bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Global Geographical and Temporal Patterns of Seasonal Influenza and Associated Climatic Factors
Authors: Dave Kunjal , Lee Patricia C
Published: September 2019

Understanding geographical and temporal patterns of seasonal influenza can help strengthen influenza surveillance to early detect epidemics and inform influenza prevention and control programs. We examined variations in spatiotemporal patterns of seasonal influenza in different global regions and explored climatic factors that influence differences in influenza seasonality, through a systematic review of peer-reviewed publications. The literature search was conducted to identify original studies published between January 2005 and November 2016. Studies were selected using predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The primary outcome was influenza cases; additional outcomes included seasonal or temporal patterns of influenza seasonality, study regions (temperate or tropical), and associated climatic factors. Of the 2,160 records identified in the selection process, 36 eligible studies were included. There were significant differences in influenza seasonality in terms of the time of onset, duration, number of peaks, and amplitude of epidemics between temperate and tropical/subtropical regions. Different viral types, cocirculation of influenza viruses, and climatic factors, especially temperature and absolute humidity, contributed to the variations in spatiotemporal patterns of seasonal influenza. The findings reported in this review could inform global surveillance of seasonal influenza and influenza prevention and control measures such as vaccination recommendations for different regions.
An evolutionary signal to fungal succession during plant litter decay
Authors: Vivelo Sasha , Bhatnagar Jennifer M
Published: September 2019

Ecologists have frequently observed a pattern of fungal succession during litter decomposition, wherein different fungal taxa dominate different stages of decay in individual ecosystems. However, it is unclear which biological features of fungi give rise to this pattern. We tested a longstanding hypothesis that fungal succession depends on the evolutionary history of species, such that different fungal phyla prefer different decay stages. To test this hypothesis, we performed a meta-analysis across studies in 22 different ecosystem types to synthesize fungal decomposer abundances at early, middle and late stages of plant litter decay. Fungal phyla varied in relative abundance throughout decay, with fungi in the Ascomycota reaching highest relative abundance during early stages of decay (P < 0.001) and fungi in the Zygomycota reaching highest relative abundance during late stages of decay (P < 0.001). The best multiple regression model to explain variation in abundance of these fungal phyla during decay included decay stage, as well as plant litter type and climate factors. Most variation in decay-stage preference of fungal taxa was observed at basal taxonomic levels (phylum and class) rather than finer taxonomic levels (e.g. genus). For many finer-scale taxonomic groups and functional groups of fungi, plant litter type and climate factors were better correlates with relative abundance than decay stage per se, suggesting that the patchiness of fungal community composition in space is related to both resource and climate niches of different fungal taxa. Our study indicates that decomposer fungal succession is partially rooted in fungal decomposers’ deep evolutionary history, traceable to the divergence among phyla.
Addition of pollen increases growth of nectar-living yeasts
Authors: Pozo María I , Jacquemyn Hans
Published: September 2019

Nectar is frequently inhabited by a limited number of microorganisms. Nonetheless, these species can quickly attain relatively high cell densities. This is quite surprising because of the limited availability of nutrients and unbalanced Carbon/Nitrogen ratios. Because nectar yeasts commonly aggregate around pollen and pollen grains are particularly rich in proteins, it has been suggested that the presence of pollen in nectar contributes to enhanced growth of yeasts in nectar, but compelling experimental evidence is still lacking. In this study, we conducted in vitro growth experiments to investigate whether the addition of pollen to sugar water increased growth of yeasts that naturally occur in nectar and honey provisions: Metschnikowia reukaufii, Starmerella orientalis and Torulaspora delbueckii. Our results indicate that yeasts benefit from the addition of pollen to a sugar-dominated medium, but the effects depended on type of pollen used. Overall, these results demonstrate that pollen plays an important role in the population dynamics of nectar-inhabiting yeasts and supports the idea that the chemical composition and the concentration of dehisced pollen may be more important factors determining the population growth of nectar yeasts than the chemistry of the nectar itself.
Short- and Long-term Effects of Support Visibility on Support Providers' Negative Affect
Authors: Marini Christina M , Wilson Stephanie J , Tate Ashley M , Martire Lynn M , Franks Melissa M
Published: September 2019

Objectives

Seminal research with spouses of chronic pain patients indicates that providing patients with instrumental support can be either costly or beneficial for spouses' well-being. Drawing from the invisible support literature, this study evaluated the extent to which patients' recognition of spouses' support moderated daily and long-term associations between spouses' support provision and negative affect.

Method

Data came from a sample of spouses (N = 145) of knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients, and the patients themselves. Participants completed a baseline interview, 22 days of daily diaries, and two follow-up interviews 6 and 18 months after baseline. Multilevel models were estimated to test study hypotheses.

Results

As expected, support visibility moderated daily and long-term associations between spouses' instrumental support provision and negative affect. Spouses reported elevated levels of negative affect in response to providing patients with extra care and attention, but only when their support was not recognized (i.e., reported) by patients.

Discussion

Findings from the current study pinpoint support visibility as a protective factor that may mitigate negative short- and long-term effects of spousal instrumental support provision on spouses' negative affect. Promoting patients' awareness of their spouses' support may offset negative emotional consequences of caregiving in the context of chronic health stressors.
Differences in the Experience of Caregiving Between Spouse and Adult Child Caregivers in Dementia With Lewy Bodies
Authors: Rigby Taylor , Ashwill Robert T , Johnson David K , Galvin James E
Published: September 2019

Background and Objectives

Dementia caregiving has been associated with increased burden, depression, grief, a decreased sense of well-being and quality of life, and a weakening of social support. Little is known about the experience of caregiving in Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB). The present study examines differences in the caregiving experience of spouse versus adult child caregivers of individuals with DLB.

Research Design and Methods

In this cross-sectional analytic study of spouses (n = 255) and adult children (n = 160) caregivers of individuals with DLB, participants completed an online survey of burden, grief, depression, well-being, quality of life, and social support.

Results

Adult child caregivers were more likely to care for women (p < .001) and see the care recipient less often (p < .001) than spouses. Adult child caregivers reported lower quality of life (p < .001) and more caregiver burden (p < .009), but also greater social support (p < .001) than spouses. Between group analyses of caregiver type by disease severity demonstrated that spousal caregivers experience greater grief with advancing disease (p = .005), while adult child caregivers increase social support with advancing disease (p < .001).

Discussion and Implications

Spouses and adult children experience DLB caregiving differently. This was explained by the younger age of the adult child caregiver, frequency of contact with the care recipient, and differences in the care recipient’s characteristics, frequency of neuropsychiatric symptoms, and disease severity. DLB caregiver support for this population should target psychoeducation for complicated neuropsychiatric symptoms in the care recipient. Screening all DLB caregivers for burden, grief, and depression is suggested to identify those that may benefit most from intervention. Spouses specifically may benefit from interventions that target increasing social support, while adult child caregivers may benefit from interventions aimed at mitigating burden and improving quality of life.
School policies and smoking intention in a Swiss sample of adolescents
Authors: Scalici Francesca , Schulz Peter J
Published: September 2019

The majority of today’s adult smokers took up the habit during adolescence. The school community and the rules it imposes are important factors that can influence adolescents’ smoking intention and behaviour. Research on the effect of school tobacco policies on adolescents’ smoking concludes with mixed results. Our study aims to look at the influence of these policies on the intention to smoke and to know if this relation is mediated by individual and environmental factors. The study includes information on social norms, attitude towards smoking and smoking intention from 4515 students of 32 Ticino middle schools and on the tobacco policy implemented in this school. Linear regression indicates a marginal impact of school policy on intention to smoke. Schools that strongly enforce tobacco policy obtain an increase in their students’ intention to smoke, while schools that implement assistance programmes to overcome tobacco use decrease intention to smoke. Mediation models show that the influence of some of tobacco policy dimensions on the intention to smoke is mediated by personal attitudes towards smoking, beliefs about health consequences of smoking and perceived peers smoking. Increasing visibility of tobacco policies and having tobacco prevention programmes have stronger positive effects on smoking intention than other policy dimensions, but only through the mediation of individual and environmental factors.
Spatial heterogeneity of seasonal phytoplankton blooms in a marginal sea: physical drivers and biological responses
Authors: Song Hongjun , Ji Rubao , Xin Ming , Liu Ping , Zhang Zhaohui , Wang Zongling
Published: September 2019

Satellite and in situ observations are used in this study to examine spatial heterogeneity in the timing and magnitude of phytoplankton blooms in relation to local and remote physical processes in the Yellow Sea (YS), a marginal sea in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Satellite ocean colour data reveal that annual chlorophyll maximums vary significantly in both timing and magnitude over different subregions of the YS. Strong summer blooms were found off estuary regions, and widespread spring blooms were found in the central trough. Localized autumn and winter peaks were found in small patches around Jeju Island and in nearshore regions. A statistical analysis of in situ measurements of the western YS suggests that variability in hydrographic properties could explain most of the spatial heterogeneity observed in both bloom timing and magnitude. The spatial heterogeneity of hydrographic properties, such as stratification and nutrient availability, are controlled by a suite of physical forcings, including the extent of the YS Cold Water Mass, river discharge, warm slope water intrusion, and seasonal warming/cooling. Our results imply that the spatial heterogeneity of marginal seas must be carefully considered when assessing phytoplankton responses in the context of climate change, because of the complexity of underlying mechanisms.
Virtual Retraction Properties in Groups
Authors: Minasyan Ashot
Published: September 2019

If $G$ is a group, a virtual retract of $G$ is a subgroup, which is a retract of a finite index subgroup. Most of the paper focuses on two group properties: property (LR), that all finitely generated subgroups are virtual retracts; and property (VRC), that all cyclic subgroups are virtual retracts. We study the permanence of these properties under commensurability, amalgams over retracts, graph products, and wreath products. In particular, we show that (VRC) is stable under passing to finite index overgroups, while (LR) is not.

The question whether all finitely generated virtually free groups satisfy (LR) motivates the remaining part of the paper, studying virtual free factors of such groups. We give a simple criterion characterizing when a finitely generated subgroup of a virtually free group is a free factor of a finite index subgroup. We apply this criterion to settle a conjecture of Brunner and Burns.
On Smooth Solutions to One Phase-Free Boundary Problem in ℝn
Authors: Liu Yong , Wang Kelei , Wei Juncheng
Published: September 2019

We construct a smooth axially symmetric solution to the classical one phase free boundary problem in $\mathbb{R}^{n}$, $n\geq 3.$ Its free boundary is of “catenoid” type. This is a higher dimensional analogy of the Hauswirth–Helein–Pacard solution [18] in $\mathbb{R}^{2}$. The existence of such solution is conjectured in [18, Remark 2.4]. This is the 1st nontrivial smooth solution to the one phase-free boundary problem in higher dimensions.
Antisense inhibition of lpxB gene expression in Acinetobacter baumannii by peptide–PNA conjugates and synergy with colistin
Authors: Martínez-Guitián Marta , Vázquez-Ucha Juan Carlos , Álvarez-Fraga Laura , Conde-Pérez Kelly , Bou Germán , Poza Margarita , Beceiro Alejandro
Published: September 2019

Background

LpxB is an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis pathway of lipid A, a component of LPS.

Objectives

To evaluate the lpxB gene in Acinetobacter baumannii as a potential therapeutic target and to propose antisense agents such as peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) as a tool to combat bacterial infection, either alone or in combination with known antimicrobial therapies.

Methods

RNA-seq analysis of the A. baumannii ATCC 17978 strain in a murine pneumonia model was performed to study the in vivo expression of lpxB. Protein expression was studied in the presence or absence of anti-lpxB (KFF)3K-PNA (pPNA). Time–kill curve analyses and protection assays of infected A549 cells were performed. The chequerboard technique was used to test for synergy between pPNA and colistin. A Galleria mellonella infection model was used to test the in vivo efficacy of pPNA.

Results

The lpxB gene was overexpressed during pneumonia. Treatment with a specific pPNA inhibited LpxB expression in vitro, decreased survival of the ATCC 17978 strain and increased the survival rate of infected A549 cells. Synergy was observed between pPNA and colistin in colistin-susceptible strains. In vivo assays confirmed that a combination treatment of anti-lpxB pPNA and colistin was more effective than colistin in monotherapy.

Conclusions

The lpxB gene is essential for A. baumannii survival. Anti-lpxB pPNA inhibits LpxB expression, causing bacterial death. This pPNA showed synergy with colistin and increased the survival rate in G. mellonella. The data suggest that antisense pPNA molecules blocking the lpxB gene could be used as antibacterial agents.
A novel plasmid-encoded mcr-4.3 gene in a colistin-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii clinical strain
Authors: Martins-Sorenson Natacha , Snesrud Erik , Xavier Danilo Elias , Cacci Luciana Camila , Iavarone Anthony T , McGann Patrick , Riley Lee W , Moreira Beatriz Meurer
Published: September 2019

Objectives

To identify the molecular mechanism of colistin resistance in an MDR Acinetobacter baumannii clinical strain isolated in 2008 from a meningitis case in Brazil.

Methods

Long- and short-read WGS was used to identify colistin resistance genes in A. baumannii strain 597A with a colistin MIC of 64 mg/L. MS was used to analyse lipid A content. mcr was cloned into pET-26b (+) and transformed into Escherichia coli BL21(λDE3)pLysS for analysis.

Results

A novel plasmid (pAb-MCR4.3) harbouring mcr-4.3 within a Tn3-like transposon was identified. The A. baumannii 597A lipid A MS spectra showed a main molecular ion peak at m/z=2034, which indicated the addition of phosphoethanolamine to the lipid A structure. E. coli BL21 transformed with pET-26b-mcr-4.3 gained colistin resistance with a colistin MIC of 8 mg/L.

Conclusions

Colistin resistance in A. baumannii 597A was correlated with the presence of a novel plasmid-encoded mcr-4.3 gene.
Vitamin E supplementation strategies during feedlot receiving: effects on beef steer performance, antibody response to vaccination, and antioxidant defense1
Authors: Deters Erin L , Hansen Stephanie L
Published: September 2019

This study utilized 204 Angus-based beef steers (249 ± 23 kg SD) from a single ranch with initial serum α-tocopherol concentrations of 3.9 ± 1.0 mg/L to determine the effect of varying doses of vitamin E (VE) on feedlot performance, antibody response to vaccination, and antioxidant defense. Seven days after arrival, steers were blocked by body weight and weaning protocol (preweaned, unweaned heavy, and unweaned light) and randomly assigned to pens within blocks (12 pens per block). Preweaned steers had been weaned for approximately 35 d prior to arrival, and unweaned steers were weaned when leaving the origin ranch. Pens within block were randomly assigned to supplemental VE (ROVIMIX E-50 Adsorbate, DSM Nutritional Products, Heerlen, The Netherlands) treatments (n = 9 pens per treatment): no supplemental VE (CON), 25 IU/kg dry matter (DM; LOW), 500 IU per steer daily (MED), or 1,000 IU per steer daily (HIGH). Back-calculated supplemental VE intake was 0, 151 (24.8 IU/kg DM), 484, and 995 IU/d for CON, LOW, MED, and HIGH, respectively. On day 6, all steers received a booster vaccine against bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV; Bovi-Shield Gold, One Shot, Zoetis, Parsippany, NJ). Steers were weighed on day −1, 0, 14, 26, and 27. One steer per pen representative of the average body weight of the pen was chosen as a sampling animal for blood (day −1, 6, 14, 26, and 28) and liver (day −3 and 24). Data were analyzed as a randomized complete block design using Proc Mixed of SAS with pen as the experimental unit and the fixed effects of treatment and block. Linear, quadratic, and cubic contrast statements were constructed using Proc IML; morbidity data were analyzed using Proc Glimmix. Day 24 liver and day 26 serum α-tocopherol concentrations were linearly increased by supplemental VE (P < 0.01). Supplemental VE did not affect DM intake, average daily gain, or gain:feed from day 0 to 27 (P ≥ 0.37), or the percentage of steers treated for respiratory disease (P ≥ 0.44). Day 24 liver glutathione concentrations decreased linearly due to supplemental VE (P ≤ 0.02). Total- and Mn-superoxide dismutase activities were quadratically affected by supplemental VE (P ≤ 0.07), with MED steers exhibiting the greatest activity. Over time, BVDV type 1 and 2 antibody titers numerically decreased, whereas the decrease in BVDV type 1 titers was lesser for HIGH steers (linear P = 0.04). Increasing doses of VE improved VE status but did not affect overall receiving period performance in steers with minimal to adequate VE status upon arrival.
Climate change enhances disease processes in crustaceans: case studies in lobsters, crabs, and shrimps
Authors: Shields Jeffrey D
Published: September 2019

Climate change has resulted in increasing temperature and acidification in marine systems. Rising temperature and acidification act as stressors that negatively affect host barriers to infection, thus enhancing disease processes and influencing the emergence of pathogens in ecologically and commercially important species. Given that crustaceans are ectotherms, changes in temperature dominate their physiological and immunological responses to microbial pathogens and parasites. Because of this, the thermal ranges of several crustacean hosts and their pathogens can be used to project the outcomes of infections. Host factors such as molting, maturation, respiration, and immune function are strongly influenced by temperature, which in turn alter the host’s susceptibility to pathogens, further amplifying morbidity and mortality. Microbial pathogens are also strongly influenced by temperature, arguably more so than their crustacean hosts. Microbial pathogens, with higher thermal optima than their hosts, grow rapidly and overcome host immune defenses, which have been weakened by increased temperatures. Pathogen factors such as metabolic rates, growth rates, virulence factors, and developmental rates are often enhanced by rising temperature, which translates into increased transmission, dispersal, and proliferation at the population level, and ultimately emergence of outbreaks in host populations. Less well known are the effects of acidification and salinity intrusion on host-pathogen processes, but they operate alongside temperature, as multiple stressors, that impose significant metabolic and physiological demands on host homeostasis.
Performance of Breast Cancer Risk-Assessment Models in a Large Mammography Cohort
Authors: McCarthy Anne Marie , Guan Zoe , Welch Michaela , Griffin Molly E , Sippo Dorothy A , Deng Zhengyi , Coopey Suzanne B , Acar Ahmet , Semine Alan , Parmigiani Giovanni , Braun Danielle , Hughes Kevin S
Published: September 2019

Background

Several breast cancer risk-assessment models exist. Few studies have evaluated predictive accuracy of multiple models in large screening populations.

Methods

We evaluated the performance of the BRCAPRO, Gail, Claus, Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC), and Tyrer-Cuzick models in predicting risk of breast cancer over 6 years among 35 921 women aged 40–84 years who underwent mammography screening at Newton-Wellesley Hospital from 2007 to 2009. We assessed model discrimination using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and assessed calibration by comparing the ratio of observed-to-expected (O/E) cases. We calculated the square root of the Brier score and positive and negative predictive values of each model.

Results

Our results confirmed the good calibration and comparable moderate discrimination of the BRCAPRO, Gail, Tyrer-Cuzick, and BCSC models. The Gail model had slightly better O/E ratio and AUC (O/E = 0.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.91 to 1.06, AUC = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.61 to 0.65) compared with BRCAPRO (O/E = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.88 to 1.02, AUC = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.59 to 0.63) and Tyrer-Cuzick (version 8, O/E = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.79 to 0.91, AUC = 0.62, 95% 0.60 to 0.64) in the full study population, and the BCSC model had the highest AUC among women with available breast density information (O/E = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.89 to 1.05, AUC = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.62 to 0.66). All models had poorer predictive accuracy for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive and triple-negative breast cancers than hormone receptor positive human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative breast cancers.

Conclusions

In a large cohort of patients undergoing mammography screening, existing risk prediction models had similar, moderate predictive accuracy and good calibration overall. Models that incorporate additional genetic and nongenetic risk factors and estimate risk of tumor subtypes may further improve breast cancer risk prediction.
First results from the TNG50 simulation: the evolution of stellar and gaseous discs across cosmic time
Authors: Pillepich Annalisa , Nelson Dylan , Springel Volker , Pakmor Rüdiger , Torrey Paul , Weinberger Rainer , Vogelsberger Mark , Marinacci Federico , Genel Shy , van der Wel Arjen , Hernquist Lars
Published: September 2019

We present a new cosmological, magnetohydrodynamical simulation for galaxy formation: TNG50, the third and final instalment of the IllustrisTNG project. TNG50 evolves 2 × 21603 dark matter particles and gas cells in a volume 50 comoving Mpc across. It hence reaches a numerical resolution typical of zoom-in simulations, with a baryonic element mass of $8.5\times 10^4\, {\rm M}_{\odot }$ and an average cell size of 70–140 pc in the star-forming regions of galaxies. Simultaneously, TNG50 samples ∼700 (6500) galaxies with stellar masses above $10^{10} \, (10^8)\, {\rm M}_{\odot }$ at $z$ = 1. Here we investigate the structural and kinematical evolution of star-forming galaxies across cosmic time (0 ≲ $z$ ≲ 6). We quantify their sizes, disc heights, 3D shapes, and degree of rotational versus dispersion-supported motions as traced by rest-frame V-band light (i.e. roughly stellar mass) and by $\rm H\,\alpha$ light (i.e. star-forming and dense gas). The unprecedented resolution of TNG50 enables us to model galaxies with sub-kpc half-light radii and with ≲300-pc disc heights. Coupled with the large-volume statistics, we characterize a diverse, redshift- and mass-dependent structural and kinematical morphological mix of galaxies all the way to early epochs. Our model predicts that for star-forming galaxies the fraction of disc-like morphologies, based on 3D stellar shapes, increases with both cosmic time and galaxy stellar mass. Gas kinematics reveal that the vast majority of $10^{9-11.5}\, {\rm M}_{\odot }$ star-forming galaxies are rotationally supported discs for most cosmic epochs (Vrot/σ > 2–3, $z$ ≲ 5), being dynamically hotter at earlier epochs ($z$ ≳ 1.5). Despite large velocity dispersion at high redshift, cold and dense gas in galaxies predominantly arranges in disky or elongated shapes at all times and masses; these gaseous components exhibit rotationally dominated motions far exceeding the collisionless stellar bodies.
Discovery of an equal-mass ‘twin’ binary population reaching 1000 + au separations
Authors: El-Badry Kareem , Rix Hans-Walter , Tian Haijun , Duchêne Gaspard , Moe Maxwell
Published: September 2019

We use a homogeneous catalogue of 42 000 main-sequence wide binaries identified by Gaia to measure the mass ratio distribution, p(q), of binaries with primary masses 0.1 < M1/M⊙ < 2.5, mass ratios 0.1 ≲ q < 1, and separations $50 \lt s/{\rm au} \lt 50\, 000$. A well-understood selection function allows us to constrain p(q) in 35 independent bins of primary mass and separation, with hundreds to thousands of binaries in each bin. Our investigation reveals a sharp excess of equal-mass ‘twin’ binaries that is statistically significant out to separations of 1000–10 000 au, depending on primary mass. The excess is narrow: a steep increase in p(q) at 0.95 ≲ q < 1, with no significant excess at q ≲ 0.95. A range of tests confirm the signal is real, not a data artefact or selection effect. Combining the Gaia constraints with those from close binaries, we show that the twin excess decreases with increasing separation, but its width (q ≳ 0.95) is constant over $0.01 \lt a/{\rm au} \lt 10\, 000$. The wide twin population would be difficult to explain if the components of all wide binaries formed via core fragmentation, which is not expected to produce strongly correlated component masses. We conjecture that wide twins formed at closer separations (a ≲ 100 au), likely via accretion from circumbinary discs, and were subsequently widened by dynamical interactions in their birth environments. The separation-dependence of the twin excess then constrains the efficiency of dynamical widening and disruption of binaries in young clusters. We also constrain p(q) across 0.1 ≲ q < 1. Besides changes in the twin fraction, p(q) is independent of separation at fixed primary mass over $100 \lesssim s/{\rm au} \lt 50\, 000$. It is flatter than expected for random pairings from the initial mass function but more bottom-heavy for wide binaries than for binaries with a ≲100 au.
Blazhko-type fundamental-mode RR Lyrae stars in the globular cluster M3
Authors: Jurcsik J
Published: September 2019

Blazhko stars from the extended BVIC time series of RRab stars in the globular cluster M3 are analysed. This is the largest sample of Blazhko stars with full details of their Blazhko properties in a homogeneous stellar system. Blazhko periods and light-curve solutions are determined/estimated for 83 fundamental-mode variables. The lack of phase modulation in Oosterhoff type II stars and the diminishing relative strength of the modulation in long-period Oosterhoff type I stars are regular tendencies found between the pulsation and modulation properties of Blazko stars. Similarly to previous results, no modulation of the longest-period stars is detected. The onset of modulation in a previously regular RRab star and the similar distribution of modulated and non-modulated stars imply that the modulation is a temporal property of RR Lyrae (RRL) stars, which may occur at any time in any RRab star except the coolest ones. Comparing the modulation periods in M3 and in other samples of Blazhko stars, the mean log(Pmod) value is found to depend on the metallicity of the system. The separation of temperature- and radius-change induced variations supports our previous finding that the photometric radius variation does not show any modulation. The pulsation-averaged mean brightness and temperature of Blazhko stars are found to be larger in the large-amplitude phase of the modulation than in the small-amplitude phase. The larger the amplitude of the modulation, the larger the changes of the mean parameters detected.
The tale of the Milky Way globular cluster NGC 6362 – I. The orbit and its possible extended star debris features as revealed by Gaia DR2
Authors: Kundu Richa , Fernández-Trincado José G , Minniti Dante , Singh Harinder P , Moreno Edmundo , Reylé Céline , Robin Annie C , Soto Mario
Published: September 2019

We report the identification of possible extended star debris candidates beyond the cluster tidal radius of NGC 6362 based on the second Gaia data release (Gaia DR2). We found 259 objects possibly associated with the cluster lying in the vicinity of the giant branch and 1–2 magnitudes fainter/brighter than the main-sequence turn-off in the cluster colour–magnitude diagram and which cover an area on the sky of ∼4.1 deg2 centred on the cluster. We traced back the orbit of NGC 6362 in a realistic Milky Way potential, using the gravpot16 package, for 3 Gyr. The orbit shows that the cluster shares similar orbital properties as the inner disc, having peri-/apogalactic distances, and maximum vertical excursion from the Galactic plane inside the corotation radius (CR), moving inwards from CR radius to visit the inner regions of the Milky Way. The dynamical history of the cluster reveals that it has crossed the Galactic disc several times in its lifetime and has recently undergone a gravitational shock, ∼15.9 Myr ago, suggesting that less than 0.1 per cent of its mass has been lost during the current disc-shocking event. Based on the cluster’s orbit and position in the Galaxy, we conclude that the possible extended star debris candidates are a combined effect of the shocks from the Galactic disc and evaporation from the cluster. Lastly, the evolution of the vertical component of the angular momentum shows that the cluster is strongly affected dynamically by the Galactic bar potential.
WALLABY early science − V. ASKAP H i imaging of the Lyon Group of Galaxies 351
Authors: For B-Q , Staveley-Smith L , Westmeier T , Whiting M , Oh S-H , Koribalski B , Wang J , Wong O I , Bekiaris G , Cortese L , Elagali A , Kleiner D , Lee-Waddell K , Madrid J P , Popping A , Rhee J , Reynolds T N , Collier J D , Phillips C J , Voronkov M A , Müller O , Jerjen H
Published: September 2019

We present an H i study of the galaxy group LGG 351 using Widefield ASKAP L-band Legacy All-sky Blind Survey (WALLABY) early science data observed with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP). LGG 351 resides behind the M 83 group at a velocity range (cz) of ∼3500–4800 km s−1 within the rich Hydra-Centaurus overdensity region. We detect 40 sources with the discovery of a tidally interacting galaxy pair and two new H i sources that are not presented in previous optical catalogues. 23 out of 40 sources have new redshifts derived from the new H i data. This study is the largest WALLABY sub-sample to date and also allows us to further validate the performance of ASKAP and the data reduction pipeline askapsoft. Extended H i emission is seen in six galaxies indicating interaction within the group, although no H i debris is found. We also detect H i in a known ultra-faint dwarf galaxy (dw 1328−29), which demonstrates that it is not a satellite of the M 83 group as previously thought. In conjunction with multiwavelength data, we find that our galaxies follow the atomic gas fraction and baryonic Tully–Fisher scaling relations derived from the GALEX Arecibo SDSS Survey. In addition, majority of our galaxies fall within the star formation main sequence indicating inefficiency of gas removal processes in this loose galaxy group.
Dynamical masses and mass-to-light ratios of resolved massive star clusters – I. NGC 419 and NGC 1846
Authors: Song Ying-Yi , Mateo Mario , Mackey A D , Olszewski Edward W , Roederer Ian U , Walker Matthew G , Bailey John I
Published: September 2019

As an introduction of a kinematic survey of Magellanic Cloud (MC) star clusters, we report on the dynamical masses and mass-to-light ratios (M/L) of NGC 419 (Small Magellanic Cloud) and NGC 1846 (Large Magellanic Cloud). We have obtained more than one hundred high-resolution stellar spectra in and around each cluster using the multi-object spectrograph M2FS on the Magellan/Clay Telescope. Line-of-sight velocities and positions of the stars observed in each cluster were used as input to an expectation-maximization algorithm used to estimate cluster membership probabilities, resulting in samples of 46 and 52 likely members (PM ≥ 50 per cent) in NGC 419 and NGC 1846, respectively. This process employed single-mass King models constrained by the structural parameters of the clusters and provided self-consistent dynamical mass estimates for both clusters. Our best-fitting results show that NGC 419 has a projected central velocity dispersion of $2.44^{+0.37}_{-0.21}$ km s−1, corresponding to a total mass of $7.6^{+2.5}_{-1.3}\times 10^4\ {\rm M}_{\odot }$ and V-band M/L ratio of $0.22^{+0.08}_{-0.05}$ in solar units. For NGC 1846, the corresponding results are $2.04^{+0.28}_{-0.24}$ km s−1, $5.4^{+1.5}_{-1.4}\times 10^4\ {\rm M}_{\odot }$, and $0.32^{+0.11}_{-0.11}$. The mean metallicities of NGC 419 and NGC 1846 are found to be $\rm [Fe/H]=-0.84\pm 0.19$ and −0.70 ± 0.08, respectively, based on the spectra of likely cluster members. We find marginal statistical evidence of rotation in both clusters, though in neither cluster does rotation alter our mass estimates significantly. We critically compare our findings with those of previous kinematic studies of these two clusters in order to evaluate the consistency of our observational results and analytic tools.
GALEX absolute calibration and extinction coefficients based on white dwarfs
Authors: Wall Renae E , Kilic Mukremin , Bergeron P , Rolland B , Genest-Beaulieu C , Gianninas A
Published: September 2019

We use 1837 DA white dwarfs with high signal-to-noise ratio spectra and Gaia parallaxes to verify the absolute calibration and extinction coefficients for the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX). We use white dwarfs within 100 pc to verify the linearity correction to the GALEX data. We find that the linearity correction is valid for magnitudes brighter than 15.95 and 16.95 for the far-ultraviolet (FUV) and near-ultraviolet (NUV) bands, respectively. We also use DA white dwarfs beyond 250 pc to calculate extinction coefficients in the FUV and NUV bands: RFUV = 8.01 ± 0.07 and RNUV = 6.72 ± 0.04. These are consistent with the predicted extinction coefficients for Milky Way-type dust in the FUV, but smaller than predictions in the NUV. With well understood optical spectra and state-of-the-art model atmosphere analysis, these white dwarfs currently provide the best constraints on the extinction coefficients for the GALEX data.
V752 Cen - A triple-lined spectroscopic contact binary with sudden and continuous period changes
Authors: Zhou X , Soonthornthum B , Qian S-B , Fernández Lajús E
Published: September 2019

V752 Cen is a triple-lined spectroscopic contact binary. Its multi-colour light curves were obtained in the years 1971 and 2018, independently. Photometric analyses reveal that the two sets of light curves produce almost consistent results. It contains a W-subtype totally eclipsing binary, and its mass ratio and fill-out factor are q = 3.35(1) and $f = 29(2)\, {{\ \rm per\ cent}}$. The absolute elements of its two component stars were determined to be M1 = 0.39(2)M⊙, M2 = 1.31(7)M⊙, R1 = 0.77(1)R⊙, R2 = 1.30(2)R⊙, L1 = 0.75(3)L⊙ and L2 = 2.00(7)L⊙. The period of V752 Cen is 0.37023198 day. The 0.37-d period remained constant from its first measurement in 1971 until the year 2000. However, it changed suddenly around the year 2000 and has been increasing continuously at a rate of dP/dt = +5.05 × 10−7day · year−1 since then, which can be explained by mass transfer from the less massive component star to the more massive one with a rate of $\frac{dM_{2}}{dt}=2.52\times {10^{-7}}M_\odot /year$. The period variation of V752 Cen over the 48 years in which the period has been monitored is really unusual, and is potentially related to effects from the possible presence of a nearby third star or of a pair of stars in a second binary.
Gene Expression Modularity Reveals Footprints of Polygenic Adaptation in Theobroma cacao
Authors: Hämälä Tuomas , Guiltinan Mark J , Marden James H , Maximova Siela N , dePamphilis Claude W , Tiffin Peter
Published: September 2019

Separating footprints of adaptation from demography is challenging. When selection has acted on a single locus with major effect, this issue can be alleviated through signatures left by selective sweeps. However, as adaptation is often driven by small allele frequency shifts at many loci, studies focusing on single genes are able to identify only a small portion of genomic variants responsible for adaptation. In face of this challenge, we utilize coexpression information to search for signals of polygenetic adaptation in Theobroma cacao, a tropical tree species that is the source of chocolate. Using transcriptomics and a weighted correlation network analysis, we group genes with similar expression patterns into functional modules. We then ask whether modules enriched for specific biological processes exhibit cumulative effects of differential selection in the form of high FST and dXY between populations. Indeed, modules putatively involved in protein modification, flowering, and water transport show signs of polygenic adaptation even though individual genes that are members of those groups do not bear strong signatures of selection. Modeling of demography, background selection, and the effects of genomic features reveal that these patterns are unlikely to arise by chance. We also find that specific modules are enriched for signals of strong or relaxed purifying selection, with one module bearing signs of adaptive differentiation and an excess of deleterious mutations. Our results provide insight into polygenic adaptation and contribute to understanding of population structure, demographic history, and genome evolution in T. cacao.
Genomic and Phenotypic Analyses Reveal Mechanisms Underlying Homing Ability in Pigeon
Authors: Shao Yong , Tian Hang-Yu , Zhang Jing-Jing , Kharrati-Koopaee Hamed , Guo Xing , Zhuang Xiao-Lin , Li Ming-Li , Nanaie Hojat Asadollahpour , Dehghani Tafti Elahe , Shojaei Bahador , Reza Namavar Mohammad , Sotoudeh Narges , Oluwakemi Ayoola Adeola , Li Jia-Li , Liang Bin , Esmailizadeh Ali , Wang Shu , Wu Dong-Dong
Published: September 2019

The homing pigeon was selectively bred from the domestic pigeon for a homing ability over long distances, a very fascinating but complex behavioral trait. Here, we generate a total of 95 whole genomes from diverse pigeon breeds. Comparing the genomes from the homing pigeon population with those from other breeds identifies candidate positively selected genes, including many genes involved in the central nervous system, particularly spatial learning and memory such as LRP8. Expression profiling reveals many neuronal genes displaying differential expression in the hippocampus, which is the key organ for memory and navigation and exhibits significantly larger size in the homing pigeon. In addition, we uncover a candidate gene GSR (encoding glutathione-disulfide reductase) experiencing positive selection in the homing pigeon. Expression profiling finds that GSR is highly expressed in the wattle and visual pigment cell layer, and displays increased expression levels in the homing pigeon. In vitro, a magnetic field stimulates increases in calcium ion concentration in cells expressing pigeon GSR. These findings support the importance of the hippocampus (functioning in spatial memory and navigation) for homing ability, and the potential involvement of GSR in pigeon magnetoreception.
Submerged Urlinien, Shadow Urlinien, and Urlinie Play in the Left-Hand Melody Piece
Authors: Yorgason Brent
Published: September 2019

Piano pieces with the principal melody in the left hand pose interesting challenges for Schenkerian analysis, which generally favors outer voices for the components of the Ursatz. In the left-hand melody piece, the accompaniment is positioned above the melody, and bass lines may not be literally present. Middleground sketches of such pieces often featured a submerged Urlinie, which is a fundamental line that is positioned in an inner voice of the work’s texture (after Schachter 1994). These pieces also quite frequently involve “shadow Urlinien,” which are potentially viable fundamental lines in an upper voice that are perceptually weaker than Urlinien positioned in the principal melodic register. “Urlinie play” describes the analytical and phenomenological interplay between two potential fundamental lines, such as a submerged Urlinie and a shadow Urlinie. The analyses in this article examine aspects of Urlinie play in left-hand melody pieces by Schumann, Massenet, Beethoven, and Chopin, and describe that play in terms of four narrative categories: shadowing, role reversion, denial, and competition.
The missing heritability of familial colorectal cancer
Authors: Schubert Stephanie A , Morreau Hans , de Miranda Noel F C C , van Wezel Tom
Published: September 2019

Pinpointing heritability factors is fundamental for the prevention and early detection of cancer. Up to one-quarter of colorectal cancers (CRCs) occur in the context of familial aggregation of this disease, suggesting a strong genetic component. Currently, only less than half of the heritability of CRC can be attributed to hereditary syndromes or common risk loci. Part of the missing heritability of this disease may be explained by the inheritance of elusive high-risk variants, polygenic inheritance, somatic mosaicism, as well as shared environmental factors, among others. A great deal of the missing heritability in CRC is expected to be addressed in the coming years with the increased application of cutting-edge next-generation sequencing technologies, routine multigene panel testing and tumour-focussed germline predisposition screening approaches. On the other hand, it will be important to define the contribution of environmental factors to familial aggregation of CRC incidence. This review provides an overview of the known genetic causes of familial CRC and aims at providing clues that explain the missing heritability of this disease.
Teacher Labor Market Reforms
Authors: Cowen Joshua M. , Strunk Katharine O.
Published: September 2019

This chapter outlines recent reforms to the teaching profession, and discuss where and how future policy change is likely to occur. It focuses on teacher evaluation, job security, compensation, and recruitment, and on collective bargaining agreements that teachers’ unions negotiate with their districts, and the authors conclude with the expectation that the next decade will feature new and ongoing debates over each of these issues. Teacher labor issues will continue to vary in their details by state, as do other areas of education law and policy. The chapter notes, however, that new changes to the teacher labor market are unlikely to be substantial enough on their own to change more fundamental economic, demographic, and sociological conditions that provide the backdrop to where teachers work and organize. The chapter also acknowledges that much remains hidden from view. As researchers and policymakers understand more about how children learn, the authors believe that the laws governing not only teachers and teaching but public education more generally will shift to incorporate those new directions—wherever they lead. For teacher advocates, such changes need not undermine the professionalism or the security of employment or of purpose that historically has drawn new educators into the profession. But all stakeholders should hope and expect that whatever new reforms occur—for teachers, their unions’, their contracts, and the schools in which they work—they begin from a perspective that places opportunity for children as the first principle of public education.
National Identity and Satire
Authors: O'Shaughnessy David
Published: September 2019

The eighteenth century was a period when ambitious Irish dramatists, particularly those based in London, deployed satire as a means of publicly displaying Irish improvement and Enlightenment. The Stage Irishman evolved over the period to become less an object than a tool of satire. Central to this process was new historiographical work by Irish historians that provided an ideological basis for this new drama. The Declaratory Act (1720) provoked Irish patriot writers; the failed Jacobite Rebellion (1745) offered them an opportunity to denigrate the Scottish to further Irish claims of Celtic authenticity; and the Irish rebellion (1798) muted the sense of possibility around the politics of national identity and satire.
Mary and Modern Catholic Material Culture
Authors: de la Cruz Deirdre
Published: September 2019

This chapter assesses the persistence of material culture in modern Marian devotion, against the backdrop of technological developments in the mass media and in conjunction with a history of modern apparitions. It argues that, despite the ‘virtualization’ of Marian phenomena, iconography, and devotional practice through media such as photography and the internet, the sensuous materiality of objects such as statues, relics, and the rosary still offers an important means through which the faithful experience Mary collectively and phenomenologically. Linking the centrality of material religion in Mary’s cult to theological notions of her corporeal incorruptibility and intercessory power, the chapter presents several cases where both mass and materially mediated images and relics of Mary have been used to propagate devotion to her. The chapter concludes with a discussion of deterritorialized religion in the digital age, arguing that despite the effect of technologies like the internet on Marian devotion and phenomena, Mary’s devotees will still reach for tangible signs of her presence.
Mary and Inculturation in Mexico and India
Authors: Granziera Patrizia
Published: September 2019

In sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Mexico and India, the task of evangelization was in the hands of the missionaries, who mostly venerated the ‘Immaculate Virgin’. This Marianism is linked to the Counter-Reformation spirit in Europe and especially in the Iberian Peninsula. However, goddess cults were already a central part of pre-Hispanic and Indian religions. This chapter explores how European missionaries responded to the popularity of the goddesses in the new colonized lands (Mexico and India) and how Mary’s image was carefully shaped according to what they encountered in the conquered lands. It asks how similar or different were the symbols used to represent the idea of a female divine in Catholic and natives’ religions. This analysis will be based on an examination of colonial writings and devotional images in both Mexico and India.