bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of parking estimation on rest service area in Malaysia
Authors: Ramli I. , Hainin M. R. , Hassan S. A. , Naqibah S. N.
Published: May 2019

Roadside rest area also known as rest service area (RSA) is one of the important facilities for expressway users. However, designing an efficient RSA is a challenge to most transport planners since it needs the information on potential and existing traffic volumes to estimate the parking demand and design of rest area facilities are also critical. Planning for these facilities is crucial in order to avoid over-design or under design which will affect the cost in the future for capacity issues. Therefore, this study is to determine the parking occupancy and develop parking estimation on RSA. The study was conducted on 10 sites of RSA along E1 and E2 expressway (Southern-Northern Expressway). The data collection for this study was conducted during the mid-week. Simple count observation and indirect method were used to determine the parking occupancy and traffic characteristics on RSA. The results show the peaking characteristics of space occupied, whereas the highest demand exhibited was during the midday period. The estimation model was found that traffic and site characteristics can be explained to estimate parking occupancy on RSA. The estimation result seems to be applicable.
Effects of interphase boundary anisotropy on the three-phase growth dynamics in the β(In) – In2Bi – γ(Sn) ternary-eutectic system
Authors: Mohagheghi S , Hecht U , Bottin-Rousseau S , Akamatsu S , Faivre G , Şerefoğlu M
Published: May 2019

We present an experimental investigation on the effects of the interphase energy anisotropy on the formation of three-phase growth microstructures during directional solidification (DS) of the β(In)–In2Bi–γ(Sn) ternary-eutectic system. Standard DS and rotating directional solidification (RDS) experiments were performed using thin alloy samples with real-time observation. We identified two main types of eutectic grains (EGs): (i) quasi-isotropic EGs within which the solidification dynamics do not exhibit any substantial anisotropy effect, and (ii) anisotropic EGs, within which RDS microstructures exhibit an alternation of locked and unlocked microstructures. EBSD analyses revealed (i) a strong tendency to an alignment of the In2Bi and γ(Sn) crystals (both hexagonal) with respect to the thin-sample walls, and (ii) the existence of special crystal orientation relationships (ORs) between the three solid phases in both quasi-isotropic and anisotropic EGs. We initiate a discussion on the dominating locking effect of the In2Bi–β(In) interphase boundary during quasi steady-state solidification, and the existence of strong crystal selection mechanisms during early nucleation and growth stages.
Investigation using 4D-CT of massive-like transformation from the δ to γ phase during and after δ-solidification in carbon steels
Authors: Yasuda Hideyuki , Hashimoto Takahiro , Sei Naoki , Morishita Kohei , Yoshiya Masato
Published: May 2019

For a long time, the γ phase in metallic alloys has seemed to be produced through a peritectic reaction between the δ and liquid phases. However, direct observations have shown that a massive-like transformation, in which the δ phase transforms into the γ phase in the solid state, is dominant during or after solidification of the δ phase in carbon steels. To characterize such massive-like transformation, we use time-resolved tomography (4D-CT) to demonstrate the volume change during cooling from the melt and the crystallographic orientation relationship between the δ and γ phases. The volume changes from solidification and from the massive-like transformation from the δ to the γ phase were −3% and −0.5%, respectively. The transformation from the δ to the γ phase finished quickly, as demonstrated by the volume change. Fine γ grains were produced even in a single δ grain through the massive-like transformation. Also, the refined γ grains showed a wide crystallographic distribution.
Numerical modelling of infiltration of Al into additive manufactured Fe preforms in order to obtain Fe-Al intermetallics
Authors: Berger R. , Jana S. , Focks N. , Michels H. , Kochanek W. , Charitidis C.
Published: May 2019

The current work, describes a numerical methodology to obtain deeper understanding of the kinetics of solidification and the dynamics of Al melt infiltration into porous iron preforms, in order to develop a near net shape process for a new class of highly advanced ductile and fine grained Fe-Al intermetallic. Investigations on macroscale simulations revealed that certain pressure and wetting conditions are beneficial for infiltration into finer structures. Microstructure showed a dependency of the solidification process on diffusion. Estimates for infiltration and solidification times are developed to determine which structures can be infiltrated before solidification stops melt flow.
Capillary-mediated solid-liquid energy fields: their detection with phase-field method
Authors: Glicksman M , Ankit K
Published: May 2019

Observations of melting crystallites in microgravity showed unusual shape changes as melting proceeded toward extinction. When re-analyzed in 2011, shape evolution data showed needle-like crystallites becoming spheroids as they melted toward extinction, suggesting that some type of capillary phenomenon at solid-liquid interfaces was responsible for an energy release capable of spherodising particles on melting, and stimulating pattern formation during unstable crystal growth. The presence of these previously undetected energy fields was recently uncovered using phase-field simulations that employ an entropy density functional. Simulations allow measurement of interfacial energy distributions on equilibrated solid-liquid interfaces configured as stationary grain boundary grooves (GBGs). Interfacial energy source fields—related to gradients in the Gibbs-Thomson temperature—entail persistent cooling along GBG profiles, a new result that fully confirms earlier predictions based on sharp-interface thermodynamics. This study also provides new insights to improve microstructure control at reduced scales by explaining the thermodynamic fields responsible for pattern formation in castings.
Three-dimensional mesoscopic modeling of equiaxed dendritic solidification in a thin sample: effect of convection flow
Authors: Olmedilla A. , Založnik M. , Cisternas Fernández M. , Viardin A. , Combeau H.
Published: May 2019

A 3D mesoscopic envelope model is used to numerically simulate the experimental X-ray observations of the equiaxed dendritic isothermal solidification of a thin sample of Al-20 wt%Cu alloy including the natural convection flow. Several four-grain simulations are run to investigate the effect of the convection, of the grain position, and of the grain rotation on the tip growth kinetics of one of the grains. We show that the effect of convection flow – consequence of the presence of gravity parallel to the sample thickness direction, z – on the growth kinetics of the reference grain depends significantly on the position of the grain along the sample thickness.
Influence of minor additions on Icosahedral Short-Range Order (ISRO) and its consequences on nucleation and solidification growth kinetics in fcc alloys
Authors: Zollinger J. , Rappaz M.
Published: May 2019

The present contribution reviews the recent progress related to the influence of Icosahedral Short-Range Order (ISRO) and icosahedral Quasicrystals (i-QC) formation on the solidification of fcc alloys through minor solute element additions. From intensive crystallographic analysis of multi-twinned regions in as-cast Al-based and Au-based fcc alloys, Kurtuldu et al. have shown recently that a so-called “iQC-mediated” nucleation mechanism occurs when a few hundred ppm of Cr and Ir, respectively, are added to the melt [1] [2]. Similarly, it appears that the growth directions of dendrites in Al-Zn:Cr is also influenced by ISRO in the liquid, thus showing an attachment kinetics effect [3]. In a recent contribution, we have shown that iQC-mediated nucleation also occurs in pink gold alloys with Ir-additions, but two additional phenomena at high solidification speed [4]: (i) a spinodal-type decomposition of the liquid, leading to the formation of twinned Cu precipitates in addition to multi-twinned Au-rich grains; (ii) a change of the microstructure of the Au-rich grains, from 〈100〉 dendrites to 〈111〉 textured cells in the columnar zone.
Grain refinements of magnesium alloys inoculated by additions of external SiC particles
Authors: Huang Yuanding , Gu Jian , You Sihang , Ulrich Kainer Karl , Hort Norbert
Published: May 2019

A homogeneous microstructure of as-cast magnesium alloys is desired to improve the formability during their subsequent thermomechanical processing. Owing to its similar crystal structure to Mg, the part of Zr formed by peritectic reaction during solidification was considered to be the most effective nucleants for alpha-Mg. However, regarding the Al-containing magnesium alloys, up to now no suitable and effective external nucleants were found for them. Recently, it was demonstrated that the additions of SiC worked in refining both the Mg-Al and Mg-Zn alloys. The SiC particles acted as nucleants in magnesium alloys are attracting more attentions. The present work investigated and compared the effects of external SiC particle additions on the grain refinements of Mg-Al and Al-free Mg-Zn (Mn) alloys. Their microstructures were characterized using XRD, SEM and TEM. It was found that the additions of SiC particles could refine the grains of both Mg-Al and Mg-Zn alloys. The SiC particles cannot act as a direct heterogeneous nucleant for the nucleation of alpha-Mg in both Mg-Al and Mg-Zn (Mn) alloys. The responsible mechanisms for their grain refinements are different. Regarding for Mg-Al alloys, the grain refinement caused by the addition of SiC particles is attributed to the formation of a ternary intermetallics Al2MgC2, which has a very similar crystal structure to that of Mg. As for Mg-Zn (Mn) alloys, the grain refinement is attributed to the formation of a (Mn, Si)-enriched intermetallics by the interactions between SiC and impurity Mn in alloys.
Effects of strain rate on hot tear formation in Al-Si-Cu alloys
Authors: Bhagavath S , Cai B , Atwood R , Lee PD , Karagadde S
Published: May 2019

The alloy casting process is one of the major manufacturing processes to produce near net shape components. The casing process is prone to a wide variety of defects, with hot tear being one of the most detrimental. The two main factors generally recognized as the primary cause for formation of hot tears are the mechanical response of the mush (which effects its permeability), and the solidification range (solidification time). The response of the mushy zone under deformation is mainly affected by the solid fraction, strain rate and grain morphology. Even though the science behind the formation of hot tear is understood, there is no general criterion to quantify the hot tear formation under varying casting conditions. The development of ultra-fast X-ray imaging has facilitated the means to quantify the effects of the critical parameters in-situ and develop better correlations for hot tear prediction. The in situ experiments will also provide insights into mush rheology, which has significant influence on hot tear formation. In this study, isothermal semi solid compression studies of Al-Si-Cu alloys were carried out using specially built thermo-mechanical rig. We studied the effects of the strain rate in the range of 2 × 10-4–0.02/s and solid fraction (∼0.6-0.9) on the mechanical response of the mushy zone. The sample were characterized before and after deformation using X-ray micro tomography. The data was subjected to an image processing routine and the amount of porosity and hot tear was quantified. The stress-strain curve of the semisolid alloys showed a characteristic strain softening behaviour for semi solid samples with ∼0.6-0.7 solid fraction, irrespective of loading rates, whereas the behaviour at higher fractions were that of constant flow stress. Additionally, in situ compression experiments were carried out, wherein the liquid channel thickness at various strain values were measured. Isolated liquid channels were formed under loading, from where the hot tears were found to nucleate. Hot tear susceptibility was found to increase with increasing strain rate and rheology of the mush, which is dependent on solid fraction.
Using morphology-equivalent method to simulate the evolution of shrinkage in Ti6Al4V alloy castings during HIP
Authors: Xu Q , Zhou J X , Li W , Feng X , Nan H , Yin Y J
Published: May 2019

Hot isostatic pressing(HIP) is an effective method to eliminate the shrinkage in castings. The morphology of shrinkage is complex, and there are structures such as sharp corners and small passages which would lead to a large number of elements and easily divergent calculation results. Therefore, the application of numerical simulation in HIP is limited. To solve the non-convergence problem, the real shrinkage is often simplified as a sphere. However, this simplification ignores the characteristics of the shrinkage and makes the simulation results unreliable. In this paper, the technique of morphology-equivalent ellipsoid is applied to the numerical simulation of shrinkage evolution during HIP. Firstly, the 3D morphology of shrinkage in Ti6Al4V alloy castings is obtained by micro computed tomography. The radius of sphere and the geometric size and orientation of morphology-equivalent ellipsoid are calculated by corresponding equivalent techniques. Secondly, the numerical simulations of HIP for the Ti6Al4V castings before and after the equivalent method are carried out. The volume evolution of three kinds of shrinkages are recorded and compared. The results show that the volume evolution of the morphology-equivalent ellipsoid is closer to that of the real shrinkage, the feasibility of the morphology-equivalent ellipsoid and the limitations of sphere are verified.
Numerical Simulations of Electromagnetic Counteractions to Mold Fluid Flow Asymmetry Deviations
Authors: Sedén Martin , Rydholm Bengt
Published: May 2019

Asymmetric flow of the molten steel in a continuous slab casting mold may be detrimental to the quality of the solidified end product. Depending on the severity of the biased flow, local mold powder entrainment, non-homogeneous solidification around the perimeter of the initial shell or non-optimal inclusion seclusion may occur. In particular, nozzle clogging in the last slabs before an SEN exchange may cause strong and asymmetries in the upper regions of the mold. To avoid costly downgrades of steel quality in these slabs, it is vital to maintain stable and symmetric fluid flow conditions in the mold. The EMBR and the FC Mold are two flexible electromagnetic devices able to produce asymmetric braking/stirring along the width of the mold in slab casting, and in this way allow counteraction against e.g. biased mold flow or local excessive flow speeds. Numerical computations of mold fluid flow and magnetic flux have been carried out to quantify the required fields to symmetrize biased flow scenarios caused by e.g. SEN clogging. In conjunction with steel plant trial feedback, the simulation results have been used to setup control algorithms for the EMBR and FC Mold.
Effect of different process parameters on non-metallic inclusions during electro-slag remelting of a tempering steel
Authors: Schneider R , Schroft S , Molnar M , Klösch G , Schüller C
Published: May 2019

The remelting behavior of the tempering steel 50CrMo4, was investigated with several experimental melts on a lab-scale ESR-plant. The investigated parameters included a variation of the slag compositions and the use of a protective nitrogen atmosphere. Variations of the slag composition comprised slags with different contents of CaF2, CaO and Al2O3 as well as a variation of the SiO2-content. The remelted ingots were forged and analyzed regarding their chemical composition as well as their distribution and composition of the non-metallic inclusions (NMI) by automated SEM-EDX method. The chemical composition of the slag after remelting was analyzed as well. The results clearly show a relationship mainly of Si and Al in the steel with the process parameters. NMI changed in their total amount, type and size distribution. The protective atmosphere reduced the Si-losses during remelting. The majority of the NMI were of the Al2O3- & MnS-type. In general, remelting lead to an almost complete removal of sulfides, a reduction of oxisulfides and a shift towards more oxides. The total amount of NMI was most strongly reduced by the high CaF2-containing remelting slag.
Boundary value problems in Lipschitz domains for equations with lower order coefficients
Authors: Sakellaris Georgios
Published: May 2019

We use the method of layer potentials to study the

R
2

R_2

regularity problem and the

D
2

D_2

Dirichlet problem for second order elliptic equations with lower order coefficients in bounded Lipschitz domains. For

R
2

R_2

we establish existence and uniqueness by assuming that

L

\mathcal {L}

is of the form

L

u
=
−
div
(
A
∇
u
+
b
u
)
+
c
∇
u
+
d
u

\mathcal {L}u=-\text {div}(A\nabla u+bu)+c\nabla u+du

, where the matrix

A
A

is uniformly elliptic and Hölder continuous,

b
b

is Hölder continuous, and

c
,
d

c,d

belong to Lebesgue classes and satisfy either the condition

d
≥
 
div

b

d\geq \ \text {div}\,b

or

d
≥
 
div

c

d\geq \ \text {div}\,c

in the sense of distributions. In particular,

A
A

is not assumed to be symmetric, and there is no smallness assumption on the norms of the lower order coefficients. We also show existence and uniqueness for

D
2

D_2

for the adjoint equations

L

t

u
=
0

\mathcal {L}^tu=0

.
Testosterone Replacement Therapy and the Risk of Prostate Cancer in Men With Late-Onset Hypogonadism
Authors: Santella Christina , Renoux Christel , Yin Hui , Yu Oriana H Y , Azoulay Laurent
Published: May 2019

The association between the use of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) and prostate cancer remains uncertain. Thus, we investigated whether TRT is associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer in men with late-onset hypogonadism. We used the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink to assemble a cohort of 12,779 men who were newly diagnosed with hypogonadism between January 1, 1995, and August 31, 2016, with follow-up until August 31, 2017. Exposure to TRT was treated as a time-varying variable and lagged by 1 year to account for cancer latency, with nonuse as the reference category. During 58,224 person-years of follow-up, a total of 215 patients were newly diagnosed with prostate cancer, generating an incidence rate of 3.7 per 1,000 person-years. In time-dependent Cox proportional hazards models, use of TRT was not associated with an overall increased risk of prostate cancer (hazard ratio = 0.97; 95% confidence interval: 0.71, 1.32) compared with nonuse. Results remained consistent in secondary and sensitivity analyses, as well as in a propensity score–matched cohort analysis that further assessed the impact of residual confounding. Overall, the use of TRT was not associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer in men with late-onset hypogonadism.
Signs of Friendship: A Response to Alexander Nehamas’s ‘The Good of Friendship’
Authors: Gibson Richard Hughes
Published: May 2019

This piece responds to Alexander Nehamas’s claim in ‘The Good of Friendship’ (2010) that painting has difficulty representing friendship, an issue exemplified for Nehamas by Jacopo Pontormo’s double portrait Two Friends (c.1522). I argue that friendship has not been as elusive for the painter as Nehamas suggests, using as a counter-example Quentin Massys’s diptych of Erasmus and Pieter Gillis (1517). My exposition of Massys’s picture, moreover, reveals dimensions of modern friendship, particularly its concerns for communications media and publicity, neglected by Nehamas’s account.
Spatiotemporal variation in thermal niches suggests lability rather than conservatism of thermal physiology along an environmental gradient
Authors: Gilbert Anthony L , Miles Donald B
Published: May 2019

Temperature variation throughout a species range can be extensive and exert divergent spatiotemporal patterns of selection. The estimation of phenotypic differences of populations along environmental gradients provides information regarding population-level responses to changing environments and evolutionary lability in climate-relevant traits. However, few studies have found physiological differentiation across environmental gradients attributable to behavioural thermoregulation buffering physiological evolution. Here, we compared thermal sensitivity of physiological performance among three populations of the ornate tree lizard (Urosaurus ornatus) along a 1100 m elevational gradient in southeastern Arizona across years in order to determine whether spatial differences in thermal environments are capable of driving local physiological differentiation. Lizards exhibited significant population-level differences in thermal physiology. The thermal traits of lizards at low elevations included warmer body temperatures and higher preferred and critical thermal temperatures. In contrast, lizards at higher elevations had cooler body temperatures and lower preferred and critical thermal temperatures. Populations also exhibited differences in the optimal temperature for performance and thermal performance breadth. The direction of population variation was consistent across years. Environmental gradients can provide model systems for studying the evolution of thermal physiology, and our study is one of the first to suggest that population differentiation in thermal physiology could be more prominent than previously thought.
Generalized meta-analysis for multiple regression models across studies with disparate covariate information
Authors: Kundu Prosenjit , Tang Runlong , Chatterjee Nilanjan
Published: May 2019

Meta-analysis is widely popular for synthesizing information on common parameters of interest across multiple studies because of its logistical convenience and statistical efficiency. We develop a generalized meta-analysis approach to combining information on multivariate regression parameters across multiple studies that have varying levels of covariate information. Using algebraic relationships among regression parameters in different dimensions, we specify a set of moment equations for estimating parameters of a maximal model through information available from sets of parameter estimates for a series of reduced models from the different studies. The specification of the equations requires a reference dataset for estimating the joint distribution of the covariates. We propose to solve these equations using the generalized method of moments approach, with the optimal weighting of the equations taking into account uncertainty associated with estimates of the parameters of the reduced models. We describe extensions of the iterated reweighted least-squares algorithm for fitting generalized linear regression models using the proposed framework. Based on the same moment equations, we also develop a diagnostic test for detecting violations of underlying model assumptions, such as those arising from heterogeneity in the underlying study populations. The proposed methods are illustrated with extensive simulation studies and a real-data example involving the development of a breast cancer risk prediction model using disparate risk factor information from multiple studies.
Could changing the course of Alzheimer’s disease pathology with immunotherapy prevent dementia?
Authors: Overk Cassia , Masliah Eliezer
Published: May 2019

This scientific commentary refers to ‘Persistent neuropathological effects 14 years following amyloid-β immunization in Alzheimer’s disease’ by Nicoll et al. (doi:10.1093/brain/awz142).
Predictors of Unlikely Bacterial Pneumonia and Adverse Pneumonia Outcome in Children Admitted to a Hospital in Central Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen Phuong T K , Tran Hoang T , Tran Thach S , Fitzgerald Dominic A , Graham Stephen M , Marais Ben J
Published: May 2019

Background

Pneumonia is the leading cause of antibiotic use and hospitalization in Vietnam. There is a need for better prediction of unlikely bacterial pneumonia and adverse pneumonia outcome in order to guide hospital admission and improve rational antibiotic use.

Methods

All children under 5 admitted with pneumonia (per clinician assessment) to the Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children were prospectively enrolled. Children were classified as having likely or unlikely bacterial pneumonia and followed for outcome assessment. A Bayesian model averaging approach was used to identify predictors of unlikely bacterial pneumonia and adverse pneumonia outcome, which guided the development of a pragmatic management algorithm.

Results

Of 3817 patients assessed, 2199 (57.6%) met World Health Organization (WHO) pneumonia criteria. In total, 1594 (41.7%) children were classified as having unlikely and 129 (3.4%) as having likely bacterial pneumonia. The remainder (2399; 62.9%) were considered to have disease of uncertain etiology. Factors predictive of unlikely bacterial pneumonia were no fever, no consolidation on chest radiograph, and absolute neutrophil count <5 × 109/L at presentation, which had a negative predictive value (NPV) for likely bacterial pneumonia of 99.0%. Among those who met WHO pneumonia criteria, 8.6% (189/2199) experienced an adverse outcome. Not having any WHO danger sign or consolidation on chest radiograph had an NPV of 96.8% for adverse pneumonia outcome.

Conclusions

An algorithm that screens for predictors of likely bacterial pneumonia and adverse pneumonia outcome could reduce unnecessary antibiotic use and hospital admission, but its clinical utility requires validation in a prospective study.
Behavior-Obfuscation Resistance Malware Detection
Authors: Cheng Binlin , Liu Jinjun , Chen Jiejie , Shi Shudong , Peng Xufu , Zhang Xingwen , Hai Haiqing
Published: May 2019

Malware brings a big security threat on the Internet today. With the great increasing malware attacks. Behavior-based detection approaches are one of the major method to detect zero-day malware. Such approaches often use API calls to represent the behavior of malware. Unfortunately, behavior-based approaches suffer from behavior obfuscation attacks. In this paper, we propose a novel malware detection approach that is both effective and efficient. First, we abstract the API call to object operation. And then we generate the object operation dependency graph based on these object operations. Our approach use dependency graph to represent the behavior of malware. The evaluation results show that our approach can provide a complete resistance to all types of behavior obfuscation attacks, and outperforms existing behavior-based approaches in terms of better effectiveness and efficiency.
Descending aortic replacement for intimal angiosarcoma
Authors: Yokawa Koki , Inoue Takeshi , Yamanaka Katsuhiro , Okada Kenji
Published: May 2019

Aortic angiosarcoma is an exceedingly rare clinical entity. A significant delay in diagnosis can occur due to its rareness and lack of specific clinical manifestation. A 71-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency department owing to an acute episode of abdominal pain. A computed tomography (CT) scan showed thoraco-abdominal aortic occlusion and splenic infarction. The patient was initially treated with descending aortic replacement for degenerative atherothrombotic aneurysm. An FDG-positron emission tomography-CT scan and biopsy ultimately confirmed the diagnosis of aortic angiosarcoma. This case highlights the difficulties of making an early diagnosis of aortic angiosarcoma.
BSA4Yeast: Web-based quantitative trait locus linkage analysis and bulk segregant analysis of yeast sequencing data
Authors: Zhang Zhi , Jung Paul P , Grouès Valentin , May Patrick , Linster Carole , Glaab Enrico
Published: May 2019

Background

Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping using bulk segregants is an effective approach for identifying genetic variants associated with phenotypes of interest in model organisms. By exploiting next-generation sequencing technology, the QTL mapping accuracy can be improved significantly, providing a valuable means to annotate new genetic variants. However, setting up a comprehensive analysis framework for this purpose is a time-consuming and error-prone task, posing many challenges for scientists with limited experience in this domain.

Results

Here, we present BSA4Yeast, a comprehensive web application for QTL mapping via bulk segregant analysis of yeast sequencing data. The software provides an automated and efficiency-optimized data processing, up-to-date functional annotations, and an interactive web interface to explore identified QTLs.

Conclusions

BSA4Yeast enables researchers to identify plausible candidate genes in QTL regions efficiently in order to validate their genetic variations experimentally as causative for a phenotype of interest. BSA4Yeast is freely available at https://bsa4yeast.lcsb.uni.lu.
Evolution of, and via, Developmental Plasticity: Insights through the Study of Scaling Relationships
Authors: Casasa Sofia , Moczek Armin P
Published: May 2019

Scaling relationships emerge from differential growth of body parts relative to each other. As such, scaling relationships are at least in part the product of developmental plasticity. While some of the developmental genetic mechanisms underlying scaling relationships are starting to be elucidated, how these mechanisms evolve and give rise to the enormous diversity of allometric scaling observed in nature is less understood. Furthermore, developmental plasticity has itself been proposed as a mechanism that facilitates adaptation and diversification, yet its role in the developmental evolution of scaling relationships remains largely unknown. In this review, we first explore how the mechanisms of scaling relationships have evolved. We primarily focus on insect development and review how pathway components and pathway interactions have evolved across taxa to regulate scaling relationships across diverse traits. We then discuss the potential role of developmental plasticity in the evolution of scaling relationships. Specifically, we address the potential role of allometric plasticity and cryptic genetic variation in allometry in facilitating divergence via genetic accommodation. Collectively, in this article, we aim to bring together two aspects of developmental plasticity: the mechanistic underpinnings of scaling relationships and their evolution, and the potential role that plasticity plays in the evolutionary diversification of scaling relationships.
On the Refined Conjectures on Fitting Ideals of Selmer Groups of Elliptic Curves with Supersingular Reduction
Authors: Kim Chan-Ho , Kurihara Masato
Published: May 2019

In this paper, we study the Fitting ideals of Selmer groups over finite subextensions in the cyclotomic $\mathbb{Z}_p$-extension of $\mathbb{Q}$ of an elliptic curve over $\mathbb{Q}$. Especially, we present a proof of the “weak main conjecture” à la Mazur and Tate for elliptic curves with good (supersingular) reduction at an odd prime $p$. We also prove the “strong main conjecture” suggested by the second named author under the validity of the $\pm $-main conjecture and the vanishing of a certain error term. The key idea is the explicit comparison among “finite layer objects”, “$\pm $-objects”, and “fine objects” in Iwasawa theory. The case of good ordinary reduction is also treated.
Antiretroviral drug reduction in highly experienced HIV-infected patients receiving a multidrug regimen: the ECOVIR study
Authors: Valantin Marc-Antoine , Durand Lise , Wirden Marc , Assoumou Lambert , Caby Fabienne , Soulié Cathia , Nguyen Thi Thu-Thuy , Tubiana Roland , Kirstetter Myriam , Junot Helga , Marcelin Anne-Geneviève , Peytavin Gilles , Tilleul Patrick , Katlama Christine
Published: May 2019

Objectives

In a context of life-long therapy, we asked whether it could be possible to reduce the number of antiretroviral drugs without jeopardizing viral suppression.

Methods

ECOVIR was a prospective study aiming to assess whether in patients on combination ART with ≥4 antiretrovirals for ≥24 weeks and virally suppressed for ≥48 weeks, a drug-reduced (DR) regimen could be proposed. The intervention consisted of discontinuing genotypically less susceptible drugs to reach a DR regimen with ≤3 antiretrovirals. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients maintaining viral suppression at week (W) 24.

Results

From 89 eligible individuals for the study, a DR regimen was proposed in 86 (97%) patients, of whom 71 were switched to a DR regimen. Baseline characteristics [median (IQR)] were: age 58 (53–65) years, duration of treatment 24 (21–26) years and viral suppression 8 (6–11) years. The cumulative resistance profile showed full resistance to lamivudine/emtricitabine (91%), abacavir (74%), efavirenz/nevirapine (70%), rilpivirine (56%), darunavir (q24h/q12h) (42%/29%), lopinavir (69%), atazanavir (71%) and raltegravir (24%). The final DR regimen consisted of a two-drug or three-drug regimen in 54 patients (76%) and in 17 patients (24%), respectively. The success rate of a DR regimen at W24 was 93.9% (95% CI 84.4–97.6, Kaplan–Meier estimate). Four patients experienced virological failure (at W4, W8 and W12), all with plasma viral load (pVL) <600 copies/mL and no emergence of resistance mutations. The DR strategy allowed a monthly cost saving of 36%.

Conclusions

In experienced patients with high-level resistance, individualized strategies based on expert advice can offer DR regimen options with fewer drug–drug interactions and a significant economic impact while ensuring virological success.
Prickly pairs: the proportion of spinescent species does not differ between islands and mainlands
Authors: Meredith Floret L , Tindall Marianne L , Hemmings Frank A , Moles Angela T
Published: May 2019

Aims

Organisms on islands are thought to escape biotic pressure and lose defensive capabilities. However, broadscale, evidence-based tests of this idea are rare. In this study, we asked: (i) whether the proportion of spinescent plant species differed between islands and mainlands and (ii) whether the proportion of spinescent species increased with increasing island area and with decreasing island distance to mainland.

Methods

We compiled species lists for 18 island–mainland pairs around Australia. We classified 1129 plant species as spinescent or non-spinescent using published species descriptions.

Important Findings

There was no significant difference between the proportion of spinescent species found on islands and on mainlands. Proportions of spinescent species were not significantly related to island area or distance to mainland. Our results suggest that spinescence is just as important to island plants as it is to mainland plants, even for plants inhabiting small or distal islands. This is unexpected, given prevailing thought and previous work on island–mainland comparisons. Our study demonstrates the importance of testing well-accepted yet untested ideas.
Postoperative pelvic intensity-modulated radiation therapy reduced the incidence of late gastrointestinal complications for uterine cervical cancer patients
Authors: Tsuchida Keisuke , Murakami Naoya , Kato Tomoyasu , Okuma Kae , Okamoto Hiroyuki , Kashihara Tairo , Takahashi Kana , Inaba Koji , Igaki Hiroshi , Nakayama Yuko , Nakano Takashi , Itami Jun
Published: May 2019

The aim of the study was to compare incidences of late gastrointestinal adverse events and clinical outcomes between 3D conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) after radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer patients. Between March 2007 and May 2014, 73 cervical cancer patients with high-risk prognostic factors (pelvic lymph node metastasis and/or parametrial invasion) underwent postoperative pelvic radiation therapy (RT) after radical hysterectomy. Of these patients, 33 (45%) and 40 (55%) received 3DCRT and IMRT, respectively. Because the gastrointestinal obstruction rate after postoperative pelvic 3DCRT was high, no concurrent chemotherapy was applied until 2015. The median follow-up period for patients with 3DCRT and IMRT was 82 months (6–113) and 50 months (5–74), respectively. There was no significant difference in overall survival (OS) (4-year OS: 85% vs 78%, P = 0.744) or disease-free survival (DFS) (4-year DFS: 73% vs 64%, P = 0.696) between the two groups. Eleven (33%) and 13 (33%) patients experienced recurrence after 3DCRT and IMRT, respectively. The patients who had vaginal invasion from the postoperative pathological finding more frequently had loco-regional recurrence than the patients who did not have vaginal invasion (2.3% vs 17%, P = 0.033). Gastrointestinal obstruction was observed in 9 (27%) and 3 (7.5%) patients for 3DCRT and for IMRT, respectively (P = 0.026). Severe gastrointestinal obstruction that required surgery was observed in 6 (19%) patients, all of whom received adjuvant RT by 3DCRT. IMRT could reduce the incidence of late severe gastrointestinal obstruction after postoperative pelvic RT with a non-inferior clinical efficacy compared with 3DCRT.
WALLABY early science – III. An H i study of the spiral galaxy NGC 1566
Authors: Elagali A , Staveley-Smith L , Rhee J , Wong O I , Bosma A , Westmeier T , Koribalski B S , Heald G , For B-Q , Kleiner D , Lee-Waddell K , Madrid J P , Popping A , Reynolds T N , Meyer M J , Allison J R , Lagos C D P , Voronkov M A , Serra P , Shao L , Wang J , Anderson C S , Bunton J D , Bekiaris G , Walsh W M , Kilborn V A , Kamphuis P , Oh S-H
Published: May 2019

This paper reports on the atomic hydrogen gas (H i) observations of the spiral galaxy NGC 1566 using the newly commissioned Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder radio telescope. We measure an integrated H i flux density of $180.2$ Jy km s−1 emanating from this galaxy, which translates to an H i mass of $1.94\times 10^{10}\, \mathrm{ M}_{\odot }$ at an assumed distance of $21.3$ Mpc. Our observations show that NGC 1566 has an asymmetric and mildly warped H i disc. The H i-to-stellar mass fraction (M$_{\rm{H\,{{\small I}}}}$/M∗) of NGC 1566 is 0.29, which is high in comparison with galaxies that have the same stellar mass ($10^{10.8}$ M⊙). We also derive the rotation curve of this galaxy to a radius of $50$ kpc and fit different mass models to it. The NFW, Burkert, and pseudo-isothermal dark matter halo profiles fit the observed rotation curve reasonably well and recover dark matter fractions of 0.62, 0.58, and 0.66, respectively. Down to the column density sensitivity of our observations ($N_{\rm{H\,{{\small I}}}}\, =\, 3.7\times 10^{19}$ cm−2), we detect no H i clouds connected to, or in the nearby vicinity of, the H i disc of NGC 1566 nor nearby interacting systems. We conclude that, based on a simple analytic model, ram pressure interactions with the IGM can affect the H i disc of NGC 1566 and is possibly the reason for the asymmetries seen in the H i morphology of NGC 1566.
Infective endocarditis: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: O’Connor C T , O’Rourke S , Buckley A , Murphy R , Crean P , Foley B , Maree A , Ryan R , Tolan M , Young V , O’Connell B , Daly C
Published: May 2019

Background

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a potentially life-threatening infection of the heart’s endocardial surface. Despite advances in the diagnosis and management of IE, morbidity and mortality remain high.

Aim

To characterize the demographics, bacteriology and outcomes of IE cases presenting to an Irish tertiary referral centre.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Methods

Patients were identified using Hospital Inpatient Enquiry and Clinical Microbiology inpatient consult data, from January 2005 to January 2014. Patients were diagnosed with IE using Modified Duke Criteria. Standard Bayesian statistics were employed for analysis and cases were compared to contemporary international registries.

Results

Two hundred and two patients were diagnosed with IE during this period. Mean age 54 years. Of these, 136 (67%) were native valve endocarditis (NVE), 50 (25%) were prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) and 22 (11%) were cardiovascular implantable electronic device-associated endocarditis. Culprit organism was identified in 176 (87.1%) cases and Staphylococcal species were the most common (57.5%). Fifty-nine per cent of NVE required surgery compared to 66% of PVE. Mean mortality rate was 17.3%, with NVE being the lowest (12.5%) and PVE the highest (32%). Increasing age was also associated with increased mortality. Fifty-three (26.2%) patients had embolic complications.

Conclusions

This Irish cohort exhibited first-world demographic patterns comparable to those published in contemporary international literature. PVE required surgery more often and was associated with higher rates of mortality than NVE. Embolic complications were relatively common and represent important sequelae, especially in the intravenous drug user population. It is also pertinent to aggressively treat older cohorts as they were associated with increased mortality.
Characteristics and management of giant cell arteritis in France: a study based on national health insurance claims data
Authors: Mahr Alfred , Belhassen Manon , Paccalin Marc , Devauchelle-Pensec Valérie , Nolin Maeva , Gandon Sophie , Idier Isabelle , Hachulla Eric
Published: May 2019

Objective

Few data are available on the epidemiology and management of GCA in real life. We aimed to address this situation by using health insurance claims data for France.

Methods

This retrospective study used the Echantillon Généraliste de Bénéficiaires (EGB) database, a 1% representative sample of the French national health insurance system. The EGB contains anonymous data on long-term disease status, hospitalizations and reimbursement claims for 752 717 people. Data were collected between 2007 and 2015. The index date was defined as the date of the first occurrence of a GCA code. Demographics, comorbidities, diagnostic tests and therapies were analysed. Annual incidence rates were calculated, and incident and overall GCA cases were studied.

Results

We identified 241 patients with GCA. The annual incidence was 7–10/100 000 people ⩾50 years old. Among the 117 patients with incident GCA, 74.4% were females, with mean age 77.6 years and mean follow-up 2.2 years. After the index date, 51.3% underwent temporal artery biopsy and 29.1% high-resolution Doppler ultrasonography. Among the whole cohort, 84.3% used only glucocorticoids. The most-prescribed glucocorticoid-sparing agent was methotrexate (12.0%).

Conclusion

The incidence of GCA in France is 7–10/100 000 people ⩾ 50 years old. Adjunct agents, mainly methotrexate, are given to only a few patients. The use of temporal artery biopsy in only half of the patients might reflect a shift toward the use of imaging techniques to diagnose GCA.
Epigenome-wide association analysis of daytime sleepiness in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis reveals African-American-specific associations
Authors: Barfield Richard , Wang Heming , Liu Yongmei , Brody Jennifer A , Swenson Brenton , Li Ruitong , Bartz Traci M , Sotoodehnia Nona , Chen Yii-der I , Cade Brian E , Chen Han , Patel Sanjay R , Zhu Xiaofeng , Gharib Sina A , Johnson W Craig , Rotter Jerome I , Saxena Richa , Purcell Shaun , Lin Xihong , Redline Susan , Sofer Tamar
Published: May 2019

Study Objectives

Daytime sleepiness is a consequence of inadequate sleep, sleep–wake control disorder, or other medical conditions. Population variability in prevalence of daytime sleepiness is likely due to genetic and biological factors as well as social and environmental influences. DNA methylation (DNAm) potentially influences multiple health outcomes. Here, we explored the association between DNAm and daytime sleepiness quantified by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS).

Methods

We performed multi-ethnic and ethnic-specific epigenome-wide association studies for DNAm and ESS in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA; n = 619) and the Cardiovascular Health Study (n = 483), with cross-study replication and meta-analysis. Genetic variants near ESS-associated DNAm were analyzed for methylation quantitative trait loci and followed with replication of genotype-sleepiness associations in the UK Biobank.

Results

In MESA only, we detected four DNAm-ESS associations: one across all race/ethnic groups; three in African-Americans (AA) only. Two of the MESA AA associations, in genes KCTD5 and RXRA, nominally replicated in CHS (p-value < 0.05). In the AA meta-analysis, we detected 14 DNAm-ESS associations (FDR q-value < 0.05, top association p-value = 4.26 × 10−8). Three DNAm sites mapped to genes (CPLX3, GFAP, and C7orf50) with biological relevance. We also found evidence for associations with DNAm sites in RAI1, a gene associated with sleep and circadian phenotypes. UK Biobank follow-up analyses detected SNPs in RAI1, RXRA, and CPLX3 with nominal sleepiness associations.

Conclusions

We identified methylation sites in multiple genes possibly implicated in daytime sleepiness. Most significant DNAm-ESS associations were specific to AA. Future work is needed to identify mechanisms driving ancestry-specific methylation effects.
Whitewashing Slavery: Legacy of Slavery and White Social Outcomes
Authors: Reece Robert L
Published: May 2019

Legacy of slavery research has branched out into an important new niche in social science research by making empirical connections between the trans-Atlantic slave trade and contemporary social outcomes. However, the vast majority of this research examines black-white inequality or black disadvantage without devoting corresponding attention to the other side of inequality: white advantage. This study expands the legacy of slavery conversation by exploring whether white populations accrue long-term benefits from slave labor. Specifically, I deploy historical understandings of racial boundary formation and theories of durable inequality to argue that white populations in places that relied more heavily on slave labor should experience better social and economic outcomes than white population in places that relied less on slave labor. I test this argument using OLS regression and county-level data from the 1860 United States Census, the 2010–2014 American Community Survey (ACS), and the 2014 United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service (USDA ERS). The results support my hypothesis. Historical reliance on slave labor predicts better white outcomes on five of six metrics. I discuss the implications of these findings for race, slavery, whiteness studies, and reparations.
CE: A Historical Review of Nurse–Physician Bedside Rounding
Authors: Beaird Genevieve
Published: May 2019

The purpose of this article is to describe and analyze nurse involvement in hospital bedside rounding from 1873 to 1973. Interdisciplinary rounding is touted as a collaborative activity between nurses and physicians. Understanding the historical trends in nurse involvement in this process can shed light on the opportunities and barriers that clinical rounding presents today. This research was gathered using historical sources, both primary and secondary, and a social history framework. Primary sources included manuals for head nurses, nursing journals, and nursing student diaries.