bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the Climate Extremes Index over the United States using 20th and mid‐21st century North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program data
Authors: Aiken Emily K. , Rauscher Sara A.
Published: August 2019

Much of our current risk assessment, especially for extreme events and natural disasters, comes from the assumption that the likelihood of future extreme events can be predicted based on the past. However, as global temperatures rise, established climate ranges may no longer be applicable, as historic records for extremes such as heat waves and floods may no longer accurately predict the changing future climate. To assess extremes (present‐day and future) over the contiguous United States, we used NOAA's Climate Extremes Index (CEI), which evaluates extremes in maximum and minimum temperature, extreme one‐day precipitation, days without precipitation, and the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). The CEI is a spatially sensitive index that uses percentile‐based thresholds rather than absolute values to determine climate “extremeness” and is thus well‐suited to compare extreme climate across regions. We used regional climate model data from the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP) to compare a late 20th century reference period to a mid‐21st century “business as usual” (SRES A2) greenhouse gas‐forcing scenario. Results show a universal increase in extreme hot temperatures across all models, with annual average maximum and minimum temperatures exceeding 90th percentile thresholds consistently across the continental United States. Results for precipitation indicators have greater spatial variability from model to model, but indicate an overall movement towards less frequent but more extreme precipitation days in the future. Due to this difference in response between temperature and precipitation, the mid‐21st century CEI is primarily an index of temperature extremes, with 90th percentile temperatures contributing disproportionately to the overall increase in climate extremeness. We also examine the efficacy of the PDSI in this context in comparison to other drought indices.
Legal regulation of supplementary cervid feeding facing chronic wasting disease
Authors: Mysterud Atle , Viljugrein Hildegunn , Solberg Erling J. , Rolandsen Christer M.
Published: August 2019

The supplementary feeding of cervids is a widespread practice across the northern hemisphere. There are few studies, however, regarding the extent of feeding in space and time. There are adverse effects of supplementary feeding, of which the most severe are increased parasite and disease transmission. With the recent emergence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) among cervids in Norway, a legal regulation was issued that banned all supplementary cervid feeding. We quantified the spatial extent and intentions of feeding cervids across all of Norway using a questionnaire at the municipality scale. We also compared spatial extent of feeding before and after the feeding ban to shed light on the ability of regulations to control supplementary feeding. Supplementary feeding to increase winter survival and targeting roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) was more common (48.4% of the municipalities) than the feeding of red deer (Cervus elaphus; 20.5%) and moose (Alces alces; 7.4%). The main feeding period was January–March, but extensive feeding also occurred from November to December and in April. Reducing traffic accidents was also a motivation, particularly for the feeding of moose (14.5%), and this was the main motivation (86%) for public feeding. Among the 65.7% that responded, 53.3% reported they knew about supplemental feeding of cervids in their municipality. In the region with the first feeding ban, 80.2% of municipalities were feeding in 2015–2016 before the ban, which was reduced to 68.4% in 2016–2017 and remained at 68.4% in 2017–2018. In the remainder of Norway, 81.4% were feeding in 2015–2016, and 72.6% were feeding in 2016–2017, but after the ban, this increased to 78.6% in the harsh winter of 2017–2018. Our study highlights that regulations across broad scales may not be followed and that more spatially targeted regulations and increased enforcement are required for disease transmission to be more effectively combated. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of Wildlife Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Wildlife Society.
Seven novel mutations of ADAR in multi‐ethnic pedigrees with dyschromatosis symmetrica hereditaria in China
Authors: Wang Peng , Yu Shirong , Liu Jianyong , Zhang Dezhi , Kang Xiaojing
Published: August 2019

Background

Dyschromatosis symmetrica hereditaria (DSH;OMIM: #127400) is a rare autosomal dominant skin disease of hyperpigmented and hypopigmented macules on the dorsal aspects of the feet and hands. The adenosine deaminase RNA‐Specific (ADAR;OMIM: *146920) gene was identified as causing DSH. Although more than 200 mutations are reported, no research has included the pedigrees of ethnic minorities in China. To investigate clinical features and genetic factors among multi‐ethnic families, seven multi‐ethnic pedigrees with DSH were collected for analysis of hereditary characteristics and ADAR mutations.

Methods

All 15 exons and exon–intron sequences of the ADAR gene were amplified and Sanger sequenced from 25 patients and 36 normal controls from seven multi‐ethnic DSH families with 100 healthy normal controls. Seven mutations were analyzed by Polyphen 2, SIFT and Provean. All mutations in ADAR with DSH were reviewed and genetic and clinical features were summarized for analysis. The ADEAMc domain may be a hot spot of ADAR mutations among patients with DSH.

Results

Seven novel mutations were identified in seven multi‐ethnic pedigrees: c.497delA(p.Arg105fs), c.3352C>T(p.Gln1058*) and c.3722delT(p.Ser1181fs) were found in three Uygur families with DSH; c.1330A>G(p.Val332Met) and c.2702A>T(p.His841Leu) were found in two Kazakh pedigrees and c.1176G>A(p.Lys326Glu) and c.2861G>A(p.Arg892His) in two Hui pedigrees. We summarized 203 different mutations of ADAR from people with DSH.

Conclusions

Seven novel mutations were identified in seven multi‐ethnic families with DSH. Our study expands the genetic spectrum of ADAR mutations in DSH.
The spectral properties of the magnetic polarizability tensor for metallic object characterisation
Authors: Ledger P.D. , Lionheart W.R.B.
Published: August 2019

The measurement of time‐harmonic perturbed field data, at a range of frequencies, is beneficial for practical metal detection, where the goal is to locate and identify hidden targets. In particular, these benefits are realised when frequency‐dependent magnetic polarizability tensors (MPTs) are used to provide an economical characterisation of conducting permeable objects, and a dictionary‐based classifier is employed. However, despite the advantages shown in dictionary‐based classifiers, the behaviour of the MPT coefficients with frequency is not properly understood. In this paper, we rigorously analyse, for the first time, the spectral properties of the coefficients of the MPT. This analysis has the potential to improve existing algorithms and design new approaches for object location and identification in metal detection. Our analysis also enables the response transient response from a conducting permeable object to be predicted for more general forms of excitation.
Tri‐section stepped impedance resonator with adjustable length and improved second harmonic characteristics
Authors: Kim In‐Seon , Kim Ghiback , Park Jin T. , Jang Yeon S. , Park Beom J.
Published: August 2019

In this study, we present a novel tri‐section stepped impedance resonator (SIR) with two different lengths (θ1 and θ2). The lengths of the first and the last transmission lines of the proposed tri‐section SIR were intentionally chosen. We compared the properties of the proposed SIR and the existing SIR. In the same impedance ratios (K1 and K2), the second harmonics of the proposed SIR were improved by 1.05‐1.11 times compared to the existing SIR. In addition, the length of the first transmission line, θ1, could be extended by more than twice the length of the existing SIR. That was very advantageous for tight coupling in a coupled line. Finally, a parallel‐coupled line band‐pass filter (PCL BPF) was developed using the proposed SIR, and the design equations were derived. The second harmonic of the PCL BPF was measured with an error of 2.67% compared to the theoretical value. The center frequency was almost identical. A series of processes, including design, simulation, fabrication, and measurement using the proposed structure, was carried out. An analysis of the results of each step proved the validity of our proposal.
An adaptive probabilistic atlas for anomalous brain segmentation in MR images
Authors: Martins Samuel Botter , Bragantini Jordão , Falcão Alexandre Xavier , Yasuda Clarissa Lin
Published: August 2019

Purpose

Automated segmentation of brain structures (objects) in MR three‐dimensional (3D) images for quantitative analysis has been a challenge and probabilistic atlases (PAs) are among the most well‐succeeded approaches. However, the existing models do not adapt to possible object anomalies due to the presence of a disease or a surgical procedure. Post‐processing operation does not solve the problem, for example, tissue classification to detect and remove such anomalies inside the resulting segmentation mask, because segmentation errors on healthy tissues cannot be fixed. Such anomalies very often alter the shape and texture of the brain structures, making them different from the appearance of the model. In this paper, we present an effective and efficient adaptive probabilistic atlas, named AdaPro, to circumvent the problem and evaluate it on a challenging task — the segmentation of the left hemisphere, right hemisphere, and cerebellum, without pons and medulla, in 3D MR‐T1 brain images of Epilepsy patients. This task is challenging due to temporal lobe resections, artifacts, and the absence of contrast in some parts between the structures of interest.

Methods

In AdaPro, we first build one probabilistic atlas per object of interest from a training set with normal 3D images and the corresponding 3D object masks. Second, we incorporate a texture classifier based on convex optimization which dynamically indicates the regions of the target 3D image where the PAs (shape constraints) should be further adapted. This strategy is mathematically more elegant and avoids problems with post‐processing. Third, we add a new object‐based delineation algorithm based on combinatorial optimization and diffusion filtering. AdaPro can then be used to locate and delineate the objects in the coordinate space of the atlas or of the test image. We also compare AdaPro with three other state‐of‐the‐art methods: an statistical shape model based on synergistic object search and delineation, and two methods based on multi‐atlas label fusion (MALF).

Results

We evaluate the methods quantitatively on 3D MR‐T1 brain images of 2T and 3T from epilepsy patients, before and after temporal lobe resections, and on the template and native coordinate spaces. The results show that AdaPro is considerably faster and consistently more accurate than the baselines with statistical significance in both coordinate spaces.

Conclusion

AdaPro can be used as a fast and effective step for brain tissue segmentation and it can also be easily extended to segment subcortical brain structures. By choice of its components, probabilistic atlas, texture classifier, and delineation algorithm, it can also be extended to other organs and imaging modalities.
Determination of Wair in high‐energy electron beams using graphite detectors
Authors: Bourgouin Alexandra , Cojocaru Claudiu , Ross Carl , McEwen Malcolm
Published: August 2019

Purpose

ICRU Report 90 on Key Data for Ionizing‐Radiation Dosimetry: Measurement Standards and Applications (2014) has reaffirmed the recommended value of the mean energy required to create an ion pair in air, Wair, to be 33.97(12) eV. The report also indicates that this “constant” of radiation dosimetry is energy independent above 10 keV, since there is no theoretical or experimental evidence to the contrary. The goal of this investigation is to obtain additional experimental determinations of Wair in high energy beams and thus to verify the suggested energy independence.

Methods

Wair can be evaluated by combining ionometric and calorimetric measurements with a calculated ratio of the absorbed dose in the ion chamber air cavity and that of the calorimeter absorbing element. In this investigation, a graphite parallel plate chamber and a graphite calorimeter were used and the dose ratio was calculated using the EGSnrc Monte Carlo code. Measurements were made in electron beams from the NRC Vickers linear accelerator at two incident energies, 20 and 35 MeV. A range of average energies at the measurement point were obtained by inserting graphite plates in the primary beam.

Results

The average value of Wair obtained in this investigation is 33.85(18) eV which is consistent with the recommended value of 33.97(12) eV where the number in brackets represents the combined standard uncertainty of the value, referring to the corresponding last digits. The individual values of Wair do not show any statistically significant energy dependence.

Conclusion

The overall combined uncertainty of 0.5% meets the original target of the investigation. A larger‐scale investigation, involving more individual energy points and a wider range of electron energies is required to go further and, for example, comment on the Wair energy dependency question raised by Tessier et al. [Med. Phys. 2018;45:370–381].
Modification of Adhesive and Latex Properties for Starch Nanoparticle‐Based Pressure Sensitive Adhesives
Authors: Zhang Yujie , Cunningham Michael F. , Dubé Marc A.
Published: August 2019

Starch nanoparticle (SNP)‐based pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs) with core‐shell particle morphology (starch nanoparticle core/acrylic polymer shell) are produced via seeded, semi‐batch emulsion polymerization at 15 wt% SNP loading (relative to total polymer weight) and 40 wt% latex solids. Crosslinker and chain transfer agent (CTA) are introduced to the acrylic shell polymer formulation at a range of concentrations according to a 32 factorial design to tailor the latex and adhesive properties of SNP‐based latexes. The crosslinker and CTA show no significant effect on polymerization kinetics, particle size, and viscosity. Latex gel content is predicted using an empirical model, which is a function of crosslinker and CTA concentration. Both the gel content and glass transition temperature strongly affect the adhesive properties (tack, peel strength, and shear strength) of the SNP‐based latex films. 3D response surfaces for the adhesive properties are constructed to facilitate the design of SNP‐based PSAs with desired properties.
Efficient triple‐VENC phase‐contrast MRI for improved velocity dynamic range
Authors: Ma Liliana E. , Markl Michael , Chow Kelvin , Vali Alireza , Wu Can , Schnell Susanne
Published: August 2019

Purpose

To evaluate the utility of an efficient triple velocity‐encoding (VENC) 4D flow MRI implementation to improve velocity unwrapping of 4D flow MRI data with the same scan time as an interleaved dual‐VENC acquisition.

Methods

A balanced 7‐point acquisition was used to derive 3 sets of 4D flow images corresponding to 3 different VENCs. These 3 datasets were then used to unwrap the aliased lowest VENC into a minimally aliased, triple‐VENC dataset. Triple‐VENC MRI was evaluated and compared with dual‐VENC MRI over 3 different VENC ranges (50‐150, 60‐150, and 60‐180 cm/s) in vitro in a steadily rotating phantom as well as in a pulsatile flow phantom. In vivo, triple‐VENC data of the thoracic aorta were also evaluated in 3 healthy volunteers (2 males, 26‐44 years old) with VENC = 50/75/150 cm/s. Two triple‐VENC (triconditional and biconditional) and 1 dual‐VENC unwrapping algorithms were quantitatively assessed through comparison to a reference, unaliased, single‐VENC scan.

Results

Triple‐VENC 4D flow constant rotation phantom results showed high correlation with the analytical solution (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.984‐0.995, P < .001) and up to a 61% reduction in velocity noise compared with the corresponding single‐VENC scans (VENC = 150, 180 cm/s). Pulsatile flow phantom experiments demonstrated good agreement between triple‐VENC and single‐VENC acquisitions (peak flow < 0.8% difference; peak velocity < 11.7% difference). Triconditional triple‐VENC unwrapping consistently outperformed dual‐VENC unwrapping, correctly unwrapping more than 83% and 46%‐66% more voxels in vitro and in vivo, respectively.

Conclusion

Triple‐VENC 4D flow MRI adds no additional scan time to dual‐VENC MRI and has the potential for improved unwrapping to extend the velocity dynamic range beyond dual‐VENC methods.
Chaplain care in pediatric oncology: Insight for interprofessional collaboration
Authors: Lion Alex H. , Skiles Jodi L. , Watson Beth Newton , Young J. Daniel , Torke Alexia M.
Published: August 2019

Background

Although attending to spiritual and religious needs is part of high quality care of pediatric cancer patients, oncology clinicians may not understand the role of the chaplain, resulting in underutilization of resources and failure to fully integrate the chaplain into the clinical team. We provide a description of what the chaplain does in the care of pediatric oncology patients.

Methods

We conducted a qualitative content analysis of chaplain chart notes over a one‐year period on the pediatric oncology service at a freestanding children's hospital. Using criteria designed to capture multiple potential factors in chaplain referral, we selected 30 patients for thematic analysis.

Results

In 2016, 166 pediatric patients were diagnosed with cancer and received ongoing care at our institution. From the 30 patients selected, 230 chaplain encounters were documented in the medical chart. Three major themes emerged. (1) The chaplains provided a rich description of spiritual and psychosocial aspects of the patient and family's experience; (2) chaplains provided diverse interventions, both religious and secular in nature; and (3) chaplains provided care within a longitudinal relationship. All three themes depend on the empathic listening by a chaplain.

Conclusions

The chaplains’ observations about patient and family beliefs, experiences, and emotional/spiritual states have the potential to inform the interdisciplinary care of the patient. Chaplain documentation provides insight into how spiritual care interventions and close relationships may promote patient and family well‐being. In future work, we will explore how to give voice to their insights in caring for pediatric oncology patients.
Proteomic Analysis of Dpy19l2‐Deficient Human Globozoospermia Reveals Multiple Molecular Defects
Authors: Guo Yueshuai , Jiang Jiayin , Zhang Haotian , Wen Yang , Zhang Hao , Cui Yiqiang , Tian Jianyu , Jiang Min , Liu Xiaofei , Wang Gaigai , Li Yan , Hu Zhibin , Zhou Zuomin , Sha Jiahao , Chen Daozhen , Yang Xiaoyu , Guo Xuejiang
Published: August 2019

Purpose

To investigate the differences in protein expression between Dpy19l2‐deficient human globozoospermia and normozoospermia.

Experimental design

Human sperm samples from three globozoospermic donors with Dpy19l2 deletion and three normal controls are subjected to TMT quantitative technology. SPESP1, HIST1H4A, and LYZL1 are randomly selected for western blotting analysis. GO annotations are performed using the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery.

Results

A total of 2567 proteins are identified, of which 2510 proteins are quantified, and 491 are differentially expressed (fold‐change > 2), with 370 upregulated and 121 downregulated in globozoospermic patients. The levels of several important proteins, including SPACA 1, IZUMO1, ZPBP1, and PLCZ1, are decreased in globozoospermic sperm. Bioinformatics analysis indicates the Dpy19l2‐deficient sperm presented molecular defects in acrosome, chromatin, sperm–egg interaction, and fertilization.

Conclusions and clinical relevance

The present study is the first to analyze total globozoospermia with Dpy19l2 deletion using high‐throughput proteomics. This study may provide insights into the mechanism of globozoospermia.
Estimating the quality of optimal treatment regimes
Authors: Sies Aniek , Van Mechelen Iven
Published: August 2019

When multiple treatment alternatives are available for a disease, an obvious question is which alternative is most effective for which patient. One may address this question by searching for optimal treatment regimes that specify for each individual the preferable treatment alternative based on that individual's baseline characteristics. When such a regime has been estimated, its quality (in terms of the expected outcome if it was used for treatment assignment of all patients in the population under study) is of obvious interest. Obtaining a good and reliable estimate of this quantity is a key challenge for which so far no satisfactory solution is available. In this paper, we consider for this purpose several estimators of the expected outcome in conjunction with several resampling methods. The latter have been evaluated before within the context of statistical learning to estimate the prediction error of estimated prediction rules. Yet, the results of these evaluations were equivocal, with different best performing methods in different studies, and with near‐zero and even negative correlations between true and estimated prediction errors. Moreover, for different reasons, it is not straightforward to extrapolate the findings of these studies to the context of optimal treatment regimes. To address these issues, we set up a new and comprehensive simulation study. In this study, combinations of different estimators with .632+ and out‐of‐bag bootstrap resampling methods performed best. In addition, the study shed a surprising new light on the previously reported problematic correlations between true and estimated prediction errors in the area of statistical learning.
The nonparametric Behrens‐Fisher problem with dependent replicates
Authors: Roy Akash , Harrar Solomon W. , Konietschke Frank
Published: August 2019

Purely nonparametric methods are developed for general two‐sample problems in which each experimental unit may have an individual number of possibly correlated replicates. In particular, equality of the variances, or higher moments, of the distributions of the data is not assumed, even under the null hypothesis of no treatment effect. Thus, a solution for the so‐called nonparametric Behrens‐Fisher problem is proposed for such models. The methods are valid for metric, count, ordered categorical, and even dichotomous data in a unified way. Point estimators of the treatment effects as well as their asymptotic distributions will be studied in detail. For small sample sizes, the distributions of the proposed test statistics are approximated using Satterthwaite‐Welch‐type t‐approximations. Extensive simulation studies show favorable performance of the new methods, in particular, in small sample size situations. A real data set illustrates the application of the proposed methods.
Assessing the Efficacy of Consumer Boycotts of U.S. Target Firms: A Shareholder Wealth Analysis
Authors: Tomlin Kasaundra M.
Published: August 2019

This article analyzes the effectiveness of 125 U.S. boycotts from 1978 to 2017. On average, the results suggest that actual consumer boycott calls against U.S. target firms (treatment firms) had a negative and statistically significant effect on the shareholder wealth of U.S. target firms. The synthetic control method and the placebo tests confirmed that the negative cumulative abnormal returns (CAR) observed here are robust and not due to idiosyncratic shocks unrelated to the announced boycotts. Negative and statistically significant boycott effects were also found for boycott threats and categorical issues related to union issues, animal rights, living wages in less‐developed countries, racial/sexual discrimination, ideological issues, and political/religious boycotts. The results also show that firms with a higher level of competition and advertising activity experienced larger negative boycott effects; and firms with higher net income observed mitigated boycott effects.
Identification of Job Lock and Inefficient Labor Market Mobility
Authors: Bersak Tim
Published: August 2019

The common practice of linking employment with certain fringe benefits, notably health insurance, has long been thought to impede labor market mobility, thereby producing a phenomenon called job lock. A sizable literature has developed theoretical frameworks for how job lock impacts the labor market and empirically estimated the magnitudes of these effects. However, most empirical studies rely on identification strategies that do not separately identify productivity enhancing from productivity reducing labor market mobility. This article develops a simple theoretical framework showing how prior identification strategies confound both types of mobility and outlines conditions where productivity reducing mobility is of greatest concern.
Towards laser spectroscopy of 24Mg+ ions at CRYRING@ESR
Authors: Mohr Konstantin , Andelkovic Zoran , Wekesa Barasa Aineah , Buß Axel , Hannen Volker , Nörtershäuser Wilfried , Ratajczyk Tim , Sánchez Rodolfo
Published: August 2019

CRYRING@ESR is a newly installed low energy ring integrated in the GSI accelerator facility. In this paper we describe developments of the laser spectroscopy experiment at CRYRING@ESR. In the past commissioning beam time in November, the recently installed data acquisition system was tested. Light emitted by excited residual gas atoms was detected by a single‐photon tagging technique. The time dependence of the ion beam intensity was investigated with this tool.
A new inducible CRISPR‐Cas9 system useful for genome editing and study of double‐strand break repair in Candida glabrata
Authors: Maroc Laetitia , Fairhead Cécile
Published: August 2019

In recent years, the CRISPR‐Cas9 system has proven extremely useful for genome editing in many species, including the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other yeast species such as Candida glabrata. Inducible CRISPR‐Cas9 systems have the additional advantage of allowing to separate the transformation step of the organism by the CRISPR‐Cas9 system, from the cutting and repair steps. This has indeed been developed in S. cerevisiae, where most inducible expression systems rely on the GAL promoters. Unfortunately, C. glabrata is gal− and lacks the GAL genes, like many other yeast species. We report here the use of a vector expressing cas9 under the control of the MET3 promoter, with the guide RNA cloned into the same plasmid. We show that it can be used efficiently in C. glabrata, for both described outcomes of CRISPR‐Cas9‐induced chromosome breaks; nonhomologous end joining in the absence of a homologous repair template; and homologous recombination in the presence of such a template. This system therefore allows easy editing of the genome of C. glabrata, and its inducibility may allow identification of essential genes in this asexual yeast, where spore lethality cannot be observed, as well as the study of double‐strand break repair.
Swampland distance conjecture for one-parameter Calabi-Yau threefolds
Authors: Joshi Abhinav , Klemm Albrecht
Published: August 2019

Abstract

We investigate the swampland distance conjecture (SDC) in the complex moduli space of type II compactifications on one-parameter Calabi-Yau threefolds. This class of manifolds contains hundreds of examples and, in particular, a subset of 14 geometries with hypergeometric differential Picard-Fuchs operators. Of the four principal types of singularities that can occur — specified by their limiting mixed Hodge structure — only the K-points and the large radius points (or more generally the M -points) are at infinite distance and therefore of interest to the SDC. We argue that the conjecture is fulfilled at the K- and the M -points, including models with several M -points, using explicit calculations in hypergeometric models which contain typical examples of all these degenerations. Together with previous work on the large radius points, this suggests that the SDC is indeed fulfilled for one-parameter Calabi-Yau spaces.
Improving ionic liquid tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae through heterologous expression and directed evolution of an ILT1 homolog from Yarrowia lipolytica
Authors: Reed Kevin B , Wagner James M , d’Oelsnitz Simon , Wiggers Joshua M , Alper Hal S
Published: August 2019

Ionic liquids show promise for deconstruction of lignocellulosic biomass prior to fermentation. Yet, imidazolium ionic liquids (IILs) can be toxic to microbes even at concentrations present after recovery. Here, we show that dominant overexpression of an Ilt1p homolog (encoded by YlILT1/YALI0C04884) from the IIL-tolerant yeast Yarrowia lipolytica confers an improvement in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae compared to the endogenous Ilt1p (ScILT1/YDR090C). We subsequently enhance tolerance in S. cerevisiae through directed evolution of YlILT1 using growth-based selection, leading to identification of mutants that grow in up to 3.5% v/v ionic liquid. Lastly, we demonstrate that strains expressing YlILT1 variants demonstrate improved growth rate and ethanol production in the presence of residual IIL. This shows that dominant overexpression of a heterologous protein (wild type or evolved) from an IIL-tolerant yeast can increase tolerance in S. cerevisiae at concentrations relevant to bioethanol production from IIL-treated biomass.
Loving and knowing: reflections for an engaged epistemology
Authors: De Jaegher Hanne
Published: August 2019

In search of our highest capacities, cognitive scientists aim to explain things like mathematics, language, and planning (and while explaining them, they often imagine computers at work). But are these really our most sophisticated forms of knowing? In this paper, I point to a different pinnacle of cognition. Our most sophisticatedhuman knowing, I think, lies in how we engage with each other, in our relating. Cognitive science and philosophy of mind have largely ignored the ways of knowing at play here. At the same time, the emphasis on discrete, rational knowing to the detriment of engaged, human knowing pervades societal practices and institutions, often with harmful effects on people and their relations. There are many reasons why we need a new, engaged—or even engaging—epistemology of human knowing. The enactive theory of participatory sense-making takes steps towards this, but it needs deepening. Kym Maclaren’s (2002) idea ofletting beinvites such a deepening. Characterizing knowing as a relationship ofletting beprovides a nuanced way to deal with the tensions between the knower’s being and the being of the known, as they meet in the process of knowing-and-being-known. This meeting of knower and known is not easy to understand. However, there is a mode of relating in which we know it well, and that is: in loving relationships. I propose to look at human knowing through the lens ofloving. We then see that both knowing and loving are existential, dialectic ways in which concrete and particular beings engage with each other.
Trends in Ambulatory Laminectomy in the USA and Key Factors Associated with Successful Same-Day Discharge: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Soffin Ellen M. , Beckman James D. , Beathe Jonathan C. , Girardi Federico P. , Liguori Gregory A. , Liu Jiabin
Published: August 2019

Background

Laminectomy is commonly used in the treatment of lumbar spine pathology. Laminectomies are increasingly being performed in outpatient settings, but patient safety concerns remain.

Questions/Purposes

We aimed to describe trends in outpatient lumbar laminectomy between 2008 and 2016 and to identify factors associated with successful same-day discharge.

Methods

We identified patients who underwent single-level lumbar laminectomy between 2008 and 2016 in the American College of Surgeons’ National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database and divided them into two groups according to their admission status, either inpatient or outpatient. Inpatient and outpatient groups were further divided according to actual length of stay (LOS): did not remain in the hospital overnight (LOS = 0) or stayed in the hospital overnight or longer (LOS ≥ 1). We then analyzed patient characteristics and complications for significance and to identify factors associated with successful same-day discharge.

Results

We identified 85, 769 patients, 41, 149 classified as outpatient status and 44, 620 as inpatient status. Between 2008 and 2016, the proportion of procedures performed on an outpatient basis increased from 24.1 to 56.74%. Overall, 27.3% of all patients were discharged on the day of surgery, representing 52.8% of outpatients and 3.8% of inpatients. Older age and longer duration of surgery predicted that patients were less likely to have same-day discharge. Patients with a primary diagnosis other than intervertebral disk disorder, Hispanic ethnic background, or an American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification of III were less likely to achieve same-day discharge. Patients under the care of orthopedic surgeons (as opposed to neurosurgeons) were more likely to be discharged on the day of surgery. We also found an association between sex and day of discharge, with female patients being less likely to be discharged on the day of surgery.

Conclusions

Laminectomy is increasingly being performed in the outpatient setting. Younger, healthier non-Hispanic male patients undergoing uncomplicated surgery have a higher likelihood of successful same-day discharge.
Single NIR Laser-Activated Multifunctional Nanoparticles for Cascaded Photothermal and Oxygen-Independent Photodynamic Therapy
Authors: Li Xiaomin , Liu Yang , Fu Fei , Cheng Mingbo , Liu Yutong , Yu Licheng , Wang Wei , Wan Yeda , Yuan Zhi
Published: August 2019

Inconvenient dual-laser irradiation and tumor hypoxic environment as well as limited judgment of treating region have impeded the development of combined photothermal and photodynamic therapies (PTT and PDT). Herein, Bi2Se3@AIPH nanoparticles (NPs) are facilely developed to overcome these problems. Through a one-step method, free radical generator (AIPH) and phase transition material (lauric acid, LA, 44–46 °C) are encapsulated in hollow bismuth selenide nanoparticles (Bi2Se3 NPs). Under a single 808-nm laser irradiation at the tumor area, hyperthermia produced by Bi2Se3 not only directly leads to cell death, but also promotes AIPH release by melting LA and triggers free radical generation, which could further eradicate tumor cells in hypoxic environments. Moreover, Bi2Se3 with high X-ray attenuation coefficient endows the NPs with high computed tomography (CT) imaging capability, which is important for treating area determination. The results exhibit that Bi2Se3@AIPH NPs possesses 31.2% photothermal conversion efficiency for enhanced PTT, ideal free radical generation for oxygen-independent PDT, and 37.77 HU mL mg−1 X-ray attenuation coefficient for CT imaging with high quality. Most importantly, the tumor growth inhibition rate by synergistic PTT, PDT, and following immunotherapy is 99.6%, and even one tumor disappears completely, which demonstrates excellent cascaded synergistic effect of Bi2Se3@AIPH NPs for the tumor therapy.
It's a war out there: why malicious hackers are beating businesses to the punch – and what we can do about it
Authors: Skelly Keenan
Published: August 2019

We see, hear and read about it every day: hackers breaching defences, stealing data and exploiting companies’ vulnerabilities. We are no longer asking ‘what if I get hacked?’ – rather, we wonder ‘when will I get hacked?’.

We cannot let our fear of being phished or infected with malware prevent us from doing our jobs to the best of our ability.

Instead, we need to understand the cyber security landscape today – what kinds of hackers exist, how preventative methods like ethical hacking can backfire and how our interconnected culture will continue to contribute to hackers winning the ‘cyber war’ if we don't rethink our readiness approach, argues Keenan Skelly of Circadence.
The Physics of Energy
Authors: Jaffe Robert L. , Taylor Washington
Published: August 2019

The Physics of Energy provides a comprehensive and systematic introduction to the scientific principles governing energy sources, uses, and systems. This definitive textbook traces the flow of energy from sources such as solar power, nuclear power, wind power, water power, and fossil fuels through its transformation in devices such as heat engines and electrical generators, to its uses including transportation, heating, cooling, and other applications. The flow of energy through the Earth's atmosphere and oceans, and systems issues including storage, electric grids, and efficiency and conservation are presented in a scientific context along with topics such as radiation from nuclear power and climate change from the use of fossil fuels. Students, scientists, engineers, energy industry professionals, and concerned citizens with some mathematical and scientific background who wish to understand energy systems and issues quantitatively will find this textbook of great interest.
Suppressing Atrocity Speech on Social Media
Authors: Irving Emma
Published: August 2019

In its August 2018 report on violence against Rohingya and other minorities in Myanmar, the Fact Finding Mission of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights noted that “the role of social media [was] significant” in fueling the atrocities. Over the course of more than four hundred pages, the report documented how Facebook was used to spread misinformation, hate speech, and incitement to violence in the lead-up to and during the violence in Myanmar. Concluding that there were reasonable grounds to believe that genocide was perpetrated against the Rohingya, the report indicated that “the Mission has no doubt that the prevalence of hate speech,” both offline and online, “contributed to increased tension and a climate in which individuals and groups may become more receptive to incitement.” The experience in Myanmar demonstrates the increasing role that social media plays in the commission of atrocities, prompting suggestions that social media companies should operate according to a human rights framework.
THE POLYTABLOID BASIS EXPANDS POSITIVELY INTO THE WEB BASIS
Authors: RHOADES BRENDON
Published: August 2019

We show that the transition matrix from the polytabloid basis to the web basis of the irreducible
$\mathfrak{S}_{2n}$
-representation of shape
$(n,n)$
has nonnegative integer entries. This proves a conjecture of Russell and Tymoczko [Int. Math. Res. Not., 2019(5) (2019), 1479–1502].
Set-style yoghurts made from goat milk bases fortified with whey protein concentrates
Authors: Zoidou Evangelia , Theodorou Sofia , Moschopoulou Ekaterini , Sakkas Lambros , Theodorou Georgios , Chatzigeorgiou Artemi , Politis Ioannis , Moatsou Golfo
Published: August 2019

This research paper addresses the hypothesis that the fortification of goat milk base with whey protein concentrate (WPC) could affect both the textural and the biofunctional properties of set-style yoghurt. The effect of fortification of goat milk base with two different WPCs on thermophilic bacteria counts, proteolysis, physical and biofunctional properties of set-style yoghurts was studied at specific sampling points throughout a 4-week storage period. Fortification and storage did not influence thermophilic counts. Physical properties were affected significantly (P < 0.05) by the composition of the protein and the mineral fraction of the WPC but not by the storage. ACE-inhibitory activity was moderate in accordance to low lactobacilli counts and lack of proteolysis. DPPH-radical scavenging activity, Fe2+-chelating activity and superoxide scavenging activity were high. At 28 d an anti-inflammatory effect was observed, which was not affected by WPC addition.
The effects of the pronoun me on dative comprehension
Authors: CONWELL Erin
Published: August 2019

The English dative alternation has received much attention in the literature on argument structure acquisition in children. However, the data on the acquisition of this alternation have consistently revealed a counter-intuitive pattern: children look more proficient with the lower frequency prepositional form of the dative than with the higher frequency double object form (Conwell & Demuth, 2007; Rowland & Noble, 2010). This may be because the DO dative typically occurs with pronominal argument types in first post-verbal position, which may result in an over-reliance on stereotyped forms (e.g., give + me) for early comprehension and production (Conwell, O'Donnell, & Snedeker, 2011). This paper presents three studies of the effects of the pronoun me on dative comprehension by three-year-olds. Children's comprehension of the DO dative improved significantly when the first post-verbal argument was pronominal; no other effects of pronoun use were significant. Children's experience affects their ability to use lexically general representations of syntactic structures.
EXISTENCE AND UNIQUENESS OF WEAK AND CLASSICAL SOLUTIONS FOR A FOURTH-ORDER SEMILINEAR BOUNDARY VALUE PROBLEM
Authors: DANET CRISTIAN-PAUL
Published: August 2019

This paper is concerned with the problem of existence and uniqueness of weak and classical solutions for a fourth-order semilinear boundary value problem. The existence and uniqueness for weak solutions follows from standard variational methods, while similar uniqueness results for classical solutions are derived using maximum principles.
Hautveränderungen als Merkmal internistischer Erkrankungen
Authors: Pobitzer Karin , Lautenschlager Stephan
Published: August 2019

Zusammenfassung. Zahlreiche Hautveränderungen sind von grosser Bedeutung, da sie wegweisend für internistische Grundkrankheiten sein können oder auf assoziierte Komplikationen oder Nebenwirkungen von Therapien hinweisen. Das frühzeitige Erkennen von solchen Marker-Manifestationen erlaubt durch unverzügliches Handeln möglicherweise ernsthafte Folgen zu verhindern. Beispielsweise können spezifische Hautveränderungen bei limitierten Formen von Kollagenosen nicht nur diagnostisch, sondern auch prognostisch bedeutsam sein, was bei günstigerem Verlauf auch sanftere Therapien erlaubt. Als wichtigste Voraussetzung für eine korrekte Diagnose von kutanen Läsionen ist ein sorgfältiger und vollständiger Hautstatus unter zusätzlicher Berücksichtigung der angrenzenden Schleimhäute und Hautanhangsgebilde unabdingbar. In einem ersten Schritt sollten der primäre anatomische Sitz, die Morphologie und die Anordnung der Läsion erkannt werden, danach ist die Verteilung zu beurteilen. Der vorliegende Artikel beschreibt häufigere Hautmanifestationen bei Erkrankungen unterschiedlicher Organsysteme (mit Ausnahme von Infektionen, selteneren Stoffwechselstörungen und Arzneimittelnebenwirkungen).
Underestimating Internal Variability Leads to Narrow Estimates of Climate System Properties
Authors: Libardoni Alex G. , Forest Chris E. , Sokolov Andrei P. , Monier Erwan
Published: August 2019

Probabilistic estimates of climate system properties often rely on the comparison of model simulations to observed temperature records and an estimate of the internal climate variability. In this study, we investigate the sensitivity of probability distributions for climate system properties in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Earth System Model to the internal variability estimate. In particular, we derive probability distributions using the internal variability extracted from 25 different Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 models. We further test the sensitivity by pooling variability estimates from models with similar characteristics. We find the distributions to be highly sensitive when estimating the internal variability from a single model. When merging the variability estimates across multiple models, the distributions tend to converge to a wider distribution for all properties. This suggests that using a single model to approximate the internal climate variability produces distributions that are too narrow and do not fully represent the uncertainty in the climate system property estimates.
Effects of the Compositional Viscosity Ratio on the Long‐Term Evolution of Thermochemical Reservoirs in the Deep Mantle
Authors: Li Yang , Deschamps Frédéric , Yang Jianfeng , Chen Lin , Zhao Liang , Tackley Paul J.
Published: August 2019

Numerical experiments of thermochemical mantle convection in 2‐D spherical annulus geometry are performed to investigate the effects of compositional viscosity ratio (ΔηC) on the long‐term evolution of reservoirs of dense, primordial material in the lowermost mantle of the Earth. The internal heating rate in the primordial material is larger than in the ambient mantle by a factor of 10, accounting for the fact that this material may be enriched in radiogenic elements. We find that if the chemical density contrast is large (128 kg/m3), ΔηC plays only a second‐order role on the long‐term stability of these reservoirs. As the chemical density contrast decreases to smaller values (90 kg/m3), ΔηC plays a more significant role. More specifically, when ΔηC is large, around 10 or larger, convection within the reservoirs of primordial material is less vigorous, which increases the temperature and thermal buoyancy of these structures. This, in turn, can eventually lead them to become unstable, with the majority of the primordial material being advected into the large‐scale mantle circulation.
Topographic Shelf Waves Control Seasonal Melting Near Antarctic Ice Shelf Grounding Lines
Authors: Sun Sainan , Hattermann Tore , Pattyn Frank , Nicholls Keith W. , Drews Reinhard , Berger Sophie
Published: August 2019

The buttressing potential of ice shelves is modulated by changes in subshelf melting, in response to changing ocean conditions. We analyze the temporal variability in subshelf melting using an autonomous phase‐sensitive radio‐echo sounder near the grounding line of the Roi Baudouin Ice Shelf in East Antarctica. When combined with additional oceanographic evidence of seasonal variations in the stratification and the amplification of diurnal tides around the shelf break topography (Gunnerus Bank), the results suggest an intricate mechanism in which topographic waves control the seasonal melt rate variability near the grounding line. This mechanism has not been considered before and has the potential to enhance local melt rates without advecting different water masses. As topographic waves seem to strengthen in a stratified ocean, the freshening of Antarctic surface water, predicted by observations and models, is likely to increase future basal melting in this area.