bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Plasma Phospholipid Transfer Protein Promotes Platelet Aggregation
Authors: Zhao Xiao-Min , Wang Yun , Yu Yang , Jiang Hui , Babinska Anna , Chen Xiu-Yu , He Ke-Gui , Min Xiang-Dong , Han Ji-Ju , Yang Chen-Xi , Deng Kevin , Xue Jing , Zhang Xiangjian , Song Guo-Hua , Qin Shu-Cun , Jiang Xian-Cheng
Published: November 2018

It remains unclear whether plasma phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) is involved in hyper-coagulation or hypo-coagulation. This study investigated the direct effect of PLTP on platelet aggregation and the underlying mechanism. Washed platelets from humans or mice and mouse platelet-rich plasma and human recombinant PLTP were isolated. PLTP is present in human platelets. We assessed adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-, collagen- and thrombin-induced platelet aggregation, phosphatidylserine externalization and photothrombosis-induced cerebral infarction in mice. PLTP over-expression increased platelet aggregation, while PLTP deficiency had the opposing reaction. Human recombinant PLTP increased both mouse and human platelet aggregation in a dose-dependent manner. Phosphatidylserine externalization provides a water/lipid surface for the interaction of coagulation factors, which accelerates thrombosis. Compared with wild-type controls, platelets from PLTP transgenic mice had significantly more phosphatidylserine on the exterior surface of the plasma membrane, whereas platelets from PLTP-deficient mice had significantly less phosphatidylserine on the surface, thus PLTP influences fibrinogen binding on the plasma membrane. Moreover, recombinant PLTP together with ADP significantly increased phosphatidylserine exposure on the plasma membrane of PLTP-deficient platelets, thereby increasing fibrinogen binding. PLTP over-expression significantly accelerated the incidence of photothrombosis-induced infarction in mice, whereas PLTP deficiency significantly reduced the frequency of infarction. We concluded that PLTP promotes phosphatidylserine externalization at the plasma membrane of platelets and accelerates ADP- or collagen-induced platelet aggregation. This effect plays an important role in the initiation of thrombin generation and platelet aggregation under sheer stress conditions. Thus, PLTP is involved in hyper-coagulation. Therefore, PLTP inhibition could be a novel approach for countering thrombosis.
Neutrophil-Mediated Proteolysis of Thrombospondin-1 Promotes Platelet Adhesion and String Formation
Authors: Seif Katharina , Alidzanovic Lejla , Tischler Barbara , Ibrahim Nahla , Zagrapan Branislav , Rauscher Sabine , Salzmann Manuel , Hell Lena , Mauracher Lisa-Marie , Budde Ulrich , Schmid Johannes , Jilma Bernd , Pabinger Ingrid , Assinger Alice , Starlinger Patrick , Brostjan Christine
Published: November 2018

Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) is primarily expressed by platelets and endothelial cells (ECs) and rapidly released upon their activation. It functions in haemostasis as a bridging molecule in platelet aggregation, by promoting platelet adhesion to collagen and by protecting von Willebrand factor strings from degradation. In blood of patients undergoing surgery and in co-cultures of neutrophils with platelets or ECs, we observed proteolysis of the 185 kDa full-length TSP-1 to a 160-kDa isoform. We hypothesized that TSP-1 processing may alter its haemostatic properties. Selective enzyme inhibitors in co-cultures revealed that neutrophil proteases elastase and cathepsin G mediate TSP-1 processing. The cut site of cathepsin G was mapped to TSP-1 amino acids R237/T238 by Edman sequencing. Formation of neutrophil extracellular traps protected TSP-1 from complete degradation and promoted controlled processing to the 160-kDa isoform. Haemostatic properties were tested by platelet aggregation, adhesion, coagulation and string formation under flow. Platelets from TSP-1 deficient mice did not differ from wild-type in platelet aggregation but showed severe impairment of platelet adhesion to collagen and string formation under flow. Reconstitution experiments revealed that the 160-kDa TSP-1 isoform was markedly more potent than the 185-kDa full-length molecule in restoring function. Thus, TSP-1 processing by neutrophil proteases yields a 160-kDa isoform which shows enhanced potency to promote platelet adhesion and string formation. This finding reveals a novel mechanism of neutrophil-mediated thrombus formation and provides first evidence for the impact of TSP-1 proteolysis on its haemostatic properties.
The Urokinase Plasminogen Activator System in Human Cancers: An Overview of Its Prognostic and Predictive Role
Authors: Madunić Josip
Published: November 2018

Urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) system regulates extracellular matrix remodelling by activating ubiquitous protease plasmin in many important physiological processes. The system components include uPA, plasminogen activator inhibitors (PAIs) and uPA receptor (uPAR). Besides its role in physiological processes, uPA system is active in most tumour types where its aberrant regulation has been associated with the development of metastatic phenotype. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that the over-expression of uPA, PAI-1 and uPAR not only enhances tumour cell invasion capacity and metastasis, but also corresponds to a higher risk of disease correlating with traditional clinicopathological features which makes them potential prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in a wide range of human malignancies. This review focuses on uPA system's prognostic and predictive role in several types of human cancers, summarizing its activities in cancer development and highlighting the importance of addressing all unanswered questions before bridging the gap between laboratory findings to clinic use of uPA system's components as cancer biomarkers.
Optimizing Macronutrients in People with Diabetes
Authors: Gupta Lovely , Lal Priti , Khandelwal Deepak
Published: November 2018

Diverse dietary practices and nutritional counseling strategies are followed in the management of diabetes and its comorbidities. The dietary approaches practiced in India make use of calorie and nutrient counting to ensure patient-centered nutrition therapy in diabetes management. Macronutrient modulation is a central pillar of patient-centered medical nutrition therapy (MNT). Carbohydrates (CHO) are considered as the predominant macronutrient affecting postprandial blood glucose levels. The insulin-to-CHO ratio is used for calculating mealtime insulin doses among patients on insulin regimen. The aim of this article is to highlight challenges faced in planning MNT, modifying recommended dietary allowances for persons with diabetes, and suggesting solutions to overcome these. It also aims to understand the requirement of individual macronutrients and their impact on glycemia as well as insulin dose adjustment.
Joining the Islamic State from France between 2014 and 2016: an observational follow-up study
Authors: Campelo Nicolas , Bouzar Laura , Oppetit Alice , Pellerin Hugues , Hefez Serge , Bronsard Guillaume , Cohen David , Bouzar Dounia
Published: November 2018

A new model of radicalization has appeared in Western countries since the 2010s. However, few empirical data are available to interpret the profiles of European young people who have embraced radical Islamism. Mixing qualitative/quantitative approaches, the present study is the first to explore their motives for radicalization, as well as how characteristics at baseline predicted their status at follow-up (FU). In 2014-2015, 150 individuals (mean age: 19.82 years; 101 (67.3%) females; 100 (67%) Muslim converts) were followed-up prospectively by theCentre de Prévention contre les Dérives Sectaires liées à l’Islam(CPDSI) until September 2016. Using a multiple correspondence analysis, we found that eight motivational dimensions (interest in violence; feelings of depression, responsibility, uncertainty or loneliness; experience of abuse; issues with sexuality; and poor insight) combining in eight statistical factors drove individuals towards radicalization. At FU, 95(63%) were no longer radicalized, 21(14%) were disengaged, 19(13%) were still radicalized, and 15(10%) had reached the Islamic State. Univariate and multivariate analyses found some protective factors defining individuals with developmental vulnerabilities that can be encountered in many psychopathologies. In addition, multivariate models showed that worse status at FU was predicted by being married, having married parents, having attempted to radicalize other relatives, and having a close friend or relative imprisoned before radicalization. We conclude that multidimensional efforts to de-radicalize young people are efficient, although a worse prognosis is associated with neighborhood/proximal phenomena. Prevention should target these local/proximal contexts to further prevent radicalization.
Harmonic spinors from twistors and potential forms
Authors: Ertem Ümit
Published: November 2018

Symmetry operators of twistor spinors and harmonic spinors can be constructed from conformal Killing-Yano (CKY) forms. Transformation operators relating twistors to harmonic spinors are found in terms of potential forms. These constructions are generalized to gauged twistor spinors and gauged harmonic spinors. The operators that transform gauged twistor spinors to gauged harmonic spinors are found. Symmetry operators of gauged harmonic spinors in terms of CKY forms are obtained. Algebraic conditions to obtain solutions of the Seiberg-Witten equations are discussed.
Influence of fine particulate matter on the variation of surface morphologies of conductors subjected to positive DC voltages
Authors: Bian Xingming , Li Haibing , Zhang Xu , Cui Xiang , Lu Tiebing , Song Weili
Published: November 2018

A study on the effect of fine particulate matter on the surface morphologies of conductors subjected to high positive dc voltages has been undertaken. A global distribution pattern of particulate matter was observed in the shape of parallel chains consisting of particle agglomerations. Based on a coupling model of electric and force fields, the dynamic progress of particles near conductor surfaces was investigated and the effects of forces exerted on the particles were analyzed. The experimental observations agreed well with calculated results. It was found that the interactions between particles played a critical role in the formation of agglomerations and parallel chains. The surface roughness and the corona discharge intensity of the conductors increased significantly as a result of the variation of surface morphologies.
Invited Article: Ultra-broadband terahertz coherent detection via a silicon
nitride-based deep sub-wavelength metallic slit
Authors: Tomasino A. , Piccoli R. , Jestin Y. , Delprat S. , Chaker M. , Peccianti M. , Clerici M. , Busacca A. , Razzari L. , Morandotti R.
Published: November 2018

We present a novel class of CMOS-compatible devices aimed to perform the solid-state-biased coherent detection of ultrashort terahertz pulses, i.e., featuring a gap-free bandwidth at least two decades-wide. Such a structure relies on a 1-µm-wide slit aperture located between two parallel aluminum pads, embedded in a 1-µm-thick layer of silicon nitride, and deposited on a quartz substrate. We show that this device can detect ultra-broadband terahertz pulses by employing unprecedented low optical probe energies of only a few tens of nanojoules. This is due to the more than one order of magnitude higher nonlinear coefficient of silicon nitride with respect to silica, the nonlinear material employed in the previous generations. In addition, due to the reduced distance between the aluminum pads, very high static electric fields can be generated within the slit by applying extremely low external bias voltages (in the order of few tens of volts), which strongly enhance the dynamic range of the detected THz waveforms. These results pave the way to the integration of solid-state ultra-broadband detection in compact and miniaturized terahertz systems fed by high repetition-rate laser oscillators and low-noise, low-voltage generators.
Enhanced water capture induced with electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) approach
Authors: Yan Run , McClure Thomas S. , Jasim Ibrahem H. , Koppula Akshay Kumar Reddy , Wang Sheng , Almasri Mahmoud , Chen Chung-Lung
Published: November 2018

An electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) device that enhances water capturing capability for condensation applications is presented. A single planar EWOD device is fabricated for testing and placed in a high-humidity environment under mist flow. By applying an electric field to portions of the device, the wettability of the affected areas is altered from hydrophobic to hydrophilic, which promotes droplet nucleation and growth, thereby improving water capturing capability. The results of this study demonstrate that droplet coalescence is appreciably improved at the moments of plugging and unplugging DC voltage, which induces wipe-down events (when a droplet drips down the surface and removes all droplets underneath it). The improvement in water capturing capability under DC voltages of 20 V, 40 V, and 60 V is also investigated both by comparing the mass of water collected on uncharged and charged devices during the same testing period and by using an image processing approach to track changes in droplet area coverage over time. The EWOD effect was shown to improve water capturing capability for the 20 V, 40 V, and 60 V cases by 138.96%, 171.87%, and 220.43%, respectively. These results are of great significance as they indicate a strong possibility for improvement in water harvesting applications.
A non-resonant rotational electromagnetic energy harvester for low-frequency and irregular human motion
Authors: Liu Huicong , Hou Cheng , Lin Jiahong , Li Yunfei , Shi Qiongfeng , Chen Tao , Sun Lining , Lee Chengkuo
Published: November 2018

There is an abundance of low-frequency and irregular human motion energy that can be harvested. In this work, a non-resonant rotational electromagnetic energy harvester (REH) for scavenging low-frequency (<10 Hz) and irregular human motion is presented. The energy harvester simply introduces a cylindrical stator and a disk-shaped rotor forming a movement of a higher pair. Without any complicated transmission mechanism, the rotor can easily rotate around the stator by magnetic attractive force. Driven by a broadband frequency vibration, the magnetic rotor is coupled with surrounding wound coils to operate electromagnetic energy harvesting. Theoretical and experimental investigations of the REH are studied, and numerical simulations show good agreement with the experimental results. The treadmill tests at various motion speeds are performed to demonstrate the advantage of the REH in harvesting energy from irregular human motion. At a driving frequency of 8 Hz, the electromagnetic coils can provide the maximum power of 10.4 mW at a load resistance of 100 Ω. The REH exhibits outstanding output performance and has potential applications for powering intelligent wearable or portable electronic devices.
Investigation of ticks and red blood cell parasites of a population of reintroduced mainland tammar wallabies (Notamacropus eugenii eugenii)
Authors: Waudby H. P. , Petit S. , Matthews B. , Sharp A. , Pradhan R. , Dale B.
Published: November 2018

Ticks and blood smears were collected from a reintroduced population of threatened tammar wallabies (Notamacropus eugenii eugenii). Ixodes hirsti was common during autumn/winter, and Amblyomma spp. in spring/summer, reflecting the seasonal density of questing A. triguttatum triguttatum. Red blood cell parasites were not detected in the 90 smears analysed.
The effect of soil physical amendments on reclamation of a saline-sodic soil: simulation of salt leaching using HYDRUS-1D
Authors: Shaygan Mandana , Baumgartl Thomas , Arnold Sven , Reading Lucy Pamela
Published: November 2018

Poor soil physical conditions such as low hydraulic conductivity can limit salt depletion from surface soil. Altering the pore system by addition of organic and inorganic amendments may improve salt leaching as a reclamation strategy. Column studies were conducted to investigate salt leaching in amended and non-amended soil profiles. A one-dimensional water and solute transport model (HYDRUS-1D) was also assessed for its applicability to simulate salt leaching for amendment strategy. Columns of length 300mm were filled with saline-sodic soil at the lower end (100–300mm) and then covered with soil amended with 40% (wt/wt) fine sand and 20% (wt/wt) wood chips, separately. A control column was filled with saline-sodic soil only. One rainfall scenario typical for a location in south-west Queensland (Australia) was applied to the columns. Water potentials were monitored using tensiometers installed at three depths: 35, 120 and 250mm. The concentrations of individual cations (Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and K+), electrical conductivity and sodium adsorption ratio of the soil solutions were also monitored for the investigated depths. A reduction in surface salinity (up to 28.5%) was observed in the amended soil profiles. This study indicated that the addition of wood chips to surface soil improved salt leaching under the tested conditions. The simulation successfully predicted both hydrology and chemistry of the columns. This study also concluded that HYDRUS-1D is a powerful tool to simulate salt leaching in the amended soil profiles, and can be applied to predict the success of amendment strategy under natural climatic conditions.
Genetic and plastic variation in opsin gene expression, light sensitivity, and female response to visual signals in the guppy
Authors: Sakai Yusuke , Kawamura Shoji , Kawata Masakado
Published: November 2018

Significance

High diversity in sexual color signaling in animals has attracted considerable and sustained interest from evolution researchers. It has been suggested that variations in visual properties in guppies result in diverse female preference for sexual color signals, leading to genetic variation based on male body colors. Here, we report that opsin expression varies because of allelic differences as well as the different rearing light environments. The variation in opsin expression influences the diversity in visual light sensitivity. Moreover, the expression of multiple opsin genes influences female responsiveness to the luminous orange colors. Consequently, genetic and environmental variation in opsin gene expression could affect female responsiveness and preference for male sexual colors, facilitating male color polymorphisms.
Testing the Empathizing–Systemizing theory of sex differences and the Extreme Male Brain theory of autism in half a million people
Authors: Greenberg David M. , Warrier Varun , Allison Carrie , Baron-Cohen Simon
Published: November 2018

The Empathizing–Systemizing (E-S) theory of typical sex differences suggests that individuals may be classified based on empathy and systemizing. An extension of the E-S theory, the Extreme Male Brain (EMB) theory suggests that autistic people on average have a shift towards a more masculinized brain along the E-S dimensions. Both theories have been investigated in small sample sizes, limiting their generalizability. Here we leverage two large datasets (discovery
n
= 671,606, including 36,648 autistic individuals primarily; and validation
n
= 14,354, including 226 autistic individuals) to investigate 10 predictions of the E-S and the EMB theories. In the discovery dataset, typical females on average showed higher scores on short forms of the Empathy Quotient (EQ) and Sensory Perception Quotient (SPQ), and typical males on average showed higher scores on short forms of the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and Systemizing Quotient (SQ). Typical sex differences in these measures were attenuated in autistic individuals. Analysis of “brain types” revealed that typical females on average were more likely to be Type E (EQ > SQ) or Extreme Type E and that typical males on average were more likely to be Type S (SQ > EQ) or Extreme Type S. In both datasets, autistic individuals, regardless of their reported sex, on average were “masculinized.” Finally, we demonstrate that D-scores (difference between EQ and SQ) account for 19 times more of the variance in autistic traits (43%) than do other demographic variables including sex. Our results provide robust evidence in support of both the E-S and EMB theories.
Relationship between intact HIV-1 proviruses in circulating CD4
+
T cells and rebound viruses emerging during treatment interruption
Authors: Lu Ching-Lan , Pai Joy A. , Nogueira Lilian , Mendoza Pilar , Gruell Henning , Oliveira Thiago Y. , Barton John , Lorenzi Julio C. C. , Cohen Yehuda Z. , Cohn Lillian B. , Klein Florian , Caskey Marina , Nussenzweig Michel C. , Jankovic Mila
Published: November 2018

Combination antiretroviral therapy controls but does not cure HIV-1 infection because a small fraction of cells harbor latent viruses that can produce rebound viremia when therapy is interrupted. The circulating latent virus reservoir has been documented by a variety of methods, most prominently by viral outgrowth assays (VOAs) in which CD4
+
T cells are activated to produce virus in vitro, or more recently by amplifying proviral near full-length (NFL) sequences from DNA. Analysis of samples obtained in clinical studies in which individuals underwent analytical treatment interruption (ATI), showed little if any overlap between circulating latent viruses obtained from outgrowth cultures and rebound viruses from plasma. To determine whether intact proviruses amplified from DNA are more closely related to rebound viruses than those obtained from VOAs, we assayed 12 individuals who underwent ATI after infusion of a combination of two monoclonal anti–HIV-1 antibodies. A total of 435 intact proviruses obtained by NFL sequencing were compared with 650 latent viruses from VOAs and 246 plasma rebound viruses. Although, intact NFL and outgrowth culture sequences showed similar levels of stability and diversity with 39% overlap, the size of the reservoir estimated from NFL sequencing was larger than and did not correlate with VOAs. Finally, intact proviruses documented by NFL sequencing showed no sequence overlap with rebound viruses; however, they appear to contribute to recombinant viruses found in plasma during rebound.
Introduction
Authors: Mori Laura
Published: November 2018

This chapter presents the research framework of the Eurolect Observatory Project. The starting hypothesis of this research project is that language contact through translation of EU legislation has resulted in the creation and dissemination of standardised lexical variants, structural features and textual patterns in many EU official and working languages. The Eurolect Observatory Multilingual Corpus was compiled to make it possible to describe such features in eleven legislative languages. The corpus enabled the research team to collect evidence of language in use in order to confirm/disconfirm the existence of a macro-variety of legal language – known as Eurolect – generated in the context of the EU legislative multilingual drafting process. A common research template was developed and adopted by all the researchers in their respective chapters, to categorise results obtained from the corpus via a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches.
Observing Eurolects
Authors: De Sutter Gert , De Bock Fee
Published: November 2018

Building on the textual data in the Dutch part of Eurolect Observatory Multilingual Corpus, consisting of 660 texts (3.7M words) in corpus A (directives) and 504 texts (4M tokens) in corpus B (implementation laws), we investigate the extent to which the language of European directives shines through in (Netherlandic) Dutch national law. In order to do so, we extracted several EU-rooted phenomena, contact-induced features, and intralinguistic variants and analyzed the distribution of these features by means of bivariate and multivariate statistics, so as to discern meaningful patterns in the data. The results enable us to determine whether Dutch implementation law exhibits linguistic traces of the so-called Eurolect. The results show similarities between national law implementations and EU directives as well as differences. One of the most striking patterns that emerge across different language domains (lexicon, morphosyntax, discourse) is that implementation laws contain much more formal linguistic features, thereby ignoring clear writing recommendations.
Observing Eurolects
Authors: Patin Stéphane , Megale Fabrizio
Published: November 2018

This chapter investigates the differences between two varieties of legal French: the European variety, contained in directives and drafted in Brussels, and a specific national variety, derived from the transposing laws adopted by the French Parliament. Corpus analyses are based on comparable corpora (A and B, Eurolect Observatory Multilingual Corpus) and involve different levels: lexico-semantic, morphological, syntactic and textual. Qualitative and quantitative approaches are combined. Results at each level are further categorized into ‘EU-rooted phenomena’, ‘contact-induced features’ and ‘intra-linguistic variability’ to be discussed according to the Research Project Template.
Observing Eurolects
Authors: Sosoni Vilelmini , Kermanidis Katia Lida , Livas Sotirios
Published: November 2018

The present paper presents the findings from the analysis of the Greek corpus of European Union directives spanning the years 1999–2008 (corpus A) and the corpus of the legal instruments used to transpose them into Greek law (corpus B). The aim of the analysis is to verify the existence of a Greek Eurolect, born through translation, and to highlight the differences between this new legal variety and the corresponding Greek legal variety. The findings of the study are particularly interesting as they point to the existence of a Greek Eurolect characterised by Europeisms on a lexical level; morphosyntactic preferences which do not conform to the Greek legal language conventions and norms; an extensive use of the future tense as a result of translating English shall into Greek; and an oscillation between the use of Κatharevousa and Demotiki, that is an H-variety and an L-variety of the Greek language.
Observing Eurolects
Authors: Mori Laura
Published: November 2018

This chapter focuses on linguistic differences in Italian between two legislative corpora belonging to the Eurolect Observatory Multilingual Corpus: corpus A (EU directives) and their Italian laws of implementation (corpus B). In order to prove that two different legislative varieties do exist, corpus-based and corpus-driven analyses involved several levels: lexico-semantic, morphological, morphosyntactic, syntactic and textual. Results obtained through a quantitative approach are combined with qualitative insights and interepreted according to a common categorisation into EU-rooted phenomena, contact-induced features, and intra-linguistic variability (Research Template in Mori (this volume). Significant differences found confirm the existence of an Italian Eurolect characterised by Europeisms on a lexical level, morphological trends, morphosyntactic preferences, and textual patterns that do not conform to language conventions and norms in use in legislative Italian.
Conclusions
Authors: Mori Laura
Published: November 2018

The volume addresses the existence of an EU legislative variety across countries and languages: the so-called Eurolect (Chapter 1). Each chapter tackles this research hypothesis by focusing on one of the 11 cases covered by the first phase of the Eurolect Observatory Project: Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Latvian, Maltese, Polish, and Spanish. The common design and frame of analysis of the research study allow us to pool final results that cover shared parameters and interpretative categories. The mixed-method approach (qualitative and quantitative) applied to the same corpus (Eurolect Observatory Multilingual Corpus) by all scholars contributes substantively to the description of significant Eurolectal features across EU languages. By clustering the most relevant variational patterns, one obtains a rather comprehensive picture of Eurolects. This chapter is intended to sum up the conclusions of the whole research project in order to highlight cross-linguistically converging and diverging trends.
Microstructure evolution and strengthening mechanism of Cux[Ni3Mo] alloys
Authors: Cheng Xiaotian , Zhang Yuanyuan , Li Xiaona , Li Zhumin , Yu Qingxiao , Zheng Yuehong , Wang Chenyu , Dong Chuang
Published: November 2018

Mo could be dissolved into Cu to increase its high-temperature stability via a Ni intermediate. The microstructure evolution and strengthening mechanism of Cu x[Ni3Mo] ( x = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12) alloys were investigated. The results show that composition significantly affects strengthening mechanisms of the alloys. For x = 1 and 2, The strengthening mechanisms of the alloys are mainly precipitation strengthening derived from Ni2Mo and Ni4Mo nanophases, both of which coexist and coherently grow on the face-centered cubic matrix. For x = 3–5, the nanophases gradually decrease and spinodal decomposition structure increases, which transforms the strengthening mechanism to spinodal decomposition strengthening. For x = 7–12, spinodal decomposition structure and precipitates reduce significantly, the solution strengthening dominates namely.
Measurement of heavy metals and organo-tin in leather powder
Authors: Ma L D , Wang Q , Wei C , Wong Y L , Tang P O , Lee H M , Sze K L , Domiguez M d A , Araujo T , Sena R C d , Zhu Y B , Kadir H A , Baharom N , Thiengmanee U , Kaewkhomdee N , Taebunpakul S , Yafa C , Can S Z , Coskun F G , Tunc M , Sobina E , Tabatchikova T , Dobrovolskiy V , Stakheev A , Stolboushkina T , Krylov D F , Ivanovich K A , Vladimirovich B M , Vladimirovich S V
Published: November 2018

The CCQM-K128 key comparison was organized by the Inorganic Analysis Working Group (IAWG) of CCQM to test the abilities of national metrology institutes in measuring the heavy metals and organo-tin in leather matrix material or other similar organics content materials, and a pilot study CCQM-P163 was conducted in parallel with this key comparison. The National Institute of Metrology (NIM), P. R. China, acted as the coordinating laboratory. This comparison includes two parts: part A is for heavy metals (eight elements include As, Cd, Pb, Co, Cu, Hg, Ni, Sb) in leather powder with concentrations levels (30 ~ 100) mg/kg, and part B is for organo-tin (tributyltin) in leather powder with the concentration range (150~600) nmol/g.

There were 10 laboratories registered and 9 laboratories returned the results, and different measurement methods (ID-ICPMS, ICP-MS, ICP-OES) with the microwave digestion were used in Part A; There were 3 laboratories registered and returned the results, and ID-LC-ICPMS, ID-GC-ICPMS and LC-ICPMS were used in Part B. After several rounds results and technical discussion at CCQM IAWG meeting, the KCRV and which associated uncertainty for each component had been confirmed.

The comparison is to ensure the comparable and traceable measurement results for heavy metals and organo-tin in leather products among the NMIs and other designated measurement bodies worldwide. The consequence is relatively successful overall, although some problem of mercury and antimony determination had been discussed and summarized in this report. All participants have shown their capabilities and gained experience through this comparison. The results of CCQM-K128 are expected to cover the measurement capability and support the relative CMC claiming in the leather materials and similar high organics content matrix industrial products.

KEY WORDS FOR SEARCH

Leather, metal, Organo-Tin

Main text

To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/.

The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCQM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).
Measuring pain
Authors: Reitz F , Soratto A
Published: November 2018

A system of evaluation and quantification of pain in the human body that considers anatomical, physiological, environmental and psychological measurements of the patients is presented. The measured variables are compiled by algorithms that generate a graph where the pain level is presented in a scale from 0 to 10 called the rtz scale. A report with information and images relevant to the decision making of health professionals, reducing the subjectivity of the diagnoses, is generated. The proposed system represents an advance in the measurement of pain in humans and the rtz scale creates reference parameters for its quantification.
Molecular phylogenomics of the tribe Shoreeae (Dipterocarpaceae) using whole plastid genomes
Authors: Heckenhauer Jacqueline , Paun Ovidiu , Chase Mark W , Ashton Peter S , Kamariah A S , Samuel Rosabelle
Published: November 2018

Background and Aims

Phylogenetic relationships within tribe Shoreeae, containing the main elements of tropical forests in Southeast Asia, present a long-standing problem in the systematics of Dipterocarpaceae. Sequencing whole plastomes using next-generation sequencing- (NGS) based genome skimming is increasingly employed for investigating phylogenetic relationships of plants. Here, the usefulness of complete plastid genome sequences in resolving phylogenetic relationships within Shoreeae is evaluated.

Methods

A pipeline to obtain alignments of whole plastid genome sequences across individuals with different amounts of available data is presented. In total, 48 individuals, representing 37 species and four genera of the ecologically and economically important tribe Shoreeae sensu Ashton, were investigated. Phylogenetic trees were reconstructed using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference.

Key Results

Here, the first fully sequenced plastid genomes for the tribe Shoreeae are presented. Their size, GC content and gene order are comparable with those of other members of Malvales. Phylogenomic analyses demonstrate that whole plastid genomes are useful for inferring phylogenetic relationships among genera and groups of Shorea (Shoreeae) but fail to provide well-supported phylogenetic relationships among some of the most closely related species. Discordance in placement of Parashorea was observed between phylogenetic trees obtained from plastome analyses and those obtained from nuclear single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data sets identified in restriction-site associated sequencing (RADseq).

Conclusions

Phylogenomic analyses of the entire plastid genomes are useful for inferring phylogenetic relationships at lower taxonomic levels, but are not sufficient for detailed phylogenetic reconstructions of closely related species groups in Shoreeae. Discordance in placement of Parashorea was further investigated for evidence of ancient hybridization.
Cumulative Inequality at the End of Life?: Racial Disparities in Impairment in the Time Before Death
Authors: Taylor Miles G , Min Stella N , Reid Keshia M
Published: November 2018

Objectives

Drawing from cumulative inequality (CI) theory, the current study examined racial disparities in impairment as individuals approached death to determine whether proposed mechanisms hypothesized to fuel or diminish racial disparities at late ages were at work at the end of individualized life spans.

Method

Black–white disparities were analyzed among decedents using latent growth curves based on the data from the North Carolina Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE) (N = 1,926).

Results

Consistent with previous literature, racial inequalities in functional disparities diminish at late ages. However, significant black–white disparities emerge as older adults approach death, exponentially increasing within the 2 years immediately preceding death. Further, these disparities are not fully mediated by socioeconomic status.

Discussion

The results confirm that CI in health outcomes is observable in late life among individual life spans, suggesting the years surrounding death may be a particularly vulnerable period for health inequality. Future research should examine how advantaged statuses translate to increased access to health-related resources that aid in maintaining greater functional independence until the last stage of life.
An Improved Genome Assembly for Drosophila navojoa, the Basal Species in the mojavensis Cluster
Authors: Vanderlinde Thyago , Dupim Eduardo Guimarães , Nazario-Yepiz Nestor O , Carvalho Antonio Bernardo
Published: November 2018

Three North American cactophilic Drosophila species, D. mojavensis, D. arizonae, and D. navojoa, are of considerable evolutionary interest owing to the shift from breeding in Opuntia cacti to columnar species. The 3 species form the “mojavensis cluster” of Drosophila. The genome of D. mojavensis was sequenced in 2007 and the genomes of D. navojoa and D. arizonae were sequenced together in 2016 using the same technology (Illumina) and assembly software (AllPaths-LG). Yet, unfortunately, the D. navojoa genome was considerably more fragmented and incomplete than its sister species, rendering it less useful for evolutionary genetic studies. The D. navojoa read dataset does not fully meet the strict insert size required by the assembler used (AllPaths-LG) and this incompatibility might explain its assembly problems. Accordingly, when we re-assembled the genome of D. navojoa with the SPAdes assembler, which does not have the strict AllPaths-LG requirements, we obtained a substantial improvement in all quality indicators such as N50 (from 84 kb to 389 kb) and BUSCO coverage (from 77% to 97%). Here we share a new, improved reference assembly for D. navojoa genome, along with a RNAseq transcriptome. Given the basal relationship of the Opuntia breeding D. navojoa to the columnar breeding D. arizonae and D. mojavensis, the improved assembly and annotation will allow researchers to address a range of questions associated with the genomics of host shifts, chromosomal rearrangements and speciation in this group.
Racial/Ethnic Differences in Lung Cancer Incidence in the Multiethnic Cohort Study: An Update
Authors: Stram Daniel O , Park S Lani , Haiman Christopher A , Murphy Sharon E , Patel Yesha , Hecht Stephen S , Le Marchand Loic
Published: November 2018

Background

We previously found that African Americans and Native Hawaiians were at highest lung cancer risk compared with Japanese Americans and Latinos; whites were midway in risk. These differences were more evident at relatively low levels of smoking intensity, fewer than 20 cigarettes per day (CPD), than at higher intensity.

Methods

We apportioned lung cancer risk into three parts: age-specific background risk (among never smokers), an excess relative risk term for cumulative smoking, and modifiers of the smoking effect: race and years-quit smoking. We also explored the effect of replacing self-reports of CPD with a urinary biomarker—total nicotine equivalents—using data from a urinary biomarker substudy.

Results

Total lung cancers increased from 1979 to 4993 compared to earlier analysis. Estimated excess relative risks for lung cancer due to smoking for 50 years at 10 CPD (25 pack-years) ranged from 21.9 (95% CI = 18.0 to 25.8) for Native Hawaiians to 8.0 (95% CI = 6.6 to 9.4) for Latinos over the five groups. The risk from smoking was higher for squamous cell carcinomas and small cell cancers than for adenocarcinomas. Racial differences consistent with earlier patterns were seen for overall cancer and for cancer subtypes. Adjusting for predicted total nicotine equivalents, Japanese Americans no longer exhibit a lower risk, and African Americans are no longer at higher risk, compared to whites. Striking risk differences between Native Hawaiians and Latinos persist.

Conclusions

Racial differences in lung cancer risk persist in the Multiethnic Cohort study that are not easily explained by variations in self-reported or urinary biomarker-measured smoking intensities.
A model of environmental limitations on production of Agave americana L. grown as a biofuel crop in semi-arid regions
Authors: Niechayev Nicholas A , Jones Alexander M , Rosenthal David M , Davis Sarah C
Published: November 2018

Physiological responses to variation in photosynthetically active radiation, temperature, and water can be used to predict the growth of Agave americana L. in field conditions.
Robert Musil, a war journal, and stylometry: Tackling the issue of short texts in authorship attribution
Authors: Rebora Simone , Herrmann J Berenike , Lauer Gerhard , Salgaro Massimo
Published: November 2018

During World War I (WWI), between 1916 and 1917, Robert Musil was the chief editor of the Tiroler Soldaten-Zeitung in Bozen. This activity probably also involved authorship of articles and has posed a philological problem to scholars, who have not been able to attribute with certainty a range of relatively short texts to Musil. With this article, we present a new approach that combines philological research with stylometric methods. Exploration of WWI archives and digitization of historical documents were paired with application of authorship attribution techniques, following extensive evaluation. To build the training set, we adapted the ‘impostors method’ by grouping three ‘distractor authors’ (similar to Musil in terms of style) and three actual candidates for authorship. In the test set, we developed two designs for tackling the issue of text length: a combinatory design, where longer chunks were composed by the juxtaposition of short texts; a simplified design, where the texts for attribution were merged with already attributed texts. Results of our experiment suggest that Musil attribution may be disproved with a high level of confidence for ten texts that were more probably written by a less well-known author, Albert Ritter. We carried out a keyness analysis on the specific words preferred or avoided by the two authors, which not only corroborated the results of the quantitative analysis but also findings from Musil philology. Our study showcases the potentialities of using mixed methods in stylometry.
Deep repeat resolution—the assembly of the Drosophila Histone Complex
Authors: Bongartz Philipp , Schloissnig Siegfried
Published: November 2018

Though the advent of long-read sequencing technologies has led to a leap in contiguity of de novo genome assemblies, current reference genomes of higher organisms still do not provide unbroken sequences of complete chromosomes. Despite reads in excess of 30 000 base pairs, there are still repetitive structures that cannot be resolved by current state-of-the-art assemblers. The most challenging of these structures are tandemly arrayed repeats, which occur in the genomes of all eukaryotes. Untangling tandem repeat clusters is exceptionally difficult, since the rare differences between repeat copies are obscured by the high error rate of long reads. Solving this problem would constitute a major step towards computing fully assembled genomes. Here, we demonstrate by example of the Drosophila Histone Complex that via machine learning algorithms, it is possible to exploit the underlying distinguishing patterns of single nucleotide variants of repeats from very noisy data to resolve a large and highly conserved repeat cluster. The ideas explored in this paper are a first step towards the automated assembly of complex repeat structures and promise to be applicable to a wide range of eukaryotic genomes.
Developing Citrus Huanglongbing (HLB) Management Strategies Based on the Severity of Symptoms in HLB-Endemic Citrus-Producing Regions
Authors: Li Jinyun , Li Lei , Pang Zhiqian , Kolbasov Vladimir G. , Ehsani Reza , Carter Erica W. , Wang Nian
Published: November 2018

Citrus Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as greening, is a destructive disease caused by the fastidious, phloem-colonizing bacteria Candidatus Liberibacter spp.; ‘Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus’ (Las) is the most prevalent of the species causing HLB. The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP, Diaphorina citri) transmits Las. HLB is threatening citrus production worldwide, and there is no cure for infected trees. Management strategies targeting diseased trees at different stages of colonization by Las are needed for sustainable citrus production in HLB-endemic regions. We evaluated the effect of the combinations of plant defense elicitors, nitrogen (N) fertilizer, and compost on mildly diseased trees. We tested thermotherapy on severely diseased trees and assessed tree protectors to prevent feeding by ACP, thus preventing Las from being transmitted to new plantings that replaced HLB-moribund trees. After four applications over two consecutive growing seasons we found that the combination of compost, urea, and plant defense elicitors β-aminobutyric acid, plus ascorbic acid and potassium phosphite with or without salicylic acid, slowed down the progression of HLB and reduced disease severity by approximately 18%, compared with the untreated control. Our data showed no decline in fruit yield, indeed treatment resulted in a higher yield compared with the untreated control. Thermotherapy treatment (55°C for 2 min) exhibited a suppressive effect on growth of Las and progress of HLB in severely diseased trees for 2 to 3 months after treatment. The tree protectors prevented feeding by ACP, and therefore young replant trees remained healthy and free from infection by Las over the 2-year duration of the experiment. Taken together, these results may contribute to a basis for developing a targeted approach to control HLB based on stage of host colonization, application of plant defense elicitors, N fertilizer, compost, thermotherapy, and tree protectors. There is potential to implement these strategies in conjunction with other disease control measures to contribute to sustainable citrus production in HLB-endemic regions.
A New Resource for Research and Risk Analysis: The Updated European Food Safety Authority Database of Xylella spp. Host Plant Species
Authors: Delbianco Alice , Czwienczek Ewelina , Pautasso Marco , Kozelska Svetla , Monguidi Mario , Stancanelli Giuseppe
Published: November 2018

Following a series of requests for scientific advice from the European Commission starting in 2013, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) conducted a pest risk assessment and created a comprehensive Xylella fastidiosa host plant database. The last update of the database, published in September 2018, includes information on host plants of both X. fastidiosa and X. taiwanensis, together with details on botanical classification, infection conditions, geographic location, pathogen taxonomy including information on subspecies, strain and sequence type, detection techniques, and tolerant/resistant response of the plant. This updated database of host plants of Xylella spp. reported worldwide provides a key tool for risk management, risk assessment, and research on this generalist bacterial plant pathogen.