bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reflection and refraction of sound waves on a smooth and the non-flat boundary between two liquids
Authors: Maltsev Nikolai
Published: November 2019

The problem of the scattering of sound waves by the boundary between two liquids has an elementary solution in a case of flat boundary and can be reduced to a solution of an integral equation with the singular oscillating kernel. In practical applications, wast majority of boundaries are treated as random surfaces and approximate methods produce only some statistical moments of the sound field. When the boundary is smooth and non-flat there is no simple method which can produce physically consistent results. This work presents an approach, which exploits a smoothness of the boundary to build an orthogonal coordinate system and rewrite wave equations at both sides of the surface in this system. For a given incident field of sound pressure and particles velocities by satisfying the boundary conditions and applying the split-step method and FFT we build a reflected and refracted field of sound pressure and particles velocity in both media, producing physically reliable interference patterns.
In search of the elusive perfect textbook
Authors: Russell Daniel A.
Published: November 2019

During my 24-year teaching career so far, besides teaching undergraduate service courses from standard textbooks, I have also taught a variety of advanced courses in acoustics, both at undergraduate and graduate levels. Some courses were well suited to a single textbook, especially when a well-written textbook existed matching course topics. Other times, it was difficult to find a single book covering all course topics at an appropriate level. Sometimes, the “best fit” book was no longer in print, and available alternatives were unsatisfactory for various reasons. For a few courses, I changed books every semester several times before finally finding something that worked. In this talk, I will discuss my experiences selecting, evaluating, and adopting textbooks for courses which I either developed myself (physics of waves, noise control engineering, acoustics of musical instruments) or for which I inherited an established syllabus from another faculty member (fundamentals of acoustics, theoretical acoustics, classical mechanics). I will discuss selection criteria I used to evaluate textbooks, including topical coverage, difficulty level, readability, homework problems, reviews, reputation, and price. I will also discuss what I did when I could not find a satisfactory textbook.
Selecting a new textbook for a graduate level course on vibration and fluid acoustics
Authors: Anderson Brian E. , Sommerfeldt Scott D.
Published: November 2019

At Brigham Young University we offer a graduate level course on the fundamentals of acoustics. This course has traditionally covered the fundamentals of vibration in masses and springs, strings, bars, membranes and plates in the first half of the course. The second half of the course covers the derivation of the wave equation, wave propagation, reflection and transmission phenomena, and source radiation problems. For a couple decades, we used Kinsler and Frey’s “Fundamentals of Acoustics” book but the rising costs, lack of updates, and dissatisfaction with the rigor of the book motivated us to find a new text. For a few years, we used Kinsler and Frey for the first half of the course (vibrations) and also Blackstock’s “Fundamentals of Physical Acoustics” for the second half (fluids). Two books meant even higher costs, although the Kinsler and Frey text was also used in another class at that time. When we switched instructors for the course, Anderson was asked to review Garrett’s “Understanding Acoustics” text and he ended up adopting it for this course. This talk will review our experiences in switching textbooks and discuss our reasons for selecting our current text and how we are using it in class in conjunction with pre-class reading quizzes, which has helped increase classroom discussions.
Comparing three textbook choices for an introductory physics of music class
Authors: Dostal Jack
Published: November 2019

Wake Forest’s Physics of Music is an introductory science class focused on musical acoustics. It is commonly taken by music students or non-science majors seeking a science credit. The course has been taught using three different texts (Rossing et. al., Heller, and Berg and Stork) in the past few years. The texts vary in approach, focus, and breadth. I will describe some successes and difficulties I have experienced while teaching from these texts. I will also comment on additional texts such as Hall and Campbell & Greated which I regularly use to supplement the others.
Flow and acoustic investigations into the impingement of single and multiple jets onto a jet blast deflector
Authors: Natarajan Karthikeyan , Venkatakrishnan Lakshmi
Published: November 2019

Current space launch vehicles, employ a combination of Solid Rocket Boosters and Liquid Rocket Engines to provide the thrust required during the first stage of lift-off. Such combinations lead to the deployment of a multitude of jets, whose interactions with the Jet Blast Deflector(JBD) can have a significant bearing on the overall acoustic loading experienced by the vehicle. Flow and acoustic fields of multiple jets impinging on a jet blast deflector has not been adequately explored in the past. The present work investigates the flow and acoustic characteristics of four identical jets impinging on a generic JBD and compares them against the results for a single equivalent jet impingement. All the jets studied, issue from conical C-D nozzles with design Mach number of 2.0. The combined mass flow from the multiple jets was equal to that of the single jet. The flow field characterization was carried out using schlieren and the acoustic field was studied using microphone measurements inside an anechoic chamber. Two different arrangements of the multiple jets were studied to understand their interactions with the JBD and their influence on the flow and acoustic field generated.
Comparison of exhaust duct designs in launch pads for reduction of rocket jet noise
Authors: Park Taeyoung , Jang Inman , Ohm Won-Suk , Joo H. S. , Kang Seunghoon , Shin S.-J. , Park Jeongwon
Published: November 2019

An exhaust duct is commonly installed in a launch pad to reduce the intense noise generated by the rocket exhaust jet at liftoff. In this paper, we investigate the effects of varying the length and shape of the exhaust duct by comparing the noise reduction performance of several different designs. The sub-scale exhaust ducts tested are variations of the original design by Tsutsumi et al. [AIAA Paper 2015-1007], colloquially known as “Seiji’s dog house,” and experiments are performed using cold jets of Mach 1.8 and 3.1, respectively. Linear and semi-circular microphone arrays are employed near the nozzle and at a radial distance of 100 nozzle diameters from the center of the duct outlet. A design guideline as to the length and the outlet shape of the exhaust duct, leading to the best noise reduction performance, is discussed. [This work was conducted at High-Speed Vehicle Research Center of KAIST with the support of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and the Agency for Defense Development under Contract UD170018CD.]
Connecting high-power jet noise characteristics with human annoyance: Listener trials
Authors: Calton Matt , James Michael M. , Downing Micah , Vaughn Aaron , Gee Kent L. , Wakefield Gregory H.
Published: November 2019

Improved high-fidelity representations of jet noise characteristics will provide better inputs for environmental noise models, thereby assisting in improved mitigation efforts for reducing community noise exposure around military airfields. A series of initial listener trials has been conducted to relate jet noise characteristics with human response. The objective of these trials is to capture the unique perceptual features in high-power jet noise and properly represent their induced psychoacoustic response. One promising metric is the skewness of the pressure time derivative since it correlates with the strength and density of shocks in a jet noise waveform. This additional metric may aid in evaluating community noise exposures by identifying the temporal and spectral jet noise characteristics associated with human response. This presentation will provide an overall review of the current findings. [Work Supported by AF SBIR Program.]
Design and testing of three-dimensional additively manufactured anisotropic underwater pentamode materials
Authors: Cushing Colby W. , Wilson Preston S. , Haberman Michael R. , Norris Andrew , Kelsten Matthew
Published: November 2019

Three-dimensional (3-D) pentamode (PM) materials are used in underwater applications because they can yield impedance matching with water and eliminate shear modes over a wide frequency range while resisting shear deformation in the static limit. Further, a PM lattice can also yield significant anisotropy in sound speed, which is useful for devices that rely on transformation acoustics [Su et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 141(6) (2017)]. The present work attempts to verify the predicted anisotropic sound speeds of additively manufactured anisotropic 3-D PM samples. A titanium sample approximately 80 × 80 × 60 mm was suspended in front of a plane-wave source in a water tank to measure the time of flight for wavefronts with and without PM samples present. The measurements were conducted using broadband chirp signals generated by the source, while a scanning hydrophone recorded the response in front of the sample at constant depth. Deconvolution methods were used to extract the impulse response at each scan point and changes in the arrival times of the wavefronts were observed. Frequency domain observations were also made to determine impedance matching characteristics and desired quasi-fluid behavior. Experimental and simulation results will be presented and discussed. [Work Supported by ONR.]
Individuals with normal hearing thresholds differ in their use of fine timing cues to identify consonants in noise
Authors: DiNino Mishaela , Irvine Audra , Nolan Timothy P. , Shinn-Cunningham Barbara , Holt Lori L.
Published: November 2019

Noise-induced damage to cochlear synapses (cochlear synaptopathy) weakens encoding of auditory timing in animals and may explain subtle perceptual differences, especially in understanding speech in noise, in humans with normal hearing thresholds. This study utilized a speech-in-noise assessment sensitive to temporal processing deficits to examine the potential link between cochlear synaptopathy and challenges understanding speech in noisy environments. Young adults with normal hearing thresholds identified consonants in /aCa/ utterances in broadband noise that was either: (1) presented from the same simulated spatial location as the speech or (2) spatially separated using a small interaural timing difference (ITD), which forced participants to rely on precise auditory timing differences to achieve spatial release from masking. All listeners performed better with the ITD separation than without it; however, we observed a wide range of ITD cue benefit among participants. These results demonstrate that young adults with normal hearing thresholds vary greatly in their ability to use fine timing cues to spatially separate consonants from noise, which may be one mechanism underlying speech identification impairments in noise among adults with normal hearing thresholds. Ongoing work will determine whether these results correlate with behavioral and physiological measures thought to relate to human cochlear synaptopathy.
The effect of talker accent on the perception of voicing in syllable-initial plosives by American English monolinguals
Authors: Chong Peter J.
Published: November 2019

A listener's perception of speech is influenced by the talker's characteristics, including their accent. This syllable perception study, which uses a binary forced choice identification task, investigates the effect of talker accent at the level of speech sounds. A single ten-step /ba/-/pa/ continuum varying in voice onset time (VOT) was spliced into identical frame sentences spoken by a native speaker of American English and a non-native speaker whose native language is Mandarin. These frame sentences were modified so that the VOT for the bilabial plosives for both talker conditions is identical. This modification was done to control listeners from using frame sentence VOT as a cue. As the steps in the continuum differed only in terms of VOT for both talker conditions, listeners are only primed by the frame sentence for each item in the experiment. The participants' responses revealed that monolingual American English listeners are more likely to perceive syllables in the native talker condition as /pa/. In particular, the syllable at the 25ms step shows the largest variability between conditions. The results of this study show that listeners can perceive an acoustically identical syllable as being phonemically different when the syllables are spliced into sentences spoken by talkers with different accents.
Do listeners rely on dynamic spectral properties in the recognition of high-pitched vowels?
Authors: Friedrichs Daniel , Nolan Francis , Rosen Stuart
Published: November 2019

Previous research has demonstrated that intrinsic spectral changes play a significant role in vowel perception. It is possible that dynamic properties are of particular importance at high fundamental frequencies (fo) where the transfer function of the vocal tract is severely undersampled. The purpose of the present work was to determine whether the phonological function of vowels with very high fos can be preserved if listeners' identification is based exclusively on static spectral cues. Harmonic additive synthesis was used to generate 324 steady-state versions of the vowels /i y e ø ɛ a o u/ with nine different fos between 220 and 880 Hz (all 250 ms). The gross spectral shape of each synthesized sound corresponded to a smoothed spectrum derived from a respective template vowel that was naturally produced in isolation by a female native German talker. Native German listeners either identified the spoken or re-synthesized isolated vowels in a two-alternative choice task. Preliminary data showed that listeners' sensitivity (A′) was above chance level in both conditions at all fos, but significantly higher in the spoken vowel condition. This supports the prediction that dynamic properties enhance listeners' identification at very high fos, but also indicates that phonological distinctiveness is to some degree preserved at high fos even when no dynamic spectral information is present. [Work supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) grants P2ZHP1_168375168375 and P400PG_180693180693.]
What does cross-linguistic perception tell us about the phonetics-phonology interface?
Authors: Howson Phil J. , M Irfana
Published: November 2019

The internal representation of linguistic information has been the subject of much debate. Recent work has shown that brain activation in response to different categories of segments, such as obstruents or approximants, triggers different neural networks. This work examines the perception of English and Malayalam native speakers’ perception of seven fricatives, /f, s, ʂ, ʃ, ɕ, x, h/, to examine what the acoustic-perceptual grouping of segments within a class reveals about internal representation. The results indicated distinct grouping of the fricatives into three categories, anterior /f/, sibilant /s, ʂ, ʃ, ɕ/, and posterior /x, h/. We also observed an expansion in the perceptual space for sibilant fricatives as a function of perceiver L1. We suggest the distinct clustering in the perceptual space reflects the internalized representation of these segments. Segment groupings are formed on the basis that they share class features, supporting the notion that class membership is dictated, at least in part, by acoustic-perceptual relationships. We suggest that the expansion is related to language exposure specific to Malayalam, which has three sibilant fricatives in its inventory, /s, ʂ, ɕ/. The result of the exposure is an expansion and more well-defined category boundaries for segments in the native inventory.
Exploring the influence of intonational structure on perception of contrastive vowel length in Tokyo Japanese
Authors: Katsuda Hironori , Steffman Jeremy
Published: November 2019

A recent topic of interest in the literature is how intonational/prosodic structure influences speech perception. We test how perception of a phonemic vowel length contrast in Japanese is influenced by the implied prosodic position of a target sound in a carrier phrase, with the target drawn from a vowel duration continuum. Based on previous findings in English [Steffman, JASA (2019)], we predicted that listeners should require longer vowel duration to categorize a vowel as phonemically long when it is in phrase-final position, reflecting an expectation of phrase-final lengthening. We manipulated implied position by changing only pitch in a carrier phrase, as informed by Japanese intonational phonology. The carrier phrase was otherwise identical across conditions. Additionally, psychoacoustic effects of pitch on perceived duration are unlikely to influence categorization as predicted by the prosodic account, making this a good test case for prosodic patterns’ independent influence in speech perception and the processing of durational cues. Results will be discussed in terms other recent findings related to intonation and perception of duration, and implications for the interface of prosody and speech perception more generally.
The role of between- versus within-speaker acoustic variability in vocal identity perception
Authors: Kreiman Jody E. , Lee Yoonjeong
Published: November 2019

Our recent studies [JASA 145(Pt. 2), 1930, (2019); this conference] show that acoustic spaces characterizing within- and between-speaker variability in voice quality have similar structures, with a few features (acoustic variability and formant dispersion) important for all speakers combined with idiosyncratic features characterizing individual talkers. These findings suggest that voice discrimination should be based on shared features, while “telling voices together” should depend on knowledge of each individual’s vocal idiosyncrasies. To test this hypothesis, we selected a set of voices that varied systematically in acoustic closeness to each other and to the center of the group acoustic space, based on values of shared features. Listeners were presented with multiple samples of each voice and were asked to sort the voices into piles according to perceived speaker identity. Based on prototype models of voice perception, we hypothesized that errors in telling voices apart would be strongly predictable from distances in the group acoustic space, but that errors in telling voices together would not be significantly associated with these distances. Separate analyses will attempt to shed light on the features and strategies involved in this second kind of judgment. [Work supported by NIH/NSF.]
Comparative function of Spanish vowels and consonants in lexical and socioindexical processing tasks using auditory discrimination
Authors: Lain Stephanie
Published: November 2019

A series of speech perception experiments involving lexical decision and talker identification tasks shows that Spanish-speaking listeners rely heavily on consonants to identify words and vowels to identify talkers. The study replicates a similar study for English. Participants were 94 native Spanish-speaking undergraduate students who performed a same-different auditory discrimination (forced choice) task to detect a word (Version A) or a speaker (Version B). Listeners heard pairs of isolated nonsense words produced by speakers of Venezuelan Spanish. In Experiment 1, a control group heard unaltered stimuli. Experiments 2 and 3 followed the same design was but with vowels excised (Experiment 2) or consonants excised (Experiment 3). Results showed that overall discrimination was best with the unaltered stimuli (Experiment 1, as predicted), followed by vowel-only stimuli (Experiment 3). Furthermore, it was shown that listeners relied more heavily on consonants to perform the lexical decision task relative to the talker identification task (Experiments 2 and 3). These findings confirm results from previous studies using English-speaking participants, showing a minimal role for crosslinguistic variation. Current results contribute to the body of knowledge on speech universals and have implications for the dual functions of lexical and socioindexical processing across languages.
Does dynamic visual information in talking faces influence the perceptual restoration of phonemes?
Authors: Irwin Julia , Lotto Alyssa , Ryherd Kayleigh , Masapollo Matthew
Published: November 2019

It is well-established that the perception of speech can be highly influenced by visible articulatory information. Recently, Irwin et al. (2017) demonstrated a robust effect in which visual speech cues perceptually “restore” a speech sound that has been acoustically weakened. Here we investigated the nature of the visual information that elicits this perceptual illusion. To accomplish this, we utilized an oddball paradigm in which perceivers were presented with acoustic /ba/ (the more frequently occurring standard stimulus) and /a/ tokens (the infrequently presented deviant stimulus). The acoustic tokens were dubbed with three types of video tokens: (1) A full face articulating /ba/; (2) the same face articulating /ba/ but with the oral-facial region pixelated; or (3) a point-light facial display of the produced /ba/ that depicted the isolated kinematics of the visible lip movements. Results indicated that perceivers showed visual phonemic restoration (reduced accuracy in detecting deviant /a/) in the presence of the natural talking face, but not in the presence of either the pixelated or schematic (point-light) faces. These findings suggest that the extracted kinematic information may not be sufficient to elicit the restoration effect, or that isolated kinematic cues do not integrate with acoustic speech in a robust manner.
Mid-ocean ridge eruption rates, long-term climate change, and the importance of marine seismoacoustics
Authors: Tolstoy Maya , Tan Yen Joe
Published: November 2019

Recent work on mid-ocean ridges suggests that eruption rates may not be as steady-state as once thought. There is evidence that seafloor eruptive activity waxes and wanes with long-term climate cycles potentially both being driven by climatic forcings and possibly serving itself as a climatic forcing. An important piece of evidence in understanding mid-ocean ridge volcanic cycles is to look at present-day eruption rates and compare those with expected eruption rates given well-constrained plate spreading rates. However, given that mid-ocean ridge eruptions appear to be relatively infrequent, seismoacoustic coverage of as much of the ocean as possible is key. Work at Axial Seamount and the East Pacific Rise has documented an impulsive signal that is associated with lava erupting onto the seafloor. Thus with adequate marine seismoacoustic coverage, seafloor eruptions can be identified with some confidence without in situ confirmation. Such monitoring would provide for better quantification of present-day eruption rates in the marine environment and help understand the contribution of mid-ocean ridges to present-day volcanism, as well as possible long-term variability.
Erythrocyte leveraged chemotherapy (ELeCt): Nanoparticle assembly on erythrocyte surface to combat lung metastasis
Authors: Zhao Zongmin , Ukidve Anvay , Gao Yongsheng , Kim Jayoung , Mitragotri Samir
Published: November 2019

Drug nanoparticles hitchhike on erythrocytes to target chemotherapy to the lungs for treating metastasis.
Maternal glycemic parameters and adverse pregnancy outcomes among high-risk pregnant women
Authors: Zheng Yanwei , Shen Yun , Jiang Susu , Ma Xiaojing , Hu Jiangshan , Li Changbin , Huang Yajuan , Teng Yincheng , Bao Yuqian , Zhou Jian , Hu Gang , Tao Minfang
Published: November 2019

Objective

We aimed to investigate the association between maternal glycemic parameters and adverse pregnancy outcomes among high-risk pregnant women.

Research design and methods

A total of 1976 high-risk pregnant women were enrolled between 2015 and 2017. All participants received a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test during the 24–30 gestational weeks and complete birth and delivery information was collected. Adverse pregnancy outcomes were defined as premature birth, birth weight >90th percentile, primary cesarean section, and pre-eclampsia. Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between five maternal glycemic parameters during pregnancy (fasting glucose, 1-hour glucose, 2-hour glucose, HbA1c, and serum 1,5-anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG)) and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Results

Of 1976 participants, 498 were diagnosed with gestational diabetes. The multivariable-adjusted ORs of adverse pregnancy outcomes for each one unit increase (1 mmol/L, 1%, or 1 µg/mL) were 2.32 (95% CI 1.85 to 2.92) for fasting glucose, 1.07 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.15) for 1-hour glucose, 1.03 (95% CI 0.96 to 1.10) for 2-hour glucose, 1.77 (95% CI 1.34 to 2.33) for HbA1c, and 0.96 (95% CI 0.94 to 0.98) for 1,5-AG, respectively. When all five glycemic parameters were simultaneously entered into the multivariable-adjusted model, only fasting glucose was significantly associated with total and individual adverse pregnancy outcomes. Receiver operating characteristic curve showed that fasting glucose plus any one of other four glycemic parameters had significantly enhanced the sensitivity of detecting adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Conclusions

Fasting glucose at 24–30 gestational weeks was strongly associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Fasting glucose combined with one additional glycemic measurement showed non-inferiority indicating that post-load glycemic measurement was not necessary in detecting adverse pregnancy outcomes among high-risk pregnant women.
Mortality of Japanese Olympic athletes: 1952–2017 cohort study
Authors: Takeuchi Taro , Kitamura Yuri , Sado Junya , Hattori Satoshi , Kanemura Yumiko , Naito Yoshihiko , Nakajima Kohei , Okuwaki Toru , Nakata Ken , Kawahara Takashi , Sobue Tomotaka
Published: November 2019

Aim

To evaluate mortality among Japanese Olympic athletes compared with the general population and also evaluate their mortality based on total number of Olympics participation and intensity of sports disciplines.

Methods

Information on biography, vital status, date of birth, date of death and latest follow-up date on Japanese Olympians was retrieved from six online databases and compared. Standardised mortality ratio (SMR) was estimated according to observation periods and years from last participation in the Olympics. To further evaluate the association between mortality and total number of Olympics participation/intensity of sports disciplines within the study population, rate ratios (RRs) adjusted by sex, observation period and attained age group were estimated by a Poisson regression model.

Results

A total of 3381 Olympians were included in the analysis. The total person years was 94 076.82. The deaths of 153 (4.53%) Olympians were confirmed, and the overall SMR was 0.29 (95% CI, 0.25 to 0.34). SMRs categorised by years from last participation did not differ significantly. Higher mortality was observed among those who participated in the Olympics twice (RR: 1.52; 95% CI, 1.04 to 2.23) and three times or more (RR: 1.87; 95% CI, 1.08 to 3.25) compared with those who participated just once. Compared with combination of low static and low dynamic intensity category, higher mortality was observed in most combinations of middle-intensity or high-intensity categories.

Conclusion

Japanese Olympians lived longer than the general population. More frequent participation in the Olympics and higher intensity of sports disciplines were associated with higher mortality.
First use of cenerimod, a selective S1P1receptor modulator, for the treatment of SLE: a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, proof-of-concept study
Authors: Hermann Viktoria , Batalov Anastas , Smakotina Svetlana , Juif Pierre-Eric , Cornelisse Peter
Published: November 2019

Objective

To investigate the pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and safety of cenerimod—a potent, oral, selective sphingosine 1-phosphate 1 receptor modulator—in patients with SLE.

Methods

This multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted in two parts. In part A, patients with SLE were randomised 1:1:1:1 to receive oral cenerimod 0.5, 1 or 2 mg, or placebo once daily for 12 weeks. Following an interim safety review of part A, additional patients were randomised 3:1 for part B and received cenerimod 4 mg or placebo once daily for 12 weeks. Endpoints included changes in total lymphocyte count, SLE Disease Activity Index-2000 (SLEDAI-2K) score (modified (mSLEDAI-2K) to exclude leucopenia), biomarker anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) antibodies, pharmacokinetic assessments and treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs).

Results

Part A included 49 patients (1:1:1:1 receiving cenerimod 0.5, 1 or 2 mg, or placebo) and part B included 18 patients (13 cenerimod; 5 placebo). Cenerimod caused a statistically significant dose-dependent reduction in total lymphocyte count from baseline to end of treatment (EOT). Compared with placebo at EOT, cenerimod 4 mg had an estimated treatment effect on change from baseline in mSLEDAI-2K score of −2.420 (p=0.0306), and on anti-dsDNA antibodies of −64.55 U/mL (p=0.0082), suggesting clinical and biological improvement in these exploratory efficacy analyses. Trough plasma concentrations were dose proportional and reached steady-state conditions after 4 weeks of once daily dosing. All groups reported similar, non-dose-related frequencies of TEAEs (cenerimod 0.5 mg: 41.7%; 1 mg: 41.7%; 2 mg: 46.2%; 4 mg: 38.5% and placebo: 58.8%). A small, dose-related, non-clinically relevant decrease in heart rate was only observed in the first 6 hours after initiation.

Conclusions

With an acceptable safety profile, the efficacy findings suggest that cenerimod has the potential to treat patients with SLE. Further investigation in larger patient populations with longer treatment duration is warranted.
Reasons why osteoarthritis predicts mortality: path analysis within a Cox proportional hazards model
Authors: Wilkie Ross , Parmar Simran Singh , Blagojevic-Bucknall Milica , Smith Diane , Thomas Martin J , Seale Bethany Jane , Mansell Gemma , Peat George
Published: November 2019

Objectives

To identify potentially modifiable factors that mediate the association between symptomatic osteoarthritis (OA) and premature mortality.

Methods

A population-based prospective cohort study; primary care medical record data were linked to self-report information collected by questionnaire in adults aged 50 years and over (n=10 415). OA was defined by primary care consultation and moderate-to-severe pain interference in daily life. A Cox proportional hazards analysis determined the total effect (TE) of OA on mortality after adjustment for potential confounders. Within the Cox model, path analysis was used to decompose the TE to assess the indirect and direct effects for selected potential mediators (anxiety, depression, unrefreshed sleep and walking frequency). Results are expressed as HRs with 95% CIs derived from bootstrap resampling.

Results

OA was significantly associated with mortality (TE-adjusted HR 1.14; 95% CI 1.00 to 1.29). The indirect effects for walking frequency were 1.05 (95% CI 1.04 to 1.06), depression 1.02 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.03), anxiety 1.01 (95% CI 1.00 to 1.02) and unrefreshed sleep 1.01 (95% CI 1.00 to 1.01).

Conclusions

The analysis indicates that encouraging people to walk and ‘get out and about’ in addition to targeting OA could be protective against excessive mortality. The findings also suggest that depression, anxiety and unrefreshed sleep have a role in premature mortality for people with OA; however, this has low clinical significance.
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis and risk of cancer before and after the introduction of biological therapies
Authors: Horne AnnaCarin , Delcoigne Bénédicte , Palmblad Karin , Askling Johan
Published: November 2019

Background

The risk of cancer, including any secular trends in risk, in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is incompletely understood.

Methods

We performed a register-based cohort study of patients with JIA from 2001 until 2017, identified via the Swedish Patient Register. Patients with JIA were matched to five population reference subjects. Patients and referents were followed up for incident cancers (via linkage to the Swedish Cancer Register) until 18 years of age or 31 December 2016.

Results

Among the 6721 patients with JIA, we observed 10 incident malignancies (5 lymphoproliferative cancers) during 34 951 person-years of follow-up, corresponding to an excess incidence of 0.09 cancers per 1000 person-years (one extra case per 11 000 patients per year), an HR for cancer (all sites) of 1.4 (95% CI 0.7 to 2.9) and an HR for lymphoproliferative malignancies of 3.6 (95% CI 1.1 to 11.2). The rates of cancer in JIA did not increase over the study period. We noted no differences in the excess risk comparing periods before and after the introduction of biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs).

Discussion

Children and adolescents with JIA are at a slightly increased risk of lymphoproliferative (but not of other) malignancies. At the group level, there is no sign that this risk has increased further after the introduction of bDMARDs.
Slow-roll versus stochastic slow-roll inflation
Authors: Haba Z.
Published: November 2019

We consider the classical wave equation with a thermal and Starobinsky–Vilenkin noise which in the slow-roll and long wave approximation describes the quantum fluctuations of the gravity-inflaton system in an expanding metric. We investigate the resulting consistent stochastic Einstein-Klein-Gordon system in the slow-roll regime. We show in some models that the slow-roll requirements (of the negligence of$$\partial _{t}^{2}\phi $$∂t2ϕ) can be satisfied in the probabilistic sense for the stochastic system with quantum and thermal noise for arbitrarily large time and an infinite range of fields. We calculate expectation values of some inflationary variables taking into account quantum and thermal noise. We show that the mean acceleration$$\langle \partial _{t}^{2}a\rangle $$⟨∂t2a⟩can be negative or positive (depending on the model) when the random fields take values beyond the classical range of inflation.
Representations and formal deformations of Hom-Leibniz algebras
Authors: Attan Sylvain , Hounnon Hippolyte , Kpamegan Bernardin
Published: November 2019

In this paper, some results on representations of Hom-Leibniz algebras are found. Specifically the adjoint representation and trivial representation of Hom-Leibniz algebras are studied in detail. Deformations and central extensions of Hom-Leibniz algebras are also studied as applications.
All idempotent and regular elements in the monoid of generalized hypersubstitutions for algebraic systems of type (2; 2)
Authors: Phusanga D. , Joomwong J. , Jino S. , Koppitz J.
Published: November 2019

There are two different concepts for hypersubstitutions for algebraic systems [K. Denecke and D. Phusanga, Hyperformulas and solid algebraic systems, Studia Logica 90(2) (2008) 263–286; J. Koppitz and D. Phusanga, The monoid of hypersubstitutions for algebraic systems, J. Announcements Union Sci. Sliven 33(1) (2018) 120–127]. In this paper, we follow the more natural and practicable one given in [J. Koppitz and D. Phusanga, The monoid of hypersubstitutions for algebraic systems, J. Announcements Union Sci. Sliven 33(1) (2018) 120–127]. On the other hand, in [S. Leeratanavalee and K. Denecke, Generalized hypersubstitutions and strongly solid varieties, General Algebra and Applications, Proc. of 59th Workshop on General Algebra; 15th Conf. for Young Algebraists Potsdam 2000 (Shaker Verlag, 2000), pp. 135–145], the concept of the monoid of generalized hypersubstitutions was introduced. Following both ideas, one obtains the concept of a monoid of generalized hypersubstitutions for algebraic systems in a canonical way. The purpose of this paper is the study of the monoid of generalized hypersubstitutions for algebraic systems. We characterize the idempotent as well as regular elements in this monoid.
In Vivo MRI Tracking of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Labeled with Ultrasmall Paramagnetic Iron Oxide Particles after Intramyocardial Transplantation in Patients with Chronic Ischemic Heart Disease
Authors: Mathiasen Anders Bruun , Qayyum Abbas Ali , Jørgensen Erik , Helqvist Steffen , Ekblond Annette , Ng Michael , Bhakoo Kishore , Kastrup Jens
Published: November 2019

Background. While regenerative stem cell therapy for ischemic heart disease has moved into phase 3 studies, little is still known about retention and migration of cell posttransplantation. In human studies, the ability to track transplanted cells has been limited to labeling with radioisotopes and tracking using nuclear imaging. This method is limited by low resolution and short half-lives of available radioisotopes. Longitudinal tracking using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of myocardial injected cells labeled with iron oxide nanoparticles has shown promising results in numerous preclinical studies but has yet to be evaluated in human studies. We aimed to evaluate MRI tracking of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) labeled with ultrasmall paramagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) nanoparticles after intramyocardial transplantation in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD). Methods. Five no-option patients with chronic symptomatic IHD underwent NOGA-guided intramyocardial transplantation of USPIO-labeled MSCs. Serial MRI scans were performed to track labeled cells both visually and using semiautomated T2∗ relaxation time analysis. For safety, we followed symptoms, quality of life, and myocardial function for 6 months. Results. USPIO-labeled MSCs were tracked for up to 14 days after transplantation at injection sites both visually and using semiautomated regional T2∗ relaxation time analysis. Labeling of MSCs did not impair long-term safety of treatment. Conclusion. This was a first-in-man clinical experience aimed at evaluating the utility of MRI tracking of USPIO-labeled bone marrow-derived autologous MSCs after intramyocardial injection in patients with chronic IHD. The treatment was safe, and cells were detectable at injection sites up to 14 days after transplantation. Further studies are needed to clarify if MSCs migrate out of the injection area into other areas of the myocardium or if injected cells are washed out into the peripheral circulation. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03651791.
Haemosiderotic Synovitis Secondary to Anticoagulant Use: An Unusual Mechanism of Failure of a Unicompartmental Knee Replacement
Authors: Bartlett Jonathan , Lidder Surjit S. , Bucknill Andrew T.
Published: November 2019

Haemosiderotic synovitis is a rare condition caused by recurrent or chronic haemarthroses. This may lead to intra-articular destruction, a painful joint, and, if untreated, ankylosis of the joint. We highlight a case of an elderly lady who presented to an orthopaedic clinic with left knee pain, following recurrent left knee atraumatic haemarthroses secondary to oral anticoagulant use. At her presentation, she had a left medial unicompartmental knee prosthesis in situ. Weight bearing radiographs of the left knee showed marked loss of lateral joint space with valgus alignment. These radiographic findings were not present on the radiographs taken at her first presentation with haemarthrosis nine months previously. A left revision total knee arthroplasty was performed, and a diagnosis of haemosiderotic synovitis was made following histological analysis of intraoperative tissue samples. This case highlights an unusual mechanism of failure of a unicompartmental knee replacement. Though haemosiderotic synovitis is an exceedingly rare condition, it must be considered following recurrent haemarthrosis as, due to its destructive nature, prompt recognition and treatment is paramount.
Effects of Placenta-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells on the Particulate Matter-Induced Damages in Human Middle Ear Epithelial Cells
Authors: Kim So Young , Oh Seung Ha , Lee Jun Ho , Suh Myung-Whan , Park Moo Kyun
Published: November 2019

This study was aimed at investigating the effects of placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells (PL-MSCs) on particulate matter- (PM-) exposed human middle ear epithelial cells (HMEECs). HMEECs were treated with 300 μg/ml PM for 24 hours. The PL-MSCs were cocultured with PM-treated HMEECs. Cells were harvested on days 0, 1, and 4, and the expression of the inflammatory genes TNFα, COX2, IL1β, IL6, and MUC5B in HMEECs and anti-inflammatory genes PTGES, TGFβ, and VEGF in PL-MSCs was examined by qRT-PCR. The culture media were collected to measure the secreted PGE2 level using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The mRNA expression of TNFα, COX2, IL1β, IL6, and MUC5B in HMEECs increased following PM treatment. PM-treated HMEECs cocultured with PL-MSCs showed alleviated inflammatory reactions represented by lower mRNA expression levels of MUC5B, TNFα, IL1β, and IL6 compared to monocultured PM-treated HMEECs. The mRNA expression levels of PGE2, TGFβ, and VEGF were elevated in cocultured PL-MSCs compared to those of control PL-MSCs. The medium of PM-treated HMEECs cocultured with PL-MSCs exhibited increased PGE2 levels. The increased inflammatory response in PM-treated HMEECs was reversed using PL-MSCs. The PGE2, TGFβ, and VEGF were the mediators of the anti-inflammatory effects of PL-MSCs.
Magnesium Enhances Osteogenesis of BMSCs by Tuning Osteoimmunomodulation
Authors: Zhang Xufang , Chen Qingpiao , Mao Xueli
Published: November 2019

In the process of bone tissue engineering, the osteoimmunomodulatory property of biomaterials is very important for osteogenic differentiation of stem cells, which determines the outcome of bone regeneration. Magnesium (Mg) is a biodegradable, biocompatible metal that has osteoconductive properties and has been regarded as a promising bone biomaterial. However, the high degradation rate of Mg leads to excessive inflammation, thereby restricting its application in bone tissue engineering. Importantly, different coatings or magnesium alloys have been utilized to lower the rate of degradation. In fact, a prior study proved that β-TCP coating of Mg scaffolds can modulate the osteoimmunomodulatory properties of Mg-based biomaterials and create a favorable immune microenvironment for osteogenesis. However, the osteoimmunomodulatory properties of Mg ions themselves have not been explored yet. In this study, the osteoimmunomodulatory properties of Mg ions with involvement of macrophages and bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) were systematically investigated. Microscale Mg ions (100 mg/L) were found to possess osteoimmunomodulatory properties that favor bone formation. Specifically, microscale Mg ions induced M2 phenotype changes of macrophages and the release of anti-inflammatory cytokines by inhibiting the TLR-NF-κB signaling pathway. Microscale Mg ions also stimulated the expression of osteoinductive molecules in macrophages while Mg ions/macrophage-conditioned medium promoted osteogenesis of BMSCs through the BMP/SMAD signaling pathway. These findings indicate that manipulating Mg ion concentration can endow the Mg biomaterial with favorable osteoimmunomodulatory properties, thereby providing fundamental evidence for improving and modifying the effect of Mg-based bone biomaterials.
Habitat structure and their influence in lizard’s presence
Authors: Cosendey Beatriz Nunes , Rocha Carlos Frederico Duarte da , Menezes Vanderlaine Amaral de
Published: November 2019

Many species are declining due to environmental and physical changes in their habitats. Such disturbs alter the availability of micro-habitats and influences the presence of lizards, being even worse for threatened and endemic species. Glaucomastix littoralis is a teiid species restricted to four restingas areas of Brazil. The understanding about the use and preferences of micro-habitats by the species and the consequents effects of substrate loss is important to prevent local extinctions. This study took place in restingas of Maricá, Jurubatiba and Grussaí, in Rio de Janeiro State. We sampled the vegetation of all areas, to access differences between the physical structures, and recorded the individuals sighted and the micro-habitat they were in, to investigate the relation of individuals and habitat structure. We calculated the frequency utilization of each micro-habitat and made a presence estimation of individuals (occupancy and detection probability) to assess which structural parameters of vegetation guide the settlement of the studied populations. Our data showed structural vegetation particularities among the areas and a trend concerning the use of micro-habitat by Glaucomastix littoralis, with a general preference for leaf litter inside bushes, guriri and bare sand and a low utilization of cactus and herbaceous. We also found positives (bare sand and cactus) and negatives (bushes) influences of micro-habitats in relation to the occupation of the areas by the individuals. Since vegetation is fundamental to lizards, due to their use as a refuge, site for thermoregulation and feeding, the understanding about the effects habitat degradation/fragmentation can cause is essential to create appropriate management plans and develop public policies to conserve the species.
Traits of positive and negative discrimination of the Copts in medieval Egypt as described by the “History of the Patriarchs of Alexandria”
Authors: Ivanova Anastasia M.
Published: November 2019

In the course of the Middle Ages, the Copts experienced a variety of drastic changes in the attitude of Muslim rulers towards them, from confidence to disgrace. The latter included not only the increasingly rigorous tax policies, but also social and domestic constraints.
A new species of Phragmipedium (Orchidaceae: Cypripedioideae) from Peru

Authors: PARIZACA ALEXANDER DAMIAN , DÍAZ-MORALES MELISSA , PUPULIN FRANCO
Published: November 2019

A new species of Phragmipedium section Lorifolia, P. cabrejosii, is described and illustrated from Peru, and its affinities are discussed. It is mainly compared with P. caricinum, from which it is distinguished by the simple inflorescence, the elliptic dorsal sepal, that is apically white, the shorter, apically twisted pale yellow petals tinged with rose, and the ovate-subrhombic staminodial shield (vs. reniform).
Typification of the name Cirsium lacaitae (Asteraceae)

Authors: DEL GUACCHIO EMANUELE , CAPUTO PAOLO , IAMONICO DUILIO
Published: November 2019

As part of ongoing studies on the taxonomy of Cirsium Miller (1754: no pagination) sect. Eriolepis (Cassini in Cuvier 1826: 331) Dumortier (1827: 74) (Asteraceae) (Del Guacchio & Iamonico 2015), and in the context of the “Italian loci classici census” project (see e.g., Domina et al. 2012, Peruzzi et al. 2019), aimed at typifying all the names of taxa described from Italy and at improving their systematic knowledge (Vallariello et al. 2016, Del Guacchio et al. 2017, Iamonico et al. 2017, Santangelo et al. 2017), we here present a note concerning the name C. lacaitae Petrak (1914: 456), which appears still not typified.
Rediscovery of a fossil dolichoderine ant lineage (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) and a description of a new genus from South America
Authors: WILD ALEXANDER L. , CUEZZO FABIANA
Published: November 2019

We describe a new genus, Gracilidris Wild & Cuezzo gen. nov., and a new species, G. pombero Wild and Cuezzo sp. nov., of dolichoderine ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) from Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina based on the worker caste. These ants are morphologically similar to the extinct Gracilidris humilioides (Wilson 1985) comb. nov., known from a single Dominican amber fossil, that we redescribe and transfer to Gracilidris from Linepithema Mayr.