bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tremella macrobasidiata and Tremella variae have abundant and widespread yeast stages in Lecanora lichens
Authors: Tuovinen Veera , Millanes Ana Maria , Freire‐Rallo Sandra , Rosling Anna , Wedin Mats
Published: March 2021

Dimorphism is a widespread feature of tremellalean fungi in general, but a little‐studied aspect of the biology of lichen‐associated Tremella. We show that Tremella macrobasidiata and Tremella variae have an abundant and widespread yeast stage in their life cycles that occurs in Lecanora lichens. Their sexual filamentous stage is restricted to a specific lichen: T. macrobasidiata only forms basidiomata on Lecanora chlarotera hymenia and T. variae only on Lecanora varia thalli. However, the yeast stage of T. macrobasidiata is less specific and can occur in L. varia lichens, whilst all life stages of T. variae may be specific to L. varia. Contrary to the hyphal stages, the yeasts are distributed across the thalli and hymenia of Lecanora lichens, and not limited to specimens with basidiomata. Tremella macrobasidiata was present in all studied L. chlarotera, and in 59% of L. varia specimens. Only in 8% of the L. varia thalli could none of the two Tremella species be detected. Our results indicate that lichen‐associated Tremella may be much more abundant and widespread than previously assumed leading to skewed estimations about their distribution ranges and lichen specificity, and raise new questions about their biology, ecology and function in the symbiosis.
The Productivity Commission Inquiry Report into Mental Health—A Commentary from a Health Economics Perspective
Authors: Mihalopoulos Cathrine , Lee Yong Yi , Engel Lidia , Le Long Khanh‐Dao , Tan Eng Joo , Chatterton Mary Lou
Published: March 2021

The Productivity Commission's Inquiry Report into Mental Health makes extensive recommendations to improve population mental health as a means of further enhancing productivity and economic growth. While providing an invaluable high‐level vision for reforming current mental health and social systems at a programmatic level, it lacks supporting evidence that would guide implementation of specific recommendations. We discuss important methodological considerations used to measure the output of the mental health sector and present clinical and cost‐effectiveness evidence, supporting selected recommendations. We suggest the development of a broad‐based health technology assessment process to facilitate consistent decision making across health and other government sectors.
Variation in exploration and exploitation in group decision‐making: Evidence from immersive simulations of major incident emergencies
Authors: Wilkinson Byron , Cohen‐Hatton Sabrina R. , Honey Robert C.
Published: March 2021

Multi‐agency groups are brought together to make strategic decisions in response to major incident emergencies. Here, we investigated decision‐making processes in 18 multi‐agency groups who were video recorded while engaged in simulated major incident emergencies involving a potential need to evacuate individuals from the location of the incident. Three general categories of decision‐making activity were used to code the videos: situation assessment (SA), plan formulation (PF) and plan execution (PE). Analysis of the transitions between these decision‐making activities showed that there were marked between‐group departures from normative models of decision‐making, which predict an orderly transition from SA to PF and then from PF to PE. These departures appeared to reflect between‐group differences in the tendency to explore information (evident in reciprocal transitions between SA and PF) or exploit information (apparent in transitions to and from SA and PF to PE). Moreover, the tendency to explore but not exploit information was associated with the number of transitions to critical decisions (i.e. to evacuate individuals from the location of the incident).
Chromosome‐scale inference of hybrid speciation and admixture with convolutional neural networks
Authors: Blischak Paul D. , Barker Michael S. , Gutenkunst Ryan N.
Published: March 2021

Inferring the frequency and mode of hybridization among closely related organisms is an important step for understanding the process of speciation and can help to uncover reticulated patterns of phylogeny more generally. Phylogenomic methods to test for the presence of hybridization come in many varieties and typically operate by leveraging expected patterns of genealogical discordance in the absence of hybridization. An important assumption made by these tests is that the data (genes or SNPs) are independent given the species tree. However, when the data are closely linked, it is especially important to consider their nonindependence. Recently, deep learning techniques such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been used to perform population genetic inferences with linked SNPs coded as binary images. Here, we use CNNs for selecting among candidate hybridization scenarios using the tree topology (((P1, P2), P3), Out) and a matrix of pairwise nucleotide divergence (dXY) calculated in windows across the genome. Using coalescent simulations to train and independently test a neural network showed that our method, HyDe‐CNN, was able to accurately perform model selection for hybridization scenarios across a wide breath of parameter space. We then used HyDe‐CNN to test models of admixture in Heliconius butterflies, as well as comparing it to phylogeny‐based introgression statistics. Given the flexibility of our approach, the dropping cost of long‐read sequencing and the continued improvement of CNN architectures, we anticipate that inferences of hybridization using deep learning methods like ours will help researchers to better understand patterns of admixture in their study organisms.
Midazolam versus dexamethasone‐ondansetron in preventing post‐operative nausea‐vomiting in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgeries
Authors: Prakash Kelika , Meshram Tanvi , Jain Priyanka
Published: March 2021

Background

Midazolam reduces post‐operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) when compared to a placebo or when used as an adjuvant to other antiemetics. The present study was designed to compare midazolam with a combination of dexamethasone‐ondansetron in preventing PONV.

Methods

One hundred and twenty patients undergoing laparoscopic surgeries having 2 or more risk factors for PONV (simplified Apfel score) were randomised into 2 groups of 60 each. Patients in group D received 8‐mg dexamethasone and 4‐mg ondansetron for PONV prophylaxis while those in group M received 2‐mg midazolam towards the end of surgery. The proportion of patients (frequency) who had PONV, post‐operative nausea (PON) and post‐operative vomiting (POV) was noted over 24 hours over the following intervals: 0‐2 hours, 2‐24 hours and 0‐24 hours.

Results

The frequency of PONV at 24 hours in group D and group M was 30% and 33.3% respectively and was not significantly different (P = .70). There was no difference in the time to achieve post‐anaesthesia discharge score of ≥9 between the two groups {5 minutes (5, 5) in group D; 5 minutes (1.25, 5) in group M, P = .48}. Ten patients in group D and 11 in group M required a rescue antiemetic over 24 hours (P = .81). The frequency of PON, POV and PONV as well as the median PONV score was similar at all time periods.

Conclusion

Midazolam does not result in significantly different frequency of PONV than a combination of dexamethasone‐ondansetron.
Transcriptomic changes due to early, chronic intermittent alcohol exposure during forebrain development implicate WNT signaling, cell‐type specification, and cortical regionalization as primary determinants of fetal alcohol syndrome
Authors: Fischer Máté , Chander Praveen , Kang Huining , Mellios Nikolaos , Weick Jason P.
Published: March 2021

Background

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) due to gestational alcohol exposure represents one of the most common causes of nonheritable lifelong disability worldwide. In vitro and in vivo models have successfully recapitulated multiple facets of the disorder, including morphological and behavioral deficits, but far less is understood regarding the molecular and genetic mechanisms underlying FAS.

Methods

In this study, we utilized an in vitro human pluripotent stem cell‐based (hPSC) model of corticogenesis to probe the effects of early, chronic intermittent alcohol exposure on the transcriptome of first trimester‐equivalent cortical neurons.

Results

We used RNA sequencing of developing hPSC‐derived neurons treated for 50 days with 50 mM ethanol and identified a relatively small number of biological pathways significantly altered by alcohol exposure. These included cell‐type specification, axon guidance, synaptic function, and regional patterning, with a notable upregulation of WNT signaling‐associated transcripts observed in alcohol‐exposed cultures relative to alcohol‐naïve controls. Importantly, this effect paralleled a shift in gene expression of transcripts associated with regional patterning, such that caudal forebrain‐related transcripts were upregulated at the expense of more anterior ones. Results from H9 embryonic stem cells were largely replicated in an induced pluripotent stem cell line (IMR90‐4), indicating that these patterning alterations are not cell line‐specific.

Conclusions

We found that a major effect of chronic intermittent alcohol on the developing cerebral cortex is an overall imbalance in regionalization, with enrichment of gene expression related to the production of posterodorsal progenitors and a diminution of anteroventral progenitors. This finding parallels behavioral and morphological phenotypes observed in animal models of high‐dose prenatal alcohol exposure, as well as patients with FAS.
Review of topical gelatin‐based haemostatic agents; an insidious culprit of intraoperative anaphylaxis?
Authors: White Roland Z. , Kerr Lachlan , White Tyler J. , Sampson Matthew J.
Published: March 2021

Background

An under‐recognized complication of gelatin‐based haemostatic agents is their potential to cause anaphylactic reactions. This review aims to collate and analyse case

in the literature of intraoperative anaphylaxis secondary to locally applied haemostatic agents.

Methods

An electronic search was performed on databases Medline, Embase, Pubmed and ProQuest. A total of 7671 articles were reviewed from title and abstract. After exclusion criteria and duplicates removed, 19 articles with 21 cases were included for analysis. Data extracted from each of the articles included patient demographics, haemostatic agent used, surgery type, known allergies and any objective evidence of hypersensitivity post anaphylactic episode, that is tryptase levels, IgE levels, skin prick testing.

Results

Fifty‐seven percent of cases involved patients <18 years of age; 57% of cases involved spinal surgery; 100% of cases displayed objective evidence of hypersensitivity (tryptase levels, bovine or porcine IgE levels, or skin prick testing). Thirty‐three percent of patients had exposure preoperatively to a known agent causing anaphylaxis or allergy which would preclude the use of a gelatin‐based haemostat. These products included vaccines, spam meats, red meat, Jell‐O and CollaPlug. Gelatin‐based haemostat agents included Floseal, Gelfoam, Surgiflo, fibrin glue, Avitene, haemofibrine sponge, topical bovine thrombin and thrombin‐soaked gelatin.

Conclusion

Increased awareness of allergy to gelatin‐based haemostats for surgical and anaesthetic is imperative, with 33% of cases having a known contraindication to gelatin‐based haemostat. This review highlights important aspects in the pre‐operative patient history and post‐event patient investigation that could assist anaesthetists and surgeons in the prevention of future events.
Dung beetle activity had no positive effect on nutrient concentration or performance of established rainforest seedlings
Authors: Urrea‐Galeano Lina Adonay , Andresen Ellen , Coates Rosamond , Mora Francisco , del‐Val Ek , Nava Mendoza Maribel
Published: March 2021

Dung beetle activity causes many changes in the soil when they remove feces from the surface. In temperate grasslands and in greenhouse experiments, these changes have been found to positively affect established plants, but information about these effects under natural conditions in tropical forests is practically nonexistent. In a tropical rainforest (Los Tuxtlas, Mexico), we carried out field experiments with seedlings of six tree species (Brosimum alicastrum, Calophyllum brasiliense, Cymbopetalum baillonii, Diospyros digyna, Omphalea oleifera, and Poulsenia armata), to assess whether feces burial by dung beetles had any positive effect on them. We estimated foliar nitrogen and phosphorus, seedling survival, growth and resource allocation, under three treatment levels: (a) feces added and beetles active, (b) feces added and beetles excluded, and (c) no feces added (and consequently no beetles active). We analyzed data at two levels: community (all plant species together) and individual species. Dung beetle activity did not increase the concentration of foliar nutrients or seedling performance (survival, growth); in one species, it modified resource allocation. At the community level and for two species, dung beetle activity decreased the probability of seedlings growing in height. Our study provides evidence on how extrapolating the effects of dung beetle activity from other study systems into tropical forests can be problematic. More studies will be needed before we can have a clearer idea of the effects that feces burial by dung beetles have on established plants in tropical forests.

Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.
Systematic insight into the active constituents and mechanism of Guiqi Baizhu for the treatment of gastric cancer
Authors: Li Ling , Jin Xiao‐jie , Li Jia‐wei , Li Cheng‐hao , Zhou Shuang‐yan , Li Jun‐jie , Feng Cai‐qin , Liu Dong‐ling , Liu Yong‐qi
Published: March 2021

Traditional Chinese medicine treatment of diseases has been recognized, but the material basis and mechanisms are not clear. In this study, target prediction of the antigastric cancer (GC) effect of Guiqi Baizhu (GQBZP) and the analysis of potential key compounds, key targets, and key pathways for the therapeutic effects against GC were carried out based on the method of network analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment. There were 33 proteins shared between GQBZP and GC, and 131 compounds of GQBZP had a high correlation with these proteins, indicating that the PI3K‐AKT signaling pathway might play a key role in GC. From these studies, we selected human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and programmed cell death 1‐ligand 1 (PD‐L1) for docking; the results showed that 385 and 189 compounds had high docking scores with HER2 and PD‐L1, respectively. Six compounds were selected for microscale thermophoresis (MST). Daidzein/quercetin and isorhamnetin/formononetin had the highest binding affinity for HER2 and PD‐L1, with Kd values of 3.7 μmol/L and 490, 667, and 355 nmol/L, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulation studies based on the docking complex structures as the initial conformation yielded the binding free energy between daidzein/quercetin with HER2 and isorhamnetin/formononetin with PD‐L1, calculated by molecular mechanics Poisson‐Boltzmann surface area, of −26.55, −14.18, −19.41, and −11.86 kcal/mol, respectively, and were consistent with the MST results. In vitro experiments showed that quercetin, daidzein, and isorhamnetin had potential antiproliferative effects in MKN‐45 cells. Enzyme activity assays showed that quercetin could inhibit the activity of HER2 with an IC50 of 570.07 nmol/L. Our study provides a systematic investigation to explain the material basis and molecular mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine in treating diseases.
The Learning Signal in Perceptual Tuning of Speech: Bottom Up Versus Top‐Down Information
Authors: Zhang Xujin , Wu Yunan Charles , Holt Lori L.
Published: March 2021

Cognitive systems face a tension between stability and plasticity. The maintenance of long‐term representations that reflect the global regularities of the environment is often at odds with pressure to flexibly adjust to short‐term input regularities that may deviate from the norm. This tension is abundantly clear in speech communication when talkers with accents or dialects produce input that deviates from a listener's language community norms. Prior research demonstrates that when bottom‐up acoustic information or top‐down word knowledge is available to disambiguate speech input, there is short‐term adaptive plasticity such that subsequent speech perception is shifted even in the absence of the disambiguating information. Although such effects are well‐documented, it is not yet known whether bottom‐up and top‐down resolution of ambiguity may operate through common processes, or how these information sources may interact in guiding the adaptive plasticity of speech perception. The present study investigates the joint contributions of bottom‐up information from the acoustic signal and top‐down information from lexical knowledge in the adaptive plasticity of speech categorization according to short‐term input regularities. The results implicate speech category activation, whether from top‐down or bottom‐up sources, in driving rapid adjustment of listeners' reliance on acoustic dimensions in speech categorization. Broadly, this pattern of perception is consistent with dynamic mapping of input to category representations that is flexibly tuned according to interactive processing accommodating both lexical knowledge and idiosyncrasies of the acoustic input.
The effect of paper surface‐coating pigments and binders on colour gamut and printing parameters
Authors: Ozcan Arif , Tutak Dogan
Published: March 2021

One of the most important factors affecting the printing quality of printing processes is the surface structure of the printing material. The surface structure of the paper formed by fibres can be modified and smoothed out using coatings that make it more suitable for printing. In this study, three different types of coating pigments were prepared and applied onto an 80 g/m2 base paper surface. Styrene butadiene latex and polyvinyl alcohol were used as binders, and three different types of pigments, precipitated calcium carbonate, clay and zeolite, were used as pigments in the prepared coatings. The physical and optical properties of all calendered and non‐calendered papers were measured and compared. All the prints were produced with an ink‐jet digital printing machine upon the coated and calendered papers for recording the printability parameters. The ΔE00 differences between colours, tone values, colour gamuts and colour gamut volumes were measured from the surfaces of the printed papers. The results showed that the coating type had a better effect on print quality, and that the printability properties of coated papers and even calendered papers were very good.
Adoption of a novel smart mobile‐health application technology to track chronic immunosuppression adherence in solid organ transplantation: Results of a prospective, observational, multicentre, pilot study
Authors: Melilli Edoardo , Cestone Giuseppe , Revuelta Ignacio , Meneghini Maria , Lladó Laura , Montero Nuria , Manonelles Anna , Diaz Maribel , Coloma Ana , Torregrosa Vicenç , Baliellas Carme , Cruzado Josep M. , Diekmann Fritz , Grinyó Josep , Bestard Oriol
Published: March 2021

Background

Low adherence to chronic immunosuppression is associated with suboptimal transplantation outcomes. Mobile‐health technology is a promising tool to monitor medication adherence, but data on patient engagement to these tools are lacking.

Methods

Prospective, observational, multicenter, 2‐phase trial in kidney and liver transplant recipients, investigating the degree of engagement to TrackYourMed® (TYM), a novel m‐Health technology with a QR code‐scan app to track immunosuppression adherence and its association with drug monitoring.

Results

Out of 204 consecutive transplant patients, 90 patients were eligible to participate. 61 (68%) used TYM regularly, 21 (23%) never or barely used it, 5 (5.5%) were irregular users, and 3 (3.3%) were lost to follow‐up. 6‐month total correct intakes (CIN) ranged between 69%–76%, 12%–19% intakes were out‐of‐time (OUT), and 9%–12% were missed (MIS). Notably, a rate of intakes out of the scheduled time higher than 20% in the 6 days prior to blood immunosuppressant trough levels was associated with a higher intra‐patient variability (17 IQR 13–21% vs. 29 IQR 23%–36%, p = .001), and with a higher dose‐adjustment (p < .001). At 1 year, 53(59%) patients were still active users of TYM.

Conclusions

Implementing m‐Health technologies promoting immunosuppression adherence may be useful for a relevant number of transplant patients and help transplant physicians identifying erratic immunosuppression adherence.
Targeting intensive job assistance to ex‐offenders by the nature of offense: Results from a randomized control trial
Authors: Bollinger Christopher R. , Yelowitz Aaron
Published: March 2021

As many as two‐thirds of newly‐released inmates will be arrested for a new offense within 3 years. This study evaluates the impact of job assistance on recidivism rates among ex‐offenders. The job assistance program, run though the private company America Works, uses a network of employers to place clients. Ex‐offenders were randomly assigned to intensive job assistance (treatment group) or the standard program (control group). The intensive program is meant to improve average work readiness for ex‐offenders. It reduces the likelihood of subsequent arrest among nonviolent ex‐offenders, but has little effect on violent ex‐offenders. The rearrest rate for nonviolent ex‐offenders in the treatment group was 19 percentage points lower than those in the control group. The rearrest rate for violent ex‐offenders in the treatment group was indistinguishable from those in the control group. We estimate benefits from intensive job assistance from averted crimes and find that they outweigh the $5,000 up‐front cost for nonviolent ex‐offenders.
Divergent responses of phenology and growth to summer and autumnal warming
Authors: Yan Tao , Fu Yongshuo , Campioli Matteo , Peñuelas Josep , Wang Xuhui
Published: March 2021

Plant phenology is highly sensitive to climate change, and shifts in autumnal foliar senescence are critical for plant productivity and nutrient cycling. Global warming has delayed the timing of foliar senescence, but the response of autumnal foliar senescence to nonuniform seasonal warming remains poorly understood, with experimental evidence in trees especially scarce. We therefore conducted a field experiment on seasonally asymmetric warming on 2‐year‐old larch (Larix principis‐rupprechtii) seedlings in two hydrologically contrasting years (wet 2018 and dry 2019). Autumnal and year‐round warming significantly delayed the timing of foliar senescence by 6 and 7 d in 2018, the wet year, with corresponding temperature sensitivities of 6.73 ± 1.47 and 8.26 ± 1.00 d/°C, respectively. Interestingly, the dates of senescence did not change across the warming treatments in 2019, the dry year. However, there was no significant effect of summer warming on the timing of foliar senescence neither in the wet nor dry year. The delayed autumnal foliar senescence was responsible for an increase in biomass only in the wet year, 2018. In contrast, summer warming, but not autumnal warming, increased the mortality of the seedlings in both 2018 and 2019. These results suggest that the hydrological conditions substantially modify the response of autumnal phenology and growth to seasonal warming. Autumnal warming increases growth, whereas summer warming could cause carbon starvation/hydraulic failure, reduce growth, and lead to higher mortality. Our results suggest that the functioning, ecosystem services, and sustainability of forests in the future depend on the strength and pattern of nonuniform seasonal warming. This study can inspire new research in phenology and tree growth in experiments with asymmetric warming.
A Comparison of Residential Apartment Rent Price Predictions Using a Large Data Set: Kriging Versus Deep Neural Network
Authors: Seya Hajime , Shiroi Daiki
Published: March 2021

Despite several attempts to compare and examine the predictive accuracy of real estate sales and rent prices between the regression‐based and neural‐network (NN)‐based approaches, the results are largely mixed. Prior study limitations include a small sample size and a disregard for spatial dependence, which is an essential characteristic of real estate properties. Hence, this study aims to add new empirical evidence to the literature on comparing regression‐based with NN‐based rent price prediction models through sophistications by (1) examining different and relatively large‐scale sample sizes (n = 104, 105, 106), and (2) considering the spatial dependence of either the application of nearest neighbor Gaussian processes (NNGP) or the latitude‐longitude coordinate function (in the case of a deep neural network [DNN]). A case study of apartment rent prices in Japan shows that, given an increase in sample size, the out‐of‐sample predictive accuracies of the DNN approaches and that of NNGP are nearly equal in the order of n = 106. However, the DNN may have higher predictive accuracy than the NNGP for both higher‐ and lower‐end properties whose rent prices deviate from the median.
Pitfalls of ignoring trait resolution when drawing conclusions about ecological processes
Authors: Kohli Brooks A. , Jarzyna Marta A.
Published: March 2021

Aim

Understanding how ecological communities are assembled remains a grand challenge in ecology with direct implications for charting the future of biodiversity. Trait‐based methods have emerged as the leading approach for quantifying functional community structure (convergence, divergence) but their potential for inferring assembly processes rests on accurately measuring functional dissimilarity among community members. Here, we argue that trait resolution (from finest‐resolution continuous measurements to coarsest‐resolution binary categories) remains a critically overlooked methodological variable, even though categorical classification is known to mask functional variability and inflate functional redundancy among species or individuals.

Innovation

We present the first detailed predictions of trait resolution biases and demonstrate, with simulations, how the distortion of signal strength by increasingly coarse‐resolution traits can fundamentally alter functional structure patterns and the interpretation of causative ecological processes (e.g. abiotic filters, biotic interactions). We show that coarser trait data impart different impacts on the signals of divergence and convergence, implying that the role of biotic interactions may be underestimated when using coarser traits. Furthermore, in some systems, coarser traits may overestimate the strength of trait convergence, leading to erroneous support for abiotic processes as the primary drivers of community assembly or change.

Main conclusions

Inferences of assembly processes must account for trait resolution to ensure robust conclusions, especially for broad‐scale studies of comparative community assembly and biodiversity change. Despite recent improvements in the collection and availability of trait data, great disparities continue to exist among taxa in the number and availability of continuous traits, which are more difficult to acquire for large numbers of species than coarse categorical assignments. Based on our simulations, we urge the consideration of trait resolution in the design and interpretation of community assembly studies and suggest a suite of practical solutions to address the pitfalls of trait resolution biases.
Transgender negotiations of precarity: Contested spaces of higher education
Authors: Bonner‐Thompson Carl , Mearns Graeme William , Hopkins Peter
Published: March 2021

We use feminist and queer theorisations of precarity as emotional and embodied to explore how trans people experience and negotiate university campus spaces in North East England. Through analysis of 15 interviews conducted with university students and staff, we highlight how precarity is lived and felt through an exploration of the ways in which different spaces of the campus become contexts of hope, comfort, and belonging, as well as anxiety, fear, and violence. We detail the specific ways in which university spaces can come to shape feelings of precariousness and how these are relational to experiences of being trans in the wider city. We conclude by highlighting what an emotional and felt approach to precarity can offer geographers interested in power, marginalisation, and place.
A laboratory study of the accuracy of three electronic apex locators: influence of embedding media and radiographic assessment of the electronic apical limit
Authors: Iparraguirre Nuñovero M. F. , Piasecki L. , Segato A. V. K. , Westphalen V. P. D. , Silva Neto U. X. , Carneiro E.
Published: March 2021

Aim

To evaluate several factors that might interfere with the use of electronic root canal length measurement devices (ERCLMDs) in a laboratory setting, including two different embedding media (alginate and electroconductive gel), three different types of devices and the radiographic view on the assessment of the electronic readings.

Methodology

Thirty single‐rooted extracted human mandibular premolars were selected. After access and canal pre‐flaring, a size 10 K‐file was inserted in the canal up to the major apical foramen under magnification (×10), and this length was recorded as the actual length (AL) of the canal. Teeth were mounted on a specific endodontic training kit platform (ProTrain). Two different embedding media (electroconductive gel and alginate) and three different ERCLMDs: Apex ID (SybronEndo, Glendora, CA, USA), CanalPro Apex Locator (Coltene‐Endo, Cuyahoga Falls, OH, USA) and the Root ZX II (J. Morita, Tokyo, Japan), were tested. Following the measurement at the 0.5 mark of each ERCLMD using alginate, two periapical radiographs (bucco‐lingual and proximal views) were taken. The difference between the electronic readings and the AL, as well as the distance from the file tip to the apex of the roots on the radiographs, was calculated. Data were analysed statistically (two‐way anova, Tukey’s and chi‐squared tests) at 5% significance level.

Results

The incidence of over‐extended readings was significantly greater (P < 0.05) when using the ProTrain electroconductive gel, except for Root ZX II at the 0.5 mark. Root ZX, CanalPro and Apex ID had similar accuracy when the 0.0/APEX mark was used to locate the foramen. For the radiographic method, no difference was found between the devices or radiographic views.

Conclusion

Compared with alginate, the conductive gel of the ProTrain kit negatively affected most of the electronic readings. The three evaluated ERCLMDs had similar accuracy in locating the apical foramen when using the mark 0.0/APEX and alginate as the embedding media. Although the ProTrain platform allows radiographs to be exposed in both bucco‐lingual and proximal views, no difference was found between the views when evaluating the apical limit provided by the 0.5 mark in mandibular premolars embedded in alginate.
Effect of optimal neoadjuvant chemotherapy on oncological outcomes of locally advanced bladder cancer with laparoscopic radical cystectomy: A matched‐pair analysis in a multicenter cohort
Authors: Kubota Masashi , Kanno Toru , Inoue Takahiro , Yamasaki Toshinari , Okumura Kazuhiro , Ito Katsuhiro , Yamada Hitoshi , Fujii Masato , Shimizu Yosuke , Yatsuda Junji , Moroi Seiji , Shichiri Yasumasa , Akao Toshiya , Sawada Atsuro , Saito Ryoich , Kobayashi Takashi , Kawakita Mutsushi , Ogawa Osamu
Published: March 2021

Objectives

To assess the effect of optimal neoadjuvant chemotherapy of at least three cycles of cisplatin‐based regimen on oncological outcomes of clinical stage T3 or higher bladder cancer treated with laparoscopic radical cystectomy.

Methods

Laparoscopic radical cystectomies carried out at 10 institutions were included in this retrospective study. The outcomes of patients who received optimal neoadjuvant chemotherapy and those who did not receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy were compared using propensity score matching in clinical stage T3–4 or T2 cohorts, separately.

Results

Of the 455 patients screened, matched pairs of 54 patients in the clinical T3–4 cohort and 68 patients in the clinical T2 cohort were finally analyzed. In the cT3–4 cohort, the 5‐year overall survival (78% vs 41%; P = 0.014), cancer‐specific survival (81% vs 44%; P = 0.008) and recurrence‐free survival (71% vs 53%; P = 0.049) were significantly higher in the optimal neoadjuvant chemotherapy group than in the no neoadjuvant chemotherapy group; no significant survival difference was shown between the two groups in the cT2 cohort. In the cT3–4 cohort, the incidence of local recurrence (4% vs 26%; P = 0.025) and abdominal or intrapelvic recurrence, including peritoneal carcinomatosis (7% vs 30%; P = 0.038), was significantly lower in the optimal neoadjuvant chemotherapy group.

Conclusions

Administration of optimal neoadjuvant chemotherapy has a significant survival benefit. It decreases the incidence of local and atypical recurrence patterns in patients with clinical stage T3 or higher locally advanced bladder cancer undergoing laparoscopic radical cystectomy.
Invertebrate Film Festival: Science, creativity, and flexibility in a virtual teaching environment
Authors: Schulze Anja , Hajduk Marissa M. , Hannon Mary Colleen , Hubbard Emily A.
Published: March 2021

We implemented a new video project in a marine invertebrate zoology undergraduate class. The project required students to produce 3–5 min videos about a particular invertebrate or any aspect of invertebrate biology they were interested in. The development of this assignment was prompted by the limitations for lab activities due to COVID‐19 and three short‐term campus closures in response to threats of inclement weather. This assignment can be completed individually on a flexible schedule, without physical access to campus, and culminates in an Invertebrate Film Festival during the last lab period. The project was assigned at the start of the term with only minimal instructions to promote creativity. Students completed the project over the course of the 14‐week semester, with several checkpoints, most notably a peer review of the movie script 2 weeks prior to the due date. To support the video production, students were encouraged to attend workshops and schedule individual tutoring sessions offered by the Studio in the campus's Center for Academic Learning Support. Surveys at the beginning and the end of the semester revealed that the perception of the video project was overall positive, although some students were apprehensive in the beginning. Video topics, techniques, and software used by students varied widely, but overall the video quality exceeded our expectations. Many students took pride in their videos and agreed to make them available as supplementary material for this article. If we repeat this assignment in future semesters, we will streamline the peer review process and possibly offer short video tutorials for video‐editing software.
Competitive strategies between Anastrepha fraterculus and Anastrepha obliqua (Diptera: Tephritidae) regulating the use of host fruits
Authors: Petitinga Clarissa Santana Chaves D’Aguiar , Roriz Alzira Kelly Passos , Joachim‐Bravo Iara Sordi
Published: March 2021

Interspecific competition between individuals of different species can result in reductions in their fecundity, growth or survival, reflecting differential exploitation of resources that become intensified due to spatial co‐occurrence, ecological similarity and increased population densities. As two species cannot occupy the same niche, coexistence is only possible if the available resources are used in non‐overlapping manners such as niche partitioning or the use of refuges. Among agricultural insect pests, such as fruit flies of the family Tephritidae, competitive interactions can result in competitive displacement, host changes, or the expansion or restriction of the numbers of hosts utilized that can have negative consequences for human agricultural activities. We evaluated the competitive interactions between two fruit fly species of the genus Anastrepha, Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart, 1835) and Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedmann, 1830), on their respective preferred hosts (mangoes and guava). Experiments of larval competition and competition for ovipositioning sites by adult females were performed to compare the parameters of larval development time, numbers of pupae and emerged adults and numbers of ovipositions in the presence or absence of interspecific competition. We observed that the interactions between those species were asymmetrical and hierarchical, and our results suggest a competitive displacement of A. fraterculus by A. obliqua when those two species are present on the same fruit, whether mangoes or guavas.
Identification and application of T3SS translocation signal in Edwardsiella piscicida attenuated carrier as a bivalent vaccine
Authors: Li Jie , Tang Lei , Wang Pengmei , Li Guiyang , Jin Huaiyuan , Mo Zhaolan
Published: March 2021

Type III secretion system (T3SS)‐dependent translocation has been used to deliver heterologous antigens by vaccine carriers into host cells. In this research, we identified the translocation signal of Edwardsiella piscicida T3SS effector EseG and constructed an antibiotic resistance‐free balanced‐lethal system as attenuated vaccine carrier to present antigens by T3SS. Edwardsiella piscicida LSE40 asd gene deletion mutant was constructed and complemented with pYA3342 harbouring the asd (aspartate β‐semialdehyde dehydrogenase) gene from Salmonella. Fusion proteins composed of EseG N‐terminal 1–108 amino acids and the TEM1‐β‐lactamase reporter were inserted in plasmid pYA3342. The fusion protein could secrete into the cell culture, translocate into HeLa cells, and localize in the membrane fraction. Then, the double gene deletion mutant LSE40ΔasdΔpurA was constructed as an attenuated vaccine carrier, and Aeromonas hydrophila GapA (glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase) was fused with the translocation signal, instead of the TEM1‐β‐lactamase reporter. The bivalent vaccine could protect blue gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus) against E. piscicida and A. hydrophila, with the relative per cent survival of 80.77% and 63.83%, respectively. These results indicated that EseG N‐terminal 1–108 amino acid peptide was the translocation signal of E. piscicida T3SS, which could be used to construct bivalent vaccines based on an attenuated E. piscicida carrier.
Futura: A new tool for transparent and shareable scenario analysis in prospective life cycle assessment
Authors: Joyce P. James , Björklund Anna
Published: March 2021

While it may be impossible to accurately predict what the world will look like in the future, we can be certain that it will be different from the world of today. By extension, we know that using today's data in life cycle assessment (LCA) studies claiming to represent future scenarios is problematic. For the future impact of products to be estimated in a consistent and meaningful manner in LCA, the background system, most commonly the ecoinvent database, needs to be projected into the future alongside the foreground system modeled in a given study. Futura is a new piece of open‐source software which allows LCA practitioners to create and share novel background databases representing arbitrary scenarios. It allows users to import a base database and then start making targeted changes. These changes take three main forms—adding new technologies, regionalizing new or existing technologies, and altering market compositions. All changes made are automatically added to a "recipe." This recipe file can be shared publicly. This recipe can be imported by other users and used to exactly recreate the modified database. The additive and transparent nature of this system means that initially simple scenarios can be built upon by others to progress toward more comprehensive scenarios in a stepwise manner. The inability to build on the work of others is a serious barrier to the progress of the LCA field. Futura goes some way to reduce this barrier in the field of prospective LCA.
Mechanism and clinical applications of needle‐free injectors in dermatology: Literature review
Authors: Han Hye Sung , Hong Ji Yeon , Kwon Tae Rin , Lee Sung Eun , Yoo Kwang Ho , Choi Sun Young , Kim Beom Joon
Published: March 2021

Background

Needle‐free jet injectors are devices that deliver drugs using a high‐speed jet without a needle. Recent studies have significantly increased our understanding of the mechanisms of needle‐free jet injectors, and technical advancements have broadened the scope of application of the device.

Aims

We aimed to provide an up‐to‐date review of previous literature regarding the mechanism of action and clinical applications of needle‐free jet injectors in dermatology field.

Methods

We conducted a PUBMED search for studies on needle‐free jet injectors using the following parameters: “Pneumatic injector” OR “needleless injector” OR “needle‐free injector” OR “jet injector.” Among 191 results, 72 articles focusing on their mechanisms of action, cutaneous delivery patterns, and clinical applications in dermatology were selected for review.

Results

Significant clinical evidence has been published confirming the potential of needle‐free jet injectors in treating various dermatologic conditions. In particular, these devices have the potential to be used in various skin remodeling treatment, especially in skin rejuvenation procedures by injecting various esthetic materials.

Conclusion

As proven by accumulated experience, the applications of NFJIs are not restricted to vaccine or insulin delivery in dermatology field. However, this literature review shows that until now, there are no clinical guidelines that standardize the optimal parameters when using NFJIs on various clinical settings. Therefore, further studies should be performed in order to investigate the full potential of these devices in dermatology, to ensure safe and effective outcomes in clinical practice.
Comparison of 2% deoxyarbutin and 4% hydroquinone as a depigmenting agent in healthy individuals: A double‐blind randomized controlled clinical trial
Authors: Anwar Anis Irawan , Asmarani Yulia , Madjid Asnawi , Patellongi Ilhamjaya , Adriani Anni , As’ad Suryani , Kurniadi Ivan
Published: March 2021

Background

Hydroquinone, which is considered the gold standard skin depigmenting agent, has been associated with multiple side effects. Lately, deoxyarbutin has been suggested to be an alternative of hydroquinone with better safety profile.

Objective

To compare the depigmenting effect of 2% deoxyarbutin and 4% hydroquinone sera.

Methods

This double‐blind randomized controlled study was done on the right and left arms of healthy participants. Subjects were instructed to apply either 2% deoxyarbutin or 4% hydroquinone serum on each arm, which were randomly labeled as group A and B, every day for 12 weeks. Chromameter and mexameter analysis were done every 2 weeks to assess the color change. Paired and independent t‐tests were used to assess the color change within and between both groups, respectively.

Results

A total of 59 females participated in this study. Both groups showed significant improvement in skin depigmentation as shown by the chromameter (increase in L* value) and mexameter (decrease in melanin index) analysis at the end of the study (p < 0.05). No significant difference in both parameters was observed between both groups (p > 0.05). No side effects were reported in either groups.

Conclusion

2% deoxyarbutin and 4% hydroquinone sera showed comparable depigmenting efficacy.
Framing Sectarianism in the Middle East
Authors: Cheterian Vicken
Published: March 2021

This paper argues that a long view perspective of contemporary sectarianism between Sunni and Shia Islam in the Middle East could be read on the background of earlier forms of sectarianism going back to the 19th and 20th century history of the region. Such an approach would disentangle sectarianism from primordial narratives as an intrinsic problem of Islam going back to the early schism of the 7th century and place it in social formations and social practices, and link it to the emergence of sectarianism during the Ottoman age of reforms. It would explicit arguments that link sectarianism with modernism, discussing how the emergence of modern, secular institutions that were based in early‐modern millet system led to sects and sectarianism. The outcome of this approach is conceptualization of sect and sectarianism, its categorization, and confronting it with other modern narratives of the history of the Middle East.
Relation between oro‐facial thermographic findings and myofunctional characteristics in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea
Authors: Ferreira Claudia Lúcia Pimenta , Castelo Paula Midori , Zanato Luciana Escanoela , Poyares Dalva , Tufik Sergio , Bommarito Silvana
Published: March 2021

Aim

To evaluate the thermographic characteristics of oro‐facial structures and submental triangle of participants with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), as well as to investigate its correlation with the anatomy, posture and functions of the oro‐facial structures.

Method

Eighteen patients diagnosed with OSA by polysomnography (OSA group; 57.4 ± 15.8 years) and 13 healthy participants screened for OSA (control group; 57.8 ± 18.1 years) were included. All participants answered to questionnaires for OSA and excessive daytime sleepiness, and were submitted to infrared image thermography analysis of facial regions of interest (ROIs), oro‐facial myofunctional evaluation (OMES‐E protocol) and masticatory performance. Statistical analysis included one‐way ANOVA and Pearson/Spearman correlation test.

Results

Obstructive sleep apnoea group showed lower thermographic measures in many ROIs in the frontal and lateral views of the face, including the submental triangle region, and lower scores of aspect/posture and performance of oro‐facial structures, as well lower total score of OMES‐E evaluation (P < .05). Scores of aspect/posture and mobility were correlated with the temperature of some ROIs in the frontal and lateral views.

Conclusion

Lower facial skin and submental triangle region temperatures, measured by infrared thermography, and a worse oro‐facial myofunctional condition were identified in the group of individuals with OSA. The higher temperatures of the ROIs were correlated with the better status of aspect/posture and performance of the oro‐facial myofunctional structures.
Going on as one ought: Kripke and Wittgenstein on the normativity of meaning
Authors: Ginsborg Hannah
Published: March 2021

Kripke's thesis that meaning is normative is typically interpreted, following Boghossian, as the thesis that meaningful expressions allow of true or warranted use. I argue for an alternative interpretation centered on Wittgenstein's conception of the normativity involved in “knowing how to go on” in one's use of an expression. Meaning is normative for Kripke because it justifies claims, not to be saying something true, but to be going on as one ought from previous uses of the expression. I argue that this represents a distortion of Wittgenstein's conception of the normativity of meaning, and that Wittgenstein's conception is preferable.
Fiscal Devaluation with Endogenous Markups: Productivity and Welfare*
Authors: Belan Pascal , Carbonnier Clément , Carré Martine
Published: March 2021

We study fiscal devaluation (i.e., revenue‐neutral shift from payroll to consumption tax) in a two‐country model of international trade. We analyze how such a policy modifies competition between heterogeneous producers, endogenous markups, and the allocation of inputs. We show that fiscal devaluation increases (resp. decreases) consumption in the net importing (resp. net exporting) country, regardless of which country implements the policy. Numerical illustrations suggest that fiscal devaluation is a deflationary policy. In most cases, input resources are reallocated to less productive firms, partly because of the deformation of the profit structure along the distribution of productivity.