bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Drought‐induced increase in catalase activity improves cotton yield when grown under water‐limiting field conditions
Authors: Liu Rui‐Na , Jiao Tian‐Qi , Li Jin , Wang Ai‐Ying , Li Yu‐Xia , Wu Shen‐Jie , Du Li‐Qun , Dijkwel Paul P. , Zhu Jian‐Bo
Published: July 2021

Plants experiencing abiotic stress can produce excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS), ultimately impacting the crop growth and yield. Hydrogen peroxide H2O2 is a relatively stable active ROS and is mainly scavenged by catalase. In this study, the catalase‐encoding E. coli KatE gene was transferred to cotton plants by Agrobacterium‐mediated transformation. From almost 100 independent transgenic lines, three transgenic lines were identified that did not display a discernible growth and yield phenotype when grown under well‐watered field conditions, but were tolerant to drought under field conditions, resulting in a ~ 25% higher cotton‐seed yield. The three lines were analysed under controlled laboratory conditions to explain the drought‐dependent phenotype: the transgenic lines displayed drought‐inducible EcKatE expression and total catalase activity was only higher than that of the wild type during growth under drought or salinity stress. Furthermore, drought‐induced ectopic EcKatE expression increased total SOD and POD activities, decreased H2O2 levels and improved photosystem II performance and relative water content. The results show that ectopic EcKatE expression displays an advantage during drought stress, without negatively affecting yield during well‐watered field conditions. EcKatE overexpression confers hyper‐resistance to drought in cotton and provides improved cotton‐seed yield under water‐limiting field conditions. And the EcKatE gene might also be a promising drought‐resistant gene for improving other crop varieties.
Recession of BN coatings in SiC/SiC composites through reaction with water vapor
Authors: Collier Virginia E. , Xu Wenbo , McMeeking Robert M. , Zok Frank W. , Begley Matthew R.
Published: July 2021

The mechanical response of ceramic matrix composites depends critically on the slip along the matrix–fiber interface, which is usually achieved with thin coatings on the fibers. Environmental attack of such coatings (enabled by ingress of reactants through matrix cracks) often leads to significant degradation, through the removal of the coating via volatilization and oxidation of exposed SiC surfaces. The extent of the volatilization region extending from the matrix crack plane (i.e., recession length) is strongly coupled to the formation of oxide, which ultimately fills open gaps and arrests further reactions. This paper presents models to quantify these effects over a broad range of environmental conditions, coating thickness, and matrix crack opening. Analytical solutions are presented for the time to close recession gaps via oxidation, and the associated terminal recession lengths obtained near free surfaces. A broad parameter study illustrates that recession behaviors are controlled by a competition between volatilization and oxidation rates. As such, the extent of recession is highly sensitive to water vapor and temperature, providing an explanation for disparate observations of recession under seemingly similar conditions. The extent of recession in the interior of composites is also illustrated, using a straightforward reaction‐transport model. Recession lengths decay rapidly away from the free surface, with the extent of recession penetration scaling with maximum recession at the free surface.
Religious orientations, prototypicality threat, and attitudes toward church–state separation
Authors: Wagoner Joseph A. , VanCuren Serena
Published: July 2021

We investigated whether stronger religious fundamentalism predicted negative attitudes toward church–state separation as a consequence of perceiving low in‐group prototypicality (IGP). Across two studies (N = 635), Christians from the United States reported their religious orientations (intrinsic, extrinsic‐personal, extrinsic‐social, fundamentalism) before we measured (or manipulated) their perceptions of IGP. The dependent variables were attitudes toward church–state separation (S1, S2) and attitudes toward religious–national integration (S2). Results showed that stronger religious fundamentalism predicted negative attitudes toward church–state separation. Results also showed that fundamentalists’ negativity toward church–state separation was stronger when Christianity was not perceived as prototypical of America's identity. Religious fundamentalism did not predict attitudes toward church–state separation when perceiving high IGP. Religious fundamentalism predicted support of religious–national integration irrespective of IGP. The results suggest that fundamentalists will oppose the separation of church and state when they perceive their religion is not prototypical of their national identity.
The prognosis and risk factors of baseline high peritoneal transporters on patients with peritoneal dialysis
Authors: Huang Guansen , Wang Yi , Shi Yingfeng , Ma Xiaoyan , Tao Min , Zang Xiujuan , Qi Yinghui , Qiao Cheng , Du Lin , Sheng Lili , Zhuang Shougang , Liu Na
Published: July 2021

The relationship between baseline high peritoneal solute transport rate (PSTR) and the prognosis of peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients remains unclear. The present study combined clinical data and basic experiments to investigate the impact of baseline PSTR and the underlying molecular mechanisms. A total of 204 incident CAPD patients from four PD centres in Shanghai between 1 January 2014 and 30 September 2020 were grouped based on a peritoneal equilibration test after the first month of dialysis. Analysed with multivariate Cox and logistic regression models, baseline high PSTR was a significant risk factor for technique failure (AHR 5.70; 95% CI 1.581 to 20.548 p = 0.008). Baseline hyperuricemia was an independent predictor of mortality (AHR 1.006 95%CI 1.003 to 1.008, p < 0.001) and baseline high PSTR (AOR 1.007; 95%CI 1.003 to 1.012; p = 0.020). Since uric acid was closely related to high PSTR and adverse prognosis, the in vitro experiments were performed to explore the underlying mechanisms of which uric acid affected peritoneum. We found hyperuricemia induced epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) of cultured human peritoneal mesothelial cells by activating TGF‐β1/Smad3 signalling pathway and nuclear transcription factors. Conclusively, high baseline PSTR induced by hyperuricaemia through EMT was an important reason of poor outcomes in CAPD patients.
Retrospective nationwide study on the trends in first‐line antidiabetic medication for patients with type 2 diabetes in Japan
Authors: Bouchi Ryotaro , Sugiyama Takehiro , Goto Atsushi , Imai Kenjiro , Ihana‐Sugiyama Noriko , Ohsugi Mitsuru , Yamauchi Toshimasa , Kadowaki Takashi , Ueki Kohjiro
Published: July 2021

Aims/Introduction

To investigate the national trend in the prescription of first‐line non‐insulin antidiabetic agents and total medical costs (TMCs) after prescribing the drug in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes.

Materials and Methods

Using the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Check‐ups of Japan covering almost the entire Japanese population, we calculated the proportion of each antidiabetic drug from 2014 to 2017, and determined the factors associated with drug selection. The TMCs in the first year after starting the drugs were calculated, and factors associated with the costs were also determined.

Results

Among 1,136,723 new users of antidiabetic agents, dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitors were the most prescribed (65.1%), followed by biguanides (15.9%) and sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (7.6%). Sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor and biguanide use increased during 2014–2017 (2.2%–11.4% and 13.7%–17.2%, respectively), whereas the others decreased. Biguanides were not prescribed at all in 38.2% of non‐Japan Diabetes Society‐certified facilities. The TMCs were the lowest among those who started with biguanides. Fiscal year, age, sex, facility, number of beds and comorbidities were associated with drug choice and TMCs. There were wide regional variations in the drug choice, but not in the TMCs.

Conclusions

Unlike in the USA and Europe, dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitor is the most prescribed first‐line medication for type 2 diabetes patients in Japan, while there is a wide variation in the drug choice by facility‐type and prefecture.
Recovery of ferulic acid from corn bran by adsorption on mesoporous carbon
Authors: Ren Na , Wang Conghui , Zhao Zhuo , Liang Yajing , Wei Wei , Qin Guotong
Published: July 2021

A great deal of corn bran is produced annually as a by‐product of the corn industry. Here, ferulic acid has been extracted from corn bran and purified by adsorption on mesoporous carbon. Different adsorption conditions, including solution pH, adsorption time, and solution concentration, have been investigated in static adsorption experiments, and an adsorption isotherm and a kinetic model have been established. Our results show that the mesoporous carbon has a much higher adsorption capacity for ferulic acid than those of activated charcoal, other activated carbon materials, and macroporous resins previously used to purify ferulic acid. The adsorption data fitted well to the Freundlich isotherm and a pseudo‐first‐order kinetic model. The potential rate‐controlling step has been examined by kinetic models. It was found that film diffusion controlled the adsorption process. Dynamic adsorption on mesoporous carbon has been shown to be efficient for the purification of ferulic acid from corn bran extract. Mesoporous carbon is a promising adsorbent for purification of ferulic acid due to its high adsorption capacity and rapid kinetics.

Practical Applications

Ferulic acid has been extracted from corn bran, an abundant by‐product of the corn industry. Mesoporous carbon has been applied in the purification of ferulic acid, based on its pore size matching the size of the ferulic acid molecule. The adsorption mechanism, kinetics, and control step have been studied. An elution chromatography was tested. The establishment of adsorption models and mass transferring parameter that can describe and predict the adsorption process is conducive to obtaining a full understanding, which is significant for the design of adsorption process.
Serum albumin and risks of hospitalization and death: Findings from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study
Authors: Shannon Colleen M. , Ballew Shoshana H. , Daya Natalie , Zhou Linda , Chang Alex R. , Sang Yingying , Coresh Josef , Selvin Elizabeth , Grams Morgan E.
Published: July 2021

Objectives

To determine whether lower serum albumin in community‐dwelling, older adults is associated with increased risk of hospitalization and death independent of pre‐existing disease.

Design

Prospective cohort study of participants in the fifth visit of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. Baseline data were collected from 2011 to 2013. Follow‐up was available to December 31, 2017. Replication was performed in Geisinger, a health system in rural Pennsylvania.

Setting

For ARIC, four US communities: Washington County, Maryland; Forsyth County, North Carolina; Jackson, Mississippi; and suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Participants

A total of 4947 community‐dwelling men and women aged 66 to 90 years.

Exposure

Serum albumin.

Main Outcomes

Incident all‐cause hospitalization and death.

Results

Among the 4947 participants, mean age was 75.5 years (SD: 5.12) and mean baseline serum albumin concentration was 4.05 g/dL (SD: 0.30). Over a median follow‐up period of 4.42 years (interquartile interval: 4.16–5.05), 553 participants (11.2%) died and 2457 participants (49.7%) were hospitalized at least once. The total number of hospitalizations was 5725. In analyses adjusted for demographics and numerous clinical characteristics, including tobacco use, obesity, frailty, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, diabetes C‐reactive protein (CRP), cognitive status, alcohol use, medication use, respiratory disease, and systolic blood pressure, 1 g/dL lower baseline serum albumin concentration was associated with higher risk of both hospitalization (incidence rate ratio [IRR]: 1.58; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.36–1.82; p < 0.001) and death (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.67; 95% CI: 1.24–2.24; p < 0.001). Associations were weaker with older age but not different by frailty status or level of high‐sensitivity CRP. Associations between serum albumin, hospitalizations, and death were also similar in a real‐world cohort of primary care patients.

Conclusions

Lower baseline serum albumin was significantly associated with increased risk of both all‐cause hospitalization and death, independent of pre‐existing disease. Older adults with low serum albumin should be considered a high‐risk population and targeted for interventions to reduce the risk of adverse outcomes.
Hyperglycaemia‐associated Caspase‐3 predicts diabetes and coronary artery disease events
Authors: Sun Jiangming , Singh Pratibha , Österlund Johan , Orho‐Melander Marju , Melander Olle , Engström Gunnar , Edsfeldt Andreas
Published: July 2021

Background

Apoptosis is central in both diabetes and atherosclerosis, linked to pancreatic beta cell death and plaque progression. Circulating Caspase‐3 has also been associated with diabetes and coronary calcium score. Here, we explored if soluble Caspase‐3 (sCaspase‐3) is associated with cardio‐metabolic risk factors and predicts incidence of diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods

Clinical data and plasma from 4637 individuals from the Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort were studied. Plasma sCaspase‐3 was measured by a Proximity Extension Assay. National registers were used to identify diabetes and CAD events during follow‐up. Type 2 diabetes risk variants and expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) for sCaspase‐3 were retrieved from the DIAGRAM consortium and the Genotype‐Tissue Expression project.

Results

HbA1c was the factor with the strongest association with sCaspase‐3 (r = 0.18, P = 1.3x10−36). During follow‐up 666 individuals developed diabetes and 648 individuals suffered from CAD. Increasing sCaspase‐3 was associated with a higher risk of developing diabetes (hazard ratio (HR) 1.18 per 1unit; P = 7 × 10−5) and CAD (HR 1.2 per 1 unit, P = 1 × 10−4) during follow‐up. A genetic variant rs60780116, located upstream of CASP3, showed strong association with type 2 diabetes (OR 1.06, 95%CI 1.04–1.07, P = 8.4 × 10−11). An eQTL was identified between this variant and gene expression of CASP3, where the allele positively correlated with type 2 diabetes was associated with increased CASP3 expression in blood.

Conclusions

The present study provides evidence for plasma sCaspase‐3 as a marker of cardio‐metabolic risk factors and as a predictor of future diabetes and CAD in a cohort without cardiovascular disease or diabetes at baseline.
Water content changes in new multiple sclerosis lesions have a minimal effect on the determination of myelin water fraction values
Authors: Vavasour Irene M. , Chang Kimberley L. , Combes Anna J. E. , Meyers Sandra M. , Kolind Shannon H. , Rauscher Alexander , Li David K. B. , Traboulsee Anthony , MacKay Alex L. , Laule Cornelia
Published: July 2021

Background and Purpose

Myelin water fraction (MWF) is a histopathologically validated in vivo myelin marker. As MWF is the proportion of water with a short T2 relative to the total water, increases in water from edema and inflammation may confound MWF determination in multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions. Total water content (TWC) measurement enables calculation of absolute myelin water content (MWC) and can be used to distinguish edema/inflammation from demyelination. We assessed what influence changes in total water might have on MWF by calculating MWC values in new MS lesions.

Methods

3T 32‐echo T2 relaxation data were collected monthly for 6 months from six relapsing‐remitting MS participants. TWC was determined and multiplied with MWF images to calculate corrected MWC images. The effect of this water content correction was examined in 20 new lesions by comparing mean MWF and MWC over time.

Results

On average, at lesion first appearance, lesion TWC increased by 6.4% (p = .003; range: –1% to +21%), MWF decreased by 24% (p = .006; range: –70% to +12%), and MWC decreased by 20% (p = .026; range: –68% to +21%), relative to prelesion values. Average TWC in lesions then gradually decreased, whereas MWF and MWC remained low. The shape of the MWF and MWC lesion evolution curves was nearly identical, differing only by an offset.

Conclusion

MWF mirrors MWC and is able to monitor myelin in new lesions. Even after taking into account water content increases, MWC still decreased at lesion first appearance attributed to demyelination.
Theory of Mind and Peer Attachment in Adolescence
Authors: Białecka‐Pikul Marta , Stępień‐Nycz Małgorzata , Szpak Marta , Grygiel Paweł , Bosacki Sandra , Devine Rory T. , Hughes Claire
Published: July 2021

A growing body of research on theory of mind (ToM) highlights its significance for childhood social outcomes. Extending the developmental scope of this work, the current study investigated links between advanced ToM abilities and peer attachment in adolescence. Polish adolescents (16 to 18 years old; N = 302; 57.6% girls) completed two advanced ToM measures and reported on their peer attachment. With the effects of age and language controlled, girls scored higher than boys for both advanced ToM and peer attachment. However, the association between these measures was only significant in boys. These results are discussed in terms of theory and research on gender‐specific approaches to social cognitive development in adolescence.
Genetic diversity and mating‐type frequency of Exserohilum turcicum in Turkey
Authors: Turgay Emine Burcu , Çelik Oğuz Arzu , Ölmez Fatih , Tunali Berna , Kurt Şener , Akçali Efkan , Baran Behzat , Büyük Orhan , Helvacioğlu Özge , Enginsu Sevilay , Kansu Bayram
Published: July 2021

Northern corn leaf blight caused by Exserohilum turcicum is one of the most significant diseases in maize‐growing fields, resulting in yield reduction worldwide. Genetic diversity and mating‐type of E. turcicum were determined using isolates collected from 7 important maize cultivation provinces in 4 different geographic regions of Turkey during 2014–2015. Multilocus haplotypes of E. turcicum isolates were characterized using 13 simple sequence repeats (SSR) primer pairs, which were amplified in PCR multiplex reactions. The evaluation of mating‐type ratio generated from the E. turcicum population was by χ2 significance test. MAT‐1 and MAT‐2 mating‐type were shown in the population; however, the χ2 significance test did not support the sexual reproduction hypothesis in any region. The E. turcicum population was found to produce predominantly asexual reproduction in Turkey. Numerous E. turcicum isolates showed very high genetic similarity and did not show a distinct cluster dependent on region or mating‐type on a dendrogram of genetic diversity. This result showed that one‐hundred per cent similarity in most of the collected isolates from different regions might also support long‐distance migration.
Evidence for local‐scale community assembly processes from long‐term observations of biodiversity in a grassland chronosequence
Authors: McKone Mark J. , Williams Evelyn W. , Beck Jared J.
Published: July 2021

Questions

Habitat restorations offer the opportunity to observe community development over time to infer processes that drive assembly. We used long‐term data from diverse prairie plantings to test predictions of alternate models of community assembly.

Location

Prairie plantings in former agricultural fields in Northfield, MN, USA.

Methods

We studied the plant community in adjacent prairie plantings across a 13‐year chronosequence. Permanent plots were surveyed repeatedly over a 16‐year period when the prairies were from 5 to 21 years old.

Results

Marked differences in plant composition and diversity among planting blocks obscured temporal inferences across the chronosequence; we found no age effect on any biodiversity parameter within the same sample year. However, strong age effects were evident when longitudinal changes were examined within planting blocks. Changes in local‐scale species richness and Shannon diversity were highly dependent on initial conditions. Low‐diversity plots gained species and high‐diversity plots lost species, resulting in convergence of taxonomic diversity. Phylogenetic diversity increased significantly with age. Processes that could reduce coexistence of related species include competitive exclusion and shared enemies. The species that gained or lost abundance were randomly distributed across the phylogeny overall. Legume species (Fabaceae) consistently increased over time, but grasses (Poaceae) and composites (Asteraceae) had a mix of species that increased or decreased. The species that increased were more likely to be late‐successional prairie specialists; declining species were more likely to be habitat generalists.

Conclusions

Our results show that the trajectory of plant community succession in prairie plantings is highly variable, and depends on initial species diversity and phylogenetic relatedness. Such variation weakens the space‐for‐time substitution assumption in chronosequence studies; caution is necessary in interpreting chronosequence data from a single time sample. Restoration plantings over multiple sites and years are necessary to maximize landscape‐level diversity.
Privacy protections and law enforcement use of prescription drug monitoring databases
Authors: Boustead Anne E.
Published: July 2021

Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) are databases that can be used by healthcare professionals to identify problematic drug‐seeking behavior. Law enforcement officers can also obtain PDMP information, raising significant privacy concerns. In this paper, I use regression analysis to explore the association between state PDMP protections and law enforcement information requests. I find that while requiring law enforcement to meet a specified standard of proof prior to accessing PDMP information is associated with fewer requests, other methods of regulating law enforcement access are not. These findings provide important and novel evidence about law enforcement behavior in response to privacy protections.
A genome‐wide association study identifying SVEP1 variant as a predictor of response to tolvaptan for cirrhotic ascites
Authors: Kawaratani Hideto , Sawai Hiromi , Onishi Masaya , Kogiso Tomomi , Shimada Noritomo , Uojima Haruki , Nakajima Tomoaki , Matsumoto Naoki , Ikejima Kenichi , Ishikawa Toru , Terai Shuji , Motoyama Hiroyuki , Komori Atsumasa , Hirashima Noboru , Saito Satoru , Eguchi Yuichiro , Nojima Masanori , Kawai Yosuke , Tateyama Masakuni , Yoshiji Hitoshi , Tanaka Yasuhito
Published: July 2021

Background & Aims

Tolvaptan, vasopressin V2‐receptor antagonist, has been used for patients with difficult‐to‐treat ascites in Japan. In this study, we conducted a genome‐wide association study (GWAS) in the Japanese population to identify genetic variants associated with tolvaptan's efficacy for patients with hepatic ascites.

Methods

From 2014 through 2018, genomic DNA samples were obtained from 550 patients who were treated with tolvaptan. Of those, 80 cases (non‐responder; increase of body weight [BW]) and 333 controls (responder; >1.5 kg decrease of BW) were included in the GWAS and replication study.

Results

Genome‐wide association study showed 5 candidate SNPs around the miR818, KIAA1109, and SVEP1 genes. After validation and performing a replication study, an SNP (rs2991364) located in the SVEP1 gene was found to have a significant genome‐wide association (OR = 3.55, P = 2.01 × 10‐8). Multivariate analyses showed that serum sodium (Na), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and SVEP1 SNP were significantly associated with the response (OR = 0.92, P = .003; OR = 1.02, P = .02 and OR = 3.98, P = .000008, respectively). Based on a prediction model of logistic regression analysis in a population with the rs2991364 risk allele, the failure probability (=exp (score: 22.234 + BUN*0.077 + Na*‐0.179) (1 + exp (score)) was determined for the detection of non‐responders. Assuming a cutoff of failure probability at 38.6%, sensitivity was 84.4%, specificity was 70% and AUC was 0.774.

Conclusion

SVEP1 rs2991364 was identified as the specific SNP for the tolvaptan response. The prediction score (>38.6%) can identify tolvaptan non‐responders and help to avoid a lengthy period of futile treatment.
Petrology and mineralogy of an igneous clast in the Northwest Africa 1685 (LL4) chondrite: Comparison with alkali‐rich igneous clasts in LL‐chondritic breccias
Authors: Niihara Takafumi , Yokoyama Tatsunori , Arai Tomoko , Misawa Keiji
Published: July 2021

We have conducted petrological and mineralogical studies on an igneous clast in the Northwest Africa (NWA) 1685 (LL4) chondrite. This meteorite was described in the Meteoritical Bulletin as containing clasts similar to alkali‐rich clasts in LL chondritic breccias Yamato (Y)‐74442 (LL4), Bhola (LL3‐6), and Krähenberg (LL5). We carefully compared the textures, as well as mineral and matrix compositions, of the NWA 1685 clast with those of the previously described alkali‐rich clasts in the LL chondritic breccias. Olivine grains are embedded in glassy matrix and have no chemical zoning. Shock melt veins and fractures were observed only in olivine grains and did not continue into matrix. Potassium abundance of matrix glasses of the NWA 1685 clast is lower than those of alkali‐rich igneous clasts in Y‐74442, Bhola, and Krähenberg, indicating that the igneous clasts in NWA 1685 are different from the alkali‐rich clasts previously reported in the LL chondritic breccias. The NWA 1685 clast might have formed during an impact melting and quenching event on the LL‐chondrite parent body, and then been incorporated into a breccia.
Natural selection and the distribution of chromosomal inversion lengths
Authors: Connallon Tim , Olito Colin
Published: July 2021

Chromosomal inversions contribute substantially to genome evolution, yet the processes governing their evolutionary dynamics remain poorly understood. Theory suggests that a readily measurable property of inversions—their length—can potentially affect their evolutionary fates. Emerging data on the lengths of polymorphic and fixed inversions may therefore provide clues to the evolutionary processes promoting inversion establishment. However, formal predictions for the distribution of inversion lengths remain incomplete, making empirical patterns difficult to interpret. We model the relation between inversion length and establishment probability for four inversion types: (1) neutral, (2) underdominant, (3) directly beneficial, and (4) indirectly beneficial, with selection favouring the latter because they capture locally adapted alleles at migration‐selection balance and suppress recombination between them. We also consider how deleterious mutations affect the lengths of established inversions. We show that length distributions of common polymorphic and fixed inversions systematically differ among inversion types. Small rearrangements contribute the most to genome evolution under neutral and underdominant scenarios of selection, with the lengths of neutral inversion substitutions increasing, and those of underdominant substitutions decreasing, with effective population size. Among directly beneficial inversions, small rearrangements are preferentially fixed, whereas intermediate‐to‐large inversions are maintained as balanced polymorphisms via associative overdominance. Finally, inversions established under the local adaptation scenario are predominantly intermediate‐to‐large. Such inversions remain polymorphic or approach fixation within the local populations where they are favoured. Our models clarify how inversion length distributions relate to processes of inversion establishment, providing a platform for testing how natural selection shapes the evolution of genome structure.
Illocutionary force and attitude mode in normative disputes
Authors: Marques Teresa
Published: July 2021

Disagreements about what we owe to each other and about how to live pervade different dimensions of human interaction. We communicate our different moral and normative views in discourse. These disputes have features that are challenging to some semantic theories. This paper assesses recent Stalnakerian views of communication in moral and normative domains. These views model conversational context updates made with normative claims. They also aim to explain disputes between people who follow different norms or values. The paper presents various problems for these Stalnakerian views. Together, the problems show the insufficiency of metasemantic theories based only on speakers’ psychological states in general, and of their application to normative communication in particular. The paper concludes that the problems require a new conception of how common ground relates to illocutionary force and attitude mode.
Interpersonal trust in children's testimonial learning
Authors: Koenig Melissa A. , Li Pearl Han , McMyler Benjamin
Published: July 2021

Within the growing developmental literature on children's testimonial learning, the emphasis placed on children's evaluations of testimonial evidence has shielded from view some of the more collaborative dimensions of testimonial learning. Drawing on recent philosophical work on testimony and interpersonal trust, we argue for an alternative way of conceptualizing the social nature of testimonial learning. On this alternative, some testimonial learning is the result of a jointly collaborative epistemic activity, an activity that aims at the epistemic goal of true belief, but that does so by means of an irreducibly social process.
Process and Pendulum in Schubert's Expanded Type 1 Sonatas
Authors: Guez Jonathan
Published: July 2021

Through analysis of three of Schubert's expanded Type 1 sonatas – the Finales of the Piano Sonata, D. 960, the Cello Quintet, D. 956 and the ‘Rosamunde’ Quartet, D. 804 – this article brings to light a recapitulatory formal process that Schubert seems to have favoured for works in this form. The process is as follows: after the pieces under consideration are ‘expanded’ by interpolations of developmental material into their recapitulations, each of them then ‘counteracts’ the proportional imbalance that is wrought by these expansions by enacting a series of recapitulatory deletions. On my reading, these deletions of referential material are gestures towards symmetrical or proportional equilibrium; they seek to restore to the essentially two‐part form a rough balance of size between halves. The process is likened to the behaviour of a pendulum, which swings outwards as the initial developmental expansion distorts the ideal symmetry of the bi‐rotational structure. The pendulum then begins to swing inwards as the series of deletions pushes towards the restoration of the large‐scale proportional balance. An inverse example of the behaviour is shown to be present in the earlier Overtureim italienischen Stil, D. 590. The pendular process is read as a specifically formal aspect of a Schubertian style characteristic that Michael Spitzer has recently referred to as his ‘general sensibility to balance’.
Risk averse choices of managed beach widths under environmental uncertainty
Authors: Jin Di , Hoagland Porter , Ashton Andrew D.
Published: July 2021

Applying a theoretical geo‐economic approach, we examined key factors affecting decisions about the choice of beach width when eroded coastal beaches are being nourished (i.e., when fill is placed to widen a beach). Within this geo‐economic framework, optimal beach width is positively related to its values for hazard protection and recreation and negatively related to nourishment costs and the discount rate. Using a dynamic modeling framework, we investigated the time paths of beach width and nourishment that maximized net present value under an accelerating sea level. We then analyzed how environmental uncertainty about expected future beach width, arising from natural shoreline dynamics, intermittent large storms, or sea‐level rise, leads to economic choices favoring narrower beaches. Risk aversion can affect a coastal property owner's choice of beach width in contradictory ways: the expected benefits of hazard protection must be balanced against the expected costs of repeated nourishment actions.

Recommendations for Resource Managers

Because of environmental uncertainty, coastal protection projects are risky investments. It is important to consider the effects of uncertainty on cost–benefit assessments of these projects.

Without uncertainty, optimal beach width is positively related to its values for hazard protection and recreation and negatively related to nourishment costs and the discount rate.

Uncertainty about future shoreline positions has a negative impact on the choice of an optimal beach width.

Risk aversion can affect a coastal property owner's choice of beach width in contradictory ways: a wider beach to protect their home, and a narrower beach if the effectiveness of nourishment is uncertain.
Bilingual experience and intrinsic functional connectivity in adults, aging, and Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Jafari Zahra , Perani Daniela , Kolb Bryan E. , Mohajerani Majid H.
Published: July 2021

The past decade marked the beginning of the use of resting‐state functional connectivity (RSFC) imaging in bilingualism studies. This paper intends to review the latest evidence of changes in RSFC in language and cognitive control networks in bilinguals during adulthood, aging, and early Alzheimer's disease, which can add to our understanding of brain functional reshaping in the context of second language (L2) acquisition. Because of high variability in bilingual experience, recent studies mostly focus on the role of the main aspects of bilingual experience (age of acquisition (AoA), language proficiency, and language usage) on intrinsic functional connectivity (FC). Existing evidence accounts for stronger FC in simultaneous rather than sequential bilinguals in language and control networks, and the modulation of the AoA impact by language proficiency and usage. Studies on older bilingual adults show stronger FC in language and frontoparietal networks and preserved FC in posterior brain regions, which can protect the brain against cognitive decline and neurodegenerative processes. Altered RSFC in language and control networks subsequent to L2 training programs also is associated with improved global cognition in older adults. This review ends with a brief discussion of potential confounding factors in bilingualism research and conclusions and suggestions for future research.
Alessandro Baricco: The Diction of Imagism
Authors: Castelli Alberto
Published: July 2021

The pleasure of a fictional text can be provided by the plot, the characters, and the suspense resulting from their interrelation. In the case of Alessandro Baricco, Italian writer and essayist, the pleasure of reading is given by sounds and images. With the use of unique stylistic elements made of short and nominal sentences, silences, and pauses, Baricco’s prose becomes segmented and fragmentary. By binding the motif of his narrative to vague images rather than detailed descriptions, Baricco is shifting the modernist poetics of Imagism to postmodern fiction.
Population analysis of organizational innovation and learning
Authors: Hartley Jean
Published: July 2021

This article argues for a population level of analysis, addressing a theoretical and empirical gap and enabling the analysis of transition, tempo, and timing at the macro level. The article examines four theories of population‐level innovation: population ecology, neo‐institutional theory, innovation diffusion, and population‐level learning theory. A population‐level empirical study of innovation and organizational learning addresses three research questions: the first and second examine patterns of innovation underpinned by learning over space and over time. The third concerns the processes and dynamics of those patterns. The data derive from the local government using mixed methods and multiple respondents over 9 years. The research shows the uneven spread of learning across the population, with the emergence of two subpopulations. Over time, innovation and learning strategies shifted. Learning in the population occurred through both direct interaction and vicarious learning from others in the population. Implications for population‐level theory, innovation, and learning are explored.
Response to steroid and immunosuppressive therapies may predict post‐transplant recurrence of steroid‐resistant nephrotic syndrome
Authors: Miura Kenichiro , Ando Taro , Kanda Shoichiro , Hashimoto Taeko , Kaneko Naoto , Ishizuka Kiyonobu , Hamada Riku , Hataya Hiroshi , Hotta Kiyohiko , Gotoh Yoshimitsu , Nishiyama Kei , Hamasaki Yuko , Shishido Seiichiro , Fujita Naoya , Hattori Motoshi
Published: July 2021

Background

Recurrence of SRNS is a major challenge in KT. Several clinical factors, including initial steroid sensitivity, have been associated with increased post‐transplant SRNS recurrence risk. However, conflicting data have been reported, possibly due to the heterogeneous pathophysiology of SRNS and the lack of genetic testing of SRNS patients. Furthermore, the response to immunosuppressive therapies has not been evaluated.

Methods

Seventy patients aged 1–15 years at SRNS onset who underwent KT between 2002 and 2018 were enrolled. Patients with secondary, familial, syndromic, and genetic forms of SRNS and those who were not treated with steroid were excluded. This study aimed to assess the risk factors for post‐transplant recurrence, including treatment responses to initial steroid therapy and additional therapies with immunosuppressive agents, rituximab, plasmapheresis, and/or LDL‐A.

Results

Data from 36 kidney transplant recipients were analyzed. Twenty‐two (61%) patients experienced post‐transplant SRNS recurrence, while 14 patients did not. The proportion of patients who achieved complete or partial remission with initial steroid therapy and/or additional therapies with immunosuppressive agents, rituximab, plasmapheresis, and/or LDL‐A was significantly higher in the SRNS recurrence group (19/22, 86%) than in the group without SRNS recurrence (6/14, 43%; p = .01).

Conclusion

This study suggests that the response to steroid treatment, other immunosuppressive agents, rituximab, plasmapheresis, and/or LDL‐A may predict post‐transplant SRNS recurrence.
Theolologicophilolological Investigations: Is Wittgenstein’s Tractatus a Modernist Work?
Authors: Vinten Robert
Published: July 2021

In her recent book, A Different Order of Difficulty, Karen Zumhagen‐Yekplé uses a resolute reading of Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico‐Philosophicus to highlight similarities between Wittgenstein’s work and his contemporaries Virginia Woolf, James Joyce and Franz Kafka. On the basis of this reading, she claims that Wittgenstein’s early masterpiece is a modernist work.

This article argues that there are profound problems with the resolute reading that she offers, and it suggests that ‘traditional’ readings of the Tractatus survive the criticisms she makes of them. Nonetheless, a case can still be made that Wittgenstein’s work is a modernist one, and it is a useful exercise to compare the Tractatus with modernist works from the 1920s.
A new productive framework for point‐based matching of oblique aircraft and UAV‐based images
Authors: Bas Sıla , Ok Ali Ozgun
Published: July 2021

A novel productive framework for point‐based feature matching of oblique aircraft and UAV imagery is presented. The proposed framework makes use of the powerful AKAZE descriptor for feature extraction and an iterative scheme is developed to construct as many tentative matches as possible. During the iterations, cross checks, together with Lowe’s nearest‐next distance ratio test, are used to filter erroneous matches. In order to extract putative matches from the tentative matches, three robust approaches, including graph‐cut RANSAC, are evaluated along with the epipolar constraint enforced between the two datasets. The developed framework was validated using the ISPRS image orientation benchmark dataset and yielded successful results in terms of matching precision, even for some difficult cases. The results also outperformed the results of previously developed approaches in the same context.
A Comprehensive Application of Kingdon's Multiple Streams Framework: An Analysis of the Obama Administration's No Child Left Behind Waiver Policy
Authors: Angervil Gilvert
Published: July 2021

Kingdon's multiple streams framework (MSF) is very influential, but problems exist with its application. Most applications neither fully use the MSF's problem stream, policy stream, politics stream, policy entrepreneur, and policy window concepts nor all their subcomponents. These trends indicate a lack of shared language and understanding of the policy process necessary for the MSF's theoretical development. Most applications employing the concepts identify subcomponents but disregard their operationalizations. Moreover, research overwhelmingly cites Kingdon's 1984 publication while neglecting studies contributing to new MSF understandings. Using the Obama administration's No Child Left Behind waiver policy, this article applies the MSF concentrating on its contemporary understandings, the focus concepts, and the concepts' subcomponents while operationalizing them. This allows an enhanced analysis and MSF's policy process understanding, identifies the MSF's strengths and weaknesses, notes nuances, offers new insights, and recommends future research.

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David, Charles‐Philippe. 2015. “Policy Entrepreneurs and the Reorientation of National Security Policy under the G. W. Bush Administration (2001‐04).” Politics & Policy 43 (1): 163‐195. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12106

Rawat, Pragati, and John Charles Morris. 2016. “Kingdon's ‘Streams’ Model at Thirty: Still Relevant in the 21st Century?” Politics & Policy 44 (4): 608‐638. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12168

Tanaka, Yugo, Andrew Chapman, Tetsuo Tezuka, and Shigeki Sakurai. 2020. “Multiple Streams and Power Sector Policy Change: Evidence from the Feed‐In Tariff Policy Process in Japan.” Politics & Policy 48 (3): 464‐489. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12357
The effect of drying on undervalued brown and red seaweed species: Bioactivity alterations
Authors: Julião Diana R. , Afonso Cláudia , Gomes‐Bispo Ana , Bandarra Narcisa M. , Cardoso Carlos
Published: July 2021

The effect of drying on two brown seaweed (Treptacantha abies‐marina and Cystoseira humilis) and two red seaweed species (Asparagopsis armata and Asparagopsis taxiformis) was evaluated based on the levels of biological activity, such as antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties. Moreover, the contents of some significant compound classes, such as polyphenols and beta‐glucans, were determined. Seaweeds C. humilis and T. abies‐marina showed high polyphenol levels (1.76–6.78 mg gallic acid equivalents g−1 dw), which clearly exceeded those determined in the Asparagopsis genus regardless of drying process. This was partially reflected in the antioxidant activity as measured by DPPH and FRAP methods, which showed that extracts from C. humilis and T. abies‐marina in most cases had stronger antioxidant activity than those from Asparagopsis species. The influence of the drying technique upon the antioxidant activity was relatively limited, since in many instances there was no effect. Concerning anti‐inflammatory activity, in the case of shade‐dried samples, C. humilis had a higher activity (>30% COX‐2 inhibition) than A. armata. However, this activity in C. humilis was not rendered available in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Indeed, only A. taxiformis displayed anti‐inflammatory activity in the fraction available in the upper GI tract, showing an upper GI tract availability in the 90–100% range. Therefore, though bioactivity levels were higher in C. humilis and T. abies‐marina, Asparagopsis species also had substantial levels of bioactive compound. Sun‐drying produced more negative effects than shade‐drying, but these effects were not very extensive.
Effort beats effectiveness in emotion regulation choice: Differences between suppression and distancing in subjective and physiological measures
Authors: Scheffel Christoph , Graupner Sven‐Thomas , Gärtner Anne , Zerna Josephine , Strobel Alexander , Dörfel Denise
Published: July 2021

Emotion regulation (ER) can be implemented by different strategies which differ in their capacity to alter emotional responding. What all strategies have in common is that cognitive control must be exercised in order to implement them. The aim of the present preregistered study was to investigate whether the two ER strategies, expressive suppression and distancing, require different amounts of cognitive effort and whether effort is associated with personality traits. Effort was assessed subjectively via ratings and objectively via pupillometry and heart period. In two studies, N = 110 and N = 52 healthy adults conducted an ER paradigm. Participants used suppression and distancing during inspection of positive and negative pictures. They also had the choice to reapply either of the strategies at the end of the paradigm. Although distancing was more effective in downregulation of subjective arousal (Study 1: p < .001, = .20; Study 2: p < .001,  = .207), about two thirds reapplied suppression, because it was perceived as less effortful. Effort was rated significantly lower for suppression compared to distancing (Study 1: p = .042,  = .04; Study 2: p = .002,  = .13). However, differences in effort were not reflected in pupillary data or heart period. Broad and narrow personality traits were neither associated with the preferred strategy nor with subjective or physiological effort measures. Findings suggest that people tend to use the ER strategy that is perceived as less effortful, even though it might not be the most effective strategy.
Single‐cell Raman trapping analysis revealed immunometabolism changes in peritoneal fluid in endometriosis
Authors: Deng Chunyan , Zhang Lin , Yosef Hesham K. , Yang Yi , Jiang Jinxing , Yu Lina , Li Ning , Schütze Karin , Zheng Min , Ma Liguo , Qi Hui , Ren Lili
Published: July 2021

In endometriosis, an aberrant immune response in the peritoneal environment is evident, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In recent years, some emerging data support an important role for the changes in intracellular metabolic pathways of immune cells in controlling their function. In this study, we aim to investigate the phenotypic and immunometabolism profiling of peritoneal fluid cells in endometriosis patients. By flow cytometry, our results show phenotypic profiling of peritoneal fluid cells with higher percentages of CD45+, CD3+, CD3+CD8+, CD3+CD56+, and CD14+CD68+ cells and the ratio of M2 to M1 macrophages but less CD14−CD86+ dendritic cells in endometriosis when compared with control. Label‐free single‐cell Raman trapping analysis shows intracellular changes in decreased collagen, proteins and lipids levels in CD45+ immune cells in endometriosis. In the supernatant of peritoneal fluid from endometriosis patients, Raman results reveal extracellular decreased protein and carbohydrate levels but increased lipid and fatty acid levels. Especially, Raman bands indicate both intracellular and extracellular levels of cholesterol and carotenoids decrease in endometriosis patients when compared with controls. This study provides immunometabolism features of the specific microenvironment in the peritoneal cavity and identifies some biological molecules associated with immune dysfunction in endometriosis, which may offer new clues for understanding disease pathology and therapeutic targets.