bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vulnerability Factors of Afghan Rural Women to Disasters
Authors: Hamidazada Marina , Cruz Ana Maria , Yokomatsu Muneta
Published: September 2019

Disaster management is a global challenge, but disasters do not affect men and women equally. In most of the world’s disasters, more females are impacted than males, and in Afghanistan the disparity between female and male victims is even greater. This study identifies and maps the relationships between the factors that make Afghan rural women more vulnerable to natural hazard-induced disasters. Data for this study were obtained through focus group discussions with rural women and men, as well as person-to-person interviews with employees of government and nongovernmental organizations at the national and local levels in Afghanistan. The study uses Grounded Theory and Interpretive Structural Modeling, not widely used before for this type of study, to analyze the data collected and to map the factors of vulnerability identified and their relationships. In agreement with previous studies, our findings show that insufficient disaster education, inadequate protection measures, and powerful cultural issues, both pre- and post-disaster, increase women’s vulnerability during and after disasters. In particular, cultural issues play a role after disasters by affecting women’s security, access to disaster aid, and health care. The study also found that perception regarding these cultural issues and how they affect women during disasters differs among men and women. Finally, by using Interpretive Structural Modeling, we show how the importance of the factors and their interrelationships change in pre-disaster and post-disaster situations. We conclude the article with some policy recommendations such as finding ways to allow women to participate in disaster planning activities and decision-making processes related to disaster risk reduction, as well as securing dedicated funds for the mainstreaming of gender in disaster risk reduction policies in Afghanistan.
DNA Damage Following Acute Aerobic Exercise: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Tryfidou Despoina V. , McClean Conor , Nikolaidis Michalis G. , Davison Gareth W.
Published: September 2019

Background

Exercise is widely recognised for its health enhancing benefits. Despite this, an overproduction of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), outstripping antioxidant defence mechanisms, can lead to a state of (chronic) oxidative stress. DNA is a vulnerable target of RONS attack and, if left unrepaired, DNA damage may cause genetic instability.

Objective

This meta-analysis aimed to systematically investigate and assess the overall effect of studies reporting DNA damage following acute aerobic exercise.

Methods

Web of Science, PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Scopus were searched until April 2019. Outcomes included (1) multiple time-points (TPs) of measuring DNA damage post-exercise, (2) two different quantification methods (comet assay and 8-oxo-2′-deoxyguanosine; 8-OHdG), and (3) protocols of high intensity (≥ 75% of maximum rate of oxygen consumption;VO2-max) and long distance (≥ 42 km).

Results

Literature search identified 4316 non-duplicate records of which 35 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The evidence was strong, showcasing an increase in DNA damage immediately following acute aerobic exercise with a large-effect size at TP 0 (0 h) (SMD = 0.875; 95% CI 0.5, 1.25;p < 0.05). When comparing between comet assay and 8-OHdG at TP 0, a significant difference was observed only when using the comet assay. Finally, when isolating protocols of long-distance and high-intensity exercise, increased DNA damage was only observed in the latter. (SMD = 0.48; 95% CI − 0.16, 1.03;p = 0.15 and SMD = 1.18; 95% CI 0.71, 1.65;p < 0.05 respectively).

Conclusions

A substantial increase in DNA damage occurs immediately following acute aerobic exercise. This increase remains significant between 2 h and 1 day, but not within 5–28 days post-exercise. Such an increase was not observed in protocols of a long-distance. The relationship between exercise and DNA damage may be explained through the hormesis theory, which is somewhat one-dimensional, and thus limited. The hormesis theory describes how exercise modulates any advantageous or harmful effects mediated through RONS, by increasing DNA oxidation between the two end-points of the curve: physical inactivity and overtraining. We propose a more intricate approach to explain this relationship: a multi-dimensional model, to develop a better understanding of the complexity of the relationship between DNA integrity and exercise.
Ex Pluribus Unum? On The Form and Shape of a Common Code of Ethics in International Litigation
Authors: Giorgetti Chiara , Dunoff Jeffrey L.
Published: September 2019

In April 2019, member-states of UNCITRAL Working Group III requested the UNCITRAL Secretariat to undertake preparatory work for a Code of Conduct for Investor-State Dispute Settlement focusing on the implementation and enforceability of such a code. This groundbreaking development signals that, for the first time, a consensus exists that a code of ethics for Investor-State dispute settlement is desirable and needed. This contribution addresses three threshold questions that such preparatory work raises, namely: the preferred form of the code, the code's substantive reach, and the optimal process for bringing a code to fruition. As set out below, we urge that states adopt a mandatory common code of ethics for disputes involving states, and that arbitral institutions adopt this code as part of their rules for administering arbitration.
The impact of measurement changes on evaluating hospital performance: The case of catheter-associated urinary tract infections
Authors: Hsu Heather E. , Wang Rui , Jentzsch Maximilian S. , Horan Kelly , Jin Robert , Goldmann Donald , Rhee Chanu , Lee Grace M.
Published: September 2019

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections in 592 hospitals immediately declined after federal value-based incentive program implementation, but this was fully attributable to a concurrent surveillance case definition revision. Post revision, more hospitals had favorable standardized infection ratios, likely leading to artificial inflation of their performance scores unrelated to changes in patient safety.
Automatic mapping and geomorphometry extraction technique for crevasses in geodetic mass-balance calculations at Haig Glacier, Canadian Rockies
Authors: Foroutan Marzieh , Marshall Shawn J. , Menounos Brian
Published: September 2019

Finely resolved geodetic data provide an opportunity to assess the extent and morphology of crevasses and their change over time. Crevasses have the potential to bias geodetic measurements of elevation and mass change unless they are properly accounted for. We developed a framework that automatically maps and extracts crevasse geometry and masks them where they interfere with surface mass-balance assessment. Our study examines airborne light detection and ranging digital elevation models (LiDAR DEMs) from Haig Glacier, which is experiencing a transient response in its crevassed upper regions as the glacier thins, using a self-organizing map algorithm. This method successfully extracts and characterizes ~1000 crevasses, with an overall accuracy of 94%. The resulting map provides insight into stress and flow conditions. The crevasse mask also enables refined geodetic estimates of summer mass balance. From differencing of September and April LiDAR DEMs, the raw LiDAR DEM gives a 9% overestimate in the magnitude of glacier thinning over the summer: −5.48 m compared with a mean elevation change of −5.02 m when crevasses are masked out. Without identification and removal of crevasses, the LiDAR-derived summer mass balance therefore has a negative bias relative to the glaciological surface mass balance.
INDESTRUCTIBILITY OF THE TREE PROPERTY
Authors: HONZIK RADEK , STEJSKALOVÁ ŠÁRKA
Published: September 2019

In the first part of the article, we show that if $\omega \le \kappa < \lambda$ are cardinals, ${\kappa ^{ < \kappa }} = \kappa$, and λ is weakly compact, then in $V\left[M {\left( {\kappa ,\lambda } \right)} \right]$ the tree property at $$\lambda = \left( {\kappa ^{ + + } } \right)^{V\left[ {\left( {\kappa ,\lambda } \right)} \right]} $$ is indestructible under all ${\kappa ^ + }$-cc forcing notions which live in $V\left[ {{\rm{Add}}\left( {\kappa ,\lambda } \right)} \right]$, where ${\rm{Add}}\left( {\kappa ,\lambda } \right)$ is the Cohen forcing for adding λ-many subsets of κ and $\left( {\kappa ,\lambda } \right)$ is the standard Mitchell forcing for obtaining the tree property at $\lambda = \left( {\kappa ^{ + + } } \right)^{V\left[ {\left( {\kappa ,\lambda } \right)} \right]} $. This result has direct applications to Prikry-type forcing notions and generalized cardinal invariants. In the second part, we assume that λ is supercompact and generalize the construction and obtain a model ${V^{\rm{*}}}$, a generic extension of V, in which the tree property at ${\left( {{\kappa ^{ + + }}} \right)^{{V^{\rm{*}}}}}$ is indestructible under all ${\kappa ^ + }$-cc forcing notions living in $V\left[ {{\rm{Add}}\left( {\kappa ,\lambda } \right)} \right]$, and in addition under all forcing notions living in ${V^{\rm{*}}}$ which are ${\kappa ^ + }$-closed and “liftable” in a prescribed sense (such as ${\kappa ^{ + + }}$-directed closed forcings or well-met forcings which are ${\kappa ^{ + + }}$-closed with the greatest lower bounds).
BLOWING UP THE POWER OF A SINGULAR CARDINAL OF UNCOUNTABLE COFINALITY
Authors: GITIK MOTI
Published: September 2019

A new method for blowing up the power of a singular cardinal is presented. It allows to blow up the power of a singular in the core model cardinal of uncountable cofinality. The method makes use of overlapping extenders.
Porous Bureaucracy: Legitimating the Administrative State in Taiwan
Authors: Bernstein Anya
Published: September 2019

Scholars and politicians have sometimes presented bureaucracy as inherently conflicting with democracy. But bureaucrats themselves are rarely consulted about that relationship. In contrast, I draw on interviews and participant observation to illuminate how government administrators understand their own place in the government of Taiwan, one of the few successful third wave democracies. The administrators I work with root their own legitimacy not in separated powers or autonomous expertise, but in their ongoing collaboration with legislators and publics. They define their own accountability not just as executing legislative mandates but as producing them in the first place, and they figure bureaucracy as a key site for political participation. I put these views into historical context to elucidate how bureaucracy can compete for democratic bona fides with common democratic indicators like constitutions and elections. This article contributes to scholarship on the ethnography of bureaucracy, administrative accountability networks, and the internal law of administration. In particular, I stress the importance of administrative culture as a central aspect of political legitimation.
Inward versus reward: white matter pathways in extraversion
Authors: Leshem R. , Paoletti P. , Piervincenzi C. , Carducci F. , Mallio C. A. , Errante Y. , Quattrocchi C. C. , Ben-Soussan T. Dotan
Published: September 2019

The trait of extraversion is one of the longest-standing domains that captures the social dimension of personality and can potentially explain the covariation of a wide variety of behaviors. To date, there is a growing recognition that human behavior should be specified not only through the psychological mechanisms underlying each trait but also through their underlying neurobehavioral systems. While imaging studies have revealed important initial insights into the structural and functional neural correlates of extraversion, current knowledge about the relationships between extraversion and brain structures is still rather limited, especially with regard to the relationship between extraversion and white matter (WM). In this study, we aimed to investigate WM microstructure in extraversion in greater depth. Thirty-five healthy volunteers (21 women; mean age 35) underwent magnetic resonance imaging, as a part of a larger project aimed at investigating the longitudinal effect of motor training. WM integrity was assessed using the diffusion tensor imaging technique combining multiple diffusion tensor measures. Extraversion was assessed by the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised. Voxelwise correlation analyses between fractional anisotropy, axial diffusivities, and radial diffusivities maps and extraversion score showed decreased connectivity in the right inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus and forceps major among individuals who had high extraversion ratings. In conclusion, individual differences in extraversion may reflect differential organization of the WM tracts connecting frontal cortex, temporal, and occipital areas, which are related to socioemotional and control functions.
The effects of supplementing maternal and infant diets with lipid-based nutrient supplements on physical activity and sedentary behaviour at preschool age in Ghana
Authors: Ocansey Maku E. , Pulakka Anna , Adu-Afarwuah Seth , Young Rebecca R. , Kumordzie Sika M. , Okronipa Harriet , Oaks Brietta M. , Dewey Kathryn G. , Prado Elizabeth L.
Published: September 2019

Evidence on whether nutritional supplementation affects physical activity (PA) during early childhood is limited. We examined the long-term effects of lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) on total PA, moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) of children at 4–6 years using an accelerometer for 1 week. Their mothers were enrolled in the International Lipid-based Nutrient Supplement-DYAD randomised controlled trial in Ghana, assigned to daily LNS or multiple micronutrients (MMN) during pregnancy through 6 months postpartum or Fe and folic acid (IFA) during pregnancy and placebo for 6 months postpartum. From 6 to 18 months, children in the LNS group received LNS; the other two groups received no supplements. Analysis was done with intention to treat comparing two groups: LNSv. non-LNS (MMN+ IFA). Of the sub-sample of 375 children fitted with accelerometers, 353 provided sufficient data. Median vector magnitude (VM) count was 1374 (interquartile range (IQR) 309), and percentages of time in MVPA and SB were 4·8 (IQR 2) and 31 (IQR 8) %, respectively. The LNS group (n129) had lower VM (difference in mean −73 (95 % CI −20, −126),P= 0·007) and spent more time in SB (LNSv. non-LNS: 32·3v. 30·5 %,P= 0·020) than the non-LNS group (n224) but did not differ in MVPA (4·4v. 4·7 %,P= 0·198). Contrary to expectations, provision of LNS in early life slightly reduced the total PA and increased the time in SB but did not affect time in MVPA. Given reduced social-emotional difficulties in the LNS group previously reported, including hyperactivity, one possible explanation is less restless movement in the LNS group.
From South Asia to World History through C. A. Bayly's Work
Authors: Freitag Sandria B.
Published: September 2019

Using the term “legacy” for a career as productive, insightful, and pathbreaking as Chris Bayly's is doubtless an understatement. The movement in his publications from the transitional world in the Indian subcontinent leading to British imperialism, through aspects of high empire in India, to world history through both case studies and broader context for grasping the implications of a changing world, provides valuable analyses for all of us, if not a pattern many could replicate. Perhaps what ought to be noted here is the experience, common to many of us working across a very broad range of problematics and focal points, to have found Bayly there, before us.
Twenty years of experience in revision cochlear implant surgery: signs that indicate the need for revision surgery to audiologists
Authors: Batuk MO , Cinar BC , Yarali M , Bajin MD , Sennaroglu G , Sennaroglu L
Published: September 2019

Objective

To report device failures, audiological signs and other reasons for revision cochlear implant surgery, and discuss indications for revision surgery.

Methods

Revision procedures between November 1997 and August 2017 were retrospectively analysed. Over 20 years, 2181 cochlear implant operations were performed, and 114 patients underwent 127 revision operations.

Results

The revision rate was 4.67 per cent. The full insertion rate for revision cochlear implant surgery was 88.2 per cent. The most frequent reasons for revision surgery were: device failure (59 per cent), wound breakdown (9.4 per cent) and electrode malposition (8.7 per cent). The device failure rate was: 2.78 per cent for Advanced Bionics, 1.82 per cent for Cochlear and 5.25 per cent for Med-El systems. The number of active electrodes was significantly increased only for Med-El devices after revision surgery. The most common complaints among 61 patients were: gradually decreased auditory performance, sudden internal device shutdown and headaches.

Conclusion

The most common reason for revision surgery was device failure. Patients should be evaluated for device failure in cases of: no hearing despite appropriate follow up, side effects such as facial nerve stimulation, and rejection of speech processor use in paediatrics. After revision surgery, most patients have successful outcomes.
Conservation importance of previously undescribed abundance trends: increase in loggerhead turtle numbers nesting on an Atlantic island
Authors: Laloë Jacques-Olivier , Cozens Jacquie , Renom Berta , Taxonera Albert , Hays Graeme C.
Published: September 2019

For many species abundance data from across their entire range are incomplete, and therefore it is difficult to accurately assess their conservation status. Even for species that are large, charismatic and relatively easy to study, conservation assessments are often hampered by lack of data. Here we report a marked, previously undescribed, increase in numbers at a breeding colony of the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta, a species that is Critically Endangered in several parts of its range, and place this report in the global context for this species. We present a 10-year (2008–2017) dataset of nesting activities for this species on the island of Sal, one of the Cape Verde islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Foot patrols recorded 21,938 nests during the study period. We estimate that the annual number of nests on Sal increased from 506 in 2008 to 7,771 in 2017. Taking into account that there are only two known loggerhead turtle rookeries (on Masirah Island, Oman, and in Florida, USA) with > 50,000 nests reported annually, and few with > 1,000 nests per year, our results suggest that Sal is one of the 10 largest loggerhead turtle rookeries globally. Our work highlights the conservation significance of reporting trends in abundance at breeding sites for marine turtles and other taxa.
Opioid use disorders, psychiatric comorbidities, and risk for suicide attempts among veterans seeking pain care
Authors: Ashrafioun Lisham , Zerbo Kotwoallama R. A. , Bishop Todd M. , Britton Peter C.
Published: September 2019

Background

The purpose of this study was to assess the associations of comorbid opioid use disorders and psychiatric disorders with suicide attempts among veterans seeking pain care.

Methods

The cohort (N= 226 444) was selected by identifying pain care initiation from 2012 to 2014 using national Veterans Health Administration (VHA) data. Data on opioid use disorders (OUD), psychiatric disorders, medical comorbidity, demographics at baseline, and suicide attempts in the year following the initiation of pain care were extracted from VHA databases. Relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) was used to assess departure from additivity of effects.

Results

Adjusted models indicated that both comorbid OUD and depression (RERI = 1.07) and comorbid OUD and AUD (RERI = 1.23) were significantly associated with additive risk of suicide attempt. In adjusted multiplicative interaction models, only comorbid OUD and bipolar disorder was significantly associated with suicide attempts; however, this association was protective (HR = 0.54).

Conclusions

The current findings highlight the importance of addressing opioid use disorders and alcohol use disorders and depression together to mitigate the risk of suicidal behavior.
Transforming lived places into the connected neighbourhood: a longitudinal narrative study of five couples where one partner has an early diagnosis of dementia
Authors: Li Xia , Keady John , Ward Richard
Published: September 2019

To support people with dementia to live at home, a key national and international policy driver is to create dementia-friendly communities which draws attention to the importance of a local neighbourhood and living well with dementia. However, there is a lack of evidence about how people with dementia define and interact with their neighbourhood. This longitudinal narrative research aimed to uncover the meaning, construction and place of neighbourhood in the lives of people with dementia and their care partners through a participatory approach. Five couples, where one partner had an early diagnosis of dementia and capacity to consent, participated in the (up to) one-year mixed qualitative method study. During this time-frame, 65 home visits were conducted, resulting in over 57 hours of interview data alongside the development of other artefacts, such as neighbourhood maps, photographs, diaries and field notes. Narrative analysis was applied within and across the data-sets. This led to the emergence of three themes to describe a connected neighbourhood. First, ‘connecting to people’ is about the couples’ connections with family members, friends and neighbours through a sense of belonging, group identification and responsibilities. Second, ‘connecting to places’ shares the couples’ emotional and biographical attachment to places. Third, ‘connecting to resources’ refers to the couples actively seeking support to live independently and to retain neighbourhood connections.
Magnetosonic wave-aided terahertz emission by nonlinear mixing of lasers in plasmas
Authors: Kumar Narender , Singh Ram Kishor , Uma R. , Sharma R. P.
Published: September 2019

A scheme of phase-matched terahertz generation by beating two co-propagating lasers in magnetized plasma, in the presence of a magnetosonic wave (MSW), is developed. The beat frequency ponderomotive force of the lasers imparts an oscillatory drift to electrons. The electron drift velocity couples with the electron density perturbation associated with the MSW to produce an irrotational nonlinear current $\left(\nabla \times {\vec J}\;{}^{\rm NL}\ne 0\right)$. The beat current density resonantly excites a THz (Terahertz) radiation when the phase-matching conditions are satisfied. The MSW mediates the phase matching. At 9.6 and 10.6 µm wavelengths, and background magnetic field of 285 kG, one may achieve normalized THz wave amplitude of the order of 10−3 and one obtains the ratio of THz power to pump power of the order of 10−6.
Recast type, repair, and acquisition in AAC mediated interaction
Authors: SOTO Gloria , CLARKE Michael T. , NELSON Keith , STAROWICZ Renee , SAVALDI-HARUSSI Gat
Published: September 2019

The present study investigated the effects of different types of recasts and prompts on the rate of repair and spontaneous use of novel vocabulary by eight children with severe motor speech disabilities who used speech-generating technologies to communicate. Data came from 60 transcripts of clinical sessions that were part of a conversation-based intervention designed to teach them pronouns, verbs, and verb inflections. The results showed that, when presented alone, interrogative choice and declarative recasts led to the highest rates of child repair. The results also showed that when children were presented with recasts and prompts to repair, the rate of repair increased. Spontaneous use of linguistic targets was significantly and positively related to conversational sequences where the adult recast was followed by child repair. These findings suggest that using different recast types and prompts to repair may be beneficial for spontaneous use of linguistic targets in this population.
Historic fishing rights in the law of the sea and Brexit
Authors: Kopela Sophia
Published: September 2019

The United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the 1964 Fisheries Convention and from the European Union has raised questions concerning the potential existence of third states’ fishing rights in the UK’s maritime zones post-Brexit. Historic fishing rights are a complex and controversial issue in the law of the sea. Uncertainty remains regarding their nature, the process for their formation and ascertainment, as well as their contemporary relevance in the light of the Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC) and other fisheries agreements. This article explores the concept of historic fishing rights in the law of the sea. First, it examines the nature and scope of historic fishing rights as discussed in the jurisprudence of international courts and tribunals and their relationship with other akin terms such as ‘customary’ and ‘traditional’ fishing rights. Issues related to the formation and establishment of these rights are also explored. The article also examines whether these rights have been superseded by the LOSC in the territorial sea and exclusive economic zone (EEZ), or whether they are still relevant in the post-LOSC era and maritime zones. It finally explores the relationship between historic fishing rights and treaty-based fishing access rights, and addresses the question posed by Brexit whether withdrawal from a fishing access treaty can unilaterally eliminate any related pre-existing historic rights. This discussion will provide an answer to the question whether it is possible for other states to have historic fishing rights in the UK’s territorial sea and EEZ following its withdrawal from the London Fisheries Convention and the European Union.
‘Targeted killing’ and the lack of acquiescence
Authors: Schweiger Elisabeth
Published: September 2019

Over the last decade, the concept targeted killing has received much attention in debates on the customary interpretation of the right to self-defence, particularly in the context of practices such as US armed drone attacks. In these debates, government silence has often been invoked as acquiescence to thejus ad bellumaspects of targeted killing. Focusing on the question of state silence on targeted killing practices by the Israeli and US governments in recent years, this article investigates over 900 UN Security Council and Human Rights Council debates and argues that there has been no tacit consent to targeted killing. The analysis firstly shows that the majority of states have condemned Israeli targeted killing practices and have raised concerns about armed drone attacks, while falling short of directly protesting against US practices. The article, secondly, applies the customary international law requirements for acquiescence and challenges the idea that silence on US armed drone attacks can be understood as a legal stance towards targeted killing. The article, finally, investigates the political context and engages with alternative interpretations of silence. Contextualizing acts of protest and lack of protest within an asymmetrical political context, the article posits that the invocation of silence as acquiescence in the case of targeted killing is problematic and risks complicity of legal knowledge production with the violence of hegemonic actors.
Specialist healthcare services for UK care home residents: a latent class analysis
Authors: Hargreaves Claire , Tucker Sue , Hughes Jane , Hays Rebecca , Challis David
Published: September 2019

Aim:

To identify discrete approaches to specialist healthcare support for older care home residents in the UK and to estimate their prevalence.

Background:

Internationally, a range of new initiatives are emerging to meet the multiple and complex healthcare needs of care home residents. However, little is known about their relative effectiveness and, given their heterogeneity, a classification scheme is required to enable research staff to explore this.

Method:

A UK survey collected information on the funding, age, coverage, aims, staffing and activities of 64 specialist care home support services. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to allocate the sample into subgroups with similar characteristics.

Findings:

Three classes were identified. Class 1 (55% of sample) contained services with a high probability of providing scheduled input (regular preplanned visits) and support for all residents and a moderate probability of undertaking medication management, but a low probability of training care home staff (‘predominantly direct care’). Class 2 (23% of sample) had a moderate/high probability of providing scheduled input, support for all residents, medication management and training (‘direct and indirect care’). Class 3 (22% of sample) had a low probability of providing scheduled input, support for all residents and medication management, but a high probability of providing training for care home staff (‘predominantly indirect care’). Consultants were more likely to be members of services in Class 1 than Class 2, and Class 2 than Class 3.

Conclusions:

LCA offers a promising approach to the creation of a taxonomy of specialist care home support services. The skills and knowledge required by healthcare staff vary between classes, raising important issues for service design. The proposed classification can be used to explore the extent to which different organisational forms are associated with better resident, process and service outcomes.
Disentangling the relationship between sociotropic and egotropic trade attitudes: A survey experiment in Japan
Authors: Hearn Eddie
Published: September 2019

Public support for protection is typically attributed to economic self-interest. Beyond pocketbook anxieties, a competing approach, however, contends that sociotropic attitudes dictate foreign policy preferences. Researchers, however, have faced difficulty in disentangling sociotropic attitudes from pocketbook concerns in observational studies. This article addresses this problem by utilizing a priming experiment to examine the relationship between socio and egotropic attitudes. In line with the predictions of the sociotropic framework, individuals are less certain about the egotropic effects of trade and sociotropic attitudes are found to influence egotropic perceptions by reducing uncertainty about the pocketbook effects of trade. In contrast, the study fails to find support for the hypothesis that individuals project egotropic concerns onto societal evaluations. The results of the study suggest that future research should pay careful consideration to the relationship between socio and egotropic attitudes when modeling and analyzing trade-policy preferences.
Maternal folic acid supplementation does not counteract the deleterious impact of prenatal exposure to environmental pollutants on lipid homeostasis in male rat descendants
Authors: Navarro Pauline , Dalvai Mathieu , Charest Phanie L. , Herst Pauline M. , Lessard Maryse , Marcotte Bruno , Mitchell Patricia L. , Leblanc Nadine , Kimmins Sarah , Trasler Jacquetta , MacFarlane Amanda J. , Marette André , Bailey Janice L. , Jacques Hélène
Published: September 2019

Prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) has been associated with the development of metabolic syndrome-related diseases in offspring. According to epidemiological studies, father’s transmission of environmental effects in addition to mother’s can influence offspring health. Moreover, maternal prenatal dietary folic acid (FA) may beneficially impact offspring health. The objective is to investigate whether prenatal FA supplementation can overcome the deleterious effects of prenatal exposure to POPs on lipid homeostasis and inflammation in three generations of male rat descendants through the paternal lineage. Female Sprague-Dawley rats (F0) were exposed to a POPs mixture (or corn oil) +/− FA supplementation for 9 weeks before and during gestation. F1 and F2 males were mated with untreated females. Plasma and hepatic lipids were measured in F1, F2, and F3 males after 12-h fast. Gene expression of inflammatory cytokines was determined by qPCR in epididymal adipose tissue. In F1 males, prenatal POPs exposure increased plasma lipids at 14 weeks old and hepatic lipids at 28 weeks old and prenatal FA supplementation decreased plasma total cholesterol at 14 weeks old. Prenatal POPs exposure decreased plasma triglycerides at 14 weeks old in F2 males. No change was observed in inflammatory markers. Our results show an impact of the paternal lineage on lipid homeostasis in rats up to the F2 male generation. FA supplementation of the F0 diet, regardless of POPs exposure, lowered plasma cholesterol in F1 males but failed to attenuate the deleterious effects of prenatal POPs exposure on plasma and hepatic lipids in F1 males.
Trends of Ocean Acidification and pCO2 in the Northern North Sea, 2003–2015
Authors: Omar A. M. , Thomas H. , Olsen A. , Becker M. , Skjelvan I. , Reverdin G.
Published: September 2019

For continental shelf regions, the long‐term trend in sea surface carbon dioxide (CO2) partial pressure (pCO2) and rates of ocean acidification are not accurately known. Here, we investigate the decadal trend of observed wintertime pCO2 as well as computed wintertime pH and aragonite saturation state (Ωar) in the northern North Sea, using the first decade long monthly underway data from a voluntary observing ship covering the period 2004–2015. We also evaluate how seawater CO2 chemistry, in response to physical and biological processes, drives variations in the above parameters on seasonal and interannual timescales.

In the northern North Sea, pCO2, pH, and Ωar are subject to strong seasonal variations with mean wintertime values of 375 ± 11 μatm, 8.17 ± 0.01, and 1.96 ± 0.05. Dissolved inorganic carbon is found to be the primary driver of both seasonal and interannual changes while total alkalinity and sea surface temperature have secondary effects that reduce the changes produced by dissolved inorganic carbon. Average interannual variations during winter are around 3%, 0.1%, and 2% for pCO2, pH, and Ωar, respectively and slightly larger in the eastern part of the study area (Skagerrak region) than in the western part (North Atlantic Water region). Statistically significant long‐term trends were found only in the North Atlantic Water region with mean annual rates of 2.39 ± 0.58 μatm/year, −0.0024 ± 0.001 year‐1, and −0.010 ± 0.003 year‐1 for pCO2, pH, and Ωar, respectively. The drivers of the observed trends as well as reasons for the lack of statistically significant trends in the Skagerrak region are discussed.
Seismogeodetic P‐wave Amplitude: No Evidence for Strong Determinism
Authors: Goldberg D. E. , Melgar D. , Bock Y.
Published: September 2019

Whether the final properties of large earthquakes can be inferred from initial observations of rupture (deterministic rupture) is valuable for understanding earthquake source processes and is critical for operational earthquake and tsunami early warning. Initial (P‐wave) characteristics of small to moderate earthquakes scale with magnitude, yet observations of large to great earthquakes saturate, resulting in magnitude underestimation. Whether saturation is inherent to earthquake dynamics or rather is due to unreliable observation of long‐period signals with inertial seismic instrumentation is unclear. Seismogeodetic methods are better suited for broadband observation of large events in the near‐field. In this study, we investigate the deterministic potential of seismogeodetically derived P‐wave amplitude using a dataset of 14 medium‐to‐great earthquakes around Japan. Our results indicate that seismogeodetic P‐wave amplitude is not a reliable predictor of magnitude, opposing the notion of strong determinism in the first few seconds of rupture.
Satellite‐Detected Ocean Ecosystem Response to Volcanic Eruptions in the Subarctic Northeast Pacific Ocean
Authors: Westberry T.K. , Shi Y.R. , Yu H. , Behrenfeld M.J. , Remer L.A.
Published: September 2019

Volcanic eruptions in the Aleutian Archipelago during the summer of 2008 deposited large quantities of iron‐laden ash to the subarctic North Pacific Ocean. The surface ocean ecosystem response has been previously characterized using limited in situ and autonomous field measurements and numerical modeling, but basin‐scale satellite remote sensing has been limited to a simple description of chlorophyll variability. Here, we show that the ecosystem response is a complex combination of phytoplankton biomass and physiology that can be described with satellite ocean color diagnostics such as the chlorophyll‐to‐carbon biomass ratio (Chl:Cphyto) and chlorophyll fluorescence yield. Together, these quantities outline a more complete picture of ecological responses spanning unique signals of iron stress (and relief from), photoacclimation, changes in phytoplankton growth rate, increases in biomass, and timescales of decay for these processes.
Impacts of Observation Errors on Hurricane Forecasts When Assimilating Hyperspectral Infrared Sounder Radiances in Partially Cloudy Skies
Authors: Wang Pei , Li Jun , Li Zhenglong , Lim Agnes H. N. , Li Jinlong , Goldberg Mitchell D.
Published: September 2019

Hyperspectral infrared (IR) sounders provide high vertical resolution atmospheric sounding information that can improve the forecast accuracy of numerical weather prediction (NWP) models. Due to the challenges of assimilating cloudy radiances, NWP centers usually assimilate only radiances that are not affected by clouds. An imager based cloud‐clearing technique provides an alternative and effective way to remove the cloud effects from a partially cloudy field‐of‐view and derive the equivalent clear sky radiances or the cloud‐cleared radiances (CCRs) for assimilation in NWP. Since the observation error is amplified in the cloud‐clearing, or noise amplification process, it is necessary to inflate the observation errors appropriately in order to achieve the optimal value‐added impact from assimilating CCRs. The estimation of observation error inflation is established and discussed. Hurricane Harvey (2017) and Hurricane Maria (2017) are used to simulate and understand the impacts of observation error inflation on the assimilation of Cross‐track Infrared Sounder CCRs for hurricane forecast improvement. Both the precipitation location and intensity forecasts are improved when assimilating CCRs with an inflated observation error for Hurricane Harvey (2017). Assimilating CCRs with an inflated observation error adjusts the temperature and geopotential height fields and further affects the hurricane structures to improve the hurricane track forecasts, thereby demonstrating the importance of using hyperspectral IR measurements in partially cloudy skies for simulating the hurricane structure and improving its forecast. This method can be applied to other imager/sounder combined observations for improving sounder radiance assimilation in cloudy skies and has potential for operational applications.
When Does Vapor Pressure Deficit Drive or Reduce Evapotranspiration?
Authors: Massmann Adam , Gentine Pierre , Lin Changjie
Published: September 2019

Increasing vapor pressure deficit (VPD) increases atmospheric demand for water. While increased evapotranspiration (ET) in response to increased atmospheric demand seems intuitive, plants are capable of reducing ET in response to increased VPD by closing their stomata. We examine which effect dominates the response to increasing VPD: atmospheric demand and increases in ET or plant response (stomata closure) and decreases in ET. We use Penman‐Monteith, combined with semiempirical optimal stomatal regulation theory and underlying water use efficiency, to develop a theoretical framework for assessing ET response to VPD. The theory suggests that depending on the environment and plant characteristics, ET response to increasing VPD can vary from strongly decreasing to increasing, highlighting the diversity of plant water regulation strategies. The ET response varies due to (1) climate, with tropical and temperate climates more likely to exhibit a positive ET response to increasing VPD than boreal and arctic climates; (2) photosynthesis strategy, with C3 plants more likely to exhibit a positive ET response than C4 plants; and (3) plant type, with crops more likely to exhibit a positive ET response, and shrubs and gymniosperm trees more likely to exhibit a negative ET response. These results, derived from previous literature connecting plant parameters to plant and climate characteristics, highlight the utility of our simplified framework for understanding complex land‐atmosphere systems in terms of idealized scenarios in which ET responds to VPD only. This response is otherwise challenging to assess in an environment where many processes coevolve together.
Correction: Widespread white matter microstructural abnormalities in bipolar disorder: evidence from mega- and meta-analyses across 3033 individuals
Authors:   for the ENIGMA Bipolar Disorder Working Group, Favre Pauline , Pauling Melissa , Stout Jacques , Hozer Franz , Sarrazin Samuel , Abé Christoph , Alda Martin , Alloza Clara , Alonso-Lana Silvia , Andreassen Ole A. , Baune Bernhard T. , Benedetti Francesco , Busatto Geraldo F. , Canales-Rodríguez Erick J. , Caseras Xavier , Chaim-Avancini Tiffany Moukbel , Ching Christopher R. K. , Dannlowski Udo , Deppe Michael , Eyler Lisa T. , Fatjo-Vilas Mar , Foley Sonya F. , Grotegerd Dominik , Hajek Tomas , Haukvik Unn K. , Howells Fleur M. , Jahanshad Neda , Kugel Harald , Lagerberg Trine V. , Lawrie Stephen M. , Linke Julia O. , McIntosh Andrew , Melloni Elisa M. T. , Mitchell Philip B. , Polosan Mircea , Pomarol-Clotet Edith , Repple Jonathan , Roberts Gloria , Roos Annerine , Rosa Pedro G. P. , Salvador Raymond , Sarró Salvador , Schofield Peter R. , Serpa Mauricio H. , Sim Kang , Stein Dan J. , Sussmann Jess E. , Temmingh Henk S. , Thompson Paul M. , Verdolini Norma , Vieta Eduard , Wessa Michele , Whalley Heather C. , Zanetti Marcus V. , Leboyer Marion , Mangin Jean-François , Henry Chantal , Duchesnay Edouard , Houenou Josselin
Published: September 2019

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Nuclear control of lung cancer cells migration, invasion and bioenergetics by eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3F
Authors: Esteves Pauline , Dard Laetitia , Brillac Aurélia , Hubert Christophe , Sarlak Saharnaz , Rousseau Benoît , Dumon Elodie , Izotte Julien , Bonneu Marc , Lacombe Didier , Dupuy Jean-William , Amoedo Nivea , Rossignol Rodrigue
Published: September 2019

The basic understanding of the biological effects of eukaryotic translation initiation factors (EIFs) remains incomplete, notably for their roles independent of protein translation. Different EIFs exhibit nuclear localization and DNA-related functions have been proposed, but the understanding of EIFs novel functions beyond protein translation lacks of integrative analyses between the genomic and the proteomic levels. Here, the noncanonical function of EIF3F was studied in human lung adenocarcinoma by combining methods that revealed both the protein–protein and the protein–DNA interactions of this factor. We discovered that EIF3F promotes cell metastasis in vivo. The underpinning molecular mechanisms involved the regulation of a cluster of 34 metastasis-promoting genes including Snail2, as revealed by proteomics combined with immuno-affinity purification of EIF3F and ChIP-seq/Q-PCR analyses. The interaction between EIF3F and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) controlled the EIF3F-mediated increase in Snail2 expression and cellular invasion, which were specifically abrogated using the STAT3 inhibitor Nifuroxazide or knockdown approaches. Furthermore, EIF3F overexpression reprogrammed energy metabolism through the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase and the stimulation of oxidative phosphorylation. Our findings demonstrate the role of EIF3F in the molecular control of cell migration, invasion, bioenergetics, and metastasis. The discovery of a role for EIF3F–STAT3 interaction in the genetic control of cell migration and metastasis in human lung adenocarcinoma could lead to the development of diagnosis and therapeutic strategies.
Host–virus–predator coexistence in a grey-box model with dynamic optimization of host fitness
Authors: Thingstad Tron Frede , Våge Selina
Published: September 2019

Lytic viruses are believed to affect both flow patterns and host diversity in microbial food webs. Models resolving host and virus communities into subgroups can represent both aspects. However, when flow pattern is the prime interest, such models may seem unnecessary complex. This has led to proposals of black-box models using only total community sizes as state variables. This simplification creates a coexistence problem, however, since predator and virus communities then compete for the same, shared, prey = host community. Mathematically, this problem can be solved by introducing feedbacks allowing community-level properties to adapt. The different mathematical alternatives for such feedback represent different ecological assumptions and thus different hypotheses for how the balance between predators and viruses is controlled in nature. We here explore a model where the feedback works through an increase in host community resistance in response to high virus abundances, thereby reducing virus production. We use a dynamic “strategy” index S to describe the balance between defensive and competitive abilities in the host community, and assume the rate of change in S to be proportional to the local slope of the per capita fitness gradient for the host. We explore how such a “grey-box” model can allow stable coexistence of viruses and predators, and how equilibrium food web structure, virus-to-host ratio, and partitioning of host production varies; both as functions of host community traits, and as functions of external bottom-up and top-down drivers.
Negative plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA nasopharyngeal carcinoma in an endemic region and its influence on liquid biopsy screening programmes
Authors: Nicholls John Malcolm , Lee Victor Ho-Fun , Chan Sik-Kwan , Tsang Ka-Chun , Choi Cheuk-Wai , Kwong Dora Lai-Wan , Lam Ka-On , Chan Sum-Yin , Tong Chi-Chung , So Tsz-Him , Leung To-Wai , Luk Mai-Yee , Khong Pek-Lan , Lee Anne Wing-Mui
Published: September 2019

Background

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in endemic regions may have undetectable plasma EBV DNA.

Methods

We prospectively recruited 518 patients with non-metastatic NPC and measured their pre-treatment plasma EBV DNA. The stage distribution and prognosis between pre-treatment plasma EBV DNA-negative (0–20 copies/ml) and EBV DNA-positive (>20 copies/ml) patients following radical treatment were compared.

Results

Seventy-eight patients (15.1%) were plasma EBV DNA-negative, and 62 in this subset (12.0%) had 0 copy/ml. Only 23/78 (29.5%) plasma EBV DNA-negative patients with advanced NPC (stage III-IVA) had strong EBV encoded RNA (EBER) positivity (score 3) in their tumours compared to 342/440 (77.7%) EBV DNA-positive patients of the same stages (p < 0.001). Though EBV DNA-negative patients had more early-stage disease (p < 0.001) and smaller volumes of the primary tumour and the positive neck nodes (p < 0.001), they had similar 5-year overall survival and cancer-specific survival to those EBV DNA-positive counterparts by stage. Similar results were also seen when plasma EBV DNA cut-off was set at 0 copy/ml.

Conclusions

Patients with low-volume NPC may not be identified by plasma/serum tumour markers and caution should be taken in its utility as a screening tool for NPC even in endemic regions.

Clinical trial registration

Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02476669.