bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Implementing Ozone‐BAC‐GAC in potable reuse for removal of emerging contaminants
Authors: Vaidya Ramola , Wilson Christopher A. , Salazar‐Benites Germano , Pruden Amy , Bott Charles
Published: October 2020

Removal of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) is an important consideration in potable reuse. The effectiveness of ozonation, biologically activated carbon (BAC) filtration, and granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption was assessed in the removal of 96 CECs. During phase 1, O3/total organice carbon (TOC) was varied between 0 and 1.5. Ozone was successful in removing CECs, achieving a total CEC concentration of 20.5 μg/L at an O3/TOC of 1.5 compared with 70 μg/L in absence of ozone. CECs such as iohexol, meprobamate, sucralose and flame retardants, tris(2‐carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP), tris(1‐chloro‐2‐propyl) phosphate (TCPP), and tris(1,3‐dichloro‐2‐propyl)phosphate (TDCPP) were detected in the ozone effluent even at the highest ozone dose. BAC filters did not contribute measurably to CEC removal, while the 20‐min empty bed contact time (EBCT) GAC removed 57.6% of the influent CEC concentration, even though the adsorption capacity had been exerted through previous operation. During phase 2, the average O3/TOC ratio was 0.64, and the impact of new GAC media on CEC removal was studied. EBCT was maintained at 15 min for both GAC contactors, while the used GAC (133,600 bed volume [BV]) was replaced with new media in one GAC contactor. The GAC with new media removed CECs below the limit of quantitation, up to 10,000 BV, while removal decreased to 70% after 20,000 BV, with seven CECs—sucralose, iohexol, acesulfame‐k, meprobamate, cotinine, primidone, and acetaminophen—being detected. Ozone doses for CEC removal and BV needed for adsorption of CECs on activated carbon can be determined from this study. Thus, the results from this study can help design and optimize ozone, BAC, and GAC systems used for potable reuse to target the removal of specific CECs.
The overexpression of AUF1 in colorectal cancer predicts a poor prognosis and promotes cancer progression by activating ERK and AKT pathways
Authors: Tian Xin‐Yuan , Li Jin , Liu Teng‐Hui , Li Dan‐Ni , Wang Jing‐Jing , Zhang He , Deng Zhou‐Lu , Chen Fu‐Jun , Cai Jian‐Ping
Published: October 2020

Background

AUF1 is one of the AU‐rich binding proteins, which promotes rapid ARE‐mRNA degradation. Recently, it has been reported that AUF1 is involved in regulating the antioxidant system because of its capacity to bind specifically to RNA containing oxidized bases and degrade oxidized RNA. Many antioxidant proteins have been reported to be overexpressed in colorectal cancer (CRC), however, the role of AUF1 in the progression of CRC has not been explored.

Methods

The expression level of AUF1 protein in human CRC cell lines and CRC tissues was detected by western blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC. The effects of AUF1 knockdown on CRC cell proliferation, migration, invasion and changes in the signaling pathways were evaluated using a cell counting kit‐8 (CCK‐8), Transwell assays and western blotting. Subcutaneous xenograft tumor model was employed to further substantiate the role of AUF1 in CRC.

Results

AUF1 protein was upregulated in CRC tissues and CRC cells, and high expression of AUF1 was significantly associated with advanced AJCC stage (P = .001), lymph node metastasis (P = .007), distant metastasis (P = .038) and differentiation (P = .009) of CRC specimens. CRC patients with the high expression of AUF1 had an extremely poor prognosis. The knockdown of AUF1 suppressed CRC cell line proliferation, migration and invasion, inhibited CRC cells tumorigenesis and growth in nude mice, and reduced phosphorylated‐ERK1/2 and phosphorylated AKT in CRC cells.

Conclusion

Our findings demonstrate that AUF1 is probably involved in the progression of CRC via the activation of the ERK1/2 and AKT pathways. AU‐rich RNA‐binding factor 1 could be used as a novel prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for CRC.
Champion equity for women in sports
Authors: Elfman Lois
Published: October 2020

Attorney Nancy Hogshead‐Makar combines her athletics and legal backgrounds to be a ferocious advocate for equal access to sports opportunities for girls and women. Forty years ago, Hogshead‐Makar was the first woman to receive an athletics scholarship in swimming at Duke University. The winner of three gold medals and one silver medal in swimming at the 1984 Olympics, she spent 12 years as a tenured professor of law teaching both torts and sports law courses, including Gender Equity in Athletics, at the Florida Coastal School of Law.
Relating amylose and protein contents to eating quality in 105 varieties of Japonica rice
Authors: Liu Qiuyuan , Tao Yu , Cheng Shuang , Zhou Lei , Tian Jinyu , Xing Zhipeng , Liu Guodong , Wei Haiyan , Zhang Hongcheng
Published: October 2020

Background and objectives

In rice, amylose and protein are the main factors that influence eating quality. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of the ranges in amylose and protein variation on rice eating quality and to explore the characteristics of amylose and protein in high eating‐quality rice varieties. A total of 105 japonica rice varieties (lines) from the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River were studied.

Findings

When amylose content (AC) ranged from 7.35% to 19.98% and protein content (PC) ranged from 6.04% to 9.32%, amylose and protein were significantly (p < .01) negatively correlated with rice appearance, adhesiveness, balance degree, and taste value, and significantly (p < .01) positively correlated with hardness. However, when AC varied between 7.35% and 12.50% or between 14.11% and 19.98%, the eating characteristics had no significant correlation with AC; instead, they were significantly correlated with protein content (PC). PC had no significant influence on eating characteristics when it ranged from 7.86% to 9.32%. To improve eating quality (i.e., taste value > 60), PC in varieties with high AC (14.11%–19.98%) should be < 6.98%, and AC in varieties with high PC (7.86%–9.32%) should be < 12.67%.

Conclusions

The results showed that the relationships among AC, PC, and eating quality were affected by the ranges of AC and PC variation. Rice varieties of the low amylose and low protein (LALP) combination should be the best choice for the high eating‐quality variety in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River.

Significance and novelty

Amylose and protein should be considered as the primary and secondary screening indices, respectively, in the selection and breeding of good eating‐quality rice varieties.
Silylene‐Bridged Tetranuclear Palladium Cluster as a Catalyst for Hydrogenation of Alkenes and Alkynes
Authors: Yanagisawa Chikako , Yamazoe Seiji , Sunada Yusuke
Published: October 2020

A planar tetranuclear palladium cluster was obtained from the reaction of a cyclotetrasilane with [Pd(CNtBu)2]3. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis and DFT calculations revealed that the tetranuclear framework of the cluster was supported effectively by the bridging organosilylene ligand. Although [Pd(CNtBu)2]3 as well as mononuclear palladium bis(silyl) complex, cis‐Pd(SiMePh2)2(CNtBu)2, do not act as the effective catalyst, the planar tetranuclear palladium cluster acts as an efficient catalyst for the hydrogenation of alkenes and alkynes including sterically hindered tri‐ and tetra‐substituted alkenes.
Multivariate classification of Southern Brazilian table wines
Authors: Hansen Lucas , Ferrão Marco Flôres
Published: October 2020

In this work, we evaluated the performance of several classifiers (supervised Kohonen self‐organizing maps (KSOMs), soft independent modelling of class analogy (SIMCA), k‐nearest neighbors (kNN), and partial least squares with discriminant analysis (PLS‐DA) in the multiclass classification of Southern Brazilian table wines based on their physicochemical data. We also employed an unsupervised KSOM for the exploratory analysis of our data and compared its performance to that of PCA in this same task. All methods tested here presented a non‐error rate (NER) and accuracy equal to or higher than 67% in the classification of the samples, having PLS‐DA achieved an NER of 86% in classifying the samples from the test set and accuracy of 83% in classifying the samples from the training set. However, the best overall classification performance (when classification performances in training, cross‐validation, and test sets are taken into account) in terms of NER and accuracy was that of SIMCA. Regarding the unsupervised analysis of the data, principal component analysis (PCA) provided a better separation of the samples and more convenient visualization of relationships between variables, and between variables and samples, than unsupervised KSOMs.
Biorefinery Zeitz of the Südzucker Group – Status Quo and Future Perspectives
Authors: Kunz Sebastian , Wach Wolfgang , Kraus Wolfgang
Published: October 2020

Due to the long history of the Südzucker Group in sugar production, the company owns key know‐how in processing biomass. In the last decades, the product portfolio was extended from sugar to various products such as ethanol, starch, proteins, or glucose syrups. This article presents Zeitz as the largest production site of the Südzucker Group today. The historical development is described and the synergies between the different units from which the location benefits today as a highly integrated site. Recent R&D activities are presented, and existing technologies are discussed as future perspectives to further develop Zeitz.
Acetylcholin, der zentrale Neurotransmitter
Authors: Strey Karsten
Published: October 2020

Welche Funktionen hat eigentlich Acetylcholin? Der Giftanschlag auf den bekannten russischen Oppositionspolitiker Alexei Nawalny im August 2020 rückt die Acetylcholinesterasehemmer und damit das System Acetylcholinesterase/Acetylcholin in den Blickpunkt.
Analytical and clinical validation of pairwise microRNA expression analysis to identify medullary thyroid cancer in thyroid fine‐needle aspiration samples
Authors: Ciarletto Andrea M. , Narick Christina , Malchoff Carl D. , Massoll Nicole A. , Labourier Emmanuel , Haugh Keith , Mireskandari Alidad , Finkelstein Sydney D. , Kumar Gyanendra
Published: October 2020

Background

Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is an aggressive malignancy originating from the parafollicular C cells. Preoperatively, thyroid nodule fine‐needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and pathogenic gene mutations are definitive in approximately one‐half of cases. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, noncoding, single‐stranded RNAs that regulate gene expression, a characteristic that confers the potential for identifying malignancy. In the current study, the authors hypothesized that differential pairwise (diff‐pair) analysis of miRNA expression levels would reliably identify MTC in FNA samples.

Methods

The relative abundance of 10 different miRNAs in total nucleic acids was obtained from ThyraMIR test results. Diff‐pair analysis was performed by subtracting the critical threshold value of one miRNA from the critical threshold values of other miRNAs. Next‐generation sequencing with the ThyGeNEXT panel identified oncogenic gene alterations. The discovery cohort consisted of 30 formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded benign and malignant thyroid neoplasms, including 4 cases of MTC. After analytical validation, clinical validation was performed using 3 distinct cohorts (total of 7557 specimens).

Results

In the discovery cohort, 9 diff‐pairs were identified as having significant power using the Kruskal‐Wallis test (P < .0001) to distinguish MTC samples from non‐MTC samples. The assay correctly classified all MTC and non‐MTC samples in the analytical validation study and in the 3 clinical validation cohorts. The overall test accuracy was 100% (95% confidence interval, 99%‐100%). In indeterminate FNAC samples, the sensitivity of the diff‐pair analysis was greater than that of the MTC‐specific mutation analysis (100% vs 25%; P = .03).

Conclusions

Pairwise miRNA expression analysis of ThyraMIR results were found to accurately predict MTC in thyroid FNA samples, including those with indeterminate FNAC findings.
Cost‐effectively improving solid state drive lifetime by hierarchical redundancy and heterogeneous memories
Authors: Zhou Bin , Tan Shishi , Yu Ruirong , Wan Shenggang , Cao Qiang
Published: October 2020

Solid state drives (SSDs) built upon MLC NAND flash memories suffer from a low lifetime endurance induced by continuously scaling‐down feature sizes and increasing bit density per cell. To cost‐effectively address this problem, we propose to integrate both hierarchical data redundancy and heterogeneous flash memory techniques into the SSD, named H2‐SSD. Through deploying across‐chips data redundancy in addition to conventional in‐page error correction codes, error correction capacity, so does the lifetime endurance of H2‐SSD can be dramatically improved. Furthermore, an extra small‐size sisngle‐level cell (SLC) chip is integrated into H2‐SSD to store across‐chips parities. Due to the high program/erase performance and lifetime endurance of that SLC chip, I/O performance degradation induced by the hierarchical data redundancy can be significantly mitigated, even under strict synchronous parity update strategies. Quantitative analysis and trace‐driven simulations are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of H2‐SSD, in both the scenes with and without degraded reads. Experimental results demonstrate that H2‐SSD outperform the conventional SSD in maximum Program/Erase cycles by 23% to 178%, and suffer from negligible degradation of I/O performance in terms of both throughput and average response time in most cases.
Experimental Evidence of CO2 Photoreduction Activity of SnO2 Nanoparticles
Authors: Torres Juliana Arriel , Da Silva Gelson T. S. T. , Barbosa de Freitas Silva Fernando , Ribeiro Caue
Published: October 2020

Tin dioxide (SnO2) has intrinsic characteristics that do not favor its photocatalytic activity. However, we evidenced that surface modification can positively influence its performance for CO2 photoreduction in the gas phase. The hydroxylation of the SnO2 surface played a role in the CO2 affinity decreasing its reduction potential. The results showed that a certain selectivity for methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO), and ethylene (C2H4) is related to different SnO2 hydrothermal annealing. The best performance was seen for SnO2 annealed at 150 °C, with a production of 20.4 μmol g−1 for CH4 and 16.45 μmol g−1 for CO, while for SnO2 at 200 °C the system produced more C2H4, probably due to a decrease of surface −OH groups.
Inflammasome Assays In Vitro and in Mouse Models
Authors: Guo Haitao , Ting Jenny P.‐Y.
Published: October 2020

This article presents assays that allow induction and measurement of activation of different inflammasomes in mouse macrophages, human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures, and mouse peritonitis and endotoxic shock models. Basic Protocol 1 describes how to prime the inflammasome in mouse macrophages with different Toll‐like receptor agonists and TNF‐α; how to induce NLRP1, NLRP3, NLRC4, and AIM2 inflammasome activation by their corresponding stimuli; and how to measure inflammasome activation‐mediated maturation of interleukin (IL)‐1β and IL‐18 and pyroptosis. Since the well‐established agonists for NLRP1 are inconsistent between mice and humans, Basic Protocol 2 describes how to activate the NLRP1 inflammasome in human PBMCs. Basic Protocol 3 describes how to purify, crosslink, and detect the apoptosis‐associated speck‐like protein containing a CARD (ASC) pyroptosome. Formation of the ASC pyroptosome is a signature of inflammasome activation. A limitation of ASC pyroptosome detection is the requirement of a relatively large cell number. Alternate Protocol 1 is provided to stain ASC pyroptosomes using an anti‐ASC antibody and to measure ASC specks by fluorescence microscopy in a single cell. Intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and inflammasome agonists will induce peritonitis, which is seen as an elevation of IL‐1β and other proinflammatory cytokines and an infiltration of neutrophils and inflammatory monocytes. Basic Protocol 4 describes how to induce NLRP3 inflammasome activation and peritonitis by priming mice with LPS and subsequently challenging them with monosodium urate (MSU). The method for measuring cytokines in serum and through peritoneal lavage is also described. Finally, Alternate Protocol 2 describes how to induce noncanonical NLRP3 inflammasome activation by high‐dose LPS challenge in a sepsis model. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Basic Protocol 1: Priming and activation of inflammasomes in mouse macrophages

Basic Protocol 2: Activation of human NLRP1 inflammasome by DPP8/9 inhibitor talabostat

Basic Protocol 3: Purification and detection of ASC pyroptosome

Alternate Protocol 1: Detection of ASC speck by immunofluorescence staining

Basic Protocol 4: Activation of canonical NLRP3 inflammasome in mice by intraperitoneal delivery of MSU crystals

Alternate Protocol 2: Activation of noncanonical NLRP3 inflammasome in mice by intraperitoneal delivery of LPS
An introduction to event history analyses for ecologists
Authors: Landes Julie , Engelhardt Sacha C. , Pelletier Fanie
Published: October 2020

Efforts to understand the emergence of an event require our ability to measure and understand the dynamics between time in a state (e.g., being alive or a behavior) and the outcome of the state. Studying the main drivers that affect changes in state over time allows researchers to better understand population dynamics and evolutionary processes. Event history analyses provide a range of theoretical and empirical tools to explore the emergence of an event. Their use is still restricted in ecology; however, they are commonly used in human demography. Event history analysis is a powerful tool for measuring the probability that an event occurs at timet. Here, we provide an introductory guide for ecologists who are interested in exploring event history analyses in their research. In the first part of this article, we outline key concepts in event history analyses and present a decision tree, statistical techniques, and their applications to ecological questions. To introduce practical applications of event history analyses, we provide four detailed tutorials, stemming from observational and longitudinal records of events in mammalian and avian species, along with relevant R scripts. We then explain how to interpret and present results of such analyses. Our results show that event history analyses are useful to quantify the effect of factors on the emergence of events. We conclude by highlighting additional strengths, pitfalls, and limitations researchers should be aware of when using such methods. We foresee the use of event history analyses for ecological studies.
Angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin II receptor blocker treatment and haemodynamic factors are associated with increased cardiac mRNA expression of angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 in patients with cardiovascular disease
Authors: Lebek Simon , Tafelmeier Maria , Messmann Rebecca , Provaznik Zdenek , Schmid Christof , Maier Lars S. , Birner Christoph , Arzt Michael , Wagner Stefan
Published: October 2020

Aims

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is a widespread pandemic with an increased morbidity and mortality, especially for patients with cardiovascular diseases. Angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) has been identified as necessary cell entry point for SARS‐CoV‐2. Previous animal studies have demonstrated an increased ACE2 expression following treatment with either angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB) that have led to a massive precariousness regarding the optimal cardiovascular therapy during this pandemic.

Methods and results

We have measured ACE2 mRNA expression using real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction in atrial biopsies of 81 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting and we compared 62 patients that received ACEi/ARB vs. 19 patients that were not ACEi/ARB‐treated. We found atrial ACE2 mRNA expression to be significantly increased in patients treated with an ACEi or an ARB, independent of potential confounding comorbidities. Interestingly, the cardiac ACE2 mRNA expression correlated significantly with the expression in white blood cells of 22 patients encouraging further evaluation if the latter may be used as a surrogate for the former. Similarly, analysis of 18 ventricular biopsies revealed a significant and independent increase in ACE2 mRNA expression in patients with end‐stage heart failure that were treated with ACEi/ARB. On the other hand, cardiac unloading with a left ventricular assist device significantly reduced ventricular ACE2 mRNA expression.

Conclusion

Treatment with ACEi/ARB is independently associated with an increased myocardial ACE2 mRNA expression in patients with coronary artery disease and in patients with end‐stage heart failure. Further trials are needed to test whether this association is deleterious for patients with COVID‐19, or possibly protective. Nevertheless, haemodynamic factors seem to be equally important for regulation of cardiac ACE2 mRNA expression.
Revisiting smart antenna array design with multiple interferers using basic adaptive beamforming algorithms: Comparative performance study with testbed results
Authors: Imtiaj SK , Misra Iti Saha , Bhattacharya Sandipan
Published: October 2020

Smart antennas are becoming popular in the area of cellular wireless communication for capacity enhancement and reduction of the multipath effect and interference. The demand for smart antennas is widely increasing as 5G cellular communication evolves to support the higher data rate and bandwidth. The basic principle of smart antenna design is adaptive beamforming using the best suited digital signal processing algorithms, such as least mean square (LMS), normalized least mean square (NLMS), sample matrix inversion (SMI), and recursive least square (RLS), each having its pros and cons. Among these, the LMS and NLMS are iterative approaches while SMI is a block adaptive method and RLS is a recursive method. The contribution of this article includes easy implementation of four adaptive beamforming algorithms, namely LMS, NLMS, SMI, and RLS. Furthermore, an exhaustive comparative performance analysis is carried out under five interferers and evaluated in terms of beamwidth, null depth, maximum sidelobe level, rate of convergence, error variation for the number of antenna elements, and spacing. Finally, a contrast table is presented to demonstrate the pros and cons of the listed algorithms. Time and dynamic space complexity are studied for RLS and SMI beamforming algorithms. Performance results from a designed reconfigurable testbed model for weight adaptation and smart beamforming are also presented for analysis and a better understanding of the real implementation of the smart algorithms through testbed design. The simulation and testbed results create the ground work for future exploration in the design of smart antenna beamforming.
Modeling of analog battery management system for single cell lithium ion battery
Authors: S Hemavathi
Published: October 2020

The Li‐ion battery is an energy storage system in consumer and industrial applications. Because of their cell and pack level protection, Li‐ion battery requires a battery management system (BMS). The important function of the BMS is to monitor and protect the Li‐ion battery cells and packs from fault conditions, in order to maximize their lifecycle and increase safety features. In this research article, an analog BMS is presented for the protection of nickel manganese cobalt oxide‐chemistry‐based single‐cell Li‐ion battery. The Analog BMS is a battery protection circuit module that includes battery protection integrated circuit to protect batteries from overvoltage, undervoltage, overcurrent charging, and overcurrent discharging conditions. In addition, the semiconductor switches are used for charge and discharge protection control. This protection circuit module is designed for 18650 single‐cell Li‐ion battery and test the performance of analog BMS based on protection parameters. A real‐time experiment is carried out on analog BMS interconnected with 18650 single‐cell Li‐ion battery and tested under different charge and discharge rates using standard constant current‐constant voltage (CC‐CV) charging method. The experimental results show that the developed analog BMS protected single‐cell Li‐ion battery from overvoltage, undervoltage, overcurrent charging, and discharging conditions under different C/5, C/2, and 1C rates.
IOT and context‐aware learning‐based optimal neural network model for real‐time health monitoring
Authors: Kavitha D. , Ravikumar S.
Published: October 2020

Recently, numerous context‐aware approaches are established to provide physiological information regarding the wellness and healthcare of each individual. While monitoring the health condition of the patient there occur delays in transferring data to the cloud. So to overcome such types of delays, numerous IoT sensors are developed to monitor, track, and sense the activities of the elder persons. This paper proposes four‐module architecture comprises of IoT module (IoT‐M), data pre‐processing module (DP‐M), context‐aware module (CA‐M) as well as decision‐making module (DM‐M) for storing and processing numerous cumulative sensor data. Here, an IoT comprises a concrete or substantial hardware ecological unit, that is, sensors and actuators. On the other hand, the context‐aware computational approach comprises of insubstantial software ecological unit in understanding and processing the context directly into an accomplishment through various IoT devices. The initial module or the IoT‐M comprises of sensors whereas in the DP‐M phase includes data collection phase, data storage phase, and data redundancy phase. The third phase or the CA‐M comprises two different types of layers namely fog layer, cloud layer. In addition to this, a context‐aware learning phase is also enumerated. In the final phase or the DM‐P phase, the feature extraction and classification is done by Back‐Propagation Neural Network along with the Adaptive grasshopper optimization algorithm so as to obtain a best optimal solution. Thus, an alarm or a notification is sent to the medical practitioner regarding the health condition of the patient with very less response time, high accuracy, and a high scalability rate. The evaluation results and discussions are made by comparing our proposed approach with several other approaches and the evaluation results reveal that the proposed framework provides better results with high accuracy, scalability, network latency, and low response time.
Nutritional characterization of freshwater mud eel (Monopterus cuchia) muscle cooked by different thermal processes
Authors: Islam Md. Aminur , Mohibbullah Md. , Suraiya Sharmin , Sarower‐E‐Mahfuj Md. , Ahmed Shafi , Haq Monjurul
Published: October 2020

This paper reports the effects of four popular cooking methods viz. grilling, boiling, frying, and microwaving on the proximate and nutritional compositions of freshwater mud eel (FWME) muscle. The moisture content of raw FWME muscle was 74.45%, which was similar in boiled products but lower in grilled, fried, and microwaved products (p ≤ .05). The protein content in raw and cooked FWME muscles varied between 14.49% and 21.28%. There were found 20 different fatty acids in FWME muscle of which palmitic acid was the most abundant one with an amount of 26.51%–29.70% in raw and cooked FWME muscles. FWME muscle contained a substantial amount of ω‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, ranging from 7.54% to 13.7%. However, the thermal effects during cooking decreased the ω‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acid contents. There were seven essential and eight nonessential amino acids available in FWME muscle; among the essential amino acids, lysine content was the highest. Raw and cooked FWME were very rich in calcium, between 794.52 mg/100 g and 883.24 mg/100 g muscle. Among the studied heavy metals, Pb content was the highest. However, all the heavy metal contents were within acceptable limits determined by health risk assessment, that is, target hazard quotient and target cancer risk.
Nonlinear interaction between APOEε4 allele load and age in the hippocampal surface of cognitively intact individuals
Authors: Martí‐Juan Gerard , Sanroma‐Guell Gerard , Cacciaglia Raffaele , Falcon Carles , Operto Grégory , Molinuevo José Luis , González Ballester Miguel Ángel , Gispert Juan Domingo , Piella Gemma ,   The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative,   The ALFA Study
Published: October 2020

The ε4 allele of the gene Apolipoprotein E is the major genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's Disease. APOE ε4 has been associated with changes in brain structure in cognitively impaired and unimpaired subjects, including atrophy of the hippocampus, which is one of the brain structures that is early affected by AD. In this work we analyzed the impact of APOE ε4 gene dose and its association with age, on hippocampal shape assessed with multivariate surface analysis, in a ε4‐enriched cohort of n = 479 cognitively healthy individuals. Furthermore, we sought to replicate our findings on an independent dataset of n = 969 individuals covering the entire AD spectrum. We segmented the hippocampus of the subjects with a multi‐atlas‐based approach, obtaining high‐dimensional meshes that can be analyzed in a multivariate way. We analyzed the effects of different factors including APOE, sex, and age (in both cohorts) as well as clinical diagnosis on the local 3D hippocampal surface changes. We found specific regions on the hippocampal surface where the effect is modulated by significant APOE ε4 linear and quadratic interactions with age. We compared between APOE and diagnosis effects from both cohorts, finding similarities between APOE ε4 and AD effects on specific regions, and suggesting that age may modulate the effect of APOE ε4 and AD in a similar way.
Role of physician density in predicting stage and survival for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Gadkaree Shekhar K. , McCarty Justin C. , Feng Allen L. , Siu Jennifer M. , Burks Ciersten A. , Deschler Daniel G. , Richmon Jeremy D. , Varvares Mark A. , Bergmark Regan W.
Published: October 2020

Background

Identifying and linking barriers to access to head and neck cancer care, specifically provider density, to stage of diagnosis and survival outcomes is important to serve as a foundation for policy interventions.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study using patients with head and neck squamous cell (HNSCC) in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 2007 to 2016 and Area Resource File. Primary outcomes included stage of presentation and cancer‐specific 5‐year survival and relation to provider density.

Results

The initial cohort consisted of 18 342 patients with oral cavity, 21 809 oropharyngeal, 15 860 laryngeal, and 2887 patients with hypopharyngeal malignancy. Non‐Hispanic Black race and being uninsured increased the odds of presenting with advanced stage HNSCC and increased hazard of death. There was no significant and consistent association identified between Health Service Areas provider density and advanced stage at diagnosis or cancer‐specific 5‐year mortality.

Conclusions

Provider density of otolaryngologists and primary care physicians and dentists was not significantly associated with stage of presentation or cancer‐specific survival for HNSCC while race and insurance status remained independent predictors for worse outcomes.
Echocardiographic evaluation of left ventricular systolic function by the M‐mode lateral mitral annular plane systolic excursion in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy age 0‐21 years
Authors: Webb Melissa K. , Thankavel Poonam P. , Ramaciotti Claudio
Published: October 2020

Background and Aims

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) results in cardiac fibrosis and dysfunction. These patients frequently have poor image quality. Mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) is a reproducible and reliable method for determining function and can be a valuable tool in patients with poor images. Our study was performed to evaluate the feasibility of MAPSE and compare it to shortening fraction (SF) in patients with DMD.

Methods

Lateral M‐mode MAPSE was obtained on all echocardiograms performed on DMD patients aged 0 to 21 years between October 2013 and April 2015. Retrospectively, interobserver and intraobserver variability was determined for these measurements and each measurement was compared to patient characteristics and measured values of SF.

Results

There was good interobserver (r2 = .66, P = .0081) correlation. Seventeen of 59 echocardiograms (29%) had abnormal SF while 32 (54%) echocardiograms had an abnormal M‐mode lateral MAPSE Z‐score. There was no significant association between lateral MAPSE Z‐score and SF. Age at the time of echocardiogram and time from diagnosis to echocardiogram both had a significant negative correlation with lateral MAPSE.

Conclusions

Lateral M‐mode MAPSE measurements are reproducible in young patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. M‐mode lateral MAPSE may worsen over length of time with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Further studies are necessary to provide absolute conclusions, but this study shows that lateral M‐mode MAPSE may be a valuable additional tool at routine echocardiogram in these patients.
A wearable carotid Doppler tracks changes in the descending aorta and stroke volume induced by end‐inspiratory and end‐expiratory occlusion: A pilot study
Authors: Kenny Jon‐Émile S. , Barjaktarevic Igor , Eibl Andrew M. , Parrotta Matthew , Long Bradley F. , Eibl Joseph K.
Published: October 2020

Background and Aims

To test the feasibility of a novel, wearable carotid Doppler ultrasound to track changes in cardiac output induced by end‐inspiratory and end‐expiratory occlusion tests.

Methods

We observed the pattern of Doppler change of the common carotid artery during a simulated end‐inspiratory and expiratory occlusion test (sEIOT/sEEOT) in 10, nonventilated, healthy subjects. Simultaneously, we measured the Doppler signal of the descending aorta using duplex ultrasound (Xario, Toshiba Medical Systems) and stroke volume (SV) using noninvasive pulse contour analysis (Clearsight, Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, California).

Results

During sEIOT, SV, maximum velocity time integral (VTI) of the descending aorta, and common carotid fell by 25.7% (P = .0131), 26.1% (P < .0001), and 18.5% (P < .0001), respectively. During sEEOT, SV, maximum VTI of the descending aorta, and common carotid rose by: 41.3% (P = .0051), 28.3% (P < .0001), and 41.6% (P < .0001), respectively. There was good correlation between change in aortic VTI and carotid VTI (r2 = 0.79); SV and aortic VTI (r2 = 0.82), and SV and carotid VTI (r2 = 0.95).The coefficient of variation of the VTI measured by the Doppler patch was roughly 60% less than that of the duplex system.

Conclusions

The pattern of SV change induced by a sEIOT/sEEOT in nonmechanically ventilated volunteers is reflected in the common carotid artery and descending aorta. The VTI variability of the Doppler patch was less than that of the traditional, duplex Doppler.
Detection of pneumonia in chest X‐ray images by using 2D discrete wavelet feature extraction with random forest
Authors: Akgundogdu Abdurrahim
Published: October 2020

Pneumonia is one of the most common and fatal diseases in the world. Early diagnosis and treatment are important factors in reducing mortality caused by the aforementioned disease. One of the most important and common techniques to diagnose pneumonia disease is the X‐ray images. By evaluating these images, various machine‐learning methods are used for accuracy in diagnosis. The presented study in this article utilizes machine‐learning techniques to evaluate these X‐ray images. The diagnosis of pediatric pneumonia is classified with a proposed machine learning method by using the chest X‐ray images. The proposed system firstly utilizes a two‐dimensional discrete wavelet transform to extract features from images. The features obtained from the wavelet method are labeled as normal and pneumonia and applied to the classifier for classification. Besides, Random Forest algorithm is used for the classification technique of 5856 X‐ray images. A 10‐fold cross‐validation method is used to evaluate the success of the proposed method and to ensure that the system avoided overfitting. By using various machine learning algorithms, simulation results reveal that the Random Forest method is proposed and it gives successful results. Results also show that, at the end of the training and validation process, the proposed method achieves higher success with an accuracy of 97.11%.
Genotoxic effect of simultaneous therapeutic exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and UV radiation
Authors: Malkova Andrea , Borska Lenka , Smejkalova Jindra , Hamakova Kvetoslava , Kremlacek Jan , Svadlakova Tereza , Borsky Pavel , Holmannova Drahomira , Fiala Zdenek
Published: October 2020

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and ultraviolet radiation (UV) represent genotoxic factors that commonly occur in the living and working environment. The dermal form of exposure represents a significant part of the total load of dangerous chemical and physical environmental factors to which an organism is subjected. However, simultaneous dermal exposures to PAHs (pharmaceutical crude coal tar [CCT]) and UV (UVA and UVB) also have therapeutic uses. A typical example is Goeckerman therapy (GT) for psoriasis. The question of the therapeutic efficacy of GT and the related level of genotoxic danger is still under discussion. The aim of the present study was to compare four GT variants (G1–G4) in terms of efficacy and acceptable genotoxic hazard. Efficacy was expressed by the psoriasis area of severity index (PASI) score, genotoxic hazard by chromosomal aberration in peripheral lymphocytes. The lowest risk of genotoxic hazard and the lowest efficiency was observed in G1 variant (3% of the CCT and UVA + UVB). The efficacy of G2 (4% CCT and UVA + UVB), G3 (4% CCT and UVB), and G4 variants (5% CCT and UVA + UVB) was comparable. The highest risk of genotoxic hazard was found in the G3 variant. In the terms of sufficient efficacy and acceptable genotoxic hazard, a combination of 4% or 5% of CCT and UVA and UVB seems to be acceptable (variants G2 and G4).
Toxicokinetics of methylmercury in diabetic KK‐Ay mice and C57BL/6 mice
Authors: Yamamoto Megumi , Yanagisawa Rie , Sakai Atsushi , Mogi Masaki , Shuto Satoshi , Shudo Masachika , Kashiwagi Hazuki , Kudo Megumi , Nakamura Masaaki , Sakamoto Mineshi
Published: October 2020

We compared the toxicokinetics of methylmercury (MeHg) in KK‐Ay type 2 diabetic mice and C57BL/6J mice to evaluate how metabolic changes associated with diabetes affect MeHg toxicokinetics. A single dose of MeHg (0.2, 1, or 5 mg mercury/kg) was administered orally to 12‐week‐old KK‐Ay and C57BL/6J male mice. Total mercury concentrations in plasma, blood cells, whole blood, and tissues (brain, kidneys, liver, and pancreas) were measured after 4, 7, 11, and 14 days. The volume of distribution/bioavailability and the elimination rate constant per day were higher in KK‐Ay mice, while the terminal elimination half‐life was lower in almost all samples of KK‐Ay mice. The area under the curve was lower in all blood and almost all tissue samples from KK‐Ay mice. Total clearance/bioavailability was lower in all blood and tissue samples of KK‐Ay mice at all MeHg doses. These results indicate that MeHg is more rapidly absorbed by, and eliminated from, the blood cells, brain, liver, kidney, and pancreas of KK‐Ay mice under the experimental conditions. Different patterns of tissue‐to‐plasma and tissue‐to‐whole blood partition coefficients suggest that notable differences in MeHg transfer between plasma and blood cells affect its distribution in tissues of the two mouse strains. These findings are useful to understand the selective distribution of MeHg to target organs and the sensitivity to MeHg in pathological states.
Human parvovirus 4: An emerging etiological agent in cases presenting with influenza like illness
Authors: Prakash Shantanu , Shukla Suruchi , Bhagat Amit K. , Mishra Hricha , Vangala Ramakrishna , Jain Amita
Published: October 2020

This study was planned to study the association of parvovirus 4 (PARV4) with Influenza‐like illness (ILI). A total of 1111 patients with a clinical diagnosis of ILI and 220 healthy controls were tested for Influenza A/HINI/and H3N2, Influenza B, and PARV4. Further sequencing was done to analyze the genotype distribution of parvovirus 4. Influenza A/HINI, A/H3N2, and B were detected in 334 (30.06%), 9 (0.81%), and 10 (0.9%) cases respectively. PARV4 was detected in 135 (12.15%) cases and one healthy control. Parvovirus 4 was significantly higher in cases as compared to controls (relative risk, 30.77%; p < .0006). Sequencing of 20 isolates suggests the dominance of genotype 2 in our region.
Microdosing flexibility in an efficient supply chain
Authors: Saunders Lance W. , Merrick Jason R.W. , Holcomb Mary C.
Published: October 2020

The designation of a supply chain as efficient or responsive has often been considered to be a dichotomy in theory and practice. This technical note explores this issue by describing an engagement by the research team with a large consumer packaged‐goods company within their cosmetics supply chain during the launch of a new product family. The company was experiencing high supply–demand mismatch costs that they attributed to their supply chain that was designed to emphasize efficiency over responsiveness. We analyzed the appropriateness of the supply‐chain design through the lens of theory and concluded that the efficient design was in fact a good match for the product. A simulation model allowed us to organize available data and identify the root cause of the mismatch costs. Results from the simulation showed that the mismatch costs stemmed primarily from a failure to deploy small but important responsiveness opportunities: Because the supply chain was designated as efficient, responsiveness was ignored, and this substantially increased mismatches. Mismatches also occurred because decision makers failed to distinguish between delivery and decision lead time.
β‐Cyclodextrin coupled to graphene oxide supported on aminopropyl silica as a sorbent material for determination of isoflavones
Authors: da Silva Luis Felipe , Lanças Fernando Mauro
Published: October 2020

β‐Cyclodextrin, coupled to graphene oxide supported on aminopropyl silica, was synthesized and characterized. This material was combined with microextraction by packed sorbent to act as the sample preparation step. The analytical method optimization was carried out by employing experimental design and had its figures of merit determined. The resulting linearity ranged from 1.0 to 200 μg/L for daidzein, from 2.0 to 200 μg/L for genistein, from 3.0 to 200 μg/L for formononetin, and from 2.0 to 200 μg/L for biochanin A with all R2 values above 0.993 and limit of quantification ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 μg/L. The accuracy ranged from 93.3 to 123.3%, and intraday and interday precision reported by the relative standard deviations were <16%. This work aimed to synthesize and evaluate cyclodextrins coupled to graphene‐based sorbents to be used as a high sorption capacity and selective sorbent for sample preparation of complex matrices using microextraction techniques. The synthesized material kept the high absorption characteristic of graphene‐based materials while maintaining the cyclodextrins’ selectivity to extract the target analyte. Four isoflavones were determined in soy‐based juice samples from the local market, confirming the excellent performance of the proposed method.
Multi‐horizon accommodation demand forecasting: A New Zealand case study
Authors: Zhu Min , Wu Jinran , Wang You‐Gan
Published: October 2020

This paper contributes to the filling of two gaps in accommodation demand forecasting: (a) the limited number of studies on the use of modern machine learning techniques to identify the dynamics of accommodation demand; and (b) the lack of understanding of comparative forecasting performance of different modelling techniques at multiple forecast horizons. We show that, as the forecast horizon increases, the performance of machine learning is stable and robust. We also find that the long short‐term memory has particular advantages in long‐horizon forecasting and handling data with complex structure in New Zealand.
Comparison of Woodland Caribou Calving Areas Determined by Movement Patterns Across Northern Ontario
Authors: Walker Philip D. , Rodgers Arthur R. , Shuter Jennifer L. , Thompson Ian D. , Fryxell John M. , Cook John G. , Cook Rachel C. , Merrill Eveyln H.
Published: October 2020

Adult female survival and calf recruitment influence population dynamics, but there is limited information on calving and neonatal mortality of boreal woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou; caribou) in Ontario, Canada. We identified calf parturition sites and 5‐week neonatal mortality using a movement‐based approach across 3 northern Ontario study regions (Pickle Lake, Nakina, and Cochrane) that vary in their capacity to support caribou populations. In comparing 22 caribou‐years of video‐collar footage during 2010–2013 to predictions of the movement‐based approach, we found live parturition events were 100% correctly classified, date of parturition was within 1.08 ± 0.28 ( ± SE) days, and mortality events up to 5 weeks postpartum were 88% correctly classified. Across study regions, 87% of 186 caribou were pregnant and 76% of 107 caribou‐years indicated birth events with median parturition dates a week later in Cochrane (23 May) than in Pickle Lake (17 May) and Nakina (16 May). Based on selection ratios of caribou‐years with calves‐at‐heel (n = 80), caribou consistently selected for lowlands and closed‐canopied forests and mostly against early‐seral stands (<20 yrs old) and areas near linear features during the neonatal and the post‐neonatal period (up to 35 days postpartum). Based on the video footage and movement models, 30% of 81 caribou‐years that indicated live births also showed females lost their calf within the first 5 weeks postpartum, with higher risk of neonatal mortality associated with increased use of lowlands and greater postpartum movement rates. This study provides informative metrics of caribou reproduction across northern Ontario that will contribute to future population modeling and identifies important landscape features to be considered in future industrial development and land use planning for caribou conservation. © 2020 The Wildlife Society.
Lessons for Today from an Early Outreach Effort in Oceanography: The 1884 Exposition of the Travailleur and the Talisman as Presented by the Press
Authors: Dolan John R.
Published: October 2020

The campaigns of the Travailleur and the Talisman (1880–1883) were the first French expeditions to explore the deep sea. In early 1884, the campaign participants mounted a temporary exhibition in the Paris Natural History Museum displaying specimens collected and the equipment used. The exhibition included not only fantastic creatures but also “hands‐on” items, such as water samplers and sounders that could be touched, and microscopes to examine sediment samples. It was an enormous success with the public. The success was probably partly due to the fact the main organizer, Alphonse Milne Edwards, was somewhat of a media figure of the time. Complaints that the exhibition space was too small for all the objects exhibited and the crowds attracted were explained by a claim that it was conceived to show expedition results to funding agencies and the scientific community; the crowds were unexpected. However, a review of the press coverage suggests that the organizers used the media very skillfully to promote it. Here the Exposition of the Travailleur and Talisman is presented as described through the press coverage to underline lessons for outreach today from this effort 136 yr ago.