bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Body morphometry appropriate computational phantoms for dose and risk optimization in pediatric renal imaging with Tc-99m DMSA and Tc-99m MAG3
Authors: Brown Justin L , Sexton-Stallone Briana , Li Ye , Frey Eric C , Treves S Ted , Fahey Frederic H , Plyku Donika , Cao Xinhua , Sgouros George , Bolch Wesley E
Published: August 2020

Current guidelines for administered activity (AA) in pediatric nuclear medicine imaging studies are based on a 2016 harmonization of the 2010 North American Consensus guidelines and the 2007 European Association of Nuclear Medicine pediatric dosage card. These guidelines assign AA scaled to patient body mass, with further constraints on maximum and minimum values of radiopharmaceutical activity. These guidelines, however, are not formulated based upon a rigor-ous evaluation of diagnostic image quality. In a recent study of the renal cortex imaging agent 99mTc-DMSA (Li Y et al 2019), body mass-based dosing guidelines were shown to not give the same level of image quality for patients of differing body mass. Their data suggest that patient girth at the level of the kidneys may be a better morphometric parameter to consider when selecting AA for renal nuclear medicine imaging. The objective of the present work was thus to develop a dedicated series of computational phantoms to support image quality and organ dose studies in pediatric renal imaging using 99mTc-DMSA or 99mTc-MAG3. The final library consists of 50 male and female phantoms of ages 0 to 15 years, with percentile variations (5th to 95th) in waist circumference (WC) at each age. For each phantom, nominal values of kidney volume, length, and depth were incorporated into the phantom design. Organ absorbed doses, detriment-weighted doses, and stochastic risks were assessed using ICRP reference biokinetic models for both agents. In Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations, organ doses for these agents yielded detriment-weighted dose coefficients (mSv/MBq) that were in general larger than current ICRP values of the effective dose coefficients (age and WC-averaged ratios of eDW/e were 1.40 for the male phantoms and 1.49 for the female phantoms). Values of risk index (ratio of radiation-induced to natural background cancer incidence risk x 100) varied between 0.062 (newborns) to 0.108 (15-year-olds) for 99mTc-DMSA and between 0.026 (newborns) to 0.122 (15-year-olds) for 99mTc-MAG3. Using tallies of photon exit fluence as a rough surrogate for uniform image quality, our study demonstrated that through body region-of-interest optimization of AA, there is the potential for further dose and risk reductions of between factors of 1.5 to 3.0 beyond simple weight-based dosing guidance.
Characterisation of a thermionic plasma source apparatus for high-density gaseous plasma antenna applications
Authors: Daykin-Iliopoulos Alexander , Bosi Franco , Coccaro Fabio , Magarotto Mirko , Papadimopoulos Athanasios , De Carlo Paola , Dobranszki Cristian , Golosnoy Igor , Gabriel Steve
Published: August 2020

A thermionic plasma source apparatus has been developed and characterised for high-density gaseous plasma antenna (GPA) applications. The system produces a cylindrical plasma column which is 100 mm long with a diameter of 8 mm and operates with a total plasma power consumption of 70 to 200 W, depending mainly on the DC discharge current. The plasma column electron density and temperature is measured via microwave interferometry and optical emission spectroscopy. The plasma properties are investigated for Ar, Kr and Xe at pressures from 1 to 4 mbar. The system has demonstrated higher electron densities (>1019 m−3) at low pressures (<2 mbar) than has been experimentally achieved before for GPA applications. This could allow for high gain GPA operation comparable to that of conventional metallic antennas. Additionally, the source has demonstrated operation over a wide range of electron densities, from 2 × 1018 to 1 × 1019 m−3, which can allow for frequency hopping. The plasma columns electron temperature remains around 1.5 eV for argon, largely uninfluenced by the pressure or discharge current. These plasma column measurements obtained are used to analyse the plasma properties influence on GPA performance. This analysis indicates that at high density operation, a gain is achieved which is only 22% lower than that of the conventional metallic antenna. Furthermore, the density ranges demonstrated could enable wide-range frequency hopping of over 100 MHz, with a gain greater than 1.3 dBi.
Pinning analyses of a BaHfO3-containing GdBa2Cu3O7‐δ thin film grown by chemical solution deposition
Authors: Iida Kazumasa , Cayado Pablo , Rijckaert Hannes , Erbe Manuela , Hänisch Jens , Okada Tatsunori , Van Driessche Isabel , Awaji Satoshi , Holzapfel Bernhard
Published: August 2020

The electric transport properties of a GdBa2Cu3O

7
−
δ

thin film containing 12 mol% nano-sized BaHfO3 (BHO) particles grown by chemical solution deposition were investigated in a wide range of temperatures (4.2 ≤T ≤ 77 K) and magnetic fields up to

μ

0

H

= 19 T. The exponent n of the electric field–current density characteristics (

E
∝

 
J

n
) depends on critical current density

J

c

as (n–1)

∝

 

J

c

α

(α ∼ 0.45) irrespective of measurement temperature for H 

∥

 
c. On the other hand, this relation does not hold for H 

∥

 
ab. The angular dependence of

J

c

is almost similar to that of n except for the angle close to the ab-plane. A dip of n around this angle regime was observed below 77 K, whereas

J

c

exhibited a maximum. At T ≤ 50 K a tiny peak in the dip was observed that increases with decreasing temperatures. These results suggest that the pinning mechanism changes with temperature for H 

∥

 
ab.
Superconductivity of hydrogen superoxide under high pressure
Authors: Ishikawa Takahiro
Published: August 2020

We explored the superconductivity in a oxygen-hydrogen binary system, H
h
O1 − h
, under highpressure using an evolutionary algorithm-based materials informatics approach. We searched for metallic and superconducting phases in pressures up to 300 GPa using a crystal structure prediction technique based on a genetic algorithm and first-principles calculations, and found that hydrogen superoxide (HO2) with an orthorhombic Pnnm, which emerges as a metastable compound in pressure above 180 GPa, is the only compound showing the superconductivity. The superconducting critical temperature

T

c

is 9.78 K at 200 GPa, which is higher than that of pure solid oxygen, 2.87 K, due to the effect of the hydrogenation. We confirmed that the

T

c

value shows a good agreement with potential superconducting critical temperature

T

c

p
o
t

estimated by the superconductivity predictor, which we have previously developed by a genetic programming using 497 first-principles datasets of other binary hydrides. Moreover, supposing that all the H
h
O1 − h
compounds are superconductors at pressures in 150–200 GPa, we investigated the potential superconductivity of the H
h
O1 − h
system using the predictor and obtained that

T

c

p
o
t

shows 10 K for h = 0.033 3 and increases to 100 K with the increase of h to 0.966 7.
Ultrafast critical ground state preparation via bang–bang protocols
Authors: Innocenti Luca , De Chiara Gabriele , Paternostro Mauro , Puebla Ricardo
Published: August 2020

The fast and faithful preparation of the ground state of quantum systems is a challenging but crucial task for several applications in the realm of quantum-based technologies. Decoherence limits the maximum time-window allowed to an experiment to faithfully achieve such desired states. This is of particular significance in systems featuring a quantum phase transition, where the vanishing energy gap challenges an adiabatic ground state preparation. We show that a bang–bang protocol, consisting of a time evolution under two different values of an externally tunable parameter, allows for a high-fidelity ground state preparation in evolution times no longer than those required by the application of standard optimal control techniques, such as the chopped-random basis quantum optimization. In addition, owing to their reduced number of variables, such bang–bang protocols are very well suited to optimization tasks, reducing the high computational cost of other optimal control protocols. We benchmark the performance of such approach through two paradigmatic models, namely the Landau–Zener and the Lipkin–Meshkov–Glick model. Remarkably, we find that the critical ground state of the latter model, i.e. its ground state at the critical point, can be prepared with a high fidelity in a total evolution time that scales slower than the inverse of the vanishing energy gap.
Probability of compound climate extremes in a changing climate: A copula-based study of hot, dry, and windy events in the central United States
Authors: Tavakol Ameneh , Rahmani Vahid , Harrington Jr. John
Published: August 2020

Climate extreme events exert disproportionate impacts on ecosystems and humankind. Focusing on univariate statistics to estimate the harm from compound extreme events usually falls short in communicating the real risk. Here, the co-occurrence of hot, dry, and windy events (HDWs) in the central United States was analyzed over the period 1949–2018. Results demonstrate south-west Kansas and north Texas as locations where HDWs are more frequent. The combination of drought and a heatwave in 1980 and 2011, increased the likelihood of HDWs. Use of copula enables the study of the co-occurrence of multiple extremes. The copula approach identified a greater risk of HDWs compared with traditional empirical analysis. The dependence structure between the temperature, humidity, and wind variables showed no effect on the co-occurrence frequency of HDWs in the warm-season (May through September). Results suggest an increase in the risk of HDWs in spite of the historical wind speed drop across the majority of Great Plains. Multivariate perspectives are necessary for a more informed assessment of compound extremes risk and for improved design of adaption strategies.
Accurate phase analysis of interferometric fringes by the spatiotemporal phase-shifting method
Authors: Ri Shien , Takimoto Taiki , Xia Peng , Wang Qinghua , Tsuda Hiroshi , Ogihara Shinji
Published: August 2020

Phase-shifting interferometry (PSI) has been widely applied in the field of accurate optical methodology. However, the fluctuation of background and amplitude intensities due to the instability of laser source, and phase-shifting error or vibration are significant problems for the PSI. In this study, the spatiotemporal phase-shifting method (ST-PSM) (Ri S et al 2019 J. Opt.
21 095702), which is a highly accurate and robust phase analysis method using spatial and temporal intensities information simultaneously, is first applied to laser interferometry to achieve a stable measurement. Through several simulations, three effects of fluctuations in background and amplitude intensities, phase-shifting error were investigated. As a result, we clarified that the periodic phase error with fundamental or second harmonic frequencies occurs in the conventional PSM method, whereas no periodic error occurs in the ST-PSM. Besides, the ST-PSM is also robust to the noise either for uniform or distorted interference fringe images. In the Michelson laser interferometer experiment, the ST-PSM realizes a much more stable measurement of phase and phase gradient distributions than the PSM. We have revealed the excellent performance and the striking advantage that ST-PSM is entirely free of periodic errors in a similar manner to the simulations. Therefore, laser interferometry using the ST-PSM can be expected to apply to various applications, including the extremely accurate non-contact shape and deformation measurement, as well as thickness measurement of transparent materials in life and material sciences.
Size and phenology control plant reproduction and agricultural production. A commentary on: ‘How plant allometry influences bud phenology and fruit yield in two Vaccinium species’
Authors: Bonser Stephen P
Published: August 2020

This article comments on:

Marie-Pier Fournier, Maxime C. Paré, Valentina Buttò, Sylvain Delagrange, Jean Lafond and Annie Deslauriers, How plant allometry influences bud phenology and fruit yield in two Vaccinium species, Annals of Botany, Volume 126, Issue 5, 9 October 2020, Pages 825–835, https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaa083
LDBlockShow: a fast and convenient tool for visualizing linkage disequilibrium and haplotype blocks based on variant call format files
Authors: Dong Shan-Shan , He Wei-Ming , Ji Jing-Jing , Zhang Chi , Guo Yan , Yang Tie-Lin
Published: August 2020

The triangular correlation heatmap aiming to visualize the linkage disequilibrium (LD) pattern and haplotype block structure of SNPs is ubiquitous component of population-based genetic studies. However, current tools suffered from the problem of time and memory consuming. Here, we developed LDBlockShow, an open source software, for visualizing LD and haplotype blocks from variant call format files. It is time and memory saving. In a test dataset with 100 SNPs from 60 000 subjects, it was at least 10.60 times faster and used only 0.03–13.33% of physical memory as compared with other tools. In addition, it could generate figures that simultaneously display additional statistical context (e.g. association P-values) and genomic region annotations. It can also compress the SVG files with a large number of SNPs and support subgroup analysis. This fast and convenient tool will facilitate the visualization of LD and haplotype blocks for geneticists.
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Social Work: Relationship-based Practice Responses
Authors: Frederick John , Spratt Trevor , Devaney John
Published: August 2020

Individuals with higher numbers of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been found to be overrepresented amongst users of social services. This poses challenges for service providers in seeking ways to incorporate knowledge about ACEs in the calibration of service provision, and for social workers as to how they might use such knowledge in their day-to-day practice. The key contribution of this article is as a position piece that aims to map out a possible response to the ACEs evidence from social work. Practice needs to be informed by an understanding of the causes and consequences of trauma in the lives of individuals and groups. Short-term interventions based on proximal causes have resulted in a fundamental misunderstanding as to the aetiology of the problems experienced and to the types of interventions required to facilitate their amelioration. ACEs research offers a new understanding of how connecting trajectories are formed and maintained in ways that integrate biological, psychological and sociological concepts. In this article, we have made selective use of key texts and studies in the social work literature to illustrate how relationship-based social work may be appropriated and repurposed to align with interventions to mitigate the effects of ACEs.
Intrapulmonary Pharmacokinetics of First-line Anti-tuberculosis Drugs in Malawian Patients With Tuberculosis
Authors: McCallum Andrew D , Pertinez Henry E , Else Laura J , Dilly-Penchala Sujan , Chirambo Aaron P , Sheha Irene , Chasweka Madalitso , Chitani Alex , Malamba Rose D , Meghji Jamilah Z , Gordon Stephen B , Davies Geraint R , Khoo Saye H , Sloan Derek J , Mwandumba Henry C
Published: August 2020

Background

Further work is required to understand the intrapulmonary pharmacokinetics of first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs. This study aimed to describe the plasma and intrapulmonary pharmacokinetics of rifampicin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol, and explore relationships with clinical treatment outcomes in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.

Methods

Malawian adults with a first presentation of microbiologically confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis received standard 6-month first-line therapy. Plasma and intrapulmonary samples were collected 8 and 16 weeks into treatment and drug concentrations measured in plasma, lung/airway epithelial lining fluid (ELF), and alveolar cells. Population pharmacokinetic modeling generated estimates of drug exposure (Cmax and AUC) from individual-level post hoc Bayesian estimates of plasma and intrapulmonary pharmacokinetics.

Results

One-hundred fifty-seven patients (58% HIV coinfected) participated. Despite standard weight-based dosing, peak plasma concentrations of first-line drugs were below therapeutic drug-monitoring targets. Rifampicin concentrations were low in all 3 compartments. Isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol achieved higher concentrations in ELF and alveolar cells than plasma. Isoniazid and pyrazinamide concentrations were 14.6-fold (95% CI, 11.2–18.0-fold) and 49.8-fold (95% CI, 34.2–65.3-fold) higher in ELF than plasma, respectively. Ethambutol concentrations were highest in alveolar cells (alveolar cell–plasma ratio, 15.0; 95% CI, 11.4–18.6). Plasma or intrapulmonary pharmacokinetics did not predict clinical treatment response.

Conclusions

We report differential drug concentrations between plasma and the lung. While plasma concentrations were below therapeutic monitoring targets, accumulation of drugs at the site of disease may explain the success of the first-line regimen. The low rifampicin concentrations observed in all compartments lend strong support for ongoing clinical trials of high-dose rifampicin regimens.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Re-infection by a Phylogenetically Distinct Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Strain Confirmed by Whole Genome Sequencing
Authors: To Kelvin Kai-Wang , Hung Ivan Fan-Ngai , Ip Jonathan Daniel , Chu Allen Wing-Ho , Chan Wan-Mui , Tam Anthony Raymond , Fong Carol Ho-Yan , Yuan Shuofeng , Tsoi Hoi-Wah , Ng Anthony Chin-Ki , Lee Larry Lap-Yip , Wan Polk , Tso Eugene Yuk-Keung , To Wing-Kin , Tsang Dominic Ngai-Chong , Chan Kwok-Hung , Huang Jian-Dong , Kok Kin-Hang , Cheng Vincent Chi-Chung , Yuen Kwok-Yung
Published: August 2020

Background

Waning immunity occurs in patients who have recovered from Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, it remains unclear whether true re-infection occurs.

Methods

Whole genome sequencing was performed directly on respiratory specimens collected during 2 episodes of COVID-19 in a patient. Comparative genome analysis was conducted to differentiate re-infection from persistent viral shedding. Laboratory results, including RT-PCR Ct values and serum Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) IgG, were analyzed.

Results

The second episode of asymptomatic infection occurred 142 days after the first symptomatic episode in an apparently immunocompetent patient. During the second episode, there was evidence of acute infection including elevated C-reactive protein and SARS-CoV-2 IgG seroconversion. Viral genomes from first and second episodes belong to different clades/lineages. The virus genome from the first episode contained a a stop codon at position 64 of ORF8, leading to a truncation of 58 amino acids. Another 23 nucleotide and 13 amino acid differences located in 9 different proteins, including positions of B and T cell epitopes, were found between viruses from the first and second episodes. Compared to viral genomes in GISAID, the first virus genome was phylogenetically closely related to strains collected in March/April 2020, while the second virus genome was closely related to strains collected in July/August 2020.

Conclusions

Epidemiological, clinical, serological, and genomic analyses confirmed that the patient had re-infection instead of persistent viral shedding from first infection. Our results suggest SARS-CoV-2 may continue to circulate among humans despite herd immunity due to natural infection. Further studies of patients with re-infection will shed light on protective immunological correlates for guiding vaccine design.
The inflammation-resolution promoting molecule resolvin-D1 prevents atrial proarrhythmic remodelling in experimental right heart disease
Authors: Hiram Roddy , Xiong Feng , Naud Patrice , Xiao Jiening , Sirois Martin , Tanguay Jean-François , Tardif Jean-Claude , Nattel Stanley
Published: August 2020

Aims

Inflammation plays a role in atrial fibrillation (AF), but classical anti-inflammatory molecules are ineffective. Recent evidence suggests that failure of inflammation-resolution causes persistent inflammatory signalling and that a novel drug-family called resolvins promotes inflammation-resolution. Right heart disease (RHD) is associated with AF; experimental RHD shows signs of atrial inflammatory-pathway activation. Here, we evaluated resolvin-therapy effects on atrial arrhythmogenic remodelling in experimental RHD.

Methods and results

Pulmonary hypertension and RHD were induced in rats with an intraperitoneal injection of 60 mg/kg monocrotaline (MCT). An intervention group received daily resolvin-D1 (RvD1), starting 1 day before MCT administration. Right atrial (RA) conduction and gene-expression were analysed respectively by optical mapping and qPCR/gene-microarray. RvD1 had no or minimal effects on MCT-induced pulmonary artery or right ventricular remodelling. Nevertheless, in vivo transoesophageal pacing induced atrial tachyarrhythmias in no CTRL rats vs. 100% MCT-only rats, and only 33% RvD1-treated MCT rats (P < 0.001 vs. MCT-only). Conduction velocity was significantly decreased by MCT, an effect prevented by RvD1. RHD caused RA dilation and fibrosis. RvD1 strongly attenuated RA fibrosis but had no effect on RA dilation. MCT increased RA expression of inflammation- and fibrosis-related gene-expression pathways on gene-microarray transcriptomic analysis, effects significantly attenuated by RvD1 (334 pathways enriched in MCT-rats vs. control; only 177 dysregulated by MCT with RvD1 treatment). MCT significantly increased RA content of type 1 (proinflammatory) CD68-positive M1 macrophages without affecting type 2 (anti-inflammatory) M2 macrophages. RvD1-treated MCT-rat RA showed significant reductions in proinflammatory M1 macrophages and increases in anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages vs. MCT-only. MCT caused statistically significant increases in protein-expression (western blot) of COL3A1, ASC, CASP1, CASP8, IL1β, TGFβ3, CXCL1, and CXCL2, and decreases in MMP2, vs. control. RvD1-treatment suppressed all these MCT-induced protein-expression changes.

Conclusion

The inflammation-resolution enhancing molecule RvD1 prevents AF-promoting RA remodelling, while suppressing inflammatory changes and fibrotic/electrical remodelling, in RHD. Resolvins show potential promise in combating atrial arrhythmogenic remodelling by suppressing ongoing inflammatory signalling.
Conducting Translational Gastrointestinal Research in the Era of COVID-19
Authors: Nayeri Shadi , Walshe Margaret , Lee Sun-Ho , Filice Melissa , Rho Stella , Jeyakumar Ajani , Stempak Joanne , Smith Michelle I , Silverberg Mark S
Published: August 2020

Spread of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in a global pandemic that is affecting the health and economy of all World Health Organization [WHO] regions. Clinical and translational research activities have been affected drastically by this global catastrophe. In this document we provide a suggested roadmap for resuming gastrointestinal translational research activities, emphasising physical distancing and use of personal protective equipment. We discuss modes of virus transmission in enclosed environments [including clinical workplaces and laboratories] and potential risks of exposure in the endoscopy environment for research staff. The proposed guidelines should be considered in conjunction with local institutional and government guidelines so that translational research can be resumed as safely as possible.
Temporal Dimensions of Unemployment and Relationship Happiness in the United Kingdom
Authors: Blom Niels , Perelli-Harris Brienna
Published: August 2020

Here we study how unemployment is related to partner relationship happiness in the United Kingdom. We investigate multiple dimensions of unemployment—current unemployment, changes in unemployment, duration of unemployment, and past unemployment—each of which provides unique insights into how economic uncertainty can strain relationships. Not including these aspects potentially leads to an underestimation of the long-term effect of unemployment and times when couples are especially affected. Using British longitudinal data (UK Household Longitudinal Study), we employ random and fixed regression analyses. The results highlight the gendered nature of relationships and employment within British couples. As found in previous studies, unemployment, particularly men’s unemployment, is associated with unhappier relationships. However, we find that over the long-run, relationship happiness declined and did not always recover. In addition, men’s re-employment did not solve problems rising from unemployment, especially for women, who continued to be less happy with the relationship when their male partner was unemployed in the recent past. Overall, the research showed that unemployment is not only related to relationship happiness at the time of unemployment, but had a scarring effect on relationship happiness.
Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation: cardiac imaging guidance as an adjunct to the electrophysiological guided approach
Authors: Markman Timothy M , Khoshknab Mirmilad , Nazarian Saman
Published: August 2020

Catheter ablation is increasingly utilized to treat patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Despite progress in technology and procedural strategy, there remain significant limitations with suboptimal outcomes. The role of imaging has continued to evolve, and multimodality imaging now presents an important opportunity to make substantial progress in the safety and efficacy of ablation. In this review, we discuss the history of imaging in the ablation of AF with a specific focus on the ability of cardiac computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging to characterize anatomy, arrhythmogenic substrate, and guide ablation strategy. We will review the progress that has been made and highlight many of the limitations as well as future directions for the field.
Tree-Related Microhabitats: A Comparison of Managed and Unmanaged Oriental Beech–Dominated Forests in Northern Iran
Authors: Sefidi Kiomars , Copenheaver Carolyn A
Published: August 2020

Tree-related microhabitats (TreMs) provide ecological niches in features for a variety of species in forests and are suitable indicators of biodiversity for certain taxa. The study objective was to compare the abundance and occurrence of TreMs in managed versus unmanaged Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) forests of northern Iran to quantify the effect of forest management on biodiversity indicators. We inventoried 3,954 trees to identify the number of trees with TreMs and quantify the occurrence of different types of TreMs. Managed forests averaged 25 trees with TreMs per hectare, and unmanaged forests averaged 41 trees with TreMs per hectare. In both forests, larger-diameter trees (≥50 centimeters diameter at breast height [dbh]) had more TreMs than smaller-diameter trees. TreMs were found on trees larger than a minimum size (32 centimeters dbh) and were more common on trees in poor health, as indicated by vitality class. According to our findings, managed forests have a lower diversity of TreMs than unmanaged forests. However, if management plans in deciduous forests include the retention of large-diameter trees during harvesting events, it is possible to balance providing TreMs within the forest while maintaining growth of economically valuable timber.

Study Implications

Forest biodiversity is time and labor intensive to quantify, and researchers have begun using tree-related microhabitats (TreMs) as a proxy for biodiversity. This study found TreMs occurred at lower abundances but had a similar occurrence of TreM groupings (cavities, injuries and wounds, deformation/growth form, and epiphytes) in managed Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) forests compared with unmanaged Oriental beech forests. Managed hardwood stands provided 25 TreMs per hectare, which is similar to numbers recommended for managing for biodiversity, and thus it may be possible to promote TreM creation and retention as an opportunity to increase forest biodiversity while also managing forests for timber production. Abundance of TreMs was associated with large-diameter trees and low-vitality trees (poor health). In deciduous forests managed for timber production, the retention of large-diameter trees is likely to align more closely with other management objectives than the retention of trees in poor health.
Burn Severity Effects on Sediment and Nutrient Exports from Southeastern Forests Using Simulated Rainfall
Authors: Klimas Kipling , Hiesl Patrick , Hagan Donald , Park Dara
Published: August 2020

Burn severity, commonly assessed as the amount of fuel consumed during fire, is an indicator of postfire sediment yield and erosion. This study examined the effect of burn severity on sediment and nutrient response in three different fire-adapted forest types of the Southeast. Soil and litter samples were experimentally burned to achieve increasing levels of fuel consumption. Simulated rainfall was applied to burned litter samples collected from pine, hardwood, and mixed hardwood-pine forests in the Clemson Experimental Forest. Runoff and leachate samples were collected and analyzed for sediment yield (kilograms per hectare) and total suspended solids (grams per liter); both runoff and leachate samples were analyzed for ammonium (NH4–), nitrate (NO3–), and orthophosphate (PO43–). Sediment yield and total suspended solids increased at only the highest burn severity treatment in all three forest types, with pine litter samples yielding significantly greater sediment in surface runoff than both mixed and hardwood samples. Burn treatment did not readily affect soluble nutrient concentrations in either runoff or leachate, but the data suggest that high-severity burning increases the availability of PO43– bound to sediment. This study suggests that high-severity burn patches function as sediment sources, but overall sediment and nutrient response to burning was minimal.

Study Implications

This study suggests that low-to-moderate burn severity, in terms of litter removal, is not an important indicator of sediment and nutrient exports from southeastern forests; precipitation in the immediate aftermath of fire (<48 hours) is not an effective transport mechanism for biologically available macronutrients; and that even at the highest burn severity treatment, sediment yield was relatively low.
Jean Echenoz and Georges Perec: Negotiating Occupied Territory
Authors: O’Beirne Emer
Published: August 2020

Jean Echenoz’s first four novels (1979–89) exhibit the development of a literary apprenticeship across different fictional genres and acknowledge important precursors. Among the latter, the influence on Echenoz’s work of Georges Perec has not received the same attention as that of the
nouveau roman
, Raymond Queneau, or crime fiction writers such as Jean-Patrick Manchette. Yet the presence of Perec the narrative jigsaw-maker is unmistakeable in Echenoz’s first novel,
Le Méridien de Greenwich
. By the end of Echenoz’s decade-long apprenticeship, however, it is less Perec the game-player than the critic of consumerism and above all the observer of urban life who is privileged in
Lac
’s allusions to the older writer’s work on the infra-ordinary and on place. A previous short novella
L’Occupation des sols
not only dramatizes Echenoz’s navigation of an urban and socio-critical territory already occupied by Perec; it also prepares his subsequent commemoration in
Lac
of both Perec’s ludism and the personal loss informing his work. Taken together,
L’Occupation des sols
and
Lac
demonstrate how a grant-aided transposition to suburbia allows Echenoz to embrace his Perecquian inheritance of everyday observation, while articulating the subjection of writers too to commercial forces Perec identified, a theme the younger writer has continued to explore.
Defining Aging in Place: The Intersectionality of Space, Person, and Time
Authors: Rogers Wendy A , Ramadhani Widya A , Harris Maurita T
Published: August 2020

Aging in place (AIP) is a term that is commonly used and defined in a plethora of ways. Multiple disciplines take a different stance on the definition of AIP, and its definition has evolved over time. Such diverse ways to define AIP could be a barrier to reach a shared expectation among multiple stakeholders when formulating research studies, making policy decisions, developing care plans, or designing technology tools to support older adults. We conducted a scoping review for the term AIP to understand specifically how it has been defined across time and disciplines. We collected exemplary definitions of AIP from 7 databases that represent different fields of study; namely, AgeLine, Anthropology Plus, Art and Architecture Source, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PubMed, and SocINDEX. We conducted a thematic analysis to identify the common concepts that emerged across the definitions identified in the scoping review. We developed 3 main categories from the themes: space, person, and time to illustrate the root of meaning across the definitions. Intersectionality across the categories yielded a comprehensive understanding of AIP, which does not constrain its definition to a place-related phenomenon. We propose that AIP be defined as “One’s journey to maintain independence in one’s place of residence as well as to participate in one’s community.” With this shared understanding of the term AIP, policymakers, researchers, technology designers, and caregivers can better support those who aim to age in the place of their choice.
Excluded Ethnic Groups, Conflict Contagion, and the Onset of Genocide and Politicide during Civil War
Authors: Uzonyi Gary , Demir Burak
Published: August 2020

Why do some governments commit genocide or politicide during civil war? It is well established that opposition groups learn from each other and that rebellion by one group encourages rebellion by others. Governments understand this dynamic. When a government excludes several ethnic groups from power, it worries that rebellion by one excluded group may invite challenges by other groups simultaneously. Therefore, when fighting one excluded group, increasing the number of additional excluded groups provides the government two incentives to engage in atrocity. First, the government hopes to ward off other challengers by demonstrating its brutality. Second, the government hopes to win its war quickly by destroying the rebels’ support base to reallocate its resources in case of further rebellions. Statistical analysis of all civil wars since 1946 reveals that governments fighting against the backdrop of additional excluded ethnic groups are more likely to commit genocide or politicide than other regimes.
Acquisition of a genomic resistance island (AbGRI5) from global clone 2 through homologous recombination in a clinical Acinetobacter baumannii isolate
Authors: Hua Xiaoting , Moran Robert A , Xu Qingye , He Jintao , Fang Youhong , Zhang Linghong , van Schaik Willem , Yu Yunsong
Published: August 2020

Objectives

To reconstruct the evolutionary history of the clinical Acinetobacter baumannii XH1056, which lacks the Oxford scheme allele gdhB.

Methods

Susceptibility testing was performed using broth microdilution and agar dilution. The whole-genome sequence of XH1056 was determined using the Illumina and Oxford Nanopore platforms. MLST was performed using the Pasteur scheme and the Oxford scheme. Antibiotic resistance genes were identified using ABRicate.

Results

XH1056 was resistant to all antibiotics tested, apart from colistin, tigecycline and eravacycline. MLST using the Pasteur scheme assigned XH1056 to ST256. However, XH1056 could not be typed with the Oxford MLST scheme as gdhB is not present. Comparative analyses revealed that XH1056 contains a 52 933 bp region acquired from a global clone 2 (GC2) isolate, but is otherwise closely related to the ST23 A. baumannii XH858. The acquired region in XH1056 also contains a 34 932 bp resistance island that resembles AbGRI3 and contains the armA, msrE-mphE, sul1, blaPER-1, aadA1, cmlA1, aadA2, blaCARB-2 and ere(B) resistance genes. Comparison of the XH1056 chromosome to that of GC2 isolate XH859 revealed that the island in XH1056 is in the same chromosomal region as that in XH859. As this island is not in the standard AbGRI3 position, it was named AbGRI5.

Conclusions

XH1056 is a hybrid isolate generated by the acquisition of a chromosomal segment from a GC2 isolate that contains a resistance island in a new location—AbGRI5. As well as generating ST256, it appears likely that a single recombination event is also responsible for the acquisition of AbGRI5 and its associated antibiotic resistance genes.
(MIS)Allocation Effects of an Overpaid Public Sector
Authors: Cavalcanti Tiago , Santos Marcelo
Published: August 2020

There is a large body of evidence showing that for many countries the structure of wages and pensions and the labor law legislation are different for public and private employees. Such differences affect the occupational choice of agents and might generate some type of misallocation. We develop a life-cycle model with endogenous occupational choice and heterogeneous agents to study the implications of an overpaid public sector. The model is estimated to be consistent with micro and macro evidence for Brazil, a country with a high public sector earnings premium. Our counterfactual exercises demonstrate that public–private earnings premium can generate important allocation effects and sizeable productivity losses. For instance, a reform that would decrease the public–private wage premium from its benchmark value of $19\%$ to $15\%$ and would align the pension of public sector workers with the one in place for private sector workers could increase aggregate output by nearly $11.2\%$ in the long run without any decrease in the supply of public infrastructure. We provide a decomposition of the aggregate effect into changes in factors accumulation and changes in TFP and implement a welfare distributive analysis.
On the Autocorrelation of the Stock Market*
Authors: Martin Ian
Published: August 2020

I introduce an index of market return autocorrelation based on the prices of index options and of forward-start index options and implement it at a six-month horizon. The results suggest that the autocorrelation of the S&P 500 index was close to zero before the subprime crisis but was negative in its aftermath, attaining values around –20% to –30%. I speculate that this may reflect market perceptions about the likely reaction, via quantitative easing, of policymakers to future market moves.
Large hydrocele of the canal of Nuck diagnosed and treated using conventional and laparoscopic methods
Authors: Kohata Akihiro , Hirata Yuzo , Ishikawa Sho , Kai Azusa , Namba Yosuke , Okimoto Sho , Mukai Shoichiro , Fujisaki Seiji , Takahashi Mamoru , Fukuda Toshikatsu , Nishida Toshihiro
Published: August 2020

A 49-year-old woman presented to the hospital with a right inguinal swelling. On examination, we suspected hydrocele of the canal of Nuck (HCN) or an appendiceal or retroperitoneal tumor. Surgery for diagnosis and removal of the mass revealed that it was large and located in the preperitoneal cavity, extending into the inguinal ring; so, it was difficult to observe the entire outline of the mass solely using the laparoscopic approach. Therefore, we added the conventional approach with an inguinal incision. This combination of conventional and laparoscopic approaches helped in safe removal of the tumor. The HCN is an unusual developmental condition in women among whom it might cause an inguinal swelling infrequently. In a case with a large HCN, a combined approach using conventional and laparoscopic methods is suggested for better observation of the abdomen and successful resection without perforation of the mass than when using a single approach.
The Racialization of Gratitude in Victorian Culture
Authors: Burroughs Robert
Published: August 2020

Gratitude was racialized in Victorian culture. Drawing on a wide historical framework, which takes in eighteenth-century proslavery arguments as well as twenty-first-century anti-immigrant discourses, I explore how Victorian-era texts placed demands upon enslaved, formerly enslaved, and colonized peoples to feel thankful for their treatment as British imperial subjects. My article ranges over contexts and academic debates, and surveys nineteenth-century discourses, but it coheres around a case study concerning media reportage of the brief residence of a young West African, Eyo Ekpenyon Eyo II, in Colwyn Bay, Wales, in 1893. In a contextual examination of the press reaction to Eyo’s decision to abandon his British schooling, this article draws attention to the implicit, submerged inequalities, exemplified in the demand for gratitude, through which Victorian Britain articulated the affective qualities of white hegemony.
How to build an effective research network: lessons from two decades of the GARNet plant science community
Authors: Parry Geraint , Benitez-Alfonso Yoselin , Gibbs Daniel J , Grant Murray , Harper Andrea , Harrison C Jill , Kaiserli Eirini , Leonelli Sabina , May Sean , McKim Sarah , Spoel Steven , Turnbull Colin , van der Hoorn Renier A L , Murray James
Published: August 2020

Successful collaborative research is dependent on excellent ideas and innovative experimental approaches, as well as the provision of appropriate support networks. Collaboration requires venues, infrastructures, training facilities, and, perhaps most importantly, a sustained commitment to work together as a community. These activities do not occur without significant effort, yet can be facilitated and overseen by the leadership of a research network that has a clearly defined role to help build resources for their community. Over the past 20 years, this is a role that the UKRI-BBSRC-funded GARNet network has played in the support of the UK curiosity-driven, discovery-led plant science research community. This article reviews the lessons learnt by GARNet in the hope that they can inform the practical implementation of current and future research networks.
Novel Algorithm for Automated Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter Measurement Using a Clustering Approach
Authors: Rajajee Venkatakrishna , Soroushmehr Reza , Williamson Craig A , Najarian Kayvan , Gryak Jonathan , Awad Abdelrahman , Ward Kevin R , Tiba Mohamad H
Published: August 2020

Introduction

Using ultrasound to measure optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) has been shown to be a useful modality to detect elevated intracranial pressure. However, manual assessment of ONSD by a human operator is cumbersome and prone to human errors. We aimed to develop and test an automated algorithm for ONSD measurement using ultrasound images and compare it to measurements performed by physicians.

Materials and Methods

Patients were recruited from the Neurological Intensive Care Unit. Ultrasound images of the optic nerve sheath from both eyes were obtained using an ultrasound unit with an ocular preset. Images were processed by two attending physicians to calculate ONSD manually. The images were processed as well using a novel computerized algorithm that automatically analyzes ultrasound images and calculates ONSD. Algorithm-measured ONSD was compared with manually measured ONSD using multiple statistical measures.

Results

Forty-four patients with an average/Standard Deviation (SD) intracranial pressure of 14 (9.7) mmHg were recruited and tested (with a range between 1 and 57 mmHg). A t-test showed no statistical difference between the ONSD from left and right eyes (P > 0.05). Furthermore, a paired t-test showed no significant difference between the manually and algorithm-measured ONSD with a mean difference (SD) of 0.012 (0.046) cm (P > 0.05) and percentage error of difference of 6.43% (P = 0.15). Agreement between the two operators was highly correlated (interclass correlation coefficient = 0.8, P = 0.26). Bland–Altman analysis revealed mean difference (SD) of 0.012 (0.046) (P = 0.303) and limits of agreement between −0.1 and 0.08. Receiver Operator Curve analysis yielded an area under the curve of 0.965 (P < 0.0001) with high sensitivity and specificity.

Conclusion

The automated image-analysis algorithm calculates ONSD reliably and with high precision when compared to measurements obtained by expert physicians. The algorithm may have a role in computer-aided decision support systems in acute brain injury.
Proxima Centauri – the nearest planet host observed simultaneously with AstroSat, Chandra, and HST
Authors: Lalitha S , Schmitt J H M M , Singh K P , Schneider P C , Parke Loyd R O , France K , Predehl P , Burwitz V , Robrade J
Published: August 2020

Our nearest stellar neighbour, Proxima Centauri, is a low-mass star with spectral type dM5.5 and hosting an Earth-like planet orbiting within its habitable zone. However, the habitability of the planet depends on the high-energy radiation of the chromospheric and coronal activity of the host star. We report the AstroSat, Chandra, and HST observation of Proxima Centauri carried out as part of the multiwavelength simultaneous observational campaign. Using the soft X-ray data, we probe the different activity states of the star. We investigate the coronal temperatures, emission measures and abundance. Finally, we compare our results with earlier observations of Proxima Centauri.
Measuring the masses of magnetic white dwarfs: a NuSTAR legacy survey
Authors: Shaw A W , Heinke C O , Mukai K , Tomsick J A , Doroshenko V , Suleimanov V F , Buisson D J K , Gandhi P , Grefenstette B W , Hare J , Jiang J , Ludlam R M , Rana V , Sivakoff G R
Published: August 2020

The hard X-ray spectrum of magnetic cataclysmic variables can be modelled to provide a measurement of white dwarf mass. This method is complementary to radial velocity measurements, which depend on the (typically rather uncertain) binary inclination. Here, we present results from a Legacy Survey of 19 magnetic cataclysmic variables with NuSTAR. We fit accretion column models to their 20–78 keV spectra and derive the white dwarf masses, finding a weighted average $\bar{M}_{\rm WD}=0.77\pm 0.02$ M⊙, with a standard deviation σ = 0.10 M⊙, when we include the masses derived from previous NuSTAR observations of seven additional magnetic cataclysmic variables. We find that the mass distribution of accreting magnetic white dwarfs is consistent with that of white dwarfs in non-magnetic cataclysmic variables. Both peak at a higher mass than the distributions of isolated white dwarfs and post-common-envelope binaries. We speculate as to why this might be the case, proposing that consequential angular momentum losses may play a role in accreting magnetic white dwarfs and/or that our knowledge of how the white dwarf mass changes over accretion–nova cycles may also be incomplete.
High-throughput sequencing reveals landscapes of female germ cell development
Authors: Zhao Zheng-Hui , Schatten Heide , Sun Qing-Yuan
Published: August 2020

Female germ cell development is a highly complex process that includes meiosis initiation, oocyte growth recruitment, oocyte meiosis retardation and resumption and final meiotic maturation. A series of coordinated molecular signaling factors ensure successful oogenesis. The recent rapid development of high-throughput sequencing technologies allows for the dynamic omics in female germ cells, which is essential for further understanding the regulatory mechanisms of molecular events comprehensively. In this review, we summarize the current literature of multi-omics sequenced by epigenome-, transcriptome- and proteome-associated technologies, which provide valuable information for understanding the regulation of key events during female germ cell development.