bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Simplified Cleanup and Gas Chromatographic Determination of Organophosphorus Pesticides in Crops
Authors: Sasaki Kumiko , Suzuki Takashi , Saito Yukio
Published: February 2020

A simple and efficient cleanup method for gas chromatographic determination of 23 organophosphorus pesticides in crops including onion is described. The sample was extracted with acetone. The extract was purified with coagulating solution, which contained ammonium chloride and phosphoric acid, and then filtered by suction. The filtrate was diluted with NaCl solution and reextracted with benzene. The organic layer was evaporated and injected into a gas chromatograph equipped with a flame photometric detector (FPD) and fused silica capillary columns (0.53 mm id) coated with silicone equivalent to OV-1701, OV-1, and SE-52. Onion extract, which contained FPD interferences, was cleaned up on a disposable silica cartridge. Recoveries of most organophosphorus pesticides from spiked crops: mandarin orange, tomato, spinach, sweet pepper, broccoli, lettuce, and onion at levels of 0.02-0.28 ppm, exceeded 80%, but the water-soluble pesticides dichlorvos and dimethoate gave poor recoveries in all crops; the nonpolar pesticides disulfoton, chlorpyrifos, fenthion, prothiophos, and leptophos were not recovered quantitatively in spinach, sweet pepper, broccoli, and lettuce. IBP, edifenphos, phosmet, and pyridaphenthion were not recovered from onion because of adsorption to the silica cartridge. The detection limits ranged from 1.25 to 17.5 ppb on a crop basis.
Identification of Ahasverus advena (Waltl) (Foreign Grain Beetle) and Ahasverus rectus (LeConte) (Coleoptera: Cucujidae) by Micromorphology of Adult Fragments Including Genitalia
Authors: Zimmerman Michael L
Published: February 2020

Morphological characteristics of dissected fragments from male and female adult beetles of Ahasverus advena (Waltl) and A. rectus (LeConte) are described and illustrated, including original descriptions of the male genitalia of both species. Diagnostic differences are noted among the morphology of the head, antennae, mandibles, labium, tibial leg segments, prothorax, metasternum, and abdominal sternite I, and between the shape and/or setation of the paired lateral lobes, the apical margin of the aedeagus, the internal sac, and the paired 8th and 9th abdominal sternites for the male genitalia.
Microscopic Detection of Potato Adulteration of Prepared Horseradish
Authors: Galacci Raymond R , Cichowicz Stanley M
Published: February 2020

The present method to detect parsnip or turnip adulteration in prepared horseradish uses light microscopy and a starch stain containing iodine in potassium iodide. This method does not work well for potato adulteration because potato and horseradish starch stain similarly. A method has been developed to differentiate potato from horseradish tissue by using a polarizing microscope with crossed polars and a first order red plate. Potato starch grains show interference patterns. This method has been used to qualitatively demonstrate potato starch grains in product packing liquid and to quantitate potato adulteration in horseradish samples at levels of <1% potato tissue fragments
Improved Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Determination of Soy Protein in Meat Products
Authors: Rittenburg James H , Adams Alexandra , Palmer John , Allen John C
Published: February 2020

An Indirect, Competitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (Elisa) Has Been Developed For Quantitation Of Soy Protein In Meat Products. The Methodology Allows Rapid Aqueous Extraction Of Meat Samples Into A Liquid Form Suitable For Assay. The Assay Is Highly Specific For Soy Protein And Is Designed To Measure Soy Protein Levels Between 1 And 10% Of The Wet Weight Of The Sample. Standardized, Stabilized Reagents For Carrying Out The Procedure Are Commercially Available In A Kit. The Analysis, Including Sample Preparation, Can Be Completed Within A Workday, And The Actual Immunoassay In Less Than 60 Min.
The FDA Pesticides Monitoring Program
Authors: Reed Donald V , Lombardo Pasquale , Wessel John R , Burke Jerry A , Mcmahon Bernadette
Published: February 2020

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) carries out an extensive program to monitor foods for pesticide residues. The 2 main objectives of the program are to enforce tolerances established by the Environmental Protection Agency for pesticide residues on foods and feeds and to determine the incidence and level of pesticide residues in the food supply. Because of the wide diversity of pesticide/ commodity combinations encountered, FDA uses a number of different approaches to achieve effective consumer protection. The components of the FDA Pesticides Monitoring Program and the strategy used in its development are described.
Physicochemical Properties and Method for Determination of Potassium Guaiacolsulfonate
Authors: Kawamura Kunio , Nakamachi Hideo , Araki Hiroaki , Sonoda Kiyokazu
Published: February 2020

The physicochemical properties of potassium guaiacol-4-sulfonate (I) and -S-suIfonate (II) have been investigated. Analyses of the X-ray diffraction patterns, infrared spectra, and thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric curves showed that I occurs as crystals that are anhydrous or hydrated up to ⅔ mole (4.8%) and that II occurs as crystals that are anhydrous or dihydrated (13.5%). Solutions of I and II at various pH values showed almost the same UV spectra at pH 7.0. Most commercially available potassium guaiacolsulfonate consists predominantly of potassium guaiacol-4-sulfonate (as determined by UVabsorption measurements and liquid chromatography).
Evaluation of an Automated Gel Permeation Cleanup and Evaluation System for Determining Pesticide Residues in Fatty Samples
Authors: Hopper Marvin L , Griffitt Kenneth R
Published: February 2020

The AutoVap® 600 system, used in conjunction with an automated gel permeation chromatography (GPC) instrument, automatically collects and evaporates the effluent from the GPC column, dissolves the residue in a fixed volume of desired solvent, and quantitatively transfers it to a sealed vial. This system was evaluated and found to automate efficiently the cleanup of butterfat for pesticide residue analysis. Quantitative recoveries were obtained for each of 4 pesticides fortified in butterfat and cleaned up through the system and for 12 pesticide standards in the absence of sample matrix collected through the system. After loading, the system operates unattended and will automatically prepare up to 23 individual fat samples for determination by gas chromatography without additional cleanup.
Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Taurine in Vitamin Premix Formulations
Authors: Subba Rao Gowdahalli N
Published: February 2020

A liquid chromatographic (LC) method is described for the determination of taurine in vitamin and vitamin-mineral premix formulations. The method involves extraction of taurine with 0.1 M bicarbonate buffer, followed by precolumn derivatization with dansyl chloride and LC using fluorescence detection. 6-Aminocaproic acid is used as an internal standard. A reverse phase analytical column and a mobile phase of 0.1M acetate buffer solution (pH 7.2)-acetonitrile (75 + 25) are used. Vitamins, minerals, and other excipients in the premix formulations do not interfere in the determination. The method is simple, precise, and accurate
Stabilization of Ascorbic Acid and Its Measurement by Liquid Chromatography in Nonfat
Dry Milk
Authors: Margolis Sam A , Black Iona
Published: February 2020

The determination of ascorbic acid by liquid chromatography (LC) was improved by performing the analysis in the presence of solvents that had been purged with argon to reduce the concentration of oxygen. This methodological modification eliminated the oxidation of ascorbic acid during the chromatographic procedure and reduced the minimum detection level to 1 μg. Solutions of ascorbic acid have been successfully stabilized for 67 days by addition of dithiothreitol to a deaerated solution of water-acetonitrile (25 + 75 v/v), sealed under argon in amber vials and stored at -20°C. In a second independent study, a procedure for the extraction of ascorbic acid from nonfat dry milk in a single step was developed. The ascorbic acid content of Nonfat Dry Milk (SRM 1549) was determined by LC, using the method of standard additions. The mean ascorbic acid content was 54 ± 5 μg/g of sample. Analysis of variance of the analytical results indicates that there is a significant continual increase in the content of the ascorbic acid in each bottle from first to last sample
Liquid Chromatographic Method for Determining the Macrolide Antibiotic Sedecamycin and
Its Major Metabolites in Swine Plasma and Tissues
Authors: Okada Junya , Kondo Sadao
Published: February 2020

A liquid chromatographic (LC) method was developed to determine sedecamycin, a 17-membered macrolide antibiotic used for treating swine dysentery, and its major metabolites (lankacidin C, lankacidinol A, and lankacidinol) in swine plasma and tissues. Plasma is directly extracted with ethyl acetate and analyzed by liquid chromatography without purification. Tissues are homogenized in a phosphate buffer containing sodium chloride, and then extracted with ethyl acetate. The extracts are subjected to silica gel-Florisil, doublelayered column chromatography to remove endogenous interfering substances. The LC determination uses silica gel and ODS-silica as a stationary phase. The detection limits for sedecamycin and its metabolites were <0.05 ppm, and average recoveries and coefficients of variation (0.2-1 ppm range) were >75% and <10%, respectively
Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Coumarin Anticoagulants in Tablets:
Collaborative Study
Authors: Moore Ella S
Published: February 2020

A liquid chromatographic method for the determination of coumarin anticoagulants in tablets was collaboratively studied by 7 laboratories. The method uses an octadecylsilane-bonded microparticulate column, tetrahydrofuran-methanol-water-acetic acid mobile phase, and photometric detection at 311 nm. Each collaborator received samples of warfarin sodium, phenprocoumon, and dicumarol as a synthetic composite and as commercial individual and composited tablets. Pooled average assay values for synthetic and commercial tablet samples of warfarin sodium were 101.6 and 99.5%, respectively, with a combined reproducibility SD of 2.38% (CV = 2.37%) and combined repeatability SD of 1.49% (CV = 1.49%). Pooled average (SD) assay values for dicumarol and phenprocoumon commercial samples were 98.0 (2.27) and 101.3% (4.00), respectively. The content uniformity determinations of 2 mg warfarin sodium and 25 mg dicumarol tablets indicated average tablet contents (range) of 99.5% (91.0-116.0) and 98.0% (89.8-108.8), respectively. The method has been approved interim official first action
Thin-Layer Chromatographic Determination of Sterigmatocystin in Cheese:
Interlaboratory Study
Authors: Francis Octave J , Ware George M , Carman Allen S , Kirschenheuter Gary P , Kuan Shia S , Newell Richard F
Published: February 2020

A collaborative study of a method for the determination of sterigmatocystin in cheese was conducted by 10 laboratories. The study included control samples and samples spiked at levels of 5, 10, and 25 ppb, in coded blind pairs. Recoveries were 60.0, 90.7, and 59.3%, outliers excluded, for the respective levels. The mean reproducibilities, outliers excluded, were 81.97, 17.13, and 52.77%, respectively. Mean repeatabilities, outliers excluded, were 77.66,17.13, and 46.40%, respectively. Results of this collaborative study indicate that the method, modified as described in this report, is applicable to the determination of sterigmatocystin in cheese at low levels (5-50 ppb) for the purpose of surveys. With regard to the difficulty with thinlayer chromatography in this study, it is recommended that a more satisfactory determinative step be developed. Recommendation for official first action status is deferred
Total Arsenic in Foods after Sequential Wet Digestion, Dry Ashing, Coprecipitation with
Ammonium Pyrrolidine Dithiocarbamate, and Graphite-Furnace Atomic
Absorption Spectrometry
Authors: Dabeka Robert W , Lacroix Gladys M A
Published: February 2020

A graphite-furnace atomic absorption (GFAAS) method is described for determining total arsenic (organic and inorganic compounds) in foods. Samples ranging from 1 to 40 g (depending on moisture content) were digested with HN03 and dry-ashed at 500°C overnight after addition of MgO. After dissolution in HC1, the arsenic was reduced with iodide and ascorbic acid and precipitated with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC) in the presence of nickel carrier. Precipitates were collected on 0.3/im cellulose acetate filters and dissolved in 10% HN03 containing modifier. Ba(N03)2 was added to remove a sulfate interference resulting from decomposition of APDC. Arsenic was determined using GFAAS. Accuracy of the method was good for 7 U.S. National Bureau of Standards (NBS) Standard Reference Materials and 3 National Research Council of Canada (NRCC) round-robin samples. Recovery of arsenic(V) from foods averaged 99.2% for peak heights and 97.1% for peak areas, with relative standard deviations (RSD) of 2.2% for peak heights and 3.3% for peak areas for all NBS and NRCC materials. Detection limit of the method was ca 10 ng arsenic
Evaluation of Penicylinders Used in Disinfectant Testing: Bacterial Attachment and Surface
Texture
Authors: Cole Eugene C , Rutala William A , Carson Johnny L
Published: February 2020

Two passible deficiencies in the AOAC use-dilution method for registration of chemical disinfectants by the Environmental Protection Agency are examined: (7) the physical disparities among brands of penicylinders and (2) the variability of bacterial numbers on penicylinders depending upon test strain and penicylinder surface texture. Textual differences of 2 brands of stainless steel penicylinders, one brand of porcelain, and one brand of glass were assessed by scanning electron microscopy. A considerable variation in smoothness of both inner and outer surfaces of stainless steel and porcelain penicylinders was observed. Glass penicylinders were very smooth. Numbers of bacteria attached to a penicylinder were assessed by vortexing the penicylinders 30 s at No. 4 after using the AOAC method of bacterial inoculation and drying 40 min at 37°C. With this methodology, stainless steel carriers retained the 3 AOAC-recommended bacterial test strains differentially: ca 107 for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 5 x 106 tat Staphylococcus aureus, and 106 for Salmonella choleraesuis; glass retained 10'-107 organisms of all 3 test strains; porcelain retained about that amount of S. aureus but 105-106 P. aeruginosa and 103-104 S. choleraesuis. These data suggest that disinfectants are not similarly challenged with the AOAC-recommended test bacteria and that an alternative method should be considered to ensure comparable numbers of bacteria on penicylinders
Comparison of HgO and CuS04/Ti02 as Catalysts in Manual Kjeldahl Digestion for
Determination of Crude Protein in Animal Feed: Collaborative Study
Authors: Kane Peter F
Published: February 2020

Because of environmental concerns about HgO, and because of lengthy digestion requirements for HgO and CuS04, interest in alternative catalysts for the Kjeldahl determination of animal feeds remains high. A digestion system using a mixed CuS04/Ti02 catalyst has been found to reduce digestion times to 40 min. A collaborative study was carried out to compare this system to the official AOAC HgO method, 7.015. Thirty-eight samples, consisting of blind duplicates of closely matched pairs and 2 standard materials, were analyzed once by each method. Results were received from 13 laboratories. Means and standard deviations of individual samples were comparable, with an overall difference of grand means of 0.005% protein. With only one exception, analyses of variance showed no significant method difference at the 95% confidence level. The CuS04/Ti02 method has been approved interim official first action as an alternative method for determination of crude protein in animal feed
Analysis of Phenols by Chemical Derivatization. V. Determination of Pentachlorophenol and
19 Other Chlorinated Phenols in Sediments
Authors: Lee Hing-Biu , Stokker Yvonne D , Chau Alfred S Y
Published: February 2020

A method for quantitative and isomer-specific analysis for pentachlorophenol and 19 other chlorophenols in sediment was developed. After acidification to pH <1, sediment samples were Soxhlet-extracted with acetone-hexane (59 + 41, v/v) for 20 h. Phenols in the organic extract were back-extracted into 2% KHCO, and were then acetylated with acetic anhydride and extracted with petroleum ether. After evaporation to a small volume, the acetates were cleaned up on a 5% deactivated silica gel column. Extracts were then analyzed on a 12 m OV-1 column interfaced to an electron-capture detector and on a 30 m SPB-5 column interfaced to a mass selective detector. The procedure has been validated with sediment samples fortified at 100, 10, and 1 ng/g levels of chlorophenols. Recoveries of dichloro- and the higher chlorophenols were generally between 80 and 95% at all 3 levels of fortification, whereas recoveries of monochlorophenols were between 65 and 85%. The 2 chloromethylphenols were less than 50% recovered, and recovery of phenol itself was erratic by this procedure. Using a 50 g sample size, the estimated detection limit was ca 0.2 ng/g.
Reverse-Phase Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Paraquat and Diquat in Agricultural Products
Authors: Nagayama Toshihiro , Maki Toshio , Kan Kimiko , Iida Mami , Nishima Taichiro
Published: February 2020

A simple, rapid, highly sensitive liquid chromatographic method is described for the quantitative determination of paraquat and diquat residues in agricultural products. Paraquat and diquat are extracted with hot dilute hydrochloric acid and are cleaned up on an Amberlite CG-50 column, followed by reverse-phase liquid chromatography on an NH, column, with ultraviolet detection at 257 nm (paraquat) and 310 nm (diquat). The minimum detectable concentration of both paraquat and diquat was 0.5 ng per injection, which corresponds to a lower detection limit of approximately 0.02 fjg/g in the original samples. Recoveries of paraquat and diquat added to various samples were greater than 79%, and averaged 91 and 90%, respectively, at the 0.1 and 1.0 μg/g spiking levels.
2-Chloroethyl Fatty Acid Esters as Indicators of 2-Chloroethanol in Black Walnuts,
Seasoning Mixes, and Spices
Authors: Yurawecz Martin P
Published: February 2020

Residues of 2-chloroethyl fatty acid esters (CEEs) and 2-chloroethanol (ECH), by-products of ethylene oxide fumigation, were determined in black walnuts, seasoning mixes, and spices. Extracts containing ECH and CEE were cleaned up by previously described procedures, and residue levels were quantitatively determined using a gas chromatograph equipped with a halogen-selective electrolytic conductivity detector. All food products that contained CEE residues also contained ECH. ECH residues ranged from <0.2 to 880 ppm and were <0.2-7 times the CEE levels found.
Extraction of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons from Spiked Soil
Authors: Coover Mervin P , Sims Ronald C , Doucette William
Published: February 2020

A homogenization method was evaluated for extracting polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from soils. Fifteen PAHs were spiked and recovered from 2 soils at concentrations ranging from 1 to 1000 Mg/g. using the homogenization method and a Soxhlet extraction method. Each extraction method performed well in removing the 15 PAHs from both soils over a broad range of concentrations. In general, Soxhlet extraction yielded slightly but significantly (P <0.05) higher recoveries than did the homogenization method. The homogenization method, however, was easy to use, and the extraction step turnaround time was less than 15 min/sample. The method should be suitable for other applications requiring the extraction of hydrophobic organic compounds from soils.
Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Sulfamoyldapsone in Swine Tissues
Authors: Endoh Yuuko S , Yamaoka Ryozo , Sasaki Nobuo
Published: February 2020

A liquid chromatographic (LC) method is described for the quantitative determination of sulfamoyldapsone (2-sulfamoyl-4,4'-diaminodiphenyl sulfone) in swine muscle, liver, kidney, and fat. Sulfamoyldapsone was extracted from tissues with acetonitrile saturated with n-hexane. The extract was washed with n-hexane saturated with acetonitrile, concentrated, and cleaned up by alumina column chromatography. Sulfamoyldapsone was separated on an ODS column by using acetonitrile-methanol-water (6 + 18 + 76) and was detected at 292 nm. Overall average recovery of sulfamoyldapsone added to tissues at levels of 0.1 and 0.5 /μg/g was 93.3% ± 6.0. Detection limit was 0.02 μg/g in these tissues.
Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Cholecalciferol m Rodent Baits
Authors: Gehrig Connie C , Stringham Rodger W
Published: February 2020

Cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) is extracted In acetonitrile on a Goldfisch apparatus, diluted to volume, and determined by reverse phase liquid chromatography (LC). The sum of the peak heights of pre-vitamin D3, and cfr-vitamin D3, is used for quantitation. The method was tested for precision, linearity, and recovery. Quadruplicate analyses of 5 formulation samples gave relative standard deviations of 1.56- 2.65%. Linearity was excellent with regression and correlation coefficients of 0.9997 and 0.9998, respectively. Recovery was 98.0 ± 2.7%. The method is applicable to 0.075% cholecalciferol rodent baits.
Titrimetric Determination of Carbon Dioxide in Wine: Collaborative Study
Authors: Caputi Arthur , Walker Durward R
Published: February 2020

The AOAC official methods for determination of carbon dioxide in wine are time-consuming, relatively complex, and may not be suitable for newer wine products with higher levels of carbonation. A different procedure was collaboratively studied. In this method, NaOH is added to convert CO2, in the wine to the carbonate form. The solution is then titrated with a standard H2S04 solution, and the titer is recorded between pH 8.6 and 4.0. A degassed sample of the same wine is analyzed in the same manner to provide a blank, and that titer is subtracted before the C02 concentration is calculated. Ten laboratories participated in the collaborative study. Each laboratory received 6 pairs of coded samples covering a range of approximately 200 to 380 mg CO2/100 mL. The results from 2 laboratories were excluded as outliers. Although the samples used were commercially produced wines whose carbon dioxide content can vary due to normal bottling equipment variations, average standard deviations for reproducibility and repeatability were 10.97 and 9.96, respectively. The method has been adopted official first action.
Expanding and Tracking the Capabilities of Pesticide Multiresidue Methodology Used in the
Food and Drug Administration's Pesticide Monitoring Programs
Authors: Mcmahon Bernadette M , Burke Jerry A
Published: February 2020

Foods analyzed for pesticide residues in the monitoring programs of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are most often examined by using one or more of the multiresidue methods developed for this purpose over the years. Because no single method can be used for all potential residues, each commodity is examined by a method or methods which will identify and/or determine the chemicals most likely to have been used. FDA conducts research to develop new multiresidue methods, which are included in monitoring programs as needed to cover additional chemicals. FDA's multiresidue methods have undergone continuous study over a 20 year period to ascertain which compounds can and cannot be recovered by them. FDA continues to perform tests to discover a compound's analytical characteristics. Protocols have been published to direct the testing of additional compounds so that new information can be added to the existing compilations. Methods capable of determining residues of single pesticides are used to analyze selected commodities for residues of high priority that cannot be determined by existing multiresidue methods. Pestrak, a computerized listing of pesticide analytical information, has been developed by FDA to keep track of the capabilities of multiresidue methods and the coverage of residues by the single residue methods used in FDA monitoring.
Importance of Quality Assurance in Canadian Pesticide Analysis
Authors: Conacher Henry B S
Published: February 2020

Three important elements of the pesticide quality assurance program in the Health Protection Branch of Canada are described—the sampling protocol, the repository of pesticide standards, and the check sample program of the Federal Interdepartmental Committee on Pesticides. All play an important role in ensuring the production of sound, valid pesticide residue data. Efforts to improve each element will continue in the future.
Determination of Cinnamyl Anthranilate in Perfume, Cologne, and Toilet Water by Liquid
Chromatography with Fluorescence Detection
Authors: Demers Francois X , Yates Ronald L , Davis Henry M
Published: February 2020

A liquid chromatographic method with fluorescence detection was developed for the determination of cinnamyl anthranilate in perfumes and other fragrance compositions. The method was evaluated by conducting recovery studies of 10 different commercial fragrance compositions to which cinnamyl anthranilate had been added at levels of 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/mL. Recoveries ranged from 91 to 103% with a mean of 97% and a standard deviation of ±3.3%.
Francis Place (1647–1728) and his collection of works on paper
Authors: Pierce Helen
Published: February 2020

Within the modest archive of materials relating to the artist Francis Place at Hospitalfield House in Arbroath is an eighteenth-century notebook listing a selection of drawings by Place and others, which were inherited by his daughter Frances Wyndham. Although Place’s original and significant collection of prints, drawings and paintings is now widely dispersed, the drawings notebook at Hospitalfield and a corresponding notebook listing intaglio prints go some way to reconstructing the contents of his studio or ‘painting room’ at York, and aid our understanding of the influences that informed this largely self-taught artist. The details in the drawings notebook of sketches now lost or in private hands also greatly develop Place’s known oeuvre in this medium; evidence is provided for a far broader range of subjects, including nude figure studies and biblical subjects, than has previously been acknowledged.
The relationship between black hole mass and galaxy properties: examining the black hole feedback model in IllustrisTNG
Authors: Terrazas Bryan A , Bell Eric F , Pillepich Annalisa , Nelson Dylan , Somerville Rachel S , Genel Shy , Weinberger Rainer , Habouzit Mélanie , Li Yuan , Hernquist Lars , Vogelsberger Mark
Published: February 2020

Supermassive black hole feedback is thought to be responsible for the lack of star formation, or quiescence, in a significant fraction of galaxies. We explore how observable correlations between the specific star formation rate (sSFR), stellar mass (Mstar), and black hole mass (MBH) are sensitive to the physics of black hole feedback in a galaxy formation model. We use the IllustrisTNG simulation suite, specifically the TNG100 simulation and 10 model variations that alter the parameters of the black hole model. Focusing on central galaxies at z = 0 with Mstar > 1010 M⊙, we find that the sSFR of galaxies in IllustrisTNG decreases once the energy from black hole kinetic winds at low accretion rates becomes larger than the gravitational binding energy of gas within the galaxy stellar radius. This occurs at a particular MBH threshold above which galaxies are found to sharply transition from being mostly star forming to mostly quiescent. As a result of this behaviour, the fraction of quiescent galaxies as a function of Mstar is sensitive to both the normalization of the MBH–Mstar relation and the MBH threshold for quiescence in IllustrisTNG. Finally, we compare these model results to observations of 91 central galaxies with dynamical MBH measurements with the caveat that this sample is not representative of the whole galaxy population. While IllustrisTNG reproduces the observed trend that quiescent galaxies host more massive black holes, the observations exhibit a broader scatter in MBH at a given Mstar and show a smoother decline in sSFR with MBH.
Optimizing automatic morphological classification of galaxies with machine learning and deep learning using Dark Energy Survey imaging
Authors: Cheng Ting-Yun , Conselice Christopher J , Aragón-Salamanca Alfonso , Li Nan , Bluck Asa F L , Hartley Will G , Annis James , Brooks David , Doel Peter , García-Bellido Juan , James David J , Kuehn Kyler , Kuropatkin Nikolay , Smith Mathew , Sobreira Flavia , Tarle Gregory
Published: February 2020

There are several supervised machine learning methods used for the application of automated morphological classification of galaxies; however, there has not yet been a clear comparison of these different methods using imaging data, or an investigation for maximizing their effectiveness. We carry out a comparison between several common machine learning methods for galaxy classification [Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), K-nearest neighbour, logistic regression, Support Vector Machine, Random Forest, and Neural Networks] by using Dark Energy Survey (DES) data combined with visual classifications from the Galaxy Zoo 1 project (GZ1). Our goal is to determine the optimal machine learning methods when using imaging data for galaxy classification. We show that CNN is the most successful method of these ten methods in our study. Using a sample of ∼2800 galaxies with visual classification from GZ1, we reach an accuracy of ∼0.99 for the morphological classification of ellipticals and spirals. The further investigation of the galaxies that have a different ML and visual classification but with high predicted probabilities in our CNN usually reveals the incorrect classification provided by GZ1. We further find the galaxies having a low probability of being either spirals or ellipticals are visually lenticulars (S0), demonstrating that supervised learning is able to rediscover that this class of galaxy is distinct from both ellipticals and spirals. We confirm that ∼2.5 per cent galaxies are misclassified by GZ1 in our study. After correcting these galaxies’ labels, we improve our CNN performance to an average accuracy of over 0.99 (accuracy of 0.994 is our best result).
Long noncoding RNA HCP5 participates in premature ovarian insufficiency by transcriptionally regulating MSH5 and DNA damage repair via YB1
Authors: Wang Xiaoyan , Zhang Xinyue , Dang Yujie , Li Duan , Lu Gang , Chan Wai-Yee , Leung Peter C K , Zhao Shidou , Qin Yingying , Chen Zi-Jiang
Published: February 2020

The genetic etiology of premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) has been well established to date, however, the role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in POI is largely unknown. In this study, we identified a down-expressed lncRNA HCP5 in granulosa cells (GCs) from biochemical POI (bPOI) patients, which impaired DNA damage repair and promoted apoptosis of GCs. Mechanistically, we discovered that HCP5 stabilized the interaction between YB1 and its partner ILF2, which could mediate YB1 transferring into the nucleus of GCs. HCP5 silencing affected the localization of YB1 into nucleus and reduced the binding of YB1 to the promoter of MSH5 gene, thereby diminishing MSH5 expression. Taken together, we identified that the decreased expression of HCP5 in bPOI contributed to dysfunctional GCs by regulating MSH5 transcription and DNA damage repair via the interaction with YB1, providing a novel epigenetic mechanism for POI pathogenesis.
A novel NGS library preparation method to characterize native termini of fragmented DNA
Authors: Harkins Kelly M , Schaefer Nathan K , Troll Christopher J , Rao Varsha , Kapp Joshua , Naughton Colin , Shapiro Beth , Green Richard E
Published: February 2020

Biological and chemical DNA fragmentation generates DNA molecules with a variety of termini, including blunt ends and single-stranded overhangs. We have developed a Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) assay, XACTLY, to interrogate the termini of fragmented DNA, information traditionally lost in standard NGS library preparation methods. Here we describe the XACTLY method, showcase its sensitivity and specificity, and demonstrate its utility in in vitro experiments. The XACTLY assay is able to report relative abundances of all lengths and types (5′ and 3′) of single-stranded overhangs, if present, on each DNA fragment with an overall accuracy between 80–90%. In addition, XACTLY retains the sequence of each native DNA molecule after fragmentation and can capture the genomic landscape of cleavage events at single nucleotide resolution. The XACTLY assay can be applied as a novel research and discovery tool for fragmentation analyses and in cell-free DNA.
EGFR blockade in GBM brain tumor stem cells synergizes with JAK2/STAT3 pathway inhibition to abrogate compensatory mechanisms in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Jensen Katharine V , Hao Xiaoguang , Aman Ahmed , Luchman H Artee , Weiss Samuel
Published: February 2020

Background

The EGFR pathway is frequently mutated in glioblastoma (GBM). However, to date, EGFR therapies have not demonstrated efficacy in clinical trials. Poor brain penetration of conventional inhibitors, lack of patient stratification for EGFR status, and mechanisms of resistance are likely responsible for the failure of EGFR-targeted therapy. We aimed to address these elements in a large panel of molecularly diverse patient-derived GBM brain tumor stem cells (BTSCs).

Methods

In vitro growth inhibition and on-target efficacy of afatinib, pacritinib, or a combination were assessed by cell viability, neurosphere formation, cytotoxicity, limiting dilution assays, and western blotting. In vivo efficacy was assessed with mass spectrometry, immunohistochemistry, magnetic resonance imaging, and intracranial xenograft models.

Results

We show that afatinib and pacritinib decreased BTSC growth and sphere-forming capacity in vitro. Combinations of the 2 drugs were synergistic and abrogated the activation of STAT3 signaling observed upon EGFR inhibition in vitro and in vivo. We further demonstrate that the brain-penetrant EGFR inhibitor, afatinib, improved survival in EGFRvIII mt orthotopic xenograft models. However, upregulation of the oncogenic STAT3 signaling pathway was observed following afatinib treatment. Combined inhibition with 2 clinically relevant drugs, afatinib and pacritinib, synergistically decreased BTSC viability and abrogated this compensatory mechanism of resistance to EGFR inhibition. A significant decrease in tumor burden in vivo was observed with the combinatorial treatment.

Conclusions

These data demonstrate that brain-penetrant combinatorial therapies targeting the EGFR and STAT3 signaling pathways hold therapeutic promise for GBM.
The Great Persian Famine of 1871, Parsi Refugees and the Making of Irani Identity in Bombay
Authors: Patel Simin
Published: February 2020

This essay examines how the relief efforts occasioned by the Great Persian Famine of 1871 crystallized a new sense of community consciousness among the Parsis as well as created the new identity of ‘Iranis’ amongst the Persian Zoroastrian refugee population that was rehabilitated in Bombay. It draws on Jim Masselos’ work on migration and identity in Bombay to show how framing a new identity enabled Persian Zoroastrians to be considered on their own terms, rather than being subsumed as part of the Parsi poor in the city.
Bombay’s European Community During the Interwar Period
Authors: Haynes Douglas E.
Published: February 2020

This essay explores the ways Europeans in interwar Bombay sustained their cultural identity as a distinct ethnic group despite the impermanent character of their residence in the city, their dispersed settlement patterns over much of southern Bombay, and the decline of their political dominance in the context of Indian nationalism. The essay particularly points to the creation of an intense sociality centered around social clubs, parties, and jazz performances. It also stresses the role of European associational life and the role of sports (for instance, cricket, hunting, yachting and golf) to the production of a continued sense of community and identity. By suggesting that the context of declining European power was critical to the ways Europeans reproduced their community, this essay contributes to the emergence of a new perspective on South Asian urban history that suggests that historians must abandon the concept of the colonial city during the post- World War I period. Europeans were now just one community in a city of communities that were undergoing parallel processes of making and remaking.
Reading Social Spaces
Authors: Wald Erica
Published: February 2020

Built by public subscription in 1770, and in operation until 1830, the Bombay Theatre represents a curious colonial social space. Ticket sales show a range of Bombay ‘Society’ – from wealthy Parsi merchants to European ensigns – actively sought out the entertainment it promised, and an even broader swathe of society was involved in its day-to-day operation. This chapter argues that the theatre was, for a time, an important location for the articulation of urban life by those who claimed to represent Bombay ‘Society’. It uses an exploration of the life of the theatre to understand the place of shared leisure in the construction of colonial respectability. This chapter suggests the ways in which we might read the theatre not simply as a metaphor for the broader colonial social frame, but that we can examine the ways in which imperial power was encoded and embedded in the operation of this social space.
Remembering Bombay
Authors: Masselos Jim
Published: February 2020

This chapter focuses on understanding Bombay’s social and political complexities as it grew exponentially over the 19th and 20th centuries. A typical colonial city it had a function as an entrepot in the trade routes that tracked around the globe as well as about the subcontinent. Its particularity as a city however was in part a product of the mix of its produce and its industries but also of what was brought to the city – social, political and economic diversity with elements of cultural, intellectual and creative benefit. It was a city that from its beginnings gloried in accommodating a mix of populations, ethnicities, social groups and religious adherents and of the urban spaces they severally occupied. In considering the locality as a city feature and as an active phenomenon implicitly and explicitly understood by its inhabitants, the chapter uses the idea of mental maps or templates that gave city spaces their characteristics as was also evident in those times of massive social conflict evident during riots and Bombay’s other forms of crowd aggregations. In drawing on notions of physical space as represented in the city’s localities or in mental maps of what might be understood as accustomed space, the research methods adopted in this chapter involved using city space and its patterns of customary behavior through the prism of the author’s subjective memories of the city from the 1960s as also textual research and analysis.
A Deeply Changed Region
Authors: Marina  , Ottaway David
Published: February 2020

The 2011 uprisings have changed the Arab region profoundly and irreversibly, even as protesters’ hopes were dashed. The region is now clearly splintering into four parts – the Maghreb, the Levant, the Gulf and Egypt – each gripped by different problems and influenced by different political forces. The Maghreb is moving toward greater openness; Egypt has reverted to repression; the Levant countries are disintegrating; and even the Gulf countries, which did not experience political upheavals, now feel compelled to introduce reforms from the top. The region’s geopolitics had also been greatly altered, as outside powers and emerging regional powers became deeply involved in their own efforts to shape the region. The analysis in this chapter is based on first-hand information that was gathered during numerous trips to the region since 2011, and fifty years of experience living in and writing about the region.
The Changing Geopolitics of the Middle East
Authors: Marina  , Ottaway David
Published: February 2020

The 2011 uprisings had a profound impact on the geopolitics of the Middle East due to the vacuum created by the political turmoil consuming its three traditional power centers—Egypt, Syria and Iraq. Two old imperial rivals, Turkey and Iran, competed to fill the vacuum while an emerging new regional power, Saudi Arabia, made a bid for the leadership of the Arab world. At the same time, the United States, despite its efforts to disengage from Middle East conflicts, became more engaged than ever, first with Iran and then in civil wars underway in Syria and Iraq and against Islamic extremist groups. Meanwhile, Russia after two decades of absence, returned to quickly re-establish its influence there.
The Search for a State in Iraq and Syria
Authors: Marina  , Ottaway David
Published: February 2020

Iraq and Syria are countries that were designed by colonial powers after World War I and have never been able to become solidified states. After repeated attempts at statebuilding by foreign powers and later by their own authoritarian leaders, they are again in a state ofcollapseand likely to remain non-statecountries in the future.Iraq has experienced four separate efforts at state-building, and Syria has experienced three. All of these attempts have failed. Even by the most minimalist definition, a state must have a monopoly over the legal means of coercion and control over most of its territory –Iraq and Syria have neither. Both countries have a plethora of militias outside of government control, even if some are allied to it. Control of territory evades both governments, even after the official defeat of the Islamic State.Foreign intervention by the United States, Iran, Russia and Turkey, each with a different agenda, may guarantee the survival of the two countries, but not the emergence of even minimalist states.
Some Final Reflections
Authors: Marina  , Ottaway David
Published: February 2020

The Arab uprisings in2011 did not satisfy the demands voiced by protesters, but they left the countries where they occurred changedon a fundamental level –although not always for the better. Tunisia and Morocco have become more open, while Egypt has reverted to stifling military authoritarianism. Iraq and Syria have seen the further undermining of their chronically troubled states with dim prospects for improvement. The rich oil monarchies have embarked on a risky course betting that they can join the modern world economically without undermining their ruling families politically even as they cling to tribal traditions of abygone era. Whatever the outcome, they are now headlong into a radically new and different era, onein which the myth of one Arab world with a common destiny and interests has been shattered forever.Key issues that emerged as a result of the 2011 uprisings will loom large over that splintered world for years to come: the hostility between secularists and Islamists in Egypt, the fragility of the state in Iraq and Syria, and the tension between rapid economic and social change and political stagnation—“the King’s dilemma”—in the Gulf monarchies. The importance of strategic leadershipwill be crucial everywhere, but so will decisions taken by foreign powers, whichtoday have greater involvement in shaping the region than they had a century ago.
Mapping the ‘Sports Nahda’
Authors: Yıldız Murat C.
Published: February 2020

This chapter traces the formation of a “sports awakening” in the Middle East during the late nineteenth century until the interwar period. This sports awakening consisted of government and private schools, fashionable sports clubs, a bustling multilingual sports press, and popular football matches and gymnastics exhibitions. The institutional and discursive trajectory of sports was not confined to a specific nation state; rather, it was a regional phenomenon. Educators, sports club administrators, students, club members, editors, columnists, and government officials helped turn sports into a regular fixture of the urban landscape of cities across the Middle East. These developments reveal the profound intellectual and ethnoreligious diversity of the individuals and institutions that shaped the defining contours of sports throughout the Middle East.
The World Cup and Freedom of Expression in Qatar
Authors: LaMay Craig L.
Published: February 2020

This chapter elaborates on the effects of the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup on Qatar’s restrictive media system, seeking to answer the question: how does the World Cup affect rights of expression and publication in a country that criminalizes, for example, blasphemy and criticism of the emir? Our analysis is based on conversations that we have had with newspaper editors in Qatar, assessing internationally known indices of press freedom and the growing body of academic literature on Qatari sport and media politics. Being home to news broadcaster Al Jazeera, Qatar is the most progressive member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on matters of free expression, but ranks low on international indicators. Qatar’s successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup has brought the country both new attention and criticism, with the latter focusing especially on the kafala labor system. Neither China nor Russia’s media regimes changed after hosting the Olympics in 2008 and 2014 respectively, but despite this trend, this chapter argues that Qatar has been relatively open to its critics, and the award of the World Cup has advanced conversations about sensitive subjects within the country.
Developing a National Elite Sport Policy in an Arab Country
Authors: Nassif Nadim
Published: February 2020

Lebanon has never qualified to the FIFA World Cup, and has only won four medals at the Olympic Games since it started participating in 1948. This chapter investigates why Lebanon is failing in international sport and argues that the promotion of elite sport has never been a priority for the Lebanese government. It also reviews the academic literature on elite sport success, and discusses political, economic, demographic, and cultural factors that contribute to Lebanon’s failure in international sport. It is argued that the meagre annual budget allocated to the Ministry of Sport by the Lebanese government is a necessary but insufficient explanation for Lebanon’s failure in international sport. The Ministry of Youth and Sport issued their “Sport Strategy 2010–2020,” but never implemented the policies proposed. Beyond the government there is the problem that corruption is prevalent in the national sport federations. This chapter highlights how administrators are occupying key positions based on their political affiliations, rather than on their skills and capacities.