bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identifying complex gene–gene interactions: a mixed kernel omnibus testing approach
Authors: Liu Yan , Gao Yuzhao , Fang Ruiling , Cao Hongyan , Sa Jian , Wang Jianrong , Liu Hongqi , Wang Tong , Cui Yuehua
Published: July 2021

Genes do not function independently; rather, they interact with each other to fulfill their joint tasks. Identification of gene–gene interactions has been critically important in elucidating the molecular mechanisms responsible for the variation of a phenotype. Regression models are commonly used to model the interaction between two genes with a linear product term. The interaction effect of two genes can be linear or nonlinear, depending on the true nature of the data. When nonlinear interactions exist, the linear interaction model may not be able to detect such interactions; hence, it suffers from substantial power loss. While the true interaction mechanism (linear or nonlinear) is generally unknown in practice, it is critical to develop statistical methods that can be flexible to capture the underlying interaction mechanism without assuming a specific model assumption. In this study, we develop a mixed kernel function which combines both linear and Gaussian kernels with different weights to capture the linear or nonlinear interaction of two genes. Instead of optimizing the weight function, we propose a grid search strategy and use a Cauchy transformation of the P-values obtained under different weights to aggregate the P-values. We further extend the two-gene interaction model to a high-dimensional setup using a de-biased LASSO algorithm. Extensive simulation studies are conducted to verify the performance of the proposed method. Application to two case studies further demonstrates the utility of the model. Our method provides a flexible and computationally efficient tool for disentangling complex gene–gene interactions associated with complex traits.
Data-driven identification of SARS-CoV-2 subpopulations using PhenoGraph and binary-coded genomic data
Authors: Yang Zhi-Kai , Pan Lingyu , Zhang Yanming , Luo Hao , Gao Feng
Published: July 2021

For epidemic prevention and control, the identification of SARS-CoV-2 subpopulations sharing similar micro-epidemiological patterns and evolutionary histories is necessary for a more targeted investigation into the links among COVID-19 outbreaks caused by SARS-CoV-2 with similar genetic backgrounds. Genomic sequencing analysis has demonstrated the ability to uncover viral genetic diversity. However, an objective analysis is necessary for the identification of SARS-CoV-2 subpopulations. Herein, we detected all the mutations in 186 682 SARS-CoV-2 isolates. We found that the GC content of the SARS-CoV-2 genome had evolved to be lower, which may be conducive to viral spread, and the frameshift mutation was rare in the global population. Next, we encoded the genomic mutations in binary form and used an unsupervised learning classifier, namely PhenoGraph, to classify this information. Consequently, PhenoGraph successfully identified 303 SARS-CoV-2 subpopulations, and we found that the PhenoGraph classification was consistent with, but more detailed and precise than the known GISAID clades (S, L, V, G, GH, GR, GV and O). By the change trend analysis, we found that the growth rate of SARS-CoV-2 diversity has slowed down significantly. We also analyzed the temporal, spatial and phylogenetic relationships among the subpopulations and revealed the evolutionary trajectory of SARS-CoV-2 to a certain extent. Hence, our results provide a better understanding of the patterns and trends in the genomic evolution and epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2.
Communicative And Affective Components in Processing Auditory Vitality Forms: An fMRI Study
Authors: Di Cesare G , Cuccio V , Marchi M , Sciutti A , Rizzolatti G
Published: July 2021

In previous studies on auditory vitality forms, we found that listening to action verbs pronounced gently or rudely, produced, relative to a neutral robotic voice, activation of the dorso-central insula. One might wonder whether this insular activation depends on the conjunction of action verbs and auditory vitality forms, or whether auditory vitality forms are sufficient per se to activate the insula. To solve this issue, we presented words not related to actions such as concrete nouns (e.g.,“ball”), pronounced gently or rudely. No activation of the dorso-central insula was found. As a further step, we examined whether interjections, i.e., speech stimuli conveying communicative intention (e.g., “hello”), pronounced with different vitality forms, would be able to activate, relative to control, the insula. The results showed that stimuli conveying a communicative intention, pronounced with different auditory vitality forms activate the dorsal-central insula. These data deepen our understanding of the vitality forms processing, showing that insular activation is not specific to action verbs, but can be also activated by speech acts conveying communicative intention such as interjections. These findings also show the intrinsic social nature of vitality forms because activation of the insula was not observed in the absence of a communicative intention.
The Social Cerebellum: A Large-Scale Investigation of Functional and Structural Specificity and Connectivity
Authors: Metoki Athanasia , Wang Yin , Olson Ingrid R
Published: July 2021

The cerebellum has been traditionally disregarded in relation to nonmotor functions, but recent findings indicate it may be involved in language, affective processing, and social functions. Mentalizing, or Theory of Mind (ToM), is the ability to infer mental states of others and this skill relies on a distributed network of brain regions. Here, we leveraged large-scale multimodal neuroimaging data to elucidate the structural and functional role of the cerebellum in mentalizing. We used functional activations to determine whether the cerebellum has a domain-general or domain-specific functional role, and effective connectivity and probabilistic tractography to map the cerebello-cerebral mentalizing network. We found that the cerebellum is organized in a domain-specific way and that there is a left cerebellar effective and structural lateralization, with more and stronger effective connections from the left cerebellar hemisphere to the right cerebral mentalizing areas, and greater cerebello-thalamo-cortical and cortico-ponto-cerebellar streamline counts from and to the left cerebellum. Our study provides novel insights to the network organization of the cerebellum, an overlooked brain structure, and mentalizing, one of humans’ most essential abilities to navigate the social world.
Static versus Functional PET: Making Sense of Metabolic Connectivity
Authors: Sala Arianna , Lizarraga Aldana , Ripp Isabelle , Cumming Paul , Yakushev Igor
Published: July 2021

Recently, Jamadar et al. (2021, Metabolic and hemodynamic resting-state connectivity of the human brain: a high-temporal resolution simultaneous BOLD-fMRI and FDG-fPET multimodality study. Cereb Cortex. 31(6), 2855–2867) compared the patterns of brain connectivity or covariance as obtained from 3 neuroimaging measures: 1) functional connectivity estimated from temporal correlations in the functional magnetic resonance imaging blood oxygen level-dependent signal, metabolic connectivity estimated, 2) from temporal correlations in 16-s frames of dynamic [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), which they designate as functional FDG-PET (fPET), and 3) from intersubject correlations in static FDG-PET images (sPET). Here, we discuss a number of fundamental issues raised by the Jamadar study. These include the choice of terminology, the interpretation of cross-modal findings, the issue of group- to single-subject level inferences, and the meaning of metabolic connectivity as a biomarker. We applaud the methodological approach taken by the authors, but wish to present an alternative perspective on their findings. In particular, we argue that sPET and fPET can both provide valuable information about brain connectivity. Certainly, resolving this conundrum calls for further experimental and theoretical efforts to advance the developing framework of PET-based brain connectivity indices.
Remediation of Mucorales-contaminated Healthcare Linens at a Laundry Facility Following an Investigation of a Case Cluster of Hospital-acquired Mucormycosis
Authors: Sundermann Alexander J , Clancy Cornelius J , Pasculle A William , Liu Guojun , Cheng Shaoji , Cumbie Richard B , Driscoll Eileen , Ayres Ashley , Donahue Lisa , Buck Michael , Streifel Andrew , Muto Carlene A , Nguyen M Hong
Published: July 2021

Background

In an investigation of hospital-acquired mucormycosis cases among transplant recipients, healthcare linens (HCLs) delivered to our center were found to be contaminated with Mucorales. We describe an investigation and remediation of Mucorales contamination at the laundry supplying our center.

Methods

We performed monthly RODAC cultures of HCLs upon hospital arrival, and conducted site inspections and surveillance cultures at the laundry facility. Remediation was designed and implemented by infection prevention and facility leadership teams.

Results

Prior to remediation, 20% of HCLs were culture-positive for Mucorales upon hospital arrival. Laundry facility layout and processes were consistent with industry standards. Significant step-ups in Mucorales and mold culture-positivity of HCLs were detected at the post-dryer step (0% to 12% [P = .04] and 5% to 29% [P = .01], respectively). Further increases to 17% and 40% culture-positivity, respectively, were noted during pre-transport holding. Site inspection revealed heavy Mucorales-positive lint accumulation in rooftop air intake and exhaust vents that cooled driers; intake and exhaust vents that were facing each other; rooftop and plant-wide lint accumulation, including in the pre-transport clean room; uncovered carts with freshly-laundered HCLs. Following environmental remediation, quality assurance measures and education directed toward these sources, Mucorales culture-positivity of newly-delivered HCLs was reduced to 0.3% (P = .0001); area of lint-contaminated rooftop decreased from 918 m2 to 0 m2 on satellite images.

Conclusions

Targeted laundry facility interventions guided by site inspections and step-wise culturing significantly reduced Mucorales-contaminated HCLs delivered to our hospital. Collaboration between infection prevention and laundry facility teams was crucial to successful remediation.
Beyond remain vs. leave: understand changing voter perceptions and attitudes towards Populism—evidence from Scotland and the West Midlands
Authors: de Ruyter Alex , Hearne David , Murshed Syed Mansoob , Whittam Geoff , Aguma Dennis
Published: July 2021

This article explores the link between populism and governance arrangements. Adopting a comparative approach between the West Midlands and Scotland, it utilises novel primary qualitative data alongside official results and demographic statistics. Paying particular attention to the perspectives of remain-voters in “left behind” areas and how they perceive their Leave-voting counterparts, the article finds that despite divergent voting patterns both groups perceived a problematic lack of (regional) political agency. Economic disparities and subnational governance arrangements appear important in explaining discontent in those parts of the UK that have been “left behind” by globalisation. Meaningful devolution will be key in addressing these grievances.
Whole-genome sequencing and analysis of two azaleas, Rhododendron ripense and Rhododendron kiyosumense
Authors: Shirasawa Kenta , Kobayashi Nobuo , Nakatsuka Akira , Ohta Hideya , Isobe Sachiko
Published: July 2021

To enhance the genomics and genetics of azalea, the whole-genome sequences of two species of Rhododendron were determined and analysed in this study: Rhododendron ripense, the cytoplasmic donor and ancestral species of large-flowered and evergreen azalea cultivars; and Rhododendron kiyosumense, a native of Chiba prefecture (Japan) seldomly bred and cultivated. A chromosome-level genome sequence assembly of R. ripense was constructed by single-molecule real-time sequencing and genetic mapping, while the genome sequence of R. kiyosumense was assembled using the single-tube long fragment read sequencing technology. The R. ripense genome assembly contained 319 contigs (506.7 Mb; N50 length: 2.5 Mb) and was assigned to the genetic map to establish 13 pseudomolecule sequences. On the other hand, the genome of R. kiyosumense was assembled into 32,308 contigs (601.9 Mb; N50 length: 245.7 kb). A total of 34,606 genes were predicted in the R. ripense genome, while 35,785 flower and 48,041 leaf transcript isoforms were identified in R. kiyosumense through Iso-Seq analysis. Overall, the genome sequence information generated in this study enhances our understanding of genome evolution in the Ericales and reveals the phylogenetic relationship of closely related species. This information will also facilitate the development of phenotypically attractive azalea cultivars.
Anthropometrics of Estonian children in relation to family disruption
Authors: Valge Markus , Meitern Richard , Hõrak Peeter
Published: July 2021

Background and objectives

The thrifty phenotype hypothesis proposes that at resource limitation, the growth of some organs/tissues is selectively spared to preserve more critical ones, such as the brain or lungs. The Trivers–Willard hypothesis (TWH) predicts that boys are more vulnerable in the case of resource limitation than girls. Both hypotheses were tested in children from disrupted families, differing in the extent of deprivation/adversities imposed on them.

Methodology

In a retrospective cohort study in the mid-20th century Estonia (Juhan Aul’s database), different types of orphans and children of divorced parents (treatment groups; n = 106–1401) were compared with children from bi-parental families (control groups; n = 2548–8648) so that children from treatment groups were matched with control children on the basis of sex, age, year of birth, urban versus rural origin and socioeconomic position.

Results

Children in orphanages suffered strong growth suppression, best explained by psychosocial deprivation. Their feet were on average 0.5 SD shorter than the feet of the controls, followed by height, leg/torso ratio and cranial volume that differed from controls by ca 0.4 SD. Weight difference was 0.2 SD units, while body mass index did not differ from controls. The growth of boys and girls in orphanages was suppressed to the same extent. Boys whose mothers were dead were relatively smaller and less masculine than girls from such families. Fathers’ absence was unrelated to growth suppression. Sons of divorced parents had broader shoulders than boys whose fathers were dead.

Conclusions and implications

Prediction of TWH about the greater vulnerability of male growth may hold under some conditions but not universally. Predictions of the thrifty phenotype hypothesis were partly supported: trunk growth was spared at the expense of leg growth; however, no evidence for brain sparing was found. Comparison of children of divorced versus dead fathers may appear useful for indirect assessment of sexual selection on offspring quality.

Lay Summary: Boys and girls in orphanages suffered similarly strong growth suppression, best explained by psychosocial deprivation. Boys whose mothers were dead were relatively smaller and less masculine than girls from such families. The occurrence of sex-specific associations between family structure and children’s growth depends on the type of family disruption.
Development of medicines consumption in Portugal before and during the financial crisis
Authors: Donato António Augusto , Pita João Rui , Batel-Marques Francisco
Published: July 2021

Background

In May 2011, the Portuguese Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, including detailed measures to control health costs, allowing Portugal to receive a financial rescue package. This study aims to investigate medicines utilization in the outpatient sector during Troika’s financial rescue.

Methods

Using Defined Daily Dose per million inhabitants per year as a measurement unit, we compared medicines utilization with other relevant indicators over 5-year intervals for a total period of 20 years, based on a built-in inventory of national outpatient drug use using the Intercontinental Medical Statistics Health and Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical index of the World Health Organization databases. The calculation was made on the basis of both compound and year-on-year growth rates.

Results

With the exception of the interval 2009–11, an absolute rise in consumption was observed over the 20-year period. The downturn occurred prior to financial rescue, when expenditure management mechanisms were already in place, and coincided with an increase in out-of-pocket spending. With the decline of cost for patients, the access trend returned to being positive, but at a slower pace.

Conclusion

The rise in out-of-pocket and austerity measures may have led to decreased access to medicines. The findings of this study suggest that this impact was influenced by public cost-saving policies implemented even before the financial rescue. The results show that price reduction attenuated the repercussion of the measures.
Responses of cucumber (Cucumis sativusL.) rhizosphere microbial community to some agronomic management practices
Authors: Ezazi Robab , Ahmadzadeh Masoud , Majidian Sina , Stefani Erika , Pindo Massimo , Donati Claudio
Published: July 2021

The microbial communities associated to the rhizosphere (the rhizomicrobiome) have a substantial impact on plant growth and yield. Understanding the effects of agricultural management on the rhizomicrobiome is very important for selecting efficient practices. By sequencing the V4 region of 16S rRNA for bacteria and the ITS1 regions and fungi, we investigated the influences of agronomic practices, including cucumber grafting on cucurbit hybrid (Cucurbita moschata × C. maxima), cucumber-garlic intercropping, and treatment with fungicide iprodione-carbendazim on cucumber rhizosphere microbial communities during plant growth. Soil dehydrogenase activity (DHA) and plant vegetative parameters were assessed as an indicator of overall soil microbial activity. We found that both treatments and growth stage induced significant shifts in microbial community structure. Grafting had the highest number of differentially abundant OTUs compared to control samples, followed by intercropping and fungicide treatment, while plant development stage affected both alpha and beta diversities indices and composition of the rhizomicrobiome. DHA was more dependent on plant growth stages than on treatments. Among the assessed factors, grafting and plant developmental stage resulted in the greatest changes in the microbial community composition. Grafting also increased the plant growth parameters, suggesting that this method should be further investigated in vegetable production systems.
Fermenting Futures: an artistic view on yeast biotechnology
Authors: Dumitriu Anna , May Alex , Ata Özge , Mattanovich Diethard
Published: July 2021

BioArt is a new discipline where artists employ materials and techniques of modern life sciences and create novel meanings of biology, often involving living organisms such as tissue culture, bacteria and yeasts, which may also be genetically engineered. The authors have engaged in a collaboration to develop ‘Fermenting Futures’, a project designed to explore the significance of yeast for early human history by enabling baking and brewing, all the way to industrial biotechnology and synthetic biology with their potential contributions to fight the climate change. Research in two of the authors’ lab provides the materials and thematic lines for the artists to develop their installations. The two main pieces reflect on fermentation as a metabolic trait of baker's yeast and its enormous transformational power for human society, and on the application of synthetic biology to enable yeast to grow and produce materials from carbon dioxide. The role of BioArt to support public engagement and science dissemination is discussed, highlighting the importance of collaborations of scientists and artists on equal terms, as showcased here.
Pain and Functional Limitations Among Midlife and Older Canadians: The Role of Discrimination, Race, and Sense of Belonging
Authors: Vang Zoua M , Chau Shirley , Kobayashi Karen M , Owen Mary J , McKenzie-Sampson Safyer , Mayrand-Thibert Jeanne , Brass Gregory M
Published: July 2021

Objectives

We drew on fundamental cause theory and the weathering hypothesis to examine how discrimination influences aging for midlife and older adults in Canada.

Methods

Using nationally representative data, we assessed the associations between discrimination and pain and functional limitations among adults aged 45 years and older. Discrimination was measured using a modified version of the Everyday Discrimination Scale. Chi-square tests were performed to check for baseline differences in the dependent and key predictor variables by race. Logistic regression was used to estimate the associations of discrimination, race, and sense of belonging with pain and functional limitations, net of sociodemographic characteristics, and socioeconomic status.

Results

Indigenous respondents showed a clear health disadvantage, with higher rates of pain and functional limitations compared to Whites and Asians. Self-reported discrimination was also higher for Indigenous midlife and older adults than for their White and Asian age counterparts. Discrimination had a direct and robust association with pain (odds ratio [OR] 1.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.31–1.87) and functional limitations (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.29–1.87). However, race moderated the impact of discrimination on functional limitations for Blacks. Finally, a strong sense of belonging to one’s local community was protective against pain and functional limitations for all racial groups.

Discussion

Future research needs to further examine the impact of discrimination on Indigenous peoples’ aging process. High rates of discrimination coupled with a greater burden of pain mean that Indigenous midlife and older adults may require additional and targeted health and social service resources to age successfully.
The COVID-19 Pandemic: Stress Test for Intellectual Property and Pharmaceutical Laws
Authors: Oser Andreas
Published: July 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic poses a challenge to certain standards in patent law as well as in pharmaceutical law. This paper discusses questions as to whether and under what conditions government-ordered or privately claimed compulsory licensing can contribute to controlling the pandemic. The existing obstacles and conflicts under the current legal framework, such as a lack of international harmonization and a lack of coherence between patent law (compulsory licensing) and pharmaceutical law (data protection), are outlined and discussed. A possible solution could lie in a modernization of relevant legal provisions to create an internationally harmonized balance between the public interest in using important patents in the present and in future emergency situations and the interest of patent owners and data and market exclusivity holders in allowing exemptions within clearly defined limits. The article concludes with a discussion of conditions that may influence possible solutions.
Mobile health apps to reduce sedentary behavior: a scoping review
Authors: Ueno Deisy Terumi , Guerra Paulo Henrique , Christofoletti Ana Elisa Messetti , Bonolo Angélica , Nakamura Priscila Missaki , Kokubun Eduardo
Published: July 2021

Given the continued increase in mobile health applications (apps) aimed at healthcare and the recognition of sedentary behavior (SB) as a public health problem, the goal of this scoping review study was to summarize the effects of interventions based on mobile health apps designed to reduce SB in adults, with a specific focus on SB. The electronic databases PubMed, PsycINFO, SportDISCUS, Web of Science, and manual searches in reference lists were conducted on papers published up to September 2020. Nine out of the 897 studies researched were included and composed the descriptive synthesis. The investigations found in the present study showed a decrease in time spent on television viewing and in total time spent sitting, as well as an increase in the number of SB breaks after interventions based on mobile health apps. In conclusion, despite the growing interest in intervention programs in SB, only nine studies have used smartphone apps as a strategy to reduce SB in adults. Mobile health apps were proved to be effective in SB reduction, as assessed by different parameters, and should be encouraged. However, further studies are needed to verify the long-term effects of the utilization of such applications.
Three decades of ASD genetics: building a foundation for neurobiological understanding and treatment
Authors: Eyring Katherine W , Geschwind Daniel H
Published: July 2021

Methodological advances over the last three decades have led to a profound transformation in our understanding of the genetic origins of neuropsychiatric disorders. This is exemplified by the study of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) for which microarrays, whole exome sequencing and whole genome sequencing have yielded over a hundred causal loci. Genome-wide association studies in ASD have also been fruitful, identifying 5 genome-wide significant loci thus far and demonstrating a substantial role for polygenic inherited risk. Approaches rooted in systems biology and functional genomics have increasingly placed genes implicated by risk variants into biological context. Genetic risk affects a finite group of cell-types and biological processes, converging primarily on early stages of brain development (though, the expression of many risk genes persists through childhood). Coupled with advances in stem cell-based human in vitro model systems, these findings provide a basis for developing mechanistic models of disease pathophysiology.
From colonial to multilateral international law: A global capitalism and law investigation
Authors: Alter Karen J
Published: July 2021

This Foreword integrates international law, international relations, and global history scholarship to understand two global trends that are in tension with each other: (i) the shift from European colonial dominance to a law-based multilateralism, which enabled a more equal and inclusive international law, and (ii) global capitalism which, across time, has been a political and economic force that, left to its own devices, promotes exclusion and inequality. Alter builds an encompassing conception of global economic law to show the interplay of colonial law, private law, domestic law, and international law in enabling and constraining global capitalism across time. The investigation looks backwards so as to think forward. The larger goal of the endeavor is to imagine how an Asian law-based capitalism might continue past trends and recreate continuities despite a professed desire to be different. Just as capitalism once locked in colonial features despite the shift to multilateral international law, multilateralism and capitalism may be forces that sustain the very features of the Western Liberal International Order that China seeks to move beyond.
Crippling Compensation in the International Law Commission and Investor–State Arbitration
Authors: Paparinskis Martins
Published: July 2021

Is there an exception to the principle of full reparation in international investment arbitration for cases in which full compensation is crippling for the responsible State or its peoples? The routine presentation and consideration of billion-dollar-plus investment arbitration claims in the first half of 2021 suggests that this subject has not been invented in order to enable it to be written about but is one of considerable importance for the field of international investment law and its actors. The frame of reference in a discussion about compensation in investment law is provided by the law of State responsibility, strongly shaped by the 2001 International Law Commission’s Articles on Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts (2001 ILC Articles on State Responsibility), which treat crippling compensation as permissible as a matter of content of responsibility. The argument for the permissibility of crippling compensation explicitly assumed the rarity of such claims; safeguards in primary, secondary, and tertiary rules for the few cases when they did arise; and the enlightened self-interest of States as repeat-playing actors in not making them—and perhaps implicitly scepticism about compound interest and Discount Cash Flow valuation. None of these assumptions holds true in modern investor State arbitration. Nevertheless, the predominant reaction to crippling compensation claims has been silence by tribunals and respondent States, suggestive in legal terms of endorsement of their permissibility in line with the 2001 ILC Articles on State Responsibility. There is some scope for addressing crippling compensation within the 2001 ILC Articles on State Responsibility, both indirectly (challenging the meaningfulness of the question in the first place or considering crippling compensation as part of the general discussion of the content of responsibility) and directly, under the rubrics of circumstances precluding wrongfulness and enforcement. The case can also be made for moving beyond the 2001 ILC Articles on State Responsibility, by emphasising the difference between implementation of responsibility in inter-State and investor–State legal relations or even directly arguing for a change of the applicable customary rule.
In low-risk patients aged >70–75 with severe aortic stenosis, is transcatheter superior to surgical aortic valve replacement in terms of reported cardiovascular composite outcomes and survival?
Authors: Magro Pedro Lamares , Sousa-Uva Miguel
Published: July 2021

A best evidence topic in cardiac surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was: In low-risk patients aged >70–75 with severe aortic stenosis, is transcatheter superior to surgical aortic valve replacement in terms of reported composite outcomes and survival? More than 73 papers were found using the reported search, of which 8 represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The authors, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes and results of these papers were tabulated. The only low-risk randomized control trial to date [Nordic Aortic Valve Intervention (NOTION)] regarding an elderly population did not show a statistically significant difference between the 2 approaches regarding the composite endpoint of death, stroke or myocardial infarction. A subgroup analysis of elderly patients in the 2 main low-risk randomized control trials did not yield statistically different results from those of the overall population; the results indicated the superiority of transcatheter aortic valve implantation regarding the composite of death, stroke or rehospitalization at 1 year [The Safety and Effectiveness of the SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve in Low Risk Patients With Aortic Stenosis (PARTNER 3)] and non-inferiority regarding a composite of death or stroke at 2 years [Medtronic Evolut Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in Low-Risk Patients (Evolut LR)]. The results from lower evidence studies are largely consistent with these findings. Overall, there is no compelling evidence indicating that older age should be an isolated criterion for the choice between transcatheter aortic valve replacement and surgical aortic valve replacement in otherwise low-risk patients. The superiority of either technique regarding the aforementioned composite short-term outcomes in this particular subgroup of patients is unclear.
Case-Control Study of Household and Environmental Transmission of Typhoid Fever in India
Authors: Giri Sidhartha , Mohan Venkata Raghava , Srinivasan Manikandan , Kumar Nirmal , Kumar Vinoth , Dhanapal Pavithra , Venkatesan Jayalakshmi , Gunasekaran Annai , Abraham Dilip , John Jacob , Kang Gagandeep
Published: July 2021

Background

Typhoid fever causes substantial morbidity and mortality in low- and middle-income countries. We conducted a case-control study in Vellore, southern India, to understand risk factors for transmission of typhoid.

Methods

From April 2018 to October 2019, households of blood culture-confirmed typhoid cases that occurred within a fever surveillance cohort aged 6 months–15 years, and controls matched for age, sex, geographic location, and socioeconomic status, were recruited. Information on risk factors was obtained using standard questionnaires. Household and environmental samples were collected for detection of Salmonella Typhi using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Multivariable analysis was used to evaluate associations between risk factors and typhoid.

Results

One hundred pairs of cases and controls were recruited. On multivariable regression analysis, mothers eating food from street vendors during the previous week (odds ratio [OR] = 2.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03–4.12; P = .04) was independently associated with typhoid, whereas treatment of household drinking water (OR = 0.45; 95% CI, 0.25–0.80; P = .007) was protective. There was no significant difference in S Typhi detection between the environmental samples from case and control households.

Conclusions

Street-vended food is a risk factor for typhoid in densely populated urban communities of Vellore. Improved sanitation facilities and awareness about point-of-use water treatment are likely to contribute to typhoid control.
Measurement of acetabular wall indices: comparison between CT and plain radiography
Authors: Nazaroff Jaron , Mark Bryan , Learned James , Wang Dean
Published: July 2021

The purpose of this study was to compare measurements of anterior wall index (AWI) and posterior wall index (PWI) on computed tomography (CT) to those on radiographs (XR). A consecutive cohort of 33 patients (45 hips total) being evaluated for hip pain with both XR and CT was examined. Preoperative measurements of AWI and PWI were performed utilizing supine anteroposterior pelvic XR and coronal and swiss axial CT scans by two independent raters. Mean differences between XR and CT measurements were compared, and agreement between measurements was assessed using the concordance correlation coefficient (rc) and Bland–Altman analysis. A total of 39 hips in 28 patients were analyzed. The mean patient age was 31.1 ± 9.0 years, and 50% were female. Mean AWI and PWI on XR was 0.50 ± 0.14 and 0.91 ± 0.12, respectively. Measured values of AWI were consistently larger (0.08 ± 0.10, P < 0.01) on XR compared with both coronal and swiss axial CT, with moderate agreement between XR and CT measurements (rc = 0.68–0.70). Measured values of PWI were consistently smaller (0.15 ± 0.12, P < 0.05) on XR compared with both coronal and swiss axial CT, with poor agreement between XR and CT measurements (rc = 0.37–0.45). Measured values of acetabular wall indices on XR were consistently larger for AWI and smaller for PWI relative to CT. Agreement between XR and CT measures of the indices were moderate to poor. This highlights the need for standardization of XR- and CT-based measurements to improve assessment of acetabular coverage and subsequent clinical decision-making.
The ICC, Self-created Challenges and Missed Opportunities to Legitimize Authority over Non-states Parties
Authors: McIntyre Gabrielle
Published: July 2021

The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has consistently embroiled the Court in situations involving allegations of the commission of crimes by non-state party nationals on the territory of states parties. For the most part, the Prosecutor has assumed the jurisdiction of the Court over non-state party nationals is well-founded by reference to the provisions of the Rome Statute, without any examination as to why or how those provisions bind non-states parties nationals. Where the Prosecutor has specifically sought a legal ruling from the Chambers on the exercise of jurisdiction over non-state party nationals, the Chambers have failed to address the legal issues in a consistent, persuasive and coherent manner. Notably, the Chambers have seen fit to ignore the legal issues as non-issues, sought to sidestep properly addressing non-states parties’ objections by grounding jurisdictional authority in an asserted objective legal personality and further relied upon a conceptualization of the Court as an institution that acts on behalf of the international community as a whole to expansively interpret its scope of jurisdiction, without addressing the potential legal consequences for non-states parties. In so doing, the Chambers have significantly infringed the legal rights of non-states parties without persuasively establishing the legal authority to do so. The import of this failure on the part of Chambers has had detrimental consequences for the Court. The lack of legal clarity surrounding the Court’s relationship with non-state party nationals has emboldened non-states parties’ objections of illegitimacy and muted the effectiveness of the Court’s responses to those objections. The Court is unable to reference persuasive judicial rationales in response.
Epigenetic regulation of energy metabolism in obesity
Authors: Gao Wei , Liu Jia-Li , Lu Xiang , Yang Qin
Published: July 2021

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally. Although modern adoption of a sedentary lifestyle coupled with energy-dense nutrition is considered to be the main cause of obesity epidemic, genetic preposition contributes significantly to the imbalanced energy metabolism in obesity. However, the variants of genetic loci identified from large-scale genetic studies do not appear to fully explain the rapid increase in obesity epidemic in the last four to five decades. Recent advancements of next-generation sequencing technologies and studies of tissue-specific effects of epigenetic factors in metabolic organs have significantly advanced our understanding of epigenetic regulation of energy metabolism in obesity. The epigenome, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and RNA-mediated processes, is characterized as mitotically or meiotically heritable changes in gene function without alteration of DNA sequence. Importantly, epigenetic modifications are reversible. Therefore, comprehensively understanding the landscape of epigenetic regulation of energy metabolism could unravel novel molecular targets for obesity treatment. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the roles of DNA methylation, histone modifications such as methylation and acetylation, and RNA-mediated processes in regulating energy metabolism. We also discuss the effects of lifestyle modifications and therapeutic agents on epigenetic regulation of energy metabolism in obesity.
The impact of turbulent mixing on the galactic r-process enrichment by binary neutron star mergers
Authors: Dvorkin Irina , Daigne Frédéric , Goriely Stephane , Vangioni Elisabeth , Silk Joseph
Published: July 2021

We study the enrichment of the interstellar medium (ISM) with rapid neutron capture (r-process) elements produced in binary neutron star (BNS) mergers. We use a semi-analytic model to describe galactic evolution, with merger rates and time delay distributions of BNS mergers consistent with the latest population synthesis models. In order to study the dispersion of the relative abundances of r-process elements and iron, we applied a turbulent mixing scheme, where the freshly synthesized elements are gradually dispersed in the ISM. We show that within our model the abundances observed in Milky Way stars, in particular the scatter at low metallicities, can be entirely explained by BNS mergers. Our results suggest that BNS mergers could be the dominant source of r-process elements in the Galaxy.
Unveiling the star formation history of the Upper Scorpius association through its kinematics
Authors: Squicciarini Vito , Gratton Raffaele , Bonavita Mariangela , Mesa Dino
Published: July 2021

Stellar associations can be discerned as overdensities of sources not only in the physical space but also in the velocity space. The common motion of their members, gradually eroded by the galactic tidal field, is partially reminiscent of the initial kinematic structure. Using recent data from Gaia EDR3, combined with radial velocities from GALAH and APOGEE, we traced back the present positions of stars belonging to Upper Scorpius (USCO), a subgroup of Scorpius–Centaurus, the nearest OB association. About one half of the subgroup (the ‘clustered’ population) appears composed of many smaller entities, which were in a more compact configuration in the past. The presence of a kinematic duality is reflected into an age spread between this younger clustered population and an older diffuse population, in turn confirmed by a different fraction fD of disc-bearing stars (fD = 0.24 ± 0.02 versus fD = 0.10 ± 0.01). Star formation in USCO appears to have lasted more than 10 Myr and proceeded in small groups that, after a few Myr, dissolve in the field of the older population but retain for some time memory of their initial structure. The difference of ages inferred through isochrones and kinematics, in this regard, could provide a powerful tool to quantify the time-scale of gas removal.
Demographic and Clinical Factors Associated With Death Among Persons <21 Years Old With Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children—United States, February 2020–March 2021
Authors: Bowen Anna , Miller Allison D , Zambrano Laura D , Wu Michael J , Oster Matthew E , Godfred-Cato Shana , Belay Ermias D , Campbell Angela P
Published: July 2021

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) occurs among persons aged <21 years following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Among 2818 MIS-C cases, 35 (1.2%) deaths were reported, primarily affecting racial/ethnic minority persons. Being 16–20 years old or having comorbidities was associated with death. Targeting coronavirus disease 2019 prevention among these groups and their caregivers might prevent MIS-C-related deaths.
Nordic Cultures
Authors: Lyytikäinen Pirjo
Published: July 2021

This article maps literary decadence in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, and Finland. Nordic decadence is not a clear-cut movement but rather a cultural response to French naturalism, symbolism, decadence, and German philosophy. It has been broadly understood to include works that thematize decay and analyze the supposed decay of modernity and modern humanity. This article focuses on the “core decadence” (in contrast to naturalistic depictions of decay) of Nordic works in which the visions and experiential sphere of neurotic (usually male) heroes explore larger social vistas as the characters both reflect upon decay and illustrate the processes of shattering and dissolution connected to decadence. Examples include J. P. Jacobsen’s Niels Lyhne (1880) and Herman Bang’s Haabløse Slægter (Hopeless families, 1880), both of which appeared before Huysmans’s À rebours (Against Nature, 1884), the usual paradigmatic example of decadence. These texts and others reflect, imitate, modify, comment on, and reconfigure European decadence in the light of Nordic circumstances and traditions.
Gospel Music in Africa
Authors: Carl Florian
Published: July 2021

This chapter outlines the development of gospel music in Africa, highlighting particularly its interrelationship with the rise of neoliberalism since the 1980s. Carried by the proliferation of Pentecostal/charismatic Christianity, gospel has become the most pervasive popular music genre in Africa. Authors have noted a strong convergence between neo-Pentecostalism and neoliberalism, both worshipping prosperity, wealth accumulation, and capitalist consumerism as (quasi-)religious devotional acts. The first part of this chapter provides the conceptual background and gives a broader overview of the existing literature on gospel music in Africa. The second part, then, presents a case study of Christian popular music in Ghana, examining more in depth how gospel music features and promotes ideologies of prosperity and consumption, and how it contributes to the making of neoliberal subjectivity and the constitution of neoliberal bodies.
Punk Sans Frontières
Authors: Bestley Russ , Dines Mike
Published: July 2021

Punk’s diaspora was not limited to the United Kingdom or the United States, and, even during its mid-1970s heyday, parallel developments were happening around the globe, and what would become known as “punk” emerged in Australia, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia at the same time as the nascent UK punk movement. Furthermore, as punk in the United Kingdom reached its commercial peak and began to decline (at least in terms of its public profile), it was being discovered, reinvented, or adapted in far-flung places beyond the (Western) critical radar. More than forty years on, punk has traversed international boundaries, and the legacies of the original UK and US scenes are now accompanied by a variety of global counterparts. This chapter narrates punk’s evolution as an international phenomenon, whose interaction with wider cultural contexts, languages, and systems of belief challenged notions of a homogeneous “punk” identity.
Heavy Metal in “Global” Perspectives
Authors: Hoad Catherine
Published: July 2021

This chapter uses critical discourse analysis and textual analysis to offer a general overview of metal as a multi-sited, multi-modal genre. While acknowledging the centrality of metal’s ostensible “birth” in the United Kingdom, and rapid spread to the United States and Western Europe, to the genre’s identity, this chapter also discusses metal’s positionality in discrete studies from Northern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. In examining how metal is experienced in these contexts, this chapter thus seeks to problematize the discourse of metal’s “true” birth in the Anglosphere, and elucidate a critique of the scholarly literature of the “global metal” model, which has permeated metal music studies over the last decade. Such a model, as the author concludes in this chapter, potentially replicates many of the problems—Othering, exclusive, non-agentic—with “world music” as a discourse, and thus it is necessary to assert the ways in which scholars and scene members alike are speaking back to these characterizations.
Deuteronomy and Islam
Authors: Kaltner John
Published: July 2021

This chapter explains the role Deuteronomy has played within Islam, and it suggests some ways Deuteronomy might be put in conversation with the Qur’an. After a brief overview of the Islamic view of the Bible, several passages in Deuteronomy that have been frequently cited by Muslims for apologetic purposes are discussed (18:15, 18; 33:2). There are no direct biblical quotations in the Qur’an, but it contains a possible citation (5:27) that likely also serves an apologetic purpose. It has been suggested that the Qur’an presents Islam as a “deuteronomistically-inflected” religion, particularly in its presentation of the history of prophecy. This idea is extended to explore points of contact between the Qur’an and Deuteronomy regarding how each views God.