bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
19F MRI of human lungs at 0.5 Tesla using octafluorocyclobutane
Authors: Pavlova Olga S. , Anisimov Nikolay V. , Gervits Lev L. , Gulyaev Mikhail V. , Semenova Valentina N. , Pirogov Yury A. , Panchenko Vladislav Ya.
Published: April 2020

Purpose

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of fluorine‐19 (19F) MRI of the human lungs using octafluorocyclobutane (OFCB, C4F8). This gas has 8 magnetically equivalent fluorine nuclei and relatively long T1 and T2 (˜50 ms), which render it suitable as an MRI contrast agent. Previous experiments in small laboratory animals showed that OFCB could be successfully used as an alternative to the gases often used for 19F MRI (sulfur hexafluoride and perfluoropropane).

Methods

One male volunteer participated in this study. Immediately before an MRI scan, the volunteer inhaled the gas mixture—80% OFCB with 20% oxygen—and held his breath. Experiments were performed on a 0.5T whole‐body MR scanner with a customized transmit–receive coil tuned at 19F frequency. Fast spin echo in 2D and 3D modes was used for image acquisition. 2D images were obtained with in‐plane resolution of 10 × 10 mm2 without slice selection. 3D images were obtained with the voxel size of 10 × 10 × 30 mm2. Breath‐hold duration was 20 s for 2D and 40 s for 3D imaging, respectively.

Results

Anatomically consistent 19F MR images of the human lungs were obtained with SNR around 50 in 2D mode and 20 in 3D mode. 3D volumetric images of the lungs were reconstructed and provided physiologically reasonable volume estimates.

Conclusion

The application of OFCB enables informative 19F lung imaging even at low magnetic field strengths. The OFCB gas shows promise as an inhalable contrast agent for fluorine lung MRI and has a potential for clinical translation.
MRI reconstruction using deep Bayesian estimation
Authors: Luo Guanxiong , Zhao Na , Jiang Wenhao , Hui Edward S. , Cao Peng
Published: April 2020

Purpose

To develop a deep learning‐based Bayesian estimation for MRI reconstruction.

Methods

We modeled the MRI reconstruction problem with Bayes’s theorem, following the recently proposed PixelCNN++ method. The image reconstruction from incomplete k‐space measurement was obtained by maximizing the posterior possibility. A generative network was utilized as the image prior, which was computationally tractable, and the k‐space data fidelity was enforced by using an equality constraint. The stochastic backpropagation was utilized to calculate the descent gradient in the process of maximum a posterior, and a projected subgradient method was used to impose the equality constraint. In contrast to the other deep learning reconstruction methods, the proposed one used the likelihood of prior as the training loss and the objective function in reconstruction to improve the image quality.

Results

The proposed method showed an improved performance in preserving image details and reducing aliasing artifacts, compared with GRAPPA, ‐ESPRiT, model‐based deep learning architecture for inverse problems (MODL), and variational network (VN), last two were state‐of‐the‐art deep learning reconstruction methods. The proposed method generally achieved more than 3 dB peak signal‐to‐noise ratio improvement for compressed sensing and parallel imaging reconstructions compared with the other methods.

Conclusions

The Bayesian estimation significantly improved the reconstruction performance, compared with the conventional ‐sparsity prior in compressed sensing reconstruction tasks. More importantly, the proposed reconstruction framework can be generalized for most MRI reconstruction scenarios.
In Search of a Cost-Effective Approach for Estimating Dam Passage Survival
Authors: Harnish Ryan , Skalski John , Townsend Rich , Ham Kenneth
Published: April 2020

Passage of downstream-migrating fishes through hydropower dams poses a management issue in rivers throughout the world. As such, regulations have been enacted at many locales to understand and limit fish losses by requiring dam passage survival estimation. However, limiting estimates of survival to the dam and immediate tailrace presents a challenge to researchers. In this study, two alternative release–recapture methods were used to estimate dam passage survival of juvenile salmonids through Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River, Washington, in 2018. One approach, the virtual/paired-release (ViPRe) model, was extensively used in the Columbia–Snake River basin at federally operated hydroelectric dams during 2010–2014. This existing approach uses three releases of tagged smolts to isolate dam passage survival, defined as survival from the upstream dam face to the tailrace mixing zone 1–2 km downstream of the dam. An alternative approach, the virtual release/dead-fish correction (ViRDCt) model, uses one live-release group paired with a release of dead tagged fish at the dam to estimate the same survival parameter. The alternative estimation approaches were tested on two spring out-migrating stocks, yearling Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha and steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss, and on a summer out-migrating stock of subyearling Chinook Salmon. The alternative estimates for these stocks were all within 1 SE. However, the ViRDCt model produced survival estimates with SEs that were 59% smaller than those of the existing ViPRe model and did so using 42% fewer tagged fish and one less downstream acoustic detection array. Because of the reduced sample size, nearly US$540,000 less in tag costs and 4,000 fewer labor-hours were required to implement the ViRDCt model compared to the ViPRe model. As such, the ViRDCt model represents a cost-effective and precise approach to characterizing dam passage survival.
Most noninvasive prenatal screens failing due to inadequate fetal cell free DNA are negative for trisomy when repeated
Authors: Lopes Jaime L. , Lopes Guilherme S. , Enninga Elizabeth A. L. , Kearney Hutton M. , Hoppman Nicole L. , Rowsey Ross A.
Published: April 2020

Objective

We aimed to test for an association between the amount of circulating fetal cell‐free DNA and trisomy, and whether NIPS failure due to low fetal fraction indicates trisomy risk.

Method

Maternal BMI, maternal age, fetal sex, gestational age, fetal cfDNA fraction, and NIPS results was collected on 2374 pregnancies. Additional clinical information was available for 1180 research consented patients. We investigated associations between fetal fraction and available variables and determined the success rate of repeat NIPS testing.

Results

Fetal trisomy was marginally associated with decreased fetal fraction (P = .067). However, the proportions of trisomy events were not significantly increased in women who had failed NIPS due to low fetal fraction (<4%) (OR = 1.37 [0.3‐7.4]; P = .714). 66% of repeated NIPS after a second blood draw were successful.

Conclusion

Failure to meet the clinical cutoff of 4% fetal fraction established for NIPS accuracy did not suggest increased risk for trisomy in our cohort. Because repeat testing was successful in the majority of cases and most failures were explained by high BMI and low gestational age, a redraw may be an appropriate next step before invasive screening due to concerns for trisomic pregnancies.
Chemical modification of poly(1‐butene) resins through reactive processing
Authors: Zhang Xiaorong , Tzoganakis Costas , Zatloukal Martin
Published: April 2020

Controlled‐rheology poly(1‐butene) resins have been produced by chemical modification of commodity poly(1‐butene) (PB‐1) resins through reactive processing with an organic peroxide. Using various amounts of peroxide, samples have been produced and have been analyzed in terms of their molecular and rheological properties. Molecular weight distributions (MWD) as determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) indicate that polydispersity (PDI) remains approximately constant but weight‐average molecular weight (Mw) decreases with increasing peroxide concentration. These trends are in agreement with predictions from a kinetic model previously developed for the production of controlled‐rheology polypropylene. Linear viscoelastic measurements indicate that the modified samples are thermorheologically simple and that zero‐shear viscosity decreases with increasing peroxide concentration while flow activation energy remains approximately constant. Finally, no significant variation in melting and crystallization properties was observed for the range of peroxide concentrations used. Based on these results, it is proposed that tailor‐made controlled‐rheology poly(1‐butene) resins can be produced easily through reactive extrusion operations similar to those used for the production of controlled‐rheology polypropylene (CRPP).
Rheological, mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of blends poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate), thermoplastic starch, and cellulose nanoparticles
Authors: da Silva Jania Betania Alves , Bretas Rosário Elida Suman , Lucas Alessandra Almeida , Marini Juliano , da Silva Aline Bruna , Santana Jamille Santos , Pereira Fabiano Vargas , Druzian Janice Izabel
Published: April 2020

The objective of the present study was the preparation and characterization of poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT) and thermoplastic starch (TPS) blends reinforced with cellulose nanoparticles (CNCs) by extrusion. The work was conducted in four steps. Initially, the CNCs were prepared from eucalyptus cellulose pulp by acid hydrolysis. The second step was the preparation of the nanocomposite (TPS‐CNC), composed of cassava starch, CNC, glycerol, and citric and stearic acids, by double screw extrusion. The third step was the preparation of PBAT/TPS‐CNC blends in twin‐screw extruders. In the fourth step, the films were produced by flat extrusion. Blends exhibited similar rheological behavior, increasing the CNC concentration in blends increased the viscosity as a function of the shear rate, and altered the behavior of the shear storage (G′) and shear loss (G″) curves as a function of the oscillation frequency (ω). The presence of CNC in blend provided improvements significant in mechanical properties, with 120% increase in Young's modulus, and 46% increase in maximum tensile. Thermal behavior (thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry) was altered with the incorporation of the CNC, showing a single melt peak (Tm) and a slight increase in Tg, indicating good dispersion between the phases of the blends, corroborating with the fracture surface microscopy of films.
Management of children with tuberculous broncho‐esophageal fistulae
Authors: Goussard Pierre , Andronikou Savvas , Morrison Julie , van Wyk Lizelle , Mfingwana Lunga , Janson Jacques T.
Published: April 2020

Introduction

Broncho‐esophageal fistula (BOF) is a rare complication of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). TB‐associated BOF presents either as acute respiratory failure, aspiration pneumonia or as a complication of surgical decompression of thoracic lymph nodes.

Methods

All children with TB‐ associated BOF were included. TB was diagnosed if MTB was cultured from respiratory secretions, Ziehl‐Neelsen (ZN) smear was positive, GeneXpert MTB/RIF was positive or a chest radiograph revealed radiographic features typical of TB. BOF was diagnosed by a contrast swallow study and/or flexible bronchoscopy. Chest computed tomography (CT) scan was performed, if required.

Results

Total of 20 children were diagnosed with TB‐associated BOF between 1999 and 2019, with a 75% survival. A total of 85% BOF involved the left main bronchus. A total of 80% of patients were MTB culture or ZN smear‐positive. Chest X‐ray abnormalities included: extensive parenchymal disease (80%) and lymph gland enlargement (45%). CT features included visualization of the BOF (60%), esophageal air (73%) and pneumomediastinum (40%). BOF closure was achieved by surgical closure (46%), spontaneous closure (26%), fibrin glue (13%), and esophageal stent (13%). Multivariant regression analysis showed that C‐ reactive protein (CRP), albumin and CRP/albumin ratio were associated with mortality.

Conclusion

Most TB‐associated BOF are left‐sided. It presents either acutely, with respiratory failure, or with chronic respiratory symptoms of aspiration. Children requiring invasive ventilation have high mortality. Most TB‐associated BOF requires surgical intervention, although the use of fibrin glue offers an attractive alternative option.
Evidence of O‐Polar (0001¯) ZnO Surfaces Induced by In Situ Ga Doping
Authors: Sallet Vincent , Sartel Corinne , Arnold Christophe , Hassani Said , Vilar Christèle , Amiri Gaelle , Lusson Alain , Galtier Pierre , Barjon Julien , Masenelli-Varlot Karine , Masenelli Bruno
Published: April 2020

Controlling the facet orientation and polarity of semiconductor nanostructures is a major issue for achieving devices requiring specific surface properties. Herein, new facets are created during the growth of ZnO nanowires (NWs) by metal‐organic chemical vapor deposition, as a consequence of the trimethylgallium flow introduced in the gas phase. This in situ Ga‐doping induces original shapes such as “Christmas tree”‐like and “Taipei tower”‐like nanostructures, developed along the C‐axis direction. In particular, lateral facets exhibit polar surfaces normal to this growth direction, which can be seen either as overhangs (for Christmas trees) or as terraces (for Taipei towers). In both cases, convergent beam electron diffraction reveals that those surfaces are O‐polar (000) planes, so that the two kinds of nano‐objects grow with opposite polarities, i.e., Zn‐polar (+C) for Christmas trees and O‐polar (−C) for Taipei towers. By confirming previously published theoretical calculations, this work provides an experimental evidence that Ga doping favors the growth of O‐polar ZnO facets instead of the nonpolar M‐surfaces usually developed for undoped ZnO NWs. Nano‐cathodoluminescence studies emphasize the intense near band edge emission of the nanostructures in the ultraviolet range, demonstrating their high optical quality.
Idea twins: Simultaneous discoveries as a research tool
Authors: Bikard Michaël
Published: April 2020

Research Summary

Over half a century after Merton's (1963) description of simultaneous discoveries “as a strategic research site” for social science, they are hardly ever studied. This paper illustrates the potential of this phenomenon as a research tool. First, I describe their vast theoretical potential for strategy and innovation research and review prior works on the topic. Second, I describe a new method that generates lists of recent simultaneous discoveries in science systematically and automatically using openly available sources. Third, I make the resulting dataset available for anyone to use.

Managerial Summary

Despite much anecdotal evidence that different people can simultaneously come up with essentially the same creative idea, little attention has been given to this phenomenon. Yet, “idea twins” have a deep impact on creative workers, and can teach us a lot about strategy and innovation. In this paper, I describe their potential as a research tool and the types of questions they can help to answer. I also propose a method to “harvest” simultaneous discoveries in science and provide a dataset that includes thousands of examples.
TAMSAT
Authors: Maidment Ross , Black Emily , Greatrex Helen , Young Matthew
Published: April 2020

Rainfall monitoring over Africa using satellite imagery is essential given the lack of land-based rainfall measurements and the dependency of economies largely based on climate-sensitive practices. Motivated by a need to monitor rainfall deficits and its impact on crop yield over the Sahel, the TAMSAT Group have, since the 1980s, helped pioneer the use of Meteosat thermal infrared (TIR) imagery for rainfall estimation using cold cloud duration (CCD). Unlike other TIR-based algorithms, the TAMSAT algorithm, which is calibrated using rain gauges, varies spatially and temporally to account for the strong spatial and seasonal changes in the rainfall climate across Africa. TAMSAT produce high-resolution (0.0375°), operational rainfall estimates from 1983 to the delayed present for all Africa, at the daily to seasonal time-step. Currently, TAMSAT is only one of a handful of datasets that provide long-term (+30 years) and sub-monthly rainfall estimates for Africa. The data, whose skill is comparable or better (depending on the metric) than other satellite products, are used by a variety of stakeholders in the commercial, humanitarian, agricultural and financial sectors. The temporal consistency and longevity of the TAMSAT record makes it a valuable dataset for climate monitoring and risk assessment.
An effective field theory of quantum mechanical black hole horizons
Authors: Goldberger Walter D. , Rothstein Ira Z.
Published: April 2020

Abstract

We develop an effective theory which describes black holes with quantum mechanical horizons that is valid at scales long compared to the Schwarzschild radius but short compared to the lifetime of the black hole. Our formalism allows one to calculate the quantum mechanical effects in scattering processes involving black hole asymptotic states. We point out that the EFT Wightman functions which describe Hawking radiation in the Unruh vacuum are not Planck suppressed and are actually enhanced relative to those in the Boulware vacuum, for which such radiation is absent. We elaborate on this point showing how the non-Planck suppressed effects of Hawking radiation cancel in classical observables.
Right-handed neutrinos and U(1)X symmetry-breaking
Authors: Clemens C. Herbert , Raby Stuart
Published: April 2020

Abstract

In [1] we proposed a model for Heterotic F-theory duality with Wilson line symmetry-breaking and a 4 + 1 split of the F-theory spectral divisor. One goal of this note is to call attention to the existence of right-handed neutrinos in our F-theory model. As pointed out in section 4 of [2] such existence may be evidence for the U(1)
X
-symmetry that remains after the Higgsing of E
8 via

E
8 ⇒ SU(5)gauge ⊕ [SU(4) ⊕ U(1)
X
]Higgs

occasioned by the 4 + 1 split of the spectral divisor. In addition, as a result of the ℤ2-action that supports the Wilson line we argue that the U(1)
X
-symmetry is, in fact, broken to ℤ2-matter parity. Finally we identify co-dimension 3 singularities which determine Yukawa couplings for the MSSM matter fields.
An inviscid model of unsteady separated vortical flow for a moving plate
Authors: Sohn Sung-Ik
Published: April 2020

An inviscid vortex shedding model for separated vortices from a solid body is studied. The model describes the separated vortices by vortex sheets and the attached flow via conformal mapping. We develop a computational model to simulate the vortex shedding of a moving body, with varying angle. An unsteady Kutta condition is imposed on the edges of the plate to determine the edge circulations and velocities. The force on the plate is obtained by integrating the unsteady Blasius equation. We apply the model to two representative cases of an accelerated plate, with impulsive start and uniform acceleration, and investigate the dynamics for large angles of attack. For both cases, the vortex force is dominant in the lift over times. The lift coefficients are initially high and decrease in four chord lengths of displacement, in general. For large angles of attack, the appearance of a peak of lift at an early time depends on the power-law velocity, which differs from the behavior for small angles of attack. The lift and drag from the model are in agreement with the Navier–Stokes simulation and experiment for moderate Reynolds numbers. We also demonstrate the vortex shedding of hovering and flapping plates. In the hovering motion, the large increase in lift at the early backward translation is due to the combined effect of the vortex force and added mass force. In the flapping plate, our model provides an improvement in the prediction for the induced force than other shedding models.
Expectant Management of Patients with Ventral Hernias: 3 Years of Follow‐up
Authors: Martin Alexander C. , Lyons Nicole B. , Bernardi Karla , Holihan Julie L. , Cherla Deepa V. , Flores Juan R. , Huang Lillian , Milton Alexis , Shah Puja , Kao Lillian S. , Ko Tien C. , Liang Mike K.
Published: April 2020

Background

The safety and effectiveness of expectant management (e.g., watchful waiting or initially managing non‐operatively) for patients with a ventral hernia is unknown. We report our 3‐year results of a prospective cohort of patients with ventral hernias who underwent expectant management.

Methods

A hernia clinic at an academic safety‐net hospital was used to recruit patients. Any patient undergoing expectant management with symptoms and high‐risk comorbidities, as determined by a surgeon based on institutional criteria, would be included in the study. Patients unlikely to complete follow‐up assessments were excluded from the study. Patient‐reported outcomes were collected by phone and mailed surveys. A modified activities assessment scale normalized to a 1–100 scale was used to measure results. The rate of operative repair was the primary outcome, while secondary outcomes include rate of emergency room (ER) visits and both emergent and elective hernia repairs.

Results

Among 128 patients initially enrolled, 84 (65.6%) completed the follow‐up at a median (interquartile range) of 34.1 (31, 36.2) months. Overall, 28 (33.3%) patients visited the ER at least once because of their hernia and 31 (36.9%) patients underwent operative management. Seven patients (8.3%) required emergent operative repair. There was no significant change in quality of life for those managed non‐operatively; however, substantial improvements in quality of life were observed for patients who underwent operative management.

Conclusions

Expectant management is an effective strategy for patients with ventral hernias and significant comorbid medical conditions. Since the short‐term risk of needing emergency hernia repair is moderate, there could be a safe period of time for preoperative optimization and risk‐reduction for patients deemed high risk.
Poorly differentiated is more significant than signet ring cell component for lymph node metastasis in mixed-type early gastric cancer: a retrospective study from a large-volume hospital
Authors: Chen Jin-Nan , Wang Qi-Wen , Zhang Qing-Wei , Tang Zhao-Rong , Li Xiao-Bo
Published: April 2020

Objective

The purpose of this study was to explore the role of different undifferentiated components in the lymph node metastasis (LNM) of early mixed gastric cancer.

Methods

A total of 1596 patients with EGC who underwent gastrectomy were divided into four types: pure differentiated (PD), pure poorly differentiated (Poorly D), pure signet ring cell carcinoma (SRC), and mixed. Mixed type was classified into four subtypes: differentiated-predominant type mixed with poorly differentiated component (MD-P), poorly differentiated-predominant type mixed with differentiated component (MP-D), differentiated-predominant type mixed with SRC component (MD-S), and poorly differentiated-predominant type mixed with SRC component (MP-S). We analyzed the clinicopathological differences between all types and the rates of LNM of patients fulfilling endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) criteria.

Results

LNM was more common in mixed (21.9%) than in PD (7.5%, P < 0.001) or SRC (11.3%, P < 0.001). When analyzed the subgroups of mixed type, LNM was more frequent in MD-P (15.4%) than in PD (7.5%, P = 0.003). LNM in MD-S (7.4%, P = 1.000) was not higher than in PD. MP-S (24.5%) showed a higher rate of LNM than SRC (11.3%, P < 0.001) rather than Poorly-D (22.7%, P = 0.681). For lesions satisfying ESD criteria, MD-S (0%, P = 1.000), and MD-P (5.9%, P = 0.12) did not have higher rates of LNM than PD (1.4%).

Conclusion

The presence of poorly differentiated component but not SRC increases the LNM rate of mixed type. ESD is recommended for the treatment of MD-S and MD-P consistent with ESD criteria.
Elliptic quasi-variational inequalities under a smallness assumption: uniqueness, differential stability and optimal control
Authors: Wachsmuth Gerd
Published: April 2020

We consider a quasi-variational inequality governed by a moving set. We employ the assumption that the movement of the set has a small Lipschitz constant. Under this requirement, we show that the quasi-variational inequality has a unique solution which depends Lipschitz-continuously on the source term. If the data of the problem is (directionally) differentiable, the solution map is directionally differentiable as well. We also study the optimal control of the quasi-variational inequality and provide necessary optimality conditions of strongly stationary type.
Genome-wide association study identifies new loci for albuminuria in the Japanese population
Authors: Okuda Hiroshi , Okamoto Koji , Abe Michiaki , Ishizawa Kota , Makino Satoshi , Tanabe Osamu , Sugawara Junichi , Hozawa Atsushi , Tanno Kozo , Sasaki Makoto , Tamiya Gen , Yamamoto Masayuki , Ito Sadayoshi , Ishii Tadashi
Published: April 2020

Background

Urinary albumin excretion (UAE) is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, chronic kidney disease, etc. Only a few genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for UAE have been conducted in the European population, but not in the Asian population. Here we conducted GWAS and identified several candidate genes harboring single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) responsible for UAE in the Japanese population.

Methods

We conducted GWAS for UAE in 7805 individuals of Asian ancestry from health-survey data collected by Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization (ToMMo) and Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization (IMM). The SNP genotype data were obtained with a SNP microarray. After imputation using a haplotype panel consisting of 2000 genome sequencing, 4,962,728 SNP markers were used for the GWAS.

Results

Eighteen SNPs at 14 loci (GRM7, EXOC1/NMU, LPA, STEAP1B/RAPGEF5, SEMA3D, PRKAG2, TRIQK, SERTM1, TPT1-AS1, OR5AU1, TSHR, FMN1/RYR3, COPRS, and BRD1) were associated with UAE in the Japanese individuals. A locus with particularly strong associations was observed on TSHR, chromosome 14 [rs116622332 (p = 3.99 × 10−10)].

Conclusion

In this study, we successfully identified UAE-associated variant loci in the Japanese population. Further study is required to confirm this association.
Electrostatic layer-by-layer self-assembly of 1D α-LiFeO2 with enhanced rate capability and cycling performance
Authors: Hu Youzuo , Liu Xingquan , Tapia-Ruiz Nuria
Published: April 2020

α-LiFeO2is a promising cathode material for lithium-ion batteries due to its theoretically high specific capacity (282 mAh g−1), abundant nature, low cost of raw materials and environmental friendliness. However, the intrinsic sluggish kinetics and poor electronic conductivity of α-LiFeO2prevent its practical use. In this work, we introduce a novel electrostatic layer-by-layer self-assembly method using PAH and PSS charged polyelectrolytes to grow in situ Ag nanoparticles on the surface of α-LiFeO2nanorods to improve the electronic and ionic conductivity in this material. The experimental results show that such tailored design effectively improves the cycling stability and provides the material with a superior rate capability. The Ag-1D α-LiFeO2material delivers a high discharge capacity of 162.6 mAh g−1at 0.5 C and a capacity retention of 89.6% after 50 cycles. The excellent electrochemical behavior may be ascribed to synergistic effects which combine the use of Ag NPs, which provide with improved electronic conductivities, and the large specific surface areas given by the 1D morphology of the nanorods, providing increased lithium and electron conduction pathways.
Mukbang and Disordered Eating: A Netnographic Analysis of Online Eating Broadcasts
Authors: Strand Mattias , Gustafsson Sanna Aila
Published: April 2020

Mukbang is a recent Internet phenomenon in which video recordings of hosts eating large amounts of food are streamed on an online video platform. It originated in South Korea around 2014 and has since become a global trend. The aim of this study was to explore how viewers of mukbang videos relate their audience experiences to symptoms of disordered eating. A qualitative analysis of YouTube comments and Reddit posts on the topic of mukbang and disordered eating was performed, employing a netnographic approach. Two overarching themes were identified: a viewer perspective, by which users discuss mukbang without describing any personal involvement, and a participant perspective, by which users describe their own experiences of affects and behaviors in response to watching mukbang. Several topical categories emerged, describing how watching mukbang can both limit and increase eating, reduce loneliness and guilt, and become self-destructive. For some, mukbang appears to be a constructive tool in increasing food intake, preventing binge eating, or reducing loneliness; for others, it is clearly a destructive force that may motivate restrictive eating or trigger a relapse into loss-of-control eating. Notably, watching mukbang is not necessarily experienced as either helpful or destructive, but instead as simultaneously useful and hurtful.
Arsenate removal from drinking water using by-products from conventional iron oxyhydroxides production as adsorbents coupled with submerged microfiltration unit
Authors: Usman Muhammad , Katsoyiannis Ioannis , Rodrigues Josma Henna , Ernst Mathias
Published: April 2020

Arsenic is among the major drinking water contaminants affecting populations in many countries because it causes serious health problems on long-term exposure. Two low-cost micro-sized iron oxyhydroxide-based adsorbents (which are by-products of the industrial production process of granular adsorbents), namely, micro granular ferric hydroxide (μGFH) and micro tetravalent manganese feroxyhyte (μTMF), were applied in batch adsorption kinetic tests and submerged microfiltration membrane adsorption hybrid system (SMAHS) to remove pentavalent arsenic (As(V)) from modeled drinking water. The adsorbents media were characterized in terms of iron content, BET surface area, pore volume, and particle size. The results of adsorption kinetics show that initial adsorption rate of As(V) by μTMF is faster than μGFH. The SMAHS results revealed that hydraulic residence time of As(V) in the slurry reactor plays a critical role. At longer residence time, the achieved adsorption capacities at As(V) permeate concentration of 10 μg/L (WHO guideline value) are 0.95 and 1.04 μg/mg for μGFH and μTMF, respectively. At shorter residence time of ~ 3 h, μTMF was able to treat 1.4 times more volumes of arsenic-polluted water than μGFH under the optimized experimental conditions due to its fast kinetic behavior. The outcomes of this study confirm that micro-sized iron oyxhydroxides, by-products of conventional adsorbent production processes, can successfully be employed in the proposed hybrid water treatment system to achieve drinking water guideline value for arsenic, without considerable fouling of the porous membrane.
Altered Energy Metabolism During Early Optic Nerve Crush Injury: Implications of Warburg-Like Aerobic Glycolysis in Facilitating Retinal Ganglion Cell Survival
Authors: Zhu Jingyi , Li Ping , Zhou Yuan-Guo , Ye Jian
Published: April 2020

Neurons, especially axons, are metabolically demanding and energetically vulnerable during injury. However, the exact energy budget alterations that occur early after axon injury and the effects of these changes on neuronal survival remain unknown. Using a classic mouse model of optic nerve-crush injury, we found that traumatized optic nerves and retinas harbor the potential to mobilize two primary energetic machineries, glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation, to satisfy the robustly increased adenosine triphosphate (ATP) demand. Further exploration of metabolic activation showed that mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation was amplified over other pathways, which may lead to decreased retinal ganglion cell (RGC) survival despite its supplement to ATP production. Gene set enrichment analysis of a microarray (GSE32309) identified significant activation of oxidative phosphorylation in injured retinas from wild-type mice compared to those from mice with deletion of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), while PTEN-/- mice had more robust RGC survival. Therefore, we speculated that the oxidation-favoring metabolic pattern after optic nerve-crush injury could be adverse for RGC survival. After redirecting metabolic flux toward glycolysis (magnifying the Warburg effect) using the drug meclizine, we successfully increased RGC survival. Thus, we provide novel insights into a potential bioenergetics-based strategy for neuroprotection.
Practice, purpose, and master narrative: Teachers face race and the South in lesson design
Authors: Stutts Christoph
Published: April 2020

This comparative case study examines the place of white supremacy in teacher lessons on the U.S. South. Multi-day lesson plans and interviews with three teacher participants revealed that open encounters with white supremacist histories were supported by a high degree of professional freedom in their school settings. The teachers held a common commitment to teach about white racism and violence. However, extending these lessons into a more comprehensive confrontation with harmful white supremacist master narratives is complicated by highly varied conceptions of the history classroom, among these teachers and in the field of social studies. This study supports continued efforts to provide teachers with resources and space to address racist legacies. I recommend that these efforts should be paired with an inspection of the individual and collective conceptions of social studies classrooms so that master narratives may be addressed more directly.
Insight Into Major Active Faults in Central Myanmar and the Related Geodynamic Sources
Authors: Mon Chit Thet , Gong Xuan , Wen Yun , Jiang Mingming , Chen Qi‐Fu , Zhang Miao , Hou Guangbing , Thant Myo , Sein Kyaing , He Yumei
Published: April 2020

Myanmar, one of the most active tectonic regions in the world, endures the risk of destructive earthquakes. Based on seismic data recorded at the recently deployed dense array of the China‐Myanmar Geophysical Survey in the Myanmar Orogen (CMGSMO), we detect 854 and locate 599 shallow earthquakes with high precision and determine the focal mechanisms of 40 earthquakes. We identify two NW‐SE trending fault zones accommodating dextral strike‐slip earthquakes beneath the Central Basin, indicating potential seismic risk in the region. We also recognize a nearly N‐S trending seismic zone in the overlying Indo‐Burma Ranges (IBR) crust near the Kabaw Fault (KBF). The earthquakes within this seismic zone mostly show thrusting focal mechanisms. Our results suggest that strike‐slip deformation dominates to the east of the KBF, while shortening is mainly confined to the west of the KBF in Central Myanmar.
Multidecadal Changes in Wet Season Precipitation Totals Over the Eastern Amazon
Authors: Granato‐Souza Daniela , Stahle David W. , Torbenson Max C.A. , Howard Ian M. , Barbosa Ana Carolina , Feng Song , Fernandes Katia , Schöngart Jochen
Published: April 2020

Instrumental observations indicate that Amazon precipitation and streamflow extremes have increased during the last 40 years, possibly due to anthropogenic changes and natural variability. How unprecedented these changes might be is difficult to determine because some paleoclimatic, instrumental, and climate model simulations suggest that Amazonian precipitation and streamflow may be subject to multidecadal variability with return intervals longer than most direct observations. A new 258‐year long tree‐ring chronology of Cedrela odorata has been developed in the eastern Amazon and has been used to reconstruct wet season precipitation totals from 1759–2016. Reconstructed drought extremes are associated with significant sea surface temperature anomalies over the tropical Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Strong multidecadal variance is identified in the reconstruction that may reflect a component of natural rainfall variability relevant to forest ecosystem dynamics and suggesting that recent hydroclimate changes over the eastern Amazon may not be unprecedented over the past 258 years.
Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility (AMS) Analysis of the Gonjo Basin as an Independent Constraint to Date Tibetan Shortening Pulses
Authors: Li Shihu , van Hinsbergen Douwe J. J. , Shen Zhongshan , Najman Yani , Deng Chenglong , Zhu Rixiang
Published: April 2020

The Tibetan Plateau accommodated major upper crustal shortening during Indian Plate oceanic and continental lithosphere subduction. Deciphering whether shortening was continuous or episodic, and how it correlates to major geodynamic changes is challenging. Here we apply anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS), a sensitive synsedimentary strain indicator, to a ~3 km thick magnetostratigraphically dated sedimentary section (69–41.5 Ma) in eastern Tibet. AMS shows “earliest deformation” fabrics from 69–52 Ma, followed by a sudden change to “pencil structure” fabrics with increasing anisotropy degree at ~52 Ma, dating a sudden increased synsedimentary shortening strain. This change coincides with enhanced sedimentation rates and synsedimentary vertical‐axis rotations of the Gonjo Basin, suggesting a causal link to a marked India‐Asia convergence rate deceleration. We show that AMS analysis provides a strong tool to distinguish between climatic and tectonic causes of sedimentological change and is an asset in identifying discrete tectonic pulses in intensely deformed terrane.
Carbon emissions embodied in product value chains and the role of Life Cycle Assessment in curbing them
Authors: Meinrenken Christoph J. , Chen Daniel , Esparza Ricardo A. , Iyer Venkat , Paridis Sally P. , Prasad Aruna , Whillas Erika
Published: April 2020

Life cycle-based analyses are considered crucial for designing product value chains towards lower carbon emissions. We have used data reported by companies to CDP for public disclosure to build a database of 866 product carbon footprints (PCFs), from 145 companies, 30 industries, and 28 countries. We used this database to elucidate the breakdown of embodied carbon emissions across products’ value chains, how this breakdown varies by industry, and whether the reported emission reductions vary with the granularity of the PCF. For the 866 products, on average 45% of total value chain emissions arise upstream in the supply chain, 23% during the company’s direct operations, and 32% downstream. This breakdown varies strongly by industry. Across their lifecycle, the 866 products caused average total emissions of 6 times their own weight, with large variation within and across industries. Reported achievements to reduce emissions varied depending on whether a company had reported a PCF’s breakdown to life cycle stages or only the total emissions (10.9% average reduction with breakdown versus 3.7% without). We conclude that a sector-level understanding of emissions, absent of individual PCFs, is insufficient to reliably quantify carbon emissions, and that higher reported emission reductions go hand in hand with more granular PCFs.
Author Correction: A Systematic Evaluation of Hospital Performance of Childbirth Delivery Modes and Associated Factors in the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region (North-Eastern Italy), 2005–2015
Authors: Cegolon L. , Mastrangelo G. , Heymann W. C. , Dal Pozzo G. , Ronfani L. , Barbone F.
Published: April 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Repetitive Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Alters Glymphatic Clearance Rates in Limbic Structures of Adolescent Female Rats
Authors: Christensen Jennaya , Wright David K. , Yamakawa Glenn R. , Shultz Sandy R. , Mychasiuk Richelle
Published: April 2020

The glymphatic system is the macroscopic waste clearance system for the central nervous system. Glymphatic dysfunction has been linked to several neurological conditions, including traumatic brain injury (TBI). Adolescents are at particularly high risk for experiencing a TBI, particularly mild TBI (mTBI) and repetitive mTBI (RmTBI); however, glymphatic clearance, and how it relates to behavioral outcomes, has not been investigated in this context. Therefore, this study examined glymphatic function in the adolescent brain following RmTBI. Female adolescent Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to either three mTBIs or sham injuries spaced three days apart. One-day after their final injury, the animals underwent a beam walking task to assess sensorimotor function, and contrast-enhanced MRI to visualize glymphatic clearance rate. Behavioural measures indicated that the RmTBI group displayed an increase in loss of consciousness as well as motor coordination and balance deficits consistent with our previous studies. The contrast-enhanced MRI results indicated that the female adolescent glymphatic system responds to RmTBI in a region-specific manner, wherein an increased influx but reduced efflux was observed throughout limbic structures (hypothalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala) and the olfactory bulb but neither the influx or efflux were altered in the cortical structures (primary motor cortex, insular cortex, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) examined. This may indicate a role for an impaired and/or inefficient glymphatic system in the limbic structures and cortical structures, respectively, in the development of post-concussive symptomology during adolescence.
Bovine Sperm Sexing Alters Sperm Morphokinetics and Subsequent Early Embryonic Development
Authors: Steele H. , Makri D. , Maalouf W. E. , Reese S. , Kölle S.
Published: April 2020

In artificial insemination the use of sex-sorted bovine sperm results in reduced conception, the causes of which are only partly understood. Therefore, we set out to investigate the effects of sexing on bovine sperm function and early embryonic development. Computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) of sperm of the same bulls (n = 5), before and after sexing, demonstrated significantly reduced fast (A) and slow (B) progressively motile sperm (p < 0.05) after sexing. Sexed-sperm also revealed significantly less hyperactivated sperm (p < 0.05). As shown by time-lapse videomicroscopy ofin vitroproduced embryos (n = 360), embryos derived from sexed-sperm displayed significantly increased incidences of arrest at the 4-cell stage (p < 0.05). The relative risk for shrinkage/fusion of blastomeres with subsequent lysis was 1.71 times higher in the embryos derived from sexed-sperm as compared to conventional embryos (p < 0.05) resulting in significantly reduced blastocyst rates (p < 0.001). The relative risk for cleavage was 2.36 times lower in the embryos derived from sex-sorted sperm (p < 0.001). Additionally, sexed-sperm-derived embryos showed reduced survival times (hazard ratio HR = 1.54, p < 0.001) which were bull dependent (p < 0.001). However, the percentage of apoptotic cells was similar to conventional embryos. Furthermore, embryos derived from sexed-sperm were found to reach developmental stages at similar timings as conventional embryos. Our results suggest that reduced conception rates after sexing are due to altered sperm morphokinetics, decreasing the chance of sperm to reach and fertilise the oocyte, and aberrant early embryonic development.
Discovery of Amorphous Iron Hydrides via Novel Quiescent Reaction in Aqueous Solution
Authors: Taguchi Kohei , Shinozaki Kazuteru , Okumura Hideyuki , Michioka Chishiro , Yoshimura Kazuyoshi , Ishihara Keiichi N.
Published: April 2020

Novel amorphous iron hydrides (AIHs) are synthesized for the first time under ambient conditions by employing novel “quiescent reaction”, without stirring for mixing solutions, during a conventional aqueous reduction-precipitation process. The kind and morphology of AIHs are dependent on the processing condition, where two types are found, with one form consisting of a tangle of uniform nanowires and the other being granular in nature. Both AIHs undergo transformation to crystalline α-Fe by heat treatment at 600 °C. The nanowire AIH exhibits the hydrogen content of 0.10 wt%, while the granular AIH of 0.22 wt%. Their magnetic and thermal properties are accordingly different, and the non-diffusive hydrogen contributes to stability of AIHs. It is strongly suggested that, by use of quiescent reaction, iron-hydrogen clusters are formed and preserved at an early stage of precipitation reaction, and subsequently aggregated into novel AIHs, preventing α-Fe crystallization. Hence, the AIHs would be categorized as metastable hydrides stabilized with iron-hydrogen clusters. In addition, newly discovered quiescent reaction in aqueous solution, from which unprecedented AIHs are derived, sheds new light on fundamental and essential aqueous reaction.
Ultrafast microwave synthesis of rambutan-like CMK-3/carbon nanotubes nanocomposites for high-performance supercapacitor electrode materials
Authors: Yan Ke , Sun Xin , Ying Shu , Cheng Wen , Deng Yu , Ma Zhong , Zhao Yu , Wang Xinran , Pan Lijia , Shi Yi
Published: April 2020

Ordered mesoporous carbon materials show great potential for electric double-layer supercapacitors because of their high specific surface area, designable pore structure, and tunable morphology. However, low graphitic crystallinity nature and poor contact between particles lead to their high inherent resistance, which limits the supercapacitance performance. Herein, we report on a hierarchically rambutan-morphological design of carbon composites with ordered mesoporous carbon as the core and carbon nanotubes as the shell, which significantly improve the electric contact between mesoporous carbon particles and promote the electrochemical performance. By an ultrafast microwave process in a household microwave heater under ambient condition, carbon nanotubes grow out from the pores of ordered mesoporous carbon and are dispersed on its surface like the whiskers of rambutan. As-synthesized ordered mesoporous carbon CMK-3/carbon nanotubes nanocomposites show significantly enhanced specific capacitance (315.6 F·g−1 at 1 A·g−1, as compared with 172.1 F·g−1 of CMK-3), high rate capability (214.6 F·g−1 at 50 A·g−1), and cycling durability (10,000 cycles, 99.32%). The structural design and microwave synthesis enable a facile preparation of the hybrid ordered mesoporous carbon CMK-3/carbon nanotubes nanocomposites, and show potential for easy and low-cost production of high performance electric double-layer supercapacitors materials.
IOUC-3DSFCNN: Segmentation of Brain Tumors via IOU Constraint 3D Symmetric Full Convolution Network with Multimodal Auto-context
Authors: Liu Jinping , Liu Hui , Tang Zhaohui , Gui Weihua , Ma Tianyu , Gong Subo , Gao Quanquan , Xie Yongfang , Niyoyita Jean Paul
Published: April 2020

Accurate segmentation of brain tumors from magnetic resonance (MR) images play a pivot role in assisting diagnoses, treatments and postoperative evaluations. However, due to its structural complexities, e.g., fuzzy tumor boundaries with irregular shapes, accurate 3D brain tumor delineation is challenging. In this paper, an intersection over union (IOU) constraint 3D symmetric full convolutional neural network (IOUC-3DSFCNN) model fused with multimodal auto-context is proposed for the 3D brain tumor segmentation. IOUC-3DSFCNN incorporates 3D residual groups into the classic 3DU-Net to further deepen the network structure to obtain more abstract voxel features under a five-layer cohesion architecture to ensure the model stability. The IOU constraint is used to address the issue of extremely unbalanced tumor foreground and background regions in MR images. In addition, to obtain more comprehensive and stable 3D brain tumor profiles, the multimodal auto-context information is fused into the IOUC-3DSFCNN model to achieve end-to-end 3D brain tumor profiles. Extensive confirmatory and comparative experiments conducted on the benchmark BRATS 2017 dataset demonstrate that the proposed segmentation model is superior to classic 3DU-Net-relevant and other state-of-the-art segmentation models, which can achieve accurate 3D tumor profiles on multimodal MRI volumes even with blurred tumor boundaries and big noise.