bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Citrate- and Succinate-Modified Carbonate Apatite Nanoparticles with Loaded Doxorubicin Exhibit Potent Anticancer Activity against Breast Cancer Cells
Authors: Mehbuba Hossain Sultana , Chowdhury Ezharul
Published: March 2018

Biodegradable inorganic apatite-based particle complex is popular for its pH-sensitivity at the endosomal acidic environment to facilitate drug release following cellular uptake. Despite being a powerful anticancer drug, doxorubicin shows severe off-target effects and therefore would need a carrier for the highest effectiveness. We aimed to chemically modify carbonate apatite (CA) with Krebs cycle intermediates, such as citrate and succinate in order to control the growth of the resultant particles to more efficiently carry and transport the anticancer drug into the cancer cells. Citrate- or succinate-modified CA particles were synthesized with different concentrations of sodium citrate or sodium succinate, respectively, in the absence or presence of doxorubicin. The drug loading efficiency of the particles and their cellular uptake were observed by quantifying fluorescence intensity. The average diameter and surface charge of the particles were determined using Zetasizer. Cell viability was assessed by MTT assay. Citrate-modified carbonate apatite (CMCA) exhibited the highest (31.38%) binding affinity for doxorubicin and promoted rapid cellular uptake of the drug, leading to the half-maximal inhibitory concentration 1000 times less than that of the free drug in MCF-7 cells. Hence, CMCA nanoparticles with greater surface area enhance cytotoxicity in different breast cancer cells by enabling higher loading and more efficient cellular uptake of the drug.
Extraction Optimization, Purification, Antioxidant Activity, and Preliminary Structural Characterization of Crude Polysaccharide from an Arctic Chlorella sp.
Authors: Song Hong , He Meilin , Gu Chuankun , Wei Dong , Liang Yuqi , Yan Junmei , Wang Changhai
Published: March 2018

The arctic strain of Chlorella sp. (Chlorella-Arc) exists in the coldest and driest arctic ecosystems, and it is a new resource of active polysaccharides. The extraction of crude polysaccharide from Chlorella-Arc was optimized using the response surface methodology. A crude polysaccharide yield of approximately 9.62 ± 0.11% dry weight was obtained under these optimized conditions. Three fractions (P-I, P-II, and P-III) were present after purification by 2-diethylaminoethanol Sepharose Fast Flow and Sephadex G-100 chromatography. The P-IIa fraction demonstrated significant antioxidant activities. Moreover, P-IIa was an α- and β-type heteropolysaccharide with a pyran group and contained variable amounts of rhamnose, arabinose, glucose, and galactose based on fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography, and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance imaging. Production of high amounts of polysaccharide may allow further exploration of the microalgae Chlorella-Arc as a natural antioxidant.
60Co γ-ray Irradiation Crosslinking of Chitosan/Graphene Oxide Composite Film: Swelling, Thermal Stability, Mechanical, and Antibacterial Properties
Authors: Zhang Dawei , Yang Shuai , Chen Yuanqing , Liu Siyu , Zhao Hongtao , Gu Jiyou
Published: March 2018

In this paper, chitosan (CS)/graphene oxide (GO) composite films were prepared, and the effect of γ-ray irradiation on the properties of composite films was investigated. The irradiation crosslinking reaction occurred in composite films with the existence of acetic acid, and the properties changed upon the various irradiation dose. The swelling degree of the composite film with 0 wt % GO decreased with the increasing of the irradiation dose, but the swelling degree of which with GO increased instead. The thermal stability increased with the increasing of the irradiation dose, but the effect of the irradiation on the thermal stability weakened as the increasing of the content of GO, due to the enhanced irradiation resistance performance. The tensile strength increased firstly and decreased subsequently with the increasing of the irradiation dose and the content of GO. Composite films showed the enhanced antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, compared to Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The antibacterial activity weakened with the increasing of the content of GO. The antibacterial activity was relatively stronger when the irradiation dose was 20 KGy. In addition, the structural, crystal, and morphological properties of composite films were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, and SEM. It is worth noting that the GO was pre-functionalized via KH560 for the better compatibility with CS matrix.
Teaching Widowed Women, Community, and Devotion in Quattrocento Florence with Lucrezia Tornabuoni and Antonia Tanini Pulci
Authors: Wainwright Anna
Published: March 2018

In the Middle Ages and the early modern period, a woman’s social identity changed when her husband died. She became both a symbol of his loss, and a living monument to his legacy—an ambassador between the living and the dead. Responsible not only for preserving his memory on earth, a widow was also expected to pray on behalf of her husband’s soul, to work to rescue him from the torments of Purgatory through her dutiful appeals. Widows were at once asked to pray quietly alone, and tasked with work central to society: the salvation of souls after death. This dual identity—sometimes isolated, yet of fundamental importance—makes the widow an opportune subject for students of early modern conceptions of the relationship between religion and gender. In this essay, I look at widows in Lucrezia Tornabuoni’s Judith, Hebrew Widow and Antonia Tanini Pulci’s The Destruction of Saul and the Lament of David. Taught side-by-side, these texts provide students with multiple, interconnected ports of entry into the early modern world, encouraging an investigation of how the two women writers worked to place widows at the center of their respective stories, rather than relegated to the margins.
Satellite Leaf Area Index: Global Scale Analysis of the Tendencies Per Vegetation Type Over the Last 17 Years
Authors: Munier Simon , Carrer Dominique , Planque Carole , Camacho Fernando , Albergel Clément , Calvet Jean-Christophe
Published: March 2018

The main objective of this study is to detect and quantify changes in the vegetation dynamics of each vegetation type at the global scale over the last 17 years. With recent advances in remote sensing techniques, it is now possible to study the Leaf Area Index (LAI) seasonal and interannual variability at the global scale and in a consistent way over the last decades. However, the coarse spatial resolution of these satellite-derived products does not permit distinguishing vegetation types within mixed pixels. Considering only the dominant type per pixel has two main drawbacks: the LAI of the dominant vegetation type is contaminated by spurious signal from other vegetation types and at the global scale, significant areas of individual vegetation types are neglected. In this study, we first developed a Kalman Filtering (KF) approach to disaggregate the satellite-derived LAI from GEOV1 over nine main vegetation types, including grasslands and crops as well as evergreen, broadleaf and coniferous forests. The KF approach permits the separation of distinct LAI values for individual vegetation types that coexist within a pixel. The disaggregated LAI product, called LAI-MC (Multi-Cover), consists of world-wide LAI maps provided every 10 days for each vegetation type over the 1999–2015 period. A trend analysis of the original GEOV1 LAI product and of the disaggregated LAI time series was conducted using the Mann-Kendall test. Resulting trends of the GEOV1 LAI (which accounts for all vegetation types) compare well with previous regional or global studies, showing a greening over a large part of the globe. When considering each vegetation type individually, the largest global trend from LAI-MC is found for coniferous forests (0.0419 m 2 m − 2 yr − 1 ) followed by summer crops (0.0394 m 2 m − 2 yr − 1 ), while winter crops and grasslands show the smallest global trends (0.0261 m 2 m − 2 yr − 1 and 0.0279 m 2 m − 2 yr − 1 , respectively). The LAI-MC presents contrasting trends among the various vegetation types within the same pixel. For instance, coniferous and broadleaf forests experience a marked greening in the North-East of Europe while crops and grasslands show a browning. In addition, trends from LAI-MC can significantly differ (by up to 50%) from trends obtained with GEOV1 by considering only the dominant vegetation type over each pixel. These results demonstrate the usefulness of the disaggregation method compared to simple ones. LAI-MC may provide a new tool to monitor and quantify tendencies of LAI per vegetation type all over the globe.
Robust Angle Estimation for MIMO Radar with the Coexistence of Mutual Coupling and Colored Noise
Authors: Wang Junxiang , Wang Xianpeng , Xu Dingjie , Bi Guoan
Published: March 2018

This paper deals with joint estimation of direction-of-departure (DOD) and direction-of- arrival (DOA) in bistatic multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar with the coexistence of unknown mutual coupling and spatial colored noise by developing a novel robust covariance tensor-based angle estimation method. In the proposed method, a third-order tensor is firstly formulated for capturing the multidimensional nature of the received data. Then taking advantage of the temporal uncorrelated characteristic of colored noise and the banded complex symmetric Toeplitz structure of the mutual coupling matrices, a novel fourth-order covariance tensor is constructed for eliminating the influence of both spatial colored noise and mutual coupling. After a robust signal subspace estimation is obtained by using the higher-order singular value decomposition (HOSVD) technique, the rotational invariance technique is applied to achieve the DODs and DOAs. Compared with the existing HOSVD-based subspace methods, the proposed method can provide superior angle estimation performance and automatically jointly perform the DODs and DOAs. Results from numerical experiments are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Making Less Vulnerable Cities: Resilience as a New Paradigm of Smart Planning
Authors: Moraci Francesca , Errigo Maurizio , Fazia Celestina , Burgio Gianluca , Foresta Sante
Published: March 2018

Previous studies have investigated how resilience can play a pivotal role in strategic urban design in the Netherlands and in some regional and municipal planning laws in Italy. Here, we have analysed several European projects that utilised the resilience approach successfully. Dutch policies already include resilience and climate adaptation in urban strategies. Moreover, they share those strategies with urban communities, making the innovation of the city real and cutting-edge. In Italy, on the other hand, the concept of resilience is present only in some regional laws and is still not used as an urban tool. In this paper, we aim to demonstrate how resilience can become the new paradigm of smart planning. Furthermore, we demonstrate how resilience is fundamental at all levels of urban intervention, involving municipal authorities, architects and urban planners, firms and enterprises, citizens and communities. The urban governance must establish specific goals and objectives to create a smart and sustainable city. Resilience should be one of these main aims, in order to achieve an innovative city design. A climate strategy should also be part of urban smart planning, enabling the implementation of a safer and resilient city.
Multiple Wins, Multiple Organizations—How to Manage Institutional Interaction in Financing Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR)
Authors: Carrapatoso Astrid , Geck Angela
Published: March 2018

By restoring forest ecosystems and fostering resilient and sustainable land use practices, Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) contributes to climate change mitigation, adaptation and sustainable development as well as the protection of biological diversity and combating desertification. This integrative approach provides the opportunity for multiple wins, but it necessitates the management of complex institutional interactions arising from the involvement of multiple international organizations. Focusing on the pivotal aspect of financing, this article surveys the landscape of public international institutions supporting FLR and analyzes the effectiveness of existing mechanisms of inter-institutional coordination and harmonization. Methodologically, our research is based on a document analysis, complemented by participant observation of the two Bonn Climate Change Conferences in May and November 2017 as well as the Global Landscapes Forum in December 2017. We find that financial institutions have established fairly effective rules for the management of positive and negative externalities through the introduction of co-benefits and safeguards. The fact that each institution has their own safeguards provisions, however, leads to significant transaction costs for recipient countries. In the discussion, we thus recommend that institutions should refrain from an unnecessary duplication of standards and focus on best practice.
The Effect of Regulatory Focus on Individuals’ Donation Behavior
Authors: Park Kikyoung , Ryu Gangseog
Published: March 2018

We examine how individuals’ regulatory focus affects their donation behavior and how personal events experienced before the donation moderate this relationship. In this research, regulatory focus refers to the basic motivational orientation that affects how individuals pursue their goals. We propose that donors will judge potential rewards and risks associated with making a donation when deciding whether to donate and that regulatory focus and personal events will have a significant influence on this judgment. The results from both the survey and the experiment confirmed that participants with promotion focus were more likely to donate than those with prevention focus. In addition, the experimental results revealed that compared to those experiencing no personal event, the donation likelihood of prevention-focused participants increased significantly after experiencing a positive personal event but did not change after experiencing a negative personal event. In a similar vein, experiencing a negative event decreased the donation likelihood of promotion-focused participants whereas experiencing a positive event did not. Our research contributes new findings and insights to both regulatory focus and donation literature and provides useful guidelines for nonprofit organizations to design and implement donation programs.
Water Level Measurements from Drones: A Pilot Case Study at a Dam Site
Authors: Ridolfi Elena , Manciola Piergiorgio
Published: March 2018

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are now filling in the gaps between spaceborne and ground-based observations and enhancing the spatial resolution and temporal coverage of data acquisition. In the realm of hydrological observations, UAVs play a key role in quantitatively characterizing the surface flow, allowing for remotely accessing the water body of interest. In this paper, we propose a technology that uses a sensing platform encompassing a drone and a camera to determine the water level. The images acquired by means of the sensing platform are then analyzed using the Canny method to detect the edges of water level and of Ground Control Points (GCPs) used as reference points. The water level is then retrieved from images and compared to a benchmark value obtained by a traditional device. The method is tested at four locations in an artificial lake in central Italy. Results are encouraging, as the overall mean error between estimated and true water level values is around 0.05 m. This technology is well suited to improve hydraulic modeling and thus provides reliable support to flood mitigation strategies.
New Comparative Experiments of Different Soil Types for Farmland Water Conservation in Arid Regions
Authors: Cheng Yiben , Li Yanli , Zhan Hongbin , Liang Hairong , Yang Wenbin , Zhao Yinming , Li Taojia
Published: March 2018

Irrigated farmland is the main food source of desert areas, and moisture is the main limiting factor of desert farmland crop productivity. Study on the influence of irrigation on desert farmland soil moisture can guide the agricultural water resource utilization and agricultural production in those regions. At present, the efficiency of irrigation water usage in Northwest China is as low as approximately 40% of the irrigated water. To understand the response of farmland soil moisture in different soil types on irrigation in the Ulan Buh Desert of Inner Mongolia of China, this experimental study takes advantage of different infiltration characteristics and hydraulic conductivities of sand, clay, and loam to determine an optimized soil combination scheme with the purpose of establishing a hydraulic barrier that reduces infiltration. This study includes three comparative experiments with each consisting of a 100 cm thick of filled sand, or clay, or loam soil underneath a 50 cm plough soil, with a total thickness of 150 cm soil profile. A new type of lysimeter is installed below the above-mentioned 150 cm soil profile to continuously measure deep soil recharge (DSR), and the ECH2O-5 soil moisture sensors are installed at different depths over the 150 cm soil profile to simultaneously monitor the soil moisture above the lysimeter. The study analyzes the characteristics of soil moisture dynamics, the irrigation-related recharge on soil moisture, and the DSR characteristics before and after irrigation, during the early sowing period from 2 April to 2 May 2017. Research results show that: (1) Irrigation significantly influences the soil moisture of 0–150 cm depths. The soil moisture increase after the irrigation follows the order from high to low when it is in the order of loam, sand, and clay. (2) Irrigation-induced soil moisture recharge occurs on all three soil combinations at 0–150 cm layers, and the order of soil moisture recharge from high to low is: clay (54.3 mm, 43.39% of the total irrigation), loam (39.83 mm, 31.83% of the total irrigation), and sand (33.47 mm, 26.75% of the total irrigation). (3) After the irrigation event, DSR below 150 cm occurs for all three soil combinations. This study reveals the characteristics of irrigation-induced soil moisture recharge and DSR, and it shows that farmland consisting of an upper 50 cm plough soil and a lower 100 cm filled clay soil can save more water resource at the study site, which is useful in agricultural control measure and water resource management in arid regions.
Patterns of Variation for the Sun and Sun-like Stars
Authors: Radick Richard R. , Lockwood G. Wesley , Henry Gregory W. , Hall Jeffrey C. , Pevtsov Alexei A.
Published: March 2018

We compare patterns of variation for the Sun and 72 Sun-like stars by combining total and spectral solar irradiance measurements between 2003 and 2017 from the SORCE satellite, Strömgren b, y stellar photometry between 1993 and 2017 from Fairborn Observatory, and solar and stellar chromospheric Ca ii H+K emission observations between 1992 and 2016 from Lowell Observatory. The new data and their analysis strengthen the relationships found previously between chromospheric and brightness variability on the decadal timescale of the solar activity cycle. Both chromospheric H+K and photometric b, y variability among Sun-like stars are related to average chromospheric activity by power laws on this timescale. Young active stars become fainter as their H+K emission increases, and older, less active, more Sun-age stars tend to show a pattern of direct correlation between photometric and chromospheric emission variations. The directly correlated pattern between total solar irradiance and chromospheric Ca ii emission variations shown by the Sun appears to extend also to variations in the Strömgren b, y portion of the solar spectrum. Although the Sun does not differ strongly from its stellar age and spectral class mates in the activity and variability characteristics that we have now studied for over three decades, it may be somewhat unusual in two respects: (1) its comparatively smooth, regular activity cycle, and (2) its rather low photometric brightness variation relative to its chromospheric activity level and variation, perhaps indicating that facular emission and sunspot darkening are especially well-balanced on the Sun.
High-resolution Observations of Flares in an Arch Filament System
Authors: Su Yingna , Liu Rui , Li Shangwei , Cao Wenda , Ahn Kwangsu , Ji Haisheng
Published: March 2018

We study five sequential solar flares (SOL2015-08-07) occurring in Active Region 12396 observed with the Goode Solar Telescope (GST) at the Big Bear Solar Observatory, complemented by Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph and SDO observations. The main flaring region is an arch filament system (AFS) consisting of multiple bundles of dark filament threads enclosed by semicircular flare ribbons. We study the magnetic configuration and evolution of the active region by constructing coronal magnetic field models based on SDO/HMI magnetograms using two independent methods, i.e., the nonlinear force-free field (NLFFF) extrapolation and the flux rope insertion method. The models consist of multiple flux ropes with mixed signs of helicity, i.e., positive (negative) in the northern (southern) region, which is consistent with the GST observations of multiple filament bundles. The footprints of quasi-separatrix layers (QSLs) derived from the extrapolated NLFFF compare favorably with the observed flare ribbons. An interesting double-ribbon fine structure located at the east border of the AFS is consistent with the fine structure of the QSL’s footprint. Moreover, magnetic field lines traced along the semicircular footprint of a dome-like QSL surrounding the AFS are connected to the regions of significant helicity and Poynting flux injection. The maps of magnetic twist show that positive twist became dominant as time progressed, which is consistent with the injection of positive helicity before the flares. We hence conclude that these circular shaped flares are caused by 3D magnetic reconnection at the QSLs associated with the AFS possessing mixed signs of helicity.
The Dragonfly Nearby Galaxies Survey. IV. A Giant Stellar Disk in NGC 2841
Authors: Zhang 张洁 Jielai 莱 , Abraham Roberto , van Dokkum Pieter , Merritt Allison , Janssens Steven
Published: March 2018

Neutral gas is commonly believed to dominate over stars in the outskirts of galaxies, and investigations of the disk-halo interface are generally considered to be in the domain of radio astronomy. This may simply be a consequence of the fact that deep H i observations typically probe to a lower-mass surface density than visible wavelength data. This paper presents low-surface-brightness, optimized visible wavelength observations of the extreme outskirts of the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 2841. We report the discovery of an enormous low-surface brightness stellar disk in this object. When azimuthally averaged, the stellar disk can be traced out to a radius of ∼70 kpc (5 R
25 or 23 inner disk scale lengths). The structure in the stellar disk traces the morphology of H i emission and extended UV emission. Contrary to expectations, the stellar mass surface density does not fall below that of the gas mass surface density at any radius. In fact, at all radii greater than ∼20 kpc, the ratio of the stellar mass to gas mass surface density is a constant 3:1. Beyond ∼30 kpc, the low-surface-brightness stellar disk begins to warp, which may be an indication of a physical connection between the outskirts of the galaxy and infall from the circumgalactic medium. A combination of stellar migration, accretion, and in situ star formation might be responsible for building up the outer stellar disk, but whatever mechanisms formed the outer disk must also explain the constant ratio between stellar and gas mass in the outskirts of this galaxy.
The Effect of Technological Devices on Cervical Lordosis
Authors: Öğrenci Ahmet , Koban Orkun , Yaman Onur , Dalbayrak Sedat , Yılmaz Mesut
Published: March 2018

PURPOSE: There is a need for cervical flexion and even cervical hyperflexion for the use of technological devices, especially mobile phones. We investigated the effect of this use on the cervical lordosis angle.MATERIAL AND METHODS: A group of 156 patients who applied with only neck pain between 2013–2016 and had no additional problems were included. Patients are specifically questioned about mobile phone, tablet, and other devices usage. The value obtained by multiplying the year of usage and the average usage (hour) in daily life was determined as the total usage value (an average hour per day x year: hy). Cervical lordosis angles were statistically compared with the total time of use.RESULTS: In the general ROC analysis, the cut-off value was found to be 20.5 hy. When the cut-off value is tested, the overall accuracy is very good with 72.4%. The true estimate of true risk and non-risk is quite high. The ROC analysis is statistically significant.CONCLUSION: The use of computing devices, especially mobile telephones, and the increase in the flexion of the cervical spine indicate that cervical vertebral problems will increase even in younger people in future. Also, to using with attention at this point, ergonomic devices must also be developed.
Correlation of Procalcitonin and C-Reactive Protein with Intra-Abdominal Hypertension in Intra-Abdominal Infections: Their Predictive Role in the Progress of the Disease
Authors: Braha Bedri , Mahmutaj Dafina , Maxhuni Mehmet , Neziri Burim , Krasniqi Shaip
Published: March 2018

AIM: To analyse the correlation of procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) values with increased intra-abdominal pressure and to evaluate their predictive role in the progression of Intra-abdominal infections.MATERIALS AND METHODS: A non-randomized prospective study conducted in the group of 80 patients. We have measured the PCT, CRP and intra-abdominal pressure (IAP).RESULTS: According to IAH grades (G), there was a significant difference of PCT values: G I 3.6 ± 5.1 ng/ml, G II 10.9 ± 22.6 ng/ml, G III 15.2 ± 30.2 ng/ml (p = 0.045) until CRP values were increased in all IAH groups but without distinction between the groups: GI 183 ± 64.5, GII 196 ± 90.2, GIII 224 ± 96.3 (p = 0.17). According to the severity of the infection, we yielded increased values of PCT, IAP and CRP in septic shock, severe sepsis and SIRS/sepsis resulting in significant differences of PCT and IAP.CONCLUSION: Based on the results of our research, we conclude that the correlation of PCT values with IAH grades is quite significant while the CRP results remain high in IAH but without significant difference between the different grades of IAH.
The Effectiveness of Radial Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy for Chronic Achilles Tendinopathy: A Case Report with 18 Months Follow-Up
Authors: Nikolikj-Dimitrova Erieta Dimitrije , Gjerakaroska-Savevska Cvetanka , Koevska Valentina , Mitrevska Biljana , Gocevska Marija , Manoleva Maja , Kalchovska-Ivanovska Biljana
Published: March 2018

BACKGROUND: Achilles tendinopathy (AT) is a pathological state resulting from repetitive loading or stress on the tendon. The article aims to evaluate the effects of the low - energy radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy (RESWT) in the treatment of the adult with chronic insertional Achilles tendinopathy (AT) after the unsuccessful conservative treatment, with 18 months follow - up evaluation.CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 55 years - old male suffering from severe right posterior heel pain for 4 months. For his chronic insertional Achilles tendinopathy on the right heel, he received conservative treatment in the Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. For outcome assessment, Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for pain, the range of motion in the ankle, and Roles-Maudsley Score (RMS) for assessment of function were used. At the baseline the pain was severe, and he received physical therapy treatment. After unsuccessful conservative treatment, he underwent RESWT treatment. Numeric Rating Scale was significantly decreased at immediate, short-term and long-term follow-up. After the last treatment, the patient had no pain, and function assessed by Roles-Maudsley Score was excellent. At the follow-up check-up at 3, 6, 12 and 18 months the patient had no pain and excellent functional results.CONCLUSION: Radial ESWT is a safe and effective treatment even for a longer period for patients with chronic insertional Achilles tendinopathy.
Isospora machadoae sp. nov. (Protozoa: Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae), a new coccidian species from white-necked thrushes Turdus albicolis (Passeriformes: Turdidae) of South America
Authors: de Pinho Irlane F. , da Silva Lidiane M. , Rodrigues Mariana B. , Lopes Bruno do B. , Oliveira Mariana S. , Luz Hermes R. , Ferreira Ildemar , Lopes Carlos Wilson G. , Berto Bruno P.
Published: March 2018

A new coccidian species parasitizing white-necked thrushesTurdus albicollisVieillot, 1818 is described from the Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, in Southeastern Brazil.Isospora machadoaesp. nov. has oocysts that are sub-spherical, 22.2 × 21.2 µm, with bilayered wall, ~1.3 μm thick. Outer layer is rough with micropyle and micropyle cap. Oocyst residuum is absent, but one or two polar granules are present. Sporocysts are ellipsoidal, 13.3 × 9.7 µm. The Stieda body is flattened to half-moon-shaped and substieda body rounded. Sporocyst residuum is present, composed of scattered spherules of different sizes. Sporozoites are vermiform with a refractile body and a nucleus. These parasitized thrushes had no apparent clinical signs of coccidiosis or high densities of oocysts in feces. This condition may be associated with a specific low pathogenicity ofI. machadoaesp. nov. and/or with the conserved habitat of these birds, which ensures the ecological niches and thus the immunocompetence to wildlife.
Nepafenac Ophthalmic Suspension 0.3% for the Management of Ocular Pain After Photorefractive Keratectomy
Authors: Kontadakis George A. , Chronopoulou Konstantina G. , Tsopouridou Rodoula , Tabibian David , Kymionis George D.
Published: March 2018

PURPOSE:

To investigate the effect of nepafenac 0.3% in a once daily dosage regarding pain and healing after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK).

METHODS:

This was a prospective, comparative, contralateral randomized study of 35 patients undergoing PRK for the correction of low to moderate myopia and myopic astigmatism. After randomization, patients received nepafenac 0.3% ophthalmic suspension once daily in one eye (nepafenac 0.3% group) and nepafenac 0.1% ophthalmic suspension three times a day in the other eye (nepafenac 0.1% group) until the second postoperative day. Pain was evaluated every 2 hours on the day of the operation and then once daily using a scale ranging from 0 to 4. Patients were then examined at 2 weeks and 1, 3, 6, and 12 postoperative months. Visual acuity and subepithelial haze were also assessed.

RESULTS:

No differences were detected between groups in pain scores, subepithelial haze scores, or visual acuity. Refractive predictability was also similar.

CONCLUSIONS:

Nepafenac 0.3% ophthalmic suspension in a daily regimen after PRK seems to be an effective treatment for pain and ocular discomfort with effects similar to the 0.1% suspension.

[
J Refract Surg.
2018;34(3):171–176.]
Environmental conflictuality in the Marseille-Cassis Calanques: background, challenges and resolution
Authors: Cadoret Anne , Daumalin Xavier
Published: March 2018

This article addresses environmental conflictuality in the Calanques area in the south of France, which has been a National Park since 2012. Our work draws on two disciplinary fields – economic history and social geography – to shed light on the frictions, their interaction and the factors behind them from the 19th century to today. By taking the historical legacy into consideration, we have a better understanding of the complexity of the motivations for current disputes. This study is based on a mostly discursive analysis with which we have identified endogenous and exogenous conflicts. This contribution also provides an opportunity to take a new look at conflict situations within a broader timeframe, to assess whether there are interactions between one conflict and another and to appreciate the determining role of situations external to the Calanques in conflictual processes, reminding us of the close links between neighbouring urban areas and the National Park.
Less protection for better conservation? A politicised relationship between a city and its protected area in the vicinity of Nevado de Toluca (Mexico)
Authors: Depraz Samuel , Sanial Elsa , Catalán Andrés K. Rees , Rojas Andrea Salinas
Published: March 2018

The Nevado de Toluca Mountain is a protected area located near Toluca, the fifth largest city in Mexico. In 2013, Nevado de Toluca National Park was downgraded to an Area of Protection for Flora and Fauna. This new status aims to allow a measured use of natural resources in the Park, while also enhancing their control by stakeholders by means of supervised management plans. Tolerate and control, rather than forbid and fail, should thus better address the social pressure due to many surrounding suburban activities. This article will show, however, that the new status is not primarily geared towards improving nature conservation policies. Instead it is revealing a new pattern in stakeholder relationships, as well as power asymmetries and development gaps between rural and urban areas, with the possible privatization of forest resources. This trend also questions the liberalization in the management of protected areas at the international scale.
Données ethnozoologiques sur l’utilisation des oiseaux dans la médecine traditionnelle chez le peuple Gouro de la Marahoué de Côte d’Ivoire (Afrique de l’Ouest)
Authors: Koue Bi  Tih Mathieu , Yaokokoré-Beibro K.H , Kasse Benoît Kouadio , Kouassi Philippe Kouassi
Published: March 2018

Un inventaire des oiseaux utilisés dans la pharmacopée traditionnelle chez le peuple Gouro a été mené dans 19 villages de la région de la Marahoué, au centre Ouest de la Côte d’Ivoire durant cinq mois, d’août à décembre 2010 et 15 mois, de février 2012 à avril 2013. Cette étude basée sur les enquêtes auprès des populations locales a pu identifier 44 espèces d’oiseaux utilisées dans la médecine traditionnelle sur les 238 espèces reconnues par ce peuple. Dans cette liste a été identifié Bycanistes cylindricus qui a le statut d’espèce quasi menacée sur la liste rouge de l’UICN. Sur les 17 traitements et effets désirés qui nécessitent l’usage des oiseaux chez les Gouro, quatre (soit 23,53 %) exigent le plus d’espèces d’oiseaux. Les Accipitridae et les Musophagidae sont les plus utilisés en zoothérapie par ce peuple.
Surficial geology, Dahadinni River, Northwest Territories, NTS 95-N northwest
Authors: Duk-Rodkin A
Published: March 2018

The surficial geology represented in this map has been prepared at 1:50 000 scale and published at 1:100 000 scale. Surficial glacial deposits occupy approximately 95% of the map area. The other 5% of the map area is covered by exposed bedrock represented
mainly by Devonian shale, limestone, sandstone, and minor Ordovician and Silurian dolomite, and Cretaceous sandstone and shale. Till deposits (units Tb, Tv, Tp, Td, Tr, Tm and Tx) represent ~ 60% of the surficial deposits. Lacustrine (units Lp, Lb, Lv, Lm, Lx) sediments represent
~12% of the surficial cover. About 13% of the area is covered by colluvial deposits (units Cv, Cx) most of which constitute landslides (unit Cz). Glaciofluvial sediments (units Gt, Gp, Gd, Gf and Gx) form about 5% of the surficial deposits and include prominent terraces along the
Redstone and Dahadinni rivers. Alluvial deposits (units Ap, A f, Ax) cover about 3% of the map area. Peat deposits cover ~2%.
Assessing Clivia taxonomy using the core DNA barcode regions, matK and rbcLa
Authors: Spies Johan J. , Spies Paula
Published: March 2018

Background: Clivia is a genus of the family Amaryllidaceae endemic to South Africa and Swaziland. Six species and one natural hybrid have been described. Some morphological traits overlap between some species, thus causing taxonomic confusion.Objectives: The discriminatory power of the core DNA barcodes (matK and rbcLa) was evaluated, and the current taxonomy of Clivia was assessed.Method: Seventy-four two-locus DNA barcodes from 4 to 18 specimens per species were generated.Results: The matK region had a higher mean intraspecific variation of 0.21 compared with the 0.02 of rbcLa. The two-locus barcodes have an aligned length of 1335 base pairs. Three species, Clivia mirabilis, Clivia nobilis and Clivia caulescens, are monophyletic in the Bayesian Inference (BI) cladogram. The remaining Clivia species (Clivia miniata, Clivia gardenii, Clivia robusta and their affinities) are paraphyletic. Clivia is divided into 17 haplogroups with those of C. mirabilis and C. nobilis being unique. Clivia caulescens has three haplotypes. The Clivia species from the north-eastern distribution range of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces have 11 haplogroups and no species-specific DNA barcodes. These groups have no correlation with the current taxonomy or geographical distribution.Conclusions: Only 37.33% of the species can be correctly identified with the ‘best match’ option in SpeciesIdentifier. Clivia mirabilis, C. nobilis and C. caulescens have unique DNA barcodes to identify them. Specimens from the Ngome area in KwaZulu-Natal have a unique DNA barcode, separating them from the rest of C. gardenii. A taxonomic revision is suggested.
On regular CAT(0) cube complexes and the simplicity of automorphism groups of rank-one CAT(0) cube complexes
Authors: Lazarovich Nir
Published: March 2018

We provide a necessary and sufficient condition on a finite flag simplicial complex

L

for which there exists a unique CAT(0) cube complex whose vertex links are all isomorphic to

L

. We then find new examples of such CAT(0) cube complexes and prove that their automorphism groups are virtually simple. The latter uses a result, which we prove in the appendix, about the simplicity of certain subgroups of the automorphism group of a rank-one CAT(0) cube complex. This result generalizes previous results by Tits [20] and by Haglund and Paulin [15].
Just-infinite $C^*$-algebras
Authors: Grigorchuk Rostislav , Musat Magdalena , Rørdam Mikael
Published: March 2018

By analogy with the well-established notions of just-infinite groups and just-infinite (abstract) algebras, we initiate a systematic study of just-infinite

C^*

-algebras, i.e. infinite dimensional

C^*

-algebras for which all proper quotients are finite dimensional. We give a classification of such

C^*

-algebras in terms of their primitive ideal space, that leads to a trichotomy. We show that just-infinite, residually finite dimensional

C^*

-algebras do exist by giving an explicit example of (the Bratteli diagram of) an AF-algebra with these properties.

Further, we discuss when

C^*

-algebras and

^*

-algebras associated with a discrete group are just-infinite. If

\mathcal G

is the Burnside-type group of intermediate growth discovered by the first-named author, which is known to be just-infinite, then its group algebra

\mathbb C[\mathcal G]

and its group

C^*

-algebra

C^*(\mathcal G)

are not just-infinite. Furthermore, we show that the algebra

B = \pi(\mathbb C[\mathcal G])

under the Koopman representation

\pi

of

\mathcal G

associated with its canonical action on a binary rooted tree is just-infinite. It remains an open problem whether the residually finite dimensional

C^*

-algebra

C^*_\pi(\mathcal G)

is just-infinite.
A transfer principle and applications to eigenvalue estimates for graphs
Authors: Amini Omid , Cohen-Steiner David
Published: March 2018

In this paper, we prove a variant of the Burger–Brooks transfer principle which, combined with recent eigenvalue bounds for surfaces, allows to obtain upper bounds on the eigenvalues of graphs as a function of their genus. More precisely, we show the existence of a universal constants

C

such that the

k

th eigenvalue

\lambda_k^{\mathrm {nr}}

of the normalized Laplacian of a graph

G

of (geometric) genus

g

on

n

vertices satisfies

\lambda_k^{\mathrm {nr}}(G) \leq C \frac{d_{\mathrm {max}}(g+k)}{n},

where

d_{\mathrm {max}}

denotes the maximum valence of vertices of the graph. Our result is tight up to a change in the value of the constant

C

, and improves recent results of Kelner, Lee, Price and Teng on bounded genus graphs.

To show that the transfer theorem might be of independent interest, we relate eigenvalues of the Laplacian on a metric graph to the eigenvalues of its simple graph models, and discuss an application to the mesh partitioning problem, extending results of Miller–Teng–Thurston–Vavasis and Spielman–Teng to arbitrary meshes.
Branched coverings and equivariant smoothings of 4-manifolds
Authors: Kwasik Sławomir , Schultz Reinhard
Published: March 2018

This paper describes some new families of finite group actions on 4-manifolds, including infinite families of smoothly inequivalent actions which are topologically equivalent and locally linear actions which are not smoothable. The constructions involve a variety of results on 4-manifolds and branched coverings. One common feature is that these families are counterexamples to the Lashof–Rothenberg homotopy classication results for equivariant smoothings which hold for actions with no 4-dimensional strata. Related examples with 4-dimensional fixed point sets are also described.
Controlador LQR y SMC Aplicado a Plataformas Pendulares
Authors: Arévalo-Castiblanco Miguel F. , Rodriguez-Garavito C. H. , Patiño-Forero Álvaro A. , Salazar-Cáceres José F.
Published: March 2018

Una plataforma pendular es una estructura robótica comúnmente empleada en el diseño de controladores dada su dinámica no lineal; este trabajo presenta el modelamiento, diseño e implementación de un controlador óptimo LQR y un controlador en modo deslizante SMC aplicado a dos plataformas comerciales, el péndulo rotatorio invertido de Quanser (RotPen) y el péndulo móvil de Lego (NxtWay). El aporte de este trabajo es presentar una metodología de implementación de controladores sobre plataformas pendulares, atendiendo las respectivas restricciones de hardware y software en prototipos comerciales. El artículo presenta el comportamiento de los controladores diseñados sobre el modelo analítico comparado con su implementación real.
Kritisch kijken naar de accountantsprofessie, ook de academische, is noodzakelijk
Authors: Pheijffer Marcel
Published: March 2018

Het wetenschappelijk onderzoek naar het kenobject accountancy kenmerkt zich in Nederland door een relatief uniforme aanpak qua te behandelen thematiek, theoretische inzichten, paradigma’s en methodologie. De auteur pleit voor een verbreding van de blik binnen de academische gemeenschap, waarbij wat meer van de gebaande paden wordt afgeweken. Hij verwijst daarbij naar de stroming ‘critical accounting’ en bespreekt welk type onderzoek en onderzoeksonderwerpen daarbinnen vallen. Binnen de Nederlandse context spreekt de auteur over ‘kritische accountancy’ en geeft een aantal suggesties voor onderzoek op dat gebied. Daarbij roept hij de Nederlandse hoogleraren op meer oog voor deze onderzoekstroming en de genoemde onderzoeksuggesties te hebben.
Temporally delineated sources of major chemical species in high Arctic snow
Authors: Macdonald Katrina M. , Sharma Sangeeta , Toom Desiree , Chivulescu Alina , Platt Andrew , Elsasser Mike , Huang Lin , Leaitch Richard , Chellman Nathan , McConnell Joseph R. , Bozem Heiko , Kunkel Daniel , Lei Ying Duan , Jeong Cheol-Heon , Abbatt Jonathan P. D. , Evans Greg J.
Published: March 2018

Abstract. Long-range transport of aerosol from lower latitudes to the high Arctic may be a significant contributor to climate forcing in the Arctic. To identify the sources of key contaminants entering the Canadian High Arctic an intensive campaign of snow sampling was completed at Alert, Nunavut, from September 2014 to June 2015. Fresh snow samples collected every few days were analyzed for black carbon, major ions, and metals, and this rich data set provided an opportunity for a temporally refined source apportionment of snow composition via positive matrix factorization (PMF) in conjunction with FLEXPART (FLEXible PARTicle dispersion model) potential emission sensitivity analysis. Seven source factors were identified: sea salt, crustal metals, black carbon, carboxylic acids, nitrate, non-crustal metals, and sulfate. The sea salt and crustal factors showed good agreement with expected composition and primarily northern sources. High loadings of V and Se onto Factor 2, crustal metals, was consistent with expected elemental ratios, implying these metals were not primarily anthropogenic in origin. Factor 3, black carbon, was an acidic factor dominated by black carbon but with some sulfate contribution over the winter-haze season. The lack of K+ associated with this factor, a Eurasian source, and limited known forest fire events coincident with this factor's peak suggested a predominantly anthropogenic combustion source. Factor 4, carboxylic acids, was dominated by formate and acetate with a moderate correlation to available sunlight and an oceanic and North American source. A robust identification of this factor was not possible; however, atmospheric photochemical reactions, ocean microlayer reaction, and biomass burning were explored as potential contributors. Factor 5, nitrate, was an acidic factor dominated by NO3−, with a likely Eurasian source and mid-winter peak. The isolation of NO3− on a separate factor may reflect its complex atmospheric processing, though the associated source region suggests possibly anthropogenic precursors. Factor 6, non-crustal metals, showed heightened loadings of Sb, Pb, and As, and correlation with other metals traditionally associated with industrial activities. Similar to Factor 3 and 5, this factor appeared to be largely Eurasian in origin. Factor 7, sulfate, was dominated by SO42− and MS with a fall peak and high acidity. Coincident volcanic activity and northern source regions may suggest a processed SO2 source of this factor.