bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Verification of Type-A and Type-B-HC Blinking Mechanisms of Organic–Inorganic Formamidinium Lead Halide Perovskite Quantum Dots by FLID Measurements
Authors: Trinh Cong Tai , Minh Duong Nguyen , Ahn Kwang Jun , Kang Youngjong , Lee Kwang-Geol
Published: February 2020

Organic–inorganic halide perovskite nanocrystals or quantum dots (PQDs) are excellent candidates for optoelectronic applications, such as lasers, solar cells, light emitting diodes, and single photon sources. However, the potential applications of PQDs can expand once the photoluminescence, and in particular, the blinking behaviors of single PQDs are understood. Although the blinking of PQDs has been studied extensively recently, the underlying mechanism of the blinking behaviors is still under debate. In this study, we confirmed that type-A and type-B-HC (hot carrier) blinking, contributed to PQD blinking using their fluorescence lifetime intensity distribution (FLID). Type-B-HC blinking was experimentally confirmed for the first time for formamidinium based PQDs, and the simultaneous contributions of type-A and type-B blinking were clearly specified. Further, we related different FLID data to the ON/OFF time distribution as distinct features of different blinking types. We also emphasized that detection capability was crucial for correctly elucidating the blinking mechanism.
Author Correction: Plasma microRNA markers of upper limb recovery following human stroke
Authors: Edwardson Matthew A. , Zhong Xiaogang , Fiandaca Massimo S. , Federoff Howard J. , Cheema Amrita K. , Dromerick Alexander W.
Published: February 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Patterns of Oral Microbiota Diversity in Adults and Children: A Crowdsourced Population Study
Authors: Burcham Zachary M. , Garneau Nicole L. , Comstock Sarah S. , Tucker Robin M. , Knight Rob , Metcalf Jessica L. ,   Genetics of Taste Lab Citizen Scientists, Miranda Anjelica , Reinhart Brian , Meyers Dani , Woltkamp Diane , Boxer Emma , Hutchens Joyce , Kim Kelly , Archer Mike , McAteer Mike , Huss Phil , Defonseka Ravin , Stahle Sean , Babu Sunanda , Nuessle Tiffany , Schowinsky Valerie , Covert Wendy , Truman Weston , Reusser Willy
Published: February 2020

Oral microbiome dysbiosis has been associated with various local and systemic human diseases such as dental caries, periodontal disease, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Bacterial composition may be affected by age, oral health, diet, and geography, although information about the natural variation found in the general public is still lacking. In this study, citizen-scientists used a crowdsourcing model to obtain oral bacterial composition data from guests at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science to determine if previously suspected oral microbiome associations with an individual’s demographics, lifestyle, and/or genetics are robust and generalizable enough to be detected within a general population. Consistent with past research, we found bacterial composition to be more diverse in youth microbiomes when compared to adults. Adult oral microbiomes were predominantly impacted by oral health habits, while youth microbiomes were impacted by biological sex and weight status. The oral pathogen Treponema was detected more commonly in adults without recent dentist visits and in obese youth. Additionally, oral microbiomes from participants of the same family were more similar to each other than to oral microbiomes from non-related individuals. These results suggest that previously reported oral microbiome associations are observable in a human population containing the natural variation commonly found in the general public. Furthermore, these results support the use of crowdsourced data as a valid methodology to obtain community-based microbiome data.
Alterations in brain white matter microstructural properties in patients with Crohn’s disease in remission
Authors: Hou Jiancheng , Dodd Keith , Nair Veena A. , Rajan Shruti , Beniwal-Patel Poonam , Saha Sumona , Prabhakaran Vivek
Published: February 2020

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease have been shown to have abnormal brain morphometry or function, which are associated with psychological symptoms such as stress, depression or anxiety. The present work recruited 20 Crohn’s disease patients in remission (CDs) and 20 age-gender-handedness-education matched healthy controls (HCs) and compared their brain white matter microstructural properties using Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI). Additionally, we examined the correlations between the microstructural properties and cognition (verbal fluency language task, VF) and affect (anxiety) in both groups as well as disease duration in CDs. Results showed that CDs exhibited significant alterations in microstructural properties compared to HCs in various white matter tracts relevant to language function despite no significant difference in VF scores. Furthermore, CDs’ microstructural changes exhibited correlations with anxiety level and disease duration. These findings suggest that CD patients may experience changes in white matter microstructural properties which may be a biomarker of neuropsychiatric comorbidities of CD.
Changes of oxygen isotope values of soil P pools associated with changes in soil pH
Authors: Pfahler Verena , Macdonald Andy , Mead Andrew , Smith Andrew C. , Tamburini Federica , Blackwell Martin S. A. , Granger Steven J.
Published: February 2020

Field data about the effect of soil pH on phosphorus (P) cycling is limited. A promising tool to study P cycling under field conditions is the 18O:16O ratio of phosphate (δ18OP). In this study we investigate whether the δ18OP can be used to elucidate the effect of soil pH on P cycling in grasslands. Soils and plants were sampled from different fertilisation and lime treatments of the Park Grass long term experiment at Rothamsted Research, UK. The soils were sequentially extracted to isolate different soil P pools, including available P and corresponding δ18OP values were determined. We did not observe changes in plant δ18OP value, but soil P δ18OP values changed, and lower δ18OP values were associated with higher soil pH values. At sites where P was not limiting, available P δ18OP increased by up to 3‰ when lime was applied. We show that the δ18OP method is a useful tool to investigate the effect of pH on soil P cycling under field conditions as it highlights that different soil processes must govern P availability as pH shifts. The next challenge is now to identify these underlying processes, enabling better management of soil P at different pH.
Clinicopathological significance of endoplasmic reticulum stress proteins in ovarian carcinoma
Authors: Samanta Soma , Tamura Shuzo , Dubeau Louis , Mhawech-Fauceglia Paulette , Miyagi Yohei , Kato Hisamori , Lieberman Rich , Buckanovich Ronald J. , Lin Yvonne G. , Neamati Nouri
Published: February 2020

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States due to the late-stage disease at diagnosis. Overexpression of GRP78 and PDI following endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) promote growth and invasion in cancer. To identify novel prognostic biomarkers in EOC, here we determined the expression of ER stress-associated proteins (GRP78, ATF6 and PERK) and correlated with clinical outcome in EOC. Tissue microarray (TMA) samples from 415 tissues collected from three cancer centers (UM, USC, and KCCRI) were used to assess the expression levels of ER-associated proteins using immunohistochemistry (IHC). We observed that the expression levels of GRP78 (p < 0.0001), ATF6 (p < 0.0001), and PERK (p < 0.0001) were significantly increased in specimens of EOC compared to normal tissues, including in the serous subtype (p < 0.0001). Previously we reported that high expression of PDI correlated with poor patient survival in EOC. Here we showed that overexpression of GRP78 and PDI protein expression correlated with poor patient survival (p = 0.03), while low expression of combined GRP78 and PDI correlated with better survival (p = 0.01) in high-grade serous. The increased expression of ER stress-associated proteins in EOC suggests a role for ER stress and the UPR in EOC. More importantly, our results demonstrate that GRP78 and PDI are potential biomarkers for EOC and could be used as dual prognostic markers.
Quantifying Hematopoietic Stem Cell Clonal Diversity by Selecting Informative Amplicon Barcodes
Authors: Teets Emily M. , Gregory Charles , Shaffer Jami , Blachly James S. , Blaser Bradley W.
Published: February 2020

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are functionally and genetically diverse and this diversity decreases with age and disease. Numerous systems have been developed to quantify HSC diversity by genetic barcoding, but no framework has been established to empirically validate barcode sequences. Here we have developed an analytical framework, Selection of informative Amplicon Barcodes from Experimental Replicates (SABER), that identifies barcodes that are unique among a large set of experimental replicates. Amplicon barcodes were sequenced from the blood of 56 adult zebrafish divided into training and validation sets. Informative barcodes were identified and samples with a high fraction of informative barcodes were chosen by bootstrapping. There were 4.2 ± 1.8 barcoded HSC clones per sample in the training set and 3.5 ± 2.1 in the validation set (p = 0.3). SABER reproducibly quantifies functional HSCs and can accommodate a wide range of experimental group sizes. Future large-scale studies aiming to understand the mechanisms of HSC clonal evolution will benefit from this new approach to identifying informative amplicon barcodes.
Author Correction: Exfoliative toxin E, a new Staphylococcus aureus virulence factor with host-specific activity
Authors: Imanishi Ichiro , Nicolas Aurélie , Barbosa Caetano Ana-Carolina , de Paula Castro Thiago Luiz , Tartaglia Natayme Rocha , Mariutti Ricardo , Guédon Eric , Even Sergine , Berkova Nadia , Arni Raghuvir K. , Seyffert Nubia , Azevedo Vasco , Nishifuji Koji , Le Loir Yves
Published: February 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Effect of sulfated polysaccharides on the digestion of DNA by pepsin under simulated gastric juice in vitro
Authors: Zhang Jing , Li Qian , Jiang Xiaochen , Li Xiaojing , Dong Ping , Li Jing , Komiyama Makoto , Liang Xingguo
Published: February 2020

Sulfated polysaccharide can inhibit the degradation of dietary DNA by pepsin, mainly driven by the interaction between polysaccharides and DNA, secondly polysaccharide and pepsin.
Thermally induced fragmentation of nanoscale calcite
Authors: Takasaki Mihiro , Tago Makoto , Oaki Yuya , Imai Hiroaki
Published: February 2020

Calcite nanorods ∼50 nm wide are thermally separated into nanoblocks.
A two-dimensional molecularly imprinted photonic crystal sensor for highly efficient tetracycline detection
Authors: Han Shuang , Jin Yanshuang , Su Liqiang , Chu Hongtao , Zhang Weibing
Published: February 2020

A two-dimensional (2D) molecularly imprinted photonic crystal (MIPC) sensor for the detection of tetracycline in foods was fabricated.
The potential of semi-permeable bentonite and zeolite composite on the reduction of Pb (II) concentration in landfill
Authors: Arief Budihardjo Mochamad , Zaman Badrus , Bagus Priyambada Ika , Ramadani Dona , Rizky Rizaldianto Alfian
Published: February 2020

An alternative material that could be used as a liner, which can avert the heavy metal migration from landfill to soil, is the combination between bentonite and zeolite. This study aims to analyze the Pb2+ adsorption capacity of the liner and permeability of bentonite with the addition of zeolite in several percentages. There were four different types of composite in the experiment, such as pure bentonite (BZ0), bentonite + zeolite 2% (BZ2), bentonite + zeolite 5% (BZ5), and bentonite + zeolite 8% (BZ8). Bentonite and zeolite composite was inserted into a cylindrical reactor, which was compacted to adjust the condition of the study to be similar with existing condition in the landfill. This study was conducted until the leachate produced and lead concentration was tested using samples from the liner and leachate in the outlet. The results showed that the highest efficiency of lead reduction was obtained from BZ8 with the percentage of 95.2%, while the highest permeability coefficient was found in BZ8 with the value of 7.76 x 10−11 cm/s. The addition of zeolite has been proven to be able to reduce the lead concentration of leachate, but it increased the possibility of leakage.
Utilization of response surface methodology in optimization of de-oiled olive pomace activated biochar production
Authors: Abarca Ralf Ruffel , de Luna Mark Daniel , Chakraborty Sudip , Curcio Stefano , Candamano Sebastiano
Published: February 2020

Olive activated biochar (OAB) was prepared from waste de-oiled olive pomace (sansa esausta, SE) through carbonization followed by combined KOH and thermal activation. The activation process was optimized using central composite design (CCD) with pyrolysis temperature, activation time and KOH to pyrolized SE mass ratio (KOH/PSE) as independent variables, and yield, methylene blue number (MBN) and iodine number (ID) as responses. Optimized OAB was subjected to fixed bed adsorption of 100 mg L−1 methylene blue dye. Numerical optimization resulted in optimum process setting of 362°C pyrolysis temperature, 61-min activation time and 0.81 KOH/PSE under which the optimized activated biochar produced 31% OAB, MBN of 679 and ID of 899. Thomas and Yoon-Nelson models best fit the fixed bed adsorption data implying that methylene blue adsorption conforms to Langmuir isotherm and obeys pseudo-second order reversible reaction kinetics with no axial dispersion. The theoretical adsorption capacity of OAB is 131 mg g−1 with theoretical time required for 50% sorbate breakthrough of 54.69 h. These results show the potential application of OAB in dye adsorption.
Contrasting Climate Induced Variability of the Upper Citarum River Baseflow and Eventflow during Early 20th Century and Recent Decades
Authors: Sudradjat Arief , Muhamad Burhanudin , Nurohman Fajar
Published: February 2020

Recorded daily flow data of the upper Citarum River from 24 October 1918 through 23 October 1935 and from 24 October 1976 through 23 October 2015 from the Nanjung Station, located near the river’s outlet, is investigated for its baseflow and eventflow variabilities. Statistical analysis detects no trend in daily flow and baseflow during the study periods. However, baseflow variability during the latter period is higher than during the former period and is found to be related with the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. By applying a novel approach of analysing decadal values of separated eventflow, an increasing value of the upper Citarum River basin runoff coefficient from 34 % to 41 % (up to a 20 % increase from the initial value) during a period between 1980 and 2009 (especially after 1990) is overlapping with massive land use and land cover changes during the period. Analysis on rainfall–baseflow variability shows that, after 1990, computed baseflow variability is increasingly more sensitive to rainfall variability.
Receptor Modelling of particulate matter at residential area near industrial region in Indonesia using Positive Matrix Factorization
Authors: Damayanti Seny , Lestari Puji
Published: February 2020

Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) was used to identify the sources of ambient TSP and to estimate respective contribution to the total ambient TSP concentration in the residential area surrounding iron and steel industry in Cilegon city. Total of 34 daily samples (24 hours) were collected during the sampling period (August-November 2015) using a High Volume Sampler. The samples then were analyzed for black carbon and 18 metal elements (Si, Al, Fe, S, Cu, Pb, V, Cr, Ni, Zn, Mn, Sn, K, Ca, Cl, Ti, Ba, and Co) using Diffusion Systems EEL 43m Smoke Stain Reflectometer (SSR) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (ED-XRF), respectively. From the PMF results were found that 10 factors as the optimum solution. The five major sources are crustal matter (40.13%), iron and steel production (22.23%), coal combustion (16.54%), biomass burning (11.83%), smelting (8.63%). Meanwhile, the other sources detected are diesel vehicle (0.28%), sea salt (0.17%), fuel-oil combustion (0.07%), road dust (0.07%), and cement industries/construction (0.05%). The patterns of conditional probability function analysis results were adequately appropriate with the potential locations of the known sources around study site.
Optimizing soil washing remediation of mercury contaminated soil using various washing solutions and solid/liquid ratios
Authors: Effendi Agus Jatnika , Lestari Vina , Irsyad Mohammad
Published: February 2020

Most of the artisanal and small-scale gold miners in Indonesia as in the case of those who are in Banten Province, still use the amalgamation process in the gold extraction process. Therefore, mercury contamination could not be avoided. As a result, it was found that the concentration of mercury-contaminated soil in Lebak, Banten Province was detected as high as 136,9 mg/kg. Since the contamination process occurred for a long time, making the formation and mobility of complex mercury in soil increased by time. Soil washing is one remediation technology that can be applied in the recovery of mercury-contaminated soil. This study aims to determine the optimum conditions of the soil washing process: effect of pH, the concentration of washing solutions and ratio of solid/liquid. Furthermore, the value of the distribution coefficient, desorption of mercury in the soil and fractionation of mercury in the soil were also observed. Potassium Iodide was found to be the best washing solution among others used in this study. The optimum condition was obtained at pH 2, the concentration of washing solution at 0.25 M and the solid/liquid ratio of 1:15. Under these conditions, mercury desorption efficiency reached 86.9% with the value of the distribution coefficient of 0.185. Mercury fractionation analysis in the contaminated soil showed that the mobile > semi-mobile > non-mobile fractions. Potassium iodide was able to desorb at about 84% of mobile fractions, 97% of semi-mobile and 25% non-mobile mercury.
Flood and Drought Resilience Measurement at Andir Urban Village, Indonesia
Authors: Sudradjat Arief , Nastiti Anindrya , Barlian Kevin , Angga Made Sandhyana
Published: February 2020

Flooding and drought are two of the most common environmental problems in Andir Urban Village due to its location near a tributary of the Citarum River, its concave geographic structure, and excessive groundwater usage. Traditional approaches that focus on constructing water management structures cannot provide a sustainable solution to these persistent problems in Andir. Thus, increasing resilience in dealing with flooding and drought effectively from different aspects is important. This study uses the Flood Resilience Index (FRI) via several indicators divided into five aspects, i.e., natural, physical, economic, social, and institutional. The Drought Resilience Index (DRI) measures the reliability and vulnerability of clean water supply and demand for local residents. The flood resilience level of Andir Urban Village is low with an FRI of 2.69/5, while the drought resilience level of Andir Urban Village is very low with a DRI of only 2.565/10. The measurements of FRI and DRI in a developing country needs to be done carefully by developing local indicators that are unique and relevant to the country’s setting.
Variational approach for mechatronic tolerancing: application to a DC motor
Authors: Siala Hana , Mhenni Faïda , Barkallah Maher , Choley Jean-Yves , Louati Jamel , Haddar Mohamed
Published: February 2020

Having an increasingly complex set of inter-relations between several components from different domains, mechatronic systems become more and more complex. The behavior of such systems depends on the values of their parameters and variables. A deviation of these values from their expected values affects the overall functioning of the system, degrades the system quality, and may be a significant threat to safety. To reach an expected quality level, the deviations between actual and target values of parameters should be within specified tolerances. For this, two extreme limits (i.e. upper and lower bounds) of these values must be wisely determined. It is also important to know the impact of parameters deviations on system behavior. Furthermore, the margin of variables should be controlled to evaluate system performance with respect to the specifications, requirements and user needs. This paper describes a methodology based on a variational approach combined with Worst-Case Analysis and Monte Carlo Simulation to determine the impact of the parameters variation on the system behavior. It helps designers to analyze tolerances of mechatronic systems. Our proposed methodology is illustrated with a DC motor case study. The results show that the developed method provides a new way for mechatronic tolerancing.
Herausforderung Trainingslager
Authors: Becher Jérome , Gronewold Timo , Rötting Henner
Published: February 2020

Eine Mannschaft ins Trainingslager zu begleiten ist eine Herausforderung. Drei routinierte Sportphysiotherapeuten berichten von eigenen Erfahrungen und geben Tipps, worauf es bei der Vorbereitung und vor Ort ankommt.
Active magnetic cloaking with a dipole
Authors: Dai Xin , Jiang Jincheng
Published: February 2020

We theoretically propose and experimentally demonstrate an active quasi-static magnetic cloak enabled by a single magnetic dipole. The cloaking effect can be achieved by active cancelation of the background magnetic field using the magnetic dipole. Compared with previous multi-unit designs, the single-unit design drastically reduces the number of control units required. It has potential applications in realizing the homogeneous field in wireless power transfer, magnetic resonance imaging, and other diffusion-based applications.
Accessing ratios of quantized resistances in graphene p–n junction devices using multiple terminals
Authors: Patel Dinesh , Marzano Martina , Liu Chieh-I , Hill Heather M. , Kruskopf Mattias , Jin Hanbyul , Hu Jiuning , Newell David B. , Liang Chi-Te , Elmquist Randolph , Rigosi Albert F.
Published: February 2020

The utilization of multiple current terminals on millimeter-scale graphene p–n junction devices has enabled the measurement of many atypical, fractional multiples of the quantized Hall resistance at the ν = 2 plateau (RH ≈ 12 906 Ω). These fractions take the form abRH and can be determined both analytically and by simulations. These experiments validate the use of either the LTspice circuit simulator or the analytical framework recently presented in similar work. Furthermore, the production of several devices with large-scale junctions substantiates the approach of using simple ultraviolet lithography to obtain junctions of sufficient sharpness.
Understanding farmers’ biosecurity beliefs and behaviours related to antimicrobial resistant bacteria in Michigan,USA
Authors: Garcia Jessica D. , Huff Andrew G. , Huff Emily S.
Published: February 2020

Context
Antimicrobial resistant bacteria (AMRB) are transmitted from animals to humans and vice versa through many pathways, and AMRB has been an issue on farms and in food production systems.

Aims
The aim of this exploratory study was to understand what preventative measures farmers may or may not be using to decrease human and animal exposure to AMRB in Central Michigan, and develop a set of measures for biosecurity behaviours.

Methods
Participants selected for the study were involved in commercial animal husbandry in central Michigan. Data from farmers were collected via a mixed methods approach. Semistructured interviews and a structured questionnaire were administered, based on the theory of planned behaviour. Data were analysed using Spearman’s rank correlation and thematic analyses.

Key results
There were no associations between sex, level of education or personal income with biosecurity beliefs or behaviours. There was a positive correlation between farm revenue and the presence of pests in animal holding areas, and how often farmers quarantine new animals before adding them to their herd or flock. The farmers interviewed had increased perceived control over implementing biosecurity measures that are perceived as simple and fast to implement.

Conclusions
Generally, the farmers believed they could affect AMRB on their farms, but were not always engaging in biosecurity behaviours.

Implications
Understanding farmers’ perceptions and beliefs of biosecurity practices may help develop efficient and effective outreach, education and extension services.
Heat-shock proteases promote survival of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
during growth arrest
Authors: Basta David W. , Angeles-Albores David , Spero Melanie A. , Ciemniecki John A. , Newman Dianne K.
Published: February 2020

Significance

This study reveals that protein degradation plays a major role in the survival of the opportunistic bacterial pathogen
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
. Loss of multiple proteases, better known for their roles in proteostasis in response to stresses such as heat shock, accelerates cell death during growth arrest. This finding, coupled to the fact that the accumulation of misfolded and aggregated proteins in aging in eukaryotic cells is well appreciated to contribute to cellular damage and senescence, suggests that a general role for proteases in preserving bacterial proteostasis during aging has been overlooked. Our findings have implications for the study and treatment of infectious disease and highlight potentially conserved functions for proteases in combatting aging from bacteria to humans.
Impoliteness and the moral order in online gaming
Authors: Lambert Graham Sage
Published: February 2020

In recent years, eSports, online gaming, and live computer game streaming have grown into a global, multi-million dollar industry.
In the context of online gaming, however, there is a prevailing moral order (Kádár 2017) that allows and perhaps even encourages impoliteness against female gamers, positioning them as inferior,
unwelcome, or peripheral. Drawing from a corpus of over 150 hours of live game streams and concurrent open-forum chat, this study
identifies rituals and tropes (such as spam and banter) that reinforce gendered practices as they relate to the moral order in the
online gaming setting. It then explores strategies used by one female gamer to manipulate the expectations of the online
gaming medium and its hegemonic notions of femininity. In this way, she can resist a moral order which positions her as disempowered, and thereby
gain social capital within the community.
The meta-conventionalisation and moral order of e-practices
Authors: Kádár Dániel Z. , Fukushima Saeko
Published: February 2020

This study overviews the phenomenon of the meta-conventionalisation of interpersonal practices in the context of computer-mediated communication. The term ‘meta-conventionalisation’ refers to the coding of the conventional interpersonal practices of a particular group, or various groups, in the form of entertainment as films and novels. The word ‘meta’ refers to the fact that such pieces of artwork narrate a set of conventional practices from a quasi-observer point of view, without involving their audience in these practices as language users – in this sense they are different from good practice guides (typically described as ‘netiquette, in the context of e-pragmatics), which assume that readers will internalise the practices they describe. Meta-conventionalisation has been an understudied phenomenon, in spite of representing an important aspect of our daily lives. We illustrate how this phenomenon operates by examining a Japanese case study: a popular novel which features the online interactions of a group of otaku, that is, asocial young people who lock themselves up and interact in highly specific ways.
Tissue-specific pathways extrude activated ILC2s to disseminate type 2 immunity
Authors: Ricardo-Gonzalez Roberto R. , Schneider Christoph , Liao Chang , Lee Jinwoo , Liang Hong-Erh , Locksley Richard M.
Published: February 2020

Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are tissue-resident cells prominent at barrier sites. Although precursors are found in blood, mature ILC2s can enter the circulation after small intestinal perturbation by migratory helminths and move to distant tissues to influence the local reparative response. Using fate-mapping and methods to bypass the lung or intestinal phases of Nippostrongylus brasiliensis infection, we show that blood ILC2s comprise heterogeneous populations derived from distinct tissues that are dependent on alarmins matched to the receptor profile of the specific tissue ILC2s. Activation of local ILC2s by tissue-specific alarmins induced their proliferation, lymph node migration, and blood dissemination, thus systemically distributing type 2 cytokines. These studies uncover a possible mechanism by which local innate responses transition to systemic type 2 responses by extrusion of activated sentinel ILC2s from tissue into the circulation.
Relation between the convective field and the stationary probability distribution of chemical reaction networks
Authors: Becker Lara , Mendler Marc , Drossel Barbara
Published: February 2020

We investigate the relation between the stationary probability distribution of chemical reaction systems and the convective field derived from the chemical Fokker–Planck equation (CFPE) by comparing predictions of the convective field to the results of stochastic simulations based on Gillespie’s algorithm. The convective field takes into account the drift term of the CFPE and the reaction bias introduced by the diffusion term. For one-dimensional systems, fixed points and bifurcations of the convective field correspond to extrema and phenomenological bifurcations of the stationary probability distribution whenever the CFPE is a good approximation to the stochastic dynamics. This provides an efficient way to calculate the effect of system size on the number and location of probability maxima and their phenomenological bifurcations in parameter space. For two-dimensional systems, we study models that have saddle-node and Hopf bifurcations in the macroscopic limit. Here, the existence of two stable fixed points of the convective field correlates either with two peaks of the stationary probability distribution, or with a peak and a shoulder. In contrast, a Hopf bifurcation that occurs in the convective field for decreasing system size is not accompanied by the onset of a crater-shaped probability distribution; decreasing system size rather destroys craters and replaces them by local maxima.
Low carbon society blueprints and primitive attempts of green buildings of existing buildings
Authors: Hamdan Ahmad Mohd
Published: February 2020

Rapid development of cities around the world has been the pulling factor for the increased in the rural migration to the cities. It is expected that urban population will increase to more than 60% by 2050 and the biggest growth is expected in the developing countries in Asia. The urban challenges and stresses are contributing to the main issue of climatic changes. One movement to combat and mitigate climate change in the cities is to culture a low carbon urban society. This paper shares the experience of preparing the Low Carbon Society (LCS) Blueprints specifically in matters involving Green Buildings for Iskandar Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The focus is on the existing buildings that make up more than 80% of building stocks in the cities. Furthermore, it is easier to manage and regulate new buildings through building submissions whereby the new building has to be designed as green building that will be vetted by respective local authority failing which the building plan will be rejected! Thus, clearly in order to make LCS successfully implemented and achieving target of green building, the most important is the caring for the existing buildings. The paper shares the strategies outlined in the LCS Blueprints and possible approaches to rejuvenate existing buildings into targeted green buildings using low lying fruit strategies before embarking into more expensive active technologies. The layman strategies adopted by house owner in a typical terrace house is used as an interesting case study that is simple and easy to follow with reference to the low-lying fruit principles. The paper discusses on incentives and rewards systems to drive green buildings awareness and implementations of LCS Blueprints for Iskandar Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur. It concluded by showing the illustration of Low Carbon City of the future.
Application of SPEI Index in Drought Evolution in Fujian Province
Authors: Guojiang Deng , Guangsheng Liu , Lianrong Chen
Published: February 2020

In recent years, global warming has significantly increased the number of extreme weather and climatic drought events. Therefore, based on the meteorological monitoring data of 19 stations in Fujian province from 1959 to 2011, the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI index) was obtained to analyse the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics of drought in Fujian province during the past 50 years. The results showed that the trend of climate warming in Fujian province in recent 50 years was obvious. Except for Xiamen, all the other stations showed an insignificant drying trend. The variation of SPEI index in recent 50 years shows that the dry and wet state of Fujian province did not change significantly before 2000, while the SPEI index was mostly negative after 2000, which showed a trend of drought. This study will provide an important scientific basis for scientific prediction of future surface moisture and water resources utilization and protection in Fujian province.
The Evolution of Urban System in Shandong Province
Authors: Wang Yanqiao , Chang Zhanqiang , He Lanting , Liu Xiaomeng , Qian Shujun
Published: February 2020

Shandong Province is one of the important provinces on the eastern coast. The total GDP is ranked third in the whole country. Since 2000, urbanization in Shandong Province has entered a period of rapid development, and the urban system has evolved into a focus. At present, there are relatively few research papers on urban system structure in China, and most of the focus is on urban agglomeration and urban circle research. Therefore, based on the socio-economic data of 17 cities from Shandong province, this paper aims to analyze the evolution of the urban system. From the aspect of economic spatial structure, we adopt principal component analysis (PCA) to obtain comprehensive score of economic scale and urban centrality of each city. It shows that Shandong province has developed from a dual-core urban system to a quad-core urban system. These four cores are Qingdao, Jinan, Weifang and Yantai. However, the gap of economical scale between Qingdao and Jinan is still relatively large. Based on the Economical Gravity Model, we obtain the strength of economic linkage between every two cities. It shows that the economic linkage of central Shandong and coastal areas is more concentrated, while economic linkage of southern Shandong is less concentrated. Overall, the urban system of Shandong Province has no obvious core cities and tends to be multi-core distribution. However, the four regional central cities described above are located in the central part of Shandong Province and the coastal peninsula, while the vast northern and southern parts of Shandong Province do not have a regional central city.
Assessment of the River Habitat Quality Using Bioindication in the Piedmont Stream Handlovka in Slovakia
Authors: Dolakova G , Skrinar A , Macura V
Published: February 2020

The paper focuses on an assessment of a river habitat quality in piedmont streams using a bioindication by the brown trout. The study was performed at four sites, piedmont streams in Slovakia, but modelling procedure herein is particularly described only for the Handlovka River, in the Nitra basin. For the field and modelling work, a natural reference reach and a regulated reach have been chosen within each stream. Hydrometric, geodetic and morphological measurements were conducted. The paper focuses on modelling in the Hydrocheck software and Computer Software System for Environmental Flow Analysis (SEFA) based on the Instream Flow Incremental Methodology (IFIM) and result output is the Area Weighted Suitability (AWS). The abiotic parameters for modelling were chosen as depth and velocity rates. The biotic parameter was chosen as an ichthyologic abundance of the brown trout. The results show significant difference between natural and modified channel, presenting natural reach as more suitable for fish abundance with higher AWS score. The regulated reaches are significantly affected by the river regulation, construction of concrete panels and sever contamination from anthropogenic runoff. On the contrary, the natural channels offer enough morphological structure and various shelter possibilities for enhancement of fish population.
Influence of management on vegetative reproduction of invasive species of Helianthus tuberosus in Poodri PLA
Authors: Janikova A , Svehlakova H , Turcova B , Stalmachova B
Published: February 2020

In this article, the authors deal with the influence of management on vegetative reproduction of Helianthus tuberosus, which is invasive plant in the Czech Republic and spreads uncontrollably in the Poodri PLA, where it displaces native plant species. We applied the proposed management (application of herbicides, mowing, engraving) on the study areas and then monitored the condition of the plant tubers.
Microbial degradation of wool industry wastewater
Authors: Pavlikova M
Published: February 2020

The textile industry generates a high volume of wastewater with various organic and inorganic compounds, which leads to many problems at water ecosystems. Various types of dyes were used for dyeing wool, but metal-complex dyes are the most favoured because of their high affinity towards protein fibres. The main purpose of this study was to reduce the concentration of metals from wool industry wastewater by microscopic filamentous fungi of genus Aspergillus. The most significant growth of biofilm, and thus the highest ability to reduce metal content in an aqueous solution was observed by microscopic filamentous fungi Aspergillus ochraceus. After 30 days of biodegradation process, the concentration of copper was reduced by 47.94%, and of chromium by 32.55%. Aspergillus flavus reduced the concentration of chromium by 18.34%, and Aspergillus candidus by 20.71%.
Memory, Heritage and the Demolition of the Potsdam Garnisonkirche, 1968*
Authors: Colla Marcus
Published: February 2020

In 1968, the ruling Socialist Unity Party demolished Potsdam’s Garnisonkirche (Garrison Church). This article analyses the way in which the demolition of the Garnisonkirche opened up a spectrum of reflections on the meaning of the Prussian and Nazi pasts in the GDR and the ways it ought to be mediated through the urban landscape. Using petitions sent by everyday citizens to the local political authorities as well as debates within the SED itself, this article demonstrates how the public discussion about the demolition of the church navigated the many problems posed by Potsdam’s ‘burdened’ past in its urban spaces. While a number of individuals believed that this history could be transcended through the construction of a ‘new’ Potsdam, others believed that effectively handling the recent past required a direct confrontation with its architectural symbols.
A Multicenter Evaluation of a Nongel Mechanical Separator Plasma Blood Collection Tube for Testing of Selected Therapeutic Drugs
Authors: Morosyuk Svetlana , Berube Julie , Christenson Robert , Wu Alan H B , Uettwiller-Geiger Denise , Palicka Vladimir , Prusa Richard , Zima Tomas , Shaw Kristin , Plokhoy Elizabeth , Ahuja Aparna J , Stankovic Ana K
Published: February 2020

Background

Some therapeutic drugs are unstable during sample storage in gel tubes. BD Vacutainer® Barricor™ Plasma Blood Collection Tube with nongel separator was compared with plasma gel tubes, BD Vacutainer PST™, PST II, and BD Vacutainer Serum Tube for acetaminophen, salicylate, digoxin, carbamazepine, phenytoin, valproic acid, and vancomycin during sample storage for up to 7 days.

Methods

Seven hospital sites enrolled 705 participants who were taking at least one selected drug. The study tubes were collected and tested at initial time (0 h), after 48 h of storage at room temperature and on day 7 (after additional 5 days of refrigerated storage). The performance of BD Barricor tube was evaluated for each drug by comparing BD Barricor samples with samples from the other tubes at 0 h from the same participant; stability was evaluated by comparing test results from the same tube at 0 h, 48 h, and 7 days.

Results

At 0 h, BD Barricor showed clinically equivalent results for selected therapeutic drugs compared with the other tubes, except phenytoin in BD PST. Phenytoin samples ≥20 µg/mL in BD PST had 10–12% lower values than samples in BD Barricor. During sample storage, all selected drugs remained stable for 7 days in BD Barricor and in serum aliquots. In BD PST, all drugs remained stable except phenytoin and carbamazepine and in BD PST II except for phenytoin.

Conclusion

The BD Barricor Tube is effective for the collection and storage of plasma blood samples for therapeutic drug monitoring without sample aliquoting.
Thrombolytic Use in Management of Frostbite Injuries: Eight Year Retrospective Review at a Single Institution
Authors: Heard Jason , Shamrock Alan , Galet Colette , Pape Kate O , Laroia Sandeep , Wibbenmeyer Lucy
Published: February 2020

Frostbite injuries are uncommon, understudied, and lack standardized treatment protocols. Although thrombolytics are commonly used, their efficacy remains controversial. Herein, we report the results of a retrospective review of frostbite treatment practices at a single institution. The impact of thrombolytics on outcomes was evaluated. Medical records of frostbite patients admitted between January 2010 and April 2018 were reviewed. Demographics, injury details, treatment, and outcomes were collected. Descriptive statistics were obtained. A case–control analysis comparing patients who received tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) with those who did not was performed. A total of 102 patients were included. The mean age was 43 ± 17.7; 82.4% were male. About 13% of patients were presented with first-degree, 54% with second-degree, 29% with third-degree, and 5% with fourth-degree frostbite. Toes (69%), fingers (53%), and feet (43%) were most commonly affected. Thirteen patients had angiograms. Twelve patients received tPA: three systemic tPA and nine catheter-directed tPA. Overall, 32 patients (31%) required surgery and 27 (26.5%) patients required amputation with an average of 6.5 digits amputated. Digit salvage rate based on angiography was 84.7%. Length of stay (P = .046), number of operations (P = .037), and need for surgery (P = .030) were significantly lower for patients who received thrombolytics. Two patients had bleeding complications but did not require intervention or interruption of therapy. Despite its small sample size, our study suggests benefits from thrombolytic therapy. Prospective, well designed, and multi-institutional studies are warranted to establish evidence-based treatment guidelines for the management of frostbite injuries.
Impact of air pollution on short-term movements: evidence from air travels in China
Authors: Chen Shuai , Chen Yuyu , Lei Ziteng , Tan-Soo Jie-Sheng
Published: February 2020

While there is abundant evidence demonstrating that residents permanently migrate in search of locations with cleaner air, there are considerably fewer studies that investigate if travellers also take short-term trips to reduce their exposure to air pollution. In this study, we use a complete dataset of flights at Beijing International Airport to investigate if travel patterns are indeed correlated with air quality-differences across cities in China. Our identification strategy is aided by instrumenting air quality using thermal inversions. We find that a one-unit increase in the Air Pollution Index of origin over destination city would lead to a 0.36% increase in number of passengers on the flight. When considered separately by cabin-class, the number of first-class passengers increased about three-times faster than economy-class. Using lagged air quality information, we also find that averting-related travel decisions are most sensitive to destination’s air quality on day-of-travel. This indicates that flight passengers likely rely on air quality forecast information to make air pollution-induced travel decisions.
Bioelution, Bioavailability, and Toxicity of Cobalt Compounds Correlate
Authors: Danzeisen Ruth , Williams David Lee , Viegas Vanessa , Dourson Michael , Verberckmoes Steven , Burzlaff Arne
Published: February 2020

Based on the wide use of cobalt substances in a range of important technologies, it has become important to predict the toxicological properties of new or lesser-studied substances as accurately as possible. We studied a group of 6 cobalt substances with inorganic ligands, which were tested for their bioaccessibility (surrogate measure of bioavailability) through in vitro bioelution in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids. Representatives of the group also underwent in vivo blood kinetics and mass balance tests, and both oral acute and repeated dose toxicity (RDT) testing. We were able to show a good correlation between high in vitro bioaccessibility with high in vivo bioavailability and subsequent high in vivo toxicity; consequently, low in vitro bioaccessibility correlated well with low in vivo bioavailability and low in vivo toxicity. In vitro bioelution in simulated gastric fluid was the most precise predictor of the difference in the oral RDT lowest observed adverse effect levels of 2 compounds representing the highly and poorly bioaccessible subset of substances. The 2 compounds cobalt dichloride hexahydrate and tricobalt tetraoxide differed by a factor of 440 in their in vitro bioaccessibility and by a factor of 310 in their RDT lowest observed adverse effect level. In summary, this set of studies shows that solubility, specifically in vitro bioelution in simulated gastric fluid, is a good, yet conservative, predictor of in vivo bioavailability and oral systemic toxicity of inorganic cobalt substances. Bioelution data are therefore an invaluable tool for grouping and read across of cobalt substances for hazard and risk assessment.
Examining Factors That Contribute to Delayed Wound Healing in Children with Tracheostomy Wounds
Authors: Odom Brian H. , Lowe Leah , VanHoose Lisa , Rainey Jacqueline , Yates Charlotte
Published: February 2020

OBJECTIVE

To identify variables that may contribute to delayed wound healing times in pediatric patients with tracheostomy wounds.

DESIGN

Researchers identified 134 charts spanning January 2013 to June 2017; 95 charts met the inclusion criteria. The study examined Pressure Ulcer Scale for Healing (PUSH) scores, pressure injury staging, and albumin levels.

SETTING

Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

PATIENTS

Patients (birth to 18 years) who developed or were admitted with a wound caused by a tracheostomy device.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Time in days to wound closure.

MAIN RESULTS

There was a moderate positive correlation between albumin and days to healing (r = 0.432, n = 22, P = .045) with higher albumin levels associated with shorter healing times. The PUSH scores and pressure injury stage were significant in explaining 14.1% of variance in days to healing (F
77,2 = 7.458; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Wound healing appears to be multifactorial in nature in the pediatric population; albumin levels, pressure injury stage, and PUSH scores are all positively correlated with healing times. Further research is needed to investigate the contribution of race to healing time predication for the pediatric population.