bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High-performance perovskite photodetectors based on CH3NH3PbBr3 quantum dot/TiO2 heterojunction
Authors: Ray Rajeev , Nakka Nagaraju , Pal Suman Kalyan
Published: November 2020

Organo-lead halide perovskite materials have opened up a great opportunity to develop high performance photodetectors because of their superior optoelectronic properties. The main issue with perovskite-only photodetector is severe carrier recombination. Integration of perovskite with high-conductive materials such as graphene or transition metal sulfides certainly improved the photoresponsivity. However, achieving high overall performance remains a challenge. Here, an improved photodetector is constructed by perovskite quantum dots (QDs) and atomic layer deposited ultrathin TiO2 films. The designed CH3NH3PbBr3 QD/TiO2 bilayer device displays inclusive performance with on/off ratio of 6.3 × 102, responsivity of 85 A W−1, and rise/decay time of 0.09/0.11 s. Furthermore, we demonstrate that interface plays a crucial role in determining the device current and enhance the overall performance of heterostructure photodetector through interface engineering. We believe that this work can provide a strategy to accelerate development of high-performance solution-processed perovskite photodetectors.
Simple in situ functionalization of carbon nanospheres
Authors: Patiño-Guillén Gerardo , Arceta-Lozano Alan , Falcón-Montes Jessica A , García-Díaz Esmeralda , Díaz de León Jorge Noé , Vazquez-Duhalt Rafael , Gao Guanhui , Méndez-Rojas Miguel Ángel , Campos-Delgado Jessica
Published: November 2020

Functionalized carbon nanospheres have been synthesized in situ via a facile chemical vapor deposition strategy, fabricated by the pyrolysis of toluene/ethanol mixtures at different percentages (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 wt% of ethanol). The as-grown nanospheres have been characterized using transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption, zeta potential measurements and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Results indicate that the incorporation of ethanol in the precursor solution reflected in the presence of oxygen and hydrogen functional groups, the highest functionalized nanospheres without compromising the morphology of the sample were yielded at 3 wt% concentration. These in situ added functional groups rendered the carbon nanostructures enhancedly dispersible and stable in water, avoiding post-synthesis and harsh chemicals processing; envisaging thus applications of the nanospheres in the biomedical field where hydrophilicity of the nanomaterials is mandatory.
Landau-like theory for buckling phenomena and its application to the elastica hypoarealis
Authors: Turzi Stefano S
Published: November 2020

Bifurcation phenomena are ubiquitous in elasticity, but their study is often limited to linear perturbation or numerical analysis since second or higher variations are often beyond an analytic treatment. Here, we review two key mathematical ideas, namely, the splitting lemma and the determinacy of a function, and show how they can be fruitfully used to derive a reduced function, named Landau expansion in the paper, that allows us to give a simple but rigorous description of the bifurcation scenario, including the stability of the equilibrium solutions. We apply these ideas to a paradigmatic example with potential applications to various softly constrained physical systems and biological tissues: a stretchable elastic ring under pressure. We prove the existence of a tricritical point and find bistability effects and hysteresis when the stretching modulus is sufficiently small. These results seem to be in qualitative agreement with some recent experiments on heart cells.
Sharp Hölder regularity for the inhomogeneous Trudinger’s equation
Authors: Diehl Nicolau M L , Urbano José Miguel
Published: November 2020

We show that locally bounded solutions of the inhomogeneous Trudinger’s equation

∂

t

|
u

|

p
−
2

u

−
d
i
v
|
∇
u

|

p
−
2

∇
u
=
f
∈

L

q
,
r

,
p
>
2
,

are locally Hölder continuous with exponent

γ
=
min

α

0

−

,

(

p
q
−
n

)

r
−
p
q

q

(

p
−
1

)

r

,

where α
0 denotes the optimal Hölder exponent for solutions of the homogeneous case. We provide a streamlined proof, using the full power of the homogeneity in the equation to develop the regularity analysis in the p-parabolic geometry, without any need of intrinsic scaling, as anticipated by Trudinger. The main difficulty in the proof is to overcome the lack of a translation invariance property.
A novel method for continuous blood pressure estimation based on a single-channel photoplethysmogram signal
Authors: Hu Qihan , Deng Xintao , Wang Aiguo , Yang Cuiwei
Published: November 2020

Objective: Currently, continuous blood pressure (BP) measurements are mostly based on multi-sensor combinations and datasets with limited BP ranges. Besides, most BP-related features derive from the photoplethysmogram (PPG) signal. The mechanism of PPG signal formation is not considered. We aimed to design a noninvasive and continuous method for estimation of BP using a single PPG sensor, which takes the mechanism of PPG signal formation into account. Approach: We prepared a dataset containing PPG signals for 294 patients from three public databases for constructing the BP estimation model. The features used in the model consisted of two types: novel features based on a multi-Gaussian model and existing features. The multi-Gaussian model fitted the different components (i.e. the main wave, the dicrotic wave and the tidal wave) of the PPG signal. Ensemble machine learning algorithms were applied to estimate systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). When partitioning the dataset, there was an overlap between the training set and the testing set. Main results: Datasets with a wide-range of SBP and DBP values (SBP ranging from 74 to 229 mmHg and DBP ranging from 26 to 141 mmHg) were used to evaluate our method. The mean and standard deviation of error for SBP and DBP estimations were −0.21 ± 5.21 mmHg and −0.19 ± 3.37 mmHg, respectively. The model performance fully met the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation standard and was grade ‘A’ on the British Hypertension Society standard. Significance: The multi-Gaussian model could be used to estimate BP, and our method was able to track a wide range of BP accurately. In addition our method is based on a single PPG sensor, making it very convenient.
TJ cm−3 high energy density plasma formation from intense laser-irradiated foam targets composed of disordered carbon nanowires
Authors: Jiang K , Pukhov A , Zhou C T
Published: November 2020

High energy density plasma formation from intense laser-irradiated foam targets composed of disordered carbon nanowires is investigated using three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. It is shown that due to the unprecedentedly high laser energy absorption rate of the foam target, approximately three times larger as compared with simple solid targets, the plasma energy density reaches an unexplored TJ cm−3 regime at 1023 W cm−2 laser irradiation. In addition, nanowire thermal expansion caused by prepulse heating is considered. We find that after expansion, the target becomes relativistically transparent to the main pulse. The average value of particle energy density decreases slightly and its distribution tends to resemble that of solid targets. Furthermore, energy density scaling with laser intensities is given. It suggests that an even more extreme plasma state is reachable using ultraintense lasers, as the energy loss to photons caused by quantum electrodynamics effects is rather negligible.
Multi-objective optimization for the superconducting bias coil of a saturated iron core fault current limiter using the T-A formulation
Authors: dos Santos G , Sass F , Sotelo G G , Fajoni F , Baldan C A , Ruppert E
Published: November 2020

The short-circuit levels have increased considerably in transmission and distribution systems in the last years. Fault current limiter (FCL) devices are a potential solution to this problem. Among several FCL topologies, this group has good experience in the use of superconducting fault current limiters (SFCL) to reduce the electrical current during short-circuits. The literature also presents studies of the saturated iron core superconducting fault current limiter (SIC-SFCL) topology employing mathematical modeling and prototypes design. Some of them have shown promising results, including the construction of pilot prototypes in medium and high voltage substations. The SIC-SFCL simulation studies presented optimal topologies that reduce the amount of ferromagnetic material used in the core and represent well the behavior of this limiter. The finite element method and the finite element analysis are suitable to model the SIC-SFCL. However, a more detailed study focusing on the optimization of the DC bias superconducting coil of the SIC-SFCL has not been presented in the literature yet. In this context, this work proposes a multi-objective optimization method using the Nelder–Mead algorithm to find an optimal geometry for the superconducting coil. In this optimization, the objectives functions are: to maximize the critical current density in the high-temperature superconductor (HTS), minimize the voltage drop in the copper winding, minimize the current through the DC biased superconducting winding, and minimize the price of the HTS superconducting winding. Before implementing the multi-objective optimization algorithm, we have tested a non-superconducting saturated iron core prototype and used the results to validate the simulation models. After that, we have replaced the DC copper winding with an HTS coil in the simulations and initiate the optimization process. Results show that constructing the DC bias superconducting coil using the minimum possible fill factor might not be the best choice.
Tailored holograms for superimposed vortex states
Authors: Eickhoff K , Köhnke D , Feld L , Englert L , Bayer T , Wollenhaupt M
Published: November 2020

We present the generation, optimization and full control of superimposed optical vortices (SOVs) using tailored computer generated holograms by utilizing a 2D liquid crystal spatial light modulator. To perform full radial and azimuthal control over the targeted SOVs we apply spatial amplitude modulation via window functions as well as radial and azimuthal phases, encoded in the diffraction mask. In particular we discuss the influence of spatial linear and quadratic radial phases, which is supplemented by an analytical description. The developed formalism further permits the direct shaping in k-space which is highlighted by the radial and azimuthal confinement of SOV states. Our technique enables full real-time control over the spatial structure, the symmetry and azimuthal orientation of the generated SOVs in a common path geometry, which is useful in the context of optical information transfer. We also study the topological properties, i.e. the orbital current

S

⃗

O

to determine the topological charge ℓ of the generated SOVs.
Cross-sectional imaging through scattering media by quantum-mimetic optical coherence tomography with wavefront shaping
Authors: Shirai Tomohiro , Friberg Ari T
Published: November 2020

Quantum-mimetic (QM) optical coherence tomography (OCT) combined with wavefront shaping is proposed as a novel approach to achieve high-resolution cross-sectional imaging through a strongly scattering medium. Specifically, QM-OCT is a recently devised OCT technique mimicking quantum OCT to acquire its main characteristic features, most notably immunity to group-velocity dispersion and enhancement of axial resolution, without quantum light. To validate the proposed method, we demonstrate experimentally that a one-dimensional cross-sectional image of a sample located behind a diffuser plate is obtained successfully and efficiently with QM-OCT by shaping the wavefront of light incident onto the diffuser.
Preparation and properties of NIR-Responsive microcapsules
Authors: Xiao Shizhuo , Xin Yangyang , Li Na , Zou Yingquan , Zhou Shuyun
Published: November 2020

In this paper, near infrared (NIR) absorbing dye and fluorane dye (FD) was successfully encapsulated into microcapsules with NIR light responsive performance. The NIR responsive microcapsules are able to be utilized in information recording and anti-counterfeiting fields. Specifically, the factors effecting on synthesis of NIR responsive microcapsules were studied in detail. Microcapsules with an average particle size of 0.2 ∼ 0.5 μm were prepared by adjusting the mass ratio of shell/core material, the viscosity of oil phase and the mass ratio of water/oil (W/O) phase. It was found that the preferred reaction condition was the feeding mass ratio of shell/core materiel at 1:2 and the W/O phase mass ratio of 2:1. When the feeding mass ratio of NIR absorbing dye and FD is 1/10, the NIR responsive microcapsules have the best coloration performance. Then the NIR responsive microcapsules were coated on aluminum substrate and scanned by 808 nm near-infrared laser, the image precision reached 20 μm.
Fabrication of SiC reinforced aluminium metal matrix composites through microwave sintering
Authors: Liu Jianhua , Zhou Bo , Xu Lei , Han Zhaohui , Zhou Junwen
Published: November 2020

In this study, SiC reinforced aluminum (Al) metal matrix composites were prepared by microwave sintering. The effects of SiC content, pressure and sintering temperature on the density, hardness and microstructure of the composites were investigated. It was found that the relative density of SiC/Al composites is 98.43% when the content of SiC is 5 Vol%. When the SiC content is 15 vol%, the sintering temperature is 770 °C and the pressure is 250 MPa, the density and hardness of the composites SiC/Al composites are 96.14% and 130 HV, respectively. And the SiC particles can be uniformly dispersed in the Al matrix by microwave sintering.
Origin of Life
Authors: Deamer David W.
Published: November 2020

Our knowledge of our solar system has passed the point of no return. Increasingly, it seems possible that scientists will soon discover how life is created on habitable planets like Earth and Mars. Scientists have responded to a renewed public interest in the origin of life with research, but many questions still remain unanswered in the broader conversation. Other questions can be answered by the laws of chemistry and physics, but questions surrounding the origin of life are best answered by reasonable extrapolations of what scientists know from observing the Earth and its solar system. Origin of Life: What Everyone Needs to Know® is a comprehensive scientific guide on the origin of life. David W. Deamer sets out to answer the top forty questions about the origin of life, including: Where do the atoms of life come from? How old is Earth? What was the Earth like before life originated? Where does water come from? How did evolution begin? After he provides the informational answer for each question, there is a follow-up: How do we know? This question expands the horizon of the whole book, and provides scientific reasoning and explanations for hypotheses surrounding the origin of life. How scientists come to their conclusions and why we can trust these answers is an important question, and Deamer provides answers to each big question surrounding the origin of life, from what it is to why we should be curious.
‘Cloud Capped Towers’ Made of Sand: Dissolving Barriers to Female Authorship in Julie Taymor’sTempest
Authors: Gilreath Philip
Published: November 2020

Julie Taymor’s 2010 film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest raises questions about how adaptation theory and film authorship are often constructed along perceptions of gender. Despite positive reactions to Helen Mirren’s performance as a re-gendered Prospera, the film was critically panned on release. Critics and reviewers criticized Taymor’s film technique, accusing the director of reveling in stylistic excess and relying too heavily on intrusive digital effects that overshadowed the imagination and language of the Folio play-text. These critiques draw attention to what this article suggests is most crucial to Taymor’s adaptation. This article argues that Taymor’s blending of the naturalistic with the artificial represent a deliberate style that emphasizes the collaborative processes of adaptation. Taymor’s intercutting of digital effects and naturalistic footage emphasize the hybrid authorship of film technique—a trait embodied in Ben Whishaw’s performance as the spirit Ariel. The re-gendering of Prospera furthermore situates the film against the grain of the historically gendered and romanticized conception of the film auteur as a stable and overriding masculine genius.
Vaccination ethics
Authors: Giubilini Alberto
Published: November 2020

Vaccination decisions and policies present tensions between individual rights and the moral duty to contribute to harm prevention. This article focuses on ethical issues around vaccination behaviour and policies. It will not cover ethical issues around vaccination research.

Sources of data

Literature on ethics of vaccination decisions and policies.

Areas of agreement

Individuals have a moral responsibility to vaccinate, at least against certain infectious diseases in certain circumstances.

Areas of controversy

Some argue that non-coercive measures are ethically preferable unless there are situations of emergency. Others hold that coercive measures are ethically justified even in absence of emergencies.

Growing points

Conscientious objection to vaccination is becoming a major area of discussion.

Areas timely for developing research

The relationship between individual, collective and institutional responsibilities to contribute to the public good of herd immunity will be a major point of discussion, particularly with regard to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Cognitive decline heralds onset of symptomatic inherited prion disease
Authors: Mole Joseph , Mead Simon , Rudge Peter , Nihat Akin , Mok Tzehow , Collinge John , Caine Diana
Published: November 2020

The clinical effectiveness of any disease-modifying treatment for prion disease, as for other neurodegenerative disorders, will depend on early treatment before damage to neural tissue is irrevocable. Thus, there is a need to identify markers that predict disease onset in healthy at-risk individuals. Whilst imaging and neurophysiological biomarkers have shown limited use in this regard, we recently reported progressive neurophysiological changes in individuals with the inherited prion disease mutation P102L. We have also previously demonstrated a signature pattern of fronto-parietal dysfunction in mild prion disease. Here we address whether these cognitive features anticipate the onset of symptoms in a unique sample of patients with inherited prion disease. In the cross-sectional analysis, we analysed the performance of patients at three time points in the course of disease onset: prior to symptoms (n = 27), onset of subjective symptoms without positive clinical findings (n = 8) and symptomatic with positive clinical findings (n = 24). In the longitudinal analysis, we analysed data from 24 patients who were presymptomatic at the time of recruitment and were followed up over a period of up to 17 years, of whom 16 remained healthy and eight converted to become symptomatic. In the cross-sectional analysis, the key finding was that, relative to a group of 25 healthy non-gene carrier controls, patients with subjective symptoms but without positive clinical findings were impaired on a smaller but similar set of tests (Trail Making Test part A, Stroop test, Performance IQ, gesture repetition, figure recall) to those previously found to be impaired in mild prion disease. In the longitudinal analysis, Trail Making Test parts A and B, Stroop test and Performance IQ scores significantly discriminated between patients who remained presymptomatic and those who converted, even before the converters reached criteria for formal diagnosis. Notably, performance on the Stroop test significantly discriminated between presymptomatic patients and converters before the onset of clinical symptoms [area under the curve = 0.83 (95% confidence interval, 0.62–1.00), P = 0.009]. Thus, we report here, for the first time, neuropsychological abnormalities in healthy patients prior to either symptom onset or clinical diagnosis of inherited prion disease. This constitutes an important component of an evolving profile of clinical and biomarker abnormalities in this crucial group for preventive medicine.
De novo stop-loss variants in CLDN11 cause hypomyelinating leukodystrophy
Authors: Riedhammer Korbinian M , Stockler Sylvia , Ploski Rafal , Wenzel Maren , Adis-Dutschmann Burkhard , Ahting Uwe , Alhaddad Bader , Blaschek Astrid , Haack Tobias B , Kopajtich Robert , Lee Jessica , Murcia Pienkowski Victor , Pollak Agnieszka , Szymanska Krystyna , Tarailo-Graovac Maja , van der Lee Robin , van Karnebeek Clara D , Meitinger Thomas , Krägeloh-Mann Ingeborg , Vill Katharina
Published: November 2020

Claudin-11, a tight junction protein, is indispensable in the formation of the radial component of myelin. Here, we report de novo stop-loss variants in the gene encoding claudin-11, CLDN11, in three unrelated individuals presenting with an early-onset spastic movement disorder, expressive speech disorder and eye abnormalities including hypermetropia. Brain MRI showed a myelin deficit with a discrepancy between T1-weighted and T2-weighted images and some progress in myelination especially involving the central and peripheral white matter. Exome sequencing identified heterozygous stop-loss variants c.622T>C, p.(*208Glnext*39) in two individuals and c.622T>G, p.(*208Gluext*39) in one individual, all occurring de novo. At the RNA level, the variant c.622T>C did not lead to a loss of expression in fibroblasts, indicating this transcript is not subject to nonsense-mediated decay and most likely translated into an extended protein. Extended claudin-11 is predicted to form an alpha helix not incorporated into the cytoplasmic membrane, possibly perturbing its interaction with intracellular proteins. Our observations suggest that stop-loss variants in CLDN11 expand the genetically heterogeneous spectrum of hypomyelinating leukodystrophies.
Cerebellar neuromodulation improves naming in post-stroke aphasia
Authors: Sebastian Rajani , Kim Ji Hyun , Brenowitz Rachel , Tippett Donna C , Desmond John E , Celnik Pablo A , Hillis Argye E
Published: November 2020

Transcranial direct current stimulation has been shown to increase the efficiency of language therapy in chronic aphasia; however, to date, an optimal stimulation site has not been identified. We investigated whether neuromodulation of the right cerebellum can improve naming skills in chronic aphasia. Using a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, within-subject crossover study design, participants received anodal cerebellar stimulation (n = 12) or cathodal cerebellar stimulation (n = 12) + computerized aphasia therapy then sham + computerized aphasia therapy, or the opposite order. There was no significant effect of treatment (cerebellar stimulation versus sham) for trained naming. However, there was a significant order x treatment interaction, indicating that cerebellar stimulation was more effective than sham immediately post-treatment for participants who received cerebellar stimulation in the first phase. There was a significant effect of treatment (cerebellar stimulation versus sham) for untrained naming immediately post-treatment and the significant improvement in untrained naming was maintained at two months post-treatment. Greater gains in naming (relative to sham) were noted for participants receiving cathodal stimulation for both trained and untrained items. Thus, our study provides evidence that repetitive cerebellar transcranial direct stimulation combined with computerized aphasia treatment can improve picture naming in chronic post-stroke aphasia. These findings suggest that the right cerebellum might be an optimal stimulation site for aphasia rehabilitation and this could be an answer to handle heterogeneous participants who vary in their size and site of left hemisphere lesions.
Remote Household Observation for Noninfluenza Respiratory Viral Illness
Authors: Emanuels Anne , Heimonen Jessica , O’Hanlon Jessica , Kim Ashley E , Wilcox Naomi , McCulloch Denise J , Brandstetter Elisabeth , Wolf Caitlin R , Logue Jennifer K , Han Peter D , Pfau Brian , Newman Kira L , Hughes James P , Jackson Michael L , Uyeki Timothy M , Boeckh Michael , Starita Lea M , Nickerson Deborah A , Bedford Trevor , Englund Janet A , Chu Helen Y
Published: November 2020

Background

Noninfluenza respiratory viruses are responsible for a substantial burden of disease in the United States. Household transmission is thought to contribute significantly to subsequent transmission through the broader community. In the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, contactless surveillance methods are of particular importance.

Methods

From November 2019 to April 2020, 303 households in the Seattle area were remotely monitored in a prospective longitudinal study for symptoms of respiratory viral illness. Enrolled participants reported weekly symptoms and submitted respiratory samples by mail in the event of an acute respiratory illness (ARI). Specimens were tested for 14 viruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Participants completed all study procedures at home without physical contact with research staff.

Results

In total, 1171 unique participants in 303 households were monitored for ARI. Of participating households, 128 (42%) included a child aged <5 years and 202 (67%) included a child aged 5–12 years. Of the 678 swabs collected during the surveillance period, 237 (35%) tested positive for 1 or more noninfluenza respiratory viruses. Rhinovirus, common human coronaviruses, and respiratory syncytial virus were the most common. Four cases of SARS-CoV-2 were detected in 3 households.

Conclusions

This study highlights the circulation of respiratory viruses within households during the winter months during the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Contactless methods of recruitment, enrollment, and sample collection were utilized throughout this study and demonstrate the feasibility of home-based, remote monitoring for respiratory infections.
Pharmacoepidemiology for nephrologists (part 1): concept, applications and considerations for study design
Authors: Trevisan Marco , Fu Edouard L , Xu Yang , Jager Kitty , Zoccali Carmine , Dekker Friedo W , Carrero Juan Jesus
Published: November 2020

Randomized controlled trials on drug safety and effectiveness are the foundation of medical evidence, but they may have limited generalizability and be unpowered to detect rare and long-term kidney outcomes. Observational studies in routine care data can complement and expand trial evidence on the use, safety and effectiveness of medications and aid with clinical decisions in areas where evidence is lacking. Access to routinely collected large healthcare data has resulted in the proliferation of studies addressing the effect of medications in patients with kidney diseases and this review provides an introduction to the science of pharmacoepidemiology to critically appraise them. In this first review we discuss the concept and applications of pharmacoepidemiology, describing methods for drug-utilization research and discussing the strengths and caveats of the most commonly used study designs to evaluate comparative drug safety and effectiveness.
New contributions for the comparison of community detection algorithms in attributed networks
Authors: Vieira Ana Rita , Campos Pedro , Brito Paula
Published: November 2020

Community detection techniques use only the information about the network topology to find communities in networks. Similarly, classic clustering techniques for vector data consider only the information about the values of the attributes describing the objects to find clusters. In real-world networks, however, in addition to the information about the network topology, usually there is information about the attributes describing the vertices that can also be used to find communities. Using both the information about the network topology and about the attributes describing the vertices can improve the algorithms’ results. Therefore, authors started investigating methods for community detection in attributed networks. In the past years, several methods were proposed to uncover this task, partitioning a graph into sub-graphs of vertices that are densely connected and similar in terms of their descriptions. This article focuses on the analysis and comparison of some of the proposed methods for community detection in attributed networks. For that purpose, several applications to both synthetic and real networks are conducted. Experiments are performed on both weighted and unweighted graphs. The objective is to establish which methods perform generally better according to the validation measures and to investigate their sensitivity to changes in the networks’ structure and homogeneity.
Molting strategies of Arctic seals drive annual patterns in metabolism
Authors: Thometz Nicole M , Hermann-Sorensen Holly , Russell Brandon , Rosen David A S , Reichmuth Colleen
Published: November 2020

Arctic seals, including spotted (Phoca largha), ringed (Pusa hispida) and bearded (Erignathus barbatus) seals, are directly affected by sea ice loss. These species use sea ice as a haul-out substrate for various critical functions, including their annual molt. Continued environmental warming will inevitably alter the routine behavior and overall energy budgets of Arctic seals, but it is difficult to quantify these impacts as their metabolic requirements are not well known—due in part to the difficulty of studying wild individuals. Thus, data pertaining to species-specific energy demands are urgently needed to better understand the physiological consequences of rapid environmental change. We used open-flow respirometry over a four-year period to track fine-scale, longitudinal changes in the resting metabolic rate (RMR) of four spotted seals, three ringed seals and one bearded seal trained to participate in research. Simultaneously, we collected complementary physiological and environmental data. Species-specific metabolic demands followed expected patterns based on body size, with the largest species, the bearded seal, exhibiting the highest absolute RMR (0.48 ± 0.04 L O2 min−1) and the lowest mass-specific RMR (4.10 ± 0.47 ml O2 min−1 kg−1), followed by spotted (absolute: 0.33 ± 0.07 L O2 min−1; mass-specific: 6.13 ± 0.73 ml O2 min−1 kg−1) and ringed (absolute: 0.20 ± 0.04 L O2 min−1; mass-specific: 7.01 ± 1.38 ml O2 min−1 kg−1) seals. Further, we observed clear and consistent annual patterns in RMR that related to the distinct molting strategies of each species. For species that molted over relatively short intervals—spotted (33 ± 4 days) and ringed (28 ± 6 days) seals—metabolic demands increased markedly in association with molt. In contrast, the bearded seal exhibited a prolonged molting strategy (119 ± 2 days), which appeared to limit the overall cost of molting as indicated by a relatively stable annual RMR. These findings highlight energetic trade-offs associated with different molting strategies and provide quantitative data that can be used to assess species-specific vulnerabilities to changing conditions.
Follow-up magnetic resonance imaging of Löffler endocarditis: a case report
Authors: Ito Shinya , Isotani Akihiro , Yamaji Kyohei , Ando Kenji
Published: November 2020

Background 

Löffler endocarditis is a condition characterized by cardiac infiltration of eosinophils. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a modality for the diagnosis of myocardial damage.

Case summary 

This is the case of a 77-year-old man with acute decompensated heart failure who was admitted. Transthoracic echocardiography showed preserved left ventricular (LV) systolic function along with LV thrombi attached to the septo-apical wall and the posterior wall, consistent with Löffler endocarditis. Cardiac MRI revealed obliteration of the LV apex and partial filling of the LV cavity, as well as near circumferential subendocardial late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in the mid- and apical segments. T2-weighted images showed a near circumferential high-intensity area of the LV subendocardial muscle in the mid- and apical segments. High-dose corticosteroids and intravenous heparin were initiated, followed by maintenance warfarin therapy. At 18 months, follow-up cardiac MRI revealed the disappearance of the LV thrombi, and a reduction of LGE, as well as high-intensity areas in the T2-weighted images.

Discussion 

The high-intensity area of T2-weighted images indicate the presence of subendocardial oedema. Eosinophil-mediated heart damage evolves through three stages: (i) acute necrotic, (ii) thrombotic, and (iii) fibrotic stages. Since the deposition of toxic eosinophil granule proteins and eosinophil infiltration injured the endocardium, the first-line treatment for Löffler endocarditis is corticosteroid therapy. In this case, LGE in the subendocardium and the high-intensity area in the T2-weighted images were reduced at 18 months. High-intensity areas of T2-weighted images in the acute phase might indicate the possibility of therapeutic response to corticosteroid therapy.
Comparative political process theory
Authors: Gardbaum Stephen
Published: November 2020

What, if anything, do recent constitutional court decisions requiring a legislature to create a customized presidential impeachment procedure, invalidating a government’s prorogation of parliament, rejecting the disbanding of an independent anticorruption unit, and striking down legislation for inadequate deliberation have in common? They are all examples of courts protecting the political processes of representative democracy against threats or failures. Yet none of these various types of failure appear in the work that is synonymous with a political process theory of judicial review: John Hart Ely’s Democracy and Distrust. This article argues that when we look beyond the United States and at the comparative context generally, a political process theory has a great deal of relevance and application to constitutional law and courts around the world, both descriptively and normatively. Especially now when the structures and processes of representative democracy are under assault in so many places. However, for comparative purposes, Ely’s account takes too narrow a view of what types of political process failures exist and are of concern, and what types of judicial review or other protective mechanisms they may call for. It is also an interpretive theory of one system, but what is needed in the comparative context is a broader, normative theory of the role of courts and other actors in protecting democratic politics. Accordingly, suitably expanded and adapted, a comparative political process theory can make a valuable contribution to the field of comparative constitutional law. This article seeks to explore and further develop such a theory.
Keeping communities at the centre of efforts to eliminate lymphatic filariasis: learning from the past to reach a future free of lymphatic filariasis
Authors: Krentel Alison , Gyapong Margaret , McFarland Deborah A , Ogundahunsi Olumide , Titaley Christiana R , Addiss David G
Published: November 2020

Since the launch of the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) in 2000, more than 910 million people have received preventive chemotherapy for lymphatic filariasis (LF) and many thousands have received care for chronic manifestations of the disease. To achieve this, millions of community drug distributors (CDDs), community members and health personnel have worked together each year to ensure that at-risk communities receive preventive chemotherapy through mass drug administration (MDA). The successes of 20 y of partnership with communities is celebrated, including the application of community-directed treatment, the use of CDDs and integration with other platforms to improve community access to healthcare. Important challenges facing the GPELF moving forward towards 2030 relate to global demographic, financing and programmatic changes. New innovations in research and practice present opportunities to encourage further community partnership to achieve the elimination of LF as a public health problem. We stress the critical need for community ownership in the current Covid-19 pandemic, to counter concerns in relaunching MDA programmes for LF.
Recent trends for the management of diabetes for older adults in the context of universal coverage and COVID-19: evidence from Mexico
Authors: Arredondo Armando
Published: November 2020

Background

To identify trends in the epidemiological and economic burden of diabetes in the elderly.

Methods

Using the Box–Jenkins method to estimate expected cases for the period 2020–2022, costs were determined with the instrumentation technique. The population base was 4 032 189 older adults diagnosed with diabetes in 2019.

Results

Regarding the epidemiological burden, there is an increase of 11–15% (p<0.001). Comparing the economic burden for 2020 vs 2022, the increase is estimated as 29% (p<0.05).

Conclusion

In the framework of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the increase in diabetes cases and costs in older adults substantially complicates the scope of universal coverage for patients with diabetes.
Providing Inclusive Care for Transgender Patients: Capturing Sex and Gender in the Electronic Medical Record
Authors: Patel Khushbu , Lyon Martha E , Luu Hung S
Published: November 2020

Background

Providing a positive patient experience for transgender individuals includes making the best care decisions and providing an inclusive care environment in which individuals are welcomed and respected. Over the past decades, introduction of electronic medical record (EMR) systems into healthcare has improved quality of care and patient outcomes through improved communications among care providers and patients and reduced medical errors. Promoting the highest standards of care for the transgender populations requires collecting and documenting detailed information about patient identity, including sex and gender information in both the EMR and laboratory information system (LIS).

Content

As EMR systems are beginning to incorporate sex and gender information to accommodate transgender and gender nonconforming patients, it is important for clinical laboratories to understand the importance and complexity of this endeavor. In this review, we highlight the current progress and gaps in EMR/LIS to capture relevant sex and gender information.

Many EMR and LIS systems have the capability to capture sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). Fully integrating SOGI into medical records can be challenging, but is very much needed to provide inclusive care for transgender individuals.
Women and Men Municipal Managers Doing and Undoing Gender
Authors: Bishu Sebawit G , Heckler Nuri
Published: November 2020

Drawing on the literature from critical gender studies and feminist critiques of bureaucracy, we explore the demands for gender work created when women occupy traditionally masculine roles in municipal government management. The article traces the work performed when municipal managers and municipalities respond to gendered demands, maintain gender perceptions, and negotiate gendered expectations, collectively referred to as gender work. To examine this process, we apply inductive qualitative method to analyze 21 semistructured interviews with men and women municipal managers in southeast United States. Our study reveals gender work at different levels of organizational hierarchies and in multiple ways. We find that women CAOs perform masculine gender work to negotiate a place in municipal leadership. We also find that municipal governments and men CAOs do feminine gender work to cultivate an environment for women to occupy counterstereotypical roles. This study suggests that jobs, institutional rules and policies, informal arrangements, work structures, and individuals’ private lives interplay to require gender work from women that is more complex and more demanding than that required of men in the same roles.
Biomass allocation between leaf and stem regulates community-level plant nutrient resorption efficiency response to nitrogen and phosphorus additions in a temperate wetland of Northeast China
Authors: Zhang Yun , Yang Gui-Sheng , Shi Fu-Xi , Mao Rong
Published: November 2020

Aims

Nutrient resorption is a crucial component of plant nutrient use strategy, yet the controls on the responses of community-level nutrient resorption to altered nutrient availability remain unclear. Here, we addressed two questions: (1) Did leaf and stem nutrient resorption respond consistently to increased nutrient availability? (2) Was community-level plant nutrient resorption response after nutrient enrichment driven by the intraspecific plasticity in plant nutrient resorption or by altered species composition?

Methods

We investigated the changes in aboveground biomass, and leaf and stem nutrient resorption of individual species after 3-year nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) additions, and assessed community-level nutrient resorption response to 3-year nutrient additions in a graminoid-dominated temperate wetland, Northeast China.

Important Findings

For both leaves and stems, N and P additions did not affect nutrient resorption efficiency, but they decreased respective nutrient resorption proficiency. Similarly, community-level N and P resorption proficiency declined with respective nutrient addition. Community-level N and P resorption efficiency was reduced by N addition primarily due to altered community composition and declined leaf:stem ratio. These results suggest that leaf and stem nutrient resorption processes exhibit consistent responses to increasing nutrient availability in the temperate wetland. These findings highlight the importance of altered species composition and biomass allocation between leaf and stem in driving community-level nutrient resorption response to nutrient enrichment.
Trends in Antibiotic Consumption and Resistance in France Over 20 Years: Large and Continuous Efforts but Contrasting Results
Authors: Carlet Jean , Jarlier Vincent , Acar Jacques , Debaere Olivier , Dehaumont Patrick , Grandbastien Bruno , Le Coz Pierre , Lina Gerard , Pean Yves , Rambaud Claude , Roblot France , Salomon Jérôme , Schlemmer Benoit , Tattevin Pierre , Vallet Benoit
Published: November 2020

Background

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious threat to humanity. This paper describes the French efforts made since 2001 and presents data on antimicrobial consumption (AC) and AMR.

Methods

We gathered all data on AC and AMR recorded since 2001 from different national agencies, transferred on a regular basis to standardized European data on AC and resistance in both humans and animals.

Results

After a large information campaign implemented in France from 2001 to 2005 in humans, AC in the community decreased significantly (18% to 34% according to the calculation method used). It remained at the same level from 2005 to 2010 and increased again from 2010 to 2018 (8%). Contrasting results were observed for AMR. The resistance of Staphylococcus aureus decreased significantly. For gram-negative bacilli, the results were variable according to the microorganism. The resistance of Enterobacteriaceae to third-generation cephalosporins increased, remaining moderate for Escherichia coli (12% in 2017) but reaching 35% in the same year for Klebsiella pneumoniae. Resistance to carbapenems in those 2 microorganisms remained below 1%. Both global AC and resistance to most antibiotics decreased significantly in animals.

Conclusions

Antibiotic consumption decreased significantly in France after a large public campaign from 2001 to 2005, but this positive effect was temporary. The effect on AMR varied according to the specific microorganism: The effect was very impressive for gram-positive cocci, variable for gram-negative bacilli, and moderate for E. coli, but that for K. pneumoniae was of concern. The consumption of and resistance to antibiotics decreased significantly in animals.
Tele-rheumatology for overcoming socioeconomic barriers to healthcare in resource constrained settings: lessons from COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Kavadichanda Chengappa , Shah Sanket , Daber Anu , Bairwa Devender , Mathew Anoop , Dunga Saikumar , Das Anna C , Gopal Aishwarya , Ravi Karunya , Kar Sitanshu Sekhar , Negi Vir Singh
Published: November 2020

Objectives

To assess acceptability of teleconsultation among the socioeconomically marginalized sections of patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs), to identify the socioeconomic barriers in continuing rheumatology care during the COVID-19 crisis and to identify patients who could benefit by shifting to tele-rheumatology consultations.

Methods

This was a cross sectional analytical study done at a tertiary care teaching hospital in India including patients with RMDs who were not on biological diseases modifying agents. Assessment of disease status, socioeconomic status and economic impact of COVID-19 was done via tele-consultation.

Results

Out of the 680 patients satisfying inclusion criteria, 373 completed the study. The format was found easy by 334 (89.6%) of them and 284 (76.1%) considered tele-rheumatology better than in-person consultation. During the pre-COVID months, the median monthly per capita income of the families of our patients and cost of illness was Indian rupees (INR) 2000 (US$ 26) and INR 1685 (US$ 21.91), respectively. Families whose financial needs were met (OR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.239, 0.598) or those with schooling upto at least secondary school (OR = 0.442, 95% CI: 0.260, 0.752) (P =0.002) were less likely to stop prescription drugs. In a hypothetical model, 289 (77.4%) could be successfully switched to tele-rheumatology follow-up.

Conclusion

The acceptability of tele-rheumatology among socioeconomically marginalized patients with RMDs is good. During times of crisis, patients from poorer strata of society and lower educational background are likely to abruptly stop medications. Switching to a telemedicine-based hybrid model is likely to improve drug adherence with substantial savings on loss of pay and out of pocket expenditure.
XV American Literature to 1900
Authors: Flint Azelina , Hughes Tomos , McGettigan Katie , Salway Matthew , White Rebecca
Published: November 2020

This chapter has two sections: 1. Journals; 2. Monographs and Edited Collections. Section 1 is by Azelina Flint, Tomos Hughes, and Katie McGettigan; section 2 is by Azelina Flint, Tomos Hughes, Katie McGettigan, Matthew Salway, and Rebecca White.
XVII New Literatures
Authors: Batra Kanika , Egbunike Louisa , Lorre-Johnston Christine , Kamugisha Aaron , Manzo Kerry , Miller Benjamin , Naruse Cheryl Narumi , Niblett Michael , Raja Ira , Sharrad Paul , Uraizee Joya , Garcia Zarranz Libe
Published: November 2020

This chapter has seven sections: 1. Africa; 2. Australia; 3. Canada; 4. The Caribbean; 5. New Zealand and Pacific; 6. South Asia: The Indian Subcontinent and Sri Lanka; and 7. Southeast Asia. Section 1 is by Kanika Batra, Louisa Egbunike, Kerry Manzo, and Joya Uraizee; section 2 is by Benjamin Miller and Paul Sharrad; section 3 is by Christine Lorre-Johnston and Libe García- Zarranz; section 4 is by Aaron Kamugisha and Michael Niblett; section 5 is by Dougal McNeill; section 6 is by Ira Raja; section 7 is by Cheryl Narumi Naruse.