bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cognition and motor phenotypes in ALS: a retrospective study
Authors: Aiello Edoardo Nicolò , Pain Debora , Radici Alice , Aktipi Kalliopi Marinou , Sideri Riccardo , Appollonio Ildebrando , Mora Gabriele
Published: May 2022

Background

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is phenotypically heterogeneous in motor manifestations, and the extent of upper vs. lower motor neuron involvement is a widespread descriptor. This study aimed to examine cognition across different ALS motor phenotypes.

Methods

ALS patients (N = 124) were classified as classical (N = 66), bulbar (N = 13), predominant-upper motor neuron (PUMN; N = 19), and predominant-lower motor neuron (PLMN; N = 26) phenotypes. Cognition was assessed with the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural ALS Screen (ECAS) and function with the ALS Functional Rating Scale—Revised (ALSFRS-R). Revised ALS-FTD consensus criteria were applied for cognitive/behavioral phenotyping.

Results

Defective ECAS-total scores were detected in all groups — bulbar: 15.4%, classical: 30.3%, PLMN: 23.1%, and PUMN: 36.8%. Classical and PUMN ALS patients performed worse than PLMN ones on ECAS-total, ALS-specific, Fluency, and Executive measures. No other difference was detected. Worse ASLFRS-R scores correlated with poorer ECAS-total scores in classical ALS patients.

Conclusions

Frontotemporal cognitive deficits are more prevalent in PUMN and classical ALS and linked to disease severity in the latter, but occur also in PLMN phenotypes.
Effect of spdC gene expression on virulence and antibiotic resistance in clinical Staphylococcus aureus isolates
Authors: Bakr Mayada E. , Kashef Mona T. , Hosny Alaa El-Dien M. S. , Ramadan Mohammed A.
Published: May 2022

Surface protein display C (SpdC) protein was described as a novel virulence factor of Staphylococcus aureus that affects biofilm formation and pathogenesis and favors resistance to antimicrobials targeting cell wall. We evaluated the possible correlation between spdC gene expression level and virulence as well as antibiotic resistance phenotypes in S. aureus clinical isolates. The antimicrobial susceptibility of S. aureus clinical isolates (n = 100) was determined by the disk diffusion method. Vancomycin susceptibility was determined by the broth microdilution method. The level of the extracellular proteases and delta-hemolysin was evaluated by measuring the proteolysis and hemolysis zone diameters in skim milk and blood agar plates, respectively. Biofilm formation was assayed using the 96-well microtiter plate method. Most of the isolates (81%) were multidrug-resistant and about half of the isolates (49%) were methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Hemolysin, protease, and biofilm production were detectable in 79%, 71%, and 96% of the isolates. No significant correlation was detectable between the level of spdC gene expression and the activity of tested virulence factors or the antimicrobial resistance phenotype. Therefore, the role of SpdC protein as a virulence regulator in S. aureus needs further evaluation together with the determination of the predominant regulators for each virulence factor.
Potential effects of heavy metal pollution from a cement factory near Saudi Arabia’s largest green turtle rookery
Authors: Tanabe Lyndsey K. , Carvalho Susana , Dasari Vijayalaxmi , Nasif Areen , O’Toole Kaitlyn A. , Berumen Michael L.
Published: May 2022

Sand samples were collected from four beaches near a cement factory in Ras Baridi, north of Yanbu, which hosts the largest green turtle rookery in Saudi Arabia. Heavy metal concentrations (Cd, Pb, Fe, Cr, Ni, Se, Sb, As, and Cu) were measured at three different depths. For most elements, there were no significant differences in concentrations among depths; however, significant differences were found among the nesting beaches in Ras Baridi, which were likely influenced by the wind direction from the factory. Fe, Cr, Cu, and Ni had elevated contamination factor values, suggesting that the nesting beaches downwind and adjacent to the cement factory contained moderately contaminated sand. Given the possibility of heavy metals being absorbed through eggshells, there is a potential risk of heavy metal contamination in clutches laid in Ras Baridi. The rising threat to the local ecology in Saudi Arabia due to recent coastal developments for tourism projects highlights the importance of monitoring heavy metal concentrations over time.
Mapping and Making Meaning from Undergraduate Student Engagement in High-Impact Educational Practices
Authors: Trogden Bridget G. , Kennedy Cazembe , Biyani Nathan K.
Published: May 2022

Institutions of higher education often have multiple entry points for first-time and transfer college students to engage in high-impact educational practices (HIPs), well documented to advance student learning outcomes. Some students may seek out repeated opportunities while others engage very little or not at all in activities such as student-faculty research, study abroad, internships, first-year cohort programs, service-learning, and the like. When institutions maintain decentralized data and records on students’ participation, obtaining a true understanding of the "who, what, when, and where" of HIPs can be difficult. In this paper, we present an institutional strategy for longitudinal collection of data for nearly 5,000 entering students across six years and nine different categories of HIPs, and we discuss the opportunities and implications of performing such a study. Additionally, we provide examples of how disaggregation of student data is crucial for using the results to improve curriculum and resource alignment for institutional research and institutional change purposes, supporting the goal of inclusive and equitable college engagement portfolios for all students.
Removal of lindane using electrokinetic soil flushing coupled with air stripping
Authors: de Melo Henrique João Miller , Isidro Julia , Saez Cristina , Dos Santos Elisama V. , Rodrigo Manuel A.
Published: May 2022

This paper evaluates the remediation of soil spiked with lindane using a combined treatment consisting of electrokinetic soil flushing (EKSF) with air stripping to elucidate the main processes occurring in the soil when electric fields of 0.75 V cm−1 and 1.50 V cm−1 are applied. The results demonstrate that lindane is efficiently transported to the anodic and cathodic wells using flushing fluids containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Additionally, an important amount is volatilized and stripped with the injected air. In the cathodic well, lindane is rapidly transformed into other species because of the strongly alkaline media. These other species are also found in the portions of soil next to this well, confirming the efficient transport of chlorinated organics with SDS. After 14 days of operation, nearly 50% of the spiked lindane can be removed from the soil. Operation with large electric fields does not improve the performance of the treatment technology and results in lower current intensities and electro-osmotic fluxes and in higher evaporated water, despite the water content in the soil matrix, indicating the coexistence of multiple inputs in these processes.

Graphical abstract
Innovating teaching and instruction in turbulent times: The dynamics of principals’ exploration and exploitation activities
Authors: Pietsch Marcus , Tulowitzki Pierre , Cramer Colin
Published: May 2022

In turbulent environments, schools have to adapt to constantly changing conditions. According to ambidexterity theory, whether they are successful in this primarily depends on their leaders and how they manage the tension between the use of current knowledge (exploitation) and the search for new knowledge (exploration). Through unique top-down and bottom-up pathways, they thus influence the innovation outcome of a school. However, it is so far unclear whether these assumptions are correct. Using data from a panel of principals who are representative of Germany and were surveyed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, we therefore investigate if and how school leaders adapted to the turbulent environment caused by the pandemic and evaluate the extent to which this had an impact on their schools’ innovations in teaching and instruction. The results demonstrate that principals’ exploration activities increased markedly during the pandemic, while their exploitation activities decreased noticeably. Further, a focus on the use and refinement of existing knowledge in comparatively predictable (pre-COVID-19) environments harmed principals’ readiness to explore new knowledge in increasingly uncertain environments. Nevertheless, exploitation had positive consequences for the innovativeness of schools, and exploration goes along with more radical innovations in teaching and instruction. Our research suggests that schools that innovatively addressed the COVID-19 pandemic had school leaders who were able to quickly shift between the two modes of exploitation and exploration. A capacity to transition seamlessly between these modes of thinking and working thus appears to be vital for the longevity of schools.
Individual Differences in Conversational Self-Touch Frequency Correlate with State Anxiety
Authors: Pang Hio Tong , Canarslan Feride , Chu Mingyuan
Published: May 2022

Self-touches are frequently performed in everyday conversations. Although self-touch appears to relate to itching skin sensations or grooming needs, there has been cumulating evidence that the production of self-touch is associated with emotional regulation and cognitive control. Yet, individuals vary greatly in how often they perform self-touch in conversations. The present study investigated how individuals’ anxiety levels (i.e., state and trait anxiety), personality traits (i.e., neuroticism, agreeableness, extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness), and inhibition ability can contribute to the individual differences in conversational self-touch frequency. Spontaneous self-touch was elicited from a hundred and twenty-seven participants in an animated cartoon description task and a social dilemma-solving task. Results from the correlational analysis showed that the self-touch frequency was significantly positively related to individuals’ state and trait anxiety levels and their neuroticism scores but was significantly negatively related to their agreeableness scores. However, when all predictor variables were entered simultaneously into a multiple regression analysis, the result showed that the state anxiety score was the only significant predictor of the conversational self-touch frequency. This result is consistent with the proposal that self-touch behaviors are produced to regulate negative emotional states such as anxiety and stress. The findings of the present study shed new light on the function of self-touch behaviors in conversations, and highlight the importance of using a broad correlational approach with simultaneous consideration of multiple predictors in future research aiming to understand individual differences in self-touch behaviors.
On a Generalized Central Limit Theorem and Large Deviations for Homogeneous Open Quantum Walks
Authors: Carbone Raffaella , Girotti Federico , Melchor Hernandez Anderson
Published: May 2022

We consider homogeneous open quantum walks on a lattice with finite dimensional local Hilbert space and we study in particular the position process of the quantum trajectories of the walk. We prove that the properly rescaled position process asymptotically approaches a mixture of Gaussian measures. We can generalize the existing central limit type results and give more explicit expressions for the involved asymptotic quantities, dropping any additional condition on the walk. We use deformation and spectral techniques, together with reducibility properties of the local channel associated with the open quantum walk. Further, we can provide a large deviation principle in the case of a fast recurrent local channel and at least lower and upper bounds in the general case.
Antimicrobial peptides: features, applications and the potential use against covid-19
Authors: Mabrouk Dalia Mamdouh
Published: May 2022

Background

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a diverse class of molecules that represent a vital part of innate immunity. AMPs are evolutionarily conserved molecules that exhibit structural and functional diversity. They provide a possible solution to the antibiotic-resistance crisis.

Main text

These small cationic peptides can target bacteria, fungi, and viruses, as well as cancer cells. Their unique action mechanisms, rare antibiotic-resistant variants, broad-spectrum activity, low toxicity, and high specificity encourage pharmaceutical industries to conduct clinical trials to develop them as therapeutic drugs. The rapid development of computer-assisted strategies accelerated the identification of AMPs. The Antimicrobial Peptide Database (APD) so far contains 3324 AMPs from different sources. In addition to their applications in different fields, some AMPs demonstrated the potential to combat COVID-19, and hinder viral infectivity in diverse ways.

Conclusions

This review provides a brief history of AMPs and their features, including classification, evolution, sources and mechanisms of action, biosynthesis pathway, and identification techniques. Furthermore, their different applications, challenges to clinical applications, and their potential use against COVID-19 are presented.
One-dimensional pattern generation by cellular automata
Authors: Kutrib Martin , Malcher Andreas
Published: May 2022

To determine the computational capacity of cellular automata they are often investigated towards their ability to accept formal languages within certain time constraints. In this paper, we take up an opposite position and look at cellular automata towards their ability to generate patterns, within certain time constraints. As an example we describe a construction of a cellular automaton that generates prefixes of the Oldenburger–Kolakoski sequence within real time. Furthermore, we study the real-time generation of unary and non-unary patterns in depth. In the unary case, we obtain a characterization by time-constructible functions and their corresponding unary formal languages. In the non-unary case, we provide constructions that generate any arbitrary given properly thin context-free language as well as all prefixes of any given automatic sequence.
Acceptability of Overdose Prevention Sites in the Business Community in Baltimore, Maryland
Authors: Sherman Susan G. , Rouhani Saba , White Rebecca Hamilton , Weicker Noelle , Morris Miles , Schneider Kristin , Park Ju Nyeong , Barry Colleen
Published: May 2022

Intervetions are urgently needed to reduce the trajectory of the US opioid overdose epidemic, yet implementation is often hampered by resistance or opposition from key community stakeholders. While businesses are economically and physically impacted by the opioid epidemic, they are rarely engaged in efforts to reduce its impact. The establishment of overdose prevention sites (OPS) is being discussed throughout many US jurisdictions with limited attention to the potential positive role of businesses in that process. We surveyed business owners and employees of businesses located in neighborhoods with concentrated drug markets. The study’s primary aim was to examine their attitudes to locally-placed OPS. An iterative, two-phase sampling strategy was used to identify recruitment zones. In person (December 2019–March 2020) and telephone-based (April–July 2020) surveys were administered to distinct business owners and employees (N = 149). Sixty-five percent of participants supported OPS in their neighborhood and 47% had recently witnessed an overdose in or around their workplace. While 70% had heard of naloxone, and 38% reported having it on the premises. Correlates of supporting an OPS locally included living in the same neighborhood as work (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.99, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.30–3.05); having a more positive attitude towards people who use drugs (aOR 1.33, 95% CI: 1.13–1.58); and having recently seen an overdose in/around the workplace (aOR 2.86, 95% CI: 1.11–7.32). Lack of support being an owner (aOR 0.35, 95% CI: 0.15–0.83). These data indicate the extent to which businesses are directly impacted by the opioid epidemic and the power of personal experience in shaping OPS support in advocacy efforts.
Revisiting the Internationalization-Performance Relationship: A Twenty-Year Meta-Analysis of Emerging Market Multinationals
Authors: Wu Sihong , Fan Di , Chen Liang
Published: May 2022

With the rapid growth of emerging market multinational enterprises (EMNEs), increasing interest has been focused on exploring the internationalization-performance (I-P) relationship of EMNEs. Yet findings on the relationship remain contradictory. Although researchers emphasize the home-country-bounded nature of EMNEs, less is known about how home-government features and the EMNEs’ political mindset affect their internationalization and performance. This study integrates and extends the literature on the I-P relationship of EMNEs using a meta-analysis covering a dataset of 218 effect sizes from 186 retrieved studies published between 1998 and 2021. Findings show that the I-P relationship is overall positive, yet it varies across diverse research designs and emerging markets and regions. Also, our findings indicate that home-country government quality and transformability exert significant positive impacts on the relationship, while nationalism negatively moderates the government’s impacts on the relationship. This study pushes the boundaries of EMNE literature through conceptualizing home-government features and incorporating consideration of nationalism in this research field.
A Margulian View of Symbiosis and Speciation: the Nasonia Wasp System
Authors: Bell Kara , Bordenstein Seth R.
Published: May 2022

Species are fundamental units of biology that exemplify lineage diversification, while symbiosis of microbes and macrobial hosts exemplify lineage unification between the domains of life. While these conceptual differences between speciation and symbiosis often dominate the narrative of the respective fields, Lynn Margulis argued for interconnection between these two subdisciplines of biology in a manner that left a legacy for scholars and students alike to pursue, detail, and discover. The Margulian perspective has always been that host evolutionary processes such as speciation are more impacted by microbial symbioses than typically appreciated. In this article, we present and review the case system that she long envisioned, one in which layers of microbial symbiosis reduce species interbreeding and assist species diversification among a closely related group of small, metallic green, parasitoid wasps from the genus Nasonia.
MoNA: A Forensic Analysis Platform for Mobile Communication
Authors: Spranger Michael , Xi Jian , Jaeckel Lukas , Felser Jenny , Labudde Dirk
Published: May 2022

Mobile communication devices are a popular means of planning, commissioning and carrying out criminal offenses. In particular, data from messengers such as WhatsApp or Telegram often contain conclusive information. Organized crime also usually involves many devices, but not all of them contain the full history of communication. Rather, it is heavily fragmented due to individual deletions of messages or different joining times to groups. A singular evaluation of individual devices is therefore often not expedient, since important relationships cannot be recognized. Furthermore, communication is often distributed across different channels and modalities and can only be fully and correctly understood through a joint semantic analysis. The linking of related communications of different devices enables an almost complete reconstruction of the communication with a simultaneous reduction in reading effort by merging identical messages. Grouping coherent messages into conversations enables efficient comparison with a knowledge model. Building such a model is complex, but can be supported by a term recommender system. In this paper, MoNA is presented as a platform that implements these approaches and enables an assisted analysis of mobile communications.
Smoke pollution must be part of the savanna fire management equation: A case study from Darwin, Australia
Authors: Jones Penelope J. , Furlaud James M. , Williamson Grant J. , Johnston Fay H. , Bowman David M. J. S.
Published: May 2022

Savanna fire management is a topic of global debate, with early dry season burning promoted as a large-scale emissions reduction opportunity. To date, discussions have centred on carbon abatement efficacy, biodiversity and cultural benefits and/or risks. Here we use a case study of Darwin, Australia to highlight smoke pollution as another critical consideration. Smoke pollution from savanna fires is a major public health issue, yet absent so far from discussions of program design. Here, we assess the likely impacts of increased early dry season burning on smoke pollution in Darwin between 2004 and 2019, spanning the introduction and expansion of carbon abatement programs. We found increased smoke pollution in the early dry season but little change in the late dry season, contributing to a net annual increase in air quality standard exceedances. Geospatial analysis suggests this relates to increased burning in the path of early dry season trade winds. This study highlights the complex health trade-offs involved with any large-scale prescribed burning, including for carbon abatement.
Trusting social robots
Authors: Sweeney Paula
Published: May 2022

In this paper, I argue that we need a more robust account of our ability and willingness to trust social robots. I motivate my argument by demonstrating that existing accounts of trust and of trusting social robots are inadequate. I identify that it is the feature of a façade or deception inherent in our engagement with social robots that both facilitates, and is in danger of undermining, trust. Finally, I utilise the fictional dualism model of social robots to clarify that trust in social robots, unlike trust in humans, must rely on an independent judgement of product reliability.
First Glimpse of Gut Microbiota of Quarantine Insects in China
Authors: Yu Yanxue , Wang Qi , Zhou Ping , Lv Na , Li Wei , Zhao Fangqing , Zhu Shuifang , Liu Di
Published: May 2022

Quarantine insects are economically important pests that frequently invade new habitats. A rapid and accurate monitoring method to trace the geographical sources of invaders is required for their prevention, detection, and eradication. Current methods based on genetics are typically time-consuming. Here, we developed a novel tracing method based on insect gut microbiota. The source location of the insect gut microbiota can be used to rapidly determine the geographical origin of the insect. We analyzed 179 gut microbiota samples from 591 individuals of 22 quarantine insect species collected from 36 regions in China. The gut microbiota of these insects primarily included Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Tenericutes. The diversity of the insect gut microbiota was closely associated with geographical and environmental factors. Different insect species could be distinguished based on the composition of gut microbiota at the phylum level. Populations of individual insect species from different regions could be distinguished based on the composition of gut microbiota at the phylum, class, and order levels. A method for determining the geographical origins of invasive insect species has been established; however, its practical application requires further investigations before implementation.
Global Warming of 1.5°C
Authors: IPCC
Published: May 2022

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the leading international body for assessing the science related to climate change. It provides regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation. This IPCC Special Report is a comprehensive assessment of our understanding of global warming of 1.5°C, future climate change, potential impacts and associated risks, emission pathways, and system transitions consistent with 1.5°C global warming, and strengthening the global response to climate change in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty. It serves policymakers, decision makers, stakeholders and all interested parties with unbiased, up-to-date, policy-relevant information. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
The Dark Side of Status at Work: Perceived Status Importance, Envy, and Interpersonal Deviance
Authors: den Nieuwenboer Niki A. , Kish-Gephart Jennifer J. , Treviño Linda K. , Peng Ann C. , Reychav Iris
Published: May 2022

Organizations differ in the extent to which they emphasize the importance of status, yet most extant research on the role of status at work has utilized a limited view of status as merely a matter of a person’s status rank. In contrast, we examine people’s perceptions of the extent to which having status matters in their work context and explore the behavioral implications of such perceptions. We offer a new construct, perceived status importance, defined as employees’ subjective assessment of the degree to which people within their organization are preoccupied with status. Relying on social comparison theory, we propose that higher perceived status importance triggers envy, which leads to interpersonal deviance. Across three studies, using multiwave survey and experimental designs, we find support for these relationships. We also find support for the mitigating influence of core self-evaluations on the perceived status importance—envy relationship. Implications are discussed.
The Power of Relics: The Curation of Human Bone in British Bronze Age Burials
Authors: Brück Joanna , Booth Thomas J.
Published: May 2022

In this article, the authors examine radiocarbon, histo-taphonomic, and contextual evidence for the deliberate curation, manipulation, and redeposition of human bone in British Bronze Age mortuary contexts. New radiocarbon dates and histological analyses are combined with existing data to explore the processes and practices that resulted in the incorporation of ‘relic’ fragments of bone in later graves, including evidence for the deliberate re-opening of previous burials and for funerary treatments such as excarnation and mummification. In some cases, fragments of human bone were curated outside the mortuary context. The authors consider what the treatment of human remains reveals about mortuary complexity in the Bronze Age, about relations between the living and the dead, and about attitudes to the body and concepts of the self.
Garden of Eden and weakly periodic points for certain expansive actions of groups
Authors: DOUCHA MICHAL
Published: May 2022

We present several applications of the weak specification property and certain topological Markov properties, recently introduced by Barbieri, García-Ramos, and Li [Markovian properties of continuous group actions: algebraic actions, entropy and the homoclinic group. Adv. Math.397 (2022), 52], and implied by the pseudo-orbit tracing property, for general expansive group actions on compact spaces. First we show that any expansive action of a countable amenable group on a compact metrizable space satisfying the weak specification and strong topological Markov properties satisfies the Moore property, that is, every surjective endomorphism of such dynamical system is pre-injective. This together with an earlier result of Li (where the strong topological Markov property is not needed) of the Myhill property [Garden of Eden and specification. Ergod. Th. & Dynam. Sys.39 (2019), 3075–3088], which we also re-prove here, establishes the Garden of Eden theorem for all expansive actions of countable amenable groups on compact metrizable spaces satisfying the weak specification and strong topological Markov properties. We hint how to easily generalize this result even for uncountable amenable groups and general compact, not necessarily metrizable, spaces. Second, we generalize the recent result of Cohen [The large scale geometry of strongly aperiodic subshifts of finite type. Adv. Math.308 (2017), 599–626] that any subshift of finite type of a finitely generated group having at least two ends has weakly periodic points. We show that every expansive action of such a group having a certain Markov topological property, again implied by the pseudo-orbit tracing property, has a weakly periodic point. If it has additionally the weak specification property, the set of such points is dense.
Contactless rebound of elastic bodies in a viscous incompressible fluid
Authors: Gravina G. , Schwarzacher S. , Souček O. , Tůma K.
Published: May 2022

In this paper, we investigate the phenomenon of particle rebound in a viscous incompressible fluid environment. We focus on the important case of no-slip boundary conditions, where it is now well established that collisions cannot occur in finite time under certain assumptions. In a simplified framework, we provide conditions which allow us to prove that rebound is possible even in the absence of a topological contact. Our results lead to the conjecture that a qualitative change in the shape of the solid is necessary to obtain a physically meaningful rebound in fluids. We support the conjecture by comparing numerical simulations performed for the reduced model with finite element solutions obtained for corresponding well-established partial differential equation systems describing elastic solids interacting with incompressible fluids.
A high-fibre personalised dietary advice given via a web tool reduces constipation complaints in adults
Authors: Rijnaarts Iris , de Roos Nicole M. , Wang Taojun , Zoetendal Erwin G. , Top Jan , Timmer Marielle , Hogenelst Koen , Bouwman Emily P. , Witteman Ben , de Wit Nicole
Published: May 2022

Constipation can greatly impact the quality of life (QoL), which can be relieved by dietary fibres; however, preserving a higher fibre intake remains a challenge. We investigated the effects of a personalised dietary advice (PDA) on fibre intake and mild constipation complaints. A total number of twenty-five adults with mild constipation complaints were included in a 4-week observation period followed by a 4-week personalised intervention. The PDA provided high-fibre alternatives via a web tool. In weeks 1, 4 and 8, dietary intake, constipation complaints and QoL were assessed. Furthermore, participants collected a faecal sample at weeks 1, 4 and 8 to determine microbiota diversity and composition, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). Participants completed questions daily for 8 weeks regarding abdominal complaints, stool frequency and stool consistency. Fibre intake in week 8 was significantly higher compared to week 1 (Δ= 5·7 ± 6·7 g,P< 0·001) and week 4 (Δ= 5·2 ± 6·4 g,P< 0·001). Constipation severity and QoL significantly improved at week 8 compared to the observation period (P< 0·001). A higher fibre intake significantly reduced constipation severity (β= −0·031 (−0·05; −0·01),P= 0·001) and the QoL (β= −0·022 (−0·04; −0·01),P= 0·009). Stool consistency (P= 0·040) and abdominal pain (P= 0·030) improved significantly during the intervention period (P= 0·040), but stool frequency did not. Average microbial alpha diversity and composition and SCFA concentrations did not change over time, but indicated individual-specific dynamics. Several SCFAs were associated with constipation complaints. To conclude, a PDA effectively increased fibre intake and subsequently reduced constipation complaints, indicating that guided dietary adjustments are important and feasible in the treatment of mild constipation complaints.
Non-Separable Preferences in the Statistical Analysis of Roll Call Votes
Authors: Binding Garret , Stoetzer Lukas F.
Published: May 2022

Conventional multidimensional statistical models of roll call votes assume that legislators’ preferences are additively separable over dimensions. In this article, we introduce an item response model of roll call votes that allows for non-separability over latent dimensions. Conceptually, non-separability matters if outcomes over dimensions are related rather than independent in legislators’ decisions. Monte Carlo simulations highlight that separable item response models of roll call votes capture non-separability via correlated ideal points and higher salience of a primary dimension. We apply our model to the U.S. Senate and the European Parliament. In both settings, we find that legislators’ preferences over two basic dimensions are non-separable. These results have general implications for our understanding of legislative decision-making, as well as for empirical descriptions of preferences in legislatures.
Long lasting immunity in trichinellosis – insight from a small study group
Authors: Ilic N. , Vasilev S. , Gruden-Movsesijan A. , Gnjatovic M. , Sofronic-Milosavljevic Lj. , Mitic I.
Published: May 2022

Trichinellosis in humans is most often caused by the parasite Trichinella spiralis. The clinical course of the disease is diverse and the symptoms can vary from mild to severe. Symptoms usually disappear within a few months, but encysted larvae in the muscles can cause myalgia and weakness that last for years. However, the existence of chronic trichinellosis as a disease is still debatable. This study presents the results obtained at the National Reference Laboratory for Trichinellosis – INEP, Serbia. The study was conducted to assess the immunoserological, biochemical and symptomatic disease parameters of twelve patients who acquired trichinellosis 13 and 18 years ago, respectively. They were involved in two T. spiralis outbreaks in Serbia, at the village of Kumane and the city of Belgrade (nine and three patients, respectively). Results indicated the presence of specific anti-Trichinella antibodies in 83% of the total number of patients. However, while the humoral immune response to Trichinella lasted for more than a decade reaching almost two decades after the acute infection phase (7/9 and 3/3 respectively, in two outbreaks), persistence of chronic muscular pain, as the most prolonged symptom of trichinellosis, could be found in the majority of patients from the Kumane outbreak (7/9). As a consequence, these patients suffered from limitations in daily living activities for the same period of time. The results presented in this paper are our contribution to the view that trichinellosis as a chronic disease with symptoms exists and may be related to the severity of the disease in the acute phase.
Estimating excess septicaemia mortality and hospitalisation burden associated with influenza in Hong Kong, 1998 to 2019
Authors: Wong Jessica Y. , Cheung Chung-Mei M. , Bond Helen S. , Cheung Justin K. , Gao Huizhi , Fang Vicky J. , Lau Eric H. Y. , Cowling Benjamin J. , Wu Peng
Published: May 2022

Influenza virus infections can lead to a number of secondary complications, including sepsis. We applied linear regression models to mortality and hospital admission data coded for septicaemia from 1998 to 2019 in Hong Kong, and estimated that septicaemia was associated with an annual average excess mortality rate of 0.23 (95% CI 0.04–0.40) per 100 000 persons per year and an excess septicaemia hospitalisation rate of 1.73 (95% CI 0.94–2.50) per 100 000 persons per year. The highest excess morbidity and mortality was found in older adults and young children, and during influenza A(H3N2) epidemics.
The morphology of pockmarks on the north-east Antarctic Peninsula continental shelf
Authors: Batchelor Christine L. , Frinault Bétina A.V. , Christie Frazer D.W. , Montelli Aleksandr , Dowdeswell Julian A.
Published: May 2022

Pockmarks are sea-floor depressions that form when gas or liquid escapes from underlying sediments. Although they are a common feature of both glaciated and lower-latitude continental shelves, pockmarks have not been reported previously from the north-east Antarctic Peninsula margin. Here we use high-resolution geophysical data acquired using autonomous underwater vehicles to map > 240 pockmarks in three locations along the north-east Antarctic Peninsula shelf. The pockmarks are 0.4–45 m wide and 0.1–2.5 m deep, encompassing both smaller unit-pockmarks and larger normal-pockmarks. The high resolution of our data enables the identification of subdued features associated with the pockmarks, including acoustic flares within the water column, ejecta rims, intra-pockmark blocks and possibly even biological structures. The overprinting of subglacial and ice-marginal landforms by the pockmarks constrains their timing of formation to the last ~11 ka. The high density of pockmarks within the surveyed areas, together with geophysical evidence for the active seepage of gas to the sea floor, suggests that the expulsion of subsurface fluids is a widespread process on the north-east Antarctic Peninsula shelf that could have important implications for benthic biodiversity and the global carbon cycle.
Countercyclical capital regulation in a small open economy DSGE model
Authors: Lozej Matija , Onorante Luca , Rannenberg Ansgar
Published: May 2022

We examine, conditional on structural shocks, the macroeconomic performance of different countercyclical capital buffer (CCyB) rules in small open economy estimated medium-scale Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) model. We find that rules based on the credit gap create a trade-off between the stabilization of fluctuations originating in the housing market and fluctuations caused by foreign demand shocks. The trade-off disappears if the regulator responds to house prices instead. It turns out that the welfare-maximising simple CCyB rule implies responding to house prices only and not to the credit gap. Such rule also leads to significant welfare gains compared to the no CCyB case.
Life detection in Martian returned samples: correlation between analytical techniques and biological signatures
Authors: Meneghin Andrea , Brucato John Robert , Fornaro Teresa , Poggiali Giovanni
Published: May 2022

As soon as samples collected from Mars will be brought back to Earth, the samples will be placed inside a receiving facility to check for the presence of life. There is a large number of approaches that were proposed on the techniques to be used to investigate the presence of life and any biological risk in the returned samples. Another interesting approach was reported by Kminek in which suggestions were provided on how to organize the sample analysis sequence within the facility. Finally, another study suggested a long list of techniques capable of measuring biological signatures based on their general characteristics: global, morphological, mineralogical, organic, molecular and biochemical, isotopic analysis. Despite the effort of the cited studies, there is still the need of a critical approach to make an actual comparison between the techniques, with the aim to find a ranking. In this work, we focused on the construction of a correlation matrix with which to correlate biosignatures to analytical techniques. It is known that a number of techniques can detect biological signatures and, at the same time, each technique can be applied to multiple biological signatures. Using this method, it is possible to summarize all this information to be easily consulted, but also to define in a quantitative way how strong each correlation is.
Introgression of the coupledFhb1-Sr2to increase Fusarium head blight and stem rust resistance of elite wheat cultivars
Authors: Raffo M. , Azzimonti G. , Pereyra S. , Pritsch C. , Lado B. , Dreisigacker S. , Quincke M. , Castro A. , Silva P. , García R. , Pereira F. , Germán S.
Published: May 2022

Fusarium head blight (FHB) and stem rust (SR) threaten the sustainability of wheat production worldwide.Fhb1andSr2confer partial durable resistance to FHB and SR, respectively. Despite resistant alleles of both genes are linked in repulsion, lines withFhb1-Sr2in coupling were developed at the University of Minnesota, USA. Marker-assisted backcrossing was used to incorporate the coupledFhb1-Sr2into four elite INIA-Uruguay spring wheat varieties lacking both genes and expressing different levels of FHB and SR resistance. In each case, the initial cross between the donor line and recurrent parent was backcrossed three times. Genotypes carryingFhb1-Sr2were selected using the molecular markerUMN10. In BC3F3families, retention ofFhb1-Sr2was further confirmed with the markersSNP3BS-8andSr2-ger9forFhb1andSr2, respectively. BC3F3homozygous lines contrasting atUMN10,SNP3BS-8andSr2-ger9were obtained to quantify the effect ofFhb1-Sr2on the resistance to FHB under controlled conditions and to SR under field conditions. After 26 months period, successful introgression ofFhb1-Sr2into the four cultivars was achieved, representing novel wheat genetic resources. Lines homozygous for the resistant alleles ofFhb1were significantly more resistant to FHB as reflected by an 18% reduction of average FHB area under the disease progress curve. A significant effect ofSr2on SR field resistance was observed in lines derived from the most susceptible cultivar ‘Génesis 2375’. The most resistant lines to both diseases are expected to be valuable genetic resources in breeding for durable resistance to FHB and SR.
A multi-parameter-level model for simulating future mortality scenarios with COVID-alike effects
Authors: Zhou Rui , Li Johnny Siu-Hang
Published: May 2022

There has been a growing interest among pension plan sponsors in envisioning how the mortality experience of their active and deferred members may turn out to be if a pandemic similar to the COVID-19 occurs in the future. To address their needs, we propose in this paper a stochastic model for simulating future mortality scenarios with COVID-alike effects. The proposed model encompasses three parameter levels. The first level includes parameters that capture the long-term pattern of mortality, whereas the second level contains parameters that gauge the excess age-specific mortality due to COVID-19. Parameters in the first and second levels are estimated using penalised quasi-likelihood maximisation method which was proposed for generalised linear mixed models. Finally, the third level includes parameters that draw on expert opinions concerning, for example, how likely a COVID-alike pandemic will occur in the future. We illustrate our proposed model with data from the United States and a range of expert opinions.
Covid-19-related stressors, mental disorders, depressive and anxiety symptoms: a cross-sectional, nationally-representative, face-to-face survey in Serbia
Authors: Marić N. P. , Lazarević L. J. B. , Priebe S. , Mihić L. J. , Pejović-Milovančević M. , Terzić-Šupić Z. , Tošković O. , Vuković O. , Todorović J. , Knežević G.
Published: May 2022

Aim

The Covid-19 pandemic may be associated with an increase in mental disorders and mental distress. However, there are no representative studies testing the impact of stressors directly related to Covid-19. We aimed to determine whether Covid-19-related stressors were associated with mental disorders, depressive and anxiety symptoms in the second year of the pandemic.

Method

This cross-sectional observational epidemiological survey was conducted from June to October 2021. We interviewed a representative sample of the adult population in Serbia (18–65 years) in the second year of the pandemic, at a time when large parts of the population had been affected by the pandemic in different ways. A multistage probabilistic household sampling of the adult population in 60 municipalities was used. Mental disorders were assessed by in-person interviews using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured by PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales. Covid-19-related stressors (Sars-CoV-2 infection, the infection of a close relative, self-isolation and lack of protective equipment at work), as well as other stressors during the pandemic (not directly related to the risk of the infection), were measured. The associations with mental disorders, depressive and anxiety symptoms were explored through univariable and multivariable regression analyses.

Results

In total, 1203 individuals (mean age 43.7 ± 13.6 years, 48.7% male) were interviewed. Most respondents (67.8%) of the sample had already experienced Covid-19-related stressors (20.1% had Sars-CoV-2 infection; 43.2% had a close relative member who had Covid-19; 28.2% reported lack of appropriate protection; 27.5% had been quarantined) and about 50% had already been vaccinated. The prevalence of any mental disorder was 15.2% (95% CI 13.2–17.2): mood disorders 4.6%, anxiety disorders 4.3% and substance use disorders 8.0%. Mean PHQ-9 was 3.2 ± 3.8 and GAD-7 was 2.1 ± 3.1. In this study, one Covid-19 stressor, i.e. lack of protective equipment, was weakly associated with a greater frequency of anxiety disorders (p = 0.023), while the other stressors had significant associations with several groups of mental disorders and symptom levels.

Conclusions

Our study did not provide any evidence that the prevalence of mental disorders exceeds the range of pre-pandemic data reported in the literature. Covid-related stressors, although frequently reported, did not dramatically influence the prevalence of mental disorders. The provision of the appropriate equipment at workplaces might lead to the reduction of anxiety disorders.
Geomagnetism, Paleomagnetism and Electromagnetism Perspectives on Integrated, Coordinated, Open, Networked (ICON) Science
Authors: Ayala C. , Beamud E. , Huebert J. , Jones S. A. , Kumar A. , Miller S. R. , Moorkamp M. , Pueyo E. L. , Ruiz‐Constan A. , Schamuells N. , Sur D. , Tauxe L. , van Hinsbergen D. J. J.
Published: May 2022

This article is composed of three independent commentaries about the state of Integrated, Coordinated, Open, Networked (ICON) principles (Goldman et al., 2021, https://doi.org/10.1002/essoar.10508554.1) in the Geomagnetism, Paleomagnetism, and Electromagnetism (GPE) section and discussion on the opportunities and challenges of adopting them. Each commentary focuses on a different topic: Global collaboration, reproducibility, data sharing and infrastructure; Inclusive equitable, and accessible science: Involvement, challenges, and support of early career, BIPOC, women, LGBTQIA+, and/or disabled researchers; Community engagement, citizen science, education, and stakeholder involvement. Data sharing practices and open repository use still varies strongly between GPE communities. Some have a long tradition of data sharing; others are only starting it. Globally, GPE leadership is strongly dominated by white males and diversity may increase through the creation of Science Equality Commissions. Improved global stakeholder involvement can increase research impacts and help fight inequalities. In all investigated topics we see promising beginnings but also recognize obstacles that include a lack of funding, a lack of understanding of diversity, and prioritizing short‐term gain over long‐term benefit. Nonetheless, we are hopeful that our community will embrace ICON science.