bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Delinquency as a consequence of parental warmth and self‐efficacy: Total sample and individual male and female mediation analyses
Authors: Walters Glenn D.
Published: May 2021

Introduction

This study's purpose was to investigate the mediating effect of parental control self‐efficacy on the parental warmth → child delinquency relationship in the mothers and fathers of early to mid‐adolescent youth in a test of performance accomplishments as a prelude to parental self‐efficacy.

Methods

Parental warmth and control self‐efficacy estimates, representing parental support and control, respectively, were provided by the mothers and fathers of 3934 (2010 boys, 1924 girls) youth from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) and self‐reported delinquency was obtained from the child.

Results

As predicted, parental control self‐efficacy mediated the relationship between parental warmth and child delinquency, whereas parental warmth did not mediate the relationship between parental self‐efficacy and child delinquency. When analyses were performed separately for boys and girls, the father warmth → father self‐efficacy → child delinquency pathway achieved the most consistent results in boys and the mother warmth → mother self‐efficacy → child delinquency pathway achieved the only significant effect in girls.

Conclusions

These results suggest that performance accomplishments, as characterized by a warm parent–child relationship, led to enhanced parental control self‐efficacy, which, in turn, served to inhibit future delinquency in the child, thereby lending credence to a social cognitive learning theory interpretation of the parental support–control interface.
SUEZ's MABR technology helps UK facility meet strict ammonia targets within an existing plant footprint
Authors: Atkinson Simon
Published: May 2021

SUEZ's ZeeLungTM technology has the ability to quickly, easily and cost-effectively upgrade existing wastewater treatment plants. As explained in an earlier issue of Membrane Technology (November 2020, page 5), it was recently used to upgrade a facility in Ontario, Canada. This focus article provides an insight into how the company's ZeeLung membrane aerated biofilm reactor technology is being used to help a facility in the UK meet stringent ammonia targets within an existing plant footprint.
Community Behavioral and Perceived Responses in the COVID-19 Outbreak in Afghanistan: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Mousavi Sayed Hamid , Delshad Mohammad Hossein , Acuti Martellucci Cecilia , Bhandari Divya , Ozaki Akihiko , Pourhaji Fatemeh , Pourhaji Fahimeh , Reza Hosseini Sayed Mohammad , Roien Rohullah , Ramozi Abass Ali , Wafaee Marzia , Qaderi Shohra , Delsoz Mohammad , Sigdel Shailendra , Kotera Yasuhiro , Sawano Toyoaki , Dhama Kuldeep , Rodríguez-Morales Alfonso J. , Wang Jiwei , Tanimoto Tetsuya , Yousefi Ali Ahmad , Sah Ranjit
Published: May 2021

Objective:

Community responses are important for the management of early-phase outbreaks of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Perceived susceptibility and severity are considered key elements that motivate people to adopt nonpharmaceutical interventions. This study aimed to (i) explore perceived susceptibility and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, (ii) examine the practice of nonpharmaceutical interventions, and (iii) assess the potential association of perceived COVID-19 susceptibility and severity with the practice of nonpharmaceutical interventions among people living in Afghanistan.

Methods:

A cross-sectional design was used, using online surveys disseminated from April to May 2020. Convenience sampling was used to recruit the participants of this study. The previously developed scales were used to assess the participants’ demographic information, perceived risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, and perceived severity of COVID-19. Multivariate analyses were conducted to assess the potential association of perceived COVID-19 susceptibility and severity with the practice of nonpharmaceutical interventions.

Results:

The Internet was the main source for obtaining COVID-19 information among participants in this study. While 45.8% of the participants believed it was “very unlikely” for them to get infected with COVID-19, 76.7% perceived COVID-19 as a severe disease. Similarly, 37.5% believed the chance of being cured if infected with COVID-19 is “unlikely/very unlikely.” The majority of participants (95.6%) perceived their health to be in “good” and “very good” status. Overall, 74.2% mentioned that they stopped visiting public places, 49.7% started using gloves, and 70.4% started wearing a mask. Participants who believed they have a low probability of survival if infected with COVID-19 were more likely to wear masks and practice hand washing.

Conclusions:

It appears that communities’ psychological and behavioral responses were affected by the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Afghanistan, especially among young Internet users. The findings gained from a timely behavioral assessment of the community might be useful to develop interventions and risk communication strategies in epidemics within and beyond COVID-19.
Assessment of New York City Urgent Care Centers’ Emergency Preparedness and Infection Prevention and Control Practices, 2016–2017
Authors: Jacobs-Wingo Jasmine , Beatty Norman L , Jang Kristine , Foote Mary MK
Published: May 2021

Background:

Urgent care centers (UCCs) have become frontline healthcare facilities for individuals with acute infectious diseases. Additionally, UCCs could potentially support the healthcare system response during a public health emergency. Investigators sought to assess NYC UCCs’ implementation of nationally-recommended IPC and EP practices.

Methods:

Investigators identified 199 eligible UCCs based on criteria defined by the Urgent Care Association of America. Multiple facilities under the same ownership were considered a network. As part of a cross-sectional analysis, an electronic survey was sent to UCC representatives assessing their respective facilities’ IPC and EP practices. Representatives of urgent care networks responded on behalf of all UCCs within the network if all sites within the network used the same policies and procedures.

Results:

Of the respondents, 18 representing 144 UCCs completed the survey. Of these, 8 of them (44.4% of the respondents) represented more than 1 facility that utilized standardized practices (range = 2-60 facilities). Overall, 81.3% have written IPC policies, 75.0% have EP policies, 80.6% require staff to train on IPC, and 75.7% train staff on EP.

Conclusion:

Most UCCs reported implementation of IPC and EP practices; however, the comprehensiveness of these activities varied across UCCs. Public health can better prepare the healthcare system by engaging UCCs in planning and executing of IPC and EP-related initiatives.
Psychometric Evaluation of the Disaster Preparedness Evaluation Tool© (DPET) on Emergency Nurses in Mainland China: Two Cross-Sectional Studies
Authors: Wang Jia , Lu Sihui , Sun Xinglan , Wang Fen , Wan Meijuan , Chen Hanxi , Tan Yibing
Published: May 2021

Background:

Emergency nurses play a major role in disaster relief in mainland China, but there is no valid instrument to measure the extent of their disaster preparedness. The Disaster Preparedness Evaluation Tool© is a reliable instrument to assess the disaster preparedness of nurse practitioners. The tool has been translated and validated in Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, China and the United States of America.

Objectives:

This study aimed at translating and adapting the Disaster Preparedness Evaluation Tool© (DPET) for emergency nurses in mainland China and determining its psychometric properties.

Design, Settings and Participants:

A total of 2 cross-sectional online surveys were conducted in the emergency departments of 26 public grade III-A hospitals in Guangdong, mainland China. In the first study, 633 emergency nurses were recruited from May to August, 2018. In the second study, 205 were recruited in April 2019.

Methods:

The instrument was adapted through rigorous forward-backward translation, face validity, and pre-test processes. Exploratory factor and parallel analyses were used in the first study. Confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency and split-half reliability were used in the second study.

Results:

Exploratory factor and parallel analyses extracted a 5-factor solution comprising of 34 items that accounted for 64.06% of the total variance. The fit indices indicated a good model fit. The reliability was good, as indicated by a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.97 and a split-half reliability coefficient of 0.97.

Conclusion:

The mainland China version of the DPET (DPET-MC) was a reliable and valid instrument and can be used in practice.
Effective Judicial Protection and Mutual Recognition in the European Administrative Space
Authors: Arroyo Jiménez Luis
Published: May 2021

The right to effective judicial protection is driving to a significant evolution of EU administrative law, especially in view of the multijurisdictional nature of the European administrative structure. This Article focuses on gaps in judicial protection arising from mutual recognition in transnational interactions between the administrative authorities of the EU’s Member States. It first sets the ground by examining the ingredients of the equation: The fundamental right to effective judicial protection, the concept and forms of mutual recognition, and the notion of European administrative space. Next, this Article assesses the judicial protection that private parties can obtain from national courts in these transnational scenarios. Procedure, substance, and deference are separately explored here, in order to draw out blind spots and deficiencies, as well as to suggest possible solutions to address at least some of them. This Article ends with a brief summary of the main findings.
Judicial and Extra-Judicial Challenges in the EU Multi- and Cross-Level Administrative Framework
Authors: Eliantonio Mariolina , Vogiatzis Nikos
Published: May 2021

This Special Issue aims at interrogating the judicial and extra-judicial challenges that arise from the EU complex administrative framework, which can be characterized as both multi-level—arising from the vertical cooperation between EU and national authorities—and cross-level—arising from horizontal cooperation between national authorities themselves. It starts from the premise that there may be decisions affecting natural and legal persons which cannot be easily reviewed judicially, whereas in extra-judicial cooperation, the lack of common standards or practices across Member States may undermine the effectiveness of EU policies and objectives. This Special Issue focuses on various mechanisms of horizontal and vertical cooperation, such as regulatory patterns giving rise to transnational administrative acts and mutual recognition systems, case studies of composite procedures in the field of the genetically modified organisms regime and information sharing in asylum policy, as well as multi-level inspection activities for the enforcement of EU law. It further complements the analysis on the judicial challenges arising from those cooperative structures with an examination of extra-judicial avenues of control in the EU administrative framework, namely the “EU queries” process and the cooperation of ombud offices, as well as the audit of the EU budget. This Special Issue reflects on ways to overcome the current challenges of, and seeks to prompt further research on, the multi-layered EU system of administrative cooperation.
Storied Social Change: Recovering Jane Addams's Early Model of Constituent Storytelling to Navigate the Practical Challenges of Speaking for Others
Authors: Fenton Jennifer Kiefer
Published: May 2021

This essay recovers Jane Addams's (1860–1935) practice of constituent storytelling as a resource for contemporary social-change-nonprofit professional practice and activism. Whereas feminist theorizing is rich with resources for theorizing about constituent storytelling, Addams, as both a publicly engaged philosopher and a social-change-nonprofit professional, is uniquely situated to provide practical ways forward for social-change practitioners navigating the lived complexities of speaking for others in light of spatial stratification, subordinating structures, and epistemic exclusion. As a hybrid activist-scholar situated across diverse spaces, Addams serves as a bridge between feminist theorizing about speaking for others, and practices of it among social-change-nonprofit professionals and activists. I show that Addams reveals new ways of thinking about the practice of constituent storytelling for social-change-nonprofit professionals. Namely, in this lived context, speaking for others entails speaking for them through one's own story. Responsible constituent storytelling names oneself as a speaker, owns one's own social standpoint in this rhetorical naming practice, and orients the story through one's own journey—a journey inevitably riddled with failures and faulty assumptions—toward democratic neighborship with the Other across difference.
Party–group interactions in Southern Europe: evidence from an expert survey
Authors: Lisi Marco
Published: May 2021

Despite the development of empirical research on the relations between parties and interest groups, the topic is still understudied and presents several shortcomings. On the one hand, this relationship has been studied mostly from the political parties' point of view. On the other, there is a lack of consensus regarding the determinants of party–group connection. This study aims to advance our knowledge on the topic by examining the relationship between interest groups and political parties in Southern European countries (Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain). By relying on new data collected through an expert survey, we focus specifically on the strength of the linkage established between parties and interest groups, as well as their determinants. The results suggest that there is a great variation in party–group links, which is explained mostly by party characteristics, namely the type of parties, ideology, and their electoral strength.
OPPOSITION REPERTOIRES UNDER AUTHORITARIAN RULE: VIETNAM'S 2016 SELF-NOMINATION MOVEMENT
Authors: Truong Nhu
Published: May 2021

Civil society actors collectively organized online and offline to nominate themselves and oppose the Vietnamese Communist Party in the 2016 legislative election. The level of opposition coordination among these independent self-nominees exceeded and qualitatively differed from previous atomized attempts in the 2011 election. External shifts in the political opportunity structure offer only a partial explanation for the increased coordination among independent candidates in Vietnam's 2016 self-nomination movement. In this article, I theorize that it is the combination of both opportunity structure and overlapping linkages across spheres of social contention and civil society, all accumulated from a prior history of protests and activism, that provide the conditions for the emergence of independent self-nominees and opposition coordination in single-party-elections. In Vietnam, a cumulative process of participation in social contention and civil society organizations during 2011 to 2016 allowed actors to develop linkages that strengthened their repertoires of contention and resonant frames of collective action. These linkages, combined with favorable political opportunities, effectively facilitated greater mobilization and coordination among independent self-nominees in the 2016 election.
Modeling the impacts of climate change on mass balance and discharge of Eklutna Glacier, Alaska, 1985–2019
Authors: Geck Jason , Hock Regine , Loso Michael G. , Ostman Johnse , Dial Roman
Published: May 2021

Alaska's largest city, Anchorage, depends on Eklutna Glacier meltwater for drinking water and hydropower generation; however, the 29 km2 glacier is rapidly retreating. We used a temperature-index model forced with local weather station data to reconstruct the glacier's mass balance for the period 1985–2019 and quantify the impacts of glacier change on discharge. Model calibration involved a novel combination of in situ, geodetic mass-balance measurements and observed snowlines from satellite imagery. A resulting ensemble of 250 best-fitting model parameters was used to model mass balance and discharge. Eklutna Glacier experienced a significant negative trend (−0.31 m w.e. decade−1) in annual mean surface mass balance (mean: −0.62 ± 0.06 m w.e.). The day of the year when 95% of annual melt occurs was five days later in 2011–19 than in 1985–93, demonstrating a prolongation of melt season (May–September). Modeled mean specific discharge increased at 0.14 m decade−1, indicating peak water, the year when annual discharge reaches a maximum due to glacier retreat, has not been reached. Four of the five highest discharge years occurred since 2000. Increases in discharge quantity and melt season length require water resource managers consider future decreased discharge as the glacier continues to shrink.
Thin-skinned leaders: regime legitimation, protest issues, and repression in autocracies
Authors: Keremoğlu Eda , Hellmeier Sebastian , Weidmann Nils B.
Published: May 2021

The literature on autocracies has argued that repression of protest is either a result of the political environment in which protest occurs, or depends on particular characteristics of the protest events themselves. We argue that the interaction of both matters. Authoritarian regimes vary in how they legitimize their rule, and they should be particularly thin-skinned if protesters challenge the basis of their legitimacy. Using event-level data on mass mobilization in autocracies between 2003 and 2015, we use text classification methods to extract protest issues from newspaper reports. Our analysis shows that dictators are more likely to repress protest against incumbents when they claim legitimacy based on the person of the leader. Overall, our study shows that protest issues are not universal in triggering repression; rather, they need to be considered together with the political context in which they are raised.
Are foods ‘healthy’ or ‘healthier’? Front-of-pack labelling and the concept of healthiness applied to foods
Authors: Julia Chantal , Fialon Morgane , Galan Pilar , Deschasaux-Tanguy Mélanie , Andreeva Valentina A. , Kesse-Guyot Emmanuelle , Touvier Mathilde , Hercberg Serge
Published: May 2021

While food-based dietary guidelines have been widely disseminated for decades to improve nutritional knowledge in the population about healthy diets, more recent interventions such as front-of-pack labelling have made the differences between the two approaches apparent. While food-based dietary guidelines provide the overarching framework and benchmarks for a healthy diet, based on the current knowledge of the associations between various dietary components and health outcomes, front-of-pack labelling provides guidance to select a specific food, either within a food group or among similar foods belonging to various brands. Labelling foods as ‘healthy’ or ‘unhealthy’ raises multiple questions on the criteria used to define the terms and the implications of assigning an absolute healthiness value to an individual food in the context of complex diets. Gradual systems may provide more relative assessments and avoid dichotomisation. The present article presents the inherent differences and the complementarity of food-based dietary guidelines and food choice guidance in the context of food labelling.
Genetically determined variations of selenoprotein P are associated with antioxidant, muscular, and lipid biomarkers in response to Brazil nut consumption by patients using statins
Authors: Moriguchi Watanabe Lígia , Bueno Ana C. , de Lima Livia F. , Ferraz-Bannitz Rafael , Dessordi Renata , Guimarães Mariana P. , Foss-Freitas Maria C. , Barbosa Fernando , Navarro Anderson M.
Published: May 2021

Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) could indirectly, as well directly, influence metabolic parameters related to health effects in response to selenium (Se) supplementation. This study aimed to investigate whether the selenoprotein SNPs were associated with the response of Se status biomarkers to the Brazil nut consumption in patients using statins and if the variation in Se homoeostasis could affect antioxidant protection, lipid profile, muscle homoeostasis and selenoproteins mRNA. The study was performed in the Ribeirão Preto Medical School University Hospital. Thirty-two patients using statins received one unit of Brazil nut daily for 3 months. Body composition, blood Se concentrations, erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triacylglycerol (TAG), creatine kinase (CK) activity and gene expression of GPX1 and selenoprotein P (SELENOP) were evaluated before and after Brazil nut consumption. The volunteers were genotyped for SNP in GPX1 (rs1050450) and SELENOP (rs3877899 and rs7579). SNPs in selenoproteins were not associated with plasma and erythrocyte Se, but SNPs in SELENOP influenced the response of erythrocyte GPX activity and CK activity, TAG and LDL after Brazil nut consumption. Also, Brazil nut consumption increased GPX1 mRNA expression only in subjects with rs1050450 CC genotype. SELENOP mRNA expression was significantly lower in subjects with rs7579 GG genotype before and after the intervention. Thus, SNP in SELENOP could be associated with interindividual differences in Se homeostasis after Brazil nut consumption, emphasising the involvement of genetic variability in response to Se consumption towards health maintenance and disease prevention.
Polygenic liability, stressful life events and risk for secondary-treated depression in early life: a nationwide register-based case-cohort study
Authors: Musliner Katherine L. , Andersen Klaus K. , Agerbo Esben , Albiñana Clara , Vilhjalmsson Bjarni J. , Rajagopal Veera M. , Bybjerg-Grauholm Jonas , Bækved-Hansen Marie , Pedersen Carsten B. , Pedersen Marianne G. , Munk-Olsen Trine , Benros Michael E. , Als Thomas D. , Grove Jakob , Werge Thomas , Børglum Anders D. , Hougaard David M. , Mors Ole , Nordentoft Merete , Mortensen Preben B. ,   Major Depressive Disorder Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, Suppli Nis P.
Published: May 2021

Background

In this study, we examined the relationship between polygenic liability for depression and number of stressful life events (SLEs) as risk factors for early-onset depression treated in inpatient, outpatient or emergency room settings at psychiatric hospitals in Denmark.

Methods

Data were drawn from the iPSYCH2012 case-cohort sample, a population-based sample of individuals born in Denmark between 1981 and 2005. The sample included 18 532 individuals who were diagnosed with depression by a psychiatrist by age 31 years, and a comparison group of 20 184 individuals. Information on SLEs was obtained from nationwide registers and operationalized as a time-varying count variable. Hazard ratios and cumulative incidence rates were estimated using Cox regressions.

Results

Risk for depression increased by 35% with each standard deviation increase in polygenic liability (p < 0.0001), and 36% (p < 0.0001) with each additional SLE. There was a small interaction between polygenic liability and SLEs (β = −0.04, p = 0.0009). The probability of being diagnosed with depression in a hospital-based setting between ages 15 and 31 years ranged from 1.5% among males in the lowest quartile of polygenic liability with 0 events by age 15, to 18.8% among females in the highest quartile of polygenic liability with 4+ events by age 15.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that although there is minimal interaction between polygenic liability and SLEs as risk factors for hospital-treated depression, combining information on these two important risk factors could potentially be useful for identifying high-risk individuals.
Worldview studies
Authors: Stenmark Mikael
Published: May 2021

I argue that philosophers of religion should not merely focus on religions but should pay much more attention to the secular outlooks on life emerging in contemporary society. To compare these outlooks, I suggest that we use the notion of worldview, and contrast religious worldviews with secular worldviews − rather than contrasting religions with nonreligions, which scholars of religion have recently tended to do. Accordingly, religious people should be contrasted with secular people and not with religious ‘nones’. I also explore the specific contribution of philosophy of religion to worldviews studies, and discuss why such a contribution is considered controversial within religious studies circles. I contend that it should instead be a legitimate and essential part of the academic study of worldviews.
Systematic review of cancer-related fatigue instruments in breast cancer patients
Authors: Amarsheda Shila , Bhise Anjali R.
Published: May 2021

Objective

Fatigue is having high prevalence and increased acknowledgment of negative effect on the patient's well-being which has resulted in fatigue being important research variable in breast cancer patients. The recent development shows greater receptivity of health professionals to assessing cancer-related fatigue (CRF). In this review, an attempt has been made to identify CRF instruments which have been used in breast cancer patients with the detailed description about the instruments and their psychometric properties.

Method

A search was conducted from January 2000 to April 2020 from electronic databases such as PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and Google Scholar. The studies were included if the instrument was used to measure fatigue in breast cancer patients and its description and psychometric properties reported in breast cancer patients. The search was limited to studies in the English language and use of English version of instruments.

Results

Among 34 CRF instruments, 9 instruments were included according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. From nine instruments, six were multidimensional, two were unidimensional, and one instrument was quality-of-life (QOL) subscale. All the scales have showed accepted reliability and validity in breast cancer patients. A minimal clinically important difference was available for Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory — Short Form, Brief Fatigue Inventory, Piper Fatigue Scale — Revised, FACIT Fatigue scale, and Fatigue symptom inventory instruments.

Significance of results

This review will help healthcare providers who are dealing with breast cancer patients to acknowledge and better understand what their patients are experiencing. The most appropriate tool will allow healthcare providers to use for holistic assessment of CRF. The instrument will help them to monitor their patient's condition or treatment progress, so it can be incorporated into treatment decisions for better management of fatigue.
Globalizing Racism and De-provincializing Muslim Africa
Authors: Young Alden , Weitzberg Keren
Published: May 2021

One of the paradoxes of history is that it took Africa's contact with the Arab world to make the Black people of Africa realize that they were black in description, but not necessarily in status … On the other hand, it took European conceptualization and cartography to turn Africa into a continent.

Ali A. Mazrui, “The Re-invention of Africa: Edward Said, V. Y. Mudimbe, and Beyond,”Research in African Literatures36/3 (2005), 68–82, at 70

Historians of Africa can no longer overlook race. To scholars of African-diaspora studies (who often work under the rubric of Africana studies, black studies, and African American studies), the recognition of this fact is long overdue. With the rise of the area-studies paradigm in the 1950s, North American scholars of Africa became preoccupied with the rise of nationalism and the writing or critique of national histories. The future was defined by national development, while the study of the past was centered on the search for a pristine precolonial identity. Consequently, a world of nations took precedence in scholarly writing over concerns about the management of empires, colonies and, strikingly, races. Even as Africanist scholars came to reevaluate the successes and failures of the postcolonial experience across Africa in the 1970s, they frequently lamented the persistence of ethnic conflict, but not of ongoing forms of racial hierarchy. Race, insofar as it was treated at all, tended to be confined to the “colonial episode” and to settler states, like South Africa.
Effect of embryo cryopreservation duration on pregnancy-related complications and birthweight after frozen-thawed embryo transfer: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Xu Jing-Jing , Chen Lei , Li Cheng , Duan Chen-Chi , Huang He-Feng , Wu Yan-Ting
Published: May 2021

Frozen embryo transfer (FET) has been adopted by growing number of reproductive medicine centers due to the improved outcome compared with fresh embryo transfer. However, few studies have focused on the impact of embryo cryopreservation duration on pregnancy-related complications and neonatal birthweight. Thus, a retrospective cohort study including all FET cycles with livebirth deliveries in a university affiliated hospital from May 2010 to September 2017 was conducted. These deliveries were grouped by the cryopreservation duration of the transferred embryo (≤3 months, 4–6 months, 7–12 months, and >12 months). The associations between embryo cryopreservation duration and pregnancy-related complications were evaluated among the groups using multinomial logistic regression. Neonatal birthweight was compared according to the stratification of singletons and multiples using multinomial and multilevel logistic regression, respectively. Among all 12,158 FET cycles, a total of 3864 livebirth deliveries comprising 2995 singletons and 1739 multiples were included. Compared with those within 3 months, women undergoing FET after a cryopreservation time longer than 3 months did not show any increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, meconium staining of the amniotic fluid, or preterm birth. Furthermore, the risk of lower birthweight, macrosomia, small-for-gestational-age, or large-for-gestational-age for either singletons or multiples was not affected by long-term cryopreservation. In summary, embryo cryopreservation duration does not have negative effects on pregnancy-related complications or birthweight after FET.
The Evolution of the Wave‐One Ozone Maximum During the 2017 LASIC Field Campaign at Ascension Island
Authors: Jenkins Gregory S. , de Castro Vagner , Cunha Bruno , Fontanez Ivan , Holzworth Robert
Published: May 2021

Aerosols associated with biomass burning sources in Southern Africa were the focus during the LASIC, CLARIFY, and ORACLES field intensives across the South Tropical Atlantic in August and September of 2017. During this period, we launched 20 ozonesondes to produce a high temporal resolution data set to complement the once per week regular ozonesondes to investigate episodes of elevated O3 mixing ratios from westward moving biomass burning from Southern Africa. Vertical profiles of tropospheric ozone reveal the presence of elevated ozone mixing ratios due to biomass burning in the lower to middle troposphere during this period. The collected data show ozone mixing ratios exceeded 80 ppb between 850 and 550 hPa when the origin of air was Southern Africa (Angola and regions to east). We also find elevated O3 mixing ratios in the 500–300 hPa layer, which could be linked to production of O3 via lightning (LNOX) from deep convection over Africa, which is transported into the Southern Hemisphere by the Tropical Easterly Jet (TEJ). Low‐ozone mixing ratios in the lower troposphere are associated with transport from the Northern Tropical Atlantic, and there is evidence of pollution from South America. Surprisingly, we find limited observations of African Easterly Jet‐South (AEJ‐S) in its strong phase at Ascension Island, but elevated O3 mixing ratios are found when it does occur.
Analysis of Oil and Gas Ethane and Methane Emissions in the Southcentral and Eastern United States Using Four Seasons of Continuous Aircraft Ethane Measurements
Authors: Barkley Z. R. , Davis K. J. , Feng S. , Cui Y. Y. , Fried A. , Weibring P. , Richter D. , Walega J. G. , Miller S. M. , Eckl M. , Roiger A. , Fiehn A. , Kostinek J.
Published: May 2021

In the last decade, much work has been done to better understand methane (CH4) emissions from the oil and gas (O&G) industry in the United States. Ethane (C2H6), a gas that is co‐emitted with thermogenic sources of CH4, is emitted in the US predominantly by the O&G sector. In this study, we perform an inverse analysis on 200 h of atmospheric boundary layer C2H6 measurements to estimate C2H6 emissions from the US O&G sector. Measurements were collected from 2017 to 2019 as part of the Atmospheric Carbon and Transport (ACT) America aircraft campaign and encompass much of the central and eastern United States. We find that for the fall, winter, and spring campaigns, C2H6 data consistently exceeds values that would be expected based on EPA O&G leak rate estimates by more than 50%. C2H6 observations from the summer 2019 data set show significantly lower C2H6 enhancements in the southcentral region that cannot be reconciled with data from the other three seasons, either due to complex meteorological conditions or a temporal shift in the emissions. Combining the fall, winter, and spring C2H6 posterior emissions estimate to an inventory of O&G CH4 emissions, we estimate that O&G CH4 emissions are larger than EPA inventory values by 48%–76%. Uncertainties in the gas composition data limit the accuracy of using C2H6 as a proxy for O&G CH4 emissions. These limits could be resolved retroactively by increasing the availability of industry‐collected gas composition data.
Signatures of Shallow and Deep Clouds Inferred From Precipitation Microphysics Over Windward Side of Western Ghats
Authors: Sumesh R. K. , Resmi E. A. , Unnikrishnan C. K. , Jash Dharmadas , Ramachandran K. K.
Published: May 2021

Macrophysical and microphysical features of clouds and precipitation at coastal [20 m above Mean Sea Level (MSL)] and high‐altitude cloud physics observatory (HACPO; 1820 m above MSL) sites on the windward side of Western Ghats are examined using ground (Ceilometer and Disdrometer) and satellite‐based observations for the years 2017 and 2018 during the pre‐ and post‐monsoon seasons. Low‐ and high‐level clouds dominate over the coastal site, whereas at HACPO, middle‐level clouds dominate with a prominent diurnal cycle. Stratiform and convective raindrop size distributions (RSDs) show that nearly 80% of total precipitation was convective in both the seasons at the coastal site. The relative increase in mass‐weighted mean diameter (Dm), lower value of normalized intercept parameter (Nw) and higher mean cloud effective radius of ice and liquid phase imply deeper cloud formation in the site. But at HACPO, 54.85% of precipitation is evolved from the convective core and 45.15% from the stratiform core. Lower specific humidity, less liquid water content and weak convective available potential energy signify a dry environment which delimits vertical growth of orographic clouds in coherence with RSD variations having low Dm and high Nw with low rainwater content. Enhanced collision‐coalescence in the deep convective clouds sustained by strong updraft results in precipitation with high concentration of mid and large size drops at coastal site, whereas in HACPO, middle‐level clouds persist for longer periods favoring warm rain processes by shallow convection that cause smaller drops at the surface.
Soil Nitrogen Transformations Respond Diversely to Multiple Levels of Nitrogen Addition in a Tibetan Alpine Steppe
Authors: Mao Chao , Kou Dan , Peng Yunfeng , Qin Shuqi , Zhang Qiwen , Yang Yuanhe
Published: May 2021

Elevated reactive nitrogen (N) input could modify soil N transformations, regulating ecosystem functions such as soil N retention and loss. Although multiple hypotheses advocate nonlinear variations in soil N transformations with continuous N input, there still lacks empirical evidences for the responses of soil N transformations to multiple N additions. Here, based on a manipulative N addition experiment and a 15N pool dilution approach, we explored changes in soil gross N transformations with eight N addition levels and associated mechanisms in a Tibetan alpine steppe. Our results showed that soil gross N mineralization rate (GNM) increased first and then stabilized with increasing N additions. Meanwhile, soil microbial immobilization rate (MIM) exhibited an initially increased and subsequently declined pattern under various N addition levels. In contrast, soil gross nitrification rate (GN) increased linearly across multiple N addition levels. Our results also revealed that variations in GNM were mainly regulated by aboveground vegetation N pool‐induced changes in dissolved organic N content along the N addition gradient. Meanwhile, changes in GN were dominantly modified by soil pH‐induced variations in ammonia‐oxidizing archaea abundance across multiple N addition levels. Additionally, alterations in MIM under various N input levels were primarily controlled by microbial biomass which was regulated by dissolved organic carbon content under low N input and NH4+‐N content at high N level, respectively. Overall, patterns and drivers of soil N transformations observed in this study provide valuable benchmark for Earth system models to better predict ecosystem N dynamics under global N‐enrichment scenarios.
A Comparison of Ecological Memory of Lake Ice‐Off in Eight North‐Temperate Lakes
Authors: Dugan Hilary A.
Published: May 2021

Ice‐off dates on lakes are some of the longest phenological records in the field of ecology, and some of the best evidence of long‐term climatic change. However, there has been little investigation as to whether the date of ice‐off on a lake impacts spring and summer ecosystem dynamics. Here, I analyzed 274 years of long‐term data from eight north temperate lakes in two climate zones to address whether lakes have ecological memory of ice‐off in the subsequent summer. Five metrics were investigated: epilimnion temperatures, hypolimnion temperatures, hypolimnetic oxygen drawdown, water clarity, and spring primary productivity. The response of the metrics to ice‐off date were variable across latitude and lake type. The northern set of lakes stratified quickly following ice‐off, and early ice‐off years resulted in significantly warmer hypolimnetic temperatures. Oxygen depletion in the hypolimnion was not impacted by ice‐off date, likely because in late ice‐off years the lakes did not fully mix. In the southern lakes, ice‐off date was not correlated to the onset of stratification, with the latter being a more dominant control on hypolimnetic temperature and oxygen. The implications of these findings is that as ice‐off date trends earlier in many parts of the world, the lakes that will likely experience the largest changes in spring and summer ecosystem properties are the lakes that currently have the longest duration of lake ice. In considering a future with warmer winters, these results provide a starting point for predicting how lake ecosystem properties will change with earlier ice‐off.
Moderate DNA hypomethylation suppresses intestinal tumorigenesis by promoting caspase-3 expression and apoptosis
Authors: Duan Xiaoya , Huang Yuanyong , Chen Xiaoxing , Wang Wencai , Chen Jiwei , Li Jialun , Yang Wei , Li Jiwen , Wu Qihan , Wong Jiemin
Published: May 2021

Global DNA hypomethylation is a most common epigenetic alteration in human neoplasia. However, accumulative evidence shows that global DNA hypomethylation impacts tumorigenesis in a tissue-specific manner, promoting tumorigenesis in some but suppressing tumorigenesis in others including colorectal cancer. The underlying mechanisms, especially how DNA hypomethylation suppresses tumorigenesis, remain largely unknown. Here, we investigate how DNA hypomethylation affects intestinal tumorigenesis by using anUhrf1tandem tudor domain knockin mutant mouse model (Uhrf1ki/ki) that exhibits a moderate ~10% reduction of global DNA methylation. We found that both chemical-induced colorectal carcinogenesis andApcloss of heterozygosity (LOH)-induced intestinal tumorigenesis are substantially suppressed in theUhrf1mutant mice. Furthermore, unlikeDnmt1hypomorphic mice in which DNA hypomethylation suppresses the incidence of macroscopic intestinal tumors but promotes the formation of microadenoma inApcMin/+background,Uhrf1ki/ki/ApcMin/+mice have markedly reduced incidence of both microadenoma and macroadenoma. DNA hypomethylation does not appear to affectApcLOH, activation of the Wnt or Hippo pathway, or tumor cell proliferation, but acts cooperatively with activated Wnt pathway to enhance the caspase-3 gene expression, activation, and apoptosis. Furthermore, increased caspase-3 expression correlates with DNA hypomethylation within the caspase-3 enhancer regions. Taken together, we present a new mouse model for investigating the role of and the molecular mechanisms by which DNA hypomethylation suppresses intestinal tumorigenesis. Our finding that a moderate DNA hypomethylation is sufficient to suppress intestinal tumorigenesis by promoting caspase-3 expression and apoptosis sheds new light on DNA-methylation inhibitor-based colorectal cancer therapeutics.
Snail/PRMT5/NuRD complex contributes to DNA hypermethylation in cervical cancer by TET1 inhibition
Authors: Gao Jie , Liu Ruiqiong , Feng Dandan , Huang Wei , Huo Miaomiao , Zhang Jingyao , Leng Shuai , Yang Yang , Yang Tianshu , Yin Xin , Teng Xu , Yu Hefen , Yuan Baowen , Wang Yan
Published: May 2021

The biological function of PRMT5 remains poorly understood in cervical cancer metastasis. Here, we report that PRMT5 physically associates with the transcription factor Snail and the NuRD(MTA1) complex to form a transcriptional-repressive complex that catalyzes the symmetrical histone dimethylation and deacetylation. This study shows that the Snail/PRMT5/NuRD(MTA1) complex targets genes, such as TET1 and E-cadherin, which are critical for epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). This complex also affects the conversion of 5mC to 5hmC. This study demonstrates that the Snail/PRMT5/NuRD(MTA1) complex promotes the invasion and metastasis of cervical cancer in vitro and in vivo. This study also shows that PRMT5 expression is upregulated in cervical cancer and various human cancers, and the PRMT5 inhibitor EPZ015666 suppresses EMT and the invasion potential of cervical cancer cells by disinhibiting the expression of TET1 and increasing 5hmC, suggesting that PRMT5 is a potential target for cancer therapy.
E3 ligase TRIM25 ubiquitinates RIP3 to inhibit TNF induced cell necrosis
Authors: Mei Pucheng , Xie Feiyan , Pan Jiasong , Wang Sen , Gao Wenqing , Ge Rui , Gao Baocai , Gao Siqi , Chen Xiangjun , Wang Yongming , Wu Jiaxue , Ding Chen , Li Jixi
Published: May 2021

Receptor interacting protein kinase 3 (RIP3 or RIPK3), the critical executor of cell programmed necrosis, plays essential roles in maintaining immune responses and appropriate tissue homeostasis. Although the E3 ligases CHIP and PELI1 are reported to promote RIP3 degradation, however, how post-translational modification regulates RIP3 activity and stability is poorly understood. Here, we identify the tripartite motif protein TRIM25 as a negative regulator of RIP3-dependent necrosis. TRIM25 directly interacts with RIP3 through its SPRY domain and mediates the K48-linked polyubiquitination of RIP3 on residue K501. The RING domain of TRIM25 facilitates the polyubiquitination chain on RIP3, thereby promoting proteasomal degradation of RIP3. Also, TRIM25 deficiency inhibited the ubiquitination of RIP3, thus promoting TNF-induced cell necrosis. Our current finding reveals the regulating mechanism of polyubiquitination on RIP3, which might be a potential therapeutic target for the intervention of RIP3-dependent necrosis-related diseases.
Mitochondrial ferritin attenuates cerebral ischaemia/reperfusion injury by inhibiting ferroptosis
Authors: Wang Peina , Cui Yanmei , Ren Qianqian , Yan Bingqi , Zhao Yashuo , Yu Peng , Gao Guofen , Shi Honglian , Chang Shiyang , Chang Yan-Zhong
Published: May 2021

Ischaemic stroke is becoming the most common cerebral disease in aging populations, but the underlying molecular mechanism of the disease has not yet been fully elucidated. Increasing evidence has indicated that an excess of iron contributes to brain damage in cerebral ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Although mitochondrial ferritin (FtMt) plays a critical role in iron homeostasis, the molecular function of FtMt in I/R remains unknown. We herein report that FtMt levels are upregulated in the ischaemic brains of mice. Mice lacking FtMt experience more severe brain damage and neurological deficits, accompanied by typical molecular features of ferroptosis, including increased lipid peroxidation and disturbed glutathione (GSH) after cerebral I/R. Conversely, FtMt overexpression reverses these changes. Further investigation shows that Ftmt ablation promotes I/R-induced inflammation and hepcidin-mediated decreases in ferroportin1, thus markedly increasing total and chelatable iron. The elevated iron consequently facilitates ferroptosis in the brain of I/R. In brief, our results provide evidence that FtMt plays a critical role in protecting against cerebral I/R-induced ferroptosis and subsequent brain damage, thus providing a new potential target for the treatment/prevention of ischaemic stroke.
Stimulation of α7-nAChRs coordinates autophagy and apoptosis signaling in experimental knee osteoarthritis
Authors: Liu Yuan , Xu Shi , Zhang Haijun , Qian Kaoliang , Huang Jiachen , Gu Xianger , Li Yan , Fan Yi , Hu Jun
Published: May 2021

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common chronic joint disease in the elderly population. Growing evidence indicates that a balance between autophagy and apoptosis in chondrocytes plays a key role in OA’s cartilage degradation. Thus, drugs targeting the balance between apoptosis and autophagy are potential therapeutic approaches for OA treatment. In previous studies, we found that the activation of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7-nAChRs) alleviated monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced joint degradation and osteoarthritis pain. To explore the potential functions of α7-nAChRs in autophagy and apoptosis signaling in knee OA, we compared the expression of α7-nAChRs in human knee articular cartilage tissues from normal humans and OA patients. We found that knee joint cartilage tissues of OA patients showed decreased α7-nAChRs and an imbalance between autophagy and apoptosis. Next, we observed that α7-nAChRs deficiency did not affect cartilage degradation in OA development but reversed the beneficial effects of nicotine on mechanical allodynia, cartilage degradation, and an MIA-induced switch from autophagy to apoptosis. Unlike in vivo studies, we found that primary chondrocytes from α7-nAChRs knockout (KO) mice showed decreased LC3 levels under normal conditions and were more sensitive toward MIA-induced apoptosis. Finally, we found that α7-nAChRs deficiency increased the phosphorylation of mTOR after MIA treatment, which can also be observed in OA patients’ tissues. Thus, our findings not only confirmed that nicotine alleviated MIA-induced pain behavior and cartilage degradation via stimulating the α7-nAChRs/mTOR signal pathway but found the potential role of α7-nAChRs in mediating the balance between apoptosis and autophagy.