bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reduced expression of SIRT1 and SOD-1 and the correlation between these levels in various regions of the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Cao Kun , Dong Yang-Ting , Xiang Jie , Xu Yi , Hong Wei , Song Hui , Guan Zhi-Zhong
Published: September 2018

Aims

This study was designed to explore the expression and distribution of silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) and superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD-1) in various regions of the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), as well as to assess potential correlations between the levels of these proteins and also between these proteins and the Braak stage of AD.

Methods

In the temporal and frontal cortices, hippocampus and cerebellum of 10 patients with AD and 10 age-matched control subjects, expression of SIRT1 and SOD-1, together with histopathology, were assessed by immunohistochemical and immunofluorescent stainings. Relationships between variables were examined with the Pearson correlation test.

Results

The numbers of both SIRT1-positive and SOD-1-positive neurons and integrated optical density of immunohistochemical staining for these proteins in the temporal and frontal cortices, and hippocampus of patients with AD were significantly decreased than those in corresponding controls. In the case of the cerebellum, very weak expression of SIRT1 and obvious expression of SOD-1 were observed in granule cells, with no significant difference between AD and the control group. Interestingly, the protein levels between SIRT1 and SOD-1, as well as the level of SIRT1 or SOD-1 and Braak stage, were significantly correlated in neurons in all regions of the AD brains investigated except for the cerebellum.

Conclusions

These findings indicate that the reduced level of SIRT1 in the brains of patients with AD may be related to the decline in SOD-1 and neuropathological changes of this disorder.
Megastability, Multistability in a Periodically Forced Conservative and Dissipative System with Signum Nonlinearity
Authors: Prakash Pankaj , Rajagopal K. , Singh J. P. , Roy B. K.
Published: September 2018

A sinusoidally-driven conservative and dissipative system with signum nonlinearity is presented in this paper. The proposed system exhibits strange attractors, multistability, and megastability. The system exhibits both conservative and dissipative behaviors with the change of its parameters. The Lyapunov exponents, Lyapunov spectrum plots, bifurcation diagrams, and phase plots are used to show the special features of the proposed system.
Turing–Hopf Bifurcation and Spatio-Temporal Patterns of a Ratio-Dependent Holling–Tanner Model with Diffusion
Authors: An Qi , Jiang Weihua
Published: September 2018

In this paper, the dynamics of a diffusive ratio-dependent Holling–Tanner model subject to Neumann boundary conditions is considered. We derive the conditions for the existence of Hopf, Turing, Turing–Hopf, Turing–Turing, Hopf-double-Turing and triple-Turing bifurcations at the unique positive equilibrium. Furthermore, we study the detailed dynamics in the neighborhood of the Turing–Hopf bifurcation by using the normal form method. Our results show that the Turing–Hopf bifurcation can give rise to the formation of the temporal and spatio-temporal patterns. In particular, we theoretically prove the existence of the spatially inhomogeneous periodic and quasi-periodic solutions, which can be used to explain the phenomenon of spatio-temporal resonance of the populations. Finally, the numerical simulations are given to illustrate the analytical results.
Synthesis of Au Nanoparticles Functionalized 1D α-MoO3 Nanobelts and Their Gas Sensing Properties
Authors: Wang Liwei , Wang Shaopeng , Fu Hao , Wang Yinghui , Yu Kefu
Published: September 2018

A novel sensor material of Au nanoparticles (NPs) functionalized 1D [Formula: see text]-MoO3 nanobelts (NBs) was fabricated by a facile lysine-assisted approach. The obtained Au/[Formula: see text]-MoO3 product was characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS). Then, in order to investigate the gas sensing performances of our samples, a comparative gas sensing study was carried out on both the [Formula: see text]-MoO3 NBs before and after Au NPs decoration by using ethanol vapor as the molecular probe. The results turned out that, after the functionalization of Au NPs, the sensor exhibited improved gas-sensing characteristics than the pure [Formula: see text]-MoO3, such as response and recovery time, optimal operating temperature (OT) and excellent selectivity. Take for example 200[Formula: see text]ppm of ethanol, the response/recovery times were 34[Formula: see text]s/43[Formula: see text]s and 5.7[Formula: see text]s/10.5[Formula: see text]s, respectively, while the optimal operating temperature (OT) was lower to 200[Formula: see text]C rather than 250[Formula: see text]C. Besides, the functionalized sensor showed a higher response to ethanol at 200[Formula: see text]C, and response was 1.6 times higher than the pure MoO3. The mechanism of such improved sensing properties was interpreted, which might be attributed to the spillover effect of Au NPs and the electronic metal-support interaction.
Development and Evolutionary Constraints in Animals
Authors: Galis Frietson , Metz Johan A.J. , van Alphen Jacques J.M.
Published: September 2018

We review the evolutionary importance of developmental mechanisms in constraining evolutionary changes in animals—in other words, developmental constraints. We focus on hard constraints that can act on macroevolutionary timescales. In particular, we discuss the causes and evolutionary consequences of the ancient metazoan constraint that differentiated cells cannot divide and constraints against changes of phylotypic stages in vertebrates and other higher taxa. We conclude that in all cases these constraints are caused by complex and highly controlled global interactivity of development, the disturbance of which has grave consequences. Mutations that affect such global interactivity almost unavoidably have many deleterious pleiotropic effects, which will be strongly selected against and will lead to long-term evolutionary stasis. The discussed developmental constraints have pervasive consequences for evolution and critically restrict regeneration capacity and body plan evolution.
H3–H4 Histone Chaperone Pathways
Authors: Grover Prerna , Asa Jonathon S. , Campos Eric I.
Published: September 2018

Nucleosomes compact and organize genetic material on a structural level. However, they also alter local chromatin accessibility through changes in their position, through the incorporation of histone variants, and through a vast array of histone posttranslational modifications. The dynamic nature of chromatin requires histone chaperones to process, deposit, and evict histones in different tissues and at different times in the cell cycle. This review focuses on the molecular details of canonical and variant H3–H4 histone chaperone pathways that lead to histone deposition on DNA as they are currently understood. Emphasis is placed on the most established pathways beginning with the folding, posttranslational modification, and nuclear import of newly synthesized H3–H4 histones. Next, we review the deposition of replication-coupled H3.1–H4 in S-phase and replication-independent H3.3–H4 via alternative histone chaperone pathways. Highly specialized histone chaperones overseeing the deposition of histone variants are also briefly discussed.
Immunological Basis for Recurrent Fetal Loss and Pregnancy Complications
Authors: Deshmukh Hitesh , Way Sing Sing
Published: September 2018

Pregnancy stimulates an elaborate assortment of dynamic changes, allowing intimate approximation of genetically discordant maternal and fetal tissues. Although the cellular and molecular details about how this works remain largely undefined, important clues arise from evaluating how a prior pregnancy influences the outcome of a future pregnancy. The risk of complications is consistently increased when complications occurred in a prior pregnancy. Reciprocally, a prior successful pregnancy protects against complications in a future pregnancy. Here, we summarize immunological perturbations associated with fetal loss, with particular focus on how both harmful and protective adaptations may persist in mothers. Immunological aberrancy as a root cause of pregnancy complications is also considered, given their shared overlapping risk factors and the sustained requirement for averting maternal–fetal conflict throughout pregnancy. Understanding pregnancy-induced immunological changes may expose not only new therapeutic strategies for improving pregnancy outcomes but also new facets of how immune tolerance works that may be applicable to other physiological and pathological contexts.
Mixing and delivery of multiple controlled oxygen environments to a single multiwell culture plate
Authors: Yao Ming , Sattler Tyler , Rabbani Zahid N. , Pulliam Thomas , Walker Glenn , Gamcsik Michael P.
Published: September 2018

Precise oxygen control is critical to evaluating cell growth, molecular content, and stress response in cultured cells. We have designed, fabricated, and characterized a 96-well plate-based device that is capable of delivering eight static or dynamically changing oxygen environments to different rows on a single plate. The device incorporates a gas-mixing tree that combines two input gases to generate the eight gas mixtures that supply each row of the plate with a different gas atmosphere via a removable manifold. Using air and nitrogen as feed gases, a single 96-well plate can culture cells in applied gas atmospheres with Po2 levels ranging from 1 to 135 mmHg. Human cancer cell lines MCF-7, PANC-1, and Caco-2 were grown on a single plate under this range of oxygen levels. Only cells grown in wells exposed to Po2 ≤37 mmHg express the endogenous hypoxia markers hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and carbonic anhydrase IX. This design is amenable to multiwell plate-based molecular assays or drug dose-response studies in static or cycling hypoxia conditions.
A Two-Stage Method for UCAV TF/TA Path Planning Based on Approximate Dynamic Programming
Authors: Chen Hao-xiang , Nan Ying , Yang Yi
Published: September 2018

We present a two-stage method for solving the terrain following (TF)/terrain avoidance (TA) path-planning problem for unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs). The 1st stage of planning takes an optimization approach for generating a 2D path on a horizontal plane with no collision with the terrain. In the 2nd stage of planning, an optimal control approach is adopted to generate a 3D flyable path for the UCAV that is as close as possible to the terrain. An approximate dynamic programming (ADP) algorithm is used to solve the optimal control problem in the 2nd stage by training an action network to approximate the optimal solution and training a critical network to approximate the value function. Numerical simulations indicate that ADP can determine the optimal control variables for UCAVs; relative to the conventional optimization method, the optimal control approach with ADP shows a better performance under the same conditions.
Development of a Novel Micro Photoionization Detector for Rapid Volatile Organic Compounds Measurement
Authors: Zhou Qi , Zhang Sixiang , Zhang Xu , Ma Xu , Zhou Wei
Published: September 2018

The simulation of the gas flow field and electrostatic field in the photoionization detector by COMSOL was conducted based on principle investigation in the present study. Under the guidance of simulation results, structural optimization was carried out to significantly reduce the dead volume of the ionization chamber, and finally, the relationship between offset voltage and collection efficiency was obtained which led to a remarkable increase in the collection efficiency of charged ions in the photoionization detector. Then an ionization chamber with low interference and fast response was developed. Then experiment was performed with toluene as a VOCs gas under the condition of optimal gas flow rate of 50 ml, UV lamp ionization energy of 10.86 eV. The results showed that the ion collection efficiency reached 91% at a bias voltage of 150 V. Moreover, a preferred linearity of 99.99% was obtained, and a ppb level of LOD can be achieved. The determination results well-fitted the relationship between offset voltage and the response value obtained in the simulation.
Nonfragile H∞ Filter Design for Nonlinear Continuous-Time System with Interval Time-Varying Delay
Authors: Lu Zhongda , Zhang Guoliang , Sun Yi , Sun Jie , Jin Fangming , Xu Fengxia
Published: September 2018

This paper investigates nonfragile H∞ filter design for a class of continuous-time delayed Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy systems with interval time-varying delays. Filter parameters occur multiplicative gain variations according to the filter’s implementation, to handle this variations, a nonfragile H∞ filter is presented and a novel filtering error system is established. The nonfragile H∞ filter guarantees the filtering error system to be asymptotically stable and satisfies given H∞ performance index. By constructing a novel Lyapunov-Krasovskii function and using the linear matrix inequality (LMI), delay-dependent conditions are exploited to derive sufficient conditions for nonfragile designing H∞ filter. Using new matrix decoupling method to reduce the computational complexity, the filter parameters can be obtained by solving a set of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Finally, numerical examples are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Effect of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes (MWNT) on the Properties of High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS)
Authors: Li Juan
Published: September 2018

The composites of HIPS/MWNT were prepared by melt blending. The effects of the content of MWNT on the flow, mechanical, and flame retardancy properties of the composites were investigated. The morphologies of fracture surfaces were characterized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). And the thermal stability of the composites was studied by thermogravimetric analysis. The results show that the flow properties, the impact strength, the elongation at break, and the flame retardancy are improved with the proper addition of MWNT. The morphological behavior indicates the fracture surface of HIPS/MWNT is more roughness than that of HIPS. The addition of MWNT has little influence on the thermal stability of HIPS.
Pooled Analysis of Nine Cohorts Reveals Breast Cancer Risk Factors by Tumor Molecular Subtype
Authors: Gaudet Mia M. , Gierach Gretchen L. , Carter Brian D. , Luo Juhua , Milne Roger L. , Weiderpass Elisabete , Giles Graham G. , Tamimi Rulla M. , Eliassen A. Heather , Rosner Bernard , Wolk Alicja , Adami Hans-Olov , Margolis Karen L. , Gapstur Susan M. , Garcia-Closas Montserrat , Brinton Louise A.
Published: September 2018

Various subtypes of breast cancer defined by estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and HER2 exhibit etiologic differences in reproductive factors, but associations with other risk factors are inconsistent. To clarify etiologic heterogeneity, we pooled data from nine cohort studies. Multivariable, joint Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate HRs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for molecular subtypes. Of 606,025 women, 11,741 invasive breast cancers with complete tissue markers developed during follow-up: 8,700 luminal A–like (ER+ or PR+/HER2−), 1,368 luminal B–like (ER+ or PR+/HER2+), 521 HER2-enriched (ER−/PR−/HER2+), and 1,152 triple-negative (ER−/PR−/HER2−) disease. Ever parous compared with never was associated with lower risk of luminal A–like (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.73–0.83) and luminal B–like (HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.64–0.87) as well as a higher risk of triple-negative disease (HR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.02–1.50; P value for overall tumor heterogeneity < 0.001). Direct associations with luminal-like, but not HER2-enriched or triple-negative, tumors were found for age at first birth, years between menarche and first birth, and age at menopause (P value for overall tumor heterogeneity < 0.001). Age-specific associations with baseline body mass index differed for risk of luminal A–like and triple-negative breast cancer (P value for tumor heterogeneity = 0.02). These results provide the strongest evidence for etiologic heterogeneity of breast cancer to date from prospective studies.

Significance: These findings comprise the largest study of prospective data to date and contribute to the accumulating evidence that etiological heterogeneity exists in breast carcinogenesis. Cancer Res; 78(20); 6011–21. ©2018 AACR.
DNA Methylation of LRRC3B: A Biomarker for Survival of Early-Stage Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients
Authors: Guo Yichen , Zhang Ruyang , Shen Sipeng , Wei Yongyue , Salama Sebastian Moran , Fleischer Thomas , Bjaanæs Maria Moksnes , Karlsson Anna , Planck Maria , Su Li , Zhu Zhaozhong , Staaf Johan , Helland Åslaug , Esteller Manel , Christiani David C.
Published: September 2018

Background:

Previous studies support a tumor-suppressor role for LRRC3B across various types of cancers. We aimed to investigate the association between DNA methylation of LRRC3B and overall survival (OS) for patients with early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods:

This study included 1,230 patients with early-stage NSCLC. DNA was extracted from lung tumor tissues and DNA methylation was measured using Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChips. The association between DNA methylation and OS was first tested using Cox regression on a discovery cohort and then validated in an independent cohort. Next, the association between DNA methylation and gene expression was investigated in two independent cohorts. Finally, the association between gene expression and OS was investigated in three independent groups of patients.

Results:

Three novel DNA methylation sites in LRRC3B were significantly associated with OS in two groups of patients. Patients with hypermethylation in the DNA methylation sites had significantly longer survival than the others in both the discovery cohort (HR, 0.62; P = 2.02 × 10−05) and validation cohort (HR, 0.55; P = 4.44 × 10−04). The three DNA methylation sites were significantly associated with LRRC3B expression, which was also associated with OS.

Conclusions:

Using clinical data from a large population, we illustrated the association between DNA methylation of LRRC3B and OS of early-stage NSCLC.

Impact:

We provide evidence of plausibility for building biomarkers on DNA methylation of LRRC3B for OS of early-stage NSCLC, thus filling a gap between previous in vitro studies and clinical applications.
Smad7 Promotes Healing of Radiotherapy-Induced Oral Mucositis without Compromising Oral Cancer Therapy in a Xenograft Mouse Model
Authors: Luo Jingjing , Bian Li , Blevins Melanie A. , Wang Dongyan , Liang Chao , Du Danfeng , Wu Fanglong , Holwerda Barry , Zhao Rui , Raben David , Zhou Hongmei , Young Christian D. , Wang Xiao-Jing
Published: September 2018

Purpose:

We previously reported preventive and therapeutic effects of Smad7, a multifunctional protein, on radiotherapy (RT)-induced mucositis in mice without promoting human oral cancer cell survival or migration in vitro. The current study aims to determine whether a Smad7-based biologic can treat existing oral mucositis during radiotherapy for oral cancer and whether this treatment compromises RT-induced cancer cell killing in neighboring oral cancer.

Experimental Design: We transplanted human oral cancer cells into the tongues of mice and applied craniofacial irradiation to simultaneously kill tumor cells and induce oral mucositis, thus modeling RT and mucositis in oral cancer patients. We topically applied a recombinant human Smad7 protein fused with the cell-penetrating Tat tag (Tat-Smad7) to the oral mucosa of tumor-bearing mice post RT when oral mucositis began to develop.

Results:

Topically applied Tat-Smad7 penetrated cells in both the oral mucosa and oral cancer, attenuating TGFβ and NF-κB signaling as well as inflammation at both sites. Tat-Smad7 treatment alleviated oral mucositis with reductions in DNA damage and apoptosis in keratinocytes, but increased keratinocyte proliferation compared with vehicle-treated mucositis lesions. In contrast, adjacent oral cancer exposed to Tat-Smad7 did not show alterations in proliferation or direct DNA damage, but showed increased oxidative stress damage and apoptosis compared with tumors treated with vehicle.

Conclusions:

Our results suggest that short-course Tat-Smad7 application to oral mucositis promotes its healing but does not compromise the cytotoxic effect of RT on oral cancer and has context-specific effects on oral mucosa versus oral cancer.
Decreased Spexin Levels in Patients with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Karaca Anara , Bakar-Ates Filiz , Ersoz-Gulcelik Nese
Published: September 2018

Background/Aims: Spexin is a novel peptide which has a potential role as a biomarker of insulin resistance, diabetes, and obesity. Our aim was to measure spexin levels in lean type 1 diabetic patients and its relevance to glycemic parameters without the presence of obesity or insulin resistance. Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 29 type 1 and 30 type 2 diabetic patients and a control group of 23 healthy subjects with adjusted age, sex, and body mass index (BMI). Height and weight were measured using standard techniques. Glucose levels, triglycerides, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, serum cortisol levels, and spexin levels were measured in each patient. Results: The median fasting serum spexin levels were significantly lower in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes than in control subjects (p = 0.008 and p = 0.041, respectively). Spexin levels were not correlated with glycemic parameters, lipids, BMI, cortisol levels, and thyroid-stimulating hormone (p > 0.05). Only age turned out to be correlated with spexin levels in patients with type 1 diabetes when we analyzed the groups separately. Regression models, including age and diabetes duration, revealed no association between age and spexin levels. Regression models, including cortisol, BMI, and HbA1c, revealed no association with spexin levels within each group. Conclusion: The presence of type 1 diabetes is associated with lower spexin levels, independent of glucose, lipid parameters, and BMI. The expression of spexin in the pancreas apart from the current glycemic control of the patients may be the main determinant of spexin levels in type 1 diabetic patients.
Nomenclature and synonymic remarks on two species of Eupterotidae (Lepidoptera) described by Johan Christian Fabricius, and notes on related species
Authors: ZOLOTUHIN VADIM V.
Published: September 2018

Types of two species of monkey moths (Eupterotidae, Lepidoptera) described by Johan Christian Fabricius were located and are here figured for the first time, and lectotypes are designated for both species. The lectotype of Bombyx hibisci Fabricius 1775 is a male from the Hunterian Museum (Glasgow). The lectotype of Bombyx orientalis Fabricius 1793, originally listed from “Dom. Lund” was found in the Zoological Museum—University of Copenhagen (as temporarily loan from the Zoological Museum of Kiel University) with an old incorrect identification label. Both species are members of the genus Eupterote Hübner, 1820 (so-called Brachytera-lineage).                The following new synonymy can thus be established: Eupterote orientalis (Fabricius, 1793), comb. nov. (= Dreata geminata Walker 1855, syn. nov., syn. corr.; = Eupterote geminata var. hebes Grünberg 1914, syn. nov.; = Dreata anada Moore 1860, syn. nov., = Brachytera phalaenaria C. & R. Felder, 1874, syn. nov., = Eupterote auriflua Moore, 1884, syn. nov.).          The type locality for orientalis originally given as “India orientali” is likely to be Sri Lanka.          The related taxon, Eupterote gardneri Bryk, 1950, stat. nov. is established as valid species (bona species) with the a new synonym, Eupterote bifasciata Kishida, 1994, syn. nov.          Eupterote primularis Moore, 1884 is considered a distinct species native to Central and Southern India.
Description of a new species of Cephalaeschna (Odonata: Anisoptera: Aeshnidae) from northern Vietnam
Authors: SASAMOTO AKIHIKO , LIEN VU VAN
Published: September 2018

A new aeshnid species, Cephalaeschna yanagisawai sp. nov. from northern Vietnam (Hoang Lien National Park, Lai Chau Province, 103°45’E, 22°20’N, 1900~2000 m a.l.s.), is described and illustrated. This species can be differentiated from the other species of the genus by body maculation, the morphology of the male anal appendages, and female postero-ventral S10 tergite projecting posteriorly, which is a rare feature in the genus.
NowCastMIX: Automatic Integrated Warnings for Severe Convection on Nowcasting Time Scales at the German Weather Service
Authors: James Paul M. , Reichert Bernhard K. , Heizenreder Dirk
Published: September 2018

NowCastMIX is the core nowcasting guidance system at the German Weather Service. It automatically monitors several systems to capture rapidly developing high-impact mesoscale convective events, including 3D radar volume scanning, radar-based cell tracking and extrapolation, lightning detection, calibrated precipitation extrapolations, NWP, and live surface station reports. Within the context of the larger warning decision support process AutoWARN, NowCastMIX integrates the input data into a high-resolution analysis, based on a fuzzy logic approach for thunderstorm categorization and extrapolation, to provide an optimized warning solution with a 5-min update cycle for lead times of up to 1 h. Feature tracking is undertaken to optimize the direction of warning polygons, allowing individual, tangentially moving cells or cell clusters to be tracked explicitly. An adaptive ensemble clustering is deployed to reduce the spatial complexity of the resulting warning fields and smooth noisy temporal variations to a manageable level for duty forecasters. Further specialized outputs for civil aviation and for a public mobile phone warning app are generated. Now in its eighth year of operation, a comprehensive and complete set of thunderstorm analyses and nowcasts over Germany has been created, which is of unique value for ongoing research and development efforts for improving the system, as well as for addressing climatological aspects of severe convection. Verification has shown that NowCastMIX has helped to significantly improve the quality of the official warnings for severe convective weather events when used within the AutoWARN process.
Association Between Abdominal Visceral Artery Calcification and All-Cause Mortality—A Computerized Tomography Imaging-Based Longitudinal Follow-Up Study
Authors: Sadat Umar , Mariam Neethu Billy Graham , Usman Ammara , Chowdhury Mohammed M. , El Nakhal Tamer , DaCosta Olga Fadeeva , Gillard Jonathan H. , Hayes Paul D. , Varty Kevin
Published: September 2018

Arterial calcification in different arterial beds has been observed to be an independent predictor of mortality. The association of abdominal visceral artery calcium with all-cause mortality remains unexplored. Patients who had undergone contrast-enhanced computerized tomography (CT) imaging for routine assessment of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) were considered for this study. A novel calcium score (abdominal visceral arteries calcium [AVAC]) for the abdominal visceral arteries (celiac axis, superior mesenteric, and renal arteries) was calculated using a modified Agatston score. Cumulative AVAC was defined as sum total of the calcium score of above individual arteries. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. The association of AVAC with all-cause mortality was assessed. Of the 134 consecutive patients, 89 were included for analysis. Median follow-up duration was 72 (47-91) months since CT imaging; 35 (39%) patients died during this period. Hypertension and cumulative AVAC score had a significant association with all-cause mortality ( P < .05). Cumulative visceral abdominal artery calcification is associated with all-cause mortality in patients with PAD. Future prospective studies are warranted to investigate this relationship in PAD and other patient cohorts.
Edward Gresham, Copernican Cosmology, and Planetary Occultations in Pre-Telescopic Astronomy
Authors: Włodarczyk Jarosław , Kremer Richard L. , Hughes Howard C.
Published: September 2018

This article introduces an understudied source in the history of astronomy, the Astrostereon or the Discourse of the Falling of the Planet (1603). Written by the English astrologer Edward Gresham, this text presents, among other things, the earliest known set of predicted planetary occultations (for 1603–1604) and the use of these phenomena to defend the Copernican cosmology. We analyse those predictions and then briefly survey all known pre-telescopic observations of reported planetary occulations and the motivations for such observations. These data suggest that for early observers, the greater the difference in apparent brightness between the two occulting bodies, the greater the angular separation could be for an occultation nonetheless to be reported. An appendix seeks to explain this finding by considering several factors known from modern experimental analyses of human visual performance.
Wearable electromagnetic energy-harvesting textiles based on human walking
Authors: Lee Hyewon , Roh Jung-Sim
Published: September 2018

The need for self-generating energy for outdoor environments is growing. To cope with emergencies in outdoor environments, sustainable, environment-independent energy-harvesting methods based on natural human movements are necessary. In this study, we developed a wearable energy-harvesting textile with a structure capable of generating the maximum energy from the swinging motion that occurs during walking. Two types of conductive yarn were manufactured and, when used as coils, are as durable as wire coils and have excellent flexibility and wearability, allowing easy integration into outdoor garments. Design variables related to the effect of energy production were investigated and the wearable energy-harvesting textile was evaluated by the average current generated. The conductive yarn coils can be connected in a serial circuit method and were evaluated to generate energy at a greater efficiency than wire coils. The average current increased as the number of turns of coil, the magnetic field, and the coil swing speed increased. The average currents along the distance between the magnet and the coil varied with magnet forces inversely proportional to distance.
Computational fluid dynamics simulation of the supercritical carbon dioxide flow in beam dyeing
Authors: Reji RV , Raman SK , Kim TY , Kim HD
Published: September 2018

The recent development in the technologies of supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO2) has caused a remarkable change in the dyeing process in the textile industry. The conventional wet-dyeing process using water is being replaced with the dry-dyeing process using S-CO2. The uniform addition of coloring material is necessary for any dyeing process. In the case of the beam dyeing process, an equal distribution of the dye fluid through the porous beam has to be ensured in order to achieve an evenly distributed dyeing. The present study focuses on the fluid dynamics aspects of the S-CO2 beam dyeing process in order to study the flow characteristics and thereby obtain performance improvement. Computational fluid dynamics analyses were carried out and the methodology is validated with experimental results from a previous study. The flow distribution of S-CO2 through a porous beam is analyzed at different conditions, such as varying the operating pressure, mass flow rate and inlet temperature. The comparison of compressible and incompressible flow through beam dyeing is also discussed. The current study revealed that the increase in mass flow rate through the system leads to higher non-uniformity in distribution. The operating pressure and inlet temperature were found to significantly affect the flow distribution. The flow reversal condition showed a mass flow distribution opposite to that of the normal flow condition. The cyclic flow condition with periodic normal and the reversed flow condition provide better uniformity in distribution of the flow than the normal flow condition. The present results provide guidelines to improve the levelness of the dye distribution in the fabric material.
An Opportunity Squandered? Elites, Social Movements, and the Government of Evo Morales
Authors: Farthing Linda
Published: September 2018

Over its 12 years in power, Bolivia’s MAS government has made significant advances in expanding inclusion and reducing poverty. In the process, it has steadily been transformed into a hegemonic force that is increasingly dependent on expedient and pragmatically based compromises with economic elites. Concurrently, social movement influence and participation in the government have steadily declined. After 2009, when an uprising by Eastern elites had been quashed and MAS gained a congressional majority, the MAS missed an opening to advance its original project of structural change, opting instead for a more expedient strategy that has kept it in power at the cost of accommodating elites and debilitating social movements.

Durante sus 12 años en el poder, el gobierno MAS de Bolivia ha logrado avances significativos en expandir la inclusión y reducir la pobreza. En el proceso, se ha transformado continuamente en una fuerza hegemónica que depende cada vez más de compromisos oportunos y basados en pragmatismo con las élites económicas. Al mismo tiempo, la influencia y la participación en el gobierno de los movimientos sociales ha disminuido continuamente. Después de 2009, cuando un levantamiento de las élites del Este se suprimió y el MAS ganó una mayoría en el Congreso, el MAS perdió una oportunidad para avanzar en su proyecto original de cambio estructural, optando por una estrategia más conveniente que lo mantuvo en el poder a costa de acomodar a las élites y debilitar los movimientos sociales.
Stability and change in daytime and nighttime sleep in children attending daycare
Authors: Philbrook Lauren E. , Vaughn Brian E. , Lu Ting , Krzysik Lisa , El-Sheikh Mona
Published: September 2018

Many young children experience insufficient or poor quality sleep, which may have implications for adjustment and cognitive performance. This study tested group-level changes and rank-order stability in both daytime and nighttime sleep parameters over a six-month period, from fall to spring, among children receiving high-quality, center-based daycare. A total of 68 preschoolers (54% girls; Mage = 3.80 years, SD = .68) participated. Sleep was assessed via actigraphy for seven days and nights; sleep duration (actual sleep minutes) and quality parameters were derived. Analyses of group-level changes indicated that children’s daytime and nighttime sleep duration did not change significantly from fall to spring. Nighttime sleep quality showed significant improvement, however, such that children had higher sleep efficiency in the spring than in the fall. Rank-order stability in both nighttime and daytime measures of sleep duration and quality was moderate, and stability in daytime sleep quality was low. Results add to a sparse literature examining stability in sleep parameters in young children using actigraphy.
Music and Talent: An experimental project for personal development and well-being through music
Authors: Cuadrado Francisco
Published: September 2018

“Music and Talent” is an educational project for children between 3 and 9 years old. The aim of the project is to use music and musical intelligence as resources for enhancing important skills in social and cognitive development. These skills are self-esteem, self-confidence, motivation, social and emotional relationships, and well-being. The first part of the article describes the project’s foundation, organization and developed activities. The second part of the article presents the results of two exploratory studies that have been carried out to evaluate some of the developed activities. Study 1 measured the impact of an active music language learning methodology on the “originality” dimension of creativity. A quasi-experimental design was adopted, with experimental and control groups tested pre and post the musical intervention. Findings show a statistically significant increase in the originality dimension in the experimental group. Study 2 measured the children’s self-efficacy in relation to their participation in the Music and Talent project, with positive results. An exploratory study was adopted as the research design, using a validated 10 steps Likert questionnaire with 15 items.
Foaming Polystyrene with Mixtures of Carbon Dioxide and HFC-134a
Authors: Vachon Caroline , Gendron Richard
Published: September 2018

Mixtures of blowing agents are becoming widely used in the industry either for economical reasons or for achieving better control of processing conditions. Despite the fact that they are commonly used for foaming, the literature is fairly scarce on that particular subject and the fundamentals are not very well understood. This work studies the effect of blending carbon dioxide and 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a) in polystyrene. Ultrasonic monitoring and online rheology provided information on the solubility and plasticizing effect of the gases. Results show that, on an equivalent molar basis, HFC-134a is slightly more soluble than CO2and is a more effective plasticizer. Moreover, HFC-134a generates foam samples with a higher nucleation density than CO2using similar processing conditions. Blending the two gases generates nucleate cell densities, which are intermediate to the pure gases but do not follow a log-additivity rule. It is hypothesized that blending gases affect their mutual diffusion coefficients, which in turn, largely dictates the final foam morphology.
Improving the Impact Behaviour of Structural Foams
Authors: Michaeli Walter , Flórez Laura , Obeloer Dominik , Brinkmann Markus
Published: September 2018

Injection moulded thermoplastic foams, which are always structural foams, combine the versatility of thermoplastic materials with substantial material and energy savings. Through different studies, it has been demonstrated that their mechanical properties can be improved through the control of the foam morphology.

In a study conducted at the IKV, several foam morphologies have been prepared and their impact properties have been studied through instrumented puncture tests. Both an amorphous material and a semi-crystalline material have been evaluated. The force vs. displacement curves have been obtained for each material and the properties of maximal impact force and energy absorbed have been correlated with the morphological parameters of skin thickness, cell size and foam density.

The results show that the absorption capabilities of the foam can be substantially improved if the foam morphology is controlled. Furthermore, the foam structure affects the fracture behaviour during impact.
Effects of Starting Material and Reaction Temperature on the Morphology and Physical Properties of Polyurethane Foams
Authors: Sipaut C.S. , Ahmad N. , Adnan R. , Rahman I.A. , Ibrahim M.N. Mohamad
Published: September 2018

Polyurethane foams (PUFs) were prepared by mixing poly (ethylene glycol)-block-poly(propylene glycol)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) and isocyanates in the ratio of 1:1.03 in the presence of additives such as catalyst, blowing agent and surfactant. The effects of types of starting material in PUF formulation on cell morphology and properties were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated that starting material highly affected the morphology of PUF cells. Process parameters such as concentration of starting material and reaction temperature were investigated using SEM, foam density and capacity of water absorption. It was found that foam density depends on the cell size. While, the capacity of water absorption is depends on the percentage of the open cells and cell size. PUF samples have cell size between 200 to 600 μm, density in the range of 0.03 to 0.06 g cm-3, percentage of open cell at 25 to 60% and capacity of water absorption between 6 to 30%.
Determination of the Expansion Process of Cellular Rubber Materials
Authors: Michaeli Walter , Hopmann Christian , Masberg Ulrich , Sitz Sarah
Published: September 2018

Cellular rubber profiles offer a high saving potential with respect to component weight, material consumption and production costs. The foam structure is generated using chemical blowing agents. The blowing agents are incorporated into the rubber mixture before processing. The expansion takes place concurrently to the vulcanisation reaction in the curing unit. Both processes are influenced by modification of the mixture recipe. The adaptation is one of the most challenging steps in rubber processing. Currently, the expansion of rubber mixtures is analysed using modified vulcameters. However, this method is subject to several limitations. Therefore, IKV developed a new measurement system. It allows the analysis of the free expansion behaviour of a rubber sample. Based on the Archimedean principle, the time dependent foaming process of rubber mixtures is recorded. A cell structure is generated, which can be analysed using digital image processing. In the first experiments, several components of the rubber mixture are analysed using the measuring device in order to identify and categorise influencing parameters. The primary objective of further investigations is the analysis of the mixing process. In addition, verification of the results by comparison of the cell structures with industrially foamed rubber materials is planned.
Thermoplastic Elastomer Foams Based on Recycled Rubber
Authors: Mahallati Paridokht , Rodrigue Denis
Published: September 2018

In this work, different concentrations (0, 35, 50 and 65%wt.) of recycled rubber (ethylene-propylene diene, EPDM) were blended with virgin polypropylene (PP) to produce thermoplastic elastomer resins via twin-screw extrusion. Then, the samples were pelletized and foamed by injection molding using a chemical blowing agent (azodicarbonamide, ADC). In particular, the molding process was optimized to determine the effect of processing parameters like blowing agent content, mold temperature, and injection conditions (pressure, velocity, etc.). From the samples obtained, a complete morphological (skin thickness, cell size and cell density) and mechanical characterization was performed including density and hardness. The results obtained showed that it is more difficult to produce a good foam structure with increasing recycled rubber content.
Significance of Ultrasonic Cavitation Field Distribution in Microcellular Foaming of Polymers
Authors: Gandhi Abhishek , Bhatnagar Naresh
Published: September 2018

In this study, the influence of field distribution of ultrasonic waves on the manufacturing of microcellular Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) foam was investigated. In the primary studies, Aluminum foil erosion tests were performed to analyze the spatial field distribution of ultrasonic waves throughout the water bath. It was found that there exists a critical effective distance from the ultrasonic transducer where the maximum cavitation intensity can be achieved. Prior to and beyond this critical effective distance, the cavitation intensity reduces drastically. In the succeeding study, gas saturated polymer pellets were placed inside the ultrasound medium at various effective distances from the transducer for a predefined amount of treatment time and then were microcellular solid-state batch foamed. Intense cell nucleation phenomenon was observed in samples sonicated at the critical effective distance, while at other distances a very mild increment in cell density was observed. The expansion ratio and cell morphology was also found to be significantly affected by the relative placement of gas-saturated polymer with respect to the transducer in sonication medium.
Effect of Different Types of Nano-particles on the Morphology and Mechanical Properties of EPDM Foam
Authors: Alireza Shojaei D. , Karrabi Mohammad , Ghoreishy Mir Hamid Reza
Published: September 2018

Foams are attractive materials because of their unique properties and applications in aerospace, transportation, isolation and engineering fields. Nanocomposites can be employed to achieve unique characteristics. It is convenient to use nano-particles for controlling the cell structure of foams and also to modify their mechanical properties. To further assess this effect, a variety geometrical shapes of nano-filler were employed in nanocomposites in order to investigate the effect of final foam micro structure and mechanical properties. Both Box-Behenken and factorial methods were chosen in this study for designing the samples. The performance of Box-Behenken experiment designs were evaluated. It was revealed that foam structure and presence of nano-particles in the structure is more effective than reinforcement of foam constitutive material.
Morphological Analysis of Foamed HDPE/LLDPE Blends by X-ray Micro-Tomography: Effect of Blending, Mixing Intensity and Foaming Temperature
Authors: Shahi Peyman , Behravesh Amir Hossein , Rasel Sheikh , Rizvi Ghaus , Pop-Iliev Remon
Published: September 2018

Non-invasive x-ray micro-computed tomography was employed for thorough quantitative and qualitative analysis of the cellular structure of foams made of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE) and their blends. Special emphasis was given to the differences between the results of 3D and 2D analyses, to evaluate the possible errors while studying the morphology using conventional 2D techniques (e.g. SEM). Blends with the weight compositions of 90%LLDPE/10%HDPE and 75%LLDPE/25%HDPE were produced at different rotor speeds of 10, 60 and 120 rpm and batch foaming was examined over a wide range of temperature. The void fraction values from 2D and 3D analysis were found to agree well with those obtained with the Archimedes method. Results showed more uniform cell size distribution for blends mixed at the lower spectrum of screw rotational speed. Among the blends with higher void fraction values and relatively uniform cellular structure, higher average cell size (3–30%) and cell population density (1.25–2.5 times) were noticed in 3D analysis compared with 2D data. The micro-CT images at different cross sections revealed anisotropic cell growth and more elongated cells along the thickness of the specimen. It was also observed that, with increase in foaming temperature, cell shrink prevailed over cell coalescence in the samples with lower viscosity (prepared at low rpm of 10), while for those with higher viscosity (prepared at an rpm of 60) cell coalescence was more dominant.