bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association of leukocyte telomere length with obesity‐related traits in Asian children with early‐onset obesity
Authors: Ooi Delicia Shu Qin , Dorajoo Rajkumar , Gurung Resham L. , Dehghan Roghayeh , Lim Yvonne Yijuan , Ho Cindy Wei Li , Tay Veronica , Karuppiah Vijaya , Loke Kah Yin , Lim Su Chi , Liu Jian‐Jun , Sng Andrew Anjian , Lee Yung Seng
Published: January 2021

Background

Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is associated with obesity and obesity‐related traits, and there are ethnic‐specific determinants of LTL.

Objective

To evaluate LTL associations with obesity and metabolic parameters in Asian children with early‐onset obesity.

Methods

Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes of a cohort of children with (N = 371) and without obesity (N = 23), and LTL was measured using quantitative PCR (qPCR). Blood plasma was used for metabolic phenotyping. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS and STATA.

Results

Children with obesity had shorter LTL (coefficient = −0.683, PAdj = 1.24 × 10−3) as compared to children who were lean. LTL was found to be associated with waist circumference (coefficient = −0.326, PAdj = 0.044) and skin‐fold measures (coefficient between 0.267 and 0.301, PAdj between 4.27 × 10−4 and 7.06 × 10−7) in children with obesity. However, no significant associations were observed between LTL and metabolic parameters, and between LTL and inflammatory cytokines. LTL also did not significantly mediate the risk of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in children with obesity.

Conclusions

We showed for the first time that Asian children with severe obesity had shorter LTL, and the shortening of LTL was associated with other adiposity measures including waist circumference and skin‐fold measurements.
Initiating and integrating a personalized end of life care project in a community hospital intensive care unit: A qualitative study of clinician and implementation team perspectives
Authors: Yeung Eugenia , Sadowski Laurie , Levesque Kelsea , Camargo Mercedes , Vo Allen , Young Elayn , Duan Erick , Tsang Jennifer L. Y. , Cook Deborah , Tam Benjamin
Published: January 2021

Rationale

The end of life (EOL) experience in the intensive care unit (ICU) can be psychologically distressing for patients, families, and clinicians. The 3 Wishes Project (3WP) personalizes the EOL experience by carrying out wishes for dying patients and their families. While the 3WP has been integrated in academic, tertiary care ICUs, implementing this project in a community ICU has yet to be described.

Objectives

To examine facilitators of, and barriers to, implementing the 3WP in a community ICU from the clinician and implementation team perspective.

Methods

This qualitative descriptive study evaluated the implementation of the 3WP in a 20‐bed community ICU in Southern Ontario, Canada. Patients were considered for the 3WP if they had a high likelihood of imminent death or planned withdrawal of life‐sustaining therapy. Following the qualitative descriptive approach, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with purposively sampled clinicians and implementation team. Data from transcribed interviews were analyzed in triplicate through qualitative content analysis.

Results

Interviews with 12 participants indicated that the 3WP personalized and enriched the EOL experience. Interviewees indicated higher intensity education strategies were needed to enable spread as the project grew. Clinicians described many physical resources for the project but suggested more non‐clinical project support for orientation, continuing education, and data collection. A majority of wishes focused on physical resources including keepsakes, which helped facilitate project spread when clinician capacity was attenuated by competing duties.

Conclusions

In this community hospital, ICU clinicians and implementation team members report perceived improved EOL care for patients, families, and clinicians following 3WP initiation and integration. Implementing individualized and meaningful wishes at EOL for dying patients in a community ICU requires adequate planning and time dedicated to optimizing clinician education. Adapting key features of an intervention to local expertise and capacity may facilitate spread during project initiation and integration.
First record of the pencil cardinal Epigonus denticulatus (Perciformes: Epigonidae) in the Azores archipelago
Authors: Catarino Diana , Stefanni Sergio , Porteiro Filipe M. , Rosa Alexandra , Giacomello Eva
Published: January 2021

The pencil cardinal Epigonus denticulatus is a small deep‐water fish inhabiting continental slopes usually between 300 and 600 m depth. We report the first record of E. denticulatus in the Azores archipelago, where one specimen was found floating by fisherman off Faial island. Meristic and morphometric characters are in accordance with those reported for the species and molecular analyses further supported species identity. The record of E. denticulatus as a native species in the Azores increases the number of Epigonus species in the region to a total of three.
Systemic phaeohyphomycosis in splitnose rockfish (Sebastes diploproa) caused by Devriesia sp.
Authors: Peel Melanie J. , Adams Lance , Stevens Brittany , Garner Michael M. , Maguire Cheryl
Published: January 2021

A novel pathogen was documented after two wild‐caught, juvenile, splitnose rockfish presented with buphthalmia, grey corneal endothelial plaques and evidence of uveitis. Cytologic evaluation of ocular contents revealed fungal hyphae. Histologic evaluation identified multiple fungal granulomas and granulomatous inflammation in the globes, periocular tissue and heart. Fungi were slender, hyphenated and branched at angles, had parallel cell walls and had brown pigmentation in haematoxylin‐ and eosin‐stained sections. Both fish were diagnosed with phaeohyphomycosis. Culture with nuclear ribosomal RNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) segment identification further classified the fungus as Devriesia sp., which has not been previously documented as a cause of disease in animals.
Ethylene and salicylic acid synergistically accelerate leaf senescence in Arabidopsis
Authors: Wang Chaoqi , Dai Shouyi , Zhang Zhong‐Lin , Lao Wenqing , Wang Ruiying , Meng Xianqing , Zhou Xin
Published: January 2021

The phytohormones ethylene and salicylic acid (SA) have long been known to promote senescence, but their interplay during this process remains elusive. Here we report the synergistic effects of ethylene and SA on promoting leaf senescence in Arabidopsis. EIN3, a key transcription factor of ethylene signaling, physically interacted with the core SA signaling regulator NPR1 in senescing leaves. EIN3 and NPR1 synergistically promoted the expression of the senescence‐associated genes ORE1 and SAG29. The senescence phenotype was more delayed for the ein3eil1npr1 triple mutant than ein3eil1 or npr1 with ethylene or/and SA treatment. NPR1‐promoted leaf senescence may depend on functional EIN3/EIL1.
Ultra‐high frequency ultrasonography (UHFUS)‐guided minor salivary gland biopsy: A promising procedure to optimize labial salivary gland biopsy in Sjögren’s syndrome
Authors: Izzetti Rossana , Ferro Francesco , Vitali Saverio , Nisi Marco , Fonzetti Silvia , Oranges Teresa , Donati Valentina , Caramella Davide , Baldini Chiara , Gabriele Mario
Published: January 2021

Background

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by an inflammatory infiltrate of exocrine salivary and lachrymal glands. Diagnosis is complex, and minor salivary gland biopsy and subsequent focus score (FS) calculation appear of extreme importance in the diagnostic work‐up of the disease. Ultra‐high frequency ultrasonography (UHFUS) is a recently introduced diagnostic technique, which is gaining an increasingly important role in intraoral imaging. This study aims at exploring the usefulness of UHFUS for obtaining valuable labial salivary gland samples to assess the histopathological features of SS patients.

Methods

Patients with clinical suspect of SS and eligible for minor salivary gland biopsy were enrolled. UHFUS scan of the lower lip was performed. Glandular echostructure was classified according to Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) scoring system. The glands to be sampled were selected on the basis of UHFUS evaluation and biopsied. The areas of the samples were recorded and compared with those obtained without UHFUS guidance. The correlation between UHFUS grade and labial gland FS was also assessed.

Results

The areas of the samples obtained with UHFUS guidance were significantly higher (7.25 ± 3.98 mm2) than those obtained by conventional procedures (5.79 ± 3.49 mm2, P = .02). UHFUS correlated significantly with the salivary gland FS (r = .532, P = .001).

Conclusion

UHFUS seems a promising tool in SS diagnostic algorithm, being able to provide a valuable support to the biopsy procedure. Further studies are mandatory to confirm the role of UHFUS in SS.
Affirming both independent and interdependent values improves achievement for all students and mitigates cultural mismatch for first‐generation college students
Authors: Hecht Cameron A. , Priniski Stacy J. , Tibbetts Yoi , Harackiewicz Judith M.
Published: January 2021

Many first‐generation college students—whose parents have not obtained a 4‐year college degree—experience a “cultural mismatch” due to a lack of alignment between the independent values of their university (consistent with the culture of higher education) and their own interdependent values (consistent with working‐class culture). We documented this mismatch at a 4‐year university (n = 465), and then tested a values‐affirmation intervention in a laboratory study (n = 220) that encouraged students to affirm both independent values and interdependent values. We compared this intervention, which had not previously been tested in a 4‐year university, to a standard values‐affirmation intervention and control. This intervention increased first‐generation students’ perceptions of cultural match and improved achievement on a math test for all students, on average, by increasing confidence and reducing distraction on the test. Encouraging students to integrate independent and interdependent values may improve first‐generation college students’ experiences in higher education.
The oral health status of America's rural children: An opportunity for policy change
Authors: Crouch Elizabeth , Nelson Joni , Merrell Melinda A. , Martin Amy
Published: January 2021

Objectives

The purpose of our study was to examine the association between rurality and select oral health care metrics: teeth condition, decay, and access measures such as preventive dental care among children in the United States.

Methods

We conducted a cross‐sectional study with a sample of 20,842 respondents from the 2017 to 2018 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), a nationally representative sample of U.S. children. Socio‐demographic information, residence, and oral health and healthcare utilization information were used to create study variables. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and a multivariable regression model were performed.

Results

Rural children were less likely to have a preventive dental visit than urban children (84.9 percent versus 87.5 percent, P = 0.03). Children residing in rural areas were more likely to have their teeth condition reported as fair or poor than children residing in urban areas (7.3 percent versus 6.6 percent, P = 0.02). Compared to their urban counterparts, rural children were also less likely to have received fluoride treatment (46.6 percent versus 52.5 percent, P = 0.0022) and less likely to have received a dental sealant (19.5 percent versus 22.5 percent, P = 0.0147). In adjusted analysis, there was no significant difference in receiving a preventive dental visit for rural children, compared to their urban counterparts.

Conclusions

As preparations are made for the 2020 Surgeon General's report on oral health, the current study provides important evidence to inform future advocacy and legislative priorities. To reduce urban–rural disparities among children, there must be enhanced dental care access, dental workforce expansion, and increased awareness about preventive oral health services.
Melatonin rescues the reproductive toxicity of low‐dose glyphosate‐based herbicide during mouse oocyte maturation via the GPER signaling pathway
Authors: Cao Mingjun , Wang Yufeng , Yang Fan , Li Jizhou , Qin Xunsi
Published: January 2021

Glyphosate‐based herbicides (GBHs) are a group of widely used broad‐spectrum agricultural pesticides. Due to the recalcitrance of GBH, it has been found in food and environment as a contaminant, posing a threat to public health. The health risks associated with GBH have been indicated by reporting acute toxicity data (an acute exposure of GBH at a 0.5% dose), which primarily discuss toxicity in relation to accidental high‐rate exposure. Currently, there is little information regarding the toxicity of GBH at environmentally relevant levels. In this study, we used mature mouse oocytes to study the toxic effects of low‐dose GBH exposure in vitro (0.00001%–0.00025%) and in vivo (0.0005%, orally administered through daily drinking water) during meiotic maturation. GBH exposure led to meiotic maturation failure with spindle defects and chromosome misalignment. In addition, GBH treatment severely reduced sperm‐binding ability and disrupted early embryo cleavage. Moreover, GBH exposure significantly increased the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and apoptotic rates. Evidence indicates that such effects in GBH‐exposed oocytes are likely due to overexpression of the G‐protein estrogen receptor (GPER/GPR30). Remarkably, we found that melatonin administration elicited significant protection against GBH‐induced oocyte deterioration via preserving the expression of GPR30, along with activation of its downstream signaling event (pERK/ERK). Taken together, these results revealed that low‐dose glyphosate has a certain adverse effect on oocyte maturation and early embryo cleavage, and highlight the protective roles of melatonin.
Not Breathing Easy: “Disarticulated Homework” in Asthma Management
Authors: Spray Julie , Carter Chelsey R. , Waters Erika A. , Hunleth Jean M.
Published: January 2021

Recent health policy in the United States encourages an outsourcing of labor from professional practice into domestic spaces, where in theory, medical professionals supply the training, technologies, and guidance needed to discharge responsibility for care to patients or caregivers. Mattingly et al. (2011) term this labor “chronic homework,” describing the relationship between the assigning and undertaking of medical care at the borders of professional and domestic domains. This is a system predicated on relationships between professional and caregiver. However, in our research with families and providers in two U.S. sites, we observed a “disarticulation” of asthma care from professional medicine. Caregivers may undertake routine asthma management with little physician oversight, transforming chronic homework into what we term “disarticulated homework.” We argue that expanding the concept of chronic homework to theorize disarticulation processes can help elucidate how health disparities are reproduced in the gap between medical systems and domestic life. [asthma, self‐management, caregiving pharmaceuticalization, health disparities]
Fine‐scale genetic structure reflects limited and coordinated dispersal in the colonial monk parakeet, Myiopsitta monachus
Authors: Dawson Pell Francesca S. E. , Senar Juan Carlos , Franks Daniel W. , Hatchwell Ben J.
Published: January 2021

The genetic structure of animal populations has considerable behavioural, ecological and evolutionary implications and may arise from various demographic traits. Here, we use observational field data and molecular genetics to determine the genetic structure of an invasive population of monk parakeets, Myiopsitta monachus, at a range of spatial scales, and investigate the demographic processes that generate the observed structure. Monk parakeets construct large nests that can house several pairs occupying separate chambers; these nests are often aggregated within nesting trees. We determined patterns of relatedness within compound nests, within nesting trees and between trees. Spatial autocorrelation analyses of pairwise genetic relatedness revealed fine‐scale genetic structure with relatives of both sexes spatially clustered within, but not beyond, nesting trees. In addition, males were more related to males sharing their compound nests than to other males occupying the same nesting tree. By contrast, males and females within compound nests were not significantly more closely related than elsewhere in the same tree, and we found no evidence for inbreeding. Adults showed high breeding site fidelity between years despite considerable disturbance of nest sites. Natal dispersal was female‐biased, but dispersal distances were relatively short with some natal philopatry observed in both sexes. Sibling coalitions, typically of males, were observed amongst both philopatric and dispersing birds. Our results show significant clustering of kin within compound nests and nesting trees resulting from limited and coordinated natal dispersal, with subsequent breeding site fidelity. The resulting genetic structure has implications for social behaviour in this unusual parrot species.
What is the association between student well‐being and high‐stakes examination scores?
Authors: Monrad Seetha U. , Wolff Margaret , Kurtz Joshua , Deiorio Nicole M. , Sabo Roy , Stringer Jake K. , Santen Sally A.
Published: January 2021

Introduction

As educators seek to improve medical student well‐being, it is essential to understand the interplay between distress and important outcomes. Performance on Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination has played a significant role in selection for postgraduate residency positions in the United States and consequently has been a source of great stress for medical students. The purpose of this study was to examine whether student well‐being correlates with performance on a high stakes licensing examination.

Methods

Between 2014 and 2016, three sequential cohorts of medical students at the University of Michigan Medical School completed the Medical Student Well‐Being Index (MSWBI) at the end of their 2nd‐year curriculum, shortly before taking Step 1. Associations between well‐being and Step 1 scores were investigated while adjusting for MCAT scores and cumulative second‐year course scores.

Results

In total, 354 students were included in the analysis (68.1% of potential responders). On bivariate analysis, poor student well‐being (0 = low distress [high well‐being], 7 = high distress [poor well‐being]) was associated with lower Step 1 examination scores (slope = −2.10, P < .01), and well‐being accounted for 5% of overall Step 1 score variability (R2 = .05). However, after adjustment for MCAT scores and cumulative GPA (full model R2 = .51), the relationship between well‐being and Step 1 score was no longer significant (slope = −0.70, P‐value = .06).

Conclusions

When controlling for metrics of academic performance, student well‐being prior to taking Step 1 was not associated with how well students performed on Step 1 for the study sample.
Characteristics of the gastrointestinal microbiota in paired live kidney donors and recipients
Authors: Chan Samuel , Morrison Mark , Hawley Carmel M. , Campbell Scott B. , Francis Ross S. , Isbel Nicole M. , Pascoe Elaine M. , Johnson David W.
Published: January 2021

Background

There are few studies that have examined whether dysbiosis occurs in kidney donors and transplant recipients following kidney transplant surgery.

Aim

To ascertain whether changes occur in the gastrointestinal microbiota of the kidney donor and recipient following kidney transplantation.

Methods

Kidney transplant recipients and their donors were prospectively enrolled in a pilot study to collect one faecal sample prior to, and another faecal sample between four to eight weeks following surgery. Gastrointestinal microbiota richness, Shannon diversity measures and functional assessments of kidney donors and recipients were analysed via metagenomic sequencing.

Results

The study included 12 donors (median age 56 years, 6 females) and 12 recipients (median age 51 years, 3 females). Donor microbiota showed no significant changes in gastrointestinal microbiota richness, Shannon diversity, or functional assessments before and after nephrectomy. Recipient microbiota was altered post‐transplant, reflected in reductions of the mean (±SD) richness values (156 ± 46.5 to 116 ± 38.6, p = 0.002), and Shannon diversity (3.57 ± 0.49 to 3.14 ± 0.52, p = 0.007), and a dramatic increase in Roseburia spp. abundance post‐transplant (26‐fold increase from 0.16 ± 0.0091 to 4.6 ± 0.3; p = 0.006; FDR = 0.12). Functionally, the post‐transplant microbial community shifted towards those taxa using the glycolysis pathway (1.2‐fold increase; p = 0.02; FDR = 0.26) for energy metabolism, while those functions involved with reactive oxygen species degradation decreased (2.6‐fold; p = 0.006; FDR = 0.14).

Conclusion

Live donor kidney transplantation and standard care post‐transplant result in significant alterations in gut microbiota richness, diversity, composition and functional parameters in kidney transplant recipients but not in their kidney donors.
An autopsy case of aortic dissection due to giant cell arteritis
Authors: Sakashita Mai , Sakashita Shingo , Uesugi Noriko , Tokunaga Chiho , Hiramatsu Yuji , Noguchi Masayuki , Sakamoto Noriaki
Published: January 2021

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a systemic vasculitis affecting mainly large and medium‐sized arteries. GCA sometimes involves the aorta and its major branches and causes aortic dissection as a rare complication. We have experienced an autopsy case of aortic dissection due to GCA. The patient was an 87‐year‐old Japanese woman with Stanford type A aortic dissection who died 7 days after admission. Two years previously she had been diagnosed as having abdominal aortic aneurysm and undergone endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). Although she had no characteristic symptoms of GCA, autopsy revealed marked granulomatous inflammation in the dissected area and coronary arteries. Active arteritis was evident not only in the arteries of the upper extremity but also those in the lower extremity. Granulomatous inflammation was not evident in the aneurysm. The aortic dissection might have been an initial manifestation of GCA. We report the regions of GCA extension and its histology in detail.
The Historical Presidency: Andrew Jackson in the Age of Trump
Authors: Feller Daniel
Published: January 2021

Donald Trump’s embrace of Andrew Jackson as his presidential model made Jackson a centerpiece for debate as a kind of stand‐in for American history at large. The Trump camp acclaimed his aggressive nationalism and insurgent populism, while critics condemned him for exemplifying American xenophobia, bigotry, and racism. Both portraits reduced Jackson to caricature. While Trump praised him for purportedly raising tariffs and rattling sabers, critics charged him with originating Indian genocide, reducing public policy to private vendetta, and practicing unbridled personal violence. Thus, the resemblance between Jackson and Trump, touted by both sides for opposite reasons, rested on historical facts that were oversimplified and often demonstrably untrue. Politicians and pundits led in distorting the record, but scholars were acquiescent and even directly complicit in warping evidence to propound a shallow historical analogy for political effect.
A review of access and benefit‐sharing measures and literature in key aquaculture‐producing countries
Authors: Humphries Fran , Benzie John A.H. , Lawson Charles , Morrison Clare
Published: January 2021

Countries increasingly use access and benefit‐sharing laws as a tool for the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources and associated traditional knowledge. These laws generally require the recipient of resources/knowledge to obtain the provider country’s prior informed consent before collection, use or transfer and to share the benefits from their use with the provider. The aim of this literature review is to comprehensively analyse access and benefit‐sharing laws and literature about the top five aquaculture‐producing countries – China, India, Indonesia, Viet Nam and Bangladesh – to identify research trends and gaps in relation to accessing and sharing the benefits of aquaculture genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge. Using a systematic quantitative literature review methodology, we found only 5% of the literature examined the implications of access and benefit‐sharing for aquaculture and these only related to publications about India’s arrangements. While the other countries had literature about their legal measures and literature about informal genetic resource sharing practices in aquaculture, none of them connected the two research topics. None of the countries had literature analysing the implications of access and benefit‐sharing in relation to traditional knowledge associated with aquaculture. We conclude that given these are the top global producers accounting for up to 80% of all aquaculture products, urgent research is needed to fill the literature gaps to assess whether access and benefit‐sharing as a legal/policy tool is achieving conservation and sustainable use goals for aquaculture genetic resources.
Enhancing the Sense of Community Through Interaction in a Global Online Course
Authors: Keskitalo Tuulikki
Published: January 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate what types of interactions promote students’ sense of community in a global online course. This design-based research study was aimed at finding out practical principles to help students develop a sense of community and have a meaningful learning experience. A total of 82 students participated in the study. Data were collected and analysed using both qualitative and quantitative methods during three design-based research cycles. These analyses produced six qualitatively different categories that were completed with questionnaire data. To meet the goals of the design-based research, this study produced an online higher education course and design principles, as well as deepened our theoretical understanding of the sense of community in online learning.
A Probabilistic Fatigue Damage Model for Aluminum 6061-T6 10-Gauge Sheet-Type Material
Authors: Le Xiaobin
Published: January 2021

The 6061-T6 10-gauge sheet-type flat fatigue specimen was designed, manufactured, and tested on an Instron 8081 fatigue test machine. The fatigue tests were performed under five different cyclic axial loads with 195 tests. This paper will display how to use these 195 test data under different cyclic axial loads to build a probabilistic fatigue damage model. The model is validated by the results obtained from the traditional P-S-N curve approach. One advantage of this probabilistic fatigue damage model is that it can calculate the reliability of a component under any type of cyclic loads at any cyclic load level.
Propagation of Shock Wave at the Cavitation Bubble Expansion Stage Induced by a Nanosecond Laser Pulse
Authors: Geng Siyuan , Yao Zhifeng , Zhong Qiang , Du Yuxin , Xiao Ruofu , Wang Fujun
Published: January 2021

The objective of this paper is to reveal the attenuation characteristics of a shock wave after optical breakdown in water, with laser pulses of 12-ns duration. A high time-resolved shadowgraph method is applied to capture the temporal evolutions of the cavitation bubble wall and shock wave. The experiments are carried out on a single bubble generated far away from the free surface and the rigid walls with laser pulse energies of 22 mJ, 45 mJ, and 60 mJ. The results show that a high, time-resolved, wave front velocity of the shock wave is identified, and the maximum velocity can reach up to around 4000 m/s. An asymmetric shock wave is observed at the very start of the bubble expansion stage, and the process of the sharp attenuation of wave front velocity down to sound velocity is accomplished within 310 ns. The possible relationship of the cavitation bubble and the shock wave is discussed and a prediction model, using the maximum bubble radius and the corresponding time calculated by the Gilmore model, is proposed to calculate the location of the wave front.
On the Pressure Losses Through Multistage Perforated Plates
Authors: La Rosa Davide Maria , Rossi Marco Maria Agostino , Ferrarese Giacomo , Malavasi Stefano
Published: January 2021

Perforated plates are commonly used for flow control in pressurized systems. In different industrial applications, these devices are also used in series (multistage perforated plates) to manage high pressure drop or reduce cavitation occurrence in industrial pipes and enhance efficiency of gas turbines in power plants. Based on analysis of literature and modeling considerations, a functional relationship that describes the dimensionless pressure loss for multistage perforated plates is proposed in this paper. Moreover, numerical investigation of the influence of the spacing between perforated plates for two identical-stage plates with aligned and misaligned holes is carried out by simulating a wide range of Reynolds number in turbulent flow regime. The obtained results include the trend of the pressure loss coefficient as the spacing between the two perforated plates varies for both cases of aligned and misaligned holes. The numerical achievements also show that for small spacing, the pressure loss coefficient is very different from that caused by two independent plates and is strongly influenced by the alignment between the holes of the two plates. By increasing the spacing, the behavior of the losses caused by the two-stage plates tends to that of two independent plates. A critical spacing between the plates has also been defined, beyond which the pressure losses are independent from the alignment of the holes.
Magnetron sputtered magnesium-based thin film metallic glasses for bioimplants
Authors: Balasubramanian Subramanian
Published: January 2021

Mg-based thin film metallic glasses (TFMGs) can viably decrease stress shielding caused by mismatch of the modulus of elasticity between the implant material and human bone. Here, Mg-based TFMGs were fabricated onto implantable substrates by ion assisted pulsed DC magnetron sputtering. The microstructure assessment and the impact of the principle constituents of the coatings were determined utilizing an x-ray diffractometer, a transmission electron microscope, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The hardness of these thin films was estimated to be 5.1 GPa. In vitro degradation tests including electrochemical studies and immersion tests in simulated body fluid revealed that the presence of zinc could raise the corrosion resistance of Mg-based TFMG. Indirect in vitro cytotoxicity using L929 fibroblast cells revealed that the TFMGs did not induce any toxicity in cells. Biomineralization experiments using Saos-2 cells promoted the formation of calcium phosphate on its surface.
Learning location and seabed type from a moving mid-frequency source
Authors: Neilsen T. B. , Escobar-Amado C. D. , Acree M. C. , Hodgkiss W. S. , Van Komen D. F. , Knobles D. P. , Badiey M. , Castro-Correa J.
Published: January 2021

While source localization and seabed classification are often approached separately, the convolutional neural networks (CNNs) in this paper simultaneously predict seabed type, source depth and speed, and the closest point of approach. Different CNN architectures are applied to mid-frequency tonal levels from a moving source recorded on a 16-channel vertical line array (VLA). After training each CNN on synthetic data, a statistical representation of predictions on test cases is presented. The performance of a single regression-based CNN is compared to a multitask CNN in which regression is used for the source parameters and classification for the seabed type. The impact of water sound speed profile and seabed variations on the predictions is evaluated using simulated test cases. Environmental mismatch between the training and testing data has a negative impact on source depth estimates, while the remaining labels are estimated tolerably well but with a bias towards shorter ranges. Similar results are found for data measured on two VLAs during Seabed Characterization Experiment 2017. This work shows the superiority of multitask learning and the potential for using a CNN to localize an acoustic source and detect the surficial seabed properties from mid-frequency sounds.
Charting Their Own Path: Using Life Course Theory to Explore the Careers of Gay Men Working in Sport
Authors: MacCharles Jeffrey D. , Melton E. Nicole
Published: January 2021

Gay men in sport are currently at a historic crossroads. On the one hand, the sport industry has never been more accepting and inclusive of sexual minorities than it is today. On the other hand, however, the sociocultural norms and organizational practices within sport that have traditionally stigmatized gay men and influenced their career choices—both in pursuit of and persistence within careers in sport—continue to exist. Drawing from life course theory, the purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore the experiences of 12 gay men working in the sport industry and understand how their awareness (or lack thereof) of the stigma associated with being gay shaped their career decisions. Findings suggest that historical/social context, organizational practices, personal and professional relationships, and the interplay between these factors inform how gay men navigate their stigmatized identities while working in sport.
Solar-assisted fabrication of large-scale, patternable transparent wood
Authors: Xia Qinqin , Chen Chaoji , Li Tian , He Shuaiming , Gao Jinlong , Wang Xizheng , Hu Liangbing
Published: January 2021

Patternable transparent wood with a high transmittance is fabricated via a solar-assisted chemical brushing approach.
EphrinB2 clustering by Nipah virus G is required to activate and trap F intermediates at supported lipid bilayer–cell interfaces
Authors: Wong Joyce J. , Chen Zhongwen , Chung Jean K. , Groves Jay T. , Jardetzky Theodore S.
Published: January 2021

The reconstitution of Nipah virus fusion activation provides new insights into the dynamics of the viral entry glycoproteins.
Extracellular vesicles deposit
PCNA
to rejuvenate aged bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stem cells and slow age-related degeneration
Authors: Lei Qian , Gao Fei , Liu Teng , Ren Wenxiang , Chen Li , Cao Yulin , Chen Wenlan , Guo Shaojun , Zhang Qiong , Chen Weiqun , Wang Hongxiang , Chen Zhichao , Li Qiubai , Hu Yu , Guo An-Yuan
Published: January 2021

Umbilical cord MSC–derived extracellular vesicles rejuvenate aged bone marrow MSCs and slow age-related degeneration in mice.
Impaired prenatal motor axon development necessitates early therapeutic intervention in severe SMA
Authors: Kong Lingling , Valdivia David O. , Simon Christian M. , Hassinan Cera W. , Delestrée Nicolas , Ramos Daniel M. , Park Jae Hong , Pilato Celeste M. , Xu Xixi , Crowder Melissa , Grzyb Chloe C. , King Zachary A. , Petrillo Marco , Swoboda Kathryn J. , Davis Crystal , Lutz Cathleen M. , Stephan Alexander H. , Zhao Xin , Weetall Marla , Naryshkin Nikolai A. , Crawford Thomas O. , Mentis George Z. , Sumner Charlotte J.
Published: January 2021

Fetal delays of SMA motor axon radial growth coupled with rapid postnatal degeneration require very early delivery of SMN induction treatments.
Whole-exome sequencing reveals germline-mutated small cell lung cancer subtype with favorable response to DNA repair–targeted therapies
Authors: Tlemsani Camille , Takahashi Nobuyuki , Pongor Lorinc , Rajapakse Vinodh N. , Tyagi Manoj , Wen Xinyu , Fasaye Grace-Ann , Schmidt Keith T. , Desai Parth , Kim Chul , Rajan Arun , Swift Shannon , Sciuto Linda , Vilimas Rasa , Webb Santhana , Nichols Samantha , Figg William Douglas , Pommier Yves , Calzone Kathleen , Steinberg Seth M. , Wei Jun S. , Guha Udayan , Turner Clesson E. , Khan Javed , Thomas Anish
Published: January 2021

Heritable defects in cancer genes define a subset of small cell lung cancer with distinct therapeutic vulnerabilities.
Exploring Ubiquinone Biosynthesis Inhibition as a Strategy for Improving Atovaquone Efficacy in Malaria
Authors: Verdaguer I. B. , Crispim M. , Zafra C. A. , Sussmann R. A. C. , Buriticá N. L. , Melo H. R. , Azevedo M. F. , Almeida F. G. , Kimura E. A. , Katzin A. M.
Published: January 2021

Atovaquone (AV) acts on the malaria parasite by competing with ubiquinol (UQH
2
) for its union to the mitochondrial bc
1
complex, preventing the ubiquinone-8 and ubiquinone-9 (UQ-8 and UQ-9) redox recycling, which is a necessary step in pyrimidine biosynthesis. This study focused on UQ biosynthesis in
Plasmodium falciparum
and adopted proof-of-concept research to better elucidate the mechanism of action of AV and improve its efficacy.
Poor Correlation between Meropenem and Piperacillin Plasma Concentrations and Delivered Dose of Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy
Authors: Petersson J. , Giske C. G. , Eliasson E.
Published: January 2021

There is insufficient data on the relationship between antibiotic dosing and plasma concentrations in patients treated with continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). In this prospective observational study, we explored the variability in plasma concentrations of meropenem and piperacillin in critically ill patients treated with CRRT and the correlation between concentrations and CRRT intensity.
Pilus Production in Acinetobacter baumannii Is Growth Phase Dependent and Essential for Natural Transformation
Authors: Vesel Nina , Blokesch Melanie
Published: January 2021

Acinetobacter baumannii is a severe threat to human health as a frequently multidrug-resistant hospital-acquired pathogen. Part of the danger from this bacterium comes from its genome plasticity and ability to evolve quickly by taking up and recombining external DNA into its own genome in a process called natural competence for transformation. This mode of horizontal gene transfer is one of the major ways that bacteria can acquire new antimicrobial resistances and toxic traits. Because these processes in A. baumannii are not well studied, we herein characterized new aspects of natural transformability in this species that include the species’ competence window. We uncovered a strong correlation with a growth phase-dependent synthesis of a type IV pilus (TFP), which constitutes the central part of competence-induced DNA uptake machinery. We used bacterial genetics and microscopy to demonstrate that the TFP is essential for the natural transformability and surface motility of A. baumannii, whereas pilus-unrelated proteins of the DNA uptake complex do not affect the motility phenotype. Furthermore, TFP biogenesis and assembly is subject to input from two regulatory systems that are homologous to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, namely, the PilSR two-component system and the Pil-Chp chemosensory system. We demonstrated that these systems affect not only the piliation status of cells but also their ability to take up DNA for transformation. Importantly, we report on discrepancies between TFP biogenesis and natural transformability within the same genus by comparing data for our work on A. baumannii to data reported for Acinetobacter baylyi, the latter of which served for decades as a model for natural competence.

IMPORTANCE Rapid bacterial evolution has alarming negative impacts on animal and human health which can occur when pathogens acquire antimicrobial resistance traits. As a major cause of antibiotic-resistant opportunistic infections, A. baumannii is a high-priority health threat which has motivated renewed interest in studying how this pathogen acquires new, dangerous traits. In this study, we deciphered a specific time window in which these bacteria can acquire new DNA and correlated that with its ability to produce the external appendages that contribute to the DNA acquisition process. These cell appendages function doubly for motility on surfaces and for DNA uptake. Collectively, we showed that A. baumannii is similar in its TFP production to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, though it differs from the well-studied species A. baylyi.
Novel Genetic Constructs for Production of Recombinant HTLV-1/2 Antigens and Evaluation of Their Reactivity to Plasma Samples from HTLV-1-Infected Patients
Authors: Oliveira Ueriton Dias de , Santos Fred Luciano Neves , Galvão-Castro Bernardo , Krieger Marco Aurelio , Zanchin Nilson Ivo Tonin
Published: January 2021

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) can cause life-threatening diseases for which there are no effective treatments. Prevention of HTLV-1 infection requires massive testing of pregnant women, blood for transfusion, and organs for transplantation, as well as safe sex.
Selective Disruption of SERINC5 Antagonism by Nef Impairs Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Replication in Primary CD4
+
T Cells
Authors: Janaka Sanath Kumar , Palumbo Alexandra V. , Tavakoli-Tameh Aidin , Evans David T.
Published: January 2021

SERINC5, a multipass transmembrane protein, is incorporated into retroviral particles during assembly. This leads to a reduction of particle infectivity by inhibiting virus fusion with the target cell membrane.
Localization of the WD Repeat-Containing Protein 5 to the Virion Assembly Compartment Facilitates Human Cytomegalovirus Assembly
Authors: Yang Bo , Yao YongXuan , Wu Hui , Yang Hong , Ma Xue-Hui , Li Dong , Wang Xian-Zhang , Huang Sheng-Nan , Jiang Xuan , Cheng Shuang , Sun Jin-Yan , Huang Zhen-Li , Zhao CongJian , McVoy Michael A. , Ahn Jin-Hyun , Zeng Wen-Bo , Britt William J. , Gong Sitang , Luo Min-Hua
Published: January 2021

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) has a large (∼235-kb) genome that contains over 170 open reading frames (ORFs) and exploits numerous cellular factors to facilitate its replication. In the late phase of HCMV infection, cytoplasmic membranes are reorganized to establish the virion assembly compartment (vAC), which has been shown to be necessary for efficient assembly of progeny virions.
Response Mechanisms of Invertebrates to
Bacillus thuringiensis
and Its Pesticidal Proteins
Authors: Pinos Daniel , Andrés-Garrido Ascensión , Ferré Juan , Hernández-Martínez Patricia
Published: January 2021

Extensive use of chemical insecticides adversely affects both environment and human health. One of the most popular biological pest control alternatives are bioinsecticides based on
Bacillus thuringiensis
.
Age and deposition of the Fort Crittenden Formation: A window into Late Cretaceous Laramide and Cenozoic tectonics in southeastern Arizona
Authors: Caylor Emilia A. , Carrapa Barbara , Sundell Kurt , DeCelles Peter G. , Smith Joshua M.
Published: January 2021

The Upper Cretaceous Fort Crittenden Formation exposed in the Santa Rita and Huachuca Mountains of southeastern Arizona is a syntectonic deposit that has been associated with Laramide tectonic activity. However, the spatio-temporal relationships among Cretaceous sedimentation, magmatism, basement exhumation, and possible flat slab-related processes in the southern Laramide region remain poorly understood. Age controls for uplift and erosion of local topography and syntectonic deposition in response to deformation remain particularly poor. The Fort Crittenden Formation comprises 800–2500 m of locally derived fluvial to alluvial fan sedimentary rocks and records paleodrainage reorganization in response to active tectonics. Changes in sedimentary facies, provenance, and paleoflow suggest deposition in a tectonically partitioned intraforeland basin. New detrital zircon data constrain the timing of deposition of the Fort Crittenden Formation between ca. 86 Ma and ca. 76 Ma. The lack of depositional age zircons throughout the majority of the Fort Crittenden Formation is consistent with a magmatic lull in the Cordilleran arc between ca. 90 Ma and ca. 76 Ma. The overlying Salero Formation and Late Cretaceous intrusions are expressions of renewed magmatism in southeastern Arizona at ca. 75 Ma. New Lu-Hf data indicate that magmas evolved from contamination of old juvenile crust. When interpreted in conjunction with other regional data sets, our study indicates that the Laramide deformation front migrated eastward into southwestern New Mexico by 75 Ma. Thermal modeling of apatite fission track and (U-Th)/He data from granitic clasts are consistent with Late Cretaceous–Paleocene (ca. 76–55 Ma) heating related to magmatism and cooling and exhumation during the Eocene and Oligocene.
Supplemental Material: The construction of the Donegal composite batholith, Irish Caledonides: Temporal constraints from U-Pb dating of zircon and titanite
Authors: Archibald Donnelly B. , al. et
Published: January 2021

Appendix A—Analytical methods; Appendix B—Supplementary tables B1 (summary of zircon characteristics), B2 (zircon U-Pb age deduction summary and notes), B3 (summary of titanite characteristics), and B4 (titanite U-Pb age deduction summary and notes); and Appendix C—zircon and titanite U-Pb data.
Torsion of a parasitic leiomyoma: a rare but important differential in women presenting with lower abdominal pain
Authors: Stebbings Clemmie , Latif Ahmed , Gnananandan Janakan
Published: January 2021

A 39-year-old multiparous Afro-Caribbean woman attended the emergency department with sudden-onset severe right iliac fossa pain. Her inflammatory markers were mildly elevated. Computerised tomography of the abdomen demonstrated features of fat stranding in the right iliac fossa suspicious of acute appendicitis. The scan also noted uterine leiomyomas. The patient was taken to theatre for an emergency diagnostic laparoscopy where her appendix was found to be macroscopically normal. A necrotic heavily calcified parasitic leiomyoma was seen in the right adnexa, free of the uterus and adherent to the greater omentum on a long torted pedicle. The parasitic leiomyoma was successfully removed piecemeal laparoscopically. Complications of leiomyomas, namely, torsion and necrosis, are important differentials in women presenting with sudden-onset lower abdominal pain. A history of sudden-onset severe lower abdominal pain with a background of known leiomyoma should prompt the clerking surgeon to consider a complication of leiomyoma as part of the differential diagnoses.
Primary parasagittal myoepithelioma in a paediatric patient: review of the literature and illustrative case
Authors: Hong Manilyn Ann , Pedro Karlo , Legaspi Gerardo
Published: January 2021

Myoepithelial tumours are a rare form of salivary gland neoplasm, and their occurrence in the central nervous system is exceedingly rare. The authors report the case of an 18-year-old Filipino man presenting with headache and weakness, and on imaging showing an extensive parasagittal tumour at the left posterior parietal area with extracalvarial extension. There was no systemic disease. The patient underwent surgery to excise the tumour, with histopathology showing findings consistent with myoepithelioma. There was no further treatment, given the benign histology of the lesion, but there was recurrence after 8 months. Repeat surgery was done for the patient and he is for adjuvant radiotherapy. This appears to be the 10th reported case of a central nervous myoepithelioma, and the first case in the Philippines of a primary parasagittal myoepithelioma in a paediatric patient. Further information is needed to provide diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations.