bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Liquid biopsy in lymphoma: Is it primed for clinical translation?
Authors: Poynton Edward , Okosun Jessica
Published: May 2021

The simultaneous growth in our understanding of lymphoma biology and the burgeoning therapeutic options has come with a renewed drive for precision‐based approaches and how best to incorporate them into contemporary and future patient care. In the hunt for accurate and sensitive biomarkers, liquid biopsies, particularly circulating tumour DNA, have come to the forefront as a promising tool in multiple cancer types including lymphomas, with considerable implications for clinical practice. Liquid biopsy analyses could supplement existing tissue biopsies with distinct advantages including the minimally invasive nature and the ease with which it can be repeated during a patient's clinical journey. Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) analyses has been and continues to be evaluated across lymphoma subtypes with potential applications as a diagnostic, disease monitoring and treatment selection tool. To make the leap into the clinic, these assays must demonstrate accuracy, reliability and a quick turnaround to be employed in the real‐time clinical management of lymphoma patients. Here, we review the available ctDNA assays and discuss key practical and technical issues around improving sensitivity. We then focus on their potential roles in several lymphoma subtypes exemplified by recent studies and provide a glimpse of different features that can be analysed beyond ctDNA.
Actual postoperative protein and calorie intake in patients undergoing major open abdominal cancer surgery: A prospective, observational cohort study
Authors: Constansia Reickly D. N. , Hentzen Judith E. K. R. , Hogenbirk Rianne N. M. , van der Plas Willemijn Y. , Campmans‐Kuijpers Marjo J. E. , Buis Carlijn I. , Kruijff Schelto , Klaase Joost M.
Published: May 2021

Background

Adequate nutritional protein and energy intake are required for optimal postoperative recovery. There are limited studies reporting the actual postoperative protein and energy intake within the first week after major abdominal cancer surgery. The main objective of this study was to quantify the protein and energy intake after major abdominal cancer surgery.

Methods

We conducted a prospective cohort study. Nutrition intake was assessed with a nutrition diary. The amount of protein and energy consumed through oral, enteral, and parenteral nutrition was recorded and calculated separately. Based on the recommendations of the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN), protein and energy intake were considered insufficient when patients received <1.5 g/kg protein and 25 kcal/kg for 2 or more days during the first postoperative week.

Results

Fifty patients were enrolled in this study. Mean daily protein and energy intake was 0.61 ± 0.44 g/kg/day and 9.58 ± 3.33 kcal/kg/day within the first postoperative week, respectively. Protein and energy intake were insufficient in 45 [90%] and 41 [82%] of the 50 patients, respectively. Patients with Clavien‐Dindo grade ≥III complications consumed less daily protein compared with the group of patients without complications and patients with grade I or II complications.

Conclusion

During the first week after major abdominal cancer surgery, the majority of patients do not consume an adequate amount of protein and energy. Incorporating a registered dietitian into postoperative care and adequate nutrition support after major abdominal cancer surgery should be a standard therapeutic goal to improve nutrition intake.
Validating a novel algorithm to identify patients with autoimmune hepatitis in an administrative database
Authors: Bittermann Therese , Mahmud Nadim , Lewis James D. , Levy Cynthia , Goldberg David S.
Published: May 2021

Purpose

Population‐level studies on the treatment practices and comparative effectiveness of therapies in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) are lacking due to the absence of validated methods to identify patients with AIH in large databases, such as administrative claims or electronic health records. This study ascertained the performance of International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes for AIH, and developed and validated a novel algorithm that reliably identifies patients with AIH in health administrative data and claims.

Methods

This was a cross‐sectional study of patients with ≥1 inpatient or ≥2 outpatient ICD codes for AIH between 2008 and 2019 at a single health system. In a random sample of 250 patients, definite or probable AIH was determined using the Simplified AIH score, Revised AIH score or expert adjudication. The positive predictive value (PPV) was obtained. Variations of this base algorithm were evaluated using additional criteria to increase its performance.

Results

Of the 250 patients, 143 (57.2%) patients had sufficient records available for review. The PPV of the base algorithm was 77.6% (95% CI: 69.9–84.2%). Exclusion of patients with ≥1 ICD code for primary biliary cholangitis or primary sclerosing cholangitis yielded a PPV of 89.7% (95% CI: 82.8–94.6%). Further exclusion of patients with recent immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy increased the PPV to 92.9% (95% CI: 86.5–96.9%).

Conclusions

The use of ICD codes for AIH alone are insufficient to reliably identify patients with AIH in health administrative data and claims. Our proposed algorithm that includes additional diagnostic and medication‐related coding criteria demonstrates excellent performance.
Low amounts of heavy water increase the phase separation propensity of a fragment of the androgen receptor activation domain
Authors: Bielskutė Stasė , Garcia‐Cabau Carla , Frigolé‐Vivas Marta , Szulc Elzbieta , De Mol Eva , Pesarrodona Mireia , García Jesús , Salvatella Xavier
Published: May 2021

The phase equilibria of intrinsically disordered proteins are exquisitely sensitive to changes in solution conditions and this can be used to investigate the driving forces of phase separation in vitro as well as the biological roles of phase transitions in live cells. Here we investigate how using D2O as co‐solvent in an aqueous buffer changes the phase equilibrium of a fragment of the activation domain of the androgen receptor, a transcription factor that plays a role in the development of the male phenotype and is a therapeutic target for castration resistant prostate cancer. We show how replacing even small fractions of H2O with D2O increases the propensity of this fragment to undergo liquid–liquid phase separation, likely reflecting a stabilization of the hydrophobic interactions that drive condensation. Our results indicate that it is necessary to take this effect into consideration when studying phase separation phenomena with biophysical methods that require using D2O as a co‐solvent. In addition, they suggest that additions of D2O may be used to enhance phase separation phenomena in cells, facilitating their observation.
Efficacy and safety of Xiyanping injection in the treatment of COVID‐19: A multicenter, prospective, open‐label and randomized controlled trial
Authors: Zhang Xin‐Yi , Lv Lang , Zhou Yu‐Long , Xie Liang‐Dong , Xu Qin , Zou Xiao‐Fan , Ding Yan , Tian Jie , Fan Jia‐Liang , Fan Hai‐Wei , Yang Yi‐Xi , Ye Xiao‐Qun
Published: May 2021

Xiyanping (XYP) is a Chinese herbal medicine used in the clinic to treat respiratory infection and pneumonia. Recent evidence identified XYP as a potential inhibitor of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, implying XYP as a possible treatment for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). Here, we conducted a prospective, multicenter, open‐label and randomized controlled trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of XYP injection in patients with mild to moderate COVID‐19. We consecutively recruited 130 COVID‐19 patients with mild to moderate symptoms from five study sites, and randomized them in 1:1 ratio to receive XYP injection in combination with standard therapy or receive standard supportive therapy alone. We found that XYP injection significantly reduced the time to cough relief, fever resolution and virus clearance. Less patients receiving XYP injection experienced disease progression to the severe stage during the treatment process. No severe adverse events were reported during the study. Taken together, XYP injection is safe and effective in improving the recovery of patients with mild to moderate COVID‐19. However, further studies are warranted to evaluate the efficacy of XYP in an expanded cohort comprising COVID‐19 patients at different disease stages.
Amazon Go, surveillance capitalism, and the ideology of convenience
Authors: Huberman Jenny
Published: May 2021

How does convenience operate not just as a highly coveted consumer good that stands to mitigate the demands of life in a fast‐paced society but also as an ideology that is integral to new forms of capital accumulation, domination, and extraction? Taking Shoshana Zuboff's work on surveillance capitalism as a departure point, in this article I explore this question by focusing on one of Amazon's newest business initiatives, Amazon Go. Launched in 2018, the initiative has involved opening twenty‐six stores intended to enhance customer convenience by weaving “machine learning, computer vision, and AI into the very fabric of the store,” so customers “never have to wait in line.” Drawing on a range of data, including promotional videos, marketing reports, interviews with the designers of the initiative, and customer comments, I show how convenience operates not just as a coveted consumer product but also as an ideology that is central to Amazon's abilities to exploit the behavioral surplus of its customers and legitimate new forms of capital accumulation and extraction. By interrogating how convenience functions in this capacity, this article seeks further understandings of the convenience economy while also returning to a long‐standing question within economic anthropology: What role do ideologies play in sustaining and perpetuating exploitative economic systems?
Inconvenient friendship: How successful cocaine dealers manage social obligations
Authors: Crawford David
Published: May 2021

Based on life history interviews with successfully retired drug dealers, this article examines opportunities and challenges in the suburban underground economy. “Friendship” is key. Suburban drug dealing occurs exclusively through networks of friends, kin, and the acquaintances thereof. Friends are functionally necessary for the suburban illegal drug business but also economically inconvenient in that they require sharing drugs, spending time, “hanging out,” and “partying.” Friends represent “transaction costs” in conventional economic terms. The ambivalence produced by this, in profiting from friends and mixing sociality and commerce, is best understood via insights from economic anthropology, preeminently Marcel Mauss. For Mauss, gifts and self‐interest, generosity and profit, are, and ought to be, conceptually inseparable. Dealers vividly demonstrate this entanglement.
Glutathione: Role in Oxidative/Nitrosative Stress, Antioxidant Defense, and Treatments
Authors: Raj Rai Sristi , Bhattacharyya Camelia , Sarkar Anwita , Chakraborty Surupa , Sircar Esha , Dutta Sreejita , Sengupta Rajib
Published: May 2021

Glutathione (GSH) is the most abundant cellular tripeptide (L‐γ‐glutamate‐L‐cysteinyl‐glycine) which is as critical as oxygen and water. This low molecular mass antioxidant has a very high intracellular concentration that ranges from 1–10 mM and reaches extreme concentration points in malignant cell types. This defender of the cell is compartmentalized in mitochondria, nucleus, peroxisomes, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and cytosol where it is synthesized. The enzymes involved in GSH redox cycling are important for both cellular free radical and non‐radical detoxification. The present review article is covering the crucial roles of GSH to combat oxidative/nitrosative stress related to different diseases/disorders and possible drug designing for new therapies.
Resveratrol improved hippocampal neurogenesis following lead exposure in rats through activation of SIRT1 signaling
Authors: Wang Ruike , Wu Zuntao , Bai Lin , Liu Rundong , Ba Yue , Zhang Huizhen , Cheng Xuemin , Zhou Guoyu , Huang Hui
Published: May 2021

Lead (Pb) poses a potential environmental risk factor for cognitive dysfunction during early life and childhood. Resveratrol is considered a promising antioxidant with respect to the prevention of cognitive deficits and act as a potent SIRT1 agonist. Herein, this study aims to investigate the profile of neurogenesis markers following Pb exposure and to determine the regulatory role of resveratrol in this process. We confirmed firstly the protective effects of resveratrol against Pb‐induced impairments of hippocampal neurogenesis in Male SD rats. Pb exposure early in life caused the altered expression of Ki‐67, NeuN, caspase‐3 and SIRT1 signaling, thereby resulting in spatial cognitive impairment of adolescent rats. As expected, resveratrol reduced cognitive damage and promoted neurogenesis in Pb‐induced injury by regulation of SIRT1 pathway. Collectively, our study establishes the efficacy of resveratrol as a neuroprotective agent and provides a strong rationale for further studies on SIRT1‐mediated mechanisms of neuroprotective functions.
Carnap and the Members of the Lvov–Warsaw School. Carnap’s Warsaw Lectures (1930) in the Polish context
Authors: Brożek Anna
Published: May 2021

In March 1930, Alfred Tarski visited Vienna and delivered few lectures which presented the achievements of the logical branch of the Lvov-Warsaw School. Rudolf Carnap was one of the most careful listeners of these lectures. The same year, in November, Carnap, invited by the Warsaw Philosophical Society, visited Warsaw where he gave three lectures. This was an opportunity for him to meet such members the Lvov-Warsaw School as Jan Łukasiewicz, Stanisław Leśniewski, Tadeusz Kotarbiński, and others. Many years later, Carnap reminisced that he left Warsaw “grateful for many stimulating suggestions and the fruitful exchange of ideas”.

In the paper, I reconstruct the details of Carnap’s visit in Warsaw based on Carnap’s diaries, reports published in the Polish Journal Ruch Filozoficzny [Philosophical Movement] and some correspondence. I also discuss some problems presented by Carnap in Warsaw lectures and compare his views to the positons of members of the Lvov-Warsaw School. These problems are: the foundations of psychology, the status of metaphysical sentences, and the character of reasoning.
Carnap und das Bauhaus
Authors: Bernhard Peter
Published: May 2021

Hinsichtlich der Beziehungen zwischen dem Bauhaus und dem Wiener Kreis gilt Carnap als eine zentrale Figur. Tatsächlich war er mit mehreren Protagonisten des Bauhaus-Kreises über Jahrzehnte befreundet und hielt sowohl am Dessauer Bauhaus als auch am New Bauhaus in Chicago Vorträge. Dabei konnte er als Gemeinsamkeit jedoch nur die Übereinstimmung des Lebensgefühls konstatieren. Eine theoretische Fundierung der Bauhaus-Maximen schloss er vor dem Hintergrund seines nonkognitivistischen Standpunktes aus, kritisierte stattdessen sogar die Texte von Bauhäuslern als metaphysisch.
“The Root of All Evil is Inactivity”: The Response of French Psychiatrists to New Approaches to Patient Work and Occupation, 1918–1939
Authors: Freebody Jane
Published: May 2021

Focusing on the varied responses of French psychiatrists to new theories of occupational therapy emerging after World War I, this chapter argues that the voices of psychiatrists in favour of the new methods were “drowned out” by those who continued to interpret mental disorder in purely organic terms, by the desire of many French psychiatrists to enhance their “scientific” credentials through the use of biological treatments, by the reliance on the funds generated by traditional forms of patients work, and by a lack of skilled staff to supervise occupational therapy. As a result, patients in French asylums continued to remain idle or to be occupied with tasks designed to benefit the institution rather than the patient.
Navigation und Robotik in der Knieendoprothetik
Authors: Moret Céline S. , Hirschmann Michael T.
Published: May 2021

Hintergrund

Die Langlebigkeit einer Knieprothese hängt von der korrekten Ausrichtung der Prothesenkomponenten und der mechanischen Achse des Beins sowie einer optimalen Weichteilbalancierung ab. Um dieses Ziel präziser und sicherer zu erreichen, wurde die computerassistierte Chirurgie entwickelt. Ziel dieses Artikels ist es, die Navigation und Robotik zu bewerten und die aktuellen Ergebnisse zu diskutieren.

Methode

Umfassende Literaturrecherche in der Datenbank PubMed und dem Suchdienst Google Scholar.

Ergebnisse

Die computerassistierte Chirurgie führt zu einer präziseren Ausrichtung der mechanischen Beinachse und der Positionierung der Prothesenkomponenten. Trotzdem sind die klinischen Ergebnisse zur Kniefunktion und die Resultate der patientenbezogenen Fragebögen (PROMs) kontrovers. Sie zeigen, wie für die Überlebensrate, keinen signifikanten Unterschied zur konventionellen Technik. Hohe Anschaffungs- und Unterhaltskosten limitieren zudem die Verbreitung dieser Systeme.

Schlussfolgerung

Momentan bietet die bildgestützte Navigation dem Chirurgen bei gewissen Operationsschritten eine wertvolle Unterstützung für ein präziseres und sichereres Arbeiten. Trotzdem sind Langzeitstudien zur Kniefunktion, zu den PROMs, zur Überlebensrate dringend erforderlich. In der Robotik zeigen nur kurzfristige Ergebnisse ähnliche Trends wie bei der Navigation. Die Robotiksysteme müssen und werden sich weiterentwickeln, um den Anforderungen der Nutzer und Patienten zu entsprechen (Kosten, Größe, Programmierung).
Reduced microglia activity in patients with long-term immunosuppressive therapy after liver transplantation
Authors: Dirks Meike , Buchert Ralph , Wirries Ann-Katrin , Pflugrad Henning , Grosse Gerrit M. , Petrusch Carlotta , Schütze Christian , Wilke Florian , Mamach Martin , Hamann Linda , Langer Laura B. N. , Ding Xiao-Qi , Barg-Hock Hannelore , Klempnauer Jürgen , Wetzel Christian H. , Lukacevic Mario , Janssen Eike , Kessler Mariella , Bengel Frank M. , Geworski Lilli , Rupprecht Rainer , Ross Tobias L. , Berding Georg , Weissenborn Karin
Published: May 2021

Purpose

Calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) can cause long-term impairment of brain function. Possible pathomechanisms include alterations of the cerebral immune system. This study used positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with the translocator protein (TSPO) ligand 18F-GE-180 to evaluate microglial activation in liver-transplanted patients under different regimens of immunosuppression.

Methods

PET was performed in 22 liver-transplanted patients (3 CNI free, 9 with low-dose CNI, 10 with standard-dose CNI immunosuppression) and 9 healthy controls. The total distribution volume (VT) estimated in 12 volumes-of-interest was analyzed regarding TSPO genotype, CNI therapy, and cognitive performance.

Results

In controls, VT was about 80% higher in high affinity binders (n = 5) compared to mixed affinity binders (n = 3). Mean VT corrected for TSPO genotype was significantly lower in patients compared to controls, especially in patients in whom CNI dose had been reduced because of nephrotoxic side effect.

Conclusion

Our results provide evidence of chronic suppression of microglial activity in liver-transplanted patients under CNI therapy especially in patients with high sensitivity to CNI toxicity.
Sea-ice habitat minimizes grazing impact and predation risk for larval Antarctic krill
Authors: David Carmen L. , Schaafsma Fokje L. , van Franeker Jan A. , Pakhomov Evgeny A. , Hunt Brian P. V. , Lange Benjamin A. , Castellani Giulia , Brandt Angelika , Flores Hauke
Published: May 2021

Survival of larval Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) during winter is largely dependent upon the presence of sea ice as it provides an important source of food and shelter. We hypothesized that sea ice provides additional benefits because it hosts fewer competitors and provides reduced predation risk for krill larvae than the water column. To test our hypothesis, zooplankton were sampled in the Weddell-Scotia Confluence Zone at the ice-water interface (0–2 m) and in the water column (0–500 m) during August–October 2013. Grazing by mesozooplankton, expressed as a percentage of the phytoplankton standing stock, was higher in the water column (1.97 ± 1.84%) than at the ice-water interface (0.08 ± 0.09%), due to a high abundance of pelagic copepods. Predation risk by carnivorous macrozooplankton, expressed as a percentage of the mesozooplankton standing stock, was significantly lower at the ice-water interface (0.83 ± 0.57%; main predators amphipods, siphonophores and ctenophores) than in the water column (4.72 ± 5.85%; main predators chaetognaths and medusae). These results emphasize the important role of sea ice as a suitable winter habitat for larval krill with fewer competitors and lower predation risk. These benefits should be taken into account when considering the response of Antarctic krill to projected declines in sea ice. Whether reduced sea-ice algal production may be compensated for by increased water column production remains unclear, but the shelter provided by sea ice would be significantly reduced or disappear, thus increasing the predation risk on krill larvae.
Tool and Die Making, Surface Treatment, and Repair by Laser-based Additive Processes
Authors: Asnafi Nader
Published: May 2021

This paper explores the possibilities to use laser-based additive processes to make, surface treat and repair/remanufacture tools, dies and molds for cold working, hot working, and injection molding. The failures encountered in these applications are described. The materials used conventionally and in the laser additive processes are accounted for. The properties of the tools, dies and molds made by Laser-based Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) are as good as and in some cases better than the properties of those made in wrought materials. Shorter cycle time, reduced friction, smaller abrasive wear, and longer life cycle are some of the benefits of L‑PBF and Directed Energy Deposition with powder (DED-p) (or Laser Metal Deposition with powder, LMD‑p, or Laser Cladding, LC). L‑PBF leads to higher toolmaking costs and shorter toolmaking lead time. Based on a review of conducted investigations, this paper shows that it is possible to design and make tools, dies and molds for and by L‑PBF, surface functionalize them by DED-p (LMD‑p, LC), and repair/remanufacture them by DED-p (LMD‑p, LC). With efficient operational performance as the target for the whole tool life cycle, this combination of L‑PBF and DED-p (LMD‑p, LC) has the greatest potential for hot working and injection molding tools and the smallest for cold working tools (due to the current high L‑PBF and DED-p (LMD‑p, LC) costs).
Complementing the pulp proteome via sampling with a picosecond infrared laser (PIRL)
Authors: Feridouni Khamaneh Yaghoup , Kiani Parnian , Miller R. J. Dwayne , Schlüter Hartmut , Friedrich Reinhard E.
Published: May 2021

Objectives

The aim of this investigation was the detailed analysis of the human pulp proteome using the new picosecond infrared laser (PIRL)-based sampling technique, which is based on a completely different mechanism compared to mechanical sampling. Proteome analysis of healthy pulp can provide data to define changes in the proteome associated with dental disease.

Material and methods

Immediately after extraction of the entire, undamaged tooth, 15 wisdom teeth were deep frozen in liquid nitrogen and preserved at −80°C. Teeth were crushed, and the excised frozen pulps were conditioned for further analysis. The pulps were sampled using PIRL, and the aspirates digested with trypsin and analyzed with mass spectrometry. Pulp proteins were categorized according to their gene ontology terminus. Proteins identified exclusively in this study were searched in the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) for gaining information about the main known localization and function.

Results

A total of 1348 proteins were identified in this study. The comparison with prior studies showed a match of 72%. Twenty-eight percent of the proteins were identified exclusively in this study. Considering HPA, almost half of these proteins were assigned to tissues that could be pulp specific.

Conclusion

PIRL is releasing proteins from the dental pulp which are not dissolved by conventional sampling techniques.

Clinical Relevance

The presented data extend current knowledge on dental pulp proteomics in healthy teeth and can serve as a reference for studies on pulp proteomics in dental disease.
A new method of hybrid time window embedding with transformer-based traffic data classification in IoT-networked environment
Authors: Kozik Rafał , Pawlicki Marek , Choraś Michał
Published: May 2021

The Internet of Things (IoT) appliances often expose sensitive data, either directly or indirectly. They may, for instance, tell whether you are at home right now or what your long or short-term habits are. Therefore, it is crucial to protect such devices against adversaries and has in place an early warning system which indicates compromised devices in a quick and efficient manner. In this paper, we propose time window embedding solutions that efficiently process a massive amount of data and have a low-memory-footprint at the same time. On top of the proposed embedding vectors, we use the core anomaly detection unit. It is a classifier that is based on the transformer’s encoder component followed by a feed-forward neural network. We have compared the proposed method with other classical machine-learning algorithms. Therefore, in the paper, we formally evaluate various machine-learning schemes and discuss their effectiveness in the IoT-related context. Our proposal is supported by detailed experiments that have been conducted on the recently published Aposemat IoT-23 dataset.
Correction to: Technostress mitigation: an experimental study of social support during a computer freeze
Authors: Weinert Christoph , Maier Christian , Laumer Sven , Weitzel Tim
Published: May 2021

A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11573-021-01036-x
Orthographic depth and developmental dyslexia: a meta-analytic study
Authors: Carioti Desiré , Masia Marta Franca , Travellini Simona , Berlingeri Manuela
Published: May 2021

Cross-cultural studies have suggested that reading deficits in developmental dyslexia (DD) can be moderated by orthographic depth. To further explore this issue and assess the moderating role of orthographic depth in the developmental cognitive trajectories of dyslexic and typical readers, we systematically reviewed 113 studies on DD that were published from 2013 to 2018 and selected 79 in which participants received an official DD diagnosis. Each study was classified according to orthographic depth (deep vs. shallow) and participant age (children vs. adults). We assessed the difference between DD and control groups’ performance in reading tasks and in a wide range of cognitive domains associated with reading (phonological awareness (PA), rapid automatized naming (RAN), short-term working memory (WM), and nonverbal reasoning), including age and orthographies as moderators. We found an age-by-orthography interaction effect in word reading accuracy and a significant effect of age in pseudoword reading accuracy, but we found no effect of age and orthographic depth on the fluency parameters. These results suggest that reading speed is a reliable index for discriminating between DD and control groups across European orthographies from childhood to adulthood. A similar pattern of results emerged for PA, RAN, and short-term/WM. Our findings are discussed in relation to their impact on clinical practice while considering the orthographic depth and developmental level.
Replacement of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) by extruded feeds with different proximate compositions: effects on growth, nutritional condition and digestive capacity of juvenile European lobsters (Homarus gammarus, L.)
Authors: Goncalves Renata , Gesto Manuel , Teodósio Maria Alexandra , Baptista Vânia , Navarro-Guillén Carmen , Lund Ivar
Published: May 2021

Extruded feeds are widely used for major aquatic animal production, particularly for finfish. However, the transition from fresh/frozen to extruded/pelleted feeds remains a major obstacle to progressing sustainable farming of European lobster (Homarus gammarus). The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of using extruded feeds with different protein levels and lipid/carbohydrate ratios on growth, feed utilisation, nucleic acid derived indices (sRD) and digestive enzymatic activity of H. gammarus juveniles. Six extruded feeds were formulated to contain two protein levels (400 and 500 g/kg), with three lipid/carbohydrate ratios (LOW – 1:3; MEDium – 1:2; HIGH – 1:1). The extruded feeds were tested against Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) used as control (CTRL). Overall, the CTRL and 500MED feed supported the highest growth and nutritional condition estimated by means of sRD, while the poorest results were observed for the 400HIGH and 400MED groups. The FCR was significantly lower in the CTRL than all extruded feeds, among which the most efficient, i.e., lower FCR, was the 500MED. The highest activity of trypsin and amylase in lobsters fed the 400MED and 400HIGH feeds points to the activation of a mechanism to maximise nutrients assimilation. The highest lipase activity observed for the 500LOW and 500MED groups indicates a higher capacity to metabolise and store lipids. Overall, the results suggest that the 500MED feed (500 g/kg protein, 237 g/kg carbohydrates and 119 g/kg lipids) is a suitable extruded feed candidate to replace Antarctic krill, commonly used to grow lobster juveniles.
ON THE REGULAR GRAPH RELATED TO THE G-CONJUGACY CLASSES
Authors: B. R. ADAM , AKHLAGHI Z.
Published: May 2021

Given a finite group G with a normal subgroup N, the simple graph
$\Gamma _{\textit {G}}( \textit {N} )$
is a graph whose vertices are of the form
$|x^G|$
, where
$x\in {N\setminus {Z(G)}}$
and
$x^G$
is the G-conjugacy class of N containing the element x. Two vertices
$|x^G|$
and
$|y^G|$
are adjacent if they are not coprime. We prove that, if
$\Gamma _G(N)$
is a connected incomplete regular graph, then
$N= P \times {A}$
where P is a p-group, for some prime p,
$A\leq {Z(G)}$
and
$\textbf {Z}(N)\not = N\cap \textbf {Z}(G)$
.
Ethnic Fundraising in America and the Irish and Lithuanian Wars of Independence, 1918–1923
Authors: Adams R. J. C. , Nikšaitė Vaida
Published: May 2021

The close of the First World War signalled a proliferation of newly established nation-states across Europe. However, the unilateral proclamations of these states’ independence did not guarantee their international recognition, nor did it guarantee their financial viability. This article examines the funding of two such states: the unrecognized Lithuanian (1919–23) and Irish (1919–21) republics. Both funded their wars of independence by selling ‘war bonds’ to their respective diasporas in the United States; the Lithuanians raising almost $1.9m from c. 28,000 subscribers and the Irish raising $5.8m from c. 300,000 subscribers. Communication between the organizers of these bond drives was virtually non-existent, but following the example of the US Liberty Loans they employed remarkably similar tactics. Yet, issued by self-proclaimed nation-states with neither territorial integrity nor a credible history of borrowing, the Lithuanian and Irish war bonds promised a return only when the states had received international recognition. In this sense, they were examples of what the authors term Pre-Sovereign Debt. Practically, they were a focal point for agitation for governmental recognition and rousing of American public opinion. Symbolically, they were tangible representations of the Lithuanian and Irish pretensions to statehood.
Relationship between childhood obesity and socio-economic status among primary school children in Costa Rica
Authors: Gamboa-Gamboa Tatiana , Fantin Romain , Cordoba Jeancarlo , Caravaca Ivannia , Gómez-Duarte Ingrid
Published: May 2021

Objective:

This article analyses the relationship between socio-economic status and the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the primary school population in Costa Rica.

Design:

A National School Weight/Height Census was disseminated across Costa Rica in 2016. The percentage of children who were overweight or obese was calculated by sex, age and socio-economic indicators (type of institution: private, public, mix; type of geographic location: rural, urban and the level of development of the district of residence: quartiles). A mixed-effects multinomial logistic regression model and mixed-effects logistic regression model were used to analyse the association between the prevalence of being overweight or obese and district socio-economic status.

Setting:

The survey was carried out in public and private primary schools across Costa Rica in 2016.

Participants:

In total, 347 366 students from 6 to 12 years were enrolled in public and private primary schools.

Results:

The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children was 34·0 %. Children in private schools were more likely to be overweight or obese than students in public schools (OR = 1·10 [1·07, 1·13]). Additionally, children were less likely to be overweight or obese if attending a school in a district of the lowest socio-economic quartile compared with the highest socio-economic quartile (OR = 0·79 [0·75, 0·83]) and in a rural area compared with the urban area (OR = 0·92 [0·87, 0·97]).

Conclusions:

Childhood obesity in Costa Rica continues to be a public health problem. Prevalence of overweight and obesity in children was associated with indicators of higher socio-economic status.
Acknowledged authenticity. Or did the origin of rock matter in the Mesolithic?
Authors: Nyland Astrid J.
Published: May 2021

This article explores the concept of authenticity of rock, place and stone tools in the Mesolithic. It uses results from a recent pXRF analysis on a selection of greenstone adzes predominantly originating from a delimited area on the western coast of south Norway as its point of departure. The results show that, although the majority of the 80 analysed adzes were made of greenstone from one specific source, eight clearly stemmed from local outcrops away from this one source area. The quantitative geochemical data are not presented in detail. Instead, the focus is on the social significance of these stone objects and their sources as indicated by the results. I argue that the anomalies demonstrate an acknowledged social value placed on stone from a dedicated source area; they represent deliberate attempts to manipulate perception and thus replicate a specific social affinity. Emphasizing perception and appearance, I consider adzes of green stone as assemblages of knowledge, skill, place and social memory – as desirable objects that enhanced a feeling of belonging and social identity – and I question whether this means that people in the Mesolithic recognized and acknowledged something as authentic.
Paleointensity and Rock Magnetism of Martian Nakhlite Meteorite Miller Range 03346: Evidence for Intense Small‐Scale Crustal Magnetization on Mars
Authors: Volk Michael W. R. , Fu Roger R. , Mittelholz Anna , Day James M. D.
Published: May 2021

The martian dynamo’s strength and duration are essential for understanding Mars' habitability and deep interior dynamics. Although most northern volcanic terranes were likely emplaced after the martian dynamo ceased, recent data from the InSight mission show stronger than predicted crustal fields. Studying young volcanic martian meteorites offers a precise, complementary method to characterize the strength of the martian crustal field and examine its implications for past dynamo activity. We present the first rock and paleomagnetic study of nine mutually oriented samples from the martian Nakhlite meteorite Miller Range (MIL) 03346, which is well‐suited for paleomagnetic analysis due to its well‐known age (1,368 ± 83 Ma) and lack of significant aqueous, thermal, and shock overprinting. Rock magnetic analysis, including quantum diamond microscope imaging, showed that the natural remanent magnetization (NRM) is carried by Ti‐magnetite crystals containing µm‐scale ilmenite exsolution lamellae, which can accurately record ancient magnetic fields. Demagnetization of the NRM revealed a high coercivity magnetization interpreted to date from the age of eruption based on its intensity, unidirectionality, and a passing fusion crust baked contact test. Paleointensities of four samples reveal a 5.1 ± 1.5 µT paleofield, representing the most reliable martian paleointensity estimates to‐date and stronger than the 2 µT surface fields measured by InSight. Modeling shows that the observed fields can be explained by an older subsurface magnetized layer without a late, active dynamo and support a deeply buried, highly magnetized crust in the northern hemisphere of Mars. These results provide corroborating evidence for strong, small‐scale crustal fields on Mars.
Genome wide association study reveals plant loci controlling heritability of the rhizosphere microbiome
Authors: Deng Siwen , Caddell Daniel F , Xu Gen , Dahlen Lindsay , Washington Lorenzo , Yang Jinliang , Coleman-Derr Devin
Published: May 2021

Host genetics has recently been shown to be a driver of plant microbiome composition. However, identifying the underlying genetic loci controlling microbial selection remains challenging. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) represent a potentially powerful, unbiased method to identify microbes sensitive to the host genotype and to connect them with the genetic loci that influence their colonization. Here, we conducted a population-level microbiome analysis of the rhizospheres of 200 sorghum genotypes. Using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, we identify rhizosphere-associated bacteria exhibiting heritable associations with plant genotype, and identify significant overlap between these lineages and heritable taxa recently identified in maize. Furthermore, we demonstrate that GWAS can identify host loci that correlate with the abundance of specific subsets of the rhizosphere microbiome. Finally, we demonstrate that these results can be used to predict rhizosphere microbiome structure for an independent panel of sorghum genotypes based solely on knowledge of host genotypic information.
Awareness, treatment, control, and determinants of dyslipidemia among adults in China
Authors: Opoku Sampson , Gan Yong , Yobo Emmanuel Addo , Tenkorang-Twum David , Yue Wei , Wang Zhihong , Lu Zuxun
Published: May 2021

Effective management of dyslipidemia is important. This study aimed to determine the awareness, treatment, control, and determinants of dyslipidemia in middle-aged and older Chinese adults in China. Using data from the 2015 China National Stroke Screening and Prevention Project (CNSSPP), a nationally representative sample of 135,403 Chinese adults aged 40 years or more were included in this analysis. Dyslipidemia was defined by the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults final report (NCEP-ATP III) and the 2016 Chinese guidelines for the management of dyslipidemia in adults. Models were constructed to adjust for subjects’ characteristics with bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses. Overall, 51.1% of the subjects were women. Sixty-four percent were aware of their condition, of whom 18.9% received treatment, and of whom 7.2% had adequately controlled dyslipidemia. Dyslipidemia treatment was higher in men from rural areas than their urban counterparts. The multivariable logistic regression models revealed that women, urban residents, and general obesity were positively related to awareness. Women, married respondents, and current drinkers had higher odds of treatment. Age group, overweight, general obesity, urban residence, and women were independent determinants of control. Dyslipidemia awareness rate was moderately high, but treatment and control rates were low. Results can be used to develop policies and health promotion strategies with special focus on middle-aged and older adults.
Individual differences in sensory and expectation driven interoceptive processes: a novel paradigm with implications for alexithymia, disordered eating and obesity
Authors: Young Hayley A. , Gaylor Chantelle M. , de-Kerckhove Danielle , Benton David
Published: May 2021

Those with disordered eating and/or obesity often express difficulties in sensing or interpreting what is happening in the body (interoception). However, research is hindered by conceptual confusion, concerns surrounding domain specificity, and an inability to distinguish sensory (bottom-up) and expectation driven (top-down) interoceptive processes. A paradigm was therefore developed from an active inference perspective. Novel indices were computed and examined in those with alexithymia: a personality associated with interoceptive deficits and disordered eating. The paradigm successfully identified individuals driven by sensations rather than expectations: alexithymia was characterized by attenuated prior precision (a larger divergence between pre-prandial and post-prandial satiety, and low expectation confidence), and increased prediction error (a higher correlation between changes in hunger and blood glucose, and greater rebound hunger after a sensory incongruent drink). In addition, those with a higher BMI were less confident and had a larger anticipated satiety divergence. These findings demonstrate the need to move beyond existing paradigms such as the Satiety Quotient and Heartbeat Counting Task which may have limited our understanding of eating behaviour.
COVID-19’s natural course among ambulatory monitored outpatients
Authors: Weinbergerova Barbora , Mayer Jiri , Hrabovsky Stepan , Novakova Zuzana , Pospisil Zdenek , Martykanova Lucie , Hortova Katerina , Mandelova Lucie , Hejduk Karel , Chloupková Renata , Pospisil Michal , Doubkova Martina , Marek Vladimir , Novotna Renata , Dolecek Martin , Kubesova Hana Matejovska , Brat Kristian , Parizkova Radana , Husa Petr , Mechl Marek , Kral Zdenek , Lengerova Martina
Published: May 2021

Research objective was to detail COVID-19’s natural trajectory in relation to the Czech population’s viral load. Our prospective detailed daily questionnaire-based telemonitoring study evaluated COVID-19’s impact among 105 outpatients. In accordance with government quarantine requirements, outpatients were divided into a cohort with two negative tests at the end of the disease (40 patients) and a cohort with a new algorithm (65 patients) following a 14-day quarantine. Median follow-up differed significantly between the 2 groups (23 days vs. 16 days). Only 6% of patients were asymptomatic during the entire telemonitoring period. Another 13% of patients were diagnosed asymptomatic, as suspected contacts, yet later developed symptoms, while the remaining 81% were diagnosed as symptomatic on average 6 days following symptom onset. Telemonitoring enabled precise symptom status chronicling. The most frequently reported complaints were fevers, respiratory issues, and anosmia. Six patients were eventually hospitalized for complications detected early after routine telemonitoring. During the extended follow-up (median 181 days), anosmia persisted in 26% of patients. 79% of patients in the new quarantine algorithm cohort reported no symptoms on day 11 compared to just 56% of patients in the two negative test cohort upon first testing negative (median–19 days). The highest viral load occurred within 0–2 days of initial symptom onset. Both the PCR viral load and two consecutive PCR negative sample realizations indicated high interindividual variability with a surprisingly fluctuating pattern among 43% of patients. No definitive COVID-19 symptoms or set of symptoms excepting anosmia (59%) and/or ageusia (47%) were identified. No preexisting medical conditions specifically foreshadowed disease trajectory in a given patient. Without a PCR negativity requirement for quarantine cessation, patients could exhibit fewer symptoms. Our study therefore highlights the urgent need for routine ambulatory patient telemedicine monitoring, early complication detection, intensive mass education connecting disease demeanor with subsequent swift diagnostics, and, notably, the need to reevaluate and modify quarantine regulations for better control of SARS-CoV-2 proliferation.
Viral load, not food availability or temperature, predicts colony longevity in an invasive eusocial wasp with plastic life history
Authors: Loope Kevin J. , Wilson Rankin Erin E.
Published: May 2021

Social insect colonies exhibit a variety of life history strategies, from the annual, semelparous colonies of temperate bees and wasps to the long-lived colonies of many ants and honeybees. Species introduced to novel habitats may exhibit plasticity in life history strategies as a result of the introduction, but the factors governing these changes often remain obscure. Vespula pensylvanica, a yellowjacket wasp, exhibits such plasticity in colony longevity. Multi-year (perennial) colonies are relatively common in introduced populations in Hawaii, while source populations in the western United States are typically on an annual cycle. Here, we use experiments and observational data to examine how diet, disease, nest thermal environment, and nest location influence colony longevity in a population with both annual and perennial colonies. Counter to our predictions, experimental feeding and warming did not increase colony survival in the winter in the introduced range. However, Moku Virus load and wasp colony density predicted colony survival in one year, suggesting a potential role for disease in modulating colony phenology. We also found that local V. pensylvanica colony density was positively correlated with Moku Virus loads, and that Arsenophonus sp. bacterial loads in V. pensylvanica colonies were positively associated with proximity to feral honeybee (Apis mellifera) hives, suggesting potential transmission routes for these poorly understood symbionts. The factors influencing colony longevity in this population are likely multiple and interactive. More important than food availability, we propose winter precipitation as a critical factor that may explain temporal and spatial variation in colony longevity in these invasive wasps.
A new 1,2,3-triazole-decorated imino-phenol: selective sensing of Zn2+, Cu2+ and picric acid under different experimental conditions
Authors: Ghosh Sumit , Baildya Nabajyoti , Ghosh Kumaresh
Published: May 2021

A new 1,2,3-triazole-based imino-phenol 1 is synthesized. It selectively senses Zn2+ in CH3CN–H2O with a detection limit of 1.8 × 10−6 M. Further, the selective sensing of Cu2+ and picric acid is achieved by the ensemble 1.Zn2+ in CH3CN–H2O.
Actin filament alignment causes mechanical hysteresis in cross-linked networks
Authors: Scheff Danielle R. , Redford Steven A. , Lorpaiboon Chatipat , Majumdar Sayantan , Dinner Aaron R. , Gardel Margaret L.
Published: May 2021

We investigate biopolymer networks with long lasting stiffening in the direction of previously applied stress. We find this phenomenon depends on the network having a non-linear shear response and the ability of filaments to rearrange under stress.
Molecular mobility and crystallization of renewable poly(ethylene furanoate) in situ filled with carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoparticles
Authors: Kourtidou Dimitra , Klonos Panagiotis A. , Papadopoulos Lazaros , Kyritsis Apostolos , Bikiaris Dimitrios N. , Chrissafis Konstantinos
Published: May 2021

Nanocomposites of renewable poly(ethylene furanoate) in situ filled with carbon nanotubes and graphene: effects on crystallization, semicrystalline morphology and molecular dynamics.