bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Economic design of alternative system to reduce the water distribution losses for sustainability
Authors: Surendra H. J. , Suresh B. T. , Ullas T. D. , Vinayak T. , Hegde Vinay P.
Published: June 2021

Water companies and their consumers affected with leakages in water distribution system worldwide. This has attracted many practitioner’s attention as well as researchers over the past years. Selected study area suffers from water losses of about 10 to 15% which accounts to loss of about 9 to 9.75 million liters per month. The present study was under taken to understand, analyze and evaluate the losses and suggest preventive measures of wrapping and repair clamping for control of these losses. The assessment of water losses is done through comparative analysis of data using Microsoft Excel software. Population forecasting is done in context of assessing the amount of water lost that can be prevented in future decades, adjusting to increased water demand and losses. For better efficiency of the suggested methods, experimental analysis was carried out on a reduced scale model of a single stretched pipeline. Cost estimation of the preventive measures was done by obtaining information about the materials used by trading professionals.
Effects of transpression on the rocks exposed at the Jhelum Fault Zone in the east of Potwar Basin, Pakistan: implications on the subsurface deformation pattern
Authors: Safi Ibrahim , Rehman Gohar , Yaseen Muhammad , Wahid Sohail , Nouman Muhammad , Fida Sadaf , Gul Shehla , Anjum Muhammad Naveed
Published: June 2021

Jhelum Fault is the north–south-oriented major structural lineament originating from the Hazara-Kashmir Syntaxis and extending southwards towards the Mangla Lake. Geographic extent, nature and significance of Jhelum Fault are the subjects which have been approached by different researchers in the past. The previous research provides enough evidence for the presence of Jhelum Fault as well as they discourse its surface extent. None of the previous research addresses the subsurface model of this fault; consequently, its surface extent has been ambiguous and variably reported. The current research takes into account both the surface lineament as well as the subsurface behaviour of the deformed strata to draft the most reasonable depiction of this fault. Field data were coupled with satellite image of 1.5 m ground resolution to produce the geological map of the study area at 1:25,000 scale. The subsurface model was created along four traverse lines by considering the lateral extent of the structures and their shifting trends on the geological map. The stratigraphic package was taken from the nearby hydrocarbon exploratory well data (Missakeswal-01 well of OGDCL) as no rocks older than middle to late Miocene were exposed in the area. The consistent through-going map extents of many faults in the study area prove that faults are playing the major role in the tectonic evolution of the Jhelum Fault Zone. In the subsurface model, the same faults show very little stratigraphic throw, which signify the major stress component to be associated more with wrenching than pure compression. Therefore, most faults in the area are of transpressional nature having dominant lateral component with relatively smaller push towards west on steeply east dipping faults. The model also shows the positive flower structure with dominantly west verging fault system with few east verging back thrusts. The subsurface proposed model shows that the Jhelum Fault is extendible southwards to the Mangla Lake in the subsurface; however, it acts like a continuous shear zone on the surface where there all the shearing is accommodated by tight refolded fold axes. The east–west shortening does not exceed 14.5% which shows smaller compression in the study area. The 3D model further clarifies the model by showing the consistency of the fault system along strike.
Combining crop diversification practices can benefit cereal production in temperate climates
Authors: Rodriguez Carolina , Mårtensson Linda-Maria Dimitrova , Jensen Erik Steen , Carlsson Georg
Published: June 2021

Diversifying cropping systems by increasing the number of cash and cover crops in crop rotation plays an important role in improving resource use efficiency and in promoting synergy between ecosystem processes. The objective of this study was to understand how the combination of crop diversification practices influences the performance of arable crop sequences in terms of crop grain yield, crop and weed biomass, and nitrogen acquisition in a temperate climate. Two field experiments were carried out. The first was a 3-year crop sequence with cereal or grain legume as the first crops, with and without undersown forage legumes and forage legume-grass crops, followed by a cereal crop. The second experiment was a 2-year crop sequence with cereal or legume as the first crops, a legume cover crop, and a subsequent cereal crop. For the first time, crop diversification practices were combined to identify plant-plant interactions in spatial and temporal scales. The results partly confirm the positive effect of diversifying cereal-based cropping systems by including grain legumes and cover crops in the crop sequence. Legume cover crops had a positive effect on subsequent cereal grain yield in one of the experiments. Using faba beans as the first crop in the crop sequence had both a positive and no effect on crop biomass and N acquisition of the subsequent cereal. In cover crops composed of a forage legume-grass mixture, the grass biomass and N acquisition were consistently increased after the grain legume, compared to the cereal-preceding crop. However, differences in the proportion of legume to grass in mixture did not influence crop yield or N acquisition in the subsequent cereal. In conclusion, these results support that increased crop diversity across spatial and temporal scales can contribute to resource-efficient production and enhance the delivery of services, contributing to more sustainable cropping systems.
Obsessive–compulsive symptoms in young women affected with anorexia nervosa, and their relationship with personality, psychopathology, and attachment style
Authors: Amianto Federico , Secci Ilaria , Arletti Luca , Davico Chiara , Abbate Daga Giovanni , Vitiello Benedetto
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Obsessive–compulsive symptoms (OC) are associated with greater morbidity and worse prognosis in anorexia nervosa (AN). We assessed the presence of non-eating OC in participants with AN and related them with their psychopathology, personality, and attachment style features.

Methods

Young women with AN (N = 41, 30 restrictor and 11 binge-purging type) were assessed on the Yale-Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). These participants with AN and 82 healthy controls (HC) completed the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2), Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ). The association between Y-BOCS scores and indexes of psychopathology, personality, and attachment were examined.

Results

AN had significantly higher scores than HC on the EDI-2, SCL-90, TAS-20, ASQ-Need for Approval, and TCI-Harm Avoidance and Self-directedness. The Y-BOCS scores were significantly correlated with ASQ-Need for Approval, TAS-20-Difficulty in Describing Feelings, SCL-90-Phobic Anxiety, and Anxiety, EDI-2-Drive to Thinness, and Asceticism. Need for Approval displayed the strongest correlation with OC symptoms. Difficulty in describing feelings displayed the strongest correlation with compulsive OC symptoms.

Conclusions

OC traits in AN were primarily associated with measures of insecure attachment rather than to their eating disorder or general psychopathology. Therapeutic approaches to correcting insecure attachment may be considered as a possible approach to treating AN patients with OC. The study supports a new psychopathological perspective for understanding the meaning of OC symptoms in AN.

Level of evidence

III: Evidence obtained from cohort or case–control analytic studies.
On the singularity structure of Kahan discretizations of a class of quadratic vector fields
Authors: Zander René
Published: June 2021

We discuss the singularity structure of Kahan discretizations of a class of quadratic vector fields and provide a classification of the parameter values such that the corresponding Kahan map is integrable, in particular, admits an invariant pencil of elliptic curves.
Unfolding the dynamical structure of Lisbon’s public space: space syntax and micromobility data
Authors: Freire de Almeida Helena , Lopes Rui J. , Carrilho João M. , Eloy Sara
Published: June 2021

Space Syntax and the theory of natural movement demonstrated that spatial morphology is a primary factor influencing movement. This paper investigates to what extent spatial morphology at different scales (node, community and global network) influences the use of public space by micromobility. An axial map and corresponding network for Lisbon’s walkable and open public space, and data from e-scooters parking locations, is used as case study. Relevant metrics and their correlations (intelligibility, accessibility, permeability and local dimension) for the quantitative characterization of spatial morphology properties are described and computed for Lisbon’s axial map. Communities are identified based on the network topological structure in order to investigate how these properties are affected at different scales in the case study. The resulting axial line clustering is compared via the variation of information metric with the clustering obtained from e-scooters’ proximity. The results obtained enable to conclude that the space syntax properties are scale dependent in Lisbon’s pedestrian network. On the other hand both the correlation between these properties, the number of scooters and the variation of information between clusters indicate that the spatial morphology is not the only factor influencing micromobility. Through the comparative analysis between the main properties of the public space network of Lisbon and data collected from e-scooters locations in a timeframe, centrality becomes a dynamic concept, relying not only on the static topological properties of the urban network, but also on other quantitative and qualitative factors, since the flows’ operating on the network will operate several transformations on the spatial network properties through time, uncovering spatiotemporal dynamics.
Sucrose solution as a new viscous test fluid with tunable viscosities up to 2 Pas for micromixing characterization by the Villermaux–Dushman reaction
Authors: Arian Elias , Pauer Werner
Published: June 2021

For the first time, micromixing characterization for the Villermaux–Dushman reaction could be performed with a non-reactive viscous medium at viscosities up to 2 Pas. As viscous medium, sucrose solution was used with the benefit of being a Newtonian fluid with tuneable viscosity. Due to the higher viscosities in comparison to established media for micromixing investigations, a new protocol for the experimental implementation was developed. Micromixing experiments were conducted and the applicability of viscous sucrose solutions was proven in a stirred tank reactor. Major challenges in characterizing micromixing efficiency in high viscous solution were consolidated.
Imposed dynamic irradiation to intensify photocatalytic reactions
Authors: Guba Fabian , Gaulhofer Florian , Ziegenbalg Dirk
Published: June 2021

Dynamic irradiation is a potent option to influence the interaction between photochemical reactions and mass transport to design high performant and efficient photochemical processes. To systematically investigate the impact of this parameter, the photocatalytic reduction of nitrobenzene was conducted as a test reaction. Dynamic irradiation was realized through provoked secondary flow patterns, multiple spatially distributed light emitting diodes (LEDs) and electrical pulsation of LEDs. A combined experimental and theoretical approach revealed significant potential to enhance photochemical processes. The reaction rate was accelerated by more than 70% and even more important the photonic efficiency was increased by more than a factor of 4. This renders imposed dynamic irradiation an innovative and powerful tool to intensify photoreactions on the avenue to large scale sustainable photochemical processes.
Predicting the liquefaction potential of soil layers in Tabriz city via artificial neural network analysis
Authors: Alizadeh Mansouri Mohammad , Dabiri Rouzbeh
Published: June 2021

Soil liquefaction is a phenomenon through which saturated soil completely loses its strength and hardness and behaves the same as a liquid due to the severe stress it entails. This stress can be caused by earthquakes or sudden changes in soil stress conditions. Many empirical approaches have been proposed for predicting the potential of liquefaction, each of which includes advantages and disadvantages. In this paper, a novel prediction approach is proposed based on an artificial neural network (ANN) to adequately predict the potential of liquefaction in a specific range of soil properties. To this end, a whole set of 100 soil data is collected to calculate the potential of liquefaction via empirical approaches in Tabriz, Iran. Then, the results of the empirical approaches are utilized for data training in an ANN, which is considered as an option to predict liquefaction for the first time in Tabriz. The achieved configuration of the ANN is utilized to predict the liquefaction of 10 other data sets for validation purposes. According to the obtained results, a well-trained ANN is capable of predicting the liquefaction potential through error values of less than 5%, which represents the reliability of the proposed approach.
COVID-19 Pandemic Surge: After-Action Report of a Coalition of Emergency Departments in New York City
Authors: Tedeschi Christopher , Mills Angela M. , Sharma Rahul , Deland Emme , Johnston Benjamin , Schwimmer Emy , Heilpern Katherine L.
Published: June 2021

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has stressed the US health care system in unprecedented ways. In March and April 2020, emergency departments (EDs) throughout New York City experienced high volumes and acuity related to the pandemic. Here, we present a structured after-action report of a coalition of 9 EDs within a hospital system in the New York City metropolitan area, with an emphasis on best practices developed during the prolonged surge as well as specific opportunities for growth. We report our experience in 6 key areas using a framework built around lessons learned. This report represents the most salient concepts related to our institutional after-action report, and those seemingly most relevant to our peer institutions dealing with similar circumstances.
Cognitive impairment and development of dementia in very late-onset schizophrenia-like psychosis: a systematic review
Authors: Yang Victoria X , Sin Fai Lam Chun Chiang , Kane Joseph P M
Published: June 2021

Objectives:

This study aimed to review the evidence base regarding cognitive impairment and the development of dementia in patients with very late-onset schizophrenia-like psychosis (VLOSLP).

Methods:

We conducted a systematic literature search of PubMed, PsycINFO and Web of Science according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) guidelines. Two reviewers independently screened records first by title and abstract and then by full text, resolving differences after each stage. Selected studies were assessed for quality using the GRADE system, and data on study design, participants, cognitive ability and rates of developing dementia were extracted and synthesised.

Results:

Seventeen publications were identified for review. They were generally poor in quality and heterogenous in design. VLOSLP patients were found to have impaired global cognition compared to non-psychotic controls, but no difference was found between VLOSLP patients and aged early-onset schizophrenia (EOS) patients. No single cognitive domain was consistently affected. Patients with VLOSLP demonstrated significantly higher rates of dementia diagnosis (ranging from 4.4% over 3 years to 44.4% over 15 years) than controls, but no difference was found between VLOSLP patients and aged EOS patients.

Conclusions:

VLOSLP may not necessarily predict cognitive decline, but few studies have adequately investigated cohorts on a longitudinal basis. Heterogeneity between and within cohorts and varying selection criteria compromise the clinical generalisability of studies investigating the association between VLOSLP and neurodegenerative disease. Further studies on the clinical presentation, cognitive profile and neuropathology of VLOSLP with comparison to EOS/late-onset schizophrenia (LOS) and neurodegenerative disease are needed to better inform the diagnosis and management of VLOSLP.
Anticommunism and Détente: Mindszenty, the Catholic Church, and Hungarian Émigrés in West Germany, 1972
Authors: von Klimó Árpád
Published: June 2021

Cardinal Mindszenty was head of the Catholic Church of Hungary between 1945 and 1974, but had been imprisoned between 1949 and 1956 and hiding in the US embassy in Budapest from 1956 to 1971. In 1971, Mindszenty left the country and settled in Vienna after long negotiations between the Vatican and the Hungarian communist government. When he visited the Hungarian diaspora and non-Hungarian followers in the West between 1972 and his death in 1975, controversies about communism, Catholicism, and Western society and social change in general erupted. This article analyzes these controversies and the different groups that supported the cardinal and their understanding of anticommunism in the context of a changing West German society and against the background of changes within the Catholic world after Vatican II. The ideas about communism Mindszenty and his right-wing supporters formulated were outdated in the 1970s but had a long afterlife.
The Last Picture Show: Reconsidering Nostalgia, Desire and the Real
Authors: COTTLE STUART
Published: June 2021

Peter Bogdanovich's masterpieceThe Last Picture Show(1971) remains a highly influential example of 1970s New Hollywood filmmaking. Yet it has largely escaped the sustained critical attention enjoyed by many of its contemporaries. This article seeks to revisit the status of the film and its critical reputation. Amongst the critics who have appraised this unique film, opinion is split. On the one hand, it remains an influential example of the “post-western” impulse in the American New Wave. On the other hand, it has been critically maligned as a “nostalgia film.” This article revisits these perspectives and argues that a holistic understanding of the inner dynamics of the film must necessarily take both perspectives into account. It examines how these dynamics are organized around a central formal tension between the cinematic codes of the western and those of social realism. Finally, it argues that the pejorative critical categorization ofThe Last Picture Showas a “nostalgia film” does not adequately grasp its rich, complex and contradictory affects. Instead, it proposes that the sense of loss, nostalgia and disappointment that Bogdanovich articulates can be read as an expression of that confrontation between “Desire” and the “Real” that the Marxian critic Fredric Jameson theorized was central to the “political unconscious.”
Moringa oleiferaextract promotes apoptosis-like death inToxoplasma gondiitachyzoitesin vitro
Authors: Nishi Letícia , Sanfelice Raquel Arruda da Silva , da Silva Bortoleti Bruna Taciane , Tomiotto-Pellissier Fernanda , Silva Taylon Felipe , Evangelista Fernanda Ferreira , Lazarin-Bidóia Danielle , Costa Idessania Nazareth , Pavanelli Wander Rogério , Conchon Costa Ivete , Baptista Aline Takaoka Alves , Bergamasco Rosângela , Falavigna-Guilherme Ana Lúcia
Published: June 2021

Toxoplasma gondiiis the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, and an important problem of public health. The current treatment for toxoplasmosis is the combination of pyrimethamine and sulphadiazine, which do not act in the chronic phase of toxoplasmosis and have several side-effects. This study evaluated the anti-T. gondiiactivity and potential mechanism ofMoringa oleiferaseeds’ aqueous extractin vitro. The concentration ofM. oleiferaextract in HeLa cells was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide cell viability assays. The presence ofT. gondiiwas assessed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and toluidine blue staining. Pyrimethamine and sulphadiazine were used as drug controls. Modifications inT. gondiimorphology and ultrastructure were observed by electron microscopy.In vitro, theM. oleiferaextract had no toxic effect on HeLa cells at concentrations below 50μg mL−1.Moringa oleiferaextract inhibitsT. gondiiinvasion and intracellular proliferation with similar results for sulphadiazine + pyrimethamine, and also shows cellular nitric oxide production at a concentration of 30μg mL−1. Electron microscopy analyses indicated structural and ultrastructural modifications in tachyzoites after treatment. We also observed an increase in reactive oxygen species production and a loss of mitochondrial membrane integrity. Nile Red staining assays demonstrated a lipid accumulation. Annexin V–fluorescein isothiocyanate and propidium iodide staining demonstrated that the main action ofM. oleiferaextract inT. gondiitachyzoites was compatible with late apoptosis. In conclusion,M. oleiferaextract has anti-T. gondiiactivityin vitroand might be a promising substance for the development of a new anti-T. gondiidrug.
Temporal dynamics of trematode intermediate snail host environmental DNA in small water body habitats
Authors: Jones Rhys Aled , Davis Chelsea N. , Jones Dewi Llyr , Tyson Fiona , Davies Emma , Cutress David , Brophy Peter M. , Rose Michael T. , Williams Manod , Williams Hefin Wyn
Published: June 2021

Environmental DNA (eDNA) surveying has potential to become a powerful tool for sustainable parasite control. As trematode parasites require an intermediate snail host that is often aquatic or amphibious to fulfil their lifecycle, water-based eDNA analyses can be used to screen habitats for the presence of snail hosts and identify trematode infection risk areas. The aim of this study was to identify climatic and environmental factors associated with the detection of Galba truncatula eDNA. Fourteen potential G. truncatula habitats on two farms were surveyed over a 9-month period, with eDNA detected using a filter capture, extraction and PCR protocol with data analysed using a generalized estimation equation. The probability of detecting G. truncatula eDNA increased in habitats where snails were visually detected, as temperature increased, and as water pH decreased (P < 0.05). Rainfall was positively associated with eDNA detection in watercourse habitats on farm A, but negatively associated with eDNA detection in watercourse habitats on farm B (P < 0.001), which may be explained by differences in watercourse gradient. This study is the first to identify factors associated with trematode intermediate snail host eDNA detection. These factors should be considered in standardized protocols to evaluate the results of future eDNA surveys.
Combinatorial anti-concentration inequalities, with applications
Authors: FOX JACOB , KWAN MATTHEW , SAUERMANN LISA
Published: June 2021

We prove several different anti-concentration inequalities for functions of independent Bernoulli-distributed random variables. First, motivated by a conjecture of Alon, Hefetz, Krivelevich and Tyomkyn, we prove some “Poisson-type” anti-concentration theorems that give bounds of the form 1/e+o(1) for the point probabilities of certain polynomials. Second, we prove an anti-concentration inequality for polynomials with nonnegative coefficients which extends the classical Erdős–Littlewood–Offord theorem and improves a theorem of Meka, Nguyen and Vu for polynomials of this type. As an application, we prove some new anti-concentration bounds for subgraph counts in random graphs.
Large N behaviour of the two-dimensional Yang–Mills partition function
Authors: Lemoine Thibaut
Published: June 2021

We compute the large N limit of the partition function of the Euclidean Yang–Mills measure on orientable compact surfaces with genus
$g\geqslant 1$
and non-orientable compact surfaces with genus
$g\geqslant 2$
, with structure group the unitary group
${\mathrm U}(N)$
or special unitary group
${\mathrm{SU}}(N)$
. Our proofs are based on asymptotic representation theory: more specifically, we control the dimension and Casimir number of irreducible representations of
${\mathrm U}(N)$
and
${\mathrm{SU}}(N)$
when N tends to infinity. Our main technical tool, involving ‘almost flat’ Young diagram, makes rigorous the arguments used by Gross and Taylor (1993, Nuclear Phys. B400(1–3) 181–208) in the setting of QCD, and in some cases, we recover formulae given by Douglas (1995, Quantum Field Theory and String Theory (Cargèse, 1993), Vol. 328 of NATO Advanced Science Institutes Series B: Physics, Plenum, New York, pp. 119–135) and Rusakov (1993, Phys. Lett. B303(1) 95–98).
Terrorism-Related Chemical, Biological, Radiation, and Nuclear Attacks: A Historical Global Comparison Influencing the Emergence of Counter-Terrorism Medicine
Authors: Tin Derrick , Granholm Fredrik , Hart Alexander , Ciottone Gregory R.
Published: June 2021

Background:

Terrorist attacks are growing in complexity, increasing concerns around the use of chemical, biological, radiation, and nuclear (CBRN) agents. This has led to increasing interest in Counter-Terrorism Medicine (CTM) as a Disaster Medicine (DM) sub-specialty. This study aims to provide the epidemiology of CBRN use in terrorism, to detail specific agents used, and to develop training programs for responders.

Methods:

The open-source Global Terrorism Database (GTD) was searched for all CBRN attacks from January 1, 1970 through December 31, 2018. Attacks were included if they fulfilled the terrorism-related criteria as set by the GTD’s Codebook. Ambiguous events or those meeting only partial criteria were excluded. The database does not include acts of state terrorism.

Results:

There were 390 total CBRN incidents, causing 930 total fatal injuries (FI) and 14,167 total non-fatal injuries (NFI). A total of 347 chemical attacks (88.9% of total) caused 921 FI (99.0%) and 13,361 NFI (94.3%). Thirty-one biological attacks (8.0%) caused nine FI (1.0%) and 806 NFI (5.7%). Twelve radiation attacks (3.1%) caused zero FI and zero NFI. There were no nuclear attacks. The use of CBRN accounted for less than 0.3% of all terrorist attacks and is a high-risk, low-frequency attack methodology.

The Taliban was implicated in 40 of the 347 chemical events, utilizing a mixture of agents including unconfirmed chemical gases (grey literature suggests white phosphorous and chlorine), contaminating water sources with pesticides, and the use of corrosive acid. The Sarin gas attack in Tokyo contributed to 5,500 NFI. Biological attacks accounted for 8.0% of CBRN attacks. Anthrax was used or suspected in 20 of the 31 events, followed by salmonella (5), ricin (3), fecal matter (1), botulinum toxin (1), and HIV (1). Radiation attacks accounted for 3.1% of CBRN attacks. Monazite was used in 10 of the 12 events, followed by iodine 131 (1) and undetermined irradiated plates (1).

Conclusion:

Currently, CBRN are low-frequency, high-impact attack modalities and remain a concern given the rising rate of terrorist events. Counter-Terrorism Medicine is a developing DM sub-specialty focusing on the mitigation of health care risks from such events. First responders and health care workers should be aware of historic use of CBRN weapons regionally and globally, and should train and prepare to respond appropriately.
Subjective Cognitive Decline and its Relation to Verbal Memory and Sex in Cognitively Unimpaired Individuals from a Colombian Cohort with Autosomal-Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Martinez Jairo E. , Pardilla-Delgado Enmanuelle , Guzmán-Vélez Edmarie , Vila-Castelar Clara , Amariglio Rebecca , Gatchel Jennifer , Aguirre-Acevedo Daniel C. , Bocanegra Yamile , Baena Ana , Henao Eliana , Tirado Victoria , Muñoz Claudia , Giraldo-Chica Margarita , Lopera Francisco , Quiroz Yakeel T.
Published: June 2021

Objective:

Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD) may be an early indicator of risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Findings regarding sex differences in SCD are inconsistent. Studying sex differences in SCD within cognitively unimpaired individuals with autosomal-dominant AD (ADAD), who will develop dementia, may inform sex-related SCD variations in preclinical AD. We examined sex differences in SCD within cognitively unimpaired mutation carriers from the world’s largest ADAD kindred and sex differences in the relationship between SCD and memory performance.

Methods:

We included 310 cognitively unimpaired Presenilin-1 (PSEN-1) E280A mutation carriers (51% females) and 1998 noncarrier family members (56% females) in the study. Subjects and their study partners completed SCD questionnaires and the CERAD word list delayed recall test. ANCOVAs were conducted to examine group differences in SCD, sex, and memory performance. In carriers, partial correlations were used to examine associations between SCD and memory performance covarying for education.

Results:

Females in both groups had greater self-reported and study partner-reported SCD than males (allp< 0.001). In female mutation carriers, greater self-reported (p= 0.02) and study partner-reported SCD (p< 0.001) were associated with worse verbal memory. In male mutation carriers, greater self-reported (p= 0.03), but not study partner-reported SCD (p= 0.11) was associated with worse verbal memory.

Conclusions:

Study partner-reported SCD may be a stronger indicator of memory decline in femalesversusmales in individuals at risk for developing dementia. Future studies with independent samples and preclinical trials should consider sex differences when recruiting based on SCD criteria.
Consolidation as a mechanism for word learning in sequential bilinguals
Authors: Tartaro Giacomo , Takashima Atsuko , McQueen James M.
Published: June 2021

First-language research suggests that new words, after initial episodic-memory encoding, are consolidated and hence become lexically integrated. We asked here if lexical consolidation, about word forms and meanings, occurs in a second language. Italian–English sequential bilinguals learned novel English-like words (e.g., apricon, taught to mean “stapler”). fMRI analyses failed to reveal a predicted shift, after consolidation time, from hippocampal to temporal neocortical activity. In a pause-detection task, responses to existing phonological competitors of learned words (e.g., apricot for apricon) were slowed down if the words had been learned two days earlier (i.e., after consolidation time) but not if they had been learned the same day. In a lexical-decision task, new words primed responses to semantically-related existing words (e.g., apricon-paper) whether the words were learned that day or two days earlier. Consolidation appears to support integration of words into the bilingual lexicon, possibly more rapidly for meanings than for forms.
‘[The pediatrician] said that maybe my milk, instead of doing good, no longer helped’: the ecology of infant formula in rural communities in Central Mexico
Authors: Luna Paulina , Valdes Tania , Zelocuatecatl-Aguilar Alberto , Medrano-Loera Gerónimo , Guerrero Bárbara , Garcia-Martinez Angelica , Pérez-Escamilla Rafael , Bueno-Gutierrez Diana
Published: June 2021

Objective:

As Mexico continues to develop, an epidemiological and nutritional transition has led to an increase in infant formula use in its rural and indigenous communities. Our objective was to determine the social and cultural factors that influence the use of formula in such populations in Central Mexico.

Design:

Qualitative study using a data collection instrument based on the socio-ecological framework.

Setting:

Two rural and indigenous communities in Central Mexico.

Participants:

Mothers, fathers, grandparents and healthcare providers.

Results:

Breast-feeding was favoured in both communities; however, several cultural traditions hindered exclusive breast-feeding. As these communities became more developed, emerging ideas of modernity led to negative connotations about breast-feeding and many mothers began to view formula as a complement for breast-feeding. Formula was seen as a convenient solution for breast pain, insufficient milk and body image. Healthcare providers promoted the use of formula through their own beliefs, information, communication and conflicts of interest with formula industry representatives. The recent social and economic changes in these communities combined with the increased advertising and availability of breast milk substitutes have facilitated the preference for formula.

Conclusions:

Women in rural, indigenous communities in Central Mexico are increasingly using formula. Efforts at the policy and institutional levels are needed to protect mothers and their children from the detrimental consequences of unregulated formula promotion and the formula culture that it brings with it.
Prediction of all-cause mortality with malnutrition assessed by controlling nutritional status score in patients with heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Li Huiyang , Zhou Peng , Zhao Yikai , Ni Huaichun , Luo Xinping , Li Jian
Published: June 2021

Objective:

The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate the association between malnutrition assessed by the controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score and all-cause mortality in patients with heart failure.

Design:

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Settings:

A comprehensively literature search of PubMed and Embase databases was performed until 30 November 2020. Studies reporting the utility of CONUT score in prediction of all-cause mortality among patients with heart failure were eligible. Patients with a CONUT score ≥2 are grouped as malnourished. Predictive values of the CONUT score were summarized by pooling the multivariable-adjusted risk ratios (RR) with 95 % CI for the malnourished v. normal nutritional status or per point CONUT score increase.

Participants:

Ten studies involving 5196 patients with heart failure.

Results:

Malnourished patients with heart failure conferred a higher risk of all-cause mortality (RR 1·92; 95 % CI 1·58, 2·34) compared with the normal nutritional status. Subgroup analysis showed the malnourished patients with heart failure had an increased risk of in-hospital mortality (RR 1·78; 95 % CI 1·29, 2·46) and follow-up mortality (RR 2·01; 95 % CI 1·58, 2·57). Moreover, per point increase in CONUT score significantly increased 16% risk of all-cause mortality during the follow-up.

Conclusions:

Malnutrition defined by the CONUT score is an independent predictor of all-cause mortality in patients with heart failure. Assessment of nutritional status using CONUT score would be helpful for improving risk stratification of heart failure.
Vigilantes and the State: Understanding Violence through a Security Assemblages Approach
Authors: Tapscott Rebecca
Published: June 2021

The notion that states pursue a monopoly over the use of force rings increasingly hollow. From vigilantes that patrol the United States’ southern border, to thugs for hire in China, states are characterized by non-state violent actors. These trends are more pronounced in comparatively lower-capacity states. Employing the concept of “security assemblages,” I propose that it is crucial to consider historically embedded relations among violent actors and institutions in order to understand their socio-political role and implications for state authority. This approach offers three insights: first, in low-capacity states, violence is not zero-sum. Rather, it is assembled among diverse actors, which each have historically embedded comparative advantages. Second, therefore, state efforts to monopolize violence should be taken as an empirical question rather than an assumption grounding analysis. Third, relationships between violent actors occur in thick institutional environments, meaning that violent actors, including state actors and institutions, often must act under significant constraints. To illustrate these points, I conduct a mixed-methods nested study of vigilantes in Uganda, finding that vigilantes are more common where other authorities are present, and are more helpful when other authorities are also more helpful. Focusing on dynamics between vigilantes and police, I pinpoint their historically distinct roles: the police were established as a colonial-era institution to suppress political dissent, while vigilantes have long been socially embedded actors tasked with everyday security provision. Thus, in this case, police and vigilantes are not substitutes; instead they play distinct and complementary roles.
Constraining and Characterizing the Size of Atmospheric Rivers: A Perspective Independent From the Detection Algorithm
Authors: Inda‐Díaz H. A. , O'Brien T. A. , Zhou Y. , Collins W. D.
Published: June 2021

Atmospheric rivers (AR) are large and narrow filaments of poleward horizontal water vapor transport. Because of its direct relationship with horizontal vapor transport, extreme precipitation, and overall AR impacts over land, the AR size is an important characteristic that needs to be better understood. Current AR detection and tracking algorithms have resulted in large uncertainty in estimating AR sizes, with areas varying over several orders of magnitude among different detection methods. We develop and implement five independent size estimation methods to characterize the size of ARs that make landfall over the west coast of North America in the 1980–2017 period and reduce the range of size estimation from ARTMIP. ARs that originate in the Northwest Pacific (WP) (100°−180°E) have larger sizes and are more zonally oriented than those from the Northeast Pacific (EP) (180°−240°E). ARs become smaller through their life cycle, mainly due to reductions in their width. They also become more meridionally oriented toward the end of their life cycle. Overall, the size estimation methods proposed in this study provide a range of AR areas (between 7 × 1011 and 1013 m2), that is, several orders of magnitude narrower than current methods estimation. This methodology can provide statistical constraints in size and geometry for the AR detection and tracking algorithms, and an objective insight for future studies about AR size changes under different climate scenarios.
PROBA2 LYRA Occultations: Thermospheric Temperature and Composition, Sensitivity to EUV Forcing, and Comparisons With Mars
Authors: Thiemann Edward M. B. , Dominique Marie
Published: June 2021

A method for retrieving temperature and composition from 150 to 350 km in Earth's thermosphere using total number density measurements made via extreme ultraviolet (EUV) solar occultations by the Project for OnBoard Autonomy 2/Large Yield Radiometer (PROBA2/LYRA) instrument is presented. Systematic and random uncertainties are calculated and found to be less than 5% for the temperature measurements and 5%–20% for the composition measurements. Regression coefficients relating both temperature and the [O]/[N2] abundance ratio with EUV irradiance at 150, 275, and 350 km are reported. Additionally, it is shown that the altitude where [O] equals [N2] decreases with increasing solar EUV irradiance, an effect attributed to thermal expansion. Temperatures from 2010 to 2017 are compared with estimates from the MSIS empirical model and show good agreement at the dawn terminator but LYRA is markedly cooler at the dusk terminator, with the MSIS‐LYRA temperature difference increasing with solar activity. Anthropogenic cooling can explain this discrepancy at periods of lower solar activity, but the divergence of temperature with increasing solar activity remains unexplained. LYRA measurements of the exospheric temperature sensitivity to EUV irradiance are compared with contemporaneous measurements made at Mars, showing that the exospheric temperature at Mars is approximately half as sensitive to EUV variability as that of Earth.
Wavelet Analysis of Properties of Marine Boundary Layer Mesoscale Cells Observed From AMSR‐E
Authors: Zhou Xiaoli , Bretherton Christopher S. , Eastman Ryan , McCoy Isabel L. , Wood Robert
Published: June 2021

Marine boundary layer clouds tend to organize into closed or open mesoscale cellular convection (MCC). Here, two‐dimensional wavelet analysis is applied for the first time to passive microwave retrievals of cloud water path (CWP), water vapor path (WVP), and rain rate (RR) from Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for Earth Observing System in 2008 over the Northeast and Southeast Pacific, and the Southeast Atlantic subtropical stratocumulus to cumulus transition regions. The (co‐)variability between CWP, WVP, and RR in 160 × 160 km2 analysis boxes is partitioned between four mesoscale wavelength octaves (20, 40, 80, and 160 km). The cell scale is identified as the wavelength of the peak CWP variance. Together with a machine‐learning classification of cell type, this allows the statistical characteristics of open and closed MCC of various scales, and its relation to WVP, RR, and potential environmental controlling factors to be analyzed across a very large set of cases. The results show that the cell wavelength is most commonly 40–80 km. Cell‐scale CWP perturbations are good predictors of the WVP and RR perturbations. For cells larger than 20 km, there is no obvious dependence of cell scale on the environmental controlling factors tested, suggesting that the cell scale may depend more on its historical evolution than the current environmental conditions.
Atmospheric Controls on Mineral Dust Emission From the Etosha Pan, Namibia: Observations From the CLARIFY‐2016 Field Campaign
Authors: Clements Matthew , Washington Richard
Published: June 2021

This paper presents meteorological observations from the Etosha Pan, an ephemeral lake bed in northern Namibia that is a major source of mineral dust. The pan was instrumented during August and September 2016 as part of the CLoud‐Aerosol‐Radiation Interactions and Forcing: Year 2016 (CLARIFY‐2016) field campaign, with a Doppler lidar and Davis weather station providing detailed measurements of the boundary layer and surface winds at Etosha. A low‐level jet (LLJ) is observed on >90% of mornings during the observation period, with mean core wind speeds of ≈12 m s−1 recorded between 06:00 and 08:00. The LLJ is eroded with the onset of surface heating, and momentum is mixed‐down from the core, producing peak surface winds between 09:00 and 11:00. This process is responsible for driving dust emission from the pan, with all six dust events recorded during the observation period triggered in the hours following LLJ breakdown. Wind speeds in the core of the LLJ are significantly stronger on dust days compared to non‐dust days, hence producing stronger morning surface winds. Dust emission is synoptically modulated, with ridging of the South Atlantic Anticyclone (SAA) enhancing the pressure gradient across southern Africa and driving a stronger easterly flow at Etosha. Key features of the LLJ are represented well in ERA5, however ERA‐Interim underestimates core wind speeds by >2 m s−1 at 00:00 and by >3 m s−1 at 06:00. Both reanalyses struggle to capture the timing of LLJ onset and breakdown, with the LLJ too quick to develop during the evening transition, and too quick to erode through the morning hours.
Copy number alteration profiling facilitates differential diagnosis between ossifying fibroma and fibrous dysplasia of the jaws
Authors: Ma Ming , Liu Lu , Shi Ruirui , Zhang Jianyun , Li Xiaotian , Li Xuefen , Bai Jiaying , Wang Jianbin , Huang Yanyi , Li Tiejun
Published: June 2021

Ossifying fibroma (OF) and fibrous dysplasia (FD) are two fibro-osseous lesions with overlapping clinicopathological features, making diagnosis challenging. In this study, we applied a whole-genome shallow sequencing approach to facilitate differential diagnosis via precise profiling of copy number alterations (CNAs) using minute amounts of DNA extracted from morphologically correlated microdissected tissue samples. Freshly frozen tissue specimens from OF (n = 29) and FD (n = 28) patients were obtained for analysis. Lesion fibrous tissues and surrounding normal tissues were obtained by laser capture microdissection (LCM), with ~30–50 cells (5 000–10 000 µm2) per sample. We found that the rate of recurrent CNAs in OF cases was much higher (44.8%, 13 of 29) than that in FD cases (3.6%, 1 of 28). Sixty-nine percent (9 of 13) of the CNA-containing OF cases involved segmental amplifications and deletions on Chrs 7 and 12. We also identified eight CNA-associated genes (HILPDA, CALD1, C1GALT1, MICALL2, PHF14, AIMP2, MDM2, and CDK4) with amplified expression, which was consistent with the copy number changes. We further confirmed a jaw lesion with a previous uncertain diagnosis due to its ambiguous morphological features and the absence of GNAS mutation as OF based on the typical Chr 12 amplification pattern in its CNA profile. Moreover, analysis of a set of longitudinal samples collected from an individual with a cellular lesion in suspicion of OF at the first surgery, recurrence and the latest malignant transformation revealed identical CNA patterns at the three time points, suggesting that copy number profiling can be used as an important tool to identify borderline lesions or lesions with malignant potential. Overall, CNA profiling of fibro-osseous lesions can greatly improve differential diagnosis between OF and FD and help predict disease progression.
Xyloglucan processing machinery in Xanthomonas pathogens and its role in the transcriptional activation of virulence factors
Authors: Vieira Plinio S. , Bonfim Isabela M. , Araujo Evandro A. , Melo Ricardo R. , Lima Augusto R. , Fessel Melissa R. , Paixão Douglas A. A. , Persinoti Gabriela F. , Rocco Silvana A. , Lima Tatiani B. , Pirolla Renan A. S. , Morais Mariana A. B. , Correa Jessica B. L. , Zanphorlin Leticia M. , Diogo Jose A. , Lima Evandro A. , Grandis Adriana , Buckeridge Marcos S. , Gozzo Fabio C. , Benedetti Celso E. , Polikarpov Igor , Giuseppe Priscila O. , Murakami Mario T.
Published: June 2021

Xyloglucans are highly substituted and recalcitrant polysaccharides found in the primary cell walls of vascular plants, acting as a barrier against pathogens. Here, we reveal that the diverse and economically relevantXanthomonasbacteria are endowed with a xyloglucan depolymerization machinery that is linked to pathogenesis. Using the citrus canker pathogen as a model organism, we show that this system encompasses distinctive glycoside hydrolases, a modular xyloglucan acetylesterase and specific membrane transporters, demonstrating that plant-associated bacteria employ distinct molecular strategies from commensal gut bacteria to cope with xyloglucans. Notably, the sugars released by this system elicit the expression of several key virulence factors, including the type III secretion system, a membrane-embedded apparatus to deliver effector proteins into the host cells. Together, these findings shed light on the molecular mechanisms underpinning the intricate enzymatic machinery ofXanthomonasto depolymerize xyloglucans and uncover a role for this system in signaling pathways driving pathogenesis.