bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Stroke in the Medical Ward of Dessie Referral Hospital, Northeast Ethiopia: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Abdu Hussen , Tadese Fentaw , Seyoum Girma
Published: June 2021

Background. Distinguishing the category of stroke plays a vital role in planning patient care. Simple clinical findings help distinguish the type of stroke. However, there is a need for diagnostic imaging. In Ethiopia, stroke is the most common neurological condition in patients admitted to hospitals. Yet, there are limited data on comparisons of stroke subtypes. Thus, this study was designed to determine the prevalence of stroke and to compare ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. Methods. A retrospective cross-sectional study design was employed. Medical records containing complete information and confirmed diagnosis using imaging techniques were included. The data were entered into SPSS version 24.0 for analysis. Results with a P value of <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results. From a total of 312 stroke patients, 204 (65.4%) patients were admitted due to ischemic stroke. More females, 59 (18.9%), were admitted for hemorrhagic stroke than males. In both ischemic, 175 (56.1%) and hemorrhagic, 91 (29.2%) stroke cases, most of the patients were 45 years and above. Middle cerebral artery territory was the most common site of arterial territory infarctions in ischemic stroke, 158 (50.7%). Middle cerebral artery territory also was the most common site of hematoma in hemorrhagic stroke, 91 (29.2%). Infarctions in more than one lobe of the cerebrum (16.4%) and intracerebral hemorrhage in multiple areas of the cerebrum (7.4%) were observed in ischemic as well as hemorrhagic stroke cases. Most of the ischemic, 124 (39.8%), and hemorrhagic, 39 (12.5%), stroke patients presented loss of sensation and weakness of body parts. Hypertension was observed in 124 (39.8%) ischemic and 73 (23.4%) hemorrhagic stroke patients. The mortality rate of ischemic stroke, 47 (15.3%), was two times higher than hemorrhagic stroke, 20 (6.5%). Hypertension was the most common predictor of death in both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke cases. Conclusions. Ischemic stroke is a common type of stroke in the medical ward of the study hospital. More females were affected by hemorrhagic stroke than males. Middle cerebral artery territory was the most affected area of the brain in both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. Most ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke patients were admitted due to loss of sensation and weakness of body parts. Hypertension was the most common risk factor of stroke as well as a predictor of stroke-related deaths. Identification of the stroke subtypes may be important in the management of stroke. Thus, health professionals, government officials, community leaders, and the population at large could be involved in creating awareness about antecedent risk factors and clinical presentations of stroke subtypes.
Bond Strength of Orthodontic Brackets to Temporary Crowns: In Vitro Effects of Surface Treatment
Authors: Shahin Suliman Y , Abu Showmi Tahani H. , Alzaghran Sadeem H. , Albaqawi Hoda , Alrashoudi Latifah , Gad Mohammed M.
Published: June 2021

Background. The number of patients seeking orthodontic treatment has been consistently increasing. During orthodontic treatment, it is recommended to place the provisional restoration and to delay the final restoration until completion of orthodontic treatment. Recurrent bracket debonding necessitates orthodontists to prepare the bonding area with special measures. Objective. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different grit sizes of diamond burs and sandblasting surface treatment on the shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets to provisional crowns. Materials and Methods. A total of 75 discs were fabricated from a bisacrylic composite and divided into 5 groups (n = 15) according to surface treatment by black, blue, and green diamond burs and sandblasting in addition to a control group. Metal orthodontic brackets were bonded to discs in a standardized conventional manner. All specimens were subjected to thermocycling with 5000 cycles of alternating 5°C and 55°C waterbaths. The shear bond strength test was performed using a universal testing machine. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to analyze the surface treatment effect and features of debonded surfaces. The amount of composite resin left on the specimen surfaces was analyzed and classified with the adhesive remnant index. One-way ANOVA was performed at α = 0.05. Results. The shear bond strength of specimens treated with sandblasting was significantly higher than that of the control group under thermal aging conditions (

p
=
0.022

), as well as blue burs (

p
=
0.001

), while no significant differences were found between different grit diamond burs and the controls (

p
>
0.05

). Conclusion. Under thermocycling conditions, sandblasting of provisional crowns increases the bond strength of orthodontic brackets.
Basis of Image Analysis for Evaluating Cell Biomaterial Interaction Using Brightfield Microscopy
Authors: Uka Arban , Ndreu Halili Albana , Polisi Xhoena , Topal Ali O. , Imeraj Gent , Vrana Nihal E.
Published: June 2021

Medical imaging is a growing field that has stemmed from the need to conduct noninvasive diagnosis, monitoring, and analysis of biological systems. With the developments and advances in the medical field and the new techniques that are used in the intervention of diseases, very soon the prevalence of implanted biomedical devices will be even more significant. The implanted materials in a biological system are used in diverse fields, which require lengthy evaluation and validation processes. However, currently the evaluation of the toxicity of biomaterials has not been fully automated yet. Moreover, image analysis is an integral part of biomaterial research, but it is not within the core capacities of a significant portion of biomaterial scientists, which results in the use of predominantly ready-made tools. The detailed image analysis can be conducted once all the relevant parameters including the inherent characteristics of image acquisition techniques are considered. Herein, we cover the currently used image analysis-based techniques for assessment of biomaterial/cell interaction with a specific focus on unstained brightfield microscopy acquired mostly in but not limited to microfluidic systems, which serve as multiparametric sensing platforms for noninvasive experimental measurements. We present the major imaging acquisition techniques that enable point-of-care testing when incorporated with microfluidic cells, discuss the constraints enforced by the geometry of the system and the material that is analyzed, and the challenges that rise in the image analysis when unstained cell imaging is employed. Emerging techniques such as utilization of machine learning and cell-specific pattern recognition algorithms and potential future directions are discussed. Automation and optimization of biomaterial assessment can facilitate the discovery of novel biomaterials together with making the validation of biomedical innovations cheaper and faster.
Neurobehavioral Characteristics of FDG-PET Defined Right-Dominant Semantic Dementia: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Curet Burleson Alexis X. , Pham Nha Trang Thu , Buciuc Marina , Botha Hugo , Duffy Joseph R. , Clark Heather M. , Utianski Rene L. , Machulda Mary M. , Baker Matthew C. , Rademakers Rosa , Lowe Val J. , Whitwell Jennifer L. , Josephs Keith A.
Published: June 2021

Introduction: Semantic dementia (SD) is characterized by fluent speech, anomia, and loss of word and object knowledge with varying degrees of right and left anterior-medial temporal lobe hypometabolism on [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET. We assessed neurobehavioral features in SD patients across 3 FDG-PET-defined metabolic patterns and investigated progression over time. Methods: Thirty-four patients with SD who completed FDG-PET were classified into a left- and right-dominant group based on the degree of hypometabolism in each temporal lobe. The left-dominant group was further subdivided depending on whether hypometabolism in the right temporal lobe was more or less than 2 standard deviations from controls (left+ group). Neurobehavioral characteristics determined using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q) were compared across groups. Progression of NPI-Q scores and FDG-PET hypometabolism was assessed in 14 patients with longitudinal follow-up. Results: The right-dominant group performed worse on the NPI-Q and had a greater frequency of abnormal behaviors and more severe disinhibition compared to the left-dominant group. Performance on the NPI-Q and severity of disinhibition correlated with right medial and lateral, but not left, temporal lobe hypometabolism. Severity of abnormal behaviors worsened over time in most left-dominant and left+ patients but appeared to improve in the 2 right-dominant patients with longitudinal follow-up. All groups showed progressive worsening of metabolism in both temporal lobes over time, with hypometabolism spreading from anteromedial to posterior temporal regions. However, the degree of temporal lobe asymmetry remained relatively constant over time. Conclusion: In SD, neurobehavioral features, especially disinhibition, are associated with right medial and lateral temporal lobe hypometabolism and commonly develop over time even in patients that present with left-dominant patterns of hypometabolism.
Sex Differences in Subsequent Falls and Falls Risk: A Prospective Cohort Study in Older Adults
Authors: Jehu Deborah A. , Davis Jennifer C. , Barha Cindy K. , Vesely Kristin , Cheung Winnie , Ghag Cheyenne , Liu-Ambrose Teresa
Published: June 2021

Background: Sex differences for subsequent falls and falls risk factors in community-dwelling older adults who have fallen are unknown. Our aim was to: (1) compare the number of falls between sexes, (2) identify modifiable falls risk factors, and (3) explore the interaction of sex on falls risk factors in older adults who fall. Methods: Four hundred sixty-two community dwellers seeking medical attention after an index fall were recruited from the Vancouver Falls Prevention Clinic and participated in this 12-month prospective cohort study. Ninety-six participants were part of a randomized controlled trial of exercise. Falls were tracked with monthly falls calendars. Demographics, falls risk measures, and the number of subsequent falls were compared between sexes. A principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to reduce the falls risk measures to a smaller set of factors. The PCA factors were used in negative binomial regression models to predict the number of subsequent falls. Age, exposure time (i.e., number of falls monitoring days), and prescribed exercise (yes/no) were used as covariates, and sex (male/female) and PCA factors were used as main effects. The interaction of sex by PCA factor was then included. Results: Males fell more over 12 months (males: 2.80 ± 6.86 falls; females: 1.25 ± 2.63 falls) than females, and poorer executive function predicted falls in males. Four PCA factors were defined – impaired cognition and mobility, low mood and self-efficacy, mobility resilience, and perceived poor health – each predicted the number of falls. The sex by mobility resilience interaction suggested that mobility resilience was less protective of falls in males. Conclusion: Modifiable risk factors related to cognition, physical function, psychological wellbeing, and health status predicted subsequent falls. In males, better mobility was not as protective of falls compared with females. This may be due to males’ poorer executive function, contributing to decreased judgement or slowed decision-making during mobility. These results may inform efficacious sex-specific falls prevention strategies.
Neuropsychological Equivalence of the Clinical Diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment in the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set and Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Authors: Kiselica Andrew M. , Benge Jared F. ,   for the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: June 2021

Introduction: Our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease may be improved by harmonizing data from large cohort studies of older adults. Differences in the way clinical conditions, like mild cognitive impairment (MCI), are diagnosed may lead to variability among participants that share the same diagnostic label. This variability presents a challenge for cohort harmonization and may lead to inconsistency in research findings. Little research to date has explored the equivalence of the diagnostic label of MCI across 2 of the largest and most influential cohort studies in the USA: the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) and the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Methods: Participants with MCI due to presumed Alzheimer’s disease from the NACC Uniform Data Set (n = 789) and ADNI (n = 131) were compared on demographic, psychological, and functional variables, as well as on an abbreviated neuropsychological battery common to the 2 data sets. Results: Though similar in terms of age, education, and functional status, the NACC sample was more diverse (17.4% non-White participants vs. 7.6% in ADNI; χ2 = 7.923, p = 0.005) and tended to perform worse on some cognitive tests. In particular, participants diagnosed with MCI in NACC were more likely to have clinically significant impairments on language measures (26.36–31.18%) than MCI participants in ADNI (16.03–19.85%). Discussion: The current findings suggest important differences in cognitive performances between 2 large MCI cohorts, likely reflective of differences in diagnostic criteria used in these 2 studies, as well as differences in sample compositions. Such diagnostic heterogeneity may make harmonizing data across these cohorts challenging. However, application of shared psychometric criteria across studies may lead to closer equivalence of MCI groups. Such approaches could pave the way for cohort harmonization and enable “big data” analytic approaches to understanding Alzhei­mer’s to be developed.
Effect of Sex on Vascular Adaptations to Isometric Handgrip Training in Elderly Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Oliveira Paulo L. , Correia Marilia A. , Wolosker Nelson , Vianna Lauro C. , Ritti-Dias Raphael M. , Cucato Gabriel G.
Published: June 2021

Background: Isometric handgrip training (IHT) promotes vascular adaptations in different populations. Aims: We assessed the sex differences in vascular adaptations of IHT in a sample of older adults with symptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD). Methods: Fifty-three older patients with symptomatic PAD (6 women and 13 men in IHT and 13 women and 21 men in the control group) participated in this study. The IHT group performed 3 sessions per week, for 8 weeks, consisting of 4 sets of isometric contractions for 2 min at 30% of maximum voluntary contraction and a 4-min interval between sets. The control group received a compression ball in order to minimize the placebo effects, representing sham training. Blood flow and brachial flow-mediated dilation were analyzed at before and after 8 weeks of intervention. We compared the responses (Δ = post-pre values) of each group (women control, women IHT, men control, and men IHT) with a Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: There were no differences in all groups after 8 weeks of IHT in Δ brachial diameter (p = 0.850), Δ flow-mediated dilation (p = 0.241), Δ time to peak diameter (p = 0.528), and Δ FMD/AUC (p = 0.397). Conclusions: There are no effects of sex on vascular adaptation after 8 weeks of IHT in older adults with symptomatic PAD.
Identifying Dyslexia: Link between Maze Learning and Dyslexia Susceptibility Gene, DCDC2, in Young Children
Authors: Gabel Lisa A. , Voss Kelsey , Johnson Evelyn , Lindström Esther R. , Truong Dongnhu T. , Murray Erin M. , Cariño Karla , Nielsen Christiana M. , Paniagua Steven , Gruen Jeffrey R.
Published: June 2021

Dyslexia is a common learning disability that affects processing of written language despite adequate intelligence and educational background. If learning disabilities remain untreated, a child may experience long-term social and emotional problems, which influence future success in all aspects of their life. Dyslexia has a 60% heritability rate, and genetic studies have identified multiple dyslexia susceptibility genes (DSGs). DSGs, such as DCDC2, are consistently associated with the risk and severity of reading disability (RD). Altered neural connectivity within temporoparietal regions of the brain is associated with specific variants of DSGs in individuals with RD. Genetically altering DSG expression in mice results in visual and auditory processing deficits as well as neurophysiological and neuroanatomical disruptions. Previously, we demonstrated that learning deficits associated with RD can be translated across species using virtual environments. In this 2-year longitudinal study, we demonstrate that performance on a virtual Hebb-Williams maze in pre-readers is able to predict future reading impairment, and the genetic risk strengthens, but is not dependent on, this relationship. Due to the lack of oral reporting and use of letters, this easy-to-use tool may be particularly valuable in a remote working environment as well as working with vulnerable populations such as English language learners.
Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Speech Handicap Index into Persian
Authors: Ahmadi Bakhsh Seyede Dena , Moradi Negin , Naderifar Ehsan , Dastoorpour Maryam , Razmjoo Sasan
Published: June 2021

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to adapt and validate the Speech Handicap Index (SHI) into the Persian language. Patients and Methods: The original published English version of the SHI was translated into Persian using the translation protocol and guidelines of the International Quality of Life Assessment. One hundred participants with oral and oropharyngeal cancer and 40 healthy participants completed the Persian SHI. Forty participants of the patient group completed the Persian SHI a second time after a 2-weeks period to evaluate test-retest reliability. Content validity (content validity index and content validity ratio), internal consistency (Cronbach α coefficient), test-retest reliability (intraclass correlations), and construct validity (confirmatory factor analysis) were examined. Control group and patient group values were compared to determine the clinical validity. Results: A significant discrimination coefficient was found across all items, and the content and clinical validity were found to be acceptable. The Persian SHI showed a high internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The construct validity was within the acceptable range. Conclusions: The P-SHI is considered to be a valid and reliable questionnaire for speech assessment in Persian-speaking patients with head and neck cancer.
Defective Flow-Migration Coupling Causes Arteriovenous Malformations in Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia
Authors: Park Hyojin , Furtado Jessica , Poulet Mathilde , Chung Minhwan , Yun Sanguk , Lee Sungwoon , Sessa William C. , Franco Claudio A. , Schwartz Martin A. , Eichmann Anne
Published: June 2021

Background:

Activin receptor-like kinase 1 (ALK1) is an endothelial transmembrane serine threonine kinase receptor for BMP family ligands that plays a critical role in cardiovascular development and pathology. Loss-of-function mutations in the
ALK1
gene cause type 2 hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, a devastating disorder that leads to arteriovenous malformations. Here, we show that ALK1 controls endothelial cell polarization against the direction of blood flow and flow-induced endothelial migration from veins through capillaries into arterioles.

Methods:

Using Cre lines that recombine in different subsets of arterial, capillary-venous, or endothelial tip cells, we show that capillary-venous
Alk1
deletion was sufficient to induce arteriovenous malformation formation in the postnatal retina.

Results:

ALK1 deletion impaired capillary-venous endothelial cell polarization against the direction of blood flow in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, ALK1-deficient cells exhibited increased integrin signaling interaction with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2, which enhanced downstream YAP/TAZ nuclear translocation. Pharmacologic inhibition of integrin or YAP/TAZ signaling rescued flow migration coupling and prevented vascular malformations in
Alk1
-deficient mice.

Conclusions:

Our study reveals ALK1 as an essential driver of flow-induced endothelial cell migration and identifies loss of flow-migration coupling as a driver of arteriovenous malformation formation in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia disease. Integrin-YAP/TAZ signaling blockers are new potential targets to prevent vascular malformations in patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.
Animation, Theory of Mind and Humanoid Robots: Creating a Social Robot Video Task
Authors: O’Reilly Ziggy , Silvera-Tawil David , Zurr Ionat , Tan Diana Weiting
Published: June 2021

Theory of Mind (ToM)—a social cognitive ability commonly underdeveloped in individuals with autism—is necessary to attribute mental states to oneself and others. Research into robot-assisted interventions to improve ToM ability in children with autism has become increasingly popular. However, no appropriate task currently exists to measure the degree of efficacy of robot-assisted interventions targeting ToM ability. The authors demonstrate how animation techniques and principles can be leveraged to develop and produce videos of humanoid robots interacting, which could selectively measure ToM.
Beyond Service-Subordination: Materials Experimentation in an Art-Science Collaboration
Authors: Robbins Amy S.
Published: June 2021

The author examines the Specialty Glass Residency, an art-science collaboration administered by Corning Incorporated and the Corning Museum of Glass in upstate New York. While the aesthetic and communicative function of art has been an important dimension in characterizations of art-science, scholarship has also demonstrated the value of art as a practice of inquiry. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, the author examines an artist’s research and development contributions and argues that the residency’s focus on materials generates reciprocal benefits for artists and scientists and opens the door to different possibilities in making and experimentation.
The Flesh of Imagination: Locating Materiality in Biology-Inspired Visual Art
Authors: Sarkar Asmita , Blaney Aileen
Published: June 2021

In this article, the authors explore the sensuous and material dimensions of artworks inspired by biological science. They use Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s concept of “flesh” to reflect upon the embodied processes of understanding that unfold during a viewer’s initial encounter with an artwork. Using Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology of perception and the work of selected artists based in India who engage with biology and botany the authors locate the sensing body in a reciprocal relationship with these artists’ works.
Art as a Future-Generating Machine: Rheinberger’s Experimentalism in Practice-Based Arts Methodologies
Authors: Tower Ash
Published: June 2021

This article explores the potential syntheses between practice-based arts research methodologies and historian of science Hans-Jörg Rheinberger’s framing of the scientific “experiment.” Rheinberger offers the experiment as a “future-generating machine” resulting from material discursive processes enacted as “repetition with difference.” This framing of epistemological development has applications in practice-based methodologies through their simultaneous execution of action and reflection, as well as the importance of “surprise” in experimental practice.
On Conceptualising African Diasporas in Europe
Authors: McEachrane Michael
Published: June 2021

The article argues that there are three senses of the term African diaspora – a continental, a cultural and a racial sense – which need to be distinguished from each other when conceptualising Black African diasporas in Europe. Although African Diaspora Studies is occupied with African diasporas in a racial sense, usually it has conceptualised these in terms of racial and cultural identities. This is also true of the past decades of African Diaspora Studies on Europe. This article makes an argument for a socio-political conceptualisation of Black African diasporas in Europe that includes, but goes beyond, matters of identity and culture.
Meeting the Chimera: How the cedaw Can Address Digital Discrimination
Authors: Krupiy Tetyana (Tanya)
Published: June 2021

The article analyses what is distinct about the manner in which the delegation of the decision-making task to an artificial intelligence system produces harm from the standpoint of the prohibition of discrimination. It explores the manner in which the context of digital discrimination challenges the application of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (cedaw). The article suggests how the subject matter of cedaw may be rethought to enable it to respond to digital discrimination. It formulates a legal test which can be added to the existing toolbox without the need to amend the treaty. The article offers approaches to interpreting cedaw teleologically in order to enable it to remain relevant in the face of technological innovation.
Karyotypic diversity and cryptic speciation: Have we vastly underestimated moss species diversity?
Authors: PATEL NIKISHA , MEDINA RAFAEL , JOHNSON MATTHEW , GOFFINET BERNARD
Published: June 2021

Karyotypic diversity is critical to catalyzing change in the evolution of all plants. By resulting in meiotic incompatibility among sets of homologous chromosomes, polyploidy and aneuploidy may facilitate reproductive isolation and the potential for speciation. Across plants, karyotypic variants in the form of allopolyploids receive greater taxonomic attention relative to autopolyploids and aneuploids. In particular, the prevalence and significance of autopolyploidy and aneuploidy in bryophytes is little understood. Using Fritsch’s 1991 compendium of bryophyte karyotypes with augmentation from karyological studies published since, we have quantified the prevalence of karyotypic variants among ~1500 extant morphological species of mosses. We assessed the phylogenetic distribution of karyological data, the frequency of autopolyploidy and aneuploidy, and the methodological correlates with karyotypic diversity. At least two ploidy levels were recorded from 17% of species potentially increasing current taxonomic diversity of mosses to over 15,000 species. We find that for a given species, the number of unique karyotypes recorded is correlated with the number of populations sampled. The evidence suggests that cytological diversity likely underlies yet undescribed species diversity in mosses, and that intensive karyological sampling is a needed tool for its discovery.
Polyploidization within the Funariaceae—a key principle behind speciation, sporophyte reduction and the high variance of spore diameters?
Authors: OSTENDORF ANNA K. , VAN GESSEL NICO , MALKOWSKY YARON , SABOVLJEVIC MARKO S. , RENSING STEFAN A. , ROTH-NEBELSICK ANITA , RESKI RALF
Published: June 2021

Although being recognized as a major force behind speciation in flowering plants, the evolutionary relevance of genome duplication (polyploidization) remains largely unexplored in mosses. Phylogenetic and-genomic insights from the model organism Physcomitrella patens and closely related species revealed that polyploidization, likely via hybridization (allopolyploidization), gives rise to new species within the Funariaceae. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of the nuclear single copy gene BRK1 combined with the measurement of DNA content by flow cytometry, we identified Entosthodon hungaricus as such an allopolyploid species. Together with Physcomitrium pyriforme, Physcomitrium eurystomum and Physcomitrium collenchymatum, which were identified previously as species that likely arose by hybridization, E. hungaricus represents an additional allopolyploid lineage of a species complex that is characterized by convergent sporophyte reduction and a considerable variance in spore sizes. Based on morphological and cytological data from 18 species, we highlight the potential impact of polyploidization on the size of the spores and on sporophyte architecture.
50 years of the International Association of Bryologists
Authors: GRADSTEIN S. ROBBERT
Published: June 2021

The International Association of Bryologists (IAB) has been close to my heart during half of a century. Following the establishment of the IAB at the International Botanical Congress in Seattle in 1969, I served as its first secretary-treasurer for eighteen years and helped setting it up. Now, a half-century later, it is a joy and great satisfaction to see a vigorous and healthy IAB continuing on the path of promoting communication and collaboration among the world’s bryologists. It is a pleasure therefore to write a few lines on the history of the organization for this special Golden Jubilee issue of Bryophyte Diversity and Evolution. In doing so, I lean heavily on my account of the early history of the Association (https://bryology.org/history-of-iab/) and my talk on the history of international collaboration at the IAB congress in Madrid (Gradstein 2000).
New intertidal crickets from Comoros and Mascarene islands (Orthoptera: Trigonidiidae: Nemobiinae: Burcini)
Authors: HUGEL SYLVAIN , DESUTTER-GRANDCOLAS LAURE
Published: June 2021

Nemobiinae crickets of the tribe Burcini Gorochov, 1986 are described for the first time from the shores of South Western Indian Ocean islands. The new genus Makalapobius n. gen. is proposed to include M. aigrettensis n. gen. n. sp. from Mauritius and M. masihu n. gen. n. sp. from Grande Comore, and the new genus Gabusibius n. gen. to include G. ndzilu n. gen. n. sp. from Anjouan, G. mosi n. gen. n. sp., from Mohéli, and G. dzindzanu n. gen. n. sp. from Mayotte. The species Speonemobius littoreus Vannini & Chelazzi, 1978 from Somalia coast is tentatively placed in the genus Gabusibius n. gen. as G. ? litoreus (Vannini & Chelazzi, 1978) n. gen. n. comb. The songs of G. mosi n. gen. n. sp. and M. aigrettensis n. gen. n. sp. are described. The threats to SWIO Burcini and endemism of Orthoptera from SWIO coastal areas are discussed.
A new species of Anaulacomera Stål, 1873 (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Phaneropterinae) from Parque Nacional de Itatiaia, Southeastern Brazil
Authors: ANTUNES ANDRÉ FONSECA , TAKIYA DANIELA MAEDA
Published: June 2021

Anaulacomera currently contains 147 valid species, of those 50 are recorded from Brazil. The genus is further divided into six subgenera, which can be distinguished on characteristics of the male terminalia. A new Brazilian species is presently proposed, Anaulacomera (Anallomes) curvata sp. nov., based on three males and one female collected at Parque Nacional de Itatiaia, Itatiaia, Rio de Janeiro State. It can be distinguished from all other species because of the pair of cerciform projections of the tenth male abdominal tergite and a combination of shape and size of the male cerci.
Interdecadal Variations of Different Types of Summer Heat Waves in Northeast China Associated with AMO and PDO
Authors: Yang Xiaoye , Zeng Gang , Zhang Guwei , Li Jingwei , Li Zhongxian , Hao Zhixin
Published: June 2021

The summer heat waves (HWs) in Northeast China (NEC) during 1961–2016 can be classified into two types, namely, wave train HWs and blocking HWs based on the hierarchical clustering algorithm by using ERA-Interim daily datasets. Wave train HWs occurred accompanied by eastward-moving wave trains with a “− + − +” structure formed over Eurasia, while the blocking HWs occurred with blocking circulation anomalies over Eurasia. In general, the blocking HWs could cause the positive temperature anomalies in NEC to last longer than wave train HWs. During the period from 1961 to 2016, the wave train HWs experienced an interdecadal variation from less to more, while the blocking HWs experienced interdecadal variations of less–more–less. Regression analysis and information flow indicate that the interdecadal variation of the wave train HWs is associated with Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO) and Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO), while the interdecadal variation of the blocking HWs is more likely associated with PDO. The positive phase of AMO (negative phase of PDO) could increase the wave train (blocking) HWs by strengthening the zonal wave train similar to the Silk Road pattern (the arched wave train like the polar–Eurasian pattern). The observed results are in agreement with the numerical experiments with the NCAR Community Atmosphere Model, version 5.3.
Kenotic hospitality and the Eucharist: an alternative economy
Authors: Kubossek Shauna
Published: June 2021

This essay discusses the Eucharist as an enactment of kenotic hospitality and the alternative economy of God. It explores kenosis and hospitality as important practices for Christians, and reflects on how they are linked and embodied in the sensuous experience of the Eucharist. I explore kenotic acts of self-limitation as an antidote to consumption, drawing upon the work of Sallie McFague. Balanced with an embodied understanding of mutuality, enactments of kenosis proclaim the abundance of God. Using the work of Christine D. Pohl, I explore the practice of hospitality as a mandate for Christians. Hospitality makes the invisible visible, and creates opportunity for connection and mutuality. The Eucharist, a liturgical expression of kenotic hospitality, engages participants in deep forms of connection to creation, to God, and to one another. I argue that kenosis and hospitality, in the light of the Eucharist, are illustrative of God’s alternative economy. As we engage the practices of limitation and hospitality that the Eucharist embodies, we are transformed by the abundance of God, for the sake of the world.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on Middle-income Countries
Authors: Dasgupta Sukti , Dierckxsens Mauricio , Verick Sher
Published: June 2021

Coming on top of long-term employment challenges, the COVID-19 crisis has severely impacted economies around the world. Due to the nature of their labour markets, middle-income countries (MICs), including India, have experienced greater employment declines than advanced economies. Some sectors have been hit harder than others, while certain groups—including women, youth, migrants and those in the informal economy—have felt the brunt of the crisis even more strongly. The crisis has raised unemployment and, even more, has also pushed many out of the labour force, raising inactivity. Overall, the crisis has exacerbated existing inequalities in countries and across countries. The major challenge for MICs is to finance the continuing efforts to battle the crisis while shifting to a job-rich and inclusive recovery. Key lessons have already emerged, which are relevant for India and other developing countries, including the importance of building a more resilient and inclusive labour market through strong institutions and policies.

JEL Codes: E24, E60, G01, J08, J60
First-Price Auctions in Online Display Advertising
Authors: Despotakis Stylianos , Ravi R. , Sayedi Amin
Published: June 2021

The authors link the rapid and dramatic move from second-price to first-price auction format in the display advertising market, on the one hand, to the move from the waterfalling mechanism employed by publishers for soliciting bids in a preordered cascade over exchanges to an alternate header bidding strategy that broadcasts the request for bid to all exchanges simultaneously, on the other. First, they argue that the move from waterfalling to header bidding was a revenue-improving move for publishers in the old regime when exchanges employed second-price auctions. Given the publisher move to header bidding, the authors show that exchanges move from second-price to first-price auctions to increase their expected clearing prices. Interestingly, when all exchanges move to first-price auctions, each exchange faces stronger competition from other exchanges, and some exchanges may end up with lower revenue than when all exchanges use second-price auctions; yet all exchanges move to first-price auctions in the unique equilibrium of the game. The authors show that the new regime hinders the exchanges’ ability to differentiate in equilibrium. Furthermore, it allows the publishers to achieve the revenue of the optimal mechanism despite not having direct access to the advertisers.
Observer-based neural network dynamic surface control of single-phase LCL-filtered grid-connected inverters under parametric uncertainties and weak grid condition
Authors: Shoja-Majidabad Sajjad , Moradi Zirkohi Majid
Published: June 2021

This paper focuses on the current control of single-phase LCL-filtered grid-connected inverters in the presence of parametric uncertainties and weak grid condition. Therefore, a novel neural network dynamic surface control (NNDSC) method is proposed by overcoming the problem of ‘explosion of complexity’. In addition, radial basis function neural networks (RBFNNs) are employed to approximate the system parametric uncertainties. Furthermore, by considering practical considerations, a novel state observer (SO) is designed to estimate the inverter-side current and capacitor voltage. As a result, additional current and voltage sensors are not required, which makes the implementation of the proposed approach straightforward and reliable. The origin neighbourhood convergence of estimated and tracking errors is assured through Lyapunov stability theorem and Young’s inequality. The effectiveness and performance of the proposed NNDSC+SO approach is demonstrated through MATLAB/Simpower simulations in view of the reference current changes, LCL filter parametric uncertainties and weak grid condition.
Adaptive neural formation control of autonomous underactuated surface vessels based on disturbance observer with leader–follower strategy
Authors: Wu Chunqiang , Zhao Meijiao , Min Cheng , Wang Yueying , Luo Jun
Published: June 2021

In this paper, a leader–follower formation control strategy is presented based on adaptive neural network and disturbance observer, which is aimed at resolving model uncertainties as well as the time-varying disturbances for autonomous underactuated surface vessels. The model uncertainties which can be expressed by unknown nonlinear functions are approximated and compensated by the adaptive neural network. The disturbance observer introduced can estimate time-varying disturbances and compensate them to the feedforward control loop, so as to make the external time-varying disturbances suppressed and the robustness of controller against the disturbances improved. The dynamic surface control technology is applied in the procedure of designing the controller through utilizing the backstepping method, which solves the computational explosion of the derivative of virtual control signals. Finally, through Lyapunov analysis, the stability of adaptive neural formation control system is proved and all the error signals uniformly converge to a very small range ultimately. The excellent performance of the presented formation control strategy is demonstrated through numerical simulations.
Bootstrapping the Boundary between Research and Environmental Management: The TMDL as a Point of Engagement between Science and Governance
Authors: Slota Stephen C.
Published: June 2021

Knowledge produced by environmental scientists is often inaccessible, intractable, or otherwise in need of reconfiguration for use in environmental regulation. Similarly, policy knowledge undergoes decontextualization in its address to the community of researchers and data curators whose findings are fundamental to its operation. This paper addresses the development of the total maximum daily load (TMDL) measurement as a means of decontextualizing both scientific and regulatory processes to render the practical results of those processes available as a means of collaboration, coordination, and development of watershed management and regulation. The TMDL measurement serves as a specific type of boundary object, a provisional boundary figure. A provisional boundary figure is a complex, model-derived system that is not fixed but rather an object of ongoing work that enables coordination between policy and research. Thus, the TMDL is deployed to explore the relationship between environmental management and the knowledge workers that enable and support it.
‘Who’ or ‘what’ is the rule of law?
Authors: Winter Steven L.
Published: June 2021

The standard account of the relation between democracy and the rule of law focuses on law’s liberty-enhancing role in constraining official action. This is a faint echo of the complex, constitutive relation between the two. The Greeks used one word – isonomia – to describe both. If democracy is the system in which people have an equal say in determining the rules that govern social life, then the rule of law is simultaneously before, after, concurrent and synonymous with democracy: It contributes to the formation of citizens with the capacity for self-governance, serves as the instrument through which democratic decisions are implemented, functions as one of the central social practices that constitute citizens as equals and addresses the question of how to ensure that government by the people operates for the people. The rule of law has many independently valuable qualities, including impartiality and predictability. But, to valorise the rule of law for its own sake is to fetishize authority. The fundamental values of the rule of law are as the instrument of democratic self-governance and the expression of the equal dignity of all persons. Democracy thus entails the rule of law, but both implicate the yet more comprehensive ideal of equality. Core rule-of-law values require political norms and conditions of equality, generality and comprehensiveness. In a modern, differentiated society, however, the constitutive relation between democracy and the rule of law is fractured and law becomes the agent of authority. Courts in the modern constitutional state have contributed to the decline of rule-of-law values, supporting role specialization through judge-made immunity doctrines that protect officials at all levels. The crisis of police violence against minorities is a symptom of this breakdown. Greater accountability can ameliorate the problem. But an effective solution requires the fair and equal distribution of political power.
Landscape of Centralized Otolaryngology Research Efforts Grant Recipients Over the Past Decade
Authors: Roy Savannah C. , Wassef David W. , Nasser Wissam A. , Farber Nicole I. , Fang Christina H. , Baredes Soly , Gray Stacey T. , Eloy Jean Anderson
Published: June 2021

Objective

To investigate the demographics of CORE grant recipients (Centralized Otolaryngology Research Efforts) over the last decade and evaluate disparity among recipients as compared with otolaryngology overall. To assess whether procurement of a grant predicts pursuit of an academic career.

Study Design

Analysis of grant recipients’ bibliometrics.

Setting

Academic medical center.

Methods

The list of recipients of grants from 2010 to 2019 was obtained from the website of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. Demographics of recipients were collected through an internet search, including gender, race, residency program, and h‐index. Recipients from 2010 were searched to determine current academic faculty rank. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to compare these factors with otolaryngology overall.

Results

The distribution of gender among recipients over the last decade remained nearly constant, with no significant difference versus residents in otolaryngology (P >. 05). However, there were significantly more female recipients when adjusted for gender differences in the field overall (P <. 01). Asians were relatively overrepresented, while Black and Hispanic residents were underrepresented (P <. 01). Many recipients (52.6%) trained at institutions recognized as the best training programs with reputations for quality research output. The h‐index of recipients decreased over the last decade (P <. 01). The h‐index of duplicate winners was significantly higher than those of nonduplicate winners (P <. 01). After adjusting for gender and rank, recipients were significantly more likely to hold academic positions (P <. 01).

Conclusion

CORE grants are favorably distributed as related to gender and racial disparities, and recipients frequently go on to achieve high levels of academic success.
Identification of a Preliminary Plasma Metabolome-based Biomarker for Circadian Phase in Humans
Authors: Cogswell D. , Bisesi P. , Markwald R. R. , Cruickshank-Quinn C. , Quinn K. , McHill A. , Melanson E. L. , Reisdorph N. , Wright K. P. , Depner C. M.
Published: June 2021

Measuring individual circadian phase is important to diagnose and treat circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders and circadian misalignment, inform chronotherapy, and advance circadian science. Initial findings using blood transcriptomics to predict the circadian phase marker dim-light melatonin onset (DLMO) show promise. Alternatively, there are limited attempts using metabolomics to predict DLMO and no known omics-based biomarkers predict dim-light melatonin offset (DLMOff). We analyzed the human plasma metabolome during adequate and insufficient sleep to predict DLMO and DLMOff using one blood sample. Sixteen (8 male/8 female) healthy participants aged 22.4 ± 4.8 years (mean ± SD) completed an in-laboratory study with 3 baseline days (9 h sleep opportunity/night), followed by a randomized cross-over protocol with 9-h adequate sleep and 5-h insufficient sleep conditions, each lasting 5 days. Blood was collected hourly during the final 24 h of each condition to independently determine DLMO and DLMOff. Blood samples collected every 4 h were analyzed by untargeted metabolomics and were randomly split into training (68%) and test (32%) sets for biomarker analyses. DLMO and DLMOff biomarker models were developed using partial least squares regression in the training set followed by performance assessments using the test set. At baseline, the DLMOff model showed the highest performance (0.91 R2 and 1.1 ± 1.1 h median absolute error ± interquartile range [MdAE ± IQR]), with significantly ( p < 0.01) lower prediction error versus the DLMO model. When all conditions (baseline, 9 h, and 5 h) were included in performance analyses, the DLMO (0.60 R2; 2.2 ± 2.8 h MdAE; 44% of the samples with an error under 2 h) and DLMOff (0.62 R2; 1.8 ± 2.6 h MdAE; 51% of the samples with an error under 2 h) models were not statistically different. These findings show promise for metabolomics-based biomarkers of circadian phase and highlight the need to test biomarkers that predict multiple circadian phase markers under different physiological conditions.