bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Archaeology of the Senses
Authors: Day Jo
Published: February 2021

The influence of the “sensory turn” in the social sciences was first manifested in archaeology in the late 1990s and since then has permeated regional, chronological, and material specializations. Two interlinked themes underpin sensory archaeology: firstly, a recognition of a historically constructed ocularcentrism in how archaeological research has been planned, conducted, and presented; secondly, a realization that the senses are not just physiological but culturally created, and therefore every culture will have a different sensorium that establishes, reflects, and reinforces social practice (although this can be subverted by individuals or groups). Early efforts to counter the primacy of vision highlighted different sensory modalities, such as touch or hearing (less often olfaction and taste), and discussed more ephemeral aspects of visual analysis like shimmer and color symbolism. These studies explored a range of archaeological material, including monuments, artifacts, and significant elements in the landscape such as rock art. More recent work shies away from singling out any one sense and focuses on full-bodied, multisensory encounters—as happens in reality where the senses operate in tandem. This approach is a professed aim of phenomenological archaeology, adopted especially in studies of the landscapes of prehistoric northwestern Europe, although it has been much critiqued for being overly subjective and predominantly visual. Fully accessing the sensorium of any past culture is impossible, but if written sources can be used in tandem with archaeology, a more detailed picture can be painted—this has been the case with Roman, Mesoamerican, and Near Eastern archaeology in particular. Overall, the aim is to explore sensory relations for new insights into issues such as memory, feasting, social hierarchy, and ritual. To what extent this multisensory awareness can be practiced across the chain of archaeological knowledge production is much debated. Whether individual sensory experiences of excavation and finds analysis in the present are relevant for interpreting the past can be queried, but “doing” a more sensory archaeology must involve some element of reflection. Experiments with sensual narratives, audio recordings, collaborations with contemporary artists, and augmented reality (AR) explore dissemination beyond the traditional text and image. Museums have embedded multisensory elements within exhibitions and collections management, both to further engage the public and at a curatorial level to create more inclusive object biographies. Rather than requiring archaeologists to embrace a paradigm shift, as some have called for, sensory archaeology is one more element in the toolkit that enriches our understanding of past lives.
Federal Indian Law
Authors: Killsback Leo
Published: February 2021

Federal Indian law (FIL), also known as American Indian law, is the body of doctrine that regulates the political relationship between American Indian and Alaska Native governments and the federal government. FIL is best understood as the development of this “government-to-government” relationship, which intersects with other bodies of law like constitutional law, criminal law, and environmental law. FIL is comprised of legal doctrines, statutes, judicial decisions, treaties, and executive orders, all of which have direct influences on the rights and sovereignty of Indian tribes. In the United States there are 573 federally recognized tribes that are subject to the rights and privileges, as well as the consequences, of FIL. These federally recognized tribes are the third sovereign authority in the United States—the other two are states and the federal government—that retain inherent rights and that exercise and enjoy sovereignty and self-governance on their own lands. The historical development of FIL in the United States constitutes an important starting point in understanding the special relationship between Indian tribes and the federal government. The origins of FIL lay in three US Supreme Court cases known as the “Marshall trilogy,” after Chief Justice John Marshall, the presiding chief justice of Johnson v. McIntosh (1823), Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831), and Worcester v. Georgia (1832). At that time, the primary questions centered on the sovereign rights of Indian tribes, that is, whether Indians have dominion over themselves and their lands. Throughout the development of FIL, until today, questions of Indian tribal sovereignty—or Indigenous nation sovereignty—remained contentious as Indians continued to fight for treaty rights, autonomy, and self-determination. FIL can be described as a series of wins and losses for American Indians in their fight for sovereign rights. In the end, however, the study of FIL is equally the study of how the United States was able to legally subjugate America’s indigenous peoples and acquire their lands. FIL is basically the study of America’s justification for Native America’s colonization and the genocide perpetrated against American Indians. The literature on FIL or American Indian law is vast, but the most valuable resources are authored by and for attorneys and for students of law. Although the disciplines of Native American and Indigenous studies encompass facets of American Indian and Indigenous peoples’ lives, scholarship in FIL has proven to be beneficial. The resources cited in this article represent some of the widely used texts that provide a solid foundation for studies in FIL.
Dominion Armies in World War II
Authors: Delaney Douglas E.
Published: February 2021

In September 1939, a committee of the British War Cabinet estimated that the dominions of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa could raise fourteen divisions of the fifty-five-division field force it hoped the British Commonwealth would assemble for the war against Germany and the other Axis powers. The British got what they were looking for, and then some. The Canadians raised three infantry divisions, two armored divisions, and two independent armored brigades. They also raised another three divisions for home defense, one of which was designated for the invasion of Japan when the war in the Far East ended in August 1945. The Australians generated four infantry divisions and one armored division for the 2nd Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF), plus another two armored cavalry divisions and eight infantry divisions (not all of which were fully manned) for the militia and home defense. Two of those militia infantry divisions fought in the New Guinea campaign. The 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2 NZEF) comprised one infantry division (later converted to an armored division), which fought in the Mediterranean, and a two-brigade infantry division that deployed to the Pacific theater, where it worked under American command until its disbandment in October 1944. The South Africans raised two expeditionary infantry divisions, one of which fought in East Africa and the Western Desert until converted to an armored division and deployed to Italy in 1943. The other division fought in the Western Desert from mid-1941 until its capture at Tobruk in June 1942. The first serious studies of the dominion armies in World War II were the official histories, commissioned by the respective governments to record what their soldiers had done and accomplished. The works remain solid records of what happened, and, cost and profit being less of a concern for government publication projects than they are for independent presses, the official histories are almost invariably better illustrated with clear maps and well-chosen photographs than the histories that followed. A generation of dominion historians since the 1970s has continued to explore their nations’ wartime histories, challenge long-held assumptions, and fill in historical gaps left by the official histories, most along purely national lines. Combined with the official histories, these new national histories have formed a solid foundation for a growing number of transnational examinations of the British Commonwealth armies since the mid-2000s.
Virtual Reality
Authors: Ross Miriam
Published: February 2021

The early 20th century saw the coalescence of several representation technologies: moving-image photography, audio recording, stereoscopy, and color imaging. Many technologists, particularly filmmakers, imagined these technologies would one day provide an exact replica of the world as we experience it. This possibility was articulated in Henry Weinbaum’s 1932 short story Pygmalion’s Spectacles that accurately predicted later virtual reality (VR) headsets through his description of goggles that transport the user to another world. A few decades later, in the 1960s, Ivan Sutherland and Morton Heilig produced working head-mounted displays that immersed users in, albeit primitive, computer-generated environments. Experiments in the following decades provided numerous industrial applications from medical imaging and military training to flight simulation and automobile design. At the same time, this technology became more widely known in the public imagination through cyberpunk novels such as Neuromancer (1980) and feature films such as The Lawnmower Man (1992). Although VR was most closely associated with immersive headsets, other hardware such as CAVE displays produced VR environments. In 1987 John Larnier popularized the term “virtual reality” to best describe both the emerging hardware and wider assumptions around virtual world building. Widespread press and academic publications appeared throughout the late 1980s and 1990s as interest in this area grew. However, the 1980s/1990s VR boom never reached full public acceptance and experiments with this technology remained peripheral throughout the first decade and a half of the 21st century. This changed in 2016 when a range of consumer-ready headsets came to market, and new applications for VR as well as industrial and consumer markets sprung up. For the first time, 360-degree film and video became commonly available for consumer headsets and were categorized as a VR application. Since then, there has been renewed academic attention, leading to a range of publications that address current VR systems as well as their past manifestations and future possibilities. VR has such far-reaching applications that it is difficult to condense the wide variety of scholarship connected to this technology. Indeed, the study and application of VR systems crosses many subject disciplines, with VR emerging as a subdiscipline in numerous subjects such as computer engineering, creative and performing arts, architecture, cultural studies, and design. Nonetheless, certain themes have been repeated such as VR’s ability to transport users to different worlds and its interaction with other media formats. The focus here is not on the numerous technical articles and papers related to the particularities of VR hardware and software but rather the books, chapters, and articles that describe and interrogate the holistic function of VR, how VR has shifted over recent decades, and the social-cultural and philosophical debates that surround this technology.
Employee Ownership
Authors: Shipper Frank , Blasi Joseph
Published: February 2021

Narrowly defined, Employee Ownership (EO) is a mechanism for employees to have a financial stake in the enterprise. It can take many forms, including Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), worker-owned cooperatives, perpetual trusts, profit sharing, Employee Stock Option Plans, gain sharing, Employee Stock Purchase Plans (ESPPs), grants of restricted stock units (RSUs) and performance-based equity shares, phantom stock, and mutual companies. As this practice has developed, the term has come to mean both financial and psychological engagement in the enterprise. Contrary to the academic ideal of theory leading to practice, theories regarding EO have been derived often from practice. Early studies that looked at only financial engagement produced mixed results relative to organizational performance. More recent studies that have studied simultaneously the impact of financial and psychological engagement have provided strong evidence that collectively there is a significant impact between them and organizational performance. EO with a high psychological engagement has also been referred to as shared capitalism, shared entrepreneurship, and democratic capitalism. Regardless of the terminology when done well, they have produced positive results for the organization, employee-owners, and society. One reviewer of a book on EO compared it to a Swiss Army knife because the authors claimed that it could increase worker productivity and commitment, reduce income and wealth inequality, and improve firm performance, sustainability, and employment stability. EO in practice is not always capable of perfectly achieving its goals, and many of the practitioners talk about it being a journey. Academics working on understanding EO and how, when, and where it works may be able to help practitioners achieve these results and more by suggesting the conditions and contingencies under which it works or does not work to achieve firm-level, employee-level, and society-level outcomes. Before proceeding, one thing that may distinguish this bibliography from some of the others in this collection is the number of practitioner sources. EO predates the formalization of management as an area of academic interest. Even after the establishment of management as an area of academic interest, EO appears to have developed more from the practice of business than from academic theory. When practitioners do acknowledge academic theory as a source of guidance, they tend to blend multiple theories rather than a single overarching theory of EO.
Exploring Responses to the Collapse of Devolution in Northern Ireland 2017–2020 through the Lens of Multi-Level Governance
Authors: Heenan Deirdre , Birrell Derek
Published: February 2021

The system of devolution set up in Northern Ireland in 1999 has proved volatile and unstable. In 2017, the Northern Ireland Executive collapsed, following the resignation of the Sinn Féin, deputy First Minister. For a three-year period, Executive and legislative devolution ceased to operate. The UK Government opted not to impose Direct Rule from Westminster, as happened previously. This article examines the consequences of the absence of a devolved government in the context of the existing system of multi-level governance (MLG). It is contended that mitigating action taken or considered to address the gap in governance can be best understood using an analytical framework drawn from the lens of MLG. A range of interventions, adjustments and interactions occurred involving the remaining levels of MLG. Despite the fall of the Executive and Assembly an amended form of governance continued to function in Northern Ireland.
Whatever Happened to the Progressive Case for the Union? How Scottish Labour’s Failure to Subsume a Clearly Left of Centre Identity with a Pro-Union One Helps to Explain Its Decline
Authors: Wright Kieran
Published: February 2021

This article presents an original account of the tactical options available to political parties in multi-level settings. It applies that framework to the case of post-devolution Scotland via an analysis of First Minister’s Questions sessions in the Scottish Parliament. It shows how Scottish Labour adopted a less left-leaning justification for its stance on the constitutional issue in the years after the party lost power at Holyrood to the Scottish National Party. Consequently, the party failed to present itself as a clearly left of centre alternative to the SNP and downplayed the progressive case for Scotland remaining in the UK.
The C18O core mass function toward Orion A: Single-dish observations
Authors: Takemura Hideaki , Nakamura Fumitaka , Ishii Shun , Shimajiri Yoshito , Sanhueza Patricio , Tsukagoshi Takashi , Kawabe Ryohei , Hirota Tomoya , Kataoka Akimasa
Published: February 2021

We have performed an unbiased dense core survey toward the Orion A Giant Molecular Cloud in the C18O (J = 1–0) emission line taken with the Nobeyama Radio Observatory (NRO) 45 m telescope. The effective angular resolution of the map is 26″, which corresponds to ∼0.05 pc at a distance of 414 pc. By using the Herschel–Planck H2 column density map, we calculate the C18O fractional abundance and find that it is roughly constant over the column density range of ≲5 × 1022 cm−3, although a trend of C18O depletion is determined toward higher column density. Therefore, C18O intensity can follow the cloud structure reasonably well. The mean C18O abundance in Orion A is estimated to be 5.7 × 10−7, which is about three times larger than the fiducial value. We identified 746 C18O cores with astrodendro and classified 709 cores as starless cores. We compute the core masses by decomposing the Herschel–Planck dust column density using the relative proportions of the C18O integrated intensities of line-of-sight components. Applying this procedure, we attempt to remove the contribution of the background emission, i.e., the ambient gas outside the cores. Then, we derived mass function for starless cores and found that it resembles the stellar initial mass function (IMF). The CMF for starless cores, dN/dM, is fitted with a power-law relation of Mα with a power index of α = −2.25 ± 0.16 at the high-mass slope (≳0.44 M⊙). We also found that the ratio of each core mass to the total mass integrated along the line of sight is significantly large. Therefore, in the previous studies, the core masses derived from the dust image are likely to be overestimated by at least a factor of a few. Accordingly, such previous studies may underestimate the star formation efficiency of individual cores.
Resolving diurnal dynamics of the chloroplastic glutathione redox state in Arabidopsis reveals its photosynthetically derived oxidation
Authors: Haber Zechariah , Lampl Nardy , Meyer Andreas J , Zelinger Einat , Hipsch Matanel , Rosenwasser Shilo
Published: February 2021

Plants are subjected to fluctuations in light intensity, and this might cause unbalanced photosynthetic electron fluxes and overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Electrons needed for ROS detoxification are drawn, at least partially, from the cellular glutathione (GSH) pool via the ascorbate–glutathione cycle. Here, we explore the dynamics of the chloroplastic glutathione redox potential (chl-EGSH) using high-temporal-resolution monitoring of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) lines expressing the reduction–oxidation sensitive green fluorescent protein 2 (roGFP2) in chloroplasts. This was carried out over several days under dynamic environmental conditions and in correlation with PSII operating efficiency. Peaks in chl-EGSH oxidation during dark-to-light and light-to-dark transitions were observed. Increasing light intensities triggered a binary oxidation response, with a threshold around the light saturating point, suggesting two regulated oxidative states of the chl-EGSH. These patterns were not affected in npq1 plants, which are impaired in non-photochemical quenching. Oscillations between the two oxidation states were observed under fluctuating light in WT and npq1 plants, but not in pgr5 plants, suggesting a role for PSI photoinhibition in regulating the chl-EGSH dynamics. Remarkably, pgr5 plants showed an increase in chl-EGSH oxidation during the nights following light stresses, linking daytime photoinhibition and nighttime GSH metabolism. This work provides a systematic view of the dynamics of the in vivo chloroplastic glutathione redox state during varying light conditions.
Tailoring photomorphogenic markers to organ growth dynamics
Authors: Martín Guiomar , Duque Paula
Published: February 2021

When a dark-germinated seedling reaches the soil surface and perceives sunlight for the first time, light signaling is activated to adapt the plant’s development and transition to autotrophism. During this process, functional chloroplasts assemble in the cotyledons and the seedling’s cell expansion pattern is rearranged to enhance light perception. Hypocotyl cells expand rapidly in the dark, while cotyledon cell expansion is suppressed. However, light reverses this pattern by activating cell expansion in cotyledons and repressing it in hypocotyls. The fact that light-regulated developmental responses, as well as the transcriptional mechanisms controlling them, are organ-specific has been largely overlooked in previous studies of seedling de-etiolation. To analyze the expansion pattern of the hypocotyl and cotyledons separately in a given Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seedling, we define an organ ratio, the morphogenic index (MI), which integrates either phenotypic or transcriptomic data for each tissue and provides an important resource for functional analyses. Moreover, based on this index, we identified organ-specific molecular markers to independently quantify cotyledon and hypocotyl growth dynamics in whole-seedling samples. The combination of these marker genes with those of other developmental processes occurring during de-etiolation will allow improved molecular dissection of photomorphogenesis. Along with organ growth markers, this MI contributes a key toolset to unveil and accurately characterize the molecular mechanisms controlling seedling growth.
Ozone responses in Arabidopsis: beyond stomatal conductance
Authors: Morales Luis O , Shapiguzov Alexey , Safronov Omid , Leppälä Johanna , Vaahtera Lauri , Yarmolinsky Dmitry , Kollist Hannes , Brosché Mikael
Published: February 2021

Tropospheric ozone (O3) is a major air pollutant that decreases yield of important crops worldwide. Despite long-lasting research of its negative effects on plants, there are many gaps in our knowledge on how plants respond to O3. In this study, we used natural variation in the model plant Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) to characterize molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying O3 sensitivity. A key parameter in models for O3 damage is stomatal uptake. Here we show that the extent of O3 damage in the sensitive Arabidopsis accession Shahdara (Sha) does not correspond with O3 uptake, pointing toward stomata-independent mechanisms for the development of O3 damage. We compared tolerant (Col-0) versus sensitive accessions (Sha, Cvi-0) in assays related to photosynthesis, cell death, antioxidants, and transcriptional regulation. Acute O3 exposure increased cell death, development of lesions in the leaves, and decreased photosynthesis in sensitive accessions. In both Sha and Cvi-0, O3-induced lesions were associated with decreased maximal chlorophyll fluorescence and low quantum yield of electron transfer from Photosystem II to plastoquinone. However, O3-induced repression of photosynthesis in these two O3-sensitive accessions developed in different ways. We demonstrate that O3 sensitivity in Arabidopsis is influenced by genetic diversity given that Sha and Cvi-0 developed accession-specific transcriptional responses to O3. Our findings advance the understanding of plant responses to O3 and set a framework for future studies to characterize molecular and physiological mechanisms allowing plants to respond to high O3 levels in the atmosphere as a result of high air pollution and climate change.
Subunit E isoform 1 of vacuolar H+-ATPase OsVHA enables post-Golgi trafficking of rice seed storage proteins
Authors: Zhu Jianping , Ren Yulong , Zhang Yuanyan , Yang Jie , Duan Erchao , Wang Yunlong , Liu Feng , Wu Mingming , Pan Tian , Wang Yongfei , Hu Tingting , Hao Yuanyuan , Teng Xuan , Zhu Xiaopin , Lei Jie , Jing Ruonan , Yu Yanfang , Sun Yinglun , Bao Xiuhao , Bao Yiqun , Wang Yihua , Wan Jianmin
Published: February 2021

Dense vesicles (DVs) are Golgi-derived plant-specific carriers that mediate post-Golgi transport of seed storage proteins in angiosperms. How this process is regulated remains elusive. Here, we report a rice (Oryza sativa) mutant, named glutelin precursor accumulation8 (gpa8) that abnormally accumulates 57-kDa proglutelins in the mature endosperm. Cytological analyses of the gpa8 mutant revealed that proglutelin-containing DVs were mistargeted to the apoplast forming electron-dense aggregates and paramural bodies in developing endosperm cells. Differing from previously reported gpa mutants with post-Golgi trafficking defects, the gpa8 mutant showed bent Golgi bodies, defective trans-Golgi network (TGN), and enlarged DVs, suggesting a specific role of GPA8 in DV biogenesis. We demonstrated that GPA8 encodes a subunit E isoform 1 of vacuolar H+-ATPase (OsVHA-E1) that mainly localizes to TGN and the tonoplast. Further analysis revealed that the luminal pH of the TGN and vacuole is dramatically increased in the gpa8 mutant. Moreover, the colocalization of GPA1 and GPA3 with TGN marker protein in gpa8 protoplasts was obviously decreased. Our data indicated that OsVHA-E1 is involved in endomembrane luminal pH homeostasis, as well as maintenance of Golgi morphology and TGN required for DV biogenesis and subsequent protein trafficking in rice endosperm cells.
Mitochondrial redox systems as central hubs in plant metabolism and signaling
Authors: Van Aken Olivier
Published: February 2021

Plant mitochondria are indispensable for plant metabolism and are tightly integrated into cellular homeostasis. This review provides an update on the latest research concerning the organization and operation of plant mitochondrial redox systems, and how they affect cellular metabolism and signaling, plant development, and stress responses. New insights into the organization and operation of mitochondrial energy systems such as the tricarboxylic acid cycle and mitochondrial electron transport chain (mtETC) are discussed. The mtETC produces reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, which can act as signals or lead to cellular damage, and are thus efficiently removed by mitochondrial antioxidant systems, including Mn-superoxide dismutase, ascorbate–glutathione cycle, and thioredoxin-dependent peroxidases. Plant mitochondria are tightly connected with photosynthesis, photorespiration, and cytosolic metabolism, thereby providing redox-balancing. Mitochondrial proteins are targets of extensive post-translational modifications, but their functional significance and how they are added or removed remains unclear. To operate in sync with the whole cell, mitochondria can communicate their functional status via mitochondrial retrograde signaling to change nuclear gene expression, and several recent breakthroughs here are discussed. At a whole organism level, plant mitochondria thus play crucial roles from the first minutes after seed imbibition, supporting meristem activity, growth, and fertility, until senescence of darkened and aged tissue. Finally, plant mitochondria are tightly integrated with cellular and organismal responses to environmental challenges such as drought, salinity, heat, and submergence, but also threats posed by pathogens. Both the major recent advances and outstanding questions are reviewed, which may help future research efforts on plant mitochondria.
Well-Posedness and Stability of a Generalized Micropolar Thermoelastic Body With Infinite Memory
Authors: Guesmia A , MuÑoz Rivera J E , Sepúlveda CortÉs M A , Vera VillagrÁn O
Published: February 2021

We study in this paper the well-posedness and stability of a linear system of a thermoelastic Cosserat medium with infinite memory, where the Cosserat medium is a continuum in which each point has the degrees of freedom of a rigid body.
Targeting Xenobiotic Nuclear Receptors PXR and CAR to Prevent Cobicistat Hepatotoxicity
Authors: Shehu Amina I , Zhu Junjie , Li Jianhua , Lu Jie , McMahon Deborah , Xie Wen , Gonzalez Frank J , Ma Xiaochao
Published: February 2021

Liver-related diseases including drug-induced liver injury are becoming increasingly prominent in AIDS patients. Cobicistat (COBI) is the backbone of multiple regimens for antiretroviral therapy. The current work investigated the mechanisms of adverse drug-drug interactions associated with COBI that lead to liver damage. For individuals co-infected with HIV and tuberculosis (TB), the World Health Organization recommends the initiation of TB treatment followed by antiretroviral therapy. Rifampicin (RIF), a first line anti-TB drug, is a human specific activator of pregnane X receptor (PXR). Using PXR-humanized mice, we found that RIF-mediated PXR activation potentiates COBI hepatotoxicity. In contrast, rifabutin, a PXR-neutral analog of RIF, has no impact on COBI hepatotoxicity. Because of the crosstalk between PXR and the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), the role of CAR in COBI hepatotoxicity was also investigated. Similar to PXR, ligand-dependent activation of CAR also potentiates COBI hepatotoxicity. Our further studies illustrated that PXR and CAR modulate COBI hepatotoxicity through the CYP3A4-dependent pathways. In summary, the current work determined PXR and CAR as key modulators of COBI hepatotoxicity. Given the fact that many prescription drugs and herbal supplements can activate PXR and CAR, these two receptors should be considered as targets to prevent COBI hepatotoxicity in the clinic.
Phylogeography and evolutionary history of hepatitis E virus genotype 3 in Argentina
Authors: Pisano María B , Culasso Andrés C A , Altabert Nancy , Martínez Wassaf Maribel G , Nates Silvia V , González Jorge , Contigiani Marta S , Campos Rodolfo , Ré Viviana E
Published: February 2021

Background

Few studies about the evolutionary history of the hepatitis E virus (HEV) have been conducted. The aim of our work was to investigate and make inferences about the origin and routes of dispersion of HEV-3 in Argentina.

Methods

Phylogenetic, coalescent and phylogeographic analyses were performed using a 322-bp ORF2 genomic fragment of all HEV-3 sequences with known date and place of isolation published at GenBank until May 2018 (n=926), including 16 Argentinian sequences (isolated from pigs, water and humans).

Results

Phylogenetic analysis revealed two clades within HEV-3: abchij and efg. All Argentinian samples were grouped intermingled within clade 3abchij. The coalescent analysis showed that the most recent common ancestor for the clade 3abchij would have existed around the year 1967 (95% highest posterior density (HPD): 1963–1970). The estimated substitution rate was 1.01×10−2 (95%HPD: 9.3×10ˉ3–1.09×10ˉ2) substitutions/site/y, comparable with the rate previously described. The phylogeographic approach revealed a correspondence between phylogeny and place of origin for Argentinian samples, suggesting many HEV introductions in the country, probably from Europe and Japan.

Conclusions

This is the first evolutionary inference of HEV-3 that includes Argentinian strains, showing the circulation of many HEV-3 subtypes, obtained from different sources and places, with recent diversification processes.

Accession numbers

[KX812460], [KX812461], [KX812462], [KX812465], [KX812466], [KX812467], [KX812468], [KX812469].
Resource Passageways and Caravans: A Multi-level, Multi-disciplinary Review of the Antecedents of Resources over the Lifespan
Authors: Sarandopoulos Lee , Bordia Prashant
Published: February 2021

Resources are vital for older worker effectiveness and well-being, yet limited attention has been paid to the antecedents of resources. Drawing together the rich cross-disciplinary literature on resources, and through the lens of cumulative disadvantage and resource passageways, we review the individual, organizational, and institutional factors that influence the resources available to people in late working life. The review provides a more nuanced perspective on older workers as agentic actors. We highlight how agency can be constrained via a person’s resources, which are shaped by structural influences. Knowledge of structural influences on resources is important for understanding the experiences of older workers and their continued effectiveness in the work domain. We outline avenues for future research on resources and aging at work that incorporates these multi-level influences.
Resistance in Maize (Zea mays) to Isolates of Puccinia sorghi from Eastern Australia
Authors: Quade Aurelie , Ash Gavin J. , Park Robert F. , Stodart Benjamin
Published: February 2021

The causal agent of maize common rust (CR), Puccinia sorghi, has increased in incidence and severity in Australia in recent years, prompting the assessment of sources of resistance and a preliminary survey of the diversity of P. sorghi populations. The maize commercial hybrids tested carried no resistance to 14 isolates of P. sorghi and had infection types comparable with that of a susceptible check. The resistance gene Rp1_D that remained effective in the United States for 35 years was ineffective against 7 of the 14 isolates. Maize lines carrying known “resistance to Puccinia” (Rp) genes were inoculated with the five isolates considered most diverse based on year of collection (2018 or 2019), location (Queensland or Victoria), and host from which they were isolated (maize or sweet corn). Lines carrying the resistance genes RpG, Rp5, Rp1_E, Rp1_I, Rp1_L, RpGDJ, RpGJF, and Rp5GCJ were resistant to all five isolates and to isolates collected in many agroecological regions. These lines were recommended as donors of effective resistance for maize breeding programs in Australia. Lines carrying no known resistance or resistance genes Rp8_A, Rp8_B, Rp1_J, Rp1_M, Rp7, and Rpp9 (conferring resistance to P. polysora) were susceptible to all five isolates. Differential lines carrying resistance genes Rp1_B, Rp1_C, Rp1_D, Rp1_F, Rp1_K, Rp3_D, or Rp4_A were either resistant or susceptible depending upon the isolate used, showing that the isolates varied in virulence for these genes. Urediniospore production was reduced on adult compared with juvenile plants, presumably due to changes in plant physiology associated with age or the presence of adult plant resistance.
Impact of prior preterm or term small for gestational age birth on maternal blood pressure during the menopause transition in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation
Authors: Cortés Yamnia I. , Brooks Maria , Barinas-Mitchell Emma , Matthews Karen A. , Thurston Rebecca C. , Catov Janet M.
Published: February 2021

Objective:

To examine whether blood pressure (BP) accelerates more rapidly during the menopause transition for women with a history of preterm or term small for gestational age (SGA) delivery compared to women with all term and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) births.

Methods:

A longitudinal analysis was conducted with 1,008 parous women who had BP data at ≥2 study visits. We used generalized linear modeling to examine BP before the final menstrual period, at the final mentrual period, and up to 10 years after the final menstrual period, according to pregnancy group. We assessed maternal changes in BP over time in relation to years near the final menstrual period using a piece-wise linear model, consistent with menopause-induced changes. Models were adjusted for socio-demographics, body mass index, smoking, physical activity, medications, parity, age at first birth, gestational diabetes, and gestational hypertension/preeclampsia.

Results:

At baseline, women were on average 46 years old, 101 (10%) reported a prior preterm birth, and 102 (10.1%) reported a term SGA birth. Compared to women with all term AGA births, women with a term SGA birth had higher BP before the final menstrual period, at the final menstrual period, and up to 10 years after the final menstrual period; women with a preterm birth had higher BP in the postmenopausal years. Annual rate of change in BP during the menopause transition did not differ between pregnancy groups.

Conclusions:

Women with a history preterm and term SGA delivery have higher BP than women with all term AGA births during the menopause transition, but rate of change in BP does not differ in these groups relative to final menstrual period.
Gastric calcifying fibrous tumors
Authors: Wang Jian , Ao Weiqun , Mao Guoqun , Jia Yuzhu , Xie Zhongyu , Gu Congyou , Yang Guangzhao
Published: February 2021

To retrospectively analyze the computed tomography (CT) findings and clinical manifestations of gastric calcifying fibrous tumor (CFTs).

The features of 7 cases with pathologically proven gastric CFTs who had undergone CT were assessed, including tumor location, contour, growth, degree of enhancement, calcification and clinical data. In addition, the size and CT value of each lesion were measured. The mean values of these CT findings and clinical data were statistically analyzed only for continuous variables.

Four patients were female and three were male (mean age: 33.3 years; range: 22 ∼ 47 years). Nonspecific clinical symptoms: abdominal pain and discomfort were observed in four cases and the CFTs were incidentally detected in the other three cases. Regarding tumor markers, lower ferritin levels were observed in three female patients. All of the gastric CFTs were solitary and mainly located inside the body; they were in round or oval shape and exhibited endophytic growth. Gastric CFTs are usually small sized and could contain confluent and coarse calcifications; cyst, necrosis, ulcer, bleeding and surrounding lymphadenopathy were not found in any of the cases. Unenhanced CT values of gastric CFTs were higher than those of same-transect soft tissue. Mild-to-moderate enhancement in the arterial phase and progressive enhancement in the portal venous phase were mainly noted.

A gastric mass with a high unenhanced CT attenuation value, confluent and coarse calcifications and mild-to-moderate enhancement could prompt a diagnosis of gastric CFT. In addition, (1) being young- or middle-aged, (2) having relatively low ferritin levels, and (3) tumor located in the gastric body have critical reference value for diagnosis of gastric CFT.
Usefulness of cardiac biomarkers for prognosis of better outcomes in chronic heart failure
Authors: Charach Gideon , Grosskopf Itamar , Galin Leonid , Robinson Eyal , Hershenson Roy , Charach Lior
Published: February 2021

Brain natriuretic peptide is an established, surrogate follow-up marker, strongly correlated with heart failure severity. Several other biomarkers and tests are useful for assessing the prognosis of patients with HF, such as oxidized low-density lipoprotein antibodies and C-reactive protein. Some inflammatory cells, including monocytes, lymphocytes, and neutrophils, are involved in coronary heart disease and may be useful for prognosis also. This study assessed the potential usefulness of various laboratory biomarkers in predicting long-term outcomes and hospitalization among a cohort of outpatients with chronic, advanced HF.

This retrospective, 18-year follow-up study included all patients admitted to the Heart Failure Outpatient Unit in our tertiary care medical center from 2000 through 2001 due to chronic HF. Excluded were patients with malignant disease, severe stroke, active inflammatory disease, or infection. At the first visit, blood was sampled for routine analysis and biomarkers NT-proBNP, C-reactive protein, myeloperoxidase, heat shock protein, and antibodies to oxidized low density lipoprotein. left ventricular ejection fraction and New York Heart Association class class were also established. Patients were followed every 3 months. Study endpoints were mortality or first hospitalization.

Among 305 study patients, HF duration ranged from 2 months to 18 years. Mean follow-up was 9.1 ± 6 years. Mean time to first hospitalization was 60 ± 58.1 months, median = 38 (range 0–179). Mortality rate was 41%. Regression analysis showed New York Heart Association class, lymphocyte count and alkaline phosphatase were independent predictors of survival, with hazard ratios of 1.0, 0.973, and 1.006, respectively (P < .05).

N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, alkaline phosphatase, and lymphocyte count are important prognostic predictors for very long-term follow-up among patients with chronic HF.
Efficacy of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) combined with bevacizumab for advanced non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer patients with gradual progression on EGFR-TKI treatment
Authors: Yu Yuman , Wang Yuehong , Wu Linying , Xu Xuanli , Zhou Hua , Wang Qing , Zhou Jianying
Published: February 2021

Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) significantly improve outcomes of patients with EGFR-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, acquired resistance inevitably emerges and remains a major challenge. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of EGFR-TKIs plus bevacizumab in advanced non-squamous NSCLC patients with gradual progression on EGFR-TKIs.

Advanced non-squamous EGFR-mutated NSCLC patients with gradual progression on EGFR-TKIs were administered bevacizumab while EGFR-TKIs were continued until disease progression occurred. Tumor lesions were assessed, and blood samples were collected at the start of the combination treatment and every 6 weeks until disease progression.

Among the 15 included patients, there were no grade 3 or higher adverse events (AEs). Partial response (PR) and stable disease (SD) were achieved in 1 and 13 patients, respectively, with an objective response rate (ORR) of 6.7% and a disease control rate (DCR) of 93.3%. The median progression-free survival 2 (PFS2), defined as the time from the initiation of combination treatment to disease progression, was 5.0 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.0–6.0) months. Additionally, Spearman correlation analysis revealed that PFS2 was positively correlated with the serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level at baseline (r = 0.7212, P = .0234). Patients with high baseline serum VEGF levels showed a better median PFS2 than those with low baseline serum VEGF levels (5.5 months vs 3.6 months, P = .0333).

EGFR-TKIs plus bevacizumab led to a durable prolongation of PFS in non-squamous NSCLC patients with gradual progression on EGFR-TKIs. This therapeutic regimen was well tolerated and could be a promising strategy for these patients. Serum VEGF could be a potential biomarker to predict a subset of patients who are likely to benefit from EGFR-TKIs combined with bevacizumab.
Is a tourniquet necessary in arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction?
Authors: Liao Weifeng , He Xinning , Du Zhiyong , Long Yi
Published: February 2021

Background:

In the past few decades, the number of surgery of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) implemented in the outpatient centers has dramatically enhanced. There is still a lack of effective randomized controlled trials in the literature to demonstrate the effectiveness of tourniquets. As a kind of prospective clinical trial, this research protocol is conducted to compare the results of ACLR with and without the use of a tourniquet.

Methods:

All the patients aged 18 or over who underwent the selective primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in our hospital from November 2020 to January 2022 are eligible to take part in our experiment. Exclusion criteria are history of peripheral neuropathy, pregnancy, lumbar radiculopathy, or surgery to the injured or contralateral knee. After the written informed consent is given, the patients participating in the study are randomly assigned to the tourniquet group (group 1) and the tourniquet free group (group 2) on the day of operation, through utilizing the computer-generated random table with 10 members in each group. And the assignments were kept in an opaque and sealed envelope. Any comments on visual difficulties in the process of operative time, arthroscopy, complications, and total bleeding from suction and drainage, as well as the reduction of postoperative hemoglobin are assessed as the parameters. The software of SPSS v. 24 is applied for all the statistical analyses.

Results:

This protocol will provide a reliable theoretical basis for the following research.

Trial registration:

This study protocol was registered in Research Registry (researchregistry6240).
Identification of an 11-lncRNA signature with high performance for predicting the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma using bioinformatics analysis
Authors: Wang Anmei , Lei Junhua
Published: February 2021

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common primary liver cancer with a high incidence and mortality. This study was conducted to identify a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) signature that may serve as a predictor for HCC prognosis.

RNA-seq data were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Differentially expressed genes, lncRNAs, and miRNAs were identified in HCC (n = 374) and control samples (n = 50) and used to screen prognosis-associated lncRNA signatures. The association of the lncRNA signature with HCC prognosis was analyzed and a competitive endogenous RNA regulatory network involving the lncRNA signature was constructed.

A total of 199 mRNAs, 1092 lncRNAs, and 251 miRNAs were differentially expressed between HCC and control samples. Among these lncRNAs, 11 prognosis-associated lncRNAs were used to construct a lncRNA signature. Cox regression analysis showed that patients with higher risk scores of the lncRNA signature were at risk of poor prognosis. Four lncRNAs (including LINC01517, DDX11-AS1, LINC01136, and RP11-20J15.2) and 7 miRNAs (including miR-195, miR-199b, miR-326, miR-424, and let-7c) in the ceRNA network interacted with the upregulated gene E2F2, which was associated with the overall prognosis of patients with HCC.

The 11-lncRNA signature might be useful for predicting the prognosis of patients with HCC.
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy for treating primary dysmenorrhea
Authors: Xing Ruirui , Yang Jian , Wang Renwei , Wang Yan
Published: February 2021

Background:

There are scanty data to apply radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy (rESWT) on the acupuncture points in the lower abdomen to reduce the menstrual pain. This trial aimed to test the rESWT safety and efficacy for treating primary dysmenorrhea (PD).

Methods:

Forty-four young-women with PD were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: to receive rESWT on the acupuncture points during the follicular phase (Group A, n = 15) or during the luteal phase (Group B, n = 14), or to apply heat patch to the acupuncture points during the follicular phase as the control (Group C, n = 15) over three menstrual cycles. The pain severity (using 0-to-10 visual analog scale), the pain duration (hours), plasma PGF2α prostaglandin F2alpha and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), self-rating anxiety scale and menstrual blood loss were assessed before and after interventions.

Results:

The pain severity and duration significantly decreased in all groups after interventions. Although the reduced pain duration was not different among the groups, the reduced pain severity was more significant (P = .003) in Groups A (−53.8 ± 33.7%) and B (−59.3 ± 36.7%) than in Group C (−18.7 ± 27.1%). The rESWT intervention did not change plasma prostaglandins in Group A, although there was a decreased prostaglandin F2alpha (−20.5 ± 32.9%) in Group B or a decreased PGE2 (-18.9 ± 17.8%) in Group C. The anxiety level showed no change after intervention. The menstrual blood volume reduced slightly after intervention and the change of menstrual blood loss in Group B was significant (P = .038).

Conclusion:

The rESWT applications on the abdominal acupuncture points safely and effectively reduced the menstrual pain, which was not associated with the prostaglandin changes. The rESWT-reduced pain seemed equally effective with the intervention applied during the follicular phase or luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Heat patch placed on the abdominal acupuncture points also reduced the pain severity and duration, indicating that the improved blood flow could effectively alleviate the menstrual pain with PD. The changes in anxiety level and menstrual blood loss were slight after intervention.