bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Precise measurement of the fitness effects of spontaneous mutations by droplet digital PCR inBurkholderia cenocepacia
Authors: Rana Anita , Patton David , Turner Nathan T , Dillon Marcus M , Cooper Vaughn S , Sung Way
Published: July 2021

Understanding how mutations affect survivability is a key component to knowing how organisms and complex traits evolve. However, most mutations have a minor effect on fitness and these effects are difficult to resolve using traditional molecular techniques. Therefore, there is a dire need for more accurate and precise fitness measurements methods. Here, we measured the fitness effects in Burkholderia cenocepacia HI2424 mutation accumulation (MA) lines using droplet-digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR). Overall, the fitness measurements from ddPCR-MA are correlated positively with fitness measurements derived from traditional phenotypic marker assays (r = 0.297, P = 0.05), but showed some differences. First, ddPCR had significantly lower measurement variance in fitness (F = 3.78, P < 2.6 × 10−13) in control experiments. Second, the mean fitness from ddPCR-MA measurements were significantly lower than phenotypic marker assays (−0.0041 vs −0.0071, P = 0.006). Consistent with phenotypic marker assays, ddPCR-MA measurements observed multiple (27/43) lineages that significantly deviated from mean fitness, suggesting that a majority of the mutations are neutral or slightly deleterious and intermixed with a few mutations that have extremely large effects. Of these mutations, we found a significant excess of mutations within DNA excinuclease and Lys R transcriptional regulators that have extreme deleterious and beneficial effects, indicating that modifications to transcription and replication may have a strong effect on organismal fitness. This study demonstrates the power of ddPCR as a ubiquitous method for high-throughput fitness measurements in both DNA- and RNA-based organisms regardless of cell type or physiology.
Revisiting N-glycosylation in Halobacterium salinarum: Characterizing a dolichol phosphate- and glycoprotein-bound tetrasaccharide
Authors: Vershinin Zlata , Zaretsky Marianna , Guan Ziqiang , Eichler Jerry
Published: July 2021

Although Halobacterium salinarum provided the first example of N-glycosylation outside the Eukarya, much regarding such post-translational modification in this halophilic archaea remains either unclear or unknown. The composition of an N-linked glycan decorating both the S-layer glycoprotein and archaellins offers one such example. Originally described some 40 years ago, reports from that time on have presented conflicted findings regarding the composition of this glycan, as well as differences between the protein-bound glycan and that version of the glycan attached to the lipid upon which it is assembled. To clarify these points, liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry was employed here to revisit the composition of this glycan both when attached to selected asparagine residues of target proteins and when bound to the lipid dolichol phosphate upon which the glycan is assembled. Such efforts revealed the N-linked glycan as corresponding to a tetrasaccharide comprising a hexose, a sulfated hexuronic acid, a hexuronic acid and a second sulfated hexuronic acid. When attached to dolichol phosphate but not to proteins, the same tetrasaccharide is methylated on the final sugar. Moreover, in the absence of the oligosaccharyltransferase AglB, there is an accumulation of the dolichol phosphate-linked methylated and disulfated tetrasaccharide. Knowing the composition of this glycan at both the lipid- and protein-bound stages, together with the availability of gene deletion approaches for manipulating Hbt. salinarum, will allow delineation of the N-glycosylation pathway in this organism.
Health and politics in pandemic times: COVID-19 responses in Ethiopia
Authors: Østebø Marit Tolo , Østebø Terje , Tronvoll Kjetil
Published: July 2021

With a focus on responses to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Ethiopia and on political developments that have occurred in the country during the pandemic, this article contributes to the existing scholarship that explores the relationship between health and politics. Drawing on qualitative data from the project ‘COVID-19 Impact Tracing in Ethiopia: Social, Economic, Political, and Security Ramifications’, carried out in the Tigray, Amhara and Oromia Regional States (RS) from June to September 2020, we offer new empirical and theoretical perspectives that shed light on the political status of health and health policies in Ethiopia and beyond. In all the three regions, COVID-19 and the government’s pandemic response was subject to politicization and securitization. The degree of securitization and politicization differed between the regions and fluctuated over time; in areas with strong opposition to political authorities, the COVID-19 mitigating efforts were—during the first phase of the pandemic—more politicized and securitized than in areas with less opposition. Yet, as the political opposition and instability increased, threatening national security and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s political project, the authorities and the public paid increasingly less attention to the pandemic and the mitigating policies. In our analysis of these dynamics, we draw on a classic distinction that scholars of global public health have borrowed from political science: that of ‘low’ and ‘high’ politics. We argue that a contextually situated use of the high/low distinction allows us to recognize the fleeting and context-dependent nature of health’s political status, providing valuable insights that help us understand the ways that health emerges and disappears as high politics. The temporal and inter-regional shifts that appeared in, and as a response to, Ethiopia’s pandemic policies illustrate the importance of a continuous analysis of the relationships between health and politics at national as well as at sub-national levels.
Admixture mapping analysis reveals differential genetic ancestry associated with Chagas disease susceptibility in the Colombian population
Authors: Casares-Marfil Desiré , Guillen-Guio Beatriz , Lorenzo-Salazar Jose M , Rodríguez-Pérez Héctor , Kerick Martin , Jaimes-Campos Mayra A , Díaz Martha L , Estupiñán Elkyn , Echeverría Luis E , González Clara I , Martín Javier , Flores Carlos , Acosta-Herrera Marialbert
Published: July 2021

Chagas disease is an infection caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, endemic in Latino America. Leveraging the three-way admixture between Native American (AMR), European (EUR) and African (AFR) populations in Latin Americans, we aimed to better understand the genetic basis of Chagas disease by performing an admixture mapping study in a Colombian population. A two-stage study was conducted, and subjects were classified as seropositive and seronegative for T. cruzi. In stage 1, global and local ancestries were estimated using reference data from the 1000 Genomes Project (1KGP), and local ancestry associations were performed by logistic regression models. The AMR ancestry showed a protective association with Chagas disease within the major histocompatibility complex region [Odds ratio (OR) = 0.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.66–0.83, lowest P-value = 4.53 × 10−8]. The fine mapping assessment on imputed genotypes combining data from stage 1 and 2 from an independent Colombian cohort, revealed nominally associated variants in high linkage disequilibrium with the top signal (rs2032134, OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.90–0.97, P-value = 3.54 × 10−4) in the previously associated locus. To assess ancestry-specific adaptive signals, a selective sweep scan in an AMR reference population from 1KGP together with an in silico functional analysis highlighted the Tripartite Motif family and the human leukocyte antigen genes, with crucial role in the immune response against pathogens. Furthermore, these analyses emphasized the macrophages, neutrophils and eosinophils, as key players in the defense against T. cruzi. This first admixture mapping study in Chagas disease provided novel insights underlying the host immune response in the pathogenesis of this neglected disease.
The Philosophy of Outliers: Reintegrating Rare Events Into Biological Science
Authors: Cook Chelsea N , Freeman Angela R , Liao James C , Mangiamele Lisa A
Published: July 2021

Synopsis

Individual variation in morphology, physiology, and behavior has been a topic of great interest in the biological sciences. While scientists realize the importance of understanding diversity in individual phenotypes, historically the “minority” results (i.e., outlier observations or rare events) of any given experiment have been dismissed from further analysis. We need to reframe how we view “outliers” to improve our understanding of biology. These rare events are often treated as problematic or spurious, when they can be real rare events or individuals driving evolution in a population. It is our perspective that to understand what outliers can tell us in our data, we need to: (1) Change how we think about our data philosophically, (2) Fund novel collaborations using science “weavers” in our national funding agencies, and (3) Bridge long-term field and lab studies to reveal these outliers in action. By doing so, we will improve our understanding of variation and evolution. We propose that this shift in culture towards more integrative science will incorporate diverse teams, citizen scientists and local naturalists, and change how we teach future students.
Quasi-Local Penrose Inequalities with Electric Charge
Authors: Chen Po-Ning , McCormick Stephen
Published: July 2021

The Riemannian Penrose inequality is a remarkable geometric inequality between the ADM mass of an asymptotically flat manifold with nonnegative scalar curvature and the area of its outermost minimal surface. A version of the Riemannian Penrose inequality has also been established for the Einstein–Maxwell equations where the lower bound on mass depends also on electric charge, a charged Riemannian Penrose inequality. Here, we establish some quasi-local charged Penrose inequalities for surfaces isometric to closed surfaces in a suitable Reissner–Nordström manifold, which serves as a reference manifold for the quasi-local mass. In the case where the reference manifold has zero mass and nonzero electric charge, the lower bound on quasi-local mass is exactly the lower bound on the ADM mass given by the charged Penrose inequality.
Human Cytomegalovirus and Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Disease in United Kingdom Biobank
Authors: Hamilton Elizabeth M , Allen Naomi E , Mentzer Alexander J , Littlejohns Thomas J
Published: July 2021

Background

Previous studies have yielded conflicting results on the association between human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study examined associations between HCMV and incident CVD, ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke.

Methods

This study included 8531 women and men of predominantly white ethnic background, aged 40–69 without prevalent CVD from the population-based UK Biobank study, recruited between 2006–2010 with HCMV antibody levels measured. CVD was ascertained via linkage to health administrative records collected until 2020. Multivariate Cox proportional-hazards models were used to determine associations between HCMV seropositivity and incident CVD, IHD and stroke. HCMV seropositive antibody levels in tertiles were used to assess dose-response associations.

Results

Over a mean follow-up period of 10.2 years, HCMV seropositivity was not significantly associated with CVD (Cases = 626, Hazard Ratio [HR] =1.01, 95% confidence interval [CI], .86–1.20), IHD (Cases = 539, HR=1.03, 95% CI, .87–1.24) or stroke (Cases = 144, HR = 0.96, 95% CI, .68–1.36). There was no evidence of dose-response associations with any outcome.

Conclusions

We found no significant association between HCMV seropositivity and risk of CVD, IHD or stroke. Further research within understudied populations, such as those of non-white ethnicity, and CVD subtypes is warranted.
Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing for Diagnosis of Pediatric Meningitis and Encephalitis: A Review
Authors: Graff Kelly , Dominguez Samuel R , Messacar Kevin
Published: July 2021

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing is a novel diagnostic test with the potential to revolutionize the diagnosis of pediatric meningitis and encephalitis through unbiased detection of bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi in cerebrospinal fluid. Current literature is mostly observational with variable indications, populations, and timing of testing with resulting variability in diagnostic yield and clinical impact. Diagnostic stewardship strategies are needed to direct testing toward high-impact pediatric populations, to optimize timing of testing, to ensure appropriate interpretation of results, and to guide prompt optimization of antimicrobials. This review highlights the high clinical potential of this test, though future studies are needed to gather clinical impact and cost-effectiveness data for specific indications in pediatric populations.
Clostridioides difficile Infection in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Clinician’s Dilemma
Authors: Conrad Máire A , Kelsen Judith R
Published: July 2021

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can present and manifest differently from the general population with CDI, and it can worsen the underlying disease course. Furthermore, current clinical assays used to test for CDI do not accurately distinguish between true CDI or colonization. This uncertainty leads to difficulty in identifying the etiology and therapy for symptomatic patients with IBD. Improved diagnostic tests, biomarkers, and safe and effective treatment options are greatly needed for this vulnerable population.
Mast cell degranulation and vascular endothelial growth factor expression in mouse skin following ionizing irradiation
Authors: Lee Chang Geol , Moon Sun Rock , Cho Mee Yon , Park Kyung Ran
Published: July 2021

The present study aimed to identify the mechanisms underlying the increase in vascular permeability in mouse skin following irradiation. The left ears of C3H mice were subjected to 2 and 15 Gy of radiation in a single exposure. At 24 h after irradiation, the ears were excised and tissue sections were stained with toluidine blue to assess mast cell degranulation. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression was assessed via immunohistochemistry and western blotting. Approximately 5% (3%–14%) (mean [95% CI]) of mast cells in the skin of control mice were degranulated; moreover, at 24 h after 2 Gy irradiation, this value increased to approximately 20% (17%–28%). Mast cell degranulation by 15 Gy irradiation (32% [24%–40%]) was greater than that by 2 Gy irradiation. Significant differences were observed in mast cell degranulation among the control, 2 Gy and 15 Gy groups (p = 0.012). Furthermore, VEGF-positive reactions were observed in the cytoplasm of scattered fibroblasts in the dermis. In immunohistochemistry tests, VEGF expression at 24 h after irradiation increased slightly in the 2 Gy group compared to that in the control group, whereas no difference in VEGF expression was observed in the 15 Gy group compared to that in the control group. Expression of VEGF in western blots was consistent with that in immunohistochemistry.

In conclusion, mast cell degranulation was increased in mouse skin at 24 h after irradiation in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, VEGF expression was slightly increased following only low-dose (2 Gy) irradiation.
Mail Communications and Survey Response: A Test of Social Exchange Versus Pre-Suasion Theory for Improving Response Rates and Data Quality
Authors: Greenberg Pierce , Dillman Don
Published: July 2021

Mail communications remain a prominent aspect of survey research, especially due to the increasing adoption of web-push surveys throughout the world. However, there is a lack of research on the effectiveness of comprehensive communication strategies for increasing response rates. This paper tests the influence of two communication theories—social exchange theory and pre-suasion theory—on response rates in a survey of residents of southern West Virginia. Social exchange theory has long been used as a strategy for encouraging response, but the theory of pre-suasion offers a new approach of tailoring and sequencing written and visual communications. We operationalized pre-suasion and social exchange communications techniques in the cover letter and questionnaire, then conducted a 2-by-2 experimental design to identify differences in response and data quality. The results show significant differences in response based on the communications in the letter, but no differences based on the questionnaire. The versions with social exchange letters received a response rate 5.5 percent higher than pre-suasion letters. Further, communication differences had no statistically significant effect on measures of data quality. These findings suggest future avenues for research on broad communication strategies in mail survey materials.
Inoculation of barley withTrichoderma harzianumT-22 modifies lipids and metabolites to improve salt tolerance
Authors: Gupta Sneha , Smith Penelope M C , Boughton Berin A , Rupasinghe Thusitha W T , Natera Siria H A , Roessner Ute
Published: July 2021

Soil salinity has a serious impact on plant growth and agricultural yield. Inoculation of crop plants with fungal endophytes is a cost-effective way to improve salt tolerance. We used metabolomics to study how Trichoderma harzianum T-22 alleviates NaCl-induced stress in two barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivars, Gairdner and Vlamingh, with contrasting salinity tolerance. GC-MS was used to analyse polar metabolites and LC-MS to analyse lipids in roots during the early stages of interaction with Trichoderma. Inoculation reversed the severe effects of salt on root length in sensitive cv. Gairdner and, to a lesser extent, improved root growth in more tolerance cv. Vlamingh. Biochemical changes showed a similar pattern in inoculated roots after salt treatment. Sugars increased in both cultivars, with ribulose, ribose, and rhamnose specifically increased by inoculation. Salt stress caused large changes in lipids in roots but inoculation with fungus greatly reduced the extent of these changes. Many of the metabolic changes in inoculated cv. Gairdner after salt treatment mirror the response of uninoculated cv. Vlamingh, but there are some metabolites that changed in both cultivars only after fungal inoculation. Further study is required to determine how these metabolic changes are induced by fungal inoculation.
Catch-22 in specialized metabolism: balancing defense and growth
Authors: Panda Sayantan , Kazachkova Yana , Aharoni Asaph
Published: July 2021

Plants are unsurpassed biochemists that synthesize a plethora of molecules in response to an ever-changing environment. The majority of these molecules, considered as specialized metabolites, effectively protect the plant against pathogens and herbivores. However, this defense most probably comes at a great expense, leading to reduction of growth (known as the ‘growth–defense trade-off’). Plants employ several strategies to reduce the high metabolic costs associated with chemical defense. Production of specialized metabolites is tightly regulated by a network of transcription factors facilitating its fine-tuning in time and space. Multifunctionality of specialized metabolites—their effective recycling system by re-using carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur, thus re-introducing them back to the primary metabolite pool—allows further cost reduction. Spatial separation of biosynthetic enzymes and their substrates, and sequestration of potentially toxic substances and conversion to less toxic metabolite forms are the plant’s solutions to avoid the detrimental effects of metabolites they produce as well as to reduce production costs. Constant fitness pressure from herbivores, pathogens, and abiotic stressors leads to honing of specialized metabolite biosynthesis reactions to be timely, efficient, and metabolically cost-effective. In this review, we assess the costs of production of specialized metabolites for chemical defense and the different plant mechanisms to reduce the cost of such metabolic activity in terms of self-toxicity and growth.
XMP gas-rich dwarfs in nearby voids: results of BTA spectroscopy
Authors: Pustilnik S A , Egorova E S , Kniazev A Y , Perepelitsyna Y A , Tepliakova A L , Burenkov A N , Oparin D V
Published: July 2021

We present the second part of results of the ongoing project aimed at searching for and studying eXtremely Metal-Poor (XMP) – adopted as those with Zgas ≲ Z⊙/30, or with 12+log (O/H) ≲ 7.21 dex − very gas-rich blue dwarfs in voids. They were first identified in the course of the ‘unbiased’ study of the galaxy population in the nearby Lynx–Cancer void. These very rare and unusual galaxies seem to be the best proxies of so-called Very Young Galaxies (VYGs) defined recently in model simulations by Tweed et al. To date, for 16 pre-selected void XMP candidates, using the Big Telescope Alt-azimuth (BTA), the SAO 6-m telescope, we have obtained spectra suitable for the determination of O/H. For majority of the observed galaxies, the principal line [O iii] λ4363 , used for the direct classical Te method of O/H determination, is undetected. Therefore, to estimate O/H, we use a new ‘strong-lines’ method by Izotov et al. This appears to be the most accurate empirical O/H estimator for the range of 12+log (O/H) ≲ 7.4–7.5. For objects with higher O/H, we use the semi-empirical method by Izotov & Thuan with our modification accounting for variance of the excitation parameter O32. Six of those 16 candidates are found, with confidence, to be XMP dwarfs. In addition, eight studied galaxies are less metal-poor, with 12+log (O/H) = 7.24–7.33, and these can also fall into the category of VYG candidates. Taking into account our recently published work and the previously known (nine prototype galaxies) XMP gas-rich void objects, the new findings increase the number of this type of galaxy known to date to a total of 19.
The transition of polarized dust thermal emission from the protostellar envelope to the disc scale
Authors: Lam Ka Ho , Chen Che-Yu , Li Zhi-Yun , Yang Haifeng , Cox Erin G , Looney Leslie W , Stephens Ian
Published: July 2021

Polarized dust continuum emission has been observed with Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in an increasing number of deeply embedded protostellar systems. It generally shows a sharp transition going from the protostellar envelope to the disc scale, with the polarization fraction typically dropping from ${\sim } 5{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ to ${\sim } 1{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ and the inferred magnetic field orientations becoming more aligned with the major axis of the system. We quantitatively investigate these observational trends using a sample of protostars in the Perseus molecular cloud and compare these features with a non-ideal magnetohydrodynamic disc formation simulation. We find that the gas density increases faster than the magnetic field strength in the transition from the envelope to the disc scale, which makes it more difficult to magnetically align the grains on the disc scale. Specifically, to produce the observed ${\sim } 1{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ polarization at ${\sim } 100\, \mathrm{au}$ scale via grains aligned with the B-field, even relatively small grains of $1\, \mathrm{\mu m}$ in size need to have their magnetic susceptibilities significantly enhanced (by a factor of ∼20) over the standard value, potentially through superparamagnetic inclusions. This requirement is more stringent for larger grains, with the enhancement factor increasing linearly with the grain size, reaching ∼2 × 104 for millimetre-sized grains. Even if the required enhancement can be achieved, the resulting inferred magnetic field orientation in the simulation does not show a preference for the major axis, which is inconsistent with the observed pattern. We thus conclude that the observed trends are best described by the model where the polarization on the envelope scale is dominated by magnetically aligned grains and that on the disc scale by scattering.
AGN jets and winds in polarized light: the case of Mrk 231
Authors: Silpa S , Kharb P , O’Dea C P , Baum S A , Sebastian B , Mukherjee D , Harrison C M
Published: July 2021

We present the results of a multifrequency, multiscale radio polarimetric study with the Very Large Array (VLA) of the Seyfert 1 galaxy and BALQSO, Mrk 231. We detect complex total and polarized intensity features in the source. Overall, the images indicate the presence of a broad, one-sided, curved outflow towards the south which consists of a weakly collimated jet with poloidal inferred magnetic fields, inside a broader magnetized ‘wind’ or ‘sheath’ component with toroidal inferred magnetic fields. The model of a kpc-scale weakly collimated jet/lobe in Mrk 231 is strengthened by its C-shaped morphology, steep spectral index throughout, complexities in the magnetic field structures, and the presence of self-similar structures observed on the 10-parsec-scale in the literature. The ‘wind’ may comprise both nuclear starburst (close to the core) and active galactic nuclei winds, where the latter maybe the primary contributor. Moving away from the core, the ‘wind’ component may also comprise the outer layers (or ‘sheath’) of a broadened jet. The inferred value of the (weakly collimated) jet production efficiency, ηjet ∼ 0.01, is consistent with the estimates in the literature. The composite jet and wind outflow in Mrk 231 appears to be low-power and matter-dominated, and oriented at a small angle to our line of sight.
Physical characterization of the active asteroid (6478) Gault
Authors: Carbognani Albino , Buzzoni Alberto , Stirpe Giovanna
Published: July 2021

We report dense light-curve photometry, BVRc colours and phase–mag curve of (6478) Gault, an active asteroid with sporadic comet-like ejection of dust. We collected optical observations along the 2020 July–November months during which the asteroid appear always star-like, without any form of perceptible activity. We found complex light curves, with low amplitude around opposition and a bit higher amplitude far opposition, with a mean best rotation period of 2.46±0.02 h. Shape changes were observed in the phased light curves after opposition, a probable indication of concavities and surface irregularities. We suspect the existence of an Amplitude–Phase Relationship in C band. The mean colours are B − V = +0.84±0.04, V − Rc = +0.43±0.03, and B − Rc = +1.27±0.02, compatible with an S-type asteroid, but variables with the rotational phase index of a non-homogeneous surface composition. From our phase–mag curve and Shevchenko’s empirical photometric system, the geometric albedo result pV = 0.13±0.04, lower than the average value of the S-class. We estimate an absolute mag in V band of about  + 14.9 and this, together with the albedo value, allows us to estimate a diameter of about 3–4 km, so Gault may be smaller than previously thought.
Thermal state of the intergalactic medium near to the optical limit for the Ly α forest
Authors: Ondro Tomáš , Gális Rudolf
Published: July 2021

In this article, the temperature–density relation of the intergalactic medium was studied in the region 1.6 ≤ z < 2.0 divided into two bins. For this purpose, the Ly α forest decomposition into individual absorption profiles was used for the study of 35 publicly available quasar spectra obtained by the Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) on the Very Large Telescope (ESO) and by the High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES) on the Keck Telescope. For the determination of the thermal state sensitive cut-off position in the $b - N_{\rm{H}\, \small {I}}$ distribution, the iterative fitting procedure was adopted. The measurements were calibrated using mock Ly α forest data generated by 23 hydrodynamical simulations with different thermal histories. The value of the temperature at mean density corresponds to the decreasing trend predicted by various models at the lower redshifts. In the case of power-law index, determined values are close to 1.6, which is expected after all reionization events in various models assuming the balance of photoheating with adiabatic cooling.
Unveiling the nature of clusters in the Cygnus region. I. The embedded cluster DB2001–22
Authors: Molina Lera J A , Gamen R , Cichowolski S , Baume G , Cárdenas S B
Published: July 2021

The Cygnus region harbours a vast diversity of rich stellar complexes. Hence, it is ideal for studying recently formed stellar clusters, and investigate how the feedback effect and radiation emitted by its massive stars modifies the interstellar medium giving place to induced star forming processes. This is the case of the small and poorly studied cluster DB2001-22. We focus our attention at analysing the cluster and its encompassing region, to distinguish different stellar populations and study their relationship with the surrounding environment. We gleaned literature and data bases for optical and IR photometry, astrometry provided by Gaia eDR3 and spectroscopy, and obtained new infrared Gemini spectra of three young stellar objects candidates (cYSOs). Furthermore, we detected two new massive stars: O7 V and B3 V, in the LAMOST data base, pointing out that DB2001–22 belongs to a much larger complex that involves an entire bubble structure and houses a richer massive population at a distance of 3.0 kpc. In this sense, DB2001–22 and the H ii region G82.6+0.4 are clearly related. Some observed gas and dust structures seem to have been sculpted by these massive stars. Infrared emission is compatible with a hot ionized gas mixed with warm dust surrounded by a structured photo-dissociation region (PDR) scenario. We found nine Class I and 56 Class II cYSOs, whose distribution along the PDR and the tips of pillar structures suggests that their formation may have been induced by the action of the earliest stars in the cluster on to their environment.
RGB photometric calibration of 15 million Gaia stars
Authors: Cardiel Nicolás , Zamorano Jaime , Carrasco Josep Manel , Masana Eduard , Bará Salvador , González Rafael , Izquierdo Jaime , Pascual Sergio , Sánchez de Miguel Alejandro
Published: July 2021

Although a catalogue of synthetic RGB magnitudes, providing photometric data for a sample of 1346 bright stars, has been recently published, its usefulness is still limited due to the small number of reference stars available, considering that they are distributed throughout the whole celestial sphere, and the fact that they are restricted to Johnson V < 6.6 mag. This work presents synthetic RGB magnitudes for ∼15 million stars brighter than Gaia G = 18 mag, making use of a calibration between the RGB magnitudes of the reference bright star sample and the corresponding high-quality photometric G, GBP, and GRP magnitudes provided by the Gaia EDR3. The calibration has been restricted to stars exhibiting −0.5 < GBP − GRP < 2.0 mag, and aims to predict RGB magnitudes within an error interval of ±0.1 mag. Since the reference bright star sample is dominated by nearby stars with slightly undersolar metallicity, systematic variations in the predictions are expected, as modelled with the help of stellar atmosphere models. These deviations are constrained to the ±0.1-mag interval when applying the calibration only to stars scarcely affected by interstellar extinction and with metallicity compatible with the median value for the bright star sample. The large number of Gaia sources available in each region of the sky should guarantee high-quality RGB photometric calibrations.
VarSAn: associating pathways with a set of genomic variants using network analysis
Authors: Xie Xiaoman , Kendzior Matthew C , Ge Xiyu , Mainzer Liudmila S , Sinha Saurabh
Published: July 2021

There is a pressing need today to mechanistically interpret sets of genomic variants associated with diseases. Here we present a tool called ‘VarSAn’ that uses a network analysis algorithm to identify pathways relevant to a given set of variants. VarSAn analyzes a configurable network whose nodes represent variants, genes and pathways, using a Random Walk with Restarts algorithm to rank pathways for relevance to the given variants, and reports P-values for pathway relevance. It treats non-coding and coding variants differently, properly accounts for the number of pathways impacted by each variant and identifies relevant pathways even if many variants do not directly impact genes of the pathway. We use VarSAn to identify pathways relevant to variants related to cancer and several other diseases, as well as drug response variation. We find VarSAn's pathway ranking to be complementary to the standard approach of enrichment tests on genes related to the query set. We adopt a novel benchmarking strategy to quantify its advantage over this baseline approach. Finally, we use VarSAn to discover key pathways, including the VEGFA-VEGFR2 pathway, related to de novo variants in patients of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, a rare and severe congenital heart defect.
DRAMP 3.0: an enhanced comprehensive data repository of antimicrobial peptides
Authors: Shi Guobang , Kang Xinyue , Dong Fanyi , Liu Yanchao , Zhu Ning , Hu Yuxuan , Xu Hanmei , Lao Xingzhen , Zheng Heng
Published: July 2021

Stapled antimicrobial peptides are an emerging class of artificial cyclic peptide molecules which have antimicrobial activity and potent structure stability. We previously published the Data Repository of Antimicrobial Peptides (DRAMP) as a manually annotated and open-access database of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). In the update of version 3.0, special emphasis was placed on the new development of stapled AMPs, and a subclass of specific AMPs was added to store information on these special chemically modified AMPs. To help design low toxicity AMPs, we also added the cytotoxicity property of AMPs, as well as the expansion of newly discovered AMP data. At present, DRAMP has been expanded and contains 22259 entries (2360 newly added), consisting of 5891 general entries, 16110 patent entries, 77 clinical entries and 181 stapled AMPs. A total of 263 entries have predicted structures, and more than 300 general entries have links to experimentally determined structures in the Protein Data Bank. The update also covers new annotations, statistics, categories, functions and download links. DRAMP is available online at http://dramp.cpu-bioinfor.org/.
Postoperative Oral Antibiotics and Sinonasal Outcomes Following Endoscopic Transsphenoidal Surgery for Pituitary Tumors Study: A Multicenter, Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Study
Authors: Little Andrew S , Kshettry Varun R , Rosen Marc R , Rehl Ryan M , Haegen Timothy W , Rabinowitz Mindy R , Nyquist Gurston G , Recinos Pablo F , Sindwani Raj , Woodard Troy D , Farrell Christopher J , Santarelli Griffin D , Milligan John , Evans James J
Published: July 2021

BACKGROUND

Postoperative prophylactic antibiotics are commonly used in pituitary surgery, but evidence supporting their use is lacking, which has implications for antibiotic stewardship.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether receipt of postoperative oral antibiotics results in superior sinonasal quality of life (QOL) compared with placebo among patients who undergo endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal pituitary surgery.

METHODS

Patients were randomized to receive either oral placebo or cefdinir (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole in patients intolerant to cefdinir) for 7 d after surgery. They were monitored for 12 wk. The primary outcome measure was sinonasal QOL at 2 wk on the Anterior Skull Base Nasal Inventory-12. Supplementary end points included sinonasal QOL reported on the Sinonasal Outcome Test-22 and objective endoscopy scores to assess nasal healing according to the Lund-Kennedy method.

RESULTS

A total of 461 patients were screened, 131 were randomized, and 113 (placebo arm: 55; antibiotic arm: 58) were analyzed. There was no clinically meaningful or statistically significant difference in sinonasal QOL at any measured time point (P ≥ .24) using either instrument. Nasal cavity endoscopy scores were not significantly different at 1 to 2 wk after surgery (P = .25) or at 3 to 4 wk after surgery (P = .08).

CONCLUSION

Postoperative prophylactic oral antibiotics did not result in superior sinonasal QOL compared with placebo among patients who underwent standard endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery.
Vaping Disparities at the Intersection of Gender Identity and Race/Ethnicity in a Population-Based Sample of Adolescents
Authors: Felner Jennifer K , Andrzejewski Jack , Strong David , Kieu Talia , Ravindran Madhumitha , Corliss Heather L
Published: July 2021

Background

Transgender adolescents use vape products (eg, e-cigarettes) at higher rates than cisgender adolescents. Little is known about how these disparities differ from the intersectional perspective of both gender identity and race/ethnicity.

Methods

We examined disparities in past 30-day vaping frequency at the intersection of gender identity and race/ethnicity among adolescents participating in two pooled waves of the population-based California Healthy Kids Survey (N = 953 445; 2017–2019). Generalized linear mixed models included gender identity-by-race/ethnicity interactions and adjusted for potential confounders. Stratified models quantified relationships between gender identity and vaping within race/ethnicity strata and between race/ethnicity and vaping within gender identity strata.

Results

Transgender adolescents of color were more likely to report a higher frequency of vaping than cisgender white adolescents. In models stratified by race/ethnicity, transgender adolescents evidenced greater odds of more frequent vaping than cisgender adolescents of the same race/ethnicity; disparities were greatest between transgender and cisgender Black adolescents (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 6.05, 95% CI: 4.76–7.68) and smallest between transgender and cisgender white adolescents (AOR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.06–1.35). In models stratified by gender identity, disparities were greatest between transgender Black and transgender white adolescents (AOR: 2.85, 95% CI: 2.20–3.70) and smallest between transgender multiracial and transgender white adolescents (AOR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.05–1.58). Similar, though less consistent, patterns emerged for adolescents of color unsure of their gender identity relative to cisgender white adolescents.

Conclusion

Transgender adolescents of color may be especially vulnerable to vaping disparities. Future research should identify and intervene on causal mechanisms undergirding disparities.

Implications

Research finds that transgender adolescents use vape products at higher rates than their cisgender peers, however, little is known about how patterns of adolescent vaping may differ by both gender identity and race/ethnicity, information needed to inform culturally tailored prevention and control initiatives to decrease adolescent vaping disparities. Our analysis of data from a population-based adolescent health survey finds evidence of magnified disparities in vaping frequency among transgender adolescents of color.
Therapeutic supplementation with zinc in the management of COVID-19–related diarrhea and ageusia/dysgeusia: mechanisms and clues for a personalized dosage regimen
Authors: Santos Heitor O
Published: July 2021

Zinc supplementation is indicated for diarrhea and taste disorders, which are both features of COVID-19 . Nevertheless, this strategy has not been tested for the treatment of these secondary complications in the current pandemic. Through an updated review, a practical appraisal was considered as a means of providing a medical nexus of therapeutic zinc regimens as an adjunct in the management of COVID-19–related diarrhea and ageusia/dysgeusia. While diarrhea and taste disorders are consequences of COVID-19, zinc supplementation is useful for non–COVID-19 patients with these clinical problems. The overwhelming evidence for supplementing with zinc in diarrhea and pneumonia is associated with the treatment of children, while for taste disorders the use of supplementing with zinc is more examined in adults. Whereas COVID-19 is more prevalent in adults, precautions should be exercised not to translate the zinc dosage used for children with diarrhea and taste disorders into the current pandemic. Therapeutic doses of zinc used for adults (∼50–150 mg/day of elemental zinc) could be included in the treatment strategies for COVID-19, but this proposal should be examined through randomized studies.
Beethoven's String Quartet in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131
Authors: November Nancy
Published: July 2021

Beethoven’s String Quartet in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131 (1826) is firmly a part of the modern-day canon, and also makes its presence felt in popular culture, notably in film. Yet in recent times, the terms in which the work is discussed and presented tend to undermine the work’s power. Although it is held up as a masterpiece, Op. 131 has often been understood in monochrome terms, as a work portraying tragedy, struggle, loss, and lack. This book takes the modern-day listener well beyond these categories of adversity or deficit. It goes back to early reception documents, including Beethoven’s own writings about the work, to help the listener reinterpret the work and re-hear it. Analyses are geared toward allowing the reader to access earlier modes of listening and interpretation, those of listeners who celebrated the work precisely for its plenitude, its richness of invention or fantasy (in Beethoven’s own words). As connoisseur listeners of Beethoven’s day implied, Op. 131 is filled with diverse musical ideas (just like a fantasia), and with a new kind of string quartet writing that is calculated to promote sustained, engaged listening. Placing this work in the context of an emerging ideology of silent or “serious” listening in Beethoven’s Europe, the book considers how this particular “late” quartet could speak with special eloquence to a highly select but passionately enthusiastic audience. It also examines how and why the reception of Op. 131 has changed so profoundly from Beethoven’s time to our own.
Popular and Early Reception
Authors: November Nancy
Published: July 2021

Chapter 2 takes in two popular contemporary reception documents—a film and a TV drama—which reinforce themes found in the reception of the work from Wagner onwards: lack, loss, and tragedy. The typical conflation of biography and work in the reception of late Beethoven is nicely exemplified by the 2012 film A Late Quartet. Sequences from the film help one to understand this work as a portrayal of struggle brought on by lack—of health, of power, of ability to express passion and love, and of time. The later reception, especially the popular later reception, contrasts sharply with the early reception of Op. 131, which underscores fantasy, fecundity, and plenitude.
“A new kind of part writing”
Authors: November Nancy
Published: July 2021

Chapters 3 and 4 focus on Beethoven’s two statements that the work shows “a new kind of part writing” and “not less fantasy” than his previous works. The chapters explore, respectively, what each of these statements might have meant in terms of Beethoven’s compositional perspective, and in terms of performance and reception in his day. His comment on a “new kind of part-writing” is especially noteworthy, given that Op. 131 was his penultimate quartet. In light of the considerable experimentation in the middle-period quartets, one might have thought that by the 1820s Beethoven would have exhausted most possibilities for innovating in string quartet part-writing. To further explore what Beethoven meant, I go back to sketches and notes relating to the middle-period quartets, in particular his new idea of composing and hearing all four parts at once, which he noted down in a sketchbook around the time he was composing Op. 74. How does this new idea about the compositional process relate to the late quartets and Op. 131 in particular? I consider evidence from the sketches for Op. 131 as well as the early reception of the finished product. Adolph Bernhard Marx, for example, draws attention to the late quartets’ “Bachian counterpoint.” I focus in particular on the variations of the fourth movement. My analyses draw attention to the unique nature of all four voices, and the sense in which each part is crafted with careful attention to the art and science of listening.
Op. 131 and the Rise of Attentive Listening
Authors: November Nancy
Published: July 2021

This chapter begins with a discussion of Mark Andre’s ensemble work riss 2 (2014) as an alternative window on the modern-day reception of Op. 131—the two works can similarly disrupt our ontological understanding of musical works in terms of structure, sound transformations, and especially sense of time. I then step back to consider the larger context in which Op. 131 was originally heard, setting it within an emerging ideology of “serious listening” in Vienna in the early nineteenth century. I consider the early nineteenth century as an era in which the seeds for silent listening were sown, by key agents of change, who tried to adjust audience behavior at string quartet concerts—influential figures such as Schuppanzigh, Beethoven, and reviewers for the Wiener Theater-Zeitung and Viennese Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung in the 1810s and ’20s. Beethoven’s C-sharp minor quartet can be understood as a work that took part in this move to instill silent and serious listening. However, the climate in Vienna was not was not such that Beethoven (and Schuppanzigh) could enjoy much success with this particular listening project. The “romantic listener” does not represent a nineteenth-century norm, and was certainly not the norm in Beethoven’s Vienna. But the compelling ideology of listening and associated habits that started to develop there—especially reverent silence—continue to influence powerfully our concert hall behaviors today.
Speaking with All Boldness
Authors: Schellenberg Ryan S.
Published: July 2021

This chapter examines the complex role of prison in the social imagination of the Roman world by outlining four common tropes: the prisoner of war, the fallen aristocrat, the common malefactor, and the unvanquished herald of truth. Whereas most treatments of the ancient prison reproduce the elite perspective of their literary sources, this survey privileges evidence that attests to the experience of the non-elite. This provides a richly textured backdrop against which to read Paul’s suggestive yet curiously undeveloped self-depiction as a prisoner, and, in particular, his insistence that he will continue in all boldness (parrhēsia) despite his chains. With his non-elite addressees inclined in any case to sympathize with his plight, here Paul gestures toward a familiar trope wherein prison signifies the tyrant’s ineffectual attempt to silence a divine messenger.
Marketing Communication for Nonprofit Organizations
Authors: Landreth Grau Stacy
Published: July 2021

Chapter 7 discusses the changing nature of communication as it becomes more nonlinear and multivocal. Social media has changed the way that all organizations are able to engage with their various stakeholders, and nonprofits are no different. The chapter also discusses how this new paradigm shifts control away from the organization and its various “customers” and why this is important to nonprofits. This chapter examines ways that the organization communicates with stakeholders and introduces the concepts of paid, owned, and earned (POE) media and how organizations can leverage each of these media types for a comprehensive marketing communications strategy. Additionally, this chapter discusses partner-level communications programs, such as cause-related marketing and cause branding, and includes considerations from the nonprofit perspective. Last, given the ubiquity of social media, the chapter includes a discussion of celebrity associations and how nonprofits can capitalize on these relationships.