bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modeling escape success in terrestrial predator–prey interactions
Authors: Wilson Robbie S , Pavlic Theodore P , Wheatley Rebecca , Niehaus Amanda C , Levy Ofir
Published: June 2020

Synopsis

Prey species often modify their foraging and reproductive behaviors to avoid encounters with predators; yet once they are detected, survival depends on out-running, out-maneuvering, or fighting off the predator. Though predation attempts involve at least two individuals—namely, a predator and its prey—studies of escape performance typically measure a single trait (e.g., sprint speed) in the prey species only. Here, we develop a theoretical model in which the likelihood of escape is determined by the prey animal’s tactics (i.e., path trajectory) and its acceleration, top speed, agility, and deceleration relative to the performance capabilities of a predator. The model shows that acceleration, top speed, and agility are all important determinants of escape performance, and because speed and agility are biomechanically related to size, smaller prey with higher agility should force larger predators to run along curved paths that do not allow them to use their superior speeds. Our simulations provide clear predictions for the path and speed a prey animal should choose when escaping from predators of different sizes (thus, biomechanical constraints) and could be used to explore the dynamics between predators and prey.
Axisymmetric Diffeomorphisms and Ideal Fluids on Riemannian 3-Manifolds
Authors: Lichtenfelz Leandro , Misiołek Gerard , Preston Stephen C
Published: June 2020

We study the Riemannian geometry of 3D axisymmetric ideal fluids. We prove that the $L^2$ exponential map on the group of volume-preserving diffeomorphisms of a $3$-manifold is Fredholm along axisymmetric flows with sufficiently small swirl. Along the way, we define the notions of axisymmetric and swirl-free diffeomorphisms of any manifold with suitable symmetries and show that such diffeomorphisms form a totally geodesic submanifold of infinite $L^2$ diameter inside the space of volume-preserving diffeomorphisms whose diameter is known to be finite. As examples, we derive the axisymmetric Euler equations on $3$-manifolds equipped with each of Thurston’s eight model geometries.
Attenuated Interferon and Proinflammatory Response in SARS-CoV-2–Infected Human Dendritic Cells Is Associated With Viral Antagonism of STAT1 Phosphorylation
Authors: Yang Dong , Chu Hin , Hou Yuxin , Chai Yue , Shuai Huiping , Lee Andrew Chak-Yiu , Zhang Xi , Wang Yixin , Hu Bingjie , Huang Xiner , Yuen Terrence Tsz-Tai , Cai Jian-Piao , Zhou Jie , Yuan Shuofeng , Zhang Anna Jinxia , Chan Jasper Fuk-Woo , Yuen Kwok-Yung
Published: June 2020

Clinical manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vary from asymptomatic virus shedding, nonspecific pharyngitis, to pneumonia with silent hypoxia and respiratory failure. Dendritic cells and macrophages are sentinel cells for innate and adaptive immunity that affect the pathogenesis of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The interplay between SARS-CoV-2 and these cell types remains unknown. We investigated infection and host responses of monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) and macrophages (MDMs) infected by SARS-CoV-2. MoDCs and MDMs were permissive to SARS-CoV-2 infection and protein expression but did not support productive virus replication. Importantly, SARS-CoV-2 launched an attenuated interferon response in both cell types and triggered significant proinflammatory cytokine/chemokine expression in MDMs but not moDCs. Investigations suggested that this attenuated immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in moDCs was associated with viral antagonism of STAT1 phosphorylation. These findings may explain the mild and insidious course of COVID-19 until late deterioration.
Rethinking Heresy as a Category of Analysis
Authors: Shogimen Takashi
Published: June 2020

This article aims to rehabilitate and restore the concept of heresy in the analysis of “religion” in a broad sense. Heresy is largely considered as a paradigmatically Christian, pre-modern, and, by implication, useless concept for scholarly investigations into religious phenomena today. A re-examination of the medieval concept of heresy, particularly that of William of Ockham, reveals that pertinacity as a defining feature of heresy in the medieval sense indicates heresy is the observed failure to recognize the obligatory nature, not the truth, of what authority asserts. The medieval idea of heresy may thus be redefined as the interference with the sacred, because obligations that generate the sacred are at the heart of what Emile Durkheim called “religious phenomena.” The Durkheimian reconceptualization of the medieval idea of heresy serves to illuminate the mechanism of social exclusion in both religious and secular contexts.
Arthropod Infestation Levels on Mandarins in California
Authors: Cass Bodil N , Hack Lindsey M , Mueller Tobias G , Buckman Darian , Grafton-Cardwell Elizabeth E , Rosenheim Jay A
Published: June 2020

Integrated pest management (IPM) guidelines for horticulture are typically established from years of experimental research and experience for a crop species. Ecoinformatics methods can help to quickly adapt these guidelines following major changes in growing practices. Citrus production in California is facing several major challenges, one of which is a shift away from sweet oranges [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck Sapindales: Rutaceae] toward mandarins (including mostly cultivars of C. reticulata Blanco and C. clementina hort. ex Tanaka). In the absence of IPM guidelines for mandarins, growers are relying on pest information developed from oranges. We mined a database of management records from commercial growers and consultants to determine densities for four arthropod pests: cottony cushion scale (Icerya purchasi Maskell Hemiptera: Monophlebidae), citricola scale (Coccus pseudomagnoliarum Kuwana Hemiptera: Coccidae), European earwig (Forficula auricularia Linnaeus Dermaptera: Forficulidae), citrus red mite (Panonychus citri McGregor Acari: Tetranychidae), and a natural enemy, predatory mites in the genus Euseius (Congdon Acarina: Phytoseiidae). Densities of cottony cushion scale were approximately 10–40 times higher in the two most commonly grown mandarin species than in sweet oranges, suggesting this pest is reaching outbreak levels more often on mandarins. Densities of the other pests and predatory mites did not differ significantly across citrus species. This is a first step toward establishing IPM guidelines for mandarins for these pests; more research is needed to determine how arthropod densities relate to crop performance in mandarins.
A Laboratory Diet-Overlay Bioassay to Monitor Resistance in Lygus lineolaris (Hemiptera: Miridae) to Insecticides Commonly Used in the Mississippi Delta
Authors: Portilla Maribel
Published: June 2020

A laboratory, diet-overlay pesticide bioassay was developed using a susceptible population of the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), to study its susceptibility to neonicotinoid, sulfoxamine, organophosphate, and pyrethroid insecticides (thiamethoxam, sulfoxaflor, acephate, and permethrin, respectively). The diet-overlay bioassay was compared to the traditional glass-vial surface residue bioassay. We measured LC50 values by feeding tarnished plant bug adults known doses of insecticides dispensed on top of diet in a 10% solution of honey water for thiamethoxam and 10% acetone in water solutions for permethrin, acephate, and sulfoxaflor. Both the diet-overlay and glass-vial bioassays used dose-response (mortality) regression lines to calculate LC50 values for each insecticide at 6-, 24-, 48-, and 72-h post-exposure. Data variability from the glass-vial bioassay was higher for permethrin, sulfoxaflor, and thiamethoxam than the diet-overlay bioassay, for all evaluation times. In contrast, there was lower variability among replicates to acephate in the glass-vial assay compared to the diet-overlay assay. Control mortalities observed on diet-overlay bioassay were lower (0–5%) than those observed on the glass-vial bioassay (4–27%). The use of green beans, floral-foam, rolling glass vials, and insect handling made the existing standard method tedious to manipulate and difficult to handle large numbers of individuals. The nonautoclaved solid diet provides an opportunity to significantly reduce cost and variability associated with procedures of other bioassay methods. In general, the baseline data provide a basis for future comparison to determine changes in resistance over time.
Bayesian Inference of Multivariate Regression Models with Endogenous Markov Regime-Switching Parameters
Authors: Kim Young Min , Kang Kyu Ho
Published: June 2020

This study introduces a multivariate regression model with endogenous Markov regime-switching parameters, in which the regression disturbances and regime switches are allowed to be instantaneously correlated. For the estimation and model comparison, we develop a posterior sampling algorithm for the parameters, regimes, and marginal likelihood calculation. We demonstrate the reliability of the proposed method using simulation and empirical studies. The simulation study shows that neglecting the endogeneity leads to inaccurate parameter estimates, and that our marginal likelihood comparison chooses a correctly specified model. In the business cycle application, we find that the joint dynamics of the U.S. industrial production index (IPI) growth and unemployment rates are subject to three-state endogenous regime shifts. Another application to stock and bond return data suggests that negative shocks to the stock return seem to cause regime shifts from a low volatility state to a high volatility state of the financial markets. (JEL: C11, C53, E43, G12)
Primary hydatid cyst looked like renal cell carcinoma: case report
Authors: Mohamed Irzi , Tarik Mhanna , Mohammed Aynaou , Alaoui Wassim , Abdelghani Ouraghi , Ali Barki
Published: June 2020

Renal hydatid cyst is a rare disease comprising of about 2–3% of all locations. We present a case of renal hydatid disease in a 48-year-old female patient who presented with a history of left flank pain without fever or hematuria. Ultrasonography and computed tomography showed a 3-cm cystic lesion Bosniak IV occupying the mid-zone of the left kidney diagnosed as renal malignancy. Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy was performed, but the histopathological examination of the lesion revealed hydatid cysts. Isolated renal hydatid cyst is very rare, especially in developed countries and can be misdiagnosed as a renal cell carcinoma pre-operatively.
Queer Music in the Queen’s Hall: Teleny and Decadent Musical Geographies at the Fin de Siècle
Authors: Riddell Fraser
Published: June 2020

This article examines the significance of music and musical performance in Teleny, or the Reverse of the Medal (1893), an anonymous pornographic novel attributed by some scholars to Oscar Wilde. It draws upon historical material on late-Victorian concert venues, queer literary sub-cultures and sexology to illuminate the representation of musical spaces in the text. Teleny exists in two different versions: an English text, which is set in Paris, and a French text, which is set in London. The opening section of the article suggests that Teleny’s dynamic engagement with cosmopolitan cultural exchange between Paris and London is brought into sharper focus by situating the musical performances in the novel in the precise built environment of London’s Queen Hall. The second section explores the novel’s concern with queer geographies (the Orient, Eastern Europe) in the context of other texts that address music and homosexual identity in the period. The third section examines the significance of space in the novel’s presentation of musical listening, arguing that its focus on the materiality of sound and the haptic transmission of desire responds to sexological conceptions of embodied musical response by homosexual subjects. The significance of this sensory experience of listening is understood in the light of Sara Ahmed’s theorization of ‘queer phenomenology’. Finally, the article traces the significance of musical allusions to songs by Franz Schubert to show how they form part of the novel’s broader concerns with the spatial articulation of same-sex desire and the representation of queer urban geographies.
Human-like telomeres in Zostera marina reveal a mode of transition from the plant to the human telomeric sequences
Authors: Peska Vratislav , Mátl Martin , Mandáková Terezie , Vitales Daniel , Fajkus Petr , Fajkus Jiří , Garcia Sònia
Published: June 2020

A previous study describing the genome of Zostera marina, the most widespread seagrass in the Northern hemisphere, revealed some genomic signatures of adaptation to the aquatic environment such as the loss of stomatal genes, while other functions such as an algal-like cell wall composition were acquired. Beyond these, the genome structure and organization were comparable with those of the majority of plant genomes sequenced, except for one striking feature that went unnoticed at that time: the presence of human-like instead of the expected plant-type telomeric sequences. By using different experimental approaches including fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), genome skimming by next-generation sequencing (NGS), and analysis of non-coding transcriptome, we have confirmed its telomeric location in the chromosomes of Z. marina. We have also identified its telomerase RNA (TR) subunit, confirming the presence of the human-type telomeric sequence in the template region. Remarkably, this region was found to be very variable even in clades with a highly conserved telomeric sequence across their species. Based on this observation, we propose that alternative annealing preferences in the template borders can explain the transition between the plant and human telomeric sequences. The further identification of paralogues of TR in several plant genomes led us to the hypothesis that plants may retain an increased ability to change their telomeric sequence. We discuss the implications of this occurrence in the evolution of telomeres while introducing a mechanistic model for the transition from the plant to the human telomeric sequences.
Three-gene phylogeny of the genusArthroderma: Basis for future taxonomic studies
Authors: Hainsworth Steven , Kučerová Ivana , Sharma Rahul , Cañete-Gibas Connie F , Hubka Vit
Published: June 2020

Arthroderma is the most diverse genus among dermatophytes encompassing species occurring in soil, caves, animal burrows, clinical material and other environments. In this study, we collected ex-type, reference and authentic strains of all currently accepted Arthroderma species and generated sequences of three highly variable loci (ITS rDNA, β-tubulin, and translation elongation factor 1-α). The number of accepted species was expanded to 27. One novel species, A. melbournense (ex-type strain CCF 6162T = CBS 145858T), is described. This species was isolated from toenail dust collected by a podiatrist in Melbourne, during an epidemiological study of four geographical regions of Eastern Australia. Trichophyton terrestre, Chrysosporium magnisporum, and Chrysosporium oceanitis are transferred to Arthroderma. Typification is provided for T. terrestre that is not conspecific with any of the supposed biological species from the former T. terrestre complex, that is, A. insingulare, A. lenticulare and A. quadrifidum. A multi-gene phylogeny and reference sequences provided in this study should serve as a basis for future phylogenetic studies and facilitate species identification in practice.

Lay abstract

The genus Arthroderma encompasses geophilic dermatophyte species that infrequently cause human and animal superficial infections. Reference sequences from three genetic loci were generated for all currently accepted Arthroderma species and phylogeny was constructed. Several taxonomic novelties are introduced. The newly provided data will facilitate species identification and future taxonomic studies.
The variable radio counterpart of Swift J1858.6-0814
Authors: van den Eijnden J , Degenaar N , Russell T D , Buisson D J K , Altamirano D , Armas Padilla M , Bahramian A , Castro Segura N , Fogantini F A , Heinke C O , Maccarone T , Maitra D , Miller-Jones J C A , Muñoz-Darias T , Özbey Arabacı M , Russell D M , Shaw A W , Sivakoff G , Tetarenko A J , Vincentelli F , Wijnands R
Published: June 2020

Swift J1858.6-0814 is a transient neutron star X-ray binary discovered in 2018 October. Multiwavelength follow-up observations across the electromagnetic spectrum revealed many interesting properties, such as erratic flaring on minute time-scales and evidence for wind outflows at both X-ray and optical wavelengths, strong and variable local absorption, and an anomalously hard X-ray spectrum. Here, we report on a detailed radio observing campaign consisting of one observation at 5.5/9 GHz with the Australia Telescope Compact Array, and nine observations at 4.5/7.5 GHz with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. A radio counterpart with a flat to inverted radio spectrum is detected in all observations, consistent with a compact jet being launched from the system. Swift J1858.6-0814 is highly variable at radio wavelengths in most observations, showing significant variability when imaged on 3-to-5-min time-scales and changing up to factors of 8 within 20 min. The periods of brightest radio emission are not associated with steep radio spectra, implying they do not originate from the launching of discrete ejecta. We find that the radio variability is similarly unlikely to have a geometric origin, be due to scintillation, or be causally related to the observed X-ray flaring. Instead, we find that it is consistent with being driven by variations in the accretion flow propagating down the compact jet. We compare the radio properties of SwiftJ1858.6-0814 with those of Eddington-limited X-ray binaries with similar X-ray and optical characteristics, but fail to find a match in radio variability, spectrum, and luminosity.
Luminous blue variable candidates in M31
Authors: Sarkisyan A , Sholukhova O , Fabrika S , Bizyaev D , Valeev A , Vinokurov A , Solovyeva Y , Kostenkov A , Malanushenko V , Nedialkov P
Published: June 2020

We study five luminous blue variable (LBV) candidates in the Andromeda galaxy and one more (MN112) in the Milky Way. We obtain the same-epoch near-infrared (NIR) and optical spectra on the 3.5-m telescope at the Apache Point Observatory and on the 6-m telescope of the SAO RAS. The candidates show typical LBV features in their spectra: broad and strong hydrogen lines, He i, Fe ii, and [Fe ii] lines. We estimate the temperatures, reddening, radii and luminosities of the stars using their spectral energy distributions. Bolometric luminosities of the candidates are similar to those of known LBV stars in the Andromeda galaxy. One candidate, J004341.84+411112.0, demonstrates photometric variability (about 0.27 mag in the V band), which allows us to classify it as an LBV. The star J004415.04+420156.2 shows characteristics typical of B[e] supergiants. The star J004411.36+413257.2 is classified as a Fe ii star. We confirm that the stars J004621.08+421308.2 and J004507.65+413740.8 are warm hypergiants. We obtain for the first time the NIR spectrum of the Galactic LBV candidate MN112. We use both optical and NIR spectra of MN112 for comparison with similar stars in M31 and notice identical spectra and the same temperature in J004341.84+411112.0. This allows us to confirm that MN112 is an LBV, which should show its brightness variability in longer time span observations.
Galactic ionizing photon budget during the epoch of reionization in the Cosmic Dawn II simulation
Authors: Lewis Joseph S W , Ocvirk Pierre , Aubert Dominique , Sorce Jenny G , Shapiro Paul R , Deparis Nicolas , Dawoodbhoy Taha , Teyssier Romain , Yepes Gustavo , Gottlöber Stefan , Ahn Kyungjin , Iliev Ilian T , Chardin Jonathan
Published: June 2020

Cosmic Dawn II yields the first statistically meaningful determination of the relative contribution to reionization by galaxies of different halo mass, from a fully coupled radiation-hydrodynamics simulation of the epoch of reionization large enough (∼100 Mpc) to model global reionization while resolving the formation of all galactic haloes above ${\sim}10^8 \, {\rm M}_{\odot }$. Cell transmission inside haloes is bi-modal – ionized cells are transparent, while neutral cells absorb the photons their stars produce – and the halo escape fraction fesc reflects the balance of star formation rate (SFR) between these modes. The latter is increasingly prevalent at higher halo mass, driving down fesc (we provide analytical fits to our results), whereas halo escape luminosity, proportional to fesc × SFR, increases with mass. Haloes with dark matter masses within $6\times 10^{8} \, {\rm M}_{\odot }\lt M_{\rm halo}\lt 3 \times 10^{10} \, {\rm M}_{\odot }$ produce ∼80 per cent of the escaping photons at z = 7, when the universe is 50 per cent ionized, making them the main drivers of cosmic reionization. Less massive haloes, though more numerous, have low SFRs and contribute less than 10 per cent of the photon budget then, despite their high fesc. High-mass haloes are too few and too opaque, contributing <10 per cent despite their high SFRs. The dominant mass range is lower (higher) at higher (lower) redshift, as mass function and reionization advance together (e.g. at z = 8.5, xH i = 0.9, $M_{\rm halo}\lt 5\times 10^9 \, {\rm M}_{\odot }$ haloes contributed ∼80 per cent). Galaxies with UV magnitudes MAB1600 between −12 and −19 dominated reionization between z = 6 and 8.
When is Access to Political Capital Gendered? Lessons from the Czech Parliament
Authors: Smrek Michal
Published: June 2020

This article compares access to bill making and senior legislative offices among male and female MPs when their respective parties are in government or in opposition. Using an original dataset with all Czech MPs elected between 1996 and 2017, the article finds that female legislators face a more restricted access to these important legislative assignments when their party is part of government and when their value as a means of generating political capital is high. This points to the specific conditions under which female MPs might be arbitrarily held back by their parties in the parliamentary workplace.
Randomizing Religion: the Impact of Protestant Evangelism on Economic Outcomes*
Authors: Bryan Gharad , Choi James J , Karlan Dean
Published: June 2020

We study the causal impact of religiosity through a randomized evaluation of an evangelical Protestant Christian values and theology education program delivered to thousands of ultrapoor Filipino households. Six months after the program ended, treated households have higher religiosity and income; no statistically significant differences in total labor supply, consumption, food security, or life satisfaction; and lower perceived relative economic status. Exploratory analysis suggests that the income treatment effect may operate through increasing grit. Thirty months after the program ended, significant differences in the intensity of religiosity disappear, but those in the treatment group are less likely to be Catholic and more likely to be Protestant, and there is some mixed evidence that their consumption and perceived relative economic status are higher.
Watering Down Environmental Regulation in China*
Authors: He Guojun , Wang Shaoda , Zhang Bing
Published: June 2020

This article estimates the effect of environmental regulation on firm productivity using a spatial regression discontinuity design implicit in China's water quality monitoring system. Because water quality readings are important for political evaluations and the monitoring stations only capture emissions from their upstream regions, local government officials are incentivized to enforce tighter environmental standards on firms immediately upstream of a monitoring station, rather than those immediately downstream. Exploiting this discontinuity in regulation stringency with novel firm-level geocoded emission and production data sets, we find that immediate upstream polluters face a more than 24% reduction in total factor productivity (TFP), and a more than 57% reduction in chemical oxygen demand emissions, as compared with their immediate downstream counterparts. We find that the discontinuity in TFP does not exist in nonpolluting industries, only emerged after the government explicitly linked political promotion to water quality readings, and was predominantly driven by prefectural cities with career-driven leaders. Linking the TFP estimate with the emission estimate, a back-of-the-envelope calculation indicates that China's water regulation efforts between 2000 and 2007 were associated with an economic cost of more than 800 billion Chinese yuan.
Addressing inequities in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality: research and policy recommendations
Authors: Wang Monica L , Behrman Pamela , Dulin Akilah , Baskin Monica L , Buscemi Joanna , Alcaraz Kassandra I , Goldstein Carly M , Carson Tiffany L , Shen Megan , Fitzgibbon Marian
Published: June 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest global public health crisis since the 1918 influenza outbreak. As of early June, the novel coronavirus has infected more than 6.3 million people worldwide and more than 1.9 million in the United States (US). The total number of recorded deaths due to COVID-19 are growing at an alarming rate globally (³383,000) and nationally (³109,000) Evidence is mounting regarding the heavier burden of COVID-19 infection, morbidity, and mortality on the underserved populations in the US. This commentary focuses on this global health pandemic and how mitigation of the virus relies heavily on health behavior change to slow its spread, highlighting how the pandemic specifically affects the most socially and economically disadvantaged populations in the US. The commentary also offers short, intermediate and long-term research and policy focused recommendations. Both the research and policy recommendations included in this commentary emphasize equity-driven: (1) research practices, including applying a social determinants and health equity lens on monitoring, evaluation, and clinical trials activities on COVID-19; and (2) policy actions, such as dedicating resources to prioritize high-risk communities for testing, treatment, and prevention approaches and implementing organizational, institutional, and legislative policies that address the social and economic barriers to overall well-being that these populations face during a pandemic. It is our hope that these recommendations will generate momentum in delivering timely, effective, and lifesaving changes.
Mechanistic Investigations Support Liver Safety of Ubrogepant
Authors: Smith Brenda , Rowe Josh , Watkins Paul B , Ashina Messoud , Woodhead Jeffrey L , Sistare Frank D , Goadsby Peter J
Published: June 2020

Small-molecule calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonists have demonstrated therapeutic efficacy for the treatment of migraine. However, previously investigated CGRP receptor antagonists, telcagepant and MK-3207, were discontinued during clinical development because of concerns about drug-induced liver injury. A subsequent effort to identify novel CGRP receptor antagonists less likely to cause hepatotoxicity led to the development of ubrogepant. The selection of ubrogepant, following a series of mechanistic studies conducted with MK-3207 and telcagepant, was focused on key structural modifications suggesting that ubrogepant was less prone to forming reactive metabolites than previous compounds. The potential for each drug to cause liver toxicity was subsequently assessed using a quantitative systems toxicology approach (DILIsym) that incorporates quantitative assessments of mitochondrial dysfunction, disruption of bile acid homeostasis, and oxidative stress, along with estimates of dose-dependent drug exposure to and within liver cells. DILIsym successfully modeled liver toxicity for telcagepant and MK-3207 at the dosing regimens used in clinical trials. In contrast, DILIsym predicted no hepatotoxicity during treatment with ubrogepant, even at daily doses up to 1000 mg (10-fold higher than the approved clinical dose of 100 mg). These predictions are consistent with clinical trial experience showing that ubrogepant has lower potential to cause hepatotoxicity than has been observed with telcagepant and MK-3207.
First Report of Dieback Caused by Lasiodiplodia pseudotheobromae on Ormosia pinnata in China
Authors: Li Luoye , Lei Mengying , Wang Honghong , Yang Xiaozhu , Andargie Mebeaselassie , Huang Shaobin
Published: June 2020

Ormosia pinnata (Lour.) Merr. is an important tree used for landscape and plant recovery of barren slopes in China. During an investigation of plant disease on landscape trees in 2018, a dieback was observed on O. pinnata trees in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. Symptoms were characterized by initial dryness of the twigs and eventual death of the whole branch of the tree. Isolations from symptomatic branches yielded 13 isolates including two main morphotypes. Pathogenicity tests showed that isolate GDOP1 from Type I caused dieback of O. pinnata. Based on morphological characteristics and molecular analysis of the internal transcribed spacer rDNA (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) and partial sequence of the translation elongation factor 1α (EF1-α), the fungus causing dieback on O. pinnata was identified as Lasiodiplodia pseudotheobromae. This is the first report of L. pseudotheobromae infecting O. pinnata in the world.
Real-Time PCR Detection of Clarireedia spp., the Causal Agents of Dollar Spot in Turfgrasses
Authors: Groben Glen , Clarke Bruce B. , Murphy James , Koch Paul , Crouch Jo Anne , Lee Sangkook , Zhang Ning
Published: June 2020

Dollar spot is one of the most economically important diseases of turfgrasses. Recent taxonomic revisions have placed the dollar spot fungal pathogens in the new genus Clarireedia, with five species described. The main goal of this study was to develop a quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) molecular detection assay based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of the ribosomal RNA genes to quantify the abundance of Clarireedia spp. from environmental (field) samples. The qPCR assay was able to detect isolates of the four tested Clarireedia spp. but did not cross react with nontarget fungi, including closely related taxa, other turfgrass pathogens, or other fungal species commonly isolated from turfgrass. The assay is capable of detecting as little as 38.0 fg (3.8 × 10−14 g) of Clarireedia genomic DNA in 3 h. The qPCR assay detected Clarireedia spp. in both symptomatic and asymptomatic creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) foliar tissue. Clarireedia spp. were rarely detected in the thatch or soil, indicating that these pathogens are not widely distributed in these areas of the environment. The fact that the pathogen was detected in asymptomatic tissue suggests that creeping bentgrass may be able to tolerate a certain quantity of the pathogens in leaves before disease symptoms appear; however, further research is needed to validate this hypothesis.
The Recombinant Potato virus Y (PVY) Strain, PVYNTN, Identified in Potato Fields in Victoria, Southeastern Australia
Authors: Rodriguez-Rodriguez Mariana , Chikh-Ali Mohamad , Johnson Steven B. , Gray Stewart M. , Malseed Nellie , Crump Nigel , Karasev Alexander V.
Published: June 2020

Potato virus Y (PVY) is one of the main viruses affecting potato in Australia. However, molecular characterization of PVY isolates circulating in potato in different states of Australia has not yet been thoroughly conducted. Only nonrecombinant isolates of three biological PVY strains collected from potato were reported previously from Western Australia and one from Queensland. Here, PVY isolates collected from seed potato originating in Victoria, Australia, and printed on FTA cards, were subjected to strain typing by RT-PCR, with three isolates subjected to whole genome sequencing. All the 59 PVY isolates detected during two growing seasons were identified to be recombinants based on two RT-PCR assays. No nonrecombinant PVY isolates were identified. All the RT-PCR typed isolates belonged to the PVYNTN strain. Sequence analysis of the whole genomes of three isolates suggested a single introduction of the PVYNTN strain to Australia but provided no clues as to where this introduction originated. Given the association of the PVYNTN strain with potato tuber damage, growers in Australia should implement appropriate strategies to manage PVYNTN in potato.
Genome-Wide Association Study in New York Phytophthora capsici Isolates Reveals Loci Involved in Mating Type and Mefenoxam Sensitivity
Authors: Vogel Gregory , Gore Michael A. , Smart Christine D.
Published: June 2020

Phytophthora capsici is a soilborne oomycete plant pathogen that causes severe vegetable crop losses in New York (NY) state and worldwide. This pathogen is difficult to manage, in part due to its production of long-lasting sexual spores and its tendency to quickly evolve fungicide resistance. We single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyped 252 P. capsici isolates, predominantly from NY, in order to conduct a genome-wide association study for mating type and mefenoxam sensitivity. The population structure and extent of chromosomal copy number variation in this collection of isolates were also characterized. Population structure analyses showed isolates largely clustered by the field site where they were collected, with values of FST between pairs of fields ranging from 0.10 to 0.31. Thirty-three isolates were putative aneuploids, demonstrating evidence for having up to four linkage groups present in more than two copies, and an additional two isolates appeared to be genome-wide triploids. Mating type was mapped to a region on scaffold 4, consistent with previous findings, and mefenoxam sensitivity was associated with several SNP markers at a novel locus on scaffold 62. We identified several candidate genes for mefenoxam sensitivity, including a homolog of yeast ribosome synthesis factor Rrp5, but failed to locate near the scaffold 62 locus any subunits of RNA polymerase I, the hypothesized target site of phenylamide fungicides in oomycetes. This work expands our knowledge of the population biology of P. capsici and provides a foundation for functional validation of candidate genes associated with epidemiologically important phenotypes.
COVID-19: Lessons From the Disaster That Can Improve Health Professions Education
Authors: Sklar David P.
Published: June 2020

COVID-19 has disrupted every aspect of the U.S. health care and health professions education systems, creating anxiety, suffering, and chaos and exposing many of the flaws in the nation’s public health, medical education, and political systems. The pandemic has starkly revealed the need for a better public health infrastructure and a health system with incentives for population health and prevention of disease as well as outstanding personalized curative health. It has also provided opportunities for innovations in health care and has inspired courageous actions of residents, who have responded to the needs of their patients despite risk to themselves. In this Invited Commentary, the author shares lessons he learned from 3 earlier disasters and discusses needed changes in medical education, health care, and health policy that the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed. He encourages health professions educators to use the experiences of this pandemic to reexamine the current curricular emphasis on the bioscientific model of health and to broaden the educational approach to incorporate the behavioral, social, and environmental factors that influence health. Surveillance for disease, investment in disease and injury prevention, and disaster planning should be basic elements of health professions education. Incorporating innovations such as telemedicine, used under duress during the pandemic, could alter educational and clinical approaches to create something better for students, residents, and patients. He explains that journals such as Academic Medicine can provide rapid, curated, expert advice that can be an important counterweight to the misinformation that circulates during disasters. Such journals can also inform their readers about new training in skills needed to mitigate the ongoing effects of the disaster and prepare the workforce for future disasters.
Severe Coronavirus Infections in Pregnancy
Authors: Galang Romeo R. , Chang Karen , Strid Penelope , Snead Margaret Christine , Woodworth Kate R. , House Lawrence D. , Perez Mirna , Barfield Wanda D. , Meaney-Delman Dana , Jamieson Denise J. , Shapiro-Mendoza Carrie K. , Ellington Sascha R.
Published: June 2020

OBJECTIVE:

To inform the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, we conducted a systematic literature review of case reports of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, during pregnancy and summarized clinical presentation, course of illness, and pregnancy and neonatal outcomes.

DATA SOURCES:

We searched MEDLINE and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to April 23, 2020.

METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION:

We included articles reporting case-level data on MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women. Course of illness, indicators of severe illness, maternal health outcomes, and pregnancy outcomes were abstracted from included articles.

TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS:

We identified 1,328 unique articles, and 1,253 articles were excluded by title and abstract review. We completed full-text review on 75, and 29 articles were excluded by full-text review. Among 46 publications reporting case-level data, eight described 12 cases of MERS-CoV infection, seven described 17 cases of SARS-CoV infection, and 31 described 98 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Clinical presentation and course of illness ranged from asymptomatic to severe fatal disease, similar to the general population of patients. Severe morbidity and mortality among women with MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, or SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes, including pregnancy loss, preterm delivery, and laboratory evidence of vertical transmission, were reported.

CONCLUSION:

Understanding whether pregnant women may be at risk for adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes from severe coronavirus infections is imperative. Data from case reports of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SAR-CoV-2 infections during pregnancy are limited, but they may guide early public health actions and clinical decision-making for COVID-19 until more rigorous and systematically collected data are available. The capture of critical data is needed to better define how this infection affects pregnant women and neonates. This review was not registered with PROSPERO.
Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Confirmation of Nasogastric and Orogastric Tube Placement in Pediatric Patients
Authors: Claiborne Mary Kate , Gross Toni , McGreevy Jon , Riemann Monique , Temkit M'hamed , Augenstein Julie
Published: June 2020

Objectives

The aim of the study was to investigate the role of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) as an alternative imaging modality to confirm proper placement for nasogastric tubes (NGTs) and orogastric tubes (OGTs) in pediatric patients.

Methods

This was a prospective descriptive study performed at a tertiary care free-standing children's hospital. Patients 21 years and younger requiring radiographic confirmation of NGT or OGT placement were eligible for enrollment. Bedside ultrasonography examination of the epigastric area was performed by a blinded pediatric emergency medicine physician. An abdominal radiograph was obtained to confirm NGT or OGT placement in all patients.

Results

A total of 26 patients with a mean age of 2.6 years (standard deviation, 3.9 years) were enrolled. All 26 patients had x-ray confirmation of NGT and OGTs correctly placed in the stomach. Confirmation of NGT or OGT placement by ultrasound was obtained in 23 patients. For these 23 patients, POCUS agreed with radiographic findings. For 3 patients, the NGT and OGT was unable to be identified by ultrasound. The sensitivity of ultrasound for detecting a properly placed tube was 88% (95% confidence interval, 70.0%–97.6%).

Conclusions

This pilot study described ultrasound confirmation of NGT or OGT placement. If confirmed in larger studies, POCUS can be used as an objective tool for the confirmation of NGT or OGT placement in pediatric patients and limit the need for routine x-ray confirmation.
Divergence in parturition timing and vegetation onset in a large herbivore—differences along a latitudinal gradient
Authors: Neumann Wiebke , Singh Navinder J. , Stenbacka Fredrik , Malmsten Jonas , Wallin Kjell , Ball John P. , Ericsson Göran
Published: June 2020

In northern environments, the period of access to high-quality forage is limited, exerting strong selective pressure to optimize the timing of parturition. We analysed timing and variation in moose (
Alces alces
) parturition dates of 555 females at 18 study sites across 12° of latitude (56–68° N, 1350 km) in Sweden. We found evidence for a spatial match of parturition timing to vegetation onset, but no evidence that moose adjust parturition to vegetation onset in a given year. We found a breakpoint at 64° N. Despite adaptation across latitudes, temporal divergences occurred. Females below 64° N calved after vegetation onset and females above 64° N calved before. Here, parturition before vegetation onset might be a strategy to optimize forage utilization time with the very short growing season. Highly seasonal environments such as at higher latitudes may make it advantageous to adapt parturition towards long-term climatic patterns by matching the most favourable period. Given the direction of temporal divergence, our study suggests that climate change may have less of an impact on moose parturition at northern latitudes than southern latitudes.
Efficacy of acupuncture and acupressure for the treatment of Raynaud’s syndrome: Protocol for a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Deng Jiawen
Published: June 2020

Raynaud’s syndrome is a rare vascular disorder that causes the contraction of blood vessels, usually in the fingers and toes, when there is a decrease in temperature or during emotional events. As a result, blood cannot reach the tissue in these areas, causing them to appear blue or white. It had long been speculated that acupuncture and acupressure may help mediate symptoms of Raynaud’s syndrome, however no knowledge synthesis project regarding this topic had ever been conducted (to our best knowledge). We propose a meta-analysis that investigates whether the use of acupuncture or acupressure can improve symptoms of Raynaud’s syndrome. Our proposed outcomes are incidences of positive cold water immersion test, incidences of positive temperature recovery after cold water immersion tests, incidences of remission/short-term remission, number and duration of attacks per day, and outcomes relating to nailfold microcirculation examinations (including capillary blood flow velocity, capillary deformity and capillary density).
Consequences of Mismatch, Misalignment and Rotation of Toric Intraocular Lenses in Refractive Cataract Surgery Part 1. It Ain’t 30. The True Angle of Doom
Authors: Sayegh Samir I
Published: June 2020

Purpose

To demonstrate that the total loss of astigmatism as a consequence of misalignment or rotation of a toric intraocular lens (tIOL) can occur much earlier than the widely believed and taught 30 degrees. To give a precise surgically useful estimate of that value. To clarify the role of mismatch and misalignment of toric intraocular lenses in cataract surgery beyond what is commonly recognized in the literature and make corresponding surgical recommendations.

Setting

Private Practice and Research Center. The EYE Center. Champaign, IL, USA.

Design

Formal Analytical Study

Methods

The astigmatism addition approach is used in its simplest form along with analytical tools to derive new results concerning mismatch, misalignment and rotation of toric intraocular lenses.

Results

The often stated results of total loss of astigmatic correction by 30-degree rotation and 3.3 % loss per degree represent a usually poor approximation to realistic surgical cases. We show how they constitute a very special case in the context of a more general framework relevant to procedures performed by refractive cataract surgeons dealing with the surgical correction of astigmatism with tIOLs. Total loss of astigmatic correction can occur with as little as 20 degrees of misalignment and less than 10 degrees of tIOL rotation. A practical approximation for that angle of doom, Δ, in the surgically relevant range can be expressed by Δ ≈ 30 − 15 ω degrees, where is the fractional overcorrection of L, the cylinder of the tIOL, and A, the astigmatism to be corrected. Similarly for undercorrection we show that Δ ≈ 30 + 15 u degrees where represents the corresponding fractional undercorrection. That is to say the angle of doom is extended beyond the 30 degrees for cases of undercorrection of the astigmatism. We also demonstrate that overcorrection of astigmatism results in a significantly faster decline in astigmatism correction per degree of misalignment/rotation. The significant clinical implications and surgical recommendations, including for optimal degree of overcorrection, are a natural consequence of these novel results.

Conclusions

Total loss of astigmatism correction can occur at a significantly smaller angle than commonly believed and overcorrected astigmatism residual rises with tIOL misalignment or rotation significantly faster than undercorrected astigmatism. We provide the methodology and explicit solution for determining this behavior.