bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Surface oxide development on aluminum alloy 6063 during heat treatment
Authors: Rullik Lisa , Evertsson Jonas , Johansson Niclas , Bertram Florian , Nilsson Jan‐Olov , Zakharov Alexei A. , Mikkelsen Anders , Lundgren Edvin
Published: February 2019

We report on the influence of oxygen partial pressure for the development of surface oxides covering the industrial aluminum alloy standard 6063 at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 500° C. Using an array of synchrotron‐based techniques, we followed the change in oxide thickness, chemical composition, and the lateral distribution of alloying elements. The impact of the oxygen chemical potential is most visible at high temperatures where the oxide composition changes from mostly Al based to mostly Mg based. This is in stark contrast to the ultra‐high vacuum (UHV) conditions where only a partial compositional transition is observed. The microscopy data demonstrate that in the UHV case, Mg segregation onto the surface occurs firstly at grain boundaries at 300° C and secondly at sites over the entire surface at 400° C. Further, the initial oxide thickness is 45 Å, as determined by XPS and XRR, decreases in all observed cases after heating to 300° C. At higher temperatures, however, the oxygen partial pressure highly influences the resulting oxide thickness as evident from our X‐ray reflectivity data.
Facile Preparation of Hydrophilic Dual Functional Magnetic Metal‐Organic Frameworks as a Platform for Proteomics Research
Authors: Liu Bin , Lu Yujie , Wang Baichun , Yan Yinghua , Liang Hongze , Yang Huayan
Published: February 2019

Highly specific enrichment of glycopeptides or phosphopeptides from complex biological samples is crucial and necessary before mass spectrometry analysis. In this work, a hydrophilic dual‐functional magnetic metal‐organic framework was prepared via a facile strategy for both glycopeptides and phosphopeptides enrichment. Self‐assemble polymerization of dopamine on magnetic graphene was performed in basic solution at room temperature, which offered good hydrophilicity and compatibility, Zr4+ was easily adhered to the polydopamine, and MOF reaction with amino ligand was easily to perform (magG@PDA@UiO‐66‐NH2). The large surface area and good hydrophilicity make it an ideal material for proteomics research. It was applied for glycopeptide enrichment based on hydrophilic interaction, while immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography for phosphopeptides enrichment, both exhibiting excellent specificity (1:1000 for phosphopeptides, 1:200 for glycopeptides) and sensitivity (1 fmol for phosphopeptides, 10 fmol for glycopeptides). It also shows good performance in human serum and defatted milk analysis.
CT‐BODIPY with Donor‐Acceptor Architecture: Red‐AIE Property and Selective Interaction with BSA
Authors: Huang Chunmei , Qian Ying
Published: February 2019

A dual‐channel chromophore named CT‐BODIPY with through bond energy transfer (TBET) and red aggregation‐induced emission(red‐AIE) characters was designed, consisting of D−A (donor‐acceptor) architecture where boron‐dipyrromethene (BODIPY) core as electron acceptor and coumarin as electron donor. Surprisingly, we found that it was non‐fluorescent in pure DMSO. However, the intensities centered at 626 nm increased apparently with higher water contents and the fluorescence intensities in 95% water contents DMSO/H2O mixtures reached the maximum. Besides, the dye generated red fluorescence in the solid state at 616 nm. These results demonstrated typical aggregation induced red emission. Crystallographic structure analysis attested that large dihedral angle of 77° and intermolecular interaction restricted intramolecular rotation which was the mechanism of AIE character. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) experimental results and transmission electron microscope (TEM) image also demonstrated the formation of aggregates. Importantly, CT‐BODIPY had ability to produce fast detection for bovine serum albumin (BSA) based on AIE and the DLS studies also indicated the change of aggregate diameter. Furthermore, The CT‐BODIPY was applied in dual‐channel MCF‐7 cell imaging which suggested it could be promising in biosensor applications.
Et3N‐ Promoted Cascade Sp3 C‐H Bond Functionalization of Methyl Arene with Active Methylene CompoundsUnder Solvent‐Free Condition
Authors: Kumar Dhirendra , Kumari Savita , Gajaganti Somaiah , Srivastava Vandana , Singh Sundaram
Published: February 2019

We herein report the Et3N catalyzed sp3 C−H bond functionalization of methyl arenes with active methylene compounds under solvent‐free condition using TBHP as an oxidant. These reactions are exclusively enabled by TBHP. The methyl arenes used in this reaction are highly versatile and rapidly undergo oxidation and further condensation with malononitrile /ethylcyanoacetate. This is a metal‐free, practical, inexpensive, non‐toxic and environmentally benign method.
Silk Fluorescence Collimator for Ultrasensitive Humidity Sensing and Light‐Harvesting in Semitransparent Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells
Authors: Hu Fan , Liu Wenzhe , Li Weifeng , Xu Zijie , Diao Ying Ying , Lin Nai Bo , Guo Wenxi , Shi Lei , van Esch Jan H. , Liu Xiang Yang
Published: February 2019

This work examines the self‐collimation effect of silk materials on fluorescence emission/detection. A macroscopic regulation strategy, coupled with meso‐reconstruction and meso‐functionalization, is adopted to amplify the fluorescence emission of organic fluorescent dyes (i.e., Rhodamine 6G (R6G)) using silk photonic crystal (PC) films. The fluorescence emission can be linearly enhanced or inhibited by a PC as a result of the photonic bandgap coupling with the excitation light and/or emission light. Depending on the design of the silk fluorescence collimator, the emission can reach 49.37 times higher than the control. The silk fluorescence collimator can be applied to achieve significant benefits: for instance, as a humidity sensor, it provides good reproducibility and a sensitivity of 28.50 a.u./% relative humidity, which is 80.78 times higher than the sensitivity of the control, and as a novel curtain, it raises the energy conversion efficiency of the semitransparent dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) by 16%.
Coupling PtNi Ultrathin Nanowires with MXenes for Boosting Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution in Both Acidic and Alkaline Solutions
Authors: Jiang Yi , Wu Xingqiao , Yan Yucong , Luo Sai , Li Xiao , Huang Jingbo , Zhang Hui , Yang Deren
Published: February 2019

Developing an efficient electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) working in both acidic and alkaline solutions is highly desirable, but still remains challenging. Here, PtxNi ultrathin nanowires (NWs) with tunable compositions (x = 1.42, 3.21, 5.67) are in situ grown on MXenes (Ti3C2 nanosheets), serving as electrocatalysts toward HER. Such PtxNi@Ti3C2 electrocatalysts exhibit excellent HER performance in both acidic and alkaline solutions, with the Pt3.21Ni@Ti3C2 being the best one. Specifically, Pt3.21Ni@Ti3C2 achieves record‐breaking performance in terms of lowest overpotential (18.55 mV) and smallest Tafel slope (13.37 mV dec−1) for HER in acidic media to date. Theory calculations and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses demonstrate that the coupling of MXenes with the NWs not only approaches the Gibbs free energy for hydrogen adsorption close to zero through the electron transfer between them in acidic media, but also provides additional active sites for water dissociation in alkaline solution, both of them being beneficial to the HER performance.
Adhesive Hemostatic Conducting Injectable Composite Hydrogels with Sustained Drug Release and Photothermal Antibacterial Activity to Promote Full‐Thickness Skin Regeneration During Wound Healing
Authors: Liang Yongping , Zhao Xin , Hu Tianli , Chen Baojun , Yin Zhanhai , Ma Peter X. , Guo Baolin
Published: February 2019

Developing injectable nanocomposite conductive hydrogel dressings with multifunctions including adhesiveness, antibacterial, and radical scavenging ability and good mechanical property to enhance full‐thickness skin wound regeneration is highly desirable in clinical application. Herein, a series of adhesive hemostatic antioxidant conductive photothermal antibacterial hydrogels based on hyaluronic acid‐graft‐dopamine and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) using a H2O2/HPR (horseradish peroxidase) system are prepared for wound dressing. These hydrogels exhibit high swelling, degradability, tunable rheological property, and similar or superior mechanical properties to human skin. The polydopamine endowed antioxidant activity, tissue adhesiveness and hemostatic ability, self‐healing ability, conductivity, and NIR irradiation enhanced in vivo antibacterial behavior of the hydrogels are investigated. Moreover, drug release and zone of inhibition tests confirm sustained drug release capacity of the hydrogels. Furthermore, the hydrogel dressings significantly enhance vascularization by upregulating growth factor expression of CD31 and improve the granulation tissue thickness and collagen deposition, all of which promote wound closure and contribute to a better therapeutic effect than the commercial Tegaderm films group in a mouse full‐thickness wounds model. In summary, these adhesive hemostatic antioxidative conductive hydrogels with sustained drug release property to promote complete skin regeneration are an excellent wound dressing for full‐thickness skin repair.
Micro‐ and macro‐optimizations of SaaT search
Authors: Trotman Andrew , Crane Matt
Published: February 2019

We introduce and test several micro‐ and macro‐optimizations to the Score‐at‐a‐Time approach to processing impact‐ordered postings lists in a search engine. Our micro‐optimizations are at the single‐assembly instruction level, but our macro‐optimizations are algorithmic. Overall, we see an improvement of 37% on our baseline (22% on state of the art). We experiment with parallel search and present evidence that we have hit the memory wall.
Fabrication of on‐chip vacuum pump using a silicon nanostructure by metal‐assisted chemical etching
Authors: Inomata Naoki , Kamakura Kentaro , Van Toan Nguyen , Ono Takahito
Published: February 2019

We proposed, fabricated, and evaluated an on‐chip vacuum pumping device using a nanoporous structure fabricated using metal‐assisted chemical etching (MACE) on silicon (Si). The driving principle relies on thermal transpiration, which is generally referred to as a Knudsen pump. MACE can be used to fabricate high‐aspect nanostructures of Si, which is advantageous for obtaining a high performance similar to that of a Knudsen pump because the nanochannels and temperature difference are significant components of this principle. The pumping device consists of wafers arranged as follows: glass (300 µm)/Si (200 µm)/glass (200 µm). The glass wafers have small chambers, and the Si wafer has a nanoporous structure with wide channels. One hundred and thirty‐two stages (pairs of cool and hot chambers) are cascaded. Vacuum levels are evaluated using a suspended thin diaphragm of Si. The device is fabricated using conventional microfabrication techniques. In the fabricated device, the temperature of the cool and hot sides is maintained at 70 and 230 °C. The chamber pressure in the 132nd stage was estimated to be 85.9 kPa, and the evacuation speed was approximately 10 min. © 2019 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Demystifying the Mystery Room
Authors: Wenmackers Sylvia ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: February 2019

The Mystery Room problem is a close variant of the Mystery Bag scenario (due to Titelbaum). It is argued here that dealing with this problem requires no revision of the Bayesian formalism, since there exists a solution to this problem in which indexicals or demonstratives play no essential role. The solution does require labels, which are internal to the probabilistic model. While there needs to be a connection between at least one label and one indexical or demonstrative, that connection is external to the probabilistic model that is used to determine the relevant conditional probability; hence, it does not complicate the update procedure.
Evaluation of pulmonary toxicity of benzalkonium chloride and triethylene glycol mixtures using in vitro and in vivo systems
Authors: Kwon Doyoung , Lim Yeon‐Mi , Kwon Jung‐Taek , Shim Ilseob , Kim Eunji , Lee Doo‐Hee , Yoon Byung‐Il , Kim Pilje , Kim Hyun‐Mi
Published: February 2019

Benzalkonium chloride (BAC) is a widely used disinfectant/preservative, and respiratory exposure to this compound has been reported to be highly toxic. Spray‐form household products have been known to contain BAC together with triethylene glycol (TEG) in their solutions. The purpose of this study was to estimate the toxicity of BAC and TEG mixtures to pulmonary organs using in vitro and in vivo experiments. Human alveolar epithelial (A549) cells incubated with BAC (1‐10 μg/mL) for 24 hours showed significant cytotoxicity, while TEG (up to 1000 μg/mL) did not affect cell viability. However, TEG in combination with BAC aggravated cell damage and inhibited colony formation as compared to BAC alone. TEG also exacerbated BAC‐promoted production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reduction of glutathione (GSH) level in A549 cells. However, pretreatment of the cells with N‐acetylcysteine (NAC) alleviated the cytotoxicity, indicating oxidative stress could be a mechanism of the toxicity. Quantification of intracellular BAC by LC/MS/MS showed that cellular distribution/absorption of BAC was enhanced in A549 cells when it was exposed together with TEG. Intratracheal instillation of BAC (400 μg/kg) in rats was toxic to the pulmonary tissues while that of TEG (up to 1000 μg/kg) did not show any harmful effect. A combination of nontoxic doses of BAC (200 μg/kg) and TEG (1000 μg/kg) promoted significant lung injury in rats, as shown by increased protein content and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF). Moreover, BAC/TEG mixture recruited inflammatory cells, polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs), in terminal bronchioles and elevated cytokine levels, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF‐α), and interleukin 6 (IL‐6) in BALF. These results suggest that TEG can potentiate BAC‐induced pulmonary toxicity and inflammation, and thus respiratory exposure to the air mist from spray‐form products containing this chemical combination is potentially harmful to humans.
Consider how a credential registry improves communication, program ROI
Authors: Sutton Halley
Published: February 2019

CLEVELAND — Clarifying the meaning of your credentials — identifying skills and competencies they teach your students, what value they have in the labor market, and, ultimately, which career paths they guide your students toward — can be a helpful tool in helping prospective and current students, along with employers and policymakers, see the value in higher education.
The top 5 sections of the FERPA regs: §99.3 definitions
Authors: Rainsberger Richard
Published: February 2019

In the September 2017 issue, I began a series of columns on my top five sections of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act regulations. They are.
Innovation, collaboration result in better use of resources
Authors: Hope Joan
Published: February 2019

Before becoming registrar at North Dakota State University about five years ago, Rhonda K. Kitch, Ph.D., worked in many areas of higher education, including admissions, financial aid, and residence life. She also taught classes including the first‐year experience and career‐life planning — and had worked her way up to associate registrar at NDSU.
Enhanced High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputter Processes
Authors: Gaines J. R.
Published: February 2019

High power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPMS) has emerged as a useful approach for depositing highly dense and smooth coatings of electrically conductive materials. Recent advances in power supply technology have further enabled HIPMS through the addition of a positive kick in the pulse cycle which supplies a bias at the surface of the sputter target which expels sputter target ions and sends more charged adatoms toward the substrate. This has been demonstrated with critical materials like diamond‐like carbon and plasmonic materials. Material specific pulse magnitudes and durations can be developed to achieve new novel thin film morphologies.
Coordination Compounds of Palladium(II) and 4‐Amino‐1,2,4‐triazole
Authors: Brunner Pierin , Wörle Michael , Weymuth Irene , Caseri Walter
Published: February 2019

Mononuclear coordination compounds of the type [Pd(NH2trz)4]2+ with the counterions chloride, nitrate, trifluoromethanesulfonate, and methanesulfonate were synthesized and their structures identified with single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. In case of the synthesis with methanesulfonate as the counterion the dominant product was of the generic formula [Pd2(NH2trz)3](CH3SO3)4, and the complex [Pd(NH2trz)4](CH3SO3)2 only emerged as a byproduct. While the structure of the byproduct could be analyzed by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, suitable crystals of the main product [Pd2(NH2trz)3](CH3SO3)4 could not be obtained. However, stoichiometry implies a polynuclear nature with NH2trz present in the rare μ3‐η1:η1:η1 coordination type, i.e. with NH2trz molecules coordinating to three palladium atoms. Accordingly, identification of solids by single‐crystal analysis alone can be misleading in particular with NH2trz as a ligand due to its versatile coordination behavior. Finally, analysis by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) revealed that the complexes were thermally stable (the onset of decomposition well above 100 °C), with [Pd2(NH2trz)3](CH3SO3)4 being the most stable compound (onset of decomposition at 204 °C).
On the regularity of the Green–Naghdi equations for a rotating shallow fluid layer
Authors: Dritschel David G. , Jalali Mohammad Reza
Published: February 2019

The Green–Naghdi equations are an extension of the shallow-water equations that capture the effects of finite fluid depth at arbitrary order in the characteristic height to width aspect ratio $H/L$. The shallow-water equations capture these effects to first order only, resulting in a relatively simple two-dimensional fluid-dynamical model for the layer horizontal velocity and depth. The Green–Naghdi equations, like the shallow-water equations, are two-dimensional fluid equations expressing momentum and mass conservation. There are different ‘levels’ of the Green–Naghdi equations of rapidly increasing complexity. In the present paper we focus on the behaviour of the lowest-level Green–Naghdi equations for a rotating shallow fluid layer, paying close attention to the flow structure at small spatial scales. We compare directly with the shallow-water equations and study the differences arising in their solutions. By recasting the equations into a form which both explicitly conserves Rossby–Ertel potential vorticity and represents the leading-order departure from geostrophic–hydrostatic balance, we are able to accurately describe both the ‘slow’ predominantly sub-inertial balanced dynamics and the ‘fast’ residual imbalanced dynamics. This decomposition has proved fruitful in studies of shallow-water dynamics but appears not to have been used before in studies of Green–Naghdi dynamics. Importantly, we find that this decomposition exposes a fundamental inconsistency in the Green–Naghdi equations for horizontal scales less than the mean fluid depth, scales for which the Green–Naghdi equations are supposed to more accurately model. Such scales exhibit pronounced activity compared to the shallow-water equations, and in particular spectra for certain fields like the divergence are flat or rising at high wavenumbers. This indicates a lack of convergence at small scales, and is also consistent with the poor convergence of total energy with resolution compared to the shallow-water equations. We suggest a mathematical reformulation of the Green–Naghdi equations which may improve convergence at small scales.
Autophoresis of two adsorbing/desorbing particles in an electrolyte solution
Authors: Yang Fan , Rallabandi Bhargav , Stone Howard A.
Published: February 2019

Classical diffusiophoresis describes the motion of particles in an electrolyte or non-electrolyte solution with an imposed concentration gradient. We investigate the autophoresis of two particles in an electrolyte solution where the concentration gradient is produced by either adsorption or desorption of ions at the particle surfaces. We find that when the sorption fluxes are large, the ion concentration near the particle surfaces, and consequently the Debye length, is strongly modified, resulting in a nonlinear dependence of the phoretic speed on the sorption flux. In particular, we show that the phoretic velocity saturates at a finite value for large desorption fluxes, but depends superlinearly on the flux for adsorption fluxes, where both conclusions are in contrast with previous results that predict a linear relationship between autophoretic velocity and sorption flux. Our theory can also be applied to precipitation/dissolution and other surface chemical processes.
Artificial neural networks trained through deep reinforcement learning discover control strategies for active flow control
Authors: Rabault Jean , Kuchta Miroslav , Jensen Atle , Réglade Ulysse , Cerardi Nicolas
Published: February 2019

We present the first application of an artificial neural network trained through a deep reinforcement learning agent to perform active flow control. It is shown that, in a two-dimensional simulation of the Kármán vortex street at moderate Reynolds number ($Re=100$), our artificial neural network is able to learn an active control strategy from experimenting with the mass flow rates of two jets on the sides of a cylinder. By interacting with the unsteady wake, the artificial neural network successfully stabilizes the vortex alley and reduces drag by approximately 8 %. This is performed while using small mass flow rates for the actuation, of the order of 0.5 % of the mass flow rate intersecting the cylinder cross-section once a new pseudo-periodic shedding regime is found. This opens the way to a new class of methods for performing active flow control.
Native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal isolates (Funneliformis mosseae and Glomus microcarpum) improve plant height and nutritional status of banana plants
Authors: Kammadavil Sahodaran Nidheesh , Arun Abju K. , Ray Joseph George
Published: February 2019

An experiment was carried out to assess the benefits of native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) for banana plants cv. ‘Nendran’. The AMF species applied wereFunneliformis mosseaeandGlomus microcarpum, which were identified in a previous survey as the most common root associates ofMusaspp. in traditional monoculture banana fields. Spores of both the AMF species isolated from the natural banana fields were mono-cultured and used in the experiment, individually and in combination, at two inoculum spore levels (2500 or 5000 spores). We evaluated the root colonising potential of AMFs and their effects on plant height, chlorophyll content and leaf N, P and K concentrations at regular intervals up to 90 days after inoculation. All the inoculated plants showed more than 80% root colonisation. Increase in chlorophyll content in the leaves was found significant in all treatments, with the exception of the combination of 5000 spores ofF. mosseae and5000 spores ofG. microcarpumeach. Increases in leaf N, P and K were found in all the inoculated plants as compared to control (sterile soil without any AMF). While a significant reduction in soil available nitrogen and soil pH was observed in all treatments with inoculation, the soil available phosphorus and soil total organic carbon were increased by inoculation. Overall data revealed positive effects of AMF species in banana, especially during its early growth. As AMF species were isolated from fields differing in relation to banana variety and soil type and have positive effects in banana nutrition, an integrated soil fertility management using AMF appears promising.
Low-shear three-dimensional equilibria in a periodic cylinder
Authors: Jaquiery Erin , Sengupta Wrick
Published: February 2019

We carry out expansions of non-symmetric toroidal ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equilibria with nested flux surfaces about a periodic cylinder, in which physical quantities are periodic of period$2\unicode[STIX]{x03C0}$in the cylindrical angle$\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}$and$z$. The cross-section of a flux surface at a constant toroidal angle is assumed to be approximately circular, and data are given on the cylindrical flux surface$r=1$. Furthermore, we assume that the magnetic field lines are closed on the lowest-order flux surface, and the magnetic shear is relatively small. We extend earlier work in a flat torus by Weitzner (Phys. Plasmas, vol. 23, 2016, 062512) and demonstrate that a power series expansion can be carried out to all orders using magnetic flux as an expansion parameter. The cylindrical metric introduces certain new features to the expansions compared to the flat torus. However, the basic methodology of dealing with resonance singularities remains the same. The results, even though lacking convergence proofs, once again support the possibility of smooth, low-shear non-symmetric toroidal MHD equilibria.
Ten new species and 34 new country records of Trypetheliaceae
Authors: APTROOT André , SIPMAN Harrie J. M. , BARRETO Flávia Maria Oliveira , NUNES Ariel Dantas , CÁCERES Marcela Eugenia da Silva
Published: February 2019

Ten new species of Trypetheliaceae are described: Astrothelium bullatothallinum from Venezuela, which is close to A. aeneum but differs by the bullate thallus with a thick cortex, intermixed in a mosaic with the prothallus; A. cayennense from French Guiana, which is similar to A. flavomegaspermum but with a yellow pigment in the pseudostroma near the ostioles; A. diaphanocorticatum from Papua New Guinea, which has a bullate thallus with a thick hyaline cortex and 3-septate ascospores of 25–28×10–12 μm; A. macroeustomum from French Guiana, with joint lateral ostioles, UV+ yellow ostiolar region and 5-septate ascospores of 50–55×12–17 μm; A. minicecidiogenum from Costa Rica, with muriform ascospores of 70–90×20–25 μm, without pseudostromata, with solitary ascomata, lateral ostioles and an inspersed hamathecium; A. palaeoexostemmatis from Thailand, which is similar to A. exostemmatis but with larger, I+ blue ascospores; A. quasimamillanum from Brazil, with muriform ascospores of 30–33×9·5–10·5 μm, without pseudostromata, with solitary ascomata, lateral ostioles and an inspersed hamathecium; A. studerae from Brazil, with astrothelioid ascomata, lichexanthone only in the pseudostromata, 3-septate ascospores of 21·5–23·0×6·5–7·5 μm; A. tanianum from Malaysia, with a bullate thallus, solitary ascomata, covered by the thallus, (9–)11(–15)-septate ascospores, 75–100×20–22 μm; and Pseudopyrenula miniflavida from Brazil, with a yellow-inspersed hamathecium, the inspersion dissolving in KOH without colour change, and 3-septate ascospores, 15–17×5·5–6·5 μm. The unusually thick, hyaline cortical layer of the thallus of Astrothelium diaphanocorticatum, through which the individual algal cells are clearly visible, is discussed. Furthermore, 30 species are reported from 34 countries in which they had previously been unrecorded; one (Astrothelium inspersaeneum) is from a new continent, Asia.
Ecological specialization of lichen congeners with a strong link to Mediterranean-type climate: a case study of the genusSolenopsorain the Apennine Peninsula
Authors: GUTTOVÁ Anna , FAČKOVCOVÁ Zuzana , MARTELLOS Stefano , PAOLI Luca , MUNZI Silvana , PITTAO Elena , ONGARO Silvia
Published: February 2019

An ecological biogeographical perspective provides an understanding of the factors that shape the geographical distribution of organisms, their biodiversity and ecological speciation. Focusing on members of the lichen genusSolenopsora, which are strongly linked to a Mediterranean-type climate, we aimed to depict their environmental niches in the Apennine Peninsula. This area represents their ecological optima, as well as the biogeographical centre of distribution. On the basis of occurrences ofSolenopsoracongeners, we identified the key ecological factors that shape their environmental niches. Applying an ensemble approach, which merges the results of Random Forest, GLM and MaxEnt algorithms, suitability maps were developed. These are mainly influenced by geological substratum, temperature and precipitation. Occurrence ofSolenopsorataxa seems to be mainly governed by low variability in diurnal temperature and tolerance to dryness, with precipitation in the range of 0–20 mm in the driest month and a minimum temperature of >5 °C in the coldest month. The sensitivity to diurnal temperature, an important indicator for climate change, suggests that the taxa confined to Mediterranean bioclimatic types (i.e.Solenopsora grisea,S. marina,S. olivaceasubsp.olbiensisandS. olivaceasubsp.olivacea) might be good indicators of climatic stability. The geological substratum was a strong limiting factor and separated the taxa into three groups: those growing on calcareous, siliceous and ultramafic substrata. Limited co-occurrence of species confined to one of the three categories suggests that the level of niche differentiation is on a microhabitat level. Accounting for ecological requirements, the taxa differ in their tolerance to sub-optimal conditions. The ecological niches of a sister subspecies pair with different reproduction strategies, fertileS. olivaceasubsp.olivaceaand sorediateS. olivaceasubsp.olbiensis, overlap strongly. However, habitat suitability forS. olivaceasubsp.olbiensisis greater in areas with higher precipitation in the driest month, whereasS. olivaceasubsp.olivaceais more restricted to warmer and drier areas. We also report new regional records for Italy and the first records ofS. cesatiiin Serbia and Ukraine, and ofS. liparinain Serbia.
Could angiotensin-modulating drugs be relevant for the treatment of Trypanosoma cruzi infection? A systematic review of preclinical and clinical evidence
Authors: Souza-Silva Thaiany G. , Diniz Lívia F. , Lia Mazzeti Ana , Mendonça Andrea A. S. , Gonçalves Reggiani V. , Novaes Rômulo D.
Published: February 2019

Although leucocytes are targets of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) effector molecules and RAS-modulating drugs exert immunomodulatory effects, their impact onTrypanosoma cruziinfection remains poorly understood. By using the framework of a systematic review, we integrated the preclinical and clinical evidence to investigate the relevance of angiotensin-inhibiting drugs onT. cruziinfections. From a comprehensive and structured search in biomedical databases, only original studies were analysed. In preclinical and clinical studies, captopril, enalapril and losartan were RAS-modulating drugs used. The mainin vitrofindings indicated that these drugs increased parasite uptake per host cells, IL-12 expression by infected dendritic cells and IFN-γby T lymphocytes, in addition to attenuating IL-10 and IL-17 production by CD8 + T cells. In animal models, reduced parasitaemia, tissue parasitism, leucocytes infiltration and mortality were often observed inT. cruzi-infected animals receiving RAS-modulating drugs. In patients with Chagas’ disease, these drugs exerted a controversial impact on cytokine and hormone levels, and a limited effect on cardiovascular function. Considering a detailed evaluation of reporting and methodological quality, the current preclinical and clinical evidence is at high risk of bias, and we hope that our critical analysis will be useful in mitigating the risk of bias in further studies.
Robust Positioning and Navigation of a Mobile Robot in an Urban Environment Using a Motion Estimator
Authors: An Jongwoo , Lee Jangmyung
Published: February 2019

Robust positioning and navigation of a mobile robot in an urban environment is implemented by fusing the Global Positioning System (GPS) and Inertial Navigation System (INS) data with the aid of a motion estimator. To select and isolate malicious satellite signals and guarantee the minimum number of GPS signals for the localization, an enhanced fault detection and isolation (FDI) algorithm with a short-term memory has been developed in this research. When there are sufficient satellite signals for positioning, the horizontal dilution of precision (HDOP) has been applied for selecting the best four satellite signals to localize the mobile robot. Then, the GPS data are fused with INS data by a Kalman filter (KF) for a straight path and a curved motion estimator (CME) for a curved path. That is, the INS data are properly fused to the GPS data through the KF or CME process. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, experiments using a mobile robot have been carried out on a university campus.
TYPIFICATION OF SRI LANKAN GESNERIACEAE
Authors: Ranasinghe S. , Middleton D. J. , Atkins H. J. , Milne R. , Möller M.
Published: February 2019

Towards a comprehensive revision of Gesneriaceae in Sri Lanka, 12 names are here typified, of which 11 are lectotypifications, including one second-step lectotypification, and the other is a neotypification.
Autonomic responses induced by aerobic submaximal exercise in obese and overweight adolescents
Authors: Santana Milana D. R. , Kliszczewicz Brian , Vanderlei Franciele M. , Monteiro Larissa R. L. , Martiniano Eli Carlos , de Moraes Yasmim M. , Mangueira Luana B. , Alcantara Guilherme C. , da Silva José Ramon A. , Benjamim Cicero Jonas R. , Oliveira Fernando R. , Valenti Vitor E.
Published: February 2019

Background

Graded exercises tests are performed in adult populations; nonetheless, the use of this type of assessment is greatly understudied in overweight and obese adolescents.

Objective

To investigate heart rate autonomic responses to submaximal aerobic exercise in obese and overweight adolescents.

Methods

We recruited 40 adolescents divided into two groups: (1) overweight group comprising 10 boys and 10 girls between Z-score +1 and +2 and (2) obese group comprising 10 boys and 10 girls above Z-score >+2. Heart rate variability was analysed before (T1) and after exercise (T2–T4) on treadmill at a slope of 0%, with 70% of the maximal estimated heart rate (220 – age) for 20 minutes.

Results

Heart rate in the overweight group was: 93.2±10.52 bpm versus 120.8±13.49 bpm versus 94.6±11.65 bpm versus 93.0±9.23 bpm, and in the obese group was: 92.0±15.41 bpm versus 117.6±16.31 bpm versus 92.1±12.9 bpm versus 91.8±14.33 bpm. High frequency in the overweight group was: 640±633.1 ms2 versus 84±174.66 ms2 versus 603.5±655.31 ms2 versus 762.6±807.21 ms2, and in the obese group was: 628.4±779.81 ms2 versus 65.4±119.34 ms2 versus 506.2±482.70 ms2 versus 677.9±939.05 ms2; and root mean square of successive differences in the overweight group was: 37.9±18.81 ms versus 10.9±8.41 ms versus 32.8±24.07 ms versus 36.7±21.86 ms, and in the obese group was: 38.7±23.17 ms versus 11.5±8.62 ms versus 32.3±16.74 ms versus 37.3±24.21 ms. These values significantly changed during exercise compared with resting values in overweight and obese groups. Moreover, we also reported no significant difference of resting parasympathetic control of heart rate between obese and overweight adolescents.

Conclusion

There was no significant difference of autonomic responses elicited by submaximal aerobic exercise between overweight and obese adolescents.
Early educators’ practices and opinions in relation to pre-schoolers’ dietary intake at pre-school: case Finland
Authors: Lehto Reetta , Ray Carola , Vepsäläinen Henna , Korkalo Liisa , Nissinen Kaija , Skaffari Essi , Määttä Suvi , Roos Eva , Erkkola Maijaliisa
Published: February 2019

Objective

We aimed to examine associations between early educators’ feeding practices and opinions and children’s dietary intake at pre-school, in a context where uniform meals are served and pre-schools are highly regulated.

Design

Cross-sectional study. Food consumption data of the children consisted of two-day food records from pre-school kept by early educators. Early educators also reported their feeding practices and opinions on pre-school food. Serving style was observed.

Setting

Municipal pre-schools in Southern and Western Finland.

Participants

Pre-schoolers (n 586) aged 3–6 years and early educators (n 378).

Results

Early educators’ positive opinion of the food served at pre-school and the opinion that sufficient vegetables were available for the children were positively associated with children’s vegetable consumption. Early educators’ role modelling and a positive opinion of the food were negatively associated with children’s energy intake. Encouragement to eat fruit and vegetables was associated with higher fibre intake. Intake of added sugar was low (4·4 % of energy).

Conclusions

Some of the feeding practices and opinions of early educators were related to healthier dietary intake (higher vegetable consumption and fibre intake) among the children. However, in some respects, the results contradicted previous findings. Overall, early educators’ feeding practices and opinions contribute to children’s dietary intake and should be taken into account when promoting healthy food intake among pre-school children.
Importance of n-3 PUFA consumption during pregnancy: perception discrepancies between pregnant women and gynaecologists–obstetricians in Belgium
Authors: Hoge Axelle , Bernardy Florence , Donneau Anne-Françoise , Dardenne Nadia , Degée Sylvie , Nisolle Michelle , Guillaume Michèle , Castronovo Vincenzo
Published: February 2019

Objective

n-3 PUFA during pregnancy have been subject to intense research interest, but also much controversy, creating a situation of confusion among patients and health-care providers. The present study was carried out to explore knowledge, attitude and practices regardingn-3 PUFA in two independent populations of pregnant women and gynaecologists–obstetricians in Belgium and to assess the relationship between the pregnant women’s attributes and theirn-3 PUFA status measured by the omega-3 index.

Design

Cross-sectional study. Knowledge, attitude and practices were collected by self-administered questionnaires while laboratory data were available for each pregnant woman.

Setting

During the first antenatal hospital appointment (for the pregnant women) and by email (for the gynaecologists–obstetricians).

Participants

Women in early pregnancy (n122) and gynaecologists–obstetricians (n67).

Results

Marked discrepancies in perception were evidenced between the pregnant women and health-care providers. While 82 % of the women attached high importance ton-3 PUFA during pregnancy, only a third of the gynaecologists–obstetricians did. About 35 % of the women declared paying particular attention to their consumption ofn-3 PUFA. After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, these positive dietary practices were significantly associated with higher omega-3 index (P=0·04). Overall, 43·3 % of professionals did not provide any information aboutn-3 PUFA to their pregnant patients and 46·3 % did not take any preventive actions.

Conclusions

Evidence-based guidelines, refreshment training and communication tools are needed to improve awareness and clinical practices among caregivers regardingn-3 PUFA to benefit both mothers and their children.
TWISTED TRIPLE PRODUCT -ADIC L-FUNCTIONS AND HIRZEBRUCH–ZAGIER CYCLES
Authors: Blanco-Chacón Iván , Fornea Michele
Published: February 2019

Let $L/F$ be a quadratic extension of totally real number fields. For any prime $p$ unramified in $L$, we construct a $p$-adic $L$-function interpolating the central values of the twisted triple product $L$-functions attached to a $p$-nearly ordinary family of unitary cuspidal automorphic representations of $\text{Res}_{L\times F/F}(\text{GL}_{2})$. Furthermore, when $L/\mathbb{Q}$ is a real quadratic number field and $p$ is a split prime, we prove a $p$-adic Gross–Zagier formula relating the values of the $p$-adic $L$-function outside the range of interpolation to the syntomic Abel–Jacobi image of generalized Hirzebruch–Zagier cycles.
Reinterpreting the age of the uppermost ‘Old Red Sandstone' and Early Carboniferous in Scotland
Authors: MARSHALL John E. A. , REEVES Emma J. , BENNETT Carys E. , DAVIES Sarah J. , KEARSEY Timothy I. , MILLWARD David , SMITHSON Timothy R. , BROWNE Michael A. E.
Published: February 2019

In Scotland, the base of the Ballagan Formation has traditionally been placed at the first grey mudstone within a contiguous Late Devonian to Carboniferous succession. This convention places the Devonian–Carboniferous boundary within the Old Red Sandstone (ORS) Kinnesswood Formation. The consequences of this placement are that tetrapods from the Ballagan Formation were dated as late Tournaisian in age and that the ranges of typically Devonian fish found in the Kinnesswood Formation continued into the Carboniferous. The Pease Bay specimen of the fishRemigolepisis from the Kinnesswood Formation. Comparisons with its range in Greenland, calibrated against spores, show it was Famennian in age. Detailed palynological sampling at Burnmouth from the base of the Ballagan Formation proves that the early Tournaisian spore zones (VI and HD plus Cl 1) are present. TheSchopfitesspecies that occurs through most of the succession isSchopfites delicatusrather thanSchopfites claviger. The latter species defines the late Tournaisian CM spore zone. The first spore assemblage that has been found in Upper ‘ORS' strata underlying the Ballagan Formation (Preston, Whiteadder Water), containsRetispora lepidophytaand is from the early latest Famennian LL spore zone. The spore samples are interbedded with volcaniclastic debris, which shows that the Kelso Volcanic Formation is, in part, early latest Famennian in age. These findings demonstrate that the Ballagan Formation includes most of the Tournaisian with the Devonian–Carboniferous boundary positioned close to the top of the Kinnesswood Formation. The Stage 6 calcrete at Pease Bay can be correlated to the equivalent section at Carham, showing that it represents a time gap equivalent to the latest Famennian glaciation(s). Importantly, some of the recently described Ballagan Formation tetrapods are older than previously dated and now fill the key early part of Romer's Gap.
Serum vitamin D status does not correlate with the severity of obstructive sleep apnea in male adults: A controlled study design with minimized factors influencing serum vitamin D levels
Authors: Yassa Ozge Yagcioglu , Domac Saime Fusun , Kenangil Gulay
Published: February 2019

Abstract. Observational studies performed in homogeneous groups to objectively investigate the cause and effect relationship between vitamin D deficiency and sleep disorders are scarce. In this study, it was aimed to analyze the relationship between the severity of OSAS and vitamin-D levels among the participants whose features affecting serum vit-D levels were minimised. Serum 25-OH vitamin-D levels in 121 OSAS Male patients diagnosed by polysomnography without any systemic disease or vitamin-D supplement that may effect the vitamin-D metabolism were measured. The study was conducted in winter (latitude: 41°). Anthropometric measures and biochemical tests were also performed. The distribution of vitamin-D levels was determined as severe deficiency, deficiency, insufficiency and sufficiency. Apnea-hypopne index (AHI) < 5 was considered as a control group. Patients were categorized into four groups according to AHI as control, mild, moderate and severe. The groups were similar in terms of age, BMI, lipid profile, serum calcium, anthropometric measures and smoking. There was no significant difference in the distribution of vitamin-D levels between the patient and control groups and also within OSAS subgroups (p = 0.57, p = 0.86, respectively). Odds ratio to have OSAS in patients with vitamin-D deficiency was found as 0.745 (95 %CI: 0.33–1.7). Multinominal regression analysis showed no significant relationship between the OSAS severity and the extent of vitamin-D status. Correlation analysis showed no significant relationship between vitamin-D and AHI (r = 0.017, p = 0.877). Vitamin-D status does not alter the severity of OSAS. Vitamin-D deficiency might be the result of lifestyle changes due to OSAS rather than a cause.
Evaluating the Psychometric Properties of the Short Dark Triad (SD3)	in Italian Adults and Adolescents
Authors: Somma Antonella , Paulhus Delroy L. , Borroni Serena , Fossati Andrea
Published: February 2019

Abstract. The term Dark Triad refers to three socially aversive personality dimensions (i.e., Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) that are evident in the normal range of personality. Jones and Paulhus (2014) developed the Short Dark Triad (SD3) as a 27-item measure of the three constructs. To assess the psychometric properties of the Italian translation, 678 adult university students and 442 adolescent high school students were sampled. Cronbach’s α values for the subscales were acceptable in both samples. Subscale intercorrelations ranged from .29 to .55 in adults and .29 to .53 in adolescents. Although subscale means were higher in the adolescent sample, the two item correlation matrices did not differ significantly. A confirmatory factor analysis using multidimensional full-information item response theory showed that a three-correlated-factor model provided the best fit in both adults and adolescents. When controlled for overlap, SD3 subscales showed adequate convergent and discriminant validity coefficients in both samples. The current research contributes to the literature on dark personalities in two ways: (a) It provides detailed psychometric support for the Italian translation of SD3 and (b) it directly compares SD3 performance in younger and older students.
Dynamic Rupture Scenarios in the Brawley Seismic Zone, Salton Trough, Southern California
Authors: Kyriakopoulos C. , Oglesby D. D. , Rockwell T. K. , Meltzner A. J. , Barall M. , Fletcher John M. , Tulanowski Drew
Published: February 2019

In this paper we investigate the dynamic behavior of a system of interconnected faults in the Brawley Seismic Zone (BSZ) in southern California. The system of faults includes the southern San Andreas Fault (SSAF), the Imperial Fault (IF), and a set of cross faults in the BSZ that may serve as connecting structures between the two larger faults. Geological and seismic evidence imply that the SSAF and IF may have buried extensions that link them together in a large‐scale step over, with the cross faults in the BSZ cutting between them. Such a configuration poses the question of whether through‐going rupture across the step over is possible in this region, leading to large, plate‐boundary scale earthquakes. We investigate potential earthquakes in this region through 3‐D dynamic finite element spontaneous rupture modeling. We find that under multiple assumptions about fault stress and fault geometry, through‐going rupture is possible, both from north to south and south to north. Participation of the cross faults is facilitated by two factors: absence of rupture on one of the main two faults and a contrast in prestress between the main faults and the cross faults, leading to slow propagation speed on the main faults while maintaining ease of failure on the cross faults. The pattern of rupture propagation and slip is strongly affected by fault‐to‐fault dynamic stress interactions during the rupture process. The results may have implications for both potential earthquakes in this region, as well as for understanding the dynamics of geometrically complex/branched faults in general.