bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High prevalence of malnutrition and vitamin A deficiency among schoolchildren of rural areas in Malaysia using a multi-school assessment approach
Authors: Tan Pei Yee , Mohd Johari Syahirah Nadiah , Teng Kim-Tiu , Loganathan Radhika , Lee Soo Ching , Ngui Romano , Selvaduray Kanga Rani , Lim Yvonne Ai Lian
Published: May 2022

Childhood malnutrition is known as a public health concern globally. The present study aims to assess the anthropometry and blood biochemical status of rural primary schoolchildren in Malaysia. A total of 776 children (7–11 years old) from ten rural primary schools from five states were included in this study. Nutritional outcomes were assessed based on sex, age group and school categories among the children (median age: 9 years (P25:8, P75:10)). The overall prevalence of malnutrition was 53·4 %. Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) was recorded at 20·6 and 39·8 % based on retinol and retinol-binding protein (RBP) levels, respectively. Anaemia, iron deficiency (ID), iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA) and elevated inflammation were found at 14·9, 17·9, 9·1 and 11·5 %, respectively. Malnutrition, VAD, anaemia, ID, IDA and elevated inflammation were more prevalent among Orang Asli (OA) schoolchildren compared with Non-Orang Asli schoolchildren. Higher occurrences of VAD and anaemia were also found among children aged <10 years. Retinol, RBP,α-carotene, ferritin and haemoglobin levels were lower among undernourished children. Besides, overweight/obese children exhibited a higher level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that OA school children (adjusted OR (AOR): 6·1; 95 % CI 4·1, 9·0) and IDA (AOR: 3·6; 95 % CI 1·9, 6·6) were associated with stunting among this population. The present study revealed that malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and anaemia are prevalent among rural primary schoolchildren in Malaysia, especially those from OA schools and younger age children (<10 years). Hence, more appropriate and targeted measures are needed to improve the nutritional status of these children.
Information Intermediaries: How Commercial Bankers Facilitate Strategic Alliances
Authors: Frattaroli Marc , Herpfer Christoph
Published: May 2022

We investigate how bankers use information from lending relationships to help borrowers find partners for strategic alliances. Firms that have borrowed from the same banker or share an indirect connection through a network of bankers are significantly more likely to enter an alliance. Consistent with bankers overcoming informational frictions, their ability to facilitate alliances decreases with banker-network distance, and is stronger for opaque borrowers. Firms connected to more potential partners via banker networks enter more alliances. These alliances are associated with positive announcement returns, and brokering banks are more likely to receive future underwriting mandates.
Fifty years of change to prevocalic definite article allomorphy in Australian English
Authors: Cox Felicity , Penney Joshua , Palethorpe Sallyanne
Published: May 2022

The English definite article has two major allomorphs: prevocalic /ðiː/ and preconsonantal /ðə/. Recent studies have shown changes to definite article allomorphy in some English varieties. Younger speakers, particularly from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, often use /ðə/ prevocalically rather than /ðiː/. The prevocalic definite article (PVDA) /ðiː/ facilitates management of vowel hiatus because it supports the emergence of [j] in preventing vowel adjacency (e.g. the ash [ðiːjœʃ]). An alternative strategy for separating adjacent vowels is glottalisation or glottal stop ([ðiːʔœʃ]). Few studies have explored the relationship between the vowel in the PVDA and hiatus management during the process of change. We report a diachronic analysis of Australian English (AusE) PVDA and associated hiatus management across a 50-year period (∼1960s to ∼2010s) and a synchronic analysis of present-day speakers from mainstream (MS) and non-mainstream (non-MS) (diverse) backgrounds using two read-sentence contexts. The aim is to provide insight into the process of change and factors that may influence its progression. Speech data from adolescents recorded in 1959/1960 were compared with recordings from Mainstream AusE-speaking (MS) young people recorded in the 2010s. Results showed significantly greater incidence of schwa in the PVDA and hiatus-breaking glottalisation in the modern data, particularly amongst females. The synchronic analysis comparing present-day MS and non-MS speakers showed increased use of glottalisation in females and non-MS speakers. Additionally, acoustic analysis showed more schwa-like productions in the PVDA by non-MS speakers. Of key importance in both analyses is that glottalisation was more prevalent than schwa, possibly indicating glottalisation triggered the change.
Staging Hurston's Heaven: Ethnographic Performance from the Pulpit to the Pews
Authors: Kastleman Rebecca R.
Published: May 2022

It was May in Eau Gallie, Florida, and Zora Neale Hurston was headed to church. Shutting the door to her cottage near the shores of the Indian River, Hurston set out to join the local Baptist congregation, where she would hear a sermon delivered by its pastor, the Reverend C. C. Lovelace. Hurston had been pondering the question of how to represent the experience of a church service in a theatrical performance. “Know what I am attempting?” she had written to Langston Hughes a few days earlier, in April 1929. “To set an entire Bapt. service word for word and note for note.” Listening to Lovelace's sermon in Eau Gallie, Hurston admired how the preacher's oratory built seamlessly from a creation story into a fiery vision of divine retribution. She was so taken by the poetry of Lovelace's words that she transcribed his sermon in its entirety. This sermon later served as the centerpiece of the play The Sermon in the Valley, a work that testifies to Hurston's aim to render a Baptist service “word for word and note for note.” Like many of her plays, The Sermon in the Valley reveals the intimate entanglement of her ethnographic compositions and her writing for the stage.
Associations between bilingualism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-related behavior in a community sample of primary school children
Authors: Sharma Curtis J. M. , Katsos Napoleon , Gibson Jenny L.
Published: May 2022

It has been found that bilinguals and children from minority backgrounds lag behind monolinguals or those in the majority culture, with respect to prevalence, assessment, and treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This suggests that bilingualism might be yet another factor giving rise to variability in ADHD. Using regression methods, we analyzed parent reports for 394 primary school-age children on background and language experience, ADHD-related behavior, and structural language skill in English to explore whether bilingualism is associated with levels of ADHD-related behavior. Bilingualism as a category was associated with slightly lower levels of ADHD-related behavior. Bilingualism as a continuous measure showed a trend of being associated with lower levels, but this did not quite reach significance. Structural language skill in English was the main predictor of levels of ADHD-related behavior; higher skill predicting lower levels. More investigation is required to confirm whether these effects occur across different populations, to understand which, if any, aspects of bilingualism give rise to variability, and if need be, to address these as far as possible.
Using Pareto simulated annealing to address algorithmic bias in machine learning
Authors: Blanzeisky William , Cunningham Pádraig
Published: May 2022

Algorithmic bias arises in machine learning when models that may have reasonable overall accuracy are biased in favor of ‘good’ outcomes for one side of a sensitive category, for example gender or race. The bias will manifest as an underestimation of good outcomes for the under-represented minority. In a sense, we should not be surprised that a model might be biased when it has not been ‘asked’ not to be; reasonable accuracy can be achieved by ignoring the under-represented minority. A common strategy to address this issue is to include fairness as a component in the learning objective. In this paper, we consider including fairness as an additional criterion in model training and propose a multi-objective optimization strategy using Pareto Simulated Annealing that optimizes for both accuracy and underestimation bias. Our experiments show that this strategy can identify families of models with members representing different accuracy/fairness tradeoffs. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this strategy on two synthetic and two real-world datasets.
An adapted Arabic version of the Test of Nine Images for the illiterate Lebanese population: Validation and preliminary normative data
Authors: El-Hayeck Rita , Baddoura Rafic , Wehbé Amine , Bassil Nazem , Koussa Salam , Abou Khaled Karine , Richa Sami , Khoury Rita , Alameddine Abbas , Sellal François
Published: May 2022

Objectives:

In the absence of a simple validated instrument to screen for cognitive impairment among illiterate Lebanese older adults, the aims of this study were to validate an Arabic version of the Test of Nine Images (A-TNI93) adapted by the Working Group on Dementia at Saint Joseph University: Groupe de Travail sur les Démences de l’Univesité Saint Joseph (GTD-USJ) for illiterate older Lebanese and to establish normative data.

Method:

A national population-based sample of 332 community-dwelling illiterate Lebanese aged 55 years and older was administered the A-TNI93 (GTD-USJ) scoring free and overall recall. The sample is part of a larger national sample (1342 participants) used to validate an Arabic version of the Mini-Mental State Examination already reported. Reproducibility, sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve of the A-TNI93 (GTD-USJ) scoring to detect cognitive impairment according to Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) as the gold standard were measured. Normative data were established among 188 cognitively normal participants.

Results:

A threshold score of six on free recall (FR) provided a sensitivity of 66.7% and a specificity of 90.5%. The area under the curve was 0.93. By taking either scores, that is, a FR ≤ 6 or a total recall ≤ 8, the A-TNI93 (GTD-USJ) slightly improved dementia case detection with a sensitivity of 70.8% and a specificity of 88%. Normative data illustrate the distribution of cognitive performance among illiterate older adults.

Conclusions:

Compared to the CDR requiring physician’s competence, the A-TNI93 (GTD-USJ) is a valid Arabic adaptation to screen for cognitive impairment among illiterate Lebanese older adults.
Identification of potential donors for false smut resistance in elite breeding lines of rice (Oryza sativaL.) under field conditions
Authors: Lore Jagjeet Singh , Jain Jyoti , Kumar Sanjay , Kamboj Ishwinder , Sidhu Navjot , Khanna Renu , Kaur Rupinder , Mangat Gurjit Singh
Published: May 2022

False smut of rice is an emerging disease and caused severe damage to hybrids and inbred rice cultivars grown in Asian countries. The objective of the study was to quantify of false smut resistance and identification of donors in some of the advanced breeding lines and rice varieties developed at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India. A total of 31 genotypes were evaluated for three years in two planting date per year under field conditions. The lines were categorized into short, medium and long durations based on days to flowering. False smut was quantified using different disease variables such as per cent infected panicle, number of false smut ball per plant and disease score. Disease variables were significantly and positively correlated to each other. The infected panicle ranged 0.0–75.4% was observed among the genotypes. Three advanced lines namely RGS-2 (short), RGM-3 (medium) and RGL-3 (long) showed the lowest ranged 0.0–4.9% of infected panicle as compared to susceptible checks (47.7–75.4%). The genotypes were divided into five groups according to a component of resistance. The third group had the lowest average values (3.3%) of infected panicle as compared to the fifth group with the highest values (36.2%) of the infected panicle. The overall trend of disease variables was higher in short duration genotypes as compared to medium and long durations. Weather factors such as rain fall, rainy days and high relative humidity during the flowering period were favourable for disease development. The genotypes with lower disease variables could be utilized in diseases resistance breeding programme.
RUSH JOB: SLAVERY AND BREVITY IN THE EARLY ROMAN PRINCIPATE
Authors: Geue Tom
Published: May 2022

The upswing in brief forms of literature in the early Roman principate is marked. From Ovid to Velleius Paterculus, Phaedrus to Valerius Maximus, this aesthetic trend seems to transcend genre. Such a phenomenon has thus far been understood as arising from either the pressures of literary tradition or the transformations in the organisation of elite knowledge. This article disagrees. It posits a new prospective causality behind the eruption in brevity, namely the state of slavery and its time-conscious way of being in the world. The article performs a close comparative reading of Phaedrus’Fablesalongside Velleius Paterculus’Compendium of Roman Historyto show how brevity and its suspension can be understood as formal constraints, acts of service and redemptive aesthetic coping modes – all determined by the historical conditions of enslavement. It concludes with a coda on the general association of poetry with bondage and constraint in the late Republic and early Empire.
Genetically Adjusted Propensity Score Matching: A Comparison to Discordant MZ Twin Models
Authors: Silver Ian A. , Liu Hexuan , Nedelec Joseph L.
Published: May 2022

Discordant monozygotic (MZ) twin methodologies are considered one of the foremost statistical approaches for estimating the influence of environmental factors on phenotypic variance. Limitations associated with the discordant MZ twin approach generates an inability to estimate particular relationships and adjust estimates for the confounding influence of gene-nonshared environment interactions. Recent advancements in molecular genetics, however, can provide the opportunity to address these limitations. The current study reviews an alternative technique, genetically adjusted propensity scores (GAPS) matching, that integrates observed genetic and environmental information to adjust for the confounding of these factors in nonkin individuals. Simulations and a real data example were used to compare the GAPS matching approach to the discordant MZ twin method. Although the results of the simulated comparisons demonstrated that the discordant MZ twin approach remains the more robust statistical technique to adjust for shared environmental and genetic factors, GAPS matching — under certain conditions — could represent a viable alternative when MZ twin samples are unavailable. Overall, the findings suggest that GAPS matching can potentially provide an alternative to the discordant MZ twin approach when limited variation exists between identical twin pairs. Moreover, the ability to adjust for gene-nonshared environment interactions represents a potential advancement associated with the GAPS approach. The limitations of the approach, as well as polygenic risk scores, are also discussed.
Evaluating the effects of extended preharvest intervals on glyphosate and glufosinate residues in almonds
Authors: Martin Katie , Hanson Bradley D.
Published: May 2022

Almonds [Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A. Webb] are grown on nearly 650,000 ha in California and generate nearly $4.9 billion in export revenue annually, primarily to the European Union (EU). To facilitate harvest operations, broad-spectrum herbicides such as glyphosate and/or glufosinate are commonly used to control vegetation before harvest. The current minimum preharvest intervals (PHIs) for glyphosate and glufosinate herbicides registered in the United States are 3 and 14 d, respectively. The maximum residue limit (MRL) for glyphosate and glufosinate in almonds in the EU is 0.1 mg kg−1; however, a recent study recommended the glyphosate MRL be reduced to 0.05 mg kg−1. Laboratory and field experiments were conducted to evaluate herbicide transfer from soil to almonds and the effect of longer PHIs on glyphosate and glufosinate residues in harvested almonds. After harvest operations, almonds were dissected into hulls, shells, and kernels for analysis of glyphosate, glufosinate, and their metabolites using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectroscopy. In the field experiment, glyphosate and glufosinate were detected at 0.121 to 0.291 mg kg−1 in almond hulls and shells. Glyphosate and primary metabolites were below the limit of detection (LOD) in almond kernels at all PHIs. Glufosinate was below the LOD, but the metabolite 3-(methylphosphinico)propionic acid was detected at 0.03 to 0.075 mg kg−1 in kernels from some replicate plots. There were no significant differences in either herbicide or any metabolite among PHI treatments. The lab experiment showed decreasing residue levels from hull to shell to kernel; furthermore, rinsing kernels resulted in 71% and 46% reduction in [14C]glyphosate and [14C]glufosinate, respectively, which suggests much of the herbicide residue may be associated with dust on the kernel surfaces. The results of these experiments indicate very low levels of herbicide transfer from soil to almonds, and increasing the PHI within the tested range did not reduce the already low amounts of herbicide or metabolites in almonds.
Begründung pflegerischer Maßnahmen zur Hautreinigung und Hautpflege
Authors: Sill Janna , Kottner Jan , Balzer Katrin
Published: May 2022

Zusammenfassung. Hintergrund: Die Unterstützung bei der Körperpflege gehört zu den Kernaufgaben der Pflege. Verschiedene Faktoren können die Umsetzung evidenzbasierter Pflege beeinflussen. Ziel: Die Untersuchung von Sichtweisen beruflich Pflegender in der stationären Langzeitpflege zur Bedeutung und zur Begründung pflegerischer Maßnahmen in der Unterstützung der Körperpflege. Methode: Qualitativer Teil einer Mixed-Methods-Studie in drei Langzeitpflegeeinrichtungen, bestehend aus Kurzinterviews mit beruflich Pflegenden direkt nach der Durchführung der pflegerischen Unterstützung bei der Körperpflege, Fokusgruppen mit Pflegenden und semistrukturierte Interviews mit Pflegemanagement-Verantwortlichen. Die Daten wurden inhaltsanalytisch ausgewertet. Ergebnisse: Die Stichprobe ( N = 30) umfasst 10 Kurzinterviews, 3 Fokusgruppen ( n = 17) und 3 Einzelinterviews. Pflegende wiesen der pflegerischen Unterstützung in der Körperpflege überwiegend eine hohe Relevanz zu. Als Grundlage für pflegerische Entscheidungen wurden Bewohnerbedürfnisse und -präferenzen, persönliches Wissen sowie eigene Erfahrungen und Präferenzen genannt. Evidenzbasierte Wissensquellen wurden kaum erwähnt. Als beeinflussende Faktoren wurden die Verfügbarkeit von Hautreinigungs- und Hautpflegeprodukten, personelle und zeitliche Ressourcen sowie die pflegerisch-ärztliche Zusammenarbeit identifiziert. Schlussfolgerungen: Pflegerische Entscheidungen in der Unterstützung der Körperpflege berücksichtigen kaum forschungsgestützte Evidenz. Evidenzbasierte Entscheidungshilfen könnten die Auswahl geeigneter Pflegeinterventionen für Pflegende erleichtern.
Do Personality Traits Predict Training Performance?
Authors: Dehn Doris M. , Damitz Marc
Published: May 2022

Abstract. Most test batteries for the selection of ab initio air traffic controllers (ATCOs) include a personality questionnaire. However, the literature suggests that the relationship between personality and job performance is not straightforward: Correlations are found only for a limited set of personality factors, depend on job characteristics, and are at best small to moderate in size. Moreover, the relationship between personality scores and performance can be curvilinear rather than linear. This research investigates whether a personality test used for the selection of ATCOs predicts subsequent training performance. Training performance was measured in terms of instructor ratings ( N = 262) and training outcome ( N = 431). The rated training performance correlated positively with general self-efficacy and team orientation, and negatively with negativity and vulnerability. For some traits (i.e., general self-efficacy and rebelliousness), curvilinear relationships were found. A comparison of trait scores between students who had successfully completed and those who had failed the training showed significant differences for 10 of the 17 measured traits, all of which were in the expected direction.
Time‐Dependent Electron Transport I: Modelling of Supra‐Thermal Electron Bursts Modulated at 5–10 Hz With Implications for Flickering Aurora
Authors: Gustavsson B.
Published: May 2022

A time‐dependent multi‐stream electron transport model, AURORA, has been developed for studies of auroral emission‐rates during precipitation with large variations on sub‐second time‐scales. The transport‐code accurately takes time‐of‐flight, energy degradation, scattering and production of secondary electrons into account. AURORA produces ionospheric electron‐flux as a function of energy, altitude, time and pitch‐angle, with a time‐resolution of 3.33 ms. AURORA has been used to simulate flickering aurora by modulating field‐aligned bursts (FAB) of electrons modulated at frequencies between 5 and 10 Hz. Intensity modulations of auroral emissions at 4,278, 6,730, 7,444, and 8,446 Å have been calculated, time‐shifts on the order of 10 ms between the maxima of the emissions were found.
Biological Carbon Pump Sequestration Efficiency in the North Atlantic: A Leaky or a Long‐Term Sink?
Authors: Baker Chelsey A. , Martin Adrian P. , Yool Andrew , Popova Ekaterina
Published: May 2022

The North Atlantic Ocean is a key region for carbon sequestration by the biological carbon pump (BCP). The quantity of organic carbon exported from the surface, the region and depth at which it is remineralized, and the subsequent timescale of ventilation (return of the remineralized carbon back into contact with the atmosphere), control the magnitude of BCP sequestration. Carbon stored in the ocean for >100 years is assumed to be sequestered for climate‐relevant timescales. We apply Lagrangian tracking to an ocean circulation and marine biogeochemistry model to determine the fate of North Atlantic organic carbon export. Organic carbon assumed to undergo remineralization at each of three vertical horizons (500, 1,000, and 2,000 m) is tracked to determine how much remains out of contact with the atmosphere for 100 years. The fraction that remains below the mixed layer for 100 years is defined as the sequestration efficiency (SEff) of remineralized exported carbon. For exported carbon remineralized at the 500, 1,000 and 2,000 m horizons, the SEff is 28%, 66% and 94%, respectively. Calculating the amount of carbon sequestered using depths ≤1,000 m, and not accounting for downstream ventilation, overestimates 100‐year carbon sequestration by at least 39%. This work has implications for the accuracy of future carbon sequestration estimates, which may be overstated, and for carbon management strategies (e.g., oceanic carbon dioxide removal and Blue Carbon schemes) that require long‐term sequestration to be successful.
Diurnal Rainfall Response to the Physiological and Radiative Effects of CO2 in Tropical Forests in the Energy Exascale Earth System Model v1
Authors: Harrop Bryce E. , Burrows Susannah M. , Calvin Katherine , Kooperman Gabriel J. , Leung L. Ruby , Maltrud Mathew E. , Shi Xiaoying , Tang Jinyun , Tang Qi , Wang Hailong , Zhu Qing
Published: May 2022

Understanding how the connection between rainfall and tropical forests will respond to increasing CO2 concentrations is a key element in understanding how the tropical water cycle will respond to increasing CO2. The plant physiological and radiative impacts of CO2 on rainfall patterns over tropical forest regions are examined in the Energy Exascale Earth System Model version 1.1 (E3SMv1.1‐BGC) biogeochemistry experiments. Composite analysis reveals a dampening of the diurnal cycle of rainfall over the Amazon, Congo, and Maritime Continent in response to rising CO2 levels, regardless of the sign of total rainfall change. A full factorial model experiment confirms that the CO2 radiative and CO2 plant physiological effects can individually or jointly reduce the magnitude of the rainfall diurnal cycle, though the physical pathway giving rise to the reduction differs between the two effects. For the physiological response, stomatal closure reduces evapotranspiration, which dries the boundary layer and raises the lifting condensation level. These effects combine to reduce deep convective rainfall during its peak occurrence in the late daytime to early nighttime period. For the radiative response, a relative reduction in daytime Convective Available Potential Energy (consistent with a reduction in the diurnal temperature range) leads to less frequent triggering of deep convection and a reduction of rainfall diurnal amplitude. These diurnal rainfall changes are structurally similar across seasons, and show little sensitivity to representation of nutrient coupling for the land biogeochemistry. In agreement with previous findings, the physiological response has only minor impact on extreme rainfall relative to the radiative response.
The Ocean Is Still Sucking Up Carbon—Maybe More Than We Think
Authors: Averett Nancy
Published: May 2022

Recent studies looking at carbon-sequestering microbes suggest we still have a lot to learn about the ocean’s biological carbon pump.
Persistent X-ray-activated phosphors: mechanisms and applications
Authors: Richard Cyrille , Viana Bruno
Published: May 2022

Trivalent lanthanides in wide bandgap fluoride or phosphate hosts can present persistent luminescence between 200 nm and 1.7 µm after charging by X-rays. Mechanisms are reviewed and applications envisioned.
Effect of antidepressants on functioning and quality of life outcomes in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Teng Teng , Zhang Zhihan , Yin Bangmin , Guo Tingting , Wang Xiaoya , Hu Jiayi , Ran Xin , Dai Qi , Zhou Xinyu
Published: May 2022

Functioning and quality of life (QOL) are typical outcomes assessed in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD); however, meta-analytical evidence remains scarce. The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess functioning and QOL antidepressant outcomes in this population. Eight electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, LILACS, and ProQuest Dissertation Abstracts) were searched for double-blind randomized controlled trials (RCTs) up to July 31, 2020. RCTs that compared antidepressants with placebo for treating functioning and QOL in children and adolescents with MDD were included. Primary outcomes were mean change scores of functioning and QOL scales from baseline to post-treatment. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were conducted to examine whether results were affected by moderator variables (e.g., medication type, age, sample size, and treatment duration). From 7284 publications, we included 17 RCTs (all 17 assessed functioning and 4 assessed QOL outcomes) including 2537 participants. Antidepressants showed significant positive effects on functioning (standardized mean difference [SMD] = 0.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.09–0.25, p < 0.0001) but not on QOL (SMD = 0.11, 95% CI = −0.02 to 0.24, p = 0.093), with no significant heterogeneity. The subgroup analysis showed that second-generation antidepressants (especially fluoxetine, escitalopram, and nefazodone), but not first-generation antidepressants, led to significant improvements in functioning. Antidepressants (especially second generation) improve functioning but not QOL in children and adolescents with MDD. However, well-designed clinical studies using large samples are needed to confirm these findings.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Anti-fibrotic mechanism of SPP1 knockdown in atrial fibrosis associates with inhibited mitochondrial DNA damage and TGF-β/SREBP2/PCSK9 signaling
Authors: Du Xianfeng , Liu Ting , Shen Caijie , He Bin , Feng Mingjun , Liu Jing , Zhuo Weidong , Fu Guohua , Wang Binhao , Xu Yanyan , Chu Huimin
Published: May 2022

Atrial fibrosis occurs frequently with structural heart disease and is considered as a major cause of arrhythmia. Microarray-based profiling predicted the differential expression of SPP1 in atrial fibrosis. Herein, we aimed to analyze the role of shRNA-mediated SPP1 knockdown in the progression of atrial fibrosis as well as the downstream mechanism. In vivo model in mice and in vitro HL-1 cell model of atrial fibrosis were developed by the angiotensin II (Ang II) method, where SPP1 expression was validated by RT-qPCR. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments were performed in Ang II-induced mice and HL-1 cells to evaluate the effect of the SPP1/TGF-β/SREBP2/PCSK9 axis on cell viability, apoptosis, collagen production and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage in atrial fibrosis. Expression of SPP1, TGF-β, SREBP2 and PCSK9 was increased in Ang II-induced mice and HL-1 cells. Silencing of SPP1 inhibited the occurrence of atrial fibrosis, as reflected by attenuated cell viability and collagen production as well as increased cell apoptosis. Conversely, upregulated SPP1 enhanced atrial fibrosis, which was related to upregulation of TGF-β. In addition, TGF-β elevated the expression of SREBP2, which promoted mtDNA damage and the consequent atrial fibrosis by augmenting the expression of PCSK9. This study uncovers previously unrecognized pro-fibrotic activities of SPP1 in atrial fibrosis, which is achieved through activation of the TGF-β/SREBP2/PCSK9 signaling pathway and promotion of mtDNA damage.
Role of the M point phonons for the dynamical stability of B2 compounds
Authors: Ono Shota , Kobayashi Daigo
Published: May 2022

Although many binary compounds have the B2 (CsCl-type) structure in the thermodynamic phase diagram, an origin of the dynamical stability is not understood well. Here, we focus on 416 compounds in the B2 structure extracted from the Materials Project, and study the dynamical stability of those compounds from first principles. We demonstrate that the dynamical stability of the B2 compounds lies in whether the lowest frequency phonons around the M point in the Brillouin zone are endowed with a positive frequency, except for VRu. We show that the interatomic interactions up to the fourth nearest neighbor atoms are necessary for stabilizing such phonon modes, which should determine the minimum cutoff radius for constructing the interatomic potentials of binary compounds with guaranteed accuracy.
Discovery of first-in-class nanomolar inhibitors of heptosyltransferase I reveals a new aminoglycoside target and potential alternative mechanism of action
Authors: Milicaj Jozafina , Hassan Bakar A. , Cote Joy M. , Ramirez-Mondragon Carlos A. , Jaunbocus Nadiya , Rafalowski Angelika , Patel Kaelan R. , Castro Colleen D. , Muthyala Ramaiah , Sham Yuk Y. , Taylor Erika A.
Published: May 2022

A clinically relevant inhibitor for Heptosyltransferase I (HepI) has been sought after for many years because of its critical role in the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharides on bacterial cell surfaces. While many labs have discovered or designed novel small molecule inhibitors, these compounds lacked the bioavailability and potency necessary for therapeutic use. Extensive characterization of the HepI protein has provided valuable insight into the dynamic motions necessary for catalysis that could be targeted for inhibition. Structural inspection of Kdo2-lipid A suggested aminoglycoside antibiotics as potential inhibitors for HepI. Multiple aminoglycosides have been experimentally validated to be first-in-class nanomolar inhibitors of HepI, with the best inhibitor demonstrating a Ki of 600 ± 90 nM. Detailed kinetic analyses were performed to determine the mechanism of inhibition while circular dichroism spectroscopy, intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence, docking, and molecular dynamics simulations were used to corroborate kinetic experimental findings. While aminoglycosides have long been described as potent antibiotics targeting bacterial ribosomes’ protein synthesis leading to disruption of the stability of bacterial cell membranes, more recently researchers have shown that they only modestly impact protein production. Our research suggests an alternative and novel mechanism of action of aminoglycosides in the inhibition of HepI, which directly leads to modification of LPS production in vivo. This finding could change our understanding of how aminoglycoside antibiotics function, with interruption of LPS biosynthesis being an additional and important mechanism of aminoglycoside action. Further research to discern the microbiological impact of aminoglycosides on cells is warranted, as inhibition of the ribosome may not be the sole and primary mechanism of action. The inhibition of HepI by aminoglycosides may dramatically alter strategies to modify the structure of aminoglycosides to improve the efficacy in fighting bacterial infections.
Off-harmonic optical probing of high intensity laser plasma expansion dynamics in solid density hydrogen jets
Authors: Bernert Constantin , Assenbaum Stefan , Brack Florian-Emanuel , Cowan Thomas E. , Curry Chandra B. , Garten Marco , Gaus Lennart , Gauthier Maxence , Göde Sebastian , Goethel Ilja , Glenzer Siegfried H. , Kluge Thomas , Kraft Stephan , Kroll Florian , Kuntzsch Michael , Metzkes-Ng Josefine , Loeser Markus , Obst-Huebl Lieselotte , Rehwald Martin , Schlenvoigt Hans-Peter , Schoenwaelder Christopher , Schramm Ulrich , Siebold Mathias , Treffert Franziska , Ziegler Tim , Zeil Karl
Published: May 2022

Due to the non-linear nature of relativistic laser induced plasma processes, the development of laser-plasma accelerators requires precise numerical modeling. Especially high intensity laser-solid interactions are sensitive to the temporal laser rising edge and the predictive capability of simulations suffers from incomplete information on the plasma state at the onset of the relativistic interaction. Experimental diagnostics utilizing ultra-fast optical backlighters can help to ease this challenge by providing temporally resolved inside into the plasma density evolution. We present the successful implementation of an off-harmonic optical probe laser setup to investigate the interaction of a high-intensity laser at $$5.4\times 10^{21}\,\hbox {W/cm}^{2}$$

5.4
×

10
21

W/cm
2

peak intensity with a solid-density cylindrical cryogenic hydrogen jet target of $${5}\,{\upmu }\mathrm{m}$$

5

μ
m

diameter as a target test bed. The temporal synchronization of pump and probe laser, spectral filtering and spectrally resolved data of the parasitic plasma self-emission are discussed. The probing technique mitigates detector saturation by self-emission and allowed to record a temporal scan of shadowgraphy data revealing details of the target ionization and expansion dynamics that were so far not accessible for the given laser intensity. Plasma expansion speeds of up to $$(2.3 \pm 0.4)\times 10^{7}\,\hbox {m/s}$$

(
2.3
±
0.4
)

×

10
7

m/s

followed by full target transparency at $${1.4}\,{\mathrm{ps}}$$

1.4

ps

after the high intensity laser peak are observed. A three dimensional particle-in-cell simulation initiated with the diagnosed target pre-expansion at $${-0.2}\,{\mathrm{ps}}$$

-
0.2

ps

and post processed by ray tracing simulations supports the experimental observations and demonstrates the capability of time resolved optical diagnostics to provide quantitative input and feedback to the numerical treatment within the time frame of the relativistic laser-plasma interaction.
Cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated risk factors among frontline health care workers in Paris: the SEROCOV cohort study
Authors: Hausfater Pierre , Boutolleau David , Lacombe Karine , Beurton Alexandra , Dumont Margaux , Constantin Jean-Michel , Ghosn Jade , Combes Alain , Cury Nicolas , Guedj Romain , Djibré Michel , Bompard Rudy , Mazerand Sandie , Pourcher Valérie , Gimeno Linda , Marois Clémence , Teyssou Elisa , Marcelin Anne-Geneviève , Hajage David , Tubach Florence
Published: May 2022

With the COVID-19 pandemic, documenting whether health care workers (HCWs) are at increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 contamination and identifying risk factors is of major concern. In this multicenter prospective cohort study, HCWs from frontline departments were included in March and April 2020 and followed for 3 months. SARS-CoV-2 serology was performed at month 0 (M0), M1, and M3 and RT-PCR in case of symptoms. The primary outcome was laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection at M3. Risk factors of laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection at M3 were identified by multivariate logistic regression. Among 1062 HCWs (median [interquartile range] age, 33 [28–42] years; 758 [71.4%] women; 321 [30.2%] physicians), the cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection at M3 was 14.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] [12.5; 16.9]). Risk factors were the working department specialty, with increased risk for intensive care units (odds ratio 1.80, 95% CI [0.38; 8.58]), emergency departments (3.91 [0.83; 18.43]) and infectious diseases departments (4.22 [0.92; 18.28]); current smoking was associated with reduced risk (0.36 [0.21; 0.63]). Age, sex, professional category, number of years of experience in the job or department, and public transportation use were not significantly associated with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection at M3. The rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection in frontline HCWs was 14.6% at the end of the first COVID-19 wave in Paris and occurred mainly early. The study argues for an origin of professional in addition to private life contamination and therefore including HCWs in the first-line vaccination target population. It also highlights that smokers were at lower risk.

Trial registration The study has been registered on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04304690 first registered on 11/03/2020.
Conus branch artery utilization in percutaneous coronary intervention for chronic total occlusion
Authors: Meng Shih-Wei , Huang Ching-Chang , Lee Chih-Kuo , Chen Chun-Kai , Yeh Chih-Fan , Chen Ying-Hsien , Lin Mao-Shin , Kao Hsien-Li
Published: May 2022

Data on the prevalence of conus branch artery (CBA) is scarce, and its utilization in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for chronic total occlusion (CTO) is non-existing. The present study examined carefully in a large cohort the angiographic prevalence of CBA, its role as a collateral channel for the occlusion, and the potential usage of CBA in contemporary CTO PCI. We retrospectively examined consecutive CTO PCIs from our database between 2016 and 2019. All CTO PCIs were evaluated and the results with complications were recorded to determine the prevalence and utilization of CBA. From January 2016 to December 2019, a total of 556 CTO PCI attempts in 546 patients by high-volume operators were enrolled. The clinical, angiographic, and procedural details were collected. CBA was identifiable in 85.3% of these patients, and CBA providing visible collaterals connected to CTO distal lumen was found in 27.8% of patients. 84 CBA were used for balloon anchoring, 17 for selective distal true lumen visualization, and 9 as actual retrograde interventional collateral channel during CTO PCI. Only 1 patient suffered from chest pain during CBA balloon anchoring, and no other procedural complication such as arrhythmia or perforation occurred.CBA is frequently seen in coronary CTO. Its existence provided potential for various CTO PCI technique applications, without increase in risk.
Backward and forward neck tilt affects perceptual bias when interpreting ambiguous figures
Authors: Sato Fumiaki , Shiomoto Ryoya , Nakauchi Shigeki , Minami Tetsuto
Published: May 2022

The relationships between posture and perception have already been investigated in several studies. However, it is still unclear how perceptual bias and experiential contexts of human perception affect observers’ perception when posture is changed. In this study, we hypothesized that a change in the perceptual probability caused by perceptual bias also depends on posture. In order to verify this hypothesis, we used the Necker cube with two types of appearance, from above and below, although the input is constant, and investigated the change of the probability of perceptual content. Specifically, we asked observers their perception of the appearance of the Necker cube placed at any of the five angles in the space of virtual reality. There were two patterns of neck movement, vertical and horizontal. During the experiment, pupil diameter, one of the cognitive indices, was also measured. Results showed that during the condition of looking down vertically, the probability of the viewing-from-above perception of the Necker cube was significantly greater than during the condition of looking up. Interestingly, the pupillary results were also consistent with the probability of the perception. These results indicate that perception was modulated by the posture of the neck and suggest that neck posture is incorporated into ecological constraints.
One-step nucleic acid amplification for intraoperative diagnosis of lymph node metastasis in lung cancer patients: a single-center prospective study
Authors: Namba Kei , Suzawa Ken , Shien Kazuhiko , Miura Akihiro , Takahashi Yuta , Miyauchi Shunsaku , Araki Kota , Nakata Kentaro , Tomida Shuta , Tanaka Shin , Miyoshi Kentaroh , Otani Shinji , Yamamoto Hiromasa , Okazaki Mikio , Sugimoto Seiichiro , Soh Junichi , Yamane Masaomi , Toyooka Shinichi
Published: May 2022

One-step nucleic acid amplification (OSNA) is a rapid intraoperative molecular detection technique for sentinel node assessment via the quantitative measurement of target cytokeratin 19 (CK19) mRNA to determine the presence of metastasis. It has been validated in breast cancer but its application in lung cancer has not been adequately investigated. 214 LNs from 105 patients with 100 primary lung cancers, 2 occult primary lung tumors, and 3 metastatic lung tumors, who underwent surgical lung resection with LN dissection between February 2018 and January 2020, were assessed. Resected LNs were divided into two parts: one was snap-frozen for OSNA and the other underwent rapidly frozen histological examination. Intraoperatively collected LNs were evaluated by OSNA using loop-mediated isothermal amplification and compared with intraoperative pathological diagnosis as a control. Among 214 LNs, 14 were detected as positive by OSNA, and 11 were positive by both OSNA and intraoperative pathological diagnosis. The sensitivity and specificity of OSNA was 84.6% and 98.5%, respectively. The results of 5 of 214 LNs were discordant, and the remainder all matched (11 positive and 198 negative) with a concordance rate of 97.7%. Although the analysis of public mRNA expression data from cBioPortal showed that CK19 expression varies greatly depending on the cancer type and histological subtype, the results of the five cases, except for primary lung cancer, were consistent. OSNA provides sufficient diagnostic accuracy and speed and can be applied to the intraoperative diagnosis of LN metastasis for non-small cell lung cancer.
Quantitative EEG may predict weaning failure in ventilated patients on the neurological intensive care unit
Authors: Welte Tamara M. , Gabriel Maria , Hopfengärtner Rüdiger , Rampp Stefan , Gollwitzer Stephanie , Lang Johannes D. , Stritzelberger Jenny , Reindl Caroline , Madžar Dominik , Sprügel Maximilian I. , Huttner Hagen B. , Kuramatsu Joji B. , Schwab Stefan , Hamer Hajo M.
Published: May 2022

Neurocritical patients suffer from a substantial risk of extubation failure. The aim of this prospective study was to analyze if quantitative EEG (qEEG) monitoring is able to predict successful extubation in these patients. We analyzed EEG-monitoring for at least six hours before extubation in patients receiving mechanical ventilation (MV) on our neurological intensive care unit (NICU) between November 2017 and May 2019. Patients were divided in 2 groups: patients with successful extubation (SE) versus patients with complications after MV withdrawal (failed extubation; FE), including reintubation, need for non-invasive ventilation (NIV) or death. Bipolar six channel EEG was applied. Unselected raw EEG signal underwent automated artefact rejection and Short Time Fast Fourier Transformation. The following relative proportions of global EEG spectrum were analyzed: relative beta (RB), alpha (RA), theta (RT), delta (RD) as well as the alpha delta ratio (ADR). Coefficient of variation (CV) was calculated as a measure of fluctuations in the different power bands. Mann–Whitney U test and logistic regression were applied to analyze group differences. 52 patients were included (26 male, mean age 65 ± 17 years, diagnosis: 40% seizures/status epilepticus, 37% ischemia, 13% intracranial hemorrhage, 10% others). Successful extubation was possible in 40 patients (77%), reintubation was necessary in 6 patients (12%), 5 patients (10%) required NIV, one patient died. In contrast to FE patients, SE patients showed more stable EEG power values (lower CV) considering all EEG channels (RB:p < 0.0005; RA:p = 0.045; RT:p = 0.045) with RB as an independent predictor of weaning success in logistic regression (p = 0.004). The proportion of the EEG frequency bands (RB, RA RT, RD) of the entire EEG power spectrum was not significantly different between SE and FE patients. Higher fluctuations in qEEG frequency bands, reflecting greater fluctuation in alertness, during the hours before cessation of MV were associated with a higher rate of complications after extubation in this cohort. The stability of qEEG power values may represent a non-invasive, examiner-independent parameter to facilitate weaning assessment in neurocritical patients.
Invasions of an obligate asexual daphnid species support the nearly neutral theory
Authors: Ohtsuki Hajime , Norimatsu Hirotomo , Makino Takashi , Urabe Jotaro
Published: May 2022

To verify the “nearly neutral theory (NNT),” the ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitutions (dN/dS) was compared among populations of different species. To determine the validity of NNT, however, populations that are genetically isolated from each other but share the same selection agents and differ in size should be compared. Genetically different lineages of obligate asexual Daphnia pulex invading Japan from North America are an ideal example as they satisfy these prerequisites. Therefore, we analyzed the whole-genome sequences of 18 genotypes, including those of the two independently invaded D. pulex lineages (JPN1 and JPN2) and compared the dN/dS ratio between the lineages. The base substitution rate of each genotype demonstrated that the JPN1 lineage having a larger distribution range diverged earlier and thus was older than the JPN2 lineage. Comparisons of the genotypes within lineages revealed that changes in dN/dS occurred after the divergence and were larger in the younger lineage, JPN2. These results imply that the JPN1 lineage has been more effectively subjected to purification selections, while slightly deteriorating mutations are less purged in JPN2 with smaller population size. Altogether, the lineage-specific difference in the dN/dS ratio for the obligate asexual D. pulex was well explained by the NNT.