bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
S-wave kaon–nucleon potentials with all-to-all propagators in the HAL QCD method
Authors:   HAL QCD Collaboration, Murakami Kotaro , Akahoshi Yutaro , Aoki Sinya
Published: August 2020

Employing an all-to-all quark propagator technique, we investigate kaon–nucleon interactions in lattice QCD. We calculate the S-wave kaon–nucleon potentials at the leading order in the derivative expansion in the time-dependent HAL QCD method, using (2+1)-flavor gauge configurations on $32^3 \times 64$ lattices with lattice spacing $a \approx 0.09$ fm and pion mass $m_{\pi} \approx 570$ MeV. We take the one-end trick for all-to-all propagators, which allows us to put the zero-momentum hadron operators at both source and sink and to smear quark operators at the source. We find a stronger repulsive interaction in the $I=1$ channel than in the $I=0$. The phase shifts obtained by solving the Schrödinger equations with the potentials qualitatively reproduce the energy dependence of the experimental phase shifts, and have similar behavior to previous results from lattice QCD without all-to-all propagators. Our study demonstrates that the all-to-all quark propagator technique with the one-end trick is useful for studying interactions in meson–baryon systems in the HAL QCD method, so we will apply it to meson–baryon systems which contain quark–antiquark creation/annihilation processes in our future studies.
Neighborhood conditions and the initial outbreak of COVID-19: the case of Louisiana
Authors: van Holm Eric Joseph , Wyczalkowski Christopher K , Dantzler Prentiss A
Published: August 2020

The early outbreak of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID)-19 became associated with various ‘hot spots’ in the USA, particularly in large cities. However, despite the widespread nature of the outbreak, much of what is known about the virus’ impact and clusters is understood either for individuals, or at the state level. This paper assesses the predictors of outbreaks at the neighborhood level. Using data from the Louisiana Department of Health, we use spatial regression models to analyze the case count through 3 May 2020 and its relationship to individual and geographic neighborhood characteristics at the census tract level. We find a particularly strong and large correlation between race and COVID-19 cases, robust to model specification and spatial autocorrelation. In addition, neighborhoods with lower rates of poverty and those with fewer residents over 70 have fewer cases. Policy makers should adjust testing strategies to better service the hardest hit populations, particularly minorities and the elderly. In addition, the results are greater evidence of the impact of systemic issues on health, which require a long-term strategy for redress.
Volatility Markets Underreacted to the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Cheng Ing-Haw
Published: August 2020

VIX futures prices rose slowly in late February and early March 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. Futures price premiums, defined as futures prices minus real-time statistical forecasts of future VIX values, turned sharply negative and remained negative until mid-April. Trading strategies based on estimated premiums profited from the subsequent increase in market volatility and equity market crash. The underreaction of futures prices to growing pandemic risks poses a puzzle for standard asset pricing models.

Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix, which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online.
The Macroeconomics of Corporate Debt
Authors: Brunnermeier Markus , Krishnamurthy Arvind
Published: August 2020

The 2020 COVID-19 crisis can spur research on firms’ corporate finance decisions and their macroeconomic implications, similar to the wave of important research on banking and household finance triggered by the 2008 financial crisis. What are the relevant corporate finance mechanisms in this crisis? Modeling dynamics and timing considerations are likely important, as is integrating corporate financing considerations into modern quantifiable macroeconomics models. Recent empirical work, including articles in this special issue, on the drag from debt in the COVID-19 crisis provides a first glimpse into the new research agenda. (JEL E22, E44, G32, G33)

Received July 23, 2020; editorial decision: July 23, 2020 by Editor Andrew Ellul
Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex response to negative tweets relates to executive functioning
Authors: Tashjian Sarah M , Galván Adriana
Published: August 2020

Cognitive performance can become impaired when a stimulus evokes an emotional response. Social media often elicits emotional reactions, but, despite social media’s ubiquity, cognitive and neural consequences of exposure to negative online content are relatively unknown. Fifty-seven human adults (18–29 years; 38 female) who identified with at least one historically-marginalized group performed a novel ‘Tweet Task’. While undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging, participants completed a spatial reasoning task before and after reading a set of actual tweets. Participants were randomly assigned to read negative, discriminatory tweets from President Trump (Negative Condition) or neutral tweets (Neutral Condition). Participants in the Negative Condition reported worsening affect and demonstrated performance interference post-tweet compared to those in the Neutral Condition. Affect post-tweet was associated with parametric reductions in left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which predicted variance in performance beyond elicited negative affect. Performance effects were demonstrated on an unrelated spatial reasoning task suggesting that engaging with negative, emotionally-arousing content on social media can have deleterious effects on executive functioning in non-social domains.
Physiological linkage among successful high-status women in international teams
Authors: Thorson Katherine R , Dumitru Oana D , West Tessa V
Published: August 2020

In contemporary society, decisions are often made by teams whose members represent different nationalities and genders. In the current work, participants from 55 countries formed groups of 3 to 4 people to select one of the 5 firms in a mock firm search. In all groups, one woman was randomly assigned to have higher status than her groupmates; she was also surreptitiously instructed to persuade her group to select one (randomly assigned) firm. We measured cardiac interbeat intervals for participants throughout the decision-making process to assess physiological linkage—the degree to which a ‘sender’s’ physiological response predicts a ‘receiver’s’ physiological response at a subsequent time interval. On average, high-status women were successful at persuasion. The physiological responses of successful high-status women were also predicted by the responses of their female groupmates: stronger linkage to female group members during the task was associated with success at persuading the group. Successful high-status women were also perceived as more persuasive than others in the group. This work shows that the link between status and successful persuasion generalizes to women among heterogeneous international teams. It also suggests that attention to others—often associated with physiological linkage—may be useful in persuading others during decision-making.
Hallucinations Under Psychedelics and in the Schizophrenia Spectrum: An Interdisciplinary and Multiscale Comparison
Authors: Leptourgos Pantelis , Fortier-Davy Martin , Carhart-Harris Robin , Corlett Philip R , Dupuis David , Halberstadt Adam L , Kometer Michael , Kozakova Eva , LarØi Frank , Noorani Tehseen N , Preller Katrin H , Waters Flavie , Zaytseva Yuliya , Jardri Renaud
Published: August 2020

The recent renaissance of psychedelic science has reignited interest in the similarity of drug-induced experiences to those more commonly observed in psychiatric contexts such as the schizophrenia-spectrum. This report from a multidisciplinary working group of the International Consortium on Hallucinations Research (ICHR) addresses this issue, putting special emphasis on hallucinatory experiences. We review evidence collected at different scales of understanding, from pharmacology to brain-imaging, phenomenology and anthropology, highlighting similarities and differences between hallucinations under psychedelics and in the schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Finally, we attempt to integrate these findings using computational approaches and conclude with recommendations for future research.
Implementing Precision Psychiatry: A Systematic Review of Individualized Prediction Models for Clinical Practice
Authors: Salazar de Pablo Gonzalo , Studerus Erich , Vaquerizo-Serrano Julio , Irving Jessica , Catalan Ana , Oliver Dominic , Baldwin Helen , Danese Andrea , Fazel Seena , Steyerberg Ewout W , Stahl Daniel , Fusar-Poli Paolo
Published: August 2020

Background

The impact of precision psychiatry for clinical practice has not been systematically appraised. This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of validated prediction models to estimate the individual risk of being affected with a condition (diagnostic), developing outcomes (prognostic), or responding to treatments (predictive) in mental disorders.

Methods

PRISMA/RIGHT/CHARMS-compliant systematic review of the Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Reviews, and Ovid/PsycINFO databases from inception until July 21, 2019 (PROSPERO CRD42019155713) to identify diagnostic/prognostic/predictive prediction studies that reported individualized estimates in psychiatry and that were internally or externally validated or implemented. Random effect meta-regression analyses addressed the impact of several factors on the accuracy of prediction models.

Findings

Literature search identified 584 prediction modeling studies, of which 89 were included. 10.4% of the total studies included prediction models internally validated (n = 61), 4.6% models externally validated (n = 27), and 0.2% (n = 1) models considered for implementation. Across validated prediction modeling studies (n = 88), 18.2% were diagnostic, 68.2% prognostic, and 13.6% predictive. The most frequently investigated condition was psychosis (36.4%), and the most frequently employed predictors clinical (69.5%). Unimodal compared to multimodal models (β = .29, P = .03) and diagnostic compared to prognostic (β = .84, p < .0001) and predictive (β = .87, P = .002) models were associated with increased accuracy.

Interpretation

To date, several validated prediction models are available to support the diagnosis and prognosis of psychiatric conditions, in particular, psychosis, or to predict treatment response. Advancements of knowledge are limited by the lack of implementation research in real-world clinical practice. A new generation of implementation research is required to address this translational gap.
The Strange Fate of the Dáil Decrees of Revolutionary Ireland, 1919–22
Authors: Mohr Thomas
Published: August 2020

This article examines the attempts at legislation in Ireland made by an elected assembly known as ‘Dáil Éireann’ in the revolutionary years between 1919 and 1922. These attempts at legislation, popularly known as ‘Dáil decrees’, have not been published or used as sources of law since the foundation of the Irish state on 6 December 1922. This analysis builds on a pioneering article on this subject published in 1975 by Brian Farrell and attempts to provide additional information on the final fate of the Dáil decrees. The conclusion argues that the fate of this legislation was not, as has been suggested, dictated by divisions created by the Irish civil war of 1922–23. Instead, this analysis concludes that the Dáil decrees faced insuperable practical barriers that could not be overcome after the foundation of the state in 1922.
Urban Space as a Factor of Production: Accounting for the Success of Small Factories in Postwar Tokyo
Authors: BANSAL Benjamin
Published: August 2020

This paper demonstrates that small manufacturing firms in postwar Tokyo were exceptionally successful. Not only were they more productive than their national peers, they were also remarkably competitive vis-à-vis large factories in Tokyo. The existing explanations for this double outperformance do not take full account of the urban setting in which this process took place. Small factories compensated for higher labor costs by being more efficient users of urban space. They thrived thanks to Tokyo’s particular urban form, which included a preference for mixed use and often blurred the boundaries between living and workplace. Small factories also benefited from being embedded in the relatively egalitarian structure of postwar Tokyo, as the city avoided spatial stratification despite megacity growth. Although Tokyo’s small factories remain important, their competitive edge has eroded from the 1970s onward.
Time-lagged and acute impact of heat stress on production and fertility traits in the local dual-purpose cattle breed “Rotes Höhenvieh” under pasture-based conditions
Authors: Halli Kathrin , Brügemann Kerstin , Bohlouli Mehdi , König Sven
Published: August 2020

Climate change causes rising temperatures and extreme weather events worldwide, with possible detrimental time-lagged and acute impact on production and functional traits of cattle kept in outdoor production systems. The aim of the present study was to infer the influence of mean daily temperature humidity index (mTHI) and number of heat stress days (nHS) from different recording periods on birth weight (BWT), 200 d- and 365 d-weight gain (200 dg, 365 dg) of calves, and on the probability of stillbirth (SB), and calving interval (CINT) of their dams. Data recording included 4,362 observations for BWT, 3,136 observations for 200 dg, 2,502 observations for 365 dg, 9,293 observations for the birth status, and 2,811 observations for CINT of the local dual-purpose cattle breed “Rotes Höhenvieh” (RHV). Trait responses on mTHI and nHS were studied via generalized linear mixed model applications with identity link functions for Gaussian traits (BWT, 200 dg, 365 dg, CINT) and logit link functions for binary SB. High mTHI and high nHS before autumn births had strongest detrimental impact on BWT across all antepartum- (a.p.) periods (34.4 ± 0.79 kg maximum). Prolonged CINT was observed when cows suffered heat stress (HS) before or after spring calvings, with maximum length of 391.6 ± 3.82 d (56 d a.p.-period). High mTHI and high nHS during the 42 d- and 56 d a.p.-period implied increased probabilities for SB. We found a significant (P < 0.05) seasonal effect on SB in model 3 across all a.p.-periods, with the highest probability in autumn (maximum of 5.4 ± 0.82% in the 7 d a.p.-period). Weight gains of calves (200 dg and 365 dg) showed strongest HS response for mTHI and nHS measurements from the long-term postnatal periods (42 d- and 56 d-periods), with minimum 200 dg of 194.2 ± 4.15 kg (nHS of 31 to 42 d in the 42 d-period) or minimum 365 dg of 323.8 ± 3.82 kg (mTHI ≥ 60 in the 42 d-period). Calves born in summer, combined with high mTHI or high nHS pre- or postnatal, had lower weight gains, compared with calves born in other calving seasons or under cooler conditions. Highest BWT, weight gains, and shortest CINT mostly were detected under cool to moderate climate conditions for mTHI, and small to moderate nHS. Results indicate acute and time-lagged HS effects and address possible HS-induced epigenetic modifications of the bovine genome across generations and limited acclimatization processes to heat, especially when heat occurs during the cooler spring and autumn months.
Abnormal Brain Development in Huntington’ Disease Is Recapitulated in the zQ175 Knock-In Mouse Model
Authors: Zhang Chuangchuang , Wu Qian , Liu Hongshuai , Cheng Liam , Hou Zhipeng , Mori Susumu , Hua Jun , Ross Christopher A , Zhang Jiangyang , Nopoulos Peggy C , Duan Wenzhen
Published: August 2020

Emerging cellular and molecular studies are providing compelling evidence that altered brain development contributes to the pathogenesis of Huntington’s disease (HD). There has been lacking longitudinal system-level data obtained from in vivo HD models supporting this hypothesis. Our human MRI study in children and adolescents with HD indicates that striatal development differs between the HD and control groups, with initial hypertrophy and more rapid volume decline in HD group. In this study, we aimed to determine whether brain development recapitulates the human HD during the postnatal period. Longitudinal structural MRI scans were conducted in the heterozygous zQ175 HD mice and their littermate controls. We found that male zQ175 HD mice recapitulated the region-specific abnormal volume development in the striatum and globus pallidus, with early hypertrophy and then rapidly decline in the regional volume. In contrast, female zQ175 HD mice did not show significant difference in brain volume development with their littermate controls. This is the first longitudinal study of brain volume development at the system level in HD mice. Our results suggest that altered brain development may contribute to the HD pathogenesis. The potential effect of gene therapies targeting on neurodevelopmental event is worth to consider for HD therapeutic intervention.
Modulation of the Earliest Component of the Human VEP by Spatial Attention: An Investigation of Task Demands
Authors: Mohr Kieran S , Carr Niamh , Georgel Rachel , Kelly Simon P
Published: August 2020

Spatial attention modulations of initial afferent activity in area V1, indexed by the first component “C1” of the human visual evoked potential, are rarely found. It has thus been suggested that early modulation is induced only by special task conditions, but what these conditions are remains unknown. Recent failed replications—findings of no C1 modulation using a certain task that had previously produced robust modulations—present a strong basis for examining this question. We ran 3 experiments, the first to more exactly replicate the stimulus and behavioral conditions of the original task, and the second and third to manipulate 2 key factors that differed in the failed replication studies: the provision of informative performance feedback, and the degree to which the probed stimulus features matched those facilitating target perception. Although there was an overall significant C1 modulation of 11%, individually, only experiments 1 and 2 showed reliable effects, underlining that the modulations do occur but not consistently. Better feedback induced greater P1, but not C1, modulations. Target-probe feature matching had an inconsistent influence on modulation patterns, with behavioral performance differences and signal-overlap analyses suggesting interference from extrastriate modulations as a potential cause.
Prevalence and genotype distribution of human papillomavirus infection in Huzhou City, eastern China, 2018–2019
Authors: Zhu Yurong , Qian Fuchu , Zou Weihua , Wu Xiaoyun , Liu Chunlin , Shen Guosong , Lai Shiping , Yang Sheng
Published: August 2020

Background

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is involved in cervical cancer development, and hence understanding its prevalence and genotype distribution is important. However, there are few reports on the prevalence and genotype distribution of HPV in the city of Huzhou in China.

Methods

In this retrospective cross-sectional study, 11,506 women who visited Huzhou Maternity & Child Health Care Hospital between January 2018 and October 2019 were enrolled. The results of HPV genotyping and cytology tests were analyzed.

Results

The overall prevalence of HPV infection was 15.5%. The rate of high-risk (HR) HPV infection (13.5%) was higher than that of single low-risk (LR) HPV infection (2.0%) (p<0.05). The five most common HPV genotypes were HPV52 (3.3%), 16 (1.9%), 58 (1.7%), 53 (1.5%), and 81 (1.2%). The infection rate of HPV peaked in women aged 16–24 and women aged ≥55. The infection rate of HPV58 or HPV81 appeared as a single peak in women aged ≥55. The rates of HR-HPV and LR-HPV infection were higher in subjects with abnormal cytology (p<0.05).

Conclusions

HPV infection is high in Huzhou, and HPV53 and HPV81 are the prevalent genotypes. HPV infection rate is associated with age and cytology. Regional HPV surveillance is essential to optimize current HPV prevention and vaccine development.
Gibberellin Application Improved Bunch Rot Control of Vignoles Grape, but Response to Mechanical Defoliation Varied Between Training Systems
Authors: Hed Bryan , Centinari Michela
Published: August 2020

Late-season bunch rot causes significant crop loss for grape growers in wet and humid climates. For 3 years (2016 to 2018), we integrated prebloom mechanized defoliation (MD) in the fruit zone and bloom gibberellin (GA) applications, either alone or in combination, into the bunch rot control program of Vignoles, a commercially valuable grape variety that is highly susceptible to bunch rot. We hypothesized that both treatments would decrease bunch rot through modification of cluster architecture or fruit zone microclimate compared with vines treated with the standard chemical control program. Grapevines were trained to two popular training systems, four-arm Kniffin (4AK) and high-wire bilateral cordon (HWC). Treatment responses varied between training systems. MD, alone or in combination with GA, reduced bunch rot incidence and severity every year on 4AK-trained vines, an effect attributed mainly to fruit zone improvements. Conversely, MD alone did not reduce bunch rot incidence on HWC-trained vines, despite significant improvements in cluster architecture (reduced number of berries per cluster and cluster compactness). GA applications were more effective than MD at reducing cluster compactness, regardless of training system. As a result, GA reduced bunch rot incidence and severity when applied alone or with MD on 4AK- and HWC-trained vines. All treatments positively improved fruit-soluble sugar concentration on both training systems, while positive effects on titratable acidity were more consistent across training systems with MD.
Screening of Wild Potatoes Identifies New Sources of Late Blight Resistance
Authors: Karki Hari S. , Jansky Shelly H. , Halterman Dennis A.
Published: August 2020

Late blight (LB) of potato is considered one of the most devastating plant diseases in the world. Most cultivated potatoes are susceptible to this disease. However, wild relatives of potatoes are an excellent source of LB resistance. We screened 384 accessions of 72 different wild potato species available from the U.S. Potato GeneBank against the LB pathogen Phytophthora infestans in a detached leaf assay (DLA). P. infestans isolates US-23 and NL13316 were used in the DLA to screen the accessions. Although all plants in 273 accessions were susceptible, all screened plants in 39 accessions were resistant. Resistant and susceptible plants were found in 33 accessions. All tested plants showed a partial resistance phenotype in two accessions, segregation of resistant and partial resistant plants in nine accessions, segregation of partially resistant and susceptible plants in four accessions, and segregation of resistant, partially resistant, and susceptible individuals in 24 accessions. We found several species that were never before reported to be resistant to LB: Solanum albornozii, S. agrimoniifolium, S. chomatophilum, S. ehrenbergii, S. hypacrarthrum, S. iopetalum, S. palustre, S. piurae, S. morelliforme, S. neocardenasii, S. trifidum, and S. stipuloideum. These new species could provide novel sources of LB resistance. P. infestans clonal lineage-specific screening of selected species was conducted to identify the presence of RB resistance. We found LB resistant accessions in Solanum verrucosum, Solanum stoloniferum, and S. morelliforme that were susceptible to the RB overcoming isolate NL13316, indicating the presence of RB-like resistance in these species.
Reproductive risk factors for angiographic obstructive coronary artery disease among postmenopausal women
Authors: Wen Jingyi , Shuai Wei , Ding Ting , Feng Yanzhi , Zhang Jinjin , Wang Shixuan
Published: August 2020

Objective:

Reproductive factors are female-specific coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors. However, the importance of reproductive factors in angiographic obstructive CAD in postmenopausal women remains uncertain. This study aimed to compare reproductive factors between postmenopausal women with no apparent CAD, nonobstructive CAD, and obstructive CAD and identify reproductive risk factors for obstructive CAD.

Methods:

In this hospital-based cross-sectional study, 1,474 postmenopausal women, admitted with chest pain and referred for invasive coronary angiography were enrolled between April 2013 and October 2018.

Results:

Adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) for obstructive CAD were 1.81 (1.03-3.17) for multigravidity (three or more pregnancies), 1.77 (1.14-2.76) for early menopause (≤40 y old), and 1.72 (1.26-2.35) for short reproductive life span (≤30 y). Each additional year in age at menopause or reproductive life span was associated with a 4% reduction in obstructive CAD risk in postmenopausal women (odds ratio, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.94-0.99; P = 0.011). The other reproductive factors, including parity, age at first birth, spontaneous abortion, induced abortion, stillbirth, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, gestational diabetes mellitus, and age at menarche, were not correlated with obstructive CAD risk in postmenopausal women.

Conclusions:

Multigravidity (three or more pregnancies), early menopause, and a shorter reproductive life span were independent risk factors of angiographic obstructive CAD among postmenopausal women, which suggested that pregnancy and ovarian function may be important for the early identification and prevention of increased risk of female angiographic obstructive CAD.
Shedding Light on COVID-19: ADAM17 the Missing Link?
Authors: Schreiber Brittany , Patel Ankit , Verma Ashish
Published: August 2020

Background:

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a rapidly expanding global health crisis. A disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17 (ADAM17), an ectodomain sheddase, is a key component of ACE2 modulation and plays a complex role in inflammation and immunosurveillance.

Areas of Uncertainty:

Much remains unknown regarding the immunopathogenesis of COVID-19, including how the virus affects ADAM17 expression, activity, and regulation.

Search Strategy:

Three electronic databases (MEDLINE through PubMed, Embase through Ovid, and Google Scholar) were searched to identify articles relevant to ADAM17 and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 1 and 2. Relevant articles published from January 1, 2005, to April 30, 2020, were selected, and reference lists were screened and cross-referenced. We also searched preprint studies on medRxiv and bioRxiv given the rapidly evolving data on COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2.

Therapeutic Opinion:

Infection with SARS-CoV-2 may lead to an increase in ADAM17 sheddase activity contributing to an exuberant macrophage-predominant inflammatory response and diminished immunosurveillance capacity for viral clearance. Emerging data suggest severe lung injury in COVID-19 is associated with higher levels of TNF-α and IL-6, T-cell lymphopenia and exhaustion, hypercoagulability, and a macrophage-predominant immune response. This clinical picture is consistent with dysregulation of many of the molecular pathways in which ADAM17 participates.

Conclusions:

Elucidation of the role of ADAM17 in COVID-19 may identify novel molecular targets for drug development and therapeutic repurposement.
Day-to-Day Variability of Walking Performance Measures in Individuals Poststroke and Individuals With Parkinson Disease
Authors: Holleran Carey L. , Bland Marghuretta D. , Reisman Darcy S. , Ellis Terry D. , Earhart Gammon M. , Lang Catherine E.
Published: August 2020

Background and Purpose:

Improvement of walking performance is a primary goal for individuals poststroke or with Parkinson disease (PD) who receive physical therapy. More data about day-to-day variability of walking performance are critical for determining if changes in performance have occurred.

Methods:

Baseline assessments were utilized from an ongoing, observational, prospective cohort study including 84 individuals poststroke (n = 37) or with PD (n = 47) receiving outpatient physical therapy services to improve mobility. Participants wore step activity monitors for up to 7 days to measure walking performance (steps per day, walking duration, maximum 30-minute output, and peak activity index) in daily life. Correlation analyses evaluated relationships between both capacity and performance measures as well as the relationships between mean performance variables and day-to-day variability. Regression analyses explored factors that contribute to variability in day-to-day performance variables.

Results:

Mean steps per day for participants poststroke (5376 ± 2804) and with PD (8149 ± 4490) were consistent with previously reported cohorts. Greater amounts of walking were related to more day-to-day variability, with moderate correlations found between the mean and day-to-day variability of each performance measure, regardless of medical diagnosis or walking speed. Day-to-day variability is large (upwards of 50% of the mean), with the amount of walking performance serving as the primary predictor of day-to-day variability in walking performance.

Discussion and Conclusions:

The results of this study elucidate the factors that are related to and predict day-to-day variability of performance. Walking performance metrics should be evaluated over multiple days and greater variability should be anticipated with greater amounts of performance.

Video Abstract available for more insights from the authors (see the Video, Supplemental Digital Content 1, available at: http://links.lww.com/JNPT/A319).
Mental rotation ability and spontaneous brain activity: a magnetoencephalography study
Authors: Nishimura Kazuo , Aoki Takaaki , Inagawa Michiyo , Tobinaga Yoshikazu , Iwaki Sunao
Published: August 2020

We performed experiments using magnetoencephalography to clarify the relationship between three-dimensional visuospatial abilities and spontaneous visual thinking characteristics. Subjects were divided into two groups based on the rate of correct answers to mental rotation tasks: those with good performances (Group G) and those with bad performances (Group B). We found the followings: (1) in the mental rotation tasks, the 25–35 Hz lower γ band activities in the superior parietal lobule/intraparietal sulcus regions and in the occipitotemporal region were significantly larger in Group G than in Group B and (2) in the spontaneous mental imagery tasks, the 20-Hz band activity in the left premotor cortex and the 35-Hz band activity in the supplementary motor area were significantly larger in Group G.
A unifying modelling formalism for the integration of stoichiometric and kinetic models
Authors: Júlvez Jorge , Oliver Stephen G.
Published: August 2020

Current research on systems and synthetic biology relies heavily on mathematical models of the systems under study. The usefulness of such models depends on the quantity and quality of biological data, and on the availability of appropriate modelling formalisms that can gather and accommodate such data so that they can be exploited properly. Given our incomplete knowledge of biological systems and the fact that they consist of many subsystems, biological data are usually uncertain and heterogeneous. These facts hinder the use of mathematical models and computational methods. In the scope of dynamic biological systems, e.g. metabolic networks, this difficulty can be overcome by the novel modelling formalism of flexible nets (FNs). We show that an FN can combine, in a natural way, a stoichiometric model and a kinetic model. Moreover, the resulting net admits nonlinear dynamics and can be analysed in both transient and steady states.
Psychophysical identity and free energy
Authors: Kiefer Alex B.
Published: August 2020

An approach to implementing variational Bayesian inference in biological systems is considered, under which the thermodynamic free energy of a system directly encodes its variational free energy. In the case of the brain, this assumption places constraints on the neuronal encoding of generative and recognition densities, in particular requiring a stochastic population code. The resulting relationship between thermodynamic and variational free energies is prefigured in mind–brain identity theses in philosophy and in the Gestalt hypothesis of psychophysical isomorphism.
Modelling the aqueous transport of an infectious pathogen in regional communities: application to the cholera outbreak in Haiti
Authors: Fitzgibbon William E. , Morgan Jeffrey J. , Webb Glenn F. , Wu Yixiang
Published: August 2020

A mathematical model is developed to describe the dynamics of the spread of a waterborne disease among communities located along a flowing waterway. The model is formulated as a system of reaction–diffusion–advection partial differential equations in this spatial setting. The compartments of the model consist of susceptible, infected, and recovered individuals in the communities along the waterway, together with a term representing the pathogen load in each community and a term representing the spatial concentration of pathogens flowing along the waterway. The model is applied to the cholera outbreak in Haiti in 2010.
Surface stresses in complex viral capsids and non-quasi-equivalent viral architectures
Authors: Indelicato Giuliana , Cermelli Paolo , Twarock Reidun
Published: August 2020

Many larger and more complex viruses deviate from the capsid layouts predicted in the seminal Caspar–Klug theory of icosahedral viruses. Instead of being built from one type of capsid protein (CP), they code for multiple distinct structural proteins that either break the local symmetry of the CP building blocks (capsomers) in specific positions or exhibit auxiliary proteins that stabilize the capsid shell. We investigate here the hypothesis that this occurs as a response to mechanical stress. For this, we construct a coarse-grained model of a viral capsid, derived from the experimentally determined atomistic positions of the CPs, that represents the basic features of protein organization in the viral capsid as described in Caspar–Klug theory. We focus here on viruses in the PRD1-adenovirus lineage. For
T
= 28 viruses in this lineage, which have capsids formed from two distinct structural proteins, we show that the tangential shear stress in the viral capsid concentrates at the sites of local symmetry breaking. In the
T
= 21, 25 and 27 capsids, we show that stabilizing proteins decrease the tangential stress. These results suggest that mechanical properties can act as selective pressures on the evolution of capsid components, offsetting the coding cost imposed by the need for such additional protein components.
Mathematical models and deep learning for predicting the number of individuals reported to be infected with SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Fokas A. S. , Dikaios N. , Kastis G. A.
Published: August 2020

We introduce a novel methodology for predicting the time evolution of the number of individuals in a given country reported to be infected with SARS-CoV-2. This methodology, which is based on the synergy of explicit mathematical formulae and deep learning networks, yields algorithms whose input is only the existing data in the given country of the accumulative number of individuals who are reported to be infected. The analytical formulae involve several constant parameters that were determined from the available data using an error-minimizing algorithm. The same data were also used for the training of a bidirectional long short-term memory network. We applied the above methodology to the epidemics in Italy, Spain, France, Germany, USA and Sweden. The significance of these results for evaluating the impact of easing the lockdown measures is discussed.
Augmenting disease maps: a Bayesian meta-analysis approach
Authors: Jahan Farzana , Duncan Earl W. , Cramb Susanna M. , Baade Peter D. , Mengersen Kerrie L.
Published: August 2020

Analysis of spatial patterns of disease is a significant field of research. However, access to unit-level disease data can be difficult for privacy and other reasons. As a consequence, estimates of interest are often published at the small area level as disease maps. This motivates the development of methods for analysis of these ecological estimates directly. Such analyses can widen the scope of research by drawing more insights from published disease maps or atlases. The present study proposes a hierarchical Bayesian meta-analysis model that analyses the point and interval estimates from an online atlas. The proposed model is illustrated by modelling the published cancer incidence estimates available as part of the online Australian Cancer Atlas (ACA). The proposed model aims to reveal patterns of cancer incidence for the 20 cancers included in ACA in major cities, regional and remote areas. The model results are validated using the observed areal data created from unit-level data on cancer incidence in each of 2148 small areas. It is found that the meta-analysis models can generate similar patterns of cancer incidence based on urban/rural status of small areas compared with those already known or revealed by the analysis of observed data. The proposed approach can be generalized to other online disease maps and atlases.
Steinernema diaprepesi
(Rhabditida: Steinernematidae) parasitizing
Gonipterus platensis
(Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
Authors: Damascena Alixelhe Pacheco , de Carvalho Vanessa Rafaela , Ribeiro Murilo Fonseca , Horta André Ballerini , Monteiro de Castro e Castro Bárbara , Zanuncio Antônio José Vinha , Wilcken Carlos Frederico , Zanuncio José Cola , Wilcken Silvia Renata Siciliano
Published: August 2020

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) can control pests due to mutualistic association with bacteria that reproduce and kill the host from septicemia, making the environment favourable for nematode development and reproduction. The objective of this study was to identify an EPN isolate collected in eucalyptus cultivation and to determine its pathogenicity with regard to
Gonipterus platensis
Marelli (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Four steel-mesh traps with two seventh-instar
Galleria mellonella
larvae were buried 5 cm deep in the soil in a commercial
Eucalyptus
plantation. After 7 days, the traps were packed in plastic bags and transported to laboratory to isolate the EPNs using White traps. The obtained nematodes were multiplied in
G. mellonella
larvae and identified by sequencing their D2/D3 expansion of the 28S rDNA region by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and specific primers for ITS regions.
Steinernema diaprepesi
was identified and inoculated into
G. platensis
pupae at doses of 500, 1000 and 5000 infective juveniles (IJs) to determine its pathogenicity to this pest. At 8 days after inoculation, the mortality rate of the
G. platensis
pupae was 80% with the lowest concentration and 100% with the others. The emergence of nematodes and the rapid degradation of
G. platensis
pupae were observed in those inoculated with IJs. The pathogenicity to the
G. platensis
pupae indicates potential for using this nematode in the integrated management of this insect.
Unusual lizard fossil from the Miocene of Nebraska and a minimum age for cnemidophorine teiids
Authors: Scarpetta Simon G.
Published: August 2020

Teiid lizards are well represented in the fossil record and are common components of modern ecosystems in North and South America. Many fossils were referred to the cnemidophorine teiid group (whiptails, racerunners and relatives), particularly from North America. However, systematic interpretations of morphological features in cnemidophorines were hampered by the historically problematic taxonomy of the clade, and the biogeography and chronology of cnemidophorine evolution in North America is poorly understood from the fossil record. Few fossil cnemidophorines were identified with an apomorphy-based diagnosis, and there are almost no fossil cnemidophorines that could be used to anchor node calibrations. Here, I describe a cnemidophorine from the Miocene Ogallala Group of Nebraska and diagnose the fossil using apomorphies. In that process, I clarify the systematic utility of several morphological features of cnemidophorine lizards. I refer the fossil to the least inclusive clade containingAspidoscelis,HolcosusandPholidoscelis. The most conservative minimum age of the locality of the fossil is a fission-track date of 6.3 Ma, but mammal biochronology provides a more refined age of 9.4 Ma, which can be used as a minimum age for the crown cnemidophorine clade in divergence time analyses. The fossil indicates that a cnemidophorine lineage that does not live in Nebraska today inhabited the area during the Miocene. I refrain from naming a new taxon pending discovery of additional fossil material of the lineage to which the fossil belonged.
Particle morphology, structure and properties of nascent ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene
Authors: Zhang Wenyang , Wu Zhengwen , Mao Hanjun , Wang Xinwei , Li Jianlong , Mai Yongyi , Yu Jianyong
Published: August 2020

The effects of particle morphology on the structure and swelling/dissolution and rheological properties of nascent ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) in liquid paraffin (LP) were elaborately explored in this article. Nascent UHMWPE with different particle morphologies was prepared via pre-polymerization technique and direct polymerization. The melting temperature and crystallinity of UHMWPE resins with different particle morphologies were compared, and a schematic diagram was proposed to illustrate the mechanism of UHMWPE particle growth synthesized by pre-polymerization method and direct polymerization. The polymer globules in the nascent UHMWPE prepared by using pre-polymerization technique are densely packed and a positive correlation between the particle size and the viscosity-averaged molecular weight can be observed. The split phenomenon of particles and the fluctuation in the viscosity of UHMWPE/LP system prepared by direct polymerization can be observed at a low heating rate and there is no correlation between particle size and viscosity-averaged molecular weight.
Dynamic utility: the sixth reciprocity mechanism for the evolution of cooperation
Authors: Ito Hiromu , Tanimoto Jun
Published: August 2020

Game theory has been extensively applied to elucidate the evolutionary mechanism of cooperative behaviour. Dilemmas in game theory are important elements that disturb the promotion of cooperation. An important question is how to escape from dilemmas. Recently, a dynamic utility function (DUF) that considers an individual's current status (wealth) and that can be applied to game theory was developed. The DUF is different from the famous five reciprocity mechanisms called Nowak's five rules. Under the DUF, cooperation is promoted by poor players in the chicken game, with no changes in the prisoner's dilemma and stag-hunt games. In this paper, by comparing the strengths of the two dilemmas, we show that the DUF is a novel reciprocity mechanism (sixth rule) that differs from Nowak's five rules. We also show the difference in dilemma relaxation between dynamic game theory and (traditional) static game theory when the DUF and one of the five rules are combined. Our results indicate that poor players unequivocally promote cooperation in any dynamic game. Unlike conventional rules that have to be brought into game settings, this sixth rule is universally (canonical form) applicable to any game because all repeated/evolutionary games are dynamic in principle.
Individual and combined impacts of sulfoxaflor and
Nosema bombi
on bumblebee (
Bombus terrestris
) larval growth
Authors: Siviter Harry , Folly Arran J. , Brown Mark J. F. , Leadbeater Ellouise
Published: August 2020

Sulfoxaflor is a globally important novel insecticide that can have negative impacts on the reproductive output of bumblebee (
Bombus terrestris
) colonies. However, it remains unclear as to which life-history stage is critically affected by exposure. One hypothesis is that sulfoxaflor exposure early in the colony's life cycle can impair larval development, reducing the number of workers produced and ultimately lowering colony reproductive output. Here we assess the influence of sulfoxaflor exposure on bumblebee larval mortality and growth both when tested in insolation and when in combination with the common fungal parasite
Nosema bombi,
following a pre-registered design. We found no significant impact of sulfoxaflor (5 ppb) or
N. bombi
exposure (50 000 spores) on larval mortality when tested in isolation but found an additive, negative effect when larvae received both stressors in combination. Individually, sulfoxaflor and
N. bombi
exposure each impaired larval growth, although the impact of combined exposure fell significantly short of the predicted sum of the individual effects (i.e. they interacted antagonistically). Ultimately, our results suggest that colony-level consequences of sulfoxaflor exposure for bumblebees may be mediated through direct effects on larvae. As sulfoxaflor is licensed for use globally, our findings highlight the need to understand how novel insecticides impact non-target insects at various stages of their development.
Using naturalistic incubation temperatures to demonstrate how variation in the timing and continuity of heat wave exposure influences phenotype
Authors: Breitenbach Anthony T. , Carter Amanda W. , Paitz Ryan T. , Bowden Rachel M.
Published: August 2020

Most organisms are exposed to bouts of warm temperatures during development, yet we know little about how variation in the timing and continuity of heat exposure influences biological processes. If heat waves increase in frequency and duration as predicted, it is necessary to understand how these bouts could affect thermally sensitive species, including reptiles with temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD). In a multi-year study using fluctuating temperatures, we exposedTrachemys scriptaembryos to cooler, male-producing temperatures interspersed with warmer, female-producing temperatures (heat waves) that varied in either timing during development or continuity and then analysed resulting sex ratios. We also quantified the expression of genes involved in testis differentiation (Dmrt1) and ovary differentiation (Cyp19A1) to determine how heat wave continuity affects the expression of genes involved in sexual differentiation. Heat waves applied during the middle of development produced significantly more females compared to heat waves that occurred just 7 days before or after this window, and even short gaps in the continuity of a heat wave decreased the production of females. Continuous heat exposure resulted in increasedCyp19A1expression while discontinuous heat exposure failed to increase expression in either gene over a similar time course. We report that even small differences in the timing and continuity of heat waves can result in drastically different phenotypic outcomes. This strong effect of temperature occurred despite the fact that embryos were exposed to the same number of warm days during a short period of time, which highlights the need to study temperature effects under more ecologically relevant conditions where temperatures may be elevated for only a few days at a time. In the face of a changing climate, the finding that subtle shifts in temperature exposure result in substantial effects on embryonic development becomes even more critical.