bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High MICB expression as a biomarker for good prognosis of colorectal cancer
Authors: Feng Qingyang , Yu Shanchao , Mao Yihao , Ji Meiling , Wei Ye , He Guodong , Chang Wenju , Zhu Dexiang , Ren Li , Xu Jianmin
Published: April 2020

Introduction

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) plays an important role in colorectal cancer (CRC) immunity. However, the function of MHC class I chain-related B (MICB) molecule is not very clear. In this study, we explored the prognostic effect of MICB in colorectal cancer.

Material and methods

From 2008-05 to 2012-11, consecutive CRC patients of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University were retrospectively enrolled as primary cohort. The inclusion criteria were as follows: receiving primary radical resection, pathologically confirmed colorectal adenocarcinoma, no treatment before surgery, clinicopathological data available. Another cohort of CRC patients were collected from a public dataset GSE39582 of GEO database from 1987 to 2007 in the same criteria for validation. MICB was detected using immunochemistry and evaluated as prognostic biomarker. The cut-off value of MICB expression was calculated using X-tile software.

Results

Finally, 863 patients were enrolled in the primary cohort, and 556 patients were enrolled in the validation cohort. MICB expression was significantly associated with tumor size and primary histological type in primary cohort, and with primary tumor location and distant metastases in validation cohort. The survival analysis showed that patients with high MICB expression had significantly better overall survival in both primary (P = 0.002) and validation (P = 0.001) cohorts. The multivariate analysis also confirmed that high MICB expression was a significantly independent protective factor for overall survival in both primary (hazard ratio HR = 0.741, 95% CI 0.594–0.924) and validation (HR = 0.699, 95% CI 0.508–0.961) cohorts.

Conclusion

For stage I–IV CRC patients, MICB was confirmed a novel independent prognostic factor. It could help better stratification of CRC prognosis.
AP1S1 missense mutations cause a congenital enteropathy via an epithelial barrier defect
Authors: Klee Katharina M. C. , Janecke Andreas R. , Civan Hasret A. , Rosipal Štefan , Heinz-Erian Peter , Huber Lukas A. , Müller Thomas , Vogel Georg F.
Published: April 2020

Congenital diarrheal disorders (CDD) comprise > 50 monogenic entities featuring chronic diarrhea of early-onset, including defects in nutrient and electrolyte absorption, enterocyte polarization, enteroendocrine cell differentiation, and epithelial integrity. Diarrhea is also a predominant symptom in many immunodeficiencies, congenital disorders of glycosylation, and in some defects of the vesicular sorting and transporting machinery. We set out to identify the etiology of an intractable diarrhea in 2 consanguineous families by whole-exome sequencing, and identified two novel AP1S1 mutations, c.269T>C (p.Leu90Pro) and c.346G>A (p.Glu116Lys). AP1S1 encodes the small subunit of the adaptor protein 1 complex (AP-1), which plays roles in clathrin coat-assembly and trafficking between trans-Golgi network, endosomes and the plasma membrane. An AP1S1 knock-out (KO) of a CaCo2 intestinal cell line was generated to characterize intestinal AP1S1 deficiency as well as identified mutations by stable expression in KO background. Morphology and prototype transporter protein distribution were comparable between parental and KO cells. We observed altered localization of tight-junction proteins ZO-1 and claudin 3, decreased transepithelial electrical resistance and an increased dextran permeability of the CaCo2-AP1S1-KO monolayer. In addition, lumen formation in 3D cultures of these cells was abnormal. Re-expression of wild-type AP1S1 in CaCo2-AP1S1-KO cells reverted these abnormalities, while expression of AP1S1 containing either missense mutation did not. Our data indicate that loss of AP1S1 function causes an intestinal epithelial barrier defect, and that AP1S1 mutations can cause a non-syndromic form of congenital diarrhea, whereas 2 reported truncating AP1S1 mutations caused MEDNIK syndrome, characterized by mental retardation, enteropathy, deafness, neuropathy, ichthyosis, and keratodermia.
Almost global problems in the LOCAL model
Authors: Balliu Alkida , Brandt Sebastian , Olivetti Dennis , Suomela Jukka
Published: April 2020

The landscape of the distributed time complexity is nowadays well-understood for subpolynomial complexities. When we look at deterministic algorithms in the $$\mathsf {LOCAL}$$
LOCAL
model and locally checkable problems ($$\mathsf {LCL}$$
LCL
s) in bounded-degree graphs, the following picture emerges:

There are lots of problems with time complexities of $$\varTheta (\log ^* n)$$

Θ
(

log
∗

n
)

or $$\varTheta (\log n)$$

Θ
(
log
n
)

.

It is not possible to have a problem with complexity between $$\omega (\log ^* n)$$

ω
(

log
∗

n
)

and $$o(\log n)$$

o
(
log
n
)

.

In general graphs, we can construct $$\mathsf {LCL}$$
LCL
problems with infinitely many complexities between $$\omega (\log n)$$

ω
(
log
n
)

and $$n^{o(1)}$$

n

o
(
1
)

.

In trees, problems with such complexities do not exist.

However, the high end of the complexity spectrum was left open by prior work. In general graphs there are $$\mathsf {LCL}$$
LCL
problems with complexities of the form $$\varTheta (n^\alpha )$$

Θ
(

n
α

)

for any rational $$0 < \alpha \le 1/2$$

0
<
α
≤
1
/
2

, while for trees only complexities of the form $$\varTheta (n^{1/k})$$

Θ
(

n

1
/
k

)

are known. No $$\mathsf {LCL}$$
LCL
problem with complexity between $$\omega (\sqrt{n})$$

ω
(

n

)

and o(n) is known, and neither are there results that would show that such problems do not exist. We show that:

In general graphs, we can construct $$\mathsf {LCL}$$
LCL
problems with infinitely many complexities between $$\omega (\sqrt{n})$$

ω
(

n

)

and o(n).

In trees, problems with such complexities do not exist.

Put otherwise, we show that any $$\mathsf {LCL}$$
LCL
with a complexity o(n) can be solved in time $$O(\sqrt{n})$$

O
(

n

)

in trees, while the same is not true in general graphs.
Development of an artificial intelligence system using deep learning to indicate anatomical landmarks during laparoscopic cholecystectomy
Authors: Tokuyasu Tatsushi , Iwashita Yukio , Matsunobu Yusuke , Kamiyama Toshiya , Ishikake Makoto , Sakaguchi Seiichiro , Ebe Kohei , Tada Kazuhiro , Endo Yuichi , Etoh Tsuyoshi , Nakashima Makoto , Inomata Masafumi
Published: April 2020

Background

The occurrence of bile duct injury (BDI) during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is an important medical issue. Expert surgeons prevent intraoperative BDI by identifying four landmarks. The present study aimed to develop a system that outlines these landmarks on endoscopic images in real time.

Methods

An intraoperative landmark indication system was constructed using YOLOv3, which is an algorithm for object detection based on deep learning. The training datasets comprised approximately 2000 endoscopic images of the region of Calot's triangle in the gallbladder neck obtained from 76 videos of LC. The YOLOv3 learning model with the training datasets was applied to 23 videos of LC that were not used in training, to evaluate the estimation accuracy of the system to identify four landmarks: the cystic duct, common bile duct, lower edge of the left medial liver segment, and Rouviere’s sulcus. Additionally, we constructed a prototype and used it in a verification experiment in an operation for a patient with cholelithiasis.

Results

The YOLOv3 learning model was quantitatively and subjectively evaluated in this study. The average precision values for each landmark were as follows: common bile duct: 0.320, cystic duct: 0.074, lower edge of the left medial liver segment: 0.314, and Rouviere’s sulcus: 0.101. The two expert surgeons involved in the annotation confirmed consensus regarding valid indications for each landmark in 22 of the 23 LC videos. In the verification experiment, the use of the intraoperative landmark indication system made the surgical team more aware of the landmarks.

Conclusions

Intraoperative landmark indication successfully identified four landmarks during LC, which may help to reduce the incidence of BDI, and thus, increase the safety of LC. The novel system proposed in the present study may prevent BDI during LC in clinical practice.
Coupling XFEM and peridynamics for brittle fracture simulation—part I: feasibility and effectiveness
Authors: Giannakeas Ilias N. , Papathanasiou Theodosios K. , Fallah Arash S. , Bahai Hamid
Published: April 2020

A peridynamics (PD)–extended finite element method (XFEM) coupling strategy for brittle fracture simulation is presented. The proposed methodology combines a small PD patch, restricted near the crack tip area, with the XFEM that captures the crack body geometry outside the domain of the localised PD grid. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method on a Mode I crack opening problem is examined. The study focuses on comparisons of theJintegral values between the new coupling strategy, full PD grids and the commercial software Abaqus. It is demonstrated that the proposed approach outperforms full PD grids in terms of computational resources required to obtain a certain degree of accuracy. This finding promises significant computational savings when crack propagation problems are considered, as the efficiency of FEM and XFEM is combined with the inherent ability of PD to simulate fracture.
Histopathology of brain AVMs part II: inflammation in arteriovenous malformation of the brain
Authors: Wright Roosa , Järvelin Patrik , Pekonen Henri , Keränen Sara , Rauramaa Tuomas , Frösen Juhana
Published: April 2020

Background

Hemorrhage from an arteriovenous malformation of the brain (bAVM) has been associated with focal inflammation of the bAVM. Intrigued by the possibility of anti-inflammatory drug therapy to stabilize bAVMs and prevent hemorrhage, we investigated the association of bAVM inflammation with other histological features and clinical presentation.

Materials and methods

Tissue samples from 85 surgically treated bAVMs were studied with histology and CD45 immunostainings. The histological data was compared with the clinical history of the patient. Univariate analysis and logistic regression were performed.

Results

Inflammation was found in all studied bAVMs and did not associate with rupture (p = 0.442). While multiple types of inflammatory cells were present, macrophages were clearly the dominant inflammatory cell type, especially in samples with strong inflammation (87% of the samples). Of those bAVMs that had strong inflammation, only 56% had presented with clinically evident rupture. However, hemosiderin which is a sign of prior hemorrhage was detected in 78.4% (58/74) of samples with strong inflammation and was associated with it (p = 0.003). Inflammation in the nidus and parenchyma was associated with perivascular inflammation (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis did not reveal any independent histological or clinical risk factor for inflammation.

Conclusions

Since strong inflammation is present in both unruptured and ruptured bAVMs, it is not just a reaction to rupture. Our observations suggest that inflammation of the bAVM may indeed predispose to fragility and hemorrhage of the nidal vessels. Further studies in the role of inflammation in the untreated clinical course of bAVMs are indicated.
How to intervene in the caries process: proximal caries in adolescents and adults—a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Splieth C.H. , Kanzow P. , Wiegand A. , Schmoeckel J. , Jablonski-Momeni A.
Published: April 2020

Objectives

For an ORCA/EFCD consensus, this systematic review assessed the question “How to intervene in the caries process in proximal caries in adolescents and adults”.

Material and methods

Separating between the management of initial and cavitated proximal caries lesions, Medline via PubMed was searched regarding non-operative/non-invasive, minimally/micro-invasive and restorative treatment. First priority was systematic reviews or randomized controlled trials (RCTs), otherwise cohort studies. After extraction of data, the potential risk of bias was estimated depending on the study type, and the emerging evidence for conclusions was graded.

Results

Regarding non-invasive/non-operative care (NOC), no systematic reviews or RCTs were found. In cohort studies (n = 12) with a low level of evidence, NOC like biofilm management and fluoride was associated with a low proportion and slow speed of progression of initial proximal lesions. Minimally/micro-invasive (MI) treatments such as proximal sealants or resin infiltration (four systematic reviews/meta-analyses) were effective compared with a non-invasive/placebo control at a moderate level of evidence. Data on restorative treatment came with low evidence (5 systematic reviews, 13 RCTs); with the limitation of no direct comparative studies, sample size-weighted mean annual failure rates of class II restorations varied between 1.2 (bulk-fill composite) and 3.8% (ceramic). Based on one RCT, class II composite restorations may show a higher risk of failure compared with amalgam.

Conclusions

Proximal caries lesions can be managed successfully with non-operative, micro-invasive and restorative treatment according to lesion stage and caries activity.

Clinical relevance

Proximal caries treatment options like non-operative, micro-invasive and restorative care should be considered individually.
The developmental origins of hoarding disorder in adolescence: a longitudinal clinical interview study following an epidemiological survey
Authors: Ivanov Volen Z. , Mataix-Cols David , Serlachius Eva , Brander Gustaf , Elmquist Anders , Enander Jesper , Rück Christian
Published: April 2020

Hoarding disorder (HD) is hypothesized to originate in childhood/adolescence but little is known about the presentation of hoarding symptoms in youth and their natural history. In this longitudinal study, we tracked and conducted in-depth psychiatric interviews with twins who participated in an epidemiological survey and screened positive on a measure of hoarding symptoms at age 15. Twins screening positive for clinically significant hoarding symptoms at age 15 (n = 42), their co-twins (n = 33), a group of screen negative twins (n = 49), and their parents underwent a clinical assessment a median of 3 years after the initial screening. The assessment included psychiatric screening, hoarding symptoms and cognitions, in-home or photographic assessment of clutter levels, parental accommodation and familial burden. None of the participants had significant levels of clutter at follow-up and thus did not meet strict criteria for HD. However, twins meeting partial criteria (i.e., DSM-5 criteria A and B) for HD (n = 28) had more psychiatric disorders and scored significantly higher on all measures of hoarding symptoms including researcher-rated levels of clutter in their homes, compared to twins who did not meet partial criteria for HD (n = 46). As currently defined in DSM-5, HD may be rare in young people. A non-negligible proportion of young people who were screen positive on hoarding symptoms at age 15 had substantial hoarding symptoms and other psychopathology at follow-up. Whether and how many of these individuals will develop full-blown HD is unknown but the results offer unique insights about the probable origins of HD in adolescence.
Parent- and therapist-rated treatment satisfaction following routine child cognitive-behavioral therapy
Authors: Viefhaus Paula , Döpfner Manfred , Dachs Lydia , Goletz Hildegard , Görtz-Dorten Anja , Kinnen Claudia , Perri Daniela , Rademacher Christiane , Schürmann Stephanie , Woitecki Katrin , Wolff Metternich-Kaizman Tanja , Walter Daniel
Published: April 2020

This observational study examined treatment satisfaction (TS) following routine outpatient cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in a large sample of children (n = 795; aged 6 to 10 years). TS was investigated in parent and therapist rating. Means, standard deviations and inter-rater correlations were calculated to investigate TS. Regression analysis was conducted to examine potential correlates of TS (patient-related variables, mental disorder characteristics, socio-demographic factors and treatment variables). High TS in parent and therapist rating was found, with therapists showing a lower degree of TS than parents (completely or predominantly satisfied: parent rating 94.1%, therapist rating 69.5%). A statistically significant, moderate inter-rater correlation was found. Regression analysis explained 21.8% of the variance in parent rating and 57.2% in therapist rating. Most of the TS variance was explained by mental disorder characteristics (parent-rated symptoms and therapist-rated global impairment at treatment end) and by treatment variables (especially the therapist-rated cooperation of parents and patients), whereas socio-demographic and patient-related variables did not show any relevant associations with TS. Based on these results, to optimize TS, therapists should concentrate on establishing a sustainable cooperation of parents and children during therapy, and work to achieve a low global impairment at treatment end.
Revenue maximization in Stackelberg Pricing Games: beyond the combinatorial setting
Authors: Böhnlein Toni , Kratsch Stefan , Schaudt Oliver
Published: April 2020

In a Stackelberg Pricing Game a distinguished player, the leader, chooses prices for a set of items, and the other players, the followers, each seek to buy a minimum cost feasible subset of the items. The goal of the leader is to maximize her revenue, which is determined by the sold items and their prices. Most previously studied cases of such games can be captured by a combinatorial model where we have a base set of items, some with fixed prices, some priceable, and constraints on the subsets that are feasible for each follower. In this combinatorial setting, Briest et al. and Balcan et al. independently showed that the maximum revenue can be approximated to a factor of $$H_k\sim \log k$$

H
k

∼
log
k

, where k is the number of priceable items. Our results are twofold. First, we strongly generalize the model by letting the follower minimize any continuous function plus a linear term over any compact subset of $${\mathbb {R}}^n_{\ge 0}$$

R

≥
0

n

; the coefficients (or prices) in the linear term are chosen by the leader and determine her revenue. In particular, this includes the fundamental case of linear programs. We give a tight lower bound on the revenue of the leader, generalizing the results of Briest et al. and Balcan et al. Besides, we prove that it is strongly NP-hard to decide whether the optimum revenue exceeds the lower bound by an arbitrarily small factor. Second, we study the parameterized complexity of computing the optimal revenue with respect to the number k of priceable items. In the combinatorial setting, given an efficient algorithm for optimal follower solutions, the maximum revenue can be found by enumerating the $$2^k$$

2
k

subsets of priceable items and computing optimal prices via a result of Briest et al., giving time $$O(2^k|I|^c)$$

O
(

2
k

|
I

|
c

)

where |I| is the input size. Our main result here is a W[1]-hardness proof for the case where the followers minimize a linear program, ruling out running time $$f(k)|I|^c$$

f

(
k
)

|
I
|

c

unless $$\mathsf {FPT} =\mathsf {W[1]} $$

FPT
=

W
[
1
]

and ruling out time $$|I|^{o(k)}$$

|
I
|

o
(
k
)

under the Exponential-Time Hypothesis.
Self-reported health and associated factors among the immigrant populations in Norway
Authors: Madar Ahmed A. , Strand Bjørn Heine , Meyer Haakon E.
Published: April 2020

Aim

The immigrant population continues to increase in Norway, and Somali immigrants and their descendants are presently the largest non-Western group. We have limited knowledge about the health status in this population. The aim of this study was to assess self-perceived health status among Somalis in Norway.

Method

We used data from a study assessing risk factors for lifestyle diseases among Somali immigrants in Oslo, which was conducted between December 2015 and October 2016, among men and women aged 20–73 who were living in the Sagene borough in Oslo.

Results

The study population included 221 participants (112 females and 110 males). Overall, 78% of the participants (70% of females and 86% males) rated their health status as good or very good. Women had poorer self-reported health (p = 0.003) than men. Being unemployed and having diabetes, stress, and sleeping problems were associated with poor self-reported health, but time lived in Norway, education level, Norwegian language proficiency, and high BMI were not significantly associated. Around 2/3 of the participants reported being physically inactive, while around half reported walking or moving more than 30 min per day. Self-reported chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension were 5% and 9% respectively.

Conclusion

This study has shown the different patterns of self-reported health status among Somali immigrants in Norway, as associated with gender, age, psychosocial conditions, and employment status. Further research is needed to explain why Somali women in Norway have poorer self-reported health than men. The findings from this study should provide direction to healthcare providers for improving health among immigrants, for example through implementing a community-driven and culturally appropriate lifestyle intervention program.
Algorithm selection for software validation based on graph kernels
Authors: Richter Cedric , Hüllermeier Eyke , Jakobs Marie-Christine , Wehrheim Heike
Published: April 2020

Algorithm selection is the task of choosing an algorithm from a given set of candidate algorithms when faced with a particular problem instance. Algorithm selection via machine learning (ML) has recently been successfully applied for various problem classes, including computationally hard problems such as SAT. In this paper, we study algorithm selection forsoftware validation, i.e., the task of choosing a software validation tool for a given validation instance. A validation instance consists of a program plus properties to be checked on it. The application of machine learning techniques to this task first of all requires an appropriaterepresentationof software. To this end, we propose a dedicatedkernel function, which compares two programs in terms of their similarity, thus making the algorithm selection task amenable to kernel-based machine learning methods. Our kernel operates on a graph representation of source code mixing elements of control-flow and program-dependence graphs with abstract syntax trees. Thus, given two such representations as input, the kernel function yields a real-valued score that can be interpreted as a degree of similarity. We experimentally evaluate our kernel in two learning scenarios, namely a classification and a ranking problem: (1) selecting between a verification and a testing tool for bug finding (i.e., property violation), and (2) ranking several verification tools, from presumably best to worst, for property proving. The evaluation, which is based on data sets from the annual software verification competition SV-COMP, demonstrates our kernel to generalize well and to achieve rather high prediction accuracy, both for the classification and the ranking task.
Natural regeneration of lodgepole pine in boreal Sweden
Authors: Jacobson Staffan , Hannerz Mats
Published: April 2020

The large-scale introduction of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta ssp. latifolia, LP) into Swedish forests was initiated around 1970, and currently 520,000 hectares of the forest land are dominated by the species. Even though the tree has mostly serotine cones, adapted to open after forest fires, it has proved able to self-regenerate in Sweden. This study is the first to present, scientifically, the extent of self-regeneration covering the whole current range of LP-forests in Sweden. LP-saplings were recorded for three years, 2015–2017, in 8194 subplots distributed over 214 randomly selected LP-stands from latitude 59.6–66.9°N and altitude 88–710 m asl. Of all subplots, 3% contained LP-saplings, and regeneration was found in 53% of all stands. The probability of finding LP-saplings was significantly dependent on the plots’ distance from the edge of the LP-stand, and 78% of all saplings were found within and up to 15 m beyond the stand edge. Most, 63%, of the plots with LP were found on disturbed ground such as wheel tracks, roadsides and where there had been site preparation. The results show that LP can naturally spread under a range of conditions in the studied region. The regeneration is, however, concentrated in particular stands and should be possible to control with monitoring programmes and measures to eradicate self-dispersed trees in unwanted areas.
Air quality co-benefits of ratcheting up the NDCs
Authors: Rauner Sebastian , Hilaire Jérôme , Klein David , Strefler Jessica , Luderer Gunnar
Published: April 2020

The current nationally determined contributions, pledged by the countries under the Paris Agreement, are far from limiting climate change to below 2 ∘C temperature increase by the end of the century. The necessary ratcheting up of climate policy is projected to come with a wide array of additional benefits, in particular a reduction of today’s 4.5 million annual premature deaths due to poor air quality. This paper therefore addresses the question how climate policy and air pollution–related health impacts interplay until 2050 by developing a comprehensive global modeling framework along the cause and effect chain of air pollution–induced social costs. We find that ratcheting up climate policy to a 2 ∘ compliant pathway results in welfare benefits through reduced air pollution that are larger than mitigation costs, even with avoided climate change damages neglected. The regional analysis demonstrates that the 2 ∘C pathway is therefore, from a social cost perspective, a “no-regret option” in the global aggregate, but in particular for China and India due to high air quality benefits, and also for developed regions due to net negative mitigation costs. Energy and resource exporting regions, on the other hand, face higher mitigation cost than benefits. Our analysis further shows that the result of higher health benefits than mitigation costs is robust across various air pollution control scenarios. However, although climate mitigation results in substantial air pollution emission reductions overall, we find significant remaining emissions in the transport and industry sectors even in a 2 ∘C world. We therefore call for further research in how to optimally exploit climate policy and air pollution control, deriving climate change mitigation pathways that maximize co-benefits.
After the ICC Office of the Prosecutor’s 2016 Policy Paper on Case Selection and Prioritisation: Towards an International Crime of Ecocide?
Authors: Pereira Ricardo
Published: April 2020

The 2016 Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) policy paper on case selection and prioritization is a significant development in that it highlights the possible role of the ICC in prosecuting environmental damage, illegal natural resource exploitation and land grabbing. For obvious reasons, however, the ICC Office of the Prosecutor policy paper could not expand the court’s current jurisdiction over ecocide which is dependent on a formal amendment to the ICC Statute and the policy paper is only an internal policy document. But more fundamentally it has been predicted that the 2016 ICC Office of the Prosecutor may signify the revitalization of the debate on how an international crime of ecocide could be conceptualised under international law and ultimately whether the ICC should have a broader jurisdiction over ecocide. This article aims to critically evaluate how a crime of ecocide could be conceptualised under international law, as well as to assess the limitations of conceptualising ecocide based on the narrow definition of the existing crimes under the ICC Statute. Moreover, this article aims to critically evaluate developments in past three and half years following the adoption 2016 OTP Policy Paper, and notes that the practice of the OTP in dealing with recent national communications and the ICC case law itself to date have not signified a considerable shift in interpreting the law in cases involving environmental damage, illegal natural resources exploitation and land grabbing. Therefore, they have done little so far to clarify the scope of the court’s existing jurisdiction over “ecocide”.
Covid-19 epidemic in Italy: evolution, projections and impact of government measures
Authors: Sebastiani Giovanni , Massa Marco , Riboli Elio
Published: April 2020

We report on the Covid-19 epidemic in Italy in relation to the extraordinary measures implemented by the Italian Government between the 24th of February and the 12th of March. We analysed the Covid-19 cumulative incidence (CI) using data from the 1st to the 31st of March. We estimated that in Lombardy, the worst hit region in Italy, the observed Covid-19 CI diverged towards values lower than the ones expected in the absence of government measures approximately 7–10 days after the measures implementation. The Covid-19 CI growth rate peaked in Lombardy the 22nd of March and in other regions between the 24th and the 27th of March. The CI growth rate peaked in 87 out of 107 Italian provinces on average 13.6 days after the measures implementation. We projected that the CI growth rate in Lombardy should substantially slow by mid-May 2020. Other regions should follow a similar pattern. Our projections assume that the government measures will remain in place during this period. The evolution of the epidemic in different Italian regions suggests that the earlier the measures were taken in relation to the stage of the epidemic, the lower the total cumulative incidence achieved during this epidemic wave. Our analyses suggest that the government measures slowed and eventually reduced the Covid-19 CI growth where the epidemic had already reached high levels by mid-March (Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Veneto) and prevented the rise of the epidemic in regions of central and southern Italy where the epidemic was at an earlier stage in mid-March to reach the high levels already present in northern regions. As several governments indicate that their aim is to “push down” the epidemic curve, the evolution of the epidemic in Italy supports the WHO recommendation that strict containment measures should be introduced as early as possible in the epidemic curve.
Untangling the interactions of sustainability targets: synergies and trade-offs in the Northern European context
Authors: Lyytimäki Jari , Lonkila Kirsi-Marja , Furman Eeva , Korhonen-Kurki Kaisa , Lähteenoja Satu
Published: April 2020

Agenda 2030 and sustainable development goals (SDG) are key formulations of sustainability policies, consisting of 17 general-level goals and 169 more detailed targets. The target setting is based on tedious international policy negotiations and compromises addressing myriad of different and sometimes incompatible interests. Identification of key trade-offs and synergies between the targets can help the efficient implementation of SDGs by improving the opportunities to focus policy attention and actions on the most relevant issues. This article focuses on trade-offs and synergies of nationally relevant targets in the context of an industrialised and affluent nation state. Results from a cross-matrix examination of targets in Finland show that most of the selected targets are characterised by synergistic interactions with other nationally relevant targets. However, policies aimed at advancing economic growth and the use of renewable energy risk a number of serious trade-offs. Methodological advances are required to make the assessment of interactions more transparent and reliable, manageable within the limited resources and capable of producing results relevant to decision-making. A recommendation for the use of cross-matrix examination as a tool of collaborative ex ante sustainability assessment is put forward, also acknowledging the risk of “paralysis by analysis” related to the wide-ranging SDG framework.
Dynamic competition and resource partitioning during the early life of two widespread, abundant and ecologically similar fishes
Authors: Nunn A. D. , Vickers L. H. , Mazik K. , Bolland J. D. , Peirson G. , Axford S. N. , Henshaw A. , Cowx I. G.
Published: April 2020

Competition and resource partitioning can have profound implications for individuals, populations and communities, and thus food webs, ecosystems and the management of biota and environments. In many species, the impacts of competition and resource partitioning are believed to be most severe during early life, but our understanding of the mechanisms and implications is incomplete. This study revealed short-term variations in both the occurrence and direction of competition during the early life of roach Rutilus rutilus and common bream Abramis brama, two of the most widespread and abundant fish species in Europe. There was also evidence of resource partitioning when small taxa dominated the zooplankton, but not when larger taxa were more abundant. In spite of the differences in foraging ecology, there were no significant differences in growth or nutritional condition in allopatry and sympatry. Similar to the concept of condition-specific competition, when competitive abilities vary along environmental gradients, the impacts of interspecific interactions on foraging ecology, growth and condition are dynamic and likely vary according to temporal fluctuations in prey availability. This is important because short-term incidences of competition could have cascading effects on food webs, even when no impacts on growth rates or condition are detected.
Migration and habitat use of the landlocked riverine Atlantic salmon Salmo salar småblank
Authors: Davidsen Jan G. , Eikås Linda , Hedger Richard D. , Thorstad Eva B. , Rønning Lars , Sjursen Aslak D. , Berg Ole K. , Bremset Gunnbjørn , Karlsson Sten , Sundt-Hansen Line E.
Published: April 2020

“Småblank” is the only population of Atlantic salmon in Europe living its entire life in the river habitat without performing migrations to the sea or lakes. Home range size and habitat use were compared between an unregulated tributary and hydro-power regulated parts of the main river during 2014–2017. In total, 140 småblank were tagged with radio transmitters and tracked for 4–5 months. Tagged fish tended to stay within small areas: the average 50% home range was 1123 m2and the average 95% home range was 4416 m2. Mean distance between the furthermost positions for individual fish during tracking was 242 m, and the fish did not migrate between different stretches of the river. The small home range and non-migrating behaviour may explain why småblank are divided into several genetically distinct populations with limited gene flow. The results showed that småblank were far more stationary than what is known for other landlocked salmon populations. Use of moderate or high water velocities’ (> 50 s−1) areas with coarse river substrates implies a vulnerability to anthropogenic effects such as water diversion, dams and weirs.
The Effect of Organophosphate Exposure on Neuronal Cell Coenzyme Q10 Status
Authors: Turton Nadia , Heaton Robert A. , Ismail Fahima , Roberts Sioned , Nelder Sian , Phillips Sue , Hargreaves Iain P.
Published: April 2020

Organophosphate (OP) compounds are widely used as pesticides and herbicides and exposure to these compounds has been associated with both chronic and acute forms of neurological dysfunction including cognitive impairment, neurophysiological problems and cerebral ataxia with evidence of mitochondrial impairment being associated with this toxicity. In view of the potential mitochondrial impairment, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of exposure to commonly used OPs, dichlorvos, methyl-parathion (parathion) and chloropyrifos (CPF) on the cellular level of the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) electron carrier, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. The effect of a perturbation in CoQ10 status was also evaluated on mitochondrial function and cell viability. A significant decreased (P < 0.0001) in neuronal cell viability was observed following treatment with all three OPs (100 µM), with dichlorvos appearing to be the most toxic to cells and causing an 80% loss of viability. OP treatment also resulted in a significant diminution in cellular CoQ10 status, with levels of this isoprenoid being decreased by 72% (P < 0.0001), 62% (P < 0.0005) and 43% (P < 0.005) of control levels following treatment with dichlorvos, parathion and CPF (50 µM), respectively. OP exposure was also found to affect the activities of the mitochondrial enzymes, citrate synthase (CS) and mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) complex II+III. Dichlorvos and CPF (50 µM) treatment significantly decreased CS activity by 38% (P < 0.0001) and 35% (P < 0.0005), respectively compared to control levels in addition to causing a 54% and 57% (P < 0.0001) reduction in complex II+III activity, respectively. Interestingly, although CoQ10 supplementation (5 μM) was able to restore cellular CoQ10 status and CS activity to control levels following OP treatment, complex II+III activity was only restored to control levels in neuronal cells exposed to dichlorvos (50 µM). However, post supplementation with CoQ10, complex II+III activity significantly increased by 33% (P < 0.0005), 25% (P < 0.005) and 35% (P < 0.0001) in dichlorvos, parathion and CPF (100 µM) treated cells respectively compared to non-CoQ10 supplemented cells. In conclusion, the results of this study have indicated evidence of neuronal cell CoQ10 deficiency with associated mitochondrial dysfunction following OP exposure. Although CoQ10 supplementation was able to ameliorate OP induced deficiencies in CS activity, ETC complex II+III activity appeared partially refractory to this treatment. Accordingly, these results indicate the therapeutic potential of CoQ10 supplementation in the treatment of OP poisoning. However, higher doses may be required to engender therapeutic efficacy.
Transcriptional and metabolite analysis reveal a shift in direct and indirect defences in response to spider-mite infestation in cucumber (Cucumis sativus)
Authors: He Jun , Bouwmeester Harro J. , Dicke Marcel , Kappers Iris F.
Published: April 2020

Key message

Cucumber plants adapt their transcriptome and metabolome as result of spider mite infestation with opposite consequences for direct and indirect defences in two genotypes.

Plants respond to arthropod attack with the rearrangement of their transcriptome which lead to subsequent phenotypic changes in the plants’ metabolome. Here, we analysed transcriptomic and metabolite responses of two cucumber (Cucumis sativus) genotypes to chelicerate spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) during the first 3 days of infestation. Genes associated with the metabolism of jasmonates, phenylpropanoids, terpenoids and l-phenylalanine were most strongly upregulated. Also, genes involved in the biosynthesis of precursors for indirect defence-related terpenoids were upregulated while those involved in the biosynthesis of direct defence-related cucurbitacin C were downregulated. Consistent with the observed transcriptional changes, terpenoid emission increased and cucurbitacin C content decreased during early spider-mite herbivory. To further study the regulatory network that underlies induced defence to spider mites, differentially expressed genes that encode transcription factors (TFs) were analysed. Correlation analysis of the expression of TF genes with metabolism-associated genes resulted in putative identification of regulators of herbivore-induced terpenoid, green-leaf volatiles and cucurbitacin biosynthesis. Our data provide a global image of the transcriptional changes in cucumber leaves in response to spider-mite herbivory and that of metabolites that are potentially involved in the regulation of induced direct and indirect defences against spider-mite herbivory.
Who sees the most? Differences in students’ and educational research experts’ first impressions of classroom instruction
Authors: Begrich Lukas , Fauth Benjamin , Kunter Mareike
Published: April 2020

In recent decades, the assessment of instructional quality has grown into a popular and well-funded arm of educational research. The present study contributes to this field by exploring first impressions of untrained raters as an innovative approach of assessment. We apply the thin slice procedure to obtain ratings of instructional quality along the dimensions of cognitive activation, classroom management, and constructive support based on only 30 s of classroom observations. Ratings were compared to the longitudinal data of students taught in the videos to investigate the connections between the brief glimpses into instructional quality and student learning. In addition, we included samples of raters with different backgrounds (university students, middle school students and educational research experts) to understand the differences in thin slice ratings with respect to their predictive power regarding student learning. Results suggest that each group provides reliable ratings, as measured by a high degree of agreement between raters, as well predictive ratings with respect to students’ learning. Furthermore, we find experts’ and middle school students’ ratings of classroom management and constructive support, respectively, explain unique components of variance in student test scores. This incremental validity can be explained with the amount of implicit knowledge (experts) and an attunement to assess specific cues that is attributable to an emotional involvement (students).
Runtime verification of real-time event streams under non-synchronized arrival
Authors: Leucker Martin , Sánchez César , Scheffel Torben , Schmitz Malte , Schramm Alexander
Published: April 2020

We study the problem of online runtime verification of real-time event streams. Our monitors can observe concurrent systems with a shared clock, but where each component reports observations as signals that arrive to the monitor at different speeds and with different and varying latencies. We start from specifications in a fragment of the TeSSLa specification language, where streams (including inputs and final verdicts) are not restricted to be Booleans but can be data from richer domains, including integers and reals with arithmetic operations and aggregations. Specifications can be used both for checking logical properties and for computing statistics and general numeric temporal metrics (and properties on these richer metrics). We present an online evaluation algorithm for the specification language and a concurrent implementation of the evaluation algorithm. The algorithm can tolerate and exploit the asynchronous arrival of events without synchronizing the inputs. Then, we introduce a theory of asynchronous transducers and show a formal proof of the correctness such that every possible run of the monitor implements the semantics. Finally, we report an empirical evaluation of a highly concurrent Erlang implementation of the monitoring algorithm.
Identification of a novel bovine copiparvovirus in pooled fetal bovine serum
Authors: Baylis Sally A. , Miskey Csaba , Blümel Johannes , Kaiser Marco , Kapusinszky Beatrix , Delwart Eric
Published: April 2020

A novel parvovirus was identified as a cell culture contaminant by metagenomic analysis. Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) was used to determine viral loads in the cell culture supernatant and further analysis, by ddPCR and DNA sequencing, demonstrated that fetal bovine serum (FBS) used during cell culture was the source of the parvovirus contamination. The FBS contained ~ 50,000 copies of the novel parvovirus DNA per ml of serum. The viral DNA was resistant to DNAse digestion. Near-full length sequence of the novel parvovirus was determined. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that virus belongs to theCopiparvovirusgenus, being most closely related to bovine parvovirus 2 (BPV2) with 41% identity with the non-structural protein NS1 and 47% identity with the virus capsid protein of BPV2. A screen of individual and pooled bovine sera identified a closely related variant of the novel virus in a second serum pool. For classification purposes, the novel virus has been designated bovine copiparvovirus species 3 isolate JB9 (bocopivirus 3-JB9).
Enhanced composting as a way to a climate-friendly management of coffee by-products
Authors: San Martin Ruiz Macarena , Reiser Martin , Kranert Martin
Published: April 2020

This study investigated the performance of aerobic windrow systems by using coffee by-products and green waste to reduce gaseous emissions. Thereafter, a comparison with the current treatment and gaseous emissions at a Coffee Mill in Costa Rica was made. Two different studies where performed in Germany (pile I and II) and one study in a Coffee Mill in Costa Rica (pile III). Temperature, water content, and pH were the key parameters controlled over 35 days in all the systems. Moreover, CH4 emission rates were quantified by a FTIR and by a portable gas detector device where the emissions reached values 100 times higher when coffee by-products as a unique material for the composting process was used. Results show that highest emission rates during the composting process for pile I was 0.007 g(m2)−1 h−1, for pile II 0.006 g(m2)−1 h−1, and for pile III 3.1 g(m2)−1 h−1. It was found that CH4 emissions could be avoided if the mixture and the formation of the windrow piles were performed following the key parameter for composting, and the usage of additional material is used. With this, the reduction of CH4 emissions at the Mill in Costa Rica could be achieved in the future.
Partizipative Führung: Auf den Spuren eines Konzeptes
Authors: Rybnikova Irma , Lang Rainhart
Published: April 2020

Dieser Beitrag der Zeitschrift Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO) befasst sich mit ausgewählten Konzepten zur partizipativen Führung, mit denen die Führungsforschung aufwartet. Das Ziel besteht darin, eine kritische Inspektion der den Konzepten zugrundeliegenden Annahmen über die Partizipation im Führungsgeschehen vorzunehmen. Dabei richten wir unseren Fokus zuerst auf die historischen Vorläufer der Führungspartizipation, wie die Überlegungen von Mary Parker Follett, Kurt Lewin, Robert Tannenbaum und Warren H. Schmidt. Anschließend diskutieren wir eine Reihe ausgewählter aktueller Konzepte aus dem Bereich partizipativer Führung in Bezug auf deren analytischen Kerndimensionen und rhetorischen Ansprüche. Die Konzepte durchleuchten wir in Bezug darauf, inwiefern diese auf die humanistisch inspirierte Demokratisierung von Organisationen mittels partizipativer Führung abstellen, oder partizipative Führung als ein weiteres Mittel zur Leistungssteigerung in Organisationen thematisieren, oder womöglich beides. Zum Schluss gehen wir darauf ein, welche dieser vielfältigen konzeptionellen Vorüberlegungen Eingang in die Diskussion zum agilen Management gefunden haben.
Sarcopenia in Liver Transplantation: an Update
Authors: Dhaliwal A. , Williams F. R. , El-sherif O. , Armstrong Matthew J.
Published: April 2020

Purpose of Review

Patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT) are at high risk of sarcopenia and associated physical frailty. This review summarises advances in our knowledge of the definition, assessment, clinical implications and management of sarcopenia in LT.

Recent Findings

Sarcopenia is associated with increased mortality, morbidity, physical disability and poor quality of life both before and after LT. Assessment tools have evolved from solely relying on imaging (i.e. muscle area only) to reproducible measures of function and physical performance status (i.e. liver frailty index). The multi-faceted management of sarcopenia is heavily reliant on nutrition (protein > 1.5 g/kg/day) and exercise (combined aerobic and resistance) advice.

There is an increased awareness of the clinical implications, assessment tools and management for patients with sarcopenia awaiting LT. Future studies need to investigate the role of specific nutritional supplements, pharmaco-/behavioural therapy and the long-term outcomes (e.g. survival) of reversing sarcopenia in this patient population.