bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhancement of anti‐fouling properties during the treatment of paper mill effluent using functionalized zeolite and activated carbon nanomaterials based ultrafiltration
Authors: Saranya Rameshkumar , Arthanareeswaran Gangasalam , Ismail Ahmad F
Published: March 2019

BACKGROUND

Treatment of paper mill effluent is crucial owing to its high organic constituents which necessitate the use of efficient membranes having greater anti‐fouling ability. In this study, functionalized zeolite and activated carbon incorporated polyethersulfone (PES) membranes were developed to maximize the fouling resistance and rejection efficiency thereby to achieve greater reduction levels of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD) and total dissolved solids (TDS) in the effluent.

RESULTS

The synthesized inorganic modifiers such as functionalized copper (Cu)‐zeolite, iron (Fe)‐zeolite and calcium alginate functionalized activated carbon were incorporated into PES in distinct wt% of 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1. The high pure water flux of 38.9 L m−2 h−1 was observed with 0.25 wt% of Cu‐zeolite when compared to 24.3 L m−2 h−1 of virgin PES. The addition of 0.5 wt% of functionalized activated carbon resulted in reduction levels of about 90.2%, 92% and 80% of COD, BOD and TDS respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Facile functionalization of zeolite and activated carbon using metal salts and calcium alginate was achieved. Functionalized Cu‐zeolite imparted increased hydrophilicity, anti‐fouling property and increased pore size compared to that of Fe‐zeolite and functionalized activated carbon. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
Powering the hagfish “bite”: The functional morphology of the retractor complex of two hagfish feeding apparatuses
Authors: Clubb Benjamin Luke , Clark Andrew Jonathan , Uyeno Theodore Akira
Published: March 2019

Hagfish use forceful retractions of a dental plate to shear and ingest food. Retractile force is generated by the retractor muscle complex of the posterior hagfish feeding apparatus (HFA). While gross morphological descriptions exist, the organization of muscle and connective tissue fibers that form the soft tissue retractor complex do not. In this study, we used paraffin histology to prepare serial sections of Pacific (Eptatretus stoutii, Lockington, 1879) and Atlantic (Myxine glutinosa, Linnaeus, 1758) hagfishes in order to describe constituent soft tissue anatomy and fiber orientations. We generated 3D reconstructions in which digitized sections were segmented and fitted to volumetric scans of retractor complexes taken prior to microtomy. These models confirmed that the retractor complex is composed of a perpendicularis muscle that fits within the eye of a needle‐shaped clavatus muscle, which anteriorly bears the dental plate tendon, and in turn fits within a sleeve‐like tubulatus muscle. Analysis of fiber orientations within these muscles resulted in novel functional hypotheses: (a) The tubulatus muscle represents a novel tubular bipennate muscle with a considerable physiological cross‐sectional area. Its activation may indirectly create tension in the dental plate tendon: as the tubulatus muscle forcefully extends, it displaces the terminal bulb and the clavatus muscle posteriorly. (b) Within the HFA terminal bulb, the muscle fibers of the clavatus and perpendicularis muscles are mutually perpendicular and may cocontract to form a swelling stopper knot‐like muscular complex that resists being pulled through the tubulatus muscle. (c) While overall feeding apparatus muscle morphology is conserved, the physiological cross‐sectional area of the tubulatus muscle inE. stoutii, is relatively larger than that ofM. glutinosa, suggesting a more forceful retraction. The tubular bipennate construction of the tubulatus may represent a novel soft robotic actuator design.
Ion current and action potential alterations in peripheral neurons subject to uniaxial strain
Authors: Bianchi Fabio , Malboubi Majid , George Julian H. , Jerusalem Antoine , Thompson Mark S. , Ye Hua
Published: March 2019

Peripheral nerves, subject to continuous elongation and compression during everyday movement, contain neuron fibers vital for movement and sensation. At supraphysiological strains resulting from trauma, chronic conditions, aberrant limb positioning, or surgery, conduction blocks occur which may result in chronic or temporary loss of function. Previous in vitro stretch models, mainly focused on traumatic brain injury modelling, have demonstrated altered electrophysiological behavior during localized deformation applied by pipette suction. Our aim was to evaluate the changes in voltage‐activated ion channel function during uniaxial straining of neurons applied by whole‐cell deformation, more physiologically relevant model of peripheral nerve trauma. Here, we quantified experimentally the changes in inwards and outwards ion currents and action potential (AP) firing in dorsal root ganglion‐derived neurons subject to uniaxial strains, using a custom‐built device allowing simultaneous cell deformation and patch clamp recording. Peak inwards sodium currents and rectifying potassium current magnitudes were found to decrease in cells under stretch, channel reversal potentials were found to be left‐shifted, and half‐maximum activation potentials right‐shifted. The threshold for AP firing was increased in stretched cells, although neurons retained the ability to fire induced APs. Overall, these results point to ion channels being damaged directly and immediately by uniaxial strain, affecting cell electrophysiological activity, and can help develop prevention and treatment strategies for peripheral neuropathies caused by mechanical trauma.
Alignment control of liquid crystals in a 1.0‐μm‐pitch spatial light modulator by lattice‐shaped dielectric wall structure
Authors: Isomae Yoshitomo , Ishinabe Takahiro , Shibata Yosei , Fujikake Hideo
Published: March 2019

We achieved uniform liquid crystal (LC) alignment in lattice‐shaped dielectric walls 1 μm in pitch; this is a prerequisite when driving the individual pixels of spatial light modulators, facilitating the development of practical electronic holographic displays with a wide field of view. In lattice‐shaped dielectric walls, LC alignment becomes unstable, particularly on the bottom and the walls; the LC directors tend to align parallel to the walls. To overcome this problem, we created lattice‐shaped walls featuring partition plates that allow uniform LC alignment. When the plates confine LCs to small regions exhibiting spatial anisotropy, the LC elastic effect and wall anchoring forces align the LC directors parallel to the long anisotropic axis. We found that pixels 0.5 μm × 1.0 μm in pitch formed if the partition plates were sufficiently thick to allow shielding of electric field leakage.
Development of G6 exposure tool for 1.2 μm resolution
Authors: Nagano Kouhei , Yabu Nobuhiko , Hakko Manabu , Ando Miwako , Izumi Nozomu , Osaki Yoshinori
Published: March 2019

We have proposed exposure method using Deep UV (DUV) exposure light to realize high resolution and high productivity in FPD lithography. Here, we show development concepts for our new G6 exposure tools with DUV light sources and exposure test results with a test exposure tool.
Motion blur reduction with triangular waveform emission and optimized enhance filter
Authors: Usui Takenobu , Fujisaki Yoshihide , Shiga Tomokazu
Published: March 2019

Degradation of moving image quality by motion blur on hold‐type displays is a well‐known issue. In order to reduce motion blur, a number of driving methods, such as a higher frame rate and a shorter temporal aperture, have been proposed. Methods to reduce motion blur by means of signal processing as a precompensation method have also been proposed. In these methods, however, hold emission that emits light at a constant intensity during a frame is used. Since the spatial frequency response of the hold emission in a moving picture has a null point, the effectiveness of precompensation methods is limited to the lower‐spatial frequency domain. A triangular waveform emission has been investigated, and it has a higher spatial frequency response than hold emission. In the present paper, we calculated an optimized enhancement filter for the triangular waveform emission as a precompensation method and demonstrated its effectiveness for reducing motion blur by using the triangular waveform emission and the optimized enhancement filter. As a result, the optimized enhancement filter reduced motion blur and suppressed distortion that emerged when using a conventional enhancement filter.
Responses of soil organic and inorganic carbon vary at different soil depths after long‐term agricultural cultivation in Northwest China
Authors: Wang Yugang , Jiang Jiang , Niu Ziru , Li Yan , Li Chenhua , Feng Wenting
Published: March 2019

Whether the dryland to cropland conversation in arid regions could lead to a decrease in soil carbon (C) and land degradation remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the vertical patterns of soil C change with different lengths of land use history in the arid regions of China and explored the controls and mechanisms of these changes. One native desert grassland and six croplands with similar management but different cultivation times (i.e., 1, 3, 5, 15, 30, and 50 years) and were selected in Xinjiang, Northwest China. We measured both soil organic and inorganic C concentrations and soil properties (e.g., total nitrogen [N], NO3−‐N, NH4+‐N, pH, and electrical conductivity) with a 20‐cm depth interval down to 2 m in all croplands. The results showed that soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks increased with cultivation year for the topsoils (0–120 cm), which could be a result of higher plant C inputs and decreased soil pH in cropland than in the native desert. Soil pH explained the largest variation (45%) of SOC concentration. Soil inorganic C (SIC) stocks decreased with cultivation year in topsoils layers (0–40 cm) but increased in deep soil layers (120–200 cm), resulting in the net increment of SIC to the depth of 200 cm. This pattern might be caused by changes in soil pH in the cropland. Overall, this study demonstrated that, instead of reducing soil C, proper management of the desert ecosystem can enhance soil C sequestration in the arid regions.
Secondary Paroxysmal Dyskinesia as a Presenting Symptom of Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Ismail Ismail Ibrahim , Al‐Hashel Jasem Yousef , Alroughani Raed
Published: March 2019

View Supplementary Video 1
Healthcare Utilization and Costs for Patients With Parkinson's Disease After Deep Brain Stimulation
Authors: Stroupe Kevin T. , Smith Bridget , Weaver Frances M. , Gonzalez Beverly , Huo Zhiping , Cao Lishan , Ippolito Dolores , Follett Kenneth A.
Published: March 2019

Objective

To compare the complications, healthcare utilization and costs following DBS or medical management for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods

We examined healthcare utilization and costs for up to 5 years between veterans with DBS and those with medical management for PD. Veterans who received DBS between 2007 and 2013 were matched with veterans who received medical management using propensity score approaches. Healthcare utilization and costs were obtained from national VA and Medicare data sources and compared using procedures to adjust for potential differences in length of follow‐up.

Results

We identified 611 veterans who had received DBS and a matched group of 611 veterans who did not undergo DBS. Among DBS patients, 59% had the electrodes and generator implanted during separate admissions. After 5 years of follow‐up, average total healthcare costs, including DBS procedures and complications, were $77,131 (95% confidence interval: $66,095–$88,168; P < 0.001) higher per person for patients who received DBS ($162,489) than patients who received medical management ($85,358). In contrast, excluding the costs of the DBS procedures and complications, average total costs were not significantly different between patients who received DBS and patients who received medical management after 5 years of follow‐up.

Conclusions

Healthcare costs over 5 years were higher for veterans who received DBS. These higher healthcare costs may reflect the costs of DBS procedures and any follow‐up required plus greater surveillance by healthcare professionals following DBS as well as unobserved differences in the patients who received medical management or DBS.
Understanding the riboflavin biosynthesis pathway for the development of antimicrobial agents
Authors: Kundu Biswajit , Sarkar Dipayan , Ray Namrata , Talukdar Arindam
Published: March 2019

Life on earth depends on the biosynthesis of riboflavin, which plays a vital role in biological electron transport processes. Higher mammals obtain riboflavin from dietary sources; however, various microorganisms, including Gram‐negative pathogenic bacteria and yeast, lack an efficient riboflavin‐uptake system and are dependent on endogenous riboflavin biosynthesis. Consequently, the inhibition of enzymes in the riboflavin biosynthesis pathway would allow selective toxicity to a pathogen and not the host. Thus, the riboflavin biosynthesis pathway is an attractive target for designing novel antimicrobial drugs, which are urgently needed to address the issue of multidrug resistance seen in various pathogens. The enzymes involved in riboflavin biosynthesis are lumazine synthase (LS) and riboflavin synthase (RS). Understanding the details of the mechanisms of the enzyme‐catalyzed reactions and the structural changes that occur in the enzyme active sites during catalysis can facilitate the design and synthesis of suitable analogs that can specifically inhibit the relevant enzymes and stop the generation of riboflavin in pathogenic bacteria. The present review is the first compilation of the work that has been carried out over the last 25 years focusing on the design of inhibitors of the biosynthesis of riboflavin based on an understanding of the mechanisms of LS and RS. This review aimed to address the fundamental advances in our understanding of riboflavin biosynthesis as applied to the rational design of a novel class of inhibitors. These advances have been aided by X‐ray structures of ligand‐enzyme complexes, rotational‐echo, double‐resonance nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, high‐throughput screening, virtual screenings, and various mechanistic probes.
Characterization of a Bayesian network‐based radiotherapy plan verification model
Authors: Luk Samuel M. H. , Meyer Juergen , Young Lori A. , Cao Ning , Ford Eric C. , Phillips Mark H. , Kalet Alan M.
Published: March 2019

Purpose

The current process for radiotherapy treatment plan quality assurance relies on human inspection of treatment plans, which is time‐consuming, error prone and oft reliant on inconsistently applied professional judgments. A previous proof‐of‐principle paper describes the use of a Bayesian network (BN) to aid in this process. This work studied how such a BN could be expanded and trained to better represent clinical practice.

Methods

We obtained 51 540 unique radiotherapy cases including diagnostic, prescription, plan/beam, and therapy setup factors from a de‐identified Elekta oncology information system from the years 2010–2017 from a single institution. Using a knowledge base derived from clinical experience, factors were coordinated into a 29‐node, 40‐edge BN representing dependencies among the variables. Conditional probabilities were machine learned using expectation maximization module using all data except a subset of 500 patient cases withheld for testing. Different classes of errors that were obtained from incident learning systems were introduced to the testing set of cases which were withheld from the dataset used for building the BN. Different sizes of datasets were used to train the network. In addition, the BN was trained using data from different length epochs as well as different eras. Its performance under these different conditions was evaluated by means of Areas Under the receiver operating characteristic Curve (AUC).

Results

Our performance analysis found AUCs of 0.82, 0.85, 0.89, and 0.88 in networks trained with 2‐yr, 3‐yr 4‐yr and 5‐yr windows. With a 4‐yr sliding window, we found AUC reduction of 3% per year when moving the window back in time in 1‐yr steps. Compared to the 4‐yr window moved back by 4 yrs (2010–2013 vs 2014–2017), the largest component of overall reduction in AUC over time was from the loss of detection performance in plan/beam error types.

Conclusions

The expanded BN method demonstrates the ability to detect classes of errors commonly encountered in radiotherapy planning. The results suggest that a 4‐yr training dataset optimizes the performance of the network in this institutional dataset, and that yearly updates are sufficient to capture the evolution of clinical practice and maintain fidelity.
Dense networks with relative location awareness for thorax disease identification
Authors: Liang Xiao , Peng Chengtao , Qiu Bensheng , Li Bin
Published: March 2019

Purpose

Chest X‐ray is one of the most common examinations for diagnosing heart and lung diseases. Due to the existing of a large number of clinical cases, many automated diagnosis algorithms based on chest X‐ray images have been proposed. To our knowledge, almost none of the previous auto‐diagnosis algorithms consider the effect of relative location information on disease incidence. In this study, we propose to use relative location information to assist the identification of thorax diseases.

Method

In this work, U‐Net is used to segment lung and heart from chest image. The relative location maps are computed through Euclidean distance transformation from segmented masks. By introducing the relative location information into the network, the usual location of disease is combined with the incidence. The proposed network is the fusion of two branches: mask branch and image branch. A mask branch is designed to be a bottom‐up and top‐down structure to extract relative location information. The structure has a large receptive field, which can extract more information for large lesion and contextual information for small lesion. The features learned from mask branch are fused with image branch, which is a 121‐layers DenseNet.

Results

We compare our proposed method with four state‐of‐the‐art methods on the largest public chest X‐ray dataset: ChestX‐ray14. The proposed method achieves the area under a curve of 0.820, which outperforms all the existing models and algorithms.

Conclusion

This paper proposed a dense network with relative location information to identify thorax disease. The method combines the usual location of disease with the incidence for the first time and performs good.
Motion corrected water/fat whole‐heart coronary MR angiography with 100% respiratory efficiency
Authors: Munoz Camila , Cruz Gastão , Neji Radhouene , Botnar Rene M. , Prieto Claudia
Published: March 2019

Purpose

To develop a framework for respiratory motion‐corrected 3D whole‐heart water/fat coronary MR angiography (CMRA) at 3T with reduced and predictable scan time.

Methods

A 3D dual‐echo acquisition and respiratory motion‐corrected reconstruction framework for water/fat CMRA imaging was developed. The acquisition sequence integrates a 2D dual‐echo image navigator (iNAV), enabling 100% respiratory scan efficiency. Respiratory motion estimated from both the 2D iNAVs and the 3D data itself is used to produce nonrigid motion‐corrected water/fat CMRA images. A first study to investigate which iNAV (water, fat, in‐phase or out‐of‐phase) provides the best translational motion estimation was performed in 10 healthy subjects. Subsequently, nonrigid motion‐corrected water/fat images were compared to a diaphragmatic navigator gated and tracked water/fat CMRA acquisition. Image quality metrics included visible vessel length and vessel sharpness for both the left anterior descending and right coronary arteries.

Results

Average vessel sharpness achieved with water, fat, in‐phase and out‐of‐phase iNAVs was 33.8%, 29.6%, 32.2%, and 38.5%, respectively. Out‐of‐phase iNAVs were therefore used for estimating translational respiratory motion for the remainder of the study. No statistically significant differences in vessel length and sharpness (P > 0.01) were observed between the proposed nonrigid motion correction approach and the reference images, although data acquisition was significantly shorter (P < 2.6×10–4). Motion correction improved vessel sharpness by 60.4% and vessel length by 47.7%, on average, in water CMRA images in comparison with no motion correction.

Conclusion

The feasibility of a novel motion‐corrected water/fat CMRA approach has been demonstrated at 3T, producing images comparable to a reference gated acquisition, but in a shorter and predictable scan time.
Comparison between 8‐ and 32‐channel phased‐array receive coils for in vivo hyperpolarized 13C imaging of the human brain
Authors: Autry Adam W. , Gordon Jeremy W. , Carvajal Lucas , Mareyam Azma , Chen Hsin‐Yu , Park Ilwoo , Mammoli Daniele , Vareth Maryam , Chang Susan M. , Wald Lawrence L. , Xu Duan , Vigneron Daniel B. , Nelson Sarah J. , Li Yan
Published: March 2019

Purpose

To compare the performance of an 8‐channel surface coil/clamshell transmitter and 32‐channel head array coil/birdcage transmitter for hyperpolarized 13C brain metabolic imaging.

Methods

To determine the field homogeneity of the radiofrequency transmitters, B1+ mapping was performed on an ethylene glycol head phantom and evaluated by means of the double angle method. Using a 3D echo‐planar imaging sequence, coil sensitivity and noise‐only phantom data were acquired with the 8‐ and 32‐channel receiver arrays, and compared against data from the birdcage in transceiver mode. Multislice frequency‐specific 13C dynamic echo‐planar imaging was performed on a patient with a brain tumor for each hardware configuration following injection of hyperpolarized [1‐13C]pyruvate. Signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) was evaluated from pre‐whitened phantom and temporally summed patient data after coil combination based on optimal weights.

Results

The birdcage transmitter produced more uniform B1+ compared with the clamshell: 0.07 versus 0.12 (fractional error). Phantom experiments conducted with matched lateral housing separation demonstrated 8‐ versus 32‐channel mean transceiver‐normalized SNR performance: 0.91 versus 0.97 at the head center; 6.67 versus 2.08 on the sides; 0.66 versus 2.73 at the anterior; and 0.67 versus 3.17 on the posterior aspect. While the 8‐channel receiver array showed SNR benefits along lateral aspects, the 32‐channel array exhibited greater coverage and a more uniform coil‐combined profile. Temporally summed, parameter‐normalized patient data showed SNRmean,slice ratios (8‐channel/32‐channel) ranging 0.5‐2.00 from apical to central brain. White matter lactate‐to‐pyruvate ratios were conserved across hardware: 0.45 ± 0.12 (8‐channel) versus 0.43 ± 0.14 (32‐channel).

Conclusion

The 8‐ and 32‐channel hardware configurations each have advantages in particular brain anatomy.
The utility of nerve biopsy in carefully selected patients in modern neuromuscular practice
Authors: Berini Sarah E. , Dyck P. James B.
Published: March 2019

See article on pages 643–649 in this issue.
Ultrasongraphic age‐related changes of the pelvic floor muscles in nulliparous women and their association with pelvic floor symptoms: A pilot study
Authors: Alshiek Jonia , Jalalizadeh Mehrsa , Wei Qi , Chitnis Parag , Shobeiri S. Abbas
Published: March 2019

Objective

To assess age‐related changes in the pelvic floor muscular hiatus and their association with symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse, urinary and fecal incontinence, and sexual function.

Methods

In this pilot study we performed 3D endovaginal ultrasonography in two age groups of nulliparous women: 18 to 40 years and 52 to 85 years. Anterior‐posterior (AP) diameter, left‐right (LR) diameter, and the Minimal Levator Hiatus area were measured. The AP/LR ratio was calculated to compare the shape of the pelvic floor muscles between participants (oval vs circular). Other measurements included length of the urethra, and levator plate lift. Participants were assessed for (1) distress symptoms of pelvic floor prolapse, urinary, and fecal symptoms by the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory‐20, (2) quality of life via the pelvic floor impact inventory‐7, and (3) sexual function by the female sexual function inventory (FSFI‐19).

Results

A total of 12 women into the younger group and 10 to the older group were recruited. Older women had higher AP/LR ratio and longer distance levator plate lift while performing the squeeze maneuver (
P = 0.017 and 0.038, respectively). Older women had worse urinary and pelvic organ prolapse symptoms (
P = 0.002 and 0.004, respectively). Fewer women in the older group were sexually active (60% vs 92%) and their quality of sexual life was lower based on their FSFI‐19 results.

Conclusion

Levator ani muscle hiatus changes to a more oval form in older nulliparous postmenopausal women and this change in shape is associated with increased pelvic floor symptoms.
Human pantothenate kinase 4 is a pseudo‐pantothenate kinase
Authors: Yao Jiangwei , Subramanian Chitra , Rock Charles O. , Jackowski Suzanne
Published: March 2019

Pantothenate kinase generates 4′‐phosphopantothenate in the first and rate‐determining step of coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthesis. The human genome encodes three well‐characterized and nearly identical pantothenate kinases (PANK1‐3) plus a putative bifunctional protein (PANK4) with a predicted amino‐terminal pantothenate kinase domain fused to a carboxy‐terminal phosphatase domain. Structural and phylogenetic analyses show that all active, characterized PANKs contain the key catalytic residues Glu138 and Arg207 (HsPANK3 numbering). However, all amniote PANK4s, including human PANK4, encode Glu138Val and Arg207Trp substitutions which are predicted to inactivate kinase activity. Biochemical analysis corroborates bioinformatic predictions—human PANK4 lacks pantothenate kinase activity. Introducing Glu138Val and Arg207Trp substitutions to the human PANK3 and plant PANK4 abolished their robust pantothenate kinase activity. Introducing both catalytic residues back into human PANK4 restored kinase activity, but only to a low level. This result suggests that epistatic changes to the rest of the protein already reduced the kinase activity prior to mutation of the catalytic residues in the course of evolution. The PANK4 from frog, an anamniote living relative encoding the catalytically active residues, had only a low level of kinase activity, supporting the view that HsPANK4 had reduced kinase activity prior to the catalytic residue substitutions in amniotes. Together, our data show that human PANK4 is a pseudo‐pantothenate kinase—a catalytically deficient variant of the catalytically active PANK4 found in plants and fungi. The Glu138Val and Arg207Trp substitutions in amniotes (HsPANK3 numbering) completely deactivated the pantothenate kinase activity that had already been reduced by prior epistatic mutations.
Evaluating insecticide coverage and determining its effect on the duration of control for navel orangeworm (Amyelois transitella Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in California almonds
Authors: Siegel Joel P , Strmiska Mathew M , Walse Spenser S
Published: March 2019

BACKGROUND

Insecticide application is essential to control navel orangeworm (Amyelois transitella) in California almonds (Prunus dulcis), but coverage is challenging. Laboratory and field trials were conducted from 2014 to 2017 to quantify insecticide deposition and duration of control.

RESULTS

In the laboratory for filter paper, photolysis reduced the contact toxicity of bifenthrin, and its half‐life was 6.2 days. For chlorantraniliprole applied in the field, there was 87–94% less insecticide deposited in the almond suture, the most vulnerable part of the nut, than on the hull. For chlorantraniliprole, adjuvant choice (alcohol ethoxylate versus mineral oil) affected both initial insecticide deposition and half‐life. Chlorantraniliprole degradation was greater at 6.1 m than at 3 m for both adjuvants assessed, whereas contact mortality was similar at both heights for the alcohol ethoxylate adjuvant.

CONCLUSION

The combination of photolysis and differential distribution of insecticide on the nut can account for the variable control observed in the field. This was particularly problematic in the upper canopy and adjuvant choice affected deposition and insecticide degradation. Less than 1% of the insecticide in the tank was deposited on the almond suture. These results demonstrating the fraction of the insecticide in the sprayer tank deposited on the nut target, combined with reduced coverage in the upper canopy are also applicable to the control of A. transitella in pistachio (Pistacia vera) and walnut (Juglans regia) orchards. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
Benzaldehyde: an alfalfa‐related compound for the spring attraction of the pest weevil Sitona humeralis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
Authors: Lohonyai Zsófia , Vuts József , Kárpáti Zsolt , Koczor Sándor , Domingue Michael J , Fail József , Birkett Michael A , Tóth Miklós , Imrei Zoltán
Published: March 2019

BACKGROUND

Sitona weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) are a species complex comprising pests of many leguminous crops worldwide, causing damage to young plants as adults and to rootlets as larvae, resulting in significant yield losses. Timely detection of migrating adult weevils is needed to determine when deployment of control measures becomes necessary. With the aim of developing plant volatile‐based lures for Sitona spp. detection, we investigated the responses of S. humeralis to host plant‐related aromatic compounds.

RESULTS

In olfactometer studies, both male and female S. humeralis responded positively to the odour of alfalfa flowers, a source of aromatic volatiles. In single sensillum recordings, basiconic sensilla located on the third and fourth terminal segments of the antennal club of both sexes were found to respond to benzaldehyde at doses of 10−5 and 10−4 g, suggesting that the weevil is able to detect this compound at the peripheral sensory level. In field studies, S. humeralis was attracted to benzaldehyde in the spring, but not in the autumn.

CONCLUSION

Benzaldehyde, as described in this study, may be a suitable candidate for the development of monitoring tools for S. humeralis. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
Valuing fresh waters
Authors: Zenner Christiana
Published: March 2019

In an era increasingly focused on the question of how to value fresh water, this essay argues that questions of value cannot be parsed apart from the multiple ontologies that undergird those value judgments. Returning to Nelson's observation that water exists “in a metaphysical blindspot,” this essay describes what chastened metaphysics have to do with fresh waters' pluralities and depicts three apertures by which contemporary water discourses delineate fresh waters' values: economic theory and neoliberal market practice, paradigms of liberal governance, and cultural‐religious multiplicities. In the latter, fresh waters' life‐giving properties tend to be accorded central respect in ways that often exceed the ontological understandings and moral possibilities preferred by western liberal discourses in an era that has been decisively shaped by scientific, hydraulic/extractive modernity and rational planning. Parsing the ways that selected cultural‐religious formulations align with or challenge dominant governance paradigms, this essay argues that decolonial ways of proceeding are necessary if value discourse and ethical action are to be substantially oriented toward the inclusive, long‐term flourishing of human and other bodies of waters. The final section summarizes these claims and underscores necessary warnings.

This article is categorized under:

Human Water > Value of Water

Human Water > Water as Imagined and Represented

Human Water > Methods
The three-loop Adler D-function for $$ \mathcal{N}=1 $$ SQCD regularized by dimensional reduction
Authors: Aleshin S. S. , Kataev A. L. , Stepanyantz K. V.
Published: March 2019

Abstract

The three-loop Adler D-function for

$$ \mathcal{N}=1 $$

N
=
1

SQCD in the

$$ \overline{\mathrm{DR}} $$

D
R

¯

scheme is calculated starting from the three-loop result recently obtained with the higher covariant derivative regularization. For this purpose, for the theory regularized by higher derivatives we find a subtraction scheme in which the Green functions coincide with the ones obtained with the dimensional reduction and the modified minimal subtraction prescription for the renormalization of the SQCD coupling constant and of the matter superfields. Also we calculate the D-function in the

$$ \overline{\mathrm{DR}} $$

D
R

¯

scheme for all renormalization constants (including the one for the electromagnetic coupling constant which appears due to the SQCD corrections). It is shown that the results do not satisfy the NSVZ-like equation relating the D-function to the anomalous dimension of the matter superfields. However, the NSVZ-like scheme can be constructed with the help of a properly tuned finite renormalization. It is also demonstrated that the three-loop D-function defined in terms of the bare couplings with the dimensional reduction does not satisfy the NSVZ-like equation for an arbitrary renormalization prescription. We also investigate a possibility to present the results in the form of the β-expansion and the scheme dependence of this expansion.
Improved bounds on ℤ3 singlet dark matter
Authors: Hektor A. , Hryczuk A. , Kannike K.
Published: March 2019

Abstract

We reconsider complex scalar singlet dark matter stabilised by a ℤ3 symmetry. We refine the stability bounds on the potential and use constraints from unitarity on scattering at finite energy to place a stronger lower limit on the direct detection cross section. In addition, we improve the treatment of the thermal freeze-out by including the evolution of the dark matter temperature and its feedback onto relic abundance. In the regions where the freeze-out is dominated by resonant or semi-annihilation, the dark matter decouples kinetically from the plasma very early, around the onset of the chemical decoupling. This results in a modification of the required coupling to the Higgs, which turns out to be at most few per cent in the semi-annihilation region, thus giving credence to the standard approach to the relic density calculation in this regime. In contrast, for dark matter mass just below the Higgs resonance, the modification of the Higgs invisible width and direct and indirect detection signals can be up to a factor 6.7. The model is then currently allowed at 56.8 GeV to 58.4 GeV (depending on the details of early kinetic decoupling) ≲ M

S
≲ 62.8 GeV and at M

S
≳ 122 GeV if the freeze-out is dominated by semi-annihilation. We show that the whole large semi-annihilation region will be probed by the near-future measurements at the XENONnT experiment.
A first-in-human study of the novel metabolism-based anti-cancer agent SM-88 in subjects with advanced metastatic cancer
Authors: Stega Jeanetta , Noel Marcus S. , Vandell Alexander G. , Stega Damian , Del Priore Giuseppe , Hoffman Steve
Published: March 2019

Purpose SM-88 (D,L-alpha-metyrosine; racemetyrosine) is a novel anti-cancer agent, used with melanin, phenytoin, and sirolimus (SMK Therapy). This pilot first-in-human study characterized the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of SMK Therapy in subjects with advanced metastatic cancer. Methods All subjects (n = 30) received SMK Therapy for an initial 6 week Cycle (5 days on, 2 off per week) and continued if well tolerated. Safety signals, clinical response, overall survival, progression free survival (PFS), and quality of life changes were assessed. Results The most common drug related adverse events were hyperpigmentation and rash. All drug related adverse events were mild to moderate in intensity. Following treatment with SMK Therapy, 4 subjects achieved complete response, 6 partial response, and 17 stable disease according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 (total clinical benefit 90%). Responses were observed within 6 weeks, and continued to improve, with 3 complete and 3 partial responders achieving best response after at least 3.2 months. Durable stable disease was observed, lasting a median duration of 11 months (range 1–31 months). Median overall survival for all subjects was 29.8 months, and median PFS was 13 months. Following 6 weeks of treatment, most (83.3%) subjects showed an improvement in Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score and an improvement in the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ 30) global health status (baseline 61.2 ± 25.0; end of Cycle 1 80.7 ± 14.7; n = 29; p < 0.001). Conclusions The results of this study support continued development of SM-88.
Bacteria-Derived Recombinant Human ANGPTL8/Betatrophin Significantly Increases the Level of Triglyceride
Authors: Xu Fangfang , Chen Yuqing , Wang Nan , Sun Kai
Published: March 2019

ANGPTL8/Betatrophin has been implicated in the regulation of both glucose and triglyceride metabolism. However, its role in regulating glucose metabolism by promoting β cell proliferation remains controversial, and its physiological functions and molecular targets are largely unknown. Hence, it is of great importance to make recombinant protein and test its effects on β cell mass directly. In this study, the mature form gene of human ANGPTL8/betatrophin was obtained through chemical synthesis on to the vector pUCE, and the fusion protein was expressed in the Transetta (DE3)/pEASY-E2-betatrophin strain. The inclusion bodies were solubilized in urea and purified by Ni–NTA affinity chromatography. The yield of purified ANGPTL8/betatrophin was approximately 20 mg per liter of culture medium. In vitro studies revealed that the recombinant ANGPTL8/betatrophin had no proliferation effect on MIN6 cells but promoted TG levels in HepG2 cells. This method to generate bioactive ANGPTL8/betatrophin is a simple, practical and user-friendly protocol.
Full exploitation of high dimensionality in brain imaging: The JPND working group statement and findings
Authors: Adams Hieab H.H. , Roshchupkin Gennady V. , DeCarli Charles , Franke Barbara , Grabe Hans J. , Habes Mohamad , Jahanshad Neda , Medland Sarah E. , Niessen Wiro , Satizabal Claudia L. , Schmidt Reinhold , Seshadri Sudha , Teumer Alexander , Thompson Paul M. , Vernooij Meike W. , Wittfeld Katharina , Ikram M. Arfan
Published: March 2019

Advances in technology enable increasing amounts of data collection from individuals for biomedical research. Such technologies, for example, in genetics and medical imaging, have also led to important scientific discoveries about health and disease. The combination of multiple types of high‐throughput data for complex analyses, however, has been limited by analytical and logistic resources to handle high‐dimensional data sets. In our previous EU Joint Programme–Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) Working Group, called HD‐READY, we developed methods that allowed successful combination of omics data with neuroimaging. Still, several issues remained to fully leverage high‐dimensional multimodality data. For instance, high‐dimensional features, such as voxels and vertices, which are common in neuroimaging, remain difficult to harmonize. In this Full‐HD Working Group, we focused on such harmonization of high‐dimensional neuroimaging phenotypes in combination with other omics data and how to make the resulting ultra‐high‐dimensional data easily accessible in neurodegeneration research.
THE ROLE OF INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY IN OBSTETRICS
Authors: KACHURA JOHN R
Published: March 2019

Vascular and Interventional Radiology, more succinctly known as Interventional Radiology (IR), is the subspecialty of Medical Imaging or Radiology that deals with diagnosis and treatment using minimally invasive procedures under imaging guidance. Initially, fluoroscopy was the only imaging modality available, but ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are also currently being used for guidance. One of the basic skills used by interventional radiologists is the Seldinger technique: the introduction of a needle into a body cavity or lumen allowing passage of a wire guide, which in turn facilitates the insertion of a tube or catheter. Many IR procedures have supplanted more invasive surgical techniques, with the resultant benefits of lower morbidity and mortality, shorter hospital stays and recovery times, and lower costs. Traditionally, obstetricians and interventional radiologists seldom interacted with one another, but their collaboration in patient care and research is increasing as obstetricians realise the value of IR, and as the myriad techniques and tools in the interventionalist's armamentarium expand and evolve.
Examining the Subtropical Mode Water in the Southwestern Atlantic From in Situ Observations
Authors: Ferreira M. B. , Sato O. T. , Polito P. S. , Bernardo P. S.
Published: March 2019

We investigated the formation and evolution of the South Atlantic subtropical mode water using data from profiling conductivity, temperature, and depth sensors (CTD) deployed in April–May 2015 and from two customized Argo floats that drifted from April 2015 to June 2017. From the CTD data, we observed a mode water layer below the seasonal thermocline that deepened from the southern side of the area to the north. The two Argo floats remained in the proximity of the cruise area for 2 years. Their slow displacement and recirculating patterns allowed us to observe the changes in the temperature and salinity structure before and after the formation period. We observed that the potential vorticity of newly formed mode water was O[10−1 to 10−2] of the mean value found in the whole mode water layer. There is a significant correspondence between the phases of the time integral of surface heat fluxes and the sea surface temperature. Mode water is observed to form at the integrated heat flux minimum phase. The relationship between the air‐sea fluxes and sea surface temperature promotes the necessary preconditioning for the mode water formation. Once this was established, the outcropping of the mode water, that was at about 100 m depth, coincided with the passage of an atmospheric cold frontal system. This event suggests that the mode water formation can be triggered by the passage of cold fronts.
The Characteristics of Tropical and Midlatitude Mesoscale Convective Systems as Revealed by Radar Wind Profilers
Authors: Wang Die , Giangrande Scott E. , Schiro Kathleen A. , Jensen Michael P. , Houze Robert A.
Published: March 2019

This study contrasts characteristics of mature squall‐line mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) observed by extended ground‐based radar wind profiler (RWP) deployments from the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program. This analysis compares the dynamical structure, precipitation, and cold pool properties associated with MCS events over RWP sites in Oklahoma, USA, (midlatitude) to those observed during a 2‐year RWP deployment to Manaus, Brazil, during GoAmazon2014/5 campaign (tropical). The MCSs indicate similar convective line rainfall rates and total rainfall accumulations. However, midlatitude events suggest a larger fractional stratiform contribution to total precipitation. For both regions, convective line cold pools are associated with sharp decreases (approximately 10 K) in the surface equivalent potential temperature (θe) near the time of line passage. Surface θe properties for both regions suggest a modest relationship between rainfall rate and the probability of observing measurable surface rainfall. The probability of observing convective updrafts in both tropical and midlatitude MCS events is found to be similar as a function of low‐level radar reflectivity. However, midlatitude MCSs are associated with more intense convective updrafts, with upward air motions (mean, maximum) peaking at higher altitude. The most pronounced contrast is the propensity for deeper and more intense downdrafts in midlatitude MCSs. An analysis based on observed downdraft properties is performed using simple mixing assumptions. For these events, the vertical gradient of θe in the lower troposphere is relatively consistent between the Amazon and Oklahoma, suggesting similar mixing rates for downdrafts originating below 3 km (0.1 km−1). However, if downdrafts originate nearer to the level of minimum θe at SGP, mixing may be occurring at rates comparable to 0.3 km−1.
A supramolecular synthon approach to design amorphous solid dispersions with exceptional physical stability
Authors: Duggirala Naga Kiran , Li Jinghan , Kumar N. S. Krishna , Gopinath Tata , Suryanarayanan Raj
Published: March 2019

A supramolecular synthon approach was exploited to design amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) of drugs containing an amino aromatic nitrogen moiety and a polyacrylic acid polymer.
A rational design of manganese electrocatalysts for Lewis acid-assisted carbon dioxide reduction
Authors: Wang Xiaoli , Ma Haiyan , Meng Caiyun , Chen Dezhan , Huang Fang
Published: March 2019

Based on the mechanisms of CO2 electroreduction by Mn(mesbpy)(CO)3Br, a formyl-substituted Mn complex is predicted to be a more effective electrocatalyst.
Palladium-catalyzed tandem one-pot synthesis of π-expanded imidazoles through a sequential Heck and oxidative amination reaction
Authors: Li Xue , Chen Xin , Wang Hui , Chen Chunxia , Sun Peng , Mo Baichuan , Peng Jinsong
Published: March 2019

An efficient palladium-catalyzed route for tandem one-pot synthesis of π-expanded imidazoles from 2-vinyl imidazoles and aryl halides is described.
Solvatochromic structural color fabrics with favorable wearability properties
Authors: Gong Xinbo , Hou Chengyi , Zhang Qinghong , Li Yaogang , Wang Hongzhi
Published: March 2019

Air-permeable structural color fabrics change color reversibly in response to water.
Metamaterial‐inspired dual‐band frequency‐reconfigurable antenna with pattern diversity
Authors: Zhang Jiahao , Yan Sen , Vandenbosch Guy A.E.
Published: March 2019

Multi‐functional antennas are very important in modern wireless communication systems. A novel dual‐band frequency‐reconfigurable antenna with pattern diversity is designed. The antenna consists of a composite right/left‐handed transmission line inspired structure, which works at the zeroth‐order mode (0) around 2.5 GHz and at the first‐order mode (1) around 3.5 GHz. The 0 mode results in an omni‐directional pattern and the 1 mode results in a broadside pattern. By adding varactors to continuously reconfigure the structure, the antenna is able to tune its lower resonant frequency from 2.36 to 2.60 GHz, which fully covers the 2.4–2.5 GHz ISM band, and tune its higher resonant frequency from 3.34 to 3.73 GHz, which fully covers the 3.4–3.7 GHz WiMAX band. Simulations and experiments match well, proving the validity of this new concept.
Gaussian channel transmission of images and audio files using cryptcoding
Authors: Bakeva Verica , Popovska‐Mitrovikj Aleksandra , Mechkaroska Daniela , Dimitrova Vesna , Jakimovski Boro , Ilievski Vladimir
Published: March 2019

Random codes based on quasigroups (RCBQ) are cryptcodes, i.e. they are error‐correcting codes, which provide information security. Cut‐Decoding and 4‐Sets‐Cut‐Decoding algorithms for these codes are defined elsewhere. Also, the performance of these codes for the transmission of text messages is investigated elsewhere. In this study, the authors investigate the RCBQ's performance with Cut‐Decoding and 4‐Sets‐Cut‐Decoding algorithms for transmission of images and audio files through a Gaussian channel. They compare experimental results for both coding/decoding algorithms and for different values of signal‐to‐noise ratio. In all experiments, the differences between the transmitted and decoded image or audio file are considered. Experimentally obtained values for bit‐error rate and packet error rate and the decoding speed of both algorithms are compared. Also, two filters for enhancing the quality of the images decoded using RCBQ are proposed.