bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cloud condensation nuclei activity of six pollenkitts and the influence of their surface activity
Authors: Prisle Nønne L. , Lin Jack J. , Purdue Sara , Lin Haisheng , Meredith J. Carson , Nenes Athanasios
Published: April 2019

Abstract. The role of surfactants in governing water interactions of atmospheric
aerosols has been a recurring topic in cloud microphysics for more than two
decades. Studies of detailed
surface thermodynamics are limited by the availability of aerosol samples for experimental
analysis and incomplete validation of various proposed Köhler model frameworks for
complex mixtures representative of atmospheric aerosol. Pollenkitt is a viscous material
that coats grains of pollen and plays important roles in pollen dispersion and plant reproduction.
Previous work suggests that it may also be an important contributor to pollen water uptake and cloud condensation nuclei
(CCN) activity. The chemical composition of pollenkitt varies between species but has been found to comprise
complex organic mixtures including oxygenated, lipid, and aliphatic functionalities. This mix of
functionalities suggests that pollenkitt may display aqueous surface activity, which could significantly
impact pollen interactions with atmospheric water. Here, we study the surface activity of pollenkitt from
six different species and its influence on pollenkitt hygroscopicity. We measure cloud droplet activation
and concentration-dependent surface tension of pollenkitt and its mixtures with ammonium sulfate salt.
Experiments are compared to predictions from several thermodynamic models, taking aqueous surface tension
reduction and surfactant surface partitioning into account in various ways. We find a clear reduction of
surface tension by pollenkitt in aqueous solution and evidence for impact of both surface
tension and surface partitioning mechanisms on cloud droplet activation potential and
hygroscopicity of pollenkitt particles. In addition, we find indications of complex
nonideal solution effects in a systematic and consistent dependency of pollenkitt
hygroscopicity on particle size. The impact of pollenkitt surface activity on cloud
microphysics is different from what is observed in previous work for simple atmospheric
surfactants and more resembles recent observations for complex primary and secondary
organic aerosol, adding new insight to our understanding of the multifaceted role of
surfactants in governing aerosol–water interactions. We illustrate how the explicit
characterization of pollenkitt contributions provides the basis for modeling water uptake
and cloud formation of pollen and their fragments over a wide range of atmospheric
conditions.
Traffic-related air pollution near roadways: discerning local impacts from background
Authors: Hilker Nathan , Wang Jonathan M. , Jeong Cheol-Heon , Healy Robert M. , Sofowote Uwayemi , Debosz Jerzy , Su Yushan , Noble Michael , Munoz Anthony , Doerksen Geoff , White Luc , Audette Céline , Herod Dennis , Brook Jeffrey R. , Evans Greg J.
Published: April 2019

Abstract. Adverse health outcomes related to exposure to air pollution have gained much attention in recent years, with a particular emphasis on traffic-related pollutants near roadways, where concentrations tend to be most severe. As such, many projects around the world are being initiated to routinely monitor pollution near major roads. Understanding the extent to which local on-road traffic directly affects these measurements, however, is a challenging problem, and a more thorough comprehension of it is necessary to properly assess its impact on near-road air quality. In this study, a set of commonly measured air pollutants (black carbon; carbon dioxide; carbon monoxide; fine particulate matter, PM2.5; nitrogen oxides; ozone; and ultrafine particle concentrations) were monitored continuously between June 01st, 2015 and March 31st, 2017 at six stations in Canada: two near-road and two urban background stations in Toronto, Ontario, and one near-road and one urban background station in Vancouver, British Columbia. Three methods of differentiating between local and background concentrations at near-road locations were tested: 1) differences in average pollutant concentrations between near-road and urban background station pairs, 2) differences in downwind and upwind pollutant averages, and 3) interpolation of rolling minima to infer background concentrations. The latter two methods use near-road data only, and were compared with method 1, where an explicit difference was measured, to assess accuracy and robustness. It was found that method 2 produced average local concentrations that were biased high by a factor of between 1.4 and 1.7 when compared with method 1 and was not universally feasible, whereas method 3 produced concentrations that were in good agreement for all pollutants except ozone and PM2.5, which are generally secondary and regional in nature. The results of this comparison are intended to aid researchers in the analysis of data procured in future near-road monitoring studies. Lastly, upon determining these local pollutant concentrations as a function of time, their variability with respect to wind speed (WS) and wind direction (WD) was assessed. With the exception of ozone and PM2.5, local pollutant concentrations were enhanced by a factor of 2 relative to their mean in the case of stagnant winds and were shown to be proportional to WS−0.6). Downwind conditions enhanced local concentrations by a factor of ~ 2 relative to their mean, while upwind conditions suppressed them by a factor of ~ 4.
Analyzing the Atmospheric Boundary Layer by high-order moments obtained from multiwavelength lidar data: impact of wavelength choice
Authors: de Arruda Moreira Gregori , da Silva Lopes Fábio Juliano , Guerrero-Rascado Juan Luis , da Silva Jonatan João , Arleques Gomes Antonio , Landulfo Eduardo , Alados-Arboledas Lucas
Published: April 2019

Abstract. The lowest region of the troposphere is a turbulent layer denominated Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) characterized by high daily variability due to the influence of surface forcings. This is the reason why detecting systems with high spatial and temporal resolution, like lidars, have been widely applied for researching this region. In this paper, we present a comparative analysis on the use of lidar backscattered signals at three wavelengths (355, 532 and 1064 nm) to study the ABL investigating the high-order moments, which give us information about the ABL height (derived by the variance method), aerosol layers movements (skewness) and mixing conditions (kurtosis) at several heights. Previous studies have shown that 1064-nm wavelength, due to the predominance of particle signature in the total backscattered atmospheric signal, provides an appropriate description of the turbulence field and thus, in this study, it was considered as a reference. We analyze two case studies, which show us that the backscattered signal at 355 nm, even after applying some corrections, has a limited applicability for turbulence studies using the proposed methodology due to the strong contribution of the molecular signature to the total backscatter signal. This increases the noise associated to the profiles and, consequently, generates misinformation. On the other hand, the information on the turbulence field derived from the backscattered signal at 532 nm is similar to that obtained at 1064 nm due to the appropriate attenuation of the noise, generated by molecular component of backscattered signal, by the application of the corrections proposed.
Sensitivity studies with the Regional Climate Model COSMO-CLM 5.0 over the CORDEX Central Asia Domain
Authors: Russo Emmanuele , Kirchner Ingo , Pfahl Stephan , Schaap Martijn , Cubasch Ulrich
Published: April 2019

Abstract. Due to its extension, geography and the presence of several under-developed or developing economies, the Central Asia domain of the Coordinated Regional climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) is one of the most vulnerable regions on Earth to the effects of climate changes. Reliable information on potential future changes with high spatial resolution acquire significant importance for the development of effective adaptation and mitigation strategies for the region. In this context, Regional Climate Models (RCMs) play a fundamental role. In this paper, the results of a set of sensitivity experiments with the regional climate model COSMO-CLM version 5.0, for the Central Asia CORDEX domain, are presented. Starting from a reference model setup, general model performance is evaluated for present-days, testing the effects of a set of singular physical parameterizations and their mutual interaction on the simulation of monthly and seasonal values of three variables that are important for impact studies: 2-meter temperature, precipitation and diurnal temperature range. The final goal of this study is two-fold: having a general overview of model performance and its uncertainties for the considered region and determining at the same time an optimal model configuration. Results show that the model presents remarkable deficiencies over different areas of the domain. The combined change of the albedo taking into consideration the ratio of forest fractions and the soil conductivity taking into account the ratio of liquid water and ice in the soil, allows to achieve the best improvements in model performance in terms of climatological means. Importantly, the model seems to be particularly sensitive to those parameterizations that deal with soil and surface features, and that could positively affect the repartition of incoming radiation. The results for the mean climate appear to be independent of the observational dataset used for evaluation and of the boundary data employed to force the simulations. On the other hand, due to the large uncertainties in the variability estimates from observations, the use of different boundaries and the model internal variability, it has not been possible to rank the different simulations according to their representation of the monthly variability. This work is the first ever sensitivity study of an RCM for the CORDEX Central Asia domain and its results are of fundamental importance for further model development and for future climate projections over the area.
Mechanisms of consistently disconnected soil water pools over
(pore)space and time
Authors: Sprenger Matthias , Llorens Pilar , Cayuela Carles , Gallart Francesc , Latron Jérôme
Published: April 2019

Abstract. Storage and release of water in the soils is critical for sustaining plant transpiration and groundwater recharge. However, the subsurface mixing of water available for plants or quickly flowing to streams and groundwater is not yet understood. Moreover, while water infiltrating into soils was shown to bypass older pore water, the mechanisms leading to a separation between water routed to the streams and water held tightly in smaller pores are unclear. Here we present an extensive data set, for which we sampled fortnightly the isotopic composition (2H and 18O) of mobile and bulk soil water in parallel with groundwater, stream water and rainfall in the Mediterranean long-term research catchment, Vallcebre, in Spain. The data revealed that mobile and tightly bound water of a silty loam soil in a Scots pine forest do not mix, but they constitute two separate subsurface water pools; despite intense rainfall events leading to high soil wetness. We show that the isotopic compartmentation results from rewetting of small soil pores with isotopically depleted winter/spring rain. Thus, stable isotopes, and therefore water residence times too, do not only vary across soil depth, but also across soil pores. Our findings have important implications for stable isotope applications in ecohydrological studies assessing water uptake by plants or process realism of hydrological models, as the observed processes are currently rarely implemented in the simulation of water partitioning into evapotranspiration and recharge in the critical zone.
Impacts of land use and topography on soil organic carbon in a Mediterranean landscape (north-western Tunisia)
Authors: Jendoubi Donia , Liniger Hanspeter , Ifejika Speranza Chinwe
Published: April 2019

Abstract. This study evaluated the impact of land use and landscape forms on SOC within the Wadi Beja watershed in north-western Tunisia. A soil spectral library was set to assess the variation of the SOC of 1440 soil samples from four land use types (field crops, permanent crops, forest, and grazing land), three slope categories (flat, moderate, and steep) and two aspects (north- and south-facing). For field crops, only one factor – slope – significantly affected SOC, which SOC levels in north-facing areas appear higher in flat areas (0.75 %) than in hilly areas (0.51%). However, in south-facing areas, SOC levels were also higher in flat areas (0.74 %) than in hilly areas (0.50 %). For permanent crops, which was interplanted with field crops, the slope significantly affected SOC levels where SOC levels have been improved to 0.97 % in flat north facing and 0.96 % in flat south-facing areas, which are higher than hilly south – and north-facing areas (0.79 %). In the grazing land use system, both investigated factors – aspect and slope – significantly affected the SOC levels which, SOC levels were significantly higher in flat areas (north-facing: 0.84 %, south-facing: 0.77 %), compared to hilly areas (north-facing: 0.61 %, south-facing: 0.56 %). For the forest, none of the factors had a significant effect on the SOC, which they are higher in flat areas (north-facing: 1.15 %, south-facing: 1.14 %), compared to 1.09 % in north and 1.07 % in south-facing in steep areas. This study highlights the importance of the land use and landscape forms in determining the variation in SOC levels.
Grex: A Decentralized Hive Mind
Authors: Khawalid Alex , Acristinii Dan , Van Toor Hans , Castelló Ferrer Eduardo
Published: April 2019

Swarm Robotics (SR) faces a series of challenges impeding widespread adoption for real-world applications. Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) has shown it can solve a number of these challenges. An experiment was conducted to showcase the resolution of these challenges. A search and rescue mission was simulated using drones coupled with single board computers and several simulated agents. Inter-agent communications were facilitated through DLT in a completely decentralized network. A frontend interface was built to demonstrate the ease with which information can be extracted from the system. This paper shows the feasibility of the application of DLT to SR-related challenges in a practical experiment. For future work, it is proposed to focus on more complex tasks through federated learning or inter-swarm communications, possibly through Cosmos.
A Blockchain Enhanced Framework for Social Networking
Authors: Murimi Renita M
Published: April 2019

Social networking sites have given users unprecedented opportunities for the generation and dissemination of content. A variety of social networking sites exist for different purposes, to afford users a range of anonymous and non-anonymous options for self-expression, and the ability to be a part of a virtual community. These “affordances” enable users to create and share content; however, the ability to partially or wholly detach user identity from the content has resulted in unique challenges for content access and content attribution. This paper proposes a framework for secure, trustworthy social networking that also creates value for user-generated content by using a blockchain-enhanced framework for social networking. This work explains the application of such a framework for collocated spaces of robots and IoT devices and identifies key challenges that result as a consequence of merging social networking sites and blockchain technology.
Influencia del apoyo social sobre el estrés y la satisfacción vital en padres de niños con cáncer desde una perspectiva multidimensional
Authors: Melguizo-Garín Anabel , Martos-Méndez Mª José , Hombrados-Mendieta Isabel
Published: April 2019

Objetivo: El presente estudio se plantea como objetivo principal analizar cómo la percepción de apoyo de los padres de niños diagnosticados con enfermedad oncológica influye en la percepción de estrés y la satisfacción vital. Método: Participaron 112 padres de niños con patología oncológica que recibían tratamiento en Málaga y pertenecían a una asociación de padres de niños afectados por esta enfermedad. Resultados: Respecto a las fuentes analizadas la percepción de apoyo familiar disminuye la frecuencia del estrés, el apoyo de los amigos y de las asociaciones disminuye el esfuerzo relacionado con el estrés y el apoyo de la pareja aumenta la satisfacción vital de los progenitores. Respecto a los tipos de apoyo, el apoyo instrumental es el que más reduce la frecuencia del estrés de los progenitores, el apoyo informacional reduce el estrés relacionado con el esfuerzo que los padres deben realizar y es la satisfacción con el apoyo emocional la variable que mejor predice la satisfacción vital. Conclusión: El análisis multidimensional del apoyo social ha permitido analizar con mayor profundidad la complejidad de las relaciones de apoyo social que acontecen durante la enfermedad oncológica de los hijos. Del estudio se derivan importantes implicaciones prácticas.
Actitudes hacia la maternidad y el apoyo social como predictores de trastornos emocionales en mujeres jóvenes con cáncer recientemente diagnosticadas que se someten a la preservación de la fertilidad
Authors: Durá-Ferrandis Estrella , Saéz-Mansilla Cristina , Murphy Sarah E. , Johnson Andrea C. , Tercyak Kenneth P.
Published: April 2019

Objetivo. Mujeres jóvenes con cáncer pueden beneficiarse de opciones para la preservación de su fertilidad. Se necesitan estudios que determinen las implicaciones psicológicas de someterse a estas técnicas y de la propia decisión de recibirlas. Este estudio analiza el distres emocional, las preocupaciones sobre la fertilidad, las actitudes ante la maternidad, la satisfacción con la información recibida y el apoyo social en mujeres con cáncer que reciben un tratamiento de preservación de la fertilidad. Método. Una muestra de 115 mujeres (edad media 31 años) recién diagnosticas de cáncer fueron evaluadas (Entrevista semiestructurada, Escala de apoyo social percibido, BSI-18) el mismo día o día después de someterse a una criopreservación de tejido ovárico. Resultados. El grado de preocupación manifestado por las mujeres cuando supieron que el tratamiento del cáncer podría afectar su capacidad reproductiva fue alto. Casi la mitad declaró que cambiarían la información recibida sobre el tratamiento de preservación de la fertilidad. Un mayor distrés se asoció significativamente con mayor deseo de tener hijos, la creencia de que tener hijos es necesario para la relación de pareja, el deseo de cambiar la información recibida, mayor grado de preocupación por la posible pérdida de fertilidad y menor apoyo social. Conclusiones. Tanto las actitudes hacia la maternidad como el apoyo social son factores que determinan el distrés emocional que experimentan las mujeres jóvenes con cáncer cuando se enfrentan a la posible pérdida de infertilidad. Es necesario ofrecer asesoramiento sobre la preservación de la fertilidad a estas mujeres.
Programa educativo sobre muerte y cuidados paliativos en los profesionales de la salud
Authors: Ascencio Huertas Leticia
Published: April 2019

Introducción: La relación existente entre el personal de salud y la muerte, tienen una inevitable implicación emocional, ya que se vive y convive cotidianamente con la muerte. Objetivo: Conocer el efecto de un Programa Educativo sobre Muerte y Cuidados Paliativos (PEMyCP), fundamentado a partir de la noción de enfermedad y muerte en México. Método: Estudio cuasiexperimental comparativo, muestreo no probabilístico por conveniencia, diseño pretest-postest de un solo grupo, con profesionales de la salud en México. Los instrumentos utilizados fueron: Escala de actitudes ante los cuidados paliativos, Cuestionario de competencias profesionales y Escala de ansiedad ante la muerte de Templer. A través de análisis de frecuencias, pruebas t para muestras relacionadas y análisis de varianza ANOVA. Resultados: El PEMyCP tuvo un impacto positivo en las actitudes ante los cuidados paliativos (t=-2,0050, p=0,44), en las capacidades profesionales (t=6.969, p<0.0001), y ansiedad ante la muerte (t=2,991, p=0,15). Se realizó un ANOVA, encontraron cambios significativos en conocimientos (F=8,5988, p <0,0001) y habilidades (F=6,1197, p<0,0001); sin embargo, no se identificaron cambios en actitudes (F=0,76131, p=0,63738). En la ansiedad ante la muerte, se aprecian diferencias estadísticamente significativas (F=4,0048, p=0,00919). Conclusiones: El PEMyCP tuvo un impacto favorable en conocimientos, habilidades y ansiedad ante la muerte, no siendo así en las actitudes ante la muerte y los cuidados paliativos, ya que se requiere de mayor tiempo para lograr modificarlas debido a que se adquieren no solo aspectos cognitivos, sino también afectivos y conductuales a través de la propia experiencia.
Capoeira e formação inicial em Educação Física: um estudo de caso
Authors: Silva Paula Cristina Da Costa , Ferreira Jéssica Karina Silva , Hess Cássia Maria , Toledo Eliana De
Published: April 2019

A Capoeira vem se destacando nos ambientes educativos, mas há poucas pesquisas sobre sua presença na formação inicial. O objetivo deste estudo é identificar os conhecimentos apreendidos no ensino-aprendizado da Capoeira e sua importância na formação inicial em Licenciatura em Educação Física. A metodologia utilizada foi o estudo de caso. A análise de conteúdo foi feita com a triangulação dos dados, e a discussão se baseou nos conhecimentos mais relevantes abordados nas experiências que colaborariam com o futuro profissional e na verificação da relevância da Capoeira. Os dados indicaram que a maioria dos participantes reconheceu a importância da Capoeira como conteúdo, entretanto foi apontada falta de autonomia dos estudantes com referência à sua formação inicial.
Status of ABET Accreditation in the Arab World
Authors: Marzouk Osama
Published: April 2019

This work represents a short statistical survey of the ABET accreditation in the 22 Arab countries. The data about ABET accreditation are last-updated on October 1, 2017. We found that there are 11 Arab countries with ABET-accredited programs, totaling 358 programs. These programs are mostly at the bachelor level, and are housed in 62 institutions of higher education. In a descending order of the number of ABET accredited programs they have, these countries are: (1) Saudi Arabia, (2) United Arab Emirates, (3) Lebanon, (4) Kuwait, (5) Egypt, (6) Jordan, (7) Bahrain, (8 and 9) Palestine and Qatar, (10) Oman, and (11) Morocco. Only Saudi Arabia has ABET-accredited programs at the master’s level. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are the only countries in the list that have ABET-accredited programs at the associate (diploma, 2-year) level. To account for the large variation of population for the considered countries, a relative scale for comparisons is introduced on a per-capita basis, and we calculated it utilizing the United Nations population data of July 1, 2015. We found that the ABET capita index varies from 4.91 (Bahrain) to 0.05 (Morocco) for the considered 11 Arab countries
Nursing students' perception of their clinical practice in intensive care units: A study from Egypt
Authors: Kandeel Nahed Attia , Ahmed Hanaa Hussein
Published: April 2019

Providing nursing students with quality clinical experience in intensive care units (ICUs) is a major concern for nursing educators in Egypt. Understanding nursing students' perception of their critical care experience is important in future planning of successful clinical placements in ICUs. The purpose of this study was to investigate undergraduate nursing students' perception of their clinical practice in ICUs. The study involved 306 nursing students who were registered in critical care nursing course. Data were collected using a self-administered survey which addressed nursing students' perception of three domains including clinical practice environment, clinical teaching and learning and factors hindering clinical practice in intensive care setting. The results illustrated that the majority of students enjoyed their clinical experience in ICUs. However, students highlighted many factors that hindered their clinical practice such as the stressful intensive care setting, fear of making mistakes, complex patients’ conditions, theory-practice gap, overburdening with documentation and lack of coordination between clinical placements. Supportive learning environment is needed to enhance students' clinical learning, improve collaboration between students, demonstrators and critical care nursing staff, and reduce theory-practice gap.
The Significance of Osteoarthritis-associated Bone Marrow Lesions in the Knee
Authors: Klement Mitchell R. , Sharkey Peter F.
Published: April 2019

Bone marrow lesions of the knee in patients with osteoarthritis (OA-BML) are an important clinical entity that may explain progressive pain, decreased quality of life, and impaired function. MRI of OA-BMLs demonstrates a region of subchondral bone with hyperintense marrow signal on T2-weighted images. Histopathology retrieval studies have demonstrated that these lesions correlate with microdamage of the trabecular bone, and subsequently, this leads to a vicious cycle of subchondral bone attrition, attempts at repair, pain, and progressive deformity. These lesions have also been linked to accelerated loss of adjacent articular cartilage and increases in the severity of knee pain, prompting patients to seek musculoskeletal care and treatment. Multiple studies have also correlated the presence of an OA-BML with an increased probability of seeking knee arthroplasty. Knowledge of these lesions is important in the context that knee OA is both a cartilage-based and bone-based disease. Further study of OA-BMLs may provide opportunities for early intervention and OA disease–modifying treatments.
Intercarpal Ligament Injuries Associated With Distal Radius Fractures
Authors: Fowler Timothy P.
Published: April 2019

Injuries to the scapholunate (SL) and lunotriquetral (LT) interosseous ligaments occur in approximately one third of distal radius fractures. The diagnosis of these injuries is challenging because plain radiographs are not reliably diagnostic. Wrist arthroscopy may be the most accurate way to examine and diagnose soft-tissue injuries of the carpus adjacent to a distal radius fracture. Treatment options for SL and LT ligament injuries include open repair and/or percutaneous pinning. Because the natural history of these injuries is unclear, the necessity of diagnosing and treating these SL and LT interosseous ligament defects remains speculative.
Poverty, Gender and Primary Education: Experiences of Learners in Elandskop, KwaZulu Natal
Authors: Dube Misheck
Published: April 2019

This article discusses the interconnectedness of poverty and gender and learning at primary school level in KwaZulu Natal Province of South Africa.  A qualitative study was conducted in two schools in the poverty stricken Elandskop area where data were collected using in-depth face-to-face interviews from purposely selected participants comprising of learners, educators and the headmasters. The aim was to analyse how male and female learners experience poverty, gender role socialisation and the effect on children’ bio-psychosocial health of both sexes.  While the findings of the study revealed that poverty and gender socialisation of boys and girls have bio-psychosocial negative influences on them, the gender dimension of poverty had the most negative influence on girls. It was found that primary school learners grapple with coping mechanisms when confronted with poverty coupled with limited family and professional support. Gendered family roles and oppressive religious beliefs have been found to have influence on early marriages and teenage pregnancies resulting in school dropouts. The findings of the study imply that school social work is vehemently lacking yet necessary in schools in the area to assist educators in addressing the psychosocial ill-health of learners which educators are less equipped to professionally handle. The study recommends appropriate bio-psychosocial interventions early in the lives of learners to curtail lifelong developmental predicaments.   
Small Firms: Do They Have Better to Go Public?
Authors: Barguellil Achouak
Published: April 2019

This paper aims to study the factors that push companies to open its capital to the public. In particular, it examines the impact of a number of factors to explain the under valuation of stock market introduction, particularly performance, debt, liquidity and ownership structure. Our results indicate that large firms are increasingly overvalued. The indebtedness accentuates the problem of overvaluation observed after the IPO. In addition, firms whose capital is concentrated are increasingly under-valued over a long period after the IPO. Our results show that Tunisian companies do not observe the motivation of the search for a better performance after IPO.
Comparative Analysis of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis– Versus Viral Hepatitis– and Alcohol-Related Liver Disease–Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Hester Caitlin A. , Rich Nicole E. , Singal Amit G. , Yopp Adam C.
Published: April 2019

Background: Despite an increasing burden of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), limited data are available comparing outcomes of NASH-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) versus other etiologies. Methods: Patient demographic and tumor characteristics were collected for 1,051 patients diagnosed with NASH-, alcohol-related liver disease (ALD)–, hepatitis C virus (HCV)–, and hepatitis B virus (HBV)–related HCC at 2 large health systems from January 2008 through December 2016. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics, and survival were compared. Risk-adjusted treatment receipt and overall survival (OS) were examined using multivariable analysis. Results: A total of 92 patients with NASH-related HCC were compared with 153 patients with ALD-, 719 with HCV-, and 87 with HBV-related HCC. Patients with NASH were older, more likely female, and more likely Hispanic white. Patients with NASH and HBV had more compensated liver disease than those with ALD or HCV, including significantly higher proportions having noncirrhotic HCC. Despite similar surveillance receipt and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) tumor stage at diagnosis, patients with NASH had higher rates of curative-intent therapy than those with other diseases. Unadjusted median OS was 16 months for NASH, 15 months for ALD, 14 months for HCV, and 8 months for HBV. In multivariable analysis, NASH was associated with worse OS compared with ALD (hazard ratio, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.3–2.5), but there was no difference between NASH- and HCV- or HBV-related HCC. Conclusions: Patients with NASH-related HCC present with more preserved liver function, including a higher proportion having noncirrhotic HCC, than other diseases. Despite patients having similar tumor stage at diagnosis, NASH is independently associated with worse survival compared with ALD, but similar survival compared with HCV and HBV.
SYNTHESIS OF STABLE ATЕ-COMPLEXES OF HETEROAROMATIC BORONIC ACIDS AND 4,6,10-TRIHYDROXY-1,4,6,10-TETRAAZAADAMANTANE
Authors: Golovanov Ivan S. , Sukhorukov Alexey Yu.
Published: April 2019

In this article synthesis of stable ate complexes of heteroaromatic boronic acids and 4,6,10-trihydroxy-1,4,6,10-tetraazaadamantane is described. Ate complexes that have betaine structure were prepared by reaction of tris(β-oximinomethyl)amine with 3-pyridinylboronic and 2-thienylboronic acids. Modification of this method consists in usage of alkali metal carbonates as an additional base. This improvement makes it possible to synthesize ate complexes of 3-thienylboronic and 2-furanylboronic acids which are resistant to air-moisture and have improved thermal stability. All substances were synthesized with nearly quantitative yields and characterized by 1H, 13С (DEPT 135) and 11B NMR spectroscopy; elemental analysis and HRMS. According to spectral data, all ate complexes have cage structure and do not have any traces of free heterocyclic boronic acids in NMR spectra. In this article we also demonstrate that such stable ate complexes can be used for covalent immobilization of heterocyclic boronic acids on polymeric matrix. On the first stage polystyrene that contains 4-(benzyloxy)benzyl bromide residues was modified by 4,6,10- tetraazaadamntane fragments. Then, derived material was treated with 3-thienylboronic acid. Novel polymer contains boronic acid in the form of covalently bound ate complex. This polymer has 40% loading according to elemental analysis. We confirmed presence of covalently bound residues of 3-thienylboronic acid and diamantane fragments by comparison of experimental and calculated FTIR spectra. Such polymers can be used for separation of boronic acids from reaction mixtures and in solid phase synthesis.
CHARACTERISCS OF INDOOR MICROCLIMATE STATUS IN GOAT BARNS IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Authors: Važić B. , Batinić V. , Savić N. , Erbez M.
Published: April 2019

The aim of this paper is to explain microclimatic indicators in the winter inside buildings for of goat housing in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Data processed in this paper were collected from ten goat farms which are deployed throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the housing facilities for goats for whose were determined the microclimate status, the average temperature was in the range of optimal values. Average airflow in facilities for goats in Bosnia and Herzegovina was below the 0.2 m/s during the winter period. The average relative humidity in the goat barns in Bosnia and Herzegovina ranged permitted values. The average determined concentration of ammonia in the air barn goat farm is located above the allowable limit. On based of established levels of CO 2 in goat barns in Kozara region of Bosnia and Herzegovina could be concluded that there is above the allowable limit. Reducing the levels of harmful gases in the facilities may be required in increasing the air change in buildings either natural or artificial ventilation.
TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE NORWEGIAN DAIRY SECTOR
Authors: Ruud Lars Erik
Published: April 2019

Arable land is covering less than 3% of the total area of Norway, and is partly situated north from the Arctic Circle. The remaining part is mainly forests and mountains. The history of the Norwegian people and agriculture was hence a history about poverty. Before the industrial revolution in the middle of the 17th century, the population lived on small farms where they grew what they needed for their self-sufficiency. Farmers made their own farm buildings and equipment according to their own ideas and regional traditions. The buildings were small, specialized and normally had a short lifespan. Typical building materials were timber and stone. Indoor climate was far from good. The total workload was high, however, the work force was large as a lot of people lived on the farms.From approx. 1850 a big change took place in Norway as industrial products became available. A lot of people moved to the cities (or immigrated to USA) to live from industry or trade. The cities became a new market for agricultural products, the farmers got an income (as cash) and could buy “modern” factory built farm equipment. As people left the countryside for a better life (!?) in the city, farmers also had to select more efficient solutions to be able to run their farms with less hands involved. The monetary housekeeping also made it possible to loan money. Loan money was invested in more robust buildings, better solutions, e.g. for taking care of the manure and for storing food etc. As these buildings were more expensive, different productions were gathered in fewer buildings. What was called the “unity building” became the new standard. In those buildings, the manure was typically stored in the cellar, animals were kept on the main floor, and food was stored above there again. The gravity became the farmers “helping hand”. A great improvement in work load, animal welfare, hygiene and production was achieved, and traditional housing methods were soon forgotten, however, the debt increased.In the years after world war II, the spread of electricity and combustion motors made room for another change; mechanization replacing manual work and gravity. Milking machines replaced hand milking, and feed and manure work were mechanized using mass-produced equipment.Today mechanization has developed into automation, and at the same time market forces has multiplied production volumes. The unity barn is also replaced with wide one-level buildings. The normal situation today, is also that one person is normally running several farms. Hence, to raise new buildings the work load is too big for the farmer, and the result is that he have to buy both building materials as well as hands to build – and the debt is increasing even more…
Comparison of Biomechanical Effects of Different Configurations of Kirschner Wires on the Epiphyseal Plate and Stability in a Salter-Harris Type 2 Distal Femoral Fracture Model
Authors: Inal Sermet , Gok Kadir , Gok Arif , Pinar Ahmet Murat , Inal Canan
Published: April 2019

Background:

We sought to investigate the different configurations of Kirschner wires used in distal femur Salter-Harris (SH) type 2 epiphyseal fracture for stabilization after reduction under axial, rotational, and bending forces and to define the biomechanical effects on the epiphyseal plate and the fracture line and decide which was more advantageous.

Methods:

The SH type 2 fracture was modeled using design software for four different configurations: cross, cross-parallel, parallel medial, and parallel lateral with two Kirschner wires, and computer-aided numerical analyses of the different configurations after reduction were performed using the finite element method. For each configuration, the mesh process, loading condition (axial, bending, and rotational), boundary conditions, and material models were applied in finite element software, and growth cartilage and von Mises stress values occurring around the Kirschner wire groove were calculated.

Results:

In growth cartilage, the stresses were highest in the parallel lateral configuration and lowest in the cross configuration. In Kirschner wires, the stresses were highest in the cross configuration and lowest in the cross-parallel and parallel lateral configurations. In the groove between the growth cartilage and the Kirschner wire interface, the stresses were highest in the parallel lateral configuration and lowest in the cross configuration.

Conclusions:

The results showed that the cross configuration is advantageous in fixation. In addition, in the SH type 2 epiphyseal fracture, we believe that the fixation shape should not be applied in the lateral configuration.
Natural variation in C. elegans arsenic toxicity is explained by differences in branched chain amino acid metabolism
Authors: Zdraljevic Stefan , Fox Bennett William , Strand Christine , Panda Oishika , Tenjo Francisco J , Brady Shannon C , Crombie Tim A , Doench John G , Schroeder Frank C , Andersen Erik C
Published: April 2019

We find that variation in the dbt-1 gene underlies natural differences in Caenorhabditis elegans responses to the toxin arsenic. This gene encodes the E2 subunit of the branched-chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase (BCKDH) complex, a core component of branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism. We causally linked a non-synonymous variant in the conserved lipoyl domain of DBT-1 to differential arsenic responses. Using targeted metabolomics and chemical supplementation, we demonstrate that differences in responses to arsenic are caused by variation in iso-branched chain fatty acids. Additionally, we show that levels of branched chain fatty acids in human cells are perturbed by arsenic treatment. This finding has broad implications for arsenic toxicity and for arsenic-focused chemotherapeutics across human populations. Our study implicates the BCKDH complex and BCAA metabolism in arsenic responses, demonstrating the power of C. elegans natural genetic diversity to identify novel mechanisms by which environmental toxins affect organismal physiology.

Editorial note: This article has been through an editorial process in which the authors decide how to respond to the issues raised during peer review. The Reviewing Editor's assessment is that all the issues have been addressed (see decision letter).
Transitions in cell potency during early mouse development are driven by Notch
Authors: Menchero Sergio , Rollan Isabel , Lopez-Izquierdo Antonio , Andreu Maria Jose , Sainz de Aja Julio , Kang Minjung , Adan Javier , Benedito Rui , Rayon Teresa , Hadjantonakis Anna-Katerina , Manzanares Miguel
Published: April 2019

The Notch signalling pathway plays fundamental roles in diverse developmental processes in metazoans, where it is important in driving cell fate and directing differentiation of various cell types. However, we still have limited knowledge about the role of Notch in early preimplantation stages of mammalian development, or how it interacts with other signalling pathways active at these stages such as Hippo. By using genetic and pharmacological tools in vivo, together with image analysis of single embryos and pluripotent cell culture, we have found that Notch is active from the 4-cell stage. Transcriptomic analysis in single morula identified novel Notch targets, such as early naïve pluripotency markers or transcriptional repressors such as TLE4. Our results reveal a previously undescribed role for Notch in driving transitions during the gradual loss of potency that takes place in the early mouse embryo prior to the first lineage decisions.
Spectroscopic and laser properties of Er:LuGG crystal at ∼2.8 μm
Authors: You Zhenyu , Li Jianfu , Wang Yan , Chen Huibin , Zhu Zhaojie , Tu Chaoyang
Published: April 2019

We report ∼2.8 μm emission of Er3+-doped Lu3Ga5O12 crystal, as well as its laser performance. The continuous-wave (CW) and passively Q-switched lasers were both obtained for the first time at room temperature under 967 nm laser diode end pumping. A 384 mW of CW output power was obtained under the absorbed pump power of 3.28 W, corresponding to an optical-to-optical efficiency of 11.7%; the slope efficiency was 14.1%. A passively Q-switched laser with a maximum average output power of 274 mW was also achieved by utilizing a Bi2Te3/graphene heterostructure saturable absorber (SA). The shortest Q-switched pulse duration and the repetition rate were 340 ns and 135 kHz, respectively.
Incantatio. Issue 7 - Full Book Review
Authors: Lecouteux Claude , Timotin Emanuela , Kõiva Mare
Published: April 2019

Emanuela Timotin, Paroles protectrices, paroles guérisseuses. La tradition manuscrite des charmes roumains (XVIIe-XIXe siècle), Paris, P.U.P.S., 2015 (collection Traditions et croyances), 385 p., 4 illustrations, 8 cartes. (Claude Lecouteux) Jesús Suárez López, Fórmulas mágicas de la tradición oral asturiana. Invocaciones, ensalmos, conjuros, Gobierno del Principado de Asturias, Ediciones Trea, 2016, 701 p. (Emanuela Timotin) Jukka Saarinen, Runolaulun poetiikka. Säe, syntaksi ja parallelismi Arhippa Perttusen runoissa. Akateeminen väitöskirja. Helsinki 2018.- 417 lk. (Mare Kõiva) Sorcery texts from Ancient Mesopotamia by Amar Annus Bibliotheca Antiqua. Tallinn 2017: TLÜ Kirjastus (Mare Kõiva)
“Sitte ge sigewif, sigað to eorðe”: Settling the Anglo-Saxon Bee Charm within its Christian Manuscript Context
Authors: O'Connor Patricia
Published: April 2019

The Anglo-Saxon Bee Charm is one of a select number of Old English charms that were previously described as being “strange companions” to the Old English Bede (Grant 5). Written in the outer margin of page 182 of Cambridge, Corpus Christi College MS 41 (CCCC41), the Bee Charm accompanies a passage from Chapter XVII of Book III of the Old English Bede which narrates the consecration of a monastic site. Curiously, however, the Bee Charm’s connection to this passage of the Old English Bede and its influence on our reading of this important text has hitherto been inadequately addressed. Consequently, the objective of this article is to critically reconsider the Bee Charm within its immediate manuscript context and to highlight and evaluate the correspondences shared between the Anglo-Saxon charm and the adjacent passage of the Old English Bede. This codi-cological reassessment seeks to present a new interpretation of the Anglo-Saxon Bee Charm through encouraging a more inclusive reading experience of CCCC41, which incorporates both the margins and the central text. In doing so, this study endeavours to offer significant insights into the function of the Bee Charm within Anglo-Saxon society and to contribute to our understanding of how these charms were perceived and circulated within late Anglo-Saxon England.
A fast iris recognition system through optimum feature extraction
Authors: Rana Humayan Kabir , Azam Md. Shafiul , Akhtar Mst. Rashida , Quinn Julian M.W. , Moni Mohammad Ali
Published: April 2019

With an increasing demand for stringent security systems, automated identification of individuals based on biometric methods has been a major focus of research and development over the last decade. Biometric recognition analyses unique physiological traits or behavioral characteristics, such as an iris, face, retina, voice, fingerprint, hand geometry, keystrokes or gait. The iris has a complex and unique structure that remains stable over a person’s lifetime, features that have led to its increasing interest in its use for biometric recognition. In this study, we proposed a technique incorporating Principal Component Analysis (PCA) based on Discrete Wavelet Transformation (DWT) for the extraction of the optimum features of an iris and reducing the runtime needed for iris template classification. The idea of using DWT behind PCA is to reduce the resolution of the iris template. DWT converts an iris image into four frequency sub-bands. One frequency sub-band instead of four has been used for further feature extraction by using PCA. Our experimental evaluation demonstrates the efficient performance of the proposed technique.
Seed Germination Variation among Crop Years from a Pinus sylvestris Clonal Seed Orchard
Authors: Rampart Melusi
Published: April 2019

Maternal effects were assessed by germinating seeds sourced over multiple years from the same cloned mother trees, comparing germination capacity and rate between crop years. The relationships between climatic variables, seed characteristics and germination capacity were determined, and thermal time parameters were used to predict seed dormancy release and germination under the climatic conditions in the year after seed collection. There were significant differences in seed weight (P < 0.05), seed length and embryo occupancy (both P < 0.001) among crop years. Temperature during the seed development period explained 70% of the variation in seed weight and 63% of the variation in embryo occupancy. Germination capacity was significantly (P <0.001) different among crop years, among temperatures and among chilling durations, and thermal time requirements for germination increased from older (2007) to younger (2012) seeds. The mean base temperature without chilling was 7.1°C, while after chilling it was 4.6°C and 3.6°C for four and eight weeks chilling respectively. The mean thermal time to 50% germination without chilling was 135.1°Cd, while after chilling it was 118.3°Cd and 154.0°Cd for four and eight weeks chilling respectively. This experiment demonstrates that year-to-year differences in the environment experienced by mother trees during seed maturation can affect seed germination characteristics.