bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nonlethal Fin Clip Model Validation for Stable Isotope Analysis of Spotted Gar and Alligator Gar
Authors: Fredrickson Anthea , Rieucau Guillaume , Fontenot Quenton , Lackmann Alec , David Solomon R.
Published: August 2021

Stable isotope analysis (SIA) can be a powerful tool for investigating trophic ecology and energy fluxes through an ecosystem. In fish, muscle tissue is generally preferred for SIA due to its intermediate turnover rate, even though sampling muscle is often lethal. Here, we evaluated the feasibility of a fin clip model using fin tissue as a nonlethal alternative to using muscle tissue for SIA (nitrogen, δ15N and carbon, δ13C) in Spotted Gar Lepisosteus oculatus and Alligator Gar Atractosteus spatula. We also investigated the effects of locality, age, and size of Spotted Gars on the robustness of the fin clip model. Muscle tissue plugs and fin tissue clips were collected from Spotted Gars (n = 104) and Alligator Gars (n = 16) at four localities in southeastern Louisiana in 2019. Both Spotted Gars and Alligator Gars showed strong positive Pearson’s correlations in δ15N and δ13C between the fin and muscle tissues, and a linear regression analysis confirmed that the correlations were significant (Spotted Gar; δ15N: R2 = 0.88; δ13C: R2 = 0.95, P < 0.001; Alligator Gar; δ15N: R2 = 0.74; δ13C: R2 = 0.94, P < 0.001). The fin clip model for Spotted Gar was affected by locality but not by size or age. Overall, our results suggest that fin tissue can be used as a nonlethal surrogate for muscle tissue for SIA for both Spotted Gars and Alligator Gars.
Catalytic Functionalization of Metallocarbenes Derived from α‐Diazocarbonyl Compounds and Their Precursors
Authors: Yadagiri Dongari , Anbarasan Pazhamalai
Published: August 2021

Short and efficient synthesis of heterocyclic compounds are highly desirable in synthetic organic chemistry. It is a dream approach to accomplish these syntheses from readily available starting materials in a single step. In this personal account, we discuss our contribution in the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds and beyond from N‐sulfonyl‐1,2,3‐triazoles and α‐diazocarbonyl compounds, which are the precursors for α‐imino (carbonyl) metal carbenes in the presence of transition metal catalysts. Functionalization of α‐imino(carbonyl) metal carbenes has been achieved through in‐situ generated metal‐stabilized ylides followed by either intramolecular trapping by non‐polar bonds, rearrangement, cycloaddition, or 1,3‐insertion fashion, which led to the efficient synthesis of various synthetically important intermediates and heterocyclic compounds.
Quickly evolving near‐infrared photoimmunotherapy provides multifaceted approach to modern cancer treatment
Authors: Monaco Hailey , Yokomizo Shinya , Choi Hak Soo , Kashiwagi Satoshi
Published: August 2021

Among modalities of cancer immunotherapy, near‐infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR‐PIT) has reached significant preclinical and clinical stages and quickly evolved over the last 5 years. NIR‐PIT uses deep‐penetrable NIR light to induce physicochemical changes in the antibody–photosensitizer conjugate (APC), leading to resultant necrosis and immunogenic cell death (ICD) of the cancer cells. Alternatively, other types of photomedicine use photosensitizers to convert absorbed light energy either into reactive oxygen species for photodynamic therapy (PDT) or into heat for photothermal therapy (PTT). ICD is a unique and relevant outcome of NIR‐PIT because it induces long‐lasting antitumor host immunity, which overcomes the immunosuppressive network of cancer. Due to its high specificity and durable antitumor effects, NIR‐PIT is now considered a promising cancer therapy, and optimized NIR‐PIT is readily expanding its applicability to many different types of cancer. Along with the traditional method of NIR‐PIT, new avenues in its realm of treatment are currently being explored, such as the targeting of other immunosuppressive elements, delivery of NIR light through a catheter, real‐time imaging for tumor detection, and the use of tumor‐seeking small molecules for improved efficacy and safety. In addition, its effect on hyperpermeability has opened a door for a wide array of combination therapies with other modalities. This review summarizes the recent findings in clinical and preclinical studies of NIR‐induced photomedicine and its future significance in the field of cancer research.
Stimuli‐responsive hydrogels: Fabrication and biomedical applications
Authors: Li Ziyuan , Zhou Yanzi , Li Tianyue , Zhang Junji , Tian He
Published: August 2021

Due to their similarity to some bio‐architectures, for example, extracellular matrix, hydrogels are considered as bio‐inspired networks with bio‐mimetic and bio‐functional properties. With natural cytocompatibility and biocompatibility, hydrogels nowadays are more and more involved in various bio‐applications including shape morphing, artificial muscles, soft robotics, regenerative medicine, and so on. As an important subclass, stimuli‐responsive hydrogels have been attracting interest within decades. In response to single or multi‐triggers in biological microenvironment, stimuli‐responsive hydrogels can undergo phase transition, stiffness change, or biochemical properties activation, which make them intriguing biomaterials with broad applications including sensing, drug delivery, tissue engineering, and wound healing. This review presents typical synthetic and natural gelators comprising small molecules and polymers as building blocks of functional architectures. The fabrication strategies of hydrogels varied from supramolecular assembly to dynamic covalent binding are detailed. Various exogenous or endogenous, physical or chemical, and synthetic or natural stimuli together with response mechanism, design principle are demonstrated. Through recent examples from different perspectives, such as bionic devices, wound dressing, and cargo carrier, the benefits and opportunities of stimuli‐responsive hydrogels for biological applications are highlighted. Finally, the current challenges and future prospects in view of translation from fundamental researches to clinical application are briefly discussed.
Stable solvers for real-time Complex Langevin
Authors: Alvestad Daniel , Larsen Rasmus , Rothkopf Alexander
Published: August 2021

Abstract

This study explores the potential of modern implicit solvers for stochastic partial differential equations in the simulation of real-time complex Langevin dynamics. Not only do these methods offer asymptotic stability, rendering the issue of runaway solution moot, but they also allow us to simulate at comparatively large Langevin time steps, leading to lower computational cost. We compare different ways of regularizing the underlying path integral and estimate the errors introduced due to the finite Langevin time steps. Based on that insight, we implement benchmark (non-)thermal simulations of the quantum anharmonic oscillator on the canonical Schwinger-Keldysh contour of short real-time extent.
Deutschsprachige Versionen des Tinnitus Functional Index
Authors: Peter Nicole , Kleinjung Tobias , Lippuner Ricarda , Boecking Benjamin , Brueggemann Petra , Mazurek Birgit
Published: August 2021

Hintergrund

Es existieren zwei deutschsprachige, validierte Versionen des Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI), eine für die Schweiz und eine für Deutschland. Der TFI gilt als möglicher neuer Standard-Fragebogen für die Evaluation eines Tinnitus-Schweregrads und einer Tinnitus-Therapie.

Ziel der Arbeit

In Anbetracht der stattfindenden Standardisierung bei der Tinnitus-Evaluation war es unser Ziel, die beiden TFI-Versionen miteinander zu vergleichen und im deutschsprachigem Raum nur eine TFI-Version zu empfehlen.

Material und Methoden

Die beiden deutschsprachigen TFI-Versionen wurden in einer multizentrischen randomisierten Online-Fragebogenstudie im Cross-over-Design miteinander verglichen.

Ergebnisse

Die Gesamtscores der beiden TFI-Versionen unterschieden sich in der gesamten Population nicht. Bei weiterer Aufschlüsselung in Bezug auf die Population und Reihenfolge der abgegeben TFI-Versionen zeigten sich allerdings teilweise signifikante Unterschiede mit jedoch nur moderaten Effektstärken. Dies deutet darauf hin, dass sich die beiden Versionen leicht unterscheiden, aber trotzdem miteinander vergleichbar sind. Bei der Faktoranalyse konnten bei der TFI-Version für Deutschland in der gesamten Population wie auch für die schweizerische Population 6 Faktoren extrahiert werden. Hingegen konnten bei der deutschen Population in beiden TFI-Versionen und bei der schweizerischen Population in der schweizerischen TFI-Version nur 5 Faktoren extrahiert werden.

Schlussfolgerung

Die beiden deutschsprachigen Versionen des TFI sind gut miteinander vergleichbar. Jedoch spricht die Faktoranalyse eher für die Verwendung der TFI-Version für Deutschland im gesamten deutschsprachigen Raum.
Center‐Level Procedure Volume Does Not Predict Failure‐to‐Rescue After Severe Complications of Oncologic Colon and Rectal Surgery
Authors: Lillo‐Felipe Miriam , Ahl Hulme Rebecka , Forssten Maximilian Peter , Bass Gary A. , Cao Yang , Matthiessen Peter , Mohseni Shahin
Published: August 2021

Background

The relationship between hospital surgical volume and outcome after colorectal cancer surgery has thoroughly been studied. However, few studies have assessed hospital surgical volume and failure‐to‐rescue (FTR) after colon and rectal cancer surgery. The aim of the current study is to evaluate FTR following colorectal cancer surgery between clinics based on procedure volume.

Methods

Patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery in Sweden from January 2015 to January 2020 were recruited through the Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry. The primary endpoint was FTR, defined as the proportion of patients with 30‐day mortality after severe postoperative complications in colorectal cancer surgery. Severe postoperative complications were defined as Clavien–Dindo ≥ 3. FTR incidence rate ratios (IRR) were calculated comparing center volume stratified in low‐volume (≤ 200 cases/year) and high‐volume centers (> 200 cases/year), as well as with an alternative stratification comparing low‐volume (< 50 cases/year), medium‐volume (50–150 cases/year) and high‐volume centers (> 150 cases/year).

Results

A total of 23,351 patients were included in this study, of whom 2964 suffered severe postoperative complication(s). Adjusted IRR showed no significant differences between high‐ and low‐volume centers with an IRR of 0.97 (0.75–1.26, p = 0.844) in high‐volume centers in the first stratification and an IRR of 2.06 (0.80–5.31, p = 0.134) for high‐volume centers and 2.15 (0.83–5.56, p = 0.116) for medium‐volume centers in the second stratification.

Conclusion

This nationwide retrospectively analyzed cohort study fails to demonstrate a significant association between hospital surgical volume and FTR after colorectal cancer surgery. Future studies should explore alternative characteristics and their correlation with FTR to identify possible interventions for the improvement of quality of care after colorectal cancer surgery.
Die Kataraktchirurgie und das kleine Auge: Relativer anteriorer Mikrophthalmus, hohe Hyperopie und Nanophthalmus
Authors: Auffarth Gerd U. , Naujokaitis Tadas , Hammer Maximilian
Published: August 2021

Relativer anteriorer Mikrophthalmus, hochgradige Hyperopie und Nanophthalmus bezeichnen klein gebaute Augen mit unterschiedlichem morphologischem Verhältnis zwischen Vorderabschnitt und Achsenlänge. Im Rahmen dieses Beitrags werden intraoperative Herausforderungen und chirurgische Lösungsansätze für die Kataraktoperation bei Patienten mit einer der 3 genannten morphologischen Veränderungen diskutiert. Zusätzlich wird auf mögliche, vorliegende Komorbiditäten, wie z. B. das Glaukom, und die präoperative Planung eingegangen.
Fit-for-purpose based testing and validation of antibodies to amino- and carboxy-terminal domains of cannabinoid receptor 1
Authors: Echeazarra Leyre , García del Caño Gontzal , Barrondo Sergio , González-Burguera Imanol , Saumell-Esnaola Miquel , Aretxabala Xabier , López de Jesús Maider , Borrega-Román Leire , Mato Susana , Ledent Catherine , Matute Carlos , Goicolea María Aranzazu , Sallés Joan
Published: August 2021

Specific and selective anti-CB1 antibodies are among the most powerful research tools to unravel the complex biological processes mediated by the CB1 receptor in both physiological and pathological conditions. However, low performance of antibodies remains a major source of inconsistency between results from different laboratories. Using a variety of techniques, including some of the most commonly accepted ones for antibody specificity testing, we identified three of five commercial antibodies against different regions of CB1 receptor as the best choice for specific end-use purposes. Specifically, an antibody against a long fragment of the extracellular amino tail of CB1 receptor (but not one against a short sequence of the extreme amino-terminus) detected strong surface staining when applied to live cells, whereas two different antibodies against an identical fragment of the extreme carboxy-terminus of CB1 receptor (but not one against an upstream peptide) showed acceptable performance on all platforms, although they behaved differently in immunohistochemical assays depending on the tissue fixation procedure used and showed different specificity in Western blot assays, which made each of them particularly suitable for one of those techniques. Our results provide a framework to interpret past and future results derived from the use of different anti-CB1 antibodies in the context of current knowledge about the CB1 receptor at the molecular level, and highlight the need for an adequate validation for specific purposes, not only before antibodies are placed on the market, but also before the decision to discontinue them is made.
Low-risk DCIS. What is it? Observe or excise?
Authors: Pinder Sarah E. , Thompson Alastair M. , Wesserling Jelle
Published: August 2021

The issue of overdiagnosis and overtreatment of lesions detected by breast screening mammography has been debated in both international media and the scientific literature. A proportion of cancers detected by breast screening would never have presented symptomatically or caused harm during the patient’s lifetime. The most likely (but not the only) entity which may represent those overdiagnosed and overtreated is low-grade ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). In this article, we address what is understood regarding the natural history of DCIS and the diagnosis and prognosis of low-grade DCIS. However, low cytonuclear grade disease may not be the totality of DCIS that can be considered of low clinical risk and we outline the issues regarding active surveillance vs excision of low-risk DCIS and the clinical trials exploring this approach.
Morphological and molecular identification of Cryptocotyle lingua metacercariae isolated from Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) from Danish seas and whiting (Merlangius merlangus) from the English Channel
Authors: Duflot Maureen , Gay Mélanie , Midelet Graziella , Kania Per Walter , Buchmann Kurt
Published: August 2021

Trematode larvae (metacercariae) causing black spot disease occur frequently in gills, fins, skin and the superficial muscle layers of marine fish. Species within the genus Cryptocotyle Lühe, 1899 are frequently associated with this disease. Descriptions of the metacercarial stage are relatively limited and none has hitherto been reported from fish from the English Channel. The present study reports the morphological and molecular identifications of encysted black spot-inducing parasites from whiting (Merlangius merlangus) and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) caught respectively from the north coast of France (English Channel) and from Danish sea waters. Metacercariae were characterised morphologically based on microscopic observations and molecularly using Sanger sequencing of fragments of the mitochondrial cox1 gene and rDNA ITS region. Morphological data were compared with available data in the literature. Phylogenetic trees including reference sequences were built to confirm morphological and molecular identifications. This survey constitutes the first description of C. lingua metacercariae in the English Channel ecosystems.
Deep learning for prediction of depressive symptoms in a large textual dataset
Authors: Uddin Md Zia , Dysthe Kim Kristoffer , Følstad Asbjørn , Brandtzaeg Petter Bae
Published: August 2021

Depression is a common illness worldwide with potentially severe implications. Early identification of depressive symptoms is a crucial first step towards assessment, intervention, and relapse prevention. With an increase in data sets with relevance for depression, and the advancement of machine learning, there is a potential to develop intelligent systems to detect symptoms of depression in written material. This work proposes an efficient approach using Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM)-based Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) to identify texts describing self-perceived symptoms of depression. The approach is applied on a large dataset from a public online information channel for young people in Norway. The dataset consists of youth’s own text-based questions on this information channel. Features are then provided from a one-hot process on robust features extracted from the reflection of possible symptoms of depression pre-defined by medical and psychological experts. The features are better than conventional approaches, which are mostly based on the word frequencies (i.e., some topmost frequent words are chosen as features from the whole text dataset and applied to model the underlying events in any text message) rather than symptoms. Then, a deep learning approach is applied (i.e., RNN) to train the time-sequential features discriminating texts describing depression symptoms from posts with no such descriptions (non-depression posts). Finally, the trained RNN is used to automatically predict depression posts. The system is compared against conventional approaches where it achieved superior performance than others. The linear discriminant space clearly reveals the robustness of the features by generating better clustering than other traditional features. Besides, since the features are based on the possible symptoms of depression, the system may generate meaningful explanations of the decision from machine learning models using an explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) algorithm called Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanations (LIME). The proposed depression symptom feature-based approach shows superior performance compared to the traditional general word frequency-based approaches where frequency of the features gets more importance than the specific symptoms of depression. Although the proposed approach is applied on a Norwegian dataset, a similar robust approach can be applied on other depression datasets developed in other languages with proper annotations and symptom-based feature extraction. Thus, the depression prediction approach can be adopted to contribute to develop better mental health care technologies such as intelligent chatbots.
Harnack’s inequality for doubly nonlinear equations of slow diffusion type
Authors: Bögelein Verena , Heran Andreas , Schätzler Leah , Singer Thomas
Published: August 2021

In this article we prove a Harnack inequality for non-negative weak solutions to doubly nonlinear parabolic equations of the form $$\begin{aligned} \partial _t u - {{\,\mathrm{div}\,}}{\mathbf {A}}(x,t,u,Du^m) = {{\,\mathrm{div}\,}}F, \end{aligned}$$

∂
t

u
-

div

A

(
x
,
t
,
u
,
D

u
m

)

=

div

F
,

where the vector field $${\mathbf {A}}$$
A
fulfills p-ellipticity and growth conditions. We treat the slow diffusion case in its full range, i.e. all exponents $$m > 0$$

m
>
0

and $$p>1$$

p
>
1

with $$m(p-1) > 1$$

m
(
p
-
1
)
>
1

are included in our considerations.
Protein adsorption/desorption dynamics on Ca-enriched titanium surfaces: biological implications
Authors: Romero-Gavilán Francisco , Cerqueira Andreia , Anitua Eduardo , Tejero Ricardo , García-Arnáez Iñaki , Martinez-Ramos Cristina , Ozturan Seda , Izquierdo Raul , Azkargorta Mikel , Elortza Félix , Gurruchaga Mariló , Goñi Isabel , Suay Julio
Published: August 2021

Calcium ions are used in the development of biomaterials for the promotion of coagulation, bone regeneration, and implant osseointegration. Upon implantation, the time-dependent release of calcium ions from titanium implant surfaces modifies the physicochemical characteristics at the implant–tissue interface and thus, the biological responses. The aim of this study is to examine how the dynamics of protein adsorption on these surfaces change over time. Titanium discs with and without Ca were incubated with human serum for 2 min, 180 min, and 960 min. The layer of proteins attached to the surface was characterised using nLC-MS/MS. The adsorption kinetics was different between materials, revealing an increased adsorption of proteins associated with coagulation and immune responses prior to Ca release. Implant–blood contact experiments confirmed the strong coagulatory effect for Ca surfaces. We employed primary human alveolar osteoblasts and THP-1 monocytes to study the osteogenic and inflammatory responses. In agreement with the proteomic results, Ca-enriched surfaces showed a significant initial inflammation that disappeared once the calcium was released. The distinct protein adsorption/desorption dynamics found in this work demonstrated to be useful to explain the differential biological responses between the titanium and Ca-ion modified implant surfaces.

Graphic abstract
Impact of molar incisor hypomineralization on oral health–related quality of life in 8–10-year-old children
Authors: Joshi Taneeya , Rahman Alexander , Rienhoff Sabine , Rienhoff Jan , Stamm Tanja , Bekes Katrin
Published: August 2021

Objectives

The aim of this study was to compare oral health–related quality of life (OHRQoL) in children with and without molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH) and to assess the impact of severity of MIH on OHRQoL in children between 8–10 years using the German version of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ-G8-10).

Materials and methods

Children aged 8–10 years were recruited at a pediatric dental clinic in Hannover, Germany. Half of them were affected by MIH. Participants were evaluated for presence and severity of MIH (MIH-TNI), plaque and dental caries status. Children were asked to answer the CPQ-G8-10. Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism-software version 8.

Results

One hundred eighty-eight children (mean age 8.80 [± 0.84]; 43.10% female) were included in the study with 94 children having MIH. CPQ-G8-10 mean scores in MIH-affected children were significantly higher than in children showing no MIH (13.87 [± 8.91] vs. 4.20 [± 3.74];p < 0.0001) showing that MIH has negative impact OHRQoL. Similar trends were seen in all four subdomains. Regarding severity, CPQ-G8-10 mean scores increased from mild to severe forms of MIH.

Conclusion

Children affected by MIH show an impaired OHRQoL compared to children without MIH; with increasing severity, OHRQoL gets more impaired.

Clinical relevance

To understand the patient’s perception and the individual oral health needs will help to prioritize MIH and recognize its impact.
Un-jamming due to energetic instability: statics to dynamics
Authors: Luding Stefan , Jiang Yimin , Liu Mario
Published: August 2021

Jamming/un-jamming, the transition between solid- and fluid-like behavior in granular matter, is an ubiquitous phenomenon in need of a sound understanding. As argued here, in addition to the usual un-jamming by vanishing pressure due to a decrease of density, there is alsoyield(plastic rearrangements and un-jamming that occur) if, e.g., for given pressure, the shear stress becomes too large. Similar to thevan der Waals transitionbetween vapor and water, or the critical current in superconductors, we believe that one mechanism causing yield is by the loss of the energy’s convexity (causing irreversible re-arrangements of the micro-structure, either locally or globally). We focus on this mechanism in the context of granular solid hydrodynamics (GSH), generalized for very soft materials, i.e., large elastic deformations, employing it in an over-simplified (bottom-up) fashion by setting as many parameters as possible to constant. Also, we complemented/completed GSH by using various insights/observations from particle simulations and calibrating some of the theoretical parameters—both continuum and particle points of view are reviewed in the context of the research developments during the last few years. Any other energy-based elastic-plastic theory that is properly calibrated (top-down), by experimental or numerical data, would describe granular solids. But only if it would cover granular gas, fluid, and solid states simultaneously (as GSH does) could it follow the system transitions and evolution through all states into un-jammed, possibly dynamic/collisional states—and back to elastically stable ones. We show how the un-jamming dynamics starts off, unfolds, develops, and ends. We follow the system through various deformation modes: transitions, yielding, un-jamming and jamming, both analytically and numerically and bring together the material point continuum model with particle simulations, quantitatively.

Graphic abstract
Parameter estimation and signal reconstruction
Authors: Skrzipek Michael-Ralf
Published: August 2021

In frequency analysis an often appearing problem is the reconstruction of a signal from given samples. Since the samples are usually noised, pure interpolating approaches are not recommended and appropriate approximation methods are more suitable as they can be interpreted as a kind of denoising. Two approaches are widely used. One uses the reflection coefficients of a finite sequence of Szegő polynomials and the other one the zeros of the so called Prony polynomial. We show that both approaches are closely related. As a kind of inverse problem, it’s not surprising that they have in common that both methods depend very sensitive on sampling errors. We use known properties of the signal to estimate the positions of the zeros of the corresponding Szegő- or Prony-like polynomials and construct adaptive algorithms to calculate these ones. Hereby, we get the corresponding parameters in the exponential parts of the signal, too. Then, the coefficients of the signal (as a linear combination of such exponential functions) can be obtained from a system of linear equations by minimizing the residuals with respect to a suitable norm as a kind of denoising.
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder of All Ages, Levels of Symptom Severity and General Cognitive Ability Display Low Processing Speed Index Scores Warranting Special Educational Assistance
Authors: Linnenbank M. , Feldmann R. , Schulte-Körne G. , Beimdiek S. , Strittmatter E.
Published: August 2021

The processing speed index (PSI) of the Wechsler intelligence scale for children (WISC-IV) has been found to predict a child's level of academic functioning. The consistently reported PSI weakness in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) therefore warrants special assistance and attempts at compensation for the disadvantages associated with these children's low PSI. We investigated the association of PSI scores with age, general cognitive ability [as measured by full-scale IQ (FSIQ)], symptom severity and discrepancy between the WISC-IV indices verbal comprehension (VCI) and perceptual reasoning (PRI) in 101 school children with ASD. The PSI weakness in children with ASD was not related to age, FSIQ, VCI-PRI discrepancy or any of the symptom measures. These findings suggest that school children with ASD independent of their age, level of cognitive ability, VCI-PRI profile and most notably independent of their symptom severity should be entitled to special assistance and compensation in educational settings.
Multimorbidity and Disability Among Venezuelan Migrants: A Population-Based Survey in Peru
Authors: Bernabe-Ortiz Antonio , Carrillo-Larco Rodrigo M.
Published: August 2021

The political and economic crisis in Venezuela has originated an unprecedented migration. As of November 2020, 1.04 million Venezuelans have moved to Peru. Understanding their health profile is needed to identify their needs, provide care and secure resources without affecting the healthcare of nationals. We quantified the burden of multimorbidity and disability in the Venezuelan population in Peru. We analyzed the 2018 Survey of Venezuelan Population Living in Peru; population-based with random sampling survey in six cities in Peru. Participants were asked about the presence of 12 chronic conditions (self-reported); this information was grouped into 0, 1 and ≥ 2 conditions (i.e., multimorbidity). Disability was also ascertained with a self-reported questionnaire adapted from the short version of the Washington Group on Disability Statistics. Socioeconomic variables were analyzed as potential determinants. Variables were described with frequencies and 95% confidence interval (95% CI), compared with Chi2 test, and association estimates were derived with a Poisson regression reporting prevalence ratio and 95% CI. Results accounted for the complex survey design. The analysis included 7554 migrants, mean age 31.8 (SD: 10.2), 46.6% were women, 31.7% migrated alone and 5.6% had refugee status. The prevalence of multimorbidity was 0.6% (95% CI 0.4–0.9%), and was often present in women (p < 0.001), people ≥ 50 years (p < 0.001) and those without recent job (p < 0.001). The prevalence of disability was 2.0% (95% CI 1.5–2.7%), and was common among people ≥ 50 years (p < 0.001) and those without recent job (p < 0.001). Migration alone and refugee status were not associated with multimorbidity or disability. The self-reported prevalence of multimorbidity and disability in Venezuelan migrants in Peru was low, and were not strongly influenced by migration status. While these results could suggest a healthy migrant effect, the healthcare system should be prepared to deliver acute and preventive care for these migrants, while also securing primary prevention to delay the onset of chronic conditions in this population.
Preliminary Characterisation of Wastes Generated from the Rapeseed and Sunflower Protein Isolation Process and Their Valorisation in Delaying Oil Oxidation
Authors: Cisneros-Yupanqui Miluska , Chalova Vesela I. , Kalaydzhiev Hristo R. , Mihaylova Dasha , Krastanov Albert I. , Lante Anna
Published: August 2021

Since rapeseed and sunflower meals are two of the most representative oilseed crops in the world, this study was focused on ethanol-wash solutes (EWS) obtained as wastes from the protein isolation process of rapeseed and sunflower meals. These meals have been previously valorised; however, the use of the EWS is unexplored. The present study is aimed at the characterisation of their phenolic profile, and antioxidant capacity for preventing lipid oxidation in rapeseed, sunflower, and soybean oil, which has been used as a reference oil. The sunflower EWS exhibited more total phenolic compounds (TPC) and antioxidant activity (119.39 ± 1.13 mg GA/g and 193.97 ± 9.77 mg TE/g, respectively) than the rapeseed one (103.44 ± 5.94 mg GA/g and 89.51 ± 3.17 mg TE/g). The phenolic identification showed hydroxybenzoic and protocatechuic acid in the rapeseed EWS, and pyrogallol and caffeic acid in the sunflower EWS, as the main representative phenols. Both EWS at 15% increased significantly (p < 0.05) the oxidative stability of the oils in the Rancimat equipment with values of antioxidant activity index (AAI) from 1.01 to 1.20, depending on the type of oil employed. In conclusion, the rapeseed and sunflower EWS showed great potential, and they could be used as a source of natural antioxidants within the food industry, replacing the synthetic ones, and promoting the circular economy since they are agro-food wastes.
The biological Maxwell's demons: exploring ideas about the information processing in biological systems
Authors: Mizraji Eduardo
Published: August 2021

This work is based on ideas supported by some of the biologists who discovered foundational facts of twentieth-century biology and who argued that Maxwell's demons are physically implemented by biological devices. In particular, JBS Haldane first, and later J. Monod, A, Lwoff and F. Jacob argued that enzymes and molecular receptors implemented Maxwell's demons that operate in systems far removed from thermodynamic equilibrium and that were responsible for creating the biological order. Later, these ideas were extended to other biological processes. In this article, we argue that these biological Maxwell's demons (BMD) are systems that have information processing capabilities that allow them to select their inputs and direct their outputs toward targets. In this context, we propose the idea that these BMD are information catalysts in which the processed information has broad thermodynamic consequences.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms are suitable for assessing the success of restocking efforts of the European lobster (Homarus gammarus, L.)
Authors: De Wit Pierre , Svanberg Linda , Casties Isabel , Eriksson Susanne P. , Sundell Kristina , André Carl
Published: August 2021

The European lobster (Homarus gammarus) forms the base of an important fishery along the coasts of Europe. However, stocks have been in decline for many years, prompting new regulations in the fishery and also restocking efforts. An important feature of any restocking effort is the assessment of success in the number of released juveniles that stay and become adult over time. Here, we tested the power of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) DNA marker panel developed for population assignment to correctly infer parentage on the maternal side of lobster larvae, in the absence of known fathers, using lobsters included in a current restocking effort on the Swedish west coast. We also examined the power to reconstruct the unknown paternal genotypes, and examined the number of fathers for each larval clutch. We found that the 96-SNP panel, despite only containing 78 informative markers, allowed us to assign all larvae to the correct mother. Furthermore, with ten genotyped larvae or more, confident paternal genotypes could be reconstructed. We also found that 15 out of 17 clutches were full siblings, whereas two clutches had two fathers. To our knowledge, this is the first time a SNP panel of this size has been used to assess parentage in a crustacean restocking effort. Our conclusion is that the panel works well, and that it could be an important tool for the assessment of restocking success of H. gammarus in the future.
NADase and now Ca2+ channel, what else to learn about plant NLRs?
Authors: Wan Li , He Zuhua
Published: August 2021

Plant intracellular immune receptors known as NLR (Nucleotide-binding Leucine-rich repeat, NB-LRR) proteins confer resistance and cause cell death upon recognition of cognate effector proteins from pathogens. Plant NLRs contain a variable N-terminal domain: a Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain or a coiled-coil (CC) domain or an RPW8 (Resistance to Powdery Mildew 8)-like CC (CCR) domain. TIR-NLR, CC-NLR and CCR-NLR are known as TNL, CNL and RNL, respectively. TNLs and CNLs recognize pathogen effectors to activate cell death and defense responses, thus are regarded as sensor NLRs. RNLs are required downstream of TNLs to activate cell death and defense responses, thus are regarded as helper NLRs. Previous studies show that some TNLs form tetrameric resistosome as NAD+ cleaving enzymes to transduce signal, while some CNLs form pentameric resistosome with undefined biochemical function. Two recent breakthrough studies show that activated CNL and RNL function as Ca2+ channel to cause cell death and defense responses and provide a completely new insight into the downstream signaling events of CNL and TNL pathways.
Fleeting, But Not Forgotten: Ephemerality as a Means to Increase Recall of Advertising
Authors: Campbell Colin , Sands Sean , Treen Emily , McFerran Brent
Published: August 2021

Ephemeral social media is growing in popularity and brands are increasingly using this method to engage with and advertise to consumers. Yet, little research attention has been paid to how consumers perceive and retain social media content, particularly marketing communications, when they are aware it will disappear. Across five studies we find that when viewers know content is ephemeral, their recall of the content is heightened compared to when they believe the content will be accessible later. We find that this increase in recall due to ephemerality is mediated by processing effort, such that when consumers believe content will disappear, they expend more effort processing the content than if the content is believed to be accessible again. Relevant to advertisers, we find this effect spills over to advertising embedded within ephemeral social media content. Our findings represent a novel means of increasing advertising recall, qualify past findings and theory, and suggest an important new stream of research.
Moral Responsibility and the Psychopath
Authors: Baxter Jim
Published: August 2021

Are psychopaths morally responsible? Should we argue with them? Remonstrate with them, blame them, sometimes even praise them? Is it worth trying to change them, or should we just try to prevent them from causing harm? In this book, Jim Baxter aims to find serious answers to these deep philosophical questions, drawing on contemporary insights from psychiatry, psychology, neuroscience and law. Moral Responsibility and the Psychopath is the first sustained, book-length philosophical work on this important and fascinating topic, and will be of deep interest and importance to researchers in these fields – not to mention anyone who has had to interact with a psychopath in their everyday life.
Influence of swirl on the supersonic wake flow structure behind blunt-based axisymmetric afterbodies
Authors: Weidner S. , Hruschka R. , Leopold F.
Published: August 2021

Wind-tunnel experiments have been conducted on cylindrical models with canted fins. The fins introduced a swirling motion into the wake downstream of a blunt-based afterbody aligned with a Mach 2 flow. Measurements of the velocity field downstream of the models and the pressure distribution at the model base show evidence of two wake flow patterns distinctively differing from the classical supersonic wake, depending on the degree of rotation introduced. For a fin-cant angle of 16$^\circ$, a rotating wake flow with a central, downstream-directed vortex tube and a concentric, counter-rotating, toric vortex pair forms. A higher fin-cant angle of 32$^\circ$, in turn, results in a swirling flow surrounding a region of low-momentum flow at the axis. Near the central axis of the flow field an upstream flow establishes, extending from the far wake up to the model base. Numerical simulations have been performed to explain the fluid-dynamic processes and the origins of the experimentally observed structural changes of the rotating wakes. The results of the large-scale-turbulence-resolving simulations agree qualitatively well with the measured flow fields. The numerical results show that the centrifugal forces decrease the base pressure and cause the experimentally observed structural changes in the wake.
Particle description of the interaction between wave packets and point vortices
Authors: Pizzo Nick , Salmon Rick
Published: August 2021

This paper explores an idealized model of the ocean surface in which widely separated surface-wave packets and point vortices interact in two horizontal dimensions. We start with a Lagrangian which, in its general form, depends on the fields of wave action, wave phase, stream function and two additional fields that label and track the vertical component of vorticity. By assuming that the wave action and vorticity are confined to infinitesimally small, widely separated regions of the flow, we obtain model equations that are analogous to, but significantly more general than, the familiar system consisting solely of point vortices. We analyse stable and unstable harmonic solutions, solutions in which wave packets eventually coincide with point vortices (violating our assumptions), and solutions in which the wave vector eventually blows up. Additionally, we show that a wave packet induces a net drift on a passive vortex in the direction of wave propagation which is equivalent to Darwin drift. Generalizing our analysis to many wave packets and vortices, we examine the influence of wave packets on an otherwise unstable vortex street and show analytically, according to linear stability analysis, that the wave-packet-induced drift can stabilize the vortex street. The system is then numerically integrated for long times and an example is shown in which the configuration remains stable, which may be particularly relevant for the upper ocean.
Certain dietary patterns are associated with GLIM criteria among Chinese community-dwelling older adults: a cross-sectional analysis
Authors: Yeung Suey S. Y. , Chan Ruth S. M. , Lee Jenny S. W. , Woo Jean
Published: August 2021

Disease-related malnutrition is prevalent among older adults; therefore, identifying the modifiable risk factors in the diet is essential for the prevention and management of disease-related malnutrition. The present study examined the cross-sectional association between dietary patterns and malnutrition in Chinese community-dwelling older adults aged ≥65 years in Hong Kong. Dietary patterns, including Diet Quality Index International (DQI-I), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), the Mediterranean Diet Score, ‘vegetable–fruit’ pattern, ‘snack–drink–milk product’ pattern and ‘meat–fish’ pattern, were estimated and generated from a validated food frequency questionnaire. Malnutrition was classified according to the modified Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria based on two phenotypic components (low body mass index and reduced muscle mass) and one aetiologic component (inflammation/disease burden). The association between the tertile or level of adherence of each dietary pattern and modified GLIM criteria was analysed using adjusted binary logistic regression models. Data of 3694 participants were available (49 % men). Malnutrition was present in 397 participants (10⋅7 %). In men, a higher DQI-I score, a higher ‘vegetable–fruit’ pattern score and a lower ‘meat–fish’ pattern score were associated with a lower risk of malnutrition. In women, higher adherence to the DASH diet was associated with a lower risk of malnutrition. After the Bonferroni correction, the association remained statistically significant only in men for the DQI-I score. To conclude, a higher DQI-I score was associated with a lower risk of malnutrition in Chinese older men. Nutritional strategies for the prevention and management of malnutrition could potentially be targeted on dietary quality.
Proteins from eggs of the spittlebug Mahanarva spectabilis (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) reveal clues about its diapause regulation
Authors: Saraiva Nayara B. , Auad Alexander M. , Barros Edvaldo , Coutinho Flaviane S. , Pereira Jorge F. , Barros Rafael A. , Ramos Humberto J. O. , Oliveira Maria G. A.
Published: August 2021

Embryo development in eggs of the spittlebug Mahanarva spectabilis (Distant) (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) passes through four phases (known as S1 to S4) being stopped at S2 during diapause. Studies about the molecular basis of diapause in spittlebugs are nonexistent. Here, we analyzed proteins from non-diapausing (ND), diapausing (D) and post-diapausing (PD) eggs of the spittlebug M. spectabilis. In total, we identified 87 proteins where 12 were in common among the developmental and diapause phases and 19 remained as uncharacterized. Non-diapausing eggs (S2ND and S4ND) showed more proteins involved in information storage and processing than the diapausing ones (S2D). Eggs in post-diapausing (S4PD) had a higher number of proteins associated with metabolism than S2D. The network of protein interactions and metabolic processes allowed the identification of different sets of molecular interactions for each developmental and diapause phases. Two heat shock proteins (Hsp65 and Hsp70) along with two proteins associated with intracellular signaling (MAP4K and a serine/threonine-protein phosphatase) were found only in diapausing and/or post-diapausing eggs and are interesting targets to be explored in future experiments. These results shine a light on one key biological process for spittlebug survival and represent the first search for proteins linked to diapause in this important group of insects.
Behind the SNC-Lavalin Scandal: The Transnational Diffusion of Corporate Diversion
Authors: Acorn Elizabeth
Published: August 2021

At issue in the SNC-Lavalin scandal was a new tool of corporate criminal law: remediation agreements. Introduced in 2018, remediation agreements allow corporate diversion and create an alternative to the prosecution of corporations suspected of criminal wrongdoing. This article examines why the federal government adopted and chose this particular new tool. Drawing on a wide-ranging documentary record, I argue that this reform was the product of transnational lawmaking and the ongoing influence of Canada's international commitments to prohibit and punish foreign bribery. The article shows how international criticism of Canada's lacklustre anti–foreign bribery enforcement record catalyzed cross-national policy diffusion and learning from other states. This led Canada to adopt corporate diversion, which promised greater enforcement, and also led Canada to adopt a form of the practice with legislative and judicial limits that narrowed the chances of any company—including SNC-Lavalin—of obtaining a remediation agreement.
Sexual dimorphism and biology of the large deepwater mastigoteuthid squid Idioteuthis cordiformis (Cephalopoda, Mastigoteuthidae) off Tasmania, Australia
Authors: Jackson George D. , Jackson Christine H.
Published: August 2021

This study provided biological information on 146 specimens of the poorly known deepwater mastigoteuthid squid Idioteuthis cordiformis. Mantle length ranged from 200–500 mm for males and 270–702 mm for females. The largest female weighed just under 12 kg. The majority of males were mature and all females were immature. The fins were larger and thicker than the mantle. Mantle weight of males and females was 44.8% and 55.2% of fin weight, respectively, and were significantly different. There was a significant sex effect on mantle length, total weight, mantle weight and fin weight, with females having greater values in all categories. There was a small season effect for mantle weight and fin weight. There was little ingested prey material except fluid and oil in the caecum that was typically bright orange or red. Total fluid volume ranged from 23–230 ml and 20–550 ml for males and females, respectively. The per cent oil component of total fluids in the caecum ranged from 6.9–50% and 10.8–50% for males and females, respectively, with no significant difference in per cent oil between males and females. There was a significant positive relationship between total weight and oil volume for females, and for males and females combined. The function of the oil is uncertain. While this study provided information on sex differences in the body size, sexual dimorphism and caecum oil content, information is still incomplete regarding reproduction due to the lack of any mature females captured in this study.