bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Implementing Breast Cryoablation in Practice
Authors: Ward Robert C , Lourenco Ana P , Mainiero Martha B
Published: January 2020

Breast cryoablation is becoming more commonplace as a minimally invasive percutaneous procedure that utilizes extreme cold to destroy targeted tissue and has been used to treat symptomatic fibroadenomas and early-stage breast cancer for over a decade with promising results. The practical considerations for implementing a breast cryoablation service include developing and communicating strategic and operational plans, training and privileging the proceduralist, selecting equipment, collaborating with referring clinicians, recruiting and navigating patients, and understanding billing considerations.
Cyber Operations and Collective Countermeasures under International Law
Authors: Haataja Samuli
Published: January 2020

This article examines international law on the use of countermeasures against peacetime cyber operations that fall below the armed attack threshold. It focuses on collective countermeasures— ie, measures taken by states which have not been affected by the cyber operation but which have been requested to assist by the state victim to these operations. While a general right for non-injured states to take countermeasures has not been recognised in international law, this article demonstrates that there is some support for this right in circumstances where the injured state requests assistance from a non-injured state. It argues that a limited right of collective countermeasures should be recognised in the cyber context. This is warranted as it expands the remedies available to states subject to cyber operations and offers a way for less technologically advanced states to obtain assistance when subject to malicious cyber operations from their adversaries
Area-Wide Survey of Chlorantraniliprole Resistance and Control Failure Likelihood of the Neotropical Coffee Leaf Miner Leucoptera coffeella (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae)
Authors: Leite Suzany A , Dos Santos Mateus P , Resende-Silva Geverson A , da Costa Daniela R , Moreira Aldenise A , Lemos Odair L , Guedes Raul Narciso C , Castellani Maria A
Published: January 2020

The Neotropical coffee leaf miner, Leucoptera coffeella (Guérin-Mèneville & Perrottet, 1842), is a key pest species of unshaded coffee plantations in Neotropical America, particularly in Brazil, where pest management involves intensive insecticide use. As a consequence, problems of resistance to conventional insecticides are frequent, and more recently developed insecticide molecules, such as diamide insecticides, are at risk of becoming ineffective. Thus, a survey of resistance to the diamide insecticide chlorantraniliprole was carried out in high-yield coffee-producing areas in the State of Bahia, Brazil. The likelihood of control failure with this insecticide was also assessed. Spatial dependence among the insect sampling sites was assessed and spatial mapping of chlorantraniliprole resistance and risk of control failure was carried out. The frequency of chlorantraniliprole resistant populations was high (34 out of 40 populations, or 85%), particularly in western Bahia, where 94% of the populations were resistant. Resistance levels ranged from low (<10-fold) to moderate (between 10- and 40-fold) with more serious instances occurring in western Bahia. This results in lower chlorantraniliprole efficacy among these populations, with a higher risk of control failure and exhibiting spatial dependence. These findings invite attention to problems with the intensive use of this relatively recent insecticide and demand management attention, but they suggest that local, farm-based management efforts are likely to be the most effective actions against resistance problems in this pest species.
Cosine-type weighted hybrid absorbing boundary based on the second-order Higdon boundary condition and its GPU implementation
Authors: Xie Chuang , Song Peng , Tan Jun , Liu Baohua , Li Jinshan , Yu Kaiben , Zhang Xiaobo , Zhang Chao , Zhang Hongyang , Zhang Ruiqi
Published: January 2020

In this paper, we analyze the absorption effect of the hybrid absorbing boundary condition (ABC) with various hybrid modes, and propose a cosine-type optimized weighted hybrid mode taking into account the boundary reflection intensity of the inner and outer boundaries of transition area. Additionally, we derive a new finite-difference scheme of the second-order Higdon ABC and the corner equation for Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) acceleration. On this basis, a new type of second-order Higdon hybrid ABC applicable for GPU acceleration is established in the acoustic finite-difference modeling. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the proposed cosine-type weighted hybrid mode can achieve a better absorption effect compared with other weighted hybrid modes; the second-order Higdon ABC based on the proposed new finite-difference scheme can effectively improve the GPU speed-up ratio and is more effective in large-scale wavefield high-precision simulation based on GPU acceleration.
Exploiting natural variation in root system architecture via genome-wide association studies
Authors: Deja-Muylle Agnieszka , Parizot Boris , Motte Hans , Beeckman Tom
Published: January 2020

Root growth and development has become an important research topic for breeders and researchers based on a growing need to adapt plants to changing and more demanding environmental conditions worldwide. Over the last few years, genome-wide association studies (GWASs) became an important tool to identify the link between traits in the field and their genetic background. Here we give an overview of the current literature concerning GWASs performed on root system architecture (RSA) in plants. We summarize which root traits and approaches have been used for GWAS, mentioning their respective success rate towards a successful gene discovery. Furthermore, we zoom in on the current technical hurdles in root phenotyping and GWAS, and discuss future possibilities in this field of research.
NGTS-10b: the shortest period hot Jupiter yet discovered
Authors: McCormac James , Gillen Edward , Jackman James A G , Brown David J A , Bayliss Daniel , Wheatley Peter J , Anderson David R , Armstrong David J , Bouchy François , Briegal Joshua T , Burleigh Matthew R , Cabrera Juan , Casewell Sarah L , Chaushev Alexander , Chazelas Bruno , Chote Paul , Cooke Benjamin F , Costes Jean C , Csizmadia Szilárd , Eigmüller Philipp , Erikson Anders , Foxell Emma , Gänsicke Boris T , Goad Michael R , Günther Maximilian N , Hodgkin Simon T , Hooton Matthew J , Jenkins James S , Lambert Gregory , Lendl Monika , Longstaff Emma , Louden Tom , Moyano Maximiliano , Nielsen Louise D , Pollacco Don , Queloz Didier , Rauer Heike , Raynard Liam , Smith Alexis M S , Smalley Barry , Soto Maritza , Turner Oliver , Udry Stéphane , Vines Jose I , Walker Simon R , Watson Christopher A , West Richard G
Published: January 2020

We report the discovery of a new ultrashort period (USP) transiting hot Jupiter from the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS). NGTS-10b has a mass and radius of $2.162\, ^{+0.092}_{-0.107}$ MJ and $1.205\, ^{+0.117}_{-0.083}$ RJ and orbits its host star with a period of 0.7668944 ± 0.0000003 d, making it the shortest period hot Jupiter yet discovered. The host is a 10.4 ± 2.5 Gyr old K5V star (Teff = 4400 ± 100 K) of Solar metallicity ([Fe/H] = −0.02 ± 0.12 dex) showing moderate signs of stellar activity. NGTS-10b joins a short list of USP Jupiters that are prime candidates for the study of star–planet tidal interactions. NGTS-10b orbits its host at just 1.46 ± 0.18 Roche radii, and we calculate a median remaining inspiral time of 38 Myr and a potentially measurable orbital period decay of 7 s over the coming decade, assuming a stellar tidal quality factor $Q^{\prime }_{\rm s}$ =2 × 107.
The role of mass, equation of state, and superfluid reservoir in large pulsar glitches
Authors: Montoli A , Antonelli M , Pizzochero P M
Published: January 2020

Observations of pulsar glitches may provide insights on the internal physics of neutron stars and recent studies show how it is in principle possible to constrain pulsar masses with timing observations. The reliability of these estimates depends on the current uncertainties about the structure of neutron stars and on our ability to model the dynamics of the superfluid neutrons in the internal layers. We assume a simplified model for the rotational dynamics of a neutron star and estimate an upper bound to the mass of 25 pulsars from their largest glitch and average activity: the aim is to understand to which extent the mass constraints are sensitive to the choice of the unknown structural properties of neutron stars, like the extension of the superfluid region and the equation of state. Reasonable values, within the range measured for neutron star masses, are obtained only if the superfluid domain extends for at least a small region inside the outer core, which is compatible with calculations of the neutron S-wave pairing gap. Moreover, the mass constraints stabilize when the superfluid domain extends to densities over nuclear saturation, irrespective of the equation of state tested.
Direct collapse to supermassive black hole seeds: the critical conditions for suppression of H2 cooling
Authors: Luo Yang , Shlosman Isaac , Nagamine Kentaro , Fang Taotao
Published: January 2020

Observations of high-redshift quasars imply the presence of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) already at $z$ ∼ 7.5. An appealing and promising pathway to their formation is the direct collapse scenario of a primordial gas in atomic-cooling haloes at $z$ ∼ 10–20, when the $\rm H_{2}$ formation is inhibited by a strong background radiation field, whose intensity exceeds a critical value, Jcrit. To estimate Jcrit, typically, studies have assumed idealized spectra, with a fixed ratio of $\rm H_{2}$ photodissociation rate $k_{\rm H_2}$ to the $\rm H^-$ photodetachment rate $k_{\rm H^-}$. This assumption, however, could be too narrow in scope as the nature of the background radiation field is not known precisely. In this work we argue that the critical condition for suppressing the H2 cooling in the collapsing gas could be described in a more general way by a combination of $k_{\rm H_2}$ and $k_{\rm H^-}$ parameters, without any additional assumptions about the shape of the underlying radiation spectrum. By performing a series of cosmological zoom-in simulations covering a wide range of relevant $k_{\rm H_2}$ and $k_{\rm H^-}$ parameters, we examine the gas flow by following evolution of basic parameters of the accretion flow. We test under what conditions the gas evolution is dominated by $\rm H_{2}$ and/or atomic cooling. We confirm the existence of a critical curve in the $k_{\rm H_2}{\!-\!}k_{\rm H^-}$ plane and provide an analytical fit to it. This curve depends on the conditions in the direct collapse, and reveals domains where the atomic cooling dominates over the molecular cooling. Furthermore, we have considered the effect of $\rm H_{2}$ self-shielding on the critical curve, by adopting three methods for the effective column density approximation in $\rm H_{2}$. We find that the estimate of the characteristic length scale for shielding can be improved by using λJeans25, which is 0.25 times that of the local Jeans length, which is consistent with previous one-zone modelling.
VVV-WIT-01: highly obscured classical nova or protostellar collision?
Authors: Lucas P W , Minniti D , Kamble A , Kaplan D L , Cross N , Dekany I , Ivanov V D , Kurtev R , Saito R K , Smith L C , Catelan M , Masetti N , Toledo I , Hempel M , Thompson M A , Contreras Peña C , Forbrich J , Krause M , Dale J , Borissova J , Emerson J
Published: January 2020

A search of the first Data Release of the VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) Survey discovered the exceptionally red transient VVV-WIT-01 (H − Ks = 5.2). It peaked before March 2010, then faded by ∼9.5 mag over the following 2 yr. The 1.6–22 μm spectral energy distribution in March 2010 was well fit by a highly obscured blackbody with T ∼ 1000 K and $A_{K_s} \sim 6.6$ mag. The source is projected against the Infrared Dark Cloud (IRDC) SDC G331.062−0.294. The chance projection probability is small for any single event (p ≈ 0.01–0.02), which suggests a physical association, e.g. a collision between low mass protostars. However, blackbody emission at T ∼ 1000 K is common in classical novae (especially CO novae) at the infrared peak in the light curve due to condensation of dust ∼30–60 d after the explosion. Radio follow-up with the Australia Telescope Compact Array detected a fading continuum source with properties consistent with a classical nova but probably inconsistent with colliding protostars. Considering all VVV transients that could have been projected against a catalogued IRDC raises the probability of a chance association to p = 0.13–0.24. After weighing several options, it appears likely that VVV-WIT-01 was a classical nova event located behind an IRDC.
Atmospheric parameters at the 6-m Big Telescope Alt-azimuthal site
Authors: Shikhovtsev A Yu , Bolbasova L A , Kovadlo P G , Kiselev A V
Published: January 2020

In this paper, we introduce the results of the statistical analysis of atmospheric characteristics at the site of the Big Telescope Alt-azimuthal (BTA) of the Special Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) of the Russian Academy of Science (RAS). The BTA is the largest optical telescope in Eurasia and is located near Mt Pastukhova in the northern part of the Caucasus Mountains, at an altitude of 2070 m above sea level. The atmosphere of the Earth is a major challenge for observing and it limits the quality of astronomical images obtained by ground-based telescopes. The study of the atmosphere above astronomical observatories is important for the planning of observing time, for the optimization of instrument performance and for the development of adaptive optics systems. We discuss the results of a study of the meteorological conditions at the BTA site: total cloud cover, wind speed at the pressure level of 200 hPa, vertical motions, vertical profiles of the wind speed employing data from the ERA-Interim and National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) re-analysis data bases.
An ALMA survey of the SCUBA-2 cosmology legacy survey UKIDSS/UDS field: Dust attenuation in high-redshift Lyman-break galaxies
Authors: Koprowski M P , Coppin K E K , Geach J E , Dudzevičiūtė U , Smail Ian , Almaini O , An Fangxia , Blain A W , Chapman S C , Chen Chian-Chou , Conselice C J , Dunlop J S , Farrah D , Gullberg B , Hartley W , Ivison R J , Karska A , Maltby D , Malek K , Michałowski M J , Pope A , Salim S , Scott D , Simpson C J , Simpson J M , Swinbank A M , Thomson A P , Wardlow J L , van der Werf P P , Whitaker K E
Published: January 2020

We analyse 870 $\mu$m Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA) dust continuum detections of 41 canonically selected $z$ ≃ 3 Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs), as well as 209 ALMA-undetected LBGs, in follow-up of SCUBA-2 mapping of the UKIDSS Ultra Deep Survey (UDS) field. We find that our ALMA-bright LBGs lie significantly off the local IRX-beta relation and have relatively bluer rest-frame UV slopes (as parametrized by β), given their high values of the ‘infrared excess’ (IRX ≡ LIR/LUV), relative to the average ‘local’ IRX-β relation. We attribute this finding in part to the young ages of the underlying stellar populations but we find that the main reason behind the unusually blue UV slopes are the relatively shallow slopes of the corresponding dust attenuation curves. We show that, when stellar masses, M*, are being established via SED fitting, it is absolutely crucial to allow the attenuation curves to vary (rather than fixing it on Calzetti-like law), where we find that the inappropriate curves may underestimate the resulting stellar masses by a factor of ≃2–3× on average. In addition, we find these LBGs to have relatively high specific star-formation rates (sSFRs), dominated by the dust component, as quantified via the fraction of obscured star formation $(f_{\rm obs}\equiv {\rm SFR_{\rm IR}/{\rm SFR}_{\rm UV+IR}})$. We conclude that the ALMA-bright LBGs are, by selection, massive galaxies undergoing a burst of a star formation (large sSFRs, driven, for example, by secular or merger processes), with a likely geometrical disconnection of the dust and stars, responsible for producing shallow dust attenuation curves.
Spectral evidence of an accretion disc in wind-fed X-ray pulsar Vela X-1 during an unusual spin-up period
Authors: Liao Zhenxuan , Liu Jiren , Zheng Xueying , Gou Lijun
Published: January 2020

In classical supergiant X-ray binaries (SgXBs), the Bondi–Hoyle–Lyttleton wind accretion was usually assumed, and the angular momentum transport to the accretors is inefficient. The observed spin-up/spin-down behaviour of the neutron star in SgXBs is not well understood. In this paper, we report an extended low state of Vela X-1 (at orbital phases 0.16–0.2), lasting for at least 30 ks, observed with Chandra during the onset of an unusual spin-up period. During this low state, the continuum fluxes dropped by a factor of 10 compared to the preceding flare period, and the continuum pulsation almost disappeared. Meanwhile, the Fe K α fluxes of the low state were similar to the preceding flare period, leading to an Fe K α equivalent width (EW) of 0.6 keV, as high as the Fe K α EW during the eclipse phase of Vela X-1. Both the pulsation cessation and the high Fe K α EW indicate an axisymmetric structure with a column density larger than 1024 cm−2 on a spatial scale of the accretion radius of Vela X-1. These phenomena are consistent with the existence of an accretion disc that leads to the following spin-up of Vela X-1. It indicates that disc accretion, although not always, does occur in classical wind-fed SgXBs.
First results from MFOSC-P: low-resolution optical spectroscopy of a sample of M dwarfs within 100 parsecs
Authors: Rajpurohit A S , Kumar Vipin , Srivastava Mudit K , Allard F , Homeier D , Dixit Vaibhav , Patel Ankita
Published: January 2020

Mt Abu Faint Object Spectrograph and Camera (MFOSC-P) is an in-house-developed instrument for the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) 1.2 m telescope at Mt Abu, India, commissioned in 2019 February. Here we present the first science results derived from the low-resolution spectroscopy programme of a sample of M dwarfs carried out during the commissioning run of MFOSC-P between 2019 February and June. M dwarfs carry great significance for exoplanet searches in the habitable zone and are among the promising candidates for the observatory’s several ongoing observational campaigns. Determination of their accurate atmospheric properties and fundamental parameters is essential to constrain both their atmospheric and evolutionary models. In this study, we provide a low-resolution (R ∼ 500) spectroscopic catalogue of 80 bright M dwarfs (J < 10) and classify them using their optical spectra. We have also performed spectral synthesis and χ2 minimization techniques to determine their fundamental parameters regarding effective temperature and surface gravity by comparing the observed spectra with the most recent BT-Settl synthetic spectra. The spectral type of M dwarfs in our sample ranges from M0 to M5. The derived effective temperature and surface gravity range from 4000–3000 K and 4.5–5.5 dex, respectively. In most of the cases, the derived spectral types are in good agreement with previously assigned photometric classifications.
The accretion rates and mechanisms of Herbig Ae/Be stars
Authors: Wichittanakom C , Oudmaijer R D , Fairlamb J R , Mendigutía I , Vioque M , Ababakr K M
Published: January 2020

This work presents a spectroscopic study of 163 Herbig Ae/Be stars. Amongst these, we present new data for 30 objects. Stellar parameters such as temperature, reddening, mass, luminosity, and age are homogeneously determined. Mass accretion rates are determined from $\rm H\alpha$ emission line measurements. Our data is complemented with the X-Shooter sample from previous studies and we update results using Gaia DR2 parallaxes giving a total of 78 objects with homogeneously determined stellar parameters and mass accretion rates. In addition, mass accretion rates of an additional 85 HAeBes are determined. We confirm previous findings that the mass accretion rate increases as a function of stellar mass, and the existence of a different slope for lower and higher mass stars, respectively. The mass where the slope changes is determined tobe $3.98^{+1.37}_{-0.94}\, \rm M_{\odot }$. We discuss this break in the context of different modes of disc accretion for low- and high-mass stars. Because of their similarities with T Tauri stars, we identify the accretion mechanism for the late-type Herbig stars with the Magnetospheric Accretion. The possibilities for the earlier-type stars are still open, we suggest the Boundary Layer accretion model may be a viable alternative. Finally, we investigated themass accretion–age relationship. Even using the superior Gaia based data, it proved hard to select a large enough sub-sample to remove the mass dependence in this relationship. Yet, it would appear that the mass accretion does decline with age as expected from basic theoretical considerations.
Improved constraints from ultra-faint dwarf galaxies on primordial black holes as dark matter
Authors: Stegmann Jakob , Capelo Pedro R , Bortolas Elisa , Mayer Lucio
Published: January 2020

Soon after the recent first ever detection of gravitational waves from merging black holes it has been suggested that their origin is primordial. Appealingly, a sufficient number of primordial black holes (PBHs) could also partially or entirely constitute the dark matter (DM) in our Universe. However, recent studies on PBHs in ultra-faint dwarf galaxies (UFDGs) suggest that they would dynamically heat up the stellar component due to two-body relaxation processes. From the comparison with the observed stellar velocity dispersions and the stellar half-light radii, it was claimed that only PBHs with masses $\lesssim 10\, {\rm M}_\odot$ can significantly contribute to the DM. In this work, we improve the latter constraints by considering the largest observational sample of UFDGs and by allowing the PBH masses to follow an extended (lognormal) distribution. By means of collisional Fokker–Planck simulations, we explore a wide parameter space of UFDGs containing PBHs. The analysis of the half-light radii and velocity dispersions resulting from the simulations leads to three general findings that exclude PBHs with masses $\sim \mathcal {O}(1\operatorname{-}100)\, {\rm M}_\odot {}$ from constituting all of the DM: (i) we identify a critical sub-sample of UFDGs that only allows for $\sim \mathcal {O}(1)\, {\rm M}_\odot$ PBH masses; (ii) for any PBH mass, there is an UFDG in our sample that disfavours it; (iii) the spatial extensions of a majority of simulated UFDGs containing PBHs are too large to match the observed.
The ‘red supergiant problem’: the upper luminosity boundary of Type II supernova progenitors
Authors: Davies Ben , Beasor Emma R
Published: January 2020

By comparing the properties of red supergiant (RSG) supernova (SN) progenitors to those of field RSGs, it has been claimed that there is an absence of progenitors with luminosities L above log (L/L⊙) > 5.2. This is in tension with the empirical upper luminosity limit of RSGs at log (L/L⊙) = 5.5, a result known as the ‘RSG problem’. This has been interpreted as an evidence for an upper mass threshold for the formation of black holes. In this paper, we compare the observed luminosities of RSG SN progenitors with the observed RSG L-distribution in the Magellanic Clouds. Our results indicate that the absence of bright SN II-P/L progenitors in this sample can be explained at least in part by the steepness of the L-distribution and a small sample size, and that the statistical significance of the RSG problem is between 1σ and 2σ . Secondly, we model the luminosity distribution of II-P/L progenitors as a simple power law with an upper and lower cut-off, and find an upper luminosity limit of $\log (L_{\rm hi}/\mathrm{L}_\odot) = 5.20^{+0.17}_{-0.11}$ (68 per cent confidence), though this increases to ∼5.3 if one fixes the power-law slope to be that expected from theoretical arguments. Again, the results point to the significance of the RSG problem being within ∼2σ. Under the assumption that all progenitors are the result of single-star evolution, this corresponds to an upper mass limit for the parent distribution of $M_{\rm hi} = 19.2\, {\rm M_\odot }$, $\pm 1.3 \, {\rm M_\odot (systematic)}$, $^{+4.5}_{-2.3} \, {\rm M_\odot }$ (random; 68 per cent confidence limits).
WDR5 is a conserved regulator of protein synthesis gene expression
Authors: Bryan Audra F , Wang Jing , Howard Gregory C , Guarnaccia Alissa D , Woodley Chase M , Aho Erin R , Rellinger Eric J , Matlock Brittany K , Flaherty David K , Lorey Shelly L , Chung Dai H , Fesik Stephen W , Liu Qi , Weissmiller April M , Tansey William P
Published: January 2020

WDR5 is a highly-conserved nuclear protein that performs multiple scaffolding functions in the context of chromatin. WDR5 is also a promising target for pharmacological inhibition in cancer, with small molecule inhibitors of an arginine-binding pocket of WDR5 (the ‘WIN’ site) showing efficacy against a range of cancer cell lines in vitro. Efforts to understand WDR5, or establish the mechanism of action of WIN site inhibitors, however, are stymied by its many functions in the nucleus, and a lack of knowledge of the conserved gene networks—if any—that are under its control. Here, we have performed comparative genomic analyses to identify the conserved sites of WDR5 binding to chromatin, and the conserved genes regulated by WDR5, across a diverse panel of cancer cell lines. We show that a specific cohort of protein synthesis genes (PSGs) are invariantly bound by WDR5, demonstrate that the WIN site anchors WDR5 to chromatin at these sites, and establish that PSGs are bona fide, acute, and persistent targets of WIN site blockade. Together, these data reveal that WDR5 plays a predominant transcriptional role in biomass accumulation and provide further evidence that WIN site inhibitors act to repress gene networks linked to protein synthesis homeostasis.
Effectiveness of Proactive Tobacco Cessation Treatment Outreach Among Smokers With Serious Mental Illness
Authors: Japuntich Sandra J , Hammett Patrick J , Rogers Erin S , Fu Steven , Burgess Diana J , El Shahawy Omar , Melzer Anne C , Noorbaloochi Siamak , Krebs Paul , Sherman Scott E
Published: January 2020

Introduction

People with serious mental illness (SMI) have a high smoking prevalence and low quit rates. Few cessation treatments are tested in smokers with SMI. Mental health (MH) providers are reluctant to address smoking. Proactive tobacco cessation treatment strategies reach out directly to smokers to offer counseling and medication and improve treatment utilization and quit rates. The current study is a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial of proactive outreach for tobacco cessation treatment in VA MH patients.

Aims and Methods

Participants (N = 1938, 83% male, mean age 55.7) across four recruitment sites, who were current smokers and had a MH visit in the past 12 months, were identified using the electronic medical record. Participants were randomized to Intervention (telephone outreach call plus invitation to engage in MH tailored telephone counseling and assistance obtaining nicotine replacement therapy) or Control (usual care). The current study assessed outcomes in participants with SMI (N = 982).

Results

Compared to the Control group, participants assigned to the Intervention group were more likely to engage in telephone counseling (22% vs. 3%) and use nicotine replacement therapy (51% vs. 41%). Participants in the Intervention group were more likely to be abstinent (7-day point prevalence; 18%) at 12 months than participants in the Control group (11%) but equally likely to make quit attempts.

Conclusions

Proactive tobacco cessation treatment is an effective strategy for tobacco users with SMI. Proactive outreach had a particularly strong effect on counseling utilization. Future randomized clinical trials examining proactive tobacco treatment approaches in SMI treatment settings are needed.

Implications

Few effective treatment models exist for smokers with SMI. Proactive tobacco cessation outreach with connections to MH tailored telephone counseling and medication promotes tobacco abstinence among smokers with SMI and is an effective treatment strategy for this underserved population.
Teachers’ Pay for Performance in the Long-Run: The Dynamic Pattern of Treatment Effects on Students’ Educational and Labour Market Outcomes in Adulthood
Authors: Lavy Victor
Published: January 2020

This article examines the dynamic effects of a teachers’ pay for performance experiment on long-term outcomes at adulthood. The program led to a gradual increase in university education of the treated high school students, reaching an increase of 0.25 years of schooling by age 28–30. The effects on employment and earnings were initially negative, coinciding with a higher rate of enrolment in university, but became positive and significant with time. These gains are largely mediated by the positive effect of the program on several high school outcomes, including quantitative and qualitative gains in the high-stakes matriculation exams.
The Colonial–Religious Institutional Contract: Muslim Women Activists in Israel
Authors: Ashqar-Sharary Nahed , Abu-Rabia-Queder Sarab
Published: January 2020

This study examines the growth of a progressive religious Muslim activism among Palestinian women in Israel and the challenges it poses to the religious patriarchy and colonial power structures. Based on semistructured interviews with a religious feminist organization’s activists, the study revealed that feminist Islamic activism addresses an alliance between state officials and patriarchal–religious establishment gatekeepers that interlock to block Muslim feminist reform. Unlike other Muslim activists in former settler colonial states where state and religion are separate and unlike progressive Muslim women in Muslim states who struggle to escape the religious–patriarchal trap, in Israel, these activists face a religious–colonial–patriarchal trap.
Bacillus miscanthi sp. nov., a alkaliphilic bacterium from the rhizosphere of Miscanthus sacchariflorus
Authors: Shin Bora , Park Chulwoo , Lee Byoung-Hee , Lee Ki-Eun , Park Woojun
Published: January 2020

A novel bacterial strain, designated AK13T (=KACC 21401T=DSM 109981T), was isolated from the rhizosphere of Miscanthus sacchariflorus. Strain AK13T was found to be an aerobic, Gram-stain–positive, endospore-forming and rod-shaped bacterium. It formed yellow circular colonies with smooth convex surfaces. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain AK13T was estimated to be 40 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity showed that this strain was most closely related to

Bacillus lehensis

MLB2T (99.4 %),

Bacillus oshimensis

K11T (98.8 %) and

Bacillus patagoniensis

PAT 05T (96.6 %). The average nucleotide identity values between strain AK13T and

B. lehensis

MLB2T,

B. oshimensis

K11T and

B. patagoniensis

PAT 05T were 90.93, 91.05 and 71.87 %, respectively, with the digital DNA–DNA hybridization values of 42.7, 42.6 and 18.8 %, respectively. Cells grew at 5–40 °C (optimum, 28–35 °C), pH 6.5–13 (optimum, pH 8–9) and in the presence of 0–13.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1 %). The cell wall of strain AK13T contained meso-diaminopimelic acid, and the major isoprenoid quinone was MK-7. Results of fatty acid methyl ester analysis revealed that iso-C15 : 0 was the predominant cellular fatty acid. Two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography analysis indicated that the major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and glycolipid. The genotypic and phenotypic characteristics suggested that strain AK13T represented a novel species of the genus

Bacillus

, and thus the name Bacillus miscanthi sp. nov. is proposed.
Stability Analysis of Delayed Age-structured Resource-Consumer Model of Population Dynamics with Saturated Intake Rate
Authors: Akimenko Vitalii V.
Published: January 2020

The nonlinear n-resource-consumer autonomous system with age-structured consumer population is studied. While the model of consumer population dynamics is described by a delayed transport equation, the dynamics of resource patches are described by ordinary differential equations with saturated intake rate. The delay models the digestion period of generalist consumer and is included in the calorie intake rate which impacts on consumer’s fertility and mortality. Saturated intake rate models the inhibition effect from the behavioural change of the resource patches when they react on the consumer population growing or from the crowding effect of the consumer. The model is studied both analytically and numerically. Conditions for existence of trivial, semi-trivial and non-trivial equilibria and their local asymptotic stability are obtained. Numerical experiments confirm and illustrate these theoretical results.
Programmable low-cost DNA-based platform for viral RNA detection
Authors: Zhou Lifeng , Chandrasekaran Arun Richard , Punnoose Jibin Abraham , Bonenfant Gaston , Charles Stephon , Levchenko Oksana , Badu Pheonah , Cavaliere Cassandra , Pager Cara T. , Halvorsen Ken
Published: January 2020

Viral detection is critical for controlling disease spread and progression. Recent emerging viral threats including Zika, Ebola, and the current COVID-19 outbreak highlight the cost and difficulty in responding rapidly. To address these challenges, we develop a platform for low-cost and rapid detection of viral RNA with DNA nanoswitches designed to mechanically reconfigure in response to specific viruses. Using Zika virus as a model system, we show non-enzymatic detection of viral RNA to the attomole level, with selective and multiplexed detection between related viruses and viral strains. For clinical-level sensitivity in biological fluids, we paired the assay with a sample preparation step using either RNA extraction or isothermal pre-amplification. Our assay can be performed with minimal or no lab infrastructure, and is readily adaptable to detect other viruses. We demonstrate the adaptability of our method by quickly developing and testing DNA nanoswitches for detecting a fragment of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in human saliva. Given this versatility, we expect that further development and field implementation will improve our ability to detect emergent viral threats and ultimately limit their impact.
Composition and Abundance of Drifting Fish Eggs on the Upper Reaches of Xijiang River, China, after the Formation of the Cascade Reservoirs
Authors: Minghui Gao , Zhiqiang Wu , Xichang Tan , Liangliang Huang , Haibo Huang , Hao Liu
Published: January 2020

To develop effective management actions of riverine fisheries, it is important to monitor how fish resources (i.e., eggs) are recruited in the upper reaches of natural rivers, particularly where dams have been constructed, which potentially hinder life-history strategies. Here, we aimed to determine the State of drifting fish eggs resources, and the underlying environmental factors regulating the presence of fish eggs in the upper reaches of a river (Laibin section of Xijiang River, China). Based on surveys conducted over one spawning period (2016), we set out to: (1) describe the composition and abundance of drifting fish eggs in the 150 km Lainbin section under a dam control, and (2) analyze how the composition and distribution of fish eggs was correlated with environmental factors. A total of 15157 eggs belonging to two orders, four families, and 18 species were collected. Comparison of these data with historical records in the same area showed that the community structure of drifting eggs has changed considerably. Previously, the community was dominated by larger-bodied species, rather than the smaller species documented in 2016. Eggs were primarily detected between May and August. In the natural channel, the greatest abundance of eggs occurred during May and June. In comparison, the greatest abundance of eggs downstream of the dam was detected in July. The results of this study provide important information for water conservancy institutions towards managing regions containing dams to maintain the ecology of rivers and protect important fish resources.
De novolearning versus adaptation of continuous control in a manual tracking task
Authors: Yang Christopher S , Cowan Noah J , Haith Adrian M
Published: January 2020

How do people learn to perform tasks that require continuous adjustments of motor output, like riding a bicycle? People rely heavily on cognitive strategies when learning discrete movement tasks, but such time-consuming strategies are infeasible in continuous control tasks that demand rapid responses to ongoing sensory feedback. To understand how people can learn to perform such tasks without the benefit of cognitive strategies, we imposed a rotation/mirror reversal of visual feedback while participants performed a continuous tracking task. We analyzed behavior using a system identification approach which revealed two qualitatively different components of learning: adaptation of a baseline controller and formation of a new, task-specific continuous controller. These components exhibited different signatures in the frequency domain and were differentially engaged under the rotation/mirror reversal. Our results demonstrate that people can rapidly build a new continuous controllerde novoand can simultaneously deploy this process with adaptation of an existing controller.
Long weekend sleep is linked to stronger academic performance in male but not female pharmacy students
Authors: Leak Rehana Khan , Weiner Susan L. , Chandwani Manisha N. , Rhodes Diane C.
Published: January 2020

Introduction

Poor sleep hygiene portends loss of physical and mental stamina. Therefore, maintaining a regular sleep/wake schedule on both weekdays and weekends is highly recommended. However, this advice runs contrary to the habits of university students, who may only experience recovery sleep if they sleep late on weekends. Pharmacy students at Duquesne University sit for frequent examinations, typically commencing at 7:30 AM, and they complain about fatigue. Here, we tested the central hypothesis that longer sleep durations on weekdays and weekends are linked to stronger academic performance in Pharmacy students.

Methods

Students in their first professional year were administered three surveys to collect data on sleep habits and factors that might influence sleep, such as roommates, long commute times, and sleep interruptions. GPAs were collected from the Dean’s office, with permission from the students.

Results

Longer weekend—but not weekday—sleep durations were significantly correlated with higher cumulative GPAs in men and not in women. Women achieved slightly higher cumulative GPAs than men. Students who fell asleep within 15 minutes of going to bed had higher professional-phase GPAs than those who fell asleep after an hour or more.

Conclusion

Our observations cannot establish causal links, but, given the body of prior evidence on the salutary properties of sleep, men in this cohort may reap benefit from recovery sleep on weekends. Rather than recommending that students force themselves awake early on weekends in an attempt to maintain a consistent sleep routine, the real-life habits of students should be given consideration.
ipcoal: An interactive Python package for simulating and analyzing genealogies and sequences on a species tree or network
Authors: McKenzie Patrick F. , Eaton Deren A. R.
Published: January 2020

ipcoalis a free and open source Python package for simulating and analyzing genealogies and sequences. It automates the task of describing complex demographic models (e.g., with divergence times, effective population sizes, migration events) to themsprimecoalescent simulator by parsing a user-supplied species tree or network. Genealogies, sequences, and metadata are returned in tabular format allowing for easy downstream analyses.ipcoalincludes phylogenetic inference tools to automate gene tree inference from simulated sequence data, and visualization tools for analyzing results and verifying model accuracy. Theipcoalpackage is a powerful tool for posterior predictive data analysis, for methods validation, and for teaching coalescent methods in an interactive and visual environment.

Availability and implementation

Source code is available from the GitHub repository (https://github.com/pmckenz1/ipcoal/) and is distributed for packaged installation with conda. Complete documentation and interactive notebooks prepared for teaching purposes are available athttps://ipcoal.readthedocs.io/.
New complexities of SOS-induced “untargeted” mutagenesis inEscherichia colias revealed by mutation accumulation and whole-genome sequencing
Authors: Niccum Brittany A. , Coplen Christopher P. , Lee Heewook , Ismail Wazim Mohammed , Tang Haixu , Foster Patricia L.
Published: January 2020

When its DNA is damaged,Escherichia coliinduces the SOS response, which consists of about 40 genes that encode activities to repair or tolerate the damage. Certain alleles of the major SOS-control genes,recAandlexA, cause constitutive expression of the response, resulting in an increase in spontaneous mutations. These mutations, historically called “untargeted”, have been the subject of many previous studies. Here we re-examine SOS-induced mutagenesis using mutation accumulation followed by whole-genome sequencing (MA/WGS), which allows a detailed picture of the types of mutations induced as well as their sequence-specificity. Our results confirm previous findings that SOS expression specifically induces transversion base-pair substitutions, with rates averaging about 60-fold above wild-type levels. Surprisingly, the rates of G:C to C:G transversions, normally an extremely rare mutation, were induced an average of 160-fold above wild-type levels. The SOS-induced transversion showed strong sequence specificity, the most extreme of which was the G:C to C:G transversions, 60% of which occurred at the middle base of 5′GGC3′+5′GCC3′ sites although these sites represent only 8% of the G:C base pairs in the genome. SOS-induced transversions were also DNA strand biased, occurring, on average, 2- to 4- times more often when the purine was on the leading strand template and the pyrimidine on the lagging strand template than in the opposite orientation. However, the strand bias was also sequence specific, and even of reverse orientation at some sites. By eliminating constraints on the mutations that can be recovered, the MA/WGS protocol revealed new complexities to the nature of SOS “untargeted” mutations.

Highlights

The SOS response to DNA damage induces “untargeted” mutations

SOS-mutations are revealed by mutation accumulation and whole genome sequencing

SOS-mutations are both sequence and DNA-strand biased

G:C to C:G transversions are particularly highly induced by SOS

G:C to C:G transversions are extremely sequence and DNA-strand biased
One-stop Microfluidic Assembly of Human Brain Organoids to Model Prenatal Cannabis Exposure
Authors: Ao Zheng , Cai Hongwei , Havert Daniel J , Wu Zhuhao , Gong Zhiyi , Beggs John M. , Mackie Ken , Guo Feng
Published: January 2020

Prenatal cannabis exposure (PCE) influences human brain development, but it is challenging to model PCE using animals and current cell culture techniques. Here, we developed a one-stop microfluidic platform to assemble and culture human cerebral organoids from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) to investigate the effect of PCE on early human brain development. By incorporating perfusable culture chambers, air-liquid interface, and one-stop protocol, this microfluidic platform can simplify the fabrication procedure, and produce a large number of organoids (169 organoids per 3.5 cm x 3.5 cm device area) without fusion, as compared with conventional fabrication methods. These one-stop microfluidic assembled cerebral organoids not only recapitulate early human brain structure, biology, and electrophysiology but also have minimal size variation and hypoxia. Under on-chip exposure to the psychoactive cannabinoid, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cerebral organoids exhibited reduced neuronal maturation, downregulation of cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) receptors, and impaired neurite outgrowth. Moreover, transient on-chip THC treatment also decreased spontaneous firing in microfluidic assembled brain organoids. This one-stop microfluidic technique enables a simple, scalable, and repeatable organoid culture method that can be used not only for human brain organoids, but also for many other human organoids including liver, kidney, retina, and tumor organoids. This technology could be widely used in modeling brain and other organ development, developmental disorders, developmental pharmacology and toxicology, and drug screening.
Invitro-Propagation of Threatened African Sandalwood (Osyris lanceolata Hochst. & Steud.) via Using IBA hormone
Authors: Admas Adugnaw , Melese Semegnwe , Genetu Amare , Kidane Berhane , Yilma Zewdu , Admasu Melaku , Misiga Tesaka
Published: January 2020

The African Sandalwood plant (Osyris lanceolata) is a threatened shrub or a small hemi-parasitic tree endemic to East Africa and South African regions, which is being severely affected by fungus, uproot-ing for oil extraction, poor natural regeneration, phenological structures (dioecious), medicinal values, lack of sexual recruitment, habitat loss, anthropogenic and climate factors and life span of its seed is short. It has been found a chllange through application of in situ conservation of natural trees like osyris lanceoleta since rapid human population growth and dramatically change the demands of fuel wood and agriculture investement, the available natural strands of valuable plants of African sandalwood have not been able to meet the demands of the people in world specifically developing countries. How ever, this study via using the advances of plant propagation method it provide new options for conserving and multiplication of Osyris lanceolata species using in vitro culture techniques of using IBA hormone by taking plant material of the targated plant.

Propagation of African sandalwood (Osyris lanceolata) by rooting hormone of IBA in non-mist poly-propagator was investigated by taking young stem of osyris lanceoleta from Bazawit Hill and we provide an alternative propagation technique to the use of seeds. This Hill is near to Bahrdar town, Ethiopia.New leaf were initiated on the young stems of the osyris after six weeks of the experment.The influence of IBA as rooting promoter at three concentrations (50, 100 and 150 ppm) were recorded.Un expectedly, from the data collected it was observed that the success 83.3% can be achieved from young stem of un treatead cuting gave a new leaf and 50% were achived in the treatead plant, this propagation technique is a viable alternative to seed. The success may influenced by application orgin of a stem cutting with a type of soil.