bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Face Masks for All and All for Face Masks in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Community Level Production to Face the Global Shortage and Shorten the Epidemic
Authors: Missoni Eduardo , Armocida Benedetta , Formenti Beatrice
Published: June 2020

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused a global shortage of medical masks, leaving most exposed health personnel without appropriate protection.

Since the beginning of the outbreak, the World Health Organization WHO) has revised several times the recommendations on general use of facemasks. Until recently, WHO recommended to limit the use of facemasks to symptomatic people and advised against off-standard solutions. Moreover, recommendations differ among and within countries, causing public confusion and individual initiative.

There is wide consensus that universal appropriate use of masks may contribute both to contain the epidemic and to reduce the burden on national procurement, if a community production approach is followed. Especially in low-middle income countries, due to the scarce capacity of national industrial production or import, the use of masks produced at community level may become the only viable option. For the purpose ad hoc guidelines will be needed.

Current knowledge and experience call for further and updated review of global and national guidelines to provide clear and consistent criteria to ensure the widest availability and appropriate use of facial protection, bearing in mind populations in socio-economic disadvantaged settings.
Psychological Effects and Associated Factors of COVID-19 in a Mexican Sample
Authors: Cortés-Álvarez Nadia Yanet , Piñeiro-Lamas Regino , Vuelvas-Olmos César Rubén
Published: June 2020

Objectives:

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19) is a new viral zoonosis of global concern that could cause psychological sequelae. We examined the levels of psychological distress, anxiety, depression, and stress during the COVID-19 outbreak in a Mexican sample.

Methods:

An online survey was applied that collected information on demographic and financial status data, physical status, contact history, knowledge, concerns, and precautionary measures concerning COVID-19. Impact of Event Scale-Revised and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale were included.

Results:

A total of 50.3% of respondents rated psychological distress as moderate-severe; 15.7% reported moderate-severe depressive symptoms; 22.6% reported moderate-severe anxiety symptoms; and 19.8% reported moderate-severe stress levels. Female gender, older age, divorced status, lack of confidence related to security of the test, lower satisfaction of health information concerning COVID-19, history of direct or indirect contact with a COVID-19 confirmed case, live with just 1 other person, and spent >9 h/d at home were associated with greater psychological distress and/or higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. By contrast, precautionary measures, such as hand hygiene and wearing masks, were associated with lower levels of psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and stress.

Conclusions:

COVID-19 outbreak results in considerable psychological effects among the Mexican sample.
Dietary nitrate improves skeletal muscle microvascular oxygenation in HIV-infected patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy: a randomised, double-blind, cross-over, placebo-controlled study
Authors: Barros-Santos Elisa , de Oliveira Gustavo Vieira , Volino-Souza Mônica , Alvares Thiago Silveira
Published: June 2020

HIV-1 proteins and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) have been associated with microvascular endothelial dysfunction. Although nitrate-rich beetroot juice (NR-BJ) consumption has been shown to improve endothelial function in clinical population, its effects in HIV-infected patients has not been addressed. We investigated the effect of a single dose of NR-BJ on muscle oxygen saturation parameters in response to a handgrip exercise in HIV-infected patients. Fifteen HIV-infected patients received NR-BJ or nitrate-depleted beetroot juice (ND-BJ) in a double-blind cross-over design. Near-IR spectroscopy was utilised to assess muscle oxygen saturation parameters during rhythmic handgrip exercise after NR-BJ or ND-BJ supplementation. A significant faster muscle oxygen desaturation rate during exercise (–7·97 (sd 5·00) v. –5·45 (3·94) %/s, P = 0·005) and muscle oxygen resaturation rate during exercise recovery (0·43 (0·24) v. 0·28 (0·24) %/s, P = 0·030) after NR-BJ ingestion was found. However, no significant difference in exercise time until fatigue was observed. Salivary nitrite and urinary nitrate concentration were analysed after NR-BJ or ND-BJ. A significant increase in salivary nitrite and urinary nitrate in NR-BJ was observed compared with ND-BJ (P < 0·05). Our findings suggest that NR-BJ consumption may acutely improve muscle oxygen saturation during exercise and exercise recovery in HIV-infected patients undergoing HAART and who are expected to present microvascular damage. Thus, future studies investigating the chronic effects of NR-BJ are warranted to delineate a better nutritional strategy based on nitrate-rich foods.
Comparison of whole egg v. egg white ingestion during 12 weeks of resistance training on skeletal muscle regulatory markers in resistance-trained men
Authors: Bagheri Reza , Hooshmand Moghadam Babak , Jo Edward , Tinsley Grant M. , Stratton Matthew T. , Ashtary-Larky Damoon , Eskandari Mozhgan , Wong Alexei
Published: June 2020

Eggs are considered a high-quality protein source for their complete amino acid profile and digestibility. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effects of whole egg (WE) v. egg white (EW) ingestion during 12 weeks of resistance training (RT) on the skeletal muscle regulatory markers and body composition in resistance-trained men. Thirty resistance-trained men (mean age 24·6 (sd 2·7) years) were randomly assigned into the WE + RT (WER, n 15) or EW + RT (EWR, n 15) group. The WER group ingested three WE, while the EWR group ingested an isonitrogenous quantity of six EW per d immediately after the RT session. Serum concentrations of regulatory markers and body composition were measured at baseline and after 12 weeks. Significant main effects of time were observed for body weight (WER 1·7, EWR 1·8 kg), skeletal muscle mass (WER 2·9, EWR 2·7 kg), fibroblast growth factor-2 (WER 116·1, EWR 83·2 pg/ml) and follistatin (WER 0·05, EWR 0·04 ng/ml), which significantly increased (P < 0·05), and for fat mass (WER –1·9, EWR –1·1 kg), transforming growth factor-β1 (WER –0·5, EWR −0·1 ng/ml), activin A (WER –6·2, EWR –4·5 pg/ml) and myostatin (WER –0·1, EWR –0·06 ng/ml), which significantly decreased (P < 0·05) in both WER and EWR groups. The consumption of eggs absent of yolk during chronic RT resulted in similar body composition and functional outcomes as WE of equal protein value. EW or WE may be used interchangeably for the dietary support of RT-induced muscular hypertrophy when protein intake is maintained.
‘Asram is really killing us here’: attribution for pregnancy losses and newborn mortality in the Ashanti Region of Ghana
Authors: Bakari Ashura , Bell April J. , Oppong Samuel , Woodford Jessica , Kaselitz Elizabeth , Moyer Cheryl A.
Published: June 2020

While overall neonatal mortality rates are improving in Ghana, the Ashanti Region has the highest mortality rate in the country. The clinical causes of newborn deaths are well known, yet local beliefs about illness aetiology, cause of death and care-seeking are less well understood. This exploratory qualitative study sought to understand how community members perceive and respond to neonatal illness. Researchers worked with public health nurses, community health nurses and opinion leaders in the Ashanti Region of Ghana to identify women who had lost a baby, either during pregnancy or after delivery. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted about knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding neonatal mortality. The transcripts were coded and analysed using NVivo 10.0. A total of 100 participants were interviewed: 24% reported a previous stillbirth; 37% reported a previous miscarriage; and 45% reported losing a baby who was born alive. Nine per cent experienced more than one type of loss. The local illness of asram – an illness with supernatural causes – was cited as a leading cause of death of newborns. Every participant reported hearing of, knowing someone, or having a child who had become ill with asram. While women gave varying information on symptoms, method of contraction and treatment, all participants agreed that asram was common and often fatal. Four overarching themes emerged: 1) asram is not a hospital sickness; 2) there is both a fear of traditional healers as a source of asram, as well as a reliance upon them to cure asram; 3) there are rural/urban differences in perceptions of asram; and 4) asram may serve as a mechanism of social control for pregnant women and new mothers. Local beliefs and practices must be better understood and incorporated into health education campaigns if neonatal mortality is to be reduced in Ghana.
Charged particle isotropization in collisionless environments: turbulent magnetic fields as a conduit for random walks
Authors: Newman William I.
Published: June 2020

We develop a simple model for the kinematics of charged particles in regions of magnetic turbulence. We approximate the local magnetic field as smoothly varying in strength and direction, where adiabatic invariance prevails, or as presenting rapid changes in direction or ‘kinks’. Particles execute guiding centre gyromotion around a field line. However, in analogy to kinetic theory for collisional environments, when the particle undergoes a rapid change in direction by some angle

$\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}$

, it would instantaneously transition to Larmor motion around the new field line. This mimics Brownian motion wherein we replace collisions with other particles by rapid transitions or ‘collisions’ with other field lines. Using standard methods drawn from Brownian motion, we follow the evolution of the parallel and perpendicular components of the velocity, namely

$v_{\Vert }$

and

$v_{\bot }$

, and rigorously show that kinetic energy isotropization necessarily emerges.
Emerging trends of the illegal wildlife trade in Mesoamerica
Authors: Gluszek Sarah , Ariano-Sánchez Daniel , Cremona Patricia , Goyenechea Alejandra , Luque Vergara Darío Antonio , Mcloughlin Lee , Morales Alejandro , Reuter Cortes Adrian , Rodríguez Fonseca Javier , Radachowsky Jeremy , Knight Andrew
Published: June 2020

Mesoamerica is the world's third largest biodiversity hotspot and has c. 4,000 wildlife species protected under CITES. Despite the high biodiversity in the region, there is limited global attention, data and funding for conservation. The continued exploitation of wildlife species for the trade requires a more proactive approach to address emerging trends, and low-cost and effective solutions to prevent species decline. Over a 5-month period in 2017, we used expert-driven horizon scanning, facilitated online, to identify emerging trends of the illegal wildlife trade in Mesoamerica. We found that the main emerging trends included digital and technological advancements, greater regional access to the global community, developments in trafficking techniques and growing demand for certain species. Our findings demonstrate that horizon scanning can be used as a tool for identifying emerging trends of illegal wildlife trade in data-poor contexts. We recommend that horizon scanning is used regularly for systematic monitoring of trends and to prioritize resources for immediate and emerging trends in illegal wildlife trade.
South Pacific Brownface: Racial Imposture, Global Markets, and National Theatre in Tapu (1903)
Authors: WERRY MARGARET
Published: June 2020

New Zealand critics and audiences in 1903 hailed Tapu (by Alfred Hill and Arthur Adams) as the harbinger of a new ‘national drama’. They thought that the comic opera captured the national essence and would broadcast the nation's advantages to a global audience. Yet the production never made it beyond Sydney, and has since disappeared from the historical record. My analysis of the script and critical reception shows that Tapu faltered in its confused adoption of a wide array of techniques of racial mimicry (borrowed from metropolitan theatres) to represent indigenous Māori and white visitors, but not the native-born settler population. The story of Tapu's failure, I argue, reveals something about the transnational conditions for the constitution of a national public sphere, and the indispensability of race as a supplement to that nation. It attunes us to the force of performance genre and repertoire as vehicles of racial information and affect, pointing to the ways in which conformity, rather than invention, was the ticket to success in the emergent global culture industries. If popular performance, and specifically racial mimicry, operated as a public experiment with the racial properties of citizenship – as a generation of scholarship on race and performance has argued – to what extent was that experiment controlled by the conventions of the global commodity market? This essay reaches insights that will be of interest to scholars of (trans)national performance history, settler whiteness and global indigeneity, and is germane to disciplinary debates on minstrelsy, ethnological show business, and cultural appropriation.
Minnie Cunningham at the Old Bedford
Authors: PRICE JASON
Published: June 2020

Minnie Cunningham (1870–1954) was a British music hall star and actress whose career spanned nearly forty years. Today she is primarily remembered through paintings made of her by the prominent British artist Walter Sickert (1860–1942) in the early 1890s. Despite her popularity, Cunningham has mostly been overlooked in music hall and theatre histories. Instead, the limited information that is available about her today comes to us primarily through art-history scholarship on Sickert. To fill this gap, this paper offers the first scholarly account of Cunningham by drawing together press notices, published interviews, and other artefacts from her long career. This introduction to Cunningham is framed by a discussion of the unevenness of the cultural transactions taking place between these artists – between the ‘higher’ arts practice of modern painting and the perceived ‘lower’ music hall. I consider how this imbalance played out at the time these artists worked and the impact this has had in the preservation (or lack thereof) of their artistic practices.
Resuscitating Patient Rights during the Pandemic: COVID-19 and the Risk of Resurgent Paternalism
Authors: FINS JOSEPH J.
Published: June 2020

The COVID-19 Pandemic a stress test for clinical medicine and medical ethics, with a confluence over questions of the proportionality of resuscitation. Drawing upon his experience as a clinical ethicist during the surge in New York City during the Spring of 2020, the author considers how attitudes regarding resuscitation have evolved since the inception of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders decades ago. Sharing a personal narrative about a DNR quandry he encountered as a medical intern, the author considers the balance of patient rights versus clinical discretion, warning about the risk of resurgent physician paternalism dressed up in the guise of a public health crisis.
Preparing a young palliative care unit for the COVID-19 pandemic in a teaching hospital in Ghana
Authors: Ofosu-Poku Rasheed , Anyane Gladys , Agbeko Anita Eseenam , Dzaka Alberta Delali , Owusu-Ansah Michael , Appiah Mary Owusu , Spangenberg Kathryn
Published: June 2020

The emergence of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has necessitated an interim restructuring of the healthcare system in accordance with public health preventive measures to mitigate spread of the virus while providing essential healthcare services to the public. This article discusses how the Palliative Care Team of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Ghana has modified its services in accordance with public health guidelines. It also suggests a strategy to deal with palliative care needs of critically ill patients with COVID-19 and their families.
Nicholas Gordon Martin
Authors: Chenevix-Trench Georgia
Published: June 2020

We performed a candidate single-nucleotide polymorphism association study of cleft lip and palate in 1992 which earned more citations than it had subjects (N = 230).
Curly Questions
Authors: Medland Sarah E.
Published: June 2020

This letter reflects on my collaborations with Nick Martin over the past 18 years. Working together we have applied twin-family and statistical genetics methods to examine the genetic architecture and identify genetic variants influencing a range of physical, psychological and social traits. The common thread across much of this work has been the empirical questions: Why are we the way we are and how can this knowledge help us when things go wrong?
Behavior of Greigite‐Bearing Marine Sediments During AF and Thermal Demagnetization and Its Significance
Authors: Duan Zongqi , Liu Qingsong , Qin Huafeng , Zhao Xixi , Gao Xing
Published: June 2020

Gyro‐remanent magnetization (GRM) is a frequently occurring yet unwanted remanence contamination for certain samples during alternating field (AF) demagnetization of the natural remanent magnetization. The origin and detailed properties of GRM have not yet been fully understood. In this study, systematic rock magnetic analyses were conducted on marine greigite‐bearing samples of Hole U1433A drilled by the IODP Expedition 349 from the South China Sea. Results show that GRM is mostly acquired above ~55 mT AF demagnetization and can be effectively removed by heating to ~400°C during thermal demagnetization but a secondary tail could remain until ~585°C. In addition, no apparent GRM was observed during the AF demagnetization for the 400°C thermally treated samples. These results strongly suggest that GRM is dominantly carried by single domain (SD) greigite but with minor contributions from SD magnetite. Thus, thermal treatment alone or the hybrid demagnetization (i.e., thermal demagnetization at ~400°C first then systematical AF demagnetization) can efficiently avoid the GRM acquisition and be beneficial for relative paleointensity estimation for greigite‐bearing samples. Besides, GRM carried by greigite has a low thermal stability. Our results also show AF demagnetization spectra of anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM) could be strongly distorted by GRM effects due to both have a preference of SD particles. Thus, the median destructive field of ARM is improper to be used as a coercivity proxy for greigite‐bearing samples. Instead, the biplot analysis of AF demagnetization of natural remanent magnetization and ARM can be used to evaluate the relative content of greigite.
Moment‐Duration Scaling of Low‐Frequency Earthquakes in Guerrero, Mexico
Authors: Farge Gaspard , Shapiro Nikolaï M. , Frank William B.
Published: June 2020

Low‐frequency earthquakes (LFEs) are detected within tremor, as small, repetitive, impulsive low‐frequency (1–8 Hz) signals. While the mechanism causing this depletion of the high‐frequency content of their signal is still debated, this feature may indicate that the source processes at the origin of LFEs are different from those for regular earthquakes. Key constraints on the LFE‐generating physical mechanisms can be obtained by establishing scaling laws between their seismic moment and source durations. Here we apply a simple spectral analysis method to the S waveforms of LFEs from Guerrero, Mexico, to measure their seismic moments and corner frequencies, a proxy to source duration. We find characteristic values of M0∼3×1012 N.m (Mw∼2.3) and fc∼3.0 Hz with the corner frequency very weakly dependent on the seismic moment. This moment‐duration scaling observed for Mexican LFEs is similar to one previously reported in Cascadia and is very different from the established one for regular earthquakes. This suggests that they could be generated by sources of nearly constant size with strongly varying intensities. LFEs do not exhibit the self‐similarity characteristic of regular earthquakes, suggesting that the physical mechanisms at their origin could be intrinsically different.
Rheological Transitions Facilitate Fault‐Spanning Ruptures on Seismically Active and Creeping Faults
Authors: van den Ende M. P. A. , Chen J. , Niemeijer A. R. , Ampuero J.‐P.
Published: June 2020

Physical constraints on the seismogenic potential of major fault zones may aid in improving seismic hazard assessments, but the mechanics of earthquake nucleation and rupture are obscured by the complexity that faults display. In this work, we investigate the mechanisms behind giant earthquakes by employing a microphysically based seismic cycle simulator. This microphysical approach is directly based on the mechanics of friction as inferred from laboratory tests and can explain a broad spectrum of fault slip behavior. We show that regular earthquakes are controlled by the size and distribution of (nominally) frictionally unstable asperities, whereas fault‐spanning earthquakes are governed by a rheological transition occurring in creeping fault segments. Moreover, this facilitates the nucleation of giant earthquakes on faults that are weakly seismically coupled (i.e., creeping). This microphysically based approach offers opportunities for investigating long‐term seismic cycle behavior of natural faults.
Improved Constraints on Northern Extratropical CO2 Fluxes Obtained by Combining Surface‐Based and Space‐Based Atmospheric CO2 Measurements
Authors: Byrne B. , Liu J. , Lee M. , Baker I. , Bowman K. W. , Deutscher N. M. , Feist D. G. , Griffith D. W. T. , Iraci L. T. , Kiel M. , Kimball J. S. , Miller C. E. , Morino I. , Parazoo N. C. , Petri C. , Roehl C. M. , Sha M. K. , Strong K. , Velazco V. A. , Wennberg P. O. , Wunch D.
Published: June 2020

Top‐down estimates of CO2 fluxes are typically constrained by either surface‐based or space‐based CO2 observations. Both of these measurement types have spatial and temporal gaps in observational coverage that can lead to differences in inferred fluxes. Assimilating both surface‐based and space‐based measurements concurrently in a flux inversion framework improves observational coverage and reduces sampling related artifacts. This study examines the consistency of flux constraints provided by these different observations and the potential to combine them by performing a series of 6‐year (2010–2015) CO2 flux inversions. Flux inversions are performed assimilating surface‐based measurements from the in situ and flask network, measurements from the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON), and space‐based measurements from the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT), or all three data sets combined. Combining the data sets results in more precise flux estimates for subcontinental regions relative to any of the data sets alone. Combining the data sets also improves the accuracy of the posterior fluxes, based on reduced root‐mean‐square differences between posterior flux‐simulated CO2 and aircraft‐based CO2 over midlatitude regions (0.33–0.56 ppm) in comparison to GOSAT (0.37–0.61 ppm), TCCON (0.50–0.68 ppm), or in situ and flask measurements (0.46–0.56 ppm) alone. These results suggest that surface‐based and GOSAT measurements give complementary constraints on CO2 fluxes in the northern extratropics and can be combined in flux inversions to improve constraints on regional fluxes. This stands in contrast with many earlier attempts to combine these data sets and suggests that improvements in the NASA Atmospheric CO2 Observations from Space (ACOS) retrieval algorithm have significantly improved the consistency of space‐based and surface‐based flux constraints.
Clearing the Haze Around Aerosol Assessments
Authors: Liu Xiaohong , Lin Zhaohui , Zhang Minghua
Published: June 2020

An international gathering of scientists discussed the state of the art in assessments of how aerosol particles in the atmosphere affect Earth's climate.
A Quantitative Tomotectonic Plate Reconstruction of Western North America and the Eastern Pacific Basin
Authors: Clennett Edward J. , Sigloch Karin , Mihalynuk Mitchell G. , Seton Maria , Henderson Martha A. , Hosseini Kasra , Mohammadzaheri Afsaneh , Johnston Stephen T. , Müller R. Dietmar
Published: June 2020

Plate reconstructions since the breakup of Pangaea are mostly based on the preserved spreading history of ocean basins, within absolute reference frames that are constrained by a combination of age‐progressive hotspot tracks and paleomagnetic data. The evolution of destructive plate margins is difficult to constrain from surface observations as much of the evidence has been subducted. Seismic tomography can directly constrain paleotrench locations by imaging subducted lithosphere in the mantle. This new evidence, combined with the geological surface record of subduction, suggests that several intraoceanic arcs existed between the Farallon Ocean and North America during late Mesozoic times—in contrast to existing quantitative models that typically show long‐lived subduction of the Farallon plate beneath the continental margin. We present a continuously closing plate model for the eastern Pacific basin from 170 Ma to present, constrained using “tomotectonic analysis”—the integration of surface and subsurface data. During the Middle to Late Jurassic, we show simultaneous eastward and westward subduction of oceanic plates under an archipelago composed of Cordilleran arc terranes. As North America drifts westward, it diachronously overrides the archipelago and its arcs, beginning in the latest Jurassic. During and post‐accretion, Cordilleran terranes are translated thousands of kilometers along the continental margin, as constrained by paleomagnetic evidence. Final accretions to North America occur during the Eocene, ending ~100 Myr of archipelago override. This model provides a detailed, quantitative tectonic history for the eastern Pacific domain, paving the way for tomotectonic analysis to be used in other paleo‐oceanic regions.
Detecting Offshore Seismicity: Combining Backprojection Imaging and Matched‐Filter Detection
Authors: Feng Tian , Meng Lingsen , Huang Hui
Published: June 2020

An important manifestation of the background or coseismic deformation surrounding megathrust earthquakes is the offshore microseismicity, which are difficult to be directly detected by land‐based seismic instruments. Here, we improve the capability of detecting offshore events by combining two popular techniques: backprojection (BP) imaging and matched‐filter (MF) detection. The BP method is effective in retrieving offshore seismicity (Mw > 4.5) buried in the coda wave of large earthquakes. The capability of the MF method depends on the availability of the template pool; therefore, the BP‐inferred events can be used as additional templates to expand the MF detections (BP‐MF). We performed the BP‐MF approach in the period within 600 days after the 2011 Mw 9.0 Tohoku earthquake. We find overall 44.2% more offshore events than those listed in the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) catalog. In the near‐trench area, we detect 213% more events. Among the newly detected Mw > 4 events, the BP template contributions are twice more than those matched by the JMA templates. Based on the spatial consistency between aftershock‐depleted zones and large coseismic slip, we identify a possible large coseismic slip zone in the near‐trench region offshore Fukushima. Large b values (≥1.2) are found close to large aftershocks, possibly indicating localized pockets of small differential stresses. At several locations close to the trench, p values (0.93–1.11) are higher than those in the inland area (0.64–0.85). This may be due to the larger coseismic slip and hence larger stress drop of the outer‐rise normal‐faulting events compared to the deeper thrust‐faulting events.
Pressure-induced topological superconductivity in the spin–orbit Mott insulator GaTa4Se8
Authors: Park Moon Jip , Sim GiBaik , Jeong Min Yong , Mishra Archana , Han Myung Joon , Lee SungBin
Published: June 2020

Lacunar spinel GaTa4Se8 is a unique example of spin–orbit coupled Mott insulator described by molecular jeff = 3/2 states. It becomes superconducting at Tc = 5.8 K under pressure without doping. In this work, we show, this pressure-induced superconductivity is a realization of a new type topological phase characterized by spin-2 Cooper pairs. Starting from first-principles density functional calculations and random phase approximation, we construct the microscopic model and perform the detailed analysis. Applying pressure is found to trigger the virtual interband tunneling processes assisted by strong Hund coupling, thereby stabilizing a particular d-wave quintet channel. Furthermore, we show that its Bogoliubov quasiparticles and their surface states exhibit novel topological nature. To verify our theory, we propose unique experimental signatures that can be measured by Josephson junction transport and scanning tunneling microscope. Our findings open up new directions searching for exotic superconductivity in spin–orbit coupled materials.
Spatiotemporal force and motion in collective cell migration
Authors: Saraswathibhatla Aashrith , Galles Emmett E. , Notbohm Jacob
Published: June 2020

Cells move in collective groups in biological processes such as wound healing, morphogenesis, and cancer metastasis. How active cell forces produce the motion in collective cell migration is still unclear. Many theoretical models have been introduced to elucidate the relationship between the cell’s active forces and different observations about the collective motion such as collective swirls, oscillations, and rearrangements. Though many models share the common feature of balancing forces in the cell layer, the specific relationships between force and motion vary among the different models, which can lead to different conclusions. Simultaneous experimental measurements of force and motion can aid in testing assumptions and predictions of the theoretical models. Here, we provide time-lapse images of cells in 1 mm circular islands, which are used to compute cell velocities, cell-substrate tractions, and monolayer stresses. Additional data are included from experiments that perturbed cell number density and actomyosin contractility. We expect this data set to be useful to researchers interested in force and motion in collective cell migration.
A longitudinal serum NMR-based metabolomics dataset of ischemia-reperfusion injury in adult cardiac surgery
Authors: Maltesen Raluca Georgiana , Wimmer Reinhard , Rasmussen Bodil Steen
Published: June 2020

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and cardiac surgery is a key treatment. This study explores metabolite changes as a consequence of ischemia-reperfusion due to cardiac surgery with the use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). To describe the ischemia-reperfusion injury, metabolite changes were monitored in fifty patients before and after CPB at multiple time points. We describe a longitudinal metabolite dataset containing nearly 600 serum nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra obtained from samples collected simultaneously from the pulmonary artery (deoxygenated blood) and left atrium (oxygenated blood) before ischemia (pre-CPB), immediately after reperfusion (end-CPB), and the following 2, 4, 8, and 20 hours postoperatively. In addition, a longitudinal dataset including 57 quantified metabolites is also provided. These datasets will help researchers studying ischemia-reperfusion injury, as well as the time-dependent alterations related to the surgical trauma and the subsequent processes required in regaining metabolite balance. The datasets could also be used for the development of processing algorithms for NMR-based metabolomics studies and methods for the analysis of longitudinal multivariate data.
Prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus and Its Associated Factors in Bangladesh: Application of Two-level Logistic Regression Model
Authors: Talukder Ashis , Hossain Md. Zobayer
Published: June 2020

This study intends to explore the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and its associated factors in Bangladesh. The necessary information was extracted from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2011. In bivariate analysis, Chi-square test was performed to assess the association between selected covariates and diabetes status. A two-level logistic regression model with a random intercept at each of the individual and regional level was considered to identify the risk factors of DM. A total of 7,535 individuals were included in this study. From the univariate analysis, the prevalence of DM was found to be 33.3% in 50–54 age group for instance. In bivariate setup, all the selected covariates except sex of the participants were found significant for DM (p < 0.05). According to the two-level logistic regression model, the chance of occurring DM increases as age of the participants’ increases. It was observed that female participants were more likely to have DM. The occurrence of DM was 62% higher for higher educated participants, 42% higher for the individuals who came from rich family and 63% higher for the individuals having hypertension. The chance of developing diabetes among overweighed people was almost double. However, the individuals engaged in physical work had less chance to have DM. This study calls for greater attention of government and other concerned entities to come up with appropriate policy interventions to lower the risk of DM.
Dynamic properties of high-Tc superconducting nano-junctions made with a focused helium ion beam
Authors: Couëdo François , Amari Paul , Feuillet-Palma Cheryl , Ulysse Christian , Srivastava Yogesh Kumar , Singh Ranjan , Bergeal Nicolas , Lesueur Jérôme
Published: June 2020

The Josephson junction (JJ) is the corner stone of superconducting electronics and quantum information processing. While the technology for fabricating low Tc JJ is mature and delivers quantum circuits able to reach the “quantum supremacy”, the fabrication of reproducible and low-noise high-Tc JJ is still a challenge to be taken up. Here we report on noise properties at RF frequencies of recently introduced high-Tc Josephson nano-junctions fabricated by mean of a Helium ion beam focused at sub-nanometer scale on a YBa2Cu3O7 thin film. We show that their current-voltage characteristics follow the standard Resistively-Shunted-Junction (RSJ) circuit model, and that their characteristic frequency fc = (2e/h)IcRn reaches ~300 GHz at low temperature. Using the “detector response” method, we evidence that the Josephson oscillation linewidth is only limited by the thermal noise in the RSJ model for temperature ranging from T ~ 20 K to 75 K. At lower temperature and for the highest He irradiation dose, the shot noise contribution must also be taken into account when approaching the tunneling regime. We conclude that these Josephson nano-junctions present the lowest noise level possible, which makes them very promising for future applications in the microwave and terahertz regimes.
Temporal radiographic changes in COVID-19 patients: relationship to disease severity and viral clearance
Authors: Liu Xiaofan , Zhou Hong , Zhou Yilu , Wu Xiaojun , Zhao Yang , Lu Yang , Tan Weijun , Yuan Mingli , Ding Xuhong , Zou Jinjing , Li Ruiyun , Liu Hailing , Ewing Rob M. , Hu Yi , Nie Hanxiang , Wang Yihua
Published: June 2020

COVID-19 is “public enemy number one” and has placed an enormous burden on health authorities across the world. Given the wide clinical spectrum of COVID-19, understanding the factors that can predict disease severity will be essential since this will help frontline clinical staff to stratify patients with increased confidence. To investigate the diagnostic value of the temporal radiographic changes, and the relationship to disease severity and viral clearance in COVID-19 patients. In this retrospective cohort study, we included 99 patients admitted to the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, with laboratory confirmed moderate or severe COVID-19. Temporal radiographic changes and viral clearance were explored using appropriate statistical methods. Radiographic features from HRCT scans included ground-glass opacity, consolidation, air bronchogram, nodular opacities and pleural effusion. The HRCT scores (peak) during disease course in COVID-19 patients with severe pneumonia (median: 24.5) were higher compared to those with pneumonia (median: 10) (p = 3.56 × 10 −12), with more frequency of consolidation (p = 0.025) and air bronchogram (p = 7.50 × 10−6). The median values of days when the peak HRCT scores were reached in pneumonia or severe pneumonia patients were 12 vs. 14, respectively (p = 0.048). Log-rank test and Spearman’s Rank-Order correlation suggested temporal radiographic changes as a valuable predictor for viral clearance. In addition, follow up CT scans from 11 pneumonia patients showed full recovery. Given the values of HRCT scores for both disease severity and viral clearance, a standardised HRCT score system for COVID-19 is highly demanded.
A novel loss-of-function mutation of PBK associated with human kidney stone disease
Authors: Nettuwakul Choochai , Sawasdee Nunghathai , Praditsap Oranud , Rungroj Nanyawan , Pasena Arnat , Dechtawewat Thanyaporn , Deejai Nipaporn , Sritippayawan Suchai , Rojsatapong Santi , Chaowagul Wipada , Yenchitsomanus Pa-thai
Published: June 2020

Kidney stone disease (KSD) is a prevalent disorder that causes human morbidity worldwide. The etiology of KSD is heterogeneous, ranging from monogenic defect to complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Since mutations of genes responsible for KSD in a majority of families are still unknown, our group is identifying mutations of these genes by means of genomic and genetic analyses. In this study, we identified a novel loss-of-function mutation of PBK, encoding the PDZ binding kinase, that was found to be associated with KSD in an affected Thai family. Glycine (Gly) substituted by arginine (Arg) at position 43 (p.Gly43Arg) in PBK cosegregated with the disease in affected members of this family, but was absent in 180 normal control subjects from the same local population. Gly43 is highly evolutionarily conserved in vertebrates, and its substitution affects protein structure by alterations in H-bond forming patterns. This p.Gly43Arg substitution results in instability of the variant PBK protein as examined in HEK293T cells. The variant PBK protein (p.Gly43Arg) demonstrated decreased kinase activity to phosphorylate p38 MAPK as analyzed by immunoblotting and antibody microarray techniques. Taken together, these findings suggest a possible new mechanism of KSD associated with pathogenic PBK variation.
An Integrated Genomic and Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Candidates of Susceptibility Genes for Crohn’s Disease in Japanese Populations
Authors: Kakuta Yoichi , Ichikawa Ryo , Fuyuno Yuta , Hirano Atsushi , Umeno Junji , Torisu Takehiro , Watanabe Kazuhiro , Asakura Akihiro , Nakano Takeru , Izumiyama Yasuhiro , Okamoto Daisuke , Naito Takeo , Moroi Rintaro , Kuroha Masatake , Kanazawa Yoshitake , Kimura Tomoya , Shiga Hisashi , Naito Takeshi , Esaki Motohiro , Kawai Yosuke , Tokunaga Katsushi , Nakamura Minoru , Matsumoto Takayuki , Nagasaki Masao , Kinouchi Yoshitaka , Unno Michiaki , Masamune Atsushi
Published: June 2020

Expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) analyses have enabled us to predict the function of disease susceptibility SNPs. However, eQTL for the effector memory T cells (TEM) located in the lamina propria mononuclear cells (LPMCs), which play an important role in Crohn’s disease (CD), are not yet available. Thus, we conducted RNA sequencing and eQTL analyses of TEM cells located in the LPMCs from IBD patients (n = 20). Genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed using genotyping data of 713 Japanese CD patients and 2,063 controls. We compared the results of GWAS and eQTL of TEM, and also performed a transcriptome-wide association study using eQTL from Genotype Tissue Expression project. By eQTL analyses of TEM, correlations of possible candidates were confirmed in 22,632 pairs and 2,463 genes. Among these candidates, 19 SNPs which showed significant correlation with tenascin-XA (TNXA) expression were significantly associated with CD in GWAS. By TWAS, TNFSF15 (FDR = 1.35e-13) in whole blood, ERV3-1 (FDR = 2.18e-2) in lymphocytes, and ZNF713 (FDR = 3.04e-2) in the sigmoid colon was significantly associated with CD. By conducting integration analyses using GWAS and eQTL data, we confirmed multiple gene transcripts are involved in the development of CD.
Phylogeny, evolution, and potential ecological relationship of cytochrome CYP52 enzymes in Saccharomycetales yeasts
Authors: Ortiz-Álvarez Jossue , Becerra-Bracho Arturo , Méndez-Tenorio Alfonso , Murcia-Garzón Jazmin , Villa-Tanaca Lourdes , Hernández-Rodríguez César
Published: June 2020

Cytochrome P450s from the CYP52 family participate in the assimilation of alkanes and fatty acids in fungi. In this work, the evolutionary history of a set of orthologous and paralogous CYP52 proteins from Saccharomycetales yeasts was inferred. Further, the phenotypic assimilation profiles were related with the distribution of cytochrome CYP52 members among species. The maximum likelihood phylogeny of CYP52 inferred proteins reveled a frequent ancient and modern duplication and loss events that generated orthologous and paralogous groups. Phylogeny and assimilation profiles of alkanes and fatty acids showed a family expansion in yeast isolated from hydrophobic-rich environments. Docking analysis of deduced ancient CYP52 proteins suggests that the most ancient function was the oxidation of C4-C11 alkanes, while the oxidation of >10 carbon alkanes and fatty acids is a derived character. The ancient CYP52 paralogs displayed partial specialization and promiscuous interaction with hydrophobic substrates. Additionally, functional optimization was not evident. Changes in the interaction of ancient CYP52 with different alkanes and fatty acids could be associated with modifications in spatial orientations of the amino acid residues that comprise the active site. The extended family of CYP52 proteins is likely evolving toward functional specialization, and certain redundancy for substrates is being maintained.
Antimicrobial Efficacy of Pelargonic Acid Micelles against Salmonella varies by Surfactant, Serotype and Stress Response
Authors: Dev Kumar Govindaraj , Mis Solval Kevin , Mishra Abhinav , Macarisin Dumitru
Published: June 2020

The antimicrobial properties of Pelargonic acid (PA), a component of tomatoes, makes it an attractive candidate as a food additive and sanitizer. The antimicrobial efficacy of PA emulsions generated using surfactants: Tween 80, Triton X100, Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) and Quillaja Saponin was evaluated against Salmonella serotypes Newport, Oranienburg and Typhimurium. Micelle/dropletsize, and minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined. Surfactant type and concentration significantly influenced the antimicrobial efficacy of PA (p < 0.05). Overall, Salmonella Newport was the most (p < 0.05) susceptible serotype to PA emulsions. PA emulsions generated with 1.00% SDS had the highest (p < 0.05) antimicrobial activity, with MIC of 7.82 mM against S. Newport and 15.62 mM against S. Oranienburg/S. Typhimurium, respectively. Addition of PA to Trypticase Soy Broth resulted in a decreased growth rate and an increased lag phase duration. Cells exposed to PA formed elongated filaments (>5 µm). Additionally, Salmonella serotypes Typhimurium and Newport also formed floccular biofilms. PA emulsions at a concentration of 31.25 mM generated using 1% SDS and 1% Quillaja saponin resulted in >6 log CFU/ml reduction in Salmonella population. Althought all PA emulsions evalauted inhibited Salmonella, morphological changes to this antimicrobial varied substantially among the Salmonella serotypes tested.
Characterization of pharmacogenetic markers related to Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia toxicity in Amazonian native Americans population
Authors: de Carvalho Darlen Cardoso , Wanderley Alayde Vieira , dos Santos André Mauricio Ribeiro , Moreira Fabiano Cordeiro , de Sá Roberta Borges Andrade , Fernandes Marianne Rodrigues , Modesto Antonio André Conde , de Souza Tatiane Piedade , Cohen-Paes Amanda , Leitão Luciana Pereira Colares , Rodrigues Juliana Carla Gomes , da Silva Artur Luiz da Costa , Guerreiro João Farias , Santos Sidney , Khayat André Salim , de Assumpção Paulo Pimentel , dos Santos Ney Pereira Carneiro
Published: June 2020

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children. Differences are found among ethnic groups in the results of the treatment of pediatric ALL. In general, children with a high level of native American ancestry tend to respond less positively to ALL treatments, which may be related to specific genomic variants found in native American groups. Despite the evidence, few data are available on the distribution of the pharmacogenomic variants relevant to the treatment of ALL in traditional Amerindian populations, such the those of the Amazon region. Given this, the present study investigated 27 molecular markers related to the treatment of ALL in Amerindians from Brazilian Amazonia and compared the frequencies with those recorded previously on five continents, that are available in the 1,000 Genomes database. The variation in the genotype frequencies among populations was evaluated using Fisher’s exact test. The False Discovery Rate method was used to correct the results of the multiple analyses. Significant differences were found in the frequencies of the majority of markers between the Amerindian populations and those of other regions around the world. These findings highlight the unique genetic profile of the indigenous population of Brazilian Amazonia, which may reflect a distinct therapeutic profile for the treatment of ALL in these populations.
Low occupancy rate of the pedicle screw in the vertebral body leads to upper instrumented vertebral fracture
Authors: Oe Shin , Yamato Yu , Hasegawa Tomohiko , Yoshida Go , Kobayashi Sho , Yasuda Tatsuya , Banno Tomohiro , Arima Hideyuki , Mihara Yuki , Ushirozako Hiroki , Ide Koichirou , Yamada Tomohiro , Watanabe Yuh , Matsuyama Yukihiro
Published: June 2020

Upper instrumented vertebra (UIV) fracture in adult spinal deformity surgery leads serious complications, such as spinal cord injury in 0.5–0.8%. Although tip-apex distance is important for preventing screw cut-out in proximal femoral fracture surgery, this suggest that the screw occupancy rate for bone fragments is also important. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the occupancy rate of pedicle screws (ORPS) affects UIV fracture. Patients with UIV fracture 1 year after surgery were defined as the fracture group (F); others were defined as the no fracture group (NF). ORPS, cut-out of pedicle screw (PS), medications, and bone mineral density were evaluated. Significant differences (P < 0.05) between group F (n = 58) and group NF (n = 260) were observed in age (71 years old in group F and 65 years old in group NF), diabetes medication use (19% in group F and 4% in group NF), steroid drug use (10% in group F and 2% in group NF), and ORPS (70% in group F and 76% in group NF). The cut-off value of ORPS using receiver operator characteristic analysis was 73%. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified diabetes medication use (P = 0.026, odds ratio [OR] 4.0) and ORPS < 73% (P = 0.001, OR 3.6) as significant risk factors for UIV fracture. The surgeon can’t control use of diabetes medication. However, they can replace with longer PS when ORPS < 73% is detected on radiographs taken during surgery. Further studies will be needed to better elucidate it’s use.