bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Birth prevalence of congenital heart disease in China, 1980–2019: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 617 studies
Authors: Zhao Lijuan , Chen Lizhang , Yang Tubao , Wang Tingting , Zhang Senmao , Chen Letao , Ye Ziwei , Luo Liu , Qin Jiabi
Published: June 2020

To assess the birth prevalence and spatial distribution of congenital heart disease (CHD) in China by conducting a complete overview and using spatial epidemiological methods. Unrestricted searches were conducted on seven electronic databases, with an end-date parameter of May 2019. Data on the birth prevalence of CHD and its subtypes were collected and combined using either the random-effect model or fixed-effect model. Subgroup sensitivity analyses were performed to explore potential heterogeneity moderators. The three-dimensional trend analysis and a visualization of CHD birth prevalence among different provinces were performed to describe the spatial distribution characteristics. Total 617 studies involving 76,961,354 births and 201,934 CHD individuals were included. Overall, total CHD birth prevalence increased continuously over time, from 0.201‰ in 1980–1984 to 4.905‰ in 2015–2019. The study on the high-income provinces, population-based monitoring model, male births, and urban regions reported a significantly higher prevalence of total CHD compared with upper-middle-income provinces, hospital-based monitoring model, female births, and rural regions, respectively. National CHD birth prevalence increased gradually from western region to eastern region, but decreased gradually from southern to northern region. Relevant heterogeneity moderators including gender, geographic region, income levels, and monitoring models have been identified by subgroup analyses. Sensitivity analysis yielded consistent results. Total CHD birth prevalence in China increases continuously in the past 40 years. Significant differences in gender, geographical regions, income levels, and monitoring models were found. In the future, population wide prospective birth defect registries covering the entire Chinese population need to determine the exact birth prevalence.
17β-Estradiol affects the innate immune response in common carp
Authors: Maciuszek Magdalena , Pijanowski Lukasz , Pekala-Safinska Agnieszka , Kemenade B. M. Lidy Verburg-van , Chadzinska Magdalena
Published: June 2020

Inflammation is the evolutionary conserved immune response to harmful stimuli such as pathogens or damaged cells. This multistep process acts by removing injurious stimuli and initiating the healing process. Therefore, it must be tightly regulated by cytokines, chemokines, and enzymes, as well as neuroendocrine mediators. In the present work, we studied the immunoregulatory properties of 17β-estradiol (E2) in common carp. We determined the in vitro effects of E2 on the activity/polarization of macrophages and the in vivo effects during Aeromonas salmonicida-induced inflammation. In vitro, E2 reduced the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory mediator genes but did not change the gene expression of the estrogen receptors and of aromatase CYP19. In contrast, in vivo in the head kidney of A. salmonicida-infected fish, E2-treated feeding induced an upregulation of gene expression of pro-inflammatory (il-12p35 and cxcb2) and anti-inflammatory (arginase 1, arginase 2, il-10, and mmp9) mediators. Moreover, in infected fish fed with E2-treated food, a higher gene expression of the estrogen receptors and of the aromatase CYP19 was found. Our results demonstrate that estrogens can modulate the carp innate immune response, though the in vitro and in vivo effects of this hormone are contrasting. This implies that estradiol not only induces a direct effect on macrophages but rather exerts immunomodulatory actions through indirect mechanisms involving other cellular targets.
Invasive submerged macrophytes complicate management of a shallow boreal lake: a 42-year history of monitoring and restoration attempts in Littoistenjärvi, SW Finland
Authors: Sarvala Jouko , Helminen Harri , Heikkilä Jukka
Published: June 2020

The small, shallow lake Littoistenjärvi (SW Finland) experienced in 1978–2019 rapid fluctuations between extreme ecological states, initially associated with mass occurrences of the submerged macrophyteElodea canadensisMichx. In collapse years following abundance peaks, water was turbid, in other years clear. Aeration prevented anoxia under ice-cover, but this favouredElodea.Mechanical plant removal acceleratedElodeagrowth, and had to be abandoned. Recurrent cyanobacterial blooms started in 2000, and by 2006 phosphorus and chlorophyll reached new high levels because of increased internal loading. During this turbid state, internal loading showed significant positive correlation with maximum water temperature and pH. External loading was reduced in 2011 by one-third by diverting runoff from a former arable field transformed into a wetland. Precipitation of phosphorus with polyaluminium chloride in 2017 restored the clear-water state. The case of Littoistenjärvi shows that if internal loading has become the major factor controlling water quality, traditional restoration methods (external load reduction, aeration, removal fishing) provide limited possibilities to improve water quality. Instead, chemical precipitation of phosphorus seems a promising measure which can break the vicious circle of algal blooms and internal loading. Unfortunately, the uncontrollable growth of invasive submerged macrophytes may jeopardise the positive development.
Resource-Aware Data Parallel Array Processing
Authors: Grelck Clemens , Blom Cédric
Published: June 2020

Malleable applications may run with varying numbers of threads, and thus on varying numbers of cores, while the precise number of threads is irrelevant for the program logic. Malleability is a common property in data-parallel array processing. With ever growing core counts we are increasingly faced with the problem of how to choose the best number of threads. We propose a compiler-directed, almost automatic tuning approach for the functional array processing language SaC. Our approach consists of an offline training phase during which compiler-instrumented application code systematically explores the design space and accumulates a persistent database of profiling data. When generating production code our compiler consults this database and augments each data-parallel operation with a recommendation table. Based on these recommendation tables the runtime system chooses the number of threads individually for each data-parallel operation. With energy/power efficiency becoming an ever greater concern, we explicitly distinguish between two application scenarios: aiming at best possible performance or aiming at a beneficial trade-off between performance and resource investment.
Numerical treatment of the generalized Love integral equation
Authors: Fermo Luisa , Russo Maria Grazia , Serafini Giada
Published: June 2020

In this paper, the generalized Love integral equation has been considered. In order to approximate the solution, a Nyström method based on a mixed quadrature rule has been proposed. Such a rule is a combination of a product and a “dilation” quadrature formula. The stability and convergence of the described numerical procedure have been discussed in suitable weighted spaces and the efficiency of the method is shown by some numerical tests.
Nation, Nationality, and National Identity: Uses, Misuses, and the Hungarian Case of External Ethnic Citizenship
Authors: Körtvélyesi Zsolt
Published: June 2020

The article looks at the changing terrain of inclusion and exclusion, through mapping the shifts in Hungarian citizenship law and its political context. More specifically, it deals with the legal aspects of the definitional exercise of belonging to the Hungarian nation, starting with an analysis of the relevant provisions of the 2011 Fundamental Law of Hungary and moving on to assess the phenomenon of external ethnic citizenship. The surrounding political and legal debates are read together with insights from normative scholarship to trace the changing meaning of who belongs to the nation, in what sense and with what practical consequences. The paper discusses the political context of the changing constitutional and citizenship rules to demonstrate the circularity in defining the nation: who gets to vote will have an impact on who decides on who gets to vote which in turn will have an impact on who gets to vote, how, and for how long. The article concludes that supplanting the political nation with the ethno-cultural concept means that overinclusion has given way to underinclusion. For instance, some who used to be defined as part of the ethno-cultural nation have come to be viewed as voluntary outsiders: with the availability of non-residential naturalization, those who opted not to acquire Hungarian citizens can now be seen as also falling outside the nation, rewriting basic tenets of national identity.
The Impact of a Conditional Cash Transfer on Multidimensional Deprivation of Young Women: Evidence from South Africa’s HTPN 068
Authors: Kilburn Kelly , Ferrone Lucia , Pettifor Audrey , Wagner Ryan , Gómez-Olivé F. Xavier , Kahn Kathy
Published: June 2020

Despite the growing popularity of multidimensional poverty measurement and analysis, its use to measure the impact of social protection programs remains scarce. Using primary data collected for the evaluation of HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) 068, a randomized, conditional cash transfer intervention for young girls in South Africa that ran from 2011 to 2015, we construct an individual-level measure of multidimensional poverty, a major departure from standard indices that use the household as the unit of analysis. We construct our measure by aggregating multiple deprivation indicators across six dimensions and using a system of nested weights where each domain is weighted equally. Our findings show that the cash transfer consistently reduces deprivations among girls, in particular through the domains of economic agency, violence, and relationships. These results show how social protection interventions can improve the lives of young women beyond single domains and demonstrate the potential for social protection to simultaneously address multiple targets of the SDGs.
Degrees of freedom
Authors: Thyssen Pieter , Wenmackers Sylvia
Published: June 2020

Human freedom is in tension with nomological determinism and with statistical determinism. The goal of this paper is to answer both challenges. Four contributions are made to the free-will debate. First, we propose a classification of scientific theories based on how much freedom they allow. We take into account that indeterminism comes in different degrees and that both the laws and the auxiliary conditions can place constraints. A scientific worldview pulls towards one end of this classification, while libertarianism pulls towards the other end of the spectrum. Second, inspired by Hoefer, we argue that an interval of auxiliary conditions corresponds to a region in phase space, and to a bundle of possible block universes. We thus make room for a form of non-nomological indeterminism. Third, we combine crucial elements from the works of Hoefer and List; we attempt to give a libertarian reading of this combination. On our proposal, throughout spacetime, there is a certain amount of freedom (equivalent to setting the initial, intermediate, or final conditions) that can be interpreted as the result of agential choices. Fourth, we focus on the principle of alternative possibilities throughout and propose three ways of strengthening it.
Colonial Ideology, Colonial Sciences and Colonial Sociology in Belgium
Authors: Poncelet Marc
Published: June 2020

At the turn of the twentieth century, Belgian sociology and Belgian colonialism in Congo developed into a small political and academic elite that shared the same ideological stances. Colonialism played a more significant role. Colonization provided a new stage for emerging disciplines such as geography and sociology – which played their part in creating a brand new Belgo-African ethnology. Despite being a work in progress, sociology (which mainly involved jurists and lawyers) found a key place in the new institutional colonial sciences network. A colonial consensus was reached between Catholic and Liberal elites during the colonial crises and polemics that were also theoretical battles. Colonial sociology aspired to become the encyclopedic ethnology of the last AfricanTerra incognita,as well as the government’s modern science of the indigenous people. Missionaries, colonial magistrates and administrators carried out field research. It gradually generates a significant output on the scale of the social sciences of the time. But it was more closely linked to the institutions of colonial power than to academic institutions. As colonial sociology partially freed itself from the colonial context during the 1950s, under the banner of professional ethnology, on the one hand, and the sociology of development on the other, it had to contend with a dramatic decolonization process. Quite rightly considered colonial sociology but not sociology of colonization, its success can, however, not be summed up in a single ideology. Colonial sociology never was an effective instrument of domination or tool for liberation; it has never entirely succeeded in influencing the dominant institutions and ideologies. The discipline has a rather uneven and unstable timeline due to the physical and moral distance between the field and the Belgian metropolis.
Increasing the manufacturing efficiency of WAAM by advanced cooling strategies
Authors: Reisgen Uwe , Sharma Rahul , Mann Samuel , Oster Lukas
Published: June 2020

Wire- and arc-based additive manufacturing (WAAM) is a promising technology for large-scale additive manufacturing of metallic components. However, due to the high heat input by the electric arc, interpass cooling time decelerates the average manufacturing speed. Since future applications aim to the production of large structural steel components, the manufacturing speed is a key parameter to make WAAM usable for civil engineering. Within the scope of this paper, different process cooling strategies are weighed up against one another with regard to efficiency, impact on the process, as well as to the influence on the microstructure of the processed steel. For the thermal evaluation, welds on vertically placed plates were performed using the gas metal arc (GMA) process. As far as different cooling methods are concerned, the standard GMA process is carried out with water bath cooling, high-pressure air cooling and also with aerosol cooling. Temperature curves were determined using thermocouples which are dipped into the molten pool. The evaluation of the microstructure and the hardness is carried out by means of cross sections and Vickers hardness tests. The results show that aerosol cooling can be a promising addition to WAAM as it can be applied during welding and is capable to modify the t8/5 time and, therefore, the mechanical properties of the steel.
Modification of tidal resonance in the Severn Estuary by a barrage and lagoon
Authors: Ma Qian , Adcock Thomas A. A.
Published: June 2020

The Bristol Channel/Severn Estuary has some of the largest tides in the world with a mean spring tidal range of 12.2 m. Numerous proposals have been made to exploit this for energy extraction. However, the large tidal range is partially driven by tidal resonance and such systems can be sensitive to small changes. Thus, it is important to understand the impact of a barrage on the resonance of the system which in turn leads to an understanding of the environmental impact of building a barrage. In this paper, we examine the resonant response of the Bristol Channel system, with and without a barrage structure deployed, using a depth-averaged numerical model. We find that the barrage can alter the response of the Bristol Channel to excitation with higher frequencies than 12 h. However, the barrage causes very little change to the resonant response for longer periods including for the semi-diurnal periods which dominate the tides in the region. We also briefly examine the Swansea Lagoon scheme and find that this is too small to have a significant impact on the resonant response of the channel.
Minireview: The role of viruses in marine photosynthetic biofilms
Authors: McMinn Andrew , Liang Yantao , Wang Min
Published: June 2020

Microphytobenthos and sea ice algae comprise globally significant photosynthetic biofilms. While their microalgal and bacterial constituents are well characterized, there is very little information on their viral communities or on the virus–bacteria and virus–algae interactions within them. While high levels of interaction might be expected because of the high density of cells, infection rates, particularly of microalgae, have been found to be low. It remains unclear whether this is a result of environment characteristics, developed resistance or because of the small number of studies.
Dietary supplementation with seed oil from transgenicCamelina sativainduces similar increments in plasma and erythrocyte DHA and EPA to fish oil in healthy humans
Authors: West Annette L. , Miles Elizabeth A. , Lillycrop Karen A. , Han Lihua , Napier Johnathan A. , Calder Philip C. , Burdge Graham C.
Published: June 2020

EPA and DHA are required for normal cell function and can also induce health benefits. Oily fish are the main source of EPA and DHA for human consumption. However, food choices and concerns about the sustainability of marine fish stocks limit the effectiveness of dietary recommendations for EPA + DHA intakes. Seed oils from transgenic plants that contain EPA + DHA are a potential alternative source of EPA and DHA. The present study investigated whether dietary supplementation with transgenicCamelina sativaseed oil (CSO) that contained EPA and DHA was as effective as fish oil (FO) in increasing EPA and DHA concentrations when consumed as a dietary supplement in a blinded crossover study. Healthy men and women (n31; age 53 (range 20–74) years) were randomised to consume 450 mg/d EPA + DHA provided either as either CSO or FO for 8 weeks, followed by 6 weeks washout and then switched to consuming the other test oil. Fasting venous blood samples were collected at the start and end of each supplementation period. Consuming the test oils significantly (P< 0·05) increased EPA and DHA concentrations in plasma TAG, phosphatidylcholine and cholesteryl esters. There were no significant differences between test oils in the increments of EPA and DHA. There was no significant difference between test oils in the increase in the proportion of erythrocyte EPA + DHA (CSO, 12 %;P< 0·0001 and FO, 8 %;P= 0·02). Together, these findings show that consuming CSO is as effective as FO for increasing EPA and DHA concentrations in humans.
Do non-crop areas and landscape structure influence dispersal and population densities of male olive moth?
Authors: Villa María , Santos Sónia A. P. , Pascual Susana , Pereira José Alberto
Published: June 2020

The permeability of the crop surroundings to pests and the landscape structure can influence pest dispersal between crop patches as well as its abundance within the crop. In this work, we analyzed the dispersal of the olive mothPrays oleae(Bernard) throughout the olive grove surroundings and their abundance within the crop following three approaches: (i) pollen grains settled on bodies of olive moths collected in olive groves were identified and compared with flora occurring on the surrounding patches; (ii) the capability ofP. oleaemales to penetrate non-crop patches was analyzed (iii) the effect of the landscape structure on the abundance of the three generations of the olive moth was studied. Pollen grains of scrubs and other trees occurring in the crop surroundings, such asCistussp.,Quercussp.,Juniperus-type or Pinaceae were identified onP. oleaebodies suggesting thatP. oleaepenetrates into non-crop habitats. Additionally, woody and, to a lesser degree, herbaceous patches, did not constitute barriers forP. oleae.Finally, more complex and heterogeneous patches presented lower numbers of captures ofP. oleae. These results give new insights into the movements of the olive moth in the olive grove surroundings and suggest that the management of non-crop areas could influence this pest abundance.
Effects of seeking compensation on the psychological health and recovery of injured patients: the role of stress vulnerability and injury-related disability
Authors: Pozzato I. , Kifley A. , Craig A. , Gopinath B. , Tran Y. , Jagnoor J. , Cameron I. D.
Published: June 2020

Background

Seeking compensation has been shown to have an adverse effect on the psychological health and recovery of injured patients, however, this effect requires clarification.

Methods

A total of 2019 adults sustaining a traffic injury were recruited. Of these, 709 (35.1%) lodged a compensation claim. Interviews occurred at 1-, 6- and 12-month post-injury. Outcomes were psychological distress (posttraumatic stress (PTS) and depressive symptoms) and health-related functioning (HrF) (quality of life measured by EQ-5D-3L and disability by WHODAS) over 12-months post-injury. Covariates included individual stress vulnerability (preinjury, injury-related factors).

Results

Compared with non-compensation participants, compensation groups had higher stress vulnerability (more severe injuries and negative reactions) and poorer baseline outcomes (psychological health and HrF). After adjustment, we found an effect of compensation on HrF [β-0.09 (−0.11 to −0.07), p < 0.001] and PTS [β = 0.36 (0.16 to 0.56), p = 0.0003], but not on depression [β = −0.07 (−0.42 to 0.28), p = 0.7]. Both groups improved over time. Vulnerable individuals (β = 1.23, p < 0.001) and those with poorer baseline outcomes (PTS: β = 0.06, p = 0.002; HrF: β = −1.07, p < 0.001) were more likely to lodge a claim. In turn, higher stress vulnerability, poor baseline outcomes and claiming compensation were associated with long-term psychological distress and HrF. Nevertheless, concurrent HrF in the model fully accounted for the compensation effect on psychological distress (β = −0.14, p = 0.27), but not vice versa.

Conclusions

This study provides convincing evidence that seeking compensation is not necessarily harmful to psychological health. The person's stress vulnerability and injury-related disability emerge as major risk factors of long-term psychological distress, requiring a whole-systems approach to address the problem.
Health-protective behaviour, social media usage and conspiracy belief during the COVID-19 public health emergency
Authors: Allington Daniel , Duffy Bobby , Wessely Simon , Dhavan Nayana , Rubin James
Published: June 2020

Background

Social media platforms have long been recognised as major disseminators of health misinformation. Many previous studies have found a negative association between health-protective behaviours and belief in the specific form of misinformation popularly known as ‘conspiracy theory’. Concerns have arisen regarding the spread of COVID-19 conspiracy theories on social media.

Methods

Three questionnaire surveys of social media use, conspiracy beliefs and health-protective behaviours with regard to COVID-19 among UK residents were carried out online, one using a self-selecting sample (N= 949) and two using stratified random samples from a recruited panel (N= 2250,N= 2254).

Results

All three studies found a negative relationship between COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and COVID-19 health-protective behaviours, and a positive relationship between COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and use of social media as a source of information about COVID-19. Studies 2 and 3 also found a negative relationship between COVID-19 health-protective behaviours and use of social media as a source of information, and Study 3 found a positive relationship between health-protective behaviours and use of broadcast media as a source of information.

Conclusions

When used as an information source, unregulated social media may present a health risk that is partly but not wholly reducible to their role as disseminators of health-related conspiracy beliefs.
Secondary education as a group marker in St. Louis, Missouri
Authors: Duncan Daniel
Published: June 2020

This article calls attention to the saliency of secondary education within the community and its utility in constructing social categories, in order to consider how it affects linguistic variation. Older St. Louisans draw on secondary education to construct a divide between those who attended Catholic high schools and those who attended public schools. I show that speakers in a sample of older St. Louisans differ in production of thethoughtvowel based on education type. This effect is weakened in apparent time when we consider a larger sample that includes both older and younger speakers. I draw on Brubaker's (2004) view of groups as events and actions to argue that these categories were indexed only while they had a high degree of groupness, and suggest that social changes that led to diminished groupness between Catholics and Publics also resulted in the loss of a linguistic distinction between the groups. (Education, groups, Northern Cities Shift, Catholicism)*
SLEEP-DEPENDENT CONSOLIDATION OF SECOND LANGUAGE GRAMMAR KNOWLEDGE
Authors: Kim Kathy MinHye , Fenn Kimberly M.
Published: June 2020

Sleep plays a role in the consolidation of various aspects of language learning. In this study, we investigated the extent to which sleep-dependent memory consolidation contributes to second language (L2) rule generalization and enhancement of L2 explicit knowledge. One hundred native English speakers were engaged in a meaning-focused training of two German grammar rules. Participants were trained either in the morning or in the evening and tested after a retention interval that was either filled with wakefulness or sleep. During the test, we used a grammaticality judgment test to measure grammatical learning and retrospective verbal reports and source attributions to measure awareness. We found that sleep consolidated learning only for learners who reported awareness of syntactic rules prior to sleep. However, performance based on explicit sources did not differ after a period of sleep and after a period of wakefulness. These findings suggest that sleep may benefit L2 rule generalization only for learners who are aware of the L2 rules before sleep but may not consolidate L2 explicit knowledge.
Technology Use among Family Caregivers of People with Dementia
Authors: Mo Guang Ying , Biss Renée K. , Poole Laurie , Stern Bianca , Waite Karen , Murphy Kelly J.
Published: June 2020

This study explored family caregivers’ use of technology to care for people with dementia living at home. Three questions were pursued: (1) what are the important, unmet needs of family caregivers, (2) how do they use technologies to assist in care tasks, and (3) what do health care providers know about caregivers’ needs and technology use? Two comprehensive surveys were developed to answer these questions: one for family caregivers (n = 33), and one for health care providers (n = 60). Descriptive and quantitative analyses showed that caregivers’ important, unmet needs were in the domains of information, formal services, and emotional support. Caregivers make limited use of technology but believe in its potential usefulness. Health care providers agree that technology is useful in dementia care; however, they underestimate caregivers’ willingness to adopt technologies to communicate with providers. Findings prove caregiver willingness to use technology to support their care role and provide guidance regarding the caregiver needs that these technologies should address.
The control of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights over amnesty laws and other exemption measures: Legitimacy assessment
Authors: Perez-Leon-Acevedo Juan Pablo
Published: June 2020

In 2001, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) seminally found self-amnesty laws on serious human rights violations to be null and void. However, later national reactions showed that this supranational control has faced challenges. Such supranational judicial authority has been exercised where amnesty laws and other exemption measures blocked judicial cases, democratic referendums upheld legislation, and peace-making processes existed.

This article seeks to determine whether the traditionally interventionist jurisprudence of the IACtHR on amnesty laws/exemption measures has been legitimate under global constitutionalism standards. The standards considered are: human rights, namely, rights of victims of mass atrocities; consistency or coherence of this jurisprudence with international, regional and national practices; and democratic legitimacy and/or accountability considerations.

Victim rights have underlain the IACtHR’s jurisprudence on amnesty laws and similar measures. Importantly, developments on victim rights are not exclusive to the IACtHR as case law of other supranational human rights bodies evidences. Among human rights courts and bodies, the IACtHR has exercised the highest level of control over amnesty laws/exemption measures, even nullifying national legislation. However, the IACtHR’s case law shares common principles with UN/regional jurisprudential developments and domestic practices in terms of inadmissibility of amnesties and other exemption measures in cases of serious abuses. Unlike the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), the IACtHR has not deferred to sovereign state appreciation (conventionality control doctrine). Nevertheless, the IACtHR has arguably begun to move towards more ‘moderated’ approaches. This is advisable under democratic legitimacy considerations.
EPIPHYTE RESPONSE TO WOODLAND HABITAT CONDITION ASSESSED USING COMMUNITY INDICATORS: A SIMPLIFIED METHOD FOR SCOTLAND’S TEMPERATE RAIN FOREST
Authors: Brosnan V. , Ellis C. J.
Published: June 2020

National vegetation classification (NVC) has been widely applied as a framework for mapping and conserving plant species and community types. However, a limited availability of expertise has prevented NVCs from being developed and used in cryptogam-dominated systems, such as for temperate and boreal epiphyte communities. This study simplified a recent systematically sampled NVC, trialled for epiphyte communities in Scotland, by reducing the original list of 82 community indicators to 34 easily recognisable species (lichens, mosses and liverworts). These were subsequently sampled from woodland sites positioned in Scotland’s temperate rain forest zone. Sites were positioned among localities in less intensively managed landscapes (northwest Scotland) through to peri-urban environments (southern Scotland), grouping sites for each locality based on a contrast in woodland temporal continuity (ancient or recent). The richness and diversity of epiphyte community indicators were compared with easily measured variables reflecting stand heterogeneity or ecological stability, and woodland temporal continuity, with air pollution as a covariable. Richness and diversity were significantly explained by the ecological stability of woodland stands, heterogeneity of the light environment, and nitrogen pollution. This demonstrates a tool that can be deployed by the non-specialist, with appropriate training, to quantify the condition of a woodland stand through consequences for its epiphytes in globally important temperate rain forest. The pattern of richness and diversity was consistent with the co-occurrence of particular indicator species, which represent the range of epiphyte community types supported by a woodland.
Global cities, glocal fauna: animals and the urban British Atlantic, 1660–1800
Authors: Wells Andrew
Published: June 2020

This article has two principal aims. The first is to assess the usefulness of ‘glocalization’ as a concept in the study of early modern global cities, using human–animal interactions as a test case. The second is to explore the reciprocal influence that human–animal interactions and the development of global cities had on each other. Exploration of these two issues interrogates the frequently contradictory, often ambiguous and always contested nature of the early modern global city itself.
Silent in situ thrombus within a hypoplastic left ventricle in a teenager with Fontan palliation
Authors: Takajo Daiji , Sriram Chenni S. , Aggarwal Sanjeev
Published: June 2020

Thrombosis, especially in the Fontan pathway, is one of the major concerns in patients who underwent Fontan surgery, with reported prevalence of 5–33%. We report a case of thrombus in a rudimentary left ventricle in teenager with no arrhythmia or neurological complications. We also report the special concerns of silent thrombus and role of cardiac MRI in diagnosing an intracardiac thrombus.
Effect of micronutrient supplements on low-risk pregnancies in high-income countries: a systematic quantitative literature review
Authors: James-McAlpine Janelle M , Vincze Lisa , Vanderlelie Jessica J , Perkins Anthony V
Published: June 2020

Objective:

To assess the quantity and focus of recent empirical research regarding the effect of micronutrient supplementation on live birth outcomes in low-risk pregnancies from high-income countries.

Design:

A systematic quantitative literature review.

Setting:

Low-risk pregnancies in World Bank-classified high-income countries, 2019.

Results:

Using carefully selected search criteria, a total of 2475 publications were identified, of which seventeen papers met the inclusion criteria for this review. Data contributing to nine of the studies were sourced from four cohorts; research originated from ten countries. These cohorts exhibited a large number of participants, stable data and a low probability of bias. The most recent empirical data offered by these studies was 2011; the most historical was 1980. In total, fifty-five categorical outcome/supplement combinations were examined; 67·3 % reported no evidence of micronutrient supplementation influencing selected outcomes.

Conclusions:

A coordinated, cohesive and uniform empirical approach to future studies is required to determine what constitutes appropriate, effective and safe micronutrient supplementation in contemporary cohorts from high-income countries, and how this might influence pregnancy outcomes.
Dosimetric comparison of integral dose for different techniques of craniospinal irradiation
Authors: Goswami Brijesh , Jain Rakesh Kumar , Yadav Suresh , Kumar Sunil , Oommen Saji , Manocha Sapna , Jadav Genesh K.
Published: June 2020

Aim:

Comparison of the integral dose (ID) delivered to organs at risk (OAR), non-target body and target body by using different techniques of craniospinal irradiation (CSI).

Materials and methods:

Ten CSI patients (medulloblastoma) already planned and treated either with linear accelerator three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (Linac-3DCRT) technique or with linear accelerator RapidArc (Linac-RapidArc) technique by Novalis-Tx Linac machine have been analysed. Retrospectively, these patients are again planned on Radixact-X9 Linac with Helical, Direct-3DCRT and Direct-intensity-modulated radiation therapy (Direct-IMRT) techniques. The dose prescription to planning target volume brain (PTV-Brain) and PTV-Spine is 36 Gy in 20 fractions and is kept the same for all techniques. The target body, non-target body, OARs and total body dose are compared.

Results:

ID is lowest in the RapidArc plan for every patient in comparison to Helical and Direct-IMRT. The ID for Body-PTV was found slightly higher in the RapidArc plan in comparison to 3DCRT plans. But there is better normal tissue sparing for most of the OARs in RapidArc plans if it compares with 3DCRT plans.

Findings:

RapidArc is a better alternative for the treatment of CSI. It provides better target coverage and better OARs sparing from any other treatment techniques.
Denitrification Is the Main Nitrous Oxide Source Process in Grassland Soils According to Quasi‐Continuous Isotopocule Analysis and Biogeochemical Modeling
Authors: Ibraim Erkan , Denk Tobias , Wolf Benjamin , Barthel Matti , Gasche Rainer , Wanek Wolfgang , Zhang Shasha , Kiese Ralf , Butterbach‐Bahl Klaus , Eggleston Sarah , Emmenegger Lukas , Six Johan , Mohn Joachim
Published: June 2020

Isotopic composition of soil‐emitted nitrous oxide (N2O), especially the intramolecular distribution of 15N in N2O known as site preference (SP), can be used to track the two major N2O emitting soil‐processes nitrification and denitrification. Online analysis of SP in ambient air has been achieved recently, yet those approaches only allowed addressing large areas (footprints) on the basis of strong changes in surface atmospheric N2O concentrations. Here, we combined laser spectroscopy with automated static flux chambers to measure, for the first time, SP of low N2O fluxes with high sensitivity and temporal resolution and to explore its spatial variability. The measurements were then used to test the N2O isotope module SIMONE in combination with the biogeochemical model LandscapeDNDC to identify N2O source processes. End‐member mixing analysis of the data revealed denitrification as the predominant N2O source. This finding was independent of the soil water content close to the soil surface, suggesting that N2O production in the subsoil under high water‐filled pore space conditions outweighed the potential production of N2O by nitrification closer to the surface. Applying the SIMONE‐LandscapeDNDC model framework to our field site showed that the modeled SP was on average 4.2‰ lower than the observed values. This indicates that the model parameterization reflects the dominant N2O production pathways but overestimates the contribution of denitrification by 6%. Applying the stable isotope‐based model framework at other sites and comparing with other models will help identifying model shortcomings and improve our capability to support N2O mitigation from agricultural ecosystems.
Search for MH370 Revealed Ocean Crust Waves
Authors: Cartier Kimberly
Published: June 2020

Efforts to recover the missing airplane produced high-resolution bathymetry of the southern Indian Ocean that raises new ideas about how ocean crust forms.
Mechanism for Deep Crustal Seismicity: Insight From Modeling of Deformation Processes at the Main Ethiopian Rift
Authors: Muluneh Ameha A. , Brune Sascha , Illsley‐Kemp Finnigan , Corti Giacomo , Keir Derek , Glerum Anne , Kidane Tesfaye , Mori Jim
Published: June 2020

We combine numerical modeling of lithospheric extension with analysis of seismic moment release and earthquake b‐value in order to elucidate the mechanism for deep crustal seismicity and seismic swarms in the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER). We run 2‐D numerical simulations of lithospheric deformation calibrated by appropriate rheology and extensional history of the MER to simulate migration of deformation from mid‐Miocene border faults to ∼30 km wide zone of Pliocene to recent rift floor faults. While currently the highest strain rate is localized in a narrow zone within the rift axis, brittle strain has been accumulated in a wide region of the rift. The magnitude of deviatoric stress shows strong variation with depth. The uppermost crust deforms with maximum stress of 80 MPa, at 8–14 km depth stress sharply decreases to 10 MPa and then increases to a maximum of 160 MPa at ∼18 km depth. These two peaks at which the crust deforms with maximum stress of 80 MPa or above correspond to peaks in the seismic moment release. Correspondingly, the drop in stress at 8–14 km correlates to a low in seismic moment release. At this depth range, the crust is weaker and deformation is mainly accommodated in a ductile manner. We therefore see a good correlation between depths at which the crust is strong and elevated seismic deformation, while regions where the crust is weaker deform more aseismically. Overall, the bimodal depth distribution of seismic moment release is best explained by the rheology of the deforming crust.
Quantifying Near‐Surface Rock Strength on a Regional Scale From Hillslope Stability Models
Authors: Townsend Kirk F. , Gallen Sean F. , Clark Marin K.
Published: June 2020

Rock strength is a fundamental property of earth materials that influences the morphology of landscapes and modulates feedbacks between surface processes, tectonics, and climate. However, rock strength remains challenging to quantify over the broad spatial scales necessary for geomorphic investigations. Consequently, the factors that control rock strength in the near‐surface environment (i.e., the critical zone) remain poorly understood. Here we quantify near‐surface rock strength on a regional scale by exploiting two hillslope‐stability models, which explicitly relate the balance of forces within a hillslope to Mohr‐Coulomb strength parameters. We first use the Culmann finite‐slope stability model to back‐calculate static rock strength with high‐density measurements of ridge‐to‐channel hillslope height and gradient. Second, we invert the Newmark infinite‐slope stability model for strength using an earthquake peak ground acceleration model and coseismic landslide inventory. We apply these two model approaches to a recently inverted sedimentary basin in the eastern Topatopa Mountains of southern California, USA, where a tectonic gradient has exposed stratigraphic units with variable burial histories. Results show similar trends in strength with respect to stratigraphic position and have comparable strength estimates to the lowest values of published direct‐shear test data. Cohesion estimates are low, with Culmann results ranging from 3 to 60 kPa and Newmark results from 6 to 30 kPa, while friction angle estimates range from 24° to 44° from the Culmann model. We find that maximum burial depth exerts the strongest control on the strength of these young sedimentary rocks, likely through diagenetic changes in porosity, cementation, and ultimately, lithification.
Targeting focal adhesion kinase in cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment
Authors: Murphy James M. , Rodriguez Yelitza A. R. , Jeong Kyuho , Ahn Eun-Young Erin , Lim Ssang-Taek Steve
Published: June 2020

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is an integrin-associated protein tyrosine kinase that is frequently overexpressed in advanced human cancers. Recent studies have demonstrated that aside from FAK’s catalytic activity in cancer cells, its cellular localization is also critical for regulating the transcription of chemokines that promote a favorable tumor microenvironment (TME) by suppressing destructive host immunity. In addition to the protumor roles of FAK in cancer cells, FAK activity within cells of the TME may also support tumor growth and metastasis through various mechanisms, including increased angiogenesis and vascular permeability and effects related to fibrosis in the stroma. Small molecule FAK inhibitors have demonstrated efficacy in alleviating tumor growth and metastasis, and some are currently in clinical development phases. However, several preclinical trials have shown increased benefits from dual therapies using FAK inhibitors in combination with other chemotherapies or with immune cell activators. This review will discuss the role of nuclear FAK as a driver for tumor cell survival as well as potential therapeutic strategies to target FAK in both tumors and the TME.
In situ evidence of thermally induced rock breakdown widespread on Bennu’s surface
Authors: Molaro J. L. , Walsh K. J. , Jawin E. R. , Ballouz R.-L. , Bennett C. A. , DellaGiustina D. N. , Golish D. R. , Drouet d’Aubigny C. , Rizk B. , Schwartz S. R. , Hanna R. D. , Martel S. J. , Pajola M. , Campins H. , Ryan A. J. , Bottke W. F. , Lauretta D. S.
Published: June 2020

Rock breakdown due to diurnal thermal cycling has been hypothesized to drive boulder degradation and regolith production on airless bodies. Numerous studies have invoked its importance in driving landscape evolution, yet morphological features produced by thermal fracture processes have never been definitively observed on an airless body, or any surface where other weathering mechanisms may be ruled out. The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission provides an opportunity to search for evidence of thermal breakdown and assess its significance on asteroid surfaces. Here we show boulder morphologies observed on Bennu that are consistent with terrestrial observations and models of fatigue-driven exfoliation and demonstrate how crack propagation via thermal stress can lead to their development. The rate and expression of this process will vary with asteroid composition and location, influencing how different bodies evolve and their apparent relative surface ages from space weathering and cratering records.
Pushing the boundaries of optoacoustic microscopy by total impulse response characterization
Authors: Seeger Markus , Soliman Dominik , Aguirre Juan , Diot Gael , Wierzbowski Jakob , Ntziachristos Vasilis
Published: June 2020

Optical microscopy improves in resolution and signal-to-noise ratio by correcting for the system’s point spread function; a measure of how a point source is resolved, typically determined by imaging nanospheres. Optical-resolution optoacoustic (photoacoustic) microscopy could be similarly corrected, especially to account for the spatially-dependent signal distortions induced by the acoustic detection and the time-resolved and bi-polar nature of optoacoustic signals. Correction algorithms must therefore include the spatial dependence of signals’ origins and profiles in time, i.e. the four-dimensional total impulse response (TIR). However, such corrections have been so far impeded by a lack of efficient TIR-characterization methods. We introduce high-quality TIR determination based on spatially-distributed optoacoustic point sources (SOAPs), produced by scanning an optical focus on an axially-translatable 250 nm gold layer. Using a spatially-dependent TIR-correction improves the signal-to-noise ratio by >10 dB and the axial resolution by ~30%. This accomplishment displays a new performance paradigm for optoacoustic microscopy.
A sister lineage of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex discovered in the African Great Lakes region
Authors: Ngabonziza Jean Claude Semuto , Loiseau Chloé , Marceau Michael , Jouet Agathe , Menardo Fabrizio , Tzfadia Oren , Antoine Rudy , Niyigena Esdras Belamo , Mulders Wim , Fissette Kristina , Diels Maren , Gaudin Cyril , Duthoy Stéphanie , Ssengooba Willy , André Emmanuel , Kaswa Michel K. , Habimana Yves Mucyo , Brites Daniela , Affolabi Dissou , Mazarati Jean Baptiste , de Jong Bouke Catherine , Rigouts Leen , Gagneux Sebastien , Meehan Conor Joseph , Supply Philip
Published: June 2020

The human- and animal-adapted lineages of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) are thought to have expanded from a common progenitor in Africa. However, the molecular events that accompanied this emergence remain largely unknown. Here, we describe two MTBC strains isolated from patients with multidrug resistant tuberculosis, representing an as-yet-unknown lineage, named Lineage 8 (L8), seemingly restricted to the African Great Lakes region. Using genome-based phylogenetic reconstruction, we show that L8 is a sister clade to the known MTBC lineages. Comparison with other complete mycobacterial genomes indicate that the divergence of L8 preceded the loss of the cobF genome region - involved in the cobalamin/vitamin B12 synthesis - and gene interruptions in a subsequent common ancestor shared by all other known MTBC lineages. This discovery further supports an East African origin for the MTBC and provides additional molecular clues on the ancestral genome reduction associated with adaptation to a pathogenic lifestyle.