bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Venezuela
Authors: Hellinger Daniel
Published: June 2019

Before a succession of violent events that took place between 1989 and 1992, most observers regarded Venezuela as an exceptionally democratic and politically stable country. It had escaped the bloody legacy of military dictatorship in Latin America and taken an active role in promoting liberal democracy in the region. An oil exporter, its political leadership envisioned completing a fifty-year process of transformation from neocolonial backwater to prosperous industrialized economy. However, Venezuelans already knew by 1983 that the country was in trouble. The oil boom of the 1970s had come to a crashing halt, and throughout the 1980s, plunging prices and a plunging bolívar (the national currency) were propelling an astounding increase in poverty. Meanwhile, daily headlines featured corruption and the bankruptcy of the ruling elites. The year 1989 saw urban rioting in reaction to a neoliberal structural-adjustment program. The year 1992 saw two serious coup attempts against an elected president who had attempted to implement fiscal austerity and was forced to resign early in 1993. In 1998 Lt. Col. Hugo Chávez Frías, the cashiered leader of the first of the two coups of 1992, defeated the candidates of the discredited political parties. Chávez launched his Bolivarian Revolution—fourteen years of social revolution, political polarization, experiments in “socialism for the twenty-first century,” petro-diplomacy, and conflict with the United States. Chávez was elected four times, including in December 2012, just before he died of cancer on 5 March 2013. The country then entered a new period of uncertainty. Nicolás Maduro, chosen by the dying leader to pick up the mantel of leadership, barely defeated an opposition coalition in the election to replace Chávez in April. Even before oil prices began to crater again in mid-2014, the Venezuelans were once again questioning the quality of their elected leaders and their management of the economy. On December 14 they delivered a devastating blow to the ruling party with a landslide rout in National Assembly elections. In 2018 Maduro called a constituent assembly to write a new constitution; it afterward claimed for itself legislative authority, thereby emasculating the National Assembly. Little academic research yet exists on the post-Chávez period, so the bulk of citations in this article focus on the post-1989 rediscovery of Venezuela as a country of interest in hemispheric and global politics. Readers should be aware that this bibliography overlaps somewhat with the Oxford Bibliography article “Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela.” Where sources from that article appear here, they have been chosen because they most reflect the interests of the international relations specialist, and commentary usually has been rewritten to serve that interest.
Irish Poetry of the First World War
Authors: Dawe Gerald
Published: June 2019

In his poem “On Being Asked for a War Poem” (1915), the Nobel laureate W. B. Yeats (b. 1865–d. 1939) expressed the view that “in times like these” he thought “it better” that “A poet’s mouth be silent, for in truth| We have no gift to set a statesman right.” In the introduction to The Oxford Book of Modern Verse, 1892–1935 (1936), which he edited, Yeats rejected many of those poets associated with the Great War, chief among them Wilfred Owen, because he considered “passive suffering” unsuitable for poetry. “In all the great tragedies, tragedy is a joy to the man who dies; in Greece the tragic chorus danced,” he affirmed. The truth is that many thousands of Yeats’s fellow Irishmen fought and died in World War I. Kathleen Tynan, one of Yeats’s early supporters and friends and a well-known poet and writer of the time, had two sons who fought in the war. Her poem and collection titled Flower of Youth (1915) was hugely popular in both Ireland and the United Kingdom, while other Irish poets who were well known to Yeats fought in the war, such as Thomas MacGreevy, who was twice wounded. The presence of the war and its widespread impact on the lives of so many families from all classes and religious backgrounds became ensnared in the politics and military struggle for national independence that eventually led, after the war, to two separate and somewhat mutually hostile jurisdictions on the island with two competing “master” narratives, those of Irish nationalism and Ulster unionism. In the fifty or so years that followed Irish independence (1922), that is, up to the early 1970s, the experience of World War I proved hugely problematic, particularly in regard to civic commemoration, and it divided public recognition in the Irish Free State—later the Irish Republic—between those who had suffered the loss of family and those who survived and whose stories were considered to have no place in the new Irish state. There were Irish writers, however, who had left behind a poetic legacy based upon their time fighting (and dying) in regiments of the British army, among them, Thomas Kettle and Francis Ledwidge; others, such as Patrick McGill, C. S. Lewis, and Monk Gibbon, suffered both physical and mental scars. Still others, including Winifred Letts, witnessed firsthand as a nurse the tragedy as it unfolded. Generally speaking, in Ireland the subject of World War I and its impact within the country became taboo, except for Remembrance Sunday, which was commemorated in Northern Ireland. From the soldiers who were published poets before they joined up in the early days of the Great War to those reimagining the conflict and its personal meanings long after, and notwithstanding Yeats’s undoubted opposition and disfavor toward war as a befitting subject of tragedy, Irish literature produced its own powerful tradition. World War I and Irish poetry was no longer the self-excluding subject it once had been.
Reinforcement
Authors: Arenas-Castro Henry , Brittain Beth , Matute Daniel R. , Ortiz-Barrientos Daniel
Published: June 2019

Reinforcement, or the strengthening of reproductive isolation in response to hybridization costs, is a case in which natural selection directly contributes to the origin of new species. From its conception, reinforcement has enjoyed alternate periods of enthusiasm and rejection, in which powerful verbal arguments identified obstacles that were subsequently solved by novel theory. Empirical data has provided some of the strongest arguments for the plausibility of reinforcement and for its frequency in nature, indicating that it is likely to be a common aspect of species divergence and the completion of speciation.
Relativistic accretion disk winds under relativistic radiation transfer
Authors: Takeda Nao , Fukue Jun
Published: June 2019

Relativistic accretion disk winds driven by disk radiation are numerically examined by calculating the relativistic radiative transfer equation under a plane-parallel approximation. We first solve the relativistic transfer equation iteratively, using a given velocity field, and obtain specific intensities as well as moment quantities. Using the obtained flux, we then solve the vertical hydrodynamical equation under the central gravity, and obtain a new velocity field and the mass-loss rate as an eigenvalue. We repeat these double iteration processes until both the intensity and velocity profiles converge. We further calculate these vertical disk winds at various disk radii for appropriate boundary conditions, and obtain the mass-loss rate as a function of a disk radius for a given disk luminosity. Since in the present study we assume a vertical flow, and the rotational effect is ignored, the disk wind can marginally escape for the Eddington disk luminosity. When the disk luminosity is close to the Eddington one, the wind flow is firstly decelerated at around z ∼ r, and then accelerated to escape. For a larger disk luminosity, on the other hand, the wind flow is monotonically accelerated to infinity. Under the boundary condition that the wind terminal velocity is equal to the Keplerian speed at the disk, we find that the normalized mass-loss rate per unit area, $\skew9\hat{\skew9\dot{J}}$, is roughly expressed as $\skew9\hat{\skew9\dot{J}} \sim 3 (r_{\rm in}/r_{\rm S}) \Gamma _{\rm d} \tau _{\rm b} (r/r_{\rm S})^{-5/2}(1-\sqrt{r_{\rm in}/r})$, where rin is the disk inner radius, rS is the Schwarzschild radius of the central object, Γd is the disk normalized luminosity, τb is the wind optical depth, and r is the radial distance from the center.
Long-term simulations of multi-dimensional core-collapse supernovae: Implications for neutron star kicks
Authors: Nakamura Ko , Takiwaki Tomoya , Kotake Kei
Published: June 2019

Core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) are the final stage of massive stars, marking the birth of neutron stars (NSs). The aspherical mass ejection drives a natal kick of the forming NS. In this work we study the properties of the NS kick based on our long-term hydrodynamics CCSN simulations. We perform two-dimensional (2D) simulations for ten progenitors from a 10.8 to 20$\, M_{\odot }$ star covering a wide range of the progenitor’s compactness parameter, and two three-dimensional (3D) simulations for an 11.2$\, M_{\odot }$ star. Our 2D models present a variety of explosion energies between ∼1.3 × 1050 erg and ∼1.2 × 1051 erg, and NS kick velocities between ∼100 km s−1 and ∼1500 km s−1. For the 2D exploding models, we find that the kick velocities tend to become higher with the progenitor’s compactness. This is because the high progenitor compactness results in high neutrino luminosity from the proto-neutron star (PNS), leading to more energetic explosions. Since high-compactness progenitors produce massive PNSs, we point out that the NS masses and the kick velocities can be correlated, which is moderately supported by observation. Comparing 2D and 3D models of the 11.2$\, M_{\odot }$ star, the diagnostic explosion energy in 3D is, as previously identified, higher than that in 2D, whereas the 3D model results in a smaller asymmetry in the ejecta distribution and a smaller kick velocity than in 2D. Our results confirm the importance of self-consistent CCSN modeling covering a long-term post-bounce evolution in 3D for a quantitative prediction of the NS kicks.
Improving access to finance for young innovative enterprises with growth potential: Evidence of impact of R&D grant schemes on firms' outputs
Authors: Testa Giuseppina , Szkuta Katarzyna , Cunningham Paul N
Published: June 2019

Responding to the lack of in-depth research into the effects of R&D grants for scale-ups, this article examines how they impact upon firms' employment, firm economic and innovative performance, and firm innovative activities. Drawing on both policy evaluations and empirical literature relating to R&D programmes and firms' outputs, it contributes by discussing and comparing different types of R&D programmes and analyzing the wider policy implications. Overall, positive outcomes are found on employment, total sales and share of innovative sales (effects which can persist for several years), and companies' innovation capacities. Moreover, the effects for R&D grants for scale-ups are larger than the effects of both generic R&D grants and R&D subsidies. In terms of policy implications, R&D grants stimulate and prepare companies for growth and targeted funding (technology focused) delivers better results for disruptive innovations, whereas generic grants for small and medium-sized enterprises are better suited for knowledge diffusion. Despite the positive effects of milestone-based selection mechanisms and phased funding, they are still under-used. Competitive R&D grants help companies to attract follow up (especially equity) funding. When coupled with complementary services (e.g. networking, advice), there is a longer lasting effect. Lastly, tax incentives and grants are complementary as regards to their impact on firm growth and innovation activities.
California net energy system for Bos taurus indicus
Authors: Chizzotti Mario Luiz , Valadares Filho Sebastião de Campos , Del Bianco Benedeti Pedro , Silva Flávia Adriane de Sales
Published: June 2019

The California net energy system (CNES) was the reference for the development of most energy requirement systems worldwide, such as Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle (NASEM, Nutrient requirements of beef cattle, 8th Revised ed, 2016) and Brazilian Nutrient Requirements of Zebu and Crossbred Cattle (Valadares Filho, S. C., L. F. C. Silva, M. P. Gionbelli, P. P. Rotta, M. I. Marcondes, M. L. Chizzotti, and L. F. Prados, BR-CORTE: nutrient requirements of zebu and crossbred cattle, 3rd ed, 2016). This review aimed to compare methods used by NASEM and BR-CORTE to estimate the energy requirements for beef cattle. The net energy requirements for maintenance (NEm) of BR-CORTE is based on empty body weight (EBW), whereas NASEM uses shrunk body weight (SBW), but the Bos taurus indicus presents 10% to 8% lower NEm than Bos taurus taurus. We have compared animals with different EBW and SBW but with same equivalent empty body weight/standard reference weight ratio (0.75), as both systems have suggested different mature weights. Both systems predicted similar net energy requirements for gain (NEg) for animals with 1.8 kg of daily gain. However, estimated empty body gain was lower for NASEM estimations when the same metabolizable energy for gain is available. For pregnancy and lactation of beef cows, the NEm and net energy requirements for pregnancy (NEp) of a Zebu cow estimated by BR-CORTE were lower than the values estimated by NASEM. Furthermore, the magnitude of differences between these systems regarding NEp increased as pregnancy days increase. The NASEM and BR-CORTE systems have presented similar values for energy requirement for lactation (0.72 and 0.75 Mcal/kg milk, respectively).
Unveiling the relationships between diet composition and fermentation parameters response in dual-flow continuous culture system: a meta-analytical approach
Authors: Brandao Virginia L N , Faciola Antonio P
Published: June 2019

The objective of this study was to investigate the functional form of the relationship between diet composition (dietary crude protein [CP] and neutral detergent fiber [NDF]) and amount of substrate (fermenter dry matter intake [DMI]) with microbial fermentation end products in a dual-flow continuous culture system. A meta-analysis was performed using data from 75 studies. To derive the linear models, the MIXED procedure was used, and for nonlinear models, the NLMIXED procedure was used. Significance levels to fit the model assumed for fixed and random effects were P ≤ 0.05. Independent variables were dietary NDF, CP, and fermenter DMI, whereas dependent variables were total volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration; molar proportions of acetate, propionate, and butyrate; true ruminal digestibilities of organic matter (OM), CP, and NDF; ammonia nitrogen (NH3–N) concentration and flows of NH3–N; non-ammonia nitrogen; bacterial-N; dietary-N; and efficiency of microbial protein synthesis (EMPS). Ruminal digestibilities of OM, NDF, and CP decreased as fermenter DMI increased (P < 0.04). Dietary NDF and CP digestibilities were quadratically associated (P < 0.01). Total VFA linearly increased as DMI increased (P < 0.01), exponentially decreased as dietary NDF increased (P < 0.01), and was quadratically associated with dietary CP (P < 0.01), in which total VFA concentration was maximized at 18% dietary CP. Molar proportion of acetate exponentially increased (P < 0.01) as dietary NDF increased. Molar proportion of propionate linearly increased and exponentially decreased as DMI and dietary NDF increased, respectively (P < 0.01). Bacterial-N quadratically increased and dietary-N exponentially increased as DMI increased (P < 0.01). Flows of bacterial-N and dietary-N linearly decreased as dietary NDF increased (P < 0.02), and dietary-N flow was maximized at 18% CP. The EMPS linearly increased as dietary CP increased (P < 0.02) and was not affected by DMI or dietary NDF (P > 0.05). In summary, increasing fermenter DMI increased total VFA concentration and molar proportion of propionate, whereas, dietary NDF increased the molar proportion of acetate. Dietary CP increased bacterial-N flow and was positively associated with NH3–N concentration. Overall, the analysis of this dataset demonstrates evidences that the dual-flow continuous culture system provides valuable estimates of ruminal digestibility, VFA concentration, and nitrogen metabolism.
Mathematical absurdities in the California net energy system
Authors: Old Carl A , Lean Ian J , Rossow Heidi A
Published: June 2019

Net energy systems, such as the California Net Energy System (CNES), are useful for prediction of input:output relationships not because of fidelity to the laws of thermodynamics, but because they were designed to predict well. Unless model descriptions of input:output relationships are consistent with the laws of thermodynamics, conclusions regarding those relationships may be incorrect. Heat energy (HE) + recovered energy (RE) = ME intake (MEI) is basic to descriptions of energy utilization found in the CNES and is consistent with the laws of thermodynamics; it may be the only relationship described in the CNES consistent with the first law of thermodynamics. In the CNES, efficiencies of ME utilization for maintenance (km) and gain (kg) were estimated using ordinary least squares (OLS) equations. Efficiencies thus estimated using static linear models are often inconsistent with the biochemistry of processes underlying maintenance and gain. Reactions in support of oxidative mitochondrial metabolism are thermodynamically favorable and irreversible; these reactions yield ATP, or other high-energy phosphate bonds, used for what is generally termed maintenance. Synthesis of biomass (gain) is less thermodynamically favorable; reactions do not proceed unless coupled with hydrolysis of high-energy phosphate bonds and lie closer to equilibrium than those in support of oxidative mitochondrial metabolism. The opposite is described in the CNES (km > kg) due to failure of partitioning of HE; insufficient HE is accounted for in maintenance. Efficiencies of ME utilization (km and kg) as described in the CNES are variable. Further neither km nor kg are uniformly monotonic f (ME, Mcal/kg); for ME (Mcal/kg) <0.512 or >4.26, km are inconsistent with thermodynamically allowed values for efficiencies (>1.0); kg are a monotonically positive f (ME) concentration (Mcal/kg) for ME <3.27 Mcal/kg. For ME <1.42 Mcal/kg, kg are not in the range of thermodynamically allowed values for efficiencies (0 to 1.0). Variable efficiencies of ME utilization require that the first law may not be observed in all cases. The CNES is an excellent empirical tool for prediction of input:output relationship, but many CNES parameter estimates evaluated in this study lack consistency with biology and the laws of thermodynamics.
What Is the Optimal Exercise Prescription for Patients With Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Cardiac Rehabilitation? A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Authors: Seo Yong Gon , Jang Mi Ja , Lee Ga Yeon , Jeon Eun Seok , Park Won Hah , Sung Ji Dong
Published: June 2019

Purpose:

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is 1 of the major causes of advanced heart failure. However, relatively little is known about the effects of exercise specifically in patients with DCM. This purpose of this literature review was to identify optimal exercise training programming for patients with DCM.

Methods:

A systematic review was conducted by 3 clinical specialists and the level of evidence of each study was rated using Sackett's levels of evidence. Multiple databases (PubMed Central, EMBASE, and EBSCO) were searched with the inclusion criteria of articles published in English.

Results:

A total of 4544 studies were identified using the search strategy, of which 4 were included in our systematic review. The exercise frequency of the reviewed studies ranged from 3 to 5 times/wk, and exercise intensity was prescribed within a range from 50% to 80% of oxygen uptake reserve. Exercise time was as high as 45 min by the final month of the exercise prescription. Exercise type was mainly aerobic exercise and resistance training. The average improvement of exercise capacity was 19.5% in reviewed articles. Quality of life also improved after intervention.

Conclusions:

According to this systematic review of the literature, data related to exercise therapy specifically for patients with DCM are scarce and exercise interventions in articles reviewed were prescribed differently using the FITT (frequency, intensity, time, and type) principle. Exercise intensity tailored to individual exercise capacity should be used for optimal exercise prescriptions that are safe and efficacious in patients with DCM.
Home-Based Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Patients With Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Authors: Yuen Hon K. , Lowman John D. , Oster Robert A. , de Andrade Joao A.
Published: June 2019

Purpose:

To evaluate the adherence and effectiveness of a home-based exergame program for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Method:

Patients with IPF were randomly assigned to a relatively unsupervised Wii Fit exergame intervention group or Wii video game control group (with no active whole-body movement involved). Participants in both groups were instructed to play their respective games 30 min/d, 3 d/wk for 12 wk. In addition, they were asked to perform their usual exercise/physical activities. Outcome measures were 6-min walk distance (6MWD), exercise-related dyspnea, and St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ).

Results:

The 20 participants differed significantly between intervention and control groups in baseline characteristics (forced vital capacity = 2.0 ± 0.5 vs 3.1 ± 0.7 L; forced expiratory volume in 1 sec = 1.7 ± 0.4 vs 2.5 ± 0.6 L, respectively). Participant adherence rate to the exergame program was very low (20%). There was no significant improvement in the outcome measures in either group. In fact, both the intervention and control groups had a deterioration in 6MWD (−22 ± 56 m vs −60 ± 111 m), respectively and SGRQ scores (3 ± 9 vs 1 ± 11), respectively.

Conclusions:

The home-based exergame intervention for patients with IPF did not show improvement in functional performance, dyspnea, or health-related quality of life at the completion of the 12-wk program in our 2 heterogeneous groups. In addition to the low adherence rate, insufficient frequencies and durations of exergaming may contribute to the lack of improvement. A lack of effectiveness of home-based pulmonary rehabilitation using exergaming for patients with IPF appears consistent with prior observational studies that used more traditional modes of home-based exercise.
Effectiveness of Early Rehabilitation for Acute Heart Failure
Authors: Suzuki Shoya , Momosaki Ryo , Watanabe Tomomi , Abo Masahiro
Published: June 2019

Purpose:

This study sought to investigate the impact of early rehabilitation on activities of daily living in patients with acute heart failure.

Methods:

This retrospective cohort study utilized a hospital-based database created by the Japan Medical Data Center and contained Diagnosis Procedure Combination survey data from more than 100 participating acute care hospitals across Japan. Data were extracted on consecutive inpatients hospitalized because of acute heart failure from 2014 to 2017. The characteristics and outcomes between patients who underwent early rehabilitation (early rehabilitation group) were compared with those who did not undergo rehabilitation (no rehabilitation group). The primary outcome measure was Barthel Index decline.

Results:

After applying exclusion criteria, a total of 8351 eligible patients with acute heart failure were included in this study. Significantly more Barthel Index decline (18.7% vs 12.4%, P < .001) was seen in patients in the no rehabilitation group than in those in the early rehabilitation group. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that early rehabilitation was negatively associated with Barthel Index decline after adjustment (OR = 0.57; 95% CI, 0.46-0.67).

Conclusion:

This study showed that early rehabilitation could possibly be a feasible alternative for maintenance of the Barthel Index in patients with acute heart failure.
CHARACTERIZING RETINAL–CHOROIDAL ANASTOMOSIS IN MACULAR TELANGIECTASIA TYPE 2 WITH OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY
Authors: Breazzano Mark P. , Yannuzzi Lawrence A. , Spaide Richard F.
Published: June 2019

Purpose:

To characterize structural and angiographic findings in macular telangiectasia Type 2 (MacTel 2) and examine associations with visual acuity.

Methods:

MacTel 2 patients with complete ophthalmologic examination, including fundus photography, autofluorescence, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, and projection-resolved optical coherence tomography angiography, were retrospectively evaluated.

Results:

There were 43 eyes of 22 patients with a mean age 63.9 (±10.3) years. Six patients had diabetes. Twenty-one eyes (48.8%) had retinal–choroidal anastomoses (RCAs) without any evidence of neovascularization extending laterally in a plane above or below the retinal pigment epithelium. None of the eyes had hemorrhage, lipid, or signs of subretinal exudation. When present, an average of 55 (±33.7) individual RCAs were clustered primarily in temporal juxtafoveal region of involved eyes. Right-angle veins were seen in all 21 eyes with RCAs, and hyperpigmentation was present in 18 (P < 0.001 for both). A conical collection of hyperreflective material spanning from Bruch membrane past external limiting membrane of ≥200-μm basal diameter was found in 21 eyes and labeled outer retinal hyperreflective lesion. Retinal–choroidal anastomoses occurred in clusters, often within the outer retinal hyperreflective lesion. This lesion colocalized with focal thinning of the outer nuclear layer and was surrounded by a larger defect in the ellipsoid zone. The presence of diabetes (P = 0.015), outer retinal hyperreflective lesion (P = 0.006), RCA (P = 0.005), and ellipsoid zone defect extent (P < 0.001) were associated with decreased visual acuity.

Conclusion:

Retinal–choroidal anastomoses occur in eyes with MacTel 2 without signs of exudation. Retinal–choroidal anastomoses occur in numerous clusters particularly in the temporal juxtafoveal macula. Diabetes, ellipsoid zone defect extent, RCAs, and the outer retinal hyperreflective lesion predict poorer vision in MacTel 2.
CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULARIZATION AND CHORIORETINAL ATROPHY IN A PATIENT WITH MELANOMA-ASSOCIATED RETINOPATHY AFTER IPILIMUMAB/NIVOLUMAB COMBINATION THERAPY
Authors: Elwood Kevin F. , Pulido Jose S. , Ghafoori Shelley Day , Harper C. Armitage , Wong Robert W.
Published: June 2019

Purpose:

To describe a case of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and chorioretinal scarring in a patient with melanoma-associated retinopathy after ipilimumab/nivolumab combination immune therapy for malignant melanoma.

Methods:

Retrospective case report with fundus photography, fluorescein angiography, optical coherence tomography, and electroretinography.

Results:

A 65-year-old woman presented with symptoms of photopsia and visual field loss. She had previously undergone ipilimumab/nivolumab combination chemotherapy treatment for malignant melanoma 14 months earlier coinciding with the onset of her visual symptoms. Fundus photography showed bilateral atrophic chorioretinal lesions and peripheral retinal pigment epithelial changes. Fluorescein angiography revealed retinovascular leakage in both eyes with CNV in the right eye. Optical coherence tomography showed a pigment epithelial detachment with subretinal fluid and subretinal hyperreflective material consistent with occult CNV. Visual field testing showed generalized visual field loss in both eyes. Bloodwork discovered an elevated angiotensin-converting enzyme. Electroretinography revealed abnormal peripheral rod and cone function with impairment of the photoreceptor and inner nuclear layer. Serum Western blot was positive for 60 kDa antiretinal autoantibody. After a single bevacizumab injection in the right eye, CNV resolved and visual acuity improved from 20/50 before the injection to 20/25 3 months after the injection. Visual acuity in the left eye deteriorated for months to counting fingers but then improved to 20/100 on follow-up examinations.

Conclusion:

Ipilimumab and nivolumab have been associated with immune-related ocular adverse effects. We report a case of combination therapy presenting with chorioretinal scarring and subsequent CNV in a patient with melanoma-associated retinopathy, a rare yet important adverse effect.
MACULAR ADD-ON INTRAOCULAR LENS SUCCESSFULLY RESTORES READING VISION IN EYES WITH END-STAGE DIABETIC MACULAR DISEASE
Authors: Chantarasorn Yodpong , Kim Esther L. , Thabsuwan Kittipong
Published: June 2019

Purpose:

To report the outcomes of macular add-on intraocular lens implantation in improving reading vision in patients with bilateral advanced diabetic maculopathy.

Methods:

In this retrospective study, a supplementary bifocal sulcus intraocular lens (Scharioth Macular Lens) was implanted in the better-seeing eye of five patients. Baseline-corrected distance vision, corrected near visual acuity, a preoperative simulation test, and multimodal imaging were collected. The primary outcome was the uncorrected near visual acuity at a working distance of 15 cm, at a 12-month follow-up.

Results:

Study patients included 3 cases of refractory subfoveal exudation and 2 cases of diabetic macular ischemia. A preoperative test to assess the potential gain in near vision showed an improvement of ≥2 paragraphs on the RADNER reading chart in all patients. At 12 months, median reading vision (corrected near visual acuity at 15 cm) significantly improved from 20/125 (range 20/50–20/200) preoperatively to uncorrected near visual acuity (at 15 cm) of 20/50 (range 20/40–20/80) (P = 0.042; Wilcoxon signed-ranks test). Distance vision remained unchanged in four patients. All patients were able to achieve the size of newsprint (20/50 Snellen equivalent), within the first 3 months.

Conclusion:

The macular add-on intraocular lens improves reading vision in visually impaired patients due to end-stage diabetic macular disease.
Physics of animal health: on the mechano-biology of hoof growth and form
Authors: Al-Agele Ramzi , Paul Emily , Taylor Sophie , Watson Charlotte , Sturrock Craig , Drakopoulos Michael , Atwood Robert C. , Rutland Catrin S. , Menzies-Gow Nicola , Knowles Edd , Elliott Jonathan , Harris Patricia , Rauch Cyril
Published: June 2019

Global inequalities in economic access and agriculture productivity imply that a large number of developing countries rely on working equids for transport/agriculture/mining. Therefore, the understanding of hoof conditions/shape variations affecting equids' ability to work is still a persistent concern. To bridge this gap, using a multi-scale interdisciplinary approach, we provide a bio-physical model predicting the shape of equids’ hooves as a function of physical and biological parameters. In particular, we show (i) where the hoof growth stress originates from, (ii) why the hoof growth rate is one order of magnitude higher than the proliferation rate of epithelial cells and (iii) how the soft-to-hard transformation of the epithelium is possible allowing the hoof to fulfil its function as a weight-bearing element. Finally (iv), we demonstrate that the reason for hoof misshaping is linked to the asymmetrical design of equids' feet (shorter quarters/long toe) together with the inability of the biological growth stress to compensate for such an asymmetry. Consequently, the hoof can adopt a dorsal curvature and become ‘dished’ overtime, which is a function of the animal's mass and the hoof growth rate. This approach allows us to discuss the potential occurrence of this multifaceted pathology in equids.
Development of a hypoxic nanocomposite containing high-Z element as 5-fluorouracil carrier activated self-amplified chemoradiotherapy co-enhancement
Authors: Yang Cui , Peng Shan , Sun Yingming , Miao Hongtao , Lyu Meng , Ma Shijing , Luo Yuan , Xiong Rui , Xie Conghua , Quan Hong
Published: June 2019

The synergetic effect of chemoradiotherapy achievement is encouraging but significantly hampered by the prevalence of hypoxia, leading to drug/radiation resistance in solid tumours. To address the problem and improve the efficiency of cancer therapy, a lamellar-structure multifunctional graphene oxide (GO) drug-delivery system with an average size of 243 nm, co-delivering of metronidazole (MI), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and FePt magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), was successfully designed and synthesized in the study. The integration of hypoxic drug carrier loading radiosensitizers and chemotherapeutic drugs simultaneously, combines the properties of hypoxia-sensitivity and chemoradiotherapy co-enhancement within a single nanoplatform, which is expected to provide new ideas for cancer treatment. Through
in vitro
tests, the hypoxia-sensitivity and cytotoxicity of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) of the nanocomposites (NCs) were proved. Moreover, the additive effect between MI, 5-FU and FePt MNPs in cytotoxicity and radiation sensitization aspects is disclosed. It performs an enhanced cell proliferation inhibition and makes up a self-amplified radiotherapy enhancement system that improves radiation efficiency and cell radiosensitivity simultaneously. In conclusion, the study recommended a novel and promising multifunctional nanoplatform which performed a self-amplified effect that activated chemoradiotherapy co-enhancement.
Effects of CO
3
2−
and OH
−
on the solubility, metastable zone width and nucleation kinetics of borax decahydrate
Authors: Chen Jing , Peng Jiaoyu , Wang Xingpeng , Dong Yaping , Li Wu
Published: June 2019

Measurements of the solubility and metastable zone width (MZW) of borax decahydrate in sodium carbonate and sodium hydroxide aqueous were obtained. The onsets of nucleation were detected by the turbidity technique with the temperature range from 285 to 315 K. The results showed that the solubility of borax gradually decreased and the MZW broadened with the mass percentage of sodium carbonate increasing from 0% up to 9.22%. Correspondingly, the solubility and MZW had the same trend with the addition of sodium hydroxide. Meanwhile, the nucleation parameters of borax were determined and analysed to explain the trends obtained. Applying the classical three-dimensional nucleation theory approach, it was found that the addition of carbonate and hydroxide ions led to the values of solid–liquid interfacial energy (
γ
) increasing, which indicated the CO
3
2−
and OH
−
ions adsorbed on the nuclei but suppressed nucleation rate.
Determination of sulfamerazine in aquatic products by molecularly imprinted capillary electrochromatography
Authors: Qin Shili , Jin Fenglong , Gao Lidi , Su Liqiang , Li Yingjie , Han Shuang , Wang Peng
Published: June 2019

A molecularly imprinted monolith was prepared and evaluated for the special selective separation of sulfamerazine (SMR) by capillary electrochromatography (CEC). The single-step
in situ
polymerization method was applied through thermally immobilized vinyl groups of itaconic acid and a derivatization capillary column using SMR as the template. The monolith with optimal selectivity and permeability was performed at 45°C for 7 h according to the molar ratios of 1 : 4 : 10 (template/functional monomer/cross-linker). Under the optimized separation conditions of 75% acetonitrile in 20 mM phosphate buffer with pH 5.0, 15 kV applied voltage and 20°C column temperature, the imprinted monolith showed strong recognition ability for SMR and high column performance. Finally, the molecularly imprinted monolith coupled with the CEC method was successfully developed for the quantification of SMR in aquatic products, which was properly validated by a good linear relationship, recoveries and limit of detection. The coupling technique of the molecularly imprinted technology and CEC achieved pre-treatment enrichment and separation analysis in only one miniaturized chromatographic column.
Trans-scale relationship analysis between the pore structure and macro parameters of backfill and slurry
Authors: Hu Jianhua , Ren Qifan , Ding Xiaotian , Jiang Quan
Published: June 2019

The characteristics of the porous structure of backfill are directly related to the macro parameters of the flowability of the filling slurry and the mechanical features of the backfill, which are fundamental to the study of multiscale mechanics of backfill. Based on the geometry and fractal theory, scanning electron microscopy images of backfill were analysed by image analysis methods such as OTSU and box counting. The fractal dimension of the pore structure was calculated. By quantitatively characterizing the pore structure, the trans-scale relationships between the fractal dimension of the pore structure and the macro parameters of the filling slurry were established in terms of equilibrium shear stress (ESS) and equilibrium apparent viscosity (EAV). In addition, the correlations between the fractal dimension and macro parameters of backfill were obtained in terms of uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), water content (WC) and porosity. The influence of the microstructure on the macro parameters was discussed. The results show the following: (i) the fractal dimension of the backfill pore structure can characterize the complexity of the structure; (ii) the fractal dimension of the pore structure is negatively correlated with the ESS and EAV of the filling slurry. The UCS of the backfill is positively correlated with the flowability parameter; (iii) the fractal dimension of the pore structure has a certain correlation with some macro parameters of the backfill, i.e. the fractal dimension is negatively correlated with the UCS and positively correlated with the WC and (iv) the linear correlations between the pore fractal dimension and UCS and WC are established. The correlation coefficient between the fractal dimension and UCS has an
R
2
value of −0.638, while the corresponding value of the fractal dimension and WC is 0.604. UCS and WC can be predicted by the fractal dimension of pores.
Dispersion and topological characteristics of permutative polyatomic phononic crystals
Authors: Al Ba'ba'a H. , Nouh M. , Singh T.
Published: June 2019

This work presents a comprehensive mathematical treatment of phononic crystals (PCs) which comprise a finite lattice of repeated polyatomic unit cells. Wave dispersion in polyatomic lattices is susceptible to changes in the local arrangement of the monatoms (subcells) constituting the individual unit cell. We derive and interpret conditions leading to identical and contrasting band structures as well as the possibility of distinct eigenmodes as a result of cyclic and non-cyclic cellular permutations. Different modes associated with cyclic permutations yield topological invariance, which is assessed via the winding number of the complex eigenmode. Wave topology variations in the polyatomic PCs are quantified and conditions required to support edge modes in such lattices are established. Next, a transfer function analysis of finite polyatomic PCs is used to explain the formation of multiple Bragg band gaps as well as the emergence of truncation resonances within them. Anomalies arising from the truncation of the infinite lattice are further exploited to design mirror symmetrical edge modes in an extended lattice. We conclude with a generalized explanation of the band gap evolution mechanism based on the Bode plot analysis.
Generic separating sets for three-dimensional elasticity tensors
Authors: Desmorat R. , Auffray N. , Desmorat B. , Kolev B. , Olive M.
Published: June 2019

We define a
generic separating set
of invariant functions (a.k.a. a
weak functional basis
) for tensors. We then produce two generic separating sets of polynomial invariants for three-dimensional elasticity tensors, one consisting of 19 polynomials and one consisting of 21 polynomials (but easier to compute), and a generic separating set of 18 rational invariants. As a by-product, a new integrity basis for the fourth-order harmonic tensor is provided.
A class of time-energy uncertainty relations for time-dependent Hamiltonians
Authors: Kieu Tien D.
Published: June 2019

A new class of time-energy uncertainty relations is directly derived from the Schrödinger equations for time-dependent Hamiltonians. Only the initial states and the Hamiltonians, but neither the instantaneous eigenstates nor the full time-dependent wave funct- ions, which would demand a full solution for a time-dependent Hamiltonian, are required for our time-energy relations. Explicit results are then presented for particular subcases of interest for time-independent Hamiltonians and also for time-varying Hamiltonians employed in adiabatic quantum computation. Some estimates of the lower bounds on computational time are given for general adiabatic quantum algorithms, with Grover's search as an illustration. We particularly emphasize the role of required energy resources, besides the space and time complexity, for the physical process of (quantum) computation, in general.
Arthropod–bacteria interactions influence assembly of aquatic host microbiome and pathogen defense
Authors: Greenspan Sasha E. , Lyra Mariana L. , Migliorini Gustavo H. , Kersch-Becker Mônica F. , Bletz Molly C. , Lisboa Cybele Sabino , Pontes Mariana R. , Ribeiro Luisa P. , Neely Wesley J. , Rezende Felipe , Romero Gustavo Q. , Woodhams Douglas C. , Haddad Célio F. B. , Toledo Luís Felipe , Becker C. Guilherme
Published: June 2019

The host-associated microbiome is vital to host immunity and pathogen defense. In aquatic ecosystems, organisms may interact with environmental bacteria to influence the pool of potential symbionts, but the effects of these interactions on host microbiome assembly and pathogen resistance are unresolved. We used replicated bromeliad microecosystems to test for indirect effects of arthropod–bacteria interactions on host microbiome assembly and pathogen burden, using tadpoles and the fungal amphibian pathogen
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
as a model host–pathogen system. Arthropods influenced host microbiome assembly by altering the pool of environmental bacteria, with arthropod–bacteria interactions specifically reducing host colonization by transient bacteria and promoting antimicrobial components of aquatic bacterial communities. Arthropods also reduced fungal zoospores in the environment, but fungal infection burdens in tadpoles corresponded most closely with arthropod-mediated patterns in microbiome assembly. This result indicates that the cascading effects of arthropods on the maintenance of a protective host microbiome may be more strongly linked to host health than negative effects of arthropods on pools of pathogenic zoospores. Our work reveals tight links between healthy ecosystem dynamics and the functioning of host microbiomes, suggesting that ecosystem disturbances such as loss of arthropods may have downstream effects on host-associated microbial pathogen defenses and host fitness.
Experimentally induced increases in fecundity lead to greater nestling care in blue tits
Authors: Bründl Aisha C. , Sorato Enrico , Sallé Louis , Thiney Alice C. , Kaulbarsch Sonja , Chaine Alexis S. , Russell Andrew F.
Published: June 2019

Models on the evolution of bi-parental care typically assume that maternal investment in offspring production is fixed and predict subsequent contributions to offspring care by the pair are stabilized by partial compensation. While experimental tests of this prediction are supportive, exceptions are commonplace. Using wild blue tits (
Cyanistes caeruleus
), we provide, to our knowledge, the first investigation into the effects of increasing maternal investment in offspring production for subsequent contributions to nestling provisioning by mothers and male partners. Females that were induced to lay two extra eggs provisioned nestlings 43% more frequently than controls, despite clutch size being made comparable between treatment groups at the onset of incubation. Further, experimental males did not significantly reduce provisioning rates as expected by partial compensation, and if anything contributed slightly (9%) more than controls. Finally, nestlings were significantly heavier in experimental nests compared with controls, suggesting that the 22% average increase in provisioning rates by experimental pairs was beneficial. Our results have potential implications for our understanding of provisioning rules, the maintenance of bi-parental care and the timescale over which current–future life-history trade-offs operate. We recommend greater consideration of female investment at the egg stage to more fully understand the evolutionary dynamics of bi-parental care.
Muscle mass drives cost in sexually selected arthropod weapons
Authors: O'Brien Devin M. , Boisseau Romain P. , Duell Meghan , McCullough Erin , Powell Erin C. , Somjee Ummat , Solie Sarah , Hickey Anthony J. , Holwell Gregory I. , Painting Christina J. , Emlen Douglas J.
Published: June 2019

Sexually selected weapons often function as honest signals of fighting ability. If poor-quality individuals produce high-quality weapons, then receivers should focus on other, more reliable signals. Cost is one way to maintain signal integrity. The costs of weapons tend to increase with relative weapon size, and thereby restrict large weapons to high-quality individuals who can produce and maintain them. Weapon cost, however, appears to be unpredictably variable both within and across taxa, and the mechanisms underlying this variation remain unclear. We suggest variation in weapon cost may result from variation in weapon composition—specifically, differences in the amount of muscle mass directly associated with the weapon. We test this idea by measuring the metabolic cost of sexually selected weapons in seven arthropod species and relating these measures to weapon muscle mass. We show that individuals with relatively large weapon muscles have disproportionately high resting metabolic rates and provide evidence that this trend is driven by weapon muscle mass. Overall, our results suggest that variation in weapon cost can be partially explained by variation in weapon morphology and that the integrity of weapon signals may be maintained by increased metabolic cost in species with relatively high weapon muscle mass.
Gait differences in patients with multiple sclerosis who have low and high levels of disability
Authors: Fraser John J. , Stephenson Jeannie B.
Published: June 2019

Background

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) often results in gait impairment and disability.

Objective

To investigate differences in spatiotemporal gait characteristics of people with MS who have low versus high levels of disability. Between trial and inter-limb consistency and the association of gait variables with level of disability were also investigated.

Methods

Participants with MS who had either low-disability [n=7; 3 females; EDSS mean: 2.7±0.5, range 2.0-4.5; BMI=26.9±6.6] or high-disability [n=11; 6 females; EDSS mean: 2.7±0.5, range 6.0-6.5; BMI=27.8±1.5) performed 2 trials of self-selected walking on an instrumented walkway. Differences in group, limb, and group by limb interactions were assessed using analysis of variance, independent-measures t-tests, and Cohen’s d effect sizes (ES). Between-trial consistency of gait were assessed with intra-class correlation coefficients (2, k).

Results

Participants in the high disability group had increased step time (ES=0.8), cycle time (ES=0.8), and ambulation time (ES=1.2) while taking shorter strides (ES=0.9) and more steps at a slower rate (ES=1.1). The high disability group demonstrated less between-trial consistency for 69% of gait variables when compared to the low disability group.

Conclusion

People with MS who have high levels of disability walk differently and with less consistency than those with lower levels of disability.