bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Linseed oil‐based reactive diluents preparation to improve tetra‐functional epoxy resin properties
Authors: Ghasemi Rad Niloufar , Karami Zeinab , Zohuriaan‐Mehr Mohammad Jalal , Salimi Ali , Kabiri Kourosh
Published: June 2019

Two kinds of bio‐resourced reactive diluents have been synthesized from linseed oil. The prepared epoxidized linseed oil (ELO) and the cyclocarbonated linseed oil (CLO) were separately blended with a petroleum‐based tetra‐functional epoxy resin (TGDDM) to improve its processability and to overcome the brittleness of the thermoset network therefrom. The linseed oil modifications were spectrally established, and processability improvement of the resin blends was rheologically confirmed. The curing of samples was studied by differential scanning calorimetry, and their mechanical properties (ie, tensile, flexural, fracture toughness, and adhesion) were investigated as well. Scanning electron microscopy images were obtained to reconfirm the toughness improvement of the modified thermosets. In contrast of the epoxidized soybean oil (ie, the most conventionally studied bio‐based reactive diluent), ELO and CLO had no negative effects on the thermoset material characteristics. They improved properties such as tensile strength (up to 43.2 MPa), fracture toughness (1.1 MPa m1/2), and peel‐adhesion strength (4.5 N/25 mm). It was concluded that ELO and CLO were efficient reactive diluents to be used in formulations of polymer composites, surface coatings, and structural adhesives based on epoxy resins.
A sonographic approach to the prenatal diagnosis of skeletal dysplasias
Authors: Pajkrt Eva , Chitty Lyn S.
Published: June 2019

Skeletal dysplasias are a heterogeneous group of conditions, many of which present unexpectedly in the prenatal period with a variety of ultrasound findings. Accurate prenatal diagnosis can now be facilitated using exome sequencing approaches, but in order to interpret results, accurate and detailed phenotyping is required. Here, we describe the sonographic approach to the prenatal diagnosis of skeletal abnormalities and illustrate how taking a systematic approach can facilitate diagnosis.
Label‐Free Quantitative Proteomics of Enriched Nuclei from Sugarcane (Saccharum ssp) Stems in Response to Drought Stress
Authors: Salvato Fernanda , Loziuk Philip , Kiyota Eduardo , Daneluzzi Gabriel Silva , Araújo Pedro , Muddiman David C. , Mazzafera Paulo
Published: June 2019

Drought is considered the major abiotic stress limiting crop productivity. This study seeks to identify proteins involved in the drought response in sugarcane stems submitted to drought stress. The integration of nuclei enrichment sample preparation with the shotgun proteomic approach results in great coverage of the sugarcane stem proteome with 5381 protein groups identified. A total of 1204 differentially accumulated proteins are detected in response to drought, among which 586 and 618 are increased and reduced in abundance, respectively. A total of 115 exclusive proteins are detected, being 41 exclusives of drought‐stressed plants and 74 exclusives of control plants. In the control plants, most of these proteins are related to cell wall metabolism, indicating that drought affects negatively the cell wall metabolism. Also, 37 transcription factors (TFs) are identified, which are low abundant nuclear proteins and are differentially accumulated in response to drought stress. These TFs are associated to protein domains such as leucine‐rich (bZIP), C2H2, NAC, C3H, LIM, Myb‐related, heat shock factor (HSF) and auxin response factor (ARF). Increased abundance of chromatin remodeling and RNA processing proteins are also observed. It is suggested that these variations result from an imbalance of protein synthesis and degradation processes induced by drought.
Estimating the segregation strength of microphase‐separated diblock copolymers from the interfacial width
Authors: Burns Adam B. , Christie Dane , Mulhearn William D. , Register Richard A.
Published: June 2019

The ever‐growing catalog of monomers being incorporated into block polymers affords exceptional control over phase behavior and nanoscale structure. The segregation strength, χN, is the fundamental link between the molecular‐level detail and the thermodynamics. However, predicting phase behavior mandates at least one experimental measurement of χN for each pair of blocks. This typically requires access to the disordered state. We describe a method for estimating χN from small‐angle X‐ray scattering measurements of the interfacial width between lamellar microdomains, tx, in the microphase‐separated melt. The segregation strength is determined by comparing tx to self‐consistent field theory calculations of the intrinsic interfacial width, ti, as a function of the mean‐field χN. The method is validated using a series of independent experimental measurements of tx and χN, measured via the order–disorder transition temperature, TODT. The average absolute relative difference between χN calculated from tx and the value calculated from TODT is a modest 11%. Corrections for nonplanarity of the interfaces are investigated but do not improve the agreement between the experiments and theory. Published 2019. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019, 57, 932–940
Asthma control in children: Body plethysmography in addition to spirometry
Authors: Korten Insa , Zacharasiewicz Angela , Bittkowski Nina , Hofmann Alexander , Lex Christiane
Published: June 2019

Background

There is a lack of agreement among measures of asthma control in children. In Central Europe, body plethysmography is additionally used for asthma monitoring. However, its value is still unclear.

Objectives

We investigated the possible additional value of body plethysmographic measures (specific resistance, residual volume‐total lung capacity ratio [RV/TLC]) compared with spirometric measures forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV
1), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV
1/FVC, forced expiratory flow at 25% to 75% of forced vital capacity (FEF
25‐75), and fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) for assessment of asthma control.

Methods

One hundred and forty‐five asthmatic children aged 5 to 17 were included. All children performed measurements of FeNO, spirometry, and body plethymography. Asthma control was assessed by the asthma control test (c‐ACT/ACT) and a doctor's assessment of asthma control.

Results

Investigating single lung function parameters, FEV1, FEV
1/FVC, FEF
25‐75 and RV/TLC differed between controlled and partly controlled asthma. However, we found no differences between controlled and uncontrolled asthma with regard to single lung function parameters or for any parameter if investigated in a multivariable approach. This was also true if we combined obtained parameters from spirometry (comparing pathologic vs normal spirometry). Investigating the combination of body plethysmography and doctor's assessment of asthma control a significant association was found (
P = 0.02). Furthermore, combined spirometry and body plethysmography showed a significant association with both doctor's assessed asthma control (
P = 0.009) and the c‐ACT/ACT (
P = 0.04). The addition of FeNO did not improve the results.

Conclusions

The combination of body plethysmography and spirometry shows best agreement with asthma control in children compared with spirometry or body plethysmography alone. Further studies are needed to find out whether additional measurements of body plethysmography improve the outcome of children in asthma monitoring.
Patterns of health care use related to respiratory conditions in early life: A birth cohort study with linked administrative data
Authors: Chen Wenjia , Subbarao Padmaja , McGihon Rachel E. , Feldman Laura Y. , Zhu Jingqin , Lou Wendy , Gershon Andrea S. , Abdullah Kawsari , Moraes Theo J. , Dubeau Aimée , Sears Malcolm R. , Lefebvre Diana L. , Turvey Stuart E. , Mandhane Piush J. , Azad Meghan B. , To Teresa
Published: June 2019

Objectives

To identify distinctive patterns of respiratory‐related health services use (HSU) between birth and 3 years of age, and to examine associated symptom and risk profiles.

Methods

This study included 729 mother and child pairs enrolled in the Toronto site of the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development study in 2009‐2012; they were linked to Ontario health administrative databases (2009‐2016). A model‐based cluster analysis was performed to identify distinct groups of children who followed a similar pattern of respiratory‐related HSU between birth and 3 years of age, regarding hospitalization, emergency department (ED) and physician office visits for respiratory conditions and total health care costs (2016 Canadian dollars).

Results

The majority (estimated cluster weight = 0.905) showed a pattern of low and stable respiratory care use (low HSU) while the remainder (weight = 0.095) showed a pattern of high use (high HSU). From 0 to 3 years of age, the low‐ and high‐HSU groups differed in mean trajectories of total health care costs ($783 per 6 months decreased to $114, vs $1796 to $177, respectively). Compared to low‐HSU, the high‐HSU group was associated with a constant risk of hospitalizations, early high ED utilization and physician visits for respiratory problems. The two groups differed significantly in the timing of wheezing (late onset in low‐HSU vs early in high‐HSU) and future total costs (stable vs increased).

Conclusions

One in ten children had high respiratory care use in early life. Such information can help identify high‐risk young children in a large population, monitor their long‐term health, and inform resource allocation.
A cryptic activity in the Nudix hydrolase superfamily
Authors: Bessman Maurice J.
Published: June 2019

The Nudix hydrolase superfamily is identified by a conserved cassette of 23 amino acids, and it is characterized by its pyrophosphorylytic activity on a wide variety of nucleoside diphosphate derivatives. Of the 13 members of the family in Escherichia coli, only one, Orf180, has not been identified with a substrate, although a host of nucleoside diphosphate compounds has been tested. Several reports have noted a strong similarity in the three‐dimensional structure of the unrelated enzyme, isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase (IDI) to the Nudix structure, and the report that a Nudix enzyme was involved in the synthesis of geraniol, a product of the two substrates of IDI, prompted an investigation of whether the IDI substrates, isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP), and dimethylallyl diphosphate (DAPP) could be substrates of Orf180. This article demonstrates that Orf180 does have a very low activity on IPP, DAPP, and geranyl pyrophosphate (GPP). However, several of the other Nudix enzymes with established nucleoside diphosphate substrates hydrolyze these compounds at substantial rates. In fact, some Nudix hydrolases have higher activities on IPP, DAPP, and GPP than on their signature nucleoside diphosphate derivatives.
Characterization of the atmospheric boundary layer in a narrow tropical valley using remote‐sensing and radiosonde observations and the WRF model: the Aburrá Valley case‐study
Authors: Herrera‐Mejía Laura , Hoyos Carlos D.
Published: June 2019

The spatiotemporal evolution of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), in a narrow, highly complex terrain located in the Colombian Andes, is studied using radiosondes and remote‐sensing equipment. Different techniques are implemented to automatically estimate the ABL height using ceilometer backscattering profiles and a combination of a radar wind profiler and microwave radiometer retrievals. The large aerosol load from anthropogenic emissions within the valley allows the use of ceilometer‐based ABL height detection methods, especially under stable atmospheric conditions. However, convective atmospheres favour aerosol dispersion, increasing the uncertainty associated with the estimation of the convective boundary layer using ceilometers. In contrast, the multisensor technique is more robust, performing better in stable and unstable conditions. All ceilometer‐based methods and the multisensor scheme capture the observed ABL height diurnal cycle. The main difference among ABL height retrievals occurs in the afternoon and during the night when Richardson number estimates tend to detect the top‐down contraction of the residual layer, while ceilometer‐based estimates detect the sudden bottom‐up onset of the nocturnal stable layer. The results also show that intra‐annual and annual variations of cloudiness strongly condition the ABL expansion, leading to a modulation of the ABL height diurnal cycle. The amount of aerosol particles near the surface is influenced by the evolution of the ABL, modifying the available control volume for the pollutants to interact and disperse. The evolution of ABL over the slopes and at the valley floor differs as a result of the local thickening associated with upslope winds. Weather Research and Forecasting model simulations, from a climatological point of view, skilfully simulate the observed ABL height for both the diurnal and annual cycles; the model skill is higher over the valley floor than over the slopes.
Serum lipid profile as a predictor of dengue severity: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Lima William Gustavo , Souza Nayara Alves , Fernandes Simone Odília Antunes , Cardoso Valbert Nascimento , Godói Isabella Piassi
Published: June 2019

Dengue virus is known to modulate host cell lipid metabolism in order to promote efficient viral replication. Recent studies have focused on circulating lipids as potential biomarkers of dengue severity; however, the results obtained so far lack the consistency to establish a definite relationship between the two. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated serum lipids as potential biomarkers of dengue severity by conducting a meta‐analysis of the currently available clinical data. Nine studies that evaluated 1,953 patients were included in the review, many of which were cross‐sectional (44.4%) and conducted in Asian countries (55.5%). These studies observed the presence of lipids in serum samples (77%) of patients in the acute phase of the disease (88.8%). Circulating total‐cholesterol (P = .001) and LDL (P = .001) levels, but not HDL (P = .07), VLDL (P = .9) and triglyceride (P = .57) levels, were inversely and significantly correlated with dengue severity. Total cholesterol (P ≤ .001) and LDL (P = .001) were also useful in determining the risk of hypovolemic shock in patients with severe dengue. Subgroup analysis showed that factors, such as design (cross‐sectional vs cohort), racial‐ethnic differences (Asian vs Latin Americans), and age range (children vs adult) influenced the correlation and also contributed to the high level of heterogeneity in the studies. Our meta‐analysis demonstrates that total‐cholesterol and LDL‐cholesterol levels should be explored as routine laboratory markers for dengue severity, as they will help in employing an appropriate patient therapy, and thus optimize the use of available resources.
Large rivers as complex adaptive ecosystems
Authors: Thoms Martin , Sheldon Fran
Published: June 2019

Large rivers dominate the world's terrestrial surface, yet we are still learning of their structure, how they function, and whether they are different not only from each other, but also from smaller rivers. There is a benefit in framing large rivers as complex adaptive systems, as they contain essential features of these entities, the emergent properties of which are nonlinear and often display unpredictable behaviour in space and time, contagion, and modularity. Large rivers are also social–ecological systems with a high degree of coupling between natural and human components. The manuscripts in this special issue highlight these fundamental properties for large river ecosystems from different geographic regions of the world. This special issue is dedicated to three former editorial board members of River Research and Applications. The loss of Professors Bryan Davies (University of Cape Town, South Africa), Jay O'Keefe (Rhodes University, South Africa), and Keith Walker (University of Adelaide, Australia) leaves a great gap and a rich memory bank in river science—especially large river ecosystems.
High‐Yield Electrochemical Production of Large‐Sized and Thinly Layered NiPS3 Flakes for Overall Water Splitting
Authors: Li Xinzhe , Fang Yiyun , Wang Jun , Wei Bin , Qi Kun , Hoh Hui Ying , Hao Qiaoyan , Sun Tao , Wang Zhongchang , Yin Zongyou , Zhang Yupeng , Lu Jiong , Bao Qiaoliang , Su Chenliang
Published: June 2019

Achieving large‐sized and thinly layered 2D metal phosphorus trichalcogenides with high quality and yield has been an urgent quest due to extraordinary physical/chemical characteristics for multiple applications. Nevertheless, current preparation methodologies suffer from uncontrolled thicknesses, uneven morphologies and area distributions, long processing times, and inferior quality. Here, a sonication‐free and fast (in minutes) electrochemical cathodic exfoliation approach is reported that can prepare large‐sized (typically ≈150 µm2) and thinly layered (≈70% monolayer) NiPS3 flakes with high crystallinity and pure phase structure with a yield ≈80%. During the electrochemical exfoliation process, the tetra‐n‐butylammonium salt with a large ionic diameter is decomposed into gaseous species after the intercalation and efficiently expands the tightly stratified bulk NiPS3 crystals, as revealed by in situ and ex situ characterizations. Atomically thin NiPS3 flakes can be obtained by slight manual shaking rather than sonication, which largely preserves in‐plane structural integrity with large size and minimum damage. The obtained high quality NiPS3 offers a new and ideal model for overall water splitting due to its inherent fully exposed S and P atoms that are often the active sites for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Consequently, the bifunctional NiPS3 exhibits outstanding performance for overall water splitting.
New Spiro‐Phenylpyrazole/Dibenzosuberene Derivatives as Hole‐Transporting Material for Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Su Tzu-Sen , Tsai Han-Yan , Kannankutty Kala , Chen Chien-Tien , Chi Yun , Wei Tzu-Chien
Published: June 2019

A series of spiro‐arranged hole‐transporting materials are designed and synthesized by incorporating a substituted phenylpyrazole unit to the orthogonal dibenzosuberene core unit, which are named as THY‐1 to THY‐5. All of them exhibit good optical, electrochemical, and electronic properties as needed for HTMs, despite the distinctive morphologies observed for the spin‐casted thin film. A perovskite solar cell based on THY‐5 exhibits the highest power conversion efficiency of 15.83%, which is comparable to that of the N2,N2,N2′,N2′,N7,N7,N7′,N7′‐octakis(4‐methoxyphenyl)‐9,9′‐spirobi[9H‐fluorene]‐2,2′,7,7′‐tetramine (Spiro‐OMeTAD) reference device (16.22%) fabricated using identical architecture.
High‐Performance Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells by Reducing Electron Capture Region for Electron Transport Layers
Authors: Zuo Shengnan , Zhu Xuejie , Feng Jiangshan , Wang Ziyu , Zhang Cong , Wang Chenyu , Ren Xiaodong , Liu Shengzhou (Frank) , Yang Dong
Published: June 2019

The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of inverted perovskite solar cells (i‐PSCs) is lower than that of the normal structures. The low efficiency is mainly ascribed to the inferior properties of commonly used [6,6]‐phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) electron transport layers (ETLs) such as complexity in achieving high‐quality films, low electron mobility, imperfect energy level for electron extraction, and large electron capture region. Herein, the bulk heterojunction (BHJ) ETLs composed of PCBM and polymers are developed. The electron mobility of the BHJ film is enhanced by more than three times compared with PCBM, leading to efficient electron extraction. The electron capture region of the BHJ film decreases to 1.20 × 10−18 from 3.70 × 10−17 cm−3 for PCBM due to increased relative permittivity, which reduces the trap‐assistant recombination at the interface. Meanwhile, the devices with BHJ exhibit good stability regardless of illumination and dark storage conditions owing to the more hydrophobic BHJ films and full coverage of perovskite surface, which effectively prevent the moisture permeation into the perovskite devices. It is believed that this breakthrough provides a suitable approach to improve the efficiency and stability of i‐PSCs.
On wind turbine loads during the evening transition period
Authors: Lu Nan‐You , Basu Sukanta , Manuel Lance
Published: June 2019

The late afternoon hours in the diurnal cycle precede the development of the nocturnal stable boundary layer. This “evening transition” (ET) period is often when energy demand peaks. This period also corresponds to the time of day that is a precursor to late‐afternoon downbursts, a subject of separate interest. To capture physical characteristics of wind fields in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) during this ET period, particularly the interplay of shear and turbulence, stochastic simulation approaches, although more tractable, are not suitable. Large‐eddy simulation (LES), on the other hand, may be used to generate high‐resolution ABL turbulent flow fields. We present a suite of idealized LES four‐dimensional flow fields that define a database representing different combinations of large‐scale atmospheric conditions (characterized by associated geostrophic winds) and surface boundary conditions (characterized by surface heat fluxes). Our objective is to evaluate the performance of wind turbines during the ET period. Accordingly, we conduct a statistical analysis of turbine‐scale wind field variables. We then employ the database of these LES‐based inflow wind fields in aeroelastic simulations of a 5‐MW wind turbine. We discuss how turbine loads change as the ET period evolves. We also discuss maximum and fatigue loads on the rotor and tower resulting from different ABL conditions. Results of this study suggest that, during the ET period, the prevailing geostrophic wind speed affects the mean and variance of longitudinal winds greatly and thus has significant influence on all loads except the yaw moment which is less sensitive to uniform and symmetric incoming flow. On the other hand, surface heat flux levels affect vertical turbulence and wind shear more and, as a result, only affect maximum blade flapwise bending and tower fore‐aft bending loads.
Melamium Thiocyanate Melam, a Melamium Salt with Disordered Anion Sites
Authors: Kessler Fabian K. , Schuhbeck Alexander M. , Schnick Wolfgang
Published: June 2019

Melamium salts are a group of ionic carbon nitride type compounds that has been investigated only scarcely. We herein present a novel representative of this group. A melamium thiocyanate melam (1:1) adduct was synthesized from dicyandiamide and ammonium thiocyanate in sealed glass ampoules. The structure of the adduct was determined from single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. Melamium thiocyanate melam crystallizes in monoclinic space group P21/c (no. 14) with lattice parameters of a = 3.6041(11), b = 28.532(7), c = 10.937(4) Å, β = 99.051(14)°, and Z = 4. While the melamium ions form 2D extended hydrogen bridged networks, the thiocyanate ions are disordered and no distinct structural sites could be assigned to the respective atoms. Instead, continuous columns of electron density located in channels in the porous structure were identified as potential space for anion locations. The compound was further characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR spectroscopy and solid‐state MAS‐NMR spectroscopy of the nuclei 1H, 13C and 15N. Rietveld refinement of powder samples was performed for phase analysis. Furthermore, DSC‐TG was used to investigate the thermal behavior of the compound.
Comparing Domain Decomposition Methods for the Parallelization of Distributed Land Surface Models
Authors: von Ramm Alexander , Weismüller Jens , Kurtz Wolfgang , Neckel Tobias
Published: June 2019

Current research challenges in hydrology require high resolution models, which simulate the processes comprising the water-cycle on a global scale. These requirements stand in great contrast to the current capabilities of distributed land surface models. Hardly any literature noting efficient scalability past approximately 64 processors could be found. Porting these models to supercomputers is no simple task, because the greater part of the computational load stems from the evaluation of highly parametrized equations. Furthermore, the load is heterogeneous in both spatial and temporal dimension, and considerable load-imbalances occur triggered by input data. We investigate different domain decomposition methods for distributed land surface models and focus on their properties concerning load balancing and communication minimizing partitionings. Artificial strong scaling experiments from a single core to 8, 192 cores show that graph-based methods can distribute the computational load of the application almost as efficiently as coordinate-based methods, while the partitionings found by the graph-based method significantly reduce communication overhead.
Impact of mammalian cell culture conditions on monoclonal antibody charge heterogeneity: an accessory monitoring tool for process development
Authors: Sissolak Bernhard , Lingg Nico , Sommeregger Wolfgang , Striedner Gerald , Vorauer-Uhl Karola
Published: June 2019

Recombinant monoclonal antibodies are predominantly produced in mammalian cell culture bioprocesses. Post-translational modifications affect the micro-heterogeneity of the product and thereby influence important quality attributes, such as stability, solubility, pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. The analysis of the surface charge distribution of monoclonal antibodies provides aggregated information about these modifications. In this work, we established a direct injection pH gradient cation exchange chromatography method, which determines charge heterogeneity from cell culture supernatant without any purification steps. This tool was further applied to monitor processes that were performed under certain process conditions. Concretely, we were able to provide insights into charge variant formation during a fed-batch process of a Chinese hamster ovary cell culture, in turn producing a monoclonal antibody under varying temperatures and glucose feed strategies. Glucose concentration impacted the total emergence of acidic variants, whereas the variation of basic species was mainly dependent on process temperature. The formation rates of acidic species were described with a second-order reaction, where a temperature increase favored the conversion. This platform method will aid as a sophisticated optimization tool for mammalian cell culture processes. It provides a quality fingerprint for the produced mAb, which can be tested, compared to the desired target and confirmed early in the process chain.
Other causes of intestinal obstruction actino-mycetoma – a case report and literature review
Authors: Marín Jessica Correa , Llano Juan David Urrea , Gomez Alden Pool
Published: June 2019

Introduction Actinomycosis is a rare infectious disease that affects abdominal organs and simulates oncological disease, hardly ever presents itself as a cause of intestinal obstruction.

Symptoms A 43 years old, male patient with two months of left abdominal pain associated to a growth and an 8 kg weight loss, no fever or bowel habit disruption.

Interventions A colonoscopy and an abdominal scanography.

Results A solid heterogeneous 7 × 3.8 cm mass localized in the splenic flexure of the colon with infiltration of its walls and its surrounding fat. Colon cancer was considered as the first diagnostic possibility. During hospitalization, the patient was taken to an emergency exploratory laparotomy, due to an acute abdominal pain with bowel obstruction symptoms.

Histopathological diagnosis Actinomycetoma. Conjoint continuous monitoring with the infectious disease attending, abdominal US and observation did not show new growths. Weight gain and progressive return to daily life was obtained within 8 weeks.

Conclusion In low income countries, intestinal actinomycosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of abdominal masses and chronic inflammatory processes, patient prognosis with proper management is excellent.
The Biology of Art
Authors: Richards Richard A.
Published: June 2019

Biological accounts of art typically start with evolutionary, psychological or neurobiological theories. These approaches might be able to explain many of the similarities we see in art behaviors within and across human populations, but they don't obviously explain the differences we also see. Nor do they give us guidance on how we should engage with art, or the conceptual basis for art. A more comprehensive framework, based also on the ecology of art and how art behaviors get expressed in engineered niches, can help us better understand the full range of art behaviors, their normativity and conceptual basis.
Experiments on flows in channels with spatially distributed heating
Authors: Inasawa A. , Taneda K. , Floryan J. M.
Published: June 2019

Flows in channels exposed to spatially distributed heating were investigated. Such flows are of interest as theoretical analyses suggest that heating leads to the reduction of pressure losses. A special apparatus providing the means for the creation of well-controlled spatially periodic heating with the desired intensity as well as precise control of the flow rate in flows with small Reynolds numbers was constructed. The apparatus works with air and provides optical access to the flow interior. The relevant theory has been generalized to handle the temperature fields measured in the experiments. The experiments were carried out for Reynolds numbers $Re<20$ and at a single Rayleigh number based on the peak-to-peak temperature difference and channel half-height of $Ra_{p}=3500$. Flow visualization and particle image velocimetry measurements demonstrated the formation of two-dimensional steady rolls whose size was dictated by $Re$, with the largest rolls observed for the smallest $Re$ and the roll size being gradually reduced as $Re$ increased until their complete elimination at the largest $Re$ used in the experiment. An excellent agreement between the theoretically and experimentally determined complex flow fields was found. Wall shear stresses extracted from the velocity measurements agree with their theoretical counterparts within the expected accuracy. The agreement between the experimental and theoretical velocity fields and their unique relation with the corresponding pressure fields indirectly verify the heating-induced pressure-gradient-reducing effect.
Supraglacial ice cliffs and ponds on debris-covered glaciers: spatio-temporal distribution and characteristics
Authors: STEINER JAKOB F. , BURI PASCAL , MILES EVAN S. , RAGETTLI SILVAN , PELLICCIOTTI FRANCESCA
Published: June 2019

Ice cliffs and ponds on debris-covered glaciers have received increased attention due to their role in amplifying local melt. However, very few studies have looked at these features on the catchment scale to determine their patterns and changes in space and time. We have compiled a detailed inventory of cliffs and ponds in the Langtang catchment, central Himalaya, from six high-resolution satellite orthoimages and DEMs between 2006 and 2015, and a historic orthophoto from 1974. Cliffs cover between 1.4% (± 0.4%) in the dry and 3.4% (± 0.9%) in the wet seasons and ponds between 0.6% (± 0.1%) and 1.6% (± 0.3%) of the total debris-covered tongues. We find large variations between seasons, as cliffs and ponds tend to grow in the wetter monsoon period, but there is no obvious trend in total area over the study period. The inventory further shows that cliffs are predominately north-facing irrespective of the glacier flow direction. Both cliffs and ponds appear in higher densities several hundred metres from the terminus in areas where tributaries reach the main glacier tongue. On the largest glacier in the catchment ~10% of all cliffs and ponds persisted over nearly a decade.
The CDA-BPD: retrofitting a traditional borderline personality questionnaire under the cognitive diagnosis model framework
Authors: Peng Siwei , Wang Daxun , Gao Xuliang , Cai Yan , Tu Dongbo
Published: June 2019

To obtain rich information about the cognitive diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD), this study attempted to retrofit a traditional borderline personality questionnaire so that the improved assessment (called CDA-BPD) could provide more diagnostic information. The retrofitting processes included the following steps: (1) applied an cognitive diagnosis model to analyze the psychometric characteristics of the traditional questionnaire; (2) under the guidance of cognitive diagnosis assessment (CDA), high-quality items were chosen to develop the CDA-BPD and tested on 1,097 subjects; (3) the quality of the CDA-BPD was evaluated; (4) the structure of the CDA-BPD was analyzed. Results indicated that: (1) the CDA-BPD had acceptable reliability and validity; (2) the CDA-BPD had sensitivity of 0.985 and specificity of 0.853 with area under curve (AUC) = 0.956; (3) the two structural factors of the traditional questionnaire were confirmed in the CDA-BPD; χ2 was 83.01 with df = 26, p < .0001, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.97, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.045. It was concluded that the practice of retrofitting a traditional borderline personality assessment for cognitive diagnostic purpose was feasible. Most importantly, under the cognitive diagnosis model framework, CDA-BPD could simultaneously provide general-level information and the detailed symptom criteria-level information about the posterior probability of satisfying each symptom criterion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th edition; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ) for each individual, which gave further insight into tailoring individual-specific treatments for borderline personality disorder.
The Natural Frequency of Vibration of Curved Rectangular Plates
Authors: Palmer P. J.
Published: June 2019

The natural frequency of vibration of curved rectangular plates, with both simply-supported and fixed edges, is evaluated for the fundamental extensional mode. This mode is thought to be applicable when the plates are excited by a uniformly distributed pressure as may occur with a dynamic pressure wave. The natural frequencies corresponding to this mode increase fairly rapidly with the curvature of the plate.

The natural frequency of vibration of the plates when the mode is the fundamental inextensional mode is also considered. The frequency of this mode is higher than that of the extensional mode for small curvatures, but the inextensional mode frequency falls slowly with increase in curvature of the plate. Thus, if the curvature of the plate is sufficiently large, the frequency of the fundamental inextensional mode is lower than that of the extensional mode.
Creep Buckling
Authors: Hoff N. J.
Published: June 2019

A theory of creep buckling is presented in which the instantaneous elastic and plastic deformations following the application of a load, as well as the steady creep deformations, are considered in an approximate manner. Equations are given from which the critical time, that is, the time elapsing between load application and the collapse of the column, can be computed.
The General Theory of “Hysteretic Damping”
Authors: Bishop R. E. D.
Published: June 2019

This paper is the second of a series of three. The first dealt with the steady forced harmonic motion of a simple oscillator with one degree of freedom when “ hysteretic damping ” is present; by this it is meant that a damping force exists which is in phase with velocity but whose magnitude is proportional to displacement. The present paper is devoted to the formulation of a general theory of small hysteretically damped vibration in which the existence is postulated of damping forces which act between pairs of points such that they are in phase with the relative velocities and their magnitudes are proportional to relative displacements. The theory is presented in general terms and use is made of Lagrange’s equations with a new type of “ dissipation function ”; this is comparable with that of Rayleigh for viscous damping. It is shown that this theory generally leads to simpler algebra than does that of viscous damping. Moreover, it will be shown in a later paper that the nature of forced and damped oscillation may be thought of in terms of modes more simply than is the case with the more familiar viscous damping.
Supersonic Bangs
Authors: Sambasiva Rao P.
Published: June 2019

The non-linear theory of supersonic bangs, obtained in Part 1 for a body accelerating along a straight path, is extended to include curved paths. The basic theory remains the same. The important parameter, which appears in the theory, is the acceleration component along the ray, the rays being lines drawn from points on the flight path at an angle cos-1(1/M) with the direction of motion. It is found that the only essential effect of the curvature of the path is in the modification of this acceleration component to include a term due to the transverse acceleration. With this modification the main results are formally the same as in Part I.

The strength of the bow shock is obtained, and it is found that the effect of the curvature of the path is more pronounced at points on the inside of the curve, and in general it becomes greater as the distance from the body increases. A simple asymptotic formula is obtained which predicts the strength of the shock with an error of less than five per cent, at distances of the order of a hundred body-lengths. Finally, the theory is compared and contrasted with the recent work by Warren.
Some notes on graduation
Authors: Beard R. E.
Published: June 2019

After the publication of the volume of statistics of the data derived from the Continuous Mortality Investigation 1924–29, experiments were made by the author in fitting the curves developed by Perks in 1931 (J.I.A. LXIII, 12) to various sections of the data. The experiments were later extended to include the data for the Light and Heavy tables and the experience for the period 1924–38. Although these experiments are now mainly of historical interest they represent useful material for research in testing and otherwise and, together with the results of some other published and unpublished graduations, they form the background of this paper.
The Recent Mortality of Males in England and Wales in Later Middle Life
Authors: Hocking W. S.
Published: June 2019

During the discussion on Beard's paper (J.I.A. lxxvii, 425) A. C. Edwards commented on the relatively heavy death-rate during the last twenty years among men in England and Wales who were aged 20–40 in 1916. He pointed out that, in the tables on the Trend of Mortality in England and Wales that appear in J.I.A. from time to time, there is a peak in the ratios of men's mortality to the 1930–32 standard that has moved from ages 45–49 in 1933 to 60–64 in 1944–48, and he put forward as a possible explanation that this age-group lost a number of its fittest members during the 1914–18 war and that the survivors who had been on active service have been suffering from delayed and cumulative after-effects. He added that the excess mortality at the top of the hump might be 10–15% and suggested that some marked changes in male annuitants' mortality in the 60's and 70's might be observed during the next few years.
Personal Jurisdiction
Authors: Smith J. A. Clarence
Published: June 2019

A Judgment inter partes has two uses in subsequent proceedings: as a defence against a plaintiff whose case is inconsistent with its correctness, or as a weapon of attack against the party condemned by it. The basis of the first use is not that the judgment made any difference to the rights of the parties, still less that the pronouncement of a court, domestic or foreign, is infallible, but that, whether or not their rights are truly as declared, that declaration will not be allowed to be contradicted.
Challenging the Unconditional: Partial Compliance with ECtHR Judgments in the South Caucasus States
Authors: Remezaite Ramute
Published: June 2019

The European human rights system has long been seen as one of the greatest European achievements, with its European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) as the world's leading human rights court. Current turbulent times, however, pose serious challenges to the European system, which is increasingly being contested by the deepening ‘implementation crisis’. The absolute obligation of member states of the Council of Europe (CoE) to abide by ECtHR judgments under Article 46 of the European Convention on Human Rights has been increasingly compromised by the selective approach of states, often resulting in minimal, dilatory, lengthy or even contested compliance with ECtHR judgments. As the implementation backlog has grown largely after the accession to the CoE of the newly emerged states, as aspiring democracies, in the late 1990s and early 2000s following the collapse of the Soviet Union, this article analyses the compliance behaviour of these states by looking at the South Caucasus states: Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The research findings suggest that partial compliance is a very likely form of compliance in the South Caucasus states as democratising states, and that some of the factors that explain such behaviour discussed in the article may be distinctive of states that joined the CoE as emerging democracies after the collapse of the Soviet Union. These states continue to display various vulnerabilities in the areas of human rights, the rule of law and democracy. This, in turn, has serious implications for the whole European human rights system and its ability to ensure that states’ commitments to the CoE are duly respected in the longer term.
Factors Influencing the Emergence of Larvae from Cysts of the Beet eelworm, Heterodera schachtii Schmidt
Authors: Wallace H. R.
Published: June 2019

Experiments on larval emergence in a series of constant temperatures showed that, of those temperatures tested, 25°C. was the optimum. Results suggest that constant temperatures do not provide optimum conditions for larval emergence and that a higher rate of emergence may occur under fluctuating temperatures. The rate of larval emergence in beet diffusate increased as the initial oxygen concentration increased. Pre-treatment of cysts at low oxygen concentrations reduced the subsequent emergence in diffusate.
Observations on Skin Penetration by the Infective Larvae of Nippostrongylus brasiliensis
Authors: Gharib H. M.
Published: June 2019

Taliaferro and Sarles (1939) who studied the cellular reaction in the skin, lung and intestine of normal and immune rats after infection with N.muris, stated that “larvae were found penetrating the skin from a half hour through two hours after they had been placed on the skin. They seemed to penetrate directly…” Yokogawa (1922) observed that this parasite when placed on the skin of rats, penetrated into the tissues very quickly. He did not specify any time for their entrance.
A New Method for the Production and Recovery of Cysts of Root Eelworms (Heterodera spp.) for Use in Bio-assay
Authors: Winslow R. D.
Published: June 2019

Methods are discussed for greatly increasing the cyst content of Helerodera-intested soil, so that very little soil need be “floated” to provide the number of cysts necessary to form a replicate in bioassay. Such a “float” contains very little debris and may be used directly, thus avoiding the laborious and time-consuming step of separating the cysts from the debris. An apparatus for quick recovery of the “float” is described.
On the Route of Emergence of the Cercariae of Schistosoma mansoni from Australorbis glabratus
Authors: Duke B. O. L.
Published: June 2019

Although the literature contains many references to the entrance of schistosome miracidia into the snail host and their subsequent development into sporocysts and mature cercariae, there is comparatively little information available about the way these cercariae leave the snail. But the findings of Kendall and McCullough (1951) concerning the emergence of Fasciola hepatica cercariae from Limnaea truncatula, which resulted from the sectioning of infected snails, indicated that this method might also yield new information about the cercariae of S. mansoni; so at the suggestion of Professor Buckley the writer undertook the present investigation.
Argon plasma coagulation tonsillectomy versus coblation tonsillectomy: a comparison of efficacy and safety
Authors: Loh R , Stepan L , Zhen E , Shaw C-K L
Published: June 2019

Background

Tonsillectomy is one of the most common otolaryngological procedures. Nonetheless, there is still no universally approved ‘gold standard’ technique.

Objective

To compare the safety and efficacy of argon plasma coagulation and coblation techniques in tonsillectomy.

Methods

A multi-institutional, retrospective cohort study was conducted, comprising 283 patients who underwent bilateral tonsillectomies performed by a single surgeon between 2014 and 2017. The outcome measures included: operative time, intra-operative blood loss, post-operative pain and post-operative haemorrhage.

Results

In the argon plasma coagulation group, mean operative time and post-operative haemorrhage rate were significantly reduced, p = 0.0006 and p = 0.003 respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of post-operative pain and intra-operative blood loss.

Conclusion

The argon plasma coagulation technique is easy, safe and efficacious. Argon plasma coagulation tonsillectomy seems cost-effective compared to coblation tonsillectomy: the single-use disposable electrode tip and wand used in this study cost AUD$76.50 and AUD$380 respectively. Argon plasma coagulation appears to be a favourable alternative to current modalities such as coblation.
Anatomy and histology of the alimentary tract of the female of the biting midgeculicoides nubeculosusMeigen (Diptera: Heleidae=Ceratopogonidae)
Authors: Megahed M. M.
Published: June 2019

The alimentary tract of femaleCulicoides nubeculosusis simple. There is much similarity between it and that of other nematoceran and brachyceran bloodsucking flies.

Among the interesting features observed are the following:

1. The mid-gut is composed of two portions, a tubular anterior segment and a dilated stomach, which show structural differences.

2. The peritrophic membrane, which is absent in the unfed female, forms around the ingested blood. Its substance is secreted by the epithelium of the stomach.

3. A simple rectal valve guards the opening of the small intestine into the rectum.

4. The Malpighian tubules are two in number, and they give attachment to muscular branches from different sources.

5. There are six accessory glands arranged in a rosette around the mouth of each salivary gland proper. Some of them may sometimes function as reservoirs for the secretion of the salivary glands proper.

In one specimen, tumours at the base of the stomach and abnormal features in the Malpighian tubules were observed.