bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
‘Focus on diet quality’: a qualitative study of clinicians’ perspectives of use of the Mediterranean dietary pattern for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Mayr Hannah L. , Kelly Jaimon T. , Macdonald Graeme A. , Hickman Ingrid J.
Published: March 2021

Practice guidelines for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) recommend promoting the Mediterranean dietary pattern (MDP) which is cardioprotective and may improve hepatic steatosis. This study aimed to explore multidisciplinary clinicians’ perspectives on whether the MDP is recommended in routine management of NAFLD and barriers and facilitators to its implementation in a multi-ethnic setting. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with fourteen clinicians (seven doctors, three nurses, three dietitians and one exercise physiologist) routinely managing patients with NAFLD in metropolitan hospital outpatient clinics in Australia. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic content analysis. Clinicians described that lifestyle modification was their primary treatment for NAFLD and promoting diet was recognised as everyone’s role, whereby doctors and nurses raise awareness and dietitians provide individualisation. The MDP was regarded as the most evidence-based diet choice currently and was frequently recommended in routine care. Facilitators to MDP implementation in practice were: improvement in diet quality as a parallel goal to weight loss; in-depth knowledge of the dietary pattern; access to patient education and monitoring resources and; service culture, including an interdisciplinary clinic goal, and knowledge sharing from expert dietitians. Barriers included perceived challenges for patients from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds and limited clinician training, time and resourcing to support behaviour change. Integration of MDP in routine management of NAFLD in specialist clinics was facilitated by a focus on diet quality, knowledge sharing, belief in evidence and an interdisciplinary team. Innovations to service delivery could better support and empower patients to change dietary behaviour long-term.
Assessment of the potential of non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma discharge and microwave energy againstTribolium castaneumandTrogoderma granarium
Authors: Abotaleb Abeer O. , Badr Naglaa F. , Rashed Usama M.
Published: March 2021

This study was carried out to investigate the efficacy of the non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma produced with dielectric barrier discharge (APPD) using air as a processing gas and microwave energy to controlTribolium castaneumandTrogoderma granariumadults and larvae in wheat grains. Insects’ mortality was found to be power and time-dependent. The results indicated that non-thermal APPD and the microwave have enough insecticidal effect on the target pests. From the bioassay, LT50's and LT90's levels were estimated,T. granariumlarvae appeared more tolerant to non-thermal APPD and the microwave energy than adults 7 days post-exposure. The germination percentage of wheat grains increased as the time of exposure to the non-thermal APPD increased. On the contrary, the germination percentage of wheat grains decreased as the time of exposure to the microwave increased. In addition, changes in antioxidant enzyme activities, catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and peroxidase, in adults and larvae were examined after 24 h post-treatment to non-thermal APPD at 15.9 W power level, which caused 50% mortality. The activity of CAT, GST and lipid peroxide in the treated larvae showed a significant increase post-exposure to the non-thermal APPD at 15.9 W power level. On the other hand, no significant change in GSH-Px activity was observed. Reductions in the level of glutathione (GSH) and protein content occurred in treated larvae in comparison with the control.
Manhood and Mary Baker Eddy: Muscular Christianity and Christian Science
Authors: Eder Jonathon
Published: March 2021

On first examination, “muscular Christianity”—with its emphasis on manly vigor and physical strength—positions itself well afield of Christian Science teachings on the non-physical basis of existence, as propounded by founder Mary Baker Eddy. Nonetheless, both movements arose in the nineteenth century with a deep commitment to revitalizing Christianity and its practical value in an increasingly scientific and secular age, especially regarding bodily well-being. Both Eddy and advocates of muscular Christianity defended their respective systems on scientific and religious grounds, focusing on questions of health. At a time when the Young Men's Christian Association was a leading exponent of muscular Christianity, Eddy saw fit to give it significant philanthropic support. While her gift reflected civic goodwill as opposed to a close relationship with the Association, I argue that it was not anomalous to Eddy's overall values and vision for Christian Science. Like muscular Christians, Eddy was calling for a progressive Christianity that met the criteria of a pragmatic age. In giving attention to issues around manhood, Eddy was signaling the necessity as well as potentiality of Christian spirituality to be a source of health and empowerment for modern man.
A “Syncretism of Piety”: Imagining Global Protestantism in Early Eighteenth-Century Boston, Tranquebar, and Halle
Authors: Stievermann Jan
Published: March 2021

This essay reexamines the network centered on the Boston Congregational minister and theologian Cotton Mather, the great Pietist theologian August Hermann Francke, several of the latter's associates in Halle and London, and Halle-sponsored Lutheran missionaries in the Danish colony of Tranquebar. It pursues the question what this network (which existed from circa 1710 into the 1730s) reveals about how the idea of a “Protestant religion” evolved as a theological construct and how “Protestantism” as a category of religious identity came to have meaning and resonance across denominational and linguistic divides. Through the Boston-Halle-Tranquebar exchange, the essay argues, “awakened souls” from Anglo-American Reformed and German Lutheran churches converged toward a conservative but dogmatically minimalistic understanding of the Christian religion that combined an intensely Christocentric, biblicist, and experiential piety with an activist-missionary and eschatological orientation—a package which was now equated with being truly “Protestant” or “protestantisch,” respectively. This reflects how the historical development of “Protestantism” intersected with larger philosophical and theological debates about “religion” and the different “religions” of humanity that involved Enlightenment thinkers as much as awakened Christians. The distinct version of “the Protestant religion” that first developed among the correspondents of this network would continue to evolve through the transatlantic awakenings of the eighteenth century and remain influential into the nineteenth century.
Laughing with Sacred Things, ca. 1100–1350: A History in Four Objects
Authors: Jones Peter J. A.
Published: March 2021

Exploring the range of circumstances in which medieval Christians laughed with, against, at, and through religious topics, this article investigates four objects: an ivory cross, an ampulla of a saint's blood, a preaching codex, and a pilgrim's badge. While these objects are taken to illustrate a diversity of attitudes to religious humor, they are also, in light of recent work citing the productive power of medieval matter, scrutinized as agents in their own right. The article suggests two significant patterns. On the one hand, the objects point to laughter's use as a unique mode of spiritual practice. Through amusing miracles, through the provocative work of comic sermons, and through the playful humor of pilgrimage badges, Christians from the twelfth to the fourteenth centuries were able to use humor to relate to their faith in sophisticated and often counterintuitive ways. Yet as the four objects and their use also attest, these modes of comic relation were also subjected to clerical reduction and regulation. Harnessing the pedagogical potential of laughter especially, preachers, hagiographers, and clerics all worked to redirect more anarchic forms of religious humor toward functional ends. While tracing how laughter with Christian topics was increasingly encouraged, the article suggests that the price of this encouragement was that laughter was often brought into a more policed domain of orthodox Christian practice.
THE IRRELEVANCE OF NON-RECOGNITION TO AUSTRALIA'S ANTARCTIC TERRITORY TITLE
Authors: Scott Shirley V.
Published: March 2021

It is often noted that few States recognize the seven national claims to Antarctic territory. Australia, one of the claimants, asserts title over 42 per cent of the continent and yet only four States have recognized its claim. Some States have expressly rejected Australia's claim. This article examines the legal significance of such widespread non-recognition. It does so through interrogating the evolution of the legal regime of territorial acquisition, its historical function and application to Antarctica, and relevant decisions of international courts and tribunals. The article identifies, and distinguishes amongst, several categories of non-recognition and considers the relevance of each. The analysis finds that the seemingly meagre level of recognition of Australia's title to the Australian Antarctic Territory does not detract from the validity of that title. This article points to possible reasons as to why a number of polar scholars may have suggested otherwise.
INCIDENTAL DETERMINATIONS IN PROCEEDINGS UNDER COMPROMISSORY CLAUSES
Authors: Harris Callista
Published: March 2021

A dispute brought before an international court or tribunal pursuant to a compromissory clause in a specific treaty may involve issues under rules of international law found outside of the treaty in question. In what circumstances can a court or tribunal determine such external issues? At present, there is no clear answer to this question. This article sets out a framework for how courts and tribunals exercising jurisdiction under compromissory clauses could approach external issues.
‘IF YOU TROUBLE A HUNGRY SNAKE, YOU WILL FORCE IT TO BITE YOU’: RETHINKING POSTCOLONIAL AFRICAN ARCHIVAL PESSIMISM, WORKER DISCONTENT, AND PETITION WRITING IN GHANA, 1957–66
Authors: Osei-Opare Nana
Published: March 2021

My aim is twofold. Highlighting the value and importance of African archives in the construction of postcolonial African histories, I first reject what I call ‘postcolonial African archival pessimism’: the argument that postcolonial African archives are too disorganized or ill-kept to be of much, if any, value in configuring postcolonial African histories. Second, primarily through petition and complaint letters, I examine how Ghanaian workers protested racist and abusive workplace environments, government malfeasance, stagnating wages, and unfair dismissals in Kwame Nkrumah's Ghana. These archival gems illuminate how workers made claims to and performances of citizenship and reminded the state of their importance, politically and practically, to building the Ghanaian project. From Ghanaian and British archives, I seek to complement histories that highlight the centrality of African workers — through their letters and feet — in articulating the contradictions and aspirations of postcolonial African states.
IUCN captive management guidelines support ex situ conservation of the Bengal florican Houbaropsis bengalensis blandini
Authors: Mahood Simon P. , Hong Chamnan , Meyerhoff Michael , Ferrando Pau P. , Sum Phearun , Son Virak , Ouch Pengann , Garnett Stephen T.
Published: March 2021

Ex situ conservation of species is risky and expensive, but it can prevent extinction when in situ conservation fails. We used the IUCN Guidelines on the Use of Ex Situ Management for Species Conservation to evaluate whether to begin ex situ conservation for the South-east Asian subspecies of Bengal florican Houbaropsis bengalensis blandini, which is predicted to be extinct in the wild within 5 years. To inform our decision, we developed a decision tree, and used a demographic model to evaluate the probability of establishing a captive population under a range of husbandry scenarios and egg harvest regimes, and compared this with the probability of the wild population persisting. The model showed that if ex situ conservation draws on international best practice in bustard husbandry there is a high probability of establishing a captive population, but the wild population is unlikely to persist. We identified and evaluated the practical risks associated with ex situ conservation, and documented our plans to mitigate them. Modelling shows that it is unlikely that birds could be released within 20–30 years, by which time genetic, morphological and behavioural changes in the captive population, combined with habitat loss and extinction of the wild population, make it unlikely that Bengal florican could be released into a situation approximating their current wild state. We considered the philosophical and practical implications through a decision tree so that our decision to begin ex situ management is not held back by our preconceived notions of what it means to be wild.
Trust in government regarding COVID-19 and its associations with preventive health behaviour and prosocial behaviour during the pandemic: a cross-sectional and longitudinal study
Authors: Han Qing , Zheng Bang , Cristea Mioara , Agostini Maximilian , Bélanger Jocelyn J. , Gützkow Ben , Kreienkamp Jannis ,   PsyCorona Collaboration, Leander N. Pontus
Published: March 2021

Background

The effective implementation of government policies and measures for controlling the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic requires compliance from the public. This study aimed to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of trust in government regarding COVID-19 control with the adoption of recommended health behaviours and prosocial behaviours, and potential determinants of trust in government during the pandemic.

Methods

This study analysed data from the PsyCorona Survey, an international project on COVID-19 that included 23 733 participants from 23 countries (representative in age and gender distributions by country) at baseline survey and 7785 participants who also completed follow-up surveys. Specification curve analysis was used to examine concurrent associations between trust in government and self-reported behaviours. We further used structural equation model to explore potential determinants of trust in government. Multilevel linear regressions were used to examine associations between baseline trust and longitudinal behavioural changes.

Results

Higher trust in government regarding COVID-19 control was significantly associated with higher adoption of health behaviours (handwashing, avoiding crowded space, self-quarantine) and prosocial behaviours in specification curve analyses (median standardised β = 0.173 and 0.229, p < 0.001). Government perceived as well organised, disseminating clear messages and knowledge on COVID-19, and perceived fairness were positively associated with trust in government (standardised β = 0.358, 0.230, 0.056, and 0.249, p < 0.01). Higher trust at baseline survey was significantly associated with lower rate of decline in health behaviours over time (p for interaction = 0.001).

Conclusions

These results highlighted the importance of trust in government in the control of COVID-19.
Oceanus: a context-aware low-cost navigation aid for yacht racing
Authors: Scagnetto Ivan , Brajnik Giorgio , Gus Peter , Trevisan Francesco
Published: March 2021

Oceanus is a hardware and software platform designed and developed to provide useful information to the crew of a racing yacht. The key features of the proposed solution are its reliability, the possibility to extend and customise it, and its context-awareness, which simplifies its usage in an intelligent way. The target users of the system are both beginners who want a navigation aid, but cannot afford the expensive and often overly complicated commercial systems available on the market, and more experienced sailors who can benefit from an open and customisable instrument to study and fine-tune the setup and performance of their sailing boats. Furthermore, Oceanus strives to be as much as possible a low-cost architecture, both in software and hardware requirements.
PCIT engagement and persistence among child welfare-involved families: Associations with harsh parenting, physiological reactivity, and social cognitive processes at intake
Authors: Skoranski Amanda M. , Skowron Elizabeth A. , Nekkanti Akhila K. , Scholtes Carolyn M. , Lyons Emma R. , DeGarmo David S.
Published: March 2021

Parent-Child interaction therapy (PCIT) has been shown to improve positive, responsive parenting and lower risk for child maltreatment (CM), including among families who are already involved in the child welfare system. However, higher risk families show higher rates of treatment attrition, limiting effectiveness. In N = 120 child welfare families randomized to PCIT, we tested behavioral and physiological markers of parent self-regulation and socio-cognitive processes assessed at pre-intervention as predictors of retention in PCIT. Results of multinomial logistic regressions indicate that parents who declined treatment displayed more negative parenting, greater perceptions of child responsibility and control in adult–child transactions, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) increases to a positive dyadic interaction task, and RSA withdrawal to a challenging, dyadic toy clean-up task. Increased odds of dropout during PCIT's child-directed interaction phase were associated with greater parent attentional bias to angry facial cues on an emotional go/no-go task. Hostile attributions about one's child predicted risk for dropout during the parent-directed interaction phase, and readiness for change scores predicted higher odds of treatment completion. Implications for intervening with child welfare-involved families are discussed along with study limitations.
Transcatheter utilisation of lifetech multifunction™ occluder device for closure of perimembranous and muscular ventricular septal defects: first use in North America
Authors: Bjorkman Kurt R. , Aldoss Osamah , Maldonado Jennifer R. , McLennan Daniel
Published: March 2021

Transcatheter closure of ventricular septal defects is considered first-line therapy when anatomically appropriate but is often challenged by proximity to the conduction system in perimembranous defects, or irregular defect shape, especially residual defects that may remain post-operatively. Advancements in device design, however, have allowed for significant improvements in deployment techniques and overall safety. Here we describe the first use of the Lifetech Konar-multifunction™ occluder device in North America, and our specific use of this device to close complex post-operative muscular and a perimembranous-ventricular septal defects in the same patient.
Acute outcomes of three-dimensional mapping for fluoroscopy reduction in paediatric catheter ablation for supraventricular tachycardia
Authors: Anderson Chris , Rahman Maryam , Bradley David J. , Breedlove Kristen , Dick Macdonald , LaPage Martin J. , Martinez Alaina R. , McNinch Neil L. , Moore Jeremy P. , Papagiannis John , Razminia Mansour , Shannon Kevin M. , Shauver Lisa M. , Tuzcu Volkan , Clark John M.
Published: March 2021

Background:

Catheter ablation is a safe and effective therapy for the treatment of supraventricular tachycardia in children. Current improvements in technology have allowed progressive reduction in radiation exposure associated with the procedure. To assess the impact of three-dimensional mapping, we compared acute procedural results collected from the Catheter Ablation with Reduction or Elimination of Fluoroscopy registry to published results from the Prospective Assessment after Pediatric Cardiac Ablation study.

Methods:

Inclusion and exclusion criteria from the Prospective Assessment after Pediatric Cardiac Ablation study were used as guidelines to select patient data from the Catheter Ablation with Reduction or Elimination of Fluoroscopy registry to compare acute procedural outcomes between cohorts. Outcomes assessed include procedural and fluoroscopy exposure times, success rates of procedure, and complications.

Results:

In 786 ablation procedures, targeting 498 accessory pathways and 288 atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia substrates, average procedural time (156.5 versus 206.7 minutes, p < 0.01), and fluoroscopy time (1.2 versus 38.3 minutes, p < 0.01) were significantly shorter in the study group. Success rates for the various substrates were similar except for manifest accessory pathways which had a significantly higher success rate in the study group (96.4% versus 93.0%, p < 0.01). Major complication rates were significantly lower in the study group (0.3% versus 1.6%, p < 0.01).

Conclusions:

In a large, multicentre study, three-dimensional systems show favourable improvements in clinical outcomes in children undergoing catheter ablation of supraventricular tachycardia compared to the traditional fluoroscopic approach. Further improvements are anticipated as technology advances.
Improving the measurement of food insecurity among people with HIV in South Africa: a psychometric examination
Authors: Lee Jasper S , Zopluoglu Cengiz , Andersen Lena S , Stanton Amelia M , Magidson Jessica F , Kagee Ashraf , Joska John A , O’Cleirigh Conall , Safren Steven A
Published: March 2021

Objective:

Food insecurity is a structural barrier to HIV care in peri-urban areas in South Africa (SA), where approximately 80 % of households are moderately or severely food insecure. For people with HIV (PWH), food insecurity is associated with poor antiretroviral therapy adherence and survival rates. Yet, measurement of food insecurity among PWH remains a challenge.

Design:

The current study examines the factor structure of the nine-item Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS, isiXhosa-translated) among PWH in SA using a restrictive bifactor model.

Setting:

Primary care clinics in Khayelitsha, a peri-urban settlement in Cape Town, SA.

Participants:

Participants (n440) were PWH who received HIV care in Khayelitsha screening for a clinical trial. Most were categorised as severely (n250, 56·82 %) or moderately (n107, 24·32 %) food insecure in the past 30 d.

Results:

Revised parallel analysis suggested a three-factor structure, which was inadmissible. A two-factor structure was examined but did not adequately fit the data. A two-factor restrictive bifactor model was examined, such that all items loaded on a general factor (food insecurity) and all but two items loaded on one of two specific additional factors, which adequately fit the data (comparative fit index = 0·995, standardised root mean square residual = 0·019). The two specific factors identified were: anxiety/insufficient quality and no food intake. Reliability was adequate (ω= 0·82).

Conclusions:

Results supported the use of a total score, and identified two specific factors of the HFIAS, which may be utilised in future research and intervention development. These findings help identify aspects of food insecurity that may drive relationships between the construct and important HIV-related variables.
Was François Fénelon a Political Philosopher?
Authors: Kates Gary
Published: March 2021

During the reign of Louis XIV, few courtiers led careers as full and consequential as that of François Fénelon. Born in 1651 to a nobleman from an ancient line but with little wealth, Fénelon was well schooled through scholarships, rising as a young priest, scholar, teacher, and administrator through the Church hierarchy. The 1685 Revocation of the Edict of Nantes gave Fénelon the opportunity to distinguish himself as an educator at a school for girls who had recently converted from Calvinism to Catholicism. A rising star in King Louis XIV's court, he was mentored by the Crown's leading theologian and political theorist, Jacques Bénigne Bossuet, Bishop of Meaux, and rubbed shoulders with notables like the Duc de Saint-Simon. These associations led to his appointment as special tutor for Louis XIV's three grandsons, one of whom eventually became Philip V, king of Spain. Fénelon's own ambitions were rewarded in 1695, when he was appointed Archbishop of Cambrai. Over the course of his decorated career, Fénelon wrote theology, mysticism, and pedagogy, as well as more lighthearted fictional literature. He died in 1715, a few months before Louis XIV's own death.
Thermo‐Mechanical State of Ultraslow‐Spreading Ridges With a Transient Magma Supply
Authors: Fan Qingkai , Olive Jean‐Arthur , Cannat Mathilde
Published: March 2021

The thermal structure of mid‐ocean ridge axes is a critical control on the mechanical properties of young lithosphere and modulates the faulting styles that shape the Earth's seafloor. Models that balance a steady input of magmatic heat with a vigorous hydrothermal output are generally successful at explaining the thermal state of magmatically robust mid‐ocean ridges. However, the magma supply of ultraslow spreading ridges is often subdued and highly episodic, and the depth‐extent and vigor of hydrothermal circulation in these settings remain poorly known, requiring modifications to the standard magmatic‐hydrothermal paradigm. We develop models that couple repeated magmatic intrusions with hydrothermal convection in a permeable domain whose boundaries are controlled by the extent of grain‐scale thermal cracking. Our simulations reveal decreasing trends of venting temperatures with increasing intrusion periodicity, as well as with increasing permeability. Our model explains the seismically inferred depth (∼10 km) to the brittle‐ductile transition and the depth of MORB crystallization at the Mid‐Cayman Spreading Center by invoking repeated intrusion of sills every 20–50 kyrs, depending on their size. Doubling this periodicity predicts a thicker (∼15 km) seismogenic layer and lower‐temperature venting, as observed at the Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR) at 64˚E. However, if fluid convection is not possible below ∼6 km, our model requires that high‐temperature venting at ultraslow ridges (e.g., Longqi at SWIR 49.7˚E) be fueled by shallow episodic magma intrusions into the long‐term convective region, which maintain high‐output circulation for at most a few tens of kyrs.
Physics‐Based Evaluation of the Maximum Magnitude of Potential Earthquakes Induced by the Hutubi (China) Underground Gas Storage
Authors: Jiang Guoyan , Liu Lin , Barbour Andrew J. , Lu Renqi , Yang Hongfeng
Published: March 2021

The world's largest underground gas storage facility in Hutubi (HUGS), China, is a unique case where cyclic gas injection‐extraction induced both seismicity and ground deformation. To assess the potential for future induced seismicity, we develop a framework physically based on a well‐constrained hydro‐geomechanical model and on fully‐coupled poroelastic simulations. We first interpret the spatiotemporal distribution and focal mechanisms of induced earthquakes and take it as a key step and a premise to estimate the magnitude and location of the largest potential earthquake. The sharp increase in seismicity was controlled by poroelastic loading on secondary southwest‐dipping thrust faults with spatial scales too small to be resolved by 3D seismic surveys. Both operational and local geological factors affect the seismic productivity at the HUGS site, distinguishing it from most cases of seismicity induced by wastewater disposal and hydraulic fracturing. We then conduct slip tendency analyses for major faults imaged by the seismic data, including the largest reservoir‐bounding Hutubi fault hydraulically connected to injection wells. The reactivation potentials of these imaged faults are estimated to be extremely low. Accordingly, future seismicity would most likely occur on failure‐prone secondary faults in regions with positive stress perturbation due to poroelastic loading. The maximum magnitude likely depends on the spatial scales of the secondary faults. As the occurrence of detected earthquakes is spatially and temporally consistent with the simulated evolution of Coulomb stress perturbation, the location of the largest potential earthquake probably depends on the sizes of the poroelastic stressing regions.
The Sensitivity of Eyewall Replacement Cycles to Shortwave Radiation
Authors: Trabing B. C. , Bell M. M.
Published: March 2021

The sensitivity of tropical cyclone secondary eyewall formation (SEF) and subsequent eyewall replacement cycles (ERCs) to shortwave radiation is examined in this study by varying the solar constant and diurnal cycle at different times prior to an ERC using idealized simulations from the Weather Research and Forecasting model. The magnitude of shortwave radiation plays an important role in modifying the timing of the SEF with nonlinear interactions amplifying the SEF formation differences at longer lead‐times. Shortwave radiation has a delaying effect on the SEF and ERC primarily through its modifications of the distribution of convective and stratiform heating profiles in the rainbands. Shortwave radiation reduces both the area and diabatic heating of convection in the model domain, while increasing the amount of stratiform precipitation that has weaker low‐level cooling and upper‐level heating rates. The primary mechanism by which shortwave radiation reduces the diabatic heating profile and frequency of convection in the rainbands is through heating of the mid‐upper troposphere which stabilizes the region and reduces convective available potential energy.
A Global Climatology of Tropopause Folds in CAMS and MERRA‐2 Reanalyses
Authors: Akritidis Dimitris , Pozzer Andrea , Flemming Johannes , Inness Antje , Zanis Prodromos
Published: March 2021

Tropopause folds are the main mechanism underlying stratosphere‐to‐troposphere transport and influence tropospheric composition and weather systems by triggering convection. Here, we present the global climatology of tropopause folds in Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) and Modern‐Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA‐2) reanalysis of atmospheric composition products for the time period from 2003 to 2018. We applied a 3‐D labeling algorithm in CAMS and MERRA‐2 reanalysis data to detect tropopause folding events. In constructing their climatologies, we show that the bulk of the folds are vertically shallow and are mainly found at the subtropical zones in the vicinity of the jet streams, while deeper folds also occur over the storm tracks, consistent with previous studies. The spatiotemporal characteristics of fold climatology are captured in a similar manner in CAMS and MERRA‐2, with MERRA‐2 capturing slightly higher frequencies during all seasons. In quantitative terms, there is a good agreement between CAMS and MERRA‐2 fold frequencies with spatiotemporal R2 values of ∼0.9 for DJF, MAM, and JJA, and 0.75 for SON. The two reanalysis products are in close agreement regarding the intra‐ and interannual variability in fold frequency, with temporal correlation scores higher than 0.7 over the subtropical bands where the majority of folds are found. The agreement between the two reanalyses is lower in the Southern Hemisphere compared to the Northern Hemisphere. Thus, the global climatology of tropopause folds in both CAMS and MERRA‐2 reanalyses are similar to those of previous studies.
Structure of the Tectonic Front of the Western Alps: Control of Fluid Pressure and Halite Occurrence on the Decollement Processes
Authors: Deville E.
Published: March 2021

This study focuses on the respective role of (1) the occurrence and the nature of evaporitic layers and (2) the fluid pressure conditions on the decollement processes and the structure of the foreland fold and thrust belt of the Western Alps. The decollement in the Jura Mountains is predominantly localized in halite‐bearing layers. Anhydrite‐bearing units which are not associated to halite are not hosting major decollement. The shift of decollement level between Mid‐Triassic halite unit and Upper Triassic halite unit has induced local tectonic subtractions and, elsewhere, tectonic duplications at depth. Available fluid pressure measurements show that fluids are not overpressured in the Jura. Even below the salt decollement, they remain in hydrostatic conditions. South of the Jura, the absence of halite is correlated with no efficient role of the Triassic layers in terms of decollement. The available pressure measurements show that the decollement is associated with high overpressure. Because of the low friction of halite, the Jura thrust wedge shows a narrow angle (3°–4°). The relatively high friction behavior of the decollement south of the Jura is responsible for stacks of tectonic units associated with a relatively wide angle of the tectonic wedge (12°–13°). The structural change between the Chartreuse and Vercors massifs is not controlled by the properties of the decollement but by the change of thickness of the sedimentary pile involved in the tectonic wedge. The change of thickness is controlled by paleogeographic heritage during Jurassic and Cretaceous times.
Improving the Global Budget for Atmospheric Methanol
Authors: Shultz David
Published: March 2021

New aircraft survey data show that although atmospheric chemistry above remote ocean regions is a considerable source of methanol production, the ocean’s net methanol emission is minor.
Persistent microbiome members in the common bean rhizosphere: an integrated analysis of space, time, and plant genotype
Authors: Stopnisek Nejc , Shade Ashley
Published: March 2021

The full potential of managing microbial communities to support plant health is yet-unrealized, in part because it remains difficult to ascertain which members are most important for the plant. However, microbes that consistently associate with a plant species across varied field conditions and over plant development likely engage with the host or host environment. Here, we applied abundance-occupancy concepts from macroecology to quantify the core membership of bacterial/archaeal and fungal communities in the rhizosphere of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). Our study investigated the microbiome membership that persisted over multiple dimensions important for plant agriculture, including major U.S. growing regions (Michigan, Nebraska, Colorado, and Washington), plant development, annual plantings, and divergent genotypes, and also included re-analysis of public data from beans grown in Colombia. We found 48 core bacterial taxa that were consistently detected in all samples, inclusive of all datasets and dimensions. This suggests reliable enrichment of these taxa to the plant environment and time-independence of their association with the plant. More generally, the breadth of ecologically important dimensions included in this work (space, time, host genotype, and management) provides an example of how to systematically identify the most stably-associated microbiome members, and can be applied to other hosts or systems.
Polygenic risk scores for major psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders contribute to sleep disturbance in childhood: Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study
Authors: Ohi Kazutaka , Ochi Ryo , Noda Yoshihiro , Wada Masataka , Sugiyama Shunsuke , Nishi Akira , Shioiri Toshiki , Mimura Masaru , Nakajima Shinichiro
Published: March 2021

Sleep disturbance is a common symptom of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders and, especially in childhood, can be a precursor to various mental disorders. However, the genetic etiology of mental illness that contributes to sleep disturbance during childhood is poorly understood. We investigated whether the polygenic features of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders are associated with sleep disturbance during childhood. We conducted polygenic risk score (PRS) analyses by utilizing large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWASs) (n = 46,350–500,199) of five major psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders (autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and bipolar disorder) and, additionally, anxiety disorders as base datasets. We used the data of 9- to 10-year-olds from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study (n = 9683) as a target dataset. Sleep disturbance was assessed based on the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) scores. The effects of PRSs for these psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders on the total scores and six subscale scores of the SDSC were investigated. Of the PRSs for the five psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, the PRSs for ADHD and MDD positively correlated with sleep disturbance in children (ADHD:R2 = 0.0033,p = 6.19 × 10−5, MDD:R2 = 0.0042,p = 5.69 × 10−6). Regarding the six subscale scores of the SDSC, the PRSs for ADHD positively correlated with both disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep (R2 = 0.0028,p = 2.31 × 10−4) and excessive somnolence (R2 = 0.0023,p = 8.44 × 10−4). Furthermore, the PRSs for MDD primarily positively correlated with disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep (R2 = 0.0048,p = 1.26 × 10−6), followed by excessive somnolence (R2 = 0.0023,p = 7.74 × 10−4) and sleep hyperhidrosis (R2 = 0.0014,p = 9.55 × 10−3). Despite high genetic overlap between MDD and anxiety disorders, PRSs for anxiety disorders correlated with different types of sleep disturbances such as disorders of arousal or nightmares (R2 = 0.0013,p = 0.011). These findings suggest that greater genetic susceptibility to specific psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, as represented by ADHD, MDD, and anxiety disorders, may contribute to greater sleep problems among children.
PTEN in prefrontal cortex is essential in regulating depression-like behaviors in mice
Authors: Wang Xiao-Qing , Zhang Lei , Xia Zhong-Yuan , Chen Jia-Yin , Fang Yiru , Ding Yu-Qiang
Published: March 2021

Chronic stress is an environmental risk factor for depression and causes neuronal atrophy in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and other brain regions. It is still unclear about the molecular mechanism underlying the behavioral alterations and neuronal atrophy induced by chronic stress. We here report that phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) is a mediator for chronic stress-induced depression-like behaviors and neuronal atrophy in mice. One-month chronic restraint stress (CRS) up-regulated PTEN signaling pathway in the PFC of mice as indicated by increasing levels of PTEN, p-MEK, and p-ERK but decreasing levels of p-AKT. Over-expression of Pten in the PFC led to an increase of depression-like behaviors, whereas genetic inactivation or knockdown of Pten in the PFC prevented the CRS-induced depression-like behaviors. In addition, systemic administration of PTEN inhibitor was also able to prevent these behaviors. Cellular examination showed that Pten over-expression or the CRS treatment resulted in PFC neuron atrophy, and this atrophy was blocked by genetic inactivation of Pten or systemic administration of PTEN inhibitor. Furthermore, possible causal link between Pten and glucocorticoids was examined. In chronic dexamethasone (Dex, a glucocorticoid agonist) treatment-induced depression model, increased PTEN levels were observed, and depression-like behaviors and PFC neuron atrophy were attenuated by the administration of PTEN inhibitor. Our results indicate that PTEN serves as a key mediator in chronic stress-induced neuron atrophy as well as depression-like behaviors, providing molecular evidence supporting the synaptic plasticity theory of depression.
Trajectory modeling of endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition reveals galectin-3 as a mediator in pulmonary fibrosis
Authors: Jia Wangyue , Wang Zhaoyan , Gao Ceshu , Wu Jian , Wu Qiong
Published: March 2021

The endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) is an important source of fibrotic cells in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, how endothelial cells (ECs) are activated and how EndMT impact IPF remain largely elusive. Here, we use unsupervised pseudotemporal analysis to recognize the heterogeneity of ECs and reconstruct EndMT trajectory of bleomycin (BLM)-treated Tie2creER/+;Rosa26tdTomato/+ IPF mice. Genes like C3ar1 and Lgals3 (protein name galectin-3) are highly correlated with the transitional pseudotime, whose expression is gradually upregulated during the fate switch of ECs from quiescence to activation in fibrosis. Inhibition of galectin-3 via siRNA or protein antagonists in mice could alleviate the pathogenesis of IPF and the transition of ECs. With the stimulation of human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMECs) by recombinant proteins and/or siRNAs for galectin-3 in vitro, β-catenin/GSK3β signaling and its upstream regulator AKT are perturbed, which indicates they mediate the EndMT progress. These results suggest that EndMT is essential to IPF process and provide potential therapeutic targets for vascular remodeling.
The deubiquitinating enzyme USP15 stabilizes ERα and promotes breast cancer progression
Authors: Xia Xiaohong , Huang Chuyi , Liao Yuning , Liu Yuan , He Jinchan , Shao Zhenlong , Hu Tumei , Yu Cuifu , Jiang Lili , Liu Jinbao , Huang Hongbiao
Published: March 2021

Breast cancer has the highest incidence and mortality in women worldwide. There are 70% of breast cancers considered as estrogen receptor α (ERα) positive. Therefore, the ERα-targeted therapy has become one of the most effective solution for patients with breast cancer. Whereas a better understanding of ERα regulation is critical to shape evolutional treatments for breast cancer. By exploring the regulatory mechanisms of ERα at levels of post-translational modifications, we identified the deubiquitinase USP15 as a novel protector for preventing ERα degradation and a critical driver for breast cancer progression. Specifically, we demonstrated that USP15 promoted the proliferation of ERα+, but not ERα- breast cancer, in vivo and in vitro. Meanwhile, USP15 knockdown notably enhanced the antitumor activities of tamoxifen on breast cancer cells. Importantly, USP15 knockdown induced the downregulation of ERα protein via promoting its K48-linked ubiquitination, which is required for proliferative inhibition of breast cancer cells. These findings not only provide a novel treatment for overcoming resistance to endocrine therapy, but also represent a therapeutic strategy on ERα degradation by targeting USP15-ERα axis.
Elevated TEFM expression promotes growth and metastasis through activation of ROS/ERK signaling in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Wan Lixin , Wang Yang , Zhang Zijie , Wang Jiaxin , Niu Menglan , Wu Yuanyuan , Yang Yating , Dang Yongxia , Hui Shuang , Ni Meng , Wan Bo , Bao Dengke
Published: March 2021

TEFM (transcription elongation factor of mitochondria) has been identified as a novel nuclear-encoded transcription elongation factor in the transcription of mitochondrial genome. Our bioinformatics analysis of TCGA data revealed an aberrant over-expression of TEFM in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We analyzed its biological effects and clinical significance in this malignancy. TEFM expression was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR, western blot, and immunohistochemistry analysis in HCC tissues and cell lines. The effects of TEFM on HCC cell growth and metastasis were determined by cell proliferation, colony formation, flow cytometric cell cycle and apoptosis, migration, and invasion assays. TEFM expression was significantly increased in HCC tissues mainly caused by down-regulation of miR-194-5p. Its increased expression is correlated with poor prognosis of HCC patients. TEFM promoted HCC growth and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo by promoting G1–S cell transition, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and suppressing cell apoptosis. Mechanistically, TEFM exerts its tumor growth and metastasis promoting effects at least partly through increasing ROS production and subsequently by activation of ERK signaling. Our study suggests that TEFM functions as a vital oncogene in promoting growth and metastasis in HCC and may contribute to the targeted therapy of HCC.
Neuromodulation of BAG co-chaperones by HIV-1 viral proteins and H2O2: implications for HIV-associated neurological disorders
Authors: Duggan Michael R. , Mohseni Ahooyi Taha , Parikh Vinay , Khalili Kamel
Published: March 2021

Despite increasing numbers of aged individuals living with HIV, the mechanisms underlying HIV-associated neurological disorders (HANDs) remain elusive. As HIV-1 pathogenesis and aging are characterized by oxidative stress as well as altered protein quality control (PQC), reactive oxygen species (ROS) themselves might constitute a molecular mediator of neuronal PQC by modulating BCL-2 associated athanogene (BAG) family members. Present results reveal H2O2 replicated and exacerbated a reduction in neuronal BAG3 induced by the expression of HIV-1 viral proteins (i.e., Tat and Nef), while also causing an upregulation of BAG1. Such a reciprocal regulation of BAG3 and BAG1 levels was also indicated in two animal models of HIV, the doxycycline-inducible Tat (iTat) and the Tg26 mouse. Inhibiting oxidative stress via antioxidants in primary culture was capable of partially preserving neuronal BAG3 levels as well as electrophysiological functioning otherwise altered by HIV-1 viral proteins. Current findings indicate HIV-1 viral proteins and H2O2 may mediate neuronal PQC by exerting synergistic effects on complementary BAG family members, and suggest novel therapeutic targets for the aging HIV-1 population.
Linear and nonlinear chromatic integration in the mouse retina
Authors: Khani Mohammad Hossein , Gollisch Tim
Published: March 2021

The computations performed by a neural circuit depend on how it integrates its input signals into an output of its own. In the retina, ganglion cells integrate visual information over time, space, and chromatic channels. Unlike the former two, chromatic integration is largely unexplored. Analogous to classical studies of spatial integration, we here study chromatic integration in mouse retina by identifying chromatic stimuli for which activation from the green or UV color channel is maximally balanced by deactivation through the other color channel. This reveals nonlinear chromatic integration in subsets of On, Off, and On–Off ganglion cells. Unlike the latter two, nonlinear On cells display response suppression rather than activation under balanced chromatic stimulation. Furthermore, nonlinear chromatic integration occurs independently of nonlinear spatial integration, depends on contributions from the rod pathway and on surround inhibition, and may provide information about chromatic boundaries, such as the skyline in natural scenes.