bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Construction of S@TiO2@r‐GO Composites for High‐Performance Lithium–Sulfur Batteries
Authors: Li Jingfa , Zhu Mingming , Hu Peng , Wang Xing , Zhang Lei , Li Min
Published: June 2017

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries have shown great promise in battery technology, likely to succeed Li‐ion batteries, considering their high energy density, and that they are environmentally benign, naturally abundant, and of low cost. Current development is, however, hindered by some tenacious issues of the sulfur cathode: the low electrical conductivity and the dissolution of the polysulfide intermediate into the electrolyte during operation. This paper reports an advanced design using a TiO2 nanosheet host to trap polysulfides during battery operation and a reduced graphene oxide (r‐GO) sheet matrix to provide additional electron conduction and pathways for electrolyte and Li+ ion diffusion. As expected, such hybrid materials exhibit high performance in Li–S batteries: they can deliver a high, reversible, specific capacity of 889 mAh g–1 over 100 charge/discharge cycles at a rate of 0.5 C, validating polysulfide containment and electron‐conductivity enhancement by the synergetic effect of the TiO2 and r‐GO sheets.
Overview of surgery for laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer in Ontario, 2003‐2010
Authors: Eskander Antoine , Mifsud Matthew , Irish Jonathan , Gullane Patrick , Gilbert Ralph , Brown Dale , de Almeida John R. , Urbach David R. , Goldstein David P.
Published: June 2017

Background

The primary purpose of this study was to describe variations in incidence rates, resections rates, and types of surgical resection for patients diagnosed with laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers in Ontario.

Methods

All laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer cases in Ontario (2003‐2010) were identified from the Ontario Cancer Registry (n = 3034). Variations in incidence rates, resection rates, and type of surgical resection were compared by sex, age group, neighborhood income, community population, health region, and physician specialty.

Results

Incidence rates per 100 000 vary significantly by sex, age, neighborhood income, and community size. Women, the elderly (75+ years), those in the higher income quintiles, and those living in larger communities were significantly less likely to receive a laryngectomy procedure.

Conclusions

Laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer incidence rates vary by sex, age, neighborhood income, community size, and health region. Resection rates vary by age, sex, and health region. These disparities warrant further evaluation to improve the quality of delivered care in Ontario.
Thermosensitive heparin‐poloxamer hydrogels enhance the effects of GDNF on neuronal circuit remodeling and neuroprotection after spinal cord injury
Authors: Zhao Ying‐Zheng , Jiang Xi , Lin Qian , Xu He‐Lin , Huang Ya‐Dong , Lu Cui‐Tao , Cai Jun
Published: June 2017

Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) results in paraplegia or quadriplegia, and currently, therapeutic interventions for axonal regeneration after SCI are not clinically available. Animal studies have revealed that glial cell‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) plays multiple beneficial roles in neuroprotection, glial scarring remodeling, axon regeneration and remyelination in SCI. However, the poor physicochemical stability of GDNF, as well as its limited ability to cross the blood–spinal cord barrier, hampers the development of GDNF as an effective therapeutic intervention in clinical practice. In this study, a novel temperature‐sensitive heparin–poloxamer (HP) hydrogel with high GDNF‐binding affinity was developed. HP hydrogels showed a supporting scaffold for GDNF when it was injected into the lesion epicenter after SCI. GDNF‐HP by orthotopic injection on lesioned spinal cord promoted the beneficial effects of GDNF on neural stem cell proliferation, reactive astrogliosis inhibition, axonal regeneration or plasticity, neuroprotection against cell apoptosis, and body functional recovery. Most interestingly, GDNF demonstrated a bidirectional regulation of autophagy, which inhibited cell apoptosis at different stages of SCI. Furthermore, the HP hydrogel promoted the inhibition of autophagy‐induced apoptosis by GDNF in SCI. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 2816–2829, 2017.
A Review of Silver Nanoparticles: Research Trends, Global Consumption, Synthesis, Properties, and Future Challenges
Authors: Syafiuddin Achmad , Salmiati  , Salim Mohd Razman , Beng Hong Kueh Ahmad , Hadibarata Tony , Nur Hadi
Published: June 2017

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are intensively investigated for their superior physical, chemical, and biological properties. A proper knowledge of these properties is essential to maximizing the potential applications of AgNPs in several areas while minimizing their risks to humans and the environment. This paper aims to critically review AgNPs from the perspectives of research trends, global consumption, synthesis, properties, and future challenges. Generally, AgNPs can be synthesized using three methods, namely physical, chemical, and biological, and the related works as well as their numerous advantages and disadvantages are presented in this review. In addition, AgNPs can be potentially explored for various applications. Future challenges on (AgNP) synthesis, their release into the environment, and scaling up production, as presented in the review, suggest that several potential topics for future works are available to promote a safer and more efficient use of these nanoparticles. Studies on AgNPs in Malaysia have increased since the Malaysian government officially established a directorate for nanotechnology development. This calls for a proper set of policies on AgNPs starting from their production to utilization as well as their effects on various related industries and the environment.
Novel application of fluorescence coupled capillary electrophoresis to resolve the interaction between the G‐quadruplex aptamer and thrombin
Authors: Wang Jianhao , Gu Yaqin , Liu Li , Wang Cheli , Wang Jianpeng , Ding Shumin , Li Jinping , Qiu Lin , Jiang Pengju
Published: June 2017

The dynamic binding status between the thrombin and its G‐quadruplex aptamers and the stability of its interaction partners were probed using our previously established fluorescence‐coupled capillary electrophoresis method. A 29‐nucleic acid thrombin binding aptamer was chosen as a model to study its binding affinity with the thrombin ligand. First, the effects of the cations on the formation of G‐quadruplex from unstructured 29‐nucleic acid thrombin binding aptamer were examined. Second, the rapid binding kinetics between the thrombin and 6‐carboxyfluorescein labeled G‐quadruplex aptamer was measured. Third, the stability of G‐quadruplex aptamer–thrombin complex was also examined in the presence of the interfering species. Remarkably, it was found that the complementary strand of 29‐nucleic acid thrombin binding aptamer could compete with G‐quadruplex aptamer and thus disassociated the G‐quadruplex structure into an unstructured aptamer. These data suggest that our in‐house established fluorescence‐coupled capillary electrophoresis assay could be applied to binding studies of the G‐quadruplex aptamers, thrombin, and their ligands, while overcoming the complicated and costly approaches currently available.
Thrombotic and Nonthrombotic Types of Intratesticular Varicoceles: Value of Sonography for the Diagnosis
Authors: Ünal Emre
Published: June 2017

An intratesticular varicocele is an uncommon entity, and its clinical importance remains unclear. The diagnosis can be made in the case of an intratesticular tortuous vein that shows retrograde flow on color Doppler sonography. The anatomic location and course of the intratesticular varicocele within the testicular parenchyma and its association with the existence of an ipsilateral extratesticular varicocele may vary among patients. The pathophysiologic mechanisms remain unclear; however, it may be questioned whether there is an association between testicular atrophy and intratesticular varicocele development. Although the diagnosis is usually made incidentally, patients may rarely present with acute scrotal pain due to acute thrombosis of an intratesticular varicocele.
Organisational communication management during the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal: A hermeneutic study in attribution, crisis management, and information orientation
Authors: Painter Christopher , Martins Jorge Tiago
Published: June 2017

The discovery in September 2015 of diesel emissions software cheat technology in Volkswagen (VW) cars initiated a process of organisational crisis management and damage limitation by VW, reflected in the contemporaneous intensive production of public information statements, including press releases, statements to shareholders and investors, and transcripts of oral evidence. Through taking stock of a selection of these public information statements, this article examines the organisational communication management strategies employed to respond to the crisis situation, making an integrated use of attribution, crisis management, and information orientation theories as an interpretive lens. An interpretivist, hermeneutic approach was used to carry out qualitative content analysis on selected statements issued by VW. The analysis reveals that there is a connection between statements relating to attribution and statements relating to information orientation, at the time of the crisis and in preparing future action. Priorities for action form part of the overall crisis management and image restoration approach. Proposed changes in information orientation constitute a key dimension of the company's public response to mitigate the offensiveness of the crisis. The analysis performed demonstrates the applicability of the proposed integration of attribution, crisis management, image restoration, and information orientation theories to better understand and explain how large corporations respond publicly to organisational crisis episodes, more specifically the ways in which attributions, crisis management, and image restoration strategies are related to aspects of information orientation as both components and consequences of the crisis.
Effect of Alkyl Side Chains on the Photovoltaic Performance of 2,1,3‐Benzoxadiazole‐Based (‐X‐DADAD‐)n‐Type Copolymers
Authors: Klimovich Irina V. , Susarova Diana K. , Inasaridze Liana N. , Akkuratov Alexander V. , Chernyak Alexander. V. , Troshin Pavel A.
Published: June 2017

A family of novel (X‐TATAT)n‐type conjugated polymers based on the carbazole (X), thiophene (T), and benzoxadiazole (A) moieties is designed and explored as electron‐donor materials for organic bulk heterojunction solar cells. Incorporation of the branched side chains of different size and shape affects significantly the optoelectronic properties of the materials, particularly frontier energy levels of polymers translated to the open circuit voltages of the photovoltaic cells. The revealed unprecedented correlation between the parameters of the solar cells (VOC, fill factor (FF), JSC) and bulkiness of the alkyl side chains provides useful guidelines for rational design of novel materials for organic photovoltaics.

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Genetic variation spectrum in ATP7B gene identified in Latvian patients with Wilson disease
Authors: Zarina Agnese , Tolmane Ieva , Kreile Madara , Chernushenko Aleksandrs , Cernevska Gunta , Pukite Ieva , Micule Ieva , Krumina Zita , Krumina Astrida , Rozentale Baiba , Piekuse Linda
Published: June 2017

Background

Wilson disease (WD) is an autosomal recessive disorder of copper metabolism caused by allelic variants in ATP7B gene. More than 500 distinct variants have been reported, the most common WD causing allelic variant in the patients from Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe is H1069Q.

Methods

All Latvian patients with clinically confirmed WD were screened for the most common mutation p.H1069Q by PCR Bi‐PASA method. Direct DNA sequencing of gene ATP7B (all 21 exons) was performed for the patients with WD symptoms, being either heterozygous for H1069Q or without it on any allele.

Results

We identified 15 different allelic variants along with eight non‐disease‐causing allelic variants. Based on the gene molecular analysis and patients' clinical data variant p.His1069Gln was found in 66.9% of WD alleles. Wide clinical variability was observed among individuals with the same ATP7B genotype. The results of our study confirm that neurological manifestations of WD are typically present later than the liver disease but no significant association between the presence/absence of the most common genetic variant and mode of initial WD presentation or age at presentation was identified.

Conclusions

(1) The most prevalent mutation in Latvian patients with Wilson disease was c.3207C>A (p.His1069Gln); (2) No significant phenotype–genotype correlation was found in Latvian patients with Wilson disease; (3) The estimated prevalence of Wilson disease in Latvia is 1 of 24,000 cases which is higher than frequently quoted prevalence of 1: 30,000.
Detection and diagnosis of colitis on computed tomography using deep convolutional neural networks
Authors: Liu Jiamin , Wang David , Lu Le , Wei Zhuoshi , Kim Lauren , Turkbey Evrim B. , Sahiner Berkman , Petrick Nicholas A. , Summers Ronald M.
Published: June 2017

Purpose

Colitis refers to inflammation of the inner lining of the colon that is frequently associated with infection and allergic reactions. In this paper, we propose deep convolutional neural networks methods for lesion‐level colitis detection and a support vector machine (SVM) classifier for patient‐level colitis diagnosis on routine abdominal CT scans.

Methods

The recently developed Faster Region‐based Convolutional Neural Network (Faster RCNN) is utilized for lesion‐level colitis detection. For each 2D slice, rectangular region proposals are generated by region proposal networks (RPN). Then, each region proposal is jointly classified and refined by a softmax classifier and bounding‐box regressor. Two convolutional neural networks, eight layers of ZF net and 16 layers of VGG net are compared for colitis detection. Finally, for each patient, the detections on all 2D slices are collected and a SVM classifier is applied to develop a patient‐level diagnosis. We trained and evaluated our method with 80 colitis patients and 80 normal cases using 4 × 4‐fold cross validation.

Results

For lesion‐level colitis detection, with ZF net, the mean of average precisions (mAP) were 48.7% and 50.9% for RCNN and Faster RCNN, respectively. The detection system achieved sensitivities of 51.4% and 54.0% at two false positives per patient for RCNN and Faster RCNN, respectively. With VGG net, Faster RCNN increased the mAP to 56.9% and increased the sensitivity to 58.4% at two false positive per patient.

For patient‐level colitis diagnosis, with ZF net, the average areas under the ROC curve (AUC) were 0.978 ± 0.009 and 0.984 ± 0.008 for RCNN and Faster RCNN method, respectively. The difference was not statistically significant with P = 0.18. At the optimal operating point, the RCNN method correctly identified 90.4% (72.3/80) of the colitis patients and 94.0% (75.2/80) of normal cases. The sensitivity improved to 91.6% (73.3/80) and the specificity improved to 95.0% (76.0/80) for the Faster RCNN method. With VGG net, Faster RCNN increased the AUC to 0.986 ± 0.007 and increased the diagnosis sensitivity to 93.7% (75.0/80) and specificity was unchanged at 95.0% (76.0/80).

Conclusion

Colitis detection and diagnosis by deep convolutional neural networks is accurate and promising for future clinical application.
Adult prostatic sarcoma: A contemporary multicenter Rare Cancer Network study
Authors: De Bari Berardino , Stish Bradley , Ball Mark Wayne , Habboush Yacob , Sargos Paul , Krengli Marco , Bossi Alberto , Stabile Armando , Sole Pesutic Claudio , Lestrade Laëtitia , Smeenk Robert Jan , Jereczek‐Fossa Barbara Alicja , Zilli Thomas , Créhange Gilles , Alongi Filippo , Zaorsky Nicholas , Ozsahin Mahmut
Published: June 2017

Introduction

Adult prostatic sarcoma (PS) is a rare disease. While surgery is considered the standard approach, the role of other therapies is not completely established. We report results of the largest multicentric contemporary cohort of PS patients.

Materials and Methods

This study included 61 adult PS patients treated in 16 American and European Institutions. Median age was 64.4 years (range: 22‐87). Curative surgery was delivered in 48 patients (prostatectomy = 26, cystoprostatectomy = 22), usually with lymphadenectomy (n = 40). Curative radiotherapy (RT) was delivered in 32 patients, as radical (n = 5), neoadjuvant (n = 10), or postoperative treatment (n = 17). Eighteen patients received chemotherapy. None of the patients received hormonal therapy.

Results

Median follow‐up was 72 months (95%CI: 55‐not reached). Five‐year local control (LC), overall survival (OS), cancer‐specific survival, disease‐free survival, and metastases‐free rates were 47%, 53%, 56%, 35%, and 35%, respectively. Notably, curative RT (neoadjuvant, adjuvant, or definitive) was associated with improved 5‐year LC (55% vs. 31%, P = 0.02) and OS (59% vs. 46%, P = 0.1). Surgically treated patients presenting with a cT3‐4 tumor (n = 31), who received RT (n = 24), had a significantly improved 5‐year LC (68% vs, 33%, P = 0.004) and OS (65% vs. 21%, P < 0.001) rates compared to patients not receiving RT. cT4 patients demonstrated a significantly lower 5‐year OS (43% vs. 61%, P = 0.006) and LC (29% vs. 69%, P < 0.001) rates. Histologic subtype was not associated with LC and OS, but patients with prostatic stromal sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, or sarcomatoid carcinoma had worse 5‐year LC compared to other types (47% vs. 55%) and OS (49% vs. 58%).

Conclusion

Adult PS has a poor prognosis. Locally advanced tumors have poor LC and OS rates. Curative RT should be considered part of the multidisciplinary approach to PS.
Prognosis After Sublobar Resection of Small‐sized Non‐small Cell Lung Cancer with Visceral Pleural or Lymphovascular Invasion
Authors: Moon Youngkyu , Lee Kyo Young , Park Jae Kil
Published: June 2017

Background

Although standard surgical treatment of stage I non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is lobectomy, sublobar resection may be elected for small‐sized (≤2 cm) peripheral tumors. Our aim was examine the need for completion lobectomy in the event of confirmed pleural or lymphovascular invasion after sublobar resection of NSCLC.

Methods

A total of 271 consecutive patients undergoing curative resection of stage I NSCLC ≤2 cm were reviewed retrospectively, analyzing clinicopathologic findings and survival times of those with invasion‐positive (visceral pleural or lymphovascular invasion) or invasion‐negative (neither visceral pleural nor lymphovascular invasion) tumors by surgical approach (sublobar resection vs lobectomy).

Results

Aside from age and pulmonary function, clinicopathologic characteristics of the patient subsets did not differ significantly, nor did 5‐year recurrence‐free survival rates of surgical subsets (sublobar resection vs lobectomy) in respective tumor groups (invasion‐positive 78.9 vs 79.8%, p = 0.928; invasion‐negative 80.2 vs 85.4%, p = 0.505). In multivariate analysis, dissected lymph node count was the sole parameter significantly impacting recurrence of stage I invasion‐positive NSCLC (hazard ratio = 0.914, 95% confidence interval 0.845–0.988; p = 0.023). Sublobar resection was not a risk factor for recurrence.

Conclusions

Survival rates for patients with small‐sized (≤2 cm) NSCLC and visceral pleural or lymphovascular invasion did not differ significantly, whether sublobar resection or lobectomy was done. Hence, completion lobectomy is unnecessary in this setting.
Development of Nanoemulsion of Silicone Oil and Pine Oil Using Binary Surfactant System for Textile Finishing
Authors: Pukale Dipak D. , Bansode Archana S. , Pinjari Dipak V. , Sayed Usha , Kulkarni Rahul R.
Published: June 2017

Nanoemulsions of silicone oil and pine oil using a binary surfactant system were prepared. Silicone oil and pine oil were used to achieve softness and mosquito repellency and antibacterial activity respectively when the nanoemulsion was applied on the fabric. A silicone surfactant (AG‐pt) and a hydrocarbon surfactant (TDA‐6) were used in different proportions to obtain stable nanoemulsions at the lowest possible droplet size. The various emulsification process variables such as ratio of hydrocarbon to silicone surfactant, surfactant concentration, ratio of silicone oil to pine oil, oil weight fraction and sonication time have been studied. The optimal variables include the ratio of hydrocarbon to silicone surfactant of 80:20, surfactant concentration of 8%, ratio of silicone oil to pine oil of 80:20, oil weight fraction of 20% and 15 min of sonication time at 40% of the applied power. Nanoemulsions were found to be very stable with emulsion droplet size around 41 nm. In order to compare different emulsification techniques, emulsions were also prepared using the conventional method. Emulsions analyzed using SEM showed spherical droplets ranging from 40 to 120 nm. Atomic force microscopy was used to evaluate the bounciness, fluffiness and softness of fabric. From this study, it was found that stable nanoemulsion with a lowest possible droplet size of silicone and pine oil could be prepared by ultrasonic emulsification technique in order to deliver multiple properties when applied to fabric.
Purification, characterization and retting of Crotolaria juncea fibres by an alkaline pectin lyase from Fusarium oxysporum MTCC 1755
Authors: Yadav S. , Maurya S. K. , Anand G. , Dwivedi R. , Yadav D.
Published: June 2017

Using solid-state fermentation, production of an industrially important pectin lyase from a fungal strain Fusarium oxysporum MTCC 1755 was attempted, which was further subjected to purification and characterization. The enzyme was purified by three steps, namely ammonium sulfate fractionation, cation-exchange chromatography on CM cellulose followed by gel filtration chromatography using Sephadex G-100 column. A 16-fold purification with 31.2% yield and 3.2 U/mg specific activity was achieved. The optimum pH of the purified enzyme was 9.0 and stability ranged from pH 5.0–7.0 for 24 h. Optimum temperature of purified enzyme was found to be 40 °C while temperature stability ranged from 10 to 50 °C for 30 min. The K
m and k
cat of the enzyme was 1.75 mg/ml and 83.3 s−1, respectively. The purified enzyme was found to be highly stimulated by Ca2+ ions while sugars like mannitol and sorbitol, and salts like NaCl and CaCl2 enhanced the thermostability. The purified pectin lyase was found suitable for retting of Crotolaria juncea fiber.
Solid-state fermentation for production of a bioherbicide from Diaporthe sp. and its formulation to enhance the efficacy
Authors: Bastos Bruna de Oliveira , Deobald Gabriel Antônio , Brun Thiarles , Dal Prá Valéria , Junges Emanuele , Kuhn Raquel C. , Pinto Aniela Kempka , Mazutti Marcio A.
Published: June 2017

In this study, a bioherbicide was produced by solid-state fermentation (SSF) using Diaporthe sp. Adjuvants were employed in a formulation to enhance the herbicidal activity towards the target (Cucumis sativus). The study was divided into two steps: (1) the fermentation condition for bioherbicide production was assessed; (2) evaluation of different formulations containing palm oil, Tween® 80 and Span® 80, in order to increase phytotoxicity. In step 1, the maximum herbicidal activity (1.23% of the leaves had lesions) was obtained at 25 °C, moisture content of 50 wt%, supplemented with 10 wt% of corn steep liquor and soybean bran and inoculum density of 15 wt%. In step 2, the formulation containing 8.2 wt% of palm oil, 8.2 wt% of Tween® 80 and Span® 80, resulting in an HLB of 12.8 showed the highest phytotoxicity on the leaves. At this condition, dry matter and height of target were reduced about 36% in comparison with control. Diaporthe sp. has the potential to produce molecules with herbicidal activity and the use of adjuvants enhanced three times its efficiency.
COD reduction of textile effluent in three-phase fluidized bed bioreactor using Pseudomonas aureofaciens and Escherichia coli
Authors: Sur Dharmesh H. , Mukhopadhyay Mausumi
Published: June 2017

This paper investigated the effect of mixed cultures of Pseudomonas aureofaciens and Escherichia coli and air as gas on degradation of chemical oxygen demand (COD) in three-phase inverse fluidized beds (TPIFBs) for textile effluents with initial COD of 1200 ppm (effluent 1) and 640 ppm (effluent 2). Investigators focused on the importance of different design of gas spargers of the TPIFB for checking its effect on COD reduction performance. For this purpose, four different gas spargers were fabricated for gas flow entry into bioreactor with different  % open area: Gas sparger 1 (18% open area), sparger 2 (10.42% open area), sparger 3 (8.077% open area) and sparger 4 (1.53% open area). These percentage open area decided the amount of gas flow in a unit time in batch studies, which in turn rely mainly on superficial gas velocity. The reduction in COD was measured at two different superficial gas velocity (0.00343 and 0.004068 m/s) and at two ratio of static bed height to diameter (H/D) of 0.5 and 0.25 in an aerobic mode. Textile effluent 1 resulted in 98.07% COD reduction with sparger 3 and discharged at 23.14 ppm in 28 h. Textile effluent 2 resulted in 96.5% COD reduction with sparger 2 and discharged at 22.4 ppm in 22 h. The resulting COD values of Effluent 1 and effluent 2 were in range of discharge limit and resulted at a low gas velocity of 0.00343 m/s and low H/D ratio of 0.25. The gas holdup correlation was found to be ε
g = 0.0064 U
g
0.98
.
Ginger extract as green biocide to control microbial corrosion of mild steel
Authors: Narenkumar Jayaraman , Parthipan Punniyakotti , Usha Raja Nanthini Ayyakkannu , Benelli Giovanni , Murugan Kadarkarai , Rajasekar Aruliah
Published: June 2017

In latest years, various techniques and chemicals have been used for the control of microbial influenced corrosion (MIC) of metals. The application of botanical-based biocides is one of the effective and practical techniques in the fight against MIC. In the present study, the role of aqueous extract of ginger (Zingiber officinale) (GIE) as green biocide to control MIC of mild steel 1010 (MS) in a cooling water system was investigated. Biocorrosion behavior ofBacillus thuringiensisEN2 on MS and its control by GIE was analyzed by electrochemical measurements. Polarization, electrochemical studies (ES), weight loss measurements (WL), and surface analysis (XRD, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, and FTIR, Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy) were performed under various incubation periods up to 4 weeks. We observed that EN2 forms a thick biofilm on the MS metal surface at the end of the incubation period and the WL significantly increased to 993 mg at fourth week when compared to the initial immersion period (194 ± 2 mg). In contrast, with addition of GIE, WL was reduced about 41 ± 2 mg over biotic system (993 ± 2 mg). GC–MS analysis confirmed the adsorption of active component of GIE (β-turmerone) on the metal surface as a protective layer to prevent the biofilm formation and thus leads to reduction of corrosion. The optimum 20 ppm of GIE was found to be effective corrosion inhibition efficiency which was about 80%. From the results of WL, ES, XRD, FTIR, and GC–MS, GIE was identified as biocide and thus inhibits the bacterial growth on MS metal surface and it leads to control MIC. XRD showed that the GIE with EN2 resulted in less formation of corrosion products over biotic and abiotic systems. Overall, this research first shed light on the antibacterial activity of GIE inhibiting biofilm formation, thus reducing the corrosion of MS in cooling water systems.
Silencing of Transposable Elements by piRNAs in Drosophila: An Evolutionary Perspective
Authors: Luo Shiqi , Lu Jian
Published: June 2017

Transposable elements (TEs) are DNA sequences that can move within the genome. TEs have greatly shaped the genomes, transcriptomes, and proteomes of the host organisms through a variety of mechanisms. However, TEs generally disrupt genes and destabilize the host genomes, which substantially reduce fitness of the host organisms. Understanding the genomic distribution and evolutionary dynamics of TEs will greatly deepen our understanding of the TE-mediated biological processes. Most TE insertions are highly polymorphic in Drosophila melanogaster, providing us a good system to investigate the evolution of TEs at the population level. Decades of theoretical and experimental studies have well established “transposition-selection” population genetics model, which assumes that the equilibrium between TE replication and purifying selection determines the copy number of TEs in the genome. In the last decade, P-element-induced wimpy testis (PIWI)-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) were demonstrated to be master repressors of TE activities in Drosophila. The discovery of piRNAs revolutionized our understanding of TE repression, because it reveals that the host organisms have evolved an adaptive mechanism to defend against TE invasion. Tremendous progress has been made to understand the molecular mechanisms by which piRNAs repress active TEs, although many details in this process remain to be further explored. The interaction between piRNAs and TEs well explains the molecular mechanisms underlying hybrid dysgenesis for the I-R and P-M systems in Drosophila, which have puzzled evolutionary biologists for decades. The piRNA repression pathway provides us an unparalleled system to study the co-evolutionary process between parasites and host organisms.
A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Group Intervention for Hypersexual Disorder: A Feasibility Study
Authors: Hallberg Jonas , Kaldo Viktor , Arver Stefan , Dhejne Cecilia , Öberg Katarina Görts
Published: June 2017

Background

The proposed criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition for hypersexual disorder (HD) included symptoms reported by patients seeking help for excessive and out-of-control non-paraphilic sexual behavior, including sexual behaviors in response to dysphoric mood states, impulsivity, and risk taking. Although no prior studies of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for the treatment of HD have been performed, CBT has been found effective for dysphoric mood states and impulsivity.

Aim

To investigate the feasibility of a CBT manual developed for HD explored through symptom decrease, treatment attendance, and clients’ treatment satisfaction.

Methods

Ten men with a diagnosis of HD took part in the CBT group program. Measurements were taken before, during, and at the end of treatment and 3 and 6 months after treatment.

Outcomes

The primary outcome was the Hypersexual Disorder: Current Assessment Scale (HD:CAS) score that measured the severity of problematic hypersexual symptoms and secondary outcomes were the Hypersexual Disorder Screening Inventory (HDSI) score, the proportion of attended sessions, and the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) score.

Results

Main results were significant decreases of HD symptoms from before to after treatment on HD:CAS and HDSI scores and a decrease in the number of problematic sexual behaviors during the course of therapy. A high attendance rate of 93% and a high treatment satisfaction score on CSQ-8 also were found.

Clinical Implications

The CBT program seemed to ameliorate the symptoms of HD and therefore might be a feasible treatment option.

Strengths and Limitations

This study provides data from a CBT program for the treatment of the specific proposed criteria of HD. Because of the small sample and lack of a control group, the results can be considered only preliminary.

Conclusion

Although participants reported decreased HD symptoms after attending the CBT program, future studies should evaluate the treatment program with a larger sample and a randomized controlled procedure to ensure treatment effectiveness.
Depth differentiation of the Middle Ordovician graptolite and trilobite complexes of Gorny Altai
Authors: Sennikov N.V. , Timokhin A.V. , Lykova E.V.
Published: June 2017

A biostratigraphic analysis of the Middle Ordovician reference sections of northeastern Gorny Altai is carried out. We study complexes of pelagic graptolites and benthic trilobites from the Dapingian–Darriwilian Tuloi and Karasu Formations. For the first time for the Late Paleozoic sedimentary basins of Siberia, lithofacies and biofacies analyses of the sedimentary successions and associated paleobiota are applied to estimation of the depths of the shelf basin and the remoteness of its particular parts from the shoreline. Proposed reconstructions are based on a complex analysis of lithology and thickness of the successions and the structure of associated complexes of pelagic organisms, graptolites (including evaluation of the population density and dominating taxa). Herein we appraise the bioindicator potential of the benthic trilobite paleocommunities.
Parametric method of compensation for near-surface heterogeneity in processing CDP data
Authors: Sysoev A.P. , Gorelik G.D.
Published: June 2017

Compensation for near-surface heterogeneity is an important part of the seismic reflection method. The problem is solved by continuing the observed wavefield to a horizontal datum. Traditionally, two reflection traveltime curves determined from survey and datum lines are related by static shift corrections. In this paper, we solve a continuation problem in which the relation between the traveltimes of the observed and continued wavefields is given by the root-mean-square velocity equation for a two-layer earth model. A comparative analysis of the two methods of compensation for surface heterogeneity due to the variable altitude of the ground surface is made.
Bleeding Control With Limb Tourniquet Use in the Wilderness Setting: Review of Science
Authors: Kragh John F. , Dubick Michael A.
Published: June 2017

The purpose of this review is to summarize tourniquet science for possible translation to wilderness settings. Much combat casualty data has been studied since 2005, and use of tourniquets in the military has changed from a last resort to first aid. The US Government has made use of tourniquets a health policy aimed to improve public access to bleeding control items. International authorities believe that education in first aid should be universal, as all can and should learn first aid. The safety record of tourniquet use is mixed, but users are reliably safe if trained well. Well-designed tourniquets can reliably attain bleeding control, may mitigate risk of shock progression, and may improve survival rates, but conclusive proof of a survival benefit remains unclear in civilian settings. Even a war setting has a bias toward survivorship by sampling mostly survivors in hospitals. Improvised tourniquets are less reliable than well-designed tourniquets but may be better than none. The tourniquet model used most often in 2016 by the US military is the Combat Application Tourniquet (C-A-T), and civilians use an array of various models, including C-A-T. Evidence on tourniquet use to date indicates that most uses are safe and effective in civilian settings. Future directions for study relevant to the wilderness setting include consideration of research priorities, study of the burdens of injury or capability gaps in caregiving for various wilderness settings, determination of the skill needs of outdoor enthusiasts and wilderness caregivers, and survey of wilderness medicine stewards regarding bleeding control.
Prolonged Field Care: Beyond the “Golden Hour”
Authors: Keenan Sean , Riesberg Jamie C.
Published: June 2017

Prolonged field care (PFC) has emerged as a recent area of focus for US military Special Operations Forces (SOF) medical experts. Focused on the current reality of providing medical care to military forces often deployed in remote and austere locations far from medical support or a robust casualty evacuation chain, PFC encompasses evolving operational situations not unlike many wilderness medicine practice environments. SOF currently operates in all areas of the world and on a variety of different missions, which finds these small teams far from the accustomed practice environment of robust deployed medical infrastructure commonly seen during the last 15 years of military conflicts. In light of this evolving operational situation, the Prolonged Field Care Working Group has undertaken a comprehensive approach to better define and tackle this challenge. The approach to training and educating SOF medics on PFC is based on defined capabilities and operational situations that incorporate best medical practices and seeks to place advance resuscitative capabilities into the hands of providers closest to the point of injury. By transitioning from an approach solely driven by acute trauma aide, incorporating the best practices of Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC), PFC builds upon best practices for the continuing management of both medical and trauma patients in wilderness environments. PFC incorporates best practices in generally hospital-based management of serious and critical casualties to decrease both mortality and morbidity in austere, prehospital operational settings.
THE EARLIEST SHELL FISHHOOKS FROM THE AMERICAS REVEAL FISHING TECHNOLOGY OF PLEISTOCENE MARITIME FORAGERS
Authors: Des Lauriers Matthew R. , Davis Loren G. , Turnbull J. , Southon John R. , Taylor R. E.
Published: June 2017

While the North American archaeological record signals the presence of early humans along the northeastern Pacific coast by the Late Pleistocene, we know little about the technological systems employed by these coastally oriented colonizing groups. We here report the discovery of the earliest unequivocal evidence for the use and manufacture of shell fishhooks in the western hemisphere. Four single-piece shell fishhooks dating to the terminal Pleistocene/early Holocene transition (between ~11,300 and 10,700 cal B.P.) have been excavated on Isla Cedros, Baja California, Mexico. One hook is directly dated at 9495 ± 25 B.P. with a marine reservoir–corrected age of 11,165–9185 cal B.P. Radiocarbon ages associated with three other shell fishhooks range between 8900 ± 25 B.P. and 10,415 ± 25 B.P, while median ages for the earliest contexts confirm occupation of the island by at least 12,600–12,000 cal B.P. The stratigraphic levels from which the fishhooks were recovered contained a diverse assemblage of fish remains, including deepwater species, indicative of boat use. Thus, some of the earliest known inhabitants of the Pacific coast of the Americas employed shell hook and line technology for offshore marine fishing at least by the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, if not earlier.
Regulation of the Invasive PlantHeracleum persicumby Private Landowners in Tromsø, Norway
Authors: Meier Sophie , Taff Gregory N. , Aune Jens B. , Eiter Sebastian
Published: June 2017

In the city of Tromsø in northern Norway, invasive Tromsø palm (Norwegian: Tromsøpalme; English: Persian hogweed) is widespread. Although Tromsø palm has negative impacts on biodiversity and contains a phototoxic sap that burns human skin, it is also considered to be a local symbol of Tromsø city and is appreciated by many inhabitants. This study examined private landowners’ characteristics, perceptions, and landowners’ regulation of invasive Tromsø palm on their parcels on Tromsø Island in 2012 (vegetation season: May–September) to provide information concerning which landowner groups could be assisted by official regulation. Eleven key informants and 17 landowners were interviewed. Afterward, Tromsø palm on Tromsø Island was mapped using aerial photos and street-level photos from Google Maps®/Google Street View®and fieldwork verification. This distribution map was superimposed on a property map in a geographic information system to produce a map showing private parcels that contained Tromsø palm and associated neighboring parcels that did not contain Tromsø palm. Questionnaires were mailed to the 441 owners of the selected parcels, and 199 of the returned questionnaires were analyzed. Tromsø palm was more likely to be fully regulated/absent on a parcel that was inhabited (particularly if the owner lived on-site) and less likely to be fully regulated/absent if the parcel was jointly managed by several households. These findings indicate that authorities could focus their management efforts on supporting regulation efforts of those private landowners who own currently uninhabited or rented-out parcels and landowners of parcels jointly managed by several households. Furthermore, those landowners who found regulation measures against the plant on Tromsø Island important tended to have partly or fully regulated Tromsø palm on their plots. This might imply that information campaigns from authorities might encourage more landowners to regulate Tromsø palm.
Lyapunov dimension of elastic turbulence
Authors: Plan Emmanuel Lance Christopher VI M. , Gupta Anupam , Vincenzi Dario , Gibbon John D.
Published: June 2017

Low-Reynolds-number polymer solutions exhibit a chaotic behaviour known as ‘elastic turbulence’ when the Weissenberg number exceeds a critical value. The two-dimensional Oldroyd-B model is the simplest constitutive model that reproduces this phenomenon. To make a practical estimate of the resolution scale of the dynamics, one requires the assumption that an attractor of the Oldroyd-B model exists; numerical simulations show that the quantities on which this assumption is based are bounded. We estimate the Lyapunov dimension of this assumed attractor as a function of the Weissenberg number by combining a mathematical analysis of the model with direct numerical simulations.
The influence of shear-dependent rheology on turbulent pipe flow
Authors: Singh J. , Rudman M. , Blackburn H. M.
Published: June 2017

Direct numerical simulations of turbulent pipe flow of power-law fluids at $Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}}=323$ are analysed in order to understand the way in which shear thinning or thickening affects first- and second-order flow statistics including turbulent kinetic energy production, transport and dissipation in such flows. The results show that with shear thinning, near-wall streaks become weaker and the axial and azimuthal correlation lengths of axial velocity fluctuations increase. Viscosity fluctuations give rise to an additional shear stress term in the mean momentum equation which is negative for shear-thinning fluids and which increases in magnitude as the fluid becomes more shear thinning: for an equal mean wall shear stress, this term increases the mean velocity gradient in shear-thinning fluids when compared to a Newtonian fluid. Consequently, the mean velocity profile in power-law fluids deviates from the law of the wall $U_{z}^{+}=y^{+}$ in the viscous sublayer when traditional near-wall scaling is used. Consideration is briefly given to an alternative scaling that allows the law of wall to be recovered but which results in loss of a common mean stress profile. With shear thinning, the mean viscosity increases slightly at the wall and its profile appears to be approximately logarithmic in the velocity log layer. Through analysis of the turbulent kinetic energy budget, undertaken here for the first time for generalised Newtonian fluids, it is shown that shear thinning decreases the overall turbulent kinetic energy production but widens the wall-normal region where it is generated. Additional dissipation terms in the mean flow and turbulent kinetic energy budget equations arise from viscosity fluctuations; with shear thinning, these result in a net decrease in the total viscous dissipation. The overall effect of shear thinning on the turbulent kinetic energy budget is found to be largely confined to the inner layers, $y^{+}\lesssim 60$.
Multi-scale statistics of turbulence motorized by active matter
Authors: Urzay J. , Doostmohammadi A. , Yeomans J. M.
Published: June 2017

A number of micro-scale biological flows are characterized by spatio-temporal chaos. These include dense suspensions of swimming bacteria, microtubule bundles driven by motor proteins and dividing and migrating confluent layers of cells. A characteristic common to all of these systems is that they are laden with active matter, which transforms free energy in the fluid into kinetic energy. Because of collective effects, the active matter induces multi-scale flow motions that bear strong visual resemblance to turbulence. In this study, multi-scale statistical tools are employed to analyse direct numerical simulations (DNS) of periodic two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) active flows and to compare the results to classic turbulent flows. Statistical descriptions of the flows and their variations with activity levels are provided in physical and spectral spaces. A scale-dependent intermittency analysis is performed using wavelets. The results demonstrate fundamental differences between active and high-Reynolds-number turbulence; for instance, the intermittency is smaller and less energetic in active flows, and the work of the active stress is spectrally exerted near the integral scales and dissipated mostly locally by viscosity, with convection playing a minor role in momentum transport across scales.
TWO NEW LOWER BOUNDS FOR THE SPARK OF A MATRIX
Authors: LIU HAIFENG , ZHU JIHUA , PENG JIGEN
Published: June 2017

The $l_{0}$-minimisation problem has attracted much attention in recent years with the development of compressive sensing. The spark of a matrix is an important measure that can determine whether a given sparse vector is the solution of an $l_{0}$-minimisation problem. However, its calculation involves a combinatorial search over all possible subsets of columns of the matrix, which is an NP-hard problem. We use Weyl’s theorem to give two new lower bounds for the spark of a matrix. One is based on the mutual coherence and the other on the coherence function. Numerical examples are given to show that the new bounds can be significantly better than existing ones.
Vitamin D status in renal transplant recipients living in a low-latitude city: association with body fat, cardiovascular risk factors, estimated glomerular filtration rate and proteinuria
Authors: Rosina Kelli T. C. , Menna Barreto Ana Paula M. , Pontes Karine S. S. , Martins Cyro J. M. , Souza Edison , Bregman Rachel , Barreto Silva Maria Inês , Klein Márcia R. S. T.
Published: June 2017

Recent evidence suggests that vitamin D deficiency is associated with CVD, impaired kidney function and proteinuria. To date, no study has evaluated these associations in renal transplant recipients (RTR) adjusting for body adiposity assessed by a ‘gold standard’ method. This study aimed to evaluate the vitamin D status and its association with body adiposity, CVD risk factors, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and proteinuria in RTR, living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (a low-latitude city (22°54'10"S)), taking into account body adiposity evaluated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). This cross-sectional study included 195 RTR (114 men) aged 47·6 (sd11·2) years. Nutritional evaluation included anthropometry and DXA. Risk factors for CVD were hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia and the metabolic syndrome. eGFR was evaluated using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration was used to define vitamin D status as follows: 10 % (n19) had vitamin D deficiency (<16 ng/ml), 43 % (n85) had insufficiency (16–30 ng/ml) and 47 % (n91) had sufficiency (>30 ng/ml). Percentage of body fat (DXA) was significantly associated with vitamin D deficiency independently of age, sex and eGFR. Lower 25(OH)D was associated with higher odds of the metabolic syndrome and dyslipidaemia after adjustment for age, sex and eGFR, but not after additional adjustment for body fat. Hypertension and diabetes were not related to 25(OH)D. Lower serum 25(OH)D was associated with increasing proteinuria and decreasing eGFR even after adjustments for age, sex and percentage of body fat. This study suggests that in RTR of a low-latitude city hypovitaminosis D is common, and is associated with excessive body fat, decreased eGFR and increased proteinuria.