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The use of friction stir welding (FSW) has proven to be an excellent alternative to join engineering components. Although FSW has had a significant development in recent years, challenges for new applications have been raised, such as offshore steel parts suffering hydrogen embrittlement in the gas and oil industry. Therefore, in this work, the microstructure, corrosion, and hydrogen-induced cracking were investigated in a two-pass FSW welded joint of API 5L X70 pipeline steel. The electrochemical results indicate an inhibitory effect on corrosion reaction because of a carbonate product generation in the steel surface. The polygonal ferritic and degenerated pearlite bands microstructure in the base metal fixed carbonate deposits in the steel surface. In the welded regions, the bainitic microstructure and the carbide particle distribution are less efficient in setting the weld surface carbonate deposit. HIC tests showed cracks initiation and propagation to be more prone in hard phases. • FSW resulted in different type of microstructures delivering different corrosive responses. • The FSW regions presented a higher susceptible to hydrogen induced cracking than base metal. • The BM shows better corrosion resistance than the FSWeld regions in alkaline solution. • LEIS maps showed that the FSWeld regions formed a galvanic cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research analyzes the head and chest injuries with a finite element model of Hybrid III six years old during the vehicle rollover, using a passive safety Child restraint system (CRS). Vehicle seats and passive safety systems were modeled in CAD software. Subsequently, all elements were analyzed using the finite element method in the LS-DYNA® software. The border conditions were established for each study, in accordance with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS), following the FMVSS 213 standard for the mounting and fastening of the infant, the FMVSS 208 for the dolly rollover test methodology with which the vehicle rollover was performed. The vehicle Toyota Yaris 2010 was considered in all the analyzes. The numerical simulations were performed during an interval of 1 s, and there were obtained values every 2 ms to analyze the efficiency of the system and the restriction performance of the CRS system. It was compared the behavior when the chair uses a 5-point seatbelt, with respect to using the 3-point seatbelt, and what happens when holding the chair with the single seatbelt and with the ISOFIX anchorage. Three cases of studies were analyzed: Study I; CRS Study II; CRS with ISOFIX anchorage; and Study III; CRS with a seatbelt of 5-points. The outcome shows that the best restriction efficiency is that of the CRS 5 points seatbelt because it presents the lowest level of chest injury. In conclusion, the main factor to reduce injuries during a rollover accident is the correct anchoring of CRS, this is achieved with ISOFIX system, on the other hand, a good quality of material and a correct thickness used for the headrest could reduce the risk of a head injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Centella asiatica is a herbaceous, perennial species indigenous to India and Southeast Asia. C. asiatica possesses several medicinal properties: anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, wound healing and memory enhancing. The lack of available genomics resources significantly impedes the improvement of C. asiatica varieties through molecular breeding. Here, we combined the 10× Genomics linked-read technology and the long-range HiC technique to obtain the genome assembly. The final assembly contained nine pseudomolecules, corresponding to the haploid chromosome number in C. asiatica. These nine chromosomes covered 402,536,584 bases or 93.6% of the 430-Mb assembly. Comparative genomics analyses based on single-copy orthologous genes showed that C. asiatica and the common ancestor of Coriandrum sativum (coriander) and Daucus carota (carrot) diverged about 48 million years ago. This assembly provides a valuable reference genome for future molecular studies, varietal development through marker-assisted breeding and comparative genomics studies in C. asiatica. • We used the 10x Genomics and HiC technologies to obtain the first chromosome-scale genome assembly for Centella asiatica • The final assembly contained nine pseudomolecules, covering 402,536,584 bases or 93.6% of the 430-Mb assembly • We found evidence that C. asiatica might have experienced a whole genome duplication followed by subsequent diploidization • Comparative genomics analyses based on single-copy orthologous genes placed C. asiatica in the Euasterids I clade [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundCharacterising the correlates of HIV persistence improves understanding of disease pathogenesis and guides the design of curative strategies. This study investigated factors associated with integrated HIV-1 DNA load during consistently suppressive first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART).MethodTotal, integrated, and 2-long terminal repeats (LTR) circular HIV-1 DNA, residual plasma HIV-1 RNA, T-cell activation markers, and soluble CD14 (sCD14) were measured in peripheral blood of 50 patients that had received 1-14 years of efavirenz-based or nevirapine-based therapy.ResultsIntegrated HIV-1 DNA load (per 10(6) peripheral blood mononuclear cells) was median 1.9 log10 copies (interquartile range 1.7-2.2) and showed a mean difference of 0.2 log10 copies per 10 years of suppressive ART (95% confidence interval - 0.2, 0.6; p = 0.28). It was positively correlated with total HIV-1 DNA load and frequency of CD8(+)HLA-DR/DP/DQ(+) cells, and was also higher in subjects with higher sCD14 levels, but showed no correlation with levels of 2-LTR circular HIV-1 DNA and residual plasma HIV-1 RNA, or the frequency of CD4(+)CD38(+) and CD8(+)CD38(+) cells. Adjusting for pre-ART viral load, duration of suppressive ART, CD4 cell counts, residual plasma HIV-1 RNA levels, and sCD14 levels, integrated HIV-1 DNA load was mean 0.5 log10 copies higher for each 50% higher frequency of CD8(+)HLA-DR/DP/DQ(+) cells (95% confidence interval 0.2, 0.9; p = 0.01).ConclusionsThe observed positive association between integrated HIV-1 DNA load and frequency of CD8(+)DR/DP/DQ(+) cells indicates that a close correlation between HIV persistence and immune activation continues during consistently suppressive therapy. The inducers of the distinct activation profile warrant further investigation.

One of the most fascinating aspects of meiosis is the extensive reorganization of the genome at the prophase of the first meiotic division (prophase I). The first steps of this reorganization are observed with the establishment of an axis structure, that connects sister chromatids, from which emanate arrays of chromatin loops. This axis structure, called the axial element, consists of various proteins, such as cohesins, HORMA-domain proteins, and axial element proteins. In many organisms, axial elements are required to set the stage for efficient sister chromatid cohesion and meiotic recombination, necessary for the recognition of the homologous chromosomes. Here, we review the different actors involved in axial element formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and in mouse. We describe the current knowledge of their localization pattern during prophase I, their functional interdependence, their role in sister chromatid cohesion, loop axis formation, homolog pairing before meiotic recombination, and recombination. We also address further challenges that need to be resolved, to fully understand the interplay between the chromosome structure and the different molecular steps that take place in early prophase I, which lead to the successful outcome of meiosis I.

Compulsory treatment involves the hospital admission of individuals with mental disorders in appropriate facilities through judicial decisions. However, limited information is available regarding the similarities and differences in compulsory treatment legislation in Portuguese-speaking countries. To analyse the commonalities and differences in compulsory treatment legislation in Portuguese-speaking countries, where Portuguese is the primary official language, including Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, and São Tomé and Príncipe. A comparative analysis of the specific legislation on compulsory treatment in Portuguese-speaking countries was conducted. National development plans were analysed in countries lacking legislation. A purposive sampling of mental health professionals was contacted to gather information on the countries under study. Among the eight Portuguese-speaking countries examined, specific legislation regarding compulsory treatment was found only in Brazil, Cape Verde, and Portugal. These countries, with the lowest poverty rates, exhibited a notable degree of homogeneity in the criteria supporting compulsory treatment, ensuring the protection of individual rights. In contrast, in Angola, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe, compulsory treatment primarily relies on mental health development plans, resulting in significant variations in the presented criteria. The significant disparities in compulsory treatment policies among Portuguese-speaking countries, with only Brazil, Cape Verde, and Portugal having specific legislation, underscore the need for a collective effort to establish more consistent procedures and safeguard individual rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systems based on spread spectrum technique are inherently interference resistant. However, asynchronous transmission and multipath propagation causes manifestation of multiuser interference. Multiuser interference in a multiple access system limits the capacity of the system. Hence, it becomes imperative to mitigate the interference. This work presents the design and mathematical analysis of Hybrid Interference Cancellation (HIC) detector for direct-sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA). The detector is analysed for single path as well as multipath propagation over a Rayleigh fading channel. Simulation results are compared with the results of Successive Interference Canceller (SIC). Furthermore, the SIC and HIC detectors are tested for convergence. An HIC detector is proposed for MC-CDMA system. The interference canceller discussed in this paper dispenses with the RAKE receiver for diversity combining and data estimation, which averts the likelihood of errors because of incorrect data estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gray mangrove [Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh.] is the most widely distributed mangrove species, ranging throughout the Indo-West Pacific. It presents remarkable levels of geographic variation both in phenotypic traits and habitat, often occupying extreme environments at the edges of its distribution. However, subspecific evolutionary relationships and adaptive mechanisms remain understudied, especially across populations of the West Indian Ocean. High-quality genomic resources accounting for such variability are also sparse. Here we report the first chromosome-level assembly of the genome of A. marina. We used a previously release draft assembly and proximity ligation libraries Chicago and Dovetail HiC for scaffolding, producing a 456,526,188-bp long genome. The largest 32 scaffolds (22.4–10.5 Mb) accounted for 98% of the genome assembly, with the remaining 2% distributed among much shorter 3,759 scaffolds (62.4–1 kb). We annotated 45,032 protein-coding genes using tissue-specific RNA-seq data in combination with de novo gene prediction, from which 34,442 were associated to GO terms. Genome assembly and annotated set of genes yield a 96.7% and 95.1% completeness score, respectively, when compared with the eudicots BUSCO dataset. Furthermore, an FST survey based on resequencing data successfully identified a set of candidate genes potentially involved in local adaptation and revealed patterns of adaptive variability correlating with a temperature gradient in Arabian mangrove populations. Our A. marina genomic assembly provides a highly valuable resource for genome evolution analysis, as well as for identifying functional genes involved in adaptive processes and speciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black gram (Vigna mungo) is an important short duration grain legume crop. Black gram seeds provide an inexpensive source of dietary protein. Here, we applied the 10X Genomics linked‐read technology to obtain a de novo whole genome assembly of V. mungo cultivated variety Chai Nat 80 (CN80). The preliminary assembly contained 12,228 contigs and had an N50 length of 5.2 Mb. Subsequent scaffolding using the long‐range Chicago and HiC techniques yielded the first high‐quality, chromosome‐level assembly of 499 Mb comprising 11 pseudomolecules. Comparative genomics analyses based on sequence information from single‐copy orthologous genes revealed that black gram and mungbean (Vigna radiata) diverged about 2.7 million years ago. The transversion rate (4DTv) analysis in V. mungo revealed no evidence supporting a recent genome‐wide duplication event observed in the tetraploid créole bean (Vigna reflexo‐pilosa). The proportion of repetitive elements in the black gram genome is slightly lower than the numbers reported for related Vigna species. The majority of long terminal repeat retrotransposons appeared to integrate into the genome within the last five million years. We also examined alternative splicing events in V. mungo using full‐length transcript sequences. While intron retention was the most prevalent mode of alternative splicing in several plant species, alternative 3' acceptor site selection represented the majority of events in black gram. Our high‐quality genome assembly along with the genomic variation information from the germplasm provides valuable resources for accelerating the development of elite varieties through marker‐assisted breeding and for future comparative genomics and phylogenetic studies in legume species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Luffa spp. (sponge gourd or ridge gourd) is an economically important vegetable crop widely cultivated in China, India and Southeast Asia. Here, we employed PacBio long‐read single‐molecule real‐time (SMRT) sequencing to perform de novo genome assemblies of two commonly cultivated Luffa species, L. acutangula and L. cylindrica. We obtained preliminary draft genomes of 734.6 Mb and 689.8 Mb with scaffold N50 of 786,130 and 578,616 bases for L. acutangula and L. cylindrica, respectively. We also applied long‐range Chicago and HiC techniques to obtain the first chromosome‐scale whole‐genome assembly of L. acutangula. The final assembly contained 13 pseudomolecules, corresponding to the haploid chromosome number in Luffa spp. (1n = 13, 2n = 26). The sizes of the assembled Luffa genomes are approximately twice as large as the genome assemblies of related Cucurbitaceae. A large proportion of L. acutangula (62.17%; 456.69 Mb) and L. cylindrica (56.78%; 391.65 Mb) genome assemblies contained repetitive elements. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the substantial accumulation of transposable elements likely contributed to the expansion of the Luffa genomes. We also investigated alternative splicing events in Luffa using full‐length transcript sequences obtained from PacBio Isoform Sequencing (Iso‐seq). While the predominant form of alternative splicing in most plant species examined was intron retention, alternative 3' acceptor site selection appeared to be a major event observed in Luffa. High‐quality genome assemblies for L. acutangula and L. cylindrica reported here provide valuable resources for Luffa breeding and future genetics and comparative genomics studies in Cucurbitaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose : This research aimed to evaluate the biomechanical impact on a 3-year-old child's head during collisions with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), focusing on the effects of UAV mass, impact velocity, and impact direction, using the Head Injury Criterion (HIC) for assessment. Methods : Experiments simulated impacts with UAVs of varying masses (249, 500 and 900 g) and velocities (19.0, 24.0 and 29.0 m/s) from different directions. HIC values were measured for each scenario and analyzed in relation to the Abbreviated Injury Scale to determine potential injury severity. Results : The findings showed that both the UAV's mass and impact velocity have a significant influence on the HIC value, with higher figures indicating a greater risk of serious injury. For the UAVs weighing 249 g and 500 g, frontal impacts resulted in the highest HIC values; however, for the UAV weighing 900 g, the highest HIC value occurred for the back hit. Moreover, injury risk was found to escalate non-linearly with increased velocity, especially for heavier UAVs. Conclusions : The study emphasizes the critical influence of UAV mass and impact velocity on the severity of head injuries in children. Increased mass and velocity correlated with higher HIC values, indicating a greater likelihood of severe injury. Frontal impacts were particularly hazardous for lighter UAVs, while rear impacts were more dangerous for heavier UAVs. These findings support the need for stringent regulations on UAV operational parameters, focusing on speed and mass limitations, to mitigate the risk of severe head injuries in children., (© 2023 Rafał Perz et al., published by Sciendo.)

The 3D fold structure of the genome is intricately linked to its function. As a result, descriptors of 3D genome conformation are becoming increasingly important as markers for disease and therapeutic responses. Circuit topology, a theory of folds, formalizes the arrangement of contacts in an entangled chain. It is uniquely suited for the topological description of the cellular genome and changes to genomic architecture during physiological processes like cellular differentiation or pathological and therapeutic alterations. In this discussion, we will explore circuit topology and its ability to extract topological information from single-cell HiC data., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

New threats are a challenge for the design and manufacture of modern combat helmets. These helmets must satisfy a wide range of impact velocities from ballistic impacts to blunt impacts. In this paper, we analyze European Regulation ECE R22.05 using a standard surrogate head and a human head model to evaluate combat helmet performance. Two critical parameters on traumatic brain analysis are studied for different impact locations, i.e., peak linear acceleration value and head injury criterion (HIC). The results obtained are compared with different injury criteria to determine the severity level of damage induced. Furthermore, based on different impact scenarios, analyses of the influence of impact velocity and the geometry impact surface are performed. The results show that the risks associated with a blunt impact can lead to a mild traumatic brain injury at high impact velocities and some impact locations, despite satisfying the different criteria established by the ECE R22.05 standard. The results reveal that the use of a human head for the estimation of brain injuries differs slightly from the results obtained using a surrogate head. Therefore, the current combat helmet configuration must be improved for blunt impacts. Further standards should take this into account and, consequently, combat helmet manufacturers on their design process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring transverse relaxation rate (R2* = 1/T2*) via MRI allows for noninvasive evaluation of multiple clinical parameters, including liver iron concentration (LIC) and fat fraction. Both fat and iron contribute to diffuse liver disease when stored in excess in the liver. This liver damage leads to fibrosis and cirrhosis with an increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver iron concentration is linearly related to R2* measurements using MRI. A phantom was constructed to assess R2* quantification variability on 1.5 and 3 T MRI systems. Quantification was executed using least‐squares curve fitting techniques. The phantom was created using readily available, low‐cost materials. It contains four vials with R2* values that cover a clinically relevant range (100 to 420 Hz at 1.5 T). Iron content was achieved using ferric chloride solutions contained in glass vials, each affixed in a three‐dimensional (3D)‐printed polylactide (PLA) structure, surrounded by distilled water, all housed in a sealed acrylic cylinder. Multiple phantom stands were also 3D‐printed using PLA for precise orientation of the phantom with respect to the direction of the static magnetic field. Acquisitions at different phantom angles, across multiple MRI systems, and with different pulse sequence parameters were evaluated. The variability between any two R2* measurements, taken in the same vial under these various acquisition conditions, on a 1.5 T MRI system, was <7% for each of the four vials. For 3 T MRI systems, variability was less than 14% in all cases. Variability was <6% for both 1.5 and 3 T acquisitions when unchanged pulse sequence parameters were used. The phantom can be used to mimic a range of clinically relevant levels of R2* relaxation rates, as measured using MRI. These measurements were found to be reproducible relative to the gold‐standard method, liver biopsy, across several different image acquisition conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background With the developments of DNA sequencing technology, large amounts of sequencing data have been produced that provides unprecedented opportunities for advanced association studies between somatic mutations and cancer types/subtypes which further contributes to more accurate somatic mutation based cancer typing (SMCT). In existing SMCT methods however, the absence of high-level feature extraction is a major obstacle in improving the classification performance. Results We propose DeepCNA, an advanced convolutional neural network (CNN) based classifier, which utilizes copy number aberrations (CNAs) and HiC data, to address this issue. DeepCNA first pre-process the CNA data by clipping, zero padding and reshaping. Then, the processed data is fed into a CNN classifier, which extracts high-level features for accurate classification. Experimental results on the COSMIC CNA dataset indicate that 2D CNN with both cell lines of HiC data lead to the best performance. We further compare DeepCNA with three widely adopted classifiers, and demonstrate that DeepCNA has at least 78% improvement of performance. Conclusions This paper demonstrates the advantages and potential of the proposed DeepCNA model for processing of somatic point mutation based gene data, and proposes that its usage may be extended to other complex genotype-phenotype association studies.

Background: The persistence of HIV-1 in reservoir cells is one of the major obstacles to eradicating the virus in infected individuals receiving combination antiretroviral therapy (ART). HIV-1 persists in infected cells as a stable integrated genome and more labile unintegrated DNA (uDNA), which includes linear, 1-LTR and 2-LTR circular DNA. 2-LTR circle DNA, although less abundant, is considered a surrogate marker of recent infection events and is currently used instead of the other unintegrated species as a diagnostic tool. This pilot study aimed to investigate how to best achieve the measurement of uDNA.Methods: A comparative analysis of two qPCR-based methods (U-assay and 2-LTR assay) was performed on the blood of 12 ART-naïve, 14 viremic and 29 aviremic On-ART patients and 20 untreated spontaneous controllers (HIC), sampled at a single time point.Results: The U-assay, which quantified all unintegrated DNA species, showed greater sensitivity than the 2-LTR assay (up to 75%, p < 0.0001), especially in viremic subjects, in whom other forms, in addition to 2-LTR circles, may also accumulate due to active viral replication. Indeed, in aviremic On-ART samples, the U-assay unexpectedly measured uDNA in a higher proportion of samples (76%, 22/29) than the 2-LTR assay (41%, 12/29), (p = 0.0164). A trend towards lower uDNA levels was observed in aviremic vs viremic On-ART patients, reaching significance when we combined aviremic On-ART and HIC (controllers) vs Off-ART and viremic On-ART subjects (non-controllers) (p = 0.0003), whereas 2-LTR circle levels remained constant (p ≥ 0.2174). These data were supported by the high correlation found between uDNA and total DNA (r = 0.69, p < 0.001).Conclusions: The great advantage of the U-assay is that, unlike the 2-LTR assay, it allows the accurate evaluation of the totality of uDNA that can still be measured even during successful ART when plasma viremia is below the cut-off of common clinical tests (< 50 copies/mL) and 2-LTR circles are more likely to be under the quantification limit. UDNA measurement in blood cells may be used as a biomarker to reveal a so far hidden or underestimated viral reservoir. The potential clinical relevance of uDNA quantification may lead to improvements in diagnostic methods to support clinical strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Nowadays, fuel consumption and exhaust emissions are topical issues in the automotive field, as environmental safeguard legislation constraints are going to get tougher. Indeed, one of the most efficient methods to contain fuel consumption and emissions is the weight reduction of the vehicle. In this paper, a feasibility study on the lightweight redesign of a metallic car hood by using composite materials is presented. In particular, two different configurations, employing composite laminates and sandwich structures, are investigated. The feasibility of each configuration is assessed in terms of stiffness specifications and pedestrian safety requirement. Hence, Head Injury Criteria are employed, according to regulations. Finally, an optimization procedure on the stacking sequence of the composite laminates is performed, to determine, among the feasible solutions, the one characterized by the minimum weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The haptic system has two key performance issues: stability and transparency. A haptic interface controller (HIC) is designed to address these issues. Addressing these issues becomes a complex problem as both are complementary to each other. Here, when transparency of the system is increased, its stability degrades and vice-versa. To overcome this problem, intelligent optimized solutions are used in this paper to design a HIC controller for the haptic system. SVM and NN techniques have been employed to identify the performance of the controller, ensuring stability and transparency both. The disadvantages of NN in terms of the number of neurons and hidden layers are overcome by SVM. Further, the performance of SVM is highly dependent upon the selection of free parameters. So, further, a modified PSO technique is employed for the optimal selection of these parameters to enhance the performance of SVM. Hence, this novel proposed hybrid technique of m-PSO optimized SVM is applied for the optimal design of the HIC to find out an optimal solution between trade-off the transparency and stability of the haptic device simultaneously. To appreciate the efficacy of the proposed technique, the result obtained with this is compared with HIC design using neural network and conventional ZN method also. This designed controller ensures stability as well as transparency, even under the presence of uncertainty, delay, and quantization error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Enhancers play a fundamental role in orchestrating cell state and development. Although several methods have been developed to identify enhancers, linking them to their target genes is still an open problem. Several theories have been proposed on the functional mechanisms of enhancers, which triggered the development of various methods to infer promoter–enhancer interactions (PEIs). The advancement of high-throughput techniques describing the three-dimensional organization of the chromatin, paved the way to pinpoint long-range PEIs. Here we investigated whether including PEIs in computational models for the prediction of gene expression improves performance and interpretability. Results: We have extended our TEPIC framework to include DNA contacts deduced from chromatin conformation capture experiments and compared various methods to determine PEIs using predictive modelling of gene expression from chromatin accessibility data and predicted transcription factor (TF) motif data. We designed a novel machine learning approach that allows the prioritization of TFs binding to distal loop and promoter regions with respect to their importance for gene expression regulation. Our analysis revealed a set of core TFs that are part of enhancer–promoter loops involving YY1 in different cell lines. Conclusion: We present a novel approach that can be used to prioritize TFs involved in distal and promoter-proximal regulatory events by integrating chromatin accessibility, conformation, and gene expression data. We show that the integration of chromatin conformation data can improve gene expression prediction and aids model interpretability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) are small quails in the New World Quail family (Odontophoridae) and are one of the most phenotypically diverse avian species. Despite extensive research on bobwhite ecology, genomic studies investigating the evolution of phenotypic diversity in this species are lacking. Here, we present a new, highly contiguous assembly for bobwhites using tissue samples from a vouchered, wild, female bird collected in Louisiana. By performing a de novo assembly and scaffolding the assembly with Dovetail Chicago and HiC libraries and the HiRise pipeline, we produced an 866.8 Mb assembly including 1,512 scaffolds with a scaffold N50 of 66.8 Mb, a scaffold L90 of 17, and a BUSCO completeness score of 90.8%. This new assembly represents approximately 96% of the non-repetitive and 84% of the entire bobwhite genome size, greatly improves scaffold lengths and contiguity compared to an existing draft bobwhite genome, and provides an important tool for future studies of evolutionary and functional genomics in bobwhites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective was to quantify head injury metric sensitivity of the 50th percentile male Hybrid III, THOR, and Global Human Body Models Consortium simplified occupant (GHBMC M50-OS) to changes in loading conditions in loading regimes that may be experienced by occupants of spaceflight vehicles or highly autonomous vehicles (HAVs) with nontraditional seating configurations. Methods: A Latin hypercube (LHD) design of experiments (DOE) was employed to develop boundary conditions for 455 unique acceleration profiles. Three previously validated finite element (FE) models of the Hybrid III anthropomorphic test device (ATD), THOR ATD, and GHBMC M50-OS were positioned in an upright 90°-90°-90° seat and with a 5-point belt. Acceleration pulses were applied to each of the three occupants in the ± X, +Y, and ± Z directions, with peak resultant acceleration magnitudes ranging from 5 to 20 G and times to peak ranging from 32.5 to 120.8 ms with duration 250 ms, resulting in 1,248 simulations. Head injury metrics included peak linear head acceleration, peak rotational head acceleration, head injury criteria (HIC15), and brain injury criteria (BrIC). Injury metrics were regressed against boundary condition parameters using 2nd order multiple polynomial regression, and compared between occupants using matched pairs Wilcoxon signed rank analysis. Results: Across the 416 matched-simulations that reached normal termination with all three models, HIC15 values ranged from 1.0–396.5 (Hybrid III), 1.2–327.9 (THOR), and 0.6–585.6 (GHBMC). BrIC ranged from 0.03–0.95 (Hybrid III), 0.03–1.21 (THOR), and 0.04–0.84 (GHBMC). Wilcoxon signed rank analysis demonstrated significant pairwise differences between each of the three occupant models for head injury metrics. For HIC15, the largest divergence between GHBMC and the ATDs was observed in simulations with components of combined underbody and rear impact loading. The three models performed most similarly with respect to BrIC output when loaded in a frontal direction. Both the GHBMC and the Hybrid III produced lower values of BrIC than the THOR on average, with the differences most pronounced in rear impact loading. Conclusion: In conclusion, observed differences between the occupant models' head injury metric output were quantified. Loading direction had a large effect on metric outcome and metric comparability across models, with frontal and rear impacts with low vertical acceleration tending to be the most similar. One explanation for these differences could be the differences in neck stiffness between the models that allowed more rotation in the GHBMC and THOR. Care should be taken when using ATDs as human volunteer surrogates in these low energy events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legumes are of great interest for sustainable agricultural production as they fix atmospheric nitrogen to improve the soil. Medicago truncatula is a well-established model legume, and extensive studies in fundamental molecular, physiological, and developmental biology have been undertaken to translate into trait improvements in economically important legume crops worldwide. However, M. truncatula reference genome was generated in the accession Jemalong A17, which is highly recalcitrant to transformation. M. truncatula R108 is more attractive for genetic studies due to its high transformation efficiency and Tnt1-insertion population resource for functional genomics. The need to perform accurate synteny analysis and comprehensive genome-scale comparisons necessitates a chromosome-length genome assembly for M. truncatula cv. R108. Here, we performed in situ Hi-C (48×) to anchor, order, orient scaffolds, and correct misjoins of contigs in a previously published genome assembly (R108 v1.0), resulting in an improved genome assembly containing eight chromosome-length scaffolds that span 97.62% of the sequenced bases in the input assembly. The long-range physical information data generated using Hi-C allowed us to obtain a chromosome-length ordering of the genome assembly, better validate previous draft misjoins, and provide further insights accurately predicting synteny between A17 and R108 regions corresponding to the known chromosome 4/8 translocation. Furthermore, mapping the Tnt1 insertion landscape on this reference assembly presents an important resource for M. truncatula functional genomics by supporting efficient mutant gene identification in Tnt1 insertion lines. Our data provide a much-needed foundational resource that supports functional and molecular research into the Leguminosae for sustainable agriculture and feeding the future.

High strength low alloy (HSLA) steels are used for the construction of pipelines for oil and natural gas transportation. For such applications pipelines must exhibit mechanical resistance and resistance to corrosion and hydrogen induced cracking (HIC). API 5L X65 steels are the main materials used for this purpose. However, for economic reasons, the use of steels of superior grades would be of interest. This work presents a comparative study of the corrosion and HIC resistances of an API 5L X65 and an API 5L X80 steel in deaerated solution A of NACE TM0284 standard. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization experiments were performed in non-sour and sour (H2S-saturated) media, and HIC resistance tests were carried out in the sour medium. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy (OM) characterizations of polished and corroded samples were also done. Electrochemical tests showed that the API 5L X80 steel is slightly more susceptible to surface corrosion, which can be probably linked to its higher inclusion content and smaller grain sizes, it was also susceptible to HIC. Mn and S-rich inclusions found in the crack path indicate that this microstructural feature may play a key role in crack propagation and HIC susceptibility

Electrochemical H charging, hydrogen permeation, and hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC) behavior of 690 MPa grade steel substrate and different heat-treatment states (annealed, quenched, normalized, tempered) are investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), hydrogen permeation, electrochemical H charging, and slow strain rate tensile test (SSRT). The results show that hydrogen diffuses through the steel with the highest rate in base metal and the lowest rate in annealed steel. The hydrogen-induced cracks in base metal show obvious step shape with tiny cracks near the main crack. The cracks of annealed steel are mainly distributed along pearlite. The crack propagation of quenched steel is mainly transgranular, while the hydrogen-induced crack propagation of tempered steel is along the prior austenite grain boundary. HIC sensitivity of base metal is the lowest due to its fine homogeneous grain structure, small hydrogen diffusion coefficient, and small hydrogen diffusion rate. There are many hydrogen traps in annealed steel, such as the two-phase interface which provides accommodation sites for H atoms and increases the HIC susceptibility.

The rail industry has been significantly affected by the passive safety technology in the last few years. The tram front-end design must fulfill the new requirements for pedestrian passive safety performance in the near future. The requirements are connected with a newly prepared technical guide “Tramway front end design” prepared by Technical Agency for ropeways and Guided Transport Systems. This paper describes research connected with new tram front-end design safe for pedestrians. The brief description of collision scenario and used human-body model “Virthuman” is provided. The numerical simulations (from field of passive safety) are supported by experiments. The interesting part is the numerical model of the tram windshield experimentally validated here. The results of simulations are discussed at the end of paper.

The Hydrogen Induced Cracking (HIC) and Sulfide Stress Cracking (SSC) behaviours of sour service and non-sour service carbon steel API 5L X65 were investigated under high pressure carbon dioxide environments, containing elevated amount of hydrogen sulphide (H2S); the test environments simulated offshore pipelines transporting full-well streams in high carbon dioxide (CO2) environments with elevated H2S concentrations. It was systematically studied under standard NACE condition and high pressure carbon dioxide field condition with variation in other key parameters (temperature, pressure and hydrogen sulfide concentration). The HIC and SSC were tested using a High Pressure and High Temperature (HPHT) Autoclave. The surface cracking morphology was analysed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Ultrasonic Technique (UT) and Magnetic Particle (MP). The results showed that no cracks were detected in NACE standard and field-condition SSC tests for both sour service and non-sour services carbon steel. In HIC test, crack was detected on non-sour service carbon steel in NACE standard test while no crack was detected on field condition-based tests for both types of carbon steel.

An investigation was conducted in terms of the variation of particle size distribution, removing hydrophilic groups from coal surface, reagent dispersion, and formation of particles-bubbles aggregates resulted from the HIC to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for improvement in flotation performance. Results showed that the amount of <0.074 mm size fraction increased after HIC. It would have a negative effect on flotation performance, although the variation was not significant. Reagant dispersion had a marginal effect on flotation performance. The contact angle measurements indicated that HIC improved particle surface hydrophobicity, and the effect was most significant when agitation speed of the HIC was 2000 rpm, but the flotation performance was not as significant as expected. When HIC agitation speed was 1500 rpm, particles-bubbles aggregates were formed; however, the aggregates were destroyed as agitation speed increased to 2000 rpm. This fact was consistent with the experimental results that the flotation performance was optimal with the HIC speed of 1500 rpm and it deteriorated as agitation speed increased to 2000 rpm. It was deduced that the size and structure stability of particles-bubbles aggregates played a dominant role in the improvement in flotation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In empirical studies selection of the order of a model is routinely invoked. A common example is the order selection of an autoregressive model via Akaike's AIC, Schwarz's BIC or Hannan and Quinn's HIC. The criteria are based on the conditional sum of squares (CSS). However, the computation of the CSS might be difficult for some models such as Bloomfield's exponential model and/or when we allow for long memory dependence. The main aim of the article is thus to propose an alternative way to compute the criterion by using the decomposition of the variance of the innovation errors in terms of its frequency components. We show its validity to obtain the correct order the model. In addition, as a by‐product, we describe a simple (two‐step) estimator of the parameters of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MPS (Motorcyclists´ protection systems) play an essential role in the reduction of fatalities and morbidity involved in motorbike and moped accidents, since they offer protection from impact against road elements such as guardrail posts and nearby elements such as traffic signs, trees, etc. For the standardisation of such elements, different regulations have been developed which, by means of experimental tests, allow the simulation of those accidents through tests at a specific velocity and angle. Nevertheless, there is the possibility that, under different angles and velocity, those systems fail to be safe. To assess this, a series of accidents involving diverse angles and velocities have been studied through virtual tests by using numerical models and the finite elements method with a view to obtaining data on head acceleration and neural damage sustained in the event of collision against MPS. In addition, the accidentology for this type of vehicles has been studied in order to break accidents down according to impact angle and velocity impact range as well as age category and gender of those sustaining injuries. To that aim, homologated commercial MPS have been analysed in order to get the variation of the main biomechanical indexes depending on the impact angle and velocity; the results thus obtained have allowed us to determine the real security level of the MPS studied. This information has been extrapolated to determine the level of security provided by MPS. Finally some modifications in the homologation regulations to improve safety of MPS have been suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a rare group of HIV-1-infected individuals who show permanent control of clinical progression for over 10 years, maintain CD4+ cells >500 μl and have undetectable viral loads; they are designated long-term non-progressors elite controllers (LTNPs ECs). Multiple studies have demonstrated the necessary contribution of at least two of host, immune and viral factors to the LTNP phenotype. This group of individuals is not homogenous because of the different involvement of these factors. We will review the role of each of these and their combinations to the LTNP EC phenotype. LTNP EC individuals offer an opportunity for the investigation into the mechanisms for the spontaneous control of HIV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A two-step purification process for human basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) from clarified E. coli homogenate has been developed in which the impurity level after the second step is below the limit of quantification. Endotoxin content is cleared to 0.02 EU/μg FGF-2 and the overall yield is 67%. The performance of the cation exchanger Carboxymethyl-Sepharose Fast Flow (CM-SFF) was compared to the affinity resin Heparin-SFF regarding the impurity profile and product quality in the elution peak. The CM-SFF eluate was further purified using hydrophobic interaction resin Toyopearl-Hexyl-650C. The relative amounts of target product, host cell proteins (HCPs), dsDNA, endotoxin, monomer content, and high molecular weight impurities differed along the elution peak depending on the applied method. The bioactive monomer (>99%) was obtained with a yield of 48% for CM-SFF and 68% for Heparin-SFF. A half-load reduction in CM-SFF increased the yield up to 67% without deterioration of the impurity content. Assuming a dose of 400 μg FGF-2, endotoxin was reduced to 188 EU/dose, dsDNA <10 ng/dose, and HCP <2 ppm/dose using the cation exchanger. In the pooled eluate fractions, dsDNA was removed 4-fold (291 ng/mL) and endotoxin 14-fold (0.47 EU/μg FGF-2) more efficiently by CM-SFF than by affinity chromatography. In contrast, HCP clearance was 3-fold (13 ppm) more efficient with Heparin-SFF than CM-SFF. In contrast to process monitoring by UV 280nm or SDS-PAGE, this characterization is the basis for a Process Analytical Technology attempt when correlated with online monitored signals, as it enables knowledge-based pooling according to defined quality criteria. Highlights • Impurity ratios in the eluate fractions differ depending on the capture method. • Clearance of host cell proteins and dsDNA under limit of quantification. • Ion exchange chromatographic step fulfills criteria for clinical application. • Two step purification allows direct processing of clarified E. coli homogenate. • Hydrophobic interaction method enables endotoxin clearance without product loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Three-axis controlled ultrasonic inspection unit is designed and applied to study hydrogen induced cracks (HIC) of hot rolled API-X80 steels non-destructively. The average grain size of the API-X80 is about 1.88 μm with a preferred orientation. (110) poles are preferentially oriented to normal direction (ND), (100) poles are oriented from normal direction to transverse direction (TD) for 30° and from transverse direction to rolling direction (RD) for 45°. (211) poles are oriented to transverse direction for 35°. Micro-cracks are clearly observed by the 3-axis controlled ultrasonic unit for the specimen immersed in the standard HIC solution for 24 h. Diffusive hydrogen content of the API X-80 steel after immersing for 24 h is 3.40 ± 0.03 wtppm, which dramatically increase about 160 and 170% by 4–6% pre-stain, respectively. The initiation of the HIC related to coarse inclusions like silicon and aluminum oxides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nucleus of every cell is arranged in a manner that reflects the cell's functional identity. Its DNA loops around histones that help compact and regulate the local functional state. Various other proteins along with RNAs are arranged along the DNA. Barrier and insulator elements partition it into functional elements. Other proteins interact with their binding sites, recruit other factors, to enable the modifying of histones according to the functional state it must be in. Depending on this state, other proteins can facilitate transcription, repair, replication etc. To this end, the study of the spatial distribution of these proteins and RNAs is necessary to understand their functional relevance within the context of the nucleus. Here, we review various established and emerging techniques that enable such studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The retention behavior of polyethylene glycol (PEG) on different types of hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) resins containing butyl, octyl, and phenyl ligands was analyzed. An incomplete elution or splitting of the polymer peak into two parts was observed, where the first one was eluted at the dead time of the column, whereas the second one was strongly retained. The phenomenon was attributed to conformation changes of the polymer upon its adsorption on hydrophobic surface. The effect enhanced with increasing molecular weight of the polymer and hydrophobicity of the HIC media. Addition of PEG to the mobile phase reduced binding of proteins to HIC resins, which was demonstrated with two model systems: lysozyme (LYZ) and immunoglobulin G (IgG), and their mixtures. In case of LYZ, the presence of PEG caused reduction in the protein retention, whereas for IgG—a decrease in efficiency of the protein capture. The effect depended on the adsorption pattern of PEG; it was pronounced in the systems in which conformational changes of the polymer were suggested to occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New threats are a challenge for the design and manufacture of modern combat helmets. These helmets must satisfy a wide range of impact velocities from ballistic impacts to blunt impacts. In this paper, we analyze European Regulation ECE R22.05 using a standard surrogate head and a human head model to evaluate combat helmet performance. Two critical parameters on traumatic brain analysis are studied for different impact locations, i.e., peak linear acceleration value and head injury criterion (HIC). The results obtained are compared with different injury criteria to determine the severity level of damage induced. Furthermore, based on different impact scenarios, analyses of the influence of impact velocity and the geometry impact surface are performed. The results show that the risks associated with a blunt impact can lead to a mild traumatic brain injury at high impact velocities and some impact locations, despite satisfying the different criteria established by the ECE R22.05 standard. The results reveal that the use of a human head for the estimation of brain injuries differs slightly from the results obtained using a surrogate head. Therefore, the current combat helmet configuration must be improved for blunt impacts. Further standards should take this into account and, consequently, combat helmet manufacturers on their design process.

• Histone gene clusters are organized in phase-separated Histone Locus Bodies (HLBs). • Higher-order chromatin at HLBs shows variable 3D organization during G1 phase. • Invariable genomic contacts are required for the basic spatial organization at HLBs. • A novel distal enhancer outside the histone gene cluster supports HLB organization. Human Histone Locus Bodies (HLBs) are nuclear subdomains comprised of clustered histone genes that are coordinately regulated throughout the cell cycle. We addressed temporal-spatial higher-order genome organization for time-dependent chromatin remodeling at HLBs that supports control of cell proliferation. Proximity distances of specific genomic contacts within histone gene clusters exhibit subtle changes during the G1 phase in MCF10 breast cancer progression model cell lines. This approach directly demonstrates that the two principal histone gene regulatory proteins, HINFP (H4 gene regulator) and NPAT, localize at chromatin loop anchor-points, denoted by CTCF binding, supporting the stringent requirement for histone biosynthesis to package newly replicated DNA as chromatin. We identified a novel enhancer region located ∼ 2 MB distal to histone gene sub-clusters on chromosome 6 that consistently makes genomic contacts with HLB chromatin and is bound by NPAT. During G1 progression the first DNA loops form between one of three histone gene sub-clusters bound by HINFP and the distal enhancer region. Our findings are consistent with a model that the HINFP/NPAT complex controls the formation and dynamic remodeling of higher-order genomic organization of histone gene clusters at HLBs in early to late G1 phase to support transcription of histone mRNAs in S phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]