bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tribulus Terrestris for Female Sexual Dysfunction: A Systematic Review
Authors: Martimbianco Ana Luiza Cabrera , Pacheco Rafael Leite , Vilarino Fábia Lima , Latorraca Carolina de Oliveira Cruz , Torloni Maria Regina , Riera Rachel
Published: July 2020

Objective We performed a systematic review to assess the effectiveness and safety of Tribulus terrestris to treat female sexual dysfunction (FSD).

Data sources We performed unrestricted electronic searches in the MEDLINE, CENTRAL, EMBASE, LILACS, CINAHL, PsycINFO, WHO-ICTR, Clinicaltrials.gov and OpenGrey databases.

Selection of studies We included any randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared T. terrestris versus inactive/active interventions. After the selection process, conducted by two reviewers, 5 RCTs (n = 279 participants) were included.

Data collection Data extraction was performed by two reviewers with a preestablished data collection formulary.

Data synthesis Due to lack of data and clinical heterogeneity, we could not perform meta-analyses. The risk of bias was assessed by the Cochrane Risk of Bias (RoB) tool, and the certainty of evidence was assessed with Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE).

Results After 1 to 3 months of treatment, premenopausal and postmenopausal women randomized to T. terrestris had a significant increase in sexual function scores. Three months of treatment with T. terrestris showed a significant increase in the serum testosterone levels of premenopausal women. There was no report of serious adverse events, and none of the studies assessed health-related quality of life. The certainty of the evidence was very low, which means that we have very little confidence in the effect estimates, and future studies are likely to change these estimates.

Conclusion More RCTs are needed to support or refute the use of T. terrestris. The decision to use this intervention should be shared with the patients, and the uncertainties around its effects should be discussed in the clinical decision-making process.

Number of Protocol registration in PROSPERO database: CRD42019121130
Infecção liquórica em drenagem ventricular externa: avaliação dos fatores de risco em 110 pacientes de uma única instituição
Authors: Larsen Itamar Cristian , Matias Jorge Eduardo F. , Moro Marlus S. , Maranha Luana A. , Araújo João Cândido
Published: July 2020

Objectives External ventricular drainage (EVD) is extensively used in the neurosurgical practice with the purpose of monitoring the intracranial pressure and draining the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Despite its remarkable benefits, the technique is not devoid of risks, notably infections, which have been reported in up to 45% of the cases.

Methods A retrospective analysis of the main risk factors for CSF infection in neurosurgical patients submitted to EVD at a single institution. We recorded and submitted to statistical comparison every risk factor for CSF infection present or absent in each of the 110 EVD patients enrolled, 53 males and 57 females, with an average age of 52.9 years, with different underlying neurosurgical conditions.

Results Infection of the CSF occurred in 32 patients (29%). The rate of mortality related to CSF infection was of 18.7% (6 of 32). The risk factors that showed statistical significance for CSF infection in this series were: emergency surgery; length of stay at the intensive care unit (UCI); duration of the EVD; parenchymal and/or intraventricular hemorrhage; simultaneous infections; time of bladder catheterization; and the use of non-disposable adhesive drapes as part of the preparation of the wound area.

Conclusions Infection of the CSF in patients submitted to EVD is multifactorial and a challenge in terms of prevention. Further studies proposing scores with blended risk factors may be useful to prevent and reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with CSF infection.
Conventional reactors are used for atomic layer deposition onto powders
Authors: Mandel Savannah
Published: July 2020

Rotary drum mixer is adapted to fit a conventional tubular hot-walled atomic layer deposition reactor, speeding up reactant transport and allowing deposition onto powders without reactor specialization.
Generation of highly-polarized high-energy brilliant γ-rays via laser-plasma interaction
Authors: Xue Kun , Dou Zhen-Ke , Wan Feng , Yu Tong-Pu , Wang Wei-Min , Ren Jie-Ru , Zhao Qian , Zhao Yong-Tao , Xu Zhong-Feng , Li Jian-Xing
Published: July 2020

The generation of highly polarized high-energy brilliant γ-rays via laser–plasma interaction is investigated in the quantum radiation-reaction regime. We employ a quantum electrodynamics particle-in-cell code to describe spin-resolved electron dynamics semiclassically and photon emission and polarization quantum mechanically in the local constant field approximation. As an ultrastrong linearly polarized (LP) laser pulse irradiates a near-critical-density (NCD) plasma followed by an ultrathin planar aluminum target, the electrons in the NCD plasma are first accelerated by the driving laser to ultrarelativistic energies and then collide head-on with the laser pulse reflected by the aluminum target, emitting brilliant LP γ-rays via nonlinear Compton scattering with an average polarization of about 70% and energy up to hundreds of MeV. Such γ-rays can be produced with currently achievable laser facilities and will find various applications in high-energy physics and laboratory astrophysics.
Historically rice-farming societies have tighter social norms in China and worldwide
Authors: Talhelm Thomas , English Alexander S.
Published: July 2020

Significance

Rice is a highly interdependent crop. Rice required far more labor than dryland crops like wheat, and rice’s irrigation networks forced farmers to coordinate water use. To deal with these demands, rice villages developed strong norms for labor exchange. Using China as a natural test case, we compare nearby provinces that differ in rice and wheat, but share the same ethnicity, religion, and national government. In survey data from over 11,000 Chinese citizens, rice-farming provinces report tighter norms than traditionally wheat-growing provinces. Rice also predicts tight norms around the world. These data suggest that China’s agricultural past still shapes cultural differences in the modern day—and perhaps explain why East Asia has tighter social norms than the wheat-growing West.
Superconductivity enhancement in phase-engineered molybdenum carbide/disulfide vertical heterostructures
Authors: Zhang Fu , Zheng Wenkai , Lu Yanfu , Pabbi Lavish , Fujisawa Kazunori , Elías Ana Laura , Binion Anna R. , Granzier-Nakajima Tomotaroh , Zhang Tianyi , Lei Yu , Lin Zhong , Hudson Eric W. , Sinnott Susan B. , Balicas Luis , Terrones Mauricio
Published: July 2020

Significance

We demonstrate that engineering of two-dimensional molybdenum carbide/disulfide heterostructures can result in superconducting architectures with higher critical temperatures than that of pristine α-Mo
2
C. We developed a gas-phase reaction approach for the heterostack formation via phase transitions, which involves short sulfurization times (1–5 min) of α-Mo
2
C films. Heterostructures of α-Mo
2
C and γ′-phase MoC
1−x
exhibit superconductivity with a higher critical temperature (
T
C
∼ 6.8 K) than the original Mo
2
C crystal (
T
C
∼ 4.0 K). The distinct chemical composition and modified structure of the metastable γ′-MoC
1−x
phase present in the layered structure might lead to a higher interfacial density of states and increase in the frequency of the relevant phonon modes, thus contributing to the superconductivity and hence to a higher
T
C
.
Lessons of COVID-19: A roadmap for post-pandemic science
Authors: Freedman Tanya S. , Headley Mark B. , Serwas Nina , Ruhland Megan , Castellanos Carlos A. , Combes Alexis J. , Krummel Matthew F.
Published: July 2020

The response to the COVID-19 crisis across most research institutions mandated ceasing nonessential research activities in order to minimize the spread of the virus in our communities. With minimal notice, experiments were terminated, cell lines were frozen, mouse colonies were culled, and trainees were prevented from performing bench research. Still, despite the interruption of experimental productivity, the shutdown has proven for many PIs and trainees that doing and thinking science are not activities that are bound to the laboratory. Furthermore, the shutdowns have solidified important emerging trends and forced us to further innovate to get the most out of working remotely. We hope that some of these innovations, hard-gained in this difficult time, will persist and develop into new paradigms—lessons that will improve our science and our relationship to the climate and community beyond the current pandemic.
Integral closures in real algebraic geometry
Authors: Fichou Goulwen , Monnier Jean-Philippe , Quarez Ronan
Published: July 2020

We study the algebraic and geometric properties of the integral closure of different rings of functions on a real algebraic variety: the regular functions and the continuous rational functions.
Disaster Risk Reduction
Authors: Alexander David
Published: July 2020

Disaster risk reduction (DRR, or disaster reduction) is an umbrella term for processes of preparing for, responding to, recovering from, and managing the risk of disasters. It refers primarily to the acts of setting the policy and strategic agendas for these tasks. It reflects a long-standing need to reorientate priorities from merely responding to disasters once they have struck to reducing or avoiding their impacts. To be achieved, DRR requires a combination of physical and social measures, with full participation of affected populations and other stakeholders.

Academically, disasters have been studied systematically for more than 100 years. During this period, the emphasis has changed from analyzing natural hazards as the primary drivers of disaster to a more pluralistic approach in which vulnerability and exposure to hazards and threats are viewed as playing vitally important roles. Disasters can have natural, technological, social, or intentional (i.e., terrorism-related) causes, but they are increasingly composite events that involve combinations of factors. Hence there is now much emphasis on “natech” events, in which natural hazards affect technological systems, and cascading disasters, in which escalation points caused by interacting sources of vulnerability may have the power to make the secondary effects more important than the primary trigger. Root causes and contexts have assumed a greater salience in the explanation of disaster, which tends to involve complex interactions among social, economic, political, and physical factors. Resilience has come to the fore as a positive concept for organizing processes of DRR. It is usually defined as a mixture of adaptation to hazards and threats and the ability to resist or overcome the negative effects of disaster.

DRR concepts and strategies have been mainstreamed in modern society by international action under the auspices of the United Nations and the Sendai Framework for DRR, 2015–2030. The challenges of applying UN frameworks include uncertainty about whether the underlying concepts are durable, whether they can be applied rigorously, whether they have enough support among policy and decisionmakers, and whether they can acquire a sound practical basis. The future of DRR depends on humanity’s ability to implement solutions to conflict, migration, and environmental change, not merely the impact of disasters per se. In an era in which population is rising, wealth disparities and human mobility are increasing, and environmental change has begun to lead to major upheavals, DRR has gone from being a rather esoteric, specialized field to one that is central to the future of human existence.
The Moon and Planets in Ancient Mesopotamia
Authors: Ossendrijver Mathieu
Published: July 2020

In ancient Mesopotamia, all five planets visible to the naked eye were known and studied, along with the Moon, the Sun, the stars, and other celestial phenomena. In all Mesopotamian sources concerning the Moon and the planets, be they textual or iconographical, the astronomical, astrological, and religious aspects are intertwined. The term “astral science” covers all forms of Mesopotamian scholarly engagement with celestial entities, including celestial divination and astrology. Modern research on Mesopotamian astral science began in the 19th century. Much research remains to be done, because important sources remain unpublished and new questions have been posed to published sources.

From ca. 3000 bce onward, Mesopotamians used a calendar with months and years, which indicates that the Moon was studied at that early age. In cuneiform writing, the Sumerian and Akkadian names of the Moongod, Nanna/Sin, are attested since ca. 2500 bce. The most common Akkadian names of the five planets, Šiḫṭu (Mercury), Dilbat (Venus), Ṣalbatānu (Mars), White Star (Jupiter), and Kayyāmānu (Saturn), are attested first in 1800–1000 bce. The Moon, the Sun, and the planets were viewed as gods or manifestations of gods. From ca. 1800 bce onward, the phenomena of the Moon, the Sun, and the planets were studied as signs that were produced by the gods to communicate with humankind. Between ca. 600 bce and 100 ce, Babylonian scholars reported lunar and planetary phenomena in astronomical diaries and related texts. Their purpose was to enable predictions of the reported phenomena with period-based, so-called Goal-Year methods. After the end of the 5th century bce Babylonian astronomers introduced the zodiac and developed new methods for predicting lunar and planetary phenomena known as mathematical astronomy At about the same time they developed horoscopy and other forms of astrology that use the zodiac, the Moon, the Sun, and the planets to predict events on Earth.
An Unexpected Direction: Pauline Hopkins, S. E. F. C. C. Hamedoe, and “The Dark Races of the Twentieth Century”
Authors: Wong Edlie
Published: July 2020

This essay mines the earliest and most influential of African American literary magazines, the Boston-based Colored American Magazine (CAM) (1900–09), and its southern rival, the Atlanta-based Voice of the Negro (1904–07), to investigate how black writers and activists addressed the links between US race relations, settler colonialism, and empire in the Pacific. Spanning these two periodicals, Pauline Hopkins’s work as an editor and contributor grappled with the question of how to represent, engage, and position Black Americans in a globalizing world that was at once becoming more vast, heterogeneous, and integrated. Race remained a powerful structuring principle, yet it accrued dynamic new meanings in the era of new imperialism. Along the way, the essay investigates an unexplored facet of Hopkins’s authorship and compositional style. It speculates that Hopkins may have published under another as yet unattributed pen name. The enigmatic S. E. F. C. C. Hamedoe was one of the most significant of regular CAM contributors. Before disappearing from print history, Hamedoe published a four-year-long series that mapped the political contours of the emerging Global South, crisscrossing continents and oceans. The extensive connections between Hamedoe’s writings and Hopkins’s final known completed series beg the question of whether they were one and the same.

The series allowed Hopkins to experiment with various epistemologies of racial and historical knowledge in her efforts to formulate an understanding of Blackness that, like the episodic serial form, was open-ended, accretive, and noncohesive.
Internal trophic pressure, a regulator of plant development? Insights from a stochastic functional–structural plant growth model applied to Coffea trees
Authors: Letort Véronique , Sabatier Sylvie , Okoma Michelle Pamelas , Jaeger Marc , de Reffye Philippe
Published: July 2020

Background and Aims

Using internal trophic pressure as a regulating variable to model the complex interaction loops between organogenesis, production of assimilates and partitioning in functional–structural models of plant growth has attracted increasing interest in recent years. However, this approach is hampered by the fact that internal trophic pressure is a non-measurable quantity that can be assessed only through model parametric estimation, for which the methodology is not straightforward, especially when the model is stochastic.

Methods

A stochastic GreenLab model of plant growth (called ‘GL4’) is developed with a feedback effect of internal trophic competition, represented by the ratio of biomass supply to demand (Q/D), on organogenesis. A methodology for its parameter estimation is presented and applied to a dataset of 15 two-year-old Coffea canephora trees. Based on the fitting results, variations in Q/D are reconstructed and analysed in relation to the estimated variations in organogenesis parameters.

Key Results

Our stochastic retroactive model was able to simulate realistically the progressive set-up of young plant architecture and the branch pruning effect. Parameter estimation using real data for Coffea trees provided access to the internal trophic dynamics. These dynamics correlated with the organogenesis probabilities during the establishment phase.

Conclusions

The model can satisfactorily reproduce the measured data, thus opening up promising avenues for further applying this original procedure to other experimental data. The framework developed can serve as a model-based toolkit to reconstruct the hidden internal trophic dynamics of plant growth.
Estimated National and Regional Impact of COVID-19 on Elective Case Volume in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
Authors: Bregman Dana E , Cook Tracey , Thorne Charles
Published: July 2020

Background

In efforts to help alleviate the strain placed on healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Society of Plastic Surgery recommended suspending elective procedures on March 19, 2020. When this suspension was enacted, it was unknown when cases would resume.

Objectives

This analysis aimed to estimate the regional economic impact of the pandemic specifically with regards to elective, aesthetic surgical procedures. As knowledge regarding the effects of the pandemic has grown, the authors then evaluated the accuracy of the projected estimates compared with actual events.

Methods

Utilizing the American Society of Plastic Surgery 2018 Plastic Surgery Statistics Report, regional case volume and surgeons’ fees were obtained for the top 5 aesthetic procedures. Models developed by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation were employed to estimate the anticipated duration of suspension by utilizing the date that no ventilators would be required for COVID-19 patients. This duration was utilized to calculate the volume of cases that would not occur.

Results

These estimates predict up to 1.3 billion fewer dollars will be collected in surgeons’ fees, representing a 20% loss compared with 2018. The South Atlantic region is predicted to have the greatest number of operating room days lost. However, the Mountain and Pacific regions are estimated to have the greatest loss in case volume and surgeons’ fees.

Conclusions

The cumulative impact of the pandemic on life, society, and the economy is tremendous. This analysis may help guide surgeons’ responses during and after the crisis.
Discerning novel drug targets for treating Mycobacterium avium ss. paratuberculosis-associated autoimmune disorders: an in silico approach
Authors: Garg Anjali , Singhal Neelja , Kumar Manish
Published: July 2020

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) exhibits ‘molecular mimicry’ with the human host resulting in several autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Crohn’s disease (CD), etc. The conventional therapy for autoimmune diseases includes immunosuppressants or immunomodulators that treat the symptoms rather than the etiology and/or causative mechanism(s). Eliminating MAP–the etiopathological agent might be a better strategy to treat MAP-associated autoimmune diseases. In this case study, we conducted a systematic in silico analysis to identify the metabolic chokepoints of MAP’s mimicry proteins and their interacting partners. The probable inhibitors of chokepoint proteins were identified using DrugBank. DrugBank molecules were stringently screened and molecular interactions were analyzed by molecular docking and ‘off-target’ binding. Thus, we identified 18 metabolic chokepoints of MAP mimicry proteins and 13 DrugBank molecules that could inhibit three chokepoint proteins viz. katG, rpoB and narH. On the basis of molecular interaction between drug and target proteins finally eight DrugBank molecules, viz. DB00609, DB00951, DB00615, DB01220, DB08638, DB08226, DB08266 and DB07349 were selected and are proposed for treatment of three MAP-associated autoimmune diseases namely, T1DM, CD and multiple sclerosis. Because these molecules are either approved by the Food and Drug Administration or these are experimental drugs that can be easily incorporated in clinical studies or tested in vitro. The proposed strategy may be used to repurpose drugs to treat autoimmune diseases induced by other pathogens.
Role of R-spondin 2 in arterial lymphangiogenesis and atherosclerosis
Authors: Singla Bhupesh , Lin Hui-Ping , Chen Alex , Ahn WonMo , Ghoshal Pushpankur , Cherian-Shaw Mary , White Joseph , Stansfield Brian K , Csányi Gábor
Published: July 2020

Aims

Impaired lymphatic drainage of the arterial wall results in intimal lipid accumulation and atherosclerosis. However, the mechanisms regulating lymphangiogenesis in atherosclerotic arteries are not well understood. Our studies identified elevated levels of matrix protein R-spondin 2 (RSPO2) in atherosclerotic arteries. In this study, we investigated the role of RSPO2 in lymphangiogenesis, arterial cholesterol efflux into lesion-draining lymph nodes (LNs) and development of atherosclerosis.

Methods and results

The effect of RSPO2 on lymphangiogenesis was investigated using human lymphatic endothelial cells (LEC) in vitro and implanted Matrigel plugs in vivo. Cellular and molecular approaches, pharmacological agents, and siRNA silencing of RSPO2 receptor LGR4 were used to investigate RSPO2-mediated signalling in LEC. In vivo low-density lipoprotein (LDL) tracking and perivascular blockade of RSPO2–LGR4 signalling using LGR4-extracellular domain (ECD) pluronic gel in hypercholesterolemic mice were utilized to investigate the role of RSPO2 in arterial reverse cholesterol transport and atherosclerosis. Immunoblotting and imaging experiments demonstrated increased RSPO2 expression in human and mouse atherosclerotic arteries compared to non-atherosclerotic controls. RSPO2 treatment inhibited lymphangiogenesis both in vitro and in vivo. LGR4 silencing and inhibition of RSPO2–LGR4 signalling abrogated RSPO2-induced inhibition of lymphangiogenesis. Mechanistically, we found that RSPO2 suppresses PI3K-AKT-endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) signalling via LGR4 and inhibits activation of the canonical Wnt-β-catenin pathway. ApoE−/− mice treated with LGR4-ECD developed significantly less atherosclerosis compared with control treatment. Finally, increased arterial lymphatic vessel density and improved lymphatic drainage of fluorescently labelled LDL to deep cervical LNs were observed in LGR4-ECD-treated mice.

Conclusion

These findings demonstrate that RSPO2 inhibits lymphangiogenesis via LGR4 and downstream impairment of AKT-eNOS-nitric oxide signalling. These results may also inform new therapeutic strategies to promote lymphangiogenesis and improve cholesterol efflux from atherosclerotic arteries.
Recurrent spontaneous coronary artery dissection in a middle-aged male athlete patient: a case report
Authors: Fitzpatrick John J , Noman Awsan , Ryan Nicola , Dawson Dana K
Published: July 2020

Background

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare condition, mainly affecting young women. Cases in male patients are rare, especially with recurrence.

Case summary

A 59-year-old male non-elite athlete presented as an ST-elevation myocardial infarction following a 5-km run. Urgent coronary angiogram was normal, but cardiac magnetic resonance showed a myocardial infarction. Four years later, he experienced similar chest pain with no ST-elevation on electrocardiogram and a mild troponin rise. Urgent coronary angiogram was initially thought normal but subsequent close inspection confirmed a Type 2b SCAD. Cardiac magnetic resonance showed a small additional myocardial infarction contained within an area of acute myocardial oedema.

Discussion

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is more common in young women compared to men and recurrent dissection has been rarely reported in the literature. Cohort studies have shown the rate of recurrent dissection to be 13–16%, but most of the patients in these cohorts are female. Poor data exists on the best treatment of SCAD in men, but given the presence of intramural thrombus, dual antiplatelet therapy was discontinued on the presumption that it may exacerbate an intramural bleeding process.
Healthcare system performance and socioeconomic inequalities in hearing and visual impairments in 17 European countries
Authors: Maharani Asri , Dawes Piers , Nazroo James , Tampubolon Gindo , Pendleton Neil ,   the SENSE-Cog WP1 group
Published: July 2020

Background

Socioeconomic status is associated with health status among older adults, including hearing and vision impairments, and healthcare system performance is an important consideration in examining that association. We explored the link between a country’s healthcare system performance and the hearing and visual impairments of its people in Europe.

Methods

This study enrolled 65 332 individuals aged 50+ from 17 countries participating in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe Wave 6. We used latent class analysis to identify groups of countries based on six domains of healthcare system performance. We then performed multiple logistic regressions to quantify the association between socioeconomic status and hearing and visual impairments adjusted for demographic and other co-variates; finally, we compared the patterns of observed associations in each of the country groups.

Results

The latent class analysis separated countries into three groups based on the performance of their healthcare systems: poor, moderate and high. Respondents in countries with moderate and poor healthcare performance were more likely to experience hearing and visual impairment than those in countries with high healthcare performance. With respect to hearing and visual impairments, wealth gradients at the individual level varied among countries in different healthcare performance groups, with less wealth associated with worse hearing and seeing only in the countries with moderate and poor healthcare performance.

Conclusion

The relationships between wealth and hearing and visual impairments differ among countries with different healthcare performance.
Multifrequency beam-based migration in inhomogeneous media using windowed Fourier transform frames
Authors: Tuvi Ram , Zhao Zeyu , Sen Mrinal K
Published: July 2020

We consider the problem of inhomogeneous subsurface imaging using beam waves. The formulation is based on the ultra-wide-band phase-space beam summation (UWB-PS-BS) method, which is structured upon windowed Fourier transform (WFT) expansions of surface fields and sources. In this approach, the radiated field is given as a superposition of beam propagators. Here, we use the beams first for expanding the surface sources and the scattered data, and then for imaging where we use the backpropagation and cross-correlation of beams. This formulation enables a target oriented imaging approach, where we take into account only pairs of source and receiver beams that pass near a region of interest, and thus extract only the relevant data arriving from this region. It also leads to a priori sparse representation of both the beam domain data and the beam propagators. A physical cogent for the beam domain data is obtained under the Born approximation. The beam domain data can be approximated as the local interaction between the beam propagators and the medium reflectivity. Thus, one may interpret the beam domain data as a local Snell’s law reflection in the direction defined by the vector summation of the incident beam and backpropagated beam ray parameters. We demonstrate a physical model for the beam domain data and the salient features of the proposed imaging algorithm using numerical examples.
A study of horizontal-to-vertical component spectral ratio as a proxy for site classification in central Asia
Authors: Sedaghati Farhad , Rahpeyma Sahar , Ansari Anooshiravan , Pezeshk Shahram , Zare Mehdi , Daneshvaran Siamak
Published: July 2020

Tien Shan of central Asia is known as one of the world's largest, youngest and most active intracontinental orogens. In this study, we implemented the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) technique as a widely used first-order approximation of the site effect parameters (i.e. fundamental frequency and site amplification). A set of data including 2119 strong-motion recordings from 468 earthquakes with hypocentral distances up to 500 km and small to moderate moment magnitudes ($ {M_{\rm{w}}}\sim $3.0–5.5) recorded by 24 broad-band stations from five different networks, located in Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan was deployed to investigate site-specific characteristics. We fitted a Gaussian-shape pulse function to evaluate fundamental frequencies and site amplifications. The HVSRs analysis revealed that although the majority of the stations (16 out of 24) show flat amplification functions, there are few stations with single sharp amplification functions. Then, we classified the stations based on the predominant frequency. Furthermore, we approximated the time-averaged shear wave velocity in the uppermost 30 m (${V_{{\rm{S}}30}}$) using the fundamental frequency and its corresponding amplitude. Moreover, we compared the HVSRs obtained from P waves, S waves, coda and pre-event noise. All peak frequencies including the fundamental frequency estimated from different seismic phases are in good agreement; whereas generally, the amplitude of the P-wave window is the lowest, the amplitudes of the S wave and noise windows are similar to the whole record and the amplitudes of early and late coda windows are the highest. We also observed that the HVSRs of noise using a 5 s window may have anomalous high amplitudes and peaks. These anomalous high amplitudes and peaks in the noise HVSRs indicate the existence of some unnatural sources or artefacts such as traffic and wind with specific resonance frequencies, suggesting 5 s ambient noise window is insufficient to capture site characteristics. Finally, to assess the reliability of the determined geotechnical results, we implemented a blind theoretical HVSR inversion to obtain representative shear wave velocity profiles as well as ${V_{{\rm{S}}30}}$ along with associated uncertainties for stations characterized by a single-peak HVSR curve using a Bayesian statistical framework.
Fto-modulated lipid niche regulates adult neurogenesis through modulating adenosine metabolism
Authors: Gao Hui , Cheng Xuejun , Chen Junchen , Ji Chai , Guo Hongfeng , Qu Wenzheng , Dong Xiaoxue , Chen Yingyan , Ma Linghan , Shu Qiang , Li Xuekun
Published: July 2020

Adult neurogenesis is regulated by diverse factors including the local environment, i.e. the neurogenic niche. However, whether the lipid in the brain regulates adult neurogenesis and related mechanisms remains largely unknown. In the present study, we found that lipid accumulates in the brain during postnatal neuronal development. Conditional knockout of Fto (cKO) in lipid not only reduced the level of lipid in the brain but also impaired the learning and memory of mice. In addition, Fto deficiency in lipid did not affect the proliferation of adult neural stem cells (aNSCs), but it did inhibit adult neurogenesis by inducing cell apoptosis. Mechanistically, specific deleting Fto in lipid altered gene expression and increased adenosine secretion of adipocytes. The treatment of adenosine promoted the apoptosis of newborn neurons. As a whole, these results reveal the important function of the lipid niche and its associated mechanism in regulating adult neurogenesis.
How context and attention shape behaviors in online communities: a modified garbage can model
Authors: Foss Nicolai J. , Jeppesen Lars Bo , Rullani Francesco
Published: July 2020

Online communities have emerged as important organizational forms, but there are many gaps in our understanding. In particular, researchers have mainly focused on individual-level drivers of behaviors in communities, while downplaying (formal, informal) context at various levels. We theorize that different dimensions of context (i.e. omnibus and discrete context) influence decision-making in online communities through mechanisms involving community members’ attention. Specifically, context influences which problems members perceive and which solutions they retrieve and apply, thereby shaping the process of matching solutions and problems. We derive four hypotheses about contribution behaviors in online communities and how such behaviors are influenced by context. The empirical setting for our study is the open-source software community. We find support for our hypotheses in a unique dataset that captures the behavior of 24,057 community members who used the SourceForge.net online platform from 2000 to 2002.
Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I Chain–Related A and B (MICA and MICB) Gene, Allele, and Haplotype Associations With Dengue Infections in Ethnic Thais
Authors: Luangtrakool Panpimon , Vejbaesya Sasijit , Luangtrakool Komon , Ngamhawornwong Somporn , Apisawes Kusuma , Kalayanarooj Siripen , Macareo Louis R , Fernandez Stefan , Jarman Richard G , Collins Robert W M , Cox Steven T , Srikiatkhachorn Anon , Rothman Alan L , Stephens Henry A F
Published: July 2020

Background

Major histocompatibility complex class I chain–related (MIC) A and B (MICA and MICB) are polymorphic stress molecules recognized by natural killer cells. This study was performed to analyze MIC gene profiles in hospitalized Thai children with acute dengue illness.

Methods

MIC allele profiles were determined in a discovery cohort of patients with dengue fever or dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) (n = 166) and controls (n = 149). A replication cohort of patients with dengue (n = 222) was used to confirm specific MICB associations with disease.

Results

MICA*045 and MICB*004 associated with susceptibility to DHF in secondary dengue virus (DENV) infections (odds ratio [OR], 3.22; [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.18–8.84] and 1.99 [1.07–2.13], respectively), and MICB*002 with protection from DHF in secondary DENV infections (OR, 0.41; 95% CI, .21–.68). The protective effect of MICB*002 against secondary DHF was confirmed in the replication cohort (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, .22–.82) and was stronger when MICB*002 is present in individuals also carrying HLA-B*18, B*40, and B*44 alleles which form the B44 supertype of functionally related alleles (0.29, 95% CI, .14–.60).

Conclusions

Given that MICB*002 is a low expresser of soluble proteins, these data indicate that surface expression of MICB*002 with B44 supertype alleles on DENV-infected cells confer a protective advantage in controlling DENV infection using natural killer cells.
Adoptive Transfer of Serum Samples From Children With Invasive Staphylococcal Infection and Protection Against Staphylococcus aureus Sepsis
Authors: Tsai Chih-Ming , Soper Nicole , Bennett Monique , Fallon Jonathan K , Michell Ashlin R , Alter Galit , Liu George Y , Thomsen Isaac
Published: July 2020

A successful Staphylococcus aureus vaccine remains elusive, and one controversy in the field is whether humans generate a protective adaptive immune response to infection. We developed a bacterial challenge murine assay that directly assesses the protective capacity of adoptively transferred human serum samples. We first validated the model by showing that postpneumococcal vaccine serum samples from humans induced effective clearance of Streptococcus pneumoniae in mice. We then found that human serum samples adoptively transferred from children with invasive S. aureus infections exhibited protection from disease in a murine model, with some samples conferring near complete protection. These findings demonstrate that human serum samples are capable of conferring a protective adaptive response generated by humans during invasive staphylococcal disease, allowing for the study of protective factors in a murine model. Identification of the protective factors present in the most efficacious serum samples would be of high interest as potential staphylococcal vaccine candidates or passive therapeutics.
An Inflammatory Composite Score Predicts Mycobacterial Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome in People with Advanced HIV: A Prospective International Cohort Study
Authors: Vinhaes Caian L , Sheikh Virginia , Oliveira-de-Souza Deivide , Wang Jing , Rupert Adam , Roby Gregg , Arriaga María B , Fukutani Kiyoshi F , Sawe Fred , Shaffer Doug , Ananworanich Jintanat , Phanuphak Nittaya , Andrade Bruno B , Sereti Irini
Published: July 2020

Background

Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) is a common cause of morbidity among people with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH) who initiate antiretroviral therapy (ART) with severe lymphopenia. Easily accessible tools that reliably predict emergence and elucidate pathogenesis of IRIS are needed to facilitate improved clinical management.

Methods

Plasma levels of biomarkers were measured before ART initiation in a large multinational cohort of ART-naive PWH with severe immunosuppression (CD4+ count <100 cells/mm3) in United States, Kenya, and Thailand. We performed a series of multiparametric analyses of inflammatory and clinical biomarkers and developed a composite score merging relevant biomarkers for use in a prediction model.

Results

We identified a distinct baseline inflammatory profile and changes in inflammatory networks among biomarkers in participants who subsequently developed mycobacterial or viral IRIS. We also developed a composite score incorporating biomarkers associated with IRIS (interleukin-6 [IL-6], IL-10, IL-27, sCD14, interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, hyaluronic acid, D-dimer, body mass index, and hemoglobin) that accurately predicted mycobacterial IRIS and death in this cohort.

Conclusions

Systemic inflammatory profiles in PWH with severe immunosuppression are predictive of IRIS. Composite scores for the prediction of mycobacterial IRIS and death could be useful for risk stratification in PWH and lymphopenia initiating ART.

Clinical Trials Registration

NCT00286767.
Choosing to Fight, Choosing to Die: Examining How ISIS Foreign Fighters Select Their Operational Roles
Authors: Evans Tyler , Milton Daniel J , Young Joseph K
Published: July 2020

Understanding why and how individuals participate in militant organizations has been the focus of an increasing amount of scholarship. Traditionally, these studies focus at either the individual or organizational level of explanation. This article advances the discussion on individual participation in militant organizations by combining primary and secondary sources at both levels to explain how the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) attracted individuals into its organization as either suicide bombers or frontline fighters. First, at the individual level, we analyze a primary source dataset of over 4,000 personnel files from foreign fighters who went to Syria to join ISIS between 2013 and 2014. Second, at the organizational level, we examine trends in Islamic State propaganda and messaging to see how the recruitment of individuals into the organization placed them on certain operational paths. Two specific takeaways emerge. First, foreign fighters in 2013–2014 volunteered to become suicide bombers with relatively less frequency than in past iterations of the conflict in Iraq and Syria. Second, fighters from Western countries and fighters from countries undergoing a civil war were especially less likely to volunteer for a suicide role. More broadly, this analytical essay makes a case for the value of looking inside an organization as well as at individuals to get a more complete picture about group-level behavior.
Benedict XIV’s donation of Amazonian objects to the Istituto delle Scienze of Bologna (1751): origins and history
Authors: Tacconi Samuele
Published: July 2020

In 1751 Pope Benedict XIV made a donation of Amazonian objects to the Istituto delle Scienze in Bologna, a scientific academy located in the city of his birth. This article reconstructs the history of this group of objects back to its origins in the Jesuit missions of the upper Amazon basin, by presenting and examining new documentary evidence. The encounter between a Jesuit missionary and Pope Benedict XIV is analysed in the context of the early modern reception of the New World and its peoples in Catholic Europe. Finally, an overview is presented of the items in this collection, which represent some of the scarcest and oldest known examples of native material culture from the region.
AgeStrucNb: Software for Simulating and Detecting Changes in the Effective Number of Breeders (Nb)
Authors: Antao Tiago , Cosart Ted , Trethewey Brian , Waples Robin S , Ackerman Mike W , Luikart Gordon , Hand Brian K
Published: July 2020

Estimation of the effective number of breeders per reproductive event (Nb) using single sample DNA-marker-based methods has rapidly grown in recent years. However, estimating Nb is difficult in age-structured populations because the performance of estimators is influenced by the Nb / Ne ratio, which varies among species with different life histories. We provide a computer program, AgeStrucNb, to simulate age-structured populations (including life history) and also estimate Nb. The AgeStrucNb program is composed of 4 major components to simulate, subsample, estimate, and then visualize Nb time series data. AgeStrucNb allows users to also quantify the precision and accuracy of any set of loci or sample size to estimate Nb for many species and populations. AgeStrucNb allows users to conduct power analysis to evaluate sensitivity to detect changes in Nb or the power to detect a correlation between trends in Nb and environmental variables (e.g., temperature, habitat quality, predator or pathogen abundance) that could be driving changes in Nb. The software provides Nb estimates for empirical data sets using the LDNe (linkage disequilibrium) method, includes publication-quality output graphs, and outputs genotype files in Genepop format for use in other programs. AgeStrucNb will help advance the application of genetic markers for monitoring Nb, which will help biologists to detect population declines and growth, which is crucial for research and conservation of natural and managed populations.
The relationship between molar morphology and ecology withinNeotoma
Authors: Tomé Catalina P , Whiteman-Jennings Winifred , Smith Felisa A
Published: July 2020

The extensive diversity in dental form across mammals and its strong relationship with function provides insights into the diet, habitat, and behavior, of both extant and extinct taxa. Understanding the extent of variation in dental morphology across species allows for more accurate identification of fossils and a better ability to infer relationships between form and function and ecology. We examined variation in the size and shape of the first upper molar among the genus Neotoma. We employed elliptical Fourier analysis to quantify differences in the shape of 2D outlines for 23 populations and six species of Neotoma, varying in body size and habitat preference. As expected, molar length is a strong predictor of body size and is significantly and negatively correlated with temperature, particularly in species whose ranges span large latitudinal gradients. We found that differences in molar shape separate species into three general morpho-groups, with no evidence of a phylogenetic signal. While outline analysis could not robustly classify all molars to the species level, it did perform well for Neotoma cinerea, probably because of the greater degree of folding and more acute angling of molar lophs. In contrast, wider lophs with shallower enamel infolding was characteristic of species specializing on softer, more succulent resources (i.e., Neotoma albigula and Neotoma micropus). Neotoma floridana were inaccurately classified to species in the majority of cases, but were the only molars correctly identified to locality 100% of the time, suggesting that dietary specializations at a local level may drive morphological changes within the species as well as across the genus.
p16/ki67 and E6/E7 mRNA Accuracy and Prognostic Value in Triaging HPV DNA-Positive Women
Authors: Giorgi Rossi Paolo , Carozzi Francesca , Ronco Guglielmo , Allia Elena , Bisanzi Simonetta , Gillio-Tos Anna , De Marco Laura , Rizzolo Raffaella , Gustinucci Daniela , Del Mistro Annarosa , Frayle Helena , Confortini Massimo , Iossa Anna , Cesarini Elena , Bulletti Simonetta , Passamonti Basilio , Gori Silvia , Toniolo Laura , Barca Alessandra , Bonvicini Laura , Mancuso Pamela , Venturelli Francesco , Benevolo Maria ,   the New Technology for Cervical Cancer 2 Working Group
Published: July 2020

Background

The study presents cross-sectional accuracy of E6 and E7 (E6/E7) mRNA detection and p16/ki67 dual staining, alone or in combination with cytology and human papillomavirus (HPV)16/18 genotyping, as a triage test in HPV DNA-positive women and their impact on cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN2+) overdiagnosis.

Methods

Women aged 25-64 years were recruited. HPV DNA-positive women were triaged with cytology and tested for E6/E7 mRNA and p16/ki67. Cytology positive women were referred to colposcopy, and negatives were randomly assigned to immediate colposcopy or to 1-year HPV retesting. Lesions found within 24 months since recruitment were included. All P values were 2-sided.

Results

40 509 women were recruited, and 3147 (7.8%) tested HPV DNA positive; 174 CIN2+ were found: sensitivity was 61.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 53.6 to 68.0), 94.4% (95% CI = 89.1 to 97.3), and 75.2% (95% CI = 68.1 to 81.6) for cytology, E6/E7 mRNA, and p16/ki67, respectively. Immediate referral was 25.6%, 66.8%, and 28.3%, respectively. Overall referral was 65.3%, 78.3%, and 63.3%, respectively. Cytology or p16/ki67, when combined with HPV16/18 typing, reached higher sensitivity with a small impact on referral. Among the 2306 HPV DNA-positive and cytology-negative women, relative CIN2+ detection in those randomly assigned at 1-year retesting vs immediate colposcopy suggests a -28% CIN2+ regression (95% CI = -57% to +20%); regression was higher in E6/E7 mRNA-negatives (Pinteraction = .29). HPV clearance at 1 year in E6/E7 mRNA and in p16/ki67 negative women was about 2 times higher than in positive women (Pinteraction < .001 for both).

Conclusions

p16/ki67 showed good performance as a triage test. E6/E7 mRNA showed the highest sensitivity, at the price of too high a positivity rate to be efficient for triage. However, when negative, it showed a good prognostic value for clearance and CIN2+ regression.