bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gender‐specific differences in parental health‐related quality of life in childhood cancer
Authors: Rensen Niki , Steur Lindsay M. , Schepers Sasja A. , Merks Johannes H. , Moll Annette C. , Kaspers Gertjan J. , Grootenhuis Martha A. , van Litsenburg Raphaële R.
Published: March 2019

Background

Parents of children with cancer are at risk for impaired health‐related quality of life (HRQoL). Most prior research has focused on the HRQoL of mothers. The aim of this study is to describe HRQoL in mothers and fathers, and determine the influence of sociodemographic, medical, and psychosocial factors.

Procedure

In a cross‐sectional study, both parents completed questionnaires on sociodemographics, distress, and HRQoL. Parental HRQoL was compared to healthy population values. Differences between mothers and fathers were evaluated with multilevel analysis. Gender‐specific HRQoL determinants were assessed via multiple linear regression analysis.

Results

Parents (202 mothers, 150 fathers; comprising 121 couples) of 231 children with different cancer diagnoses (mean time since diagnosis 3.3 ± 1.4 years, 90% posttreatment) participated. Compared to healthy women and men, mothers and fathers reported significantly impaired HRQoL on the following domains: cognitive functioning, sleep, daily activities, and vitality (Cohen's d = 0.3‐0.9). Additionally, maternal HRQoL was reduced on the domains gross motor functioning, pain, social functioning, sexuality, and depressive emotions. Mothers scored worse than fathers on six of 12 domains. Risk factors for adverse outcomes in both parents were higher distress, emotional and parenting problems, little social support, medication use, and active treatment of the child. Other determinants in mothers were non‐Dutch background and unemployment, while lower HRQoL in fathers was predicted by their child's diagnosis type, shorter time since diagnosis, and treatment intensity.

Conclusion

These outcomes illustrate the need for family‐centered care. Future interventions aimed at improving parental functioning should take into account gender‐specific differences in HRQoL to reach optimal efficacy.
Premature Ductal Constriction and Reversible Early Isolated Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy in a Neonate at Birth
Authors: Tyagi Vernika , Chopra Abhishek , Jain Ashish
Published: March 2019

Cardiomyopathies are a group of diseases of the myocardium associated with mechanical and/or electrical dysfunction that usually exhibit inappropriate ventricular hypertrophy or dilatation. Neonatal CMs account for about 1% of childhood cardiac disease, with an estimated incidence of 10:100,000 live births, and are responsible for 10% of all paediatric cardiac deaths [1]. Among this, transient right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH) is a rare anomaly that is seen during the neonatal period. The various causes associated with right ventricular hypertrophy are maternal diabetes, metabolic causes, NSAID use and premature constriction of ductus. Present case is interesting as no cause could be found in this case of transient RVH.
INDEX INSURANCE DESIGN
Authors: Zhang Jinggong , Tan Ken Seng , Weng Chengguo
Published: March 2019

In this article, we study the problem of optimal index insurance design under an expected utility maximization framework. For general utility functions, we formally prove the existence and uniqueness of optimal contract and develop an effective numerical procedure to derive the optimal solution. For exponential utility and quadratic utility functions, we obtain analytical expression of the optimal indemnity function. Our results show that the indemnity can be a highly nonlinear and even non-monotonic function of the index variable in order to align with the actual loss variable so as to achieve the best reduction in basis risk. Due to the generality of model setup, our proposed method is readily applicable to a variety of insurance applications including index-linked mortality securities, weather index agriculture insurance, and index-based catastrophe insurance. Our method is illustrated by numerical examples where weather index insurance is designed for protection against the adverse rice yield using temperature and precipitation as the underlying indices. Numerical results show that our optimal index insurance significantly outperforms linear-type index insurance contracts in terms of basis risk reduction.
Expulsions collectives: définition et portée de leur interdiction dans la jurisprudence de la Cour européenne des droits de l’homme
Authors: ARLETTAZ FERNANDO
Published: March 2019

L’article considère l’interdiction des expulsions collectives dans la jurisprudence de la Cour européenne des droits de l’homme. La Cour adopte un point de vue réaliste qui permet d’inclure dans cette interdiction les expulsions au sens strict et les actes de non-admission, exigeant aux États d’agir toujours de bonne foi. Or, elle n’y inclut pas les expulsions implicites, et rabaisse significativement la protection conventionnelle par l’exclusion de l’exigence d’un entretien individuel. La possibilité de son application extraterritoriale et l’impossibilité d’écarter la responsabilité étatique sur la base d’accords avec des États tiers montrent cependant la portée large accordée à l’interdiction.
Construtores de cerritos na Laguna Dos Patos, Pontal da Barra, sul do Brasil: lugar persistente, território e ambiente construído no Holoceno recente
Authors: Milheira Rafael Guedes , Attorre Tiago , Borges Caroline
Published: March 2019

Este artigo apresenta um processo de ocupação de grupos construtores de cerritos no sítio arqueológico Pontal da Barra, localizado no estuário da Laguna dos Patos, sul do Brasil. Ocupado entre 2500 e 1800 anos aP como área de acampamentos e, posteriormente, entre 1800 e 1200 anos aP como área de ocupação permanente, o Pontal da Barra foi abandonado por volta de 1000 anos aP. Esse processo é evidenciado arqueologicamente pela complexificação de estruturas arquitetônicas monticulares e suas áreas adjacentes, pelo manejo de sedimento interno nos montículos, além dos aspectos multifuncionais e monumentais dos aterros. Como parte de um território regional, o banhado do Pontal da Barra se tornou um espaço significativo no domínio espacial dos grupos cerriteiros. O sítio foi sistematicamente ocupado ao longo de 1.500 anos, compondo uma comunidade de pescadores, agentes de uma história indígena de longa duração.
Mobilising Men: Ally Identities and Collective Action in Japan and the Philippines
Authors: Ochoa Danielle P. , Manalastas Eric Julian , Deguchi Makiko , Louis Winnifred R.
Published: March 2019

Men have an important role as allies in reducing discrimination against women. Following the Social Identity Model of Collective Action (SIMCA), we examined whether men's identification with women would predict their allied collective action, alongside moral convictions, efficacy, and anger. We also examined whether identification with their own ingroup would decrease their willingness to improve women's situation. We tested the SIMCA, extended to consider ingroup identification among men, in Japan ( N = 103) and the Philippines ( N = 131). Consistent with the SIMCA, moral convictions and group efficacy predicted men's willingness to engage in collective action to fight discrimination against women. However, anger was not significant, and identification with the advantaged and disadvantaged groups played different roles in the two countries. We discuss the possible role of norms and legitimacy in society in explaining the pattern of results.
Legislative Activity and Private Benefits: A Natural Experiment in New Zealand
Authors: Morelli Massimo , Osnabrügge Moritz , Vannoni Matia
Published: March 2019

We examine the causal effect of legislative activity on private benefits, which have been largely neglected by previous research in legislative studies. By relying on a natural experiment in New Zealand, where randomly selected Members of Parliament (MPs) are given the opportunity to propose legislation, we find evidence for a causal relation between proposing a (successful) bill and the private benefits MPs receive, in terms of gifts and payments for services. We conclude that the allocation of private benefits depends on legislative performance.
Automated dictionary generation for political eventcoding
Authors: Radford Benjamin J.
Published: March 2019

Event data provide high-resolution and high-volume information about political events and have supported a variety of research efforts across fields within and beyond political science. While these datasets are machine coded from vast amounts of raw text input, the necessary dictionaries require substantial prior knowledge and human effort to produce and update, effectively limiting the application of automated event-coding solutions to those domains for which dictionaries already exist. I introduce a novel method for generating dictionaries appropriate for event coding given only a small sample dictionary. This technique leverages recent advances in natural language processing and machine learning to reduce the prior knowledge and researcher-hours required to go from defining a new domain-of-interest to producing structured event data that describe that domain. I evaluate the method with the production of a novel event dataset on cybersecurity incidents.
Online coders, open codebooks: New opportunities for content analysis of political communication
Authors: Winter Nicholas J. G. , Hughes Adam G. , Sanders Lynn M.
Published: March 2019

Analyzing audiovisual communication is challenging because its content is highly symbolic and less rule-governed than verbal material. But audiovisual messages are important to understand: they amplify, enrich, and complicate the meaning of textual information. We describe a fully-reproducible approach to analyzing video content using minimally—but systematically—trained online workers. By aggregating the work of multiple coders, we achieve reliability, validity, and costs that equal those of traditional, intensively trained research assistants, with much greater speed, transparency, and replicability. We argue that measurement strategies relying on the “wisdom of the crowd” provide unique advantages for researchers analyzing complex and intricate audiovisual political content.
‘The peri-urban space at work’: micro and small enterprises, collective participation, and the developmental state in Ethiopia
Authors: Chinigò Davide
Published: March 2019

By discussing details of the current policy emphasis on entrepreneurship and microfinance, this article explores the dynamic and inconclusive negotiation of state authority in Kolfe Keraniyo, peri-urban Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In the last few years, Ethiopia embarked on a strategy of rapid transformation driven by what its political elite defined as a ‘developmental state’, which entailed the significant rescaling of the peri-urban space. The promotion of micro and small enterprises is an important aspect of the territorialization of state power in the peri-urban space, and is actively negotiated, challenged and refashioned. The first part of the article presents three central aspects of such projects: the policy of regularization and legalization; the notion of ‘group first’ or collective participation in the country's development; and the emphasis on ‘saving first’ to create micro-dynamics of capital accumulation. The second part of the article discusses how the beneficiaries of entrepreneurship initiatives mediate the normative framework provided by the developmental state, and highlights how that framework is neither inclusive nor particularly distinct in its effects from neoliberal development strategies. The article concludes that the making and unmaking of state authority is not unidirectional from above but operates through the redefinition of spatial and temporal boundaries from below.
Pensée 1: Private Reflections
Authors: Guindi Fadwa El
Published: March 2019

I consider it nontrivial that IJMES invites reflection on the question, “What is private in the Middle East?” without positioning “private” against “public.” Conceptually, a private–public polarity refers to a division of space that has become reified into a heuristic paradigm used to describe gendered social and cultural activities.
THE SLAPS FELT AROUND THE ARAB WORLD: FAMILY AND NATIONAL MELODRAMA IN TWO NASSER-ERA MUSICALS
Authors: Gordon Joel
Published: March 2019

This essay is an attempt to read popular melodrama as a reflection of changing societal appreciations of sentimentality, romance, family relations, and, ultimately, political authority over the course of a tumultuous decade in Egyptian and Middle Eastern history, the 1960s. I focus my gaze upon two particular films that were in their day popular hits, one of them an unprecedented blockbuster, and that remain genre classics. Both feature popular screen icon ءAbd al-Halim Hafiz, the greatest vocalist of his generation, a recording and performing artist who came of age with the onset of the July 1952 Free Officers' revolution and was intimately associated with the Nasserist project. Both films treat generation gaps relating specifically to issues of dating and courtship—what might be called, in the context of their era, “free love.” Both are concerned with troubled relationships between a son and his disapproving, authoritarian father. Halim's father in both films is played by the same actor, ءImad Hamdi, and Halim's love interest—albeit in very different contexts—is played by the same ravishing starlet, Nadia Lutfi. Finally, both films turn upon a single powerful dramatic act of parental discipline, a slap (or series of slaps) delivered by an outraged patriarch across the cheek of a rebellious, yet ultimately dutiful, son.
THE BOOK OF VISIONS: DREAMS, POETRY, AND PROPHECY IN CONTEMPORARY EGYPT
Authors: Mittermaier Amira
Published: March 2019

It was a warm November night in 2003 when I first heard about the Book of Visions. Shaykh al-Qusi and his followers were holding a Ramadan gathering on a large parking lot in one of Cairo's more affluent neighborhoods. Next to me at the gathering sat a middle-aged, wealthy Sudanese woman who was wearing an elegant green silk veil and many golden bracelets. She was visiting from Australia to spend the month of fasting in Cairo, close to her spiritual teacher. The woman had been among Shaykh al-Qusi's followers for many years. I, in contrast, had met him only recently but was already intrigued by his charismatic aura, his cosmopolitan demeanor, his habit of smoking Marlboros while talking casually about the saints as if they were his next-door neighbors, and, finally, his own saintlike status.
THE BOOK OF VISIONS: DREAMS, POETRY, AND PROPHECY IN CONTEMPORARY EGYPT
Authors: Mittermaier Amira
Published: March 2019

Please open the PDF to view the article.
THE CULTURAL POLITICS OF SHIءI MODERNISM: MORALITY AND GENDER IN EARLY 20TH-CENTURY LEBANON
Authors: Weiss Max
Published: March 2019

This article contributes to the history of Shiء Islam in Lebanon under the French Mandate by
looking at Shiءi religious and cultural engagements with the problem of gender. In the first
section, religious treatises written by ءulamaʿ in the context of a politicized “culture war” waged
over the proposed reformation of ءAshuraʿ mourning practices during the 1920s and 1930s are
analyzed to elucidate the relationship between idealised gender behavior and religious practice.
In the second section the Shiءi modernist monthly journal al-ءIrfan is utilized to show how it
advocated certain “proper” roles for men and women in an adequately pious Shiءi society. Finally,
jokes and other materials published in al-ءIrfan are examined to demonstrate how multifaceted
gender norms were in Shiءi Lebanon. These sources paint a rich historical portrait of Shiءi cultural
politics by complicating conventional conceptualizations of Shiءi society under the Mandate and
illustrating how Shiءi cultural identities have been produced and negotiated over time.
Enhanced biDimensional pIc: an electrostatic/magnetostatic particle-in-cell code for plasma based systems
Authors: Gallina G. , Magarotto M. , Manente M. , Pavarin Daniele
Published: March 2019

EDI (enhanced biDimensional pIc) is a two-dimensional (2-D) electrostatic/magnetostatic particle-in-cell (PIC) code designed to optimize plasma based systems. The code is built on an unstructured mesh of triangles, allowing for arbitrary geometries. The PIC core is comprised of a Boris leapfrog scheme that can manage multiple species. Particle tracking locates particles in the mesh, using a fast and simple priority-sorting algorithm. A magnetic field with an arbitrary topology can be imposed to study the magnetized particle dynamics. The electrostatic fields are then computed by solving Poisson’s equation with a a finite element method solver. The latter is an external solver that has been properly modified in order to be integrated into EDI. The major advantage of using an external solver directly incorporated into the EDI structure is its strong flexibility, in fact it is possible to couple together different physical problems (electrostatic, magnetostatic, etc.). EDI is written in C, which allows the rapid development of new modules. A big effort in the development of the code has been made in optimization of the linking efficiency, in order to minimize computational time. Finally, EDI is a multiplatform (Linux, Mac OS X) software.
Trophic partitioning between abundant demersal sharks coexisting in the North Aegean Sea
Authors: Yemisken Emre , Navarro Joan , Forero Manuela , Megalofonou Persefoni , Eryilmaz Lutfiye
Published: March 2019

We examined the feeding ecology (diet, trophic width and trophic position) of five demersal shark species (Mustelus mustelusLinnaeus, 1758,Galeus melastomusRafinesque, 1810,Scyliorhinus caniculaLinnaeus, 1758,Scyliorhinus stellarisLinnaeus, 1758,Squalus blainville, Risso, 1826) coexisting in the north-eastern Aegean Sea (around Gökçeda Island) by combining stomach content and stable isotope analyses. The results indicate clear differences in diet between the five sharks. Cephalopods were mainly found in diet ofS. stellarisandM. mustelusand the stomachs ofG. melastomus,S. caniculaandS. blainvilleincluded fish.S. blainvilleshowed the highest trophic position in respect of stable isotope analysis (TPsia= 4.89) around Gökçeada Island. It was followed byG. melastomus(TPsia= 4.57). Direct isotopic values (both stable nitrogen and carbon) and isotopic niche width based on the Standard Ellipse Area (SEA) clearly differed among the five shark species. In particular,S. blainvillewas isotopically segregated from the other shark species studied, showing a narrow isotopic trophic niche and higher trophic level. In contrast,M. mustelushad the widest trophic niche of the five species studied. The niche width ofS. stellariswas narrower thanM. mustelusandS. caniculabut wider thanS. blainvilleandG. melastomus. SEA showed thatG. melastomushas a specialized feeding strategy in the area. There is no overlap betweenS. caniculaandS. stellarisin trophic width.
Ecology and conservation of the endemic Bawean warty pig Sus verrucosus blouchi and Bawean deer Axis kuhlii
Authors: Rode-Margono Eva Johanna , Khwaja Hannah , Rademaker Mark , Semiadi Gono
Published: March 2019

The island of Bawean, Indonesia, is home to the endemic Bawean warty pig Sus verrucosus blouchi and Bawean deer Axis kuhlii. Despite their threatened status, no long-term monitoring programme is in place for either species. Using random encounter and occupancy modelling based on 4,516 camera-trap days in 2014 and 2015 we aimed to provide population estimates and ecological data, including habitat preferences, for these species. For the Bawean warty pig we estimate an overall population size of 234–467 mature individuals and demonstrate a negative correlation between probability of occupancy and distance from villages. This preference for human-modified habitat has implications for human–wildlife conflict and hunting pressure for this species. The population of the Bawean deer could not be estimated because of the low number of encounters, but we suggest that this indicates the population is considerably smaller than previously reported. As island endemics, the Bawean warty pig and Bawean deer are particularly vulnerable to threats, and appropriate measures for safeguarding the species need to be taken.
A TIME-DEPENDENT PÓLYA URN WITH MULTIPLE DRAWINGS
Authors: Chen May-Ru
Published: March 2019

In this paper, we consider a generalized Pólya urn model with multiple drawings and time-dependent reinforcements. Suppose an urn initially contains w white and r red balls. At the nth action, m balls are drawn at random from the urn, say k white and m−k red balls, and then replaced in the urn along with cnk white and cn(m − k) red balls, where {cn} is a given sequence of positive integers. Repeat the above procedure ad infinitum. Let Xn be the proportion of the white balls in the urn after the nth action. We first show that Xn converges almost surely to a random variable X. Next, we give a necessary and sufficient condition for X to have a Bernoulli distribution with parameter w/(w + r). Finally, we prove that X is absolutely continuous if {cn} is bounded.
Analysis of individual patient data to describe the incubation period distribution of Shiga-toxin producingEscherichia coli
Authors: Awofisayo-Okuyelu A. , Hall I. , Arnold E. , Byrne L. , McCarthy N.
Published: March 2019

Shiga-toxin producingEscherichia coli(STEC) is a pathogen that can cause bloody diarrhoea and severe complications. Cases occur sporadically but outbreaks are also common. Understanding the incubation period distribution and factors influencing it will help in the investigation of exposures and consequent disease control. We extracted individual patient data for STEC cases associated with outbreaks with a known source of exposure in England and Wales. The incubation period was derived and cases were described according to patient and outbreak characteristics. We tested for heterogeneity in reported incubation period between outbreaks and described the pattern of heterogeneity. We employed a multi-level regression model to examine the relationship between patient characteristics such as age, gender and reported symptoms; and outbreak characteristics such as mode of transmission with the incubation period. A total of 205 cases from 41 outbreaks were included in the study, of which 64 cases (31%) were from a single outbreak. The median incubation period was 4 days. Cases reporting bloody diarrhoea reported shorter incubation periods compared with cases without bloody diarrhoea, and likewise, cases aged between 40 and 59 years reported shorter incubation period compared with other age groups. It is recommended that public health officials consider the characteristics of cases involved in an outbreak in order to inform the outbreak investigation and the period of exposure to be investigated.
Switch-reference in the Ye shes rgyas pa'i mdo
Authors: BEER ZACK
Published: March 2019

This paper seeks to contribute to understanding of the dynamics of reference relation and subordination in Tibetan grammar. As a way of shedding light on this complex topic, it examines a translated sūtra, the Ye shes rgyas pa'i mdo, which contains numerous stories relating interactions and conversations between a variety of characters. A close reading of several representative passages of this text reveals some of the systematic structures of subordination. Despite not being outlined as a principle in traditional Tibetan grammars, subordination is seen here to be clearly reinforced by, and at times entirely encoded in, the use of the converb –nas to express coreference, and in the verbal noun and converb structures –pa dang and -pa las to connote cross-reference. The paper thus aims to show how attention to the functioning of subordinating structures serves the reader in the interpretation of complex passages where such structures at times provide the only key to the attribution of agency.
Reconceptualizing Political Knowledge: Race, Ethnicity, and Carceral Violence
Authors: Cohen Cathy J. , Luttig Matthew D.
Published: March 2019

What is political knowledge? We argue that the traditional measure of political knowledge is limited, as it represents one domain of facts that people should know about American politics. This domain of knowledge is rooted in the liberal-democratic face of the state and neglects other political knowledge generated from the carceral face of the state. We argue that knowledge of carceral violence, especially against African Americans, represents a separate domain of knowledge that is particularly relevant to marginalized communities, especially black youth. Once we include carceral violence in our measures of political knowledge, established patterns of whites having more political knowledge than Blacks are reversed. Using a novel measurement strategy and based on a nationally representative survey of over 2,000 young people, we find that knowledge of carceral violence is distinct from measures of what has been called general political knowledge. Finally, we find that knowledge of carceral violence has distinct correlates from the standard knowledge battery and its relationship to political participation varies by racial group but tends to depress the political participation of African Americans. Our findings raise the question of what comprises relevant and important political knowledge today and for which communities.
Measuring the effectiveness of bankruptcy institutions: filtering failures in Slovenian financial reorganizations
Authors: Cepec Jaka , Grajzl Peter
Published: March 2019

We examine the effectiveness of bankruptcy institutions at promoting socially efficient allocation of resources. Under the Slovenian simplified reorganization procedure, firms with rejected reorganization proposals are not automatically liquidated. This unique institutional feature facilitates an estimation of the extent of different types of filtering failures. Based on an ex-post conceptualization of firm viability, Type I errors (the acceptance of plans by non-viable firms) are more likely than Type II errors (the rejection of plans by viable firms) and the overall incidence of filtering failure is 27%. Based on an ex-ante conceptualization of firm viability, any given reduction in Type II errors would give rise to three times as many Type I errors. We contextualize our findings in the light of prior results in the literature, alternative mechanisms for insolvency resolution, and related bankruptcy reorganization schemes internationally where courts are awarded a comparatively more prominent role.
Cultivators, domestics, and Slaves: Slavery in Santo Domingo under Louverture and Napoleon, 1801–1803
Authors: Ulrickson Maria Cecilia
Published: March 2019

On January 13, 1803, the French notary Derieux visited the first of several estates owned by Domingo Rodríguez, recently deceased. Rodríguez's property lay in the environs of Santiago de los Caballeros, a town in the north-central valley of Santo Domingo on eastern Hispaniola (today, the Dominican Republic). Over a three-week period, Derieux traveled with a team of witnesses and assessors to properties as far away as coastal Puerto Plata in order to assess the value of Rodríguez's cloth store, home, cabins, pasture land, livestock, cane and foodstuff fields, and sugar-processing equipment. Two of the three plantations also included a different kind of asset. At the sugar estate Gourave, Derieux wrote down the names of the 35cultivateurs,cultivatrices, andenfants, that is, male and female agricultural workers and their children.
The Ghost of Seventeenth-Century Potosí:An Autopsy
Authors: Lane Kris
Published: March 2019

In his 1611Treasury of the Castilian or Spanish Language, Sebastián de Covarrubias began his definition of the wordduendeas follows: “It is one of the spirits of those who fell with Lucifer, of which some fell to the depths, others remained in the airy region, and some [landed] upon the surface of the Earth, as it is commonly held. These tend to be found inside houses and among mountains and in caves, frightening with their occasional apparitions, taking on fantastic shapes.” Over a century later, the 1732Diccionario de autoridadeswas more concise; a duende was simply “a species of hobgoblin or demon that, as the name suggests, ordinarily infests houses.” Had Enlightenment reduced one of Lucifer's minions to a household sprite?
Dependence of Properties of Magnetospheric Line Radiation and Quasiperiodic Emissions on Solar Wind Parameters and Geomagnetic Activity
Authors: Bezděková B. , Němec F. , Parrot M. , Hajoš M. , Záhlava J. , Santolík O.
Published: March 2019

Very low frequency electromagnetic waves in the inner magnetosphere sometimes exhibit either frequency or time modulation. These phenomena are called, respectively, magnetospheric line radiation (MLR) and quasiperiodic (QP) emissions. Data from Detection of Electro‐Magnetic Emissions Transmitted from Earthquake Regions spacecraft were used to analyze their properties, such as MLR frequency spacing, QP modulation period, and QP intensity as functions of geomagnetic activity and solar wind parameters. Altogether, 1,152 MLR events and 2,172 QP emissions were analyzed. It is shown that the influence of the analyzed parameters on QP emissions is different for QP events with modulation periods shorter/longer than 20 s. While the properties of QP events with long modulation periods are significantly related to the geomagnetic activity and solar wind parameters, no such dependences are observed for events with short modulation periods. This suggests that there might be two types of QP emissions generated by two different mechanisms. It is further shown that there seems to be no relation between the properties of QP and MLR events observed at the same times. Finally, the event properties do not seem to be related to the whistler occurrence rate.
Fat redistribution and accumulation of visceral adipose tissue predicts type 2 diabetes risk in middle-aged black South African women: a 13-year longitudinal study
Authors: Mtintsilana Asanda , Micklesfield Lisa K. , Chorell Elin , Olsson Tommy , Goedecke Julia H.
Published: March 2019

Background

Cross-sectional studies in South Africa (SA) have shown that black SA women, despite being more insulin resistant, have less visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and more subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) than white women. This study aimed to investigate whether baseline and/or change in body fat and its distribution predict type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk in middle-aged black SA women, 13 years later.

Methods

We studied 142 black SA women who are the caregivers of the Birth-to-Twenty plus cohort, and who had normal glucose tolerance (NGT) at baseline. At baseline and follow-up, fasting blood samples, basic anthropometry and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-derived body composition were measured. At follow-up, an oral glucose tolerance test was completed. The WHO diabetes diagnostic criteria were used to define NGT, impaired fasting glucose (IFG)/impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), impaired glucose metabolism (IGM) and T2D.

Results

At follow-up, 64% of participants remained NGT, whereas 25% developed IGM, and 11% developed T2D. The IGM and the T2D groups were combined for statistical analyses. At baseline, trunk fat mass (FM), VAT but not SAT (measures of central FM) were higher in the IGM/T2D group than the NGT group (p < 0.0001). In contrast, the IGM/T2D group had lower leg %FM at baseline than the NGT group (p < 0.0001). Baseline trunk FM (Odds ratio per 1 kg increase (95% confidence interval, 1.95 (1.43–2.67))), and VAT (OR per 10 cm2 increase, 1.25 (1.10–1.42)), and the change in VAT (1.12 (1.03–1.23)) were associated with greater odds of developing IGM/T2D, whereas baseline leg FM (OR per 1 kg increase, 0.55 (0.41–0.73)) were associated with reduced IGM/T2D risk at follow-up (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Relative fat redistribution, with VAT accumulation, predicted the development of IGM/T2D 13 years before its onset. Prevention of central obesity is a key factor to reduce the risk of developing T2D among middle-aged urban black SA women.
Parent of origin genetic effects on methylation in humans are common and influence complex trait variation
Authors: Zeng Yanni , Amador Carmen , Xia Charley , Marioni Riccardo , Sproul Duncan , Walker Rosie M. , Morris Stewart W. , Bretherick Andrew , Canela-Xandri Oriol , Boutin Thibaud S. , Clark David W. , Campbell Archie , Rawlik Konrad , Hayward Caroline , Nagy Reka , Tenesa Albert , Porteous David J. , Wilson James F. , Deary Ian J. , Evans Kathryn L. , McIntosh Andrew M. , Navarro Pau , Haley Chris S.
Published: March 2019

Parent-of-origin effects (POE) exist when there is differential expression of alleles inherited from the two parents. A genome-wide scan for POE on DNA methylation at 639,238 CpGs in 5,101 individuals identifies 733 independent methylation CpGs potentially influenced by POE at a false discovery rate ≤ 0.05 of which 331 had not previously been identified. Cis and trans methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTL) regulate methylation variation through POE at 54% (399/733) of the identified POE-influenced CpGs. The combined results provide strong evidence for previously unidentified POE-influenced CpGs at 171 independent loci. Methylation variation at 14 of the POE-influenced CpGs is associated with multiple metabolic traits. A phenome-wide association analysis using the POE mQTL SNPs identifies a previously unidentified imprinted locus associated with waist circumference. These results provide a high resolution population-level map for POE on DNA methylation sites, their local and distant regulators and potential consequences for complex traits.
Upconversion amplification through dielectric superlensing modulation
Authors: Liang Liangliang , Teh Daniel B. L. , Dinh Ngoc-Duy , Chen Weiqiang , Chen Qiushui , Wu Yiming , Chowdhury Srikanta , Yamanaka Akihiro , Sum Tze Chien , Chen Chia-Hung , Thakor Nitish V. , All Angelo H. , Liu Xiaogang
Published: March 2019

Achieving efficient photon upconversion under low irradiance is not only a fundamental challenge but also central to numerous advanced applications spanning from photovoltaics to biophotonics. However, to date, almost all approaches for upconversion luminescence intensification require stringent controls over numerous factors such as composition and size of nanophosphors. Here, we report the utilization of dielectric microbeads to significantly enhance the photon upconversion processes in lanthanide-doped nanocrystals. By modulating the wavefront of both excitation and emission fields through dielectric superlensing effects, luminescence amplification up to 5 orders of magnitude can be achieved. This design delineates a general strategy to converge a low-power incident light beam into a photonic hotspot of high field intensity, while simultaneously enabling collimation of highly divergent emission for far-field accumulation. The dielectric superlensing-mediated strategy may provide a major step forward in facilitating photon upconversion processes toward practical applications in the fields of photobiology, energy conversion, and optogenetics.
Bacterial AB5 toxins inhibit the growth of gut bacteria by targeting ganglioside-like glycoconjugates
Authors: Patry Robert T. , Stahl Martin , Perez-Munoz Maria Elisa , Nothaft Harald , Wenzel Cory Q. , Sacher Jessica C. , Coros Colin , Walter Jens , Vallance Bruce A. , Szymanski Christine M.
Published: March 2019

The AB5 toxins cholera toxin (CT) from Vibrio cholerae and heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) from enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli are notorious for their roles in diarrheal disease, but their effect on other intestinal bacteria remains unexplored. Another foodborne pathogen, Campylobacter jejuni, can mimic the GM1 ganglioside receptor of CT and LT. Here we demonstrate that the toxin B-subunits (CTB and LTB) inhibit C. jejuni growth by binding to GM1-mimicking lipooligosaccharides and increasing permeability of the cell membrane. Furthermore, incubation of CTB or LTB with a C. jejuni isolate capable of altering its lipooligosaccharide structure selects for variants lacking the GM1 mimic. Examining the chicken GI tract with immunofluorescence microscopy demonstrates that GM1 reactive structures are abundant on epithelial cells and commensal bacteria, further emphasizing the relevance of this mimicry. Exposure of chickens to CTB or LTB causes shifts in the gut microbial composition, providing evidence for new toxin functions in bacterial gut competition.
A propensity-matched study of the association between optimal folic acid supplementation and birth defects in Shaanxi province, Northwestern China
Authors: Qu Pengfei , Li Shanshan , Liu Danmeng , Lei Fangliang , Zeng Lingxia , Wang Duolao , Yan Hong , Shi Wenhao , Shi Juanzi , Dang Shaonong
Published: March 2019

The association between folic acid supplementation and birth defects other than neural tube defects remains unclear. We utilized data from a large population-based survey to examine the association between folic acid supplementation and birth defects in Northwestern China. A total of 29,204 women with infants born between 2010 and 2013 were surveyed in Shaanxi province, Northwestern China, using a stratified multistage sampling method. Propensity scores were used to match 9,293 women with optimal folic acid supplementation with 9,293 women with nonoptimal folic acid supplementation, and the effects of optimal folic acid supplementation on birth defects were assessed by a conditional logistic regression model. After propensity score matching, the overall birth defect rate, cardiovascular system defect rate and nervous system defect rate for the women with optimal folic acid supplementation were lower than those for the women with nonoptimal folic acid supplementation (overall birth defects: OR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.57–0.89, P = 0.003; cardiovascular system defects: OR = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.44–0.96, P = 0.032; nervous system defects: OR = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.02–0.99, P = 0.049). Optimal folic acid supplementation was associated with a decreased prevalence of birth defects, especially in the cardiovascular system and nervous system. Our findings have important implications for birth defect intervention with folic acid supplementation for countries with a high prevalence of birth defects, such as China.
Response of fluorescence morphs of the mesophotic coral Euphyllia paradivisa to ultra-violet radiation
Authors: Ben-Zvi Or , Eyal Gal , Loya Yossi
Published: March 2019

Euphyllia paradivisa is a strictly mesophotic coral in the reefs of Eilat that displays a striking color polymorphism, attributed to fluorescent proteins (FPs). FPs, which are used as visual markers in biomedical research, have been suggested to serve as photoprotectors or as facilitators of photosynthesis in corals due to their ability to transform light. Solar radiation that penetrates the sea includes, among others, both vital photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) and ultra-violet radiation (UVR). Both types, at high intensities, are known to have negative effects on corals, ranging from cellular damage to changes in community structure. In the present study, fluorescence morphs of E. paradivisa were used to investigate UVR response in a mesophotic organism and to examine the phenomenon of fluorescence polymorphism. E. paradivisa, although able to survive in high-light environments, displayed several physiological and behavioral responses that indicated severe light and UVR stress. We suggest that high PAR and UVR are potential drivers behind the absence of this coral from shallow reefs. Moreover, we found no significant differences between the different fluorescence morphs’ responses and no evidence of either photoprotection or photosynthesis enhancement. We therefore suggest that FPs in mesophotic corals might have a different biological role than that previously hypothesized for shallow corals.
Ultrasound Imaging Reveals Accelerated In-utero Development of a Sensory Apparatus in Echolocating Bats
Authors: Amichai Eran , Tal Smadar , Boonman Arjan , Yovel Yossi
Published: March 2019

Organ development, both in-utero and after birth, follows a different path for every organ depending upon how early the newborn will use it. Perception of the environment using echolocation occurs very early in the life of neonatal bats. In nostril-emitting echolocating bats of the families Hipposideridae and Rhinolophidae, the shape and area of the nasal-horseshoe is crucial for echolocation emission. We therefore hypothesized that most of this organ’s ontogeny will be completed in-utero while skull and wings will develop slower and continue their growth after birth. We used intrauterine ultrasonography of pregnant females, and measured newborn Asellia tridens (Hipposideridae) to test our hypothesis at different stages of ontogeny. We found that horseshoe development is completed in-utero and neonates begin emitting precursor echolocation calls already two days after birth. In contrast, skull and forearm only develop to 70% and 40% of adult size (respectively), and continue development after birth.
Cytometric cell-based assays for anti-striational antibodies in myasthenia gravis with myositis and/or myocarditis
Authors: Kufukihara Kenji , Watanabe Yurika , Inagaki Takashi , Takamatsu Koutaro , Nakane Shunya , Nakahara Jin , Ando Yukio , Suzuki Shigeaki
Published: March 2019

The purposes of the present study were to identify anti-striational antibodies in myasthenia gravis (MG) patients with myositis and/or myocarditis using a combination of cell-based assays and flow cytometry (cytometric cell-based assays) and to describe the main clinical implications. Among 2,609 stored samples collected from all over Japan between 2003 and 2016, we had serum samples from 30 MG patients with myositis and/or myocarditis. Cytometric cell-based assays with titin, ryanodine receptor, and voltage-gated Kv1.4 were performed. Autoantibodies were determined by differences in phycoerythin fluorescence between the 293F cells and titin-transfected cells. MG patients with myositis and/or myocarditis as well as late-onset and thymoma-associated MG had anti-titin, anti-ryanodine receptor, and anti-Kv1.4 antibodies. In contrast, patients with early-onset MG, those with other myopathies and healthy controls did not have anti-titin or anti-Kv1.4 antibodies with some exceptions, but they possessed anti-ryanodine receptor antibodies. Thirty MG patients with myositis and/or myocarditis showed a severe generalized form, and 21 of them had thymoma. Anti-titin and anti-Kv1.4 antibodies were found in 28 (93%) and 15 (50%) patients, respectively, and all patients had at least one of these antibodies. Cytometric cell-based assays thus demonstrated that anti-striational antibodies are biomarkers of MG with myositis and/or myocarditis.
Liquid Embolic Agents in Spectral X-Ray Photon-Counting Computed Tomography using Tantalum K-Edge Imaging
Authors: Riederer Isabelle , Bar-Ness Daniel , Kimm Melanie A. , Si-Mohamed Salim , Noël Peter B. , Rummeny Ernst J. , Douek Philippe , Pfeiffer Daniela
Published: March 2019

The aim was to evaluate the potential of Spectral Photon-Counting Computed Tomography (SPCCT) to differentiate between liquid embolic agents and iodinated contrast medium by using tantalum-characteristic K-edge imaging. Tubes with a concentration series of tantalum and inserts with different concentrations of iodine were scanned with a preclinical SPCCT system. Tantalum density maps (TDM) and iodine density maps (IDM) were generated from a SPCCT acquisition. Furthermore, region-of-interest (ROI) analysis was performed within the tubes in the conventional CT, the TDM and IDM. TDM and IDM enable clear differentiation between both substances. Quantitative measurements of different tantalum concentrations match well with those of actually diluted mixtures. SPCCT allows for differentiation between tantalum and iodine and may enable for an improved follow-up diagnosis in patients after vascular occlusion therapy.
“Climatic fluctuations in the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert during the past 215 ka”
Authors: Ritter Benedikt , Wennrich Volker , Medialdea Alicia , Brill Dominik , King Georgina , Schneiderwind Sascha , Niemann Karin , Fernández-Galego Emma , Diederich Julia , Rolf Christian , Bao Roberto , Melles Martin , Dunai Tibor J.
Published: March 2019

Paleoclimate records from the Atacama Desert are rare and mostly discontinuous, mainly recording runoff from the Precordillera to the east, rather than local precipitation. Until now, paleoclimate records have not been reported from the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert (<2 mm/yr). Here we report the results from multi-disciplinary investigation of a 6.2 m drill core retrieved from an endorheic basin within the Coastal Cordillera. The record spans the last 215 ka and indicates that the long-term hyperarid climate in the Central Atacama witnessed small but significant changes in precipitation since the penultimate interglacial. Somewhat ‘wetter’ climate with enhanced erosion and transport of material into the investigated basin, commenced during interglacial times (MIS 7, MIS 5), whereas during glacial times (MIS 6, MIS 4–1) sediment transport into the catchment was reduced or even absent. Pelagic diatom assemblages even suggest the existence of ephemeral lakes in the basin. The reconstructed wetter phases are asynchronous with wet phases in the Altiplano but synchronous with increased sea-surface temperatures off the coasts of Chile and Peru, i.e. resembling modern El Niño-like conditions.
Histone deacetylase inhibitors restore normal hippocampal synaptic plasticity and seizure threshold in a mouse model of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex
Authors: Basu Trina , O’Riordan Kenneth J. , Schoenike Barry A. , Khan Nadia N. , Wallace Eli P. , Rodriguez Genesis , Maganti Rama K. , Roopra Avtar
Published: March 2019

Abnormal synaptic plasticity has been implicated in several neurological disorders including epilepsy, dementia and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder that manifests with seizures, autism, and cognitive deficits. The abnormal intracellular signaling underlying TSC has been the focus of many studies. However, nothing is known about the role of histone modifications in contributing to the neurological manifestations in TSC. Dynamic regulation of chromatin structure via post translational modification of histone tails has been implicated in learning, memory and synaptic plasticity. Histone acetylation and associated gene activation plays a key role in plasticity and so we asked whether histone acetylation might be dysregulated in TSC. In this study, we report a general reduction in hippocampal histone H3 acetylation levels in a mouse model of TSC2. Pharmacological inhibition of Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) activity restores histone H3 acetylation levels and ameliorates the aberrant plasticity in TSC2+/− mice. We describe a novel seizure phenotype in TSC2+/− mice that is also normalized with HDAC inhibitors (HDACis). The results from this study suggest an unanticipated role for chromatin modification in TSC and may inform novel therapeutic strategies for TSC patients.