bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Endometriosis and Sexual Quality of Life
Authors: van Poll Mikal , van Barneveld Esther , Aerts Luca , Maas Jacques W.M. , Lim Arianne C. , de Greef Bianca T.A. , Bongers Marlies Y. , van Hanegem Nehalennia
Published: July 2020

Introduction

Endometriosis is a benign gynecological disease with a high disease burden and significant, multifaceted impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and sexual quality of life (SQoL).

Aim

To explore which patient- and disease-specific characteristics were independently associated with SQoL.

Methods

A literature search was carried out to identify characteristics with an evidence-based or hypothesized effect on SQoL. Subsequently, data on HRQoL in women with endometriosis (n = 224), collected between 2013 and 2018 in a prospective longitudinal Dutch cohort study performed in 7 referral centers, were used to perform a cross-sectional cohort study. Data were collected using an online self-administered survey including the validated Endometriosis Health Profile-30. Inclusion criteria were recently diagnosed endometriosis patients or newly referred patients with a clinical diagnosis of endometriosis. Patients were excluded in case of incomplete answers on the SQoL questions. Univariate analyses and multiple linear regression analyses were performed.

Outcomes

SQoL, measured by the 5-item “sexual intercourse” dimension score of the modular Endometriosis Health Profile-30 questionnaire, was the primary outcome with scores ranging from 0 to 100 (0 indicating the best and 100 indicating the worst health status).

Results

Based on a literature search, 29 characteristics potentially associated with SQoL were selected from the survey and included in the analyses. In total, 192 women (mean age 36 years) met the inclusion criteria. The majority of women (86.5%) had had intercourse in the period before completing the survey and the study population showed a mean SQoL score of 47.5 ± 29.6, indicating moderate SQoL. Worse SQoL was independently associated with dyspareunia (P < .001), worse HRQoL (P = .001), severity of dysmenorrhea (P = .017), and unemployed work status (P = .022).

Conclusion

In a cohort of women with endometriosis, worse SQoL was significantly and independently associated with the presence of dyspareunia, more severe dysmenorrhea, worse HRQoL, and unemployed work status.
How to Philosophically Tackle Kinds without Talking about “Natural Kinds”
Authors: Brigandt Ingo
Published: July 2020

Recent rival attempts in the philosophy of science to put forward a general theory of the properties that all (and only) natural kinds across the sciences possess may have proven to be futile. Instead, I develop a general methodological framework for how to philosophically study kinds. Any kind has to be investigated and articulated together with the human aims that motivate referring to this kind, where different kinds in the same scientific domain can answer to different concrete aims. My core contention is that nonepistemic aims, including environmental, ethical, and political aims, matter as well. This is defended and illustrated based on several examples of kinds, with particular attention to the role of social-political aims: species, race, gender, as well as personality disorders and oppositional defiant disorder as psychiatric kinds. Such nonepistemic aims and values need not always be those personally favoured by scientists but may have to reflect values that matter to relevant societal stakeholders. Despite the general agenda to study “kinds,” I argue that philosophers should stop using the term “natural kinds,” as this label obscures the relevance of human interests and the way in which many kinds are based on contingent social processes subject to human responsibility.
A protocol for retrospective translational science case studies of health interventions
Authors: Dodson Sara E. , Kukic Ira , Scholl Linda , Pelfrey Clara M. , Trochim William M.
Published: July 2020

The critical processes driving successful research translation remain understudied. We describe a mixed-method case study protocol for analyzing translational research that has led to the successful development and implementation of innovative health interventions. An overarching goal of these case studies is to describe systematically the chain of events between basic, fundamental scientific discoveries and the adoption of evidence-based health applications, including description of varied, long-term impacts. The case study approach isolates many of the key factors that enable the successful translation of research into practice and provides compelling evidence connecting the intervention to measurable changes in health and medical practice, public health outcomes, and other broader societal impacts. The goal of disseminating this protocol is to systematize a rigorous approach, which can enhance reproducibility, promote the development of a large collection of comparable studies, and enable cross-case analyses. This approach, an application of the “science of translational science,” will lead to a better understanding of key research process markers, timelines, and potential points of leverage for intervention that may help facilitate decisions, processes, and policies to speed the sustainable translational process. Case studies are effective communication vehicles to demonstrate both accountability and the impacts of the public’s investment in research.
Comparisons of Late Ordovician ecosystem dynamics before and after the Richmondian invasion reveal consequences of invasive species in benthic marine paleocommunities
Authors: Kempf Hannah L. , Castro Ian O. , Dineen Ashley A. , Tyler Carrie L. , Roopnarine Peter D.
Published: July 2020

A thorough understanding of how communities respond to extreme changes, such as biotic invasions, is essential to manage ecosystems today. Here we constructed fossil food webs to identify changes in Late Ordovician (Katian) shallow-marine paleocommunity structure and functioning before and after the Richmondian invasion, a well-documented ancient invasion. Food webs were compared using descriptive metrics and cascading extinction on graphs models. Richness at intermediate trophic levels was underrepresented when using only data from the Paleobiology Database relative to museum collections, resulting in a spurious decrease in modeled paleocommunity stability. Therefore, museum collections and field sampling may provide more reliable sources of data for the reconstruction of trophic organization in comparison to online data repositories. The invasion resulted in several changes in ecosystem dynamics. Despite topological similarities between pre- and postinvasion food webs, species loss occurred corresponding to a minor decrease in functional groups. Invaders occupied all of the preinvasion functional guilds, with the exception of four incumbent guilds that were lost and one new guild, corroborating the notion that invaders replace incumbents and fill preexisting niche space. Overall, models exhibited strong resistance to secondary extinction, although the postinvasion community had a lower threshold of collapse and more variable response to perturbation. We interpret these changes in dynamics as a decrease in stability, despite similarities in overall structure. Changes in food web structure and functioning resulting from the invasion suggest that conservation efforts may need to focus on preserving functional diversity if more diverse ecosystems are not inherently more stable.
Effects of different levels of rapeseed cake containing high glucosinolates in steer ration on rumen fermentation, nutrient digestibility and the rumen microbial community
Authors: Gao Jian , Sun Yanfeng , Bao Yu , Zhou Ke , Kong Dehuang , Zhao Guangyong
Published: July 2020

This trial was conducted to study the effects of dietary rapeseed cake (RSC) containing high glucosinolates (GLS) on rumen fermentation, nutrient digestion and the rumen microbial community in steers. Eight growing steers and four rations containing RSC (GLS 226·1 μmol/g DM) at 0·00, 2·65, 5·35 and 8·00 % DM were assigned in a replicate 4 × 4 Latin square design. The results indicated that increasing RSC levels increased the ruminal concentration of thiocyanate (SCN) (P < 0·01), decreased the ruminal concentration of ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) and the molar proportion of isovalerate (P < 0·05), did not affect the ruminal concentration of total volatile fatty acids (P > 0·05), decreased the crude protein (CP) digestibility (P < 0·05) and increased the ether extract (EE) digestibility (P < 0·01). Increasing RSC levels tended to decrease the abundances of ruminal Ruminobacter amylophilus (P = 0·055) and Ruminococcus albus (P = 0·086) but did not affect methanogens, protozoa, fungi and other bacteria (P > 0·05). Increasing RSC levels in the ration did not affect the ruminal bacterial diversity (P > 0·05), but it increased the operational taxonomic units and the bacterial richness (P < 0·05) and affected the relative abundances of some bacteria at the phylum level and genus level (P < 0·05). In conclusion, RSC decreased the ruminal concentration of NH3-N and the CP digestibility, increased the EE digestibility and partly affected the ruminal bacterial community. SCN, as the metabolite of GLS, could be a major factor affecting these indices.
Very high prevalence of 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency in 6433 UK South Asian adults: analysis of the UK Biobank Cohort
Authors: Darling Andrea L. , Blackbourn David J. , Ahmadi Kourosh R. , Lanham-New Susan A.
Published: July 2020

Little research has assessed serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration and its predictors in Western-dwelling South Asians in a relatively large sample size. This observational, cross-sectional analysis assessed baseline prevalence of 25(OH)D deficiency in UK-dwelling South Asians (aged 40–69 years, 2006–2010) from the UK Biobank Cohort. Serum 25(OH)D measurements were undertaken using the DiaSorin Liaison XL assay. Of 6433 South Asians with a 25(OH)D measurement, using commonly used cut-off thresholds, 55 % (n 3538) had 25(OH)D < 25 nmol/l (severe deficiency) and 92 % (n 5918) had 25(OH)D < 50 nmol/l (insufficiency). Of the participants with a measurement, 20 % (n 1287) had 25(OH)D concentration <15 nmol/l (very severe deficiency). When 824 participants with undetectable (<10 nmol/l) 25(OH)D measurements were included (total n 7257), 29 % (n 2105) had 25(OH)D < 15 nmol/l, 60 % (n 4354) had 25(OH)D < 25 nmol/l and 93 % (n 6749) had 25(OH)D < 50 nmol/l. Logistic regression predictors of 25(OH)D < 25 nmol/l included the following characteristics: being male; Pakistani; higher BMI; 40–59 years old; never consuming oily fish; summer sun exposure <5 h/d, not using a vitamin D-containing supplement, measurement in winter or spring and vegetarianism. In terms of region, median 25(OH)D concentration was 19–20 nmol/l in Scotland, Northern England, the Midlands and Wales. Across Southern England and London, it was slightly higher at 24–25 nmol/l. Our analyses suggest the need for increased awareness of vitamin D deficiency in South Asians as well as urgent public health interventions to prevent and treat vitamin D deficiency in this group.
Acute exposure to a hot ambient temperature reduces energy intake but does not affect gut hormones in men during rest
Authors: Zakrzewski-Fruer Julia K. , Horsfall Rachel N. , Cottrill Diane , Hough John
Published: July 2020

This study examined the effect of ambient temperature on energy intake, perceived appetite and gut hormone responses during rest in men. Thirteen men (age 21·5 (sd 1·4) years; BMI 24·7 (sd 2·2) kg/m2) completed three, 5·5 h conditions in different ambient temperatures: (i) cold (10°C), (ii) thermoneutral (20°C) and (iii) hot (30°C). A standardised breakfast was consumed after fasting measures, and an ad libitum lunch provided at 4–4·5 h. Blood samples (analysed for plasma acylated ghrelin, total peptide tyrosine-tyrosine (PYY) and total glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) concentrations), perceived appetite and thermoregulatory responses were collected throughout. Linear mixed models were used for statistical analyses. Ad libitum energy intake was 1243 (sd 1342) kJ higher in 10°C and 1189 (sd 1219) kJ higher in 20 v. 30°C (P = 0·002). Plasma acylated ghrelin, total PYY and GLP-1 concentrations did not differ significantly between the conditions (P ≥ 0·303). Sensitivity analyses for the 4 h pre-lunch period showed that perceived overall appetite was lower in both 30 and 10°C when compared with 20°C (P ≤ 0·019). In conclusion, acutely resting in a hot compared with a thermoneutral and cold ambient temperature reduced lunchtime ad libitum energy intake in healthy men. Suppressed perceived appetite may have contributed to the reduced energy intake in the hot compared with thermoneutral ambient temperature, whereas gut hormones did not appear to play an important role.
Imagined Hillarys: Feminism, Fantasy, and Fictional Clintons inThe Good WifeandThe Good Fight
Authors: SYKES RACHEL
Published: July 2020

In the 2010s, Hillary Clinton emerged as a central character not only in American political life but also in its imagined political scenarios. This article considers the centrality of Clinton as a model for women's legal and political empowerment in CBS dramaThe Good Wife(2009–16), arguing that the show's generic blend of the television procedural with melodrama and soap is key to both its normative portrayal of women in the corporate workplace and its positioning of Clinton as an aspirational figure for white liberal feminists. A similar tension is also central to Clinton's bid for the presidency in 2016, and this article dissects the ways in which Clinton's anticipated victory has provided a powerful but ultimately misleading “feminist” fantasy for many television shows of the last decade. A final section concludes this article with a brief analysis ofThe Good Wife's 2017 spin-offThe Good Fight, to argue that this show pivots from a fantasy of women's empowerment to a much more interesting dystopic picture, tapping into the surrealism of the present moment to convey the difficulty of women's aspiration under a Trump administration in ways that more directly, if still imperfectly, tackle the failings of liberal feminism to account for racial and economic difference.
Biodiversity governance under the Arctic Council: The role of science, business and NGOs
Authors: Prip Christian
Published: July 2020

Since its inception, the Arctic Council (AC) has focused on biodiversity, under its working group on the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna. By adopting a holistic, cross-sectoral approach to biodiversity governance, the AC has acknowledged that biodiversity is not only a matter for the Council and its governments: also non-state actors must be involved. This article analyses whether and how three essential non-state actors – science, business and NGOs – influence AC processes on Arctic biodiversity, comparing the roles of these actors on biodiversity governance in the wider international context. AC work on biodiversity has remained largely scientific, with fewer political commitments for states and the Council as such: science has had a significant influence, whereas there has been limited space for the involvement of the business sector. NGOs have served mainly as contributors and partners in scientific work, increasingly also assuming policy advocacy roles. This article notes the need for closer political cooperation on biodiversity in the AC, with firmer commitments for states and the AC, inspired by work in other AC focal areas.
The Gloucester Hoard of Roman Bronze
Authors: Coombe Penny , Henig Martin
Published: July 2020

A cache of Roman copper-alloy fragments was discovered, apparently carefully layered in a pit, in a field in Gloucestershire by metal-detectorists in 2017. The assemblage comprises over 5 kg of metal pieces, predominantly box fittings, but also smaller items of personal use such as a fourth-century belt buckle, a three-strand bracelet, a spoon and a coin (a nummus of Crispus). Most remarkable are the sculptural fragments, including several pieces of life-size statuary and the complete statuette of a dog with fine incised decoration, and part of an incised bronze inscription panel. This article considers the original form of the statuary and the use and deposition of the cache. It is proposed that these fragments represent the remains of the accoutrements of a temple or shrine in the local area, perhaps dedicated to Diana Venatrix, and that they were removed and deposited together in the late fourth century. Supplementary material is available online (https://doi.org/10.1017/S0068113X20000501) and comprises additional figures.
Making a settler colonial IR: Imagining the ‘international’ in early Australian International Relations
Authors: Davis Alexander E.
Published: July 2020

Disciplinary histories of International Relations (IR) in Australia have tended to start with the foundation of an IR chair at the Australian National University (ANU) in 1949. In this article, I trace the discipline's institutional history and traditions of thought from the formation of the Round Table in Australia in 1911, led by Lionel Curtis, through the establishment of the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA), and ending with the ANU story. I argue that Australian IR took as its starting assumption the idea of terra nullius (nobody's land), and the subsequent need to settle Australia. As a result, much of the discussion in the early study of ‘IR’ in Australia was framed around ‘domestic’ matters of settlement and colonisation. The focus of Australian IR radiated outwards from regional capitals, particularly to the tropical and desert regions of Australia with large Indigenous populations. At the margins of this were Australia's colonial possessions in the South Pacific. Finally, Australia's IR looked upon East Asia, motivated at least in part by fears of Asian peoples who might also seek to settle Australia. I conclude with a consideration of what Australian IR's historical entanglements with settler colonialism should mean for the discipline today.
Dynamics Modeling of Human–Machine Control Interface for Underwater Teleoperation
Authors: Muscolo Giovanni Gerardo , Marcheschi Simone , Fontana Marco , Bergamasco Massimo
Published: July 2020

This paper presents an experimental study on new paradigms of haptic-based teleoperated navigation of underwater vehicles. Specifically, the work is focused on investigating the possibility of enhancing the user interaction by introducing haptic cues at the level of the user wrist providing a force feedback that reflects dynamic forces on the remotely operated underwater vehicle. Different typologies of haptic controllers are conceived and integrated with a real-time simulated model of an underwater robotic vehicle. An experimental test is designed to evaluate the usability of the system and to provide information on the global performance during the execution of simple tasks. Experiments are conducted with 7 candidates testing 12 different controllers. Among these, the most effective strategies have been identified and selected on the basis of minimization of errors on the vehicle trajectory and of the quality of the user’s interaction in terms of perceived comfort during operation. Overall, the results obtained with this study underline that haptic navigation control can have a positive influence on the performance of remotely controlled underwater vehicles.
Large triangle packings and Tuza’s conjecture in sparse random graphs
Authors: Bennett Patrick , Dudek Andrzej , Zerbib Shira
Published: July 2020

The triangle packing number v(G) of a graph G is the maximum size of a set of edge-disjoint triangles in G. Tuza conjectured that in any graph G there exists a set of at most 2v(G) edges intersecting every triangle in G. We show that Tuza’s conjecture holds in the random graph G = G(n, m), when m ⩽ 0.2403n3/2 or m ⩾ 2.1243n3/2. This is done by analysing a greedy algorithm for finding large triangle packings in random graphs.
It’s (Not) in The Reading: American Government Textbooks’ Limited Representation of Historically Marginalized Groups
Authors: Brandle Shawna M.
Published: July 2020

The Introduction to American Government course, and its textbook, is a nearly universal experience for students in American colleges and universities, but what exactly is being taught in this course? Do the textbooks used in this widely taught course accurately reflect the diversity of populations and experiences in the United States? More specifically, how do textbooks for Introduction to American Government cover historically marginalized groups, if at all? This article builds on previous work by analyzing the representation of individual historically marginalized groups to conduct index search and content analyses on traditionally published and openly licensed (i.e., open educational resources [OER]) textbooks. This study finds that American government textbooks include little coverage of any historically marginalized groups, and that OER textbooks are average in this respect, doing neither better nor worse than their traditionally published counterparts.
Assessment of an adolescent-girl-focused nutritional educational intervention within a girls’ empowerment programme: a cluster randomised evaluation in Zambia
Authors: Hewett Paul C , Willig Amanda L , Digitale Jean , Soler-Hampejsek Erica , Behrman Jere R , Austrian Karen
Published: July 2020

Objective:

Adolescent girls are at risk for both macro- and micronutrient deficiencies affecting growth, maternal and child health. This study assessed the impact of an adolescent-girl-tailored nutritional education curriculum on nutritional outcomes, including knowledge, dietary behaviour, anthropometry and anaemia.

Design:

A cluster-randomised evaluation was conducted with two study arms: girls in mentor-led weekly girls’ groups receiving sexual and reproductive health and life-skills training assigned to an age-appropriate nutritional curriculum and control girls in the weekly girls’ groups without the nutritional education. The primary analysis was intent-to-treat (ITT) generalised least squares regression. Secondary analysis using two-stage, instrumental-variables estimation was also conducted.

Setting:

The intervention and evaluation were conducted in urban and rural areas across four of ten provinces in Zambia.

Participants:

In total, 2660 girl adolescents aged 10–19 years were interviewed in 2013 (baseline) and annually through 2017.

Results:

ITT results indicate that exposure to the nutritional educational programme did not meaningfully change outcomes for adolescents or their children. Intervention adolescents were no more likely to correctly identify healthy foods (P = 0·51) or proper infant-feeding practices (P = 0·92); were no less likely to be stunted (P = 0·30) or underweight (P = 0·87) and no less likely to be anaemic (P = 0·38). Outcomes for children of intervention participants were not improved, including being breastfed (P = 0·42), stunted (P = 0·21), wasted (P = 0·77) or anaemic (P = 0·51).

Conclusions:

Even a high-quality nutritional educational intervention tailored to adolescents within an empowerment programme does not assure improved nutritional outcomes; adolescent preferences, resource control and household dynamics require consideration in the context of nutritional educational programmes.
A multi-function resonator based on an asymmetric tri-post rectangular waveguide section
Authors: Mospan Lyudmila P. , Steshenko Sergiy O.
Published: July 2020

A novel waveguide resonator is proposed in the paper. The resonator is composed of three rectangular partial-height posts inserted along a rectangular waveguide cross-section. A pair of lateral posts is mounted symmetrically whereas the third antipodal post is centered. The resonator enables bandreject, singlet-type, and pseudoelliptic responses. The operating regimes are achieved by a manipulation with the pair of lateral posts, namely by changing their heights or their locations in a waveguide cross-section. A filtering function is realized as the third mode is exploited as the resonant one. Measurement data are presented for WR90 waveguide. An explanation of the resonant phenomena in post-based sections in terms of eigen regimes and interacting oscillations is proposed.
Zielgenaue Besteuerung des absichtlich erhöhten Suchtpotentials von Zigaretten und neuartigen Nikotinprodukten
Authors: Adams Michael , Effertz Tobias
Published: July 2020

Zusammenfassung. Zielsetzung: Interne Dokumente der Tabakindustrie, Zeugenaussagen in Gerichtsprozessen und wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zeigten, dass sich das erhöhte Suchtpotenzial von Zigaretten historisch durch die vorsätzliche Manipulation von Tabak, die spezielle Konstruktion von Zigarettenhüllen und deren Filter erklären lässt. Die Tabakindustrie hat ihr Wissen über die Zigarettenkonstruktion eingesetzt, um die Menge des ins Blut abgegebenen Nikotins genau zu kontrollieren und ausreichend bemessene Nikotinabgaben durch ihre Produkte sicherzustellen, um Sucht zu erzeugen und aufrechtzuerhalten. Neue Befunde zu E-Zigaretten zeigen, dass sich deren jeweiliger Markterfolg unter anderem mit ihrer gelungenen Nachahmung der Pharmakokinetik von Verbrennungszigaretten erklären lässt. In diesem Beitrag stellen wir einen Regulierungsvorschlag durch Lenkungssteuern dar, welcher direkt am pharmakokinetischen Profil des Nikotinproduktes ansetzt. Methodik: Nach einer kurzen Darstellung des Produktdesigns von Zigaretten und des Wissens der Tabakindustrie über die Zusammenhänge zwischen Nikotin, Tabak und Nikotinabhängigkeit leiten wir ein Besteuerungsmodell her, das die Anreize, durch schnellen Nikotinanstieg im Blut ein abhängig machendes Produkt herzustellen nivelliert. Ergebnisse: Jedes Nikotinprodukt, das dazu führt, dass bei einem durchschnittlichen Konsumenten in einem Zeitraum von 10 Minuten nach erster Benutzung einen Nikotingehalt von 5 Nanogramm pro Milliliter Blut übersteigt, unterfällt einer deutlich erhöhten zusätzlichen Besteuerung gemäß ergänztem Tabaksteuergesetz. Schlussfolgerungen: Diese neuartige Ergänzung des Tabaksteuergesetzes setzt unmittelbar an der suchtverstärkenden Wirkung des Nikotinproduktes an und führt durch eine dem erhöhten Suchtpotential entsprechende Besteuerung dazu, dass es wirtschaftlich nicht mehr lohnend ist, besonders süchtig-machende Nikotinprodukte auf den Markt zu bringen.
Erwerbsstatus alkoholabhängiger Personen ein Jahr nach stationärer Behandlung
Authors: Vollmer Heinz C. , Domma Julia
Published: July 2020

Zusammenfassung. Fragestellung: Erhöht sich nach einer stationären Entwöhnungsbehandlung der Anteil Erwerbstätiger und welche Merkmale sind prognostisch relevant? Methode: Retrospektive Feldstudie in der mittels McNemar Test Veränderungen im Erwerbsstatus, mittels Chi Quadrat Test und dreifaktorieller Varianzanalyse Unterschiede zwischen Erwerbstätigen und Arbeitslosen und mittels binärer logistischer Regression Prädiktoren ermittelt wurden. Ergebnisse: Nach einer Entwöhnungsbehandlung der 396 alkoholabhängigen Patienten nahm der Anteil Erwerbstätiger signifikant zu. 89,2 % der zu Behandlungsbeginn Erwerbstätigen (N = 194) blieben erwerbstätig, obwohl sie in der Regel in ihrer Arbeitsfähigkeit stark gefährdet waren. Bei den Arbeitslosen (N = 150), von denen 28 % erwerbstätig wurden, waren sechsmonatige Abstinenz nach Behandlungsende (OR = 3,3) und jüngeres Alter (OR = 2,8) die stärksten Prädiktoren für Erwerbstätigkeit zur Ein-Jahres-Katamnese. Etwa ein Drittel der Patienten waren trotz Alkoholkonsum zur Ein-Jahres-Katamnese erwerbstätig. Jüngere Patienten waren ein Jahr nach Behandlungsende eher erwerbstätig, ältere Patienten eher abstinent. Schlussfolgerungen: Die Ergebnisse bestätigen die Hypothese, dass eine stationäre Entwöhnungsbehandlung sowohl zur Abstinenz als auch zu einer Zunahme Erwerbstätiger führt. Obwohl Abstinenz die wichtigste Voraussetzung für Erwerbstätigkeit ist, wäre zu prüfen, welchen Patienten unter welchen Bedingungen und mit welchen Trinkmustern es gelingt, erwerbstätig zu werden oder zu bleiben.
Improving the Retrieval of Offshore‐Onshore Correlation Functions With Machine Learning
Authors: Viens Loïc , Iwata Tomotaka
Published: July 2020

The retrieval of reliable offshore‐onshore correlation functions is critical to improve our ability to predict long‐period ground motions from megathrust earthquakes. However, localized ambient seismic field sources between offshore and onshore stations can bias correlation functions and generate nonphysical arrivals. We present a two‐step method based on unsupervised learning to improve the quality of correlation functions calculated with the deconvolution technique (e.g., deconvolution functions, DFs). For a DF data set calculated between two stations over a long time period, we first reduce the data set dimensions using the principal component analysis and cluster the features of the low‐dimensional space with a Gaussian mixture model. We then stack the DFs belonging to each cluster together and select the best stacked DF. We apply our technique to DFs calculated every 30 min between an offshore station located on top of the Nankai Trough, Japan, and 78 onshore receivers. Our method removes spurious arrivals and improves the signal‐to‐noise ratio of DFs. Most 30‐min DFs selected by our clustering method are generated during extreme meteorological events such as typhoons. To demonstrate that the DFs obtained with our method contain reliable phases and amplitudes, we use them to simulate the long‐period ground motions from aMw5.8 earthquake, which occurred near the offshore station. Results show that the earthquake long‐period ground motions are accurately simulated. Our method can easily be used as an additional processing step when calculating offshore‐onshore DFs and offers a new way to improve the prediction of long‐period ground motions from potential megathrust earthquakes.
Scalewise Return to Isotropy in Stratified Boundary Layer Flows
Authors: Ayet A. , Katul G. G. , Bragg A. D. , Redelsperger J. L.
Published: July 2020

Anisotropic turbulence is ubiquitous in atmospheric and oceanic boundary layers due to differences in energy injection mechanisms. Unlike mechanical production that injects energy in the streamwise velocity component, buoyancy affects only the vertical velocity component. This anisotropy in energy sources, quantified by the flux Richardson number Rif, is compensated by a “return to isotropy” (RTI) tendency of turbulent flows. Describing RTI in Reynolds‐averaged models and across scales continues to be a challenge in stratified turbulent flows. Using phenomenological models for spectral energy transfers, the necessary conditions for which the widely‐used Rotta model captures RTI across various Rif and eddy sizes are discussed for the first time. This work unravels adjustments to the Rotta constant, with Rif and scale, necessary to obtain consistency between RTI models and the measured properties of the atmospheric surface layer for planar‐homogeneous and stationary flows in the absence of subsidence. A range of Rif and eddy sizes where the usage of a conventional Rotta model is prohibited is also found. Those adjustments lay the groundwork for new closure schemes.
Comparison of hydroxyapatite and fluoride oral care gels for remineralization of initial caries: a pH-cycling study
Authors: Amaechi Bennett T. , AbdulAzees Parveez Ahamed , Okoye Linda O. , Meyer Frederic , Enax Joachim
Published: July 2020

Objective

The present in vitro study investigated if simulated daily use of hydroxyapatite-based gel (15% HAP) remineralizes early caries lesions as effective as weekly use of high fluoride (12,500 ppm) concentration gel, comparing them with artificial saliva alone.

Materials and methods

Three tooth blocks were produced from each of 20 bovine teeth. Caries-like lesion was created on each block by 4-day demineralization in acidified gel. The blocks were randomized into three remineralization groups (20 blocks/group); Hydroxyapatite-based gel (Karex gelée, 15% HAP, fluoride-free), fluoride-based gel (Elmex gelée, 12,500 ppm F−), and artificial saliva (AS). Remineralization was conducted using pH-cycling model for 28 days with storage in AS. The pH cycling model consisted of 2 h demineralization once daily for all groups, and 3 min HAP gel application once daily, 3 min fluoride gel application once weekly, or remain in AS only respectively. Baseline and post-test mineral loss were quantified using microradiography.

Results

Paired t-tests (baseline vs. post-Test) indicated significant (p < 0.0001) remineralization in all groups. When compared against each other using Games-Howell’s multiple comparison test, no significant difference in remineralization was observed between the two gels, but both gels exhibited significantly (p < 0.001) higher percentage mineral gain (HAP:39 ± 7%; fluoride:41 ± 11%) than AS alone (6 ± 2%).

Conclusion

Hydroxyapatite-based gel (15% HAP) was as effective as fluoride-based gel (12,500 ppm F−) in remineralizing initial caries lesion.
An enhanced chemopreventive effect of methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine in combination with 25-hydroxyvitamin D in blocking mammary tumor growth and metastasis
Authors: Mahmood Niaz , Arakelian Ani , Muller William J. , Szyf Moshe , Rabbani Shafaat A.
Published: July 2020

Therapeutic targeting of metastatic breast cancer still remains a challenge as the tumor cells are highly heterogenous and exploit multiple pathways for their growth and metastatic spread that cannot always be targeted by a single-agent monotherapy regimen. Therefore, a rational approach through simultaneous targeting of several pathways may provide a better anti-cancer therapeutic effect. We tested this hypothesis using a combination of two nutraceutical agents S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and Vitamin D (Vit. D) prohormone [25-hydroxyvitamin D; ‘25(OH)D’] that are individually known to exert distinct changes in the expression of genes involved in tumor growth and metastasis. Our results show that both SAM and 25(OH)D monotherapy significantly reduced proliferation and clonogenic survival of a panel of breast cancer cell lines in vitro and inhibited tumor growth, lung metastasis, and breast tumor cell colonization to the skeleton in vivo. However, these effects were significantly more pronounced in the combination setting. RNA-Sequencing revealed that the transcriptomic footprint on key cancer-related signaling pathways is broader in the combination setting than any of the monotherapies. Furthermore, comparison of the differentially expressed genes from our transcriptome analyses with publicly available cancer-related dataset demonstrated that the combination treatment upregulates genes from immune-related pathways that are otherwise downregulated in bone metastasis in vivo. Since SAM and Vit. D are both approved nutraceuticals with known safety profiles, this combination treatment may serve as a novel strategy to reduce breast cancer-associated morbidity and mortality.
Circular RNA circCTNNA1 promotes colorectal cancer progression by sponging miR-149-5p and regulating FOXM1 expression
Authors: Chen Pengju , Yao Yunfeng , Yang Nan , Gong Lifei , Kong Yuanyuan , Wu Aiwen
Published: July 2020

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are an emerging class of non-coding RNAs, identified to participate in multiple malignancies. Nevertheless, the clinical significance, biological function, and regulatory mechanisms of circRNAs in colon cancer (CC) remain largely unclear. In this study, the circRNA expression profile in CC and matched normal tissues was analyzed using circRNA microarrays. A novel circRNA, circCTNNA1, was significantly upregulated in CC, and its level was associated with advanced tumor–node–metastasis stage and poor prognosis of patients with CC. Functional experiments, including Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation, 5‐ethynyl‐2′‐deoxyuridine, transwell, wound healing, flow cytometric analysis, and in vivo tumorigenesis assay were then performed to investigate the oncogenic role of circCTNNA1. The results revealed that circCTNNA1 promoted CC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation, dual-luciferase reporter assays, and fluorescent in situ hybridization were performed to unveil that circCTNNA1 can serve as a competing endogenous RNA of miR-149-5p to counteract the suppressive effect of miR-149-5p on downstream target Forkhead Box M1 (FOXM1). In summary, our study demonstrated that circCTNNA1 facilitated CC proliferation and invasion via the circCTNNA1/miR-149-5p/FOXM1 axis, and it might function as a novel diagnostic or therapeutic target for patients with CC.
Correction: CD95 maintains stem cell-like and non-classical EMT programs in primary human glioblastoma cells
Authors: Drachsler Moritz , Kleber Susanne , Mateos Alvaro , Volk Katrin , Mohr Nadine , Chen Si , Cirovic Branko , Tüttenberg Jochen , Gieffers Christian , Sykora Jaromir , Wirtz Christian , Mueller Wolf , Synowitz Michael , Martin-Villalba Ana
Published: July 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Chelating-agent-assisted control of CsPbBr3 quantum well growth enables stable blue perovskite emitters
Authors: Wang Ya-Kun , Ma Dongxin , Yuan Fanglong , Singh Kamalpreet , Pina Joao M. , Johnston Andrew , Dong Yitong , Zhou Chun , Chen Bin , Sun Bin , Ebe Hinako , Fan James , Sun Meng-Jia , Gao Yuan , Lu Zheng-Hong , Voznyy Oleksandr , Liao Liang-Sheng , Sargent Edward H.
Published: July 2020

Metal halide perovskites have emerged as promising candidates for solution-processed blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs). However, halide phase segregation – and the resultant spectral shift – at LED operating voltages hinders their application. Here we report true-blue LEDs employing quasi-two-dimensional cesium lead bromide with a narrow size distribution of quantum wells, achieved through the incorporation of a chelating additive. Ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy measurements reveal that the chelating agent helps to control the quantum well thickness distribution. Density functional theory calculations show that the chelating molecule destabilizes the lead species on the quantum well surface and that this in turn suppresses the growth of thicker quantum wells. Treatment with γ-aminobutyric acid passivates electronic traps and enables films to withstand 100 °C for 24 h without changes to their emission spectrum. LEDs incorporating γ-aminobutyric acid-treated perovskites exhibit blue emission with Commission Internationale de l'Éclairage coordinates of (0.12, 0.14) at an external quantum efficiency of 6.3%.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Dishonesty is more affected by BMI status than by short-term changes in glucose
Authors: Polizzi di Sorrentino Eugenia , Herrmann Benedikt , Villeval Marie Claire
Published: July 2020

There is evidence that human decision-making is affected by current body energy levels and physiological states. There is less clear evidence linking decision-making to long-term changes in energy, as those associated with obesity. We explore the link between energy, obesity and dishonesty by comparing the behaviour of obese and lean subjects when hungry or sated while playing an anonymous die-under-cup task. Participants performed the task either before or after breakfast. We find that short-term switches in energy have only a mild effect on dishonesty, as only lean females lie less when sated. By contrast, obese subjects lie more than lean subjects in both conditions, and they lie more to avoid the lowest payoff than to get the highest payoff. Our findings suggest that the observed patterns are more likely mediated by factors associated with obesity than by short term energy dynamics, and call for a better integration of the psychological, economic and biological drivers of moral behaviour.
Publisher Correction: Dimensional ensemble and (topological) fracton thermodynamics: the slow route to equilibrium
Authors: Flores J. C.
Published: July 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Publisher Correction: Soil organic matter stoichiometry as indicator for peatland degradation
Authors: Leifeld Jens , Klein Kristy , Wüst-Galley Chloé
Published: July 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Author Correction: ABCG2-overexpressing H460/MX20 cell xenografts in athymic nude mice maintained original biochemical and cytological characteristics
Authors: Zhang Wei , Chen Zhen , Chen Likun , Wang Fang , Li Furong , Wang Xiaokun , Fu Liwu
Published: July 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Using deep learning to predict the hand-foot-and-mouth disease of enterovirus A71 subtype in Beijing from 2011 to 2018
Authors: Wang Yuejiao , Cao Zhidong , Zeng Daniel , Wang Xiaoli , Wang Quanyi
Published: July 2020

Hand-foot-and-month disease (HFMD), especially the enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) subtype, is a major health problem in Beijing, China. Previous studies mainly used regressive models to forecast the prevalence of HFMD, ignoring its intrinsic age groups. This study aims to predict HFMD of EV-A71 subtype in three age groups (0–3, 3–6 and > 6 years old) from 2011 to 2018 using residual-convolutional-recurrent neural network (CNNRNN-Res), convolutional-recurrent neural network (CNNRNN) and recurrent neural network (RNN). They were compared with auto-regressio, global auto-regression and vector auto-regression on both short-term and long-term prediction. Results showed that CNNRNN-Res and RNN had higher accuracies on point forecast tasks, as well as robust performances in long-term prediction. Three deep learning models also had better skills in peak intensity forecast, and CNNRNN-Res achieved the best results in the peak month forecast. We also found that three age groups had consistent outbreak trends and similar patterns of prediction errors. These results highlight the superior performance of deep learning models in HFMD prediction and can assist the decision-makers to refine the HFMD control measures according to age groups.
Transcriptomic and network analyses reveal distinct nitrate responses in light and dark in rice leaves (Oryza sativa Indica var. Panvel1)
Authors: Pathak Ravi Ramesh , Jangam Annie Prasanna , Malik Aakansha , Sharma Narendra , Jaiswal Dinesh Kumar , Raghuram Nandula
Published: July 2020

Nitrate (N) response is modulated by light, but not understood from a genome-wide perspective. Comparative transcriptomic analyses of nitrate response in light-grown and etiolated rice leaves revealed 303 and 249 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) respectively. A majority of them were exclusive to light (270) or dark (216) condition, whereas 33 DEGs were common. The latter may constitute response to N signaling regardless of light. Functional annotation and pathway enrichment analyses of the DEGs showed that nitrate primarily modulates conserved N signaling and metabolism in light, whereas oxidation–reduction processes, pentose-phosphate shunt, starch-, sucrose- and glycerolipid-metabolisms in the dark. Differential N-regulation of these pathways by light could be attributed to the involvement of distinctive sets of transporters, transcription factors, enriched cis-acting motifs in the promoters of DEGs as well as differential modulation of N-responsive transcriptional regulatory networks in light and dark. Sub-clustering of DEGs-associated protein–protein interaction network constructed using experimentally validated interactors revealed that nitrate regulates a molecular complex consisting of nitrite reductase, ferredoxin-NADP reductase and ferredoxin. This complex is associated with flowering time, revealing a meeting point for N-regulation of N-response and N-use efficiency. Together, our results provide novel insights into distinct pathways of N-signaling in light and dark conditions.
Stingless bee honey, a novel source of trehalulose: a biologically active disaccharide with health benefits
Authors: Fletcher Mary T. , Hungerford Natasha L. , Webber Dennis , Carpinelli de Jesus Matheus , Zhang Jiali , Stone Isobella S. J. , Blanchfield Joanne T. , Zawawi Norhasnida
Published: July 2020

Stingless bee (Meliponini) honey has long been considered a high-value functional food, but the perceived therapeutic value has lacked attribution to specific bioactive components. Examination of honey from five different stingless bee species across Neotropical and Indo-Australian regions has enabled for the first time the identification of the unusual disaccharide trehalulose as a major component representing between 13 and 44 g per 100 g of each of these honeys. Trehalulose is an isomer of sucrose with an unusual α-(1 → 1) glucose-fructose glycosidic linkage and known acariogenic and low glycemic index properties. NMR and UPLC-MS/MS analysis unambiguously confirmed the identity of trehalulose isolated from stingless bee honeys sourced across three continents, from Tetragonula carbonaria and Tetragonula hockingsi species in Australia, from Geniotrigona thoracica and Heterotrigona itama in Malaysia and from Tetragonisca angustula in Brazil. The previously unrecognised abundance of trehalulose in stingless bee honeys is concrete evidence that supports some of the reported health attributes of this product. This is the first identification of trehalulose as a major component within a food commodity. This study allows the exploration of the expanded use of stingless bee honey in foods and identifies a bioactive marker for authentication of this honey in associated food standards.
Risk of domperidone induced severe ventricular arrhythmia
Authors: Song Byeong Geun , Lee Yeong Chan , Min Yang Won , Kim Kyunga , Lee Hyuk , Son Hee Jung , Rhee Poong-Lyul
Published: July 2020

There has been controversy over the cardiovascular safety of domperidone, attributable to the lack of a well-designed study as well as inconsistent results. This study aimed to examine the risk of severe domperidone-induced ventricular arrhythmia (VA), compared to mosapride, itopride, or non-use of all three prokinetics, in the general population. We conducted a population-based, self-controlled case series analysis. Enrolled subjects were individuals who were diagnosed with severe VA and were prescribed domperidone, mosapride, or itopride from 2003 to 2013 in the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort. The incidence rate ratio for severe VA was measured during exposure to prokinetics and compared with unexposed periods and itopride (no-proarrhythmic effect)-exposure periods, as control. A total of 2,817 subjects were included. Domperidone, mosapride, or itopride use was associated with increased risk of severe VA, compared with non-use (adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRR) of 1.342 (95% CI 1.096–1.642), 1.350 (95% CI 1.105–1.650), and 1.486 (95% CI 1.196–1.845), respectively). The risk of severe domperidone-induced VA was lower, compared to that of itopride [adjusted IRR of 0.548 (95% CI 0.345–0.870)]. Of the subjects who had been prescribed all three prokinetics, domperidone-exposure was associated with a lower risk of severe VA, compared to itopride-exposure (crude IRR, 0.571; 0.358–0.912). Mosapride-exposure did not show IRR difference for severe VA, compared to itopride-exposure. Domperidone, mosapride, or itopride use is associated with an increased risk of severe VA. However, the magnitude of association was modest and domperidone use does not increase further the risk, compared with other prokinetics.