bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A survey of neural networks usage for intrusion detection systems
Authors: Drewek-Ossowicka Anna , Pietrołaj Mariusz , Rumiński Jacek
Published: May 2020

In recent years, advancements in the field of the artificial intelligence (AI) gained a huge momentum due to the worldwide appliance of this technology by the industry. One of the crucial areas of AI are neural networks (NN), which enable commercial utilization of functionalities previously not accessible by usage of computers. Intrusion detection system (IDS) presents one of the domains in which neural networks are widely tested for improving overall computer network security and data privacy. This article gives a thorough overview of recent literature regarding neural networks usage in intrusion detection system area, including surveys and new method proposals. Short tutorial descriptions of neural network architectures, intrusion detection system types and training datasets are also provided.
Nicotinamide as a Catalyst for Zn2+ Electroreduction in Acetate Buffer
Authors: Nieszporek Jolanta
Published: May 2020

The paper presents the catalytic influence of nicotinamide on Zn2+ electroreduction. Changes in differential capacitance curves of the double layer Hg/acetate buffer pH = 6.0 as well as changes in zero charge potential values indicate nicotinamide adsorption with the aromatic ring on the electrode surface. This adsorption is responsible for its catalytic influence on the kinetics of Zn2+ ion electroreduction from the acetate buffer solution. The effect is stronger with increasing nicotinamide concentration. It is confirmed by the following factors: the increase in standard electrode rate constants, the reduction in the distance between anode and cathodic peaks on CV voltamperograms, and the decrease in activation resistance associated with the electrode reaction for nicotinamide solutions relative to those obtained in the case of reference solution. A very high catalytic capacity of vitamin B3 on Zn2+ ion electroreduction kinetics from pH = 6.0 acetate buffer can be explained by the formation of an active complex on the surface of the mercury electrode: Zn2+ nicotinamide, which can be described as a bridge facilitating electron exchange.
Optimization using central composite design (CCD) of response surface methodology (RSM) for biosorption of hexavalent chromium from aqueous media
Authors: Bayuo Jonas , Abukari Moses Abdullai , Pelig-Ba Kenneth Bayetimani
Published: May 2020

In this study, unmodified biosorbent was obtained fromArachis hypogeahusk and applied to remove hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] from aqueous media through batch technique. The independent variables (contact time, pH of the solution and initial Cr(VI) concentration) influencing the adsorption process were optimized by central composite design (CCD) found in response surface methodology of the Design-Expert software 12.0.0 at a fixed temperature of 30 ± 0.5 °C. Furthermore, equilibrium sorption isotherms and kinetics studies were also investigated. The ANOVA component of the CCD indicated that all the process independent variables investigated had significant impacts on the sorption capacity of Cr(VI) byArachis hypogeahusk. The obtained experimental data showed that at the optimized 120 min contact time, 8.0 pH of the aqueous solution and 50 mg/L initial Cr(VI) concentration resulted in an optimum adsorption capacity of 2.355 mg/g. Equilibrium sorption isotherm and kinetic studies showed that Redlich–Peterson adsorption isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models fitted well to the equilibrium data. The unmodified adsorbent fromArachis hypogeahusk was found to be efficient for Cr(VI) decontamination from the aqueous media.
Evaluation of diffuse fraction and diffusion coefficient using statistical analysis
Authors: Salhi Hicham , Belkhiri Lazhar , Tiri Ammar
Published: May 2020

In this study, eighty models are proposed in order to estimate the diffuse fraction and diffuse coefficient. For the proposed models, sunshine ratio and clearness index are considered as predictors. Monthly average global and diffuse solar radiation together with sunshine duration data of Tamanrasset station form 1995 to 2017 were analyzed. The different proposed models are compared and statistically analyzed to assess the performance of the best fitted model. Nine statistical indicators and Global Performance Indicator are computed to evaluate different proposed models. It is concluded that the cubic model with sunshine ratio and clearness index is selected as the best accurate model to estimate diffuse solar radiation on a horizontal surface in the study area.
Öffentlich-private Partnerschaften und kommunale Verschuldung
Authors: Wigger Berthold U. , Zimmermann Dominik H.
Published: May 2020

Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht, ob es einen Zusammenhang gibt zwischen der Verschuldung einer Kommune und ihrer Neigung, Infrastrukturprojekte in Form von Öffentlich-privaten Partnerschaften zu realisieren. Ähnlich wie Kredite verschieben Öffentlich-private Partnerschaften (ÖPP) Zahlungsverpflichtungen der öffentlichen Hand in die Zukunft. Gelegentlich wird deshalb argumentiert, dass Gebietskörperschaften ÖPP dazu missbrauchen, das tatsächliche Ausmaß öffentlicher Verschuldung zu verschleiern. Kommunen, die das Verschuldungsinstrument bereits intensiv genutzt haben, sollten dann eine höhere ÖPP-Neigung aufweisen. Der vorliegende Beitrag findet dafür keine belastbare Evidenz. Mit Hilfe von Daten des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen findet der Beitrag zwar, dass Kommunen mit ÖPP auch eine höhere Verschuldung aufweisen. In einer ökonometrischen Analyse entpuppt sich der Effekt der Verschuldung auf die Anzahl von ÖPP aber als insignifikant und zudem quantitativ unbedeutend.
»Jedesmaligkeit«
Authors: Axer Eva
Published: May 2020

In seinem Buch Einfache Formen (1930) entwickelt André Jolles in Auseinandersetzung mit Goethes Naturkunde die Vorstellung einer besonderen Zeitlichkeit der von ihm so genannten »Einfachen Formen«, die er als »Jedesmaligkeit« bezeichnet. Jolles greift damit den morphologischen Gedanken einer Vielgestaltigkeit von Form vor dem Hintergrund der sprachwissenschaftlichen Debatten seines politisierten akademischen Umfelds in Leipzig auf, das den Saussure’schen Systemgedanken der Sprache unter Rückbezug auf Wilhelm von Humboldt holistisch umdeuten wollte. Der Aufsatz verortet Jolles’ Überlegungen in der formorientierten Literatur- und Kulturtheorie der Zeit. Anhand seiner Zeitbegriffe und seines Formkonzepts wird gezeigt, wie er die zeitgenössischen Ideen der Ganzheit und der Verzeitlichung von Form im Ausgang morphologischer Fragen auf eigenwillige Weise interpretierte.
Plastics in packaging and the future of sustainability
Authors: Berriman Dave
Published: May 2020

As companies are called to redouble sustainability efforts when it comes to reducing plastics in packaging, manufacturers must ensure that they properly assess new packaging materials before committing to alternatives. Dave Berriman, Technical Manager at ULMA Packaging UK, shares the developments being made to support the transition to more sustainable packaging options, while not ruling out plastics altogether.
Enhanced axial thrust-washer design enables more effective use of lubrication fluid
Authors: Atkinson Simon
Published: May 2020

Freudenberg Sealing Technologies (FST) has optimised the design for its Levitorq™ axial thrust-washers by adding what it describes as a “scoop” feature for applications reliant on splash lubrication. As this brief article shows, this improved design is able to collect and push lubrication fluid under the washer to enable higher critical speeds and enhanced performance.
Efficient management of seal water and resources using “non-flow” mode of operation
Authors: Atkinson Simon
Published: May 2020

In this brief technology focus article EagleBurgmann Germany GmbH & Co. KG highlights some of the benefits of using seals under what is termed the “non-flow” mode of operation. These include, for example, low purchase costs, because there is no need for a complex supply system, and minimal water consumption when operating the seal.
Acquired methemoglobinemia presenting to the pediatric emergency department: a clinical challenge
Authors: Friedman Nir , Scolnik Dennis , McMurray Lindsey , Bryan Jennifer
Published: May 2020

Objectives

Acquired methemoglobinemia (MetHb) is an uncommon presentation of cyanosis in the pediatric emergency department (ED), making its diagnosis and management a clinical challenge. Through this case series we hope to improve clinician ability to recognize the potential for MetHb in pediatric ED patients and to avoid overlooking this important cause of cyanosis.

Methods

This was a case series using a health records review, investigating patients diagnosed with MetHb at our pediatric ED during 2007–2018. We included only cases with methemoglobin saturation ≥5%.

Results

Ten patients were diagnosed with MetHb in our pediatric ED during the study period. Five had an underlying hematologic disease who received a pharmacologic trigger known to induce MetHb as well (four dapsone, one rasburicase). The other five patients were previously healthy, who presented with a clinical picture of hemolytic anemia, all of whom were diagnosed with previously unknown glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Two of the patients received methylene blue, and five patients needed packed red blood cells. All of the patients survived the acute MetHb episode.

Conclusion

Acquired MetHb in the pediatric ED is a rare but important cause of cyanosis. Diagnosis and management of acute, acquired MetHb in the ED requires a high level of suspicion, and a background knowledge of the common precipitants and underlying conditions associated with this condition. We hope this case series will help ED physicians to consider MetHb in pediatric patients presenting with cyanosis and persistent hypoxia. Exposure to known precipitants (e.g., medications and foods), particularly in the setting of active treatment for malignancy or with symptoms of hemolytic anemia should further increase suspicion.
CTSA recruitment resources: An inventory of what CTSA hubs are currently offering
Authors: Niyibizi Nyiramugisha , McIntosh Scott , Hudson Brenda Lee , Sipocz Ashley , Paku Emily , Dykes Carrie
Published: May 2020

Introduction:

In order to tackle the challenge of efficiently meeting clinical research accrual goals, many Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) recipients have developed recruitment support mechanisms and resources to help investigators successfully recruit study participants. Disseminating recruitment best practices and developing collaborations between institutions can help strengthen recruitment capabilities and methodologies currently utilized by researchers.

Methods:

To discover what recruitment resources and mechanisms CTSAs are using, the CTSA Recruitment and Retention working group developed an electronic survey, which was distributed to CTSAs between May and July 2019. The survey contained over 50 multiple choice and short answer questions, with 40 of the 64 CTSA institutions completing the survey. Institutions reported on registries, feasibility assessment tools, clinical trial listings, experience recruiting special populations, program operations and evaluation, workforce education, social media use, and other recruitment resources.

Results:

All respondents currently utilize some form of a volunteer registry; over 80% of the CTSAs provide investigators with recruitment consultations, feasibility assessments, study listings, and electronic health record (EHR) utilization; 73% assist with study materials; 47% offer social media assistance. Many institutions reported success in recruiting patients and healthy volunteers, but difficulty in recruiting special populations such as non-English-speaking persons and rural populations. Additional recruitment tools included use of the EHR to facilitate recruitment, use of registries, and use of social media to engage participants.

Conclusions:

Areas of opportunity or growth include the development of innovative solutions in the areas of social media advertising, identification of participants from special populations, and research volunteer engagement.
A sparsity preserving genetic algorithm for extracting diverse functional 3D designs from deep generative neural networks
Authors: Cunningham James D. , Shu Dule , Simpson Timothy W. , Tucker Conrad S.
Published: May 2020

Generative neural networks (GNNs) have successfully used human-created designs to generate novel 3D models that combine concepts from disparate known solutions, which is an important aspect of design exploration. GNNs automatically learn a parameterization (orlatent space) of a design space, as opposed to alternative methods that manually define a parameterization. However, GNNs are typically not evaluated using an explicit notion of physical performance, which is a critical capability needed for design. This work bridges this gap by proposing a method to extract a set of functional designs from the latent space of a point cloud generating GNN, without sacrificing the aforementioned aspects of a GNN that are appealing for design exploration. We introduce a sparsity preserving cost function and initialization strategy for a genetic algorithm (GA) to optimize over the latent space of a point cloud generating autoencoder GNN. We examine two test cases, an example of generating ellipsoid point clouds subject to a simple performance criterion and a more complex example of extracting 3D designs with a low coefficient of drag. Our experiments show that the modified GA results in a diverse set of functionally superior designs while maintaining similarity to human-generated designs in the training data set.
The Entrepreneurial Culture and Bureaucracy in Twentieth-Century America
Authors: GALAMBOS LOUIS
Published: May 2020

America’s entrepreneurial culture is important because it promotes the search for new opportunities for innovation. Here, the author traces that culture through two industrial revolutions and focuses on the growing tension between entrepreneurship and bureaucracy inside and outside of the nation’s twentieth-century firms. Business histories are explored using categories adapted from behavioral economics. Particular attention is devoted to some of the important exceptions that throw light upon the stereotypes of the static government agency and the slow-moving industrial firm. Still, the author concludes, following World War II the economy had to be pulled out of its bureaucratic doldrums by new science- and social science-based industries that invigorated the nation’s entrepreneurial culture and promoted a wave of significant biological and digital innovations. The article concludes with a glance at the future of the bureaucratic and entrepreneurial cultures.
Governance through Documents: The Board of Trade, Its Archive, and the Imperial Constitution of the Eighteenth-Century British Atlantic World
Authors: Siddique Asheesh Kapur
Published: May 2020

This article examines the role of documents, their circulation, and their archivization in the enactment of the imperial constitution of the British Empire in the Atlantic world during the long eighteenth century. It focuses on the Board of Trade's dispatch of “Instructions” and “Queries” to governors in the American colonies, arguing that it was through the circulation of these documents and the use of archives that the board sought to enforce constitutional norms of bureaucratic conduct and the authority of central institutions of imperial administration. In the absence of a singular, codified written constitution, the British state relied upon a variety of different kinds of documents to forge the imperial Atlantic into a governed space. The article concludes by pointing to the continuing centrality of documents and archives to the bureaucratic manifestation of the imperial constitution in the immediate aftermath of the American Revolution.
England's Immigrants, 1330–1550: Aliens in Later Medieval and Early Tudor England
Authors: Ormrod W. Mark
Published: May 2020

This article, a revised and annotated version of a plenary lecture given at the North American Conference on British Studies meeting in October 2018, considers the place and significance of aliens in England's history between the expulsion of the Jews in 1290 and the arrival of the French and Dutch Protestants from the 1540s onward. It draws extensively on a new database of immigrants to England between 1330 and 1550, which itself relies principally on the remarkable records generated by a tax on aliens resident in England, collected at various points between 1440 and 1487. Aliens emerge as a significant element in English society—sometimes chastised, sometimes subject to violence and other abuse, but also recognized clearly for their contribution to the economy. If immigrants were sometimes seen as a potentially disruptive presence, they were also understood to be a natural and permanent part of the social order.
“The People Who Write to Us Are the People Who Don't Like Us”: Class, Gender, and Citizenship in the Survey of Sickness, 1943–1952
Authors: Payling Daisy
Published: May 2020

The Second World War and the rise of social medicine in 1940s Britain reframed population health as a social problem in need of state investigation. The resulting government inquiry, the Survey of Sickness, sampled the whole adult population of England and Wales, engaging a broad and diverse cross-section in public health research for the first time. Complaints made against the Survey of Sickness reveal a complex set of relationships between different sections of the public and the British state. This article situates complaints about privacy, liberty, and wasted resources, as well as challenges to the authority of survey fieldworkers, in the context of wider resistance to postwar controls. By viewing these protests and criticisms in light of the material circumstances of the people who made them, this article argues that, for those with social, economic, and political capital, the role of the public in public health was up for negotiation in postwar Britain. The everyday politics of the survey's doorstep encounters were heavily influenced by gendered notions of home and citizenship. This exploration of how different sections of the public were constructed by public health and how they responded to that construction describes the hierarchies of expertise under formation while illuminating how class and gender informed contemporary understandings of citizenship in the emerging postwar British state.
British Humanitarian Political Economy and Famine in India, 1838–1842
Authors: Major Andrea
Published: May 2020

This article explores the nature and limitations of humanitarian political economy by discussing metropolitan British responses to a major famine that took place in the Agra region of north-central India in 1837–38. This disaster played a significant role in catalyzing wider debates about the impact of East India Company governance and the place of the subcontinent within the post-emancipation British Empire. By comparing the responses of organization such as the Aborigines Protection Society and British India Society to that of proponents of the newly emergent indenture system, the paper seeks to contextualize responses to the famine in terms both of longer histories of famine in South Asia and of the specific imperial circumstances of the late 1830s. In doing so, it explores how ideas of agricultural distress in India fed into competing strategies to utilize Indian labor in the service of colonial commodity production both within India and around the empire.
A Good Place to Live: Plants and People at the Santa Elina Rock Shelter (Central Brazil) from Late Pleistocene to the Holocene
Authors: Scheel-Ybert Rita , Bachelet Caroline
Published: May 2020

The Santa Elina rock shelter (Central Brazil) was recurrently occupied from the Late Pleistocene to the Late Holocene. We compare sets of previously published anthracological analyses with new data to reconstruct the landscape, vegetation, and climate over the several thousand years of occupation, providing information on firewood management from about 27,000 to about 1500 cal BP. Laboratory analyses followed standard anthracological procedures. We identified 34 botanical families and 84 genera in a sample of almost 5,000 charcoal pieces. The Leguminosae family dominates the assemblage, followed by Anacardiaceae, Bignoniaceae, Rubiaceae, Euphorbiaceae, and Sapotaceae. The area surrounding the shelter was forested throughout the studied period. The local landscape was formed, as it is today, by a mosaic of vegetation types that include forest formations and open cerrado. Some regional vegetation changes may have occurred over time. Our data corroborate the practice of opportunistic firewood gathering in all periods of site occupation, despite a possible cultural preference for some taxa. The very long occupation of Santa Elina may be due not only to its attractiveness as a rock shelter but also to the continuously forested vegetation around it. It was a good place to live.
CHARACTERIZING THE MOD- LOCAL LANGLANDS CORRESPONDENCE BY NILPOTENT GAMMA FACTORS
Authors: MOSS GILBERT
Published: May 2020

Let $F$ be a $p$-adic field and choose $k$ an algebraic closure of $\mathbb{F}_{\ell }$, with $\ell$ different from $p$. We define “nilpotent lifts” of irreducible generic $k$-representations of $GL_{n}(F)$, which take coefficients in Artin local $k$-algebras. We show that an irreducible generic $\ell$-modular representation $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70B}$ of $GL_{n}(F)$ is uniquely determined by its collection of Rankin–Selberg gamma factors $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}(\unicode[STIX]{x1D70B}\times \widetilde{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}},X,\unicode[STIX]{x1D713})$ as $\widetilde{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}}$ varies over nilpotent lifts of irreducible generic $k$-representations $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}$ of $GL_{t}(F)$ for $t=1,\ldots ,\lfloor \frac{n}{2}\rfloor$. This gives a characterization of the mod-$\ell$ local Langlands correspondence in terms of gamma factors, assuming it can be extended to a surjective local Langlands correspondence on nilpotent lifts.
The Talking Dead: Everyday Muslim Practice in Russia
Authors: Schmoller Jesko
Published: May 2020

This article focusses on the issue of “traditional Islam” in Russia and the practices associated with it. Employing an approach that combines the concepts of lived religion and everyday nationalism, those practices are taken into consideration that are often interpreted in terms of vernacular Islam and regarded skeptically, if not outright rejected, by proponents of a more global Islam. Discussed in detail are commemoration ceremonies for the dead, prayers in the cemetery, saint veneration and local pilgrimage, themawlidcelebration and the use of prayer beads. These practices indicate an outlook on life, where Muslim believers cultivate a close connection to their environment and maintain personal relations to various human and more-than-human beings, thus creating the space for an exchange crossing the boundary between life and death. The article contributes to the anthropological study of Islam in Russia and—by focusing on religious practice—specifically attempts to capture the main characteristics of “traditional Islam.”
Political Secularism and Muslim Integration in the West: Assessing the Effects of the French Headscarf Ban
Authors: ABDELGADIR AALA , FOUKA VASILIKI
Published: May 2020

In response to rising immigration flows and the fear of Islamic radicalization, several Western countries have enacted policies to restrict religious expression and emphasize secularism and Western values. Despite intense public debate, there is little systematic evidence on how such policies influence the behavior of the religious minorities they target. In this paper, we use rich quantitative and qualitative data to evaluate the effects of the 2004 French headscarf ban on the socioeconomic integration of French Muslim women. We find that the law reduces the secondary educational attainment of Muslim girls and affects their trajectory in the labor market and family composition in the long run. We provide evidence that the ban operates through increased perceptions of discrimination and that it strengthens both national and religious identities.
‘Scientific Strabismus’ or two related pandemics: coronavirus disease and vitamin D deficiency
Authors: Kara Murat , Ekiz Timur , Ricci Vincenzo , Kara Özgür , Chang Ke-Vin , Özçakar Levent
Published: May 2020

The WHO has announced the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak to be a global pandemic. The distribution of community outbreaks shows seasonal patterns along certain latitude, temperature and humidity, that is, similar to the behaviour of seasonal viral respiratory tract infections. COVID-19 displays significant spread in northern mid-latitude countries with an average temperature of 5–11°C and low humidity. Vitamin D deficiency has also been described as pandemic, especially in Europe. Regardless of age, ethnicity and latitude, recent data showed that 40 % of Europeans are vitamin D deficient (25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels <50 nmol/l), and 13 % are severely deficient (25(OH)D < 30 nmol/l). A quadratic relationship was found between the prevalences of vitamin D deficiency in most commonly affected countries by COVID-19 and the latitudes. Vitamin D deficiency is more common in the subtropical and mid-latitude countries than the tropical and high-latitude countries. The most commonly affected countries with severe vitamin D deficiency are from the subtropical (Saudi Arabia 46 %; Qatar 46 %; Iran 33·4 %; Chile 26·4 %) and mid-latitude (France 27·3 %; Portugal 21·2 %; Austria 19·3 %) regions. Severe vitamin D deficiency was found to be nearly 0 % in some high-latitude countries (e.g. Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Netherlands). Accordingly, we would like to call attention to the possible association between severe vitamin D deficiency and mortality pertaining to COVID-19. Given its rare side effects and relatively wide safety, prophylactic vitamin D supplementation and/or food fortification might reasonably serve as a very convenient adjuvant therapy for these two worldwide public health problems alike.
Asset Variance Risk Premium and Capital Structure
Authors: Lotfaliei Babak
Published: May 2020

This article investigates how the asset-return variance risk premium changes leverage. I find that the premium reduces leverage by increasing risk-neutral bankruptcy probability and costs in a model where asset returns have stochastic variance with the risk premium. Empirically, the model calibrations verify a significant reduction in optimal leverage, closer to observed leverage than the model without the premium. In model-free regressions, I document that leverage correlates negatively with the variance premium. The highest negative correlation is among investment-grade firms with low asset beta and historical variance but high variance premiums because their assets have high exposure to the market’s variance premium.
From Local to Global: Reflections on Dance Dissemination and Migration within Polska and Lindy Hop Communities
Authors: Nilsson Mats
Published: May 2020

This article discusses dissemination of dances in and out of Sweden, and the dancing communities these processes create. The examples are the African-American Lindy Hop, which originated in New York City, and the polska, a couple dance considered to be the number one Swedish folk dance. Both dances were once used in local community dancing, while today they belong to dancing communities in many places around the world.
A MAX-CORRELATION WHITE NOISE TEST FOR WEAKLY DEPENDENT TIME SERIES
Authors: Hill Jonathan B. , Motegi Kaiji
Published: May 2020

This article presents a bootstrapped p-value white noise test based on the maximum correlation, for a time series that may be weakly dependent under the null hypothesis. The time series may be prefiltered residuals. The test statistic is a normalized weighted maximum sample correlation coefficient $ \max _{1\leq h\leq \mathcal {L}_{n}}\sqrt {n}|\hat {\omega }_{n}(h)\hat {\rho }_{n}(h)|$, where $\hat {\omega }_{n}(h)$ are weights and the maximum lag $ \mathcal {L}_{n}$ increases at a rate slower than the sample size n. We only require uncorrelatedness under the null hypothesis, along with a moment contraction dependence property that includes mixing and nonmixing sequences. We show Shao’s (2011, Annals of Statistics 35, 1773–1801) dependent wild bootstrap is valid for a much larger class of processes than originally considered. It is also valid for residuals from a general class of parametric models as long as the bootstrap is applied to a first-order expansion of the sample correlation. We prove the bootstrap is asymptotically valid without exploiting extreme value theory (standard in the literature) or recent Gaussian approximation theory. Finally, we extend Escanciano and Lobato’s (2009, Journal of Econometrics 151, 140–149) automatic maximum lag selection to our setting with an unbounded lag set that ensures a consistent white noise test, and find it works extremely well in controlled experiments.
Architecture and Cellular Composition of the Spleen in the Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica)
Authors: Mustafa Fatma El-Zahraa A. , El-Desoky Sara M.M.
Published: May 2020

The spleen is considered a key player in birds’ immunity. The stroma and the parenchyma of the spleen of the adult quail were demonstrated histologically, histochemically, and ultrastructurally. A thin capsule and the absence of trabeculae were the most characteristics of spleen stroma. The demarcation between white pulp and red pulp was not observed in the quail. White pulp formed from the periarterial lymphatic sheath and the periellipsoidal lymphatic sheath, both of which were surrounded by arteriole and ellipsoid, respectively. Ellipsoids appeared more numerous and were characterized by cuboidal lining of the epithelium and supporting cells. Red pulp consisted of sinuses and cords. White pulp and red pulp of the quail spleen contained various cells, such as red blood cells, macrophages, heterophils with characteristic granules, lymphocytes of different sizes, dendritic cells, plasma cells, and telocytes. In addition, closed circulation and open circulation established the blood flow on the spleen.
Enhancing benefits of bolus use through minimising the effect of air-gaps on dose distribution in photon beam radiotherapy
Authors: Bahhous Karim , Zerfaoui Mustapha , Rahmouni Abdelaali , El Khayati Naima
Published: May 2020

Introduction:

Bolus material is frequently used on patient’s skin during radiation therapy to reduce or remove build-up effect for high-energy beams. However, the air-gaps formed between the bolus and the skin’s irregular surface reduce the accuracy of treatment planning. To achieve a good treatment outcome using bolus, experimental investigations are required to choose its thickness and to quantify the air-gap effect.

Material and methods:

Measurements for a 6 MV photon beam with a fixed source surface distance were carried out using the 31021 Semiflex 3D chamber into the water phantom. Firstly, the depth of maximum dose (R100) and the dose value at surface (Ds) were evaluated as a function of bolus thickness for some square fields. Secondly, to test the effect of the air-gaps ranged from 5 to 30 mm with a step of 5 mm between the bolus and the phantom surface, a water-equivalent RW3 (Goettingen White Water) slab form of 10 mm thickness was considered as a bolus.

Results:

We observed that the linear behaviour of R100 in terms of the bolus thickness makes the choice of this parameter more convenient depending on field size. In addition, increasing the air-gaps widens the penumbra and created electrons that have a greater probability to quit the radiation field borders before reaching the surface. The dose spread of the off-field area could have a significant influence on the patient treatment.

Conclusion:

Based on dose distribution comparisons between the measurements with and without air-gaps for the field size of 100 mm × 100 mm, it has been demonstrated that a maximum air-gap value lower than 5 mm would be desirable for an efficient use of the bolus technique.
Impact of Fluidized Granular Flows into Water: Implications for Tsunamis Generated by Pyroclastic Flows
Authors: Bougouin A. , Paris R. , Roche O.
Published: May 2020

Novel laboratory experiments of fluidized granular flows entering water are reported, for the purpose of investigating tsunamis generated by pyroclastic flows. Qualitatively, the impact of a fluidized granular flow into water leads to (i) an initial vertical granular jet over water, (ii) a leading and largest wave, and (iii) a turbulent mixing zone forming a turbidity current. The present study focuses on the leading wave features in the near‐field region, as a function of the mass flux per width qm and the volume per width υ of the flow, the maximum water depth Ho, and the slope angle θ of the inclined plane. The obtained waves are of Stokes and cnoidal types, for which the generation is mostly controlled by qm and υ. By contrast, Ho plays no role on the wave generation that occurs in the shallowest region. Moreover, a comparison between fluidized granular, dry (nonfluidized) granular, and water flows entering water is addressed under similar flow conditions. The dimensionless amplitude scales as A/Ho=f(ζ), where
is a dimensionless parameter depending on the Froude number Fr, the relative slide thickness S, the relative mass M, and the slope angle θ. Data of fine fluidized granular, fine dry granular, and water flows collapse on a master curve, which implies that the nature of the flowing material is of lesser importance in the current setup. By contrast, coarse granular flows generate lower amplitude waves, which is attributed to the penetration of water into the porous granular medium.
Coupled Ocean‐Atmosphere Modeling Over the Maritime Continent: A Review
Authors: Xue Pengfei , Malanotte‐Rizzoli Paola , Wei Jun , Eltahir Elfatih A. B.
Published: May 2020

The Maritime Continent (MC) plays a vitally important role in the Earth's climate system from both oceanic and atmospheric perspectives. While the critical role of ocean‐atmosphere coupled dynamics over the MC has long been recognized, development of two‐way coupled regional climate models for this region is still in its early stages. In this work, the authors review recent progress in two‐way coupled ocean‐atmosphere regional climate modeling. Development of coupled models and their applications in the MC are summarized. Model performances are discussed with a focus on regional oceanic and atmospheric characteristics. Through a critical review of modeling advances and limitations in simulating sea surface temperature, precipitation, and oceanic throughflows, the authors identify deficiencies of current models and discuss possible reasons. The review shows that model biases mainly stem from unresolved physical processes, inadequate model representations of the coupled system, and uncertainties in model configurations. The study reveals large‐scale coupled modes of variability, local air‐sea interactions, atmospheric dynamics, and oceanic processes play various roles in the observed modeling biases. Lastly, the authors offer suggestions on emerging opportunities for improving regional coupled modeling over the MC.
Aquaplanets as a Framework for Examination of Aerosol Effects
Authors: Medeiros Brian
Published: May 2020

Although fundamental to the planetary radiative balance, aerosol impacts are highly uncertain in climate simulations because of the uneven distribution of aerosol sources and the complex interactions with radiation and clouds that are difficult to represent in climate models. This study proposes that aquaplanet configurations represent an idealized framework to investigate aerosol effects. As a simple demonstration, a series of aquaplanet simulations with the Community Atmosphere Model version 6 shows that the spatial distribution of aerosol emissions changes the aerosol effective radiative forcing even with unchanged total emissions. Some statistical properties of the simulations are presented to show that relatively short model integrations yield robust results. Much of the aerosol effect is shown to arise from aerosol‐cloud interactions, especially through rapid adjustments associated with the aerosol lifetime effect that alter the cloud optical thickness.
Molecular cross talk among the components of the regulatory machinery of mitochondrial structure and quality control
Authors: Cho Hyo Min , Sun Woong
Published: May 2020

Mitochondrial dysfunction critically impairs cellular health and often causes or affects the progression of several diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Thus, cells must have several ways to monitor the condition of mitochondrial quality and maintain mitochondrial health. Accumulating evidence suggests that the molecular machinery responding to spontaneous changes in mitochondrial morphology is associated with the routine mitochondrial quality control system. In this short review, we discuss recent progress made in linking mitochondrial structural dynamics and the quality control system.
Neuronal activity increases translocator protein (TSPO) levels
Authors: Notter Tina , Schalbetter Sina M. , Clifton Nicholas E. , Mattei Daniele , Richetto Juliet , Thomas Kerrie , Meyer Urs , Hall Jeremy
Published: May 2020

The mitochondrial protein, translocator protein (TSPO), is a widely used biomarker of neuroinflammation, but its non-selective cellular expression pattern implies roles beyond inflammatory processes. In the present study, we investigated whether neuronal activity modifies TSPO levels in the adult central nervous system. First, we used single-cell RNA sequencing to generate a cellular landscape of basal TSPO gene expression in the hippocampus of adult (12 weeks old) C57BL6/N mice, followed by confocal laser scanning microscopy to verify TSPO protein in neuronal and non-neuronal cell populations. We then quantified TSPO mRNA and protein levels after stimulating neuronal activity with distinct stimuli, including designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs), exposure to a novel environment and acute treatment with the psychostimulant drug, amphetamine. Single-cell RNA sequencing demonstrated a non-selective and multi-cellular gene expression pattern of TSPO at basal conditions in the adult mouse hippocampus. Confocal laser scanning microscopy confirmed that TSPO protein is present in neuronal and non-neuronal (astrocytes, microglia, vascular endothelial cells) cells of cortical (medial prefrontal cortex) and subcortical (hippocampus) brain regions. Stimulating neuronal activity through chemogenetic (DREADDs), physiological (novel environment exposure) or psychopharmacological (amphetamine treatment) approaches led to consistent increases in TSPO gene and protein levels in neurons, but not in microglia or astrocytes. Taken together, our findings show that neuronal activity has the potential to modify TSPO levels in the adult central nervous system. These findings challenge the general assumption that altered TSPO expression or binding unequivocally mirrors ongoing neuroinflammation and emphasize the need to consider non-inflammatory interpretations in some physiological or pathological contexts.
Hippocampal glutamate and hippocampus subfield volumes in antipsychotic-naive first episode psychosis subjects and relationships to duration of untreated psychosis
Authors: Briend Frédéric , Nelson Eric A. , Maximo Omar , Armstrong William P. , Kraguljac Nina V. , Lahti Adrienne C.
Published: May 2020

Evidence points toward a relationship between longer duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) and worse long-term outcomes in patients with first episode psychosis (FEP), but the underlying neurobiology remains poorly understood. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies have reported altered hippocampus glutamatergic neurotransmission, and structural MRI as reported hippocampal atrophy that may be associated with memory impairment in schizophrenia. Here, we quantify left hippocampus glutamate (Glx) and left hippocampus subfield volumes in 54 antipsychotic-naive FEP and 41 healthy controls (HC), matched on age, sex, and parental occupation. While there were no significant group difference in Glx levels, hippocampal Glx levels were significantly higher in those who underwent a long DUP (>12 months) compared to those with a short DUP, and compared to HC. Compared to HC, FEP had significantly reduced whole hippocampus volume, as well as of CA1, CA4, granule cell layer, subiculum, and presubiculum subfields. Smaller whole hippocampal volume, as well as CA1, molecular layer, subiculum, presubiculum, and hippocampal tail volumes were significantly associated with longer DUP. However, we found no significant association between hippocampal Glx levels and hippocampal volume or subfields, suggesting that these alterations are not related, or their relationship does not follow a linear pattern. However, our results strongly suggest that one or several pathophysiological processes underlie the DUP. Importantly, our data highlight the critical need for reducing the DUP and for early pharmacological intervention with the hope to prevent structural deficits and, hopefully, improve clinical outcomes.
Long-term use of fluoxetine accelerates bone loss through the disruption of sphingolipids metabolism in bone marrow adipose tissue
Authors: Zhang Huili , Li Kefeng , Zhao Yanna , Zhang Yilan , Sun Jiawen , Li Shihong , Lin Guangwu
Published: May 2020

Fluoxetine is a commonly prescribed antidepressant, and the mechanisms of increased bone fragility with its long-term use remain largely unknown. Here, we show that long-term administration of fluoxetine induces the disruption of sphingolipids metabolism in bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT)through the inhibition of acid sphingomyelinase (ASM). Similarly, a significant reduction of the bone volume was observed in mice with ASM knockout (Smpd1−/−). In detail, inhibition of ASM by fluoxetine reduces the sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) level in bone marrow adipocytes, leading to the increase of receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa-Β ligand (RANKL) secretion, a key regulator for the activation of osteoclastogenesis and bone loss, through the upregulation of cyclooxygenase-2 and its enzymatic product prostaglandin E2 (COX-2/PGE2). In contrast, overexpression of ASM by cisplatin normalizes fluoxetine-induced RANKL overproduction. Furthermore, we conducted a clinical trial with L-serine, a precursor of sphingolipids biosynthesis. The results show that oral supplementation of L-serine (250 mg//kg/d) prevents the acceleration of bone loss caused by long-term fluoxetine (12 months) in postmenopausal women with major depressive disorder (mean total hip bone mineral density reduction: −2.0% vs −1.1%, P = 0.006). Our study provides new insights and potential treatment strategy on the bone loss caused by long-term use of fluoxetine.
Causal association of circulating cholesterol levels with dementia: a mendelian randomization meta-analysis
Authors: Zhang Xiaoyu , Tian Qiuyue , Liu Di , Geng Tao , Xu Xizhu , Ge Siqi , Zheng Deqiang , Wu Lijuan , Song Manshu , Hou Haifeng , Wang Wei , Wang Youxin
Published: May 2020

Prospective studies have shown that abnormally circulating cholesterol is associated with the risk of dementia. However, whether the association is causal or not remains unclear. We attempt to infer the causal association in a MR meta-analysis by using ApoE gene polymorphisms as instrument variables. Studies with dementia risk (27 studies) or circulating lipid levels (7 studies) were included, with totally 3136 dementia patients and 3103 healthy controls. The analyses showed that carriers of ε2 allele significantly were of decreased risk of AD (OR = 0.70; 95% CI: 0.58–0.84; P < 0.01), whereas carriers of ε4 allele were of increased risk of AD (OR = 3.62; 95% CI: 3.03–4.32; P < 0.05), compared to these of ε3 allele. Circulating TC was significantly reduced in carriers of ε2 allele (WMD = − 0.29 mmol/L; 95% CI: −0.54 to −0.03; P < 0.05) and increased in carriers of ε4 allele (WMD = 0.42 mmol/l; 95% CI: 0.001–0.84; P < 0.05). In addition, carriers of ε4 allele had reduction in circulating HDL-C (WMD = − 0.04 mmol/L; 95% CI: − 0.07 to −0.001; P < 0.05). In comparing allele ε2 with ε3, the predicted OR of having AD for 1 mg/dL increment in circulating TC was 0.97 (95% CI: 0.86–0.98; P < 0.05). Comparing allele ε4 with ε3, the predicted OR for a 1 mg/dL increment in TC was 1.08 (95% CI: 1.05–17.58; P < 0.05), and reduction in HDL-C was 2.30 (95% CI: 1.51–43.99; P < 0.05). Our findings demonstrate that high circulating TC and reduced HDL-C levels might be potential risk factors of the development of AD.
Biomarker measurement in non-invasively sampled colorectal mucus as a novel approach to colorectal cancer detection: screening and triage implications
Authors: Loktionov Alexandre , Soubieres Anet , Bandaletova Tatiana , Francis Nader , Allison Joanna , Sturt Julian , Mathur Jai , Poullis Andrew
Published: May 2020

Background

Faecal tests are widely applied for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening and considered for triaging symptomatic patients with suspected CRC. However, faecal tests can be inconvenient, complex and expensive. Colorectal mucus (CM) sampled using our new patient-friendly non-invasive technique is rich in CRC biomarkers. This study aimed to evaluate diagnostic accuracy of CRC detection by measuring protein biomarkers in CM.

Methods

Colorectal mucus samples were provided by 35 healthy controls, 62 CRC-free symptomatic patients and 40 CRC patients. Biomarkers were quantified by ELISA. Diagnostic performances of haemoglobin, C-reactive protein, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1, M2-pyruvate kinase, matrix metalloproteinase-9, peptidyl arginine deiminase-4, epidermal growth factor receptor, calprotectin and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin were assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.

Results

Colorectal mucus haemoglobin was superior compared to other biomarkers. For haemoglobin, the areas under the curve for discriminating between CRC and healthy groups (‘screening’) and between CRC and symptomatic patients (‘triage’) were 0.921 and 0.854 respectively. The sensitivity of 80.0% and specificities of 94.3% and 85.5% for the two settings respectively were obtained.

Conclusions

Haemoglobin quantification in CM reliably detects CRC. This patient-friendly approach presents an attractive alternative to faecal immunochemical test; however, the two methods need to be directly compared in larger studies.