bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Temperature and Doping Ratios on Electrical Conductivity of Polymer Blend Films of PluronicF127 and Polyvinyl Alcohol with Flavonoid Extract of Hibiscus Sabdariffa (Roselle)
Authors: Sweah Zainab J. , Ahmed Zearah Sameerah , Hussein Kadhim Samah
Published: July 2019

Electrical conductivity of polymer blend films doped with different ratios of flavonoid extract of Hibiscus Sabdariffa (Roselle) (0.03, 0.05, 0.07, 0.09, and 0.12) % wt., were studied. The composite films prepared using solvent casting method. The result showed that the conductivity increased with increasing temperature and doping ratios. The values of activation energy decreased with increasing temperature and doping ratios of flavonoid for all ratios except that of (0.12%) doping, so, it was concluded that the ratio (0.09%) is the best appropriate one for doping.
Natural Occurring Radioactive Materials in Dusty Air of Baghdad City – Iraq.
Authors: Abbood Ali K. , Shafiq Mohamed S. , Kadhim Sally B. , Shafik Shafik S.
Published: July 2019

Baghdad has lost many areas of its green belt, as well as the increase of residential and commercial buildings at the expense of gardens, resulting in increased amounts of dust in the atmosphere of the city. So it is necessary to study the content of this dust of natural occurring radioactive material (NORM) and then estimated the annual inhalation radiation effective dose (AIRED). This is achieved by selecting three districts of Baghdad city. Dust has been collected at different intervals and at different elevations. Gamma spectroscopy with NaI(Tl) detector that fully operated by GENE2006 program has been used to measure the specific activity. The overall average of the obtained results of NORM isotopes were 8110 Bq/m3 for Uranium – 238, 5660 Bq/m3 for Thorium – 232, and 36980 Bq/m3 for Potassium – 40, respectively, while the overall average result AIRED was 68.68 nSv/y. However, the results are within the allowed values of the international agencies.
The Impact of Methanol Addition to the Biodiesel-Diesel Blends on the Performance and Exhaust Emissions of the CI Engines
Authors: Mohammed Amer A. , Abdullah Muthana L. , Muneer El-Deen Faik Ahmad
Published: July 2019

One of the major problems in the contemporary world is pollution. The major contribution in this area comes from automobile emissions and industries. Diesel being one of the major fuels is also a major contributor in adding harmful pollutants into the atmosphere. In order to meet the stringent emission norms, the polluting components in the fuels need considerable reduction. Fuel characteristics play a major role in engine efficiency and engine emissions directly or indirectly. In the present work, an experimental investigation of the effect of adding methanol to the diesel-biodiesel blends on the performance and combustion characteristics of the diesel engine has been performed. Three different concentrations of methanol are used; namely 5%, 7%, and 10% of the overall mixture volume, while, biodiesel concentration has been fixed to eliminate its effect on the results. The results revealed that using methanol as an additive to the diesel-biodiesel blends prominently improved brake power, decreased brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) and increased brake thermal efficiency (BTE) of the engine. CO, HC, and NOx emissions have shown a slight decrease compared to the corresponding neat diesel and diesel-biodiesel at the same loading and engine speed conditions.
Synthesis and characterization of ZnO nanocrystal line for gas sensor application
Authors: Mahdi Shaker Jarrah Radhiyah
Published: July 2019

In this research, nanostructure of ZnO film has been fabricated by spraying 0.2M concentration of Zinc salt solution on glass substrate. The Zinc solution was prepared by solves 4.389908g of the Zinc salt in 100 mL of isopropyl alcohol C3H9O. In order to obtain the best optimization in their optical properties via the annealing effect, these films were treated thermally at different temperatures (RT, 200, 300 and 400). Then AFM and XRD tests are employed to examine the structure. According to X-ray diffraction patterns, the structure of all ZnO films is polycrystalline with hexagonal wurtizte structure and preferential orientation in the (002) direction. It also turns out that the annealing process has led to increase the high of the peaks of the x-ray pattern tests which means the structure has been improved. As for the surface morphology, the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) test results are shown there is uniform distribution of homogeneous with columnar nanostructure grains. The band gap varies between (3.2-3.37 eV) and tendency to rise with annealing temperature have been observed through the optical measurement. The sensing tests showed that linear response with increasing the gas concentration and, the annealing treatment gave rise to the sensitivity and more selectivity for NO2 gas. Moreover, the best sensing performance in term of sensitivity and selectivity has been absorbed by ZnO film that was treated by 300 oC annealing temperature.
Molecular Detection of Cholera Infection during the Outbreak in Thi-Qar Province/Iraq in 2015-2016
Authors: Hanan Zaman K.
Published: July 2019

Cholera is an acute disease caused by Vibrio cholerae; it’s affected to all aged groups. Cholera infection is outbreaks in Iraq as reported for several years. The recent cholera outbreak, emerged throughout 2015-2016, was investigated by using bacteriological laboratory tests, singleplex and multiplex PCR technique for the detection of V. cholerae from stool samples. Furthermore the antibiotic susceptibility test for cholera was also investigated coupled with the toxigenic potential. A total of Twenty Vibrio cholerae isolates were isolated from diarrheal patients in Thi-Qar province. These isolates were diagnosis by conventional biochemical test, API20 E system and molecular methods by using 16SrRNA. The isolates were characterized for gene traits; antimicrobial susceptibility. The results appeared all 20 isolates were positive for 16S rRNA. Multiplex PCR analysis revealed that 65%, 35% and 15% of isolates were positive for tox R, tcp and ctx B genes respectively. The antimicrobial susceptibility testing to isolates revealed high levels of resistance to ampicillin (100%), nalidixic acid (90%), sulfamethoxazoletrimethoprim (80%), tetracycline and ciprofloxacin (55%) and chloramphenicol (45%) in addition to increase the prevalence of multidrug resistant (MDR) between Vibrio cholerae isolates.
The emission benefits of European integration
Authors: Costa Luís , Moreau Vincent
Published: July 2019

Simulating the implications of Brexit on the UK’s emissions embodied in trade with a multi-region input–output table exposes the benefits of European integration. Under 2014 trade volumes, technologies and energy mixes, a hard Brexit—reverting to a trade pattern between the UK and the EU prior to the European Internal Market (EIM)—would imply a rise of about 0.215Gt of CO2eq in the UK’s emissions embodied in imports. This is equivalent to a 38% rise in UK’s imported emissions in 2014 and roughly equal to the territorial emissions of the Netherlands in 2017. Substituting imports from the EU with those from the Rest of the World (RoW), under the same conditions, implies adding 0.35 kg of CO2eq, on average, to each dollar of activity imported in the UK. This underlines the emission benefits of an integrated European market abiding to common environmental standards and climate policies. Filling the gap in imports lost from the UK to the EU by stepping up production within the EIM would result in an extra 0.012Gt of CO2eq, a rather small increase when compared to the additional emissions in the UK’s imports following Brexit. Should the EU reallocate the lost imports from the UK to the RoW, a total of 0.128Gt of CO2eq would be added to the EIM imports. This exposes the environmental benefits in terms of emissions in keeping UK trade closely linked to the EU and the important role that Single Member States can play indirectly on EU’s import emissions. In terms of emissions embodied in trade, the sum of the EU market is, paradoxically and for the better, less than the sum of its individual parts.
A note on Grothendieck’s standard conjectures of type 𝐶⁺ and 𝐷 in positive characteristic
Authors: Tabuada Gonçalo
Published: July 2019

Making use of topological periodic cyclic homology, we extend Grothendieck’s standard conjectures of type

C

+

\mathrm {C}^+

and

D

\mathrm {D}

(with respect to crystalline cohomology theory) from smooth projective schemes to smooth proper dg categories in the sense of Kontsevich. As a first application, we prove Grothendieck’s original conjectures in the new cases of linear sections of determinantal varieties. As a second application, we prove Grothendieck’s (generalized) conjectures in the new cases of “low-dimensional” orbifolds. Finally, as a third application, we establish a far-reaching noncommutative generalization of Berthelot’s cohomological interpretation of the classical zeta function and of Grothendieck’s conditional approach to “half” of the Riemann hypothesis. Along the way, following Scholze, we prove that the topological periodic cyclic homology of a smooth proper scheme

X
X

agrees with the crystalline cohomology theory of

X
X

(after inverting the characteristic of the base field).
Borel functors, interpretations, and strong conceptual completeness for ℒ_{𝜔₁𝜔}
Authors: Chen Ruiyuan
Published: July 2019

We prove a strong conceptual completeness theorem (in the sense of Makkai) for the infinitary logic

L

ω
1

ω

\mathcal {L}_{\omega _1\omega }

: every countable

L

ω
1

ω

\mathcal {L}_{\omega _1\omega }

-theory can be canonically recovered from its standard Borel groupoid of countable models, up to a suitable syntactical notion of equivalence. This implies that given two theories

(

L

,

T

)

(\mathcal {L}, \mathcal {T})

and

(

L

′

,

T

′

)

(\mathcal {L}’, \mathcal {T}’)

(in possibly different languages

L

,

L

′

\mathcal {L}, \mathcal {L}’

), every Borel functor

Mod
(

L

′

,

T

′

)
→
Mod
(

L

,

T

)

\text {Mod}(\mathcal {L}’, \mathcal {T}’) \to \text {Mod}(\mathcal {L}, \mathcal {T})

between the respective groupoids of countable models is Borel naturally isomorphic to the functor induced by some

L

ω
1

ω

′

\mathcal {L}’_{\omega _1\omega }

-interpretation of

T

\mathcal {T}

in

T

′

\mathcal {T}’

. This generalizes a recent result of Harrison-Trainor, Miller, and Montalbán in the

ℵ
0

\aleph _0

-categorical case.
Kähler hyperbolic manifolds and Chern number inequalities
Authors: Li Ping
Published: July 2019

We show in this article that Kähler hyperbolic manifolds satisfy a family of optimal Chern number inequalities and that the equality cases can be attained by some compact ball quotients. These present restrictions to complex structures on negatively curved compact Kähler manifolds, thus providing evidence for the rigidity conjecture of S.-T. Yau. The main ingredients in our proof are Gromov’s results on the

L
2

L^2

-Hodge numbers, the

−
1

-1

-phenomenon of the

χ
y

\chi _y

-genus and Hirzebruch’s proportionality principle. Similar methods can be applied to obtain parallel results on Kähler nonelliptic manifolds. In addition to these, we term a condition called “Kähler exactness”, which includes Kähler hyperbolic and nonelliptic manifolds and has been used by B.-L. Chen and X. Yang in their work, and we show that the canonical bundle of a Kähler exact manifold of the general type is ample. Some of its consequences and remarks are discussed as well.
Physicochemical mechanotransduction alters nuclear shape and mechanics via heterochromatin formation
Authors: Stephens Andrew D. , Liu Patrick Z. , Kandula Viswajit , Chen Haimei , Almassalha Luay M. , Herman Cameron , Backman Vadim , O’Halloran Thomas , Adam Stephen A. , Goldman Robert D. , Banigan Edward J. , Marko John F.
Published: July 2019

The nucleus houses, organizes, and protects chromatin to ensure genome integrity and proper gene expression, but how the nucleus adapts mechanically to changes in the extracellular environment is poorly understood. Recent studies have revealed that extracellular physical stresses induce chromatin compaction via mechanotransductive processes. We report that increased extracellular multivalent cations lead to increased heterochromatin levels through activation of mechanosensitive ion channels (MSCs), without large-scale cell stretching. In cells with perturbed chromatin or lamins, this increase in heterochromatin suppresses nuclear blebbing associated with nuclear rupture and DNA damage. Through micromanipulation force measurements, we show that this increase in heterochromatin increases chromatin-based nuclear rigidity, which protects nuclear morphology and function. In addition, transduction of elevated extracellular cations rescues nuclear morphology in model and patient cells of human diseases, including progeria and the breast cancer model cell line MDA-MB-231. We conclude that nuclear mechanics, morphology, and function can be modulated by cell sensing of the extracellular environment through MSCs and consequent changes to histone modification state and chromatin-based nuclear rigidity.
Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia and Those Bordering on Ductal Carcinoma In Situ Should Be Included in the Active Surveillance Clinical Trials
Authors: Khoury Thaer , Jabbour Nashwan , Peng Xuan , Yan Li , Quinn Marie
Published: July 2019

Objectives

Women with atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), unlike those with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), are denied eligibility for active surveillance clinical trials.

Methods

We applied the inclusion criteria of the Comparison of Operative to Monitoring and Endocrine Therapy (COMET) trial to the cases of women (n = 165) at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute who had a diagnosis of ADH, ADH bordering on DCIS, or low- to intermediate-grade DCIS on core biopsy taken during screening mammography. Upgrade of lesions to high risk was based on invasive carcinoma, high-grade DCIS, or DCIS with comedo necrosis.

Results

In total, nine (5.5%) lesions were upgraded: two (1.7%) reported ADH, one (5.9%) reported ADH bordering on DCIS, and six (19.4%) reported DCIS (P = .002); and two (1.6%) reclassified ADH vs seven (17.1%) reclassified DCIS (P < .001). In multivariate analysis, only increased number of foci had the potential to predict high risk (odds ratio: 1.39; P = .06).

Conclusions

We conclude that ADH and ADH bordering on DCIS have lower upgrade rates than DCIS. We recommend opening an active surveillance clinical trial for women with these diagnoses.
Hashimoto Thyroiditis in Primary Thyroid Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Authors: Travaglino Antonio , Pace Mirella , Varricchio Silvia , Insabato Luigi , Giordano Claudia , Picardi Marco , Pane Fabrizio , Staibano Stefania , Mascolo Massimo
Published: July 2019

Objectives

To assess the prevalence of Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) in primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL) and whether it differs between mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Methods

Electronic databases were searched for studies assessing HT prevalence in PTL, based on antithyroid antibodies, clinical history, or pathology. Pooled prevalence of HT and its association with histotype (MALT or DLBCL) were calculated.

Results

Thirty-eight studies with 1,346 PTLs were included. Pooled prevalence results were 78.9% (any HT evidence), 65.3% (antithyroid antibodies), 41.7% (clinical history), and 64% (pathology). HT prevalence was significantly higher in MALT lymphoma than in DLBCL (P = .007) and in mixed DLBCL/MALT than in pure DLBCL (P = .002).

Conclusions

Overall, 78.9% of patients with PTL have any HT evidence, but only half of these had been clinically followed. The difference in HT prevalence suggests that a subset of DLBCL may not derive from MALT lymphoma.
Estimating the Strength of Associations Between Prenatal Diet Quality and Child Developmental Outcomes: Results From a Large Prospective Pregnancy Cohort Study
Authors: Borge Tiril Cecilie , Brantsæter Anne Lise , Caspersen Ida Henriette , Meltzer Helle Margrete , Brandlistuen Ragnhild Eek , Aase Heidi , Biele Guido
Published: July 2019

Our aim in this study was to estimate the strength of associations between prenatal diet quality and child behavioral, language, and motor functions in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (1999–2008). We created a prenatal diet quality index (PDQI) based on adherence to Norwegian dietary guidelines. Child outcomes were defined as sum scores on the Child Behavior Checklist, the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, and the Child Development Index at ages 18, 36, and 60 months. Using a longitudinal cohort study design and Bayesian hierarchical modeling, we estimated association strengths using inverse probability weighting to account for selection bias. In total, 27,529 mother-child pairs were eligible for inclusion. A 1–standard-deviation increase in PDQI score was associated with an absolute reduction in outcome sum scores of 0.02–0.21 and a 3%–7% relative decrease, with larger decreases seen for language and motor functions than for behavioral functions. PDQI scores were inversely associated with all child functions, but the estimated strength of each association was low. The results indicate that the observed variations in PDQI scores in an industrialized Western society may not profoundly influence the child functions studied.
Falling Rates of Hospital Admissions for Alcoholic Liver Disease in Northeast Italy: A Retrospective Study on a Large Database
Authors: Caroli Diego , Rosa-Rizzotto Erik , Pilerci Claudio , Lobello Salvatore , De Lazzari Franca , Saia Mario
Published: July 2019

Aim

To describe recent trends in hospital admission rates for alcoholic liver disease (ALD) in the Veneto region of Italy.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study is based on anonymous hospital discharge records (HDRs) for 2000–2017 from all public and accredited private hospitals operating within the context of the Regional (Veneto) Health Services that are conserved in National/Regional database. It examined the HDR’s of all the hospitalizations of the residents of the Veneto region that were registered under an ALD diagnosis. These were classified under three subheadings: acute alcoholic hepatitis Alcoholic liver cirrhosis and ‘other ALD’.

Results

During 2000–2017, 30,089 hospital admissions (out of a total regional population of 4,900,000) were registered for ALD. Hospitalization stratified by age showed that the percentage attributable to acute alcoholic hepatitis is higher in younger age groups: 42% in 15–24-year-old (odds ratios (ORs): 14.74; CI95%: 7–30.86; P < 0.000) and 15% in the 25–44-year-old (OR: 3.51; CI95%: 3.12–3.94; P < 0.000). A longitudinal analysis of hospitalization patterns showed a 7% increase in average age in both sexes (from 58.8 ± 9.2 to 62.4 ± 9.7) and a substantial decrease (63.5%) in standardized hospitalization rates (HRs, χ2 trend: 4099.827; P < 0.000) and a smaller decrease (47%) in standardized mortality rates (χ2 trend: 89.563; P < 0.000).

Conclusions

The fall in the overall ALD-related HR in the Veneto region can be explained by a decrease in population alcohol consumption. Increase in the HRs for acute alcoholic hepatitis in the age group 15–44 suggests an ongoing need for strategies to prevent alcohol abuse by young people.
The Role of Endotoxin in Sterile Inflammation After Implanted Acellular Dermal Matrix: Red Breast Syndrome Explained?
Authors: Nguyen Thu-Hoai C , Brown Ashley M , Kulber David A , Moliver Clayton L , Kuehnert Matthew J
Published: July 2019

Background

Red breast syndrome (RBS) is a noninfectious erythema associated with acellular dermal matrix (ADM). The underlying cause remains unknown despite multiple suggested etiologies. No similar presentations to RBS have been reported in other anatomic regions.

Objectives

The authors sought to describe and identify a common etiology for ADM-associated sterile inflammation in the breast and upper extremity.

Methods

A retrospective review of medical complaints reported to MTF Biologics (Edison, NJ) from July 1, 2017 to January 3, 2018 was performed. Inventory samples were tested for endotoxin content in endotoxin units (eu) via the Limulus Amebocyte Lysate method to determine a common etiology for sterile inflammation.

Results

Cases of RBS and upper extremity sterile inflammation, “red hand syndrome,” are presented. Two patients developed RBS following implantation of ADM from the same donor; associated grafts in inventory had endotoxin levels of 167 eu and 320 eu per graft, respectively. Two patients developed red hand syndrome after joint arthroplasty with ADM from another donor; associated graft in inventory showed an endotoxin level of 1282 eu. Cultures were obtained and negative in 3 of the 4 cases. Since endotoxin screening of ADM donor lots began in January 2018 at MTF Biologics, no cases of sterile inflammation have been reported from screened units through December 31, 2018 (RBS rate, 39/15,529 [0.25%] vs 0/18,275 [0%], P < 0.0001).

Conclusions

The sterile inflammatory response in RBS and newly reported red hand syndrome may be attributable to the presence of endotoxin in implanted ADM. Endotoxin screening has been adopted by MTF Biologics with a significant decrease in reported reactions.

Level of Evidence: 5
Attentional Modulation of Vision Versus Proprioception During Action
Authors: Limanowski Jakub , Friston Karl
Published: July 2019

To control our actions efficiently, our brain represents our body based on a combination of visual and proprioceptive cues, weighted according to how (un)reliable—how precise—each respective modality is in a given context. However, perceptual experiments in other modalities suggest that the weights assigned to sensory cues are also modulated “top-down” by attention. Here, we asked whether during action, attention can likewise modulate the weights (i.e., precision) assigned to visual versus proprioceptive information about body position. Participants controlled a virtual hand (VH) via a data glove, matching either the VH or their (unseen) real hand (RH) movements to a target, and thus adopting a ``visual'' or ``proprioceptive'' attentional set, under varying levels of visuo-proprioceptive congruence and visibility. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) revealed increased activation of the multisensory superior parietal lobe (SPL) during the VH task and increased activation of the secondary somatosensory cortex (S2) during the RH task. Dynamic causal modeling (DCM) showed that these activity changes were the result of selective, diametrical gain modulations in the primary visual cortex (V1) and the S2. These results suggest that endogenous attention can balance the gain of visual versus proprioceptive brain areas, thus contextualizing their influence on multisensory areas representing the body for action.
Contributions of White Matter Connectivity and BOLD Modulation to Cognitive Aging: A Lifespan Structure-Function Association Study
Authors: Webb Christina E , Rodrigue Karen M , Hoagey David A , Foster Chris M , Kennedy Kristen M
Published: July 2019

The ability to flexibly modulate brain activation to increasing cognitive challenge decreases with aging. This age-related decrease in dynamic range of function of regional gray matter may be, in part, due to age-related degradation of regional white matter tracts. Here, a lifespan sample of 171 healthy adults (aged 20–94) underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning including diffusion-weighted imaging (for tractography) and functional imaging (a digit n-back task). We utilized structural equation modeling to test the hypothesis that age-related decrements in white matter microstructure are associated with altered blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) modulation, and both in turn, are associated with scanner-task accuracy and executive function performance. Specified structural equation model evidenced good fit, demonstrating that increased age negatively affects n-back task accuracy and executive function performance in part due to both degraded white matter tract microstructure and reduced task-difficulty-related BOLD modulation. We further demonstrated that poorer white matter microstructure integrity was associated with weakened BOLD modulation, particularly in regions showing positive modulation effects, as opposed to negative modulation effects. This structure-function association study provides further evidence that structural connectivity influences functional activation, and the two mechanisms in tandem are predictive of cognitive performance, both during the task, and for cognition measured outside the scanner environment.
Hepatitis C Virus Prevalence and Incidence in a Large Nationwide Sample of Patients in Opioid Substitution Treatment in Germany: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Schulte Bernd , Schmidt Christiane Sybille , Strada Lisa , Rosenkranz Moritz , Schäfer Ingo , Verthein Uwe , Reimer Jens
Published: July 2019

Background

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is highly prevalent among people who inject drugs (PWID). Accurate data on HCV prevalence and incidence rates among patients receiving opioid substitution treatment (OST) are needed to estimate the current and future burden of HCV infections in this high-risk population.

Methods

Baseline data from routine care were collected between October 2014 and June 2016 from randomly selected OST facilities in Germany. The primary outcome measure was the HCV status (antibody and RNA prevalence). Patients who were HCV antibody–negative at baseline were followed up after 12 months to calculate the HCV incidence rate.

Results

Sixty-three facilities from 14 German Federal States provided clinical data for a total of 2466 OST patients. HCV antibody and HCV RNA prevalence were 58.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 56.8%–60.8%) and 27.3% (95% CI, 25.5%–29.2%), respectively. At baseline, a total of 528 patients (21.4%) had previously undergone antiviral treatment. Moreover, lower HCV RNA prevalence was associated with female gender, employment, younger age, and shorter duration of OST and opioid dependence. The HCV incidence rate was 2.5 cases per 100 person-years.

Conclusions

The low HCV RNA prevalence and HCV incidence rates confirm that OST in Germany is an effective setting both for treating chronic HCV infections and for preventing new infections among PWID. Scaling up the provision of OST, HCV testing, and HCV treatment among OST patients are important public health strategies for reducing HCV infections in this high-risk population.
Targeting CD20+ B-lymphocytes in inflammatory dilated cardiomyopathy with rituximab improves clinical course: a case series
Authors: Tschöpe Carsten , Van Linthout Sophie , Spillmann Frank , Posch Maximilian G , Reinke Petra , Volk Hans-Dieter , Elsanhoury Ahmed , Kühl Uwe
Published: July 2019

Background 

The aetiology of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is highly heterogeneous including genetic and/or acquired (infective, toxic, immune, endocrine, and nutritional) factors. The major part of acquired DCM in developed countries is caused by either viral or autoimmune myocarditis. It is believed that the activation of the T-lymphocyte cell system is the major pathomechanism underlying autoimmune myocarditis and inflammatory DCM (DCMi). However, in the hearts of a subset of patients, a significant number of CD20+ B-lymphocytes can be detected too. Limited information exists on the role of B-cell-dependent mechanisms in the progression of DCMi. Particularly CD20+ B-lymphocytes, which can be targeted by anti-CD20+ B-lymphocytes antibodies or inhibitors, might contribute to the pathogenesis of myocardial damage beyond antibody production.

Case summary 

Here, we present a case series of six patients with subacute and chronic endomyocardial biopsy-proven CD20+ B-lymphocyte-associated DCMi, where symptomatic heart failure therapy, with or without combined immunosuppressive therapy with steroid-based treatment regime, was insufficient to improve cardiac function. Five patients improved clinically several weeks after a standard infusion protocol with rituximab, a chimeric monoclonal antibody against the pan-B-cell surface molecule CD20.

Discussion 

Our case series shows that CD20+ B-lymphocyte persistence can play a pathophysiologic role in a subset of DCMi patients and highlights the potential of targeting CD20+ B cells in patients with prominent CD20+ B-lymphocyte persistence.
White spruce wood quality for lumber products: priority traits and their enhancement through tree improvement
Authors: Hassegawa Mariana , Savard Mylène , Lenz Patrick R N , Duchateau Emmanuel , Gélinas Nancy , Bousquet Jean , Achim Alexis
Published: July 2019

White spruce breeding has traditionally focused on genetic improvement for high productivity, targeting mostly stem volume. However, new challenges, such as the effects of climate change on individual trees and ecosystems and the changing nature of forest products markets, require action to address these issues while providing improved stock for seed and seedling production. This work aims to define the relative importance of white spruce wood traits for the lumber industry, with the intent of guiding tree breeding programs. This manuscript examines: (1) wood features that are important for lumber, (2) the genetics of wood traits and their improvement and (3) the level of acceptance of raw material with optimal traits, as obtained from a survey conducted with sawmills. Stem diameter at stump height, wood density, bending strength and stiffness were determined as the most important properties for sawmills. Decay proportion, knot diameter, slope of grain and the proportion of compression wood were also determined as important for sawmills, but to a lesser extent. Breeding efforts aiming to produce lumber should focus on stems with improved growth that are capable of sustaining the production of dense wood in greater proportion.
Implications of Canadian youth views for measuring youth mental health from a socio-economic perspective
Authors: Laliberte Shari , Varcoe Colleen
Published: July 2019

Developing meaningful indicators to track youth mental health (MH) is important to support the development and evaluation of responsive mental health promotion (MHP) initiatives that address the socio-economic determinants of youth MH. Development of relevant indicators is challenged, however, by the lack of knowledge regarding the relations among socio-economic factors and youth MH. Thirty diverse young people from a Canadian metropolitan area were engaged within a process of social praxis to explore their experiences of the inter-relationship between their socio-economic environments and their MH and their processes of seeking to realize their MH. Participants emphasized ‘needs’ as foundational to MH, whereas ‘wants’, driven by materialistic and wealth-oriented values and social norms, constrained their MH. Their reflections on the inter-relations among their MH and socio-economic processes highlight eight inter-related MH needs within the Canadian socio-economic context. In this paper, we present these needs and show how these needs, young people’s affective states, and their access to resources within co-evolving socio-economic processes (to enable their needs) illustrate the fundamental inter-relation between young people’s MH and socio-economic processes. We identify implications for measuring youth MH within MHP practice, including the importance of iterative indicator frameworks that include measures of young people’s access to resources to enable their MH needs and their degree of distress.
Trigonal Deformations of Rank One and Jacobians
Authors: Beorchia Valentina , Pietro Pirola Gian , Zucconi Francesco
Published: July 2019

We study the infinitesimal deformations of a trigonal curve that preserve the trigonal series and such that the associate infinitesimal variation of Hodge structure is of rank $1.$ We show that if $g\geq 8$ or $g=6,7$ and the curve is Maroni general, this locus is zero dimensional. Moreover, we complete the result [10, Theorem 1.6]. We show in fact that if $g\geq 6$, the hyperelliptic locus ${{\mathcal{M}}}^1_{g,2}$ is the only $2g-1$-dimensional sub-locus ${{\mathcal{Y}}}$ of the moduli space ${{\mathcal{M}}}_g$ of curves of genus $g$, such that for the general element $[C]\in{{\mathcal{Y}}}$, its Jacobian $J(C)$ is dominated by a hyperelliptic Jacobian of genus $g^{\prime}\geq g$.
Broad and systemic immune-modulating capacity of plant-derived dsRNA
Authors: Hajake Takara , Matsuno Keita , Kasumba Dacquin M , Oda Haruka , Kobayashi Moe , Miyata Nao , Shinji Madoka , Kogure Amane , Kasajima Nodoka , Okamatsu Masatoshi , Sakoda Yoshihiro , Kato Hiroki , Fujita Takashi
Published: July 2019

Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is well characterized as an inducer of anti-viral interferon responses. We previously reported that dsRNA extracted from a specific edible plant possesses an immune-modulating capacity to confer, in mice, resistance against respiratory viruses, including the H1N1 strain of the influenza A virus (IAV). We report here that the systemic immune-activating capacity of the plant-derived dsRNA protected mice from infection by a highly virulent H5N1 strain of the IAV. In addition, subcutaneous inoculation of the dsRNA together with the inactivated virion of the H5N1 strain of the IAV suppressed the lethality of the viral infection as compared with individual inoculation of either dsRNA or HA protein, suggesting its potential usage as a vaccination adjuvant. Moreover, intra-peritoneal inoculation of the dsRNA limited the growth of B16-F10 melanoma cells through the activation of NK cells in murine models. Taken together, this study demonstrated the systemic immune-modulating capacity of a plant-derived dsRNA and its potential for nucleic acid-based clinical applications.
Genetic Analysis of Invasive Conehead Termites (Blattodea: Termitidae) Reveals a Single Origin for Two Populations in Florida
Authors: Thorne Barbara L , Vargo Edward L , Adams Eldridge S , Johnson Laura N L
Published: July 2019

In 2001, Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky), common name conehead termite, were discovered near a marina in Dania Beach, FL, where the invasive species was probably transported from its native range in Central and South America or the Caribbean. In January 2016, an infestation was found in Pompano Beach, Florida, approximately 21 km north of the Dania Beach population. This study compares variants in seven microsatellite loci across specimens from 11 nests in Dania Beach and 8 nests in Pompano Beach. Results are consistent with all N. corniger in both locations being descendants of a single introduced colony, spreading within Broward County, FL through human transport of infested materials. No more than four alleles were found at any of the seven microsatellite loci analyzed, inferring that a single Queen and King, or multiple sibling reproductives descended from a monogamous pair, headed the colony that arrived in Florida. The potential economic and environmental impacts of this invasive termite are enormous due to its broad diet, including agricultural crops and orchards, native and ornamental plants, natural landscapes, and structures. Conspicuous tunnels and aboveground nests are the key aspects of N. corniger biology that render colonies vulnerable to discovery and control. The now proven ability of N. corniger to establish breeding populations in the United States, to cause extensive property and landscape destruction, and to spread by human transport underscores the need for continued aggressive efforts toward eradication of known infestations as well as quick operational actions the next time invasive N. corniger are discovered.
The perfect surprise: a new analysis in dynamic epistemic logic
Authors: Vignero Leander , Demey Lorenz
Published: July 2019

In this article, we present a new logical framework to think about surprise. This research does not just aim to better understand, model and predict human behaviour, but also attempts to provide tools for implementing artificial agents. Moreover, these artificial agents should then also be able to reap the same epistemic benefits from surprise as humans do. We start by discussing the dominant literature regarding propositional surprise and explore its shortcomings. These shortcomings are of both an empirical and a conceptual nature. Next, we propose a philosophical solution to the problems that ail these systems, based on the notion of issue of epistemic interest. Finally, we give a formal framework to think about surprise. More specifically, we develop a probabilistic dynamic epistemic logic (called $\mathcal{SURPRISE!}$) that succeeds at formalizing the relevant philosophical concepts. This will be done through an issue management system grounded in topology. As an added bonus, the additional expressive power allows us to capture a richer variety of scenarios, and it also enables a more careful analysis of said scenarios.
Parent Pain Cognitions and Treatment Adherence in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Authors: Brandelli Yvonne N , Chambers Christine T , Tutelman Perri R , Stinson Jennifer N , Huber Adam M , Wilson Jennifer P
Published: July 2019

Objective

Given the high levels of pain and low rates of treatment adherence in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and their families, this study sought to examine the relationship between parent pain cognitions (i.e., pain catastrophizing, fear of pain) and treatment adherence, and how barriers to treatment (e.g., forgetting treatments, children resisting injections) may be implicated in this relationship.

Methods

Parents of children under 18 years of age who have been diagnosed with JIA were recruited to complete an online survey. In total, 221 parents (93% mothers) of children aged 2–17 years (M = 11.10, SD = 4.25) took part, completing questions regarding their pain cognitions, perceived barriers to treatment, and their child’s arthritis treatment adherence ability.

Results

Hierarchical regressions demonstrated that both pain cognitions (i.e., pain catastrophizing and fear of pain) were related to a decrease in parent-reported treatment adherence, however, pain catastrophizing was no longer significant when fear of pain was added to the model. The presence of treatment barriers partially mediated the relationship between fear of pain and treatment adherence, above and beyond the alternate model proposed.

Conclusion

These results suggest that parent pain catastrophizing and fears of pain are related to a greater difficulty following treatment plans, possibly in part because of barriers parents experience that preclude adherence. Given these findings, the identification and management of parent pain cognitions is critical to improving treatment adherence and outcomes for children with JIA and their families.
“A Poor, Washed Out, Pale Creature”: Passing, Dracula, and the Jazz Age Vampire
Authors: Killebrew Zachary
Published: July 2019

Although critics have repeatedly referenced the stagey or cinematic elements that characterize Passing’s (1929) narrative structure and occasionally observed its gothic aesthetics, thus far no critic has attempted to contextualize Nella Larsen’s novel within the American stage and film culture of the early twentieth century or the concurrent revitalization of America’s interest in the Gothic in film and theater. Situated primarily in New York and helmed by many of the same individuals, the Harlem and Gothic Renaissances of the interwar years cooperated to reframe racial and aesthetic discourses, as Harlem art absorbed and reimagined gothic art, culture, and slang and imbued Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) and its successors with covert racial commentary. This essay studies Nella Larsen’s Passing within this context, paying special attention to the influence of American racial discourse on Horace Liveright’s 1927 stage version of Dracula and its mutually influential relationship with black theater, art, and discourse. Melding contemporary archetypes of the Jazz Age vamp and gothic vampire to construct its liminal heroine, Clare Kendry, as a gothic figure in the vamp/vampire paradigm, Passing repurposes gothic elements to challenge racial binaries and to destabilize the racist status quo. This study suggests the significant extent to which Harlem Renaissance authors not only adapted the Gothic within their own literature but also reinvented and redefined it in the popular discourses of the twentieth century.
Translation and Classical Reception
Authors: Lianeri Alexandra
Published: July 2019

Translation has been central to engagement with the Greek and Roman worlds and their cultures ever since antiquity. The classic, as a concept that defines inseparably the canonical status of these cultures and the modes of reading them, has been mediated by the enterprise of translation. Roman literature and philosophy were not only shaped by translating Greek works, but constructed Greek culture as a classic through the medium of translation. Because of the importance of translations for the understanding and dissemination of Greek and Latin, interest in this field has preoccupied classical scholarship. Yet paradoxically, translation remained until recently under-theorized, restricted to an educational tool for those having no access to the originals. The development of classical reception studies in the 1990s marked a shift in the discipline by bringing translation into the heart of debates about the afterlife of classical antiquity. This new approach was grounded in discussions of translation advanced in the recently formed field of translation studies, but also in a long tradition of philosophical approaches, ranging from hermeneutics to poststructuralism, to a metaphorical concept of translation. Classical scholarship offered a distinct contribution to the above discussions by deploying, but also qualifying, concepts of translation elaborated in the above fields, such as the dismantling of the simple binary opposition between translation and source text, the sociopolitical role of translations, translators’ agency, and the ethics and politics of translation practice. So an increasing number of works illuminate and theorize the seminal role of translations in shaping both the “classical” image of antiquity and its repercussions in the different contexts of its reception. A key contribution of this debate to the wider discussion of translation has been an emphasis on the mutually constitutive relationship between translation and source text, which entails that each of them actively shapes the meaning and cultural identity of the other. This bibliography does not exhaust the multifarious history of modes and practices of translating Greek and Latin texts across time. Nor does it reflect on problems pertaining to the practice of translating. However, it includes tools for the study of translation practice in history (bibliographies, reference works, databases), which feature more extensive bibliographical information. The bibliography’s key focus is on concepts and frameworks deployed for debating translations as historically-specific works that interpret the classics in terms that are multiply intertwined with the ethical, aesthetic, social, and political debates of their time.
Business Ethics
Authors: Moriarty Jeffrey
Published: July 2019

“Business” has two meanings. A “business” is an entity that offers a good or service for sale, typically with the goal of making a profit. Wal-Mart and Toyota are businesses. “Business” can also mean the activity of exchange. An individual does business with Toyota when she exchanges some of her money for one of its cars. So “business ethics” includes the study of the ethics of the entities that offer (and often produce) goods and services for sale, as well as the ethics of exchange and activities connected with exchange (e.g., advertising). Philosophers have long been interested in these subjects. Aristotle worried about the effects of commerce on character, while Aquinas wrote on profit and prices. Smith and Marx thought deeply about the organization of the process of production. Business ethics in its current incarnation traces its roots to the 1970s and 1980s, when a group of moral philosophers applied ethical theories to business activity. A number of business ethics journals were created around this time, and business ethics became a familiar course in philosophy departments. Common topics of inquiry were and continue to be the purpose of the firm, corporate governance, corporate moral agency, rights and duties at work, fairness in pay and pricing, the limits of markets, marketing ethics, supply chain ethics, and corporate political activity. Not long after philosophers reinvigorated the field, social scientists entered it (and in fact had been working on related issues the whole time). They have increasingly pulled the field, and its academic courses, into business schools. This article concentrates on the philosophical or normative side of business ethics, but it also says something about the descriptive or social scientific side when they overlap.
Sexuality Across the Life Course
Authors: Blumenstock Shari M. , DeLamater John
Published: July 2019

Sexuality is a multidimensional aspect of human life that includes sexual behaviors, sexual feelings, and sexual orientation (see the separate Oxford Bibliographies in Sociology article “Sexualities” by Nancy Fischer). Sexual expression is influenced by psychological factors such as attitudes, emotions, and the learned residues of past experience, as well as social factors such as social norms and laws, and one’s social identities and relationships, including (potential) partners and social networks. Sexuality and sexual expression also have a biological base, as genetic inheritance and the resulting anatomy and physiology of the human body set the parameters of human sexual behavior, both solo and partnered. Thus, we need a biopsychosocial perspective to incorporate the relevant influences on an individual’s sexual expression and lifestyle. Sexuality and its expression play critical roles throughout an individual’s life. Scholars have often focused on sexuality in a single stage of life—childhood, adolescence, adulthood, later life—or within a specific type of relationship—noncommitted (i.e., casual or “hookups”), premarital, marital, divorced, cohabiting. In reality, sexuality undergoes a continuous process of development from birth to death. Thus, in addition to a biopsychosocial perspective, we need a perspective that has the breadth to encompass this lifelong process. The life course perspective (see the separate Oxford Bibliographies in Sociology article “Life Course” by Deborah Carr) is based upon four key assumptions: 1) lives are embedded in and shaped by historical context; 2) individuals construct their own lives, within the constraints of historical and social context; 3) lives are intertwined through social relationships; and 4) the meaning and impact of a life transition depends on when it occurs. Applied to sexuality, this perspective recognizes the impact of biology via inheritance at birth; biological processes such as puberty, menopause, and aging; and influences related to the body. The historical and social context, particularly extant norms and laws relating to sexual practices, intersecting social identities, and relationships is also important. Sexual expression is further influenced by families, social networks, and intimate relationships. Moreover, within the constraints related to their biological, social, and historical contexts, individuals exercise agency and play an active role in constructing their sexuality. Lastly, life events, and their timing, have a major impact on an individual’s current and later sexuality (e.g., consider the effects of pregnancy at 15 versus 25 versus 45 years of age). Combining an interdisciplinary biopsychosocial perspective on sexuality with a broad life course perspective on the influences on individuals’ lives yields a powerful and nuanced analysis of sexual expression throughout life.