bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Home Birth in the Era of COVID-19: Counseling and Preparation for Pregnant Persons Living with HIV
Authors: Premkumar Ashish , Cassimatis Irina , Berhie Saba H. , Jao Jennifer , Cohn Susan E. , Sutton Sarah H. , Condron Brianne , Levesque Jordan , Garcia Patricia M. , Miller Emily S. , Yee Lynn M.
Published: June 2020

With the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States, a majority of states have instituted “shelter-in-place” policies effectively quarantining individuals—including pregnant persons—in their homes. Given the concern for COVID-19 acquisition in health care settings, pregnant persons with high-risk pregnancies—such as persons living with HIV (PLHIV)—are increasingly investigating the option of a home birth. Although we strongly recommend hospital birth for PLHIV, we discuss our experience and recommendations for counseling and preparation of pregnant PLHIV who may be considering home birth or at risk for unintentional home birth due to the pandemic. We also discuss issues associated with implementing a risk mitigation strategy involving high-risk births occurring at home during a pandemic.

Key Points
Synchronization of extreme rainfall during the Australian summer monsoon: Complex network perspectives
Authors: Cheung Kevin K. W. , Ozturk Ugur
Published: June 2020

Monsoon rains are an important fresh water supply for agricultural activity, while extreme rainfalls during a monsoon season frequently cause flash floods. In this study, a nonlinear causation measure of event synchronization is used to set complex networks of extreme rainfall during the Australian summer monsoon (ASM) development between 1st November and 1st March. We adopted Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission-based satellite rain rate estimates from 1998 to 2015. Examining several standard network centrality measures, such as degree and local clustering, we revealed the multiscale nature of ASM development, which previously was only studied by weather analysis methods. The land–sea contrast in surface heating critical for ASM is depicted clearly by the degree centrality. In addition, both the clustering coefficient and the community structure show critical change in spatial pattern matching with the climatological average onset time of the ASM during late December. The former is likely related to the interaction between synoptic forcing and mesoscale convection during monsoon onset, resulting in characteristic changes in the rainfall field. One of the network communities also extends spatially during the onset, revealing critical information from the near-equatorial region to ASM and would be applicable to monitor monsoon development. Results from this study further support that network measures as defined by a single parameter of rainfall have enormous potential for monsoon onset prediction.
Impact of defects on Auger recombination in c-plane InGaN/GaN single quantum well in the efficiency droop regime
Authors: Liu W. , Haller C. , Chen Y. , Weatherley T. , Carlin J.-F. , Jacopin G. , Butté R. , Grandjean N.
Published: June 2020

We study the impact of non-radiative defects on Auger recombination in c-plane InGaN/GaN single quantum wells (SQWs) in the efficiency droop regime using high injection time-resolved photoluminescence. The defect density in the SQW is controlled by tuning the thickness of an InAlN underlayer. When the defect density is increased, apart from Shockley–Read–Hall (SRH) and standard Auger recombination, introducing an extra defect-assisted Auger process is required to reconcile the discrepancy observed between the usual ABC model and experimental data. We derive a linear dependence between the SRH coefficient and the bimolecular defect-assisted Auger coefficient, which suggests that the generated defects can act as scattering centers responsible for indirect Auger processes. In particular, in defective SQWs, the defect-assisted Auger recombination rate can exceed the radiative one. Our results further suggest that the defect-assisted Auger recombination is expected to be all the more critical in green to red III-nitride light-emitting diodes due to their reduced radiative rate.
In situ TEM revealing pretreatment and interface effects in Ge2Sb2Te5
Authors: Shao Ruiwen , Wang Lihua , Dong Weikang , Yao Lixin , Chen Yongjin , Dong Lixin , Zheng Kun , Han Xiaodong
Published: June 2020

Random access memory devices that rely on phase changes are primarily limited by the speed of crystallization. However, imaging structural dynamics in working devices with nanoscale resolution remains elusive. Using an ultrafast liquid-quenching system in transmission electron microscope, we obtain a melt-quenched amorphous phase-change material Ge2Sb2Te5 nanosheet. We find that the applied incubation field (pretreatment) leads to nonuniform nucleus formation and growth in the amorphous Ge2Sb2Te5, accompanied by a slight change in electric properties. Moreover, the phase-change mechanism changes from the material inherent crystallization mechanism (nucleation-dominated) to the heterocrystallization mechanism, indicating the incubation period of nucleation might be bypassed.
Microsecond dynamics in proteins by two-dimensional ESR: Predictions
Authors: Gupta Pranav , Liang Zhichun , Freed Jack H.
Published: June 2020

Two-dimensional electron–electron double resonance (2D-ELDOR) provides extensive insight into molecular motions. Recent developments permitting experiments at higher frequencies (95 GHz) provide molecular orientational resolution, enabling a clearer description of the nature of the motions. In this work, simulations are provided for the example of domain motions within proteins that are themselves slowly tumbling in solution. These show the nature of the exchange cross-peaks that are predicted to develop in real time from such domain motions. However, we find that the existing theoretical methods for computing 2D-ELDOR experiments over a wide motional range begin to fail seriously when applied to very slow motions characteristic of proteins in solution. One reason is the failure to obtain accurate eigenvectors and eigenvalues of the complex symmetric stochastic Liouville matrices describing the experiment when computed by the efficient Lanczos algorithm in the range of very slow motion. Another, perhaps more serious, issue is that these matrices are “non-normal,” such that for the very slow motional range even rigorous diagonalization algorithms do not yield the correct eigenvalues and eigenvectors. We have employed algorithms that overcome both these issues and lead to valid 2D-ELDOR predictions even for motions approaching the rigid limit. They are utilized to describe the development of cross-peaks in 2D-ELDOR at 95 GHz for a particular case of domain motion.
Annular stratification of acoustically levitated aqueous two-phase-system drops
Authors: Zhong Q. C. , Xie W. J.
Published: June 2020

The phase separation of an aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) consisting of 20 wt. % polyethylene glycol (PEG) and 12 wt. % ammonium sulfate (AMS) was investigated under the condition of acoustic levitation. An annular stratification occurs in the acoustically levitated and severely flattened ATPS drops, where the AMS-rich phase is horizontally encircled by the PEG-rich phase. This is different from the conventional top-bottom layered stratification usually taking place in test tubes or levitated oblate drops. Calculation of the total surface and interface energy of a biphasic drop based on two simplified geometric models of stratification demonstrates that the annular structure is more stable than the top-bottom one if the drop is flattened enough. Two stages of phase separation are revealed through videographic and statistical analyses on the PEG-rich globules that are spontaneously formed inside the ATPS drops. The first stage is characterized by rapid reduction in the population of small PEG-rich globules, which is governed by frequent collision and coalescence and can be speeded up by drop oscillation and acoustic streaming during levitation. The second stage shows a slow reduction in the population of PEG-rich globules, a process controlled by integration of those globules into the already-formed bulk PEG-rich layer.
The nature of the chemical bond and the role of non-dynamical and dynamical correlation in Be2
Authors: Xu Lu. T. , Dunning Thom H.
Published: June 2020

In the spin-coupled generalized valence bond (SCGVB) description of Be2, there is a pair of electrons in highly overlapping “inner” orbitals corresponding to a traditional σ bond, but this bond is compromised by Pauli repulsion arising from its overlap with a second “outer” pair. The presence of this outer pair of electrons leads to a repulsive potential energy curve at long range and a bound, but metastable molecule at short range. To obtain further insights into the nature of the bond in Be2, we determined the non-dynamical and dynamical correlation contributions to the potential energy curve of Be2 using four different choices for the zero-order wave function: Restricted Hartree–Fock (RHF), SCGVB, valence-CASSCF(4,4), and valence-CASSCF(4,8). The SCGVB and valence-CASSCF(4,4) wave functions yield similar breakdowns of the total correlation energy, with non-dynamical correlation being the more important contribution. For the RHF and valence-CASSCF(4,8) wave functions, dynamical correlation is critical, without which the potential energy curve is purely repulsive. High accuracy calculations on the HBen−1Be–BeBen−1H molecule as a function of n (n = 1–6) suggest that the intrinsic strength of a Be–Be σ bond uncompromised by Pauli repulsion is on the order of 62–63 kcal/mol, and its length is 2.13–2.14 Å, ∼60 kcal/mol stronger and ∼0.35 Å shorter than in Be2.
Stability of force-driven shear flows in nonequilibrium molecular simulations with periodic boundaries
Authors: Howard Michael P. , Statt Antonia , Stone Howard A. , Truskett Thomas M.
Published: June 2020

We analyze the hydrodynamic stability of force-driven parallel shear flows in nonequilibrium molecular simulations with three-dimensional periodic boundary conditions. We show that flows simulated in this way can be linearly unstable, and we derive an expression for the critical Reynolds number as a function of the geometric aspect ratio of the simulation domain. Approximate periodic extensions of Couette and Poiseuille flows are unstable at Reynolds numbers two orders of magnitude smaller than their aperiodic equivalents because the periodic boundaries impose fundamentally different constraints on the flow. This instability has important implications for simulating shear rheology and for designing nonequilibrium simulation methods that are compatible with periodic boundary conditions.
Hole capture-coefficient of intrinsic nonradiative recombination centers that commonly exist in bulk, epitaxial, and proton-irradiated ZnO
Authors: Chichibu Shigefusa F. , Uedono Akira , Kojima Kazunobu , Koike Kazuto , Yano Mitsuaki , Gonda Shun-ichi , Ishibashi Shoji
Published: June 2020

Wurtzite ZnO and related MgxZn1−xO alloys are attractive semiconductors for the use in radiation-resistant and/or visible-light-transparent transistors and ultraviolet light-emitters. As free-carrier lifetime controls the device performances, the accurate understanding of the carrier capture-coefficients of dominant nonradiative recombination channels is essential. In this paper, the hole capture-coefficient (Cp) at room temperature of major intrinsic nonradiative recombination centers (NRCs) that commonly exist in various low dislocation density n-type epitaxial films and nearly dislocation-free bulk single crystals of ZnO with and without irradiation by an 8 MeV proton beam is determined. A two-component density functional theory calculation with positron annihilation measurement reveals that major vacancy-type defects are divacancies comprised of a Zn-vacancy and an O-vacancy (VZnVO). Because the weak-excitation nonradiative photoluminescence lifetime (τNR) decreases with increasing VZnVO concentration ([VZnVO]), VZnVO are assigned as major NRCs in n-type ZnO. From the relationship between τNR and [VZnVO], the values of Cp and hole capture-cross section of VZnVO are obtained to be 3×10−7cm3s−1 and 2×10−14cm2, respectively, according to the Shockley–Read–Hall approach. These values are an order of magnitude larger than those of 3d transition metals such as Ni or Mn but are comparable to those of major intrinsic NRCs in n-type GaN, i.e., divacancies comprised of a Ga-vacancy and a N-vacancy (VGaVN), being 6×10−7cm3s−1 and 7×10−14cm2, respectively [S. F. Chichibu, A. Uedono, K. Kojima, H. Ikeda, K. Fujito, S. Takashima, M. Edo, K. Ueno, and S. Ishibashi, J. Appl. Phys. 123, 161413 (2018)].
Acoustic-wave-induced cooling in onset of hypersonic turbulence
Authors: Zhu Yiding , Zhu Wenkai , Gu Dingwei , Chen Shiyi , Lee Cunbiao , Oran Elaine S.
Published: June 2020

We report a newly identified aerodynamic cooling mechanism in the onset of hypersonic wall-bounded turbulence. We first experimentally investigated a flared cone with a smooth surface in a Ma 6 wind tunnel using fast-response pressure sensors, Rayleigh scattering flow visualization, and infrared thermography, which confirmed a cooled region (denoted as CS) downstream of a highly heated region (denoted as HS) on the model, as shown by Franko and Lele [J. Fluid Mech. 730, 491–532 (2013)] and Sivasubramanian and Fasel [J. Fluid Mech. 768, 175–218 (2015)]. We then performed calculations based on both linear stability theory and direct numerical simulations to understand this mechanism. We found that the phase difference ϕpθ between the periodic pressure and dilatation waves plays an important role in the interchange between thermal and mechanical energy in a hypersonic wall-bounded flow. Using porous steel to modify the model surface’s sound admittance, we experimentally show that it is possible to modify the cosine value of ϕpθ to be negative near the wall and thus reduce the temperature growth. These results can provide insight into the thermal protection design of future hypersonic vehicles.
A survey of management practices and major diseases of dairy cattle in smallholdings in selected towns of Jimma zone, south-western Ethiopia
Authors: Duguma Belay
Published: June 2020

Context
Smallholder dairy farming is becoming an important source of food, income and employment for many urban dwellers in Ethiopia. However, suboptimal productivity is a major constraint due to diseases and poor management practices.

Aims
The present work aimed at assessing management practices, dairy cattle diseases, and methods used by farmers to identify diseases on smallholdings in selected towns of Jimma zone, south-western Ethiopia.

Methods
Data for the study were obtained by surveying 52 dairy-keeping farmers by using a semi-structured questionnaire and personal observations.

Key results
The mean herd size of indigenous and crossbred cattle was 5 ± 0.04 and 2 ± 0.4 respectively. Natural pasture was the main source of feed with supplementation, mainly with agro-industrial by-products, concentrate mixes, non-conventional feeds and crop residues. In total, 75% of the respondents practiced a free-grazing system. Most (64%) of the respondents used natural service for breeding. In all, 64% and 35% of the respondents washed their hands and the teats respectively, before milking. In the order of decreasing percentage of respondents, the most frequently reported dairy cattle health problems were tick infestation, mastitis, lumpy skin disease, blackleg, heart water, facioliasis, trypanosomiasis, foot-and-mouth disease, pasteurellosis, brucellosis and anthrax. Repeated breeding, retained fetal membranes, abortion, stillbirths and dystocia were the common reproductive health problems, in a decreasing order of the reported percentage. Lumpy skin disease was reported as a major cause of calf and lactating-cow deaths. A total of 89% of the respondents used veterinary medicines to treat their sick animals. About 24% of the respondents stated culling of their animals due to old age, lack of space, infertility, feed shortage, need for cash and low production, in a decreasing order of importance.

Conclusions
The results showed farmers are well knowledgeable in cattle production practices and are actually mitigating effects of most disease challenges in their farms, which may have resulted in low milk productivity.

Implications
The farmers in the current study had some knowledge of milk production activities that may be recommended for similar settings, especially on how to manage dairy cattle production under smallholder farms, obviously including the occurrence of diseases, which they are managing appropriately with available technologies including vaccines and treatment. These could be used as baseline data by dairy stakeholders and policy makers during the formulation and implementation of policies for sustainable growth and development of smallholder dairy for similar settings.
Ecosystem threats and management strategies for wetlands in China
Authors: Jeelani Nasreen , Yang Wen , Xia Lu , Zhu Hai Liang , An Shuqing
Published: June 2020

Wetlands provide a wide range of ecosystem services, and so their conservation and wise use are receiving increasingly greater attention globally. China has a wealth of wetland ecosystems that are well known as hot spots of biological diversity. China has experienced a serious loss of wetlands owing to rapid urbanisation, population growth and industrialisation. Some of the major threats and challenges to wetlands are related to habitat degradation, loss of biodiversity and weaknesses in their protection and management. In this paper we review the distribution of wetlands in China and discuss the key factors that degrade these wetlands. We further discuss management strategies and make recommendations to strengthen the network of wetlands in China.
The +TIP Navigator-1 is an actin–microtubule crosslinker that regulates axonal growth cone motility
Authors: Sánchez-Huertas Carlos , Bonhomme Marion , Falco Amandine , Fagotto-Kaufmann Christine , van Haren Jeffrey , Jeanneteau Freddy , Galjart Niels , Debant Anne , Boudeau Jérôme
Published: June 2020

Microtubule (MT) plus-end tracking proteins (+TIPs) are central players in the coordination between the MT and actin cytoskeletons in growth cones (GCs) during axon guidance. The +TIP Navigator-1 (NAV1) is expressed in the developing nervous system, yet its neuronal functions remain poorly elucidated. Here, we report that NAV1 controls the dynamics and motility of the axonal GCs of cortical neurons in an EB1-dependent manner and is required for axon turning toward a gradient of netrin-1. NAV1 accumulates in F-actin–rich domains of GCs and binds actin filaments in vitro. NAV1 can also bind MTs independently of EB1 in vitro and crosslinks nonpolymerizing MT plus ends to actin filaments in axonal GCs, preventing MT depolymerization in F-actin–rich areas. Together, our findings pinpoint NAV1 as a key player in the actin–MT crosstalk that promotes MT persistence at the GC periphery and regulates GC steering. Additionally, we present data assigning to NAV1 an important role in the radial migration of cortical projection neurons in vivo.
LUZP1 and the tumor suppressor EPLIN modulate actin stability to restrict primary cilia formation
Authors: Gonçalves João , Sharma Amit , Coyaud Étienne , Laurent Estelle M.N. , Raught Brian , Pelletier Laurence
Published: June 2020

Cilia and flagella are microtubule-based cellular projections with important sensory and motility functions. Their absence or malfunction is associated with a growing number of human diseases collectively referred to as ciliopathies. However, the fundamental mechanisms underpinning cilia biogenesis and functions remain only partly understood. Here, we show that depleting LUZP1 or its interacting protein, EPLIN, increases the levels of MyosinVa at the centrosome and primary cilia formation. We further show that LUZP1 localizes to both actin filaments and the centrosome/basal body. Like EPLIN, LUZP1 is an actin-stabilizing protein that regulates actin dynamics, at least in part, by mobilizing ARP2 to the centrosomes. Both LUZP1 and EPLIN interact with known ciliogenesis and cilia-length regulators and as such represent novel players in actin-dependent centrosome to basal body conversion. Ciliogenesis deregulation caused by LUZP1 or EPLIN loss may thus contribute to the pathology of their associated disease states.
Embedded BHs and multipole globules: clustered misaligned thick accretion disks around static SMBHs
Authors: Pugliese D , Stuchlík Z
Published: June 2020

We investigate clusters of misaligned (inclined) tori orbiting a central static Schwarzschild black hole. To this purpose we considered a set of geometrically thick, pressure supported, perfect fluid tori analyzing purely hydrodynamic models. We study the tori collision emergence and, consequently, the stability properties of the aggregates composed by tori with different inclination angles relative to a fixed distant observer. The aggregate of tilted tori is modeled as a single orbiting configuration, by introducing a leading function governing the distribution of toroids around the black hole attractor. Eventually the tori agglomerate can be seen, depending on the tori thickness, as a (multipole) gobules of orbiting matter, with different toroidal spin orientations , covering the embedded central black hole. These systems are shown to include tori with emerging instability phase related to accretion onto the central black hole. Therefore we provide an evaluation of quantities related to tori energetics such as the mass-flux, the enthalpy-flux, and the flux thickness depending on the model parameters for polytropic fluids. Consequently this analysis places constraints on the existence and properties of tilted tori and aggregate of misaligned disks. Some notes are included on aggregates including proto-jets, represented by open cusped solutions associated to the geometrically thick tori.
Analysis of Torobulu - Tampo Port Service Performance to Improve Mobility of People and Good Movements
Authors: Putra Adris A. , Ngii Edward , Balaka Rudi , Nashrun Mappa , Harsawan Harsawan
Published: June 2020

South Konawe and Muna Island are strategic locations to make the ASDP Port one of the sea centers in Southeast Sulawesi, but the current performance of the Torobulu port is not maximized in providing services to users. The purpose of this study is to study the performance of the Torobulo Konawe Selatan Port for now. and Provide solutions to the problems of the Torobulu-Tampo port in terms of service to the government. Performance analysis using the Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) method of the analysis method is done by considering the factors of interest and level of satisfaction. The results showed that of the 15 indicators that can be used in quadrant 1 (low priority) is the attitude of officers in serving jobs 3.52 and a value of 4.35, the area of scope with performance of 3.50 and the value of 4.26, supporting facilities in the room wait with a performance value of 3.70 and a value of 4.24, cleanliness of the port area with a performance value of 3.71 and a value of 4.35. Support facilities in the waiting room with a performance value of 3.66 and a value of 4.07.
Groundwater Change Detection by Gravity Measurement on Northern Coast of Java: A Case Study in Semarang City of Central Java of Indonesia
Authors: Sabri Laode M , Sudarsono Bambang , Aryadi Yadi
Published: June 2020

Northern part of Semarang city is affected by tidal flood due to land subsidence. Land subsidence is triggered by soil compaction and massive groundwater extraction. One of famous methods in analysing groundwater is gravity method. This research aim to present groundwater change in Semarang city based on gravity measurement and to analyze problems related to equipment and groundwater behaviour. Gravimeter Scintrex CG-5 was applied for gravity measurement. Geographic coordinates were measured using GNSS receiver namely TopCon HiperII. This research occupied SRTM90 Plus and regional geology map at 1:100.000 scales. Groundwater change was detected by differentiating simple Bouguer anomaly of 2014 and 2016. Data in gravity unit were then converted by coefficient of 0.012 mgal per meter. Simple Bouguer anomaly in 2014 ranged from -3.423 mgal to 19.874 mgal, while 2016 data ranged from -3.427 mgal to 19.835 mgal. Discrepancy of gravity anomaly ranged from -0.326 mgal to 0.209 mgal. The data confirmed that groundwater change ranged from -27.160 m to 17.408 m. Groundwater depletion occurred commonly on alluvial plain in northern area, while recharging could be found in some locations in southern part. This research concluded that gravity measurement had potential to be applied for groundwater detection in coastal areas.
MeSH-Based Semantic Indexing Approach to Enhance Biomedical Information Retrieval
Authors: Kammoun Hager , Gabsi Imen , Amous Ikram
Published: June 2020

Owing to the tremendous size of electronic biomedical documents, users encounter difficulties in seeking useful biomedical information. An efficient and smart access to the relevant biomedical information has become a fundamental need. In this research paper, we set forward a novel biomedical MeSH-based semantic indexing approach to enhance biomedical information retrieval. The proposed semantic indexing approach attempts to strengthen the content representation of both documents and queries by incorporating unambiguous MeSH concepts as well as the adequate senses of ambiguous MeSH concepts. For this purpose, our proposed approach relies on a disambiguation method to identify the adequate senses of ambiguous MeSH concepts and introduces four representation enrichment strategies so as to identify the best appropriate representatives of the adequate sense in the textual entities representation. To prove its effectiveness, the proposed semantic indexing approach was evaluated by intensive experiments. These experiments were carried out on OHSUMED test collection. The results reveal that our proposal outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches and allow us to highlight the most effective strategy.
LUISA: Decoupling the Frequency Model From the Context Model in Prediction-Based Compression
Authors: Fulber-Garcia Vinicius , Sardi Mergen Sérgio Luis
Published: June 2020

Prediction-based compression methods, like prediction by partial matching, achieve a remarkable compression ratio, especially for texts written in natural language. However, they are not efficient in terms of speed. Part of the problem concerns the usage of dynamic entropy encoding, which is considerably slower than the static alternatives. In this paper, we propose a prediction-based compression method that decouples the context model from the frequency model. The separation allows static entropy encoding to be used without a significant overhead in the meta-data embedded in the compressed data. The result is a reasonably efficient algorithm that is particularly suited for small textual files, as the experiments show. We also show it is relatively easy to built strategies designed to handle specific cases, like the compression of files whose symbols are only locally frequent.
Seasonal Development, Cumulative Growing Degree-Days, and Population Density of Spotted Lanternfly (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae) on Selected Hosts and Substrates
Authors: Liu Houping
Published: June 2020

Seasonal development, cumulative growing degree-days (CUMDD10), and population density of Lycorma delicatula (White) were studied through weekly sampling of 30 plants (5 plants/species, 3 common plus 3 site-specific species per site) at six sites in Pennsylvania in 2019. In total, 24,159 L. delicatula (1,987 egg masses, 1,068 first instars, 239 second instars, 153 third instars, 410 fourth instars, and 20,302 adults) were recorded in 28 wk. Seasonal development followed similar pattern at all sites despite differences in starting, peaking, and ending time for specific life stages. The average CUMDD10 requirement for the onset of the first instars, second instars, third instars, fourth instars, adults, and eggs was 270, 465, 645, 825, 1,112, and 1,825, respectively. Population density ranged from 0 to 207.4, 0–298.9, and 0–9.6/m2 for nymphs, adults, and egg masses, respectively. Significant difference in population density was found between sites, hosts/substrates, and sampling weeks. Favored oviposition substrates included tree-of-heaven and black birch despite egg masses being laid on many other surfaces. Nymphs fed on different hosts in early stages but preferred American beech, tree-of-heaven, black birch, and multiflora rose. Adults were predominately found on tree-of-heaven with preoviposition surge on black birch and red maple. Sizable nymph and adult populations persisted on summer grape throughout the season. Tree-of-heaven played an irreplaceable role in the seasonal development and life history of L. delicatula in the field. Survey and detection activities should focus on tree-of-heaven with management efforts directed to aggregating adults for maximum efficacy.
Louis Sohn’s Legacy
Authors: Johnstone Ian
Published: June 2020

Louis Sohn was an émigré scholar who fled Poland for the USA in 1939, two weeks before the Nazis invaded. His most widely known work is World Peace through World Law, co-written with Grenville Clark, a vision for a reconstructed United Nations. Writing at a time when political realism was ascendant in the USA, Sohn was labeled an ‘idealist’. Yet a strain of pragmatism also runs through his scholarship, leading many to praise him as one of the architects of modern international law. As a scholar-practitioner with a mission to help build the post-World War II international order, little overt legal theorizing appears in his work. But a close reading reveals ideas that drew implicitly on extant theory or were developed by later theorists without reference to Sohn’s writing. To help frame the analysis, this article situates Sohn’s writing in two strands of theoretical literature: pre-positivist, positivist and ‘post-positivist’ approaches to law-making by international organizations; and functionalist, constitutionalist and deliberative approaches to the powers of, and constraints on, those organizations. Sohn does not fall neatly into any of those categories; instead, fragments of his work can be found at many points along each spectrum. While the fragments do not add up to a coherent whole, the theoretical contributions of this ‘pragmatic idealist’ are greater than meets the eye.
Beyond CHA2DS2-VASc in atrial fibrillation: the atrium and the risk of stroke
Authors: Boccanelli Alessandro
Published: June 2020

Pathology affecting the atria have a significant impact on the occurrence of arrhythmias and the risk of stroke. The causal relationship between atrial fibrillation (AF) and ischaemic stroke has been challenged by the recent uncovering of the lack of temporal association between thrombo-embolic cerebral events and paroxysmal AF or tachycardia. General conditions, such as the one considered in the definition of the CHA2DS2-VASc score, or specific atrial pathology (also independently occurring), could predispose to cerebral embolism.
Percutaneous mitral valve prostheses: 2019 update
Authors: Bellini Barbara , Colombo Antonio
Published: June 2020

During the last few years, there has been significant advances in the treatment of patients with severe mitral incompetence either too high risk for surgery or inoperable, this because of the improvements in percutaneous mitral valve prostheses, as alternative to the transcatheter mitral repair techniques. Percutaneous mitral valve replacement offers several advantages over the repair techniques, such as the opportunity to treat mitral valve with different anatomic characteristics, even the more complex ones, and the occasion to correct completely mitral regurgitation. The development of such prostheses has been a long process, still on the making. During the initial stages of the procedure, the transapical approach was preferred. On the other hand, the transseptal approach, which has already been used in some patients, is the proper development path for this transcatheter technique. Many valvular prostheses have been produced, each using a different mechanism for secure anchoring and elimination of regurgitation. Early mortality for this procedure, although decreasing since the preliminary studies, is still high, not only because the technology is still in its initial phase but also for the very high risk of the patients treated. It is foreseeable, though, that in the near future, as the technology and patients selection improves, better results will follow.
Long-term injury after Takotsubo syndrome (stress cardiomyopathy)
Authors: Vassiliki’ Coutsoumbas Gloria , Gallo Pamela , Zagnoni Silvia , Di Pasquale Giuseppe
Published: June 2020

Takotsubo syndrome is a clinical condition characterized by transient impairment of left ventricular contractility, in association with symptoms, increase in indices of myocardial necrosis, as well as electrocardiographic changes, but without a coronary culprit lesion, and often after a significant psychological or physical stress. Albeit very similar to acute coronary syndrome (ACS) as far as presentation and clinical course, Takotsubo syndrome was considered, up until recently, a condition with very favourable long-term prognosis, in view of the frequent complete functional recovery. More recently, several retrospective observational studies as well as registers, unexpectedly called attention to a significant incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events, not limited to the recovery period but also during the long-term follow-up, in a way very similar to the outcome of patients after ACS. Several negative prognostic factors have been isolated, such as physical stress as trigger of the condition, the presence of severe left ventricular dysfunction, and the consequent cardiogenic shock during the acute phase. These factors are able to classify better the patient’s prognosis, both in the short- and long-term, and identify patients requiring a more stringent clinical follow-up, considering the higher likelihood of adverse cardiovascular events.
Subclinical atherosclerosis: how and when to treat it?
Authors: Gatto Laura , Prati Francesco
Published: June 2020

Atherosclerosis is a condition characterized by a long, initial, asymptomatic phase. Progression of disease could lead to acute coronary events, such as acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, or sudden cardiac death. However, there are imaging techniques, namely vascular echography and assessment of coronary calcium, capable to make the diagnosis of atherosclerosis at an early stage. There are several studies demonstrating the ability of statins to delay, and in some situation even revert the progression of this condition. Subclinical atherosclerosis is highly prevalent in people with optimal control of the risk factors, and the imaging techniques have been shown to provide an added value over the traditional risk factors: by identifying directly the condition, these techniques allow the reclassification of low-risk to intermediate- or high-risk subjects, thus directing the primary prevention therapeutic strategies, based on high efficacy statins, aimed at delaying or reversing the progression of the disease.
The extended heart: cardiac surgery serving more hospitals
Authors: Massetti Massimo , Chiariello Giovanni Alfonso
Published: June 2020

The Heart Team is becoming ever more central in delivering cardiovascular care, embodying a modern aspect of medical practice, designed to place the patient at the ‘center’ of a team with different specialists, all contributing to the definition of the most appropriate therapeutic actions. We prospectively analyzed 200 consecutive patients (2015–2017). Patients were evaluated independently by a cardiologist and a cardiac surgeon, each deciding the most appropriate therapeutic action. At a later time, the same patient, was evaluated by the Heart Team. For the first 100 patients the rate of concurrence between cardiologist and cardiac surgeon as well as among each specialist and the Heart Team, was relatively low (51 and 42% respectively). For the following 100 patients the concurrence rate was significantly higher (75 and 70% respectively). The systematic and collegial discussion of the patients in the contest of the Heart Team, steered toward an evolution of each specialist in the group settings. The Electronic Heart Team (e-Heart Team) employing video conference support, applied to the first 65 patients with promising results, represent a further advancement in the delivery of care, by reducing the distance from the ‘Hub’ center, and the specialist in the ‘Spoke’ facility, who from simple source of the patient, now becomes an essential part of the therapeutic decision process. The Heart Team environment can deeply affect patients management and improve treatment results, by sharing the expertise and overcoming the limitations of the individual disciplines, thus reaching the common goal of the patient's best available treatment.
A new therapy for transthyretin amyloidosis, no longer an orphan condition
Authors: Quarta Candida Cristina , Tinuper Anna Laura , Milandri Agnese , Gagliardi Christian , Caponeti Giuseppe , Rapezzi Claudio
Published: June 2020

Amyloid cardiomyopathy is a condition characterized by intra-myocardial deposit of protein-like material, in fibrillar shape (amyloid), which presence determine a progressive thickening and stiffening of the cardiac walls leading to a cardiac dysfunction. The proteins most often involved with cardiac amyloid are the light chains of the immunoglobulin, typical of amyloidosis AL, and transthyretin, responsible for transthyretin amyloidosis, in both its forms, hereditary and wild type. An accurate estimate of the incidence of cardiac amyloidosis is still difficult due to the variety and complexity of the clinical presentation of the condition. Nonetheless, the condition has stimulated the interest of the scientific community, so that a specific diagnostic path has been developed, beginning from the clinical suspicion and first-line testing, such as electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, and blood work, to progress to the diagnostic confirmation using more sophisticated testing such as magnetic resonance, scintiscan, and eventually cardiac biopsy. To understand and recognize this condition is very important, stemming from the availability of ‘aetiology oriented therapies’ (designed to prevent, control and possibly regress amyloid deposition), which should be added to the ‘supportive therapies’, used for the treatment of the complication of the condition, namely heart failure.
De-escalation therapy after acute coronary syndrome: is it reasonable to switch from prasugrel (or ticagrelor) to clopidogrel early?
Authors: Masiero Giulia , Rossini Roberta
Published: June 2020

Dual antiplatelet treatment (DAPT) is the treatment of choice to prevent atherothrombotic events in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) treated with percutaneous interventions (PCIs). The availability of different P2Y12 inhibitors set the stage for costum made DAPT, as to achieve the highest profile of safety and efficacy. The de-escalation therapy for the newer and more powerful antiplatelet drugs, such as ticagrelor and prasugrel, to clopidogrel, is a strategy for patients with recent ACS, unfit for continuing DAPT for their high risk of bleeding, or side effects, or socio-economic reasons, but without a prohibitive ischaemic risk. There is a need for compelling clinical evidences able to provide the clinical cardiologist with the necessary information to decide the best antiplatelet strategy for each individual patient.
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation: how to decrease post-operative complications
Authors: Ina Tamburino Claudia , Barbanti Marco , Tamburino Corrado
Published: June 2020

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a therapeutic option widely used for the treatment of severe aortic stenosis in the elderly. Careful pre-procedural screening, operator experience, and technological innovations, accounted for a safe, reliable, and standardized procedure. To further decrease post-operative complications, few steps are important: careful planning of the procedure by the Heart Team, clinical and diagnostic evaluation including electrocardiogram, echography, and computed tomography of the heart and great vessels. This approach will allow a selection of ideal candidates for the procedure, the best vascular approach, the selection of patients candidates for early discharge, and last but not least, simplification of the TAVI procedure. Although the procedure is reaching the ‘simplicity’ of coronary interventions, it should always be kept in mind the possibility, albeit remote, that life-threatening complication could ensue, requiring the prompt intervention of the cardiovascular surgeon.
A revolution in stroke therapy: reperfusion therapy effective even if late
Authors: Toni Danilo , Risitano Angela , Gentile Luana
Published: June 2020

Arterial recanalization procedures after ischaemic stroke, are now well-established treatments, within 5 h for systemic thrombolysis, and 6 h for the endovascular treatment. Ischaemic stroke with uncertain time of symptoms onset, account for 14–27% of the cases, the vast majority of which occur just after waking up, thus it is impossible to derive an exact timeline. Accordingly, these patients are frequently not eligible for acute treatment. The results of three recent trials, DAWN, DEFUSE 3, and WAKE-UP, provided the basis for a revolution in the selection of patients eligible for late revascularization, and revealed an increase in the rate of functional independence for these patients at 90 days (mRS 0–2). Advanced neuroimaging techniques have been shown to be of utmost importance in the definition of the cerebral tissue window. A wider application of these imaging techniques and standardization of the parameters of images acquisition would provide for a significant advancement in the management of ischaemic stroke in the emergency setting.
The Long-Term Efficacy of Working Memory Training in Healthy Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 22 Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Hou Jianhua , Jiang Taiyi , Fu Jiangning , Su Bin , Wu Hao , Sun Runsong , Zhang Tong
Published: June 2020

Objectives

The long-lasting efficacy of working memory (WM) training has been a controversial and still ardently debated issue. In this meta-analysis, the authors explored the long-term effects of WM training in healthy older adults on WM subdomains and abilities outside the WM domain assessed in randomized controlled studies.

Method

A systematic literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, ProQuest, clinicaltrials.gov, and Google Scholar was conducted. Random-effects models were used to quantitatively synthesize the existing data.

Results

Twenty-two eligible studies were included in the meta-analysis. The mean participant age ranged from 63.77 to 80.1 years. The meta-synthesized long-term effects on updating were 0.45 (95% confidence interval = 0.253–0.648, <6 months: 0.395, 0.171–0.619, ≥6 months: 0.641, 0.223–1.058), on shifting, 0.447 (0.246–0.648, <6 months: 0.448, 0.146–0.75, ≥6 months: 0.446, 0.176–0.716); on inhibition, 0.387 (0.228–0.547, <6 months: 0.248, 0.013–0.484, ≥6 months: 0.504, 0.288–0.712); on maintenance, 0.486 (0.352–0.62, <6 months: 0.52, 0.279–0.761, ≥6 months: 0.471, 0.31–0.63).

Discussion

The results showed that WM training exerted robust long-term effects on enhancing the WM system and improving processing speed and reasoning in late adulthood. Future studies are needed to use different tasks of the same WM construct to evaluate the WM training benefits, to adopt more ecological tasks or tasks related to daily life, to improve the external validity of WM training, and to identify the optimal implementation strategy for WM training.
3-D joint inversion of airborne gravity gradiometry and magnetic data using a probabilistic method
Authors: Geng Meixia , Welford J Kim , Farquharson Colin G , Peace Alexander L , Hu Xiangyun
Published: June 2020

A probabilistic approach is presented for jointly inverting gravity gradient and magnetic data for 3-D subsurface distributions of density and magnetic susceptibility. The coupling of the physical property models is incorporated in the inversion by using a cross-covariance matrix of density and magnetic susceptibility. This enables structural similarity such as the orientation and spatial extent of the sources and cross-variance between the two physical properties to be incorporated. A user-defined correlation coefficient can control the level of similarity between the two models. By applying a marginalizing algorithm in the joint inversion, the inversion domain is allowed to be partitioned into various zones, each of which can have its own covariance, cross-covariance matrix, as well as correlation coefficient, depending upon the feature and similarity of sources. Thus, sources with different shapes, sizes and relationships between the two physical properties can be simultaneously recovered. The validity of the method is verified using three synthetic examples, which demonstrate how incorrect parameters of the cross-covariance matrix affect the inverted results. Finally, the proposed method is successfully applied to full tensor gradiometry and magnetic data collected over the Budgell Harbour Stock (BHS) intrusion in north-central Newfoundland, Canada. Compared with models generated from independent inversions, better definition and localization of the main intrusion, as well as associated lamprophyre dykes at shallow depth, are achieved by using the joint inversion. The resolved physical properties for the intrusions show good agreement with field observations of lamprophyre dykes in proximity to the BHS.
Byzantine Parades of Infamy through an Animal Lens
Authors: Perisanidi Maroula
Published: June 2020

In this article, I discuss humiliation parades as described by eleventh-century Byzantine historians, focusing on the role of mules and donkeys in them. More specifically, I examine how the presence of these equids could change the meaning of a scene in the works of Michael Attaleiates, John Skylitzes, and Michael Psellos. I argue that, as the social and religious connotations of mules and donkeys interacted with the social and religious status of their riders, humiliation could turn to humility and emasculation to masculinity, transforming the animals themselves into carriers of political rhetoric. When reading these scenes we need to consider whether our rider is a man or a woman, a cleric or a layman, a general or scholar, but also what kind of equid they are riding and how that might be juxtaposed with other animals in the text. In addition to emphasizing the role of animals in Byzantine political life, I consider the animals’ own experience of these parades, attempting to reconstruct something of their sense of the world with the help of modern veterinary science.