bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electric Vehicles Charging Optimization to Improve the Insertion Considering the Brazilian Regulatory Framework
Authors: Bitencourt Leonardo de A. , Borba Bruno S. M. C. , Dias Bruno H. , Maciel Renan S. , Dias Daniel H. N. , Oliveira Leonardo W.
Published: June 2019

Electric vehicles (EV) charging can impact the electrical grid by causing voltage imbalance, power quality disturbances, and transformer overloading. Nonetheless, price signals at coordinated charging are capable of performing energy management and mitigating the negative effects of EV charging. This may, therefore, stimulate the EVs to charge during the period of lower energy consumption. In this context, this work aims to analyze the electric vehicle charging impact on distribution transformer loading, considering smart meter real data. For the analysis, this paper creates scenarios considering two seasons of the year (summer and winter seasons); the real time pricing and time of use electric charging tariffs; and the uncoordinated and coordinated vehicle charge control methods. The results of this study also support the elaboration of public policies proposals for the transport sector in order to encourage investment in the area of electric mobility.
Exposure to male-dominated environments during development influences sperm sex ratios at sexual maturity
Authors: Lavoie Misha D. , Tedeschi Jamie N. , Garcia-Gonzalez Francisco , Firman Renée C.
Published: June 2019

Different stages during development are important when it comes to phenotypic adjustments in response to external stimuli. Critical stages in mammals are the prenatal phase, where embryos are exposed to a milieu of sex steroid hormones, and the early-postnatal phase, where littermates interact and experience their incipient social environment. Further, the postmaternal environment will influence the development of traits that are linked to reproductive success in adulthood. Accumulated evidence of male-driven sex allocation establishes the currently untested hypothesis that the sperm sex ratio is a plastic trait that can be mediated to align with prevailing social conditions. Here, we used natural variation in the maternal environment and experimentally manipulated the postmaternal environment to identify the importance of these developmental phases on sperm sex ratio adjustments in wild house mice (Mus musculus domesticus). We found that male density in both environments was predictive of sperm sex ratios at sexual maturity: males from more male-biased litters and males maturing under high male density produced elevated levels of Y-chromosome-bearing sperm. Our findings indicate that the sperm sex ratio is a variable phenotypic trait that responds to the external environment, and highlight the potential that these adjustments function as a mechanism of male-driven sex allocation.
Price discovery in commodity derivatives: Speculation or hedging?
Authors: Bohmann Marc J. M. , Michayluk David , Patel Vinay
Published: June 2019

We investigate whether commodity futures or options markets play a more important role in the price discovery process in the six most actively traded markets: crude oil, natural gas, gold, silver, corn, and soybeans. Using new information leadership techniques, we report new evidence and report that both markets make a meaningful contribution to price discovery in recent times; however, on average, options lead futures in reflecting new information for a majority of these commodities. We find that increased speculation, rather than hedging activity, in commodity derivatives is a key determinant of price discovery in the options markets.
Effectiveness of an in‐home respite care program to support informal dementia caregivers: A comparative study
Authors: Vandepitte Sophie , Putman Koen , Van Den Noortgate Nele , Verhaeghe Sofie , Annemans Lieven
Published: June 2019

Objectives

Dementia is a major public health problem with important physical, psychosocial, emotional, and financial consequences for patients, their caregivers, and society. Since patients prefer to be managed at home, extensive research has been conducted into effectiveness of psychosocial interventions to support informal caregivers. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an in‐home respite care program.

Methods

In a prospective quasi‐experimental study, 99 dyads who received an in‐home respite care program were compared at 6 months post‐baseline, with 99 matched dyads receiving standard dementia care. Additionally, the short‐term effect of the program was evaluated 14 to 15 days post‐intervention. The primary outcome was caregiver burden. The secondary outcomes were: desire to institutionalize the patient, caregiver quality of life, and frequency and impact of behavioral problems. Mixed model analyses were performed to evaluate the impact of the intervention.

Results

After 6 months, no significant difference on caregiver burden was observed, but intervention group caregivers had a significant lower desire to institutionalize the patient compared with control group caregivers (adj.diff = −0.51; p = .02). Shortly after the program, intervention group caregivers also had a significant lower role strain (adj.diff = 0.75; p = .05), and a lower burden on social and family life (adj.diff = 0.55; p = .05) compared with baseline.

Conclusions

This study was the first comparative study to investigate effectiveness of an in‐home respite care program to support informal caregivers of persons with dementia. The results partly confirm earlier positive findings from explorative studies.
ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF THE EUKARYOTIC CELL
Authors: Margulis Lynn
Published: June 2019

Summary of Symposium

The following papers and abstracts represent a symposium held on 11 August 1973 at the First International Congress of Systematic and Evolutionary Biology (ICSEB), Boulder, Colorado:

Introduction, by Lynn Margulis

I. Evolutionary significance of cell division phenomena in Protists

a. Nonphotosynthetic Protists, by Karl Grell

b. Photosynthetic Protists, by Jeremy Pickett‐Heaps

II. Implications and extensions of the serial endosymbiosis theory of the origin of eukaryotes, by F. J. R. Taylor

III. Two billion years of prokaryotic cells and the emergence of eukaryotes, by Elso S. Barghoorn

IV. How many are the kingdoms of organisms?, by Gordon F. Leedale
III. TWO BILLION YEARS OF PROKARYOTIC CELLS AND THE EMERGENCE OF EUKARYOTES
Authors: Barghoorn Elso S.
Published: June 2019

A brief resumé will be made of the earliest evidence of cells and cellular organization from carbonaceous sediments of the early Precambrian of South Africa and Rhodesia.

It is proposed to make a brief synopsis of the general level of morphological organization by the middle of Precambrian time at about the midpoint in the history of the earth, centering the discussion on the microbiota of the Gunflint chert as an example of a “benchmark” in the level of evolution of life at approximately 2 times 109 years ago.

With the assumption that the Gunflint biota is composed solely of prokaryotic organisms it is of interest to examine subsequent Precambrian fossil assemblages with a view to evaluating critically the evidence presented in recent years for the appearance of eukaryotic organisms in the late Precambrian. In this connection, various aspects of cell clumping, lysis and laboratory controlled silicification of blue‐green algal cells will be considered.
6. COMPARATIVE SEROLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS
Authors: Fairbrothers D. E.
Published: June 2019

Protein extracts from Aralidium and 23 species belonging to the families Araliaceae, Cornaceae, Garryaceae, Griseliniaceae, Nyssaceae, Saxifragaceae, and Umbelliferae were used as antigens to test with Aralidium antisera in Ouchterlony, Boyden, immunoelectrophoresis, and rocket immunoelectrophoresis (RIE) experiments. Rocket immunoelectrophoresis, a recently developed and sensitive serological technique, was the only technique which produced precipitins (rockets) in cross‐reacting experiments with any species, and then only those belonging to the Cornaceae and Nyssaceae. Therefore, based on antigenic protein information Aralidium should be treated as a monotypic genus in the family Aralidiaceae which has distant relationship, first with the Cornaceae and secondly, even more distant relationship, with the Nyssaceae. No protein similarity was detected between Aralidium and any of the other species tested. RIE proved to be a very valuable technique for use in plant systematic serological research.
PALLAS'S BUCKTHORN AND TWO AND A HALF CENTURIES 3F NEGLECTED BINOMIALS
Authors: Mabberley D. J.
Published: June 2019

An examination of European botanic garden ephemera has revealed over 250 overlooked binomials applied to vascular plants. Besides some 23 changes in authority, there are changes in names: Rhamnus pallasii Fisch. & Mey. becomes R. erythroxyhides Hoffmanns, in which two subspecific combinations are proposed; Potentilla fulgens Wall, ex Hook, is antedated by P. lineata Trev.; Thysanolaena maxima (Roxb.) Kuntze is T. latifolia (Roxb. ex Hornern.) Honda; Tillandsia maxima Lillo & Hauman becomes T. australis Mez; new combinations are proposed in Encyclia and Miscanthus and a new name in Crinum. There will probably have to be changes in Rabdosia, Rotala and Triumfetta and possibly in Arenaria, Calceolaria, Crinum, Croton, Flaveria, Haageocereus, Helianthus and Pinus, while some names in Achillea, Acrostichum, Betonica, Carex, Cnicus, Commelina, Eclipta, Iris, Pandanus, Pelargonium, Phyteuma, Pothos, Rhus, Silene and Verbascum remain to be disposed of and Leucas lavandulifolia Sm. is restored.
WARNING AGAINST MISINTERPRETING THE RULE ON “NON‐LINNEAN” WORKS (ART. 23.6(c))
Authors: Greuter Werner
Published: June 2019

Contrary to what has been asserted in a recent paper, the works of Asso, Aublet, Grimm, and Forsskâl remain sources of valid binomials and are not to be rejected as “non‐Linnean,” although the latter's ‘Flora aegyptiaco‐arabica’ poses indeed some problems yet to be resolved. The second sentence of Art. 23.6(c) is inappropriate and misleading, and should better be deleted.
ORIGIN AND SIGNIFICANCE OF TRIMEROUS FLOWERS
Authors: Kubitzki Klaus
Published: June 2019

The purpose of this note is to bring into focus the morphological and evolutionary relationship between spiral anthotaxy and pentamerous, trimerous and dimerous whorls. The trimerous as well as the pentamerous condition has its morphological and evolutionary origin in spiral anthotaxy, and slight morphogenetic changes are responsible for the switch from spiral to whorled anthotaxy, the latter including pentamery, trimery, and rarely dimery. A pentamerous whorl is considered to be morphologically equivalent to two alternating trimerous or dimerous whorls. The transition from spiral to whorled anthotaxy is documented in several extant families of the Ranalean complex and must have taken place in parallel in various—albeit related—evolutionary lines. Except for its predominance in the monocotyledons and frequent occurrence in the Ranalean families trimery is relatively rare in other dicotyledons, and its morphogenetic origin may be different in these two major groups. It is proposed that trimery is a morphological constraint, which offers only very limited possibilities for meristic variation, with no return to pentamery or spiral anthotaxy possible.
WILL WE EVER ACHIEVE STABILITY OF NOMENCLATURE?
Authors: Brummitt R. K.
Published: June 2019

Long‐term ideas for achieving greater stability of names of plants are reviewed. It is suggested that lists of recommended names covering the whole flora of the world, which would take precedence over any names not so listed, might become an attractive proposition in the future. However, this would not solve problems arising from typification difficulties, which might currently be responsible for about half the upsets of established names.
MORE VALIDLY PUBLISHED NAMES FROM A. W. DENNSTEDT'S KEY TO RHEEDE'S HORTUS INDICUS MALABARICUS
Authors: Kanis A.
Published: June 2019

Manitz (1968) stated that 42 species names have been validly published in Dennstedt's “Schlüssel” (1818), but that another 48 names are to be regarded as “nomina nuda”. It is argued here that an additional 14 species names are validly published, shifting the balance to 56 compared with 34 nomina nuda. Although no generic names were validly published by Dennstedt himself, 3 were validated by others and 4 were applied subsequently to other taxa, whereas 2 of his genera were renamed by Rafinesque.
NOMENCLATURAL NOTES ON SALPICHROA (SOLANACEAE)
Authors: Perry G. , McNeill J.
Published: June 2019

Salpichroma Miers is not an orthographic variant of Salpichroa Miers but nomenclaturally distinct, though superfluous and illegitimate when published. Salpichroa origanifolia is shown to be the correct name for the weed, cock's eggs, to which the name S. rhomboidea has been applied. The correct citation is S. origanifolia (Lam.) Thell.
LECTOTYPIFICATION OF KOHAUTIA NAGPORENSIS (RUBIACEAE)
Authors: Sharma V. S.
Published: June 2019

A lectotype is designated for Kohautia nagporensis (Brace ex Haines) Santapau et Merch. (based on Oldenlandia nagporensis Brace ex Haines), a taxon listed in Flora British India by Hooker f. (1880) as O.? senegalensis Hiern. The history and nomenclature of this rare little‐known Indian species are discussed.
Herbarium of Józef Jundziłł (1794‐1877)
Authors: Köhler Piotr
Published: June 2019

Köhler, Piotr: Herbarium of Józef Jundziłł (1794‐1877). – Taxon 46: 365‐366. 1997. – ISSN 0040‐0262.

The herbarium of Józef Jundziłł stored at KRAM (Kraków, Poland) has been studied, and data from this study have been published in a 154‐page book. Locality information is available for 1584 of the 7318 specimens, including collections by J. Jundziłł, J. G. Forster, W. Besser, A. von Humboldt, and Count A. Chreptowicz.
Southern African herbaria and Red Data Lists
Authors: Golding Janice S.
Published: June 2019

Golding, J. S.: Southern African herbaria and Red Data Lists. – Taxon 50: 593–602. 2001. – ISSN 0040‐0262.

The southern African region is facing a major information backlog with regard to compiling plant Red Data Lists. This article examines the need for synergising these attempts by enlisting the aid of herbaria. It focuses on integrating ongoing Red Data List work with herbarium activities, with particular emphasis on the network of southern African herbaria. It is proposed that herbaria adopt a means to code specimens with a known or suspected Red Data List status. This practical suggestion presents one way in which southern African herbaria can adopt a more proactive stance towards threatened plant and other conservation‐related issues to help overcome this information backlog. The southern African region has much to do, if it is to emulate the international Red Data List status quo, and herbaria are at the centre of this.
Clinical Evaluation of Melorheostosis in the Context of a Natural History Clinical Study
Authors: Jha Smita , Cowen Edward W , Lehky Tanya J , Alter Katharine , Flynn Lauren , Reynolds James C , Lange Eileen , Katz James D , Marini Joan C , Siegel Richard M , Bhattacharyya Timothy
Published: June 2019

Melorheostosis is a rare dysostosis involving cortical bone overgrowth that affects the appendicular skeleton. Patients present with pain, deformities, contractures, range of motion limitation(s), and limb swelling. It has been described in children as well as adults. We recently identified somatic mosaicism for gain‐of‐function mutations in MAP2K1 in patients with melorheostosis. Despite these advances in genetic understanding, there are no effective therapies or clinical guidelines to help clinicians and patients in disease management. In a study to better characterize the clinical and genetic aspects of the disease, we recruited 30 adults with a radiographic appearance of melorheostosis and corresponding increased uptake on 18F‐NaF positron emission tomography (PET)/CT. Patients underwent physical exam, imaging studies, and laboratory assessment. All patients underwent nerve conduction studies and ultrasound imaging of the nerve in the anatomic distribution of melorheostosis. We found sensory deficits in approximately 77% of patients, with evidence of focal nerve entrapment in five patients. All patients reported pain; 53% of patients had changes in skin overlying the affected bone. No significant laboratory abnormalities were noted. Our findings suggest that patients with melorheostosis may benefit from a multidisciplinary team of dermatologists, neurologists, orthopedic surgeons, pain and palliative care specialists, and physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists. Future studies focused on disease management are needed. © 2019 The Authors. JBMR Plus Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
The effect of miR‐579 on the PI3K/AKT pathway in human glioblastoma PTEN mutant cell lines
Authors: Kalhori Mohammad Reza , Irani Shiva , Soleimani Masoud , Arefian Ehsan , Kouhkan Fatemeh
Published: June 2019

Glioblastoma multiform (GBM) is a type of aggressive brain cancer with limited success in standard treatment. MicroRNAs are one of the most beneficial tools for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of cancer. This study aimed to investigate the effect of miR‐579 on cellular behaviors and expression of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in GBM cell lines. In the present study, miR‐579 was overexpressed in U251 and A‐172 cell lines by using lentil vector, and its effect on cellular behavior such as proliferation and migration was investigated by the cell cycle, 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), Annexin V, colony formation, Transwell and wound healing assays. MiR‐579 predicted target genes (AKT1, Rheb, PDK1, and a few others) were also evaluated by real‐time polymerase chain reaction or luciferase assay and Western blot analysis. Our results represented that overexpression of miR‐579 could inhibit proliferation, migration, cell cycle and also promoted the apoptosis of GBM cell lines. The luciferase reporter assay showed miR‐579 directly targets the 3 UTR of mTOR, Rheb, and PDK1 and repressed their expressions. Furthermore, the Western blot analysis showed that miR‐579 could downregulate the AKT1 and Rheb protein expression. Overall, our findings propose that miR‐579 functions as a novel tumor suppressor gene in GBM by regulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and may serve as a therapeutic target for clinical therapy of glioblastoma multiform.
Saffron (Crocus sativus) in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers: Current findings and potential mechanisms of action
Authors: Naeimi Maryam , Shafiee Mojtaba , Kermanshahi Farnoush , Khorasanchi Zahra , Khazaei Majid , Ryzhikov Mikhail , Avan Amir , Gorji Narjes , Hassanian Seyed M.
Published: June 2019

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are major causes of cancer‐related mortality worldwide and include malignancies of the GI tract such as the stomach, liver, pancreas, small intestine, colon, and rectum. Promising and selective anticancer effects of pharmacologically active components of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) have been shown in preclinical in vitro and in vivo studies. Saffron and its active components including crocin, crocetin, and safranal exert their anticancer effects through different mechanisms, including induction of apoptosis, influence on the cell cycle, and regulation of host immune response and anti‐inflammatory activities. This review summarizes the recent literature on the chemopreventive properties of saffron in GI cancers to have a better understanding of the potential underlying mechanisms and hence the appropriate management of these malignancies.
lncRNA HNF1A‐AS1 modulates non–small cell lung cancer progression by targeting miR‐149‐5p/Cdk6
Authors: Liu Lu , Chen Yanzhi , Li Qiaoqing , Duan Peizeng
Published: June 2019

Growing evidence have shown the important regulation of lncRNAs (long noncoding RNAs) in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). lncRNA hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 homeobox A (HNF1A)‐antisense RNA 1 (AS1), an “oncogene”, was reported to regulate human tumors progression. However, the molecular mechanism of HNF1A‐AS1 involved in the development of NSCLC is still under investigation. In the current study, we found that HNF1A‐AS1 was relatively upregulated in both NSCLC patient tissues and cell lines. Functional studies established that overexpression of HNF1A‐AS1 promoted cell proliferation, cell cycle, invasion, and migration of NSCLC cells in vitro. The promotion abilities of HNF1A‐AS1 on NSCLC cell progression were suppressed via knockdown of HNF1A‐AS1. miR‐149‐5p was then proved to be a novel target of HNF1A‐AS1, whose expression was negatively correlated with HNF1A‐AS1 in NSCLC patient tissues and cell lines. HNF1A‐AS1 increased the expression of cyclin‐dependent kinase 6 (Cdk6) via sponging with miR‐149‐5p. Gain‐ and loss‐of‐functional studies indicated that HNF1A‐AS1 promoted NSCLC progression partially through inhibition of miR‐363‐3p and induction of Cdk6. Subcutaneous xenotransplanted tumor model confirmed that interference of HNF1A‐AS1 suppressed the tumorigenic ability of NSCLC via upregulation of miR‐149‐5p and downregulation of Cdk6 in vivo. In conclusion, our findings clarified the biologic significance of the HNF1A‐AS1/miR‐149‐5p/Cdk6 axis in NSCLC progression and provided novel evidence that HNF1A‐AS1 may be a new potential therapeutic target for the treatment of NSCLC.
The phylogenetic approach for viral infectious disease evolution and epidemiology: An updating review
Authors: Ciccozzi Massimo , Lai Alessia , Zehender Gianguglielmo , Borsetti Alessandra , Cella Eleonora , Ciotti Marco , Sagnelli Evangelista , Sagnelli Caterina , Angeletti Silvia
Published: June 2019

In the last decade, the phylogenetic approach is recurrent in molecular evolutionary analysis. On 12 May, 2019, about 2 296 213 papers are found, but typing “phylogeny” or “epidemiology AND phylogeny” only 199 804 and 20 133 are retrieved, respectively. Molecular epidemiology in infectious diseases is widely used to define the source of infection as so as the ancestral relationships of individuals sampled from a population. Coalescent theory and phylogeographic analysis have had scientific application in several, recent pandemic events, and nosocomial outbreaks. Hepatitis viruses and immunodeficiency virus (human immunodeficiency virus) have been largely studied. Phylogenetic analysis has been recently applied on Polyomaviruses so as in the more recent outbreaks due to different arboviruses type as Zika and chikungunya viruses discovering the source of infection and the geographic spread. Data on sequences isolated by the microorganism are essential to apply the phylogenetic tools and research in the field of infectious disease phylodinamics is growing up. There is the need to apply molecular phylogenetic and evolutionary methods in areas out of infectious diseases, as translational genomics and personalized medicine. Lastly, the application of these tools in vaccine strategy so as in antibiotic and antiviral researchers are encouraged.
The relentless pursuit of perfectionism: A review of perfectionism in the workplace and an agenda for future research
Authors: Ocampo Anna Carmella G. , Wang Lu , Kiazad Kohyar , Restubog Simon Lloyd D. , Ashkanasy Neal M.
Published: June 2019

The pursuit of perfectionism resonates with many individuals across workplaces resulting in a recent flurry of research on the topic. Although extant research has examined the costs and benefits of perfectionism at work, these efforts are scattered across multiple disciplines and utilize varying conceptualizations. As a result, we lack a coherent understanding of how perfectionism influences work behavior. To address this issue, we integrate the nascent but fragmented perfectionism at work literature, including both empirical findings and theoretical perspectives. We introduce and discuss a future research agenda that addresses not only the need to broaden understanding of perfectionism's antecedents, processes, and boundary conditions but also its multilevel applications and methodological limitations. Our review will enable organizational scholars to develop a deeper understanding of how perfectionism renders its influence in the workplace.
Architectural and anatomical responses of maize roots to agronomic practices in a semi‐arid environment
Authors: Zhan Ai , Liu Jianliang , Yue Shanchao , Chen Xinping , Li Shiqing , Bucksch Alexander
Published: June 2019

Root architecture and anatomy are important determinants of nitrogen (N) and water acquisition, but they are also environmentally plastic to adapt to N and water availability. Therefore, understanding the relationship between root traits and environmental factors is essential for improving N and water acquisition. A field experiment was conducted in the semi‐arid region of the Loess Plateau in northwestern China to quantify the architectural and anatomical root traits of maize (Zea mays L.) in response to plastic film mulching and N fertilization. We compared four treatments: non‐mulching with and without N supply as well as plastic film mulching with and without N supply. Variation existed for all root architecture and anatomy traits within maize root crowns. Crown and brace root angles to the soil line decreased in response to film mulching and N fertilization. Crown roots under plastic film mulching showed a significantly decreased distance to branching, reduced lateral root length, and overall increased root diameter. Similarly, N application significantly decreased the distance to branching, yet induced more compact and denser crown roots, and increased the root diameter. Brace roots exhibited an increased distance to branching, greater lateral root length and density, as well as a larger root diameter in response to plastic film mulching and N fertilization. Additionally, the accumulated number of nodal roots increased greatly under plastic film mulching and N treatments. At the anatomical level, N application reduced the proportion of the root cortical aerenchyma area. In contrast, aerenchyma area, cortex cell size, and late metaxylem vessel diameter were increased as a result of plastic film mulching. These results demonstrate root architectural and anatomical traits respond to mulching practices and N fertilization.
A column perfusion test to assess the kinetics of nutrient release by soluble, sparingly soluble and coated granular fertilizers
Authors: Baird Roslyn , da Silva Rodrigo C. , Degryse Fien , McLaughlin Michael J.
Published: June 2019

In recent years, innovations in fertilizer research have principally been in the design of products to supply more timely plant nutrients and mitigate detrimental losses to the environment. In the development of these fertilizers, a laboratory method to comparatively screen a large number of formulations for the rate of nutrient release is a critical first step in formulation optimization to significantly reduce time spent on pot and field trials, reducing costs considerably. Currently, given the absence of a standard laboratory method for all fertilizers, adaptions of a method for coated fertilizers from theInternational Organization for Standardization(2017) ISO 21263 and other column tests are being used which are often complex and/or require manual sampling which can be laborious, time consuming and costly. The method presented here evaluates the dynamic release in real time by continuously perfusing samples in columns utilizing an automated sample accumulation system for short‐term and long‐term release studies and eliminates the need for soil/sand packing of columns. Mass balance is accounted for by analysing the residue after dissolution and the amount released is expressed as a % of the total nutrient content in the product. This method is reliable, uncomplicated and cost‐effective and has been used to test uncoated soluble fertilizers, nanofertilizers, fertilizers with newly developed coating technologies and other slowly soluble fertilizers, to assess the effect of variables like coating chemistry and thickness, fertilizer composition or fertilizer particle size on release rate.
Aqueous Foam Stabilized by Hydrophobic SiO2 Nanoparticles using Mixed Anionic Surfactant Systems under High‐Salinity Brine Condition
Authors: Rattanaudom Pattamas , Shiau Bor‐Jier , Suriyapraphadilok Uthaiporn , Charoensaeng Ampira
Published: June 2019

A primary concern of surfactant‐assisted foams in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is the stability of the foams. In recent studies, foam stability has been successfully improved by the use of nanoparticles (NP). The adhesion energy of the NP is larger than the adsorbed surfactant molecules at the air–water interface, leading to a steric barrier to mitigate foam‐film ruptures and liquid‐foam coalescence. In this study, the partially hydrophobic SiO2 nanoparticles (SiO2‐NP) were introduced to anionic mixed‐surfactant systems to investigate their potential for improving the foamability and stability. An appropriate ratio of internal olefin sulfonate (C15‐18 IOS) and sodium polyethylene glycol monohexadecyl ether sulfate (C32H66Na2O5S) was selected to avoid the formation of undesirable effects such as precipitation and phase separation under high‐salt conditions. The effects of the NP‐stabilized foams were investigated through a static foam column experiment. The surface tension, zeta potential, bubble size, and bubble size distribution were observed. The stability of the static foam in a column test was evaluated by co‐injecting the NP‐surfactant mixture with air gas. The results indicate that the foam stability depends on the dispersion of NP in the bulk phase and at the water–air interface. A correlation was observed in the NP‐stabilized foam that stability increased with increasing negative zeta potential values (−54.2 mv). This result also corresponds to the smallest bubble size (214 μm in diameter) and uniform size distribution pattern. The findings from this study provide insights into the viability of creating NP‐surfactant interactions in surfactant‐stabilized foams for oil field applications.
Intracorporeal circular‐stapled anastomosis after totally laparoscopic gastrectomy: A novel, simplest u‐shaped parallel purse‐string suture technique
Authors: Du Jianjun , Xue Hongyuan , Zhao Lizhi , Hua Jin , Hu Jian , Zhang Ziqiang
Published: June 2019

Background

Intracorporeal anastomoses in totally laparoscopic gastrectomy (TLG) remain technical challenges to many surgeons, although the intracorporeal jejunojejunal or gastrojejunal anastomosis is an essential procedure during TLG. Standardized, reproducible and simple circular‐stapled anastomosis in open gastrectomy is limited in TLG due to the difficulties of intracorporeal purse‐string suture or anvil placement. An optimal procedure for intracorporeal anastomosis in TLG remains to be established.

Methods

Between February 2018 and January 2019, 31 consecutive patients with gastric cancer underwent totally laparoscopic total gastrectomy (TLTG) or totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (TLDG) using the novel u‐shaped parallel purse‐string suture technique along the jejunum for anvil placement. The intracorporeal circular‐stapled jejunojejunostomy of Roux‐en‐Y reconstruction in TLTG and gastrojejunostomy of Billroth II in TLDG were, respectively, performed.

Results

The total mean  ± SD operative time was 214.7 ± 48.6 minutes. The time required for purse‐string suture and anvil placement was 2.3 ± 0.5 and 4.4 ± 1.1 minutes, respectively. There were no instances of postoperative jejunojejunal or gastrojejunal anastomosis‐related complications observed during the median follow‐up period of 5.5 months.

Conclusions

The novel procedure conceptionally and technically changes the conventional circular‐shaped purse‐string suture into a much simpler way, u‐shaped parallel purse‐string suture. This could be the simplest published intracorporeal pure‐string suture technique
Molecularly imprinted polymer film grafted from porous silica for efficient enrichment of steroid hormones in water samples
Authors: Czarny Karolina , Szczukocki Dominik , Krawczyk Barbara , Juszczak Renata , Skrzypek Sławomira , Gadzała‐Kopciuch Renata
Published: June 2019

Steroid hormones as endocrine disrupting compounds can interfere with the functioning of hormonal systems of organisms and thus affect the health and reproduction of humans and wildlife. Unfortunately, these types of harmful endocrine disrupting compounds have been found in a variety of environmental samples at very low concentrations. Therefore, a simple, fast, and efficient method for enrichment of water samples is needed. A molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction combined with high performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection was developed for the determination of six steroid hormones, such as estrone, 17‐β‐estradiol, estriol, 17‐α‐ethinylestradiol, progesterone, and testosterone in water samples. The recoveries obtained in the proposed method were in the range of 78.7–101.3%. Matrix effect below 20% suggests that the quantitative and qualitative results of the analysis were not significantly affected by the matrix. The results show that molecularly imprinted polymers based on spherical silica gel had the potential to be a highly innovative and selective sorbent. The proposed method was proved to be applicable for molecularly imprinted solid‐phase extraction in selective and reliable extraction and enrichment of steroid hormones in environmental water samples.
Inter‐ and Intra‐rater Agreement of Dermatologic Ultrasound for the Diagnosis of Lobular and Septal Panniculitis
Authors: Romaní Jorge , Giavedoni Priscila , Roé Esther , Vidal David , Luelmo Jesús , Wortsman Ximena
Published: June 2019

Objectives

Dermatologic ultrasound (US) may aid in the diagnosis and classification of panniculitis. The purpose of this study was to assess the capability of dermatologic US for subtyping mainly septal/lobular panniculitis.

Methods

A multicentric and prospective study of the inter‐ and intra‐rater agreement of dermatologic US for subtyping panniculitis was conducted among 4 clinicians with experience in dermatologic US and a radiologist specialized in dermatologic US. Clinicians recruited patients and performed dermatologic US examinations of the most substantial lesion and punch biopsies. A histologic study was considered the reference standard. Then the images were blindly evaluated by all researchers. For intra‐ and inter‐rater agreement, Cohen and Fleiss κ values were calculated.

Results

Sixty‐four patients were included. The Cohen intra‐rater κ was 0.74. Sensitivity and specificity for lobular panniculitis were 85.19 and 88.57, respectively. The Fleiss inter‐rater κ was 0.47. Limitations of the study included the small number of patients and differences in evaluators and their dermatologic US equipment.

Conclusions

This study supports the use of US for diagnosing panniculitis. For subtyping panniculitis, the intra‐rater correlation was good. Improvement of inter‐rater agreement may depend on access to clinical information, dynamic images, a better definition of criteria, homogeneous configurations of the devices, and the expertise of dermatologic US operators.
Workforce analysis of practicing rhinologists in the united states
Authors: Heineman Thomas E. , Ramakrishnan Vijay , Hwang Peter H. , Suh Jeffrey D.
Published: June 2019

Objectives

The objective of this study is to analyze the current rhinology workforce in the United States in terms of demographics, fellowship training, and regional distribution.

Methods

The American Rhinologic Society (ARS) member database was queried for workplace zip code, age, gender, and fellowship training of practicing U.S. rhinologists through 2017. The San Francisco Match data were examined for rhinology fellowships from 2006 through 2017. Each rhinologist was assigned to a specific hospital referral region (HRR) determined by the Dartmouth Healthcare Atlas to assess geographic distribution and market density.

Results

There were 296 ARS members self‐identifying as rhinologists. Of those, 69.2% were fellowship‐trained (FTR). The median age of FTRs and non‐FTRs were 41 and 54 years, respectively (P < 0.001). Eighty percent of FTRs were male compared to 85.7% non‐FTRs. Given the recent growth of rhinology fellowships, the number of FTRs is currently expanding at approximately 16% per year. HRRs with the most rhinologists were Los Angeles, Boston, and Manhattan, all with 14. Approximately 100 million people live in HRRs without a practicing rhinologist. A wide variation in rhinologist density was observed, ranging from 133,047 to 3,636,809 people per rhinologist, with a median of 747,864.

Conclusion

There may be a need for rhinologists in select parts of the country. Whereas the ARS database is likely an underestimation of the growing workforce, under current training rates we could pass the ideal number of U.S. rhinologists within 5 years.

Level of Evidence

NA

Laryngoscope, 130:1116–1121, 2020
Sleep apnea and the impact on cardiovascular risk in patients with Marfan syndrome
Authors: Muiño‐Mosquera Laura , Bauters Fré , Dhondt Karlien , De Wilde Hans , Jordaens Luc , De Groote Katya , De Wolf Daniel , Hertegonne Katrien , De Backer Julie
Published: June 2019

Background

Marfan syndrome (MFS) is an inherited connective tissue disorder characterized by ectopia lentis, aortic root dilation and dissection and specific skeletal features. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in MFS has been described earlier but the prevalence and its relation with the cardiovascular risk is still controversial. This study aimed to further investigate these aspects.

Methods

In this prospective longitudinal study, we performed an attended polysomnography in 40 MFS patients (60% women, 37 ± 12.8 years) and evaluated several cardiovascular parameters through echocardiography, resting electrocardiogram, 24 hr‐Holter monitoring and serum NT‐ProBNP measurements.

Results

We found that OSA was present in 42.5% of the patients and that higher body mass index was the most important factor associated with the presence of OSA. We observed that overweight was present in 27.5% of the patients in the whole cohort and in 55.6% if >40 years. Furthermore, when evaluating the impact of OSA on the cardiovascular system, we observed that patients with OSA tended to have higher systolic blood pressure, larger distal aortic diameters and a higher prevalence of ventricular arrhythmia. These differences were, however, not significant after adjusting for confounders.

Conclusions

Our study shows a high prevalence of OSA and a high prevalence of overweight in MFS patients. We found some trends between OSA and cardiovascular features but we could not establish a solid association. Our study, however might be underpowered, and a multicenter collaborative study could be very useful to answer some important open questions.
Effects of chain extender and uniaxial stretching on the properties of PLA/PPC/mica composites
Authors: Xia Menglu , Shi Kunxiang , Zhou Mingzhu , Shen Yucai , Wang Tingwei
Published: June 2019

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC)/mica composites with different amount of chain extender (CE) were melt compounded and then processed via two routes (compression molding and uniaxial stretching) into sheets and films. The tensile, thermal, and oxygen barrier properties of all the samples were investigated. Tensile test showed that the tensile strength and elongation at break of all films were much higher than that of all sheets, especially for PLA/PPC/mica with 0.9‐wt% CE composite (CM3(CE)0.9) film. The crystallinity of all films increased significantly after uniaxial stretching of sheet samples. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results proved the chemical reactions occurred between PLA/PPC and CE. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis revealed that compatibility and interfacial adhesion of all samples were improved after adding mica and CE, and they were further enhanced after uniaxial stretching. The addition of CE was not favorable to improve the oxygen barrier performance of PLA/PPC/mica sheet samples. However, the oxygen barrier performance of film samples was significantly improved after uniaxial stretching. In particular, the CM3(CE)0.9 film had the lowest oxygen permeability coefficient (1.4 × 10−15 cm3·cm/(cm2·s·Pa)), and this was the best oxygen barrier properties reported in the literature for PLA‐based composites, which was comparable with PA film. This study demonstrated the high efficiency of uniaxial stretching on improvement of properties of composites, which would promote the application of biodegradable polymers in oxygen sensitive food packaging.
Point‐Arc Remote Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition for High‐Quality Single‐Crystal Diamond Selective Growth
Authors: Fei Wenxi , Inaba Masafumi , Hoshino Haruka , Tsuyusaki Ikuto , Kawai Sora , Iwataki Masayuki , Kawarada Hiroshi
Published: June 2019

Selective growth techniques are believed to be the most effective approaches in the fabrication of diamond devices. Herein, the contamination from antenna and mask damage that causes poor performance in electronic applications is overcome with a high‐quality diamond film on Ib (100) substrate, obtained by utilizing point‐arc remote microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and energy dispersive X‐ray (EDX) mapping suggest that the diamond nucleation and selective growth occurred only in unmasked regions. Crystalline quality is evaluated by Raman spectra. Mo concentration from the antenna is detected with secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) at only a background level in the selectively grown diamond, indicating that the films are free of contaminant from the antenna, at three orders of magnitude lower than the impurity concentration in films selectively grown by typical hot filament CVD. Moreover, the moderate growth rate (approximately 50 nm h−1) enables high reproducibility, which is of great importance for the precise control thickness of the selective growth layer, and thus the proposed method offers significant potential for the architecture modification of diamond devices.
Nonclassical B‐Hb⋯π interaction in diborane⋯localized‐π sandwiches: A DFT‐D3 study
Authors: Saha Bapan , Sharma Himakshi , Bhattacharyya Pradip Kr.
Published: June 2019

The study presents a quantitative estimation of B‐Hb⋯π interaction in diborane‐localized‐π half sandwiches and sandwiches. DFT‐D3 method is used for geometry optimization and estimating the stability of the complexes (in terms of stabilization energies). The diborane molecule is the source of bridging hydrogen and O2, C2H4, and C2H2 molecules are considered as the localized π‐systems. MP2 and CCSD(T) calculations are also performed to measure the stability of the chosen complexes. Results indicate that the complexes are feebly stable in gas phase with stabilization energies <5.0 kcal mol−1. Compared to DFT‐D3 functionals, MP2 calculations are found to be more suitable in predicting the stability of the complexes. Dispersive interaction is the primary mode of interaction in stabilizing the complexes. Presence of substituents either on diborane or on the considered π‐systems play key role in stabilizing the complexes. Thermochemical analysis demonstrates the exothermic nature of complexation. 1H and 13B NMR analysis are also performed.
Optimization of Timing and Times for Administration of Atorvastatin-Pretreated Mesenchymal Stem Cells in a Preclinical Model of Acute Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Xu Jun , Xiong Yu-Yan , Li Qing , Hu Meng-Jin , Huang Pei-Sen , Xu Jun-Yan , Tian Xia-Qiu , Jin Chen , Liu Jian-Dong , Qian Li , Yang Yue-Jin
Published: June 2019

Our previous studies showed that the combination of atorvastatin (ATV) and single injection of ATV-pretreated mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) (ATV-MSCs) at 1 week post-acute myocardial infarction (AMI) promoted MSC recruitment and survival. This study aimed to investigate whether the combinatorial therapy of intensive ATV with multiple injections of ATV-MSCs has greater efficacy at different stages to better define the optimal strategy for MSC therapy in AMI. In order to determine the optimal time window for MSC treatment, we first assessed stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) dynamic expression and inflammation. Next, we compared MSC recruitment and differentiation, cardiac function, infarct size, and angiogenesis among animal groups with single, dual, and triple injections of ATV-MSCs at early (Early1, Early2, Early3), mid-term (Mid1, Mid2, Mid3), and late (Late1, Late2, Late3) stages. Compared with AMI control, intensive ATV significantly augmented SDF-1 expression 1.5∼2.6-fold in peri-infarcted region with inhibited inflammation. ATV-MSCs implantation with ATV administration further enhanced MSC recruitment rate by 3.9%∼24.0%, improved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) by 2.0%∼16.2%, and reduced infarct size in all groups 6 weeks post-AMI with most prominent improvement in mid groups and still effective in late groups. Mechanistically, ATV-MSCs remarkably suppressed inflammation and apoptosis while increasing angiogenesis. Furthermore, triple injections of ATV-MSCs were much more effective than single administration during early and mid-term stages of AMI with the best effects in Mid3 group. We conclude that the optimal strategy is multiple injections of ATV-MSCs combined with intensive ATV administration at mid-term stage of AMI. The translational potential of this strategy is clinically promising. Stem Cells Translational Medicine  2019;8:1068–1083
PSICA: Decision trees for probabilistic subgroup identification with categorical treatments
Authors: Sysoev Oleg , Bartoszek Krzysztof , Ekström Eva‐Charlotte , Ekholm Selling Katarina
Published: June 2019

Personalized medicine aims at identifying best treatments for a patient with given characteristics. It has been shown in the literature that these methods can lead to great improvements in medicine compared to traditional methods prescribing the same treatment to all patients. Subgroup identification is a branch of personalized medicine, which aims at finding subgroups of the patients with similar characteristics for which some of the investigated treatments have a better effect than the other treatments. A number of approaches based on decision trees have been proposed to identify such subgroups, but most of them focus on two‐arm trials (control/treatment) while a few methods consider quantitative treatments (defined by the dose). However, no subgroup identification method exists that can predict the best treatments in a scenario with a categorical set of treatments. We propose a novel method for subgroup identification in categorical treatment scenarios. This method outputs a decision tree showing the probabilities of a given treatment being the best for a given group of patients as well as labels showing the possible best treatments. The method is implemented in an R package psica available on CRAN. In addition to a simulation study, we present an analysis of a community‐based nutrition intervention trial that justifies the validity of our method.
Selective Synthesis of Ethyl Methyl Carbonate via Catalytic Reactive Distillation over Heterogeneous MgO/HZSM‐5
Authors: Lv Jianhua , Cai Huanhuan , Guo Yong , Liu Wenrui , Tao Ning , Wang Hefang , Liu Jidong
Published: June 2019

Ethyl methyl carbonate is selective synthesized from dimethyl carbonate and ethanol via catalytic reactive distillation ( RD) over heterogeneous MgO/HZSM‐5. It is shown that 2.3%MgO/HZSM‐5 catalyst has high catalytic activity with 99.4% conversion of ethanol ( EtOH) and 98.1% selectivity to EMC, in a RD column. The prepared catalysts is characterized by XRD, SEM, N2 adsorption‐desorption CO2‐TPD and NH3‐TPD. The high performance of this catalyst is attributed to high basicity. According to the results of CO2‐TPD, this catalyst total basicity is 1.72 mmol/g. In order to optimize the catalytic reaction, the reaction conditions, such as amount of catalyst, reflux ratio and EtOH LHSV were studied.