bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Survey Exploring the Relationship Between Cannabis Use Characteristics and Sexual Function in Men
Authors: Bhambhvani Hriday P. , Kasman Alex M. , Wilson-King Genester , Eisenberg Michael L.
Published: June 2020

Introduction

Cannabis is the most commonly used drug in the United States; however, the effects of cannabis use on male sexual function are poorly understood.

Aim

To characterize the contemporary landscape of cannabis use and to assess the associations between male sexual function and the frequency of use, the primary method of consumption, or cannabis chemovar (tetrahydrocannabinol or cannabidiol) among current users.

Methods

We surveyed adults who visited a single cannabis dispensary for baseline demographic information, medical history, cannabis use habits, and sexual function as assessed by the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). An IIEF-5 < 21 was considered erectile dysfunction.

Main Outcome Measures

The main outcome measure of the study was male sexual function via the IIEF domain scores.

Results

A total of 325 men completed the survey with a mean age of 46.7 years. 71.1% of the men were Caucasian and 52.6% were married. 13 men (4%) were never users; 29 men (8.9%) used 1–2 times/week; 51 men (15.7%) used 3–5 times/week, and 232 men (71.4%) used 6+ times/week. The average IIEF-5 score was 22.3 with 19.4% of the men having erectile dysfunction. In univariate analysis, men using cannabis more frequently had a higher overall IIEF (65.36 vs 60.52, P = .001), erectile domain (27.32 vs 25.74, P = .03), orgasm domain (9.08 vs 8.12, P < .001), intercourse satisfaction domain (12.42 vs 11.31, P = .006), and overall satisfaction domain (8.11 vs 7.05, P = .002). In multivariable analysis, compared to men who used cannabis 0 times/week, those who used 6 times/week had an increased overall IIEF (69.08 vs 64.64, P-value adjusted = 0.02), intercourse satisfaction domain (P-value adjusted = 0.04), and overall satisfaction domain (P-value adjusted = 0.02). The primary method of consumption (eg, smoking, edibles, etc.) and cannabinoid composition (eg, cannabidiol vs tetrahydrocannabinol dominant) were not associated with sexual function.

Conclusion

We report an association between the increased frequency of cannabis use and increased male sexual function. However, while the increased frequency of use was statistically significant with regard to the IIEF scores, the clinical significance of this is likely low, and selection bias may limit the generalizability of these findings. The method of consumption and cannabis chemovar were not associated with sexual function.
Building a governance framework for facial recognition
Authors: Madzou Lofred , Louradour Sebastien
Published: June 2020

Over the past decade, facial recognition technology has spread across a number of industries. In many stores in China, you can now pay with your face 1 . And as airports worldwide increasingly deploy facial recognition to speed up border control, passengers can board planes with a simple smile 2 . The technology has also been used for safety and security purposes primarily by law enforcement agencies, and more recently in the fight against Covid-19 in combination with body temperature measurement 3 .
How finger vein offers businesses a helping hand
Authors: Milton Andy
Published: June 2020

Estimates suggest that the average consumer has over 100 separate online accounts – that isn't a typo, it's one hundred. How did we end up in this situation?
Covid-19: why selfies are in the spotlight for proving ID
Authors: Cohen Zac
Published: June 2020

Beyond its threat to life, the impact of the Covid-19 virus on business is going to be felt for some time. No industry is immune and while vaccines, social distancing and testing apps might prove to be enough to help protect citizens and consumers, the same can't be said for companies.
From Gender toOmeotlization: Toward a Decolonial Ontology
Authors: Matallana-Peláez Susana E.
Published: June 2020

This article examines the treatment of gender and the woman question in the ongoing Latin American decolonial debate. More specifically, it traces how the Zapatistas and other indigenous movements as well as some of the main mestizo male voices in this debate have endeavored to frame these issues and the criticism they have received from María Lugones and other decolonial feminists. It then points to some of the limitations in Lugones's own approach, and in a final stream of discussion, it explores some of the ways in which these limitations might be surpassed within a decolonial framework that follows closely indigenous ontological thought.
Oral vancomycin prophylaxis against recurrentClostridioides difficileinfection: Efficacy and side effects in two hospitals
Authors: Zacharioudakis Ioannis M. , Zervou Fainareti N. , Dubrovskaya Yanina , Phillips Michael S.
Published: June 2020

Objective:

The data regarding the effectiveness of chemical prophylaxis against recurrentC. difficileinfection (CDI) remain conflicting.

Design:

Retrospective cohort study on the effectiveness of oral vancomycin for prevention of recurrent CDI.

Setting:

Two academic centers in New York.

Methods:

Two participating hospitals implemented an automated alert recommending oral vancomycin 125 mg twice daily in patients with CDI history scheduled to receive systemic antimicrobials. Measured outcomes included breakthrough and recurrent CDI rates, defined as CDI during and 1 month after initiation of prophylaxis, respectively. A self-controlled, before-and-after study design was employed to examine the effect of vancomycin prophylaxis on the prevalence of vancomycin-resistantEnterococcusspp (VRE) colonization and infection.

Results:

We included 264 patients in the analysis. Breakthrough CDI was identified in 17 patients (6.4%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.8%–10.1%) and recurrent in 22 patients (8.3%; 95% CI, 5.3%–12.3%). Among the 102 patients with a history of CDI within the 3 months preceding prophylaxis, 4 patients (3.9%; 95% CIs, 1.1%–9.7%) had breakthrough CDI and 9 had recurrent disease (8.8%; 95% CIs, 4.1%–16.1%). In the 3-month period following vancomycin prophylaxis, we detected a statistically significant increase in both the absolute number of VRE (χ2, 0.003) and the ratio of VRE to VSE isolates (χ2, 0.003) compared to the combined period of 1.5 months preceding and the 3–4.5 months following prophylaxis. This effect persisted 6 months following prophylaxis.

Conclusions:

Prophylactic vancomycin is an effective strategy to prevent CDI recurrence, but it increases the risk of VRE colonization. Thus, a careful selection of patients with high benefit-to-risk ratio is needed for the implementation of this preventive policy.
SEX CAN KILL: GENDER INVERSION AND THE POLITICS OF SUBVERSION IN ARISTOPHANES’ECCLESIAZVSAE
Authors: Tsoumpra Natalia
Published: June 2020

Scholarship onEcclesiazusae(as onWealth) has been largely divided between those who are in favour of a fantastical/positive reading of the play and view it as a celebration of comic energy void of serious social critique, and those who argue for an ironic/satirical interpretation and deem Praxagora's plan as a spectacular failure. The unsuccessful realization of the new political programme is often regarded as a commentary on the state of democracy at the time. Other views are more affirmative of the democratic values of the play: Scholtz claims that the women inEcclesiazusaesucceed into putting into action Lysistrata's dream of a cohesive civic order, although, according to him, the play does not present ‘an unambiguouslyproorcontraviewpoint vis-à-vis gynaecocratic communalism’. Rothwell believes that the satire is directed against the greedydēmosrather than against Praxagora's plan. He sees the persuasion exercised by women as ‘a benevolent and indispensable force in democracy’, and argues that the women ofEcclesiazusae, like the women inLysistrata, strive to assure the continuity of the community; in his view, the play is about ‘the potential advantages of leadership in building a community’. Moodie also outright rejects a threatening or pessimistic reading, and makes the case that the audience is encouraged to take the women seriously as political actors owing to their unusual interaction with the audience and the rupture of dramatic illusion, which creates a rapport between the women and the audience. If the play is subversive, it is so only in its ‘non-satirical presentation of female leadership’.
Israeli Compliance with Legal Guidelines for Targeted Killing
Authors: Rabi Shahaf , Plaw Avery
Published: June 2020

In December 2006 the Israeli High Court of Justice delivered its ruling in the Targeted Killing case (HCJ 769/02). The Court laid out four criteria that must be met for operations conducted as part of Israel's targeted killing policy to be performed legally, and imposed on the state two safeguards to ensure that each operation complies with these criteria. This research examines whether Israel has complied with the ruling in its post-2006 targeted killing operations. The article presents strong evidence which suggests that Israel complies with the Court's four requirements, although there is insufficient information to render a definitive conclusion regarding requirement 3, the principle of proportionality. However, the evidence also casts doubt on Israel's conformity with the two safeguards. The most significant issues revolve around Israel's implementation of and compliance with safeguard 1, the independent ex post facto investigative committee, which should review operations that cause civilian casualties. These concerns include the composition of the committee, its objectivity and independence. In addition, Israel's evolving understanding of the legal status of terrorists has significantly narrowed the jurisdiction of the committee and the HCJ's ruling more generally. These issues are exacerbated by the absence of evidence that safeguard 2, judicial oversight, has occurred.
The HanImaginaireof Writing as Weaving: Intertextuality and theHuainanzi's Self-Fashioning as an Embodiment of the Way
Authors: Zürn Tobias Benedikt
Published: June 2020

Writers in the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) apparently experienced writing in weaving terms. Such animaginaireof writing as weaving was probably fully manifested in the first or second century BCE and crystallized in the coining of literary terminologies such as classics (jing), weft-writings (weishu), and literature/texts (wen). Situating theHuainanziand its intertextual writing practice within thisimaginaireenables us to reassess both theHuainanzi's widespread dismissal as a miscellaneous, encyclopedic behemoth in the first half of the twentieth century and its reappreciation over the last few decades. According to theHuainanzi's self-depictions, Liu An and his erudite courtiers apparently created the scripture in such an intertextual way in order to textually mimic the process of weaving. Since theHuainanzicommonly associates weaving with the Way's connective powers, the text's extraordinary design might be the result of a literary attempt to create an efficacious, textual artifact that embodies the Way by incorporating the act of weaving in its textual design.
A new species of Creptotrematina (Trematoda: Allocreadiidae) from characid fishes of Brazil: morphological and molecular data
Authors: Alves Dias K.G. , Pérez-Ponce de León G. , de Almeida Camargo A. , Müller M.I. , da Silva R.J. , Kozlowiski de Azevedo R. , Abdallah V.D.
Published: June 2020

A new species of Creptotrematina Yamaguti, 1954 was collected from characid fishes, Astyanax fasciatus (Cuvier, 1819) and Astyanax lacustris Lucerna & Soares, 2016 from the Batalha River in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The new species most closely resembles Creptotrematina aguirrepequenoi, but differs by the elongated shape of vitelline follicles, the extension of these follicles in the posterior end of body and the fact that they are not confluent. The morphological differences were confirmed through molecular data. Three specimens were sequenced, and molecular analyses were based on the internal transcribed spacers 2 and D1–D3 domains of the 28S ribosomal RNA gene. The obtained topologies showed the new species as a sister taxon of C. aguirrepequenoi, a species originally described from Astyanax mexicanus in Mexico, and later found in Astyanax aeneus in Costa Rica. Isolates of the new species are reciprocally monophyletic, and genetic distance values are similar to those observed in other species pairs within Allocreadiidae. These findings corroborate that the genus Creptotrematina is mostly a parasite of characids, and widely extended across the Americas, with representative species occurring between Argentina and northern Mexico.
Union of the European Phoniatricians’ position statement on the exit strategy of phoniatric and laryngological services: staying safe and getting back to normal after the peak of coronavirus disease 2019 (issued on 25th May 2020)
Authors: Geneid A , Nawka T , Schindler A , Oguz H , Chrobok V , Calcinoni O , am Zehnhoff-Dinnesen A , Neumann K , Farahat M , Abou-Elsaad T , Moerman M , Chavez E , Fishman J , Yazaki R , Arnold B , Frajkova Z , Graf S , Pflug C , Drsata J , Desuter G , Samuelsson C , Tedla M , Costello D , Sjögren E , Hess M , Kinnari T , Rubin J
Published: June 2020

Background

The following position statement from the Union of the European Phoniatricians, updated on 25th May 2020 (superseding the previous statement issued on 21st April 2020), contains a series of recommendations for phoniatricians and ENT surgeons who provide and/or run voice, swallowing, speech and language, or paediatric audiology services.

Objectives

This material specifically aims to inform clinical practices in countries where clinics and operating theatres are reopening for elective work. It endeavours to present a current European view in relation to common procedures, many of which fall under the aegis of aerosol generating procedures.

Conclusion

As evidence continues to build, some of the recommended practices will undoubtedly evolve, but it is hoped that the updated position statement will offer clinicians precepts on safe clinical practice.
A bio-physicochemical perspective of the Bay of Bengal
Authors: Sarker Subrata , Panassa Essowè , Hossain M. Shahadat , Chowdhury Sayedur Rahman , Yadav Atul Kumar , Sharifuzzaman S.M.
Published: June 2020

Knowledge of bio-physicochemical variables is essential to better understand the functioning of tropical marine ecosystems, which are rich in biodiversity and provide nutrition and livelihoods to billions of people in the developing countries. This study analysed the spatial and temporal variability of phytoplankton and zooplankton with chlorophyll, primary productivity, temperature, salinity, oxygen and nutrients in the Bay of Bengal (BoB), collecting data from the World Ocean, and COPEPOD and Aqua MODIS records. The results indicated a strong gradient in bio-physicochemical conditions of the BoB, from the coast to the open sea. Specifically, the spatial variability in chlorophyll was negatively correlated (R2= 0.59) with temperature and zooplankton, while a positive correlation (R2= 0.70) was noted between chlorophyll and silicate, nitrate, phosphate, dissolved oxygen and salinity. All the variables exhibited a strong vertical gradient at depths up to 500 m. Temperature, nutrients, zooplankton and to a lesser extent salinity and rainfall had an influence on the annual abundance of phytoplankton. Over the long term, a significant positive trend in temperature and a significant negative trend in primary productivity were observed in the BoB. The findings of this study will be useful to draw insights on the state of fisheries habitats and the overall environmental conditions of the BoB in response to future climate changes.
Long-term outcome predictors after functional remediation in patients with bipolar disorder
Authors: Solé B. , Bonnín C. M. , Radua J. , Montejo L. , Hogg B. , Jimenez E. , Reinares M. , Valls E. , Varo C. , Pacchiarotti I. , Valentí M. , Garriga M. , Torres I. , Martínez-Arán A. , Vieta E. , Torrent C.
Published: June 2020

Background

Improving functioning in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) is one of the main objectives in clinical practice. Of the few psychosocial interventions that have been specifically developed to enhance the psychosocial outcome in BD, functional remediation (FR) is one which has demonstrated efficacy. The aim of this study was to examine which variables could predict improved functional outcome following the FR intervention in a sample of euthymic or subsyndromal patients with BD.

Methods

A total of 92 euthymic outpatients were included in this longitudinal study, with 62 completers. Partial correlations controlling for the functional outcome at baseline were calculated between demographic, clinical and neurocognitive variables, and functional outcome at endpoint was assessed by means of the Functioning Assessment Short Test scale. Next, a multiple regression analysis was run in order to identify potential predictors of functional outcome at 2-year follow-up, using the variables found to be statistically significant in the correlation analysis and other variables related to functioning as identified in the previous scientific literature.

Results

The regression model revealed that only two independent variables significantly contributed to the model (F(6,53): 4.003; p = 0.002), namely verbal memory and inhibitory control. The model accounted for 31.2% of the variance. No other demographic or clinical variable contributed to the model.

Conclusions

Results suggest that patients with better cognitive performance at baseline, especially in terms of verbal memory and executive functions, may present better functional outcomes at long term follow-up after receiving functional remediation.
Reflections on the forum in the Review of International Studies: A conversation between Cristina Masters and Marysia Zalewski
Authors: Masters Cristina , Zalewski Marysia
Published: June 2020

Cristina Masters (CM): The articles in this forum speak to how influential and inspiring your work is for scholars in the discipline of International Relations (IR), not least feminist scholars. Particularly, I think, for encouraging us to (re)think and (re)work with deeply familiar ‘things’ in deeply unusual – yet troublingly fecund – ways. Blood, for example, comes up quite frequently in your writing on methodology, even though it appears, as you say, an ‘unlikely candidate for methodological use’. What is so promising about blood for making sense of global politics?
THE STUCCOED AND PAINTED BENCHES OF XOCHICALCO, MORELOS, MEXICO
Authors: Nielsen Jesper , Alvarado León Claudia , Helmke Christophe
Published: June 2020

The cultural tradition of stuccoed and polychromatic murals in central Mexico dates back to Early Classic Teotihuacan and continued into the subsequent Epiclassic period, with the stunning murals from Cacaxtla as the most famous and well-studied example. In this paper, we present three examples of stuccoed and richly painted benches or thrones from the mayor Epiclassic site of Xochicalco in the Mexican state of Morelos. A careful iconographic and epigraphic analysis of the imagery, as well as the associated hieroglyphic signs from one of the benches, leads us to suggest that these benches played a pivotal role in displaying the religious, mythological, and historical underpinnings of hierarchical power at Xochicalco. Based on comparisons with benches and seats from Classic Maya culture and, in particular, the contemporaneous Terminal Classic city of Chichen Itza, which was deeply involved in interregional relations with central Mexico, we also suggest that the Xochicalco benches may even have served as royal seats or thrones.
First systematic sampling approach to estimating the global population size of the Critically Endangered Blue-throated MacawAra glaucogularis
Authors: HERZOG SEBASTIAN K. , MAILLARD Z. OSWALDO , BOORSMA TJALLE , SÁNCHEZ-ÁVILA GUSTAVO , GARCÍA-SOLÍZ VÍCTOR HUGO , PACA-CONDORI ANAHÍ C. , DE ABAJO MARTA VAÍLEZ , SORIA-AUZA RODRIGO W.
Published: June 2020

Reliable population size estimates are imperative for effective conservation and management of globally threatened birds like the ‘Critically Endangered’ Blue-throated MacawAra glaucogularis.Endemic to one of South America’s largest grassland floodplains, the Llanos de Moxos in northern Bolivia, the species’ global population size is uncertain. The region’s inaccessibility renders the application of traditional methods for obtaining bird population estimates impracticable or cost prohibitive. We developed a simultaneous, multilocality, double-sampling approach combined with quantitative habitat availability analyses to obtain the first rigorous population size estimate for the Blue-throated Macaw. We established 11 survey areas across its three subpopulations that were visited twice by one team in each subpopulation over a 23-day period in the 2015 dry season and obtained additional count data from two roost sites. We classified suitable habitat (palm forest islands) using Landsat 8 images and CLASlite forest monitoring software. We extrapolated the number of macaws detected (conservative estimate of the total number of macaws [CETN], highest single count [HSC]) per 100 ha of suitable habitat in each survey area to the entire area of suitable habitat in all subpopulations combined, corrected for the species’ range occupancy of 34.3%. The total number of Blue-throated Macaws detected by survey (CETN) and roost site counts was 137. Across all survey areas, the number of macaws per 100 ha of suitable habitat was 4.7 for the first and 4.4 for the second period for CETN and 3.2 and 3.4, respectively, for HSC data. Corresponding global population estimates were 426–455 (CETN) and 312–329 (HSC) individuals. Other recent research and anecdotal data support these estimates. Although it would be premature to propose downlisting the species to ‘Endangered’, our findings indicate that it has a larger population and slightly larger range than previously thought, and that the positive effects of conservation actions are now becoming apparent.
Socio-economic Development and the Level of Tourism Function Development in European Union Countries – a Comparative Approach
Authors: Stec Małgorzata , Grzebyk Mariola
Published: June 2020

Socio-economic development and the concept of the tourist function of areas are multidimensional socio-economic phenomena, the diagnosis of which is particularly important in various comparative studies regarding EU countries. Measurement based on GDP per capita, widely used in the assessment of the socio-economic level of development of countries, does not include many aspects of this development in its construction. Similarly, the level of development of the tourist function cannot be assessed by means of one universal measure. Both categories should be treated as complex phenomena, which are influenced by many different factors. The aim of this article is to compare and statistically assess two complex phenomena, i.e. level of socio-economic development and level of tourist function development in 28 European Union countries. Linear ordering of EU countries was carried out using the TOPSIS method on the basis of diagnostic variables determining individual complex phenomena in 2016. Values of the overall synthetic measure were also indicated, taking into account all diagnostic variables. Rankings of EU countries were built and four typological groups of countries with high, medium-high, medium-low and low level of development were created. Discriminant analysis indicated variables that have the greatest impact on the classification of EU countries in terms of the level of socio-economic development and level of tourism function development. A linear econometric model with synthetic variables was also constructed, and it was determined which of the synthetic measures is relatively more important in describing the shaping of the overall synthetic measure. The quality of the work is increased by the use of many different statistical and econometric methods, as well as methods from the field of Multidimensional Comparative Analysis. Thanks to this, it is possible not only to deepen the assessment of the studied phenomena, but also to obtain more objective results. Conclusions from the research may be a basis for proper management in the field of socio-economic development as well as for the development of the tourist function of EU countries. They can also be used for appropriate allocation of financial support for countries within the framework of the EU cohesion policy and in determining the tourist specialization of countries.
REAGAN’S AUSTERITY BUREAUCRATS
Authors: Ndubuizu Rosemary Nonye
Published: June 2020

In 1982, President Ronald Reagan’s administration initiated a dramatic policy shift towards a new housing voucher program, which simultaneously resulted in a near-halt in public and project-based assisted housing funding. When analyzing this historic policy shift, many affordable housing scholars have overemphasized race-absent narratives about fiscal austerity to explain the Reagan administration’s policy rejection of public housing and embrace of housing vouchers. To present a more comprehensive and intersectional history of the Reagan administration’s transition to housing vouchers, I employ an alternative methodological lens that I call Black feminist critical policy studies. This paper traces how the Office of Management and Budget and Housing and Urban Development officials relied on obscured racial and gender bias in their debate informing Reagan's alternative housing voucher program. By revealing the social bias endemic in the Reagan administration’s housing debate, this article illustrates that housing vouchers were not simply a neutral, cost-efficient policy tool but helped ensure low-income black mothers’ continued subjection to anti-welfare backlash, housing discrimination, and paternal supervision.
1913 in Indonesian History: Demanding Equality, Changing Mentality
Authors: Luttikhuis Bart , van der Meer Arnout H. C.
Published: June 2020

In 1913, a new generation of Indonesians asserted their agency by publicly demanding equality in colonial society. Through four case studies—the prohibition of traditional forms of deference, the sudden popularity of Western dress, the adoption of new legal assimilation guidelines for Indonesians, and the discussion of employee rights at a railway company—we argue that this new assertiveness reflected a broad change in mentality that we consider a turning point in Indonesian history. By focusing on Indonesian agency, we challenge the Eurocentric periodization of the Indonesian past that emphasized WWI as a trigger of change.
Seepage Characteristics of Karst Water System Using Temperature Tracer Technique
Authors: Chi Guangyao , Xing Liting , Xing Xuerui , Li Changsuo , Dong Fang
Published: June 2020

In order to reveal the hydrodynamic characteristics of the karst aquifer system, the water temperature dynamic data of a hydrological year in the direct recharge area of Jinan spring area were analyzed using the temperature tracer method, and the runoff intensity of karst water was estimated. The results revealed that, affected by the regional groundwater flow, the vertical temperature profile of the study area consists of four types, a gradual cooling type, a gradual heating type, a temperature‐increasing type, and “S” type. Based on these four geothermal types, three heat transfer models adapted to the region were developed. The inflection point method is used to discriminate the horizontal runoff channels of the three depth segments in the Ordovician strata in the recharge area, and the shallow groundwater horizontal runoff intensity is greater than the deep. According to the calculation of the thermal transport model, the Ordovician limestone in the direct recharge area of the spring area is shallow (at a depth of 100 m), and the vertical flow velocity of the groundwater is around 1.28 × 10−7–3 × 10−6 cm/s, and the flow rate is slow. Based on the field tracer test, the visual flow of the karst water system was found to range between 29.41 and 115.02 m/day, indicating that the karst water is dominated by horizontal motion. Since the method of temperature measurement in the hole is relatively simple, the temperature change signal could be used to reveal the seepage characteristics of the groundwater.
The Stove, Dome, and Umbrella Effects of Atmospheric Aerosol on the Development of the Planetary Boundary Layer in Hazy Regions
Authors: Ma Yongjing , Ye Jianhuai , Xin Jinyuan , Zhang Wenyu , Vilà‐Guerau de Arellano Jordi , Wang Shigong , Zhao Dandan , Dai Lindong , Ma Yongxiang , Wu Xiaoyan , Xia Xiangao , Tang Guiqian , Wang Yuesi , Shen Pengke , Lei Yali , Martin Scot T.
Published: June 2020

Atmospheric aerosol plays critical roles in suppressing planetary boundary layer (PBL) and deteriorating air quality. However, comprehensive understanding on how aerosol optical properties (absorption and scattering) affect PBL remains lacking. Utilizing a large‐eddy simulation model incorporated with in situ observations, we demonstrate distinct impacts of absorption aerosol on PBL development when it is present below (stove effect and promotion) or above morning residual layer (dome effect and strong inhibition) and similar inhibition umbrella effects of scattering aerosol on PBL regardless of its vertical locations. There exists a transition height, above which absorption aerosol is more effective in suppressing PBL and below which scattering aerosol dominates the suppression. This height is highly related to the height of morning residual layer. Aerosol stove, dome, and umbrella effects enrich our knowledge on aerosol‐PBL interactions and the latter two can be interpreted as “double inhibitions” in promoting haze episodes in the North China Plain.
Decay of Kelvin‐Helmholtz Vortices at the Earth's Magnetopause Under Pure Southward IMF Conditions
Authors: Nakamura T. K. M. , Plaschke F. , Hasegawa H. , Liu Y.‐H. , Hwang K.‐J. , Blasl K. A. , Nakamura R.
Published: June 2020

At the Earth's low‐latitude magnetopause, clear signatures of the Kelvin‐Helmholtz (KH) waves have been frequently observed during periods of the northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), whereas these signatures have been much less frequently observed during the southward IMF. Here, we performed the first 3‐D fully kinetic simulation of the magnetopause KH instability under the southward IMF condition. The simulation demonstrates that fast magnetic reconnection is induced at multiple locations along the vortex edge in an early nonlinear growth phase of the instability. The reconnection outflow jets significantly disrupt the flow of the nonlinear KH vortex, while the disrupted turbulent flow strongly bends and twists the reconnected field lines. The resulting coupling of the complex field and flow patterns within the magnetopause boundary layer leads to a quick decay of the vortex structure, which may explain the difference in the observation probability of KH waves between northward and southward IMF conditions.
Jet Speed Variability Obscures Euro‐Atlantic Regime Structure
Authors: Dorrington J. , Strommen K. J.
Published: June 2020

Euro‐Atlantic regimes are typically identified using either the latitude of the North Atlantic jet or clustering algorithms in the phase space of 500‐hPa geopotential (Z500). However, while robust trimodality is visibly apparent in jet latitude indices, Z500 clusters require highly sensitive significance tests to distinguish them from autocorrelated noise. This leads to considerable decadal variability in regime patterns, confounding many potential applications. A clear‐cut choice of the optimal number of regimes is also hard to justify. We argue that the jet speed, a near‐Gaussian distribution projecting strongly onto the Z500 field, is the source of these difficulties. Once its influence is removed, the phase space becomes visibly non‐Gaussian, and clustering algorithms easily recover three regimes, closely corresponding to the jet latitude modes. Further analysis supports the existence of two additional blocking regimes, corresponding to a tilted and split jet. All five regimes are approximately stationary across the twentieth century.
Ballooning‐Interchange Instability in the Near‐Earth Plasma Sheet and Auroral Beads: Global Magnetospheric Modeling at the Limit of the MHD Approximation
Authors: Sorathia K. A. , Merkin V. G. , Panov E. V. , Zhang B. , Lyon J. G. , Garretson J. , Ukhorskiy A. Y. , Ohtani S. , Sitnov M. , Wiltberger M.
Published: June 2020

Explosive magnetotail activity has long been understood in the context of its auroral manifestations. While global models have been used to interpret and understand many magnetospheric processes, the temporal and spatial scales of some auroral forms have been inaccessible to global modeling creating a gulf between observational and theoretical studies of these phenomena. We present here an important step toward bridging this gulf using a newly developed global magnetosphere‐ionosphere model with resolution capturing
30 km azimuthal scales in the auroral zone. In a global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation of the growth phase of a synthetic substorm, we find the self‐consistent formation and destabilization of localized magnetic field minima in the near‐Earth magnetotail. We demonstrate that this destabilization is due to ballooning‐interchange instability which drives earthward entropy bubbles with embedded magnetic fronts. Finally, we show that these bubbles create localized field‐aligned current structures that manifest in the ionosphere with properties matching observed auroral beads.
A dynamic web-based decision aid to improve informed choice in organised breast cancer screening. A pragmatic randomised trial in Italy
Authors: Roberto Anna , Colombo Cinzia , Candiani Giulia , Satolli Roberto , Giordano Livia , Jaramillo Lina , Castagno Roberta , Mantellini Paola , Falini Patrizia , Carnesciali Eva , Valenza Mario , Costa Liliana , Campari Cinzia , Caroli Stefania , Faggiano Roberto Cosimo , Orione Lorenzo , Belmessieri Bruna , Marchiò Vanda , Deandrea Silvia , Silvestri Anna , Luciano Daniela , Paci Eugenio , Mosconi Paola
Published: June 2020

Background

Improving the quality of information and communication is a priority in organised breast cancer screening and an ethical duty. Programmes must offer the information each woman is looking for, promoting informed decision-making. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a web-based dynamic decision aid (DA).

Methods

A pragmatic randomised trial carried out in six regional organised screening programmes recruited women at the first invitation receiving DA or a web-based standard brochure (SB). The primary outcome was informed choice measured on knowledge, attitudes, and intentions. Follow-up period: 7–10 days. Secondary outcomes included participation rate, satisfaction, decisional conflict, and acceptability of DA.

Results

Two thousand one hundred and nineteen women were randomised and 1001 completed the study. Respectively, 43.9% and 36.9% in the DA and SB reached the informed choice. The DA gave a 13-point higher proportion of women aware about overdiagnosis compared to SB (38.3% versus 25.2%, p < 0.0001). The percentage of women attending screening was the same: 84% versus 83%. Decisional conflict was significantly lower in the DA group (14.4%) than in the SB group (19.3%).

Conclusion

DA increases informed choice. Complete information including the pros, cons, controversies, and overdiagnosis–overtreatment issues boost a woman’s knowledge without reducing the rate of actual screening participation.

Clinical trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT 03097653.
Correction: LncRNA RPPH1 promotes colorectal cancer metastasis by interacting with TUBB3 and by promoting exosomes-mediated macrophage M2 polarization
Authors: Liang Zhen-xing , Liu Hua-shan , Wang Feng-wei , Xiong Li , Zhou Chi , Hu Tuo , He Xiao-wen , Wu Xiao-jian , Xie Dan , Wu Xian-rui , Lan Ping
Published: June 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Transplantation of discarded livers following viability testing with normothermic machine perfusion
Authors: Mergental Hynek , Laing Richard W. , Kirkham Amanda J. , Perera M. Thamara P. R. , Boteon Yuri L. , Attard Joseph , Barton Darren , Curbishley Stuart , Wilkhu Manpreet , Neil Desley A. H. , Hübscher Stefan G. , Muiesan Paolo , Isaac John R. , Roberts Keith J. , Abradelo Manuel , Schlegel Andrea , Ferguson James , Cilliers Hentie , Bion Julian , Adams David H. , Morris Chris , Friend Peter J. , Yap Christina , Afford Simon C. , Mirza Darius F.
Published: June 2020

There is a limited access to liver transplantation, however, many organs are discarded based on subjective assessment only. Here we report the VITTAL clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT02740608) outcomes, using normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) to objectively assess livers discarded by all UK centres meeting specific high-risk criteria. Thirty-one livers were enroled and assessed by viability criteria based on the lactate clearance to levels ≤2.5 mmol/L within 4 h. The viability was achieved by 22 (71%) organs, that were transplanted after a median preservation time of 18 h, with 100% 90-day survival. During the median follow up of 542 days, 4 (18%) patients developed biliary strictures requiring re-transplantation. This trial demonstrates that viability testing with NMP is feasible and in this study enabled successful transplantation of 71% of discarded livers, with 100% 90-day patient and graft survival; it does not seem to prevent non-anastomotic biliary strictures in livers donated after circulatory death with prolonged warm ischaemia.
Imaging the kinetics of anisotropic dissolution of bimetallic core–shell nanocubes using graphene liquid cells
Authors: Chen Lei , Leonardi Alberto , Chen Jun , Cao Muhan , Li Na , Su Dong , Zhang Qiao , Engel Michael , Ye Xingchen
Published: June 2020

Chemical design of multicomponent nanocrystals requires atomic-level understanding of reaction kinetics. Here, we apply single-particle imaging coupled with atomistic simulation to study reaction pathways and rates of Pd@Au and Cu@Au core-shell nanocubes undergoing oxidative dissolution. Quantitative analysis of etching kinetics using in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging reveals that the dissolution mechanism changes from predominantly edge-selective to layer-by-layer removal of Au atoms as the reaction progresses. Dissolution of the Au shell slows down when both metals are exposed, which we attribute to galvanic corrosion protection. Morphological transformations are determined by intrinsic anisotropy due to coordination-number-dependent atom removal rates and extrinsic anisotropy induced by the graphene window. Our work demonstrates that bimetallic core-shell nanocrystals are excellent probes for the local physicochemical conditions inside TEM liquid cells. Furthermore, single-particle TEM imaging and atomistic simulation of reaction trajectories can inform future design strategies for compositionally and architecturally sophisticated nanocrystals.
The root of anomalously specular reflections from solid surfaces on Saturn’s moon Titan
Authors: Hofgartner Jason D. , Hayes Alexander G. , Campbell Donald B. , Lunine Jonathan I. , Black Gregory J. , MacKenzie Shannon M. , Birch Samuel P. D. , Elachi Charles , Kirk Randolph D. , Le Gall Alice , Lorenz Ralph D. , Wall Stephen D.
Published: June 2020

Saturn’s moon Titan has a methane cycle with clouds, rain, rivers, lakes, and seas; it is the only world known to presently have a volatile cycle akin to Earth’s tropospheric water cycle. Anomalously specular radar reflections (ASRR) from Titan’s tropical region were observed with the Arecibo Observatory (AO) and Green Bank Telescope (GBT) and interpreted as evidence for liquid surfaces. The Cassini spacecraft discovered lakes/seas on Titan, however, it did not observe lakes/seas at the AO/GBT anomalously specular locations. A satisfactory explanation for the ASRR has been elusive for more than a decade. Here we show that the ASRR originate from one terrain unit, likely paleolakes/paleoseas. Titan observations provide ground-truth in the search for oceans on exoearths and an important lesson is that identifying liquid surfaces by specular reflections requires a stringent definition of specular; we propose a definition for this purpose.
Recurrent horizontal transfer identifies mitochondrial positive selection in a transmissible cancer
Authors: Strakova Andrea , Nicholls Thomas J. , Baez-Ortega Adrian , Ní Leathlobhair Máire , Sampson Alexander T. , Hughes Katherine , Bolton Isobelle A. G. , Gori Kevin , Wang Jinhong , Airikkala-Otter Ilona , Allen Janice L. , Allum Karen M. , Arnold Clara L. , Bansse-Issa Leontine , Bhutia Thinlay N. , Bisson Jocelyn L. , Blank Kelli , Briceño Cristóbal , Castillo Domracheva Artemio , Corrigan Anne M. , Cran Hugh R. , Crawford Jane T. , Cutter Stephen M. , Davis Eric , de Castro Karina F. , De Nardi Andrigo B. , de Vos Anna P. , Delgadillo Keenan Laura , Donelan Edward M. , Espinoza Huerta Adela R. , Faramade Ibikunle A. , Fazil Mohammed , Fotopoulou Eleni , Fruean Skye N. , Gallardo-Arrieta Fanny , Glebova Olga , Gouletsou Pagona G. , Häfelin Manrique Rodrigo F. , Henriques Joaquim J. G. P. , Horta Rodrigo S. , Ignatenko Natalia , Kane Yaghouba , King Cathy , Koenig Debbie , Krupa Ada , Kruzeniski Steven J. , Lanza-Perea Marta , Lazyan Mihran , Lopez Quintana Adriana M. , Losfelt Thibault , Marino Gabriele , Martínez Castañeda Simón , Martínez-López Mayra F. , Masuruli Bedan M. , Meyer Michael , Migneco Edward J. , Nakanwagi Berna , Neal Karter B. , Neunzig Winifred , Nixon Sally J. , Ortega-Pacheco Antonio , Pedraza-Ordoñez Francisco , Peleteiro Maria C. , Polak Katherine , Pye Ruth J. , Ramirez-Ante Juan C. , Reece John F. , Rojas Gutierrez Jose , Sadia Haleema , Schmeling Sheila K. , Shamanova Olga , Sherlock Alan G. , Steenland-Smit Audrey E. , Svitich Alla , Tapia Martínez Lester J. , Thoya Ngoka Ismail , Torres Cristian G. , Tudor Elizabeth M. , van der Wel Mirjam G. , Vițălaru Bogdan A. , Vural Sevil A. , Walkinton Oliver , Wehrle-Martinez Alvaro S. , Widdowson Sophie A. E. , Zvarich Irina , Chinnery Patrick F. , Falkenberg Maria , Gustafsson Claes M. , Murchison Elizabeth P.
Published: June 2020

Autonomous replication and segregation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) creates the potential for evolutionary conflict driven by emergence of haplotypes under positive selection for ‘selfish’ traits, such as replicative advantage. However, few cases of this phenomenon arising within natural populations have been described. Here, we survey the frequency of mtDNA horizontal transfer within the canine transmissible venereal tumour (CTVT), a contagious cancer clone that occasionally acquires mtDNA from its hosts. Remarkably, one canine mtDNA haplotype, A1d1a, has repeatedly and recently colonised CTVT cells, recurrently replacing incumbent CTVT haplotypes. An A1d1a control region polymorphism predicted to influence transcription is fixed in the products of an A1d1a recombination event and occurs somatically on other CTVT mtDNA backgrounds. We present a model whereby ‘selfish’ positive selection acting on a regulatory variant drives repeated fixation of A1d1a within CTVT cells.
Combined ground and aerial measurements resolve vent-specific gas fluxes from a multi-vent volcano
Authors: Pering T. D. , Liu E. J. , Wood K. , Wilkes T. C. , Aiuppa A. , Tamburello G. , Bitetto M. , Richardson T. , McGonigle A. J. S.
Published: June 2020

Volcanoes with multiple summit vents present a methodological challenge for determining vent-specific gas emissions. Here, using a novel approach combining multiple ultraviolet cameras with synchronous aerial measurements, we calculate vent-specific gas compositions and fluxes for Stromboli volcano. Emissions from vent areas are spatially heterogeneous in composition and emission rate, with the central vent area dominating passive emissions, despite exhibiting the least explosive behaviour. Vents exhibiting Strombolian explosions emit low to negligible passive fluxes and are CO2-dominated, even during passive degassing. We propose a model for the conduit system based on contrasting rheological properties between vent areas. Our methodology has advantages for resolving contrasting outgassing dynamics given that measured bulk plume compositions are often intermediate between those of the distinct vent areas. We therefore emphasise the need for a vent-specific approach at multi-vent volcanoes and suggest that our approach could provide a transformative advance in volcano monitoring applications.
Hepatic HuR modulates lipid homeostasis in response to high-fat diet
Authors: Zhang Zhuojun , Zong Chen , Jiang Mingyang , Hu Han , Cheng Xiaolei , Ni Juhua , Yi Xia , Jiang Bin , Tian Feng , Chang Ming-Wen , Su Wen , Zhu Lijun , Li Jinfan , Xiang Xueping , Miao Congxiu , Gorospe Myriam , de Cabo Rafael , Dou Yali , Ju Zhenyu , Yang Jichun , Jiang Changtao , Yang Zhongzhou , Wang Wengong
Published: June 2020

Lipid transport and ATP synthesis are critical for the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we report that the RNA-binding protein HuR (ELAVL1) forms complexes with NAFLD-relevant transcripts. It associates with intron 24 of Apob pre-mRNA, with the 3′UTR of Uqcrb, and with the 5′UTR of Ndufb6 mRNA, thereby regulating the splicing of Apob mRNA and the translation of UQCRB and NDUFB6. Hepatocyte-specific HuR knockout reduces the expression of APOB, UQCRB, and NDUFB6 in mice, reducing liver lipid transport and ATP synthesis, and aggravating high-fat diet (HFD)-induced NAFLD. Adenovirus-mediated re-expression of HuR in hepatocytes rescues the effect of HuR knockout in HFD-induced NAFLD. Our findings highlight a critical role of HuR in regulating lipid transport and ATP synthesis.
Author Correction: Microbiome disturbance and resilience dynamics of the upper respiratory tract during influenza A virus infection
Authors: Kaul Drishti , Rathnasinghe Raveen , Ferres Marcela , Tan Gene S. , Barrera Aldo , Pickett Brett E. , Methe Barbara A. , Das Suman R. , Budnik Isolda , Halpin Rebecca A. , Wentworth David , Schmolke Mirco , Mena Ignacio , Albrecht Randy A. , Singh Indresh , Nelson Karen E. , García-Sastre Adolfo , Dupont Chris L. , Medina Rafael A.
Published: June 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.