bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
BloodGen3Module: blood transcriptional module repertoire analysis and visualization using R
Authors: Rinchai Darawan , Roelands Jessica , Toufiq Mohammed , Hendrickx Wouter , Altman Matthew C , Bedognetti Davide , Chaussabel Damien
Published: February 2021

Motivation

We previously described the construction and characterization of fixed reusable blood transcriptional module repertoires. More recently we released a third iteration (‘BloodGen3’ module repertoire) that comprises 382 functionally annotated modules and encompasses 14 168 transcripts. Custom bioinformatic tools are needed to support downstream analysis, visualization and interpretation relying on such fixed module repertoires.

Results

We have developed and describe here an R package, BloodGen3Module. The functions of our package permit group comparison analyses to be performed at the module-level, and to display the results as annotated fingerprint grid plots. A parallel workflow for computing module repertoire changes for individual samples rather than groups of samples is also available; these results are displayed as fingerprint heatmaps. An illustrative case is used to demonstrate the steps involved in generating blood transcriptome repertoire fingerprints of septic patients. Taken together, this resource could facilitate the analysis and interpretation of changes in blood transcript abundance observed across a wide range of pathological and physiological states.

Availability and implementation

The BloodGen3Module package and documentation are freely available from Github: https://github.com/Drinchai/BloodGen3Module.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
lncLocator 2.0: a cell-line-specific subcellular localization predictor for long non-coding RNAs with interpretable deep learning
Authors: Lin Yang , Pan Xiaoyong , Shen Hong-Bin
Published: February 2021

Motivation

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are generally expressed in a tissue-specific way, and subcellular localizations of lncRNAs depend on the tissues or cell lines that they are expressed. Previous computational methods for predicting subcellular localizations of lncRNAs do not take this characteristic into account, they train a unified machine learning model for pooled lncRNAs from all available cell lines. It is of importance to develop a cell-line-specific computational method to predict lncRNA locations in different cell lines.

Results

In this study, we present an updated cell-line-specific predictor lncLocator 2.0, which trains an end-to-end deep model per cell line, for predicting lncRNA subcellular localization from sequences. We first construct benchmark datasets of lncRNA subcellular localizations for 15 cell lines. Then we learn word embeddings using natural language models, and these learned embeddings are fed into convolutional neural network, long short-term memory and multilayer perceptron to classify subcellular localizations. lncLocator 2.0 achieves varying effectiveness for different cell lines and demonstrates the necessity of training cell-line-specific models. Furthermore, we adopt Integrated Gradients to explain the proposed model in lncLocator 2.0, and find some potential patterns that determine the subcellular localizations of lncRNAs, suggesting that the subcellular localization of lncRNAs is linked to some specific nucleotides.

Availabilityand implementation

The lncLocator 2.0 is available at www.csbio.sjtu.edu.cn/bioinf/lncLocator2 and the source code can be found at https://github.com/Yang-J-LIN/lncLocator2.
Privacy-preserving and robust watermarking on sequential genome data using belief propagation and local differential privacy
Authors: Öksüz Abdullah Çağlar , Ayday Erman , Güdükbay Uğur
Published: February 2021

Motivation

Genome data is a subject of study for both biology and computer science since the start of the Human Genome Project in 1990. Since then, genome sequencing for medical and social purposes becomes more and more available and affordable. Genome data can be shared on public websites or with service providers (SPs). However, this sharing compromises the privacy of donors even under partial sharing conditions. We mainly focus on the liability aspect ensued by the unauthorized sharing of these genome data. One of the techniques to address the liability issues in data sharing is the watermarking mechanism.

Results

To detect malicious correspondents and SPs—whose aim is to share genome data without individuals’ consent and undetected—, we propose a novel watermarking method on sequential genome data using belief propagation algorithm. In our method, we have two criteria to satisfy. (i) Embedding robust watermarks so that the malicious adversaries cannot temper the watermark by modification and are identified with high probability. (ii) Achieving ϵ-local differential privacy in all data sharings with SPs. For the preservation of system robustness against single SP and collusion attacks, we consider publicly available genomic information like Minor Allele Frequency, Linkage Disequilibrium, Phenotype Information and Familial Information. Our proposed scheme achieves 100% detection rate against the single SP attacks with only 3% watermark length. For the worst case scenario of collusion attacks (50% of SPs are malicious), 80% detection is achieved with 5% watermark length and 90% detection is achieved with 10% watermark length. For all cases, the impact of ϵ on precision remained negligible and high privacy is ensured.

Availability and implementation

https://github.com/acoksuz/PPRW\_SGD\_BPLDP

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Difference in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Attack Rate Between Children and Adults May Reflect Bias
Authors: Hyde Zoë
Published: February 2021

The epidemiology of coronavirus disease 2019 in children has been challenging to establish, owing to the high prevalence of asymptomatic infection in this population. Lower secondary attack rates in children compared with adults have been observed in household contact studies, but there is evidence that this may reflect lower testing in children and reduced exposure, rather than a genuine difference in biological susceptibility. In addition, children may shed infectious virus for a shorter period than adults and their antibody response may be less broad, with implications for both polymerase chain reaction and serological testing. Improvements in study design, data collection, and data interpretation are required to better understand the epidemiology of coronavirus disease 2019 in children.
Higher educational level in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis: a comparative analysis
Authors: Roth René , Safroneeva Ekaterina , Saner Zilian Catherine , Schreiner Philipp , Rossel Jean-Benoit , Bopp Matthias , Greuter Thomas , Scharl Michael , Pittet Valérie , Rogler Gerhard , Schoepfer Alain , Straumann Alex , Biedermann Luc
Published: February 2021

Background

Eosinophilic esophagitis is a chronic inflammatory gastrointestinal disease with a high prevalence in younger, atopic males. In our clinical practice, we observed a striking preponderance of patients having a high educational background. The purposes of this study were first to assess the level of education of eosinophilic esophagitis patients and second to compare the findings to patients with inflammatory bowel disease, another chronic immune-mediated condition of the gastrointestinal tract, and with the Swiss general population.

Methods

Using a questionnaire, we assessed the educational level of adult patients who have attended Swiss Eosinophilic Esophagitis Clinics in the past. In addition, the educational level of the parents was assessed as well. We calculated the proportions of patients and parents who have obtained a higher educational level. Data from the Swiss Inflammatory Bowel Disease Cohort Study and from the Swiss general population served as confirmation and as comparison, respectively.

Results

A total of 277 successfully contacted patients (response rate 69.1%; mean age 51.1 years, 73% male) participated. A significantly higher proportion of surveyed eosinophilic esophagitis patients had a high International Standard Classification of Education level (66.8%, P < 0.001) compared with inflammatory bowel disease patients (n = 2534; 34.2%, P < 0.001) and to the Swiss general population (n = 6,066,907; 30.5% P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Our analysis confirms the clinical observation that eosinophilic esophagitis patients have a significantly higher educational level compared with the general population and to patients with other chronic inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. As a limitation, this impressive finding remains on a purely descriptive level.
Exploring the concept of centralization of surgery for benign esophageal diseases: a Delphi based consensus from the European Society for Diseases of the Esophagus
Authors: Lugaresi Marialuisa , Nafteux Philippe , Nilsson Magnus , Reynolds John V , Rosati Riccardo , Schoppmann Sebastian F , Targarona Eduardo M , Mattioli Sandro
Published: February 2021

Surgery for benign esophageal diseases may be complex, requiring specialist training, but currently, unlike oncologic surgery, it is not centralized. The aim of the study was to explore the opinion of European surgeons on the centralization of surgery for benign esophageal diseases. A web-based questionnaire, developed through a modified Delphi process, was administered to general and thoracic surgeons of 33 European surgical societies. There were 791 complete responses (98.5%), in 59.2% of respondents, the age ranged between 41 and 60 years, 60.3% of respondents worked in tertiary centers. In 2017, the number of major surgical procedures performed for any esophageal disease by respondents was <10 for 56.5% and >100 for 4.5%; in responder’s hospitals procedures number was <10 in 27% and >100 in 15%. Centralization of surgery for benign esophageal diseases was advocated by 83.4%, in centers located according to geographic/population criteria (69.3%), in tertiary hospitals (74.5%), with availability of advanced diagnostic and interventional technologies (88.4%), in at least 10 beds units (70.5%). For national and international centers accreditation/certification, criteria approved included in-hospital mortality and morbidity (95%), quality of life oriented follow-up after surgery (88.9%), quality audits (82.6%), academic research (58.2%), and collaboration with national and international centers (76.6%); indications on surgical procedures volumes were variable. The present study strongly supports the centralization of surgery for benign esophageal diseases, in large part modeled on the principles that have underpinned the centralization of cancer surgery internationally, with emphasis on structure, process, volumes, quality audit, and clinical research.
Thirteen-year trends in cardiovascular risk in men and women with chronic coronary syndrome
Authors: Olesen Kevin Kris Warnakula , Jensen Esben Skov , Gyldenkerne Christine , Würtz Morten , Mortensen Martin Bødtker , Nørgaard Bjarne Linde , Sørensen Henrik Toft , Bøtker Hans Erik , Maeng Michael
Published: February 2021

Aims

To examine combined and sex-specific temporal changes in risks of adverse cardiovascular events and coronary revascularization in patients with chronic coronary syndrome undergoing coronary angiography.

Methods and results

We included all patients with stable angina pectoris and coronary artery disease examined by coronary angiography in Western Denmark from 2004 to 2016. Patients were stratified by examination year interval: 2004–2006, 2007–2009, 2010–2012, and 2013–2016. Outcomes were 2-year risk of myocardial infarction, ischaemic stroke, cardiac death, and all-cause death estimated by adjusted incidence rate ratios using patients examined in 2004–2006 as reference. A total of 29 471 patients were included, of whom 70% were men. The 2-year risk of myocardial infarction [2.8% vs. 1.9%, adjusted incidence rate ratio 0.65, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.53–0.81], ischaemic stroke (1.8% vs. 1.1%, adjusted incidence rate ratio 0.48, 95% CI 0.37–0.64), cardiac death (2.1% vs. 0.9%, adjusted incidence rate ratio 0.38, 95% CI 0.29–0.51), and all-cause death (5.0% vs. 3.6%, adjusted incidence rate ratio 0.65, 95% CI 0.55–0.76) decreased from the first examination interval (2004–2006) to the last examination interval (2013–2016). Coronary revascularizations also decreased (percutaneous coronary intervention: 51.6% vs. 42.5%; coronary artery bypass grafting: 24.6% vs. 17.5%). Risk reductions were observed in both men and women, however, women had a lower absolute risk.

Conclusion

The risk for adverse cardiovascular events decreased substantially in both men and women with chronic coronary syndrome from 2004 to 2016. These results most likely reflect the cumulative effect of improvements in the management of chronic coronary artery disease.
A randomized study of yoga therapy for the prevention of recurrent reflex vasovagal syncope
Authors: Shenthar Jayaprakash , Gangwar Ritesh Singh , Banavalikar Bharatraj , Benditt David G , Lakkireddy Dhanunjaya , Padmanabhan Deepak
Published: February 2021

Aims

Vasovagal syncope (VVS) is a common cardiovascular dysautonomic disorder that significantly impacts health and quality of life (QoL). Yoga has been shown to have a positive influence on cardiovascular autonomics. This study assessed the effectiveness of yoga therapy on the recurrence of VVS and QoL.

Methods and results

We randomized subjects with recurrent reflex VVS (>3 episodes in the past 1 year) and positive head-up tilt test to guideline-directed therapy (Group 1) or yoga therapy (Group 2). Patients in Group 1 were advised guideline-directed treatment and Group 2 was taught yoga by a certified instructor. The primary endpoint was VVS recurrences and QoL. Between June 2015 and February 2017, 97 highly symptomatic VVS patients were randomized (Group 1: 47 and Group 2: 50). The mean age was 33.1 ± 16.6 years, male:female of 40:57, symptom duration of 17.1 ± 20.7 months, with a mean of 6.4 ± 6.1 syncope episodes. Over a follow-up of 14.3 ± 2.1 months Group 2 had significantly lower syncope burden compared with Group 1 at 3 (0.8 ± 0.9 vs. 1.8 ± 1.4, P < 0.001), 6 (1.0 ± 1.2 vs. 3.4 ± 3.0, P < 0.001), and at 12 months (1.1 ± 0.8 vs. 3.8 ± 3.2, P < 0.001). The Syncope functional score questionnaire was significantly lower in Group 2 compared with Group 1 at 3 (31.4 ± 7.2 vs. 64.1 ± 11.5, P < 0.001), 6 (26.4 ± 6.3 vs. 61.4 ± 10.7, P < 0.001), and 12 months (22.2 ± 4.7 vs. 68.3 ± 11.4, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

For patients with recurrent VVS, guided yoga therapy is superior to conventional therapy in reducing symptom burden and improving QoL.
Connecting subduction, extension and shear localization across the Aegean Sea and Anatolia
Authors: Barbot S , Weiss J R
Published: February 2021

The Eastern Mediterranean is the most seismically active region in Europe due to the complex interactions of the Arabian, African, and Eurasian tectonic plates. Deformation is achieved by faulting in the brittle crust, distributed flow in the viscoelastic lower-crust and mantle, and Hellenic subduction, but the long-term partitioning of these mechanisms is still unknown. We exploit an extensive suite of geodetic observations to build a kinematic model connecting strike-slip deformation, extension, subduction, and shear localization across Anatolia and the Aegean Sea by mapping the distribution of slip and strain accumulation on major active geological structures. We find that tectonic escape is facilitated by a plate-boundary-like, trans-lithospheric shear zone extending from the Gulf of Evia to the Turkish-Iranian Plateau that underlies the surface trace of the North Anatolian Fault. Additional deformation in Anatolia is taken up by a series of smaller-scale conjugate shear zones that reach the upper mantle, the largest of which is located beneath the East Anatolian Fault. Rapid north–south extension in the western part of the system, driven primarily by Hellenic Trench retreat, is accommodated by rotation and broadening of the North Anatolian mantle shear zone from the Sea of Marmara across the north Aegean Sea, and by a system of distributed transform faults and rifts including the rapidly extending Gulf of Corinth in central Greece and the active grabens of western Turkey. Africa–Eurasia convergence along the Hellenic Arc occurs at a median rate of 49.8 mm yr–1 in a largely trench-normal direction except near eastern Crete where variably oriented slip on the megathrust coincides with mixed-mode and strike-slip deformation in the overlying accretionary wedge near the Ptolemy–Pliny–Strabo trenches. Our kinematic model illustrates the competing roles the North Anatolian mantle shear zone, Hellenic Trench, overlying mantle wedge, and active crustal faults play in accommodating tectonic indentation, slab rollback and associated Aegean extension. Viscoelastic flow in the lower crust and upper mantle dominate the surface velocity field across much of Anatolia and a clear transition to megathrust-related slab pull occurs in western Turkey, the Aegean Sea and Greece. Crustal scale faults and the Hellenic wedge contribute only a minor amount to the large-scale, regional pattern of Eastern Mediterranean interseismic surface deformation.
Improving antibiotic use through behaviour change: a systematic review of interventions evaluated in low- and middle-income countries
Authors: Cuevas Carla , Batura Neha , Wulandari Luh Putu Lila , Khan Mishal , Wiseman Virginia
Published: February 2021

Antibiotic resistance (ABR) has been identified as a critical threat to global health at the highest policy fora. A leading cause of ABR is the inappropriate use of antibiotics by both patients and healthcare providers. Although countries around the world have committed to developing and implementing national action plans to tackle ABR, there is a considerable gap in evidence about effective behaviour change interventions addressing inappropriate use of antibiotics in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where ABR is growing at an alarming rate. We conducted a systematic review to synthesize evidence about the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of behaviour change interventions to reduce inappropriate use of antibiotics in LMICs. Three databases were searched using a set of predefined search terms and exclusion criteria. The search identified 43 relevant articles. A narrative synthesis of results was conducted using the Behaviour Change Wheel framework to categorize intervention components. The majority of the reviewed studies were set in lower-middle-income or low-income countries located in Sub-Saharan Africa or East Asia and the Pacific. Twenty-four articles evaluated multi-faceted interventions over a period of 12 months or less. Despite the widespread use of antibiotics in the community, interventions were primarily implemented in public health facilities, targeting health professionals such as doctors, nurses, and other allied medical staff. Although education for providers was the most widely used strategy for influencing antibiotic use, it was shown to be most effective when used in conjunction with training or other enabling and supportive measures to nudge behaviour. Six articles included an evaluation of costs of interventions and found a reduction in costs in inpatient and outpatient settings, and one article found a training and guidelines implementation-based intervention to be highly cost-effective. However, the small number of articles conducting an economic evaluation highlights the need for such analyses to be conducted more frequently to support priority setting in resource-constrained environments.
Modelling intensive care unit capacity under different epidemiological scenarios of the COVID-19 pandemic in three Western European countries
Authors: McCabe Ruth , Kont Mara D , Schmit Nora , Whittaker Charles , Løchen Alessandra , Baguelin Marc , Knock Edward , Whittles Lilith K , Lees John , Brazeau Nicholas F , Walker Patrick GT , Ghani Azra C , Ferguson Neil M , White Peter J , Donnelly Christl A , Hauck Katharina , Watson Oliver J
Published: February 2021

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has placed enormous strain on intensive care units (ICUs) in Europe. Ensuring access to care, irrespective of COVID-19 status, in winter 2020–2021 is essential.

Methods

An integrated model of hospital capacity planning and epidemiological projections of COVID-19 patients is used to estimate the demand for and resultant spare capacity of ICU beds, staff and ventilators under different epidemic scenarios in France, Germany and Italy across the 2020–2021 winter period. The effect of implementing lockdowns triggered by different numbers of COVID-19 patients in ICUs under varying levels of effectiveness is examined, using a ‘dual-demand’ (COVID-19 and non-COVID-19) patient model.

Results

Without sufficient mitigation, we estimate that COVID-19 ICU patient numbers will exceed those seen in the first peak, resulting in substantial capacity deficits, with beds being consistently found to be the most constrained resource. Reactive lockdowns could lead to large improvements in ICU capacity during the winter season, with pressure being most effectively alleviated when lockdown is triggered early and sustained under a higher level of suppression. The success of such interventions also depends on baseline bed numbers and average non-COVID-19 patient occupancy.

Conclusion

Reductions in capacity deficits under different scenarios must be weighed against the feasibility and drawbacks of further lockdowns. Careful, continuous decision-making by national policymakers will be required across the winter period 2020–2021.
Expression of Surfactant Protein D Distinguishes Severe Pandemic Influenza A(H1N1) from Coronavirus Disease 2019
Authors: Choreño-Parra José Alberto , Jiménez-Álvarez Luis Armando , Ramírez-Martínez Gustavo , Cruz-Lagunas Alfredo , Thapa Mahima , Fernández-López Luis Alejandro , Carnalla-Cortés Martha , Choreño-Parra Eduardo M , Mena-Hernández Lourdes , Sandoval-Vega Montserrat , Hernández-Montiel Erika Mariana , Hernández-García Diana Lizzeth , Ramírez-Noyola Jazmín Ariadna , Reyes-López Cynthia Estefania , Domínguez-Faure Andrea , Zamudio-López Guillermo Yamil , Márquez-García Eduardo , Moncada-Morales Angélica , Mendoza-Milla Criselda , Cervántes-Rosete Diana , Muñoz-Torrico Marcela , Luna-Rivero Cesar , García-Latorre Ethel A , Guadarrama-Ortíz Parménides , Ávila-Moreno Federico , Domínguez-Cherit Guillermo , Rodríguez-Reyna Tatiana Sofía , Mudd Philip A , Hernández-Cárdenas Carmen Margarita , Khader Shabaana A , Zúñiga Joaquín
Published: February 2021

The differentiation between influenza and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could constitute a diagnostic challenge during the ongoing winter owing to their clinical similitude. Thus, novel biomarkers are required to enable making this distinction. Here, we evaluated whether the surfactant protein D (SP-D), a collectin produced at the alveolar epithelium with known immune properties, was useful to differentiate pandemic influenza A(H1N1) from COVID-19 in critically ill patients. Our results revealed high serum SP-D levels in patients with severe pandemic influenza but not those with COVID-19. This finding was validated in a separate cohort of mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 who also showed low plasma SP-D levels. However, plasma SP-D levels did not distinguish seasonal influenza from COVID-19 in mild-to-moderate disease. Finally, we found that high serum SP-D levels were associated with death and renal failure among severe pandemic influenza cases. Thus, our studies have identified SP-D as a unique biomarker expressed during severe pandemic influenza but not COVID-19.
Judicial Review under Article 15 of the Rome Statute and the ‘Interests of Justice’
Authors: Kaushik Parv
Published: February 2021

The Office of the Prosecutor’s preliminary examination into the Situation in Afghanistan came to an end with the Appeals Chamber approving its request for authorization of an investigation. In doing so it overturned the decision of the Pre-Trial Chamber, which for the first time in the International Criminal Court’s history had invoked the criterion of ‘interests of justice’ to deny the request. Both decisions raised questions as to the scope of review of the Pre-Trial Chamber under Article 15 and its relationship with Article 53 of the Rome Statute. This article delves into some of these questions. First, it looks into whether the Appeals Chamber was correct to hold that the Pre-Trial Chamber is not supposed to review the factors under Article 53(1). It answers this question in the negative, arguing that the Appeals Chamber’s decision goes against the text of the Rome Statute, and the International Criminal Court’s past practice. Secondly, it analyses whether the Pre-Trial Chamber can assess whether or not an investigation serves the ‘interests of justice’, even if the Prosecutor has not made an explicit finding in this regard. It argues that the context and purpose of Article 15 envisages a genuine and meaningful examination of the Prosecutor’s request, which includes the ability to evaluate, suo motu, the applicability of the ‘interests of justice’ criterion. Lastly, the article addresses whether the factors that were considered by the Pre-Trial Chamber in its Afghanistan Article 15 Decision were suited to its judicial role. It proposes a methodology for the Pre-Trial Chambers to adopt while exercising their powers under Article 15, which allows for both prosecutorial discretion and a meaningful judicial review. The article attempts to put forth a renewed understanding of the Rome Statute and argues that the Pre-Trial Chamber has a wider power of review under Article 15 than has been hitherto exercised, which, if exercised reasonably, can further the cause of international criminal justice.
An efficient reasoning method on logic programming using partial evaluation in vector spaces
Authors: Nguyen Hien D , Sakama Chiaki , Sato Taisuke , Inoue Katsumi
Published: February 2021

In this paper, we introduce methods of encoding propositional logic programs in vector spaces. Interpretations are represented by vectors and programs are represented by matrices. The least model of a definite program is computed by multiplying an interpretation vector and a program matrix. To optimize computation in vector spaces, we provide a method of partial evaluation of programs using linear algebra. Partial evaluation is done by unfolding rules in a program, and it is realized in a vector space by multiplying program matrices. We perform experiments using artificial data and real data, and show that partial evaluation has the potential for realizing efficient computation of huge scale of programs in vector spaces.
Estimating the metallicity of star-forming early-type galaxies
Authors: Wu Yu-Zhong , Zhang Wei
Published: February 2021

We derive data for 4615 star-forming early-type galaxies (ETGs), which come from a cross-match of the Galaxy Zoo and the catalogue of the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics–Johns Hopkins University (MPA–JHU) emission-line measurements for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7. Our sample is distributed mainly at $-0.7< \log({\rm SFR}/({\rm M}_{\odot }\, {\rm yr}^{-1})) < 1.2$, and the median value of our star formation rates (SFRs) is slightly higher than that shown in Davis & Young. We show that there is a significant trend of lower/higher stellar mass ETGs having lower/higher SFRs, and we obtain our sample best fit of $\log(\rm SFR/(M_{\odot} \rm yr^{-1}))=(0.74\pm0.01)\rm log(M_{*}/M_{\odot})-(7.64\pm0.10)$. We find the same slope as found by Cano-Díaz et al. In our star-forming ETG sample, we demonstrate clearly the correlation of the stellar mass–metallicity (MZ) relation. We find that higher metallicity measurements may be introduced by the diffuse ionized gas, when the D16, Sanch18 and Sander18 indicators are used to calibrate the metallicity of ETGs. We show the relations between the SFR and 12 + log(O/H) with different metallicity estimators, and we suggest that their correlations may be a consequence of the SFR–stellar mass and MZ relations in ETGs.
The velocity dispersion function of early-type galaxies and its redshift evolution: the newest results from lens redshift test
Authors: Geng Shuaibo , Cao Shuo , Liu Yuting , Liu Tonghua , Biesiada Marek , Lian Yujie
Published: February 2021

The redshift distribution of galactic-scale lensing systems provides a laboratory to probe the velocity dispersion function (VDF) of early-type galaxies (ETGs) and measure the evolution of ETGs at redshift z ∼ 1. Through the statistical analysis of the currently largest sample of ETG gravitational lenses, we conclude that the VDF inferred solely from strong lensing systems is well consistent with the measurements of SDSS DR5 data in the local Universe. In particular, our results strongly indicate a decline in the number density of lenses by a factor of two and a 20 per cent increase in the characteristic velocity dispersion for the ETG population at z ∼ 1. Such VDF evolution is in perfect agreement with the ΛCDM paradigm (i.e. the hierarchical build-up of mass structures over cosmic time) and different from ‘stellar mass-downsizing’ evolutions obtained by many galaxy surveys. Meanwhile, we also quantitatively discuss the evolution of the VDF shape in a more complex evolution model, which reveals its strong correlation with the number density and velocity dispersion of ETGs. Finally, we evaluate if future missions such as LSST can be sensitive enough to place the most stringent constraints on the redshift evolution of ETGs, based on the redshift distribution of available gravitational lenses.
VINTERGATAN III: how to reset the metallicity of the Milky Way
Authors: Renaud Florent , Agertz Oscar , Andersson Eric P , Read Justin I , Ryde Nils , Bensby Thomas , Rey Martin P , Feuillet Diane K
Published: February 2021

Using the cosmological zoom simulation VINTERGATAN, we present a new scenario for the onset of star formation at the metal-poor end of the low-[α/Fe] sequence in a Milky Way-like galaxy. In this scenario, the galaxy is fuelled by two distinct gas flows. One is enriched by outflows from massive galaxies, but not the other. While the former feeds the inner galactic region, the latter fuels an outer gas disc, inclined with respect to the main galactic plane, and with a significantly poorer chemical content. The first passage of the last major merger galaxy triggers tidal compression in the outer disc, which increases the gas density and eventually leads to star formation, at a metallicity 0.75 dex lower than the inner galaxy. This forms the first stars of the low-[α/Fe] sequence. These in situ stars have halo-like kinematics, similar to what is observed in the Milky Way, due to the inclination of the outer disc that eventually aligns with the inner one via gravitational torques. We show that this tilting disc scenario is likely to be common in Milky Way-like galaxies. This process implies that the low-[α/Fe] sequence is populated in situ, simultaneously from two formation channels, in the inner and the outer galaxy, with distinct metallicities. This contrasts with purely sequential scenarios for the assembly of the Milky Way disc and could be tested observationally.
Is the Bremer Deep Field reionized, at z ∼ 7?
Authors: Rodríguez Espinosa J M , Mas-Hesse J M , Calvi R
Published: February 2021

We show herein that the population of star-forming galaxies in the Bremer Deep Field (BDF) has enough ionizing power to form two large ionized bubbles that could be in the process of merging into a large one with a volume of 14 000 cMpc3. The sources identified in the BDF have been completed with a set of expected low-luminosity sources at z ∼ 7. We have estimated the number of ionizing photons per second produced by the different star-forming galaxies in the BDF. This number has been compared with the number that would be required to ionize the bubbles around the two overdense regions. We have used, as reference, ionizing emissivities derived from the AMIGA (Analytic Model of Intergalactic-medium and Galaxies) cosmological evolutionary model. We find that even using the most conservative estimates, with a Lyman continuum escape fraction of 10${{\ \rm per\ cent}}$, the two regions we have defined within the BDF would be reionized. Assuming more realistic estimates of the ionizing photon production efficiency, both bubbles would be in the process of merging into a large reionized bubble, such as those that through percolation completed the reionization of the Universe by z = 6. The rather small values of the escape fraction required to reionize the BDF are compatible with the low fraction of faint Ly α emitters identified in the BDF. Finally, we confirm that the low-luminosity sources represent indeed the main contributors to the BDF ionizing photon production.
The quasar feedback survey: discovering hidden Radio-AGN and their connection to the host galaxy ionized gas
Authors: Jarvis M E , Harrison C M , Mainieri V , Alexander D M , Arrigoni Battaia F , Calistro Rivera G , Circosta C , Costa T , De Breuck C , Edge A C , Girdhar A , Kakkad D , Kharb P , Lansbury G B , Molyneux S J , Mukherjee D , Mullaney J R , Farina E P , S Silpa , Thomson A P , Ward S R
Published: February 2021

We present the first results from the Quasar Feedback Survey, a sample of 42 z < 0.2, [O iii] luminous AGNs ( L[O III] > 1042.1 ergs s−1) with moderate radio luminosities (i.e. L1.4GHz > 1023.4 W Hz−1; median L1.4GHz = 5.9 × 1023 W Hz−1). Using high spatial resolution (∼0.3–1 arcsec), 1.5–6 GHz radio images from the Very Large Array, we find that 67 per cent of the sample have spatially extended radio features on ∼1–60 kpc scales. The radio sizes and morphologies suggest that these may be lower radio luminosity versions of compact, radio-loud AGNs. By combining the radio-to-infrared excess parameter, spectral index, radio morphology, and brightness temperature, we find radio emission in at least 57 per cent of the sample that is associated with AGN-related processes (e.g. jets, quasar-driven winds, or coronal emission). This is despite only 9.5–21 per cent being classified as radio-loud using traditional criteria. The origin of the radio emission in the remainder of the sample is unclear. We find that both the established anticorrelation between radio size and the width of the [O   iii] line, and the known trend for the most [O iii] luminous AGNs to be associated with spatially extended radio emission, also hold for our sample of moderate radio luminosity quasars. These observations add to the growing evidence of a connection between the radio emission and ionized gas in quasar host galaxies. This work lays the foundation for deeper investigations into the drivers and impact of feedback in this unique sample.
Connecting turbulent velocities and magnetic fields in galaxy cluster simulations with active galactic nuclei jets
Authors: Ehlert K , Weinberger R , Pfrommer C , Springel V
Published: February 2021

The study of velocity fields of the hot gas in galaxy clusters can help to unravel details of microphysics on small scales and to decipher the nature of feedback by active galactic nuclei (AGN). Likewise, magnetic fields as traced by Faraday rotation measurements (RMs) inform about their impact on gas dynamics as well as on cosmic ray production and transport. We investigate the inherent relationship between large-scale gas kinematics and magnetic fields through non-radiative magnetohydrodynamical simulations of the creation, evolution, and disruption of AGN jet-inflated lobes in an isolated Perseus-like galaxy cluster, with and without pre-existing turbulence. In particular, we connect cluster velocity measurements with mock RM maps to highlight their underlying physical connection, which opens up the possibility of comparing turbulence levels in two different observables. For single-jet outbursts, we find only a local impact on the velocity field, i.e. the associated increase in velocity dispersion is not volume-filling. Furthermore, in a setup with pre-existing turbulence, this increase in velocity dispersion is largely hidden. We use mock X-ray observations to show that at arcmin resolution, the velocity dispersion is therefore dominated by existing large-scale turbulence and is only minimally altered by the presence of a jet. For the velocity structure of central gas uplifted by buoyantly rising lobes, we find fast, coherent outflows with low velocity dispersion. Our results highlight that projected velocity distributions show complex structures, which pose challenges for the interpretation of observations.
A candidate optically quiescent quasar lacking narrow emission lines
Authors: Greenwell Claire , Gandhi Poshak , Stern Daniel , Boorman Peter , Toba Yoshiki , Lansbury George , Mainieri Vincenzo , Desira Christopher
Published: February 2021

Many active galactic nuclei (AGN) surveys rely on optical emission line signatures for robust source classification. There are, however, examples of luminous AGN candidates lacking such signatures, including those from the narrow-line region, which are expected to be less susceptible to classical nuclear (torus) obscuration. Here, we seek to formalize this subpopulation of AGN with a prototypical candidate, SDSS J075139.06+402810.9. This shows infrared (IR) colours typical for AGN, an optical spectrum dominated by an early type galaxy continuum, an [O iii] λ5007Å limiting flux about two dex below Type 2 quasars at similar IR power, and a k-corrected 12 $\mu$m quasar-like luminosity of ∼ 1045 erg s−1. These characteristics are not consistent with jet and host galaxy dilution. A potential scenario to explain this AGN quiescence in the optical is a sky-covering ‘cocoon’ of obscuring material, such that the AGN ionizing radiation is unable to escape and excite gas on kpc scales. Alternatively, we may be witnessing the short phase between recent triggering of obscured AGN activity and the subsequent narrow-line excitation. This prototype could define the base properties of an emerging candidate AGN subtype – an intriguing transitional phase in AGN and galaxy evolution.
Impact of C-SPAN on US Democracy
Authors: Browning Robert X.
Published: February 2021

In 1979, a new US cable television network was created. It was called C-SPAN, an acronym reflecting its origin. The Cable Satellite Public Affairs Network was created to record public affairs programming and deliver it by cable and satellite into US homes. Cable was a nascent industry at that time. It began mostly as a retransmission of broadcast signals into areas that had poor terrestrial reception. The satellite revolution of the 1970s known as “Open Skies” made it possible for new networks to deliver their signals to home satellite dishes, but more importantly, to cable operators who were offered new exclusive, nonbroadcast networks that they could sell to the local subscribers. Home Box Office, or HBO, was successful delivering movies this way, which allowed commercial-free content offered for a premium. Cable operators were thus interested in this new satellite-delivered content that would distinguish cable and give customers reasons to subscribe. Brian Lamb was one of these network entrepreneurs, who with a background in radio, broadcast television, public affairs, satellite policy, and cable television, envisioned a cable satellite network that would bring unedited, Washington, DC–based public affairs programming delivered over cable television systems to American homes. He convinced some cable television executives, with a complementary entrepreneur spirit, to invest in his idea. The result was a nonprofit network dedicated to public affairs events in their entirety. It would be paid for by monthly, per-home license fees paid by the cable operators to the network in exchange for receiving the television signal. This, however, was just half of the story of the origin of C-SPAN. While Brian Lamb was developing his idea and thinking of how content from Washington, DC, events could be delivered via satellite to cable systems, another group was also working on a similar idea. The year was 1977 and the group was the United States House of Representatives. The mid-1970s were a heady time for the US Congress. President Nixon resigned in 1974 after congressional investigations of the 1972 Watergate break in. Congress passed the far-reaching War Powers Act and Congressional Budget Impoundment Act over presidential vetoes to strengthen Congress over what noted historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. wrote was the “Imperial Presidency.” When the US House of Representatives first televised its proceedings on 19 March 1979, C-SPAN began transmitting the signal via satellite and the new network was available.
Gender and Social Movements
Authors: Chatillon Anna , Taylor Verta
Published: February 2021

The sociological study of gender and social movements is relatively new. Until the 1970s, scholarship on social movements largely neglected questions of feminism and gender, and the fields of gender and social movements consisted of separate literatures. As a result, the major theories of social movements failed to take into account the impact of gender on the emergence, nature, and outcomes of social movements. But as mass feminist activism flourished in the United States and around the globe, so too did scholarship on gender and social movements. The earliest work in this area focused on women’s movements, both feminist and antifeminist, and applied the concepts and perspectives of social movement theory without explicitly taking into consideration the impact of gender. These studies, along with research on men’s movements, brought gender to the attention of social movement scholars by acknowledging women’s participation in political protest and men’s political experiences in gender movements, which had been ignored by mainstream social movement theory. But this body of work failed to consider systematically the effects of gender on political activism. By the 1990s, a new wave of research began to reconceptualize the relationship between gender and social movements by attending not only to how gender affects social movement structures and processes, but how social movements, in turn, affect gender. Many social movements have targeted the structures, cultural practices, and interactional norms that sustain gender inequality. Further, movements that are not oriented specifically around gender issues are also shaped by gender as a central feature of social structure, culture, and everyday life. Scholarship at the intersection of the fields of gender and social movements has had a significant impact on the cultural turn in social movement research, as well as on mainstream theories of social movements. Examining social movements through a gender lens has advanced several areas of social movement inquiry: (1) collective identity and intersectionality, (2) collective action frames, (3) movement leadership and organizations, (4) political and cultural opportunity structures and constraints, (5) movement tactics and strategies, and (6) movement outcomes. The research in this subfield and, correspondingly, this article, focuses primarily—but not exclusively—on the United States. The literature on gender and social movements has exposed many underexplored dimensions of social activism and has been foundational for the development of intersectional approaches to social movements. There is still much to learn by applying an intersectional approach that considers how power structures such as race, class, gender, and nationality intersect and the implications for social movement processes.
Moral Conviction
Authors: Keeran Lindsay , Skitka Linda J.
Published: February 2021

Moral conviction refers to the perception that one’s feelings about a given attitude object are based on one’s beliefs about right and wrong. Holding an attitude with moral conviction means that a person has attached moral significance to it. Some people hold an attitude based on their likes and dislikes, or their preferences. Other attitudes may be based more on norms and conventions in a society, such as what the law dictates or what close others believe. Still other attitudes are based on people’s beliefs about right and wrong, and thus are attitudes held with moral conviction. Unlike some of the other dominant ways of conceptualizing morality in moral psychology, research on moral conviction takes a bottom-up approach. Instead of assuming certain issues are moral, individuals are asked to evaluate different attitude objects and issues based on their beliefs about right and wrong with questions like, “To what extent is your position on X connected to your beliefs about fundamental right and wrong?” Attitudes held with strong moral conviction, also called “moral mandates,” have a number of important characteristics and consequences that set them apart from other strong, but nonmoral, attitudes. When an attitude is based on one’s sense of right and wrong, it is perceived to be more of an objective fact (e.g., it is the correct and factual position to have) that should be universally held. Morally convicted attitudes have a stronger emotional intensity than equally strong but nonmoral attitudes. These attitudes are more likely to have a motivational component to them, so people act in favor of their moral attitudes because they provide justification for the action and are seen as obligations. Moral convictions can also provide an internal guide for behavior, independent of authority or group influence (i.e., authority independence). Moral mandates have a variety of consequences, which can be seen in either a normatively positive or negative light. Moral conviction is, for example, associated with increased political engagement and volunteerism (generally seen as normative goods), but also predicts increased intolerance and unwillingness to compromise with those who do not share one’s moral point of view (generally seen as normative bads).