bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Women leaders in Cardiology. Contemporary profile of the WHO European region
Authors: Borrelli Nunzia , Brida Margarita , Cader Aaysha , Sabatino Jolanda , Czerwińska-Jelonkiewicz Katarzyna , Shchendrygina Anastasia , Wood Alice , Allouche Emna , Avesani Martina , Gok Gulay , Marchenko Oksana , Calvieri Camilla , Baritussio Anna , Ilardi Federica , Caglar Nihan , Moscatelli Sara , Kotlar Irina , Trêpa Maria , Rubini Maria Gimenez , Chrysohoou Christina , Jovovic Ljiljana , Prokšelj Katja , Simkova Iveta , Babazade Nigar , Siller-Matula Jolanta , Chikhi Fatima , Kovačević-Preradović Tamara , Srbinovska Elizabeta , Johnson Victoria , Farrero Marta , Moharem-Elgamal Sarah , Gimelli Alessia
Published: July 2021

Aims

Women’s participation is steadily growing in medical schools, but they are still not sufficiently represented in cardiology, particularly in cardiology leadership positions. We present the contemporary distribution of women leaders in cardiology departments in the World Health Organization European region.

Methods and results

Between August and December 2020, we applied purposive sampling to collect data and analyse gender distribution of heads of cardiology department in university/third level hospitals in 23 countries: Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, North Macedonia, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the UK. Age, cardiology subspecialty, and number of scientific publications were recorded for a subgroup of cardiology leaders for whom data were available. A total of 849 cardiology departments were analysed. Women leaders were only 30% (254/849) and were younger than their men counterpart (♀ 52.2 ± 7.7 years old vs. ♂ 58.1 ± 7.6 years old, P = 0.00001). Most women leaders were non-interventional experts (♀ 82% vs. ♂ 46%, P < 0.00001) and had significantly fewer scientific publications than men {♀ 16 [interquartile range (IQR) 2–41] publications vs. ♂ 44 (IQR 9–175) publications, P < 0.00001}.

Conclusion

Across the World Health Organization European region, there is a significant gender disparity in cardiology leadership positions. Fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace is a priority to achieve the full potential and leverage the full talents of both women and men.
Effects of canagliflozin on serum potassium in people with diabetes and chronic kidney disease: the CREDENCE trial
Authors: Neuen Brendon L , Oshima Megumi , Perkovic Vlado , Agarwal Rajiv , Arnott Clare , Bakris George , Cannon Christopher P , Charytan David M , Edwards Robert , Górriz Jose L , Jardine Meg J , Levin Adeera , Neal Bruce , De Nicola Luca , Pollock Carol , Rosenthal Norman , Wheeler David C , Mahaffey Kenneth W , Heerspink Hiddo J L
Published: July 2021

Aims 

Hyperkalaemia is a common complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and limits the optimal use of agents that block the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system, particularly in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). In patients with CKD, sodium‒glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors provide cardiorenal protection, but whether they affect the risk of hyperkalaemia remains uncertain.

Methods and results 

The CREDENCE trial randomized 4401 participants with T2DM and CKD to the SGLT2 inhibitor canagliflozin or matching placebo. In this post hoc analysis using an intention-to-treat approach, we assessed the effect of canagliflozin on a composite outcome of time to either investigator-reported hyperkalaemia or the initiation of potassium binders. We also analysed effects on central laboratory-determined hyper- and hypokalaemia (serum potassium ≥6.0 and <3.5 mmol/L, respectively) and change in serum potassium. At baseline, the mean serum potassium in canagliflozin and placebo arms was 4.5 mmol/L; 4395 (99.9%) participants were receiving renin–angiotensin system blockade. The incidence of investigator-reported hyperkalaemia or initiation of potassium binders was lower with canagliflozin than with placebo [occurring in 32.7 vs. 41.9 participants per 1000 patient-years; hazard ratio (HR) 0.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.64–0.95, P = 0.014]. Canagliflozin similarly reduced the incidence of laboratory-determined hyperkalaemia (HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.61–0.98, P = 0.031), with no effect on the risk of hypokalaemia (HR 0.92, 95% CI 0.71–1.20, P = 0.53). The mean serum potassium over time with canagliflozin was similar to that of placebo.

Conclusion 

Among patients treated with renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system inhibitors, SGLT2 inhibition with canagliflozin may reduce the risk of hyperkalaemia in people with T2DM and CKD without increasing the risk of hypokalaemia.
3′ untranslated region of Ckip-1 inhibits cardiac hypertrophy independently of its cognate protein
Authors: Zhao Yinlong , Ling Shukuan , Li Jianwei , Zhong Guohui , Du Ruikai , Li Youyou , Wang Yanqing , Liu Caizhi , Jin Xiaoyan , Liu Wei , Liu Tong , Li Yuheng , Zhao Dingsheng , Sun Weijia , Liu Zizhong , Liu Zifan , Pan Junjie , Yuan Xinxin , Gao Xingcheng , Xing Wenjuan , Chang Yan-Zhong , Li Yingxian
Published: July 2021

Aims

3′ untranslated region (3′ UTR) of mRNA is more conserved than other non-coding sequences in vertebrate genomes, and its sequence space has substantially expanded during the evolution of higher organisms, which substantiates their significance in biological regulation. However, the independent role of 3′ UTR in cardiovascular disease was largely unknown.

Methods and results

Using bioinformatics, RNA fluorescent in situ hybridization and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, we found that 3′ UTR and coding sequence regions of Ckip-1 mRNA exhibited diverse expression and localization in cardiomyocytes. We generated cardiac-specific Ckip-1 3′ UTR overexpression mice under wild type and casein kinase 2 interacting protein-1 (CKIP-1) knockout background. Cardiac remodelling was assessed by histological, echocardiography, and molecular analyses at 4 weeks after transverse aortic constriction (TAC) surgery. The results showed that cardiac Ckip-1 3′ UTR significantly inhibited TAC-induced cardiac hypertrophy independent of CKIP-1 protein. To determine the mechanism of Ckip-1 3′ UTR in cardiac hypertrophy, we performed transcriptome and metabolomics analyses, RNA immunoprecipitation, biotin-based RNA pull-down, and reporter gene assays. We found that Ckip-1 3′ UTR promoted fatty acid metabolism through AMPK–PPARα–CPT1b axis, leading to its protection against pathological cardiac hypertrophy. Moreover, Ckip-1 3′ UTR RNA therapy using adeno-associated virus obviously alleviates cardiac hypertrophy and improves heart function.

Conclusions

These findings disclose that Ckip-1 3′ UTR inhibits cardiac hypertrophy independently of its cognate protein. Ckip-1 3′ UTR is an effective RNA-based therapy tool for treating cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure.
Knockdown of METTL3 inhibits enterovirus 71-induced apoptosis of mouse Schwann cell through regulation of autophagy
Authors: Xiao Yulian , Yang Yanping , Hu Dandan
Published: July 2021

Enterovirus A71 (EV-A71 or EV-71) is an RNA virus that causes hand, foot and mouse disease in children. The N6-methyladenosine (m6A) of RNA is a common RNA modification involved in various biological events. METTL3 is an m6A methyltransferase that regulates EV-71 replication. EV-71 infection induces autophagy, which also promotes EV-71 replication. In this study, we explored the role of METTL3 in EV-71 infection-induced autophagy. We constructed lentivirus expressing METTL3-specific shRNA and knocked down the endogenous METTL3 in mouse Schwann cells. We infected normal Schwann cells and METTL3 knockdown Schwann cells and compared the viral titer, expression of autophagy-related proteins and apoptosis-related protein. Transduction of lentivirus expressing METTL3 shRNA significantly decreased the endogenous METTL3. Knocking down METTL3 decreased the viral titer of EV-71 after infection. Knocking down METTL3 prevented EV-71-induced cell death and suppressed EV-71-induced expression of Bax while rescuing Bcl-2 expression after EV-71 infection. Knocking down METTL3 inhibited EV-71-induced expression of Atg5, Atg7 and LC3 II. Knocking down METTL3 inhibited EV-71-induced apoptosis and autophagy. In summary, our study describes the relationship of METTL3 and autophagy during EV-71 infection.
Constructing National Values: The Nationally Distinctive Turn in Russian IR Theory and Foreign Policy
Authors: Tsygankov Andrei P , Tsygankov Pavel A
Published: July 2021

As the world moves away from the West-centered international system, IR scholars are increasingly turning their attention to substance and formation of national values. Using the case of Russia, we show how distinct schools of IR theory and foreign policy dominant in the country have come to recognize the importance of national values as a lens through which to assess the country's means and goals of development. Each in its way, these schools—Civilizationists, Statists, and Westernizers—have prioritized “the national” in the country's future. We explain Russia's turn to the national by stressing the country's ontological insecurity, the role of the Russian state, and Western actions that contribute to creating and exacerbating the conditions of ontological insecurity. The case of Russia has important implications for understanding the role of national values in the formation of foreign policy and IR theory.
The Brachypodium distachyon cold-acclimated plasma membrane proteome is primed for stress resistance
Authors: Juurakko Collin L , Bredow Melissa , Nakayama Takato , Imai Hiroyuki , Kawamura Yukio , diCenzo George C , Uemura Matsuo , Walker Virginia K
Published: July 2021

In order to survive subzero temperatures, some plants undergo cold acclimation (CA) where low, nonfreezing temperatures, and/or shortened day lengths allow cold-hardening and survival during subsequent freeze events. Central to this response is the plasma membrane (PM), where low temperature is perceived and cellular homeostasis must be preserved by maintaining membrane integrity. Here, we present the first PM proteome of cold-acclimated Brachypodium distachyon, a model species for the study of monocot crops. A time-course experiment investigated CA-induced changes in the proteome following two-phase partitioning PM enrichment and label-free quantification by nano-liquid chromatography-mass spectrophotometry. Two days of CA were sufficient for membrane protection as well as an initial increase in sugar levels and coincided with a significant change in the abundance of 154 proteins. Prolonged CA resulted in further increases in soluble sugars and abundance changes in more than 680 proteins, suggesting both a necessary early response to low-temperature treatment, as well as a sustained CA response elicited over several days. A meta-analysis revealed that the identified PM proteins have known roles in low-temperature tolerance, metabolism, transport, and pathogen defense as well as drought, osmotic stress, and salt resistance suggesting crosstalk between stress responses, such that CA may prime plants for other abiotic and biotic stresses. The PM proteins identified here present keys to an understanding of cold tolerance in monocot crops and the hope of addressing economic losses associated with modern climate-mediated increases in frost events.
Afr1p Regulates the Saccharomyces cerevisiae α-Factor Receptor by a Mechanism That Is Distinct From Receptor Phosphorylation and Endocytosis
Authors: Davis Colleen , Dube Peter , Konopka James B
Published: July 2021

The α-factor pheromone receptor activates a G protein signaling pathway that induces the conjugation of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our previous studies identified AFR1 as a gene that regulates this signaling pathway because overexpression of AFR1 promoted resistance to α-factor. AFR1 also showed an interesting genetic relationship with the α-factor receptor gene, STE2, suggesting that the receptor is regulated by Afr1p. To investigate the mechanism of this regulation, we tested AFR1 for a role in the two processes that are known to regulate receptor signaling: phosphorylation and down-regulation of ligand-bound receptors by endocytosis. AFR1 overexpression diminished signaling in a strain that lacks the C-terminal phosphorylation sites of the receptor, indicating that AFR1 acts independently of phosphorylation. The effects of AFR1 overexpression were weaker in strains that were defective in receptor endocytosis. However, AFR1 overexpression did not detectably influence receptor endocytosis or the stability of the receptor protein. Instead, gene dosage studies showed that the effects of AFR1 overexpression on signaling were inversely proportional to the number of receptors. These results indicate that AFR1 acts independently of endocytosis, and that the weaker effects of AFR1 in strains that are defective in receptor endocytosis were probably an indirect consequence of their increased receptor number caused by the failure of receptors to undergo ligand-stimulated endocytosis. Analysis of the ligand binding properties of the receptor showed that AFR1 overexpression did not alter the number of cell-surface receptors or the affinity for α-factor. Thus, Afr1p prevents α-factor receptors from activating G protein signaling by a mechanism that is distinct from other known pathways.
Mutational Analysis of the Tup1 General Repressor of Yeast
Authors: Carrico Pauline M , Zitomer Richard S
Published: July 2021

The Tup1 and Ssn6 proteins of Saccharomyces cerevisiae form a general transcriptional repression complex that regulates the expression of a diverse set of genes including aerobically repressed hypoxic genes, a-mating type genes, glucose repressed genes, and genes controlling cell flocculence. To identify amino acid residues in the Tup1 protein that are required for repression function, we selected for mutations that derepressed the hypoxic genes. Three missense mutations that accumulated stable protein were isolated, and an additional three were generated by site-directed mutagenesis. The mutant protein L62R was unable to complex with Ssn6 or repress expression of reporter genes for the hypoxic and glucose repressed regulons or the flocculence phenotype, however, expression of the a-mating type reporter gene was still repressed. The remaining mutations fell within the WD repeat region of Tup1. These mutations had different effects on the expression of the four Tup1 repressed regulons assayed, indicating that the WD repeats serve different roles for repression of different regulons.
An Experimental Demonstration of Fisher's Principle: Evolution of Sexual Proportion by Natural Selection
Authors: Carvalho Antonio Bernardo , Sampaio Michelle Cristina , Varandas Flavia Roque , Klaczko Louis Bernard
Published: July 2021

Most sexually reproducing species have sexual proportions around 1:1. This major biological phenomenon remained unexplained until 1930, when Fisher proposed that it results from a mechanism of natural selection. Here we report the first experimental test of his model that obeys all its assumptions. We used a naturally occurring X-Y meiotic drive system—the sex-ratio trait of Drosophila mediopunctata—to generate female-biased experimental populations. As predicted by Fisher, these populations evolved toward equal sex proportions due to natural selection, by accumulation of autosomal alleles that direct the parental reproductive effort toward the rare sex. Classical Fisherian evolution is a rather slow mechanism: despite a very large amount of genetic variability, the experimental populations evolved from 16% of males to 32% of males in 49 generations and would take 330 generations (29 years) to reach 49%. This slowness has important implications for species potentially endangered by skewed sexual proportions, such as reptiles with temperature sex determination.
The Transmission of Fragmented Chromosomes in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Ahmad Kami , Golic Kent G
Published: July 2021

We investigated the fate of dicentric chromosomes in the mitotic divisions of Drosophila melanogaster. We constructed chromosomes that were not required for viability and that carried P elements with inverted repeats of the target sites (FRTs) for the FLP site-specific recombinase. FLP-mediated unequal sister-chromatid exchange between inverted FRTs produced dicentric chromosomes at a high rate. The fate of the dicentric chromosome was evaluated in the mitotic cells of the male germline. We found that dicentric chromosomes break in mitosis, and the broken fragments can be transmitted. Some of these chromosome fragments exhibit dominant semilethality. Nonlethal fragments were broken at many sites along the chromosome, but the semilethal fragments were all broken near the original site of sister-chromatid fusion, and retained P element sequences near their termini. We discuss the implications of the recovery and behavior of broken chromosomes for checkpoints that detect double-strand break damage and the functions of telomeres in Drosophila.
Maternal Inheritance of Mouse mtDNA in Interspecific Hybrids: Segregation of the Leaked Paternal mtDNA Followed by the Prevention of Subsequent Paternal Leakage
Authors: Shitara Hiroshi , Hayashi Jun-Ichi , Takahama Sumiyo , Kaneda Hideki , Yonekawa Hiromichi
Published: July 2021

The transmission profiles of sperm mtDNA introduced into fertilized eggs were examined in detail in F1 hybrids of mouse interspecific crosses by addressing three aspects. The first is whether the leaked paternal mtDNA in fertilized eggs produced by interspecific crosses was distributed stably to all tissues after the eggs' development to adults. The second is whether the leaked paternal mtDNA was transmitted to the subsequent generations. The third is whether paternal mtDNA continuously leaks in subsequent backcrosses. For identification of the leaked paternal mtDNA, we prepared total DNA samples directly from tissues or embryos and used PCR techniques that can detect a few molecules of paternal mtDNA even in the presence of 108-fold excess of maternal mtDNA. The results showed that the leaked paternal mtDNA was not distributed to all tissues in the F1 hybrids or transmitted to the following generations through the female germ line. Moreover, the paternal mtDNA leakage was limited to the first generation of an interspecific cross and did not occur in progeny from subsequent backcrosses. These observations suggest that species-specific exclusion of sperm mtDNA in mammalian fertilized eggs is extremely stringent, ensuring strictly maternal inheritance of mtDNA.
Comparison of spherical cap and rectangular harmonic analysis of airborne vector gravity data for high-resolution (1.5 km) local geopotential field models over Tanzania
Authors: Feizi Mohsen , Raoofian-Naeeni Mehdi , Han Shin-Chan
Published: July 2021

This study examines local geopotential field modelling over a mountainous region in Tanzania using vector airborne gravity data. We use the adjusted spherical cap and rectangular harmonic analyses. Both methods are based on expansion of gravitational potential into a series of orthogonal harmonic basis functions of local support in such a way that the expansion coefficients are determined by gravity observations. All three components of gravity vector are simultaneously inverted to derive the geopotential coefficients. In order to evaluate the accuracy of the local models, independent checkpoints are selected within the study region and around its boundary and the computed gravity vectors are compared with the independent gravity observations. The results show an excellent agreement with root mean square error (RMSE) of < 1.6 mGal over the study area. On the contrary, the RMSEs of global geopotential models against the checkpoints data are 7 mGal for the models up to the maximum degree of 2190 (a resolution of ∼9.1 km) and 5 mGal to 5399 (∼3.7 km). Our local models are significantly more accurate than the state-of-the-art global models and fully exploit the airborne vector data with the measurement error of ∼1 mGal. We also present the regional models constrained only by radial (vertical) or by lateral (horizontal) gravity observations. Those models are considerably less accurate than the one from 3-D gravity data inversion. Lastly, the regional models are validated against topography data. It is found that the gravity–topography correlation is 0.8–0.9 at 100 km, 0.5 at 20 km and higher than the correlations of the global models at all frequencies. The gravity–topography admittances estimated from our regional models indicate ∼130 mGal km−1 and imply the effective density of 2500 kg m−3 for topographical mass.
Foundations for the LPC
Authors: Firth Clare , Smart Elizabeth , Crompton Lucy , Fox Helen , Seabridge Frances , Seymour Jennifer
Published: July 2021

Foundations for the LPC covers the areas of the Legal Practice Course as set out in the LPC Outcomes: professional conduct and regulation, wills and administration of estates, and taxation. The volume also features content on human rights law. The volume uses worked examples and scenarios throughout to illustrate key points. To aid understanding and test comprehension of the core material, checkpoints and summaries feature in every chapter. The book covers topics such as professional conduct (including financial services and money laundering), revenue law (including income tax, capital gains tax, VAT, corporation tax, and inheritance tax), wills and administration of estates, and issues related to human rights.
1. Introduction
Authors: Richards Mark
Published: July 2021

Property Law and Practice (PLP) covers all aspects of the process that is otherwise called conveyancing. It is how practitioners arrange the transmission of property ownership from seller to buyer. This introductory chapter provides an overview of PLP. Specifically, it explains the three foundations upon which PLP rests: land law, contract law, and trusts.
6. Pre-Contract Searches and Enquiries
Authors: Richards Mark
Published: July 2021

This chapter examines pre-contract searches and enquiries. Searches are requests for information about the subject property made by conveyancers that are sent to various agencies that hold that information, like local authorities. Enquiries are questions about the subject property that are sent to a seller to answer. These are interesting and important subjects within the conveyancing process and cover a lot of points that can be of considerable consequence to a buyer.
7. Town and Country Planning
Authors: Richards Mark
Published: July 2021

Town and country planning legislation aims to control the development of land and buildings. Section 57(1) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 stipulates that ‘planning permission is required for the carrying out of any development of land’. This chapter first discusses the two main elements of town and country planning: (1) obtaining planning permission for new developments; and (2) the change of use of existing properties. It then explains breaches of planning control and enforcement; building regulations; and typical planning enquiries. A town and country planning decision tree is also presented.
17. New Properties
Authors: Richards Mark
Published: July 2021

This chapter discusses issues relating to the sale of new properties. It covers acting for a developer or buyer, road and sewer agreements, structural defects insurance, and synchronizing completion of a related sale when acting for the buyer of new property.
20. Assessment Guidance
Authors: Richards Mark
Published: July 2021

This chapter considers the process by which students are required to demonstrate their knowledge and abilities on property law and practice-the subject assessment or examination itself. It presents some hints and tips to enhance and improve examination technique.
Business Law
Authors: Slorach J. Scott , Ellis Jason
Published: July 2021

Business Law provides practical, up-to-date coverage of company, partnership, taxation, and insolvency law, plus all relevant aspects of EU law. The title provides all of the relevant material needed to understand the latest legal developments affecting business law transactions. Coverage of the Companies Act 2006 is fully integrated and given prominence, mirroring the emphasis that business law courses place on this central piece of legislation. Additional emphasis has been placed on taxation and business accounts. Examples are used throughout the volume, which helps readers to contextualise their learning effectively. Updated statutory references allow for the cross-referencing to appropriate primary sources, and the interpretation of such sources. The volume looks at partnerships, companies, taxation, insolvency, and other topics such as choice of business medium, limited liability partnerships, sale of a business, and shareholder agreements.
Treatment of theWay-Construction in English-Chinese Learners’ Dictionaries: A Construction Grammar Approach
Authors: Cheng Gong , Xu Hai
Published: July 2021

This article focuses on the treatment of the way-construction (work one’s way through, find one’s way to, etc.) in English-Chinese learners’ dictionaries (ECLDs). Despite its complexity in structure and meaning, little research has been conducted into the systematic organization of the way-construction in learners’ dictionaries. Adopting a construction grammar approach, we subdivide the way-construction into three interpretations. We suggest that the ‘path-creation’ interpretation is the basis, while the ‘manner’ and ‘accompaniment’ interpretations are its subtypes, and provide evidence for these claims. We then identify the deficiencies in addressing the way-construction in current ECLDs. In addition, we conduct an acceptability judgement test and a translation test to pinpoint the difficulties that Chinese EFL learners might encounter in acquiring the way-construction. Finally, we propose a refined version for ECLDs concerning the treatment of the way-construction. This study is not only intended to optimize the entry of the way-construction for ECLDs, but also to offer a possible solution through which constructions can be systematically organized in learners’ dictionaries.
An Lpspaces-based formulation yielding a new fully mixed finite element method for the coupled Darcy and heat equations
Authors: Gatica Gabriel N , Meddahi Salim , Ruiz-Baier Ricardo
Published: July 2021

In this work we present and analyse a new fully mixed finite element method for the nonlinear problem given by the coupling of the Darcy and heat equations. Besides the velocity, pressure and temperature variables of the fluid, our approach is based on the introduction of the pseudoheat flux as a further unknown. As a consequence of it, and due to the convective term involving the velocity and the temperature, we arrive at saddle point-type schemes in Banach spaces for both equations. In particular, and as suggested by the solvability of a related Neumann problem to be employed in the analysis, we need to make convenient choices of the Lebesgue and ${\textrm {H}}(div)$-type spaces to which the unknowns and test functions belong. The resulting coupled formulation is then written equivalently as a fixed-point operator, so that the classical Banach theorem, combined with the corresponding Babuška–Brezzi theory, the Banach–Nečas–Babuška theorem, suitable operators mapping Lebesgue spaces into themselves, regularity assumptions and the aforementioned Neumann problem, are employed to establish the unique solvability of the continuous formulation. Under standard hypotheses satisfied by generic finite element subspaces, the associated Galerkin scheme is analysed similarly and the Brouwer theorem yields existence of a solution. The respective a priori error analysis is also derived. Then, Raviart–Thomas elements of order $k\ge 0$ for the pseudoheat and the velocity and discontinuous piecewise polynomials of degree $\le k$ for the pressure and the temperature are shown to satisfy those hypotheses in the two-dimensional case. Several numerical examples illustrating the performance and convergence of the method are reported, including an application into the equivalent problem of miscible displacement in porous media.
African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) show differences in diet composition across landscape types in Kruger National Park, South Africa
Authors: Crossey Bruce , Chimimba Christian , du Plessis Cole , Ganswindt Andre , Hall Grant
Published: July 2021

The Kruger National Park (KNP) is home to the last genetically viable, minimally managed population of African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus, wild dogs) in South Africa. Until 2004, this population remained stable, but since has been declining. In this study, we aimed to improve our understanding of the ecology of KNP wild dogs by estimating the relative contribution of different prey types to their diet across landscape types. Based on a Bayesian mixing model, we assessed wild dog diet and foraging preferences using stable isotope analysis. We sampled 73 individuals from 40 packs found in six different landscape types. In thickets, packs predominantly prey on small browsing and mixed-feeding species (accounting for ~73% of their diet), but occasionally hunt large grazers (~24%) and large browsers (~3%). In open landscape types where lions (Panthera leo) are more or less absent, such as in the Lowveld sour bushveld, wild dogs prey on large browsers and large grazers (~67%). Our results demonstrate that KNP wild dogs occupy a broader ecological niche than previously thought, with small browsers forming an integral part of their diet. We also present the first data describing differences in wild dog diet–tissue discrimination factors for tail hair and whiskers compared to respective stable nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) values obtained from feces of captive wild dogs, as well as from those of South Africa’s broader managed metapopulation. While these data should be considered preliminary, we suggest that until wild dog diet–tissue discrimination factors are calculated through a controlled feeding study, the discrimination factors calculated for the gray wolf (Canis lupus) should be used for wild dog-related isotope studies, rather than the often cited values for red foxes (Vulpes vulpes).
Linguistic discourse in gifted students’ historical education
Authors: Kirillov Viktor , Smirnova Yulia , Malysheva Olga , Tokareva Elena , Orchakova Larisa
Published: July 2021

In Russian educational practice, there are not many studies devoted to the approach of linguistic discourse of gifted students’ education from a historical point of view. The study considers giftedness as a complex system of abilities and analyzes approaches to the study of giftedness in accordance with the teaching of linguistic disciplines. Linguistics as a discipline studies various aspects of language and is closely related to the system of sciences, the study of which is necessary for the formation of students’ giftedness and the level of their worldview. In the course of the study, both qualitative (the dynamics of changes in the proportion of students participating in additional educational programs for children in 2015–19 in relation to their total number) and quantitative (the dynamics of changes in the total number of students participating in additional educational programs for children in 2015–19 and thoroughly studying certain areas in 2019) were collected. The information was collected in the course of the research using content search in open educational databases of Moscow and the Moscow region. The results of the study show that the availability of various types of modern educational technologies increases the pedagogical capabilities of teachers to develop the abilities and talents of children, as well as contributes to the efficient knowledge assimilation and broadens the horizons of learners. The practical use of the research results involves the exchange of the experience related to the application of additional methods to study linguistics, history and social studies.
Modelling neutron star mountains in relativity
Authors: Gittins Fabian , Andersson Nils
Published: July 2021

Rapidly spinning, deformed neutron stars have long been considered potential gravitational-wave emitters. However, so far only upper limits on the size of the involved quadrupole deformations have been obtained. For this reason, it is pertinent to ask how large a mountain can be before the neutron star crust fractures. This is the question we consider in this paper, which describes how mountains can be calculated in relativistic gravity. Formally, this is a perturbative calculation that requires a fiducial force to source the mountain. Therefore, we consider three simple examples and increase their deforming amplitudes until the crust yields. We demonstrate how the derived mountains depend on the equation of state by considering a range of models obtained from chiral effective field theory. We find that the largest mountains depend sensitively on both the mechanism that sources them and the nuclear-matter equation of state.
Flux conservation, radial scalings, Mach numbers, and critical distances in the solar wind: magnetohydrodynamics and Ulysses observations
Authors: Verscharen Daniel , Bale Stuart D , Velli Marco
Published: July 2021

One of the key challenges in solar and heliospheric physics is to understand the acceleration of the solar wind. As a super-sonic, super-Alfvénic plasma flow, the solar wind carries mass, momentum, energy, and angular momentum from the Sun into interplanetary space. We present a framework based on two-fluid magnetohydrodynamics to estimate the flux of these quantities based on spacecraft data independent of the heliocentric distance of the location of measurement. Applying this method to the Ulysses data set allows us to study the dependence of these fluxes on heliolatitude and solar cycle. The use of scaling laws provides us with the heliolatitudinal dependence and the solar-cycle dependence of the scaled Alfvénic and sonic Mach numbers as well as the Alfvén and sonic critical radii. Moreover, we estimate the distance at which the local thermal pressure and the local energy density in the magnetic field balance. These results serve as predictions for observations with Parker Solar Probe, which currently explores the very inner heliosphere, and Solar Orbiter, which will measure the solar wind outside the plane of the ecliptic in the inner heliosphere during the course of the mission.
Universal Adversarial Examples and Perturbations for Quantum Classifiers
Authors: Gong Weiyuan , Deng Dong-Ling
Published: July 2021

Quantum machine learning explores the interplay between machine learning and quantum physics, which may lead to unprecedented perspectives for both fields. In fact, recent works have shown strong evidences that quantum computers could outperform classical computers in solving certain notable machine learning tasks. Yet, quantum learning systems may also suffer from the vulnerability problem: adding a tiny carefully-crafted perturbation to the legitimate input data would cause the systems to make incorrect predictions at a notably high confidence level. In this paper, we study the universality of adversarial examples and perturbations for quantum classifiers. Through concrete examples involving classifications of real-life images and quantum phases of matter, we show that there exist universal adversarial examples that can fool a set of different quantum classifiers. We prove that for a set of k classifiers with each receiving input data of n qubits, an $O(\frac{\ln k}{2^n})$ increase of the perturbation strength is enough to ensure a moderate universal adversarial risk. In addition, for a given quantum classifier we show that there exist universal adversarial perturbations, which can be added to different legitimate samples and make them to be adversarial examples for the classifier. Our results reveal the universality perspective of adversarial attacks for quantum machine learning systems, which would be crucial for practical applications of both near-term and future quantum technologies in solving machine learning problems.
Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteremia in Young Children Hospitalized With Pneumonia in Bangladesh Is Associated With a High Mortality Rate
Authors: Chisti Mohammod Jobayer , Harris Jason B , Carroll Ryan W , Shahunja K M , Shahid Abu S M S B , Moschovis Peter P , Schenkel Sara R , Hasibur Rahman Abu Sayem Mirza Md , Shahrin Lubaba , Faruk Tanveer , Kabir Farhad , Ahmed Dilruba , Ahmed Tahmeed
Published: July 2021

Background

Pneumonia is a leading cause of sepsis and mortality in children under 5 years. However, our understanding of the causes of bacteremia in children with pneumonia is limited.

Methods

We characterized risk factors for bacteremia and death in a cohort of children admitted to the Dhaka Hospital of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) between 2014 and 2017 with radiographically confirmed pneumonia.

Results

A total of 4007 young children were hospitalized with pneumonia over the study period. A total of 1814 (45%) had blood cultures obtained. Of those, 108 (6%) were positive. Gram-negative pathogens predominated, accounting for 83 (77%) of positive cultures. These included Pseudomonas (N = 22), Escherichia coli (N = 17), Salmonella enterica (N = 14, including 11 Salmonella Typhi), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (N = 11). Gram-positive pathogens included Pneumococcus (N = 7) and Staphylococcus aureus (N = 6). Resistance to all routinely used empiric antibiotics (ampicillin, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, and ceftriaxone) for children with pneumonia at the icddr,b was observed in 20 of the 108 isolates. Thirty-one of 108 (29%) children with bacteremia died, compared to 124 of 1706 (7%) who underwent culture without bacteremia (odds ratio [OR], 5.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.3–8.1; P < .001). Children infected with bacteria resistant to all routinely used empiric antibiotics were at greater risk of death compared to children without bacteremia (OR, 17.3; 95% CI, 7.0–43.1; P < .001).

Conclusions

Antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteremia in young children with pneumonia in Dhaka, Bangladesh was associated with a high mortality rate. The pandemic of antibiotic resistance is shortening the lives of young children in Bangladesh, and new approaches to prevent and treat these infections are desperately needed.
The long noncoding RNA MdLNC499 bridges MdWRKY1 and MdERF109 function to regulate early-stage light-induced anthocyanin accumulation in apple fruit
Authors: Ma Huaying , Yang Tuo , Li Yu , Zhang Jie , Wu Ting , Song Tingting , Yao Yuncong , Tian Ji
Published: July 2021

Anthocyanin pigments contribute to plant coloration and are valuable sources of antioxidants in the human diet as components of fruits and vegetables. Their production is known to be induced by light in apple fruit (Malus domestica); however, the underlying molecular mechanism responsible for early-stage light-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis remains unclear. Here, we identified an ethylene response factor (ERF) protein, ERF109, involved in light-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis and found that it promotes coloration by directly binding to anthocyanin-related gene promoters. Promoter::β-glucuronidase reporter analysis and Hi-C sequencing showed that a long noncoding RNA, MdLNC499, located nearby MdERF109, induces the expression of MdERF109. A W-box cis-element in the MdLNC499 promoter was found to be regulated by a transcription factor, MdWRKY1. Transient expression in apple fruit and stable transformation of apple calli allowed us to reconstruct a MdWRKY1–MdLNC499–MdERF109 transcriptional cascade in which MdWRKY1 is activated by light to increase the transcription of MdLNC499, which in turn induces MdERF109. The MdERF109 protein induces the expression of anthocyanin-related genes and the accumulation of anthocyanins in the early stages of apple coloration. Our results provide a platform for better understanding the various regulatory mechanisms involved in light-induced apple fruit coloration.
Survey of Pain Medicine Specialists' Familiarity with Migraine Management
Authors: Minen Mia T , Yang Jackie , Ashina Sait , Rosen Noah , Duarte Robert
Published: July 2021

Objective

Pain specialists treat patients with headache and interface with those who use opioids more so than neurologists and headache specialists. We assessed the headache medicine knowledge and needs of pain specialists.

Design/Setting

Cross-sectional online survey.

Subjects

Members of the American Academy of Pain Medicine.

Methods

Survey was based on a prior survey of primary care providers’ knowledge and needs and was iteratively updated by four headache specialists, two with pain medicine affiliations.

Results

Of the 105 respondents, 71.4% were physicians, 34.3% were women, and they averaged 20.0 ± 13.6 years in practice. The most common specialty was anesthesia (36.1%, n = 35/97) followed by neurology (14.4%, n = 14/97). About half of providers (55.7%, n = 34/61 and 53.3%, n = 32/60) were familiar with the American Academy of Neurology Guidelines for pharmacological migraine prevention and the Choosing Wisely Campaign recommendations for limiting neuroimaging and opioids. Less than half of all providers (39.7%, n = 23/58) were familiar with the American Headache Society guidelines for emergency management of migraine. Providers were aware of Level A evidence-based nonpharmacological therapies, with over three-fourths recognizing cognitive behavioral therapy (80.7%, n = 50/62) and biofeedback (75.8%, n = 47/62) as evidence-based interventions. About 80% of providers (n = 50/64) estimate making migraine diagnoses in ≤50% of their patients with headache. Providers consider starting preventive headache therapy at 7.1 ± 3.9 days/month and report referring 34.3%±34.2% of patients to behavioral interventions.

Conclusions

Dissemination and implementation of headache guidelines is needed for pain medicine specialists. Providers may need help diagnosing migraine based on currently accepted guidelines and referring for evidence-based behavioral therapies.
Timed “Up & Go” Dual-Task Tests: Age- and Sex-Specific Reference Values and Test–Retest Reliability in Cognitively Healthy Controls
Authors: Åhman Hanna B , Berglund Lars , Cedervall Ylva , Giedraitis Vilmantas , McKee Kevin J , Rosendahl Erik , Åberg Anna Cristina
Published: July 2021

Objective

The purpose of the study was to establish reference values for the Uppsala-Dalarna Dementia and Gait (UDDGait) Timed “Up & Go” dual-task (TUGdt) test variables in cognitively healthy adults and to assess these variables’ test–retest reliability.

Methods

For reference values, 166 participants were recruited with approximately equal numbers and proportions of women and men in the age groups 50 to 59, 60 to 69, 70 to 79, and 80+ years (mean age = 70 years, age range = 50–91 years, 51% women). For reliability testing, 43 individuals (mean age = 69 years, age range = 50–89 years, 51% women) were recruited. Two dt tests were carried out: TUGdt naming animals and TUGdt months backward, representing 8 test variables: time scores, costs (the relative difference between single-task and dt time scores), “number of animals,” “number of months,” “animals/10 seconds ,” and “months/10 seconds .” Reference ranges for the variables were established by quantile regression in age- and sex-specific groups. For reliability, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), standard error of measurement, minimal detectable change, and Bland–Altman plots were used.

Results

Reference values for the TUGdt test variables are presented for the 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles. The reliability of TUGdt time scores was excellent (ICCs between 0.85 and 0.86). “Number of animals” and “animals/10 seconds” as well as “months/10 seconds” showed fair to good levels of reliability (ICCs between 0.45 and 0.58), whereas the reliability for both cost measures and “number of months” was poor (ICCs between 0.34 and 0.39).

Conclusion

Normative reference values, potentially useful for clinical and research purposes, were presented in 4 age- and sex-specific groups from 50 years and older. Reliability for the test variables varied between poor and excellent, the lower estimates partly explained by some variables being the ratio of 2 other variables. In UDDGait, TUGdt tests are intended for diagnostic and predictive purposes, for which these tests are promising and require further investigations.

Impact

Normative reference values and test–retest reliability results for the UDDGait TUGdt test variables were presented. These results should be useful for both clinical and research purposes.
Recruitment of dlPFC during dietary self-regulation predicts the transience of regulatory effects
Authors: Wilson Daniel J , HajiHosseini Azadeh , Hutcherson Cendri A
Published: July 2021

Recent work on the cognitive regulation of dietary decision-making suggests that regulation can alter both the choices that people make in the moment and longer-lasting preferences. However, it is unclear what mechanisms lead to temporary or lingering changes. To address this question, we used fMRI during a task employing the cognitive regulation of food choice and assessed changes in food preference from baseline to post-regulation. We found evidence that regulation may result in a temporary reconfiguration of the neural drivers of choice, de-emphasizing goal-inconsistent value-related computations in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and resulting in more goal-consistent changes in value-related computations in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Moreover, we find that the extent to which the dlPFC was recruited to represent different regulatory goals during the moment of choice negatively predicted the extent to which those regulatory goals produced lingering changes in preference. Our results suggest that the recruitment of the dlPFC in the service of regulation may have a downside: it is effective at changing behavior in the moment, but its effects on preferences are transient.
Guiding principles for determining work shift duration and addressing the effects of work shift duration on performance, safety, and health: guidance from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society
Authors: Gurubhagavatula Indira , Barger Laura K , Barnes Christopher M , Basner Mathias , Boivin Diane B , Dawson Drew , Drake Christopher L , Flynn-Evans Erin E , Mysliwiec Vincent , Patterson P Daniel , Reid Kathryn J , Samuels Charles , Shattuck Nita Lewis , Kazmi Uzma , Carandang Gerard , Heald Jonathan L , Van Dongen Hans P A
Published: July 2021

Risks associated with fatigue that accumulates during work shifts have historically been managed through working time arrangements that specify fixed maximum durations of work shifts and minimum durations of time off. By themselves, such arrangements are not sufficient to curb risks to performance, safety, and health caused by misalignment between work schedules and the biological regulation of waking alertness and sleep. Science-based approaches for determining shift duration and mitigating associated risks, while addressing operational needs, require: (1) a recognition of the factors contributing to fatigue and fatigue-related risks; (2) an understanding of evidence-based countermeasures that may reduce fatigue and/or fatigue-related risks; and (3) an informed approach to selecting workplace-specific strategies for managing work hours. We propose a series of guiding principles to assist stakeholders with designing a shift duration decision-making process that effectively balances the need to meet operational demands with the need to manage fatigue-related risks.