bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predicting the German Economy: Headline Survey Indices Under Test
Authors: Lehmann Robert , Reif Magnus
Published: April 2021

This analysis investigates the predictive power of the headline indices of the four most important German survey providers. We conduct an out-of-sample, real-time forecast experiment for growth of total and private sector gross domestic product and growth of gross value added in both the manufacturing and the service sector. All providers publish valuable leading indicators for both GDP measures, with some advantages for the ifo indicators and the Economic Sentiment Indicator, respectively. For the manufacturing sector, indicators provided by the ifo Institute are clearly superior. For the service sector, all indicators prove to have a similar nowcasting performance, whereas the Economic Sentiment Services of the Centre for European Research is preferable for one quarter-ahead predictions.
Reciprocal Trust as an Ethical Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Chan Hui Yun
Published: April 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a range of responses from countries across the globe in managing and containing infections. Considerable research has highlighted the importance of trust in ethically and effectively managing infectious diseases in the population; however, considerations of reciprocal trust remain limited in debates on pandemic response. This paper aims to broaden the perspective of good ethical practices in managing an infectious disease outbreak by including the role of reciprocal trust. A synthesis of the approaches drawn from South Korea and Taiwan reveals reciprocal trust as an important ethical response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Reciprocal trust offers the opportunity to reconcile the difficulties arising from restrictive measures for protecting population health and individual rights.
Networked Microgrids
Authors: Zhang Peng
Published: April 2021

Discover scalable, dependable, and intelligent solutions to the challenges of integrating complex networked microgrids with this definitive guide to the development of cutting-edge power and data systems. Includes advanced fault management control and optimization to enable enhanced microgrid penetration without compromising reliability. Features SDN-based architectures and techniques to enable secure, reliable and fault-tolerant algorithms for resilient networked systems. Provides reachability techniques to facilitate a deeper understanding of microgrid resilience in areas with high penetration of renewables. Combining resilient control, fast programmable networking, reachability analysis, and cyber-physical security, this is essential reading for researchers, professional engineers, and graduate students interested in creating the next generation of data-intensive self-configurable networked microgrid systems, smart communities, and smart infrastructure.
Women and Temporality in Literature and Cinema
Authors: Ahlawat Ila
Published: April 2021

Women and Temporality in Literature and Cinema delves into the subject of literary and cinematic women characters entrapped in temporal spaces and their peculiar communication with visibility, enclosure, space and time in the setup of a sexual and temporal discord. It explores subjects such as youth, ageing, remembering, forgetting, and repeating within the larger realm of gendered temporalities that are essentially a nuanced and affective experience. In its entirety, this book has sought to locate and spell out both the damaging as well as the healing effects of temporality upon women's consciousness.
Characterization and evolution of infection control practices among severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)–infected healthcare workers in acute-care hospitals and long-term care facilities in Québec, Canada, Spring 2020
Authors: Carazo Sara , Laliberté Denis , Villeneuve Jasmin , Martin Richard , Deshaies Pierre , Denis Geoffroy , Adib Georges , Tissot France , Dionne Marc , De Serres Gaston
Published: April 2021

Objectives:

In this study, we aimed to (1) estimate the severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection rate and the secondary attack rate among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Québec, the most affected province of Canada during the first wave; (2) describe the evolution of work-related exposures and infection prevention and control (IPC) practices in infected HCWs; and (3) compare the exposures and practices between acute-care hospitals (ACHs) and long-term care facilities (LTCFs).

Design:

Survey of cases.

Participants:

The study included Québec HCWs from private and public institutions with laboratory-confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) diagnosed between March 1 and June 14, 2020. HCWs aged ≥18 years who worked during the exposure period and survived their illness were eligible for the survey.

Methods:

After obtaining consent, 4,542 HCWs completed a standardized questionnaire. COVID-19 rates and proportions of exposures and practices were estimated and compared between ACHs and LTCFs.

Results:

HCWs represented 13,726 (25%) of 54,005 reported COVID-19 cases in Québec and had an 11-times greater rate of COVID-19 than non-HCWs. Their secondary household attack rate was 30%. Most affected occupations were healthcare support workers, nurses and nurse assistants working in LTCFs (45%) and ACHs (30%). Compared to ACHs, HCWs in LTCFs had less training, higher staff mobility between working sites, similar PPE use, and better self-reported compliance with at-work physical distancing. Suboptimal IPC practices declined over time but were still present at the end of the first wave.

Conclusion:

Québec HCWs and their families were severely affected during the first wave of COVID-19. Insufficient pandemic preparedness and suboptimal IPC practices likely contributed to high transmission in both LTCFs and ACHs.
Job type, neighborhood prevalence, and risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among healthcare workers in New York City
Authors: Ganz-Lord Fran A. , Segal Kathryn R.
Published: April 2021

In this study, we compared the risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) between clinical and nonclinical healthcare workers (HCWs) while adjusting for home ZIP codes. Clinical HCWs did not have a higher risk of COVID-19, but living in higher-risk ZIP codes was associated with increased infection rates. However, environmental services workers showed increased risk of COVID-19.
A SPARSITY RESULT FOR THE DYNAMICAL MORDELL–LANG CONJECTURE IN POSITIVE CHARACTERISTIC
Authors: GHIOCA DRAGOS , OSTAFE ALINA , SALEH SINA , SHPARLINSKI IGOR E.
Published: April 2021

We prove a quantitative partial result in support of the dynamical Mordell–Lang conjecture (also known as the DML conjecture) in positive characteristic. More precisely, we show the following: given a field K of characteristic p, a semiabelian variety X defined over a finite subfield of K and endowed with a regular self-map

$\Phi :X{\longrightarrow } X$
defined over K, a point

$\alpha \in X(K)$
and a subvariety

$V\subseteq X$
, then the set of all nonnegative integers n such that

$\Phi ^n(\alpha )\in V(K)$
is a union of finitely many arithmetic progressions along with a subset S with the property that there exists a positive real number A (depending only on X,

$\Phi $
,

$\alpha $
and V) such that for each positive integer M,

$$\begin{align*}\scriptsize\#\{n\in S\colon n\le M\}\le A\cdot (1+\log M)^{\dim V}.\end{align*}$$
The Threat from Within across Empires: Strikes, Labor Migration, and Violence in Central Europe, 1900–1914
Authors: Caruso Amerigo , Morelon Claire
Published: April 2021

The decade before the First World War saw a heightened level of social and political conflicts throughout Germany and Austria-Hungary. Strikes in pre-1914 central Europe have largely been examined as part of the development of the workers’ movement, but much less often from the perspective of the employers and government elites. Their strategies to counteract “strike terrorism” included hiring replacement workers through private strikebreaking agents, who provided a variety of services such as recruitment, transportation, housing, and providing “willing workers” with weapons for their self-defense. The discourses around “strike terrorism,” and the repressive strategies to counter it, are a lens through which we can look afresh at some of the most crucial issues in the history of central European empires in the prewar years, namely the structure of violence embedded in social conflicts, migration, growing political antagonism, and fears surrounding social democracy. This article analyzes the public debate around the protection of “willing workers” as well as concrete episodes of antilabor violence in a transnational framework. It offers a reassessment of social conflicts in the period following the 1905 social mobilizations in central Europe, and it explores the circulation of antilabor measures between Germany and Austria-Hungary, their radicalizing impact, and their connections with labor migration patterns.
On the size of the maximum of incomplete Kloosterman sums
Authors: BONOLIS DANTE
Published: April 2021

Let $t:{\mathbb F_p} \to C$ be a complex valued function on ${\mathbb F_p}$. A classical problem in analytic number theory is bounding the maximum

$$M(t): = \mathop {\max }\limits_{0 \le H < p} \left| {{1 \over {\sqrt p }}\sum\limits_{0 \le n < H} {t(n)} } \right|$$

of the absolute value of the incomplete sums $(1/\sqrt p )\sum\nolimits_{0 \le n < H} {t(n)} $. In this very general context one of the most important results is the Pólya–Vinogradov bound

$$M(t) \le {\left\| {\hat t} \right\|_\infty }\log 3p,$$

where $\hat t:{\mathbb F_p} \to \mathbb C$ is the normalized Fourier transform of t. In this paper we provide a lower bound for certain incomplete Kloosterman sums, namely we prove that for any $\varepsilon > 0$ there exists a large subset of $a \in \mathbb F_p^ \times $ such that for $${\rm{k}}{1_{a,1,p}}:x \mapsto e((ax + \bar x)/p)$$ we have

$$M({\rm{k}}{1_{a,1,p}}) \ge \left( {{{1 - \varepsilon } \over {\sqrt 2 \pi }} + o(1)} \right)\log \log p,$$

as $p \to \infty $. Finally, we prove a result on the growth of the moments of ${\{ M({\rm{k}}{1_{a,1,p}})\} _{a \in \mathbb F_p^ \times }}$.
Surgical management of aortopulmonary window with pulmonary artery dilatation causing left main coronary compression
Authors: Mishra Anand Kumar , Hanumantacharya Naganur Sanjeev , Bansal Vidur , Rana Pratyaksha
Published: April 2021

Aortopulmonary window is a rare congenital heart defect. Left main coronary artery extrinsic compression by an enlarged pulmonary artery is a rare complication and a potential cause for chest pain and sudden cardiac death in patients with pulmonary hypertension. Here, we present the case of a 14-year-old boy with a large aortopulmonary window who was planned for a device closure, but during the procedure, he developed ST-T segment changes while the device was being deployed, and hence the procedure was abandoned. The boy subsequently underwent a successful surgical closure thereafter.
Health Care Needs in the Aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico: A Perspective from Federal Medical Shelter Manatí
Authors: Ghosh Arnab K. , Mecklenburg Max , Ibrahim Said , Daniel Pia
Published: April 2021

Introduction:

On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 hurricane, swept across Puerto Rico (PR), wreaking devastation to PR’s power, water, and health care infrastructure. To address the imminent humanitarian crisis, the US government mobilized Federal Medical Shelters (FMS) to serve the needs of hurricane victims. This study’s objective was to provide a description of the patients seeking emergency care at FMS and the changes in their needs over time.

Methods:

This retrospective, cross-sectional study included all patients presenting to the FMS Manatí from October 6, two weeks after Hurricane Maria’s landfall, to November 2, 2017. Categories were created to catalogue the nature of new acute medical issues by patients presenting to the Shelter. Descriptive, graphical analyses were performed to assess changes to presenting complaints over time, and by age groups defined as infant (age ≤1 years), child (1 year < age ≤10 years), adolescent (10 years < age ≤ 25 years), and adult (age > 25 years).

Results:

Over the 30-day period, 5,268 patients were seen in the FMS seeking medical care (average 188.1 patients per day), spending less than five hours in the facility. The distribution of patients’ age was bimodal: the first peak at one year and the second at age 50. The most common patient complaint was infection (38.8%), then musculoskeletal (MSK) complaints (11.8%) and management of chronic medical conditions (11.8%). The proportion of patients presenting with chronic disease complaints declined over the course of the period of observation (21.4% on Day 4 to 8.0% on Day 30) while the proportion of patients presenting with infection increased (31.0% on Day 4 to 48.6% on Day 30). Infection complaints were highest in all age groups, but most in infxants (80.2%), while MSK and chronic disease complaints were highest in adults (14.9% and 14.9%, respectively).

Conclusion:

Infection treatment and chronic disease management were important medical needs facing patients seeking care at FMS Manatí after Hurricane Maria. These findings suggest that basic needs related to sanitation and shelter remained important weeks after the hurricane, and a focus on access to medications, infection control, and injury prevention/management after a disaster needs to be prioritized during disaster response.
Multi‐Fluid MHD Simulations of Europa's Plasma Interaction Under Different Magnetospheric Conditions
Authors: Harris Camilla D. K. , Jia Xianzhe , Slavin James A. , Toth Gabor , Huang Zhenguang , Rubin Martin
Published: April 2021

Europa hosts a periodically changing plasma interaction driven by the variations of Jupiter's magnetic field and magnetospheric plasma. We have developed a multi‐fluid magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model for Europa to characterize the global configuration of the plasma interaction with the moon and its tenuous atmosphere. The model solves the multi‐fluid MHD equations for electrons and three ion fluids (Jupiter's magnetospheric O+, as well as O+ and O2+ originating from Europa's atmosphere) while incorporating sources and losses in the MHD equations due to electron impact and photo‐ionization, charge exchange, recombination and other relevant collisional effects. Using input parameters constrained by the Galileo magnetic field and plasma observations, we first demonstrate the accuracy of our model by simulating the Galileo E4 and E14 flybys, which took place under different upstream conditions and sampled different regions of Europa's interaction. Our model produces 3D magnetic field and plasma bulk parameters that agree with and provide context for the flyby observations. We next present the results of a parameter study of Europa's plasma interaction at three different excursions from Jupiter's central plasma sheet, for three different global magnetospheric states, comprising nine steady‐state simulations. By separately tracking multiple ion fluids, our MHD model allows us to quantify the access of the Jovian magnetospheric plasma to Europa's surface and determine how that access is affected by changing magnetospheric conditions. We find that the thermal magnetospheric O+ precipitation rate ranges from (1.8–26) × 1024 ions/s, and that the precipitation rate increases with the density of the ambient magnetospheric plasma.
Frequency‐Dependent Rupture Characteristics of the 30 October 2016 Mw 6.5 Norcia, Italy Earthquake Inferred From Joint Multi‐Scale Slip Inversion
Authors: Liu Wei , Yao Huajian , Wei Shengji
Published: April 2021

The relationship between multi‐scale rupture characteristics and different frequency contents of the seismic waveforms has been revealed for moderate to great earthquakes by previous researches. To better understand such a relationship, we propose a two‐step strategy to perform finite fault inversion in the wavelet domain with multi seismic datasets, involving the seismic observations at both teleseismic and near‐field distances. In our two‐step strategy, the larger‐scale pattern of the seismic rupture is first constrained by using the lower‐frequency seismic waveforms and then based on the lower‐frequency rupture pattern, the higher‐frequency rupture features are obtained by performing inversion with higher‐frequency data. We apply this two‐step strategy with multi seismic datasets to study the 30 October 2016 Mw 6.5 Norcia, Italy earthquake, which is the largest event of the 2016–2017 central Italy seismic sequence. By analyzing the recovered slip patterns from different frequency bands, we notice the frequency‐dependent rupture features of this earthquake. The lower‐frequency slip concentrated at the shallower depths above the source, and the higher‐frequency slip appeared near the edges of the lower‐frequency slip patch, working as “barriers”, due to fault complexities in central Italy. The frequency‐dependent slip pattern of the 30 October 2016 Norcia earthquake shows a relation to the unevenly distributed pore fluid pressure, as indicated by Vp/Vs tomography from previous researches. Our results suggest that fault complexities and unevenly distributed fluids contribute to the frequency‐dependent rupture of this earthquake.
Opposite Contributions of Stationary and Traveling Planetary Waves in the Northern Hemisphere Winter Middle Atmosphere
Authors: Iwao Koki , Hirooka Toshihiko
Published: April 2021

This study investigates contributions of planetary waves (PWs) to the mean flow in the middle atmosphere during the Northern Hemisphere winter when PW activities are strong, by analyzing satellite data from Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER). It is suggested that there would be opposite contributions between easterly acceleration by monthly mean stationary planetary waves (STPWs) and westerly acceleration by remaining traveling planetary waves (TRPWs) in the high‐latitude lower mesosphere. When easterly winds appear in the mesosphere, STPWs propagating from the troposphere dissipate in the lower mesosphere to accelerate easterly winds because STPWs could not propagate in easterly wind regions. On the other hand, TRPWs develop there due to the zonal flow instability to accelerate westerly winds. The easterly wind in the mesosphere is frequently triggered by dissipation of westward TRPWs developed in the stratosphere, and would be maintained by these opposite contributions for more than 10 days. Further analyses suggest that the TRPW developing in the high‐latitude lower mesosphere would be an eastward TRPW of zonal wavenumber 1 and a period of 10–40 days. This TRPW would develop and propagate downward to dismiss the baroclinic instability by eliminating warm temperature anomalies formed below the easterly wind region due to the PW dissipation in the mesosphere.
Global Changes in Secondary Atmospheric Pollutants During the 2020 COVID‐19 Pandemic
Authors: Gaubert Benjamin , Bouarar Idir , Doumbia Thierno , Liu Yiming , Stavrakou Trissevgeni , Deroubaix Adrien , Darras Sabine , Elguindi Nellie , Granier Claire , Lacey Forrest , Müller Jean‐François , Shi Xiaoqin , Tilmes Simone , Wang Tao , Brasseur Guy P.
Published: April 2021

We use the global Community Earth System Model to investigate the response of secondary pollutants (ozone O3, secondary organic aerosols SOA) in different parts of the world in response to modified emissions of primary pollutants during the COVID‐19 pandemic. We quantify the respective effects of the reductions in NOx and in volatile organic carbon (VOC) emissions, which, in most cases, affect oxidants in opposite ways. Using model simulations, we show that the level of NOx has been reduced by typically 40% in China during February 2020 and by similar amounts in many areas of Europe and North America in mid‐March to mid‐April 2020, in good agreement with space and surface observations. We show that, relative to a situation in which the emission reductions are ignored and despite the calculated increase in hydroxyl and peroxy radicals, the ozone concentration increased only in a few NOx‐saturated regions (northern China, northern Europe, and the US) during the winter months of the pandemic when the titration of this molecule by NOx was reduced. In other regions, where ozone is NOx‐controlled, the concentration of ozone decreased. SOA concentrations decrease in response to the concurrent reduction in the NOx and VOC emissions. The model also shows that atmospheric meteorological anomalies produced substantial variations in the concentrations of chemical species during the pandemic. In Europe, for example, a large fraction of the ozone increase in February 2020 was associated with meteorological anomalies, while in the North China Plain, enhanced ozone concentrations resulted primarily from reduced emissions of primary pollutants.
Vertical Temperature Profile of Natural Lightning Return Strokes Derived From Optical Spectra
Authors: Boggs Levi D. , Liu Ningyu , Nag Amitabh , Walker T. Daniel , Christian Hugh J. , da Silva Caitano. L. , Austin Matthew , Aguirre Fernando , Rassoul Hamid K.
Published: April 2021

This study reports on spectroscopy results from a high‐speed optical spectrograph of two naturally occurring lightning return strokes. The two strokes occurred near Melbourne, FL and were from two separate flashes that were about 10 min apart and had National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) peak currents of −19 and −63 kA. The larger peak current stroke was from a dart leader and was the last stroke in a 5 return stroke flash, while the −19 kA stroke originated from a stepped leader and was the only stroke in that flash. From the flash spectra, the return stroke channel temperature was calculated using the neutral lines of 715.7 nm (OI) and 777.4 nm (OI). In addition to the use of the neutral emission lines, the use of novel instrumentation and image processing techniques allowed the temperature to be calculated for nearly the entire visible channel (several km) and for long durations (several hundred μs). This enables temperature estimates on an unprecedented spatial and temporal scale, which show that the vertical temperature profile is not uniform across the channel. The lower altitudes are significantly hotter than higher altitudes near the time of the return stroke, with temperature gradients along the channel as large as 12,000 K/km. The rate of cooling of the channel is also initially 3–4 times larger at lower altitudes in comparison with the segments at higher altitudes. The stroke with the larger peak current shows larger maximum temperatures, larger temperature gradients along the channel, and also cools quicker.
Regionalizing Root‐Zone Soil Moisture Estimates From ESA CCI Soil Water Index Using Machine Learning and Information on Soil, Vegetation, and Climate
Authors: Grillakis Manolis G. , Koutroulis Aristeidis G. , Alexakis Dimitrios D. , Polykretis Christos , Daliakopoulos Ioannis N.
Published: April 2021

The European Space Agency (ESA), through the Climate Change Initiative (CCI), is currently providing nearly 4 decades of global satellite‐observed, fully homogenized soil moisture data for the uppermost 2–5 cm of the soil layer. These data are valuable as they comprise one of the most complete remotely sensed soil moisture data sets available in time and space. One main limitation of the ESA CCI soil moisture data set is the limited soil depth at which the moisture content is represented. In order to address this critical gap, we (a) estimate and calibrate the Soil Water Index using ESA CCI soil moisture against in situ observations from the International Soil Moisture Network and then (b) leverage machine learning techniques and physical soil, climate, and vegetation descriptors at a global scale to regionalize the calibration. We use this calibration to assess the root‐zone soil moisture for the period 2001–2018. The results are compared against the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts, ERA5 Land, and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network Land Data Assimilation System reanalyses soil moisture data sets, showing a good agreement, mainly over mid latitudes. This work contributes to the exploitation of ESA CCI soil moisture data, while the produced data can support large‐scale soil moisture‐related studies.
Polarized holographic lithography system for high-uniformity microscale patterning with periodic tunability
Authors: Xue Gaopeng , Zhai Qihang , Lu Haiou , Zhou Qian , Ni Kai , Lin Liyu , Wang Xiaohao , Li Xinghui
Published: April 2021

Periodic microscale array structures play an important role in diverse applications involving photonic crystals and diffraction gratings. A polarized holographic lithography system is proposed for patterning high-uniformity microscale two-dimensional crossed-grating structures with periodic tunability. Orthogonal two-axis Lloyd’s mirror interference and polarization modulation produce three sub-beams, enabling the formation of two-dimensional crossed-grating patterns with wavelength-comparable periods by a single exposure. The two-dimensional-pattern period can also be flexibly tuned by adjusting the interferometer spatial positioning. Polarization states of three sub-beams, defining the uniformity of the interference fringes, are modulated at their initial-polarization states based on a strict full polarization tracing model in a three-dimensional space. A polarization modulation model is established considering two conditions of eliminating the unexpected interference and providing the desired identical interference intensities. The proposed system is a promising approach for fabricating high-uniformity two-dimensional crossed gratings with a relatively large grating period range of 500–1500 nm. Moreover, our rapid and stable approach for patterning period-tunable two-dimensional-array microstructures with high uniformity could be applicable to other multibeam interference lithography techniques.
Computational identification of variables in neonatal vocalizations predictive for postpubertal social behaviors in a mouse model of 16p11.2 deletion
Authors: Nakamura Mitsuteru , Ye Kenny , e Silva Mariel Barbachan , Yamauchi Takahira , Hoeppner Daniel J. , Fayyazuddin Amir , Kang Gina , Yuda Emi A. , Nagashima Masako , Enomoto Shingo , Hiramoto Takeshi , Sharp Richard , Kaneko Itaru , Tajinda Katsunori , Adachi Megumi , Mihara Takuma , Tokuno Shinichi , Geyer Mark A. , Broin Pilib Ó , Matsumoto Mitsuyuki , Hiroi Noboru
Published: April 2021

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is often signaled by atypical cries during infancy. Copy number variants (CNVs) provide genetically identifiable cases of ASD, but how early atypical cries predict a later onset of ASD among CNV carriers is not understood in humans. Genetic mouse models of CNVs have provided a reliable tool to experimentally isolate the impact of CNVs and identify early predictors for later abnormalities in behaviors relevant to ASD. However, many technical issues have confounded the phenotypic characterization of such mouse models, including systematically biased genetic backgrounds and weak or absent behavioral phenotypes. To address these issues, we developed a coisogenic mouse model of human proximal 16p11.2 hemizygous deletion and applied computational approaches to identify hidden variables within neonatal vocalizations that have predictive power for postpubertal dimensions relevant to ASD. After variables of neonatal vocalizations were selected by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso), random forest, and Markov model, regression models were constructed to predict postpubertal dimensions relevant to ASD. While the average scores of many standard behavioral assays designed to model dimensions did not differentiate a model of 16p11.2 hemizygous deletion and wild-type littermates, specific call types and call sequences of neonatal vocalizations predicted individual variability of postpubertal reciprocal social interaction and olfactory responses to a social cue in a genotype-specific manner. Deep-phenotyping and computational analyses identified hidden variables within neonatal social communication that are predictive of postpubertal behaviors.
Molecular regulation of lung maturation in near-term fetal sheep by maternal daily vitamin C treatment in late gestation
Authors: McGillick Erin V. , Orgeig Sandra , Allison Beth J. , Brain Kirsty L. , Niu Youguo , Itani Nozomi , Skeffington Katie L. , Kane Andrew D. , Herrera Emilio A. , Morrison Janna L. , Giussani Dino A.
Published: April 2021

Background

In the fetus, the appropriate balance of prooxidants and antioxidants is essential to negate the detrimental effects of oxidative stress on lung maturation. Antioxidants improve respiratory function in postnatal life and adulthood. However, the outcomes and biological mechanisms of antioxidant action in the fetal lung are unknown.

Methods

We investigated the effect of maternal daily vitamin C treatment (200 mg/kg, intravenously) for a month in late gestation (105–138 days gestation, term ~145 days) on molecular regulation of fetal lung maturation in sheep. Expression of genes and proteins regulating lung development was quantified in fetal lung tissue. The number of surfactant-producing cells was determined by immunohistochemistry.

Results

Maternal vitamin C treatment increased fetal lung gene expression of the antioxidant enzymeSOD-1, hypoxia signaling genes (HIF-2α,HIF-3α,ADM, andEGLN-3), genes regulating sodium movement (SCNN1-A,SCNN1-B,ATP1-A1, andATP1-B1), surfactant maturation (SFTP-BandABCA3), and airway remodeling (ELN). There was no effect of maternal vitamin C treatment on the expression of protein markers evaluated or on the number of surfactant protein-producing cells in fetal lung tissue.

Conclusions

Maternal vitamin C treatment in the last third of pregnancy in sheep acts at the molecular level to increase the expression of genes that are important for fetal lung maturation in a healthy pregnancy.

Impact

Maternal daily vitamin C treatment for a month in late gestation in sheep increases the expression of gene-regulating pathways that are essential for normal fetal lung development.

Following late gestation vitamin C exposure in a healthy pregnancy, an increase in lung gene but not protein expression may act as a mechanism to aid in the preparation for exposure to the air-breathing environment after birth.

In the future, the availability/development of compounds with greater antioxidant properties than vitamin C or more specific targets at the site of oxidative stress in vivo may translate clinically to improve respiratory outcomes in complicated pregnancies at birth.
Race reporting and diversity in US food and drug administration (FDA) registration trials for prostate cancer; 2006–2020
Authors: Lythgoe M. P. , Krell J. , Savage P. , Prasad V.
Published: April 2021

Background

There is significant racial disparity in prostate cancer (PCa) in terms of incidence, treatment, and outcomes. Racial diversity and compliance with FDA race reporting guidelines in PCa drug registration trials are unknown. We analyzed racial diversity and race reporting in drug licensing trials for PCa.

Methods

New drug authorizations for PCa from 2006 to 2020 were identified. The corresponding licensing trial publications were analyzed to check compliance with current FDA recommendations for race reporting. If race was unreported, the clinical trial report was analyzed to determine participant recruitment by race and lead the recruiting country.

Results

During the study period, 17 new drug registrations for the management of PCa involving ten unique drugs were identified. In total, 18,455 participants were included in FDA registration trials, of which 76.3% were white or Caucasian, 7.9% Asian, 2.9% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian or Alaskan Native, 0.1% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 1.8% other or multiple races and 10.5% unknown. 53% of trials reported race in the licensing publication, however of this only 55% met current FDA recommendations. When the race was unreported in the licensing publication, 88% of studies had further information in the clinical study report.

Conclusion

We found a significant under-representation of non-white participants in FDA drug registration trials for PCa. Race reporting in licensing publication is inconsistent and both FDA and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors guidelines are not being universally followed. Given the disproportionality of the disease burden of PCa, recruitment of Black and other minority participants to trials should be a research priority.
Familial wild-type gastrointestinal stromal tumour in association with germline truncating variants in both SDHA and PALB2
Authors: Whitworth James , Casey Ruth T. , Smith Philip S. , Giger Olivier , Martin Jose Ezequiel , Clark Graeme , Cook Jaqueline , Fernando Marlee S. , Taniere Phillipe ,   NIHR BioResource, Maher Eamonn R.
Published: April 2021

Gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) is a mesenchymal neoplasm arising in the gastrointestinal tract. A rare subset of GISTs are classified as wild-type GIST (wtGIST) and these are frequently associated with germline variants that affect the function of cancer predisposition genes such as the succinate dehydrogenase subunit genes (SDHA, SDHB, SDHC, SDHD) or NF1. However, despite this high heritability, familial clustering of wtGIST is extremely rare. Here, we report a mother–son diad who developed wtGIST at age 66 and 34 years, respectively. Comprehensive genetic testing revealed germline truncating variants in both SDHA (c.1534C>T (p.Arg512*)) and PALB2 (c.3113G>A (p.Trp1038*)) in both affected individuals. The mother also developed breast ductal carcinoma in-situ at age 70 years. Immunohistochemistry and molecular analysis of the wtGISTs revealed loss of SDHB expression and loss of the wild-type SDHA allele in tumour material. No allele loss was detected at PALB2 suggesting that wtGIST tumourigenesis was principally driven by succinate dehydrogenase deficiency. However, we speculate that the presence of multilocus inherited neoplasia alleles syndrome (MINAS) in this family might have contributed to the highly unusual occurrence of familial wtGIST. Systematic reporting of tumour risks and phenotypes in individuals with MINAS will facilitate the clinical interpretation of the significance of this diagnosis, which is becoming more frequent as strategies for genetic testing for hereditary cancer becomes more comprehensive.
Obesity-related proteins score as a potential marker of breast cancer risk
Authors: Diao Sha , Wu Xueyao , Zhang Xiaofan , Hao Yu , Xu Bin , Li Xu , Tian Lulu , Miao Yunqi , Zhao Xunying , Ye Feng , Li Jiayuan
Published: April 2021

There is strong evidence to suggest that obesity-related proteins play a key role in pathways that are related to breast cancer. In this study, we aimed to establish a robust obesity-related protein score (ORPS) that could be used to assess breast cancer risk. Based on evidence from high-quality systematic reviews and population studies, we selected nine such proteins that are stable in vitro, and measured their circulating concentrations by ELISA in a case–control study conducted in Chengdu, Sichuan, China, with 279 breast cancer cases and 260 healthy controls. Two obesity-related protein scores (ORPS) were calculated using a three-step method, with linear-weighted summation, and the one with a larger area under the curve was chosen for further evaluation. As a result, ORPS (PS5preor PS4post) was positively correlated with breast cancer risk (premenopausal: OR≤63 VS >633.696, 95% CI 2.025–6.747; postmenopausal: OR≤38 VS >387.100, 95% CI 3.134–16.084), and represented a better risk predictor among obese women compared to non-obese in pre- and postmenopausal women. Among different molecular subtypes, ORPS was positively correlated with Luminal breast cancer, with additionally positive association with triple-negative breast cancer in premenopausal women. The ORPS might be a potential marker of breast cancer risk among Chinese women.
Transgenerational effects in DNA methylation, genotoxicity and reproductive phenotype by chronic arsenic exposure
Authors: Nava-Rivera Lydia Enith , Betancourt-Martínez Nadia Denys , Lozoya-Martínez Rodrigo , Carranza-Rosales Pilar , Guzmán-Delgado Nancy Elena , Carranza-Torres Irma Edith , Delgado-Aguirre Hector , Zambrano-Ortíz José Omar , Morán-Martínez Javier
Published: April 2021

An emerging concern is the influences of early life exposure to environmental toxicants on offspring characteristics in later life. Since recent evidence suggests a transgenerational transference of aberrant phenotypes from exposed-parents to non-exposed offspring related to adult-onset diseases including reproductive phenotype. The transgenerational potential of arsenic a well know genotoxic and epigenetic modifier agent has not been assessed in mammals until now. In this experimental study, we evaluated the transgenerational effects of arsenic in a rat model with chronic exposure to arsenic. Rats chronically exposed to arsenic in drinking water (1 mg As2O3/L) (F0) were mated to produce the arsenic lineage (F1, F2, and F3). The arsenic toxic effects on were evaluated over the four generations by analyzing the DNA methylation percentage, genotoxicity in WBC and physical and reproductive parameters, including sperm quality parameters and histopathological evaluation of the gonads. Chronic exposure to arsenic caused genotoxic damage (F0–F3) different methylation patterns, alterations in physical and reproductive parameters, aberrant morphology in the ovaries (F0 and F1) and testicles (F1–F3), and a decrease in the quality of sperm (F0–F3, except F2). Parental chronic arsenic exposure causes transgenerational genotoxicity and changes in global DNA methylation which might be associated with reproductive defects in rats. Combined with recent studies reveal that disturbances in the early life of an individual can affect the health of later generations.
Fuzzy clustering and distributed model for streamflow estimation in ungauged watersheds
Authors: Mosavi Amirhosein , Golshan Mohammad , Choubin Bahram , Ziegler Alan D. , Sigaroodi Shahram Khalighi , Zhang Fan , Dineva Adrienn A.
Published: April 2021

This paper proposes a regionalization method for streamflow prediction in ungauged watersheds in the 7461 km2 area above the Gharehsoo Hydrometry Station in the Ardabil Province, in the north of Iran. First, the Fuzzy c-means clustering method (FCM) was used to divide 46 gauged (19) and ungauged (27) watersheds into homogenous groups based on a variety of topographical and climatic factors. After identifying the homogenous watersheds, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was calibrated and validated using data from the gauged watersheds in each group. The calibrated parameters were then tested in another gauged watershed that we considered as a pseudo ungauged watershed in each group. Values of R-Squared and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) were both ≥ 0.70 during the calibration and validation phases; and ≥ 0.80 and ≥ 0.74, respectively, during the testing in the pseudo ungauged watersheds. Based on these metrics, the validated regional models demonstrated a satisfactory result for predicting streamflow in the ungauged watersheds within each group. These models are important for managing stream quantity and quality in the intensive agriculture study area.
Simulation study on the indirect effect of sulfate on the summer climate over the eastern China monsoon region
Authors: Wang Dongdong , Zhu Bin , Wang Hongbo , Sun Li
Published: April 2021

In this study, we designed a sensitivity test using the half number concentration of sulfate in the nucleation calculation process to study the aerosol-cloud interaction (ACI) of sulfate on clouds, precipitation, and monsoon intensity in the summer over the eastern China monsoon region (ECMR) with the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Atmosphere Model version 5. Numerical experiments show that the ACI of sulfate led to an approximately 30% and 34% increase in the cloud condensation nuclei and cloud droplet number concentrations, respectively. Cloud droplet effective radius below 850 hPa decreased by approximately 4% in the southern ECMR, while the total liquid water path increased by 11%. The change in the indirect radiative forcing due to sulfate at the top of the atmosphere in the ECMR during summer was − 3.74 W·m−2. The decreased radiative forcing caused a surface cooling of 0.32 K and atmospheric cooling of approximately 0.3 K, as well as a 0.17 hPa increase in sea level pressure. These changes decreased the thermal difference between the land and sea and the gradient of the sea-land pressure, leading to a weakening in the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) and a decrease in the total precipitation rate in the southern ECMR. The cloud lifetime effect has a relatively weaker contribution to summer precipitation, which is dominated by convection. The results show that the ACI of sulfate was one possible reason for the weakening of the EASM in the late 1970s.
Use of electromagnetic stimulation on an Enterococcus faecalis biofilm on root canal treated teeth in vitro
Authors: Panariello Beatriz H. D. , Kindler Justin K. , Spolnik Kenneth J. , Ehrlich Ygal , Eckert George J. , Duarte Simone
Published: April 2021

Root canal disinfection is of utmost importance in the success of the treatment, thus, a novel method for achieving root canal disinfection by electromagnetic waves, creating a synergistic reaction via electric and thermal energy, was created. To study electromagnetic stimulation (EMS) for the disinfection of root canal in vitro, single rooted teeth were instrumented with a 45.05 Wave One Gold reciprocating file. Specimens were sterilized and inoculated with Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29,212, which grew for 15 days to form an established biofilm. Samples were treated with 6% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), 1.5% NaOCl 1.5% NaOCl with EMS, 0.9% saline with EMS or 0.9% saline. After treatments, the colony forming units (CFU) was determined. Data was analyzed by Wilcoxon Rank Sums Test (α = 0.05). One sample per group was scored and split for confocal laser scanning microscopy imaging. There was a significant effect with the use of NaOCl with or without EMS versus 0.9% saline with or without EMS (p = 0.012 and 0.003, respectively). CFUs were lower when using 0.9% saline with EMS versus 0.9% saline alone (p = 0.002). Confocal imaging confirmed CFU findings. EMS with saline has an antibiofilm effect against E. faecalis and can potentially be applied for endodontic disinfection.
Ambulatory cataract surgery centre without perioperative anaesthesia care: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Duroi Quentin , Baudet Jean-Marie , Bigoteau Maxime , Slim Malek , Pichard Tiphanie , Pisella Pierre-Jean , Khanna Raoul Kanav
Published: April 2021

This study aims to evaluate the safety and patient satisfaction of a fast-track procedure for cataract surgery under topical anaesthesia without perioperative anaesthesia care. This is a prospective single-centre study including all cataract procedures in the Centre Ambulatoire de la Chirurgie de la Cataracte at the Hospital of Bourges between May and August 2018. Procedures were performed under topical anaesthesia without the presence of a nurse anaesthesiologist or anaesthesiologist, the patient had not fasted, and no peripheral venous line was placed. Only heart rate and oxygen saturation were monitored intraoperatively with pulse oximetry. Incidence and nature of intraoperative adverse events and surgical complications were recorded. Patient satisfaction was assessed using the Iowa Satisfaction with Anaesthesia Scale (ISAS). In total, 651 cataract surgeries were performed among which 614 (94.3%) were uneventful. Thirty (4.6%) intraoperative adverse events and 8 (1.2%) surgical complications were recorded. All surgeries were successfully completed. No medical emergency team intervention or hospital admittance was encountered. The mean ISAS score was 5.7/6, indicating high patient satisfaction. Cataract surgery in an ambulatory cataract surgery centre without perioperative anaesthesia care is a safe procedure with high patient satisfaction for screened patients. Anaesthesia ressources are scarce and may be more beneficial to more complex ophthalmic or non-ophthalmic surgeries.
U-Sleep: resilient high-frequency sleep staging
Authors: Perslev Mathias , Darkner Sune , Kempfner Lykke , Nikolic Miki , Jennum Poul Jørgen , Igel Christian
Published: April 2021

Sleep disorders affect a large portion of the global population and are strong predictors of morbidity and all-cause mortality. Sleep staging segments a period of sleep into a sequence of phases providing the basis for most clinical decisions in sleep medicine. Manual sleep staging is difficult and time-consuming as experts must evaluate hours of polysomnography (PSG) recordings with electroencephalography (EEG) and electrooculography (EOG) data for each patient. Here, we present U-Sleep, a publicly available, ready-to-use deep-learning-based system for automated sleep staging (sleep.ai.ku.dk). U-Sleep is a fully convolutional neural network, which was trained and evaluated on PSG recordings from 15,660 participants of 16 clinical studies. It provides accurate segmentations across a wide range of patient cohorts and PSG protocols not considered when building the system. U-Sleep works for arbitrary combinations of typical EEG and EOG channels, and its special deep learning architecture can label sleep stages at shorter intervals than the typical 30 s periods used during training. We show that these labels can provide additional diagnostic information and lead to new ways of analyzing sleep. U-Sleep performs on par with state-of-the-art automatic sleep staging systems on multiple clinical datasets, even if the other systems were built specifically for the particular data. A comparison with consensus-scores from a previously unseen clinic shows that U-Sleep performs as accurately as the best of the human experts. U-Sleep can support the sleep staging workflow of medical experts, which decreases healthcare costs, and can provide highly accurate segmentations when human expertize is lacking.
Author Correction: Terahertz strong-field physics in light-emitting diodes for terahertz detection and imaging
Authors: Ouyang Chen , Li Shangqing , Ma Jinglong , Zhang Baolong , Wu Xiaojun , Ren Wenning , Wang Xuan , Wang Dan , Ma Zhenzhe , Wang Tianze , Hong Tianshu , Yang Peidi , Cheng Zhe , Zhang Yun , Jin Kuijuan , Li Yutong
Published: April 2021

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-021-00592-6
Portable, stable, and sensitive assay to detect phosphate in water with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and dextran tablet
Authors: Esfahani AmirReza R. , Sadiq Zubi , Oyewunmi Oyejide Damilola , Safiabadi Tali Seyed Hamid , Usen Ndifreke , Boffito Daria Camilla , Jahanshahi-Anbuhi Sana
Published: April 2021

A novel and highly sensitive tablet-based colorimetric sensor is developed for the detection of phosphate (Pi) in drinking and surface water using mercaptoacetic acid-capped gold nanoparticles (MA-AuNPs).
Molecular mechanism related to the binding of fluorophores to Mango-II revealed by multiple-replica molecular dynamics simulations
Authors: Chen Junxiao , Li Na , Wang Xingyu , Chen Jianzhong , Zhang John Z. H. , Zhu Tong
Published: April 2021

The interaction between fluorophores and Mango-II RNA aptamer are studied by molecular dynamics simulation and free energy calculation.
Polyaniline–niobium oxide nanohybrids with photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation
Authors: Santos Marconi C. , Bizeto Marcos A. , Camilo Fernanda F.
Published: April 2021

In this study, we reported the production of polyaniline and niobium oxide hybrids synthesized by the direct reaction between a niobium peroxyoxalate complex and anilinium salt in an aqueous medium.
An aza-Diels–Alder approach to chlorinated quinolines, benzoquinolines, and polybenzoquinolines
Authors: Kim Juhwan , Umerani Mehran J. , Kurakake Reina , Qin Huiting , Ziller Joseph W. , Gorodetsky Alon A. , Park Young S.
Published: April 2021

We have validated a general strategy for the synthesis of chloro-containing quinoline, benzoquinoline and polybenzoquinoline variants.