bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Land in India
Authors: Palit Amitendu
Published: May 2020

Land markets in India continue the elusive search for price discovery as determined by market forces. The LARR of 2013 has planted a floor on land prices. The role of state governments has become central to acquisition, or purchase, of land as a financially weak private industry has little access to credit. Outright purchase of land is stressing state finances and creating perverse incentives for hoarding. As states seek to work out their own land rules, it is essential for them to converge to a common ground for amending the jagged edges of LARR 2013. Major political parties like BJP and Congress should abandon the political optics of upholding LARR 2013 just on ‘pro-farmer’ grounds and work with states in a politically neutral fashion to seek such ground. Innovative ideas like whether bringing in land and real estate within GST can improve land purchase capacities must also be examined.
Introduction
Authors: Verma Vidhu
Published: May 2020

In this introduction, the volume’s regional focus is embedded in the wider context of changing debates on secularism. While a new appreciation of the works on secularism in the world order in a post–Cold War era has played a part in overcoming some of the assumptions in the Western public domain, others have cautioned against an essentialist understanding of culture and religion. The chapter traces the contemporary challenges and responses to the decline of the old pattern of state regulation of religion found in Europe. It argues that there existed a greater variety and heterogeneity of religious practices and beliefs than was presumed in the homogenizing models of the nation states of Southeast Asia. The chapter argues for a complex interaction between politics, religion, and state policies to better understand the select countries of this region.
Political Islam and Democracy in Malaysia
Authors: Abdullah Kamarulnizam
Published: May 2020

The third chapter discusses the current discourse of political Islam in Malaysia. It analyses the complex relations between religion, ethnic identity, and politics. It also seeks to understand how domestic and regional dynamisms affect the religious and ethnic understandings in the country. After decades of economic growth coupled with the expansion of middle-class Malaysia has also given rise to a new generation of politically conscious society. But this economic growth, fuelled by both domestic and external dynamics, has had some contradictory impacts on the evolution of Malaysian democracy. Society appears to have been further divided along sectarian and religious lines. While hopes were for a more tolerant and open society, the majority of conservative Malay-Muslims appear to have rejected the notion. The debates over the exclusive use of the word ‘Allah’ between the minority Christians and the majority Muslims illustrate the renewed religious tensions in Malaysia.
Secularism and Ethno-religious Nationalist Hegemony in Malaysia
Authors: Hamid Ahmad Fauzi Abdul , Johari Zairil Khir
Published: May 2020

Chapter 8 investigates the efforts of parties to navigate their way within the dominant discourse of hegemonic ethnoreligious nationalism in Malaysia. It discusses the way politics has addressed the question of identity—a corollary of the nation’s colonial experience and segmented socio-economic set-up. The post-Independence practice of consociational democracy served to cement ethnic-oriented politics, which blended with religious boundaries of Malaysia’s plural society. Since the late 1990s, however, emerging ‘new politics’ characterised by middle class–based civil activism has gradually shifted the political narrative away from issues of identity to universal values such as social justice, good governance and human rights. In this light, the chapter discusses the role of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), Malaysia’s largest opposition party in Parliament.
The Stigma That Would Not Go Away
Authors: Metelits Michael D.
Published: May 2020

Chapter 4 deals with the ‘local’ aftermath of the Hanmantrao trial. Important here were attempts by Crawford’s friends to intimidate government witnesses to prevent them from testifying against Crawford before the special commission convened to advise the government on Crawford’s guilt or innocence. It also introduces attempts by Bombay High Court judges to incriminate mamlatdar witnesses who confessed under oath that they had paid bribes. Recourse to the High Court found judges recommending revisions to lower court decisions based on some justices’ interpretation of the rules as they might have been applied if the case were heard by a court in England.
Mamlatdar Ping Pong
Authors: Metelits Michael D.
Published: May 2020

Chapter 8 relates the negotiations between the Government of Bombay Presidency and the secretary of state for India regarding what to do about the inculpated mamlatdars. Bombay suggested that the issues were very complicated and required time to determine who had paid voluntarily and who was virtually extorted into paying. The secretary of state for India seemed content with this procedure, which would lead to depriving the most corrupt of their magisterial powers, but leaving them in charge of land revenue issues (which was only a slight change from the Bombay Government’s promised indemnity). However, the secretary of state eventually caved in to the London pressure and insisted that those who had not paid under conditions of extortion must be fired. At this point, the negotiations between Bombay and the secretary of state expanded to include the Government of India (the viceroy and his legislative council).
New World Slavery in the Capitalist World Economy
Authors: Marques Leonardo
Published: May 2020

This chapter explores, first, how New World slavery and other forms of coerced labour appear in the volume organized by Larry Neal, The Cambridge History of Capitalism, published in 2014. The second half of the chapter offers a brief alternative interpretation of the history of slavery in the Americas as a constitutive part of historical capitalism. In this way, it tackles a central problem in The Cambridge History of Capitalism: its static representation of slavery, which, abstracted from the broader world structures of which it was part, appears as a single immutable institution throughout the modern era. The main goal of the article is to emphasize, first, how slavery changed over time and, second, how it was part of the total ensemble of global relations that formed the capitalist world economy between the sixteenth and the nineteenth centuries. It is a history of slavery in capitalism.
Iranian Capitalism
Authors: Matthee Rudi
Published: May 2020

Following an ‘internalist’ approach, this chapter considers some of the reasons why Iran was late in developing capitalist features, even in comparison with the adjacent Ottoman Empire and the Indian Subcontinent. These include environmental obstacles in the form of rugged terrain, a scarcity of easily exploitable mineral deposits, and poor connections to the wider world. Private ingenuity and inquisitiveness were abundantly available in the country, even if culture tended to favour speculative over applied science. A tax and toll regime imposed on Iran by Russia and Great Britain in the early Qajar period worked to the disadvantage of the country’s domestic merchants and manufacturers. Foreign involvement also stimulated trade, however. The crucial impediment, it is argued here, was internal in nature, involving the state and its institutions. Both the Safavid and the Qajar regimes were at once intrusive and uninvolved, perpetuating a traditional, venal, governing style rather than supporting entrepreneurial initiative in any systemic and sustained manner.
Respectable Citizens - Shady Practices
Authors: Farrall Stephen , Karstedt Susanne
Published: May 2020

Drawing on survey data from a comparative study of England and Wales and the former East and West Germany, this book examines economic crimes of ‘everyday life’, such as overestimating losses in insurance claims, cheating on taxes, misusing store or credit cards, and defrauding medical and social services. The book delves into the extent of both feelings of ‘victimization’ at the hands of insurers, restaurants who add additional charges, banks who make excessive charges, or other citizens during second-hand sales, and of offending, such as deliberately engaging in crimes of everyday life. The study explores the motivations for such offences and how citizens act to defend themselves against victimization and exploit weaknesses in the system to make illegal gains and ‘make good’ on losses. The comparative dimension allows for in-depth insights into the ways in which different national histories of economic transitions affect levels of engagement in crimes in the market place.
Change Regions and Changes in Normative Market Cultures
Authors: Farrall Stephen , Karstedt Susanne
Published: May 2020

This chapter explores the history of the three regions in Europe which are the focus of this work; namely, England and Wales, and the former East and West Germany. Their recent economic histories are recounted, as well as the nature of these economic and social changes, and which social groups are most likely to have been affected by them. These changes have increased the opportunities for crime in the marketplace for many citizens. The extent to which people living in these three areas report perceptions of change in their societies is examined, as well as trust in market institutions, cynicism about the law, and values related to contemporary citizenship, and how they differ between change regions and generations.
Empirical generalizations
Authors: Breitbarth Anne , Lucas Christopher , Willis David
Published: May 2020

Looking at the changes in the expression of sentential negation in various languages of Europe and the Mediterranean, this chapter presents empirical generalizations about Jespersen’s cycle. The focus lies on incipient Jespersen’s cycle—that is, the factors contributing to the emergence and generalization of new items that have the potential to successfully become new standard expressions of negation. The chapter rejects a teleological view of Jespersen’s cycle and therefore broadens the empirical base by also looking at languages in which there are linguistic elements that seem to fulfil at least some criteria of successful new negative markers, but which nevertheless never reach the next expected step in the development. It furthermore highlights two topics rarely discussed in the literature on Jespersen’s cycle: the comparative speed of the development in different languages and the fate of the original negators after the end of cycle.
Early Dances and Ballets
Authors: Pakes Anna
Published: May 2020

Chapter 1 explores the historical development of dance in Europe, from the Renaissance to the early eighteenth century, focusing particularly on the themes of dance structures, authorship, and autonomy. It considers early modern and secondary sources on social dance, the ballet de cour, and baroque dance, developing the argument that none of these practices produces dance works in the modern sense. Nonetheless, early dance sources to concepts of dance-as-object and dance as “performable” operating well before the idea of a work of dance art develops. This first chapter, then, explores what might be termed the early prehistory of the dance work, through analysis of different ways in which dances are conceived, composed, notated, performed, and linked to developing artistic traditions.
Modern(ist) Dances and Modern Work-Concepts
Authors: Pakes Anna
Published: May 2020

Chapter 3 discusses Western theatre dance in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, arguing that in this period the dance work-concept acquires a particular “thickness,” clear contours and regulative force in at least some ballet and modern dance practice. Dance comes to be understood as generating authored, repeatable, persistent, and autonomous works that function both as guiding structures for performers and as a focus of appreciation for audiences. Specific developments such as dance “symphonism” and the so-called new ballet are explored, and commonalities in the way the work-concept develops in ballet and modern dance are considered. The chapter also examines one consequence of the work-concept’s consolidation in this period, namely its retrospective application to older ballets and dances by practitioners and historians keen to establish a canon of choreographic achievement.
Works, Actions, and Structures
Authors: Pakes Anna
Published: May 2020

Chapter 5 elaborates the view that dances are indicated structures of action-types, manifest in performance events. The nature of dance action-types and choreographic structuring principles are discussed. The chapter develops the idea that choreographic authorship is a form of artistic indication and explores debates about dancer co-authorship, arguing for the latter under certain conditions. The notion of a norm-type or kind is also considered, alongside the idea that choreography specifies norms for performance. The chapter considers how dance works often depend on underlying consensus about such norms rather than on scores or texts which articulate them explicitly. Contemporary scoring practices are examined in this regard, and it is argued that there is no sharp division between works and structured improvisations. The question of how a norm-type or kind can be manifest is addressed, the chapter arguing that works (qua norm-types or kinds) are only indirectly perceptible.
Use of combination therapy with acetaminophen and ibuprofen for closure of the patent ductus arteriosus in preterm neonates
Authors: Kimani Susan , Surak Aimann , Miller Michael , Bhattacharya Soume
Published: May 2020

Objective

To compare effectiveness and safety of combination therapy (acetaminophen and ibuprofen) to monotherapy (ibuprofen, indomethacin, or acetaminophen alone) in treatment of the patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in premature neonates.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study of neonates admitted to a tertiary-level neonatal intensive care unit. Included neonates were born at <32 weeks gestation and received pharmacotherapy for PDA closure. Based on the primary therapy received, our cohort was divided into the following four groups: indomethacin alone, ibuprofen alone, acetaminophen alone, and ibuprofen and acetaminophen (in combination). Baseline characteristics, effectiveness, safety, neonatal mortality, and morbidities rates between these groups were compared.

Results

One hundred and forty neonates were analyzed; 17 received combination therapy, and 123 neonates received monotherapy: 22 (17.9%) ibuprofen, 29 (23.6%) acetaminophen, and 72 (58.5%) indomethacin. The PDA closure rates were 41.7% for indomethacin, 41.2% for combination therapy, 37.9% for acetaminophen, and 31.8% for ibuprofen (P=0.100). Rates of adverse effects were comparable between the groups.

Conclusion

The rate of ductal closure was not different between combination therapy and monotherapy. The study did not demonstrate any increased adverse effects in the combination group. Future well-designed prospective clinical trials are needed to guide clinical practice.
Opioid-Related Disorders Among Pregnant Women with Sickle Cell Disease and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes
Authors: Darlington Francis , Acha Benjamina Mbah , Roshan Tasha , Ikeanyionwu Charles , Kutse Seun , Abajue Uzoamaka , Osazuwa Billy , Gomez Ian , Spooner Kiara K , Salemi Jason L , Dongarwar Deepa , Olaleye Omonike A , Salihu Hamisu M , Ndefo Uche Anadu
Published: May 2020

Objective

Opioid use during pregnancy has increased in recent years, parallel with the opioid epidemic in the general population. Opioids are commonly used as an analgesic for pain crisis, a hallmark symptom of sickle cell disease (SCD). With the amplified frequency and severity of SCD pain crisis during pregnancy, the use of opioids may increase concurrently. The aim of this study was to examine trends in opioid-related disorders (ORDs) among pregnant women with and without SCD, as well as assess the risk for preterm labor, maternal sepsis, and poor fetal growth among patients with SCD and ORD.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective analysis of inpatient pregnancy- and childbirth-related hospital discharge data from the 2002–2014 National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample database. The primary outcome was the risk of ORD in pregnant women with SCD and its impact on threatened preterm labor, fetal growth, and maternal sepsis.

Results

Among the >57 million pregnancy-related hospitalizations examined, 9.6 per 10,000 had SCD. ORD in mothers with SCD was four times as prevalent as in those without SCD (2% vs 0.5%). A significant rise in ORD occurred throughout the study period and was associated with an increased risk of maternal sepsis, threatened preterm labor, and poor fetal growth.

Conclusions

Pregnant women with SCD have a fourfold increased risk of ORD compared with their non-SCD counterparts. The current opioid epidemic continues to worsen in both groups, warranting a tailored and effective public health response to reduce the resulting adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Aesthetic Reasons and the Demands They (Do Not) Make
Authors: Whiting Daniel
Published: May 2020

What does the aesthetic ask of us? What claims do the aesthetic features of the objects and events in our environment make on us? My answer in this paper is: that depends. Aesthetic reasons can only justify feelings – they cannot demand them. A corollary of this is that there are no aesthetic obligations to feel, only permissions. However, I argue, aesthetic reasons can demand actions – they do not merely justify them. A corollary of this is that there are aesthetic obligations to act, not only permissions. So, I conclude, the aesthetic asks little of us as patients and much of as agents.
Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in pets living with COVID-19 owners diagnosed during the COVID-19 lockdown in Spain: A case of an asymptomatic cat with SARS-CoV-2 in Europe
Authors: Ruiz-Arrondo Ignacio , Portillo Aranzazu , Palomar Ana M. , Santibanez Sonia , Santibanez Paula , Cervera Cristina , Oteo Jose A.
Published: May 2020

During April-May 2020, the presence of respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in pets living with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) owners was analyzed. From 23 pets, a cat without clinical symptoms showed positive results for SARS-CoV-2 in oropharyngeal swab using three RT-qPCR assays (negative rectal swab). SARS-CoV-2 was not detected in the remaining pets. Our finding suggests that cats may act as asymptomatic dispersers of SARS-CoV-2, although viral transmission from animals to humans seems unlikely.
Capillary Electrophoresis of PCR fragments with 5’-labelled primers for testing the SARS-Cov-2
Authors: Gómez Juan , Melón Santiago , Boga José A. , Alvarez-Argüelles Marta E. , Rojo-Alba Susana , Leal-Negredo Alvaro , Castello-Abietar Cristian , Alvarez Victoria , Cuesta-Llavona Elías , Coto Eliecer
Published: May 2020

Background

Due to the huge demand for SARS-Cov-2 determination, alternatives to the standard qtPCR tests are potentially useful for increasing the number of samples screened. Our aim was to develop a direct fluorescent PCR capillary-electrophoresis detection of the viral genome. We validated this approach on several SARS-Cov-2 positive and negative samples.

Study design

We isolated the naso-pharingeal RNA from 20 positive and 10 negative samples. The cDNA was synthesised and two fragments of the SARS-Cov-2 were amplified. One of the primers for each pair was 5’-end fluorochrome labelled. The amplifications were subjected to capillary electrophoresis in ABI3130 sequencers to visualize the fluorescent peaks.

Results

The two SARS-Cov-2 fragments were successfully amplified in the positive samples, while the negative samples did not render fluorescent peaks.

Conclusion

We describe and alternative method to identify the SARS-Cov-2 genome that could be scaled to the analysis of approximately 100 samples in less than 5 hours. By combining a standard PCR with capillary electrophoresis our approach would overcome the limits imposed to many labs by the qtPCR (lack of reactive and real-time PCR equipment) and increase the testing capacity.
Representing Physician Suicide Claims as Nanopublications
Authors: Leung Tiffany I , Kuhn Tobias , Dumontier Michel
Published: May 2020

In the poorly studied field of physician suicide, various fac-tors can contribute to misinformation or information distor-tion, which in turn can influence evidence-based policies and prevention of suicide in this unique population. Here, we report on the use of nanopublications as a scientific publishing approach to establish a citation network of claims drawn from a variety of media concerning the rate of suicide of US physicians. Our work integrates these vari-ous claims and enables the verification of non-authoritative assertions, thereby better equipping researchers and to advance evidence-based knowledge and make informed statements in the advocacy of physician suicide prevention.
Evolution of behavioral resistance in host-pathogen systems
Authors: Amoroso Caroline R. , Antonovics Janis
Published: May 2020

Behavioral resistance to parasites is widespread in animals, yet little is known about the evolutionary dynamics that have shaped these strategies. We show that theory developed for the evolution of physiological parasite resistance can only be applied to behavioral resistance under limited circumstances. We find that accounting explicitly for the behavioral processes, including the detectability of infected individuals, leads to novel dynamics that are strongly dependent on the nature of the costs and benefits of social interactions. As with physiological resistance, the evolutionary dynamics can also lead to mixed strategies that balance the costs of disease risk and the benefits of social interaction, with implications for understanding avoidance strategies in human disease outbreaks.
18FDG Positron Emission Tomography Mining for Metabolic Imaging Biomarkers of Radiation-induced Xerostomia in Patients with Oropharyngeal Cancer
Authors: Elhalawani Hesham , Cardenas Carlos E. , Volpe Stefania , Barua Souptik , Stieb Sonja , Rock Calvin , Lin Timothy A. , Yang Pei , Wu Haijun , Zaveri Jhankruti , Elgohari Baher , Aabdallah Lamia E. , Jethanandani Amit , Mohamed Abdallah Sherif Radwan , Court Laurence E. , Hutcheson Katherine A. , Gunn G. Brandon , Rosenthal David I. , Frank Steven J. , Garden Adam S. , Rao Arvind , Fuller Clifton D.
Published: May 2020

Purpose
Head and neck cancers (HNC) radiotherapy (RT) is associated with inevitable injury to parotid glands and subsequent xerostomia. We investigated the utility of standardized uptake values (SUV) derived from routinely performed 18-fluorodeoxygluocose positron-emission tomography (18FDG-PET) to develop metabolic imaging biomarkers (MIBs) of RT-related parotid injury.

Methods
Data for oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) patients treated with RT at our institution between 2005-2015 with available planning computed tomography (CT), dose grid, pre- & first post-RT 18FDG-PET-CT scans, and physician-reported xerostomia assessment at 3-6 months post-RT (Xero 3-6ms) per CTCAE, was retrieved, following an IRB approval. A CT-CT deformable image co-registration followed by voxel-by-voxel resampling of pre & post-RT 18FDG activity and dose grid were performed. Ipsilateral (Ipsi) and contralateral (contra) parotid glands were sub-segmented based on the received dose in 5 Gy increments, i.e. 0-5 Gy, 5-10 Gy sub-volumes, etc. Median and dose-weighted SUV were extracted from whole parotid volumes and sub-volumes on pre- & post-RT PET scans, using in-house code that runs on MATLAB. Wilcoxon signed-rank and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to test differences pre- and post-RT.

Results
432 parotid glands, belonging to 108 OPC patients treated with RT, were sub-segmented & analyzed. Xero 3-6ms was reported as: non-severe (78.7%) and severe (21.3%). SUV- median values were significantly reduced post-RT, irrespective of laterality (p=0.02). A similar pattern was observed in parotid sub-volumes, especially ipsi parotid gland sub-volumes receiving doses 10-50 Gy (p<0.05). A Kruskal-Wallis test showed a significantly higher mean planned RT dose in the contra parotid in the patients with more severe Xero 3-6mo (p= 0.03). Multiple logistic regression showed a combined clinical-dosimetric-metabolic imaging model could predict the severity of Xero 3-6mo; AUC=0.78 (95%CI:0.66-0.85;p<0.0001)

Conclusion
We sought to quantify pre- and post-RT 18FDG-PET metrics of parotid glands in patients with OPC.
Temporal dynamics of PET-derived metrics can potentially serve as MIBs of RT-related xerostomia in concert with clinical and dosimetric variables.

Keywords: Xerostomia; FDG-PET; radiotherapy; imaging biomarkers; predictive model; head and neck cancer
Prediction of the coronavirus epidemic prevalence in quarantine conditions based on an approximate calculation model
Authors: Below Denis , Mairanowski Felix
Published: May 2020

A calculation model for predicting the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic under
quarantine conditions is proposed. The obtained simple analytical ratios allow
estimating the factors determining the intensity of the infection spread, including
changing requirements for quarantine severity. The presented method of forecasting
allows to calculate both the total number of infected persons and the number of active
infections. Comparison of the results of calculations according to the proposed model
with the statistics for a number of cities shows their satisfactory qualitative and
quantitative compliance. The proposed simple model can be useful in preliminary
assessment of possible consequences of changing quarantine conditions.
COVID-19: the key role of pulmonary capillary leakage. An observational cohort study
Authors: Wu Maddalena Alessandra , Fossali Tommaso , Pandolfi Laura , Carsana Luca , Ottolina Davide , Frangipane Vanessa , Rech Roberto , Tosoni Antonella , Agarossi Andrea , Cogliati Chiara , Meloni Federica , Marchini Beatrice , Nebuloni Manuela , Catena Emanuele , Colombo Riccardo
Published: May 2020

Background: COVID-19 induces progressive hypoxemic respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome, mostly due to a dysregulated inflammatory response. Since the first observations of COVID-19 patients, significant hypoalbuminemia was detected. This study aimed to investigate the hypothesis that hypoalbuminemia in COVID-19 patients is due to pulmonary capillary leakage and to test its correlation with indicators of respiratory function.
Methods: 174 COVID-19 patients, 92 admitted to the Intermediate Medicine ward (IMW), and 82 to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Luigi Sacco Hospital in Milan were included in this study.
Findings: Serum albumin concentration was decreased in the whole cohort, with ICU patients displaying lower values than IMW patients [20 (18-23) vs 28 (24-33) g/L, p<0.0001]. Lower albumin values were found in patients belonging to a more compromised group (lower PaO2 to FiO2 ratio and worst chest X-ray findings). In a subset of 26 patients, analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) highlighted high protein concentrations, which were correlated to Interleukin-8 and Interleukin-10 BALF concentration. The length of hospitalisation [20 (15-29) vs 8 (5-14) days, p<0.0001] and death rate (52.4% vs 21.7%, p<0.0001) were higher in ICU than in IMW patients, while a strict relation between hypoalbuminemia and 30 day-survival was detected in the whole cohort. Electron microscopy examinations of eight out of ten autopsy lung tissues showed diffuse loosening of interendothelial junctional complex.
Interpretation: The degree of hypoalbuminemia can be considered as a useful severity marker in hospitalised COVID-19 patients. Pulmonary capillary leak syndrome secondary to the hyperinflammatory state plays a key role in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 respiratory dysfunction and should be regarded as a therapeutic target.
Extension of a SIR model for modelling the propagation of Covid-19 in several countries.
Authors: Lavielle Marc , Faron Matthieu , lefevre jeremie , Zeitoun Jean-David
Published: May 2020

Background
Several epidemiologic models have been published to forecast the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic yet there are still uncertainties regarding their accuracy. We report the main features of the development of a novel freely accessible model intended to urgently help researchers and decision makers to predict the evolution of the pandemic in their country.
Methods and findings
We built a SIR-type compartmental model with additional compartments and features. We made the hypothesis that the number of contagious individuals in the population was negligible as compared to the population size. We introduced a compartment D corresponding to the deceased patients and a compartment L representing the group of individuals who will die but who will not infect anybody (due to social or medical isolation). Our model integrated a time-dependent transmission rate, whose variations can be thought to be related to the public measures taken by each country and a cosine function to incorporate a periodic weekly component linked to the way in which numbers of cases and deaths are counted and reported, which can change from day to day.
The model was able to accurately capture the different changes in the dynamics of the pandemic for nine different countries whatever the type of pandemic spread or containment measures. The model provided very accurate forecasts in the relatively short term (10 days).

Conclusions
In early evaluation of the performance of our model, we found a high level of accuracy between prediction and observed data, regardless of the country. The model should be used by the community to help public health decisions as we will refine it over time and further investigate its performance.
Modelling to Predict Hospital Bed Requirements for Covid-19 Patients in California
Authors: Basu Santanu
Published: May 2020

A model to predict hospital bed requirements six weeks in advance to treat Covid-19 patients in California is presented. The model also gives prediction for number of cases and deaths during the same period. The model is versatile and can be applied to other countries and regions as well.
A structured model for COVID-19 spread: modelling age and healthcare inequities
Authors: James A. , Plank M. J. , Binny R. N. , Lustig A. , Hannah K. , Hendy S. C. , Steyn N.
Published: May 2020

We use a stochastic branching process model, structured by age and level of healthcare access, to look at the heterogeneous spread of COVID-19 within a population. We examine the effect of control scenarios targeted at particular groups, such as school closures or social distancing by older people. Although we currently lack detailed empirical data about contact and infection rates between age groups and groups with different levels of healthcare access within New Zealand, these scenarios illustrate how such evidence could be used to inform specific interventions. We find that an increase in the transmission rates amongst children from reopening schools is unlikely to significantly increase the number of cases, unless this is accompanied by a change in adult behaviour. We also find that there is a risk of undetected outbreaks occurring in communities that have low access to healthcare and that are socially isolated from more privileged communities. The greater the degree of inequity and extent of social segregation, the longer it will take before any outbreaks are detected. Well-established evidence for health inequities, particularly in accessing primary healthcare and testing, indicates that Maori and Pacific peoples are at higher risk of undetected outbreaks in Aotearoa New Zealand. This highlights the importance of ensuring that community needs for access to healthcare, including early proactive testing, rapid contact tracing, and the ability to isolate, are being met equitably. Finally, these scenarios illustrate how information concerning contact and infection rates across different demographic groups may be useful in informing specific policy interventions.
Prevalence of facemask use among general public when visiting wet market during Covid-19 pandemic: An observational study.
Authors: Gunasekaran Gobi Hariyanayagam , Gunasekaran Sera Selvanthan Sundram , Gunasekaran Shargunan Selvanthan , Zaimi Nur Syafina Insyirah , Abdul Halim Nor Amirah
Published: May 2020

Background
In late December 2019, an outbreak of a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19; previously known as 2019-nCoV) was epidemiologically linked to seafood and wet animal wholesale market in Wuhan, Hubei, China. This has instigated stigma among the general population as the wet market is viewed as a high-risk location for getting infected with coronavirus.

Objective
This study investigated the prevalence of facemask use among general population visiting the wet market. This study also investigated the demographic factors contributing to unacceptable facemask practice.

Setting
This prospective observational study was done among visitor to a district wet market selling range of live or freshly slaughtered animals during COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

Methods
Individuals entering through dedicated entry point were observed for the type, category and practice of wearing personal protective equipment. Inclusion criteria for this study were any individuals entering the wet market. Subjects were categorized into two groups of acceptable and unacceptable facemask practice. The Pearson chi-square was used to test for differences in investigated variables in the univariate setting and Binary Logistic regression model was used in the multivariate setting.

Main outcome measure
Prevalence, acceptance practice and odds ratio of unacceptance of facemask use.

Results
Among 1697 individuals included in the final analysis, 1687 (99.7%) was observed wearing facemask with 1338 (78.8%) using medical-grade facemask. Among them, 1615 (95.7%) individuals facemask practice was acceptable while the reaming 72 (4.3%) individuals were observed with unacceptable facemask practice. Individuals using medical-grade facemask and high-risk age group are 6.4 times (OR=6.40; 95% CI, 2.00-20.43; p=.002) and 2.06 times practice (OR=2.06; 95% CI, 1.08-3.94; p=.028). More likely to practice unacceptable facemask use respectively.

Conclusion
High saturation of facemask among the general population is an adequate indicator of public hygiene measures strategy which can help to mitigate the COVID-19 epidemic impact. Alarmingly, the unacceptable facemask practice among high-risk population raises the need for a targeted approach by healthcare authorities to ensure satisfactory facemask use.
The PAXFOXO1s trigger fast trans-differentiation of chick embryonic neural cells into alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma with tissue invasive properties limited by S phase entry inhibition
Authors: Gonzalez Curto Gloria , Der Vartanian Audrey , Frarma Youcef , Manceau Line , Baldi Lorenzo , Prisco Selene , Elarouci Nabila , Causeret Frédéric , Rigolet Muriel , Aurade Frédéric , De Reynies Aurélien , Contremoulins Vincent , Relaix Frédéric , Faklaris Orestis , Briscoe James , Gilardi-Hebenstreit Pascale , Ribes Vanessa
Published: May 2020

The chromosome translocations generating PAX3FOXO1 and PAX7FOXO1 chimeric proteins are the primary hallmarks of the paediatric cancer, Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS). Despite the ability of these transcription factors to remodel chromatin landscapes and promote the expression of tumour driver genes, they only inefficiently promote malignant transformationin vivo. The reason for this is unclear. To address this, we developed anin ovomodel to follow the response of spinal cord progenitors to PAXFOXO1s. Our data demonstrate that PAXFOXO1s, but not wild-type PAX3 and PAX7, trigger the trans-differentiation of neural cells into ARMS-like cells with myogenic characteristics. In parallel expression of PAXFOXO1s remodels the neural pseudo-stratified epithelium into a cohesive mesenchyme capable of tissue invasion. Surprisingly, gain for PAXFOXO1s, as for wild-type PAX3/7, reduces the levels of CDK-CYCLIN activity and arrests cells in G1. Introduction of CYCLIN D1 or MYCN overcomes PAXFOXO1s mediated cell cycle inhibition and promotes tumour growth. Together, our findings reveal a mechanism underpinning the apparent limited oncogenicity of PAXFOXO1 fusion transcription factors and support a neural origin for ARMS.
A unique arginine cluster in PolDIP2 enhances nucleotide binding and DNA synthesis by PrimPol
Authors: Kasho Kazutoshi , Stojkovič Gorazd , Velázquez-Ruiz Cristina , Martínez-Jiménez Maria Isabel , Laurent Timothée , Pérez-Rivera Aldo E. , Jenninger Louise , Blanco Luis , Wanrooij Sjoerd
Published: May 2020

Replication forks often stall at damaged DNA. Resumption of DNA synthesis can occur by replacement of the replicative DNA polymerase with specialized, error-prone translesion DNA polymerases (TLS), that have higher tolerance for damaged substrates. Several of these polymerases (Polλ, Polη and PrimPol) are stimulated in DNA synthesis through interaction with PolDIP2, however the mechanism of this PolDIP2-dependent stimulation is still unclear. Here we show that PrimPol uses a flexible loop to interact with the C-terminal ApaG-like domain of PolDIP2, and that this contact is essential for PrimPol’s enhanced processivity. PolDIP2 increases PrimPol’s primer-template and dNTP binding affinity, which concomitantly enhances PrimPol’s nucleotide incorporation efficiency. This activity is dependent on a unique arginine cluster in PolDIP2 and could be essential for PrimPol to functionin vivo, since the polymerase activity of PrimPol alone is very limited. This mechanism, where the affinity for dNTPs gets increased by PolDIP2 binding, could be common to all other PolDIP2-interacting TLS polymerases, i.e. Polλ, Polη, Polζ and REV1, and might be critical for theirin vivofunction of tolerating DNA lesions at physiological nucleotide concentrations.
Bioinformatic analysis for the identification of potential gene interactions and therapeutic targets in atrial fibrillation
Authors: Yu Shandong , Yu Jinyu , Guo Yong , Chu Yanpeng , Zhang Heping
Published: May 2020

Background

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent tachycardia. The major injuries caused by AF are systemic embolism and heart failure. Although AF therapies have evolved substantially in recent years, the success rate of sinus rhythm maintenance is relatively low. The reason is the incomplete understanding of the AF mechanisms.

Material and method

In this study, profiles were downloaded from the GEO database (GSE79762). Bioinformatic analysis was used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). GO analysis and KEGG analysis were performed to identify the most enriched terms and pathways. A protein-protein interaction network was constructed to determine regulatory genes. Key modules and hub genes were identified by MOCDE and cytoHubba. Transcription factors (TFs) were predicted by PASTAA.

Results

Seventy-seven up-regulated DEGs and 236 downregulated DEGs were identified. In the GO biological process, cellular components, and molecular function analysis, positive regulation of cell migration, anchoring junction and cell adhesion molecule binding were the most significant enrichment terms. The Hippo signaling pathway was the most significantly enriched pathway. In the PPI network analysis, we found that Class A/1 (rhodopsin-like receptors) may be the critical module in AF. Ten hub genes were extracted, including 4 upregulated genes and 6 downregulated genes. CXCR2, TLR4 and CXCR4 may play critical roles in AF. In TF prediction, we found that Irf-1 may be implicated in AF.

Conclusion

Our study found that the CXCR4, TLR4, CXCR2; Hippo signaling pathway; and class A/1 (rhodopsin-like receptors) modules may play critical roles in AF occurrence and maintenance. This may provide novel targets for AF treatment.
Temperature variability alters the stability and thresholds for collapse of interacting species
Authors: Dee Laura E. , Okamtoto Daniel , Gårdmark Anna , Montoya Jose M. , Miller Steve J.
Published: May 2020

Temperature variability and extremes can have profound impacts on populations and ecological communities. Predicting impacts of thermal variability poses a challenge because it has both direct physiological effects and indirect effects through species interactions. In addition, differences in thermal performance between predators and prey and non-linear averaging of temperature-dependent performance can result in complex and counterintuitive population dynamics in response to climate change. Yet the combined consequences of these effects remain underexplored. Here, modeling temperature-dependent predator-prey dynamics, we study how changes in temperature variability affect population size, collapse, and stable coexistence of both predator and prey, relative to under constant environments or warming alone. We find that the effects of temperature variation on interacting species can lead to a diversity of outcomes, from predator collapse to stable coexistence, depending on interaction strengths and differences in species’ thermal performance. Temperature variability also alters predictions about population collapse – in some cases allowing predators to persist for longer than predicted when considering warming alone, and in others accelerating collapse. To inform management responses that are robust to future climates with increasing temperature variability and extremes, we need to incorporate the consequences of temperature variation in complex ecosystems.
DDRP: real-time phenology and climatic suitability modeling of invasive insects
Authors: Barker Brittany S. , Coop Leonard , Wepprich Tyson , Grevstad Fritzi , Cook Gericke
Published: May 2020

Rapidly detecting and responding to new invasive species and the spread of those that are already established is essential for reducing their potential threat to food production, the economy, and the environment. We describe a new multi-species spatial modeling platform that integrates mapping of phenology and climatic suitability in real-time to provide timely and comprehensive guidance for stakeholders needing to know both where and when invasive insect species could potentially invade the conterminous United States. The Degree-Days, Risk, and Phenological event mapping (DDRP) platform serves as an open-source and relatively easy-to-parameterize decision support tool to help detect new invasive threats, schedule monitoring and management actions, optimize biological control, and predict potential impacts on agricultural production. DDRP uses a process-based modeling approach in which degree-days and temperature stress are calculated daily and accumulate over time to model phenology and climatic suitability, respectively. Products include predictions of the number of completed generations, life stages present, dates of phenological events, and climatically suitable areas based on two levels of climate stress. Species parameter values can be derived from laboratory and field studies, and from published and newly fitted CLIMEX models. DDRP is written entirely in R, making it flexible and extensible, and capitalizes on multiple R packages to generate gridded and graphical outputs. We illustrate the DDRP modeling platform and the process of model parameterization using two invasive insect species as example threats to United States agriculture: the light brown apple moth,Epiphyas postvittana, and the small tomato borer,Neoleucinodes elegantalis.We then discuss example applications of DDRP as a decision support tool, review its potential limitations and sources of model error, and outline some ideas for future improvements to the platform.
PoSeiDon: a Nextflow pipeline for the detection of evolutionary recombination events and positive selection
Authors: Hölzer Martin , Marz Manja
Published: May 2020

PoSeiDon is an easy-to-use pipeline that helps researchers to find recombination events and sites under positive selection in protein-coding sequences. By entering homologous sequences, PoSeiDon builds an alignment, estimates a best-fitting substitution model, and performs a recombination analysis followed by the construction of all corresponding phylogenies. Finally, significantly positive selected sites are detected according to different models for the full alignment and possible recombination fragments. The results of PoSeiDon are summarized in a user-friendly HTML page providing all intermediate results and the graphical representation of recombination events and positively selected sites.

Availability and implementation

PoSeiDon is freely available athttps://github.com/hoelzer/poseidon. The pipeline is implemented in Nextflow with Docker support and processes the output of various tools.

Contact

hoelzer.martin@gmail.com
Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation of Voluntary Movement-related Cortical Activity in Humans
Authors: Yu Kai , Liu Chang , Niu Xiaodan , He Bin
Published: May 2020

Transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) is an emerging non-invasive brain stimulation tool for safely and reversibly modulating brain circuits. The effectiveness of tFUS on human brain has been demonstrated, but how tFUS influences the human voluntary motor processing in the brain remains unclear. We apply low-intensity tFUS to modulate the movement-related cortical potential (MRCP) originating from human subjects practicing a voluntary foot tapping task. 64-channel electroencephalograph (EEG) is recorded concurrently and further used to reconstruct the brain source activity specifically at the primary leg motor cortical area using the electrophysiological source imaging (ESI). The ESI illustrates the ultrasound modulated MRCP source dynamics with high spatiotemporal resolutions. The MRCP source is imaged and its source profile is further evaluated for assessing the tFUS neuromodulatory effects on the voluntary MRCP. Moreover, the effect of ultrasound pulse repetition frequency (UPRF) is further assessed in modulating the MRCP. ESI results show that tFUS significantly increases the MRCP source profile amplitude (MSPA) comparing to a sham ultrasound condition, and further, a high UPRF enhances the MSPA more than a low UPRF. This work provides the first evidence of tFUS enhancing the human voluntary movement-related cortical activity through excitatory modulation.
Recapitulation of human embryonic heart beating to promote differentiation of hepatic endoderm to hepatoblasts
Authors: Yoshimoto Koki , Minier Nicholas , Imamura Satoshi , Stocking Kaylene , Patel Janmesh , Terada Shiho , Kamei Ken-ichiro
Published: May 2020

A microfluidic platform recapitulating human embryonic heart beat improves the functionalization state of hepatocytes derived from hepatic endoderm (HE). Mechanical stretching of mimicked heart beats was applied to HE cells cultured on the microfluidic platform. Stimulated HE-derived hepatoblasts increased cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) metabolic activities and hepatoblast functional markers expression, leading for advancement of regenerative medicine and drug screening.