bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thermonuclear explosion of a massive hybrid HeCO white dwarf triggered by a He detonation on a companion
Authors: Pakmor R , Zenati Y , Perets H B , Toonen S
Published: March 2021

Normal type Ia supernovae (SNe) are thought to arise from the thermonuclear explosion of massive (>0.8 M⊙) carbon–oxygen white dwarfs (WDs), although the exact mechanism is debated. In some models, helium accretion on to a carbon–oxygen (CO) WD from a companion was suggested to dynamically trigger a detonation of the accreted helium shell. The helium detonation then produces a shock that after converging on itself close to the core of the CO WD, triggers a secondary carbon detonation, and gives rise to an energetic explosion. However, most studies of such scenarios have been done in one or two dimensions, and/or did not consider self-consistent models for the accretion and the He donor. Here, we make use of detailed 3D simulation to study the interaction of a He-rich hybrid $0.69\, \mathrm{M_\odot }$ HeCO WD with a more massive $0.8\, \mathrm{M_\odot }$ CO WD. We find that accretion from the hybrid WD on to the CO WD gives rise to a helium detonation. However, the helium detonation does not trigger a carbon detonation in the CO WD. Instead, the helium detonation burns through the accretion stream to also burn the helium shell of the donor hybrid HeCO WD. The detonation of its massive helium shell then compresses its CO core, and triggers its detonation and full destruction. The explosion gives rise to a faint, likely highly reddened transient, potentially observable by the Vera Rubin survey, and the high-velocity ($\sim \! 1000\, \mathrm{km s^{-1}}$) ejection of the heated surviving CO WD companion. Pending on uncertainties in stellar evolution, we estimate the rate of such transient to be up to $\sim \! 10{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of the rate of type Ia SNe.
Determination of Planetary Nebulae angular diameters from radio continuum spectral energy distribution modelling
Authors: Bojičić I S , Filipović M D , Urošević D , Parker Q A , Galvin T J
Published: March 2021

Powerful new, high-resolution, high-sensitivity, multifrequency, wide-field radio surveys such as the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) Evolutionary Map of the Universe are emerging. They will offer fresh opportunities to undertake new determinations of useful parameters for various kinds of extended astrophysical phenomena. Here, we consider specific application to angular-size determinations of Planetary Nebulae (PNe) via a new radio continuum spectral energy distribution fitting technique. We show that robust determinations of angular size can be obtained, comparable to the best optical and radio observations but with the potential for consistent application across the population. This includes unresolved and/or heavily obscured PNe that are extremely faint or even non-detectable in the optical.
Particle acceleration in winds of star clusters
Authors: Morlino G , Blasi P , Peretti E , Cristofari P
Published: March 2021

The origin of cosmic rays in our Galaxy remains a subject of active debate. While supernova remnant (SNR) shocks are often invoked as the sites of acceleration, it is now widely accepted that the difficulties of such sources in reaching PeV energies are daunting and it seems likely that only a subclass of rare remnants can satisfy the necessary conditions. Moreover, the spectra of cosmic rays escaping the remnants have a complex shape that is not obviously the same as the spectra observed at the Earth. Here, we investigate the process of particle acceleration at the termination shock that develops in the bubble excavated by star clusters’ winds in the interstellar medium. While the main limitation to the maximum energy in SNRs comes from the need for effective wave excitation upstream so as to confine particles in the near-shock region and speed up the acceleration process, at the termination shock of star clusters the confinement of particles upstream is guaranteed by the geometry of the problem. We develop a theory of diffusive shock acceleration at such shock and we find that the maximum energy may reach the PeV region for powerful clusters in the high end of the luminosity tail for these sources. A crucial role in this problem is played by the dissipation of energy in the wind to magnetic perturbations. Under reasonable conditions, the spectrum of the accelerated particles has a power-law shape with a slope 4/4.3, in agreement with what is required based upon standard models of cosmic ray transport in the Galaxy.
Forming massive seed black holes in high-redshift quasar host progenitors
Authors: Lupi Alessandro , Haiman Zoltán , Volonteri Marta
Published: March 2021

The presence of massive black holes (BHs) with masses of the order of $10^9\, {\rm M_\odot }$, powering bright quasars when the Universe was less than 1 Gyr old, poses strong constraints on their formation mechanism. Several scenarios have been proposed to date to explain massive BH formation, from the low-mass seed BH remnants of the first generation of stars to the massive seed BHs resulting from the rapid collapse of massive gas clouds. However, the plausibility of some of these scenarios to occur within the progenitors of high-z quasars has not yet been thoroughly explored. In this work, we investigate, by combining dark-matter only N-body simulations with a semi-analytic framework, whether the conditions for the formation of massive seed BHs from synchronized atomic-cooling halo pairs and/or dynamically heated (DH) mini-haloes are fulfilled in the overdense regions where the progenitors of a typical high-redshift quasar host form and evolve. Our analysis shows that the peculiar conditions in such regions, i.e. strong halo clustering and high star formation rates, are crucial to produce a non-negligible number of massive seed BH host candidates: we find ≈1400 DH metal-free mini-haloes, including one of these which evolves to a synchronized pair and ends up in the massive quasar-host halo by z = 6. This demonstrates that the progenitors of high-redshift quasar host haloes can harbour early massive seed BHs. Our results further suggest that multiple massive seed BHs may form in or near the quasar host’s progenitors, potentially merging at lower redshifts and yielding gravitational wave events.
SEAGLE – II. Constraints on feedback models in galaxy formation from massive early-type strong-lens galaxies
Authors: Mukherjee Sampath , Koopmans Léon V E , Metcalf R Benton , Tortora Crescenzo , Schaller Matthieu , Schaye Joop , Vernardos Georgios , Bellagamba Fabio
Published: March 2021

We use nine different galaxy formation scenarios in ten cosmological simulation boxes from the EAGLE (Evolution and Assembly of GaLaxies and their Environments) suite of Lambda cold dark matter hydrodynamical simulations to assess the impact of feedback mechanisms in galaxy formation and compare these to observed strong gravitational lenses. To compare observations with simulations, we create strong lenses with M* > 1011 M⊙ with the appropriate resolution and noise level, and model them with an elliptical power-law mass model to constrain their total mass density slope. We also obtain the mass–size relation of the simulated lens-galaxy sample. We find significant variation in the total mass density slope at the Einstein radius and in the projected stellar mass–size relation, mainly due to different implementations of stellar and active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback. We find that for lens-selected galaxies, models with either too weak or too strong stellar and/or AGN feedback fail to explain the distribution of observed mass density slopes, with the counter-intuitive trend that increasing the feedback steepens the mass density slope around the Einstein radius (≈3–10 kpc). Models in which stellar feedback becomes inefficient at high gas densities, or weaker AGN feedback with a higher duty cycle, produce strong lenses with total mass density slopes close to isothermal [i.e. −dlog (ρ)/dlog (r) ≈ 2.0] and slope distributions statistically agreeing with observed strong-lens galaxies in Sloan Lens ACS Survey and BOSS (Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey) Emission-Line Lens Survey. Agreement is only slightly worse with the more heterogeneous Strong Lensing Legacy Survey lens-galaxy sample. Observations of strong-lens-selected galaxies thus appear to favour models with relatively weak feedback in massive galaxies.
A compact core-jet structure in the changing-look Seyfert NGC 2617
Authors: Yang Jun , Paragi Zsolt , Beswick Robert J , Chen Wen , van Bemmel Ilse M , Wu Qingwen , An Tao , Wu Xiaocong , Fan Lulu , Oonk J B R , Liu Xiang , Wang Weihua
Published: March 2021

The nearby face-on spiral galaxy NGC 2617 underwent an unambiguous ‘inside–out’ multiwavelength outburst in Spring 2013, and a dramatic Seyfert-type change probably between 2010 and 2012, with the emergence of broad optical emission lines. To search for the jet activity associated with this variable accretion activity, we carried out multiresolution and multiwavelength radio observations. Using the very long baseline interferometric (VLBI) observations with the European VLBI Network at 1.7 and 5.0 GHz, we find that NGC 2617 shows a partially synchrotron self-absorbed compact radio core with a significant core shift, and an optically thin steep-spectrum jet extending towards the north up to about 2 pc in projection. We also observed NGC 2617 with the electronic Multi-Element Remotely Linked Interferometer Network at 1.5 and 5.5 GHz, and revisited the archival data of the Very Large Array (VLA) and the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). The radio core had a stable flux density of ∼1.4 mJy at 5.0 GHz between 2013 June and 2014 January, in agreement with the expectation of a supermassive black hole in the low accretion rate state. The northern jet component is unlikely to be associated with the ‘inside–out’ outburst of 2013. Moreover, we report that most optically selected changing-look active galactic nuclei (AGN) at z < 0.83 are sub-mJy radio sources in the existing VLA surveys at 1.4 GHz, and it is unlikely that they are more active than normal AGN at radio frequencies.
Structural basis for substrate recognition and cleavage by the dimerization-dependent CRISPR–Cas12f nuclease
Authors: Xiao Renjian , Li Zhuang , Wang Shukun , Han Ruijie , Chang Leifu
Published: March 2021

Cas12f, also known as Cas14, is an exceptionally small type V-F CRISPR–Cas nuclease that is roughly half the size of comparable nucleases of this type. To reveal the mechanisms underlying substrate recognition and cleavage, we determined the cryo-EM structures of the Cas12f-sgRNA-target DNA and Cas12f-sgRNA complexes at 3.1 and 3.9 Å, respectively. An asymmetric Cas12f dimer is bound to one sgRNA for recognition and cleavage of dsDNA substrate with a T-rich PAM sequence. Despite its dimerization, Cas12f adopts a conserved activation mechanism among the type V nucleases which requires coordinated conformational changes induced by the formation of the crRNA-target DNA heteroduplex, including the close-to-open transition in the lid motif of the RuvC domain. Only one RuvC domain in the Cas12f dimer is activated by substrate recognition, and the substrate bound to the activated RuvC domain is captured in the structure. Structure-assisted truncated sgRNA, which is less than half the length of the original sgRNA, is still active for target DNA cleavage. Our results expand our understanding of the diverse type V CRISPR–Cas nucleases and facilitate potential genome editing applications using the miniature Cas12f.
Prior Daily Menthol Smokers More Likely to Quit 2 Years After a Menthol Ban Than Non-menthol Smokers: A Population Cohort Study
Authors: Chaiton Michael , Schwartz Robert , Cohen Joanna E , Soule Eric , Zhang Bo , Eissenberg Thomas
Published: March 2021

Background and Aims

The province of Ontario, Canada, banned the use of menthol-flavored tobacco products as of January 1, 2017. This study aims to assess the longer-term impact of a menthol ban on smoking behavior at 2 years, which is unknown.

Methods

Population cohort study with baseline survey (n = 1821) conducted September–December 2016 and follow-up survey January–August 2019 among current smokers in Ontario (16+) prior to the menthol ban. Poisson regression was used to assess the probability of quitting smoking by pre-ban menthol status, controlling for differences in smoking and demographic characteristics, with multiple imputations used to address missing data.

Findings

Menthol smokers were more likely to report having quit smoking (12% [daily menthol] and 10% [occasional menthol] vs. 3% [non-menthol]; p < .001) than non-menthol smokers in the 2 years after a menthol ban. After adjustment for smoking and demographic characteristics, daily menthol smokers had higher likelihood of quitting smoking (adjusted relative risk [ARR] 2.08; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.20–3.61) and reported more quit attempts (ARR 1.45; 95% CI 1.15–1.82). Among those who attempted to quit, menthol smoking was not associated with relapse (daily ARR = 0.96; 95% CI: 0.86, 1.07; occasional ARR = 0.99; 95% CI: 0.90, 1.08). However, there was a statistically significant interaction among menthol users who reported using other flavored tobacco products 1 year after the ban (ARR = 0.26 [95% CI: 0.08, 0.90])

Conclusions

The study found increased probability of quitting among daily menthol smokers and more quit attempts among daily and occasional menthol smokers compared with non-menthol smokers in Ontario 2 years after the implementation of a menthol ban.

Implications

This study examines quitting behavior 2 years after a menthol ban in Ontario, Canada. Those who were daily menthol smokers prior to the ban were more likely to quit smoking and make more quit attempts in the 2 years after the ban. While there was no difference in the likelihood of relapse between menthol and non-menthol smokers among those who attempt to quit, there were indications that pre-ban daily menthol smokers who used other tobacco products after the ban were likely to quit.
Choice with Endogenous Categorization
Authors: Ellis Andrew , Masatlioglu Yusufcan
Published: March 2021

We propose and axiomatize the categorical thinking model (CTM) in which the framing of the decision problem affects how agents categorize alternatives, that in turn affects their evaluation of it. Prominent models of salience, status quo bias, loss-aversion, inequality aversion, and present bias all fit under the umbrella of CTM. This suggests categorization is an underlying mechanism of key departures from the neoclassical model of choice. We specialize CTM to provide a behavioural foundation for the salient thinking model of Bordalo et al. (2013, Journal of Political Economy, 121, 803–843) that highlights its strong predictions and distinctions from other models.
Inter-brain amplitude correlation differentiates cooperation from competition in a motion-sensing sports game
Authors: Liu Huashuo , Zhao Chenying , Wang Fei , Zhang Dan
Published: March 2021

Cooperation and competition are two basic modes of human interaction. Their underlying neural mechanisms, especially from an interpersonal perspective, have not been fully explored. Using the electroencephalograph-based hyperscanning technique, the present study investigated the neural correlates of both cooperation and competition within the same ecological paradigm using a classic motion-sensing tennis game. Both the inter-brain coupling (the inter-brain amplitude correlation and inter-brain phase-locking) and the intra-brain spectral power were analyzed. Only the inter-brain amplitude correlation showed a significant difference between cooperation and competition, with different spatial patterns at theta, alpha and beta frequency bands. Further inspection revealed distinct inter-brain coupling patterns for cooperation and competition; cooperation elicited positive inter-brain amplitude correlation at the delta and theta bands in extensive brain regions, while competition was associated with negative occipital inter-brain amplitude correlation at the alpha and beta bands. These findings add to our knowledge of the neural mechanisms of cooperation and competition and suggest the significance of adopting an inter-brain perspective in exploring the neural underpinnings of social interaction in ecological contexts.
Systematic analysis reveals that colony housing aligns gait profiles and strengthens link between histological and micro‐CT bone markers in rat models of osteoarthritis
Authors: Chang Yu‐Mei , Menges Stephanie , Westhof Andreas , Kleinschmidt‐Doerr Kerstin , Brenneis Christian , Pitsillides Andrew A.
Published: March 2021

Osteoarthritis (OA) etiopathogenesis is complex with strong environmental/lifestyle determinants that, in laboratory animals, extend to social context and stress levels. This study seeks to identify whether colony housing of rats exerts a social impact on locomotion behaviors to influence alignment between symptomatic (gait) and structural (bone micro‐CT measures, cartilage morphometry, and histology) OA outcome measures. Rats were randomly allocated to conventional (type IV; n = 48) or rat colony cage (RCC; n = 30) housing, further randomized to OA surgical models (ACLT + tMx, MMT or DMM) or no surgery (control), and maintained for 19 weeks during which multiple gait recordings were made. Standard histological grading and bone micro‐CT data were collected at necropsy. Principal component analysis was used to summarize the variation in gait, micro‐CT or histology. Linear mixed effects model or two‐way ANOVA was employed to evaluate the impact of the housing system, surgery and time on gait, or micro‐CT and histology components Analyses reveal that RCC exaggerates trends in gait change via a combined effect of the housing system and surgery. Intriguingly, RCC‐housed nonoperated control rats showed similar gait changes to rats subjected to surgery; the latter exhibited significant structural joint changes in both systems. Stronger correlation between histological and micro‐CT bone changes were found in medial and lateral tibia joint compartments of rats housed in RCC system. This study has established that rat social housing exaggerates outcomes in traditional histological measures of OA, generates stronger links between histology and micro‐CT bone changes and removes gait differences as a variable in their etiology.
Gestational choriocarcinoma with residual lung tumor after completing treatment: a case report
Authors: Centonze Sara , Franzese Elisena , Diana Anna , Pignata Sandro , Ciardiello Fortunato , Orditura Michele
Published: March 2021

Introduction:

Choriocarcinoma (CCA) is a malignant pregnancy-related tumor that originates from cytotrophoblast and syncytiotrophoblast cells without villi. CCA is the most metastatic form among gestational trophoblastic neoplasia and the diagnosis is often in advanted stage.

Patient concerns:

In this report, we present a rare case of CCA with lung metastasis after term pregnancy in a 41-year-old woman at 45 days after the birth of a healthy baby and discuss management of residual metastasis after completing treatment.

Diagnosis:

The diagnosis of CCA can be based on the following criteria: a human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) plateau for at least 4 values over 3 weeks, an hCG increase of 10% or greater for at least 3 values over 2 weeks, hCG persistence for 6 months or more after molar pregnancy evacuation, histopathologic diagnosis of choriocarcinoma and presence of metastatic disease.

Intervention and outcomes:

High risk patients must be treated with multiagent chemotherapy (EMA-CO schedule). The complete remission rates ranges from 69% to 86%.

Conclusion:

Residual lesions after chemotherapy are often the result of necrosis or fibrosis. In our clinical practice will avoid the risks deriving from excessive anticancer treatment in these patients, while favoring a strict follow-up strategy to monitor disease behavior in time.
Oxidative stress and senescence in social insects: a significant but inconsistent link?
Authors: Kramer Boris H. , Nehring Volker , Buttstedt Anja , Heinze Jürgen , Korb Judith , Libbrecht Romain , Meusemann Karen , Paxton Robert J. , Séguret Alice , Schaub Florentine , Bernadou Abel
Published: March 2021

The life-prolonging effects of antioxidants have long entered popular culture, but the scientific community still debates whether free radicals and the resulting oxidative stress negatively affect longevity. Social insects are intriguing models for analysing the relationship between oxidative stress and senescence because life histories differ vastly between long-lived reproductives and the genetically similar but short-lived workers. Here, we present the results of an experiment on the accumulation of oxidative damage to proteins, and a comparative analysis of the expression of 20 selected genes commonly involved in managing oxidative damage, across four species of social insects: a termite, two bees and an ant. Although the source of analysed tissue varied across the four species, our results suggest that oxidative stress is a significant factor in senescence and that its manifestation and antioxidant defenses differ among species, making it difficult to find general patterns. More detailed and controlled investigations on why responses to oxidative stress may differ across social species may lead to a better understanding of the relations between oxidative stress, antioxidants, social life history and senescence.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ageing and sociality: why, when and how does sociality change ageing patterns?'
Is degree of sociality associated with reproductive senescence? A comparative analysis across birds and mammals
Authors: Vágási Csongor I. , Vincze Orsolya , Lemaître Jean-François , Pap Péter L. , Ronget Victor , Gaillard Jean-Michel
Published: March 2021

Our understanding on how widespread reproductive senescence is in the wild and how the onset and rate of reproductive senescence vary among species in relation to life histories and lifestyles is currently limited. More specifically, whether the species-specific degree of sociality is linked to the occurrence, onset and rate of reproductive senescence remains unknown. Here, we investigate these questions using phylogenetic comparative analyses across 36 bird and 101 mammal species encompassing a wide array of life histories, lifestyles and social traits. We found that female reproductive senescence: (i) is widespread and occurs with similar frequency (about two-thirds) in birds and mammals; (ii) occurs later in life and is slower in birds than in similar-sized mammals; (iii) occurs later in life and is slower with an increasingly slower pace of life in both vertebrate classes; and (iv) is only weakly associated, if any, with the degree of sociality in both classes after accounting for the effect of body size and pace of life. However, when removing the effect of species differences in pace of life, a higher degree of sociality was associated with later and weaker reproductive senescence in females, which suggests that the degree of sociality is either indirectly related to reproductive senescence via the pace of life or simply a direct outcome of the pace of life.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ageing and sociality: why, when and how does sociality change ageing patterns?’
Life expectancy, family constellation and stress in giant mole-rats (
Fukomys mechowii
)
Authors: Begall S. , Nappe R. , Hohrenk L. , Schmidt T. C. , Burda H. , Sahm A. , Szafranski K. , Dammann P. , Henning Y.
Published: March 2021

Giant mole-rats (
Fukomys mechowii
) are remarkably long-lived subterranean rodents (maximum recorded lifespan as reported here greater than 26 years) that live in families with one reproductive pair (breeders) and their non-reproductive offspring (non-breeders). Previous studies have shown that breeders live on average approximately twice as long as non-breeders, a finding contradicting the classic trade-off between reproduction and lifespan. Because recent evidence points to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis as playing an important role in shaping the pace of ageing in mole-rats, we analysed the influence of the social environment of giant mole-rats on intrafamilial aggression levels, indicators of long-term stress, and, ultimately, mortality. Behavioural data indicated that family constellation, especially the presence or the absence of parents, influences agonistic behaviour. As a measure of long-term stress, we established a non-invasive method of extracting and measuring cortisol from hair of giant mole-rats. Interestingly, orphaned non-breeders exhibited significantly lower levels of cortisol and lower mortality rates than did non-breeders living with both parents. Because hypercortisolism is harmful in the long-term, intrafamilial stress could help explain the earlier onset of senescence in non-breeders, resulting in a shorter lifespan. Our findings suggest that the social environment should be considered as a further factor in ageing studies involving group-living animals.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ageing and sociality: why, when and how does sociality change ageing patterns?’
Factors associated with increased mortality in critically ill COVID-19 patients in a Mexican public hospital: the other faces of health system oversaturation
Authors: Guzmán Mariana Jocelyn Macías , Castillo-Gonzalez Alejandro , Gonzalez Jose Lenin Beltran , Gámez Mario González , Enciso Emanuel Antonio Mendoza , Robles Itzel Ovalle , Díaz Andrea Lucia García , Peña César Mauricio Gutiérrez , Medina Lucila Martinez , Colin Victor Antonio Monroy , Jose Manuel Arreola Guerra
Published: March 2021

BACKGROUND

The lethality rate of COVID-19 in Mexico is one of the highest worldwide, but in-hospital factors associated with this increased rate have yet to be explored. This study aims to evaluate those factors that could be associated with mortality at 28-days in critically ill COVID-19 patients in Mexico.

METHODS

This is a retrospective analysis of the patients included in the clinical trial (NCT04381858) which recruited patients with severe COVID-19 with high oxygen requirement or mechanical ventilation from May to October 2020. The primary outcome, death at 28, was analyzed.

RESULTS

Between May and October 2020, 196 predominantly male patients (n=122, 62.2%) with an average of 58.1 years (± 15.5), were included in the cohort. Mortality at 28 days was 44.3 % (n= 84). Patients included in the second trimester had a greater mortality rate when compared with those recruited in the first trimester (54.1 vs 32.1, p< 0.01). On multivariate analysis, the detected protective factors were the use of fentanyl HR 0.51 (95%CI 0.31 – 0.85, p=0.01), the use of antibiotics HR 0.22 (95% CI 0.13 – 0.36, p<0.01), and a previously healthy state (no comorbidities other than obesity) HR 0.58 (95%CI 0.35 – 0.94, p =0.03); risk factors were severe kidney injury (AKIN3) HR 1.74 (95%CI 1.04 – 2.9, p=0.035), elevated D-Dimer levels HR 1.02 (95%CI 1.007 – 1.04, p=0.005), shock OR 5.8 (2.4 – 13.8, p<0.01), and recruitment in the second trimester OR 2.3 ((1.1 – 4.8, p=0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

In-hospital mortality in critically ill COVID-19 patients has increased in our center. The appropriate use of antibiotics, the type of sedation, and AKIN3 are modifiable factors directly related to this increased mortality. The increase in mortality observed in the second trimester is explained by hospital overcrowding that began in August 2020.
Detection of dementia on raw voice recordings using deep learning: A Framingham Heart Study
Authors: Xue Chonghua , Karjadi Cody , Paschalidis Ioannis Ch. , Au Rhoda , Kolachalama Vijaya B.
Published: March 2021

Background

Identification of reliable, affordable, and easy-to-use strategies for detection of dementia are sorely needed. Digital technologies, such as individual voice recordings, offer an attractive modality to assess cognition but methods that could automatically analyze such data are not readily available.

Methods and findings

We used 1264 digital voice recordings of neuropsychological examinations administered to participants from the Framingham Heart Study (FHS), a community-based longitudinal observational study. The recordings were 73 minutes in duration, on average, and contained at least two speakers (participant and clinician). Of the total voice recordings, 483 were of participants with normal cognition (NC), 451 recordings were of participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 330 were of participants with dementia (DE). We developed two deep learning models (a two-level long short-term memory (LSTM) network and a convolutional neural network (CNN)), which used the raw audio recordings to classify if the recording included a participant with only NC or only DE and to differentiate between recordings corresponding to those that were non-demented (NDE (NC+MCI)) and DE. Based on 5-fold cross-validation, the LSTM model achieved a mean (±std) area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.740±0.017, mean balanced accuracy of 0.647±0.027, and mean weighted F1-score of 0.596±0.047 in predicting cases with DE from those with NC. The CNN model achieved a mean AUC of 0.805±0.027, mean balanced accuracy of 0.743±0.015, and mean weighted F1-score of 0.742±0.033 in predicting cases with DE from those with NC. For the task related to classification of participants with DE from NDE, the LSTM model achieved a mean AUC of 0.734±0.014, mean balanced accuracy of 0.675±0.013, and mean weighted F1-score of 0.671±0.015. The CNN model achieved a mean AUC of 0.746±0.021, mean balanced accuracy of 0.652±0.020, and mean weighted F1-score of 0.635±0.031 in predicting cases with DE from those who were NDE.

Conclusion

This proof-of-concept study demonstrates the potential that raw audio recordings of neuropsychological testing performed on individuals recruited within a community cohort setting can facilitate dementia screening.
Sex differences in Cerebral Small Vessel Disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Jiménez-Sánchez Lorena , Hamilton Olivia K. L. , Clancy Una , Backhouse Ellen V. , Stewart Catriona R. , Stringer Michael S. , Doubal Fergus N. , Wardlaw Joanna M.
Published: March 2021

Background

Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is an important cause of acute ischemic stroke and vascular dementia. Several studies recruiting more males than females have reported sex differences regarding SVD incidence and severity, but it is unclear whether this reflects underlying sex-specific mechanisms or recruitment bias. This work aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze potential sex differences in SVD by assessing the male-to-female ratio (M:F) of recruited participants and incidence of SVD, risk factor presence, distribution and severity of SVD features.

Methods

Full text of 228 studies from four databases of recent systematic reviews on SVD and an independent search of MEDLINE were evaluated against inclusion and exclusion criteria (registered protocol: CRD42020193995). Data from participants with clinical or non-clinical presentations of SVD with radiological evidence of SVD were extracted. Sex ratios of total participants or SVD groups were calculated and differences in sex ratios across time, countries, SVD severity and risk factors for SVD were explored.

Results

Amongst 123 relevant studies (n = 36,910 participants) including 53 community-based, 67 hospital-based and 3 mixed studies, more males were recruited in hospital-based than in community-based studies (M:F = 1.16 (0.70) vs M:F = 0.79 (0.35), respectively; p <0.001). More males had moderate to severe SVD (M:F = 1.08 (0.81) vs M:F = 0.82 (0.47) in healthy to mild SVD; p <0.001), especially in stroke presentations where M:F was 1.67 (0.53). M:F of recent research (2015-2020) did not differ from that published pre-2015 and no geographical trends were apparent. There were insufficient sex-stratified data to explore M:F and risk factors for SVD.

Conclusions

Our results highlight differences in male-to-female ratios in SVD that may reflect sex-specific variability in risk factor exposures, study participation, clinical recognition, genuine SVD severity, or clinical presentation and have important clinical and translational implications.
Estimation and optimal control of the multi-scale dynamics of the Covid-19
Authors: Fotsa-Mbogne David Jaurès , Tchoumi Stéphane Yanick , Kouakep-Tchaptchie Yannick , Kamla Vivient Corneille , Kamgang Jean-Claude , Houpa-Danga Duplex Elvis , Bowong-Tsakou Samuel , Bekolle David
Published: March 2021

This work aims at a better understanding and the optimal control of the spread of the new severe acute respiratory corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We first propose a multi-scale model giving insights on the virus population dynamics, the transmission process and the infection mechanism. We consider 10 compartments in the human population in order to take into accounts the effects of different specific mitigation policies: susceptible, infected, infectious, quarantined, hospitalized, treated, recovered, non-infectious dead, infectious dead, buried. The population of viruses is also partitioned into 10 compartments corresponding respectively to each of the first nine human population compartments and the free viruses available in the environment. Indeed, we have human to human virus transmission, human to environment virus transmission, environment to human virus transmission and self infection by susceptible individuals. We show the global stability of the disease free equilibrium if a given threshold𝒯0is less or equal to 1 and we provide how to compute the basic reproduction numberℛ0. A convergence index𝒯1is also defined in order to estimate the speed at which the disease extincts and an upper bound to the time of extinction is given. The existence of the endemic equilibrium is conditional and its description is provided. We evaluate the sensitivity ofℛ0,𝒯0and𝒯1to control parameters such as the maximal human density allowed per unit of surface, the rate of disinfection both for people and environment, the mobility probability, the wearing mask probability or efficiency, and the human to human contact rate which results from the previous one. Except the maximal human density allowed per unit of surface, all those parameters have significant effects on the qualitative dynamics of the disease. The most significant is the probability of wearing mask followed by the probability of mobility and the disinfection rate. According to a functional cost taking into consideration economic impacts of SARS-CoV-2, we determine and discuss optimal fighting strategies. The study is applied to real available data from Cameroon and an estimation of model parameters is done. After several simulations, social distancing and the disinfection frequency appear as the main elements of the optimal control strategy.
How pain neuroscience education is performed in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Giovinazzi Roberta , Tamborrino Andrea , Marelli Michele , Pellicciari Leonardo , Innocenti Tiziano
Published: March 2021

Background

Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) is an effective widely used strategy in the field of chronic pain management. The objective of this scoping review is to summarize the literature to identify how PNE is performed in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Methods

This scoping review will be performed in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. Studies will be included if they meet the following population, concept, and context criteria: any patient with chronic musculoskeletal pain aged over 18 years old, any PNE delivery method, any context. No study design, publication type, and data restrictions will be applied. MEDLINE, Cochrane Central, Scopus, PsycInfo and PEDro databases will be searched up to March 2021. Additional records will be identified through searching in grey literature and reference lists of all relevant and included studies. Two reviewers will independently screen all title, abstracts and full-text studies for inclusion. A data collection form will be developed by the research team to extract the characteristics of the studies included. A tabular and accompanying narrative summary of the information will be provided.

Conclusions

This will be the first scoping review to provide a comprehensive overview of the topic. The results will add meaningful information for future research and clinical practice. Furthermore, any knowledge gaps on the topic will be identified. The results of this research will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and will be presented at relevant (inter)national scientific events.
Social-distancing Fatigue: Evidence from Real-time Crowd-sourced Traffic Data
Authors: Shearston Jenni A. , Martinez Micaela E. , Nunez Yanelli , Hilpert Markus
Published: March 2021

Introduction

To mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent overwhelming the healthcare system, social-distancing policies such as school closure, stay-at-home orders, and indoor dining closure have been utilized worldwide. These policies function by reducing the rate of close contact within populations and results in decreased human mobility. Adherence to social distancing can substantially reduce disease spread. Thus, quantifying human mobility and social-distancing compliance, especially at high temporal resolution, can provide great insight into the impact of social distancing policies.

Methods

We used the movement of individuals around New York City (NYC), measured via traffic levels, as a proxy for human mobility and the impact of social-distancing policies (i.e., work from home policies, school closure, indoor dining closure etc.). By data mining Google traffic in real-time, and applying image processing, we derived high resolution time series of traffic in NYC. We used time series decomposition and generalized additive models to quantify changes in rush hour/non-rush hour, and weekday/weekend traffic, pre-pandemic and following the roll-out of multiple social distancing interventions.

Results

Mobility decreased sharply on March 14, 2020 following declaration of the pandemic. However, levels began rebounding by approximately April 13, almost 2 months before stay-at-home orders were lifted, indicating premature increase in mobility, which we term social-distancing fatigue. We also observed large impacts on diurnal traffic congestion, such that the pre-pandemic bi-modal weekday congestion representing morning and evening rush hour was dramatically altered. By September, traffic congestion rebounded to approximately 75% of pre-pandemic levels.

Conclusion

Using crowd-sourced traffic congestion data, we described changes in mobility in Manhattan, NYC, during the COVID-19 pandemic. These data can be used to inform human mobility changes during the current pandemic, in planning for responses to future pandemics, and in understanding the potential impact of large-scale traffic interventions such as congestion pricing policies.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
An increase in willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 in the US between October 2020 and February 2021: longitudinal evidence from the Understanding America Study
Authors: Daly Michael , Jones Andrew , Robinson Eric
Published: March 2021

Background

Recent evidence suggests that willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 has been declining throughout the pandemic and is low among ethnic minority groups.

Methods

Observational study using a nationally representative longitudinal sample (N =7,840) from the Understanding America Study (UAS). Changes in the percentage of respondents willing to vaccinate, undecided, or intending to refuse a COVID-19 vaccine were examined over 20 survey waves from April 1 2020 to February 15 2021.

Results

After a sharp decline in willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 between April and October 2020 (from 74.0% to 52.7%), willingness to vaccinate increased by 8.1% (p <.001) to 60.8% between October 2020 and February 2021. A significant increase in willingness to vaccinate was observed across all demographic groups examined and Black (15.6% increase) and Hispanic participants (12.1% increase) showed particularly large changes.

Conclusions

Willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 increased in the US from October 2020 to February 2021.

Funding statement

N/A
Sexual violence in older adults: a Belgian prevalence study
Authors: Nobels Anne , Inescu Adina Cismaru , Nisen Laurent , Hahaut Bastien , Beaulieu Marie , Lemmens Gilbert , Adam Stéphane , Schapansky Evelyn , Vandeviver Christophe , Keygnaert Ines
Published: March 2021

Background

Sexual violence (SV) is an important public health problem which may cause long-lasting health problems. SV in older adults remains neglected in research, policies and practices. Valid SV prevalence estimates and associated risk factors in older adults are currently unavailable.

Objective

To measure lifetime and past 12-months sexual victimisation in older adults living in Belgium, its correlates, assailant characteristics and the way that victims framed their SV experiences.

Design

Cross-sectional general population study.

Setting

Community-dwelling, assisted living and nursing homes.

Participants

513 people of 70 years and older living in Belgium.

Methods

SV was measured using behaviourally specific questions based on a broad definition of SV. Participants were selected via a cluster random probability sampling with a random route finding approach. Information on sexual victimisation, correlates, assailant characteristics and framing was collected via structured face-to-face interviews.

Results

Lifetime SV prevalence was 44% (55% F, 29% M). Past 12-months prevalence was 8% (9% F, 8% M). Female sex and a higher number of sexual partners were associated with lifetime SV (p <.05), non-heterosexual sexual orientation with past 12-months SV (p <.05). Correlates generally linked to elder abuse and neglect were not linked with SV. ‘Someone unknown’ was identified as most common assailant.

Conclusions

SV appears to be common in older adults in Belgium. Both correlates and assailant characteristics seem to differ from previous studies on elder abuse and neglect. Recognising older adults as a risk group for sexual victimisation in research, policies and practices is of the utmost importance.
Higher COVID-19 vaccination rates are linked to decreased county-level COVID-19 incidence across USA
Authors: Puranik Arjun , Venkatakrishnan AJ , Pawlowski Colin , Raghunathan Bharathwaj , Ramudu Eshwan , Lenehan Patrick , Agarwal Vineet , Jayaram Savita , Choudhary Mayank , Soundararajan Venky
Published: March 2021

Real world evidence studies of mass vaccination across health systems have reaffirmed the safety1 and efficacy2,3 of the FDA-authorized mRNA vaccines for COVID-19. However, the impact of vaccination on community transmission remains to be characterized. Here, we compare the cumulative county-level vaccination rates with the corresponding COVID-19 incidence rates among 87 million individuals from 580 counties in the United States, including 12 million individuals who have received at least one vaccine dose. We find that cumulative county-level vaccination rate through March 1, 2021 is significantly associated with a concomitant decline in COVID-19 incidence (Spearman correlation ρ = −0.22, p-value = 8.3e-8), with stronger negative correlations in the Midwestern counties (ρ = −0.37, p-value = 1.3e-7) and Southern counties (ρ = −0.33, p-value = 4.5e-5) studied. Additionally, all examined US regions demonstrate significant negative correlations between cumulative COVID-19 incidence rate prior to the vaccine rollout and the decline in the COVID-19 incidence rate between December 1, 2020 and March 1, 2021, with the US western region being particularly striking (ρ = −0.66, p-value = 5.3e-37). However, the cumulative vaccination rate and cumulative incidence rate are noted to be statistically independent variables, emphasizing the need to continue the ongoing vaccination roll out at scale. Given confounders such as different coronavirus restrictions and mask mandates, varying population densities, and distinct levels of diagnostic testing and vaccine availabilities across US counties, we are advancing a public health resource to amplify transparency in vaccine efficacy monitoring (https://public.nferx.com/covid-monitor-lab/vaccinationcheck). Application of this resource highlights outliers like Dimmit county (Texas), where infection rates have increased significantly despite higher vaccination rates, ostensibly owing to amplified travel as a “vaccination hub”; as well as Henry county (Ohio) which encountered shipping delays leading to postponement of the vaccine clinics. This study underscores the importance of tying the ongoing vaccine rollout to a real-time monitor of spatio-temporal vaccine efficacy to help turn the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A distinct cognitive profile in individuals with 3q29 deletion syndrome
Authors: Klaiman Cheryl , White Stormi Pulver , Saulnier Celine , Murphy Melissa , Burrell Lindsey , Cubells Joseph , Walker Elaine ,   The Emory 3q29 Project, Mulle Jennifer Gladys
Published: March 2021

Background

3q29 deletion syndrome is associated with mild to moderate intellectual disability. However, a detailed understanding of the deletion’s impact on cognitive ability is lacking. The goal of this study was to address this knowledge gap. A second goal was to ask whether the cognitive impact of the deletion predicted psychopathology in other domains.

Methods

We systematically evaluated cognitive ability, adaptive behavior, and psychopathology in 32 individuals with the canonical 3q29 deletion using gold-standard instruments and a standardized phenotyping protocol.

Results

Mean FSIQ was 73 (range 40-99). Verbal subtest score (mean 80, range 31-106) was slightly higher and had a greater range than nonverbal subtest score (mean 75, range 53-98). Spatial ability was evaluated in a subset (n = 24) and was lower than verbal and nonverbal ability (mean 71, range 34-108). There was an average 14-point difference between verbal and nonverbal subset scores; 60% of the time the verbal subset score was higher than the nonverbal subset score. Study subjects with a verbal ability subtest score lower than the nonverbal subtest score were 4 times more likely to have a diagnosis of intellectual disability (suggestive, p-value 0.07). The age at which a child first spoke two-word phrases was strongly associated with measures of verbal ability (p-value 2.56e-07). Cognitive ability was correlated with adaptive behavior measures (correlation 0.42, p-value 0.02). However, though group means found equivalent score, there was, on average, a 10-point gap between these skills (range −33 to 33), in either direction, in about 50% of the sample suggesting that suggesting that cognitive measures only partially inform adaptive ability. Cognitive ability scores did not have any significant relationship to cumulative burden of psychopathology nor to individual neurodevelopmental or psychiatric diagnoses.

Conclusions

Individuals with 3q29 deletion syndrome have a complex pattern of cognitive disability. Two-thirds of individuals with the deletion will exhibit significant strength in verbal ability; this may mask deficits in non-verbal reasoning, leading to an over-estimation of overall ability. Deficits in verbal ability may be the driver of intellectual disability diagnosis. Cognitive ability is not a strong indicator of other neurodevelopmental or psychiatric impairment; thus individuals with 3q29 deletion syndrome who exhibit IQ scores within the normal range should receive all recommended behavioral evaluations.