bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Guaraní Missions in the Jesuit Province of Paraguay, 1609–1800
Authors: Neumann Eduardo
Published: April 2019

The establishment of the Jesuit Province of Paraguay in 1609 expanded upon the “spiritual conquest” of the Guaranís of South America. The liminal position of this territory, located between the southern boundaries of the dominions of the Iberian monarchies in America, conditioned the policy of conversion applied to the indigenous peoples who inhabited this region. Missionaries sought to attract the attention of indigenous leaders to catechesis to ensure evangelization, but much of their positive results stemmed from a convergence of mythical and historical motivations. Along with the use of firearms, used to repel the attacks of the bandeirantes from the captaincy of São Paulo, these factors contributed to a political alliance forming between the Jesuits and the catechized Guaraní. This alliance, in turn, allowed for the creation of a successful social, political, and cultural arrangement.

The foundation of these Christian Indian settlements—known as missions—was one of the variants of the “Republic of Indians,” a framework for limited indigenous self-government codified in Spanish law, which enabled the Guaranís to overcome increasing social fragmentation and reorient their cultural activities. Since teaching “arts and crafts” was a leading vehicle for evangelization, many indigenous people also became literate. Lessons in reading and writing taught in the Guaraní language, through seminars, catechisms, and dictionaries, familiarized the population of the missions with written culture. Daily life in these Christian communities allowed the natives, under the tutelage of the Jesuits, to overcome the precariousness of the conditions to which they were subjected as exploited workers. It also afforded them an opportunity to recreate a semblance of their way of life (ñande reko) adjusted to colonial parameters.
Economy During the Colonial Period
Authors: Arruda José Jobson
Published: April 2019

The development of the Brazilian economy during the colonial period resulted from foreign inducements exercised by Portuguese colonialists under the auspices of the Portuguese Crown. Over the course of three centuries, responsibility for Brazil’s economic destiny was gradually transferred to Luso-Brazilians, a process by which both the flow and accumulation of income became naturally internalized. This topic must necessarily be contextualized within a decades-long process of historiographical confrontation in which distinct analytical perspectives have sought to assert themselves. Some arguments are linked to the label of the old colonial system (Antigo Sistema Colonial, or ASC) and others to the old regime in the tropics (Antigo Regime nos Trópicos, or ART). While both schools recognize the primacy of slavery in determining the character of colonial society, the former emphasizes colonial identity and the exploitative status that entailed, while the latter focuses on the empire and the endogenous accumulation of wealth.

Despite the friction between these hegemonic currents since the 1980s, a third analytical perspective is possible that while incorporating elements present in the two established outlooks also rejects the exceedingly long periodization and calcified three-century focus they share. This different strain of scholarship distinguishes between specific moments in colonial economic development during which external and internal accumulation fueled one or the other, serving as complementary forces responsible for the gross and per capita growth of the colonial economy, as well as granting Brazil the profile of a modern colony.
Argentine Media Regulation, Fake News, and the Election of Mauricio Macri
Authors: De Maio Mariana
Published: April 2019

November 2015 became a key date in the history of Argentina as former president Cristina Fernandez’ party lost the national elections by the narrowest of margins, less than 700,000 votes, to the right-wing candidate Mauricio Macri, ending a twelve-year run of one of the most progressive governments in the history of Argentina. Many analysts argue that large media conglomerates, especially the Clarín Group, played a significant role in the process leading to political change. Macri supporters in the city of Buenos Aires provided some reasons for their decision to vote for Macri and against Daniel Scioli, who ran on Fernandez’ party ticket. Their answers seem to be influenced by a series of fake news (misleading news articles) published by Clarín and La Nación, two leading news organizations in Argentina, during the months before the national elections. These misleading news stories were published in the front pages of those newspapers and at prime time in their affiliate TV and radio stations. Corrections and retractions rarely appeared in the front pages or prime time. Macri voters came to accept the initial news as legitimate and were influenced by them during the 2015 presidential election. Considering the insignificant margin of votes deciding the election, it can be argued that the two news organizations may have been instrumental in shaping the perceptions of just enough voters to swing the results in Macri’s favor. This suggests that dominant mainstream media have had a significant influence on voters’ attitudes and that this may explain in part the election’s outcome.
Transatlantic Family-Making: Jamaica and Great Britain
Authors: Livesay Daniel
Published: April 2019

Forming and encouraging families in Jamaica was a struggle from the very beginning of English colonization there, making Caribbean households transatlantic in nature. The explosion of plantation slavery in the 17th century prioritized economic expansion over white family cultivation. Likewise, planters were more concerned with profits than they were with enslaved families. Constant migration from Europe and Africa was therefore needed to keep populations stable for the whole history of slavery in Jamaica. The island’s demographic and political security was always tenuous as a result of this, and officials attempted numerous strategies to encourage family growth, among both the free and enslaved communities. As the island transitioned to freedom, regulating the definition of “proper” families became a weapon from which English authorities wielded imperial power. Racist sentimental toward Caribbean households created social tension when thousands of black Jamaicans emigrated to Britain after the Second World War. Their arrival produced new British households that challenged some British conceptions of domestic family life. Throughout this whole history, migration defined the growth and character of families in the Jamaican-British Atlantic World.
Early Modern Views on Language and Languages (ca. 1450–1800)
Authors: Van Hal Toon
Published: April 2019

The Early Modern interest taken in language was intense and versatile. In this period, language education gradually no longer centered solely on Latin. The linguistic scope widened considerably, partly as a result of scholarly curiosity, although religious and missionary zeal, commercial considerations, and political motives were also of decisive significance. Statesmen discovered the political power of standardized vernaculars in the typically Early Modern process of state formation. The widening of the linguistic horizon was, first and foremost, reflected in a steadily increasing production of grammars and dictionaries, along with pocket textbooks, conversational manuals, and spelling treatises. One strategy of coping with the stunning linguistic diversity consisted of first collecting data on as many languages as possible and then tracing elements that were common to all or to certain groups of languages. Language comparison was not limited to historical and genealogical endeavors, as scholars started also to compare a number of languages in terms of their alleged vices and qualities. Another way of dealing with the flood of linguistic data consisted of focusing on what the different languages had in common, which led to the development of general grammars, of which the 17th-century Port-Royal grammar is the most well-known. During the Enlightenment, the nature of language and its cognitive merits or vices became also a central theme in philosophical debates in which major thinkers were actively engaged.
Overabundance in Morphology
Authors: Thornton Anna M.
Published: April 2019

Overabundance is the situation in which two (or more) inflectional forms are available to realize the same cell in the inflectional paradigm of a lexeme (i.e., to express the meaning arising from the combination of the lexical meaning of the lexeme and the morphosyntactic and morphosemantic feature values that define the cell). An example from English is dreamed / dreamt, both of which realize ‘dream.pst’, the past tense of the verb dream. The forms that realize the same cell are called cell mates. Certain cell mates can be used interchangeably in the same context, even by the same speaker, with no difference in style and meaning; other cell mates are subject to various kinds of conditions, so that different forms are used in different styles, registers, social or geographic dialects, or in different semantic, syntactic or pragmatic contexts. Cell mates by definition are formally different in some respect: they may display different stems (e.g., Italian sepol-to / seppelli-to ‘bury-pst.ptcp’), or different endings (e.g., Czech jazyk-u / jazyk-a ‘language-gen.sg’), they may be built according to different means (e.g., English more choosy / choosier ‘choosy.comp’, where the first cell mate is periphrastic and the second one synthetic), or they may differ in various other ways. Overabundance can be limited to a specific cell of a specific lexeme, or it can occur systematically in certain cells of certain lexemes or of all lexemes in a given word class and language (e.g., all Spanish verbs have two ways of realizing all the forms of the imperfect subjunctive).

Most linguists assume that overabundance can exist only as a transitional stage during diachronic change, and that any single speaker only uses one of the cell mates available in a community’s repertoire; besides, many assume that cell mates always differ according to geo-socio-stylistic conditions, or in meaning. However, corpus based studies of specific instances of overabundance have shown that there are cases of truly interchangeable cell mates, that a single speaker can use different cell mates even within the same utterance, and that some instances of overabundance are stably attested for centuries. Language standardization often aims at eliminating overabundance, but low frequency forms may escape elimination and remain in usage. Many principles assumed to regulate language acquisition (e.g., Clark’s Principle of Contrast) ban overabundance; however, forms acquired later than in the early stages of language acquisition, sometimes only with schooling, may escape this ban. Even principles of grammar, such as Blocking, or Pāṇini’s principle, appear to entail the impossibility of having synonymous cell mates. However, much depends on the exact formulation of these principles; and the existence of cell mates can be reconciled with certain versions of them and has been acknowledged in much recent work in theoretical morphology.
Quantitative Derivation in Morphology
Authors: Iordăchioaia Gianina
Published: April 2019

In linguistics, the study of quantity is concerned with the behavior of expressions that refer to amounts in terms of the internal structure of objects and events, their spatial or temporal extension (as duration and boundedness), their qualifying properties, as well as how these aspects interact with each other and other linguistic phenomena.

Quantity is primarily manifest in language for the lexical categories of noun, verb, and adjective/ adverb. For instance, the distinction between mass and count nouns is essentially quantitative: it indicates how nominal denotation is quantized—as substance (e.g., water, sand) or as an atomic individual (e.g., book, boy). Similarly, the aspectual classes of verbs, such as states (know), activities (run), accomplishments (drown), achievements (notice), and semelfactives (knock) represent quantitatively different types of events. Adjectives and adverbs may lexically express quantities in relation to individuals, respectively, events (e.g., little, enough, much, often), and one might argue that numerals (two, twenty) are intrinsic quantitative expressions.

Quantitative derivation refers to the use of derivational affixes to encode quantity in language. For instance, the English suffix -ful attaches to a noun N1 to derive another noun N2, such that N2 denotes the quantity that fits in the container denoted by N1. N2 also employs a special use in quantitative constructions: see hand—a handful of berries.

The challenge for the linguistic description of quantity is that it often combines with other linguistic notions such as evaluation, intensification, quality, and it does not have a specific unitary realization—it is usually auxiliary on other more established notions. Quantitative affixes either have limited productivity or their primary use is for other semantic notions. For instance, the German suffix ‑schaft typically forms abstract nouns as in Vaterschaft ‘fatherhood’, but has a (quantity-related) collective meaning in Lehrerschaft ‘lecturer staff’; compare English -hood in childhood and the collective neighborhood. This diversity makes quantity difficult to capture systematically, in spite of its pervasiveness as a semantic notion.
The Production of Natural Hazard Services by Public Agencies and Private Contractors in the United States
Authors: Jerolleman Alessandra
Published: April 2019

Natural hazard services include a wide range of activities, many of which are allied with public safety, but can also be taken to include natural resource management, land-use planning, and other related activities. These activities are considered to be part of emergency management, and have come to be seen as a public sector responsibility even though they are often carried out by contractors. They take place across all of the phases of the emergency management cycle: response, recovery, mitigation, and preparedness.

The prevalence of private sector utilization is such that many services, such as hazard mitigation planning, grants administration, and various components of recovery, can be argued to be largely privatized due to the extent of market penetration and control from the private sector, including in the creation of policy and its implementation. However, there are unique challenges that arise when private-sector provision of services, and not just products, is utilized. Partnerships and other collaborative models are utilized frequently, including not just private sector firms, but also non-profit organizations, academic institutions, community organizations, and other groups to help overcome these challenges.
Climate Change as a Transboundary Policymaking Natural Hazards Problem
Authors: Albright Elizabeth
Published: April 2019

Throughout the world, major climate-related catastrophic events have devastated lives and livelihoods. These events are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity across the globe, as greenhouse gas emissions continue to accumulate in our atmosphere. The causes and consequences of these disasters are not constrained to geographic and political boundaries, or even temporal scales, increasing the complexity of their management. Differences in cultures, governance and policy processes often occur among jurisdictions in a transboundary setting, whether adjacent nations that are exposed to the same transboundary hazard or across municipalities located within the same political jurisdiction. Political institutions and processes may vary across jurisdictions in a region, presenting challenges to cooperation and coordination of risk management. With shifting climates, risks from climate-related natural hazards are in constant flux, increasing the difficulty of making predictions about and governing these risks. Further, different groups of individuals may be exposed to the same climate hazard, but that exposure may affect these groups in unique ways. Managing climate change as a transboundary natural hazard may mandate a shift from a focus on individual climate risks to developing capacity to encourage learning from and adaptation to a diversity of climatic risks that span boundaries. Potential barriers to adaptation to climate risks must not be considered individually but rather as a part of a more dynamic system in which multiple barriers may interact, impeding effective management. Greater coordination horizontally, for example through networks linking cities, and vertically, across multiple levels of governance (e.g., local, regional, national, global), may aid in the development of increased capacity to deal with these transboundary risks. Greater public engagement in management of risks from climate change hazards, both in risk mitigation and post-hazard recovery, could increase local-level capacity to adapt to these hazards.
Associations of High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin and Natriuretic Peptide With Subsequent Risk of Infection in Persons Without Cardiovascular Disease: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study
Authors: Ishigami Junichi , Hoogeveen Ron C , Ballantyne Christie M , Folsom Aaron R , Coresh Josef , Selvin Elizabeth , Matsushita Kunihiro
Published: April 2019

Whether persons without prevalent cardiovascular disease (CVD) but elevated levels of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) or N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) are at high risk of infection is unknown. Using 1996–2013 data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, we estimated hazard ratios for incident hospitalization with infection in relation to plasma hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP concentrations among participants without prevalent CVD and contrasted them with hazard ratios for persons with prevalent CVD (coronary heart disease, heart failure, or stroke). In a multivariable Cox model, prevalent CVD was significantly associated with risk of hospitalization with infection (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.31, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.19, 1.45). Among participants without prevalent CVD, hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP were independently associated with infection risk in a graded fashion (e.g., HR = 1.44 (95% CI: 1.24, 1.69) for hs-cTnT ≥14 ng/L and HR = 1.28 (95% CI: 1.14, 1.44) for hs-cTnT 9–13 ng/L vs. <3 ng/L; HR = 1.57 (95% CI: 1.35, 1.81) for NT-proBNP ≥248.1 pg/mL and HR = 1.19 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.34) for NT-proBNP 137.2–248.0 pg/mL vs. <48.1 pg/mL). The 15-year cumulative incidences of hospitalization with infection were similar for participants with prevalent CVD and participants who did not have prevalent CVD but had hs-cTnT ≥14 ng/L or NT-proBNP ≥248.1 pg/mL. Thus, hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP were independently associated with infection risk. Persons without CVD but with elevated hs-cTnT or NT-proBNP levels should be recognized to have similar infection risks as persons with prevalent CVD.
Volumetric laser endomicroscopy and its application to Barrett's esophagus: results from a 1,000 patient registry
Authors: Smith M S , Cash B , Konda V , Trindade A J , Gordon S , DeMeester S , Joshi V , Diehl D , Ganguly E , Mashimo H , Singh S , Jobe B , McKinley M , Wallace M , Komatsu Y , Thakkar S , Schnoll-Sussman F , Sharaiha R , Kahaleh M , Tarnasky P , Wolfsen H , Hawes R , Lipham J , Khara H , Pleskow D , Navaneethan U , Kedia P , Hasan M , Sethi A , Samarasena J , Siddiqui U D , Gress F , Rodriguez R , Lee C , Gonda T , Waxman I , Hyder S , Poneros J , Sharzehi K , Di Palma J A , Sejpal D V , Oh D , Hagen J , Rothstein R , Sawhney M , Berzin T , Malik Z , Chang K
Published: April 2019

Volumetric laser endomicroscopy (VLE) uses optical coherence tomography (OCT) for real-time, microscopic cross-sectional imaging. A US-based multi-center registry was constructed to prospectively collect data on patients undergoing upper endoscopy during which a VLE scan was performed. The objective of this registry was to determine usage patterns of VLE in clinical practice and to estimate quantitative and qualitative performance metrics as they are applied to Barrett's esophagus (BE) management. All procedures utilized the NvisionVLE Imaging System (NinePoint Medical, Bedford, MA) which was used by investigators to identify the tissue types present, along with focal areas of concern. Following the VLE procedure, investigators were asked to answer six key questions regarding how VLE impacted each case. Statistical analyses including neoplasia diagnostic yield improvement using VLE was performed. One thousand patients were enrolled across 18 US trial sites from August 2014 through April 2016. In patients with previously diagnosed or suspected BE (894/1000), investigators used VLE and identified areas of concern not seen on white light endoscopy (WLE) in 59% of the procedures. VLE imaging also guided tissue acquisition and treatment in 71% and 54% of procedures, respectively. VLE as an adjunct modality improved the neoplasia diagnostic yield by 55% beyond the standard of care practice. In patients with no prior history of therapy, and without visual findings from other technologies, VLE-guided tissue acquisition increased neoplasia detection over random biopsies by 700%. Registry investigators reported that VLE improved the BE management process when used as an adjunct tissue acquisition and treatment guidance tool. The ability of VLE to image large segments of the esophagus with microscopic cross-sectional detail may provide additional benefits including higher yield biopsies and more efficient tissue acquisition. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02215291
An economic analysis of medical and surgical management of aortopathy associated with bicuspid aortic valve
Authors: Hardikar Ashutosh , Marwick Thomas H
Published: April 2019

Aims

To develop a cost-effectiveness model to address the outcome and economic implications of different thresholds for surgery in the management of aortopathy associated with bicuspid aortic valve disease.

Methods and results

A model was created from the perspective of an Australian healthcare funding agency. The index case was a 65-year-old with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and ascending aorta diameter of 5.0 cm. Health states were defined as: pre-operative with dilated aorta, post-operative without complications, post-complication, and death. The mean and variance of risks and transition probabilities were taken from a local surgical database and local costs and utilities of elective and urgent thoracic aortic surgery (AoS) with or without aortic valve replacement, with a sensitivity analysis based on a systematic review. Scenario analyses were provided for other aortic dimensions. Implications for survival, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and costs were calculated from healthcare delivery and economic perspectives. After 10 000 simulations for the reference case, the utility of watchful waiting (WW) exceeded that of elective AoS (13 ± 4 vs. 10 ± 5 QALY). The net monetary benefit was A$351 063 ± 304 965 with immediate AoS vs. 534 797 ± 198 570 with WW surveillance. The most important variables affecting effectiveness were utility value of survivors, rate of aortic growth, and probability of acute aortic event during WW.

Conclusions

This decision-analytic model informed by our practice, as well as a systematic analysis, shows that AoS in a BAV patient with aorta <5 cm diameter is costlier and less effective than WW.
Secular trends in stillbirth by maternal socioeconomic status in Spain 2007–15: a population-based study of 4 million births
Authors: Luque-Fernandez Miguel Angel , Thomas Aurielle , Gelaye Bizu , Racape Judith , Sanchez Maria Jose , Williams Michelle A
Published: April 2019

Introduction

Stillbirth, one of the urgent concerns of preventable perinatal deaths, has wide-reaching consequences for society. We studied secular stillbirth trends by maternal socioeconomic status (SES) in Spain.

Methods

We developed a population-based observational study, including 4 083 919 births during 2007–15. We estimate stillbirth rates and secular trends by maternal SES. We also evaluated the joint effect of maternal educational attainment and the Human Development Index (HDI) of women’s country of origin on the risk of stillbirth. The data and statistical analysis can be accessed for reproducibility in a GitHub repository: https://github.com/migariane/Stillbirth

Results

We found a consistent pattern of socioeconomic inequalities in the risk of delivering a stillborn, mainly characterized by a persistently higher risk, over time, among women with lower SES. Overall, women from countries with low HDIs and low educational attainments had approximately a four times higher risk of stillbirth (RR: 4.44; 95%CI: 3.71–5.32). Furthermore, we found a paradoxical reduction of the stillbirth gap over time between the highest and the lowest SESs, which is mostly due to the significant and increasing trend of stillbirth risk among highly educated women of advanced maternal age.

Conclusion

Our findings highlight no improvement in stillbirth rates among women of lower SES and an increasing trend among highly educated women of advanced maternal age over recent years. Public health policies developing preventive programmes to reduce stillbirth rates among women with lower SES are needed as well as the necessity of further study to understand the growing trend of age-related stillbirths among highly educated women in Spain.
Estimate of the diversity of viral and bacterial assemblage in the coastal water of Lake Baikal
Authors: Butina Tatyana V , Bukin Yurij S , Krasnopeev Andrey S , Belykh Olga I , Tupikin Aleksey E , Kabilov Marsel R , Sakirko Мaria V , Belikov Sergey I
Published: April 2019

In this study, we analysed the diversity and composition of double-stranded DNA viral and bacterial communities within the sample of surface coastal water of Southern Baikal through metagenomics and deep sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene, respectively. The 16S rRNA gene analysis has revealed 14 phyla and dominance of the ‘Actinobacteria’ (43.6%), ‘Proteobacteria’ (25.2%) and ‘Bacteroidetes’ (11.5%). The bacterial composition was similar to that obtained previously in Lake Baikal littoral zone. Out of 1 030 169 processed virome reads, 37.4% of sequences (385 421) were identified as viral; 15.1% were identified as nonviral and related to the domains Eukarya, Bacteria and Archaea; and 47.5% had no matches in the databases. The identified virotypes belonged to different families and were predicted to infect a wide range of organisms, from bacteria to mammals. Six families (Myoviridae, Poxviridae, Mimiviridae, Siphoviridae, Phycodnaviridae and Podoviridae) were dominant accounting for more than 90% of the identified sequences (48.3%, 17.4%, 8.3%, 6.8%, 5.8% and 4.1%, respectively). In contrast to other freshwater systems, high percentage of the Poxviridae and Mimiviridae was recorded in the water sample of Lake Baikal.
LRRK2 interacts with the vacuolar-type H+-ATPase pump a1 subunit to regulate lysosomal function
Authors: Wallings Rebecca , Connor-Robson Natalie , Wade-Martins Richard
Published: April 2019

Lysosomal dysfunction lies at the centre of the cellular mechanisms underlying Parkinson’s disease although the precise underlying mechanisms remain unknown. We investigated the role of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) on lysosome biology and the autophagy pathway in primary neurons expressing the human LRRK2-G2019S or LRKK2-R1441C mutant or the human wild-type (hWT-LRRK2) genomic locus. The expression of LRRK2-G2019S or hWT-LRRK2 inhibited autophagosome production, whereas LRRK2-R1441C induced a decrease in autophagosome/lysosome fusion and increased lysosomal pH. In vivo data from the cortex and substantia nigra pars compacta of aged LRRK2 transgenic animals revealed alterations in autophagosome puncta number reflecting those phenotypes seen in vitro. Using the two selective and potent LRRK2 kinase inhibitors, MLi-2 and PF-06447475, we demonstrated that the LRRK2-R1441C-mediated decrease in autolysosome maturation is not dependent on LRRK2 kinase activity. We showed that hWT-LRRK2 and LRRK2-G2019S bind to the a1 subunit of vATPase, which is abolished by the LRRK2-R1441C mutation, leading to a decrease in a1 protein and cellular mislocalization. Modulation of lysosomal zinc increased vATPase a1 protein levels and rescued the LRRK2-R1441C-mediated cellular phenotypes. Our work defines a novel interaction between the LRRK2 protein and the vATPase a1 subunit and demonstrates a mode of action by which drugs may rescue lysosomal dysfunction. These results demonstrate the importance of LRRK2 in lysosomal biology, as well as the critical role of the lysosome in PD.
Human IFT52 mutations uncover a novel role for the protein in microtubule dynamics and centrosome cohesion
Authors: Dupont Marie Alice , Humbert Camille , Huber Céline , Siour Quentin , Guerrera Ida Chiara , Jung Vincent , Christensen Anni , Pouliet Aurore , Garfa-Traoré Meriem , Nitschké Patrick , Injeyan Marie , Millar Kathryn , Chitayat David , Shannon Patrick , Girisha Katta Mohan , Shukla Anju , Mechler Charlotte , Lorentzen Esben , Benmerah Alexandre , Cormier-Daire Valérie , Jeanpierre Cécile , Saunier Sophie , Delous Marion
Published: April 2019

Mutations in genes encoding components of the intraflagellar transport (IFT) complexes have previously been associated with a spectrum of diseases collectively termed ciliopathies. Ciliopathies relate to defects in the formation or function of the cilium, a sensory or motile organelle present on the surface of most cell types. IFT52 is a key component of the IFT-B complex and ensures the interaction of the two subcomplexes, IFT-B1 and IFT-B2. Here, we report novel IFT52 biallelic mutations in cases with a short-rib thoracic dysplasia (SRTD) or a congenital anomaly of kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT). Combining in vitro and in vivo studies in zebrafish, we showed that SRTD-associated missense mutation impairs IFT-B complex assembly and IFT-B2 ciliary localization, resulting in decreased cilia length. In comparison, CAKUT-associated missense mutation has a mild pathogenicity, thus explaining the lack of skeletal defects in CAKUT case. In parallel, we demonstrated that the previously reported homozygous nonsense IFT52 mutation associated with Sensenbrenner syndrome [Girisha et al. (2016) A homozygous nonsense variant in IFT52 is associated with a human skeletal ciliopathy. Clin. Genet., 90, 536–539] leads to exon skipping and results in a partially functional protein. Finally, our work uncovered a novel role for IFT52 in microtubule network regulation. We showed that IFT52 interacts and partially co-localized with centrin at the distal end of centrioles where it is involved in its recruitment and/or maintenance. Alteration of this function likely contributes to centriole splitting observed in Ift52−/− cells. Altogether, our findings allow a better comprehensive genotype–phenotype correlation among IFT52-related cases and revealed a novel, extra-ciliary role for IFT52, i.e. disruption may contribute to pathophysiological mechanisms.
An improved centrifuge method for determining water extraction curves and vulnerability curves in the long-vessel species Robinia pseudoacacia
Authors: Peng Guoquan , Yang Dongmei , Liang Zhao , Li Junhui , Tyree Melvin T
Published: April 2019

Use of a staining technique confirms an improved water extraction method with evaporation correction that is consistent with vulnerability curves based on branch hydraulic measurements obtained by the bench-top dehydration method.
Transcriptome analysis reveals novel enzymes for apo-carotenoid biosynthesis in saffron and allows construction of a pathway for crocetin synthesis in yeast
Authors: Tan Hexin , Chen Xianghui , Liang Nan , Chen Ruibing , Chen Junfeng , Hu Chaoyang , Li Qi , Li Qing , Pei Weizhong , Xiao Wenhai , Yuan Yingjin , Chen Wansheng , Zhang Lei
Published: April 2019

Fifteen genes were predicted to be closely related to safranal and crocin production by multi-omic analysis in which CsALDH3 was validated and used to construct crocetin-producing yeast.
Elevated Environmental Carbon Dioxide Exposure Confounding Physiologic Events in Aviators?
Authors: Andicochea Chad T , Henriques Matthew E , Fulkerson Joel , Jay Susan , Chen Howard , Deaton Travis
Published: April 2019

Introduction

Physiological events (PEs) are a growing problem for US military aviation with detrimental risks to safety and mission readiness. Seeking causative factors is, therefore, of high importance. There is no evidence to date associating carbon dioxide (CO2) pre-flight exposure and decompression sickness (DCS) in aviators.

Materials and Methods

This study is a case series of six aviators with PE after being exposed to a rapid decompression event (RDE) with symptoms consistent with type II DCS. The analysis includes retrospective review of flight and environmental data to further assess a possible link between CO2 levels and altitude physiologic events (PEs). IRB approval was obtained for this study.

Results

This case series presents six aviators with PE after being exposed to a rapid decompression event (RDE) with symptoms consistent with type II DCS. Another three aviators were also exposed to a RDE, but remained asymptomatic. All events involved tactical jet aircraft flying at an average of 35,600’ Mean Sea Level (MSL) when a RDE occurred, Retrospective reviews led to the discovery that the affected individuals were exposed, pre-flight, to poor indoor air quality demonstrated by elevated levels of measured CO2.

Conclusion

PEs are a growing safety concern for the aviation community in the military. As such, increasing measures are taken to ensure safety of flight and completion of the mission. To date, there is no correlation of CO2 exposure and altitude DCS. While elevated CO2 levels cannot be conclusively implicated as causative, this case series suggests a potential role of CO2 in altitude DCS through CO2 direct involvement with emboli gas composition, as well as pro-inflammatory cascade. Aviators exposed to elevated CO2 in poorly ventilated rooms developed PE symptoms consistent with DCS, while at the same command, aviators that were exposed to a well ventilated room did not. This report is far from an answer, but does demonstrate an interesting case series that draws some questions about CO2’s role in these aviator’s DCS experience. Other explanations are plausible, including the accurate diagnosis of DCS, health variables amongst the aviators, and differences in aircraft and On-Board Oxygen Generation Systems (OBOGS). For a better understanding, the role of environmental CO2 and pre-flight exposure as a risk of DCS should be reviewed.
Magnetic OB[A] Stars with TESS: probing their Evolutionary and Rotational properties (MOBSTER) – I. First-light observations of known magnetic B and A stars
Authors: David-Uraz A , Neiner C , Sikora J , Bowman D M , Petit V , Chowdhury S , Handler G , Pergeorelis M , Cantiello M , Cohen D H , Erba C , Keszthelyi Z , Khalack V , Kobzar O , Kochukhov O , Labadie-Bartz J , Lovekin C C , MacInnis R , Owocki S P , Pablo H , Shultz M E , ud-Doula A , Wade G A ,   MOBSTER Collaboration
Published: April 2019

In this paper we introduce the MOBSTER collaboration and lay out its scientific goals. We present first results based on the analysis of 19 previously known magnetic O, B, and A stars observed in 2-min cadence in sectors 1 and 2 of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission. We derive precise rotational periods from the newly obtained light curves and compare them to previously published values. We also discuss the overall photometric phenomenology of the known magnetic massive and intermediate-mass stars and propose an observational strategy to augment this population by taking advantage of the high-quality observations produced by TESS.
HERBS II: Detailed chemical compositions of Galactic bulge stars
Authors: Duong L , Asplund M , Nataf D M , Freeman K C , Ness M
Published: April 2019

This work explores the detailed chemistry of the Milky Way bulge using the HERMES spectrograph on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. Here, we present the abundance ratios of 13 elements for 832 red giant branch and clump stars along the minor bulge axis at latitudes b = −10○, − 7.5○, and −5○. Our results show that none of the abundance ratios vary significantly with latitude. We also observe disc-like [Na/Fe] abundance ratios, which indicate that the bulge does not contain helium-enhanced populations as observed in some globular clusters. Helium enhancement is therefore not the likely explanation for the double red-clump observed in the bulge. We confirm that bulge stars mostly follow abundance trends observed in the disc. However, this similarity is not confirmed across all elements and metallicity regimes. The more metal-poor bulge population at [Fe/H] ≲ − 0.8 is enhanced in the elements associated with core collapse supernovae (SNeII). In addition, the [La/Eu] abundance ratio suggests higher r-process contribution, and likely higher star formation in the bulge compared to the disc. This highlights the complex evolution in the bulge, which should be investigated further, both in terms of modelling; and with additional observations of the inner Galaxy.
KOI-3890: a high-mass-ratio asteroseismic red giant+M-dwarf eclipsing binary undergoing heartbeat tidal interactions
Authors: Kuszlewicz James S , North Thomas S H , Chaplin William J , Bieryla Allyson , Latham David W , Miglio Andrea , Bell Keaton J , Davies Guy R , Hekker Saskia , Campante Tiago L , Deheuvels Sebastien , Lund Mikkel N
Published: April 2019

KOI-3890 is a highly eccentric, 153-d period eclipsing, single-lined spectroscopic binary system containing a red giant star showing solar-like oscillations alongside tidal interactions. The combination of transit photometry, radial velocity observations, and asteroseismology has enabled the detailed characterization of both the red giant primary and the M-dwarf companion, along with the tidal interaction and the geometry of the system. The stellar parameters of the red giant primary are determined through the use of asteroseismology and grid-based modelling to give a mass and radius of $M_{\star }=1.04\pm 0.06 \, \textrm{M}_{\odot }$ and $R_{\star }=5.8\pm 0.2 \, \textrm{R}_{\odot }$, respectively. When combined with transit photometry, the M-dwarf companion is found to have a mass and radius of $M_{\mathrm{c}}=0.23\pm 0.01 \, \textrm{M}_{\odot }$ and $R_{\mathrm{c}}=0.256\pm 0.007 \, \textrm{R}_{\odot }$. Moreover, through asteroseismology we constrain the age of the system through the red giant primary to be $9.1^{+2.4}_{-1.7}\,\mathrm{Gyr}$. This provides a constraint on the age of the M-dwarf secondary, which is difficult to do for other M-dwarf binary systems. In addition, the asteroseismic analysis yields an estimate of the inclination angle of the rotation axis of the red giant star of $i=87.6^{+2.4}_{-1.2}$ degrees. The obliquity of the system – the angle between the stellar rotation axis and the angle normal to the orbital plane – is also derived to give $\psi =4.2^{+2.1}_{-4.2}$ degrees, showing that the system is consistent with alignment. We observe no radius inflation in the M-dwarf companion when compared to current low-mass stellar models.
The time evolution of dusty protoplanetary disc radii: observed and physical radii differ
Authors: Rosotti Giovanni P , Tazzari Marco , Booth Richard A , Testi Leonardo , Lodato Giuseppe , Clarke Cathie
Published: April 2019

Protoplanetary disc surveys conducted with Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA) are measuring disc radii in multiple star-forming regions. The disc radius is a fundamental quantity to diagnose whether discs undergo viscous spreading, discriminating between viscosity or angular momentum removal by winds as drivers of disc evolution. Observationally, however, the sub-mm continuum emission is dominated by the dust, which also drifts inwards, complicating the picture. In this paper we investigate, using theoretical models of dust grain growth and radial drift, how the radii of dusty viscous protoplanetary discs evolve with time. Despite the existence of a sharp outer edge in the dust distribution, we find that the radius enclosing most of the dust mass increases with time, closely following the evolution of the gas radius. This behaviour arises because, although dust initially grows and drifts rapidly on to the star, the residual dust retained on Myr time-scales is relatively well coupled to the gas. Observing the expansion of the dust disc requires using definitions based on high fractions of the disc flux (e.g. 95 per cent) and very long integrations with ALMA, because the dust grains in the outer part of the disc are small and have a low sub-mm opacity. We show that existing surveys lack the sensitivity to detect viscous spreading. The disc radii they measure do not trace the mass radius or the sharp outer edge in the dust distribution, but the outer limit of where the grains have significant sub-mm opacity. We predict that these observed radii should shrink with time.
The relativistic jet of the γ-ray emitting narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy PKS J1222+0413
Authors: Kynoch Daniel , Landt Hermine , Ward Martin J , Done Chris , Boisson Catherine , Baloković Mislav , Angelakis Emmanouil , Myserlis Ioannis
Published: April 2019

We present a multifrequency study of PKS J1222+0413 (4C +04.42), currently the highest redshift γ-ray emitting narrow-line Seyfert 1 (γ-NLS1). We assemble a broad spectral energy distribution (SED) including previously unpublished datasets: X-ray data obtained with the NuSTAR and Neil Gehrels Swift observatories; near-infrared, optical, and UV spectroscopy obtained with VLT X-shooter; and multiband radio data from the Effelsberg telescope. These new observations are supplemented by archival data from the literature. We apply physical models to the broad-band SED, parametrizing the accretion flow and jet emission to investigate the disc–jet connection. PKS J1222+0413 has a much greater black hole mass than most other NLS1s, MBH ≈ 2 × 108 M$\odot$, similar to those found in flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs). Therefore this source provides insight into how the jets of γ-NLS1s relate to those of FSRQs.
Investigating the diversity of Type Ia supernova spectra with the open-source relational data base kaepora
Authors: Siebert M R , Foley R J , Jones D O , Angulo R , Davis K , Duarte A , Strasburger E , Conlon M , Kazmi N , Nishimoto R , Schubert M , Sun L , Tippens R
Published: April 2019

We present a public, open-source relational data base (we name kaepora) containing a sample of 4975 spectra of 777 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). Since we draw from many sources, we significantly improve the spectra by inspecting these data for quality, removing galactic emission lines and cosmic rays, generating variance spectra, and correcting for the reddening caused by both MW and host-galaxy dust. With our data base, we organize this homogenized data set by 56 unique categories of SN-specific and spectrum-specific metadata. With kaepora, we produce composite spectra of subpopulations of SNe Ia and examine how spectral features correlate with various SN properties. These composite spectra reproduce known correlations with phase, light-curve shape, and host-galaxy morphology. With our large data set, we are also able to generate fine-grained composite spectra simultaneously over both phase and light-curve shape. The colour evolution of our composite spectra is consistent with other SN Ia template spectra, and the spectral properties of our composite spectra are in rough agreement with these template spectra with some subtle differences. We investigate the spectral differences of SNe Ia that occur in galaxies with varying morphologies. Controlling for light-curve shape, which is highly correlated with host-galaxy morphology, we find that SNe Ia residing in late-type and early-type galaxies have similar spectral properties at multiple epochs. However for SNe Ia in these different environments, their spectra appear to have Ca ii near-infrared triplet features that have slightly different strengths. Although this is apparent in the composite spectra and there is some difference in the populations as seen by individual spectra, this difference is not large enough to indicate differences in the underlying populations. All individual spectra and metadata are available in our open-source data base kaepora along with the tools developed for this investigation to facilitate future investigations of SN Ia properties.
Human Migration and the Spread of the Nematode Parasite Wuchereria bancrofti
Authors: Small Scott T , Labbé Frédéric , Coulibaly Yaya I , Nutman Thomas B , King Christopher L , Serre David , Zimmerman Peter A
Published: April 2019

The human disease lymphatic filariasis causes the debilitating effects of elephantiasis and hydrocele. Lymphatic filariasis currently affects the lives of 90 million people in 52 countries. There are three nematodes that cause lymphatic filariasis, Brugia malayi, Brugia timori, and Wuchereria bancrofti, but 90% of all cases of lymphatic filariasis are caused solely by W. bancrofti (Wb). Here we use population genomics to reconstruct the probable route and timing of migration of Wb strains that currently infect Africa, Haiti, and Papua New Guinea (PNG). We used selective whole genome amplification to sequence 42 whole genomes of single Wb worms from populations in Haiti, Mali, Kenya, and PNG. Our results are consistent with a hypothesis of an Island Southeast Asia or East Asian origin of Wb. Our demographic models support divergence times that correlate with the migration of human populations. We hypothesize that PNG was infected at two separate times, first by the Melanesians and later by the migrating Austronesians. The migrating Austronesians also likely introduced Wb to Madagascar where later migrations spread it to continental Africa. From Africa, Wb spread to the New World during the transatlantic slave trade. Genome scans identified 17 genes that were highly differentiated among Wb populations. Among these are genes associated with human immune suppression, insecticide sensitivity, and proposed drug targets. Identifying the distribution of genetic diversity in Wb populations and selection forces acting on the genome will build a foundation to test future hypotheses and help predict response to current eradication efforts.
SPADE web service for prediction of allergen IgE epitopes
Authors: Dall’Antonia Fabio , Keller Walter
Published: April 2019

The specific interaction of allergens with IgE antibodies and the allergen mediated cross-linking of receptor-bound IgE are key events of allergic diseases. The elucidation of the IgE binding sites (the epitopes) on the allergen surface is an important goal of allergy research. Only few allergen-specific IgE epitopes have been determined experimentally to date. Epitope prediction methods represent a viable alternative to experimental methods and have worked well with linear epitopes. However, as most IgE epitopes are of conformational and/or discontinuous nature sequence based prediction methods have had limited success in these cases. Here, we present the web server of the program SPADE (https://spade.uni-graz.at), which is the server implementation of a previously published program (1). In this approach we utilize the structural homology of cross-reactive allergens combined with the immunological cross-reactivity data for the discrimination of putative IgE-binding sites from non-cross-reactive surface patches. The method, although predictive, does not rely on machine-learning algorithms and does not require training data. The SPADE server features an easy-to-use interface, an automated pipeline consisting of third-party, as well as own, newly developed routines and a comprehensive output page.