bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Are you what you eat? A highly transient and prey‐influenced gut microbiome in the grey house spider Badumna longinqua
Authors: Kennedy Susan R. , Tsau Sophia , Gillespie Rosemary , Krehenwinkel Henrik
Published: February 2020

Stable core microbial communities have been described in numerous animal species and are commonly associated with fitness benefits for their hosts. Recent research, however, highlights examples of species whose microbiota are transient and environmentally derived. Here, we test the effect of diet on gut microbial community assembly in the spider Badumna longinqua. Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing combined with quantitative PCR, we analyzed diversity and abundance of the spider's gut microbes, and simultaneously characterized its prey communities using nuclear rRNA markers. We found a clear correlation between community similarity of the spider's insect prey and gut microbial DNA, suggesting that microbiome assembly is primarily diet‐driven. This assumption is supported by a feeding experiment, in which two types of prey—crickets and fruit flies—both substantially altered microbial diversity and community similarity between spiders, but did so in different ways. After cricket consumption, numerous cricket‐derived microbes appeared in the spider's gut, resulting in a rapid homogenization of microbial communities among spiders. In contrast, few prey‐associated bacteria were detected after consumption of fruit flies; instead, the microbial community was remodelled by environmentally sourced microbes, or abundance shifts of rare taxa in the spider's gut. The reshaping of the microbiota by both prey taxa mimicked a stable core microbiome in the spiders for several weeks post feeding. Our results suggest that the spider's gut microbiome undergoes pronounced temporal fluctuations, that its assembly is dictated by the consumed prey, and that different prey taxa may remodel the microbiota in drastically different ways.
The effect of sphingosine‐1‐phosphate on the endothelial glycocalyx during ischemia‐reperfusion injury in the isolated rat heart
Authors: Araibi Hala , van der Merwe Elizabeth , Gwanyanya Asfree , Kelly‐Laubscher Roisin
Published: February 2020

Objective

Sphingosine‐1‐phosphate is a natural metabolite that is cardioprotective, but its effects on endothelial glycocalyx damage during ischemia‐reperfusion are unknown. Therefore, we investigated the effect of sphingosine‐1‐phosphate on the endothelial glycocalyx during ischemia‐reperfusion.

Methods

Isolated hearts from Wistar rats were perfused on a Langendorff system with Krebs‐Henseleit buffer and pretreated with sphingosine‐1‐phosphate (10 nmol/L) before ischemia‐reperfusion. Infarct size was measured by triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining (n ≥ 6 per group). Cardiac edema was assessed by calculating total water content (n = 7 per group) and histologically quantifying the interstitial compartment (n ≥ 3 per group). The post‐ischemic coronary release of syndecan‐1 was quantified using ELISA. Syndecan‐1 immunostaining intensity was assessed in perfusion‐fixed hearts (n ≥ 3 per group).

Results

Pretreatment with sphingosine‐1‐phosphate decreased infarct size in isolated hearts subjected to ischemia‐reperfusion (P = .01 vs ischemia‐reperfusion). However, sphingosine‐1‐phosphate had no effect on syndecan‐1 levels in the coronary effluent or on the intensity of the syndecan‐1 immunostaining signal in cardiac tissue. Heart total water content was not significantly different between control and ischemic groups but was significantly decreased in hearts treated with sphingosine‐1‐phosphate alone.

Conclusion

These results suggest that sphingosine‐1‐phosphate‐induced cardioprotection against ischemia‐reperfusion injury is not mediated by the maintenance of syndecan‐1 in the endothelial glycocalyx.
Holy Places and Religious Language in New Religious Movements
Authors: Lockhart Alastair
Published: February 2020

The idea of sacred sites or holy ground has been an important aspect of a number of major world religions. While the concept has received longstanding scholarly attention in connection with the traditional Abrahamic faiths, the ways in which late-modern and contemporary movements have developed the idea has been little studied. This paper reviews the ways in which twentieth-century new religions adopted and developed the idea of holy place. Three movements form the core case studies: The Panacea Society, a breakaway Anglican group based in Bedford in England, which came to believe their garden was the site of Eden; the American Theosophical Society, which founded a utopian community in California understood as the site of the emergence of a new spiritual age; and Jamaican Rastafari who came to regard a territory south of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia as salvific. Common themes emerging from the case studies include the ways in which ideas about holy ground (1) draw on available theological motifs, (2) express emerging theological principles, and (3) are catalysed by stress or challenge. Finally, the discussion reflects on the role of holy ground in these movements in the light of classic and contemporary understandings of place and religious imagination.
Diabetic painful truncal neuropathy with hypohidrosis and facial palsy
Authors: Tsunoda Keiichiro , Omote Yoshio , Hishikawa Nozomi , Ikegami Ken , Nakano Yumiko , Sato Kota , Takemoto Mami , Ohta Yasuyuki , Yamashita Toru , Deguchi Kentaro , Abe Koji
Published: January 2020

Truncal neuropathy is a rare phenotype of diabetic neuropathy. Here, we report the first case of diabetic painful truncal neuropathy complaining of back pain with hypohidrosis confirmed by a sweat test accompanied by cranial nerve palsy. The patient had poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus and suffered from back pain followed by facial palsy. After pulse therapy with methylprednisolone facial palsy improved, but back pain was intractable with a loss of body weight. The sweat test showed hypohidrosis on the back and soles on his feet. Sural nerve biopsy revealed decreased small fibers and mild axonopathy. After palliative therapy, his symptoms gradually improved.
Mental structures
Authors: Lande Kevin J.
Published: January 2020

An ongoing philosophical discussion concerns how various types of mental states fall within broad representational genera—for example, whether perceptual states are “iconic” or “sentential,” “analog” or “digital,” and so on. Here, I examine the grounds for making much more specific claims about how mental states are structured from constituent parts. For example, the state I am in when I perceive the shape of a mountain ridge may have as constituent parts my representations of the shapes of each peak and saddle of the ridge. More specific structural claims of this sort are a guide to how mental states fall within broader representational kinds. Moreover, these claims have significant implications of their own about semantic, functional, and epistemic features of our mental lives. But what are the conditions on a mental state's having one type of constituent structure rather than another? Drawing on explanatory strategies in vision science, I argue that, other things being equal, the constituent structure of a mental state determines what I call its distributional properties—namely, how mental states of that type can, cannot, or must co‐occur with other mental states in a given system. Distributional properties depend critically on and are informative about the underlying structures of mental states, they abstract in important ways from aspects of how mental states are processed, and they can yield significant insights into the variegation of psychological capacities.
Temperature and water potential co‐limit stem cambial activity along a steep elevational gradient
Authors: Cabon Antoine , Peters Richard L. , Fonti Patrick , Martínez‐Vilalta Jordi , De Cáceres Miquel
Published: January 2020

Efforts to develop mechanistic tree growth models are hindered by the uncertainty of whether and when tree growth responses to environmental factors are driven by carbon assimilation or by biophysical limitations of wood formation.

In this study, we used multiannual weekly wood‐formation monitoring of two conifer species (Larix deciduaandPicea abies) along a 900 m elevational gradient in the Swiss Alps to assess the biophysical effect of temperature and water potential on wood formation. To this end, we developed a model that simulates the effect of water potential on turgor‐driven cambial division, modulated by the effect of temperature on enzymatic activity.

The model reproduced the observed phenology of tracheid production, as well as intra‐ and interannual tracheid production dynamics of both species along the elevational gradient, although interannual model performance was lower. We found that temperature alone explains the onset of tracheid production, yet water potential appears necessary to predict the ending and the total amount of tracheids produced annually.

We conclude that intra‐annual cambial activity is strongly constrained by both temperature and water potential at all elevations, independently of carbon assimilation. At the interannual scale, biophysical constraints likely interact with other factors.
The role of preadaptation, propagule pressure and competition in the colonization of new habitats
Authors: Alzate Adriana , Onstein Renske E. , Etienne Rampal S. , Bonte Dries
Published: February 2020

To successfully colonize new habitats, organisms not only need to gain access to it, they also need to cope with the selective pressures imposed by the local biotic and abiotic conditions. The number of immigrants, the preadaptation to the local habitat and the presence of competitors are important factors determining the success of colonization. Here, using two experimental set‐ups, we studied the effect of interspecific competition in combination with propagule pressure and preadaptation on the colonization success of new habitats. Our model system consisted of tomato plants (the novel habitat), the two‐spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae as our focal species and the red spider mite Tetranychus evansi as a competitor. Our results show that propagule pressure and preadaptation positively affect colonization success. More successful populations reach larger final population sizes either by having higher per capita growth rates (due to preadaptation effects) or by starting a population with a larger number of individuals. Although populations are more successful colonizing non‐competitive environments than competitive ones, propagule pressure and preadaptation counteract the negative effects of competition, promoting colonization success. Our study shows the importance of propagule pressure and preadaptation for successful colonization of new habitats by providing the ability to cope with both the exigencies of new environments and the community context.
γ‐Aminobutyric acid and related amino acids in plant immune responses: Emerging mechanisms of action
Authors: Tarkowski Łukasz P. , Signorelli Santiago , Höfte Monica
Published: January 2020

The entanglement between primary metabolism regulation and stress responses is a puzzling and fascinating theme in plant sciences. Among the major metabolites found in plants, γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) fulfils important roles in connecting C and N metabolic fluxes through the GABA shunt. Activation of GABA metabolism is known since long to occur in plant tissues following biotic stresses, where GABA appears to have substantially different modes of action towards different categories of pathogens and pests. While it can harm insects thanks to its inhibitory effect on the neuronal transmission, its capacity to modulate the hypersensitive response in attacked host cells was proven to be crucial for host defences in several pathosystems. In this review, we discuss how plants can employ GABA's versatility to effectively deal with all the major biotic stressors, and how GABA can shape plant immune responses against pathogens by modulating reactive oxygen species balance in invaded plant tissues. Finally, we discuss the connections between GABA and other stress‐related amino acids such as BABA (β‐aminobutyric acid), glutamate and proline.
The association between atopic dermatitis and serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D in children: Influence of sun exposure, diet, and atopy features—A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Sanmartin Rosalía , Pardos Carlos , Doste Divina , Aguilera Jose , Alijarde Roberto , Jesús Agón‐Banzo Pedro , García‐Malinis Ana Julia , Puzo José , Hernández‐Martín Ángela , Gilaberte Yolanda
Published: January 2020

Background

Previous studies have linked low serum vitamin D (VD) or 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels with increased severity of atopic dermatitis (AD) in children.

Objective

To investigate the association between serum VD (25(OH)D) levels and AD and AD severity, considering the influence of diet and sun exposure.

Methods

We performed a prospective cross‐sectional study of healthy controls and children diagnosed with AD. Participants were recruited between January 2011 and December 2012, and the following parameters were assessed: age, sex, body mass index (BMI), AD severity, Fitzpatrick skin type, asthma and rhinitis history, dietary VD intake, daily potential sun‐induced VD production, sunscreen use, 25(OH)D and IgE serum levels, and results of the ImmunoCAP Phadiatop Infant test.

Results

The study population consisted of 105 healthy controls and 134 AD patients. Serum 25(OH)D levels were significantly lower in moderate and severe AD than in mild AD, although this association was only significant for patients with light Fitzpatrick skin type (mean(SD) 36.7 (11.9) ng/mL; moderate 28.8 [11.5] ng/mL; and severe 27.6 [12.1] ng/mL, P = .045). Logistic regression analysis revealed a positive association between severe AD and both positive ImmunoCAP Phadiatop test and BMI.

Conclusion

Our data support an association between VD deficiency and AD severity only in patients with light complexion.
Is it all in the eye of the beholder? The importance of situation construal for situational judgment test performance
Authors: Freudenstein Jan‐Philipp , Schäpers Philipp , Roemer Lena , Mussel Patrick , Krumm Stefan
Published: February 2020

Recent research challenges the importance of situation descriptions for situational judgment test (SJT) performance. This study contributes to resolving the ongoing debate on whether SJTs are situational measures, by incorporating findings on person × situation interactions into SJT research. Specifically, across three studies (NTotal = 1,239), we first tested whether situation construal (i.e., the individual perception of situations in SJTs) predicts responses to SJT items. Second, we assessed whether the relevance of situation construal for SJT performance depends on test elements (i.e., situation descriptions and response options) and item features (i.e., description‐dependent vs. description‐independent SJT items). Lastly, we determined whether situation construal has incremental validity for job‐related criteria over and above SJT performance. The results showed that, for most SJT items, situation construal significantly contributed to SJT performance, even if only response options were available. This was also true for SJT items that are significantly more difficult to solve when situation descriptions are omitted (i.e., description‐dependent SJT items). Finally, situation construal explained variance in relevant criteria over and above SJT performance. Despite recent efforts to reconceptualize SJTs, our results suggest that they can still be viewed as situational measures. However, situation descriptions may be less crucial for these underlying situational processes. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Intestinal necrosis related to administration of cation exchange resin without sorbitol: A retrospective analysis of 61 patients with end‐stage renal diseases
Authors: Murakami Keigo , Nakamura Yasuhiro , Miyasaka Yasunori , Sato Toshinobu , Kawagishi Naoki , Sasano Hironobu
Published: January 2020

Intestinal necrosis associated with cation exchange resin (CER) is considered related to sorbitol, but it has been reported even in patients receiving CER alone. This study was performed to identify the risk factors of CER‐related intestinal necrosis. The pathological database of 61 end‐stage renal disease patients with surgical intervention for intestinal perforation was reviewed. The correlations between CER treatment and clinicopathological factors were studied among three groups: (i) patients administered CER and with CER at the perforation site (n = 23), (ii) patients administered CER with undetected CER at the perforation site (n = 12) and (iii) patients not administered CER (n = 26). The majority of the perforation site in group 1 was in the sigmoid colon (82.6%) with significantly higher average age and more frequent CER adhesion rates to the mucosa around the perforation site than group 2. The laxative administration rate in group 1 was significantly higher than group 3 and tended to be higher than group 2. The incidence of CER‐related intestinal necrosis was estimated at 0.57%. CER should be used with extreme caution in elderly patients with passage disturbance.
Acacia plantations in Indonesia facilitate clonal spread of the root pathogen Ganoderma philippii
Authors: Page David E. , Glen Morag , Puspitasari Desy , Prihatini Istiana , Gafur Abdul , Mohammed Caroline L.
Published: January 2020

Ganoderma philippii is a root pathogen of many woody plants in tropical regions and is particularly aggressive to Acacia mangium, which is grown on a 6‐year rotation for pulpwood in Indonesia. The disease becomes progressively worse over each rotation and control measures have met with limited success. We studied the population genetics of G. philippii to evaluate the role of sexual and asexual reproduction in its mode of spread. Populations were genetically distinct with high levels of inbreeding, and clonal spread to adjacent trees increased after the first rotation. Despite the high levels of genetic diversity seen at all sampling scales, migration rates appear low. Measures to reduce the underground spread of the pathogen as well as methods to prevent the initiation of new infections from basidiospores will be needed to reduce the incidence of root rot in A. mangium plantations.
Summit evergreen shrubs living at a semi‐arid treeline: photoprotection systems activation in an open vs an understory site
Authors: González‐Rodríguez Águeda M. , Brito Patricia , Fernández‐Marín Beatriz
Published: February 2020

High‐mountain‐ecosystems in the Mediterranean‐type climate are exceptional because of their outstanding biodiversity but also because of their characteristic drought stress in summer. Still, plant functioning in these habitats has been largely understudied. Here, morphological, photochemical, and biochemical traits were seasonally assessed in six shrubs characterized by contrasting morphological traits, in the Teide mountain in the Canary Islands. Two adjacent populations, the first located in an open site and the second in the understorey of Pinus canariensis treeline forest, were evaluated. We aimed at disentangling (1) the role of morphological and biochemical photoprotective strategies and of their seasonal plasticity to cope with changing environmental conditions in this semiarid ecosystem, (2) how the interspecific differences in biochemical photoprotection are related to leaf morphology and phenology and (3) how living in the understory of the treeline may affect those responses. Our results indicate that both morphological and biochemical traits (particularly leaf habit, morphology and carotenoids from the β‐branch) play an intricate role in photoprotection, and that a high interspecific variability exists. According to the down‐regulation of photochemical activity and the upregulation of photoprotective molecules, species could be grouped into three types: (1) those more responsive to summer stress (e.g. Descurainia bourgeauana); (2) those more responsive to winter stress (e.g. Pterocephalus lasiospermus, Scrophularia glabrata and Adenocarpus viscosus); and (3) those showing rather constant behavior across seasons (e.g. Spartocytisus supranubius and Erysimum scoparium). In all the species, plants in the open site showed a marked seasonal physiological response in most of the studied parameters. Pinus canariensis canopy buffers environmental abiotic constrains. On a global change scenario, and provided further functional studies are needed, our results pinpoints heterogeneity in the sensitivity of these species against for instance late‐frost or summer‐heat/drought events, which could easily shift current species distribution in the coming years.
Effects of progressive aquatic resistance training on symptoms and quality of life in women with knee osteoarthritis: A secondary analysis
Authors: Munukka Matti , Waller Benjamin , Häkkinen Arja , Nieminen Miika T. , Lammentausta Eveliina , Kujala Urho M. , Paloneva Juha , Kautiainen Hannu , Kiviranta Ilkka , Heinonen Ari
Published: January 2020

Objective

To conduct a secondary analysis to study the effects, those 4 months of aquatic resistance training have on self‐assessed symptoms and quality of life in post‐menopausal women with mild knee osteoarthritis (OA), after the intervention and after a 12‐month follow‐up period.

Methods

A total of 87 post‐menopausal volunteer women, aged 60‐68 years, with mild knee OA were recruited in a randomized, controlled, 4‐month aquatic training trial (RCT) and randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 43) and a control (n = 44) group. The intervention group participated in 48 supervised aquatic resistance training sessions over 4 months while the control group maintained their usual level of physical activity. Additionally, 77 participants completed the 12‐month post‐intervention follow‐up period. Self‐assessed symptoms were estimated using the OA‐specific Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and Health‐related Quality of life (HRQoL) using the generic Short‐form Health Survey (SF‐36).

Results

After 4 months of aquatic resistance training, there was a significant decrease in the stiffness dimension of WOMAC −8.5 mm (95% CI = −14.9 to −2.0, P = .006) in the training group compared to the controls. After the cessation of the training, this benefit was no longer observed during the 12‐month follow‐up. No between‐group differences were observed in any of the SF‐36 dimensions.

Conclusions

The results of this study show that participation in an intensive aquatic resistance training program did not have any short‐ or long‐term impact on pain and physical function or quality of life in women with mild knee OA. However, a small short‐term decrease in knee stiffness was observed.
Killer‐cell immunoglobulin‐like receptor assessment algorithms in haemopoietic progenitor cell transplantation: current perspectives and future opportunities
Authors: Wright Paul A.
Published: January 2020

Natural killer cells preferentially target and kill malignant and virally infected cells. Both these properties present compelling clinical utility in the field of haemopoietic progenitor cell transplantation (HPCT), potentially promoting a graft vs leukaemia effect in the absence of graft vs host disease and protecting against cytomegalovirus activation. Killer Ig‐like receptors (KIR) play a central role in the cytotoxic action of natural killer cells, providing opportunity for improving transplantation outcomes by prioritising potential donors with optimal characteristics. Numerous algorithms for assessing KIR gene content as part of HPCT donor selection protocols exist, but no single model has been found to be universally applicable in all transplant centres. This review summarises several of the predominant strategies in KIR assessment algorithms, discussing their basic scientific principles, clinical utility and benefits to post‐transplant outcomes. Finally, the review will consider how future donor selection protocols could develop towards unifying the concepts of KIR proteomics and genetics for optimising patient care.
Cerebral haemodynamics and oxygenation during whole‐body exercise over 5 days at high altitude
Authors: Marillier Mathieu , Rupp Thomas , Bouzat Pierre , Walther Guillaume , Baillieul Sébastien , Millet Guillaume Y. , Robach Paul , Verges Samuel
Published: January 2020

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

Impairment and subsequent improvement in cerebral oxygenation during acute and prolonged exposure to high altitude affect exercise performance. This study innovates by investigating the effect of acute and prolonged high‐altitude exposure on cerebral haemodynamics during submaximal endurance exercise performed at the same relative intensity.

What is the main finding and its importance?

Despite exercising at the same relative intensity at sea level and high altitude, participants showed a sustained impairment in cerebral oxygenation after prolonged exposure to high altitude, which might contribute to the absence of improvement in exercise tolerance.

Deterioration and subsequent improvement in cerebral oxygenation during acute and prolonged hypoxic exposure may affect whole‐body exercise performance at high altitude. In this study, we investigated the effect of hypoxic exposure on cerebral haemodynamics at different cortical locations during exercise at the same relative intensity after 1 (D1) and 5 days (D5) at 4350 m. Eleven male subjects performed a submaximal bout of cycling exercise (6 min at 35% + 6 min at 55% + time‐to‐exhaustion at 75% of peak work rate achieved in the same conditions, i.e. normoxia or hypoxia at sea level) on D1 and D5. Transcranial Doppler and near‐infrared spectroscopy were used to assess middle cerebral artery blood velocity and prefrontal and motor cortex oxygenation, respectively. Despite using the same relative intensity, the duration of exercise was reduced on D1 (22.7 ± 5.1 min) compared with sea level (32.2 ± 9.0 min; P < 0.001), with no improvement on D5 (20.9 ± 6.3 min; P > 0.05). Middle cerebral artery blood velocity during exercise was elevated on D1 (+18.2%) and D5 (+15.0%) compared with sea level (P < 0.001). However, prefrontal and motor cortex oxygenation was reduced on D1 and D5 compared with sea level (P < 0.001). This pattern was of similar magnitude between cortical locations, whereas the total haemoglobin concentration increased to a greater extent in the prefrontal versus motor cortex at exhaustion on D1 and D5. In contrast to our primary hypothesis, prefrontal and motor cortex oxygenation and exercise performance did not improve over 5 days at 4350 m. The sustained impairment in cerebral oxygenation might contribute to the absence of improvement in exercise performance after partial acclimatization to high altitude.
Model Pile Installation by Vertical Water Jet in Clay
Authors: Lourenço David Eduardo , Schnaid Fernando , Camaño Schettini Edith Beatriz
Published: January 2020

Pile installation by water jetting relies extensively upon empirical methods. For more scientific approaches, improvements have to be made in identifying the erosion processes that occur within the zone of soil adjacent to the pile. This paper addresses the problem of offshore pile installation in saturated clay by examining the mechanisms associated with water jet techniques. Parameters controlling installation geometry and pile embedment depth within the seabed are established based on tests carried out in laboratory physical scale using downward vertical water jets in highly compressible clay. Observations and measurements indicate that the geometry of the smeared and fluidized zone is constrained to two pile diameters, the eroded cavity under the pile tip is controlled by the nozzle jet Reynolds number, and the penetration embedment depth is a function of pile mass and applied water flowrate. It is demonstrated that penetration embedment depth is a function of pile mass and applied water flowrate. Based on the laws of similarity and statistical analysis, an equation is proposed for the maximum embedment depth of piles in clay, which is described as a function of pile geometry and mass, nozzle Reynolds number of water jet, along with the fluid and soil properties.
An Investigation of the Bisymmetric Hydrostatic Collapse of Flexible Pipes Based on Equivalent Layer Approaches
Authors: de Sousa José Renato M. , Protasio Marcelo K. , Sagrilo Luís Volnei S. , Rocha Djalene Maria
Published: January 2020

The hydrostatic collapse strength of a flexible pipe is largely dependent on the ability of its carcass and/or pressure armor to resist radial loading and, therefore, its prediction involves an adequate modeling of these layers. Hence, initially, this work proposes a set of equations to estimate equivalent mechanical properties for these layers, which allows their modeling as equivalent orthotropic cylinders. Particularly, equations to predict the equivalent ring bend stiffness are obtained by simulating several two-point static ring tests with a three-dimensional finite element (FE) model based on beam elements and using these results to form datasets that are analyzed with a symbolic regression (SR) tool. The results of these analyses are the closed-form equations that best fit the provided datasets. After that, these equations are used in conjunction with a three-dimensional shell FE model (FEM) and a previously presented analytical model to study the bisymmetric hydrostatic collapse mechanism of flexible pipes. The predictions of these models agreed well with the collapse pressures obtained with numerical models and in experimental tests thus indicating the potential use of this approach in the design of flexible pipes.
An Optimization Design of Contact Interface Material Stiffness for Improving the Uniformity of the Contact Pressure
Authors: Lin Qiyin , Yang Nan , Hong Jun , Liu Lian , Zhang Yuhan
Published: January 2020

Material stiffness, a significant parameter of a contact interface, is investigated to improve the uniformity of the contact pressure. A contact interface material stiffness optimization design algorithm is developed based on the modified solid isotropic material with the penalization (SIMP) method. The uniformity of the contact pressure field is represented by its variance and is defined as the optimization objective. A node-to-node frictionless elastic contact theory is adopted to perform the contact analysis. The effectiveness of the interface material stiffness design for improving the uniformity of the contact surface is verified based on two contact cases. Because the relationship between the material stiffness and the hard-and-soft degree of a contact interface is always a positive correlation, the results in this paper could be extended so that the design of the contact interfaces’ hard-and-soft degree will improve the distributing uniformity of the contact surface.
Comparative study between pSWE and 2D-SWE techniques integrated in the same ultrasound machine, with Transient Elastography as the reference method
Authors: Foncea Camelia Gianina , Popescu Alina , Lupusoru Raluca , Fofiu Renata , Sirli Roxana , Danila Mirela , Sporea Ioan
Published: January 2020

Aim: To evaluate the feasibility of two elastographic methods, point Shear Wave Elastography (pSWE) and two dimensional Shear Wave Elastography (2D-SWE), integrated in the same ultrasound machine, for liver fibrosis (LF) assessment, using Transient Elastography (TE) as the reference method.Material and methods: We included in the study 115 subjects in which LF was evaluated in the same session by TE (FibroScan, EchoSens), pSWE and 2D-SWE (Samsung-Medison RS85). Reliable liver stiffness (LS) measurements were defined: for TE the median value of 10 measurements with interquartile range (IQR/M)≤30%,while for pSWE and 2D-SWE the median value of 10 measurements, with a reliability measurement index (RMI)≥0.5 and IQR/M≤30%. For classification of LF severity we used TE as the reference method with the following cut-offs: F2≥7kPa, F3≥9.5kPa and F4≥12kPa.Results: Reliable measurements by TE were obtained in 98.2% of cases (113/115), by pSWE in 93.9% of cases (108/115) and by 2D-SWE in 92.1% of cases (106/115), so the final analysis included 101 patients. We divided the cohort into 3 groups: fibrosis 5.9 kPa [AUROC=0.95, 95%CI(0.89;0.98), p<0.0001, Se=94.1%, Sp=89.5%, PPV=82.1%, NPV=96.8%]; F4 LS >8 kPa [AUROC=0.98, 95%CI(0.94;0.99), p<0.0001, Se=94.4%, Sp=95.1%, PPV=81%, NPV=98.7%], while for 2D-SWE they were: F≥2 LS >6.1 kPa [AUROC=0.93, 95%CI(0.86;0.97), p<0.0001, Se=91.1%, Sp=80.6%, PPV=70.5%, NPV=94.7%]; F4 LS >7.6 kPa [AUROC=0.98, 95%CI(0.93;0.99), p<0.0001, Se=100%, Sp=91.5%, PPV=72%, NPV=100%]. We observed strong correlations between LS values obtained by TE and 2D-SWE (r=0.85), between TE and pSWE (r=0.88) and between pSWE and 2D-SWE (r=0.90) (p=0.37), respectively. There were no significant differences between the mean values obtained by pSWE and 2D-SWE (p=0.96).Conclusion: The pSWE and 2D-SWE are feasible methods for assessing liver fibrosis, both techniques strongly correlating with TE results.
Evidence for anti-synergism between ion-assisted etching and in-plasma photoassisted etching of silicon in a high-density chlorine plasma
Authors: Hirsch Emilia W. , Du Linfeng , Economou Demetre J. , Donnelly Vincent M.
Published: January 2020

Etching of p-Si in 60 mTorr 10%Cl2/90%Ar Faraday-shielded inductively coupled high density plasmas was investigated under both ion-assisted etching (IAE) and photoassisted etching (PAE) conditions. Real-time etching rates and after-etching Si surface chemical compositions were obtained by laser interferometry and vacuum-transfer x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. Precisely controlled ion energy distributions (IEDs) were generated by applying pulsed negative DC bias on the conductive sample stage. Above a 36 eV threshold at a total flow rate of 250 SCCM, the IAE rate increased with the square root of the ion energy. In contrast to the DC bias, etching under RF bias did not exhibit a threshold ion energy because of the wide IED. XPS spectra revealed that the surface layer under PAE conditions had a significantly lower chlorine content, composed of only SiCl. Under IAE conditions, however, silicon dangling bonds (Si•), SiCl2, and SiCl3 were found on the surface, in addition to SiCl, with a relative abundance of SiCl > SiCl2 > SiCl3. The absence of higher chlorides and Si• under PAE conditions suggested that vacuum ultraviolet photons and above threshold-energy ions interact with the surface very differently. By varying the duty cycle of the pulsed DC bias, it was found that the IAE rate scaled with the energetic ion dose, but only for low duty cycles. For higher duty cycles, the apparent IAE yield fell off with an increasing Cl coverage on the surface, as the duty cycle went up, which pointed to a negative synergy (antisynergism) between PAE and IAE as the explanation. This antisynergism was further supported by the observed decrease of the total etching rate with an increasing period of the pulsed DC bias. A plausible mechanism is that increasing the pulsing period causes more near-surface damage, creating more recombination centers that lead to a higher loss rate of electron-hole pairs through recombination, thereby reducing the PAE rate.
Cross-linguistic f0 differences in bilingual speakers of English and Korean
Authors: Cheng Andrew
Published: February 2020

Languages may differ in fundamental frequency of voicing (f0), even when they are spoken by a bilingual individual. However, little is known in bilingual/L2 acquisition research about simultaneous bilinguals. With the expectation that speakers who acquired two languages early use f0 differently for each language, this study measured f0 in English–Korean early bilinguals' natural speech. The f0 level was higher for Korean than English, regardless of gender, age, or generational status (early and late bilinguals did not differ). The f0 span showed a language-gender interaction: males' span was larger in Korean, while females' span was larger in English. This study demonstrates that languages differ in f0 independent of speaker anatomy and suggests that children may acquire these differences in early childhood.
Counting or discriminating the number of voices to assess binaural fusion with single-sided vocoders
Authors: Wess Jessica M. , Spencer Nathaniel J. , Bernstein Joshua G. W.
Published: January 2020

For single-sided deafness cochlear-implant (SSD-CI) listeners, different peripheral representations for electric versus acoustic stimulation, combined with interaural frequency mismatch, might limit the ability to perceive bilaterally presented speech as a single voice. The assessment of binaural fusion often relies on subjective report, which requires listeners to have some understanding of the perceptual phenomenon of object formation. Two experiments explored whether binaural fusion could instead be assessed using judgments of the number of voices in a mixture. In an SSD-CI simulation, normal-hearing listeners were presented with one or two “diotic” voices (i.e., unprocessed in one ear and noise-vocoded in the other) in a mixture with additional monaural voices. In experiment 1, listeners reported how many voices they heard. Listeners generally counted the diotic speech as two separate voices, regardless of interaural frequency mismatch. In experiment 2, listeners identified which of two mixtures contained diotic speech. Listeners performed significantly better with interaurally frequency-matched than with frequency-mismatched stimuli. These contrasting results suggest that listeners experienced partial fusion: not enough to count the diotic speech as one voice, but enough to detect its presence. The diotic-speech detection task (experiment 2) might provide a tool to evaluate fusion and optimize frequency mapping for SSD-CI patients.
Analyzing the Seasonal Changes and Relationships in Training Load and Wellness in Elite Volleyball Players
Authors: Clemente Filipe M. , Silva Ana F. , Clark Cain C.T. , Conte Daniele , Ribeiro João , Mendes Bruno , Lima Ricardo
Published: February 2020

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to (1) analyze the variations of acute and chronic training load and well-being measures during 3 periods of the season (early, mid, and end) and (2) test the associations between weekly training load and well-being measures during different periods of the season. Methods: Thirteen professional volleyball players from a team competing in the Portuguese Volleyball First Division (age 31.0 [5.0] y) were monitored during an entire season. Weekly acute (wAL) and chronic load (wCL), acute to chronic workload ratio (wACWL), and training monotony (wTM) were calculated during all weeks of the season. The weekly values of muscle soreness (wDOMS), stress (wStress), fatigue (wFatigue), sleep (wSleep), and Hooper index (wHI) were also obtained across the season. Results: The midseason had meaningfully low values of wAL (−26.9%; effect size [ES]: −1.12) and wCL (−28.0%; ES: −2.81), and greater values of wACWL (+38.9%; ES: 2.81) compared with early season. The wCL (+10.6%; ES: 0.99), wStress (44.6%; ES: 0.87), and wHI (29.0%; ES: 0.62) were meaningfully greater during the end of season than in midseason. Overall, wAL presented very large correlations with wDOMS (r = .80), wSleep (r = .72), and wFatigue (r = .82). Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that the load was meaningfully higher during early season; however, stress was higher during the final stages of the season. Overall, it was also found that the acute load is more highly correlated with well-being status and its variations than chronic load or training monotony.
The effects of corrective information about disease epidemics and outbreaks: Evidence from Zika and yellow fever in Brazil
Authors: Carey John M. , Chi Victoria , Flynn D. J. , Nyhan Brendan , Zeitzoff Thomas
Published: January 2020

Zika misperceptions are common in Brazil; corrective information fails to improve the accuracy of beliefs about the disease.
Defect-induced activity enhancement of enzyme-encapsulated metal-organic frameworks revealed in microfluidic gradient mixing synthesis
Authors: Hu Chong , Bai Yunxiu , Hou Miao , Wang Yisu , Wang Licheng , Cao Xun , Chan Chiu-Wing , Sun Han , Li Wanbo , Ge Jun , Ren Kangning
Published: January 2020

Defect engineering of enzyme-MOF composites by microfluidics engenders high enzymatic activity.
Structure and mechanism of bactericidal mammalian perforin-2, an ancient agent of innate immunity
Authors: Ni Tao , Jiao Fang , Yu Xiulian , Aden Saša , Ginger Lucy , Williams Sophie I. , Bai Fangfang , Pražák Vojtěch , Karia Dimple , Stansfeld Phillip , Zhang Peijun , Munson George , Anderluh Gregor , Scheuring Simon , Gilbert Robert J. C.
Published: January 2020

Bactericidal perforin-2 assembles an inactivated pre-pore complex and undergoes a 180° reconfiguration for membrane attack.
Retinoid X receptor alpha is a spatiotemporally predominant therapeutic target for anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity
Authors: Ma Xiao , Zhu Ping , Ding Yonghe , Zhang Hong , Qiu Qi , Dvornikov Alexey V. , Wang Zheng , Kim Maengjo , Wang Yong , Lowerison Matthew , Yu Yue , Norton Nadine , Herrmann Joerg , Ekker Stephen C. , Hsiai Tzung K. , Lin Xueying , Xu Xiaolei
Published: January 2020

RXRA
is an endothelial- and early stage–predominant therapeutic target for treating anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity.
Active particles as mobile microelectrodes for selective bacteria electroporation and transport
Authors: Wu Yue , Fu Afu , Yossifon Gilad
Published: January 2020

Active particles as mobile microelectrodes for selective bacteria trapping and releasing, transport, and electroporation.
Low-power microelectronics embedded in live jellyfish enhance propulsion
Authors: Xu Nicole W. , Dabiri John O.
Published: January 2020

A biohybrid robotic jellyfish uses less power than other types of aquatic robots and swims efficiently at enhanced speeds.
Intragranular three-dimensional stress tensor fields in plastically deformed polycrystals
Authors: Hayashi Yujiro , Setoyama Daigo , Hirose Yoshiharu , Yoshida Tomoyuki , Kimura Hidehiko
Published: February 2020

Probing polycrystals' stress

The way that a polycrystalline material deforms is in part determined by internal stresses between and within crystal grains. Hayashi
et al.
developed an x-ray method for mapping the intragranular stresses in a polycrystalline material. They found surprisingly large stresses, which are important for the fundamental understanding of how these materials will fail. This method will work for other materials and provides important information for multiscale deformation modeling.

Science
, this issue p.
1492
Mapping global variation in dengue transmission intensity
Authors: Cattarino Lorenzo , Rodriguez-Barraquer Isabel , Imai Natsuko , Cummings Derek A. T. , Ferguson Neil M.
Published: January 2020

A downloadable high-resolution map of global dengue transmission intensity helps predict the potential impact of control strategies.
Three-Dimensional Light Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy of Lungs To Dissect Local Host Immune-Aspergillus fumigatus Interactions
Authors: Amich Jorge , Mokhtari Zeinab , Strobel Marlene , Vialetto Elena , Sheta Dalia , Yu Yidong , Hartweg Julia , Kalleda Natarajaswamy , Jarick Katja J. , Brede Christian , Jordán-Garrote Ana-Laura , Thusek Sina , Schmiedgen Katharina , Arslan Berkan , Pinnecker Jürgen , Thornton Christopher R. , Gunzer Matthias , Krappmann Sven , Einsele Hermann , Heinze Katrin G. , Beilhack Andreas
Published: February 2020

The use of animal models of infection is essential to advance our understanding of the complex host-pathogen interactions that take place during
Aspergillus fumigatus
lung infections. As in the case of humans, mice need to suffer an immune imbalance in order to become susceptible to invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA), the most serious infection caused by
A. fumigatus
. There are several immunosuppressive regimens that are routinely used to investigate fungal growth and/or immune responses in murine models of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. However, the precise consequences of the use of each immunosuppressive model for the local immune populations and for fungal growth are not completely understood. Here, to pin down the scenarios involving commonly used IPA models, we employed light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) to analyze whole lungs at cellular resolution. Our results will be valuable to optimize and refine animal models to maximize their use in future research.
Mesenteric panniculitis in a patient with new onset dermatomyositis
Authors: Bansal Pankaj , Gilbert Emily L , Pereira Rodrigo Otavio Lami , Virata Andrew R
Published: February 2020

Mesenteric panniculitis (MP), part of the spectrum of sclerosing mesenteritis, is an often asymptomatic disorder that is characterised by chronic inflammation of abdominal mesentery. We present a case of an 83-year-old woman who presented with proximal muscle weakness and erythematous, photosensitive rash of the face and upper torso and was subsequently diagnosed with dermatomyositis based on skin biopsy, electromyography and muscle biopsy. She had radiographic evidence of panniculitis on CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis for malignancy surveillance, which improved on serial CT scan 3 months after beginning treatment for her underlying dermatomyositis with prednisone and mycophenolate mofetil. Our case highlights that MP can be associated with underlying autoimmune disease. Connective tissue disease could be considered in the differential of MP when other etiologies such as surgery, trauma and malignancy are ruled out.
Maternal smoking during pregnancy and fractures in offspring: national register based sibling comparison study
Authors: Brand Judith S , Hiyoshi Ayako , Cao Yang , Lawlor Deborah A , Cnattingius Sven , Montgomery Scott
Published: January 2020

Objective

To study the impact of maternal smoking during pregnancy on fractures in offspring during different developmental stages of life.

Design

National register based birth cohort study with a sibling comparison design.

Setting

Sweden.

Participants

1 680 307 people born in Sweden between 1983 and 2000 to women who smoked (n=377 367, 22.5%) and did not smoke (n=1 302 940) in early pregnancy. Follow-up was until 31 December 2014.

Main outcome measure

Fractures by attained age up to 32 years.

Results

During a median follow-up of 21.1 years, 377 970 fractures were observed (the overall incidence rate for fracture standardised by calendar year of birth was 11.8 per 1000 person years). The association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and risk of fracture in offspring differed by attained age. Maternal smoking was associated with a higher rate of fractures in offspring before 1 year of age in the entire cohort (birth year standardised fracture rates in those exposed and unexposed to maternal smoking were 1.59 and 1.28 per 1000 person years, respectively). After adjustment for potential confounders the hazard ratio for maternal smoking compared with no smoking was 1.27 (95% confidence interval 1.12 to 1.45). This association followed a dose dependent pattern (compared with no smoking, hazard ratios for 1-9 cigarettes/day and ≥10 cigarettes/day were 1.20 (95% confidence interval 1.03 to 1.39) and 1.41 (1.18 to 1.69), respectively) and persisted in within-sibship comparisons although with wider confidence intervals (compared with no smoking, 1.58 (1.01 to 2.46)). Maternal smoking during pregnancy was also associated with an increased fracture incidence in offspring from age 5 to 32 years in whole cohort analyses, but these associations did not follow a dose dependent gradient. In within-sibship analyses, which controls for confounding by measured and unmeasured shared familial factors, corresponding point estimates were all close to null. Maternal smoking was not associated with risk of fracture in offspring between the ages of 1 and 5 years in any of the models.

Conclusion

Prenatal exposure to maternal smoking is associated with an increased rate of fracture during the first year of life but does not seem to have a long lasting biological influence on fractures later in childhood and up to early adulthood.