bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the impact of the CO/C reducer on the CO2formation in the process of pyrometallurgical recovery of Fe from converter slag
Authors: Kalisz D , Młynarczykowska A , Chyczyński A
Published: November 2019

The results of simulations of Fe recovery from steel slag containing iron oxides with C reducer dissolved in liquid slag and gaseous CO were presented in the paper. The simulations were performed with the use of a commercial program FactSage, and the calculations followed the procedure of dosing the reducer to slag in portions, each time reaching the state of thermodynamic equilibrium. The calculation procedure was realized sequentially, and the equilibrium composition of gaseous phase, nonmetallic phase and separated Fe was established at each calculation step. Gaseous products of CO and CO2reduction were removed from the system with each successive calculation step. The simulation revealed that reaching comparable results of reduction requires using a considerable amount of CO. Moreover, the CO2content in the gaseous phase and amount of separated Fe depend on the type of reducer. It was observed that the main mechanism was the reduction of iron with C. In this case the composition of gaseous products was mainly dominated by CO-CO2.
Improving the quality of hard coal products using the state-of-the-art KOMAG solutions in a pulsating jig nod
Authors: Kowol D , Matusiak P
Published: November 2019

Hard coal run-of-mine contains a significant amount of waste rock, which must be removed to improve the quality of the extracted raw material. Coal processing is an integral and extremely important part of the production of commercial assortments. Water pulsating jig is one of the basic devices in which the material is separated. The article presents some possibilities of improving the qualitative and quantitative parameters of the beneficiation products due to design changes and control of the jig beneficiation node.
Investigation of flotation of salts in their saturated solutions
Authors: Dubiel M , Ratajczak T
Published: November 2019

Flotation of NaCl, KCl and KPF6 in saturated aqueous solutions was investigated. The tests were carried out for salt particle sizes of >200, 100-200, 71-100 and <71μm. Flotation tests were performed in a Hallimond flotation cell. In addition, contact angle was estimated using a flotometric method and measured by the sessile drop technique. The angles were 5 degree for NaCl and KCl and 8 degrees for KPF6. Thus, there was mostly mechanical carryover of particles during the flotation test. However, an increase in the flotation yield of the tested salts with the increase of contact angle was observed.
Supercritical solvent extraction of lignite combustion products by water and HNO3 – Rare Earth Elements recovery study
Authors: Urbańczyk W , Lutyński M
Published: November 2019

Coal Combustion Products (CCPs) are anthropogenic materials generated during coal burning in coal-fired power plants and in case of lignite majority of these materials is disposed on land. CCPs contain various metals including Rare Earth Elements (REE). The purpose of this study was to assess if supercritical solvent extraction of CCPs, i.e. fly ash and bottom slag is effective to recover Rare Earth Elements. For that purpose two methods were compared: atmospheric and supercritical solvent extraction with the use of water and 10% HNO3. Result show that extraction of REE is unjustified when considering efficiency of solvent extraction process and obtained REE concentrations.
Innovative technological circuits for regular aggregates production
Authors: Gawenda Tomasz
Published: November 2019

The aim of the article is to discuss possibilities of production of aggregates with increased content of regular particles, on some well-known examples, as well as presentation of methods of aggregate production, which was not previously present in the industry. Traditional aggregate production circuits require application of three or four grinding stages (depending on the particle size of the feed), but for fine particle fractions of aggregates irregular grains occur on average approximate content of 10%. The innovative technological circuit can produce the aggregates with the content below 3% irregular grains, even in a single- or two-stage crushing circuit.
The comparison of laboratory and industrial copper ore upgrading indices during introduction of new flotation reagents
Authors: Pawlos W , Krzemińska M , Kurzydło P
Published: November 2019

This article draws attention to the need for the introduction of a laboratory testing methodology for new flotation reagents prior to the implementation of them for industrial use which would be more effective than the one currently used. Laboratory and industrial indicators of copper ore beneficiation during the testing of new flotation reagents are compared herein. For this purpose, two-stage laboratory tests and industrial trails were carried out on three types of collector mixtures, the results of which were used to analyse the technological indicators achieved. It has been concluded that the applied laboratory testing methodology requires a new approach that allows for a more precise correlation of variables which will allow the results of industrial trial to be predicted with greater probability than at present.
Electrostatic and magnetic separations for the recovery of metals from electronic waste
Authors: Suponik T , Franke D , Nuckowski P
Published: November 2019

The aim of the study was to recover metals from e-scrap using electrostatic and magnetic separation successively. The type of phases in the four magnetic separation products was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Three grain classes were tested: 2.00 - 0.56, 0.56 - 0.32 and 0.32 - 0.10 mm. Based on the tests, it turned out that the separations were the most efficient for grain class in the range from 0.32 to 0.10 mm. The yields of the products obtained from electrostatic and magnetic separations were as follows: in the case of electrostatic separation, 13.12% metals and 86.88% plastics and glass; and for magnetic separation 1.51% of ferromagnetics, 1.56% of paramagnetics and 10.05 % of diamagnetics. In the diamagnetics Cu was dominant, while in the paramagnetics and ferromagnetics CuSn, γ-Fe and Ni, Fe3O4, respectively. Pb, Sn were identified in average amounts in all products of magnetic separation.
Investigation of the process of grinding of a char coal obtained from tires waste pyrolysis
Authors: Sidor J , Budzyń S , Czosnek C , Kozub –Budzyń G , Tora B
Published: November 2019

The paper contains results of examinations of grinding of char obtained from waste car tires. The grinding of the char was conducted in a laboratory vibratory mill of low vibration frequency. The examinations concerned the possibility of using a char as raw material in industry, particularly as a substitute for carbon black applied for the production of rubber. One of the basic parameters characterizing carbon black is particle size distribution as well as specific surface area. In the examinations, the char was obtained with following characteristic sizes of particles: d50 = 2.5 ÷ 9.3 µm, d90 = 13.3 ÷ 35.0 µm and specific surface area 74 ÷ 163 m2/g matching the particle size distribution and specific surface area characteristic of carbon black, which means that in order to grind a char, the vibratory mill can be used.

Komentarz [D1]: This terminology is not clear to use in the paper.
Investigation of mineral deportment in a copper ore from Botswana
Authors: Poloko N , Moatlhodi L K , Danha G
Published: November 2019

Understanding the characteristics of minerals is key in developing effective techniques for copper ore processing to maximise recovery hence income. Most studies have focused on understanding the fundamentals and principles of dissolution kinetics, oxidation and leaching of copper minerals. New developments and technologies have made it possible to reveal that copper ores are fascinating and complex minerals. Other research concentrates on chemical and mineralogical analysis, hence revealing information such as properties, compositional change and analysis. In this paper X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Quantitative Evaluation of Minerals Scanning Electron Microscopy (QEMSCAN) are used as tools in quantifying chemical and mineralogical attributes of a copper ore (chalcocite bearing mineral) from Botswana as the objective. Obtained information was not limited to grain size and distribution, mineral associations and liberations characteristics of economic minerals in the ore and quantitative information being the latter. XRF indicates that the copper ore contains phases such as Al203, CaO, MgO, TiO2, V2O5 and SiO2, which is the dominant mineral with 60.6 wt% as well as traces of elements Fe, S, Pb, and Co with wt% of <0.02. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) peaks also confirmed these elements to exist in the mineral. Quantitative X-Ray Diffraction (QXRD) analysis entailed phases present with silicates being the dominant phases and their existence on the mineral by wt%. SEM peaks showed evidence of Fe, Si, Cu, S etc. which is consistent with XRF data. In addition QESCAN also revealed grain size of cuprite particles to be greater than 45 μm with < 0.24 % liberated. The copper ore is characterized with a possibility of extracting metals or elements of economic value.
Mathematical model of dry coal deshaling by using FGX vibrating air table
Authors: Mijał W , Niedoba T , Polek D
Published: November 2019

Dry coal separation process is a relatively new method for coal separation in Poland. First air separators which were used on bigger scale was in United States before Second World War in 1930s. Nowadays is widely used in China, United States, Russia and all those places where access to water is limited. Last year’s very popular become separation by using vibrating air tables FGX where beneficiation process use air suspension which separate heavier particles from light coal grains. This separation process depends on different parameters like preparation of feed and it parameters, grain size fraction, air supply etc.. This paper will describe what is it a dry coal separation, modern separation techniques and in the main part focus on creating mathematical model which will present the quality of using this kind of process for coal deshaling. Mathematical model will base on dependence between calorific value and ash content in the tested samples.
Bioreduction in the development of new mineral technology
Authors: Pawlowska A , Sadowski Z
Published: November 2019

Reductive dissolution is like “biomining in reverse gear”. Selected sulfur reducing bacteria (SRB) can be used under anaerobic conditions – as in bioleaching – for metal recovery from oxide minerals and laterite. General assumptions of the BioSulphide® and Ferredox processes for nickel recovery from laterite ores and copper from acid mine drainage or waste water were presented.
Extraction, Production and Consumption of Gravel and Sand Aggregates in Poland An Attempt to Assess National and Regional Balances
Authors: Kozioł W , Baic I
Published: November 2019

Natural aggregates are the basic group of extracted minerals. In Poland, their share in the extraction of solid minerals over 30 years (1989–2018) increased from about 24% to 54%. Current aggregate production is about 300 million Mg and in 2019 it will probably exceed the record volume of 2011 – over 330 million Mg. In the extraction and production of aggregates in Poland, there is a decisive preponderance of gravel and sand aggregates – their share in the total production of natural aggregates amounts to 70–75%. The remaining part consists of crushed-stone aggregates produced from compact and moderately compact rocks of magma origin (basalts, granites, gabbro and diabases, melaphyres, porphyry, syenites, etc.), sedimentary rocks (dolomites, limestones, sandstones, etc.), and metamorphic rocks (amphibolites, migamatites, gneisses, serpentinites, etc.). A gradual deterioration in the quality of the raw material base of gravel and sands as well as a simultaneous increase in the demand of the construction industry for the best quality thick aggregate fractions (5/8mm, 8/11, etc.) has a significant impact on the rise in the amount of hard to sell and unsalable (waste) fractions of aggregates produced in Poland. This applies especially to gravel and sand aggregates in whose deposit the share of fine fractions (below 2 mm) is systematically increasing, while the demand for them in the construction sector is limited and they are often treated as useless (waste) material. Since it is practically unknown what is the production and consumption of these aggregates, an attempt was made to assess the amount of extracted and produced sand and gravel fractions of natural aggregates in Poland.

The deficit of natural aggregates in many countries and regions as well as the limited aggregate resources in Poland and increasing difficulties in obtaining licenses for their extraction indicate the need for selective storage of sand aggregate assortments instead of “melting” them in post-mining excavation pits. The presented research results should contribute to the development of more accurate market forecasts regarding the demand for and production of natural aggregates in Poland and in individual regions, especially when it comes to gravel and sand aggregates, including also fine fractions.
A relative revolution: Einstein and ‘The Times’
Authors: Miller Steve
Published: November 2019

Steve Miller looks at three weeks a century ago that changed perceptions of modern physics forever and how The Times conveyed this to the public.
Prediction of mutation effects using a deep temporal convolutional network
Authors: Kim Ha Young , Kim Dongsup
Published: November 2019

Motivation

Accurate prediction of the effects of genetic variation is a major goal in biological research. Towards this goal, numerous machine learning models have been developed to learn information from evolutionary sequence data. The most effective method so far is a deep generative model based on the variational autoencoder (VAE) that models the distributions using a latent variable. In this study, we propose a deep autoregressive generative model named mutationTCN, which employs dilated causal convolutions and attention mechanism for the modeling of inter-residue correlations in a biological sequence.

Results

We show that this model is competitive with the VAE model when tested against a set of 42 high-throughput mutation scan experiments, with the mean improvement in Spearman rank correlation ∼0.023. In particular, our model can more efficiently capture information from multiple sequence alignments with lower effective number of sequences, such as in viral sequence families, compared with the latent variable model. Also, we extend this architecture to a semi-supervised learning framework, which shows high prediction accuracy. We show that our model enables a direct optimization of the data likelihood and allows for a simple and stable training process.

Availability and implementation

Source code is available at https://github.com/ha01994/mutationTCN.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Natural killer cells: functional differences in recurrent spontaneous abortion†
Authors: Hao Fan , Zhou Xiangyu , Jin Liping
Published: November 2019

Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is one of the major pregnancy disorders and poses a serious risk to both the mother and the fetus. Although a number of research efforts have been conducted, therapeutic advances for treating RSA have not lived up to their expectations. Hence, other treatments should be explored. The important role of natural killer (NK) cells in immunotherapy is attracting increasing attention, both as a pharmaceutical target and for cell therapies. NK cells are abundant in the endometrium and play a role in implantation and placentation in normal pregnancy. As research progresses, NK cells are increasingly regarded as playing essential roles in the emergence and development of RSA. In this article, I review recent findings on the role of uterine NK cells in the pathophysiology of RSA. These cells may become therapeutic NK cell-related targets. In conclusion, although several issues regarding NK cells in RSA remain unresolved and require further investigation, extensive evidence is available for the treatment of RSA.
Adaptive response of extreme epiphyte Tillandsia species (Bromeliaceae) is demonstrated by different sexual reproduction strategies in the Brazilian Chaco
Authors: Gomes Aline C , Ferreira Bruno H S , Souza Camila S , Arakaki Luan M M , Aoki Camila , Paggi Gecele Matos , Sigrist Maria Rosângela
Published: November 2019

Some epiphytes are adapted to extreme environments with the ability to survive drought as a result of their morphological (xeromorphism), anatomical (foliar trichomes or scales) and physiological features. In contrast to vegetative features, they may have diverse sexual reproductive strategies. Here we compared the flowering morphology, floral biology, breeding system and pollinators of Tillandsia duratii, T. loliacea and T. recurvifolia (Bromeliaceae) adapted to an extreme environment, the Brazilian Chaco. Tillandsia duratii and T. recurvifolia flower for 5–6 months, whereas T. loliaceae flowers for 11 months, mainly in the dry season, with low to high flowering overlap between them. Although these species generally show similar flowering morphology, they differ in size, colour, odour and/or floral functionality, suggesting non-sharing of pollinators among them. Bimodal pollination occurs in T. duratii (bees, moths other than hawkmoths) and T. recurvifolia (butterflies, hummingbirds); in T. loliacea, we recorded no floral visitors. Tillandsia recurvifolia is self-incompatible, has flowers which approach herkogamy and protandry, and depends on pollen vectors for fruit set. The other two species show reverse herkogamy, autonomous self-pollination and self-compatibility (mixed breeding system); therefore, pollinators are not required. The disparity in reproductive strategies among the three species suggests the possibility of selection for diverse modes of reproduction.
The impact of volume overload on technique failure in incident peritoneal dialysis patients
Authors: Vrtovsnik François , Verger Christian , Van Biesen Wim , Fan Stanley , Shin Sug-Kyun , Rodríguez Carmen , Garcia Méndez Isabel , van der Sande Frank M , De los Ríos Tatiana , Ihle Katharina , Gauly Adelheid , Ronco Claudio , Heaf James ,   for the IPOD-PD Study Group
Published: November 2019

Background

Technique failure in peritoneal dialysis (PD) can be due to patient- and procedure-related factors. With this analysis, we investigated the association of volume overload at the start and during the early phase of PD and technique failure.

Methods

In this observational, international cohort study with longitudinal follow-up of incident PD patients, technique failure was defined as either transfer to haemodialysis or death, and transplantation was considered as a competing risk. We explored parameters at baseline or within the first 6 months and the association with technique failure between 6 and 18 months, using a competing risk model.

Results

Out of 1092 patients of the complete cohort, 719 met specific inclusion and exclusion criteria for this analysis. Being volume overloaded, either at baseline or Month 6, or at both time points, was associated with an increased risk of technique failure compared with the patient group that was euvolaemic at both time points. Undergoing treatment at a centre with a high proportion of PD patients was associated with a lower risk of technique failure.

Conclusions

Volume overload at start of PD and/or at 6 months was associated with a higher risk of technique failure in the subsequent year. The risk was modified by centre characteristics, which varied among regions.
Evaluation of additional benefits of HPV vaccination to cervical cancer screening in France
Authors: Rousseau S , Massetti M , Barre S , Leleu H , Gaillot-de Saintignon J
Published: November 2019

Background

The National Cancer Institute (INCa) undertook the evaluation of the expected impact of HPV vaccination in the context of the recent marketing of nonavalent vaccine (Gardasil®9) and the implementation of organized screening (OS) of cervical cancer (CC) in France.

Methods

The study is based on a microsimulation model that replicates the natural history of CC. A cohort of 14-year-old women is generated and followed until death. Others HPV-infection related diseases (condyloma, anal cancer, penile cancer and oropharynx cancer) are not modelled. Different strategies were compared with the current vaccination coverage rate (VCR) of 21.4% (2017): impact of increased VCR alone and increased VCR combined with correction of inequalities (CI). Results are presented according to two hypotheses for the duration of protection offered by the vaccine (limited to 20 years and lifelong) and according to two hypotheses for price of the vaccine (French price and average European prices).

Results

The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was less than 15 000 euros per QALY (quality-adjusted life year) in all the assessed strategies. For each 14-year-old women cohort, 85% VCR with CI would prevent at least: 2 546 conations, 2 347 precancerous lesions CIN 2 / 3 diagnosed, 377 CCs, 139 deaths per CC (20 years vaccine protection). Scenarios based on increasing VCR with CI are the most cost-effective.

Conclusions

The study quantifies the increased risk of CC-related outcomes associated with current sub-optimal VCR and the possible investment to implement actions in order to improve the efficiency of the current strategies and tackle health inequalities (communication campaign, actions toward underserved women).

Key messages

Improving HPV vaccination uptake is a cost-effective measure, even considering only the cervical cancer prevention. Including health inequalities participation in modeling is crucial as underserved women are both less vaccinated and screened.
School ethos and recurring sickness absence: a multilevel study of ninth grade students in Stockholm
Authors: Låftman S Brolin , Ramberg J , Modin B
Published: November 2019

Background

A non-negligible proportion of Swedish students is recurrently absent from school due to various health problems. Recurring absence from school has potentially severe consequences for future prospects. Thus, identifying factors that may contribute to counteracting recurring sickness absence among students is important. The aim of this study was to investigate whether higher levels of teacher-reported school ethos were associated with lower levels of recurring sickness absence among their students, when adjusting for relevant confounders at the student- and the school-level.

Methods

Data from four cross-sectional surveys performed in 2014 and 2016 were combined. The Stockholm School Survey was carried out among 9,298 ninth grade students (ages 15-16 years) in 147 school units, and the Stockholm Teacher Survey was performed among 2,024 teachers in the same units. School ethos was captured by an index of 12 teacher-reported items that was aggregated to the school-level. Recurring student sickness absence was based on self-reports and defined as absence on > 10 occasions during the current school year. Student-level control variables were gender, family structure, parental education, parental unemployment and migration background. School-level control variables were sociodemographic composition and student-teacher ratio. Two-level logistic regressions were performed.

Results

About 9.5% of the students reported recurrent sickness absence. Students attending schools with higher levels of teacher-rated school ethos had a lower likelihood of reporting recurring sickness absence compared with those attending schools with lower levels of ethos, even when adjusting for potential confounders at the student- and the school-level (OR 0.78, p = 0.015).

Conclusions

Recurring sickness absence was less common among students attending schools with higher levels of teacher-rated ethos. The findings suggest that schools have the capacity to promote student health.

Key messages

A strong school ethos was linked with lower levels of recurring sickness absence among the students, even when adjusting for potential confounders at the student- and the school-level. A strong school ethos may contribute to counteracting recurring sickness absence among students.
RepeatFiller newly identifies megabases of aligning repetitive sequences and improves annotations of conserved non-exonic elements
Authors: Osipova Ekaterina , Hecker Nikolai , Hiller Michael
Published: November 2019

Background

Transposons and other repetitive sequences make up a large part of complex genomes. Repetitive sequences can be co-opted into a variety of functions and thus provide a source for evolutionary novelty. However, comprehensively detecting ancestral repeats that align between species is difficult because considering all repeat-overlapping seeds in alignment methods that rely on the seed-and-extend heuristic results in prohibitively high runtimes.

Results

Here, we show that ignoring repeat-overlapping alignment seeds when aligning entire genomes misses numerous alignments between repetitive elements. We present a tool, RepeatFiller, that improves genome alignments by incorporating previously undetected local alignments between repetitive sequences. By applying RepeatFiller to genome alignments between human and 20 other representative mammals, we uncover between 22 and 84 Mb of previously undetected alignments that mostly overlap transposable elements. We further show that the increased alignment coverage improves the annotation of conserved non-exonic elements, both by discovering numerous novel transposon-derived elements that evolve under constraint and by removing thousands of elements that are not under constraint in placental mammals.

Conclusions

RepeatFiller contributes to comprehensively aligning repetitive genomic regions, which facilitates studying transposon co-option and genome evolution. Source code: https://github.com/hillerlab/GenomeAlignmentTools
March-ing toward organizational economics
Authors: Gibbons Robert
Published: November 2019

I was a student of Jim March’s in 1983, meaning that I took a mandatory 10-week doctoral class on organization theory from him that changed my life. And I have been a student of Jim’s ever since, meaning that I have tried to keep learning from Jim’s ideas—about organizations and about life. During the course and for over a decade afterwards, most of my academic learning from Jim was about how disciplines other than economics think about organizations. More recently, I have tried to discern how the roots of my own field, organizational economics, often involve Jim. This note focuses on the latter, especially informed by precious summer discussions from 2013 to 2018.1
Images and Memory: Religiosity and Sacrifice – The Cases of Tierralta, Trujillo and Arenillo in Colombia
Authors: Guerrero Freddy A , López Aristizabal Liza
Published: November 2019

Memory in Colombia is a human right that is recognized for victims and society in the framework of processes of transitional justice, and in the last decade there has been an institutionalization of memory, with organizations arising whose purpose is to manage memory initiatives in the country. However, organizational and community memory and denunciation processes and practices have been developed, materialized and represented through objects/images, like sources and references for memory aimed to account for the atrocious past and promote acts of resistance and humanity amid the inhumanity of war. From a fragmentary perspective, we concentrate on three cases of images in Colombia that, based on religious and cultural representations, allow us to observe their power in processes of recovering memory, of denunciation and demands with regard to respect for human rights.
Essential numerical ranges for linear operator pencils
Authors: Bögli Sabine , Marletta Marco
Published: November 2019

We introduce concepts of essential numerical range for the linear operator pencil $\lambda \mapsto A-\lambda B$. In contrast to the operator essential numerical range, the pencil essential numerical ranges are, in general, neither convex nor even connected. The new concepts allow us to describe the set of spectral pollution when approximating the operator pencil by projection and truncation methods. Moreover, by transforming the operator eigenvalue problem $Tx=\lambda x$ into the pencil problem $BTx=\lambda Bx$ for suitable choices of $B$, we can obtain nonconvex spectral enclosures for $T$ and, in the study of truncation and projection methods, confine spectral pollution to smaller sets than with hitherto known concepts. We apply the results to various block operator matrices. In particular, Theorem 4.12 presents substantial improvements over previously known results for Dirac operators while Theorem 4.5 excludes spectral pollution for a class of nonselfadjoint Schrödinger operators which has not been possible to treat with existing methods.
Maternal nutrition during early and late gestation in gilts and sows under commercial conditions: impacts on maternal growth and litter traits1
Authors: Mallmann André L , Fagundes Deivison P , Vier Carlos E , Oliveira Gabriela S , Mellagi Ana P G , Ulguim Rafael R , Bernardi Mari L , Orlando Uislei A D , Cogo Ricardo J , Bortolozzo Fernando P
Published: November 2019

The effects of two different feeding levels, offered in two phases during gestation, on body measurements and litter traits were evaluated in 152 gilts and 551 sows. The treatments consisted of the combination of two gestation phases (phase 1—days 22 to 42; phase 2—days 90 to 110) and two feed amounts (1.8 or 3.5 kg/d). Females were weighed on days 22, 42, 90, and 110 of gestation. Born alive and stillborn piglets were weighed within 12 h of birth. Total placental efficiency (ratio between litter weight and total placental weight) was measured in 518 females. Variables concerning body measurements at days 42 and 90 of gestation were analyzed considering the effects of feed amount, parity order (PO) and its interaction as a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Body measurements at day 110 of gestation and litter traits were analyzed considering the effects of feed amounts in phase 1, feed amounts in phase 2, PO and their interactions, as a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. As expected, BW, backfat, and caliper units were greater at days 42, 90, and 110 (P ≤ 0.006) for females fed 3.5 kg/d during the previous phase than those fed 1.8 kg. No differences were observed among feed levels in total number of piglets born, mummified fetuses, sum of born alive and stillborn piglets, and within-litter birth weight CV (P ≥ 0.118). The percentage of stillborn piglets was affected by a three-way interaction (feed level at phase 1 × feed level at phase 2 × PO). Gilts fed 1.8 kg/d at phase 1 and 3.5 kg/d at phase 2 had fewer stillborn piglets than the other females (P ≤ 0.004). Birth weight was not affected by feed levels (P ≥ 0.153); however, sows had heavier piglets than gilts (P < 0.001). Females fed 3.5 kg/d during phase 2 tended to have heavier litters (P = 0.054) than those fed 1.8 kg/d. Feeding a high level at phase 2 reduced the occurrence of lightweight piglets in gilts, but not in sows (feed level phase 2 × PO; P = 0.031). Total placental weight, average placental weight, and total placental efficiency were not affected by feed level at phase 1, feed level at phase 2 or interactions (P > 0.14). Sows had total placental weight and average placental weight greater (P ≤ 0.003) than gilts. In conclusion, increasing feed intake during phase 1, phase 2, or both phases resulted in increased maternal BW gain, without expressive effects on litter traits. Feeding 3.5 kg/d to gilts during phase 2 reduced the occurrence of lightweight piglets.
High-Throughput UHPLC-MS/MS Measurement of Per- and Poly-Fluorinated Alkyl Substances in Human Serum
Authors: Mottaleb M Abdul , Petriello Michael C , Morris Andrew J
Published: November 2019

Per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) are a large group of synthetic surfactant chemicals with widespread uses in food packaging and textile manufacturing and as the main constituent of aqueous film-forming firefighting foams. PFASs are highly persistent in the environment, and human exposures are extensive with these chemicals detectable in the blood of almost all adult Americans. PFASs exhibit a range of toxic effects in preclinical models. In humans, PFAS exposure has been associated with lower birth weights, decreased immune responses, cancer and impaired fertility and elevated circulating cholesterol levels. We have developed a sensitive high-throughput method for quantification of representative PFAS in human serum and plasma for biomonitoring and epidemiological studies of human health effects of PFAS exposure. The method combines robust and reproducible 96-well plate format sample preparation with ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The method was developed, validated and used for targeted measurements of eight short-/long-chain PFAS analytes in human serum. Targeted analytes were measured in 50 microliters of sample using mass-labeled internal standards. Mean spiked recoveries (n = 10) of target analytes for three tiers quality control (QC-low, QC-medium, QC-high) samples ranged from 70 to 127% with 2–14% relative standard deviation (RSD). The average spiked recoveries (n = 10) of surrogates were 79–115% with 8–12% RSD for QC-low, 90–123% with 7–12% RSD for QC-medium and 82–114% with 9–15% RSD for QC-high. The limit of detection for the target compounds was 0.05–0.04 ng/mL. The method was used to reveal regional differences in PFAS exposures in Kentucky residents receiving care at the University of Kentucky Hospitals.
Storage Mite Infestation of Dry-Stored Food Products and Its Relation to Human Intestinal Acariasis in the City of Minia, Egypt
Authors: Ahmed A K , Kamal A M , Mowafy N M E , Hassan E E
Published: November 2019

Initial data on the prevalence of storage mites in dry-stored food products and estimates of the presence of mites in human stool in the city of Minia, Egypt are provided. In total, 847 samples were collected randomly from houses and retail stores between March 2017 and February 2018. In addition, 1,000 human stool samples were collected for the detection of the presence of mites. Mites were extracted from 285 of 840 (33.9%) samples, and mite contamination was found to be most prevalent in wheat flour (73.3%). In total, 11 mite species belonging to six families were identified, with the pest species Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank) (Acari: Acaridae) (TP) being the most prevalent (91.2% of samples). The seasonal density distribution showed the highest storage mite density in March–April, followed by October, and the lowest in January. In addition, mites were detected in 87 (8.7%) human stool samples, with significant associations between certain occupations and some personal characteristics. Therefore, more attention needs to be paid to intestinal acariasis arising from mite infestation of dry-stored food products.
MAP: A Personalized Receptive Music Therapy Intervention to Improve the Affective Well-being of Youths Hospitalized in a Mental Health Unit
Authors: Archambault Kim , Vaugon Karole , Deumié Valérie , Brault Myriam , Perez Rocio Macabena , Peyrin Julien , Vaillancourt Guylaine , Garel Patricia
Published: November 2019

The MAP is an innovative receptive music therapy intervention derived from psychomusical relaxation methods that aims to foster the well-being and recovery of youths with mental health problems by providing them with an adaptive and effective music-assisted means to regulate their mood states. In this quasi-experimental pilot study, we assessed the mood-enhancing potential of participation in MAP sessions delivered by a music therapist in an in-patient mental health facility for children and adolescents. Using short standardized self-reported questionnaires, 20 participants aged 9–17 years old (M = 14, SD = 2.4), mainly girls (13 = 65%), rated their affective state immediately before and after two to four MAP sessions and a similar number of regular unit activity sessions used as comparison. This created a 2 × 2 (Time × Condition) single-group within-individual design. We analyzed pre–post session changes in affect using multilevel mixed models and found participation in MAP sessions to be associated with systematic reductions in self-reported general negative affect and state anxiety. These variations were of modest-to-large magnitude and significantly greater than those associated to participation in regular unit activities. While only a first step towards the validation of the MAP as an effective intervention to foster more adaptive and effective day-to-day mood regulation in youths with mental health problems, this study supports its specific potential to alleviate negative affects and provides a rare demonstration of the putative benefits of music therapy in a pediatric mental health inpatient context.
Where To Go? Drivers of Venezuelan Asylum Seekers
Authors: Díaz-SáNchez Juan Pablo , Bonilla-Bolaños Andrea , Obaco Moisés
Published: November 2019

This article reports an investigation of the drivers of Venezuelan asylum seekers—people who have left this country given the scarcity of food and medicines and the troubled actual socio-economic situation. To do so, we use data about the main countries in which Venezuelans have claimed for asylum during the period 2014–17. Using a panel-regression model, we have found that Venezuelan asylum seekers increase, on average, in countries that (i) are geographically nearby Venezuela, (ii) are less politically stable and (iii) have higher real income per capita, lower inflation rates and higher unemployment rates. Still, such a general profile of countries preferred by Venezuelan asylum seekers is nuanced by the small magnitude of the effects regarding the economic variables: it appears that Venezuelan asylum seekers hardly consider the economic situation of a country for deciding to stay. Furthermore, the empirical evidence provided by our model reflects the deterioration of Venezuela’s socio-economic aspects.
Managing Social Anxiety, Workbook
Authors: Hope Debra A. , Heimberg Richard G. , Turk Cynthia L.
Published: November 2019

Written for clients, this workbook teaches that social anxiety is a normal part of life, but it can sometimes have a negative impact. The important question is not whether someone experiences social anxiety but to what degree and how often. The term social anxiety disorder describes the distress and interference that comes along with severe social anxiety. Information is presented on the nature of social anxiety, empirically supported cognitive–behavioral techniques used to treat it, how to best implement these techniques, and how to deal with the problems that arise during treatment. The attempt is to offer a complete treatment that is informed by individual case conceptualization within an evidence-based practice framework. This third edition includes case examples that represent diverse clients across race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
A Therapist’s Guide to Repairing Ruptures in the Working Alliance
Authors: Gardner Jerald R. , Lipner Lauren M. , Eubanks Catherine F. , Muran J. Christopher
Published: November 2019

The authors discuss the phenomena of “misattunements,” or ruptures, in the working alliance. They present a set of skills and tools that aim to help therapists recognize and identify when ruptures occur, and they introduce a model for managing these moments. Albeit difficult, ruptures in the working alliance are common, and research shows that a therapist’s ability to recognize and attend to these ruptures has a positive relationship with client improvement at the end of therapy. Strategies that have been successful in rupture repair (the therapist’s attempts to address the rupture and restore the alliance with the client) include the therapist’s exploration of the client’s experience of the rupture and the acknowledgment of the client’s perspective. Finally, they present real-world, clinical examples of their rupture repair model, which consists of strategies that can help therapists negotiate difficult therapeutic moments by employing the technique of mindfulness and demonstrating genuineness and authenticity in the therapist–client relationship.
Exploring the effects of galaxy formation on matter clustering through a library of simulation power spectra
Authors: van Daalen Marcel P , McCarthy Ian G , Schaye Joop
Published: November 2019

Upcoming weak lensing surveys require a detailed theoretical understanding of the matter power spectrum in order to derive accurate and precise cosmological parameter values. While galaxy formation is known to play an important role, its precise effects are currently unknown. We present a set of 92 matter power spectra from the OWLS, cosmo-OWLS, and BAryons and HAloes of MAssive Systems simulation suites, including different ΛCDM cosmologies, neutrino masses, subgrid prescriptions, and AGN feedback strengths. We conduct a detailed investigation of the dependence of the relative difference between the total matter power spectra in hydrodynamical and collisionless simulations on the effectiveness of stellar and AGN feedback, cosmology, and redshift. The strength of AGN feedback can greatly affect the power on a range of scales, while a lack of stellar feedback can greatly increase the effectiveness of AGN feedback on large scales. We also examine differences in the initial conditions of hydrodynamic and N-body simulations that can lead to an $\sim 1{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ discrepancy in the large-scale power, and furthermore show our results to be insensitive to cosmic variance. We present an empirical model capable of predicting the effect of galaxy formation on the matter power spectrum at z = 0 to within $1{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ for $k\lt 1\, h\, \mathrm{Mpc}^{-1}$, given only the mean baryon fraction in galaxy groups. Differences in group baryon fractions can also explain the quantitative disagreement between predictions from the literature. All total and dark matter only power spectra in this library will be made publicly available at powerlib.strw.leidenuniv.nl.
Exploring the high-mass end of the stellar mass function of star-forming galaxies at cosmic noon
Authors: Sherman Sydney , Jogee Shardha , Florez Jonathan , Stevans Matthew L , Kawinwanichakij Lalitwadee , Wold Isak , Finkelstein Steven L , Papovich Casey , Acquaviva Viviana , Ciardullo Robin , Gronwall Caryl , Escalante Zacharias
Published: November 2019

We present the high-mass end of the galaxy stellar mass function using the largest sample to date (5352) of star-forming galaxies with M⋆ > 1011 M⊙ at cosmic noon, 1.5 < z < 3.5. This sample is uniformly selected across 17.2 deg2 (∼0.44 Gpc3 comoving volume from 1.5 < z < 3.5), mitigating the effects of cosmic variance and encompassing a wide range of environments. This area, a factor of 10 larger than previous studies, provides robust statistics at the high-mass end. Using multiwavelength data in the Spitzer/HETDEX Exploratory Large Area (SHELA) footprint, we find that the SHELA footprint star-forming galaxy stellar mass function is steeply declining at the high-mass end probing values as high as ∼10−4 Mpc3 dex−1 and as low as ∼5 × 10−8 Mpc3 dex−1 across a stellar mass range of log(M⋆/M⊙) ∼ 11–12. We compare our empirical star-forming galaxy stellar mass function at the high-mass end to three types of numerical models: hydrodynamical models from IllustrisTNG, abundance matching from the UniverseMachine, and three different semi-analytical models (SAMs; SAG, SAGE, GALACTICUS). At redshifts 1.5 < z < 3.5, we find that results from IllustrisTNG and abundance matching models agree within a factor of ∼2–10, however the three SAMs strongly underestimate (up to a factor of 1000) the number density of massive galaxies. We discuss the implications of these results for our understanding of galaxy evolution.
Understanding extreme quasar optical variability with CRTS – II. Changing-state quasars
Authors: Graham Matthew J , Ross Nicholas P , Stern Daniel , Drake Andrew J , McKernan Barry , Ford K E Saavik , Djorgovski S G , Mahabal Ashish A , Glikman Eilat , Larson Steve , Christensen Eric
Published: November 2019

We present the results of a systematic search for quasars in the Catalina Real-time Transient Survey exhibiting both strong photometric variability and spectroscopic variability over a decadal baseline. We identify 111 sources with specific patterns of optical and mid-infrared photometric behaviour and a defined spectroscopic change. These ‘changing-state’ quasars (CSQs) form a higher luminosity sample to complement existing sets of ‘changing-look’ AGNs and quasars in the literature. The CSQs (by selection) exhibit larger photometric variability than the changing-look quasars (CLQs). The spectroscopic variability is marginally stronger in the CSQs than CLQs as defined by the change in H β/[$\rm {O \,\rm {\small {III}}}$] ratio. We find 48 sources with declining H β flux and 63 sources with increasing H β flux, and discover 8 sources with $z$ > 0.8, further extending the redshift arm. Our CSQ sample compares to the literature CLQ objects in similar distributions of H β flux ratios and differential Eddington ratios between high (bright) and low (dim) states. Taken as a whole, we find that this population of extreme varying quasars is associated with changes in the Eddington ratio and the time-scales imply cooling/heating fronts propagating through the disc.
No evidence of a sudden change of spectral appearance or magnetic field strength of the O9.7V star HD 54879
Authors: Wade G A , Bagnulo S , Keszthelyi Z , Folsom C P , Alecian E , Castro N , David-Uraz A , Fossati L , Petit V , Shultz M E , Sikora J
Published: November 2019

It was recently claimed that the magnetic O-type star HD 54879 exhibits important radial velocity variability indicative of its presence in a spectroscopic binary. More remarkably, it was furthermore reported that the star underwent a short, sudden variation in spectral type and magnetic field. In this letter, we examine new Narval and ESPaDOnS data of this star in addition to the previously published FORS2 data and conclude that both the reported velocity variations and the sudden spectral and magnetic changes are spurious.