bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reduction in extreme climate events and potential impacts by the use of technological advances
Authors: Wei Ting , Liu Changxin , Dong Wenjie , Yu Haipeng , Yang Shili , Yan Qing , Hao Zhixin
Published: December 2020

Technological advances have the potential to balance climate change mitigation and economic development. However, it remains unclear how much technological advances alone can mitigate climate change and the associated economic losses in the future. Through designing a suite of technological advances scenarios and using an earth system model with an integrated assessment model, we illustrate that rapid technological progress without production control might achieve the 2°C global warming target in the 2100s. Relative to a world of stagnant technology, the frequency (intensity) of extreme warm events at the end of the 21st century (2081–2100) would be reduced by ∼21% (5.5°C) via rapid technological advances, with a reduction in extreme precipitation (droughts) by ∼41% (10 times). Furthermore, fast technological advances may reduce the global economic losses linked with climate change at 2081–2100 by ∼21% and those in China related to floods (droughts) by 86% (67%). Our results highlight the potential of technological advances to fill the emission gap between the Paris Agreement and unconditional Nationally Determined Contributions and hence to efficiently mitigate global warming.
Unmasking the Essential Realities of COVID‐19: The Pasifika Community in the Salt Lake Valley
Authors: Vaughn Kēhaulani , Fitisemanu Jacob , Hafoka Inoke , Folau Kehaulani
Published: December 2020

Pacific Islanders in diaspora are disproportionately contracting COVID‐19, experience hospitalization and develop complications. In Utah, Pacific Islanders have the highest contraction rate in the state. Pacific Islanders constitute only 2% of the state's population, but represent 4% of the those infected with COVID‐19, begging the question how we might explain the high rates of contraction? As community engaged scholars and practitioners, we offer discussion, insight, and commentary on the COVID‐19 pandemic affecting Pacific Islanders in Utah. Grounding this discussion is a history of the Pacific Islander community as an essential workforce that dates back to the 1850s, before statehood. We argue that historical discrimination against these early Pacific Islanders shaped the way this group is racialized as essential laborers today. The authors offer this assertion along with practices and protocols that honour cultural norms of socialization, which we see is the pathway to provide safe measures that are relevant to the Utah Pasifika community.
Memory response in a two‐dimensional transversely isotropic thick plate with varying heat source
Authors: Islam Mohsin , Mondal Sudip
Published: December 2020

This present survey deals with a novel mathematical model of generalized thermoelasticity which investigates the transient phenomena in a two‐dimensional problem for a transversely isotropic thick plate having a heat source. The upper surface of the plate is stress‐free with prescribed surface temperature while the lower surface of the plate rests on a rigid foundation and is thermally insulated. The study is carried out in the context of the three‐phase‐lag thermoelastic model. The governing equations for displacement and temperature fields are obtained in the Laplace‐Fourier transform domain by applying the Laplace and Fourier transform techniques. The inversion of double transform has been done numerically. The numerical inversion of the Laplace transform is done by using a method based on the Fourier series expansion technique. The numerical estimates of the quantities of physical interest are obtained and depicted graphically. The effect of the memory‐dependent derivative on the solutions has been studied.
Classification of 5d $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 1 gauge theories
Authors: Bhardwaj Lakshya , Zafrir Gabi
Published: December 2020

Abstract

We classify 5d$$ \mathcal{N} $$N= 1 gauge theories carrying a simple gauge group that can arise by mass-deforming 5dSCFTs and 6dSCFTs (compactified on a circle, possibly with a twist). For theories having a 6dUV completion, we determine the tensor branch data of the 6dSCFT and capture the twist in terms of the tensor branch data. We also determine the dualities between these 5dgauge theories, thus determining the sets of gauge theories having a common UV completion.
Face the food: Food plating with facial patterns influences appetite and event-related brain potentials
Authors: Schwab Daniela , Zorjan Sasa , Schienle Anne
Published: December 2020

The presentation of visual food cues (e.g., food plating) can affect our appetite and leads to characteristic changes of early as well as late positivity in the electroencephalogram. The present event-related potential (ERP) study attempted to change ERPs and affective ratings for food pictures by rearranging the components of a depicted meal (conventional presentation) as a smiley or frowny. The images were presented to 68 women (mean age = 24 years), who rated the wanting and liking of the meals. Compared to conventional food plating, smiley and frowny meals elicited enhanced amplitudes of the P200, P300, and late positive potential (LPP) in a large occipito-parietal cluster. Frowny meals were rated as less appetizing than conventional food presentations. The mentioned ERP components are concomitants of face configuration processing (P200), automatic attention/novelty detection (P300), and voluntary attention/assignment of emotional meaning (LPP). Thus, the combination of two affective cues (food, face) in one stimulus changed the activation in motivational circuits of the brain. Also, serving a meal as a frowny could help to regulate appetite.
How the publish-or-perish principle divides a science: the case of economists
Authors: van Dalen Hendrik P.
Published: December 2020

The publish-or-perish principle has become a fact of academic life in gaining a position or being promoted. Evidence is mounting that benefits of this pressure is being countered by the downsides, like forms of goal displacement by scientists or unethical practices. In this paper we evaluate whether perceived work pressure (publishing, acquisition funds, teaching, administration) is associated with different attitudes towards science and the workplace among economists working at Dutch universities. Publication pressure is high and is related to faculty position and university ranking position. Based on a latent class analysis we can detect a clear divide among economists. Around two third of the economists perceives that this pressure has upsides as well as serious downsides and one third only perceives upsides and no downsides. Full professors see more than other faculty members the positive sides of the publish-or-perish principle and virtually no downsides. These different perceptions are also reflected in their appreciation of the academic work environment.
Institutional barriers to participation in EU framework programs: contrasting the Swiss and UK cases
Authors: Cavallaro Marco , Lepori Benedetto
Published: December 2020

The aim of this study was to examine how institutional barriers arising from policy decisions influence the level of participation of third-party countries in European Framework Programs (EU-FPs). To achieve this, we contrasted the effect of EU funding restrictions following Switzerland’s 2014 reclassification as a “third country” in Horizon 2020, and the political uncertainties resulting from the 2016 Brexit vote in the United Kingdom (UK). We compared the participation patterns of Swiss and UK higher education institutions (HEIs) with control groups of similar European HEIs over time and, complementarily, analyzed changes in the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Our results showed that the Brexit-induced uncertainty had stronger negative effects than the Swiss reclassification, which was, however, characterized by effective EU funding restrictions. In both cases, the negative impact of institutional barriers was stronger for the more central HEIs in EU-FP networks. These results suggest that the effect of institutional barriers is closely linked to consortium building mechanisms, where research collaboration requires stability and projection over the long term. Regarding individual grants, the impact was stronger for Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions than for European Research Council grants, suggesting that a researcher’s mobility is affected by political uncertainties. Finally, in the UK case, we observed a steep decrease in the participation of SMEs. Based on these results, we suggest that a stable framework of participation and a clear ruling on relationships with the EU for what concerns people’s mobility and economic relationships are key to fostering the participation of third-party countries.
Who is Left Behind? Altruism of Giving, Happiness and Mental Health during the Covid-19 Period in the UK
Authors: Giovanis Eleftherios , Ozdamar Oznur
Published: December 2020

The UK government has decided to implement lockdown measures at the end of March 2020 as a response to the outbreak and spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. As a consequence, households have experienced job losses and a significant drop in their finances. During these unprecedented and difficult times, people provide financial assistance to those who are in need and have to cope with falls in their living standards. In this study we are interested to investigate the subjective well-being, which is expressed by mental health and components of general happiness, of the givers rather than of receivers. We apply a difference-in-differences framework to investigate the impact of altruism on the givers’ SWB in the UK. Altruism is denoted by transfers made to adult children, parents, siblings, and friends. Using the DiD estimator and the estimated coefficient of the household income we calculate the implicit willingness-to-pay (WTP) for altruism. We perform various regressions by gender and racial-ethnic background using data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS). The analysis shows that altruistic behaviours impact different domains of SWB between men and women, as well as, among people with different racial-ethnic background.
Impact of Margin Status on Survival in Patients with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Receiving Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy
Authors: Schmocker Ryan K. , Delitto Daniel , Wright Michael J. , Ding Ding , Cameron John L. , Lafaro Kelly J. , Burns William R. , Wolfgang Christopher L. , Burkhart Richard A. , He Jin
Published: December 2020

BACKGROUND:

Historically, a positive margin after pancreatectomy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) was associated with decreased survival. In an era when neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is being used frequently, the prognostic significance of margin status is unclear.

STUDY DESIGN:

Patients with localized PDAC who received NAC and underwent pancreatectomy from 2011 to 2018 were identified from a single-institution database. Patients with fewer than 2 months of NAC, R2 resection, or fewer than 90 days of follow-up were excluded. A positive margin included tumors within 1 mm of the surgical margin.

RESULTS:

Four hundred and sixty-eight patients met inclusion criteria. Median age was 65 years and 53% were female. Preoperative clinical staging demonstrated that most had locally advanced (n = 222 [47%]) or borderline resectable (n = 172 [37%]) disease. Median follow-up was 18.5 months (interquartile range 10.6 to 30.0 months). Median duration of NAC was 119 days (interquartile range 87 to 168 days). FOLFIRINOX was first-line therapy for 67%, and 73% received neoadjuvant radiotherapy. Most underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy (69%). Forty percent were node-positive and 80% had an R0 resection. Fifty-six percent received at least 1 cycle of adjuvant therapy. Median overall survival and recurrence-free survival were 22.0 months (95% CI, 19.4 to 25.1 months) and 11.0 months (95% CI, 10.0 to 12.1 months). On multivariate analysis, margin status was not a significant predictor of overall survival or recurrence-free survival. Factors associated with overall survival included clinical stage, duration of NAC, nodal status, histopathologic treatment response score, and receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS:

Microscopic margin positivity is not associated with recurrence and survival in localized PDAC patients resected after treatment with NAC. Aggressive surgical extirpation in high-volume centers should be considered in selected patients after extensive NAC.
Grade 4 Distal Femur Stress Fracture in a Long-Distance Hiker on the Appalachian Trail
Authors: Kavin Michelle , Chrusch Adam
Published: December 2020

Although stress injuries are a common occurrence in sports medicine clinics, a distal femur stress fracture is less so. Early detection can result in a favorable prognosis and may prevent the need for surgical intervention. A misdiagnosis resulting in delay of care can result in significant complications. This case report documents a rare distal femur stress fracture in a long-distance hiker. A 35-y-old male presented to an orthopedic clinic in Pennsylvania with left knee pain after completing 1423 km (884 mi) of the Appalachian trail over a 4-mo period. He was attempting a thru-hike, a specialized type of backpacking focused on completing a trail from end-to-end. Thru-hiking of this trail involves backpacking between Georgia and Maine, covering about 3540 km (2200 mi) with approximately 141,580 m (464,500 ft) of gain/loss in elevation. His pain began 2 mo into his hike when he noted medial sided left knee discomfort. Over the following 2 mo he sought treatment at 2 different locations along the trail with etiology undetermined. Upon evaluation in Pennsylvania, history and physical exam were suggestive of a stress fracture. Radiologic studies confirmed a closed nondisplaced nonangulated grade 4 transverse fracture of the shaft of the distal left femur. The patient was instructed to terminate his hike immediately and he was placed on nonweight bearing status. This case illustrates the importance of considering a distal femur stress fracture for the differential diagnosis of persistent knee pain in a long-distance hiker.
Delayed Splenic Rupture: A Rare Complication of Snakebites
Authors: Kim Tae-Youn , Roh Young-Il , Cha Kyoung-Chul , Hwang Sung Oh , Jung Woo Jin
Published: December 2020

Bites by venomous snakes can cause fatal systemic and coagulation disorders. Rare complications, such as compartment syndrome and hemoperitoneum, may also require surgical intervention. Here, we describe our experience with an unusual case of snakebite-induced delayed splenic rupture. A 54-y-old male with no specific medical history visited a local hospital for a bite by an unidentified snake. He had been bitten on the left thumb and was administered antivenom. He was discharged from the local hospital after 3 d when his symptoms had improved. However, he revisited our emergency medical center 2 d later, reporting dizziness with diaphoresis. Focused abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography revealed large amounts of intraperitoneal fluid collection and hemoperitoneum with splenic rupture, respectively. The patient underwent immediate blood transfusion and received antivenom treatment in our emergency department and, subsequently, emergency splenectomy. Histopathologic findings at the time of surgery revealed multifocal lacerations on the external surface of the spleen, with fresh hemorrhage. He recovered 7 d after surgery without any complication.
Electromagnetic Optics of Thin-Film Coatings
Authors: Amra Claude , Lequime Michel , Zerrad Myriam
Published: December 2020

Three experts in the field of thin-film optics present a detailed and self-contained theoretical study of planar multilayers and how they can be effectively exploited in both traditional and modern applications. Starting with a discussion of the relevant electromagnetic optics, the fundamental optical properties of multilayers are introduced using an electromagnetic approach based on a direct solving of Maxwell's equations by Fourier transforms. This powerful approach is illustrated through the comprehensive description of two of the most important phenomena in multilayers, i.e. giant field enhancement in dielectric stacks and light scattering from thin-film optical filters. The same approach is extended to the description of the operation of planar microcavities and the balance of energy between radiated and trapped light. This book will be valuable to researchers, engineers and graduate students with interests in nanophotonics, optical telecommunications, observational astronomy and gravitational wave detection.
China's Finance in Africa
Authors: Wamboye Evelyn F.
Published: December 2020

This Element provides a detailed analysis of official finances from China to Africa with special attention to the question of Africa's foreign finances policy. The findings reveal that Africa has an infrastructure gap and Chinese finances are largely used to fund infrastructure projects. However, the majority of the funds are loans, which are mortgaged on Africa's natural resources. In addition, Chinese firms are the ones implementing the projects, and much of the raw material and labor is imported from China. All these calls for Africa to institute a coherent foreign finances policy that ensures African countries fully benefit from these finances.
Learning medicine by the book: reading and writing surgical manuals in early modern London
Authors: Leong Elaine
Published: December 2020

Centred on Thomas Brugis's popular Vade mecum, or A Companion for a Chyrurgion fitted for times of Peace or War (1651), this essay considers the role of the instructional book in early modern surgical knowledge and practice. By tracing the fortuna of the Vade mecum from production to use, it shows that, far from being static texts, instructional books were dynamic objects responding and adapting to the changing needs of knowledge communities. I begin by situating the Vade mecum within surgical practice more broadly in early modern England, which shows the key role that the practices of translation and compilation played in the production of surgical manuals. Most producers of surgical manuals were practitioners-turned-authors, and their works typically drew on a mix of lived experience both at the bedside and in the library. Brugis, who was exemplary in this respect, was particularly interested in providing instructions for hands-on practices involved in surgical operations and medicine production. In the last section, which focuses on readers and users, I analyse annotations and additional writings in surviving copies of the Vade mecum to recover the agency of reader–practitioners and trace collective ownership of the book across time and space.
Polish Ethnic Minority in Belarus and Lithuania: Politics, Institutions, and Identities
Authors: Frėjutė-Rakauskienė Monika , Sasunkevich Olga , Šliavaitė Kristina
Published: December 2020

This article analyzes how institutions influence the process of identity formation within the Polish minority communities in Belarus and Lithuania. We focus on ways that the identities of people who consider themselves Poles in Belarus and Lithuania are targeted by institutions like the state, schools, and nongovernmental organizations. We aim to shed light on how these processes are shaped by institutional settings and broader political contexts. The authors take a bottom-up approach to institutions and look at how members of the Polish communities in the two neighboring countries conceptualize the role of various institutions—NGOs, schools,Karta Polaka(the Polish Card)—to shape their sense of ethnic belonging. The article is built on a cross-case analysis. Data for the Lithuanian and Belarusian cases, consisting of interviews and secondary sources, were collected independently and then reread in light of a common research question. Through our analysis, we show differences and similarities in how analogous institutions function on the two sides of the border and elaborate on the reasons why these differences occur and what role state policy and supranational regulations play in the process.
Association betweenFADS1rs174547 and levels of long-chain PUFA: a meta-analysis
Authors: Wang Yan , Tang Yiwei , Ji Ye , Xu Wenhui , Ullah Naeem , Yu Haitao , Wu Yixia , Xie Lin
Published: December 2020

In the present study, we analysed the effects of SNP rs174547 (T/C) in the fatty acid desaturase 1 (FADS1) gene on long-chain PUFA levels. Four databases were searched to retrieve related literature with keywords such as fatty acid (FA), SNP,FADS1and rs174547. A meta-analysis of the data was performed using Stata12.0 software, including summary statistics, test for heterogeneity, evaluation of publication bias, subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis. The associations between rs174547 inFADS1and seven types of FA, and Δ-5 (D5D) and Δ-6 fatty acid desaturase (D6D) activity were assessed based on the pooled results from eleven papers. A total of 3713 individuals (1529 TT and 2184 TC + CC) were included. The results demonstrated that minor C allele carriers of rs174547 had higher linoleic acid (LA;P < 0·001) andα-linolenic acid (P = 0·020) levels, lower γ-linolenic acid (GLA;P = 0·001) and arachidonic acid (P = 0·024) levels, and lower D5D (P = 0·005) and D6D (P = 0·004) activities than the TT genotype group. Stratification analysis showed that minor C allele carriers of rs174547 had higher LA and lower GLA levels and lower D6D activities in plasma (LA,P < 0·001; GLA,P < 0·001; D6D activity,P < 0·001) samples and in Asian populations (LA,P < 0·001; GLA,P = 0·001; D6D activity,P = 0·001) than the TT genotype group. In conclusion, minor C allele carriers of the SNP rs174547 were associated with decreased activity of D5D and D6D.
Terrorism and Migration: An Overview
Authors: Helbling Marc , Meierrieks Daniel
Published: December 2020

This article provides an overview of the literature on the relationship between terrorism and migration. It discusses whether and how (1) migration may be a cause of terrorism, (2) terrorism may influence natives' attitudes towards immigration and their electoral preferences and (3) terrorism may lead to more restrictive migration policies and how these in turn may serve as effective counter-terrorism tools. A review of the empirical literature on the migration–terrorism nexus indicates that (1) there is little evidence that more migration unconditionally leads to more terrorist activity, especially in Western countries, (2) terrorism has electoral and political (but sometimes short-lived) ramifications, for example, as terrorism promotes anti-immigrant resentment and (3) the effectiveness of stricter migration policies in deterring terrorism is rather limited, while terrorist attacks lead to more restrictive migration policies.
Equivalence between logarithmic Sobolev inequality and hypercontractivity in a probability gage space
Authors: Lunchuan Zhang
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we prove the equivalence between logarithmic Sobolev inequality and hypercontractivity of a class of quantum Markov semigroup and its associated Dirichlet form based on a probability gage space.
General formulas for adiabatic invariants in nearly periodic Hamiltonian systems
Authors: Burby J. W. , Squire J.
Published: December 2020

While it is well known that every nearly periodic Hamiltonian system possesses an adiabatic invariant, extant methods for computing terms in the adiabatic invariant series are inefficient. The most popular method involves the heavy intermediate calculation of a non-unique near-identity coordinate transformation, even though the adiabatic invariant itself is a uniquely defined scalar. A less well-known method, developed by S. Omohundro, avoids calculating intermediate sequences of coordinate transformations but is also inefficient as it involves its own sequence of complex intermediate calculations. In order to improve the efficiency of future calculations of adiabatic invariants, we derive generally applicable, readily computable formulas for the first several terms in the adiabatic invariant series. To demonstrate the utility of these formulas, we apply them to charged-particle dynamics in a strong magnetic field and magnetic field-line dynamics when the field lines are nearly closed.
Festival Glasperlenspiel, Estonia. Tartu 9–15 July 2020 and Saaremaa 15–18 July 2020.
Authors: Supponen Lauri
Published: December 2020

Although 2020 will mostly be remembered as a period of hiatus for music festivals, a period of relative stability during the summer in Estonia enabled the festival Glasperlenspiel to hold most of its 25th anniversary programme. The strict restrictions on travel and gatherings (limited to 2 people in March) were eased in May when Covid cases in Estonia went under 10 per 100,000. Travel from Finland opened without restrictions on June 15, and the festival organisers knew in May that public events would again be allowed as of July 1. They were cutting it rather close, as until 30 June public events were completely prohibited.
Is ϝ-shaped digamma attested as a numerical sign in Greek papyri? Once more on P.Herc. 1669 and P.Oxy. 1176
Authors: Ranocchia Graziano
Published: December 2020

T. Dorandi, who has previously proposed to read the book number included in the end-title of P.Herc. 1669 (Philodemus’ On Rhetoric) as a numerical ϝ-shaped digamma (= 6), has now advanced the same reading in the subscriptio of P.Oxy. 1176 (Satyrus, Lives book 6), where the editor princeps and all subsequent editors had unanimously read a stigma before. In this article, I argue not only that both readings are palaeographically untenable, but also that they historically contradict the graphic and functional evolution of digamma within the Greek alphabet. In particular, in both Graeco-Egyptian and Herculaneum papyri, ϝ-shaped digamma is always attested as a merely phonetic element (/w/ or waw) – never as a numeral symbol – whereas stigma, which represents the historical evolution of a variant of Archaic and Classical digamma, is the only form used as a numerical sign (= 6).
Plutarch and the Spartan wedding ceremony
Authors: Meister Felix J.
Published: December 2020

This article reviews the historical accuracy of the account of the Spartan wedding ceremony in Plutarch’s Vita Lycurgi. It surveys the texts that are usually quoted in support of Plutarch’s account and argues that none offers a relevant parallel. It also suggests a different kind of wedding ceremony for Archaic and Classical Sparta.
Management of non-specific low back pain in primary care – A systematic overview of recommendations from international evidence-based guidelines
Authors: Krenn Cornelia , Horvath Karl , Jeitler Klaus , Zipp Carolin , Siebenhofer-Kroitzsch Andrea , Semlitsch Thomas
Published: December 2020

Aim:

Systematic identification, characterization and analysis of recommendations concerning the diagnosis and treatment of non-specific low back pain (LBP) in primary care provided in international evidence-based guidelines from high-income countries.

Background:

LBP is one of the most common reasons for consulting a primary care physician and its prevalence is higher in high-income than in middle- or low-income countries. The majority of LBP is non-specific and treatment recommendations are not often based on high-quality and patient-oriented evidence.

Methods:

We systematically searched PubMed and major guideline databases from 2013 to 2020. Two independent reviewers performed literature selection and the quality assessment of included guidelines using the AGREE II tool. We extracted all relevant recommendations including the corresponding Grade of Recommendation. We grouped all included recommendations by topic and compared them to each other.

Findings:

This overview includes 10 current guidelines and overall 549 relevant recommendations. Recommendations covered aspects of assessment and diagnosis (15%), non-pharmacological interventions (46%), pharmacological interventions (26%), invasive treatments (8%) and multimodal pain management (5%). In total, 30% of all recommendations were strong and 57% weak or very weak. The proportion of recommendations for and against an intervention was 45% and 38%, respectively. The recommendations from the different guidelines were largely in good agreement. We identify only a small number of contradictory recommendations, mostly dealing with very specific interventions.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, current evidence-based guidelines published in high-income countries provide recommendations for all major aspects of the management of people with LBP in primary care. Recommendations from different guidelines were largely consistent. More than 50% of these recommendations were weak or very weak and a high proportion of recommendation advised against an intervention.
A Discussion of Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum’s A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy
Authors: Morone James A.
Published: December 2020

Charge: More than a half-century ago, Richard Hofstadter identified the “paranoid style” as an important feature of American politics. However, in A Lot of People are Saying, Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum argue that a “new” form of conspiracism has begun to infect contemporary American political life. Whereas “old” conspiracy theorists sought hidden evidence to describe why things are not as they seem, Muirhead and Rosenblum argue that purveyors of the new conspiracism make no attempt to substantiate their theories. In light of this fact-free approach, the authors thus warn that contemporary conspiracy theorists pose an unprecedented danger to foundational elements of American democracy, including political parties and knowledge-producing institutions. Moreover, Muirhead and Rosenblum assert, “The new conspiracism moved into the White House with the inauguration of Donald Trump” (p. 1), “the conspiracist in chief” (p. ix). If there is merit to this argument, then the fate of Trump’s reelection bid carries monumental consequences for the future of American democracy, as well as the way in which the United States responds to the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic. We therefore asked a range of scholars to comment on Muirhead’s and Rosenblum’s bold set of claims.
Can repeated soil amendment with biogas digestates increase soil suppressiveness toward non-specific soil-borne pathogens in agricultural lands?
Authors: Manici L. M. , Caputo F. , Cappelli G. A. , Ceotto E.
Published: December 2020

Soil suppressiveness which is the natural ability of soil to support optimal plant growth and health is the resultant of multiple soil microbial components; which implies many difficulties when estimating this soil condition. Microbial benefits for plant health from repeated digestate applications were assessed in three experimental sites surrounding anaerobic biogas plants in an intensively cultivated area of northern Italy. A 2-yr trial was performed in 2017 and 2018 by performing an in-pot plant growth assay, using soil samples taken from two fields for each experimental site, of which one had been repeatedly amended with anaerobic biogas digestate and the other had not. These fields were similar in management and crop sequences (maize was the recurrent crop) for the last 10 yr. Plant growth response in the bioassay was expressed as plant biomass production, root colonization frequency by soil-borne fungi were estimated to evaluate the impact of soil-borne pathogens on plant growth, abundance of Pseudomonas and actinomycetes populations in rhizosphere were estimated as beneficial soil microbial indicators. Repeated soil amendment with digestate increased significantly soil capacity to support plant biomass production as compared to unamended control in both the years. Findings supported evidence that this increase was principally attributable to a higher natural ability of digestate-amended soils to reduce root infection by saprophytic soil-borne pathogens whose inoculum was increased by the recurrent maize cultivation. Pseudomonas and actinomycetes were always more abundant in digestate-amended soils suggesting that both these large bacterial groups were involved in the increase of their natural capacity to control soil-borne pathogens (soil suppressiveness).
Herbicide programs for control of waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) resistant to three distinct herbicide sites of action in corn
Authors: Willemse Christian , Soltani Nader , Benoit Lauren , Hooker David C. , Jhala Amit J. , Robinson Darren E. , Sikkema Peter
Published: December 2020

Control of waterhemp is becoming more difficult in Ontario because biotypes have evolved resistance to four herbicide sites of action (SOA), including groups 2, 5, 9, and 14. The objective of this study was to compare PRE, POST, and PRE followed by (fb) POST herbicide programs for their effect on control, density, and biomass of multiple-herbicide–resistant (MHR) waterhemp as well as corn injury and grain yield. Two separate field studies, each consisting of five field trials, were conducted over a 2-yr period (2018 and 2019) in fields where corn was grown in Ontario, Canada. The first experiment evaluated MHR waterhemp control with an inhibitor of 4-hydroxyphenyl-pyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) applied PRE, PRE fb glufosinate applied POST, and glufosinate applied POST. The second experiment evaluated MHR waterhemp control with a non-HPPD inhibitor applied PRE, then PRE fb a POST application of atrazine + mesotrione, and then atrazine + mesotrione applied POST. Atrazine + isoxaflutole caused 3% to 5% corn injury at environment 1 (E1); no corn injury was observed with PRE and POST herbicide programs at environments E2, E3, E4, and E5. In general, atrazine/bicyclopyrone/mesotrione/S-metolachlor and dimethenamid-P/saflufenacil applied PRE controlled MHR waterhemp ≥95% 12 wk after POST application (WAA). A POST application of glufosinate following atrazine + tolpyralate PRE, and a POST application of atrazine + mesotrione following atrazine/dicamba or atrazine/S-metolachlor PRE, improved control at 4, 8, and 12 WAA in most environments. In general, PRE fb POST applications resulted in better control of MHR waterhemp throughout the growing season than single PRE and POST applications (P < 0.05). We conclude that herbicide programs based on multiple effective SOAs may offer effective control of MHR waterhemp where field corn is grown. It is advisable that when choosing an herbicide application program that excellent control of MHR waterhemp should be the goal given its high fecundity and competitive ability.
Growth of Collisional Orogens From Small and Cold to Large and Hot—Inferences From Geodynamic Models
Authors: Wolf Sebastian G. , Huismans Ritske S. , Muñoz Josep‐Anton , Curry Magdalena Ellis , van der Beek Peter
Published: December 2020

It is well documented that the interplay between crustal thickening and surface processes determines growth of continent‐continent collision orogens from small and cold to large and hot. Additionally, studies have demonstrated that the structural style of a mountain belt is strongly influenced by inherited (extensional) structures, the pattern of erosion and deposition, as well as the distribution of shallow detachment horizons. However, the factors controlling distribution of shortening and variable structural style as a function of convergence and surface process efficiency remain less explored. We use a 2D upper‐mantle scale plane‐strain thermo‐mechanical model (FANTOM) coupled to a planform, mass conserving surface‐process model (Fastscape), to investigate the long‐term evolution of mountain belts and the influence of lithospheric pull, extensional inheritance, surface processes efficiency, and decoupling between thin‐and thick‐skinned tectonics. We establish an evolutionary shortening distribution for orogenic growth from a mono‐vergent wedge to an orogenic plateau, and find that internal crustal loading is the main factor controlling the large scale evolution, while lithospheric pull modulates the plate driving force for orogenesis. Limited foreland‐basin filling and minor exhumation of the orogen core are characteristic for low surface‐process efficiency, while thick foreland‐basin fill, and profound exhumation of the orogen core are characteristic for high surface‐process efficiency. Utilizing a force balance analysis, we show how inherited structures, surface processes, and decoupling between thin‐and thick‐skinned deformation influence structural style during orogenic growth. Finally, we present a comparison of our generic modeling results with natural systems, with a particular focus on the Pyrenees, Alps, and Himalaya‐Tibet.
Asian International Students’ Construals of Well-Being and Distress
Authors: Daga Suchi S. , Lin Kathy L. , Raval Vaishali V.
Published: December 2020

The ways in which people conceptualize and experience psychological distress and well-being are culturally grounded. This study explored conceptualizations of loss, trauma, anxiety, and well-being among international students from Asia living in the United States. Participants ( N = 24) from China, India, and other South Asian countries described community members who experienced a distressing event and were now either functioning well or not well. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyze interview data, and 18 identified themes were organized in the following five domains: contextual conceptualizations of well-being and distress, value of distress, social relationships, intrapersonal factors, and other factors contributing to well or poor functioning. Findings highlighted that conceptualizations of well-being and distress not only included intrapsychic states, but were also grounded in social contexts and included the presence or absence of relational support, material resources, physical health, and academic/career achievement. Having social connections with family, friends, and community were considered vital to well-being, and disruptions in these relationships were thought to lead to distress, among other factors. Participants also reported that after experiencing a distressing event, continuing to withdraw from social relationships was an indicator of poor functioning, whereas reengaging with people and with one’s social roles was an indicator of better functioning. These findings contribute to culturally informed understanding of distress and well-being, and culturally sensitive mental health services for international students.
Effects of classical PKC activation on hippocampal neurogenesis and cognitive performance: mechanism of action
Authors: Domínguez-García Samuel , Gómez-Oliva Ricardo , Geribaldi-Doldán Noelia , Hierro-Bujalance Carmen , Sendra Marta , Ruiz Félix A. , Carrascal Livia , Macías-Sánchez Antonio J. , Verástegui Cristina , Hernández-Galán Rosario , García-Alloza Mónica , Nunez-Abades Pedro , Castro Carmen
Published: December 2020

Hippocampal neurogenesis has widely been linked to memory and learning performance. New neurons generated from neural stem cells (NSC) within the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus (DG) integrate in hippocampal circuitry participating in memory tasks. Several neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders show cognitive impairment together with a reduction in DG neurogenesis. Growth factors secreted within the DG promote neurogenesis. Protein kinases of the protein kinase C (PKC) family facilitate the release of several of these growth factors, highlighting the role of PKC isozymes as key target molecules for the development of drugs that induce hippocampal neurogenesis. PKC activating diterpenes have been shown to facilitate NSC proliferation in neurogenic niches when injected intracerebroventricularly. We show in here that long-term administration of diterpene ER272 promotes neurogenesis in the subventricular zone and in the DG of mice, affecting neuroblasts differentiation and neuronal maturation. A concomitant improvement in learning and spatial memory tasks performance can be observed. Insights into the mechanism of action reveal that this compound facilitates classical PKCα activation and promotes transforming growth factor alpha (TGFα) and, to a lesser extent, neuregulin release. Our results highlight the role of this molecule in the development of pharmacological drugs to treat neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders associated with memory loss and a deficient neurogenesis.
Cigarette smoke-induced LKB1/AMPK pathway deficiency reduces EGFR TKI sensitivity in NSCLC
Authors: Cheng Fang-Ju , Chen Chia-Hung , Tsai Wen-Chen , Wang Bo-Wei , Yu Meng-Chieh , Hsia Te-Chun , Wei Ya-Ling , Hsiao Yu-Chun , Hu Dai-Wei , Ho Chien-Yi , Li Tzong-Shiun , Wu Chun-Yi , Chou Wen-Yu , Yu Yung-Luen , Tang Chih-Hsin , Chen Chih-Yi , Chen Chuan-Mu , Hsu Jennifer L. , Chen Hsiao-Fan , Chen Yeh , Tu Chih-Yen , Hung Mien-Chie , Huang Wei-Chien
Published: December 2020

Smoker patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have poorer prognosis and survival than those without smoking history. However, the mechanisms underlying the low response rate of those patients to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are not well understood. Here we report that exposure to cigarette smoke extract enhances glycolysis and attenuates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-dependent inhibition of mTOR; this in turn reduces the sensitivity of NSCLC cells with wild-type EGFR (EGFRWT) to EGFR TKI by repressing expression of liver kinase B1 (LKB1), a master kinase of the AMPK subfamily, via CpG island methylation. In addition, LKB1 expression is correlated positively with sensitivity to TKI in patients with NSCLC. Moreover, combined treatment of EGFR TKI with AMPK activators synergistically increases EGFR TKI sensitivity. Collectively, the current study suggests that LKB1 may serve as a marker to predict EGFR TKI sensitivity in smokers with NSCLC carrying EGFRWTand that the combination of EGFR TKI and AMPK activator may be a potentially effective therapeutic strategy against NSCLC with EGFRWT.
Identification of crystal symmetry from noisy diffraction patterns by a shape analysis and deep learning
Authors: Tiong Leslie Ching Ow , Kim Jeongrae , Han Sang Soo , Kim Donghun
Published: December 2020

The robust and automated determination of crystal symmetry is of utmost importance in material characterization and analysis. Recent studies have shown that deep learning (DL) methods can effectively reveal the correlations between X-ray or electron-beam diffraction patterns and crystal symmetry. Despite their promise, most of these studies have been limited to identifying relatively few classes into which a target material may be grouped. On the other hand, the DL-based identification of crystal symmetry suffers from a drastic drop in accuracy for problems involving classification into tens or hundreds of symmetry classes (e.g., up to 230 space groups), severely limiting its practical usage. Here, we demonstrate that a combined approach of shaping diffraction patterns and implementing them in a multistream DenseNet (MSDN) substantially improves the accuracy of classification. Even with an imbalanced dataset of 108,658 individual crystals sampled from 72 space groups, our model achieves 80.12 ± 0.09% space group classification accuracy, outperforming conventional benchmark models by 17–27 percentage points (%p). The enhancement can be largely attributed to the pattern shaping strategy, through which the subtle changes in patterns between symmetrically close crystal systems (e.g., monoclinic vs. orthorhombic or trigonal vs. hexagonal) are well differentiated. We additionally find that the MSDN architecture is advantageous for capturing patterns in a richer but less redundant manner relative to conventional convolutional neural networks. The proposed protocols in regard to both input descriptor processing and DL architecture enable accurate space group classification and thus improve the practical usage of the DL approach in crystal symmetry identification.
Cerina: systematic circRNA functional annotation based on integrative analysis of ceRNA interactions
Authors: Cardenas Jacob , Balaji Uthra , Gu Jinghua
Published: December 2020

Circular RNAs, a family of covalently circularized RNAs with tissue-specific expression, were recently demonstrated to play important roles in mammalian biology. Regardless of extensive research to predict, quantify, and annotate circRNAs, our understanding of their functions is still in its infancy. In this study, we developed a novel computational tool: Competing Endogenous RNA for INtegrative Annotations (Cerina), to predict biological functions of circRNAs based on the competing endogenous RNA model. Pareto Frontier Analysis was employed to integrate ENCODE mRNA/miRNA data with predicted microRNA response elements to prioritize tissue-specific ceRNA interactions. Using data from several circRNA-disease databases, we demonstrated that Cerina significantly improved the functional relevance of the prioritized ceRNA interactions by several folds, in terms of precision and recall. Proof-of-concept studies on human cancers and cardiovascular diseases further showcased the efficacy of Cerina on predicting potential circRNA functions in human diseases.
Flavonoids and alkaloids from the rhizomes of Zephyranthes ajax Hort. and their cytotoxicity
Authors: Nguyen Khan Viet , Ho Duc Viet , Le Nhan Trong , Van Phan Kiem , Heinämäki Jyrki , Raal Ain , Nguyen Hoai Thi
Published: December 2020

A new flavanol derivative, (2R,3R)-3-acetoxy-7-hydroxy-3′,4′-methylenedioxyflavan (1), was co-isolated from the rhizomes of Zephyranthes ajax Hort. with the following seven known compounds: 7-hydroxyflavan (2), 7,4′-dihydroxyflavan (3), 7,4′-dihydroxy-8-methylflavan (4), 7,3′-dihydroxy-4′-methoxyflavan (5), 5,4′-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-6-methylflavan (6), 7-hydroxy-3′,4′-methylenedioxyflavanone (7) and haemanthamine (8). Their structures were elucidated by combining 1D-/2D-NMR, CD, UV and HRESIMS data, and comparisons with reported data in literature were made. Among these known compounds, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7 were isolated from the genus Zephyranthes for the first time. In addition, the cytotoxicity assay indicated that compound 8 has potent cytotoxic activity against human hepatocellular carcinoma (the HepG2 cell line), human lung carcinoma (the SK-LU-1 cell line), human carcinoma in the mouth (the KB cell line), human colon carcinoma (the SW480 cell line) and human stomach gastric adenocarcinoma (the AGS cell line), with IC50 values ranging from 4.4 to 11.3 µM. This is the first study reporting the cytotoxicity of compound 8 against the SK-LU-1 cancer cell lines.
New discovery of two seismite horizons challenges the Ries–Steinheim double-impact theory
Authors: Buchner Elmar , Sach Volker J. , Schmieder Martin
Published: December 2020

The Nördlinger Ries and the Steinheim Basin are widely perceived as a Middle Miocene impact crater doublet. We discovered two independent earthquake-produced seismite horizons in North Alpine Foreland Basin deposits potentially related to both impacts. The older seismite horizon, demonstrated to be associated with the Ries impact, is overlain by distal impact ejecta in situ, forming a unique continental seismite-ejecta couplet within a distance of up to 180 km from the crater. The younger seismite unit, also produced by a major palaeo-earthquake, comprises clastic dikes that cut through the Ries seismite-ejecta couplet. The clastic dikes may have formed in response to the Steinheim impact, some kyr after the Ries impact, in line with paleontologic results that indicate a time gap of about 0.5 Myr between the Ries and Steinheim events. This interpretation suggests the Ries and Steinheim impacts represent two temporally separate events in Southern Germany that, thus, witnessed a double disaster in the Middle Miocene. The magnitude–distance relationship of seismite formation during large earthquakes suggests the seismic and destructive potential of impact-induced earthquakes may be underestimated.