bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structure Learning in Predictive Processing Needs Revision
Authors: Rutar Danaja , de Wolff Erwin , van Rooij Iris , Kwisthout Johan
Published: May 2022

The predictive processing account aspires to explain all of cognition using a single, unifying principle. Among the major challenges is to explain how brains are able to infer the structure of their generative models. Recent attempts to further this goal build on existing ideas and techniques from engineering fields, like Bayesian statistics and machine learning. While apparently promising, these approaches make specious assumptions that effectively confuse structure learning with Bayesian parameter estimation in a fixed state space. We illustrate how this leads to a set of theoretical problems for the predictive processing account. These problems highlight a need for developing new formalisms specifically tailored to the theoretical aims of scientific explanation. We lay the groundwork for a possible way forward.
Young Peoples’ Construction of DIY Dirt Jumps in Melbourne, Australia, Throughout the Covid-19 Lockdowns
Authors: O’Keeffe Patrick
Published: May 2022

Access to public space is critically important for young people, providing key opportunities for self-expression, independence, identity development and relationship building. The Covid-19 pandemic has profoundly affected how young people can engage with public spaces. In Melbourne, Australia, young people have experienced 262 days in lockdown, contributing to escalating anxiety and depression, social isolation, physical health impacts and increased exposure to family conflict and family violence. Throughout this time, there has been a proliferation of young people constructing DIY dirt jumps across Melbourne. This article analyses this unstructured production of public space, focusing on one case study and drawing from council responses. I suggest that through this practice, young people challenge adult interpretations of public space, intentionally or unintentionally, resisting adult control of public space at a time when young people have been denied opportunities for independence and autonomy.
Characteristics of N
6-Methyladenosine Modification During Sexual Reproduction of Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii
Authors: Lv Ying , Han Fei , Liu Mengxia , Zhang Ting , Cui Guanshen , Wang Jiaojiao , Yang Ying , Yang Yun-Gui , Yang Wenqiang
Published: May 2022

The unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (hereafter Chlamydomonas) possesses both plant and animal attributes, and it is an ideal model organism for studying fundamental processes such as photosynthesis, sexual reproduction, and life cycle. N  6  -methyladenosine (m6A) is the most prevalent mRNA modification, and it plays important roles during sexual reproduction in animals and plants. However, the pattern and function of m6A modification during the sexual reproduction of Chlamydomonas remain unknown. Here, we performed transcriptome and methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeRIP-seq) analyses on six samples from different stages during sexual reproduction of the Chlamydomonas life cycle. The results show that m6A modification frequently occurs at the main motif of DRAC (D = G/A/U, R = A/G) in Chlamydomonas mRNAs. Moreover, m6A peaks in Chlamydomonas mRNAs are mainly enriched in the 3′ untranslated regions (3′UTRs) and negatively correlated with the abundance of transcripts at each stage. In particular, there is a significant negative correlation between the expression levels and the m6A levels of genes involved in the microtubule-associated pathway, indicating that m6A modification influences the sexual reproduction and the life cycle of Chlamydomonas by regulating microtubule-based movement. In summary, our findings are the first to demonstrate the distribution and the functions of m6A modification in Chlamydomonas mRNAs and provide new evolutionary insights into m6A modification in the process of sexual reproduction in other plant organisms.
The Impact of an Increase to a Minimum Wage on the Iowa Egg Industry
Authors: Keller Andrew J. , Boland Michael A. , Çakır Metin
Published: May 2022

This paper evaluates the impact of an increase in the federal or state minimum wage on the egg industry, where labor is a key input. This analysis uses an for Iowa, a key egg-producing state. When spread across the industry, the total negative effects of the increased minimum wage do not appear to be economically significant. This is due largely to the Iowa egg industry’s current equilibrium wage of $13.50 an hour. Thus, a $15.00 minimum wage adds only $1.50; however, to stay competitive, egg industry employers likely would increase their wage above $15.00. Despite these seemingly small effects, egg producers may struggle in the short run to respond to immediate labor expenses should Iowa or the United States not phase in its minimum wage over the course of several years.
Factors Influencing Use and Frequency of Rotational Grazing for Beef Cattle in Tennessee
Authors: Boyer Christopher N. , Lambert Dayton M. , Griffith Andrew P. , Clark Christopher D.
Published: May 2022

This study determines which factors are associated with the use of rotational grazing and the frequency with which Tennessee producers rotate cattle during the summer months. Survey data were used to estimate an ordered response model with sample selection. Most respondents used rotational grazing, and the most frequent rotational schedule was rotating cattle one to two times per month. Factors including labor, capital, knowledge, and water availability influenced the use of rotational grazing and the frequency of rotating cattle. The insights from this study can inform the development of incentives to promote more intensive use of rotational grazing.
Evaluation of the impact of nasal colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus on left ventricular assist device infections
Authors: Koscal Lauren J. , Meadows Holly , Raux Brian R. , Mediwala Krutika N. , Weeda Erin , Houston Brian , Jandhyala Deeksha , Hawn Jaclyn M.
Published: May 2022

In this retrospective cohort study, we evaluated the predictive value of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nasal swabs for the development of MRSA infections in patients with left ventricular assist devices. In 106 patients, the MRSA nasal swab had a negative predictive value of 92.9% demonstrating a potential role in antibiotic de-escalation.
Dynamic Versus Static Modeling of Mortality-Related Benefits of PM2.5 Reductions in the USA and Chile: 1990 to 2050
Authors: Roman Henry , Neumann James E. , Penn Stefani , White Alisa , Fann Neal
Published: May 2022

Economic and health benefits assessments of air quality changes often quantify and report changes in deaths at a given point in time. The typical approach uses a method that attributes air pollution-related health impacts to a single year air quality change (or “pulse”). The perspective on benefits from these static pulse analyses can be enhanced by conducting a dynamic population assessment using life tables. Such analyses can provide a richer characterization of health risks across a population over a multiyear time horizon. In this article, we use the life table approach to quantify cumulative counts of reductions in PM-attributable deaths and life-years gained due to overlapping impacts of PM2.5 changes over a multiyear period, using case studies of air quality improvements in the USA and Chile. Our comparison of health risk and economic valuation for the two approaches shows life table analysis can be a valuable adjunct analysis to the pulse approach though both come with their own set of uncertainties and limitations. If applied jointly, they provide a broader characterization of how air quality actions can change populations in terms of life-years lost, life expectancy, and age structure. The value of these metrics is illustrated using case studies with dramatically different air quality reduction trajectories.
The Future Is Not What It Used to Be: Longevity and the Curmudgeonly Attitude to Change
Authors: Behrendt Kathy
Published: May 2022

Boredom has dominated discussions about longevity thanks to Bernard Williams’s influential “The Makropulos Case.” I reveal the presence in that paper of a neglected, additional problem for the long-lived person, namely alienation in the face of unwanted change. Williams gestures towards this problem but does not pursue it. I flesh it out on his behalf, connecting it to what I call the ‘curmudgeonly attitude to change.’ This attitude manifests itself in the tendency, amongst those getting on in years, to observe that things are getting worse. Curmudgeonliness is typically met with dismissal because it often concerns changes that don’t radically inhibit the curmudgeon’s well-being or autonomy. I believe that taking the curmudgeonly attitude more seriously will provide insight into the longer-lived self and its relation to the future. Using Williams’s approach to longevity as the framework, I contend that—as with boredom—a sense of alienation born of curmudgeonliness can become terminal for the subject, rendering her unable to envision the future as a site of worthwhile activity. However, I also uncover ways in which this agential stasis is significantly distinct from boredom and constitutes a different worry and a different risk for the long-lived individual.
Motivations and barriers for clinical mental health help-seeking in Bangladeshi university students: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Sifat Munjireen S. , Tasnim Naima , Hoque Nushrat , Saperstein Sandra , Shin Richard Q. , Feldman Robert , Stoebenau Kirsten , Green Kerry M.
Published: May 2022

Background

University and college students are vulnerable to developing depressive symptoms. People in low-income countries are disproportionately impacted by mental health problems, yet few studies examine routes to accessing clinical services. Examining motivation and barriers toward seeking clinical mental health services in university students in Bangladesh is important.

Method

Using a cross-sectional survey (n = 350), we assess the relationship between the constructs of autonomy, relatedness, and competency toward using clinical mental health practices (i.e. using professional resources, taking medication) with (1) positive views, (2) perceived need, and (3) use of clinical mental health services among Bangladeshi university students.

Results

Results showed that the perceived need for mental health support was the predictor of the largest magnitude (aOR = 4.99, p = 0.005) for using clinical services. Having a positive view of clinical services was predictive of clinical service use (aOR = 2.87, p = 0.033); however, that association became insignificant (p = 0.054) when adjusting for the perceived need for mental health care. Of the SDT constructs, social influences were predictive of perceiving a need for mental health support, and mental health knowledge was predictive (aOR = 1.10, p = 0.001) of having a positive view of clinical mental health care.

Conclusion

Our findings show that knowledge of mental health is associated with positive views of mental health services, and that higher levels of stress and the presence of people with mental health problems are associated with the perception of a need for mental health care, which is ultimately responsible for using the services.
Hermeneutical Injustice: Distortion and Conceptual Aptness
Authors: Falbo Arianna
Published: May 2022

This article develops a new approach for theorizing about hermeneutical injustice. According to a dominant view, hermeneutical injustice results from a hermeneutical gap: one lacks the conceptual tools needed to make sense of, or to communicate, important social experiences, where this lack is a result of an injustice in the background social methods used to determine hermeneutical resources. I argue that this approach is incomplete. It fails to capture an important species of hermeneutical injustice which doesn't result from a lack of hermeneutical resources, but from the overabundance of distorting and oppressive concepts which function to crowd-out, defeat, or pre-empt the application of a more accurate hermeneutical resource. I propose a broader analysis that better respects the dynamic relationship between hermeneutical resources and the social and political contexts in which they are implemented.
Governing Council Decision 277 (U.N. Compensation Comm'n)
Authors: Bettauer Ronald J.
Published: May 2022

On January 13, 2022, the secretariat of the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC), an institution established by the UN Security Council in 1991 to process and pay claims resulting from Iraq's unlawful invasion and occupation of Kuwait from August 2, 1990, to March 2, 1991, issued a press release stating that, with a payment that day of over US$629 million to Kuwait, all claimants awarded compensation by the UNCC had received full payment.
Experimental quantification of unsteady leading-edge flow separation
Authors: Deparday Julien , He Xiaowei , Eldredge Jeff D. , Mulleners Karen , Williams David R.
Published: May 2022

We propose here a method to experimentally quantify unsteady leading-edge flow separation on aerofoils with finite thickness. The methodology relies on the computation of a leading-edge suction parameter based on measured values of the partial circulation around the leading edge and the stagnation point location. We validate the computation of the leading-edge suction parameter for both numerical and experimental data under steady and unsteady flow conditions. The leading-order approximation of the definition of the leading-edge suction parameter is proven to be sufficiently accurate for the application to thin aerofoils such as the NACA0009 without a priori knowledge of the stagnation point location. The higher-order terms including the stagnation point location are required to reliably compute the leading-edge suction parameter on thicker aerofoils such as the NACA0015. The computation of the leading-edge suction parameter from inviscid flow theory does not assume the Kutta condition to be valid at the trailing edge which allows us to compute its value for separated flows. The relation between the leading-edge suction parameter and the evolution of the shear layer height is studied in two different unsteady flow conditions, a fixed aerofoil in a fluctuating free-stream velocity and a pitching aerofoil in a steady free stream. We demonstrate here that the instantaneous value of the leading-edge suction parameter based on the partial circulation around the leading edge is unambiguously defined for a given flow field and can serve as a directly quantitative measure of the degree of unsteady flow separation at the leading edge.
Shock-tube studies of single- and quasi-single-mode perturbation growth in Richtmyer–Meshkov flows with reshock
Authors: Guo Xu , Cong Zhouyang , Si Ting , Luo Xisheng
Published: May 2022

The Richtmyer–Meshkov instability of heavy/light single-mode (SM), trapezoid (TR) and sawtooth (ST) interfaces is studied experimentally by considering the reshock. The TR and ST interfaces can be expanded into Fourier series with a dominant fundamental mode and more high-order modes, recognized as quasi-single-mode ones. In experiments, the distorted interfaces at the time of first reshock arrival develop in the weakly nonlinear stage, ensuring an approximate single-scale function of evolving interface. The results show an evident memory of initial interface shapes: the bubbles and spikes of ST interface after reshock mainly develop in the streamwise direction with sharp heads, while the counterparts of TR interface tend to grow in the spanwise direction. The influences of high-order modes are amplified by the reshock, resulting in significant interface shape dependence of mixing width growths. The amplitude superposition of major odd-order modes promotes the growth rates of mixing widths for the SM and ST cases, different from the TR one. The ST interface has larger mixing width growth rates in comparison with the SM interface, since high-order modes play a great role in promoting the increase of ST amplitudes, while the TR interface has a relatively small one. The linear and nonlinear mixing width growths of SM, TR and ST interfaces before and after reshock are further analysed theoretically, indicating that the fundamental mode still has a predominant influence on the interface evolution after reshock, and the growth behaviours exhibit strong similarities to those for the singly shocked cases.
The Ordovician trilobiteOenonellaand the new family Oenonellidae, with new species from western Newfoundland, Canada
Authors: Adrain Jonathan M. , Fortey Richard A.
Published: May 2022

The tiny Ordovician trilobiteOenonellaFortey, 1980 has previously been known only from cranidia and pygidia of its Middle Ordovician type species. Two new species,Oenonella wasisnameiandO. otherfellersorum, from the Darriwilian Table Cove Formation, western Newfoundland, Canada, are known from silicified material that provides new information on the librigena, ventral morphology, and intraspecific variation within the group. The stratigraphic range of the genus is extended downward by an occurrence in the Floian of the Shallow Bay Formation, western Newfoundland. New knowledge ofOenonellaconfirms its likely phylogenetic relationship withProscharyiaPeng, 1990, known from the Tremadocian of South China. In addition, the overlookedAmechilusRoss, 1951, seems to belong to the same group. BothOenonellaandProscharyiahave in the past been assigned to the aulacopleuride family Scharyiidae Osmólska, 1957. New silicified material effectively rules out this possibility. The broader affinity of the group remains obscure, but together the three genera are assigned to the new family Oenonellidae.

UUID:http://zoobank.org/ee3ce7ed-3d9b-4730-a5cb-cf680df418ec
Schleswig and Non-Territorial Autonomy – The Territorial Trap?
Authors: Klatt Martin
Published: May 2022

Non-territorial autonomy (NTA) is a concept to ensure political and cultural participation of national minorities in society and thus a tool to manage diversity without challenging territorial integrity. This article relates to the experience of Schleswig, which is widely perceived as a model of successful border-delineation based on national self-determination and subsequent reconciliation and accommodation of national, linguistic, and cultural binarity in a majority-minority framework. Minority membership is based on subjective self-identification and not registered.

The principle of subjective self-identification and its fluidity challenge attempts to implement a legitimate, democratic structure of minority self-government. The non-definition of “minority” based on objective, measurable criteria is due to the apparent social integration of the Schleswig society: today, it is socially more divided by the national border drawn 100 years ago than by respective majority-minority divisions. It has become apparent that the territorial restriction to the boundaries of the former Duchy of Schleswig does not cohere with social practices and mobility frameworks and thus questions the present NTA infrastructure, which is restricted to a historic territory no longer relevant in contemporary administrative frameworks or in patterns of social practices.
Delta-invariants of complete intersection log del Pezzo surfaces
Authors: Kim In-Kyun , Won Joonyeong
Published: May 2022

We show that complete intersection log del Pezzo surfaces with amplitude one in weighted projective spaces are uniformly $K$-stable. As a result, they admit an orbifold Kähler–Einstein metric.
Age of the late Holocene Bonneville landslide and submerged forest of the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon and Washington, USA, by radiocarbon dating
Authors: Reynolds Nathaniel D. , O’Connor Jim E. , Pringle Patrick T. , Bourdeau Alex C. , Schuster Robert L.
Published: May 2022

The late Holocene Bonneville landslide, a 15.5 km2 rockslide-debris avalanche, descended 1000 m from the north side of the Columbia River Gorge and dammed the Columbia River where it bisects the Cascade Range of Oregon and Washington, USA. The landslide, inundation, and overtopping created persistent geomorphic, ecologic, and cultural consequences to the river corridor, reported by Indigenous narratives and explorer accounts, as well as scientists and engineers. From new dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating of three trees killed by the landslide, one entrained and buried by the landslide and two killed by rising water in the impounded Columbia River upstream of the blockage, we find (1) the two drowned trees and the buried tree died the same year, and (2) the age of tree death, and hence the landslide (determined by combined results of nine radiocarbon analyses of samples from the three trees), falls within AD 1421–1455 (3σ confidence interval). This result provides temporal context for the tremendous physical, ecological, and cultural effects of the landslide, as well as possible triggering mechanisms. The age precludes the last Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake of AD 1700 as a landslide trigger, but not earlier subduction zone or local crustal earthquakes.
Race, Gender, and the Politics of Incivility: How Identity Moderates Perceptions of Uncivil Discourse
Authors: Gubitz S.R.
Published: May 2022

Many worry that uncivil discourse can undermine democratic processes. Yet, what exactly does it mean for discourse to be uncivil? I argue that there is systematic variation in perceptions of incivility based on the identity of those targeted by uncivil speech. Specifically, I show—via a conjoint survey experiment—that White Americans are less likely to view statements directed at Black Americans as uncivil but more likely to perceive incivility when the target is a woman or a co-partisan. These results suggest an identity-laden aspect of incivility such that it is acceptable to treat Black Americans with less civility but less acceptable to do so for women and co-partisans. The results have implications for how we assess discourse and how that discourse affects the public.
Iodine status during child development and hearing ability: a systematic review
Authors: Dineva Mariana , Hall Amanda , Tan Muqiu , Blaskova Anna , Bath Sarah C.
Published: May 2022

Iodine, through the thyroid hormones, is required for the development of the auditory cortex and cochlea (the sensory organ for hearing). Deafness is a well-documented feature of endemic cretinism resulting from severe iodine deficiency. However, the range of effects of suboptimal iodine intake during auditory development on the hearing ability of children is less clear. We therefore aimed to systematically review the evidence for the association between iodine exposure (i.e. intake/status/supplementation) during development (i.e. pregnancy and/or childhood) and hearing outcomes in children. We searched PubMed and Embase and identified 330 studies, of which thirteen were included in this review. Only three of the thirteen studies were of low risk of bias or of good quality, this therefore limited our ability to draw firm conclusions. Nine of the studies (69 %) were in children (one RCT, two non-RCT interventions and six cross-sectional studies) and four (31 %) were in pregnant women (one RCT, one cohort study and two case reports). The RCT of iodine supplementation in mildly iodine-deficient pregnant women found no effect on offspring hearing thresholds. However, hearing was a secondary outcome of the trial and not all women were from an iodine-deficient area. Iodine supplementation of severely iodine-deficient children (in both non-RCT interventions) resulted in improved hearing thresholds. Five of six cross-sectional studies (83 %) found that higher iodine status in children was associated with better hearing. The current evidence base for the association between iodine status and hearing outcomes is limited and further good-quality research on this topic is needed.
Relative Versus Absolute Performance Evaluation and CEO Decision-Making
Authors: Wruck Karen H. , Wu YiLin
Published: May 2022

We provide new evidence on how performance-based compensation plans affect CEO decision-making, especially risk-taking. Our main finding is that relative performance evaluation (RPE) plans provide incentives for CEOs to make decisions that generate more idiosyncratic performance outcomes; absolute performance evaluation (APE) plans do not. After switches from APE to RPE, the correlation between firm stock return and industry index return falls and firm idiosyncratic risk increases. Further, switches to RPE are followed by larger deviations in financial, investment, and operating policies from industry norms (i.e., more idiosyncratic strategies). All results are opposite for switches to APE.
Technological Fit and the Market for Managerial Talent
Authors: Bereskin Fred , Byun Seong K. , Oh Jong-Min
Published: May 2022

We show that the similarity of a firm’s technological expertise with that of other firms affects managerial labor market outcomes. Using each firm’s patent portfolio to estimate its technological expertise, we find that its similarity in technological expertise with other firms is strongly related to the benchmark group used for CEO compensation and job transitions. Furthermore, we show that a firm’s CEO pay is positively associated with the CEO compensation levels of technologically similar firms. Our results thus demonstrate the crucial role of technological similarity in determining the value of outside options and the boundaries of the managerial labor market.
Bioactive glass (S53P4) as obliteration material in subtotal petrosectomy: initial experience
Authors: Lindeboom J J , Colnot D R , Buwalda J
Published: May 2022

Background

Subtotal petrosectomy for chronic suppurative otitis media requires obliteration of the mastoid cavity and middle ear. Usually, abdominal fat is used for this purpose. However, infection is a risk of using fat, which might require revision surgery. The use of S53P4 bioactive glass with antibacterial properties seems an attractive alternative.

Methods

Two patients with a history of chronic suppurative otitis media, complicated by profound perceptive hearing loss, had already been surgically treated, and were thereafter extensively treated conservatively. Because of recurrent chronic otorrhoea and pain, subtotal petrosectomy with obliteration of the cavity with S53P4 bioactive glass was performed.

Results

Follow-up duration was 84 months and 18 months, respectively. No complications occurred peri-operatively. A dry ear was obtained and no late adverse events were observed.

Conclusion

S53P4 bioactive glass is feasible to use for obliteration after subtotal petrosectomy. Elimination of chronic suppurative otitis media can be achieved with this technique. The bioactive glass granules might be an attractive alternative to abdominal fat, which has a risk of infection.
The use of tissue sealant in parotidectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Rojoa D M , Raheman F J , Wright R , Ghosh S
Published: May 2022

Objective

Drains are used post-parotidectomy to reduce seroma and haematoma formation. Tissue-derived thrombin sealant can enable a drainless procedure, allowing for an earlier discharge, less discomfort and a more cost-efficient method. This study aimed to assess whether tissue sealant improves wound-related outcomes in parotidectomy.

Method

A systematic literature review was performed using a standardised published methodology and custom database search strategy. A fixed-effect meta-analysis of the combined complications was conducted.

Results

Thirteen studies were identified relating to parotidectomy procedures using tissue sealants, of which nine were included in the quantitative synthesis. Our analysis suggested a reduction in the complication rates, including haematoma and seroma, with drainless parotidectomy procedures involving tissue sealant use when compared with conventional procedures with post-operative drain use.

Conclusion

Fibrin sealant in parotidectomy may be used to facilitate a drainless approach, expediting recovery and offering better comfort to patients.
Implications of weak rippling of the shock ramp on the pattern of the electromagnetic field and ion distributions
Authors: Gedalin Michael , Ganushkina Natalia
Published: May 2022

Collisionless shocks undergo structural changes with the increase of Mach number. Observations and numerical simulations indicate development of time-dependent rippling. It is not known at present what causes the rippling. However, effects of such rippling on the field pattern and ion motion and distributions can be studied without precise knowledge of the causes and detailed shape. It is shown that deviations of the normal component of the magnetic field from the constant value indicate certain spatial dependence of the rippling. Deviations of the motional electric field from the constant value indicate time dependence. It is argued that whistler waves should propagate towards upstream and downstream regions from the rippled ramp. It is shown that the downstream pattern of the fields and ion distributions should follow the rippling pattern, while collisionless relaxation should be faster than in the stationary planar case.
Efficacy of flukicides on Fasciola gigantica, a food-borne zoonotic helminth affecting livestock in Bangladesh
Authors: Hasan Mohammad Manjurul , Roy Babul Chandra , Biswas Hiranmoy , Rahman Moizur , Anisuzzaman Anisuzzaman , Alam Mohammad Zahangir , Talukder Md. Hasanuzzaman
Published: May 2022

Fasciola gigantica, the causative agent of tropical fasciolosis, is a food-borne zoonotic trematode that affects around 80% livestock of Bangladesh. Triclabendazole (TCBZ), nitroxynil (NTON) and oxyclozanide (OCZN) are frequently used against fascioliasis; however, the current status of potency of these flukicides was unknown. In this study, in vitro efficacy of TCBZ, NTON and OCZN at various concentrations on F. gigantica has been evaluated by relative motility (RM), morphological distortions of apical cone through an inverted microscope, architectural and ultra-structural changes through histopathological and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It is observed that TCBZ, NTON and OCZN at higher concentrations significantly (P < 0.05) reduced RM of the flukes compared to untreated control. NTON at 150 μg mL−1 was the most potent to reduce the motility within 4 h whereas TCBZ and OCZN were much delayed. Histopathological changes showed swollen, extensive cracking, numerous vacuoles and splitting of the tegument surrounding the spines; spine dislodged from its socket in treated flukes compared to untreated worms. Histopathological changes were more conspicuous at higher doses of TCBZ, NTON and OCZN. SEM has shown the disruption of the apical cone, apart from swelling of the tegument on the ventral surface corrugation and disruption of the ventral apical cone. All these changes indicate that NTON is the most potent in killing flukes in vitro among the tested flukicides and suggest the presence of TCBZ-resistant fluke populations in Bangladesh. It is imperative to explore the in vivo effects of these flukicides and subsequently their molecular mechanisms.
Does Opisthorchis viverrini circulate between humans and domestic cats in an endemic area in Thailand?
Authors: Sota Pornphutthachat , Suttiprapa Sutas , Tangkawattana Sirikachorn , Sripa Manop , Blair David , Sripa Banchob
Published: May 2022

The liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini is a foodborne trematode that, in chronic infection, is a leading cause of bile-duct cancer – cholangiocarcinoma. Cats and dogs are acknowledged as reservoir hosts of this parasite. However, this assumption is based on morphological similarity of flukes recovered from these hosts, without any molecular genetic evidence. The aim of this study was to obtain molecular data from O. viverrini eggs present in feces of humans and cats in the same locality in Thanya sub-district, Kalasin, Thailand. The mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene was used as the marker for a population-genetic study. A DNA fragment of the cox1 gene was amplified from stool samples and subjected to nucleotide sequencing. Phylogenetic and haplotype network analyses were performed. The cox1 sequences of O. viverrini eggs from humans and cats largely formed separate clades on the phylogenetic trees, with an Fst value of 0.64 (P < 0.05), indicating largely distinct populations in the 2 species. However, 5 samples from cats were placed in the human cluster and 1 sample from a human was placed in the cat cluster. This suggests that host specificity of ‘human’ and ‘cat’ clades is not absolute. These results indicate that there are 2 populations of O. viverrini, one circulates primarily in humans and the other in cats. However, cross-transmission can occur between these 2 hosts. Taken altogether, the population-genetic evidence from this study partially supports the assumption that the cat can act as a reservoir host of O. viverrini.
Climate predictors and climate change projections for avian haemosporidian prevalence in Mexico
Authors: Ortega-Guzmán Larissa , Rojas-Soto Octavio , Santiago-Alarcon Diego , Huber-Sannwald Elisabeth , Chapa-Vargas Leonardo
Published: May 2022

Long-term, inter-annual and seasonal variation in temperature and precipitation influence the distribution and prevalence of intraerythrocytic haemosporidian parasites. We characterized the climatic niche behind the prevalence of the three main haemosporidian genera (Haemoproteus,PlasmodiumandLeucocytozoon) in central-eastern Mexico, to understand their main climate drivers. Then, we projected the influence of climate change over prevalence distribution in the region. Using the MaxEnt modelling algorithm, we assessed the relative contribution of bioclimatic predictor variables to identify those most influential to haemosporidian prevalence in different avian communities within the region. Two contrasting climate change scenarios for 2070 were used to create distribution models to explain spatial turnover in prevalence caused by climate change. We assigned our study sites into polygonal operational climatic units (OCUs) and used the general haemosporidian prevalence for each OCU to indirectly measure environmental suitability for these parasites. A high statistical association between global prevalence and the bioclimatic variables ‘mean diurnal temperature range’ and ‘annual temperature range’ was found. Climate change projections for 2070 showed a significant modification of the current distribution of suitable climate areas for haemosporidians in the study region.
A cross-lagged prospective network analysis of depression and anxiety and cognitive functioning components in midlife community adult women
Authors: Zainal Nur Hani , Newman Michelle G.
Published: May 2022

Background

Scar theory proposes that heightened depression and anxiety precede and predict worse cognitive functioning outcomes, whereas the vulnerability theory posits the opposite pathway. However, most investigations on this topic have been cross-sectional, precluding causal inferences. Thus, we used cross-lagged prospective network analyses to facilitate causal inferences in understanding the relations between psychopathology and cognitive functioning components.

Methods

Racially-diverse midlife women (n = 1816) participated in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation at two time-points, spanning one year apart. Five psychopathology (anxiety severity, depressed mood, somatic symptoms, positive affect, interpersonal problems) and four cognitive functioning nodes (working memory (WM), processing speed (PS), facial recognition (FCR), and verbal memory (VRM)) were assessed. All analyses adjusted for age, menopausal status, estradiol, and follicle-stimulating hormones.

Results

Contemporaneous networks yielded notable inverse between-node relations (edges) between interpersonal problems and reduced FCR and PS, and between depressed mood and lower FCR, VRM, or PS. Nodes that had the highest likelihood to bridge other constructs were positive affect, anxiety severity, WM, and VRM. Temporal networks produced edges consistent with the scar (v. vulnerability) hypotheses. Higher somatic symptoms were related to reduced PS and WM, and greater depressed mood was correlated with lower future PS and WM. Also, higher anxiety severity coincided with decreased future PS and WM. Greater positive affect was associated with stronger future PS, FCR, and WM. Also, positive affect had the strongest relations with other nodes.

Conclusions

Findings suggest the importance of targeting symptoms and cognitive functioning simultaneously.
Associations of neuroimaging markers with depressive symptoms over time in middle-aged and elderly persons
Authors: Özel Fatih , Hilal Saima , de Feijter Maud , van der Velpen Isabelle , Direk Nese , Ikram M. Arfan , Vernooij Meike W. , Luik Annemarie I.
Published: May 2022

Background

Cerebrovascular disease is regarded as a potential cause of late-life depression. Yet, evidence for associations of neuroimaging markers of vascular brain disease with depressive symptoms is inconclusive. We examined the associations of neuroimaging markers and depressive symptoms in a large population-based study of middle-aged and elderly persons over time.

Methods

A total of 4943 participants (mean age = 64.6 ± 11.1 years, 55.7% women) from the Rotterdam Study were included. At baseline, total brain volume, gray matter volume, white matter volume, white matter hyperintensities volume, cortical infarcts, lacunar infarcts, microbleeds, white matter fractional anisotropy, and mean diffusivity (MD) were measured with a brain MRI (1.5T). Depressive symptoms were assessed twice with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (median follow-up time: 5.5 years, IQR = 0.9). To assess temporal associations of neuroimaging markers and depressive symptoms, linear mixed models were used.

Results

A smaller total brain volume (β = −0.107, 95% CI −0.192 to −0.022), larger white matter hyperintensities volume (β = 0.047, 95% CI 0.010–0.084), presence of cortical infarcts (β = 0.194, 95% CI 0.047–0.341), and higher MD levels (β = 0.060, 95% CI 0.022–0.098) were cross-sectionally associated with more depressive symptoms. Longitudinal analyses showed that small total brain volume (β = −0.091, 95% CI −0.167 to −0.015) and presence of cortical infarcts (β = 0.168, 95% CI 0.022–0.314) were associated with increasing depressive symptoms over time. After stratification on age, effect sizes were more pronounced at older ages.

Conclusions

Neuroimaging markers of white matter microstructural damage were associated with depressive symptoms longitudinally in this study of middle-aged and elderly persons. These associations were more pronounced at older ages, providing evidence for the role of white matter structure in late-life depressive symptomatology.
Variation in soil organic carbon stocks in Singapore with forest succession and land management
Authors: Kleine Michael , Ghosh Subhadip , Leitgeb Ernst , Berger Ambros , Ibrahim Hassan bin , Gschwantner Thomas , Ow Lai Fern , Michel Kerstin
Published: May 2022

Land-use changes and forest management decisions can profoundly alter soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate whether existing SOC stocks in the forests of Singapore can be related to successional stages of forest vegetation following disturbances. A forest classification system was developed using information about land use history and vegetation data from 21 inventory plots collected within the framework of Singapore’s IPCC-compatible greenhouse gas reporting system. The forest successional classes obtained were related to SOC stocks (0–50 cm) determined on the same plots. The inventory plots were assigned to four classes. Primary forests (Class 1) were dominated by late succession native species. Secondary forests representing natural forest succession (Class 2) contained younger native trees and a few large trees. Secondary forests after tree plantation/fruit orchard (Class 3) and after agricultural crop cultivation (Class 4) were characterised by large proportions of exotic tree species. Maximum stocks of SOC declined from Class 1 (127.7 Mg ha−1) to Class 4 (35.2 Mg ha−1). The results of a principal component analysis confirmed our forest classification. Plant-related parameters can be successfully used to classify the forests in Singapore, which also show clear differences in SOC.
Decoupling Decorations on Moduli Spaces of Manifolds
Authors: BONATTO LUCIANA BASUALDO
Published: May 2022

We study moduli spaces of d-dimensional manifolds with embedded particles and discs, which we refer to as decorations. These spaces admit a model in which points are unparametrised d-dimensional manifolds in
$\mathbb{R}^\infty$
with particles and discs constrained to it. We compare this to the space of d-dimensional manifolds in
$\mathbb{R}^\infty$
with particles and discs that are no longer constrained, i.e. the decorations are decoupled. We show that under certain conditions these spaces cannot be distinguished by homology groups within a range. This generalises work by Bödigheimer–Tillmann for oriented surfaces to different tangential structures and also to higher dimensional manifolds. We also extend this result to moduli spaces with more general submanifolds as decorations and specialise in the case of decorations being embedded circles.
X-ray powder diffraction data for the second and third polymorphs of 1-methylhydantoin
Authors: Delgado Gerzon E. , Chacón Cecilia , Marroquin Gustavo , Cisterna Jonathan , Brito Iván
Published: May 2022

X-ray powder diffraction data for the two new polymorphs of 1-methylhydantoin, C4H6N2O2, are reported. The polymorph II (MH-II) crystallizes in the orthorhombic system with space group Pna21 [a = 19.0323(7) Å, b = 3.91269(8) Å, c = 6.8311(7) Å, Z′ = 1, Z = 4, unit cell volume V = 508.70(3) Å3. Polymorph III (MH-III) crystallizes in the orthorhombic system with space group P212121 [a = a = 7.82427(5), b = 9.8230(5), c = 20.2951(4), Z′ = 3, Z = 12, unit cell volume V = 1563.5(1) Å3]. All measured lines, in each case, were indexed and are consistent with the space group.
Plasmid profile analysis ofEscherichia coliandSalmonella entericaisolated from pigs, pork and humans
Authors: Puangseree Jiratchaya , Prathan Rangsiya , Srisanga Songsak , Angkittitrakul Sunpetch , Chuanchuen Rungtip
Published: May 2022

This study aimed to determine the epidemiology and association of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) amongEscherichia coliandSalmonellain Thailand. TheE. coli(n= 1047) andSalmonella(n= 816) isolates from pigs, pork and humans were screened for 18 replicons including HI1, HI2, I1-γ, X, L/M, N, FIA, FIB, W, Y, P, FIC, A/C, T, FIIAs, F, K and B/O using polymerase chain reaction-based replicon typing. TheE. coli(n= 26) andSalmonella(n= 3) isolates carrying IncF family replicons, ESBL and/ormcrgenes were determined for FAB formula. IncF represented the major type of plasmids. Sixteen and eleven Inc groups were identified inE. coli(85.3%) andSalmonella(25.7%), respectively. The predominant replicon patterns betweenE. coliandSalmonellawere IncK-F (23.7%) and IncF (46.2%). Significant correlations (P< 0.05) were observed between plasmid-replicon type and resistance phenotype. Plasmid replicon types were significantly different among sources of isolates and sampling periods. The most common FAB types betweenE. coliandSalmonellawere F2:A-:B- (30.8%) and S1:A-:B- (66.7%), respectively. In conclusion, various plasmids present inE. coliandSalmonella. Responsible and prudent use of antimicrobials is suggested to reduce the selective pressures that favour the spread of AMR determinants. Further studies to understand the evolution of R plasmids and their contribution to the dissemination of AMR genes are warranted.
The mosaic of AII amacrine cell bodies in rat retina is indistinguishable from a random distribution
Authors: Liu Jian Hao , Peter David Olukoya , Faldalen Guttormsen Maren Sofie , Hossain Md Kaykobad , Gerking Yola , Veruki Margaret Lin , Hartveit Espen
Published: May 2022

The vertebrate retina contains a large number of different types of neurons that can be distinguished by their morphological properties. Assuming that no location should be without a contribution from the circuitry and function linked to a specific type of neuron, it is expected that the dendritic trees of neurons belonging to a type will cover the retina in a regular manner. Thus, for most types of neurons, the contribution to visual processing is thought to be independent of the exact location of individual neurons across the retina. Here, we have investigated the distribution of AII amacrine cells in rat retina. The AII is a multifunctional amacrine cell found in mammals and involved in synaptic microcircuits that contribute to visual processing under both scotopic and photopic conditions. Previous investigations have suggested that AIIs are regularly distributed, with a nearest-neighbor distance regularity index of ~4. It has been argued, however, that this presumed regularity results from treating somas as points, without taking into account their actual spatial extent which constrains the location of other cells of the same type. When we simulated random distributions of cell bodies with size and density similar to real AIIs, we confirmed that the simulated distributions could not be distinguished from the distributions observed experimentally for AIIs in different regions and eccentricities of the retina. The developmental mechanisms that generate the observed distributions of AIIs remain to be investigated.
X-ray Spectrometry in the Era of Aberration-Corrected Electron Optical Beam Lines
Authors: Zaluzec Nestor J
Published: May 2022

Aberration correction in the analytical transmission electron microscope is most closely associated with improvements in high-resolution imaging. In this paper, the combination of that technology with new system designs, which optimize both electron optics and x-ray detection, is shown to provide more than a tenfold increase in performance over the last 25 years.
BOUNDED COHOMOLOGY AND BINATE GROUPS
Authors: FOURNIER-FACIO FRANCESCO , LÖH CLARA , MORASCHINI MARCO
Published: May 2022

A group is boundedly acyclic if its bounded cohomology with trivial real coefficients vanishes in all positive degrees. Amenable groups are boundedly acyclic, while the first nonamenable examples are the group of compactly supported homeomorphisms of$ {\mathbb {R}}^{n}$(Matsumoto–Morita) and mitotic groups (Löh). We prove that binate (alias pseudo-mitotic) groups are boundedly acyclic, which provides a unifying approach to the aforementioned results. Moreover, we show that binate groups are universally boundedly acyclic. We obtain several new examples of boundedly acyclic groups as well as computations of the bounded cohomology of certain groups acting on the circle. In particular, we discuss how these results suggest that the bounded cohomology of the Thompson groupsF,T, andVis as simple as possible.