bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) Gasification Using Different Gasifying Agents
Authors: Ribeiro A. , Vilarinho C. , Araújo J. , Carvalho J. 
Published: January 2018

Wastes represent nowadays, one of the major concerns for modern societies and for the environment, either by the wastage of raw materials and also by the existence of poor management systems that can originate and contaminate the ground water and air, and therefore, change the environment irreversibly. Waste management policies enhance the basic principles of prevention, which are the reduction in origin, followed by its recovery through recycling or energy recovery, in order to reduce the environmental and health impacts of wastes. Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) is a solid fuel made after basic processing steps or techniques that increase the calorific value of municipal solid waste (MSW), commercial or industrial waste materials. Therefore, energy production from RDF can provide economic and environmental benefits, as reduces the amount of wastes sent to landfill and allows the energy recovery from a renewable source.
In this work, it was studied the gasification of RDF collected in a Portuguese company, using steam and air as gasifying agents. This study intended to evaluate the effect of temperature and different molar ratios of both agents in gas production, gas composition and mass conversion of RDF.
Physical and chemical composition of RDF was determined according to EN 15359:2011. Results showed that RDF has high quality for thermal valorization being registered high values of Low Heating Value (LHV) (24330 kJ/kg), carbon content (56.2%) and volatile matter content (77.2%). Experiments of RDF gasification were performed in a laboratory scale fixed bed gasifier, under different conditions. The effect of reaction temperature was studied at 750°C and 850°C. Gasification experiments with steam were executed at S/B feeding molar ratios ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 and the ones performed with air ranging from ER 0.2 to 0.6. Results showed that, for the same operational conditions, the rise of gasification temperature improved gas production ratio (Nm3/kg RDF), gas LHV and mass conversion. Results also proved that steam gasification achieved higher LHV values compared with gasification using air in optimal conditions, 9.4 and 9.8 MJ/m3, respectively. The gasification of RDF using steam at S/B ratio of 1.0 enables the production of syngas with 51% of hydrogen (H2), 32% of carbon dioxide (CO2), 11% of carbon monoxide (CO) and 6% of methane (CH4) (in N2 free basis). The increasing of steam to RDF molar ratio, increased the contents of H2 and CO2, while the content of CO, CH4 and heating value decreased. Regarding to gas production ratio the utilization of air, especially at ER of 0.6, induced the formation of 1.5 m3 gas/kg RDF. Instead, steam gasification only allowed the production of 0.5 m3 gas/kg RDF. Mass conversion and carbon conversion achieved almost 100% in air gasification at highest molar ratio.
Fluorescence Recovery Allows the Implementation of a Fluorescence Reporter Gene Platform Applicable for the Detection and Quantification of Horizontal Gene Transfer in Anoxic Environments
Authors: Pinilla-Redondo Rafael , Riber Leise , Sørensen Søren J. 
Published: January 2018

ABSTRACT
The study of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in microbial communities has been revolutionized by significant advances in cultivation-independent methods based on fluorescence reporter gene technologies. Recently, the combination of these novel approaches with flow cytometry has presented itself as one of the most powerful tools to study the spread of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in the environment. However, the use of fluorescent markers, like green fluorescent protein (GFP) and mCherry, is limited by environmental constraints, such as oxygen availability and pH levels, that affect the correct maturation of their fluorophores. Few studies have characterized the effects of such environmental conditions in a systematic way, and the sheer amount of distinct protein variants requires each system to be examined in an individual fashion. The lack of efficient and reliable markers to monitor HGT in anaerobic environments, coupled to the abundance of ecologically and clinically relevant oxygen-deprived niches in which bacteria thrive, calls for the urgent development of suitable tools that permit its study. In an attempt to devise a process that allows the implementation of the mentioned dual-labeling system to anoxic milieus, the aerobic fluorescence recovery of mCherry and GFPmut3, as well as the effect of pH on their fluorescence intensities, was studied. The findings present a solution to an intrinsic problem that has long hampered the utilization of this system, highlight its pH limitations, and provide experimental tools that will help broaden its horizon of application to other fields.

IMPORTANCE
Many anaerobic environments, like the gastrointestinal tract, anaerobic digesters, and the interiors of dense biofilms, have been shown to be hotspots for horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Despite the increasing wealth of reports warning about the alarming spread of antibiotic resistance determinants, to date, HGT studies mainly rely on cultivation-based methods. Unfortunately, the relevance of these studies is often questionable, as only a minor fraction of bacteria can be cultivated. A recently developed approach to monitoring the fate of plasmids in microbial communities is based on a fluorescence dual-labeling system and allows the bypassing of cultivation. However, the fluorescent proteins on which it is founded are constrained by pH levels and by their strict dependence on oxygen for the maturation of their fluorophores. This study focused on the development and validation of an appropriate aerobic fluorescence recovery (AFR) method for this platform, as this embodies the missing technical link impeding its implementation in anoxic environments.
Draft Genome Sequence of the Filamentous Fungus
Hypoxylon pulicicidum
ATCC 74245
Authors: Nicholson Matthew J. , Van de Bittner Kyle C. , Ram Arvina , Bustamante Leyla Y. , Scott Barry , Parker Emily J. 
Published: January 2018

ABSTRACT

Hypoxylon pulicicidum
strain MF5954 (ATCC 74245) (formerly classified as
Nodulisporium
sp.) is a filamentous fungal species known for its production of the secondary metabolite nodulisporic acid A. We present here the 41.5-Mb draft genome sequence for this organism.
Complete Genome Sequence ofEscherichia coliStrain WG5
Authors: Imamovic Lejla , Misiakou Maria-Anna , van der Helm Eric , Panagiotou Gianni , Muniesa Maite , Sommer Morten Otto Alexander 
Published: January 2018

ABSTRACTEscherichia colistrain WG5 is a widely used host for phage detection, including somatic coliphages employed as standard ISO method 10705-1 (2000). Here, we present the complete genome sequence of a commercialE. coliWG5 strain.
Draft Genome Sequence of the Fungus
Lecanicillium psalliotae
Strain HWLR35, Isolated from a Wheat Leaf Infected with Leaf Rust (Caused by
Puccinia triticina
)
Authors: Harm Gregory F. S. , Papanicolaou Alexie , Cuddy William S. , Park Robert F. , Moffitt Michelle C. 
Published: January 2018

ABSTRACT

Lecanicillium psalliotae
is an entomopathogenic, mycoparasitical, and nematophagous fungus known to produce antibiotic and antifungal compounds. Here, we report the first 36-Mb draft genome sequence of
L. psalliotae
strain HWLR35. The draft genome contains 197 scaffolds and is predicted to have 11,009 protein-coding genes.
Genome Sequence of
Actinobacillus seminis
Strain ATCC 15768, a Reference Strain of Ovine Pathogens That Causes Infections in Reproductive Organs
Authors: Negrete-Abascal Erasmo , Montes-Garcia Fernando , Vaca-Pacheco Sergio , Leyto-Gil Abraham M. , Fragoso-Garcia Edgar , Carvente-Garcia Roberto , Perez-Agueros Sandra , Castelan-Sanchez Hugo G. , Garcia-Molina Alejandra , Villamar Tomas E. , Sánchez-Alonso Patricia , Vazquez-Cruz Candelario 
Published: January 2018

ABSTRACT

The draft genome sequence of
Actinobacillus seminis
strain ATCC 15768 is reported here. The genome comprises 22 contigs corresponding to 2.36 Mb with 40.7% G+C content and contains several genes related to virulence, including a putative RTX protein.
Sick Note to Fit Note: one trust’s project to improve usage by hospital clinicians
Authors: Moran Amy , Mainwaring Cathryn , Keane Oliver , Sanctuary Thomas , Watson Kathryn , Lasoye Tunji 
Published: January 2018

IntroductionIn April 2010, the government introduced a new Statement of Fitness to Work or ’Fit Note' for patients requiring time off of work or adaptations to their work due to illness. Responsibility to issue these documents has shifted from primary to secondary care. Hospital clinicians are required to issue for inpatients and for outpatients where clinical responsibility has not been taken over by the general practitioner (GP). However, awareness of this change is lacking. Misdirecting patients to their GP for the sole purpose of receiving a ’Fit Note' is an unnecessary use of appointment time and negatively impacts on patients. King’s College Hospital NHS Trust receives a number of quality alerts from primary care regarding this issue.MethodsA trust-wide educational initiative was designed and implemented to increase staff awareness of Fit Notes and their correct usage in order to reduce the number of patients being misdirected to their GP to obtain one. Interventions included direct staff engagement, a trust-wide promotional campaign and creation of an electronic version of the document.ResultsUptake of the electronic version of the Fit Note has steadily increased and there has been a fall in the number of quality alerts received by the trust. However, staff awareness on the whole remains low.ConclusionsPatients being misdirected to their general practice for Fit Notes is an important issue and one on which the baseline level of awareness among hospital clinicians is low. Challenges during this intervention have been in penetrating a trust of this size and getting the message across to staff. However, digitising the Fit Note can help to increase its use.
Mining Overlapping Communities and Inner Role Assignments through Bayesian Mixed-Membership Models of Networks with Context-Dependent Interactions
Authors: Costa Gianni , Ortale Riccardo 
Published: January 2018

Community discovery and role assignment have been recently integrated into an unsupervised approach for the exploratory analysis of overlapping communities and inner roles in networks. However, the formation of ties in these prototypical research efforts is not truly realistic, since it does not account for a fundamental aspect of link establishment in real-world networks, i.e., the explicative reasons that cause interactions among nodes. Such reasons can be interpreted as generic requirements of nodes, that are met by other nodes and essentially pertain both to the nodes themselves and to their interaction contexts (i.e., the respective communities and roles).
In this article, we present two new model-based machine-learning approaches, wherein community discovery and role assignment are seamlessly integrated and simultaneously performed through approximate posterior inference in Bayesian mixed-membership models of directed networks. The devised models account for the explicative reasons governing link establishment in terms of node-specific and contextual latent interaction factors. The former are inherently characteristic of nodes, while the latter are characterizations of nodes in the context of the individual communities and roles. The generative process of both models assigns nodes to communities with respective roles and connects them through directed links, which are probabilistically governed by their node-specific and contextual interaction factors. The difference between the proposed models lies in the exploitation of the contextual interaction factors. More precisely, in one model, the contextual interaction factors have the same impact on link generation. In the other model, the contextual interaction factors are weighted by the extent of involvement of the linked nodes in the respective communities and roles.
We develop MCMC algorithms implementing approximate posterior inference and parameter estimation within our models.
Finally, we conduct an intensive comparative experimentation, which demonstrates their superiority in community compactness and link prediction on various real-world and synthetic networks.
Very small faces are easily discriminated under long and short exposure times
Authors: Gur Moshe 
Published: January 2018

Acuity measures related to overall face size that can be perceived have not been studied quantitatively. Consequently, experimenters use a wide range of sizes (usually large) without always providing a rationale for their choices. I studied thresholds for face discrimination by presenting both long (500 ms)- and short (17, 33, 50 ms)-duration stimuli. Face width threshold for the long presentation was ~0.2°, and thresholds for the flashed stimuli ranged from ~0.3° for the 17-ms flash to ~0.23° for the 33- and 50-ms flashes. Such thresholds indicate that face stimuli used in physiological or psychophysical experiments are often too large to tap human fine spatial capabilities, and thus interpretations of such experiments should take into account face discrimination acuity. The 0.2° threshold found in this study is incompatible with the prevalent view that faces are represented by a population of specialized “face cells” because those cells do not respond to <1° stimuli and are optimally tuned to >4° faces. Also, the ability to discriminate small, high-spatial frequency flashed face stimuli is inconsistent with models suggesting that fixational drift transforms retinal spatial patterns into a temporal code. It seems therefore that the small image motions occurring during fixation do not disrupt our perception, because all relevant processing is over with before those motions can have significant effects. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Although face perception is central to human behavior, the minimally perceived face size is not known. This study shows that humans can discriminate very small (~0.2°) faces. Furthermore, even when flashed for tens of milliseconds, ~0.25° faces can be discriminated. Such fine acuity should impact modeling of physiological mechanisms of face perception. The ability to discriminate flashed faces where there is almost no eye movement indicates that eye drift is not essential for visibility.
Autophagy Sustains Pancreatic Cancer Growth through Both Cell-Autonomous and Nonautonomous Mechanisms
Authors: Yang Annan , Herter-Sprie Grit , Zhang Haikuo , Lin Elaine Y. , Biancur Douglas , Wang Xiaoxu , Deng Jiehui , Hai Josephine , Yang Shenghong , Wong Kwok-Kin , Kimmelman Alec C. 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
Autophagy has been shown to be elevated in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and its role in promoting established tumor growth has made it a promising therapeutic target. However, due to limitations of prior mouse models as well as the lack of potent and selective autophagy inhibitors, the ability to fully assess the mechanistic basis of how autophagy supports pancreatic cancer has been limited. To test the feasibility of treating PDAC using autophagy inhibition and further our understanding of the mechanisms of protumor effects of autophagy, we developed a mouse model that allowed the acute and reversible inhibition of autophagy. We observed that autophagy inhibition causes significant tumor regression in an autochthonous mouse model of PDAC. A detailed analysis of these effects indicated that the tumor regression was likely multifactorial, involving both tumor cell–intrinsic and host effects. Thus, our study supports that autophagy inhibition in PDAC may have future utility in the treatment of pancreatic cancer and illustrates the importance of assessing complex biological processes in relevant autochthonous models.
Significance: This work demonstrates that autophagy is critical pancreatic tumor maintenance through tumor cell–intrinsic and –extrinsic mechanisms. These results have direct clinical relevance to ongoing clinical trials as well as drug-development initiatives. Cancer Discov; 8(3); 276–87. ©2018 AACR.
See related commentary by Noguera-Ortega and Amaravadi, p. 266.
This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 253
The Sonic Affordances of a System for Multitouch Manipulation of
Stereophonic Noise Spectra
Authors: Berndt Axel , Al-Kassab Nadia , Dachselt Raimund 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
TouchNoise is a multitouch interface for creative work with noise. It allows direct and indirect manipulation of sound particles, which are added together in a panning and frequency space. Based on the mechanics of a multiagent system and flocking algorithms, novel possibilities for the creation and modulation of noise and harmonic spectra are supported. TouchNoise underwent extensive revisions and extensions throughout a three-year, iterative development process. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the final TouchNoise concept and its approach to mapping and interaction, from which a variety of unique sonic capabilities derives. This article is based on our experiences with a fully functional prototype implementation, and focuses on the systematic exploration and discussion of these new sonic capabilities and corresponding playing techniques, which differ strongly from traditional synthesis interfaces.
Name Confusion with New COX-2 Inhibitor Ambiguous Abbreviation “EPO” Handwritten Ampersands Misread Avoiding Mix-ups with Hydroxyzine and Hydralazine
Authors: Cohen Michael R. 
Published: January 2018

These medication errors have occurred in health care facilities at least once. They will happen again–perhaps where you work. Through education and alertness of personnel and procedural safeguards, they can be avoided. You should consider publishing accounts of errors in your newsletters and/or presenting them in your inservice training programs. Your assistance is required to continue this feature. The reports described here were received through the USP Medication Errors Reporting Program, which is presented in cooperation with the Institute of Safe Medication Practices. If you have encountered medication errors and would like to report them, you may call USP tool-free, 24 hours a day, at 1-800-233-7767 (1-800-23-ERROR). Any reports published by ISMP will be anonymous. Comments are also invited; the writer's names will be published if desired. ISMP may be contacted at the address shown below.
Predictors of practice placement and academic outcomes in master’s-level pre-registration occupational therapy students
Authors: Thew Miranda M , Harkness David 
Published: January 2018

Introduction Occupational therapy pre-registration programmes are increasing their academic entry criteria globally to positively impact on professional practice. However, there is a lack of evidence of how a range of variables influence student outcomes. Method An observational, retrospective cohort design measured previous degree, age, ethnicity and gender, on final academic and practice placement outcomes of previous MSc Occupational Therapy (pre-registration) students ( n = 153). Pearson’s product-moment correlation and one-way ANOVA tests were performed on the data to assess any significant relationships between variables. Results There was a significant positive correlation between final academic percentage and practice placement outcome, r = .245, n = 121, p = .007. Previous degree significantly correlated with final academic outcome, r = .333, n = 153, p = .000, but not with higher practice placement performance. Gender, ethnicity and age did not correlate with student outcomes. Students with previous degrees in the arts performed slightly better than those with social sciences. Conclusion Prior academic ability significantly predicts academic but not necessarily practice placement outcomes on an MSc Occupational Therapy programme. Although more academically able students appear to develop skills for practice to a higher standard, other student values-based attributes should be measured prior to admission. Research exploring the best combination of academic and interpersonal skills for recruitment is required.
Adolescents' self-reported motor assessments may be more realistic than those of their parents
Authors: Timler Amanda , McIntyre Fleur , Hands Beth 
Published: January 2018

Introduction Adolescents' motor competence influences their physical, social and emotional development. Parent-reported assessments may not be truly representative of their adolescent's motor difficulties. This study examined the congruency between parent- and self-reported motor competence in 133 parent-adolescent dyads. Method The adolescent-reported Adolescent Motor Competence Questionnaire (AMCQ; ≤83) and the parent-reported Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire 2007 (DCDQ-07; ≤57) cut scores classified 133 (Mage = 14.5 years) adolescents into high and low motor competence. Parents also completed the Swanson, Nolan and Pelham IV (SNAP-IV) for descriptive purposes. Findings A moderate correlation ( r = 0.56, P < 0.001) was found between the AMCQ and the DCDQ-07 scores. Overall, 42 low motor competence cases were identified by both measures (AMCQ and DCDQ-07). Parents identified more boys (11) than girls (9) with low motor competence, whereas more female adolescents (22) self-reported low motor competence than boys (18). A high proportion agreement (0.82) was seen, which was principally due to the 91 (68.4% of sample) high motor competence case agreements. Conclusion Parents identified fewer motor difficulties in their adolescent, especially for girls. Self-report motor assessments may be more realistic for adolescents as they are aware of their own capabilities. Such measures are also more likely to identify previously undiagnosed adolescents with low motor competence.
Attitudes towards drugs among school youths: An evaluation of the Swedish DARE programme
Authors: Lindström Peter , Svensson Robert 
Published: January 2018

Illicit drug use among high school students is on the rise in Sweden as well as in other countries. This fact has put high demand on the police, who are not only expected to reduce the availability of drugs but also to take part in the effort to affect the students' demand for drugs. The aim of this study was to analyse what impact students' demand for and perceived availability of illicit drugs in the seventh grade have on their attitudes towards and experience with drugs in the eighth grade. Moreover, the purpose was to investigate to what extent a specific police-led school-based drug prevention programme, the project DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), affects students' attitudes and experiences regarding drugs. As a part in an ongoing evaluation of the Swedish DARE programme (called VÅGA) about 1,800 students in 22 Swedish junior high schools on three occasions anonymously answered questions about their attitudes towards and experiences with drugs. Contextual analysis was used to estimate the significance of various student-level risk-factors (such as family bonding, school involvement, and peer activity) and school aggregated contextual factors. The results show that students' curiosity and perceived availability of illicit drugs at the school-level have statistically significant effects on drug-related attitudes and experiences at the individual-student level. The attitudes towards and experiences with drugs in the eighth grade of students who participated in the DARE programme in the seventh grade were not different from those students who did not participate in the programme. A brief discussion of what measures the police should conduct in order to block the availability of drugs and what their role in schools should be are finally presented.