bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is there an association between serum 25(OH)D3 and mental well-being in patients with type 2 diabetes? Results from a cohort study in primary care
Authors: Samefors Maria , Scragg Robert , Nystrom Fredrik H. , Östgren Carl Johan
Published: May 2020

Purpose

There are limited and inconsistent results on the correlation between vitamin D and mental health in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Thus, our aim was to explore the association between vitamin D and mental well-being in a community-based sample of participants with T2D.

Methods

We analyzed serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) in 698 patients with T2D at the baseline examination. The cohort was reinvestigated after 4 years. Data from SF-36 questionnaires measuring vitality and mental health at baseline and after 4 years were used for analyses.

Results

Serum 25(OH)D3 was inversely associated with poor mental health at baseline (odds ratio (OR) for 10 nmol/l increase in 25(OH)D3, 0.90 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.83–0.96, p = 0.003)) but not at follow-up (p > 0.05). Serum 25(OH)D3 was not associated with vitality at baseline (p > 0.05). At follow-up, there was an inverse association between 25(OH)D3 and low vitality (OR for 10 nmol/l increase in 25(OH)D3, 0.89 (95% CI 0.82–0.97, p = 0.009)) but not after adjustment.

Conclusion

We found an inverse association between 25(OH)D3 and mental health in patients with T2D at baseline. We found no association between 25(OH)D3 and vitality after adjustment. Future studies are needed to determine the association between vitamin D and mental well-being in patients with T2D.
Sexual Motivators and Endorsement of Models Describing Sexual Response of Men Undergoing Androgen Deprivation Therapy for Advanced Prostate Cancer
Authors: Fode Mikkel , Mosholt Karina Søndergaard , Nielsen Torben Kjær , Tolouee Sara , Giraldi Annamaria , Østergren Peter Busch , Azawi Nessn
Published: May 2020

Background

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) administered against metastatic prostate cancer has significant side effects including sexual dysfunction.

Aim

To assess sexual interest and motivators for sex during ADT and to find out what model of sexuality best describes the sexual experience for men during this treatment.

Methods

A questionnaire was mailed to patients who had received ADT for ≥6 months. Patients were asked to choose all relevant entities from a list of sexual motivators and between models of sexuality described by Masters and Johnson (excitement and physical experiences), Kaplan (sexual desire), and Basson (intimacy and closeness to partner). Erectile function was assessed by the Erection Hardness Scale, and sexual satisfaction was measured on a scale from 0 to 10.

Outcomes

Sexual activity, erectile function, sexual satisfaction, and motivators for sexual interest in the study subjects as well as the proportion of participants who endorsed either of the 3 models of sexuality.

Results

A total of 173 men were invited, and 76 returned the questionnaires (44%). The median age was 76 (range 69–80) years, and the median duration of ADT was 30 months. A total of 62 men had been sexually active before ADT, and of these, 2 were still active. Another 29 were interested in sexual activity. 3 men endorsed the Masters and Johnson model, whereas the remaining participants did not endorse any of the models. The motivators for sexual interest were feeling an emotional connection to the partner (n = 16), sexual desire (n = 10), satisfaction of the partner (n = 8), fear that the partner would leave (n = 4), achieving orgasm (n = 3), and a desire to feel masculine (n = 1). No one was interested in sexual activity to reduce stress or to maintain confidence. Only 1 patient had erections sufficient for penetrative intercourse, and the median sexual satisfaction for the entire group was 0 (interquartile range: 0–5).

Clinical Implications

Sexuality and sexual function should be addressed in men undergoing ADT.

Strengths & Limitations

The main strength of our study is that we are the first to explore both motivators for sexual activity and endorsement of sexual models in men undergoing ADT. The study is limited by the relatively low number of participants and the response rate of 44%.

Conclusion

ADT is detrimental to sexual function. However, many patients maintain an interest in sexual activity, which does not fit our established models. Rather, factors such as keeping an emotional connection with a partner play a role.
A LIPSCHITZ METRIC FOR THE CAMASSA–HOLM EQUATION
Authors: CARRILLO JOSÉ A. , GRUNERT KATRIN , HOLDEN HELGE
Published: May 2020

We analyze stability of conservative solutions of the Cauchy problem on the line for the Camassa–Holm (CH) equation. Generically, the solutions of the CH equation develop singularities with steep gradients while preserving continuity of the solution itself. In order to obtain uniqueness, one is required to augment the equation itself by a measure that represents the associated energy, and the breakdown of the solution is associated with a complicated interplay where the measure becomes singular. The main result in this paper is the construction of a Lipschitz metric that compares two solutions of the CH equation with the respective initial data. The Lipschitz metric is based on the use of the Wasserstein metric.
The use of telepsychiatry during COVID-19 and beyond
Authors: O’Brien M. , McNicholas F.
Published: May 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the traditional practice of psychiatric assessment and treatment via face-to-face interaction. Telepsychiatry, the delivery of psychiatric care remotely through telecommunications technology, is an existing and under-utilised tool that may help to minimise disruption to patient care. Technological advancement is at a stage where it can facilitate widespread use of this practice; however, concerns that limited its expansion previously were not unfounded. This article discusses the use of telepsychiatry in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Doing being middle-class in the global South: comparative perspectives and conceptual challenges
Authors: Lentz Carola
Published: May 2020

Like many key terms in history and the social sciences, ‘middle class’ is at once a category ‘of social and political analysis’ and a category ‘of social and political practice’, in Rogers Brubaker and Frederick Cooper's terms – two aspects that were, and continue to be, entangled in complex ways. Since the end of the eighteenth century, the term ‘middle class’, or the ‘middling sorts’, has been a catchword in political discourse, and it became one long before scholars defined it in any systematic fashion. Once it became a more or less well-established conceptual tool of research, however, it began to take on an academic life of its own, with scholars also using it to describe people who did not invoke this category for their own self-description. But scholarly terms could – and indeed did – also feed back into folk understandings of social stratification. In particular, the recent global popularity of the term ‘middle class’ seems to be at least in part a result of the appropriation of academic categories by policymakers. This article contributes to the discussion on African middle classes by tracing the genealogy of theoretical perspectives on class and by outlining some findings from studies of the history of European and American middle classes as well as recent research on middle classes in the global South. I discuss both the history of scholarly debates on the middle classes and what empirical studies tell us about people's contested self-categorizations, and how their understandings and practices of being middle-class have changed over time. The article argues that future research on the dynamics of African social stratification has much to gain from a regional and historical comparative perspective.
Structures, feelings andsavoir faire: Ghana's middle classes in the making
Authors: Spronk Rachel
Published: May 2020

The concept of ‘middle class’ in African societies has been recognized recently but at the same time it resists clear-cut definition. Rather than seeking clearer classification, I propose to embrace its contested nature as productive, seeing ‘middle class’ not as a category that we can find ‘out there’ and measure, but as a classification-in-the-making. Middle-class status, or a particular idea of the good life, is a position people strive towards, but what this entails depends on context and place. The study of the pursuit of social mobility in Ghana during colonialism, independence and the post-Cold War period – of those who have successfully improved their livelihoods – provides knowledge about the middle class in the making in different eras and under different conditions. I propose a three-pronged approach to study this processual nature: Raymond Williams’ notion of ‘structures of feeling’ helps unravel the shifting affective qualities of the changing political economy, while Sara Ahmed's focus on the ‘feelings of structure’ zooms in on agency as an important tool to analyse how middle-class trajectories unfold over time. Lastly, the availability of advantageous conditions is not enough to stimulate change; one needs thesavoir faireto enact them.
Going up or getting out? Professional insecurity and austerity in the South African health sector
Authors: Hull Elizabeth
Published: May 2020

As a precondition of belonging, professionalism is often a taken-for-granted feature of being middle-class. Yet ethnographic attention to experiences of work reveals that professional identity can be fragile. Drawing on ethnographic research among nurses in KwaZulu-Natal, this article traces the feelings of precarity about work and the ambivalence that pervades ideas of professionalism. This ambiguity arises partly out of a peculiarly South African story in which histories of professionalism are entwined with the repressive apartheid project of separate development. Many of the professionals working as teachers, nurses, lawyers and administrators today were trained in the former ‘homelands’. Practices of professionalism are entangled with those of clientelism inherited from this earlier period of homeland politics. These local histories combine with wider processes of neoliberalism, as conditions of austerity produce structural shifts towards casualization. The article traces these dynamics in the stories of two nurses and considers what may be at stake politically as middle-class trajectories are threatened. Moving away from a view of the middle classes as either democratic or anti-democratic, feelings of ambivalence about work make questions of political allegiance an ambiguous and fraught matter.
Francophone Muslim intellectuals, Islamic associational life and religious authority in Burkina Faso
Authors: Madore Frédérick
Published: May 2020

The attention paid to the security threats hanging over Burkina Faso, while legitimate, has overshadowed the underlying transformations in Islamic associational life since the fall of President Blaise Compaoré in October 2014. This major political upheaval had a significant impact on the participation of Muslims in socio-political debates, the relations between generations and, more widely, the bases upon which religious authority is claimed. This article analyses the competition for religious leadership between Islamic actors in the public sphere in Burkina Faso by focusing mainly on francophone ‘Muslim intellectuals’. First, the study shows the gap between the gerontocracy at the helm of the main Islamic associations and the Burkinabe youth, which widened throughout the 1990s and 2000s and came strongly to the fore after the popular uprising of October 2014. Second, taking advantage of the space left vacant by traditional community leaders during the transition process, some young francophone ‘Muslim intellectuals’ actively sought to portray themselves as the vehicles of a ‘civil Islam’ and strove to promote new forms of civic engagement through religion. Other Muslim organizations have also tried to take advantage of the new political context to strengthen their presence in the socio-political arena.
Autoimmune thyroid diseases after 25 years of universal salt iodisation: an epidemiological study of Chinese adults in areas with different water iodine levels
Authors: Wan Siyuan , Qu Mengying , Wu Huaiyong , Ren Bingxuan , Jiang Wen , Wang Xiaoming , Liu Lixiang , Shen Hongmei
Published: May 2020

The present study aimed to evaluate the status of iodine nutrition and thyroid function in adults, to understand the distribution of thyroid disease in people with autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) in different water iodine areas and to explore the relationship between serum iodine, urine iodine and thyroid function in people with AITD. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in areas of Shandong Province with different water iodine levels, and subsequently 1225 adults were enrolled from iodine-deficient (ID), iodine-adequate (IA) and iodine-excess (IE) areas. Urinary iodine, water iodine, salt iodine, serum iodine and thyroid function were measured. According to the urine iodine concentration, the ID and IA areas were defined as iodine sufficient and the IE area as iodine excessive. Urine iodine, serum iodine, free thyroxine (FT4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were comparatively higher in the IE area. The positive rate of thyroglobulin antibody (19·1 %) and the prevalence of AITD (21·8 %) were higher in the ID areas; the prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism was lowest in the ID areas (7·3 %) and highest in the IE area (16·3 %). Among the AITD population, urinary iodine concentration, free triiodothyronine, FT4 and TSH had a non-linear correlation with serum iodine; abnormal TSH level, serum iodine concentration > 110 µg/l and goitre were risk factors for AITD in adults, especially females. Our data collectively suggest that universal salt iodisation has improved the iodine nutritional status of the population in ID areas in China. Non-step-by-step iodine fortification may induce the transformation of thyroid autoimmune diseases from recessive-to-dominant in susceptible people. Moreover, enhanced monitoring of thyroid function in people with AITD is important.
Compensation of thermal loss in free-electron laser with optimal tapering and pre-bunching
Authors: Bazouband F.
Published: May 2020

Increasing the output power of a long-wavelength free-electron laser (FEL), despite the destroying effects of beam energy spread, is studied using the optimal pre-bunching of the thermal electron beam along with the optimal tapering of the planar wiggler magnetic field. A set of self-consistent coupled nonlinear differential equations in three dimensional that describe the evolution of radiation and electron beam in the interaction zone are solved numerically by the Runge–Kutta method. The axial energy spread is considered and it degrades the FEL performance by reducing the saturation power and increasing the saturation length. To compensate these destroying effects, the optimum function or degree of electron beam pre-bunching and optimum parameters of wiggler tapering are found by the successive runs of the simulation code.
Hopkins's Notebooks and Microsocial Form
Authors: Reader Simon
Published: May 2020

This article proposes a way of linking textual form and the social world. The forms in question are the notebooks of Gerard Manley Hopkins, specifically those he kept between 1866 and 1875, a period that begins with his conversion to Catholicism, initiation into Jesuit training, and rejection of poetry. These five notebooks (A1–A5) have struck some readers as intenselyasocial. Their creator was famously resistant to circulation and readership, on one hand (“Please not to read,” he inscribes on the inside front cover of the first), and more concerned with natural than human phenomena, on the other. I show instead that the notebooks project networks of relation between humans, objects, and the natural world. My hope is that what follows will refresh some of the ways we think about and navigate online social forms in the twenty-first century.
The association of animal and plant protein with successful ageing: a combined analysis of MEDIS and ATTICA epidemiological studies
Authors: Foscolou Alexandra , Critselis Elena , Tyrovolas Stefanos , Chrysohoou Christina , Naumovski Nenad , Sidossis Labros S , Rallidis Loukianos , Matalas Antonia-Leda , Panagiotakos Demosthenes
Published: May 2020

Objective:

The aim of the present study was to investigate the differences between the consumption of plant-based v. animal-based protein-rich diets on successful ageing, as well as to identify the optimal combination of dietary protein intake for facilitating successful ageing in people aged >50 years.

Design:

A combined analysis was conducted in older adults of the ATTICA and MEDIS population-based cross-sectional studies. Anthropometrical, clinical and sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle parameters, dietary habits and level of protein intake were derived through standard procedures. Successful ageing was evaluated using the validated Successful Aging Index (SAI) composed of ten health-related social, lifestyle and clinical characteristics.

Setting:

Athens area and twenty Greek islands.

Participants:

A total of 3349 Greek women and men over 50 years old.

Results:

Participants with high consumption of plant proteins were more likely to be male, physically active, with higher daily energy intake, higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet and higher level of SAI (P < 0·001). Participants with ‘Low animal & High plant’ and ‘High animal & High plant’ protein consumption had a 6 and 7 % higher SAI score, respectively, compared with the other participants (P < 0·001). In contrast, ‘Low animal & Low plant’ and ‘High animal & Low plant’ protein intake was negatively associated with SAI as compared to the combination of all other consumption categories (P < 0·02).

Conclusions:

The consumption of a plant-based protein-rich diet seems to be a beneficial nutritional choice that should be promoted and encouraged to older people since it may benefit both individual’s health and prolong successful ageing.
Impacts of Urbanization on Watershed Water Balances Across the Conterminous United States
Authors: Li Cheng , Sun Ge , Caldwell Peter V. , Cohen Erika , Fang Yuan , Zhang Yindan , Oudin Ludovic , Sanchez Georgina M. , Meentemeyer Ross K.
Published: May 2020

Urbanization impacts ecosystem functions and services by fundamentally altering the balances between precipitation, water yield (Q), and evapotranspiration (ET) in watersheds. Accurate quantification of future hydrologic impacts is essential for national urban planning and watershed management decision making. We hypothesize that “hydrologic impacts of urbanization are not created equal” as a result of the large spatial variability in climate and land use/land cover change (LULCC). A monthly water balance model was validated and applied to quantify the hydrologic responses of 81,900 12‐digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) watersheds to historical and projected LULC in 2000, 2010, 2050, and 2100 in the conterminous United States (CONUS). Stepwise regression and Geographically Weighted Regression models were used to identify key factors controlling the spatially varied hydrologic impacts across CONUS. Although the simulated impact of future urbanization on mean change in water yield (ΔQ) was small at the national level, significant changes (ΔQ > 50 mm/year) were found in 1,046 and 3,747 watersheds by 2050 and 2100, respectively. Hydrologic responses varied spatially and were more pronounced in the eastern United States. Overall, the impacts of urbanization on water yield were influenced by local climate, previous LULC characteristics, and the magnitude of changes in land use and impervious surfaces. The continued increase in impervious surface, especially in previously urbanized watersheds, and background precipitation contributed most to future ΔQ through both increase in direct runoff and reduction in ET. Effective national‐scale integrated watershed management strategies must consider local climatic and LULC conditions to minimize negative hydrologic impacts of urbanization.
Roles of Magnetospheric Convection on Nonlinear Drift Resonance Between Electrons and ULF Waves
Authors: Li Li , Omura Yoshiharu , Zhou Xu‐Zhi , Zong Qiu‐Gang , Fu Sui‐Yan , Rankin Robert , Degeling Alexander W.
Published: May 2020

In the Earth's inner magnetosphere, charged particles can be accelerated and transported by ultralow frequency (ULF) waves via drift resonance. We investigate the effects of magnetospheric convection on the nonlinear drift resonance process, which provides an inhomogeneity factor S to externally drive the pendulum equation that describes the particle motion in the ULF wave field. The S factor, defined as the ratio of the driving amplitude to the square of the pendulum trapping frequency, is found to vary with magnetic local time and, as a consequence, oscillates quasi‐periodically at the particle drift frequency ωd. To better understand the particle behavior governed by the driven pendulum equation, we carry out simulations to obtain the evolution of electron distribution functions in energy and L‐shell phase space. We find that resonant electrons can remain phase trapped by the low‐m ULF waves under strong convection electric field, whereas for high‐m ULF waves, the electrons trajectories can be significantly modified. More interestingly, the electron drift frequency ωd is close to the nonlinear trapping frequency ωtr for intermediate‐m ULF waves, which corresponds to chaotic motion of resonant electrons. These findings shed new light on the nature of coherent and diffusive particle transport in the inner magnetosphere.
Impacts of Insolation and Soil Moisture on the Seasonality of Interactions Between the Madden‐Julian Oscillation and Maritime Continent
Authors: Hagos Samson , Zhang Chidong , Leung L. Ruby , Garuba Oluwayemi , Burleyson Casey D. , Balaguru Karthik
Published: May 2020

This study investigates the seasonality of the interaction of the Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO) with the Maritime Continent (MC). Beside their seasonal east‐west migration with the monsoons, observations show that the MJO amplitude and precipitation over the MC islands exhibit semiannual variability, with apparent strengthening of MJO signal during March and September, when solar insolation is strongest over the MC region. Furthermore, during the high‐insolation months, soil moisture shows wetter conditions during the early phases of the MJO. Motivated by these results, a series of regional convection permitting simulations are performed for the November 2014 MJO event as a case study under the following conditions: (i) increased solar insolation to mimic the local summer, (ii) reduced initial soil moisture, and (iii) the two conditions combined to isolate their local effects from their impacts on the large‐scale circulation. Results show that increased insolation increases precipitation including that associated with MJO moisture convergence over the MC region. On the other hand, decreased initial soil moisture slightly increases precipitation over the MC islands and reduces it over the surrounding waters, but such effect is short lived as the increased precipitation gradually restores the soil moisture to wetter conditions. Using a moisture budget analysis that isolates the MJO and non‐MJO signals and additional idealized simulations, the MJO response to high insolation is demonstrated to be related to an increase in the basic state moisture over the MC region rather than a direct response of the MJO to the insolation.
Specific, targetable interactions with the microenvironment influence imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukemia
Authors: Kumar Rahul , Pereira Raquel S. , Zanetti Costanza , Minciacchi Valentina R. , Merten Maximilian , Meister Melanie , Niemann Julian , Dietz Marina S. , Rüssel Nina , Schnütgen Frank , Tamai Minori , Akahane Koshi , Inukai Takeshi , Oellerich Thomas , Kvasnicka Hans Michael , Pfeifer Heike , Nicolini Franck E. , Heilemann Mike , Van Etten Richard A. , Krause Daniela S.
Published: May 2020

Therapy resistance in leukemia may be due to cancer cell-intrinsic and/or -extrinsic mechanisms. Mutations within BCR-ABL1, the oncogene giving rise to chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), lead to resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI), and some are associated with clinically more aggressive disease and worse outcome. Using the retroviral transduction/transplantation model of CML and human cell lines we faithfully recapitulate accelerated disease course in TKI resistance. We show in various models, that murine and human imatinib-resistant leukemia cells positive for the oncogene BCR-ABL1T315I differ from BCR-ABL1 native (BCR-ABL1) cells with regards to niche location and specific niche interactions. We implicate a pathway via integrin β3, integrin-linked kinase (ILK) and its role in deposition of the extracellular matrix (ECM) protein fibronectin as causative of these differences. We demonstrate a trend towards a reduced BCR-ABL1T315I+ tumor burden and significantly prolonged survival of mice with BCR-ABL1T315I+ CML treated with fibronectin or an ILK inhibitor in xenogeneic and syngeneic murine transplantation models, respectively. These data suggest that interactions with ECM proteins via the integrin β3/ILK-mediated signaling pathway in BCR-ABL1T315I+ cells differentially and specifically influence leukemia progression. Niche targeting via modulation of the ECM may be a feasible therapeutic approach to consider in this setting.
Rapidly sequence-controlled electrosynthesis of organometallic polymers
Authors: Zhang Jian , Wang Jinxin , Wei Chang , Wang Yanfang , Xie Guanyu , Li Yongfang , Li Mao
Published: May 2020

Single rich-stimuli-responsive organometallic polymers are considered to be the candidate for ultrahigh information storage and anti-counterfeiting security. However, their controllable synthesis has been an unsolved challenge. Here, we report the rapidly sequence-controlled electrosynthesis of organometallic polymers with exquisite insertion of multiple and distinct monomers. Electrosynthesis relies on the use of oxidative and reductive C–C couplings with the respective reaction time of 1 min. Single-monomer-precision propagation does not need protecting and deprotecting steps used in solid-phase synthesis, while enabling the uniform synthesis and sequence-defined possibilities monitored by both UV–vis spectra and cyclic voltammetry. Highly efficient electrosynthesis possessing potentially automated production can incorporate an amount of available metal and ligand species into a single organometallic polymer with complex architectures and functional versatility, which is proposed to have ultrahigh information storage and anti-counterfeiting security with low-cost coding and decoding processes at the single organometallic polymer level.
Inferring multimodal latent topics from electronic health records
Authors: Li Yue , Nair Pratheeksha , Lu Xing Han , Wen Zhi , Wang Yuening , Dehaghi Amir Ardalan Kalantari , Miao Yan , Liu Weiqi , Ordog Tamas , Biernacka Joanna M. , Ryu Euijung , Olson Janet E. , Frye Mark A. , Liu Aihua , Guo Liming , Marelli Ariane , Ahuja Yuri , Davila-Velderrain Jose , Kellis Manolis
Published: May 2020

Electronic health records (EHR) are rich heterogeneous collections of patient health information, whose broad adoption provides clinicians and researchers unprecedented opportunities for health informatics, disease-risk prediction, actionable clinical recommendations, and precision medicine. However, EHRs present several modeling challenges, including highly sparse data matrices, noisy irregular clinical notes, arbitrary biases in billing code assignment, diagnosis-driven lab tests, and heterogeneous data types. To address these challenges, we present MixEHR, a multi-view Bayesian topic model. We demonstrate MixEHR on MIMIC-III, Mayo Clinic Bipolar Disorder, and Quebec Congenital Heart Disease EHR datasets. Qualitatively, MixEHR disease topics reveal meaningful combinations of clinical features across heterogeneous data types. Quantitatively, we observe superior prediction accuracy of diagnostic codes and lab test imputations compared to the state-of-art methods. We leverage the inferred patient topic mixtures to classify target diseases and predict mortality of patients in critical conditions. In all comparison, MixEHR confers competitive performance and reveals meaningful disease-related topics.
Predicting lake dissolved organic carbon at a global scale
Authors: Toming Kaire , Kotta Jonne , Uuemaa Evelyn , Sobek Sebastian , Kutser Tiit , Tranvik Lars J.
Published: May 2020

The pool of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), is one of the main regulators of the ecology and biogeochemistry of inland water ecosystems, and an important loss term in the carbon budgets of land ecosystems. We used a novel machine learning technique and global databases to test if and how different environmental factors contribute to the variability ofin situDOC concentrations in lakes. In order to estimate DOC in lakes globally we predicted DOC in each lake with a surface area larger than 0.1 km2. Catchment properties and meteorological and hydrological features explained most of the variability of the lake DOC concentration, whereas lake morphometry played only a marginal role. The predicted average of the global DOC concentration in lake water was 3.88 mg L−1. The global predicted pool of DOC in lake water was 729 Tg from which 421 Tg was the share of the Caspian Sea. The results provide global-scale evidence for ecological, climate and carbon cycle models of lake ecosystems and related future prognoses.
Effects of caffeine intake and exercise intensity on executive and arousal vigilance
Authors: Sanchis Carlos , Blasco Esther , Luna Fernando G. , Lupiáñez Juan
Published: May 2020

During physical efforts and sport practice, vigilance is responsible for maintaining an optimal state of activation, guaranteeing the ability to quickly respond and detect unexpected, but critical, stimuli over time. Caffeine and physical exercise are able to modulate the activation state, affecting vigilance performance. The aim of the present work was to assess the specific effects and modulations of caffeine intake and two physical intensities on vigilance components. Participants performed an attentional task (ANTI-Vea) to measure the executive and arousal components of vigilance, in six double-blinded counterbalanced sessions combining caffeine, placebo, or no-ingestion, with light vs. moderate cyclergometer exercise. Exercise at moderate intensity improved executive vigilance with faster overall reaction time (RT), without impairing error rates. Instead, caffeine intake generally improved arousal vigilance. In conclusion, caffeine and acute exercise seems to moderate executive and arousal vigilance in different ways.
New Structural insights into Kir channel gating from molecular simulations, HDX-MS and functional studies
Authors: Fagnen Charline , Bannwarth Ludovic , Oubella Iman , Forest Eric , De Zorzi Rita , de Araujo Aline , Mhoumadi Yasmina , Bendahhou Saïd , Perahia David , Vénien-Bryan Catherine
Published: May 2020

Inward rectifier potassium (Kir) channels play diverse and important roles in shaping action potentials in biological membranes. An increasing number of diseases are now known to be directly associated with abnormal Kir function. However, the gating of Kir still remains unknown. To increase our understanding of its gating mechanism, a dynamical view of the entire channel is essential. Here the gating activation was studied using a recent developped in silico method, MDeNM, which combines normal mode analysis and molecular dynamics simulations that showed for the very first time the importance of interrelated collective and localized conformational movements. In particular, we highlighted the role played by concerted movements of the different regions throughout the entire protein, such as the cytoplasmic and transmembrane domains and the slide helices. In addition, the HDX-MS analysis achieved in these studies provided a comprehensive and detailed view of the dynamics associated with open/closed transition of the Kir channel in coherence with the theoretical results. MDeNM gives access to the probability of the different opening states that are in agreement with our electrophysiological experiments. The investigations presented in this article are important to remedy dysfunctional channels and are of interest for designing new pharmacological compounds.
Guanosine fast onset antidepressant-like effects in the olfactory bulbectomy mice model
Authors: de Almeida Roberto Farina , Pocharski Camila Barbosa , Rodrigues Ana Lúcia S. , Elisabetsky Elaine , Souza Diogo O.
Published: May 2020

The treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) is still a challenge. In the search for novel antidepressants, glutamatergic neuromodulators have been investigated as possible fast-acting antidepressants. Innovative studies suggest that the purine cycle and/or the purinergic signaling can be dysregulated in MDD, and the endogenous nucleoside guanosine has gained attention due to its extracellular effects. This study aimed to verify if guanosine produces fast-onset effects in the well-validated, reliable and sensitive olfactory bulbectomy (OBX) model of depression. The involvement of the mTOR pathway, a key target for the fast-onset effect of ketamine, was also investigated. Results show that a single i.p. injection of guanosine, or ketamine, completely reversed the OBX-induced anhedonic-like behavior 24 or 48 h post treatment, as well as the short-term recognition memory impairment 48 h post treatment. The antidepressant-like effects of guanosine and ketamine were completely abolished by rapamycin. This study shows, for the first time, that guanosine, in a way similar to ketamine, is able to elicit a fast antidepressant response in the OBX model in mice. The results support the notion that guanosine represents a new road for therapeutic improvement in MDD.
Behavioral and EEG Measures Show no Amplifying Effects of Shared Attention on Attention or Memory
Authors: Mairon Noam , Nahum Mor , Stolk Arjen , Knight Robert T. , Perry Anat
Published: May 2020

Shared attention experiments examine the potential differences in function or behavior when stimuli are experienced alone or in the presence of others, and when simultaneous attention of the participants to the same stimulus or set is involved. Previous work has found enhanced reactions to emotional stimuli in social situations, yet these changes might represent enhanced communicative or motivational purposes. This study examines whether viewing emotional stimuli in the presence of another person influences attention to or memory for the stimulus. Participants passively viewed emotionally-valenced stimuli while completing another task (counting flowers). Each participant performed this task both alone and in a shared attention condition (simultaneously with another person in the same room) while EEG signals were measured. Recognition of the emotional pictures was later measured. A significant shared attention behavioral effect was found in the attention task but not in the recognition task. Compared to event-related potential responses for neutral pictures, we found higher P3b response for task relevant stimuli (flowers), and higher Late Positive Potential (LPP) responses for emotional stimuli. However, no main effect was found for shared attention between presence conditions. To conclude, shared attention may therefore have a more limited effect on cognitive processes than previously suggested.
Metabolomic effects of the colonization of Medicago truncatula by the facultative endophyte Arthrobacter agilis UMCV2 in a foliar inoculation system
Authors: Ramírez-Ordorica Arturo , Valencia-Cantero Eduardo , Flores-Cortez Idolina , Carrillo-Rayas María Teresa , Elizarraraz-Anaya Ma. Isabel Cristina , Montero-Vargas Josaphat , Winkler Robert , Macías-Rodríguez Lourdes
Published: May 2020

Biofertilizer production and application for sustainable agriculture is already a reality. The methods for biofertilizers delivery in crop fields are diverse. Although foliar spray is gaining wide acceptance, little is known about the influence that the biochemical features of leaves have on the microbial colonization. Arthrobacter agilis UMCV2 is a rhizospheric and endophytic bacteria that promotes plant growth and health. In this study, we determined the capacity of the UMCV2 strain to colonize different leaves from Medicago truncatula in a foliar inoculation system. By using two powerful analytical methods based on mass spectrometry, we determined the chemical profile of the leaves in 15-d old plants. The metabolic signatures between the unifoliate leaf (m1) and the metameric units developing above (m2 and m3) were different, and interestingly, the highest colony forming units (CFU) was found in m1. The occurrence of the endophyte strongly affects the sugar composition in m1 and m2 leaves. Our results suggest that A. agilis UMCV2 colonize the leaves under a foliar inoculation system independently of the phenological age of the leaf and it is capable of modulating the carbohydrate metabolism without affecting the rest of the metabolome.
Statistical Approach for Improving Genomic Prediction Accuracy through Efficient Diagnostic Measure of Influential Observation
Authors: Budhlakoti Neeraj , Rai Anil , Mishra D. C.
Published: May 2020

It is expected the predictive performance of genomic prediction methods may be adversely affected in the presence of outliers. In agriculture science an outlier may arise due to wrong data imputation, outlying response, and in a series of trials over the time or location. Although several statistical procedures are already there in literature for identification of outlier but identification of true outlier is still a challenge especially in case of high dimensional genomic data. Here we have proposed an efficient approach for detecting outlier in high dimensional genomic data, our approach is p-value based combination methods to produce single p-value for detecting the outliers. Robustness of our approach has been tested using simulated data through the evaluation measures like precision, recall etc. It has been observed that significant improvement in the performance of genomic prediction has been obtained by detecting the outliers and handling them accordingly through our proposed approach using real data.
Auditory Electrooculogram-based Communication System for ALS Patients in Transition from Locked-in to Complete Locked-in State
Authors: Tonin Alessandro , Jaramillo-Gonzalez Andres , Rana Aygul , Khalili-Ardali Majid , Birbaumer Niels , Chaudhary Ujwal
Published: May 2020

Patients in the transition from locked-in (i.e., a state of almost complete paralysis with voluntary eye movement control, eye blinks or twitches of face muscles, and preserved consciousness) to complete locked-in state (i.e., total paralysis including paralysis of eye-muscles and loss of gaze-fixation, combined with preserved consciousness) are left without any means of communication. An auditory communication system based on electrooculogram (EOG) was developed to enable such patients to communicate. Four amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients in transition from locked-in state to completely locked-in state, with ALSFRS-R score of 0, unable to use eye trackers for communication, learned to use an auditory EOG-based communication system. The patients, with eye-movement amplitude between the range of ±200μV and ±40μV, were able to form complete sentences and communicate independently and freely, selecting letters from an auditory speller system. A follow-up of one year with one patient shows the feasibility of the proposed system in long-term use and the correlation between speller performance and eye-movement decay. The results of the auditory speller system have the potential to provide a means of communication to patient populations without gaze fixation ability and with low eye-movement amplitude range.
A robust correlation based on dimensional analysis to characterize microbial fuel cells
Authors: Gadkari Siddharth , Sadhukhan Jhuma
Published: May 2020

We present a correlation for determining the power density of microbial fuel cells based on dimensional analysis. Important operational, design and biological parameters are non-dimensionalized using a selection of scaling variables. Experimental data from various microbial fuel cell studies operating over a wide range of system parameters are analyzed to attest accuracy of the model in predicting power output. The correlation predicts nonlinear dependencies between power density, substrate concentration, solution conductivity, external resistance, and electrode spacing. The straightforward applicability without the need for any significant computational resources, while preserving good level of accuracy; makes this correlation useful in focusing the experimental effort for the design and optimization of microbial fuel cells.
Dental opioid prescribing rates after the up-scheduling of codeine in Australia
Authors: Teoh L. , Hollingworth S. , Marino R. , McCullough M. J.
Published: May 2020

The misuse of pharmaceutical opioids is a major public health issue. In Australia, codeine was re-scheduled on 1 February 2018 to restrict access; it is now only available on prescription. The aim of this study was to measure the change in dental opioid prescriptions, one year before and after the codeine re-scheduling in Australia and to assess dental prescribing rates of opioids for 2018 by population and by clinician. Data was extracted for dental opioids for the year immediately prior and after the codeine up-schedule (1 February 2017-31 January 2019) from the publicly-available national prescription database (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme). Descriptive statistics, T-tests and odds ratios were used to identify significant prescribing differences. Codeine, codeine/paracetamol, oxycodone and tramadol use increased significantly the year after the codeine restriction than the previous year (13.8–101.1%). Australian dentists prescribed 8.6 prescriptions/1,000 population in 2018, with codeine/paracetamol accounting for most prescriptions (96%). The significant increase in opioid prescribing highlights that Australian dentists may be contributing to the misuse of pharmaceutical opioids. Educational efforts should be targeted at the appropriate use of opioids and patient selection. Dentists should be added to the prescription monitoring system SafeScript so they can make informed decisions for patients who are potentially misusing opioids.
The unidirectional causality influence of factors on PM2.5 in Shenyang city of China
Authors: Yang Hongmei , Peng Qin , Zhou Jun , Song Guojun , Gong Xinqi
Published: May 2020

Air quality issue such as particulate matter pollution (PM2.5 and PM10) has become one of the biggest environmental problem in China. As one of the most important industrial base and economic core regions of China, Northeast China is facing serious air pollution problems in recent years, which has a profound impact on the health of local residents and atmospheric environment in some part of East Asia. Therefore, it is urgent to understand temporal-spatial characteristics of particles and analyze the causality factors. The results demonstrated that variation trend of particles was almost similar, the annual, monthly and daily distribution had their own characteristics. Particles decreased gradually from south to north, from west to east. Correlation analysis showed that wind speed was the most important factor affecting particles, and temperature, air pressure and relative humidity were key factors in some seasons. Path analysis showed that there was complex unidirectional causal relationship between particles and individual or combined effects, and NO2 and CO were key factors affecting PM2.5. The hot and cold areas changed little with the seasons. All the above results suggests that planning the industrial layout, adjusting industrial structure, joint prevention and control were necessary measure to reduce particles concentration.
Effects of earthquake spatial slip correlation on variability of tsunami potential energy and intensities
Authors: Crempien Jorge G. F. , Urrutia Alejandro , Benavente Roberto , Cienfuegos Rodrigo
Published: May 2020

Variability characterization of tsunami generation is quintessential for proper hazard estimation. For this purpose we isolate the variability which stems solely from earthquake spatial source complexity, by simulating tsunami inundation in the near-field with a simplified digital elevation model, using nonlinear shallow water equations. For earthquake rupture, we prescribe slip to have a log-normal probability distribution function and von Kármán correlation between each subfault pair, which we assume decreases with increasing euclidean distance between them. From the generated near-field inundation time-series, emanating from several thousand synthetic slip realizations across a magnitude 9 earthquake, we extract several tsunami intensity measures at the coast. Results show that all considered tsunami intensity measures and potential energy variability increase with increasing spatial slip correlations. Finally, we show that larger spatial slip correlations produce higher tsunami intensity measure exceedance probabilities within the near-field, which highlights the need to quantify the uncertainty of earthquake spatial slip correlation.
Characterization of the zinc finger proteins ZMYM2 and ZMYM4 as novel B-MYB binding proteins
Authors: Cibis Hannah , Biyanee Abhiruchi , Dörner Wolfgang , Mootz Henning D. , Klempnauer Karl-Heinz
Published: May 2020

B-MYB, a highly conserved member of the MYB transcription factor family, is expressed ubiquitously in proliferating cells and plays key roles in important cell cycle-related processes, such as control of G2/M-phase transcription, cytokinesis, G1/S-phase progression and DNA-damage reponse. Deregulation of B-MYB function is characteristic of several types of tumor cells, underlining its oncogenic potential. To gain a better understanding of the functions of B-MYB we have employed affinity purification coupled to mass spectrometry to discover novel B-MYB interacting proteins. Here we have identified the zinc-finger proteins ZMYM2 and ZMYM4 as novel B-MYB binding proteins. ZMYM4 is a poorly studied protein whose initial characterization reported here shows that it is highly SUMOylated and that its interaction with B-MYB is stimulated upon induction of DNA damage. Unlike knockdown of B-MYB, which causes G2/M arrest and defective cytokinesis in HEK293 cells, knockdown of ZMYM2 or ZMYM4 have no obvious effects on the cell cycle of these cells. By contrast, knockdown of ZMYM2 strongly impaired the G1/S-phase progression of HepG2 cells, suggesting that ZMYM2, like B-MYB, is required for entry into S-phase in these cells. Overall, our work identifies two novel B-MYB binding partners with possible functions in the DNA-damage response and the G1/S-transition.