bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A phase‐field method for modeling cracks with frictional contact
Authors: Fei Fan , Choo Jinhyun
Published: October 2019

We introduce a phase‐field method for continuous modeling of cracks with frictional contacts. Compared with standard discrete methods for frictional contacts, the phase‐field method has two attractive features: (i) it can represent arbitrary crack geometry without an explicit function or basis enrichment, and (ii) it does not require an algorithm for imposing contact constraints. The first feature, which is common in phase‐field models of fracture, is attained by regularizing a sharp interface geometry using a surface density functional. The second feature, which is a unique advantage for contact problems, is achieved by a new approach that calculates the stress tensor in the regularized interface region depending on the contact condition of the interface. Particularly, under a slip condition, this approach updates stress components in the slip direction using a standard contact constitutive law, while making other stress components compatible with stress in the bulk region to ensure nonpenetrating deformation in other directions. We verify the proposed phase‐field method using stationary interface problems simulated by discrete methods in the literature. Subsequently, by allowing the phase field to evolve according to brittle fracture theory, we demonstrate the proposed method's capability for modeling crack growth with frictional contact.
The concept of representative crack elements for phase‐field fracture: Anisotropic elasticity and thermo‐elasticity
Authors: Storm J. , Supriatna D. , Kaliske M.
Published: October 2019

The realistic representation of material degradation at a fully evolved crack is still one of the main challenges of the phase‐field method for fracture. An approach with realistic degradation behavior is only available for isotropic elasticity in the small deformation framework. In this paper, a variational framework is presented for the standard phase‐field formulation, which allows to derive the kinematically consistent material degradation. For this purpose, the concept of representative crack elements (RCE) is introduced to analyze the fully degraded material state. The realistic material degradation is further tested using the self‐consistency condition, where the behavior of the phase‐field model is compared to a discrete crack model. The framework is applied to isotropic elasticity, anisotropic elasticity and thermo‐elasticity, but not restricted to these constitutive formulations.
A stiffness parameter and truncation error criterion for adaptive path following in structural mechanics
Authors: Maghami Ali , Schillinger Dominik
Published: October 2019

We explore a truncation error criterion to steer adaptive step length refinement and coarsening in incremental‐iterative path following procedures, applied to problems in large‐deformation structural mechanics. Elaborating on ideas proposed by Bergan and collaborators in the 1970s, we first describe an easily computable scalar stiffness parameter whose sign and rate of change provide reliable information on the local behavior and complexity of the equilibrium path. We then derive a simple scaling law that adaptively adjusts the length of the next step based on the rate of change of the stiffness parameter at previous points on the path. We show that this scaling is equivalent to keeping a local truncation error constant in each step. We demonstrate with numerical examples that our adaptive method follows a path with a significantly reduced number of points compared to an analysis with uniform step length of the same fidelity level. A comparison with Abaqus illustrates that the truncation error criterion effectively concentrates points around the smallest‐scale features of the path, which is generally not possible with automatic incrementation solely based on local convergence properties.
Protein structure prediction using multiple deep neural networks in the 13th Critical Assessment of Protein Structure Prediction (CASP13)
Authors: Senior Andrew W. , Evans Richard , Jumper John , Kirkpatrick James , Sifre Laurent , Green Tim , Qin Chongli , Žídek Augustin , Nelson Alexander W. R. , Bridgland Alex , Penedones Hugo , Petersen Stig , Simonyan Karen , Crossan Steve , Kohli Pushmeet , Jones David T. , Silver David , Kavukcuoglu Koray , Hassabis Demis
Published: October 2019

We describe AlphaFold, the protein structure prediction system that was entered by the group A7D in CASP13. Submissions were made by three free‐modeling (FM) methods which combine the predictions of three neural networks. All three systems were guided by predictions of distances between pairs of residues produced by a neural network. Two systems assembled fragments produced by a generative neural network, one using scores from a network trained to regress GDT_TS. The third system shows that simple gradient descent on a properly constructed potential is able to perform on par with more expensive traditional search techniques and without requiring domain segmentation. In the CASP13 FM assessors' ranking by summed z‐scores, this system scored highest with 68.3 vs 48.2 for the next closest group (an average GDT_TS of 61.4). The system produced high‐accuracy structures (with GDT_TS scores of 70 or higher) for 11 out of 43 FM domains. Despite not explicitly using template information, the results in the template category were comparable to the best performing template‐based methods.
Protein structure prediction assisted with sparse NMR data in CASP13
Authors: Sala Davide , Huang Yuanpeng Janet , Cole Casey A. , Snyder David A. , Liu Gaohua , Ishida Yojiro , Swapna G.V.T. , Brock Kelly P. , Sander Chris , Fidelis Krzysztof , Kryshtafovych Andriy , Inouye Masayori , Tejero Roberto , Valafar Homayoun , Rosato Antonio , Montelione Gaetano T.
Published: October 2019

CASP13 has investigated the impact of sparse NMR data on the accuracy of protein structure prediction. NOESY and 15N‐1H residual dipolar coupling data, typical of that obtained for 15N,13C‐enriched, perdeuterated proteins up to about 40 kDa, were simulated for 11 CASP13 targets ranging in size from 80 to 326 residues. For several targets, two prediction groups generated models that are more accurate than those produced using baseline methods. Real NMR data collected for a de novo designed protein were also provided to predictors, including one data set in which only backbone resonance assignments were available. Some NMR‐assisted prediction groups also did very well with these data. CASP13 also assessed whether incorporation of sparse NMR data improves the accuracy of protein structure prediction relative to nonassisted regular methods. In most cases, incorporation of sparse, noisy NMR data results in models with higher accuracy. The best NMR‐assisted models were also compared with the best regular predictions of any CASP13 group for the same target. For six of 13 targets, the most accurate model provided by any NMR‐assisted prediction group was more accurate than the most accurate model provided by any regular prediction group; however, for the remaining seven targets, one or more regular prediction method provided a more accurate model than even the best NMR‐assisted model. These results suggest a novel approach for protein structure determination, in which advanced prediction methods are first used to generate structural models, and sparse NMR data is then used to validate and/or refine these models.
Hypovirulent effect of theCryphonectria hypovirus 1in British isolates ofCryphonectria parasitica
Authors: Romon‐Ochoa Pedro , Gorton Caroline , Lewis Alex , van der Linde Sietse , Webber Joan , Pérez‐Sierra Ana
Published: October 2019

Background

Chestnut blight, caused byCryphonectria parasitica, is controlled in many European countries by the naturally occurring mycovirusCryphonectria hypovirus 1(CHV‐1). During surveys of recently identified chestnut blight outbreak in England, CHV‐1 was detected in several individuals of the pathogen isolated from affected trees. We investigated two of these CHV‐1‐infected isolates (L‐6 and Db‐1) as potential biocontrol agents for deployment in the UK comparing their virulence against virus‐free (M1275) and hypovirulent (M784) European isolates by inoculating sweet chestnut seedlings.

Results

Both the European CHV‐1 M784 hypovirulent isolate and UK L‐6 isolate formed significantly smaller lesions in sweet chestnut seedling bark than the other three isolates (Db‐1, and virulent isolates FTC121 and M1275). The highest virus concentration was detected in isolate M784, followed by L‐6, with the lowest concentration in isolate Db‐1. White colony colouration indicative of hypovirulence was common in colonies re‐isolated from smaller lesions, and the same isolates also tended to be slower growing in culture, have a higher virus concentration, and caused less epicormic growth and fewer stromata to be present in plants. L‐6 and Db‐1 virus sequences, respectively, matched the virus haplotype E‐5 detected previously in Switzerland and a mutation of the same subtype I haplotype.

Conclusion

Isolate L‐6 could potentially act as biocontrol for chestnut blight outbreaks in the UK but further laboratory and field experiments are needed. © 2019 Crown copyright.Pest Management Science© 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
Advanced Technologies for Quantum Photonic Devices Based on Epitaxial Quantum Dots
Authors: Zhao Tian Ming , Chen Yan , Yu Ying , Li Qing , Davanco Marcelo , Liu Jin
Published: October 2019

Quantum photonic devices are candidates for realizing practical quantum computers and networks. The development of integrated quantum photonic devices can greatly benefit from the ability to incorporate different types of materials with complementary, superior optical or electrical properties on a single chip. Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) serve as a core element in the emerging modern photonic quantum technologies by allowing on‐demand generation of single‐photons and entangled photon pairs. During each excitation cycle, there is one and only one emitted photon or photon pair. QD photonic devices are on the verge of unfolding for advanced quantum technology applications. This review is focused on the latest significant progress of QD photonic devices. First, advanced technologies in QD growth are discussed, with special attention to droplet epitaxy and site‐controlled QDs. Then, the wavelength engineering of QDs via strain tuning and quantum frequency conversion techniques is overviewed. The discussion is extended to advanced optical excitation techniques recently developed for achieving the desired emission properties of QDs. Finally, the advances in heterogeneous integration of active quantum light‐emitting devices and passive integrated photonic circuits are reviewed, in the context of realizing scalable quantum information processing chips.
Arctic river temperature dynamics in a changing climate
Authors: Docherty Catherine L. , Dugdale Stephen J. , Milner Alexander M. , Abermann Jakob , Lund Magnus , Hannah David M.
Published: October 2019

Climate change in the Arctic is expected to have a major impact on stream ecosystems, affecting hydrological and thermal regimes. Although temperature is important to a range of in‐stream processes, previous Arctic stream temperature research is limited—focused on glacierised headwaters in summer—with limited attention to snowmelt streams and winter. This is the first high‐resolution study on stream temperature in north‐east Greenland (Zackenberg). Data were collected from five streams from September 2013 to September 2015 (24 months). During the winter, streams were largely frozen solid and water temperature variability low. Spring ice‐off date occurred simultaneously across all streams, but 11 days earlier in 2014 compared with 2015 due to thicker snow insulation. During summer, water temperature was highly variable and exhibited a strong relationship with meteorological variables, particularly incoming shortwave radiation and air temperature. Mean summer water temperature in these snowmelt streams was high compared with streams studied previously in Svalbard, yet was lower in Swedish Lapland, as was expected given latitude. With global warning, Arctic stream thermal variability may be less in summer and increased during the winter due to higher summer air temperature and elevated winter precipitation, and the spring and autumn ice‐on and ice‐off dates may extend the flowing water season—in turn affecting stream productivity and diversity.
Pore‐Scale Flow Characterization of Polymer Solutions in Microfluidic Porous Media
Authors: Browne Christopher A. , Shih Audrey , Datta Sujit S.
Published: October 2019

Polymer solutions are frequently used in enhanced oil recovery and groundwater remediation to improve the recovery of trapped nonaqueous fluids. However, applications are limited by an incomplete understanding of the flow in porous media. The tortuous pore structure imposes both shear and extension, which elongates polymers; moreover, the flow is often at large Weissenberg numbers, Wi, at which polymer elasticity in turn strongly alters the flow. This dynamic elongation can even produce flow instabilities with strong spatial and temporal fluctuations despite the low Reynolds number, Re. Unfortunately, macroscopic approaches are limited in their ability to characterize the pore‐scale flow. Thus, understanding how polymer conformations, flow dynamics, and pore geometry together determine these nontrivial flow patterns and impact macroscopic transport remains an outstanding challenge. This review describes how microfluidic tools can shed light on the physics underlying the flow of polymer solutions in porous media at high Wi and low Re. Specifically, microfluidic studies elucidate how steady and unsteady flow behavior depends on pore geometry and solution properties, and how polymer‐induced effects impact nonaqueous fluid recovery. This work thus provides new insights for polymer dynamics, non‐Newtonian fluid mechanics, and applications such as enhanced oil recovery and groundwater remediation.
The MyShake Platform: A Global Vision for Earthquake Early Warning
Authors: Allen Richard M. , Kong Qingkai , Martin-Short Robert
Published: October 2019

The MyShake Platform is an operational framework to provide earthquake early warning (EEW) to people in earthquake-prone regions. It is unique among approaches to EEW as it is built on existing smartphone technology to both detect earthquakes and issue warnings. It therefore has the potential to provide EEW wherever there are smartphones, and there are now smartphones wherever there are people. The MyShake framework can also integrate other sources of alerts and deliver them to users, as well and delivering its alerts through other channels as needed. The MyShake Platform builds on experience from the first 3 years of MyShake operation. Over 300,000 people around the globe have downloaded the MyShake app and participated in this citizen science project to detect earthquakes and provide seismic waveforms for research. These operations have shown that earthquakes can be detected, located, and the magnitude estimated ~ 5 to 7 s after the origin time, and alerts can be delivered to smartphones in ~ 1 to 5 s. A human-centered design process produced key insights to the needs of users that have been incorporated into MyShake2.0 which is being release for Android and iOS devices in June 2019. MyShake2.0 will also deliver EEW alerts, initially in California and hopes to expand service to other regions.
Association of Genetic Risk of Obesity with Postoperative Complications Using Mendelian Randomization
Authors: Robinson Jamie R. , Carroll Robert J. , Bastarache Lisa , Chen Qingxia , Mou Zongyang , Wei Wei‐Qi , Connolly John J. , Mentch Frank , Sleiman Patrick , Crane Paul K. , Hebbring Scott J. , Stanaway Ian B. , Crosslin David R. , Gordon Adam S. , Rosenthal Elisabeth A. , Carrell David , Hayes M. Geoffrey , Wei Wei , Petukhova Lynn , Namjou Bahram , Zhang Ge , Safarova Maya S. , Walton Nephi A. , Still Christopher , Bottinger Erwin P. , Loos Ruth J. F. , Murphy Shawn N. , Jackson Gretchen P. , Kullo Iftikhar J. , Hakonarson Hakon , Jarvik Gail P. , Larson Eric B. , Weng Chunhua , Roden Dan M. , Denny Joshua C.
Published: October 2019

Background

The extent to which obesity and genetics determine postoperative complications is incompletely understood.

Methods

We performed a retrospective study using two population cohorts with electronic health record (EHR) data. The first included 736,726 adults with body mass index (BMI) recorded between 1990 and 2017 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The second cohort consisted of 65,174 individuals from 12 institutions contributing EHR and genome‐wide genotyping data to the Electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) Network. Pairwise logistic regression analyses were used to measure the association of BMI categories with postoperative complications derived from International Classification of Disease‐9 codes, including postoperative infection, incisional hernia, and intestinal obstruction. A genetic risk score was constructed from 97 obesity‐risk single‐nucleotide polymorphisms for a Mendelian randomization study to determine the association of genetic risk of obesity on postoperative complications. Logistic regression analyses were adjusted for sex, age, site, and race/principal components.

Results

Individuals with overweight or obese BMI (≥25 kg/m2) had increased risk of incisional hernia (odds ratio [OR] 1.7–5.5, p < 3.1 × 10−20), and people with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) had increased risk of postoperative infection (OR 1.2–2.3, p < 2.5 × 10−5). In the eMERGE cohort, genetically predicted BMI was associated with incisional hernia (OR 2.1 [95% CI 1.8–2.5], p = 1.4 × 10−6) and postoperative infection (OR 1.6 [95% CI 1.4–1.9], p = 3.1 × 10−6). Association findings were similar after limitation of the cohorts to those who underwent abdominal procedures.

Conclusions

Clinical and Mendelian randomization studies suggest that obesity, as measured by BMI, is associated with the development of postoperative incisional hernia and infection.
The effects of steamed ginger ethanolic extract on weight and body fat loss: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial
Authors: Park Soo-Hyun , Jung Su-Jin , Choi Eun-Kyung , Ha Ki-Chan , Baek Hyang-Im , Park Yu-Kyung , Han Kap-Hoon , Jeong Soon-Yeon , Oh Jung-Hee , Cha Youn-Soo , Park Byung-Hyun , Chae Soo-Wan
Published: October 2019

Steamed ginger ethanolic extract (SGE) is a product with a high 6-shogaol contents and is thought to be more potent than other ginger products. We conducted a 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to determine the effects of SGE on weight and body fat loss. Eighty healthy obese participants were recruited and randomly divided into the SGE and placebo groups. The outcome measures comprised indicators of efficacy (body weight, body mass index, body composition, and blood markers) and safety. Following the supplementation period, mean body weight, body mass index, and body fat level were significantly lower in the SGE group than in the placebo group. No clinically significant changes were observed for any safety parameter. These results suggest that SGE is a potent anti-obesity agent that does not cause significant side effects. Therefore, SGE supplementation combined with lifestyle modification could be effective in the management of body weight and fat mass.
Mass balance and metabolite profiling of 14C-guadecitabine in patients with advanced cancer
Authors: Roosendaal Jeroen , Rosing Hilde , Lucas Luc , Gebretensae Abadi , Huitema Alwin D. R. , van Dongen Marloes G. , Beijnen Jos H. , Oganesian Aram
Published: October 2019

PurposeThe objective of this mass balance trial was to determine the excretory pathways and metabolic profile of the novel anticancer agent guadecitabine in humans after administration of a14C-radiolabeled dose of guadecitabine.Experimental designIncluded patients received at least one cycle of 45 mg/m2guadecitabine subcutaneously as once-daily doses on Days 1 to 5 of a 28-day cycle, of which the 5th (last) dose in the first cycle was spiked with14C-radiolabeled guadecitabine. Using different mass spectrometric techniques in combination with off-line liquid scintillation counting, the exposure and excretion of14C-guadecitabine and metabolites in the systemic circulation, excreta, and intracellular target site were established.ResultsFive patients were enrolled in the mass balance trial.14C-guadecitabine radioactivity was rapidly and almost exclusively excreted in urine, with an average amount of radioactivity recovered of 90.2%. After uptake in the systemic circulation, guadecitabine was converted into ß-decitabine (active anomer), and from ß-decitabine into the presumably inactive metabolites M1-M5. All identified metabolites in plasma and urine were ß-decitabine related products, suggesting almost complete conversion via cleavage of the phosphodiester bond between ß-decitabine and deoxyguanosine prior to further elimination. ß-decitabine enters the intracellular activation pathway, leading to detectable ß-decitabine-triphosphate and DNA incorporated ß-decitabine levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, providing confirmation that the drug reaches its DNA target site.ConclusionThe metabolic and excretory pathways of guadecitabine and its metabolites were successfully characterized after subcutaneous guadecitabine administration in cancer patients. These data support the clinical evaluation of safety and efficacy of the subcutaneous guadecitabine drug product.
Nonlinear dynamics of self-organising bubble departures from twin nozzles
Authors: Dzienis P. , Mosdorf R. , Wyszkowski T.
Published: October 2019

The nonlinear dynamics of self-organising bubble departures from twin nozzles in engine oils was analysed. Air bubbles were generated from twin brass nozzles with an inner diameter equal to 1 mm. The flow of bubbles in bubble chains was recorded using high-speed camera. The time series of air pressure oscillations and signal from laser–phototransistor identifying the presence of bubbles over the nozzles outlet were recorded simultaneously. The self-organising bubble departures were observed and their stability was analysed. It was found that self-organising bubble departures become unstable because of successive (during subsequent bubble departures) decrease of the mean air pressure in one of the nozzle air supply system. It was shown that instability of self-organising bubble departures leads to equalization of pressures in both nozzles air supply systems which causes that simultaneous bubble departures appear. In the present experiment, this process was repeated in a cyclic and chaotic way. It was shown that stable self-organising bubble departures are accompanied by periodic air pressure oscillations in one of the nozzles and chaotic air pressure oscillations in the second one.
Measuring Multidimensional Poverty According to National Definitions: Operationalising Target 1.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals
Authors: Pomati Marco , Nandy Shailen
Published: October 2019

The first Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) tasks countries with eradicating poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions. This presents considerable challenges for poverty researchers and national statistical offices charged with collecting data to monitor progress on meeting of this ambitious target. Our paper focuses on how the different dimensions of poverty might be mapped out, and compared, within and across heterogeneous countries and societies, using a method called the Consensual Approach to poverty measurement. It explains how the approach can inform different poverty measurement frameworks (e.g. rights based, capabilities or deprivation of basic needs approaches), how it has already been used successfully across low, middle- and high-income countries and sets out some key lessons and future challenges. The paper uses data from the demographic and health surveys (DHS) and World Bank’s Core Welfare Indicator Questionnaire surveys to demonstrate cross- and intra-national consensus about what constitutes minimally acceptable living standards across several countries in West Africa; we suggest that existing survey platforms, like national household income and expenditure surveys, DHS or even UNICEF’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys could (with minor additions) be used to apply the Consensual Approach to measure multidimensional poverty in children and adults across countries, and thus aid reporting for the SDGs.
Groundwater Quality Patterns and Spatiotemporal Change in Depletion in the Regions of the Arabian Shield and Arabian Shelf
Authors: Fallatah Othman Abdurrahman
Published: October 2019

Groundwater quality is a critical issue in arid and semiarid countries, where it is one of the most reliable sources of water on which people depend. Water quality is a vital concern in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as it affects the health of its people, the growth of its agriculture, and its economic development. In this study, the objectives were to: (1) investigate the depletion rate of groundwater storage (GWS) in the study area by using Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) data from April 2002 to April 2016 to quantify terrestrial water storage; (2) determine the ionic composition of cations and anions for 24 samples (12 samples from Arabian Shield and 12 from Arabian Shelf in Saudi Arabia); and (3) assess the water quality of the aquifer. The results show a GRACE-derived GWS depletion of − 2 ± 0.13 km3/year. Ionic compositions reveal two main groups: group I, with well depths of 144–607 m, and group II, with well depths of 12–150 m. Group I waters (all from the Saq aquifer) appear to be fossil waters, while group II waters (alluvial aquifer) appear to be mixed waters. As illustrated by the use of a Piper diagram, 85% of the samples in Arabian Shelf are characterized as a mixed water of calcium, magnesium, chloride, and sulfate (SO4). In the Arabian Shield, 50% of the samples are characterized as Ca–Cl waters. Since most of the samples (98%) are from domestic wells used for drinking water and have the potential for radioactivity in the groundwater, it is essential to complete radioactive analysis and confirm acceptable water quality, based on the standards of the Water Health Organization and the Saudi Arabian Standards Organization.
Numerical comparison on the efficiency of conventional and hybrid buckling-restrained braces for seismic protection of short-to-mid-rise steel buildings
Authors: Alborzi M. , Tahghighi H. , Azarbakht A.
Published: October 2019

Buckling-restrained brace (BRB) is a specific kind of bracing system which has an acceptable energy dissipation behavior in a way that would not be buckled in compression forces. However, considerable residual deformations are noticed in strong ground motions as a result of the low post-yield stiffness of the BRBs. The seismic performance of a modern lateral load resisting system, which is called the hybrid BRB, and its conventional counterpart are assessed and compared in this paper. Multiple plates with different stress–strain behavior are used in the core of this new innovative system, and this is its difference with the existent BRBs. Nonlinear static and incremental dynamic analyses are carried out for three building frames with different structural heights, which use conventional and hybrid BRB systems. To carry out response history analyses, the FEMA P695 far-field earthquake record set was adopted in different hazard levels. The hybrid BRBs are shown to have superior seismic performance in comparison with the conventional systems based on the response modification factor and the damage measures including residual displacements and inter-story drift ratios.
Adults’ numeracy practices in fluid and unstable contexts—An agenda for education, policy and research?
Authors: Yasukawa Keiko , Evans Jeff
Published: October 2019

Numeracy practices are always dependent on the social context in which they emerge. These contexts, however, are unstable because of a range of technological and socio-political changes. How does this instability affect people’s agency in the world? After reviewing key approaches to numeracy practices research, we distil key findings from recent numeracy studies. We introduce the concept of the numerate environment to examine the context in which opportunities, supports and demands present themselves for people’s numeracy development, explaining how cultural-historical activity theory can be used to analyse the effects of changes in numerate environments. We consider examples of social trends likely to effect such changes and conclude with implications of shifts in people’s numerate environment for future educational provision, policy and research.
Pelvic Floor and Sexual Dysfunction After Vaginal Birth With Episiotomy in Vietnamese Women
Authors: Quoc Huy Nguyen Vu , Phuc An Le Si , Phuong Le Si , Tam Le Minh
Published: October 2019

Introduction

Episiotomy has been the most common procedure in obstetrical practice; however, its benefits remain controversial, especially in case of postpartum pelvic floor disorder and sexual dysfunction.

Aim

The aim of this study was to evaluate early complications, pelvic floor, and sexual dysfunction after delivery with episiotomy and their associated factors.

Methods

158 healthy pregnant women at term (38 weeks 0 days to 41 weeks 6 days), aged above 18 years old, who vaginally delivered a singleton baby with cephalic presentation were recruited. The subjects were evaluated through 3 interviews at 1−3 days, 6 weeks, and 3 months after delivery, respectively.

Main Outcome Measure

The evaluations were accomplished primarily by administration of 2 validated questionnaires: the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory Short-form 20 to evaluate symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction, and the Female Sexual Function Index to evaluate effects on the women’s sexual life.

Results

Among early complications, pain while sitting (30.4%) was the most prominent trouble, other pelvic disorders, such as urinary incontinence (11.4%), urinary retention (10.8%), or flatus incontinence (8.9%), were also observed in a remarkable number of participants. Average Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory Short-form 20 score was 7.0 ± 10.2 after 3 months. At that time, the prevalence of sexual dysfunction was 40.7%. Trouble occurred commonly in the domains of desire (68.9%) and pain (58.5%). Associated factors of sexual dysfunction were maternal age over 30 years and parity. These factors, in combination with birth weight over 3,500 gram (g), were also associated factors of pelvic floor disorders.

Conclusion

Pelvic pain was the most popular postdelivery complication. Urinary and bowel dysfunction were self-limited complications. Despite being considered a simple technique, episiotomy and its repair must be performed rigorously in order to allow the best recovery of pelvic floor and sexual function.
Advances in Eustachian tube function testing
Authors: Smith Matthew E. , Bance Manohar L. , Tysome James R.
Published: October 2019

Obstructive and patulous Eustachian tube dysfunction provide a significant diagnostic and management challenge. The development of new treatments such as balloon Eustachian tuboplasty has generated renewed interest in measuring Eustachian tube function, as a method of selecting appropriate patients for intervention, and measuring their treatment outcomes.

This review summarises recent findings relating to Eustachian tube function assessment. Increasingly it is recognised that patient reported outcome measures based on symptoms are highly non‐specific and non‐diagnostic, and clinical assessment alone may not permit the selection of individuals with abnormal Eustachian tube opening. Tests of Eustachian tube opening therefore may represent a practical and objective addition to patient assessment in clinic, allowing the identification of individuals with abnormal (patulous or obstructive) Eustachian tube function. A diagnostic pathway is described on this basis.

More work is required to validate the described Eustachian tube function tests, and there remain individuals, such as those with dysfunction limited to pressure challenges, in whom function tests have yet to fully characterise the disorder.
Patulous Eustachian tube (PET), a practical overview
Authors: Bance Manohar , Tysome James R. , Smith Matthew E.
Published: October 2019

Symptoms of patulous Eustachian tube (ET), particularly autophony, can overlap with other conditions, and can arise from a variety of causes. We review the pathophysiology of “speech hyper‐resonance syndromes”, and possible mechanisms, including resonances in the tympanic membrane, Eustachian tube and nasopharynx. Treatment can be directed at the eardrum or the ET depending on site of pathology. We review typical presentations, examination findings, and useful clinical tests to distinguish PET from other disorders, and our philosophy of management.
Morphometric, genetic diversity and phylogenetic analysis ofTaenia hydatigena(Pallas, 1766) larval stage in Iranian livestock
Authors: Sarvi Shahabeddin , Ebrahimi Behrestaghi Laya , Alizadeh Abbas , Abdollah Hosseini Seyed , Gohardieh Shaban , Bastani Reza , Yazdani Charati Jamshid , Daryani Ahmad , Amouei Afsaneh , Spotin Adel , Gholami Shirzad
Published: October 2019

Cysticercus tenuicollisas metacestode ofTaenia hydatigenais the most prevalent taeniid species in livestock. Eighty-eightC. tenuicollissamples were collected from sheep (n= 44) and goats (n= 44) of the northern Iran from 2015 to 2016. The isolated parasites were characterized by morphometric keys. The DNA of the larval stage was extracted, amplified and sequenced targeting mitochondrial12S rRNAandCox 1markers. A significant difference in larval rostellar hook length was observed in12S rRNAhaplotypes. Analysis of molecular variance of12S rRNAindicated a moderate genetic diversity in theC. tenuicollisisolates. The pairwise sequence distance ofC. tenuicollisshowed an intra-species diversity of 0.3–0.5% and identity of 99.5–100%. Using the12S rRNAsequence data we found a moderate genetic difference (Fst; 0.05421) inC. tenucollisisolates collected from livestock of the northern and southeastern regions of Iran. We concluded that the genetic variants ofC. tenuicollisare being undoubtedly distributing mostly in different parts of Iran. Further studies with a larger number ofT. hydatigenaisolates collected from various intermediate and definitive hosts are needed to study this evolutionary assumption and also to determine the apparent genetic differences observed in the studied regions.
Corvus Corax: medieval rock, the minstrel, and cosmopolitanism as anti-nationalism
Authors: Yri Kirsten
Published: October 2019

This article explores the German band Corvus Corax and their reinterpretion of the Middle Ages as a creative answer to Germany's problematic history of nationalism. Invoking the community ideals and ideological values of the 1960s and 1970s, which, in the context of the GDR took on even more significance, Corvus Corax borrowed ‘authentic’ medieval texts and melodies, rendering them in acoustic arrangements inspired by medieval performance practices. In short, German ‘folk’ bands invented ‘medieval’ rock to sidestep Nazi connotations with the word ‘folk’. Besides invoking the semantic shift from ‘folk’ to ‘medieval’, I argue that the band adopts the figure of the medieval minstrel and asserts that his multilingual texts, ‘foreign’ instruments and colourful performance practices speak to an inclusive, diverse and cosmopolitan community. Paradoxically, they do so by first positioning the medieval minstrel as a punked-up, marginalised ‘outcast’. The cultural capital of this outcast status helps medieval rock bands like Corvus Corax carve out a space for marginalised voices who, in their new privileged positions, offer a form of retribution for politics of exclusion, racism and authoritarianism.
Good things come in threes: triplet flow in recent hip-hop music
Authors: Duinker Ben
Published: October 2019

MCs (rappers) such as Cardi B, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Big Sean and Young Thug use triplet rhythms in their rapping, a practice that is known as triplet flow. This paper argues that the prevalence of triplet flow is one of the most aurally salient features of contemporary hip hop, and exemplifies the popularity and influence of the Atlanta-centred genre of trap music through its sparse, slow beats. Three types of triplet flow are defined – mixed, phrasal and total – and are used to explore how various songs and artists active in the late 1980s and early 1990s provided the stylistic blueprint for triplet flow's recent explosion in popularity. With the aid of a 50 song mini-corpus, the paper concludes with a general survey of stylistic characteristics common in many songs featuring triplet flow, and further analysis of two of these songs in order to illuminate the creative, rhetorical and virtuosic potential that underpins this ostensibly simple style of rapping.
Extrafloral nectar as a driver of ant community spatial structure along disturbance and rainfall gradients in Brazilian dry forest
Authors: da Silva Carlos Henrique Félix , Arnan Xavier , Andersen Alan N. , Leal Inara R.
Published: October 2019

Although extrafloral nectar (EFN) is a key food resource for arboreal ants, its role in structuring ground-nesting ant communities has received little attention, despite these ants also being frequent EFN-attendants. We investigated the role of EFN as a driver of the spatial structure of ground-nesting ant communities occurring in dry forest in north-eastern Brazil. We examined the effects on this relationship of two global drivers of biodiversity decline, chronic anthropogenic disturbance and climate change (through decreasing rainfall). We mapped EFN-producing plants and ant nests in 20 plots distributed along independent gradients of disturbance and rainfall. We categorized ant species into three types according to their dependence on EFN: heavy users, occasional users and non-users. We found a strong relationship between ant dependence on EFN and nest proximity to EFN-producing plants: heavy-users (mean distance 1.1 m) nested closer to EFN-producing plants than did occasional users (1.7 m), which in turn nested closer to EFN-producing plants than did non-users (2.3 m). Neither disturbance nor rainfall affected the proximity of heavy-user nests to EFN-producing plants. Our study shows for the first time that EFN is a key driver of the spatial structure of entire communities of ground-nesting ants.
Liturgy and chant in a twelfth-century Exeter missal
Authors: MANNION ANNE
Published: October 2019

Exeter Cathedral Library and Archives MS 3515 (hereafter EXcl 3515), a notated missal located in Exeter Cathedral, has to date received very little scholarly attention. This neglect may be due to the absence of a liturgical kalendar and evidence of local saints in the Sanctorale. Its assignment to the thirteenth century with a generic English origin suggests that critical questions concerning provenance and dating have been overlooked. The source itself comprises four disparate sections assembled so as to create a complete liturgical cycle. Yet the parts are not as separate as hitherto believed. A comparative investigation reveals not only an Exeter provenance and a twelfth-century dating, but also a new witness to the St Denis/Corbie tradition. Research also reveals unexpected threads of liturgical continuity with the Anglo-Saxon past. As a complete pre-Sarum source of Mass prayers, chants and readings, EXcl 3515 offers a useful lens with which to view a transitional period in the development of a medieval secular liturgy in England. (By contrast, the three dominant cathedrals – Salisbury, York and Hereford – all lack notated chant sources from this period.) EXcl 3515 adds not only significant new data to the current information on secular liturgies, but also challenges accepted theories on the shaping of a distinctive English Use in southwest England.
Sperm DNA fragmentation: causes and identification
Authors: Hamilton Thais Rose dos Santos , Assumpção Mayra Elena Ortiz D’Ávila
Published: October 2019

Sperm DNA fragmentation is referred to as one of the main causes of male infertility. Failures in the protamination process, apoptosis and action of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are considered the most important causes of DNA fragmentation. Action of ROS or changes in sperm protamination would increase the susceptibility of sperm DNA to fragmentation. Routine semen analysis is unable to estimate sperm chromatin damage. Sperm DNA integrity influences sperm functional capability, therefore tests that measure sperm DNA fragmentation are important to assess fertility disorders. Actually, there is a considerable number of methods for assessing sperm DNA fragmentation and chromatin integrity, sperm chromatin stability assay (SCSA modified), sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD), comet assay, transferase dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL); and protamine evaluation in sperm chromatin assay, such as toluidine blue, CMA3, protamine expression and evaluation of cysteine radicals. This review aims to describe the main causes of sperm DNA fragmentation and the tests commonly used to evaluate sperm DNA fragmentation.
The manpower of the Roman fleets
Authors: Lavan Myles
Published: October 2019

The fleets are often neglected in consideration of the military forces of the Roman empire – indeed, some estimates of military strength have ignored them completely.1 Even more egregious is their omission in discussions of the rôle of the army in disseminating Roman citizenship, since the soldiers serving in the fleets benefitted from the same system of regular grants as did auxiliaries. When the fleets are included in inventories of the military, most scholars reckon them at either 30,000 or 40,000 men. In so doing, they are relying explicitly or implicitly on the work of C. G. Starr or M. Reddé, respectively. There has been no discussion of the discrepancy between them. Moreover, those who rely on Reddé tend to overlook the fact that he himself implied a strength of more than 50,000 men. This paper aims to draw attention to the significance of the large divergence between the two estimates and to offer a new one that takes better account of the uncertainties involved. It reviews the evidence adduced by Starr and Reddé but also draws on newer data from the archaeology of fleet bases and military diplomas. I conclude that the combined strength of the fleets was probably c.25,000 men, somewhat smaller than Starr suggested. Yet it is just as important to recognise that the margin of error remains large.
The gold bust (imago) of Septimius Severus from Didymoteicho (Plotinopolis)
Authors: de Pury-Gysel Anne
Published: October 2019

The ancient city of Plotinopolis lies on Aghia Petra hill which rises gently above the plain south of Didymoteicho (Thrace), not far from the Hebros river. Little information on the city, which was renamed by Trajan, has come down to us, although it features on ancient route maps and was mentioned by Ptolemy (3.11.3) and Procopius (Aed. 4.11.19).1 Few archaeological excavations have been carried out, and of the city itself few vestiges remain (fig. 1). In 1965, while the Greek army was excavating a trench at Didymoteicho, a gold bust of an emperor wearing a cuirass came to light.2 There is no documentation on its discovery, no report on the Greek army’s intervention, nor even any information on the follow-up excavation carried out by A. Vavritsas.3 Having initially been hidden by its discoverers, the bust narrowly escaped being melted down – the fate suffered by the majority of antiquities made of gold – for already in the days directly after the discovery one part of the edge of the cuirass was cut into pieces and sold off by the soldiers. This reckless action betrayed the bust’s discoverers and made it possible for the unit’s officers to recover the bust. Considering its extreme rarity, this type of object is important, not only for the questions it raises regard-ing its original purpose and dating, but also for our understanding of toreutics. Our interpretation of the piece, which is effectively without archaeological context, has to rely on a critical analysis of its technical, iconographic and artistic aspects, taking into account extant depictions of imperial busts and textual references.
Recent research on the Cantabrian Wars: the archaeological reconstruction of a mountain war
Authors: Peralta Labrador Eduardo José , Camino Mayor Jorge , Torres-Martínez Jesús Francisco
Published: October 2019

Over the centuries, Spanish historiography has attached great importance to the wars that Octavian launched at the start of the last third of the 1st c. B.C. against the population in the north of the Iberian peninsula. In this way he intended to bring an end to the long conquest of Iberia that had begun two centuries earlier in the hegemonic struggle with Carthage. Although the wars previously attracted the attention of European scholars, today they play little part in the historiography of the Early Roman Empire and even less in the biographies of Augustus, who suffered some of his worst military fortunes in this war, putting his very life in danger (Suet., Aug. 29.3 and 81.1; Hor., Carm. 3.14; Dio 53.25.5-7; Oros. 6.21.4). Even Departments of Ancient History in Spanish universities have failed to progress beyond well-worn exegesis of the written sources. This is because until just two decades ago all the information came from two historical sources: Florus and Orosius, on the one hand, and Dio Cassius, on the other (the relevant books of Livy being lost). Although they stress the importance of the conflict, these sources are excessively laconic; they have also been subjected to erudite speculations about place-names that have turned the military campaigns into a series of historiographic fictions.1
The production centres and river network of Italian terra sigillata between the Arno and Tiber valleys: a geographical point of view
Authors: Sternini Mara
Published: October 2019

The study of ceramics – which has become almost prohibitive nowadays due to the amount of money and time it requires – still plays a fundamental rôle in the historical reconstruction of trade in the Mediterranean. Just as geology and archaeobotany allow for reconstructing ancient landscapes, and archaeozoology for reconstructing the dietary habits of ancient peoples, so the archaeology of production, with its unappealing routine of recording and classifying finds, is essential for understanding the economic dynamics of a given area. Typology, combined with appropriate archaeometric analyses of the fabric and the coating, allow for ascertaining, with a reasonable degree of surety, the provenance of vessels, and hence the ratio of imports to local products. This can make a significant contribution to the historical reconstruction of ancient economies and commercial exchange.
Scène de boxe sur un bas-relief inédit de Gaule Narbonnaise: réflexions sur le ceste romain
Authors: Thuillier Jean-Paul
Published: October 2019

Une remarquable sculpture a été mise au jour en 1999 lors de la fouille archéologique préventive d’une grande villa gallo-romaine située à Vareilles, commune de Paulhan, dans l’Hérault. D’autres fragments sculptés ont été découverts plus tard dans le cadre de fouilles programmées. Cet établissement rural était surtout consacré à la viticulture. Les fouilleurs y ont découvert entre autres des chais très importants: si la pars urbana, qui était également sans doute très vaste, n’a pas pu être fouillée ni même localisée dans son intégralité, elle comprenait en tout cas un beau complexe thermal avec diverses salles, mais aussi une palestre et un bassin (natatio) très bien conservé.1