bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
De novo assembly of a wild pear (Pyrus betuleafolia) genome
Authors: Dong Xingguang , Wang Zheng , Tian Luming , Zhang Ying , Qi Dan , Huo Hongliang , Xu Jiayu , Li Zhe , Liao Rui , Shi Miao , Wahocho Safdar Ali , Liu Chao , Zhang Simeng , Tian Zhixi , Cao Yufen
Published: August 2019

China is the origin and evolutionary centre of Oriental pears. Pyrus betuleafolia is a wild species native to China and distributed in the northern region, and it is widely used as rootstock. Here, we report the de novo assembly of the genome of P. betuleafolia‐Shanxi Duli using an integrated strategy that combines PacBio sequencing, BioNano mapping and chromosome conformation capture (Hi‐C) sequencing. The genome assembly size was 532.7 Mb, with a contig N50 of 1.57 Mb. A total of 59 552 protein‐coding genes and 247.4 Mb of repetitive sequences were annotated for this genome. The expansion genes in P. betuleafolia were significantly enriched in secondary metabolism, which may account for the organism's considerable environmental adaptability. An alignment analysis of orthologous genes showed that fruit size, sugar metabolism and transport, and photosynthetic efficiency were positively selected in Oriental pear during domestication. A total of 573 nucleotide‐binding site (NBS)‐type resistance gene analogues (RGAs) were identified in the P. betuleafolia genome, 150 of which are TIR‐NBS‐LRR (TNL)‐type genes, which represented the greatest number of TNL‐type genes among the published Rosaceae genomes and explained the strong disease resistance of this wild species. The study of flavour metabolism‐related genes showed that the anthocyanidin reductase (ANR) metabolic pathway affected the astringency of pear fruit and that sorbitol transporter (SOT) transmembrane transport may be the main factor affecting the accumulation of soluble organic matter. This high‐quality P. betuleafolia genome provides a valuable resource for the utilization of wild pear in fundamental pear studies and breeding.
Relevance of lung ultrasound in the diagnostic algorithm of respiratory diseases in a real‐life setting: A multicentre prospective study
Authors: Rinaldi Luca , Milione Stefania , Fascione Maria Chiara , Pafundi Pia Clara , Altruda Concetta , Di Caterino Mafalda , Monaco Lucio , Reginelli Alfonso , Perrotta Fabio , Porta Giovanni , Venafro Mario , Acierno Carlo , Mastrocinque Davide , Giordano Mauro , Bianco Andrea , Sasso Ferdinando Carlo , Adinolfi Luigi Elio
Published: August 2019

Background and objective

The aim of this study was to assess the role of lung ultrasound (LUS) in a diagnostic algorithm of respiratory diseases, and to establish the accuracy of LUS compared with chest radiography (CXR).

Methods

Over a period of 2 years, 509 consecutive patients admitted for respiratory‐related symptoms to both emergency and general medicine wards were enrolled and evaluated using LUS and CXR. LUS was conducted by expert operators who were blinded to the medical history and laboratory data. Computed tomography (CT) of the chest was performed in case of discordance between the CXR and LUS, suspected lung cancer and an inconclusive diagnosis. Diagnosis made by CT was considered the gold standard.

Results

The difference in sensitivity and specificity between LUS and CXR as demonstrated by ROC curve analyses (LUS‐AUROC: 0.853; specificity: 81.6%; sensitivity: 93.9% vs CXR‐AUROC: 0.763; specificity: 57.4%; sensitivity: 96.3%) was significant (P = 0.001). Final diagnosis included 240 cases (47.2%) of pneumonia, 44 patients with cancer (8.6%), 20 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, 3.9%), 24 patients with heart failure (4.7%) and others (6.1%). In 108 patients (21.2%) with any lung pathology, a CT scan was performed with a positive diagnosis in 96 cases (88.9%); we found that CXR and LUS detected no abnormality in 24 (25%) and 5 (5.2%) cases, respectively. LUS was concordant with the final diagnosis (P < 0.0001), and in healthy patients, there was a low percentage of false positives (5.9%).

Conclusion

The results support the routine use of LUS in the clinical context.
The Law of Equal Opportunities or Unintended Consequences?: The Effect of Unisex Risk Assessment in Consumer Credit
Authors: Andreeva Galina , Matuszyk Anna
Published: August 2019

Gender is prohibited from use in decision making in many countries. This does not necessarily benefit females in situations of automated algorithmic decisions, e.g. when a credit scoring model is used as a decision tool for loan granting. By analysing a unique proprietary data set on car loans from a European bank, the paper shows that gender as a variable in a credit scoring model is statistically significant. Its removal does not alter the predictive accuracy of the model, yet the proportions of accepted women/men depend on whether gender is included. The paper explores the association between predictors in the model with gender, to demonstrate the omitted variable bias and how other variables proxy for gender. It points to inconsistencies of the existing regulations in the context of automated decision making.
Identification of a novel allele, HLA‐B*51:01:41, in a platelet donor by sequence‐based typing
Authors: Li Xiao‐Feng , Zhang Xu , Lin Feng‐Qiu , Zhang Kun‐Lian , Li Jian‐Ping
Published: August 2019

HLA‐B*51:01:41 has one synonymous nucleotide change from HLA‐B*51:01:01:01 at nucleotide 216 (codon 48 arginine).
The art of parachuting: Embodied geopolitics, aerial aesthetics and dance‐based combat training at Ringway Aerodrome, 1940–1946
Authors: Veal Charlotte
Published: August 2019

The emergence of air power as the pre‐eminent method of warfare prompted a decision, made at the highest level, to form a new arm of the British military. The Central Landing Establishment was founded as parachuting headquarters in 1940, and tasked with developing and implementing the means for training and delivering airborne forces to the ground. With woeful shortfalls in aerial knowledge, experimentation proved crucial. The paper examines the recruitment and synthetic ground training of the British Parachute Regiment at Ringway Aerodrome (1940–1946), and their experimental exchanges with “specialists” in the art of falling. More specifically, in the absence of a recognised landing technique, and with associated high injury rates, Ringway turned to movement theorist Rudolf Laban to advance its embodied aerial practice. The paper will explore how militaries have long recognised the centrality of such embodied and aesthetic regimes to the doing of geopolitics. In particular, it foregrounds the multifaceted, micro‐bodily practices – operating through complex interconnected spatialities – that comprise the waging of war. In turn, it asserts the significance of the aesthetic in understanding how geopolitics takes place and is implemented in the world. In doing so, the paper unpacks the “art” within the art of war.
Limiting distributions of translates of divergent diagonal orbits
Authors: Shapira Uri , Zheng Cheng
Published: August 2019

We define a natural topology on the collection of (equivalence classes up to scaling of) locally finite measures on a homogeneous space and prove that in this topology, pushforwards of certain infinite-volume orbits equidistribute in the ambient space. As an application of our results we prove an asymptotic formula for the number of integral points in a ball on some varieties as the radius goes to infinity.
La inactividad laboral como invisibilización del trabajo femenino: aportes a la nueva cartografía del mercado laboral rural en Chile
Authors: Rodríguez Garcés Carlos René , Padilla Fuentes Geraldo Bladimir , Valenzuela Orrego Mónica Andrea
Published: August 2019

La inactividad laboral, especialmente referida a la población femenina de sectores rurales, es un concepto artificialmente homogéneo dentro del cual conviven habitualidad y transitoriedad. Este artículo analiza la inactividad en mujeres rurales y sus itinerarios decisionales, la invisibilización de su papel contributivo y la norma cultural que la influyen. Siendo el cuidado familiar un principal motivo de abstención, se reporta una fuerte presencia de mujeres potencialmente activas, lo que da cuenta de la transitoriedad y relevancia que tiene el contexto cultural en el campo decisional de la mujer, reforzado por el capital educativo, la pareja y la edad.
Inclined Magnetic Field, Thermal Radiation, and Hall Current Effects on Mixed Convection Flow Between Vertical Parallel Plates
Authors: Kaladhar K. , Madhusudhan Reddy K. , Srinivasacharya D.
Published: August 2019

This analysis studies the impact of an inclined magnetic field, hall current, and thermal radiation on fully developed electrically conducting mixed convection flow through a channel. The governing equations are nondimensionalized. The resulting system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations is solved utilizing spectral quasi-linearization method. Impact of all the pertaining flow parameters of this study on all the dimensionless profiles was calculated and presented through plots. Also, the nature of the physical parameters was calculated and presented in table form. This study clearly exhibits that the inclined magnetic field influences the fluid flow remarkably.
General-Surrogate Adaptive Sampling Using Interquartile Range for Design Space Exploration
Authors: Zhang Yiming , Kim Nam H. , Haftka Raphael T.
Published: August 2019

A surrogate model is a common tool to approximate system response at untested points for design space exploration. Adaptive sampling has been studied for improving the accuracy of surrogates iteratively by introducing additional samples (simulations and experiments). New samples are often selected based on the estimated uncertainty in the design space. While some surrogates such as kriging have readily available uncertainty models for their predictions, other surrogates do not. Consequently, there have been studies of using the process of leaving-samples-out (LSO) used in cross-validation tools to estimate prediction uncertainty, such as the universal prediction distribution (UPD). In this paper, an adaptive sampling scheme for general surrogates is proposed based on LSO, similar to cross-validation and interquartile range (IQR). Multiple submodels are first developed from LSO. The uncertainty is then estimated from the IQR of these surrogates at a given point. New samples are added iteratively at the point with maximum IQR for design space exploration. The proposed scheme is illustrated using kriging, radial basis function, and neural network surrogates. The proposed scheme is evaluated using four algebraic test functions. Multiple sets of initial samples were produced to account for randomness. For these test functions, the proposed scheme was found to be more accurate and robust than kriging with its own uncertainty model. The proposed scheme was more accurate than the UPD for three out of the four test functions. For a fixed number of samples, the IQR-based adaptive sampling also proved to be more accurate than all-at-once sampling in most cases even when the estimated uncertainty was only mildly correlated with prediction errors.
Knock Intensity Distribution and a Stochastic Control Framework for Knock Control
Authors: Kassa Mateos , Hall Carrie , Pamminger Michael , Wallner Thomas
Published: August 2019

One of the main factors limiting the efficiency of spark-ignited (SI) engines is the occurrence of engine knock. In high temperature and high pressure in-cylinder conditions, the fuel–air mixture auto-ignites creating pressure shock waves in the cylinder. Knock can significantly damage the engine and hinder its performance; as such, conservative knock control strategies are generally implemented which avoid such operating conditions at the cost of lower thermal efficiencies. Significant improvements in the performance of conventional knock controllers are possible if the properties of the knock process are better characterized and exploited in knock controller designs. One of the methods undertaken to better characterize knocking instances is to employ a probabilistic approach, in which the likelihood of knock is derived from the statistical distribution of knock intensity (KI). In this paper, it is shown that KI values at a fixed operating point for single fuel and dual fuel engines are accurately described using a mixed lognormal distribution. The fitting accuracy is compared against those for a randomly generated mixed-lognormally distributed dataset, and shown to exceed a 95% accuracy threshold for almost all of the operating points tested. Additionally, this paper discusses a stochastic knock control approach that leverages the mixed lognormal distribution to adjust spark timing based on KI measurements. This more informed knock control strategy would allow for improvements in engine performance and fuel efficiency by minimizing knock occurrences.
Acoustic scattering by one bubble before 1950: Spitzer, Willis, and Division 6
Authors: Martin P. A.
Published: August 2019

The solution of the problem of acoustic scattering by a single bubble is an ingredient in many theories used to predict the behavior of bubbly liquids. Significant work on this problem was done in the 1940s, but much of that work was described in unpublished wartime reports. However, it is now possible to access most of those reports, enabling a more coherent summary to be given. That is the purpose of this paper.
A pyrolysis-free path toward superiorly catalytic nitrogen-coordinated single atom
Authors: Peng Peng , Shi Lei , Huo Feng , Mi Chunxia , Wu Xiaohong , Zhang Suojiang , Xiang Zhonghua
Published: August 2019

A pyrolysis-free synthetic approach is created to prepare nitrogen-coordinated single-atom catalysts.
Simultaneous implementation of resistive switching and rectifying effects in a metal-organic framework with switched hydrogen bond pathway
Authors: Yao Zizhu , Pan Liang , Liu Lizhen , Zhang Jindan , Lin Quanjie , Ye Yingxiang , Zhang Zhangjing , Xiang Shengchang , Chen Banglin
Published: August 2019

Simultaneous resistive switching and rectifying effects firstly observed in a MOF single-crystal material.
Cancer cell evolution through the ages
Authors: Maley Carlo C. , Shibata Darryl
Published: August 2019

A transmissible dog cancer that has been evolving for 6000 years rapidly reached its optimal state
Walk on the wildling side
Authors: Nobs Samuel Philip , Elinav Eran
Published: August 2019

Wild microbiota in inbred mice is a new tool for preclinical studies of human disease
Fishing for answers
Authors: Jørgensen Christian , Enberg Katja
Published: August 2019

Naturally existing genetic variation promotes rapid evolution under strong anthropogenic selection
Leukemic stem cells hiding in plain sight
Authors: Griffin Gabriel K.
Published: August 2019

Activation of NK-mediated immune surveillance clears leukemic stem cell populations.
Potentiation of Aminoglycoside Lethality by C
4
-Dicarboxylates Requires RpoN in Antibiotic-Tolerant Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Hall Clayton W. , Farkas Eszter , Zhang Li , Mah Thien-Fah
Published: August 2019

Antibiotic tolerance contributes to the inability of standard antimicrobial therapies to clear the chronic
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
lung infections that often afflict patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Metabolic potentiation of bactericidal antibiotics with carbon sources has emerged as a promising strategy to resensitize tolerant bacteria to antibiotic killing.
Steroid Degradation in Comamonas testosteroni TA441: Identification of the Entire β-Oxidation Cycle of the Cleaved B Ring
Authors: Horinouchi Masae , Koshino Hiroyuki , Malon Michal , Hirota Hiroshi , Hayashi Toshiaki
Published: August 2019

Studies on bacterial steroid degradation were initiated more than 50 years ago primarily to obtain materials for steroid drugs. Steroid-degrading bacteria are globally distributed, and the role of bacterial steroid degradation in the environment as well as in relation to human health is attracting attention. The overall aerobic degradation of the four basic steroidal rings has been proposed; however, there is still much to be revealed to understand the complete degradation pathway. This study aims to uncover the whole steroid degradation process in
Comamonas testosteroni
TA441 as a model of steroid-degrading bacteria.
C. testosteroni
is one of the most studied representative steroid-degrading bacteria and is suitable for exploring the degradation pathway, because the involvement of degradation-related genes can be determined by gene disruption. Here, we elucidated the entire β-oxidation cycle of the cleaved B ring. This cycle is essential for the following C and D ring cleavage.
Molecular Mimicry, Autoimmunity, and Infection: The Cross-Reactive Antigens of Group A Streptococci and their Sequelae
Authors: Cunningham Madeleine W.
Published: August 2019

The group A streptococci are associated with a group of diseases affecting the heart, brain, and joints that are collectively referred to as acute rheumatic fever. The streptococcal immune-mediated sequelae, including acute rheumatic fever, are due to antibody and cellular immune responses that target antigens in the heart and brain as well as the group A streptococcal cross-reactive antigens as reviewed in this article. The pathogenesis of acute rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease, Sydenham chorea, and other autoimmune sequelae is related to autoantibodies that are characteristic of autoimmune diseases and result from the immune responses against group A streptococcal infection by the host. The sharing of host and streptococcal epitopes leads to molecular mimicry between the streptococcal and host antigens that are recognized by the autoantibodies during the host response. This article elaborates on the discoveries that led to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of disease and provides an overview of the history and the most current thought about the immune responses against the host and streptococcal cross-reactive antigens in group A streptococcal sequelae.
A Chaotic Block Cryptographic System Resistant to Power Analysis Attack
Authors: Luo Yuling , Zhang Dezheng , Liu Junxiu
Published: August 2019

The securities of chaotic cryptographic systems are widely evaluated by conventional tests such as the character frequency test, entropy test and avalanche test. However, when the chaotic cryptosystem is in operation, side channel information such as power consumption, and electromagnetic radiation is leaked. The side channel information can be used to attack the cryptosystem, e.g. the side channel attack (SCA), which is a threat for the security of chaotic cryptographic systems. This paper proposes a chaotic block cryptographic algorithm that can resist the SCA, with the aim of enhancing the security of chaotic cryptosystems. Masking and hiding mechanisms are used in this work. By using the former, the intermediate data correlated with the plaintexts/keys are masked by random numbers, thus no direct correlation exists between the power consumption and the plaintexts/keys and the first order SCA can be counteracted. By using the latter, additional noise is added to the side channel information by randomizing the operation sequence of the algorithm. Combining these two methods, the higher order SCA can be counteracted. To evaluate the security of the proposed system, the correlation power analysis attacks are carried out based on the target device of an Atmel XMEGA microcontroller. For the proposed system, the correlation coefficient calculated from the correct key is not larger than the incorrect keys. However, for the unprotected cipher system, the correlation coefficient calculated from the correct key is 0.8 and the coefficients calculated from the incorrect keys are less than 0.5, i.e. the system can be attacked. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed cryptosystems can counteract the correlation power analysis attacks and maintain the security performance for the chaotic cryptographic systems.
Limit Cycles in a Family of Planar Piecewise Linear Differential Systems with a Nonregular Separation Line
Authors: Huan Song-Mei , Yang Xiao-Song
Published: August 2019

In this paper, we investigate the number of crossing limit cycles in a family of planar piecewise linear differential systems with two zones separated by a nonregular line formed by two rays starting at the origin. By studying the dynamics of each subsystem, a thorough study including the parameteric expressions and main properties of some section maps is performed. Especially, different to the case with a straight separation line, it is proved that each section map can be piecewise with two different pieces and can have at most one inflection point. In addition to this, for the existence of these inflection points, some sufficient and necessary conditions satisfied by the system parameters are obtained. Based on these results, the importance played by these inflection points in increasing the maximum number of limit cycles in such systems is verified by providing a concrete example having five nested limit cycles with two crossing one separation ray and the other three crossing both separation rays. So, the five limit cycles obtained here are different from that obtained in the existing literature, where all the limit cycles cross both separation rays.
Dynamics of Operator-Weighted Shifts
Authors: Yin Zongbin , Chen Yuming , Xiang Qiaomin
Published: August 2019

This paper investigates the dynamics of bilateral operator-weighted shifts on [Formula: see text] with a weight sequence of positive diagonal operators on a Hilbert space [Formula: see text]. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the bilateral weighted shifts to be hypercyclic (subspace-hypercyclic, frequently hypercyclic, Devaney chaotic, respectively) are provided. As a consequence, it is shown that for any [Formula: see text]-set [Formula: see text] of positive numbers which is bounded and bounded away from zero, there exists an invertible bilateral operator-weighted shift [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text]. Furthermore, the (hereditary) Cesàro-hypercyclicity of the bilateral weighted shifts is characterized.
Artificial Immune System-Based Learning Style Stereotypes
Authors: Sotiropoulos Dionisios N. , Alepis Efthimios , Kabassi Katerina , Virvou Maria K. , Tsihrintzis George A. , Sakkopoulos Evangelos
Published: August 2019

This paper addresses the problem of extracting fundamental learning style stereotypes through the exploitation of the biologically-inspired pattern recognition paradigm of Artificial Immune Systems (AIS). We present an unsupervised computational mechanism which exhibits the ability to reveal the inherent group structure of learning patterns that pervade a given set of educational profiles. We rely on the construction of an Artificial Immune Network (AIN) of learning style exemplars by proposing a correlation-based distance metric. This choice is actually imposed by the categoric nature of the underlying data. Our work utilizes an original dataset which was derived during the conduction of an extended empirical study involving students of the Hellenic Open University. The educational profiles of the students were built by collecting their answers on a thoroughly designed questionnaire taking into account a wide range of personal characteristics and skills. The efficiency of the proposed approach was assessed in terms of cluster compactness. Specifically, we measured the average correlation deviation of the students’ education profiles from the corresponding artificial memory antibodies that represent the acquired learning style stereotypes. Finally, the unsupervised learning procedure adopted in this paper was tested against a correlation-based version of the k-means algorithm indicating a significant improvement in performance for the AIS-based clustering approach.
Ruffling and doming: Structural and redox studies on meso-aryl and β-alkyl chromyl(V)corroles
Authors: Schweyen Peter , Kleeberg Christian , Körner Dominik , Thüsing Anne , Wicht Richard , Zaretzke Marc-Kevin , Bröring Martin
Published: August 2019

Chromyl(V) complexes of eleven different meso-aryl- and [Formula: see text]-alkylcorrole ligands have been prepared and characterized by analytical, spectroscopical, electrochemical and structural means. All seven new complexes show the expected optical spectra of chromyl(V) corroles with the Soret band situated slightly above (meso-arylcorroles) or below ([Formula: see text]-alkylcorrole) 400 nm, and with an isotropic room temperature EPR signal for the [Formula: see text] ion Cr(V) at about [Formula: see text]. Cyclic voltammetry evidences two or three quasi-reversible one-electron redox steps, which are characterized as two ligand-centered processes and one metal-centered process based on spectroelectrochemical measurements and a Hammett analysis. Chemical reduction to a chromyl(IV) corrolate was successfully performed using NaHg and NEt3. Citric acid, however, produces a different reduction product, for which an isocorrole structure is proposed. Six chromyl(V) corroles could be analysed by seven single crystal diffraction analyses. The obtained molecular data prove the presence of remarkably similar CrN4O coordination units independent of the corrole substitution pattern, and of macrocyclic conformations which can be understood as comprised mainly of a doming mode, a more or less pronounced saddling mode, and one out of two different and dominating ruffling modes.
Skeletal muscle interstitial Po2 kinetics during recovery from contractions
Authors: Hirai Daniel M. , Craig Jesse C. , Colburn Trenton D. , Eshima Hiroaki , Kano Yutaka , Musch Timothy I. , Poole David C.
Published: August 2019

The oxygen partial pressure in the interstitial space (Po2 is) drives O2 into the myocyte via diffusion, thus supporting oxidative phosphorylation. Although crucial for metabolic recovery and the capacity to perform repetitive tasks, the time course of skeletal muscle Po2 is during recovery from contractions remains unknown. We tested the hypothesis that Po2 is would recover to resting values and display considerable on-off asymmetry (fast on-, slow off-kinetics), reflective of asymmetric capillary hemodynamics. Microvascular Po2 (Po2 mv) was also evaluated to test the hypothesis that a significant transcapillary gradient (ΔPo2 = Po2 mv − Po2 is) would be sustained during recovery. Po2 mv and Po2 is (expressed in mmHg) were determined via phosphorescence quenching in the exposed rat spinotrapezius muscle during and after submaximal twitch contractions ( n = 12). Po2 is rose exponentially ( P < 0.05) from end-contraction (11.1 ± 5.1), such that the end-recovery value (17.9 ± 7.9) was not different from resting Po2 is (18.5 ± 8.1; P > 0.05). Po2 is off-kinetics were slower than on-kinetics (mean response time: 53.1 ± 38.3 versus 18.5 ± 7.3 s; P < 0.05). A significant transcapillary ΔPo2 observed at end-contraction (16.6 ± 7.4) was maintained throughout recovery (end-recovery: 18.8 ± 9.6; P > 0.05). Consistent with our hypotheses, muscle Po2 is recovered to resting values with slower off-kinetics compared with the on-transient in line with the on-off asymmetry for capillary hemodynamics. Maintenance of a substantial transcapillary ΔPo2 during recovery supports that the microvascular-interstitium interface provides considerable resistance to O2 transport. As dictated by Fick’s law (V̇o2 = Do2 × ΔPo2), modulation of O2 flux (V̇o2) during recovery must be achieved via corresponding changes in effective diffusing capacity (Do2; mainly capillary red blood cell hemodynamics and distribution) in the face of unaltered ΔPo2.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Capillary blood-myocyte O2 flux (V̇o2) is determined by effective diffusing capacity (Do2; mainly erythrocyte hemodynamics and distribution) and microvascular-interstitial Po2 gradients (ΔPo2 = Po2 mv − Po2 is). We show that Po2 is demonstrates on-off asymmetry consistent with Po2 mv and erythrocyte kinetics during metabolic transitions. A substantial transcapillary ΔPo2 was preserved during recovery from contractions, indicative of considerable resistance to O2 diffusion at the microvascular-interstitium interface. This reveals that effective Do2 declines in step with V̇o2 during recovery, as per Fick’s law.
Dynamic and Stability Analysis of the Machine Hydrostatic Slide with Magnetorheological Damper
Authors: Zhang Zhongkui , Gao Feng , Li Yan , Zhang Han
Published: August 2019

Tangential dynamic behaviors of the machine hydrostatic slide with a magnetorheological (MR) fluid damper are studied, and the effect of the MR damper to control the vibration of the hydrostatic slide is discussed. The dynamic model of the hydrostatic slide with the MR damper is established, and the tangential vibration equation of linear and nonlinear is derived. The multidimensional incremental harmonic balance method (MIHBM) with discrete Fourier transform (DFT) is derived by which the nonlinear response and stability of the system are studied. The resonance response of the Duffing equation under the combined action of harmonic excitation and constant excitation is obtained. In order to investigate the vibration response of the hydrostatic slide with the MR damper in detail, the bifurcation diagram, phase diagram, and Poincaré map are given. Finally, the dynamic response of the machine hydrostatic slide with the MR damper is discussed, and it is verified that the MR damper can suppress the tangential vibration of the hydrostatic slide effectively and the constant controller can control the chaotic behavior of the system well.
Geochemistry and Genesis of Oil and Gas Seeps in the Junggar Basin, NW China: Implications for Hybrid Petroleum Systems
Authors: Zhang Jingkun , Cao Jian , Wang Yan , Li Jun , Hu Guang , Zhou Ni , Shi Tianming
Published: August 2019

The Junggar Basin of NW China is representative in containing oil and gas seeps worldwide as there are a wide variety of oil and gas seeps over a large area. However, the genesis of these seeps remains poorly known, limiting the understanding of their implications for petroluem geology and hydrocarbon exploration. Here, we investigate 26 samples of oil and gas seeps from nine outcrops within five areas along the margins of the Junggar Basin to determine the geochemical characteristics of the hydrocarbons, constrain their genesis, and discuss future exploration strategies. Results indicate one type of gas seeps and five types of oil seeps. The gas seeps are derived from low-maturity Jurassic source rocks and occur in the Wusu and Dushanzi areas in the western segment of the southern basin. Type 1 oil seeps, sourced from lower Permian rocks (P1f), occur on the northwestern margin. Type 2 oil seeps, derived from middle Permian source rocks (P2l/P2p), occur on the eastern segment of the southern margin and eastern margin of the Junggar Basin. Type 3 oil seeps, with Jurassic source rocks, occur in the Qigu area in the middle segment of the southern basin. Type 4 oil seeps, with Cretaceous source rocks, occur in the Anjihai and Huoerguosi areas within the middle segment of the southern basin. Type 5 oil seeps mainly have Paleogene source rocks with a minor contribution from Jurassic rocks and occur in the Wusu and Dushanzi areas in the western segment of the southern basin with the single-type gas seeps. These results indicate the presence of lacustrine hybrid petroleum systems within the Junggar Basin with complex oil and gas sources and migration-accumulation. Six potential areas along the basin margin were proposed for exploration in the future.
BRN4 Is a Novel Driver of Neuroendocrine Differentiation in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer and Is Selectively Released in Extracellular Vesicles with BRN2
Authors: Bhagirath Divya , Yang Thao Ly , Tabatabai Z. Laura , Majid Shahana , Dahiya Rajvir , Tanaka Yuichiro , Saini Sharanjot
Published: August 2019

Purpose:

Neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), an aggressive variant of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), often emerges after androgen receptor–targeted therapies such as enzalutamide or de novo, via trans-differentiation process of neuroendocrine differentiation. The mechanistic basis of neuroendocrine differentiation is poorly understood, contributing to lack of effective predictive biomarkers and late disease recognition. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of novel proneural Pit-Oct-Unc-domain transcription factors (TF) in NEPC and examine their potential as noninvasive predictive biomarkers.

Experimental Design: Prostate cancer patient-derived xenograft models, clinical samples, and cellular neuroendocrine differentiation models were employed to determine the expression of TFs BRN1 and BRN4. BRN4 levels were modulated in prostate cancer cell lines followed by functional assays. Furthermore, extracellular vesicles (EV) were isolated from patient samples and cell culture models, characterized by nanoparticle tracking analyses, Western blotting, and real-time PCR.

Results:

We identify for the first time that: (i) BRN4 is amplified and overexpressed in NEPC clinical samples and that BRN4 overexpression drives neuroendocrine differentiation via its interplay with BRN2, a TF that was previously implicated in NEPC; (ii) BRN4 and BRN2 mRNA are actively released in prostate cancer EVs upon neuroendocrine differentiation induction; and (iii) enzalutamide treatment augments release of BRN4 and BRN2 in prostate cancer EVs, promoting neuroendocrine differentiation induction.

Conclusions:

Our study identifies a novel TF that drives NEPC and suggests that as adaptive mechanism to enzalutamide treatment, prostate cancer cells express and secrete BRN4 and BRN2 in EVs that drive oncogenic reprogramming of prostate cancer cells to NEPC. Importantly, EV-associated BRN4 and BRN2 are potential novel noninvasive biomarkers to predict neuroendocrine differentiation in CRPC.
LES ASPECTS DE LA PRÉSENCE FRANÇAISE CHEZ CASTRO ALVES
Authors: SOUSA Cleonice Ferreira
Published: August 2019

L'étude proposée ici a le but de comprendre la nature de la présence française dans l´oeuvre de Castro Alves. En raison de la variété de procédures intertextuelles trouvées, nous avons choisi deux textes, la poésie «Murmúrios da Tarde» et la critique «Polêmica». Nous allons, donc, analyser quelques procédures textuelles telles que les épigraphes, les citations et les allusions présentes. Notre objectif est de procéder à une analyse textuelle approfondie des textes choisis dans le but d'enquêter quelle est la signification des appropriations faites ce qui est responsable de la tâche de révéler le rôle de la présence française chez Castro Alves.
Effect of Baseline Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction on 2-Year Outcomes After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement
Authors: Furer Ariel , Chen Shmuel , Redfors Bjorn , Elmariah Sammy , Pibarot Philippe , Herrmann Howard C. , Hahn Rebecca T. , Kodali Susheel , Thourani Vinod H. , Douglas Pamela S. , Alu Maria C. , Fearon William F. , Passeri Jonathan , Malaisrie S. Chris , Crowley Aaron , McAndrew Thomas , Genereux Philippe , Ben-Yehuda Ori , Leon Martin B. , Burkhoff Daniel
Published: August 2019

Background:

Impaired left ventricular function is associated with worse prognosis among patients with aortic stenosis treated medically or with surgical aortic valve replacement. It is unclear whether reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is an independent predictor of adverse outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Methods and Results:

Patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement in the PARTNER 2 trials (Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valves) and registries were stratified according to presence of reduced LVEF (<50%) at baseline, and 2-year risk of cardiovascular mortality was compared using Kaplan–Meier methods and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression. Of 2991 patients, 839 (28%) had reduced LVEF. These patients were younger, more often males, and were more likely to have comorbidities, such as coronary disease, diabetes mellitus, and renal insufficiency. Compared with patients with normal LVEF, patients with low LVEF had higher crude rates of 2-year cardiovascular mortality (19.8% versus 12.0%,
P
<0.0001) and all-cause mortality (27.4% versus 19.2%,
P
<0.0001). Mean aortic valve gradient was not associated with clinical outcomes other than heart failure hospitalizations (hazard ratio [HR], 0.99; CI, 0.99–1.00;
P
=0.03). After multivariable adjustment, patients with reduced versus normal LVEF had significantly higher adjusted risk of cardiovascular death (adjusted HR, 1.42, 95% CI, 1.11–1.81;
P
=0.005), but not all-cause death (adjusted HR, 1.20; 95% CI, 0.99–1.47;
P
=0.07). When LVEF was treated as continuous variable, it was associated with increased 2-year risk of both cardiovascular mortality (adjusted HR per 10% decrease in LVEF, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.07–1.27;
P
=0.0006) and all-cause mortality (adjusted HR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.01–1.16;
P
=0.02).

Conclusions:

In this patient-level pooled analysis of PARTNER 2 patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement, baseline LVEF was an independent predictor of 2-year cardiovascular mortality.

Clinical Trial Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifiers: NCT01314313, NCT02184442, NCT03222128, and NCT02184441.
After Ratification: Predicting State Compliance with icc Treaty Obligations
Authors: Bocchese Marco
Published: August 2019

Twenty-one years after the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court was adopted, state noncompliance with politically-costly legal obligations remains the main barrier to international justice. This article explores two sequential questions: First, why do states ratify the Rome Statute? And second, how likely are their governments to genuinely comply with its provisions? This article employs an original methodology to explore these questions, combining a survey of diplomats posted to the UN Headquarters with thirty-seven structured interviews. Study results show that the (in)sincerity of state commitment reliably predicts future compliance with treaty obligations. Three main conclusions can be drawn from this study. First, it is crucial to distinguish between the moment of ratification and that of actual obligation. Second, the lawyerly assumption that state motives do not matter lacks empirical support. Third, the role of regional actors in enhancing compliance from state authorities deserves further recognition.
Mitogenome of Anterastes babadaghi (Orthoptera: Tettigoniinae; Platycleidini): Frequent conserved overlapping regions within Tettigoniinae
Authors: KARŞI UĞUR , ÇIPLAK BATTAL
Published: August 2019

Development of next generation sequencing rapidly increased the number of total mitogenome in data bases. However, the documented number of total mitogenome from species of Tettigoniinae is still limited and a comparison at subfamily level has not been made sufficiently. This paper aims to describe total mitogenome of A. babadaghi (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae) by comparing to the known mitogenomes of other Tettigoniinae. The total mitogenome of A. babadaghi is 15882–15883 bp, AT skewed with 70.2% AT percentage, and consists of 13 protein coding genes (PCG), 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes and an AT rich control region. The genes are ordered as in pancrustacean. The comparative description of mitogenomes in Tettigoniinae showed that total length varies between 15766-16788 bp, the start codon for protein coding genes almost always fits to the ATN pattern, the stop codons are incomplete T-- / TA- and rarely complete TAA, intergenic spacers (IGS) and overlapping regions (OR) in species of the subfamily are similar in number, location, length and nucleotide sequence. We arrived to following conclusion from comparative data: (i) A. babadaghi has a typical orthopteran mitogenome by general features; (ii) this generalisation seems valid for Tettigoniinae as gene content, gene location, gene order, average AT content, anticodons and secondary structure of the tRNA genes, the start and stop codons of the protein coding genes, and several IGSs/ORs are similar to other orthopteran and hexapopods, (iii) variation range in total mitogenome length is narrow in Tettigoniinae and mainly determined by the lengths of control region and total IGSs, (iv) mitogenome of the subfamily exhibits conserved patterns especially in overlapping regions, but conserved features are mostly plesiomorphic.
Leiocassis rudicula (Teleostei: Siluriformes: Bagridae), a new catfish from eastern Borneo
Authors: NG HEOK HEE , HADIATY RENNY K.
Published: August 2019

A new species of bagrid catfish in the genus Leiocassis is described from the Mahakam River drainage in eastern Borneo. Leiocassis rudicula, new species, can be distinguished from congeners in having a unique combination of: distinct concavity at level of orbit in dorsolateral profile of head; tip of supraoccipital spine not reaching anterior nuchal plate element; smooth posterior margin of dorsal spine; presence of an irregular pale band on sides of body between dorsal and adipose fins; anal fin with narrow brown band across middle third of fin; narrow caudal-fin lobes with nearly straight posterior margins; snout length 36–40% HL; eye diameter 14–20% HL; head depth 17.6–20.0% SL; length of dorsal-fin spine 14.1–18.5% SL; length of pectoral-fin spine 15.1–17.7 %SL; dorsal-to-adipose distance 10.9–14.3% SL; body depth at anus 16.4–19.5% SL; length of adipose-fin base 18.9–24.1% SL; length of anal-fin base 18.8–22.6% SL; and caudal peduncle depth 9.1–10.9% SL. A revised key to the genus is also provided.
Intentions to Enhance Tourism in Private Households: Explanation and Mediated Effects of Entrepreneurial Experience
Authors: Heiny Jennifer , Ajzen Icek , Leonhäuser Ingrid-Ute , Schmidt Peter
Published: August 2019

In two remote regions in the Caucasus (Georgia), the tourism sector gains importance as a source of income. Based on the theory of planned behaviour ( Ajzen, 1991 ), a structural equation model was applied to explore the factors that determine the intentions of private households to enhance their activities in the tourism sector. The strongest influence was exerted by subjective norm followed by perceived behavioural control. Underlying beliefs showed that the family had the strongest influence on subjective norm, suggesting that interventions should also target the social environment. Furthermore, bank loans can foster the perceived ability of enhancing touristic activities while personal illness was perceived as a significant threat. The background factor, experience, indirectly influenced the intention to enhance touristic activities.
Impact of preleukemic mutations and their persistence on hematologic recovery after induction chemotherapy for AML
Authors: Murphy Tracy , Zou Jinfeng , Daher-Reyes Georgina S. , Arruda Andrea , Gupta Vikas , McNamara Caroline J. , Minden Mark D. , Schimmer Aaron D. , Sibai Hassan , Yee Karen W. L. , Korulla Mariam , Stockley Tracy , Kamel-Reid Suzanne , Maze Dawn , Tierens Anne , Bratman Scott V. , Schuh Andre C. , Chan Steven M.
Published: August 2019

Key Points

DNMT3A R882, TET2, ASXL1, and SRSF2 mutations identified at the time of diagnosis are associated with delayed count recovery. Persistence of preleukemic mutations in remission at high variant allele frequency is associated with delayed count recovery.
Rapid and simple colorimetric detection of multiple influenza viruses infecting humans using a reverse transcriptional loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) diagnostic platform
Authors: Ahn Su Jeong , Baek Yun Hee , Lloren Khristine Kaith S. , Choi Won-Suk , Jeong Ju Hwan , Antigua Khristine Joy C. , Kwon Hyeok-il , Park Su-Jin , Kim Eun-Ha , Kim Young-il , Si Young-Jae , Hong Seung Bok , Shin Kyeong Seob , Chun Sungkun , Choi Young Ki , Song Min-Suk
Published: August 2019

Background

In addition to seasonal influenza viruses recently circulating in humans, avian influenza viruses (AIVs) of H5N1, H5N6 and H7N9 subtypes have also emerged and demonstrated human infection abilities with high mortality rates. Although influenza viral infections are usually diagnosed using viral isolation and serological/molecular analyses, the cost, accessibility, and availability of these methods may limit their utility in various settings. The objective of this study was to develop and optimized a multiplex detection system for most influenza viruses currently infecting humans.

Methods

We developed and optimized a multiplex detection system for most influenza viruses currently infecting humans including two type B (both Victoria lineages and Yamagata lineages), H1N1, H3N2, H5N1, H5N6, and H7N9 using Reverse Transcriptional Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP) technology coupled with a one-pot colorimetric visualization system to facilitate direct determination of results without additional steps. We also evaluated this multiplex RT-LAMP for clinical use using a total of 135 clinical and spiked samples (91 influenza viruses and 44 other human infectious viruses).

Results

We achieved rapid detection of seasonal influenza viruses (H1N1, H3N2, and Type B) and avian influenza viruses (H5N1, H5N6, H5N8 and H7N9) within an hour. The assay could detect influenza viruses with high sensitivity (i.e., from 100 to 0.1 viral genome copies), comparable to conventional RT-PCR-based approaches which would typically take several hours and require expensive equipment. This assay was capable of specifically detecting each influenza virus (Type B, H1N1, H3N2, H5N1, H5N6, H5N8 and H7N9) without cross-reactivity with other subtypes of AIVs or other human infectious viruses. Furthermore, 91 clinical and spiked samples confirmed by qRT-PCR were also detected by this multiplex RT-LAMP with 98.9% agreement. It was more sensitive than one-step RT-PCR approach (92.3%).

Conclusions

Results of this study suggest that our multiplex RT-LAMP assay may provide a rapid, sensitive, cost-effective, and reliable diagnostic method for identifying recent influenza viruses infecting humans, especially in locations without access to large platforms or sophisticated equipment.
Learning Health System for Breast Cancer: Pilot Project Experience
Authors: Levine Mark N. , Alexander Gordon , Sathiyapalan Arani , Agrawal Anjali , Pond Greg
Published: August 2019

PURPOSE

Clinicians need accurate and timely information on the impact of treatments on patient outcomes. The electronic health record (EHR) offers the potential for insight into real-world patient experiences and outcomes, but it is difficult to tap into. Our goal was to apply artificial intelligence technology to the EHR to characterize the clinical course of patients with stage III breast cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Data from patients with stage III breast cancer who presented between 2013 and 2015 were extracted from the EHR, de-identified, and imported into the IBM Cloud. Specialized natural language processing (NLP) annotators were developed to extract medical concepts from unstructured clinical text and transform them to structured attributes. In the validation phase, these annotators were applied to 19 additional patients with stage III breast cancer from the same period. The resulting data were compared with that in the medical chart (gold standard) for nine key indicators.

RESULTS

Information was extracted for 50 patients, including tumor stage (94% stage IIIA, 6% stage IIIB), age (28% 50 years or younger, 52% between 51 and 70 years, and 24% older than 70 years), receptor status (84% estrogen receptor positive, 74% progesterone receptor positive), and first treatment (72% surgery, 26% chemotherapy, 2% endocrine). Events in the patient’s journey were compiled to create a timeline. For 171 data elements, NLP and the chart disagreed for 41 (24%; 95% CI, 17.8% to 31.1%). With additional manipulation using simple logic, the disagreement was reduced to six elements (3.5%; 95% CI, 1.3% to 7.5%; F1 statistic, 0.9694).

CONCLUSION

It is possible to extract, read, and combine data from the EHR to view the patient journey. The agreement between NLP and the gold standard was high, which supports validity.