bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The influence of the ratio between the wire and process velocities on the wetting process during laser brazing
Authors: Mattulat Thorsten , Woizeschke Peer
Published: August 2020

Laser brazing is used in automotive production for the joining of car body parts with customer-visible seams, whereby the highest optical seam quality is demanded. During the wetting process, a constriction formation can occur within the molten brazing material, which subsequently collapses; this induces a stepwise progression of the wetting front, thereby decreasing the optical seam quality. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of the wire and process velocities on this constriction formation. For this purpose, high-speed recordings of the process zone are performed during laser brazing and then evaluated concerning the wetting process. The results show that the constriction formation depends on the relationship between the process velocity and the process direction component of the wire velocity. The constriction formation only occurs when the process velocity exceeds the parallel-oriented component of the wire velocity. This constriction formation is unstable and collapses repeatedly. In this study, increasing velocity differences stabilizes the constriction existence. This stabilization correlates with a uniform wetting process and a reduced frequency of the occurrence of blowout events, probably due to improved outgassing of zinc bubbles from the melt pool.
Genetic mapping and identification of new major loci for tolerance to low phosphorus stress in rice
Authors: Solangi Abdul Malik , Khanzada Hira , Wassan Ghulam Mustafa , Rasheed Adnan , Keerio Ayaz Ali , Solangi Majeeduddin , Khanzada Saba , Faheem Muhammad , Bian Jianmin , Pan Xiaohua , Han Rui Cai , He Xunfeng , Wu Ziming
Published: August 2020

Phosphorus (P) is one of the essential macronutrients for rice. In this study, we used 120 rice backcross recombinant inbred lines (BRILs) derived from a cross indica cv. Changhui 891 and japonica cv. 02428. To elucidate the genetic control of P deficiency tolerance in rice, we have used high quality SNPs bin markers to identify some important loci underlying phosphorus deficiency. The bin map was generated which includes 3057 bins covering distance of 1266.5 cM with an average of 0.41 cM between markers. Based on this map, 50 loci, including four novel loci, qSL-3, qRL-11, qSDW-1, qRDW-1 with phenotypic variance 23.26%, 12.06%, 9.89% associated with P deficiency-related seedling traits were identified. No significant QTLs was found for root length under P+, shoot fresh weight P− and root length, shoot fresh weight for P+, P− and their ratio respectively. Root fresh weight, and root dry weight were strongly correlated to each other, and QTLs for these variables were located on the same chromosome 1 at the same region. Notably, 3 pleiotropic regions is the pioneer of our study, and these regions would facilitate map-based cloning to expedite the MAS selection for developing low phosphorous tolerant varieties. This study not only improves our knowledge about molecular processes associated with P deficiency, but also provides useful information to understand the genetic architecture of low phosphorous tolerance.
A multidisciplinary design tool for robotic systems involved in sampling operations on planetary bodies
Authors: Riccobono Dario , Genta Giancarlo , Moreland Scott , Backes Paul
Published: August 2020

The analysis of robotic systems (e.g. landers and rovers) involved in sampling operations on planetary bodies is crucial to ensure mission success, since those operations generate forces that could affect the stability of the robotic system. This paper presents MISTRAL (MultIdisciplinary deSign Tool for Robotic sAmpLing), a novel tool conceived for trade space exploration during early conceptual and preliminary design phases, where a rapid and broad evaluation is required for a very high number of configurations and boundary conditions. The tool rapidly determines the preliminary design envelope of a sampling apparatus to guarantee the stability condition of the whole robotic system. The tool implements a three-dimensional analytical model capable to reproduce several scenarios, being able to accept various input parameters, including the physical and geometrical characteristics of the robotic system, the properties related to the environment and the characteristics related to the sampling system. This feature can be exploited to infer multidisciplinary high-level requirements concerning several other elements of the investigated system, such as robotic arms and footpads. The presented research focuses on the application of MISTRAL to landers. The structure of the tool and the analysis model are presented. Results from the application of the tool to real mission data from NASA’s Phoenix Mars lander are included. Moreover, the tool was adopted for the definition of the high-level requirements of the lander for a potential future mission to the surface of Saturn’s moon Enceladus, currently under investigation at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This case study was included to demonstrate the tool’s capabilities. MISTRAL represents a comprehensive, versatile, and powerful tool providing guidelines for cognizant decisions in the early and most crucial stages of the design of robotic systems involved in sampling operations on planetary bodies.
Photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B dye with TiO2 immobilized on SiC foam using full factorial design
Authors: Allé Paul Henri , Fanou Guy Didier , Robert Didier , Adouby Kopoin , Drogui Patrick
Published: August 2020

Textile effluents treatment is one of the important environmental challenges nowadays. Photocatalysis has proven its effectiveness for the removal of recalcitrant compounds, and it is considered as a green technology for the treatment of effluents. However, good photocatalytic yield is strongly related to the operating parameters. In this study, a supported TiO2 on a β-SiC foam was tested for the removal of Rhodamine B (RhB). The photocatalytic discoloration of RhB synthetic solution in our condition was about 90%. The effects of each parameter were assessed through a full factorial design. Sixteen tests were carried out and the response was RhB removal. The most influent parameters were TiO2/β-SiC foam quantity, the concentration of RhB, the volume of H2O2 and pH. Their contributions on RhB removal were, respectively, 53.01, 30.49, 2.7, and 2.48% according to Pareto diagram. Analysis of the coefficients shows that initial concentration of RhB and volume of H2O2 had a negative effect on the response. However, the quantity of TiO2/β-SiC foam and pH had a positive effect on the response. The influence of the flow rate on the process was assessed. The results showed a slight increase in RhB removal. Furthermore, the aging test of TiO2/β-SiC foam on the photocatalytic efficiency was carried out after ten successive photocatalysis tests. Only 6.7% loss of yield was observed. These results are very encouraging for an application at the industrial scale.
Genetic diversity of the complementary sex-determiner (csd) gene in two closed breeding stocks of Varroa -resistant honey bees
Authors: Bilodeau Lelania , Avalos Arian , Danka Robert G.
Published: August 2020

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) breeding programs that use a closed mating system are particularly vulnerable to low genetic diversity. Inadequate diversity at the complementary sex-determiner (csd) locus is problematic and potentially catastrophic in honey bee populations because it causes low brood viability. In typical commercial populations, queens are open mated and csd diversity is fostered by high rates of introgression. In this study, we examine genetic diversity within the highly variable region (HVR) of csd in two stocks bred for resistance to Varroa destructor: Pol-line and Hilo, both of which use closed mating systems. We sampled 47 Pol-line colonies and 41 Hilo colonies and found 60 protein alleles that were condensed into 35 allele groupings by sequence similarity. We found that proportionately, HVR diversity levels were comparable with those in other closed breeding populations as well as open-mated populations of A. mellifera worldwide. Distinct patterns are observed among Pol-line and Hilo csd protein alleles in both the phylogeny and allele frequency distributions, suggesting early divergence of the two stocks. When compared with an African outgroup, both stocks shared alleles with the outgroup, suggesting ancestral lineages are present and not all diversity is due to new mutations. Periodic monitoring of csd diversity is recommended for closed breeding programs. The csd diversity data reported here are currently being used to make breeding decisions in these two mite-resistant populations of honey bees.
Investigating Dynamic Visualizations of Multiple Representations Using Mobile Video Analysis in Physics Lessons
Authors: Becker Sebastian , Klein Pascal , Gößling Alexander , Kuhn Jochen
Published: August 2020

This contribution presents the results of a replication study on the learning effect of tablet-supported video analysis compared to traditional teaching sequences using non-digital experimental materials in the subject areas of uniform and accelerated motion in high school physics lessons. In addition to the replication of the preliminary study results recently published in this journal (Becker et al 2018, 2019), the investigation of the effect on the cognitive load as well as the emotional state of the students is another focal point. Compared to the preliminary study, the sample size was significantly increased from$$N=109$$N=109to$$N=294$$N=294. The individual effects of the preliminary study could be replicated in this way. For both topics, a significant reduction of extraneous cognitive load and a positive effect on intervention-induced emotions could be demonstrated. Moreover, the theoretically founded causal relationship between emotion, cognitive load, and learning achievement could be empirically verified by means of structural equation modeling.
Factors Affecting Mortality in 1022 COVID-19 Patients Referred to an Emergency Department in Bergamo during the Peak of the Pandemic
Authors: Goletti Orlando , Nessi Chiara , Testa Amidio , Albano Giovanni , Torri Valter , Beretta Giordano Domenico , Castoldi Massimo , Bombardieri Emilio
Published: August 2020

The unexpected outbreak of COVID-19 in the area of Bergamo and the general crisis of personnel and devices has been managed as well as possible during the maximum peak of epidemic; Humanitas Gavazzeni Hospital implemented its facilities and organization in order to optimize the treatment of patients. The number of beds in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) was doubled (from 16 to 33), and more than 220 beds were dedicated to the COVID-19 patients. This paper analyzes the factors affecting mortality in 1022 COVID-19 patients who referred to Humanitas Gavazzeni between February 25 and March 26, 2020. A total of 274 (34.9%) fatal events were registered: 202 among those admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and COVID department and 72 among those treated in Acute Admission Unit Level II (AAUl-2) who died before hospital admission. This paper studies 274 dead cases by analyzing patient’s characteristics, physiological and laboratory parameters, symptoms, and the scores of severity of the disease. Patients who had fatal events in the AAUL-2 showed the worst parameters of risk. The most important differences regarded the Apache II score, Glasgow Coma Score (GCS), CRP (C-reactive protein), pH, creatinine, RR (respiratory rate), and asthenia.
Protective Effects of CVD and DM Medications in SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Authors: Bangi Shifa , Barve Rajas , Qamar Amna
Published: August 2020

Despite the burden of disease of CVD and DM, there is a lack of experimentally validated literature exploring their association with exacerbation of COVID-19. Target receptors of medications commonly used to treat CVD and DM may be involved in the viral entry mechanism of SARS-CoV-2. We propose the potential protective effects of these medications in COVID-19 infections, highlighting the need for further research. Firstly, AMPK mediated phosphorylation of ACE-2 by metformin as well as the drug’s alkaline properties may interrupt the natural disease progression. Secondly, DPP4 receptor involvement in the putative viral entry of SARS-CoV-2 may be prevented by DPP4i. Finally, recent studies have shown that statins’ ability to inhibit the cytokine storm may outweigh concerns of statin mediated ACE-2 upregulation in COVID-19. The complex interplay of factors affecting CVD and DM in COVID-19 patients makes the direct effects of medications difficult to examine. Therefore, further research is needed, in the context of SARS-CoV-2 and the molecular pathways it exploits, to potentially repurpose such pre-existing drugs for their use in COVID-19.
Using Statistical Modeling for Enhanced and Flexible Pharmacovigilance Audit Risk Assessment and Planning
Authors: Zou Min , Barmaz Yves , Preovolos Melissa , Popko Leszek , Ménard Timothé
Published: August 2020

Background

The European Medicines Agency Good Pharmacovigilance Practices (GVP) guidelines provide a framework for pharmacovigilance (PV) audits, including limited guidance on risk assessment methods. Quality assurance (QA) teams of large and medium sized pharmaceutical companies generally conduct annual risk assessments of the PV system, based on retrospective review of data and pre-defined impact factors to plan for PV audits which require a high volume of manual work and resources. In addition, for companies of this size, auditing the entire “universe” of individual entities on an annual basis is generally prohibitive due to sheer volume. A risk assessment approach that enables efficient, temporal, and targeted PV audits is not currently available.

Methods

In this project, we developed a statistical model to enable holistic and efficient risk assessment of certain aspects of the PV system. We used findings from a curated data set from Roche operational and quality assurance PV data, covering a span of over 8 years (2011–2019) and we modeled the risk with a logistic regression on quality PV risk indicators defined as data stream statistics over sliding windows.

Results

We produced a model for each PV impact factor (e.g. 'Compliance to Individual Case Safety Report') for which we had enough features. For PV impact factors where modeling was not feasible, we used descriptive statistics. All the outputs were consolidated and displayed in a QA dashboard built on Spotfire®.

Conclusion

The model has been deployed as a quality decisioning tool available to Roche Quality professionals. It is used, for example, to inform the decision on which affiliates (i.e. pharmaceutical company commercial entities) undergo audit for PV activities. The model will be continuously monitored and fine-tuned to ensure its reliability.
Retention Rate and Efficacy of Perampanel with a Slow Titration Schedule in Adults
Authors: Basheikh Mazen , Sadler R. Mark
Published: August 2020

Rationale:

The manufacturer of perampanel (PER) suggests an initial adult dose of 2–4 mg/day and an upward dose titration of 2 mg at no more frequently than 1- or 2-week intervals when used with enzyme-enhancing antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) or nonenzyme-enhancing AEDs, respectively. The general practice in our clinic is an initial dose of PER 2 mg/day and titrated by 2 mg/4 weeks to an initial target of 6 mg/day.

Methods:

Retrospective chart audit of patients starting PER in an adult epilepsy clinic between September 2013 and November 2016 with at least one 6-month follow-up visit was reviewed. Data collection included patient demographics, seizure characteristics, past and concurrent therapy, monthly seizure frequency before PER and at 6-month visit, and characteristics of PER discontinuation. Efficacy of treatment was assessed with the Engel classification and 50% responder rate.

Results:

N = 102 patients; mean age = 40 years and 54% females. Focal onset seizures 85%, generalized 13%, and unknown 2%. Median prior AED exposure = 6 (range 3–20); median concomitant AED use = 2 (range 1–5). Follow-up range was 6–37 months. The median seizure frequency/month prePER treatment was 6 (range 0–30) for focal onset seizures and 1 (range 0–6) for generalized seizures. The retention rate amongst all patients at 6 months was 78.4%. At 6-month follow-up, 36% of all patients achieved Engel class I (seizure freedom) (30.7% of patients with focal onset seizures and 63.6% with generalized epilepsy). The 50% responder rate was 52% and 82% for focal and generalized epilepsy, respectively.

Conclusion:

PER has a good retention rate when titrated slowly and thus encouraging seizure freedom results in an otherwise medically refractory epilepsy population.
Hemorrhagic Plaques in Mild Carotid Stenosis: The Risk of Stroke
Authors: Scheffler Max , Pellaton Alain , Boto José , Barnaure Isabelle , Delattre Bénédicte M. , Remuinan Jorge , Sztajzel Roman , Lövblad Karl-Olof , Vargas Maria Isabel
Published: August 2020

Objectives:

Embolic ischemic strokes cause significant mortality and morbidity worldwide. It has been proposed that some of these strokes are due to unstable carotid plaques with intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) but a low overall degree of stenosis. Our aim was to test a fat-saturated T1-weighted (T1WI) black-blood sequence on MRI for the detection of IPH in symptomatic individuals and to quantify the relation between IPH, severity of stenoses, and ischemic brain lesions.

Materials and Methods:

Sixty-two patients were examined by 3T MRI. Sequences included brain diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) as well as 3D turbo spin echo (TSE) fat-saturated black-blood T1 of the carotid bifurcations, to detect IPH as a focal intraplaque hyperintensity. Both carotid arteries were analyzed in each patient. The North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial scale was used for quantification of stenosis degree.

Results:

Thirty-six out of 62 patients (mean age, 74) showed brain ischemia on DWI. Fifteen of these 36 patients (42%) had associated ipsilateral IPH at the carotid bifurcation or the proximal internal carotid artery. Mean degree of stenosis in this group was 50%. In 21 patients with ischemia without IPH, the mean degree of stenosis was 44%.

Conclusions:

MRI with 3D TSE fat-saturated black-blood T1 technique is a safe, reliable, and noninvasive tool for the detection of IPH. A high percentage (42%) of ischemic events in patients with low- to moderate-degree stenosis were associated with IPH, an easily detectable imaging biomarker of plaque vulnerability. The ability to confirm IPH by MRI may help stratify patients into different risk and treatment groups in the future.
Can the World Health Organisation’s ‘QualityRights’ initiative help reduce coercive practices in psychiatry in Ireland?
Authors: Duffy R. M. , Kelly B. D.
Published: August 2020

The treatment of mental illness is undergoing a paradigm shift, moving away from involuntary treatments towards rights-based, patient-centred care. However, rates of seclusion and restraint in Ireland are on the rise. The World Health Organisation’s QualityRights initiative aims to remove coercion from the practice of mental health care, in order to concord with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The QualityRights initiative has recently published a training programme, with eight modules designed to be delivered as workshops. Conducting these workshops may reduce coercive practices, and four of the modules may be of particular relevance for Ireland. The ‘Supported decision-making and advance planning’ and the ‘Legal capacity and the right to decide’ modules highlight the need to implement the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act, 2015, while the ‘Freedom from coercion, violence and abuse’ and ‘Strategies to end seclusion and restraint’ modules describe practical alternatives to some current involuntary treatments.
A new marine woodground ichnotaxon from the Lower Cretaceous Mannville Group, Saskatchewan, Canada
Authors: Melnyk Scott , Packer Stephen , Zonneveld John-Paul , Gingras Murray K.
Published: August 2020

A new wood-boring ichnospecies is described from transgressive (lagoonal) deposits of the Lower Cretaceous Sparky Formation (Mannville Group) in west-central Saskatchewan, Canada. Apectoichnus lignummasticans new ichnospecies is a trace fossil that occurs in a thin coal bed and that was emplaced in an in situ xylic substratum (woodground). The ichnofossil is thin, elongate, unbranched, and straight to gently curved with a circular cross section and uniform diameter. Apectoichnus lignummasticans n. isp. is similar in many respects to modern borings in wood that are produced by marine isopods, e.g., Limnoria lignorum Rathke, 1799, for feeding and refugia. The recognition of Apectoichnus lignummasticans n. isp. in the rock record aligns with the modern observation that fossilized wood-boring assemblages should display higher ichnofossil diversities than commonly reported. Additionally, the stratigraphic occurrence of Apectoichnus lignummasticans n. isp. in association with other evidence of marine deposition reaffirms that certain wood boring morphologies (i.e., ichnotaxa) are useful as indicators of marine transgressions.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/880e722f-8944-42d7-bc38-423cc5a46413
Space Occupied: Women Poet–Editors and the Mimeograph Revolution in Mid-century New York City
Authors: CRAN RONA
Published: August 2020

This essay explores the formative but largely unacknowledged role played by women in shaping the material and intellectual cultural productions of the mimeograph revolution in mid-century New York City. I argue that women poets used their positions as editors of little magazines to claim space – material, textual, cultural, and metaphorical – in literary and social networks in which they faced gendered marginalization. I suggest that the varied success with which they were able to do so reveals the complexities of editing, the uneven nature of the influences of gender, the determining role of domestic spaces, and the significance of affective labor in relation to the mimeograph revolution.
Investigating the risk factors for contraction and diagnosis of human tuberculosis in Indonesia using data from the fifth wave of RAND’s Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS-5)
Authors: Adam Nathan , Pallikadavath Saseendran , Cerasuolo Marianna , Amos Mark
Published: August 2020

Tuberculosis (TB) is a globally widespread disease, with approximately a quarter of the world’s population currently infected (WHO, 2018). Some risk factors, such as HIV status, nutrition and body mass index, have already been thoroughly investigated. However, little attention has been given to behavioural and/or psychological risk factors such as stress and education level. This study investigated the risk factors for TB diagnosis by statistical analyses of publicly available data from the most recent wave of the Indonesian Family Life survey (IFLS-5) conducted in 2015. Out of 34,249 respondents there were 328 who reported having TB. For comparison and completeness, variables were divided into levels: individual-, household- and community-level variables. The most prominent and interesting variables found to influence TB diagnosis status (on each level) were investigated, and a logistic regression was subsequently developed to understand the extent to which each risk factor acts as a predictor for being diagnosed with TB. Age, health benefit or insurance, stress at work and living in a rural area all showed significant association with TB diagnosis status. This study’s findings suggest that suitable control measures, such as schemes for improving mental health/stress reduction and improved access to health care in rural areas should be implemented in Indonesia to address each of the key factors identified.
Liquidity Regulation and Financial Intermediaries
Authors: Macchiavelli Marco , Pettit Luke
Published: August 2020

The liquidity-coverage ratio (LCR) requires banks to hold enough liquidity to withstand a 30-day run. We study the effects of the LCR on broker-dealers, the financial intermediaries at the epicenter of the 2007–2009 crisis. The LCR brings some financial-stability benefits, including a significant maturity extension of triparty repos backed by lower-quality collateral, as well as the accumulation of larger liquidity pools. However, it also leads to less liquidity transformation by broker-dealers. We also discuss the liquidity risks not addressed by the LCR. Finally, we show that a major source of fire-sale risk was self-corrected before the introduction of postcrisis regulations.
Noise-induced magnetic field saturation in kinetic simulations
Authors: Juno J. , Swisdak M. M. , Tenbarge J. M. , Skoutnev V. , Hakim A.
Published: August 2020

Monte Carlo methods are often employed to numerically integrate kinetic equations, such as the particle-in-cell method for the plasma kinetic equation, but these methods suffer from the introduction of counting noise to the solution. We report on a cautionary tale of counting noise modifying the nonlinear saturation of kinetic instabilities driven by unstable beams of plasma. We find a saturated magnetic field in under-resolved particle-in-cell simulations due to the sampling error in the current density. The noise-induced magnetic field is anomalous, as the magnetic field damps away in continuum kinetic and increased particle count particle-in-cell simulations. This modification of the saturated state has implications for a broad array of astrophysical phenomena beyond the simple plasma system considered here, and it stresses the care that must be taken when using particle methods for kinetic equations.
Kinetic modelling of runaway electron generation in argon-induced disruptions in ASDEX Upgrade
Authors: Insulander Björk K. , Papp G. , Embreus O. , Hesslow L. , Fülöp T. , Vallhagen O. , Lier A. , Pautasso G. , Bock A. ,   the ASDEX Upgrade Team,   the EUROfusion MST1 Team
Published: August 2020

Massive material injection has been proposed as a way to mitigate the formation of a beam of relativistic runaway electrons that may result from a disruption in tokamak plasmas. In this paper we analyse runaway generation observed in eleven ASDEX Upgrade discharges where disruption was triggered using massive gas injection. We present numerical simulations in scenarios characteristic of on-axis plasma conditions, constrained by experimental observations, using a description of the runaway dynamics with a self-consistent electric field and temperature evolution in two-dimensional momentum space and zero-dimensional real space. We describe the evolution of the electron distribution function during the disruption, and show that the runaway seed generation is dominated by hot-tail in all of the simulated discharges. We reproduce the observed dependence of the current dissipation rate on the amount of injected argon during the runaway plateau phase. Our simulations also indicate that above a threshold amount of injected argon, the current density after the current quench depends strongly on the argon densities. This trend is not observed in the experiments, which suggests that effects not captured by zero-dimensional kinetic modelling – such as runaway seed transport – are also important.
Compradors, Neo-colonialism, and Transnational Class Struggle: PRC relations with Algeria and India, 1953–1965
Authors: HARDER ANTON
Published: August 2020

This study of China's relations with Algeria and India shows that the Mao-era emphasis on the transnational function of class made it fundamentally sceptical of the privileged status of the nation-state and transformed Beijing's posture towards the Third World in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Beijing's sense of a growing matrix of transnational class forces damaged relations with India, a key Third World moderate, and spurred closer ties with non-state, revolutionary movements like the Algerian Front Libération Nationale (FLN). Thus Beijing retreated from the post-Korean War phase of moderate diplomacy during which it had eschewed support for revolution abroad under the rhetoric of the ‘Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence’. This article relates Beijing's class analysis of the growing challenges in its relations with India to the arc of interactions between the communist Chinese, the FLN revolutionaries, and the newly post-colonial Algeria. It demonstrates that because of Beijing's understanding of how the domestic class category ‘comprador’ facilitated ‘neo-colonialism’ (an emerging Third World concept), China's anti-imperialism must be understood through its perception of the transnational function of class forces. This understanding of the post-colonial dilemma—how far to maintain or sever ties with the West, which grew partly from Chinese perceptions of Indian politics—explains the curious difficulty that Beijing faced in maintaining cooperative relations with many newly independent nations like Algeria. The emphasis on transnational class struggle also provides an interpretation of Beijing's foreign policy which is intimately linked to domestic politics and affirms the contribution of ideology to the Sino-Soviet split.
Both unmedicated and medicated individuals with schizophrenia show impairments across a wide array of cognitive and reinforcement learning tasks
Authors: Moran Erin K. , Gold James M. , Carter Cameron S. , MacDonald Angus W. , Ragland J. Daniel , Silverstein Steven M. , Luck Steven J. , Barch Deanna M.
Published: August 2020

Background

Schizophrenia is a disorder characterized by pervasive deficits in cognitive functioning. However, few well-powered studies have examined the degree to which cognitive performance is impaired even among individuals with schizophrenia not currently on antipsychotic medications using a wide range of cognitive and reinforcement learning measures derived from cognitive neuroscience. Such research is particularly needed in the domain of reinforcement learning, given the central role of dopamine in reinforcement learning, and the potential impact of antipsychotic medications on dopamine function.

Methods

The present study sought to fill this gap by examining healthy controls (N= 75), unmedicated (N= 48) and medicated (N= 148) individuals with schizophrenia. Participants were recruited across five sites as part of the CNTRaCS Consortium to complete tasks assessing processing speed, cognitive control, working memory, verbal learning, relational encoding and retrieval, visual integration and reinforcement learning.

Results

Individuals with schizophrenia who were not taking antipsychotic medications, as well as those taking antipsychotic medications, showed pervasive deficits across cognitive domains including reinforcement learning, processing speed, cognitive control, working memory, verbal learning and relational encoding and retrieval. Further, we found that chlorpromazine equivalency rates were significantly related to processing speed and working memory, while there were no significant relationships between anticholinergic load and performance on other tasks.

Conclusions

These findings add to a body of literature suggesting that cognitive deficits are an enduring aspect of schizophrenia, present in those off antipsychotic medications as well as those taking antipsychotic medications.
From Remade Drama to Original Crime – HBO Europe’s Original Television Productions
Authors: Hansen Kim Toft , Keszeg Anna , Kálai Sándor
Published: August 2020

In this article, we examine developments in HBO’s original European productions based on a quantitative overview of production from 2007 to early 2020. We supplement this overview with an analysis of the generic changes during the past decade as well as a practical producers’ approach to remakes. The intention is not to analyse the specific series’ content; rather, we scrutinize genre, talent and remakes through the perspective of the HBO brand and the creatives behind the series. The main empirical material for this article is interviews with key informants and an exploitation of online resources. Altogether, this establishes both a historical overview of the productions and an up-to-date idea of how the transnational institution considers its own local endeavours.
Variable assimilation of English word-final /n/: electropalatographic evidence
Authors: KOCHETOV ALEXEI , COLANTONI LAURA , STEELE JEFFREY
Published: August 2020

The phonetic realization of the English word-final alveolar nasal /n/ is known to be highly variable. Previous articulatory work has reported both gradient and categorical nasal place assimilation including considerable between-speaker differences. This work, however, has largely focused on a small subset of place contexts (namely, preceding velar /k, ɡ/) in a limited number of English varieties. The present article uses electropalatography to study the articulatory realization of /n/ in a wider range of phonetic contexts and read texts as produced by three speakers of Canadian English. The results reveal considerable inter- and intra-speaker differences in the rates of assimilation. Consistent with previous work, we observed a high degree of variation, both gradient and categorical, before velars. Substantial rates of assimilation were also observed before labials, where the process is unexpected from the point of view of gestural phonology but predicted by traditional phonological analyses. The variation in the place and stricture of /n/ before coronals was more limited and typically gradient. Finally, some differences were observed across the text conditions, with more assimilation occurring in carrier sentences than in the read passage and, to a more limited extent, in function than in content words.
Determining a global mid-upper arm circumference cut-off to assess underweight in adults (men and non-pregnant women)
Authors: Tang Alice M , Chung Mei , Dong Kimberly R , Bahwere Paluku , Bose Kaushik , Chakraborty Raja , Charlton Karen , Das Priyanka , Ghosh Mihir , Hossain Md Iqbal , Nguyen Phuong , Patsche Cecilie B , Sultana Tania , Deitchler Megan , Maalouf-Manasseh Zeina
Published: August 2020

Objective:

To determine if a global mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) cut-off can be established to classify underweight in adults (men and non-pregnant women).

Design:

We conducted an individual participant data meta-analysis (IPDMA) to explore the sensitivity (SENS) and specificity (SPEC) of various MUAC cut-offs for identifying underweight among adults (defined as BMI < 18·5 kg/m2). Measures of diagnostic accuracy were determined every 0·5 cm across MUAC values from 19·0 to 26·5 cm. A bivariate random effects model was used to jointly estimate SENS and SPEC while accounting for heterogeneity between studies. Various subgroup analyses were performed.

Setting:

Twenty datasets from Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, North America and South America were included.

Participants:

All eligible participants from the original datasets were included.

Results:

The total sample size was 13 835. Mean age was 32·6 years and 65 % of participants were female. Mean MUAC was 25·7 cm, and 28 % of all participants had low BMI (<18·5 kg/m2). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the pooled dataset was 0·91 (range across studies 0·61–0·98). Results showed that MUAC cut-offs in the range of ≤23·5 to ≤25·0 cm could serve as an appropriate screening indicator for underweight.

Conclusions:

MUAC is highly discriminatory in its ability to distinguish adults with BMI above and below 18·5 kg/m2. This IPDMA is the first step towards determining a global MUAC cut-off for adults. Validation studies are needed to determine whether the proposed MUAC cut-off of 24 cm is associated with poor functional outcomes.
Using the COM-B model to identify barriers and facilitators towards adoption of a diet associated with cognitive function (MIND diet)
Authors: Timlin Deirdre , McCormack Jacqueline M , Simpson Ellen EA
Published: August 2020

Objective:

The aim of the study was to identify components of the COM-B (capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour) model that influences behaviour to modify dietary patterns in 40–55-year-olds living in the UK, in order to influence the risk of cognitive decline in later life.

Design:

This is a qualitative study using the COM-B model and theoretical domains framework (TDF) to explore beliefs to adopting the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative delay (MIND) diet.

Setting:

Northern Ireland.

Participants:

Twenty-five participants were recruited onto the study to take part in either a focus group or an interview. Participants were men and women aged between 40 and 55 years. Participants were recruited via email, Facebook and face to face.

Results:

Content analysis revealed that the main perceived barriers to the adoption of the MIND diet were time, work environment, taste preference and convenience. The main perceived facilitators reported were improved health, memory, planning and organisation, and access to good quality food.

Conclusions:

This study provides insight into the personal, social and environmental factors that participants report as barriers and facilitators to the adoption of the MIND diet among middle-aged adults living in the UK. More barriers to healthy dietary change were found than facilitators. Future interventions that increase capability, opportunity and motivation may be beneficial. The results from this study will be used to design a behaviour change intervention using the subsequent steps from the Behaviour Change Wheel.
Association between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and the practice of breast-feeding in children under 2 years of age who are beneficiaries of the conditional cash transfer programme, Bolsa Família
Authors: Marçal Giovana de Montemor , Mendes Marília Moura e , Fragoso Manuela Di Guaraldi Mafra , Florêncio Telma Maria de Menezes Toledo , Bueno Nassib Bezerra , Clemente Ana Paula Grotti
Published: August 2020

Objective:

To evaluate the association between the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) and the practice of breast-feeding in children under 2 years of age assisted by the conditional cash transfer programme, Bolsa Família Programme (PBF).

Design:

A cross-sectional study. The consumption of UPF and the practice of breast-feeding were assessed using a structured 24-h recall. Associations were calculated using hierarchical Poisson regression, adjusted at the last level by socio-economic, demographic and environmental variables from previous hierarchical levels.

Setting:

Six counties from the state of Alagoas, Brazil.

Participants:

Children aged 6−24 months, assisted by PBF.

Results:

A total of 1604 children were evaluated, 11·7% of whom were overweight, and most had consumed UPF (90·6%) in the last 24 h. The most consumed UPF were biscuits, chocolate milk and baby food with 74·8, 66·8 and 24·9%, respectively. Through multivariable analysis, an association was found between lower consumption of UPF in the continuation of breast-feeding until the second year of life (prevalence ratio (PR) 0·91, 95 % CI 0·86, 0·96) and in the first year of life (PR 0·93, 95 % CI 0·88, 0·99).

Conclusions:

It was found that the studied population had a high consumption of UPF, which harmed continued breast-feeding. We highlight the importance of strengthening public policies aimed at the promotion, protection and support of breast-feeding and healthy complementary feeding aimed at populations that have difficulties in physical and economic access to a healthy and adequate diet.
Kant and the Need for Orientational and Contextual Thinking: Applying Reflective Judgement to Aesthetics and to the Comprehension of Human Life
Authors: Makkreel Rudolf A.
Published: August 2020

This essay explores the relation between worldly orientation and rational comprehension in Kant. Both require subjective grounds of differentiation that were eventually developed into a contextualizing principle for reflective judgement. This kind of judgement can proceed either inductively to find new universals or by analogy to symbolically link different objective spheres. I will argue that the basic orientational function of reflective judgement is to modally differentiate the formal horizonal contexts of field, territory, domain and habitat laid out in the Introduction to theCritique of the Power of Judgement. Assessing which context takes priority will be important in making aesthetic judgements and for applying practical reason to comprehend human affairs.
‘Differences between the earth and the sky’: migrant parents’ experiences of child health services for pre-school children in the UK
Authors: Condon Louise , McClean Stuart , McRae Luiza
Published: August 2020

Aim:

To explore parents’ experiences of using child health services for their pre-school children post-migration.

Background:

Migrating between countries necessitates movement and adjustment between systems of healthcare. Children of migrants are known to have poorer health than local children on some measures and are less likely to access primary care. In the United Kingdom (UK), children are offered a preventive Healthy Child programme in addition to reactive services; this programme consists of health reviews and immunisations with some contacts delivered in the home by public health nurses.

Methods:

Five focus groups were held in a city in South West England. Participants were parents of pre-school children (n = 28) who had migrated to the UK from Romania, Poland, Pakistan or Somalia within the last 10 years. Groups selected included both ‘new migrants’ (from countries which acceded to the European Union in the 2000s) and those from communities long-established in the UK (Somali and Pakistani). One focus group consisted of parents of Roma ethnicity. Interpreters co-facilitated focus groups.

Findings:

Participants described profound differences between child health services in the UK and in their country of origin, with the extent of difference varying according to nationality and ethnic group. All appreciated services free at the point of delivery and an equitable service offered to all children. Primary care services such as treatment of minor illness and immunisation were familiar, but most parents expected doctors rather than nurses to deliver these. Proactive child health promotion was unfamiliar, and some perceived this service as intruding on parental autonomy. Migrants are not a homogenous group, but there are commonalities in migrant parents’ experiences of UK child health services. When adjusting to a new healthcare system, migrants negotiate differences in service provision and also a changing relationship between family and state.
QTL mapping for stripe rust and powdery mildew resistance in Triticum durum–Aegilops speltoides backcross introgression lines
Authors: Dhillon Guriqbal Singh , Kaur Satinder , Das Niranjan , Singh Rohtas , Poland Jesse , Kaur Jaspal , Chhuneja Parveen
Published: August 2020

Wheat, a major food crop, faces significant yield constraints due to losses caused by various diseases, especially rusts and powdery mildew. Since the causal organisms are always evolving, there is a never-ending hunt for new genes/quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for resistance to control the damage. For this purpose, Triticum durum–Aegilops speltoides backcross introgression lines (DS-BILs) developed in our wide hybridization programme were screened against stripe rust and powdery mildew at both seedling and adult plant stages. DS-BILs showed complete to moderate resistance at the adult plant stage while varying resistance and susceptibility at the seedling stage. A total of 1095 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified on 14 chromosomes of T. durum, using genotyping by sequencing, were used for QTL mapping. Eleven unique QTLs, across six chromosomes (chr1B, chr2A, chr2B, chr3B, chr6B and chr7B) were identified for resistance, four QTLs for field mixture of stripe rust pathotypes, two QTLs for stripe rust pathotype 78S84 and five QTLs for field mixture of powdery mildew pathotypes using stepwise regression-based likelihood ratio test for additive effect of markers and single-marker analysis. Eleven DS-BILs carrying multiple QTLs were identified which will serve as a useful resource to transfer the respective resistance to susceptible cultivars to develop all stage resistant elite cultivars where QTL for stripe rust resistance QYrAs.pau-2A.1 (LOD 3.8, PVE 24.51 linked to SNP S2A_16016633) and QTL for powdery mildew resistance QPmAs.pau-6B (logarithm of the odds (LOD) 3.2, phenotypic variation explained (PVE) 17.75 linked to SNP S6B_26793381) are major targets of the transfer.
“I'm Just an Armless Guitarist”: Tony Melendez, Disability, and the Social Construction of Virtuosity
Authors: VANDERHAMM DAVID
Published: August 2020

In 1987, Tony Melendez—a guitarist born without arms who plays the instrument with his feet—played at a youth rally for Pope John Paul II. Immediately after his performance, the Pope kissed Melendez and instructed him to continue “giving hope” through his music. Although the guitar accompaniment of confessional, singer-songwriter music is rarely considered virtuosic, Tony Melendez's bodily difference makes his ability to sonically pass as what he calls a “common player” an impactful display of skill for his audiences. Because Melendez's body is treated as simultaneously virtuosic and disabled, his example foregrounds the social construction of both categories and challenges the tendency to isolate either in the individual body. Rather than suggesting a sort of qualified approach to “disabled” virtuosity, this article argues that there is no such thing as unqualified virtuosity. The presumed limitations and possibilities of bodies, instruments, and repertoires always inform our understandings of skill, but we are not always explicitly aware of them. Through interviews and analysis of his performances and their media representations, I show how bodily difference and the complex subject positions of both performers and audiences contribute to what counts as skill, creative labor, and agency within a particular context.
The association between menarche and myopia and its interaction with related risk behaviors among Chinese school-aged girls: a nationwide cross-sectional study
Authors: Xu Rongbin , Jan Catherine , Song Yi , Dong Yanhui , Hu Peijin , Ma Jun , Stafford Randall S.
Published: August 2020

Nearly 80% of new cases of myopia arise between 9 and 13 years old when puberty development also progresses rapidly. However, little is known about the association between myopia and puberty. We aim to evaluate the association between myopia and menarche, the most important puberty indicator for girls, and to test whether menarche could modify the effects of myopia-related behaviors. The participants came from two consecutive national surveys conducted in 30 provinces in mainland China in 2010 and 2014. We included 102,883 girls (61% had experienced menarche) aged 10–15 years. Risk behaviors for myopia which included sleep duration, homework time, and outdoor activity were measured by self-administrated questionnaire. Myopia was defined according to a validated method, and its relationships with menarche status and behaviors were evaluated by robust Poisson regression models based on generalized estimated equation adjusting for cluster effect of school. We found that postmenarche girls were at 13% (95% confidence interval: 11%–16%) higher risk of myopia than premenarche girls, after adjusting for exact age, urban–rural location, survey year, and four behavioral covariates. Short sleep duration (<7 h/d), long homework time (>1 h/d) and low frequency of weekend outdoor activity tended to be stronger (with higher prevalence ratios associated with myopia) risk factors for myopia in postmenarche girls than in premenarche girls, and their interaction with menarche status was all statistically significant (P< 0.05). Overall, our study suggests that menarche onset may be associated with increased risk of myopia among school-aged girls and could also enhance girls’ sensitivity to myopia-related risk behaviors.