bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
African Conceptions of Age‐Based Moral Standing: Anchoring Values to Regional Realities
Authors: Jecker Nancy S.
Published: April 2020

Is age discrimination ethically objectionable? One puzzle is that we sometimes assume that the target of both age discrimination and ageism must be older people, yet in poorer nations, older people are generally shown more respect. This article explores the ethical question. It looks first at ethical arguments favoring age discrimination toward younger people in low‐income, less industrialized countries of the global South, using sub‐Saharan Africa as an illustration. It contrasts these with arguments favoring age discrimination toward older people in high‐income, more industrialized countries of the global North, particularly the United States and United Kingdom. Finally, it considers what role, if any, differences in life expectancy, infant and child mortality, and prospects for healthy lives should play in the moral embrace of a particular view by a community. It argues that there can be reasons to favor different types of discrimination in different parts of the world.
Green Bioethics and Hope
Authors: Dwyer James
Published: April 2020

Many environmental problems are now more serious and urgent than ever. In high‐income countries, health care is part of the problem. In Principles of Green Bioethics: Sustainability in Health Care, Cristina Richie focuses on medical developments, techniques, and procedures, and she proposes four principles for green bioethics: distributive justice, resource conservation, simplicity, and ethical economics. Richie is right to emphasize the need for green bioethics, and I admire her aim to bring environmental concerns back into bioethics, but I was disappointed with this book. Since Plato, much of ethics has focused on the characteristics or principles of the ideally just society. This work in ethics seeks to transcend the culture in which we live in order to provide guidance about what we should do. I think it would be better to start with the messy, problematic, and unjust situations in which we are enmeshed.
Physician Burnout and the Americans with Disabilities Act
Authors: Lawson Nicholas D.
Published: April 2020

The writer responds to the commentary “Physician Burnout Calls for Legal Intervention,” by Sharona Hoffman, in the November‐December 2019 issue of the Hastings Center Report.
Robot‐assisted laparoscopic vesicule prostatectomy for mixed epithelial–stromal tumor of seminal vesicle
Authors: Masuo Yuki , Taniguchi Hisanori , Matsuzaki Tomoaki , Kinoshita Hidefumi , Miyasaka Chika , Ohe Chisato , Matsuda Tadashi
Published: April 2020

Introduction

Mixed epithelial–stromal tumor is a biphasic tumor with stromal and benign epithelial components. Only 40 cases of mixed epithelial‐stromal tumor originating from a seminal vesicle have previously been published in English.

Case presentation

A 52‐year‐old man was transferred to our hospital for evaluation of a 3.0‐cm pelvic tumor detected incidentally by computed tomography. Robot‐assisted laparoscopic vesicle prostatectomy was performed. We approached the Retzius space from both levels of the pouch of Douglas and peritoneal top of the bladder to clarify the tumor’s environment. Pathologically, the tumor was diagnosed as a low‐grade mixed epithelial–stromal tumor originating from the right seminal vesicle. There was no evidence of disease recurrence within 51 months.

Conclusion

This is the first report of robot‐assisted laparoscopic vesicle prostatectomy for a seminal vesicle mixed epithelial–stromal tumor. Long‐term observation is warranted due to the lack of reports with sufficient follow‐up to ensure the procedure’s safety.
Cyclic tensile forces enhance the angiogenic properties of HUVECs by promoting the activities of human periodontal ligament cells
Authors: Wang Ge‐ge , Wang Yu‐zhen , Xie Jing , Huang Cheng‐yi , Kong Zhuo‐lin , Ding Xi , Liu Jin‐song
Published: April 2020

Background

This study aimed to investigate whether human periodontal ligament (PDL) cells secrete pro‐angiogenic factors that induce the vascularization of surrounding bone tissue under tensile stress.

Methods

Quantitative real‐time PCR and Western blotting were used to analyze the mRNA and protein expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), Angiopoietin‐I (Ang‐I), connective tissue growth factor （CTGF）, and macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (M‐CSF) in PDL cells after tensile force treatments of different durations. Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the VEGF concentration in the supernatants of cell cultures. Cell viability assay, wound healing assay, and tube formation assay were performed to evaluate the angiogenic behaviors of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).

Results

The mRNA expression and protein expression of VEGF, bFGF, Ang‐I, and M‐CSF was increased in the cells that received 6 to 48 hours of tensile force treatment. And, the VEGF level in the supernatant significantly increased in the human PDL cell cultures stressed for 6 to 48 hours. The abilities of HUVECs to proliferate, migrate, and form tubes were enhanced in media conditioned with tensile‐stressed human PDL cells. Hence, tensile force induced human PDL cells to express and release pro‐angiogenic factors enhancing the proliferation, migration, and angiogenic capacity of HUVECs.

Conclusion

Tensile stress induced human PDL cells to express and release pro‐angiogenic factors, including VEGF, bFGF, Ang‐I, and M‐CSF, thereby enhancing the proliferation, migration, and angiogenic capacity of HUVECs.
Variations in Surgical Outcomes of Carotid Body Tumors by Surgical Specialty
Authors: Melachuri Samyuktha , Valappil Benita , Snyderman Carl
Published: April 2020

Objectives/Hypothesis

A carotid body tumor (CBT) is a rare type of tumor that is divided among multiple surgical specialties. Individual surgeons may have limited experience in treating these tumors. We aim to compare different surgical specialties within a single healthcare system to detect variations in management and outcome.

Study Design

Retrospective chart review.

Methods

A chart review of all patients who underwent surgery for CBT at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) from 2000 to 2019 was carried out. Univariate and multivariate analysis was used for descriptive statistics, comparison of outcomes, and identification of risk factors.

Results

Fifty‐eight CBT resection surgeries were performed at UPMC. Patients with advanced tumor were 6.7 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.36‐32.7) times more likely to undergo preoperative embolization and 8.53 (95% CI: 2.011‐36.19) times more likely to sustain carotid artery injury. Advanced‐stage tumor resections were associated with greater blood loss (P = .03) and longer hospitalization (P = .02). Collaborative surgeries were associated with higher rates of carotid artery injury (P = .003), residual tumor (P < .001), and longer hospitalization (P = .003), as these combined cases were generally reserved for advanced‐stage tumors (P = .02). There were no differences in outcomes between specialties. Of 22 surgeons, the median number of surgeries per surgeon was one (range = 1–12, 54.5%).

Conclusions

Surgeons who completed only one surgery for CBT had a greater rate of hospital readmission and greater length of hospital stay. Collaborative surgeries had worse outcomes due to more advanced tumors requiring more complex surgeries.

Level of Evidence

4 Laryngoscope, 131:E190–E195, 2021
Monotone iterative method for a nonlinear fractional conformable p‐Laplacian differential system
Authors: Wang Guotao , Qin Jianfang , Zhang Lihong , Baleanu D.
Published: April 2020

In this paper, we study the extremal solutions of nonlinear fractional p‐Laplacian differential system with the fractional conformable derivative by applying monotone iterative method and a half‐pair of upper and lower solutions. For the smooth running of our work, we develop a comparison principle about linear system, which play a very crucial role in this article. At last, an illustrative example is given for the main result.
Applying the Bioarchaeology of Care model to a severely diseased infant from the Middle Holocene, north‐eastern Brazil: A step further into research on past health‐related caregiving
Authors: Solari Ana , da Silva Sérgio F.S.M. , Pessis Anne Marie , Martin Gabriela , Guidon Niede
Published: April 2020

A potential context of care is suggested in a case study of an anomalous burial from a severely diseased infant of 9 months (±3 months) of age at death, which displayed significant signs of infectious and/or metabolic illnesses on the skeleton. The body also received special mortuary treatment, including associated body reduction processes and display of corporeal relics. The case study corresponds to Individual 9 from Burial 2 at Toca do Enoque, an archaeological site from north‐eastern Brazil used as a funerary site by a pre‐ceramic hunter‐gatherer group during the Middle Holocene (6,220 ± 50 to 6,610 ± 40 years BP). Despite its inherent difficulty, the model of “Bioarchaeology of Care” was applied to this case study providing new research into past health‐related caregiving, addressing the differences between normative parental care and non‐normative healthcare given to altricial children in the past.
Changes in respiratory mechanics at birth in preterm infants: A pilot study
Authors: Veneroni Chiara , Mercadante Domenica , Lavizzari Anna , Colnaghi Mariarosa , Mosca Fabio , Dellacà Raffaele L.
Published: April 2020

Objective

We aimed to measure lung mechanics at birth by the forced oscillation technique (FOT) for assessment of the initial degree of lung aeration and the short‐term aeration changes after applying different respiratory support strategies.

Methods

Eighteen preterm infants (gestational age = 29‐36 week) were randomized to receive either continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) at 5 cmH2O only or combined with a sustained inflation (SI; 15 seconds at 25 cmH2O after 5 seconds of CPAP) at birth. We assessed the respiratory system reactance at 5 Hz (X5; increases with lung volume recruitment at a given distending pressure) at 2, 40, and 150 seconds after initiation of CPAP. k‐Means clustering of the initial X5 value (X5,i) stratified newborn into either infants with lower (lowerX5,i; X5 < −280 cmH2O*s/L) and higher (higherX5,i; X5 > −240 cmH2O*s/L) initial degree of lung volume recruitment.

Results

Initial values were highly heterogeneous. In the LowerX5,i group, X5 increased with time, with SI‐patients showing significantly higher values at 150 seconds than the non‐SI group (X5 = −89 ± 27 cmH2O vs −274 ± 58 cmH2O). In the higherX5,i group, X5 did not improve with time, regardless of the respiratory strategy, suggesting a lack of lung recruitment. Moreover, 75% of infants receiving SI in the higherX5,i group experienced a transient loss of aeration after the maneuver.

Conclusions

Preterm newborns present initially with highly heterogeneous lung aeration at birth that significantly impacts the effectiveness of the subsequent lung volume recruitment strategy. FOT may represent a valuable tool for individualizing a respiratory resuscitation at birth as it is noninvasive and may be applied simultaneously to respiratory support.
Supernumerary intrathoracic rib, a rare congenital anomaly: Case report and review of the literature
Authors: Muise Eleanor D. , Lee Edward Y. , Paltiel Harriet J. , Gaffin Jonathan M.
Published: April 2020

A 17‐year‐old female who presented with cough, chest pain, dyspnea, and hemoptysis was found to have an intrathoracic rib. Patients who are diagnosed with intrathoracic ribs are most often asymptomatic and should undergo limited diagnostic workup. Intrathoracic ribs are rare congenital anomalies incidentally identified after chest radiography performed for another indication, as is the case with this patient. In this case, further evaluation was necessary due to persistent symptoms. Here, we used contrast‐enhanced ultrasound after chest radiography and computed tomography to further evaluate the fatty intrathoracic mass and exclude vascular features suggestive of a tumor.
Curcumin effect on cancer cells' multidrug resistance: An update
Authors: Keyvani‐Ghamsari Saeedeh , Khorsandi Khatereh , Gul Asma
Published: April 2020

Chemotherapy is one of the main methods for cancer treatment. However, despite many advances in the design of anticancer drugs, their efficiency is limited due to their high toxicity and resistance of cells to chemotherapeutic drugs. In order to improve the cancer therapy, it is essential to use the compounds that can overcome drug resistance and increase treatment efficiency. Researchers have studied the effects of natural compounds for the controlling various drug resistance mechanisms. Curcumin is a natural phenolic compound which shows potent anticancer activities in different tumors, alone or as an adjuvant with other antitumor drugs to prevent or inhibit the survival and cancer progression by various mechanisms. The role of curcumin in overcoming drug resistance was followed by reviewing different applications of curcumin in cancer therapy. Afterward, the clinical impacts of curcumin, role of curcumin in decreasing drug resistance in different cancer cells and its mechanisms were discussed. It has been demonstrated that curcumin regulates signaling pathways in cancer cells, reduces the expression of proteins related to drug resistance, and increases the performance of antitumor drugs at various levels. Curcumin reverses multidrug resistance mechanisms and increases sensitivity of resistance cells to chemotherapy. This review mainly focuses on different mechanisms of drug resistance and curcumin as a nontoxic natural substance to eliminate the effects of drug resistance through modulation and controlling cell resistance pathways and eventually suggests curcumin as a potent chemosensitizer in cancers.
Successful treatment of pyopneumothorax with bronchopleural fistula using endobronchial Watanabe spigots
Authors: Chai Chan Sin , Chan Swee Kim , Kho Sze Shyang , Yong Mei Ching , Tie Siew Teck
Published: April 2020

Bronchopleural fistula (BPF) can complicate necrotizing pneumonia. Surgery would be indicated in patients who fail conservative management, yet this group is often of poor pulmonary function and general condition. Bronchial occlusion with endobronchial Watanabe spigots (EWS) can be a potential alternative treatment when the culprit bronchi can be isolated. In this case report, we describe a middle‐aged gentleman who presented with necrotizing pneumonia complicated with pyopneumothorax with right upper lobe BPF, and who had failed to respond to chest drainage and antibiotics. EWS bronchial occlusion finally led to cessation of air leak, allowing removal of chest tube. EWS were removed uneventfully six months later. This case highlights the role of EWS in the management of BPF in patients with high surgical risk.
Crystal Structure of LiRh‐type IrZn Determined by Powder X‐ray and Selected Area Electron Diffraction
Authors: Hornfeck Wolfgang , Duppel Viola , Kienle Lorenz , Harbrecht Bernd
Published: April 2020

The LiRh‐type crystal structure of the equiatomic intermetallic compound IrZn turns out to be a competitor to the otherwise energetically favored CsCl‐type structures of congeneric transition metal zinc phases, thus enlightening the structural impact of element‐specific factors beyond the Hume‐Rothery concept.
Analysis of endophytic and rhizosphere bacterial diversity and function in the endangered plant Paeonia ludlowii
Authors: Lu Yazhou , Zhang Erhao , Hong Mingsheng , Yin Xiu , Cai Hao , Yuan Lei , Yuan Fang , Li Lianqiang , Zhao Kentian , Lan Xiaozhong
Published: April 2020

Paeonia ludlowii is indigenous to Tibet and has an important ecological and economic value in China. In Tibet, P. ludlowii has been used in folk medicine with relative success. Plant microbial endophytes play an important role in plant growth, health and ecological function. The diversity of endophytic bacteria associated with P. ludlowii remains poorly understood. In this study, the structure of the endophytic bacterial communities associated with different tissues, including fruits, flowers, leaves, stems, and roots, and rhizosphere soils was analyzed with Illumina MiSeq sequencing of bacterial 16S rDNA. A total of 426,240 sequences and 4847 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were obtained. The OTUs abundance of roots was higher than that of other tissues; however, the OTUs abundance was similar among different deep soil samples. In the plant tissues, Cyanobacteria was the most abundant bacterial phylum, followed by Proteobacteria; however, the most abundant phyla were Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria in soil samples from three different layers. In addition, the diversity and richness of the microorganisms in the soil were very similar to those in roots but higher than those in other tissues of P. ludlowii. Predictive metagenome analysis revealed that endophytic bacteria play critical functional roles in P. ludlowii. This conclusion could facilitate the study of the ecological functions of endophytic bacteria and their interactions with P. ludlowii to analyze the reasons why this important medicinal plant is becoming endangered.
Critical assessment of relevant methods in the field of biosensors with direct optical detection based on fibers and waveguides using plasmonic, resonance, and interference effects
Authors: Gauglitz Günter
Published: April 2020

Direct optical detection has proven to be a highly interesting tool in biomolecular interaction analysis to be used in drug discovery, ligand/receptor interactions, environmental analysis, clinical diagnostics, screening of large data volumes in immunology, cancer therapy, or personalized medicine. In this review, the fundamental optical principles and applications are reviewed. Devices are based on concepts such as refractometry, evanescent field, waveguides modes, reflectometry, resonance and/or interference. They are realized in ring resonators; prism couplers; surface plasmon resonance; resonant mirror; Bragg grating; grating couplers; photonic crystals, Mach-Zehnder, Young, Hartman interferometers; backscattering; ellipsometry; or reflectance interferometry. The physical theories of various optical principles have already been reviewed in detail elsewhere and are therefore only cited. This review provides an overall survey on the application of these methods in direct optical biosensing. The “historical” development of the main principles is given to understand the various, and sometimes only slightly modified variations published as “new” methods or the use of a new acronym and commercialization by different companies. Improvement of optics is only one way to increase the quality of biosensors. Additional essential aspects are the surface modification of transducers, immobilization strategies, selection of recognition elements, the influence of non-specific interaction, selectivity, and sensitivity. Furthermore, papers use for reporting minimal amounts of detectable analyte terms such as value of mass, moles, grams, or mol/L which are difficult to compare. Both these essential aspects (i.e., biochemistry and the presentation of LOD values) can be discussed only in brief (but references are provided) in order to prevent the paper from becoming too long. The review will concentrate on a comparison of the optical methods, their application, and the resulting bioanalytical quality.
Prevalence of PD-L1 expression is associated with EMAST, density of peritumoral T-cells and recurrence-free survival in operable non-metastatic colorectal cancer
Authors: Watson Martin M. , Lea Dordi , Gudlaugsson Einar , Skaland Ivar , Hagland Hanne R. , Søreide Kjetil
Published: April 2020

Introduction

Microsatellite instability (MSI) predict response to anti-PD1 immunotherapy in colorectal cancer (CRC). CRCs with MSI have higher infiltration of immune cells related to a better survival. Elevated Microsatellite Alterations at Tetranucleotides (EMAST) is a form of MSI but its association with PD-L1 expression and immune-cell infiltration is not known.

Methods

A consecutive, observational cohort of patients undergoing surgery for CRC. EMAST and clinicopathological characteristics were investigated against PD-L1, as well as CD3 and CD8 expression in the invasive margin or tumour centre (Immunoscore). Difference in survival between groups was assessed by log rank test.

Results

A total of 149 stage I–III CRCs patients, with a median follow up of 60.1 months. Patients with PD-L1+ tumours (7%) were older (median 79 vs 71 years, p = 0.045) and had EMAST+ cancers (OR 10.7, 95% CI 2.2–51.4, p = 0.001). Recurrence-free survival was longer in cancers with PD-L1+ immune cells (HR 0.35, 95% CI 0.16–0.76, p = 0.008, independent of EMAST) and high Immunoscore (HR 0.10, 95% CI 0.01–0.72, p = 0.022). Patients expressing PD-L1 in immune cells had longer disease-specific survival (HR 0.28, 95% CI 0.10–0.77, p = 0.014).

Conclusions

Higher Immunoscore (CD3/CD8 cells) and expression of tumour PD-L1 is found in CRCs with EMAST. Lymphocytic infiltrate and peritumoral PD-L1 expression have prognostic value in CRC.
Condensin I is required for faithful meiosis in Drosophila males
Authors: Kleinschnitz Kristina , Vießmann Nina , Jordan Mareike , Heidmann Stefan K.
Published: April 2020

The heteropentameric condensin complexes play vital roles in the formation and faithful segregation of mitotic chromosomes in eukaryotes. While the different contributions of the two common condensin complexes, condensin I and condensin II, to chromosome morphology and behavior in mitosis have been thoroughly investigated, much less is known about the specific roles of the two complexes during meiotic divisions. InDrosophila melanogaster, faithful mitotic divisions depend on functional condensin I, but not on condensin II. However, meiotic divisions in Drosophila males require functional condensin II subunits. The role of condensin I during male meiosis in Drosophila has been unresolved. Here, we show that condensin I-specific subunits localize to meiotic chromatin in both meiosis I and II during Drosophila spermatogenesis. Live cell imaging reveals defects during meiotic divisions after RNAi-mediated knockdown of condensin I-specific mRNAs. This phenotype correlates with reduced male fertility and an increase in nondisjunction events both in meiosis I and meiosis II. Consistently, a reduction in male fertility was also observed after proteasome-mediated degradation of the condensin I subunit Barren. Taken together, our results demonstrate an essential role of condensin I during male meiosis inDrosophila melanogaster.
Top-down factors contribute to differences in insect herbivory between saplings and mature trees in boreal and tropical forests
Authors: Zvereva Elena L. , Paolucci Lucas N. , Kozlov Mikhail V.
Published: April 2020

Ontogenetic changes in herbivory are generally not consistent with ontogenetic changes in defensive traits of woody plants. This inconsistency suggests that other factors may affect ontogenetic trajectories in herbivory. We tested the hypothesis that top-down factors contribute to differences in foliar losses to insects between juvenile and mature trees in tropical and boreal forests. We used artificial caterpillars made of modelling clay to compare predation rates between saplings and mature trees of two common forest species, Siparuna guianensis in Brazil (tropical site) and Betula pubescens in Finland (boreal site). Leaf area losses to chewing insects in saplings were 2.5-fold higher than in mature trees in both species. Physical plant defences (measured as specific leaf area, SLA) did not differ between saplings and mature trees in the boreal forest, whereas in the tropical forest, SLA was greater in saplings than in mature trees. Attack rates on the model prey by birds were higher in the boreal forest, whereas attack rates by arthropod predators were higher in the tropical forest. Overall, predation rates on model prey were consistently higher on mature trees than on saplings at both sites, but in the boreal site, this pattern was primarily driven by birds, whereas in the tropical site, it was primarily driven by arthropod predators. We conclude that the effect of predation on herbivorous insects may considerably contribute to ontogenetic differences in herbivory, but the relative roles of different predatory groups and of top-down and bottom-up factors may vary between environments.
Responses of the fish community in a eutrophicated lake to long-term food web management assessed by multiple sampling methods
Authors: Rask Martti , Malinen Tommi , Olin Mikko , Peltonen Heikki , Ruuhijärvi Jukka , Vesala Sami , Hietala Jaana
Published: April 2020

Fish community responses to long-term mass removal of planktivorous fish from eutrophicated Lake Tuusulanjärvi were examined during 1996–2018 by gill net test fishing, hydroacoustics with simultaneous trawling, virtual population analysis (VPA) and fish growth measurements. The gillnet catches of white bream and roach increased first while bream and bleak decreased but recovered in the early 2000s. Perch and pikeperch increased but ruffe decreased and remained low. According to hydroacoustics, pelagic fish biomass decreased. Smelt was the most abundant species at the beginning and the end of the monitoring period but bream dominated the fish biomass in most years. VPA calculations indicated a five- and threefold increase in the biomass of bream and white bream, respectively, during 2005–2011. Significant increases appeared in the growth of perch, bream and roach. Overall, the responses in the fish community structure and fish abundance to the food web management were slight and mostly masked by changes in reproduction and growth of fish and annual variability in environmental conditions such as temperature and water turbidity. Gillnet test fishing and echo sounding complemented each other well in monitoring the effects of management fishing. Where bream is one of the dominant species VPA is also recommended.
Intramolecular vibrations enhance the quantum efficiency of excitonic energy transfer
Authors: Duan Hong-Guang , Nalbach Peter , Miller R. J. Dwayne , Thorwart Michael
Published: April 2020

We study the impact of underdamped intramolecular vibrational modes on the efficiency of the excitation energy transfer in a dimer in which each state is coupled to its own underdamped vibrational mode and, in addition, to a continuous background of environmental modes. For this, we use the numerically exact hierarchy equation of motion approach. We determine the quantum yield and the transfer time in dependence of the vibronic coupling strength, and in dependence of the damping of the incoherent background. Moreover, we tune the vibrational frequencies out of resonance with the excitonic energy gap. We show that the quantum yield is enhanced by up to 10% when the vibrational frequency of the donor is larger than at the acceptor. The vibronic energy eigenstates of the acceptor acquire then an increased density of states, which leads to a higher occupation probability of the acceptor in thermal equilibrium. We can conclude that an underdamped vibrational mode which is weakly coupled to the dimer fuels a faster transfer of excitation energy, illustrating that long-lived vibrations can, in principle, enhance energy transfer, without involving long-lived electronic coherence.
Deep-water depositional architecture and sedimentary evolution in the Rakhine Basin, northeast Bay of Bengal
Authors: Ma Hong-Xia , Fan Guo-Zhang , Shao Da-Li , Ding Liang-Bo , Sun Hui , Zhang Ying , Zhang Yong-Gang , Cronin Bryan T.
Published: April 2020

Since the consecutive discovery of several gas fields from 2004 to present, the Rakhine Basin has been an active area for petroleum exploration in the Bay of Bengal. High-resolution 3D seismic data and well data from blocks AD1, AD6 and AD8 offshore northwest Myanmar are used to study the Miocene–Pleistocene depositional architecture and sedimentary evolution in the Rakhine Basin. Analysis of seismic facies and seismic attributes indicates that deep-water architectural elements include submarine canyons, confined slope channel complex systems, aggradational channel–levee complexes, isolated channels, frontal splays and mass-transport complexes, which have variable characters (shape, dimension, sedimentary architecture) within predominantly background deep-water slope-basin floor facies. Most of the sediments are interpreted to be sourced from the Ganges–Brahmaputra fluvio-deltaic system to the north with only minor lateral input from the Indo-Myanmar Ranges to the east. Investigation of the depositional evolution and architectural elements transformation during the filling history of the Rakhine Basin suggests the Rakhine Basin experienced rapid progradation during the Oligocene–Middle/Upper Miocene, gradual retrogradation during the Middle/Upper Miocene–Early Pliocene and gradual progradation during the Early Pliocene–Pleistocene. Published exploration results indicate that the main reservoirs of the discoveries in blocks A1 and A3 are Pliocene frontal splays and channel–levee fills, dominated by fine and very fine-grained sandstones, in structural and structural–stratigraphic traps. Analytic results from seismic characters and several exploration wells indicate that channel complexes and associated overbanks and frontal splays with fine-grained sandstones and siltstones trapped by the four-way closures are primary reservoir targets.
Particle velocity measurement of binary mixtures in the riser of a circulating fluidized bed by the combined use of electrostatic sensing and high-speed imaging
Authors: Zhang Wen-Biao , Wang Tian-Yu , Liu Yao-Yao , Zhan Wen-Bo , Wang Chi-Hwa
Published: April 2020

The flow dynamics of binary particle mixtures in the fluidized bed needs to be monitored in order to optimize the related industrial processes. In this paper, electrostatic sensing and high-speed imaging are applied to measure the velocities of polyethylene and sand particles in the binary particle mixtures in fluidization. Experimental studies were conducted on a lab-scale cold circulating fluidized bed. Correlation function between electrostatic signals from upstream and downstream electrodes placed along the riser shows two peaks that represent transit times for the two types of particles. To verify the above results, high-speed imaging was adopted to capture the flow images of particle mixtures. Particle Image Velocimetry and Particle Tracking Velocimetry algorithms were utilized to process the resulted images in order to measure the velocities of polyethylene and sand particles. The reasons for two-peak correlation functions are illustrated based on the frequency spectrums of the mono-solid-phase electrostatic signals and the velocity difference between polyethylene and sand particles. Finally, comparisons on the velocities obtained from electrostatic sensing and high-speed imaging demonstrate the electrostatic sensor can roughly estimate the particle velocity of binary particle mixtures in the near wall region of the circulating fluidized bed.
Prognostic Nutritional Index as a Predictor of Postoperative Outcome in Patients Aged 85 Years or Older After Colorectal Cancer Surgery
Authors: Tsuruta Atsushi , Watanabe Yusaku , Mineta Shumei , Tanioka Hiroaki , Nagasaka Takeshi , Fujiwara Yoshinori , Ueno Tomio
Published: April 2020

The preoperative prognostic nutritional index (PNI) calculated based on the serum albumin concentration and peripheral blood lymphocyte count has been reported to correlate with the prognosis in patients undergoing cancer surgery. However, in case of very old patients over 85 years old, the value of preoperative PNI in colorectal cancer has not been studied in any detail. The aim of this study was to assess the PNI as a predictor of postoperative outcome in elderly patients over 85 years old with colorectal cancer. We performed a retrospective review in forty-five patients over 85 years old who underwent colorectal tumor resection at our hospital from April 2013 to March 2018. The correlations between preoperative PNI and postoperative complications were examined. The incidence rate of postoperative complications was 31.1% (14/45). All of cases with postoperative complications were improved conservatively. The median preoperative PNI was 43.20 (range 24.05–57.05) in the validation study. According to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, cutoff value of PNI was set at 45.0 in the validation study. An univariate analysis demonstrated that PNI (p = 0.0006), operation style (elective/emergency) (p = 0.03), operation approach (open/laparoscopy) (p = 0.03), and T factor (p = 0.04). A multivariate analysis showed that PNI was independent predictive factor of postoperative complications. Moreover 3-year overall survival rates of patients in the PNI ≧ 45 and PNI < 45 were 100% and 63.8%, respectively (p = 0.009). This study suggested that PNI is a pivotal independent predictor of the postoperative outcome among elderly patients over 85 years old after colorectal cancer surgery.
Biosorption of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) species on NaOH-modified peel of Artocarpus nobilis fruit. 1. Investigation of kinetics
Authors: Samaraweera A. P. G. M. V. , Priyantha N. , Gunathilake W. S. S. , Kotabewatta P. A. , Kulasooriya T. P. K.
Published: April 2020

Performance characteristics of peel of Artocarpus nobilis fruit can be enhanced by the treatment of the biosorbent with aqueous NaOH solutions under stirred conditions, followed by thorough washing of the treated biosorbent with water. A series of experiments performed within a wide range of solution pH demonstrates that the optimum pH for Cr(III) removal is pH 5.0, while it is 2.0 for Cr(VI) by peel of Artocarpus nobilis fruit after treatment with aqueous NaOH solutions of concentrations varied from 0.0050 to 0.15 M. Adsorption of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) from individual aqueous solutions on the above biosorbent treated with 0.010 M NaOH solution, which provides the highest extent of removal of 4.89 × 103 mg kg−1 (pH = 5) and 4.94 × 103 mg kg−1 (pH = 2), respectively, follows pseudo-first-order kinetics at the ambient temperature of 27.5 °C when the concentration of adsorbate concentration is kept relatively constant. The order of the reaction is unchanged when the solution temperature is increased up to 40.0 °C for Cr(III) although the reaction becomes pseudo-second order for Cr(VI). Further, the energy of activation for adsorption of Cr(III) is determined to be 66.82 kJ mol−1, suggesting a strong attraction between the adsorbate and the biosorbent. Application of the intraparticle diffusion model to kinetics data within the early stages of the adsorption process of Cr(III) suggests that boundary layer-retarded diffusion be valid at both solution temperatures, while no retardation be possible for Cr(VI) at the warmer temperature.
Real-World Outcomes Among Patients with Cystic Fibrosis Treated with Ivacaftor: 2012–2016 Experience
Authors: Higgins Mark , Volkova Nataliya , Moy Kristin , Marshall Bruce C. , Bilton Diana
Published: April 2020

Introduction

In this long-term, postapproval, observational study, data from the US Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry and the UK Cystic Fibrosis Registry were used to evaluate the impact of ivacaftor treatment on cystic fibrosis (CF) by comparing outcomes in ivacaftor-treated patients with those in matched untreated comparator patients. Registry data from up to 5 years of ivacaftor availability in the US and up to 4 years of availability in the UK were evaluated.

Methods

Starting in the first year of ivacaftor availability, ivacaftor-treated patients in each registry were matched 1:5 to comparator patients who never received ivacaftor. Clinical endpoints were evaluated in annual cross-sectional safety analyses. The key endpoints were death, organ transplants, pulmonary exacerbation, and hospitalization. Relative risks and 95% CIs were calculated to compare the ivacaftor and comparator cohorts in each registry.

Results

Here, we report the complete and final results of the annual cross-sectional safety analyses across the duration of the study, with up to 5 years of follow-up. Data show a pattern of lower risk of death, transplant, pulmonary exacerbation, and hospitalization among ivacaftor-treated patients in both registries.

Conclusions

Ivacaftor-treated patients had consistently favorable clinical outcomes relative to untreated comparators, and no new safety concerns were identified. While general limitations of observational research apply, these findings support disease modification by CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulator therapy with ivacaftor. Future research of novel CFTR modulators will need to explore alternative methods for comparator selection for evaluation of clinical data given the evolving landscape of CF treatment.
A hybrid power system based on fuel cell, photovoltaic source and supercapacitor
Authors: Ferahtia Seydali , Djerioui Ali , Zeghlache Samir , Houari Azeddine
Published: April 2020

In this study, we present an ameliorated power management method for dc microgrid. The importance of exploiting renewable energy has long been a controversial topic, and due to the advantages of DC over the AC type, a typical DC islanded micro-grid has been proposed in this paper. This typical microgrid is composed of two sources: fuel cell (FC), solar cell (PV) and one storage element [supercapacitor (SC)]. Here, we aimed to provide a management strategy that guarantees optimized bus voltage with arranged power-sharing between the sources. This proposed management aims to provide high-quality energy to the load under different loading conditions with variable solar irradiance, taking into account the FC state. Due to the slow dynamics of the FC, the SC was equipped to supply the transient period. A management algorithm is implemented to hold the DC bus voltage stable against the load variations. The management controller is based on differential flatness approach to generate the references. The DC bus is regulated by the SC energy; to reduce the fluctuations in the DC bus voltage, The PI controller is implemented. This proposed strategy reduces the voltage ripple in the DC bus. Moreover, it provides permanent supplying to the load with smooth behaviour over the sudden changes in the demand as depicted in the simulation results. Our study revealed that this proposed manager can be used for this kind of grids easily.
Real time in‐vivo miniature endoscopic surveillance system for imaging of nasopharynx
Authors: Lim Chwee Ming , Rao Gangodu Nagaraja , Ren Hongliang
Published: April 2020

Objective

To test the feasibility of a real time miniature endoscope system for imaging the nasopharynx.

Study design

Preclinical assessment on skull model and cadaver.

Methods

A 3.5 mm miniature endoscope was fabricated and the image capture of the nasopharynx was investigated by positioning the miniature camera system at the posterior free edge of the vomer bone. Wireless real time transmission of the images and quality was tested in a skull model. Next, three nasopharyngeal surveillance miniature camera system were developed for possible clinical translation. Two prototypes were anchored on the nasal septum and the last prototype was designed using a patient self‐administered surveillance process. These prototypes were tested for feasibility on both the phantom skull and cadaveric model. Risk assessments were also performed to assess risk, safety and validate the reliability of the material utilized for clinical translation.

Results

Insertion and anchorage of the miniature surveillance endoscope prototypes at the vomer bone were feasible on all 3 prototypes. The quality of captured images was reasonable and miniaturized camera was responsive to pan at different angles so that the entire nasopharynx may be surveyed. Risk assessments on the material such as pull out test, breaking force analysis, finite element test and tensile strength test were reliable for possible clinical translation.

Conclusions

Real time miniature endoscope system for surveillance of nasopharyngeal cancer is feasible. Clinical translation of this technology was possible but requires further refinement in enhancing image quality and wireless transmission of the captured images.
Non-Neutral Marginal Innovation Costs, Omitted Variables, and Induced Innovation
Authors: Lee Daegoon , Cowan Benjamin W. , Shumway C. Richard
Published: April 2020

Prior tests of Hicks’ Induced Innovation Hypothesis (IIH) have been greatly hampered because the lack of supply-side data implicitly requires the untenable assumption that the marginal research cost is the same for different inputs. We document that, with appropriate model specification and panel data, a two-way fixed-effects estimator can account for much of the non-neutrality of the innovation function. Using a test procedure that is robust to a time-variant and non-neutral innovation function, we test the IIH in U.S. agriculture for the period 1960–2004. We use only readily available data for innovation demand and total public research expenditures.
The Dark Side of Cultural Intelligence: Exploring Its Impact on Opportunism, Ethical Relativism, and Customer Relationship Performance
Authors: Lorenz Melanie P. , Ramsey Jase R. , Andzulis James “Mick” , Franke George R.
Published: April 2020

Employees who possess cross-cultural capabilities are increasingly sought after due to unparalleled numbers of cross-cultural interactions. Previous research has primarily focused on the bright side of these capabilities, including important individual and work outcomes. In contrast, the purpose of this study is to demonstrate that the cross-cultural capability of cultural intelligence (CQ) can lead to both positive and negative outcomes. Applying the general theory of confluence, we propose that expatriates high in CQ excel in customer relationship performance, while simultaneously behaving opportunistically. We also suggest that ethical relativism moderates these relationships. Using mixed methods, four separate studies generally support our predictions while also deepening our understanding of various forms of opportunism and the mechanism behind two seemingly opposing effects. Conceptual and managerial implications of CQ for opportunism, customer relationship performance, and ethics are discussed.
The Seeds of Destruction: Naturalism, Hysteria, and the Beautiful Soul in Lewis Nkosi’sMating Birds
Authors: Smith Eric D.
Published: April 2020

If V. S. Naipaul’s late fiction demonstrates the crisis of narrative in the arrested dialectic of what I have called postcolonial naturalism, then the work of South African novelist, playwright, and critic Lewis Nkosi epitomizes the intersection of postcolonial naturalism with the double-voiced discourse of the hysteric. Situated between a post-independence melancholy and the registration of globalization’s volatile new dispensation and refracted through the racial politics of apartheid and its end as well as the lived experience of exile, Nkosi’s apartheid-era debut novelMating Birdsarticulates in both form and content the noble self-exemption of Hegel’s “Beautiful Soul” and the subversive anxiety of the hysteric, to whom no satisfaction can be given. Such an accounting helps to reframe split critical appraisal of the novel by reading its complex of form and content as the living crystallization of historical processes.
The Message It Is Not: The Work of the Medium Known as Documentary
Authors: Chow Rey
Published: April 2020

This article is a brief discussion of Pooja Rangan’s book Immediations, highlighting her argument for the need to analyze carefully the audiovisual materialities and ideological assumptions of documentary as a medium.
Embodied Masculine Sovereignty, Reimagined Femininity: Implications of a Soyinkaesque Reading of Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther
Authors: Akinwole Tolulope
Published: April 2020

In more ways than critics have mentioned, Ryan Coogler’s critically acclaimed Black Panther (2018) holds a vibrant conversation with Wole Soyinka’s mythopoetic orientation. But apart from Ryan Coogler’s ventriloquist reference to “The Fourth Stage,” Black Panther confers with Soyinka in many other interesting ways. In this article, I explore the mythic patterns in the movie by reading it alongside Soyinka’s densely mythic essay, “The Fourth Stage,” in order to pry the movie open for analysis. I posit that reading Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther side-by-side Soyinka’s “The Fourth Stage” amplifies the dialogic tension between violence and justice in both works, on the one hand, and exposes the strategies by which female subjectivity is reimagined in Black Panther’s radical universe, on the other hand. I also note that, in particular, Black Panther emerges from the comparative reading as somewhat inadvertently attempting a redefinition of tragedy.
Paleomagnetic observations from lake sediments on Samosir Island, Toba caldera, Indonesia, and its late Pleistocene resurgence
Authors: Solada Katharine E. , Reilly Brendan T. , Stoner Joseph S. , de Silva Shanaka L. , Mucek Adonara E. , Hatfield Robert G. , Pratomo Indyo , Jamil Rendi , Setianto Baskoro
Published: April 2020

Approximately 74 ka, Toba caldera in Sumatra, Indonesia, erupted in one of the most catastrophic supereruptions in Earth's history. Resurgent uplift of the caldera floor raised Samosir Island 700 m above Lake Toba, exposing valuable lake sediments. To constrain sediment chronology, we collected 173 discrete paleomagnetic 8 cm3 cubes and 15 radiocarbon samples from six sections across the island. Bulk organic 14C ages provide an initial chronostratigraphic framework ranging from ~12 to 46 ka. Natural and laboratory magnetizations were studied using alternating field demagnetization. A generally well-defined primary magnetization is isolated using principal component analysis. Comparison of inclination, and to a lesser degree declination, across independently dated sections suggests paleomagnetic secular variation (PSV) is recorded. Average inclination of −6° is more negative than a geocentric axial dipole would predict, but consistent with an eastward extension of the negative inclination anomaly observed in the western equatorial Pacific. The 14C- and PSV-derived age model constrains resurgent uplift, confirming faster uplift rates to the east and slower rates to the west, while suggesting that fault blocks moved differentially from each other within a generally trapdoor-type configuration.
From six to zero per cent Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis milk ELISA positivity in three years – probably induced by Mycobacterium vaccae
Authors: Elad Daniel , Lysnyansky Inna , Falk Rama , Blum Shlomo E. , Weisbelith Limor , Mikula Inna , Shwimmer Adin
Published: April 2020

This research communication reports the results of a study aimed at investigating the effects of introducing Mycobacterium vaccae on paratuberculosis carriage in a dairy herd. M. vaccae is a non-pathogenic member of the Mycobacteriaceae, with immunomodulatory and immunotherapeutic capabilities, acting by stimulating the cellular immune system, important in protection against paratuberculosis. Starting in 2014 we administered, by gavage, 1010 live M. vaccae bacteria to all new-born heifers on a dairy farm, first within 24 h of birth and again 2 weeks later. Paratuberculosis carriage was monitored yearly by milk ELISA. Faecal samples of 50% of cows, aged 3 years, born 1, 2 or 3 years before the experiment's onset, were tested by qPCR for MAP shedding and compared to 100% treated cows of the same age. Within 3 years, milk ELISA positivity was reduced from 6 to 0% and remained unchanged for the subsequent 2 years. One qPCR positive control cow was found each year for a total of 3 animals (2.46%). One positive cow (1%) was found among the treated cows. Two of the 3 positive control animals, still present on the farm at the end of 2019, tested negative whereas the positive test cow continued shedding MAP. M. vaccae shedding heifers mixing with adult cows were the probable means of the microorganism's propagation. The results of this investigation indicate that the introduction of live M. vaccae may be an inexpensive and fast alternative to current paratuberculosis control practices, justifying further exploration of the topic.