bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vibrational properties of CO2 adsorbed on the Fe3O4 (111) surface: Insights gained from DFT
Authors: Li Xiaoke , Paier Joachim
Published: March 2020

By virtue of density functional theory calculations, this work discusses several carbonate, carboxylate, and bicarbonate species on two thermodynamically relevant metal terminations of the (111) surface of magnetite, Fe3O4. We present adsorption energies and vibrational wavenumbers and conclude in assigning the observed infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy bands. CO2 prefers to adsorb molecularly on the Fetet1 terminated Fe3O4(111) surface, a finding consistent with observation. Calculations compared with the experiment lead to interpreting results in favor of the Fetet1 (single metal) terminated Fe3O4(111) surface as the regular surface termination. Formation of carbonate and bicarbonate requires metal impurities on that surface. Such impurities exist, for instance, on the Feoct2 (double metal) termination, which can thus be used as a model for “metal-rich terminations” of more complex surfaces.
Droplet impact onto a solid sphere in mid-air: Effect of viscosity, gas density, and diameter ratio on impact outcomes
Authors: Banitabaei S. A. , Amirfazli A.
Published: March 2020

Collision of a droplet and a hydrophobic particle in mid-air was investigated. To study the impact outcomes, specifically the lamella formation, a numerical simulation tool was developed and verified with impact experiments (water droplets and glass particles, ρrel = 0.41). The velocity field within the lamella showed that the flow inside the liquid film moves in two opposite directions along the lamella axis of symmetry: one is generated through the momentum transfer from the particle, and the other is due to the droplet initial velocity. This causes the lamella to be stretched in the same direction as the particle moves and forms a rim at the end of the lamella. Although a larger droplet-to-particle diameter ratio (Dr) increased the impact duration, it did not change the collision outcomes and two opposite flows still exist inside a thicker liquid film. However, the liquid viscosity affects impact outcomes; as viscosity increased, a thicker film remained on the particle, the liquid film became shorter, and the lamella formation was hindered accordingly. The pressure of the ambient gas also affects the liquid film formation. Unlike the literature of the drop impact on a flat surface, our results indicate that by increasing the ambient pressure, the lamella formation will be suppressed (hence chance of splashing). The pressure gradient around the liquid film creates a downward force that hinders the stretching of the liquid film. The effect of the ambient pressure on lamella formation is only significant for relatively higher gas pressures (i.e., Pamb > 2 Patm).
On factors limiting the performance of photoelectrochemical CO2 reduction
Authors: Liu Ya , Guo Liejin
Published: March 2020

The photoelectrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (PEC-CO2RR) is a promising artificial photosynthetic system for storing solar energy as the energy of chemical bonds and stabilizing the atmospheric CO2 level. An applicable PEC-CO2RR is expected to have broad light absorption, high selectivity to a single product, and high solar to fuel efficiency. However, the PEC-CO2RR still faces challenges from complex reaction pathways, obstructed mass transfer, and large photovoltage requirements. The goal of this perspective is to point out some of the limitations of PEC-CO2RR to a practical application. In brief, we discuss the basic concepts of PEC-CO2RR and summarize state-of-the-art progress. Moreover, we highlight the remaining challenges to both science and engineering and propose the key steps in developing a fully functional PEC-CO2RR system. Finally, an ideal PEC-CO2RR system is proposed for future studies, which is essentially wireless and combines the advantages of minimized polarization loss and broad light absorption.
Plasmon-induced enhancement of nonlinear optical processes in a double-resonant metallic nanostructure grating
Authors: Noordam M. L. , Hernandez-Rueda J. , Talsma L. Y. , Kuipers L.
Published: March 2020

Nanostructured gratings in a metal surface can highly enhance nonlinear optical processes. The geometrical parameters that characterize a grating can be optimized to achieve intense near-fields, which in turn enhance the nonlinear optical signals. For a nonlinear process that involves multiple frequencies, like four-wave mixing (FWM), the optimization of grating parameters necessary to enhance the radiation in-coupling for both frequencies is not trivial. Here, we propose, compute, and experimentally demonstrate a grating design that is resonant to two excitation frequencies and thus enhances the frequency mixing processes more efficiently. Second- and third-order nonlinear mechanisms are studied using two spatially and temporally overlapped laser pulses with different frequencies. Using our grating design, we achieve an unprecedented nonlinear FWM enhancement factor of 7×103.
Infrared + vacuum ultraviolet two-color ionization spectroscopy of neutral metal complexes based on a tunable vacuum ultraviolet free-electron laser
Authors: Li Gang , Wang Chong , Li Qinming , Zheng Huijun , Wang Tiantong , Yu Yong , Su Mingzhi , Yang Dong , Shi Lei , Yang Jiayue , He Zhigang , Xie Hua , Fan Hongjun , Zhang Weiqing , Dai Dongxu , Wu Guorong , Yang Xueming , Jiang Ling
Published: March 2020

This paper describes an experimental technique for studying neutral metal complexes using infrared + vacuum ultraviolet (IR+VUV) two-color ionization spectroscopy based on a tunable VUV free-electron laser (VUV-FEL). The preliminary IR spectroscopy results of mass-selected nickel tetracarbonyl are reported in this work. The results demonstrate that the tunable VUV-FEL light allows the selective ionization of a given neutral cluster free of confinement along with the recording of well-resolved IR spectra. As the ionization energies of many neutral clusters are accessible by a broadly tunable VUV-FEL (50–150 nm) and near-threshold ionization can be readily achieved, the proposed experimental method offers unique possibilities for the size-specific study of a wide variety of confinement-free neutral clusters.
Identification and copy number profiling of sex chromosome specific gene fragments in crossbred pigs with numerically normal karyotype
Authors: Yadav Vandana , Sahoo Nihar Ranjan , Kumar Pushpendra , Gaur G. K. , Sahoo A. P. , Ravikumar G. V. P. P. S. , Singh K. P.
Published: March 2020

We examined the copy number profile of sex chromosome specific genes in crossbred pigs with numerically normal karyotype. A total of 30 (15M + 15F) Landlly (Landrace crossbred) pigs from a research farm were cyto-screened by karyotyping to determine the number of chromosomes per diploid cell using short-term peripheral lymphocyte culture technique. All pigs had numerically normal karyotype with 38, XX (female) and 38, XY (male). Genomic DNA was extracted from cyto-screened pigs of both sexes. A set of sex chromosome (X and Y) specific single copy gene fragments along with an autosomal gene fragment were selected out of 12 pairs of primers on the basis of male specific PCR amplification, PCR and qPCR specificity. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to study the relative copy number change of selected Phosphate repressible alkaline phosphatase X linked (PHOX) gene, using the Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 1A Y-Linked (EIF1AY) gene as control and Breast Cancer Metastasis-Suppressor 1-Like (BRMS1 L- autosomal gene) as the reference gene. The relative copy number of the PHOX gene in females was found to be 1.873 times higher compared with the EIF1AY gene in males. The present study indicates that the real-time quantitative real-time PCR based copy number analysis can be helpful for the detection of sex chromosome ratio in pigs to aid as a preliminary screening for numerical sex chromosomal aneuploidies, adding to the rate of throughput of traditional cyto-screening.
Secondary electron hyperspectral imaging: Nanostructure and chemical analysis for the LV-SEM
Authors: Nohl James F.
Published: March 2020

Materials engineers have increasing control over nanoscale chemical composition and nanostructures. The latter can be easily analysed by the scanning electron microscope (SEM) yet nanoscale chemical analysis in the SEM poses challenges. Nevertheless, nanoscale chemical analysis capabilities have been developed in the LV-SEM by secondary electron hyperspectral imaging (SEHI). In this article, the insights that SEHI has provided into well characterised semiconductor, photovoltaic, polymer and hard carbon materials are reviewed. Instrument and experimental considerations for the obtainment of secondary electron hyper-spectra are discussed and recommendations for future analyses in the LV-SEM by SEHI are made.
Old Age in European Cultures: A Significant Presence from Antiquity to the Present
Authors: Thane Pat
Published: March 2020

Contrary to widespread belief, significant numbers of people have lived long lives throughout recorded history. On average, women have lived longer than men. Definitions of old age as beginning between the ages of sixty and seventy have been remarkably consistent through time, despite major social and economic changes, as has government enforcement of age-related regulations, increasingly as government bureaucracy grew from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries. Despite long-prevailing simplified stereotypes, the reality of old age has always been highly diverse. Nowhere have people been respected or cared for simply because of their age; nor have all been frail dependents. Some have always been active to late ages, making positive, independent contributions to their families and communities, a fact that is too often overlooked by historians. Older people have mattered in all cultures and should not be overlooked.
The multifaceted role of kinases in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: genetic, pathological and therapeutic implications
Authors: Guo Wenting , Vandoorne Tijs , Steyaert Jolien , Staats Kim A , Van Den Bosch Ludo
Published: March 2020

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is the most common degenerative disorder of motor neurons in adults. As there is no cure, thousands of individuals who are alive at present will succumb to the disease. In recent years, numerous causative genes and risk factors for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis have been identified. Several of the recently identified genes encode kinases. In addition, the hypothesis that (de)phosphorylation processes drive the disease process resulting in selective motor neuron degeneration in different disease variants has been postulated. We re-evaluate the evidence for this hypothesis based on recent findings and discuss the multiple roles of kinases in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis pathogenesis. We propose that kinases could represent promising therapeutic targets. Mainly due to the comprehensive regulation of kinases, however, a better understanding of the disturbances in the kinome network in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is needed to properly target specific kinases in the clinic.
A unified model of post-stroke language deficits including discourse production and their neural correlates
Authors: Alyahya Reem S W , Halai Ajay D , Conroy Paul , Lambon Ralph Matthew A
Published: March 2020

The clinical profiles of individuals with post-stroke aphasia demonstrate considerable variation in the presentation of symptoms. Recent aphasiological studies have attempted to account for this individual variability using a multivariate data-driven approach (principal component analysis) on an extensive neuropsychological and aphasiological battery, to identify fundamental domains of post-stroke aphasia. These domains mainly reflect phonology, semantics and fluency; however, these studies did not account for variability in response to different forms of connected speech, i.e. discourse genres. In the current study, we initially examined differences in the quantity, diversity and informativeness between three different discourse genres, including a simple descriptive genre and two naturalistic forms of connected speech (storytelling narrative, and procedural discourse). Subsequently, we provided the first quantitative investigation on the multidimensionality of connected speech production at both behavioural and neural levels. Connected speech samples across descriptive, narrative, and procedural discourse genres were collected from 46 patients with chronic post-stroke aphasia and 20 neurotypical adults. Content analyses conducted on all connected speech samples indicated that performance differed across discourse genres and between groups. Specifically, storytelling narratives provided higher quantities of content words and lexical diversity compared to composite picture description and procedural discourse. The analyses further revealed that, relative to neurotypical adults, patients with aphasia, both fluent and non-fluent, showed reduction in the quantity of verbal production, lexical diversity, and informativeness across all discourses. Given the differences across the discourses, we submitted the connected speech metrics to principal component analysis alongside an extensive neuropsychological/aphasiological battery that assesses a wide range of language and cognitive skills. In contrast to previous research, three unique orthogonal connected speech components were extracted in a unified model, reflecting verbal quantity, verbal quality, and motor speech, alongside four core language and cognitive components: phonological production, semantic processing, phonological recognition, and executive functions. Voxel-wise lesion-symptom mapping using these components provided evidence on the involvement of widespread cortical regions and their white matter connections. Specifically, left frontal regions and their underlying white matter tracts corresponding to the frontal aslant tract and the anterior segment of the arcuate fasciculus were particularly engaged with the quantity and quality of fluent connected speech production while controlling for other co-factors. The neural correlates associated with the other language domains align with existing models on the ventral and dorsal pathways for language processing.
Mutation Carriers with Reduced C-Afferent Density Reveal Cortical Dynamics of Pain–Action Relationship during Acute Pain
Authors: Perini I , Ceko M , Cerliani L , van Ettinger-Veenstra H , Minde J , Morrison I
Published: March 2020

The evidence that action shapes perception has become widely accepted, for example, in the domain of vision. However, the manner in which action-relevant factors might influence the neural dynamics of acute pain processing has remained underexplored, particularly the functional roles of anterior insula (AI) and midanterior cingulate cortex (mid-ACC), which are frequently implicated in acute pain. To address this, we examined a unique group of heterozygous carriers of the rare R221W mutation on the nerve growth factor (NGF) gene. R221W carriers show a congenitally reduced density of C-nociceptor afferent nerves in the periphery, but can nonetheless distinguish between painful and nonpainful stimulations. Despite this, carriers display a tendency to underreact to acute pain behaviorally, thus exposing a potential functional gap in the pain–action relationship and allowing closer investigation of how the brain integrates pain and action information. Heterozygous R221W carriers and matched controls performed a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task designed to dissociate stimulus type (painful or innocuous) from current behavioral relevance (relevant or irrelevant), by instructing participants to either press or refrain from pressing a button during thermal stimulation. Carriers’ subjective pain thresholds did not differ from controls’, but the carrier group showed decreased task accuracy. Hemodynamic activation in AI covaried with task performance, revealing a functional role in pain–action integration with increased responses for task-relevant painful stimulation (“signal,” requiring button-press execution) over task-irrelevant stimulation (“noise,” requiring button-press suppression). As predicted, mid-ACC activation was associated with action execution regardless of pain. Functional connectivity between AI and mid-ACC increased as a function of reported urge to withdraw from the stimulus, suggesting a joint role for these regions in motivated action during pain. The carrier group showed greater activation of primary sensorimotor cortices—but not the AI and mid-ACC regions—during pain and action, suggesting compensatory processing. These findings indicate a critical role for the AI–mid-ACC axis in supporting a flexible, adaptive action selection during pain, alongside the accompanying subjective experience of an urge to escape the pain.
The Role of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Asymptomatic Status When Starting Antiretroviral Therapy on Adherence and Treatment Outcomes and Implications for Test and Treat: The Swiss HIV Cohort Study
Authors: Glass Tracy R , Günthard Huldrych F , Calmy Alexandra , Bernasconi Enos , Scherrer Alexandra U , Battegay Manuel , Steffen Ana , Böni Jürg , Yerly Sabine , Klimkait Thomas , Cavassini Matthias , Furrer Hansjakob
Published: March 2020

Background

Since the advent of universal test-and-treat , more people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) are asymptomatic with a preserved immune system. We explored the impact of asymptomatic status on adherence and clinical outcomes.

Methods

PLHIV registered in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS) between 2003 and 2018 were included. We defined asymptomatic as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stage A within 30 days of starting ART, non-adherence as any self-reported missed doses and viral failure as two consecutive viral load>50 copies/mL after >24 weeks on ART. Using logistic regression models, we measured variables associated with asymptomatic status and adherence and Cox proportional hazard models to assess association between symptom status and viral failure.

Results

Of 7131 PLHIV, 76% started ART when asymptomatic and 1478 (22%) experienced viral failure after a median of 1.9 years (interquartile range, 1.1–4.2). In multivariable models, asymptomatic PLHIV were more likely to be younger, men who have sex with men, better educated, have unprotected sex, have a HIV-positive partner, have a lower viral load, and have started ART more recently. Asymptomatic status was not associated with nonadherence (odds ratio, 1.03 [95% confidence interval {CI}, .93–1.15]). Asymptomatic PLHIV were at a decreased risk of viral failure (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.87 [95% CI, .76–1.00]) and less likely to develop resistance (14% vs 27%, P < .001) than symptomatic PLHIV.

Conclusions

Despite concerns regarding lack of readiness, our study found no evidence of adherence issues or worse clinical outcomes in asymptomatic PLHIV starting ART.
From pine to pasture: land use history has long-term impacts on soil bacterial community composition and functional potential
Authors: Hermans Syrie M , Taylor Matthew , Grelet Gwen , Curran-Cournane Fiona , Buckley Hannah L , Handley Kim M , Lear Gavin
Published: March 2020

Bacterial communities are crucial to soil ecosystems and are known to be sensitive to environmental changes. However, our understanding of how present-day soil bacterial communities remain impacted by historic land uses is limited; implications for their functional potential are especially understudied. Through 16S rRNA gene amplicon and shotgun metagenomic sequencing, we characterized the structure and functional potential of soil bacterial communities after land use conversion. Sites converted from pine plantations to dairy pasture were sampled five- and eight-years post conversion. The bacterial community composition and functional potential at these sites were compared to long-term dairy pastures and pine forest reference sites. Bacterial community composition and functional potential at the converted sites differed significantly from those at reference sites (P = 0.001). On average, they were more similar to those in the long-term dairy sites and showed gradual convergence (P = 0.001). Differences in composition and functional potential were most strongly related to nutrients such as nitrogen, Olsen P and the carbon to nitrogen ratio. Genes related to the cycling of nitrogen, especially denitrification, were underrepresented in converted sites compared to long-term pasture soils. Together, our study highlights the long-lasting impacts land use conversion can have on microbial communities, and the implications for future soil health and functioning.
What’s Genetic Variation Got to Do with It? Starvation-Induced Self-Fertilization Enhances Survival in Paramecium
Authors: Thind Amarinder Singh , Vitali Valerio , Guarracino Mario Rosario , Catania Francesco
Published: March 2020

The pervasiveness of sex despite its well-known costs is a long-standing puzzle in evolutionary biology. Current explanations for the success of sex in nature largely rely on the adaptive significance of the new or rare genotypes that sex may generate. Less explored is the possibility that sex-underlying molecular mechanisms can enhance fitness and convey benefits to the individuals that bear the immediate costs of sex. Here, we show that the molecular environment associated with self-fertilization can increase stress resistance in the ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia. This advantage is independent of new genetic variation, coupled with a reduced nutritional input, and offers fresh insights into the mechanistic origin of sex. In addition to providing evidence that the molecular underpinnings of sexual reproduction and the stress response are linked in P. tetraurelia, these findings supply an integrative explanation for the persistence of self-fertilization in this ciliate.
An array-based receiver function deconvolution method: methodology and application
Authors: Zhong Minyan , Zhan Zhongwen
Published: March 2020

Receiver functions (RFs) estimated on dense arrays have been widely used for the study of Earth structures across multiple scales. However, due to the ill-posedness of deconvolution, RF estimation faces challenges such as non-uniqueness and data overfitting. In this paper, we present an array-based RF deconvolution method in the context of emerging dense arrays. We propose to exploit the wavefield coherency along a dense array by joint inversions of waveforms from multiple events and stations for RFs with a minimum number of phases required by data. The new method can effectively reduce the instability of deconvolution and help retrieve RFs with higher fidelity. We test the algorithm on synthetic waveforms and show that it produces RFs with higher interpretability than those by the conventional RF estimation practice. Then we apply the method to real data from the 2016 Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) community wavefield experiment in Oklahoma and are able to generate high-resolution RF profiles with only three teleseismic earthquakes recorded by the temporary deployment. This new method should help enhance RF images derived from short-term high-density seismic profiles.
Functional exploration of the GH29 fucosidase family
Authors: Grootaert Hendrik , Van Landuyt Linde , Hulpiau Paco , Callewaert Nico
Published: March 2020

The deoxy sugar l-fucose is frequently found as a glycan constituent on and outside living cells, and in mammals it is involved in a wide range of biological processes including leukocyte trafficking, histo-blood group antigenicity and antibody effector functions. The manipulation of fucose levels in those biomedically important systems may provide novel insights and therapeutic leads. However, despite the large established sequence diversity of natural fucosidases, so far, very few enzymes have been characterized. We explored the diversity of the α-l-fucosidase-containing CAZY family GH29 by bio-informatic analysis, and by the recombinant production and exploration for fucosidase activity of a subset of 82 protein sequences that represent the family’s large sequence diversity. After establishing that most of the corresponding proteins can be readily expressed in E. coli, more than half of the obtained recombinant proteins (57% of the entire subset) showed activity towards the simple chromogenic fucosylated substrate 4-nitrophenyl α-l-fucopyranoside. Thirty-seven of these active GH29 enzymes (and the GH29 subtaxa that they represent) had not been characterized before. With such a sequence diversity-based collection available, it can easily be used to screen for fucosidase activity towards biomedically relevant fucosylated glycoproteins. As an example, the subset was used to screen GH29 members for activity towards the naturally occurring sialyl-Lewis x-type epitope on glycoproteins, and several such enzymes were identified. Together, the results provide a significant increase in the diversity of characterized GH29 enzymes, and the recombinant enzymes constitute a resource for the further functional exploration of this enzyme family.
Pattern Equivariant Mass Transport in Aperiodic Tilings and Cohomology
Authors: Kelly Michael , Sadun Lorenzo
Published: March 2020

Suppose that we have a repetitive and aperiodic tiling ${\textbf{T}}$ of ${\mathbb{R}}^n$ and two mass distributions $f_1$ and $f_2$ on ${\mathbb{R}}^n$, each pattern equivariant (PE) with respect to ${\textbf{T}}$. Under what circumstances is it possible to do a bounded transport from $f_1$ to $f_2$? When is it possible to do this transport in a strongly or weakly PE way? We reduce these questions to properties of the Čech cohomology of the hull of ${\textbf{T}}$, properties that in most common examples are already well understood.
Increasing calcium from deficient to adequate concentration in diets for gestating sows decreases digestibility of phosphorus and reduces serum concentration of a bone resorption biomarker
Authors: Lee Su A , Lagos L Vanessa , Bedford Mike R , Stein Hans H
Published: March 2020

The objective of this experiment was to test the hypothesis that the concentration of Ca in diets fed to late gestating sows affects the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) and retention of Ca and P, serum concentrations of Ca and P, hormones, and blood biomarkers for bone formation and resorption. Thirty-six sows (average parity = 2.8) were housed in metabolism crates from day 91 to day 104 of gestation and fed 1 of 4 experimental diets containing 25, 50, 75, or 100% of the requirement for Ca. All diets met the requirement for P. The initial 5 d of each period were the adaptation period, which was followed by 4 d of quantitative collection of feces and urine. At the end of the collection period, a blood sample was collected from all sows. Results indicated that feed intake, weights of dried fecal and urine samples, and the ATTD of DM were not affected by dietary Ca, but ATTD of Ca increased (quadratic, P < 0.05) as Ca in diets increased. Urine Ca output was not affected by dietary Ca, but Ca retention increased (quadratic, P < 0.05) as Ca intake increased. Fecal P output increased (linear, P < 0.001) as dietary Ca increased, which resulted in a linear decrease (P < 0.001) in the ATTD of P. Urine P output also decreased (linear, P < 0.001) as dietary Ca increased, but P retention increased (linear, P < 0.05). Regressing the apparent total tract digestible Ca against dietary Ca intake resulted in a regression line with a slope of 0.33, indicating that true total tract digestibility of Ca in calcium carbonate was 33%. Serum concentrations of Ca and P and estrogen, calcitonin, and parathyroid hormone were not affected by dietary Ca. Serum concentration of carboxyterminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-I) decreased (linear, P < 0.05) as dietary Ca increased, which is a result of reduced bone resorption as dietary Ca increased. Serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase tended to decrease (linear, P < 0.10) as Ca in diets increased, but the concentration of osteocalcin (OC) in serum was not affected by dietary Ca. The ratio between OC and CTX-I tended to increase (P < 0.10) as dietary Ca increased, which indicated that there was more bone formation than resorption in sows as dietary Ca increased. In conclusion, P digestibility in late gestating sows decreased, but retention of P increased, as dietary Ca increased from inadequate to adequate levels and blood biomarkers for bone resorption changed as Ca and P retention increased.
Precarious Freedom: Manumission in Eighteenth-Century Colombo
Authors: Ekama Kate
Published: March 2020

In the historiography of slave-owning societies, manumission has been a contentious topic. Based on the assumption that manumission rates and the level of cruelty in a slave-owning society were closely related, historians have used research on manumission to rank slave societies based on a scale from “mild” to “harsh.” More recent research on manumission has eschewed this problematic approach, instead probing gradations of freedom. This article aims to contribute to our understanding of manumission and slavery by questioning how the formal, legal process of manumission altered the lived experience of individuals. Examining legal sources that shed light on the complexities of manumission in eighteenth-century Colombo, it considers the social strategies employed to achieve and defend free status. The records show that manumission did not sever the master-slave relationship: obligations and relations of debt continued to bind the formerly enslaved to former slave-owning families. Studying court records involving individuals responding to the possibilities and limitations of manumission, this study shows that freed status was precarious and, like bondage, was not an unalterable state.
Presepsin and Midregional Proadrenomedullin in Pediatric Oncologic Patients with Febrile Neutropenia
Authors: Agnello Luisa , Bivona Giulia , Parisi Elisa , Lucido Giuseppe Dejan , Iacona Alessandro , Ciaccio Anna Maria , Giglio Rosaria Vincenza , Ziino Ottavio , Ciaccio Marcello
Published: March 2020

Objective

In this study, we investigated the roles of presepsin (PSP) and midregional proadrenomedullin (mr-proADM) in children with febrile neutropenia (FN) due to chemotherapy.

Methods

We assessed 36 FN episodes in 26 children. Patients were classified into bacteremia (B) and fever of unknown origin (FUO) groups. We evaluated PSP and mr-proADM at admission (T0), after 24/48 h (T1), and after 5 days (T2).

Results

PSP and mr-proADM levels were elevated at T0 and significantly decreased at T2. mr-proADM levels did not significantly differ between the B and FUO groups. PSP levels significantly differed between the B and FUO groups only at T1. Both PSP and mr-proADM levels at T0 were a predictor of length of hospital stay but not of the duration of fever. Finally, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that PSP and mr-proADM had low diagnostic accuracy for blood culture positivity.

Conclusion

PSP and mr-proADM display poor clinical usefulness for FN in oncologic children.
Imbalance learning for variable star classification
Authors: Hosenie Zafiirah , Lyon Robert , Stappers Benjamin , Mootoovaloo Arrykrishna , McBride Vanessa
Published: March 2020

The accurate automated classification of variable stars into their respective subtypes is difficult. Machine learning–based solutions often fall foul of the imbalanced learning problem, which causes poor generalization performance in practice, especially on rare variable star subtypes. In previous work, we attempted to overcome such deficiencies via the development of a hierarchical machine learning classifier. This ‘algorithm-level’ approach to tackling imbalance yielded promising results on Catalina Real-Time Survey (CRTS) data, outperforming the binary and multiclass classification schemes previously applied in this area. In this work, we attempt to further improve hierarchical classification performance by applying ‘data-level’ approaches to directly augment the training data so that they better describe underrepresented classes. We apply and report results for three data augmentation methods in particular: Randomly Augmented Sampled Light curves from magnitude Error (RASLE), augmenting light curves with Gaussian Process modelling (GpFit) and the Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (SMOTE). When combining the ‘algorithm-level’ (i.e. the hierarchical scheme) together with the ‘data-level’ approach, we further improve variable star classification accuracy by 1–4 per cent. We found that a higher classification rate is obtained when using GpFit in the hierarchical model. Further improvement of the metric scores requires a better standard set of correctly identified variable stars, and perhaps enhanced features are needed.
Chromosome maps of young LMC clusters: an additional case of coeval multiple populations
Authors: Saracino S , Martocchia S , Bastian N , Kozhurina-Platais V , Chantereau W , Salaris M , Cabrera-Ziri I , Dalessandro E , Kacharov N , Lardo C , Larsen S S , Platais I
Published: March 2020

Recent studies have revealed that the multiple populations (MPs) phenomenon does not occur only in ancient and massive Galactic globular clusters (GCs), but it is also observed in external galaxies, where GCs sample a wide age range with respect to the Milky Way. However, for a long time, it was unclear whether we were looking at the same phenomenon in different environments or not. The first evidence that the MPs phenomenon is the same regardless of cluster age and host galaxy came out recently, when an intermediate-age cluster from the Small Magellanic Cloud, Lindsay 1, and a Galactic GC have been directly compared. By complementing those data with new images from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), we extend the comparison to two clusters of different ages: NGC 2121 (∼2.5 Gyr) and NGC 1783 (∼1.5 Gyr), from the Large Magellanic Cloud. We find a clear correlation between the RGB (red giant branch) width in the pseudo-colour CF275W, F343N, F438W and the age of the cluster itself, with the older cluster having larger σ(CF275W, F343N, F438W)RGB and vice versa. Unfortunately, the σ values cannot be directly linked to the N-abundance variations within the clusters before properly taking account the effect of the first dredge-up. Such HST data also allow us to explore whether multiple star formation episodes occurred within NGC 2121. The two populations are indistinguishable, with an age difference of only 6 ± 12 Myr and an initial helium spread of 0.02 or lower. This confirms our previous results, putting serious constraints on any model proposed to explain the origin of the chemical anomalies in GCs.
A spectroscopic analysis of the eclipsing nova-like EC 21178−5417 – discovery of spiral density structures
Authors: Khangale Z N , Woudt P A , Potter S B , Warner B , Kilkenny D , van der Heyden K
Published: March 2020

We present phase-resolved optical spectroscopy of the eclipsing nova-like cataclysmic variable EC 21178−5417 obtained between 2002 and 2013. The average spectrum of EC 21178−5417 shows broad double-peaked emission lines from He ii 4686 Å (strongest feature) and the Balmer series. The high-excitation feature, C iii/N iii at 4640–4650 Å, is also present and appears broad in emission. A number of other lines, mostly He i, are clearly present in absorption and/or emission. The average spectrum of EC 21178−5417 taken at different months and years shows variability in spectral features, especially in the Balmer lines beyond Hγ, from pure line emission, mixed line absorption, and emission to pure absorption lines. Doppler maps of the He ii 4686 Å emission reveal the presence of a highly inclined asymmetric accretion disc and a two spiral arm-like structure, whereas that of the Balmer lines (Hα and Hβ) reveal a more circular accretion disc. There is no evidence of a bright-spot in the Doppler maps of EC 21178−5417 and no emission from the secondary star is seen in the tomograms of the He ii 4686 Å and Balmer lines. Generally, the emission in EC 21178−5417 is dominated by emission from the accretion disc. We conclude that EC 21178−5417 is a member of the RW Tri or UX UMa subtype of nova-like variables based on these results and because it shows different spectral characteristics at different dates. This spectral behaviour suggests that EC 21178−5417 undergoes distinct variations in mass transfer rate on the observed time-scales of months and years.
Mature Imaging-Based Outcomes Supporting Local Control for Complex Reirradiation Salvage Spine Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy
Authors: Detsky Jay S , Nguyen Timothy K , Lee Young , Atenafu Eshetu , Maralani Pejman , Husain Zain , Tseng Chia-Lin , Myrehaug Sten , Soliman Hany , Sahgal Arjun
Published: March 2020

BACKGROUND

Upon progression after upfront radiotherapy to spinal metastases, low-dose re-irradiation conventional external beam radiation (cEBRT) provides limited clinical benefit. Spine stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) allows for dose escalation in the salvage setting with the potential for improved local control.

OBJECTIVE

To report mature clinical and imaging-based outcomes for salvage SBRT.

METHODS

A retrospective review was undertaken of consecutive patients with spinal metastases treated with re-irradiation spine SBRT having failed either cEBRT (n = 60 with 1 prior course and n = 17 with 2 or more prior cEBRT courses), or prior SBRT (n = 6) to the same spinal segment. The primary outcome was local failure (LF), and secondary outcomes included overall survival (OS) and the rate of vertebral compression fracture (VCF).

RESULTS

A total of 43 patients with 83 spinal segments treated with salvage SBRT were reviewed. The crude risk of LF was 18%, and actuarial LF rates at 6, 12, and 24 mo were 7%, 14%, and 19%, respectively. The presence of extensive paraspinal disease (hazard ratio [HR] = 7.1, 95% CI 1.5-34) significantly predicted for LF. The median OS was 13.2 (95% CI 6.1-16.3) mo, and the presence of neurological deficits (HR = 4.7, 95% CI 1.8-12.1) and brain metastases (HR = 2.6, 95% CI 1.1-6.3) were significant prognostic factors. The crude risk of VCF was 4%, and radiation myelopathy was not observed.

CONCLUSION

These data support the safety and efficacy of spinal re-irradiation with SBRT including patients with prior SBRT and multiple courses of prior cEBRT.
Peripheral Nerve Stimulation for Occipital Neuralgia
Authors: Salmasi Vafi , Olatoye Oludare O , Terkawi Abdullah Sulieman , Hah Jennifer M , Ottestad Einar , Pingree Matthew
Published: March 2020

Background

Chronic headaches are the second most prevalent disease and second most common cause for years lived with disability worldwide. Occipital neuralgia can cause headaches or be present in addition to other more prevalent causes of headache. If these headaches fail to respond to conservative and pharmacological therapy, physicians proceed to more invasive treatments, starting with infiltration of the greater occipital nerve with local anesthetic with or without corticosteroids, followed by nerve ablation or stimulation. Occipital nerve stimulation gained more popularity as the technology improved and more pain physicians received training on interventional procedures.

Methods

In this manuscript, we are presenting our experience with ultrasound-guided implant of occipital nerve stimulators using peripheral nerve stimulator systems. After confirming appropriateness of treatment by a successful occipital nerve block (i.e., resulting in >50% relief in patients’ pain intensity), we implanted five stimulator systems in three patients (two bilateral).

Results

We followed these patients for an average of eight months, and the average pain reduction was ∼50%. We did not observe any adverse events during or immediately after surgery. One patient developed an adverse reaction to the adhesive of the battery transmitter, but it was not severe enough to stop her from using the stimulator.

Conclusions

Considering the ease of implant and minimal side effects, implant of peripheral nerve stimulators to stimulate the occipital nerve is a promising treatment modality for patients with chronic headache who present with features of occipital neuralgia. However, wider use of this treatment modality is subject to further studies.
Supersolidity of the $\alpha$ cluster structure in the nucleus $^{12}$C
Authors: Ohkubo S , Takahashi J , Yamanaka Y
Published: March 2020

For more than half a century, the structure of $^{12}$C, such as the ground band, has been understood to be well described by the three $\alpha$ cluster model based on a geometrical crystalline picture. On the contrary, recently it has been claimed that the ground state of $^{12}$C is also well described by a nonlocalized cluster model without any of the geometrical configurations originally proposed to explain the dilute gas-like Hoyle state, which is now considered to be a Bose–Einstein condensate of $\alpha$ clusters. The challenging unsolved problem is how we can reconcile the two exclusive $\alpha$ cluster pictures of $^{12}$C, crystalline vs. nonlocalized structure. We show that the crystalline cluster picture and the nonlocalized cluster picture can be reconciled by noticing that they are a manifestation of supersolidity with properties of both crystallinity and superfluidity. This is achieved through a superfluid $\alpha$ cluster model based on effective field theory, which treats the Nambu–Goldstone zero mode rigorously. For several decades, scientists have been searching for a supersolid in nature. Nuclear $\alpha$ cluster structure is considered to be the first confirmed example of a stable supersolid.
Fragmented Recognition: Gender Identity between Moral and Legal Spheres
Authors: Aboim Sofia
Published: March 2020

With the growing recognition of transgender individuals, gender identity laws are slowly embracing a paradigm in which self-determination becomes an entitlement. As the possibilities for either abolishing or registering multiple genders now seem politically plausible, this article examines global developments and identifies different legal models of identity recognition via a comparison of the United Kingdom, Portugal, and Nepal. Drawing on Axel Honneth’s notion of spheres of recognition and Nancy Fraser’s critique of the identity model of recognition, it is argued that not only does identity recognition implicate misrecognition but also that different forms of recognition work in ways that produce fragmentation and disjunction.
Global Diversification of Anelosimus Spiders Driven by Long-Distance Overwater Dispersal and Neogene Climate Oscillations
Authors: Luo Yufa , Goh Seok P , Li Daiqin , Gonzaga Marcelo O , Santos Adalberto J , Tanikawa Akio , Yoshida Hajime , Haddad Charles R , May-Collado Laura J , Gregorič Matjaž , Turk Eva , Kuntner Matjaž , Agnarsson Ingi
Published: March 2020

Vicariance and dispersal events, combined with intricate global climatic history, have left an imprint on the spatiotemporal distribution and diversity of many organisms. Anelosimus cobweb spiders (Theridiidae), are organisms ranging in behavior from solitary to highly social, with a cosmopolitan distribution in temperate to tropical areas. Their evolutionary history and the discontinuous distribution of species richness suggest that 1) long-distance overwater dispersal and 2) climate change during the Neogene (23–2.6 Ma), may be major factors in explaining their distribution and diversification. Here, we test these hypotheses, and explicitly test if global Miocene/Pliocene climatic cooling in the last 8 Ma affected Anelosimus radiation in parallel in South America and Madagascar. To do so, we investigate the phylogeny and spatiotemporal biogeography of Anelosimus through a culmination of a 20-year comprehensive global sampling at the species level (69 species, including 84% of the known 75 species worldwide, represented by 268 individuals) using nucleotide data from seven loci (5.5 kb). Our results strongly support the monophyly of Anelosimus with an Oligocene ($\sim $30 Ma) South American origin. Major clades on other continents originate via multiple, long-distance dispersal events, of solitary or subsocial—but not social—lineages, from the Americas. These intercontinental dispersals were to Africa, Madagascar (twice), and SE Asia/Australasia. The early diversification of Anelosimus spiders coincides with a sudden thermal increase in the late Oligocene ($\sim $27–25 Ma), though no causal connection can be made. Our results, however, strongly support the hypothesis that global Neogene climatic cooling in the last 8 Ma drove Anelosimus radiation in parallel in South America and Madagascar, offering a rare empirical evidence for diversification of a socially diverse group driven by an interplay between long-distance dispersal and global Neogene climatic changes. [Cobweb spiders; diversification; global biogeography; long-distance dispersal; molecular phylogenetics; neogene climate changes; sociality; vicariance.]
Extending the life of a trust estate (“the trust estate”): an Australian viewpoint for UK readers
Authors: Raphael David K L
Published: March 2020

Variation of a trust deed in any of the States and Territories of Australia by extending its period of operation does not cause the instrument of change to be exigible to ad valorem stamp duty, even if the instrument in question is a resettlement. Likewise, it is also not a resettlement for capital gains tax purposes and, in this respect, it is submitted that the same statements of principle apply in the United Kingdom. Australian law owes much to the laws of the United Kingdom as is made abundantly clear in such Australian texts as Hill on the Duties Act and Jacobs Law of Trusts, Ford & Lee on Trusts, Dal Pont on Trusts and Ong on Trusts. The English texts such as Lewin on Trusts, Underhill & Hayton Law of Trusts and Trustees, and Thomas & Hudson on Trusts are equally helpful to persons seeking knowledge, as also remains the respective 3rd and 4th editions of Scott on Trusts and Scott & Ascher on Trusts. This paper seeks to establish its themes with the aid of extracts from both Australian and United Kingdom decisions. If some seem lengthy, then, in this commentator’s opinion, that length is justified.
Anesthetic Management of Brain-dead Adult and Pediatric Organ Donors: The Harborview Medical Center Experience
Authors: Lele Abhijit V. , Nair Bala G. , Fong Christine , Walters Andrew M. , Souter Michael J.
Published: March 2020

Introduction:

The exposure of anesthesiologists to organ recovery procedures and the anesthetic technique used during organ recovery has not been systematically studied in the United States.

Methods:

A retrospective cohort study was conducted on all adult and pediatric patients who were declared brain dead between January 1, 2008, and June 30, 2019, and who progressed to organ donation at Harborview Medical Center. We describe the frequency of directing anesthetic care by attending anesthesiologists, anesthetic technique, and donor management targets during organ recovery.

Results:

In a cohort of 327 patients (286 adults and 41 children), the most common cause of brain death was traumatic brain injury (51.1%). Kidneys (94.4%) and liver (87.4%) were the most common organs recovered. On average, each year, an attending anesthesiologist cared for 1 (range: 1 to 7) brain-dead donor during organ retrieval. The average anesthetic time was 127±53.5 (mean±SD) minutes. Overall, 90% of patients received a neuromuscular blocker, 63.3% an inhaled anesthetic, and 33.9% an opioid. Donor management targets were achieved as follows: mean arterial pressure ≥70 mm Hg (93%), normothermia (96%), normoglycemia (84%), urine output >1 to 3 mL/kg/h (61%), and lung-protective ventilation (58%).

Conclusions:

During organ recovery from brain-dead organ donors, anesthesiologists commonly administer neuromuscular blockers, inhaled anesthetics, and opioids, and strive to achieve donor management targets. While infrequently being exposed to these cases, it is expected that all anesthesiologists be cognizant of the physiological perturbations in brain-dead donors and achieve physiological targets to preserve end-organ function. These findings warrant further examination in a larger multi-institutional cohort.