bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Corrosion behaviour of nanocrystallines alloy 690 at high-temperature and high-pressure in simulated PWR secondary environment
Authors: Li Xiaoxian , Liu Jiang , Liu Junbiao , Zhu Shengjian , Yan Yangxian , Zhang Xuehui , Liang Tongxiang
Published: January 2021

The influence of ultrasonic surface rolling treatment (USRT) on the corrosion behaviour of nanocrystallines (NC) alloy 690 at high temperature and high pressure in simulated PWR secondary environment was performed by using Raman spectrometer, X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). After USRT, the average size and the thickness of NC surface layer could reach 55 nm and 1 μm, respectively. Electrochemical measurements showed that the oxide film on the surface of NC alloy 690 was denser and more complete compared with coarse grained (CG) samples. The corrosion tests in ethanolamine (ETA) solution illustrated that the fine oxide particles were evenly distributed on the oxide film of NC alloy 690. The corrosion potential increased from −364 mV to −229 mV, while the corrosion current density dropped from 18.07 × 10−8 mm2 A cm−2 to 8.842 × 10−8 mm2 A cm−2 after USRT. By analysis, the inner layer of oxide film consisted of Cr2O3, NiFe2O4, and FeCr2O4, while Ni hydroxides formed the major part of the outermost layer of film. A growth model of oxide films on alloy 690 at high-temperature and high-pressure in stimulated PWR secondary environments was proposed and discussed.
Highly efficient photoluminescence of 2D perovskites enabled by dimensional increasing
Authors: Ma Linlin , Wang Chao , Chu Ya , Guo Yurong , Feng Xia , Yu Zhenyi , Zhang Haoyue , Zhao Guangjiu
Published: January 2021

Herein, we proposed a dimension-increasing regulation strategy to realize the dimensionality engineering of perovskite from two-dimensional (2D) nanoplates (NPs) to quasi-two-dimensional (Q-2D) nanocrystals (NCs), and successfully prepared 2D (PEA)2PbBr4 NPs (PEA (phenylethylammonium) = C8H9NH3), Q-2D (PEA)2CsPb2Br7 (1) and (PEA)2Cs2Pb3Br10 (2) NCs. The photoluminescence dynamics changes from 2D (PEA)2PbBr4 NPs to Q-2D (1), (2) NCs by performing the time-resolved nanosecond transient absorption (NTAS) measurement for our perovskites. Compared with 2D (PEA)2PbBr4 NPs, we discovered for the first time that the electronic spectral redshift is intrinsic property of Q-2D NCs, which is caused by excitons transition to higher dimensionality. And the photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) of Q-2D (1), (2) NCs is effectively increased from 8.780% to 14.72%, 21.80%, respectively. This directly verifies that Q-2D (1) and (2) NCs have enhanced their interlayer energy transfer capabilities. Moreover, the photoluminescence mechanism of these perovskites is investigated by the NTAS and the time-resolved photoluminescence (TR-PL) spectroscopy. The photophysical process of Q-2D samples exhibits a highly efficient and single photoluminescence pathway. The photoluminescence comes from the radiation recombination of free excitons. The Q-2D samples also have excellent photostability and decay lifetime stability. Our findings advance the research of improving 2D perovskites photoluminescence, and highlight potential of Q-2D NCs for optoelectronic applications.
Corrosion resistance and high temperature wear behavior of carbide-enhanced austenite-based surfacing layer prepared by twin-wire indirect arc welding
Authors: An Qi , Wen Yuxian , Matsuda Kenji , Xu Junyong , Wu Dongting , Zou Yong
Published: January 2021

Twin-wire indirect arc welding is a novel welding process. In this article, the anode wire was an austenite-based welding wire, and the cathode wire was an iron-based wear-resistant welding wire. Given that the two wires burn simultaneously in twin-wire indirect arc welding, a carbide-enhanced austenite-based surface layer was produced. The high-temperature wear resistance of the austenitic stainless steel was enhanced by the carbides. Results indicated enhancements in amount of reinforcing phase in the austenite-based surface layer with increasing of cathode wire feeding speed and the high-temperature friction coefficient decreased first and then increased. However, the corrosion resistance of austenite-based surfacing layer decreased slightly with increasing of amount of reinforcing phase. At low content of the reinforcing phase in the surface layer, the high-temperature wear behavior was dominated by oxidative adhesive wear, which changed to abrasive wear with the increase in the reinforcing phase.
Effect of Al–Nb–B2O3–CuO system reaction products on microstructure and wear resistance of A356 alloy
Authors: Jiachen Jiang , Huimin Liu , Hu Qilong , Zheng Chong , Qiao Zhenxing
Published: January 2021

The aim of present work is study the effcet of Al-Nb-B2O3-CuO system reaction products on microstructure and properties of A356 alloy. B2O3 powder, Al powder, CuO powder and Nb powder were used as raw materials to form Al–Nb–B2O3–CuO reaction system, and A356 alloy was refined by in situ reaction and near-liquidus casting. The size, phase, morphology and distribution of in situ reaction products were observed and analysed by optical microscope, x-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope. The products of the Al–Nb–B2O3–CuO reaction system are mainly Al3Nb, NbB2 and Al2O3. The ratio of the prefabricated block is 8:1:1:2 . When the prefabricated block was added at 2.5 wt%, the particle size of NbB2, Al3Nb and Al2O3 is 0.5–1 μm. The microstructure of A356 alloy is fine and uniform. The average grain size is refined to less than 20 μm. Compared with untreated A356 alloy, the wear rate is reduced from 2.091% to 0.882%, and the average hardness of the alloy is increased from 41.3HRC to 58.2HRC.
Preparation of high molecular weight thermoplastic bio-based phenolic resin and fiber based on lignin liquefaction
Authors: Ren Yu , Lin Xu , Wang Wenlin , Shi Zhengjun , Zheng Zhifeng , Liu Can
Published: January 2021

In order to improve the application range of lignin phenolic resin, lignin thermoplastic phenolic resin was prepared by controlling the molar ratio (formaldehyde: phenol) with liquefied lignin, phenol and formaldehyde as raw materials, and thermoplastic phenolic fiber was obtained by melt spinning. The effects of different curing bath acid proportion (40%, 50%, 60%) on the mechanical property, thermal property and morphology of the fiber were investigated, and the curing behavior of lignin phenolic fiber was studied. The structure and properties of the resin and fiber were characterized by FT-IR, NMR, GPC, TG, DSC, XRD, SEM and fiber strength testing. The results showed that when the molar ratio was 0.7:1, the resin had the best performance, the O/P value was 1.75, Mw was 8298, and PDI was 2.92. After curing, the fiber continued cross-linking reaction, and the diameter of the cured fiber was thicker than that of the original fiber. The most suitable curing process for the original fiber was that formaldehyde and hydrochloric acid were prepared into curing bath according to the mass ratio of 1:1, the heating rate was 20 ℃ h−1, the curing termination temperature was 170 ℃. The tensile strength of the fibers reached 176.64 MPa and the elongation at break was 1.48%, and finally the carbon yield at 800 ℃ was 37.2%.
Research on dynamic mechanical behavior and damage evolution mechanism of Cu/WCp laminated composites
Authors: Yubo Zhang , Rongxin Guo , Haiting Xia , Feng Yan , Xing Yao Liu
Published: January 2021

In this paper, the effect of WCp particle content (3 and 15 vol.%) and laminate orientation on the mechanical behavior of laminated Cu/WCp/15p and Cu/WCp/3p composites under dynamic impact was investigated using the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) test. Subsequently, the micro-damage evolution mechanism of the composites was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy. The results demonstrated that Cu/WCp composites are strain-rate-sensitive, and a significant reinforcing effect of WCp particle content on composite properties was observed. Furthermore, the gradient direction revealed a remarkable effect on the dynamic compressive behavior of functionally gradient materials (FGMs). Microscopic analysis revealed that under the same strain rate, there were no apparent damage characteristics in Cu/WCp/3p, while obvious shear cracks appeared in Cu/WCp/15p. SEM analysis revealed that, in FGM, when the laminate orientation was parallel to the stress wave propagation direction, cracks initiated from one side of Cu/WCp/15p, and then grew through the interface to the other side. A relatively large sliding dislocation was observed at the interlayer interface, and the crack arrested at the Cu/WCp/3p layer. However, although the cracks in FGM also initiated from the side of Cu/WCp/15p, they did not cross the interface, but caused a direct split in the interlayer interface, when the laminate orientation was perpendicular to the stress wave propagation direction.
Constitutive models and microstructure evolution of Ti-6Al-4V alloy during the hot compressive process
Authors: Huang Xiaomin , Zang Yong , Guan Ben
Published: January 2021

Using the Gleeble-1500D thermal simulation machine, and the Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy was subjected to isothermal compression test under the conditions of deformation temperature of 1023 K–1323 K, strain rate of 0.01 s−1–10 s−1 and maximum deformation degree of 60% (the true strain is 0.916), and the stress and strain data under different deformation conditions were obtained. Based on the stress and strain data, the Arrhenius model and Back-Propagation Artificial Neural Network (BP-ANN) model were obtained. The results show that the BP-ANN model has higher accuracy than Arrhenius model, its correlation coefficient is as high as 0.99959, and the average absolute relative error is only 3.0935%. The Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy model can make up for the lack of prediction accuracy of the constitutive model, and can predict the flow stress in all deformation ranges. Finally, the influence of different deformation temperature, deformation rate and deformation amount on microstructure is analyzed.
Study of the precipitation, nucleation, and grain growth of phases in the ZL201 cast aluminum alloy by integrated calculations
Authors: Shen Jian-Ran , Chen Jun-Yu , Qiu Zhe-Sheng , Li Jia-Qi , Yan Ji-Kang
Published: January 2021

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of alloy composition on the evolvement rule of microstructure for ZL201 cast aluminium alloy. The ZL201 casting samples with different components were prepared by gravity diecasting process, the phase composition was characterized and calculated by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermo-calc (TC) software respectively, the evolvement rule of microstructures was observed by metallographic microscope (OM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM), and simulated by ProCAST software. The results show that the Al2Cu (θ) formed by Cu and Al matrix, which increased the free energy and reduced the precipitation temperature for the alloy system. For the microstructure of ZL201, the nucleation direction of Al-Cu was along the positive direction of z-axis, the morphology was a regular ribbed morphology; Al-Mn and Al-Ti were along the negative directions of x- and y-axis and morphologies were columnar. Besides, the nucleation mode of casting center was dominated by the growth pattern of Al-Cu, and that of casting surface was dominated by Al-Ti and Al-Mn.
Adsorption using chitosan and nano zerovalent iron composite material for sustainable water treatment
Authors: Sowmya S R , Madhu G M , Sankannavar Ravi , Yerragolla Shrikanth
Published: January 2021

The growing global population and rapid urbanization have led to a water crisis. Current environmental issues emphasize the exploration of advanced materials and economical methods for purification of wastewater. The present work focuses on using advanced composite material made up of chitosan, activated carbon, zerovalent iron nanoparticles for adsorption of Congo red dye. The adsorbent was characterized using SEM, XRD and FTIR. An investigation was conducted on the critical parameters such as pH, the effect of initial dye concentration, temperature and the adsorbent dosage. The optimum dye to adsorbent ratio was analyzed. The composite material proposed as adsorbent was found to be very effective in adsorption of the Congo red dye. 100% adsorption was noted in 70 min under room temperature for the dye concentration of 100 ppm using 1 g of the adsorbent at pH 7. The efficacy of adsorption increased with the increase in temperature and found to increase under acidic pH. The optimum dye to adsorbent dosage is found to be 1:10. 100% of degradation is achieved within 50 min at a temperature of 80 °C and pH 1. The optimization studies were incorporated to investigate the effects of the variables on the process of adsorption using Box-Behnken design of experiments. The inquest of the present study provides an economical and efficient method for water treatment which can be easily adapted for the wastewater purification.
The effect of Cu-doping on the corrosion behavior of NiTi alloy arch wires under simulated clinical conditions
Authors: Wang Jing , Wang Tairan , Dong Shaojie , Kang Xueping , Zhao Shuyang , Shi Haoyu , Gao Bei , Ma Shuyu , Liu Ming , Niu Lin , Zou Rui
Published: January 2021

Allergy to nickel based alloy arch wires, which is largely induced by corrosion behavior, can cause severe problems during the orthodontic treatment. However, no consensus has been reached in the comparison of anti-corrosion behavior between Nickel-Titanium (NiTi) and Copper Nickel-Titanium (CuNiTi) alloy arch wires. Herein, the anti-corrosion behavior of NiTi and CuNiTi arch wires was simultaneously studied in artificial saliva under loading stress to simulate clinical conditions. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was utilized to detect the surface morphology and following x-ray diffraction (XRD), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) as well as x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to evaluate the potential anti-corrosion tendency of the arch wires, implying that CuNiTi arch wire had more defects on the surface yet intriguingly less release of Ni compared with NiTi arch wire after test. Both groups of arch wires were more corroded when loaded with clinic-simulating stress, nevertheless, the doping of Cu element can reduce the release of Ni to some extent, which is conducive to lowering the probability of metal allergy and supplying meaningful instructions for the manufactories and orthodontists.
The effect of grain size before cold rolling on the magnetic properties of thin-gauge non-oriented electrical steel
Authors: Zhang Yinghui , Yang Jingfu , Qin Jing , Zhao Haibin
Published: January 2021

Thin-gauge non-oriented electrical steel was processed by one-stage cold rolling using different normalizing time, and the through-process texture evolution was studied. Strong {411}〈148〉 recrystallization textures were obtained in sheets subjected to longer normalization time. After cold rolling reduction, the initial {411}〈148〉 texture transformed to {114}〈110〉 and {311}〈136〉 textures. As the rolling reduction increased, the {311}〈136〉 texture transformed into a {112}〈110〉 texture, but not a {111}〈112〉 texture. In normalized sheets with large grains, more shear bands formed during cold rolling, which provided more nucleation sites for {100}〈013〉 oriented grains. The nucleation sites of {100}〈013〉 grains existed at {112}〈110〉 and {100}〈011〉 deformed grain boundaries and in the {112}〈110〉 and {111}〈112〉 orientation shear bands. Strong {100}〈013〉 textures formed due to the high mobility and large grain size. As the normalizing time increased, the magnetic properties were greatly improved in the final annealed sheets. The superior magnetic induction was due to the strong {100}〈013〉 and {210}〈001〉 textures and the weak {111}〈112〉 texture. A larger grain size and weaker γ texture reduced the hysteresis loss, which caused low core losses in the final annealed sheets.
Experimental study of ELM-induced filament structures using the VUV imaging system on EAST
Authors: LI Bang , MING Tingfeng , ZHUANG Qing , LONG Feifei , GAO Shanlu , SHI Qiqi , WANG Yumin , LIU Xiaoju , LIU Shaocheng , ZENG Long , GAO Xiang
Published: January 2021

A high-speed vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) imaging system has been developed on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), which selectively measures line emission with a central wavelength of 13.5 nm (CVI, n = 4–2). It has been employed to study edge/pedestal plasma behavior in EAST. Edge localized mode (ELM)-induced filament structures have been captured by the VUV imaging system during the ELMy high confinement mode discharge with both high temporal and spatial resolutions. The typical features (i.e. poloidal width and pitch angle) of the observed filaments are quantitatively characterized based on the VUV imaging data, and the dependence of these features on basic plasma parameters is analyzed. It is found that the poloidal width is proportional to the heating power, and the pitch angle is inversely proportional to the edge safety factor

q

95

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The scatterplot shows a positive trend between the poloidal width and the ELM amplitude defined by the relative change in stored energy. These results are based on the condition that the perturbation induced by ELMs is confined to a narrow layer in the plasma.
Practical source monitoring for continuous-variable quantum key distribution
Authors: Chu Binjie , Zhang Yichen , Huang Yundi , Yu Song , Chen Ziyang , Guo Hong
Published: January 2021

Source monitoring is a matter of vital importance for continuous-variable quantum key distribution (QKD), since it is the first barrier to ensure the practical security. In a practical scenario, the difficulty arises with the existence of the laser intensity fluctuation, which not only contributes to the source noise but also causes the deviation of source monitoring result. We first illustrate the effect of the relative intensity noise (RIN) on the ultimate security by explicitly showing the parameter estimation procedure, and find that the secret key rate is overestimated in this situation. To defend the continuous-variable QKD system against potential attacks utilizing this impairment to conceal itself, a source monitoring scheme is devised by adopting the seminal one-time shot-noise unit calibration approach into the monitor module. It is shown that by using the practical source monitoring scheme the impact of the RIN can be modeled and monitored in real time to circumvent an overestimated secret key rate. This scheme also lowers the system complexity thus is suitable for widespread application.
The role of feature space in atomistic learning
Authors: Goscinski Alexander , Fraux Guillaume , Imbalzano Giulio , Ceriotti Michele
Published: January 2021

Efficient, physically-inspired descriptors of the structure and composition of molecules and materials play a key role in the application of machine-learning techniques to atomistic simulations. The proliferation of approaches, as well as the fact that each choice of features can lead to very different behavior depending on how they are used, e.g. by introducing non-linear kernels and non-Euclidean metrics to manipulate them, makes it difficult to objectively compare different methods, and to address fundamental questions on how one feature space is related to another. In this work we introduce a framework to compare different sets of descriptors, and different ways of transforming them by means of metrics and kernels, in terms of the structure of the feature space that they induce. We define diagnostic tools to determine whether alternative feature spaces contain equivalent amounts of information, and whether the common information is substantially distorted when going from one feature space to another. We compare, in particular, representations that are built in terms of n-body correlations of the atom density, quantitatively assessing the information loss associated with the use of low-order features. We also investigate the impact of different choices of basis functions and hyperparameters of the widely used SOAP and Behler–Parrinello features, and investigate how the use of non-linear kernels, and of a Wasserstein-type metric, change the structure of the feature space in comparison to a simpler linear feature space.
Seed longevity of maize conserved under germplasm bank conditions for up to 60 years
Authors: Guzzon Filippo , Gianella Maraeva , Velazquez Juarez Jose Alejandro , Sanchez Cano Cesar , Costich Denise E
Published: January 2021

Background and Aims

The long-term conservation of seeds of plant genetic resources is of key importance for food security and preservation of agrobiodiversity. Nevertheless, there is scarce information available about seed longevity of many crops under germplasm bank conditions.

Methods

Through germination experiments as well as the analysis of historical monitoring data, we studied the decline in viability manifested by 1000 maize (Zea mays subsp. mays) seed accessions conserved for an average of 48 years at the CIMMYT germplasm bank, the largest maize seedbank in the world, under two cold storage conditions: an active (–3 °C; intended for seed distribution) and a base conservation chamber (–15 °C; for long-term conservation).

Key Results

Seed lots stored in the active chamber had a significantly lower and more variable seed germination, averaging 81.4 %, as compared with the seed lots conserved in the base chamber, averaging 92.1 %. The average seed viability detected in this study was higher in comparison with that found in other seed longevity studies on maize conserved under similar conditions. A significant difference was detected in seed germination and longevity estimates (e.g. p85 and p50) among accessions. Correlating seed longevity with seed traits and passport data, grain type showed the strongest correlation, with flint varieties being longer lived than floury and dent types.

Conclusions

The more rapid loss of seed viability detected in the active chamber suggests that the seed conservation approach, based on the storage of the same seed accessions in two chambers with different temperatures, might be counterproductive for overall long-term conservation and that base conditions should be applied in both. The significant differences detected in seed longevity among accessions underscores that different viability monitoring and regeneration intervals should be applied to groups of accessions showing different longevity profiles.
Apportioning Fault for Performance Corruption in Investment Arbitration
Authors: Reisman Diana A A
Published: January 2021

International investment tribunals are frequently presented with the host state’s allegation that the foreign investor bribed a government official. In most of the disputes to date, the state portrays itself as victim and the corrupt act is alleged to have occurred during the making of the initial investment. If bribery is proved, the case is terminated without going into the merits. However, in a growing number of cases, corruption is alleged to have occurred during performance of the investment. If it is proved and whether or not an element of coercion on the part of the host state is proved, the tribunal is confronted with the question of whether the corruption automatically terminates the case, or whether the facts warrant the apportionment of fault and the determination of damages accordingly.

When presented with an act of performance corruption, this Article asks if and how a tribunal should apportion fault between the host state and the foreign investor. The Article proposes that the State and the investor share the fault. An equitable outcome—and one that deters and reduces the occurrence of corruption—must sanction and disincentivize both parties to the corrupt act. This Article advocates for the contributory fault approach to performance corruption and proposes a three-factor test by which a tribunal may assess fault and apportion damages.
Health informatics and EHR to support clinical research in the COVID-19 pandemic: an overview
Authors: Dagliati Arianna , Malovini Alberto , Tibollo Valentina , Bellazzi Riccardo
Published: January 2021

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has clearly shown that major challenges and threats for humankind need to be addressed with global answers and shared decisions. Data and their analytics are crucial components of such decision-making activities. Rather interestingly, one of the most difficult aspects is reusing and sharing of accurate and detailed clinical data collected by Electronic Health Records (EHR), even if these data have a paramount importance. EHR data, in fact, are not only essential for supporting day-by-day activities, but also they can leverage research and support critical decisions about effectiveness of drugs and therapeutic strategies. In this paper, we will concentrate our attention on collaborative data infrastructures to support COVID-19 research and on the open issues of data sharing and data governance that COVID-19 had made emerge. Data interoperability, healthcare processes modelling and representation, shared procedures to deal with different data privacy regulations, and data stewardship and governance are seen as the most important aspects to boost collaborative research. Lessons learned from COVID-19 pandemic can be a strong element to improve international research and our future capability of dealing with fast developing emergencies and needs, which are likely to be more frequent in the future in our connected and intertwined world.
VPF-Class: taxonomic assignment and host prediction of uncultivated viruses based on viral protein families
Authors: Pons Joan Carles , Paez-Espino David , Riera Gabriel , Ivanova Natalia , Kyrpides Nikos C , Llabrés Mercè
Published: January 2021

Motivation

Two key steps in the analysis of uncultured viruses recovered from metagenomes are the taxonomic classification of the viral sequences and the identification of putative host(s). Both steps rely mainly on the assignment of viral proteins to orthologs in cultivated viruses. Viral Protein Families (VPFs) can be used for the robust identification of new viral sequences in large metagenomics datasets. Despite the importance of VPF information for viral discovery, VPFs have not yet been explored for determining viral taxonomy and host targets.

Results

In this work, we classified the set of VPFs from the IMG/VR database and developed VPF-Class. VPF-Class is a tool that automates the taxonomic classification and host prediction of viral contigs based on the assignment of their proteins to a set of classified VPFs. Applying VPF-Class on 731K uncultivated virus contigs from the IMG/VR database, we were able to classify 363K contigs at the genus level and predict the host of over 461K contigs. In the RefSeq database, VPF-class reported an accuracy of nearly 100% to classify dsDNA, ssDNA and retroviruses, at the genus level, considering a membership ratio and a confidence score of 0.2. The accuracy in host prediction was 86.4%, also at the genus level, considering a membership ratio of 0.3 and a confidence score of 0.5. And, in the prophages dataset, the accuracy in host prediction was 86% considering a membership ratio of 0.6 and a confidence score of 0.8. Moreover, from the Global Ocean Virome dataset, over 817K viral contigs out of 1 million were classified.

Availability and implementation

The implementation of VPF-Class can be downloaded from https://github.com/biocom-uib/vpf-tools.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Gene-expression profile and postpartum transition of bovine endometrial side population cells†
Authors: Tatebayashi Ryoki , Nakamura Sho , Minabe Shiori , Furusawa Tadashi , Abe Ryoya , Kajisa Miki , Morita Yasuhiro , Ohkura Satoshi , Kimura Koji , Matsuyama Shuichi
Published: January 2021

The mechanism of bovine endometrial regeneration after parturition remains unclear. Here, we hypothesized that bovine endometrial stem/progenitor cells participate in the postpartum regeneration of the endometrium. Flow cytometry analysis identified the presence of side population (SP) cells among endometrial stromal cells. Endometrial SP cells were shown to differentiate into osteoblasts and adipocytes. RNA-seq data showed that the gene expression pattern was different between bovine endometrial SP cells and main population cells. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis identified the enrichment of stemness genes in SP cells. Significantly (false discovery rate < 0.01) upregulated genes in SP cells contained several stem cell marker genes. Gene ontology (GO) analysis of the upregulated genes in SP cells showed enrichment of terms related to RNA metabolic process and transcription. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis of upregulated genes in SP cells revealed enrichment of signaling pathways associated with maintenance and differentiation of stem/progenitor cells. The terms involved in TCA cycles were enriched in GO and KEGG pathway analysis of downregulated genes in SP cells. These results support the assumption that bovine endometrial SP cells exhibit characteristics of somatic stem/progenitor cells. The ratio of SP cells to endometrial cells was lowest on days 9–11 after parturition, which gradually increased thereafter. SP cells were shown to differentiate into epithelial cells. Collectively, these results suggest that bovine endometrial SP cells were temporarily reduced immediately after calving possibly due to their differentiation to provide new endometrial cells.
Faecal immunochemical testing and blood tests for prioritization of urgent colorectal cancer referrals in symptomatic patients: a 2-year evaluation
Authors: Bailey J A , Weller J , Chapman C J , Ford A , Hardy K , Oliver S , Morling J R , Simpson J A , Humes D J , Banerjea A
Published: January 2021

Background

A novel pathway incorporating faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) for rapid colorectal cancer diagnosis (RCCD) was introduced in 2017. This paper reports on the service evaluation after 2 years of pathway implementation.

Methods

The RCCD protocol was based on FIT, blood results and symptoms to stratify adult patients in primary care. Two-week-wait (2WW) investigation was indicated for patients with rectal bleeding, rectal mass and faecal haemoglobin (fHb) level of 10 µg Hb/g faeces or above or 4 µg Hb/g faeces or more in the presence of anaemia, low ferritin or thrombocytosis, in all other symptom groups. Patients with 100 µg Hb/g faeces or above had expedited investigation . A retrospective audit of colorectal cancer detected between 2017 and 2019 was conducted, fHb thresholds were reviewed and critically assessed for cancer diagnoses.

Results

In 2 years, 14788 FIT tests were dispatched with 13361 (90.4 per cent) completed returns. Overall, fHb was less than 4 µg Hb/g faeces in 9208 results (68.9 per cent), 4–9.9 µg Hb/g in 1583 (11.8 per cent), 10–99.9 µg Hb/g in 1850 (13.8 per cent) and 100 µg Hb/g faeces or above in 720 (5.4 per cent). During follow-up (median 10.4 months), 227 colorectal cancers were diagnosed. The cancer detection rate was 0.1 per cent in patients with fHb below 4 µg Hb/g faeces, 0.6 per cent in those with fHb 4–9.9 µg Hb/g faeces, 3.3 per cent for fHb 10–99.9 µg Hb/g faeces and 20.7 per cent for fHb 100 µg Hb/g faeces or above. The detection rate in the cohort with 10–19.9 µg Hb/g faeces was 1.4 per cent, below the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence threshold for urgent referral. The colorectal cancer rate in patients with fHb below 20 µg Hb/g faeces was less than 0.3 per cent.

Conclusion

Use of FIT to "rule out" urgent referral from primary care misses a small number of cases. The threshold for referral may be adjusted with blood results to improve stratification .
Caught in the Cycle: Economic Conditions at Enrolment and Labour Market Outcomes of College Graduates
Authors: Bičáková Alena , Cortes Guido Matias , Mazza Jacopo
Published: January 2021

We show that cohorts of male graduates who start college during worse economic times earn higher average wages than those who start during better times. This is not explained by differences in selection into employment, economic conditions at graduation, or field of study choices. Graduates who enrol in bad times are not more positively selected based on their high-school outcomes, but they achieve higher college grades and earn higher wages conditional on their grades. Patterns for female graduates are similar, though less robust. Our results suggest that individuals who enrol during downturns exert more effort during their studies.
Effects of root–cortex relationship, root shape, and impaction side on treatment duration and root resorption of impacted canines
Authors: Amuk Mehmet , Gul Amuk Nisa , Ozturk Taner
Published: January 2021

Objectives

This retrospective longitudinal study aimed to evaluate the factors that affect the orthodontic treatment duration (OTD) and external apical root resorption (EARR) of maxillary impacted canines (MIC) as root–cortex relationship, root shape, impaction side, and gender.

Material and method

Thirty-eight patients (mean age 15.28 ± 1.48 years) who had unilateral MIC and undergone orthodontic treatment were included in this study. Root–cortex relationship, root–cortex intersection amount, root shape, impaction side, height, alpha angle, impaction zone, and length of the MIC were evaluated on cone-beam computed tomography images at the beginning of the treatment. Final assessments were performed on ortopantograms at the end of the treatment as canine angulation and tooth length. The sample was characterized by descriptive statistics; t-tests, Mann–Whitney U-test, ANOVA, and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used for the comparison of EARR and OTD values between the categorical groups.

Results

Root shape affected OTD, and the longest value was detected in MIC with bent root (P < 0.000). The presence of root–cortex relationship also prolonged OTD for approximately 3 months (P = 0.006). MIC with risk factors like positive root–cortex relationship and bent roots had higher EARR values than those with negative root–cortex relationship and normal roots (P = 0.042, P = 0.021, respectively). EARR of the palatal MIC was also higher than the buccal MIC (P = 0.009). OTD was significantly influenced by root–cortex intersection amount (P = 0.004).

Conclusion

The presence of root–cortex relationship and abnormal root shape were risk factors for greater EARR of MIC along OTD, which was also significantly influenced by root shape and root–cortex relationship.
Reduction in new cardiac electronic device implantations in Catalonia during COVID-19
Authors: Arbelo Elena , Angera Ignasi , Trucco Emilce , Rivas-Gándara Nuria , Guerra José M , Bisbal Felipe , Jáuregui-Abularach Miguel , Vallés Ermengol , Martin Gabriel , Sbraga Fabrizio , Tolosana José María , Linhart Markus , Francisco-Pascual Jaume , Montiel-Serrano José , Pereferrer Damià , Menéndez-Ramírez Diego , Jiménez Jesús , Elamrani Amin , Borrás Roger , Dallaglio Paolo Domenico , Benito Eva , Santos-Ortega Alba , Rodríguez-Font Enrique , Sarrias Axel , González-Matos Carlos E , Martí-Almor Julio , Cabrera Sandra , Mont Lluis
Published: January 2021

Aims

During the COVID-19 pandemic, concern regarding its effect on the management of non-communicable diseases has been raised. However, there are no data on the impact on cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) implantation rates. We aimed to determine the impact of SARS-CoV2 on the monthly incidence rates and type of pacemaker (PM) and implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) implantations in Catalonia before and after the declaration of the state of alarm in Spain on 14 March 2020.

Methods and results

Data on new CIED implantations for 2017–20 were prospectively collected by nine hospitals in Catalonia. A mixed model with random intercepts corrected for time was used to estimate the change in monthly CIED implantations. Compared to the pre-COVID-19 period, an absolute decrease of 56.5% was observed (54.7% in PM and 63.7% in ICD) in CIED implantation rates. Total CIED implantations for 2017–19 and January and February 2020 was 250/month (>195 PM and >55 ICD), decreasing to 207 (161 PM and 46 ICD) in March and 131 (108 PM and 23 ICD) in April 2020. In April 2020, there was a significant fall of 185.25 CIED implantations compared to 2018 [95% confidence interval (CI) 129.6–240.9; P < 0.001] and of 188 CIED compared to 2019 (95% CI 132.3–243.7; P < 0.001). No significant differences in the type of PM or ICD were observed, nor in the indication for primary or secondary prevention.

Conclusions

During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, a substantial decrease in CIED implantations was observed in Catalonia. Our findings call for measures to avoid long-term social impact.
Therapy and outcomes of cardiac implantable electronic devices infections
Authors: Perrin Tilman , Deharo Jean-Claude
Published: January 2021

Cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) infection causes significant morbidity and mortality without appropriate treatment. It can present as incisional infection, pocket infection, systemic CIED infection, or occult bacteraemia. Complete percutaneous CIED extraction (excepted in case of incisional infection) and appropriate antibiotic therapy are the two main pillars of therapy. Device reimplantation, if needed, should be delayed sufficiently to allow control of the infection. Here, we address the differences in prognosis according to the clinical scenario and the different treatment options.
Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a European observational multicentre study
Authors: Creta Antonio , Elliott Perry , Earley Mark J , Dhinoja Mehul , Finlay Malcolm , Sporton Simon , Chow Anthony , Hunter Ross J , Papageorgiou Nikolaos , Lowe Martin , Mohiddin Saidi A , Boveda Serge , Adragao Pedro , Jebberi Zeynab , Matos Daniel , Schilling Richard J , Lambiase Pier D , Providência Rui
Published: January 2021

Aims

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Data on the efficacy of catheter ablation of AF in HCM patients are sparse.

Methods and results

Observational multicentre study in 137 HCM patients (mean age 55.0 ± 13.4, 29.1% female; 225 ablation procedures). We investigated (i) the efficacy of catheter ablation for AF beyond the initial 12 months; (ii) the available risk scores, stratification schemes and genotype as potential predictors of arrhythmia relapse, and (iii) the impact of cryoballoon vs. radiofrequency in procedural outcomes. Mean follow-up was 43.8 ± 37.0 months. Recurrences after the initial 12-month period post-ablation were frequent, and 24 months after the index procedure, nearly all patients with persistent AF had relapsed, and only 40% of those with paroxysmal AF remained free from arrhythmia recurrence. The APPLE score demonstrated a modest discriminative capacity for AF relapse post-ablation (c-statistic 0.63, 95% CI 0.52–0.75; P = 0.022), while the risk stratification schemes for sudden death did not. On multivariable analysis, left atrium diameter and LV apical aneurysm were independent predictors of recurrence. Fifty-eight patients were genotyped; arrhythmia-free survival was similar among subjects with different gene mutations. Rate of procedural complications was high (9.3%), although reducing over time. Outcome for cryoballoon and radiofrequency ablation was comparable.

Conclusion

Very late AF relapses post-ablation is common in HCM patients, especially in those with persistent AF. Left atrium size, LV apical aneurysm, and the APPLE score might contribute to identify subjects at higher risk of arrhythmia recurrence. First-time cryoballoon is comparable with radiofrequency ablation.
The influence of the root diseases Armillaria solidipes and Inonotus sulphurascens on the distribution of mule deer during winter
Authors: Carswell Brendan M , Rea Roy V , Rusch David , Johnson Chris J
Published: January 2021

Armillaria (Armillaria solidipes) and laminated root diseases (Inonotus sulphurascens) are two wide-ranging fungal pathogens that occur in the southern half of British Columbia (BC), Canada, and can infect economically and biologically important tree species such as interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca). In northern, temperate locations, Douglas-fir forests serve as winter habitat for ungulates. When these fungal infections are in Douglas-fir forests, core components of winter ranges are altered, including canopy cover, snowpack and understory vegetation. In this study, we investigated how Rocky Mountain mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus) of central BC used winter range habitats that included root disease (A. solidipes and I. sulphurascens) centres. We used remote camera-traps to collect data from September 2017 to April 2019, and we assessed those habitats in which the cameras were located during the summer and winter of 2018. We used logistic regression and an information theoretic approach to test a series of factors hypothesised to influence the use of root disease centres by mule deer. Our results show that mule deer use root disease centres less than control forests as well as negatively respond to the deeper snow packs found in root disease centres, especially in late winter. Our cameras also detected higher vertebrate diversity in root disease centres. We suggest that forest policy-makers should acknowledge heterogeneous habitat features such as root disease centres within ungulate winter ranges and consider adjusting estimates of habitat capability for deer based on our findings.
GENETIC ANALYSIS OF DNA REPLICATION IN BACTERIA: dna B MUTATIONS THAT SUPPRESS dnaC MUTATIONS AND dnaQ MUTATIONS THAT SUPPRESS dnaE MUTATIONS IN SALMONELLA TYPHIMURIUM
Authors: Maurer Russell , Osmond Barbara C , Botstein David
Published: January 2021

We have isolated and characterized extragenic suppressors of mutations in two different target genes that affect DNA replication in Salmonella typhimurium. Both the target and the suppressor genes are functional homologues of known replication genes of E. coli that were identified in intergeneric complementation tests. Our results point to interactions in vivo involving the dnaB and dnaC proteins in one case and the dnaQ and dnaE proteins in the other case. The suppressor mutations, which were isolated as derivatives of λ-Salmonella in vitro recombinants, were detected by an adaptation of the red plaque complementation assay. This method was applicable even when the locus of suppressor mutations was not chosen in advance.
THE EFFECT OF NONHOMOLOGOUS DNA SEQUENCES ON INTERPLASMIDIC RECOMBINATION
Authors: Laban Abraham , Silberstein Zipora , Cohen Amikam
Published: January 2021

The effect of nonhomologous DNA sequences at one or both sides of short genetic intervals on recombination within that interval was investigated, using an interplasmidic recombination system in Escherichia coli K-12. The recombining plasmids were derivatives of pBR322 and pACYC184, which share a 1330-nucleotide sequence that includes the tet gene. The genetic interval was defined by the HindIII and BamHI or Bam HI and the SalI restriction endonuclease sites of this gene. The substantial differences between recombination frequencies measured within intervals bracketed or bounded on one side by major nonhomologies suggests that, in this system, strand exchange is polar and is blocked by major nonhomologies. This conclusion is substantiated by results of three-factor crosses and by structural analysis of recombination products. Results of two-factor crosses in recA genetic background and structural analysis of recombination products suggest that strand exchange occurs in the absence of a functional recA gene. "Opening" a bracketed BamHI-SalI genetic interval of the tet gene, at the SalI site, by substituting a major insertion with a short deletion, results in an increase in recombination frequency, within this genetic interval, which is greater than expected on the basis of the ratio of the length of homology on the two sides of the SalI site. This observation suggests that a genetic element that may affect rate of recombination initiation, polarity of strand exchange, template specificity in mismatch repair or more than one of these events may be present on the outer side of the SalI site of the tet gene.
TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE MUTATIONS OF THE NOTCH LOCUS IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER
Authors: Shellenbarger David L , Mohler J Dawson
Published: January 2021

Temperature-conditional mutations of the Notch locus were characterized in an attempt to understand the organization of a "complex locus" and the control of its function in development. Among 21 newly induced Notch alleles, about one-half are temperature-conditional for some effects, and three are temperature-sensitive for viability. One temperature-sensitive lethal, l(1)Nts1, is functionally non-complementing for all known effects of Notch locus mutations and maps at a single site within the locus. Among the existing alleles involved in complex patterns of interallelic complementation, Ax59d5 is found to be temperature-sensitive, while fag, spl, and l(1)N are temperature-independent. Whereas temperature-sensitive alleles map predominantly to the right-most fifth of the locus, fag, spl, and l(1)N are known to map to the left of this region. Temperature-shift experiments demonstrate that fag, spl, and l(1)N cause defects at specific, non-overlapping times in development.—We conclude (1) that the Notch locus is a single cistron (responsible for a single functional molecule, presumably a polypeptide); (2) that the right-most fifth of the locus is, at least in part, the region involved in coding for the Notch product; (3) that the complexity of interallelic complementation is a developmental effect of mutations that cause defects at selected times and spaces, and that complementation occurs because the mutant defects are temporally and spatially non-overlapping; and (4) that mutants express selected defects due to critical temporal and spatial differences in the chemical conditions controlling the synthesis or function of the Notch product. The complexity of the locus appears to reside in controlling the expression (synthesis or function) of the Notch product in development.
NEGATIVE COMPLEMENTATION AT THE NOTCH LOCUS OF DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER
Authors: Foster Geoffrey G
Published: January 2021

Four Abruptex alleles (AxE1, AxE  2, Ax9  B  2, and Ax16172) have been mapped within the Notch locus. Based on their visible phenotypes and their interactions with one another and with N mutations, the Ax alleles can be divided into two groups. Heterozygous combinations of members of the same group are intermediate in phenotype compared to the respective homozygotes, whereas heterozygotes of Ax alleles from different groups exhibit negative heterosis, being much less viable and more extremely mutant than either homozygote. It is suggested that the Notch locus is a multi-functional regulator ("integrator") gene, whose product possesses both "repressor" and "activator" functions for the processes it regulates.