bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Last glacial maximum hydro-climate and cyclone characteristics in the Levant: a regional modelling perspective
Authors: Ludwig Patrick , Hochman Assaf
Published: December 2021

Proxy-based hydro-climate reconstructions in the Levant suggest enhanced water availability during the last glacial maximum (LGM) compared to present-day conditions. To date, the governing hypothesis is that additional water availability may be directly linked to increased Cyprus Low frequency and intensity in the region. However, this paradigm has not been tested in a modelling framework. With this aim, we analysed results from a weather type classification algorithm and regional climate simulations. The weather type classification is applied to ERA5 reanalysis data for present-day (1979–2018) and two Paleoclimate Modelling Inter-comparison Project PMIP3/PMIP4 pre-industrial and LGM model runs. Dynamical downscaling of the two models with the regional Weather Research and Forecast model shows that the present hydro-climate can largely be reproduced. Our simulations suggest that both evaporation and precipitation were lower in the LGM compared to pre-industrial conditions, and that their relative changes can thus most likely explain the additional water availability during that time. Indeed, evaporation in the eastern Mediterranean is reduced to a higher degree (∼−33%) as compared to precipitation (∼−20%) during the LGM. Particularly, lower evaporation during LGM summer may have sustained the year-round wetter conditions in the Levant. In addition, we find significant changes in Cyprus Low characteristics for the LGM. The simulated daily precipitation associated with Cyprus Lows is significantly lower than pre-industrial values (reduction of 26%–29%), whereas the wind intensity is stronger (increase of 7%–8%). Finally, a significant increase in Cyprus Low frequency during LGM winter is likely (+22%). Indeed, our findings are in line with a plethora of proxy-based reconstructions, and provide a reinterpretation of the driving mechanism of water availability, i.e. strong changes in evaporation rather than precipitation. This study places projected hydro-climatic drying of the Levant in a long timescale perspective. As such, it improves our understanding of the physical processes influencing the hydrological cycle in this vulnerable region, situated on the border between sub-tropical and mid-latitude climate zones.
Spaceborne evidence for significant anthropogenic VOC trends in Asian cities over 2005–2019
Authors: Bauwens M , Verreyken B , Stavrakou T , Müller J-F , Smedt I De
Published: December 2021

Trends of formaldehyde (HCHO) linked to anthropogenic activity over large cities located in the Asian continent are calculated for the period 2005–2019 using the Quality Assurance for Essential Climate Variables dataset from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument aboard the Aura satellite. Contributions due to anthropogenic emissions are isolated by applying a correction based on near-surface temperature in order to account for interference from local biogenic emissions. Strong positive trends are derived over the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent (up to 3.6% yr−1 and 2.4% yr−1 respectively) where regulations of anthropogenic non-methane volatile organic compound (NMVOC) emissions are currently limited. Weaker trends are observed over cities located in China, where the air pollution action plan (2013) may have mitigated NMVOC trends early on, but targeted legislature concerning VOC emissions was only recently introduced. HCHO trends for cities located in South and Equatorial Asia are mostly not significant or very uncertain. Cities located in Taiwan and Japan (regions in Asia where legislation has been in place since the early 2000s) display mostly negative trends.
Chemical etching manipulated local electronic structure upheaval of graphdiyne for efficient hydrogen evolution
Authors: Ma Kaikai , Zhao Yunqi , Liao Qingliang , Xiong Zhaozhao , Li Xinting , Du Wenlong , Sun Yu , Zhang Zheng , Kang Zhuo , Zhang Yue
Published: December 2021

Graphdiyne (GDY), featured with unique sp2, sp-hybridized form and inherent inhomogeneous electron distribution, retains great expectation to be developed into highly efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, the state-of-the-art GDY-based electrocatalysts still suffer from weak catalytic activity and sluggish reaction kinetics originating from the severe scarcity of in-plane active sites and insufficient electrical conductivity. Targeted at this bottleneck issue, electronic structure regulation, recognized as an extremely precise technical route, is promising to improve HER performances of carbon-based electrocatalysts. Herein, a facile controllable chemical etching strategy is well leveraged to introduce sp2-hybridized carbon–oxygen bonds (Csp2–O) into GDY for precise manipulation both of its electronic and spatial structures. Experimental results and theoretical calculations coherently manifest that Csp2–O introduction into GDY can not only induce its electronic structure upheaval to strengthen surface electron transport capability, but also trigger intensive carbon–oxygen p–p orbital hybridization to enhance the catalytic activity of acetylenic bond sites. As a result, the optimal GDY sample after etching delivers excellent HER performance with an overpotential of only 101 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and a low Tafel slope of 54 mV dec−1, which surpasses most of reported metal-free based electrocatalysts. This work provides a universal route for precise modulation of inherent electronic structure in GDY, and can be further extended to boost the overall performances of other carbon-based catalysts.
Early Contributions to the Design and Conduct of Clinical Trials From a Largely Unknown 1960s Pilot Trial of Physical Activity and a Well-Known Diet-Heart Feasibility Study for the Primary Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease
Authors: Blackburn Henry
Published: December 2021

This historical note focuses on contributions to the concepts, design, methods, and conduct of clinical trials from the 1960s planning and findings of a feasibility study that was little reported and largely unrecognized: the Pilot Study of Prescribed Physical Activity for the Primary Prevention of Ischemic Heart Disease (1963–1968). In contrast, complementary findings from the 1960s National Diet-Heart Feasibility Study (1962–1968) were fully reported, widely recognized, and well-analyzed by historians in context of the rapid evolution in chronic disease epidemiology and clinical trials following World War II. The experience of these thoughtfully planned and rigorously conducted pilot studies changed the career paths of their planners and investigators and shaped the form and direction of subsequent research on the causes, treatment, and prevention of heart attack. The 2 studies were both fruit and seed of a consortium of experts that evolved in reaction to new questions and findings about the midcentury coronary disease epidemic. The contributions of each study, and of this broader academy of pioneer thinkers, are essential elements in the history of cardiovascular disease epidemiology, prevention research, and health policy.
Multidimensional brain-age prediction reveals altered brain developmental trajectory in psychiatric disorders
Authors: Niu Xin , Taylor Alexei , Shinohara Russell T , Kounios John , Zhang Fengqing
Published: December 2021

Brain-age prediction has emerged as a novel approach for studying brain development. However, brain regions change in different ways and at different rates. Unitary brain-age indices represent developmental status averaged across the whole brain and therefore do not capture the divergent developmental trajectories of various brain structures. This staggered developmental unfolding, determined by genetics and postnatal experience, is implicated in the progression of psychiatric and neurological disorders. We propose a multidimensional brain-age index (MBAI) that provides regional age predictions. Using a database of 556 individuals, we identified clusters of imaging features with distinct developmental trajectories and built machine learning models to obtain brain-age predictions from each of the clusters. Our results show that the MBAI provides a flexible analysis of region-specific brain-age changes that are invisible to unidimensional brain-age. Importantly, brain-ages computed from region-specific feature clusters contain complementary information and demonstrate differential ability to distinguish disorder groups (e.g., depression and oppositional defiant disorder) from healthy controls. In summary, we show that MBAI is sensitive to alterations in brain structures and captures distinct regional change patterns that may serve as biomarkers that contribute to our understanding of healthy and pathological brain development and the characterization and diagnosis of psychiatric disorders.
Dentist’s Visits and Risk of Brain Abscess: A Nationwide, Population-Based Case-Control Study
Authors: Bodilsen Jacob , Helweg Larsen Jannik , Otto Jarløv Jens , Ziebell Morten , Ellermann-Eriksen Svend , Justesen Ulrik S , Frimodt-Møller Niels , Obel Niels , Omland Lars Haukali
Published: December 2021

Background

Brain abscesses are frequently caused by oral cavity bacteria, but whether dental status and invasive dental procedures are important risk factors is unknown.

Methods

A nationwide, population-based, case-control study examined the association between dentist’s visits and invasive dental procedures and risk of brain abscess caused by oral cavity bacteria from 1989 through 2016. Date of brain abscess diagnosis was considered the index date. Using risk-set sampling, 10 population controls per case were individually matched by age, sex, and residential area. Conditional logistic regression was used to compute odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusted for comorbidity.

Results

We identified 362 patients with culture-proven brain abscess caused by oral cavity bacteria. The median age was 53 years (interquartile range, 39–65 years) and 220 (61%) were male. Invasive dental procedures within 6 months before the index date was observed in 21 of 362 (6%) patients with brain abscess and 179 of 3257 (5%) population controls (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.07 [95% CI, .67–1.70]). Two hundred thirteen of 362 (59%) patients with brain abscess had visited their dentist within 1 year before the index date compared with 1944 of 3257 (60%) of population controls (aOR, 0.99 [95% CI, .77–1.26]). Using no dentist’s visits as reference, we observed aORs of 0.95 (95% CI, .64–1.40) for 1–2 visits within 3 years of the index date and 1.01 (95% CI, .76–1.35) for 3 or more visits.

Conclusions

Recent invasive dental procedures and number of dentist’s visits were not associated with culture-verified brain abscess caused by oral cavity bacteria.
CATA: a comprehensive chromatin accessibility database for cancer
Authors: Zhou Jianyuan , Li Yanshang , Cao Haotian , Yang Min , Chu Lingyu , Li Taisong , Yu Zhengmin , Yu Rui , Qiu Bo , Wang Qiuyu , Li Xuecang , Xie Jianjun
Published: December 2021

Accessible chromatin refers to the active regions of a chromosome that are bound by many transcription factors (TFs). Changes in chromatin accessibility play a critical role in tumorigenesis. With the emergence of novel methods like Assay for Transposase-accessible Chromatin Sequencing, a sequencing method that maps chromatin-accessible regions (CARs) and enables the computational analysis of TF binding at chromatin-accessible sites, the regulatory landscape in cancer can be dissected. Herein, we developed a comprehensive cancer chromatin accessibility database named CATA, which aims to provide available resources of cancer CARs and to annotate their potential roles in the regulation of genes in a cancer type-specific manner. In this version, CATA stores 2 991 163 CARs from 23 cancer types, binding information of 1398 TFs within the CARs, and provides multiple annotations about these regions, including common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), risk SNPs, copy number variation, somatic mutations, motif changes, expression quantitative trait loci, methylation and CRISPR/Cas9 target loci. Moreover, CATA supports cancer survival analysis of the CAR-associated genes and provides detailed clinical information of the tumor samples.

Database URL: CATA is available at http://www.xiejjlab.bio/cata/.
Inter operator variability of machine learning researchers predicting all-cause mortality in patients admitted to intensive care unit
Authors: Jones Y , Cleland J , Li C , Pellicori P , Friday J
Published: December 2021

Background

The number of publications using machine learning (ML) to predict cardiovascular outcomes and identify clusters of patients at greater risk has risen dramatically in recent years. However, research papers which use ML often fail to provide sufficient information about their algorithms to enable results to be replicated by others in the same or different datasets.

Aim

To test the reproducibility of results from ML algorithms given three different levels of information commonly found in publications: model type alone, a description of the model, and complete algorithm.

Methods

MIMIC-III is a healthcare dataset comprising detailed information from over 60,000 intensive care unit (ICU) admissions from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre between 2001 and 2012. Access is available to everyone pending approval and completion of a short training course.

Using this dataset, three models for predicting all-cause in-hospital mortality were created, two from a PhD student working in ML, and one from an existing research paper which used the same dataset and provided complete model information. A second researcher (a PhD student in ML and cardiology) was given the same dataset and was tasked with reproducing their results. Initially, this second researcher was told what type of model was created in each case, followed by a brief description of the algorithms. Finally, the complete algorithms from each participant were provided. In all three scenarios, recreated models were compared to original models using Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC).

Results

After excluding those younger than 18 years and events with missing or invalid entries, 21,139 ICU admissions remained from 18,094 patients between 2001 and 2012, including 2,797 in-hospital deaths. Three models were produced: two Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) which differed significantly in internal weights and variables, and a Boosted Tree Classifier (BTC). The AUC of the first reproduced RNN matched that of the original RNN (Figure 1), however the second RNN and the BTC could not be reproduced given model type alone. As more information was provided about these algorithms, the results from the reproduced models matched the original results more closely.

Conclusions

In order to create clinically useful ML tools with results that are reproducible and consistent, it is vital that researchers share enough detail about their models. Model type alone is not enough to guarantee reproducibility. Although some models can be recreated with limited information, this is not always the case, and the best results are found when the complete algorithm is shared. These findings have huge relevance when trying to apply ML in clinical practice.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None.
Assessment of cognitive dysfunction using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment test: rate, severity and comparison with the Clock test alone in a population of patients referred for TAVI
Authors: Monnin C , Besutti M , Ecarnot F , Guillon B , Chatot M , Chopard R , Yahia M , Meneveau N , Schiele F
Published: December 2021

Background

Although not recommended in routine practice, the detection and quantification of Cognitive Dysfunction (CD) in older patients might have an impact on clinical decisions. We assessed the rate and severity of CD in an unselected population of patients referred for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and using the Clock Drawing Test (ClockT) alone.

Methods

The MoCA was performed before TAVI by an experienced operator. The ClockT was scored out of 10 points according to the Rouleau rating scale. CD was defined according to the MoCA score: No CD if score ≥26, mild CD if score 18–25, moderate if 10–17 and severe if <10. Inter-observer reliability of scoring on the ClockT was estimated with the Bland-Altman method. Agreement between MoCA scores and the ClockT for ruling out and for detecting CD were measured with the Kappa coefficient.

Results

MoCA was performed in 83 consecutive patients referred for TAVI, median age 85 years. The mean time required for assessment was 11±2 min for the MoCA and 3±2 min for the ClockT. The mean MoCA score was 21±4.5: CD was excluded in 17 (20%) pts, mild CD was found in 50 (60%), moderate in 15 (18%) and severe in one (1%). The median ClockT score was 8 (interquartile 6; 9), with excellent inter-observer concordance (Kappa= 0.84). Overall, 51% of the variance of the MoCA score was explained by the ClockT alone according to multiple regression. A ClockT <7 detected a group with significantly lower MoCA score, compared to pts with higher ClockT scores (figure).

Conclusion

Among patients referred for TAVI, CD can be excluded using the MoCA test in 20%, while moderate or severe CD is observed in 18%. The ClockT alone is faster to implement, reliable to interpret and enabled detection of patients with moderate CD when Rouleau scoring was <7.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None.
An aberrant anterior ascending segmental pulmonary artery (A3aii) in a patient with lung cancer
Authors: Zhang Chenlei , Li Jijia , Sun Haichao , Liu Hongxu
Published: December 2021

A 60-year-old woman was admitted to our department for a left upper lobe and left lower lobe ground glass nodules. Three-dimensional computed tomography bronchography and angiography showed an aberrant anterior ascending segmental pulmonary artery (A3aii) branching from the lingular artery. We performed left upper division segmentectomy and left lower superior segmentectomy for ground glass opacity lesions, and the A3aii variation artery was safely dissected. The patient received an uneventful recovery, and the final pathologic diagnosis was early-stage multiple primary lung cancers. The A3aii branching of the lingular artery was extremely rare. Preoperative three-dimensional computed tomography bronchography and angiography was important to provide accurate vessel variation information and achieve accurate and safe segmentectomy procedure.
Polypill for prevention of cardiovascular diseases with focus on non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: the PolyIran-Liver trial
Authors: Merat Shahin , Jafari Elham , Radmard Amir Reza , Khoshnia Masoud , Sharafkhah Maryam , Nateghi Baygi Alireza , Marshall Tom , Shiravi Khuzani Abolfazl , Cheng Kar Keung , Poustchi Hossein , Malekzadeh Reza
Published: December 2021

Aims

Individuals with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis or elevated liver enzymes have increased cardiovascular mortality but are often excluded from prevention trials. We investigated the effectiveness of fixed-dose combination therapy for the prevention of major cardiovascular events (MCVE) among individuals with and without presumed non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (pNASH).

Methods and results

Two thousand four hundred participants over 50 were randomized into the intervention and control groups. Consent was obtained post-randomization. Consenting participants in the intervention group were given a pill containing aspirin, atorvastatin, hydrochlorothiazide, and valsartan (polypill). Participants were followed for 5 years. Presumed non-alcoholic steatohepatitis was diagnosed by ultrasonography and elevated liver enzymes. The primary outcome was MCVE. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01245608. Among the originally randomized population, 138 of 1249 in the intervention group (11.0%) and 137 of 1017 controls (13.5%) had MCVE during the 5-year follow-up [unadjusted risk ratio (RR) 0.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.66–1.03]. Of the 1508 participants who consented to additional measurements and treatment, 63 of 787 (8.0%) intervention group participants and 86 of 721 (11.9%) controls had MCVE (adjusted RR 0.61, 95% CI 0.44–0.83). Although the adjusted relative risk of MCVE in participants with pNASH (0.35, 95% CI 0.17–0.74) was under half that for participants without pNASH (0.73, 95% CI 0.49–1.00), the difference did not reach statistical significance. There was no change in liver enzymes in participants taking polypill but among those with pNASH, there was a significant decrease after 60 months of follow-up (intragroup −12.0 IU/L, 95% CI −14.2 to −9.6).

Conclusion

Among patients consenting to receive fixed-dose combination therapy, polypill is safe and effective for the prevention of MCVE, even among participants with fatty liver and increased liver enzymes.
Older Europeans’ health perception and their adaptive behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Spitzer Sonja , Shaikh Mujaheed , Weber Daniela
Published: December 2021

Background

Although older adults are more vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus, a significant proportion of them do not follow recommended guidelines concerning preventive actions during the ongoing pandemic. This article analyses the role of biased health beliefs for adaptive health behaviour such as reduced mobility, protection in public spaces and hygiene measures, for the population aged 50 and older in 13 European countries.

Methods

Health perception is measured based on the difference between self-reported health and physical performance tests for over 24 000 individuals included in the most recent Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. Logistic regressions are employed to explore how over- and underestimating health are related to preventive behaviours.

Results

Results suggest that older adults who underestimate their health are more likely to show adaptive behaviour related to mobility reductions. In particular, they are more likely to stay at home, shop less and go for walks less often. In contrast, overestimating health is not significantly associated with reduced mobility. Protective behaviour in public spaces and adopting hygiene measures do not vary systematically between health perception groups.

Conclusion

As health beliefs appear relevant for the adoption of preventive health behaviours related to mobility, they have serious consequences for the health and well-being of older Europeans. Although adaptive behaviour helps to contain the virus, exaggerated mobility reduction in those who underestimate their health might be contributing to the already high social isolation and loneliness of older adults during the ongoing pandemic.
Quantification of Mucosal Activity from Colonoscopy Reports via the Simplified Endoscopic Mucosal Assessment for Crohn’s Disease
Authors: Adler Jeremy , Eder Sally J , Gebremariam Acham , Moran Christopher J , Bass Lee M , Moses Jonathan , Lewis Jeffery D , Singer Andrew A M , Morhardt Tina L , Picoraro Joseph A , Cardenas Vanessa , Zacur George M , Colletti Richard B
Published: December 2021

Background

Endoscopic mucosal healing is the gold standard for evaluating Crohn’s disease (CD) treatment efficacy. Standard endoscopic indices are not routinely used in clinical practice, limiting the quality of retrospective research. A method for retrospectively quantifying mucosal activity from documentation is needed. We evaluated the simplified endoscopic mucosal assessment for CD (SEMA-CD) to determine if it can accurately quantify mucosal severity recorded in colonoscopy reports.

Methods

Pediatric patients with CD underwent colonoscopy that was video recorded and evaluated via Simple Endoscopic Score for CD (SES-CD) and SEMA-CD by central readers. Corresponding colonoscopy reports were de-identified. Central readers blinded to clinical history and video scoring were randomly assigned colonoscopy reports with and without images. The SEMA-CD was scored for each report. Correlation with video SES-CD and SEMA-CD were assessed with Spearman rho, inter-rater, and intrarater reliability with kappa statistics.

Results

Fifty-seven colonoscopy reports were read a total of 347 times. The simplified endoscopic mucosal assessment for CD without images correlated with both SES-CD and SEMA-CD from videos (rho = 0.82, P < .0001 for each). The addition of images provided similar correlation. Inter-rater and intrarater reliability were 0.93 and 0.92, respectively.

Conclusions

The SEMA-CD applied to retrospective evaluation of colonoscopy reports accurately and reproducibly correlates with SES-CD and SEMA-CD of colonoscopy videos. The SEMA-CD for evaluating colonoscopy reports will enable quantifying mucosal healing in retrospective research. Having objective outcome data will enable higher-quality research to be conducted across multicenter collaboratives and in clinical registries. External validation is needed.
Stabilization parameter analysis of a second-order linear numerical scheme for the nonlocal Cahn–Hilliard equation
Authors: Li Xiao , Qiao Zhonghua , Wang Cheng
Published: December 2021

A second-order accurate (in time) and linear numerical scheme is proposed and analyzed for the nonlocal Cahn–Hilliard equation. The backward differentiation formula is used as the temporal discretization, while an explicit extrapolation is applied to the nonlinear term and the concave expansive term. In addition, an $O (\varDelta {t}^2)$ artificial regularization term, in the form of $A \varDelta _N (\phi ^{n+1} - 2 \phi ^n + \phi ^{n-1})$, is added for the sake of numerical stability. The resulting constant-coefficient linear scheme brings great numerical convenience; however, its theoretical analysis turns out to be very challenging, due to the lack of higher-order diffusion in the nonlocal model. In fact, a rough energy stability analysis can be derived, where an assumption on the $\ell ^\infty $ bound of the numerical solution is required. To recover such an $\ell ^\infty $ bound, an optimal rate convergence analysis has to be conducted, which combines a high-order consistency analysis for the numerical system and the stability estimate for the error function. We adopt a novel test function for the error equation, so that a higher-order temporal truncation error is derived to match the accuracy for discretizing the temporal derivative. Under the view that the numerical solution is actually a small perturbation of the exact solution, a uniform $\ell ^\infty $ bound of the numerical solution can be obtained, by resorting to the error estimate under a moderate constraint of the time step size. Therefore, the result of the energy stability is restated with a new assumption on the stabilization parameter $A$. Some numerical experiments are carried out to display the behavior of the proposed second-order scheme, including the convergence tests and long-time coarsening dynamics.
NDM-1 carbapenemase resistance gene vehicles emergent on distinct plasmid backbones from the IncL/M family
Authors: Lopez-Diaz Maria , Ellaby Nicholas , Turton Jane , Woodford Neil , Tomas Maria , Ellington Matthew J
Published: December 2021

Objectives

To assess the genetic contexts surrounding blaNDM-1 genes carried on IncM plasmids harboured by six carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) isolates referred to the UK Health Security Agency’s Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infections (AMRHAI) Reference Unit.

Methods

Between 2014 and 2018, the AMRHAI Reference Unit undertook WGS of CPE isolates using Illumina NGS. Nanopore sequencing was used for selected isolates and publicly available plasmid references were downloaded. Analysis of incRNA, which encodes the antisense RNA regulating plasmidic repA gene expression, was performed and bioinformatics tools were used to analyse whole plasmid sequences.

Results

Of 894 NDM-positive isolates of Enterobacterales, 44 NDM-1-positive isolates of five different species (Citrobacter spp., Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Klebsiella oxytoca) encoded the IncRNA locus of IncM2 plasmids. Long-read sequencing of six diverse isolates revealed related IncM2, NDM-1-encoding plasmids. Plasmid ‘backbone’ areas were conserved and contrasted with highly variable resistance regions. Sub-groupings of IncM2 plasmids encoding blaNDM-1 were detected; one sub-group occurred in five different health regions of England in every year. The diversity of NDM-1-encoding resistance gene integrons and transposons and their insertions sites in the plasmids indicated that NDM-1 has been acquired repeatedly by IncM2 variants.

Conclusions

The use of sequencing helped inform: (i) a wide geographical distribution of isolates encoding NDM-1 on emergent IncM2 plasmids; (ii) variant plasmids have acquired NDM-1 separately; and (iii) dynamic arrangements and evolution of the resistance elements in this plasmid group. The geographical and temporal distribution of IncM2 plasmids that encode NDM-1 highlights them as a public health threat that requires ongoing monitoring.
Almost Equal: Consumption under Fragmented Stigma
Authors: Eichert Christian A , Luedicke Marius K
Published: December 2021

How do historically stigmatized social groups consume strategically when they have achieved greater recognition, status, and respectability in society? Based on a seven-year interpretive social representations analysis of gay men in Germany, the authors first show that dominant, stigmatizing representations of such groups do not ameliorate uniformly and for all. Instead, they fragment into oppressive, enabling, and normalized societal representations that different consumers encounter to different degrees in their everyday lives. In the wake of these societal shifts, the stigmatized group itself disintegrates into five representational subgroups, referred to as underground, discrete, hybrid, assimilated, and post-stigma social groups. These subgroups use consumption for different and partly opposing strategic purposes, such as hiding and denial, collective resistance, and deconstruction of differences. The authors synthesize their findings into a conceptual model of consumption under fragmented stigma that extends prior research on consumption under dominant and total stigma configurations and suggests ways in which consumption can not only mitigate but also reinforce stigma. In doing so, they also shed light on the complex lived experiences of a vulnerable social group that has become almost equal.
Heat Treatments for Killing Apple Maggot Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) Puparia for Application in Disinfesting Organic Yard Waste
Authors: Yee Wee L , Kruger Chad E , O’Neill Tim
Published: December 2021

Organic yard waste from western Washington, U.S. that may contain puparia of apple maggot fly, Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh) (Diptera: Tephritidae), had been moved to central Washington for composting, threatening the $3 billion apple industry concentrated in that region. Heating waste to kill fly puparia before it is transported could be a solution to this problem. Here, we report results of studies in 2016–2021 that sought to identify a minimum heat treatment simulating that obtained using a low-pressure steam generator for maximizing kill of R. pomonella puparia. In two experiments, puparia were exposed to temperatures ramped linearly over 6 h from 21°C to 47.8, 51.1, 55.0, or 60.0°C in an oven. The 47.8, 51.1, and 55°C treatments did not achieve 100% mortality, although only one adult fly from 4,000 puparia was found in the 55°C treatment, while no puparia survived the 60°C treatment. In a third, similar experiment, no puparia out of 2,400 exposed to 55°C survived. In a fourth and final experiment conducted over 3 years, no puparia out of 61,223 exposed to a 6-h ramp from 21°C to 55°C followed by a 1-h hold time at 55°C produced flies. In addition, all puparia in this treatment died. Based on 42.3 to 69.8% control survival, 31,217 puparia were killed by this treatment with no survivors, for a probit 8.7190 level of security. Results suggest that the 55°C and 1-h hold time treatment here is close to the minimum heat regime needed for disinfesting organic waste of R. pomonella puparia.
Virulence of the Bio-Control Fungus Purpureocillium lilacinum Against Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
Authors: Liu Ze , Liu Fang-Fang , Li Hao , Zhang Wen-Ting , Wang Qian , Zhang Bang-Xian , Sun Yan-Xia , Rao Xiang-Jun
Published: December 2021

Eco-friendly entomopathogenic fungi are widely used to control agricultural insect pests. Purpureocillium lilacinum (Thom.) Luangsa-ard et al. (Hypocreales: Ophiocordycipitaceae) is a nematophagous fungus used for the bio-control of destructive root-knot nematodes. However, its insecticidal activities against agricultural insect pests haven’t been widely studied. In this study, P. lilacinum PL-1 was isolated from soil (Hefei, China) and identified by molecular and morphological analyses. The growth rate, spore production, proteinase, and chitinase activities of the isolate were analyzed. Virulence tests against green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) were performed. The median lethal concentration (LC50) and median lethal time (LT50) against aphids (via immersion) and LT50 against FAW (via injection) were determined. FAW eggs immersed in aqueous conidia suspension were infected after 60 h. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the infection of FAW larvae by P. lilacinum were analyzed by quantitative reverse transcription PCR. The significantly upregulated DEGs include FAW immune genes (antimicrobial peptides, C-type lectins, lysozymes, prophenoloxidase, and peptidoglycan recognition proteins) and fungal pathogenic genes (ligase, chitinase, and hydrophobin). Our data demonstrate that P. lilacinum can be used as an entomopathogenic fungus against agricultural insect pests.
The German transposition of Article 17 of the Copyright DSM Directive and its ‘presumed legal use’: incompatible with EU law or a model for balancing fundamental rights in the age of upload filters?
Authors: Hümmer Finn J
Published: December 2021

• With its Copyright Service Provider Act, the German legislator implemented its final version of Article 17 CDSMD into national law as of 1 August 2021. After the compatibility with European Union (EU) law was rightly doubted in previous drafts, the situation in the final implementation is now different. With the introduction of ‘presumed legal use’, a mechanism was found that is to locate somewhere between a presumption and an exception or limitation.

• The classification is of utmost practical relevance because this construction is found in neither Article 17 CDSMD nor Article 5 InfoSoc Directive.1Therefore, if the mechanism of ‘presumed legal use’ is considered as an exception or limitation, compatibility with EU law can hardly be justified. This article explains the German regulatory mechanism and the considerations behind it and presents arguments for and against compatibility with European law.

• The thesis is that the mechanism in its current form is unlikely to meet the requirements under EU law. At the same time, there are good reasons for such an implementation, as it meets the challenges for a balance between fundamental rights probably in the best possible way under the current EU legislative framework.
A Population Genomic Assessment of Three Decades of Evolution in a Natural Drosophila Population
Authors: Lange Jeremy D , Bastide Héloïse , Lack Justin B , Pool John E
Published: December 2021

Population genetics seeks to illuminate the forces shaping genetic variation, often based on a single snapshot of genomic variation. However, utilizing multiple sampling times to study changes in allele frequencies can help clarify the relative roles of neutral and non-neutral forces on short time scales. This study compares whole-genome sequence variation of recently collected natural population samples of Drosophila melanogaster against a collection made approximately 35 years prior from the same locality—encompassing roughly 500 generations of evolution. The allele frequency changes between these time points would suggest a relatively small local effective population size on the order of 10,000, significantly smaller than the global effective population size of the species. Some loci display stronger allele frequency changes than would be expected anywhere in the genome under neutrality—most notably the tandem paralogs Cyp6a17 and Cyp6a23, which are impacted by structural variation associated with resistance to pyrethroid insecticides. We find a genome-wide excess of outliers for high genetic differentiation between old and new samples, but a larger number of adaptation targets may have affected SNP-level differentiation versus window differentiation. We also find evidence for strengthening latitudinal allele frequency clines: northern-associated alleles have increased in frequency by an average of nearly 2.5% at SNPs previously identified as clinal outliers, but no such pattern is observed at random SNPs. This project underscores the scientific potential of using multiple sampling time points to investigate how evolution operates in natural populations, by quantifying how genetic variation has changed over ecologically relevant timescales.
Very short mountings are enough for sperm transfer inLittorina saxatilis
Authors: Perini Samuel , Butlin RogerK , Westram AnjaM , Johannesson Kerstin
Published: December 2021

Conflict over reproduction between females and males exists because of anisogamy and promiscuity. Together they generate differences in fitness optima between the sexes and result in antagonistic coevolution of female and male reproductive traits. Mounting duration is likely to be a compromise between male and female interests whose outcome depends on the intensity of sexual selection. The timing of sperm transfer during mounting is critical. For example, mountings may be interrupted before sperm is transferred as a consequence of female or male choice, or they may be prolonged to function as mate guarding. In the highly promiscuous intertidal snail Littorina saxatilis, mountings vary substantially in duration, from less than a minute to more than an hour, and it has been assumed that mountings of a few minutes do not result in any sperm being transferred. Here, we examined the timing of sperm transfer, a reproductive trait that is likely affected by sexual conflict. We performed time-controlled mounting trials using L. saxatilis males and virgin females, aiming to examine indirectly when the transfer of sperm starts. We observed the relationship between mounting duration and the proportion of developing embryos out of all eggs and embryos in the brood pouch. Developing embryos were observed in similar proportions in all treatments (i.e. 1, 5 and 10 or more minutes at which mountings were artificially interrupted), suggesting that sperm transfer begins rapidly (within 1 min) in L. saxatilis and very short matings do not result in sperm shortage in the females. We discuss how the observed pattern can be influenced by predation risk, population density, and female status and receptivity.
Music Therapy Pre-internship Education and Training: Support for a Methods-Based Approach
Authors: Gardstrom Susan C , Hiller James , Heiderscheit Annie , Jackson Nancy L
Published: December 2021

As music therapists, music is our primary realm of understanding and action and our distinctive way of joining with a client to help them attain optimal health and well-being. As such, we have adopted and advocate for a music-focused, methods-based (M-B) approach to music therapy pre-internship education and training. In an M-B approach, students’ learning is centered on the 4 music therapy methods of composing, improvising, re-creating, and listening to music and how these music experiences can be designed and implemented to address the health needs of the diverse clientele whom they will eventually encounter as practicing clinicians. Learning is highly experiential, with students authentically participating in each of the methods and reflecting on these self-experiences as a basis for their own clinical decision-making. This is differentiated from a population based (P-B) approach, wherein students’ attention is directed at acquiring knowledge about the non-musical problems of specific “clinical populations” and the “best practice” music interventions that are presumed to address these problems. Herein, we discuss both approaches, identifying the limitations of a P-B perspective and outlining the benefits of an M-B curriculum and its relevance to 21st-century music therapy practice.
Resist nanokirigami for multipurpose patterning
Authors: Liu Qing , Chen Yiqin , Feng Zhanyong , Shu Zhiwen , Duan Huigao
Published: December 2021

Resist-based patterning solutions play essential roles in modern micro- and nanoscale science and technology. The commonly used ‘resist’ patterning strategy depends on selective-area scission or cross-linking of resist molecules under the action of an energy beam. In this work, we propose and demonstrate a different resist-patterning strategy, termed ‘resist nanokirigami’, in which the resist structures are defined by their outlines and revealed by selective mechanical peeling of the unwanted resist film. Unlike conventional resist-based patterning processes, the final resist-nanokirigami structures do not undergo exposure and the exposure area is dramatically reduced. With these two advantages, a variety of functional structures that are difficult or impossible to fabricate by conventional processes, such as inverse nanostructures and their oligomers, multi-scale electrodes and freestanding plasmonic nanogaps, can be easily achieved with much higher efficiency. Thus, with its unique and complementary capabilities, the resist-nanokirigami process provides a new patterning solution that expands the family of lithography techniques and will play a significant role in fabricating multi-scale functional structures.
PERFORMANCE COMPARISON OF SYSTEMS WITH FULL-FIELD DIGITAL MAMMOGRAPHY, DIGITAL BREAST TOMOSYNTHESIS AND CONTRAST-ENHANCED SPECTRAL MAMMOGRAPHY
Authors: Avramova-Cholakova Simona , Kulama Eugenia , Daskalov Sivo , Loveland John
Published: December 2021

The purpose is to compare full-field digital mammography (FFDM), digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) and contrast-enhanced spectral mammography (CESM) technologies on three mammography systems in terms of image quality and patient dose. Two Senographe Essential with DBT and CESM (denoted S1 and S2) and one Selenia Dimensions (S3) with FFDM and DBT were considered. Dosimetry methods recommended in the European protocol were used. Image quality was tested with CDMAM in FFDM and DBT and with ideal observer method in FFDM. Mean values of mean glandular dose (MGD) from whole patient samples on S1, S2 and S3 were as follows: FFDM 1.65, 1.84 and 2.23 mGy; DBT 2.03, 1.96 and 2.87 mGy; CESM 2.65 and 3.16 mGy, respectively. S3 exhibited better low-contrast detectability for the smallest sized discs of CDMAM and ideal observer in FFDM, and for the largest sized discs in DBT, at similar dose levels.
Reconnecting Religion and Community in a Small City: How Urban Amenities Afford Religious Amenities
Authors: Dugandzic Audra
Published: December 2021

Recently, sociologists of religion have argued that rather than treating geographical location as a mere backdrop against which religion happens, scholars ought to theorize how place characteristics influence, and are shaped by, religion. In particular, they focus on urbanicity, a key variable in the secularization debate. Drawing on interviews with 50 Catholic and non-Catholic residents of a small city just outside of Washington, D.C. along with participant observation data, I argue that one way to examine how urbanicity—and space and place more generally—matters for religion is to identify its affordances, or features of an environment that allow for certain lines of action. Specifically, I show how urban amenities can afford the creation of religious amenities that support religious practice. I also demonstrate how the concepts of affordances and amenities can be used to theorize place characteristics, and their relationship with religion, more systematically.
Understanding key implementation determinants for a school-based universal prevention intervention: a qualitative study
Authors: Eisman Andria B , Kiperman Sarah , Rupp Laney A , Kilbourne Amy M , Palinkas Lawrence A
Published: December 2021

This study examined how teachers discuss various factors as impacting their ability to execute with fidelity the Michigan Model for Health (MMH), an evidence-based health universal prevention curriculum widely adopted throughout Michigan. Researchers have found a robust relationship between fidelity and participant outcomes, including in schools. While previous studies have identified barriers that inhibit fidelity, few have focused on identifying key barriers and deepening our understanding of how these factors influence intervention fidelity. We conducted a thematic analysis using the reflexive thematic approach to identify key barriers and facilitators and deepen our understanding of how these factors influence MMH implementation. Guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and the Implementation Outcomes Framework, we conducted semistructured interviews with 23 high school health teachers across Michigan. Teachers identified intervention characteristics (e.g., design quality, packaging, and program adaptability), student needs (e.g., trauma exposure, substances), and the fit between the intervention and the context as factors that contributed to acceptability. They also discussed the curriculum and its alignment with their teaching style and/or experiences as contributing to fidelity. Teachers shared how they would often go “off protocol” to improve intervention-context fit and meet students’ needs. Our results identified acceptability, a perceptual implementation outcome, as demonstrating an important role in shaping the relationship between CFIR factors and fidelity. Results provide guidance for systematically designing implementation strategies that address key barriers to improve acceptability, enhance fidelity, and ultimately achieve desired public health objectives.