bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mosaico do Jacupiranga - Vale do Ribeira / SP: conservação, conflitos e soluções socioambientais
Authors: Bim Ocimar José Baptista , Furlan Sueli Angelo
Published: September 2019

O processo de criação do Mosaico de Unidades de Conservação do Jacupiranga foi uma solução inédita no Estado de São Paulo, cuja análise nos remete a importantes impactos na conservação e nas comunidades rurais envolvidas. Se consideradas as características do antigo Parque Estadual de Jacupiranga (PEJ), com os equívocos da sobreposição em áreas com comunidades residentes; a presença de 8.000 habitantes em mais de 40 bairros rurais em seu perímetro; os conflitos socioambientais e disputas territoriais; a falta de recursos financeiros e humanos na gestão, constata-se que a criação do Mosaico foi a melhor alternativa para mediação dos conflitos existentes, desenvolvimento de estratégias para conservação da área e acesso à terra. Se, por um lado, a criação do antigo Parque Estadual de Jacupiranga seguiu o pressuposto da separação entre sociedade e natureza, a criação do Mosaico vem desencadeando um processo de diálogo e de contextos de participação das comunidades, possibilitando a construção de acordos e consensos para um ordenamento territorial que viabilize a conservação e o desenvolvimento rural local. De território do medo para território de direitos, trabalho e cidadania: este é o desafio que vive agora o Mosaico de Unidades de Conservação do Jacupiranga e que esta pesquisa analisou por meio da metodologia de trabalho de campo, descrição contextualizada e a observação participante.
Entre o subsídio e a subversão: negociações e disputas ao redor dos “batuques” e das “danças nativas” no sul de Moçambique (1900-1950)
Authors: Pereira Matheus Serva
Published: September 2019

Ao longo da primeira metade do século XX, o linguajar colonial português unificou diferentes práticas musicais e dançantes das populações do sul de Moçambique no termo batuque. Por um lado, o artigo pretende analisar os processos de transformação dessas práticas no contexto de colonização portuguesa, promovedor de uma homogeneização e espetacularização das diversidades socioculturais existentes naquela região, incorporando-as à retórica da dominação. Por outro lado, acompanhar as entrelinhas das apresentações dos “batuques” e das “danças nativas” para um público não praticante revela traços de uma multifacetada experiência das populações sul-moçambicanas colonizadas que, por meio de suas ações, produziram incontáveis e inesperadas reinterpretações e ressignificações de suas próprias práticas e experiências.
A americanização das cidades brasileiras: novas formas urbanas e a ideia de unidade de vizinhança
Authors: Rego Renato Leão
Published: September 2019

Este artigo explora a repercussão da americanização da sociedade brasileira em meados do século XX no campo urbanístico, mais especificamente na conformação de novas cidades nas frentes pioneiras de colonização agrícola, e examina quais ideias norteamericanas contribuíram para a construção de novas formas urbanas no Brasil. Ao analisar os traçados de Goiânia-GO (1936), Angélica-MS (1954), e Medicilândia e Rurópolis-PA (1972), e compreender seu contexto sociocultural, o artigo mostra que a unidade de vizinhança norte-americana ajudou a materializar o anseio local por modernização e desenvolvimento, então referenciados no American way of life. A conformação da unidade de vizinhança no traçado destas novas cidades revela que a ideia norte-americana foi apropriada e adaptada e que o fenômeno da americanização coincidiu com a consolidação da hegemonia do urbanismo racionalista/funcionalista no país, e confundiu-se com ele.
Introduction to a four-year biodiversity survey of Tengchong Section of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, in the footsteps of pioneering naturalists in western Yunnan, China
Authors: Chan Bosco Pui Lok , Bi Zeng , Duan Shao-Zhong
Published: September 2019

The Gaoligongshan Mountains in Yunnan Province, southwestern China, is one of the biologically richest areas on Earth.  In 2014, we launched a four-year biodiversity survey in the Tengchong Section of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve and its immediate vicinity, aiming to update the current diversity, distribution, and status of the mammals, birds, herpetofauna, freshwater fishes, and butterflies on which we have expertise.  Despite the intensity of earlier scientific explorations, our survey resulted in the discoveries of a new genus, a number of new species, genera and species new to China, Gaoligongshan, or Tengchong County, and updated the altitude limits for some species.  Species richness of mammalian and avian fauna, the two groups most susceptible to habitat loss and hunting, remains remarkably high, but past impacts of hunting and habitat degradation were in evidence.  Our results clearly illustrate the immense conservation value of this mountain range and the necessity for more in-depth, focused biodiversity field surveys.  This monograph summarizes our findings, and this chapter gives an overview of the geography, climate, vegetation, and ecology of Tengchong, a history of earlier and present biodiversity explorations, and conservation recommendations based on our findings.
Qualitative Methodology in Cardiovascular Outcomes Research
Authors: McIlvennan Colleen K. , Morris Megan A. , Guetterman Timothy C. , Matlock Daniel D. , Curry Leslie
Published: September 2019

Qualitative research offers unique opportunities to contribute to cardiovascular outcomes research. Despite the growth in qualitative research over the last decade, outcomes investigators in cardiology still have relatively little guidance on when and how best to implement these methods in their investigations, leaving the full potential of these methods unrealized. We offer a contemporary look at qualitative methods, including publication trends of qualitative studies in cardiology journals from 1998 to 2018, novel emerging data collection and analytic methods, and current use and examples of cardiovascular outcomes research that apply qualitative methods such as user-centered design, preimplementation evaluation, implementation evaluation, effectiveness evaluation, and policy analysis.
Age‐Dependent Impairment in Endothelial Function and Arterial Stiffness in Former High Class Male Athletes Is No Different to That in Men With No History of Physical Training
Authors: Majerczak Joanna , Grandys Marcin , Frołow Marzena , Szkutnik Zbigniew , Zakrzewska Agnieszka , Niżankowski Rafał , Duda Krzysztof , Chlopicki Stefan , Zoladz Jerzy A.
Published: September 2019

Background

Physical activity is generally considered to exert positive effects on the cardiovascular system in humans. However, surprisingly little is known about the delayed effect of professional physical training performed at a young age on endothelial function and arterial stiffness in aging athletes. The present study aimed to assess the impact of long‐lasting professional physical training (endurance and sprint) performed at a young age on the endothelial function and arterial stiffness reported in older age in relation to glycocalyx injury, prostacyclin and nitric oxide production, inflammation, basal blood lipid profile, and glucose homeostasis.

Methods and Results

This study involved 94 male subjects with varied training backgrounds, including young athletes (mean age ∼25 years), older former high class athletes (mean age ∼60 years), and aged‐matched untrained control groups. Aging increased arterial stiffness, as reflected by an enhancement in pulse wave velocity, augmentation index, and stiffness index (
P
<10
−4
), as well as decreased endothelial function, as judged by the attenuation of flow‐mediated vasodilation (
FMD
) in the brachial artery (
P
=0.03). Surprisingly, no effect of the training performed at a young age on endothelial function and arterial stiffness was observed in the former athletes. Moreover, no effect of training performed at a young age (
P
>0.05) on blood lipid profile, markers of inflammation, and glycocalyx shedding were observed in the former athletes.

Conclusions

Our study clearly shows that aging, but not physical training history, represents the main contributing factor responsible for decline in endothelial function and increase in arterial stiffness in former athletes.
Measuring Online Debaters’ Persuasive Skill from Text over Time
Authors: Luu Kelvin , Tan Chenhao , Smith Noah A.
Published: September 2019

Online debates allow people to express their persuasive abilities and provide exciting opportunities for understanding persuasion. Prior studies have focused on studying persuasion in debate content, but without accounting for each debater’s history or exploring the progression of a debater’s persuasive ability. We study debater skill by modeling how participants progress over time in a collection of debates from Debate.org . We build on a widely used model of skill in two-player games and augment it with linguistic features of a debater’s content. We show that online debaters’ skill levels do tend to improve over time. Incorporating linguistic profiles leads to more robust skill estimation than winning records alone. Notably, we find that an interaction feature combining uncertainty cues (hedging) with terms strongly associated with either side of a particular debate (fightin’ words) is more predictive than either feature on its own, indicating the importance of fine- grained linguistic features.
Graph Convolutional Network with Sequential Attention for Goal-Oriented Dialogue Systems
Authors: Banerjee Suman , Khapra Mitesh M.
Published: September 2019

Domain-specific goal-oriented dialogue systems typically require modeling three types of inputs, namely, (i) the knowledge-base associated with the domain, (ii) the history of the conversation, which is a sequence of utterances, and (iii) the current utterance for which the response needs to be generated. While modeling these inputs, current state-of-the-art models such as Mem2Seq typically ignore the rich structure inherent in the knowledge graph and the sentences in the conversation context. Inspired by the recent success of structure-aware Graph Convolutional Networks (GCNs) for various NLP tasks such as machine translation, semantic role labeling, and document dating, we propose a memory-augmented GCN for goal-oriented dialogues. Our model exploits (i) the entity relation graph in a knowledge-base and (ii) the dependency graph associated with an utterance to compute richer representations for words and entities. Further, we take cognizance of the fact that in certain situations, such as when the conversation is in a code-mixed language, dependency parsers may not be available. We show that in such situations we could use the global word co-occurrence graph to enrich the representations of utterances. We experiment with four datasets: (i) the modified DSTC2 dataset, (ii) recently released code-mixed versions of DSTC2 dataset in four languages, (iii) Wizard-of-Oz style CAM676 dataset, and (iv) Wizard-of-Oz style MultiWOZ dataset. On all four datasets our method outperforms existing methods, on a wide range of evaluation metrics.
Concerning the Phrase יוֹם הַקָּהָל
Authors: Bar-Asher Moshe
Published: September 2019

In the phrase yom haqqahal, used three times in Deuteronomy, qahal functions as a verbal noun. The correct translation is “the day of assembling.”
Self-pressurised rapid freezing, a time-efficient and affordable cryo-fixation method for ultrastructural observations on unhatched cyst nematodes
Authors: Claeys Myriam , Handayani Nurul Dwi , Yushin Vladimir V. , Lestari Prabowo , Dikin Antarjo , Helder Johannes , Bert Wim
Published: September 2019

Ultrastructural analysis of the early development of nematodes is hampered by the impermeability of the eggshell to most commonly used fixatives. High-pressure freezing (HPF), a physical cryo-fixation method, facilitates a fast rate of fixation, and by using this method the issue of the uneven delivery of fixative is circumvented. Although HPF results in a superior preservation of the fine structure, the equipment costs impede a wider application of this method. Self-pressurised rapid freezing (SPRF) is an alternative low-cost cryo-fixation method, and its usefulness was evaluated in an ultrastructural study of the eggshell and the cuticle of unhatched second-stage juveniles (J2) of Globodera rostochiensis and Heterodera schachtii. A comparison with conventional (chemical) fixation demonstrates that SPRF fixation results in a remarkably well-preserved ultrastructure of the entire egg including both the eggshell and the cellular details of the unhatched J2. Therefore, SPRF fixation is proposed as an affordable, relatively easy-to-use and time-efficient technique to study the ultrastructure of unhatched J2 and eggs of nematodes.
Illustrated identification key to the genera of New World Micrelytrini (Hemiptera: Alydidae: Micrelytrinae), with description of two new genera, one new species and new distributional records
Authors: BRAILOVSKY HARRY
Published: September 2019

Two new genera, Nepiomistus, gen. nov., and Protenoroides, gen. nov., and one new species, Nepiomistus eximius, sp. nov., from Ecuador are described. Protenoroides is used to accomodate a species previously included in the binomen Protenor tropicalis Distant, 1881. New distributional records for Esperanza texana Barber, 1906 and Protenor australis, Hussey, 1925 are included. Photographs of the dorsal and lateral habitus, a close up of the head and thorax in lateral view, and the parameres of the genera included in the New World Micrelytrini are presented. An illustrated identification key for the 13 genera included in the New World Micrelytrini is added.
Nonsingular Zero-Order Bulk Models of Sheared Convective Boundary Layers
Authors: Haghshenas Armin , Mellado Juan Pedro , Hartmann Moritz
Published: September 2019

Two zero-order bulk models (ZOMs) are developed for the velocity, buoyancy, and moisture of a cloud-free barotropic convective boundary layer (CBL) that grows into a linearly stratified atmosphere. The models differ in the entrainment closure assumption: in the first one, termed the “energetics-based model,” the negative and positive areas of the buoyancy flux are assumed to match between the model and the actual CBL; in the second one, termed the “geometric-based model,” the modeled CBL depth is assumed to match different definitions of the actual CBL depth. Parameterizations for these properties derived from direct numerical simulation (DNS) are employed as entrainment closure equations. These parameterizations, and hence the resulting models, are free from the potential singularity at finite wind strength that has been a major limitation in previous bulk models. The proposed ZOMs are verified using the DNS data. Model results show that the CBL depths obtained from the energetics-based model and previous ZOMs correspond to the height that marks the transition from the lower to the upper entrainment-zone sublayer; this reference height is few hundred meters above the height of the minimum buoyancy flux. It is also argued that ZOMs, despite their simplicity compared to higher-order models, can accurately represent CBL bulk properties when the relevant features of the actual entrainment zone are considered in the entrainment closures. The vertical structure of the actual entrainment zone, if required, can be constructed a posteriori using the available relationships between the predicted zero-order CBL depth and various definitions of the actual CBL depth.
Evaluating Himawari-8 Cloud Products Using Shipborne and CALIPSO Observations: Cloud-Top Height and Cloud-Top Temperature
Authors: Huang Yi , Siems Steven , Manton Michael , Protat Alain , Majewski Leon , Nguyen Hanh
Published: September 2019

Cloud-top height (CTH) and cloud-top temperature (CTT) retrieved from the Himawari-8 observations are evaluated using the active shipborne radar–lidar observations derived from the 31-day Clouds, Aerosols, Precipitation Radiation and Atmospheric Composition over the Southern Ocean (CAPRICORN) experiment in 2016 and 1-yr observations from the spaceborne Cloud–Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) cloud product over a large sector of the Southern Ocean. The results show that the Himawari-8 CTH (CTT) retrievals agree reasonably well with both the shipborne estimates, with a correlation coefficient of 0.837 (0.820), a mean bias error of 0.226 km (−2.526°C), and an RMSE of 1.684 km (10.069°C). In the comparison with CALIOP, the corresponding quantities are found to be 0.786 (0.480), −0.570 km (1.343°C), and 2.297 km (25.176°C). The Himawari-8 CTH (CTT) generally falls between the physical CTHs observed by CALIOP and the shipborne radar–lidar estimates. However, major systematic biases are also identified. These errors include (i) a low (warm) bias in CTH (CTT) for warm liquid cloud type, (ii) a cold bias in CTT for supercooled liquid water cloud type, (iii) a lack of CTH at ~3 km that does not have a corresponding gap in CTT, (iv) a tendency of misclassifying some low-/mid-top clouds as cirrus and overlap cloud types, and (v) a saturation of CTH (CTT) around 10 km (−40°C), particularly for cirrus and overlap cloud types. Various challenges that underpin these biases are also explored, including the potential of parallax bias, low-level inversion, and cloud heterogeneity.
Family Complexity into Adulthood: The Central Role of Mothers in Shaping Intergenerational Ties
Authors: Kalmijn Matthijs , de Leeuw Suzanne G. , Hornstra Maaike , Ivanova Katya , van Gaalen Ruben , van Houdt Kirsten
Published: September 2019

As a result of the divorce revolution, more children grow up in complex families. Yet, we know little about how family complexity affects relationships when children are adults and parents are ageing. In this article, we use unique survey data to test fundamental ideas about intergenerational ties: the role of biology, partnerships (marriage and cohabitation), residence, and selection. The survey used a register-based oversample of Dutch adults who grew up in nonstandard families, collected data among adult children and their parent figures, and used a double multi-actor design in which adult children reported on their parents and parents reported on their children. Using random- and fixed-effects models, we confirm most hypotheses but the results are highly gendered. For fathers, we find evidence for a partnership premium and no disadvantage of being a stepparent once the length of residence is adjusted. For mothers, the partnership premium is weaker but the effect of biology is strong: stepmother-stepchild ties are much weaker, even after taking residence patterns into account. Biological mothers are the primary kinkeepers, and for fathers of any type, their relationship to children depends on their partnership to the biological mother. Within-family comparisons suggest that selection into divorce and remarriage do not explain these disadvantages.
A Journey in Kink: From Shameful Fantasy to Self-Actualization
Authors: Domingue Cal J.
Published: September 2019

This case study presents some specific highlights in the work with a client over the course of 6 years, from a time when he saw BDSM/kink as a shameful fantasy to a fuller acceptance of it as part of his identity. It demonstrates how clinical professionals can support the exploration and acceptance of alternative sexual activities and identities. Significant milestones in treatment that will be presented include eradicating shame, self-acceptance, moving beyond erotic fulfillment to identity, and the impact of relationship and community. The psychological frameworks presented in this article are psychoeducation, including metaphor and bibliotherapy; EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing); and Hakomi. Psychodynamic theory and narrative therapy were also employed in working with this client, but in more minimal ways, so they are not presented here.
Principal Learning-Centered Leadership and Faculty Trust in the Principal
Authors: Farnsworth Shane J. , Hallam Pamela R. , Hilton Sterling C.
Published: September 2019

Principals are increasingly held accountable for student achievement. Existing research has found principal leadership indirectly affects student achievement. Using the Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in Education measurement of principal learning-centered leadership and the Omnibus T-Scale measurement of faculty trust in the principal, researchers sought to better understand the relationship between the perceived learning-centered leadership of principals and faculty trust in those principals. Findings indicated that principal learning-centered leadership was significantly and positively related to faculty trust in the principal.
Left liver anatomical resection via the left vertical groove and intraoperative antegrade cholangioscopy in patients with left-sided hepatolithiasis and previous biliary tract surgery
Authors: Zhou Yong , Jiang Guo-qin , Fan Ren-Gen , Zha Wen-Zhang , Wu Xu-dong
Published: September 2019

Objective

This study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of left liver anatomical resection via the left vertical groove following intraoperative antegrade cholangioscopy (biliary exploration through the left hepatic duct orifice) in patients with left-sided hepatolithiasis (LSH) and previous biliary tract surgery.

Methods

Between January 2012 and January 2016, eligible patients with LSH (n = 28) who underwent left liver anatomical resection via the left vertical groove followed by intraoperative antegrade cholangioscopy, were referred to our hospital. Clinical results, such as the overall operative time, length of hospital stay, intraoperative complications, residual stones and postoperative bile leaks, were recorded and analyzed.

Results

No residual stones and bile leakage occurred in the patients. No patients experienced intraoperative complications or T-tube placement. The mean operative time was 135.1 ± 18.9 minutes. The mean postoperative duration of hospitalization was 7.8 ± 1.8 days.

Conclusions

Left liver anatomical resection via the left vertical groove combined with intraoperative antegrade cholangioscopy is a safe and useful method for patients with LSH and previous biliary tract surgery. This technique simplifies the operative procedure by avoiding dissection of the porta hepatis and subsequent choledochotomy.
The Patterns and Social Determinants of Breastfeeding in 12 Selected Regions in China: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Fang Zhe , Liu Yuning , Wang Hanyu , Tang Kun
Published: September 2019

Background

With rapid industrialization and urbanization, there is a growing need for women to enter the workforce, and affluent people are drawn to the infant formula market. The breastfeeding rates in China are below the optimal level. Large scale quantitative research studying breastfeeding practices after 2015 in China are lacking.

Research aim

We aimed to (1) explore the latest patterns and (2) identify the determinants of breastfeeding in China.

Methods

The study was a population-based, cross-sectional survey. A multi-stage sampling technique was adopted for the selection of participants. We recruited 10,408 mothers with children under 12 months old, in 12 regions of China, and conducted a questionnaire survey about breastfeeding patterns. The associations between social and biophysical determinants and breastfeeding outcomes were analyzed using a logistic regression model.

Results

The exclusive breastfeeding rate was 29.32% ( n = 3,052) decreasing from 32.71% ( n = 3,404) to 15.83% ( n = 1,648) among children aged 0–5 months. Cesarean section had a negative association with early breastfeeding initiation ( OR = .33, 95% CI [.30, .36]), exclusive breastfeeding ( OR = .78, 95% CI [.69, .89]), and predominant breastfeeding ( OR = .73, 95% CI [.65, .83]). Compared to participants with an annual household income lower than 40,000 Yuan ($5,817 USD), those with over 100,000 Yuan ($14,542 USD) had an OR of .78 (95% CI [.67, .90]) in exclusive breastfeeding. Compared with illiterate and unemployed groups, middle/high school education and a current work status, respectively, were associated with a lower likelihood of exclusive breastfeeding ( OR = .73, 95% CI [.63, .84]; OR = .58, 95% CI [.37, .89]).

Conclusions

The prevalence of breastfeeding in 12 selected regions in China was low and interventions focusing on the targeted population should be strengthened.
Sources of Caregiving Burden in Middle-Aged and Older Latino Caregivers
Authors: Balbim Guilherme Moraes , Magallanes Melissa , Marques Isabela Gouveia , Ciruelas Karen , Aguiñaga Susan , Guzman Jacqueline , Marquez David Xavier
Published: September 2019

Objective:

We aimed to identify sources of caregiver burden in middle-aged and older Latino caregivers of people with Alzheimer disease and related dementia (ADRD).

Methods:

Participants were recruited through an agreement with the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center Clinic Data Repository. We conducted semistructured interviews with 16 middle-aged and older Latinos who were the primary caregiver for a family member diagnosed with ADRD. The interview guide consisted of questions and probes to capture participants’ perceptions of family caregiving. Direct content analysis was performed.

Results:

Participants were aged 50 to 75 years (n = 16) and a majority female (n = 12). The sources of burden identified were (1) caregiver responsibilities, (2) caregiving-related health decline, (3) lack of support, (4) financial status, (5) vigilance, and (6) concerns about the future.

Conclusions:

The influence of gender roles seemed to play a role in caregivers’ perceptions of sources of burden, especially on caregiver responsibilities and perceptions of lack of support. Latinos cultural values such as familismo and marianismo likely reinforced gender disparities in family caregiving.
Correlated gamma frailty models for bivariate survival time data
Authors: Martins Adelino , Aerts Marc , Hens Niel , Wienke Andreas , Abrams Steven
Published: September 2019

Frailty models have been developed to quantify both heterogeneity as well as association in multivariate time-to-event data. In recent years, numerous shared and correlated frailty models have been proposed in the survival literature allowing for different association structures and frailty distributions. A bivariate correlated gamma frailty model with an additive decomposition of the frailty variables into a sum of independent gamma components was introduced before. Although this model has a very convenient closed-form representation for the bivariate survival function, the correlation among event- or subject-specific frailties is bounded above which becomes a severe limitation when the values of the two frailty variances differ substantially. In this article, we review existing correlated gamma frailty models and propose novel ones based on bivariate gamma frailty distributions. Such models are found to be useful for the analysis of bivariate survival time data regardless of the censoring type involved. The frailty methodology was applied to right-censored and left-truncated Danish twins mortality data and serological survey current status data on varicella zoster virus and parvovirus B19 infections in Belgium. From our analyses, it has been shown that fitting more flexible correlated gamma frailty models in terms of the imposed association and correlation structure outperforms existing frailty models including the one with an additive decomposition.
Comparison of multilocus sequence types found among North American isolates of Mycoplasma bovis from cattle, bison, and deer, 2007–2017
Authors: Register Karen B. , Jelinski Murray D. , Waldner Matthew , Boatwright William D. , Anderson Tavis K. , Hunter David L. , Hamilton Robert G. , Burrage Pat , Shury Todd , Bildfell Robert , Wolff Peregrine L. , Miskimins Dale , Derscheid Rachel J. , Woodbury Murray R.
Published: September 2019

A prior multilocus sequence typing (MLST) study reported that Mycoplasma bovis isolates from North American bison possess sequence types (STs) different from those found among cattle. The 42 bison isolates evaluated were obtained in 2007 or later, whereas only 19 of 94 (~20%) of the available cattle isolates, with only 1 from North America, were from that same time. We compared STs of additional, contemporary, North American cattle isolates with those from bison, as well as isolates from 2 North American deer, all originating during the same timeframe, to more definitively assess potential strain-related host specificity and expand our understanding of the genetic diversity of M. bovis. From 307 isolates obtained between 2007 and 2017 (209 from cattle, 96 from bison, 2 from deer), we identified 49 STs, with 39 found exclusively in cattle and 5 exclusively in bison. Four STs were shared between bison and cattle isolates; one ST was found in cattle and in a deer. There was no clear association between ST and the health status of the animal of origin. An MLST-based phylogeny including 41 novel STs identified in our study reveals that STs found in bison fall within several divergent lineages that include STs found exclusively in cattle.
Analysis of the application of ZrN coatings for the mitigation of the development of fretting wear processes at the surfaces of push fit joint elements
Authors: Kowalski Sławomir , Cygnar Mariusz , Cieślikowski Bogusław
Published: September 2019

The purpose of this article is to assess the influence of a ZrN coating on the development of fretting wear in a model of a wheel/axle push fit joint in a rail vehicle. The examinations of the fretting wear process in rail vehicle wheel sets were conducted on two groups of models consisting of a shaft and sleeve connected by means of a push-fit joint, in compliance with the rules for the representation of the real condition. Wear tests of a joint loaded with a vertical force were conducted on a fatigue testing machine permitting oscillatory tangential displacement, which is responsible for the development of fretting wear. Uncoated shafts were the first model, and shafts coated with a ZrN coating were the second one. The tolerance was 0.02 mm, the model loading force was 550 N and the number of fatigue cycles was 7 × 106. The destruction of models was evaluated in, for example, the computer image analysis process with the use of the Image Pro Plus 7.0 software. Macroscopic observations showed wear traces for both model groups. In the first group, wear traces were observed on either side of the axle seat, and those traces had the form of a 2–3 mm wide ring comprising the entire shaft circumference. The random location of the traces of wear was observed in the second model. The microscopic observations of the destruction areas demonstrated mainly the presence of material build-ups, the local surface abrasion and micropits. The analysis of the chemical composition of material build-ups showed the presence of iron and oxygen, a fact which confirms the shearing of the microirregularities of the sleeve top layer. Plastically deformed material build-ups become oxidised, hence the brown colour of the worn-out areas can be observed at the sample surface during macroscopic observations. The significant mitigation of fretting wear on samples with ZrN coatings has been demonstrated. This shows the need for fretting wear tests to be performed on a real object to confirm the scale of improvement of the life of forced-in joints, thus contributing to the higher reliability of rail vehicle wheel sets.
Motivations, security threats and geopolitical implications of Chinese investment in the EU energy sector: the case of CDP Reti
Authors: Otero-Iglesias Miguel , Weissenegger Manuel
Published: September 2019

The recent surge in Chinese outbound foreign direct investment in Europe has been met with anxiety often invoking national security concerns. Using the national security framework developed by Moran and Oldenski, we try to ascertain which transactions justify apprehension. Our case study is the acquisition by a subsidiary of wholly state-owned State Grid Corporation of China of a 35% stake in CDP Reti S.p.A. (CDP Reti) that controls Italy’s electricity grid via its subsidiary Terna S.p.A. Although State Grid Corporation of China can nominate two members of CDP Reti’s board of directors, we find that there is no direct threat to national security. We then tackle the geopolitical dimension of investments in electricity grids. Using the ‘thought experiment’ developed by Scholten and Bosman, the contribution we make is that, in a world where the importance of renewable energy increases, a framing power rather than control over the strategic development of a country’s grid is sufficient to exert geopolitical power. Since State Grid Corporation of China’s exponents on CDP Reti’s board can at least partly influence the company’s investment decisions, we conclude that the transaction grants China geopolitical influence over Italy’s grid. Furthermore, in the future this type of geopolitical influence could also lead to indirect security concerns. The interconnection of European electricity flows extends this conclusion to the EU’s electricity grid as a whole.
Human rights law as social control
Authors: Johnson Paul , Falcetta Silvia
Published: September 2019

Criminologists have long used the concept of social control to consider the ways in which societies respond to individuals or groups regarded as deviant or problematic. Although it is generally recognized that law and its enforcement is a cornerstone of social control, there is very little research on how human rights law might fulfil a social control function. Through an examination of a purposive sample of cases adjudicated by the European Court of Human Rights, we show how human rights law can facilitate forms of upward, inward and downward social control in contemporary societies. Our overall conclusion is that human rights law enables, produces and shapes contemporary practices of social control, often with significant and far-reaching consequences.
“This Is What a Feminist Looks Like”: Dead Girls and Murderous Boys on Season 1 of Netflix’s You
Authors: Rajiva Mythili , Patrick Stephanie
Published: September 2019

The taking up of feminist discourses and practices by a violent misogynist on Netflix’s You is an important departure from mainstream televisual engagements with gendered violence. Drawing on Jackson and Mazzei’s methodological work, we examine “threshold texts” as those that radically destabilize incommensurable political stances such as feminism/misogyny and queer alliance/homophobia. What are the implications of this destabilization for social justice projects? First, we argue that Joe’s voice-over re-centers white, heteronormative masculinity. Second, we examine the implicit homophobia underlying the show’s depiction of female friendships as queer danger. Third, we argue the representations of masculinity offer a hopeless landscape for heteronormative female viewers. We conclude by looking at the paratextual context, specifically actor Penn Badgley’s own ambivalent location as a queer, feminist man playing a character that represents heteronormativity’s deadliest outcome.
Variation of Saturation Across Hue Affects Unique and Typical Hue Choices
Authors: Witzel Christoph
Published: September 2019

Most studies on colour categorisation and many studies on unique hues have used samples of maximally saturated Munsell chips that vary in saturation across hue. Here we show that observers’ choices of category prototypes and unique hues depend on the variation of Munsell chroma across hue. Both unique hue and prototype choices were shifted towards the more saturated hues in the respective stimulus set. This effect of saturation may explain cross-cultural regularities in colour categorisation. More generally, these findings highlight the importance of controlling saturation when measuring colour categories and unique hues.
Core-Shell Fiber-Based 2D Woven Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Effective Motion Energy Harvesting
Authors: Liu Jinmei , Gu Long , Cui Nuanyang , Bai Suo , Liu Shuhai , Xu Qi , Qin Yong , Yang Rusen , Zhou Feng
Published: September 2019

Personal electronic devices have a general development trend of miniaturization, functionality, and wearability. Their wireless, sustainable, and independent operation is critically important, which requests new power technologies that can harvest the ambient environmental energy. Here, we report a new kind of 2D woven wearable triboelectric nanogenerator (2DW-WTNG) composed of core-shell fibers via the twisting process and weaving process in the textile manufacture. The 2DW-WTNG can convert the body motion energy into electricity with an output current of 575 nA and an output voltage of 6.35 V. At an external load of 50 MΩ, it generated a maximum power density of 2.33 mW/m2. Electricity can be produced from the 2DW-WTNG driven in arbitrary in-plane directions. A tiny displacement of 0.4 mm can drive the 2DW-WTNG, which verified its capability to harvest energy from small human movement. The robust 2DW-WTNG can work continuously for 12 h without obvious performance degradation.
Improved Optical Property and Lasing of ZnO Nanowires by Ar Plasma Treatment
Authors: Li Haolin , Tang Jilong , Lin Fengyuan , Wang Dengkui , Fang Dan , Fang Xuan , Liu Weizhen , Chen Rui , Wei Zhipeng
Published: September 2019

ZnO nanowires play a very important role in optoelectronic devices due to the wide bandgap and high exciton binding energy. However, for one-dimensional nanowire, due to the large surface to volume ratio, surface traps and surface adsorbed species acts as an alternate pathway for the de-excitation of carriers. Ar plasma treatment is a useful method to enhance the optical property of ZnO nanowires. It is necessary to study the optical properties of ZnO nanowires treated by plasma with different energies. Here, we used laser spectroscopy to investigate the plasma treatments with various energies on ZnO nanowires. Significantly improved emission has been observed for low and moderate Ar plasma treatments, which can be ascribed to the surface cleaning effects and increased neutral donor-bound excitons. It is worth mentioning that about 60-folds enhancements of the emission at room temperature can be achieved under 200 W Ar plasma treatment. When the plasma energy exceeds the threshold, high-ion beam energy will cause irreparable damage to the ZnO nanowires. Thanks to the enhanced optical performance, random lasing is observed under optical pumping at room temperature. And the stability has been improved dramatically. By using this simple method, the optical property and stability of ZnO nanowires can be effectively enhanced. These results will play an important role in the development of low dimensional ZnO-based optoelectronic devices.
Comparison of the effect of rhodium citrate-associated iron oxide nanoparticles on metastatic and non-metastatic breast cancer cells
Authors: Chaves Natalia Lemos , Amorim Danilo Aquino , Lopes Cláudio Afonso Pinho , Estrela-Lopis Irina , Böttner Julia , de Souza Aparecido Ribeiro , Báo Sônia Nair
Published: September 2019

Background

Nanocarriers have the potential to improve the therapeutic index of currently available drugs by increasing drug efficacy, lowering drug toxicity and achieving steady-state therapeutic levels of drugs over an extended period. The association of maghemite nanoparticles (NPs) with rhodium citrate (forming the complex hereafter referred to as MRC) has the potential to increase the specificity of the cytotoxic action of the latter compound, since this nanocomposite can be guided or transported to a target by the use of an external magnetic field. However, the behavior of these nanoparticles for an extended time of exposure to breast cancer cells has not yet been explored, and nor has MRC cytotoxicity comparison in different cell lines been performed until now. In this work, the effects of MRC NPs on these cells were analyzed for up to 72 h of exposure, and we focused on comparing NPs’ therapeutic effectiveness in different cell lines to elect the most responsive model, while elucidating the underlying action mechanism.

Results

MRC complexes exhibited broad cytotoxicity on human tumor cells, mainly in the first 24 h. However, while MRC induced cytotoxicity in MDA-MB-231 in a time-dependent manner, progressively decreasing the required dose for significant reduction in cell viability at 48 and 72 h, MCF-7 appears to recover its viability after 48 h of exposure. The recovery of MCF-7 is possibly explained by a resistance mechanism mediated by PGP (P-glycoprotein) proteins, which increase in these cells after MRC treatment. Remaining viable tumor metastatic cells had the migration capacity reduced after treatment with MRC (24 h). Moreover, MRC treatment induced S phase arrest of the cell cycle.

Conclusion

MRC act at the nucleus, inhibiting DNA synthesis and proliferation and inducing cell death. These effects were verified in both tumor lines, but MDA-MB-231 cells seem to be more responsive to the effects of NPs. In addition, NPs may also disrupt the metastatic activity of remaining cells, by reducing their migratory capacity. Our results suggest that MRC nanoparticles are a promising nanomaterial that can provide a convenient route for tumor targeting and treatment, mainly in metastatic cells.
The use of the SLC16A1 gene as a potential marker to predict race performance in Arabian horses
Authors: Ropka-Molik Katarzyna , Stefaniuk-Szmukier Monika , Szmatoła Tomasz , Piórkowska Katarzyna , Bugno-Poniewierska Monika
Published: September 2019

Background

Arabian horses are commonly believed to be one of the oldest and the most popular horse breeds in the world, characterized by favourable stamina traits and exercise phenotypes. During intensive training, the rates of lactate production and utilization are critical to avoid muscle fatigue and a decrease in exercise performance. The key factor determining transmembrane lactate transport is the monocarboxylate transporter 1 protein coded for by the SLC16A1 gene. The aim of the present research was to identify polymorphisms in the coding sequence and UTRs in the equine SLC16A1 gene and to evaluate their potential association with race performance traits in Arabian horses. Based on RNA-seq data, SNPs were identified and genotyped using PCR-RFLP or PCR-HRM methods in 254 Arabian horses that competed in flat races. An association analysis between polymorphisms and racing results was performed.

Results

Novel polymorphisms in the equine SLC16A1 locus have been identified (missense and 5’UTR variants: g.55601543C > T and g.55589063 T > G). Analysis showed a significant association between the 5’UTR polymorphism and several racing results as follows: the possibility of winning first or second place, the number of races in which horses started and total financial benefits. The analysis also showed differences in genotype distribution depending on race distance. In the studied population, the shorter distance races were only won by TT horses. The GG and TG horses took first and second places in middle- and long-distance races, and the percentage of winning heterozygotes increased from 19.5 to 27% at the middle and long distances, respectively. The p.Val432Ile (g.55601543C > T) polymorphism was not significantly related to the analysed racing results.

Conclusion

Our results showed that g.55589063 T > G polymorphism affected the possibility of winning first or second place and of competing in more races. The different distribution of genotypes depending on race distance indicated the possibility of using a SNP in the SLC16A1 gene as a marker to predict the best race distance for a horse. The presented results provide a basis for further research to validate the use of the SLC16A1 gene as a potential marker associated with racing performance.
Chlamydia pan-genomic analysis reveals balance between host adaptation and selective pressure to genome reduction
Authors: Sigalova Olga M. , Chaplin Andrei V. , Bochkareva Olga O. , Shelyakin Pavel V. , Filaretov Vsevolod A. , Akkuratov Evgeny E. , Burskaia Valentina , Gelfand Mikhail S.
Published: September 2019

Background

Chlamydia are ancient intracellular pathogens with reduced, though strikingly conserved genome. Despite their parasitic lifestyle and isolated intracellular environment, these bacteria managed to avoid accumulation of deleterious mutations leading to subsequent genome degradation characteristic for many parasitic bacteria.

Results

We report pan-genomic analysis of sixteen species from genus Chlamydia including identification and functional annotation of orthologous genes, and characterization of gene gains, losses, and rearrangements. We demonstrate the overall genome stability of these bacteria as indicated by a large fraction of common genes with conserved genomic locations. On the other hand, extreme evolvability is confined to several paralogous gene families such as polymorphic membrane proteins and phospholipase D, and likely is caused by the pressure from the host immune system.

Conclusions

This combination of a large, conserved core genome and a small, evolvable periphery likely reflect the balance between the selective pressure towards genome reduction and the need to adapt to escape from the host immunity.
Deciphering epigenomic code for cell differentiation using deep learning
Authors: Ni Pengyu , Su Zhengchang
Published: September 2019

Background

Although DNA sequence plays a crucial role in establishing the unique epigenome of a cell type, little is known about the sequence determinants that lead to the unique epigenomes of different cell types produced during cell differentiation. To fill this gap, we employed two types of deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) constructed for each of differentially related cell types and for each of histone marks measured in the cells, to learn the sequence determinants of various histone modification patterns in each cell type.

Results

We applied our models to four differentially related human CD4+T cell types and six histone marks measured in each cell type. The cell models can accurately predict the histone marks in each cell type, while the mark models can also accurately predict the cell types based on a single mark. Sequence motifs learned by both the cell or mark models are highly similar to known binding motifs of transcription factors known to play important roles in CD4+T cell differentiation. Both the unique histone mark patterns in each cell type and the different patterns of the same histone mark in different cell types are determined by a set of motifs with unique combinations. Interestingly, the level of sharing motifs learned in the different cell models reflects the lineage relationships of the cells, while the level of sharing motifs learned in the different histone mark models reflects their functional relationships. These models can also enable the prediction of the importance of learned motifs and their interactions in determining specific histone mark patterns in the cell types.

Conclusion

Sequence determinants of various histone modification patterns in different cell types can be revealed by comparative analysis of motifs learned in the CNN models for multiple cell types and histone marks. The learned motifs are interpretable and may provide insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms of establishing the unique epigenomes in different cell types. Thus, our results support the hypothesis that DNA sequences ultimately determine the unique epigenomes of different cell types through their interactions with transcriptional factors, epigenome remodeling system and extracellular cues during cell differentiation.