bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Time-related multivariate strategy for the comprehensive evaluation of microbial chemical data
Authors: Selegato Denise M. , Freitas Thamires R. , Pivatto Marcos , Pivatto Amanda D. , Pilon Alan C. , Castro-Gamboa Ian
Published: May 2022

Introduction

In microbial metabolomics, the use of multivariate data analysis (MDVA) has not been comprehensively explored regarding the different techniques available and the information that each gives about the metabolome. To overcome these limitations, here we show the use of Fusarium oxysporum cultured in the presence of exogenous alkaloids as a model system to demonstrate a comprehensive strategy for metabolic profiling.

Matherials and methods

F. oxysporum was harvested on different days of incubation after alkaloidal addition, and the chemical profiles were compared using LC–MS data and MDVA. We show significant innovation to evaluate the chemical production of microbes during their life cycle by utilizing the full capabilities of Partial Least Square (PLS) with microbial-specific modeling that considers incubation days, media culture availability, and growth rate in solid media.

Results and Discusscion

Results showed that the treatment of the Y-data and the use of both PLS regression and discrimination (PLSr and PLS-DA) inferred complemental chemical information. PLSr revealed the metabolites that are produced/consumed during fungal growth, whereas PLS-DA focused on metabolites that are only consumed/produced at a specific period. Both regression and classificatory analysis were equally important to identify compounds that are regulated and/or selectively produced as a response to the presence of the alkaloids. Lastly, we report the annotation of analogs from the piperidine alkaloids biotransformed by F. oxysporum as a defense response to the toxic plant metabolites. These molecules do not show the antimicrobial potential of their precursors in the fungal extracts and were rapidly produced and consumed within 4 days of microbial growth.
Comparison of robotic vs laparoscopic left-sided colorectal cancer resections
Authors: Hettiarachchi T. S. , Askari A. , Rudge E. , Hao L. T. , Sarwar S. , Dowsett D. , El Hadi A. , Shaikh Irshad
Published: May 2022

Robotic assisted surgery
(RAS) has become increasingly adopted in colorectal cancer surgery. This study
aims to compare robotic and laparoscopic approaches to left sided colorectal
resections in terms of surgical outcomeswith no
formal enhanced recovery programme. All patients undergoing robotic or
laparoscopic left sided or rectal (high and low anterior resection) cancer surgery
at a single tertiary referral centre over 3 years were included.A total of 184 consecutive patients from July 2017 to December 2020 were included in this study, with 40.2%
(n=74/184) undergoing RAS. The median age at time of surgery was 68 years (IQR
60-73 years). RAS had a significantly shorter length of median stay of 3 days,
compared to 5 days in the conventional laparoscopic surgery (CLS) group
(p<0.001). RAS had a significantly lower rate of conversion to open surgery
(0% vs 16.4%, p<0.001). The median operative time was also shorter in RAS
(308 minutes), compared to CLS (326 minutes, p=0.019). The overall rate of any
complication was 16.8%, with the RAS experiencing a lower complication rate
(12.2% vs 20.0%, p=0.041). There was no significant difference in anastomotic
leak rates between the two groups (4.0% vs 5.5%, p=0.673), or in terms of complete
resection (R0) (robotic 98.6%, laparoscopic 100%, p=0.095). Robotic left sided
colorectal surgery delivers equivalent oncological resection compared to
laparoscopic approaches, with the added benefits of reduced length of stay and
lower rates of conversion to open surgery. This has both clinical and
healthcare economic benefits.
Global surfaces of section with positive genus for dynamically convex Reeb flows
Authors: Hryniewicz Umberto L. , Salomão Pedro A. S. , Siefring Richard
Published: May 2022

We establish some new existence results for global surfaces of section of dynamically convex Reeb flows on the three-sphere. These sections often have genus, and are the result of a combination of pseudoholomorphic methods with some elementary ergodic methods.
Molecular Subtypes of Extra-pulmonary Neuroendocrine Carcinomas Identified by the Expression of Neuroendocrine Lineage-Specific Transcription Factors
Authors: Metovic Jasna , La Salvia Anna , Rapa Ida , Napoli Francesca , Birocco Nadia , Pia Bizzi Maria , Garcia-Carbonero Rocio , Ciuffreda Libero , Scagliotti Giorgio , Papotti Mauro , Volante Marco
Published: May 2022

Extra-pulmonary neuroendocrine carcinomas (EPNEC) represent a group of rare and heterogenous neoplasms with adverse clinical outcome. Their molecular profile is largely unexplored. Our aim was to investigate if the major transcriptional drivers recently described in high-grade pulmonary neuroendocrine carcinomas characterize distinct molecular and clinical subgroups of EPNEC. Gene expression of ASCL1, NEUROD1, DLL3, NOTCH1, INSM1, MYCL1, POU2F3, and YAP1 was investigated in a series of 54 EPNEC (including 10 cases with mixed components analyzed separately) and in a group of 48 pulmonary large cell neuroendocrine carcinomas (P-LCNEC). Unsupervised hierarchical cluster analysis classified the whole series into four major clusters. P-LCNEC were classified into two major clusters, the first ASCL1/DLL3/INSM1-high and the second (including four EPNEC) ASCL1/DLL3-low but INSM1-high. The remaining EPNEC cases were sub-classified into two other clusters. The first showed INSM1-high and alternative ASCL1/DLL3 or NEUROD1 high expression. The second was characterized mainly by MYCL1 and YAP1 overexpression. In the ten cases with mixed histology, ASCL1, DLL3, INSM1, and NEUROD1 genes were significantly upregulated in the neuroendocrine component. Higher gene-expression levels of NOTCH1 and INSM1 were associated with lower pT stage and negative nodal status. Low INSM1 gene expression was associated with shorter overall survival in the entire case series (p = 0.0017) and with a trend towards significance in EPNEC, only (p = 0.06). In conclusion, our results show that EPNEC possess distinct neuroendocrine-lineage-specific transcriptional profiles; moreover, low INSM1 gene expression represents a novel potential unfavorable prognostic marker in high-grade NECs including those in extra-pulmonary location.
Clinical Outcomes of Biliary Drainage in Patients with Malignant Biliary Obstruction Caused by Colorectal Cancer Metastases
Authors: Kastelijn Janine B. , Moons Leon M. G. , Kist Jakob W. , Prince Jip F. , van Leeuwen Maarten S. , Koopman Miriam , Vleggaar Frank P.
Published: May 2022

Background and aim

Malignant biliary obstruction is an ominous complication of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) that is challenging to solve. Biliary drainage can be performed to relieve symptoms of jaundice, treat cholangitis, or enable palliative systemic therapy. The aim of this study is to evaluate clinical outcomes of biliary drainage of malignant biliary obstruction in mCRC patients.

Methods

Consecutive patients with malignant biliary obstruction due to mCRC who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography or percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography were included. Patient, disease, and procedural characteristics and outcomes were retrospectively collected from electronic medical records. Radiological data were prospectively reassessed. Main outcome was functional success, i.e. achievement of the intended goal of biliary drainage. Prognostic factors for functional success and survival were assessed.

Results

Thirty-seven patients were included. Functional success was achieved in 18 (50%) patients. Seventeen (46%) patients experienced adverse events (suspected to be) related to the procedure. Median overall survival after biliary drainage was 61 days (IQR 31–113). No prognostic factors of functional success were identified. Performance status, presence of the primary tumor, ascites, ≥ 5 intrahepatic metastases, estimated hepatic invasion of > 50% and above-median levels of bilirubin and lactate dehydrogenase were significantly associated with poorer survival. Improved survival was seen in patients with technical, functional, or biochemical success, and with subsequent oncologic treatment.

Conclusions

Functional successful biliary drainage was achieved in half of the patients. Adverse events also occurred in nearly half of the patients. We observed a significantly longer survival in whom biliary drainage allowed palliative oncologic therapy.
Metastasis of Spindle Cell Malignant Melanoma in Gallbladder
Authors: Arredondo Montero Javier , Recreo Baquedano Ana Cristina , Bronte Anaut Mónica , Martín-Calvo Nerea
Published: May 2022

Malignant melanoma is an aggressive neoplasm with a high tendency to metastasize.

Gastrointestinal metastases, although described in the literature, are infrequent. We present the case of a 51-year-old male patient with a surficial spreading melanoma stage IIIc with BRAF mutation who presented a gallbladder outgrowth lesion, compatible with a polyp. A significant growth of the lesion was observed in subsequent TC studies and a laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed. The anatomopathological study of the specimen confirmed the diagnosis of gallbladder metastasis due to epithelioid and spindle cell malignant melanoma. The presence of a gallbladder lesion in the context of a patient diagnosed with melanoma should establish the diagnostic suspicion of metastasis, and an early extension study and laparoscopic cholecystectomy should be considered. The palliative surgical approach to avoid hepatobiliary symptomatology can be considered.
Optimal decay of the parabolic semigroup in stochastic homogenization for correlated coefficient fields
Authors: Clozeau Nicolas
Published: May 2022

We study the large scale behavior of elliptic systems with stationary random coefficient that have only slowly decaying correlations. To this aim we analyze the so-called corrector equation, a degenerate elliptic equation posed in the probability space. In this contribution, we use a parabolic approach and optimally quantify the time decay of the semigroup. For the theoretical point of view, we prove an optimal decay estimate of the gradient and flux of the corrector when spatially averaged over a scale $$R\ge 1$$

R
≥
1

. For the numerical point of view, our results provide convenient tools for the analysis of various numerical methods.
Produktionen der Gegenwart
Authors: Ramtke Nora
Published: May 2022

»Productionen der Gegenwart« nennt Goethe Kotzebues Schauspiele abwertend und spielt damit ein autonomieästhetisches Kunstverständnis gegen eine populäre Literatur aus, die maßgeblich von ihrem expliziten Verweischarakter auf die historische Gegenwart lebt. Für Kotzebues Schreiben lässt sich eine tiefe Durchdringung von dargestelltem Zeithorizont und auf die Gegenwart berechnetem Effekt beobachten, die sich sowohl aus seiner Tendenz erklärt, aktuelle politische und gesellschaftliche Themen und Motive aufzugreifen und literarisch zu verarbeiten, als auch aus seinem expliziten Anspruch, schreibend auf die Gegenwart einzuwirken. Am Beispiel von Kotzebues Russisch-Deutschem Volks-Blatt (1813) und der Komödie Der deutsche Mann und die vornehmen Leute, einem »Sittengemälde« von 1817, in dessen Zentrum Arten und Entartungen von männlichem und weiblichen Patriotismus stehen, zeigt der vorliegende Beitrag, wie im Nachgang der Napoleonischen Kriege Publizistik und Komödie ineinandergreifen und Erinnerungskultur literarisch modelliert wird. Dieser explizite Gegenwartsbezug hat eine unmittelbare Auswirkung auf die zeitgenössische lokalspezifische Aufnahme und Beurteilung der Komödie in Berlin und Wien, wie auch auf die Kanonfähigkeit von Kotzebues Schauspiel im Allgemeinen.
Liberale Demokratietheorie in der Krise
Authors: Jörke Dirk
Published: May 2022

Schaut man auf den politikwissenschaftlichen Büchermarkt der letzten Jahre, so fällt eine deutliche Zunahme von Titeln ins Auge, die eine „Regression“, eine „Krise“, einen „Zerfall“ oder auch Anzeichen eines „Sterbens“ der liberalen Demokratie zum Gegenstand haben. Es handelt sich um Abhandlungen, die vor dem Hintergrund der aktuellen Welle des Populismus verfasst worden sind. Die These dieses Besprechungsessays lautet, dass in diesen Büchern mehr eine Ratlosigkeit über die Zukunft der Demokratie beziehungsweise eine nostalgische Sehnsucht nach einer vermeintlich intakten liberalen Demokratie, als es die Populisten noch nicht gab, zum Ausdruck kommt, als dass es den Autorinnen und Autoren gelingt, überzeugende Auswege aus der gegenwärtigen „Krise“ aufzuzeigen. Kompensiert wird diese Leerstelle zumeist mit normativen Vergewisserungsfloskeln, etwa, dass gegen die Krise der Demokratie nur „mehr Demokratie“ helfe oder wir alle gemeinsam gegen die Feinde der Demokratie aufstehen müssten.
Descriptive Analysis of Good Clinical Practice Inspection Findings from U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency
Authors: Sellers Jenn W. , Mihaescu Camelia M. , Ayalew Kassa , Kronstein Phillip D. , Yu Bei , Ning Yang-Min , Rodriguez Miguel , Williams LaKisha , Khin Ni A.
Published: May 2022

Background

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) have collaborated in good clinical practice (GCP) inspections since September 2009. The two agencies operate under different regulatory frameworks for GCP oversight. No systematic assessments of GCP inspection findings have been reported.

Methods

We identified common inspections of clinical investigators, sponsors, and contract research organizations conducted by both agencies in support of marketing applications that had the same trial data submitted between 2009 and 2015. We grouped inspection findings into deficiency areas. We reviewed and compared these findings and calculated concordance rate for each deficiency area.

Results

Twenty-six clinical investigator sites and 23 sponsors/contract research organizations were inspected by both agencies in support of 31 marketing applications during this period. For FDA, the most common GCP findings were deficiencies related to Protocol Compliance for clinical investigator inspections and Trial Management issues for sponsor/contract research organization inspections. For EMA, deficiencies related to Documentation (including Trial Master File) were the most common findings for both clinical investigator and sponsor/contract research organization inspections. There was high concordance, of approximately 90%, for deficiencies related to Protocol Compliance for clinical investigator inspections and Trial Management for sponsor/contract research organization inspections between the two agencies. There was a concordance rate of about 70% for Documentation deficiencies for both clinical investigator and sponsor/contract research organization GCP inspections.

Conclusion

GCP inspection findings from 49 common clinical investigator and sponsor/contract research organization inspections were comparable, providing support for continued FDA-EMA GCP collaboration.
Can impulsivity evolve in response to childhood environmental harshness?
Authors: Kometani Atsushi , Ohtsubo Yohsuke
Published: May 2022

Previous studies have suggested that human impulsivity is an adaptive response to childhood environmental harshness: individuals from families of low socioeconomic status (SES) tend to be more impulsive. However, no studies have tested the evolvability of this reaction norm. This study examined whether (a) impulsivity is associated with higher fitness among individuals from low SES families, while (b) it is associated with lower fitness among individuals from high SES families. We assessed three indices of impulsivity (temporal discounting, risk taking and fast/slow life history strategy), childhood SES and five proxy indices of fitness (number of children, lifelong singlehood, annual household income, subjective SES and life satisfaction) of 692 middle-aged participants (40–45 years old). None of the results supported the evolvability of the impulsivity reaction norm, although low childhood SES was associated with lower fitness on every proxy measure. Impulsivity (operationalised as the fast life history strategy) was associated with lower fitness regardless of childhood SES.
10 PW peak power femtosecond laser pulses at ELI-NP
Authors: Radier Christophe , Chalus Olivier , Charbonneau Mathilde , Thambirajah Shanjuhan , Deschamps Guillaume , David Stephane , Barbe Julien , Etter Eric , Matras Guillaume , Ricaud Sandrine , Leroux Vincent , Richard Caroline , Lureau François , Baleanu Andrei , Banici Romeo , Gradinariu Andrei , Caldararu Constantin , Capiteanu Cristian , Naziru Andrei , Diaconescu Bogdan , Iancu Vicentiu , Dabu Razvan , Ursescu Daniel , Dancus Ioan , Ur Calin Alexandru , Tanaka Kazuo A. , Zamfir Nicolae Victor
Published: May 2022

We report on the generation and delivery of 10.2 PW peak power laser pulses, using the High Power Laser System at the Extreme Laser Infrastructure – Nuclear Physics facility. In this work we demonstrate for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, the compression and propagation of full energy, full aperture, laser pulses that reach a power level of more than 10 PW.
Dynamic capabilities, strategic planning and performance: a virtuous and mutually reinforcing cycle
Authors: Araújo Gleycianne Rodrigues , Kato Heitor Takashi , Del Corso Jansen Maia
Published: May 2022

Recently, researchers have argued that strategic planning (SP) can be considered a dynamic capability (DC) in organizations – known as dynamic SP. However, the literature that discusses both SP and DCs supports different comprehensions of how both interact, resulting in different sets of research with contradictory findings. This theoretical effort presents a brief review and argues that SP is one of the microfoundations of DCs because it supports the seizing and continuous alignment of assets and resources. Under this perspective, SP has a role in the development and implementation of all organizational DCs and is not restricted to a DC specifically. It is argued that the interactions between DCs, SP and performance over time can lead to the learning needed for better DCs, SP and performance in a virtuous and mutually reinforcing cycle.
Tailoring competitive information sources to the sequence of dynamic capabilities
Authors: Markovich Amiram , Raban Daphne R. , Efrat Kalanit
Published: May 2022

Dynamic capabilities are central to firms' strategic decision-making and have received increasing attention in recent years due, in part, to the development of the information society. This research explores how web-based and human information sources interact and advance the development of dynamic capabilities. We use a mixed-methods approach executed in two studies. Study 1 reports insights gleaned from in-depth interviews with 12 senior managers. Study 2 provides the findings from a survey completed by 139 senior managers. The analysis indicates that the use of web-based and human information sources facilitates all dynamic capabilities types – sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring. Furthermore, sensing mediates the effects of the information sources on seizing and reconfiguring. This research highlights the strategic potential of using business information sources to advance dynamic capabilities while differentiating between the most commonly used information sources and inspecting their individual and synergistic effects on the advancement of dynamic capabilities.
Haemoglobin status to determine nutritional anaemia and its association with breakfast skipping and BMI among nursing undergraduates of Farasan Island, KSA
Authors: Sayed Shabihul Fatma , Nagarajan Sumathi
Published: May 2022

The present study was conducted to determine nutritional anaemia using haemoglobin levels of female nursing undergraduates studying at Farasan Island with the purpose to intervene at a point, before the potential problems become serious later in life. In total, 130 apparently healthy, female students of Department of Nursing were recruited by a random sampling method to collect information on socio-demographic, lifestyle and anthropogenic characteristics, and dietary habits including breakfast skipping. Haemoglobin content was estimated using Sahli's Haemoglobinometer and observations were interpreted as per WHO's criteria for anaemia. Body mass index (BMI) was recorded using a digital weighing machine. Correlation between haemoglobin concentration, breakfast skipping and body mass index of study participants was assessed by Pearson's correlation. Data analyses were done using Origin software. Overall, 51⋅6 % (n= 67) students were all together anaemic with 28⋅5 % (n= 37) had mild anaemia, 15⋅4 % (n= 20) moderate and 7⋅69 % (n= 10) had severe anaemia. Of these, 20⋅8 % (n= 27) were underweight, 63⋅8 % (n= 83) normal weight and 15⋅4 % (n= 20) were above normal weight (over weight and obese). The Hb content showed a positive correlation with the BMI and exhibited an increasing trend with increase in the BMI among study participants (P< 0⋅05). Questionnaire analyses revealed that the majority (96⋅9 %,n= 126) of students were taking junk food as bulk of their meal. A strong negative correlation was recorded between Hb contents and breakfast skipping tendencies (r= −0⋅987,P< 0⋅05). Findings of the present study are of high significance for public health professionals and educators to prioritise actions that could motivate these future nurses to adapt healthy lifestyles to strategically combat nutritional anaemia.
The ‘human element’ in the social space of the courtroom: framing and shaping the deliberative process in mental capacity law
Authors: Kong Camillia , Stickler Rebecca , Cooper Penny , Watkins Matthew , Dunn Michael
Published: May 2022

The context- and person-specific nature of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) in England and Wales means inherent indeterminacy characterises decision-making in the Court of Protection (CoP), not least regarding conflicting values and the weight that should be accorded to competing factors. This paper explores how legal professionals frame and influence the MCA's deliberative and adjudicative processes in the social space of the courtroom through a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with legal practitioners specialising in mental capacity law and retired judges from the CoP and the Courts of Appeal with specific experience of adjudicating mental capacity disputes. The concept of the ‘human element’ offers important new insight into how legal professionals perform their roles and justify their activities in the conduct of legal proceedings. The ‘human element’ takes effect in two ways: first, it operates as an overarching normative prism that accounts for what good practice demands of legal professionals in mental capacity law; secondly, it explains how these professionals orientate these norms in the day-to-day conduct of their work. The ‘human element’ further presents challenges that demand practical negotiation in relation to countervailing normative commitments to objectivity and socio-institutional expectations around professional hierarchies, expertise, and evidential thresholds.
Protective and risk factors for social withdrawal in adolescence. A mixed-method study of Italian students’ wellbeing
Authors: Beccaria Franca , Scavarda Alice , Roggero Antonella , Rabaglietti Emanuela
Published: May 2022

This research project is aimed at identifying risk and protective factors of social withdrawal, by studying some areas of young people's psychological wellbeing. The study took place in a medium-sized town in the north-west of Italy. A total of 1,102 students participated in the study. An online survey was sent to all the students attending the second year of local high schools, then the results were combined with those from two focus groups involving young people and adults. The findings indicate that socio-cultural factors may be the reasons why social disengagement is so widespread. The societal pressure to be successful in every life domain may push young people, unable to conform, out of the competition. Bullying, negative school experiences and stress are associated with an over-investment of time on the internet, a harbinger of social isolation. This study's findings suggest the need to plan student initiatives, to identify the warning signals of the phenomenon.
Explaining Neural Transitions through Resource Constraints
Authors: Klein Colin
Published: May 2022

One challenge in explaining neural evolution is the formal equivalence of different computational architectures. If a simple architecture suffices, why should more complex neural architectures evolve? The answer must involve the intense competition for resources under which brains operate. I show how recurrent neural networks can be favored when increased complexity allows for more efficient use of existing resources. Although resource constraints alone can drive a change, recurrence shifts the landscape of what is later evolvable. Hence organisms on either side of a transition boundary may have similar cognitive capacities but very different potential for evolving new capacities.
The Limits of Democratizing Science: When Scientists Should Ignore the Public
Authors: Schroeder S. Andrew
Published: May 2022

Scientists are frequently called upon to “democratize” science, by bringing the public into scientific research. One appealing point for public involvement concerns the nonepistemic values involved in science. Suppose, though, a scientist invites the public to participate in making such value-laden determinations but finds that the public holds values the scientist considers morally unacceptable. Does the argument for democratizing science commit the scientist to accepting the public’s objectionable values, or may she veto them? I argue that there are a limited set of cases in which scientists can, consistently with a commitment to democratized science, set aside the public’s judgments.
Turning Art into Hammers: A Complex Biography of Palaeolithic Portable Art from Coímbre Cave (Asturias, Spain)
Authors: López-Calle Paula , Ibero Álvaro , García-Diez Marcos , Ochoa Blanca , de Andrés-Herrero María , Álvarez-Alonso David , Yravedra José
Published: May 2022

Palaeolithic representations can be approached from different perspectives. Studying the creative processes, we can glimpse the decisions that the Palaeolithic artists made and the actions they carried out to materialize an idea. Additionally, the combined study of both graphic and functional actions performed on an object provides a comprehensive approach and understanding of the evidence: in the first place, it allows us to hypothesize about the presence or absence of symbolic purpose of the representations; secondly, it makes the potential choice of eliminating such symbolism discernible for us. The monographic study of a Magdalenian pebble from Coímbre Cave (Asturias, Spain) engraved between 15,680 and 14,230 cal.bpshows that a mistake was made during the engraving process; subsequently an attempt was made to eliminate the representations, and finally the pebble was used as a hammerstone. This paper provides argumentation to reconstruct a complex biography of an object of Palaeolithic portable art, discussing intentional loss of symbolic value of both the decoration and the object and the latter's reuse (as raw material) for an economic or domestic purpose.
If extraterrestrial intelligence exists, it is unable to recognize humans as intelligent beings
Authors: Szocik Konrad , Abylkasymova Rakhat
Published: May 2022

In this paper we consider a scenario in which Carl Sagan's Copernican principle is more likely than its negation. Thus, assuming that the existence of an extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) is reasonably likely, the paper considers the possibility of an ETI that is unable to recognize humans as intelligent beings. The paper presents the rationale for such an assumption. It also discusses the possible consequences for humanity of such a scenario. In this paper, we argue why the scenario under discussion is actually more positive for humanity than a scenario in which ETI would be capable of recognizing humanity as an intelligent species. We also point to feminist approaches to SETI issues exposing the role played by the specific evolutionary and developmental context of potential ETI.
STAI-Anxiety and STAI-Depression Revisited
Authors: du Rocher Andrew R. , Pickering Alan D.
Published: May 2022

Abstract. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) is widely used to measure anxiety in academic, psychiatric, and medical settings. However, it has been proposed that the trait scale does not measure pure anxiety but contains subscales that measure either anxiety or depression. As this may have implications for the interpretation of research, we investigated the differential correlates of these two subscales. Participants ( N = 171; Mage = 23.6 years) completed measures of attentional control (attentional focusing; attentional shifting), behavioral approach sensitivity (BAS), trait anger, and interpersonal fear. STAI-anxiety was predicted by interpersonal fear, and trait anger when STAI-depression was held constant. By contrast, STAI-depression was predicted by BAS and attentional shifting when STAI-anxiety was held constant. To further illustrate the functional significance of these results, we reanalyzed a published study that originally showed that total STAI scores predicted affective cognitive control in the emotional face Stroop task. Results showed that STAI-anxiety and STAI-depression differentially predicted the cognitive control of distraction. The significance of our results is discussed in relation to interpreting the STAI in academic and neuropsychiatric/clinical settings.
Improving Employee Mental Health Through an Internet-Based Job Crafting Intervention
Authors: Uglanova Ekaterina , Dettmers Jan
Published: May 2022

Abstract. This article examined the impact of an online job crafting intervention (JCI) on employees’ ill-being and well-being at work, as measured by irritation and job satisfaction. To address this question, this study used an experimental design with randomized intervention and control groups. Recruited subjects ( N = 208) participated in a four-week web-based JCI, which consisted of one training session and three reflection sessions. The study outcomes were measured at three time points: before the intervention (premeasurement), a week after the intervention (postmeasurement), and four weeks after the intervention (follow-up measurement). The intervention led to a decline in irritation levels in the intervention group at both postmeasurement and follow-up measurement compared to the premeasurement and control group. No impact on job satisfaction was found. Web-based JCIs in the workplace provide the potential to alleviate symptoms of psychological malfunctioning.
Subduction, Underplating, and Return Flow Recorded in the Cycladic Blueschist Unit Exposed on Syros, Greece
Authors: Kotowski Alissa J. , Cisneros Miguel , Behr Whitney M. , Stockli Daniel F. , Soukis Konstantinos , Barnes Jaime D. , Ortega‐Arroyo Daniel
Published: May 2022

Exhumed high‐pressure/low‐temperature (HP/LT) metamorphic rocks provide insights into deep (∼20–70 km) subduction interface dynamics. On Syros Island (Cyclades, Greece), the Cycladic Blueschist Unit preserves blueschist‐to‐eclogite facies oceanic‐ and continental‐affinity rocks that record the structural and thermal evolution linked to Eocene subduction. Despite decades of research, the metamorphic and deformation history (P‐T‐D) and timing of subduction and exhumation are matters of ongoing discussion. We suggest that Syros comprises three coherent tectonic slices and that each slice underwent subduction, underplating, and syn‐subduction return flow along similar P‐T trajectories, but at progressively younger times. Subduction and exhumation are distinguished by lineations and ductile fold axis orientations, and are kinematically consistent with previous studies that document top‐to‐the‐S‐SW shear (prograde‐to‐peak subduction), top‐to‐the‐NE shear (blueschist facies exhumation), and then E‐W coaxial stretching (greenschist facies exhumation). Amphibole zonations record cooling during decompression, indicating return flow above a cold slab. Multi‐mineral Rb‐Sr isochrons and compiled metamorphic geochronology show that the three slices record distinct stages of peak subduction (53–52, ∼50, and 45 Ma) that young with structural depth. Retrograde blueschist and greenschist facies fabrics span ∼50–40 and ∼43–20 Ma, respectively, and also young with structural depth. Synthesized data sets support a revised tectonic framework for Syros, involving subduction of structurally distinct coherent slices and simultaneous return flow of previously accreted tectonic slices in the subduction channel shear zone. Distributed, ductile, dominantly coaxial return flow in an Eocene‐Oligocene subduction channel proceeded at rates of ∼1.5–5 mm/yr and accommodated ∼80% of the total exhumation of this HP/LT complex.
Representation Uncertainty in the Earth Sciences
Authors: Bulgin C. E. , Thomas C. M. , Waller J. A. , Woolliams E. R.
Published: May 2022

The first Joint Workshop on Representation Uncertainty in the Earth Sciences was held in March 2021. This brought together the Earth observation, data assimilation and forecast verification and post‐processing communities, alongside metrologists to discuss the definition and quantification of representation uncertainty within the Earth sciences. The aim of the workshop was to facilitate cross‐disciplinary discussion, establishing where existing methodologies could be shared and to foster future collaboration. A key outcome of the workshop was a working definition of representation uncertainty applicable across all the Earth science communities, which is presented in this white paper. The cross‐disciplinary discussions at the workshop highlighted the need for scientists to work with metrologists to establish a common vocabulary for uncertainties, accessible to Earth science applications. Further recommendations included regular workshops to discuss progress in defining and quantifying representation uncertainty and awareness of cross‐disciplinary funding opportunities to further address representation uncertainty issues.
Automatic Mapping of Small Lunar Impact Craters Using LRO‐NAC Images
Authors: Fairweather J. H. , Lagain A. , Servis K. , Benedix G. K. , Kumar S. S. , Bland P. A.
Published: May 2022

Impact craters are the most common feature on the Moon’s surface. Crater size–frequency distributions provide critical insight into the timing of geological events, surface erosion rates, and impact fluxes. The impact crater size–frequency follows a power law (meter‐sized craters are a few orders of magnitude more numerous than kilometric ones), making it tedious to manually measure all the craters within an area to the smallest sizes. We can bridge this gap by using a machine learning algorithm. We adapted a Crater Detection Algorithm to work on the highest resolution lunar image data set (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter‐Narrow‐Angle Camera [NAC] images). We describe the retraining and application of the detection model to preprocessed NAC images and discussed the accuracy of the resulting crater detections. We evaluated the model by assessing the results across six NAC images, each covering a different lunar area at differing lighting conditions. We present the model’s average true positive rate for small impact craters (down to 20 m in diameter) is 93%. The model does display a 15% overestimation in calculated crater diameters. The presented crater detection model shows acceptable performance on NAC images with incidence angles ranging between ∼50° and ∼70° and can be applied to many lunar sites independent to morphology.
Hurricane‐Like Vortices in Conditionally Unstable Moist Convection
Authors: Chien Mu‐Hua , Pauluis Olivier M. , Almgren Ann S.
Published: May 2022

This study investigates the emergence of hurricane‐like vortices in idealized simulations of rotating moist convection. A Boussinesq atmosphere with simplified thermodynamics for phase transitions is forced by prescribing the temperature and humidity at the upper and lower boundaries. The governing equations are solved numerically using a variable‐density incompressible Navier‐Stokes solver with adaptive mesh refinement to explore the behavior of moist convection under a broad range of conditions. In the absence of rotation, convection aggregates into active patches separated by large unsaturated regions. Rotation modulates this statistical equilibrium state so that the self‐aggregated convection organizes hurricane‐like vortices. The warm and saturated air converges to the center of the vortices, and the latent heat released through the upwelling, forms the warm core structure. These hurricane‐like vortices share characteristics similar to tropical cyclones in the earth's atmosphere. The hurricane‐like vortices occur under conditionally unstable conditions where the potential energy given at the boundaries is large enough, corresponding to a moderate rate of rotation. This regime shares many similar characteristics to the tropical atmosphere indicating that the formation of intense meso‐scale vortices is a general characteristic of rotating moist convection. The model used here does not include any interactions with radiation, wind‐evaporation feedback, or cloud microphysics, indicating that, while these processes may be relevant for tropical cyclogenesis in the Earth atmosphere, they are not its primary cause. Instead, our results confirm that the formation and maintenance of hurricane‐like vortices involve a combination of atmospheric dynamics under the presence of rotation and of phase transitions.
Analysis of Features in a Sliding Threshold of Observation for Numeric Evaluation (STONE) Curve
Authors: Liemohn Michael W. , Adam Joshua G. , Ganushkina Natalia Yu
Published: May 2022

We apply idealized scatterplot distributions to the sliding threshold of observation for numeric evaluation (STONE) curve, a new model assessment metric, to examine the relationship between the STONE curve and the underlying point‐spread distribution. The STONE curve is based on the relative operating characteristic (ROC) curve but is developed to work with a continuous‐valued set of observations, sweeping both the observed and modeled event identification threshold simultaneously. This is particularly useful for model predictions of time series data as is the case for much of terrestrial weather and space weather. The identical sweep of both the model and observational thresholds results in changes to both the modeled and observed event states as the quadrant boundaries shift. The changes in a data‐model pair's event status result in nonmonotonic features to appear in the STONE curve when compared to an ROC curve for the same observational and model data sets. Such features reveal characteristics in the underlying distributions of the data and model values. Many idealized data sets were created with known distributions, connecting certain scatterplot features to distinct STONE curve signatures. A comprehensive suite of feature‐signature combinations is presented, including their relationship to several other metrics. It is shown that nonmonotonic features appear if a local spread is more than 0.2 of the full domain or if a local bias is more than half of the local spread. The example of real‐time plasma sheet electron modeling is used to show the usefulness of this technique, especially in combination with other metrics.
Progress in osteoarthritis research by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
Authors: Li Yusheng , Xie Wenqing , Xiao Wenfeng , Dou Dou
Published: May 2022

Osteoarthritis (OA) in China is gradually becoming an important scientific research area that has had a significant impact on research and development (R&D) activities in the OA field worldwide. This article summarizes the R&D progress related to OA in China in recent years. The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) is a national funding institution for basic research and plays a critical role in promoting and supporting Chinese scholars’ R&D activities. We collected and analyzed information on NSFC funding in the field of OA from 2010 to 2019, including the amount, the level and the program categories of the funded projects. The data fully demonstrate the important and positive role of the NSFC in supporting free exploration, cultivating research teams and young talent, and boosting OA R&D. In this article, we outline and discuss hot topics in focused areas, key advances in this field and the prospects for progress in OA research in China.
Onasemnogene abeparvovec gene replacement therapy for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy: a real-world observational study
Authors: Bitetti Ilaria , Lanzara Valentina , Margiotta Giovanna , Varone Antonio
Published: May 2022

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetically inherited recessive neuromuscular disease that causes muscular atrophy and weakness. Onasemnogene abeparvovec (formerly AVXS-101, Zolgensma®, Novartis) is a targeted therapy approved to treat patients with SMA in >40 countries worldwide. This study describes the clinical efficacy and tolerability of gene replacement therapy with onasemnogene abeparvovec over a 3-month period in 9 SMA type 1 patients aged 1.7–48 months, with 7 patients on stable nusinersen (i.e., had received all four nusinersen loading doses before inclusion in this study). Liver function (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin), troponin I, platelet counts, creatinine levels, and motor function (CHOP-INTEND) were monitored. For the seven patients on stable nusinersen, the median baseline CHOP-INTEND score increased significantly during nusinersen treatment (Wilcoxon signed-rank testp = 0.018) and at 3 months after switching to onasemnogene abeparvovec (Wilcoxon signed-rank testp = 0.0467). We also identified two patients who responded poorly to nusinersen but showed the largest increase in baseline CHOP-INTEND scores at 1 and 3 months after switching, which could suggest that poor responders to nusinersen may respond favorably to onasemnogene abeparvovec. No unknown adverse events occurred. One patient developed moderate/severe thrombocytopenia 1 week after onasemnogene abeparvovec administration that resolved after treatment. Our study suggests the possibility of a change in the dynamic of CHOP-INTEND for patients who respond poorly to nusinersen after switching therapy to onasemnogene abeparvovec. Alternatively, patient age at treatment initiation may impact the response to onasemnogene abeparvovec. Testing in larger patient populations must be undertaken to assess the plausibility of these hypotheses.
Mothers with higher twinning propensity had lower fertility in pre-industrial Europe
Authors: Rickard Ian J. , Vullioud Colin , Rousset François , Postma Erik , Helle Samuli , Lummaa Virpi , Kylli Ritva , Pettay Jenni E. , Røskaft Eivin , Skjærvø Gine R. , Störmer Charlotte , Voland Eckart , Waldvogel Dominique , Courtiol Alexandre
Published: May 2022

Historically, mothers producing twins gave birth, on average, more often than non-twinners. This observation has been interpreted as twinners having higher intrinsic fertility – a tendency to conceive easily irrespective of age and other factors – which has shaped both hypotheses about why twinning persists and varies across populations, and the design of medical studies on female fertility. Here we show in >20k pre-industrial European mothers that this interpretation results from an ecological fallacy: twinners had more births not due to higher intrinsic fertility, but because mothers that gave birth more accumulated more opportunities to produce twins. Controlling for variation in the exposure to the risk of twinning reveals that mothers with higher twinning propensity – a physiological predisposition to producing twins – had fewer births, and when twin mortality was high, fewer offspring reaching adulthood. Twinning rates may thus be driven by variation in its mortality costs, rather than variation in intrinsic fertility.
Auditory processing remains sensitive to environmental experience during adolescence in a rodent model
Authors: Anbuhl Kelsey L. , Yao Justin D. , Hotz Robert A. , Mowery Todd M. , Sanes Dan H.
Published: May 2022

Elevated neural plasticity during development contributes to dramatic improvements in perceptual, motor, and cognitive skills. However, malleable neural circuits are vulnerable to environmental influences that may disrupt behavioral maturation. While these risks are well-established prior to sexual maturity (i.e., critical periods), the degree of neural vulnerability during adolescence remains uncertain. Here, we induce transient hearing loss (HL) spanning adolescence in gerbils, and ask whether behavioral and neural maturation are disrupted. We find that adolescent HL causes a significant perceptual deficit that can be attributed to degraded auditory cortex processing, as assessed with wireless single neuron recordings and within-session population-level analyses. Finally, auditory cortex brain slices from adolescent HL animals reveal synaptic deficits that are distinct from those typically observed after critical period deprivation. Taken together, these results show that diminished adolescent sensory experience can cause long-lasting behavioral deficits that originate, in part, from a dysfunctional cortical circuit.
Proton stopping measurements at low velocity in warm dense carbon
Authors: Malko S. , Cayzac W. , Ospina-Bohórquez V. , Bhutwala K. , Bailly-Grandvaux M. , McGuffey C. , Fedosejevs R. , Vaisseau X. , Tauschwitz An. , Apiñaniz J. I. , De Luis Blanco D. , Gatti G. , Huault M. , Hernandez J. A. Perez , Hu S. X. , White A. J. , Collins L. A. , Nichols K. , Neumayer P. , Faussurier G. , Vorberger J. , Prestopino G. , Verona C. , Santos J. J. , Batani D. , Beg F. N. , Roso L. , Volpe L.
Published: May 2022

Ion stopping in warm dense matter is a process of fundamental importance for the understanding of the properties of dense plasmas, the realization and the interpretation of experiments involving ion-beam-heated warm dense matter samples, and for inertial confinement fusion research. The theoretical description of the ion stopping power in warm dense matter is difficult notably due to electron coupling and degeneracy, and measurements are still largely missing. In particular, the low-velocity stopping range, that features the largest modelling uncertainties, remains virtually unexplored. Here, we report proton energy-loss measurements in warm dense plasma at unprecedented low projectile velocities. Our energy-loss data, combined with a precise target characterization based on plasma-emission measurements using two independent spectroscopy diagnostics, demonstrate a significant deviation of the stopping power from classical models in this regime. In particular, we show that our results are in closest agreement with recent first-principles simulations based on time-dependent density functional theory.
An in vivo gene amplification system for high level expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Peng Bingyin , Esquirol Lygie , Lu Zeyu , Shen Qianyi , Cheah Li Chen , Howard Christopher B. , Scott Colin , Trau Matt , Dumsday Geoff , Vickers Claudia E.
Published: May 2022

Bottlenecks in metabolic pathways due to insufficient gene expression levels remain a significant problem for industrial bioproduction using microbial cell factories. Increasing gene dosage can overcome these bottlenecks, but current approaches suffer from numerous drawbacks. Here, we describe HapAmp, a method that uses haploinsufficiency as evolutionary force to drive in vivo gene amplification. HapAmp enables efficient, titratable, and stable integration of heterologous gene copies, delivering up to 47 copies onto the yeast genome. The method is exemplified in metabolic engineering to significantly improve production of the sesquiterpene nerolidol, the monoterpene limonene, and the tetraterpene lycopene. Limonene titre is improved by 20-fold in a single engineering step, delivering ∼1 g L−1 in the flask cultivation. We also show a significant increase in heterologous protein production in yeast. HapAmp is an efficient approach to unlock metabolic bottlenecks rapidly for development of microbial cell factories.