bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Policies and Practices that Foster Education for All: Implications for Economically Poor Nations
Authors: Rose Richard , Malkani Ratika
Published: September 2020

International agreements that aim to achieve universal primary education for all children, regardless of need or ability, have ensured that governments around the world have considered policy development to support greater equity in education. Many of the world’s more economically advantaged countries have made significant progress to ensure that all children have opportunities to attend school. Progress has also been evident in countries which are less advantaged, though often this has been inhibited because of a lack of resources and expertise.

The relationship between policy, provision, and practice in education is complex, and in responding to international agreements, governments have needed to take account of their own cultural and socio-economic circumstances. While many administrations have adopted models developed in other countries, the need to take account of existing practices and to build upon local expertise is apparent.
Gender, Sexuality, and Youth in a Global Context
Authors: Nayak Anoop
Published: September 2020

Gender and sexuality are slippery social constructs whose meanings vary across time and place. To capture some of the complexity of these relations, it is necessary to consider their mutable meanings in different parts of the world. This means understanding how gender and sexuality are regulated, produced, consumed, and embodied in young people’s lives transnationally. At a regulatory level, nation-states are found to disseminate different policies and approaches when it comes to young people’s gender and sexual learning. Alongside formal pedagogical approaches, young people’s peer groups and local friendship circles are critical to the production of sexual knowledge and gender practices. In what is a rapidly interconnected world, processes of cultural globalization evident in the spread of film, media, and music are providing new templates from which to transform more “traditional” gender and sexual relations. In consuming global images of gender and sexuality, young people are found to be active and discerning agents who experience and negotiate global processes at a local level, managing risk and carving out new opportunities as they see fit. Young people are seen to perform and embody gender and sexuality in a host of different ways. In doing so, they not only reveal the instability of sex and gender norms but also disclose the intense amount of “gender work” that goes into the performance of gender and sexuality.
Gender and Indigenous Education and Practice
Authors: Pio Edwina
Published: September 2020

The unfolding of the term Indigenous is clustered within rich, powerful, diverse, decolonial, and hegemonic worldviews. Inhabiting more than 90 countries, the approximately 370 million Indigenous people on Planet Earth are wisdom carriers of traditional ancestral knowledge entwined with eco-spirituality. Powerful extractive institutional structures have ensured that Indigenous peoples have harvested historical legacies of domination, disruption, and disrespect. Indigenous women tend to live in the shadows, encountering invisibility, lack of voice, and stark inequality. International instruments such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, as well as a range of voluntary, private, and government-funded organizations and Indigenous communities, serve as catalysts to augmenting impactful liaisons and interventions in and through evocative educational pedagogy and practice. Gender and Indigenous diversity in education and practice distills narratives of voice and praxis to provoke, nudge, and prompt collective change.
Gender in Prison-Based Education
Authors: Dean Allyson
Published: September 2020

Incarceration often separates individuals from opportunities to engage in learning environments and scholastic pursuits. Education programs afforded to incarcerated individuals look different across age and gender, as well as across different countries. While support for education for incarcerated people varies, research supports the importance education plays in one’s life post-release from incarceration. In the larger picture of education for incarcerated people, one element remains clear—women continue to experience disparities in educational equity. With the United States, among other countries, seeing a dramatic rise in the number of women sent to prison, the research on disparities in access to equitable educational opportunities lags. The complexity of identities with which people enter into incarceration largely remains unaddressed in educational settings, and failing to offer educational opportunities to those who are incarcerated creates additional barriers to success following release from prison.

Globally, prison structures vary dramatically, from conditions that recognize the humanity of incarcerated individuals to conditions of squalor and disregard. The investments a country makes in providing education to its incarcerated population signals a larger commitment to its citizens and the belief in their worth to the rest of society. In countries with gender inequities, prisons often continue to exacerbate those inequities.
Water Conservation in Schools
Authors: Bermúdez Olga María , Lombana Marcela
Published: September 2020

Water is indispensable to life because all the functions of living beings rely on its presence: breathing, nutrition, circulation, and reproduction. Water forms part of all living bodies, both animal and vegetable. It is a natural resource necessary for human life.

This natural resource has been threatened by climate change and its scarcity has been reported in many locations worldwide. According to the FAO, in 2014 almost 50 countries were faced with water shortages: Africa is the continent with the highest percentage of water stress (41%), while Asia has the highest percentage of countries with total water shortage (25%). Confronted with this critical problem, it is necessary that people of all ages, races, and cultures become aware of the value that water represents and take action in both the individual and collective spheres. To ensure that the next generation understands water’s properties and functions, and learns to value and take care of it, this action should start in schools, which play a fundamental role in the education of children and young people.
Meteorite Mineralogy
Authors: Rubin Alan E. , Ma Chi
Published: September 2020

Meteorites are rocks from outer space that reach the Earth; more than 60,000 have been collected. They are derived mainly from asteroids; a few hundred each are from the Moon and Mars; some micrometeorites derive from comets. By mid 2020, about 470 minerals had been identified in meteorites. In addition to having characteristic petrologic and geochemical properties, each meteorite group has a distinctive set of pre-terrestrial minerals that reflect the myriad processes that the meteorites and their components experienced. These processes include condensation in gaseous envelopes around evolved stars, crystallization in chondrule melts, crystallization in metallic cores, parent-body aqueous alteration, and shock metamorphism. Chondrites are the most abundant meteorites; the major components within them include chondrules, refractory inclusions, opaque assemblages, and fine-grained silicate-rich matrix material. The least-metamorphosed chondrites preserve minerals inherited from the solar nebula such as olivine, enstatite, metallic Fe-Ni, and refractory phases. Other minerals in chondrites formed on their parent asteroids during thermal metamorphism (such as chromite, plagioclase and phosphate), aqueous alteration (such as magnetite and phyllosilicates) and shock metamorphism (such as ringwoodite and majorite). Differentiated meteorites contain minerals formed by crystallization from magmas; these phases include olivine, orthopyroxene, Ca-plagioclase, Ca-pyroxene, metallic Fe-Ni and sulfide. Meteorites also contain minerals formed during passage through the Earth’s atmosphere and via terrestrial weathering after reaching the surface. Whereas some minerals form only by a single process (e.g., by high-pressure shock metamorphism or terrestrial weathering of a primary phase), other meteoritic minerals can form by several different processes, including condensation, crystallization from melts, thermal metamorphism, and aqueous alteration.
Hydropolitics
Authors: Grandi Mattia
Published: September 2020

The lack of a settled definition for hydropolitics—a prismatic concept that acquires specific meanings according to both the disciplinary boundaries within which it is used and the theoretical perspectives of those employing it—is consistent with the disagreement over its nomenclature (hydro-politics vs. hydropolitics). The term has had many meanings and idiosyncratic usages over time, and there has been hardly any attempt to advance a clear definition for it. The strength of the concept of hydropolitics, its inter-disciplinary conceptual heterogeneity, is also its weakness. While the crystallization of some of the core features of hydropolitics in the literature—especially with regard to scale (namely, the focus on the inter-state level and the range of issues covered, that is, the politics of international water basins)—has anchored hydropolitics to “standard cases” of the concept, its theoretical underpinnings are still blurred. The study of hydropolitics has substantially delved into trans-boundary, not just any, waters. Yet, both the ontology and epistemology of the concept are debatable, so few eclectic definitions for hydropolitics have emerged. Hence, by addressing the relationships between knowledge, theory, and action of hydropolitics, the scientific community, in particular scholars of international relations, political geography, and critical geopolitics, has struggled for theoretical coherence as well as for conceptual clarity over the use of the term. This is not an easy task, though, because the fluid essence of hydropolitics escapes not only definition but also easy classification.
Profiting from Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict: A Case for the Resurrection of the Crime of Enforced Prostitution
Authors: Jørgensen Nina H B , Rauxloh Regina E
Published: September 2020

This article challenges the notion that the crime of enforced prostitution is subsumed by the newer characterisation of sexual slavery. Based on a fresh analysis of the historical jurisprudence, the authors argue that the blameworthy conduct at the core of enforced prostitution distinguishes the crime from sexual slavery because it focuses on the fact that the perpetrator seeks to profit from the coerced sexual acts to which the victims are subjected. Having regard to the context of modern atrocities, this article argues that enforced prostitution is closely tied to organised crime and human trafficking and therefore should be resurrected in such contexts as an appropriate category to target the profiteers of sexual violence who do more than enslave their victims by effectively systematising rape for profit. Rather than being viewed as an outdated offence, enforced prostitution should therefore be more actively considered by prosecutors as a primary or alternative charge in accordance with international principles on cumulative charges and convictions.
Birth sex ratio in the offspring of professional male soccer players: influence of exercise training load
Authors: Vaamonde D , Hackney A C , Garcia Manso J M , Arriaza Ardiles E , Vaquero M
Published: September 2020

STUDY QUESTION

Can the exercise training load of elite male athletes influence the sex ratio of their offspring?

SUMMARY ANSWER

This is the first study assessing the influence of exercise training load on the offspring sex ratio of children from male professional athletes, observing a bias toward more females being born as a result of both high-intensity and high-volume loads, with intensity having the greatest effect.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

There is a relatively constant population sex ratio of males to females among various species; however, certain events and circumstances may alter this population sex ratio favoring one sex over the other.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION

Observational, descriptive cross-sectional study with a duration of 3 months.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS

Seventy-five male professional soccer players from First Division soccer teams. Offspring variables were sex of the offspring, number of children and order of birth. Exercise training variables were volume and intensity.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE

Total offspring was 122 children (52 males (42.6%), 70 females (57.4%)). Analysis revealed that increase in either the volume (P < 0.001) or intensity (P < 0.001) of training by the players shifted the birth offspring ratio more toward females. Within the sample of females born, more births (i.e. number) were observed as a consequence of training at the highest intensity (45 out of 70; P < 0.001), no such pattern occurred within males (P > 0.05). When female versus male births were compared within each intensity, only the high-intensity comparison was significant (45 (75%) females vs 15 (25%) males, P < 0.001).

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION

While this is the first study assessing differences in the sex ratio of the offspring of male athletes (i.e. soccer players), we acknowledge there are limitations and confounders within our approach; e.g. small sample size, ethnic background and variations in the timing of intercourse relative to ovulation as well as in sex hormone levels. As such, we propose that future research is needed to confirm or refute our findings. It is recommended that such work expand on the measurements obtained and conduct direct assessment of sperm characteristics.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

The findings of the study support the fact that different stressors on the body may alter the sex of the offspring. While in the present study the stressor is the excessive training load of soccer players, other events may lead to similar results. The bias in offspring sex ratio may have important implications for demography and population dynamics, as well as genetic trait inheritance.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)

There is no funding nor competing interests.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

N/A
Labour Law, Capitalism and the Juridical Form: Taking a Critical Approach to Questions of Labour Law Reform
Authors: Adams Zoe
Published: September 2020

This article seeks to demonstrate the potential contribution that a closer attention to structural factors can make to our understanding of some of the practical problems, such as the problem of personal scope, facing labour law today. This means engaging closely with questions about labour law’s socio-economic function and, in turn, the socio-economic function of its juridical form. Having shown the importance of engaging with these issues, drawing on the works of Karl Korsch, Karl Renner and Evgeny Pashukanis for this purpose, the article shows how we can use this structural understanding of law, and labour law, to constructively inform our interventions in contemporary debates about labour law’s personal scope.
Dynamics of Neutralizing Antibody Titers in the Months After Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection
Authors: Crawford Katharine H D , Dingens Adam S , Eguia Rachel , Wolf Caitlin R , Wilcox Naomi , Logue Jennifer K , Shuey Kiel , Casto Amanda M , Fiala Brooke , Wrenn Samuel , Pettie Deleah , King Neil P , Greninger Alexander L , Chu Helen Y , Bloom Jesse D
Published: September 2020

Most individuals infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) develop neutralizing antibodies that target the viral spike protein. In this study, we quantified how levels of these antibodies change in the months after SARS-CoV-2 infection by examining longitudinal samples collected approximately 30–152 days after symptom onset from a prospective cohort of 32 recovered individuals with asymptomatic, mild, or moderate-severe disease. Neutralizing antibody titers declined an average of about 4-fold from 1 to 4 months after symptom onset. This decline in neutralizing antibody titers was accompanied by a decline in total antibodies capable of binding the viral spike protein or its receptor-binding domain. Importantly, our data are consistent with the expected early immune response to viral infection, where an initial peak in antibody levels is followed by a decline to a lower plateau. Additional studies of long-lived B cells and antibody titers over longer time frames are necessary to determine the durability of immunity to SARS-CoV-2.
A search for variable subdwarf B stars in TESS full frame images – I. Variable objects in the southern ecliptic hemisphere
Authors: Sahoo S K , Baran A S , Sanjayan S , Ostrowski J
Published: September 2020

We report the results of our search for pulsating subdwarf B stars in full frame images, sampled at 30 min cadence and collected during Year 1 of the TESS mission. Year 1 covers most of the southern ecliptic hemisphere. The sample of objects we checked for pulsations was selected from a subdwarf B stars data base available to public. Only two positive detections have been achieved, however, as a by-product of our search we found 1807 variable objects, most of them not classified, hence their specific variability class cannot be confirmed at this stage. Our preliminary discoveries include: 2 new subdwarf B (sdB) pulsators, 26 variables with known sdB spectra, 83 non-classified pulsating stars, 83 eclipsing binaries (detached and semidetached), a mix of 1535 pulsators and non-eclipsing binaries, two novae, and 77 variables with known (non-sdB) spectral classification. Among eclipsing binaries we identified two known HW Vir systems and four new candidates. The amplitude spectra of the two sdB pulsators are not rich in modes, but we derive estimates of the modal degree for one of them. In addition, we selected five sdBV candidates for mode identification among 83 pulsators and describe our results based on this preliminary analysis. Further progress will require spectral classification of the newly discovered variable stars, which hopefully include more subdwarf B stars.
An analytic model for [O iii] fine structure emission from high redshift galaxies
Authors: Yang Shengqi , Lidz Adam
Published: September 2020

Recent ALMA measurements have revealed bright [O iii] 88 micron line emission from galaxies during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) at redshifts as large as z ∼ 9. We introduce an analytic model to help interpret these and other upcoming [O iii] 88 micron measurements. Our approach sums over the emission from discrete Str$\ddot{\mathrm{o}}$mgren spheres and considers the total volume of ionized hydrogen in a galaxy of a given star-formation rate. We estimate the relative volume of doubly ionized oxygen and ionized hydrogen and its dependence on the spectrum of ionizing photons. We then calculate the level populations of O iii ions in different fine-structure states for H ii regions of specified parameters. In this simple model, a galaxy’s [O iii] 88 μm luminosity is determined by the typical number density of free electrons in H ii regions (ne), the average metallicity of these regions (Z), the rate of hydrogen ionizing photons emitted (QH i), and the shape of the ionizing spectrum. We cross-check our model by comparing it with detailed cloudy calculations, and find that it works to better than 15${{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ accuracy across a broad range of parameter space. Applying our model to existing ALMA data at z ∼ 6–9, we derive lower bounds on the gas metallicity and upper bounds on the gas density in the H ii regions of these galaxies. These limits vary considerably from galaxy to galaxy, with the tightest bounds indicating Z ≳ 0.5Z⊙ and nH ≲ 50 cm−3 at 2 − σ confidence.
Pakistan
Authors: Abou Zahab Mariam
Published: September 2020

This book brings together two sets of articles and book chapters by the late author, an extraordinary scholar of Islam in South Asia. The first part of the volume examines Shia–Sunni relations in Pakistan, while the second concerns violent Islamism in the country, covering both the Talibanisation of the Pashtun belt and the jihadi dimension of South Asian Salafism. The book explores the many reasons why Pakistan has been the crucible of political Islam. It offers a historical view of this development, factoring in the impact of colonialism and conflict, including the Soviet–Afghan War and the post-9/11 Western military operations in Afghanistan. While making clear the major importance of these external influences, from Saudi Arabia and Iran to the US, the book also places Pakistan's political Islam in the context of local cultures, mobilising her anthropological erudition without ever indulging in culturalism. Finally, it emphasises the sociological determinants of sectarianism, Talibanism and jihadism, as well as the political economy of these ideologies. The book is indispensable for understanding the present dynamics of Pakistan.
Gender diversity in firms
Authors: Azmat Ghazala , Boring Anne
Published: September 2020

This paper explores the recent efforts by the corporate world and public policy to increase the number of women in leadership positions in the workplace. We review and empirically evaluate the ‘business case’ for gender equality, showing some evidence in favour of it. Despite the evidence and growing support, progress towards more diversity in leadership positions has been slow. We study the importance of supply-side constraints, as well as the main diversity policies (gender quotas, mentoring and network programmes, diversity training to change firm culture, and family friendly policies) that have been implemented. We focus on the effectiveness of these policies, their shortcomings, as well as potential future steps that could help guide policy.
Facet joint syndrome treated with interventional procedures: a review article with an update on the current evidence and practice
Authors: Valerio Pace , Marzano Fabrizio , Milazzo Federico , De Larrea Antonio Eduardo , Placella Giacomo , Caraffa Auro , Rinonapoli Giuseppe
Published: September 2020

Background:

Facet Joint Syndrome (FJS) is a common progressive disease affecting small joints of the spine and can have painful symptoms. When conservative treatment measures fail, there are a wide range of interventional procedures that can be used. Varied results have been obtained with different procedures, and standardized indications and guidelines are unclear. The authors aimed to review the most current evidence on indications, utilization of interventional procedures, results, and complication risks for the treatment of FJS.

Methods:

Customized structured electronic searches were performed in PubMed and Cochrane databases. Meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials (RCT), and systematic reviews on FJS treated with interventional minimally invasive procedures published from 1st of January 2015 to 29th of February 2020 were included. We initially selected 320 studies, and 25 studies (two meta-analyses, six systematic reviews, and 17 RCT) were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Results:

A certain amount of improvement of pain was reported in 100% of the patients, with no significant complications reported. Most studies showed efficacy of all interventional procedures at all levels of evidence, without providing definitive data on indications and superiority of one procedure over others.

Conclusions:

The authors suggest a standardized stepladder approach to the management of FJS, with conservative measures initially and interventional procedures if those measures fail. All procedures were reported to be safe and efficient when clinically indicated and properly performed. Further studies with appropriate methodology are needed.

Level of Evidence:

Level IV.
Early complications of antibiotic prophylaxis with cefazolin protocols versus piperacillin-tazobactam for open fractures: a retrospective comparative study
Authors: Frantz Travis L. , Everhart Joshua S. , Kanney Jill M. , McDermott Sean M. , Phieffer Laura S. , Ly Thuan V.
Published: September 2020

Background:

We sought to determine the rates of superficial infection and wound healing complications, return to the operating room for deep infection, and acute nephrotoxicity after treatment of Gustilo type II or III open fractures treated with cefazolin, cefazolin plus aminoglycoside, or piperacillin-tazobactam, in addition to operative debridement and fracture fixation.

Methods:

A retrospective review of a level 1 trauma center from January 2012 to December 2017 identified 202 patients with Gustilo type II or III open fractures of the extremities treated with either cefazolin (n=65), cefazolin plus an aminoglycoside (n=47), or piperacillin-tazobactam (n=90), in addition to irrigation and debridement and fracture fixation. Associations between antibiotic regimen and rates of superficial infection, wound healing complications, return to the operating room for deep infection, and acute nephrotoxicity were determined.

Results:

Compared to piperacillin-tazobactam, both cefazolin-based regimens had higher risks of delayed wound healing or superficial infection [Odds Ratio (OR) 2.49; P=0.047 & OR 3.35; P=0.005]. Compared to piperacillin-tazobactam, use of cefazolin alone had higher independent odds of deep infection requiring return to the operating room (OR 3.65; P=0.009). Compared to piperacillin-tazobactam, there was a trend toward higher odds of nephrotoxicity with use of cefazolin plus an aminoglycoside (OR 3.29; P=0.08).

Conclusions:

Compared to cefazolin based antibiotic regimens, with or without an aminoglycoside, piperacillin-tazobactam single agent therapy may lower the risk of superficial infection or wound healing complications after operative fixation of type II and III open fractures and may also decrease inpatient risk of nephrotoxicity.

Level of Evidence:

Level III.
Postmyocardial Infarction Statin Exposure and the Risk of Stroke with Weighting for Outcome Misclassification
Authors: Gravel Christopher A. , Filion Kristian B. , Reynier Pauline M. , Platt Robert W.
Published: September 2020

Background:

Observational healthcare data can be used for drug safety and effectiveness research. The use of inverse probability of treatment weights (IPW) reduces measured confounding under the assumption of accurate measurement of the outcome variable; however, many datasets suffer from systematic outcome misclassification.

Methods:

We introduced a modification to IPW to correct for the presence of outcome misclassification. To demonstrate the utility of these modified weights in realistic settings, we investigated postmyocardial infarction statin use and the 1-year risk of stroke in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink.

Results:

We computed an IPW-adjusted odds ratio (OR = 0.67; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.48, 0.93). We employed a technique to modify IPW for the presence of outcome misclassification using linked hospital records for outcome validation (modified IPW adjusted OR = 0.77; 95% CI = 0.52, 1.15) and compared the results with a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (pooled OR = 0.80; 95% CI = 0.74, 0.87). Finally, we present simulation studies to investigate the impact of model selection on bias reduction and variability.

Conclusion:

Ignoring outcome misclassification yielded biased estimates whereas the use of the modified IPW approach produced encouraging results when compared with the meta-analytic RCT findings.
Local Glaucomatous Defects of the Circumpapillary Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Show a Variety of Patterns of Progression
Authors: Kim Ha Min , McKee William E. , Malendowicz Katarzyna B. , Thenappan Abinaya A. , Tsamis Emmanouil , Eguia Melvi D. , De Moraes C. Gustavo , Ritch Robert , Hood Donald C.
Published: September 2020

Precis:

The region of glaucomatous progression, seen on optical coherence tomography (OCT) images of the circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cRNFL), increases in width and depth in all eyes, but shows a variety of different patterns of loss across eyes.

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to examine the patterns of cRNFL loss secondary to glaucomatous progression in a region associated with the superior hemifield of the 24-2/30-2 visual field (VF).

Methods:

Twenty-four eyes (20 patients) with a diagnosis of glaucoma and evidence of progression on OCT had OCT disc cube scans on at least 3 separate visits (mean follow-up 7.4 y; range: 3.9 to 11.4). Circumpapillary b-scans were derived after enface images were aligned to assure that the study region (ie, 0 to −135 degrees, where 0 degree is 9 o’clock, on a right eye) coincided. Within this region, a region of progression (ROP) was defined based on the loss in cRNFL thickness between the first and subsequent visits. The width of the ROP was determined, along with the locations of its leading (close to fixation) and trailing edges. In addition, for each ROP, the location and depth at the point of maximal loss, total loss, and average remaining retinal nerve fiber layer were measured.

Results:

The ROP proceeded both toward and away from fixation. Across eyes, the ROP varied widely in width (32 to 131 degrees, mean 82.7 degrees), location, and loss at point of deepest loss (22 to 99 μm, mean 52.9 μm), as well as total cRNFL loss.

Conclusions:

All eyes showed a widening and deepening of the ROP, but a variety of different patterns of progressive cRNFL loss. Thus, one should expect considerable variation in patterns of VF loss. Furthermore, conventional metrics (global or quadrant cRNFL thickness) do not fully depict the progressive changes that can be appreciated by inspecting OCT images.
Atypical Lipomatous Tumor/Well-Differentiated Liposarcoma of the Orbit: Three Cases and Review of the Literature
Authors: Kang Julia Y. , Kim Hee Joon , Wojno Ted H. , Yeung Aaron M. , Mendoza Pia R. , Grossniklaus Hans E.
Published: September 2020

The authors present 3 patients from this retrospective case series to review the clinical findings, imaging, pathology, and treatment of orbital atypical lipomatous tumor/well-differentiated liposarcoma. Pathology of biopsy specimens ranged from spindle cell proliferations mimicking neurofibroma to proliferations of well-differentiated adipocytes. Immunohistochemical stains were positive for murine double minute 2 in 1 case, and fluorescent in situ hybridization showed amplification of murine double minute 2 in 2 cases. Treatments ranged from serial debulking, proton beam irradiation, and exenteration. None of the patients developed metastases. A literature review supported the low-grade nature of this lesion. Orbital atypical lipomatous tumor/well-differentiated liposarcoma is a low-grade, indolent liposarcoma that may be locally invasive. The histologic diagnosis is enhanced with immunohistochemical staining for murine double minute 2 and fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis for amplification of murine double minute 2. Although treatment may vary according to the individual, conservative therapies may be attempted prior to radical surgery.
Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte-Associated Protein-4 and Lymphocyte Activation Gene-3 Expression in Orbitally-Invasive Versus Nodular Basal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Lajoie Juliann E. , Lau Kevin W. , Adam Alejandro P. , Wladis Edward J.
Published: September 2020

Purpose:

To compare the expression of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein-4 (CTLA-4) and lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3) in nodular and orbitally-invasive forms of basal cell carcinoma (BCC).

Methods:

Immunohistochemical staining for CTLA-4 and LAG-3 was performed on the pathology specimens of BCC from orbital exenteration and nodular forms. The numbers of positively-staining cells/×40 field were counted across 5 consecutive fields of each specimen and statistical analysis was performed to calculate the difference in expression between the 2 groups.

Results:

Nine cases of orbitally-invasive BCC and 6 cases of nodular BCC were studied. The mean numbers of CTLA-4-positively staining cells were 11.51 cells/×40 field (median = 6.60 cells/×40 field, range = 0.4–31.8 cells/×40 field) in invasive BCC and 0.90 cells/×40 field (median = 0.60 cells/×40 field, range = 0.0–2.8 cells/×40 field) in nodular specimens. The difference between the 2 groups was statistically significant (p = 0.0030). The mean number of LAG-3-positively staining cells was 0.58 cells/×40 field (median = 0.0, range = 0.0–2.8 cells/×40 field) in invasive BCC and 3.13 cells/×40 field (median = 0.0, range = 0.0–18.18 cells/×40 field). There was no significant difference in LAG-3 positivity between tumor groups (p = 0.5564).

Conclusions:

CTLA-4 expression was enriched in orbitally invasive BCC compared with nodular forms of BCC, whereas LAG-3 expression did not differ between these entities. CTLA-4 mediated immune suppression may facilitate the development of orbitally invasive BCC. Treatment strategies that use existing medications to target CTLA-4 may decrease the requirement for orbital exenteration and provide enhanced survival outcomes.
In Vitro and in Vivo Biocompatibility and Degradability Evaluation of Modified Polydioxanone Plate
Authors: Kim Sunje , Yang Heesang , Kim Taek-Kyun , Jeong Jae-Yong , Shin Chungmin , Oh Sang-Ha
Published: September 2020

Background:

Polydioxanone (PDS) has been widely used in the medical field over the past 30 years. In the 2000s, PDS plate began to be used for rhinoplasty and septoplasty. However, in Asia PDS plates are not widely used due to lack of awareness and high prices. The authors devised a method of producing a modified PDS (m-PDS; Rhinoblock Material & Design Co., Gyeonggi-do, Sothh Korea) at low cost, and compared the biocompatibilities and degradabilities of plates produced with m-PDS and commercial PDS plates (Ethicon, Somerville, NJ) in vivo and in vitro.

Methods:

The melting point and decomposition rate of m-PDS were determined by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis and its tensile strength was also measured. Implants (1 cm × 1 cm × 0.15 mm sized) were inserted subcutaneously into mice and harvested en bloc 2, 5, 10, 15, or 25 weeks later. Tissues were stained with hematoxylin and eosin or Masson's trichrome to evaluate inflammation, extracellular matrix deposition, and vascularization, and plate degradability was also assessed.

Results:

No significant difference was observed between the thermal analysis and tensile test results of m-PDS and PDS plates. m-PDS started to degrade in vivo from around 10 weeks, and commercial PDS plates from around 15 weeks. After 25 weeks in vivo, both products were completely degraded and not observed in tissue slides. Histologic analysis of excised specimens showed m-PDS and PDS were similar in terms of inflammation, extracellular matrix deposition, and vascularization.

Conclusion:

In vivo and in vitro experiments detected no significant difference between the biocompatibilities and degradabilities of modified and commercial PDS plates. The results of this study suggest that the modified PDS can be used to produce versatile, low cost, absorbable graft materials for rhinoplasty and septoplasty.
RaFAH: A superior method for virus-host prediction
Authors: Coutinho FH , Zaragoza-Solas A , López-Pérez M , Barylski J , Zielezinski A , Dutilh BE , Edwards RA , Rodriguez-Valera F
Published: September 2020

Viruses of prokaryotes are extremely abundant and diverse. Culture-independent approaches have recently shed light on the biodiversity these biological entities1,2. One fundamental question when trying to understand their ecological roles is: which host do they infect? To tackle this issue we developed a machine-learning approach named Random Forest Assignment of Hosts (RaFAH), based on the analysis of nearly 200,000 viral genomes. RaFAH outperformed other methods for virus-host prediction (F1-score = 0.97 at the level of phylum). RaFAH was applied to diverse datasets encompassing genomes of uncultured viruses derived from eight different biomes of medical, biotechnological, and environmental relevance, and was capable of accurately describing these viromes. This led to the discovery of 537 genomic sequences of archaeal viruses. These viruses represent previously unknown lineages and their genomes encode novel auxiliary metabolic genes, which shed light on how these viruses interfere with the host molecular machinery. RaFAH is available athttps://sourceforge.net/projects/rafah/.
Applying SCA for high-accuracy cortical auditory ERPs in children
Authors: Bruzzone S.E.P. , Haumann N. T. , Kliuchko M. , Vuust P. , Brattico E.
Published: September 2020

Overlapping neurophysiological signals are the main obstacle preventing from using cortical event-related potentials (ERPs)in clinical settings. Children ERPs are particularly affected by this problem, as their cerebral cortex is still maturing. To overcome this problem, we applied a new version of Spike-density Component Analysis (SCA), an analysis method recently introduced, to isolate with high accuracy the neural components of auditory ERP responses (AEPs) in 8-year-old children. Electroencephalography was used with 33 children to record AEPs to auditory stimuli varying in spectrotemporal features. Three different analysis approaches were adopted: the standard ERP analysis procedure, SCA with template-match (SCA-TM), and SCA with half-split average consistency (SCA-HSAC). SCA-HSAC most successfully allowed the extraction of AEPs for each child, revealing that the most consistent components were P1 and N2. An immature N1 component was also detected.

Superior accuracy in isolating neural components at the individual level even in children was demonstrated for SCA-HSAC over other SCA approaches. Reliable methods of extraction of neurophysiological signals at the individual level are crucial for the application of cortical AEPs for routine diagnostic exams in clinical settings both in children and adults.

Highlights

Spike-density component analysis (SCA) was validated on children ERPs

SCA extracted overlapping neural components from auditory ERPs (AEPs)

Child AEPs were modelled at the individual level
Wide variabilities identified among spike proteins of SARS Cov2 globally-dominant variant identified
Authors: Pal Abantika , Pal Aruna
Published: September 2020

SARS Cov2 is a newly emerged virus causing pandemic with fatality and co-morbidity. The greatest limitations emerged is the lack of effective treatment and vaccination due to frequent mutations and reassortment of the virus, leading to evolvement of different strains. We identified a wide variability in the whole genome sequences as well as spike protein variants (responsible for binding with ACE2 receptor) of SARS Cov2 identified globally. Structural variations of spike proteins identified from representative countries from all the continents, seven of them have revealed genetically similar, may be regarded as the dominant type. Novel non-synonymous mutations as S247R, R408I, G612D, A930V and deletion detected at amino acid position 144. RMSD values ranging from 4.45 to 2.25 for the dominant variant spike1 with other spike proteins. This study is informative for future vaccine research and drug development with the dominant type.
The quantitative metabolome is shaped by abiotic constraints
Authors: Akbari Amir , Yurkovich James T. , Zielinski Daniel C. , Palsson Bernhard O.
Published: September 2020

Living systems formed and evolved under governing constraints that characterize their interactions with the inorganic world. These interactions are definable using basic physico-chemical principles. Here, we formulate a comprehensive set of ten governing abiotic constraints that define possible quantitative metabolomes. We apply these constraints to a metabolic network ofEscherichia colithat represents 90% of its metabolome. We show that the quantitative metabolomes allowed by the abiotic constraints are consistent with metabolomic and isotope labeling data. We find that: (i) Network-wide characterization of charge-, proton- and magnesium-related constraints shape transcriptional regulatory responses to osmotic stress; (ii) Proton and charge imbalance underlie transcriptional regulatory responses to acid stress; (iii) Abiotic constraints drive the evolution of transport systems, such as high-affinity phosphate transporters. Thus, quantifying the constraints that the inorganic world imposes on living systems provides insights into their key characteristics, helps understand the outcomes of evolutionary adaptation, and should be considered as a fundamental part of theoretical biology and for understanding the constraints on evolution.
DIMT1, a regulator of ribosomal biogenesis, controls β-cell protein synthesis, mitochondrial function and insulin secretion
Authors: Verma Gaurav , Bowen Alexander , Hamilton Alexander , Esguerra Jonathan , Karagiannopoulos Alexandros , Cataldo Luis Rodrigo , Lyons Claire , Cowan Elaine , Fex Malin , Mulder Hindrik
Published: September 2020

We previously reported that transcription factor B1 mitochondrial (TFB1M) is involved in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (T2D) owing to mitochondrial dysfunction. Here, we describe that dimethyladenosine transferase 1 homolog (DIMT1), a homologue of TFB1M, is expressed and active in pancreatic β-cells. Like TFB1M, it has been implicated in control of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) but its role in β-cells or T2D remains to be identified. Silencing ofDIMT1impacted mitochondrial function, leading to reduced expression of mitochondrial OXPHOS proteins, reduced oxygen consumption rate (OCR), dissipated mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) and caused a lower rate of ATP production (mATP). In addition,DIMT1knockdown slowed the rate of protein synthesis. In accordance with these findings, DIMT1-deficiency perturbed insulin secretion in rodent and human β-cell lines. These effects are likely a result of destabilization of ribosomal assembly, involving NIN1 (RPN12) binding protein 1 homolog (NOB-1) and Pescadillo ribosomal biogenesis factor 1 (PES-1). These are two critical ribosomal subunits proteins, whose interactions were perturbed upon DIMT1-deficiency, thereby disturbing protein synthesis in β-cells. Thus, we have here highlighted a role of DIMT1 in ribosomal biogenesis that perturbs protein synthesis, resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction and disrupted insulin secretion, both being potential pathogenetic factors in T2D.
Pleiotropic function of theoca2gene underlies the evolution of sleep loss and albinism in cavefish
Authors: O’Gorman Morgan , Thakur Sunishka , Imrie Gillian , Moran Rachel L. , Duboue Erik , Rohner Nicolas , McGaugh Suzanne E. , Keene Alex C. , Kowalko Johanna E.
Published: September 2020

Adaptation to novel environments often involves the evolution of multiple morphological, physiological and behavioral traits. One striking example of multi-trait evolution is the suite of traits that has evolved repeatedly in cave animals, including regression of eyes, loss of pigmentation, and enhancement of non-visual sensory systems [1,3]. The Mexican tetra,Astyanax mexicanus, consists of fish that inhabit at least 30 caves in Northeast Mexico and ancestral-like surface fish which inhabit the rivers of Mexico and Southern Texas [6]. CaveA. mexicanusare interfertile with surface fish and have evolved a number of traits that are common to cave animals throughout the world, including albinism, eye loss, and alterations to behavior [8–10]. To define relationships between different cave-evolved traits, we phenotyped 208 surface-cave F2 hybrid fish for numerous morphological and behavioral traits. We found significant differences in sleep between pigmented and albino hybrid fish, raising the possibility that these traits share a genetic basis. In cavefish and many other species, mutations inoculocutaneous albinism 2(oca2) cause albinism [11–15]. Surface fish with CRISPR-induced mutations inoca2displayed both albinism and reduced sleep. Further, this mutation inoca2fails to complement sleep loss when surface fish harboring this engineered mutation are crossed to different, independently evolved populations of albino cavefish with naturally occurring mutations inoca2, confirming thatoca2contributes to sleep loss. Finally, analysis of theoca2locus in wild caught cave and surface fish suggests thatoca2is under positive selection in at least three cave populations. Taken together, these findings identifyoca2as a novel regulator of sleep and suggest that a pleiotropic function ofoca2underlies the adaptive evolution of both of albinism and sleep loss.
Mesenchyme modulates three-dimensional, collective cell migration of liver cellsin vitro- a role for TGFß pathway
Authors: Ogoke Ogechi , Yousef Osama , Ott Cortney , Kalinousky Allison , Wayne Lin , Shamul Claire , Ross Shatoni , Parashurama Natesh
Published: September 2020

Three dimensional (3D) collective cell migration (CCM) is critical for improving liver cell therapies, eliciting mechanisms of liver disease, and modeling human liver development/ organogenesis. Here, we modeled liver organogenesis to induce 3D CCM and improve existing models. The liver diverticulum, normally surrounded by septum transversum mesenchyme (STM) at E8.5, was modeled with a miniature liver spheroid surrounded by mesenchymal cells and matrix. In mixed spheroid models with both liver and uniquely MRC5 (fetal lung) fibroblasts, we observed co-migration of cells, and a significant increase in length and number of liver spheroid protrusions, and this was highly sensitive to TGFB1 stimulation. To understand paracrine effects between MRC-5 cells and liver, we performed conditioned medium (M-CM) experiments. Interestingly, the addition of M-CM increased liver 3D CCM, with thin, 3D, dose-dependent branching morphogenesis, an upregulation of Twist1, and a sensitivity to a broad TGFB inhibitor. To test the effects of cell-cell interactions of 3D CCM, the STM was modeled with a spheroid of MRC-5 cells, and we performed co-spheroid culture of liver with MRC-5. We observed a complex morphogenesis, whereby thin, linear, 3D liver cell strands attach to the MRC-5 spheroid, anchor, and thicken to form permanent and thick anchoring contacts between the two spheroids. We also observed spheroid fusion, a form of interstitial migration. In conclusion, we present several novel cultivation systems that induce distinct features of 3D CCM, as judged by the presence of branching, linearity, thickness, and interstitial migration. These methodologies will greatly improve our molecular, cellular, and tissue-scale understanding of liver organogenesis, liver diseases, and liver cell therapy, and will serve as a tool to bridge conventional 2D studies and preclinicalin vivostudies.