bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Human-scale lung regeneration based on decellularized matrix scaffolds as a biologic platform
Authors: Ohata Keiji , Ott Harald C.
Published: May 2020

Lung transplantation is currently the only curative treatment for patients with end-stage lung disease; however, donor organ shortage and the need for intense immunosuppression limit its broad clinical application. Bioartificial lungs created by combining native matrix scaffolds with patient-derived cells might overcome these problems. Decellularization involves stripping away cells while leaving behind the extracellular matrix scaffold. Cadaveric lungs are decellularized by detergent perfusion, and histologic examination confirms the absence of cellular components but the preservation of matrix proteins. The resulting lung scaffolds are recellularized in a bioreactor that provides biomimetic conditions, including vascular perfusion and liquid ventilation. Cell seeding, engraftment, and tissue maturation are achieved in whole-organ culture. Bioartificial lungs are transplantable, similarly to donor lungs, because the scaffolds preserve the vascular and airway architecture. In rat and porcine transplantation models, successful anastomoses of the vasculature and the airway were achieved, and gas exchange was evident after reperfusion. However, long-term function has not been achieved because of the immaturity of the vascular bed and distal lung epithelia. The goal of this strategy is to create patient-specific transplantable lungs using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cells. The repopulation of decellularized scaffolds to create transplantable organs is one of possible future clinical applications of iPSCs.
Complete genome sequence of a novel toti-like virus from the plant-pathogenic oomycete Phytophthora cactorum
Authors: Poimala Anna , Vainio Eeva J.
Published: May 2020

This report describes the complete genome sequence of a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus infecting the oomycetous plant pathogen Phytophthora cactorum. The virus genome consists of a single dsRNA segment of 5699 bp with two open reading frames predicted to overlap with each other and encoding a putative capsid protein of 705 aa and an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of 779 aa. Sequence comparisons indicated that this virus, designated as “Phytophthora cactorum RNA virus 1” (PcRV1), shares the highest sequence similarity with the unclassified Pythium splendens RNA virus 1 (58% RdRp aa sequence identity). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these two oomycete viruses group together with Giardia lamblia virus (GVL; family Totiviridae) and several unclassified toti-like viruses from arthropods, fish and fungi. This is the first report of a toti-like virus in a member of the genus Phytophthora and the first virus characterized in P. cactorum.
Dynamic flows with adaptive route choice
Authors: Graf Lukas , Harks Tobias , Sering Leon
Published: May 2020

We study dynamic network flows and introduce a notion of instantaneous dynamic equilibrium (IDE) requiring that for any positive inflow into an edge, this edge must lie on a currently shortest path towards the respective sink. We measure current shortest path length by current waiting times in queues plus physical travel times. As our main results, we show:

existence and constructive computation of IDE flows for multi-source single-sink networks assuming constant network inflow rates,

finite termination of IDE flows for multi-source single-sink networks assuming bounded and finitely lasting inflow rates,

the existence of IDE flows for multi-source multi-sink instances assuming general measurable network inflow rates,

the existence of a complex single-source multi-sink instance in which any IDE flow is caught in cycles and flow remains forever in the network.
The pan-Bcl-2 inhibitor obatoclax promotes differentiation and apoptosis of acute myeloid leukemia cells
Authors: Opydo-Chanek Małgorzata , Cichoń Iwona , Rak Agnieszka , Kołaczkowska Elżbieta , Mazur Lidia
Published: May 2020

One of the key features of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the arrest of differentiation at the early progenitor stage of myelopoiesis. Therefore, the identification of new agents that could overcome this differentiation block and force leukemic cells to enter the apoptotic pathway is essential for the development of new treatment strategies in AML. Regarding this, herein we report the pro-differentiation activity of the pan-Bcl-2 inhibitor, obatoclax. Obatoclax promoted differentiation of human AML HL-60 cells and triggered their apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Importantly, obatoclax-induced apoptosis was associated with leukemic cell differentiation. Moreover, decreased expression of Bcl-2 protein was observed in obatoclax-treated HL-60 cells. Furthermore, differentiation of these cells was accompanied by the loss of their proliferative capacity, as shown by G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. Taken together, these findings indicate that the anti-AML effects of obatoclax involve not only the induction of apoptosis but also differentiation of leukemic cells. Therefore, obatoclax represents a promising treatment for AML that warrants further exploration.
Scale and structure dependent solute diffusivity within microporous tissue engineering scaffolds
Authors: Offeddu Giovanni S. , Mohee Lakshana , Cameron Ruth E.
Published: May 2020

Diffusion of nutrients to cells cultured within three-dimensional scaffolds is fundamental for cell survival during development of the tissue construct, when no vasculature is present to aid transport. Significant efforts have been made to characterize the effect of structure on solute diffusivity in nanoporous hydrogels, yet a similar thorough characterization has not been attempted for microporous scaffolds. Here, we make use of freeze-dried collagen scaffolds, possessing pore sizes in the range 150–250 μm and isotropic or aligned morphology, to study the diffusivity of fluorescent dextran molecules. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching is used to measure the self diffusivity of the solutes within single pores, while Fickian diffusion over scales larger than the pore size is studied by assessing the solute concentration profile within the materials over time. We show that, not only do the morphological parameters of the scaffolds significantly affect the diffusivity of the solutes, but also that the assessment of such diffusivity depends on the length scale of diffusion of the molecules under investigation, with the resulting diffusion coefficients being differently affected by the scaffold structure. The results provided can guide the design of scaffolds with tailored diffusivity and nutrient concentration profiles.
Refeeding syndrome: multimodal monitoring and clinical manifestation of an internal severe neurotrauma
Authors: Sundström Nina , Brorsson Camilla , Karlsson Marcus , Wiklund Urban , Koskinen Lars-Owe D.
Published: May 2020

Refeeding syndrome (RFS) is a rare, potentially life-threatening, condition seen in malnourished patients starting refeeding. RFS may provoke seizures and acute encephalopathy and can be considered an internal severe neurotrauma in need of specific treatment. The objective was to describe course of disease, treatment and, for the first time, multimodal monitoring output in a comatose patient suffering RFS. After gastric-banding and severe weight loss, the patient initiated self-starving and was transferred to our intensive care unit (ICU) following rapid refeeding. At arrival, seizures, decrease in consciousness (GCS 7) and suspected acute encephalitis was presented. Serum albumin was 8 g/l. Intracranial pressure (ICP), invasive blood pressure and electrocardiography (ECG) were monitored. Pressure reactivity (PRx) and compliance (RAP) were calculated. The patient developed congestive heart failure, anuria and general oedema despite maximal neuro- and general ICU treatment. Global cerebral oedema and hypoperfusion areas with established ischemia were seen. ECG revealed massive cardiac arrhythmia and disturbed autonomic regulation. PRx indicated intact autoregulation (−0.06 ± 0.18, mean ± SD) and relatively normal compliance (RAP = 0.23 ± 0.13). After 15 days the clinical state was improved, and the patient returned to the primary hospital. RFS was associated with serious deviations in homeostasis, high ICP levels, ECG abnormalities, kidney and lung affections. It is of utmost importance to recognize this rare syndrome and to treat appropriately. Despite the severe clinical state, cerebral autoregulation and compensatory reserve were generally normal, questioning the applicability of indirect measurements such as PRx and RAP during neuro-intensive care treatment of RFS patients with cerebral engagement.
Spiders Behaving Badly in the Middle English Physiologus, the Bestiaire Attributed to Pierre de Beauvais and Odo of Cheriton’s Fables
Authors: Cavell Megan
Published: May 2020

Two remarkably similar depictions of spiders survive in Middle English and French sources from the middle of the thirteenth century. Both of these vernacular versions of thePhysiologusdeviate so wildly from their sources when it comes to describing these creatures that their editors have declared these passages to be entirely original. And yet, the spiders who survive in the Middle EnglishPhysiologusand the long version of theBestiaireattributed to Pierre de Beauvais perform such similar work that their originality may be called into question. ThePhysiologus’ andBestiaire’s descriptions of spiders’ violent hunting methods were likely informed by the burgeoning of natural history writing that accompanied the recovery of Aristotle’sHistory of Animals, but for these texts’ allegorical interpretations I argue that we should look to Odo of Cheriton’s Latin fables from earlier in the thirteenth century. There is an explicit link between Odo’s fables and the Middle EnglishPhysiologusand implicit connections with the FrenchBestiaire. Together, these analogues demonstrate a small but coherent tradition of emphasizing the diabolical violence of spiders in the multilingual environment of thirteenth-century England and France.
Students’ Conceptual Sense-making of Animations and Static Visualizations of Protein Synthesis: a Sociocultural Hypothesis Explaining why Animations May Be Beneficial for Student Learning
Authors: Strømme Torunn Aa. , Mork Sonja M.
Published: May 2020

This paper analyses students’ conceptual sense-making of two representations of protein synthesis: animations and static visualizations. Even though several studies have focused on the effect of animations versus static visualizations or support aspects that enable students to effectively benefit from animations, existing research has not yet analysed the activity of students’ shared conceptual sense-making of these two modes of representation. Grounded in sociocultural perspectives, this study addresses this gap by investigating two classes of 10th graders working in the computer-supported Viten learning environment. One class worked on a unit containing animations, and the other on a unit where animations were replaced by static visualizations. Pre- and post-tests were administered to measure possible differences between the classes in their knowledge acquisition. Aiming to explain the quantitative findings, we performed an interaction analysis to scrutinize the interaction trajectory of two dyads, one from each condition, while working on an animation and static visualization of protein synthesis both in class and in conceptual interviews.

Our pre- and post-test findings demonstrate that students in the animated condition outperformed students in the static condition. The analysis of a dyad’s interaction indicates that students’ conceptual understanding develops at the juncture of segmentation of animation and text and students’ collaborative conceptual sense-making. We argue that interacting with animations and static visualizations are two different interactional processes, and based on our theoretical grounding, we hypothesise that this difference explains the different learning outcomes in the two conditions.

By taking a sociocultural approach, the study provides a deeper understanding of the very activity in settings in which students are introduced to the scientific concepts embedded in animations versus static visualizations. Cognitive theories explaining students’ learning from these two modes of representations dominate the research field. The current study contributes to the field by launching a hypothesis of why animations may be superior to static visualizations in supporting students’ development of conceptual understanding in science. We introduce the collaborative link-making hypothesis, which builds on the conceptualisation of pedagogical link-making introduced by well-known researchers in the field of science education.
Thriving Under Uncertainty: The Effect of Achievement Goal Orientation on Job Insecurity and Flourishing
Authors: van Dam Arjan , Noordzij Gera , Born Marise
Published: May 2020

Flourishing, a construct encompassing optimal human functioning, is an indicator of well-being. The purpose of this study was to examine the direct and indirect effects of employees’ achievement goal orientation (mastery-approach, mastery-avoidance, performance-approach and performance-avoidance goal orientation) on flourishing, through the appraisal of quantitative (concerns about continued existence of the job) and qualitative (concerns about continued existence of important job features) job insecurity. Data were collected from 275 employees in an organization on the brink of a substantive downsizing. The results of structural equation modelling showed that mastery approach and—avoidance goal orientation positively predicted flourishing. Furthermore, flourishing was negatively predicted by qualitative job insecurity but not by quantitative job insecurity. Qualitative job insecurity mediated the effects of mastery- and performance-approach goal orientation on flourishing but the effects were not significant. Hence, in an environment with a substantial threat of job loss, a mastery goal orientation contributed directly to flourishing. Our results plead for more attention for the effects of achievement goal orientation and qualitative job insecurity on flourishing under uncertainty.
Complementarities in CSO Collaborations: How Working with Diversity Produces Advantages
Authors: van Wessel Margit , Naz Farhat , Sahoo Sarbeswar
Published: May 2020

A commonly explored theme in international civil society organisation (CSO) collaborations is the dominance of Northern CSOs and how this impinges on Southern CSOs’ autonomy, but there is little work on the relative importance of different collaborations for Southern CSOs. This study examined complementarity as a new approach to understanding CSO collaboration. Seeking Southern perspectives, we examined the case of CSOs working on disaster risk reduction in India and developed a typology of complementarities in this domain. The article considers the implications for understanding complementarity in broader CSO collaborations. We find that constructing collaborations through the lens of complementarity may facilitate capitalising on diversity among CSOs and help build collaborations that consider the domestic orientation of many Southern CSOs and reshape the roles of Northern CSOs as complementary rather than leading.
A Systematic Evaluation of Interneuron Morphology Representations for Cell Type Discrimination
Authors: Laturnus Sophie , Kobak Dmitry , Berens Philipp
Published: May 2020

Quantitative analysis of neuronal morphologies usually begins with choosing a particular feature representation in order to make individual morphologies amenable to standard statistics tools and machine learning algorithms. Many different feature representations have been suggested in the literature, ranging from density maps to intersection profiles, but they have never been compared side by side. Here we performed a systematic comparison of various representations, measuring how well they were able to capture the difference between known morphological cell types. For our benchmarking effort, we used several curated data sets consisting of mouse retinal bipolar cells and cortical inhibitory neurons. We found that the best performing feature representations were two-dimensional density maps, two-dimensional persistence images and morphometric statistics, which continued to perform well even when neurons were only partially traced. Combining these feature representations together led to further performance increases suggesting that they captured non-redundant information. The same representations performed well in an unsupervised setting, implying that they can be suitable for dimensionality reduction or clustering.
Relationship between emotional intelligence, personality, and self-perceived individual work performance: A cross-sectional study on the Swedish version of TEIQue-SF
Authors: Hjalmarsson Annica K. V. , Dåderman Anna M.
Published: May 2020

People with high emotional intelligence (EI) understand themselves and others well, and perform well at work.Trait EIhas been described as “a constellation of emotion-related self-perceptions and dispositions” (Petrides and Furnham 2006), and can be measured by the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short Form (TEIQue-SF). The aims were to validate the Swedish version of TEIQue-SF by (1) investigating its internal consistency; (2) exploring its relationships with “Big Six” and “Dark Triad” personality traits as well as with self-perceived individual work performance; and (3) identifying which personality traits best explain variations in Trait EI, and whether this trait can predict variations in work performance over and above personality traits. Multi-occupational employees in Sweden (N = 228;M = 34 years,SD = 12.6, range 16–71 years, 66% women) with an average work experience of 14 years (SD = 11.5) were surveyed. In line with past research, internal consistency of TEIQue-SF was good, for the global Trait EI scale score (.86), and for one of its subdimensions (Well-Being) (.81). Global trait EI scale score and its subscales correlated negatively with Neuroticism and Machiavellianism, and positively with Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Openness to Experience, and Narcissism. Sociability and Self-Control had, however, almost zero correlations with Machiavellianism. All subscales of global trait EI scale score correlated positively with Task Performance and Contextual Performance. On separate regression analyses, Big Six traits explained 48%, and Narcissism 14%, of the variation in global trait EI scale score. Trait EI accounted for a significantly larger proportion of the variation in Contextual Performance than any of the Big Six traits, and an additional 6% of the variation in Task Performance when controlling for gender, age, Neuroticism and Conscientiousness. The Swedish version of TEIQue-SF has good reliability as a global trait EI scale, reasonably theoretically and empirically grounded relationships with relevant variables for the workplace, and incremental validity over and above Big Six traits in predicting work performance in younger people with relatively high educational levels. Its reliability on the subscale level and its item functioning need to be further investigated in more heterogeneous samples.
In search of a digital nomad: defining the phenomenon
Authors: Hannonen Olga
Published: May 2020

This paper defines the rapidly emerging mobile lifestyle of digital nomads, who work while traveling and travel while working. Digital nomadism is driven by important societal changes, such as the ubiquity of mobility and technology in everyday lives and increasingly flexible and precarious employment. Despite the growing prevalence of this lifestyle, there is a lack of common understanding of and holistic perspective on the phenomenon. The emerging literature on digital nomadism is fragmented and scattered  through different disciplines and perspectives. This paper looks into digital nomadism against the array of contemporary lifestyle-led mobilities and location independent work to develop a comprehensive perspective of the phenomenon. The paper also suggests a conceptual framing of digital nomadism within lifestyle mobilities. A limited number of empirical studies on digital nomads narrows the scope of analytical discussion in this paper. Thus, the paper defines aspects and directions for further conceptualization of the phenomenon.
Changing Degree of Convective Organization as a Mechanism for Dynamic Changes in Extreme Precipitation
Authors: Pendergrass Angeline G.
Published: May 2020

Purpose of Review

What does recent work say about how changes in convective organization could lead to changes in extreme precipitation?

Recent Findings

Changing convective organization is one mechanism that could explain variation in extreme precipitation increase through dynamics. In models, the effects of convective self-aggregation on extreme precipitation are sensitive to parameterization, among other factors. In both models and observations, whether or not convective organization influences extreme precipitation is sensitive to the time and space scales analyzed, affecting extreme precipitation on some scales but not others. While trends in observations in convective organization associated with mean precipitation have been identified, it has not yet been established whether these trends are robust or relevant for events associated with extreme precipitation.

Recent work has documented a somewhat view of how changes in convective organization could affect extreme precipitation with warming, and it remains unclear whether or not they do.
Kriterien naturwissenschaftsdidaktischer Unterrichtsqualität – ein systematisches Review videobasierter Unterrichtsforschung
Authors: Heinitz Benjamin , Nehring Andreas
Published: May 2020

Im Kontext des Themenheftes „Die Verortung von Merkmalen der Unterrichtsqualität zwischen Generik und Fachspezifik“ bestehen die Ziele des vorliegenden Beitrags darin, einen systematischen Überblick über die in quantitativen, naturwissenschaftsdidaktischen Videostudien angewendeten Kriterien zur Konzeptualisierung und Messung von Unterrichtsqualität zu geben und inhaltliche Beziehungen zu generisch konzeptualisierten und formulierten Kriterien der allgemeinen Unterrichtsforschung herzustellen und zu reflektieren. Im Rahmen eines systematischen Reviews wurden dazu die Kriterien, Operationalisierungen und Beobachtungsitems von 28 Videostudien analysiert, ordnend zusammengefasst und in Beziehung zu einem generisch orientierten Syntheseframework zur Unterrichtsqualität gesetzt, das drei Ebenen unterschiedlicher Auflösungsgrade umfasst. Es wurde ein Kodierverfahren umgesetzt, das wiederum zwischen drei Graden der Übereinstimmung differenziert. Die Objektivität der Kodierungen wurde mit einer Doppelkodierung abgesichert (0,66 < κ < 0,78). Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass aus naturwissenschaftsdidaktischen Videostudien insgesamt 388 Kriterien extrahiert und in Beziehung zum Syntheseframework gesetzt werden konnten. Insgesamt lässt sich, auf der allgemeinsten Ebene des Frameworks, ein hoher Grad an Überschneidungen zwischen naturwissenschaftsdidaktischen und eher generisch formulierten Perspektiven herstellen. Auf detaillierteren Ebenen zeigt sich, dass zahlreiche Kriterien spezifisch operationalisiert und in Form von „fachspezifischen Perspektivierungen“ dem Framework zugeordnet werden können. Auf dieser Grundlage präsentiert der Beitrag eine Systematisierung generischer und naturwissenschaftsdidaktischer Perspektiven auf Unterrichtsqualität. In der Diskussion wird aufgezeigt, dass diese Systematisierung disziplinenübergreifende Kommunikation ermöglicht und neue Impulse für die weitere naturwissenschaftsdidaktische Unterrichtsqualitätsforschung setzt.
A medoid-based weighting scheme for nearest-neighbor decision rule toward effective text categorization
Authors: Mukherjee Avideep , Basu Tanmay
Published: May 2020

The k-nearest-neighbor (kNN) decision rule is a simple and robust classifier for text categorization. The performance of kNN decision rule depends heavily upon the value of the neighborhood parameter k. The method categorize a test document even if the difference between the number of members of two competing categories is one. Hence, choice of k is crucial as different values of k can change the result of text categorization. Moreover, text categorization is a challenging task as the text data are generally sparse and high dimensional. Note that, assigning a document to a predefined category for an arbitrary value of k may not be accurate when there is no bound on the margin of majority voting. A method is thus proposed in spirit of the nearest-neighbor decision rule using a medoid-based weighting scheme to deal with these issues. The method puts more weightage on the training documents that are not only lie close to the test document but also lie close to the medoid of its corresponding category in decision making, unlike the standard nearest-neighbor algorithms that stress on the documents that are just close to the test document. The aim of the proposed classifier is to enrich the quality of decision making. The empirical results show that the proposed method performs better than different standard nearest-neighbor decision rules and support vector machine classifier using various well-known text collections in terms of macro- and micro-averaged f-measure.
Reduction and Mechanism
Authors: Rosenberg Alex
Published: May 2020

Reductionism is a widely endorsed methodology among biologists, a metaphysical theory advanced to vindicate the biologist's methodology, and an epistemic thesis those opposed to reductionism have been eager to refute. While the methodology has gone from strength to strength in its history of achievements, the metaphysical thesis grounding it remained controversial despite its significant changes over the last 75 years of the philosophy of science. Meanwhile, antireductionism about biology, and especially Darwinian natural selection, became orthodoxy in philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, and philosophy of biology.
This Element expounds the debate about reductionism in biology, from the work of the post-positivists to the end of the century debates about supervenience, multiple realizability, and explanatory exclusion. It shows how the more widely accepted 21st century doctrine of “mechanism”—reductionism with a human face—inherits both the strengths and the challenges of the view it has largely supplanted.
Confirming a Cultural Association at the La Prele Mammoth Site (48CO1401), Converse County, Wyoming
Authors: Mackie Madeline E. , Surovell Todd A. , O'Brien Matthew , Kelly Robert L. , Pelton Spencer , Haynes C. Vance , Frison George C. , Yohe Robert M. , Teteak Steve , Rockwell Heather M. , Mahan Shannon
Published: May 2020

Archaeologists have long subjected Clovis megafauna kill/scavenge sites to the highest level of scrutiny. In 1987, a Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi) was found in spatial association with a small artifact assemblage in Converse County, Wyoming. However, due to the small tool assemblage, limited nature of the excavations, and questions about the security of the association between the artifacts and mammoth remains, the site was never included in summaries of human-killed/scavenged megafauna in North America. Here we present the results of four field seasons of new excavations at the La Prele Mammoth site that confirm the presence of an associated cultural occupation based on geologic context, artifact attributes, spatial distributions, protein residue analysis, and lithic microwear analysis. This new work identified a more extensive cultural occupation including the presence of multiple discrete artifact clusters in close proximity to the mammoth bone bed. This study confirms the presence of a second Clovis mammoth kill/scavenge site in Wyoming and shows the value in revisiting proposed terminal Pleistocene kill/scavenge sites.
Ischemic Monomelic Neuropathy: The Case for Reintroducing a Little-Known Term
Authors: Winston Paul , Bakker Dannika
Published: May 2020

Ischemic monomelic neuropathy (IMN) is a little-known, painful axonal neuropathy, secondary to vascular occlusion or steal phenomenon. It typically occurs after vascular bypass, hemodialysis fistulization, or diabetic microvascular disease in the absence of significant clinical features of ischemia. There is limited literature to assist in the characterization and diagnosis of this condition. We describe three patients with IMN with no surgical or peripheral vascular disease history who exhibited spontaneous, persistent foot pain, edema numbness, and weakness with denervation on needle electromyogram in a distal lower leg peripheral nerve distribution. Occlusive disease was found in all patients on angiogram, requiring vascular bypass surgery.
Building a Public-Private Partnership to Enhance Laboratory Preparedness and Response in the United States
Authors: Salerno Reynolds M. , Chaitram Jasmine , Andreadis Joanne D.
Published: May 2020

The public health community has recognized that it cannot handle responses to all possible public health emergencies on its own. The public health sector has deep scientific expertise and excels at initial identification, complex characterization, and test development. The private sector has many resources and capabilities that can complement and augment the public health response. This is especially true in the clinical laboratory sector. Many commercial laboratories are designed for high-volume, high-throughput diagnostic testing in a way that public health laboratories are not. Significant steps have been taken since 2017 to improve the communication and coordination between public health and the private clinical laboratory community, especially during a response to a public health emergency. This paper describes the strong foundation that has been built for an improved clinical and public health laboratory response to the next public health emergency.
A bound on the rate of convergence in the central limit theorem for renewal processes under second moment conditions
Authors: Reinert G. , Yang C.
Published: May 2020

A famous result in renewal theory is the central limit theorem for renewal processes. Since, in applications, usually only observations from a finite time interval are available, a bound on the Kolmogorov distance to the normal distribution is desirable. We provide an explicit non-uniform bound for the renewal central limit theorem based on Stein’s method and track the explicit values of the constants. For this bound the inter-arrival time distribution is required to have only a second moment. As an intermediate result of independent interest we obtain explicit bounds in a non-central Berry–Esseen theorem under second moment conditions.
Generalized stacked contact process with variable host fitness
Authors: Foxall Eric , Lanchier Nicolas
Published: May 2020

The stacked contact process is a three-state spin system that describes the co-evolution of a population of hosts together with their symbionts. In a nutshell, the hosts evolve according to a contact process while the symbionts evolve according to a contact process on the dynamic subset of the lattice occupied by the host population, indicating that the symbiont can only live within a host. This paper is concerned with a generalization of this system in which the symbionts may affect the fitness of the hosts by either decreasing (pathogen) or increasing (mutualist) their birth rate. Standard coupling arguments are first used to compare the process with other interacting particle systems and deduce the long-term behavior of the host–symbiont system in several parameter regions. The spatial model is also compared with its mean-field approximation as studied in detail by Foxall (2019). Our main result focuses on the case where unassociated hosts have a supercritical birth rate whereas hosts associated to a pathogen have a subcritical birth rate. In this case, the mean-field model predicts coexistence of the hosts and their pathogens provided the infection rate is large enough. For the spatial model, however, only the hosts survive on the one-dimensional integer lattice.
The effects of pre-sleep consumption of casein protein on next-morning measures of RMR and appetite compared between sedentary pre- and postmenopausal women
Authors: Schattinger Christopher M. , Leonard J. T. , Pappas C. L. , Ormsbee M. J. , Panton L. B.
Published: May 2020

The purpose of the present study was to compare next-morning responses of RMR and appetite to pre-sleep consumption of casein protein (CP) in pre- and postmenopausal women. The study was a randomised, crossover, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Seven sedentary premenopausal (age: 19·9 (sd 1·2) years; BMI: 23·1 (sd 2·6) kg/m2) and seven sedentary postmenopausal (age: 56·4 (sd 4·9) years; BMI: 26·3 (sd 3·5) kg/m2) women participated. During visit one, anthropometrics and body composition were measured. Following visit one, subjects consumed either CP (25 g) or placebo (PL) ≥2 h after their last meal and ≤30 min prior to sleep on the night before visits two and three. Visits two and three occurred ≥1 week after visit one and were 48 h apart. During visits two and three, RMR (VO2), RER and appetite were measured via indirect calorimetry and visual analogue scale, respectively. Anthropometrics and body composition were analysed by one-way ANOVA. RMR and measures of appetite were analysed using a 2 × 2 (menopause status × CP/PL) repeated-measures ANOVA. Significance was accepted at P ≤ 0·05. RMR was significantly lower in postmenopausal compared with premenopausal women under both conditions (P = 0·003). When consumed pre-sleep CP did not alter RMR, RER or appetite compared with PL when assessed next morning in pre- and postmenopausal women. These data contribute to growing evidence that pre-sleep consumption of protein is not harmful to next-morning metabolism or appetite. In addition, these data demonstrate that menopause may not alter next-morning RMR, RER or appetite after pre-sleep consumption of CP.
Dynamic Political Interest: How Personality Differences and the Political Environment Shape Political Interest
Authors: Larsen Erik Gahner
Published: May 2020

In order to explain differences in political interest, two strands of literature point to the relevance of either dispositional or situational factors. I remedy this and show how political interest is shaped by the interplay between personality differences and the political environment. Specifically, I demonstrate that people with a stable motivation for engaging with new ideas are more interested in politics when exposed to new political events, e.g. during election campaigns and when unexpected events unfold. The results have implications for our understanding of political inequalities in democratic engagement and shed light on how citizens' interest in politics can be relatively stable over time as well as responsive to the political environment in predictable ways.
Pathology associated with three newClinostomummetacercariae from Argentina with morphological and DNA barcode identification
Authors: Montes M.M. , Plaul S.E. , Croci Y. , Waldbillig M. , Ferrari W. , Topa E. , Martorelli S.R.
Published: May 2020

In the Laboratory of Parasites of Fishes, Crustaceans and Mollusks (CEPAVE), we undertook a parasitological study on three species of fish from the Espinal and Esteros del Iberá ecoregions of Argentina. Clinostomid metacercariae were found parasitizingCharacidium rachovii,Crenicichla vittataandGymnogeophagus balzanii. In this study, we analysed the damage that these parasites inflict on their hosts through the evaluation of histological sections. In addition,Clinostomummetacercariae were identified using morphological characters and DNA barcoding. In the pathological analysis, we observed that muscle tissue was the most affected. The inflammatory response showed vascular congestion areas and infiltration of numerous inflammatory cells, mainly lymphocytes. The molecular and morphological approach supports the presence of three new lineages of clinostomid metacercariae in Argentina. This could lead to the discovery of a high number of lineages or species ofClinostomumfrom South America.
Abortion in South Asia, 1860–1947: A medico-legal history
Authors: SHARAFI MITRA
Published: May 2020

In the progression of stages toward unintended lives, the two stops on either side of abortion—contraception and infanticide—have been studied extensively by historians of South Asia. We know much less about abortion, particularly during the colonial period. Drawing upon published judgments, unpublished case records, forensic toxicology reports, and treatises on Indian medical jurisprudence, this article suggests that anti-abortion law was generally enforced in colonial India only when women died as a result of illegal abortions. This approach was contrary to the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which criminalized most abortions even when the women survived. The pattern was a continuation of the pre-IPC approach in India. This article explores possible explanations for the lax enforcement of anti-abortion law in South Asia during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, considering abortion as experienced by South Asian and British women alike. It proposes as contributing factors: challenges in detection, the social movement for the protection of Hindu widows, colonial anxieties about false allegations of abortion among South Asians, the common phenomenon of imperial (British) husbands and wives living apart, and physicians’ desire to protect doctor–patient confidentiality. The article focuses on two key cases involving abortion: the Whittaker-Templeton case from Hyderabad (1896–1902) in which a British woman died following an abortion; and the Parsi matrimonial case ofT. v. T.from Bombay (1927), in which a Zoroastrian woman alleged that her pharmacist husband had forced her to terminate three pregnancies by ingesting drugs.
Single-dose treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis with an easily synthesized chalcone entrapped in polymeric microparticles
Authors: Sousa-Batista Ariane J. , Arruda-Costa Natalia , Escrivani Douglas O. , Reynaud Franceline , Steel Patrick G. , Rossi-Bergmann Bartira
Published: May 2020

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a major health problem in many countries and its current treatment involves multiple parenteral injections with toxic drugs and requires intensive health services. Previously, the efficacy of a single subcutaneous injection with a slow-release formulation consisting of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microparticles loaded with an antileishmanial 3-nitro-2-hydroxy-4,6-dimethoxychalcone (CH8) was demonstrated in mice model. In the search for more easily synthesized active chalcone derivatives, and improved microparticle loading, CH8 analogues were synthesized and tested for antileishmanial activityin vitroandin vivo. The 3-nitro-2′,4′,6′-trimethoxychalcone (NAT22) analogue was chosen for its higher selectivity against intracellular amastigotes (selectivity index = 1489, as compared with 317 for CH8) and more efficient synthesis (89% yield, as compared with 18% for CH8). NAT22 was loaded into PLGA / polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) polymeric blend microspheres (NAT22-PLGAk) with average diameter of 1.9μm. Although NAT22-PLGAk showed similar activity to free NAT22 in killing intracellular parasitesin vitro(IC50~ 0.2μm),in vivostudies inLeishmania amazonensis– infected mice demonstrated the significant superior efficacy of NAT22-PLGAk to reduce the parasite load. A single intralesional injection with NAT22-PLGAk was more effective than eight injections with free NAT22. Together, these results show that NAT22-PLGAk is a promising alternative for single-dose localized treatment of CL.
Cyber-victimisation and mental health in young people: a co-twin control study
Authors: Baldwin Jessie R. , Ayorech Ziada , Rijsdijk Fruhling V. , Schoeler Tabea , Pingault Jean-Baptiste
Published: May 2020

Background

The rise of social media use in young people has sparked concern about the impact of cyber-victimisation on mental health. Although cyber-victimisation is associated with mental health problems, it is not known whether such associations reflect genetic and environmental confounding.

Methods

We used the co-twin control design to test the direct association between cyber-victimisation and multiple domains of mental health in young people. Participants were 7708 twins drawn from the Twins Early Development Study, a UK-based population cohort followed from birth to age 22.

Results

Monozygotic twins exposed to greater levels of cyber-victimisation had more symptoms of internalising, externalising and psychotic disorders than their less victimised co-twins at age 22, even after accounting for face-to-face peer victimisation and prior mental health. However, effect sizes from the most stringent monozygotic co-twin control analyses were decreased by two thirds from associations at the individual level [pooled β across all mental health problems = 0.06 (95% CI 0.03–0.10) v. 0.17 (95% CI 0.15–0.19) in individual-level analyses].

Conclusions

Cyber-victimisation has a small direct association with multiple mental health problems in young people. However, a large part of the association between cyber-victimisation and mental health is due to pre-existing genetic and environmental vulnerabilities and co-occurring face-to-face victimisation. Therefore, preventative interventions should target cyber-victimisation in conjunction with pre-existing mental health vulnerabilities and other forms of victimisation.
RELIABILITY COMPARISON OF TWO UNIT REDUNDANCY SYSTEMS UNDER THE LOAD REQUIREMENT
Authors: Kim Kyungmee O.
Published: May 2020

This paper compares the reliability functions of the cold standby, hot standby, and load-sharing redundancy configurations, each of which is composed of two identical components for meeting a given system requirement. Thus far, no research has been done into the conditions that make one configuration more reliable than another because their reliability functions have no closed forms even when the component follows a Weibull lifetime distribution. In this paper, two analytical results are obtained given that the reliability of each configuration is expressed in terms of the design and operational loads of the component. First, higher reliability can be achieved in a cold standby configuration than in a load-sharing configuration if the increase in the component reliability obtained from the reduction in the operational load is not significant. Second, a cold standby configuration exhibits better reliability and carries a higher load than a hot standby configuration if the design load can be increased with a less decrease in the component reliability.
Outbreak of Salmonella Newport associated with internationally distributed raw goats' milk cheese, France, 2018
Authors: Robinson E. , Travanut M. , Fabre L. , Larréché S. , Ramelli L. , Pascal L. , Guinard A. , Vincent N. , Calba C. , Meurice L. , Le Thien MA. , Fourgere E. , Jones G. , Fournet N. , Smith-Palmer A. , Brown D. , Le Hello S. , Pardos de la Gandara M. , Weill FX. , Jourdan-Da Silva N.
Published: May 2020

Raw milk cheeses are commonly consumed in France and are also a common source of foodborne outbreaks (FBOs). Both an FBO surveillance system and a laboratory-based surveillance system aim to detect Salmonella outbreaks. In early August 2018, five familial FBOs due to Salmonella spp. were reported to a regional health authority. Investigation identified common exposure to a raw goats' milk cheese, from which Salmonella spp. were also isolated, leading to an international product recall. Three weeks later, on 22 August, a national increase in Salmonella Newport ST118 was detected through laboratory surveillance. Concomitantly isolates from the earlier familial clusters were confirmed as S. Newport ST118. Interviews with a selection of the laboratory-identified cases revealed exposure to the same cheese, including exposure to batches not included in the previous recall, leading to an expansion of the recall. The outbreak affected 153 cases, including six cases in Scotland. S. Newport was detected in the cheese and in the milk of one of the producer's goats. The difference in the two alerts generated by this outbreak highlight the timeliness of the FBO system and the precision of the laboratory-based surveillance system. It is also a reminder of the risks associated with raw milk cheeses.
Cerebral toxoplasmosis in HIV-infected patients over 2015–2018 (a case study of Russia)
Authors: Azovtseva O. V. , Viktorova E. A. , Bakulina E. G. , Shelomov A. S. , Trofimova T. N.
Published: May 2020

Cerebral toxoplasmosis is a leading cause of the central nervous system disorders in acquired immune deficiency syndrome. This study aimed to investigate the clinical course of cerebral toxoplasmosis in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals. The study included 90 HIV-infected patients with cerebral toxoplasmosis, who underwent inpatient treatment. In case of positive enzyme immunoassay, HIV infection was confirmed with the immunoblot test. The HIV-1 ribonucleic acid level was determined using the polymerase chain reaction method. The flow cytometry was used for counting CD4 (cluster of differentiation 4 cells). Pathomorphological examination included the autopsy, gross and microscopic examination of internal organs, histological and other methods. The incidence of cerebral toxoplasmosis significantly increases at the CD4 count below 100 cells/μl,P< 0.001, and at the HIV viral load above 50 copies/ml,P< 0.05. The clinical picture of cerebral toxoplasmosis included focal symptoms, cognitive impairment, toxic syndrome, mild cerebral symptoms and a meningeal symptom. Given the absence of a specific clinical picture and the absence of abnormal laboratory and instrumental findings, the cerebral toxoplasmosis needs to be diagnosed with a number diagnostic methods combined: clinical examination, laboratory testing, immunological examination, molecular genetic testing and neuroradiological imaging.
Extended Stefan problem for the solidification of binary alloys in a sphere
Authors: BROSA PLANELLA FERRAN , PLEASE COLIN P. , VAN GORDER ROBERT A.
Published: May 2020

We study the extended Stefan problem which includes constitutional supercooling for the solidification of a binary alloy in a finite spherical domain. We perform an asymptotic analysis in the limits of large Lewis number and small Stefan number which allows us to identify a number of spatio-temporal regimes signifying distinct behaviours in the solidification process, resulting in an intricate boundary layer structure. Our results generalise those present in the literature by considering all time regimes for the Stefan problem while also accounting for impurities and constitutional supercooling. These results also generalise recent work on the extended Stefan problem for finite planar domains to spherical domains, and we shall highlight key differences in the asymptotic solutions and the underlying boundary layer structure which result from this change in geometry. We compare our asymptotic solutions with both numerical simulations and real experimental data arising from the casting of molten metallurgical grade silicon through the water granulation process, with our analysis highlighting the role played by supercooling in the solidification of binary alloys appearing in such applications.