bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The potential of Lampung province as the area for producing mineral fertilizer
Authors: Isnugroho K , Hendronursito Y , Birawidha D C , Amin M , Muttaqi M A
Published: June 2020

Lampung Province has the potential as a producer of mineral fertilizers. The availability of mineral and rock resources in the area has the potential to be processed into mineral fertilizers. Rocks and minerals have been shown to increase productivity and maintain fertility of agricultural land. Rocks and minerals such as zeolite, basalt, pumice, limestone, phosphate and pearlite, its availability in Lampung Province makes it possible to become an agro-mineral industry raw material. For this reason, there is a need for good cooperation between related agencies to create processing of rocks and minerals into effective, efficient mineral as fertilizers.
A study on drill machining for Magnesium alloy using Taguchi method
Authors: Ibrahim G A , Burhanuddin Y , Emrijakto D
Published: June 2020

Magnesium is one the very important material light weight, especially in the field of the vehicle component, and the field of biomedical. Application of material magnesium and its alloy in the field of biomedical based on the magnesium characteristics which look very much like the nature of biocompatibility of bones in man and melted down within the body. Application material magnesium are also many developed by means of grown (implant). Magnesium alloy material has some of the more in the chemical nature and physics, but in the machining process a magnesium alloy known as combustible metal material type, especially during the machining process at high speed. The optimizing of machining process is necessary in order to maintain for not chip burning. In this research, the point angle, lubricant and drilling parameter were analysed to know their influence on the value of surface roughness, cylindricity and perpendicularity. On this research analysis support for new carried out using a Taguchi Method L18 consisting of 3 factors with 3 levels and 1 factors with 2 levels. The research results show that surface roughness is influenced by the significant contributions from the point angle 18.9 % and lubricant 14.5 %, where the point angle is 650 with lubricant of synthetic oil. The emergence of a nose radius tendency resulting in the increasing level subtlety. Cylindricity is influenced by an point angle 450 of the drilling process however, especially if there is an interactions of the feeding of 0.2 mm/rev and synthetic lubricant. The cutting edge accuracy led to a tangential force so that had an impact on their rotation stability and the cylindricity of drilling results. The value of perpendicularity of magnesium AZ31 in the drilling process however also carried out similar procedures are very much influenced by the cutting parameter of feeding that produces the significance of p = 0,044, while the strongest significance will be happened if there were an interaction between feeding of 0,1 mm and synthetic lubricant to p = 0.041.
Identification and plastic type and classification of PET, HDPE, and PP using RGB method
Authors: Yani I , Rosiliani D , Khona’ah B , Almahdini F A
Published: June 2020

Plastic is one of the most commonly used materials in daily life. The characteristics of the material that is light, durable, waterproof, and cheap become the main reason why plastic is chosen in the manufacture of ready to use goods. However, due to the increasing use of plastic materials, the amount of waste produced is significant, and tends to increase over time. Therefore, an effective process and recycling of plastic waste are needed. This paper will discuss a method of identifying and classifying plastic waste by type, that use three types of plastic, there are PET, HDPE and PP. The method used in this study is the RGB method, that based on the color value of the plastic.
Temperature distribution simulation on Aluminum incineration furnace using Autodesk simulation mechanical CFD 2018
Authors: Thamrin I , Yani I , Yusuf F H , Abidin Z , Maseko T
Published: June 2020

Used lubricating oil is one of the liquid wastes which is produced by an industrial machine or private vehicle machine. Lubricating oil is a waste that is produced by machines in both large industrial and private vehicle engines. This research aims to examine the process of manufacture and the system of oil-fueled crucible stoves, and simulated the temperature at aluminium melting furnace by doing some form of design testing; selection of furnace material using carbon steel, brick, plate; furnace modeling which has three parts of crucible, fireproof stone and lids where the three parts have different sizes and uses of each, then set the simulation as what we aim to such as the temperature distribution where the air temperature reached 40°C heat source from combustion 1200°C. From the combustion, the velocity value obtained is 0.5 in/s, distribution at crucible is 749°C. In conclusion, the used oil smelting furnace can melt used aluminium metal, so that the used metal oil melting furnace can be used in the home industry to recycle used aluminium metal.
Implications of automotive product sustainability on young customers’ purchase intention in developing countries: an experimental approach
Authors: Panuju A Y T , Ambarwati D A S , Susila M D
Published: June 2020

Manufacturing of sustainable products is on a high demand in order to attain a global responsible consumption and production pattern. Among the emerging efforts of various manufacturing companies, production of sustainable vehicles takes a special attention due to its massive impacts to the world’s sustainability dimensions. Meanwhile, youngsters in developing countries are interesting prospective customers for automotive products because their misterious characteristics and potential to contribute to the future sustainability. The research investigated the connectivities between automotive products sustainable designs and young customers purchase intention in Indonesia, using an experimental workshop. Empirical results have shown that each dimension has a significant effect to the youngsters’ preferences, although with different levels.
Energetic and exergetic performance computation of coal-fired steam power plant using IAPWS IF-97 formulation for target variable datasets generation in machine learning based performance prediction
Authors: Risano A Y E , Prabowo A D
Published: June 2020

More than 50% of power plants in Indonesia are Coal-Fired Steam Power Plants. According to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia, coal reserves in Indonesia will run out in 67 years. Fuel saving can be done by operating the system at the highest efficiency operating conditions. These conditions can be determined by analysing the operating history of the system along with the energetic and exergetic performance produced using machine learning algorithm. Unfortunately, energetic and exergetic performance calculation of the Coal-Fired Steam Power Plants system that is not easy results in lack of system performance target datasets generated from the history of the Coal-Fired Steam Power Plants operation, so that the Steam Powerplant performance data generation software written using the Python programming language is created in this paper to calculate the Coal-Fired Steam Power Plants energetic and exergetic performance using IAPWS IF-97 formulation quickly and accurately. Accuracy of the software written in this paper was tested using the Coal-Fired Steam Power Plants performance values calculated manually as a comparison and result difference between the two types of calculations below 1% and able to cut manual calculation time from 142.46 minutes to 14.34 minutes using the software which is feasible to generate target variable datasets needed for performance prediction using machine learning algorithm.
Influence of plasma remelting conditions on quantitative graphite dissolution and modified surface characteristics in 500-12 ductile iron
Authors: Jahun Falalu Rabiu , Benhua Zhang , Yuqiu Song , Ruili Wang , Siyao Liu
Published: June 2020

In this study, the influence of multi-pass plasma remelting conditions on quantitative graphite nodules dissolution, surface hardening and wear resistance of 500-12 ductile iron was evaluated. Surface remelting was carried out at various levels of heat inputs using high-temperature plasma beams. The graphite dissolution was uniquely quantified via image analysis approach, and then the remelted surface layer was characterized for phase transformation, microstructure, hardness and wear resistance. The remelting process parameters (arc current and scanning speed) showed significant (p < 0.01) influence, both on graphite nodules dissolution and surface hardening. Consequently, microstructure of the treated layer is modified and the surface exhibited a significant improvement in hardness and wear resistance. In addition, treatment conditions having slower scanning speed showed better surface modification. Therefore, the plasma remelting enhanced surface hardness and dry sliding wear resistance of 500-12 ferrictic ductile cast iron, which makes it suitable for application in a severe wear condition.
DeepATT: a hybrid category attention neural network for identifying functional effects of DNA sequences
Authors: Li Jiawei , Pu Yuqian , Tang Jijun , Zou Quan , Guo Fei
Published: June 2020

Quantifying DNA properties is a challenging task in the broad field of human genomics. Since the vast majority of non-coding DNA is still poorly understood in terms of function, this task is particularly important to have enormous benefit for biology research. Various DNA sequences should have a great variety of representations, and specific functions may focus on corresponding features in the front part of learning model. Currently, however, for multi-class prediction of non-coding DNA regulatory functions, most powerful predictive models do not have appropriate feature extraction and selection approaches for specific functional effects, so that it is difficult to gain a better insight into their internal correlations. Hence, we design a category attention layer and category dense layer in order to select efficient features and distinguish different DNA functions. In this study, we propose a hybrid deep neural network method, called DeepATT, for identifying $919$ regulatory functions on nearly $5$ million DNA sequences. Our model has four built-in neural network constructions: convolution layer captures regulatory motifs, recurrent layer captures a regulatory grammar, category attention layer selects corresponding valid features for different functions and category dense layer classifies predictive labels with selected features of regulatory functions. Importantly, we compare our novel method, DeepATT, with existing outstanding prediction tools, DeepSEA and DanQ. DeepATT performs significantly better than other existing tools for identifying DNA functions, at least increasing $1.6\%$ area under precision recall. Furthermore, we can mine the important correlation among different DNA functions according to the category attention module. Moreover, our novel model can greatly reduce the number of parameters by the mechanism of attention and locally connected, on the basis of ensuring accuracy.
Phosphorylated tau interactome in the human Alzheimer’s disease brain
Authors: Drummond Eleanor , Pires Geoffrey , MacMurray Claire , Askenazi Manor , Nayak Shruti , Bourdon Marie , Safar Jiri , Ueberheide Beatrix , Wisniewski Thomas
Published: June 2020

Accumulation of phosphorylated tau is a key pathological feature of Alzheimer’s disease. Phosphorylated tau accumulation causes synaptic impairment, neuronal dysfunction and formation of neurofibrillary tangles. The pathological actions of phosphorylated tau are mediated by surrounding neuronal proteins; however, a comprehensive understanding of the proteins that phosphorylated tau interacts with in Alzheimer’s disease is surprisingly limited. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the phosphorylated tau interactome. To this end, we used two complementary proteomics approaches: (i) quantitative proteomics was performed on neurofibrillary tangles microdissected from patients with advanced Alzheimer’s disease; and (ii) affinity purification-mass spectrometry was used to identify which of these proteins specifically bound to phosphorylated tau. We identified 542 proteins in neurofibrillary tangles. This included the abundant detection of many proteins known to be present in neurofibrillary tangles such as tau, ubiquitin, neurofilament proteins and apolipoprotein E. Affinity purification-mass spectrometry confirmed that 75 proteins present in neurofibrillary tangles interacted with PHF1-immunoreactive phosphorylated tau. Twenty-nine of these proteins have been previously associated with phosphorylated tau, therefore validating our proteomic approach. More importantly, 34 proteins had previously been associated with total tau, but not yet linked directly to phosphorylated tau (e.g. synaptic protein VAMP2, vacuolar-ATPase subunit ATP6V0D1); therefore, we provide new evidence that they directly interact with phosphorylated tau in Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, we also identified 12 novel proteins, not previously known to be physiologically or pathologically associated with tau (e.g. RNA binding protein HNRNPA1). Network analysis showed that the phosphorylated tau interactome was enriched in proteins involved in the protein ubiquitination pathway and phagosome maturation. Importantly, we were able to pinpoint specific proteins that phosphorylated tau interacts with in these pathways for the first time, therefore providing novel potential pathogenic mechanisms that can be explored in future studies. Combined, our results reveal new potential drug targets for the treatment of tauopathies and provide insight into how phosphorylated tau mediates its toxicity in Alzheimer’s disease.
Connexins in neuromyelitis optica: a link between astrocytopathy and demyelination
Authors: Richard Chloé , Ruiz Anne , Cavagna Sylvie , Bigotte Maxime , Vukusic Sandra , Masaki Katsuhisa , Suenaga Toshihiko , Kira Jun-Ichi , Giraudon Pascale , Marignier Romain
Published: June 2020

Neuromyelitis optica, a rare neuroinflammatory demyelinating disease of the CNS, is characterized by the presence of specific pathogenic autoantibodies directed against the astrocytic water channel aquaporin 4 (AQP4) and is now considered as an astrocytopathy associated either with complement-dependent astrocyte death or with astrocyte dysfunction. However, the link between astrocyte dysfunction and demyelination remains unclear. We propose glial intercellular communication, supported by connexin hemichannels and gap junctions, to be involved in demyelination process in neuromyelitis optica. Using mature myelinated cultures, we demonstrate that a treatment of 1 h to 48 h with immunoglobulins purified from patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO-IgG) is responsible for a complement independent demyelination, compared to healthy donors’ immunoglobulins (P < 0.001). In parallel, patients’ immunoglobulins induce an alteration of connexin expression characterized by a rapid loss of astrocytic connexins at the membrane followed by an increased size of gap junction plaques (+60%; P < 0.01). This was co-observed with connexin dysfunction with gap junction disruption (−57%; P < 0.001) and increased hemichannel opening (+17%; P < 0.001), associated with glutamate release. Blocking connexin 43 hemichannels with a specific peptide was able to prevent demyelination in co-treatment with patients compared to healthy donors’ immunoglobulins. By contrast, the blockade of connexin 43 gap junctions with another peptide was detrimental for myelin (myelin density −48%; P < 0.001). Overall, our results suggest that dysregulation of connexins would play a pathogenetic role in neuromyelitis optica. The further identification of mechanisms leading to connexin dysfunction and soluble factors implicated, would provide interesting therapeutic strategies for demyelinating disorders.
Guidelines on multidisciplinary approaches for the prevention and management of diabetic foot disease (2020 edition)
Authors: Wang Aiping , Lv Guozhong , Cheng Xingbo , Ma Xianghua , Wang Wei , Gui Jianchao , Hu Ji , Lu Meng , Chu Guoping , Chen Jin’an , Zhang Hao , Jiang Yiqiu , Chen Yuedong , Yang Wengbo , Jiang Lin , Geng Houfa , Zheng Rendong , Li Yihui , Feng Wei , Johnson Boey , Wang Wenjuan , Zhu Dalong , Hu Yin
Published: June 2020

In recent years, as living standards have continued to improve, the number of diabetes patients in China, along with the incidence of complications associated with the disease, has been increasing. Among these complications, diabetic foot disease is one of the main causes of disability and death in diabetic patients. Due to the differences in economy, culture, religion and level of medical care available across different regions, preventive and treatment methods and curative results for diabetic foot vary greatly. In multidisciplinary models built around diabetic foot, the timely assessment and diagnosis of wounds and appropriate methods of prevention and treatment with internal and external surgery are key to clinical practice for this pathology. In 2019, under the leadership of the Jiangsu Medical Association and Chinese Diabetes Society, the writing group for the Guidelines on multidisciplinary approaches for the prevention and management of diabetic foot disease (2020 edition) was established with the participation of scholars from the specialist areas of endocrinology, burn injury, vascular surgery, orthopedics, foot and ankle surgery and cardiology. Drawing lessons from diabetic foot guidelines from other countries, this guide analyses clinical practices for diabetic foot, queries the theoretical basis and grades and gives recommendations based on the characteristics of the pathology in China. This paper begins with assessments and diagnoses of diabetic foot, then describes treatments for diabetic foot in detail, and ends with protections for high-risk feet and the prevention of ulcers. This manuscript covers the disciplines of internal medicine, surgical, nursing and rehabilitation and describes a total of 50 recommendations that we hope will provide procedures and protocols for clinicians dealing with diabetic foot.

Registry number: IPGRP-2020cn124
Smaller Volume in Left-Lateralized Brain Structures Correlates with Greater Experience of Negative Non-target Emotions in Neurodegenerative Diseases
Authors: Chen Kuan-Hua , Hua Alice Y , Lwi Sandy J , Haase Claudia M , Rosen Howard J , Miller Bruce L , Levenson Robert W
Published: June 2020

Subjective emotional experience that is congruent with a given situation (i.e., target emotions) is critical for human survival (e.g., feeling disgusted in response to contaminated food motivates withdrawal behaviors). Neurodegenerative diseases including frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer’s disease affect brain regions critical for cognitive and emotional functioning, resulting in increased experience of emotions incongruent with the situation (i.e., non-target emotions, such as feeling happy when seeing someone grieving). We examined neuroanatomical correlates of subjective experience of non-target emotions in 147 patients with neurodegenerative diseases and 26 healthy individuals. Participants watched three films intended to elicit particular target emotions and rated their experience of negative and positive target and non-target emotions after watching each film. We found that smaller volume in left hemisphere regions (e.g., caudate, putamen, and dorsal anterior insula) was associated with greater experience of negative non-target emotions. Follow-up analyses confirmed that these effects were left-lateralized. No correlates emerged for positive non-target emotions. These findings suggest that volume loss in left-hemisphere regions produces a more diffuse, incongruent experience of non-target emotions. These findings provide a potential neuroanatomical basis for understanding how subjective emotional experience is constructed in the brain and how this can be disrupted in neurodegenerative disease.
Novel Coronavirus 2019 Transmission Risk in Educational Settings
Authors: Yung Chee Fu , Kam Kai-qian , Nadua Karen Donceras , Chong Chia Yin , Tan Natalie Woon Hui , Li Jiahui , Lee Khai Pin , Chan Yoke Hwee , Thoon Koh Cheng , Ng Kee Chong
Published: June 2020

Transmission risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in schools is unknown. Our investigations, especially in preschools, could not detect SARS-CoV-2 transmission despite screening of symptomatic and asymptomatic children. The data suggest that children are not the primary drivers of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in schools and could help inform exit strategies for lifting of lockdowns.
Geographic Core Areas of Coinfections in Washington, District of Columbia: Recommendations for Planning Prevention-Intervention to Mitigate Human Immunodeficiency Virus Burden
Authors: Das Suparna , Allston Adam , Opoku Jenevieve , Kharfen Michael
Published: June 2020

Background

Research suggests that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–positive individuals with a sexually transmitted infection (STI) may be at increased risk of transmitting HIV to someone else through unprotected sex. The primary aim of the analysis is to identify the high-risk geographic areas of transmission of coinfections and factors that may be associated with poor outcomes of viral suppression within these higher-risk geographic areas, thus important in transmission prevention.

Methods

We used surveillance data reported by all providers and laboratories in the District of Columbia (DC). Applied discrete Poisson scan model in SaTScan to identify the geographic areas. The relative risk (RR) for the scan statistic was calculated based on events inside the cluster, and P values evaluated statistical significance. We used multinomial logistical regression to explore care and demographical characteristics associated with being virally unsuppressed within and outside the geographic areas.

Results

The coinfected areas (RR, >1; P < .001) were located in the tracts of central and southern DC. Black population (RR, 3.154 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.736–5.729]), age 13–19 years (RR, 4.598 [95% CI, 3.176–6.657]), repeat STIs (RR, 1.387 [95% CI, 1.096–1.754]), and not retained in care (RR, 2.546 [95% CI, 1.997–3.245]) were found to be at higher risk of being virally unsuppressed within the coinfected clusters. Those with unknown linkages were found to be at higher risk of being virally unsuppressed outside the coinfected clusters (RR, 5.162 [95% CI, 2.289–11.640]).

Conclusions

This is DC’s first effort to identify the geographic core areas of coinfections and factors that may be sustaining them. These results will be used by the health department to plan for prevention-intervention strategies. This model be replicated by any local jurisdiction similar.
Identifying present bias and time preferences with an application to land-lease-contract data1
Authors: Gautier Pieter A , van Vuuren Aico
Published: June 2020

What can contracts—traded and priced in a competitive market and featuring a pre-specified system of future payments—teach us about time preferences and present bias? We first show that identification of present bias requires assumptions on the felicity function and that agents must have credit constraints on consumption expenditure. Moreover, when there is heterogeneity in present bias, identification requires that agents with the same present bias parameter buy houses with different contracts. We illustrate our findings with observational land-lease-contract data from Amsterdam.
Pseudoaneurysm rupture presenting as bleeding from the cannulation site in a paediatric patient with dilated cardiomyopathy and congenital skin lesions requiring EXCOR® Paediatric ventricular assist device: a case report
Authors: Doi Yuji , Hamamoto Nao , Osaki Masaki , Ishido Motonori
Published: June 2020

Background

EXCOR® Paediatric is used worldwide as a bridge-to-transplant treatment. It provides improved patient stability during the waiting period compared with previous ventricular assist device (VAD). However, investigations into complications which may occur among the paediatric population during long waiting periods are still sparse.

Case summary

We describe the case of a 7-year-old girl who presented with severe heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy. She also had a skin lesion which appeared soon after birth. She had received an EXCOR® implant and was waiting for heart transplant. Her skin lesion worsened after implantation and she suffered recurrent infections. Multiple bleeding episodes from the cannulation site occurred; therefore, surgical exploration of the bleeding was performed. She passed away during the procedure due to massive bleeding caused by rupture of a pseudoaneurysm caused by blood-stream infection.

Discussion

Patients with skin disease may be at increased risk of infection when on a VAD. Infections that occur during VAD therapy may cause serious complications such as pseudoaneurysm. The possibility of pseudoaneurysm should be considered when bleeding occurs in a patient on VAD.
Up and About: Older Adults’ Well-being During the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Swedish Longitudinal Study
Authors: Kivi Marie , Hansson Isabelle , Bjälkebring Pär
Published: June 2020

Objectives

To investigate early effects of the COVID-19 pandemic related to (a) levels of worry, risk perception, and social distancing; (b) longitudinal effects on well-being; and (c) effects of worry, risk perception, and social distancing on well-being.

Methods

We analyzed annual changes in four aspects of well-being over 5 years (2015–2020): life satisfaction, financial satisfaction, self-rated health, and loneliness in a subsample (n = 1,071, aged 65–71) from a larger survey of Swedish older adults. The 2020 wave, collected March 26–April 2, included measures of worry, risk perception, and social distancing in response to COVID-19.

Results

(a) In relation to COVID-19: 44.9% worried about health, 69.5% about societal consequences, 25.1% about financial consequences; 86.4% perceived a high societal risk, 42.3% a high risk of infection, and 71.2% reported high levels of social distancing. (b) Well-being remained stable (life satisfaction and loneliness) or even increased (self-rated health and financial satisfaction) in 2020 compared to previous years. (c) More worry about health and financial consequences was related to lower scores in all four well-being measures. Higher societal worry and more social distancing were related to higher well-being.

Discussion

In the early stage of the pandemic, Swedish older adults on average rated their well-being as high as, or even higher than, previous years. However, those who worried more reported lower well-being. Our findings speak to the resilience, but also heterogeneity, among older adults during the pandemic. Further research, on a broad range of health factors and long-term psychological consequences, is needed.
Social, Emotional, and Existential Loneliness: A Test of the Multidimensional Concept
Authors: van Tilburg Theo G
Published: June 2020

Background and Objectives

Since the 1980s, most researchers have agreed on the concept of social and emotional loneliness as an unacceptable and negatively experienced discrepancy between realized and desired interpersonal relationships. For other researchers, existential loneliness stems from the realization that a human being is fundamentally alone, with the accompanying emptiness, sadness, and longing. This article examines whether instruments to measure these conceptualizations indicate a multidimensional concept.

Research Design and Methods

The 2019 observation of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (N = 1,316; aged 61–101 years; 52% women) included five direct questions about loneliness, the 11-item de Jong Gierveld social and emotional loneliness scale, and 14 items from the translated Existential Loneliness Questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted in Mplus.

Results

Five factors were observed: direct questions, social and emotional loneliness, and loneliness in relationships and meaninglessness in life. The intercorrelations among all five factors were positive. Emotional loneliness correlated most strongly with direct questions.

Discussion and Implications

Loneliness is multifaceted and means that one is not embedded in a personal network, misses closeness and intimacy, and lacks meaning in life. The emotional loneliness items most closely represent what people mean when they report loneliness.
Peddlers and the Policing of National Indifference in Palestine, 1920–1948
Authors: Kahlenberg Caroline
Published: June 2020

This article explores nationalism and consumption in British-mandate Palestine using a history-from-below approach. It focuses on Arab and Jewish peddlers who regularly crossed national, cultural, and geographic borders in order to conduct petty trade with customers. Colonial and nationalist actors worked hard to curb the ubiquitous presence of such peddlers for various reasons. First, British colonial officials regarded urban hawking as unhygienic, noisy, and not modern. Second, many Zionist actors deemed Jewish-Arab trade threatening to the Zionist principle of ‘Hebrew consumption’. Zionist leaders also expressed concern about the presence of Jewish peddlers whom they viewed as the antithesis of the idealized, Hebrew-speaking Zionist ‘New Jew’. Third, Palestinian Arab nationalists policed Arab peddlers who violated the six-month national strike in 1936 by continuing to hawk their goods. In short, in the eyes of various nationalist actors, these peddlers displayed ‘national indifference’ that needed to be controlled. By studying how nationalist actors policed everyday, small-scale peddler-consumer exchanges, we are able to understand how a ‘culture of nationalism’ arose in mandatory Palestine.
Modelling pulse fishery systems in data-limited situations
Authors: Grüss Arnaud , Bolser Derek G , Erisman Brad E
Published: June 2020

Per-recruit models have been widely used since the onset of modern fisheries science, particularly in data-limited situations. When the study fishery is a pulse fishery, namely a fishery operating over a brief period followed by a long fallow period, exploitation rates rather than fishing mortality rates are employed to calculate per-recruit quantities. The literature suggests that a discrete per-recruit model is more appropriate than a continuous per-recruit model when per-recruit quantities are expressed as a function of exploitation rates. For this reason, Erisman et al. [Erisman, B. E., Grüss, A., Mascarenas-Osorio, I., Lícon-González, H., Johnson, A. F., and López-Sagástegui, C. 2020. Balancing conservation and utilization in spawning aggregation fisheries: a trade-off analysis of an overexploited marine fish. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 77: 148–161.] recently developed a discrete per-recruit model to examine the impacts of altering exploitation rates for the Gulf corvina (Cynoscion othonopterus) pulse fishery. Using Erisman et al.’s (Erisman, B. E., Grüss, A., Mascarenas-Osorio, I., Lícon-González, H., Johnson, A. F., and López-Sagástegui, C. 2020. Balancing conservation and utilization in spawning aggregation fisheries: a trade-off analysis of an overexploited marine fish. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 77: 148–161.) data, we demonstrate in detail that, under certain conditions, it is reasonable to employ a continuous per-recruit model for a pulse fishery system. We then use the designed continuous per-recruit model to demonstrate how the timing of the pulse fishery within the year relative to the timing of reproduction can be accounted for in a per-recruit model, and we explore the impacts of these model developments. This article serves as a strong basis for future studies that model pulse fishery systems in data-limited situations.
On Morin Configurations of Higher Length
Authors: Kapustka Grzegorz , Verra Alessandro
Published: June 2020

This paper studies finite Morin configurations $F$ of planes in $\mathbb P^5$ having higher length—a question naturally related to the theory of Gushel–Mukai varieties. The uniqueness of the configuration of maximal cardinality $20$ is proven. This is related to the canonical genus $6$ curve $C_{\ell }$ union of the $10$ lines in a smooth quintic Del Pezzo surface $Y$ in $\mathbb P^5$ and to the Petersen graph. More in general an irreducible family of special configurations of length $\geq 11$, we name as Morin–Del Pezzo configurations, is considered and studied. This includes the configuration of maximal cardinality and families of configurations of lenght $\geq 16$, previously unknown. It depends on $9$ moduli and is defined via the family of nodal and rational canonical curves of $Y$. The special relations between Morin–Del Pezzo configurations and the geometry of special threefolds, like the Igusa quartic or its dual Segre primal, are focused.
Refining Boolean queries to identify relevant studies for systematic review updates
Authors: Alharbi Amal , Stevenson Mark
Published: June 2020

Objective

Systematic reviews are important in health care but are expensive to produce and maintain. The authors explore the use of automated transformations of Boolean queries to improve the identification of relevant studies for updates to systematic reviews.

Materials and Methods

A set of query transformations, including operator substitution, query expansion, and query reduction, were used to iteratively modify the Boolean query used for the original systematic review. The most effective transformation at each stage is identified using information about the studies included and excluded from the original review. A dataset consisting of 22 systematic reviews was used for evaluation. Updated queries were evaluated using the included and excluded studies from the updated version of the review. Recall and precision were used as evaluation measures.

Results

The updated queries were more effective than the ones used for the original review, in terms of both precision and recall. The overall number of documents retrieved was reduced by more than half, while the number of relevant documents found increased by 10.3%.

Conclusions

Identification of relevant studies for updates to systematic reviews can be carried out more effectively by using information about the included and excluded studies from the original review to produce improved Boolean queries. These updated queries reduce the overall number of documents retrieved while also increasing the number of relevant documents identified, thereby representing a considerable reduction in effort required by systematic reviewers.
Gamma-Butyrolactone Overdose Potentially Complicated by Co-Ingestion of Industrial Solvent N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone
Authors: Melamed Jonathan , Gerona Roy , Blanc Paul D , Takamoto Paul , Conner Stephanie , Goodnough Robert
Published: June 2020

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is misused as an intoxicant, either alone or concurrently with other substances. Because GHB is illegal, the precursor chemicals 1,4-butanediol and gamma-butyrolactone are also misused for the same effect, either through pre-ingestion alteration or endogenous metabolism to GHB. We describe a case of a 50-year-old man with a history of polysubstance misuse who experienced an overdose of GHB from gamma-butyrolactone ingestion. The patient also co-ingested a common industrial solvent, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP). This co-ingested substance raised theoretical concern of metabolism to a GHB congener, underscoring that the emergence of new psychoactive substance use patterns requires ongoing vigilance and toxicologic confirmation.
Updated evidence on oncological outcomes of surgery versus external beam radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer
Authors: Taguchi Satoru , Shiraishi Kenshiro , Fukuhara Hiroshi
Published: June 2020

Radical prostatectomy and external beam radiotherapy are recognized as comparable treatment options for localized prostate cancer. Previous studies of oncological outcomes of surgery versus radiotherapy have reported their comparability or possible superiority of surgery. However, the issue of which treatment is better remains controversial. Several factors make fair comparison of their outcomes difficult: different patient backgrounds caused by selection bias, different definitions of biochemical recurrence and different complication profiles between the treatment modalities. In 2016, the first large randomized controlled trial was published, which compared radical prostatectomy, external beam radiotherapy and active monitoring in localized prostate cancer. More recently, another study has reported comparative outcomes of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy and volumetric modulated arc therapy, as the leading surgery and radiotherapy techniques, respectively. Furthermore, there has been a trend toward combining external beam radiotherapy with brachytherapy boost, especially in patients with high-risk prostate cancer. This review summarizes the updated evidence on oncological outcomes of surgery versus external beam radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer.
Preliminary Results from a Structural Conversion Thinning Trial in Eastern Canada
Authors: Dupont-Leduc Laurie , Schneider Robert , Sirois Luc
Published: June 2020

In 2008, a thinning trial consisting in the removal of competitors around high growth potential stems (crop trees, CTs) was initiated as the first step of a structural conversion to transform even-aged stands into uneven-aged stands. Two intensities of thinning by CT release and thinning from below were tested in white spruce (Picea glauca [Moench] Voss) plantations and in balsam fir (Abies balsamea [L.] Mill)—dominated naturally regenerated stands. Unlike thinning from below, which aims to remove poor quality stems to improve the growth of residual trees, thinning by CT release aims to reduce competition between dominant trees. Trees thinned by CT release showed a significantly higher diameter at breast height increment than those in the control plots. CT release did not significantly increase stand structure, nor did it reduce stand growth, which helps to address the concerns of regional forest stakeholders. CT release may offer other benefits in the long term, but subsequent interventions are necessary to evaluate if this treatment meets the desired objectives.
Identity struggles during resettlement: An ethnographic approach of internally displaced adolescent mothers in Bogotá
Authors: Cadena-Camargo Yazmin , Krumeich Anja , Duque-Páramo Maria Claudia , Horstman Klasien
Published: June 2020

Many internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Colombia are teenage mothers, who experience unique gendered identity struggles in the rural areas where they were born and during processes of displacement and resettlement. We chose an ethnographic approach both to collect the life stories of 20 displaced adolescent mothers who had resettled in Bogotá and to conduct eight workshops. The analysis shows that the participants struggled with their identities as ‘women’ in the rural areas in the context of violence and armed conflict when they faced motherhood while still being adolescent and becoming displaced and when they embraced the formal ‘displaced person’ identity while enduring difficulties with the receptor communities during resettlement. The new identity status as ‘displaced’ that they wished for as a basis for benefits does not imply that the identity struggles are over. Our analysis shows that the gendered struggles of adolescent IDP mothers with multiple identities that are not easily aligned are accumulating, resulting in a complex challenge during resettling.
Omental infarction with liquefied necrosis after Roux Y gastric bypass: case report and literature review
Authors: Alwatari Yahya , Gerrish Ashley , Ayalew Dawit , Campos Guilherme M , Salluzzo Jennifer L
Published: June 2020

Omental infarction is a rare phenomenon that can be idiopathic or secondary to a surgical intervention. Greater omentum division has been advocated to decrease tension at the gastro-jejunal anastomosis during laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). We report a case of omental infraction complicated by liquefied infected necrosis presenting 3 weeks after antecolic antegastric RYGB. The patient underwent laparotomy and subtotal omentectomy with a protracted hospital course due to intra-abdominal abscesses, acute kidney injury and small bowel obstruction that were successfully managed non-operatively. We reviewed the available literature on omental infarction after RYGB, focusing on associated symptoms, possible etiology, timing of presentation, management and propose an alternative technique without omental division.
Canditate metabolites for ash dieback tolerance in Fraxinus excelsior
Authors: Nemesio-Gorriz Miguel , Menezes Riya C , Paetz Christian , Hammerbacher Almuth , Steenackers Marijke , Schamp Kurt , Höfte Monica , Svatoš Aleš , Gershenzon Jonathan , Douglas Gerry C
Published: June 2020

Ash dieback, a forest epidemic caused by the invasive fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, threatens ash trees throughout Europe. Within Fraxinus excelsior populations, a small proportion of genotypes show a low susceptibility to the pathogen. We compared the metabolomes from a cohort of low-susceptibility ash genotypes with a cohort of high-susceptibility ash genotypes. This revealed two significantly different chemotypes. A total of 64 candidate metabolites associated with reduced or increased susceptibility in the chemical families secoiridoids, coumarins, flavonoids, phenylethanoids, and lignans. Increased levels of two coumarins, fraxetin and esculetin, were strongly associated with reduced susceptibility to ash dieback. Both coumarins inhibited the growth of H. fraxineus in vitro when supplied at physiological concentrations, thereby validating their role as markers for low susceptibility to ash dieback. Similarly, fungal growth inhibition was observed when the methanolic bark extract of low-susceptibility ash genotypes was supplied. Our findings indicate the presence of constitutive chemical defense barriers against ash dieback in ash.
Stochastic modelling of star-formation histories II: star-formation variability from molecular clouds and gas inflow
Authors: Tacchella Sandro , Forbes John C , Caplar Neven
Published: June 2020

A key uncertainty in galaxy evolution is the physics regulating star formation, ranging from small-scale processes related to the life-cycle of molecular clouds within galaxies to large-scale processes such as gas accretion on to galaxies. We study the imprint of such processes on the time-variability of star formation with an analytical approach tracking the gas mass of galaxies (‘regulator model’). Specifically, we quantify the strength of the fluctuation in the star-formation rate (SFR) on different time-scales, i.e. the power spectral density (PSD) of the star-formation history, and connect it to gas inflow and the life-cycle of molecular clouds. We show that in the general case the PSD of the SFR has three breaks, corresponding to the correlation time of the inflow rate, the equilibrium time-scale of the gas reservoir of the galaxy, and the average lifetime of individual molecular clouds. On long and intermediate time-scales (relative to the dynamical time-scale of the galaxy), the PSD is typically set by the variability of the inflow rate and the interplay between outflows and gas depletion. On short time-scales, the PSD shows an additional component related to the life-cycle of molecular clouds, which can be described by a damped random walk with a power-law slope of β ≈ 2 at high frequencies with a break near the average cloud lifetime. We discuss star-formation ‘burstiness’ in a wide range of galaxy regimes, study the evolution of galaxies about the main sequence ridgeline, and explore the applicability of our method for understanding the star-formation process on cloud-scale from galaxy-integrated measurements.
Effect of hemodiafiltration on measured physical activity: primary results of the HDFIT randomized controlled trial
Authors: Pecoits-Filho Roberto , Larkin John , Poli-de-Figueiredo Carlos Eduardo , Cuvello-Neto Américo Lourenço , Barra Ana Beatriz Lesqueves , Gonçalves Priscila Bezerra , Sheth Shimul , Guedes Murilo , Han Maggie , Calice-Silva Viviane , de Castro Manuel Carlos Martins , Kotanko Peter , de Moraes Thyago Proenca , Raimann Jochen G , Canziani Maria Eugenia F ,   the HDFIT Study Investigators
Published: June 2020

Background

Dialysis patients are typically inactive and their physical activity (PA) decreases over time. Uremic toxicity has been suggested as a potential causal factor of low PA in dialysis patients. Post-dilution high-volume online hemodiafiltration (HDF) provides greater higher molecular weight removal and studies suggest better clinical/patient-reported outcomes compared with hemodialysis (HD).

Methods

HDFIT was a randomized controlled trial at 13 clinics in Brazil that aimed to investigate the effects of HDF on measured PA (step counts) as a primary outcome. Stable HD patients (vintage 3–24 months) were randomized to receive HDF or high-flux HD. Treatment effect of HDF on the primary outcome from baseline to 3 and 6 months was estimated using a linear mixed-effects model.

Results

We randomized 195 patients (HDF 97; HD 98) between August 2016 and October 2017. Despite the achievement of a high convective volume in the majority of sessions and a positive impact on solute removal, the treatment effect HDF on the primary outcome was +538 [95% confidence interval (CI) −330 to 1407] steps/24 h after dialysis compared with HD, and was not statistically significant. Despite a lack of statistical significance, the observed size of the treatment effect was modest and driven by steps taken between 1.5 and 24.0 h after dialysis, in particular between 20 and 24 h (+197 steps; 95% CI −95 to 488).

Conclusions

HDF did not have a statistically significant treatment effect on PA 24 h following dialysis, albeit effect sizes may be clinically meaningful and deserve further investigation.