bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Reproductive Biology of Female Atlantic Herring in U.S. Waters: Validating Classification Schemes for Assessing the Importance of Spring and Skipped Spawning
Authors: Wuenschel Mark J. , Deroba Jonathan J.
Published: December 2019

Atlantic Herring Clupea harengus are iteroparous (repeat spawners) with group-synchronous oocyte development and determinate fecundity, and they are total spawners. However, they also exhibit plasticity in other aspects of their reproductive biology including spawning seasonality and skipped spawning. Previous studies in other regions have reported skipped spawning and errors in macroscopic classifications of maturity, both of which could bias estimates of reproductive potential, but a critical assessment of these in U.S. waters is lacking. In the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank, herring are assessed as a single stock complex, where females typically mature as 3 to 4 year olds and may live up to 11 years. To evaluate the magnitude of skipped spawning, we collected the ovaries of Atlantic Herring from fishery-dependent and fishery-independent sources over multiple seasons and evaluated them histologically to assess imminent (indicated by vitellogenic or maturing oocytes) or recent spawning (evidenced by the presence of postovulatory follicles). Gonad histology allowed us to determine spawning seasonality and skipped spawning. Macroscopic maturity classification was more accurate in fall (1–4% incorrect maturity) than in spring (7% incorrect maturity). The spatial distributions of immature and mature fish from both fishery-dependent and fishery-independent sources differed, which affected the estimation of maturity at length and age. We estimated 9–14% spring spawners in the region, but we did not find evidence of skipped spawning. The time series of the macroscopic data that were available (1987–2018) showed increases in spring spawning with latitude, but the proportions have not changed much over recent decades. The effects of up to 30% spring or skipped spawning on a stock assessment of Atlantic Herring were evaluated. Spring spawning had little effect relative to assuming 100% fall spawning (the current assumption), and skipped spawning decreased the scale of spawning stock biomass (SSB) and related reference points, with the degree of change increasing with skipped spawning rates, but it had few consequences otherwise.
Well‐posedness and asymptotic stability to a laminated beam in thermoelasticity of type III
Authors: Liu Wenjun , Luan Yue , Liu Yadong , Li Gang
Published: December 2019

This paper is concerned with the well‐posedness and asymptotic behaviour of solutions to a laminated beam in thermoelasticity of type III. We first obtain the well‐posedness of the system by using semigroup method. We then investigate the asymptotic behaviour of the system through the perturbed energy method. We prove that the energy of system decays exponentially in the case of equal wave speeds and decays polynomially in the case of nonequal wave speeds. Under the case of nonequal wave speeds, we also investigate the lack of exponential stability of the system.
Multimodality image registration in the head‐and‐neck using a deep learning‐derived synthetic CT as a bridge
Authors: McKenzie Elizabeth M. , Santhanam Anand , Ruan Dan , O'Connor Daniel , Cao Minsong , Sheng Ke
Published: December 2019

Purpose

To develop and demonstrate the efficacy of a novel head‐and‐neck multimodality image registration technique using deep‐learning‐based cross‐modality synthesis.

Methods and Materials

Twenty‐five head‐and‐neck patients received magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT) (CTaligned) scans on the same day with the same immobilization. Fivefold cross validation was used with all of the MR‐CT pairs to train a neural network to generate synthetic CTs from MR images. Twenty‐four of 25 patients also had a separate CT without immobilization (CTnon‐aligned) and were used for testing. CTnon‐aligned's were deformed to the synthetic CT, and compared to CTnon‐aligned registered to MR. The same registrations were performed from MR to CTnon‐aligned and from synthetic CT to CTnon‐aligned. All registrations used B‐splines for modeling the deformation, and mutual information for the objective. Results were evaluated using the 95% Hausdorff distance among spinal cord contours, landmark error, inverse consistency, and Jacobian determinant of the estimated deformation fields.

Results

When large initial rigid misalignment is present, registering CT to MRI‐derived synthetic CT aligns the cord better than a direct registration. The average landmark error decreased from 9.8 ± 3.1 mm in MR→CTnon‐aligned to 6.0 ± 2.1 mm in CTsynth→CTnon‐aligned deformable registrations. In the CT to MR direction, the landmark error decreased from 10.0 ± 4.3 mm in CTnon‐aligned→MR deformable registrations to 6.6 ± 2.0 mm in CTnon‐aligned→CTsynth deformable registrations. The Jacobian determinant had an average value of 0.98. The proposed method also demonstrated improved inverse consistency over the direct method.

Conclusions

We showed that using a deep learning‐derived synthetic CT in lieu of an MR for MR→CT and CT→MR deformable registration offers superior results to direct multimodal registration.
Three‐dimensional immersed finite‐element method for anisotropic magnetostatic/electrostatic interface problems with nonhomogeneous flux jump
Authors: Lu Chang , Yang Zhi , Bai Jinwei , Cao Yong , He Xiaoming
Published: December 2019

Anisotropic diffusion is important to many different types of common materials and media. Based on structured Cartesian meshes, we develop a three‐dimensional (3D) nonhomogeneous immersed finite‐element (IFE) method for the interface problem of anisotropic diffusion, which is characterized by an anisotropic elliptic equation with discontinuous tensor coefficient and nonhomogeneous flux jump. We first construct the 3D linear IFE space for the anisotropic nonhomogeneous jump conditions. Then we present the IFE Galerkin method for the anisotropic elliptic equation. Since this method can efficiently solve interface problems on structured Cartesian meshes, it provides a promising tool to solve the physical models with complex geometries of different materials, hence can serve as an efficient field solver in a simulation on Cartesian meshes for related problems, such as the particle‐in‐cell simulation. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the features of the proposed method.
Healthcare professionals' perceptions of patient safety for the woman in childbirth in Sweden – An interview study
Authors: Skoogh Annika , Bååth Carina , Sandin Bojö Ann‐Kristin , Hall‐Lord Marie Louise
Published: December 2019

Aim

To describe healthcare professionals' perceptions of patient safety with a focus on the woman in connection to childbirth.

Design

A descriptive and qualitative design with a phenomenographic approach.

Methods

Individual qualitative face‐to‐face interviews with 19 healthcare professionals (midwives, nursing assistants and physicians) were conducted in three labour wards in Sweden. The data were analysed according to Dahlgren and Fallsberg's seven steps.

Results

The informants' perceptions of patient safety for the women were identified in four qualitative different descriptive categories: Safeguarding the woman, Safeguarding the birth process, Respecting the individual and the team and Managing workforce and learning. Supportive care and listening to the woman were important for patient safety. It was crucial to follow labour stages and to avoid unnecessary interventions. An open and tolerant atmosphere between the healthcare professionals improved decision‐making, and a reasonable workload was essential for ensuring safe care.
Analogous losses of large animals and trees, socio‐ecological consequences, and an integrative framework for rewilding‐based megabiota restoration
Authors: Schweiger Andreas H. , Svenning Jens‐Christian
Published: December 2019

Large‐sized animals (megafauna) and trees (megatrees) are key ecosystem components with high cultural and economic importance going back millennia. Once common, both groups of megabiota have been massively reduced in pre‐historic and historic times, with human‐induced downsizing still ongoing.

Key ecosystem services provided by megafauna and megatrees include nutrient and seed transfer, carbon allocation, climate regulation and biodiversity facilitation. Socio‐cultural services include food and timber provisioning and the ‘charisma’ of large‐sized organisms, with its associated high cultural, recreational and nature conservation values for human societies worldwide.

Conservation and restoration of megafauna and—trees in a socio‐ecological framework are needed to counteract past and ongoing analogous downsizing of both groups of megabiota and the loss of important ecosystem services in a human‐dominated world. Importantly, synergistic megatree–megafauna restoration promotes self‐regulating biodiverse ecosystems across the full range of land use intensities ranging from current downsized wildlands to highly human‐modified landscapes.

We propose an integrative rewilding‐based restoration framework applicable across the whole range of human land use intensity. This includes individual‐based protection, assisted colonisation and facilitation of urban wildlife. Active management of megafauna and ‐trees can be economically beneficial and necessary to minimize human–wildlife conflicts in highly human‐dominated landscapes. Societal acceptance and adaptation to old big trees and wild megafauna are prerequisites for successful megabiota restoration in human‐modified landscapes and elsewhere where human–wildlife conflicts are hard to avoid.

The prime goal of such integrative rewilding activities should be a proactive facilitation of the self‐regulation potential of natural and novel ecosystems for which large‐sized trees and animals would be some of the most important components for enhancing biodiversity and societal value in the Anthropocene. Such megabiota restoration needs to be done on a wide scale to restore functional effects on the biosphere.

A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
High‐precision alignment procedures for patterning processes in solar cell production
Authors: Lohmüller Elmar , Weber Julian , Demant Matthias , Lohmüller Sabrina , Gutscher Simon , Saint‐Cast Pierre , Wolf Andreas
Published: December 2019

We present two approaches for high‐accuracy aligning of patterning processes with each other when fabricating solar cells. We introduce the approaches on the example of two different patterning processes of which one is adjustable (laser process) and one is not adjustable (screen‐printing process). The basic idea is to measure the coordinates of the applied structures of each involved patterning process at discrete grid points with respect to a reference coordinate system. We chose the grid points such that they completely define the final cell pattern. Then, we adjust the grid point coordinates of one of the patterning processes (the laser process) according to the pattern of the other process (the screen‐printing process). The laser then performs the patterning by connecting the corrected grid points with each other in the desired direction. We perform the associated high‐precision measurement of the patterns' coordinates by using either a high‐precision offline coordinate measuring machine or a high‐resolution inline camera system with subsequent computer‐based data processing. The latter inline method enables high throughput and is, in turn, of great interest for mass production of solar cells. In this paper, we demonstrate the alignment procedure approaches on “pPassDop” solar cells by adjusting a locally applied laser process to the directly following screen‐printing step. This proof of principle includes both above‐mentioned methods for coordinate determination in separate cell batches. Our innovative alignment procedures so far demonstrated the successful matching of 40‐μm‐wide screen‐printed contact fingers to 70‐μm‐wide laser‐processed lines over the entire area of 6‐inch solar cells.
How the global threat of pests and diseases impacts plants, people, and the planet
Authors: Spence Nicola , Hill Louise , Morris Jake
Published: December 2019

Societal Impact Statement

Plants provide us with the building blocks of life—oxygen, food, fuel, clean air, and water and a stable environment. And yet, in the modern world, they are under ever‐increasing threat from introduced pests and diseases. Such epidemics can have devastating impacts on human health, biodiversity, and food security, as well as contributing to environmental change. The Chief Plant Health Officer at Defra has a key role in the development of policy to protect the UK’s plants from biosecurity risks, and we explore the different approaches being taken to manage these risks and protect the UK’s plants for the future.

Plants have an essential role in addressing the great social and environmental challenges of our time. However, the risk from invasive plant pests and pathogens is also significant and constantly growing as a result of increasing globalization and environmental change. The UK’s plant health regime aims to manage that risk to protect the enormous value of plants and trees; from the value of crops and forestry products, to ecosystem services and societal benefits. We discuss the role of the Chief Plant Health Officer at Defra in advising Ministers on plant health policy, including through dialogue with stakeholders and the research community. Case studies demonstrate how plant health threats can put at risk human physical and mental health, the economic benefits of healthy plants, and food security. We discuss the UK’s risk‐based approach to protecting the UK’s plant resource, and the approaches being taken to manage different kinds of risks, including import controls, management of threats once established, breeding resistant varieties, utilizing citizen science, and awareness raising.
Alignment of stakeholder agendas to facilitate the adoption of school‐supervised asthma therapy
Authors: Trivedi Michelle , Patel Janki , Hoque Shushmita , Mizrahi Raphael , Biebel Kathleen , Phipatanakul Wanda , Lemon Stephenie C. , Byatt Nancy , Gerald Lynn B. , Rosal Milagros , Pbert Lori
Published: December 2019

Background

School‐supervised inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy improves pediatric asthma medication adherence, outcomes, and morbidity. However, school‐supervised ICS therapy has not been widely adopted into practice. We developed Asthma Link™ as a sustainable, low‐cost model of school‐supervised asthma therapy, designed for real‐world adoption. Initial outcomes of Asthma Link™ demonstrated a significant improvement in health outcomes.

Objective

In this study, we examined the perspectives of Asthma Link™ participants to identify systems‐level barriers and facilitators to refine the Asthma Link™ protocol and facilitate real‐world uptake of school‐supervised asthma therapy.

Methods

Using qualitative research methods, we interviewed 29 participants in Asthma Link™ from 2016 to 2018. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted over the phone. Interviews were transcribed and the transcripts were coded to identify major themes within and across stakeholder groups.

Results

Stakeholders agreed on many facilitators for successful Asthma Link™ execution including the brief and easy to follow procedures and the perceived beneficial health impacts for children involved. Some of the barriers identified were deviations from the protocol and insurance companies denying coverage for two inhalers. However, the participants did propose solutions to address these barriers.

Conclusion

Asthma Link™ is a low‐cost, sustainable model of school‐supervised asthma therapy that leverages the established infrastructure and collaboration of medical providers, school staff, and families. In this study, we elicited the perspectives from these stakeholder groups and identified an agreement in several facilitators, barriers, and proposed solutions that will ultimately inform refinement of the program protocol and support real‐world adoption of Asthma Link™ and other similar models.
Developments, applications, and prospects of cryo‐electron microscopy
Authors: Benjin Xu , Ling Liu
Published: December 2019

Cryo‐electron microscopy (cryo‐EM) is a structural biological method that is used to determine the 3D structures of biomacromolecules. After years of development, cryo‐EM has made great achievements, which has led to a revolution in structural biology. In this article, the principle, characteristics, history, current situation, workflow, and common problems of cryo‐EM are systematically reviewed. In addition, the new development direction of cryo‐EM—cryo‐electron tomography (cryo‐ET), is discussed in detail. Also, cryo‐EM is prospected from the following aspects: the structural analysis of small proteins, the improvement of resolution and efficiency, and the relationship between cryo‐EM and drug development. This review is dedicated to giving readers a comprehensive understanding of the development and application of cryo‐EM, and to bringing them new insights.
Isolation and identification of attractants from the pupae of three lepidopteran species for the parasitoid Chouioia cunea Yang
Authors: Li Min , Yang Yixin , Yao Yonghong , Xiang Weifang , Han Jiayi , Wang Yonghui , Bai Penghua , Wang Jing , Zhu Gengping , Man Liang , Zhang Fan , Pan Lina
Published: December 2019

BACKGROUND

Chouioia cunea Yang (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) is a parasitic wasp and natural enemy of several lepidopteran pests during their pupal stage. The volatiles from pupae of three hosts, Hyphantria cunea (Arctiidae), Antheraea pernyi (Saturniidae) and Lymantria dispar (Erebidae), were analyzed and compared to elucidate the chemical cues used by C. cunea to locate its hosts.

RESULTS

The attraction of C. cunea to H. cunea pupae has no obvious association with the types of plant leaves consumed by H. cunea before pupation. C. cunea exhibited the strongest attraction to the pupae of H. cunea, followed by those of A. pernyi and L. dispar based on behavioral experiments. Gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry and GC‐electroantennography (GC‐EAD) analyses showed that these three host pupae consisted of essentially the same active volatile components but at different relative amounts. Active components derived from these pupae by GC‐EAD were alkanes from C12 to C27, and C. cunea showed different levels of attraction to different single compounds.

CONCLUSION

Host location by C. cunea primarily depends on common compounds emanating from the pupae of several host species. The relative amount of each component varies across host species, guiding host preferences by C. cunea. Optimal blends of several components were identified. Understanding the chemical cues used by C. cunea to locate its host could increase the possibility of developing attractants for parasitic wasps and subsequently increasing the parasitism rate of C. cunea on various hosts. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
Postharvest treatment of mandarin fruit using a combination of methyl bromide and phosphine against Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae)
Authors: Li Li , Zhang Guangping , Li Baishu , Yang Jeong Oh , Park Min‐Goo , Liu Tao
Published: December 2019

BACKGROUND

Chinese Nanfeng mandarin (Citrus reticulate Blanco ‘2–6’) fruit is host to the oriental fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis Hendel, and therefore requires phytosanitary treatment before exporting abroad. The use of methyl bromide (MB) should be reduced because it has phytotoxic and ozone depleting properties. In the present study, fumigations with mixtures of gaseous phosphine (PH3) and MB were conducted to disinfest B. dorsalis. The effect of combined fumigation on postharvest quality of Nanfeng mandarin fruit was then evaluated.

RESULTS

There was a clear synergistic effect between MB and PH3 against B. dorsalis at 20 °C. The third‐instar larvae of B. dorsalis were the most tolerant to treatment with both MB alone and combined with PH3. Toxicity assay of third instars indicated that higher PH3 concentrations increased MB toxicity, and 1.42–2.84 g m−3 of PH3 was optimal when combined with MB. Probit analysis showed that, combined with 2.13 g m−3 PH3, similar mortality was achieved with 50% of the MB required when applied alone. Furthermore, the fruit quality test showed that MB fumigation resulted in a higher respiration rate and >40% fruit rot after storage. The combined treatment reduced these effects and did not have adverse effects on fruit firmness, soluble solid content, titratable acidity, or vitamin C content.

CONCLUSION

Our findings demonstrate the synergistic effect between PH3 and MB and indicate that this treatment has potential as a novel strategy for postharvest control of B. dorsalis, especially in MB‐sensitive fruit. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
Amino acid chalcogen analogues as tools in peptide and protein research
Authors: Moroder Luis , Musiol Hans‐Jürgen
Published: December 2019

The chalcogen elements oxygen, sulfur, and selenium are essential constituents of side chain functions of natural amino acids. Conversely, no structural and biological function has been discovered so far for the heavier and more metallic tellurium element. In the methionine series, only the sulfur‐containing methionine is a proteinogenic amino acid, while selenomethionine and telluromethionine are natural amino acids that are incorporated into proteins most probably because of the tolerance of the methionyl‐tRNA synthetase; so far, methoxinine the oxygen analogue has not been discovered in natural compounds. Similarly, the chalcogen analogues of tryptophan and phenylalanine in which the benzene ring has been replaced by the largely isosteric thiophene, selenophene, and more recently, even tellurophene are fully synthetic mimics that are incorporated with more or less efficiency into proteins via the related tryptophanyl‐ and phenylalanyl‐tRNA synthetases, respectively. In the serine/cysteine series, also selenocysteine is a proteinogenic amino acid that is inserted into proteins by a special translation mechanism, while the tellurocysteine is again most probably incorporated into proteins by the tolerance of the cysteinyl‐tRNA synthetase. For research purposes, all of these natural and synthetic chalcogen amino acids have been extensively applied in peptide and protein research to exploit their different physicochemical properties for modulating structural and functional properties in synthetic peptides and rDNA expressed proteins as discussed in the following review.
Nematic Fluctuations in Optimally Doped BaFe1.87Co0.13As2 Observed in Photoinduced Reflectivity Change
Authors: Lee YeongSeon , Kwak Inho , Lee Min-Cheol , Seo Choongwon , Kim Youngchan , Wolf Thomas , Noh TaeWon , Kim KyungWan
Published: December 2019

The photoinduced reflectivity change of optimally doped BaFe1.87Co0.13As2 is investigated. It is observed that the nematic signal in the photoinduced reflectivity change continues to increase as temperature decreases, reflecting its fluctuating nature. However, fluence‐dependent measurements show saturation of the nematic signal at higher pump fluence, a typical behavior of a static order parameter. Temperature‐dependent evolution of the saturation and the characteristic relaxation time of the nematic signal suggest that the nematicity of a spin and/or orbital origin develops at lower temperature on top of the nematicity coupled to the lattice that dominates the higher temperature nematic response.
Electronic structure of first and second row atoms under harmonic confinement
Authors: Robles‐Navarro Andrés , Fuentealba Patricio , Muñoz Francisco , Cárdenas Carlos
Published: December 2019

Atoms under pressure undergo a number of modifications of their electronic structure. Good examples are the spontaneous ionization, stabilization of excited‐state configurations, and contraction of atomic‐shells. In this work, we study the effects of confinement with harmonic potentials on the electronic structure of atoms from H to Ne. Dynamic and static correlation is taken into account with coupled cluster with single and double excitations and CASSCF calculations. Because the strength of harmonic confinement cannot be translated into pressure, we envisioned a “calibration” method to transform confinement into pressure. We focused on the effect of confinement on: (a) changes of electron distribution and localization within the K and L shells, (b) confinement‐induced ionization pressure, (c) level crossing of electronic states, and (d) correlation energy. We found that contraction of valence and core‐shells are not negligible and that the use of standard pseudopotentials might be not adequate to study solids under extreme pressures. The critical pressure at which atoms ionize follows a periodic trend, and it ranges from 28 GPa for Li to 10.8 TPa for Ne. In Li and Be, pressure induces mixing of the ground state configuration with excited states. At high pressure, the ground states of Li and Be become a doublet and a triplet with configurations 1s22p and 1s22s2p, respectively, which could change the chemistry of Be. Finally, it is observed that atoms with fewer electrons correlation increases, but for atoms with more electrons, the increasing of kinetic energy dominates over electron correlation.
Zosteriform cutaneous metastases: an unusual presentation of metastatic lung carcinoma
Authors: Wark Kirsty J. L. , Mahendran Melani , Tatian Artiene , Singh Amandeep , Woods Jane , Aravindan Ananthakrishnapuram
Published: December 2019

Zosteriform cutaneous metastases are an unusual and rare morphological variant. We discuss the case of a 78‐year‐old gentleman with a background of end‐stage renal disease with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the lung which was diagnosed due to the development of zosteriform cutaneous metastases around his vascular catheter (vascath) site. The vascath may have acted as a traumatic nidus for lymphatic spread.
Molecular Signatures of Three Fulvic Acid Standard Samples as Revealed by Electrospray Ionization Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Qin Shuai , Xu Chengbin , Guo Fei , Qi Ji , Xu Lei , Xu Yingzi , Song Fanhao , Bai Yingchen
Published: December 2019

It is necessary to understand the molecular composition of fulvic acid (FA), which plays a significant role in the transport and bioavailability of pollutants in the environment. FA collected from Suwannee River in South Georgia (SRFAriver) and Elliott soil in fertile prairie of Illinois (ESFAsoil) are two standard fulvic acid samples of International Humic Substances Society (IHSS). FA collected from Beijing Jiufeng forest soils in China (JFFAsoil) was extracted according to the standard method recommended by IHSS. In this study, the compositions of three FA from two origins (i. e. river and soil) are characterized using negative ion mode electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI FT‐ICR MS). Compounds possessing higher aromaticity usually contain more nitrogen or sulfur atoms. The aromaticity and humification degree of soil‐derived FA are higher. Soil‐derived FA contains more nitrogen and sulfur elements because compounds containing nitrogen and sulfur atoms are easily absorbed by clay minerals and preserved in aromatic molecules. Comparing the two soil‐derived FA, they differed little in formula and component compositions, but JFFAsoil was slightly more aromatic and less labile than ESFAsoil. These are useful for understanding the difference between the carbon, nitrogen and sulfur element enrichment process in the formation of fulvic acid in river and soil environment at the molecular level.
Do disinfection byproducts in drinking water have an effect on human cancer risk worldwide? A meta‐analysis
Authors: Kalankesh Laleh R. , Rodríguez‐Couto Susana , Zazouli Mohammad Ali , Moosazadeh Mahmood , Mousavinasab Seyednouraddin
Published: December 2019

In the present study, a meta‐analysis was carried out to clarify the association between disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in drinking water and human cancer risk worldwide. Kidney, colorectal, esophagus, urinary bladder, brain, breast, leukemia, lung, and rectum cancers were selected to perform this analysis. According to preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta‐analysis protocol (PRISMA) guidelines, the relevant studies were identified and selection criteria (inclusion and exclusion criteria) were applied. Next, effective subgroups in these studies (gender, type of drinking water source, and type of DBPs) were analyzed. The quality of the studies was evaluated using the Newcastle‐Ottawa Scale. In addition, this overall study included analyses of 16 case–control and 3 cohort studies. The overall odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) between DBPs and cancer risk was 1.01 (95% CI, 0.94–1.09). The summary ORs of cancer risk were 1.04 (95% CI, 0.89–1.19) for kidney; 0.98 (95% CI, 0.87–1.09) for colorectal; 1.07 (95% CI, 0.84–1.29) for esophagus; 0.93 (95% CI, 0.80–1.06) for pancreatic; 1.00 (95% CI, 0.83–1.18) for brain; 1.13 (95% CI, 0.99–1.26) for breast; 0.93 (95% CI, 0.72–1.13) for leukemia; and 1.18 (95% CI, 1–1.36) for lung cancers. The results of this meta‐analysis suggested that there is not a significant association between DBPs in water and cancer risk. In addition, subgroup analysis shows a positive association with colorectal and kidney cancer risk in men, as well as colon and breast cancers in females. Studies of both genders have shown a significant association between lung and pancreatic cancers. Moreover, this study finds a significant relationship between cancer rate and consumers of city water and bottled water sources. In analyzing different types of DBPs in water, chlorine and trichloromethane show a significant association in increasing cancer risk.
Vacuum stability and symmetry breaking in left-right symmetric model
Authors: Chauhan Garv
Published: December 2019

Abstract

We derive analytic necessary and sufficient conditions for the vacuum stability of the left-right symmetric model by using the concepts of copositivity and gauge orbit spaces. We also derive the conditions sufficient for successful symmetry breaking and the existence of a correct vacuum. We then compare results obtained from the derived conditions with those from numerical minimization of the scalar potential. Finally, we discuss the renormalization group analysis of the scalar quartic couplings through an example study that satisfies vacuum stability, perturbativity, unitarity and experimental bounds on the physical scalar masses.
Higher Derivative Gauge theory in d = 6 and the $$ \mathbb{C}{\mathbb{P}}^{\left({N}_f-1\right)} $$ NLSM
Authors: Khachatryan Hrachya
Published: December 2019

Abstract

We consider the

$$ \mathbb{C}{\mathbb{P}}^{\left({N}_f-1\right)} $$

ℂ

ℙ

N
f

−
1

Non-Linear-Sigma-Model in the dimension 4 < d < 6. The critical behaviour of this model in the large N

f
limit is reviewed. We propose a Higher Derivative Gauge (HDG) theory as an ultraviolet completion of the

$$ \mathbb{C}{\mathbb{P}}^{\left({N}_f-1\right)} $$

ℂ

ℙ

N
f

−
1

NLSM. Tuning mass operators to zero, the HDG in the IR limit reaches to the critical

$$ \mathbb{C}{\mathbb{P}}^{\left({N}_f-1\right)} $$

ℂ

ℙ

N
f

−
1

. With partial tunings the HDG reaches either to the critical U(N

f
)-Yukawa model or to the critical pure scalar QED (no Yukawa interactions). We renormalize the HDG in its critical dimension d = 6. We study the fixed points of the HDG in d = 6−2ϵ and we calculate the scaling dimensions of various observables finding a full agreement with the order O(1/N

f
) predictions of the corresponding critical models.
Carp (Cyprinidae) Fisheries in Swedish Lakes: A Combined Environmental Assessment Approach to Evaluate Data-limited Freshwater Fish Resources as Food
Authors: Hornborg Sara , Främberg Anton
Published: December 2019

The role of aquatic resources to food security is both promising and constrained since the global seafood consumption is increasing while marine fisheries approach the limit of what it can produce. In Sweden, the seafood consumption per capita is higher than the European and world average but the current dietary advice is to increase consumption. Freshwater fisheries have in general been paid less attention in food security discussions. Carp fishes (Cyprinidae) in Sweden have lost their historical value and are currently, both understudied and underutilized. Here we use a combined environmental assessment approach to examine the environmental sustainability of current and potential cyprinid fisheries. We found that current commercial fisheries for Swedish cyprinids in lakes have an average carbon footprint of 0.77 kg CO2e per kg of edible product, substantially smaller than most of the popular marine and terrestrial protein sources consumed in Sweden today. This could be even lower if cyprinid resources were better utilized than currently. The cyprinids however exhibited different vulnerability to fishing pressure and are today associated with data deficiencies. Hence, it is currently uncertain how much food for human consumption they can contribute to. Improved consumer interest and management attention is needed, but to the Swedish diet, cyprinids offer a promising opportunity for future more sustainable and nutritious food systems.
Lack of insulin resistance in response to streptozotocin treatment in neuronal SH-SY5Y cell line
Authors: Bagaméry Fruzsina , Varga Kamilla , Kecsmár Kitti , Vincze István , Szökő Éva , Tábi Tamás
Published: December 2019

Recently, it is suggested that brain insulin resistance may contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease; therefore, there is a high interest in its investigation. Streptozotocin (STZ) is often used to induce dysregulation of glucose and insulin metabolism in animal and cell culture models. Alteration in insulin sensitivity however, has not yet been assessed in neuronal cells after STZ treatment. We aimed at studying the concentration dependence of the protective effect of insulin on STZ-induced damage using SH-SY5Y cell line. Cells were treated with STZ and cell viability was assessed by resazurin reduction and lactate dehydrogenase release assays. Low serum (LS) medium was used as control damage. The effect of various concentrations (30, 100, 300, 1000 nM) of insulin was studied on cell viability and glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) phosphorylation, an indicator of insulin signaling. STZ induced dose- and time-dependent cytotoxicity, its 1 mM concentration exerted a low, gradually developing damage. The cytoprotective effect of insulin was demonstrated in both STZ and LS groups. Its maximal effect was lower in the STZ-treated cells; however, its effective concentration remained largely unaltered. Insulin-induced GSK-3 phosphorylation was similar in the STZ- and LS-treated cells suggesting unchanged insulin signaling. Our present results indicate that STZ does not induce significant impairment in insulin sensitivity in SH-SY5Y cells, thus in this cell line it is not a good tool for studying the role of insulin resistance in neurodegeneration and to examine protective agents acting by improving insulin signaling.
Analysis of anti-RNA polymerase III antibodies in Chinese Han systemic sclerosis patients
Authors: Liu Chenxi , Hou Yong , Xu Dong , Li Liubing , Zhang Yanfang , Cheng Linlin , Yan Songxin , Zhang Fengchun , Li Yongzhe
Published: December 2019

Objectives

This study aimed to assess the prevalence and clinical correlation of anti-RNA polymerase III antibodies (anti-RNAP III) in Chinese Han systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients.

Methods

Serum samples from 236 patients with SSc, 125 patients with connective tissue diseases (CTD), and 166 healthy controls (HCs), recruited from Peking Union Medical College Hospital and 21 other medical centers in China, were tested for antibodies to RNA polymerase III by means of a line immunoassay (LIA) or an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit.

Results

Anti-RNAP III antibodies were found in 14/236 SSc patients (5.93%), 1/125 (0.80%) CTD patients, and 0/166 (0.00%) HCs. The prevalence of anti-RNAP III was higher in SSc patients than in the CTD and HC groups (p = 0.02, p = 0.001, respectively). Renal crisis was significantly more common in patients with anti-RNAP III than patients without anti-RNAP III (42.9 vs. 4.1%, p < 0.0001). Gastrointestinal involvement was significantly more common in patients without anti-RNAP III than patients with anti-RNAP III (53.6 vs. 21.4%, p = 0.039). There was good agreement between the ELISA and line immunoassay (LIA) detection capabilities for anti-RNAP III.

Conclusions

The anti-RNAP III antibody, which was detected by ELISA, has diagnostic value for SSc and predictive value for SSc-related renal crisis. Both ELISA and LIA are very reliable methods for anti-RNAP III.Key Points• The prevalence of anti-RNAP III antibody was determined in Chinese SSc patients and performed ethnic differences.• The clinical association between anti-RNAP III antibody and Chinese SSc patients was evaluated in this research.• Methodological consistency of detection of anti-RNAP III antibody using commercial ELISA and LIA methods was evaluated in this research.
An “all-wheel drive” proposal to accelerate clinical research in common and rare neurological diseases
Authors: Salvetti Marco , Battaglia Mario A. , Di Filippo Massimiliano , Mancardi Gian Luigi , Mancuso Michelangelo , Patti Francesco , Sormani Maria Pia , Zaratin Paola
Published: December 2019

The complex biology of neurological diseases calls for collaborative efforts that may increase the success rate of clinical research. Models have been proposed, but concrete actions remain insufficient. Based on recent considerations from basic science, from science of patient input and from an analysis of scientific resources in Italy, we here explain why our country may represent an appropriate environment for such actions. Furthermore, we sketch operational framework and business model to be applied in order to accelerate, in parallel, the development of therapies in common and rare diseases.
Investigations on hepatic and intestinal drug-metabolizing cytochrome P450 enzymes in wild boar compared to domestic swine
Authors: Kurucz Ádám , Orbán Kata , Mackei Máté , Fébel Hedvig , Neogrády Zsuzsanna , Mátis Gábor
Published: December 2019

Drug-metabolizing cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes are especially important in wild animals as they are directly exposed to environmental pollutants and bioactive molecules of plants. Our main goal was to monitor the activity of certain CYP enzymes in wild boar compared to domestic swine, and to assess various modulatory factors of xenobiotic biotransformation in wild boar. Liver and intestinal mucosa (duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caecum) samples were collected from 49 hunted free-range wild boars and 15 wild boar fetuses; domestic pig samples (n = 40) were gained from a slaughter house. Specific activity of CYP1A2, CYP2C9, and CYP3A4 enzymes was assessed by luminometric assays. The activity of hepatic CYP1A2 and CYP3A4 enzymes was significantly higher in wild boars than in domestic pigs, while CYP2C9-mediated hepatic metabolism was significantly less intense in wild boars than in pigs. Certain modulatory factors (sex, sexual maturation, and season) were also confirmed in wild boars. The activity of all investigated intestinal CYP enzymes remained under detection level in each gut section in both species. Hepatic CYP2C9 and CYP3A4 enzymes were measurable in wild boar fetuses, but their activity was remarkably lower than in adults. The described interspecies differences might be explained with the altered exposure of wild and domesticated animals to specific CYP modulators. As CYP enzymes in wild boars can be highly influenced by environmental pollutants, following further studies, they may serve as ecotoxicological markers of agricultural or industrial toxicants. Investigating CYP-related drug metabolism in wildlife species can clarify some toxicokinetic interactions, thus having huge importance in the production of safe game meat.
Transitional Flow Dynamics Behind a Micro-Ramp
Authors: Casacuberta J. , Groot K. J. , Ye Q. , Hickel S.
Published: December 2019

Micro-ramps are popular passive flow control devices which can delay flow separation by re-energising the lower portion of the boundary layer. We compute the laminar base flow, the instantaneous transitional flow, and the mean flow around a micro-ramp immersed in a quasi-incompressible boundary layer at supercritical roughness Reynolds number. Results of our Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) are compared with results of BiLocal stability analysis on the DNS base flow and independent tomographic Particle Image Velocimetry (tomo-PIV) experiments. We analyse relevant flow structures developing in the micro-ramp wake and assess their role in the micro-ramp functionality, i.e., in increasing the near-wall momentum. The main flow feature of the base flow is a pair of streamwise counter-rotating vortices induced by the micro-ramp, the so-called primary vortex pair. In the instantaneous transitional flow, the primary vortex pair breaks up into large-scale hairpin vortices, which arise due to linear varicose instability of the base flow, and unsteady secondary vortices develop. Instantaneous vortical structures obtained by DNS and experiments are in good agreement. Matching linear disturbance growth rates from DNS and linear stability analysis are obtained until eight micro-ramp heights downstream of the micro-ramp. For the setup considered in this article, we show that the working principle of the micro-ramp is different from that of classical vortex generators; we find that transitional perturbations are more efficient in increasing the near-wall momentum in the mean flow than the laminar primary vortices in the base flow.
Structure of the Condensed Phase in the Inclusion Process
Authors: Jatuviriyapornchai Watthanan , Chleboun Paul , Grosskinsky Stefan
Published: December 2019

We establish a complete picture of condensation in the inclusion process in the thermodynamic limit with vanishing diffusion, covering all scaling regimes of the diffusion parameter and including large deviation results for the maximum occupation number. We make use of size-biased sampling to study the structure of the condensed phase, which can extend over more than one lattice site and exhibit an interesting hierarchical structure characterized by the Poisson–Dirichlet distribution. While this approach is established in other areas including population genetics or random permutations, we show that it also provides a powerful tool to analyse homogeneous condensation in stochastic particle systems with stationary product distributions. We discuss the main mechanisms beyond inclusion processes that lead to the interesting structure of the condensed phase, and the connection to other generic particle systems. Our results are exact, and we present Monte-Carlo simulation data and recursive numerics for partition functions to illustrate the main points.
Managing daytime sleepiness with the help of sleepcoaching, a non-pharmacological treatment of non-restorative sleep
Authors: Holzinger Brigitte , Levec Katharina , Munzinger Melissa-Marie , Mayer Lucille , Klösch Gerhard
Published: December 2019

Purpose

To measure the effect of a 2-day sleepcoaching seminar on daytime sleepiness and sleep-related variables of shift workers employed in an Austrian railway company (ÖBB: Österreichische Bundesbahnen).

Method

Participants filled in pre- and post-intervention questionnaires, containing items of the PSQI and the ESS, questions about chronotype, personality factors and possible burnout risk factors. About 30 shift workers, working in shifts for more than 300 months on average (28 male; mean age = 24 ± 45.90, age range 24–56 years) voluntarily took part in the investigation twice. Sleep coaching by Holzinger and Kloesch™ (SC) is a new holistic approach for non-pharmacological treatment of non-restorative sleep and is based on Gestalt therapy. It includes psychotherapeutic aspects, which enable clients to improve their sleep quality by developing one’s own coping strategies which can be implemented in daily routine. Dream work and relaxation techniques are also part of the programme.

Results

The 2-day SC seminar was beneficial by focusing on the sleep problems related to shift work. A significant improvement of the global PSQI score and the PSQI variables subjective sleep quality, diurnal fatigue, and sleep latency was achieved, with a medium effect size. However, the programme did not result in the reduction of daytime sleepiness (ESS). Six more variables did not change significantly.

Conclusion

While some sleep problems related to shift work were successfully addressed by SC, daytime sleepiness (ESS) could not be reduced contrary to our expectations. More research with a greater sample and a longitudinal design is needed to examine the long-term effects of SC.
Three principles for co-designing sustainability intervention strategies: Experiences from Southern Transylvania
Authors: Lam David P. M. , Horcea-Milcu Andra I. , Fischer Joern , Peukert Daniela , Lang Daniel J.
Published: December 2019

Transformational research frameworks provide understanding and guidance for fostering change towards sustainability. They comprise stages of system understanding, visioning and co-designing intervention strategies to foster change. Guidance and empirical examples for how to facilitate the process of co-designing intervention strategies in real-world contexts remain scarce, especially with regard to integrating local initiatives. We suggest three principles to facilitate the process of co-designing intervention strategies that integrate local initiatives: (1) Explore existing and envisioned initiatives fostering change towards the desired future; (2) Frame the intervention strategy to bridge the gap between the present state and desired future state(s), building on, strengthening and complementing existing initiatives; (3) Identify drivers, barriers and potential leverage points for how to accelerate progress towards sustainability. We illustrate our approach via a case study on sustainable development in Southern Transylvania. We conclude that our principles were useful in the case study, especially with regards to integrating initiatives, and could also be applied in other real-world contexts.
Timing is key to providing modified assessments for students with specific learning difficulties
Authors: Gray Christian P , Burr Steven A
Published: December 2019

Introduction Medical students who are diagnosed with a specific learning difficulty (SpLD) will typically receive a reasonable adjustment within examinations in the form of modified assessment provision (MAP). This study investigated whether the timing of SpLD diagnosis and subsequent implementation of MAP has an impact on performance in applied medical knowledge multiple choice question (MCQ) assessments.

Method The MCQ performance of 108 students diagnosed with SpLD who received a MAP was monitored and compared with 1960 students who received an unmodified assessment, over 5 years of a medical program. Students who received a SpLD diagnosis in the latter years of the program were identified as not receiving a MAP in assessments prior to diagnosis.

Results Differences were found between declaration and diagnosis, with 44.4% of students who declared and 48.1% who did not declare subsequently receiving a diagnosis. Students with SpLD who receive a MAP increase their applied medical knowledge assessment performance, although there is a delay of up to a year for this impact to reach significance.

Conclusion Early diagnosis of SpLD is necessary to ensure the intended benefit is received from MAP.