bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Testing galaxy formation simulations with damped Lyman-α abundance and metallicity evolution
Authors: Hassan Sultan , Finlator Kristian , Davé Romeel , Churchill Christopher W , Prochaska J Xavier
Published: January 2020

We examine the properties of damped Lyman-α absorbers (DLAs) emerging from a single set of cosmological initial conditions in two state-of-the-art cosmological hydrodynamic simulations: simba and technicolor dawn. The former includes star formation and black hole feedback treatments that yield a good match with low-redshift galaxy properties, while the latter uses multifrequency radiative transfer to model an inhomogeneous ultraviolet background (UVB) self-consistently and is calibrated to match the Thomson scattering optical depth, UVB amplitude, and Ly α forest mean transmission at z > 5. Both simulations are in reasonable agreement with the measured stellar mass and star formation rate functions at z ≥ 3, and both reproduce the observed neutral hydrogen cosmological mass density, $\Omega _{\rm H\, \small{I}}(z)$. However, the DLA abundance and metallicity distribution are sensitive to the galactic outflows’ feedback and the UVB amplitude. Adopting a strong UVB and/or slow outflows underproduces the observed DLA abundance, but yields broad agreement with the observed DLA metallicity distribution. By contrast, faster outflows eject metals to larger distances, yielding more metal-rich DLAs whose observational selection may be more sensitive to dust bias. The DLA metallicity distribution in models adopting an H2-regulated star formation recipe includes a tail extending to [M/H] ≪ −3, lower than any DLA observed to date, owing to curtailed star formation in low-metallicity galaxies. Our results show that DLA observations play an important role in constraining key physical ingredients in galaxy formation models, complementing traditional ensemble statistics such as the stellar mass and star formation rate functions.
Missing red supergiants and carbon burning
Authors: Sukhbold Tuguldur , Adams Scott
Published: January 2020

Recent studies on direct imaging of Type II core-collapse supernova progenitors indicate a possible threshold around MZAMS ∼ 16–20 M⊙, where red supergiants (RSG) with larger birth masses do not appear to result in supernova explosions and instead implode directly into a black hole. In this study, we argue that it is not a coincidence that this threshold closely matches the critical transition of central carbon burning in massive stars from the convective to radiative regime. In lighter stars, carbon burns convectively in the centre and result in compact final pre-supernova cores that are likely to result in explosions, while in heavier stars after the transition, it burns as a radiative flame and the stellar cores become significantly harder to explode. Using the $\rm {\small {kepler}}$ code we demonstrate the sensitivity of this transition to the rate of 12C(α, γ)16O reaction and the overshoot mixing efficiency, and we argue that the upper mass limit of exploding RSG could be employed to constrain uncertain input physics of massive stellar evolution calculations. The initial mass corresponding to the central carbon burning transition range from 14 to 26 M⊙ in recently published models from various groups and codes, and only a few are in agreement with the estimates inferred from direct imaging studies.
WR 72: a born-again planetary nebula with hydrogen-poor knots
Authors: Gvaramadze V V , Kniazev A Y , Gräfener G , Langer N
Published: January 2020

We report the discovery of a handful of optical hydrogen-poor (H-poor) knots in the central part of an extended infrared nebula centred on the [WO1] star WR 72, obtained by spectroscopic and imaging observations with the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT). Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) images of the nebula show that it is composed of an extended almost circular halo (of ≈6 arcmin or ≈2.4 pc in diameter) and an elongated and apparently bipolar inner shell (of a factor of six smaller size), within which the knots are concentrated. Our findings indicate that WR 72 is a new member of the rare group of H-poor planetary nebulae, which may be explained through a very late thermal pulse of a post-AGB star or by a merger of two white dwarfs.
Self-consistent modelling of aromatic dust species and extinction curves in galaxy evolution
Authors: Hirashita Hiroyuki , Murga Maria S
Published: January 2020

We formulate and calculate the evolution of dust in a galaxy focusing on the distinction among various dust components – silicate, aromatic carbon, and non-aromatic carbon. We treat the galaxy as a one-zone object and adopt the evolution model of grain size distribution developed in our previous work. We further include aromatization and aliphatization (inverse reaction of aromatization). We regard small aromatic grains in a radius range of 3–50 Å as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). We also calculate extinction curves in a consistent manner with the abundances of silicate and aromatic and non-aromatic carbonaceous dust. Our model nicely explains the PAH abundance as a function of metallicity in nearby galaxies. The extinction curve becomes similar to the Milky Way curve at an age of ∼10 Gyr, in terms of the carbon bump strength and the far-ultraviolet slope. We also apply our model to starburst galaxies by shortening the star formation time-scale (0.5 Gyr) and increasing the dense-gas fraction (0.9), finding that the extinction curve maintains bumpless shapes (because of low aromatic fractions), which are similar to the extinction curves observed in the Small Magellanic Cloud and high-redshift quasars. Thus, our model successfully explains the variety in extinction curve shapes at low and high redshifts.
Formation of CO+ by radiative association II
Authors: Zámečníková Martina , Gustafsson Magnus , Nyman Gunnar , Soldán Pavel
Published: January 2020

Radiative association of an oxygen atom with a carbon cation is investigated using quantal and semiclassical methods. The total rate coefficient for spontaneous radiative association of O(2s22p4, 3P) with C+(2s22p, 2P) on the doublet manifold is determined from the corresponding cross-sections. The cross-sections for the ${\rm 1}^2\, \Sigma ^-\rightarrow {\rm A}^2\Pi$, ${\rm 2}^2\, \Sigma ^-\rightarrow {\rm A}^2\Pi$, and ${\rm C}^2\, \Delta \rightarrow {\rm A}^2\Pi$ continuum-bound processes are calculated either semiclassically, in combination with the Breit–Wigner approach, or fully quantum mechanically. In the temperature range 10–10 000 K, our recommended total rate coefficient, obtained from these calculations and the data of Zámečníková et al. (2019), slowly increases from 7.5 × 10−18 cm3s−1 to 2.1 × 10−17 cm3s−1. Corresponding aspects of the CO+ and CO formations in SN 1987A are discussed.
A correlation between the number of satellites and the bulge-to-total baryonic mass ratio extending beyond the Local Group
Authors: Javanmardi Behnam , Kroupa Pavel
Published: January 2020

Recent observations of the fields surrounding a few Milky Way-like galaxies in the local Universe have become deep enough to enable investigations of the predictions of the standard lambda cold dark matter (ΛCDM) cosmological model down to small scales outside the Local Group (LG). Motivated by an observed correlation between the number of dwarf satellites (Nsat) and the bulge-to-total baryonic mass ratios (B/T) of the three main galaxies in the LG, i.e. the Milky Way, Andromeda, and Triangulum (M33), we use published data of three well-studied galaxies outside the LG, namely M81, Centaurus A, and M101, and their confirmed satellites, and we find a strong and significant correlation between Nsat and B/T. This presents itself in contradiction with the hitherto published results from cosmological simulations reporting an absence of a correlation between Nsat and B/T in the ΛCDM model. We conclude that, based on the current data, the Nsat versus B/T correlation is no longer a property confined to only the LG.
Diffuse radio emission in the galaxy cluster SPT-CL J2031−4037: a steep-spectrum intermediate radio halo?
Authors: Raja Ramij , Rahaman Majidul , Datta Abhirup , Burns Jack O , Intema H T , van Weeren R J , Hallman Eric J , Rapetti David , Paul Surajit
Published: January 2020

The advent of sensitive low-frequency radio observations has revealed a number of diffuse radio objects with peculiar properties that are challenging our understanding of the physics of the intracluster medium. Here, we report the discovery of a steep-spectrum radio halo surrounding the central brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) in the galaxy cluster SPT-CL J2031−4037. This cluster is morphologically disturbed yet has a weak cool core, an example of a cool-core/non-cool-core transition system, which harbours a radio halo ∼0.7 Mpc in size. The halo emission detected at 1.7 GHz is less extended compared to that in the 325 MHz observation, and the spectral index of the part of the halo visible at the 325 MHz to 1.7 GHz frequencies was found to be −1.35 ± 0.07. Also, P1.4 GHz was found to be 0.77 × 1024 W Hz−1, which falls in the region where radio mini-haloes, halo upper limits and ultra-steep-spectrum (USS) haloes are found in the P1.4 GHz–LX plane. Additionally, simulations presented in the paper provide support for the scenario of the steep spectrum. The diffuse radio emission found in this cluster may be a steep-spectrum ‘intermediate’ or ‘hybrid’ radio halo that is transitioning into a mini-halo.
An integrative approach to the systematics of theBerthella californicaspecies complex (Heterobranchia: Pleurobranchidae)
Authors: Ghanimi Hessam , Goddard Jeffrey H R , Chichvarkhin Anton , Gosliner Terrence M , Jung Dae-Wui , Valdés Ángel
Published: January 2020

Berthella californica (W. H. Dall, 1900) is a widespread species of heterobranch sea slug distributed across the North Pacific Ocean, from Korea and Japan to the Galapagos Islands. Two distinct morphotypes are observed in B. californica, which differ in external coloration, egg-mass morphology and geographic distribution (with the exception of a small range overlap in Southern California). Molecular and morphological data obtained in this study reveals that these two morphotypes constitute distinct species. The name B. californica (type locality: San Pedro, California) is retained for the southern morphotype, whereas the name Berthella chacei (J. Q. Burch, 1944) (type locality: Crescent City, California) is resurrected for the northern morphotype. Moreover, molecular phylogenetic analyses recovered B. californica as sister to Berthellina, in a well-supported clade separate from Berthella, suggesting that the classification of B. californica may need additional revision.
Gene fragmentation and RNA editing without borders: eccentric mitochondrial genomes of diplonemids
Authors: Kaur Binnypreet , Záhonová Kristína , Valach Matus , Faktorová Drahomíra , Prokopchuk Galina , Burger Gertraud , Lukeš Julius
Published: January 2020

Diplonemids are highly abundant heterotrophic marine protists. Previous studies showed that their strikingly bloated mitochondrial genome is unique because of systematic gene fragmentation and manifold RNA editing. Here we report a comparative study of mitochondrial genome architecture, gene structure and RNA editing of six recently isolated, phylogenetically diverse diplonemid species. Mitochondrial gene fragmentation and modes of RNA editing, which include cytidine-to-uridine (C-to-U) and adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) substitutions and 3′ uridine additions (U-appendage), are conserved across diplonemids. Yet as we show here, all these features have been pushed to their extremes in the Hemistasiidae lineage. For example, Namystynia karyoxenos has its genes fragmented into more than twice as many modules than other diplonemids, with modules as short as four nucleotides. Furthermore, we detected in this group multiple A-appendage and guanosine-to-adenosine (G-to-A) substitution editing events not observed before in diplonemids and found very rarely elsewhere. With >1,000 sites, C-to-U and A-to-I editing in Namystynia is nearly 10 times more frequent than in other diplonemids. The editing density of 12% in coding regions makes Namystynia’s the most extensively edited transcriptome described so far. Diplonemid mitochondrial genome architecture, gene structure and post-transcriptional processes display such high complexity that they challenge all other currently known systems.
Physical activity in chronic kidney disease and the EXerCise Introduction To Enhance trial
Authors: Mallamaci Francesca , Pisano Anna , Tripepi Giovanni
Published: January 2020

It is well known from observational studies that sedentary lifestyle and reduced physical activity are common in dialysis and chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and associate with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality in this patient population. Epidemiological studies indicate that CKD patients undergo physical activity ~9 days/month and 43.9% of dialysis patients report not exercising at all. On the basis of awareness about the strong link between sedentary lifestyle and adverse clinical outcomes, the National Kidney Foundation and Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes have provided specific recommendations for physical activity in patients with kidney disease. Given the fact that CKD is a public health problem and it is still debated which type of exercise should be prescribed in these patients, this review focuses on the most robust evidence accumulated so far on the beneficial effect of various types of physical exercise on clinical outcomes in CKD and dialysis patients. This review does not treat this very important topic in another CKD category of patients, such as kidney-transplanted patients, for whom a special issue should be dedicated.
Drinking motivations in UK serving and ex-serving military personnel
Authors: Irizar P , Leightley D , Stevelink S , Rona R , Jones N , Gouni K , Puddephatt J-A , Fear N , Wessely S , Goodwin L
Published: January 2020

Background

Drinking motivations within the UK military have not been studied despite the high prevalence of alcohol misuse in this group.

Aims

We aimed to characterize drinking motivations and their demographic, military and mental health associations in UK serving and ex-serving personnel.

Methods

Serving and ex-serving personnel reporting mental health, stress or emotional problems occurring in the last 3 years were selected from an existing cohort study. A semi-structured telephone interview survey examined participants’ mental health, help-seeking, alcohol use and drinking motivations.

Results

Exploratory factor analysis of drinking motivations in military personnel (n = 1279; response rate = 84.6%) yielded 2 factors, labelled ‘drinking to cope’ and ‘social pressure’. Higher drinking to cope motivations were associated with probable anxiety (rate ratio [RR] = 1.4; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3–1.5), depression (RR = 1.3; 95% CI = 1.2–1.4) and post-traumatic stress disorder (RR = 1.4; 95% CI = 1.3–1.6). Higher social pressure motivations were associated with probable anxiety (odds ratio = 1.1; 95% CI = 1.0–1.1). Alcohol misuse and binge drinking were associated with reporting higher drinking to cope motivations, drinking at home and drinking alone.

Conclusions

Amongst military personnel with a stress, emotional or mental health problem, those who drink to cope with mental disorder symptoms or because of social pressure, in addition to those who drink at home or drink alone, are more likely to also drink excessively.
The Legal Pluralism at the Heart of International Economic Governance
Authors: Berman Paul Schiff
Published: January 2020

When considering international economic governance, observers often focus on the lack of clear lines of demarcation regarding which rules apply. Businesses may complain about being subject to conflicting regulatory regimes; those concerned with labor rights, consumer protection, and the environment worry about regulatory evasion; and those focused on the philosophy of governance emphasize the possibility that norms regulating behavior may be unmoored from what is seen as a legitimate governing authority or polity. All of these concerns, however, rest on the assumption that for every dispute there should be one prevailing authority. This chapter questions that assumption, arguing that there is often no conceptually satisfying way to dictate a single set of legal norms to apply to a dispute and that the effort to do so often skews our focus. Instead, by embracing the pluralism at the heart of international economic governance, we can turn our attention to developing workable procedures, institutions, and discursive practices for managing multiple jurisdictional assertions by state and nonstate actors alike. We may even find that the existence of multiple ports of entry for normative assertions opens space for contestation, resistance, and creative possibility.
Disenchanting Heaven: Interfaith Debate, Sacral Kingship, and Conversion to Islam in the Mongol Empire, 1260–1335*
Authors: Brack Jonathan
Published: January 2020

Historians examine the Mongol practice of holding interfaith court debates either with regard to the efforts of religious representatives to convert the khans, or as emblematic of the Mongols’ religious pluralism. However, staging interfaith debates had other religious and political purposes as well. The debate was an arena for the religiously and ideologically charged performance of the Mongol khan’s own divine-like wisdom and model of sacral, deified kingship. From the Mongol perspective, the objectives of the debate were not only different from those of its religious participants, but the debate further represented an altogether different mode of religiosity. Situating the debate in the context of the Mongol religious world view, this article proceeds to examine it in the Mongol court in medieval Iran (the Ilkhanate) shortly after its conversion to Islam. Muslim interlocutors there identified and exploited the Mongols’ religious logic to reinforce the Mongol rulers’ conversion. They transformed the debate into a forum for experimenting with a new synthesis of Mongol and Muslim, divinized and righteous, kingship. The continuous role of the debate in the performance of sacral monarchy among the Mongols’ successors, especially the Mughals in early modern India, testifies to the enduring impact of Mongol religiosity on the Islamic world.
Transition to oral antibiotic therapy for pyelonephritis in children under 60 days of age: An observational retrospective cohort study
Authors: Lessard David-Alexandre , Huard-Girard Thelma , Tremblay Arnaud , Turcotte Jean-Francois
Published: January 2020

Objectives

To describe the use of antibiotics and assess if an early transition from intravenous to oral antibiotic therapy is generally safe in infants less than 60 days of age with a diagnosis of pyelonephritis.

Methods

This retrospective observational cohort study included hospitalized infants less than 60 days with a diagnosis of pyelonephritis based on fever or systemic symptoms and a positive urine culture between January 1, 2015 and July 30, 2017 at a Canadian paediatric tertiary care centre.

Results

A total of 108 infants were included. Forty-eight of them were under 1 month of age. The median intravenous (IV) antibiotic therapy duration was 3.5 days, with a longer duration of 4 days in infants less than 1 month of age. The total antibiotic therapy was almost equally divided between a shorter (10 days) and longer (14 days) duration. The recurrence of pyelonephritis within the 2 months following the initial urinary infection was 9 % in the group with IV antibiotic therapy duration of <4 days, compared to 11% in the group treated ≥4 days IV (P-value 0.75). There was a recurrence of pyelonephritis of 10.2% in the group treated for 10 days, compared to 11.5% of recurrence in the group treated for 14 days (P-value 1.0).

Conclusions

Our study provides limited retrospective data regarding the management of pyelonephritis in infants less than 60 days of age. Prospective research is needed to confirm those findings.
Effects of a Parent-Administered Exercise Program in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Dose Does Matter—A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Øberg Gunn Kristin , Girolami Gay L , Campbell Suzann K , Ustad Tordis , Heuch Ivar , Jacobsen Bjarne K , Kaaresen Per Ivar , Aulie Vibeke Smith , Jørgensen Lone
Published: January 2020

Background

Despite the risk of delayed motor development in infants born preterm, knowledge about interventions in the neonatal intensive care unitt (NICU) and the effects of dosing is sparse.

Objective

The objectives of this study were to examine the effectiveness of a parent-administered exercise program in the NICU on motor outcome at 3 months corrected age (CA) and the effect of dosing on motor performance.

Design

This was a randomized clinical trial.

Setting

The study was conducted at 3 university hospitals in Tromsø, Trondheim, and Oslo, Norway.

Participants

A total of 153 infants with gestational age <32 weeks at birth were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups.

Intervention

A 3-week parent-administered intervention designed to facilitate movements in preterm infants was performed in the NICU. Parents were asked to administer the intervention 10 minutes twice a day.

Measurements

Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) was used to assess short-term outcome at 3 months CA.

Results

No significant difference in the TIMP z-score was found between intervention and control groups at follow-up 3 months CA, but a significant positive relationship was found between total intervention dose and TIMP z-scores. The adjusted odds of having a clinical z-score < 0 at 3 months CA was about 6 times higher for infants with less than median intervention time than for infants with a longer intervention time.

Limitations

The number of infants born before 28 weeks was small. A spillover effect in favor of the control group was possible. We do not know if the infants received physical therapy after discharge from the hospital.

Conclusions

There was no difference in motor performance between the intervention group and the control group at 3 months CA. However, an increased intervention dose was positively associated with improved motor outcome.
Negotiating a Better Future: How Interpersonal Skills Facilitate Intergenerational Investment*
Authors: Ashraf Nava , Bau Natalie , Low Corinne , McGinn Kathleen
Published: January 2020

Using a randomized controlled trial, we study whether a negotiation skills training can improve girls’ educational outcomes in a low-resource environment. We find that a negotiation training given to eighth-grade Zambian girls significantly improved educational outcomes over the next three years, and these effects did not fade out. To better understand mechanisms, we estimate the effects of two alternative treatments. Negotiation had much stronger effects than an informational treatment, which had no effect. A treatment designed to have more traditional girls’ empowerment effects had directionally positive but insignificant educational effects. Relative to this treatment, negotiation increased enrollment in higher-quality schooling and had larger effects for high-ability girls. These findings are consistent with a model in which negotiation allows girls to resolve incomplete contracting problems with their parents, yielding increased educational investment for those who experience sufficiently high returns. We provide evidence for this channel through a lab-in-the-field game and follow-up survey with girls and their guardians.
Progenitor cell niche senescence reflects pathology of the parotid salivary gland in primary Sjögren’s syndrome
Authors: Wang Xiaoyan , Bootsma Hendrika , Terpstra Janneke , Vissink Arjan , van der Vegt Bert , Spijkervet Fred K L , Kroese Frans G M , Pringle Sarah
Published: January 2020

Objective

Salivary gland (SG) progenitor cells (SGPCs) maintain SG homeostasis. We have previously shown that in primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS), SGPCs are likely to be senescent, and may underpin SG dysfunction. This study assessed the extent of senescence of cells in a SGPC niche in pSS patients’ SGs, and its correlation with functional and clinical parameters.

Methods

The expression of p16 and p21 as markers of senescence in both total SG epithelium and a SGPC niche (basal striated duct cells, BSD) was examined in SGs of pSS (n = 35), incomplete pSS (n = 13) (patients with some signs of pSS, but not fulfilling all classification criteria) and non-SS sicca control (n = 21) patients. This was correlated with functional and clinical parameters.

Results

pSS patient SGs contained significantly more p16+ cells both in the epithelium in general (P <0.01) and in the BSD layer (P <0.001), than non-SS SGs. Significant correlations were found in pSS patients between p16+ BSD cells and secretion of unstimulated whole saliva, stimulated whole saliva, stimulated parotid saliva, CD45+ infiltrate, ultrasound total score and ACR-EULAR classification score, but not with EULAR Sjögren’s syndrome disease activity index (ESSDAI) and EULAR Sjögren’s Syndrome Patient Reported Index (ESSPRI) scores. Correlations with total epithelium p16+ cells were weaker. Incomplete pSS patients also had increased numbers of p16+ epithelial and BSD cells. Based on protein and mRNA expression, p21+ appears not to play a significant role in the SG in pSS.

Conclusion

These findings suggest SGPC senescence may be an early feature of primary Sjögren’s syndrome and may contribute to defective SG function in pSS but not to systemic disease activity.
Vaginal dryness in primary Sjögren’s syndrome: a histopathological case–control study
Authors: van Nimwegen Jolien F , van der Tuuk Karin , Liefers Silvia C , Verstappen Gwenny M , Visser Annie , Wijnsma Robin F , Vissink Arjan , Hollema Harry , Mourits Marian J E , Bootsma Hendrika , Kroese Frans G M
Published: January 2020

Objective

The aim was to study clinical, histopathological and immunological changes in the vagina and cervix of women with primary SS, which might explain vaginal dryness.

Methods

We included 10 pre-menopausal female primary SS patients with vaginal dryness and 10 pre-menopausal controls undergoing a laparoscopic procedure. The vaginal health index was recorded. Multiplex immunoassays and flow cytometry were performed on endocervical swab and cervicovaginal lavage samples to evaluate cellular and soluble immune markers. Mid-vaginal and endocervical biopsies were taken and stained for various leucocyte markers, caldesmon (smooth muscle cells), avian V-ets erythroblastosis virus E26 oncogene homologue (ERG; endothelial cells) and anti-podoplanin (lymphatic endothelium). The number of positive pixels per square micrometre was calculated.

Results

One patient was excluded because of Clamydia trachomatis, and two controls were excluded because of endometriosis observed during their laparoscopy. Vaginal health was impaired in primary SS. CD45+ cells were increased in vaginal biopsies of women with primary SS compared with controls. Infiltrates were predominantly located in the peri-epithelial region, and mostly consisted of CD3+ lymphocytes. In the endocervix, CD45+ infiltrates were present in patients and in controls, but a higher number of B lymphocytes was seen in primary SS. Vascular smooth muscle cells were decreased in the vagina of primary SS patients. No differences were found in leucocyte subsets in the vaginal and endocervical lumen. CXCL10 was increased in endocervical swab samples of primary SS patients.

Conclusion

Women with primary SS show impaired vaginal health and increased lymphocytic infiltration in the vagina compared with controls. Vaginal dryness in primary SS might be caused by vascular dysfunction, possibly induced by IFN-mediated pathways.
Does the Market Correctly Value Investment Options?*
Authors: Lyandres Evgeny , Matveyev Egor , Zhdanov Alexei
Published: January 2020

This paper shows that the stock market misprices firms’ investment options. We build a real options model of optimal investment under uncertainty to estimate the value of firms’ investment options. We show that firms with valuable investment options have a higher likelihood of being mispriced. Importantly, this mispricing is not one-sided, as such firms are equally likely to be undervalued or overvalued. Our paper adds to the debate on whether public equity markets are myopic and systematically undervalue innovative firms. We show that this is not necessarily the case.
Psychotic Experiences in Schizophrenia and Sensitivity to Sensory Evidence
Authors: Weilnhammer Veith , Röd Lukas , Eckert Anna-Lena , Stuke Heiner , Heinz Andreas , Sterzer Philipp
Published: January 2020

Perceptual inference depends on an optimal integration of current sensory evidence with prior beliefs about the environment. Alterations of this process have been related to the emergence of positive symptoms in schizophrenia. However, it has remained unclear whether delusions and hallucinations arise from an increased or decreased weighting of prior beliefs relative to sensory evidence. To investigate the relation of this prior-to-likelihood ratio to positive symptoms in schizophrenia, we devised a novel experimental paradigm which gradually manipulates perceptually ambiguous visual stimuli by disambiguating stimulus information. As a proxy for likelihood precision, we assessed the sensitivity of individual participants to sensory evidence. As a surrogate for the precision of prior beliefs in perceptual stability, we measured phase duration in ambiguity. Relative to healthy controls, patients with schizophrenia showed a stronger increment in congruent perceptual states for increasing levels of disambiguating stimulus evidence. Sensitivity to sensory evidence correlated positively with the individual patients’ severity of perceptual anomalies and hallucinations. Moreover, the severity of such experiences correlated negatively with phase duration. Our results indicate that perceptual anomalies and hallucinations are associated with a shift of perceptual inference toward sensory evidence and away from prior beliefs. This reduced prior-to-likelihood ratio in sensory processing may contribute to the phenomenon of aberrant salience, which has been suggested to give rise to the false inferences underlying psychotic experiences.
Opposing Changes in the Functional Architecture of Large-Scale Networks in Bipolar Mania and Depression
Authors: Russo Daniel , Martino Matteo , Magioncalda Paola , Inglese Matilde , Amore Mario , Northoff Georg
Published: January 2020

Objective

Manic and depressive phases of bipolar disorder (BD) show opposite symptoms in psychomotor, thought, and affective dimensions. Neuronally, these may depend on distinct patterns of alterations in the functional architecture of brain intrinsic activity. Therefore, the study aimed to characterize the spatial and temporal changes of resting-state activity in mania and depression, by investigating the regional homogeneity (ReHo) and degree of centrality (DC), in different frequency bands.

Methods

Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), voxel-wise ReHo and DC were calculated—in the standard frequency band (SFB: 0.01–0.10 Hz), as well as in Slow5 (0.01–0.027 Hz) and Slow4 (0.027–0.073 Hz)—and compared between manic (n = 36), depressed (n = 43), euthymic (n = 29) patients, and healthy controls (n = 112). Finally, clinical correlations were investigated.

Results

Mania was mainly characterized by decreased ReHo and DC in Slow4 in the medial prefrontal cortex (as part of the default-mode network [DMN]), which in turn correlated with manic symptomatology. Conversely, depression was mainly characterized by decreased ReHo in SFB in the primary sensory-motor cortex (as part of the sensorimotor network [SMN]), which in turn correlated with depressive symptomatology.

Conclusions

Our data show a functional reconfiguration of the spatiotemporal structure of intrinsic brain activity to occur in BD. Mania might be characterized by a predominance of sensorimotor over associative networks, possibly driven by a deficit of the DMN (reflecting in internal thought deficit). Conversely, depression might be characterized by a predominance of associative over sensorimotor networks, possibly driven by a deficit of the SMN (reflecting in psychomotor inhibition).
Social democracy and the relative price of investment: left governments, indirect taxation and the division of corporate income in affluent democracies
Authors: Huo Jingjing
Published: January 2020

While indirect taxes can fall on both consumption and investment spending, there has been little discussion on how governments may tax these two types of expenditure differentially. This article shows that the choice between taxing consumption and investment spending has important distributive implications for left governments as the traditional defenders of redistribution. In particular, when left governments increase taxes on investment relative to consumption expenditure, the higher price of investment relative to consumption goods drives up the labor share of corporate income, lowers corporate saving and reduces corporate net lending. Because this labor share strategy of redistribution is likely to antagonize capital, left governments tend to pursue it more intensely when corporatism has declined. I test these arguments using data across 12–14 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries from the 1970s to 2010.
Patients as Consumers in the Market for Medicine: The Halo Effect of Hospitality
Authors: Young Cristobal , Chen Xinxiang
Published: January 2020

Consumer-driven health care is often heralded as a new quality paradigm in medicine. However, patients-as-consumers face difficulties in judging the quality of their medical treatment. With a sample of 3,000 U.S. hospitals, we find that neither medical quality nor patient survival rates have much impact on patient satisfaction with their hospital. In contrast, patients are very sensitive to the “room and board” aspects of care that are highly visible. Quiet rooms have a larger impact on patient satisfaction than medical quality, and communication with nurses affects satisfaction far more than the hospital-level risk of dying. Hospitality experiences create a halo effect of patient goodwill, while medical excellence and patient safety do not. Moreover, when hospitals face greater competition from other hospitals, patient satisfaction is higher but medical quality is lower. Consumer-driven health care creates pressures for hospitals to be more like hotels. These findings lend broader insight into unintended consequences of marketization.
Support vector machine prediction of obstructive sleep apnea in a large-scale Chinese clinical sample
Authors: Huang Wen-Chi , Lee Pei-Lin , Liu Yu-Ting , Chiang Ambrose A , Lai Feipei
Published: January 2020

Study Objectives

Polysomnography is the gold standard for diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) but it is costly and access is often limited. The aim of this study is to develop a clinically useful support vector machine (SVM)-based prediction model to identify patients with high probability of OSA for nonsleep specialist physician in clinical practice.

Methods

The SVM model was developed using the features routinely collected at the clinical evaluation from 6,875 Chinese patients referred to sleep clinics for suspected OSA. Three apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) cutoffs, ≥5/h, ≥15/h, and ≥30/h were used to define the severity of OSA. The continuous and categorized features were selected separately and were further selected through stepwise forward feature selection. The modeling was achieved through fivefold cross-validation. The model discriminative ability was evaluated for the whole data set and four subgroups categorized with gender and age (<65 versus ≥65 years old [y/o]).

Results

Two features were selected to predict AHI cutoff ≥5/h with six features selected for ≥15/h, and six features selected for ≥30/h, respectively, to reach Area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (AUROC) 0.82, 0.80, and 0.78, respectively. The sensitivity was 74.14%, 75.18%, and 70.26%, while the specificity was 74.71%, 68.73%, and 70.30%, respectively. Compared to logistic regression, Berlin questionnaire, NoSAS Score, and Supersparse Linear Integer Model (SLIM) scoring system, the SVM model performs better with a more balanced sensitivity and specificity. The discriminative ability was best for male <65 y/o and modest for female ≥65 y/o.

Conclusion

Our model provides a simple and accurate modality for early identification of patients with OSA and may potentially help prioritize them for sleep study.
Genome Resource for Two Stemphylium vesicarium Isolates Causing Stemphylium Leaf Blight of Onion in New York
Authors: Sharma Sandeep , Hay Frank S. , Pethybridge Sarah J.
Published: January 2020

Stemphylium leaf blight caused by Stemphylium vesicarium was recently identified as an emerging disease and dominant in the foliar disease complex affecting onion in New York. Here, we report the genomes of two isolates of S. vesicarium, On16-63 and On16-391. The availability of the genomes will accelerate genomic studies of S. vesicarium, including population biology, sexual reproduction, and fungicide resistance. Additionally, comparative genomics with the other published genome of S. vesicarium causing brown spot of pear will help understand pathogen biology and underpin the development of management strategies for this disease.
A Recently Discovered Maize Polerovirus Causes Leaf Reddening Symptoms in Several Maize Genotypes and is Transmitted by Both the Corn Leaf Aphid (Rhopalosiphum maidis) and the Bird Cherry-Oat Aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi)
Authors: Stewart Lucy R. , Todd Jane , Willie Kristen , Massawe Deogracious , Khatri Nitika
Published: January 2020

A maize-infecting polerovirus variously named maize yellow dwarf virus RMV2 (MYDV-RMV2) and maize yellow mosaic virus (MaYMV) has been discovered and previously described in East Africa, Asia, and South America. It was identified in virus surveys in these locations instigated by outbreaks of maize lethal necrosis (MLN), known to be caused by coinfections of unrelated maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) and any of several maize-infecting potyviruses, and was often found in coinfections with MLN viruses. Although sequenced in many locations globally and named for symptoms of related or coinfecting viruses, and with an infectious clone reported that experimentally infects Nicotiana benthamiana, rudimentary biological characterization of MaYMV in maize, including insect vector(s) and symptoms in single infections, has not been reported until now. We report isolation from other viruses and leaf tip reddening symptoms in several maize genotypes, along with transmission by two aphids, Rhopalosiphum padi and Rhopalosiphum maidis. This is important information distinguishing this virus and demonstrating that in single infections it causes symptoms distinct from those of potyviruses or MCMV in maize, and identification of vectors provides an important framework for determination of potential disease impact and management.
Impact of Prenatal Exposure to Opioids, Cocaine, and Cannabis on Eye Disorders in Children
Authors: Auger Nathalie , Rhéaume Marc-André , Low Nancy , Lee Ga Eun , Ayoub Aimina , Luu Thuy Mai
Published: January 2020

Objectives:

Prenatal substance exposure is associated with abnormal visual evoked potentials in offspring, but whether ocular abnormalities are present past infancy is unclear. We determined the association between prenatal substance exposure and hospitalizations for eye disorders in childhood.

Methods:

We conducted a longitudinal cohort study of 794,099 infants born between 2006 and 2016 in all hospital centers in Quebec, Canada. We identified infants prenatally exposed to opioids, cocaine, cannabis, and other illicit substances and followed them over time to assess eye disorders that required in-hospital treatment, including retinal detachment and breaks, strabismus, and other ocular pathologies. We calculated incidence rates and hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association of prenatal substance exposure with risk of eye disorders, adjusted for patient characteristics.

Results:

Infants exposed to substances prenatally had a higher incidence of hospitalizations for eye disorders compared with unexposed infants (47.0 vs 32.0 per 10,000 person-years). Prenatal substance exposure was associated with 1.23 times the risk of hospital admission for any eye disorder during childhood compared with no exposure (95% CI 1.04–1.45). Risks were greatest for strabismus (HR 1.55, 95% CI 1.16–2.07) and binocular movement disorders (HR 1.96, 95% CI 1.00–3.83). Opioid use was strongly associated with the risk of ocular muscle disorders (HR 3.15, 95% CI 1.98–5.01).

Conclusions:

Prenatal substance exposure is significantly associated with future hospitalizations for eye disorders in childhood. Efforts to minimize substance use in women of reproductive age are needed in light of the current opioid epidemic.
Modern Results of Functional Bracing of Humeral Shaft Fractures: A Multicenter Retrospective Analysis
Authors: Serrano Rafael , Mir Hassan R. , Sagi Henry C. , Horwitz Daniel S. , Ketz John P. , Kistler Brian J. , Quade Jonathan H. , Beebe Michael J. , Au Brigham K. , Sanders Roy W. , Shah Anjan R.
Published: January 2020

Objectives:

To evaluate the rate of, and reasons for, conversion of closed treatment of humeral shaft fractures using a fracture brace, to surgical intervention.

Design:

Multicenter, retrospective analysis.

Setting:

Nine Level 1 trauma centers across the United States.

Patients:

A total of 1182 patients with a closed humeral shaft fracture initially managed nonoperatively with a functional brace from 2005 to 2015 were reviewed retrospectively from 9 institutions.

Intervention:

Functional brace.

Main outcome measurements:

Conversion to surgery.

Results:

A total of 344 fractures (29%) ultimately underwent surgical intervention. Reasons for conversion included nonunion (60%), malalignment beyond acceptable parameters (24%), inability to tolerate functional bracing (12%), and persistent signs of radial nerve palsy requiring exploration (3.7%). Univariate comparisons showed that females and whites were significantly (P < 0.05) more likely to be converted to surgery. The multivariate logistic regression identified females as being 1.7 times more likely and alcoholics to be 1.4 times more likely to be converted to surgery (P < 0.05). Proximal shaft as well as comminuted, segmental, and butterfly fractures were also linked to a higher rate of conversion.

Conclusions:

This large multicenter study identified a 29% surgical conversion rate, with nonunion as the most common reason for surgical intervention after the failure of functional brace. These results are markedly different than previously reported. These results may be helpful in the future when counseling patients on the choice between functional bracing and surgical intervention in managing humeral shaft fractures.

Level of Evidence:

Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Laparoscopic technique: intervention for peritoneal dialysis-related diseases
Authors: Ni Zhong-Kai , Lin Da , Wang Zi-Qiang , Jin Hai-Min , Li Xiao-Wen , Li Ye , Huang Hai
Published: January 2020

We explored minimally invasive laparoscopic treatment for early-stage complications of peritoneal dialysis. Between January 2013 and September 2018, 817 patients were treated with peritoneal dialysis in our inpatient department. We included 40 patients who were hospitalized between January 2013 and September 2018 after failed conservative treatment of peritoneal dialysis complications. Laparoscopic extubation and laparoscopic greater omentum suspension were performed in 26 and 14 cases, respectively. Data of patients who needed extubation of abdominal cavity infection were reviewed. Postoperative peritoneal dialysis duration was 78.5±51.1 weeks, abdominal infection duration was 4.8±6.2 days, and the recurrence rate was 0%. A retrospective review of patients with blocked peritoneal dialysis catheter and the need for surgical treatment revealed: mean preoperative peritoneal dialysis duration, 36.9±110.8 days; catheter closure time, 4.8±3.8 days; and recurrence rate, 7.1%. Early intervention for peritoneal dialysis-related complications by laparoscopy is safer and results in less trauma, few complications, and low recurrence rates.
Atrial fibrillation and the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality in the Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial
Authors: Antikainen Riitta L. , Peters Ruth , Beckett Nigel S. , Rajkumar Chakravarthi , Bulpitt Christopher J.
Published: January 2020

Objective:

To assess the prognostic value of electrocardiographic atrial fibrillation in older hypertensive people in the randomized, placebo-controlled Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial.

Methods:

Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial randomized 3845 hypertensive people aged 80 years and over, 3273 with electrographic data on the presence or absence of atrial fibrillation at baseline and without established cardiovascular disease. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for all-cause mortality, incident fatal and nonfatal major cardiovascular events, all-stroke and all-heart failure. The mean follow-up time was 2.1 years.

Results:

Baseline prevalence of atrial fibrillation was 5.8%. Compared with people without atrial fibrillation at baseline, after adjustments the presence of atrial fibrillation was associated with increased risk of mortality (hazard ratio = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.80–3.44, P < 0.001), of nonfatal and fatal cardiovascular events (hazard ratio = 2.47, 95% CI = 1.71–3.55, P < 0.001), all-stroke (hazard ratio = 2.47, 95% CI = 1.34–4.56, P = 0.004) and all-heart failure (hazard ratio 2.33, 95% CI = 1.10–4.93, P = 0.027).

Conclusion:

Atrial fibrillation is an important risk factor to consider when assessing older hypertensive adults as it is associated with increased risk of mortality, nonfatal and fatal cardiovascular events, stroke and heart failure.
RETINAL LEAKAGE INDEX DYNAMICS ON ULTRA-WIDEFIELD FLUORESCEIN ANGIOGRAPHY IN EYES TREATED WITH INTRAVITREAL AFLIBERCEPT FOR PROLIFERATIVE DIABETIC RETINOPATHY IN THE RECOVERY STUDY
Authors: Babiuch Amy S. , Wykoff Charles C. , Srivastava Sunil K. , Talcott Katherine , Zhou Brenda , Hach Jenna , Hu Ming , Reese Jamie L. , Ehlers Justis P.
Published: January 2020

Purpose:

Characterization of leakage indices on ultra-widefield fluorescein angiography in proliferative diabetic retinopathy treated with intravitreal aflibercept.

Methods:

Prospective study enrolling subjects for treatment of proliferative diabetic retinopathy randomized 1:1 to receive 2-mg intravitreal aflibercept every 4 weeks (2q4) or every 12 weeks (2q12). Ultra-widefield fluorescein angiography images obtained at baseline, 24, and 48 weeks were analyzed using a semiautomated leakage segmentation platform. Panretinal and zonal leakage indices were calculated.

Results:

Forty eyes of 40 subjects were included, and mean age was 48 ± 12.1 years. Mean number of injections was 11 ± 1.7 in the 2q4 arm and 4 ± 0.4 in the 2q12 arm. Median baseline leakage index in the 2q4 and 2q12 groups was 5.1% and 4.3%, respectively (P = 0.28). At 24 and 48 weeks, the 2q4 group significantly improved to 1.1% (−79%, P < 0.0001). At Week 24, the 2q12 group demonstrated nonsignificant improvement (3.4%; −21%, P = 0.47); by Week 48, improvement was significant (1.4%; −68%, P = 0.02). The 2q4 group resulted in lower leakage index compared with the 2q12 group at 24 weeks (1.1% vs. 3.4%, respectively; P = 0.008), but by 48 weeks, leakage index was similar between both groups (1.1% vs. 1.4%, respectively; P = 0.34).

Conclusion:

Proliferative diabetic retinopathy treated with intravitreal aflibercept demonstrated significant leakage index reductions at 1 year. Monthly dosing provided more rapid reduction in leakage index compared with quarterly dosing.

Trial Registration:

RECOVERY study (NCT02863354); https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02863354.