bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Taurine Supplementation Alleviates Puromycin Aminonucleoside Damage by Modulating Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Mitochondrial-Related Apoptosis in Rat Kidney
Authors: Stacchiotti Alessandra , Favero Gaia , Lavazza Antonio , Monsalve Maria , Rodella Luigi Fabrizio , Rezzani Rita
Published: May 2018

Taurine (TAU) is a sulfur-containing beta amino acid that is not involved in protein composition and anabolism, conditionally essential in mammals provided through diet. Growing evidence supports a protective role of TAU supply in osmoregulation, calcium flux, and reduction of inflammation and oxidant damage in renal diseases like diabetes. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, due to abnormal proteostasis, is a contributor to nephrotic syndrome and related renal damage. Here, we investigated the effect of dietary TAU (1.5% in drinking water for 15 days) in an established rat model that mimics human minimal change nephrosis, consisting of a single puromycin aminonucleoside (PAN) injection (intraperitoneally 15 mg/100 g body weight), with sacrifice after eight days. TAU limited proteinuria and podocytes foot processes effacement, and balanced slit diaphragm nephrin and glomerular claudin 1 expressions. In cortical proximal tubules, TAU improved lysosomal density, ER perimeter, restored proper ER-mitochondria tethering and mitochondrial cristae, and decreased inflammation. Remarkably, TAU downregulated glomerular ER stress markers (GRP78, GRP94), pro-apoptotic C/EBP homologous protein, activated caspase 3, tubular caspase1, and mitochondrial chaperone GRP75, but maintained anti-apoptotic HSP25. In conclusion, TAU, by targeting upstream ER stress separate from mitochondria dysfunctions at crucial renal sites, might be a promising dietary supplement in the treatment of the drug-resistant nephrotic syndrome.
Therapeutic Potency of Nanoformulations of siRNAs and shRNAs in Animal Models of Cancers
Authors: Karim Md. Emranul , Tha Kyi Kyi , Othman Iekhsan , Borhan Uddin Mohammad , Chowdhury Ezharul Hoque
Published: May 2018

RNA Interference (RNAi) has brought revolutionary transformations in cancer management in the past two decades. RNAi-based therapeutics including siRNA and shRNA have immense scope to silence the expression of mutant cancer genes specifically in a therapeutic context. Although tremendous progress has been made to establish catalytic RNA as a new class of biologics for cancer management, a lot of extracellular and intracellular barriers still pose a long-lasting challenge on the way to clinical approval. A series of chemically suitable, safe and effective viral and non-viral carriers have emerged to overcome physiological barriers and ensure targeted delivery of RNAi. The newly invented carriers, delivery techniques and gene editing technology made current treatment protocols stronger to fight cancer. This review has provided a platform about the chronicle of siRNA development and challenges of RNAi therapeutics for laboratory to bedside translation focusing on recent advancement in siRNA delivery vehicles with their limitations. Furthermore, an overview of several animal model studies of siRNA- or shRNA-based cancer gene therapy over the past 15 years has been presented, highlighting the roles of genes in multiple cancers, pharmacokinetic parameters and critical evaluation. The review concludes with a future direction for the development of catalytic RNA vehicles and design strategies to make RNAi-based cancer gene therapy more promising to surmount cancer gene delivery challenges.
Prediction of Metabolite Concentrations, Rate Constants and Post-Translational Regulation Using Maximum Entropy-Based Simulations with Application to Central Metabolism of Neurospora crassa
Authors: Cannon William R. , Zucker Jeremy D. , Baxter Douglas J. , Kumar Neeraj , Baker Scott E. , Hurley Jennifer M. , Dunlap Jay C.
Published: May 2018

We report the application of a recently proposed approach for modeling biological systems using a maximum entropy production rate principle in lieu of having in vivo rate constants. The method is applied in four steps: (1) a new ordinary differential equation (ODE) based optimization approach based on Marcelin’s 1910 mass action equation is used to obtain the maximum entropy distribution; (2) the predicted metabolite concentrations are compared to those generally expected from experiments using a loss function from which post-translational regulation of enzymes is inferred; (3) the system is re-optimized with the inferred regulation from which rate constants are determined from the metabolite concentrations and reaction fluxes; and finally (4) a full ODE-based, mass action simulation with rate parameters and allosteric regulation is obtained. From the last step, the power characteristics and resistance of each reaction can be determined. The method is applied to the central metabolism of Neurospora crassa and the flow of material through the three competing pathways of upper glycolysis, the non-oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, and the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway are evaluated as a function of the NADP/NADPH ratio. It is predicted that regulation of phosphofructokinase (PFK) and flow through the pentose phosphate pathway are essential for preventing an extreme level of fructose 1,6-bisphophate accumulation. Such an extreme level of fructose 1,6-bisphophate would otherwise result in a glassy cytoplasm with limited diffusion, dramatically decreasing the entropy and energy production rate and, consequently, biological competitiveness.
Spiritual Occlusion and Systemic Integrity: Legal Evaluations of Due Process Protections and Freedom of Religious Expression and Practices Safeguards
Authors: Jolicoeur Jason R. , Memmer Amy
Published: May 2018

As is the case with other constitutionally protected rights, the freedom of religion is not unlimited nor without restriction or constraint. Rather, the courts have long held that the state may have legitimate reasons for placing reasonable restrictions on the otherwise free exercise of religious practice. The courts have also held that the state cannot restrict religious practice in a capricious or gratuitous manner. However, the courts have also held that individuals have a constitutional right to due process legal protections. In many instances, these two freedoms exist independently of each other. In instances when they intersect, conflict may result from one right seeking hegemony over the other. In instances such as these, the courts may have to resolve conflicts by establishing legal principles and precedents regarding which of these constitutional protections will be granted contextual prominence over the other. Thus far, the legal evaluation of this important question has been confused at best and contradictory at worst. This has resulted in a number of substantive outcomes that pose significant challenges to the practice and application of both rights and an underlying avoidance of broader constitutional questions.
Discriminant Analysis with Graph Learning for Hyperspectral Image Classification
Authors: Chen Mulin , Wang Qi , Li Xuelong
Published: May 2018

Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) is a widely-used technique for dimensionality reduction, and has been applied in many practical applications, such as hyperspectral image classification. Traditional LDA assumes that the data obeys the Gaussian distribution. However, in real-world situations, the high-dimensional data may be with various kinds of distributions, which restricts the performance of LDA. To reduce this problem, we propose the Discriminant Analysis with Graph Learning (DAGL) method in this paper. Without any assumption on the data distribution, the proposed method learns the local data relationship adaptively during the optimization. The main contributions of this research are threefold: (1) the local data manifold is captured by learning the data graph adaptively in the subspace; (2) the spatial information within the hyperspectral image is utilized with a regularization term; and (3) an efficient algorithm is designed to optimize the proposed problem with proved convergence. Experimental results on hyperspectral image datasets show that promising performance of the proposed method, and validates its superiority over the state-of-the-art.
Hydrologic Evaluation of Multi-Source Satellite Precipitation Products for the Upper Huaihe River Basin, China
Authors: Wu Zhiyong , Xu Zhengguang , Wang Fang , He Hai , Zhou Jianhong , Wu Xiaotao , Liu Zhenchen
Published: May 2018

To evaluate the performance and hydrological utility of merged precipitation products at the current technical level of integration, a newly developed merged precipitation product, Multi-Source Weighted-Ensemble Precipitation (MSWEP) Version 2.1 was evaluated in this study based on rain gauge observations and the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model for the upper Huaihe River Basin, China. For comparison, three satellite-based precipitation products (SPPs), including Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS) Version 2.0, Climate Prediction Center MORPHing technique (CMORPH) bias-corrected product Version 1.0, and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) 3B42 Version 7, were evaluated. The error analysis against rain gauge observations reveals that the merged precipitation MSWEP performs best, followed by TMPA and CMORPH, which in turn outperform CHIRPS. Generally, the contribution of the random error in all four quantitative precipitation estimates (QPEs) is larger than the systematic error. Additionally, QPEs show large uncertainty in the mountainous regions, with larger systematic errors, and tend to underestimate the precipitation. Under two parameterization scenarios, the MSWEP provides the best streamflow simulation results and TMPA forced simulation ranks second. Unfortunately, the CHIRPS and CMORPH forced simulations produce unsatisfactory results. The relative error (RE) of QPEs is the main factor affecting the RE of simulated streamflow, especially for the results of Scenario I (model parameters calibrated by rain gauge observations). However, its influence on the simulated streamflow can be greatly reduced by recalibration of the parameters using the corresponding QPEs (Scenario II). All QPEs forced simulations underestimate the streamflow with exceedance probabilities below 5.0%, while they overestimate the streamflow with exceedance probabilities above 30.0%. The results of the soil moisture simulation indicate that the influence of the precipitation input on the RE of the simulated soil moisture is insignificant. However, the dynamic variation of soil moisture, simulated by precipitation with higher precision, is more consistent with the measured results. The simulation results at a depth of 0–10 cm are more sensitive to the accuracy of precipitation estimates than that for depths of 0–40 cm. In summary, there are notable advantages of MSWEP and TMPA with respect to hydrological applicability compared with CHIRPS and CMORPH. The MSWEP has a greater potential for basin–scale hydrological modeling than TMPA.
Staring Spotlight TerraSAR-X SAR Interferometry
for Identification and Monitoring of Small-Scale
Landslide Deformation
Authors: Hosseini Farnoush , Pichierri Manuele , Eppler Jayson , Rabus Bernhard
Published: May 2018

We discuss enhanced processing methods for high resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar(SAR) interferometry (InSAR) to monitor small landslides with difficult spatial characteristics,such as very steep and rugged terrain, strong spatially heterogeneous surface motion,and coherence-compromising factors, including vegetation and seasonal snow cover. The enhancedmethods mitigate phase bias induced by atmospheric effects, as well as topographic phase errorsin coherent regions of layover, and due to inaccurate blending of high resolution discontinuouswith lower resolution background Digital Surface Models (DSM). We demonstrate the proposedmethods using TerraSAR-X (TSX) Staring Spotlight InSAR data for three test sites reflecting diversechallenging landslide-prone mountain terrains in British Columbia, Canada. Comparisons withcorresponding standard processing methods show significant improvements with resultingdisplacement residuals that reveal additional movement hotspots and unprecedented spatial detailfor active landslides/rockfalls at the investigated sites.
Bio-Signal Complexity Analysis in Epileptic Seizure Monitoring: A Topic Review
Authors: Mei Zhenning , Zhao Xian , Chen Hongyu , Chen Wei
Published: May 2018

Complexity science has provided new perspectives and opportunities for understanding a variety of complex natural or social phenomena, including brain dysfunctions like epilepsy. By delving into the complexity in electrophysiological signals and neuroimaging, new insights have emerged. These discoveries have revealed that complexity is a fundamental aspect of physiological processes. The inherent nonlinearity and non-stationarity of physiological processes limits the methods based on simpler underlying assumptions to point out the pathway to a more comprehensive understanding of their behavior and relation with certain diseases. The perspective of complexity may benefit both the research and clinical practice through providing novel data analytics tools devoted for the understanding of and the intervention about epilepsies. This review aims to provide a sketchy overview of the methods derived from different disciplines lucubrating to the complexity of bio-signals in the field of epilepsy monitoring. Although the complexity of bio-signals is still not fully understood, bundles of new insights have been already obtained. Despite the promising results about epileptic seizure detection and prediction through offline analysis, we are still lacking robust, tried-and-true real-time applications. Multidisciplinary collaborations and more high-quality data accessible to the whole community are needed for reproducible research and the development of such applications.
Effect of Cadmium, Copper and Lead on the Growth of Rice in the Coal Mining Region of Quang Ninh, Cam-Pha (Vietnam)
Authors: Marquez J. , Pourret Olivier , Faucon Michel-Pierre , Weber Sebastian , Hoàng Thi , Martinez Raul
Published: May 2018

The goal of this study was to quantify the mobility and partitioning of trace elements originating from mine waste rocks derived from open pit coal extraction activities. The results showed that native rice plants were adapted to growing in metal contaminated soils, posing a severe health risk to local population. Sequential extraction procedures and bulk soil chemical analyses both suggest enrichment of Cd, Pb and Cu in rice paddy soils. Lead was shown to be evenly partitioned among all mineral and organic phases. Copper was associated with carbonates and organic matter. Smaller fractions of Pb and Cu were also bound to Fe and Mn oxides. Only 25% of Cd, 9% of Pb and 48% of Cu were associated with the exchangeable fraction, considered mobile and thus bioavailable for plant uptake. Effects of Cd, Cu and Pb on local Cam Pha Nep cai Hoa vang, and control Asia Italian rice, showed marked differences in growth. The local Vietnamese variety grew close to control values, even upon exposure to higher trace metal concentrations. Whereas the development of the control rice species was significantly affected by increasing trace metal concentrations. This result suggests toxic trace elements accumulation in the edible parts of crops.
Design Solutions for Sustainable Construction of Pre Engineered Steel Buildings
Authors: Saleem Muhammad Umair , Qureshi Hisham Jahangir
Published: May 2018

Sustainable construction of ecofriendly infrastructure has been the priority of worldwide researchers. The induction of modern technology in the steel manufacturing industry has enabled designers to get the desired control over the steel section shapes and profiles resulting in efficient use of construction material and manufacturing energy required to produce these materials. The current research study is focused on the optimization of steel building costs with the use of pre-engineered building construction technology. Construction of conventional steel buildings (CSB) incorporates the use of hot rolled sections, which have uniform cross-section throughout the length. However, pre-engineered steel buildings (PEB) utilize steel sections, which are tailored and profiled based on the required loading effects. In this research study, the performance of PEB steel frames in terms of optimum use of steel sections and its comparison with the conventional steel building is presented in detail. A series of PEB and CSB steel frames is selected and subjected to various loading conditions. Frames were analyzed using Finite Element Based analysis tool and design was performed using American Institute of Steel Construction design specifications. Comparison of the frames has been established in terms of frame weights, lateral displacements (sway) and vertical displacements (deflection) of the frames. The results have clearly indicated that PEB steel frames are not only the most economical solution due to lesser weight of construction but also have shown better performance compared to CSB frames.
Ship Acquisition of Shipping Companies by Sale & Purchase Activities for Sustainable Growth: Exploratory Fuzzy-AHP Application
Authors: Park Keun-Sik , Seo Young-Joon , Kim A-Rom , Ha Min-Ho
Published: May 2018

Strengthening sale and purchase (S&P) capacity has become a fundamental requirement for sustainable growth and corporate competitiveness in the modern shipping market. However, there is a lack of research related to S&P and its priority when shipping companies attempt to implement ship acquisition through S&P activities. To fill this gap, this paper conducts an empirical analysis to analyze priority factors during the acquisition of second-hand ships from the perspective of shipping companies. Business criteria are considered to be the most important factors in the analysis of the priority of ship acquisition and investment in shipping companies. To the best of our knowledge, this research is the first exploration covering Korean shipping companies’ ship acquisition through S&P activities. This study is expected to contribute to the better understanding of the role of S&P in ensuring the sustainability of shipping companies and to provide stakeholders with valuable insights.
Clinical Expectations for Better Influenza Virus Vaccines—Perspectives from the Young Investigators’ Point of View
Authors: Mohn Kristin G.-I. , Zhou Fan
Published: May 2018

The influenza virus is one of a few viruses that is capable of rendering an otherwise healthy person acutly bedridden for several days. This impressive knock-out effect, without prodromal symptoms, challenges our immune system. The influenza virus undergoes continuous mutations, escaping our pre-existing immunity and causing epidemics, and its segmented genome is subject to reassortment, resulting in novel viruses with pandemic potential. The personal and socieoeconomic burden from influenza is high. Vaccination is the most cost-effective countermeasure, with several vaccines that are available. The current limitations in vaccine effectivness, combined with the need for yearly updating of vaccine strains, is a driving force for research into developing new and improved influenza vaccines. The lack of public concern about influenza severity, and misleading information concerning vaccine safety contribute to low vaccination coverage even in high-risk groups. The success of future influeza vaccines will depend on an increased public awarness of the disease, and hence, the need for vaccination—aided through improved rapid diagnositics. The vaccines must be safe and broadly acting, with new, measurable correlates of protection and robust post-marketing safety studies, to improve the confidence in influenza vaccines.
Interaction-tailored organization of large-area colloidal assemblies
Authors: Rizzato Silvia , Primiceri Elisabetta , Monteduro Anna Grazia , Colombelli Adriano , Leo Angelo , Manera Maria Grazia , Rella Roberto , Maruccio Giuseppe
Published: May 2018

Colloidal lithography is an innovative fabrication technique employing spherical, nanoscale crystals as a lithographic mask for the low cost realization of nanoscale patterning. The features of the resulting nanostructures are related to the particle size, deposition conditions and interactions involved. In this work, we studied the absorption of polystyrene spheres onto a substrate and discuss the effect of particle–substrate and particle–particle interactions on their organization. Depending on the nature and the strength of the interactions acting in the colloidal film formation, two different strategies were developed in order to control the number of particles on the surface and the interparticle distance, namely changing the salt concentration and absorption time in the particle solution. These approaches enabled the realization of large area (≈cm2) patterning of nanoscale holes (nanoholes) and nanoscale disks (nanodisks) of different sizes and materials.
London dispersion as important factor for the stabilization of (Z)-azobenzenes in the presence of hydrogen bonding
Authors: Heindl Andreas H , Wende Raffael C , Wegner Hermann A
Published: May 2018

The understanding and control of the light-induced isomerization of azobenzenes as one of the most important classes of molecular switches is crucial for the design of light-responsive materials using this entity. Herein, we present the stabilization of metastable (Z)-azobenzenes by London dispersion interactions, even in the presence of comparably stronger hydrogen bonds in various solvents. The Z→E isomerization rates of several N-substituted 4,4′-bis(4-aminobenzyl)azobenzenes were measured. An intramolecular stabilization was observed and explained by the interplay of intramolecular amide and carbamate hydrogen bonds as well as London dispersion interactions. Whereas in toluene, 1,4-dioxane and tert-butyl methyl ether the hydrogen bonds dominate, the variation in stabilization of the different substituted azobenzenes in dimethyl sulfoxide can be rationalized by London dispersion interactions. These findings were supported by conformational analysis and DFT computations and reveal low-energy London dispersion forces to be a significant factor, even in the presence of hydrogen bonds.
2018 Impression, Pattern and Trace Evidence Symposium
Authors: Jones Nicole S.
Published: May 2018

From January 22 to 25, 2018, RTI International, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCoE) held the 2018 Impression, Pattern and Trace Evidence Symposium (IPTES) in Arlington, VA, to promote collaboration, enhance knowledge transfer, and share best practices and policies for the impression, pattern, and trace evidence forensic science communities.

NIJ and FTCoE are committed to improving the practice of forensic science and strengthening its impact through support of research and development, rigorous technology evaluation and adoption, effective knowledge transfer and education, and comprehensive dissemination of best practices and guidelines to agencies dedicated to combating crime. The future of forensic sciences and its contribution to the public and criminal justice community is a motivating topic to gather expertise in a forum to discuss, learn, and share ideas. It’s about becoming part of an essential and historic movement as the forensic sciences continue to advance. The IPTES was specifically designed to bring together practitioners and researchers to enhance information-sharing and promote collaboration among the impression, pattern, and trace evidence analysts, law enforcement, and legal communities.

The IPTES was designed to bring together practitioners and researchers to enhance information sharing and promote collaboration among impression, pattern, and trace evidence analysts, law enforcement, and legal communities. This set of proceedings comprises abstracts from workshops, general sessions, breakout sessions, and poster presentations.
SYNCHRONOUS AND LONGITUDINAL EFFECTS OF EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT ON INTELLECTUAL, SOCIAL AND AFFECTIVE ENGAGEMENT
Authors: Jamil Abu-Hamour Husam Mahmmud
Published: May 2018

The aim of this research is to examine if there are any synchronous or longitudinal effects of employee commitment on employee engagement. The former is measured as a whole construct using affective, continuous and normative dimensions of commitment introduced by Allen and Mayer (1990), while the latter is assessed by intellectual, social and affective dimensions of employee engagement suggested by Soane et al. (2012). The rationale behind conducting this research is twofold. First, to fill the gap resulted from paucity of research conducted to examine the effects of employee commitment on employee engagement. Second, to overcome the most common limitation cited in many prior studies, namely the cross-sectional research design by performing a longitudinal research. The questionnaire used in this research is built by adopting items form prior literature. Then, it was administered over a two-time period to employees working in a large Jordanian hospitality setting located in Amman, the capital of Jordan. Two waves of data collection process have been achieved with a lag time of 12 months, that is, from August 2016 to August 2017. The number of returned questionnaires in the first measurement period is 487 (97.4%), while the number of returned questionnaires in the second measurement period is 473 (94.6%). The research hypotheses focus on the presence of synchronous or longitudinal effects of employee commitment, as well as intellectual, social, and affective dimensions of employee engagement. The results indicate that employee commitment significantly as well as simultaneously affects employees’ intellectual engagement, while significantly and longitudinally affects their social and affective engagement. These findings contribute to the organizational behavior literature by showing that employee commitment does not only enhance employees’ immediate absorption in methods that could be used to improve the work, but also it builds up strong relationships among them and with their organization’s values and environment. Additionally, it boosts their emotional attachment to job tasks over time. Therefore, it is recommended that academic researchers along with practitioners should look at changes in employee attitudes that might occur in the future.
ANALYSIS OF PERSONAL DATA-SHARING CONSENT FACTORS, WITH FOCUS ON LOYALTY PROGRAMS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
Authors: Formanek Tomas , Tahal Radek
Published: May 2018

The purpose of this study is to provide structured, topical and representative analysis of personal data sharing preferences in the Czech Republic. Within the context of personal data sharing and protection, we focus on profiling individuals who voluntarily share their personal data with good-faith corporate entities. Loyalty program operators serve as a common and representative model of commercially driven collection and processing of personal data. We address different types of personal data and factors affecting individual data-sharing consent. Our original research is based on primary surveyed data (806 respondents surveyed during 2017). Multiple quantitative methods such as hierarchical clustering and logistic regression are employed in the analysis. Also, an important part of our research is based on evaluation of structured in-depth interviews, focused on personal data sharing and protection topics. We find pronounced socio-demographic differences in individual propensity to share one’s personal data with commercial data processors. Main findings and contrasting factors are pointed out and discussed within the paper. Our analysis reflects the needs of academic and corporate researches to whom it provides actionable and stratified results, especially in context of the new EU legislation: the GDPR directive on personal data protection.
TEACHING PARAMETRICISM AS A STANDARD SKILL FOR ARCHITECTURE
Authors: RIEKSTINS Arne
Published: May 2018

The traditional need for coding to create parametric design has become quite obsolete with the advent of powerful visual programming languages for most becoming architects of the current young generation that are studying all around the world. Parametricism might become one of the standard skills for applicants seeking for a position at architectural design practices. It raises a question – how to implement the parametric knowledge into the workflow of a classical architectural designing approach, and rethinking the way we present these concepts at university level education of architecture. Additional knowledge of subjects is necessary, for example, about the structural integrity, material tolerance, fabrication optimization, sustainability issues etc. just to name the most frequent areas where lies the highest potential of making mistakes when these new systems are in use. Meanwhile the CAD/CAM paradigm that let architects design straight for fabrication brings new challenge for construction practice. Parametricism is an excellent platform of research for form finding, as there is very little amount of time needed to recreate significantly different design proposals by changing the variables, as soon as the bigger system of internal relations is set up.
CHALLENGES OF INNOVATIVE ARCHITECTURE: EDUCATION AND PRACTICE
Authors: AUGUSTINAITĖ Dalia
Published: May 2018

The article analyzes the concept of innovative architecture, which is significant in developing the anthropogenic environment, explains the structural and systemic components that form it and the relations between them. The research focuses on the Lithuanian culture and the educational system of its architecture schools as a means contributing to the development of innovative thinking skills. On this basis, it explains what advantages and disadvantages of the education system in the country reflect the present practice of innovative architecture. At the end of the article, considering the present situation, suggestions are made on how to improve the quality of the relationship between education and practice.
PERCEIVING THE VOID AND THE LIVING BEING TO BUILD NEW ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY URBAN SPACES
Authors: SCATENA Donatella
Published: May 2018

The definition of perception concerns the awareness of a reality considered external to the subject. Even before architecture and landscape, other disciplines had already dealt with perception.In psychology, simultaneously with the discovery of the unconscious by Freud and Jung, the Gestalt theory was developed, with which we passed from an elementary conception of perception to its definition as the sum of interrelated actions organised between themselves, moving the perceptive act on a purely inner level.German psychologist Kurt Zadek Lewin has shown that social behaviours are an expression of an exchange between the personal places of life and the environment. This theory was essential to deal with the phenomena of open spaces.In the perception of the landscape, the fragmented and partial view gets overcame by the holistic concept of environment, which allows us to conceive the landscape as a whole.The observer’s topic and its perception concern the centrality of the landscape concept, as it is defined by the European Landscape Convention. For architects, the observational notion takes on crucial importance both in the relationship between nature and artificial, both in relation to the context of the urban landscape and of the city open spaces. The analysis of Gordon Cullen and Kevin Lynch appears to be significant. Their researches on the subjective representation of the environment have shown how it is possible to distinguish between an objective and physical reality of the territory and the architectural space, and the perception of the singular environmental reality and of the personal space.In the ‘50s the duality of object-observed-outer and perception-inner of the subject was examined by the writer Aldus Huxley in The Doors of Perception, in which he described an outer landscape that gets reflected and amplified in the inner landscape. The works of the great landscape painters are born exactly from this marriage between inner and outer.In 1988 the aesthetic madness of Huxley found a scientific basis in the person of Gilles Deleuze, who attempted, through a metaphor, to define the evolution of perception and of the modern experience in the metaphysics of the chaos.And it is here that Deleuze, and with him Leibniz, returns to that perceiving the outside world as a reflection of the inner world.Nowadays the holistic concept of perception and the multiplicity of the gaze are studied and proposed by the science of geography and by a new sense of the places.
New Insights into the Formation of the Blue Main Sequence in NGC 1850
Authors: Yang Yujiao , Li Chengyuan , Deng Licai , Grijs Richard de , Milone Antonino P.
Published: May 2018

Recent discoveries of bimodal main sequences (MSs) associated with young clusters (with ages ≲1 Gyr) in the Magellanic Clouds have drawn a lot of attention. One of the prevailing formation scenarios attributes these split MSs to a bimodal distribution in stellar rotation rates, with most stars belonging to a rapidly rotating population. In this scenario, only a small fraction of stars populating a secondary blue sequence are slowly or non-rotating stars. Here, we focus on the blue MS in the young cluster NGC 1850. We compare the cumulative number fraction of the observed blue-MS stars to that of the high-mass-ratio binary systems at different radii. The cumulative distributions of both populations exhibit a clear anti-correlation, characterized by a highly significant Pearson coefficient of −0.97. Our observations are consistent with the possibility that blue-MS stars are low-mass-ratio binaries, and therefore their dynamical disruption is still ongoing. High-mass-ratio binaries, on the other hand, are more centrally concentrated.
A Search for H i Lyα Counterparts to Ultrafast X-Ray Outflows
Authors: Kriss Gerard A. , Lee Julia C. , Danehkar Ashkbiz
Published: May 2018

Prompted by the H i Lyα absorption associated with the X-ray ultrafast outflow at −17,300 km s−1 in the quasar PG 1211+143, we have searched archival UV spectra at the expected locations of H i Lyα absorption for a large sample of ultrafast outflows identified in XMM-Newton and Suzaku observations. Sixteen of the X-ray outflows have predicted H i Lyα wavelengths falling within the bandpass of spectra from either the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer or the Hubble Space Telescope, although none of the archival observations were simultaneous with the X-ray observations in which ultrafast X-ray outflows (UFOs) were detected. In our spectra broad features with FWHM of 1000 km s−1 have 2σ upper limits on the H i column density of generally ≲2 × 1013 cm−2. Using grids of photoionization models covering a broad range of spectral energy distributions (SEDs), we find that producing Fe xxvi Lyα X-ray absorption with equivalent widths >30 eV and associated H i Lyα absorption with

requires total absorbing column densities

and ionization parameters log ξ ≳ 3.7. Nevertheless, a wide range of SEDs would predict observable H i Lyα absorption if ionization parameters are only slightly below peak ionization fractions for Fe xxv and Fe xxvi. The lack of Lyα features in the archival UV spectra indicates that the UFOs have very high ionization parameters, that they have very hard UV-ionizing spectra, or that they were not present at the time of the UV spectral observations owing to variability.
Complex Lyα Profiles in Redshift 6.6 Ultraluminous Lyα Emitters*

†
Authors: Songaila A. , Hu E. M. , Barger A. J. , Cowie L. L. , Hasinger G. , Rosenwasser B. , Waters C.
Published: May 2018

We report on a search for ultraluminous Lyα-emitting galaxies (LAEs) at z = 6.6 using the NB921 filter on the Hyper Suprime-Cam on the Subaru telescope. We searched a 30 deg2 area around the north ecliptic pole, which we observed in broadband g′, r′, i′, z′, and y′ and narrowband NB816 and NB921, for sources with NB921 < 23.5 and z′-NB921 > 1.3. This corresponds to a selection of log L(Lyα) > 43.5 erg s−1. We followed up seven candidate LAEs (out of 13) with the Keck DEIMOS spectrograph and confirmed five z = 6.6 LAEs, one z = 6.6 AGN with a broad Lyα line and a strong red continuum, and one low-redshift ([O iii] 5007) galaxy. The five ultraluminous LAEs have wider line profiles than lower-luminosity LAEs, and one source, NEPLA4, has a complex line profile similar to that of COLA1. In combination with previous results, we show that the line profiles of the z = 6.6 ultraluminous LAEs are systematically different from those of lower-luminosity LAEs at this redshift. This result suggests that ultraluminous LAEs generate highly ionized regions of the intergalactic medium in their vicinity that allow the full Lyα profile of the galaxy—including any blue wings—to be visible. If this interpretation is correct, then ultraluminous LAEs offer a unique opportunity to determine the properties of the ionized zones around them, which will help in understanding the ionization of the z ∼ 7 intergalactic medium. A simple calculation gives a very rough estimate of 0.015 for the escape fraction of ionizing photons, but more sophisticated calculations are needed to fully characterize the uncertainties.
Combined Constraints on the Equation of State of Dense Neutron-rich Matter from Terrestrial Nuclear Experiments and Observations of Neutron Stars
Authors: Zhang Nai-Bo , Li Bao-An , Xu Jun
Published: May 2018

Within the parameter space of the equation of state (EOS) of dense neutron-rich matter limited by existing constraints mainly from terrestrial nuclear experiments, we investigate how the neutron star maximum mass M
max > 2.01 ± 0.04 M
⊙, radius 10.62 km < R
1.4 < 12.83 km and tidal deformability Λ1.4 ≤ 800 of canonical neutron stars together constrain the EOS of dense neutron-rich nucleonic matter. While the 3D parameter space of K
sym (curvature of nuclear symmetry energy), J
sym, and J
0 (skewness of the symmetry energy and EOS of symmetric nuclear matter, respectively) is narrowed down significantly by the observational constraints, more data are needed to pin down the individual values of K
sym, J
sym, and J
0. The J
0 largely controls the maximum mass of neutron stars. While the EOS with J
0 = 0 is sufficiently stiff to support neutron stars as massive as 2.37 M
⊙, supporting the hypothetical ones as massive as 2.74 M
⊙ (composite mass of GW170817) requires J
0 to be larger than its currently known maximum value of about 400 MeV and beyond the causality limit. The upper limit on the tidal deformability of Λ1.4 = 800 from the recent observation of GW170817 is found to provide upper limits on some EOS parameters consistent with but far less restrictive than the existing constraints of other observables studied.
Electron–Positron Pair Creation Close to a Black Hole Horizon: Redshifted Annihilation Line in the Emergent X-Ray Spectra of a Black Hole. I.
Authors: Laurent Philippe , Titarchuk Lev
Published: May 2018

We consider a Compton cloud (CC) surrounding a black hole (BH) in an accreting BH system, where electrons propagate with thermal and bulk velocities. In that cloud, soft (disk) photons may be upscattered off these energetic electrons and attain energies of several MeV. They could then create pairs due to photon–photon interactions. In this paper, we study the formation of the 511 keV annihilation line due to this photon–photon interaction, which results in the creation of electron–positron pairs, followed by the annihilation of the created positrons with the CC electrons. The appropriate conditions for annihilation-line generation take place very close to a BH horizon within (103–104)m cm from it, where m is the BH hole mass in solar units. As a result, the created annihilation line should be seen by the Earth observer as a blackbody bump, or the so-called reflection bump at energies around (511/20) (20/z) keV, where z ∼ 20 is a typical gravitational redshift experienced by the created annihilation-line photons when they emerge. This transient feature should occur in any accreting BH system, either galactic or extragalactic. Observational evidences for this feature in several galactic BH systems is detailed in an accompanying paper. An extended hard tail of the spectrum up to 1 MeV may also be formed due to X-ray photons upscattering off created pairs.
Increases to Inferred Rates of Planetesimal Accretion due to Thermohaline Mixing in Metal-accreting White Dwarfs
Authors: Bauer Evan B. , Bildsten Lars
Published: May 2018

Many isolated, old white dwarfs (WDs) show surprising evidence of metals in their photospheres. Given that the timescale for gravitational sedimentation is astronomically short, this is taken as evidence for ongoing accretion, likely of tidally disrupted planetesimals. The rate of such accretion,

, is important to constrain, and most modeling of this process relies on assuming an equilibrium between diffusive sedimentation and metal accretion supplied to the WD’s surface convective envelope. Building on the earlier work of Deal and collaborators, we show that high

models with only diffusive sedimentation are unstable to thermohaline mixing and that models that account for the enhanced mixing from the active thermohaline instability require larger accretion rates, sometimes reaching

to explain observed calcium abundances. We present results from a grid of MESA models that include both diffusion and thermohaline mixing. These results demonstrate that both mechanisms are essential for understanding metal pollution across the range of polluted WDs with hydrogen atmospheres. Another consequence of active thermohaline mixing is that the observed metal abundance ratios are identical to accreted material.
Tout autour et… sur la page
Authors: Marty-Aoustin Nathalie
Published: May 2018

Ça écrit : tout autour, en soi et sur la page, pour combler la fissure du temps qui passe et de notre intranquillité. Par bonheur, il y a ce métier dont je vis – animer des ateliers d’écriture – et c’est une chance. On écrit, pris par la beauté des heures, sur la surface limitée de la page. Et on écrit en atelier, avec les autres, avec joie. Dans les associations, les gem et à la clinique, il y a un besoin vital d’écrire. Ensemble, chacun écrit et imprime son style, empreinte nécessaire. Et c’est sacré !
Travail social et écriture bureaucratique
Authors: Drulhe Marcel
Published: May 2018

Que les travailleurs sociaux soient capables de pratiquer toutes sortes d’écriture ne fait aucun doute ; l’enjeu est ici d’attirer leur attention sur l’écriture bureaucratique qu’ils produisent forcément, tant elle est liée à l’exercice de leurs fonctions qui mettent en œuvre les politiques sociales et médico-sociales de l’État (dossiers, courriers, verbatim de réunions…). Il s’agit d’inviter le lecteur à faire un détour par un article pour questionner l’une des modalités de son écriture afin de redynamiser le vecteur dialogique du rapport de soi à soi tout comme du rapport de soi à l’autre et, ainsi, d’approfondir les voies du déchiffrement des traces de notre quête d’élaboration d’un monde plus humain.
Protein value of two insects, subjected to various heat treatments, using growing rats and the protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score
Authors: Poelaert C. , Francis F. , Alabi T. , Megido R. Caparros , Crahay B. , Bindelle J. , Beckers Y.
Published: May 2018

To address the future challenge of food availability (9 billion people on earth by 2050), non-common sources of proteins need to be investigated. Insects are consumed mainly in Africa, Asia and South America, but entomophagy is now being increasingly promoted in Europe and North America. In addition to consumption in raw form, insects are often cooked, which represents an important guarantee for sanitation purposes. Little information is available on the influence of such treatment and its effect on the nutritional value of the resulting insect food. The aim of this study was to determine, depending on the heat treatment, the quality of the proteins of two edible insects, using the protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) and a rat bioassay. The insects were adult house crickets (Acheta domesticus) and the larvae of mealworms (Tenebrio molitor). Both insects, not heated or heat-treated by oven-cooking at 150 °C for 30 min or at 200 °C for 10 min and by autoclaving at 120 °C for 25 min, were fed to rats and evaluated for ingestion, digestibility and nitrogen retention and compared with a control casein diet. The growth performance of rats fed mealworm larvae, and to a lesser extent house crickets, was hampered by a deficiency in sulphur-containing amino acids (AA) in not heated insects. Then, the nitrogen retention of diets formulated with oven-cooked or autoclaved insects was reduced in rats because the AA profile was negatively modified by the heat treatment. Cooking insects at 200 °C for 10 min seemed the most appropriate for maintaining a high nutritive value in growing rats. However both tested insect-species are promising as human food ingredients because of (1) their high protein digestibility in the not heated state (84-92%) as well as after being heated (84-90%); and (2) their AA profile, which meets human dietary requirements (69-84% for PDCAAS).
A Comparison of Three Different Photoscreeners in Children
Authors: Teberik Kuddusi , Eski Mehmet Tahir , Kaya Murat , Ankarali Handan
Published: May 2018

Purpose:

To compare the results obtained from three non-cycloplegic handheld photorefractometers with cycloplegic autorefractometry (Topcon KR-8100; Topcon Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) measurement in children.

Methods:

The refractive status of 238 eyes in 119 healthy children was assessed. The values acquired using photorefraction with the non-cycloplegic PlusoptiX A12 (Plusoptix GmbH, Nuremberg, Germany), Retinomax K-plus 3 (Righton, Tokyo, Japan), and Spot Vision Screener (Welch Allyn, Skaneateles Falls, NY) devices were compared with those obtained from the cycloplegic Topcon KR-8100. The agreement between the measurements was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient.

Results:

The mean age was 10.1 ± 3.2 years (range: 6 to 17 years). The mean spherical value for the right eyes was 0.38 diopters (D) (range: −4.50 to 6.25 D) for the Plusoptix A12; 0.45 D (range: −4.50 to 6.25 D) for the Spot Vision Screener; −1.15 D (range: −8.75 to 6.50 D) for the Retinomax K-plus 3; and 0.62 (range: −4.50 to 6.00) for the Topcon KR-8100. The mean spherical equivalent value for the right eyes was 0.41 D (range: −4.50 to 7.90 D) for the Plusoptix A12; 0.18 D (range: −4.75 to 6.13 D) for the Spot Vision Screener; −1.30 D (range: −10.50 to 6.38 D) for the Retinomax K-plus 3; and 0.67 D (range: −4.00 to 6.00 D) for the Topcon KR-8100 (for the right eyes).

Conclusions:

The photorefractometer method was beneficial in the measurement of refractive errors of school-aged children. The PlusoptiX A12 photorefractometer method may eliminate the need for cycloplegia in the detection of refractive errors in children.

[
J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus
. 2018;55(5):306-311.]