bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PAK4-NAMPT Dual Inhibition as a Novel Strategy for Therapy Resistant Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors
Authors: Mpilla Gabriel , Aboukameel Amro , Muqbil Irfana , Kim Steve , Beydoun Rafic , Philip Philip A. , Mohammad Ramzi M. , Kamgar Mandana , Shidham Vinod , Senapedis William , Baloglu Erkan , Li Jing , Dyson Gregory , Xue Yue , El-Rayes Bassel , Azmi Asfar S.
Published: November 2019

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNET) remain an unmet clinical need. In this study, we show that targeting both nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) and p21-activated kinase 4 (PAK4) could become a synthetic lethal strategy for PNET. The expression of PAK4 and NAMPT was found to be higher in PNET tissue compared to normal cells. PAK4-NAMPT dual RNAi suppressed proliferation of PNET cell lines. Treatment with KPT-9274 (currently in a Phase I trial or analogs, PF3758309 (the PAK4 selective inhibitor) or FK866 (the NAMPT inhibitor)) suppressed the growth of PNET cell lines and synergized with the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors everolimus and INK-128. Molecular analysis of the combination treatment showed down-regulation of known everolimus resistance drivers. KPT-9274 suppressed NAD pool and ATP levels in PNET cell lines. Metabolomic profiling showed a statistically significant alteration in cellular energetic pathways. KPT-9274 given orally at 150 mg/kg 5 days/week for 4 weeks dramatically reduced PNET sub-cutaneous tumor growth. Residual tumor analysis demonstrated target engagement in vivo and recapitulated in vitro results. Our investigations demonstrate that PAK4 and NAMPT are two viable therapeutic targets in the difficult to treat PNET that warrant further clinical investigation.
WISP-1 Promotes Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells via the miR-153-3p/Snail Axis
Authors: Chang An-Chen , Lien Ming-Yu , Tsai Ming-Hsui , Hua Chun-Hung , Tang Chih-Hsin
Published: November 2019

Around half of all patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) present with lymphatic metastasis, a strong predictor of poor survival. Improving survival rates depends on preventing the first step in the “invasion-metastasis cascade,” epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and developing antilymphangiogenesis therapies that antagonize lymphatic metastasis. The extracellular matrix-related protein WISP-1 (WNT1-inducible signaling pathway protein-1) stimulates bone remodeling and tumor progression. We have previously reported that WISP-1 promotes OSCC cell migration and lymphangiogenesis induced by vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C). This investigation sought to determine the role of WISP-1 in regulating EMT in OSCC. Our analysis of oral cancer data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database revealed significant and positive associations between levels of WISP-1 expression and clinical disease stage, as well as regional lymph node metastasis. We also found higher levels of WISP-1 expression in serum samples obtained from patients with OSCC compared with samples from healthy controls. In a series of in vitro investigations, WISP-1 activated EMT signaling via the FAK/ILK/Akt and Snail signaling transduction pathways and downregulated miR-153-3p expression in OSCC cells. Our findings detail how WISP-1 promotes EMT via the miR-153-3p/Snail axis in OSCC cells.
A Software Tool for High-Throughput Real-Time Measurement of Intensity-Based Ratio-Metric FRET
Authors: Ramuz Masoud , Hasan Alveera , Gruscheski Lena , Diakonov Ivan , Pavlaki Nikoleta , Nikolaev Viacheslav O. , Harding Sian , Dunsby Chris , Gorelik Julia
Published: November 2019

Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is increasingly used for non-invasive measurement of fluorescently tagged molecules in live cells. In this study, we have developed a freely available software tool MultiFRET, which, together with the use of a motorised microscope stage, allows multiple single cells to be studied in one experiment. MultiFRET is a Java plugin for Micro-Manager software, which provides real-time calculations of ratio-metric signals during acquisition and can simultaneously record from multiple cells in the same experiment. It can also make other custom-determined live calculations that can be easily exported to Excel at the end of the experiment. It is flexible and can work with multiple spectral acquisition channels. We validated this software by comparing the output of MultiFRET to that of a previously established and well-documented method for live ratio-metric FRET experiments and found no significant difference between the data produced with the use of the new MultiFRET and other methods. In this validation, we used several cAMP FRET sensors and cell models: i) isolated adult cardiomyocytes from transgenic mice expressing the cytosolic epac1-camps and targeted pmEpac1 and Epac1-PLN sensors, ii) isolated neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes transfected with the AKAP79-CUTie sensor, and iii) human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CM) transfected with the Epac-SH74 sensor. The MultiFRET plugin is an open source freely available package that can be used in a wide area of live cell imaging when live ratio-metric calculations are required.
Pin1 Plays Essential Roles in NASH Development by Modulating Multiple Target Proteins
Authors: Inoue Masa-Ki , Nakatsu Yusuke , Yamamotoya Takeshi , Hasei Shun , Kanamoto Mayu , Naitou Miki , Matsunaga Yasuka , Sakoda Hideyuki , Fujishiro Midori , Ono Hiraku , Kushiyama Akifumi , Asano Tomoichiro
Published: November 2019

Pin1 is one of the three known prolyl-isomerase types and its hepatic expression level is markedly enhanced in the obese state. Pin1 plays critical roles in favoring the exacerbation of both lipid accumulation and fibrotic change accompanying inflammation. Indeed, Pin1-deficient mice are highly resistant to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) development by either a high-fat diet or methionine–choline-deficient diet feeding. The processes of NASH development can basically be separated into lipid accumulation and subsequent fibrotic change with inflammation. In this review, we outline the molecular mechanisms by which increased Pin1 promotes both of these phases of NASH. The target proteins of Pin1 involved in lipid accumulation include insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1), AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and acetyl CoA carboxylase 1 (ACC1), while the p60 of the NF-kB complex and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) pathway appear to be involved in the fibrotic process accelerated by Pin1. Interestingly, Pin1 deficiency does not cause abnormalities in liver size, appearance or function. Therefore, we consider the inhibition of increased Pin1 to be a promising approach to treating NASH and preventing hepatic fibrosis.
Amitosenescence and Pseudomitosenescence: Putative New Players in the Aging Process
Authors: Wengerodt Diane , Schmeer Christian , Witte Otto W. , Kretz Alexandra
Published: November 2019

Replicative senescence has initially been defined as a stress reaction of replication-competent cultured cells in vitro, resulting in an ultimate cell cycle arrest at preserved growth and viability. Classically, it has been linked to critical telomere curtailment following repetitive cell divisions, and later described as a response to oncogenes and other stressors. Currently, there are compelling new directions indicating that a comparable state of cellular senescence might be adopted also by postmitotic cell entities, including terminally differentiated neurons. However, the cellular upstream inducers and molecular downstream cues mediating a senescence-like state in neurons (amitosenescence) are ill-defined. Here, we address the phenomenon of abortive atypical cell cycle activity in light of amitosenescence, and discuss why such replicative reprogramming might provide a yet unconsidered source to explain senescence in maturated neurons. We also hypothesize the existence of a G0 subphase as a priming factor for cell cycle re-entry, in analogy to discoveries in quiescent muscle stem cells. In conclusion, we propose a revision of our current view on the process and definition of senescence by encompassing a primarily replication-incompetent state (amitosenescence), which might be expanded by events of atypical cell cycle activity (pseudomitosenescence).
Development of Super Road Heat-Reflective Coating and Its Field Application
Authors: Yi Yong , Jiang Yingjun , Li Qilong , Deng Changqing , Ji Xiaoping , Xue Jinshun
Published: November 2019

Heat-reflective coatings, used to reduce the asphalt pavement temperature and urban heat island effect, have a good cooling effect; coating development, however, generally focuses on cooling. This study aims to design a heat-reflective coating with both durability and cooling effect by considering the functions of each component, improving the coating bond strength and abrasion resistance, and conducting laboratory tests and test section verification. The coating developed exhibits bond strength and abrasion resistance 20% and 49%, respectively, higher than those of ordinary coatings. The experiments reveal a cooling effect of red coating up to 10.2 °C, a bond strength of up to 1.20 MPa at 25 °C, and an abrasion rate of up to 25% after 60 min; the cooling effect is basically the same as that for traditional heat-reflective coatings, but the bond strength and abrasion resistance significantly improved. In the analysis of the test section, the cooling effect reaches 7.0 °C, the performance of anti-skid decreases little, and the coating is still usable normally after 4 months.
Graphene Mechanics
Authors: Peng Qing
Published: November 2019

Graphene might be one of the most important materials in human history [...]
The Eminence of Co-Expressed Ties in Schizophrenia Network Communities
Authors: Sridhar Amulyashree , GS Sharvani , Reddy AH Manjunatha , Bhattacharjee Biplab , Nagaraj Kalyan
Published: November 2019

Exploring gene networks is crucial for identifying significant biological interactions occurring in a disease condition. These interactions can be acknowledged by modeling the tie structure of networks. Such tie orientations are often detected within embedded community structures. However, most of the prevailing community detection modules are intended to capture information from nodes and its attributes, usually ignoring the ties. In this study, a modularity maximization algorithm is proposed based on nonlinear representation of local tangent space alignment (LTSA). Initially, the tangent coordinates are computed locally to identify k-nearest neighbors across the genes. These local neighbors are further optimized by generating a nonlinear network embedding function for detecting gene communities based on eigenvector decomposition. Experimental results suggest that this algorithm detects gene modules with a better modularity index of 0.9256, compared to other traditional community detection algorithms. Furthermore, co-expressed genes across these communities are identified by discovering the characteristic tie structures. These detected ties are known to have substantial biological influence in the progression of schizophrenia, thereby signifying the influence of tie patterns in biological networks. This technique can be extended logically on other diseases networks for detecting substantial gene “hotspots”.
Entropy and Information Theory: Uses and Misuses
Authors: Ben-Naim Arieh
Published: November 2019

This article is about the profound misuses, misunderstanding, misinterpretations and misapplications of entropy, the Second Law of Thermodynamics and Information Theory. It is the story of the “Greatest Blunder Ever in the History of Science”. It is not about a single blunder admitted by a single person (e.g., Albert Einstein allegedly said in connection with the cosmological constant, that this was his greatest blunder), but rather a blunder of gargantuan proportions whose claws have permeated all branches of science; from thermodynamics, cosmology, biology, psychology, sociology and much more.
Fractal Plasmons on Cantor Set Thin Film
Authors: Ziemkiewicz David , Karpiński Karol , Zielińska-Raczyńska Sylwia
Published: November 2019

The propagation of surface plasmon–polaritons is investigated in a metallic, fractal-like structure based on Cantor set. The dynamic of plasmonic modes generating on the Cantor structure is discussed in the context of the setup geometry. The numerically obtained reflection spectra are analyzed with the box-counting method to obtain their dimension, which is shown to be dependent on the geometry of the plasmonic structure. The entropy of the structure is also calculated and shown to be proportional to the dimension. Presented analysis allows for extracting information about fractal plasmonic structure from the reflectance spectrum. Predictions regarding the experimental observation of discussed effects are presented.
A New Power Topp–Leone Generated Family of Distributions with Applications
Authors: Bantan Rashad A. R. , Jamal Farrukh , Chesneau Christophe , Elgarhy Mohammed
Published: November 2019

In this paper, we introduce a new general family of distributions obtained by a subtle combination of two well-established families of distributions: the so-called power Topp–Leone-G and inverse exponential-G families. Its definition is centered around an original cumulative distribution function involving exponential and polynomial functions. Some desirable theoretical properties of the new family are discussed in full generality, with comprehensive results on stochastic ordering, quantile function and related measures, general moments and related measures, and the Shannon entropy. Then, a statistical parametric model is constructed from a special member of the family, defined with the use of the inverse Lomax distribution as the baseline distribution. The maximum likelihood method was applied to estimate the unknown model parameters. From the general theory of this method, the asymptotic confidence intervals of these parameters were deduced. A simulation study was conducted to evaluate the numerical behavior of the estimates we obtained. Finally, in order to highlight the practical perspectives of the new family, two real-life data sets were analyzed. All the measures considered are favorable to the new model in comparison to four serious competitors.
Relative Tail Pressure with Subadditive Potentials
Authors: Ma Xianfeng , Liu Baoli , Chen Ercai
Published: November 2019

The relative tail pressure with subadditive potentials is introduced via open random covers for continuous bundle random transformations. A variational principle is established and the defined pressure turns out to be invariant under the principal extension.
Comparative Design of Gate Drivers with Short-Circuit Protection Scheme for SiC MOSFET and Si IGBT
Authors: Yin Shan , Wu Yingzhe , Liu Yitao , Pan Xuewei
Published: November 2019

Short-circuit faults are the most critical failure mechanism in power converters. Among the various short-circuit protection schemes, desaturation protection is the most mature and widely used solution. Due to the lack of gate driver integrated circuit (IC) with desaturation protection for the silicon carbide (SiC) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), the conventional insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) driver IC is normally used as these two devices have similar gate structure and driving mechanism. In this work, a gate driver with desaturation protection is designed for the 1.2-kV/30-A SiC MOSFET and silicon (Si) IGBT with the off-the-shelf driver IC. To further limit voltage-overshoot at the rapid turn-off transient, the active clamping circuit is introduced. Based on the experiments of switching characterization and short-circuit test, the SiC MOSFET shows faster switching speed, more serious electromagnetic interference (EMI) issue, lower switching loss (half), and higher short-circuit current (1.6 times) than the Si IGBT, even with a slower gate driver. Thus, a rapid response speed is required for the desaturation protection circuit of SiC MOSFET. Due to the long delay time of the existing desaturation protection scheme, it is technically difficult to design a sub- μ s protection circuit. In this work, an external current source is proposed to charge the blanking capacitor. A short-circuit time of 0.91 μ s is achieved with a reliable protection. Additionally, the peak current is reduced by 22%.
Detection of Typical Defects in Silicon Photovoltaic Modules and Application for Plants with Distributed MPPT Configuration
Authors: Ahmad Jawad , Ciocia Alessandro , Fichera Stefania , Murtaza Ali Faisal , Spertino Filippo
Published: November 2019

During their operational life, photovoltaic (PV) modules may exhibit various defects for poor sorting of electrical performance during manufacturing, mishandling during transportation and installation, and severe thermo-mechanical stresses. Electroluminescence testing and infrared thermographic imaging are the most common tests for checking these defects, but they are only economically viable for large PV plants. The defects are also manifested as abnormal electrical properties of the affected PV modules. For defect diagnosis, the appropriate parameters on their I-V curves are open circuit voltage, photo-generated current, series resistance, and the shunt resistance. The health of PV modules can be assessed by calculating these values and comparing them with the reference parameters. If these defects are diagnosed in time, the power loss is avoided and safety hazards are mitigated. This paper first presents a review of common defects in PV modules and then a review of the methods used to find the above-mentioned parameters during the normal PV operation. A simple approach to determine the resistances of the equivalent circuit is discussed. Finally, through a modification in an ordinary maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm, information about the state of health of PV modules is obtained. This method is effective, especially if applied to submodule-integrated MPPT architectures.
Multi-Frequency Single Loop Passivity-Based Control for LC-Filtered Stand-Alone Voltage Source Inverter
Authors: Mu Xiaobin , Chen Guofu , Wang Xiang , Zhao Jinping , Wu Weimin , Blaabjerg Frede
Published: November 2019

The multi-frequency Passivity-Based Control (PBC) has been successfully applied in L-filtered power converters. For an LC-filtered stand-alone voltage source inverter (VSI), the mathematical model is second-order, where two state variables are used in modeling and control in conventional multi-frequency PBC controller, complicating the controller design and increasing the occupied resources both in hardware and software. In order to simplify the controller design and save the resources as well as the cost, a control scheme called multi-frequency single-loop PBC is proposed for the LC-filtered stand-alone VSI in this paper. The feasibility of the proposed control strategy is verified through the experimental results on a 3-phase/110 V/6 kW prototype.
Approaches, Advances, and Applications in the Sustainable Development of Smart Cities: A Commentary from the Guest Editors
Authors: Yigitcanlar Tan , Han Hoon , Kamruzzaman Md.
Published: November 2019

Environmental externalities of the Anthropocene—mainly generated from population growth, rapid urbanization, high private motor vehicle dependency, the deregulated market, mass livestock production, and excessive consumerism—have placed serious concerns for the future of natural ecosystems, which we are a part of. For instance, global climate change—the biggest challenge we have ever faced—is directly impacting wellbeing, and even the existence of humankind, in the long run. During the last two decades, the notion of the smart city—particularly the sustainable development of smart cities—has become a popular topic not only for scholars, particularly in the fields of technology, science, urban and environmental planning, development, and management, but also for urban policymakers and professional practitioners. This was due to digital technologies becoming a powerful enabler in stimulating paradigmatic shifts in urban development-related visions, strategies, implementation, and learning. This paper offers a critical review of the key literature on the issues relating to approaches, advances, and applications in the sustainable development of smart cities. It also introduces contributions from the Special Issue, and speculates on the prospective research directions to place necessary mechanisms to secure a smart and sustainable urban future for all.
Thermal Diagnostics of Natural Ventilation in Buildings: An Integrated Approach
Authors: Ferdyn-Grygierek Joanna , Baranowski Andrzej , Blaszczok Monika , Kaczmarczyk Jan
Published: November 2019

Diagnostics of natural ventilation in buildings is problematic, as the airflow rate changes considerably over time. One constant average airflow is usually assumed when calculating energy demand for a building, however, such a simplification could be fraught with considerable error. The paper describes a comprehensive methodology for the diagnostics of a natural ventilation system in a building and its practical application. Based on in situ measurements and simulations in two existing buildings (dwelling house and school) in Poland, the real values of the ventilating airflows were analyzed and resulting heat demand was compared with the design values. The pros and cons of various methods for evaluation of natural ventilation are discussed. The real airflow was determined by measurements in a ventilation grille or by a tracer gas concentration decay method. The airtightness of the buildings’ envelope was evaluated based on the fan pressurization test. The last stage entailed computer simulations of air exchange in buildings using CONTAM software. The multizone models of the buildings were calibrated and verified with existing measured data. Measured airflow in a multifamily house was small and substantially deviated from the Polish standard. In case of a school, the air flow rate amounted to an average of 10% of the required value. Calculation of the heat demand for ventilation based on the standard value of the airflow led to a considerable overestimation of this value in relation to the real consumption. In the analyzed cases, the difference was 40% for the school and 30% for the residential building.
Prediction of Contact Angle of Nanofluids by Single-Phase Approaches
Authors: Çobanoğlu Nur , Karadeniz Ziya Haktan , Estellé Patrice , Martínez-Cuenca Raul , Buschmann Matthias H.
Published: November 2019

Wettability is the ability of the liquid to contact with the solid surface at the surrounding fluid and its degree is defined by contact angle (CA), which is calculated with balance between adhesive and cohesive forces on droplet surface. Thermophysical properties of the droplet, the forces acting on the droplet, atmosphere surrounding the droplet and the substrate surface are the main parameters affecting on CA. With nanofluids (NF), nanoparticle concentration and size and shape can modify the contact angle and thus wettability. This study investigates the validity of single-phase CA correlations for several nanofluids with different types of nanoparticles dispersed in water. Geometrical parameters of sessile droplet (height of the droplet, wetting radius and radius of curvature at the apex) are used in the tested correlations, which are based on force balance acting on the droplet surface, energy balance, spherical dome approach and empirical expression, respectively. It is shown that single-phase models can be expressed in terms of Bond number, the non-dimensional droplet volume and two geometrical similarity simplexes. It is demonstrated that they can be used successfully to predict CA of dilute nanofluids’ at ambient conditions. Besides evaluation of CA, droplet shape is also well predicted for all nanofluid samples with ±5% error.
Experimental Investigation of Copper Mesh Substrate with Selective Wettability to Separate Oil/Water Mixture
Authors: Yuan Jia , Cui Chenyi , Qi Baojin , Wei Jinjia , Qaisrani Mumtaz A.
Published: November 2019

To solve the problem of low efficiency and poor adaptability during complex oil/water mixtures separation, two types of membranes with superhydrophilicity/underwater-superoleophobicity were successfully fabricated by oxidative reaction and in situ displacement reaction methods. A nanoneedle Cu(OH)2 structure was generated on the copper mesh substrate by oxidative reaction and feathery micro/nanoscale composite, while Ag structure was constructed at the surface of copper mesh substrate through in-situ replacement, then, membranes with superhydrophilic/underwater-superoleophobic properties were separated. The influence of microstructure, wettability of the surface of prepared membranes and the liquid constituents in the separation experiment were studied and the liquid flux and permeation pressure at the membrane were later experimentally investigated. The experimental results show that separation efficiency of both membranes for separating different oil/water mixtures was above 99.8%. However, the separation efficiency of the Ag-CS (Ag on the copper substrate) membrane was obviously higher than that of the Cu(OH)2-CS (Cu(OH)2 on the copper substrate) membrane after 10 instances of separation because of the micro/nanocomposite structures. By comparison, it was found that the Ag-CS membrane showed a relatively higher permeation pressure but lower liquid flux as compared to Cu(OH)2-CS membrane, due to the influence of microscale structure and the wettability of the surface combined. In addition, the outcome for separating the multicomponent oil/water mixture illustrate that the result of TOC (the Total Organic Carbon) test for the Cu(OH)2-CS membrane and Ag-CS membrane were 31.2% and 17.7%, respectively, higher than the average of the two oils probably because some oil droplets created due to mutual dissolution passed through the membranes. However, these two fabricated membranes still retained higher separation efficiencies and good adaptability after 10 instances of separation. It was concluded that based on the good performances of the prepared membranes, especially the modified membrane, they have a vast application prospect and can be widely used.
A Statistical Approach to Determine Optimal Models for IUPAC-Classified Adsorption Isotherms
Authors: Rahman Md. Matiar , Muttakin Mahbubul , Pal Animesh , Shafiullah Abu Zar , Saha Bidyut Baran
Published: November 2019

Adsorption heat transformation (AHT) systems can play a major role in protecting our environment by decreasing the usage of fossil fuels and utilizing natural and alternative working fluids. The adsorption isotherm is the most important feature in characterizing an AHT system. There are eight types of International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) classified adsorption isotherms for different “adsorbent-adsorbate” pairs with numerous empirical or semi-empirical mathematical models to fit them. Researchers face difficulties in choosing the best isotherm model to describe their experimental findings as there are several models for a single type of adsorption isotherm. This study presents the optimal models for all eight types of isotherms employing several useful statistical approaches such as average error; confidence interval (CI), information criterion (ICs), and proportion tests using bootstrap sampling. Isotherm data of 13 working pairs (which include all eight types of IUPAC isotherms) for AHT applications are extracted from literature and fitted with appropriate models using two error functions. It was found that modified Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET) for Type-I(a) and Type-II; Tóth for Type-I(b); GAB for Type-III; Ng et al. model for Type-IV(a) and Type-IV(b); Sun and Chakraborty model for Type-V; and Yahia et al. model for Type-VI are the most appropriate as they ensure less information loss compared to other models. Moreover; the findings are affirmed using selection probability; overall; and pairwise proportion tests. The present findings are important in the rigorous analysis of isotherm data.
Influence of Constructional-Material Parameters on the Fire Properties of Electric Cables
Authors: Kaczorek-Chrobak Katarzyna , Fangrat Jadwiga
Published: November 2019

The significant number of cables of different materials and construction used extensively in building objects increases their fire load and, therefore, strongly influences safety in the case of fire. The purpose of the study was to identify relevant factors related to the construction of electrical cables, and perform a qualitative and quantitative assessment of their influence on specific fire properties, such as heat release and smoke production. Fifteen cables of different construction and materials were studied using the EN 50399 standard test. The analysis was focused on cable constructional-material parameters related to the chemical composition of non-metallic elements and the number and shape of conductors in the cable, as well as the concentric barrier as armor or the copper concentric conductor. The conclusions drawn from the experiments were: (1) Construction, the number of conductors, and the presence of armor or concentric metallic conductors improve the fire properties by forming a barrier against flame penetration through the cable; (2) the use of copper conductors resulted in a decrease of fire parameters compared to cables with aluminum conductors (peakHRRav parameter even four times lower for copper cable); (3) construction material based on non-plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) significantly reduced the fire properties of cables more than halogen-free materials (LS0H) (peakHRRav parameter more than 17 times higher for the fully halogenated cable), which is due to the decomposition process of the material; and (4) no clear relationship between the fire parameters and the cable parameter, χ, was found.
Dynamics of Thin Film Under a Volatile Solvent Source Driven by a Constant Pressure Gradient Flow
Authors: Khodabocus Mohammad Irshad , Sellier Mathieu , Nock Volker
Published: November 2019

The evolution of a thin liquid film subject to a volatile solvent source and an air-blow effect which modifies locally the surface tension and leads to Marangoni-induced flow is shown to be governed by a degenerate fourth order nonlinear parabolic h-evolution equation of the type given by ∂ t h = − div x M 1 h ∂ x 3 h + M 2 h ∂ x h + M 3 h , where the mobility terms M 1 h and M 2 h result from the presence of the source and M 3 h results from the air-blow effect. Various authors assume M 2 h ≈ 0 and exclude the air-blow effect into M 3 h . In this paper, the authors show that such assumption is not necessarily correct, and the inclusion of such effect does disturb the dynamics of the thin film. These emphasize the importance of the full definition t → · grad γ = grad x γ + ∂ x h grad y γ of the surface tension gradient at the free surface in contrast to the truncated expression t → · grad γ ≈ grad x γ employed by those authors and the effect of the air-blow flowing over the surface.
Forty Years’ Experience in Teaching Fluid Mechanics at Strasbourg University
Authors: Huilier Daniel G. F.
Published: November 2019

A summary of the personal investment in teaching fluid mechanics over 40 years in a French university is presented. Learning and Teaching Science and Engineering has never been easy, and in recent years it has become a crucial challenge for curriculum developers and teaching staff to offer attractive courses and optimized assessments. One objective is to ensure that students acquire competitive skills in higher science education that enable them to compete in the employment market, as the mechanical field is a privileged sector in industry. During the last decade, classical learning and teaching methods have been coupled with hands-on practice for future schoolteachers in a specific course on subjects including fluid mechanics. The hands-on/minds-on/hearts-on approach has demonstrated its effectiveness in training primary school teachers, and fluids are certainly a nice source of motivation for pupils in science learning. In mechanical engineering, for undergraduate and graduate students, the development of teaching material and the learning and teaching experience covers up to 40 years, mostly on fluid dynamics and related topics. Two periods are identified, those prior to and after the Bologna Process. Most recently, teaching instruction has focused on the Fluid Mechanics Concept Inventory (FMCI). This inventory has been recently introduced in France, with some modifications, and remedial tools have been developed and are proposed to students to remove misconceptions and misunderstandings of key concepts in fluid mechanics. The FMCI has yet to be tested in French higher education institutions, as are the innovative teaching methods that are emerging in fluid mechanics.
The Molecular Genetics of Gordon Syndrome
Authors: Mabillard Holly , Sayer John A.
Published: November 2019

Gordon syndrome is a rare inherited monogenic form of hypertension, which is associated with hyperkalaemia and metabolic acidosis. Since the recognition of this predominantly autosomal dominant condition in the 1960s, the study of families with Gordon syndrome has revealed four genes WNK1, WNK4, KLHL3, and CUL3 to be implicated in its pathogenesis after a phenotype–genotype correlation was realised. The encoded proteins Kelch-like 3 and Cullin 3 interact to form a ring-like complex to ubiquitinate WNK-kinase 4, which, in normal circumstances, interacts with the sodium chloride co-symporter (NCC), the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC), and the renal outer medullary potassium channel (ROMK) in an inhibitory manner to maintain normokalaemia and normotension. WNK-kinase 1 has an inhibitory action on WNK-kinase 4. Mutations in WNK1, WNK4, KLHL3, and CUL3 all result in the accumulation of WNK-kinase 4 and subsequent hypertension, hyperkalaemia, and metabolic acidosis. This review explains the clinical aspects, disease mechanisms, and molecular genetics of Gordon syndrome.
Biomechanical and Metabolic Effectiveness of an Industrial Exoskeleton for Overhead Work
Authors: Schmalz Thomas , Schändlinger Jasmin , Schuler Marvin , Bornmann Jonas , Schirrmeister Benjamin , Kannenberg Andreas , Ernst Michael
Published: November 2019

Overhead work activities can lead to shoulder pain and serious musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD), such as rotator cuff injury and degeneration. Recently developed exoskeletons show promising results in supporting workers in such activities. In this study, a novel exoskeleton was investigated for two different overhead tasks with twelve participants. To investigate the effects of the device, electromyographic (EMG) signals of different shoulder and adjacent muscles as well as kinematic and metabolic parameters were analyzed with and without the exoskeleton. The mean EMG amplitude of all evaluated muscles was significantly reduced when the exoskeleton was used for the overhead tasks. This was accompanied by a reduction in both heart rate and oxygen rate. The kinematic analysis revealed small changes in the joint positions during the tasks. This study demonstrated the biomechanical and metabolic benefits of an exoskeleton designed to support overhead work activities. The results suggest improved physiological conditions and an unloading effect on the shoulder joint and muscles which are promising indicators that the exoskeleton may be a good solution to reduce shoulder WMSD among workers who carry out overhead tasks on a regular basis.
Culturally Targeted Video Improves Psychosocial Outcomes in Latina Women at Risk of Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Hurtado-de-Mendoza Alejandra , Graves Kristi D. , Gómez-Trillos Sara , Carrera Pilar , Campos Claudia , Anderson Lyndsay , Luta George , Peshkin Beth N. , Schwartz Marc D. , Cupertino Ana-Paula , Gonzalez Nathaly , Sheppard Vanessa B.
Published: November 2019

Latina women at risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) have lower awareness, knowledge, and use of genetic counseling and testing services (GCT) than non-Latina Whites. Few interventions have been developed to reduce these disparities among at-risk Latinas. This pilot study assessed the impact of a culturally targeted narrative video developed by our team. The study included 40 Latina immigrants living in the United States who were at risk of HBOC, including affected and unaffected women. We assessed pre-post differences in psychosocial outcomes. Participants were 47.35 years old on average (SD = 9.48). Most (70%) were unaffected with cancer, had an annual income of $40,000 or less (65%), an education of High School or less (62.5%), and were uninsured (77.5%). The video significantly enhanced knowledge (p < 0.001), positive attitudes (p < 0.05), anticipatory positive emotions (p < 0.05), and intentions to participate in counseling (p < 0.001). Importantly, the video also significantly reduced negative attitudes (p < 0.05), and attitudinal ambivalence (p < 0.001). The culturally targeted video shows preliminary evidence in improving psychosocial outcomes related to GCT uptake in Latinas at risk for HBOC. This intervention is a promising easily-disseminable strategy to address disparities in GCT utilization.
Aspects of Illness and Death among Roma—Have They Changed after More than Two Hundred Years?
Authors: Kozubik Michal , van Dijk Jitse P. , Filakovska Bobakova Daniela
Published: November 2019

Augustini studied Roma and published reports in 1775–1776 on their illnesses and death. Our intention was to compare the features of these two topics described by him in the late 18th century with those in the present time. We studied Augustini’s work on illnesses and death in the past. The present qualitative study was conducted in 2012–2013 in the same geographical area in which Augustini lived and worked more than two hundred years ago, i.e., the Tatra Region in Slovakia; our findings were evaluated in 2017–2018. We carried out semi-structured interviews with more than 70 informants and organised two sessions of focus groups. Data were analysed using content analysis (Augustini) and an open coding process. Our findings suggest that illnesses in Roma are treated differently nowadays compared with 1775–1776. For example, the traditional forms of healing have completely disappeared in the area of investigation. We did not observe any differences in dying and death perceptions between the past and nowadays. Although data and knowledge on health disparities and related mechanisms exist, and much more about perceptions of Roma regarding illnesses is now known compared with 1775–1776, so far, this knowledge has not helped to design effective interventions to overcome them. Substandard living conditions in marginalised Roma communities have not significantly improved since 1775–1776, which may contribute to their higher morbidity and mortality also nowadays. Political and social consensus should lead to a comprehensive vision for enhancing the social situation and living conditions in segregated settlements, especially providing housing for the poorest classes and overcoming health disparities.
Is Being Employed Always Better for Mental Wellbeing Than Being Unemployed? Exploring the Role of Gender and Welfare State Regimes during the Economic Crisis
Authors: Cortès-Franch Imma , Puig-Barrachina Vanessa , Vargas-Leguás Hernán , Arcas M. Marta , Artazcoz Lucía
Published: November 2019

The growth of poor jobs related to economic crisis adds to its increase since the mid-1970s as a result of new forms of flexible employment. In Europe, there is no clear evidence on whether working in a poor-quality job is better for mental wellbeing than being unemployed. The objectives of this study were to compare mental wellbeing between the unemployed and those working in jobs with different quality levels and to examine gender and welfare state differences in Europe. We selected 8324 men and 7496 women from the European Social Survey, 2010. Hierarchical multiple logistic regression models were fitted, separated by sex and country group. No significant differences in mental wellbeing were shown between unemployed-non-active, unemployed-active, and those working in low-quality jobs in either sex. Only men from Conservative countries in low-quality jobs had better mental wellbeing than unemployed (non-active) men. Only having a good-quality job reduced the likelihood of poor mental wellbeing compared with being unemployed (non-active) among men in all countries (except Social-Democratic) and among women in Eastern and Southern European countries. No differences were observed among men or women in Social-Democratic countries, while strong gender differences were found in Conservative and Liberal countries. Our study indicates the need to take job quality into account, in addition to creating jobs during economic crises. The main mechanisms to explain the strong gender and welfare state differences identified could be social protection for unemployed, labor market regulations, and family models.
From the Hospital Bed to the Laptop at Home: Effects of a Blended Self-Regulated Learning Intervention
Authors: Azevedo Raquel , Rosário Pedro , Martins Juliana , Rosendo Daniela , Fernández Paula , Núñez José Carlos , Magalhães Paula
Published: November 2019

Hospitalization poses diverse challenges to school-aged youth well-being and their educational path. Some inpatients, due to the hospitalization duration, frequency or the needed recovery period at home, may struggle when returning to school. To help youth cope with this challenge, several hospitals have been implementing educational interventions tailored to the school-aged children and adolescents needs. Nevertheless, pediatric inpatients with short stays and/or with a recovery period at home usually do not benefit from these interventions. Therefore, the present study implemented a blended intervention (i.e., face-to-face and online) with the aim of training self-regulated learning competences with hospitalized school-aged adolescents with short hospital stays. The intervention was delivered on a weekly basis for eight individual sessions using a story-tool. Results showed the efficacy of the intervention in promoting adolescent’s use of, perceived instrumentality of, and self-efficacy for self-regulated learning strategies. Overall, there was a differentiated impact according to the participants’ age, grade level, grade retention, and engagement in the intervention. These findings support previous research indicating that hospitals can play an important role as educational contexts even for inpatients with short stays. The blended format used to deliver the self-regulation learning (SRL) training also may be an opportunity to extend these interventions from the hospital to the home context.
The Effect of Sanitizers on Microbial Levels of Chicken Meat Collected from Commercial Processing Plants
Authors: Chousalkar Kapil , Sims Sarah , McWhorter Andrea , Khan Samiullah , Sexton Margaret
Published: November 2019

Chicken meat can potentially become contaminated with bacteria at the processing plant. In Australia, there is currently a lack of knowledge on the parameters and indications of use of non-chlorine based treatments in the chicken meat processing plants. Chlorine is widely used as a sanitizer in Australian chicken meat processing plants but due to occupational health and safety concerns and consumer perception, there is a need to identify alternative sanitizers. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of four different sanitizers in reducing the microbial load from naturally contaminated chicken meat carcasses collected from the processing plants in South Australia. There was a significant variation in a load of Campylobacter and total viable count (TVC) between samples collected from two different processing plants and within carcass batches collected from the same plant that was tested during the study. All sanitizers generally reduced the load of Campylobacter on chicken meat carcasses. Treatment with acidified sodium chlorite significantly reduced the level of Salmonella enterica serovars at all temperatures tested during this study. These findings are helpful to the industry for selection of the appropriate sanitizers. Findings are also useful for the regulatory authorities in Australia for providing approval for the use of sanitizers.
Longitudinal Associations between Perceived Quality of Living Spaces and Health-Related Quality of Life among Homeless and Vulnerably Housed Individuals Living in Three Canadian Cities
Authors: Magee Carly , Norena Monica , Hubley Anita M. , Palepu Anita , Hwang Stephen W. , Nisenbaum Rosane , Karim Mohammad Ehsanul , Gadermann Anne
Published: November 2019

The objective of this study was to examine longitudinal associations between perceived quality of living spaces and mental and physical health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among homeless and vulnerably housed individuals living in three Canadian cities. The Health and Housing in Transition (HHiT) study was a prospective cohort study conducted between 2009 and 2013 of N = 1190 individuals who were homeless and vulnerably housed at baseline. Perceived quality of living spaces (based on rated comfort, safety, spaciousness, privacy, friendliness and overall quality) and both mental and physical HRQoL were assessed at baseline and at four annual follow up points. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) analyses were used to examine associations between perceived quality of living spaces and both mental and physical HRQoL over the four-year study period, controlling for time-varying housing status, health and socio-demographic variables. The results showed that higher perceived quality of living spaces was positively associated with mental (b = 0.42; 95% CI 0.38—0.47) and physical (b = 0.11; 95% CI 0.07—0.15) HRQoL over the four-year study period. Findings indicate that policies aimed at increasing HRQoL in this population should prioritize improving their experienced quality of living spaces.
The Contribution of Emotional Intelligence to Career Success: Beyond Personality Traits
Authors: Urquijo Itziar , Extremera Natalio , Azanza Garazi
Published: November 2019

This study sought to investigate the role of emotional intelligence in both extrinsic and intrinsic career success in early and later career stages. Specifically, we examined the predictive and incremental validity of emotional intelligence in career success after controlling for personality factors in a sample of 271 graduates. When analyzing extrinsic career success, regression analyses revealed that demographic variables, such as gender, age, area of study and career stage, and the variable of proactive personality, were related to salary. When the dependent variable was job satisfaction, emotional intelligence acted as a strong predictor, even when personality traits and proactive personality were controlled. These findings provide preliminary evidence that emotional intelligence is a relevant addition to guide the achievement of career success. Finally, limitations of the results and implications of these findings are discussed.