bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Maternal serum Vitamin B12 and offspring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Authors: Sourander Andre , Silwal Sanju , Upadhyaya Subina , Surcel Heljä-Marja , Hinkka-Yli-Salomäki Susanna , McKeague Ian W. , Cheslack-Postava Keely , Brown Alan S.
Published: September 2020

Maternal Vitamin B12 deficiency during pregnancy is associated with offspring neuropsychiatric disorders. Few previous studies examining this association with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) report inconsistent findings. The study examines the association between maternal serum Vitamin B12 levels and offsprings’ risk of ADHD. This study is based on the Finnish Prenatal Study of ADHD with a nested case–control design. All the singleton children born in Finland between January 1998 and December 1999 and diagnosed with ADHD were included in the study. A total of 1026 cases were matched with an equal number of controls on sex, date of birth and place of birth. Maternal Vitamin B12 levels were assessed using a chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay and archived from maternal serum banks, collected during the first and early second trimester of pregnancy. Lower maternal Vitamin B12 levels when analyzed as a continuous variable was not associated with offspring ADHD (aOR 0.97, 95% CI 0.79–1.18, p = 0.75). No significant associations were seen in the lowest quintile of Vitamin B12 levels (aOR 0.96, 95% CI 0.73–1.27, p = 0.80). This is the first study examining maternal sera Vitamin B12 levels during early pregnancy and offspring ADHD. The result suggests that Vitamin B12 deficiency during early pregnancy has specificity for some disorders but not with offspring ADHD.
Hydrocarbon generation from lacustrine shales with retained oil during thermal maturation
Authors: Shao Xin-He , Pang Xiong-Qi , Li Mao-Wen , Li Zhi-Ming , Zhao Yi
Published: September 2020

Thermal maturation in the shale oil/gas system is inherently complex due to the competitive interplays between hydrocarbon generation and retention processes. To study hydrocarbon generation characteristics from shales within different stages of thermal maturation under the influence of retained oil, we performed Micro-Scale Sealed Vessels (MSSV) pyrolysis on a set of artificially matured lacustrine shale samples from the Shahejie Formation in the Dongpu Depression in Bohai Bay Basin, China. Experimental results show that hydrocarbon yields of shale samples with or without retained oil at various thermal maturities follow different evolution paths. Heavy components (C15+) in samples crack at high temperatures and generally follow a sequence, where they first transform into C6–14 then to C2–5 and C1. Methane accounts for most of the gaseous products at high temperatures in all samples, with different origins. The cracking of C2–5 is the main methane-generating process in samples with retained oil, whereas the source of methane in samples without retained oil is kerogen. In the studied shales, retained oils at early-mature stage retard the transformation of liquid to gaseous hydrocarbon and prompt the cracking of C2–5 to C1 to some extent. TSR reaction related to gypsum in the studied samples is the primary reason that can explain the loss of hydrocarbon yields, especially at high temperatures. In addition, transformation of volatile hydrocarbons to gas and coke also accounts for the loss of generated hydrocarbon, as a secondary factor.
Demand response through automated air conditioning in commercial buildings—a data-driven approach
Authors: Drasch Benedict J. , Fridgen Gilbert , Häfner Lukas
Published: September 2020

Building operation faces great challenges in electricity cost control as prices on electricity markets become increasingly volatile. Simultaneously, building operators could nowadays be empowered with information and communication technology that dynamically integrates relevant information sources, predicts future electricity prices and demand, and uses smart control to enable electricity cost savings. In particular, data-driven decision support systems would allow the utilization of temporal flexibilities in electricity consumption by shifting load to times of lower electricity prices. To contribute to this development, we propose a simple, general, and forward-looking demand response (DR) approach that can be part of future data-driven decision support systems in the domain of building electricity management. For the special use case of building air conditioning systems, our DR approach decides in periodic increments whether to exercise air conditioning in regard to future electricity prices and demand. The decision is made based on an ex-ante estimation by comparing the total expected electricity costs for all possible activation periods. For the prediction of future electricity prices, we draw on existing work and refine a prediction method for our purpose. To determine future electricity demand, we analyze historical data and derive data-driven dependencies. We embed the DR approach into a four-step framework and demonstrate its validity, utility and quality within an evaluation using real-world data from two public buildings in the US. Thereby, we address a real-world business case and find significant cost savings potential when using our DR approach.
Distinction of Students and Expert Therapists Based on Therapeutic Motions on a Robotic Device Using Support Vector Machine
Authors: Yuji Koike , Makoto Suzuki , Akihisa Okino , Kazuhisa Takeda , Yasuhiro Takanami , Toyohiro Hamaguchi
Published: September 2020

Purpose

To clarify the feature values of exercise therapy that can differentiate students and expert therapists and use this information as a reference for exercise therapy education.

Methods

The participants were therapists with 5 or more years of clinical experience and 4th year students at occupational therapist training schools who had completed their clinical practices. The exercise therapy task included Samothrace (code name, SAMO) exercises implemented on the elbow joint based on the elbow flexion angle, angular velocity, and exercise interval recordings. For analyses and student/therapist comparisons, the peak flexion angle, peak velocity, and movement time were calculated using data on elbow angle changes acquired via SAMO. Subsequently, bootstrap data were generated to differentiate between the exercise therapy techniques adopted by therapists and students, and a support vector machine was used to generate four types of data combinations with the peak flexion angle, peak velocity, and movement time values. These data were used to estimate and compare the respective accuracies with the Friedman test.

Results

The peak flexion angles were significantly smaller in the case of students. Furthermore, the peak velocities were larger, the peak flexion angles were smaller, and the movement times were shorter compared with those of therapists. The combination of peak velocity and peak flexion angle yielded the highest diagnostic accuracies.

Conclusion

When students and therapists performed upper limb exercise therapy techniques based on the kinematics movement of a robot arm, the movement speeds and joint angles differed. The combination of peak velocity and peak flexion angle was the most effective classifier used for the differentiation of the abilities of students and therapists. The peak velocity and peak flexion angle of the therapist group can be used as a reference for students when they learn upper limb therapeutic exercise techniques.
Digital biofabrication to realize the potentials of plant roots for product design
Authors: Zhou Jiwei , Barati Bahareh , Wu Jun , Scherer Diana , Karana Elvin
Published: September 2020

Technological and economic opportunities, alongside the apparent ecological benefits, point to biodesign as a new industrial paradigm for the fabrication of products in the twenty-first century. The presented work studies plant roots as a biodesign material in the fabrication of self-supported 3D structures, where the biologically and digitally designed materials provide each other with structural stability. Taking a material-driven design approach, we present our systematic tinkering activities with plant roots to better understand and anticipate their responsive behaviour. These helped us to identify the key design parameters and advance the unique potential of plant roots to bind discrete porous structures. We illustrate this binding potential of plant roots with a hybrid 3D object, for which plant roots connect 600 computationally designed, optimized, and fabricated bioplastic beads into a low stool.
Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and antioxidants mining from marine fungi: bioassays, bioactivity coupled LC–MS/MS analyses and molecular networking
Authors: Nie Yingying , Yang Wencong , Liu Yayue , Yang Jingming , Lei Xiaoling , Gerwick William H. , Zhang Yi
Published: September 2020

Marine fungi are potentially important resources for bioactive lead compounds for discovering new drugs for diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. In this paper, the combined bioassay model of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging, and Artemia larval lethality was used to evaluate the activity and toxicity of 35 marine fungal strains from seas around China. Their bioactive constituents were revealed by thin layer chromatography (TLC) autography, bioactivity coupled LC–MS/MS and Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking (GNPS). The results show that the extracts of five strains exhibited higher AChE inhibition ratios than the positive control compound, ‘tacrine’, for which the ratio was 89.8% at 200 μg/ml. Six strains displayed both AChE inhibition (inhibition ratios > 20% at 200 μg/ml) and DPPH scavenging activity (scavenging ratios > 30% at 200 μg/ml) together with low Artemia larval toxicity (lethal rates < 12%). TLC autography showed that the fractioned extracts of four strains contained highly diverse and different bioactive constituents, including strains Talaromyces sp. C21-1, Aspergillus terreus C23-3, Trichoderma harzianum DLEN2008005, and Penicillium corylophilum TBG1-17. From the most potent sample F-11-1-b (derived from Aspergillus terreus C23-3), five AChE inhibitors and seven antioxidants were recognized as bioactive molecules by AChE coupled ultrafiltration followed by LC–MS/MS, and LC–MS/MS coupled with DPPH incubation. Furthermore, with the aid of GNPS, the AChE inhibitors were plausibly annotated as territrem analogues including territrems A–C/D, arisugacin A and an unknown compound 4, and the seven antioxidants were assigned as butyrolactone Ι, aspernolide E, a phenolic derivative and possibly unknown compounds 8–10 and 12.
An innovative program to provide methodological mentoring and to foster the development of robust research teams for K awardees: RAMP Mentors
Authors: Rasmussen-Torvik Laura J. , Daniels Lauren A. , Herzog Keith A. , Traw Emily J. , Fleming Michael F. , Pope Richard M. , Lloyd-Jones Donald M. , Welty Leah J.
Published: September 2020

Within the Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) component of the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, we created a mentoring program to complement training provided by the associated Multidisciplinary Career Development Program (KL2). Called Research design Analysis Methods Program (RAMP) Mentors, the program provides each KL2 scholar with individualized, hands-on mentoring in biostatistics, epidemiology, informatics, and related fields, with the goal of building multidisciplinary research teams. From 2015 to 2019, RAMP Mentors paired 8 KL2 scholars with 16 individually selected mentors. Mentors had funded/protected time to meet at least monthly with their scholar to provide advice and instruction on methods for ongoing research, including incorporating novel techniques. RAMP Mentors has been evaluated through focus groups and surveys. KL2 scholars reported high satisfaction with RAMP Mentors and confidence in their ability to establish and maintain methodologic collaborations. Compared with other Northwestern University K awardees, KL2 scholars reported higher confidence in obtaining research funding, including subsequent K or R awards, and selecting appropriate, up-to-date research methods. RAMP Mentors is a promising partnership between a BERD group and KL2 program, promoting methodologic education and building multidisciplinary research teams for junior investigators pursuing clinical and translational research.
Strong convergence of infinite color balanced urns under uniform ergodicity
Authors: Bandyopadhyay Antar , Janson Svante , Thacker Debleena
Published: September 2020

We consider the generalization of the Pólya urn scheme with possibly infinitely many colors, as introduced in [37], [4], [5], and [6]. For countably many colors, we prove almost sure convergence of the urn configuration under theuniform ergodicityassumption on the associated Markov chain. The proof uses a stochastic coupling of the sequence of chosen colors with abranching Markov chainon a weightedrandom recursive treeas described in [6], [31], and [26]. Using this coupling we estimate the covariance between any two selected colors. In particular, we re-prove the limit theorem for the classical urn models with finitely many colors.
Decorrelation of a class of Gibbs particle processes and asymptotic properties of U-statistics
Authors: Beneš Viktor , Hofer-Temmel Christoph , Last Günter , Večeřa Jakub
Published: September 2020

We study a stationary Gibbs particle process with deterministically bounded particles on Euclidean space defined in terms of an activity parameter and non-negative interaction potentials of finite range. Using disagreement percolation, we prove exponential decay of the correlation functions, provided a dominating Boolean model is subcritical. We also prove this property for the weighted moments of a U-statistic of the process. Under the assumption of a suitable lower bound on the variance, this implies a central limit theorem for such U-statistics of the Gibbs particle process. A by-product of our approach is a new uniqueness result for Gibbs particle processes.
Olive oil and risk of breast cancer: a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis of observational studies
Authors: Sealy Naria , Hankinson Susan E. , Houghton Serena C.
Published: September 2020

Olive oil consumption has been suggested to be inversely associated with breast cancer risk, probably due to its high MUFA and polyphenol content. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to assess the association between olive oil and breast cancer risk, including assessing the potential for a dose–response association. We performed a systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials through June 2020, identifying ten observational studies (two prospective studies and eight case–control studies) for meta-analysis. We estimated summary OR and 95 % CI for the highestv.lowest olive oil intake category across studies using random effect models and assessed the dose–response relationship between olive oil and breast cancer risk using restricted cubic splines. The summary OR comparing women with the highest intake to those with the lowest category of olive oil intake was 0·48 (95 % CI 0·09, 2·70) in prospective studies and 0·76 (95 % CI 0·54, 1·06) in case–control studies, with evidence of substantial study heterogeneity (prospectiveI2= 89 %, case–controlI2= 82 %). There was no significant dose–response relationship for olive oil and breast cancer risk; the OR for a 14 g/d increment was 0·93 (95 % CI 0·83, 1·04). There may be a potential inverse association between olive oil intake and breast cancer; however, since the estimates are non-significant and the certainty level is very low, additional prospective studies with better assessment of olive oil intake are needed.
Liberalizing Regional Trade Regimes Through AfCFTA: Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Nwankwo Chidebe Matthew , Ajibo Collins Chikodili
Published: September 2020

The ratification of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) marked a landmark event in the quest to achieve intra-African free trade. AfCFTA is poised to represent the largest free trade area outside the World Trade Organization. Although AfCFTA aspires to liberalize intra-African trade in goods and services to foster socio-economic development, there are concerns that capacity constraints may stultify the underlying goals. AfCFTA is expected to build on the considerable successes already achieved by Africa's regional economic communities. However, it fails to clarify how the overlapping regimes will be reconciled and harmonized. Nevertheless, the agreement is laudable for its quest to facilitate intra-African trade, foster regional value chains that can facilitate integration into the global economy, and energize industrialization, competitiveness and innovation. This article examines the celebrated AfCFTA to understand its potential amid local realities and the possible implications for the multilateral trading system.
Production of sialic acid rich glycopeptide from bovine κ-casein glycomacropeptide by hydrolyzing with papain
Authors: Nakano Takuo , Betti Mirko
Published: September 2020

Bovine κ-casein glycomacropeptide (GMP) is a sialic acid containing glycopeptide having many biological activities. The study described in this research communication was undertaken to determine whether sialic acid rich glycopeptide can be produced from GMP by proteinase treatment. A sample of GMP was hydrolyzed with papain, and the obtained hydrolysate was chromatographed on a column of diethylaminoethyl-Sephacel to obtain a glycopeptide fraction (GPF). This product accounted for average 48.1% dry weight of GMP or 81.1% total recovered sialic acid from GMP. The content of sialic acid (expressed as % dry weight) was 1.7 times higher in GPF (22.6) than in unhydrolyzed GMP (13.4). Major differences in amino acid composition between GPF and GMP were found in the contents (mol%) of: lysine (<1 and 4.5, respectively), serine (20.3 and 10.3, approximately twice higher in GPF), asparagine/aspartic acid and isoleucine. The contents of the last two amino acids were approximately twice lower in GPF. On gel filtration chromatography with Sephacryl S-100, GMP was eluted as a single peak with elution volume similar to that of dimeric β-lactoglobulin (36.6 kDa) whereas GPF was eluted in two peaks both with elution volumes greater than that of α-lactalbumin (14.2 kDa). These peak fractions containing high (fraction I) and low (fraction II) molecular size glycopeptides gave different sialic acid to peptide ratio, which was 1.7 times higher in fraction I than in fraction II. Results of size exclusion HPLC on Superdex-75 were consistent with those of gel filtlation chromatography. On cellulose acetate electrophoresis, the mobility of GPF relative to that of GMP as 1.0 was found to average 1.2, suggesting a higher negative charge density in GPF than in GMP. It was concluded that papain digestion of GMP is an efficient method to produce glycopeptide with high sialic acid content.
Parameter Identification of Spatial–Temporal Varying Processes by a Multi-Robot System in Realistic Diffusion Fields
Authors: Wu Wencen , You Jie , Zhang Yufei , Li Mingchen , Su Kun
Published: September 2020

In this article, we investigate the problem of parameter identification of spatial–temporal varying processes described by a general nonlinear partial differential equation and validate the feasibility and robustness of the proposed algorithm using a group of coordinated mobile robots equipped with sensors in a realistic diffusion field. Based on the online parameter identification method developed in our previous work using multiple mobile robots, in this article, we first develop a parameterized model that represents the nonlinear spatially distributed field, then develop a parameter identification scheme consisting of a cooperative Kalman filter and recursive least square method. In the experiments, we focus on the diffusion field and consider the realistic scenarios that the diffusion field contains obstacles and hazard zones that the robots should avoid. The identified parameters together with the located source could potentially assist in the reconstruction and monitoring of the field. To validate the proposed methods, we generate a controllable carbon dioxide (CO2) field in our laboratory and build a static CO2 sensor network to measure and calibrate the field. With the reconstructed realistic diffusion field measured by the sensor network, a multi-robot system is developed to perform the parameter identification in the field. The results of simulations and experiments show satisfactory performance and robustness of the proposed algorithms.
An educational legacy: Exploring the links between education and resilience at the ECCC
Authors: McCaffrie Caitlin
Published: September 2020

About half a million Cambodians have attended hearings or outreach activities about the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) since public hearings began in 2009. Countless more have watched the trials unfold on television, and increasingly on social media. To date, the majority of conversations around the legacy of the ECCC have come from international scholars focusing on the legal impact the trials may have. This article instead presents the often-missing views of Cambodian youth about the Tribunal. It also, more broadly, explores the ECCC’s impact on education and young people’s understanding of history. Based on research carried out with university students, this article argues that the contribution of the ECCC to education has often been overlooked and is in fact one of its most significant legacies. In Cambodia, government and non-government organizations, as well as academic institutions, have the unique opportunity to incorporate testimony, footage, and documents from the ECCC into their programmes, greatly adding to the existing repertoire of Khmer-language resources dealing with the past. The result is a more well-rounded programme of transitional justice and reconciliation than the court alone could have provided, and certainly a higher level of external resilience than would have occurred had the court been located outside of Cambodia.
Freedom of the press, inequality and environmental policy
Authors: Martínez-Zarzoso Inma , Phillips Jennifer
Published: September 2020

This paper contributes to the literature on the determinants of environmental standards by studying the role of income inequality and freedom of the press. Given that evidence of the environmental Kuznets curve has only been found for some countries, it is thus crucial to investigate whether other factors besides income per capita levels may be affecting countries' decisions to pass environmentally-friendly legislation. We investigate the effects that inequality and freedom of the press have on environmental stringency for a sample of OECD and BRIICS countries and a global sample of 82 countries using data over the period 1994–2015. We hypothesize that the more unequal a society is, and the greater the oppression of the press is, the less stringent environmental policies are. The results partially confirm our hypothesis. In particular, lack of press freedom is negatively correlated with environmental stringency, whereas inequality shows a non-linear effect only for non-high-income countries.
The association between meal and snack frequency and irritable bowel syndrome
Authors: Vakhshoori Mehrbod , Saneei Parvane , Esmaillzadeh Ahmad , Daghaghzadeh Hamed , Hassanzadeh Keshteli Ammar , Adibi Peyman
Published: September 2020

Objective:

The relationship between daily meal and snack frequency with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) was less investigated in the literature. We aimed to evaluate this association with IBS symptoms.

Design:

A cross-sectional study.

Setting:

This investigation was performed in Isfahan, a large province in the centre of Iran. Individuals were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire to quantify the numbers of daily main meals (one, two or three), snacks (never, 1–2, 3–5 or >5) and the total of them (<3, 3–5, 6–7 or ≥8). IBS and its subtypes were diagnosed according to Rome Ш criteria.

Participants:

General adults (n 4669, 2063 men and 2606 women).

Results:

The prevalence of IBS was 18·6 % in males and 24·1 % in females. Individuals consuming three main meals had 30 % decreased risk of IBS (OR 0·70, 95 % CI 0·52, 0·94) compared with those with one main meal in the crude model. After adjustments for all potential confounders this relation disappeared (OR 0·67, 95 % CI 0·43, 1·03). Gender-specified analysis revealed that women consuming three main meals per day had 32 % decreased likelihood of having IBS symptoms compared with one daily main meal takers (OR 0·68, 95 % CI 0·47, 0·99). This relation remained significant after adjustment for potential confounders (OR 0·56, 95 % CI 0·36, 0·89). A decreased likelihood of IBS in the highest category of main meal consumption compared with the lowest one was found in obese or overweight subjects (OR 0·54, 95 % CI 0·32, 0·91), after adjustment for all confounders.

Conclusions:

Our findings suggested that there was no significant relation between main meal or snack frequency and IBS in Iranian adults, but a small inverse association was found among females and overweight/obese individuals in subgroup analysis. Further prospective studies are needed confirming these associations.
Eating behaviour styles in Irish teens: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Daly Aisling N , O’Sullivan Elizabeth J , Walton Janette , McNulty Breige A , Kearney John M
Published: September 2020

Objectives:

To describe the eating behaviour styles of Irish teens and to explore the relationships between demographic factors, BMI and dietary intake and these eating behaviour styles.

Design:

Cross-sectional data from the Irish National Teens’ Food Survey (2005–2006). The Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire assessed three eating behaviour styles in teens: restrained, emotional and external eating. Data were stratified by sex and age groups.

Setting:

The Republic of Ireland.

Participants:

Nationally representative sample of teens aged 13–17 years (n441).

Results:

The highest scoring eating behaviour style was external eating (2·83 externalv. 1·79 restraint and 1·84 emotional). Girls scored higher than boys on all three scales (Restraint: 2·04v. 1·56,P< 0·001, Emotional: 2·15v. 1·55,P< 0·001 and External: 2·91v. 2·76,P= 0·03), and older teens scored higher than younger teens on the Emotional (1·97v. 1·67,P< 0·001) and External scales (2·91v. 2·72,P= 0·01). Teens classified as overweight/obese scored higher than those classified as normal weight on the Restraint scale (2·15v. 1·71,P< 0·001) and lower on the External scale (2·67v. 2·87,P< 0·03). Daily energy intake was negatively correlated with the Restraint (r−0·343,P< 0·001) and Emotional scales (r−0·137,P= 0·004) and positively correlated with the External scale (r0·110,P= 0·02).

Conclusions:

External eating is the predominant eating behaviour style among Irish teens, but sex, age, BMI and dietary differences exist for each eating behaviour style. Including measures of eating behaviour styles into future dietary research could help understand bothhowandwhyas well aswhatpeople eat.
The heuristics that guide healthiness perception of ultra-processed foods: a qualitative exploration
Authors: Machín Leandro , Antúnez Lucía , Curutchet María Rosa , Ares Gastón
Published: September 2020

Objective:

To explore the conceptualisation of healthy food by citizens and how they judge the healthiness of ultra-processed foods.

Design:

Four focus groups were conducted using a semi-structured discussion guide. Focus group discussions were held about the concept of healthy food, what characterise a healthy product and healthiness perception of ultra-processed products. Transcripts of the focus groups were analysed following an inductive coding approach.

Setting:

Uruguay, one of the Latin American countries with the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity.

Participants:

Fifty-two adult Uruguayan participants, diverse in terms of gender, age, educational level and socio-economic status.

Results:

In agreement with previous studies on lay perceptions of healthy eating, the conceptualisation of healthy food was mainly focused on food characteristics. Although participants regarded lack of processing as a cue for healthiness, they did not categorise all ultra-processed products as unhealthy. Albeit some product categories were automatically regarded as unhealthy, participants considered that other categories could include healthy and unhealthy products. In such cases, they explicitly referred to several simplified cognitive strategies to judge whether an ultra-processed product is healthy or not. Results showed that participants tended to rely on simple cues, such as label design, nutrient claims, brand, price and country of origin as indicators of product healthiness.

Conclusions:

Healthiness perception of ultra-processed products seems to be largely influenced by heuristics, which stresses the need to implement policies that make the potential negative effects of ultra-processed products salient.
Tissue Micro-channels Formed by Collagen Fibers and their Internal Components: Cellular Evidence of Proposed Meridian Conduits in Vertebrate Skin
Authors: Xuebing Bai , Ruizhi Wu , Yue Zhang , Chunhua Liang , Yonghong Shi , Yingxin Zhang , Baitao Ding , Tarique Imran , Ping Yang , Qiusheng Chen
Published: September 2020

In order to clarify fine structures of the hypothetical meridian conduits of Chinese traditional medicine (CTM) in the skin, the present study used light and transmission electron microscopy to examine fasciae in different vertebrate species. Collagen fiber bundles and layers were arranged in a crisscross pattern, which developed into a special tissue micro-channel (TMC) network, in a manner that was analogs to the proposed skin meridian conduits. It was further revealed that tissue fluid in lateral TMC branches drained into wide longitudinal channels, which were distinctly different from lymphatic capillary. Mast cells, macrophages, and extracellular vesicles such as ectosomes and exosomes were distributed around telocytes (TCs) and their long processes (Telopodes, Tps) within the TMC. Cell junctions between TCs developed, which could enable the communication between contiguous but distant Tps. On the other hand, winding free Tps without cell junctions were also uncovered inside the TMC. Tissue fluid, cell junctions of TCs, mast cells, macrophages, and extracellular vesicles within the TMC corresponded to the circulating “气血” (“Qi-Xue”, i.e., information, message, and energy) of meridian conduits at the cytological level. These results could provide morphological evidence for the hypothesis that “meridians are the conduit for Qi-Xue circulation” in CTM.
Has Social Policy Expansion in Latin America Reduced Welfare Decommodification and Defamilialisation? Evidence from an Overview of the Mexican Welfare Regime
Authors: Velázquez Leyer Ricardo
Published: September 2020

Mexican social policy has been transformed in recent years with the introduction and expansion of social assistance programmes, causing a diversion from the trajectory based on social insurance since the first decades of the twentieth century. This article aims to understand the outcomes of that transformation, by applying welfare regime theory to establish how social policy reforms have affected the distribution of welfare responsibilities among the state, markets and families. The research identifies (de)commodification and (de)familialisation outcomes of policy changes in pensions, healthcare, unemployment and family support. Results suggest that the expansion has not produced significant reductions in decommodification or defamilialisation because of: a) the explicit or implicit role assigned to markets in policy design and implementation, and b) the reliance of the process of economic liberalisation on the welfare role performed by families. The case of Mexico may illustrate the current welfare challenges faced by societies across Latin America.
THE MOZARTS’ VIENNESE LODGINGS IN 1762 AND THE HOUSE ZUM ROTHEN SÄBEL
Authors: EDGE DEXTER , LORENZ MICHAEL
Published: September 2020

It is generally believed that when the Mozart family arrived in Vienna on 6 October 1762, they initially may have spent a night or two in the inn ‘Zum weißen Ochsen’ on Fleischmarkt, then moved for the remainder of their stay to lodgings on Tiefer Graben, either in a house belonging to Johann Heinrich Ditscher (Otto Erich Deutsch, 1961) or one belonging to Gottlieb Friedrich Fischer (Walter Brauneis, 1991). All modern Mozart biographies transmit either Deutsch's claim or Brauneis's, and many continue to state that the Mozarts stayed at ‘Zum weißen Ochsen’. We have been able to show that none of these claims has any merit, and no primary evidence supports them. The notion that the Mozarts stayed at ‘Zum weißen Ochsen’ can be traced back to an article published in 1860, where it is asserted without evidence; the idea was then popularized in a children's story about Wolfgang. The claim that the Mozarts lodged on Tiefer Graben is based on a fanciful interpretation of a mistranscribed street name in Schiedermair's 1914 edition of Leopold Mozart's letter of 19 October 1762.

Leopold actually wrote that the family lodged in ‘Fierberggaßl’. We argue that this refers to the still-existing Färbergasse, and that the Mozarts may have stayed in a house on that street (today the site of Färbergasse 3), with a long narrow wing fitting Leopold's description of their cramped quarters. We present other new details about this episode in Wolfgang's early life, including the identity of a customs official to whom he played a minuet on the violin, and the literary source of Leopold's remark that their lodgings were ‘1000 Schritt lang und 1. Schritt breit’. We also discuss the history of the house name ‘Zum rothen Säbel’, which is used incorrectly in the Mozart literature; at the time of the Mozarts’ visit in 1762, it referred to the house on Färbergasse in which – we argue – they actually stayed.
“Popular Sovereignty that I Deny”: Benjamin Constant on Public Opinion, Political Legitimacy and Constitution Making
Authors: Ghins Arthur
Published: September 2020

According to a dominant narrative, the concept of popular sovereignty was joined to the notion of public opinion during the French Revolution to form the blueprint of a liberal constitutional state. This article shows how, after the Revolution, Benjamin Constant, who is now recognized as a founding figure of “liberalism,” used public opinion as a substitute for popular sovereignty to theorize political legitimacy and constitution making. I show why and when Constant discussed popular sovereignty, namely to dismiss it as an unhelpful and dangerous fiction in answer to factions invoking the concept to revolutionize the political order, or rulers such as Napoleon using it to claim absolute power. In parallel, I explain how Constant designed his alternative, opinion-based theory of legitimacy in the 1790s, before pragmatically adapting it over the course of his career as political regimes changed in France. Constant's substitution of public opinion for popular sovereignty, I contend, reveals distinct views on what makes a political regime legitimate and the meaning of constitutional changes. I conclude with a discussion of how Constant's views, thus interpreted, throw light on debates about sovereignty and public opinion in modern political thought.
Causes of Variation in Food Preference in the Netherlands
Authors: Vink Jacqueline M. , van Hooijdonk Kirsten J. M. , Willemsen Gonneke , Feskens Edith J. M. , Boomsma Dorret I.
Published: September 2020

Our current society is characterized by an increased availability of industrially processed foods with high salt, fat and sugar content. How is it that some people prefer these unhealthy foods while others prefer more healthy foods? It is suggested that both genetic and environmental factors play a role. The aim of this study was to (1) identify food preference clusters in the largest twin-family study into food preference to date and (2) determine the relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors to individual differences in food preference in the Netherlands. Principal component analysis was performed to identify the preference clusters by using data on food liking/disliking from 16,541 adult multiples and their family members. To estimate the heritability of food preference, the data of 7833 twins were used in structural equation models. We identified seven food preference clusters (Meat, Fish, Fruits, Vegetables, Savory snacks, Sweet snacks and Spices) and one cluster with Drinks. Broad-sense heritability (additive [A] + dominant [D] genetic factors) for these clusters varied between .36 and .60. Dominant genetic effects were found for the clusters Fruit, Fish (males only) and Spices. Quantitative sex differences were found for Meat, Fish and Savory snacks and Drinks. To conclude, our study convincingly showed that genetic factors play a significant role in food preference. A next important step is to identify these genes because genetic vulnerability for food preference is expected to be linked to actual food consumption and different diet-related disorders.
Automatic support control of an upper body exoskeleton — Method and validation using the Stuttgart Exo-Jacket
Authors: Singer Raphael , Maufroy Christophe , Schneider Urs
Published: September 2020

Although passive occupational exoskeletons alleviate worker physical stresses in demanding postures (e.g., overhead work), they are unsuitable in many other applications because of their lack of flexibility. Active exoskeletons that are able to dynamically adjust the delivered support are required. However, the automatic control of support provided by the exoskeleton is still a largely unsolved challenge in many applications, especially for upper limb occupational exoskeletons, where no practical and reliable approach exists. For this type of exoskeletons, a novel support control approach for lifting and carrying activities is presented here. As an initial step towards a full-fledged automatic support control (ASC), the present article focusses on the functionality of estimating the onset of user’s demand for support. In this way, intuitive behavior should be made possible. The combination of movement and muscle activation signals of the upper limbs is expected to enable high reliability, cost efficiency, and compatibility for use in industrial applications. The functionality consists of two parts: a preprocessing—the motion interpretation—and the support detection itself. Both parts were trained with different subjects, who had to move objects. The functionality was validated both in the cases of (A) an unknown subject performing known tasks and (B) a known subject performing unknown tasks. The functionality showed sound results as it achieved a high accuracy ($$ 95\% $$) in training. In addition, the first validation results showed that this functionality is useful for integration in an appropriately adapted ASC and can then enable comfortable working.
Radon Activity in Volcanic Gases of Mt. Etna by Passive Dosimetry
Authors: Terray Luca , Gauthier Pierre‐Jean , Breton Vincent , Giammanco Salvatore , Sigmarsson Olgeir , Salerno Giuseppe , Caltabiano Tommaso , Falvard Alain
Published: September 2020

Radon (222Rn) activity in air was measured for about 6 months at the summit of Mt. Etna Central Crater (Sicily) by integrative radon dosimetry at two different heights above ground level (5 cm and 1 m). This technique for air radon monitoring proved operational in the harsh volcanic environment of Mt. Etna summit with a 94% recovery rate of dosimeters. In the southeast sector exposed to the main gas plume, mean radon activity in free air (height 1 m) is significantly higher than the local background and the ground level activity (height 5 cm). The results strongly suggest that the plume is enriched in radon by ≈550 Bq/m3, which has never been evidenced before. Radon activities also reflect soil degassing occurring in the proximity of the crater, with increased ground level activities in zones of enhanced soil fracturing and degassing. Radon measurements also revealed a hot spot in front of the Voragine vent with extraordinary high levels of air activities (26 kBq/m3 at ground level and 8 kBq/m3 in free air). The temporal variation of radon activity was investigated by replacing a few stations half way through the exposure period. The only significant increase was associated with the site located under the main gas plume and correlated with eruptive unrest within the crater. Finally, air radon levels higher than the recommended threshold of 300 Bq/m3 were detected in several zones on the rim and could generate a nonnegligible radiologic dose for workers on the volcano.
Evolution of Magmatism in the New Hebrides Island Arc and in Initial Back‐Arc Rifting, SW Pacific
Authors: Haase K. M. , Gress M. U. , Lima S. M. , Regelous M. , Beier C. , Romer R. L. , Bellon H.
Published: September 2020

We present new geochemical and isotopic data for rock samples from two island arc volcanoes, Erromango and Vulcan Seamount, and from a 500 m thick stratigraphic profile of lava flows exposed on the SW flank of Vate Trough back‐arc rift of the New Hebrides Island Arc (NHIA). The basalts from the SW rift flank of Vate Trough have ages of ~0.5 Ma but are geochemically similar to those erupting along the active back‐arc rift. The weak subduction component in the back‐arc basalts implies formation by decompression melting during early rifting and rifting initiation by tectonic processes rather than by lithosphere weakening by arc magma. Melting beneath Vate Trough is probably caused by chemically heterogeneous and hot mantle that flows in from the North Fiji Basin in the east. The melting zone beneath Vate Trough back‐arc is separate from that of the arc front, but a weak slab component suggests fluid transport from the slab. Immobile incompatible element ratios in South NHIA lavas overlap with those of the Vate Trough depleted back‐arc basalts, suggesting that enriched mantle components are depleted by back‐arc melting during mantle flow. The slab component varies from hydrous melts of subducted sediments in the Central NHIA to fluids from altered basalts in the South NHIA. The volcanism of Erromango shows constant compositions for 5 million years, that is, there is no sign for variable depletion of the mantle or for a change of slab components due to collision of the D'Entrecasteaux Ridge as in lava successions further north.
Inflow Speed Analysis of Interchange Injections in Saturn's Magnetosphere
Authors: Paranicas C. , Thomsen M. F. , Kollmann P. , Azari A. R. , Bader A. , Badman S. V. , Dumont M. , Kinrade J. , Krupp N. , Roussos E.
Published: September 2020

During its more than 13 years in orbit, the Cassini spacecraft detected a large number of plasma and energetic charged particle injections in Saturn's inner magnetosphere. In the corotating frame of the planet, the plasma contained within an injection moves radially inward with the component particles gaining energy. The highest energy particles in the injection experience stronger gradient‐curvature drifts in the longitudinal direction and can drift out of the main body of the injection. We have used these drift‐out effects to estimate the inflow speed of 20 injections by surveying cases from the available plasma data. We find that the average inflow speed from our sample is 15 km/s, and the values are well distributed between 0 and 50 km/s, with a few higher estimates. We have also computed the radial travel distance of interchange events and found that these are typically one to two Saturn radii. We discuss the implications of these quantifications on our understanding of transport.
Seismo‐Turbidites in Aysén Fjord (Southern Chile) Reveal a Complex Pattern of Rupture Modes Along the 1960 Megathrust Earthquake Segment
Authors: Wils Katleen , Van Daele Maarten , Kissel Catherine , Moernaut Jasper , Schmidt Sabine , Siani Giuseppe , Lastras Galderic
Published: September 2020

Grain size analysis and end‐member modeling of a long sediment core from Aysén Fjord (southern Chile) allows to identify over 25 seismo‐turbidites in the last 9,000 years. Considering the shaking intensities required to trigger these turbidites (V½‐VI½), the majority can be related to megathrust earthquakes. Multiple studies in south‐central Chile have aimed at finding traces of giant, tsunamigenic megathrust earthquakes leading to the current 5,500‐year‐long paleoseismological record of the Valdivia segment. However, none of these cover the southern third of the segment. Aysén Fjord allows to fill this data gap and presents the first, crucial paleoseismic data to demonstrate that the 1960 event was not unique for the Valdivia segment, yielding a recurrence rate of 321 ± 116 years in the last two millennia. Moreover, the oldest identified events in Aysén Fjord date back to 9,000 cal years BP and, thus, also extend the regional paleoseismological record in time. We infer a large temporal variability in rupture modes, with successions of full‐segment ruptures alternating with partial and cascading ruptures. The latter seems to significantly postpone the occurrence of another full rupture when consecutively occurring in different parts of the segment. Additionally, one outstanding period of seismic quiescence—during which no megathrust earthquake evidence has been found at any paleoseismic site—occurred after a full rupture in AD ~745 that presents an unusual uplift/subsidence pattern. Such variability makes it highly speculative to anticipate the rupture mode of the next megathrust earthquake along the Valdivia segment.
Identification of disease-causing variants by comprehensive genetic testing with exome sequencing in adults with suspicion of hereditary FSGS
Authors: Braunisch Matthias Christoph , Riedhammer Korbinian Maria , Herr Pierre-Maurice , Draut Sarah , Günthner Roman , Wagner Matias , Weidenbusch Marc , Lungu Adrian , Alhaddad Bader , Renders Lutz , Strom Tim M. , Heemann Uwe , Meitinger Thomas , Schmaderer Christoph , Hoefele Julia
Published: September 2020

In about 30% of infantile, juvenile, or adolescent patients with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS), a monogenic cause can be identified. The histological finding in SRNS is often focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Genetic data on adult patients are scarce with low diagnostic yields. Exome sequencing (ES) was performed in patients with adult disease onset and a high likelihood for hereditary FSGS. A high likelihood was defined if at least one of the following criteria was present: absence of a secondary cause, ≤25 years of age at initial manifestation, kidney biopsy with suspicion of a hereditary cause, extrarenal manifestations, and/or positive familial history/reported consanguinity. Patients were excluded if age at disease onset was <18 years. In 7/24 index patients with adult disease onset, a disease-causing variant could be identified by ES leading to a diagnostic yield of 29%. Eight different variants were identified in six known genes associated with monogenic kidney diseases. Six of these variants had been described before as disease-causing. In patients with a disease-causing variant, the median age at disease onset and end-stage renal disease was 26 and 38 years, respectively. The overall median time to a definite genetic diagnosis was 9 years. In 29% of patients with adult disease onset and suspected hereditary FSGS, a monogenic cause could be identified. The long delay up to the definite genetic diagnosis highlights the importance of obtaining an early genetic diagnosis to allow for personalized treatment options including weaning of immunosuppressive treatment, avoidance of repeated renal biopsy, and provision of accurate genetic counseling.