , Wolber E Ashley , Schaner Matthew S , Frank Daniel N , Ir Diana , Robertson Charles E , Chaumont Nicole , Sadiq Timothy S , Koruda Mark J , Rahbar Reza , Nix B Darren , Newberry Rodney D , Sartor R Balfour , Sheikh Shehzad Z , Furey Terrence S
Published: May 2020

Background

The intestinal microbiota play a key role in the onset, progression, and recurrence of Crohn disease (CD). Most microbiome studies assay fecal material, which does not provide region-specific information on mucosally adherent bacteria that directly interact with host systems. Changes in luminal oxygen have been proposed as a contributor to CD dybiosis.

Methods

The authors generated 16S rRNA data using colonic and ileal mucosal bacteria from patients with CD and without inflammatory bowel disease. We developed profiles reflecting bacterial abundance within defined aerotolerance categories. Bacterial diversity, composition, and aerotolerance profiles were compared across intestinal regions and disease phenotypes.

Results

Bacterial diversity decreased in CD in both the ileum and the colon. Aerotolerance profiles significantly differed between intestinal segments in patients without inflammatory bowel disease, although both were dominated by obligate anaerobes, as expected. In CD, high relative levels of obligate anaerobes were maintained in the colon and increased in the ileum. Relative abundances of similar and distinct taxa were altered in colon and ileum. Notably, several obligate anaerobes, such as Bacteroides fragilis, dramatically increased in CD in one or both intestinal segments, although specific increasing taxa varied across patients. Increased abundance of taxa from the Proteobacteria phylum was found only in the ileum. Bacterial diversity was significantly reduced in resected tissues of patients who developed postoperative disease recurrence across 2 independent cohorts, with common lower abundance of bacteria from the Bacteroides, Streptococcus, and Blautia genera.

Conclusions

Mucosally adherent bacteria in the colon and ileum show distinct alterations in CD that provide additional insights not revealed in fecal material.
Retinoic Acid Is Elevated in the Mucosa of Patients With Active Ulcerative Colitis and Displays a Proinflammatory Role by Augmenting IL-17 and IFNγ Production
Authors: Rampal Ritika , Wari Nahidul , Singh Amit Kumar , Das Ujjwalkumar , Bopanna Sawan , Gupta Vipin , Nayak Baibaswata , Velapandian T , Kedia Saurabh , Kumar Dhiraj , Awasthi Amit , Ahuja Vineet
Published: May 2020

Background

All-trans retinoic acid (RA) plays a crucial role in promoting Foxp3+ Treg generation while reciprocally inhibiting Th1/Th17 generation. Our previous research highlighted that in the face of inflammatory conditions, RA plays a contrary role where it aggravates intestinal inflammation by promoting interferon (IFN) γ and interleukin (IL)-17 differentiation in vitro.

Methods

In this study we translated our in vitro results into a clinical setting where we estimated mucosal and serum RA levels along with the immunophenotypic profile (IL-17, IFNγ, Foxp3, IL-10) in adaptive (CD4, CD8) and innate-like T cells (mucosal associated invariant T cells and γδ T cells) in patients with ulcerative colitis in remission or with active inflammation.

Results

This is the first study to estimate RA levels in the human gut and shows that patients with active disease had increased mucosal RA levels as compared with patients in remission (4.0 vs 2.5 ng/mL; P < 0.01) and control patients (3.4 vs 0.8 ng/mL; P < 0.0001). This effect was accompanied by significantly elevated IL-17 and IFNγ in tissue CD4+, CD8+, mucosal associated invariant T+ cells, and γδ + T cells. Moreover, the raised RA levels in patients with active disease showed a positive correlation with proinflammatory cytokines (IL-17, IFNγ) and a negative correlation with IL-10. We also found that RA negatively correlated with IL-9, thereby reinstating our previous finding that RA inhibits Th9 differentiation.

Conclusions

These data confirm our previous in vitro results that in the presence of inflammation, RA plays a crucial role in maintaining gut inflammation by upregulating proinflammatory markers.
The Risk of Adverse Neonatal Outcomes With Maternal Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Leung Kristel K , Tandon Parul , Govardhanam Vivek , Maxwell Cynthia , Huang Vivian
Published: May 2020

Background

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be at increased risk of adverse neonatal outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine pooled incidences and risk factors for these outcomes.

Methods

Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched through May 2019 for studies reporting adverse neonatal outcomes in IBD. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.

Results

The pooled incidence of preterm birth, low birth weight, congenital anomalies, and infants transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit was 8.6% (95% CI, 7.0%–10.1%), 8.9% (95% CI, 7.3%–10.5%), 2.1% (95% CI, 1.6%–2.6%), and 4.9% (95% CI, 2.9%–6.9), respectively. Compared with healthy controls, patients with IBD were more likely to deliver infants with low birth weight (<2500 grams; OR, 2.78; 95% CI, 1.16–6.66) and infants admitted to the intensive care unit (OR, 3.33; 95% CI, 1.83–6.05). Patients with Crohn’s disease had an increased incidence of congenital anomalies (OR, 3.03; 95% CI, 1.43–6.42). Among IBD patients, active disease was associated with increased incidence of preterm birth (OR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.21–3.51), low birth weight (OR, 2.96; 95% CI, 1.54–5.70), and small for gestational age (OR, 2.62; 95% CI, 1.18–5.83). Antitumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) use during pregnancy was associated with an increased incidence of neonatal intensive care unit admission (OR, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.31–4.45) and low birth weight (OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.01–2.35).

Conclusions

Patients with IBD, particularly with active disease or requiring anti-TNF therapy, may be at increased risk of developing adverse neonatal outcomes.
Micro- and Macroenvironmental Conditions and Stability of Terrestrial Models
Authors: Lee Vanessa K , David John M , Huerkamp Michael J
Published: May 2020

Environmental variables can have profound effects on the biological responses of research animals and the outcomes of experiments dependent on them. Some of these influences are both predictable and unpredictable in effect, many are challenging to standardize, and all are influenced by the planning and conduct of experiments and the design and operation of the vivarium. Others are not yet known. Within the immediate environment where the research animal resides, in the vivarium and in transit, the most notable of these factors are ambient temperature, relative humidity, gaseous pollutant by-products of animal metabolism and physiology, dust and particulates, barometric pressure, electromagnetic fields, and illumination. Ambient temperatures in the animal housing environment, in particular those experienced by rodents below the thermoneutral zone, may introduce degrees of stress and thermoregulatory compensative responses that may complicate or invalidate study measurements across a broad array of disciplines. Other factors may have more subtle and specific effects. It is incumbent on scientists designing and executing experiments and staff responsible for animal husbandry to be aware of, understand, measure, systematically record, control, and account for the impact of these factors on sensitive animal model systems to ensure the quality and reproducibility of scientific studies.
The Distribution and Possible Roles of Small Cardioactive Peptide in the NudibranchMelibe leonina
Authors: Watson W H , Nash A , Lee C , Patz M D , Newcomb J M
Published: May 2020

Synopsis

The neuropeptide small cardioactive peptide (SCP) plays an integrative role in exciting various motor programs involved in feeding and locomotion in a number of gastropod species. In this study, immunohistochemistry, using monoclonal antibodies against SCPB, was used to localize SCPB-like-immunoreactive neurons in the central nervous system, and map their connections to various tissues, in the nudibranch, Melibe leonina. Approximately 28–36 SCPB-like-immunoreactive neurons were identified in the M. leonina brain, as well as one large neuron in each of the buccal ganglia. The neuropil of the pedal ganglia contained the most SCPB-like-immunoreactive varicosities, although only a small portion of these were due to SCPB-like-immunoreactive neurons in the same ganglion. This suggests that much of the SCPB-like immunoreactivity in the neuropil of the pedal ganglia was from neurons in other ganglia that projected through the pedal–pedal connectives or the connectives from the cerebral and pleural ganglia. We also observed extensive SCPB innervation along the length of the esophagus. Therefore, we investigated the impact of SCPB on locomotion in intact animals, as well as peristaltic contractions of the isolated esophagus. Injection of intact animals with SCPB at night led to a significant increase in crawling and swimming, compared to control animals injected with saline. Furthermore, perfusion of isolated brains with SCPB initiated expression of the swim motor program. Application of SCPB to the isolated quiescent esophagus initiated rhythmic peristaltic contractions, and this occurred in preparations both with and without the buccal ganglia being attached. All these data, taken together, suggest that SCPB could be released at night to arouse animals and enhance the expression of both feeding and swimming motor programs in M. leonina.
Metastatic malignant melanoma of unknown primary in temporalis muscle
Authors: Grech Alexia , Mercieca Naomi , Calleja-Agius Jean , Abela Rachel
Published: May 2020

Metastatic melanoma of unknown primary (MUP) is an uncommon melanocytic lesion found in distant sites with no evident skin involvement. This case report presents a 75-year-old woman who underwent local excision for a lump in the right temporal area, which had been present for 6 months and had been suspected to be a lipoma. Histology confirmed that the tissue excised from the temporalis muscle was composed of atypical, heavily pigmented melanocytes. Her history was negative for melanocytic lesions, and examination and extensive investigation including imaging had failed to identify a primary lesion. The patient is currently being followed up.
Cell-Derived Microparticles in Blood Products from Thalassemic Blood Donors
Authors: Noulsri Egarit , Lerdwana Surada , Palasuwan Duangdao , Palasuwan Attakorn
Published: May 2020

Objective

To determine the number of cell-derived microparticles (MPs) in blood products obtained from donors who have thalassemia.

Methods

Packed red blood cells (PRBCs), plasma, and platelet concentrate (PC) were prepared according to routine procedures. We used flow cytometry to quantitate the concentration of MPs.

Results

The results of a comparison of MP levels in unprocessed whole blood showed that the concentration of all MPs in the donors without thalassemia trait (n = 255) was higher than in donors with thalassemia trait (n = 70). After processing, increased concentrations of MPs were documented in both groups. Among the blood components, PRBC showed higher platelet-derived MP concentrations in donors with thalassemia than in donors without thalassemia. However, PC showed higher concentrations of total MPs in donors without thalassemia than in donors with that condition.

Conclusions

Our results suggest little influence of thalassemia-trait status on changes in MP concentrations in blood components.
Stability and gravitational collapse of neutron stars with realistic equations of state
Authors: Pretel J M Z , da Silva M F A
Published: May 2020

We discuss the stability and construct dynamical configurations describing the gravitational collapse of unstable neutron stars with realistic equations of state compatible with the recent LIGO–Virgo constraints. Unlike other works that consider the collapse of a stellar configuration without a priori knowledge if it is stable or unstable, we first perform a complete analysis on stellar stability for such equations of state. Negative values of the squared frequency of the fundamental mode indicate us radial instability with respect to the collapse of the unstable star to a black hole. We find numerical solutions corresponding to the temporal and radial behaviour during the evolution of the collapse for certain relevant physical quantities such as mass, luminosity, energy density, pressure, heat flow, temperature, and quantities that describe bulk viscous processes. Our results show that the equation of state undergoes abrupt changes close to the moment of event horizon formation as a consequence of dissipative effects. During the collapse process all energy conditions are respected, which implies that our model is physically acceptable.
The spin–temperature dependence of the 21-cm–LAE cross-correlation
Authors: Heneka Caroline , Mesinger Andrei
Published: May 2020

Cross-correlating 21 cm with known cosmic signals will be invaluable proof of the cosmic origin of the first 21-cm detections. As some of the widest fields available, comprising thousands of sources with reasonably known redshifts, narrow-band Lyman-α emitter (LAE) surveys are an obvious choice for such cross-correlation. Here, we revisit the 21-cm–LAE cross-correlation, relaxing the common assumption of reionization occurring in a pre-heated intergalactic medium (IGM). Using specifications from the Square Kilometre Array and the Subaru Hyper Supreme-Cam, we present new forecasts of the 21-cm–LAE cross-correlation function at z ∼ 7. We sample a broad parameter space of the mean IGM neutral fraction and spin temperature, ($\bar{x}_{\rm H\,{\small I}}$, $\bar{T}_{\rm S}$). The sign of the cross-correlation roughly follows the sign of the 21-cm signal: Ionized regions that surround LAEs correspond to relative hot spots in the 21-cm signal when the neutral IGM is colder than the CMB, and relative cold spots when the neutral IGM is hotter than the CMB. The amplitude of the cross-correlation function generally increases with increasing $\bar{x}_{\rm H\,{\small I}}$, following the increasing bias of the cosmic H ii regions. As is the case for 21 cm, the strongest cross signal occurs when the IGM is colder than the CMB, providing a large contrast between the neutral regions and the ionized regions, which host LAEs. We also vary the topology of reionization and the epoch of X-ray heating. The cross-correlation during the first half of reionization is sensitive to these topologies, and could thus be used to constrain them.
Morphology and ionization characteristics of planetary nebulae PB 1 and PC 19
Authors: Bandyopadhyay Rahul , Das Ramkrishna , Mondal Soumen , Ghosh Samrat
Published: May 2020

We present results of our study of two planetary nebulae (PNe), PB1 and PC 19. We use the optical spectra of these two PNe observed at 2 m Himalayan Chandra Telescope and also archival and literature data for the study. We use the morphokinematic code shape to construct 3D morphologies of the PNe and the photoionization code cloudy to model the observed spectra. The 3D model of PB 1 consists of an elongated shell surrounded by a bipolar halo and that of PC 19 consists of an open lobed bipolar structure and a spiral filamentary pair. We analyse the ionization structure of the PNe by deriving several plasma parameters and by photoionization modelling. We estimate the elemental abundances of the elements, He, C, N, O, Ne, S, Ar, and Cl, from our analysis. We find He, C, and N abundances to be significantly higher in case of PB 1. We estimate different physical parameters of the central stars, namely effective temperature, luminosity, and gravity, and of the nebula, namely hydrogen density profiles, radii, etc., from photoionization modelling. We estimate distances to the PNe as ∼4.3 kpc for PB 1 and as ∼5.6 kpc for PC 19 by fitting the photoionization models to absolute observed fluxes. Progenitor masses are estimated from theoretical evolutionary trajectories and are found to be ∼1.67 and ∼2.38 M⊙ for PB 1 and PC 19, respectively.
On the local and global properties of gravitational spheres of influence
Authors: Souami D , Cresson J , Biernacki C , Pierret F
Published: May 2020

We revisit the concept of spheres of gravitational activity, to which we give both a geometrical and a physical meaning. This study aims to refine this concept in a much broader context that could, for instance, be applied to exo-planetary problems (in a Galactic stellar disc–star–planets system) in order to define a first-order ‘boundary’ of a planetary system. The methods used in this paper rely on classical Celestial Mechanics and develop the equations of motion in the framework of the three-body problem (e.g. Star-Planet-Satellite System). We start with the basic definition of a planet’s sphere of activity as the region of space in which it is feasible to assume the planet as the central body and the Sun as the perturbing body when computing perturbations of the satellite’s motion. We then investigate the geometrical properties and physical meaning of the ratios of solar accelerations (central and perturbing) and planetary accelerations (central and perturbing), and the boundaries they define. Throughout the paper, we clearly distinguish amongst the sphere of activity, the Chebotarev sphere (a particular case of the sphere of activity), the Laplace sphere, and the Hill sphere. The last two are often wrongfully thought to be one and the same. Furthermore, by taking a closer look at and comparing the ratio of the star’s accelerations (central/perturbing) with that of the planetary accelerations (central/perturbing) as a function of the planeto-centric distance, we have identified different dynamical regimes, which are presented in the semi-analytical analysis.
Unresolved stellar companions with Gaia DR2 astrometry
Authors: Belokurov Vasily , Penoyre Zephyr , Oh Semyeong , Iorio Giuliano , Hodgkin Simon , Evans N Wyn , Everall Andrew , Koposov Sergey E , Tout Christopher A , Izzard Robert , Clarke Cathie J , Brown Anthony G A
Published: May 2020

For stars with unresolved companions, motions of the centre of light and that of mass decouple, causing a single-source astrometric model to perform poorly. We show that such stars can be easily detected with the reduced χ2 statistic, or renormalized unit weight error (RUWE), provided as part of Gaia DR2. We convert RUWE into the amplitude of the image centroid wobble, which, if scaled by the source distance, is proportional to the physical separation between companions (for periods up to several years). We test this idea on a sample of known spectroscopic binaries and demonstrate that the amplitude of the centroid perturbation scales with the binary period and the mass ratio as expected. We apply this technique to the Gaia DR2 data and show how the binary fraction evolves across the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram. The observed incidence of unresolved companions is high for massive young stars and drops steadily with stellar mass, reaching its lowest levels for white dwarfs. We highlight the elevated binary fraction for the nearby blue stragglers and blue horizontal branch stars. We also illustrate how unresolved hierarchical triples inflate the relative velocity signal in wide binaries. Finally, we point out a hint of evidence for the existence of additional companions to the hosts of extrasolar hot Jupiters.