bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The cell polarity kinase Par1b/MARK2 activation selects specific NF-kB transcripts via phosphorylation of core mediator Med17/TRAP80
Authors: Mashukova Anastasia , Forteza Radia , Shah Viraj N. , Salas Pedro J.
Published: February 2021

In addition to their function in apico-basal polarity, kinases such as MARK2 modulate innate immunity in epithelial cells. MARK2 phosphorylates 152Ser-Med17 downstream of aPKC modulating more than 100 genes, some of which are related to viral responses.
‘I Kinda Like to Go Off the Track’: Finding David Lynch in the Middle World of Dune
Authors: Amadio David
Published: February 2021

For many scholars of David Lynch’s work, Dune is considered a spectacular failure, a costly creative misstep on the way to Blue Velvet. While it may not be regarded as one of his signature films, Dune contains enough of Lynch’s creative personality to warrant a critical re-examination. The purpose of this study is to place Dune within the context of his earlier work, namely Eraserhead and The Elephant Man, and to mine it for those tropes with which Lynch has become synonymous: enabling the grotesque, interiority and the unconscious mind, and the relationship between industry and flesh. By the director’s own admission, Dune forced him into an aesthetic middle world, wedging him between the midnight movie and mainstream cinema. Using Thomas Leitch’s theory of adaptation in both an archival and teleological reading of Dune, I demonstrate how Lynch asserts himself in this middle world, how he succeeds in honouring the source material while also meeting his authorial desire to reinvent it, to decouple from the archive and ‘go off the track’.
Blood Pressure Trajectories Across the Life Course
Authors: Allen Norrina B , Khan Sadiya S
Published: February 2021

High blood pressure (BP) is a strong modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Longitudinal BP patterns themselves may reflect the burden of risk and vascular damage due to prolonged cumulative exposure to high BP levels. Current studies have begun to characterize BP patterns as a trajectory over an individual’s lifetime. These BP trajectories take into account the absolute BP levels as well as the slope of BP changes throughout the lifetime thus incorporating longitudinal BP patterns into a single metric. Methodologic issues that need to be considered when examining BP trajectories include individual-level vs. population-level group-based modeling, use of distinct but complementary BP metrics (systolic, diastolic, mean arterial, mid, and pulse pressure), and potential for measurement errors related to varied settings, devices, and number of readings utilized. There appear to be very specific developmental periods during which divergent BP trajectories may emerge, specifically adolescence, the pregnancy period, and older adulthood. Lifetime BP trajectories are impacted by both individual-level and community-level factors and have been associated with incident hypertension, multimorbidity (CVD, renal disease, cognitive impairment), and overall life expectancy. Key unanswered questions remain around the additive predictive value of BP trajectories, intergenerational contributions to BP patterns (in utero BP exposure), and potential genetic drivers of BP patterns. The next phase in understanding BP trajectories needs to focus on how best to incorporate this knowledge into clinical care to reduce the burden of hypertensive-related outcomes and improve health equity.
Comparison of Fat Repositioning Versus Onlay Segmental Fat Grafting in Lower Blepharoplasty
Authors: Hedén Per , Fischer Sebastian
Published: February 2021

Background

Lower blepharoplasty is one of the most challenging procedures in aesthetic surgery. In particular, blending the lid-cheek junction and correction of the tear trough are prone to failure and unsatisfactory outcomes.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to combine lower eyelid blepharoplasty with a novel technique of autologous fat grafting, commonly called segmental fat grafting, and to analyze the safety and efficacy of this approach.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of 339 lower blepharoplasties was performed to compare the novel technique of segmental fat grafting to traditional fat transposition during lower blepharoplasty. Outcomes were assessed objectively by several measurements as well as via online survey of 148 invited experts in plastic surgery. Statistical analysis included t test for unpaired and paired samples as well as 1-way analysis of variance for matched data.

Results

There were no differences in baseline characteristics and comorbidities between study groups. After a mean follow-up of 12.9 months (range, 5-120 months), the group that underwent segmental fat grafting had a significant reduction in tear trough width compared compared with the group receiving lower blepharoplasty with fat transposition. Based on an expert (blinded) online survey, segmental fat grafting was superior or equal in 47% and 35% of cases, respectively. Complications (4%) and revision surgeries (9%) did not differ significantly between study groups.

Conclusions

The novel technique of transplantation of a segmental fat graft during lower blepharoplasty is a safe and effective way to overcome tear trough deformity and blend the lid-cheek junction.

Level of Evidence: 4
Conceptus metabolomic profiling reveals stage-specific phenotypes leading up to pregnancy recognition in cattle†
Authors: Simintiras Constantine A , Sánchez José M , McDonald Michael , O’Callaghan Elena , Aburima Ahmed A , Lonergan Patrick
Published: February 2021

Reproductive efficiency in livestock is a major driver of sustainable food production. The poorly understood process of ruminant conceptus elongation (a) prerequisites maternal pregnancy recognition, (b) is essential to successful pregnancy establishment, and (c) coincides with a period of significant conceptus mortality. Conceptuses at five key developmental stages between Days 8–16 were recovered and cultured in vitro for 6 h prior to conditioned media analysis by untargeted ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectroscopy. This global temporal biochemical interrogation of the ex situ bovine conceptus unearths two antithetical stage-specific metabolic phenotypes during tubular (metabolically retentive) vs. filamentous (secretory) development. Moreover, the retentive conceptus phenotype on Day 14 coincides with an established period of elevated metabolic density in the uterine fluid of heifers with high systemic progesterone—a model of accelerated conceptus elongation. These data, combined, suggest a metabolic mechanism underpinning conceptus elongation, thereby enhancing our understanding of the biochemical reciprocity of maternal–conceptus communication, prior to maternal pregnancy recognition.
Bariatric Surgery and Risk of New-onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Nationwide Cohort Study
Authors: Allin Kristine H , Jacobsen Rikke K , Ungaro Ryan C , Colombel Jean-Frederic , Egeberg Alexander , Villumsen Marie , Jess Tine
Published: February 2021

Background and Aims

The aim of this study was to examine the risk of new-onset inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] following bariatric surgery.

Methods

We conducted a nationwide population-based prospective cohort study of the entire Danish population 18 to 60 years of age, alive, and residing in Denmark, from 1996 to 2018. Bariatric surgery was included as a time-dependent variable, and Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios [HRs] of IBD. We used a model adjusting for age, sex, and birth cohort and a multifactor-adjusted model additionally including educational status and number of obesity-related comorbidities.

Results

We followed 3 917 843 individuals of whom 15 347 had a bariatric surgery, for development of new-onset IBD. During 106 420 person-years following bariatric surgery, 100 IBD events occurred [incidence rate 0.940/1000 person-years]. During 55 553 785 person-years without bariatric surgery, 35 294 events of IBD occurred [incidence rate 0.635/1000 person-years]. This corresponded to a multifactor-adjusted hazard ratio [HR] of 1.15 (95% confidence interval[CI], 0.94–1.40) for IBD. Multifactor-adjusted HRs of Crohn’s disease [CD] and ulcerative colitis [UC] were 1.85 [95% CI, 1.40–2.44] and 0.81 [95% CI, 0.61–1.08], respectively. Among women, the multifactor-adjusted HR for CD was 2.18 [95% CI, 1.64–2.90]. When limiting the study population to individuals with a diagnosis of overweight/obesity, bariatric surgery remained associated with increased risk of CD, multifactor-adjusted HR 1.59 [95% CI, 1.18–2.13].

Conclusions

This nationwide cohort study shows that bariatric surgery is associated with increased risk of development of new-onset CD, but not of UC. The underlying mechanisms remain elusive.
Presence of Native and Non-native Ants Linked to Lower Emergence Success of Loggerhead Sea Turtle Nests: Implications for Management
Authors: Braman Charles A , Pfaller Joseph B , Williams Kristina L , Forschler Brian T
Published: February 2021

Ants have been suggested as one of many population pressures sea turtles face potentially affecting nesting-beach survival of eggs and hatchlings. However, little is known about the extent to which ants act as incidental or primary mortality factors. Most research has focused on New World fire ants (genus Solenopsis), with confirmed records of other ant species interactions with sea turtle nests in situ being rare. Our study documented the ant species associated with loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta (Linnaeus) (Testudines: Cheloniidae) nests in Georgia and determined if ant presence was linked to lower hatching or emergence success. Samples (n = 116) collected from sea turtle nests on eight islands contained 14 ant species including Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), the red imported fire ant, which was the most common ant species encountered. Ant presence was not correlated with lower hatching success, but when other known disturbances were removed, correlated with significantly lower nest emergence success (P < 0.0001). Logistic modeling suggests that proximity of sea turtle nests to the primary dune significantly increases risk of ant predation on hatchling sea turtles. Population managers can reduce this risk by maintaining a 1-m buffer shoreward between dune vegetation and relocated sea turtle nests. Our results suggest that ants may exert a density-dependent pressure on nesting sea turtle populations and call for additional investigations to determine if managing native and invasive ants augments other efforts to improve hatchling survival.
Prognostic significance of vascular and valvular calcifications in low- and high-gradient aortic stenosis
Authors: Harbaoui Brahim , Ghigo Nina , Boussel Loic , Liebgott Hervé , Souteyrand Géraud , Durand Eric , Eltchaninoff Hélène , Lefevre Thierry , Courand Pierre-Yves , Lantelme Pierre
Published: February 2021

Aims 

In low-gradient aortic stenosis (LGAS), the high valvulo-arterial impedance observed despite low valvular gradient suggests a high vascular load. Thoracic aortic calcifications (TACs) and valvular aortic calcifications (VACs) are, respectively, surrogates of aortic load and aortic valvular gradient. The aim of this study was to compare the respective contributions of TAC and VAC on 3-year cardiovascular (CV) mortality following TAVI in LGAS vs. high-gradient aortic stenosis (HGAS) patients.

Methods and results 

A total of 1396 consecutive patients were included. TAC and VAC were measured on the pre-TAVI CT-scan. About 435 (31.2%) patients had LGAS and 961 (68.8%) HGAS. LGAS patients were more prone to have diabetes, coronary artery disease (CAD), atrial fibrillation (AF), and lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), P<0.05 for all. During the 3 years after TAVI, 245(17.8%) patients experienced CV mortality, 92(21.6%) in LGAS and 153(16.2%) in HGAS patients, P=0.018. Multivariate analysis adjusted for age, gender, diabetes, AF, CAD, LVEF, renal function, vascular access, and aortic regurgitation showed that TAC but not VAC was associated with CV mortality in LGAS, hazard ratio (HR) 1.085 confidence interval (CI) (1.019–1.156), P=0.011, and HR 0.713 CI (0.439–1.8), P=0.235; the opposite was observed in HGAS patients with VAC but not TAC being associated with CV mortality, HR 1.342 CI (1.034–1.742), P=0.027, and HR 1.015 CI (0.955–1.079), P=0.626.

Conclusion 

TAC plays a major prognostic role in LGAS while VAC remains the key in HGAS patients. This confirms that LGAS is a complex vascular and valvular disease.
Role of cardiac magnetic resonance strain analysis in patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome in evaluating right ventricular (dys)function: a systematic review
Authors: Gasparini Marisa , Cox Natasha
Published: February 2021

OBJECTIVES

Right ventricular dysfunction predicts death in patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), but differences in morphology and loading conditions make calculation of the ejection fraction (EF), a challenging measure of its function. Our goal was to evaluate how strain measurements with cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking could be used to evaluate right ventricular function in patients with HLHS.

METHODS

A systematic search of the literature was performed by 2 independent researchers using the terms ‘population’, ‘intervention’, ‘comparison’, ‘outcome’ and ‘time criteria’. PubMed and the Ovid database were searched according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

RESULTS

Our review included 8 studies with 608 participants with ventricular strain values obtained using cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking. After stage I palliation, global strain was reduced in patients after a hybrid procedure and a right ventricle-to-pulmonary artery conduit compared with a modified Blalock–Taussig shunt despite similar EFs. Global longitudinal strain did not differ between stage II and stage III (Fontan) palliation. Fontan patients had significantly impaired global longitudinal and circumferential strain compared to the left ventricular strain of the controls. Studies of Fontan patients that included patients with HLHS who were part of a cohort with a single right ventricle showed impaired global circumferential strain compared with the cohort with a single left ventricle, with controls, and over time. In this group, impaired global circumferential strain was associated with major adverse cardiac events.

CONCLUSIONS

Cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking can be used in patients with HLHS to evaluate RV strain and demonstrate differences between surgical strategies, over time and compared with controls. It could be used alongside clinical symptoms and EF values to detect ventricular dysfunction.
The Paris Night: A Flâneur in Post-Revolutionary Paris
Authors: Weintraub J
Published: February 2021

This annotated English translation of an article written by Eugène Briffault one year after the 1830 July Revolution presents a unique testimony of a city in a state of post-revolutionary transition. Drawn with the pen of a realist novelist and observed with the eye of a practised reporter, ‘The Paris Night’ takes the reader on a journey through the streets of a city seemingly under martial law, from the haunts of journalists, into the vice-dens of the Palais-Royal, past the hectic activity of Les Halles and into streets still bearing the scars of the recent Revolution. Along with the ubiquitous military patrols, the author encounters streetwalkers, ragpickers and other denizens of the night until he reaches the Chaillot Heights to contemplate a ‘revolution escamotée’, a popular revolt which had been ‘smuggled away’. Along with a brief biography of Briffault, J. Weintraub’s introduction places the essay in the context of its time.
Chromosome-Level Genome Assembly of the Common Chaffinch (Aves: Fringilla coelebs): A Valuable Resource for Evolutionary Biology
Authors: Recuerda María , Vizueta Joel , Cuevas-Caballé Cristian , Blanco Guillermo , Rozas Julio , Milá Borja
Published: February 2021

The common chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs, is one of the most common, widespread, and well-studied passerines in Europe, with a broad distribution encompassing Western Europe and parts of Asia, North Africa, and the Macaronesian archipelagos. We present a high-quality genome assembly of the common chaffinch generated using Illumina shotgun sequencing in combination with Chicago and Hi-C libraries. The final genome is a 994.87-Mb chromosome-level assembly, with 98% of the sequence data located in chromosome scaffolds and a N50 statistic of 69.73 Mb. Our genome assembly shows high completeness, with a complete BUSCO score of 93.9% using the avian data set. Around 7.8% of the genome contains interspersed repetitive elements. The structural annotation yielded 17,703 genes, 86.5% of which have a functional annotation, including 7,827 complete universal single-copy orthologs out of 8,338 genes represented in the BUSCO avian data set. This new annotated genome assembly will be a valuable resource as a reference for comparative and population genomic analyses of passerine, avian, and vertebrate evolution.
The efficacy of transbronchial indocyanine green instillation for fluorescent-guided wedge resection
Authors: Sekine Yasuo , Koh Eitetsu , Hoshino Hidehisa
Published: February 2021

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of lung wedge resection by combining 3-dimensional (3D) image analysis with transbronchial indocyanine green (ICG) instillation, in order to delineate the intended area for resection.

METHODS

From December 2017 to July 2020, 28 patients undergoing wedge resection (17 primary lung cancers, 11 metastatic lung tumours) were enrolled, and fluorescence-guided wedge resection was attempted. Virtual sublobar resections were created preoperatively for each patient using a 3D Image Analyzer. Surgical margins were measured in each sublobar resection simulation in order to select the most optimal surgical resection area. After transbronchial instillation of ICG, near-infrared thoracoscopic visualization allowed matching of the intended area for resection to the virtual sublobar resection area. To investigate the effectiveness of ICG instillation, the clarity of the ICG-florescent border was evaluated, and the distance from the true tumour to the surgical margins was compared to that of simulation.

RESULTS

Mean tumour diameter was 12.4 ± 4.3 mm. The entire targeted tumour was included in resected specimens of all patients (100% success rate). The shortest distances to the surgical margin via 3D simulation and by actual measurement of the specimen were11.4 ± 5.4 and 12.2 ± 4.1 mm, respectively (P = 0.285) and were well correlated (R2 = 0.437). While all specimens had negative malignant cells at the surgical margins, one loco-regional recurrence was observed secondary to the dissemination of neuroendocrine carcinoma.

CONCLUSIONS

ICG-guided lung wedge resection after transbronchial ICG instillation and preoperative 3D image analysis allow for adequate negative surgical margins, providing decreased risk of local recurrence.
Polling in New Democracies and Electoral Malpractice: The Case of Brazil
Authors: Lloyd Ryan , Turgeon Mathieu
Published: February 2021

In many developing democracies, polling often comes with elevated levels of bias and variance. We argue that electoral malpractice can be one reason why. We build a theory and test it with data from elections between 2002 and 2014 in Brazil. We find that polling errors are larger in: (a) elections with many undecided voters and large imbalances in financial resources among campaigns; (b) the poorer Northeast region of Brazil, which is more closely associated with patronage and vote buying; and (c) low-profile, low-information elections. Our analysis serves as a cautionary tale for interpreting polling in democracies like Brazil, even if/when other sources of error in the polling industry are mitigated.
CSF1R defines the mononuclear phagocyte system lineage in human blood in health and COVID-19
Authors: Combes Theo W , Orsenigo Federica , Stewart Alexander , Mendis A S Jeewaka R , Dunn-Walters Deborah , Gordon Siamon , Martinez Fernando O
Published: February 2021

Mononuclear phagocytes defend tissues, present antigens, and mediate recovery and healing. To date, we lack a marker to unify mononuclear phagocytes in humans or that informs us about their origin. Here, we reassess mononuclear phagocyte ontogeny in human blood through the lineage receptor CSF1R, in the steady state and in COVID-19. We define CSF1R as the first sensitive and reproducible pan-phagocyte lineage marker, to identify and enumerate all conventional monocytes, and the myeloid dendritic cells. In the steady state, CSF1R is sufficient for sorting and immuno-magnetic isolation. In pathology, changes in CSF1R are more sensitive than CD14 and CD16. In COVID-19, a significant drop in membrane CSF1R is useful for stratifying patients, beyond the power of cell categories published thus far, which fail to capture COVID-19 specific events. Importantly, CSF1R defines cells which are neither conventional monocytes nor DCs, which are missed in published analysis. CSF1R decrease can be linked ex vivo to high CSF1 levels. Blood assessment of CSF1R+ cells opens a developmental window to the Mononuclear Phagocyte System in transit from bone marrow to tissues, supports isolation and phenotypic characterisation, identifies novel cell types, and singles out CSF1R inhibition as therapeutic target in COVID-19 and other diseases.
Nanog-mediated stem cell properties are critical for MBNL3-associated paclitaxel resistance of ovarian cancer
Authors: Sun Xueqin , Diao Xinghua , Zhu Xiaolin , Yin Xuexue , Cheng Guangying
Published: February 2021

Paclitaxel (PTX) is the standard first-line treatment of ovarian cancer, but its efficacy is limited by multidrug resistance. Therefore, it is crucial to identify effective drug targets to facilitate PTX sensitivity for ovarian cancer treatment. Seventy PTX-administrated ovarian cancer patients were recruited in this study for gene expression and survival rate analyses. Muscleblind-like-3 (MBNL3) gain-of-function and loss-of-function experiments were carried out in ovarian cancer cells (parental and PTX-resistant) and xenograft model. Cancer cell viability, apoptosis, spheroids formation, Nanog gene silencing were examined and conducted to dissect the underlying mechanism of MBNL3-mediated PTX resistance. High expression of MBNL3 was positively correlated with PTX resistance and poor prognosis of ovarian cancer. MBNL3 increased cell viability and decreased apoptosis in ovarian stem-like cells, through upregulating Nanog. This study suggests the MBNL3-Nanog axis is a therapeutic target for the treatment of PTX resistance in ovarian cancer management.
The Long-Term Consequences of Free School Choice
Authors: Lavy Victor
Published: February 2021

I study the long-term consequences of an effective free school choice program that targeted disadvantaged students in Israel two decades ago. I show that the program led to significant gains in post-secondary education through increased enrolment in academic and teachers’ colleges without any increase in enrolment in research universities. Free school choice also increased earnings at the adulthood of treated students. Male students had much larger improvements in college schooling and labor market outcomes. Female students, however, experienced higher increases in marriage and fertility rates, which most likely interfered with their schooling and labor market outcomes.
Collisional (de-)excitation of protonated cyanoacetylene (HC3NH+) by helium at low and moderate temperatures
Authors: Al Mogren M Mogren , Ben Abdallah D , Al Harbi S Dhaif Allah , Al Salhi M S , Hochlaf M
Published: February 2021

Protonated cyanoacetylene, HC3NH+, is detected in astrophysical media, where it plays a key role as an intermediate in the chemistries of HCN/HNC and of cyanopolyynes. We first generated a potential energy surface (PES) describing the intermonomer interaction between HC3NH+ and He in Jacobi coordinates using the highly correlated CCSD(T)-F12/aug-cc-pVTZ ab initio methodology. Then, scattering calculations based on an exact close-coupling quantum-scattering technique were done to obtain pure rotational cross-sections for the rotational (de-)excitation of HC3NH+ after collision with He for total energies up to 2500 cm−1. These cross-sections are used to deduce the collision rates in the 5–350 K temperature range for the low-lying rotational levels of HC3NH+ (up to $j\,\, = \,\,15$). In addition, we generated an average PES for the HC3NH+–H2 system. The preliminary results show that the H2($j_{\mathrm{H_2}} = 0$) and He state-to-state de-excitation cross-sections have similar magnitudes, even though the H2 cross-sections are larger by a factor of 2–2.5. This work should help with the accurate derivation of protonated cyanoacetylene abundances in non-local thermodynamical equilibrium astrophysical media. These will put more constraints on the chemical pathways involving the formation and destruction of HC3NH+ while going back to the cyanopolyyne family and more generally those parts of nitrogen-containing molecular chemistry.
Registration and imaging polarimetry of the Fe 6374 Å red coronal line during the 2017 total solar eclipse
Authors: Liang Y , Qu Z Q , Chen Y J , Zhong Y , Song Z M , Li S Y
Published: February 2021

Strict registration is critical for imaging polarimetry; a highly accurate registration approach to the coronal image and imaging polarimetry of the Fe 6374 Å red coronal line have been researched in this paper. In order to improve the registration accuracy, this paper proposes the idea of image enhancement based on blind deconvolution combined with noise-adaptive fuzzy equalization algorithms. After image enhancement, the cross-correlation registration algorithm achieves better results. To diagnose a low-temperature corona, the polarization brightness of the red coronal line data and the Mauna Loa Solar Observatory (MLSO)/KCor data are compared to study the structural features and polarization information of the inner corona. We found that the polarization brightness radiation of the red coronal line has overall features similar to that of the MLSO/KCor data, but it has more detailed features, such as the cavity, polar plume, and interplume characteristics. Active regions, polar plumes, and interplumes show similar performance in red coronal line intensity, polarization brightness, degree of linear polarization, K-corona, and electron density along with the radial height. An interesting finding is that the polarization brightness of the red coronal line changes drastically along with the radial height across the cavity above the solar west limb, while neither the K-corona nor the electron density changes obviously. This seems to be a piece of possible evidence indicating that the red coronal line is not unpolarized in the cavity region.
Nonunion Rates After Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: Comparison of Polyetheretherketone vs Structural Allograft Implants
Authors: Ryu Won Hyung A , Richards Dominick , Kerolus Mena G , Bakare Adewale A , Khanna Ryan , Vuong Victoria D , Deutsch Harel , Fontes Ricardo , O’Toole John E , Traynelis Vincent C , Fessler Richard G
Published: February 2021

BACKGROUND

Although advances in implant materials, such as polyetheretherketone (PEEK), have been developed aimed to improve outcome after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), it is essential to confirm whether these changes translate into clinically important sustained benefits.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the radiographic and clinical outcomes of patients undergoing up to 3-level ACDF with PEEK vs structural allograft implants.

METHODS

In this cohort study, radiographic and symptomatic nonunion rates were compared in consecutive patients who underwent 1 to 3 level ACDF with allograft or PEEK implant. Prospectively collected clinical data and patient-reported outcome (PRO) scores were compared between the allograft and PEEK groups. Regression analysis was performed to determine the predictors of nonunion.

RESULTS

In total, 194 of 404 patients met the inclusion criteria (79% allograft vs 21% PEEK). Preoperative demographic variables were comparable between the 2 groups except for age. The rate of radiographic nonunion was higher with PEEK implants (39% vs 27%, P = .0035). However, a higher proportion of nonunion in the allograft cohort required posterior instrumentation (14% vs 3%, P = .039). Patients with multilevel procedures and PEEK implants had up to 5.8 times the risk of radiographic nonunion, whereas younger patients, active smokers, and multilevel procedures were at higher risk of symptomatic nonunion.

CONCLUSION

Along with implant material, factors such as younger age, active smoking status, and the number of operated levels were independent predictors of fusion failure. Given the impact of nonunion on PRO, perioperative optimization of modifiable factors and surgical planning are essential to ensure a successful outcome.
Focal myocarditis in a young male with SARS-CoV-2 infection
Authors: Meel Ruchika , Ramsamy Tyral D , Narsing Rajiv , Wong Michelle
Published: February 2021

A 31-year- old male with no comorbidities presented with chest discomfort and shortness of breath following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Primary viral myocarditis was confirmed with the aid of cardiac biomarkers and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. Herein, we detail his clinical presentation, management and highlight the role of CMR in viral myocarditis.
Movers and Stayers
Authors: Morris Irwin L.
Published: February 2021

Democrats once dominated the “Solid South.” By the turn of the 21st century, Republicans had taken control. We are in the midst of the dawning of new, more progressive era. Theories explaining Republican growth provide little guidance, but a new perspective—Movers and Stayers theory—explains this recent growth in Democratic support and the ways in which population growth has produced it. Migratory patterns play a significant role in southern politics. Young, well-educated in-migrants fostered Republican growth in the last century. Today, these increasingly progressive young, well-educated movers are growing the Democratic Party. Movers bring their politics to their new communities. Their progressivism fosters the same among long-term residents (stayers) in their new communities. But the declining communities they left show the effects of their exit. In our racialized partisan environment, white stayers respond to the threat of declining communities by shifting to the right and identifying with the Republican Party. Conversely, African Americans respond to community threat by maintaining their progressivism. Few Latinos live in declining communities; Latino stayers in fast growing communities become more Democratic. While movers of retirement age are more conservative than younger movers, they are more liberal than those who retire in place—not quite the demographic windfall Republicans in aging areas have hoped for. These dynamics are altering the southern political landscape, and differences between growing areas and declining areas are accelerating. Absent a wholesale reinvention of southern politics along the lines of class or (possibly) age, the current partisan trajectory does not bode well for Republicans. The COVID-19 pandemic will not change that.
Transforming Prejudice
Authors: Michelson Melissa R. , Harrison Brian F.
Published: February 2021

Over the last few decades, public opinion has shifted dramatically to be more supportive of gay and lesbian people and their rights, including support for same-sex relationships and marriage. Support for transgender people and rights, in contrast, remains relatively low. As a result, transgender people suffer from discrimination and violence. Shifting attitudes toward transgender people requires a new approach to persuasive communication, one that recognizes the discomfort that many people feel about the subject but also one that appeals to core values and emotions in a way that encourages them to shift their perspective. This book introduces a new theory—Identity Reassurance Theory—which outlines how to transform prejudice against transgender people. The book provides concrete suggestions about how to reduce defensive reactions, helping people take a journey from prejudice to support. Support for Identity Reassurance Theory comes from a series of experiments conducted with individuals face to face, via the Internet, and in the laboratory. When individuals are put in a happier state of mind or when they are reminded about the good in people, they are more supportive of transgender rights. When they are told a story about a mother who did not support transgender people and rights until her own child came out as transgender, they are more likely to support transgender rights. In these and other experiments, Transforming Prejudice describes a method of boosting the self-esteem of recipients of communication to lower their defenses and to encourage them to be more accepting of others who are different than they are.
Identity Reassurance Theory
Authors: and Michelson
Published: February 2021

Many Americans are uncomfortable with transgender people and rights, and changing those attitudes requires a new approach. This chapter describes Identity Reassurance Theory, a method of helping targets of persuasion shift their attitudes to better align with their preexisting senses of themselves as moral human beings. The chapter also includes key definitions and background about public opinion about various sexual orientations and gender identities, including differences in attitudes toward transgender men and women in different scenarios and environments. Other data explore levels of and predictors of attitudes toward transgender people and rights.
Gender Roles, Masculinity, and Support for Transgender Rights
Authors: and Michelson
Published: February 2021

Prejudice against transgender people is often linked to traditional or even toxic conceptualizations of gender and gender identity and particularly to norms and expression of masculinity. Attitudes toward transgender people and rights are deeply divided by gender, with lower levels of support among men, and also by attitudes about traditional gender roles. Two experiments provide evidence that among men, threats to masculinity generate greater opposition to transgender people and rights while reassurances of masculinity generate greater support, particularly for support of transgender military service. Consistent with expectations, women who are exposed to information threatening or reassuring them of their femininity tend not to be affected.
Deceitful Media
Authors: Natale Simone
Published: February 2021

Artificial intelligence (AI) is often discussed as something extraordinary, a dream—or a nightmare—that awakens metaphysical questions on human life. Yet far from a distant technology of the future, the true power of AI lies in its subtle revolution of ordinary life. From voice assistants like Siri to natural language processors, AI technologies use cultural biases and modern psychology to fit specific characteristics of how users perceive and navigate the external world, thereby projecting the illusion of intelligence. Integrating media studies, science and technology studies, and social psychology, Deceitful Media examines the rise of artificial intelligence throughout history and exposes the very human fallacies behind this technology. Focusing specifically on communicative AIs, Natale argues that what we call “AI” is not a form of intelligence but rather a reflection of the human user. Using the term “banal deception,” he reveals that deception forms the basis of all human-computer interactions rooted in AI technologies, as technologies like voice assistants utilize the dynamics of projection and stereotyping as a means for aligning with our existing habits and social conventions. By exploiting the human instinct to connect, AI reveals our collective vulnerabilities to deception, showing that what machines are primarily changing is not other technology but ourselves as humans. Deceitful Media illustrates how AI has continued a tradition of technologies that mobilize our liability to deception and shows that only by better understanding our vulnerabilities to deception can we become more sophisticated consumers of interactive media.
Natural Gas
Authors: Meier Paul F.
Published: February 2021

Natural gas, which is primarily methane, is used in the electric power industry, various industrial applications, residential heating, and, to a small extent, as a transportation fuel. In terms of electricity generation for the United States, natural gas is responsible for about 35%, a large growth from only 15% twenty years earlier. In 2015 natural gas overtook coal and is now the primary energy for producing electricity. It is a relatively clean burning energy type and, compared to coal and petroleum crude oil, it contains small amounts of sulfur and nitrogen and no heavy metals such as selenium, mercury, and cadmium. To support the use of natural gas to generate electricity, the United States has about 1,800 plants with close to 6,000 generators and 1.6 million miles of pipelines.
Hydroelectric
Authors: Meier Paul F.
Published: February 2021

There are two methods for generating electricity from hydropower. The first, and by far the most common, is the use of flowing water to rotate a turbine, which then turns the generator shaft to generate electricity. For this type of “conventional” hydroelectric, there are two general approaches. The first is a storage dam, where water impoundment upstream of the dam is used to make a reservoir to store water, thus creating a vertical drop in water elevation and giving control over water flow. The second is a run-of-river scheme, such that a portion of a flowing river is diverted to generate electricity. The second method for generating electricity is called pumped storage. In this scheme, water is pumped from a lower to upper reservoir in order to store energy in the form of gravitational potential energy to be used later. In this respect, the system is operating as a battery to store energy for future use. The states of Washington, California, and Oregon control about half of the total US capacity.
Wind Energy
Authors: Meier Paul F.
Published: February 2021

A wind farm is a collection of wind turbines, sufficiently spaced to avoid wind interference between turbines. Onshore and offshore are the two basic types of wind farms. The cost of building an offshore farm is greater because of the need for turbines that withstand high wind and corrosive conditions of the sea, plus the expense of installing underwater transmission cables to shore. For an onshore wind farm, the land area for the farm is large, but the direct impact area is relatively small. The direct impact area includes the turbine pads, roads, substations, and transmission equipment, and only makes up about 2% of the total wind farm area. Since the direct impact area is small compared to the total wind farm area, agriculture and ranching can coexist with the wind farm. Wind is a very fast growing renewable energy technology. In the ten years since 2009, the worldwide capacity for wind power increased 276% while US capacity increased 175%.
Solar
Authors: Meier Paul F.
Published: February 2021

There are two basic approaches for using solar energy to generate electricity. The first type, solar photovoltaic (PV) energy, uses semiconductors to convert sunlight into electricity. Crystalline silicon semiconductors are the most common type in use. The second approach is called concentrating solar power (CSP), also referred to as solar thermal. Basically, CSP uses mirrors to concentrate sunlight and generate steam, which is used to power a turbine. The most common method employed commercially is the parabolic trough, where the mirrors are horizontally disposed in a parabolic shape. Solar PV is more commonly used commercially because of high capital costs for building a CSP power plant. Solar PV has experienced rapid growth over the last ten years, increasing by more than twentyfold in the United States. Growth for CSP has increased threefold over the same ten years, but no growth over the last four years. Spain and the United States lead the world in commercial CSP plants.
Ethanol
Authors: Meier Paul F.
Published: February 2021

This chapter examines the use of biomass to make ethanol, or bioethanol, as a transportation fuel. Biomass is defined as any organic material that can be used as a fuel. However, in the United States and Brazil, the two countries that dominate the bioethanol market, most ethanol is produced from corn grain (United States) or sugarcane (Brazil). There has also been research and some commercial trials using cellulosic material, such as corn stover, switchgrass, and sugarcane bagasse, to produce ethanol, but the approach is hindered by high capital and operating costs. In the United States, more than 35% of the total corn production goes towards ethanol production and ethanol makes up about 10% of the gasoline market. Since 2007, the gallons of ethanol produced has more than doubled, and much of this growth has been driven by federal subsidies and mandates.
Cultural Orientations and Economic Outcomes
Authors: Camasso Michael J. , Jagannathan Radha
Published: February 2021

In this introduction, the authors discuss the limitations that arise when economic failures like youth unemployment are perceived and studied as simply a market supply or demand problem. Rather than the result of poor choices, poor information, or market distortions, a growing body of evidence has indicated that cultural value orientation may influence economic preferences in a fashion captured by the Bourdieu paradox: while an economic calculation lies behind every action, every action cannot be reduced to an economic calculation. To address this paradox and its economic implication, the authors set out to answer three questions: (a) Do some national cultures hold on to value orientations that are more successful than others in promoting economic opportunity? (b) Does the transmission of these value orientations demonstrate stability, regardless of economic conditions? and (c) Do value orientations exert their influence on economic behaviors through stated preferences?
Human Capital and Labor Supply
Authors: Camasso Michael J. , Jagannathan Radha
Published: February 2021

In Chapter 3, the authors focus on the contribution that human capital—that is, the constellation of knowledge, skills, and abilities possessed by individuals seeking employment, or who are already in the labor market—have on the structure and functioning of national economies. They examine the profound differences that cultures of general versus vocational education have on labor supply, skill and education mismatches, deficits, and surpluses. Detailed discussions of the German dual system, Sweden’s democratic education, the southern Mediterranean approach to human capital, and on-the-job training models in India and the United States are provided. The implications of a widespread shift from vocational training and apprenticeship are addressed as are the implications of this shift for the future health of the focal countries. The chapter closes with a focus on how Germany, Sweden, Italy, Spain, India, and the United States are addressing the issues of job creation and the encouragement of youth entrepreneurship.
Skill Shortages, Skill Gaps, and Labor Demand
Authors: Camasso Michael J. , Jagannathan Radha
Published: February 2021

The focus in this chapter is on the consequences of employers’ decisions and on labor market institutions that create flexible, rigid, or segmented labor markets. The authors profile how each of the focal countries maintains culturally distinctive production functions and how these approaches to the creation of goods and services impact employment and overall economic performance. The importance of a labor market designed around the production of value-added product for export is highlighted, as is the pressure it places on renewal of knowledge and skill sets and flexible labor markets. Failures of the labor market in the forms of unemployment, underemployment, and low labor force participation have resulted in a variety of government interventions or active labor market policies. The authors examine the effectiveness of a number of these policies, including subsidies paid to employees, minimum wages, and employment subsidies to private businesses and public sector jobs.
Russian Soft and Sharp Power Resources
Authors: Stoner Kathryn E.
Published: February 2021

Beyond its reformed and upgraded traditional military capabilities, Russia under Vladimir Putin’s regime has also developed some new abilities and redeployed some old Soviet-era techniques to battle the West for global hearts and minds. In one sense they are forms of soft power as understood by Joseph Nye. These are power assets like the use of social media to promote Russian interests, traditional media, cultural centers, and goodwill emergency aid, but distinct from the way Nye defines the term as a passive pull toward the goals of a particular country’s preferences, Russian policymakers have used soft power to in a sense “wage friendship.” That is, they employ soft power resources as part of their foreign policy toolkit to further state interests. This chapter also looks at what has become known as “sharp” power—which includes cyber means to shape information environments in Russia’s favor. Various aspects of Russian sharp power include cyber theft and release of information, planting false stories and using fake social media accounts to launder and amplify a message, as well as purchasing Facebook and Twitter ads to further preferred candidates in foreign elections. The chapter includes a discussion of Russian use of sharp power capabilities in the US presidential election in 2016, as well as elsewhere.
Taking the Judges Seriously v. Grand Theories
Authors: Stapleton Jane
Published: February 2021

Chapter 1 describes the approach of reflexive tort scholarship and how it depends on a clear understanding of the environment of judicial decision-making. Part of that environment is the conception that judicial ‘lawmaking’ is ‘retrospective’, by which is usually meant that it is imposed retroactively. Yet retroactivity is in sharp tension with the fundamental principle that situations should be judged according to the law as it was at that time. To resolve this tension, the text offers a conception of the common law as ‘living’, that it evolves in line with changes in society. Later, litigation invites the ultimate court to articulate this evolution and how the law stood at the time that the parties interacted. The descriptive claims of Grand Theories are contrasted with reflexive tort scholarship, which accommodates key aspects of judicial decision-making, such as the heterogeneity of judicial reasons, in ways that those descriptive claims cannot.
Religion, Corruption, and the Social Contract
Authors: Rothstein Bo
Published: February 2021

Religion is one of the most commonly cited explanations for cross-country variation in corruption. In particular, Protestantism, and the cultural values that follow from its doctrine, has been identified as particularly beneficial for getting corruption under control. Nevertheless, micro-level studies provide little evidence for religion producing norms and values conducive to good institutions. An alternate explanation for the observed macro-level variation is presented in this chapter, namely the historical systems for financing religious practices. The medieval parish system in Northwestern Europe, where members collectively paid for and administrated religious services as public goods, is compared with the Ottoman Empire, where such goods were normally provided through endowments from private individuals and tax collection was comparatively privatized. It is shown that these different systems can be seen as two very different social contracts that have had long-lasting implications for accountability, transparency, and representation.