bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The contribution of the International Rice Genebank to varietal improvement and crop productivity in Eastern India
Authors: Villanueva Donald , Smale Melinda , Jamora Nelissa , Capilit Grace Lee , Hamilton Ruaraidh Sackville
Published: June 2020

Using survey dataset collected from nearly 9000 farmers along with pedigree and evaluation data, this study measures the contribution of the International Rice Genebank (IRG) to varietal improvement and rice productivity of farmers in Eastern India. We empirically test the relationship of ancestry to productivity changes while controlling for the effects of other farm inputs and environmental factors. Estimated coefficients indicate that a 10% increase in the genetic contribution of IRG accessions to an improved rice variety is associated with a yield increase of 27%. Through pedigree analysis, we also confirm that 45 to 77% of the genetic composition of improved rice varieties is derived from the genes of IRG accessions. Peta, Dee Geo Woo Gen, and Fortuna are the three most popular progenitors with definite IRG contribution. High genealogical diversity likely results from the crossing of germplasm received from multiple countries of origin, which also confer multiple, functional trait combinations in a released variety. Further, our calculations reveal that the average coefficient of parentage of all pairwise combinations among the 10 most adopted rice varieties is 0.0973, indicating a high degree of latent genetic diversity. Findings demonstrate the valuable contribution of the genetic resources conserved and distributed by IRG to the development of improved rice varieties.
Application of silver nanoparticles toward Co(II) and Pb(II) ions contaminant removal in groundwater
Authors: Attatsi Isaac Kwaku , Nsiah Francis
Published: June 2020

Applications of nanomaterials has recently been of keen interest to researchers.
This fascinating drive ensued due to their unique properties such as optical, magnetic, ease of synthesis, large surface area, and tunable surface chemistry and functionalization that are remarkably different from that of the bulk material. In this work, silver nanoparticles were synthesized and characterized using UV–Vis spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The UV–Vis spectra obtained showed absorption peak at 406 nm wavelength and scanning electron microscope reveals an image of size, 20 nm. The efficiency of our nanomaterial was first tested using standard solutions of cobalt and lead. A bathochromic shift in the absorption wavelength from 406 to 445 nm and from 406 to 458 nm for Cobalt(II) and Lead(II), respectively, indicates an adsorption has taken place. Adsorption characteristics of the nanoparticles evaluated at various incubation periods indicates a percent reduction in cobalt(II) from 33.13 to 53.34% and 79.9–92.92% for lead(II) from day 1–14. This indicates high removal efficiency for lead(II) than cobalt(II) in the proof of concept experiment. The results obtained further reveal that metal ion removal from complexes using silver nanoparticles is time-dependent. The effectiveness of our nanomaterial toward metal ion removal from groundwater was tested using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. The results obtained reveal removal efficiencies of 24% for cobalt and 77% for lead. It is important to note that metal ion concentrations reduced as the incubation periods increased. This is in line with the proof of concept experiment using complex solutions of cobalt and lead. Notably, the percent removal of cobalt was quite low compared to proof of concept experiment. These observations suggest a further research into understanding the adsorption characteristics of metal ions to the surface of nanomaterials in aqueous media.
Self-Reported Sexual Function in Sexually Active Male Hodgkin Lymphoma Survivors
Authors: Eeltink Corien M. , Lissenberg-Witte Birgit I. , Incrocci Luca , Braamse Annemarie M.J. , Visser Otto , Zijlstra Josée , Verdonck-de Leeuw Irma M. , Zweegman Sonja
Published: June 2020

Introduction

Unambiguous data on sexual dysfunction after Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) treatment are scarce.

Aims

To form a baseline in this area, we compared patient-reported sexual function in sexually active male HL survivors in complete remission with a sexually active, age-matched, male Dutch sample population. Furthermore, we explored whether sociodemographic and clinical factors were associated with sexual dysfunction in HL survivors and investigated whether reporting to perceive sexual problems was indicative for sexual dysfunction.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included male patients with HL who were treated with chemotherapy and age-matched sexually active males.

Main outcome measures

Outcome measures included the internationally validated International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) and self-reported sexual problems by adding 3 items to the study-specific questionnaire.

Results

Erectile dysfunction (ED) occurred in 23.3% of the HL survivors vs in 23.0% of controls: respectively 13.3% and 12.3% had moderate to severe ED. However, more HL survivors positively answered the question whether they did perceive sexual problems than controls (20.0% vs 7.0%; P = .087). More patients treated with bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procabazine, and prednisone (BEACOPP) had sexual problems 33.3% vs 8.3% who were treated with doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (P = .057). Importantly, we found that the mean IIEF score for erectile function was 15.7 in HL survivors who reported to perceive sexual problems (moderate ED) vs 28.3 (normal) in those without perceiving sexual problems.

Conclusion

In general, sexual function of male HL survivors is comparable to that of matched normal controls. Perceiving sexual problems was associated with lower sexual function measured by the IIEF. None of the HL survivors who were treated with doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine perceived sexual problems. However, one-third of HL survivors who were treated with BEACOPP did, including ED in one-third of the cases. This is an important consideration for daily clinical practice as BEACOPP is increasingly used as standard therapy in advanced-stage HL.
Hopelessness and suicide ideation in ostomy patients: a mixed method study
Authors: Sarabi Nasrin
Published: June 2020

Introduction It is important to characterize patients’ mental health problems since the association between mental adjustment and life expectancy has stabilized in these patients. So, the present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of suicidal ideation and hopelessness in patients with ostomy.

Method A mixed method strategy (cross-sectional and content qualitative analysis) was done in Educational Hospitals in Tehran in 2019. Beck Suicide Ideation (19 item) and Beck Hopelessness (20 item) self-assessment questionnaires and unstructured interview were used for data collection. Data were expressed as frequency and percentage and independent t-test. Analysis was done in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 16.0 and conventional content analysis.

Results Three months after surgery, 3% had low suicidal ideation and 97% had high risk suicidal ideation. This rate 6 months after surgery was 16% with low suicidal thoughts and 84% with high risk suicidal thoughts. In the case of hopelessness 3 months after the surgery, 20% had mild hopelessness, 79% had moderate hopelessness, and 1% had severe hopelessness. These figures 6 months after surgery were 11% hopeless, 31% mildly disappointed, 58% moderately disappointed. The results of the qualitative study resulted in the extraction of three main categories that included enduring the initial suffering, social isolation, and lag of ostomy admission.

Conclusion The relative improvement in suicidal ideation and hopelessness in the present study showed that the mental status of ostomy patients requires more careful attention.
Editorial
Authors: Barrett Steve
Published: June 2020

Green hydrogen is increasingly seen as a clean energy priority as the world looks at how best to manage economic recovery from the Coronavirus/Covid-19 pandemic [see also page 1 ].
Could COVID-19 improve psychiatric awareness at the heart of the Middle East? – A personal reflection on Bahrain’s response
Authors: Negm H. M.
Published: June 2020

This perspective offers a personal insight into COVID-19 in Bahrain along with the response to this unprecented pandemic. In a country where a robust health care system and economic prosperity have allowed it to cope with the medical sequelae, the mental health consequences may have been less anticipated but more problematic. An unforeseen positive emerging from the pandemic might be the nation’s recognition of the importance of mental health well-being and a new openness to discussing it.
Presidential Rhetoric and Nationalism: Evidence from Russia and Ukraine
Authors: Kasianenko Nataliia
Published: June 2020

This article leverages saliency theory to explore how regimes may use state-controlled media to intensify nationalism and gain legitimacy. I explore mainstream news coverage in Russia and Ukraine with a particular emphasis on how political leadership frames nationalist rhetoric in the two countries to emphasize certain issues over others. I focus on relevant media content that contains nationalist rhetoric before and after the invasion of Russia into Ukraine’s territory in the spring of 2014. Content analysis suggests that political leaders in both countries have focused on political issues, while largely ignoring economic issues in their nationalist rhetoric. The analysis also shows that state leaders can successfully promote nationalism by emphasizing cultural issues and concerns.
Radiocarbon Dating of Dolomitic Mortars from the Convent Saint John, Müstair (Switzerland): First Results
Authors: Caroselli Marta , Hajdas Irka , Cassitti Patrick
Published: June 2020

The monastery of St. John in Müstair, a UNESCO world heritage site, preserves archaeological remains and stone structures dated from the 8th century to the present. It has been extensively studied archaeologically so that numerous samples of historical materials, including mortar, are available for study. In addition to that, some of the structures have been precisely dated with dendrochronology. The monastery is located in a region characterized by dolomite rocks and the mortars are therefore of dolomitic nature, being perfectly suited to test the possibility of being dated with 14C. Furthermore, the presence of embedded carbon fragments has provided additional independent data to support or deny the results of mortar dating. A comparison of the results obtained from radiocarbon (14C) dating of bulk mortars, sieved fractions enriched in binder, lime lumps and carbon fragments, for two samples is presented, in relation to the petrographic characterization and the mineralogical phase content. This preliminary study shows that the dating of 14C can potentially be applied to the mortar of Müstair, as results in accordance with the established chronologies have been obtained for one sample. However, if the dolomitic sand contamination is very high, further studies are needed to develop a specific sample preparation technique.
Cultivating famine: data, experimentation and food security, 1795–1848
Authors: LIDWELL-DURNIN JOHN
Published: June 2020

Collecting seeds and specimens was an integral aspect of botany and natural history in the eighteenth century. Historians have until recently paid less attention to the importance of collecting, trading and compiling knowledge of their cultivation, but knowing how to grow and maintain plants free from disease was crucial to agricultural and botanical projects. This is particularly true in the case of food security. At the close of the eighteenth century, European diets (particularly among the poor) began shifting from wheat- to potato-dependence. In Britain and Ireland during these decades, extensive crop damage was caused by diseases like ‘curl’ and ‘dry rot’ – leading many agriculturists and journal editors to begin collecting data on potato cultivation in order to answer practical questions about the causes of disease and methods that might mitigate or even eliminate their appearance. Citizens not only produced the bulk of these data, but also used agricultural print culture and participation in surveys to shape and direct the interpretation of these data. This article explores this forgotten scientific ambition to harness agricultural citizen science in order to bring stability and renewed vitality to the potato plant and its cultivation. I argue that while many agriculturists did recognize that reliance upon the potato brought with it unique threats to the food supplies of Britain and Ireland, their views on this threat were wholly determined by the belief that the diseases attacking potato plants in Europe had largely been produced or encouraged by erroneous cultivation methods.
The functions and mechanisms of sequence differences of DGAT1 gene on milk fat synthesis between dairy cow and buffalo
Authors: Bhattarai Dinesh , Dad Rahim , Worku Tesfay , Xu Sutong , Ullah Farman , Zhang Min , Liang Xianwei , Den Tingxian , Fan Mingxia , Zhang Shujun
Published: June 2020

In this research communication we describe the DGAT1 sequence and promoter region in dairy cows and buffalo and compare the activities of DGAT1 between the two species in order to increase knowledge of the cause of milk fat variation. pGL-3 basic vectors were used to construct the reporter gene. Based on the predicted promoter region, 4 truncated plasmid vectors were constructed in cow-DGAT1 and 3 plasmid vectors in buffalo-DGAT1. Each reporter plasmid was transfected into the bovine mammary epithelial cell (BMEC), 293T cell, and CHO cells to analyze the activity using Dual-Luciferase Reporter Assay System. The results show that the region between −93 to −556 bp was essential for cow promoter activity while −84 to −590 bp was essential for buffalo promoter activity revealing these regions contain core promoter. The buffalo has higher promoter activity than cow yet it was not statistically significant. Comparison of candidate mutation K232A between cow and buffalo population revealed the presence of both the allelic population in dairy cows (lysine and alanine) however, only K (lysine) allelic amino acid was found in buffalo population. The absence of the alanine allelic population from buffalo explains the higher fat content of buffalo milk.
Plasma channel formation in the knife-like focus of laser beam
Authors: Olkhovskaya O. G. , Bagdasarov G. A. , Bobrova N. A. , Gasilov V. A. , Goncalves L. V. N. , Lazzarini C. M. , Nevrkla M. , Grittani G. , Bulanov S. S. , Gonsalves A. J. , Schroeder C. B. , Esarey E. , Leemans W. P. , Sasorov P. V. , Bulanov S. V. , Korn G.
Published: June 2020

The plasma channel formation in the focus of a knife-like nanosecond laser pulse irradiating a gas target is studied theoretically, and in gas-dynamics computer simulations. The distribution of the electromagnetic field in the focus region, obtained analytically, is used to calculate the energy deposition in the plasma, which then is implemented in the magnetohydrodynamic computer code. The modelling of the channel evolution shows that the plasma profile, which can guide the laser pulse, is formed by the tightly focused short knife-like lasers. The results of the simulations show that a proper choice of the convergence angle of a knife-like laser beam (determined by the focal length of the last cylindrical lens), and laser pulse duration may provide a sufficient degree of azimuthal symmetry of the formed plasma channel.
Exploring Patient Experiences of the Internal Market for Healthcare Provision in Turkey: Publicness under Pressure
Authors: YILMAZ VOLKAN
Published: June 2020

The establishment of internal markets for healthcare provision in publicly-funded healthcare systems brings forth a number of new regulatory challenges. During the 2003 healthcare reform in Turkey, universal health coverage (UHC) was implemented concurrently with the establishment of an internal market for service provision, resulting in an increase in private sector activity. In this context, this paper explores how, in the Turkish case, the macro-level adoption of an internal market model for healthcare provision has shaped patient experiences at the micro-level in their ability to receive treatment in private hospitals offering publicly-funded services (PHOPS). It also examines the influence of the internal market on the realised publicness of healthcare services in Turkey. Data for the study were obtained from patient complaints that appeared on a private online platform and 20 patient interviews. These showed that patients sometimes face significant challenges, including pressure to make informal payments, when accessing their entitlements, which is evidence of the erosion of publicness in a hybrid healthcare system. These challenges emerge from information asymmetry between patients and providers; a large space for PHOPS to manoeuvre when deciding to register patients as insurance holders or private patients; and the ineffective public regulation of the internal market.
WEAK-IDENTIFICATION ROBUST WILD BOOTSTRAP APPLIED TO A CONSISTENT MODEL SPECIFICATION TEST
Authors: Hill Jonathan B.
Published: June 2020

We present a new robust bootstrap method for a test when there is a nuisance parameter under the alternative, and some parameters are possibly weakly or nonidentified. We focus on a Bierens (1990,Econometrica58, 1443–1458)-type conditional moment test of omitted nonlinearity for convenience. Existing methods include the supremump-value which promotes a conservative test that is generally not consistent, and test statistic transforms like the supremum and average for which bootstrap methods are not valid under weak identification. We propose a new wild bootstrap method forp-value computation by targeting specific identification cases. We then combine bootstrappedp-values across polar identification cases to form an asymptotically validp-value approximation that is robust to any identification case. Our wild bootstrap procedure does not require knowledge of the covariance structure of the bootstrapped processes, whereas Andrews and Cheng’s (2012a,Econometrica80, 2153–2211; 2013,Journal of Econometrics173, 36–56; 2014,Econometric Theory30, 287–333) simulation approach generally does. Our method allows for robust bootstrap critical value computation as well. Our bootstrap method (like conventional ones) does not lead to a consistentp-value approximation for test statistic functions like the supremum and average. Therefore, we smooth over the robust bootstrappedp-value as the basis for several tests which achieve the correct asymptotic level, and are consistent, for any degree of identification. They also achieve uniform size control. A simulation study reveals possibly large empirical size distortions in nonrobust tests when weak or nonidentification arises. One of our smoothedp-value tests, however, dominates all other tests by delivering accurate empirical size and comparatively high power.
METHOD OF MOMENTS ESTIMATION FOR LÉVY-DRIVEN ORNSTEIN–UHLENBECK STOCHASTIC VOLATILITY MODELS
Authors: Yang Xiangyu , Wu Yanfeng , Zheng Zeyu , Hu Jian-Qiang
Published: June 2020

This paper studies the parameter estimation for Ornstein–Uhlenbeck stochastic volatility models driven by Lévy processes. We propose computationally efficient estimators based on the method of moments that are robust to model misspecification. We develop an analytical framework that enables closed-form representation of model parameters in terms of the moments and autocorrelations of observed underlying processes. Under moderate assumptions, which are typically much weaker than those for likelihood methods, we prove large-sample behaviors for our proposed estimators, including strong consistency and asymptotic normality. Our estimators obtain the canonical square-root convergence rate and are shown through numerical experiments to outperform likelihood-based methods.
Leader to Laggard: How Founding Institutions Have Shaped American Environmental Policy
Authors: Robertson David Brian
Published: June 2020

The U.S. led the world in environmental policy in the 1970s, but now lags behind comparable nations and resists joining others in tackling climate change. Two embedded, entwined, and exceptional American institutions—broad private property rights and competitive federalism—are necessary for explaining this shift. These two institutions shaped the exceptional stringency of 1970s American environmental laws and the powerful backlash against these laws that continues today. American colonies ensured broad private rights to use land and natural resources for profit. The colonies and the independent state governments that followed wielded expansive authority to govern this commodified environment. In the 1780s, Congress underwrote state governance of the privatized environment by directing the parceling and transfer of federal land to private parties and of environmental governance to future states. The 1787 Constitution cemented these relationships and exposed states to interstate economic competition. Environmental laws of the 1970s imposed unprecedented challenges to the environmental prerogatives long protected by these institutions, and the beneficiaries responded with a wide-ranging counterattack. Federalism enabled this opposition to build powerful regional alliances to stymie action on climate change. These overlooked institutional factors are necessary to explain why Canadian and American environmental policies have diverged.
Italians Abroad: Verdi'sLa traviataand the 1906 Milan Exposition
Authors: Rindom Ditlev
Published: June 2020

This article examines the relationship between Milan's 1906 Exposition and a celebrated revival of Verdi'sLa traviata(1853). An event of national and international importance, the Exposition was notable for its focus on Italy's global presence, and in particular Italy's relationship with Latin America. TheTraviataproduction, meanwhile, comprised the first Italian staging of Verdi's opera in period costume, performed at La Scala by a quintessentially modern, celebrity ensemble to mark the Exposition's opening. This article explores the parallels between the Exposition and the production, to investigate the complex, shifting position of Milan (and Italy) within the transatlantic cultural and operatic networks of the time; and more broadly, to examine the role of operatic staging in shaping understandings of global space within the mobile operatic canon of the early twentieth century.
Pediatric Brain Tumors: Narrating Suffering and End-of-Life Decisionmaking
Authors: BROUWER MARIJE , MAECKELBERGHE ELS , BRINCKE HENK-JAN TEN , MEULENBEEK-TEN BRINCKE MARLOES , VERHAGEN EDUARD
Published: June 2020

When talking about decisionmaking for children with a life-threatening condition, the death of children with brain tumors deserves special attention. The last days of the lives of these children can be particularly harsh for bystanders, and raise questions about the suffering of these children themselves. In the Netherlands, these children are part of the group for whom a wide range of end-of-life decisions are discussed, and questions raised. What does the end-of-life for these children look like, and what motivates physicians and parents to make decisions that may affect the life and death of these children? This article highlights the story of the parents of the sisters Roos and Noor. When both their daughters were diagnosed with a hereditary brain tumor, they had to make similar decisions twice. Their story sheds light on the suffering of children in the terminal phase, and how this suffering may motivate parents and physicians to make decisions that influence the end of life of these children’s lives.

We argue that complete knowledge about suffering in the terminal phase of children with brain tumors is impossible. However, by collecting experiences like those of Roos and Noor, we can move toward an experienced-based understanding and better guide parents and physicians through these hardest of decisions.
From Death to Life: Ethical Issues in Postmortem Sperm Retrieval as a Source of New Life
Authors: CUMMINGS BRIAN M. , PARIS JOHN J.
Published: June 2020

This paper examines and critiques the ethical issues in postmortem sperm retrieval and the use of postmortem sperm to create new life. The article was occasioned by the recent request of the parents of a West Point cadet who died in a skiing accident at the Academy to retrieve and use his sperm to honor his memory and perpetuate the family name. The request occasioned national media attention. A trial court judge in New York in a two-page order authorized both the retrieval and use of the postmortem sperm.
Commentary: Beyond Common or Uncommon Morality
Authors: FRANCIS LESLIE
Published: June 2020

In “Medical Ethics: Common or Uncommon Morality,”1 Rosamond Rhodes defends a specialist view of medical ethics, specifically the ethics of physicians. Rhodes’s account is specifically about the ethics of medical professionals, rooted in what these professionals do. It would seem to follow that other healthcare professions might be subject to ethical standards that differ from those applicable to physicians, rooted in what these other professions do, but I leave this point aside for purposes of this commentary. Rhodes’s view includes both a negative and a positive thesis. The negative thesis is that precepts in medical ethics—understood as the ethics of physicians—cannot be derived from principles of common morality. The positive thesis is two-fold: that precepts in medical ethics must be derived from an account of the special nature of what physicians do, and that this account is to be understood through an overlapping consensus of rational and reasonable medical professionals. While I agree emphatically with, and have learned a great deal from, Rhodes’s defense of the negative thesis, I disagree with both claims in Rhodes’s positive thesis, for reasons I will now explain after a brief observation about the negative thesis.
Continuous real-time monitoring of pulmonary arterial pressure using a tip deflecting microcatheter in an infant with pulmonary arterial hypertension
Authors: Tanaka Atsushi , Sugitani Yuichiro , Muneuchi Jun
Published: June 2020

We present the case of a 3-month-old boy with pulmonary arterial hypertension after corrective repair of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection. The patient developed severe pulmonary arterial hypertension with a high mean pulmonary arterial pressure of 45 mmHg. We performed continuous monitoring of pulmonary arterial pressure using a tip deflecting microcatheter in the intensive care unit. We successfully managed this patient based on real-time pulmonary arterial pressure measurements. Continuous real-time monitoring of pulmonary arterial pressure using this microcatheter enables individualized targeted therapy for infants with pulmonary arterial hypertension.
DEFINING EXCELLENCE: SEVENTY YEARS OF THE JOHN BATES CLARK MEDAL
Authors: Cherrier Beatrice , Svorenčík Andrej
Published: June 2020

Before the John Bates Clark Medal (JBCM) had become a widely acknowledged professional and public marker of excellence in economics research, in the first twenty years since its inception more than seventy years ago in 1947, it was almost discontinued three times and once even not conferred. These controversies derived from the fact that the medal was originally established to showcase the expertise of economists to other scientists, policy-makers, and the wider public. While earlier awards were given to theorists, in later years empirical and policy-oriented economists gained ground, reflecting how such research became more prestigious in economics. Based on a quantitative analysis of the forty medalists so far, we show that this empirical shift was concomitant with a decrease in the diversity and an increase in concentration of laureates: twenty-four or twenty-five out of forty awardees received their PhD degree or worked at Harvard, MIT, or Chicago at the time of being awarded.
JUSTICE WITHOUT ROMANCE: THE HISTORY OF THE ECONOMIC ANALYSES OF JUDGES’ BEHAVIOR, 1960–1993
Authors: Marciano Alain , Melcarne Alessandro , Ramello Giovanni B.
Published: June 2020

Richard Posner’s “What Do Judges and Justices Maximize?” (1993b) is not, as usually believed, the first analysis of judges’ behaviors made by using the assumption that judges are rational and maximize a utility function. That analysis arrived at the end of a rather long process. This paper recounts the history of this process, from the “birth” of law and economics in the 1960s to 1993. We show that economic analyses of judges’ behavior were introduced in the early 1970s under the pen of Posner. At that time, rationality was not modeled in terms of utility maximization. Utility maximization came later. We also show that rationality and incentives were introduced to explain the efficiency of common law. Around this theme, a controversy took place that led Posner and other economists to postpone their analysis of judicial behavior until the 1990s. By then, the situation had changed. New and conclusive evidence of judges’ utility maximizing behavior demanded a general theory to be expressed. In addition, the context was favorable to Chicago economists. It was time for Posner to publish his article.
The University as a Political Site: 1968 and Now
Authors: Gupta Suman
Published: June 2020

This article offers a polemical comparison between conceptualizations of the University in the late 1960s and now. It has two main sections. The first and more substantial of these sections focuses on the left-wing student movements of the 1960s. These were underpinned by an understanding of the University as a political site: that is, an institutional formation and space structured by the ruling order. As such, the University was considered a locus of social contradictions, and could be occupied, extended and opened up, reformed, performed against the ruling order, and even abandoned or left behind. These different agendas are exemplified by drawing opportunistic lines from May 1968 in Paris to student movements in other contexts – Belgrade, Berlin, Berkeley, Tunis, Beijing, Kolkata – and back. A short section then comments on how the University has fared as a political site since. The entrenchment of managerialism, removal of policy-informing research to non-University centres, and dispersal of the University between material and digital spaces are some of the developments that are noted.
Relationality in the Thought of Mary Midgley
Authors: McElwain Gregory S.
Published: June 2020

For over 40 years, Mary Midgley has been celebrated for the sensibility with which she approached some of the most challenging and pressing issues in philosophy. Her expansive corpus addresses such diverse topics as human nature, morality, animals and the environment, gender, science, and religion. While there are many threads that tie together this impressive plurality of topics, the thread of relationality unites much of Midgley's thought on human nature and morality. This paper explores Midgley's pursuit of a relational notion of the self and our connections to others, including animals and the natural world.
‘The Women are Up to Something’
Authors: Lipscomb Benjamin J. Bruxvoort
Published: June 2020

In this essay, I offer an interpretation of the ethical thought of Elizabeth Anscombe, Philippa Foot, Mary Midgley, and Iris Murdoch. The combined effect of their work was to revive a naturalistic account of ethical objectivity that had dominated the premodern world. I proceed narratively, explaining how each of the four came to make the contribution she did towards this implicit common project: in particular how these women came to see philosophical possibilities that their male contemporaries mostly did not.
Theory-driven role model stories improve palliative care knowledge among a diverse older population
Authors: Hoe Deborah F. , Johari Kayla , Rahman Anna , Enguidanos Susan
Published: June 2020

Objective

To test the effectiveness of theoretically driven role model video stories in improving knowledge of palliative care among a diverse sample of older adults.

Method

We developed three 3–4 min long theoretically driven role model video stories. We then recruited cognitively intact, English-speaking adults aged 50 and older from senior centers, assisted living, and other community-based sites in the greater Los Angeles area. Using a pretest–posttest study design, we surveyed participants using the 13-item Palliative Care Knowledge Scale (PaCKS) and also asked participants about their intentions to enroll in palliative care should the need arise. Participants first completed the pretest, viewed the three videos, then completed the posttest comprised of the same set of questions.

Results

PaCKS score improved from an average of 4.5 at baseline to 10.0 following video screening (t(126) = 12.0, p < 0.001). Intentions to enroll oneself or a family member in palliative care rose by 103% (χ2 = 7.8, p < 0.01) and 110% (χ2 = 7.5, p < 0.01), respectively. Regression analysis revealed that participants who believed the role models are real people (β = 2.6, SE = 1.2, p < 0.05) significantly predicted higher change in PaCKS score. Conversely, participants with prior knowledge of, or experience with, palliative care (β = −5.9, SE = 0.8, p < 0.001), non-whites (β = −3.6, SE = 0.9, p < 0.001), and widows (β = −2.9, SE = 1.1, p < 0.01) significantly predicted lower changes in PaCKS score.

Significance of results

This study suggests that theoretically driven role model video stories may be an effective strategy to improve palliative care knowledge. Role model video stories of diverse palliative care patients provide one way to mitigate health literacy barriers to palliative care knowledge.
Identifiability in age/period mortality models
Authors: Hunt Andrew , Blake David
Published: June 2020

As the field of modelling mortality has grown in recent years, the number and importance of identifiability issues within mortality models has grown in parallel. This has led both to robustness problems and to difficulties in making projections of future mortality rates. In this paper, we present a comprehensive analysis of the identifiability issues in age/period mortality models in order to first understand them better and then to resolve them. To achieve this, we discuss how these identification issues arise, how to choose identification schemes which aid our demographic interpretation of the models and how to project the models so that our forecasts of the future do not depend upon the arbitrary choices used to identify the historical parameters estimated from historical data.
The impact of intimate partner violence on the trajectory of perinatal depression: a cohort study in a Chinese sample
Authors: Hou Fengsu , Zhang Xingyu , Cerulli Catherine , He Wenjun , Mo Yushi , Gong Wenjie
Published: June 2020

Abstract

Aims

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an important risk factor for perinatal depression (PND). But IPV's impact on the natural prognosis of PND symptoms is not well understood. We tested two hypotheses: (1) pregnant women with IPV experiences will exhibit more severe PND symptoms than women without IPV experience; (2) IPV experience will impede the recovery prognosis of PND. We also explored the contribution of IPV to PND comparing with other risk factors.

Method

The sample is comprised of 813 pregnant women followed through perinatal period in Hunan, China. We assessed IPV experience using items from the Short Form of the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2S), and PND symptoms via the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPSD). We conducted Linear Mixed-effects Model to compare the trajectories of PND symptoms between victims and non-victims and a multistage Generalised Estimating Equations Model to explore salient factors on the trajectory of PND symptoms.

Results

There were 90 participants (11.07%) who reported IPV experience in the past 12 months. With respect to physical, psychological and sexual violence, the prevalence was 4.55% (37/813), 9.23% (75/813) and 2.34% (19/813). Victims reported more severe PND symptoms (t = 5.30, p < 0.01) and slower decreasing slope of trajectories (t = 28.89, p < 0.01). The PND trajectory was associated with IPV experience (OR = 3.78; 95% CI 1.39–10.26), social support (OR = 0.93; 95% CI 0.88–0.97), positive coping strategies (OR = 0.85; 95% CI 0.80–0.91), negative coping strategies (OR = 1.25; 95% CI 1.14–1.37) and monthly income of $0.15–$298.36 (compared to no income, OR = 0.0075; 95% CI 0.00052–0.11).

Conclusions

The findings suggest the reported prevalence of IPV is lower in Hunan than most of the previous studies during perinatal period in other provinces of China, and IPV victimisation is associated with increased severity and slowed prognosis of PND symptoms. Future studies that screen for victimisation and establish its explicit mechanism to the poorer prognosis of PND symptoms would benefit the prevention and treatment of PND.
Genetics of Biochemical Phenotypes
Authors: Whitfield John B.
Published: June 2020

Biomarkers diagnose, predict or assess the risk of disease, and studies of the effects of genetic variation on biomarker phenotypes in the general population complement studies on patients diagnosed with disease. This paper traces the evolution of studies on biomarker genetics over the past 40 years through examples drawn from the work of Professor Martin and his colleagues.
No-tillage altered weed species dynamics in a long-term (36-year) grain sorghum experiment in southeast Texas
Authors: Govindasamy Prabhu , Sarangi Debalin , Provin Tony , Hons Frank , Bagavathiannan Muthukumar
Published: June 2020

Tillage regimes can influence weed population dynamics and, consequently, the choice of appropriate weed management practices. Studies were conducted in 2016 and 2017 in a long-term (36-yr) grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench ssp. bicolor] experiment at Texas A&M University, College Station, to determine the impact of long-term no-till (NT) and conventional till (CT) systems on weed species dynamics. Higher densities of johnsongrass [Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers.], prostrate spurge [Chamaesyce humistrata (Engelm. ex A. Gray) Small], waterhemp [Amaranthus tuberculatus (Moq.) Sauer], and henbit (Lamium amplexicaule L.) were recorded in the NT system compared with the CT system. Further, the NT system showed greater weed diversity (Shannon-Wiener index, H = 0.8) and species richness (S = 6.2), compared with the CT system (H = 0.6, S = 4.2). Seedling emergence of some dominant weed species was also delayed in the NT system. In the CT system, 50% emergence of S. halepense (8.5 C base temperature) and waterhemp (10 C base temperature) occurred at 59 and 63 growing degree days (GDD), respectively, whereas 68 and 75 GDD, respectively, were required in the NT system. Further, a greater proportion (61%) of the viable seedbank was present at the top 5 cm of the soil in the NT system compared with the CT system (46%). Overall, findings from this 36-yr-long tillage experiment have revealed that the NT system had greater weed densities (especially of the perennial weed S. halepense) and a high proportion of weed seeds (particularly small-seeded annuals) on the topsoil layer, corroborating some earlier reports that were based on short-term investigations. Findings indicate that growers transitioning to NT systems should be mindful of potential shifts in weed species dominance and develop appropriate management tactics.
The First Global Geologic Map of the Moon
Authors: Betancourt Mark
Published: June 2020

At a time when more geological data about the Moon are available than ever before, USGS scientists have created a one-stop shop where everyone, including the public, can see how it all fits together.
Revisiting the Australian‐Antarctic Ocean‐Continent Transition Zone Using Petrological and Geophysical Characterization of Exhumed Subcontinental Mantle
Authors: McCarthy A. , Falloon T. J. , Sauermilch I. , Whittaker J. M. , Niida K. , Green D. H.
Published: June 2020

The final lithospheric breakup of the Australian‐Antarctic rift system remains controversial due to sparse geological constraints on the nature of the basement along the ocean‐continent transition (OCT) zones. We present new interpretations of multichannel seismic reflection transects and new petrological data of dredged mantle rocks along the East Antarctic margin (Seamount B, offshore Terre Adélie). By combining both data sets, we show that a 50–100 km wide domain of cold and fertile subcontinental mantle was exhumed along the magma‐poor Antarctic margin. This study represents only the second locality, along with the Iberia‐Newfoundland margins, where the importance of exhumed mantle domains along OCTs can be clearly identified. The dredged peridotites preserve characteristics similar to mantle xenoliths found in syn‐ to post‐rift volcanism at the eastern end of the Australian margin (Victoria and Tasmania), indicating the exhumation of fertile subcontinental mantle during rifting between Australia and Antarctica. Seamount B represents the initial stages of exhumation of cold subcontinental lithosphere along an OCT during rifting. This thick mantle domain was likely affected by melt impregnation at high pressure (8 kbar), leading to the formation of plagioclase‐pyroxenites. The combination of continental rifted blocks, a wide domain of volcanic‐poor subcontinental mantle and (ultra‐) slow spreading is analogous to OCTs from the Jurassic Western Tethys and Iberia‐Newfoundland rifted margins. Additionally, evidence of melt stagnation at high pressure suggests that magmatism along the Australian‐Antarctic rifted margins was sufficient to form magnetic anomalies that can be used as isochrons despite their formation in lithosphere other than mature, steady‐state ocean crust.
Time trends in pregnancy-related outcomes among women with type 1 diabetes mellitus, 2004–2017
Authors: Helman Sarit , James-Todd Tamarra M. , Wang Zifan , Bellavia Andrea , Wyckoff Jennifer A. , Serdy Shanti , Halprin Elizabeth , O’Brien Karen , Takoudes Tamara , Gupta Munish , McElrath Thomas F. , Brown Florence M.
Published: June 2020

Objective

To examine time trends in US pregnant women with type 1 diabetes mellitus for maternal characteristics and pregnancy outcomes.

Study design

We abstracted clinical data from the medical records of 700 pregnant women from 2004 to 2017. For each time period, means and percentages were calculated. P values for trend were calculated using linear and logistic regression.

Results

HbA1c in each trimester was unchanged across the analysis period. The prevalence of nephropathy decreased from 4.8% to 0% (P = 0.002). Excessive gestational weight gain increased (P = 0.01). Gestation length also increased (P = 0.01), as did vaginal deliveries (P = 0.03). There were no change in birthweight over time (P = 0.07) and the percentage of neonates with macrosomia and large for gestational age (LGA) neonates also remained unchanged.

Conclusion

Obstetric guideline changes may have improved gestation length and mode of delivery; however, other outcomes need more attention, including excessive gestational weight gain, macrosomia, and LGA.
Phase 2 study of cabazitaxel as second-line treatment in patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer previously treated with taxanes—a Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group (HeCOG) Trial
Authors: Koutras Angelos , Zagouri Flora , Koliou Georgia-Angeliki , Psoma Elizabeth , Chryssogonidis Ioannis , Lazaridis Georgios , Tryfonopoulos Dimitrios , Kotsakis Athanasios , Res Eleni , Kentepozidis Nikolaos K. , Razis Evangelia , Psyrri Amanda , Koumakis Georgios , Kalofonos Haralabos P. , Dimopoulos Meletios A. , Fountzilas George
Published: June 2020

Background

Cabazitaxel is a novel taxane that might be active in breast cancer resistant to first-generation taxanes.

Methods

The purpose of the current multicentre phase II trial was to evaluate the activity and safety of cabazitaxel, as second-line treatment, in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC) previously treated with taxanes. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR).

Results

Eighty-four patients were enrolled between October 2012 and November 2016. Taxane resistance to previous treatment was detected in 43 cases. The ORR was 22.6% in the intent-to-treat population, 23.3% in taxane-resistant and 20.5% in taxane-non-resistant cases. At a median follow-up of 39.6 months, the median progression-free survival and overall survival were 3.7 months (95% CI 2.2–4.4) and 15.2 months (95% CI 11.3–19.4), respectively. Regarding toxicity, grade 3–4 neutropenia was reported in 22.6% and febrile neutropenia in 6% of the patients, respectively. Two fatal events (one febrile neutropenia and one sepsis) were reported as being related to study treatment.

Conclusions

This phase II trial suggests that cabazitaxel is active as second-line treatment in taxane-pretreated patients with HER2-negative MBC, with manageable toxicity.
Characterization of a new small-molecule inhibitor of HDAC6 in glioblastoma
Authors: Auzmendi-Iriarte Jaione , Saenz-Antoñanzas Ander , Mikelez-Alonso Idoia , Carrasco-Garcia Estefania , Tellaetxe-Abete Maitena , Lawrie Charles H. , Sampron Nicolás , Cortajarena Aitziber L. , Matheu Ander
Published: June 2020

Histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) is an epigenetic modifier that is an attractive pharmacological target in cancer. In this work, we show that HDAC6 is elevated in glioblastoma, the most malignant and common brain tumor in adults, in which its high levels correlate with poor patient survival and is more abundant in glioma stem cell subpopulation. Moreover, we identified a new small-molecule inhibitor of HDAC6, which presents strong sensitivity for HDAC6 inhibition and exerts high cytotoxic activity, alone or in combination with temozolomide. It is also able to significantly reduce tumor growth in vivo. Transcriptomic analysis of patient-derived glioma stem cells revealed an increase in cell differentiation and cell death pathways, as well as a decrease in cell-cycle activity and cell division by the treatment with the compound. Finally, the comparison with a pan-HDAC inhibitor, Vorinostat (SAHA), or HDAC6-specific inhibitor, Tubastatin A, showed higher target specificity and antitumor activity of the new HDAC6 inhibitor. In conclusion, our data reveal the efficacy of a novel HDAC6 inhibitor in glioblastoma preclinical setting.