bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structural valve deterioration of the Labcor Dokimos aortic prosthesis: a single-centre experience
Authors: Iskandarani Dounia , Chaabo Omar , Gharzeddine Walid , Sfeir Pierre , Obeid Mounir , Ghazzal Ziyad , Rebeiz Abdallah , Sawaya Fadi J
Published: October 2021

OBJECTIVES

The goal of this study was to assess the performance and incidence of the deterioration of the Labcor Dokimos bioprosthetic aortic valve.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective medical chart review of 116 patients who underwent surgical aortic valve replacement with the Labcor Dokimos aortic valve between 2010 and 2018. Abstracted data included patient demographic and echocardiographic data. Patients were divided into 2 groups: patients with structural valve deterioration (SVD) and patients without SVD.

RESULTS

Among the patients with complete follow-up (n = 95), 10 patients were excluded because they died within a year; 85 patients were included in the final analysis. Of the 85 patients, 32 (38%) developed SVD; 22 (26%) had severe SVD, 15 (18%) of whom underwent reintervention. The most common aetiology of SVD was severe central aortic regurgitation, which was detected in 91% of the patients who had severe SVD. The average time from operation to severe SVD was 4.7 years with a minimum of 1.5 years and a maximum of 7.9 years.

CONCLUSIONS

Bioprosthetic aortic valve deterioration due to severe aortic regurgitation is common and occurs early with the Labcor Dokimos valve. This occurrence needs to be furthered investigated in larger registries.
Prognostic impact of spread through air spaces in lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Mantovani Sara , Pernazza Angelina , Bassi Massimiliano , Amore Davide , Vannucci Jacopo , Poggi Camilla , Diso Daniele , d’Amati Giulia , Della Rocca Carlo , Rendina Erino Angelo , Venuta Federico , Anile Marco
Published: October 2021

OBJECTIVE

Spread through air spaces (STAS) is a pattern of invasion present in some adenocarcinomas (ADC). The goal of this study was to assess the impact of STAS in patients treated with different types of surgical resections and on the clinical outcome in patients with ADC of different diameters and with different degrees of nodal involvement.

METHODS

A total of 109 patients were reviewed. Complete surgical resection with systematic nodal dissection was achieved in all patients. The median follow-up was 65 months (3–90 months).

RESULTS

STAS was observed in 70 cases (64.2%); 13 patients (18.5%) had lymph node involvement (N1 and N2). Overall survival and progression-free survival were higher in patients without STAS (P = 0.042; P = 0.027). The presence of STAS in tumours ≤2 cm was a predictor of worse progression-free survival following sublobar resection compared to major resections (P = 0.011). Sublobar resection of N0 STAS-positive tumours was associated with worse long-term survival compared to a major resection (P = 0.04). Statistical analyses showed that age >70 years and recurrence were independent variables for survival; smoking pack-years >20, sublobar resection and nodal involvement were independent variables for recurrence; and smoking pack-years >20 were independent variables for a history of cancer and pleural invasion for local recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

STAS seems to play a role in long-term survival, particularly for patients with N0 and tumours smaller than 2 cm. Further studies are necessary to validate this hypothesis.
Khinchin-Type Inequalities via Hadamard’s Factorisation
Authors: Havrilla Alex , Nayar Piotr , Tkocz Tomasz
Published: October 2021

We prove Khinchin-type inequalities with sharp constants for type L random variables and all even moments. Our main tool is Hadamard’s factorisation theorem from complex analysis, combined with Newton’s inequalities for elementary symmetric functions. Besides the case of independent summands, we also treat ferromagnetic dependencies in a nonnegative external magnetic field (thanks to Newman’s generalisation of the Lee–Yang theorem). Lastly, we compare the notions of type L, ultra sub-Gaussianity (introduced by Nayar and Oleszkiewicz) and strong log-concavity (introduced by Gurvits), with the latter two being equivalent.
Deep sequencing of HIV-1 reveals extensive subtype variation and drug resistance after failure of first-line antiretroviral regimens in Nigeria
Authors: El Bouzidi Kate , Datir Rawlings P. , Kwaghe Vivian , Roy Sunando , Frampton Dan , Breuer Judith , Ogbanufe Obinna , Murtala-Ibrahim Fati , Charurat Man , Dakum Patrick , Sabin Caroline A. , Ndembi Nicaise , Gupta Ravindra K.
Published: October 2021

Background

Deep sequencing could improve understanding of HIV treatment failure and viral population dynamics. However, this tool is often inaccessible in low- and middle-income countries.

Objectives

To determine the genetic patterns of resistance emerging in West African HIV-1 subtypes during first-line virological failure, and the implications for future antiretroviral options.

Patients and methods

Participants were selected from a Nigerian cohort of people living with HIV who had failed first-line ART and subsequently switched to second-line therapy. Whole HIV-1 genome sequences were generated from first-line virological failure samples with Illumina MiSeq. Mutations detected at ≥2% frequency were analysed and compared by subtype.

Results

HIV-1 sequences were obtained from 101 participants (65% female, median age 30 years, median 32.9 months of nevirapine- or efavirenz-based ART). Thymidine analogue mutations (TAMs) were detected in 61%, other core NRTI mutations in 92% and NNRTI mutations in 99%. Minority variants (<20% frequency) comprised 18% of all mutations. K65R was more prevalent in CRF02_AG than G subtypes (33% versus 7%; P = 0.002), and ≥3 TAMs were more common in G than CRF02_AG (52% versus 24%; P = 0.004). Subtype G viruses also contained more RT cleavage site mutations. Cross-resistance to at least one of the newer NNRTIs, doravirine, etravirine or rilpivirine, was predicted in 81% of participants.

Conclusions

Extensive drug resistance had accumulated in people with West African HIV-1 subtypes, prior to second-line ART. Deep sequencing significantly increased the detection of resistance-associated mutations. Caution should be used if considering newer-generation NNRTI agents in this setting.
PSV-9 The effect of management practices on eggshell cleanliness, bacteria levels and cuticle deposition in free-range poultry
Authors: Bosland Julie , Sartini Becky
Published: October 2021

Small-scale egg production is a growing industry in New England; however, foodborne illness risk exists from small-scale free-range eggs due to lack of guidelines for safe handling and management practices. We hypothesized that the manure level (ML) of the eggs along with management practices will affect both the total bacterial levels (relative light units= RLU) and the cuticle deposition (CD) of the eggshell. Hens (n = 53) were used in this study and housed at Peckham Farm (URI; Kingston, RI) in a mobile coop that allowed free ranging. The management practice experiments were divided into nest box type, location, substrate and time/frequency of collection. The CD experiments involved nesting boxes and nest substrate. Data were analyzed using SAS proc mixed/two sample t-test (P ≤ 0.05). There is a difference in ML between level 1 and 2 and level 1 and 3 eggs. Eggs collected from the conventional (CONV; n = 37) and rollaway (n = 25) nest boxes showed no difference in RLU or CD (P ≥ 0.42). Eggs collected from CONV with different nesting substrates (straw, shavings, AstroTurf nest pad; n = 179) showed no difference in RLU and CD (P ≥ 0.28). Nest box location (mounted vs floor level) showed no difference (P ≥ 0.65) in RLU values from eggs collected from CONV nest boxes. Time of collection (1pm vs 8 am) had a significant impact (P ≤ 0.02) in RLU values; however, frequency of collection showed no impact (P ≥ 0.49). The bacteria levels were most likely lower in the afternoon collection because the eggs laid that day did not spend as much time in nest boxes. In conclusion, although different nest boxes or substrates did not change eggshell bacteria levels, management practices that minimize manure levels on eggs and increase the frequency of collection can help to maintain lower bacteria levels to reduce food safety risk.
PSV-13 Understanding the role of zinc and manganese in proliferation and protein synthesis of primary bovine satellite cells
Authors: Alberto Anthony F , Smith Laura A , Reichhardt Caleb C , Hansen Stephanie L , Thornton Kara J
Published: October 2021

Trace minerals are vital for the health and growth of livestock, supporting multiple biochemical processes in the body. There are several different signaling pathways that may be affected by trace minerals, ultimately altering growth of skeletal muscle. However, it is currently unknown how trace minerals specifically impact growth of skeletal muscle. As such, the objective of this study was to determine how zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn) affect proliferation and protein synthesis of primary bovine satellite cell (BSC) cultures. Cultures were grown to 80% confluency and treated in 1% fetal bovine serum (control), 0.05, 0.10 or 0.25 µM of Mn, or 10, 20 or 40 µM of Zn to assess proliferation. Additionally, the above treatments were applied to fused BSC cultures in serum free media (control) to measure protein synthesis. The trace mineral concentrations chosen were based off known ranges of circulating concentrations of Zn or Mn. A series of contrasts were constructed to determine whether growth of BSC cultures was different between the treated and control cultures. Treatment with 10 µM Zn increased (P = 0.03) proliferation when compared to control cultures. However, treatment with Mn at the tested concentration did not (P > 0.12) result in proliferation rates that were different than the control cultures. Treatment with 10 µM Zn, 20 µM Zn, or 0.5 µM Mn increased (P < 0.05) protein synthesis compared to control cultures. These results indicate Zn is capable of increasing proliferation and both Zn and Mn increase protein synthesis of BSC cultures. Additional research is needed to couple trace mineral nutrition with knowledge of BSC biology to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which trace minerals may function to support bovine skeletal muscle growth.
PSV-6 Single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with advanced skeletal maturity in finished beef heifers
Authors: Walker-Shira Katie A , Murdoch Brenda M , Colacchio Antonetta M , Davenport Kimberly M , Colle Michael J , Bass Phillip D , Murdoch Gordon K
Published: October 2021

Accelerated skeletal maturity is prevalent in modern commercial heifers harvested under 30 months of age. It is hypothesized that selection for increased growth and earlier reproductive maturity over several decades, unintentionally co-selected for precocious skeletal ossification in heifers. This study examines the relationship of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in beef heifers with developmental maturity (A-, B-, C- Maturity) assessed at harvest, and evaluates specific genotype and production implant potency interactions. Two SNPs within Estrogen Receptor 1 (ESR1) and one SNP within Alkaline Phosphatase (ALPL) genes that have been previously associated with carcass skeletal maturity were examined. USDA inspected beef heifer carcasses (< 30 months) that were A- (n = 318), B- (n = 296), or C- (n = 251) skeletal maturity were sampled. DNA was extracted and SNP genotypes were ascertained using custom designed allelic discrimination assays (Taqman® Custom SNP Assays). Dominant and basic association tests were performed, and the impact of implants were evaluated as co-variates against genotypes using a linear regression model in the SNP and Variation Suite (SVS) software (Golden Helix, Inc.). A significant association with skeletal maturity was detected with ESR1 SNP 1 (P < 0.05) and a trend observed with ALPL (P < 0.1), but there was no significance identified in ESR1 SNP 2. A highly significant interaction with genotype and incidence of skeletal maturity was identified for ESR1 SNP 1 (P < 0.01) and ALPL (P < 0.01) when estrogenic implant concentration was included. There exists a strong relationship for these genotypes and advanced skeletal maturity in commercial heifers which is influenced by estrogenic potency of the commercial implant used. This study confirms the association of previously identified genotypes with advanced skeletal maturity and provides evidence that genetic variations in ESR1 play an important role in the regulation of bone mineralization in heifers.
PSII-9 Free amino acids in pre- and post-rigor muscles from beef cattle under induced oxidative stress by hydrogen peroxide
Authors: Fornes Corbin R , Penrod Bethaney M , Rivera Daniel , Dinh Thu
Published: October 2021

This study examined the effects of oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide on free amino acids in pre-and post-rigor muscles from beef heifers (n = 18). Cattle were supplemented with ground corn and soybean hulls to 310 to 456 kg of BW while grazing cool and warm-season pastures and were evaluated for preliminary oxidative markers; afterward, they were shipped and finished at a commercial feedlot in Iowa. Animals were blocked into three groups based on prior analysis of oxidative stress markers and two treatments of either 20 mg hydrogen peroxide/kg BW (OX, n = 9) or 10 mL of saline (CON, n = 9) were equally and randomly assigned to animals within each block. On the day before slaughter, the OX and CON treatments were administered intravenously through the jugular vein. Pre-rigor muscles were collected at the neck (splenius) during slaughter; whereas post-rigor muscles were collected at the anterior of the beef loins (longissimus lumborum) at 72 h postmortem. Free amino acids were extracted in phosphate buffer, derivatized by propyl chloroformate, and determined by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry. Data were analyzed as a randomized complete block design with treatment, muscle rigor, and their interaction as fixed effects. Twenty-seven amino acids were quantified and ornithine and glutamine were 0.03 and 2.99 mmole/kg greater in OX muscle than in CON muscle (P = 0.031 and 0.024, respectively). Ten amino acids, such as glutamine and glutamic acid, were greater in pre-rigor muscles (P ≤ 0.003); whereas eleven amino acids were greater in post-rigor muscles, such as ß-aminoisobutyric acid and histidine (P ≤ 0.039). No treatment × time interaction was found (P > 0.069). Both ornithine and glutamine have been reported to reduce oxidative stress. Postmortem metabolism also greatly influences free amino acid concentrations.
PSIX-22 Assessment of the influence of IGF2 gene polymorphism in boars on economically significant traits
Authors: Karpushkina Tatiana V , Svegentseva Nadezhda A , Fornara Margaret S , Bardukov Nikolay V , Kostyunina Olga V
Published: October 2021

Studies of polymorphism in the IGF2 gene are of interest due to their association with economically useful traits in pigs. The aim of this work was to study the effect of IGF2 polymorphism on the variability of meat and fattening traits in pigs and to control the preservation of high reproductive qualities. The genotyping was performed using RT-PCR approaches were generated on the genetic resource collection of the L.K. Ernst Federal Research Center for Animal Husbandry. The total of 272 Large White (LW) and 301 Landrace (L) boars was investigated. Genotypes have been identified: at LW AA 73.5%, AG 23.2%, GG 3.3%; for L AA 10.3%, AG 35.2%, GG 54.5%. Reproductive performance evaluated on 22082 farrows from these boars. Analysis of productivity data was performed taking advantage of the model: y=μ+Breed+IGF2+Breed×IGF2+e, where y is the productivity index (for traits: weight at start of the test (BWs), weight at the end of the test (BWe), age of reaching 100 kg (AGE100), average daily gain (ADG), fat thickness (BF), litter size (LS), live-born (LB) and stillborn piglets (SB), the number of weaned piglets (Wean), the weaning weight (WWT), µ is the total average for a sample of n animals; Breed - the influence of the breed factor; IGF2 - gene factor effect; Breed×IGF2 - factor interaction effect; e - error. A significant effect of the IGF2 gene on variability was revealed at P < 0.001 BWe, ADG, LS, LB, Wean, WWT, at P < 0.01 on BWs, AGE100; when factors interact at P < 0.001 on ADG, AGE100, Wean, WWT, at P < 0.05 on LB. Revealed animals with genotype AA showed the best results in terms of meat and feeding qualities, as well as reproductive qualities. This research was supported by the Ministry of science and higher education No 0445-2021-0008.
PSIX-27 Effects of supplemented zinc oxide in post-weaning piglets from d 25 to d 52 of age
Authors: Riedmüller Jonathan , Männer Klaus , Vahjen Wilfried , Piñon Arturo , Monteiro Alessandra , Zentek Jürgen
Published: October 2021

Supplementation of pharmacological levels of ZnO (3000 ppm) is widely used for prevention and treatment of diarrhea in weaning piglets and to improve their performance. However, this practice has raised concerns about environmental impact, antimicrobial resistance and nutritional interactions. In this study we compared graded amounts of regular ZnO to equivalent levels of potentiated ZnO (HiZox), added to the piglet’s diets. Our aim was to assess possible advantages of different Zn sources as well as a reduction potential regarding the supplemented dose. Therefore, 1440 piglets (initial BW 10.1 ± 1.55 kg) were randomly allotted to 12 dietary treatments: supplementation of 150, 300, 600, 900, 1500 and 3000 ppm of Zn from regular ZnO or equivalent from HiZox. From day 1 to day 14, piglets were fed dietary treatments accordingly; from day 15 to day 28 all groups received HiZox at 150 ppm. Performance was recorded on d 1, 14 and 28 on trial.The highest (P < 0.001) ADG was observed for piglets fed HiZox at 3000 ppm (247 g/d), while HiZox at 900 ppm and regular ZnO at 3000 ppm presented the same ADG values. The subsequent 14-day levelling to 150 ppm of HiZox led on average to similar body weight gains (ZnO: 7.05 kg; HiZox: 6.93 kg). ADFI increased (P < 0.001) in the first 14 d of trial with increasing Zn levels for both sources. Comparison of ZnO at 3000 ppm and HiZox at 900 ppm showed similar effects on improving fecal consistency during the first two weeks after weaning, which may be due to the more effective surface specific area of HiZox than regular ZnO. In conclusion, HiZox at 900 ppm can be used for improving growth performance and fecal consistency during the first two weeks after weaning as an alternative to the pharmacological level of regular ZnO.
PSIX-30 Modulating action of fish oil on serum profiles of pigs exposed to prenatal inflammatory signals
Authors: Rymut Haley E , Keever Marissa R , Perez Olivia , Rund Laurie A , Johnson Rodney W , Rodriguez-Zas Sandra L
Published: October 2021

Inflammatory signals elicited in response to stressors during gestation can affect fetal development and can have prolonged postnatal effects in the offspring. The objectives of the present study were to assess the effects of viral infection during gestation on nursed piglets, and to investigate possible modulating effects of fish oil. A total of 36 pigs were studied, distributed across three gilt treatment groups and sexes within treatment group. One-third of the piglets served as reference, being born from gilts that were not exposed to viral infection and receiving a non-supplemented diet. Another third of the piglets were born from gilts that were challenged with porcine reproductive and respiratory virus during the last third of gestation and receiving a non-supplemented diet. The remaining piglets were born from gilts that were challenged with the virus and were supplemented with fish oil (2.5 g of docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaeonic acid). All gilts received diets that met nutritional requirements during gestation and lactation (~90% corn and soybean meal). The piglets remained with the gilts and nursed until 22 d of age at which time blood was drawn and the levels of metabolic parameters were measured. The immune challenge during gestation had a significant effect on the level of globulin (P < 0.02). The globulin levels were higher in female piglets from gilts infected during gestation relative to control gilts. The blood level of triglycerides was similar between piglets from reference gilts and viral-infected gilts supplemented with fish oil, and lower than in piglets from non-supplemented infected gilts. Our results demonstrate that fish oil supplementation can modulate effects of infection during gestation on the piglet. This study is supported by USDA NIFA AFRI, grant number 2018-67015-27413.
A peculiar Type II QSO identified via broad-band detection of extreme nebular line emission
Authors: Lin Yu-Heng , Scarlata Claudia , Hayes Matthew , Feltre Anna , Charlot Stephane , Bongiorno Angela , Väisänen Petri , Mogotsi Moses
Published: October 2021

We present S82-20, an unusual redshift ≈3 object identified in SDSS-Stripe 82 broad-band images. The rest-frame ultraviolet spectrum of S82-20 shows emission lines from highly ionized species, including He ii λ1640, and the C iv λλ1548, 1550 and O vi λλ1032, 1038 doublets. The high Ly α luminosity (3.5 × 1044 erg s−1), the high emission line equivalent widths (>200 Å for Ly α), the full width at half-maximum of the emission lines (<800 km s−1), and the high ionization O vi line strongly support the interpretation that S82-20 is a Type II Quasi-Stellar Objects (QSOs). However, photoionization models using Type II QSO do not fully explain the measured C iv/He ii line ratio, which requires either some contribution from star formation or high velocity shocks. Additionally, S82-20 is not detected at wavelengths longer than 2 μm, in tension with the expectation of isotropically infrared emission of a luminous QSO. We consider the possibility that S82-20 is a rare example of a changing-look QSO, observed in a temporarily low state, where the broad line region has faded, while the narrow line region still emits emission line. Otherwise, it may be a rare case of the short phase of the life of a massive galaxy, in which active star formation and accretion on to a supermassive black hole coexist.
DNA Data Bank of Japan (DDBJ) update report 2021
Authors: Okido Toshihisa , Kodama Yuichi , Mashima Jun , Kosuge Takehide , Fujisawa Takatomo , Ogasawara Osamu
Published: October 2021

The Bioinformation and DDBJ (DNA Data Bank of Japan) Center (DDBJ Center; https://www.ddbj.nig.ac.jp) operates archival databases that collect nucleotide sequences, study and sample information, and distribute them without access restriction to progress life science research as a member of the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration (INSDC), in collaboration with the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and the European Bioinformatics Institute. Besides the INSDC databases, the DDBJ Center also provides the Genomic Expression Archive for functional genomics data and the Japanese Genotype-phenotype Archive for human data requiring controlled access. Additionally, the DDBJ Center started a new public repository, MetaboBank, for experimental raw data and metadata from metabolomics research in October 2020. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the DDBJ Center openly shares SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences in collaboration with Shizuoka Prefecture and Keio University. The operation of DDBJ is based on the National Institute of Genetics (NIG) supercomputer, which is open for large-scale sequence data analysis for life science researchers. This paper reports recent updates on the archival databases and the services of DDBJ.
Fashion
Authors: Spooner Catherine
Published: October 2021

Fashion is perhaps the ultimate decadent medium: fashionable dress has been critiqued by moralists for extravagance, luxury, and sexual licentiousness since classical times. This chapter focuses on fashion since the Industrial Revolution, when mass textile production and the rapid dissemination of Parisian styles across Europe and America enabled the development of a rapidly changing fashion system. It shows how, within emergent modernity, decadent dress was characterized by its embrace of artifice; this reached its apotheosis in dandyism and the cult of extraordinary individuality, whereby sartorial expression is used to make the body into a work of art. The chapter examines the gendering of decadent fashion and the figure of the female dandy; and finally appraises the contemporary fashion industry’s embrace of beauty in decay. It concludes that far from an evacuation of moral responsibility, the decadence of fashion may be a means of astute political commentary.
Gender and Embodiment as Negotiated Relations
Authors: Crawley S. L. , Green Ashley
Published: October 2021

Gender pervades every part of life, from identity and embodied practices to institutional and transnational social order. An interactionist approach recognizes that gender is constituted by pervasive, thoroughgoing, situational organizing practices of meaning-making pervading our worlds, which are always relational and emergent among people in institutional contexts at historical moments. Gender identities are not a feature of “types” of individuals but, rather, comprise negotiated relations between and among us—which can be normalizing or resistant. This chapter examines the development of sociological theory on gender and embodiment. It begins by looking at a brief timeline of the last 150 years of the everyday (US) “queer” lexicon to demonstrate how academic concepts seem to intertwine with the proliferation of everyday identities in the mundane world. The chapter then outlines its beginnings in microsociology, the connections between micro and macro theorizations, and emergent masculinities, femininities, transgender, and non-binary identity practices, pointing to various paradigm shifts along the way including feminisms, intersectionality, and queer theory. Constantly in production for everyone, gender proliferates as negotiated relations, made especially visible by resistance identities. We conclude briefly with future directions.
Administrative Justice in Transitional States
Authors: Dragos Dacian C.
Published: October 2021

This chapter surveys the state of academic knowledge, conceptual consistency, and theoretical debate relevant for two subtopics of administrative justice narrative: the legal treatment of administrative silence and the alternative dispute resolution tools. The legal fictions associated with administrative silence and the interplay between the two avenues of dispute solving—administrative and judicial—are a persistent preoccupation of the administrative law discourse in modern times. This is even more significant in transitional countries, where the legal tradition was interrupted by political changes and restarted decades later. The chapter seeks to identify and provide a survey of these recurring themes in administrative justice research from the perspective of transitional (former Communist) democracies from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), taken as a case study. It identifies the challenges posed by the administrative silence and by the adoption of ADR tools meant to alleviate the burden from the courts. The chapter concludes that the success of different (sometimes competing) approaches is highly dependent on the legal culture of the system in which they are implemented.
Youth Participation in Political Violence
Authors: Rosen David M.
Published: October 2021

Throughout history, young people have been involved in political violence and war; however, the way this involvement is constructed varies dramatically by culture. In the preindustrial world, youth cultures or subcultures that mark and honor violence held complex relationships to the values of the wider community. In the nineteenth-century hunting-and-gathering communities of the Great Plains of the United States, the values of youth reflected the values held by adults. Elsewhere, such as among the Maasai and Samburu of East Africa, elements of youth cultures sometimes embodied opposition to the adult world. Despite these differences, the experiences of youth usually serve as a passageway to assuming normative adult roles within the existing social order. An important shift took place around the beginning of the twentieth century when, at least in part, war and revolution were carried out not just by young fighters but in the name of youth. The emphasis on youth and its transformative power signaled and legitimized the hope of a new social order. Though these wars often harnessed the revolutionary energy of young fighters, when the revolutionary moment became institutionalized, there was often a disjuncture between the values of youth culture and the emerging post-revolutionary norms. However, youth violence is culturally and socially constructed, “youth” as a social category is temporally limited, so its usefulness as the basis of permanent political power is ephemeral. Thus, youth culture and its attachment to violence always remain politically excluded from the hierarchy of power.
Luxury in China
Authors: Wang Qing
Published: October 2021

Luxury brands embody strong cultural narratives to express their authentic value and to make them more desirable. With globalisation and the democratisation of luxury, the nature of luxury consumption is changing. Emerging economies such as China have become not only the major market but a source of design inspiration for luxury brands. This chapter provides a systematic review of luxury brands in China in three distinct stages, followed by an in-depth analysis of the nature of luxury consumption in China and the transportation mechanism of brand narratives to different cultures. It concludes with several important findings and indicates that good storytelling provides an anchor for a brand’s esteem both at home and abroad. Instead of merely communicating the cultural narratives of their Western origin, luxury brands need to identify with Chinese culture in all elements of their business, from product design to brand communication. Finally, this chapter explores the impact of the global pandemic on luxury brands in China.
Time and Place in Climate Activism
Authors: de Moor Joost
Published: October 2021

While comparisons across space are rare in literature on climate movements, time has long featured centrally in it—albeit often implicitly. That is because the climate movement is fundamentally shaped by the temporality of its main concern: climate change will have irreversible consequences that will become inevitable as soon as tipping points are crossed. Against this background, urgency has become an essential driving force behind and challenge for the climate movement. Yet while this urgency is certainly based in physics, it is also a social product. This chapter discusses how the contested nature of time shapes at least three core dimensions of climate activism: strategy, politics, and goals. The chapter further argues that discussions of temporality should be attentive to the contextuality of time: what might seem a future threat in privileged parts of the world presents only one of the more recent ecological disasters to disrupt disadvantaged communities worldwide. Contextualized discussions of time should therefore inform the development of comparative scholarship on climate activism and vice versa.
Civil Society, Networks, and Contention Around Environmental
Issues
Authors: Allan Jen Iris , Hadden Jennifer
Published: October 2021

This chapter explores key issues and questions related to civil society participation in comparative environmental politics. In doing so, it considers what the increased size, diversity, and complexity of civil society networks means for future scholarship. In particular, the authors reflect on the importance of focusing on events and institutions, the role for social network analysis, and the challenge posed by outcome complexity. They also suggest areas where the field can progress and what they consider to be important research frontiers in comparative environmental politics. These frontiers include cross-national comparative work, particularly in the developing world, as well as work on legitimacy and private authority.
Legal Transfer
Authors: Frankenberg Günter
Published: October 2021

This chapter focuses on how legal information travels, that is, how it is transferred. The concept of transfer is meant to make comparatists sensitive to the different ways legal items (rights and values, organizational provisions, and doctrines) are converted into standardized information and over time become products or commodities on global or regional markets. Legal transfer is understood here as an element of world-making. It will be shown how legal information is gleaned from foreign contexts, processed, and transferred to host contexts. The translation and application of legal information to a new environment invariably presupposes intense modification and ‘bricolage’. Because this open-ended and unpredictable process of transfer entails considerable hazards, the final result reproduces a fragment, cut-out, hybrid, modified copy, or pastiche. While the process of decontextualization may be read as another globalization story, this narrative receives a critical twist by shifting the focus to items that resist transfer.
The Concept of Positive Law and Its Relationship to Religion and Morality
Authors: Dupret Baudouin
Published: October 2021

Can the concept of law be extended to other times and places in which the concept as understood in most countries and societies today—as a system of norms centred on a nation state, based on a constitution, formulated through codified legislation and judicial precedents, administered by lawmakers for its inception and judges for its implementation—simply did not exist? My contention is that such an extension is, at best, useless and, at worst, misleading. Producing an intelligible jurisprudence of the concept of law means keeping it within the reasonable boundaries of what is ordinarily understood by both lay and professional people when practising ‘the’ law. Developing a socio-historical jurisprudence of law, as distinct from other normativities, entails a threefold analysis: conceptual, historical, and praxiological. Following the ground broken by analytical philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, conceptual analysis engages in the exposition of the grammar through which concepts acquire their signification and are meaningfully used. In a manner inspired by philosopher of science Ian Hacking and by historian Reinhart Koselleck, historical analysis emphasizes the description of the birth, development, and use of concepts. Drawing on the work of sociologist Harold Garfinkel, praxiological analysis describes the practical methods used by people to make sense of their environment, to produce their local order, and to act accordingly. The three approaches converge in their insistence on adopting the endogenous/indigenous perspective towards social life and its production.
Environmental Justice
Authors: Hanschel Dirk , Steyn Elizabeth
Published: October 2021

This chapter deals with the evolving quest to attain environmental justice. It demonstrates that there are many facets and manifestations of environmental justice—a concept that sits at the junction of legal doctrine and anthropological realities. Amalgamating these two perspectives permits us to capture examples of such injustices and to analyse how law responds to them. This investigation into environmental justice adopts a three-pronged approach. The first section, ‘The meaning and origins of “environmental justice” ’, contemplates the emergence and rise of the environmental justice movement, as well as disruptions and innovations in the ontological sense of the concept itself. The second section, ‘Litigating environmental justice’, lays out concrete facets of environmental justice from a classic anthropocentric viewpoint in a schematically organized format. Four dimensions of environmental justice litigation are delineated. In the third part of the chapter, ‘Expanding environmental justice’, we consider more holistic or ecocentric applications of environmental justice, most notably Indigenous world views and the potential recognition of the rights of nature. We conclude that environmental justice is a moving target—it can mean different things to different people in different contexts, and is constantly adapting to new realities. As topics such as climate change or loss of biodiversity show, the human–nature relationship is, indeed, among the most pressing issues of our time. Environmental justice is, therefore, likely to gain even more importance in the coming decades, and further interdisciplinary research will be required to understand what that justice may entail in very concrete and variegated circumstances.
Quality control and evaluation of plant epigenomics data
Authors: Schmitz Robert J , Marand Alexandre P , Zhang Xuan , Mosher Rebecca A , Turck Franziska , Chen Xuemei , Axtell Michael J , Zhong Xuehua , Brady Siobhan M , Megraw Molly , Meyers Blake C
Published: October 2021

Epigenomics is the study of molecular signatures associated with discrete regions within genomes, many of which are important for a wide range of nuclear processes. The ability to profile the epigenomic landscape associated with genes, repetitive regions, transposons, transcription, differential expression, cis-regulatory elements, and 3D chromatin interactions has vastly improved our understanding of plant genomes. However, many epigenomic and single-cell genomic assays are challenging to perform in plants, leading to a wide range of data quality issues; thus, the data require rigorous evaluation prior to downstream analyses and interpretation. In this commentary, we provide considerations for the evaluation of plant epigenomics and single-cell genomics data quality with the aim of improving the quality and utility of studies using those data across diverse plant species.
Multilocus phylogeny, natural history traits and classification of natricine snakes (Serpentes: Natricinae)
Authors: Deepak V , Cooper Natalie , Poyarkov Nikolay A , Kraus Fred , Burin Gustavo , Das Abhijit , Narayanan Surya , Streicher Jeffrey W , Smith Sarah-Jane , Gower David J
Published: October 2021

Natricine snakes are geographically widespread, species rich (with ~250 extant species) and both morphologically and ecologically diverse. We present a multilocus DNA sequence phylogeny for 249 natricine specimens representing 189 named species, including 69 specimens and 21 species not previously sampled. Our inferred Bayesian and maximum likelihood trees form the basis for evaluations of genus-level classification, historical biogeography, lineage diversification, and dietary, habit and reproductive-mode diversity and evolution, although several, mostly deeper, relationships remain poorly resolved. The optimal trees support natricine origins in Asia, with dispersals to Australo-Melanesia, sub-Saharan Africa (including Seychelles Archipelago, excluding Aldabra), Europe and North Africa and into North and Central America. Viviparity appears to have evolved independently three times in Natricinae but was not significantly associated with an aquatic habit. We found limited associations between habit and diet categories. We propose generic reallocations for four natricine species and highlight other points of uncertainty in natricine classification.
Novel immunotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of lung cancer
Authors: Peng Ling , Wang Zibing , Stebbing Justin , Yu Zhentao
Published: October 2021

Purpose of review

Cancer cells evade immune surveillance partly due to the immunosuppressive features of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Currently approved immuno-oncology drugs for the treatment of lung cancer are aimed to inhibit immune checkpoints, such as programmed death protein-1 (PD-1), PD ligand-1 (PD-L1) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4. Despite these, researchers are currently racing to create the optimal cancer immunotherapy treatments.

Recent findings

Novel immunotherapeutic drugs mainly act on activated immune cells and exert their therapeutic effects by enhancing antitumor responses. In this article, we review new therapies for the treatment of lung cancer that enhance T cell priming, remove coinhibitory signals, supply costimulatory signals and condition the TME.

As more immunotherapeutic targets are in studies, designing multimodal strategies to provide greater efficacy with lower toxicity will be necessary.
Patterns of menstrual cycle length over the menopause transition are associated with subclinical atherosclerosis after menopause
Authors: El Khoudary Samar R. , Qi Meiyuzhen , Chen Xirun , Matthews Karen , Allshouse Amanda A. , Crawford Sybil L. , Derby Carol A. , Thurston Rebecca C. , Kazlauskaite Rasa , Barinas-Mitchell Emma , Santoro Nanette
Published: October 2021

Objective:

Longer menstrual cycles have been associated with greater risk of cardiovascular disease, supporting a contribution of abnormal ovarian function. We aimed to characterize trajectories of menstrual cycle length over the menopause transition (MT) and test whether these trajectories are associated with postmenopausal markers of subclinical atherosclerosis.

Methods:

Women from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation Daily Hormone Study were included if they had an observed date of the final menstrual period (FMP), recorded cycle lengths from ≥2 annual menstrual cycles (mean±SD: 4.22 ± 1.91 cycles), and had measurements of postmenopausal carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and/or brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). Trajectories of cycle length over the MT were identified using group-based trajectory modeling and linked with cIMT and baPWV using linear regression.

Results:

We studied 428 women who had 1,808 cycles over the MT (45.1 ± 2.3 y old at baseline visit), and of whom 263 had cIMT, and 213 had baPWV measured postmenopausally (after 13.88 ± 0.42 and 15.25 ± 0.70 y since baseline visit, respectively). Three distinct trajectories of cycle length were identified: stable (no changes in cycle length over the MT among 62.1% of women), late increase (a late increase 2 y before the FMP among 21.8%), and early-increase (an early increase 5 y before the FMP among 16.2%). Women with the late-increase pattern had significantly lower postmenopausal cIMT (0.72 mm) and baPWV (1392 cm/s) levels than the stable group (0.77 mm and 1508 cm/s, respectively) adjusting for race, concurrent age, socioeconomic status, physical activity level, and premenopausal cardiovascular risk profile.

Conclusions:

Patterns of cycle length over the MT seem to be a marker of future vascular health that may help identify groups at greater or lesser risk of atherosclerosis after menopause.
Brachial plexus injury and facial breakdown as a consequence of proning during COVID-19 treatment
Authors: Ayala Kelly , Redding Jill , Lynch Whitney , MacKinney Theodore
Published: October 2021

By early 2020, the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) was spreading rapidly worldwide, and its effects proved devastating. In many critically ill patients afflicted with COVID-19, treatment often involves prolonged periods of proning that, along with other interventions, can lead to improved oxygenation. However, sustaining this position predisposed patients to increased complications. We present a case of an older patient with respiratory failure secondary to COVID-19 who developed rapidly forming facial and knee wounds and a brachial plexus injury from proning. The pressure injuries were unresponsive to standard wound care treatments and resulted in full-thickness wounds. During outpatient posthospital follow-up, a facial eschar was debrided, and weakness of the left shoulder and arm secondary to a brachial plexus injury was identified. This case highlights various complications associated with prolonged proning and the importance of close attention to follow-up by both inpatient and outpatient providers.
Core Extirpation and Zygoma Reduction: A New Surgical Approach for Fibrous Dysplasia of Zygomaticomaxillary Region
Authors: Kim Jong-Ho , Kim Jiyoung , Cho Seung Woo , Kim Baek-Kyu
Published: October 2021

Introduction:

In case of zygomaticomaxillary fibrous dysplasia (FD), surgical treatment is often required due to visual disturbance, exophthalmos, and also necessary for cosmetic reasons. However, it is not easy to determine the timing and method of operation. The objective of our study is to define a new surgical option, for the treatment of FD of zygomaticomaxillary area.

Materials and Methods:

Five patients affected by FD of their zygomaticomaxillary area who underwent surgery with a core extirpation were included in this study. A retrospective chart review and pre- and post-operative analysis of computed tomography scan were performed.

Results:

All patients underwent core extirpation surgery and zygoma reduction was combined in 2 patients. All patients showed the cessation of the increase of external size postoperatively and results of the operation were well maintained over the follow-up period of 1 year.

Conclusions:

In this article, we present our experiences in the management of FD using the core extirpation with or without zygoma reduction, focusing on surgical indication, techniques, and results. Although there are limitations due to selective operative indication, the procedure can be usefully performed to prevent external growth and avoid repetitive surgery.
Single Versus Double Venous Anastomosis Microvascular Free Flaps for Head and Neck Reconstruction
Authors: Boczar Daniel , Colon Ricardo Rodriguez , Anzai Lavinia , Daar David A. , Chaya Bachar F. , Trilles Jorge , Levine Jamie P. , Jacobson Adam S.
Published: October 2021

Venous congestion accounts for most microvascular free tissue flaps failures. Given the lack of consensus on the use of single versus dual venous outflow, the authors present our institutional experience with 1 versus 2 vein anastomoses in microvascular free flap for head and neck reconstruction. A retrospective chart review was performed on all patients undergoing free flaps for head and neck reconstruction at our institution between 2008 and 2020. The authors included patients who underwent anterolateral thigh, radial forearm free flap, or fibula free flaps. The authors classified patients based on the number of venous anastomoses used and compared complication rates. A total of 279 patients with a mean age of 55.11 years (standard deviation 19.31) were included. One hundred sixty-eight patients (60.2%) underwent fibula free flaps, 59 (21.1%) anterolateral thigh, and 52 (18.6%) radial forearm free flap. The majority of patients were American Society of Anesthesiologists classification III or higher (N = 158, 56.6%) and had history of radiation (N = 156, 55.9%). Most flaps were performed using a single venous anastomosis (83.8%). Univariate analysis of postoperative outcomes demonstrated no significant differences in overall complications (P = 0.788), flap failure (P = 1.0), return to the Operating Room (OR) (P = 1.0), hematoma (P = 0.225), length of hospital stay (P = 0.725), or venous congestion (P = 0.479). In our cohort, the rate of venous congestion was not statistically different between flaps with 1 and 2 venous anastomoses. Decision to perform a second venous anastomoses should be guided by anatomical location, vessel lie, flap size, and intraoperative visual assessment.