bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Towards a Global Englishes-aware National English Curriculum of China
Authors: Liu Haibo , Fang Fan
Published: June 2021

Although researchers and practitioners have discussed the concept of Global Englishes (GE), the degree of GE’s influence in the practical use of English is much wider and deeper in the real world than in the field of education. Mainstream ELT practices tend to adhere to native and fixed norms, which are regarded as the central problems in ELT from the perspective of the GE paradigm. Although a GE-oriented pedagogy has been discussed, studies on curriculum in the Chinese ELT context from the GE perspective are relatively rare. This paper aims to investigate the extent to which the National English Curriculum (NEC) in China reflects GE-oriented phonology and cultural learning. The study adopted a content analysis in which the NEC statements on phonology and cultural aspects were identified and discussed. After reporting the findings, the paper further discusses some pedagogic implications about curriculum and language teaching from the GE perspective.
Diversity, properties and functions of bacterial arginases
Authors: Hernández Victor M , Arteaga Alejandra , Dunn Michael F
Published: June 2021

The metalloenzyme arginase hydrolyzes l-arginine to produce l-ornithine and urea. In bacteria, arginase has important functions in basic nitrogen metabolism and redistribution, production of the key metabolic precursor l-ornithine, stress resistance and pathogenesis. We describe the regulation and specific functions of the arginase pathway as well as summarize key characteristics of related arginine catabolic pathways. The use of arginase-derived ornithine as a precursor molecule is reviewed. We discuss the biochemical and transcriptional regulation of arginine metabolism, including arginase, with the latter topic focusing on the RocR and AhrC transcriptional regulators in the model organism Bacillus subtilis. Finally, we consider similarities and contrasts in the structure and catalytic mechanism of the arginases from Bacillus caldovelox and Helicobacter pylori. The overall aim of this review is to provide a panorama of the diversity of physiological functions, regulation and biochemical features of arginases in a variety of bacterial species.
Genomic diversity, chromosomal rearrangements, and interspecies hybridization in the Ogataea polymorpha species complex
Authors: Hanson Sara J , Cinnéide Eoin Ó , Salzberg Letal I , Wolfe Kenneth H , McGowan Jamie , Fitzpatrick David A , Matlin Kate
Published: June 2021

The methylotrophic yeast Ogataea polymorpha has long been a useful system for recombinant protein production, as well as a model system for methanol metabolism, peroxisome biogenesis, thermotolerance, and nitrate assimilation. It has more recently become an important model for the evolution of mating-type switching. Here, we present a population genomics analysis of 47 isolates within the O. polymorpha species complex, including representatives of the species O. polymorpha, Ogataea parapolymorpha, Ogataea haglerorum, and Ogataea angusta. We found low levels of nucleotide sequence diversity within the O. polymorpha species complex and identified chromosomal rearrangements both within and between species. In addition, we found that one isolate is an interspecies hybrid between O. polymorpha and O. parapolymorpha and present evidence for loss of heterozygosity following hybridization.
The presence and outcome of biliary sphincter disorders in liver-transplant recipients according to the Rome IV classification
Authors: Fernandez-Simon Alejandro , Sendino Oriol , Chavez-Rivera Karina , Córdova Henry , Colmenero Jordi , Crespo Gonzalo , Fundora Yilliam , Samaniego Franco , Ruiz Pablo , Fondevila Constantino , Navasa Miquel , Cárdenas Andrés
Published: June 2021

Background

Biliary sphincter disorders after liver transplantation (LT) are poorly described. We aim to describe the presence and outcome of patients with papillary stenosis (PS) and functional biliary sphincter disorders (FBSDs) after LT according to the updated Rome IV criteria.

Methods

We reviewed all endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatographies (ERCPs) performed in LT recipients between January 2003 and December 2019. Information on clinical and endoscopic findings was obtained from electronic health records and endoscopy databases. Laboratory and clinical findings were collected at the time of ERCP and 1 month after ERCP.

Results

Among the 1,307 LT recipients, 336 underwent 849 ERCPs. Thirteen (1.0%) patients met the updated Rome IV criteria for PS [former sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (SOD) type I] and 14 patients (1.0%) met the Rome IV criteria for FBSD (former SOD type II). Biliary sphincterotomy was performed in 13 PS and 10 FBSD cases. One month after sphincterotomy, bilirubin, gamma-glutamyl transferase and alkaline phosphatase levels decreased in 85%, 61%, and 92% of those in the PS group (P = 0.019, 0.087, and 0.003, respectively) and in 50%, 70%, and 80% of those in the FBSD group (P = 0.721, 0.013, and 0.093, respectively). All the 14 patients initially suspected of having a FBSD turned out to have a different diagnosis during the follow-up.

Conclusions

PS after LT is uncommon and occurs in only 1% of LT recipients. Our data do not support the presence of an FBSD after LT. Sphincterotomy is a safe and effective procedure in LT recipients with PS.
Robust instance-optimal recovery of sparse signals at unknown noise levels
Authors: Petersen Hendrik Bernd , Jung Peter
Published: June 2021

We consider the problem of sparse signal recovery from noisy measurements. Many of frequently used recovery methods rely on some sort of tuning depending on either noise or signal parameters. If no estimates for either of them are available, the noisy recovery problem is significantly harder. The square root LASSO and the least absolute deviation LASSO are known to be noise-blind, in the sense that the tuning parameter can be chosen independent on the noise and the signal. We generalize those recovery methods to the rLASSO and give a recovery guarantee once the tuning parameter is above a threshold. Moreover, we analyze the effect of mistuning on a theoretic level and prove the optimality of our recovery guarantee. Further, for Gaussian matrices, we give a refined analysis of the threshold of the tuning parameter and proof a new relation of the tuning parameter on the dimensions. Indeed, for a certain amount of measurements, the tuning parameter becomes independent on the sparsity. Finally, we verify that the least absolute deviation LASSO can be used with random walk matrices of uniformly at random chosen left regular biparitite graphs.
A projector-based approach to quantifying total and excess uncertainties for sketched linear regression
Authors: Chi Jocelyn T , Ipsen Ilse C F
Published: June 2021

Linear regression is a classic method of data analysis. In recent years, sketching—a method of dimension reduction using random sampling, random projections or both—has gained popularity as an effective computational approximation when the number of observations greatly exceeds the number of variables. In this paper, we address the following question: how does sketching affect the statistical properties of the solution and key quantities derived from it? To answer this question, we present a projector-based approach to sketched linear regression that is exact and that requires minimal assumptions on the sketching matrix. Therefore, downstream analyses hold exactly and generally for all sketching schemes. Additionally, a projector-based approach enables derivation of key quantities from classic linear regression that account for the combined model- and algorithm-induced uncertainties. We demonstrate the usefulness of a projector-based approach in quantifying and enabling insight on excess uncertainties and bias-variance decompositions for sketched linear regression. Finally, we demonstrate how the insights from our projector-based analyses can be used to produce practical sketching diagnostics to aid the design of judicious sketching schemes.
A set-valued approach applied to a control problem of tuberculosis with treatment
Authors: Boujallal Lahoucine , Balatif Omar , Elhia Mohamed
Published: June 2021

The objective of this paper is to propose a set-valued approach to handle the control problem of tuberculosis (TB) infection model with treatment. The governed model consists of four ordinary differential equations, namely, susceptible, latent, infected and treated individuals. The infectious TB groups are decreased to zero by using a Lyapunov function in the sense of viability theory. The corresponding control laws are given via a continuous selection of an adequately designed feedback map. Furthermore, minimal control is derived via minimal selection of the feedback map, despite its discontinuity. Ultimately, some numerical simulations are presented to show the efficiency of the set-valued approach.
Homogeneous multigrid for HDG
Authors: Lu Peipei , Rupp Andreas , Kanschat Guido
Published: June 2021

We introduce a multigrid method that is homogeneous in the sense that it uses the same hybridizable discontinuous Galerkin (HDG) discretization scheme for Poisson’s equation on all levels. In particular, we construct a stable injection operator and prove optimal convergence of the method under the assumption of elliptic regularity. Numerical experiments underline our analytical findings.
Comparison of Bioassays Used to Determine Onion Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) Susceptibility to Spinetoram
Authors: Yannuzzi Isabella M , Moretti Erica A , Nault Brian A
Published: June 2021

Onion thrips (Thrips tabaci Lindeman) is one of onion’s most damaging insect pests and has a history of developing resistance across insecticide classes. The susceptibility of T. tabaci populations to insecticides can be determined using laboratory bioassays. Three types of bioassays have been documented in the literature specifically for use with T. tabaci: vial assay (contact only), feeding assay (ingestion only), and leaf-dip assay (contact + ingestion). The objectives of this study were to 1) compare insecticide susceptibility levels of a T. tabaci population using these three assays and 2) determine which bioassay’s results were most similar to those generated from exposing thrips to whole plants treated with insecticide. All experiments were conducted using a colony of T. tabaci known to be susceptible to insecticides and all were evaluated for their susceptibility to spinetoram (Radiant SC). Results indicated that 1) each bioassay generated a unique concentration-mortality relationship and LC50 value (0.01, 0.03 and 1.6 ppm for leaf-dip, vial, and feeding assays, respectively), and 2) all bioassays overestimated the susceptibility of the population relative to the whole-plant assay (LC50 = 5.3 ppm). Attributes of these bioassays are discussed relative to their future use in insecticide resistance monitoring programs for T. tabaci.
Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) from Villages and Forest Areas of Rural Communes in Khanh Hoa and Binh Phuoc Provinces, Vietnam
Authors: Vu Nam S , Hertz Jeffrey C , Martin Nicholas J , Tran Tu C , Fiorenzano Jodi M , Tran Phong V , Nguyen Hoang V , Dang Anh D , Tran Duong N , Motoki Maysa T
Published: June 2021

This study presents the diversity of mosquitoes collected from communes, endemic with malaria and dengue, located in Khanh Hoa and Binh Phuoc Provinces, Vietnam. A total of 10,288 mosquitoes were collected in the village and forested sites using standard larval dippers, cow-baited traps, ultra-violet light traps, and mechanical aspirators. Mosquito taxa were identified morphologically and species complexes/groups were further characterized molecularly. Five genera of mosquitoes were morphologically identified: Anopheles Meigen (21 species), Aedes Meigen (2 species), Culex Linnaeus (5 species), Mansonia Blanchard sp., and Armigeres Theobald sp. The PCR-based identification methods allowed the distinction of members of Maculatus Group, Funestus Group, and Dirus Complex; and DNA barcodes enabled the further identification of the Barbirostris Complex. Data reported here include the first report of An. saeungae Taai & Harbach and An. wejchoochotei Taai & Harbach from Vietnam, and re-emphasizes the significance of using molecular data in an integrated systematic approach to identify cryptic species and better understand their role in disease transmission.
Evaluation of a Methoprene Aerial Application for the Control of Culiseta melanura (Diptera: Culicidae) in Wetland Larval Habitats
Authors: Burtis James C , Poggi Joseph D , Duval Todd B , Bidlack Ellen , Shepard John J , Matton Priscilla , Rossetti Ross , Harrington Laura C
Published: June 2021

Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is an arbovirus endemic to the eastern United States. Human cases are rare but can be serious. The primary enzootic vector is Culiseta melanura (Coquillett) (Diptera: Culicidae), an ornithophagic mosquito. We conducted an aerial application of a granular methoprene formulation in Hockomock Swamp (Massachusetts), which represents a focus of EEEV transmission. Water collected from inside and outside Cs. melanura crypts was evaluated in bioassays of early fourth instar Cs. melanura larvae using treated and untreated water. Adult eclosion rates were 36% significantly lower in treated compared with untreated water (P < 0.05). Eclosion rates for water collected from inside crypts were significantly higher (62%) than rates from outside crypts (30%) (P < 0.05), indicating higher efficacy outside crypts. We tested whether reduced methoprene efficacy inside the crypts was due to reduced chemical penetration into this habitat. Chemical water analyses confirmed that methoprene concentrations were lower inside the crypts (0.1 ± 0.05 ppb) compared to water from outside crypts (1.79 ± 0.41 ppb). The susceptibility of Cs. melanura to methoprene was also determined to allow for comparison against concentrations observed in water collected from the field (LC-95: 1.95 ± 0.5 ppb). Overall, methoprene-treated water prevented mosquito development for up to 4 wk, but with a reduction in efficacy between 4- and 6-wk post-application. Our results suggest that aerial methoprene applications can effectively treat open water in wetlands but may not provide efficacious control of Cs. melanura due to an inability to penetrate larval habitats.
PROMETHEUS BOUND?—THE UNCERTAIN FUTURE OF THE UNILATERAL EFFECTS ANALYSIS IN EU MERGER CONTROL AFTER CK TELECOMS
Authors: Deutscher Elias
Published: June 2021

In the recent CK Telecoms (Case T-399/16) judgment, the General Court annulled the European Commission’s decision to block the four-to-three telecom merger Hutchison3G UK/Telefónica UK. This watershed case is set to curtail the Commission’s ability to challenge future mergers in concentrated markets and proposes a fundamental reshape of the analysis of unilateral effects in the absence of dominance. This article shows that CK Telecoms advances six propositions that form the foundation of a new frame of reference for the analysis of unilateral effects under the EU Merger Regulation. This new framework has been welcomed by commentators as a long-overdue recognition that ‘the law’ trumps the Commission’s administrative discretion and as a vindication of the ‘more economic approach’. Based on a thorough review of 15 years of merger enforcement in the mobile telecommunication sector, this article challenges this account by debunking both the ‘rule of law’ and the ‘more economic approach’ arguments in support of the new framework. It instead demonstrates that each of the six principles advanced by CK Telecoms neither constitutes a reaffirmation of ‘the law’, nor aligns EU merger enforcement with the economic analysis of unilateral effects. In critically reflecting on the new framework laid down in CK Telecoms, this article formulates a number of policy proposals as building blocks for an alternative frame of reference that would preserve the effectiveness of EU merger enforcement in future unilateral effects cases while enhancing legal certainty.
‘It’s complicated’: Professional opacity, duality, and ambiguity—A response to Noordegraaf (2020)
Authors: Alvehus Johan , Avnoon Netta , Oliver Amalya L
Published: June 2021

In this comment to Noordegraaf’s ‘Protective or connective professionalism? How connected professionals can (still) act as autonomous and authoritative experts’, we argue that Noordegraaf has contributed significant insights into the development of contemporary professionalism. However, we argue for a less binary and more complex view of forms of professionalism, and for finding ways of understanding professionalism grounded in a relational view of everyday professional work. The first section (by Johan Alvehus) suggests that Noordegraaf’s ‘connective professionalism’ is primarily about new ways of strengthening professionalism’s protective shields by maintaining functional ambiguity and transparent opacity around professional jurisdictions. The second section (by Amalya Oliver and Netta Avnoon) argues for viewing professionalism on a range of protection–connection and offers an approach for understanding how connective and protective models co-occur. Both commentaries thus take a relational, dynamic, and somewhat skeptical view on the reproduction and maintenance of professionalism.
Treatment outcomes of real-time intraoral sonography-guided implantation technique of 198Au grain brachytherapy for T1 and T2 tongue cancer
Authors: Konishi Masaru , Fujita Minoru , Takeuchi Yuki , Kubo Katsumaro , Imano Nobuki , Nishibuchi Ikuno , Murakami Yuji , Shimabukuro Kiichi , Wongratwanich Pongsapak , Verdonschot Rinus Gerardus , Kakimoto Naoya , Nagata Yasushi
Published: June 2021

It is often challenging to determine the accurate size and shape of oral lesions through computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) when they are very small or obscured by metallic artifacts, such as dental prostheses. Intraoral ultrasonography (IUS) has been shown to be beneficial in obtaining precise information about total tumor extension, as well as the exact location and guiding the insertion of catheters during interstitial brachytherapy. We evaluated the role of IUS in assessing the clinical outcomes of interstitial brachytherapy with 198Au grains in tongue cancer through a retrospective medical chart review. The data from 45 patients with T1 (n = 21) and T2 (n = 24) tongue cancer, who were mainly treated with 198Au grain implants between January 2005 and April 2019, were included in this study. 198Au grain implantations were carried out, and positioning of the implants was confirmed by IUS, to ensure that 198Au grains were appropriately placed for the deep border of the tongue lesion. The five-year local control rates of T1 and T2 tongue cancers were 95.2% and 95.5%, respectively. We propose that the use of IUS to identify the extent of lesions and the position of implanted grains is effective when performing brachytherapy with 198Au grains.
Galaxy flybys: evolution of the bulge, disc, and spiral arms
Authors: Kumar Ankit , Das Mousumi , Kataria Sandeep Kumar
Published: June 2021

Galaxy flybys are as common as mergers in low-redshift Universe and are important for galaxy evolution as they involve the exchange of significant amounts of mass and energy. In this study, we investigate the effect of minor flybys on the bulges, discs, and spiral arms of Milky Way mass galaxies for two types of bulges – classical bulges and boxy/peanut pseudo-bulges. Our N-body simulations comprise of two disc galaxies of mass ratios 10:1 and 5:1, where the discs of the galaxies lie in their orbital plane and the pericentre distance is varied. We performed photometric and kinematic bulge–disc decomposition at regular time-steps and traced the evolution of the disc size, spiral structure, bulge sersic index, bulge mass, and bulge angular momentum. Our results show that the main effect on the discs is disc thickening, which is seen as the increase in the ratio of disc scale height to scale radius. The strength of the spiral structure A2/A0 shows small oscillations about the mean time-varying amplitude in the pseudo-bulge host galaxies. The flyby has no significant effect on non-rotating classical bulge, which shows that these bulges are extremely stable in galaxy interactions. However, the pseudo-bulges become dynamically hotter in flybys indicating that flybys may play an important role in accelerating the rate of secular evolution in disc galaxies. This effect on pseudo-bulges is a result of their rotating nature as part of the bar. Also, flybys do not affect the time and strength of bar buckling.
An adiabatic, X-ray emitting cavity in the galaxy/group NGC 4636 and a new stellar mass-to-light ratio for the central galaxy
Authors: Mathews William G
Published: June 2021

An X-ray analysis revisits deep Chandra observations of the flamboyantly disturbed atmosphere in the galaxy/group NGC 4636. A known pair of faint cavities about 2–3.5 kpc from the centre is visible in azimuthally averaged Chandra data. These may be the first known cavities containing X-ray observable gas and which also appear as perfectly adiabatic perturbations. Radial gas density, temperature, and pressure profiles are all lowered in adiabatic ratios in the cavity, but the radial entropy profile is almost exactly matched with two power laws having classic logarithmic slopes, 0.77 and 1.1, but with no cavity feature. Adiabatically inflated thermal gas inside cavities is an unmistakable signature of expansion due to cosmic ray pressure. Although the gas pressure P is lower inside the cavities, the cosmic ray pressure Pc + P = P0 allows the total internal pressure P0 to be in hydrostatic equilibrium with the local atmosphere. Cosmic ray and gas pressures inside the cavities are comparable, Pc/P ≲ 11. Adiabatic cavities similar to those in NGC 4636 may be common. Chandra X-ray observations also allow a determination of the stellar mass-to-light ratio in the central galaxy by comparing the total mass profile determined from X-ray data with mass models of the stars from optical photometry and NFW dark haloes. The mass-to-light ratio ΥV = 7.77 required to match the X-ray total mass profile differs significantly from that found from the stellar velocity dispersion within the half-light radius.
Observing the host galaxies of high-redshift quasars with JWST: predictions from the BlueTides simulation
Authors: Marshall Madeline A , Wyithe J Stuart B , Windhorst Rogier A , Matteo Tiziana Di , Ni Yueying , Wilkins Stephen , Croft Rupert A C , Mechtley Mira
Published: June 2021

The bright emission from high-redshift quasars completely conceals their host galaxies in the rest-frame ultraviolet/optical, with detection of the hosts in these wavelengths eluding even the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) using detailed point spread function (PSF) modelling techniques. In this study, we produce mock images of a sample of z = 7 quasars extracted from the BlueTides simulation, and apply Markov chain Monte Carlo-based PSF modelling to determine the detectability of their host galaxies with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). While no statistically significant detections are made with HST, we predict that at the same wavelengths and exposure times JWST NIRCam imaging will detect $\sim 50{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of quasar host galaxies. We investigate various observational strategies, and find that NIRCam wide-band imaging in the long-wavelength filters results in the highest fraction of successful quasar host detections, detecting $\gtrsim 80{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of the hosts of bright quasars in exposure times of 5 ks. Exposure times of ≳ 5 ks are required to detect the majority of host galaxies in the NIRCam wide-band filters, however, even 10 ks exposures with MIRI result in $\lesssim 30{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ successful host detections. We find no significant trends between galaxy properties and their detectability. The PSF modelling can accurately recover the host magnitudes, radii, and spatial distribution of the larger scale emission, when accounting for the central core being contaminated by residual quasar flux. Care should be made when interpreting the host properties measured using PSF modelling.
Harnessing self-labeling enzymes for selective and concurrent A-to-I and C-to-U RNA base editing
Authors: Stroppel Anna S , Latifi Ngadhnjim , Hanswillemenke Alfred , Tasakis Rafail Nikolaos , Papavasiliou F Nina , Stafforst Thorsten
Published: June 2021

The SNAP-ADAR tool enables precise and efficient A-to-I RNA editing in a guideRNA-dependent manner by applying the self-labeling SNAP-tag enzyme to generate RNA-guided editases in cell culture. Here, we extend this platform by combining the SNAP-tagged tool with further effectors steered by the orthogonal HALO-tag. Due to their small size (ca. 2 kb), both effectors are readily integrated into one genomic locus. We demonstrate selective and concurrent recruitment of ADAR1 and ADAR2 deaminase activity for optimal editing with extended substrate scope and moderate global off-target effects. Furthermore, we combine the recruitment of ADAR1 and APOBEC1 deaminase activity to achieve selective and concurrent A-to-I and C-to-U RNA base editing of endogenous transcripts inside living cells, again with moderate global off-target effects. The platform should be readily transferable to further epitranscriptomic writers and erasers to manipulate epitranscriptomic marks in a programmable way with high molecular precision.
Efficacy of Omadacycline Versus Moxifloxacin in the Treatment of Community-Acquired Bacterial Pneumonia by Disease Severity: Results From the OPTIC Study
Authors: Ramirez Julio , Deck Daniel H , Eckburg Paul B , Curran Marla , Das Anita F , Kirsch Courtney , Manley Amy , Tzanis Evan , McGovern Paul C
Published: June 2021

Background

Severity/mortality risk scores and disease characteristics may assist in deciding whether patients with community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) require outpatient treatment or hospitalization. The phase 3 OPTIC (Omadacycline for Pneumonia Treatment In the Community) study enrolled patients with Pneumonia Outcomes Research Team (PORT) risk class II–IV. Omadacycline demonstrated noninferiority to moxifloxacin in adults with CABP, at early clinical response (ECR) and posttreatment evaluation (PTE). We assessed efficacy of omadacycline versus moxifloxacin in these patients based on disease severity.

Methods

Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive intravenous (IV) omadacycline (100 mg every 12 hours for 2 doses followed by 100 mg daily [q24h], with optional transition to omadacycline 300 mg orally q24h after 3 days of IV treatment) or moxifloxacin IV 400 mg q24h (with optional transition to 400 mg orally q24h after 3 days of IV treatment). Total treatment duration was 7–14 days. We compared rates of early clinical success (72–120 hours after first dose) and investigator-assessed clinical success at PTE (5–10 days after last dose) in subgroups based (1) on severity/mortality risk scores (PORT, CURB-65, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, quick Sequential [Sepsis-related] Organ Failure Assessment, modified ATS, SMART-COP) and (2) on presence of baseline radiographic characteristics, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)/asthma, or bacteremia.

Results

Altogether, 774 patients (omadacycline, n = 386; moxifloxacin, n = 388) were randomized. Clinical success rates (ECR/PTE) were similar between treatment groups (across all subgroups). Efficacy across treatment groups was similar in patients with baseline radiographic characteristics or COPD/asthma, but moxifloxacin had higher clinical success rates in patients with bacteremia.

Conclusions

Efficacy of omadacycline was similar to that of moxifloxacin, regardless of disease severity/mortality risk and disease characteristics.
Tailored intervention to prevent relapses and hospitalization in a migrant suffering from paranoid schizophrenia
Authors: Duvivier Hélène , Lashmi Kevin
Published: June 2021

Adherence issues combined with inequitable access to healthcare may increase the risk of discontinuation of care for undocumented migrants with severe mental health illness.

An Ethiopian man with paranoid schizophrenia who relapsed several times after hospitalization was identified by a humanitarian outreach team in Brussels. The team built a relationship with him by offering him access to services including accommodation and mental health care. A treatment buddy was identified to support him adhering to his treatment and accompany him while hospitalized. Effective collaboration between Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and the hospital led to MSF ensuring continuum of care in an outpatient service with the support of the treatment buddy for treatment adherence. The patient was empowered to adhere to medication and attend appointments after hospitalization. After 6 weeks, the man became autonomous with treatment, coming for his injections and collecting his medication every 2 weeks. There has been no relapse requiring hospitalization since.
Prolegomena
Authors: Lynch Michael J.
Published: June 2021

After giving a brief biographical sketch of the life and work of John Davenant, this chapter explores the various secondary literature regarding Davenant and hypothetical universalism. This survey of literature looks not only at a vast array of writings on hypothetical universalism but also at the many misinterpretations of Davenant’s hypothetical universalism. This chapter also examines an assortment of important terms relative to this thesis. It includes an investigation into the various early modern language of what historians of theology have called hypothetical universalism. Finally, this chapter gives an outline of each chapter making up the rest of the study.
The Free Speech Blind Spot
Authors: Douek Evelyn
Published: June 2021

The current system for monitoring and removal of foreign election interference on social media is a free speech blind spot. Social media platforms’ standards for what constitutes impermissible interference are vague, enforcement is seemingly ad hoc and inconsistent, and the role governments play in deciding what speech should be taken down is unclear. This extraordinary opacity—at odds with the ordinary requirements of respect for free speech—has been justified by a militarized discourse that paints such interference as highly effective, and “foreign” speech as uniquely pernicious. But, in fact, evidence of such campaigns’ effectiveness is limited, and the singling out and denigration of “foreign” speech is at odds with the traditional justifications for free expression. Hiding in the blind spot created by this foreign-threat, securitized framing are more pervasive and fundamental questions about online public discourse, such as how to define appropriate norms of online behavior more generally, who should decide them, and how they should be enforced. Without examining and answering these underlying questions, the goal that removing foreign election interference on social media is meant to achieve—re-establishing trust in the online public sphere—will remain unrealized.
Multiple indole glucosinolates and myrosinases defend Arabidopsis against Tetranychus urticae herbivory
Authors: Widemann Emilie , Bruinsma Kristie , Walshe-Roussel Brendan , Rioja Cristina , Arbona Vicent , Saha Repon Kumer , Letwin David , Zhurov Vladimir , Gómez-Cadenas Aurelio , Bernards Mark A. , Grbić Miodrag , Grbić Vojislava
Published: June 2021

Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) defenses against herbivores are regulated by the jasmonate (JA) hormonal signaling pathway, which leads to the production of a plethora of defense compounds. Arabidopsis defense compounds include tryptophan-derived metabolites, which limit Arabidopsis infestation by the generalist herbivore two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae. However, the phytochemicals responsible for Arabidopsis protection against T. urticae are unknown. Here, we used Arabidopsis mutants disrupted in the synthesis of tryptophan-derived secondary metabolites to identify phytochemicals involved in the defense against T. urticae. We show that of the three tryptophan-dependent pathways found in Arabidopsis, the indole glucosinolate (IG) pathway is necessary and sufficient to assure tryptophan-mediated defense against T. urticae. We demonstrate that all three IGs can limit T. urticae herbivory, but that they must be processed by myrosinases to hinder T. urticae oviposition. Putative IG breakdown products were detected in mite-infested leaves, suggesting in planta processing by myrosinases. Finally, we demonstrate that besides IGs, there are additional JA-regulated defenses that control T. urticae herbivory. Together, our results reveal the complexity of Arabidopsis defenses against T. urticae that rely on multiple IGs, specific myrosinases, and additional JA-dependent defenses.
Catalytic promiscuity of rice 2-oxoglutarate/Fe(II)-dependent dioxygenases supports xenobiotic metabolism
Authors: Takamura Natsuki , Yamazaki Akihiko , Sakuma Nozomi , Hirose Sakiko , Sakai Motonari , Takani Yukie , Yamashita Satoshi , Oshima Masahiro , Kuroki Makoto , Tozawa Yuzuru
Published: June 2021

The rice (Oryza sativa) 2-oxoglutarate (2OG)/Fe(II)-dependent dioxygenase HIS1 mediates the catalytic inactivation of five distinct β-triketone herbicides (bTHs). By assessing the effects of plant growth regulators on HIS1 enzyme function, we found that HIS1 mediates the hydroxylation of trinexapac-ethyl (TE) in the presence of Fe2+ and 2OG. TE blocks gibberellin biosynthesis, and we observed that its addition to culture medium induced growth retardation of rice seedlings in a concentration-dependent manner. Similar treatment with hydroxylated TE revealed that hydroxylation greatly attenuated the inhibitory effect of TE on plant growth. Forced expression of HIS1 in a rice his1 mutant also reduced its sensitivity to TE compared with that of the nontransformant. These results indicate that HIS1 metabolizes TE and thereby markedly reduces its ability to slow plant growth. Furthermore, analysis of five rice HIS1-like (HSL) proteins revealed that OsHSL2 and OsHSL4 also metabolize TE in vitro. HSLs from wheat (Triticum aestivum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare) also showed such activity. In contrast, OsHSL1, which shares the highest amino acid sequence identity with HIS1 and metabolizes the bTH tefuryltrione, did not manifest TE-metabolizing activity. Site-directed mutagenesis of OsHSL1 informed by structural models showed that substitution of three amino acids with the corresponding residues of HIS1 conferred TE-metabolizing activity similar to that of HIS1. Our results thus reveal a catalytic promiscuity of HIS1 and its related enzymes that support xenobiotic metabolism in plants.
A Framework for Movement Analysis of Tasks: Recommendations From the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy’s Movement System Task Force
Authors: Quinn Lori , Riley Nora , Tyrell Christine M , Judd Dana L , Gill-Body Kathleen M , Hedman Lois D , Packel Andrew , Brown David A , Nabar Nikita , Scheets Patricia
Published: June 2021

The American Physical Therapy Association’s Vision Statement of 2013 asserts that physical therapists optimize movement in order to improve the human experience. In accordance with this vision, physical therapists strive to be recognized as experts in movement analysis. However, there continues to be no accepted method to conduct movement analysis, nor an agreement of key terminology to describe movement observations. As a result, the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy organized a task force that was charged with advancing the state of practice with respect to these issues, including the development of a proposed method for movement analysis of tasks. This paper presents the work of the Task Force, which includes (1) development of a method for conducting movement analysis within the context of the movement continuum during 6 core tasks (sitting, sit to stand, standing, walking, step up/down, and reach/grasp/manipulate); (2) glossary of movement constructs that can provide a common language for movement analysis across a range of tasks: symmetry, speed, amplitude, alignment, verticality, stability, smoothness, sequencing, timing, accuracy, and symptom provocation; and (3) recommendations for task and environmental variations that can be systematically applied. The expectation is that this systematic framework and accompanying terminology will be easily adapted to additional patient or client-specific tasks, contribute to development of movement system diagnostic labels, and ultimately improve consistency across patient/client examination, evaluation, and intervention for the physical therapy profession. Next steps should include validation of this framework across patient/client groups and settings.
Verse-Craft, Editing, and the Work: Shadows of Orfeo
Authors: Sawyer Daniel
Published: June 2021

The notorious divergence between the three extant texts of Sir Orfeo has tripped up some past studies and seemingly makes the poem forbidding ground for literary criticism. Yet study of those texts informed by Paul Eggert’s recent revitalization of the concept of the ‘work’ reveals that some aspects of form and versification persist surprisingly well across the three known copies. Criticism has frequently noted the two points in Sir Orfeo which use descriptive comparisons to Paradise. The standard referencing edition, however, presents the first paradisiacal comparison with deceptively little information about its textual state. Scholars, even those alert to manuscripts, have consequently erred when discussing the relevant passages. Attention to aspects of the poem’s versification such as through-rhyme, rhyme-pairing, and rhyme-breaking can offer a partial solution to the problem. This insight opens up a broader approach to reading the verse-craft of Orfeo across its extant witnesses. A study of the poem’s use of comparison offers a trial of that approach. Though individually formulaic, the poem’s comparisons would have had a significant cumulative effect on readers. This effect has implications for scholarship’s understanding of the figure of Orfeo and of the poem as a whole. Future research on this text might fruitfully attend more closely to textual problems, to verse form, and to the relationship between the two; future studies of Middle English texts in general might benefit from the concept of the work.
Brain white matter extracellular free-water increases are related to reduced neurocognitive function in systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Qian Xing , Ji Fang , Ng Kwun Kei , Koh Amelia Jialing , Loo Beatrice Rui Yi , Townsend Mary Charlotte , Pasternak Ofer , Tay Sen Hee , Zhou Juan Helen , Mak Anselm
Published: June 2021

Objectives

Brain white matter (WM) microstructural changes evaluated by diffusion MRI are well documented in patients with SLE. Yet, the conventional diffusion tensor imaging technique fails to differentiate WM changes that originate from tissue alterations from those due to increased extracellular free water (FW) related to neuroinflammation, microvascular disruption, atrophy, or other extracellular processes. Here, we sought to delineate changes in WM tissue microstructure and extracellular FW volume and examine their relationships with neurocognitive function in SLE patients.

Methods

Twenty SLE patients [16 females, aged 36.0 (10.6)] without clinically overt neuropsychiatric manifestation and 61 healthy controls (HCs) [29 females, aged 29.2 (9.4)] underwent diffusion MRI and computerized neuropsychological assessments cross-sectionally. The FW imaging method was applied to compare microstructural tissue changes and extracellular FW volume of the brain WM between SLE patients and HCs. Association between extracellular FW changes and neurocognitive performance was studied.

Results

SLE patients had higher WM extracellular FW compared with HCs (family-wise-error-corrected P < 0.05), while no group difference was found in FW-corrected tissue compartment and structural connectivity metrics. Extracellular FW increases in SLE patients were associated with poorer neurocognitive performance that probed sustained attention (P = 0.022) and higher cumulative glucocorticoid dose (P = 0.0041). Such findings remained robust after controlling for age, gender, intelligence quotient, and total WM volume.

Conclusion

The association between WM extracellular FW increases and reduced neurocognitive performance suggest possible microvascular degradation and/or neuroinflammation in SLE patients with clinically inactive disease. The mechanistic impact of cumulative glucocorticoids on WM FW deserves further evaluation.
“Trans Enough”: Examining the Boundaries of Transgender-Identity Membership
Authors: Sutherland David Kyle
Published: June 2021

The term “transgender” (trans) has no singular or fixed meaning; instead, it represents a broad umbrella of non-traditional gender identities. Although the term is useful in the sense of inclusion, outsider recognition, and social activism, individuals and groups under the trans umbrella are not without internal ideological differences and contention about the boundaries of their collective identity. Taking a cyber-ethnographic approach with a transgender forum on the popular website Reddit, I offer insights into the complex membership debates that occur under this broad umbrella. In doing so, I present three distinct identity membership strategies, entitled “unbounded,” “socio-biological,” and “medically-based.” Each identity strategy showcases a mix of social and biological considerations that underlie trans-identity formations while highlighting differences in authenticity claims used within and between each group. My findings show a unique interplay between cultural definitions of trans-identities, lived experiences, and the explicit expulsion of some members in developing and maintaining internal symbolic boundaries of what constitutes a “trans enough” identity. More broadly, I generate new theoretical insights into the intracommunity “policing” strategies, shifting identity politics, and power dynamics that shape and inform interactions within the evolving category of transgender.
Pharmacokinetics, Metabolite Measurement, and Biomarker Identification of Dermal Exposure to Permethrin Using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Buchholz Bruce A , Ahn Ki Chang , Huang Huazhang , Gee Shirley J , Stewart Benjamin J , Ognibene Ted J , Hammock Bruce D
Published: June 2021

Impregnating military uniforms and outdoor clothing with the insecticide permethrin is an approach to reduce exposure to insect borne diseases and to repel pests and disease vectors such as mosquitos and sandflies, but the practice exposes wearers to prolonged dermal exposure to the pesticide. Key metabolite(s) from a low dose dermal exposure of permethrin were identified using accelerator mass spectrometry. Metabolite standards were synthesized and a high performance liquide chromatography (HPLC) elution protocol to separate individual metabolites in urine was developed. Six human subjects were exposed dermally on the forearm to 25 mg of permethrin containing 1.0 µCi of 14C for 8 h. Blood, saliva and urine samples were taken for 7d. Absorption/elimination rates and metabolite concentrations varied by individual. Average absorption was 0.2% of the dose. Serum concentrations rose until 12–24 h postdermal application then rapidly declined reaching predose levels by 72 h. Maximum saliva excretion occurred 6 h postdosing. The maximum urinary excretion rate occurred during 12–24 h; average elimination half-life was 56 h. 3-Phenoxybenzyl alcohol glucuronide was the most abundant metabolite identified when analyzing elution fractions, but most of the radioactivity was in still more polar fractions suggesting extensive degradative metabolism and for which there were no standards. Analyses of archived urine samples with the ultra performance liquid chromatography-accelerator mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry (UPLC-AMS-MS) system isolated a distinct polar metabolite but it was much diminished from the previous analyses a decade earlier.
Clinical Profile and Risk Factors for Severe Disease in 402 Children Hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 from India: Collaborative Indian Pediatric COVID Study Group
Authors: Jat Kana Ram , Sankar Jhuma , Das Rashmi Ranjan , Ratageri Vinod H , Choudhary Bharat , Bhat Javeed Iqbal , Mishra Baijayantimala ,   Collaborative Indian Pediatric COVID study group:, Bhatnagar Sushma , Behera Bijayini , Charoo Bashir Ahmad , Goyal Jagdish P , Gupta Aditya Kumar , Gulla Krishna Mohan , Gera Rani , Illalu Shivanand , Kabra S K , Khera Daisy , Kumar Balbir , Lodha Rakesh , Mohan Anant , Mohanty Pankaj Kumar , Satapathy Amit Kumar , Singh Kuldeep , Singh Amitabh , Sharma Sumant Vinayak , Tiwari Pawan , Trikha Anjan , Wari Prakash K
Published: June 2021

Introduction

There is a lack of large multicentric studies in children with COVID-19 from developing countries. We aimed to describe the clinical profile and risk factors for severe disease in children hospitalized with COVID-19 from India.

Methods

In this multicentric retrospective study, we retrieved data related to demographic details, clinical features, including the severity of disease, laboratory investigations and outcome.

Results

We included 402 children with a median (IQR) age of 7 (2–11) years. Fever was the most common symptom, present in 38.2% of children. About 44% had underlying comorbidity. The majority were asymptomatic (144, 35.8%) or mildly symptomatic (219, 54.5%). There were 39 (9.7%) moderate-severe cases and 13 (3.2%) deaths. The laboratory abnormalities included lymphopenia 25.4%, thrombocytopenia 22.1%, transaminitis 26.4%, low total serum protein 34.7%, low serum albumin 37.9% and low alkaline phosphatase 40%. Out of those who were tested, raised inflammatory markers were ferritin 58.9% (56/95), c-reactive protein 33.3% (41/123), procalcitonin 53.5% (46/86) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) 76%. The presence of fever, rash, vomiting, underlying comorbidity, increased total leucocyte count, thrombocytopenia, high urea, low total serum protein and raised c-reactive protein was factors associated with moderate to severe disease.

Conclusion

Fever was the commonest symptom. We identified additional laboratory abnormalities, namely lymphopenia, low total serum protein and albumin and low alkaline phosphatase. The majority of the children were asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. We found high urea and low total serum protein as risk factors for moderate to severe disease for the first time.
Prospective collection of clinical data on cystic echinococcosis: experience with the European Registry of Cystic Echinococcosis in Pavia, Italy
Authors: Vola Ambra , Mariconti Mara , Lissandrin Raffaella , Cuzzocrea Fabrizio , Bortolotto Chandra , Sammarchi Luigi , Vercelli Alessandro , Rinaldi Pietro , Maestri Marcello , Manciulli Tommaso , Brunetti Enrico
Published: June 2021

Background

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a chronic, complex and neglected infection that may cause serious disease in humans. Given its peculiar epidemiologic and clinical features, collection of clinical data is challenging. Notification systems, when available, fail to record important clinical features, available data are mostly retrospectively collected and no prospectively enrolled uniform surveillance systems exist. The European Register of Cystic Echinococcosis database (ERCE) is the first systematic attempt to address these issues.

Methods

Here, we describe the demographics and clinical characteristics of 436 patients who accessed the CE clinic at the University of Pavia–San Matteo Hospital Foundation, in Pavia, Italy, from March 2012 to February 2020.

Results

Overall, 436 patients, consisting of 204 (46.8%) males and 232 (53.2%) females were enrolled; the mean age at enrollment was 50 (range 4–88) y. Of the 436 patients, 248 (56.9%) were born in Italy while 188 (43.1%) were foreign-born. In total, 638 CE cysts were counted, most of them in the CE4 (230; 36.1%) and CE3b (131; 20.5%) stages.

Conclusions

This is the largest cohort of CE patients with detailed clinical and demographic data published to date. We strongly encourage colleagues caring for CE patients in the European Union to join the ERCE.