bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Community Capacity Building for HIV and Addiction Service Integration: An Intervention Trial in Vietnam
Authors: Li Li , Lin Chunqing , Liang Li-Jung , Nguyen Diep Bich , Pham Loc Quang , Le Tuan Anh , Nguyen Tuan Anh
Published: July 2021

Scientific findings and policy guidelines recommend integrating HIV and drug addiction prevention and care into community-based settings. Systematic capacity-building efforts are warranted to provide technical support for community health workers and improve their confidence in the integrated service provision. An intervention trial was conducted between 2018 and 2019 with 120 community health workers (CHW) from 60 communes in Vietnam’s four provinces. The 60 intervention CHW received in-person training to enhance their HIV/addiction-related service knowledge and skills. Online support groups were established between trained CHW and local HIV and addiction specialists. The intervention outcomes were assessed using mixed-effects regression models with the data collected at baseline and every 3 months for 1 year. Adjusted analyses showed that intervention CHW reported a significant increase in the interaction with other treatment providers than the control group at 6 months and remained at the 12-month follow-up. The difference in the improvement of confidence in HIV/addiction-related service delivery between the intervention and control groups was significant at 6-month but became insignificant at the 12-month. Male CHW were more confident in providing services than female CHW at baseline, and gender differences in the changing patterns were observed over time. This capacity-building intervention demonstrated promising outcomes on CHW inter-agency collaborations and confidence in service delivery. Gender divides in healthcare professionals should be attended to in future studies.
Rearing of Hyalomma marginatum (Acarina: Ixodidae) under laboratory conditions in Morocco
Authors: Elhachimi Latifa , Valcárcel Félix , Olmeda Angeles S. , Elasatey Sabrine , Khattat Sarah E. , Daminet Sylvie , Sahibi Hamid , Duchateau Luc
Published: July 2021

Hyalomma marginatum Koch is one of the main tick vectors of human and animal tick-borne diseases. The objective of this study was to establish standard procedures for rearing H. marginatum under laboratory conditions. Such laboratory tick populations are required to study acaricide resistance of Hyalomma ticks. In our rearing program, larvae and nymphs were fed on New Zealand white rabbits, whereas adults were fed on sheep. Non-parasitic stages were held at 18 and 28 °C to study the effect of temperature on development and survival. In our experiments, H. marginatum ticks have maintained the characteristics of a two-host life cycle. The engorged larvae did not detach and moulted on the rabbit, after which the emerged nymphs continued to feed on the same animal. The life cycle duration of H. marginatum was influenced by temperature, with each non-parasitic stage—i.e., larva and nymph molting—developing faster at 28 than at 18 °C; preoviposition and oviposition periods were shorter at 28 than at 18 °C. At 18 °C, no eggs hatched. The whole cycle from the collection of an engorged field tick until the emergence of second-generation larvae took 189 days. One such tick on average results in 3500 eggs which over time, taking into account the losses at each developmental stage, develop into 1200 adult ticks. Rearing these ticks a second generation therefore could result in millions of larval ticks.
Overexpression of a single ORF can extend chronological lifespan in yeast if retrograde signaling and stress response are stimulated
Authors: Pogoda Elzbieta , Tutaj Hanna , Pirog Adrian , Tomala Katarzyna , Korona Ryszard
Published: July 2021

Systematic collections of single-gene deletions have been invaluable in uncovering determinants of lifespan in yeast. Overexpression of a single gene does not have such a clear outcome as cancellation of its function but it can lead to a variety of imbalances, deregulations and compensations, and some of them could be important for longevity. We report an experiment in which a genome-wide collection of strains overexpressing a single gene was assayed for chronological lifespan (CLS). Only one group of proteins, those locating to the inner membrane and matrix of mitochondria, tended to extend CLS when abundantly overproduced. We selected two such strains—one overexpressing Qcr7 of the respiratory complex III, the other overexpressing Mrps28 of the small mitoribosomal subunit—and analyzed their transcriptomes. The uncovered shifts in RNA abundance in the two strains were nearly identical and highly suggestive. They implied a distortion in the co-translational assembly of respiratory complexes followed by retrograde signaling to the nucleus. The consequent reprogramming of the entire cellular metabolism towards the resistance to stress resulted in an enhanced ability to persist in a non-proliferating state. Our results show that surveillance of the inner mitochondrial membrane integrity is of outstanding importance for the cell. They also demonstrate that overexpression of single genes could be used effectively to elucidate the mitochondrion-nucleus crosstalk.
Gap analyses of priority wild relatives of food crop in current ex situ and in situ conservation in Indonesia
Authors: Rahman Wiguna , Brehm Joana Magos , Maxted Nigel , Phillips Jade , Contreras-Toledo Aremi R. , Faraji Mariam , Quijano Mauricio Parra
Published: July 2021

Conservation programmes are always limited by available resources. Careful planning is therefore required to increase the efficiency of conservation and gap analysis can be used for this purpose. This method was used to assess the representativeness of current ex situ and in situ conservation actions of 234 priority crop wild relatives (CWR) in Indonesia. This analysis also included species distribution modelling, the creation of an ecogeographical land characterization map, and a complementarity analysis to identify priorities area for in situ conservation and for further collecting of ex situ conservation programmes. The results show that both current ex situ and in situ conservation actions are insufficient. Sixty-six percent of priority CWRs have no recorded ex situ collections. Eighty CWRs with ex situ collections are still under-represented in the national genebanks and 65 CWRs have no presence records within the existing protected area network although 60 are predicted to exist in several protected areas according to their potential distribution models. The complementarity analysis shows that a minimum of 61 complementary grid areas (complementary based on grid cells) are required to conserve all priority taxa and 40 complementary protected areas (complementary based on existing protected areas) are required to conserve those with known populations within the existing in situ protected area network. The top ten of complementary protected areas are proposed as the initial areas for the development of CWR genetic reserves network in Indonesia. It is recommended to enhanced coordination between ex situ and in situ conservation stakeholders for sustaining the long term conservation of CWR in Indonesia. Implementation of the research recommendations will provide for the first time an effective conservation planning of Indonesia’s CWR diversity and will significantly enhance the country’s food and nutritional security.
A large and evolving cognate database
Authors: Batsuren Khuyagbaatar , Bella Gábor , Giunchiglia Fausto
Published: July 2021

We presentCogNet, a large-scale, automatically-built database of sense-taggedcognates—words of common origin and meaning across languages. CogNet is continuously evolving: its current version contains over 8 million cognate pairs over 338 languages and 35 writing systems, with new releases already in preparation. The paper presents the algorithm and input resources used for its computation, an evaluation of the result, as well as a quantitative analysis of cognate data leading to novel insights on language diversity. Furthermore, as an example on the use of large-scale cross-lingual knowledge bases for improving the quality of multilingual applications, we present a case study on the use of CogNet for bilingual lexicon induction in the framework of cross-lingual transfer learning.
Global costs of protecting against sea-level rise at 1.5 to 4.0 °C
Authors: Brown Sally , Jenkins Katie , Goodwin Philip , Lincke Daniel , Vafeidis Athanasios T. , Tol Richard S. J. , Jenkins Rhosanna , Warren Rachel , Nicholls Robert J. , Jevrejeva Svetlana , Arcilla Agustin Sanchez , Haigh Ivan D.
Published: July 2021

Sea levels will rise, even with stringent climate change mitigation. Mitigation will slow the rate of rise. There is limited knowledge on how the costs of coastal protection vary with alternative global warming levels of 1.5 to 4.0 °C. Analysing six sea-level rise scenarios (0.74 to 1.09 m, 50th percentile) across these warming levels, and five Shared Socioeconomic Pathways, this paper quantifies the economic costs of flooding and protection due to sea-level rise using the Dynamic Interactive Vulnerability Assessment (DIVA) modelling framework. Results are presented for World Bank income groups and five selected countries from the present to 2100. Annual sea flood damage costs without additional adaptation are more influenced by socio-economic development than sea-level rise, indicating that there are opportunities to control risk with development choices. In contrast, annual sea dike investment costs are more dependent on the magnitude of sea-level rise. In terms of total costs with adaptation, upper middle, low middle and low income groups are projected to have higher relative costs as a proportion of GDP compared with high income groups. If low income countries protected now, flood costs could be reduced after 2050 and beyond. However, without further adaptation, their coasts will experience growing risks and costs leaving them increasingly reliant on emergency response measures. Without mitigation or adaptation, greater inequalities in damage costs between income groups could result. At country level, annual sea flood damage costs without additional adaptation are projected to rapidly increase with approximately 0.2 m of sea-level rise, leaving limited time to plan and adapt.
Alternative Axiomatization for Logics of Agency in a G3 Calculus
Authors: Negri Sara , Pavlović Edi
Published: July 2021

In a recent paper, Negri and Pavlović (Studia Logica 1–35, 2020) have formulated a decidable sequent calculus for the logic of agency, specifically for a deliberative see-to-it-that modality, or dstit. In that paper the adequacy of the system is demonstrated by showing the derivability of the axiomatization of dstit from Belnap et al. (Facing the future: agents and choices in our indeterminist world. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2001). And while the influence of the latter book on the study of logics of agency cannot be overstated, we note that this is not the only axiomatization of that modality available. In fact, an earlier (and arguably purer) one was offered in Xu (J Philosophical Logic 27(5):505–552, 1998). In this article we fill this lacuna by proving that this alternative axiomatization is likewise readily derivable in the system of Negri and Pavlović (Studia Logica 1–35, 2020).
Scalar curvature and the multiconformal class of a direct product Riemannian manifold
Authors: Roos Saskia , Otoba Nobuhiko
Published: July 2021

For a closed, connected direct product Riemannian manifold $$(M, g)=(M_1, g_1) \times \cdots \times (M_l, g_l)$$

(
M
,
g
)

=

(

M
1

,

g
1

)

×
⋯
×

(

M
l

,

g
l

)

, we define its multiconformal class $$ [\![ g ]\!]$$

[

[
g
]

]

as the totality $$\{f_1^2g_1\oplus \cdots \oplus f_l^2g_l\}$$

{

f
1
2

g
1

⊕
⋯
⊕

f
l
2

g
l

}

of all Riemannian metrics obtained from multiplying the metric $$g_i$$

g
i

of each factor $$M_i$$

M
i

by a positive function $$f_i$$

f
i

on the total space M. A multiconformal class $$ [\![ g ]\!]$$

[

[
g
]

]

contains not only all warped product type deformations of g but also the whole conformal class $$[\tilde{g}]$$

[

g
~

]

of every $$\tilde{g}\in [\![ g ]\!]$$

g
~

∈

[

[
g
]

]

. In this article, we prove that $$ [\![ g ]\!]$$

[

[
g
]

]

contains a metric of positive scalar curvature if and only if the conformal class of some factor $$(M_i, g_i)$$

(

M
i

,

g
i

)

does, under the technical assumption $$\dim M_i\ge 2$$

dim

M
i

≥
2

. We also show that, even in the case where every factor $$(M_i, g_i)$$

(

M
i

,

g
i

)

has positive scalar curvature, $$ [\![ g ]\!]$$

[

[
g
]

]

contains a metric of scalar curvature constantly equal to $$-1$$

-
1

and with arbitrarily large volume, provided $$l\ge 2$$

l
≥
2

and $$\dim M\ge 3$$

dim
M
≥
3

.
Characterization of a landslide-triggered debris flow at a rainforest-covered mountain region in Brazil
Authors: Cabral Victor Carvalho , Reis Fábio Augusto Gomes Vieira , D’Affonseca Fernando Mazo , Lucía Ana , dos Santos Corrêa Claudia Vanessa , Veloso Vinicius , Gramani Marcelo Fischer , Ogura Agostinho Tadashi , Lazaretti Andrea Fregolente , Vemado Felipe , Pereira Filho Augusto José , dos Santos Claudia Cristina , Lopes Eymar Silva Sampaio , Rabaco Lis Maria Reoni , do Carmo Giordano Lucilia , Zarfl Christiane
Published: July 2021

Debris flows represent great hazard to humans due to their high destructive power. Understanding their hydrogeomorphic dynamics is fundamental in hazard assessment studies, especially in subtropical and tropical regions where debris flows have scarcely been studied when compared to other mass-wasting processes. Thus, this study aims at systematically analyzing the meteorological and geomorphological factors that characterize a landslide-triggered debris flow at the Pedra Branca catchment (Serra do Mar, Brazil), to quantify the debris flow’s magnitude, peak discharge and velocity. A magnitude comparison with empirical equations (Italian Alps, Taiwan, Serra do Mar) is also conducted. The meteorological analysis is based on satellite data and rain gauge measurements, while the geomorphological characterization is based on terrestrial and aerial investigations, with high spatial resolution. The results indicate that it was a large-sized stony debris flow, with a total magnitude of 120,195 m3, a peak discharge of 2146.7 m3 s−1 and a peak velocity of 26.5 m s−1. The debris flow was triggered by a 188-mm rainfall in 3 h (maximum intensity of 128 mm h−1), with an estimated return period of 15 to 20 years, which, combined with the intense accumulation of on-channel debris (ca. 37,000 m3), indicates that new high-magnitude debris flows in the catchment and the region are likely to occur within the next two decades. The knowledge of the potential frequency and magnitude (F–M) can support the creation of F–M relationships for Serra do Mar, a prerequisite for reliable hazard management and monitoring programs.
Measuring intra-generational redistribution in PAYG pension schemes
Authors: Klos Jonas , Krieger Tim , Stöwhase Sven
Published: July 2021

Voters in ageing societies expect pension reforms to be both inter-generationally and intra-generationally fair. In this paper, we propose a global measure of intra-generational redistribution in pay-as-you-go pension schemes as a basis for voters’ evaluations of reforms. Our novel index only requires information on contributions by and pension benefits paid to retirees, enabling us to measure intra-generational redistribution isolated from possible inter-generational redistribution. We rely on the contribution records of approximately 100,000 Germans, who progressed into retirement in 2007–2015, to measure the level of intra-generational redistribution in the German statutory pension scheme (GRV). A recent reform of the childcare benefit provision, which became effective in 2014, confirms the predictions of our index. The reform introduced additional benefits for a substantial subgroup of German mothers, owing to which the index value for women, but not for men, jumps up. Our findings suggests that GRV fulfills the ideal of a Bismarckian pension system without intra-generational redistribution for men, while women benefit significantly from intra-generational redistribution.
Doing good when doing well: evidence on real earnings management
Authors: Grieser William , Hadlock Charles J. , Pierce Joshua R.
Published: July 2021

We provide evidence on earnings management by exploiting temporary exogenous shocks to utility firms’ sales arising from weather variation. We find that sample firms’ sales are highly sensitive to annual changes in average temperatures in the region where the firm operates, but this sensitivity disappears quickly as one moves down the income statement. This evidence, while indirect, is suggestive of earnings management activities. In search of direct evidence, we study charitable giving decisions by sample firms and uncover a significant positive sensitivity of charitable spending to weather-driven demand shocks, behavior that is highly consistent with the presence of real earnings management efforts. We find no convincing evidence supporting possible alternative explanations for this evidence, but we do find limited support for the presence of a larger giving–weather relation when earnings management incentives are likely to be elevated. If other real decisions with similar characteristics scale proportionally to charitable giving, our findings suggest that the overall magnitude of real earnings management activities could be quite substantial.
Targeted Value-Enhancing Advertising and Price Competition
Authors: Pepall Lynne , Richards Daniel
Published: July 2021

Digital markets provide firms with vast amounts of consumer data. Economists who have explored this phenomenon have focused on how firms use data to implement price discrimination. Targeted advertising in this context transmits different price information to different consumers. However, advertising is itself often valued by consumers, and can be viewed as a complement to the advertised product. Such advertising may also be customized and targeted. We investigate how targeted value-enhancing advertising affects competition. Competing for consumers with targeted advertising leads overall to higher prices and increases consumer surplus but reduces profitability. In certain markets the advertising is inefficiently over-supplied.
Mixing Matrix-corrected Whole-body Pharmacokinetic Modeling Using Longitudinal Micro-computed Tomography and Fluorescence-mediated Tomography
Authors: Zuo Simin , Al Rawashdeh Wa’el , Rosenhain Stefanie , Magnuska Zuzanna , Gyamfuah Yamoah Grace , Kiessling Fabian , Gremse Felix
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Pharmacokinetic modeling can be applied to quantify the kinetics of fluorescently labeled compounds using longitudinal micro-computed tomography and fluorescence-mediated tomography (μCT-FMT). However, fluorescence blurring from neighboring organs or tissues and the vasculature within tissues impede the accuracy in the estimation of kinetic parameters. Contributions of elimination and retention activities of fluorescent probes inside the kidneys and liver can be hard to distinguish by a kinetic model. This study proposes a deconvolution approach using a mixing matrix to model fluorescence contributions to improve whole-body pharmacokinetic modeling.

Procedures

In the kinetic model, a mixing matrix was applied to unmix the fluorescence blurring from neighboring tissues and blood vessels and unmix the fluorescence contributions of elimination and retention in the kidney and liver compartments. Accordingly, the kinetic parameters of the hepatobiliary and renal elimination routes and five major retention sites (the kidneys, liver, bone, spleen, and lung) were investigated in simulations and in an in vivo study. In the latter, the pharmacokinetics of four fluorescently labeled compounds (indocyanine green (ICG), HITC-iodide-microbubbles (MB), Cy7-nanogels (NG), and OsteoSense 750 EX (OS)) were evaluated in BALB/c nude mice.

Results

In the simulations, the corrected modeling resulted in lower relative errors and stronger linear relationships (slopes close to 1) between the estimated and simulated parameters, compared to the uncorrected modeling. For the in vivo study, MB and NG showed significantly higher hepatic retention rates (P<0.05 and P<0.05, respectively), while OS had smaller renal and hepatic retention rates (P<0.01 and P<0.01, respectively). Additionally, the bone retention rate of OS was significantly higher (P<0.01).

Conclusions

The mixing matrix correction improves pharmacokinetic modeling and thus enables a more accurate assessment of the biodistribution of fluorescently labeled pharmaceuticals by μCT-FMT.
Generation of Reverse Meniscus Flow by Applying An Electromagnetic Brake
Authors: Vakhrushev Alexander , Kharicha Abdellah , Karimi-Sibaki Ebrahim , Wu Menghuai , Ludwig Andreas , Nitzl Gerald , Tang Yong , Hackl Gernot , Watzinger Josef , Eckert Sven
Published: July 2021

A numerical study is presented that deals with the flow in the mold of a continuous slab caster under the influence of a DC magnetic field (electromagnetic brakes (EMBrs)). The arrangement and geometry investigated here is based on a series of previous experimental studies carried out at the mini-LIMMCAST facility at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR). The magnetic field models a ruler-type EMBr and is installed in the region of the ports of the submerged entry nozzle (SEN). The current article considers magnet field strengths up to 441 mT, corresponding to a Hartmann number of about 600, and takes the electrical conductivity of the solidified shell into account. The numerical model of the turbulent flow under the applied magnetic field is implemented using the open-source CFD package OpenFOAM®. Our numerical results reveal that a growing magnitude of the applied magnetic field may cause a reversal of the flow direction at the meniscus surface, which is related the formation of a “multiroll” flow pattern in the mold. This phenomenon can be explained as a classical magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) effect: (1) the closure of the induced electric current results not primarily in a braking Lorentz force inside the jet but in an acceleration in regions of previously weak velocities, which initiates the formation of an opposite vortex (OV) close to the mean jet; (2) this vortex develops in size at the expense of the main vortex until it reaches the meniscus surface, where it becomes clearly visible. We also show that an acceleration of the meniscus flow must be expected when the applied magnetic field is smaller than a critical value. This acceleration is due to the transfer of kinetic energy from smaller turbulent structures into the mean flow. A further increase in the EMBr intensity leads to the expected damping of the mean flow and, consequently, to a reduction in the size of the upper roll. These investigations show that the Lorentz force cannot be reduced to a simple damping effect; depending on the field strength, its action is found to be topologically complex.
Steroid Receptor Coactivator 3 Regulates Synaptic Plasticity and Hippocampus-dependent Memory
Authors: Zhang Hai-Long , Zhao Bing , Yang Pin , Du Yin-Quan , Han Wei , Xu Jianming , Yin Dong-Min
Published: July 2021

Steroid hormones play important roles in brain development and function. The signaling of steroid hormones depends on the interaction between steroid receptors and their coactivators. Although the function of steroid receptor coactivators has been extensively studied in other tissues, their functions in the central nervous system are less well investigated. In this study, we addressed the function of steroid receptor coactivator 3 (SRC3) – a member of the p160 SRC protein family that is expressed predominantly in the hippocampus. While hippocampal development was not altered in Src3+/− mice, hippocampus-dependent functions such as short-term memory and spatial memory were impaired. We further demonstrated that the deficient learning and memory in Src3+/− mice was strongly associated with the impairment of long-term potentiation (LTP) at Schaffer Collateral-CA1 synapses. Mechanistic studies indicated that Src3+/− mutation altered the composition of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunits in the postsynaptic densities of hippocampal neurons. Finally, we showed that SRC3 regulated synaptic plasticity and learning mainly dependent on its lysine acetyltransferase activity. Taken together, these results reveal previously unknown functions of SRC3 in the hippocampus and thus may provide insight into how steroid hormones regulate brain function.
Determining Shape and Size of Personal Space of a Human when Passed by a Robot
Authors: Neggers Margot M. E. , Cuijpers Raymond H. , Ruijten Peter A. M. , IJsselsteijn Wijnand A.
Published: July 2021

Autonomous mobile robots that operate in environments with people are expected to be able to deal with human proxemics and social distances. Previous research investigated how robots can approach persons or how to implement human-aware navigation algorithms. However, experimental research on how robots can avoid a person in a comfortable way is largely missing. The aim of the current work is to experimentally determine the shape and size of personal space of a human passed by a robot. In two studies, both a humanoid as well as a non-humanoid robot were used to pass a person at different sides and distances, after which they were asked to rate their perceived comfort. As expected, perceived comfort increases with distance. However, the shape was not circular: passing at the back of a person is more uncomfortable compared to passing at the front, especially in the case of the humanoid robot. These results give us more insight into the shape and size of personal space in human–robot interaction. Furthermore, they can serve as necessary input to human-aware navigation algorithms for autonomous mobile robots in which human comfort is traded off with efficiency goals.
Institutional and farm-level challenges limiting the diffusion of new varieties from public and CGIAR centers: The case of wheat in Morocco
Authors: Yigezu Yigezu A. , Bishaw Zewdie , Niane Abdoul Aziz , Alwang Jeffrey , El-Shater Tamer , Boughlala Mohamed , Aw-Hassan Aden , Tadesse Wuletaw , Bassi Filippo M. , Amri Ahmed , Baum Michael
Published: July 2021

Low adoption of agricultural technologies slows efforts to increase agricultural productivity and enhance rural livelihoods in developing countries. A large body of literature has sought explanations for the problem, but the focus has been mainly on micro-level farm and community factors affecting adoption. Institutional factors such as policies and market conditions, which are also important, have been largely overlooked and, few, if any, studies combine the two levels of analysis. We use Morocco as a case study to analyze institutional and farm-level factors affecting diffusion and adoption of improved wheat varieties. Results show both sides to be important. Institutional factors such as overly stringent variety testing procedures, imbalance of power among actors in the seed sector and ill-conceived variety licensing contracts limit access to seeds of more recently released varieties. Adoption of older new varieties is found to be affected by farm and farmer characteristics, but imperfect access to new seeds, sometimes associated with the failings identified above, is also a constraint. Findings signal the need for increased private engagement in seed multiplication; revised variety testing procedures; alternative royalty mechanisms; and enhanced linkages between public research and private seed companies.
Did Human Culture Emerge in a Cultural Evolutionary Transition in Individuality?
Authors: Davison Dinah R. , Andersson Claes , Michod Richard E. , Kuhn Steven L.
Published: July 2021

Evolutionary Transitions in Individuality (ETI) have been responsible for the major transitions in levels of selection and individuality in natural history, such as the origins of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, multicellular organisms, and eusocial insects. The integrated hierarchical organization of life thereby emerged as groups of individuals repeatedly evolved into new and more complex kinds of individuals. The Social Protocell Hypothesis (SPH) proposes that the integrated hierarchical organization of human culture can also be understood as the outcome of an ETI—one that produced a “cultural organism” (a “sociont”) from a substrate of socially learned traditions that were contained in growing and dividing social communities. The SPH predicts that a threshold degree of evolutionary individuality would have been achieved by 2.0–2.5 Mya, followed by an increasing degree of evolutionary individuality as the ETI unfolded. We here assess the SPH by applying a battery of criteria—developed to assess evolutionary individuality in biological units—to cultural units across the evolutionary history ofHomo.We find an increasing agreement with these criteria, which buttresses the claim that an ETI occurred in the cultural realm.
Total Antioxidant Capacity and Lipid Peroxidation Status in Cervical Cancer Patients Compared with Women Without Cervical Cancer in Bangladesh
Authors: Nigar Taslima , Goodman Annekathryn , Pervin Shahana
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Over the past several decades, research has suggested reactive oxygen species act as cofactors for cervical cancer development. The aim of this study is to evaluate the antioxidant and lipid peroxidation status in cervical cancer patients in Bangladesh.

Methods

From December 2017 to 2018, a cross-sectional observational study was conducted on 50 cervical cancer patients and 50 controls. Plasma levels of lipid peroxidation and total antioxidant capacity were measured. The Student’s t test was used for statistical analysis. P values less than 0.05 were taken as a level of significance.

Results

There was a significant reduction in total antioxidant levels in patients with cervical cancer, 972.77 ± 244.22 SD µmol equivalent to ascorbic acid/L, compared to normal controls, 1720.13 ± 150.81 SD µmol equivalent to ascorbic acid/L (P < 0.001). Levels of lipid peroxidation were found to be significantly higher in cervical cancer, 7.49 ± 2.13 SD µmol/L, than in women without cervical cancer, 3.28 ± 0.58 SD µmol/L (P < 0.001). The cervical cancer patients had significantly higher levels of oxidative stress index (0.83 ± 0.31) in comparison to controls (0.19 ± 0.04) (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

There was an increased oxidative stress index due to imbalance between lipid peroxidation generation and total antioxidant capacity in cervical cancer patients. Further studies are needed to explore the role of oxidative stress as a cofactor for cervical carcinogenesis.
Correction to: Exploring the Relationship between Character Strengths and Meditation: a Cross-Sectional Study among Long-Term Practitioners of Sahaja Yoga Meditation
Authors: Hendriks Tommy , Pritikin Joshua , Choudhary Rajeev , Danyluck Chad
Published: July 2021

An Correction to this paper has been published: 10.1007/s41042-021-00053-z
A Picasso paper collage of 1913–14: assessment of fragility and sensitivity to light
Authors: Townsend Joyce H. , Fox Charity , Sacher Betty
Published: July 2021

The construction and present condition of Picasso’s Bottle of Vieux Marc, Glass, Guitar and Newspaper 1913, in the Tate collection since 1961, are described. Technical examination, materials analysis and microfading have been carried out on both the support and the collage elements, which include handmade paper, two elements made from broderie anglaise pattern pieces ironed onto paper, damaged water-resistant flock wallpaper and old newsprint. These indicate that the collage is not poorly constructed, but is sensitive to light as was expected, especially the support, pattern pieces and wallpaper. Based on the microfading, the current display recommendation for light exposure is 12 months in 4 years, which is half the exposure recommended for typical works on paper at Tate, at 50–80 lx without ultraviolet light.
Assessment of spatio-temporal variability of rainfall and mean air temperature over Ardabil province, Iran
Authors: Ghorbani Mohammad Ali , Mahmoud Alilou Saba , Javidan Sahar , Naganna Sujay Raghavendra
Published: July 2021

Precipitation and temperature are the most important climate parameters, which vary both spatially and temporally. In the present study, rainfall data of 11 synoptic stations and 40 rain gauge stations and mean air temperature data of 11 synoptic stations of Ardabil province for the period 2009–2019 collected from the Meteorological Organization of Ardabil province, were considered for investigation. The descriptive statistics of rainfall and temperature such as mean, median, coefficient of variation, skewness and kurtosis were analyzed for monthly scale data. A higher coefficient of variation signified a greater degree of variation in precipitation and temperature data across different months. To evaluate the temporal stability over several months, Pearson linear correlation analysis at a significance level of 5% was performed for each variable. Kriging geostatistical estimator and GIS interface (ArcMap 10.4.1) were used for spatial interpolation with the aid of root mean square and SRMS standards. The results revealed that the spatial variation of temperature was greater than that of precipitation.
The Downregulation of Placental Lumican Promotes the Progression of Preeclampsia
Authors: Liu Chao , Hu Yulian , Wang Zhongying , Pan Hua , Ren Yan , Li Xiao , Liu Zhiqiang , Gao Huijie
Published: July 2021

Multiple pieces of evidence illustrate that impaired trophoblast function results in preeclampsia (PE), and migration/invasion of human trophoblast cells is stringently regulated by extracellular matrix (ECM) components. Many studies have indicated abnormal expressions of placental ECM components are associated with preeclampsia. However, the change and influence of lumican, a vital member of extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules, on trophoblast cells during preeclampsia remain unclear. This study examines the possibility that the roles of lumican in trophoblast cells contribute to PE. To address this issue, the expression of lumican in human placental tissues was observed using immunohistochemistry, fluorescence quantitative PCR, and Western blot technology. After the HTR-8/SVneo cell line was transfected with pcDNA3.1-human lumican, pGPU6-human lumican shRNA, and their negative controls, the impact of lumican on the HTR-8/SVneo cell line was investigated. Lumican was expressed in human placental tissues. Compared with the control group, its expression was significantly lower in PE placentas. Lumican downregulation inhibited cell proliferation significantly and reduced Bcl-2 expression, but increased P53 expression. These results indicate that the downregulation of placental lumican may drive PE development via promoting the downregulation of Bcl-2 expression and upregulation of P53.
Institutional stakeholders’ perceptions of a sustainable neighbourhood in metropolitan Lagos
Authors: Adewumi Ayomikun S. , Onyango Vincent , Moyo Dumiso
Published: July 2021

Understanding the term urban sustainability continues to dominate discourse in the built environment as societies explore how cities can be considered sustainable. Due to the increasing rate of urbanization, scholars argue that the battle for sustainability will be won or lost in cities; recognizing the crucial role that neighbourhoods can play as building blocks of urban areas. However, while the context-specificity of the several approaches to sustainability at the neighbourhood level has been recognised, no single accepted understanding of a sustainable neighbourhood has emerged. This paper explores institutional stakeholders’ understanding of a sustainable neighbourhood using questionnaire data from metropolitan Lagos. This aligns with the critical realism philosophical stance which believes that knowledge can be sourced through the perception of people with respect to an underlying structure based on their reality. The findings show variations in the perceptions with institutions having similar responsibilities differing in their understanding of the concept. It was unclear why a single common understanding was missing and why certain elements were more emphasised than others even in institutions having similar roles. Further research should explore the mechanisms at play in influencing these understandings and how they may differ in various urban contexts in Sub-Sahara Africa.
Analytical modelling and UK Government policy
Authors: Oldfield Marie , Haig Ella
Published: July 2021

In the last decade, the UK Government has attempted to implement improved processes and procedures in modelling and analysis in response to the Laidlaw report of 2012 and the Macpherson review of 2013. The Laidlaw report was commissioned after failings during the Intercity West Coast Rail (ICWC) Franchise procurement exercise by the Department for Transport (DfT) that led to a legal challenge of the analytical models used within the exercise. The Macpherson review looked into the quality assurance of Government analytical models in the context of the experience with the Intercity West Coast franchise competition. This paper examines what progress has been made in the 8 years since the Laidlaw report in model building and best practise in government and proposes several recommendations for ways forward. This paper also discusses the Lords Science and Technology Committees of June 2020 that analysed the failings in the modelling of COVID. Despite going on to influence policy, many of the same issues raised within the Laidlaw and Macpherson Reports were also present in the Lords Science and Technology Committee enquiry. We examine the technical and organisational challenges to progress in this area and make recommendations for a way forward.
Cyprus, Sardinia and Sicily: A Maritime Perspective on Interaction, Connectivity and Imagination in Mediterranean Prehistory
Authors: Knapp A. Bernard , Russell Anthony , van Dommelen Peter
Published: July 2021

In this study, we outline a maritime perspective on interaction in the Late Bronze/early Iron Age Mediterranean. In response to what has elsewhere been termed the ‘maximalist’ approach, which foregrounds direct, long-distance trading connections between distant Mediterranean regions as a key feature of Late Bronze Age exchange systems, we propose a more nuanced, ‘minimalist’ and argue that notions of contact, connectivity and mobility need to be carefully distinguished if we wish to discuss both the material and social dimensions of maritime mobility. In particular, we critique the prominently proposed, allegedly direct trade route between Sardinia and Cyprus. The network we suggest hinges on multiply connected nodes, where a variety of social actors take part in the creation and maintenance of maritime connections. By unpacking several such nodes between Sardinia and Cyprus, we demonstrate that simply asserting the dominance of Sardinian, Cypriot or Aegean mariners falls short of the complex archaeological evidence and eschews possible social interpretations. In conclusion, we submit that maritime connectivity is an inherently social activity, and that a culturally diverse prehistoric Mediterranean was connected by multiple interlocking and overlapping networks.
Repositioning an embolised stent during a percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation
Authors: Faim Diogo , Silva Patrícia Vaz , Marinho Joana Castro , Francisco Andreia , Luis Zunzunegui José , Pires António
Published: July 2021

Percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation is a less invasive procedure to treat right outflow tract dysfunction related to surgical procedures such as repair of Tetralogy of Fallot. Despite the lower risks, complications have been reported, namely embolisation of the pre-stent. We report a case of a 16-year-old boy, whose procedure was complicated by embolisation of the pre-stents and the strategy used to reimplant them, prior to the successful implantation of a pulmonary valve.
How (not) to cross a boundary: Crosslinguistic influence in simultaneous bilingual children's event construal
Authors: Engemann Helen
Published: July 2021

Simultaneous bilingual children sometimes display crosslinguistic influence (CLI), widely attested in the domain of morphosyntax. It remains less clear whether CLI affects bilinguals’ event construal, what motivates its occurrence and directionality, and how developmentally persistent it is. The present study tested predictions generated by the structural overlap hypothesis and the co-activation account in the motion event domain. 96 English–French bilingual children of two age groups and 96 age-matched monolingual English and French controls were asked to describe animated videos displaying voluntary motion events. Semantic encoding in main verbs showed bidirectional CLI. Unidirectional CLI affected French path encoding in the verbal periphery and was predicted by the presence of boundary-crossing, despite the absence of structural overlap. Furthermore, CLI increased developmentally in the French data. It is argued that these findings reflect highly dynamic co-activation patterns sensitive to the requirements of the task and to language-specific challenges in the online production process.
Evaluation of Dihedral Angle Twin Boundaries in Cu10 wt%Zn Alloy Using Atomic Force Microscopy
Authors: Starostina Nataliya , McGuire Ann , Rowan Richard
Published: July 2021

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements of dihedral angles are conducted for the first time to characterize the ratio of the twin-boundary energy (γΤ) to the surface free energy (γS). In plane, twin morphology is measured with AFM, verified by scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy, and found to be consistent. The chemical composition and homogeneity of annealed Cu10 wt%Zn sample are confirmed by energy-dispersive spectroscopy. AFM data indicate that the average depth and height of the grooves and peaks are 118 ± 45 and 158 ± 45 nm, respectively. Surface roughness parameters, Sq and Sa, are measured by a factor of two to four less than the depth and height of the twin boundaries. Both surface roughness parameters are less with no planar defects present compared with selected areas containing twin boundaries. The average dihedral angle is found to be 167 ± 5° for the grooves and 193 ± 4° for the peaks. The twin to surface interfacial free energy ratio, γT/γS, is 0.0018. The comparison of AFM-based results to the other method-based results obtained on pure metals is discussed.
Differentiation of Amyloid Plaques Between Alzheimer's Disease and Non-Alzheimer's Disease Individuals Based on Gray-Level Co-occurrence Matrix Texture Analysis
Authors: Zaletel Ivan , Milutinović Katarina , Bajčetić Miloš , Nowakowski Richard S.
Published: July 2021

Amyloid plaques, one of the main hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD), are classified into diffuse (associated with cognitive impairment) and dense-core types (a common finding in brains of people without Alzheimer's disease (non-AD) and without impaired cognitive function) based on their morphology. We tried to determine the usability of gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) texture parameters of homogeneity and heterogeneity for the differentiation of amyloid plaque images obtained from AD and non-AD individuals. Images of amyloid-β (Aβ) immunostained brain tissue samples were obtained from the Aging, Dementia and Traumatic Brain Injury Project. A total of 1,039 plaques were isolated from different brain regions of 69 AD and non-AD individuals and used for further GLCM analysis. Images of Aβ stained plaques show higher values of heterogeneity parameters and lower values of homogeneity parameters in AD patients, and vice versa in non-AD patients. Additionally, GLCM analysis shows differences in Aβ plaque texture between different brain regions in non-AD patients and correlates with variables that characterize patient's dementia status. The present study shows that GLCM texture analysis is an efficient method to discriminate between different types of amyloid plaques based on their morphology and thus can prove as a valuable tool in the neuropathological investigation of dementia.
The Distribution Profile of Glycoconjugates in the Testis of Brown-Banded Bamboo Shark (Chiloscyllium punctatum) by Using Lectin Histochemistry
Authors: Gewaily Mahmoud S. , Noreldin Ahmed E. , Dawood Mahmoud A.O. , Hegazy Yamen M. , Kassab Mohamed
Published: July 2021

The testis of bamboo shark is characterized by diametric development leading to zonation architecture. Here, we investigated the staining pattern of 12 lectins in 6 groups of differential binding specificities within the germ, somatic, and interstitial cells of each zone. The neutral mucopolysaccharides appeared in the interstitial tissue in all the zones and became more significant in the spermatozoal–Sertoli cell junction. The cellular localization of the lectins varies in testicular zones and cell types. There was a gradual increase in glycosylation toward the degenerative zone. The increased intensity of most lectins in the interstitial cells indicates the association of glycoconjugates in their androgen-secreting activity. Statistical analyses showed a significant correlation between the groups of lectins and each lectin used, stronger response to lectins in the interstitial cells (ICs) than other cell types. Moreover, the response to glucosamine (GlcNAc), galactosamine (GalNAc), and fucose tended to be higher than glucose and galactose. Furthermore, the intensity of response was increased toward the degenerative zone. In addition, we can use peanut agglutinin (PNA) as an acrosomal marker in combination with other marker proteins for studying shark spermatogenesis. These findings refer to the crucial role of glycoconjugates in spermatogenesis in the bamboo shark testis.
What makes the psychosis ‘clinical high risk’ state risky: psychosis itself or the co-presence of a non-psychotic disorder?
Authors: Hasmi Laila , Pries Lotta-Katrin , ten Have Margreet , de Graaf Ron , van Dorsselaer Saskia , Bak Maarten , Kenis Gunter , Richards Alexander , Lin Bochao D. , O'Donovan Michael C. , Luykx Jurjen J. , Rutten Bart P.F. , Guloksuz Sinan , van Os Jim
Published: July 2021

Aims

Although attenuated psychotic symptoms in the psychosis clinical high-risk state (CHR-P) almost always occur in the context of a non-psychotic disorder (NPD), NPD is considered an undesired ‘comorbidity’ epiphenomenon rather than an integral part of CHR-P itself. Prospective work, however, indicates that much more of the clinical psychosis incidence is attributable to prior mood and drug use disorders than to psychosis clinical high-risk states per se. In order to examine this conundrum, we analysed to what degree the ‘risk’ in CHR-P is indexed by co-present NPD rather than attenuated psychosis per se.

Methods

We examined the incidence of early psychotic experiences (PE) with and without NPD (mood disorders, anxiety disorders, alcohol/drug use disorders), in a prospective general population cohort (n = 6123 at risk of incident PE at baseline). Four interview waves were conducted between 2007 and 2018 (NEMESIS-2). The incidence of PE, alone (PE-only) or with NPD (PE + NPD) was calculated, as were differential associations with schizophrenia polygenic risk score (PRS-Sz), environmental, demographical, clinical and cognitive factors.

Results

The incidence of PE + NPD (0.37%) was lower than the incidence of PE-only (1.04%), representing around a third of the total yearly incidence of PE. Incident PE + NPD was, in comparison with PE-only, differentially characterised by poor functioning, environmental risks, PRS-Sz, positive family history, prescription of antipsychotic medication and (mental) health service use.

Conclusions

The risk in ‘clinical high risk’ states is mediated not by attenuated psychosis per se but specifically the combination of attenuated psychosis and NPD. CHR-P/APS research should be reconceptualised from a focus on attenuated psychotic symptoms with exclusion of non-psychotic DSM-disorders, as the ‘pure' representation of a supposedly homotypic psychosis risk state, towards a focus on poor-outcome NPDs, characterised by a degree of psychosis admixture, on the pathway to psychotic disorder outcomes.