bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Lymphatic Headmaster of the Mast Cell-Related Splanchnic Inflammation in Portal Hypertension
Authors: Aller Maria-Angeles , Blanco-Rivero Javier , Arias Natalia , Santamaria Luis , Arias Jaime
Published: July 2019

Portal hypertension is a common complication of liver disease, either acute or chronic. Consequently, in chronic liver disease, such as the hypertensive mesenteric venous pathology, the coexisting inflammatory response is classically characterized by the splanchnic blood circulation. However, a vascular lymphatic pathology is produced simultaneously with the splanchnic arterio-venous impairments. The pathological increase of the mesenteric venous pressure, by mechanotransduction of the venous endothelium hyperpressure, causes an inflammatory response involving the subendothelial mast cells and the lymphatic endothelium of the intestinal villi lacteal. In portal hypertension, the intestinal lymphatic inflammatory response through the development of mesenteric-systemic lymphatic collateral vessels favors the systemic diffusion of substances with a molecular pattern associated with damage and pathogens of intestinal origin. When the chronic hepatic insufficiency worsens the portal hypertensive inflammatory response, the splanchnic lymphatic system transports the hyperplasied intestinal mast cells to the mesenteric lymphatic complex. Then, an acquired immune response regulating a new hepato-intestinal metabolic scenario is activated. Therefore, reduction of the hepatic metabolism would reduce its key centralized functions, such as the metabolic, detoxifying and antioxidant functions which would try to be substituted by their peroxisome activity, among other functions of the mast cells.
Vac8 Controls Vacuolar Membrane Dynamics during Different Autophagy Pathways in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Boutouja Fahd , Stiehm Christian M. , Reidick Christina , Mastalski Thomas , Brinkmeier Rebecca , El Magraoui Fouzi , Platta Harald W.
Published: July 2019

The yeast vacuole is a vital organelle, which is required for the degradation of aberrant intracellular or extracellular substrates and the recycling of the resulting nutrients as newly available building blocks for the cellular metabolism. Like the plant vacuole or the mammalian lysosome, the yeast vacuole is the destination of biosynthetic trafficking pathways that transport the vacuolar enzymes required for its functions. Moreover, substrates destined for degradation, like extracellular endocytosed cargoes that are transported by endosomes/multivesicular bodies as well as intracellular substrates that are transported via different forms of autophagosomes, have the vacuole as destination. We found that non-selective bulk autophagy of cytosolic proteins as well as the selective autophagic degradation of peroxisomes (pexophagy) and ribosomes (ribophagy) was dependent on the armadillo repeat protein Vac8 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Moreover, we showed that pexophagy and ribophagy depended on the palmitoylation of Vac8. In contrast, we described that Vac8 was not involved in the acidification of the vacuole nor in the targeting and maturation of certain biosynthetic cargoes, like the aspartyl-protease Pep4 (PrA) and the carboxy-peptidase Y (CPY), indicating a role of Vac8 in the uptake of selected cargoes. In addition, we found that the hallmark phenotype of the vac8Δ strain, namely the characteristic appearance of fragmented and clustered vacuoles, depended on the growth conditions. This fusion defect observed in standard glucose medium can be complemented by the replacement with oleic acid or glycerol medium. This complementation of vacuolar morphology also partially restores the degradation of peroxisomes. In summary, we found that Vac8 controlled vacuolar morphology and activity in a context- and cargo-dependent manner.
Niobium-Containing DLC Coatings on Various Substrates for Strain Gauges
Authors: Grein Maria , Gerstenberg Jessica , von der Heide Chresten , Bandorf Ralf , Bräuer Günter , Dietzel Andreas
Published: July 2019

Niobium-containing diamond-like carbon films (a-C:H:Nb) were deposited in a hybrid plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and direct-current magnetron sputtering (DCMS) process, using a niobium target in an argon/acetylene atmosphere on industrial polyimide foil, spin-coated polyimide foil, and alumina substrates. While the coating on the industrial foil tends to crack, the thin films on the spin-coated polyimide and the ceramic substrates showed good adhesion, as well as a smooth and dense topography. Investigations of the electrical properties revealed their suitability as biocompatible sensor materials in strain gauges, with a gauge factor of up to 3.2 and a temperature coefficient of the electrical resistance (TCR) of −200 ppm/K.
Cost-Effective and High-Throughput Plasmonic Interference Coupled Nanostructures by Using Quasi-Uniform Anodic Aluminum Oxide
Authors: Bae Yoonsu , Yu Jiseop , Jung Yeonseok , Lee Donghun , Choi Dukhyun
Published: July 2019

Large-area and uniform plasmonic nanostructures have often been fabricated by simply evaporating noble metals such as gold and silver on a variety of nanotemplates such as nanopores, nanotubes, and nanorods. However, some highly uniform nanotemplates are limited to be utilized by long, complex, and expensive fabrication. Here, we introduce a cost-effective and high-throughput fabrication method for plasmonic interference coupled nanostructures based on quasi-uniform anodic aluminum oxide (QU-AAO) nanotemplates. Industrial aluminum, with a purity of 99.5%, and copper were used as a base template and a plasmonic material, respectively. The combination of these modifications saves more than 18 h of fabrication time and reduces the cost of fabrication 30-fold. From optical reflectance data, we found that QU-AAO based plasmonic nanostructures exhibit similar optical behaviors to highly ordered (HO) AAO-based nanostructures. By adjusting the thickness of the AAO layer and its pore size, we could easily control the optical properties of the nanostructures. Thus, we expect that QU-AAO might be effectively utilized for commercial plasmonic applications.
On Superconductivity of One-Dimensional Channel with Strong Electron–Electron Interaction
Authors: Afonin Vasily V. , Gantsevich Serge V.
Published: July 2019

We study the ground state of a one-dimensional channel with strong attractive electron–electron interactions at low temperatures. In spite of the fact that, at low temperatures, the ground state of one-dimensional attracting electrons is a state with a macroscopically large number of cooperons, the resulting superconducting phase has a number of significant differences. Namely, the order parameter (which should appear in the superconducting phase according to Landau’s phenomenological theory) turns out to be zero. However, elastic impurities implanted in a one-dimensional channel will not lead to dissipation of the supercurrent associated with the condensate movement as a whole.
Temperature and Impurity Induced Stabilization of Cubic HfV2 Laves Phase
Authors: Keuter Philipp , Music Denis , Stuer Michael , Schneider Jochen M.
Published: July 2019

The stability of cubic HfV2 ( F d 3 ¯ m ) was investigated as a function of temperature as well as interstitially solved oxygen and hydrogen using density functional theory. Mechanical and energetic instability of pristine cubic HfV2 is obtained in the ground state at 0 K, which is unexpected as it can readily be synthesized. Combined Debye–Grüneisen and electronic entropy calculations indicate that HfV2 is stabilized with increasing temperature primarily as a result of lattice vibrations. In contrast, temperature-induced mechanical stabilization, considering the Born stability criteria, is achieved due to the electronic entropy. Interstitial incorporation of hydrogen and oxygen into the cubic structure contributes to the energetic and mechanical stabilization in the ground state for impurity concentrations as low as 1 at%, owing to strong ionic/covalent bond formation with the matrix atoms.
Bi2Te3 Topological Insulator for Domain-Wall Dark Pulse Generation from Thulium-Doped Fiber Laser
Authors: Koo Joonhoi , Ashok Nandam , Kim Dong Hwan , Shin Woojin
Published: July 2019

We have experimentally demonstrated domain-wall (DW) dark pulses from a thulium-doped fiber laser incorporating a topological insulator saturable absorber (SA). The bulk-structured Bi2Te3 was used as the SA, which was constructed on a fiber ferrule platform through the deposition of the Bi2Te3 mixed with distilled water. The DW dark pulses were generated from the thulium-doped fiber laser cavity with a dual wavelength at 1956 nm and 1958 nm. The dark pulse width and the repetition rate were measured as ~10.3 ns and ~20.7 MHz over the pump power of ~80 mW, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first demonstrated generation of the DW dark pulse from a thulium-doped fiber laser using nanomaterial-based SA.
Control of Smart Home Operations Using Natural Language Processing, Voice Recognition and IoT Technologies in a Multi-Tier Architecture
Authors: Alexakis George , Panagiotakis Spyros , Fragkakis Alexander , Markakis Evangelos , Vassilakis Kostas
Published: July 2019

The Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging Internet-based architecture, enabling the exchange of data and services in a global network. With the advent of the Internet of Things, more and more devices are connecting to the Internet in order to help people get and share data or program actions. In this paper, we introduce an IoT Agent, a Web application for monitoring and controlling a smart home remotely. The IoT Agent integrates a chat bot that can understand text or voice commands using natural language processing (NLP). With the use of NLP, home devices are more user-friendly and controlling them is easier, since even when a command or question/command is different from the presets, the system understands the user’s wishes and responds accordingly. Our solution exploits several available Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), namely: the Dialogflow API for the efficient integration of NLP to our IoT system, the Web Speech API for enriching user experience with voice recognition and synthesis features, MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) for the lightweight control of actuators and Firebase for dynamic data storage. This is the most significant innovation it brings: the integration of several third-party APIs and open source technologies into one mash-up, highlighting how a new IoT application can be built today using a multi-tier architecture. We believe that such a tiered architecture can be very useful for the rapid development of smart home applications.
Anatomy and Imaging of Rat Prostate: Practical Monitoring in Experimental Cancer-Induced Protocols
Authors: Ginja Mário , Pires Maria J. , Gonzalo-Orden José M. , Seixas Fernanda , Correia-Cardoso Miguel , Ferreira Rita , Fardilha Margarida , Oliveira Paula A. , Faustino-Rocha Ana I.
Published: July 2019

The rat has been frequently used as a model to study several human diseases, including cancer. In many research protocols using cancer models, researchers find it difficult to perform several of the most commonly used techniques and to compare their results. Although the protocols for the study of carcinogenesis are based on the macroscopic and microscopic anatomy of organs, few studies focus on the use of imaging. The use of imaging modalities to monitor the development of cancer avoids the need for intermediate sacrifice to assess the status of induced lesions, thus reducing the number of animals used in experiments. Our work intends to provide a complete and systematic overview of rat prostate anatomy and imaging, facilitating the monitoring of prostate cancer development through different imaging modalities, such as ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
An Effective Approach for Reliability-Based Sensitivity Analysis with the Principle of Maximum Entropy and Fractional Moments
Authors: Zhang Xufang , Liu Jiankai , Yan Ying , Pandey Mahesh
Published: July 2019

The reliability-based sensitivity analysis requires to recursively evaluate a multivariate structural model for many failure probability levels. This is in general a computationally intensive task due to irregular integrations used to define the structural failure probability. In this regard, the performance function is first approximated by using the multiplicative dimensional reduction method in this paper, and an approximation for the reliability-based sensitivity index is derived based on the principle of maximum entropy and the fractional moment. Three examples in the literature are presented to examine the performance of this entropy-based approach against the brute-force Monte-Carlo simulation method. Results have shown that the multiplicative dimensional reduction based entropy approach is rather efficient and able to provide reliability estimation results for the reliability-based sensitivity analysis of a multivariate structural model.
A Novel Active Learning Regression Framework for Balancing the Exploration-Exploitation Trade-Off
Authors: Elreedy Dina , F. Atiya Amir , I. Shaheen Samir
Published: July 2019

Recently, active learning is considered a promising approach for data acquisition due to the significant cost of the data labeling process in many real world applications, such as natural language processing and image processing. Most active learning methods are merely designed to enhance the learning model accuracy. However, the model accuracy may not be the primary goal and there could be other domain-specific objectives to be optimized. In this work, we develop a novel active learning framework that aims to solve a general class of optimization problems. The proposed framework mainly targets the optimization problems exposed to the exploration-exploitation trade-off. The active learning framework is comprehensive, it includes exploration-based, exploitation-based and balancing strategies that seek to achieve the balance between exploration and exploitation. The paper mainly considers regression tasks, as they are under-researched in the active learning field compared to classification tasks. Furthermore, in this work, we investigate the different active querying approaches—pool-based and the query synthesis—and compare them. We apply the proposed framework to the problem of learning the price-demand function, an application that is important in optimal product pricing and dynamic (or time-varying) pricing. In our experiments, we provide a comparative study including the proposed framework strategies and some other baselines. The accomplished results demonstrate a significant performance for the proposed methods.
DDTMS: Dirichlet-Distribution-Based Trust Management Scheme in Internet of Things
Authors: Fang Weidong , Zhang Wuxiong , Shan Lianhai , Ji Xiaohong , Jia Guoqing
Published: July 2019

Information security is important for the Internet of Things (IoT), the security of front-end information is especially critical. With this consideration, the integrity and authenticity of sensed information directly impacts the results of back-end big data and cloud computing. The front end of the IoT faces many security threats. In these security threats, internal attacks cannot be defended by traditional security schemes, such as encryption/decryption, authentication, and so on. Our contribution in this paper is that a DirichletDistribution-based Trust Management Scheme (DDTMS) in IoT is proposed to defend against the internal attacks. The novelty of our scheme can be summed up in two aspects. The first aspect considers the actual physical channel to extend the node behaviors from success and failure to success, failure, and uncertainty, meanwhile, the corresponding behaviors are weighted by using , in order to limit the measurement of each behavior by custom. In the second aspect, we introduce a third-party recommendation to calculate the trust value more acurrately. The simulated results demonstrate that DDTMS is better than the other two reputation models (Beta distribution and Gaussian distribution),and can more accurately describe the reputation changes to detect the malicious node quickly.
Renewable Energy in the Electricity Sector and GDP per Capita in the European Union
Authors: Simionescu Mihaela , Bilan Yuriy , Krajňáková Emília , Streimikiene Dalia , Gędek Stanisław
Published: July 2019

Considering that the European Directive has imposed that at least 20% of the total energy should come from renewable energy sources (RES) by 2020 already and the specific targets for each European Union Member State, this paper attempts to assess the importance of GDP per capita in realizing these targets and also the effects of the RES share in electricity. Contrary to previous research, this paper does not consider the connection between economic growth and RES, but rather the potential connection between the share of RES in electricity and the real GDP per capita. The panel data models indicated to a positive, but very low impact of GDP per capita on the share of RES in electricity in the period of 2007–2017 in the case of the EU countries, except Luxembourg that has outlier values of GDP per capita. However, causality between the two variables was not identified. Some groups of countries were described according to these variables using cluster analysis. Future research should focus on the extension of this model by including other important variables such as RES potential available in the countries with specific geographical conditions.
An Assessment of Wind Energy Potential in the Caspian Sea
Authors: Onea Florin , Rusu Eugen
Published: July 2019

At this time, there are plans to develop offshore wind projects in the Caspian Sea. The aim of the present work was to estimate the possible benefits coming from such a project. As a first step, the wind profile of this region was established by considering reanalysis data coming from the ERA-Interim project, the time interval covered being between January 1999 and December 2018. According to these results, significant resources have been noticed in the northern part where the wind speed frequently reached 8 m/s, being identified also as a hot-spot south of Olya site. In the second part, the performances of some offshore wind turbines were established. These were defined by rated capacities ranging from 3 MW to 8.8 MW. The downtime period of some generators can reach 90% in the central and southern sectors, while for the capacity factor, the authors expected a maximum of 33.07% for a turbine rated at 4.2 MW. From a financial point of view, the values of the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) indicated that the sites from the north and central parts of the Caspian Sea have been defined by an average LCOE of 0.25 USD/kWh. Thus, they can represent viable locations for wind farm projects.
Activity Interactions of Crude Biopreservatives against Spoilage Yeast Consortia
Authors: Mewa-Ngongang Maxwell , du Plessis Heinrich W. , Hlangwani Edwin , Ntwampe Seteno K. O. , Chidi Boredi S. , Hutchinson Ucrecia F. , Jolly Neil P.
Published: July 2019

It is common to find different spoilage organisms occurring in the same food item, which usually requires food producers to utilize a mixture of synthetic preservatives to control spoilage. This study evaluated the interaction between mixtures of crude biopreservatives against consortia of common spoilage yeasts occurring in beverages. Crude biopreservatives produced from separate yeasts were formulated in different growth inhibition combinations (GICs), i.e., GIC1 (Candida pyralidae Y1117 and Pichia kluyveri Y1125), GIC 2 (C. pyralidae Y1117 and P. kluyveri Y1164), GIC3 (P. kluyveri Y1125 and P. kluyveri Y1164), and GIC4 (C. pyralidae, P. kluyveri Y1125 and P. kluyveri Y1164). The spoilage yeast consortia combinations, i.e., SC1 (Dekkera. anomala and D. bruxellensis), SC2 (D. anomala and Zygosaccharomyces bailii), SC3 (D. bruxellensis and Z. bailii), and SC4 (D. anomala, D. bruxellensis and Z. bailii), were also prepared. The highest growth inhibition activities of the crude biopreservatives were observed at a pH of 3.0 and 2.0 for C. pyralidae and P. kluyveri strains, respectively, while reduced activity was observed at a pH of 4.0 and 5.0. The growth inhibition proficiency depended on the spoilage yeast or the consortia of spoilage yeasts. Biocontrol agents from an individual yeast or mixtures can be used to prevent food and beverage spoilage.
Black Religion and Black Power: The Nation of Islam’s Internationalism
Authors: Jeffries Bayyinah S.
Published: July 2019

The Nation of Islam’s influence has extended beyond the United States. This Black American Muslim movement has used the intersection of race and religion to construct a blueprint of liberation that has bonded people of African descent throughout the Diaspora. Their transnational dimensions and ideas of freedom, justice and equality have worked to challenge global white imperialism and white supremacy throughout the 20th century and beyond.
A Case of Adaptive Laboratory Evolution (ALE): Biodegradation of Furfural by Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes CECT 5344
Authors: Igeño M. Isabel , Macias Daniel , Blasco Rafael
Published: July 2019

Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes CECT 5344 is a bacterium able to assimilate cyanide as a nitrogen source at alkaline pH. Genome sequencing of this strain allowed the detection of genes related to the utilization of furfurals as a carbon and energy source. Furfural and 5-(hydroxymethyl) furfural (HMF) are byproducts of sugars production during the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass. Since they inhibit the yeast fermentation to obtain bioethanol from sugars, the biodegradation of these compounds has attracted certain scientific interest. P. pseudoalcaligenes was able to use furfuryl alcohol, furfural and furoic acid as carbon sources, but after a lag period of several days. Once adapted, the evolved strain (R1D) did not show any more prolonged lag phases. The transcriptomic analysis (RNA-seq) of R1D revealed a non-conservative punctual mutation (L261R) in BN5_2307, a member of the AraC family of activators, modifying the charge of the HTH region of the protein. The inactivation of the mutated gene in the evolved strain by double recombination reverted to the original phenotype. Although the bacterium did not assimilate HMF, it transformed it into value-added building blocks for the chemical industry. These results could be used to improve the production of cost-effective second-generation biofuels from agricultural wastes.
Canine Melanomas as Models for Human Melanomas: Clinical, Histological, and Genetic Comparison
Authors: Prouteau Anaïs , André Catherine
Published: July 2019

Despite recent genetic advances and numerous ongoing therapeutic trials, malignant melanoma remains fatal, and prognostic factors as well as more efficient treatments are needed. The development of such research strongly depends on the availability of appropriate models recapitulating all the features of human melanoma. The concept of comparative oncology, with the use of spontaneous canine models has recently acquired a unique value as a translational model. Canine malignant melanomas are naturally occurring cancers presenting striking homologies with human melanomas. As for many other cancers, dogs present surprising breed predispositions and higher frequency of certain subtypes per breed. Oral melanomas, which are much more frequent and highly severe in dogs and cutaneous melanomas with severe digital forms or uveal subtypes are subtypes presenting relevant homologies with their human counterparts, thus constituting close models for these human melanoma subtypes. This review addresses how canine and human melanoma subtypes compare based on their epidemiological, clinical, histological, and genetic characteristics, and how comparative oncology approaches can provide insights into rare and poorly characterized melanoma subtypes in humans that are frequent and breed-specific in dogs. We propose canine malignant melanomas as models for rare non-UV-induced human melanomas, especially mucosal melanomas. Naturally affected dogs offer the opportunity to decipher the genetics at both germline and somatic levels and to explore therapeutic options, with the dog entering preclinical trials as human patients, benefiting both dogs and humans.
NN-Based Prediction of Sentinel-1 SAR Image Filtering Efficiency
Authors: Rubel Oleksii , Lukin Vladimir , Rubel Andrii , Egiazarian Karen
Published: July 2019

Images acquired by synthetic aperture radars are degraded by speckle that prevents efficient extraction of useful information from radar remote sensing data. Filtering or despeckling is a tool often used to improve image quality. However, depending upon image and noise properties, the quality of improvement can vary. Besides, a quality can be characterized by different criteria or metrics, where visual quality metrics can be of value. For the case study of discrete cosine transform (DCT)based filtering, we show that improvement of radar image quality due to denoising can be predicted in a simple and fast way, especially if one deals with particular type of radar data such as images acquired by Sentinel-1. Our approach is based on application of a trained neural network that, in general, might have a different number of inputs (features). We propose a set of features describing image and noise statistics from different viewpoints. From this set, that contains 28 features, we analyze different subsets and show that a subset of the 13 most important and informative features leads to a very accurate prediction. Test image generation and network training peculiarities are discussed. The trained neural network is then tested using different verification strategies. The results of the network application to test and real-life radar images are presented, demonstrating good performance for a wide set of quality metrics.
Microtopography Controls of Carbon and Related Elements Distribution in the West Siberian Frozen Bogs
Authors: Loiko Sergey , Raudina Tatiana , Lim Artem , Kuzmina Daria , Kulizhskiy Sergey , Pokrovsky Oleg
Published: July 2019

The West Siberian Plain stands out among other boreal plains by phenomenal bogging, which has both global and regional significance. The polygonal bogs, frozen raised-mound bogs, and ombrotrophic ridge-hollow raised bogs are the most extensive bog types in the study area. These bogs commonly show highly diverse surface patterns consisting of mounds, polygons, ridges, hollows, and fens that correspond to the microtopes. Here we investigated how the microtopographic features of the landscape affect the thermal and hydrologic conditions of the soil as well as the nutrient availability and consequently, the dynamics of carbon and related elements. The effect of the surface heterogeneity on the temperature regimes and depths of permafrost is most significant. All of these factors together are reflected, through the feedback system, by a number of hydrochemical parameters of bog waters, such as dissolved organic and inorganic carbon (DOC, DIC), specific conductivity (Cond), SO42–, Cl–, P, Sr, Al, Ti, Cu, V, B, Cs, Cd, Rb, As, U, and rare earth elements (REEs). Among the studied parameters, DOC, SO42–, Al, V, and Mn differ most significantly between the convex and concave microforms. The DOC content in bog water is significantly affected by the water residence time, which is significantly longer in soils of mound/polygons than fens. Plants biomass is higher on the mounds which also have some effect that, due to leaching, should lead to more carbon entering into the water of the mounds. It is also shown that atmospheric-dust particles have a noticeable effect on the hydrochemical parameters of bog waters, especially on mounds. The ongoing climate warming will lead to an increase in the fens area and to a decrease in the content of DOC and many elements in bog waters.
Cannabis Use in Patients Presenting to a Gastroenterology Clinic: Associations with Symptoms, Endoscopy Findings, and Esophageal Manometry
Authors: Parikh Meet , Sookal Shelini , Ahmad Asyia
Published: July 2019

Recreational cannabis use is increasing with its legalization in many states. Animal studies suggest cannabis can reduce transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxations (TLESRS), reflux and vomiting, while human studies report conflicting findings. There are currently no large studies investigating gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with chronic cannabis use. This was a retrospective case-control study including patients who presented to an outpatient Gastroenterology office, with documented cannabis use. Their main presenting complaint, demographics, frequency and duration of cannabis use, endoscopic and high-resolution esophageal manometry (HREM) with impedance findings were recorded. Cannabis users were more likely to complain of abdominal pain (25% vs. 8%, p < 0.0001), heartburn (15% vs. 9%, p < 0.0001), and nausea & vomiting (7% vs. 1%, p < 0.0001). They were also more likely to have findings of esophagitis (8% vs. 3%, p = 0.0002), non-erosive gastritis (30% vs. 15%, p = 0.0001) and erosive gastritis (14% vs. 3%, p < 0.0001) on upper endoscopy. Cannabis users were more likely to have impaired esophageal bolus clearance (43% vs. 17%, p = 0.04) and a hypertensive lower esophageal sphincter (LES) (29% vs. 7%, p = 0.04). This study is the largest to date evaluating GI complaints of patients with chronic recreational cannabis use. Our results suggest that cannabis use may potentiate or fail to alleviate a variety of GI symptoms which goes against current knowledge.
Mental Health of Refugees and Torture Survivors: A Critical Review of Prevalence, Predictors, and Integrated Care
Authors: Abu Suhaiban Hiba , Grasser Lana Ruvolo , Javanbakht Arash
Published: July 2019

Civilian war trauma and torture rank among the most traumatic life experiences; exposure to such experiences is pervasive in nations experiencing both internal and external conflict. This has led to a high volume of refugees resettling throughout the world with mental health needs that primary care physicians may not be screening for and prepared to effectively address. In this article, we review the literature on demographics, predictors, mental health outcomes of torture, and integrated care for the mental health needs of refugees. We searched PubMed and PSYCINFO databases for original research articles on refugees and mental health published in the English language between 2010 and present. Nine percent of 720 adults in conflict areas in Nepal, with predominance of literate married males, met the threshold for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), 27.5% for depression, and 22.9% for anxiety. While, PTSD rate has been documented as high as 88.3% among torture survivors from Middle East (ME), Central Africa (CA), South Asia (SA), Southeast Europe (SE). Depression was recorded as high as 94.7% among 131 African torture survivors and anxiety as high as 91% among 55 South African torture survivors. Torture severity, post-migration difficulties, and wait time to receive clinical services were significantly associated with higher rate of mental health symptoms. Mental health screening is not a standard component of initial physical exams for refugees, yet these individuals have had high trauma exposure that should inform clinical care. Integrated care models are lacking but would greatly benefit this community to prevent progression to greater severity of mental health symptoms.
Flèche versus Lunge as the Optimal Footwork Technique in Fencing
Authors: Borysiuk Zbigniew , Markowska Natalia , Konieczny Mariusz , Kręcisz Krzysztof , Błaszczyszyn Monika , Nikolaidis Pantelis T. , Knechtle Beat , Pakosz Paweł
Published: July 2019

The objective of the study reported in this paper involved identifying the fencing attack (flèche versus lunge) that provides greater effectiveness in a real competition. Two hypotheses are presented in the study. The first hypothesis involves the greater effectiveness of the flèche with regard to bioelectric muscular tension, and the second hypothesis involves the reduction of movement time of the flèche. Therefore, analyses were conducted by the application of EMG (electromyography) signal, ground reaction forces, and parameters representing sensorimotor responses (RT—reaction time and MT—movement time). This study included six world-leading female épée fencers (mean age: 24.6 ± 6.2 years). Throughout the procedure, the subjects performed flèche and lunge touches at the command of the coach based on visual stimuli. The experimental results indicated the greater effectiveness of the flèche compared with the lunge with regard to increases in EMG values (p = 0.027) in the lateral and medial gastrocnemius muscles and decreases in the duration of the movement phase (p = 0.049) and vertical force of the rear leg (p = 0.028). In conclusion, higher levels of EMG and ground reaction forces were generated during the flèche compared with the lunge, which promotes an improvement in the explosive force and contributes to a reduction in the movement phase of the entire offensive action.
Seasonality of Rotavirus Hospitalizations at Costa Rica’s National Children’s Hospital in 2010–2015
Authors: Ureña-Castro Katarina , Ávila Silvia , Gutierrez Mariela , Naumova Elena N. , Ulloa-Gutierrez Rolando , Mora-Guevara Alfredo
Published: July 2019

Rotavirus is a leading cause of acute diarrhea in children worldwide. Costa Rica recently started universal rotavirus vaccinations for infants with a two-dose schedule in February 2019. We aimed to study the seasonality of rotavirus during the pre-vaccination era. We retrospectively studied a six-year period of hospital admissions due to rotavirus gastroenteritis. We estimated seasonal peak timing and relative intensities using trend-adjusted negative binomial regression models with the δ-method. We assessed the relationship between rotavirus cases and weather characteristics and estimated their effects for the current month, one-month prior and two months prior, by using Pearson correlation coefficients. A total of 798 cases were analyzed. Rotavirus cases predominated in the first five months of the year. On average, the peak of admissions occurred between late-February and early-March. During the seasonal peaks, the monthly count tended to increase 2.5–2.75 times above the seasonal nadir. We found the strongest negative association of monthly hospitalizations and joint percentiles of precipitation and minimal temperature at a lag of two months (R = −0.265, p = 0.027) and we detected correlations of −0.218, −0.223, and −0.226 (p < 0.05 for all three estimates) between monthly cases and the percentile of precipitation at lags 0, 1, and 2 months. In the warm tropical climate of Costa Rica, the increase in rotavirus hospitalizations coincided with dry and cold weather conditions with a two-month lag. The findings serve as the base for predictive modeling and estimation of the impact of a nation-wide vaccination campaign on pediatric rotaviral infection morbidity.
Exploring the Reliability and Validity of the Huntington’s Disease Quality of Life Battery for Carers (HDQoL-C) within A Polish Population
Authors: Bartoszek Agnieszka , Aubeeluck Aimee , Stupple Edward , Bartoszek Adrian , Kocka Katarzyna , Ślusarska Barbara
Published: July 2019

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a rare genetic neurodegenerative disorder that causes motor disorders, neuropsychiatric symptoms and a progressing deterioration of cognitive functions. Complex issues resulting from the hereditary nature of HD, the complexity of symptoms and the concealed onset of the disease have a great impact on the quality of life of family carers. The caregivers are called the “forgotten people” in HD, especially with relation to genetic counseling. This study aims to explore the reliability and validity of the Huntington’s Disease Quality of Life Battery for carers (HDQoL-C) within a Polish population. A total of 90 carers recruited from the Enroll-HD study in Polish research centers of the European Huntington’s Disease Network completed a polish translation of the HDQoL-C. Data were subjected to Principle Components Analysis (PCA) and reliability measures. The Polish version of the shortened versions of the HDQoL-C is similarly valid compared to the original English version and suitable for use within this population. The HDQoL-C has previously demonstrated a wide range of benefits for practitioners in capturing and understanding carer experience and these benefits can now be extended to Polish speaking populations.
Case Study: How Horses Helped a Teenager with Autism Make Friends and Learn How to Work
Authors: Grandin Temple
Published: July 2019

I was born in 1947 and had autism with speech delay until age four. I am now a college professor of animal science. Horse activities enabled me to make friends through a shared interest in horses. This paper describes the benefits that I experienced from working with horses and my friendships and work skills. A close friendship developed with another student through both riding and horse craft projects. Keeping employment is a serious problem for many people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The responsibility of caring for horses and cleaning stalls every day taught me good work skills. My experiences suggest that there were valuable outcomes from working with horses. This may be a beneficial intervention to include in programming for youth with ASD.
A MYB-Related Transcription Factor from Lilium lancifolium L. (LlMYB3) Is Involved in Anthocyanin Biosynthesis Pathway and Enhances Multiple Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Yong Yubing , Zhang Yue , Lyu Yingmin
Published: July 2019

Most commercial cultivars of lily are sensitive to abiotic stresses. However, tiger lily (Lilium lancifolium L.), one of the most widely distributed wild lilies in Asia, has strong abiotic stresses resistance. Thus, it is indispensable to identify stress-responsive candidate genes in tiger lily for the stress resistance improvement of plants. In this study, a MYB related homolog (LlMYB3) from tiger lily was functionally characterized as a positive regulator in plant stress tolerance. LlMYB3 is a nuclear protein with transcriptional activation activity at C-terminus. The expression of LlMYB3 gene was induced by multiple stress treatments. Several stress-related cis-acting regulatory elements (MYBRS, MYCRS, LTRE and DRE/CRT) were located within the promoter of LlMYB3; however, the promoter activity was not induced sufficiently by various stresses treatments. Overexpressing LlMYB3 in Arabidopsis thaliana L. transgenic plants showed ABA hypersensitivity and enhanced tolerance to cold, drought, and salt stresses. Furthermore, we found LlMYB3 highly co-expressed with LlCHS2 gene under cold treatment; yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) assays demonstrated LlMYB3 was able to bind to the promoter of LlCHS2. These findings suggest that the stress-responsive LlMYB3 may be involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway to regulate stress tolerance of tiger lily.
Tumor Microenvironment as A “Game Changer” in Cancer Radiotherapy
Authors: Jarosz-Biej Magdalena , Smolarczyk Ryszard , Cichoń Tomasz , Kułach Natalia
Published: July 2019

Radiotherapy (RT), besides cancer cells, also affects the tumor microenvironment (TME): tumor blood vessels and cells of the immune system. It damages endothelial cells and causes radiation-induced inflammation. Damaged vessels inhibit the infiltration of CD8+ T lymphocytes into tumors, and immunosuppressive pathways are activated. They lead to the accumulation of radioresistant suppressor cells, including tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) with the M2 phenotype, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), and regulatory T cells (Tregs). The area of tumor hypoxia increases. Hypoxia reduces oxygen-dependent DNA damage and weakens the anti-cancer RT effect. It activates the formation of new blood vessels and leads to cancer relapse after irradiation. Irradiation may also activate the immune response through immunogenic cell death induction. This leads to the “in situ” vaccination effect. In this article, we review how changes in the TME affect radiation-induced anticancer efficacy. There is a very delicate balance between the activation of the immune system and the immunosuppression induced by RT. The effects of RT doses on immune system reactions and also on tumor vascularization remain unclear. A better understanding of these interactions will contribute to the optimization of RT treatment, which may prevent the recurrence of cancer.
Influence of ABO Locus on PFA-100 Collagen-ADP Closure Time Is Not Totally Dependent on the Von Willebrand Factor. Results of a GWAS on GAIT-2 Project Phenotypes
Authors: Pujol-Moix Núria , Martinez-Perez Angel , Sabater-Lleal Maria , Llobet Dolors , Vilalta Noèlia , Hamsten Anders , Souto Joan , Soria José
Published: July 2019

(1) Background: In a previous study, we found that two phenotypes related to platelet reactivity, measured with the PFA-100 system, were highly heritable. The aim of the present study was to identify genetic determinants that influence the variability of these phenotypes: closure time of collagen-ADP (Col-ADP) and of collagen-epinephrine (Col-Epi). (2) Methods: As part of the GAIT-2 (Genetic Analysis of Idiopathic Thrombophilia (2) Project, 935 individuals from 35 large Spanish families were studied. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) with ≈ 10 M single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was carried out with Col-ADP and Col-Epi phenotypes. (3) Results: The study yielded significant genetic signals that mapped to the ABO locus. After adjusting both phenotypes for the ABO genotype, these signals disappeared. After adjusting for von Willebrand factor (VWF) or for coagulation factor VIII (FVIII), the significant signals disappeared totally for Col-Epi phenotype but only partially for Col-ADP phenotype. (4) Conclusion: Our results suggest that the ABO locus exerts the main genetic influence on PFA-100 phenotypes. However, while the effect of the ABO locus on Col-Epi phenotype is mediated through VWF and/or FVIII, the effect of the ABO locus on Col-ADP phenotype is partly produced through VWF and/or FVIII, and partly through other mechanisms.
A Two-Stage Household Electricity Demand Estimation Approach Based on Edge Deep Sparse Coding
Authors: Liu Yaoxian , Sun Yi , Li Bin
Published: July 2019

The widespread popularity of smart meters enables the collection of an immense amount of fine-grained data, thereby realizing a two-way information flow between the grid and the customer, along with personalized interaction services, such as precise demand response. These services basically rely on the accurate estimation of electricity demand, and the key challenge lies in the high volatility and uncertainty of load profiles and the tremendous communication pressure on the data link or computing center. This study proposed a novel two-stage approach for estimating household electricity demand based on edge deep sparse coding. In the first sparse coding stage, the status of electrical devices was introduced into the deep non-negative k-means-singular value decomposition (K-SVD) sparse algorithm to estimate the behavior of customers. The patterns extracted in the first stage were used to train the long short-term memory (LSTM) network and forecast household electricity demand in the subsequent 30 min. The developed method was implemented on the Python platform and tested on AMPds dataset. The proposed method outperformed the multi-layer perception (MLP) by 51.26%, the autoregressive integrated moving average model (ARIMA) by 36.62%, and LSTM with shallow K-SVD by 16.4% in terms of mean absolute percent error (MAPE). In the field of mean absolute error and root mean squared error, the improvement was 53.95% and 36.73% compared with MLP, 28.47% and 23.36% compared with ARIMA, 11.38% and 18.16% compared with LSTM with shallow K-SVD. The results of the experiments demonstrated that the proposed method can provide considerable and stable improvement in household electricity demand estimation.
A Comparative Study of the Catalytic Behaviour of Alkoxy-1,3,5-Triazapentadiene Copper(II) Complexes in Cyclohexane Oxidation
Authors: Nesterova Oksana V. , Kopylovich Maximilian N. , Nesterov Dmytro S.
Published: July 2019

The mononuclear copper complexes [Cu{NH=C(OR)NC(OR)=NH}2] with alkoxy-1,3,5-triazapentadiene ligands that have different substituents (R = Me (1), Et (2), nPr (3), iPr (4), CH2CH2OCH3 (5)) were prepared, characterized (including the single crystal X-ray analysis of 3) and studied as catalysts in the mild oxidation of alkanes with H2O2 as an oxidant, pyridine as a promoting agent and cyclohexane as a main model substrate. The complex 4 showed the highest activity with a yield of products up to 18.5% and turnover frequency (TOF) up to 41 h−1. Cyclohexyl hydroperoxide was the main reaction product in all cases. Selectivity parameters in the oxidation of substituted cyclohexanes and adamantane disclosed a dominant free radical reaction mechanism with hydroxyl radicals as C–H-attacking species. The main overoxidation product was 6-hydroxyhexanoic acid, suggesting the presence of a secondary reaction mechanism of a different type. All complexes undergo gradual alteration of their structures in acetonitrile solutions to produce catalytically-active intermediates, as evidenced by UV/Vis spectroscopy and kinetic studies. Complex 4, having tertiary C–H bonds in its iPr substituents, showed the fastest alteration rate, which can be significantly suppressed by using the CD3CN solvent instead of CH3CN one. The observed process was associated to an autocatalytic oxidation of the alkoxy-1,3,5-triazapentadiene ligand. The deuterated complex 4-d32 was prepared and showed higher stability under the same conditions. The complexes 1 and 4 showed different reactivity in the formation of H218O from 18O2 in acetonitrile solutions.
Temperature-Dependent Enhancement Effects for TBD (1,5,7-Triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene) with 2-Methylimidazole-Intercalated α-Zirconium Phosphate as a Latent Thermal Initiator in the Reaction of Glycidyl Phenyl Ether
Authors: Shimomura Osamu , Sasaki Suguru , Kume Kaori , Ohtaka Atsushi , Nomura Ryôki
Published: July 2019

The catalytic effects of 1,1,3,3-Tetramethylguanidine (TMG), 1,5,7-Triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene (TBD), 7-Methyl-1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene (MTBD), 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU), and 1,5-diazabicyclo[4.3.0]non-5-ene (DBN) in the reaction with glycidyl phenyl ether (GPE) at 40 °C were investigated. For the reaction, the %conversion of GPE was only 11%, carried out at 40 °C over 14 days in the presence of TBD.Additionally, there was little catalytic activity for the same reaction performed under typical storage conditions at 25 °C. The effect of TBD with 2-methylimidazole-intercalated α-zirconium phosphate (α-ZrP∙2MIm), as a latent thermal initiating system in the reaction with GPE, was then examined. The reaction did not proceed within 1 h at 80 °C. On increasing the temperature to 120 °C, the %conversion reached 75% for reaction at 1 h. Under typical storage conditions (7 days at 25 °C), the %conversion of GPE was only 7%. With addition of TBD to α-ZrP∙2MIm, reagent stability was maintained, and the polymerization reaction proceeded rapidly with the application of heat.