bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dynamics of spherical gas bubbles in a cluster under an increase in the surrounding liquid pressure
Authors: Aganin I A , Davletshin A I
Published: June 2021

The influence of the hydrodynamic interaction of spherical gas bubbles in linear, circular and ball-shaped clusters under a sudden increase in the surrounding liquid pressure is studied. The centers of the bubbles are located at the nodes of a uniform one-dimensional mesh on a segment of a straight line in the linear clusters, at the nodes of a uniform two-dimensional mesh inside a circular region of a plane in the circular clusters and at nodes of a uniform three-dimensional mesh inside a spherical region in the ball-shaped clusters. Initially, the liquid and the bubbles are at rest, the liquid pressure is 1 bar, the bubble radius is 0.25 mm, and the size of the mesh cells is 5 mm. The pressure rises by 0.8 bar. A mathematical model is applied, in which the dynamics of bubbles is described by the second-order ODEs in the radii of the bubbles and the position-vectors of their centers. It is shown that the radial oscillations of the bubbles in the clusters are significantly different from those of a single bubble. In particular, the period of their oscillations is longer, their damping is non-monotonic (with beats). The amplitudes of the oscillations and their beats are much greater in the central bubbles of the clusters than in the peripheral ones. The process of decay of the radial oscillations of the central bubbles in the circular and ball-shaped clusters begins with the phase of their amplification, during which the bubble pressure maximum becomes higher than the maximum achieved during the oscillations of a single bubble. Moreover, with growing number of bubbles in these clusters, the rate of damping of their oscillations decreases, and the oscillation beat frequency of both the central and peripheral bubbles increases.
Numerical study of the effect of the dispersed particles properties on the electrically charged polydisperse gas suspension dynamics in a channel with electrodes on the walls
Authors: Tukmakov D A , Tukmakova N A
Published: June 2021

In this article the flow of an electrically charged gas suspension in a channel is numerically simulated. It is assumed that the solid component of the gas suspension has a polydisperse composition. Solid component fractions may differ in particle size and density. For the velocity components of the mixture components on the channel surfaces, the Dirichlet boundary conditions were specified, thereby taking into account the wall viscosity. The dynamics of the carrier medium was described by the system of equations of a viscous compressible heat-conducting gas motion. Potentials of different signs are applied to the lateral surfaces of the channel. It was found that due to the action of an electric field, positively charged particles are deposited onto the channel wall with a negative potential. The article studies the effect of particle parameters on the deposition rate of fractions of an electrically charged solid component of the mixture.
Analytical and experimental research of nonlinear resonant gas oscillations in a cube
Authors: Nasyrov R R , Shaidullin L R , Kabirov A A
Published: June 2021

The gas pressure in a cubic resonator is studied experimentally and numerically at the first resonant frequency. Lagrange’s approach is used to analytical study of problem. Comparison of the pressure oscillations obtained experimentally and numerically at different amplitudes of piston oscillation is carried out.
Equation of the gas oscillation frequencies in a closed-circuit Helmholtz resonator type combustion chamber
Authors: Larionov V M , Iovleva O V , Semenova E V , Yunusova E A , Larionova I V
Published: June 2021

A solid fuel combustion chamber of the Helmholtz-resonator-type is investigated. In previous works, the air supply tube and the combustion product outlet tube were open at the outlet. In this paper, we consider a device in which the tubes are connected by a total volume. The linearization of the conservation equations in the combustion chamber and the interference chamber gives four boundary conditions for acoustic disturbances. From these conditions, an equation follows that allows us to calculate the frequencies of gas vibrations in the device of the considered type.
Inventory reporting of livestock emissions: the impact of the IPCC 1996 and 2006 Guidelines
Authors: Amon Barbara , Çinar Gültaç , Anderl Michael , Dragoni Federico , Kleinberger-Pierer Magdalena , Hörtenhuber Stefan
Published: June 2021

The livestock sector is a major contributor to agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) and nitrogen (N) emissions and efforts are being made to reduce these emissions. National emission inventories are the main tool for reporting emissions. They have to be consistent, comparable, complete, accurate and transparent. The quality of emission inventories is affected by the reporting methodology, emission factors and knowledge of individual sources. In this paper, we investigate the effects of moving from the 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines on the emission estimates from the livestock sector. With Austria as a case study, we estimated the emissions according to the two guidelines, revealing marked changes in emission estimates from different source categories resulting from changes in the applied methodology. Overall estimated GHG emissions from the livestock sector decreased when applying the IPCC 2006 methodology, except for emissions from enteric fermentation. Our study revealed shifts in the relative importance of main emission sources. While the share of CH4 emissions from enteric fermentation and manure management increased, the share of N2O emissions from manure management and soils decreased. The most marked decrease was observed for the share of indirect N2O emissions. Our study reveals a strong relationship between the emission inventory methodology and mitigation options as mitigation measures will only be effective for meeting emission reduction targets if their effectiveness can be demonstrated in the national emission inventories. We include an outlook on the 2019 IPCC Refinement and its potential effects on livestock emissions estimates. Emission inventory reports are a potent tool to show the effect of mitigation measures and the methodology prescribed in inventory guidelines will have a distinct effect on the selection of mitigation measures.
Sub-10 nm fabrication: methods and applications
Authors: Chen Yiqin , Shu Zhiwen , Zhang Shi , Zeng Pei , Liang Huikang , Zheng Mengjie , Duan Huigao
Published: June 2021

Reliable fabrication of micro/nanostructures with sub-10 nm features is of great significance for advancing nanoscience and nanotechnology. While the capability of current complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) chip manufacturing can produce structures on the sub-10 nm scale, many emerging applications, such as nano-optics, biosensing, and quantum devices, also require ultrasmall features down to single digital nanometers. In these emerging applications, CMOS-based manufacturing methods are currently not feasible or appropriate due to the considerations of usage cost, material compatibility, and exotic features. Therefore, several specific methods have been developed in the past decades for different applications. In this review, we attempt to give a systematic summary on sub-10 nm fabrication methods and their related applications. In the first and second parts, we give a brief introduction of the background of this research topic and explain why sub-10 nm fabrication is interesting from both scientific and technological perspectives. In the third part, we comprehensively summarize the fabrication methods and classify them into three main approaches, including lithographic, mechanics-enabled, and post-trimming processes. The fourth part discusses the applications of these processes in quantum devices, nano-optics, and high-performance sensing. Finally, a perspective is given to discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with this research topic.
The State and Its People
Authors: Ekins Richard
Published: June 2021

This article considers the relationship between the state and its people, reflecting on Nick Barber’s principles of constitutionalism. The joint intention of the people is central to the social reality of the good state, which is an institutionally ordered people. Other forms of political order, including empire, are possible, but there is good reason for a people to form a state and to exercise political agency. While under some conditions non-democratic rule is legitimate, there is good reason for authority to be shared widely and for rulers to foster close connections with the ruled, which makes self-government possible. Barber’s account of subsidiarity risks neglecting social solidarity in general, and nationality in particular, which would undermine the joint intention of the people. The sovereign state is the means by which a people participates in the international realm, but sovereignty may be misused to alienate a people from the state.
Legal Ridicule in the Age of Advertisement: Puffery, Quackery, and the Mass Market
Authors: Rosenberg Anat
Published: June 2021

This article examines the origins of the doctrine of puffery in Britain, in the first decades of its development during the nineteenth- and early twentieth centuries. The doctrine is a curious legal construct. Usually invoked as a defence, it identifies futile speech, typically of a seller, which does not give rise to liability. It operated, as it still does, in several fields of law. The analysis is not a traditional doctrinal one but rather a cultural legal study, which places the doctrine within the history of mass advertising, with two interrelated goals. First, following a review of developments based on primary sources, required given the scant literature on puffery, this article proposes a new interpretation of the doctrine as a legal mode of ridicule. While traditionally viewed as an instance of caveat emptor that supported commerce, the doctrine also involved a legal inferiorization of advertisements - taken as the paradigmatic instance of the sales pitch. Second, this article explores the interrelations between the history of law and the history of advertising, and demonstrates its productive potential for legal analysis with cases concerned with quack medicines. In the process, it offers a new reading of Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball and other cases. In conclusion, this article suggests that ridicule was a refusal to acknowledge the power of advertising and particularly its appeals to consumers’ imagination rather than reason, even as advertising was given legal licence.
X—Coincidence and Supervenience
Authors: Bader Ralf M.
Published: June 2021

Pluralists argue for the distinctness of coinciding objects on the grounds that they have different properties. The grounding problem is the problem of explaining how the supposed difference in properties can arise in the first place. This paper considers this problem as an instance of a more general phenomenon, namely, the problem of dealing with underdetermination in asymmetrical systems admitting of non-trivial automorphisms. It argues in favour of primitivism by developing an account of stochastic grounding that makes room for non-fundamental bruteness and substantially mitigates the costs of primitivism.
Dynamics of small non-coding RNAs in bovine scNT embryos through the maternal-to-embryonic transition
Authors: Cuthbert Jocelyn M , Russell Stewart J , Polejaeva Irina A , Meng Qinggang , White Kenneth L , Benninghoff Abby D
Published: June 2021

The efficiency of somatic cell nuclear transfer (scNT) for production of viable offspring is relatively low as compared to in vitro fertilization (IVF), presumably due to deficiencies in epigenetic reprogramming of the donor cell genome. Such defects may also involve the population of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs), which are important during early embryonic development. The objective of this study was to examine dynamic changes in relative abundance of sncRNAs during the maternal-to-embryonic transition (MET) in bovine embryos produced by scNT as compared to IVF by using RNA sequencing. When comparing populations of miRNA in scNT versus IVF embryos, only miR-2340, miR-345, and miR34a were differentially expressed in morulae, though many more miRNAs were differentially expressed when comparing across developmental stages. Also of interest, distinct populations of piwi-interacting like RNAs (pilRNAs) were identified in bovine embryos prior to and during embryonic genome activation (EGA) as compared bovine embryos post-EGA and differentiated cells. Overall, sncRNA sequencing analysis of preimplantation embryos revealed largely similar profiles of sncRNAs for IVF and scNT embryos at the 2-cell, 8-cell, morula, and blastocyst stages of development. However, these sncRNA profiles, including miRNA, piRNA, and tRNA fragments, were notably distinct prior to and after completion of the MET.
Pediatric Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia: Clinical Spectrum and Predictors of Poor Outcome
Authors: Campbell Anita J , Al Yazidi Laila S , Phuong Linny K , Leung Clare , Best Emma J , Webb Rachel H , Voss Lesley , Athan Eugene , Britton Philip N , Bryant Penelope A , Butters Coen T , Carapetis Jonathan R , Ching Natasha S , Coombs Geoffrey W , Daley Denise A , Francis Joshua R , Hung Te-Yu , Mowlaboccus Shakeel , Nourse Clare , Ojaimi Samar , Tai Alex , Vasilunas Nan , McMullan Brendan , Blyth Christopher C , Bowen Asha C
Published: June 2021

Background

Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of bacteremia, yet the epidemiology and predictors of poor outcome remain inadequately defined in childhood.

Methods

ISAIAH (Invasive Staphylococcus aureus Infections and Hospitalizations in children) is a prospective, cross-sectional study of S. aureus bacteremia (SAB) in children hospitalized in Australia and New Zealand over 24 months (2017–2018).

Results

Overall, 552 SABs were identified (incidence 4.4/100 000/year). Indigenous children, those from lower socioeconomic areas and neonates were overrepresented. Although 90-day mortality was infrequent, one-third experienced the composite of: length of stay >30 days (26%), intensive care unit admission (20%), relapse (4%), or death (3%). Predictors of mortality included prematurity (adjusted odds ratio [aOR],16.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6–296.9), multifocal infection (aOR, 22.6; CI, 1.4–498.5), necrotizing pneumonia (aOR, 38.9; CI, 1.7–1754.6), multiorgan dysfunction (aOR, 26.5; CI, 4.1–268.8), and empiric vancomycin (aOR, 15.7; CI, 1.6–434.4); while infectious diseases (ID) consultation (aOR, 0.07; CI .004–.9) was protective. Neither MRSA nor vancomycin trough targets impacted survival; however, empiric vancomycin was associated with nephrotoxicity (OR, 3.1; 95% CI 1.3–8.1).

Conclusions

High SAB incidence was demonstrated and for the first time in a pediatric setting, necrotizing pneumonia and multifocal infection were predictors of mortality, while ID consultation was protective. The need to reevaluate pediatric vancomycin trough targets and limit unnecessary empiric vancomycin exposure to reduce poor outcomes and nephrotoxicity is highlighted. One in 3 children experienced considerable SAB morbidity; therefore, pediatric inclusion in future SAB comparator trials is paramount to improve outcomes.
Coronary Artery Disease–Associated and Longevity-Associated Polygenic Risk Scores for Prediction of Coronary Artery Disease Events in Persons Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus: The Swiss HIV Cohort Study
Authors: Schoepf Isabella C , Thorball Christian W , Ledergerber Bruno , Engel Tanja , Raffenberg Marieke , Kootstra Neeltje A , Reiss Peter , Hasse Barbara , Marzolini Catia , Thurnheer Christine , Seneghini Marco , Bernasconi Enos , Cavassini Matthias , Buvelot Hélène , Kouyos Roger , Günthard Huldrych F , Fellay Jacques , Tarr Philip E ,   Swiss HIV Cohort Study, Anagnostopoulos A , Battegay M , B E , Boni J , Braun D L , Bucher H C , Calmy A , C M , Ciuffi A , Dollenmaier G , Egger M , Elzi L , Fehr J , F J , Furrer H , Fux C A , G H F , Haerry D , H B , Hirsch H H , Hoffmann M , Hosli I , Huber M , Kahlert C R , Kaiser L , Keiser O , Klimkait T , K R , Kovari H , L B , Martinetti G , de Tejada B Martinez , M C , Metzner K J , Muller N , Nicca D , Paioni P , Pantaleo G , Perreau M , Rauch A , Rudin C , Scherrer A U , Schmid P , Speck R , Stockle M , T P E , Trkola A , Vernazza P , Wandeler G , Weber R , Yerly S
Published: June 2021

Background

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is in part genetically determined. Aging is accentuated in people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PLWH). It is unknown whether genetic CAD event prediction in PLWH is improved by applying individual polygenic risk scores (PRSs) and by considering genetic variants associated with successful aging and longevity.

Methods

In the Swiss HIV Cohort Study participants of self-reported European descent, we determined univariable and multivariable odds ratios (ORs) for CAD events, based on traditional CAD risk factors, adverse antiretroviral exposures, and different validated genome-wide PRSs. PRSs were built from CAD-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), longevity-associated SNPs, or both.

Results

We included 269 patients with CAD events between 2000 and 2017 (median age, 54 years; 87% male; 82% with suppressed HIV RNA) and 567 event-free controls. Clinical (ie, traditional and HIV-related) risk factors and PRSs, built from CAD-associated SNPs, longevity-associated SNPs, or both, each contributed independently to CAD events (P < .001). Participants with the most unfavorable clinical risk factor profile (top quintile) had an adjusted CAD-OR of 17.82 (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.19–38.76), compared with participants in the bottom quintile. Participants with the most unfavorable CAD-PRSs (top quintile) had an adjusted CAD-OR of 3.17 (95% CI, 1.74–5.79), compared with the bottom quintile. After adding longevity-associated SNPs to the CAD-PRS, participants with the most unfavorable genetic background (top quintile) had an adjusted CAD-OR of 3.67 (95% CI, 2.00–6.73), compared with the bottom quintile.

Conclusions

In Swiss PLWH, CAD prediction based on traditional and HIV-related risk factors was superior to genetic CAD prediction based on longevity- and CAD-associated PRS. Combining traditional, HIV-related, and genetic risk factors provided the most powerful CAD prediction.
Association Between Number of Intravenous Antipseudomonal Antibiotics and Clinical Outcomes of Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis Pulmonary Exacerbations
Authors: Cogen Jonathan D , Faino Anna V , Onchiri Frankline , Hoffman Lucas R , Kronman Matthew P , Nichols David P , Rosenfeld Margaret , Gibson Ronald L
Published: June 2021

Background

Pulmonary exacerbations (PEx) in people with cystic fibrosis (PwCF) are associated with significant morbidity. While standard PEx treatment for PwCF with Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection includes two IV antipseudomonal antibiotics, little evidence exists to recommend this approach. This study aimed to compare clinical outcomes of single versus double antipseudomonal antibiotic use for PEx treatment.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study using the linked CF Foundation Patient Registry-Pediatric Health Information System dataset. PwCF were included if hospitalized between 2007 and 2018 and 6–21 years of age. Regression modeling accounting for repeated measures was used to compare lung function outcomes between single versus double IV antipseudomonal antibiotic regimens using propensity-score weighting to adjust for relevant confounding factors.

Results

Among 10,660 PwCF in the dataset, we analyzed 2,578 PEx from 1,080 PwCF, of which 455 and 2,123 PEx were treated with 1 versus 2 IV antipseudomonal antibiotics, respectively. We identified no significant differences between PEx treated with 1 versus 2 IV antipseudomonal antibiotics either in change between pre- and post-PEx percent predicted forced expiratory volume in one second (ppFEV1) (–0.84%, [95% CI –2.25, 0.56]; P = 0.24), odds of returning to ≥90% of baseline ppFEV1 within 3 months following PEx (Odds Ratio 0.83, [95% CI 0.61, 1.13]; P = 0.24) or time to next PEx requiring IV antibiotics (Hazard Ratio 1.04, [95% CI 0.87, 1.24]; P = 0.69).

Conclusions

Use of 2 IV antipseudomonal antibiotics for PEx treatment in young PwCF was not associated with greater improvements in measured respiratory and clinical outcomes compared to treatment with 1 IV antipseudomonal antibiotic.
Male Sex Is Associated With Worse Microbiological and Clinical Outcomes Following Tuberculosis Treatment: A Retrospective Cohort Study, a Systematic Review of the Literature, and Meta-analysis
Authors: Chidambaram Vignesh , Tun Nyan Lynn , Majella Marie Gilbert , Ruelas Castillo Jennie , Ayeh Samuel K , Kumar Amudha , Neupane Pranita , Sivakumar Ranjith Kumar , Win Ei Phyo , Abbey Enoch J , Wang Siqing , Zimmerman Alyssa , Blanck Jaime , Gupte Akshay , Wang Jann-Yuan , Karakousis Petros C
Published: June 2021

Background

Although the incidence of tuberculosis is higher in men than in women, the relationship of sex with tuberculosis treatment outcomes has not been adequately studied.

Methods

We performed a retrospective cohort study and a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies during the last 10 years to assess sex differences in clinical and microbiological outcomes in tuberculosis.

Results

In our cohort of 2894 Taiwanese patients with drug-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis (1975 male and 919 female), male patients had higher adjusted hazards of 9-month mortality due to all causes (hazard ratio, 1.43 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.03–1.98]) and infections (1.70 [1.09–2.64]) and higher adjusted odds of 2-month sputum culture positivity (odds ratio [OR], 1.56 [95% CI, 1.05–2.33]) compared with female patients. Smear positivity at 2 months did not differ significantly (OR, 1.27 [95% CI, .71–2.27]) between the sexes. Among 7896 articles retrieved, 398 were included in our systematic review describing a total of 3 957 216 patients. The odds of all-cause mortality were higher in men than in women in the pooled unadjusted (OR, 1.26 [95% CI, 1.19–1.34]) and adjusted (1.31 [1.18–1.45]) analyses. Men had higher pooled odds of sputum culture (OR, 1.44 [95% CI, 1.14–1.81]) and sputum smear (1.58 [1.41–1.77]) positivity, both at the end of the intensive phase and on completion of treatment.

Conclusions

Our retrospective cohort showed that male patients with tuberculosis have higher 9-month all-cause and infection-related mortality, with higher 2-month sputum culture positivity after adjustment for confounding factors. In our meta-analysis, male patients showed higher all-cause and tuberculosis-related mortality and higher sputum culture and smear positivity rates during and after tuberculosis treatment.
Prevalence and Impact of Obesity on Disease-specific Outcomes in a Population-based Cohort of Patients with Ulcerative Colitis
Authors: Johnson Amanda M , Harmsen W Scott , Aniwan Satimai , Tremaine William J , Abu Dayyeh Barham K , Loftus Edward V
Published: June 2021

Background and Aims

There remains a historical misconception that inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] patients are underweight. However, recent data suggest rates of obesity in IBD parallel to those of the general population. The impact obesity has on the natural history of IBD is unclear. We aimed to determine obesity rates at the time of IBD diagnosis in a population-based cohort of ulcerative colitis [UC] patients.

Methods

Chart review was performed on patients diagnosed with UC over 1970–2010. Data were collected on demographics, body mass index [BMI], disease characteristics, IBD-specific hospitalisations, intestinal resection, and corticosteroid use. The proportion of patients who were obese at the time of their diagnosis was evaluated over time, and survival free of IBD-related complications was assessed using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.

Results

A total of 417 adults were diagnosed with UC over 1970–2010, 55.4% of whom were classified as either overweight [34.8%] or obese [20.6%]. The prevalence of obesity increased 2–3-fold over the 40-year study period. Obese patients had a 72% increased risk of hospitalisation (hazard ratio [HR],1.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10–2.71; p = 0.018) when compared with normal weight patients. Additionally, with each incremental increase in BMI by 1 kg/m2, the risk of hospitalisation increased by 5% [HR,1.05; 95% CI, 1.01–1.08; p = 0.008] and risk of corticosteroid use increased by 2.6% [HR,1.026; 95% CI, 1.00–1.05; p = 0.05].

Conclusions

The prevalence of obesity in the UC population is increasing and may have negative prognostic implications, specifically regarding risk of future hospitalisation and corticosteroid use. Additional prospective studies are necessary to more clearly define these associations.
Left atrial appendage occlusion in the UK: prospective registry and data linkage to Hospital Episode Statistics
Authors: Willits Iain , Keltie Kim , Linker Nicholas , de Belder Mark , Henderson Robert , Patrick Hannah , Powell Helen , Berry Lee , Urwin Samuel G , Cole Helen , Sims Andrew J
Published: June 2021

Aims

Non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) greatly increases the risk of ischaemic stroke. For people with contraindications to oral anticoagulation, left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) provides a non-pharmacological management alternative. The aim of this study was to measure the procedural safety and longer-term effectiveness of LAAO for AF in a UK setting.

Methods and results

This was a prospective, single-armed registry of patients with AF for whom anticoagulation was unsuitable. Registry data were collected between October 2014 and April 2018 and linked to routine data sources for follow-up. Data from 583 LAAO procedures were entered into the registry, of which 537 (from 525 patients) were eligible for inclusion (median CHA2DS2-VASc score 4). A closure device was successfully implanted in 93.4% of cases, with a procedural success rate (device implanted without major complication) of 88.9%. Five patients (1.0%) died in hospital. During follow-up [median 729 (Q1:Q3, 523:913) days] 45 patients experienced neurological events; 33 of which were ischaemic. The ischaemic neurological event rate was 3.3 (1.6–5.0)% at 1 year (n = 387) and 7.0 (4.3–9.6)% at 2 years (n = 196). There were significant improvements in overall patient health (via Visual Analogue Scale) measured at 6 weeks and 6 months, but no significant improvements observed in patient utility over time.

Conclusion

The findings of our study suggest that LAAO is not without procedural risk, but that this risk may be justified in high-risk patients with AF who cannot take an anticoagulant. Moreover, the data do not provide support for more widespread use of LAAO as the complication rate was relatively high and would be difficult to justify in many patients with AF who tolerate anticoagulation.
Facial paralysis and vaccinations: a vaccine adverse event reporting system review
Authors: Ahsanuddin Salma , Nasser Wissam , Roy Savannah C , Povolotskiy Roman , Paskhover Boris
Published: June 2021

Background

Vaccinations are a cornerstone of preventative medicine in the USA. However, growing concerns regarding facial nerve palsy following vaccination exist.

Objective

This study aims to assess the occurrence of facial palsy as reported by the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) database.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of the VAERS database was performed for cases of ‘Facial Palsy’, ‘Bell’s Palsy’, ‘Facial Paralysis’ and ‘Ramsay Hunt Syndrome’ between 2009 and 2018. Subgroup analysis was performed to determine gender, age, history of facial palsy, type of vaccine used, number of days until onset of symptoms and overall facial palsy rate.

Results

Nine hundred and forty-four entries met our inclusion criteria with 961 vaccine administrations resulting in facial paralysis. Facial palsy following vaccinations was evenly distributed across all age cohorts with two peaks between 60 and 74 years old and between 0 and 14 years old. Most patients were female (N = 526, 55.7%) without a reported history of facial palsy (N = 923, 97.8%). In 2009, reported incidence rate was 0.53%, as compared with 0.23% in 2018. The influenza vaccine had the greatest number of cases (N = 166, 17.3%), followed by the varicella (N = 87, 9.1%) and human papillomavirus vaccines (N = 47, 4.9%).

Conclusions

With the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and recent approvals of the vaccinations, there is growing concern of facial palsy following vaccination. Although it is a known adverse event following vaccination, the likelihood of facial palsy following vaccination is low, with only 0.26% of overall reported cases over a 10-year span.
Spatial abundance and distribution of picocyanobacterial communities in two contrasting lakes revealed using environmental DNA metabarcoding
Authors: Schallenberg Lena A , Pearman John K , Burns Carolyn W , Wood Susanna A
Published: June 2021

Freshwater picocyanobacteria (Pcy) are important yet understudied components of lake ecosystems. Most previous studies have relied on cell abundances to assess Pcy dynamics in largely oligotrophic lakes, while little is known about spatial diversity and dynamics across different lake types. In the present study we assessed the horizontal-spatial abundance and community structure of Pcy in two contrasting (oligotrophic and hypertrophic) New Zealand lakes using epifluorescence microscopy and 16S rRNA metabarcoding. Pcy abundance and community composition differed significantly both between and within the oligotrophic and hypertrophic lakes. While spatial variability was observed in both study lakes, these differences were particularly pronounced in the oligotrophic, morphometrically complex Lake Wanaka where cell abundances were typically higher in bays than open-water sites and community structure differed significantly between sites. Community structuring appeared to be driven by localised environmental conditions, with different factors influencing each lake. These results suggest that single spot-samples are insufficient to gain an understanding of Pcy dynamics and consequently, phytoplankton dynamics in lakes.
Understanding the experience of the implementer: teachers' perspectives on implementing a classroom-based nutrition education program
Authors: Bergling Emily , Pendleton Divyani , Owen Heather , Shore Emily , Risendal Betsy , Harpin Scott , Whitesell Nancy , Puma Jini
Published: June 2021

School-based programs are widely implemented to combat childhood obesity, but these programs have mixed results. Dissemination and implementation science approaches to evaluation using qualitative methods can provide more robust details about program functioning that may be able to help explain the variation in the impact of these programs. Fourteen in-depth interviews were conducted with classroom teachers implementing a school-based program, the Integrated Nutrition Education Program (INEP), to explore their experience. Factors related to organization, individual and intervention levels emerged as facilitators and barriers to program implementation. Key factors were school culture at the organization level, individual perception and belief in the intervention at the individual level and program content, perceived complexity and adaptability at the intervention level. Socioeconomic status of the community and family involvement were contextual factors identified across all levels. Findings from this qualitative evaluation can be used for the quality improvement of INEP, but beyond this these can also be informative for other school-based programs to promote adoption, implementation and maintenance.
Codimension One Foliations with Numerically Trivial Canonical Class on Singular Spaces II
Authors: Druel Stéphane , Ou Wenhao
Published: June 2021

In this article, we give the structure of codimension one foliations with canonical singularities and numerically trivial canonical class on varieties with klt singularities. Building on recent works of Spicer, Cascini—Spicer and Spicer—Svaldi, we then describe the birational geometry of rank two foliations with canonical singularities and canonical class of numerical dimension zero on complex projective three-folds.
Dietary omega-3 fatty acid supplementation does not impair vitamin E status or promote lipid peroxidation in growing horses
Authors: White-Springer Sarah H , Vineyard Kelly R , Kivipelto Jan , Warren Lori K
Published: June 2021

Omega-3 (n-3; ω-3) fatty acids (FA) are often included in the diet for their potential health benefits. However, because oxidative potential is increased with the degree of unsaturation in vitro, polyunsaturated FA such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3) may be at increased risk of lipid peroxidation. We aimed to determine the effects of dietary n-3 FA supplementation on antioxidant status and lipid peroxidation in yearling horses. Quarter Horses (mean ± SEM; 14.6 ± 0.2 mo) were randomly assigned to receive no n-3 FA supplementation (CON; n = 6) or 60 mg n-3/kg body weight from milled flaxseed (FLAX; n = 6) or encapsulated fish oil (FISH; n = 6). All horses received a basal diet of mixed grain concentrate fed individually at 1.5% body weight (dry matter basis) and ad libitum bahiagrass pasture forage. Blood samples were obtained before and after 70 d of supplementation to evaluate vitamin E, selenium, lipids, antioxidant status, and oxidative stress. Data were analyzed using a mixed model ANOVA with repeated measures. Supplementation with n-3 FA did not reduce serum vitamin E or Se and, in fact, elevated (P ≤ 0.0003) vitamin E status in FISH horses. At day 70, serum triglycerides were lower in FISH and FLAX horses than CON horses (P ≤ 0.02) and F2-isoprostanes were lower in FISH than CON horses (P = 0.0002). Dietary n-3 FA had no effect on cholesterol, reduced and oxidized glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances. In growing horses fed to meet their vitamin E requirements, supplementation with 60 mg n-3/kg body weight did not negatively affect vitamin E status or promote lipid peroxidation. Elevated vitamin E status in horses fed FISH, coupled with lower serum F2-isoprostanes, further suggest that the longer-chain, highly unsaturated n-3 FA, EPA and DHA, may actually attenuate lipid peroxidation.
Overexpression and characterization of Escherichia coli dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase: a four iron-sulphur cluster containing flavoprotein
Authors: Yoshioka Hiroshi , Ishida Tetsuo , Mihara Hisaaki
Published: June 2021

Escherichia coli dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (EcDPD) catalyses the NADH-dependent reduction of uracil and thymine to the corresponding 5,6-dihydropyrimidines to control their metabolite pools. EcDPD consists of two subunits, PreT and PreA, and requires FAD, FMN and Fe-S clusters for activity. Recombinant EcDPD with a C-terminal His6-tagged-PreA subunit was overproduced in a DPD-lacking E. coli cells with augmented Fe-S cluster synthesis. Anaerobic purification resulted in purified enzyme with a specific activity of 13 μmol min−1 mg−1. The purified EcDPD was a heterotetramer and contained 0.81 FAD, 0.99 FMN, 14 acid-labile sulphur and 15 iron per PreT-PreA dimer. The enzyme exhibited Michaelis–Menten kinetics for both the forward and reverse reactions, which is distinct from mammalian DPDs showing substrate inhibition kinetics. For uracil reduction, the kcat, kcat/KNADH and kcat/Kuracil values were constant over the pH range of 5.5–10. For dihydrouracil (DHU) dehydrogenation, the pH-dependence of the kcat and kcat/KNAD+ values indicated that a residue with a pKa of 6.6 must be deprotonated for activity. Biochemical and kinetic comparisons with pig DPD revealed that protonation sates of the catalytically competent forms of EcDPD are distinct from those of pig enzyme.
Hiding in the Crowd: Secrecy Compels Consumer Conformity
Authors: He Dongjin , Jiang Yuwei , Gorn Gerald J
Published: June 2021

This research investigates how secrecy (i.e., a state in which people have an active intention to conceal information from others) affects individuals’ consumption behavior. Six studies reveal that making consumers’ secrets salient increases their tendency to conform in their consumption and show that this effect is driven by the desire to avoid social attention. This effect is moderated by consumers’ perceived self-control capacity. This research uncovers a novel downstream consequence of secrecy on consumer behavior and provides insight into when conforming consumption can serve as a strategy to help consumers avoid unwanted social attention. This research has important practical implications concerning using notions of secrecy in marketing strategies and promoting conforming products.
Using Risk Stratification to Optimize Mammography Screening in Chinese Women
Authors: Leung Kathy , Wu Joseph T , Wong Irene Oi-ling , Shu Xiao-Ou , Zheng Wei , Wen Wanqing , Khoo Ui-Soon , Ngan Roger , Kwong Ava , Leung Gabriel M
Published: June 2021

Background

The cost-effectiveness of mammography screening among Chinese women remains contentious. Here, we characterized breast cancer (BC) epidemiology in Hong Kong and evaluated the cost-effectiveness of personalized risk-based screening.

Methods

We used the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Study (a case-control study with 3501 cases and 3610 controls) and Hong Kong Cancer Registry to develop a risk stratification model based on well-documented risk factors. We used the Shanghai Breast Cancer Study to validate the model. We considered risk-based programs with different screening age ranges and risk thresholds under which women were eligible to join if their remaining BC risk at the starting age exceeded the threshold.

Results

The lifetime risk (15-99 years) of BC ranged from 1.8% to 26.6% with a mean of 6.8%. Biennial screening was most cost-effective when the starting age was 44 years, and screening from age 44 to 69 years would reduce breast cancer mortality by 25.4% (95% credible interval [CrI] = 20.5%-29.4%) for all risk strata. If the risk threshold for this screening program was 8.4% (the average remaining BC risk among US women at their recommended starting age of 50 years), the coverage was 25.8%, and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was US$18 151 (95% CrI = $10 408-$27 663) per quality-of-life-year (QALY) compared with no screening. The ICER of universal screening was $34 953 (95% CrI = $22 820-$50 268) and $48 303 (95% CrI = $32 210-$68 000) per QALY compared with no screening and risk-based screening with 8.4% threshold, respectively.

Conclusion

Organized BC screening in Chinese women should commence as risk-based programs. Outcome data (e.g., QALY loss because of false-positive mammograms) should be systemically collected for optimizing the risk threshold.
Locating LAWS: Lethal Autonomous Weapons, Epistemic Space, and “Meaningful Human” Control
Authors: Williams John
Published: June 2021

This paper analyzes the excessive epistemic narrowing of debate about lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS), and specifically the concept of meaningful human control, which has emerged as central to regulatory debates in both the scholarly literature and policy fora. Through reviewing work drawing on international relations, security studies, international law and ethics, and technology policy, I argue all share a common epistemological position. This draws on a philosophical and analytical tradition that is Western and modernist, and places a “meaningful human” at the center of debates over controlling LAWS who reflects archetypes associated with a Western, rational, white, male. This epistemological location, I argue, excludes epistemological perspectives relevant to communities who both are most likely to experience LAWS, because they live in areas where deployment is most likely, and have the greatest experience of the effects of key LAWS precursors, such as unmanned aerial vehicles. Drawing on insights from decolonial approaches, I establish a research agenda that challenges this epistemological closure and looks to relocate debates about meaningful human control over LAWS in research that makes space for far more diverse perspectives on a crucial issue that may shape humankind's common future.
Norm Contestation and Pragmatic Ethics: Evaluating the Rebuilding Norm in Libya
Authors: Donovan Outi
Published: June 2021

Approaches variously described as critical, reflexive, postpositivist, and agonistic constructivism reject the idea that the meaning of a norm can be fixed. These approaches look instead to the role that discursive practice plays in repeatedly constructing meaning. While the focus on how discourse shapes the meaning of a norm can tell us something about the ongoing social significance of that norm, it does not answer the question of whether that norm is normatively appropriate. Taking its cue from pragmatic ethics, this paper addresses the above limitation in the existing scholarship. It does so by not only tracing norms’ meanings in use, but also crucially evaluating the extent to which they are useful in alleviating the social problems they were designed to address. The theoretical argument is illustrated by examining the meanings in use of the rebuilding norm in the aftermath of the 2011 humanitarian intervention in Libya; how was the norm understood and practiced? What were the consequences of such meanings in use? I argue that this type of analysis can significantly improve our understanding of normative outcomes of norm contestation processes by bringing to the fore the practical consequences of norms, their various meanings, and the political environment within which they are enacted.
Extreme relativistic reflection in the active galaxy ESO 033-G002
Authors: Walton D J , Baloković M , Fabian A C , Gallo L C , Koss M , Nardini E , Reynolds C S , Ricci C , Stern D , Alston W N , Dauser T , García J A , Kosec P , Reynolds M T , Harrison F A , Miller J M
Published: June 2021

We present the first high signal-to-noise broad-band X-ray spectrum of the radio-quiet type-2 Seyfert ESO 033-G002, combining data from XMM–Newton and NuSTAR. The nuclear X-ray spectrum is complex, showing evidence for both neutral and ionized absorption, as well as reflection from both the accretion disc and more distant material, but our broad-band coverage allows us to disentangle all of these different components. The total neutral column during this epoch is NH ∼ (5−6) × 1022 $\rm \, cm^{-2}$, consistent with the optical classification of ESO 033-G002 as a type-2 Seyfert but not so large as to prevent us from robustly determining the properties of the innermost accretion flow. The ionized absorption – dominated by lines from Fe xxv and Fe xxvi – reveals a moderately rapid outflow (vout ∼ 5400 $\rm \, km~s^{-1}$) which has a column comparable to the neutral absorption. We find the disc reflection from the innermost regions to be extreme, with a reflection fraction of Rfrac ∼ 5. This requires strong gravitational lightbending and, in turn, both an extremely compact corona (within ∼2 RG of the black hole) and a rapidly rotating black hole (a* > 0.96). Despite this tight size constraint, with a temperature of kTe = 40–70 keV the X-ray corona in ESO 033-G002 appears similar to other active galactic nucle in terms of its placement in the compactness–temperature plane, consistent with sitting close to the limit determined by runaway pair production. Finally, combining X-ray spectroscopy, timing, and updated optical spectroscopy, we also estimate the mass of the black hole to be log[MBH/M⊙] ∼ 7.0–7.5.
A comparison of centring algorithms in the astrometry of Cassini imaging science subsystem images and Anthe’s astrometric reduction
Authors: Zhang Q F , Zhou X M , Tan Y , Lainey V , Cooper N J , Vienne A , Qin W H , Li Z , Peng Q Y
Published: June 2021

In the caviar software package, a standard tool for astrometry of images from the Cassini imaging science subsystem (ISS), Gaussian fitting is used to measure the centre of point-like objects, achieving a typical precision of about 0.2 pixels. In this work, we consider how alternative methods may improve on this. We compare three traditional centroiding methods: two-dimensional Gaussian fitting, median, and modified moment. Results using 56 selected images show that the centroiding precision of the modified moment method is significantly better than the other two methods, with standard deviations for all residuals in sample and line of 0.065 and 0.063 pixels, respectively, representing a factor of over 2 improvement compared to Gaussian fitting. Secondly, a comparison of observations using Cassini ISS images of Anthe is performed. Anthe results show a similar improvement. The modified moment method is then used to reduce all ISS images of Anthe during the period 2008–2017. The observed-minus-calculated residuals relative to the JPL SAT393 ephemeris are calculated. In terms of α × cos(δ) and δ in the Cassini-centred international celestial reference frame, mean values of all residuals are close to 0 km, and their standard deviations are less than 1 km for narrow angle camera images, and about 4 km for wide angle camera images.
ggtreeExtra: Compact Visualization of Richly Annotated Phylogenetic Data
Authors: Xu Shuangbin , Dai Zehan , Guo Pingfan , Fu Xiaocong , Liu Shanshan , Zhou Lang , Tang Wenli , Feng Tingze , Chen Meijun , Zhan Li , Wu Tianzhi , Hu Erqiang , Jiang Yong , Bo Xiaochen , Yu Guangchuang
Published: June 2021

We present the ggtreeExtra package for visualizing heterogeneous data with a phylogenetic tree in a circular or rectangular layout (https://www.bioconductor.org/packages/ggtreeExtra). The package supports more data types and visualization methods than other tools. It supports using the grammar of graphics syntax to present data on a tree with richly annotated layers and allows evolutionary statistics inferred by commonly used software to be integrated and visualized with external data. GgtreeExtra is a universal tool for tree data visualization. It extends the applications of the phylogenetic tree in different disciplines by making more domain-specific data to be available to visualize and interpret in the evolutionary context.
Rooting the Animal Tree of Life
Authors: Li Yuanning , Shen Xing-Xing , Evans Benjamin , Dunn Casey W , Rokas Antonis
Published: June 2021

Identifying our most distant animal relatives has emerged as one of the most challenging problems in phylogenetics. This debate has major implications for our understanding of the origin of multicellular animals and of the earliest events in animal evolution, including the origin of the nervous system. Some analyses identify sponges as our most distant animal relatives (Porifera-sister hypothesis), and others identify comb jellies (Ctenophora-sister hypothesis). These analyses vary in many respects, making it difficult to interpret previous tests of these hypotheses. To gain insight into why different studies yield different results, an important next step in the ongoing debate, we systematically test these hypotheses by synthesizing 15 previous phylogenomic studies and performing new standardized analyses under consistent conditions with additional models. We find that Ctenophora-sister is recovered across the full range of examined conditions, and Porifera-sister is recovered in some analyses under narrow conditions when most outgroups are excluded and site-heterogeneous CAT models are used. We additionally find that the number of categories in site-heterogeneous models is sufficient to explain the Porifera-sister results. Furthermore, our cross-validation analyses show CAT models that recover Porifera-sister have hundreds of additional categories and fail to fit significantly better than site-heterogenuous models with far fewer categories. Systematic and standardized testing of diverse phylogenetic models suggests that we should be skeptical of Porifera-sister results both because they are recovered under such narrow conditions and because the models in these conditions fit the data no better than other models that recover Ctenophora-sister.