bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Towards genomic database of Alexander disease to identify variations modifying disease phenotype
Authors: Yasuda Rei , Nakano Masakazu , Yoshida Tomokatsu , Sato Ryuichi , Adachi Hiroko , Tokuda Yuichi , Mizuta Ikuko , Saito Kozo , Matsuura Jun , Nakagawa Masanori , Tashiro Kei , Mizuno Toshiki
Published: October 2019

Alexander disease (AxD) is an extremely rare neurodegenerative disorder caused by glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) gene mutations. Compared with the cerebral type, which is characterized by infantile onset, the bulbospinal type and intermediate form are associated with a late onset, spanning from juveniles to the elderly, and more diverse clinical spectrum, suggesting the existence of factors contributing to phenotypic diversity. To build a foundation for future genetic studies of this rare disease, we obtained genomic data by whole exome-sequencing (WES) and DNA microarray derived from thirty-one AxD patients with the bulbospinal type and intermediate form. Using this data, we aimed to identify genetic variations determining the age at onset (AAO) of AxD. As a result, WES- or microarray-based association studies between younger (<45 years; n = 13)- and older (≥45 years; n = 18)-onset patients considering the predicted GFAP-mutation pathogenicity identified no genome-wide significant variant. The candidate gene approach identified several variants likely correlated with AAO (p < 0.05): GAN, SLC1A2, CASP3, HDACs, and PI3K. Although we need to replicate the results using an independent population, this is the first step towards constructing a database, which may serve as an important tool to advance our understanding of AxD.
Evidence for a visuospatial bias in decimal number comparison in adolescents and in adults
Authors: Roell Margot , Viarouge Arnaud , Hilscher Emma , Houdé Olivier , Borst Grégoire
Published: October 2019

There is a close relation between spatial and numerical representations which can lead to interference as in Piaget’s number conservation task or in the numerical Stroop task. Using a negative priming (NP) paradigm, we investigated whether the interference between spatial and numerical processing extends to more complex arithmetic processing by asking 12 year olds and adults to compare the magnitude of decimal numbers (i.e., the prime) and, subsequently, the length of two lines or the luminance of two circles (i.e., the probe). We found NP effects when participants compare length but not luminance. Our finding suggests that decimal comparison is impacted by a visuospatial bias due to the interference between the magnitude of the numbers to be compared and their physical length. We discuss the educational implications of these findings.
Effect of the oxygen coordination environment of Ca–Mn oxides on the catalytic performance of Pd supported catalysts for aerobic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural
Authors: Yang Jie , Yu Haochen , Wang Yanbing , Qi Fuyuan , Liu Haodong , Lou Lan-Lan , Yu Kai , Zhou Wuzong , Liu Shuangxi
Published: October 2019

Pd/CaMn2O4 provides ideal active sites for oxygen adsorption and desorption, resulting in the promoted charge transfer ability and catalytic activity.
Temperature-dependent mechanisms of DOM removal by biological activated carbon filters
Authors: Moona Nashita , Wünsch Urban J. , Bondelind Mia , Bergstedt Olof , Sapmaz Tugba , Pettersson Thomas J. R. , Murphy Kathleen R.
Published: October 2019

Physical and chemical adsorption by aged biological active carbon (BAC) filters were observed for some organic matter fractions, and may represent important removal mechanisms during periods of low microbial activity.
Camel milk exosomes modulate cyclophosphamide-induced oxidative stress and immuno-toxicity in rats
Authors: Ibrahim Hany M. , Mohammed-Geba Khaled , Tawfic Amr A. , El-Magd Mohammed A.
Published: October 2019

Camel milk proteins exhibit many beneficial properties including immuno-modulatory and anti-oxidant effects.
Engineered functionalized 2D nanoarchitectures for stimuli-responsive drug delivery
Authors: Li Bang Lin , Li Ruijia , Zou Hao Lin , Ariga Katsuhiko , Li Nian Bing , Leong David Tai
Published: October 2019

Functionalized 2D nanoarchitectures work as intelligent “host-conjugator” combined platforms for exogenous and endogenous stimuli-responsive drug delivery.
Multiscale modelling of strain-resistance behaviour for graphene rubber composites under large deformation
Authors: Yuan Li , Yao Xuefeng , Yang Heng
Published: October 2019

The strain-resistance behavior of graphene rubber composites under large deformation is studied through molecular dynamics simulations.
Fabrication of hierarchically porous MIL-88-NH2(Fe): a highly efficient catalyst for the chemical fixation of CO2 under ambient pressure
Authors: Kurisingal Jintu Francis , Rachuri Yadagiri , Gu Yunjang , Choe Youngson , Park Dae-Won
Published: October 2019

A hierarchically micro- and mesoporous MIL-88-NH2 metal organic framework was prepared through an easy template directed methodology.
Synthesis of photolabile protecting group (PPG) protected uronic acid building blocks: applications in carbohydrate synthesis with the assistance of a continuous flow photoreactor
Authors: Tiwari Varsha , Singh Adesh Kumar , Chaudhary Priyanka , Seeberger Peter H. , Kandasamy Jeyakumar
Published: October 2019

Photolabile groups protected uronic acid building blocks were synthesized and used for carbohydrate synthesis with the help of a continuous flow photo-reactor.
Study on the influence of coconut oil on flow pattern and pressure drop of two-phase swirl flow
Authors: Wang Shuli , Ding Boyang , Rao Yongchao , Chen Feng
Published: October 2019

In view of the widespread existence of swirl flow in surfactant systems in oil drilling, gas gathering, and gathering pipelines, surfactants can affect interfacial tension and thus change the flow pattern.
Improving interfacial and mechanical properties of glass fabric/polyphenylene sulfide composites via grafting multi-walled carbon nanotubes
Authors: Li Junfeng , Qiao Yunyun , Li Dazhe , Zhang Shengchang , Liu Pengqing
Published: October 2019

This study reports on the preparation of MWCNTs grafting silanized plain weave glass fabrics (MWCNTs-g-PWGF) to reinforce the interface between PWGF and PPS matrix. The MWCNTs-g-PWGF/PPS exhibits good interfacial compatibility and increased mechanical properties.
ZnCl2 loaded TiO2 nanomaterial: an efficient green catalyst to one-pot solvent-free synthesis of propargylamines
Authors: Bankar Digambar B. , Hawaldar Ranjit R. , Arbuj Sudhir S. , Moulavi Mansur H. , Shinde Santosh T. , Takle Shrikant P. , Shinde Manish D. , Amalnerkar Dinesh P. , Kanade Kaluram G.
Published: October 2019

A one-pot green synthesis of propargylamines using nanostructured ZnCl2–TiO2 under solvent-free conditions has been effectively accomplished. The proposed reaction protocol is sustainable, environment-friendly and offers economic viability.
Biphasic behaviors and regeneration energy of a 2-(diethylamino)-ethanol and 2-((2-aminoethyl)amino) ethanol blend for CO2capture
Authors: Liu Fei , Fang Mengxiang , Yi Ningtong , Wang Tao , Wang Qinhui
Published: October 2019

Using the biphasic solvent for CO2capture is a novel strategy to reduce the effect of increased viscosity on the regeneration energy.
Broad-temperature-span and large electrocaloric effect in lead-free ceramics utilizing successive and metastable phase transitions
Authors: Zhao Chunlin , Yang Junlin , Huang Yanli , Hao Xihong , Wu Jiagang
Published: October 2019

We achieved a large electrocaloric effect over a broad temperature span in lead-free ceramics utilizing successive and metastable phase transitions.
Calculated and experimental determination of erosion zones in the flow part of the vane type pump
Authors: Svoboda Dmitry , Ivanov Evgenii , Zharkovskii Aleksandr , Borshchev Igor
Published: October 2019

The results of numerical and experimental investigations aimed at creating a methodology for predicting the erosion characteristics of vane pumps were conducted in this paper. This methodology especially relevant in the case of pumping liquids with physical properties different from water. The methods of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) well predict the operation failure due to cavitation and allow us to determine the areas of possible cavitation erosion. The conditions for the absence of cavitation erosion also could be predicted with the help of CFD methods. In order to verify the numerical prediction of cavitation erosion, test bench working on water was created, which allows to verify methods of experimental investigations of cavitation erosion with the help of express analysis based on paint coatings.
Development of new approaches to the study of pitting corrosion resistance of stainless steels obtained by selective laser melting
Authors: Parmenova Olga , Mushnikova Svetlana , Bobyr Vitaliy , Samodelkin Evgeniy
Published: October 2019

This paper presents the results of comparative corrosion resistance studies of stainless steels manufactured by selective laser melting (SLM) in the initial state with subsequent heat treatment and machining. Pitting corrosion tests are carried out, according to ASTM G48 method A in 10% FeCl3·6H2O solution at elevated temperature and exposure time for 5h. The studies were performed on the AISI 321 and AISI 316L stainless steels manufactured by SLM. It was obtained that laser scanning speed decrease led to density rise by other SLM parameters being equal. Porosity affected to the stainless steel corrosion behaviour significant. Metal density decrease resulted to corrosion rate rise. Microstructure examination showed that pitting corrosion development depended on surface steel condition.
Aspects of protection against carbon dioxide corrosion of gas production facilities
Authors: Zapevalov Dmitry , Vagapov Ruslan
Published: October 2019

The modern stage of development of many onshore and offshore gas and gas condensate fields is associated with objects in which carbon dioxide (CO2) gas is present in the production. The presence of CO2 in the produced gas in combination with other factors stimulates the intensive development of corrosion processes, which requires careful and reasonable attitude both to assess the degree of aggressiveness of the media and to choose technical solutions to ensure reliable and safe operation of hydrocarbon production facilities. The authors analyzed the existing approaches to the assessment of the danger of corrosion produced media, selection and implementation of protection against corrosion in the presence in them of aggressive CO2.
Failure analysis of radial bearings used in the refining of petroleum products
Authors: Kovalev Mark , Lyashenko Daniil , Kurakin Maksim , Shakhmatov Aleksey
Published: October 2019

The problem of premature failure of bearings is a common type of failure. In most cases, the destruction occurs due to violation of operating conditions. Since the destruction of bearings is a frequent occurrence, consideration of this special case of destruction in the future will help to avoid such problems. The object of research is the screw compressor bearings destroyed during operation. To identify the causes, a collapsed bearing was examined and a bearing that did not collapse during operation.
Assessment of the Romanian onshore and offshore wind energy potential
Authors: Onea Florin , Rusu Liliana
Published: October 2019

A general assessment of the wind energy potential from the eastern part of Romania was carried out in this work by taking into account onshore and offshore wind conditions. First, a perspective of the importance of the renewable resources into the Romanian electricity system was provided, from which was noticed that the wind production cover almost 15% from the demand (reported to 2017). From the analysis of the wind data significant differences were noticed between the onshore and offshore regions, the last one presenting more important wind resources, that significantly increase during the winter time (with almost 22%). According to the performance reported by an offshore wind turbine (rated at 3 MW), such generator will operate at full capacity in a maximum 9% from the time, if we consider a hub height of 119 m.
Using Life Cycle Assessment to Determine the Environmental Impacts Caused by Solar Photovoltaic Systems
Authors: Pal Anushka , Kilby Jeff
Published: October 2019

The paper presents research that investigated the Life Cycle Assessment of multi-crystalline photovoltaic (PV) panels, by considering environmental impacts of the entire life cycle for any solar PVsystems. The overall manufacturing process of a solar PV panel ranging from silica extraction, crystalline silicon ingot growth, wavering to module fabrication and packing of the solar PV panel. The results from this research showed that the module assembly and cell processing of the manufacturing process contributed towards the main environmental impacts of the life cycle of solar PV systems.
A Long-term Period Performance Assessment of a Building Integrated Photovoltaic System
Authors: Araz Mustafa , Biyikt Emrah , Hepbasli Arif
Published: October 2019

Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) systems can be defined as PV modules, which can be integrated in building's envelope by replacing conventional building materials such as windows, tiles etc. and have an impact on the functionality of the buildings. Considering the huge share (40%) of buildings in total energy consumption and nearly zero-energy building target of the European Union (EU), BIPV systems present a sustainable solution and have gained increased interest in last years. In this study, the performance of a BIPV system, which was installed on Feb. 8, 2016 on the façade of a campus building at Yasar University, İzmir, Turkey within the framework a EU/FP7 project and has a capacity of 7.44 kWp, is evaluated for a three-year period using first and second laws of thermodynamics. Within this context, real (experimental) monthly and yearly electricity productions are determined and compared with the results obtained from the simulations. Energy and exergy efficiencies and performance ratios of the system are also calculated based on the cell and total areas.
A Strategy for Power Generation Optimization in a Hybrid Wind-BESS Power Plant
Authors: Villanueva Daniel , Feijóo Andrés E. , Bokde Neeraj D.
Published: October 2019

The wind is an uncontrollable primary resource, although its energy can be stored. This fact can be used for the design of strategies for a better management of electric power networks. An option for achieving this goal is to install Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in the wind farms (WF). When dealing with WFs combined with BESSs the most important is to manage the power production in order to meet the requirements of the network or those related with the owner of the plant. Both challenges constitute an optimization problem. This paper proposes an Evolutionary Algorithm (EA) to solve it, where a fitness function must be maximized under the consideration of certain constraints. The fitness function depends on the target of the power production, which may be either to help the network become more stable or to maximize the profit, assessing each scenario and accepting the best one. The constraints of the optimization problem are related to the levels of the BESSs: the maximum power transferred to or from it and the output power of the plant.
Improving local air quality in cities by reducing nitrogen dioxide pollution from road traffic
Authors: Paraschiv Spiru
Published: October 2019

Trucks and buses play a major role in our lives, transporting goods and thousands of people to cities every day. But these vehicles, although in a much smaller number than the car generates a significant amount of air pollutants. The daily NO2 concentrations measured by a traffic monitoring station over a period of two years are used to identify the temporal variation of NO2 pollution as a result of measures to ban the circulation of trucks that do not meet the EURO 6 standard on Stresemannstrase Street in Hamburg. The data shows a decrease in NO2 concentration due to the measure taken so that in January 2017 the maximum daily NO2 concentration was 86 µg/m3 compared to 63 µg/m3 in 2019. There was also a difference between the daily minimum concentrations during the same period, being approximately 28 µg/m3 in 2017 and 10 µg/m3 in 2019. The daily NO2 observations show a significant decrease in concentration since May 2018 when the non-EURO 6 trucks were banned. The largest decrease in daily concentrations was recorded in March 2019 compared with levels in March 2018, with a lower concentration for 28 days. A different situation was observed in October 2018, when compared to October 2017, showed an increase in concentration for 23 days.
Quantifying Total Environmental Impact of the Power Sector Using Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment: a case study for Thailand
Authors: Muangthai Isara , Lin Sue J.
Published: October 2019

The electricity generation is vital to industries and economic development in Thailand. In this study, the input-output life cycle assessment (IO-LCA) is applied to estimate the direct and indirect impacts from the power generation sector for the years 2005 and 2010. Based on the input-output analysis, more than 90% of the total environmental impact of Thailandʼs power sector involves ten relevant sectors. Results reveal that the most significant environmental damage was on natural resources followed by human health, climate change, and ecosystem quality. The most dominant environmental impacts were non-renewable energy, global warming and respiratory inorganic effects. Furthermore, the power sector, which accounts for 80% and 61% of total each impact in 2010 respectively, had a large direct impact on climate change and human health. On the contrary, the coal and lignite, and metal ore sectors contributed significantly to indirect impacts on ecosystem quality and resources. Regarding the results, some additional suggestions can be made to improve current policies in Thailand, including the implementation of green manufacturing in the iron and steel production, and installing control devices in all power plant units. Consequently, IO-LCA can be applied to other industries for assessing their total environmental impacts, and planning CO2 mitigation strategies.
A study on heavy metals contamination of surfacial materials by environmental magnetism and chemical analysis in Antaibao Open Pit Coal Mine, Shanxi Province, China
Authors: Chen Manrong , Wang Shangyi , Yu Binbin , Zhang Weiguo , Yu Lizhong
Published: October 2019

Antaibao Open Pit Coal Mine(AOPCM)'s mining activities have caused heavy metals contamination of surface, so it was urgent task to find a suitable method and survey full and prompt and long-term monitor on the heavy metals pollution. We chose methods of environmental magnetism and chemical analysis to analyze the surface materials on heavy metals contamination, by correlation of magnetic parameters and contents of chemical analysis, we can greatly reduce workload of chemical analysis and then achieve greater, faster, better, non-destructive, less chemical pollution and more economical results. The magnetic parameters and its groups act as proxy for the contents from chemical analysis. Three different sample areas sediments: loess or loess-like sediments, sedimentary rocks and alluvium, samples have different values of magnetic parameters. The values of magnetic susceptibility in this study were lower than others sediments and soils, secondly, the base rock and sedimentary rocks from the FD were of lower values of magnetic susceptibility than others of AOPCM. Contamination of Pb and Cd are more serious than other heavy metals. we can infer the contaminated level of anthropogenic heavy metals, DS > OD > FD. The mechanism may be mainly by the origin of the magnetic fraction in the anthropogenic particulate pollution and connected with the high-temperature technological processes during production and/or processing materials which have significant Fe content. Another point, when we want to study mechanism of magnetic properties used as proxy of heavy metals, the weak magnetic samples were measured and analyzed, we should be carefully.
Genetic prediction profile for adalimumab response in Slovenian Crohn’s disease patients
Authors: Gorenjak Mario , Repnik Katja , Jezernik Gregor , Jurgec Staša , Skok Pavel , Potočnik Uroš
Published: October 2019

Introduction Response to anti-TNF therapy is crucial for life expectancy and life quality in patients with severe Crohn’s disease. We investigated if a previously reported gene expression profile predictive for infliximab response could be also applied to adalimumab response in an independent cohort.

Methods Forty-seven Slovene Crohn’s disease patients indicated for adalimumab therapy were enrolled in the study. Inflamed and non-inflamed colon biopsy samples were obtained during routine colonoscopy prior to adalimumab treatment. Response to adalimumab was measured with IBDQ. Gene expression in inflamed and non-inflamed colon biopsy samples was measured with RT-qPCR. Genotypes were extracted from previously available genotype data. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS software. The R package e1071 was used to train bootstrap aggregated support vector machines (SVM).

Results SVM prediction model analysis was used to analyze pooled, non-inflamed, and inflamed colon tissue datasets using IBDQ response after 4, 12, 20 and 30 weeks of adalimumab treatment. The bagging approach was used in an endeavor to obtain 100 % accuracy using 10 × 100 or 100 × 100 iterations. Average adalimumab response prediction accuracy is 75.5 % for pooled samples, 90.5 % for inflamed samples, and 100 % for non-inflamed samples. Moreover, models trained on selected SNPs from analyzed genes had an average accuracy of 92.8 %, confirming the involvement of genetic regions mapping the reported genes. Finally, using combined gene expression and SNP data we observed 100 % adalimumab response prediction accuracy for pooled, inflamed, and non-inflamed datasets.

Discussion Our study supports the reported genetic anti-TNF response profile and extends it for adalimumab prediction.
Koffein, das am häufigsten konsumierte Psychostimulans: eine narrative Übersichtsarbeit
Authors: Gahr Maximilian
Published: October 2019

Koffein ist das weltweit am häufigsten konsumierte Psychostimulans. Es ist nahezu unbeschränkt verfügbar und unterliegt in Europa keiner staatlichen Regulation. Neben seiner primären Rolle als Inhalts- oder Zusatzstoff in zahlreichen Getränken findet es auch medizinische Verwendung in der adjuvanten Schmerztherapie, bei primärem Atemstillstand bei Neugeborenen und es ist zugelassen für die kurzfristige Beseitigung von Ermüdungserscheinungen. Der Wirkmechanismus von Koffein als Psychostimulans in typischerweise aufgenommen Dosierungen basiert vermutlich in erster Linie auf einem zentralen Antagonismus von Adenosinrezeptoren (A1- und A2A-Rezeptoren), was zu einer zentralen Hemmung der Adenosin-vermittelten Reduktion der Aktivität des dopaminergen und aufsteigenden Aktivierungssystems führt. Die Metabolisierung von Koffein ist hautsächlich abhängig von Cytochrom P450 1A2, sodass Faktoren, die die Aktivität von CYP 1A2 beeinflussen (z. B. Medikamente, Schwangerschaft), erhebliche Veränderungen der pharmakokinetischen Parameter induzieren können. Koffein führt insbesondere bei Individuen mit Schlafentzug zu einer Verbesserung der Vigilanz, Aufmerksamkeit und Reaktionszeit. Zudem kann es sportliche Ausdauerleistungen und muskuläre Kraft verbessern. Intoxikationen mit Koffein sind selten, können jedoch letal verlaufen. In üblicherweise aufgenommenen Mengen gilt Koffeingebrauch als nicht gesundheitsschädlich. Koffein weist zahlreiche, jedoch nicht alle Merkmale einer Substanz mit „Abhängigkeitspotential“ auf; Entzugssyndrome nach Beendigung einer längeren Anwendung und Toleranz sind bekannt. Im DSM-5 wird die „Koffeingebrauchsstörung“ als mögliche künftige Störung, die gegenwärtig weiterer Forschung bedarf, rubriziert. Das Koffeingebrauchsmuster von Patienten sollte im Rahmen der ärztlichen Tätigkeit berücksichtigt werden.
Efficacy of Stabilization Exercise for Neck Pain: A Narrative Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Studies
Authors: Zang Cheng , Zhou Yanyan , Liu Yonghui , Wu Binbin
Published: October 2019

Introduction Stabilization exercise may be an important approach to alleviate neck pain. However, its use has not been well established. We conduct a narrative review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of stabilization exercise to control neck pain.

Methods PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials are searched. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the influence of stabilization exercise on neck pain are included. Two investigators independently have searched articles, extracted data, and assessed the quality of included studies. Meta-analysis is performed using the random-effect model.

Results Five RCTs involving 217 patients are included in the meta-analysis. Compared with control intervention for neck pain, stabilization exercises has no notable impact on pain intensity (Std. MD=−0.55; 95% CI=−1.24 to 0.14; P=0.12), neck disability index (Std. MD=−0.44; 95% CI=−1.01 to 0.13; P=0.13), SF-36 physical health (Std. MD=−0.18; 95% CI=−0.61 to 0.26; P=0.43), SF-36 mental health (Std. MD=−0.03; 95% CI=−0.47 to 0.41; P=0.89), but can remarkably decrease depression scale (Std. MD=−1.05; 95% CI=−1.59 to −0.50; P=0.0002).

Conclusions Stabilization exercises shows similar impact on pain intensity, neck disability index, SF-36 physical health and SF-36 mental health, but significant reduced depression scale compared with control intervention in patients with neck pain.
Iridium complex immobilization on covalent organic framework for effective C—H borylation
Authors: Vardhan Harsh , Pan Yanxiong , Yang Zhongyu , Verma Gaurav , Nafady Ayman , Al-Enizi Abdullah M. , Alotaibi Tawfiq M. , Almaghrabi Omar A. , Ma Shengqian
Published: October 2019

The strong coordination between metal ions and binding moieties in functional porous materials is central to the design and advancement of heterogeneous catalysis. In this study, we have successfully immobilized catalytically active iridium ions on a two-dimensional covalent organic framework (COF) having bipyridine moieties using a programmed synthetic procedure. The iridium immobilized framework, Ircod(I)@Py-2,2′-BPyPh COF, had high porosity, good stability, and exhibited excellent catalytic activity for C—H borylation, as compared with the pristine framework. Additionally, Ircod(I)@Py-2,2′-BPyPh COF was found to be an efficient catalyst for a series of electronically and sterically substituted substrates. The immobilized COF possessed excellent reusability, recyclability, and retention of crystallinity. This report highlights the role of porous materials as an ideal decorating platform for conducting a wide range of potent chemical conversions.
Current knowledge on transport and reactivity of technology-critical elements (TCEs) in soil and aquifer environments
Authors: Kouhail Yasmine , Dror Ishai , Berkowitz Brian
Published: October 2019

Environmental contextTechnology-critical elements, widely used in modern industry, are found in the environment as a result of both anthropogenic usage and natural sources. This review describes current knowledge on the transport of technology-critical elements in sand, soils and aquifer environments. The chemical compositions of the soils and groundwaters influence the transport of technology-critical elements, and natural colloids increase their mobility. AbstractTechnology-critical elements (TCEs) are now present in soil and aquifer environments, as a result not only of the geogenic origin but also of the recent anthropogenic activities and release. TCEs can interact with all components of the soil and water, which include inorganic and organic ligands (natural organic matter), clays, mineral surfaces and microorganisms. The literature regarding the transport and fate of TCEs in subsurface porous media (e.g. soil and aquifers) is limited and highly diverse. This review offers a detailed analysis of the existing literature on the transport and fate of TCEs in porous media, and emphasises what is still needed to fully understand their behaviour in the environment. Different modes of TCE transport are presented. First, the mobility of TCEs following interaction with colloids (e.g. natural organic matter, clays) is described. For these cases, an increase in the ionic strength and pH of aqueous solutions shows stronger retention or sorption of TCEs on porous matrices. The transport of nanoparticles (NPs) that contain TCEs is presented as a second mode of mobility. The ionic strength of the solution is the key parameter that controls the transport of cerium nanoparticles in porous media; natural organic matter also increases the mobility of nanoparticles. The third part of this review describes sorption and dissolution processes during transport. Finally, results from the field experiments are reported, which show that rare earth elements and indium are transported in the presence of natural organic matter. We conclude this review with suggested directions for future research.
Making ‘us’ better: High‐quality athlete leadership relates to health and burnout in professional Australian football teams
Authors: Fransen Katrien , Haslam S. Alexander , Steffens Niklas K. , Mallett Clifford J. , Peters Kim , Boen Filip
Published: October 2019

Overtraining, exhaustion, and burnout are widely recognized problems amongst elite athletes. The present research addresses this issue by exploring the extent to which high‐quality athlete leadership is associated with elite athletes’ health and burnout. Participants (120 male athletes from three top‐division Australian football teams) were asked to rate the quality of each of their teammates in four different leadership roles (i.e. as task and motivational leaders on the field and as social and external leaders off the field), and also to indicate their identification with their team as well as their self‐reported health and burnout. Findings indicated that (a) being seen to be a good athlete leader by other members of the team and (b) having a good athlete leader on the team were both positively associated with better team member health and lower burnout. This relationship was mediated by athletes’ identification with their team, suggesting that leaders enhance athletes’ health and reduce athlete burnout by creating and maintaining a sense of shared identity in their team. This, in turn, suggests that coaches can foster an optimal team environment by developing the leadership potential of their athlete leaders – in particular, their skills that foster a sense of shared team identification. This is in the interests not only of team performance but also of team members’ health and burnout.
Dynamics of an ultrasound contrast agent microbubble near spherical boundary in ultrasound field*
Authors: Hu Ji-Wen , Wang Lian-Mei , Qian Sheng-You , Liu Wen-Yi , Liu Ya-Tao , Lei Wei-Rui
Published: October 2019

The goal of this article is to establish the conditions of excitation where one has to deal with ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) microbubbles pulsating near biological tissues with spherical boundary in ultrasound field for targeted drug delivery and cavitation-enhanced thrombolysis, etc., and contributes to understanding of mechanisms at play in such an interaction. A modified model is presented for describing microbubble dynamics near a spherical boundary (including convex boundary and concave boundary) with an arbitrary-sized aperture angle. The novelty of the model is such that an oscillating microbubble is influenced by an additional pressure produced by the sound reflection from the boundary wall. It is found that the amplitude of microbubble oscillation is positively correlated to the curve radius of the wall and negatively correlated to the aperture angle of the wall and the sound reflection coefficient. Moreover, the natural frequency of the microbubble oscillation for such a compliable wall increases with the wall compliance, but decreases with the reduction of the wall size, indicating distinct increase of the natural frequency compared to a common rigid wall. The proposed model may allow obtaining accurate information on the radiation force and signals that may be used to advantage in related as drug delivery and contrast agent imaging.
General analytical method of designing shielded coils for arbitrary axial magnetic field*
Authors: Zhang Yi , Li Yu-Jiao , Jiang Qi-Yuan , Wang Zhi-Guo , Xia Tao , Luo Hui
Published: October 2019

Magnetic coils for specific requirements are widely used in modern quantum physics. In this study, a general analytical method of designing the shielded coils for generating an arbitrary axial magnetic field is proposed. The theoretical formula for an axial magnetic field generated by a single shielded coil is obtained and used to construct specific coils. The structural parameters of these coils are determined by fitting the theoretical formula with their specific requirements. The feasibility of this method is proved by realizing four concrete kinds of coils: uniform magnetic field generating coils, gradient magnetic field generating coils, asymmetrical uniform magnetic field generating coils, and parabolic magnetic field generating coils. The correctness of these theoretical results is demonstrated by both the finite element simulations and the relevant experimental results. Furthermore, the application of this method is of great significance for developing the quantum physics and quantum devices in future.
Simulation of acoustic fields emitted by ultrasonic phased array in austenitic steel weld*
Authors: Guo Zhong-Cun , Yan Shou-Guo , Zhang Bi-Xing
Published: October 2019

Ultrasonic inspection of austenitic steel weld is a great challenge due to skewed and distorted beam in such a highly anisotropic and inhomogeneous material. To improve the ultrasonic measurement in this situation, it is essential to have an in-depth understanding of ultrasound characteristics in austenitic steel weld. To meet such a need, in the present study we propose a method which combines the weld model, Dijkstra’s path-finding algorithm and Gaussian beam equivalent point source model to calculate the acoustic fields from ultrasonic phased array in such a weld. With this method, the acoustic field in a steel-austenitic weld-steel three-layered structure for a linear phase array transducer is calculated and the propagation characteristics of ultrasound in weld are studied. The research results show that the method proposed here is capable of calculating the acoustic field in austenitic weld. Additionally, beam steering and focusing can be still realized in the austenitic steel weld and the beam distortion is more severe in the middle of weld than at other positions.
Evaluation and machine learning improvement of global hydrological model-based flood simulations
Authors: Yang Tao , Sun Fubao , Gentine Pierre , Liu Wenbin , Wang Hong , Yin Jiabo , Du Muye , Liu Changming
Published: October 2019

A warmer climate is expected to accelerate global hydrological cycle, causing more intense precipitation and floods. Despite recent progress in global flood risk assessment, the accuracy and improvement of global hydrological models (GHMs)-based flood simulation is insufficient for most applications. Here we compared flood simulations from five GHMs under the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project 2a (ISIMIP2a) protocol, against those calculated from 1032 gauging stations in the Global Streamflow Indices and Metadata Archive for the historical period 1971–2010. A machine learning approach, namely the long short-term memory units (LSTM) was adopted to improve the GHMs-based flood simulations within a hybrid physics- machine learning approach (using basin-averaged daily mean air temperature, precipitation, wind speed and the simulated daily discharge from GHMs-CaMa-Flood model chain as the inputs of LSTM, and observed daily discharge as the output value). We found that the GHMs perform reasonably well in terms of amplitude of peak discharge but are relatively poor in terms of their timing. The performance indicated great discrepancy under different climate zones. The large difference in performance between GHMs and observations reflected that those simulations require improvements. The LSTM used in combination with those GHMs was then shown to drastically improve the performance of global flood simulations (especially in terms of amplitude of peak discharge), suggesting that the combination of classical flood simulation and machine learning techniques might be a way forward for more robust and confident flood risk assessment.
Quantification of the water-use reduction associated with the transition from coal to natural gas in the US electricity sector
Authors: Kondash Andrew J , Patino-Echeverri Dalia , Vengosh Avner
Published: October 2019

The transition from coal to natural gas and renewables in the electricity sector and the rise of unconventional shale gas extraction are likely to affect water usage throughout the US. While new natural-gas power plants use less water than coal-fired power plants, shale gas extraction through hydraulic fracturing has increased water utilization and intensity. We integrated water and energy use data to quantify the intensity of water use in the US throughout the electricity’s lifecycle. We show that in spite of the rise of water use for hydraulic fracturing, during 2013–2016 the overall annual water withdrawal (8.74 × 1010 m3) and consumption (1.75 × 109 m3) for coal were larger than those of natural gas (4.55 × 1010 m3, and 1.07 × 109 m3, respectively). We find that during this period, for every MWh of electricity that has been generated with natural gas instead of coal, there has been a reduction of ∼1 m3 in water consumption and ∼40 m3 in water withdrawal. Examining plant locations spatially, we find that only a small proportion of net electricity generation takes place in water stressed areas, while a large proportion of both coal (37%) and natural gas (50%) are extracted in water stressed areas. We also show that the growing contribution of renewable energy technologies such as wind and solar will reduce water consumption at an even greater magnitude than the transition from coal to natural gas, eliminating much of water withdrawals and consumption for electricity generation in the US.
Ecological responses to the coastal exploitation of urban agglomerations along the Pearl River Estuary
Authors: Zhang Rui , Ai Bin , Gu Fengguan
Published: October 2019

With the rapid development of urban agglomerations in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), an increasing number of ecological problems have been exposed to the surrounding coastal zones. The timely and accurate understanding of the eco-environment in PRE has become of increasing concern. This study aimed to quantitatively evaluate multi-temporal eco-environment conditions and then detect the conflicting patterns of the eco-environment under the influence of coastal exploitation in PRE. The ecological index was derived from remote sensing images by means of principal component analysis, and the composite coastal development index was then constructed to characterize the coastal exploitation from the perspective of ecological influence, which was implemented by using the panel data analysis. This method was verified with a significant test accuracy of 0.9. Based on this, the coupling coordination patterns of the coastal economy–environment system were disclosed for all six prefectural units at both the pixel scale and the city scale. The results showed that the coupling coordination degree and inner coupling relationships in each city presented periodical characteristics, with the highest values in 2008 and the lowest values in 1988. The dominant conflict between coastal exploitation and the eco-environment in each period was capricious. This evaluation will provide a reference for decision-making in coastal zone planning and ecological red line policy to encourage the sustainable development of coastal zones.
Why it is so difficult to end surgical castration of boars in Europe: Pros and cons of alternatives to piglet castration
Authors: Weiler U , Bonneau M
Published: October 2019

Entire male pigs can accumulate sex specific off odours, i.e. boar taint, caused by the testicular steroid, androstenone, and the product of microbial protein degradation, skatole, which is formed in the large intestine. To avoid the off odour of pork and to reduce male specific behaviour, farmers have traditionally castrated their male piglets surgically and the procedure is still common in most countries. As this has usually been done without any pain relief, this measure faces strong public criticism. European stakeholders committed themselves to end this practice from 2018, but today, 75% of male piglets are still surgically castrated in the EU. Pain relief during and/or after surgery is increasingly used in some Western European countries to avoid suffering of the animals, but the surgery and risk of infections remain. Alternatives without surgical castration in pork production are raising entire males or immunocastration. Entire males have the advantage of a high growth potential and a good feed conversion rate, but the risk of boar taint and welfare problems due to male behavior limit the acceptance by the pork chain. Immunocastration reduces these problems but also decreases, in part, the anabolic advantage of males. To find country-specific, tailored solutions, there is a need to bundle the research activities along the pork chain and to spread scientific information to increase the acceptance of alternatives by farmers, industry and consumers.
The potential of condensed tannin-rich feedstuff to affect the nutritional and sensory qualities of ruminant-based products
Authors: Bee G , Dohme-Meier F , Girard M
Published: October 2019

Over the last decade, interest has increased when it comes to using temperate forage legumes containing condensed tannins (CT) for ruminants. The reason for this is that CT have been shown to benefit animal health and performance, as CT reduce parasitic burden by gastrointestinal nematodes, prevent bloat and reduce urinary nitrogen losses. Less is known about their impact on the quality of ruminant-based products. This short review discusses various quality issues which could, based on the current knowledge on the mode of action of CT, be positively affected by forages that are rich in CT. The main focus is the fatty acid composition, as well as the sensory traits of the meat, milk and cheese. The results presented here show the potential for two tanniferous forage legumes to positively affect the deposition of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially the n-3 fatty acids in meat, milk and cheese, and to improve the organoleptic quality of these products. From the two plants tested (birdsfoot trefoil and sainfoin), it is evident the CT effect in the digestive tract depends on various factors like the CT level, the chemical composition of the CT and whether the CT in the plant are available in a soluble form or bound to proteins or carbohydrates of the plants.
Wild boar meat safety
Authors: Petrovic J M , Prodanov-Radulovic J Z , Mirceta J D
Published: October 2019

The production chain for game meat is specific and differs from the production chain of meat from domestic livestock. The aim of this study is to present the most important hazards potentially associated with wild boar meat consumption in Serbia. The most important organism is Trichinella spp., as the only well-established causative agent of disease outbreaks after consumption of wild boar meat. Trichinella spp. are endemic in Serbia and this leads to outbreaks every year. The second most important species is Salmonella, and there are several reports about its prevalence in the game animal population in Serbia. Chemical hazards, cadmium and lead, have also been detected in the meat and internal organs of wild boar in Serbia. These hazards are considered highly important as they reflect environment pollution, meaning they are especially important for wild boar populations inhabiting areas close to industrial plants or agricultural areas intensively treated with agrochemicals. An adequate and reliable system for the control of wild boar meat safety has to be provided. The system should be based on relevant data from our country, and thus, wild boar meat safety is an issue that requires further, comprehensive research.
Challenges in analyzing polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) in food and feed in the light of the considerable tolerable weekly intake reduction proposed by EFSA in 2018
Authors: Stefanovic S , Jovanovic J , Jelusic V
Published: October 2019

In November 2018, EFSA published a major risk assessment on the presence of dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls in feed and food, proposing updated tolerable weekly intake of 2 pg/kg b.w./week, which is a 7-fold decrease over the previous value. This will inevitably result in lowering maximum levels and action levels in food and feed. This paper reflects on the possible consequences of such changes in respect to analytical capabilities in general, and the effort required to ensure suitable performance of the presently available analytical methods. Considerations related to both instrumental and sample preparation aspects are presented, taking into account specific EU legislation in the area of analytical requirements and quality control of analytical methods for dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls. From the current perspective, it is obvious that any linear decrease of maximum levels and action levels is not feasible and would inevitably require some degree of mitigation of quality control requirements, at least for some food matrices that already have low maximum levels. A sustainable response to tolerable weekly intake decrease will most likely be the combination of gradual decrease of regulatory limits where achievable, inevitable technical progress in analytical instrumentation and adjustment of sample preparation techniques.
The lack of virus control in oysters could lead to a norovirus outbreak
Authors: Skoko I , Lojkic I , Komparak S , Silic B , Vidic Z , Katic S , Brnic D , Listes E
Published: October 2019

Norovirus, a genus in the family Caliciviridae, is a leading cause of viral gastroenteritis in humans and responsible for many outbreaks worldwide. Filter-feeding shellfish are important vehicles for transmission of foodborne pathogens, including enteric viruses such as norovirus, when grown in sewage-polluted water. In this study, we investigated a norovirus outbreak linked with consumption of oysters and mussels. In January 2019, a gastroenteritis outbreak was identified involving eight patients with symptoms of gastroenteritis. Norovirus was diagnosed in stool samples using immunochromatographic test RIDA® QUICK Norovirus, and confirmed with real-time PCR. Of four shellfish (oysters, mussels) samples analyzed using real-time PCR, three were norovirus GI-positive and GIIpositive, while one sample was only GII-positive. Six stool samples were collected, two of which were norovirus GI-positive and GII-positive, while three were GII-positive only. Following phylogenetic characterization of the human stool viruses, five out of eight belonged to the GII.6 cluster. Shellfish collected during this outbreak investigation contained the same GII.6 sequence. This is the first norovirus outbreak connected with shellfish consumption in Croatia. Understanding the transmission routes and vehicles of norovirus outbreaks is of great public health importance, and these results imply the co-circulation of GII.6 norovirus in people and oysters in Croatia.