bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biomarkers of memory variability in traumatic brain injury
Authors: Adamovich-Zeitlin Richard , Wanda Paul A , Solomon Ethan , Phan Tung , Lega Bradley , Jobst Barbara C , Gross Robert E , Ding Kan , Diaz-Arrastia Ramon , Kahana Michael J
Published: December 2020

Traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of cognitive disability and is often associated with significant impairment in episodic memory. In traumatic brain injury survivors, as in healthy controls, there is marked variability between individuals in memory ability. Using recordings from indwelling electrodes, we characterized and compared the oscillatory biomarkers of mnemonic variability in two cohorts of epilepsy patients: a group with a history of moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (n = 37) and a group of controls without traumatic brain injury (n = 111) closely matched for demographics and electrode coverage. Analysis of these recordings demonstrated that increased high-frequency power and decreased theta power across a broad set of brain regions mark periods of successful memory formation in both groups. As features in a logistic-regression classifier, spectral power biomarkers effectively predicted recall probability, with little difference between traumatic brain injury patients and controls. The two groups also displayed similar patterns of theta-frequency connectivity during successful encoding periods. These biomarkers of successful memory, highly conserved between traumatic brain injury patients and controls, could serve as the basis for novel therapies that target disordered memory across diverse forms of neurological disease.
Working Memory for Signs with Poor Visual Resolution: fMRI Evidence of Reorganization of Auditory Cortex in Deaf Signers
Authors: Andin Josefine , Holmer Emil , Schönström Krister , Rudner Mary
Published: December 2020

Stimulus degradation adds to working memory load during speech processing. We investigated whether this applies to sign processing and, if so, whether the mechanism implicates secondary auditory cortex. We conducted an fMRI experiment where 16 deaf early signers (DES) and 22 hearing non-signers performed a sign-based n-back task with three load levels and stimuli presented at high and low resolution. We found decreased behavioral performance with increasing load and decreasing visual resolution, but the neurobiological mechanisms involved differed between the two manipulations and did so for both groups. Importantly, while the load manipulation was, as predicted, accompanied by activation in the frontoparietal working memory network, the resolution manipulation resulted in temporal and occipital activation. Furthermore, we found evidence of cross-modal reorganization in the secondary auditory cortex: DES had stronger activation and stronger connectivity between this and several other regions. We conclude that load and stimulus resolution have different neural underpinnings in the visual–verbal domain, which has consequences for current working memory models, and that for DES the secondary auditory cortex is involved in the binding of representations when task demands are low.
Decomposition and sequential-AND analysis of known cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure control systems
Authors: Maynard Peter , McLaughlin Kieran , Sezer Sakir
Published: December 2020

We perform a detailed survey and analysis of the most significant attacks, which have targeted industrial control systems over the past decade, based on detailed incident reports from scientific and non-traditional resources. This work is the first that considers together a comprehensive set of real-world cyber-attacks with the purpose of deriving a set of common features focusing particularly on the process control network. Each attack is decomposed to provide a comprehensive overview followed by a discussion of the commonalities identified across attacks. To achieve this, each attack is modelled using Attack Trees with Sequential AND, and mapped to the industrial control system Cyber Kill Chain. We focus on the methods of intrusion rather than the identification of actors. This article can be read in two parts: first, an analysis of each attack, and secondly a discussion of the derived commonalities. The resulting commonalities can be used to develop improved detection strategies to detect modern adversarial techniques and tactics.
Ecological and evolutionary constraints on regional avifauna of passerines in China
Authors: Cai Tianlong , Quan Qing , Song Gang , Wu Yongjie , Wen Zhixin , Zhang Chunlan , Qu Yanhua , Qiao Gexia , Lei Fumin
Published: December 2020

Strong correlations between species diversity and climate have been widely observed, but the mechanism underlying this relationship is unclear. Here, we explored the causes of the richness–climate relationships among passerine birds in China by integrating tropical conservatism and diversification rate hypotheses using path models. We found that assemblages with higher species richness southwest of the Salween–Mekong–Pearl River Divide are phylogenetically overdispersed and have shorter mean root distances (MRDs), while species-rich regions northeast of this divide (e.g., north Hengduan Mountains–south Qinling Mountains) are phylogenetically clustered and have longer MRDs. The results of the path analyses showed that the direct effect of climatic factors on species richness was stronger than their indirect effects on species richness via phylogenetic relatedness, indicating that neither tropical conservatism nor diversification rate hypotheses can well explain the richness–climate relationship among passerines in China. However, when path analyses were conducted within subregions separately, we found that the tropical conservatism hypothesis was well supported in the southwestern Salween–Mekong–Pearl River Divide, while the diversification rate hypothesis could explain the richness–climate relationship well in the northeastern divide. We conclude that the diversity patterns of passerines in different subregions of the Eastern Himalayas-Mountains of Southwest China may be shaped by different evolutionary processes related to geological and climatic histories, which explains why the tropical conservatism or diversification rate hypothesis alone cannot fully explain the richness–climate relationships.
HeartBioPortal2.0: new developments and updates for genetic ancestry and cardiometabolic quantitative traits in diverse human populations
Authors: Khomtchouk Bohdan B , Nelson Christopher S , Vand Kasra A , Palmisano Salvator , Grossman Robert L
Published: December 2020

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide for all genders and across most racial and ethnic groups. However, different races and ethnicities exhibit different rates of CVD and its related cardiorenal and metabolic comorbidities, suggesting differences in genetic predisposition and risk of onset, as well as socioeconomic and lifestyle factors (diet, exercise, etc.) that act upon an individual’s unique underlying genetic background. Here, we present HeartBioPortal2.0, a major update to HeartBioPortal, the world’s largest CVD genetics data precision medicine platform for harmonized CVD-relevant genetic variants, which now enables search and analysis of human genetic information related to heart disease across ethnically diverse populations and cardiovascular/renal/metabolic quantitative traits pertinent to CVD pathophysiology. HeartBioPortal2.0 is structured as a cloud-based computing platform and knowledge portal that consolidates a multitude of CVD-relevant genomic data modalities into a single powerful query and browsing interface between data and user via a user-friendly web application publicly available to the scientific research community. Since its initial release, HeartBioPortal2.0 has added new cardiovascular/renal/metabolic disease–relevant gene expression data as well as genetic association data from numerous large-scale genome-wide association study consortiums such as CARDIoGRAMplusC4D, TOPMed, FinnGen, AFGen, MESA, MEGASTROKE, UK Biobank, CHARGE, Biobank Japan and MyCode, among other studies. In addition, HeartBioPortal2.0 now includes support for quantitative traits and ethnically diverse populations, allowing users to investigate the shared genetic architecture of any gene or its variants across the continuous cardiometabolic spectrum from health (e.g. blood pressure traits) to disease (e.g. hypertension), facilitating the understanding of CVD trait genetics that inform health-to-disease transitions and endophenotypes. Custom visualizations in the new and improved user interface, including performance enhancements and new security features such as user authentication, collectively re-imagine HeartBioPortal’s user experience and provide a data commons that co-locates data, storage and computing infrastructure in the context of studying the genetic basis behind the leading cause of global mortality.

Database URL: https://www.heartbioportal.com/
A pebble clogging a river: a case report of thrombosed coronary aneurysmal ectasia
Authors: Jaglan Akshar , Ajam Tarek , Port Steven C , Bajwa Tanvir , Tajik A Jamil
Published: December 2020

Background

Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is a rare anomaly that can present at any age. Predisposing risk factors include Kawasaki disease in a younger population and atherosclerosis in the older generation. We present a unique case of the management of a young woman diagnosed with multivessel CAE with aneurysmal changes in the setting of acute coronary syndrome and subsequently during pregnancy.

Case summary

A 23-year-old woman presented with acute onset chest pain. Electrocardiogram revealed no ischaemic changes; however, troponin I peaked at 16 ng/mL (reference range 0–0.04 ng/mL). Echocardiogram showed apical dyskinesis with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction. Coronary angiography showed multivessel CAE along with significant thrombus burden in an ectatic lesion of the left anterior descending artery. Since the patient was haemodynamically stable, conservative management with dual antiplatelet therapy and anticoagulation was started. On follow-up, coronary computed tomographic angiogram illustrated resolution of the coronary thrombi and echocardiogram showed improvement to the apical dyskinesis. It was presumed that Kawasaki disease was the most likely aetiology of her disease. Subsequently the patient reported that, contrary to medical advice, she was pregnant, adding another layer of complexity to her case.

Discussion

Coronary artery ectasia can be discovered as an incidental finding or can present with an acute coronary syndrome. Management is challenging in the absence of randomized trials and large-scale data. Treatment options include medications, percutaneous intervention, and surgical revascularization. Close surveillance is required in these patients to assess progression of disease. Here we discuss treatment options during acute coronary syndrome and pregnancy.
A rare case of anaerobic streptococci endocarditis in a young female with bicuspid aortic valve: case report
Authors: Toader Despina , Cocora Mioara , Bătăiosu Constantin , Ocroteală Luminiă
Published: December 2020

Background

Bicuspid aortic valve is the most common congenital cardiovascular malformation and occurs in 1–2% of the population. The haemodynamic changes appear early, leading to tissue damage and predisposing to germs attachment. The development of perivalvular extension is a constant in bicuspid aortic valve endocarditis. Infective endocarditis with anaerobic bacteria is a rare condition with a high rate of mortality.

Case summary

We report a case of a young female with bicuspid aortic valve infective endocarditis. Involved bacteria were anaerobic streptococci, and the clinical course of the diseases was very aggressive. The echocardiographic evaluation revealed aortic and mitral regurgitation, perivalvular abscess, ventricular septum defect, and pericardial effusion. The surgery approach consisted of the aortic valve replacement with a mechanical prosthesis after radical resection of aortic root abscess and reconstruction of the annulus. The ventricular septum defect was also closed with a pericardial patch. Anticoagulation started the first day after surgery. The patient was received antibiotic therapy for 10 days before and 4 weeks after surgical intervention. Evolution was very good at 1 and 6 months follow-up.

Discussion

This is a severe case of endocarditis, complicated with extensive valvular destruction, aortic root abscess, and fistula. Perivalvular complications are frequent in patients with bicuspid aortic valve endocarditis. The ‘take away’ message is that echocardiography is an essential tool for diagnosis, management, and follow-up of patients with infective endocarditis.
A Witch-Hunting Magistrate? Brian Darcy and the St Osyth Witchcraft Cases of 1582
Authors: Durrant Jonathan
Published: December 2020

In just a few short weeks, between 19 February and 26 March 1582, the small coastal town of St Osyth, Essex, became the centre of an outbreak of witch-hunting that saw fifteen suspected witches investigated, two of whom, Ursley Kempe and Elizabeth Bennet, were hanged. Almost immediately, some of the pre-trial materials were published in the pamphlet A True and Just Recorde (1582). These materials have been used to argue that Brian Darcy, the investigating magistrate, hunted witches out of godly zeal, perhaps as part of the earl of Leicester’s campaign against seditious Catholics in the county. Yet, as this article shows, he was neither a ‘contentious person’ nor a witch-hunter. There were genuine reasons why people felt compelled to accuse their neighbours of witchcraft that were rooted in a short-term mortality crisis in and around St Osyth, and fragile personal relationships which made Darcy receptive to their anxieties. Darcy was certainly credulous and played an important role in the examination of the alleged witches who came to his attention, but he did not hunt them out. He was a willing magistrate who reacted to a situation that arose because there existed authentic suspects, accusers with genuine fears and grievances, and local problems which made accusations of witchcraft seems plausible. The St Osyth witchcraft episode was not the product of one man’s actions.
Immediate and long-term health impact of exposure to gas-mining induced earthquakes and related environmental stressors
Authors: Dückers Michel L A , Baliatsas Christos , Spreeuwenberg Peter , Verheij Robert A , Reifels Lennart , Yzermans C Joris
Published: December 2020

Background

Little is known about the public health impact of chronic exposure to physical and social stressors in the human environment. Objective of this study was to investigate the immediate and long-term health effects of living in an environment with gas-mining induced earthquakes and related stressors in the Netherlands.

Methods

Data on psychological, somatic and social problems recorded routinely in electronic health records by general practitioners during a 6-year period (2010–2015) were combined with socioeconomic status and seismicity data. To assess immediate health effects of exposure to ML≥1.5 earthquakes, relative risk ratios were calculated for patients in the week of an earthquake and the week afterwards, and compared to the week before the earthquake. To analyse long-term health effects, relative risks of different groups, adjusted for age, sex and socioeconomic status, were computed per year and compared.

Results

Apart from an increase in suicidality, few immediate health changes were found in an earthquake week or week afterwards. Generally, the prevalence of health problems was higher in the mining province in the first years, but dropped to levels equal to or even below the control group in subsequent years, with lower relative risks observed in more frequently exposed patients.

Conclusions

From a public health perspective, the findings are fascinating. Contrary to our expectation, health problems presented in general practice in the earthquake province decreased during the study period. More frequently exposed populations reported fewer health issues to general practitioners, which might point at health adaptation to chronic exposure to stressors.
Metabolomics of ginger based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry technology
Authors: Yan Hui , Zou Dongqian , Zhou Guisheng , Yu Hanwen , Li Penghui , Wang Tianshu , Bao Beihua , Guo Sheng , Duan Jinao
Published: December 2020

Objectives

Dried ginger and ginger are the same type of medicine and food. The differential components of ginger and dried ginger, dried ginger and ginger charcoal were investigated.

Materials and Methods

The experimental materials were divided into three sample groups: the ginger group, dried ginger group, and ginger charcoal group. The ginger group, dried ginger group, and ginger charcoal group were qualitatively analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The data were processed by Marker View Software. Principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least-square discriminant analysis were performed with SIMCA 13.0 Software. The differential components of the ginger and dried ginger groups as well as the dried ginger and ginger charcoal groups with a variable importance in the projection > 2 (P < 0.05) were identified with PeakView 1.2 Software.

Results

Ten differential components, including 6-gingerol, 8-gingerol, and 10-gingerol, were identified between the ginger group and dried ginger group; 13 differential components, including 6-shogaol, 10-gingerol, and zingiberone, were identified between the dried ginger group and ginger charcoal group.

Conclusions

The main differential components between the ginger and dried ginger groups and the dried ginger and ginger charcoal groups were gingerols and diphenylheptanes. Based on metabolomics analysis of the chemical composition of ginger’s medicinal materials, effects, and other related factors, it is recommended that 6-gingerol, 6-shogaol, and zingiberone should be used as indicative components for the respective quality evaluation of ginger, dried ginger and ginger charcoal. The results of this study may provide a basis for the reasonable quality evaluation of ginger medicinal materials.
Collagenous Colitis Mucosa Is Characterized by an Expansion of Nonsuppressive FoxP3+ T Helper Cells
Authors: Daferera Niki , Escudero-Hernández Celia , Nyström Sofia , Jenmalm Maria C , Hjortswang Henrik , Ignatova Simone , Ström Magnus , Münch Andreas
Published: December 2020

Background and Aim

Increased frequencies of T regulatory (Treg) cells, key players in immune regulation, have been reported in inflammatory bowel diseases, including collagenous colitis (CC). However, traditional Treg identification techniques might have misinterpreted the frequencies of Treg cells in CC. Thus, we investigated the presence of genuine Treg cells in CC.

Methods

Treg cells were analyzed in mucosal and peripheral blood samples of CC patients before and during treatment with the corticosteroid drug budesonide and in healthy controls. Samples were analyzed by flow cytometry by classifying CD3+CD4+ cells as activated FoxP3highCD45RA- Treg cells, resting FoxP3dimCD45RA+ Treg cells, and nonsuppressive FoxP3dimCD45RA- T helper cells. Traditional gating strategies that classified Treg cells as CD25highCD127low, FoxP3+CD127low, and CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ were also used to facilitate comparison with previous studies.

Results

Activated and resting Treg cell frequencies did not change in active CC mucosa or peripheral blood and were not affected by budesonide treatment. Instead, nonsuppressive FoxP3dimCD45RA- T helper cells were increased in active CC mucosa, and budesonide helped restore them to normal levels. In contrast, traditional Treg cell gating strategies resulted in increased Treg cell frequencies in active CC mucosa. No alterations were found in peripheral blood samples, independently of patient treatment or gating techniques.

Conclusion

Previously reported increase of Treg cells is a result of incomplete Treg phenotyping, which included nonsuppressive FoxP3dimCD45RA- T helper cells. Because budesonide did not affect Treg percentage, its therapeutic effect in CC might involve alternative mechanisms.
A variational approach to the sum splitting scheme
Authors: Eisenmann Monika , Hansen Eskil
Published: December 2020

Nonlinear parabolic equations are frequently encountered in applications and efficient approximating techniques for their solution are of great importance. In order to provide an effective scheme for the temporal approximation of such equations, we present a sum splitting scheme that comes with a straightforward parallelization strategy. The convergence analysis is carried out in a variational framework that allows for a general setting and, in particular, nontrivial temporal coefficients. The aim of this work is to illustrate the significant advantages of a variational framework for operator splittings and to use this to extend semigroup-based theory for this type of scheme.
Singularities of Non-ℚ-Gorenstein Varieties Admitting a Polarized Endomorphism
Authors: Yoshikawa Shou
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we introduce a new generalization of log canonical singularities for non-$\mathbb{Q}$-Gorenstein varieties. We prove that if a normal complex projective variety has a non-invertible polarized endomorphism, then it has log canonical singularities in our sense. As a corollary, we give an affirmative answer to a conjecture of Broustet and Höring [ 6].
Low rate of oseltamivir prescription among adults and children with confirmed influenza illness in France during the 2018–19 influenza season
Authors: Cizeron Alexandra , Saunier Florian , Gagneux-Brunon Amandine , Pillet Sylvie , Cantais Aymeric , Botelho-Nevers Elisabeth
Published: December 2020

Background

Oseltamivir shows effectiveness in reducing influenza-related symptoms, morbidity and mortality. Its prescription remains suboptimal.

Objectives

We aim to describe oseltamivir prescription in confirmed cases of influenza and to identify associated factors.

Methods

A prospective monocentric observational study was conducted between 1 December 2018 and 30 April 2019. All patients with a virologically confirmed influenza diagnosis were included. Factors associated with oseltamivir prescription were studied.

Results

Influenza was confirmed in 755 patients (483 children and 272 adults), of which 188 (25.1%) were hospitalized and 86 (11.4%) had signs of severity. Oseltamivir was prescribed for 452 patients (59.9%), more frequently in children than in adults [329/483 (68.1%) versus 123/272 (45.2%), P < 0.001]. Factors associated with oseltamivir prescription were evaluated in 729 patients (246 adults and 483 children). Patients with at least one risk factor for severe influenza received oseltamivir less frequently (50%, 137/274) than those without risk factors (70%, 315/452) (P < 0.001). Pregnant women received oseltamivir in 81% of cases (17/21). Severe influenza cases were treated with oseltamivir in only 45.3% (39/86). The median duration of symptoms was 24 h (IQR 12–48) in treated patients versus 72 h (IQR 48–120) in untreated patients (P < 0.01).

Conclusions

Oseltamivir should be administered as early as possible, preferably within 24–48 h after illness onset, for the best benefits. It is, however, very important to promote the use of neuraminidase inhibitor (‘NAI’) treatment beyond 48 h in some specific patient populations.
Effect of a novel animal milk oligosaccharide biosimilar on macronutrient digestibility and gastrointestinal tolerance, fecal metabolites, and fecal microbiota of healthy adult cats
Authors: Oba Patrícia M , Lee Anne H , Vidal Sara , Wyss Romain , Miao Yong , Adesokan Yemi , Swanson Kelly S
Published: December 2020

GNU100 is a novel animal milk oligosaccharide (AMO) biosimilar. In a recent in vitro fermentation study, GNU100 was shown to be fermentable by feline gastrointestinal microbiota and lead to increased short-chain fatty acid production. Our objectives herein were to evaluate the palatability, safety, and gastrointestinal tolerance of GNU100 in healthy adult cats. Exploratory end-points were measured to assess utility. In study 1, 20 adult cats were used to test the palatability of diets containing 0% or 1% GNU100. In study 2, 32 (mean age = 1.9 yr; mean body weight = 4.6 kg) male (n = 12) and female (n = 20) adult cats were used in a completely randomized design. After a 2-wk baseline, cats were assigned to one of the following treatment groups and fed for 26 wk: control (CT, no GNU100), low dose (LD, 0.5% GNU100), medium dose (MD, 1.0% GNU100), and high dose (HD, 1.5% GNU100). On weeks 2, 4, and 26, fresh fecal samples were collected for the measurement of stool quality and immune and inflammatory markers and on weeks 2 and 4 for microbiota and metabolites. On week 4, total feces were collected to measure apparent total tract macronutrient digestibility. On weeks 2, 4, and 26, blood samples were collected for serum chemistry, hematology, and inflammatory marker measurement. The palatability test showed that 1% GNU100 was strongly preferred (P < 0.05), with GNU100 having a 17.6:1 consumption ratio compared with control. In the long-term study, all cats remained healthy, without any signs of gastrointestinal intolerance or illness. All diets were well accepted, resulting in similar (P > 0.05) food intake, fecal characteristics, immunoglobulin A, and calprotectin, and dry matter, organic matter, fat, and crude protein digestibilities. Fecal butyrate was greater (P = 0.02) in cats fed HD than cats fed LD or MD. Fecal indole was lower (P = 0.02) in cats fed HD than cats fed LD. Cats fed CT had a higher (P = 0.003) relative abundance of Actinobacteria than cats fed LD. The relative abundance of Peptococcus was impacted by diet and time. At 4 wk, Campylobacter was lower in fecal samples of cats fed HD. Overall, the data suggest that dietary GNU100 supplementation was highly palatable, well tolerated, did not cause detrimental effects on fecal quality or nutrient digestibility, increased fecal butyrate concentrations, and reduced fecal indole concentrations, supporting the safety of GNU100 for inclusion in feline diets and suggesting potential benefits on gastrointestinal health of cats.
Kavain Interference with Amphetamine Immunoassay
Authors: Madhavaram H , Patel T , Kyle C
Published: December 2020

We encountered unexpected false-positive urine results in three patients for amphetamine-type substances by immunoassay (IA), measured as part of community drug prevention programs. Kavain was identified in all three urine samples by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC--MS). No other potential cross-reactants were found. Kavain is a kava-lactone present in kava, a ceremonial and recreational drink derived from the roots and stems of the plant Piper methysticum. It is consumed regularly by many indigenous Pacific and Australian Aboriginal communities.

Urine IA was performed on a Beckman Coulter AU480 Analyzer using cloned enzyme donor immunoassay (CEDIA) amphetamine-type substance reagent and DRI ethanol reagent. We purchased three different kava powders from local kava clubs and dissolved in ethanol, then evaporated and reconstituted in blank urine and analyzed by IA, GC--MS for amphetamine-type substances. Additionally, authentic kavain standard was also tested for cross-reactivity by IA and analyzed by GC--MS to compare the mass fragmentation pattern and retention time with the kava powder and patient specimens. The patient urine samples tested positive by CEDIA IA for amphetamines. However, when analyzed by GC--MS, they were negative for amphetamine-type but contained kavain. The kava powders and kavain standard all cross-reacted with the amphetamine IA to give falsely detected results. GC--MS did not identify any amphetamine-type compounds in any of the kava powders nor in the kavain standard. To our knowledge, this is the first report of false-positive amphetamine measurements due to kavain, a component of the kava drink, widely consumed in Oceania and Australasia.
Association Between Susceptibility of Thrips palmi to Spinetoram and Frequency of G275E Mutation Provides Basis for Molecular Quantification of Field-Evolved Resistance
Authors: Shi Pan , Guo Shao-Kun , Gao Yong-Fu , Chen Jin-Cui , Gong Ya-Jun , Tang Meng-Qing , Cao Li-Jun , Li Hu , Hoffmann Ary Anthony , Wei Shu-Jun
Published: December 2020

Putative mechanisms underlying spinosyn resistance have been identified in controlled studies on many species; however, mechanisms underlying field-evolved resistance and the development of a molecular diagnostic method for monitoring field resistance have lagged behind. Here, we examined levels of resistance of melon thrips, Thrips palmi Karny (Thysanoptera:Thripidae), to spinetoram as well as target site mutations in field populations across China to identify potential mechanisms and useful molecular markers for diagnostic and quantifying purposes. In resistant populations, we identified the G275E mutation, which has previously been linked to spinosyns resistance, and F314V mutation, both located in the α6 subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. There was a strong correlation between levels of spinetoram resistance and allele frequency of G275E mutation in field-collected populations (r2 = 0.84) and those reared under laboratory conditions for two to five generations (r2 = 0.91). LC50 ranged from 0.12 to 0.66 mg/liter in populations without G275E mutation, whereas it ranged from 33.12 to 39.91 mg/liter in most populations with a G275E mutation frequency more than 90%. Our results indicate that the field-evolved resistance of T. palmi to spinetoram in China is mainly conferred by the G275E mutation. The frequency of the G275E mutation provides a useful diagnostic for quantifying resistance levels in field populations of T. palmi.
Leaf apoplastic alkalization promotes transcription of the ABA-synthesizing enzyme Vp14 and stomatal closure in Zea mays
Authors: Geilfus Christoph-Martin , Zhang Xudong , Mithöfer Axel , Burgel Lisa , Bárdos Gyöngyi , Zörb Christian
Published: December 2020

The chloride component of NaCl salinity causes the leaf apoplast to transiently alkalinize. This transition in pH reduces stomatal aperture. However, whether this apoplastic pH (pHapo) transient initiates stomatal closure by interacting with other chloride stress-induced responses or whether the pH transient alone initiates stomatal closure is unknown. To clarify the problem, the transient alkalinization of the leaf apoplast was mimicked in intact maize (Zea mays L.) by infiltrating near-neutral pH buffers into the leaf apoplast. Effects of the pHapo transient could thus be investigated independently from other chloride stress-derived effects. Microscopy-based ratiometric live pHapo imaging was used to monitor pHapoin planta. LC-MS/MS and real-time quantitative reverse transcription–PCR leaf analyses showed that the artificially induced pHapo transient led to an increase in the concentrations of the stomata-regulating plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) and in transcripts of the key ABA-synthesizing gene ZmVp14 in the leaf. Since stomatal aperture and stomatal conductance decreased according to pHapo, we conclude that the pHapo transient alone initiates stomatal closure. Therefore, the functionality does not depend on interactions with other compounds induced by chloride stress. Overall, our data indicate that the pH of the leaf apoplast links chloride salinity with the control of stomatal aperture via effects exerted on the transcription of ABA.
The American Paddlefish Genome Provides Novel Insights into Chromosomal Evolution and Bone Mineralization in Early Vertebrates
Authors: Cheng Peilin , Huang Yu , Lv Yunyun , Du Hao , Ruan Zhiqiang , Li Chuangju , Ye Huan , Zhang Hui , Wu Jinming , Wang Chengyou , Ruan Rui , Li Yanping , Bian Chao , You Xinxin , Shi Chengcheng , Han Kai , Xu Junming , Shi Qiong , Wei Qiwei
Published: December 2020

Sturgeons and paddlefishes (Acipenseriformes) occupy the basal position of ray-finned fishes, although they have cartilaginous skeletons as in Chondrichthyes. This evolutionary status and their morphological specializations make them a research focus, but their complex genomes (polyploidy and the presence of microchromosomes) bring obstacles and challenges to molecular studies. Here, we generated the first high-quality genome assembly of the American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) at a chromosome level. Comparative genomic analyses revealed a recent species-specific whole-genome duplication event, and extensive chromosomal changes, including head-to-head fusions of pairs of intact, large ancestral chromosomes within the paddlefish. We also provide an overview of the paddlefish SCPP (secretory calcium-binding phosphoprotein) repertoire that is responsible for tissue mineralization, demonstrating that the earliest flourishing of SCPP members occurred at least before the split between Acipenseriformes and teleosts. In summary, this genome assembly provides a genetic resource for understanding chromosomal evolution in polyploid nonteleost fishes and bone mineralization in early vertebrates.
Structural basis for inhibition of the type I-F CRISPR–Cas surveillance complex by AcrIF4, AcrIF7 and AcrIF14
Authors: Gabel Clinton , Li Zhuang , Zhang Heng , Chang Leifu
Published: December 2020

CRISPR–Cas systems are adaptive immune systems in bacteria and archaea to defend against mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and have been repurposed as genome editing tools. Anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins are produced by MGEs to counteract CRISPR–Cas systems and can be used to regulate genome editing by CRISPR techniques. Here, we report the cryo-EM structures of three type I-F Acr proteins, AcrIF4, AcrIF7 and AcrIF14, bound to the type I-F CRISPR–Cas surveillance complex (the Csy complex) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. AcrIF4 binds to an unprecedented site on the C-terminal helical bundle of Cas8f subunit, precluding conformational changes required for activation of the Csy complex. AcrIF7 mimics the PAM duplex of target DNA and is bound to the N-terminal DNA vise of Cas8f. Two copies of AcrIF14 bind to the thumb domains of Cas7.4f and Cas7.6f, preventing hybridization between target DNA and the crRNA. Our results reveal structural detail of three AcrIF proteins, each binding to a different site on the Csy complex for inhibiting degradation of MGEs.
A hotspot for enhancing insulin receptor activation revealed by a conformation-specific allosteric aptamer
Authors: Yunn Na-Oh , Park Mangeun , Park Seongeun , Lee Jimin , Noh Jeongeun , Shin Euisu , Ryu Sung Ho
Published: December 2020

Aptamers are single-stranded oligonucleotides that bind to a specific target with high affinity, and are widely applied in biomedical diagnostics and drug development. However, the use of aptamers has largely been limited to simple binders or inhibitors that interfere with the function of a target protein. Here, we show that an aptamer can also act as a positive allosteric modulator that enhances the activation of a receptor by stabilizing the binding of a ligand to that receptor. We developed an aptamer, named IR-A43, which binds to the insulin receptor, and confirmed that IR-A43 and insulin bind to the insulin receptor with mutual positive cooperativity. IR-A43 alone is inactive, but, in the presence of insulin, it potentiates autophosphorylation and downstream signaling of the insulin receptor. By using the species-specific activity of IR-A43 at the human insulin receptor, we demonstrate that residue Q272 in the cysteine-rich domain is directly involved in the insulin-enhancing activity of IR-A43. Therefore, we propose that the region containing residue Q272 is a hotspot that can be used to enhance insulin receptor activation. Moreover, our study implies that aptamers are promising reagents for the development of allosteric modulators that discriminate a specific conformation of a target receptor.
Perovskite solar cells from lab to fab: the main challenges to access the market
Authors: Galagan Yulia
Published: December 2020

Research progress in the field of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) highlights perovskite-based photovoltaic as a very promising candidate for future energy technologies. Despite the number of advantages, PSCs still remain within laboratories. Several critical issues need to be solved before PSC technology enters the industrial stage and will undergo the commercialization process. This review summarizes current challenges in the commercialization of the PSCs and discusses possible solutions to overcome these issues. The review is focused on scaling up of the perovskite technologies, development of industry compatible manufacturing, selection of functional materials and solvents suitable for mass manufacturing. Moreover, the stability of the cells and modules, as a critical condition for future commercialization, is also discussed in this review. Special attention is paid to the stability of the modules and identifying specific aspects that differentiate the stability of cells and modules. The environmental aspects and lead toxicity are also discussed among the challenges for the commercialization of PSCs.
Psychoanalysis
Authors: Rabaté Jean-Michel
Published: December 2020

This article explores the relationship of decadence and psychoanalysis in the work of four major figures: Max Nordau, Sabina Spielrein, Georg Groddeck, and Italo Svevo. Sigmund Freud and Nordau agreed on the need to launch a scientific psychology but disagreed on the relative function of disease and health in culture, the latter famously explored in Nordau’s Entartung (Degeneration; 1892–1893). Spielrein’s “Destruction as the Cause of Becoming” (1912) influenced Freud’s concept of the “death drive” while also examining the “decadent” interaction between Wagner and Nietzsche. Spielrein’s thinking, along with Otto Gross’s, influenced Georg Groddeck, from whom Freud derived the concept of the id. Groddeck’s psychoanalytical novel Der Seelensucher (The soulseeker; 1921) anticipates Svevo’s Zeno’s Conscience (1923) and Regeneration (1928), a comic play that meditates on health and disease and gives a final twist to a psychoanalytically inflected rethinking of the uses and abuses of the concept of decadence.
Globalization and Cosmopolitanism in the Middle Eastern City
Authors: Vignal Leïla
Published: December 2020

The chapter questions the extent to which globalization has had the effect of bringing about a reassessment of urban societies and cosmopolitanism in the Middle East. It revisits orientalist urban narratives and firmly places the analysis of Middle Eastern cities within the analytical scope of contemporary global urban dynamics. It shows that these dynamics translate into the emergence of a regional space of flows and networks within which cities have a renewed role. It then discusses the tensions that exist in Middle Eastern cities between elite and non-elite practices of urban cosmopolitanism. It shows how some discourses of urban cosmopolitanism are often used to justify unequal, polarized, and segregated societies.
Religion and the City
Authors: Hammond Timur
Published: December 2020

This chapter provides an introduction to some of the conceptual issues raised by the study of religion and the city. It identifies four broad meta-questions that frame this interdisciplinary field of study: the nature of the relationship between religion and the city, the challenges of reconciling the plurality of religious experience and the need for a general definition, the question of a single urban process, and the ongoing importance of the “region” as an analytical lens. The chapter argues that greater attention to these meta-questions would provide one strategy for expanding conversations and collaborations across multiple disciplinary and methodological approaches.
Family Models of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Authors: Monson Candice M. , Fredman Steffany J. , Dekel Rachel , Ennis Naomi , Macdonald Alexandra
Published: December 2020

This chapter reviews the extant literature on the interpersonal aspects of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with a focus on couple and family models of PTSD. Topics include the association of PTSD with a variety of family relationship problems in a range of traumatized populations. The role of relevant interpersonal constructs in the onset and maintenance of PTSD (e.g., social support, communication patterns) and the psychological effects of PTSD symptoms on family members and their interactions are discussed. In addition, models that take into account a range of relationship variables and the likely bidirectional association between individual and family functioning in PTSD are presented. Future directions for theory and research, as well as the clinical implications of this work, are outlined.
Dissemination and Implementation of Evidence-Based Interventions for Adults with PTSD
Authors: La Bash Heidi , Wiltsey Stirman Shannon
Published: December 2020

This chapter reviews current efforts to disseminate and implement evidence-based interventions (EBIs) for adult posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), like cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure. As the body of empirical support for EBIs has been amassed and best practices identified, concerted efforts are being made to integrate EBIs for PTSD into behavioral health organizations. However, implementation is a complex, multi-faceted process, with a range of factors that can benefit or hinder efforts to diffuse an innovation. Working through each stage of implementation, these factors are reviewed from the initial stage of a needs assessment, through the preparation, active implementation, and finally sustained delivery stages. Factors discussed include those related to the broader sociopolitical and cultural context, the organization, the individuals providing and receiving treatment, as well as those specific to the characteristics of the intervention. Strategies to address these barriers and to amplify the effects of factors that facilitate implementation are also discussed. Finally, the chapter discusses future directions and remaining pressing issues for the field.
The Network Scale-Up Method
Authors: McCormick Tyler H.
Published: December 2020

The network scale-up method is one of a series of methods that leverage a respondent’s social network to more effectively capture information about specific groups or about the population as a whole. The network scale-up method works with questions that are known as aggregated relational data (ARD). These questions take the form “How many Xs do you know?” That is, ARD are count data consisting of the number of connections between a respondent and individuals with a specific characteristic. Critically, ARD do not involve observing any links in the network and are collected using standard probability sampling techniques. The main focus of this chapter is estimating the size of a group of individuals using ARD and the network scale-up method. As the name implies, the method uses information for survey respondents’ social networks to “scale up” to an entire population.
An Introduction to Statistical Models for Networks
Authors: Kuskova Valentina , Wasserman Stanley
Published: December 2020

Network theoretical and analytic approaches have reached a new level of sophistication in this decade, accompanied by a rapid growth of interest in adopting these approaches in social science research generally. Of course, much social and behavioral science focuses on individuals, but there are often situations where the social environment—the social system—affects individual responses. In these circumstances, to treat individuals as isolated social atoms, a necessary assumption for the application of standard statistical analysis is simply incorrect. Network methods should be part of the theoretical and analytic arsenal available to sociologists. Our focus here will be on the exponential family of random graph distributions, p*, because of its inclusiveness. It includes conditional uniform distributions as special cases.
Network Basics: Points, Lines, and Positions
Authors: Light Ryan , Moody James
Published: December 2020

This chapter presents an introduction to the basic concepts central to social network analysis. Written for those with little experience in the approach, the chapter aims to provide the necessary tools to dig deeper into exploring social networks via the subsequent chapters in this volume. It begins by introducing the building blocks of networks—nodes and edges—and their characteristics. Next, it outlines several of the major dimensions of network analysis, including the implications of boundary specification and levels of analysis. It also briefly introduces statistical approaches to networks and network data collection. The chapter concludes with a discussion of ethical issues that arise when collecting and analyzing social network data.
Rethinking Social Networks in the Era of Computational Social Science
Authors: Kitts James A. , Quintane Eric
Published: December 2020

Recent work argued that researchers conceptualize “social ties” in four fundamentally different ways—as socially constructed role relations such as friendship or coauthorship, sentiments such as liking or hatred, interactions such as communication or sex, and access to resources or opportunities. We consider where ties (and nonties) are likely to correspond across these four concepts, and thus assess where we may apply theories based on one network concept (e.g. sentiment ties of liking and disliking) to data representing another (e.g. interaction as logs of phone calls). Then we discuss empirical lenses emerging from computational social science, such as location-aware devices, electronic calendars, wearable sensors, records of electronic messages, phone calls, or online transactions. We ask how these timestamped event series correspond to the aforementioned conventional network concepts and call for a new analytical approach: directly theorizing and analyzing the structural-temporal interdependencies of interaction events redirects our attention from structural patterns to social processes.
Networks
Authors: Jackson Matthew O. , Rogers Brian W. , Zenou Yves
Published: December 2020

What is the role of social networks in driving persistent differences between races and genders in education and labor market outcomes? What is the role of homophily in such differences? Why is such homophily seen even if it ends up with negative consequences in terms of labor markets? This chapter discusses social network analysis from the perspective of economics. The chapter is organized around the theme of externalities: the effects that one’s behavior has on others’ welfare. Externalities underlie the interdependencies that make networks interesting to social scientists. This chapter discusses network formation, as well as interactions between people’s behaviors within a given network, and the implications in a variety of settings. Finally, the chapter highlights some empirical challenges inherent in the statistical analysis of network-based data.
The Spatial Dimensions of Social Networks
Authors: Neal Zachary P.
Published: December 2020

The first law of geography holds that everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things, where distance refers to topographical space. If a first law of network science exists, it would similarly hold that everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things, but where distance refers to topological space. Frequently these two laws collide, together holding that everything is related to everything else, but topographically and topologically near things are more related than topographically and topologically distant things. The focus of the spatial study of social networks lies in exploring a series of questions embedded in this combined law of geography and networks. This chapter explores the questions that have been asked and the answers that have been offered at the intersection of geography and networks.