bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Patients’ criteria for choosing a dentist: Comparison between a university‐based setting and private dental practices
Authors: Lamprecht Ragna , Struppek Julia , Heydecke Guido , Reissmann Daniel R.
Published: May 2020

Most clinical studies in dentistry are conducted in university‐based settings. However, whether findings can be generalised to private dental practices is not clear. Aims of this study were to determine patients’ criteria for choosing a dentist, and to assess whether criteria differ between patients in university dental clinic and private dental practices. In this cross‐sectional study, a convenience sample of 300 subjects involving dental patients of a university dental clinic and private dental practices, and subjects from general population (each n = 100) were included. Criteria for choosing a dentist were assessed with a 31‐item questionnaire, covering socio‐demographic characteristics, qualifications, psychosocial skills, practice structure, practice offers and accessibility, with a 6‐point ordinal rating scale ranging from "very crucial”‐(5) to “not crucial at all"‐(0). A total of 189 subjects (63%) provided completed questionnaires for analyses. Dentists’ psychosocial skills (mean 4.4) were rated as most important when choosing a dentist, whereas socio‐demographic characteristics were of almost no significance (mean 1.0). Significant differences between settings were observed only for practice offers and accessibility with highest ratings in university setting. However, after controlling for potential confounders, ratings differed only slightly and not statistically significantly. In conclusion, dentists’ psychosocial skills appear to be most important criteria for choosing a dentist. Setting‐related differences in criteria seem to be likely but obviously result from differences in socio‐demographic characteristics.
When people estimate their personal intelligence who is overconfident? Who is accurate?
Authors: Mayer John D. , Panter A. T. , Caruso David R.
Published: May 2020

Objective

We explore accurate self‐knowledge versus overconfidence in personal intelligence—a “broad” intelligence about personality. The theory of personal intelligence proposes that people vary in their ability to understand the traits, goals, plans, and actions of themselves and others. We wondered who accurately knew that they were higher in personal intelligence and who did not, and whether individuals with more accurate estimates were distinguishable from others in their psychological characteristics.

Method

Three archival data sets were identified that included both self‐estimates and objective measures of personal intelligence: The measures were the Self‐Estimated Personal Intelligence scale and the Test of Personal Intelligence.

Results

People who were over‐confident—overestimating their ability‐level of personal intelligence—were positive in their outlook and more sociable. People who provided the most accurate self‐estimates were higher in verbal and personal intelligences, more open, and more conscientious than others.

Conclusions

People who were accurate about themselves have not been studied before in this context but may, for example, serve as the monitors and thinkers who help keep themselves and others reasonable and on track.
Are the most productive regions necessarily the most successful? Local effects of productivity growth on employment and earnings
Authors: Partridge Mark , Tsvetkova Alexandra , Betz Michael
Published: May 2020

Economists typically celebrate productivity growth as the chief way to improve living standards. Productivity growth may reduce costs, improve quality, or lead to innovation and new products, but if demand is insufficiently elastic, productivity growth can lead to weakening of labor markets. We study county‐level effects of productivity growth and productivity levels on growth in employment, income, and earnings. The results suggest that productivity growth generally suppresses job growth but has boosting effects on earnings and, to a lesser degree, on per‐capita income, although there is considerable variation across geographies and specific outcomes.
Insights into the Production and Role of Nitric Oxide in the Antarctic Sea‐ice Diatom Fragilariopsis cylindrus
Authors: Kennedy Fraser , Martin Andrew , McMinn Andrew
Published: May 2020

Nitric oxide (NO) is widely recognized as an important transmitter molecule in biological systems, from animals to plants and microbes. However, the role of NO in marine photosynthetic microbes remains unclear and even less is known about the role of this metabolite in Antarctic sea‐ice diatoms. Using a combination of microsensors, microfluidic chambers, and artificial sea‐ice tanks, a basic mechanistic insight into NO's dynamics within the Antarctic sea‐ice diatom Fragilariopsis cylindrus was obtained. Results suggest that NO production in F. cylindrus is nitrite‐dependent via nitrate reductase. NO production was abolished upon exposure to light but could be induced in the light when normal photosynthetic electron flow was disrupted. The addition of exogenous NO to cellular suspensions of F. cylindrus negatively influenced growth, disrupted photosynthesis, and altered non‐photochemical dissipation mechanisms. NO production was also observed when cells were exposed to stressful salinity and temperature regimes. These results suggest that during periods of environmental stress, NO could be produced in F. cylindrus as a “stress signa” molecule.
Equivocal evidence for a change in balance between selfing and pollinator‐mediated reproduction in annual Brassicaceae growing along a rainfall gradient
Authors: Gibson‐Forty Eleanor V. J. , Tielbörger Katja , Seifan Merav
Published: May 2020

Because many plants ensure their reproductive success using some level of self‐fertilization, it is predicted that the balance between pollinator‐mediated pollen transfer and autonomous selfing will be correlated with habitat harshness and pollinator activity. To study these correlations, we used three annual species that differ in their self‐incompatibility and compared their reproductive success in the form of fruit production and seed viability, with and without pollinators, along a rainfall gradient and in relation to pollinator activity. We found that pollinator activity decreased with increasing aridity. Although the reproductive success in the absence of pollinators fitted the species’ level of self‐incompatibility, no clear trend was detected between pollinator visits or site harshness and relative reproductive success. Only one of the species, Sinapis alba, showed a consistent increase in autonomous selfing with both increased aridity and decreased pollinator visits, a finding that was supported by an increase in the viability of seeds produced in the absence of pollinators. Nevertheless, unlike our prediction, the absolute number of seeds produced per S. alba flower increased with aridity. Our overall findings suggest that despite decreasing pollinator abundance and diversity with increasing aridity, the reproductive success of annual species, even of those with high self‐incompatibility, remains relatively high. Although there may be several mechanisms governing these results, the overall constant seed production despite environmental uncertainties may be part of the mechanism by which plants in arid ecosystems buffer environmental variations.
Religious Queer People Beyond Identity Conflict: Lessons from Orthodox LGBT Jews in Israel
Authors: Avishai Orit
Published: May 2020

A key thread of research on how lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons of faith navigate and make sense of gender and sexual identities and desires that defy their religious traditions’ teachings focuses on identity conflict, management, negotiation, and reconciliation. Drawing on interviews with 64 Orthodox Jewish same‐sex attracted persons in Israel, supplemented by physical and digital ethnographic data, I argue that the conflict frame is empirically imprecise and conceptually flawed. I demonstrate fluidity and ambivalence vis‐à‐vis religiosity and sexual identity and argue that ambivalence is generative: In the process of making sense of their sexual and religious selves, my respondents challenge what it means to be Orthodox and what it means to be same‐sex attracted, thereby challenging the conflict frame's categorical schema. I then make the case for a more contextualized and dynamic framework for theorizing LGBT negotiations of religious and sexual identities. I also observe that the limitations of the conflict lens are symptomatic of broader tendencies in the sociology of religion to rely on U.S. and Christian cases and a pattern of limited engagement with work in other disciplines and subdisciplines.
Protein quality in ready‐to‐use supplementary foods for moderate wasting
Authors: Roediger Rebecca , Stein Hans‐Henrik , Callaghan‐Gillespie Meghan , Blackman Jeffrey Kahn , Kohlmann Kristin , Maleta Kenneth , Manary Mark
Published: May 2020

There are no guidelines for the optimal protein quality of ready‐to‐supplementary food (RUSF) for moderate acute malnutrition (MAM). This randomized, controlled, double‐blinded, clinical effectiveness trial evaluated two RUSFs in the treatment of MAM. Both foods contained greater than 7% dairy protein, but the protein‐optimized RUSF had a calculated digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS) of 95%, whereas the control RUSF had a calculated DIAAS of 63%. There were 1,737 rural Malawian children 6–59 months of age treated with 75 kcal/kg/day of either control or protein quality‐optimized RUSF for up to 12 weeks. There was no difference in the proportion of children who recovered from MAM between the group that received protein‐optimized RUSF (759/860, 88%) and the group that received control RUSF (766/877, 87%, difference 1%, 95% CI, −2.1 to 4.1, p = 0.61). There were no differences in time to recovery or average weight gain; nor were adverse effects reported. Both RUSFs showed indistinguishable clinical outcomes, with recovery rates higher than typically seen in treatment for MAM. The DIAAS of these two RUSFs was measured using a pig model. Unexpectedly, the protein quality of the optimized RUSF was inferior to the control RUSF: DIAAS = 82% for the protein quality optimized RUSF and 96% for control RUSF. The controlled conditions of this trial suggest that in supplementary food products for MAM, protein quality is not an independent predictor of clinical effectiveness.
Content is pragmatic: Comments on Nicholas Shea'sRepresentation in cognitive science
Authors: Egan Frances
Published: May 2020

Nicholas Shea offers what he takes to be a naturalistic account of representational content in cognitive science. I argue that the account secures determinate content only by appeal to pragmatic considerations, and so it fails to respect naturalism. But that is fine, because representational content is not, strictly speaking, necessary for explanation in cognitive science. Even in Shea's own account, content serves only a variety of heuristic functions.
The actin cytoskeletal network plays a role in yeast prion transmission and contributes to prion stability
Authors: Dorweiler Jane E. , Oddo Mitchell J. , Lyke Douglas R. , Reilly Jacob A. , Wisniewski Brett T. , Davis Emily E. , Kuborn Abigail M. , Merrill Stephen J. , Manogaran Anita L.
Published: May 2020

Chaperone networks are required for the shearing and generation of transmissible propagons from pre‐existing prion aggregates. However, other cellular networks needed for maintaining yeast prions are largely uncharacterized. Here, we establish a novel role for actin networks in prion maintenance. The [PIN+] prion, also known as [RNQ+], exists as stable variants dependent upon the chaperone machinery for the transmission of propagons to daughter cells during cell division and cytoplasmic transfer. Loss of the Hsp104 molecular chaperone leads to the growth of prion particles until they are too large to be transmitted. Here, we isolated a unique [PIN+] variant, which is unstable in actin mutants. This prion loss is observed over many generations, and coincides with the detection of both high molecular weight species of Rnq1 and large visible aggregates that are asymmetrically retained during cell division. Our data suggest that the irregular actin networks found in these mutants may influence propagon number by slowly permitting aggregate growth over time, resulting in the generation of nontransmissible large aggregates. Thus, we show the potential contribution of cytoskeletal networks in the transmission of prion propagons, which parallels models that have been proposed for cell‐to‐cell transmission of small amyloids in neurodegenerative protein aggregation diseases.
Interaction with single‐stranded DNA‐binding protein localizes ribonuclease HI to DNA replication forks and facilitates R‐loop removal
Authors: Wolak Christine , Ma Hui Jun , Soubry Nicolas , Sandler Steven J. , Reyes‐Lamothe Rodrigo , Keck James L.
Published: May 2020

DNA replication complexes (replisomes) routinely encounter proteins and unusual nucleic acid structures that can impede their progress. Barriers can include transcription complexes and R‐loops that form when RNA hybridizes with complementary DNA templates behind RNA polymerases. Cells encode several RNA polymerase and R‐loop clearance mechanisms to limit replisome exposure to these potential obstructions. One such mechanism is hydrolysis of R‐loops by ribonuclease HI (RNase HI). Here, we examine the cellular role of the interaction between Escherichia coli RNase HI and the single‐stranded DNA‐binding protein (SSB) in this process. Interaction with SSB localizes RNase HI foci to DNA replication sites. Mutation of rnhA to encode an RNase HI variant that cannot interact with SSB but that maintains enzymatic activity (rnhAK60E) eliminates RNase HI foci. The mutation also produces a media‐dependent slow‐growth phenotype and an activated DNA damage response in cells lacking Rep helicase, which is an enzyme that disrupts stalled transcription complexes. RNA polymerase variants that are thought to increase or decrease R‐loop accumulation enhance or suppress, respectively, the growth phenotype of rnhAK60E rep::kan strains. These results identify a cellular role for the RNase HI/SSB interaction in helping to clear R‐loops that block DNA replication.
Meanings of the “Museum Boom” in Contemporary Poland and Elsewhere
Authors: Fontana Erica
Published: May 2020

The “museum boom” is a global phenomenon with various local manifestations and wide‐ranging antecedents. The recent museum boom in Poland, in which a number of national museum complexes have either opened or undergone significant remodeling, is related to changing evidential discourses about collective identity. These discourses are part of the national narratives surrounding the Polish state. This essay asks what can be learned from the Polish museum boom. Notably, museums and museum‐like institutions within Poland serve as a space for education and dialogue that both complements and contrasts with history education in schools and written history books. Through comparative case studies, this essay addresses how the museum boom is rooted in the particularities of Poland’s history. Museums elsewhere are experiencing similar shifts, and we ask here what these changes can tell us about the transformations of history museums in Poland.
Genomic insights into adaptation to heterogeneous environments for the ancient relictual Circaeaster agrestis (Circaeasteraceae, Ranunculales)
Authors: Zhang Xu , Sun Yanxia , Landis Jacob B. , Zhang Jianwen , Yang Linsen , Lin Nan , Zhang Huajie , Guo Rui , Li Lijuan , Zhang Yonghong , Deng Tao , Sun Hang , Wang Hengchang
Published: May 2020

Investigating the interaction between environmental heterogeneity and local adaptation is critical for understanding the evolutionary history of a species, providing the premise for studying the response of organisms to rapid climate change. However, for most species how exactly the spatial heterogeneity promotes population divergence and how genomic variations contribute to adaptive evolution remain poorly understood.

We examine the contributions of geographical and environmental variables to population divergence of the relictual, alpine herb Circaeaster agrestis, as well as the genetic basis of local adaptation using RAD‐seq and plastome data.

We detected significant genetic structure with an extraordinary disequilibrium of genetic diversity among regions, and signals of isolation‐by‐distance along with isolation‐by‐resistance. The populations were estimated to begin diverging in the late Miocene, along with a possible ancestral distribution of the Hengduan Mountains and adjacent regions. Both environmental gradient and redundancy analyses revealed significant association between genetic variation and temperature variables. Genome–environment association analyses identified 16 putatively adaptive loci related mainly to biotic and abiotic stress resistance.

Our genome‐wide data provide new insights into the important role of environmental heterogeneity in shaping genetic structure, and access the footprints of local adaptation in an ancient relictual species, informing future conservation efforts.
Tissue stiffness contributes to YAP activation in bladder cancer patients undergoing transurethral resection
Authors: Ghasemi Hadi , Mousavibahar Seyed Habibollah , Hashemnia Mohammad , Karimi Jamshid , Khodadadi Iraj , Mirzaei Fatemeh , Tavilani Heidar
Published: May 2020

Changes in the cellular microenvironment play a critical role in the development of bladder cancer (BC). Yes‐associated protein (YAP), a central mediator of the Hippo pathway, functions as a nuclear sensor of mechanotransduction that can be induced by stiffness of the extracellular matrix (ECM), including stiffness resulting from surgical manipulations. We aimed to clarify the possible association between surgically‐related ECM stiffness and YAP activation in BC patients. We compared 30 bladder cancer tissues with grade II (n = 15 recurrent and n = 15 newly diagnosed) with 30 adjacent healthy tissues. Atomic force microscopy showed that patients with recurrent BC had stiffer ECM than newly diagnosed patients (P < 0.05). Gene expression profiles showed that β1 integrin (ITGB1), focal adhesion kinase (FAK), CDC42, and YAP were upregulated in cancerous tissues (P < 0.05); additionally, β1 integrin activation was confirmed using a specific antibody. Nuclear localization of YAP was higher in recurrent cancerous tissues compared with newly diagnosed and it was positively associated with higher stiffness (P < 0.05). Our results suggest that postsurgery‐induced ECM stiffness can influence integrin–FAK–YAP activity and thereby YAP trafficking to the nucleus where it contributes to BC progression and relapse.
Diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux: an update on current and emerging modalities
Authors: Ang Daphne , Lee Yeong‐Yeh , Clarke John O. , Lynch Kristle , Guillaume Alexandra , Onyimba Frances , Kamal Afrin , Gyawali C. Prakash
Published: May 2020

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common condition characterized by troublesome symptoms or esophageal mucosal lesions attributed to excessive esophageal acid exposure. Various pathophysiological mechanisms account for GERD, including impaired esophageal peristalsis and anatomical or physiological defects at the esophagogastric junction (EGJ). Endoscopy identifies GERD complications and detects potential alternative diagnoses. However, if symptoms persist despite proton pump inhibitor therapy, functional esophageal tests are useful to characterize reflux burden and define the symptom association profile. Ambulatory pH or pH‐impedance monitoring measures the 24‐h acid exposure time, which remains the most reproducible reflux metric and predicts response to antireflux therapy. Apart from identifying peristaltic dysfunction, esophageal high‐resolution manometry defines the morphology and contractile vigor (EGJ‐CI) of the EGJ. Novel metrics obtained from pH‐impedance monitoring include the postreflux swallow–induced peristaltic wave index and mean nocturnal baseline impedance, which augment the diagnostic value of pH‐impedance testing. Mucosal impedance can also be recorded using a probe inserted through a gastroscope, or a novel balloon catheter with arrays of impedance electrodes inserted following sedated endoscopy. The latest developments in functional esophageal tests define the GERD phenotype based on pathogenesis, reflux exposure, structural or motility disorders, and symptom burden, facilitating appropriate treatment.
Survival outcomes after surgical treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Weckx Annelies , Grochau Kathrin J. , Grandoch Andrea , Backhaus Tim , Zöller Joachim E. , Kreppel Matthias
Published: May 2020

Objective

To identify the clinicopathological parameters that influence survival in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma, in order to allow for the development of individualized surveillance programmes and reduce the delay in diagnosis of recurrence.

Materials and Methods

Retrospective chart review of 553 patients with a treatment‐naïve primary oral squamous cell carcinoma, who underwent primarily curative intended surgery. Exclusion criteria were neoadjuvant radio(chemo)therapy, follow‐up < 1 year, perioperative death, inoperable disease, synchronous multiple malignancies and inadequate information on clinicopathological parameters.

Results

The clinicopathological factors that influence overall survival, disease‐free survival and locoregional control were calculated. In the multivariate survival analysis, the occurrence of recurrence, presence of extracapsular spread, T‐ and N‐classification were shown to be independent risk factors for overall survival.

Conclusion

The identification of these risk factors can lead to the development of individualized follow‐up programmes based on risk stratification. This allows for the earliest possible diagnosis of relapse which is essential to offer the patient a realistic second treatment chance and to improve survival rates.
Evolutionary stasis, ecophenotypy and environmental controls on ammonite morphology in the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Western Interior Seaway, USA
Authors: Witts James D. , Landman Neil H. , Hopkins Melanie J. , Myers Corinne E.
Published: May 2020

We test for the presence of evolutionary stasis in a species of Late Cretaceous ammonoid cephalopod,Hoploscaphites nicolletii, from the North American Western Interior Seaway. A comprehensive dataset of morphological traits was compiled across the entire spatial and temporal range of this species. These were analysed in conjunction with sedimentologically and geochemically derived palaeoenvironmental conditions hypothesized to apply selective pressures. All changes in shell shape were observed to be ephemeral and reversable, that is, no unidirectional trend could be observed in any of the morphological traits analysed. Correlations between palaeoenvironmental conditions and morphological traits suggests ecophenotypic processes were at play; however, either environmental changes were too minor and/or provided no isolating mechanism to drive speciation. These data support mechanisms of stasis such as homogenizing gene flow or stabilizing selection under a fluctuating optimum (probably reflecting spatiotemporally heterogeneous palaeoenvironmental conditions). Finally, changes in shell size were not significantly associated with changes in shell‐specific δ18O, despite a correlation between shell size and δ18O averaged across horizons. This suggests a mismatch in scales of geochemical sampling that supports caution when making broad interpretations based on averaged geochemical data.
Agile: A New Way of Governing
Authors: Mergel Ines , Ganapati Sukumar , Whitford Andrew B.
Published: May 2020

The evolving concept of “agile” has fundamentally changed core aspects of software design, project management, and business operations. The agile approach could also reshape government, public management, and governance in general. In this Viewpoint essay, the authors introduce the modern agile movement, reflect on how it can benefit public administrators, and describe several challenges that managers will face when they are expected to make their organizations more flexible and responsive.
Disease burden of eosinophilic airway disease: Comparing severe asthma, COPD and asthma–COPD overlap
Authors: Hiles Sarah A. , Gibson Peter G. , McDonald Vanessa M.
Published: May 2020

Background and objective

There is less understanding of phenotypes and disease burden in asthma‐COPD overlap (ACO) than either disease alone. Blood eosinophils may help identify the patients in the clinic with eosinophilic airway inflammation. The potential value of this approach requires an understanding of the illness burden associated with eosinophilic ACO, eosinophilic severe asthma and eosinophilic COPD, defined by blood eosinophils.

Methods

Participants from studies of multidimensional assessment in airway disease were pooled to identify patients with ACO (n = 106), severe asthma (n = 64) and COPD alone (n = 153). Patients were assessed cross‐sectionally for demographic and clinical characteristics, including disease burden indicators such as health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) and past‐year exacerbation. Eosinophilic patients were identified using different thresholds of blood eosinophil count.

Results

Using a blood eosinophil count ≥0.3 × 109/L, 41% had eosinophilic airway disease: 55% in ACO, 44% in severe asthma and 29% in COPD. Blood and sputum eosinophils were moderately correlated (rs = 0.51, n = 257, P < 0.001). Burden of disease was similar between eosinophilic and non‐eosinophilic airway diseases, with poor HRQoL and high number of past‐year exacerbations. Burden of disease was similar across eosinophilic severe asthma, COPD and ACO. Eosinophilic COPD tended to have poorer health status than eosinophilic ACO and severe asthma; however, in context of a high prevalence of eosinophilic ACO, cumulative population‐level burden of eosinophilic disease was greater in ACO.

Conclusion

Disease burden across eosinophilic ACO, eosinophilic severe asthma and eosinophilic COPD was high, particularly cumulative population‐level burden in ACO. Factors beyond airway inflammation may drive disease burden in severe patients.
An Attacker–defender Resource Allocation Game with Substitution and Complementary Effects
Authors: Aziz Ridwan Al , He Meilin , Zhuang Jun
Published: May 2020

The United States is funding homeland security programs with a large budget (e.g., 74.4 billion for FY 2019). A number of game‐theoretic defender–attacker models have been developed to study the optimal defense resource allocation strategies for the government (defender) against the strategic adversary (attacker). However, to the best of our knowledge, the substitution or complementary effects between different types of defensive resources (e.g., human resource, land resource, and capital resource) have not been taken into consideration even though they exist in practice. The article fills this gap by studying a sequential game‐theoretical resource allocation model and then exploring how the joint effectiveness of multiple security investments influences the defensive budget allocation among multiple potential targets. Three false belief models have been developed in which only the defender, only the attacker, and both the defender and attacker hold false beliefs about the joint effectiveness of resources. Regression analysis shows that there are significant substitution effects between human and capital resources. The results show that the defender will suffer a higher loss if he fails to consider the substitution or complementary effects. Interestingly, if the attacker holds a false belief while the defender does not, the defender will suffer an even higher loss, especially when the resources are substitutes. However, if both the attacker and defender hold false beliefs, there will be lower loss when resources are complementary. The results also show that the defender should allocate the highly effective resource when the resources substitute each other. This article provides some new insights to the homeland security resource allocation.
Application of parametric insurance in principle‐compliant and innovative ways
Authors: Lin Xiao , Kwon W. Jean
Published: May 2020

There has been a rise of innovative parametric insurance solutions in recent years covering a wide range of risks and serving clients from individuals, to businesses, and to governments. These parametric insurance products cover risks that are otherwise uninsured or underinsured, by simplifying product design and reducing transaction costs. This paper offers a comprehensive review of parametric insurance including a classification of the types of contract and an overview of market practices. We outline the benefits and concerns of parametric insurance in comparison with indemnity insurance, and discuss the legal principle and regulatory compliance matters. We then survey the current global market and identify areas where insurance and reinsurance companies can play important roles in offering or supporting parametric insurance operations. Lastly, we offer a case study on a type of parametric insurance designed to cover earthquake risk in California.
Compressive properties and least limiting water range of plough layer and plough pan in sugarcane fields
Authors: de Lima Renato P. , Rolim Mário M. , C. Dantas Daniel da , da Silva Anderson R. , Mendonça Edwardo A. S.
Published: May 2020

In this work, we aimed to investigate changes in compressive properties and least limiting water range (LLWR) of the plough layer and plough pan induced by successive years of sugarcane cultivation. Undisturbed soil samples were collected in a sugarcane field at the plough layer and below tillage depth (plough pan). Uniaxial compression tests were performed for a water tension (h) range of 30 to 15,000 hPa for calculations of the compressive parameters N (the specific volume at 1 kPa), λ (compression index) and κ (recompression index), besides the precompression stress (σp). The LLWR was examined through the water retention and penetration resistance curves. σp linearly increased with the increase in the compaction state (plough pan) and h, whereas κ decreased with the increase in the h with no significant effect of compaction level. N and λ presented peaks at intermediate h values (100–2,000 hPa). Considerable reductions in the LLWR were observed from the plough to plough pan layer, which was induced by the increase in the soil penetration resistance. These results suggest that the residual plough pan induced by the successive years of intensive use of machinery for field operations in sugarcane areas originates a soil layer of lower compressibility and higher strength that further increases as the soil dries in response to h. Moreover, the consequent increase in the soil penetration resistance from the plough to plough pan is the main factor negatively affecting the LLWR.
Distinguished lecture: Native title—Implications for Australian senses of place and belonging
Authors: Trigger David
Published: May 2020

Can native title, across remote, rural and urban settings, complement and overlap with current and future Australian senses of belonging? This is to explore a form of cultural coexistence that is potentially in tension with a sharp and mutually exclusive categorical distinction between those who embrace Indigenous identity and others. Can such cultural coexistence reinforce legal and economic achievements of land justice for the Indigenous minority yet also contribute to rich senses of place and belonging across the broader Australian society? While anthropology as a social science has a substantial and important practical research role in negotiations for, and outcomes of, particular native title claims, a further challenge is understanding the extent to which post‐claim coexisting identities and interests might enrich Australia's trajectory in resolving legacies of colonialism.
Wine, geology mapping and the value of place in McLaren Vale
Authors: Skinner William
Published: May 2020

In the wine‐producing region of McLaren Vale, South Australia, the development of a detailed geology map has worked to increase understandings about the physical diversity of vineyard land. I argue that the production and deployment of social/scientific knowledge through the map is instrumental in strategic imaginings of the viticultural space of McLaren Vale. Ethnographic examination of ‘District Tastings’ of single‐vineyard Shiraz wines shows how the geology map provides a framework for understanding and promoting relationships between vineyard geology and wine flavours. This process feeds into debates over possible delineation of official winemaking ‘subregions’, which may provide a mechanism for the generation of economic value based on discourses of quality and distinctiveness. The map's depiction of geological diversity is embraced by wine producers, who seek to add value to their product through appeals to a purported uniqueness, scarcity or specialness based on geological terroir.
Web‐based real‐time visualization of large‐scale weather radar data using 3D tiles
Authors: Lu Mingyue , Wang Xinhao , Liu Xintao , Chen Min , Bi Shuoben , Zhang Yadong , Lao Tengfei
Published: May 2020

Weather radar data play an important role in meteorological analysis and forecasting. In particular, web‐based real‐time 3D visualization will enable and enhance various meteorological applications by avoiding the dissemination of a large amount of data over the internet. Despite that, most existing studies are either limited to 2D or small‐scale data analytics due to methodological limitations. This article proposes a new framework to enable web‐based real‐time 3D visualization of large‐scale weather radar data using 3D tiles and WebGIS technology. The 3D tiles technology is an open specification for online streaming massive heterogeneous 3D geospatial datasets, which is designed to improve rendering performance and reduce memory consumption. First, the weather radar data from multiple single‐radar sites across a large coverage area are organized into a spliced grid data (i.e., weather radar composing data, WRCD). Next, the WRCD is converted into a widely used 3D tile data structure in four steps: data preprocessing, data indexing, data transformation, and 3D tile generation. Last, to validate the feasibility of the proposed strategy, a prototype, namely Meteo3D at https://202.195.237.252:82, is implemented to accommodate the WRCD collected from all the weather radar sites over the whole of China. The results show that near real‐time and accurate visualization for the monitoring and early warning of strong convective weather can be achieved.
Neurocognitive functioning in MDR‐TB patients with and without HIV in KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa
Authors: Ramlall Suvira , Lessells Richard J. , Naidu Thirusha , Sandra Mthembu Sbusisiwe , Padayatchi Nesri , Burns Jonathan K. , Tomita Andrew
Published: May 2020

Objectives

Optimising medication adherence is one of the essential factors in reversing the tide of a TB‐HIV syndemic in sub‐Saharan Africa, especially South Africa. Impairment in key neurocognitive domains may impair patients’ ability to maintain adherence to treatment, but the level of cognition and its relationship to HIV status has not been examined in individuals with drug‐resistant TB. We therefore investigated performance on several key neurocognitive domains in relationship to HIV status in a multidrug‐resistant tuberculosis patients (MDR‐TB) sample.

Methods

We enrolled microbiologically confirmed MDR‐TB inpatients at a TB‐specialist referral hospital in KwaZulu‐Natal province, South Africa. We collected cross‐sectional data on sociodemographic, clinical and neurocognitive function (e.g. attention, memory, executive functioning, language fluency, visual‐spatial, eye–hand coordination). For the primary analysis, we excluded participants with major depressive episode/substance use disorder (MDE/SUD). We fitted adjusted Poisson regression models to explore the association between HIV and neurocognitive function.

Results

We enrolled 200 people with MDR‐TB; 33 had MDE/SUD, and data of 167 were analysed (151 HIV+, 16 HIV‐). The mean age of participants was 34.2 years; the majority were female (83%), and 53% had not completed secondary school. There was evidence of impaired neurocognitive functioning across all domains in both HIV+/‐ study participants. Based on the regression analyses, individuals with co‐infection (MDR‐TB/HIV+), as well as those who had longer duration of hospital stays experienced significantly lower cognitive performance in several domains. Poor cognitive performance was significantly related to older age and lower educational attainment. The presence of major depression or substance use disorders did not influence the significance of the findings.

Conclusions

Adults with MDR‐TB have significant neurocognitive impairment, especially if HIV positive. An integrated approach is necessary in the management of MDR‐TB as cognitive health influences the ability to adhere to chronic treatment, clinical outcomes and functionality.
The hypothetical role of phosphatidic acid in subverting ER membranes during SARS‐CoV infection
Authors: Moriel‐Carretero María
Published: May 2020

Positive sense (+) RNA viruses exploit membranes from a variety of cellular organelles to support the amplification of their genomes. This association concurs with the formation of vesicles whose main morphological feature is that of being wrapped by a double membrane. In the case of the SARS‐CoV virus, the outer membrane is not discrete for each vesicle, but seems to be continuous and shared between many individual vesicles, a difference with other +RNA viruses whose nature has remained elusive. I present morphological, biochemical and pharmacological arguments defending the striking analogy of this arrangement and that of entangled, nascent Lipid Droplets whose birth has been aborted by an excess of Phosphatidic Acid. Since Phosphatidic Acid can be targeted with therapeutical purposes, considering this working hypothesis may prove important in tackling SARS‐CoV infection.
Changes to hepatic tissue oxygenation, abdominal perfusion and its association with enteral feeding with liberal transfusion threshold in anaemic preterm infants: A prospective cohort study.
Authors: Jani Pranav , Lowe Krista , Hinder Murray , Galea Claire , D’Çruz Daphne , Badawi Nadia , Tracy Mark
Published: May 2020

Background and Objectives

In anaemic preterm infants who receive packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusions, changes to mesenteric tissue oxygenation and perfusion have been reported using a restrictive haemoglobin (Hb)‐based threshold. We aimed to investigate changes to hepatic tissue oxygenation and abdominal blood flow after PRBC transfusion and its association with enteral feeding using a liberal Hb threshold (as shown inTable1).

 
If respiratory support is required
If respiratory support is not required

Postnatal age
Capillary haemoglobin (g/L)
Central haemoglobin (g/L)
Capillary haemoglobin (g/L)
Central haemoglobin (g/L)

Days 1‐7
≤ 135
≤ 122
≤ 120
≤ 109

Days 8‐14
≤ 120
≤ 109
≤ 100
≤ 90

Days 15 until discharge
≤ 100
≤ 90
≤ 85
≤ 77

Material and Methods

We prospectively studied a cohort of preterm infants born at < 32 weeks’ gestation who received at least one PRBC transfusion and monitored them immediately before (Time 1), immediately after (Time 2) and 24 hours after transfusion (Time 3). Data obtained included physiological parameters, the hepatic tissue oxygenation index and pulsed Doppler ultrasound measurements in the abdominal arterial circulation. Additionally, the effects of withholding enteral feeds were investigated.

Results

We monitored 50 PRBC transfusion episodes in 40 preterm infants, in whom the mean gestational age was 26.72 weeks (±1.6 weeks) and the mean birth weight was 855.25 g (±190.7 g). We observed significant changes to pulsed Doppler measurements in abdominal arterial circulation (coeliac artery mean peak systolic velocity Time 2 [75.08 cm/sec] versus Time 3 [71.13 cm/sec]; mean end‐diastolic velocity Time 2 [15.71 cm/sec] versus Time 3 [13.76 cm/sec]; mean resistive index Time 2 0.78 versus Time 3 0.80, right renal artery mean peak systolic velocity Time 1 58.28 cm/sec versus Time 2 50.97 cm/sec, left renal artery mean peak systolic velocity Time 1 49.20 cm/sec versus Time 2 45.40 cm/sec), but not to hepatic tissue oxygenation after PRBC transfusion (Time 1 mean 53.66 [SD, 13.34]; Time 2 mean 54.93 [SD, 9.3]; Time 3 mean 55.64 [SD, 12.86]). There were no changes to hepatic tissue oxygenation or mesenteric blood flow from withholding enteral feeds during PRBC transfusion. There were no local adverse effects from hepatic tissue oxygenation monitoring.

Conclusion

In mildly anaemic preterm infants, when allowing a liberal Hb threshold‐based trigger for PRBC transfusion, changes in abdominal arterial circulation were present, but not in hepatic tissue oxygenation. Withholding enteral feeds during PRBC transfusion had no impact on hepatic tissue oxygenation or mesenteric flows.
Blood supply strategies facing a reference blood centre in Brazil during the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Barjas‐Castro Maria de Lourdes , Baumgartner José Eduardo , Sales Leandro N. M. , Santos Roberta A. , Pereira Fabrício B. , Castro Vagner
Published: May 2020

Background

The SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic is having an impact on blood supply. This situation has led to new strategies to minimize the impact on blood product availability.

Methods

The Hemocentro UNICAMP, a regional reference centre in Brazil, has established availability strategies, respecting national and local measures to decrease transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2. Measures include booking donation appointments, reorganization of areas to permit social distancing, a pre‐reception to reinforce donor instructions, antisepsis of donors’ hands with 70% gel alcohol at each step of the process, post‐donation information (PDI) reinforcement, recruitment intensification using social media/mass media, rapid replacement of cancelled mobile collections, reinforcement of collection from army units. Rational blood use was reinforced in hospitals, elective procedures were suspended and stricter blood distribution was adopted.

Results

A median increase of 14·5% was obtained in weekly blood donations, versus pre‐crises period (1338 vs 1169) and a 15·9% decrease in blood distribution (1312 vs 1103 red blood cell units) (P < 0·0001, χ2 = 28·8). Booked appointments corresponded to 42·2% of all donations made in the period, with a mean absence of 19% at bookings. Mobile unit blood collections cancelled in the period were 8/25 per month (vs. around 3/25 before). About 62% of the cancelled mobile collections could be replaced. Mean PDI increased from 5/week vs. 2/week in the previous period.

Conclusion

The strategy proved successful, although questions about the best approach to maintain blood supply during the COVID‐19 pandemic remain. Such experiences may help blood centres to design strategies to maintain blood stores during pandemic situations in the future.
A real‐world experience with the bioactive human split thickness skin allograft for venous leg ulcers
Authors: Kirsner Robert S. , Margolis David , Masturzo Arti , Bakewell Katie
Published: May 2020

Data collected from standardized clinical practices can be valuable in evaluating the real‐world therapeutic benefit of skin substitutes in the treatment of venous leg ulcers (VLU). Utilizing such a dataset, this study aimed to validate the effectiveness of a bioactive human split‐thickness skin allograft for the treatment of VLU in the real‐world setting and to understand how certain variables impacted healing rates. From a pool of 1474 VLU treated with allograft, 862 ulcers in 742 patients were selected from a large wound EMR database and analyzed. All patients received standard wound care prior to allograft application. Impact of ulcer duration, number of applications, ulcer size, and time to application were analyzed. The VLU, on average, were of 189 days duration with a mean ulcer size of 19.3 cm2. During treatment, 70.7% of wounds healed, with an average time to closure of 15 weeks (SD = 14.1 weeks). The percentage of VLU less than one‐year duration that healed was significantly higher (72.3%) than the percentage of VLU with duration of greater than 1 years (51.5%) (
χ2 = 18.17; P < .001). Ulcers less than 10 cm2 in size were more likely to heal (73.9%) than those larger than 10 cm2 (67.9%) (
χ2 = 8.65,
P = .03). VLU receiving allograft within 90 days of initial presentation are 1.4 times more likely to heal vs those receiving their first BSA application after 90 days of standard of care (95% CI: [1.05, 1.86], P = .02). Allograft used in wound clinics healed a majority of refractory VLU, even in large ulcers of long duration, which are more difficult to heal. Smaller wound, size, and shorter wound duration were associated with greater likelihood of healing. VLUs treated earlier with allograft had better healing outcomes. Clinicians may consider more aggressive and timely treatment with allograft for refractory VLU.
Heat Transfer Enhancement of Horizontal Oscillating Heat Pipes With Micro-/Nanostructured Surface
Authors: Hao Tingting , Yu Huiwen , Ma Xuehu , Lan Zhong
Published: May 2020

For oscillating heat pipes (OHPs) with low turn number (<9) positioned in the horizontal direction, the working fluid could not easily flow back to the evaporator due to the absence of gravity. Based on this, copper OHP with superhydrophilic micro-/nanostructured surface was investigated to enhance the heat transfer performance by introducing additional capillary force. OHPs with six turns were fabricated with bare copper and micro-/nanostructured inner surfaces for comparison. Pure water was used as the working fluid. Contact angles of water on the copper and superhydrophilic surfaces were 36.7 and 0 deg, respectively. The filling ratios of water were 50%, 65%, and 80%, respectively. Thermal resistance and liquid slug oscillations of OHPs were investigated at the heat input ranging from 100 to 380 W. Experimental results showed that OHPs with the superhydrophilic micro-/nanostructured surface showed an enhanced heat transfer performance due to the micro-/nanostructure-induced capillary flow in the horizontal direction. The optimum filling ratio was 65% in this work. The superhydrophilic micro-/nanostructured surface could significantly facilitate the backflow of the working fluid to the evaporator section and accelerate oscillating motions of liquid slugs. With the increasing of 0–70% in slug oscillating amplitude and 0–100% in slug oscillating velocity, micro-/nanostructured OHPs improved the heat transfer performance by up to 10% compared with the copper OHPs due to the wicking effect.
Erosion Wear on Runner of Francis Turbine in Jhimruk Hydroelectric Center
Authors: Qian Zhongdong , Zhao Zilong , Guo Zhiwei , Thapa Biraj Singh , Thapa Bhola
Published: May 2020

Erosion wear is a major problem for hydraulic turbines operating on rivers from the Himalaya Mountains. The runner is the most important energy conversion component but it suffers heavy damage due to direct contact with the sediment-laden water. In this research, the runner's physical erosion wear mechanism is revealed using numerical simulations and the results are compared with damaged runners from Francis turbines in the Jhimruk Hydroelectric Center (JHC). Simulations show that high erosive wear occurs near the blade outlet on the suction side, which is consistent with site observations. Because of the high relative velocity at the runner outlet, the high accretion rate appears to be directly responsible for the heavy erosion rate. The adjustment of the guide vanes is the main action available in real situation to change the operation condition of turbine and flow separation can easily occur under off-design conditions, causing interblade vortex production. The vortex guides particles to one location where they gather, producing high accretion rates and aggravating erosion wear. This implies that the interblade vortex is the main factor that induces severe erosive wear at the blade outlet. When the angle of the guide vanes is adjusted to provide the highest efficiency, the erosion rate can be greatly reduced.