bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficient Gene Therapy of Pancreatic Cancer via a Peptide Nucleic Acid (PNA)‐Loaded Layered Double Hydroxides (LDH) Nanoplatform
Authors: Yu Zhiguo , Hu Ping , Xu Yingying , Bao Qunqun , Ni Dalong , Wei Chenyang , Shi Jianlin
Published: May 2020

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest malignant tumors with extremely poor prognosis due to the later stage diagnosis when surgical resection is no longer applicable. Alternatively, the traditional gene therapy which drives pancreatic cancer cells into an inactive state and inhibiting the proliferation and metastasis, presents potentials to safely inhibit pancreatic cancer progression, but unfortunately has received limited success to date. Here, an efficient gene therapy of pancreatic cancer is shown via a peptide nucleic acid (PNA)‐loaded layered double hydroxides (LDHs) nanoplatform. Compared with the traditional DNA‐ or RNA‐based gene therapies, the gene therapy using PNA features great advantages in recognizing and hybridizing with the target mutant sequences to form PNA–DNA hybrids with significantly enhanced stability due to the absence of electrostatic repulsion, and the constrained flexibility of the polyamide backbone. Moreover, ultrasmall LDHs are engineered to load PNA and the obtained PNA‐loaded LDH platform (LDHs/PNA) is capable of efficiently and selectively targeting the intranuclear mutant sequences thanks to the proton sponge effect. Treatments with LDHs/PNA demonstrate markedly inhibited growth of pancreatic cancer xenografts via a cancer cell proliferation suppression mechanism. The results demonstrate the great potentials of LDHs/PNA as a highly promising gene therapy agent for PDAC.
Mesoporous Silica Supported Silver–Bismuth Nanoparticles as Photothermal Agents for Skin Infection Synergistic Antibacterial Therapy
Authors: Cao Changyu , Ge Wei , Yin Jiajia , Yang Dongliang , Wang Wenjun , Song Xuejiao , Hu Yanling , Yin Jie , Dong Xiaochen
Published: May 2020

The emergence of multidrug resistant bacteria has resulted in plenty of stubborn nosocomial infections and severely threatens human health. Developing novel bactericide and therapeutic strategy is urgently needed. Herein, mesoporous silica supported silver–bismuth nanoparticles (Ag‐Bi@SiO2 NPs) are constructed for synergistic antibacterial therapy. In vitro experiments indicate that the hyperthermia originating from Bi NPs can disrupt cell integrity and accelerate the Ag ions release, further exhibiting an excellent antibacterial performance toward methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Besides, under laser irradiation, Ag‐Bi@SiO2 NPs at 100 µg mL−1 can effectively obliterate mature MRSA biofilm and cause a 69.5% decrease in the biomass, showing a better therapeutic effect than Bi@SiO2 NPs with laser (26.8%) or Ag‐Bi@SiO2 NPs without laser treatment (30.8%) groups. More importantly, in vivo results confirm that ≈95.4% of bacteria in abscess are killed and the abscess ablation is accelerated using the Ag‐Bi@SiO2 NPs antibacterial platform. Therefore, Ag‐Bi@SiO2 NPs with photothermal‐enhanced antibacterial activity are a potential nano‐antibacterial agent for the treatment of skin infections.
Does publicly subsidized health insurance affect the birth rate?
Authors: Palmer Makayla
Published: May 2020

The affordable care act (ACA) greatly expanded subsidized health insurance opportunities for low‐income childless women through Medicaid and the Marketplace. This insurance provides better access to prescription‐based contraception, which could reduce the number of births. At the same time, it lowers childbirth costs for women who previously would not have qualified for Medicaid‐paid pregnancies. I examine how Medicaid and non‐Medicaid subsidized insurance (NMSI) eligibility have impacted insurance enrollment and the birth rate for childless women from 2011 through 2016 using the American Community Survey and birth information from the Vital Statistics. To estimate the causal effects of subsidized insurance, I use simulated eligibility to utilize variation in the timing and income eligibility thresholds for Medicaid, the Marketplace, and other pre‐ACA state subsidized insurance programs. My results indicate expanding Medicaid had no significant effect on the birth rate, but that a 10 percentage point increase in NMSI eligibility increased the birth rate between 1.60 and 2.30%, depending on the age group. These findings indicate that expanding Medicaid to childless adults did not produce cost savings from fewer Medicaid paid births, but improvements in the nongroup insurance market increased births.
Optimization of photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B using Box–Behnken experimental design: Mineralization and mechanism
Authors: Madjene Farid , Assassi Mirvet , Chokri Imene , Enteghar Tanina , Lebik Hafida
Published: May 2020

The aim of this work was to optimize the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) using a four‐factor Box–Behnken experimental design, and the study was carried out under artificial irradiation (24‐W UV lamp) using ZnO in suspension. The Box–Behnken model has been validated with an error less than 5%. A total (100%) RhB removal and COD abatement rates were reached under optimal conditions of treatment time, ZnO dose, and stirring speed at different concentrations of dye. The study of the effect of irradiation type (solar and UV lamp) on the degradation of RhB showed that solar irradiation gave a better rate of degradation with complete discoloration after 2 hr. The study of RhB degradation mechanism indicates that

were the main active species for the degradation of this pollutant. The comparison between the degradation of RhB alone and RhB prepared with varnish (as it is usually used in industry) revealed that degradation of RhB alone is faster comparing than that of RhB/varnish mixture. The results showed that the biodegradability was improved after a contact time of 60 min with a BOD5/COD ratio increasing from 0.23 to 0.90.

Practitioner points

Optimization of the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B using a four‐factor Box–Behnken experimental design.

Investigation of dye mineralization.

The degradation mechanism of rhodamine.

Biodegradability assessment based on the BOD5/COD ratio.
The adjoint trigonometric representation of displacements and a closed‐form solution to the IKP of general 3C chains
Authors: Bongardt Bertold
Published: May 2020

Based on the representation of rigid body displacements as adjoint matrices, the article introduces the adjoint trigonometric representation of displacements (ATRD) as a further generalization of the trigonometric representation of rotations. In comparison to the dual Rodrigues–Euler–Gauß–Gelman equation, recently reported for affine screw displacements with arbitrary, fixed pitches, the ATRD is built upon a product of a unit line and a dual angle, instead of upon a product of a unit screw and a real angle. Due to this conceptual difference, the ATRD requires four independent parameters of a unit line instead of five when parametrizing a displacement along a unit screw. As a consequence for computational kinematics, the ATRD permits transferring the analytic solution to the inverse kinematics problem (IKP) of 3‐DOF, general, spherical 3R‐chains into a closed‐form solution to the IKP of 6‐DOF, general, affine 3C‐chains.
A gradient theory of porous elastic solids
Authors: Ieşan D.
Published: May 2020

This paper is concerned with a theory of elastic materials with voids where the second gradient of deformation and the second gradient of volume fraction field are added to the set of independent constitutive variables. First, we establish the nonlinear theory and study the continuous dependence of solutions upon initial state and body loads. Then, we derive the linear theory and establish a uniqueness theorem with no definiteness assumption on the constitutive coefficients. We present the equations for homogeneous and isotropic solids and establish a counterpart of the Boussinesq‐Somigliana‐Galerkin solution in the classical elastostatics. The effects of concentrated body loads acting in an infinite space are investigated.
Scalar insertions in cusped Wilson loops in the ladders limit of planar $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 4 SYM
Authors: McGovern Joseph
Published: May 2020

Abstract

Compact expressions in terms of the Q-functions of the Quantum Spectral Curve are given for 3-cusped fundamental Wilson loops in the ladders limit of

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 4 Super Yang-Mills with additional scalars inserted at a cusp between uncoupled arcs. This gives some further credence to the already natural and evidenced view that the Quantum Spectral Curve in fact pertains to a wide class of observables beyond the spectrum, as well as providing additional nonperturbative ladders limit results.
Single top production in PDF fits
Authors: Nocera Emanuele R. , Ubiali Maria , Voisey Cameron
Published: May 2020

Abstract

We study the impact of recent LHC t-channel single top-quark and top-antiquark measurements at centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8 and 13 TeV on the parton distribution functions (PDFs) of the proton. We consider, namely, total cross sections, top-antitop cross section ratios, and differential distributions. We present a critical appraisal of the data, studying in particular how their description is affected by the theoretical details that enter the computation of the corresponding observables: QCD and electroweak higher-order corrections, the flavour scheme, and the value of the bottom-quark threshold. We perform a series of fits to the data within the NNPDF3.1 framework, whereby next-to-next-to-leading order QCD corrections are applied to single top measurements in a systematic way. We find that there exists an optimal combination of data that maximises consistency with the rest of the dataset, and efficiency in constraining the up, down and, partially, gluon PDFs.
Term cesarean breech delivery in the first pregnancy is associated with an increased risk for maternal and neonatal morbidity in the subsequent delivery: a national cohort study
Authors: Macharey Georg , Toijonen Anna , Hinnenberg Pia , Gissler Mika , Heinonen Seppo , Ziller Volker
Published: May 2020

Purpose

To determine whether there is an association between term cesarean breech delivery in the first pregnancy and maternal and neonatal morbidities in the subsequent pregnancy and delivery.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective, nationwide Finnish population-based cohort study, including all deliveries from January 2000 to December 2017. We included all women with the first two consecutive singleton deliveries of which the first one was a breech delivery regardless of mode of delivery (n = 11,953), and constructed a data set in which the first two deliveries for these women were connected. The outcomes of the second delivery of the women with a first pregnancy that resulted in cesarean breech delivery at term were compared with women whose first pregnancy resulted in a vaginal breech delivery at term. P-value, odds ratio, and adjusted odds ratio were calculated.

Results

Neonates of a subsequent delivery after cesarean breech delivery had an increased risk for arterial umbilical cord pH below seven, a higher rate of a 5 min APGAR score < 7 and a higher rate of neonatal intensive care unit admission. The women with a history of cesarean section with the fetus in breech presentation were more often in need of a blood transfusion and suffered more often a uterus rupture. In this group, the second delivery was more often a planned cesarean section, an emergency cesarean section, or an instrumental vaginal delivery.

Conclusions

Primary cesarean breech section in the first pregnancy is associated with adverse neonatal and maternal outcomes in the subsequent delivery.
Minding the gap in HIV host genetics: opportunities and challenges
Authors: Gingras Shanelle N. , Tang David , Tuff Jeffrey , McLaren Paul J.
Published: May 2020

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been successful in identifying and confirming novel genetic variants that are associated with diverse HIV phenotypes. However, these studies have predominantly focused on European cohorts. HLA molecules have been consistently associated with HIV outcomes, some of which have been found to be population specific, underscoring the need for diversity in GWAS. Recently, there has been a concerted effort to address this gap that leads to health care (disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment) disparities with marginal improvement. As precision medicine becomes more utilized, non-European individuals will be more and more disadvantaged, as the genetic variants identified in genomic research based on European populations may not accurately reflect that of non-European individuals. Leveraging pre-existing, large, multiethnic cohorts, such as the UK Biobank, 23andMe, and the National Institute of Health’s All of Us Research Program, can contribute in raising genomic research in non-European populations and ultimately lead to better health outcomes.
A novel approach to intra-individual performance variability in ADHD
Authors: Bluschke Annet , Zink Nicolas , Mückschel Moritz , Roessner Veit , Beste Christian
Published: May 2020

Patients with attention deficit/(hyperactivity) disorder (AD(H)D) show increased intra-individual variability (IIV) in behavioral performance. This likely reflects dopaminergic deficiencies. However, the precise performance profile across time and the pattern of fluctuations within it have not yet been considered, partly due to insufficient methods. Yet, such an analysis may yield important theory-based implications for clinical practice. Thus, in a case–control cross-sectional study, we introduce a new method to investigate performance fluctuations in patients with ADD (n = 76) and ADHD (n = 67) compared to healthy controls (n = 45) in a time estimation task. In addition, we also evaluate the effects of methylphenidate (MPH) treatment on this performance pattern in 29 patients with AD(H)D. Trial-by-trial differences in performance between healthy controls and patients with AD(H)D do not persist continuously over longer time periods. Periods during which no differences in performance between healthy controls and patients occur alternate with periods in which such differences are present. AD(H)D subtype and surprisingly also medication status does not affect this pattern. The presented findings likely reflect (phasic) deficiencies of the dopaminergic system in patients with AD(H)D which are not sufficiently ameliorated by first-line pharmacological treatment. The presented findings carry important clinical and scientific implications.
Topological Properties of the Set of Functions Generated by Neural Networks of Fixed Size
Authors: Petersen Philipp , Raslan Mones , Voigtlaender Felix
Published: May 2020

We analyze the topological properties of the set of functions that can be implemented by neural networks of a fixed size. Surprisingly, this set has many undesirable properties. It is highly non-convex, except possibly for a few exotic activation functions. Moreover, the set is not closed with respect to$$L^p$$Lp-norms,$$0< p < \infty $$0
 0$$ε>0, it is, regardless of the size of$$\varepsilon $$ε, usually not possible to find weights$$w_1, w_2$$w1,w2close together such that each$$f_i$$fiis realized by a neural network with weights$$w_i$$wi. Overall, our findings identify potential causes for issues in the training procedure of deep learning such as no guaranteed convergence, explosion of parameters, and slow convergence.
Time-Warping Invariants of Multidimensional Time Series
Authors: Diehl Joscha , Ebrahimi-Fard Kurusch , Tapia Nikolas
Published: May 2020

In data science, one is often confronted with a time series representing measurements of some quantity of interest. Usually, in a first step, features of the time series need to be extracted. These are numerical quantities that aim to succinctly describe the data and to dampen the influence of noise.

In some applications, these features are also required to satisfy some invariance properties. In this paper, we concentrate on time-warping invariants. We show that these correspond to a certain family of iterated sums of the increments of the time series, known as quasisymmetric functions in the mathematics literature. We present these invariant features in an algebraic framework, and we develop some of their basic properties.
Predictive intelligence of reliable analytics in distributed computing environments
Authors: Kathidjiotis Yiannis , Kolomvatsos Kostas , Anagnostopoulos Christos
Published: May 2020

Lack of knowledge in the underlying data distribution in distributed large-scale data can be an obstacle when issuing analytics & predictive modelling queries. Analysts find themselves having a hard time finding analytics/exploration queries that satisfy their needs. In this paper, we study how exploration query results can be predicted in order to avoid the execution of ‘bad’/non-informative queries that waste network, storage, financial resources, and time in a distributed computing environment. The proposed methodology involves clustering of a training set of exploration queries along with the cardinality of the results (score) they retrieved and then using query-centroid representatives to proceed with predictions. After the training phase, we propose a novel refinement process to increase the reliability of predicting the score of new unseen queries based on the refined query representatives. Comprehensive experimentation with real datasets shows that more reliable predictions are acquired after the proposed refinement method, which increases the reliability of the closest centroid and improves predictability under the right circumstances.
Estimation of total collagen volume: a T1 mapping versus histological comparison study in healthy Landrace pigs
Authors: Faragli A. , Merz S. , Muzio F. P. Lo , Doeblin P. , Tanacli R. , Kolp C. , Abawi D. , Ötvös J. , Stehning C. , Schnackenburg B. , Pieske B. , Post H. , Klopfleisch R. , Alogna A. , Kelle S.
Published: May 2020

Right ventricular biopsy represents the gold standard for the assessment of myocardial fibrosis and collagen content. This invasive technique, however, is accompanied by perioperative complications and poor reproducibility. Extracellular volume (ECV) measured through cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) has emerged as a valid surrogate method to assess fibrosis non-invasively. Nonetheless, ECV provides an overestimation of collagen concentration since it also considers interstitial space. Our study aims to investigate the feasibility of estimating total collagen volume (TCV) through CMR by comparing it with the TCV measured at histology. Seven healthy Landrace pigs were acutely instrumented closed-chest and transported to the MRI facility for measurements. For each protocol, CMR imaging at 3T was acquired. MEDIS software was used to analyze T1 mapping and ECV for both the left ventricular myocardium (LVmyo) and left ventricular septum (LVseptum). ECV was then used to estimate TCVCMR at LVmyo and LVseptum following previously published formulas. Tissues were prepared following an established protocol and stained with picrosirius red to analyze the TCVhisto in LVmyo and LVseptum. TCV measured at LVmyo and LVseptum with both histology (8 ± 5 ml and 7 ± 3 ml, respectively) and T1-Mapping (9 ± 5 ml and 8 ± 6 ml, respectively) did not show any regional differences. TCVhisto and TCVCMR showed a good level of data agreement by Bland–Altman analysis. Estimation of TCV through CMR may be a promising way to non-invasively assess myocardial collagen content and may be useful to track disease progression or treatment response.
Enhancement of strength of adhesive bond between wood and metal using atmospheric plasma treatment
Authors: Žigon Jure , Kovač Janez , Zaplotnik Rok , Saražin Jaša , Šernek Milan , Petrič Marko , Dahle Sebastian
Published: May 2020

Combinations of wood and metal are interesting hybrid composite materials, joining together the low density of wood with the stiffness and strength of metals. Different types of adhesives are used to connect wood and metal elements, but the compatibility between adhesives used and load-bearing materials must be sufficient, which often is challenging. In adhesive bonding technology, surface treatments are a crucial step in the process. In this study, an atmospheric plasma discharge was employed to enhance the adhesion strength of joints between common beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) wood, metals (steel and aluminum alloy), and four different types of adhesives. The optical properties of plasma discharges and its influence on treated substrates’ surface morphology depended on the inherent properties of the treated materials. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed the surface oxidation of all the materials after plasma treatment. Consequently, the surface free energy of all materials increased as well. The positive effect of the plasma treatment on the tensile shear strength of single-lap joints shows a high potential of atmospheric plasma treatment technology for enhancement of adhesives strength of joints combining wooden elements, wood and steel, or wood and aluminum alloys. In addition to that, expensive epoxy and polyurethane adhesives could be replaced by more affordable polyvinyl acetate and melamine-urea-formaldehyde adhesives, and still perform at equal levels if the plasma was applied prior to bonding.
Brief Report: Social Anxiety in Autism Spectrum Disorder is Based on Deficits in Social Competence
Authors: Espelöer J. , Hellmich M. , Vogeley K. , Falter-Wagner C. M.
Published: May 2020

This study differentially examined the relation between two clinical constructs: “social anxiety” and “social competence” in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Employing two questionnaires (SASKO; IU), individuals with ASD (n = 23) showed increased scores of SOCIAL ANXIETY (SASKO) and of INTOLERANCE OF UNCERTAINTY (IU), compared to a non-clinical comparison group (NC; n = 25). SOCIAL ANXIETY scores were equally increased for ASD and a reference population of individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD; n = 68). However, results showed increased SOCIAL COMPETENCE DEFICITS in ASD compared to SAD and NC groups. This study allows drawing the conclusion that social anxiety symptoms in ASD can be traced back to autism-specific deficits in social skills and are therefore putatively based on different, substantially “deeper” implemented cognitive mechanisms.
Fixing and extending some recent results on the ADMM algorithm
Authors: Banert Sebastian , Boţ Radu Ioan , Csetnek Ernö Robert
Published: May 2020

We investigate the techniques and ideas used in Shefi and Teboulle (SIAM J Optim 24(1), 269–297, 2014) in the convergence analysis of two proximal ADMM algorithms for solving convex optimization problems involving compositions with linear operators. Besides this, we formulate a variant of the ADMM algorithm that is able to handle convex optimization problems involving an additional smooth function in its objective, and which is evaluated through its gradient. Moreover, in each iteration, we allow the use of variable metrics, while the investigations are carried out in the setting of infinite-dimensional Hilbert spaces. This algorithmic scheme is investigated from the point of view of its convergence properties.
Slow train coming: an anti-CCN2 strategy reverses a model of chronic overuse muscle fibrosis
Authors: Leask Andrew
Published: May 2020

One of the first targets proposed as an anti-fibrotic therapy was CCN2. Proof of its involvement in fibrosis was initially difficult, due to the lack of appropriate reagents and general understanding of the molecular mechanisms responsible for persistent fibrosis. As these issues have been progressively resolved over the last twenty-five years, it has become clear that CCN2 is a bone fide target for anti-fibrotic intervention. An anti-CCN2 antibody (FG-3019) is in Phase III clinical trials for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and pancreatic cancer, and in Phase II for Duschenne’s muscular dystrophy. An exciting paper recently published by Mary Barbe and the Popoff group has shown that FG-3019 reduces established muscle fibrosis (Barbe et al., FASEB J 34:6554–6569, 2020). Intriguingly, FG-3019 blocked the decreased expression of the anti-fibrotic protein CCN3, caused by the injury model. These important data support the notion that targeting CCN2 in the fibrotic microenvironment may reverse established fibrosis, making it the first agent currently in development to do so.
Seed and soil transmission of downy mildew (Perofascia lepidii) in seed producing garden cress
Authors: Djalali Farahani-Kofoet R. , Duensing R. , Brändle F. , Grosch R.
Published: May 2020

Downy mildew on garden cress caused byPerofascia lepidiihas become prevalent in organic seed producing areas of Germany resulting in limited seed production and high yield losses. Downy mildew occurrence in young plants in fields that have never been cultivated with garden cress raised questions about infested seeds and soils as sources of the primary inoculum and the role of other members of the plant family Brassicaceae as hosts ofP. lepidii. To address these questions 31 seed lots from nine garden cress fields were examined for contamination usingP. lepidiispecies-specific PCR assays. DNA ofP. lepidiiwas detected in 17 seed lots out of 31. In bioassays no disease was observed on plants grown from infested seed lots but in a few plants grown from seeds. The significance of soilborne inoculum was investigated by assessing disease incidence in plants grown in soil samples. Garden cress with downy mildew symptoms were recorded when plants were grown in pathogen infested soil samples. The results show thatP. lepidiiis able to survive in the soil and can be a primary inoculum source for downy mildew disease. Oospores formed in infected plants underpin the role of these survival structures that get incorporated into soil after harvesting. In a host specificity-test none of the tested speciesBrassica juncea;Brassica napus;Brassica rapasubsp.pekinensis;Brassica rapa silvestris;Raphanus sativusvar.oleiformis;Raphanus sativusvar.sativus;Sinapis alba;Sinapis nigra;Arabidopsis thaliana;Capsella bursa-pastoris;Cardamine pratense;Cardaria draba;Nasturtium officinalewere infected byP. lepidii.
Potential Use of Incineration Bottom Ash in Construction: Evaluation of the Environmental Impact
Authors: Kalbe Ute , Simon Franz-Georg
Published: May 2020

Knowledge of the long-term leaching behavior of potentially harmful substances is crucial for the assessment of the environmental compatibility of reusing municipal solid-waste incineration bottom ash (MSWI BA) in construction, i.e., as a road base layer. BA fractions obtained from wet-processing aiming at the improvement of environmental quality were used to investigate the mobility of relevant substances. Eluates from laboratory-scaled leaching procedures (column percolation and lysimeters) were analyzed to learn about the long-term release of substances. Unsaturated conditions and artificial rainwater (AR) were used in the lysimeter tests to simulate field conditions. In addition, batch test eluates were generated at usual liquid-to-solid ratios (L/S) for compliance testing purposes. A variety of cations and anions was measured in the eluates. The wet treatment reduces the leaching of chloride and particularly sulfate by more than 60%. The release of typical contaminants for the treated MSWI BA such as the heavy metals Cu and Cr was well below 1% in the conducted leaching tests. An increase in the Sb concentration observed in the lysimeter experiments starting at L/S 0.75 L/kg and in the column experiment at L/S 4 L/kg is assumed to be related to decreasing concentrations of Ca and thus to the dissolution of sparingly soluble calcium antimonate. The same leaching mechanism applies with V, but the concentration levels observed are less critical regarding relevant limit values. However, on the long term the behavior of Sb could be problematic for the application of MSWI BA in construction.

Graphic Abstract
De novo discovery of SNPs for genotyping endangered sun parakeets (Aratinga solstitialis) in Guyana
Authors: Spitzer Robert , Norman Anita J. , Königsson Helena , Schiffthaler Bastian , Spong Göran
Published: May 2020

Parrots (Psittaciformes) are among the most endangered groups of birds today and remain threatened by habitat loss and exploitation for the live bird trade. Under such conditions, reliable and non-invasive monitoring techniques are crucial for successful conservation measures. In this study, we developed a panel of 86 high quality SNPs for genotyping endangered sun parakeets (Aratinga solstitialis) in Guyana, which form one of the last known breeding populations of this South American species in the wild. Genotyping was tested on different types of samples (blood, feathers, feces, beak and cloacal swabs). While blood performed best, feathers and feces also yielded reliable results and could thus be used as non-invasive sources of DNA for future population monitoring. Discriminant Analysis of Principal Components (DAPC) on genotypes revealed that Guyanese sun parakeets clustered separately from other psittacine species as well as conspecifics from a captive population. A priori known first-order kinships were also adequately detected by the SNP panel. Using a series of experimental contaminations, we found that contamination from other psittacine species and slight contamination (~ 10%) from conspecifics did not prevent successful genotyping and recognition of individuals. We show that instances of higher conspecific contamination (~ 50%) can be detected through an increased level of heterozygosity that falls outside the distribution of uncontaminated samples.
Movement patterns and habitat selection during dispersal in Eurasian lynx
Authors: Herrero Annika , Heikkinen Juha , Holmala Katja
Published: May 2020

Natal dispersal affects the gene flow, distribution, dynamics and social structure of a population. In many solitary mammals, dispersal is often male-biased, while females may remain philopatric. For the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), dispersal distances vary greatly and may be explained by sex or by habitat characteristics, such as fragmentation. Juvenile lynx habitat selection during dispersal has not been studied before, but resident lynx select heterogeneous forested habitats and avoid human settlements and infrastructure through distinct temporal activity patterns. We studied movement patterns and habitat selection during the dispersal of 22 Eurasian lynx (7 females, 15 males) in Finland. We found no differences between the sexes in the onset age, duration, distance, route or route linearity. Dispersal took place mostly during the evening and at night but also during the day. Of the four most used habitats, the mixed forests and transitional woodlands were used more frequently than would be expected according to their availability, and conifer forests and fields less than would be expected. Housing and other human infrastructure, including roads, were the least frequently used categories. There was a highly significant difference between the used and available habitats in general. The lynx selected the habitat more carefully during the day than during the night.
Characterizations of a class of Pilipović spaces by powers of harmonic oscillator
Authors: Abdeljawad Ahmed , Fernández Carmen , Galbis Antonio , Toft Joachim , Üster Rüya
Published: May 2020

We show that a smooth function f on $${\mathbf {R}}^{d}$$

R

d

belongs to the Pilipović space $${\mathcal {H}}_{\flat _\sigma }({\mathbf {R}}^{d})$$

H

♭
σ

(

R

d

)

or the Pilipović space $${\mathcal {H}}_{0,\flat _\sigma }({\mathbf {R}}^{d})$$

H

0
,

♭
σ

(

R

d

)

, if and only if the $$L^p$$

L
p

norm of $$H_d^Nf$$

H
d
N

f

for $$N\ge 0$$

N
≥
0

, satisfy certain types of estimates. Here $$H_d=|x|^2-\Delta _x$$

H
d

=

|
x
|

2

-

Δ
x

is the harmonic oscillator.
Women’s Preferences for Sexual Dimorphism in Faces: Data from a Sample of Arab Women
Authors: Alharbi Sarah A. H. , Holzleitner Iris J. , Lee Anthony J. , Saribay S. Adil , Jones Benedict C.
Published: May 2020

Many previous studies have investigated the effects of manipulating sexually dimorphic shape characteristics in face images on attractiveness judgments. However, results have been mixed and show considerable cross-cultural variability, particularly for women’s judgments of men’s facial attractiveness. Because very little research has investigated face preferences in Arab samples, we assessed Arab women’s preferences for sexually dimorphic face shapes (study 1) and the effect of sexually dimorphic face shapes on Arab women’s dominance perceptions (study 2). Analyses showed that Arab women preferred feminized versions of both women’s and men’s faces over masculinized versions (study 1, N = 272) and that masculinizing face shape had a positive effect on Arab women’s perceptions of the dominance of men, but not women (study 2, N = 270). These image manipulations did not have a significant effect on perceptions of trustworthiness, however (study 3, N = 434). Collectively, these results suggest that Arab women prefer relatively feminine face shapes in potential mates that they perceive as being low dominance. We discuss some directions for future research on the ultimate function of Arab women’s preferences for sexual dimorphism in faces
A multi-model approach toward understanding iron fouling at rock-fill drainage sites along roadways in New Hampshire, USA
Authors: Lombard Melissa A. , Lombard Pamela J. , Brown Craig J. , Degnan James R.
Published: May 2020

Factors affecting iron fouling in wet areas adjacent to roadways were investigated by collecting field rock cut and aqueous physicochemical data; developing exploratory predictive models; and developing geochemical models. Basic data included the identification of iron fouling from aerial imagery and field visits at 374 New Hampshire rock cut locations, and their associated rock-fill sites. Based on field water quality measurements from wet areas at 36 of the rock-fill sites, the occurrence of iron fouling was associated with higher values of specific conductance, lower concentrations of dissolved oxygen and lower pH compared to areas without iron fouling. A statistical model, using boosted regression trees, was developed to predict the occurrence of iron fouling in wet areas adjacent to roadways where rock-fill from nearby rock cuts was used in roadway construction. The model was used to develop a continuous iron fouling probability map for the state of New Hampshire that can be used to better understand the occurrence of iron fouling. Geochemical models illustrate how iron fouling of waters increases along roadways built with fill from sulfidic rock cuts as a result of acid generation from pyrite dissolution and ferrous iron (Fe2+) oxidation and increases in areas with greater specific conductance from deicing runoff caused by cation exchange. More iron is precipitated as goethite in simulations that include pyrite, and in simulations with deicing salts added, indicating that rock-fill sites with rocks that contain pyrite and water with greater salt content could have enhanced iron fouling.
Rüstungskontrolle ohne Verträge?
Authors: Heinrich Jens
Published: May 2020

Die vertragsbasierte nukleare Rüstungskontrolle steht gegenwärtig vor enormen Herausforderungen. Besonders in Südasien konnten auf Verträgen beruhende und verbindliche Steuerungsansätze bisher nicht etabliert werden und zu einer Verlangsamung der Aufrüstung und zur Stabilisierung der Beziehungen zwischen den beiden Kernwaffenstaaten Indien und Pakistan beitragen. Gleichzeitig wird in der Literatur unverbindliche und informelle Rüstungskontrolle als potentielle Alternative nur begrenzt reflektiert, was mit Blick auf die Forschung zu informellen Ansätzen verwundert. Ausgehend von diesem Befund schlage ich eine Fokussierung auf die in den 1960er Jahren entwickelte gradualistische Strategie vor. Mein Argument ist, dass diese einen Beitrag zur Stabilität zwischen Indien und Pakistan leisten kann. Für diesen Zweck wird ein Analyserahmen entwickelt, der sowohl konkrete Anwendungsbereiche als auch Kriterien und Bedingungen für die gradualistische Strategie offenlegt. Der Aufsatz liefert somit nicht nur spezifische Ideen und Impulse für Rüstungskontrollansätze in Südasien, sondern bietet auch Anknüpfungspunkte für Arbeiten zu anderen regionalen Zusammenhängen und trägt so zu einer Erweiterung der Rüstungskontrollperspektive bei.
Development of Patient Evacuation Resource Classification System (PERC) Using Systems Engineering to Assist Hospital Evacuations in a Disaster
Authors: Ventura Gustavo M.
Published: May 2020

The aim of this study was the development of a decision-support tool capable of identifying the most appropriate transportation and local area coalition bed space (resources) for patient evacuations during a crisis. Introduction of the new concept of dichotomous tables and how they are incorporated into the Patient Evacuation Resource Classification (PERC) system. The methods used were Systems Engineering fundamentals to conduct a requirements analysis of the process, develop a new construct guided by functional analysis, design an evidence-based model that accurately identifies patient resource requirements translatable to resource capabilities, and create a prototype for a proof of concept. Research resulted in the PERC system prototype. The PERC system prototype created by this research allows for system testing under a Solomon four-group design simulation with the participation of leading medical, emergency response, academic, consulting industry, and logistics professionals from the Washington, DC, metropolitan area.
Storytelling and poetry in the time of coronavirus
Authors: Barrett Elizabeth , Dickson Melissa , Hayes-Brady Clare , Wheelock Harriet
Published: May 2020

The coronavirus crisis occurs at a time when many clinicians have already experienced burnout. One in three Irish doctors were suffering from burnout in the 2019 National Study of Wellbeing of Hospital Doctors in Ireland; rates are also high in Irish Psychiatry. We present a perspective on the use of narrative in medicine and recognise that storytelling, and the patient history are very much at the heart of medicine. Clinician storytelling, such as Schwartz Rounds and Balint group work, has very much come to the fore in Irish Psychiatry and in training. Projects such as MindReading have explored overlaps between clinicians, humanities experts and experts by experience. We give an overview of some approaches from the movement around narrative in medicine to bolster this. We explore why clinicians write as ways to support identification, catharsis and a way to process experiences. Clinicians and patients may also use literature and poetry to promote coping. The historical context and practical strategies are highlighted, particularly with reference to poetry use during the current crisis.
Opportunism, Identification Asymmetry, and Firm Performance in Chinese Interorganizational Relationships
Authors: Lee Lucy Sojung , Zhong Weiguo
Published: May 2020

Extant literature focuses on within-dyad opportunism (i.e., transgression of the norms of a specific business relationship) while neglecting pro-relational opportunism (i.e., transgression of societal norms to benefit the relationship), resulting in limited understanding of their different effects. We argue that opportunism is a significant threat to the identity of business partners and boundary spanners which results in different relational dynamics at different levels, that is, Type-I (i.e., interorganizational identification squeezing out interpersonal identification) and Type-II identification asymmetry (i.e., interpersonal identification dominating interorganizational identification). Identification asymmetry further mediates the effects of opportunism on exchange performance. Based on a matched manufacturer–supplier sample, we find strong support to the hypotheses. Moreover, distributive fairness aggravates the effect of pro-relational opportunism on identification asymmetry, while interactive fairness mitigates it. Our research provides more nuanced between-level findings on identification in interorganizational settings, and cautions against firms’ tendency toward Machiavellian reasoning when they face the temptation of complicit behavior for organizational gains.
Klason lignin is a nutritionally heterogeneous fraction unsuitable for the prediction of forage neutral-detergent fibre digestibility in ruminants
Authors: Van Soest Peter J. , Robertson James B. , Hall Mary B. , Barry Michael C.
Published: May 2020

Although lignin has been negatively correlated with neutral-detergent fibre (NDF) digestibility (NDFD) in ruminants and used to predict potential extent of NDF digestion of forages, selection of an analysis, Klason lignin (KL) or acid-detergent lignin (ADL), to describe that the nutritionally relevant lignin has not been resolved. Dismissed as an artifact is the difference between KL and ADL (ΔL). A question is whether ΔL influences NDFD. We evaluated the relationships of ΔL, KL and ADL with NDFD in order to determine the nutritionally homogeneous or heterogeneous nature of KL. Data sets from two laboratories (DS1 and DS2) were used that included ADL, KL and in vitro NDFD at 48 h (NDFD48). DS1 contained seven C3 grasses, seventeen C4 maize forages and nineteen alfalfas, and DS2 had fifteen C3 grasses, eight C4 forages and six alfalfas. Mean ΔL was greater than ADL in C3 and C4 samples and less in alfalfas. Within forage type and laboratory, ΔL was not correlated with NDFD48 (r −0·34–0·49; all P > 0·17). ADL was more consistently correlated with NDFD48 (r −0·47–−0·95; P < 0·01–0·21) than with KL (r 0·03–−0·91; P < 0·01–0·94). ΔL as a proportion of KL was correlated with NDFD48 in C3 and C4 samples (r 0·44–0·76; P < 0·01–0·08). The differing behaviours of ΔL and ADL relative to NDFD48 indicate that KL is a nutritionally heterogeneous fraction, the behaviour of which may vary by forage type and ratios of ADL and ΔL present.
Tectonic evolution of the South Altyn, NW China: constraints by geochemical, zircon U–Pb and Lu–Hf isotopic analysis of the Palaeozoic granitic plutons in the Mangya area
Authors: Xu Nan , Wu Cai-lai , Gao Yuan-Hong , Lei Min , Zheng Kun , Gao Dong
Published: May 2020

The South Altyn Orogenic Belt (SAOB) is one of the most important orogenic belts in NW China, consisting of the South Altyn Continental Block and the Apa–Mangya Ophiolitic Mélange Belt. However, its Palaeozoic tectonic evolution is still controversial. Here, we present petrological, geochemical, zircon U–Pb and Lu–Hf isotopic data for the Mangya plutons with the aim of establishing the Palaeozoic tectonic evolution. We divide the Early Palaeozoic magmatism in the Apa–Mangya Ophiolitic Mélange Belt into four episodes and propose a plate tectonic model for the formation of these rocks. During 511–494 Ma, the South Altyn Ocean (SAO) was in a spreading stage, and some shoshonite series, I-type granitic rocks were generated. From 484 to 458 Ma, the oceanic crust of the SAO subducted northward, accompanied by large-scale magmatic events resulting in the generation of vast high-K calc-alkaline series, I-type granitic rocks. During 450–433 Ma, the SAO closed, and break-off of the subducted oceanic slab occurred, with the generation of some high-K calc-alkaline series, I–S transitional type granites. The SAOB was in post-orogenic extensional environment from 419 to 404 Ma, and many A-type granites were generated.
First molecular detection and identification of Leishmania species in small wild rodents from Turkey
Authors: Karakuş Mehmet , Öktem Mehmet Ali , Sözen Mustafa , Matur Ferhat , Çolak Faruk , Nalçaci Muhammed , Özbel Yusuf , Töz Seray
Published: May 2020

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease infecting animals and humans. Two clinical forms (Visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis) and four species are reported to be present in Turkey. Several studies have investigated canine and human leishmaniasis in Turkey but no study was performed to screen the infection among wild rodents, so far. The present study aims to investigate the role of small wild rodents as reservoir animals for Leishmania spp. in different regions of Turkey. Formalin-preserved tissue samples (spleen, liver, lung) of 712 rodents from 30 provinces were screened for the presence of Leishmania spp. DNA. Before DNA extraction, tissues were dried, rehydrated, and homogenated. Leishmania screening in rodent tissues and species determination was performed with a combination of real-time kDNA and ITS1 polymerase chain reaction protocols. Eight (1.12%) out of 712 animals were found to be positive for Leishmania spp. DNA and species typing revealed five L. infantum, two L. tropica and one L. major among positives. Leishmania major and L. infantum DNA were detected in Apodemus spp. from Zonguldak province located in the Western Black Sea Region, while L. tropica DNA was found in Meriones sp. and Gerbillus dasyurus from Adana and Hatay provinces located in Eastern Mediterranean Region of Turkey. The present study is first to report natural infection of L. infantum, L. major and L. tropica in small wild rodents in Turkey, suggesting their possible roles as reservoirs. Further studies are needed for planning epidemiological studies and also for developing rodent control measures in risky endemic areas to break the transmission cycle.
Basic symptoms and gray matter volumes of patients at clinical high risk for psychosis
Authors: Hubl Daniela , Michel Chantal , Schultze-Lutter Frauke , Hauf Martinus , Schimmelmann Benno G. , Kaess Michael , Kindler Jochen
Published: May 2020

Background

Clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis is indicated by ultra-high risk (UHR) and basic symptom (BS) criteria; however, conversion rates are highest when both UHR and BS criteria are fulfilled (UHR&BS). While BSs are considered the most immediate expression of neurobiological aberrations underlying the development of psychosis, research on neurobiological correlates of BS is scarce.

Methods

We investigated gray matter volumes (GMV) of 20 regions of interest (ROI) previously associated with UHR criteria in 90 patients from the Bern early detection service: clinical controls (CC), first-episode psychosis (FEP), UHR, BS and UHR&BS. We expected lowest GMV in FEP and UHR&BS, and highest volume in CC with UHR and BS in-between.

Results

Significantly, lower GMV was detected in FEP and UHR&BS patients relative to CC with no other significant between-group differences. When ROIs were analyzed separately, seven showed a significant group effect (FDR corrected), with five (inferior parietal, medial orbitofrontal, lateral occipital, middle temporal, precuneus) showing significantly lower GM volume in the FEP and/or UHR&BS groups than in the CC group (Bonferroni corrected). In the CHR group, only COGDIS scores correlated negatively with cortical volumes.

Conclusions

This is the first study to demonstrate that patients who fulfill both UHR and BS criteria – a population that has been associated with higher conversion rates – exhibit more severe GMV reductions relative to those who satisfy BS or UHR criteria alone. This result was mediated by the BS in the UHR&BS group, as only the severity of BS was linked to GMV reductions.