bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does the Choice of Metric Matter for Identifying Areas for Policy Priority? An Empirical Assessment Using Child Undernutrition in India
Authors: Rajpal Sunil , Kim Rockli , Liou Lathan , Joe William , Subramanian S. V.
Published: August 2020

Ratio-based prevalence and absolute headcounts are the two most commonly accepted metrics to measure the burden of various socioeconomic phenomenon. However, ratio-based prevalence, calculated as the number of cases with certain conditions relative to the total population, is by far the most widely used to rank burden and consequently for targeting, across different populations, often defined in terms of geographical areas. In this regard, targeting areas exclusively based on prevalence-based metric poses certain fundamental difficulties with some serious policy implications. Drawing the data from the National Family Health Survey 2015–2016, and Census 2011, this paper takes four indicators of child undernutrition in India as an example to examine two contextual questions: first, does the choice of metric matter for targeting areas for reducing child undernutrition in India? and second; which metric should be used to facilitate comparisons and targeting across variable populations? Our findings suggest a moderate correlation between prevalence estimates and absolute headcounts implying that choice of metric does matter when targeting child undernutrition. Huge variations were observed between prevalence-based and absolute count-based ranking of the districts. In fact, in various cases, districts with the highest absolute number of undernourished children were ranked as relatively lower-burden districts based on prevalence. A simple comparison between the two approaches—when applied to targeting undernourished children in India—indicates that prevalence-based prioritization may miss high-burden areas where substantially higher number of undernourished children are concentrated. For developing populous countries like India, which is already grappling with high levels of maternal and child malnutrition and poor health infrastructure along with intrinsic socioeconomic inequalities, it is critical to adopt an appropriate metric for effective targeting and prioritization.
Soziale Arbeit in Betrieben
Authors: Nguyen Hoang Long , Bohlinger Sandra
Published: August 2020

Betriebliche Sozialarbeit ist ein in der Forschung und Praxis wenig wahrgenommenes berufliches Tätigkeitsfeld der Sozialen Arbeit. Folglich gibt es kaum Forschungsbefunde, die sich mit dem Personal in diesem Feld beschäftigen. Der Beitrag präsentiert zentrale Ergebnisse einer qualitativen Studie in der betrieblichen Sozialarbeit. Dazu wurden Stellenausschreibungen analysiert und betriebliche Sozialberater/innen interviewt. Der Beitrag zeigt, welche Qualifikationen benötigt und welche Aufgaben wahrgenommen werden.
Emerging Digital Generations? Impacts of Child Digital Use on Mental and Socioemotional Well-Being across Two Cohorts in Ireland, 2007–2018
Authors: Bohnert Melissa , Gracia Pablo
Published: August 2020

Despite the growing body of literature on how digital technologies impact child well-being, previous research has provided little evidence on recent digital trends. This paper examines the patterns and effects of digital use on child socioemotional well-being across two cohorts of children grown up ten years apart during the ‘digital age’: the 1998 cohort (interviewed in 2007/08) and the 2008 cohort (interviewed in 2017/18). Multivariate linear regression models were conducted for these two cohorts from the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) study, a multi-cohort longitudinal study with rich comparable data on a large sample of 9-year olds (N = 13,203). Results show that (i) in 2017/18 children were more active in digital devices and social media, while in 2007/2008 children spent more time watching TV and adopted less diversified forms of media engagement; (ii) spending more than 3 daily hours on TV/digital activities was associated with significant declines in child socioemotional well-being, while such effects were stronger in 2017/18 than in 2007/08; (iii) media engagement (but not other forms of digital engagement) was associated with moderate declines in socioemotional well-being, both in 2007/08 and in 2017/18; (iv) while children’s media and digital engagement differed by the child gender and socioeconomic background, none of these variables moderated the effects of digital use on children’s socioemotional well-being, neither in 2007/08 nor in 2017/18. Overall, the study reveals persistence, but also some important changes, in recent trends on children’s digital use and its impact on socioemotional well-being in Ireland.
Resource management for model learning at entity level
Authors: Beyer Christian , Unnikrishnan Vishnu , Brüggemann Robert , Toulouse Vincent , Omar Hafez Kader , Ntoutsi Eirini , Spiliopoulou Myra
Published: August 2020

Many current and future applications plan to provide entity-specific predictions. These range from individualized healthcare applications to user-specific purchase recommendations. In our previous stream-based work on Amazon review data, we could show that error-weighted ensembles that combine entity-centric classifiers, which are only trained on reviews of one particular product (entity), and entity-ignorant classifiers, which are trained on all reviews irrespective of the product, can improve prediction quality. This came at the cost of storing multiple entity-centric models in primary memory, many of which would never be used again as their entities would not receive future instances in the stream. To overcome this drawback and make entity-centric learning viable in these scenarios, we investigated two different methods of reducing the primary memory requirement of our entity-centric approach. Our first method uses the lossy counting algorithm for data streams to identify entities whose instances make up a certain percentage of the total data stream within an error-margin. We then store all models which do not fulfil this requirement in secondary memory, from which they can be retrieved in case future instances belonging to them should arrive later in the stream. The second method replaces entity-centric models with a much more naive model which only stores the past labels and predicts the majority label seen so far. We applied our methods on the previously used Amazon data sets which contained up to 1.4M reviews and added two subsets of the Yelp data set which contain up to 4.2M reviews. Both methods were successful in reducing the primary memory requirements while still outperforming an entity-ignorant model.
The Social Significance of Interracial Cohabitation: Inferences Based on Fertility Behavior
Authors: Choi Kate H. , Goldberg Rachel E.
Published: August 2020

Interracial couples cohabit at higher rates than same-race couples, which is attributed to lower barriers to interracial cohabitation relative to intermarriage. This begs the question of whether the significance of cohabitation differs between interracial and same-race couples. Using data from the 2006–2017 National Survey of Family Growth, we assessed the meaning of interracial cohabitation by comparing the pregnancy risk, pregnancy intentions, and union transitions following a pregnancy among women in interracial and same-race cohabitations. The pregnancy and union transition behaviors of women in White-Black cohabitations resembled those of Black women in same-race cohabitations, suggesting that White-Black cohabitation serves as a substitute to marriage and reflecting barriers to the formation of White-Black intermarriages. The behaviors of women in White-Hispanic cohabitations fell between those of their same-race counterparts or resembled those of White women in same-race cohabitations. These findings suggest that White-Hispanic cohabitations take on a meaning between trial marriage and substitute to marriage and support views that Hispanics with White partners are a more assimilated group than Hispanics in same-race unions. Results for pregnancy intentions deviated from these patterns. Women in White-Black cohabitations were less likely than Black women in same-race cohabitations to have an unintended pregnancy, suggesting that White-Black cohabitations are considered marriage-like unions involving children. Women in White-Hispanic cohabitations were more likely than White and Hispanic women in same-race cohabitations to have an unintended pregnancy, reflecting possible concerns about social discrimination. These findings indicate heterogeneity in the significance of interracial cohabitation and continuing obstacles to interracial unions.
Monitoring Forage Mass with Low-Cost UAV Data: Case Study at the Rengen Grassland Experiment
Authors: Lussem Ulrike , Schellberg Jürgen , Bareth Georg
Published: August 2020

Monitoring and predicting above ground biomass yield of grasslands are of key importance for grassland management. Established manual methods such as clipping or rising plate meter measurements provide accurate estimates of forage yield, but are time consuming and labor intensive, and do not provide spatially continuous data as required for precision agriculture applications. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to investigate the potential of sward height metrics derived from low-cost unmanned aerial vehicle-based image data to predict forage yield. The study was conducted over a period of 3 consecutive years (2014–2016) at the Rengen Grassland Experiment (RGE) in Germany. The RGE was established in 1941 and is since then under the same management regime of five treatments in a random block design and two harvest cuts per year. For UAV-based image acquisition, a DJI Phantom 2 with a mounted Canon Powershot S110 was used as a low-cost aerial imaging system. The data were investigated at different levels (e.g., harvest date-specific, year-specific, and plant community-specific). A pooled data model resulted in an R2 of 0.65 with a RMSE of 956.57 kg ha−1, although cut-specific or date-specific models yielded better results. In general, the UAV-based metrics outperformed the traditional rising plate meter measurements, but was affected by the timing of the harvest cut and plant community.
Facilitation in reaction systems
Authors: Manzoni Luca , Porreca Antonio E. , Rozenberg Grzegorz
Published: August 2020

Reaction systems is a formal model of computation which originated as a model of interactions between biochemical reactions in the living cell. These interactions are based on two mechanisms, facilitation and inhibition, and this is well reflected in the formulation of reaction systems. In this paper, we investigate the facilitation aspect of reaction systems, where the products of a reaction may facilitate other reactions by providing some of their reactants. This aspect is formalized through positive dependency graphs which depict explicitly such facilitating interactions. The focus of the paper is on demonstrating how structural properties of reaction systems defined through the properties of their positive dependency graphs influence the behavioural properties of (suitable subclasses of) reaction systems, which, as usual, are defined through their transition graphs.
Synthesis and Characterization of Al-Pillared Bentonite for Remediation of Chlorinated Pesticide-Contaminated Water
Authors: Basiony Mohamed S. , Gaber Seleem E. , Ibrahim Hosny , Elshehy Emad A.
Published: August 2020

The removal of pesticide contaminants from water is a key priority in environmental remediation, and requires intensive effort; this necessitates modification of the properties of pillared clays (PILCs) such as porosity, pore-volume, surface area, and synthesis methods. The purpose of the present study was to test the ability of Al-pillared bentonite (Al-PILB), using [Al13O4(OH)24(H2O)12]7+ and [Al30O8(OH)56(H2O)24]18+ (keggin cations, Al13 and Al30) as pillars, to adsorb chlorinated pesticides from contaminated water. In order to maximize intercalation and uniformity of layer stacking, various ratios of the nitrate forms of the synthesized keggin cations were intercalated into the natural bentonite (BT). The synthesized materials (Al-PILBs) were characterized by various techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and N2 adsorption-desorption measurements. Increases in basal spacing, surface area, and pore volume were observed. The adsorption capacity of the Al-PILBs for 17 types of chlorinated pesticides from contaminated water was better than using the BT alone, e.g. for heptachlor epoxide, dieldrin, and endrin at natural pH, the maximum adsorptions obtained at equilibrium solution concentrations of 16, 20, and 20 μg/L, respectively, were 59.2, 59.15, and 60 μg/g, whereas corresponding values using pristine BT were 34.68, 39.45, and 38.9, respectively. The data were best described by the Freundlich adsorption model.
ENGAGEMENTS AND ENTANGLEMENTS: THE CONTEMPORARY WAQF AND THE FRAGILITY OF SHI'I QUIETISM
Authors: Hamoudi Haider Ala
Published: August 2020

Two primary impulses have historically motivated the Iraqi Shi'i juristic establishment in its relations with the Iraqi state. The first, deeply embedded in centuries of Islamic jurisprudence, is to achieve maximum autonomy for the Shi'i community from the state. The second has developed more recently in response to the modern state's efforts to extend its hegemonic control over areas that premodern empires were content either to leave to the jurists to administer or at least to share the administration of with jurists. This is to have the state recognize and implement Shi'i rules within parts of the state infrastructure that are of core interest to the juristic establishment. There is an obvious tension between these two desires, nowhere more evident than in the subject of this article—namely, the law pertaining to the creation, management, and liquidation of the Islamic charitable land trust known as the waqf. On the one hand, Article 43 of Iraq's constitution declares the followers of religions and sects to be “free” in administering the waqfs and their affairs, suggesting a strong desire for autonomy and separation from state control. Yet the implementing legislation for this provision extends the existence of a thick state bureaucracy and hands its administration over to juristic authorities. The ultimate irony of this arrangement is that it subjects juristic forces to far more potential interference as a legal matter than they have ever been subjected to, even during the totalitarian rule of the Ba'ath. In the end, a religious establishment historically deeply suspicious of political rulers and political engagement—indeed, one that defines itself by virtue of its separation from the state—now finds itself deeply and dangerously entangled in state political and administrative affairs. This article explores how this came to be and some of the significant consequences that arise from it.
Topography of the 410 and 660 km Discontinuities Beneath the Cenozoic Okavango Rift Zone and Adjacent Precambrian Provinces
Authors: Yu Youqiang , Gao Stephen S. , Liu Kelly H.
Published: August 2020

By taking advantage of the recent availability of a broadband seismic data set from Networks NR and BX covering the entire country of Botswana, we conduct a systematic receiver function investigation of the topography of the 410 and 660 km discontinuities beneath the incipient Okavango rift zone (ORZ) in northern Botswana and its adjacent Archean‐Proterozoic tectonic provinces in southern Africa. Similar to a previous mantle transition zone (MTZ) discontinuity study using data from a 1‐D profile traversing the ORZ, a normal MTZ thickness is observed in most parts of the study area. This is inconsistent with the existence of widespread positive thermal anomalies in the MTZ and further implies that active thermal upwelling from the lower mantle plays an insignificant role in the initiation of continental rifting. The results also suggest that cold temperature presumably associated with thick cratonic keels has indiscernible influence on the thermal structure of the MTZ. The expanded data set reveals several isolated areas of slight (~10 km or smaller) MTZ thinning. The largest of such areas has a NE‐SW elongated shape and is mostly caused by relative deepening of the 410 km discontinuity rather than shallowing of the 660 km discontinuity. These characteristics are different from those expected for a typical mantle plume. We speculate that the thinner‐than‐normal MTZ may be induced by minor thermal upwelling associated with late Mesozoic‐early Cenozoic lithospheric delamination, a recently proposed mechanism that might be responsible for the high elevation of southern Africa.
Anomalous Circulation in July 2019 Resulting in Mass Loss on the Greenland Ice Sheet
Authors: Cullather Richard I. , Andrews Lauren C. , Croteau Michael J. , Digirolamo Nicolo E. , Hall Dorothy K. , Lim Young‐Kwon , Loomis Bryant D. , Shuman Christopher A. , Nowicki Sophie M. J.
Published: August 2020

Current mass loss on the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) includes a significant contribution from surface runoff. The circumstances associated with melt events are important for understanding the global sea level contribution of the GrIS. In late July 2019, surface melt occurred over 62% of the GrIS, including Summit Station. The general circulation leading to the event is found to be dissimilar to 2012 and other events documented in the 21st century, with warm air associated with remote atmospheric blocking over western Europe eventually transiting west to the GrIS. Gravimetric data indicate that the 2019 summer mass loss was 137 Gt more than the 2004–2010 median, or about 92% of the 2012 record. Mass loss during the event was significant in GrIS northeastern regions in 2019. As compared to 2012, the southwest did not fully participate. Similar circulation patterns have not previously been associated with significant melt.
Equatorial Pacific Warming Attenuated by SST Warming Patterns in the Tropical Atlantic and Indian Oceans
Authors: Fosu Boniface , He Jie , Liguori Giovanni
Published: August 2020

Most climate models project an enhanced mean sea surface temperature (SST) warming in the equatorial Pacific and Atlantic, and a zonal SST dipole in the Indian Ocean. The remote influences of these SST change patterns remain uncertain. To examine the extent to which the patterns of SST changes in the tropical Indian and Atlantic Oceans modulate the warming in the tropical Pacific Ocean, we compare nudging experiments with prescribed structured and uniform SST changes in the tropics outside the Pacific. We find that the warming patterns in the tropical Indian and Atlantic Oceans, respectively, drive a canonical La Niña‐like and elongated equatorial cooling through the Bjerknes feedback, acting to attenuate the warming in the equatorial Pacific substantially. The different SST cooling responses emanate from subtle differences between the initial wind forcing driven by the two basins' SST change patterns. These results have significant implications for future climate change projections.
Automated Seismic Source Characterization Using Deep Graph Neural Networks
Authors: van den Ende M. P. A. , Ampuero J.‐P.
Published: August 2020

Most seismological analysis methods require knowledge of the geographic location of the stations comprising a seismic network. However, common machine learning tools used in seismology do not account for this spatial information, and so there is an underutilized potential for improving the performance of machine learning models. In this work, we propose a graph neural network (GNN) approach that explicitly incorporates and leverages spatial information for the task of seismic source characterization (specifically, location and magnitude estimation), based on multistation waveform recordings. Even using a modestly‐sized GNN, we achieve model prediction accuracy that outperforms methods that are agnostic to station locations. Moreover, the proposed method is flexible to the number of seismic stations included in the analysis and is invariant to the order in which the stations are arranged, which opens up new applications in the automation of seismological tasks and in earthquake early warning systems.
Early and Extreme Warming in the South China Sea During 2015/2016: Role of an Unusual Indian Ocean Dipole Event
Authors: Xiao Fuan , Wang Dongxiao , Leung Marco Y. T.
Published: August 2020

The South China Sea (SCS) experienced sea surface temperature that broke historical records in the autumn of 2015. This event cannot be explained by El Niño alone because the SCS usually warms during the El Niño peak and decaying phases. We show that an early anomalous anticyclone (AAC) establishment over the SCS in August contributed to this early warming. Analysis and simple modeling results reveal that such an early AAC establishment could be interpreted as a direct Rossby wave response to a cooling anomaly over the Maritime Continent (MC) and a Kelvin wave response to a heating anomaly over the tropical Indian Ocean (TIO). An unusual Indian Ocean dipole event contributed to the atmospheric heating anomaly over the TIO and made the cooling anomaly shrink to MC region. We should take into consideration the Indian Ocean SST patterns to improve the predictability of extreme East Asian climate.
Modeling the Impact of Ocean Circulation on Chlorophyll Blooms Around South Georgia, Southern Ocean
Authors: Matano R. P. , Combes V. , Young E. F. , Meredith M. P.
Published: August 2020

The northeast periphery of the Scotia Sea hosts one of the largest chlorophyll‐a blooms of the Southern Ocean. This bloom peaks to the northwest of the island of South Georgia, extending eastward for hundreds of kilometers. Although the Southern Ocean has many islands of similar size, South Georgia is ecologically one of the most significant: It not only sustains one of the Southern Ocean's largest and most diverse ecosystems but also constitutes its single most important region for biological carbon sequestration. While the exceptional nature of South Georgia's blooms has been recognized widely, both the physical processes that contribute to their fertilization and the reasons why these blooms are larger than those of other similar regions (e.g., Kerguelen or Crozet Islands) are poorly understood. We use the results of a high‐resolution ocean model to investigate the physical processes that mediate the entrainment of deep, iron‐rich waters into the surface layers of the South Georgia region. We show that the Southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front, the southernmost jet of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), pumps iron‐enriched waters from the deep ocean onto the bottom layers of South Georgia's shelf. These waters are upwelled along the northern coast of the island and are then exported into the Georgia Basin, where topographically steered circulation shields them from the dispersive effects of local currents and eddies, thus allowing the bloom development.
Multifocal structured illumination optoacoustic microscopy
Authors: Chen Zhenyue , Özbek Ali , Rebling Johannes , Zhou Quanyu , Deán-Ben Xosé Luís , Razansky Daniel
Published: August 2020

Optoacoustic (OA) imaging has the capacity to effectively bridge the gap between macroscopic and microscopic realms in biological imaging. High-resolution OA microscopy has so far been performed via point-by-point scanning with a focused laser beam, thus greatly restricting the achievable imaging speed and/or field of view. Herein we introduce multifocal structured illumination OA microscopy (MSIOAM) that attains real-time 3D imaging speeds. For this purpose, the excitation laser beam is shaped to a grid of focused spots at the tissue surface by means of a beamsplitting diffraction grating and a condenser and is then scanned with an acousto-optic deflector operating at kHz rates. In both phantom and in vivo mouse experiments, a 10 mm wide volumetric field of view was imaged with 15 Hz frame rate at 28 μm spatial resolution. The proposed method is expected to greatly aid in biological investigations of dynamic functional, kinetic, and metabolic processes across multiple scales.
Si0.97Ge0.03 microelectronic thermoelectric generators with high power and voltage densities
Authors: Dhawan Ruchika , Madusanka Prabuddha , Hu Gangyi , Debord Jeff , Tran Toan , Maggio Kenneth , Edwards Hal , Lee Mark
Published: August 2020

Microelectronic thermoelectric generators are one potential solution to energizing energy autonomous electronics, such as internet-of-things sensors, that must carry their own power source. However, thermoelectric generators with the mm2 footprint area necessary for on-chip integration made from high thermoelectric figure-of-merit materials have been unable to produce the voltage and power levels required to run Si electronics using common temperature differences. We present microelectronic thermoelectric generators using Si0.97Ge0.03, made by standard Si processing, with high voltage and power generation densities that are comparable to or better than generators using high figure-of-merit materials. These Si-based thermoelectric generators have <1 mm2 areas and can energize off-the-shelf sensor integrated circuits using temperature differences ≤25 K near room temperature. These generators can be directly integrated with Si circuits and scaled up in area to generate voltages and powers competitive with existing thermoelectric technologies, but in what should be a far more cost-effective manner.
The cellular and molecular landscape of hypothalamic patterning and differentiation from embryonic to late postnatal development
Authors: Kim Dong Won , Washington Parris Whitney , Wang Zoe Qianyi , Lin Sonia Hao , Sun Changyu , Ismail Basma Taleb , Wang Hong , Jiang Lizhi , Blackshaw Seth
Published: August 2020

The hypothalamus is a central regulator of many innate behaviors essential for survival, but the molecular mechanisms controlling hypothalamic patterning and cell fate specification are poorly understood. To identify genes that control hypothalamic development, we have used single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) to profile mouse hypothalamic gene expression across 12 developmental time points between embryonic day 10 and postnatal day 45. This identified genes that delineated clear developmental trajectories for all major hypothalamic cell types, and readily distinguished major regional subdivisions of the developing hypothalamus. By using our developmental dataset, we were able to rapidly annotate previously unidentified clusters from existing scRNA-Seq datasets collected during development and to identify the developmental origins of major neuronal populations of the ventromedial hypothalamus. We further show that our approach can rapidly and comprehensively characterize mutants that have altered hypothalamic patterning, identifying Nkx2.1 as a negative regulator of prethalamic identity. These data serve as a resource for further studies of hypothalamic development, physiology, and dysfunction.
[18-C-6H3O+]: an in-situ generated macrocyclic complex and an efficient, novel catalyst for synthesis of pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole derivatives
Authors: Mishra Manisha , Jomon K. J. , Krishnan V. R. Sriram , Nizam Aatika
Published: August 2020

Synthesis of small aromatic heterocycles is of greater importance in the organic chemistry due to their vibrant applications in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and veterinary products. Pyranopyrazoles are one such class of heterocycles associated with numerous applications. Hence herein we report a multicomponent crown ether catalyzed, ultrasound irradiated methodology to make different functionalized pyranopyrazoles in a single step. This technique involves the in-situ generation of [18-C-6H3O+][OH−] complex, which in turn activates the aromatic aldehyde and aids in the facile nucleophilic addition.
Thermodynamic optimization subsumed in stability phenomena
Authors: Gonzalez-Ayala J. , Medina A. , Roco J. M. M. , Calvo Hernández A.
Published: August 2020

In the present paper the possibility of an energetic self-optimization as a consequence of thermodynamic stability is addressed. This feature is analyzed in a low dissipation refrigerator working in an optimized trade-off regime (the so-called Omega function). The relaxation after a perturbation around the stable point indicates that stability is linked to trajectories in which the thermodynamic performance is improved. Furthermore, a limited control over the system is analyzed through consecutive external random perturbations. The statistics over many cycles corroborates the preference for a better thermodynamic performance. Endoreversible and irreversible behaviors play a relevant role in the relaxation trajectories (as well as in the statistical performance of many cycles experiencing random perturbations). A multi-objective optimization reveals that the well-known endoreversible limit works as an attractor of the system evolution coinciding with the Pareto front, which represents the best energetic compromise among efficiency, entropy generation, cooling power, input power and the Omega function. Meanwhile, near the stable state, performance and stability are dominated by an irreversible behavior.
Clinical correlates of nocardiosis
Authors: Margalit Ili , Goldberg Elad , Ben Ari Yaara , Ben-Zvi Haim , Shostak Yael , Krause Ilan , Muhsen Khitam
Published: August 2020

Nocardiais an opportunistic pathogen that most frequently affects the lungs. Evidence is limited regarding the risk factors for nocardiosis. The current study assessed clinical correlates of nocardiosis. A retrospective study was conducted based on medical records of consecutive adult patients (N = 60) with nocardiosis hospitalized during 2007–2018 at a tertiary hospital in central Israel. A matched comparison group of 120 patients was randomly selected among hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Multivariable conditional logistic regression models were fitted. Immunosuppressive pharmacotherapy was positively associated with nocardiosis (matched odds ratio [OR] 4.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.25–8.62,p < 0.001), particularly corticosteroid therapy (matched OR 4.69, 95% CI 2.45–8.99,p < 0.001). Systemic corticosteroid therapy was strongly associated with pulmonary nocardiosis (matched OR 5.90, 95% CI 2.75–12.66,p < 0.001). The positive association between solid organ transplantation and nocardiosis was attenuated following adjustment for systemic corticosteroids in a multivariable model. The association between corticosteroid therapy and nocardiosis appeared stronger in patients with chronic pulmonary disease (OR 5.74, 95% CI 2.75–12.66,p < 0.001) than in the pooled analysis of all nocardiosis cases. In conclusion, corticosteroid therapy was strongly correlated with nocardiosis, particularly among individuals with chronic pulmonary disease and in pulmonary nocardiosis.
Pseudotyping of VSV with Ebola virus glycoprotein is superior to HIV-1 for the assessment of neutralising antibodies
Authors: Steeds Kimberley , Hall Yper , Slack Gillian S. , Longet Stephanie , Strecker Thomas , Fehling Sarah Katharina , Wright Edward , Bore Joseph Akoi , Koundouno Fara Raymond , Konde Mandy Kader , Hewson Roger , Hiscox Julian A. , Pollakis Georgios , Carroll Miles W.
Published: August 2020

Ebola virus (EBOV) is an enveloped, single-stranded RNA virus that can cause Ebola virus disease (EVD). It is thought that EVD survivors are protected against subsequent infection with EBOV and that neutralising antibodies to the viral surface glycoprotein (GP) are potential correlates of protection. Serological studies are vital to assess neutralising antibodies targeted to EBOV GP; however, handling of EBOV is limited to containment level 4 laboratories. Pseudotyped viruses can be used as alternatives to live viruses, which require high levels of bio-containment, in serological and viral entry assays. However, neutralisation capacity can differ among pseudotyped virus platforms. We evaluated the suitability of EBOV GP pseudotyped human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) to measure the neutralising ability of plasma from EVD survivors, when compared to results from a live EBOV neutralisation assay. The sensitivity, specificity and correlation with live EBOV neutralisation were greater for the VSV-based pseudotyped virus system, which is particularly important when evaluating EBOV vaccine responses and immuno-therapeutics. Therefore, the EBOV GP pseudotyped VSV neutralisation assay reported here could be used to provide a better understanding of the putative correlates of protection against EBOV.
IDOL gene variant is associated with hyperlipidemia in Han population in Xinjiang, China
Authors: Adi Dilare , Abuzhalihan Jialin , Wang Ying-hong , Baituola Gulinaer , Wu Yun , Xie Xiang , Fu Zhen-Yan , Yang Yi-Ning , Ma Xiang , Li Xiao-Mei , Chen Bang-dang , Liu Fen , Ma Yi-Tong
Published: August 2020

Hyperlipidemia is one of the main risk factors that contributed to atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease (CAD). In the present study, our objective was to explore whether some genetic variants of human IDOL gene were associated with hyperlipidemia among Han population in Xinjiang, China. We designed a case–control study. A total of 1,172 subjects (588 diagnosed hyperlipidemia cases and 584 healthy controls) of Chinese Han were recruited. We genotyped three SNPs (rs9370867, rs909562, and rs2072783) of IDOL gene in all subjects by using the improved multiplex ligation detection reaction (iMLDR) method. Our study demonstrated that the distribution of the genotypes, the dominant model (AA vs GG + GA), and the overdominant model (AA + GG vs GA) of the rs9370867 SNP had significant differences between the case group and controls (all P < 0.001). For rs909562 and rs2072783, the distribution of the genotypes, the recessive model (AA + GA vs GG) showed significant differences between the case subjects and controls (P = 0.002, P = 0.007 and P = 0.045, P = 0.02, respectively). After multivariate adjustment for several confounders, the rs9370867 SNP is still an independent risk factor for hyperlipidemia [odds ratio (OR) = 1.380, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.201–1.586, P < 0.001]. The rs9370867 of human IDOL gene was associated with hyperlipidemia in Han population.
Impact of blood pressure control on retinal microvasculature in patients with chronic kidney disease
Authors: Peng Shu-Yen , Lee Yih-Cherng , Wu I.-W.e n , Lee Chin-Chan , Sun Chi-Chin , Ding Jian-Jiun , Liu Chun-Fu , Yeung Ling
Published: August 2020

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an emerging disease worldwide. We investigated the relationship between blood pressure (BP) control and parafoveal retinal microvascular changes in patients with CKD. This case–control study enrolled 256 patients with CKD (stage 3–5) and 70 age‐matched healthy controls. Optical coherence tomography angiography showed lower superficial vascular plexus (SVP) vessel density, lower deep vascular plexus (DVP) vessel density, and larger SVP flow void area in the CKD group. The BP parameters at enrollment and during the year before enrollment were collected in patients with CKD. Partial correlation was used to determine the relationship between BP parameters and microvascular parameters after controlling for age, sex, diabetes mellitus, axial length, and intraocular pressure. The maximum systolic blood pressure (SBP) (p = 0.003) and within-patient standard deviation (SD) of SBP (p = 0.006) in 1 year were negatively correlated with SVP vessel density. The average SBP (p = 0.040), maximum SBP (p = 0.001), within-patient SD of SBP (p < 0.001) and proportion of high BP measurement (p = 0.011) in 1 year were positively correlated with the SVP flow void area. We concluded that long-term SBP was correlated with SVP microvascular injury in patients with CKD. Superficial retinal microvascular changes may be a potential biomarker for prior long-term BP control in these patients.
Resistive switching characteristics of carbon nitride supported manganese oxysulfide: an evidence for the sweep dependent transformation of polarity
Authors: Perla Venkata K. , Ghosh Sarit K. , Mallick Kaushik
Published: August 2020

As part of a program to investigate the materials for resistive random access memory (ReRam) applications, a study has been conducted using embedded manganese oxysulfide (MOS) nanoparticles on the thin film of carbon nitride (CN). A high-temperature in-situ route was employed to synthesis CN-MOS composite where thiourea and manganese chloride was used as the precursor. The electrical property of the CN-MOS composite system (active layer), sandwiched between two gold electrodes, was measured under different sweeping (voltage) conditions. The device displayed different types of switching patterns, unipolar, and bipolar, by changing the sweep direction. The CN-MOS based device also exhibited good endurance and memory retention performances for the period of 104 cycles and 104 s, respectively, for both the polarities.
Quantitative and sensitive detection of lipase using a liquid crystal microfiber biosensor based on the whispering-gallery mode
Authors: Duan Rui , Li Yanzeng , He Yichen , Yuan Yonggui , Li Hanyang
Published: August 2020

We demonstrate a quantitative and sensitive strategy for monitoring the lipase concentration using a liquid crystal microfiber biosensor based on the whispering-gallery mode.
Study of interferences and procedures for their removal in the spectrophotometric determination of ammonium and selected anions in coloured wastewater samples
Authors: Mulec Andreea Oarga , Mladenovič Ana , Pranjić Alenka Mauko , Oprčkal Primož , Ščančar Janez , Milačič Radmila
Published: August 2020

Procedures for the removal of interferents in the spectrophotometric determination of ammonium and selected anions in coloured wastewater samples are proposed.
An ionic liquid-modified RGO/polyaniline composite for high-performance flexible all-solid-state supercapacitors
Authors: Dong Chang , Zhang Xiaoling , Yu Yijia , Huang Liyan , Li Jun , Wu Ying , Liu Zhengping
Published: August 2020

An IL-modified RGO/polyaniline composite was obtained by hydrothermal treatment and in situ polymerization, and used for high-performance supercapacitors.
Respiratory Au nucleation and microelectrode techniques reveal key features of bacterial conductive matrix
Authors: Ordóñez María Victoria , Robuschi Luciana , Hoppe Cristina Elena , Busalmen Juan Pablo
Published: August 2020

Key elements of Geobacter's extracellular electron transfer mechanism are characterized combining respiratory formed gold nanoparticles with spectro-electrochemical and microelectrode techniques.
A unique Si-doped carbon nanocatalyst for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation: insights into the singlet oxygen generation mechanism and the abnormal salt effect
Authors: Duan Weijian , He Jinglei , Wei Ziliang , Dai Zongren , Feng Chunhua
Published: August 2020

The Si-engaged, carbon-activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS) system proceeding via the non-radical oxidation pathway involving singlet oxygen (1O2) represents a promising advanced oxidation process.
“Barking” up the right tree: biorefinery from waste stream to cyclic carbonate with immobilization of CO2 for non-isocyanate polyurethanes
Authors: Chen Heyu , Chauhan Prashant , Yan Ning
Published: August 2020

Biorefinery from bark waste stream to cyclic carbonate with immobilization of CO2 for non-isocyanate polyurethanes.
Time-resolved microwell cell-pairing array reveals multiple T cell activation profiles
Authors: Desalvo Anna , Bateman Faith , James Edward , Morgan Hywel , Elliott Tim
Published: August 2020

Time-controlled stimulation of lymphocytes arrayed in microwells upon contact with opposing surface covered by a monolayer of antigen presenting cells.
A Ni/Fe complex incorporated into a covalent organic framework as a single-site heterogeneous catalyst for efficient oxygen evolution reaction
Authors: Feng Xuefeng , Gao Zhi , Xiao Longhui , Lai Zhenqin , Luo Feng
Published: August 2020

A solid COF framework served as the seeding of supported single-site catalysts to graft Ni/Fe complex molecular catalyst similar to homogeneous catalysts by one-pot post-synthetic modification.
A rare 4-connected neb-type 3D chiral polyoxometalate framework based on {KNb24O72} clusters
Authors: Zhu Zeng-Kui , Lin Li-Dan , Zhang Jing , Li Xin-Xiong , Sun Yan-Qiong , Zheng Shou-Tian
Published: August 2020

A rare 3D porous chiral polyoxoniobate framework has been constructed from two types of isomeric {Cu(en)2KNb24O72} clusters with a 4-connected neb-type topology. This compound exhibits proton conduction and high water vapor adsorption properties.
Direct remote δ-C(sp2)–H olefination of β-aryl-substituted aliphatic aldehydes via palladium/enamine co-catalysis
Authors: Richa  , Kumar Rajesh , Zhang Xiaofeng , Su Weiping
Published: August 2020

Palladium-catalyzed direct remote δ-C(sp2)–H olefination of β-aryl-substituted aliphatic aldehydes has been achieved using a catalytic amount of secondary amine (n-Bu)2NH as a co-catalyst.
Linking transcription, RNA polymerase II elongation and alternative splicing
Authors: Giono Luciana E. , Kornblihtt Alberto R.
Published: August 2020

Gene expression is an intricately regulated process that is at the basis of cell differentiation, the maintenance of cell identity and the cellular responses to environmental changes. Alternative splicing, the process by which multiple functionally distinct transcripts are generated from a single gene, is one of the main mechanisms that contribute to expand the coding capacity of genomes and help explain the level of complexity achieved by higher organisms. Eukaryotic transcription is subject to multiple layers of regulation both intrinsic — such as promoter structure — and dynamic, allowing the cell to respond to internal and external signals. Similarly, alternative splicing choices are affected by all of these aspects, mainly through the regulation of transcription elongation, making it a regulatory knob on a par with the regulation of gene expression levels. This review aims to recapitulate some of the history and stepping-stones that led to the paradigms held today about transcription and splicing regulation, with major focus on transcription elongation and its effect on alternative splicing.
Arylsulfatase K inactivation causes mucopolysaccharidosis due to deficient glucuronate desulfation of heparan and chondroitin sulfate
Authors: Trabszo Christof , Ramms Bastian , Chopra Pradeep , Lüllmann-Rauch Renate , Stroobants Stijn , Sproß Jens , Jeschke Anke , Schinke Thorsten , Boons Geert-Jan , Esko Jeffrey D. , Lübke Torben , Dierks Thomas
Published: August 2020

Mucopolysaccharidoses comprise a group of rare metabolic diseases, in which the lysosomal degradation of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) is impaired due to genetically inherited defects of lysosomal enzymes involved in GAG catabolism. The resulting intralysosomal accumulation of GAG-derived metabolites consequently manifests in neurological symptoms and also peripheral abnormalities in various tissues like liver, kidney, spleen and bone. As each GAG consists of differently sulfated disaccharide units, it needs a specific, but also partly overlapping set of lysosomal enzymes to accomplish their complete degradation. Recently, we identified and characterized the lysosomal enzyme arylsulfatase K (Arsk) exhibiting glucuronate-2-sulfatase activity as needed for the degradation of heparan sulfate (HS), chondroitin sulfate (CS) and dermatan sulfate (DS). In the present study, we investigated the physiological relevance of Arsk by means of a constitutive Arsk knockout mouse model. A complete lack of glucuronate desulfation was demonstrated by a specific enzyme activity assay. Arsk-deficient mice show, in an organ-specific manner, a moderate accumulation of HS and CS metabolites characterized by 2-O-sulfated glucuronate moieties at their non-reducing ends. Pathophysiological studies reflect a rather mild phenotype including behavioral changes. Interestingly, no prominent lysosomal storage pathology like bone abnormalities were detected. Our results from the Arsk mouse model suggest a new although mild form of mucopolysacharidose (MPS), which we designate MPS type IIB.
The general case of cutting of Generalized Möbius-Listing surfaces and bodies
Authors: Gielis Johan , Tavkhelidze Ilia
Published: August 2020

The original motivation to study Generalized Möbius-Listing GML surfaces and bodies was the observation that the solution of boundary value problems greatly depends on the domains. Since around 2010 GML’s were merged with (continuous) Gielis Transformations, which provide a unifying description of geometrical shapes, as a generalization of the Pythagorean Theorem. The resulting geometrical objects can be used for modeling a wide range of natural shapes and phenomena. The cutting of GML bodies and surfaces, with the Möbius strip as one special case, is related to the field of knots and links, and classifications were obtained for GML with cross sectional symmetry of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. The general case of cutting GML bodies and surfaces, in particular the number of ways of cutting, could be solved by reducing the 3D problem to planar geometry. This also unveiled a range of connections with topology, combinatorics, elasticity theory and theoretical physics.
Autismus – (m)eine andere Wahrnehmung
Authors: Vero Gee
Published: August 2020

Stellen Sie sich vor, Sie wachen jeden Morgen in einer Welt auf, in der Ihnen nichts vertraut ist. Vieles macht Ihnen Angst. Sie sind einer ständigen Reizüberflutung ausgesetzt, haben große Probleme mit anderen Menschen und geraten immer mehr ins Abseits, ohne zu wissen warum. Wie würde es Ihnen gehen? Wie würden Sie sich fühlen? Was würden Sie tun? Was bräuchten Sie am dringendsten?
Haftungsprobleme in der Psychotherapie
Authors: Hermes Michaela
Published: August 2020

Psychotherapie wird als „redender Beruf“ bezeichnet. Das gesprochene Wort, richtig gesetzt, kann eine sehr einschneidende Intervention sein. Psychotherapie wirkt. Was wirkt, hat aber auch Nebenwirkungen. Studien haben gezeigt, dass in der ambulanten Psychotherapie negative Therapiewirkungen – subjektiv erlebt – häufig sind. 84 % der befragten Patienten
1
gaben mindestens eine von 13 Nebenwirkungen an 1.
Wie früh lässt sich Autismus wirklich erkennen und diagnostizieren?
Authors: Noterdaeme Michele
Published: August 2020

Autismus-Spektrum-Störungen sind komplexe Entwicklungsstörungen, die in der frühen Kindheit beginnen und nicht heilbar sind. Die Symptomkonstellation ist vielfältig. Neben einer großen Variabilität der Kernsymptome bestehen in der Regel zahlreiche komorbide Störungen. Dies führt dazu, dass die Störung oft nicht oder sehr spät erkannt wird. Frühe Erkennung und Intervention sind für eine günstige psychosoziale Prognose sehr wichtig.
Wirksame Psychotherapie für Menschen im Autismus-Spektrum
Authors: Wilczek Brit
Published: August 2020

Menschen im Autismus-Spektrum (AS) bringen aufgrund der besonderen Reizverarbeitung, eines hohen Stressniveaus und dem Erleben von Anders-Sein eine erhöhte Vulnerabilität und Belastungen mit sich. In einer Psychotherapie erleben Betroffene häufig, dass Symptome sich nicht verbessern, weshalb dies lange als nicht indiziert galt. Im Folgenden werden Voraussetzungen und Wirkfaktoren einer effektiven Psychotherapie für Erwachsene im AS vorgestellt.
Autismus
Authors: Held Judith
Published: August 2020

Definitionen, Fakten, Relevantes – die PiD-Essentials fassen die wichtigsten Informationen zum Thema des Heftes knapp und übersichtlich für Sie zusammen.
Fallbericht Autismus
Authors: Heinze Jana , Schröder Kathleen , Harth Alexandra , Wilczek Brit
Published: August 2020

Eine 19 Jahre alte Frau berichtet von Defiziten in der emotionalen Eigensteuerung, Überforderung bei der Abweichung von bekannten Strukturen und ihrem Wunsch, entsprechend ihrer Bedürfnisse aktiv am sozialen Leben teilnehmen zu können.