bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adverse Childhood Experiences are Associated with High-Intensity Binge Drinking Behavior in Adulthood and Mediated by Psychiatric Disorders
Authors: Jung Jeesun , Rosoff Daniel B , Muench Christine , Luo Audrey , Longley Martha , Lee Jisoo , Charlet Katrin , Lohoff Falk W
Published: October 2019

Aim

High-intensity binge drinking (HIBD), defined as two or more times the gender-specific binge threshold, is rapidly increasing in the USA; however, the underlying contributing factors are poorly understood. This study investigated the relationship of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and HIBD.

Methods

Two independent, cross-sectional samples were analysed: (a) past 12-month drinkers in the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III (NESARC-III; n = 25,552) and (b) the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) clinical sample (n = 1303). Multinomial logistic regressions were utilized to estimate adjusted odds ratios (AORs) of ACEs on HIBD. Mediation analysis was performed to examine the relationship between the past 12-month psychiatric disorders, ACEs, and HIBD.

Results

In the NESARC-III sample, prevalence of ACEs increased across all binge levels with the highest prevalence in extreme HIBD; ACEs were associated with higher odds for HIBD (level II, odds ratio (OR) = 1.2–1.4; P = 0.03–0.001; level III, OR = 1.3–1.9; P < 0.001). Prevalence of DSM-5 diagnoses also increased across all binge levels. Substance use disorders (SUD), mood, personality and post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) conferred the highest odds with extreme HIBD (SUD: OR = 21.32; mood: 1.73; personality: 2.84; PTSD: 1.97; all Ps < 0.001). Mediation analyses showed that the association between ACEs and HIBD was fully mediated through SUD (proportion mediated: 70–90%) and partially through other psychiatric disorders (20–80%). In the NIAAA sample, ACEs were 2–5 times more prevalent in extreme HIBD with higher odds (ORs = 3–8, P < 0.001) compared with non-bingers.

Conclusion

ACEs were associated with significantly increased odds of HIBD and the relationship may be mediated by psychiatric disorders.
Who Are We? Feminist Ambivalence in Contemporary Literary Criticism
Authors: Mendelman Lisa
Published: October 2019

Feminism exists in a perpetual identity crisis—with a vexed past, an unstable present, and an uncertain future. A scholar interested in this charged identity must manage such existential conditions in order to enable their transformative ambitions. Historicizing Post-Discourses (2017), Bodies of Information (2019), and Selling Women’s History (2017) take up this cognitive and corporeal challenge and largely meet it. In these three books, feminism’s endemic ambivalence becomes a resource for literary and cultural criticism. Focused on popular, digital, and material cultures in the twentieth- and twenty-first-century US, these volumes dramatize the merits and drawbacks of irresolution and resist a definitive conclusion about what feminism, both past and present, necessarily means for contemporary scholarship. Instead, we get alternative archives and, hopefully, better practices. Analyzing mass media, data visualizations, and consumer products, these studies engage new materials to flesh out the gendered, racialized human body at their common center. They rethink feminist historiography and demonstrate the myriad ways in which the sense of an ending continually renews and unsettles feminism’s search for a useable past. These works aim to create strategic alliances: they drive at embodied, material concerns, foreground questions of pedagogy and other modes of public interchange, and embrace a style of advocacy that rejects such extreme position-taking and instead embraces ambivalence.
Alternative plant designs: consequences for community assembly and ecosystem functioning
Authors: Corrêa Dias André Tavares , Rosado Bruno H P , Bello Francesco de , Pistón Nuria , Mattos Eduardo A de
Published: October 2019

Background

Alternative organism designs (i.e., the existence of distinct combinations of traits leading to the same function or performance) are a widespread phenomenon in nature and are considered an important mechanism driving the evolution and maintenance of species trait diversity. However, alternative designs are rarely considered when investigating assembly rules and species effects on ecosystem functioning, assuming that single traits trade-offs affect linearly species fitness and niche differentiation.

Scope

Here, we first review the concept of alternative designs, and the empirical evidence in plants indicating the importance of the complex effects of multiple traits on fitness. We then discuss how the potential decoupling of single traits with performance and function of species can compromise our ability to detect the mechanisms responsible for species coexistence and the effects of species on ecosystems. Placing traits in the continuum of organism integration level (i.e., traits hierarchically structured ranging from organ-level traits to whole-organism traits) can help in choosing traits more directly related to performance and function.

Conclusions

We conclude that alternative designs have important implications for the resulting trait patterning expected from different assembly processes. For instance, when only single trade-offs are considered, environmental filtering is expected to result in decreased functional diversity. Alternatively, it may result in increased functional diversity as an outcome of alternative strategies providing different solutions to local conditions and thus supporting coexistence. Additionally, alternative designs can result in higher stability of ecosystem functioning as species filtering due to environmental changes would not result in directional changes in (effect) trait values. Assessing the combined effects of multiple plant traits and their implications for plant functioning and functions will improve our mechanistic inferences about the functional significance of community trait patterning.
Ultrastructural and biochemical analyses reveal cell wall remodelling in lichen-forming microalgae submitted to cyclic desiccation–rehydration
Authors: González-Hourcade María , Braga Marcia R , del Campo Eva M , Ascaso Carmen , Patiño Cristina , Casano Leonardo M
Published: October 2019

Background and Aims

One of the most distinctive features of desiccation-tolerant plants is their high cell wall (CW) flexibility. Most lichen microalgae can tolerate drastic dehydration–rehydration (D/R) conditions; however, their mechanisms of D/R tolerance are scarcely understood. We tested the hypothesis that D/R-tolerant microalgae would have flexible CWs due to species-specific CW ultrastructure and biochemical composition, which could be remodelled by exposure to cyclic D/R.

Methods

Two lichen microalgae, Trebouxia sp. TR9 (TR9, adapted to rapid D/R cycles) and Coccomyxa simplex (Csol, adapted to seasonal dry periods) were exposed to no or four cycles of desiccation [25–30 % RH (TR9) or 55–60 % RH (Csol)] and 16 h of rehydration (100 % RH). Low-temperature SEM, environmental SEM and freeze-substitution TEM were employed to visualize structural alterations induced by D/R. In addition, CWs were extracted and sequentially fractionated with hot water and KOH, and the gel permeation profile of polysaccharides was analysed in each fraction. The glycosyl composition and linkage of the main polysaccharides of each CW fraction were analysed by GC–MS.

Key Results

All ultrastructural analyses consistently showed that desiccation caused progressive cell shrinkage and deformation in both microalgae, which could be rapidly reversed when water availability increased. Notably, the plasma membrane of TR9 and Csol remained in close contact with the deformed CW. Exposure to D/R strongly altered the size distribution of TR9 hot-water-soluble polysaccharides, composed mainly of a β-3-linked rhamnogalactofuranan and Csol KOH-soluble β-glucans.

Conclusions

Cyclic D/R induces biochemical remodelling of the CW that could increase CW flexibility, allowing regulated shrinkage and expansion of D/R-tolerant microalgae.
Long-term Complications of Ebola Virus Disease: Prevalence and Predictors of Major Symptoms and the Role of Inflammation
Authors: Tozay Sam , Fischer William A , Wohl David A , Kilpatrick Kayla , Zou Fei , Reeves Edwina , Pewu Korto , DeMarco Jean , Loftis Amy James , King Katie , Grant Donald , Schieffelin John , Gorvego Galakpai , Johnson Henrietta , Conneh Tonia , Williams Gerald , Nelson Julie A E , Hoover David , McMillian Darrius , Merenbloom Carson , Hawks Darrell , Dube Karine , Brown Jerry
Published: October 2019

Background

Cohort studies have reported a high prevalence of musculoskeletal, neurologic, auditory, and visual complications among Ebola virus disease (EVD) survivors. However, little is known about the host- and disease-related predictors of these symptoms and their etiological mechanisms.

Methods

The presence and patterns of 8 cardinal symptoms that are most commonly reported following EVD survival were assessed in the 326 EVD survivors who participated in the ongoing longitudinal Liberian EVD Survivor Study. At quarterly study visits, symptoms that developed since acute EVD were recorded and blood was collected for biomarkers of inflammation and immune activation.

Results

At baseline (mean 408 days from acute EVD), 75.5% of survivors reported at least 1 new cardinal symptom since surviving EVD, which in 85.8% was rated as highly interfering with life. Two or more incident symptoms were reported by 61.0% of survivors, with pairings of joint pain, headache, or fatigue the most frequent. Women were significantly more likely than men to report headache, while older age was significantly associated with musculoskeletal and visual symptoms. In analyses adjusted for multiple comparisons, no statistically significant association was found between any symptom and 26 markers of inflammation and immune activation. Symptom frequency remained largely unchanged during study follow-up.

Conclusions

Post-EVD complications occur in a majority of survivors and remain present more than 4 years after acute infection. An association between markers of inflammation and immune activation and individual symptoms was not found, suggesting an alternative etiology for persistent post-EVD symptomatology.
The Part-Time Revolution: Changes in the Parenthood Effect on Women’s Employment in Austria across the Birth Cohorts from 1940 to 1979
Authors: Riederer Bernhard , Berghammer Caroline
Published: October 2019

Comparing employment rates of mothers and childless women over the life course across the birth cohorts from 1940 to 1979 in Austria, we address the question of whether the parenthood effect on employment has declined. By following synthetic cohorts of mothers and childless women up to retirement age, we can study both the short-term and long-term consequences of having a child. We consider employment participation as well as working time and also perform analyses by educational level. Our study is based on the Austrian microcensus, conducted between 1986 and 2016, and uses descriptive methods, logistic regression models, and decomposition analysis. The results show that the increase in the proportion of part-time work has led to a declining work volume of mothers with young children, despite employment rates of mothers having increased across cohorts. Return to the workplace is progressively concentrated when the child is 3–5 years old, but the parenthood effect has become weaker only from the time children enter school. Part-time employment is primarily adopted (at least with younger children) by highly educated mothers and often remains a long-term arrangement.
Knowledge and beliefs on vaccines among a sample of Italian pregnant women: results from the NAVIDAD study
Authors: Bert Fabrizio , Olivero Elena , Rossello Paola , Gualano Maria R , Castaldi Silvana , Damiani Gianfranco , D’Errico Marcello M , Di Giovanni Pamela , Fantini Maria P , Fabiani Leila , Gabutti Giovanni , Loperto Ilaria , Marranzano Marina , Masanotti Giuseppe , Nante Nicola , Rosso Annalisa , Squeri Raffaele , Signorelli Carlo , Siliquini Roberta ,   Collaborating Group
Published: October 2019

Background

Vaccine hesitancy is an emerging phenomenon in European countries and leads to decreasing trends in infant vaccine coverage. The aim of this study was to analyze the level of confidence and correct awareness about immunizations, which are crucial for the success of vaccination programmes.

Methods

As part of the NAVIDAD multicentre study, we examined vaccination confidence and complacency among a sample of 1820 pregnant women from 14 Italian cities. The questionnaire assessed the interviewee's knowledge, beliefs and misconceptions, as well as their socioeconomic status, information sources about vaccines and confidence in the Italian National Healthcare Service.

Results

Only 9% of women completely believed to the efficacy, necessity and safety of vaccinations. Almost 20% of them had misconceptions on most of the themes. There was a significant difference in the level of knowledge considering educational level: women with a high educational level have less probability of obtaining a low knowledge score (odds ratio (OR) 0.43 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.34–0.54]). The level of knowledge was also influenced by the sources of information: women who received information from their general practitioner (GP) and from institutional websites had a significantly lower chance of having misconceptions (OR 0.74 [95% CI 0.58–0.96]; OR 0.59 [95% CI 0.46–0.74]). Finally, the results underlined the influence of trust in healthcare professional information on the likelihood of having misconceptions (OR 0.49 [95% CI 0.27–0.89]).

Conclusions

The data suggest the efficacy of GPs and institutional websites as a source of information to contrast misconceptions and underline the importance of confidence in the healthcare system to increase complacency and confidence in vaccines.
The mitochondrial intergenic regions nad1-cob and cob-rps3 as molecular identification tools for pathogenic members of the genus Cryptococcus
Authors: Kortsinoglou Alexandra M , Korovesi Artemis G , Theelen Bart , Hagen Ferry , Boekhout Teun , Kouvelis Vassili N
Published: October 2019

Cryptococcus spp. are fungal species belonging to Tremellomycetes, Agaricomycotina, Basidiomycota, and several members are responsible for cryptococcosis, one of the most ubiquitous human mycoses. Affecting mainly immunosuppressed patients, but also immunocompetent ones, the members of this genus present a high level of genetic diversity. In this study, two mitochondrial intergenic regions, i.e. nad1-cob and cob-rps3, were tested for the intra- or interspecies discrimination and identification of strains and species of the genus Cryptococcus. Phylogenetic trees were constructed based on individual and concatenated sequences from representative pathogenic strains of the Cryptococcus neoformans/Cryptococcus gattii complex, representing serotypes and AFLP genotypes of all newly introduced species of this complex. Using both intergenic regions, as well as the concatenated dataset, the strains clustered in accordance with the new taxonomy. These results suggest that identification of Cryptococcus strains is possible by employing these mitochondrial intergenic regions using PCR amplification as a quick and effective method to elucidate genotypic and taxonomic differences. Thus, these regions may be applicable to a broad range of clinical studies, leading to a rapid recognition of the clinical profiles of patients.
From duties to rights: revisiting the ‘Social Catholics’ in twentieth-century France
Authors: Chessel Marie-Emmanuelle
Published: October 2019

Apropos the history of human rights in France, one spontaneously thinks of the French Revolution and then of left-wing activists, particularly socialists. Their opponents, the Catholics, normally considered to be right wing and usually opposed to socialism, appear as a counterpoint. This article argues that some Catholics, especially those who referred to themselves as ‘social Catholics’, also contributed to the adoption of certain rights, particularly social rights, in France in unexpected and paradoxical ways. Their contribution was made through their social activities, visible in their organizations’ archives more than through their discourse. Social Catholics spoke little of ‘rights’. Yet paradoxically, discourses about ‘duties’ can lead to the defence of rights, especially through the practice of social surveys and the importance of social ‘facts’. Examples are taken from the history of the Ligue Sociale d’Acheteurs, the Union Féminine Civique et Sociale and other French Catholic organizations such as the Secrétariats sociaux.
Development of an inversion method to extract information on fault geometry from teleseismic data
Authors: Shimizu Kousuke , Yagi Yuji , Okuwaki Ryo , Fukahata Yukitoshi
Published: October 2019

Teleseismic waveforms contain information on fault slip evolution during an earthquake, as well as on the fault geometry. A linear finite-fault inversion method is a tool for solving the slip-rate function distribution under an assumption of fault geometry as a single or multiple-fault-plane model. An inappropriate assumption of fault geometry would tend to distort the solution due to Green’s function modelling errors. We developed a new inversion method to extract information on fault geometry along with the slip-rate function from observed teleseismic waveforms. In this method, as in most previous studies, we assumed a flat fault plane, but we allowed arbitrary directions of slip not necessarily parallel to the assumed fault plane. More precisely, the method represents fault slip on the assumed fault by the superposition of five basis components of potency-density tensor, which can express arbitrary fault slip that occurs underground. We tested the developed method by applying it to real teleseismic P waveforms of the MW 7.7 2013 Balochistan, Pakistan, earthquake, which is thought to have occurred along a curved fault system. The obtained spatiotemporal distribution of potency-density tensors showed that the focal mechanism at each source knot was dominated by a strike-slip component with successive strike angle rotation from 205° to 240° as the rupture propagated unilaterally towards the south-west from the epicentre. This result is consistent with Earth’s surface deformation observed in optical satellite images. The success of the developed method is attributable to the fact that teleseismic body waves are not very sensitive to the spatial location of fault slip, whereas they are very sensitive to the direction of fault slip. The method may be a powerful tool to extract information on fault geometry along with the slip-rate function without requiring detailed assumptions about fault geometry.
Inhibition of Nipah Virus by Defective Interfering Particles
Authors: Welch Stephen R , Tilston Natasha L , Lo Michael K , Whitmer Shannon L M , Harmon Jessica R , Scholte Florine E M , Spengler Jessica R , Duprex W Paul , Nichol Stuart T , Spiropoulou Christina F
Published: October 2019

The error-prone nature of RNA-dependent RNA polymerases drives the diversity of RNA virus populations. Arising within this diversity is a subset of defective viral genomes that retain replication competency, termed defective interfering (DI) genomes. These defects are caused by aberrant viral polymerase reinitiation on the same viral RNA template (deletion DI species) or the nascent RNA strand (copyback DI species). DI genomes have previously been shown to alter the dynamics of a viral population by interfering with normal virus replication and/or by stimulating the innate immune response. In this study, we investigated the ability of artificially produced DI genomes to inhibit Nipah virus (NiV), a highly pathogenic biosafety level 4 paramyxovirus. High multiplicity of infection passaging of both NiV clinical isolates and recombinant NiV in Vero cells generated an extensive DI population from which individual DIs were identified using next-generation sequencing techniques. Assays were established to generate and purify both naturally occurring and in silico-designed DIs as fully encapsidated, infectious virus-like particles termed defective interfering particles (DIPs). We demonstrate that several of these NiV DIP candidates reduced NiV titers by up to 4 logs in vitro. These data represent a proof-of-principle that a therapeutic application of DIPs to combat NiV infections may be an alternative source of antiviral control for this disease.
Analysis of quality of life in breast cancer survivors using structural equation modelling: the role of spirituality, social support and psychological well-being
Authors: Firouzbakht Mojgan , Hajian-Tilaki Karimollah , Moslemi Dariush
Published: October 2019

Background

To explore and characterize the inter-relationship between psychological well-being, spirituality, social support, comorbidity, demographic and lifestyle factors and quality of life (QoL).

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted with 305 breast cancer survivors in northern Iran in 2017. The demographic and socio-economic data and physical activity were measured with a standard questionnaire. The standard European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 QoL scale, a system-of-belief inventory questionnaire, the social support scale, the short form of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the fatigue severity scale (FSS) were used in data collection. In structural equation modelling analysis, we used the maximum likelihood procedure to estimate the direct and indirect effects of relevant factors on QoL.

Results

The median age (quartile 1 [Q1], quartile 3 [Q3]) of patients was 50 y (43, 55). The psychological factors designated by anxiety, depression and FSS had a negative significant direct effect on QoL (β=−0.62). Spirituality has a positive direct effect (β=0.089) but a negligible indirect effect (β=0.020) on QoL, while the direct association of social support was almost negligible.

Conclusions

The findings emphasized the unifying structure of the determinants of QoL and the mediating negative association of psychological factors with QoL. Thus the supportive education efforts should focus on improving psychological well-being along with standard treatment in breast cancer survivors.
Short-term medical service trips: what is the cost of patient care and student training?
Authors: Rovers John , Andreski Michael , Becker Michelle , Gray Jeffrey
Published: October 2019

Background

Evaluations of the costs and effects of medical service trips (MSTs) are increasingly necessary. Estimates of costs can inform decision making to determine if participation is likely to be a wise use of resources.

Methods

This study estimates the costs and effects of a 1-week MST for 20 health professions students and seven providers to the Dominican Republic. Costs were defined as direct costs for students and providers and opportunity costs for providers. Effects were defined as the cost to treat one patient and the cost to train one student. Students were surveyed about their costs before and after the MST. Most provider costs were assumed to be the same as those of the students.

Results

The mean direct cost per student was US${\$}$1764 and US${\$}$2066 for providers. Total opportunity costs for seven providers was US${\$}$19 869. The total cost for the trip was US${\$}$69 612 to treat 464 patients. With and without provider opportunity costs, the cost to treat one patient was US${\$}$150 and US${\$}$107, and the cost to train one student was US${\$}$3481 and US${\$}$2487, respectively.

Conclusions

Short-term MSTs may be more expensive than previously thought. The cost to treat one patient was similar to a medical office visit in the USA.
A Semantic Approach to Non-prioritized Belief Revision
Authors: Perrotin Elise , Velázquez-Quesada Fernando R
Published: October 2019

Belief revision is concerned with belief change fired by incoming information. Despite the variety of frameworks representing it, most revision policies share one crucial feature: incoming information outweighs current information and hence, in case of conflict, incoming information will prevail. However, if one is interested in representing the way actual humans revise their beliefs, one might not always want for the agent to blindly believe everything they are told. This manuscript presents a semantic approach to non-prioritized belief revision. It uses plausibility models for depicting an agent’s beliefs, and model operations for displaying the way beliefs change. The first proposal, semantically-based screened revision, compares the current model with the one the revision would yield, accepting or rejecting the incoming information depending on whether the ‘differences’ between these models go beyond a given threshold. The second proposal, semantically-based gradual revision, turns the binary decision of acceptance or rejection into a more general setting in which a revision always occurs, with the threshold used rather to choose ‘the right revision’ for the given input and model.
Italian court confirms high standard of protection of image rights in Audrey Hepburn case
Authors: Carretta Silvia A
Published: October 2019

Court of First Instance of Turin, Judgment No 940/2019, 27 February 2019, General Docket No 12322/2017

The Court of First Instance of Turin held that Audrey Hepburn’s image rights had been violated due to the unauthorized use and exploitation of her likeness for commercial purposes.
Unusual intraoperative finding of abnormal retroperitoneal ileum: a case report
Authors: Willburger Johanna C F , Steinemann Daniel C , Flüe Markus Von , Guenin Marc-Olivier
Published: October 2019

A 52-year-old female patient diagnosed with an adenocarcinoma of the sigmoid colon underwent anterior resection with direct anastomosis. Intraoperatively, we found the ileum completely retroperitonealized. Previously, the patient was asymptomatic and no congenital syndromes were diagnosed. The intraoperative finding of abnormal anatomy made the mobilization of the left hemicolon and the vessel ligation more challenging. This anatomical situation is a rare variation due to an embryonic malrotation, which occurs in about 1:500 newborns.
Current Practice and Regional Variability in Recommendations for Patient Preparation for Laboratory Testing in Primary Care
Authors: Salinas Maria , López-Garrigós Maite , Flores Emilio , Leiva-Salinas Carlos
Published: October 2019

Background

Preparation of the patient for laboratory tests is crucial. Our aim was to investigate the current practice and regional variability of recommendations regarding patient preparation for laboratory testing.

Methods

A call for data was posted by email. Spanish laboratories were invited to fill out and submit a survey.

Results

Sixty-eight laboratories participated in the study. In 73% of those laboratories, fasting was always recommended regardless of the requested tests. Only one-third of the laboratories systematically recommended a 12-hour fast before the tests. In 71% of the laboratories, water intake was allowed without restrictions during the fasting period. In 57% of the laboratories, computerized order entry offered the possibility to print customized recommendations automatically in the primary care doctor’s office according to the requested tests. Seventy-two percent of the laboratories agreed with the proposed recommendation.

Conclusions

There was high variability in patient preparation for laboratory testing. A significant proportion of centers did not follow international guidelines.
Circumstellar CO J = 3→2 detected around the evolving metal-poor ([Fe/H] ≈ −1.15 dex) AGB star RU Vulpeculae
Authors: McDonald I , Uttenthaler S , Zijlstra A A , Richards A M S , Lagadec E
Published: October 2019

We report the first detection of CO J = 3→2 around a truly metal-poor evolved star. RU Vulpeculae is modelled to have Teff ≈ 3620 K, L ≈ 3128 ± 516 L⊙, log(g) = 0.0 ± 0.2 dex and [Fe/H] = −1.3 to −1.0 dex, and is modelled to have recently undergone a thermal pulse. Its infrared flux has approximately doubled over 35 yr. ALMA observations show the 3→2 line is narrow (half-width ∼1.8–3.5 km s−1). The 2→1 line is much weaker: it is not confidently detected. Spectral-energy-distribution fitting indicates very little circumstellar absorption, despite its substantial mid-infrared emission. A VISIR mid-infrared spectrum shows features typical of previously observed metal-poor stars, dominated by a substantial infrared excess but with weak silicate and (possibly) Al2O3 emission. A lack of resolved emission, combined with weak 2→1 emission, indicates the dense circumstellar material is truncated at large radii. We suggest that rapid dust condensation is occurring, but with an aspherical geometry (e.g. a disc or clumps) that does not obscure the star. We compare with T UMi, a similar star which is currently losing its dust.
Radio Interferometric Calibration Using a Complex Student’s t-distribution and Wirtinger Derivatives
Authors: Sob U M , Bester H L , Smirnov O M , Kenyon J S , Grobler T L
Published: October 2019

Radio interferometric gain calibration can be biased by incomplete sky models and radio frequency interference, resulting in calibration artefacts that can restrict the dynamic range of the resulting images. It has been suggested that calibration algorithms employing heavy-tailed likelihood functions are less susceptible to this due to their robustness against outliers in the data. We present an algorithm based on a Student’s t-distribution which leverages the framework of complex optimisation and Wirtinger calculus for efficient and robust interferometric gain calibration. We integrate this algorithm as an option in the newly released calibration software package, CubiCal. We demonstrate that the algorithm can mitigate some of the biases introduced by incomplete sky models and radio frequency interference by applying it to both simulated and real data. Our results show significant improvements compared to a conventional least-squares solver which assumes a Gaussian likelihood function. Furthermore, we provide some insight into why the algorithm outperforms the conventional solver, and discuss specific scenarios (for both direction-independent and direction-dependent self-calibration) where this is expected to be the case.
The very slow rotation of the magnetic O9.7 V star HD 54879
Authors: Hubrig S , Järvinen S P , Schöller M , Hummel C A
Published: October 2019

The first FOcal Reducer low dispersion Spectrograph (FORS 2) spectropolarimetric observation of the longitudinal magnetic field of HD 54879 of the order of −600 G with a lower limit of the dipole strength of ∼2 kG dates back to 2014. Since then, observations showed a gradual decrease of the absolute value of the mean longitudinal magnetic field. In the course of the most recent monitoring of HD 54879 using FORS 2 spectropolarimetric observations from 2017 October to 2018 February, a longitudinal magnetic field strength change from about −300 G down to about −90 G was reported. A sudden increase of the absolute value of the mean longitudinal magnetic field and an accompanying spectral variability was detected on 2018 February 17. New FORS 2 spectropolarimetric data obtained from 2018 December to 2019 February confirm the very slow magnetic field variability, with the field decreasing from about 150 G to −100 G over 2 months. Such a slow magnetic field variability, related to the extremely slow rotation of HD 54879, is also confirmed using high-resolution High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher in polarimetric mode and Echelle SpectroPolarimetric Device for the Observation of Stars spectropolarimetry. The re-analysis of the FORS 2 polarimetric spectra from 2018 February indicates that the previously reported field increase and the change of the spectral appearance was caused by improper spectra extraction and wavelength calibration using observations obtained at an insufficient signal-to-noise ratio. The presented properties of HD 54879 are discussed in the context of the Of?p spectral classification.
Development of a simulator of the SIMBIOSYS suite onboard the BepiColombo mission
Authors: Slemer A , Zusi M , Simioni E , Da Deppo V , Re C , Lucchetti A , Della Corte V , Filacchione G , Palumbo P , Capaccioni F , Capria M T , Amoroso M , Mugnuolo R , Cremonese G
Published: October 2019

BepiColombo is the fifth cornerstone mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) dedicated to study the Mercury planet. The BepiColombo spacecraft comprises two science modules: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) realized by ESA and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The MPO is composed by 11 instruments, including the ‘Spectrometer and Imagers for MPO BepiColombo Integrated Observatory System’ (SIMBIOSYS). The SIMBIOSYS suite includes three optical channels: a Stereoscopic Imaging Channel, a High Resolution Imaging Channel, and a Visible and near Infrared Hyperspectral Imager. SIMBIOSYS will characterize the hermean surface in terms of surface morphology, volcanism, global tectonics, and chemical composition. The aim of this work is to describe a tool for the radiometric response prediction of the three SIMBIOSYS channels. Given the spectral properties of the surface, the instrument characteristics, and the geometrical conditions of the observation, the realized SIMBIOSYS simulator is capable of estimating the expected signal and integration times for the entire mission lifetime. In the simulator the spectral radiance entering the instrument optical apertures has been modelled using a Hapke reflectance model implementing the parameters expected for the hermean surface. The instrument performances are simulated by means of calibrated optical and detectors responses. The simulator employs the SPICE (Spacecraft, Planet, Instrument, C-matrix, Environment) toolkit software, which allows us to know for each epoch the exact position of the MPO with respect to the planet surface and the Sun.
Magneto-hydrodynamical origin of eclipsing time variations in post-common-envelope binaries for solar mass secondaries
Authors: Navarrete Felipe H , Schleicher Dominik R G , Käpylä Petri J , Schober Jennifer , Völschow Marcel , Mennickent Ronald E
Published: October 2019

Eclipsing time variations have been observed for a wide range of binary systems, including post-common-envelope binaries. A frequently proposed explanation, apart from the possibility of having a third body, is the effect of magnetic activity, which may alter the internal structure of the secondary star, particularly its quadrupole moment, and thereby cause quasi-periodic oscillations. Here we present two compressible non-ideal magneto-hydrodynamical (MHD) simulations of the magnetic dynamo in a solar mass star, one of them with three times the solar rotation rate (“slow rotator”), the other one with twenty times the solar rotation rate (“rapid rotator”), to account for the high rotational velocities in close binary systems. For the slow rotator, we find that both the magnetic field and the stellar quadrupole moment change in a quasi-periodic manner, leading to O-C (observed - corrected times of the eclipse) variations of ∼0.025 s. For the rapid rotator, the behavior of the magnetic field as well as the quadrupole moment changes become considerably more complex, due to the less coherent dynamo solution. The resulting O-C variations are of the order 0.13 s. The observed system V471 Tau shows two modes of eclipsing time variations, with amplitudes of 151 s and 20 s, respectively. However, the current simulations may not capture all relevant effects due to the neglect of the centrifugal force and self-gravity. Considering the model limitations and that the rotation of V471 Tau is still a factor of 2.5 faster than our rapid rotator, it may be conceivable to reach the observed magnitudes.
Molecular Diversification of the Seminal Fluid Proteome in a Recently Diverged Passerine Species Pair
Authors: Rowe Melissah , Whittington Emma , Borziak Kirill , Ravinet Mark , Eroukhmanoff Fabrice , Sætre Glenn-Peter , Dorus Steve
Published: October 2019

Seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) mediate an array of postmating reproductive processes that influence fertilization and fertility. As such, it is widely held that SFPs may contribute to postmating, prezygotic reproductive barriers between closely related taxa. We investigated seminal fluid (SF) diversification in a recently diverged passerine species pair (Passer domesticus and Passer hispaniolensis) using a combination of proteomic and comparative evolutionary genomic approaches. First, we characterized and compared the SF proteome of the two species, revealing consistencies with known aspects of SFP biology and function in other taxa, including the presence and diversification of proteins involved in immunity and sperm maturation. Second, using whole-genome resequencing data, we assessed patterns of genomic differentiation between house and Spanish sparrows. These analyses detected divergent selection on immunity-related SF genes and positive selective sweeps in regions containing a number of SF genes that also exhibited protein abundance diversification between species. Finally, we analyzed the molecular evolution of SFPs across 11 passerine species and found a significantly higher rate of positive selection in SFPs compared with the rest of the genome, as well as significant enrichments for functional pathways related to immunity in the set of positively selected SF genes. Our results suggest that selection on immunity pathways is an important determinant of passerine SF composition and evolution. Assessing the role of immunity genes in speciation in other recently diverged taxa should be prioritized given the potential role for immunity-related proteins in reproductive incompatibilities in Passer sparrows.
Transcriptomic profiling of trophoblast fusion using BeWo and JEG-3 cell lines
Authors: Msheik H , El Hayek S , Bari M Furqan , Azar J , Abou-Kheir W , Kobeissy F , Vatish M , Daoud G
Published: October 2019

In human placenta, alteration in trophoblast differentiation has a major impact on placental maintenance and integrity. However, little is known about the mechanisms that control cytotrophoblast fusion. The BeWo cell line is used to study placental function, since it forms syncytium and secretes hormones after treatment with cAMP or forskolin. In contrast, the JEG-3 cell line fails to undergo substantial fusion. Therefore, BeWo and JEG-3 cells were used to identify a set of genes responsible for trophoblast fusion. Cells were treated with forskolin for 48 h to induce fusion. RNA was extracted, hybridised to Affymetrix HuGene ST1.0 arrays and analysed using system biology. Trophoblast differentiation was evaluated by real-time PCR and immunocytochemistry analysis. Moreover, some of the identified genes were validated by real-time PCR and their functional capacity was demonstrated by western blot using phospho-specific antibodies and CRISPR/cas9 knockdown experiments. Our results identified a list of 32 altered genes in fused BeWo cells compared to JEG-3 cells after forskolin treatment. Among these genes, four were validated by RT-PCR, including salt-inducible kinase 1 (SIK1) gene which is specifically upregulated in BeWo cells upon fusion and activated after 2 min with forskolin. Moreover, silencing of SIK1 completely abolished the fusion. Finally, SIK1 was shown to be at the center of many biological and functional processes, suggesting that it might play a role in trophoblast differentiation. In conclusion, this study identified new target genes implicated in trophoblast fusion. More studies are required to investigate the role of these genes in some placental pathology.
IPD-IMGT/HLA Database
Authors: Robinson James , Barker Dominic J , Georgiou Xenia , Cooper Michael A , Flicek Paul , Marsh Steven G E
Published: October 2019

The IPD-IMGT/HLA Database, http://www.ebi.ac.uk/ipd/imgt/hla/, currently contains over 25 000 allele sequence for 45 genes, which are located within the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) of the human genome. This region is the most polymorphic region of the human genome, and the levels of polymorphism seen exceed most other genes. Some of the genes have several thousand variants and are now termed hyperpolymorphic, rather than just simply polymorphic. The IPD-IMGT/HLA Database has provided a stable, highly accessible, user-friendly repository for this information, providing the scientific and medical community access to the many variant sequences of this gene system, that are critical for the successful outcome of transplantation. The number of currently known variants, and dramatic increase in the number of new variants being identified has necessitated a dedicated resource with custom tools for curation and publication. The challenge for the database is to continue to provide a highly curated database of sequence variants, while supporting the increased number of submissions and complexity of sequences. In order to do this, traditional methods of accessing and presenting data will be challenged, and new methods will need to be utilized to keep pace with new discoveries.
Predictors of Complications, Functional Outcome, and Morbidity in a Large Cohort Treated With Flow Diversion
Authors: Sweid Ahmad , Starke Robert M , Herial Nabeel , Chalouhi Nohra , Das Somnath , Baldassari Michael P , Alexander Tyler D , Tjoumakaris Stavropoula , Gooch M Reid , Hasan David , Rosenwasser Robert H , Romo Victor , Jabbour Pascal
Published: October 2019

BACKGROUND

A dramatic improvement in obliteration rates of large, wide-necked aneurysms has been observed after the FDA approved the Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) in 2011.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the predictors of complications, morbidity, and unfavorable outcomes in a large cohort of patients with aneurysms treated with PED.

METHODS

A retrospective chart review of a prospectively maintained database for subjects treated with flow diversion from 2010 to 2019.

RESULTS

A total of 598 aneurysms were treated during a period extending from 2010 to 2019 (84.28% females, mean age 55.5 yr, average aneurysm size 8.49 mm). Morbidity occurred at a rate of 5.8% and mortality at a rate of 2.2%. Ischemic stroke occurred at a rate of 3%, delayed aneurysmal rupture (DAR) at 1.2%, and distal intraparenchymal hemorrhage (DIPH) at 1.5%. On multivariate analysis, the predictor of stroke was aneurysm size >15 mm. Predictors of DAR were previous subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), increasing aneurysm size, and posterior circulation aneurysm. Predictors of DIPH were using more than 1 PED and baseline P2Y12 value. Predictors of in-stent stenosis were the increasing year of treatment and balloon angioplasty, whereas increasing age and previous treatment were negatively associated with in-stent stenosis. Predictors of morbidity were posterior circulation aneurysms, increasing aneurysm size, and hypertension, and incidental aneurysm diagnosis was protective for morbidity.

CONCLUSION

Flow diversion is a safe and effective treatment option for aneurysms. A better understanding of predictive factors of complications, morbidity, and functional outcomes is of high importance for a more accurate risk assessment.
Comparing Effects of Treatment: Controlling for Confounding
Authors: Yan Han , Karmur Brij S , Kulkarni Abhaya V
Published: October 2019

BACKGROUND

Determining true causal links between an intervention and an outcome forms an imperative task in research studies in neurosurgery. Although the study results sometimes demonstrate clear statistical associations, it is important to ensure that this represents a true causal link. A confounding variable, or confounder, affects the association between a potential predictor and an outcome.

OBJECTIVE

To discuss what confounding is and the means by which it can be eliminated or controlled.

METHODS

We identified neurosurgical research studies demonstrating the principles of eliminating confounding by means of study design and data analysis.

RESULTS

In this report, we outline the role of confounding in neurosurgical studies after giving an overview of its identification. We report on the definition of confounding and effect modification, and the differences in the 2. We explain study design techniques to eliminate confounding, including simple, block, stratified, and minimization randomization, along with restriction of sample and matching. Data analysis techniques of eliminating confounding include regression analysis, propensity scoring, and subgroup analysis.

CONCLUSION

Understanding confounding is important for conducting a good research study. Study design techniques provide the best way to control for confounders, but when not possible to alter study design, data analysis techniques can also provide an effective control.
Time-Varying Risk Premium and Unemployment Risk across Age Groups
Authors: Mitra Indrajit , Xu Yu
Published: October 2019

We show that time-varying risk premium in financial markets can explain a key, yet puzzling, feature of labor markets: the large differences in unemployment risk across worker age groups over the business cycle. Our search model features a time-varying risk premium and learning about unobserved heterogeneity in worker productivity. Their interaction generates large real effects through firms’ labor policies. Our model predicts higher unemployment risk of younger workers relative to prime-age workers when risk premium is high, and the employment ratio of prime-age to young workers to be more cyclical in high beta industries. We find empirical support for these predictions.

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.
Choosing the right home: settlement responses by larvae of six sea urchin species align with hydrodynamic traits of their contrasting adult habitats
Authors: Hodin Jason , Ferner Matthew C , Gaylord Brian
Published: October 2019

Ocean organisms as diverse as seaweeds and sea cucumbers exhibit life cycles in which dispersal occurs primarily via microscopic larvae or spores, with adults exhibiting limited or even no dispersal. In benthic animals, the larval stage concludes with irreversible settlement into the benthos. The decision of where and when to settle is thus one of substantial import. Prior work has shown that settlement in two shoreline echinoids (a sea urchin and a sand dollar) is unexpectedly sensitive to an environmental feature (intense fluid turbulence) that can be considered as a signal to larvae of their arrival in the neighbourhood of the hydrodynamically energetic habitats in which these taxa live as adults. Here, we used a comparative approach to explore the evolution of turbulence responsiveness in late-stage echinoid larvae. We examined three pairs of closely related sea urchins that differ in the energetic exposure of their adult habitats and found that larval responsiveness to turbulence was more pronounced in urchins that settle in more hydrodynamically exposed locations. These results raise the possibility that evolutionary differences in larval responsiveness to environmental indicators of appropriate adult habitat might reinforce or even provide a mechanism for vicariance in the ocean.