bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Loneliness Increases the Risk of All-Cause Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Sundström Anna , Adolfsson Annelie Nordin , Nordin Maria , Adolfsson Rolf
Published: October 2019

Objectives

To examine the effect of perceived loneliness on the development of dementia (all-cause), Alzheimer´s disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VaD).

Method

The study comprised 1,905 nondemented participants at baseline, drawn from the longitudinal Betula study in Sweden, with a follow-up time of up to 20 years (mean 11.1 years). Loneliness was measured with a single question: “Do you often feel lonely?”.

Results

During the follow-up, 428 developed dementia; 221 had AD, 157 had VaD, and 50 had dementia of other subtypes. The entire dementia group is denoted “all-cause dementia.” Cox regression models, adjusted for age, gender, and a baseline report of perceived loneliness, showed increased risk of all-cause dementia (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14–1.89), and AD (HR = 1.69, 95% CI 1.20–2.37), but not VaD (HR = 1.34, 95% CI 0.87–2.08). After adjusting for a range of potential confounders, and excluding participants with dementia onset within the first 5 years of baseline (to consider the possibility of reverse causality), the increased risk for the development of all-cause dementia and AD still remained significant (HR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.01–2.25 for all-cause dementia; HR = 2.50, 95% CI 1.44–4.36 for AD).

Discussion

The results suggest that perceived loneliness is an important risk factor for all-cause dementia and especially for AD, but not for VaD. These results underscore the importance of paying attention to subjective reports of loneliness among the elderly adults and identifying potential intervention strategies that can reduce loneliness.
The role of microRNAs in ovarian function and the transition toward novel therapeutic strategies in fertility preservation: from bench to future clinical application
Authors: Alexandri C , Daniel A , Bruylants G , Demeestere I
Published: October 2019

BACKGROUND

New therapeutic approaches in oncology have converted cancer from a certain death sentence to a chronic disease. However, there are still challenges to be overcome regarding the off-target toxicity of many of these treatments. Oncological therapies can lead to future infertility in women. Given this negative impact on long-term quality of life, fertility preservation is highly recommended. While gamete and ovarian tissue cryopreservation are the usual methods offered, new pharmacological-based options aiming to reduce ovarian damage during oncological treatment are very attractive. In this vein, advances in the field of transcriptomics and epigenomics have brought small noncoding RNAs, called microRNAs (miRNAs), into the spotlight in oncology. MicroRNAs also play a key role in follicle development as regulators of follicular growth, atresia and steroidogenesis. They are also involved in DNA damage repair responses and they can themselves be modulated during chemotherapy. For these reasons, miRNAs may be an interesting target to develop new protective therapies during oncological treatment. This review summarizes the physiological role of miRNAs in reproduction. Considering recently developed strategies based on miRNA therapy in oncology, we highlight their potential interest as a target in fertility preservation and propose future strategies to make the transition from bench to clinic.

OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE

How can miRNA therapeutic approaches be used to develop new adjuvant protective therapies to reduce the ovarian damage caused by cytotoxic oncological treatments?

SEARCH METHODS

A systematic search of English language literature using PubMed and Google Scholar databases was performed through to 2019 describing the role of miRNAs in the ovary and their use for diagnosis and targeted therapy in oncology. Personal data illustrate miRNA therapeutic strategies to target the gonads and reduce chemotherapy-induced follicular damage.

OUTCOMES

This review outlines the importance of miRNAs as gene regulators and emphasizes the fact that insights in oncology can inspire new adjuvant strategies in the field of onco-fertility. Recent improvements in nanotechnology offer the opportunity for drug development using next-generation miRNA-nanocarriers.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS

Although there are still some barriers regarding the immunogenicity and toxicity of these treatments and there is still room for improvement concerning the specific delivery of miRNAs into the ovaries, we believe that, in the future, miRNAs can be developed as powerful and non-invasive tools for fertility preservation.
Forest loss shapes the landscape suitability of Kyasanur Forest disease in the biodiversity hotspots of the Western Ghats, India
Authors: Walsh Michael G , Mor Siobhan M , Maity Hindol , Hossain Shah
Published: October 2019

Background

Anthropogenic pressure in biodiversity hotspots is increasingly recognized as a major driver of the spillover and expansion of zoonotic disease. In the Western Ghats region of India, a devastating tick-borne zoonosis, Kyasanur Forest disease (KFD), has been expanding rapidly beyond its endemic range in recent decades. It has been suggested that anthropogenic pressure in the form of land use changes that lead to the loss of native forest may be directly contributing to the expanding range of KFD, but clear evidence has not yet established the association between forest loss and KFD risk.

Methods

The current study sought to investigate the relationship between KFD landscape suitability and both forest loss and mammalian species richness, to inform its epidemiology and infection ecology. A total of 47 outbreaks of KFD between 1 January 2012 and 30 June 2019 were modelled as an inhomogeneous Poisson process.

Results

Both forest loss [relative risk (RR) = 1.83; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.33–2.51] and mammalian species richness (RR = 1.29; 95% CI 1.16–1.42) were strongly associated with increased risk of KFD and dominated its landscape suitability.

Conclusions

These results provide the first evidence of a clear association between increasing forest loss and risk for KFD. Moreover, the findings also highlight the importance of forest loss in areas of high biodiversity. Therefore, this evidence provides strong support for integrative approaches to public health which incorporate conservation strategies simultaneously protective of humans, animals and the environment.
Reflection and transmission of high-frequency acoustic, electromagnetic and elastic waves at a distinguished class of irregular, curved boundaries
Authors: Radjen Anthony , Gradoni Gabriele , Tew Richard
Published: October 2019

Reflection and transmission phenomena associated with high-frequency linear wave incidence on irregular boundaries between adjacent acoustic or electromagnetic media, or upon the irregular free surface of a semi-infinite elastic solid, are studied in two dimensions. Here, an ‘irregular’ boundary is one for which small-scale undulations of an arbitrary profile are superimposed upon an underlying, smooth curve (which also has an arbitrary profile), with the length scale of the perturbation being prescribed in terms of a certain inverse power of the large wave-number of the incoming wave field. Whether or not the incident field has planar or cylindrical wave-fronts, the associated phase in both cases is linear in the wave-number, but the presence of the boundary irregularity implies the necessity of extra terms, involving fractional powers of the wave-number in the phase of the reflected and transmitted fields. It turns out that there is a unique perturbation scaling for which precisely one extra term in the phase is needed and hence for which a description in terms of a Friedlander–Keller ray expansion in the form as originally presented is appropriate, and these define a ‘distinguished’ class of perturbed boundaries and are the subject of the current paper.
Design and Analysis of Elimination Surveys for Neglected Tropical Diseases
Authors: Fronterre Claudio , Amoah Benjamin , Giorgi Emanuele , Stanton Michelle C , Diggle Peter J
Published: October 2019

As neglected tropical diseases approach elimination status, there is a need to develop efficient sampling strategies for confirmation (or not) that elimination criteria have been met. This is an inherently difficult task because the relative precision of a prevalence estimate deteriorates as prevalence decreases, and classic survey sampling strategies based on random sampling therefore require increasingly large sample sizes. More efficient strategies for survey design and analysis can be obtained by exploiting any spatial correlation in prevalence within a model-based geostatistics framework. This framework can be used for constructing predictive probability maps that can inform in-country decision makers of the likelihood that their elimination target has been met, and where to invest in additional sampling. We evaluated our methodology using a case study of lymphatic filariasis in Ghana, demonstrating that a geostatistical approach outperforms approaches currently used to determine an evaluation unit’s elimination status.
Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Effectiveness Against HPV Infection: Evaluation of One, Two, and Three Doses
Authors: Markowitz Lauri E , Naleway Allison L , Klein Nicola P , Lewis Rayleen M , Crane Brad , Querec Troy D , Hsiao Amber , Aukes Laurie , Timbol Julius , Weinmann Sheila , Liu Gui , Steinau Martin , Unger Elizabeth R
Published: October 2019

Background

Highly effective human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines are used in many national programs in 3- or 2-dose schedules. We examined HPV vaccine effectiveness against HPV prevalence by number of doses.

Methods

We collected residual liquid-based cytology samples from US women aged 20–29 years who were screened for cervical cancer. Women continuously enrolled from 2006 through the specimen collection date were analyzed. Specimens were tested using the Linear Array assay. We analyzed prevalence of quadrivalent HPV vaccine (4vHPV) types (HPV 6,11,16,18) and other HPV-type categories and determined prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for 1, 2, and 3 compared with no vaccine doses.

Results

Among 4269 women, 1052 (24.6%) were unvaccinated, 2610 (61.1%) received 3 doses, 304 (7.1%) received 2 doses, and 303 (7.1%) received 1 dose. The 4vHPV-type prevalence was 7.4% among unvaccinated women compared with 1.7%, 1.0%, and 1.0% among 1-, 2-, and 3-dose recipients. Among women vaccinated at ≤18 years, adjusted PRs for 1, 2, and 3 doses were 0.06 (95% CI, 0.01–0.42), 0.05 (95% CI, 0.01–0.39), and 0.06 (95% CI, 0.04–0.12).

Conclusions

Among women who received their first dose at age ≤18, estimated HPV vaccine effectiveness was high regardless of number of doses.
Positional variation rather than salt stress dominates changes in three-dimensional leaf shape patterns in cucumber canopies
Authors: Schmidt Dominik , Kahlen Katrin
Published: October 2019

Leaf shape plays a key role in the interaction of a plant with its environment, best-known in the plant’s light harvest. Eﬀects of the environment on the interplay of canopy architecture and physiological functioning can be estimated using functional-structural plant models (FSPMs). In order to reduce the complexity of canopy simulations, leaf shape models used in FSPMs are often simple prototypes scaled to match current leaf area. L-Cucumber is such an FSPM, whose leaf prototype mimics average real leaf shape of unstressed cucumber plants well. However, adaptation processes or stress responses may lead to non-proportional changes in leaf geometries, which, for example, could aﬀect length to width ratios or curvatures. The current leaf shape model in L-Cucumber is static and hence does not incorporate changes in leaf shape within or between plants. Thus, the aim of this study was to estimate leaf shape variation and exemplarily study its eﬀects on FSPM simulations. Three-dimensional leaf coordinate data from a salt stress study were analysed with a robust Bayesian mixed-eﬀects model for estimating leaf shape depending on rank, size and salinity. Results showed that positional and size variation rather than salinity levels dominated 3D leaf shape patterns of cucumber. Considering variable leaf shapes in relation to this main sources of variation in L-Cucumber simulations, only minor eﬀects compared to a realistic, yet static average shape were found. However, with similar computational demands variation in shapes other studies highly sensitive to shape dynamics, for example, pesticide spraying might be aﬀected more strongly.
Improved Intraoperative Hemodynamics in Burn Surgery: An Institutional Change to Pediatric-Specific Hemostasis Solutions
Authors: Lawrence Marley B , Keil Dayley S , Maves Gregory S , Chen Fei , Jones Samuel W , Baboolal Hemanth A
Published: October 2019

A cornerstone of burn surgery hemostasis is infiltration of tumescent vasopressor solutions and topical vasoconstrictor-soaked compresses. Studies detailing pediatric-specific concentrations of these solutions are lacking. Our aim was to assess hemodynamic changes after an institutional change in tumescent vasopressor solution and vasopressor-soaked topical compresses for hemostasis management during pediatric burn surgery. Once the institutional change was implemented, cases performed before and after the intervention were reviewed; inclusion criteria included age 0-18 years, burn total body surface area (TBSA) ≥ 10%, and surgery length >50 minutes. Primary outcomes included changes in intraoperative mean arterial pressure, maximum inhaled anesthetic concentration, need for direct acting vasodilators, estimated blood loss and need for blood transfusions. 30 patients were included in the intervention group, and 31 in the control group. There was a significant difference in peak intraoperative blood pressure in the intervention group (21.4%) compared to the control group (48.0%, p=0.005). Maximum inhaled anesthetic concentrations were lower in the intervention group (2.5% versus 2.8%, p=0.02). Estimated blood loss per TBSA decreased significantly (8.2 mL/1% TBSA versus 1.7, p=0.008), as well as blood transfusion rates, with a transfusion rate of 16.7% in the intervention group versus 45.2% in the control group (p=0.03). The changes instituted in type and concentration of tumescent solution and vasopressor-soaked topical compresses were associated with improved hemodynamic changes and decreased transfusion rates intraoperatively.
An Improved Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Assay for the Identification of Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) Blood Meals
Authors: Field Eleanor N , Gehrke Ella J , Ruden Rachel M , Adelman James S , Smith Ryan C
Published: October 2019

The analysis of vertebrate blood meals serves as an integral component of vector incrimination studies where feeding preferences and host associations influence vector-borne disease transmission. Diagnostic polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based techniques have been widely used to determine host associations, yet applications for Culex (Diptera: Culicidae), which feed primarily on bird populations, have been limited by multistep PCR techniques that approach each potential host species singly. As a result, we have developed a multiplexed primer set targeting mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences that can distinguish human, bird, and mammalian host blood meals in a single PCR reaction, an improvement over previous analyses relying on single primers or other multiplex primer approaches through the inclusion of avian primers. To validate this new methodology, we demonstrate its application on blood samples as well as field-collected Culex samples. Although designed for applications with mosquito vectors, this multiplex PCR assay is not mosquito-specific, and should serve as a valuable tool for identifying the blood meals of other blood-feeding arthropods, contributing greatly to the study of vector-borne disease.
Impact of Overweight and Obesity on US Papillary Thyroid Cancer Incidence Trends (1995–2015)
Authors: Kitahara Cari M , Pfeiffer Ruth M , Sosa Julie A , Shiels Meredith S
Published: October 2019

Background

Since the early 1980s, papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) incidence rates and the prevalence of obesity, a risk factor for PTC, have increased substantially in the United States. We estimated the proportion of PTC incidence in the United States attributable to overweight and obesity during 1995–2015.

Methods

National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study cohort data (n = 457 331 participants, 50–71 years and cancer-free at baseline) were used to estimate multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for PTC across body mass index categories. Population attributable fractions (PAFs) were calculated using estimated hazard ratios and annual overweight and obesity prevalence estimates from the National Health Interview Survey. PAF estimates were combined with Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-13 data to calculate annual percent changes in PTC incidence rates attributable (and unrelated) to overweight and obesity.

Results

Overweight (25.0–29.0 kg/m2) and obesity (≥30.0 kg/m2) were associated with 1.26-fold (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.05- to 1.52-fold) and 1.30-fold (95% CI = 1.05- to 1.62-fold) increased risks of PTC, respectively, and nearly threefold (HR = 2.93, 95% CI = 1.25 to 6.87) and greater than fivefold (HR = 5.42, 95% CI = 2.24 to 13.1) increased risks of large (>4 cm) PTCs compared with normal weight (18.5–24.9 kg/m2). During 1995–2015, PAF estimates for overweight and obesity increased from 11.4% to 16.2% for all PTCs and from 51.4% to 63.2% for large PTCs. Overweight or obesity accounted for 13.6% and 57.8% of the annual percent changes in total (5.9%/y) and large (4.5%/y) PTC incidence rates, respectively, during 1995–2015.

Conclusions

Overweight and obesity may have contributed importantly to the rapid rise in PTC incidence during 1995–2015. By 2015, we estimate that one of every six PTCs diagnosed among adults 60 years or older, including nearly two-thirds of large PTCs, were attributable to overweight and obesity.
Three subfamilies of exocyst EXO70 family subunits in land plants: early divergence and ongoing functional specialization
Authors: Žárský Viktor , Sekereš Juraj , Kubátová Zdeňka , Pečenková Tamara , Cvrčková Fatima
Published: October 2019

This review on the plant EXO70 family of exocyst subunits provides a new perspective on the diverse functions of the three subfamilies implying EXO70.2’s role in autophagy, unconventional secretion, and defence.
Deficiency of rice hexokinase HXK5 impairs synthesis and utilization of starch in pollen grains and causes male sterility
Authors: Lee Sang-Kyu , Kim Hyunbi , Cho Jung-Il , Nguyen Cong Danh , Moon Sunok , Park Jeong Eun , Park Hye Rang , Huh Jin Hoe , Jung Ki-Hong , Guiderdoni Emmanuel , Jeon Jong-Seong
Published: October 2019

Analysis of rice hexokinase hxk5 mutants reveals that the function of OsHXK5 in starch biosynthesis and utilization is essential for normal pollen development, germination, and tube growth.
Diverse trajectories of plastome degradation in holoparasitic Cistanche and genomic location of the lost plastid genes
Authors: Liu Xiaoqing , Fu Weirui , Tang Yiwei , Zhang Wenju , Song Zhiping , Li Linfeng , Yang Ji , Ma Hong , Yang Jianhua , Zhou Chan , Davis Charles C , Wang Yuguo
Published: October 2019

The plastid genomes (plastomes) of non-photosynthetic plants generally undergo gene loss and pseudogenization. Despite massive plastomes reported in different parasitism types of the broomrape family (Orobanchaceae), more plastomes representing different degradation patterns in a single genus are expected to be explored. Here, we sequence and assemble the complete plastomes of three holoparasitic Cistanche species (C. salsa, C. mongolica, and C. sinensis) and compare them with the available plastomes of Orobanchaceae. We identified that the diverse degradation trajectories under purifying selection existed among three Cistanche clades, showing obvious size differences in the entire plastome, long single copy region, and non-coding region, and different patterns of the retention/loss of functional genes. With few exceptions of putatively functional genes, massive plastid fragments, which have been lost and transferred into the mitochondrial or nuclear genomes, are non-functional. In contrast to the equivalents of the Orobanche species, some plastid-derived genes with diverse genomic locations are found in Cistanche. The early and initially diverged clades in different genera such as Cistanche and Aphyllon possess obvious patterns of plastome degradation, suggesting that such key lineages should be considered prior to comparative analysis of plastome evolution, especially in the same genus.
Positive root pressure is critical for whole-plant desiccation recovery in two species of terrestrial resurrection ferns
Authors: Holmlund Helen I , Davis Stephen D , Ewers Frank W , Aguirre Natalie M , Sapes Gerard , Sala Anna , Pittermann Jarmila
Published: October 2019

Desiccation-tolerant (DT) organisms can lose nearly all their water without dying. Desiccation tolerance allows organisms to survive in a nearly completely dehydrated, dormant state. At the cellular level, sugars and proteins stabilize cellular components and protect them from oxidative damage. However, there are few studies of the dynamics and drivers of whole-plant recovery in vascular DT plants. In vascular DT plants, whole-plant desiccation recovery (resurrection) depends not only on cellular rehydration, but also on the recovery of organs with unequal access to water. In this study, in situ natural and artificial irrigation experiments revealed the dynamics of desiccation recovery in two DT fern species. Organ-specific irrigation experiments revealed that the entire plant resurrected when water was supplied to roots, but leaf hydration alone (foliar water uptake) was insufficient to rehydrate the stele and roots. In both species, pressure applied to petioles of excised desiccated fronds resurrected distal leaf tissue, while capillarity alone was insufficient to resurrect distal pinnules. Upon rehydration, sucrose levels in the rhizome and stele dropped dramatically as starch levels rose, consistent with the role of accumulated sucrose as a desiccation protectant. These findings provide insight into traits that facilitate desiccation recovery in dryland ferns associated with chaparral vegetation of southern California.
miR156-targeted SPL10 controls Arabidopsis root meristem activity and root-derived de novo shoot regeneration via cytokinin responses
Authors: Barrera-Rojas Carlos Hernán , Rocha Gabriel Henrique Braga , Polverari Laura , Pinheiro Brito Diego Armando , Batista Diego Silva , Notini Marcela M , da Cruz Ana Claudia Ferreira , Morea Edna Gicela Ortiz , Sabatini Sabrina , Otoni Wagner Campos , Nogueira Fabio Tebaldi Silveira
Published: October 2019

Root growth is modulated by different factors, including phytohormones, transcription factors, and microRNAs (miRNAs). MicroRNA156 and its targets, the SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) genes, define an age-dependent pathway that controls several developmental processes, including lateral root emergence. However, it remains unclear whether miR156-regulated SPLs control root meristem activity and root-derived de novo shoot regeneration. Here, we show that MIR156 and SPL genes have opposing expression patterns during the progression of primary root (PR) growth in Arabidopsis, suggesting that age cues may modulate root development. Plants with high miR156 levels display reduced meristem size, resulting in shorter primary root (PRs). Conversely, plants with reduced miR156 levels show higher meristem activity. Importantly, loss of function of SPL10 decreases meristem activity, while SPL10 de-repression increases it. Meristem activity is regulated by SPL10 probably through the reduction of cytokinin responses, via the modulation of type-B ARABIDOPSIS RESPONSE REGULATOR1(ARR1) expression. We also show that SPL10 de-repression in the PRs abolishes de novo shoot regenerative capacity by attenuating cytokinin responses. Our results reveal a cooperative regulation of root meristem activity and root-derived de novo shoot regeneration by integrating age cues with cytokinin responses via miR156-targeted SPL10.
Enhanced Carrier Screening for Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Detection of Silent (SMN1: 2 + 0) Carriers Utilizing a Novel TaqMan Genotyping Method
Authors: Azad Abul Kalam , Huang Chih-Kang , Jin Hong , Zou Hongwei , Yanakakis Lindsay , Du Juan , Fiddler Morry , Naeem Rizwan , Goldstein Yitz
Published: October 2019

Background

Individuals whose copies of the survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene exist on the same chromosome are considered silent carriers for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Conventional screening for SMA only determines SMN1 copy number without any information regarding how those copies are arranged. A single nucleotide variant (SNV) rs143838139 is highly linked with the silent carrier genotype, so testing for this SNV can more accurately assess risk to a patient of having an affected child.

Methods

Using a custom-designed SNV-specific Taqman genotyping assay, we determined and validated a model for silent-carrier detection in the laboratory.

Results

An initial cohort of 21 pilot specimens demonstrated results that were 100% concordant with a reference laboratory method; this cohort was utilized to define the reportable range. An additional 177 specimens were utilized for a broader evaluation of clinical validity and reproducibility. Allelic-discrimination analysis demonstrated tight clustering of genotype groupings and excellent reproducibility, with a coefficient of variation for all genotypes ranging from 1% to 4%.

Conclusion

The custom-developed Taqman SNV genotyping assay we tested provides a rapid, accurate, and cost-effective method for routine SMA silent-carrier screening and considerably improves detection rates of residual risk for SMA carriers.
Detecting the halo heating from AGN feedback with ALMA
Authors: Brownson S , Maiolino R , Tazzari M , Carniani S , Henden N
Published: October 2019

The Sunyaev–Zel’dovich (SZ) effect can potentially be used to investigate the heating of the circumgalactic medium and subsequent suppression of cold gas accretion on to the host galaxy caused by quasar feedback. We use a deep ALMA observation of HE0515-4414 in band 4, the most luminous quasar known at the peak of cosmic star formation (z = 1.7), to search for the SZ signal tracing the heating of the galaxy’s halo. ALMA’s sensitivity to a broad range of spatial scales enables us to disentangle emitting compact sources from the negative, extended SZ signal. We obtain a marginal SZ detection (∼3.3σ) on scales of about 300 kpc (30–40 arcsec), at the 0.2 mJy level, 0.5 mJy after applying a correction factor for primary beam attenuation and flux that is resolved out by the array. We show that our result is consistent with a simulated ALMA observation of a similar quasar in the fable cosmological simulations. We emphasize that detecting an SZ signal is more easily achieved in the visibility plane than in the (inferred) images. We also confirm a marginal detection (3.2σ) of a potential SZ dip on smaller scales (<100 kpc) already claimed by other authors, possibly highlighting the complex structure of the halo heating. Finally, we use SZ maps from the fable cosmological simulations, convolved with ALMA simulations, to illustrate that band 3 observations are much more effective in detecting the SZ signal with higher significance, and discuss the optimal observing strategy.
3D hydrodynamic simulations of C ingestion into a convective O shell
Authors: Andrassy R , Herwig F , Woodward P , Ritter C
Published: October 2019

Interactions between convective shells in evolved massive stars have been linked to supernova impostors, to the production of the odd-Z elements Cl, K, and Sc, and they might also help generate the large-scale asphericities that are known to facilitate shock revival in supernova explosion models. We investigate the process of ingestion of C-shell material into a convective O-burning shell, including the hydrodynamic feedback from the nuclear burning of the ingested material. Our 3D hydrodynamic simulations span almost 3 dex in the total luminosity Ltot. All but one of the simulations reach a quasi-stationary state with the entrainment rate and convective velocity proportional to Ltot and $L_\mathrm{tot}^{1/3}$, respectively. Carbon burning provides $14\!-\!33{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of the total luminosity, depending on the set of reactions considered. Equivalent simulations done on 7683 and 11523 grids are in excellent quantitative agreement. The flow is dominated by a few large-scale convective cells. An instability leading to large-scale oscillations with Mach numbers in excess of 0.2 develops in an experimental run with the energy yield from C burning increased by a factor of 10. This run represents most closely the conditions expected in a violent O–C shell merger, which is a potential production site for odd-Z elements such as K and Sc and which may seed asymmetries in the supernova progenitor. 1D simulations may underestimate the energy generation from the burning of ingested material by as much as a factor 2 owing to their missing the effect of clumpiness of entrained material on the nuclear reaction rate.
The 2016 January eruption of recurrent Nova LMC 1968
Authors: Kuin N P M , Page K L , Mróz P , Darnley M J , Shore S N , Osborne J P , Walter F , Di Mille F , Morrell N , Munari U , Bohlsen T , Evans A , Gehrz R D , Starrfield S , Henze M , Williams S C , Schwarz G J , Udalski A , Szymański M K , Poleski R , Soszyński I , Ribeiro V A R M , Angeloni R , Breeveld A A , Beardmore A P , Skowron J
Published: October 2019

We present a comprehensive review of all observations of the eclipsing recurrent Nova LMC 1968 in the Large Magellanic Cloud which was previously observed in eruption in 1968, 1990, 2002, 2010, and most recently in 2016. We derive a probable recurrence time of 6.2 ± 1.2 yr and provide the ephemerides of the eclipse. In the ultraviolet–optical–IR photometry the light curve shows high variability right from the first observation around 2 d after eruption. Therefore no colour changes can be substantiated. Outburst spectra from 2016 and 1990 are very similar and are dominated by H and He lines longward of 2000 Å. Interstellar reddening is found to be E(B − V) = 0.07 ± 0.01. The super soft X-ray luminosity is lower than the Eddington luminosity and the X-ray spectra suggest the mass of the white dwarf (WD) is larger than 1.3 M⊙. Eclipses in the light curve suggest that the system is at high orbital inclination. On day 4 after the eruption a recombination wave was observed in Fe ii ultraviolet absorption lines. Narrow-line components are seen after day 6 and explained as being due to reionization of ejecta from a previous eruption. The UV spectrum varies with orbital phase, in particular a component of the He ii 1640 Å emission line, which leads us to propose that early-on the inner WD Roche lobe might be filled with a bound opaque medium prior to the re-formation of an accretion disc. Both this medium and the ejecta can cause the delay in the appearance of the soft X-ray source.
Ultra-diffuse galaxies in the Auriga simulations
Authors: Liao Shihong , Gao Liang , Frenk Carlos S , Grand Robert J J , Guo Qi , Gómez Facundo A , Marinacci Federico , Pakmor Rüdiger , Shao Shi , Springel Volker
Published: October 2019

We investigate the formation of ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) using the Auriga high-resolution cosmological magnetohydrodynamical simulations of Milky Way–sized galaxies. We identify a sample of 92 UDGs in the simulations that match a wide range of observables such as sizes, central surface brightness, Sérsic indices, colours, spatial distribution, and abundance. Auriga UDGs have dynamical masses similar to normal dwarfs. In the field, the key to their origin is a strong correlation present in low-mass dark matter haloes between galaxy size and halo spin parameter. Field UDGs form in dark matter haloes with larger spins compared to normal dwarfs in the field, in agreement with previous semi-analytical models. Satellite UDGs, on the other hand, have two different origins: ${\sim}55{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of them formed as field UDGs before they were accreted; the remaining ${\sim}45{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ were normal field dwarfs that subsequently turned into UDGs as a result of tidal interactions.
CAUSALdb: a database for disease/trait causal variants identified using summary statistics of genome-wide association studies
Authors: Wang Jianhua , Huang Dandan , Zhou Yao , Yao Hongcheng , Liu Huanhuan , Zhai Sinan , Wu Chengwei , Zheng Zhanye , Zhao Ke , Wang Zhao , Yi Xianfu , Zhang Shijie , Liu Xiaorong , Liu Zipeng , Chen Kexin , Yu Ying , Sham Pak Chung , Li Mulin Jun
Published: October 2019

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have revolutionized the field of complex trait genetics over the past decade, yet for most of the significant genotype-phenotype associations the true causal variants remain unknown. Identifying and interpreting how causal genetic variants confer disease susceptibility is still a big challenge. Herein we introduce a new database, CAUSALdb, to integrate the most comprehensive GWAS summary statistics to date and identify credible sets of potential causal variants using uniformly processed fine-mapping. The database has six major features: it (i) curates 3052 high-quality, fine-mappable GWAS summary statistics across five human super-populations and 2629 unique traits; (ii) estimates causal probabilities of all genetic variants in GWAS significant loci using three state-of-the-art fine-mapping tools; (iii) maps the reported traits to a powerful ontology MeSH, making it simple for users to browse studies on the trait tree; (iv) incorporates highly interactive Manhattan and LocusZoom-like plots to allow visualization of credible sets in a single web page more efficiently; (v) enables online comparison of causal relations on variant-, gene- and trait-levels among studies with different sample sizes or populations and (vi) offers comprehensive variant annotations by integrating massive base-wise and allele-specific functional annotations. CAUSALdb is freely available at http://mulinlab.org/causaldb.
Ambulation on Postoperative Day #0 Is Associated With Decreased Morbidity and Adverse Events After Elective Lumbar Spine Surgery: Analysis From the Michigan Spine Surgery Improvement Collaborative (MSSIC)
Authors: Zakaria Hesham Mostafa , Bazydlo Michael , Schultz Lonni , Abdulhak Muwaffak , Nerenz David R , Chang Victor , Schwalb Jason M
Published: October 2019

BACKGROUND

While consistently recommended, the significance of early ambulation after surgery has not been definitively studied.

OBJECTIVE

To identify the relationship between ambulation on the day of surgery (postoperative day (POD)#0) and 90-d adverse events after lumbar surgery.

METHODS

The Michigan Spine Surgery Improvement Collaborative (MSSIC) is a prospective multicenter registry of spine surgery patients. As part of routine postoperative care, patients either ambulated on POD#0 or did not. The 90-d adverse events of length of stay (LOS), urinary retention (UR), urinary tract infection (UTI), ileus, readmission, surgical site infection (SSI), pulmonary embolism/deep vein thrombosis (PE/DVT), and disposition to a rehab facility were measured.

RESULTS

A total of 23 295 lumbar surgery patients were analyzed. POD#0 ambulation was associated with decreased LOS (relative LOS 0.83, P < .001), rehab discharge (odds ratio [OR] 0.52, P < .001), 30-d (OR 0.85, P = .044) and 90-d (OR 0.86, P = .014) readmission, UR (OR 0.73, P = 10), UTI (OR 73, P = .001), and ileus (OR 0.52, P < .001) for all patients. Significant improvements in LOS, rehab discharge, readmission, UR, UTI, and ileus were observed in subset analysis of single-level decompressions (4698 pts), multilevel decompressions (4079 pts), single-level fusions (4846 pts), and multilevel fusions (4413 pts). No change in rate of SSI or DVT/PE was observed for patients who ambulated POD#0.

CONCLUSION

POD#0 ambulation is associated with a significantly decreased risk for several key adverse events after lumbar spine surgery. Decreasing the incidence of these outcomes would be associated with significant cost savings. As ambulation POD#0 is a modifiable factor in any patient's postoperative care following most spine surgery, it should be encouraged and incorporated into spine-related, enhanced-recovery-after-surgery programs.
Stagnant Venous Outflow Predicts Brain Arteriovenous Malformation Obliteration After Gamma Knife Radiosurgery Without Prior Intervention
Authors: Hu Yong-Sin , Lee Cheng-Chia , Wu Hsiu-Mei , Yang Huai-Che , Lin Te-Ming , Luo Chao-Bao , Guo Wan-Yuo , Chung Wen-Yuh , Lin Chung-Jung
Published: October 2019

BACKGROUND

Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) obliterates 65% to 82% of brain arteriovenous malformations (BAVMs).

OBJECTIVE

To explore the impact of hemodynamics on GKRS outcomes.

METHODS

We retrospectively (2011-2017) included 98 patients with BAVMs who had received GKRS alone. Two evaluators, blinded to the outcomes, analyzed the pre-GKRS angiography and magnetic resonance images to obtain the morphological characteristics and quantitative digital subtraction angiography (QDSA) parameters. The venous stasis index was defined as the inflow gradient divided by the absolute value of the outflow gradient. Patients’ follow-up magnetic resonance or digital subtraction angiography images were evaluated for the presence of complete obliteration (CO). Cox regression and Kaplan–Meier analyses were conducted to determine the correlations between the parameters and outcomes.

RESULTS

Among the 98 patients, 63 (63.4%) achieved CO after GKRS at a median latency period of 31 mo. In multivariable analyses with adjustments for age and sex, increased BAVM volume (hazard ratio (HR) 0.949, P = .022) was an independent characteristic predictor, and venous stenosis (HR 2.595, P = .009), venous rerouting (HR 0.375, P = .022), and larger stasis index (HR 1.227, P = .025) were independent angiographic predictors of CO. BAVMs with a stasis index of >1.71 had a higher 36-mo probability of CO than those with a stasis index of ≤1.71 (61.1% vs 26.7%, P < .001).

CONCLUSION

BAVMs with a larger stasis index, indicating more stagnant venous outflow, may predict obliteration after GKRS. QDSA analysis may help in predicting BAVM treatment outcomes and making therapeutic decisions.
Supporting caregivers of children born prematurely in the development of language: A scoping review
Authors: Belanger Roxanne , Leroux Dominique , Lefebvre Pascal
Published: October 2019

Background

Infants born prematurely can display impairments that negatively impact the early years of their development. Compared to their peers born at term, preterm children have higher risks of cerebral palsy, sensory deficits, learning disabilities, cognitive and language deficits, as well as difficulties related to attention and behaviour. Following discharge, parents of preterm children are often supported through neonatal follow-up programs or by community health care practitioners. Through assessment and consultation, professionals foster parental resilience by teaching them about their child’s development. Research shows a large volume of literature on improving outcomes for preterm infants, but less attention has been given to the impact and potential importance of education of parents regarding the care they provide from the home.

Objective

A scoping review was completed to determine the best practices for early intervention in premature children regarding the development of language skills during the preschool years.

Methods

The review followed the guidelines for the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA).

Results

Four general themes emerged from the review and included the importance of providing (1) parental training in the care of an infant born prematurely during neonatal intensive care unit stay; (2) education on the development of language and the importance of parental responsiveness; (3) provision of activities to support child language learning; and (4) overall and ongoing monitoring and support by qualified health professionals.

Conclusions

The conclusions drawn will provide guidance to health care professionals regarding the education of parents on best practices for stimulating language development in their child.
Modification of relativistic beam fields under the influence of external conducting and ferromagnetic flat boundaries
Authors: Levchenko B B
Published: October 2019

We derive analytical expressions for external fields of a relativistic bunch of charged particles with a circular and an elliptical cross section under different boundary conditions and interaction of the fields with an accelerator structural elements. The particle density in the bunch is assumed to be uniform as well as non-uniform. At distances far apart from the bunch, in free space the field reduces to the relativistic modified Coulomb form for a pointlike charge and at small distances the expressions reproduce the external fields of a continuous beam. In an ultra-relativistic limit the longitudinal components of the internal and external electric fields of the bunch are strongly suppressed by the Lorentz factor. If the bunch is surrounded by conducting surfaces, the bunch self-fields are modified. Image fields generated by a bunch between two parallel conducting plates are studied in detail. Exact summation of the electric, $E_y$, and magnetic, $B_x$, image field components allows the infinite series to be represented in terms of elementary trigonometric functions. The new expressions for modified fields are applied to study image forces acting on the bunch constituents and the bunch as a whole. The coherent and incoherent tune shifts for an arbitrary bunch displacement from the midplane are calculated in the framework of an improved linear theory, for both infinite and finite parallel flat surfaces. Moreover, the developed method allows us to generalize the Laslett image coefficients $\epsilon_1$, $\epsilon_2$, $\xi_1$, $\xi_2$ to the case of an arbitrary bunch offset and reveal relationships between these coefficients. Appendix C provides a brief historical background of the development of the method of electrical images.
Evidence for sleep-dependent synaptic renormalization in mouse pups
Authors: de Vivo Luisa , Nagai Hirotaka , De Wispelaere Noemi , Spano Giovanna Maria , Marshall William , Bellesi Michele , Nemec Kelsey Marie , Schiereck Shannon Sandra , Nagai Midori , Tononi Giulio , Cirelli Chiara
Published: October 2019

In adolescent and adult brains several molecular, electrophysiological, and ultrastructural measures of synaptic strength are higher after wake than after sleep [1, 2]. These results support the proposal that a core function of sleep is to renormalize the increase in synaptic strength associated with ongoing learning during wake, to reestablish cellular homeostasis and avoid runaway potentiation, synaptic saturation, and memory interference [2, 3]. Before adolescence however, when the brain is still growing and many new synapses are forming, sleep is widely believed to promote synapse formation and growth. To assess the role of sleep on synapses early in life, we studied 2-week-old mouse pups (both sexes) whose brain is still undergoing significant developmental changes, but in which sleep and wake are easy to recognize. In two strains (CD-1, YFP-H) we found that pups spend ~50% of the day asleep and show an immediate increase in total sleep duration after a few hours of enforced wake, indicative of sleep homeostasis. In YFP-H pups we then used serial block-face electron microscopy to examine whether the axon-spine interface (ASI), an ultrastructural marker of synaptic strength, changes between wake and sleep. We found that the ASI of cortical synapses (layer 2, motor cortex) was on average 33.9% smaller after sleep relative to after extended wake and the differences between conditions were consistent with multiplicative scaling. Thus, the need for sleep-dependent synaptic renormalization may apply also to the young, pre-weaned cerebral cortex, at least in the superficial layers of the primary motor area.
Atypical bodily self-awareness in vicarious pain responders
Authors: Bowling Natalie C. , Botan Vanessa , Santiesteban Idalmis , Ward Jamie , Banissy Michael J.
Published: October 2019

Vicarious perception refers to the ability to co-represent the experiences of others. Prior research has shown considerable inter-individual variability in vicarious perception of pain, with some experiencing conscious sensations of pain on their own body when viewing another person in pain (conscious vicarious perception/mirror-pain synaesthesia). Self–Other Theory proposes that this conscious vicarious perception may result from impairments in self–other distinction and maintaining a coherent sense of bodily self. In support of this, individuals who experience conscious vicarious perception are more susceptible to illusions of body ownership and agency. However, little work has assessed whether trait differences in bodily self-awareness are associated with conscious vicarious pain. Here we addressed this gap by examining individual difference factors related to awareness of the body, in conscious vicarious pain responders. Increased self-reported depersonalization and interoceptive sensibility was found for conscious vicarious pain responders compared with non-responders, in addition to more internally oriented thinking (associated with lower alexithymia). There were no significant differences in trait anxiety. Results indicate that maintaining a stable sense of the bodily self may be important for vicarious perception of pain, and that vicarious perception might also be enhanced by attention towards internal bodily states.

This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Bridging senses: novel insights from synaesthesia’.
Investigating genetic links between grapheme–colour synaesthesia and neuropsychiatric traits
Authors: Tilot Amanda K. , Vino Arianna , Kucera Katerina S. , Carmichael Duncan A. , van den Heuvel Loes , den Hoed Joery , Sidoroff-Dorso Anton V. , Campbell Archie , Porteous David J. , St Pourcain Beate , van Leeuwen Tessa M. , Ward Jamie , Rouw Romke , Simner Julia , Fisher Simon E.
Published: October 2019

Synaesthesia is a neurological phenomenon affecting perception, where triggering stimuli (e.g. letters and numbers) elicit unusual secondary sensory experiences (e.g. colours). Family-based studies point to a role for genetic factors in the development of this trait. However, the contributions of common genomic variation to synaesthesia have not yet been investigated. Here, we present the SynGenes cohort, the largest genotyped collection of unrelated people with grapheme–colour synaesthesia (
n
= 723). Synaesthesia has been associated with a range of other neuropsychological traits, including enhanced memory and mental imagery, as well as greater sensory sensitivity. Motivated by the prior literature on putative trait overlaps, we investigated polygenic scores derived from published genome-wide scans of schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), comparing our SynGenes cohort to 2181 non-synaesthetic controls. We found a very slight association between schizophrenia polygenic scores and synaesthesia (Nagelkerke's
R
2
= 0.0047, empirical
p
= 0.0027) and no significant association for scores related to ASD (Nagelkerke's
R
2
= 0.00092, empirical
p
= 0.54) or body mass index (
R
2
= 0.00058, empirical
p
= 0.60), included as a negative control. As sample sizes for studying common genomic variation continue to increase, genetic investigations of the kind reported here may yield novel insights into the shared biology between synaesthesia and other traits, to complement findings from neuropsychology and brain imaging.

This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Bridging senses: novel insights from synaesthesia'.