bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Statistical Correlation Measures From Higher‐Order Moments in Quantum Oscillator Systems
Authors: Salazar Saúl J. C. , Laguna Humberto G. , Sagar Robin P.
Published: March 2021

Triple‐wise and higher‐order correlation measures are proposed using analogies from information theory. Two‐ and three‐variable statistical correlation measures, obtained from higher‐order moments, are examined in three‐particle continuous variable quantum oscillator systems. It is illustrated how the mutual information and cokurtosis measures exhibit similar behaviors, as the strength of the attractive or repulsive interparticle potential is varied.
Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 Mediates Alcohol‐Induced Colorectal Cancer Immune Escape through Stabilizing PD‐L1 Expression
Authors: Zhang Hong , Xia Yuhui , Wang Fang , Luo Min , Yang Ke , Liang Shaobo , An Sainan , Wu Shaocong , Yang Chuan , Chen Da , Xu Meng , Cai Muyan , To Kenneth K. W. , Fu Liwu
Published: March 2021

Despite the great success of immunotherapy in a small subset of cancer patients, most colorectal cancer (CRC) patients do not respond to programmed cell death receptor 1 (PD‐1) blockade immunotherapy. There is an urgent medical need to elucidate how cancer cells evade immune response and to develop novel means to boost the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors. In this study, alcohol induces ligand programmed cell death receptor 1 (PD‐L1) expression of CRC cells in vitro and in vivo. Alcohol exposure is shown to induce aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) expression that is a crucial enzyme involved in alcohol metabolism, and low level of lymphocytes infiltration in the murine CRC model and patients. Intriguingly, ALDH2 and PD‐L1 protein expression are positively correlated in tumor tissues from the CRC patients. Mechanistically, ALDH2 stabilizes PD‐L1 protein expression by physically interacting with the intracellular segment of PD‐L1 and inhibiting its proteasome‐dependent degradation mediated by an E3 ubiquitin ligase Speckle Type POZ Protein (SPOP). Importantly, inhibition of ALDH2 reduces PD‐L1 protein in CRC cells and promotes tumor‐infiltrating T cells (TILs) infiltration, presumably leading to the significant potentiation of anti‐PD‐1 antibody efficacy in a mouse CT26 CRC model. The findings highlight a crucial role played by ALDH2 to facilitate alcohol‐mediated tumor escape from immunity surveillance and promote tumor progression.
What is normal, healthy growth? Global health, human biology, and parental perspectives
Authors: Thompson Amanda L.
Published: March 2021

Objectives

The widespread variation seen in human growth globally stands at odds with the global health perspective that young child growth should not vary across populations if nutritional, environmental and care needs are met. This paper: (1) evaluates the idea that a single standard of “healthy” growth characterizes children under age 5, (2) discusses how variation from this standard is viewed in global health, in human biology and by parents, and (3) explores how views of “normal” growth shape biomedical and parental responses.

Methods

This paper reviews the anthropological, public health and clinical literature on the nature of child growth and the applicability of World Health Organization Multicenter Growth Reference Study growth standards across contexts.

Results

The considerable variability in child growth across contexts makes it unlikely that any one framework, with issues of sample selection and representativeness, can serve as the model of healthy growth. Global health, human biology and parents differ in the emphasis they place on heredity versus environmental context in understanding this variability, but human biologists and parents tend to view a wider range of growth as “normal.” Since both biomedicine and parents base their care decisions on their perceptions of normal, healthy growth, the comparative framework used has important implications for medical treatment and feeding practices.

Conclusions

A more nuanced approach that incorporates the biology of growth and its association with health outcomes across contexts is critical to identify patterns of healthy growth and to avoid over‐reliance on a single standard that may pathologize variability.
An insight into molecular structures, fluorescent, and catalytic oxidase properties of novel heteromultinuclear [CuII4SmIII2] and [CuII2TbIII] bis (salamo)‐based complexes
Authors: Guo Shuang‐Zhu , Feng Tao , Feng Shan‐Shan , Zhang Yang , Dong Wen‐Kui , Ding Yu‐Jie
Published: March 2021

Two newly designed heteromultinuclear [CuII4SmIII2] and [CuII2TbIII] bis (salamo)‐based complexes, [{Cu2(L)Sm (NO3)2(μ2‐NO3)(CH3OH)}2]·2CH3OH and [Cu2(L)Tb (NO3)2(μ2‐NO3)][Cu2(L)Tb (NO3)2(μ2‐NO3)(H2O)]·CH3OH, were synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectra, ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) absorption spectra, and X‐ray crystallography. The ultraviolet titration experiments exhibited that the coordination ratio of the ligand, rare earth metal, and transition metal is 1:1:2. In the [CuII4SmIII2] complex, Cu1 atom has a distorted quadrilateral pyramid geometry, whereas Cu2 atom forms a slightly distorted octahedral geometry. The [CuII2TbIII] complex unit cell contains two crystallographically independent and chemically different heterotrinuclear complexes (Molecules A and B). In Molecule A, the Cu1 atom bears a four‐coordinated plane quadrilateral geometry, whereas the five‐coordinated Cu2 atom forms a slightly distorted tetragonal cone geometry. In Molecule B, the five‐coordinated Cu3 and Cu4 atoms possess slightly distorted tetragonal cone geometries. Noncovalent interactions like hydrogen bonding and π···π stacking interactions are operative in construction of supramolecular architectures. The [CuII2TbIII] complex behaves as a catalyst towards oxidative coupling of 2‐AP in MeCN medium. In addition, fluorescence properties of the ligand H4L and its [CuII4SmIII2] and [CuII2TbIII] complexes have also been discussed.
Influence of surfactants on rheological behaviors of polyacrylonitrile/dimethyl sulfoxide/silicon blending polymer solutions
Authors: Yuan Shuxia , Guo Yue , Ren Xiaodan , Li Dongsheng , Lu Chunxiang
Published: March 2021

KH550, KH560, CTAB, and F127 were adopted to modify silicon (Si) to improve the dispersity and stability of Si in the polyacrylonitrile/dimethyl sulfoxide (PAN/DMSO) polymer solutions. The influence of surfactants on rheological behaviors of PAN/DMSO/Si blending polymer solutions was investigated by an advanced solution and melt rotation rheometer. The homogeneity and stability were also studied. The results showed that the surfactants could change the viscosity dependence of blending polymer solutions on shear rate, temperature and storage time by increase the steric hindrance of Si. Among the four solutions, PAN/DMSO/Si blending polymer solution with F127 exhibited the lowest viscosity, activation energy and the smallest structural viscosity index and exhibited the trend close to the Newtonian fluids. Moreover, PAN/DMSO/Si blending polymer solution with F127 exhibited the best dispersity and stability, indicating its best physical properties and machinability.
Study on performances of graphite‐filled polypropylene/polyamide 6 composites manufactured by fused deposition modeling
Authors: Wang Shuzhan , He Hui , Peng Xiaodong , Chen Handong
Published: March 2021

The application and development of 3D printing technology are greatly restricted due to the poor performance and single‐function of the manufactured products. Therefore, it is still an important topic to develop 3D printing products with excellent performance and multi‐functions. In this study, a novel graphite‐filled polypropylene/polyamide 6 composite was successfully prepared using fused deposition modeling (FDM, one of the most popular 3D printing technologies). The effects of graphite on printing quality, melt‐crystallization behavior and thermal stability of the composites were studied. In addition, the influence of different printing arrangements on the electrical conductivity and mechanical properties of the composite were also studied, and the existing performance regulation mechanisms were deeply explored through the microscopic morphology characterization (graphite sheet orientation and void distribution) and force analysis. This work demonstrates that components with specific performance requirements can be tuned and manufactured using FDM, which further expands the application and development of 3D printing technology in the field of functional composite materials.
The rise of multiple institutional affiliations in academia
Authors: Hottenrott Hanna , Rose Michael E. , Lawson Cornelia
Published: March 2021

This study provides the first systematic, international, large‐scale evidence on the extent and nature of multiple institutional affiliations on journal publications. Studying more than 15 million authors and 22 million articles from 40 countries we document that: In 2019, almost one in three articles was (co‐)authored by authors with multiple affiliations and the share of authors with multiple affiliations increased from around 10% to 16% since 1996. The growth of multiple affiliations is prevalent in all fields and it is stronger in high impact journals. About 60% of multiple affiliations are between institutions from within the academic sector. International co‐affiliations, which account for about a quarter of multiple affiliations, most often involve institutions from the United States, China, Germany and the United Kingdom, suggesting a core‐periphery network. Network analysis also reveals a number communities of countries that are more likely to share affiliations. We discuss potential causes and show that the timing of the rise in multiple affiliations can be linked to the introduction of more competitive funding structures such as “excellence initiatives” in a number of countries. We discuss implications for science and science policy.
Network‐based semisupervised clustering
Authors: Frigau Luca , Contu Giulia , Mola Francesco , Conversano Claudio
Published: March 2021

Semisupervised clustering extends standard clustering methods to the semisupervised setting, in some cases considering situations when clusters are associated with a given outcome variable that acts as a “noisy surrogate,” that is a good proxy of the unknown clustering structure. In this article, a novel approach to semisupervised clustering associated with an outcome variable named network‐based semisupervised clustering (NeSSC) is introduced. It combines an initialization, a training and an agglomeration phase. In the initialization and training a matrix of pairwise affinity of the instances is estimated by a classifier. In the agglomeration phase the matrix of pairwise affinity is transformed into a complex network, in which a community detection algorithm searches the underlying community structure. Thus, a partition of the instances into clusters highly homogeneous in terms of the outcome is obtained. We consider a particular specification of NeSSC that uses classification or regression trees as classifiers and the Louvain, Label propagation and Walktrap as possible community detection algorithm. NeSSC's stopping criterion and the choice of the optimal partition of the original data are also discussed. Several applications on both real and simulated data are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed semisupervised clustering method and the benefits it provides in terms of improved interpretability of results with respect to three alternative semisupervised clustering methods.
Occupational Exposure to Extremely Low‐Frequency Magnetic Fields and Risk of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Results of a Feasibility Study for a Pooled Analysis of Original Data
Authors: Baaken Dan , Dechent Dagmar , Blettner Maria , Drießen Sarah , Merzenich Hiltrud
Published: March 2021

Previous meta‐analyses have suggested an increased risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) associated with occupational exposure to extremely low‐frequency magnetic fields (ELF‐MF). However, results should be interpreted with caution since studies were methodologically heterogeneous. Here, we assessed the feasibility of a pooling study to harmonize and re‐analyze available original data. A systematic literature search was conducted. Published epidemiological studies were identified in PubMed and EMF‐Portal from literature databases′ inception dates until January 2019. The characteristics of all studies were described, including exposure metrics, exposure categories, and confounders. A survey among the principal investigators (PI) was carried out to assess their willingness to provide their original data. The statistical power of a pooling study was evaluated. We identified 15 articles published between 1997 and 2019. Studies differed in terms of outcome, study population, exposure assessment, and exposure metrics. Most studies assessed ELF‐MF as average magnetic flux density per working day; however, exposure categories varied widely. The pattern of adjustment for confounders was heterogeneous between studies, with age, sex, and socioeconomic status being most frequent. Eight PI expressed their willingness to provide original data. A relative risk of ≥1.14 for ALS and occupational exposure to ELF‐MF can be detected with a power of more than 80% in a pooled study. The pooling of original data is recommended and could contribute to a better understanding of ELF‐MF in the etiology of ALS based on a large database and reduced heterogeneity due to a standardized analysis protocol with harmonized exposure metrics and exposure categories. Bioelectromagnetics. © 2021 Bioelectromagnetics Society.
Inducible fold‐switching as a mechanism to fibrillate pro‐apoptotic BCL‐2 proteins
Authors: Morris Daniel L. , Tjandra Nico
Published: March 2021

Neurodegenerative diseases often are associated with cellular dysregulation that results in premature cell death or apoptosis. A common example is the accumulation of amyloid plaques that promotes the excessive expression of p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase. The increased abundance of this enzyme leads to mass phosphorylation and activation of a protein from the B‐cell lymphoma 2 (BCL‐2) family, BAX. BAX is the central regulatory protein for mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP), a poration process that commits cells to apoptosis by releasing death‐propagating factors from the mitochondria. Recent reports identify a naturally occurring peptide, Humanin (HN), that could block amyloid‐beta‐associated neuronal apoptosis by interacting with BCL‐2 proteins. We recently showed humanin interaction leads to the amyloid‐like fibrillation of BAX and a second BCL‐2 family member, BID. We proposed this as a novel anti‐apoptotic mechanism that inhibits pro‐apoptotic BCL‐2 proteins from initiating MOMP by sequestering them into fibrils, a heretofore unprecedented phenomenon that involves refolding globular BCL‐2 proteins rapidly into fibrils where they undergo significant alpha‐helix to beta‐sheet fold‐switching. Here we seek to further characterize the fibrillation and fold‐switch in conditions that are known to induce amyloid fibrillation.
Revascularisation strategies in patients with significant left main coronary disease during the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Mohamed Mohamed O. , Curzen Nick , de Belder Mark , Goodwin Andrew T. , Spratt James C , Balacumaraswami Lognathen , Deanfield John , Martin Glen P. , Rashid Muhammad , Shoaib Ahmad , Gale Chris P , Kinnaird Tim , Mamas Mamas A.
Published: March 2021

Background

There are limited data on the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on left main (LM) coronary revascularisation activity, choice of revascularisation strategy, and post‐procedural outcomes.

Methods

All patients with LM disease (≥50% stenosis) undergoing coronary revascularisation in England between January 1, 2017 and August 19, 2020 were included (n = 22,235), stratified by time‐period (pre‐COVID: 01/01/2017–29/2/2020; COVID: 1/3/2020–19/8/2020) and revascularisation strategy (percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) vs. coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Logistic regression models were performed to examine odds ratio (OR) of 1) receipt of CABG (vs. PCI) and 2) in‐hospital and 30‐day postprocedural mortality, in the COVID‐19 period (vs. pre‐COVID).

Results

There was a decline of 1,354 LM revascularisation procedures between March 1, 2020 and July 31, 2020 compared with previous years' (2017–2019) averages (−48.8%). An increased utilization of PCI over CABG was observed in the COVID period (receipt of CABG vs. PCI: OR 0.46 [0.39, 0.53] compared with 2017), consistent across all age groups. No difference in adjusted in‐hospital or 30‐day mortality was observed between pre‐COVID and COVID periods for both PCI (odds ratio (OR): 0.72 [0.51. 1.02] and 0.83 [0.62, 1.11], respectively) and CABG (OR 0.98 [0.45, 2.14] and 1.51 [0.77, 2.98], respectively) groups.

Conclusion

LM revascularisation activity has significantly declined during the COVID period, with a shift towards PCI as the preferred strategy. Postprocedural mortality within each revascularisation group was similar in the pre‐COVID and COVID periods, reflecting maintenance in quality of outcomes during the pandemic. Future measures are required to safely restore LM revascularisation activity to pre‐COVID levels.
A comparative study of black‐box optimization heuristics for online tuning of high performance computing I/O accelerators
Authors: Robert Sophie , Zertal Soraya , Vaumourin Grégory , Couvée Philippe
Published: March 2021

High performance computing (HPC) applications' behaviors rely on highly configurable software environments and hardware devices. Finding their optimal parametrization is a complex task, as the size of their parametric space and the non‐linear behavior of HPC systems make hand‐tuning, theoretical modeling or exhaustive sampling unsuitable in most cases. In this article, we propose an online auto‐tuner that relies on black‐box optimization to find the optimal parametrization of input/output (I/O) accelerators for a given HPC application in a limited number of iterations, without making any assumption on the behavior of the tuned system. As many heuristics are available in the literature, we need to guarantee the quality of the tuning by selecting the most appropriate one. To do so, we provide a comparative study of the efficiency of three heuristics applied to tuning two I/O accelerators developed by the Atos company: a pure software accelerator (small read optimizer) and a mixed hardware‐software one (smart burst buffer). To select the most efficient heuristic for our use case, we define several new metrics to evaluate the quality of an auto‐tuner, in an online and offline settings. We find that genetic algorithms provide a faster convergence rate and a faster computation time but surrogate models provide a better score in terms of both distance to the optimum and trajectory stability. Overall, the obtained results show that auto‐tuning heuristics improve the execution time of applications used conjointly with both SRO and SBB accelerators.
Sex and Gender Differences in Clinical Pharmacology: Implications for Transgender Medicine
Authors: Cirrincione Lauren R. , Huang Kai J.
Published: March 2021

The transgender adult population is growing globally, but clinical pharmacology has lagged behind other areas of transgender medicine. Medical care for transgender adults may include long‐term testosterone or estrogen treatment to align secondary sex characteristics with gender identity. Clinicians often use drug–drug interaction data from the general adult population to predict medication disposition or safety among transgender adults. However, this approach does not address the complex pharmacodynamic effects of hormone therapy in transgender adults. In this review, we critically examine sex‐related and gender‐related differences in clinical pharmacology and apply these data to discuss current gaps in transgender medicine.
The Contributions of Clinical Pharmacology to HIV Cure Research
Authors: Fletcher Courtney V. , Dyavar Shetty Ravi , Acharya Arpan , Byrareddy Siddappa N.
Published: March 2021

Combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) can suppress plasma HIV‐RNA to < 50 copies/mL, decrease HIV transmission, reduce mortality, and improve quality of life for people living with HIV. ART cannot, however, eliminate HIV from an infected individual. The primary barrier to cure HIV infection is the multiple reservoir sites, including adipose tissue, bone marrow, central nervous system, liver, lungs, male and female reproductive system, secondary lymph nodes, and gut‐associated lymphoid tissue, established 1 to 2 weeks after acquisition of HIV. Additional challenges include understanding the mechanism(s) by which HIV is maintained at low or undetectable levels and developing treatments that will eradicate or produce a sustained suppression of virus without ART. To date, the most extensive clinical investigations of cure strategies have been the shock‐and‐kill approach using histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) to induce reactivation of latent HIV. Despite evidence for HIV latency reversal, HDACis alone have not decreased the size of the latent reservoir. Clinical pharmacologic explanations for these results include a low inhibitory quotient (i.e., low potency) within the reservoir sites and intrinsic (e.g., sex differences and reservoir size) and extrinsic (physiochemical and pharmacokinetic drug characteristics) factors. We offer an outline of desired clinical pharmacologic attributes for therapeutics intended for clinical HIV cure research and call for research teams to have early and ongoing involvement of clinical pharmacologists. We believe such a collective effort will provide a solid scientific basis and hope for reaching the goal of a cure for HIV infection.
Study on the Regulation of Piracetam Crystallization Behavior
Authors: Xu Ronghui , Xu Tingting , Wang Guosheng
Published: March 2021

Powder X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and molecular simulation techniques are used to analyze the crystallization of piracetam under different solvents and different cooling rates. The crystallization of piracetam in methanol system is controlled by thermodynamics, and it is easy to form stable polymorph. The crystallization of piracetam in isopropanol system is controlled by kinetics and forms metastable polymorph. The crystallization of piracetam in the ethanol system is controlled by thermodynamics and kinetics, and the cooling rate affects the formation of the crystal polymorphs, which is easy to be mixed. Dmol3 is used to calculate the energy, electrostatic potential, and frontier orbital energy of piracetam molecules in form II and form III configurations molecules in different systems. The results show that the methanol system is easier to form stable polymorph than the ethanol system.
Optimal wavelets with Binary Phase Shift Keying modulator utilized simulation analysis of 4G/5G OFDM systems
Authors: Simon Judy , Prabakaran N.
Published: March 2021

Long‐Term Evolution (LTE) is progressively observed as a promising innovation for serving Internet of Things (IoT) because of high information rate, low dormancy, need services, and so forth. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) meets the LTE needs to extend adaptability and enables cost‐profitable reactions for especially wide transporters. LTE contributes enormous information esteems with low inertness, improved services, and lower costs and takes into consideration range reexamining, on account of the recurrence and transfer speed adaptability. In this exploration work, 4G/5G received OFDM was proposed under binary‐phase shift keying (BPSK) guideline and multi‐equalizer. To diminish the bit error rate (BER), ideal wavelet coefficients are utilized in the transmitter end. Here, the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) is applied in input signals to choose the ideal wavelet coefficients Binary Firefly (BFF) calculation. At that point, ideal coefficients are accomplished; the balance BPSK is utilized for serial measure. Eventually, the multi‐equalizer such as maximum likelihood (MLE) and minimized mean square error (MMSE) are utilized to decrease BER in the OFDM model. The execution of the proposed strategy is dissected with boundaries BER, symbol error rate (SER), mean square error (MSE), and spectral efficiency. The proposed strategy gives accurate outcomes contrasted with existing methods.
Spring understory herbs flower later in intensively managed forests
Authors: Willems Franziska M. , Scheepens J. F. , Ammer Christian , Block Svenja , Bucharova Anna , Schall Peter , Sehrt Melissa , Bossdorf Oliver
Published: March 2021

Many organisms respond to anthropogenic environmental change through shifts in their phenology. In plants, flowering is largely driven by temperature, and therefore affected by climate change. However, on smaller scales climatic conditions are also influenced by other factors, including habitat structure. A group of plants with a particularly distinct phenology are the understory herbs in temperate European forests. In these forests, management alters tree species composition (often replacing deciduous with coniferous species) and homogenizes stand structure, and as a consequence changes light conditions and microclimate. Forest management should thus also affect the phenology of understory herbs. To test this, we recorded the flowering phenology of 16 early‐flowering herbs on 100 forest plots varying in management intensity, from near‐natural to intensely managed forests, in central and southern Germany. We found that in forest stands with a high management intensity, such as Norway spruce plantations, the plants flowered on average about 2 weeks later than in unmanaged forests. This was largely because management also affected microclimate (e.g., spring temperatures of 5.9°C in managed coniferous, 6.7 in managed deciduous, and 7.0°C in unmanaged deciduous plots), which in turn affected phenology, with plants flowering later on colder and moister forest stands (+4.5 d per −1°C and 2.7 d per 10% humidity increase). Among forest characteristics, the percentage of conifers had the greatest influence on microclimate, but also the age, overall crown projection area, structural complexity and spatial distribution of the forest stands. Our study indicates that forest management alters plant phenology, with potential far‐reaching consequences for the ecology and evolution of understorey communities. More generally, our study demonstrates that besides climate change other drivers of environmental change, too, can influence the phenology of organisms.
Predation release of Texas horned lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) living in small towns
Authors: Mirkin Stephen , Tucker Mary R. , Williams Dean A.
Published: March 2021

Texas horned lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) have a number of ways to avoid predation, including camouflage, sharp cranial horns, flattening of the body, and the ability to squirt blood from the eyes. These characteristics and their relatively low survival rates in the wild suggest these lizards are under high predation pressure. These lizards have been declining in much of their eastern range due to increased urbanization, agriculture, and loss of prey species. However, they can be still be found in some small south Texas towns where they can reach densities that are much higher (~50 lizards/ha) than in natural areas (~4–10 lizards/ha). We hypothesized that one reason for the high densities observed in these towns may be due to reduced predation pressure. We used model Texas horned lizards to test whether predation levels were lower in two south Texas towns than on a nearby ranch. We constructed models from urethane foam, a material that is ideal for preserving marks left behind by predators. Models (n = 126) and control pieces of foam (n = 21) were left in the field for 9 days in each location in early and late summer and subsequent predation marks were categorized by predator taxa. We observed significantly more predation attempts on the models than on controls and significantly fewer attempts in town (n = 1) compared with the ranch (n = 60). On the ranch, avian predation attempts appear to be common especially when the models did not match the color of the soil. Our results suggest that human‐modified environments that have suitable habitat and food resources may provide a refuge for some prey species like horned lizards from predators.
The genetic architecture of behavioral traits in a spider
Authors: Kralj‐Fišer Simona , Schneider Jutta M. , Kuntner Matjaž , Laskowski Kate , Garcia‐Gonzalez Francisco
Published: March 2021

The existence of consistent individual differences in behavior has been shown in a number of species, and several studies have found observable sex differences in these behaviors, yet their evolutionary implications remain unclear. Understanding the evolutionary dynamics of behavioral traits requires knowledge of their genetic architectures and whether this architecture differs between the sexes. We conducted a quantitative genetic study in a sexually size‐dimorphic spider, Larinioides sclopetarius, which exhibits sex differences in adult lifestyles. We observed pedigreed spiders for aggression, activity, exploration, and boldness and used animal models to disentangle genetic and environmental influences on these behaviors. We detected trends toward (i) higher additive genetic variances in aggression, activity, and exploration in males than females, and (ii) difference in variances due to common environment/maternal effects, permanent environment and residual variance in aggression and activity with the first two variances being higher in males for both behaviors. We found no sex differences in the amount of genetic and environmental variance in boldness. The mean heritability estimates of aggression, activity, exploration, and boldness range from 0.039 to 0.222 with no sizeable differences between females and males. We note that the credible intervals of the estimates are large, implying a high degree of uncertainty, which disallow a robust conclusion of sex differences in the quantitative genetic estimates. However, the observed estimates suggest that sex differences in the quantitative genetic architecture of the behaviors cannot be ruled out. Notably, the present study suggests that genetic underpinnings of behaviors may differ between sexes and it thus underscores the importance of taking sex differences into account in quantitative genetic studies.
Pleistocene divergence in the absence of gene flow among populations of a viviparous reptile with intraspecific variation in sex determination
Authors: Hill Peta , Wapstra Erik , Ezaz Tariq , Burridge Christopher P.
Published: March 2021

Polymorphisms can lead to genetic isolation if there is differential mating success among conspecifics divergent for a trait. Polymorphism for sex‐determining system may fall into this category, given strong selection for the production of viable males and females and the low success of heterogametic hybrids when sex chromosomes differ (Haldane's rule). Here we investigated whether populations exhibiting polymorphism for sex determination are genetically isolated, using the viviparous snow skink Carinascincus ocellatus. While a comparatively high elevation population has genotypic sex determination, in a lower elevation population there is an additional temperature component to sex determination. Based on 11,107 SNP markers, these populations appear genetically isolated. “Isolation with Migration” analysis also suggests these populations diverged in the absence of gene flow, across a period encompassing multiple Pleistocene glaciations and likely greater geographic proximity of populations. However, further experiments are required to establish whether genetic isolation may be a cause or consequence of differences in sex determination. Given the influence of temperature on sex in one lineage, we also discuss the implications for the persistence of this polymorphism under climate change.
Sex differences in patients with cardiogenic shock
Authors: Yan Isabell , Schrage Benedikt , Weimann Jessica , Dabboura Salim , Hilal Rafel , Beer Benedikt N. , Becher Peter Moritz , Seiffert Moritz , Magnussen Christina , B. Schnabel Renate , Kirchhof Paulus , Blankenberg Stefan , Westermann Dirk
Published: March 2021

Aims

Differences between female and male patients in clinical presentation, causes and treatment of cardiogenic shock (CS) are poorly understood. We aimed to investigate sex differences in presentation with and treatment of CS.

Methods and results

We analysed data of 978 patients presenting with CS to a tertiary care hospital between October 2009 and October 2017. Multivariable adjusted logistic/Cox regression models were fitted to investigate the association between sex and clinical presentation, use of treatments and 30 day mortality.

Median age was 70 years (interquartile range 58–79 years), and 295 (30.2%) patients were female. After adjustment for multiple relevant confounders, female patients were more likely to be older [odds ratio (OR) 1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–1.42, P = 0.027], but other relevant presentation characteristics did not differ between both sexes. Despite the similar presentation, female patients were less likely to be treated with percutaneous left ventricular assist devices (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.64–0.94, P = 0.010), but more likely to be treated with catecholamines (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.02–1.44, P = 0.033) or vasopressors (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.05–1.50, P = 0.012). A 30 day mortality risk in female patients was as high as in male patients (hazard ratio 1.08, 95% CI 1.00–1.18, P = 0.091).

Conclusions

In this large, contemporary cohort, clinical presentation was comparable in female and male patients, and both sexes were associated with a comparably high mortality risk. Nevertheless, female patients received different treatment for CS and were most importantly less likely to be treated with percutaneous left ventricular assist devices.
Cross‐Linked Polymeric Micelles as Catalytic Nanoreactors
Authors: Qu Peiyuan , Kuepfert Michael , Ahmed Eman , Liu Fangbei , Weck Marcus
Published: March 2021

Cross‐linked micelles have emerged as promising catalyst supports over the past two decades due to their improved structural stability, chemical diversity in multiple domains, and catalyst recovery compared to their uncross‐linked analogues. We highlight the different physicochemical properties that arise by cross‐linking the shell or core‐domain and the subsequent impact on catalysis. Both, shell cross‐linked micelles (SCMs) and core cross‐linked micelles (CCMs) were initially designed to include one catalytic entity. Later on, SCMs were used to compartmentalize catalysts for non‐orthogonal tandem catalysis while CCMs were investigated as phase transfer agents in biphasic catalysis. Current challenges in this field and new design trends for advanced micellar nanoreactors are discussed.
Cost‐effective and Facile Production of a Phosphorus‐doped Graphite Electrode for the Electrochemical Determination of Pyridoxine
Authors: Dokur Ebrar , Gorduk Ozge , Sahin Yucel
Published: March 2021

In this study; a sensitive, selective, and simple electrochemical sensor was developed to determine low concentration pyridoxine (Py) using a phosphorus‐doped pencil graphite electrode (P‐doped/PGE). Electrode modification was implemented using the chronoamperometry method at +2.0 V constant potential and 100 seconds in 0.1 mol L−1 H3PO4 supporting electrolyte solution. The characterization processes of the P‐doped/PGE were carried out using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX), and atomic force microscope (AFM) methods. In the concentration study, using the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) method, a linear calibration plot was acquired in the concentration range of 0.5 to 300 μmol L−1 Py. The limit of quantification (LOQ) and limit of detection (LOD) of the developed method were calculated as 0.219 μmol L−1 and 0.0656 μmol L−1, respectively. Detection of Py has been successfully performed on the P‐doped/PGE in the beverage samples. As a result, the method developed has been shown to have fast, low cost, and simple for the sensitive and selective detection of Py as an effective electrode.
Graduate programs admissions: the whole person approach
Authors: Barksdale W. Kevin
Published: March 2021

The December 2020 issue featured commentary from Dr. Guillermo Prado, Vice Provost of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Miami. He suggested the GMAT and GRE should be dropped as a graduate admission requirement to improve program and campus diversity. Dr. Prado ushered in a new season at the University of Miami this past fall without standardized tests in graduate programs after extensive planning. I extend his commentary and offer a “whole person approach” to admissions.
Review these lessons learned for successful in‐person campus tours
Authors: Pavlik Amelia
Published: March 2021

The number of guests who have participated in campus walking tours at Texas A&M University between July 1, 2020, and Jan. 31, 2021? 11,814. That's almost double the number of people who participated in virtual tours since April 2020.
Study the heat dissipation performance of lithium‐ion battery liquid cooling system based on flat heat pipe
Authors: Hu Hao , Xu Xiaoming , Li Renzheng , Yuan Qiuqi , Fu Jiaqi
Published: March 2021

This paper improves the thermal management system of lithium‐ion battery through the high thermal conductivity flat heat pipe, and attempts to improve its performance. The adoption of flat heat pipes reduces the problem of poor heat dissipation in the direction of the coolant flow when the liquid cooling plate is used alone, and increases the heat conduction in the longitudinal direction of the battery. A three‐dimensional simulation model is established to study the influence of the number and width of flat heat pipes on the maximum temperature rise and temperature difference of lithium‐ion batteries at a certain discharge rate. It is found that after adding flat heat pipes, the maximum temperature rise and temperature difference of the battery decreased. The heat dissipation performance reaches the best when the flat heat pipe number is 11 and the maximum temperature difference can be controlled below 5°C at 3 C discharge rate with 11 flat heat pipes.
Differential game evolution of food quality safety based on market supply and demand
Authors: Chen Tingqiang , Zhang Jun , Luo Jun
Published: March 2021

Frequent outbreaks of food quality and safety problems have seriously damaged the interests of consumers and reduced their confidence in China's food safety. In this study based on market supply and demand, we design a differential game model between food supplier and food retailer by considering different decision‐making situations. We also analyze the optimal revenue of the food supplier and food retailer on food quality efforts, the overall return of the supply chain, the level of food quality and safety, and their evolutionary characteristics. Results of the analysis indicate the following. (a) From the situation of decentralized decision‐making to the situation of decision‐making under the incentive strategy, a Pareto improvement occurs in the food quality and safety strategy of food supplier, food retailer, and even the entire food supply chain. (b) The optimal revenues of the supplier and retailer, overall supply chain revenue, and efforts of the supplier and retailer are all affected by changes in market supply and demand, resulting in drastic fluctuations. On the whole, food quality tends to improve over time and will fluctuate slightly due to changes in market supply and demand. (c) If the market supply is stable when supply exceeds demand and the market demand turns from a downward trend to an upward trend, then food quality safety risk will be higher than in other periods.
Could Nanotheranostics be the Answer to the Coronavirus Crisis?
Authors: Mosselhy Dina A. , Assad Mhd Adel , Sironen Tarja , Elbahri Mady
Published: March 2021

The COVID‐19 pandemic is expanding worldwide. This pandemic associated with COVID‐19 placed the spotlight on how bacterial (e.g., methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus) co‐infections may impact responses to coronavirus. In this review the ways in which nanoparticles can contain and rapidly diagnose COVID‐19 under the umbrella of nanotheranostics (i.e., smart, single agents combining nanodiagnostics and nanotherapeutics) are elaborated. The present work provides new insights into the promising incorporation of antiviral nanotheranostics into nanostructured materials, including electrospun fibers with tailored pore sizes and hydrophobicity, namely “superhydrophobic self‐disinfecting electrospun facemasks/fabrics (SSEF).” SSEFs are proposed as smart alternatives to address the drawbacks of N95 respirators. The challenges of coronavirus containment are underscored, literature is reviewed, and “top‐five suggestions” for containing COVID‐19 are offered, including: i) preventive appraisals—avoiding needless hospital admission and practicing frequent hand washing (from 20 to 60 s). ii) Diagnostics—highly recommending nanodiagnostics, detecting COVID‐19 within 10 min. iii) Therapeutics—expanding nanotherapeutics to treat COVID‐19 and bacterial co‐infections after safety assessments and clinical trials. iv) Multipronged and multinational, including China, collaborative appraisals. v) Humanitarian compassion to traverse this pandemic in a united way.
Selective morphological and volumetric alterations in the hippocampus of children exposed in utero to gestational diabetes mellitus
Authors: Lynch Kirsten M. , Alves Jasmin M. , Chow Ting , Clark Kristi A. , Luo Shan , Toga Arthur W. , Xiang Anny H. , Page Kathleen A.
Published: March 2021

Prior epidemiological studies have found that in utero exposure to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with increased risk for neurodevelopmental disorders. However, brain alterations associated with GDM are not known. The hippocampus is pivotal for cognition and emotional regulation. Therefore, we assessed relationships between in utero exposure to GDM and hippocampal morphology and subfield structure during childhood. One hundred seventeen children aged 7–11 years (57% girls, 57% exposed to GDM), born at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, participated in the BrainChild Study. Maternal GDM status was determined from electronic medical records. Children underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging. Freesurfer 6.0 was used to measure hippocampal and individual hippocampal subfield gray matter volume (mm3). Morphological analyses on the hippocampal surface were carried out using shape analysis. GDM‐exposed children exhibited reduced radial thickness in a small, spatially‐restricted portion of the left inferior body of the hippocampus that corresponds to the CA1 subfield. There was a significant interaction between GDM‐exposure and sex on the right hippocampal CA1 subfield. GDM‐exposed boys had reduced right CA1 volume compared to unexposed boys, but this association was no longer significant after controlling for age. No significant group differences were observed in girls. Our results suggest that GDM‐exposure impacts shape of the left hippocampal CA1 subfield in both boys and girls and may reduce volume of right hippocampal CA1 only in boys. These in‐depth findings illuminate the unique properties of the hippocampus impacted by prenatal GDM‐exposure and could have important implications for hippocampal‐related functions.
Robotic transmaxillary approach to the lateral infratemporal fossa: A preclinical cadaveric study using a next‐generation single‐port robotic system
Authors: Turner Meghan T. , Topf Michael C. , Holsinger F. Christopher , Chan Jason Y.‐K.
Published: March 2021

Robotic transmaxillary skull base surgery has been described using multiport systems. This cadaveric study investigates the feasibility of transmaxillary skull base surgery using a next‐generation robot. An extended Caldwell‐Luc antrostomy, measuring 3.3 cm by 4.0 cm, was performed in 15 min using a Kerrison rongeur and the robotic endoscope. A single‐port, robotic system (da Vinci Sp®, Intuitive Surgical, Inc, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) was then deployed throught the extended Caldwell‐Luc approach and provided sufficient reach, visualization, and maneuverability to work within the pterygopalatine fossa (PPF) and the infratemporal fossa (ITF) using three surgical instruments. The ITF dissection was easiest with two instruments using the third instrument to retract the muscles of mastication. This study demonstrates the feasibility of single‐port robotic transmaxillary approaches to the lateral ITF. Using a single‐port robotic system, the operating surgeon can for the first time work in the PPF and ITF using two functional arms for tumor dissection and a third to retract.
The health workforce: Central to an effective response to the COVID‐19 pandemic in the European Region
Authors: Zapata Tomas , Buchan James , Azzopardi‐Muscat Natasha
Published: March 2021

COVID‐19 has reinforced the centrality of health workers at the core of a well performing and resilient health system. It has concomitantly exposed the risks of staffing and skills shortages and the importance of protecting the health workforce. The present commentary focuses on highlighting some of the lessons learnt, challenges and future needs of the health workforce in Europe in the context of COVID‐19. During the pandemic innovative and flexible approaches were implemented to meet increasing demand for health workers and new skills and responsibilities were adopted over a short period of time. We have seen the rapid adaptation and use of new technologies to deliver care. The pandemic has underlined the importance of valuing, protecting and caring for our health workforce and the need to invest appropriately and adequately in the health workforce to have sufficient, capable and well‐motivated health workers. Some of the main challenges that lie ahead of us include the imperative for better investment, to need to improve recruitment and retraining whilst better retaining health workers, a focus on domestic sustainability, redeploying and developing new skills and competences among health workers, enabling more effective multi‐professional collaboration and team work, improving the quality of education and training, increasing the public health focus and promoting ethical and sustainable international recruitment of health workers. The WHO European Region through its European Programme of Work 2020–2025 is fully committed to support countries in their efforts to continue to respond to COVID‐19 and whilst addressing upcoming health workforce challenges.
Governance structures and practices in for‐profit and not‐for profit hospitals in Egypt
Authors: Fayed AbdAlrahman Magdy Said , Elshoura Shymaa Mahmoud Youssef , Mosallam Rasha Ali
Published: March 2021

Background

Governance is a system that ensures and promotes accountability and responsibility toward stakeholders. The present study aims to compare the governance structures and practices in for‐profit and non‐for profit hospitals in Alexandria, Egypt.

Methods

The study is a descriptive cross sectional study in which Chief Executive officers (CEOs) in all hospitals in Alexandria Governorate were interviewed. A predesigned questionnaire was used in the interview that is composed of four section. The first section explored characteristics of study hospitals. The second section assessed the composition and the characteristics of boards. The third section assessed the functions of the board and the fourth section assessed boards' training and evaluation.

Results

A centralized board existed in the Health Insurance, Ministry of Health and Population and University hospitals. As for private hospitals, board existed in only 72 hospitals (82.75 %). Almost all boards have CEO duality. Board members were as few as two members in some boards and up to twenty members in others. Some hospital boards did not have an orientation manual or program.

Conclusion

A proportion of study hospitals does not have a governing board. For the hospitals with governing boards, there were wide variation in governance structures and practices.