bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Loneliness and Well-Being During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Associations with Personality and Emotion Regulation
Authors: Gubler Danièle A. , Makowski Lisa M. , Troche Stefan J. , Schlegel Katja
Published: October 2020

The present study examined how neuroticism, extraversion, and emotion regulation were related to loneliness and well-being during 6 weeks of major public life restrictions in the Covid-19 pandemic in Switzerland. Cross-sectional results from 466 participants showed that neuroticism and emotion regulation strategies were associated with higher loneliness and lower well-being. However, in contrast to prior research, associations of extraversion with loneliness and well-being were weak and were qualified by interactions with emotion regulation. For introverts, maladaptive cognitive strategies such as rumination or catastrophizing were related to higher levels of loneliness. For extraverts, emotion suppression was related to lower levels of affective well-being. Individuals with low maladaptive regulation reported higher well-being the longer the public life restrictions were in place at the time of study participation. These findings suggest that first, extraversion may lose some of its protective value for loneliness and well-being when opportunities to engage in social activities are limited; second, that loneliness and well-being do not decrease over 6 weeks of public life restrictions; and third, that future studies should further investigate the moderating role of emotion regulation on the link between personality, loneliness, and well-being.
Capture the variation of the pore pressure with different geological age from seismic inversion study in the Jaisalmer sub-basin, India
Authors: Chahal Raman , Datta Gupta Saurabh
Published: October 2020

Geoscientific evidence shows that various parameters such as compaction, buoyancy effect, hydrocarbon maturation, gas effect and tectonic activities control the pore pressure of sub-surface geology. Spatially controlled geoscientific data in the tectonically active areas is significantly useful for robust estimation of pre-drill pore pressure. The reservoir which is tectonically complex and pore pressure is changing frequently that circumference motivated us to conduct this study. The changes in pore pressure have been captured from the fine-scale to the broad scale in the Jaisalmer sub-basin. Pore pressure variation has been distinctly observed in pre- and post-Jurassic age based on the current study. Post-stack seismic inversion study was conducted to capturing the variation of pore pressure. Analysis of low-frequency spectrum and integrated interval velocity model provided a detailed feature of pore pressure in each compartment of the study area. Pore pressure estimated from well log data was correlated with seismic inversion based result. Based on the current study one well has been proposed where pore pressure was estimated and two distinguished trends are identified in the study zone. The approaches of the current study were analysed thoroughly and it will be highly useful in complex reservoir condition where pore pressure varies frequently.
Histochemical Characterization of the Vestibular Y-Group in Monkey
Authors: Zeeh Christina , Mayadali Ümit S. , Horn Anja K.E.
Published: October 2020

The Y-group plays an important role in the generation of upward smooth pursuit eye movements and contributes to the adaptive properties of the vertical vestibulo-ocular reflex. Malfunction of this circuitry may cause eye movement disorders, such as downbeat nystagmus. To characterize the neuron populations in the Y-group, we performed immunostainings for cellular proteins related to firing characteristics and transmitters (calretinin, GABA-related proteins and ion channels) in brainstem sections of macaque monkeys that had received tracer injections into the oculomotor nucleus. Two histochemically different populations of premotor neurons were identified: The calretinin-positive population represents the excitatory projection to contralateral upgaze motoneurons, whereas the GABAergic population represents the inhibitory projection to ipsilateral downgaze motoneurons. Both populations receive a strong supply by GABAergic nerve endings most likely originating from floccular Purkinje cells. All premotor neurons express nonphosphorylated neurofilaments and are ensheathed by strong perineuronal nets. In addition, they contain the voltage-gated potassium channels Kv1.1 and Kv3.1b which suggests biophysical similarities to high-activity premotor neurons of vestibular and oculomotor systems. The premotor neurons of Y-group form a homogenous population with histochemical characteristics compatible with fast-firing projection neurons that can also undergo plasticity and contribute to motor learning as found for the adaptation of the vestibulo-ocular reflex in response to visual-vestibular mismatch stimulation. The histochemical characterization of premotor neurons in the Y-group allows the identification of the homologue cell groups in human, including their transmitter inputs and will serve as basis for correlated anatomical-neuropathological studies of clinical cases with downbeat nystagmus.
Biological response modifier glucan through balancing of blood glucose may have a prophylactic potential in COVID-19 patients
Authors: Ikewaki Nobunao , Iwasaki Masaru , Abraham Samuel J. K.
Published: October 2020

With the COVID-19 pandemic causing huge threat to public health and definite treatment modalities and preventive vaccines yet to be arrived at, some of the key indicators of relevance to its prognosis have started emerging. One such independent predictor of outcome has been fasting plasma glucose (FPG) at the time of admission. Earlier, co-morbidities such as diabetes also have been reported to have a risk of relatively increased mortality due to COVID-19. In this background, we herein report on the beneficial effects of Biological response modifier glucan (BRMG) secreted by the black yeast Aureobasidium pullulans AFO-202 which has been proven to bring under control blood sugar levels in human subjects and also has potential in enhancing & regulating the immune parameters in relevance to COVID-19. We further recommend that this BRMG be tried in clinical studies of COVID-19 to provide a prophylactic effect for validation.
18F-FDG PET/MRI in adult sarcomas
Authors: Cassarino Gianluca , Evangelista Laura , Giraudo Chiara , Capizzi Alfio , Carretta Giovanni , Zucchetta Pietro , Cecchin Diego
Published: October 2020

Aim

This mini-review aims to summarize the main findings on PET/MRI in patients with sarcomas.

Materials and methods

A literature search was carried out on MEDLINE databases, such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar, using the search terms “PET”, “positron emission tomography”, “PET/MRI”, “positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging”, and “sarcoma”. No restrictions (i.e. language, age, type of manuscript, or the like) were applied to the search strategy. Abstracts, reviews, letters to editors, and editorials were excluded.

Results

Eight studies were ultimately included. From 2013 to 2019, a total of 154 adult patients with sarcomas underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET/MRI. Of these patients, 129 had soft tissue sarcomas (STS), 5 had bone sarcomas, and 20 had cardiac masses. Thirty-two patients had PET/MRI for early-stage disease, 45 for recurrences, and 57 for the assessment of response to treatment. For staging purposes, the studies suggest that PET/MRI can significantly improve the delineation of surgical margins. At restaging, PET/MRI can also detect sarcoma recurrences more accurately than conventional imaging.

Conclusions

18F-FDG PET/MRI has promising indications in patients with sarcomas, from disease staging to the assessment of response to treatment. Further studies are warranted to confirm these results, especially in subgroups with specific histopathological features.
Das medulläre Schilddrüsenkarzinom: Fokus systemische Therapie
Authors: Kiesewetter Barbara , Raderer Markus
Published: October 2020

Das medulläre Schilddrüsenkarzinom (medullary thyroid cancer, MTC) stellt mit weniger als 5 % aller malignen Schilddrüsentumoren eine seltene Erkrankung dar. Während im lokalisierten und auch im oligometastatischen Setting die Chirurgie einen potenziell kurativen Therapieansatz bietet, sind die Möglichkeiten der zugelassenen systemischen Therapien bei inoperabel lokal fortgeschrittener oder metastasierter Erkrankung auch 2020 noch beschränkt. Derzeit stehen in Österreich zwei zugelassene Tyrosinkinaseinhibitoren (TKIs) zur Verfügung, Vandetanib und Cabozantinib, wobei deren Unterschiede und optimale Sequenzierung bis heute nur wenig untersucht wurden. Weitere Therapiekonzepte umfassen bei progredienter Erkrankung (wenn auch mit sehr niedriger Evidenz) klassische zytostatische Therapien, Peptid-Radio-Rezeptor-Therapie (PRRT) und zunehmend zielgerichtete Therapiekonzepte, wobei hier insbesondere RET-Inhibitoren bei Vorliegen einer entsprechenden Mutation sehr vielversprechend sind und gerade Einzug in die klinische Routine halten. Nicht zuletzt muss auch beachtet werden, dass das MTC selbst im metastasierten Setting oftmals einen nur langsam progredienten Verlauf aufweisen kann, sodass auch „active surveillance“ einen Teil des Managements darstellt. Der vorliegende Artikel gibt einen Überblick über etablierte Substanzen und neue therapeutische Konzepte.
How you Remind Me! The Influence of Mobile Push Notifications on Success Rates in Last-Minute Bidding
Authors: März Armin , Lachner Michael , Heumann Christian G. , Schumann Jan H. , von Wangenheim Florian
Published: October 2020

Last-minute bidding is a prevalent strategy in which bidders submit their bids at the very end of an online auction; mobile push notifications can remind these bidders of upcoming deadlines and thus might determine bidding success. Using field data, this study demonstrates that last-minute bidders use mobile push notifications purposefully and strategically as well as more frequently than bidders with different bidding patterns. Among last-minute bidders, chances of winning the auction increase with their use of push notifications. In detail, mobile push notifications are particularly effective when last-minute bidders place less serious bids in search of a bargain, yet they lose effectiveness if the bids are placed closer to the auctions’ end. They prove to be equally useful tools for last-minute bidders with varying experience levels and for bids placed through both mobile and stationary devices. Managers of online (auction) platforms therefore should design and market their mobile push notifications as customizable, helpful features.
With Ballots and Bullets
Authors: Kalmoe Nathan
Published: October 2020

What happens when partisanship is pushed to its extreme? In With Ballots and Bullets, Nathan P. Kalmoe combines historical and political science approaches to provide new insight into the American Civil War and deepen contemporary understandings of mass partisanship. The book reveals the fundamental role of partisanship in shaping the dynamics and legacies of the Civil War, drawing on an original analysis of newspapers and geo-coded data on voting returns and soldier enlistments, as well as retrospective surveys. Kalmoe shows that partisan identities motivated mass violence by ordinary citizens, not extremists, when activated by leaders and legitimated by the state. Similar processes also enabled partisans to rationalize staggering war casualties into predetermined vote choices, shaping durable political habits and memory after the war's end. Findings explain much about nineteenth century American politics, but the book also yields lessons for today, revealing the latent capacity of political leaders to mobilize violence.
The Significance of the New Logic
Authors: Quine Willard Van Orman
Published: October 2020

W. V. Quine was one of the most influential figures of twentieth-century American analytic philosophy. Although he wrote predominantly in English, in Brazil in 1942 he gave a series of lectures on logic and its philosophy in Portuguese, subsequently published as the book O Sentido da Nova Lógica. The book has never before been fully translated into English, and this volume is the first to make its content accessible to Anglophone philosophers. Quine would go on to develop revolutionary ideas about semantic holism and ontology, and this book provides a snapshot of his views on logic and language at a pivotal stage of his intellectual development. The volume also includes an essay on logic which Quine also published in Portuguese, together with an extensive historical-philosophical essay by Frederique Janssen-Lauret. The valuable and previously neglected works first translated in this volume will be essential for scholars of twentieth-century philosophy.
R v. Reeves Taylor (Appellant). [2019] UKSC 51
Authors: Woolaver Hannah
Published: October 2020

The First Liberian Civil War (1989–1996), in which Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) waged an ultimately successful military campaign to depose President Samuel Doe, was characterized by widespread atrocities. During this period, Agnes Reeves Taylor, known as “The Mother of the Revolution” and at the time Charles Taylor's wife, allegedly committed multiple acts of torture in her capacity as a high-ranking member of the NPFL. After moving to the United Kingdom, Agnes Taylor was charged in 2017 with seven counts of torture and one of conspiracy to commit torture under Section 134 of the UK Criminal Justice Act 1988 (CJA), which domesticates aspects of the UN Convention Against Torture 1984 (CAT) and asserts universal jurisdiction over torture. During the prosecution, a question over a key definitional element of the crime was appealed to the UK Supreme Court (Supreme Court): whether nonstate actors could be liable under the statute, which requires that torture be carried out by a “public official or person acting in an official capacity” (para. 14). The Court gave a qualified answer in the affirmative, holding that this definition includes individuals acting for a nonstate body that exercises control over territory and carries out governmental functions in this territory. As the first apex court decision extending liability for torture to de facto authorities, the Supreme Court decision is likely to have significant jurisprudential influence well beyond the United Kingdom.
The Final Act: Exploring the End of Pandemics
Authors: Paddeu Federica , Waibel Michael
Published: October 2020

This Essay considers how adjudicators could determine the end of the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic. Considerable work examines the beginning and existence of pandemics and emergencies. By contrast, when either of these two phenomena end remains underexplored—creating legal uncertainty. This Essay reviews how pandemics as biological and social events end, considers how international bodies have approached the end of emergencies, and assesses what this might mean for adjudicators deciding on the end of the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic and related public health emergency.
The WHO—Destined to Fail?: Political Cooperation and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Benvenisti Eyal
Published: October 2020

In this Essay, I argue that the World Health Organization (WHO) has not been equipped with the necessary authority to adequately fulfill its mission. The WHO was built on the mistaken assumption that attaining adequate global health is a matter of high-level coordination. However, the challenge of global health governance is, crucially, also one of complex political cooperation. I distinguish between different types of cooperation problems faced by the WHO and explain why achieving global health calls for intrusive powers by a governing authority—powers that the WHO does not enjoy.
The Perils of Pandemic Exceptionalism
Authors: Arato Julian , Claussen Kathleen , Heath J. Benton
Published: October 2020

In response to the pandemic, most states have enacted special measures to protect national economies and public health. Many of these measures would likely violate trade and investment disciplines unless they qualify for one of several exceptions. This Essay examines the structural implications of widespread anticipated defenses premised on the idea of “exceptionalism.” It argues that the pandemic reveals the structural weakness of the exceptions-oriented paradigm of justification in international economic law.
Introduction to “The International Legal Order and the Global Pandemic”
Authors: Bradley Curtis A. , Helfer Laurence R.
Published: October 2020

This introduction provides an overview of thirteen essays selected in response to a worldwide call for papers for an Agora on “The International Legal Order and the Global Pandemic.” The essays in the Agora consider some of the most pressing challenges, as well as potential opportunities, that COVID-19 is creating for the international legal order. The specific topics addressed include the role of international organizations such as the World Health Organization, state responsibility, human rights, financial regulation, and international trade. Contributors were invited to address the theme from a historical, institutional, doctrinal, normative, critical, or geopolitical perspective, or a mix of perspectives.
Health and Safety at Work in the Time of COVID-19: A Social Europe Reckoning?
Authors: ALEXANDRIS POLOMARKAKIS Konstantinos
Published: October 2020

The shortcomings in the handling of COVID-19 highlighted the salience of health and safety at work and fuelled discussions surrounding the desirability of a European Health Union. This article conceptualises occupational health and safety at the European Union (EU) level as a key driver for the creation of a European Health Union. Through recourse to the area’s roots and its relevance to the tackling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the benefits of putting occupational health and safety in the driving seat are set out. The implications of maintaining a healthy workforce are acute, from both a social and a public health perspective, especially in the time of a pandemic. Relying on a reflective approach that goes beyond the status quo, this article offers pragmatic yet imaginative proposals for strengthening the occupational health and safety acquis. The proposals act as the blueprint for health and safety in the workplace to lay the foundation for a European Health Union and advance the social dimension of the EU.
Feasibility and impact of inverted classroom methodology for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic preparedness at an urban community hospital
Authors: Mena Lora Alfredo J. , Ali Mirza , Krill Candice , Borgetti Scott A. , Spencer Sherrie , Lavani Romeen , Takhsh Eden , Bleasdale Susan C.
Published: October 2020

Strategies for pandemic preparedness and response are urgently needed for all settings. We describe our experience using inverted classroom methodology (ICM) for COVID-19 pandemic preparedness in a small hospital with limited infection prevention staff. ICM for pandemic preparedness was feasible and contributed to an increase in COVID-19 knowledge and comfort.
Unraveling the Black Mountain: Authoritarian Submission and Party Preference in Montenegro
Authors: Davidović Jovana
Published: October 2020

Why do some post-communist countries regularly experience democratic overturn of power while others do not? This article analyzes the role of authoritarianism, adopting a novel approach concentrating on three separate dimensions (authoritarian submission, conventionalism, authoritarian aggression). Examining Montenegro, a country that has not changed its incumbent government since the breakdown of communism, the article argues that authoritarian submission, which stands for an obedient relationship to a political authority, is a relevant factor for the domination of a single party—the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS). I test my assumptions using two surveys: the Montenegrin National Elections Study (2016) and a self-designed student survey. Notwithstanding the Montenegrin and Serb ethnic cleavage and economic preferences that remain significant for voting patterns, findings from both analyses confirm that submissive tendencies are important for voting behavior both for the national sample and for the educated young. This emphasizes the importance of psychological factors and the need to break submissive mindsets for successful democratic transformation in post-communist countries.
David Hume’s Balancing Act: ThePolitical Discoursesand the Sinews of War
Authors: CHARETTE DANIELLE
Published: October 2020

Both champions and critics of “neorealism” in contemporary international relations misinterpret David Hume as an early spokesman for a universal and scientific balance-of-power theory. This article instead treats Hume’s “Of the Balance of Power,” alongside the other essays in hisPolitical Discourses(1752), as conceptual resources for a historically inflected analysis of state balancing. Hume’s defense of the balance of power cannot be divorced from his critique of commercial warfare in “Of the Balance of Trade” and “Of the Jealousy of Trade.” To better appreciate Hume’s historical and economic approach to foreign policy, this article places Hume in conversation with Machiavelli, Guicciardini, Andrew Fletcher, and Montesquieu. International relations scholars suspicious of static paradigms should reconsider Hume’s genealogy of the balance of power, which differs from the standard liberal and neorealist accounts. Well before International Political Economy developed as a formal subdiscipline, Hume was conceptually treating economics and power politics in tandem.
Stability of a tokamak plasma with diffuse toroidal rotation
Authors: López O. E. , Guazzotto L.
Published: October 2020

The present work considers the stability of a high-

$\beta$

, large aspect ratio, circular plasma with diffuse profiles for the safety factor and the angular toroidal frequency (López & Guazzotto, Phys. Plasmas, vol. 24, 032501). An application of the Frieman–Rotenberg formalism results in a system of scalar eigenmode equations whose coupling is retained at the plasma–vacuum transition but is disregarded across the plasma column, which is a standard practice. The solution technique consists of a multidimensional shooting method for the poloidal harmonics; robust initial guesses are constructed by solving the dispersion relation in the static scenario with vanishing magnetic shear. Flow shear appears as a high-

$\beta$

toroidal contribution, and we illustrate its destabilizing influence on

$n=1$

external kink modes in the presence of ideal and resistive walls. Internal resonances are avoided by means of the selection of appropriate equilibrium parameters. The stabilizing influence of a finite positive average magnetic shear is also exemplified.
Accurate model for the ultra-relativistic interactions between laser beams and electrons
Authors: Popa Alexandru
Published: October 2020

We present an accurate approach of the basic ultra-relativistic effects which occur at the interactions between laser beams and electrons and correspond to laser beam intensities greater than 1020 W/cm2. These effects are the generation of extremely bright pulses and the existence of a very large frequency spectrum of the radiation generated by this interaction, containing relative intense harmonics of orders higher than 800. Our results are in good agreement with the experimental results published in the literature.
Cancer obscures extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) at a tertiary hospital in Northern Malawi
Authors: Chisale M. R. O. , Sinyiza F. , Kaseka P. , Wu J. S. T. , Chimbatata C. , Mbakaya B. C. , Kamudumuli P. S. , Kayira A. B.
Published: October 2020

Data on the prevalence of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) patients are limited in many African countries including Malawi. We conducted a retrospective review of all histology reports for cancer suspected patients at Mzuzu Central Hospital (MZCH) between 2013 and 2018 to determine the proportion of EPTB cases among cancer suspected patients and characterised them epidemiologically. All reports with inconclusive findings were excluded. In total, 2214 reports were included in the review, 47 of which reported EPTB, representing 2.1% (95% CI 1.6−2.8). The incidence of EPTB was significantly associated with sex, age and HIV status. Men were more than twice (OR 2.1; 95% CI 1.2–3.9) as likely to have EPTB as women while those with HIV were more than six times (OR 6.4; 95% CI 1.7–24.8) as likely to have EPTB compared to those who were HIV-negative. EPTB demonstrated an inverse relationship with age. The highest proportion of EPTB was found from neck lymph nodes (10.3% (5.4–17.2)). A reasonable number of EPTB cases are diagnosed late or missed in Malawi's hospitals. There is a need for concerted efforts to increase EPTB awareness and likely come up with a policy to consider EPTB as a differential diagnosis in cancer suspected patients.
Fundamentals Matter: Forecasting the 2020 Democratic Presidential Nomination
Authors: Dowdle Andrew J. , Adkins Randall E. , Sebold Karen , Steger Wayne P.
Published: October 2020

Previous studies used pre-primary variables (e.g., endorsements, national polls, and fundraising) and momentum variables from the Iowa and New Hampshire contests to predict presidential nomination outcomes. Yet, races with no elite favorite and no clear frontrunner in polls, such as in the 2020 Democratic race, are more difficult to forecast. We replicate and extend two forecasting models from 1980 to 2016 used by Dowdle et al. (2016) to predict the 2020 results. Our models suggest that Joe Biden may have been a stronger frontrunner than expected but that subsequent models may need to incorporate other early contests, such as the South Carolina primary. Overall, our results also argue that the fundamental factors in winning presidential nominations have remained relatively stable.
Free trade and the environment – evidence from Chinese cities
Authors: Zhang Yunzhi
Published: October 2020

This paper studies the impact of trade openness and the proportion of exporters on environmental quality through the scale, composition and technique effects from 1998 to 2007 using firm- and city-level data for 287 Chinese cities. Our results reveal that, on average, trade openness has a detrimental impact on the environment in Chinese cities, but this impact remains heterogeneous across regions. A higher proportion of exporters improves the environment in central and eastern cities while generating nevertheless more pollution in western cities. As regards the sector-specific impact, we find that the higher proportion of exporters in the mining and less-polluting manufacturing sectors in eastern cities diminishes the emissions of particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5). Our finding also suggests that a pollution haven effect emerges in China at the city level. Finally, our results confirm the presence of an environmental Kuznets curve effect for the PM2.5 pollutant across Chinese cities.
Luminous Crown Residual Vs. Bright Space Segment: Characteristical Structures for the Intermittent Positive and Negative Leaders of Triggered Lightning
Authors: Jiang Rubin , Qie Xiushu , Li ZongXiang , Zhang Hongbo , Li Xiao , Yuan Shanfeng , Liu Mingyuan , Sun Zhuling , Srivastava Abhay , Liu Minzhi , Ma Zilong , Lv Guanlin
Published: October 2020

We identify and investigate the intermittent propagation of upward positive and negative leaders in rocket‐triggered lightning based on comprehensive observations of fine time‐resolved optical, current, and electromagnetic fields. There is an abrupt luminous crown blooming due to the achievement of a positive leader step, after which the channel weakens and the head degrades. During the positive leader pausing, residual structure is recognized at area of previous luminous crown blooming, in the form of a floating segment. Our observation point to a possible mechanism that it connects with the positive leader head, causing a forward‐step and a sharp current pulse. This is to some extent similar to negative leader stepping, in which the space leader emerges and connection between the space leader and the channel head occurs. The generation of clustered space leaders give rise to negative channel branching, but the residual structure in positive leader just leads to individual step.
A multicenter prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled phase II/III trial for preemptive acute graft-versus-host disease therapy
Authors: Weissinger Eva M. , Metzger Jochen , Schleuning Michael , Schmid Christoph , Messinger Diethelm , Beutel Gernot , Wagner-Drouet Eva-Maria , Schetelig Johannes , Baurmann Herrad , Rank Andreas , Stolzl Friedrich , Schäfer-Eckart Kerstin , Westphal Karin , Bethge Wolfgang , von Harsdorf S. , Bunjes Donald W. , Heidenreich Daniela , Klein Stefan , Holler Ernst , Kreipe Hans H. , Jonigk Danny , Türüchanow Irina , Raad Julia , Papkalla Armin , von der Leyen Heiko , Hambach Lothar , Hamwi Iyas , Ehrlich Steve , Krauter Jurgen , Stadler Michael , Ganser Arnold
Published: October 2020

Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD) contributes to about 50% of transplant-related mortality (non-relapse mortality) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Here the predictive value of a urinary proteomic profile (aGvHD_MS17) was tested together with preemptive prednisolone therapy. Two-hundred and fifty-nine of 267 patients were eligible for analysis. Ninety-two patients were randomized upon aGvHD_MS17 classification factor above 0.1 to receive either prednisolone (2–2.5 mg/kg, N = 44) or placebo (N = 47; N = 1 randomization failure) for 5 days followed by tapering. The remaining 167 patients formed the observation group. The primary endpoint of the randomized trial was incidence of aGvHD grade II between randomization and day +100 post HSCT. Analysis of the short-term preemptive prednisolone therapy in the randomized patients showed no significant difference in incidence or severity of acute GvHD (HR: 1.69, 95% CI: 0.66–4.32, P = 0.27). Prednisolone as preemptive treatment did not lead to an increase in relapse (20.2% in the placebo and 14.0% in the prednisolone group (P = 0.46)). The frequency of adverse events was slightly higher in the placebo group (64.4% versus 50%, respectively). Taken together, the results of the Pre-GvHD trial demonstrated the feasibility and safety of preemptive prednisolone treatment in the randomized patients.
Photoreceptor protection by mesenchymal stem cell transplantation identifies exosomal MiR-21 as a therapeutic for retinal degeneration
Authors: Deng Chun-Lei , Hu Cheng-Biao , Ling Sheng-Tao , Zhao Na , Bao Li-Hui , Zhou Feng , Xiong Ye-Cheng , Chen Tao , Sui Bing-Dong , Yu Xiao-Rui , Hu Cheng-Hu
Published: October 2020

Photoreceptor apoptosis is recognized as one key pathogenesis of retinal degeneration, the counteraction of which represents a promising approach to safeguard visual function. Recently, mesenchymal stem cell transplantation (MSCT) has demonstrated immense potential to treat ocular disorders, in which extracellular vesicles (EVs), particularly exosomes, have emerged as effective ophthalmological therapeutics. However, whether and how MSCT protects photoreceptors against apoptotic injuries remains largely unknown. Here, we discovered that intravitreal MSCT counteracted photoreceptor apoptosis and alleviated retinal morphological and functional degeneration in a mouse model of photoreceptor loss induced by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU). Interestingly, effects of MSCT were inhibited after blockade of exosomal generation by GW4869 preconditioning. Furthermore, MSC-derived exosomal transplantation (EXOT) effectively suppressed MNU-provoked photoreceptor injury. Notably, therapeutic efficacy of MSCT and EXOT on MNU-induced retinal degeneration was long-lasting as photoreceptor preservance and retinal maintenance were detected even after 1–2 months post to injection for only once. More importantly, using a natural occurring retinal degeneration model caused by a nonsense mutation of Phosphodiesterase 6b gene (Pde6bmut), we confirmed that MSCT and EXOT prevented photoreceptor loss and protected long-term retinal function. In deciphering therapeutic mechanisms regarding potential exosome-mediated communications, we identified that miR-21 critically maintained photoreceptor viability against MNU injury by targeting programmed cell death 4 (Pdcd4) and was transferred from MSC-derived exosomes in vivo for functional regulation. Moreover, miR-21 deficiency aggravated MNU-driven retinal injury and was restrained by EXOT. Further experiments revealed that miR-21 mediated therapeutic effects of EXOT on MNU-induced photoreceptor apoptosis and retinal dysfunction. These findings uncovered the efficacy and mechanism of MSCT-based photoreceptor protection, indicating exosomal miR-21 as a therapeutic for retinal degeneration.
RNF180 mediates STAT3 activity by regulating the expression of RhoC via the proteasomal pathway in gastric cancer cells
Authors: Wu Zizhen , Liu Huifang , Sun Weilin , Du Yingxin , He Wenting , Guo Shiwei , Chen Liqiao , Zhao Zhenzhen , Wang Pengliang , Liang Han , Deng Jingyu
Published: October 2020

Ring finger protein 180 (RNF180) is an important member of the E3 ubiquitin ligase family. As a tumor suppressor gene, RNF180 is significantly associated with the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer (GC) and can inhibit the proliferation, invasion, and migration of GC cells. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) are considered one of the most common oncogenes in human cancers with a key role in GC progression. In this study, we explored the molecular signaling pathways by which RNF180 could potentially regulate STAT3 through transcriptomics and proteomics experiments. Here, we found RNF180 overexpression could suppress STAT3 phosphorylation in GC cells. Ubiquitin label-free experiments showed that the ubiquitination level of Ras homolog gene family member C (RhoC) is significantly increased in GC cells transfected with an RNF180 expression vector (RNF180-GFP vector) compared with cells transfected with an empty vector (vehicle vector). We subsequently demonstrated that RNF180 could directly combine with RhoC and promote the ubiquitination and degradation of RhoC protein in GC cells. The phosphorylation level of STAT3 significantly decreased in GC cells after RhoC knockdown using small hairpin RNA (shRNA). Together, these results reveal RNF180 could inhibit GC progression by reducing the phosphorylation of STAT3 via the ubiquitination and degradation of RhoC protein in GC cells. Thus, the protein may be considered a novel therapeutic target for patients with GC.
The differential immune responses to COVID-19 in peripheral and lung revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing
Authors: Xu Gang , Qi Furong , Li Hanjie , Yang Qianting , Wang Haiyan , Wang Xin , Liu Xiaoju , Zhao Juanjuan , Liao Xuejiao , Liu Yang , Liu Lei , Zhang Shuye , Zhang Zheng
Published: October 2020

Understanding the mechanism that leads to immune dysfunction in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is crucial for the development of effective treatment. Here, using single-cell RNA sequencing, we characterized the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from uninfected controls and COVID-19 patients and cells in paired broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF). We found a close association of decreased dendritic cells (DCs) and increased monocytes resembling myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), which correlated with lymphopenia and inflammation in the blood of severe COVID-19 patients. Those MDSC-like monocytes were immune-paralyzed. In contrast, monocyte-macrophages in BALFs of COVID-19 patients produced massive amounts of cytokines and chemokines, but secreted little interferons. The frequencies of peripheral T cells and NK cells were significantly decreased in severe COVID-19 patients, especially for innate-like T and various CD8+ T cell subsets, compared to healthy controls. In contrast, the proportions of various activated CD4+ T cell subsets among the T cell compartment, including Th1, Th2, and Th17-like cells were increased and more clonally expanded in severe COVID-19 patients. Patients’ peripheral T cells showed no sign of exhaustion or augmented cell death, whereas T cells in BALFs produced higher levels of IFNG, TNF, CCL4, CCL5, etc. Paired TCR tracking indicated abundant recruitment of peripheral T cells to the severe patients’ lung. Together, this study comprehensively depicts how the immune cell landscape is perturbed in severe COVID-19.
Prosociality predicts labor market success around the world
Authors: Kosse Fabian , Tincani Michela M.
Published: October 2020

A large literature points to the importance of prosociality for the well-being of societies and individuals. However, most of this work is based on observations from western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) societies, questioning the generalizability of these findings. Here we present a global investigation of the relation between prosociality and labor market success. Our analysis uses experimentally validated measures of prosociality and is based on about 80,000 individuals in 76 representative country samples. We show a sizable and robust positive relation between prosociality and labor market success around the world that does not systematically differ across continents or by countries’ economic development. These findings generalize the positive relation between prosociality and labor market success to a wide geographical context.
A sandwich-type cluster containing Ge@Pd3 planar fragment flanked by aromatic nonagermanide caps
Authors: Xu Hong-Lei , Tkachenko Nikolay V. , Wang Zi-Chuan , Chen Wei-Xing , Qiao Lei , Muñoz-Castro Alvaro , Boldyrev Alexander I. , Sun Zhong-Ming
Published: October 2020

Sandwich-type clusters with the planar fragment containing a heterometallic sheet have remained elusive. In this work, we introduce the [K(2,2,2-crypt)]4{(Ge9)2[η6-Ge(PdPPh3)3]} complex that contains a heterometallic sandwich fragment. The title compound is structurally characterized by means of single-crystal X-ray diffraction, which reveals the presence of an unusual heteroatomic metal planar fragment Ge@Pd3. The planar fragment contains a rare formal zerovalent germanium core and a peculiar bonding mode of sp2-Ge@(PdPPh3)3 trigonal planar structure, whereas the nonagermanide fragments act as capping ligands. The chemical bonding pattern of the planar fragment consists of three 2c-2e Pd-Ge σ-bonds attaching Pd atoms to the core Ge atom, while the binding between the planar fragment and the aromatic Ge9 ligands is provided by six 2c-2e Pd-Ge σ-bonds and two delocalized 4c-2e σ-bonds. The synthesized cluster represents a rare example of a sandwich compound with the heteroatomic metal planar fragment and inorganic aromatic capping ligands.
Deep learning-assisted comparative analysis of animal trajectories with DeepHL
Authors: Maekawa Takuya , Ohara Kazuya , Zhang Yizhe , Fukutomi Matasaburo , Matsumoto Sakiko , Matsumura Kentarou , Shidara Hisashi , Yamazaki Shuhei J. , Fujisawa Ryusuke , Ide Kaoru , Nagaya Naohisa , Yamazaki Koji , Koike Shinsuke , Miyatake Takahisa , Kimura Koutarou D. , Ogawa Hiroto , Takahashi Susumu , Yoda Ken
Published: October 2020

A comparative analysis of animal behavior (e.g., male vs. female groups) has been widely used to elucidate behavior specific to one group since pre-Darwinian times. However, big data generated by new sensing technologies, e.g., GPS, makes it difficult for them to contrast group differences manually. This study introduces DeepHL, a deep learning-assisted platform for the comparative analysis of animal movement data, i.e., trajectories. This software uses a deep neural network based on an attention mechanism to automatically detect segments in trajectories that are characteristic of one group. It then highlights these segments in visualized trajectories, enabling biologists to focus on these segments, and helps them reveal the underlying meaning of the highlighted segments to facilitate formulating new hypotheses. We tested the platform on a variety of trajectories of worms, insects, mice, bears, and seabirds across a scale from millimeters to hundreds of kilometers, revealing new movement features of these animals.
Enantioselective total syntheses of (+)-stemofoline and three congeners based on a biogenetic hypothesis
Authors: Huang Xiong-Zhi , Gao Long-Hui , Huang Pei-Qiang
Published: October 2020

The powerful insecticidal and multi-drug-resistance-reversing activities displayed by the stemofoline group of alkaloids render them promising lead structures for further development as commercial agents in agriculture and medicine. However, concise, enantioselective total syntheses of stemofoline alkaloids remain a formidable challenge due to their structural complexity. We disclose herein the enantioselective total syntheses of four stemofoline alkaloids, including (+)-stemofoline, (+)-isostemofoline, (+)-stemoburkilline, and (+)-(11S,12R)-dihydrostemofoline, in just 19 steps. Our strategy relies on a biogenetic hypothesis, which postulates that stemoburkilline and dihydrostemofolines are biogenetic precursors of stemofoline and isostemofoline. Other highlights of our approach are the use of Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons reaction to connect the two segments of the molecule, an improved protocol allowing gram-scale access to the tetracyclic cage-type core, and a Cu-catalyzed direct and versatile nucleophilic alkylation reaction on an anti-Bredt iminium ion. The synthetic techniques that we developed could also be extended to the preparation of other Stemona alkaloids.
Reduction of mortality and predictions for acute myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure in Brazil until 2030
Authors: Siqueira Camila Alves dos Santos , de Souza Dyego Leandro Bezerra
Published: October 2020

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are responsible for the majority of deaths in Brazil and worldwide, and constitute an important share of non-transmissible diseases. The objective of this study is to analyze the mortality trends of the three main CVD in Brazil and its geographic regions: acute myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure. Data predictions until 2030 were also carried out. An ecological study is presented herein, with data for the period 2001–2015. Mortality from these diseases was evaluated by annual trends, and grouped in five-year intervals for the predictions until 2030. All data are publicly available. Acute myocardial infarction was the leading isolated cause of death. Brazilian trends revealed a decrease in the three diseases, with different patterns across geographic regions. The Southeast, South, and Midwest regions presented reductions for the three diseases. The predictions indicated higher rates for men. There was also a reduction in the risk of death from these diseases for Brazil and, despite the different mortality patterns for the three diseases, the Southeast region presents, primarily, lower predicted rates than the other regions. The assessment of trends and predictions for the three main CVD in Brazil revealed general decreasing trends with differences across the geographic regions.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: A mechanistic model of the neural entropy increase elicited by psychedelic drugs
Authors: Herzog Rubén , Mediano Pedro A. M. , Rosas Fernando E. , Carhart-Harris Robin , Perl Yonatan Sanz , Tagliazucchi Enzo , Cofre Rodrigo
Published: October 2020

Psychedelic drugs, including lysergic acid diethylamide and other agonists of the serotonin 2A receptor (5HT2A-R), induce drastic changes in subjective experience, and provide a unique opportunity to study the neurobiological basis of consciousness. One of the most notable neurophysiological signatures of psychedelics, increased entropy in spontaneous neural activity, is thought to be of relevance to the psychedelic experience, mediating both acute alterations in consciousness and long-term effects. However, no clear mechanistic explanation for this entropy increase has been put forward so far. We sought to do this here by building upon a recent whole-brain model of serotonergic neuromodulation, to study the entropic effects of 5HT2A-R activation. Our results reproduce the overall entropy increase observed in previous experiments in vivo, providing the first model-based explanation for this phenomenon. We also found that entropy changes were not uniform across the brain: entropy increased in some regions and decreased in others, suggesting a topographical reconfiguration mediated by 5HT2A-R activation. Interestingly, at the whole-brain level, this reconfiguration was not well explained by 5HT2A-R density, but related closely to the topological properties of the brain’s anatomical connectivity. These results help us understand the mechanisms underlying the psychedelic state and, more generally, the pharmacological modulation of whole-brain activity.
Psychological resilience is correlated with dynamic changes in functional connectivity within the default mode network during a cognitive task
Authors: Miyagi Takashi , Oishi Naoya , Kobayashi Kei , Ueno Tsukasa , Yoshimura Sayaka , Murai Toshiya , Fujiwara Hironobu
Published: October 2020

Resilience is a dynamic process that enables organisms to cope with demanding environments. Resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) studies have demonstrated a negative correlation between resilience and functional connectivities (FCs) within the default mode network (DMN). Considering the on-demand recruitment process of resilience, dynamic changes in FCs during cognitive load increases may reflect essential aspects of resilience. We compared DMN FC changes in resting and task states and their association with resilience. Eighty-nine healthy volunteers completed the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) and an fMRI with an auditory oddball task. The fMRI time series was divided into resting and task periods. We focused on FC changes between the latter half of the resting period and the former half of the task phase (switching), and between the former and latter half of the task phase (sustaining). FCs within the ventral DMN significantly increased during “switching” and decreased during “sustaining”. For FCs between the retrosplenial/posterior cingulate and the parahippocampal cortex, increased FC during switching was negatively correlated with CD-RISC scores. In individuals with higher resilience, ventral DMN connectivities were more stable and homeostatic in the face of cognitive demand. The dynamic profile of DMN FCs may represent a novel biomarker of resilience.
Radiative mixed convection flow of maxwell nanofluid over a stretching cylinder with joule heating and heat source/sink effects
Authors: Islam Saeed , Khan Arshad , Kumam Poom , Alrabaiah Hussam , Shah Zahir , Khan Waris , Zubair Muhammad , Jawad Muhammad
Published: October 2020

This work analyses thermal effect for a mixed convection flow of Maxwell nanofluid spinning motion produced by rotating and bidirectional stretching cylinder. Impacts of Joule heating and internal heat source/sink are also taken into account for current investigation. Moreover, the flow is exposed to a uniform magnetic field with convective boundary conditions. The modeled equations are converted to set of ODEs through group of similar variables and are then solved by using semi analytical technique HAM. It is observed in this study that, velocity grows up with enhancing values of Maxwell, mixed convection parameters and reduces with growing values of magnetic parameter. Temperature jumps up with increasing values of heat source, Eckert number, Brownian motion,thermophoresis parameter and jumps down with growing values of Prandtl number and heat sink. The concentration is a growing function of thermophoresis parameter and a reducing function of Brownian motion and Schmidt number.