bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modeling the interactive effects of nutrient loads, meteorology, and invasive mussels on suitable habitat for Bighead and Silver Carp in Lake Michigan
Authors: Alsip Peter J. , Zhang Hongyan , Rowe Mark D. , Rutherford Edward , Mason Doran M. , Riseng Catherine , Su Zhenming
Published: July 2020

Anthropogenic stressors that affect ecological processes in the Laurentian Great Lakes can impact their susceptibility to bioinvasions. Bighead Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and Silver Carp H. molitrix, collectively ‘bigheaded carps’ (BHC), are planktivorous fishes threatening to invade Lake Michigan. While previous studies indicate the lake contains habitat suitable for BHC growth, there is a need to understand how anthropogenic-driven changes to the abiotic and biotic environment could alter its vulnerability to BHC. We applied a spatially explicit model of BHC growth rate potential (GRP; g g−1 d−1) to nine biophysical model scenarios to evaluate changes in habitat suitability in Lake Michigan. Scenarios differed in meteorology (cool, reference, warm), annual tributary phosphorus loads (0, 3300, and 5600 MTA), and the presence/absence of invasive dreissenid mussels. Mussel effects on BHC GRP relied on their contact with the surface mixed layer (SML), the depth of which was affected by meteorology. The warm year advanced the expansion of Bighead Carp habitat by increasing temperature-dependent foraging rates and lessening the time of competitive interaction with mussels due to earlier stratification separating mussels from the SML. Phosphorus loads were the most influential driver of the lake’s suitability. Compared to present conditions, we estimate BHC could have grown an additional 8–40% annually in the 1980s when mussels were not in the lake and phosphorus loads were higher. Our study demonstrates how climate change and nutrient enrichment can increase Lake Michigan’s vulnerability to BHC by affecting thermal regime and productivity, thereby limiting negative effects of dreissenid mussels on BHC growth.
Novel noncontact charge density map in the setting of post-atrial fibrillation atrial tachycardias: first experience with the Acutus SuperMap Algorithm
Authors: Ramak Robbert , Chierchia Gian-Battista , Paparella Gaetano , Monaco Cinzia , Miraglia Vincenzo , Cecchini Federico , Bisignani Antonio , Mojica Joerelle , Al Housari Maysam , Sofianos Dimitrios , Kazawa Shuichiro , Overeinder Ingrid , Bala Gezim , Ströker Erwin , Sieira Juan , Osorio Thiago Guimaraes , Brugada Pedro , de Asmundis Carlo
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of the new high-resolution mapping algorithm SuperMap (Acutus Medical, CA, USA) in identifying and guiding ablation in the setting of regular atrial tachycardias following index atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation.

Methods

Seven consecutive patients who underwent a radiofrequency catheter ablation guided by the novel noncontact charge density (CD) SuperMap for atrial tachycardia were prospectively enrolled in our study.

Results

Arrhythmogenic substrate was identified in all seven patients. Mean number of EGM per map was 5859.7 ± 4348.5 points. Three patients (43%) exhibited focal tachycardia mechanisms in the left atrium, alternating from anteroseptal right superior pulmonary vein (RSPV), posterior in proximity of left inferior pulmonary vein (LIPV), and interarial septum in proximity of fossa ovalis, respectively. Four patients exhibited macroreentrant mechanism. In 3 of these patients, SuperMap detected mitral isthmus-dependent flutters with tachycardia cycle lengths of 240, 270 and 420 ms, respectively. In one patient, the mechanism was a macroreentrant tachycardia with the critical isthmus located between the crista terminalis and atriotomy. The mean ablation time (min) was 18.2 ± 12.5 and the mean procedural duration time was 56.4 ± 12.1 min. No minor or major complications occurred.

Conclusion

The novel high-resolution mapping algorithm SuperMap proved to be safe, fast, and feasible in identifying and guiding ablation in the setting of regular atrial tachycardias following index AF ablation.
Predictors and mediators of outcome in cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain: the contributions of psychological flexibility
Authors: Åkerblom Sophia , Perrin Sean , Rivano Fischer Marcelo , McCracken Lance M.
Published: July 2020

There is now a consensus in the literature that future improvements in outcomes obtained from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for chronic pain will require research to identify patient and treatment variables that help explain outcomes. The first aim of this study was to assess whether pre-treatment scores on measures of psychological (in)flexibility, acceptance, committed action, cognitive (de)fusion, and values-based action predict outcomes in a multidisciplinary, multicomponent, group-based CBT program for adults with chronic pain. The second aim was to assess whether change scores on these same measures mediate outcomes in the treatment program. Participants were 232 people attending treatment for chronic pain. Of the psychological flexibility measures, only pre-treatment scores on the psychological inflexibility scale predicted outcomes; higher scores on this measure were associated with worse outcomes. However, change scores on each of the psychological flexibility measures separately mediated outcomes. The efficacy of CBT for chronic pain may be improved with a greater focus on methods that increase psychological flexibility.
Low Risk for Marginal Ulcers in Duodenal Switch and Gastric Bypass in a Well-Defined Cohort of 472 Patients
Authors: Bekhali Zakaria , Sundbom Magnus
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Marginal ulcer (MU) is well-known complication in bariatric surgery. Several studies are available in Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP), while data on the incidence in duodenal switch (DS) is limited. We aimed to compare the incidence of MU between DS and RYGBP in a well-defined cohort and to identify associative factors.

Methods

A cohort of 732 patients with BMI ≥ 48 who had undergone primary DS or RYGBP during 2008–2018 received a questionnaire concerning ulcers, PPI therapy, and smoking habits; hereafter, patient charts were reviewed. Incidence rates (IRs) for MU were calculated in our survey and on previous registered data in the national quality register for bariatric surgery (SOReg). A multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify predictive risk factors for MU.

Results

After a mean follow-up of 6.1 years, 472 (64%) patients responded (47 ± 11 years old, 65% women and 42% DS). Of 41 MUs identified, 23 were endoscopically verified. Gastrointestinal bleeding, abdominal pain, and dysphagia were the most common symptoms. IR for MU was 1.4% (DS 1.3% and RYGBP 1.5%) per patient-year, compared with 0.9% according to SOReg-data. Persisting PPI treatment was seen in about three quarter of former MU patients (OR 11.2 [3.6–34.7], p < 0.001), but no other associative factors were found.

Conclusion

The overall risk for MU was low, about 1% per patient-year, without difference between DS and RYGBP. Ongoing PPI treatment was frequent in many former MU patients. This study on MU after DS provides reassuring results for future bariatric surgery candidates.
Wither the self-sufficiency illusion? Food security in Arab Gulf States and the impact of COVID-19
Authors: Woertz Eckart
Published: July 2020

Past approaches to food security in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) were informed by concerns about food availability. They aimed at domestic self-sufficiency and self-sufficiency by proxy (via farmland investments abroad). These strategies have failed. Water scarcity at home increasingly compromises agricultural production. Farmland investments abroad have not matched ambitious related announcements due to a complex mixture of commercial, socio-economic and political factors. They do not contribute meaningful quantities to the Gulf countries’ food imports. The failure of such strategies has prompted a shift of focus instead towards value chain management as a means to secure food availability. Rather than trying to fight food import dependence, the Gulf countries now accept and manage it. However, malnutrition that leads to high levels of obesity and diabetes constitutes a risk factor in the face of COVID-19. Food accessibility for vulnerable population segments such as migrant labour is another issue that requires yet further policy measures, such as safety nets – whose expansion would be politically controversial if not impossible, however.
Cellular metabolism and homeostasis in pluripotency regulation
Authors: Liu Kun , Cao Jiani , Shi Xingxing , Wang Liang , Zhao Tongbiao
Published: July 2020

Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) can immortally self-renew in culture with a high proliferation rate, and they possess unique metabolic characteristics that facilitate pluripotency regulation. Here, we review recent progress in understanding the mechanisms that link cellular metabolism and homeostasis to pluripotency regulation, with particular emphasis on pathways involving amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, the ubiquitin-proteasome system and autophagy. Metabolism of amino acids and lipids is tightly coupled to epigenetic modification, organelle remodeling and cell signaling pathways for pluripotency regulation. PSCs harness enhanced proteasome and autophagy activity to meet the material and energy requirements for cellular homeostasis. These regulatory events reflect a fine balance between the intrinsic cellular requirements and the extrinsic environment. A more complete understanding of this balance will pave new ways to manipulate PSC fate.
The $${\mathcal {S}}$$-cone and a primal-dual view on second-order representability
Authors: Naumann Helen , Theobald Thorsten
Published: July 2020

The$${\mathcal {S}}$$S-cone provides a common framework for cones of polynomials or exponential sums which establish non-negativity upon the arithmetic-geometric inequality, in particular for sums of non-negative circuit polynomials (SONC) or sums of arithmetic-geometric exponentials (SAGE). In this paper, we study the$${\mathcal {S}}$$S-cone and its dual from the viewpoint of second-order representability. Extending results of Averkov and of Wang and Magron on the primal SONC cone, we provide explicit generalized second-order descriptions for rational$${\mathcal {S}}$$S-cones and their duals.
An ecological future for weed science to sustain crop production and the environment. A review
Authors: MacLaren Chloe , Storkey Jonathan , Menegat Alexander , Metcalfe Helen , Dehnen-Schmutz Katharina
Published: July 2020

Sustainable strategies for managing weeds are critical to meeting agriculture’s potential to feed the world’s population while conserving the ecosystems and biodiversity on which we depend. The dominant paradigm of weed management in developed countries is currently founded on the two principal tools of herbicides and tillage to remove weeds. However, evidence of negative environmental impacts from both tools is growing, and herbicide resistance is increasingly prevalent. These challenges emerge from a lack of attention to how weeds interact with and are regulated by the agroecosystem as a whole. Novel technological tools proposed for weed control, such as new herbicides, gene editing, and seed destructors, do not address these systemic challenges and thus are unlikely to provide truly sustainable solutions. Combining multiple tools and techniques in an Integrated Weed Management strategy is a step forward, but many integrated strategies still remain overly reliant on too few tools. In contrast, advances in weed ecology are revealing a wealth of options to manage weedsat the agroecosystem levelthat, rather than aiming to eradicate weeds, act to regulate populations to limit their negative impacts while conserving diversity. Here, we review the current state of knowledge in weed ecology and identify how this can be translated into practical weed management. The major points are the following: (1) the diversity and type of crops, management actions and limiting resources can be manipulated to limit weed competitiveness while promoting weed diversity; (2) in contrast to technological tools, ecological approaches to weed management tend to be synergistic with other agroecosystem functions; and (3) there are many existing practices compatible with this approach that could be integrated into current systems, alongside new options to explore. Overall, this review demonstrates that integrating systems-level ecological thinking into agronomic decision-making offers the best route to achieving sustainable weed management.
A Framework for Assessing Healthcare Facilities in Low-Resource Settings: Field Studies in Benin and Uganda
Authors: Di Pietro Licia , Piaggio Davide , Oronti Iyabosola , Maccaro Alessia , Houessouvo Roland C. , Medenou Daton , De Maria Carmelo , Pecchia Leandro , Ahluwalia Arti
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to present and validate a framework for assessing healthcare facilities in low-resource settings to collect evidence and inform policies on the harmonisation, regulation and contextualised design of medical devices.

Methods

A literature review and focus groups with several experts of medical device design, clinical engineering, health technology assessment and management, allowed the creation of a protocol, comprising two parts: a semi-structured interview and electrical safety measures.

Results

Three hospitals were assessed in Benin and three in Uganda. All the health centres resulted to be facing typical challenges for low-resource settings, including the lack of funding, expertise, a well-established maintenance program, spare parts and consumables, and unreliable power supplies.

Conclusion

As there is a paucity of information regarding low-resource settings, the proposed framework can be used by clinical or biomedical engineers to assess and thereby propose actions for improving the conditions of healthcare settings.
How the large-scale blackout following the 2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi earthquake impacted adolescents’ sleep patterns
Authors: Fukuda Kazuhiko , Shibata Yoshinori , Sato Hideki , Okabe Satomi
Published: July 2020

A blackout on the island of Hokkaido occurred following a massive earthquake on September 6, 2018. This study analyzed the sleep pattern data of junior high school students on the night of the blackout in comparison to a normal night. Data were collected from 52 junior high school students from a school away from the earthquake’s epicenter but within the blackout area. Although the students normally slept less than 8 h per night, they slept for nine and a half hours during the blackout night. The duration during the blackout corresponded to the ideal sleep duration recommended by the NSF and AASM.
Characterizing winter landfast sea-ice surface roughness in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago using Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar and the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer
Authors: Segal Rebecca A. , Scharien Randall K. , Cafarella Silvie , Tedstone Andrew
Published: July 2020

Two satellite datasets are used to characterize winter landfast first-year sea-ice (FYI), deformed FYI (DFYI) and multiyear sea-ice (MYI) roughness in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA): (1) optical Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) and (2) synthetic aperture radar Sentinel-1. The Normalized Difference Angular Index (NDAI) roughness proxy derived from MISR, and backscatter from Sentinel-1 are intercompared. NDAI and backscatter are also compared to surface roughness derived from an airborne LiDAR track covering a subset of FYI and MYI (no DFYI). Overall, NDAI and backscatter are significantly positively correlated when all ice type samples are considered. When individual ice types are evaluated, NDAI and backscatter are only significantly correlated for DFYI. Both NDAI and backscatter are correlated with LiDAR-derived roughness (r= 0.71 andr= 0.74, respectively). The relationship between NDAI and roughness is greater for MYI than FYI, whereas for backscatter and ice roughness, the relationship is greater for FYI than MYI. Linear regression models are created for the estimation of FYI and MYI roughness from NDAI, and FYI roughness from backscatter. Results suggest that using a combination of Sentinel-1 backscatter for FYI and MISR NDAI for MYI may be optimal for mapping winter sea-ice roughness in the CAA.
Gales, Streams, and Multipliers: Conceptual Metaphors and Theory Development in Business History
Authors: WADHWANI R. DANIEL
Published: July 2020

Conceptual metaphors, like Galambos and Amatori’s “entrepreneurial multiplier,” play a pivotal but largely unexamined role in historical interpretation. They do this by allowing historians to see one set of historical associations or relationships in terms of another, more familiar, one. I highlight this interpretive role by comparing Galambos and Amatori’s construct to Joseph Schumpeter’s “gale of creative destruction” and Arthur Cole’s “entrepreneurial stream” as metaphors that attempt to explain the relationship between entrepreneurship and historical change. I also point out the risks that taken-for-granted metaphors can have in narrowing room for interpretation, and argue that reflexivity and playfulness are essential to keeping conceptual metaphors alive as interpretive devices. I conclude by suggesting that metaphors are an intrinsic form of theorizing in historical interpretation, and illustrate my argument by briefly examining “industrial revolution” as a construct in business and economic history.
Approaching Archaeological Museum Collections through the Concept of Assemblage: The Case Study of the Jesuit Mission San Ignacio Miní (1610–1631)
Authors: Nimmo Evelyn R.
Published: July 2020

In Brazil, as in most countries, history and natural history museums are the repositories of rich collections of excavated archaeological material. One of the major challenges in working with these collections is the paucity of information available regarding the original excavations, which raises important questions that archaeologists and museum studies professionals have been grappling with for several decades: what interpretive value do these collections have without any contextual information, and are they worth maintaining in museum archives that are facing continuing crises in space and resources? This article uses the concepts of entanglement and assemblage to discuss a collection of ceramics excavated from one of the first Spanish Jesuit missions in colonial Paraguay, San Ignacio Miní (1610–1631), and housed at the Museu Paranaense in Curitiba, Brazil. Despite the lack of contextual information from the 1963 excavation, we can begin to explore the entangled pasts, present, and future of these objects by tracing the trajectory of the collection from the initial formation through excavation and contemporary analysis. Innovative approaches are needed to address methodological and theoretical concerns in analyzing archaeological museum collections to ensure that the knowledge and potential insights entangled in these collections are not lost.
Party Cues in the News: Democratic Elites, Republican Backlash, and the Dynamics of Climate Skepticism
Authors: Merkley Eric , Stecula Dominik A.
Published: July 2020

Supporters of the Republican Party have become much more skeptical of the science of climate change since the 1990s. This article argues that out-group cues from Democratic elites caused a backlash that resulted in greater climate skepticism. The authors construct aggregate measures of climate skepticism from nearly 200 public opinion polls at the quarterly level from 2001 to 2014 and at the annual level from 1986 to 2014. They also build time-series measures of possible contributors to climate skepticism using an automated media content analysis. The analyses provide evidence that cues from party elites – especially from Democrats – are associated with aggregate dynamics in climate change skepticism, including among supporters of the Republican Party. The study also involves a party cue survey experiment administered to a sample of 3,000 Americans through Amazon Mechanical Turk to provide more evidence of causality. Together, these results highlight the importance of out-group cue taking and suggest that climate change skepticism should be examined through the lens of elite-led opinion formation.
Updated checklist of helminths found in terrestrial mammals of Argentine Patagonia
Authors: Fugassa M.H.
Published: July 2020

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the state of knowledge about the helminthology of wild mammals in Argentine Patagonia and its link with the conservation of parasite species and biodiversity. To this end, the information included in the previously reported checklist of the helminths found in terrestrial wild mammals of Argentine Patagonia was completed and updated. The methodology used for the search was the same as that previously used, with slight modifications. Eighty-two species of mammals currently inhabit the region, and an additional six species are considered to have become extinct before the 20th century. The reports used to complete and update the information correspond to research done since 2015 to date. Considering the number of records analysed in the previously reported checklist and those of the current update, a total of 1918 helminthological reports for current Patagonian mammals and 2141 on mammal species that inhabited Patagonia before the 20th century were accounted for. It is important to point out that 41% of the 82 species of wild mammals currently inhabiting Patagonia have not been studied helminthologically; 38% of these without helminthological records are either threatened or do not have categorization, and 79% of mammals without helminthological studies have some degree of endemism. Therefore, in order to evaluate conservation priorities, the information about the parasitic richness in Patagonian wild mammals should be substantially increased, especially in those endangered or endemic.
Morphological and molecular characterization of a new species of black coral from Elvers Bank, north-western Gulf of Mexico (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Hexacorallia: Antipatharia: Aphanipathidae: Distichopathes)
Authors: Opresko Dennis M. , Goldman Samantha L. , Johnson Raven , Parra Katherine , Nuttall Marissa , Schmahl G.P. , Brugler Mercer R.
Published: July 2020

The continental shelf edge of the NW Gulf of Mexico supports dozens of reefs and banks, including the West and East Flower Garden Banks (FGB) and Stetson Bank that comprise the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS). Discovered by fishermen in the early 1900s, the FGBs are named after the colourful corals, sponges and algae that dominate the region. The reefs and banks are the surface expression of underlying salt domes and provide important habitat for mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCE) and deep coral communities to 300 m depth. Since 2001, FGBNMS research teams have utilized remotely operated vehicles (e.g. ‘Phantom S2’, ‘Mohawk’, ‘Yogi’) to survey and characterize benthic habitats of this region. In 2016, a Draft Environmental Impact Statement proposed the expansion of the current sanctuary boundaries to incorporate an additional 15 reefs and banks, including Elvers Bank. Antipatharians (black corals) were collected within the proposed expansion sites and analysed using morphological and molecular methods. A new species, Distichopathes hickersonae, collected at 172 m depth on Elvers Bank, is described within the family Aphanipathidae. This brings the total number of black coral species in and around the sanctuary to 14.
Individual home ranges of Tursiops truncatus and their overlap with ranges of Stenella frontalis and fishermen in Aragua, Venezuela, South Caribbean
Authors: Cobarrubia-Russo Sergio E. , Barreto-Esnal Guillermo R. , Molero-Lizarraga Alimar E. , Mariani-Di Lena Miguel A.
Published: July 2020

The coast of Aragua is a home of bottlenose dolphins (BND), Atlantic spotted dolphins (ASD) and fishermen (FIS) from four towns. A photo-identification study was carried out on BND to estimate their home ranges. From 2004 to 2008, 100 field surveys were carried out along 30 km of coastline (92.12 km2). In each sighting of BND, information regarding date, time, latitude/longitude and photographs were registered (ASD and FIS were registered without photography). The data were analysed using a Geographic Information System to estimate Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP) and Fixed Kernel (FK) at 95%. The home ranges of BND were estimated for seven individuals. This included three females (29–31 sightings) with estimated areas ranging from 33.90–39.90 km2 with MCP (36.79–43.31% of the study area) and from 80.47–101.31 km2 with FK (109.97–104.26%). For the remaining four dolphins (14–20 sightings) the estimated areas ranged from 9.67–22.34 km2 (MCP), the predominant depth of these home ranges varied from 51–100 m (χ2 = 24.5, df = 2, P = 4.785 × 10−6). For the pods of ASD the estimated area ranged 75.23 km2 with MCP (81.66%) and 119.86 km2 with FK (130.11%) with predominant depths of 101–200 m (χ2 = 24.5, df = 2, P = 4.785 × 10−6). The area used by FIS ranged 93.27 km2 by MCP and 228.49 km2 by FK. Finally, the overlap area of BND, ASD and FIS ranged 24.75 km2 (26.86%). We point out this locality presents important oceanographic and ecological aspects which deserve to be the subject of application of management plans for the conservation of its habitat and species.
Suicidal ideation and attempts following nonmedical use of prescription opioids and related disorder
Authors: Santaella-Tenorio Julian , Martins Silvia S. , Cerdá Magdalena , Olfson Mark , Keyes Katherine M.
Published: July 2020

Background

Since 1999, the rate of fatal prescription opioid overdoses and of suicides has dramatically increased in the USA. These increases, which have occurred among similar demographic groups, have led to the hypothesis that the opioid epidemic contributed to increases in suicidal behavior, though the underlying association remains poorly defined. We examine the association between nonmedical use of prescription opioids/opioid use disorder and suicidal ideation/attempts.

Methods

We used longitudinal data from a national representative sample of the US adult population, the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Participants (n= 34 653) were interviewed in 2001–2002 (wave 1) and re-interviewed approximately 3 years later (wave 2). A propensity score analysis estimated the association between exposure to prescription opioids at wave 1 and prevalent/incident suicidal behavior at wave 2.

Results

Heavy/frequent (⩾2–3 times a month) prescription opioid use was associated with prevalent suicide attempts [adjusted risk ratio (ARR) = 2.75, 95% CI 1.35–5.60]. Prescription opioid use disorder was associated with prevalent (ARR = 1.98, 95% CI 1.20–3.28) and incident suicidal ideation (ARR = 2.59, 95% CI 1.25–5.37), and prevalent attempts (ARR = 4.19, 95% CI 1.71–10.27). None of the exposures was associated with incident suicide attempts.

Conclusions

Heavy/frequent opioid use and related disorder were associated with prevalent suicide attempts; opioid use disorder was also associated with the incident and prevalent suicidal ideation. Given population increases in nonmedical use of prescription opioids and disorder, the opioid crisis may have contributed to population increases in suicidal ideation.
A NOTE ON THE ASYMPTOTIC BEHAVIOR OF THE HEIGHT FOR A BIRTH-AND-DEATH PROCESS
Authors: Wang Feng , Wu Xian-Yuan , Zhu Rui
Published: July 2020

Recently, the asymptotic mean value of the height for a birth-and-death process is given in Videla [Videla, L.A. (2020)]. We consider the asymptotic variance of the height in the case when the number of states tends to infinity. Further, we prove that the heights exhibit a cutoff phenomenon and that the normalized height converges to a degenerate distribution.
Continuity and change in anger and aggressiveness from infancy to childhood: The protective effects of positive parenting
Authors: Perra Oliver , Paine Amy L. , Hay Dale F.
Published: July 2020

Early signs of anger and aggression can be identified in infancy. Our aim was to use person-centered methods to identify which infants were most at risk for clinically significant behavioral problems by age 3 and diagnoses of ODD/CD by 7 years, while considering the role of family risk factors and positive parenting. A representative British community sample of 304 infants was assessed by multiple informants at mean ages of 6, 21, and 36 months of age. Latent Transition Analysis (LTA) identified three ordered subgroups at each age, with one subgroup (18%) displaying high levels of physical force as well as anger. These angry aggressive infants were at elevated risk for behavioral problems in early childhood and diagnoses of conduct disorder (CD) and/or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) at 7 years of age. After other risk factors were taken into account, parents' beliefs in warm parenting and their observed positive affect while interacting with their infants were protective factors. These findings indicate the significance of very early manifestations of angry aggressiveness and have relevance for developmental theories of aggression and prevention strategies.
Focus of negation: Its identification in Spanish
Authors: Taulé Mariona , Nofre Montserrat , González Mónica , Martí Maria Antònia
Published: July 2020

This article describes the criteria for identifying the focus of negation in Spanish. This work involved an in-depth linguistic analysis of the focus of negation through which we identified some 10 different types of criteria that account for a wide variety of constructions containing negation. These criteria account for all the cases that appear in the NewsCom corpus and were assessed in the annotation of this corpus. The NewsCom corpus consists of 2955 comments posted in response to 18 different news articles from online newspapers. The NewsCom corpus contains 2965 negative structures with their corresponding negation marker, scope, and focus. This is the first corpus annotated with focus in Spanish and it is freely available. It is a valuable resource that can be used both for the training and evaluation of systems that aim to automatically detect the scope and focus of negation and for the linguistic analysis of negation grounded in real data.
Constitutional Law, Ecosystems, and Indigenous Peoples in Colombia: Biocultural Rights and Legal Subjects
Authors: Macpherson Elizabeth , Torres Ventura Julia , Clavijo Ospina Felipe
Published: July 2020

The recognition of rivers and related ecosystems as legal persons or subjects is an emerging mechanism in transnational practice available to governments in seeking more effective and collaborative natural resource management, sometimes at the insistence of indigenous peoples. This approach is developing particularly quickly in Colombia, where legal rights for rivers and ecosystems are grasping onto, and evolving out of, constitutional human rights protections. This enables the development of a new type of constitutionalism of nature. Yet legal rights for rivers may obscure the rights of indigenous peoples and their role in resource ownership and governance. We argue that the Colombian river cases serve as a caution to courts and legislatures elsewhere to be mindful, in devising ecosystem rights, of the complex and interrelated rights, interests and tenures of indigenous peoples and local communities.
Hemophilia B — Mutation Rates and Incidence — A Simulation Study
Authors: Stark Alan E.
Published: July 2020

The dynamics of rare X-linked recessive traits is explored by simulation. The model follows the prevalence of affected males and carrier females as separate but correlated variables. Different mutation rates and selection coefficients are introduced for males and females. A virtual population based on a published study of hemophilia B in the west of Scotland is followed at weekly intervals over many years. Speculative values of critical parameters to mimic the real population are proposed.
Human Genetics Society of Australasia Position Statement: Predictive and Presymptomatic Genetic Testing in Adults and Children
Authors: Vears Danya F. , Ayres Samantha , Boyle Jackie , Mansour Julia , Newson Ainsley J.
Published: July 2020

In 2020, the Human Genetics Society of Australasia released its Position Statement on Predictive and Presymptomatic Genetic Testing in Adults and Children. This Position Statement synthesizes the major practical, psychosocial and ethical considerations associated with presymptomatic and predictive genetic testing in adults who have the capacity to make a decision, children and young people who lack capacity and adults living with reduced or fluctuating capacity. Recommendations include that predictive testing in adults, young people and children should only be offered with pretest genetic counseling and the option of posttest genetic counseling. An individual considering (for themselves or on behalf of another) whether to have a predictive test should also be supported to allow them to make an autonomous and informed decision. Predictive testing should only be offered to children and young people for conditions where there is likely to be a direct medical benefit to them through surveillance, use of prevention strategies or other medical interventions in the immediate future. Where symptoms are likely to develop in childhood, in the absence of options to implement surveillance or risk reduction measures, genetic health professionals and parents/guardians should discuss whether undertaking predictive testing is the best course of action for the child and the family as a whole. Where symptoms are likely to develop in adulthood, the default position should be to postpone predictive testing until the young person achieves the capacity to make their own autonomous and informed decision.
A Data‐Driven Framework to Characterize State‐Level Water Use in the United States
Authors: Wongso E. , Nateghi R. , Zaitchik B. , Quiring S. , Kumar R.
Published: July 2020

Access to credible estimates of water use is critical for making optimal operational decisions and investment plans to ensure reliable and affordable provisioning of water. Furthermore, identifying the key predictors of water use is important for regulators to promote sustainable development policies to reduce water use. In this paper, we propose a data‐driven framework, grounded in statistical learning theory, to develop a rigorously evaluated predictive model of state‐level, per capita water use in the United States as a function of various geographic, climatic, and socioeconomic variables. Specifically, we compare the accuracy of various statistical methods in predicting the state‐level, per capita water use and find that the model based on the random forest algorithm outperforms all other models. We then leverage the random forest model to identify key factors associated with high water‐usage intensity among different sectors in the United States. More specifically, irrigated farming, thermoelectric energy generation, and urbanization were identified as the most water‐intensive anthropogenic activities, on a per capita basis. Among the climate factors, precipitation was found to be a key predictor of per capita water use, with drier conditions associated with higher water usage. Overall, our study highlights the utility of leveraging data‐driven modeling to gain valuable insights related to the water use patterns across expansive geographical areas.
Heavy Rains, Human Activity, and Rising Waters at Lake Victoria
Authors: Mafaranga Hope
Published: July 2020

Water levels in Africa’s largest lake have risen over a meter since last fall and continue to increase as land use changes and heavy rains enhance the flow.
Cancer-associated fibroblasts mediate cancer progression and remodel the tumouroid stroma
Authors: Pape Judith , Magdeldin Tarig , Stamati Katerina , Nyga Agata , Loizidou Marilena , Emberton Mark , Cheema Umber
Published: July 2020

Background

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are highly differentiated and heterogeneous cancer-stromal cells that promote tumour growth, angiogenesis and matrix remodelling.

Methods

We utilised an adapted version of a previously developed 3D in vitro model of colorectal cancer, composed of a cancer mass and the surrounding stromal compartment. We compared cancer invasion with an acellular stromal surround, a “healthy” or normal cellular stroma and a cancerous stroma. For the cancerous stroma, we incorporated six patient-derived CAF samples to study their differential effects on cancer growth, vascular network formation and remodelling.

Results

CAFs enhanced the distance and surface area of the invasive cancer mass whilst inhibiting vascular-like network formation. These processes correlated with the upregulation of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), metallopeptidase inhibitor 1 (TIMP1) and fibulin-5 (FBLN5). Vascular remodelling of previously formed endothelial structures occurred through the disruption of complex networks, and was associated with the upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGFA) and downregulation in vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-Cadherin).

Conclusions

These results support, within a biomimetic 3D, in vitro framework, the direct role of CAFs in promoting cancer invasion, and their key function in driving vasculogenesis and angiogenesis.
Unveiling hydrocerussite as an electrochemically stable active phase for efficient carbon dioxide electroreduction to formate
Authors: Shi Yanmei , Ji Yan , Long Jun , Liang Yu , Liu Yang , Yu Yifu , Xiao Jianping , Zhang Bin
Published: July 2020

For most metal-containing CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) electrocatalysts, the unavoidable self-reduction to zero-valence metal will promote hydrogen evolution, hence lowering the CO2RR selectivity. Thus it is challenging to design a stable phase with resistance to electrochemical self-reduction as well as high CO2RR activity. Herein, we report a scenario to develop hydrocerussite as a stable and active electrocatalyst via in situ conversion of a complex precursor, tannin-lead(II) (TA-Pb) complex. A comprehensive characterization reveals the in situ transformation of TA-Pb to cerussite (PbCO3), and sequentially to hydrocerussite (Pb3(CO3)2(OH)2), which finally serves as a stable and active phase under CO2RR condition. Both experiments and theoretical calculations confirm the high activity and selectivity over hydrocerussite. This work not only offers a new approach of enhancing the selectivity in CO2RR by suppressing the self-reduction of electrode materials, but also provides a strategy for studying the reaction mechanism and active phases of electrocatalysts.
Cholesterol metabolism drives regulatory B cell IL-10 through provision of geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate
Authors: Bibby Jack A. , Purvis Harriet A. , Hayday Thomas , Chandra Anita , Okkenhaug Klaus , Rosenzweig Sofia , Aksentijevich Ivona , Wood Michael , Lachmann Helen J. , Kemper Claudia , Cope Andrew P. , Perucha Esperanza
Published: July 2020

Regulatory B cells restrict immune and inflammatory responses across a number of contexts. This capacity is mediated primarily through the production of IL-10. Here we demonstrate that the induction of a regulatory program in human B cells is dependent on a metabolic priming event driven by cholesterol metabolism. Synthesis of the metabolic intermediate geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) is required to specifically drive IL-10 production, and to attenuate Th1 responses. Furthermore, GGPP-dependent protein modifications control signaling through PI3Kδ-AKT-GSK3, which in turn promote BLIMP1-dependent IL-10 production. Inherited gene mutations in cholesterol metabolism result in a severe autoinflammatory syndrome termed mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD). Consistent with our findings, B cells from MKD patients induce poor IL-10 responses and are functionally impaired. Moreover, metabolic supplementation with GGPP is able to reverse this defect. Collectively, our data define cholesterol metabolism as an integral metabolic pathway for the optimal functioning of human IL-10 producing regulatory B cells.
Single-cell RNA-seq reveals that glioblastoma recapitulates a normal neurodevelopmental hierarchy
Authors: Couturier Charles P. , Ayyadhury Shamini , Le Phuong U. , Nadaf Javad , Monlong Jean , Riva Gabriele , Allache Redouane , Baig Salma , Yan Xiaohua , Bourgey Mathieu , Lee Changseok , Wang Yu Chang David , Wee Yong V. , Guiot Marie-Christine , Najafabadi Hamed , Misic Bratislav , Antel Jack , Bourque Guillaume , Ragoussis Jiannis , Petrecca Kevin
Published: July 2020

Cancer stem cells are critical for cancer initiation, development, and treatment resistance. Our understanding of these processes, and how they relate to glioblastoma heterogeneity, is limited. To overcome these limitations, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on 53586 adult glioblastoma cells and 22637 normal human fetal brain cells, and compared the lineage hierarchy of the developing human brain to the transcriptome of cancer cells. We find a conserved neural tri-lineage cancer hierarchy centered around glial progenitor-like cells. We also find that this progenitor population contains the majority of the cancer’s cycling cells, and, using RNA velocity, is often the originator of the other cell types. Finally, we show that this hierarchal map can be used to identify therapeutic targets specific to progenitor cancer stem cells. Our analyses show that normal brain development reconciles glioblastoma development, suggests a possible origin for glioblastoma hierarchy, and helps to identify cancer stem cell-specific targets.
Quantum-dot assisted spectroscopy of degeneracy-lifted Landau levels in graphene
Authors: Keren Itai , Dvir Tom , Zalic Ayelet , Iluz Amir , LeBoeuf David , Watanabe Kenji , Taniguchi Takashi , Steinberg Hadar
Published: July 2020

Energy spectroscopy of strongly interacting phases requires probes which minimize screening while retaining spectral resolution and local sensitivity. Here, we demonstrate that such probes can be realized using atomic sized quantum dots bound to defects in hexagonal Boron Nitride tunnel barriers, placed at nanometric distance from graphene. With dot energies capacitively tuned by a planar graphite electrode, dot-assisted tunneling becomes highly sensitive to the graphene excitation spectrum. The spectra track the onset of degeneracy lifting with magnetic field at the ground state, and at unoccupied excited states, revealing symmetry-broken gaps which develop steeply with magnetic field - corresponding to Landé g factors as high as 160. Measured up to B = 33 T, spectra exhibit a primary energy split between spin-polarized excited states, and a secondary spin-dependent valley-split. Our results show that defect dots probe the spectra while minimizing local screening, and are thus exceptionally sensitive to interacting states.
κB-Ras and Ral GTPases regulate acinar to ductal metaplasia during pancreatic adenocarcinoma development and pancreatitis
Authors: Beel Stephanie , Kolloch Lina , Apken Lisa H. , Jürgens Lara , Bolle Andrea , Sudhof Nadine , Ghosh Sankar , Wardelmann Eva , Meisterernst Michael , Steinestel Konrad , Oeckinghaus Andrea
Published: July 2020

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is associated with high mortality and therapy resistance. Here, we show that low expression of κB-Ras GTPases is frequently detected in PDAC and correlates with higher histologic grade. In a model of KRasG12D-driven PDAC, loss of κB-Ras accelerates tumour development and shortens median survival. κB-Ras deficiency promotes acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM) during tumour initiation as well as tumour progression through intrinsic effects on proliferation and invasion. κB-Ras proteins are also required for acinar regeneration after pancreatitis, demonstrating a general role in control of plasticity. Molecularly, upregulation of Ral GTPase activity and Sox9 expression underlies the observed phenotypes, identifying a previously unrecognized function of Ral signalling in ADM. Our results provide evidence for a tumour suppressive role of κB-Ras proteins and highlight low κB-Ras levels and consequent loss of Ral control as risk factors, thus emphasizing the necessity for therapeutic options that allow interference with Ral-driven signalling.
Immunological and inflammatory profiles in mild and severe cases of COVID-19
Authors: Song Jin-Wen , Zhang Chao , Fan Xing , Meng Fan-Ping , Xu Zhe , Xia Peng , Cao Wen-Jing , Yang Tao , Dai Xiao-Peng , Wang Si-Yu , Xu Ruo-Nan , Jiang Tian-Jun , Li Wen-Gang , Zhang Da-Wei , Zhao Peng , Shi Ming , Agrati Chiara , Ippolito Giuseppe , Maeurer Markus , Zumla Alimuddin , Wang Fu-Sheng , Zhang Ji-Yuan
Published: July 2020

COVID-19 is associated with 5.1% mortality. Although the virological, epidemiological, clinical, and management outcome features of COVID-19 patients have been defined rapidly, the inflammatory and immune profiles require definition as they influence pathogenesis and clinical expression of COVID-19. Here we show lymphopenia, selective loss of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells and NK cells, excessive T-cell activation and high expression of T-cell inhibitory molecules are more prominent in severe cases than in those with mild disease. CD8+ T cells in patients with severe disease express high levels of cytotoxic molecules. Histochemical studies of lung tissue from one fatality show sub-anatomical distributions of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and massive infiltration of T cells and macrophages. Thus, aberrant activation and dysregulation of CD8+ T cells occur in patients with severe COVID-19 disease, an effect that might be for pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and indicate that immune-based targets for therapeutic interventions constitute a promising treatment for severe COVID-19 patients.
Optical parametric amplification of sub-cycle shortwave infrared pulses
Authors: Lin Yu-Chieh , Nabekawa Yasuo , Midorikawa Katsumi
Published: July 2020

Few–cycle short–wave infrared (SWIR) pulses are useful tools for research on strong–field physics and nonlinear optics. Here we demonstrate the amplification of sub–cycle pulses in the SWIR region by using a cascaded BBO–based optical parametric amplifier (OPA) chain. By virtue of the tailored wavelength of the pump pulse of 708 nm, we successfully obtained a gain bandwidth of more than one octave for a BBO crystal. The division and synthesis of the spectral components of the pulse in a Mach–Zehnder–type interferometer set in front of the final amplifier enabled us to control the dispersion of each spectral component using an acousto–optic programmable dispersive filter inserted in each arm of the interferometer. As a result, we successfully generated 0.73–optical–cycle pulses at 1.8 μm with a pulse energy of 32 μJ.
Light phase detection with on-chip petahertz electronic networks
Authors: Yang Yujia , Turchetti Marco , Vasireddy Praful , Putnam William P. , Karnbach Oliver , Nardi Alberto , Kärtner Franz X. , Berggren Karl K. , Keathley Phillip D.
Published: July 2020

Ultrafast, high-intensity light-matter interactions lead to optical-field-driven photocurrents with an attosecond-level temporal response. These photocurrents can be used to detect the carrier-envelope-phase (CEP) of short optical pulses, and enable optical-frequency, petahertz (PHz) electronics for high-speed information processing. Despite recent reports on optical-field-driven photocurrents in various nanoscale solid-state materials, little has been done in examining the large-scale electronic integration of these devices to improve their functionality and compactness. In this work, we demonstrate enhanced, on-chip CEP detection via optical-field-driven photocurrents in a monolithic array of electrically-connected plasmonic bow-tie nanoantennas that are contained within an area of hundreds of square microns. The technique is scalable and could potentially be used for shot-to-shot CEP tagging applications requiring orders-of-magnitude less pulse energy compared to alternative ionization-based techniques. Our results open avenues for compact time-domain, on-chip CEP detection, and inform the development of integrated circuits for PHz electronics as well as integrated platforms for attosecond and strong-field science.