bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Population dynamics linked to glacial cycles inCercis chunianaF. P. Metcalf (Fabaceae) endemic to the montane regions of subtropical China
Authors: Liu Wanzhen , Xie Jianguang , Zhou Hui , Kong Hanghui , Hao Gang , Fritsch Peter W. , Gong Wei
Published: September 2021

The mountains of subtropical China are an excellent system for investigating the processes driving the geographical distribution of biodiversity and radiation of plant populations in response to Pleistocene climate fluctuations. How the major mountain ranges in subtropical China have affected the evolution of plant species in the subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest is an issue with long‐term concern. Here, we focused onCercis chuniana, a woody species endemic to the southern mountain ranges in subtropical China, to elucidate its population dynamics. We used genotyping by sequencing (GBS) to investigate the spatial pattern of genetic variation among 11 populations. Geographical isolation was detected between the populations located in adjacent mountain ranges, thought to function as geographical barriers due to their complex physiography. Bayesian time estimation revealed that population divergence occurred in the middle Pleistocene, when populations in the Nanling Mts. separated from those to the east. The orientation and physiography of the mountain ranges of subtropical China appear to have contributed to the geographical pattern of genetic variation between the eastern and western populations ofC. chuniana. Complex physiography plus long‐term stable ecological conditions across glacial cycles facilitated the demographic expansion in the Nanling Mts., from which contemporary migration began. The Nanling Mts. are thus considered as a suitable area for preserving population diversity and large population sizes ofC. chunianacompared with other regions. As inferred by ecological niche modeling and coalescent simulations, secondary contact occurred during the warm Lushan–Tali Interglacial period, with intensified East Asia summer monsoon and continuous habitat available for occupation. Our data support the strong influence of both climatic history and topographic characteristics on the high regional phytodiversity of the subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest in subtropical China.
Bottleneck‐associated changes in the genomic landscape of genetic diversity in wild lynx populations
Authors: Lucena‐Perez Maria , Kleinman‐Ruiz Daniel , Marmesat Elena , Saveljev Alexander P. , Schmidt Krzysztof , Godoy José A.
Published: September 2021

Demographic bottlenecks generally reduce genetic diversity through more intense genetic drift, but their net effect may vary along the genome due to the random nature of genetic drift and to local effects of recombination, mutation, and selection. Here, we analyzed the changes in genetic diversity following a bottleneck by comparing whole‐genome diversity patterns in populations with and without severe recent documented declines of Iberian (Lynx pardinus, n = 31) and Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx, n = 29). As expected, overall genomic diversity correlated negatively with bottleneck intensity and/or duration. Correlations of genetic diversity with divergence, chromosome size, gene or functional site content, GC content, or recombination were observed in nonbottlenecked populations, but were weaker in bottlenecked populations. Also, functional features under intense purifying selection and the X chromosome showed an increase in the observed density of variants, even resulting in higher θW diversity than in nonbottlenecked populations. Increased diversity seems to be related to both a higher mutational input in those regions creating a large collection of low‐frequency variants, a few of which increase in frequency during the bottleneck to the point they become detectable with our limited sample, and the reduced efficacy of purifying selection, which affects not only protein structure and function but also the regulation of gene expression. The results of this study alert to the possible reduction of fitness and adaptive potential associated with the genomic erosion in regulatory elements. Further, the detection of a gain of diversity in ultra‐conserved elements can be used as a sensitive and easy‐to‐apply signature of genetic erosion in wild populations.
Loot The Children: The Need To Regulate Predatory Loot Box Mechanics In Video Games That Target Young Audiences
Authors: Uddin Shiddhartha
Published: September 2021

Loot box mechanics have become a mainstay in many video games targeted toward young audiences. These loot boxes are reminiscent of gambling, like casino slot machines. The player may use real‐world currency to purchase a virtual item that dispenses randomized in‐game items. Video game publishers employ numerous methods to make these loot boxes enticing to a young audience. Loot boxes have been linked to problem gambling habits. To protect adolescents from these predatory practices, federal legislation that prohibits loot box practices in video games deemed suitable for adolescents is necessary.
Enzymatic lysine oxidation as a posttranslational modification
Authors: Serra‐Bardenys Gemma , Peiró Sandra
Published: September 2021

Oxidoreductases catalyze oxidation–reduction reactions and comprise a very large and diverse group of enzymes, which can be subclassified depending on the catalytic mechanisms of the enzymes. One of the most prominent oxidative modifications in proteins is carbonylation, which involves the formation of aldehyde and keto groups in the side chain of lysines. This modification can alter the local macromolecular structure of proteins, thereby regulating their function, stability, and/or localization, as well as the nature of any protein–protein and/or protein–nucleic acid interactions. In this review, we focus on copper‐dependent amine oxidases, which catalyze oxidative deamination of amines to aldehydes. In particular, we discuss oxidation reactions that involve lysine residues and that are regulated by members of the lysyl oxidase (LOX) family of proteins. We summarize what is known about the newly identified substrates and how this posttranslational modification regulates protein function in different contexts.
Reframing resilience as resistance: Situating disaster recovery within colonialism
Authors: Sou Gemma
Published: September 2021

This paper challenges resilience literature, which often strips grassroots actors of their political agency and reduces their resilient actions to no more than adapting, mitigating or recovering from an exogenous hazard. I apply an everyday resistance framework to unpack Puerto Ricans’ responses to the impacts of Hurricane Maria, which devastated the Caribbean Island in 2017. This methodological approach situates acts of resilience within the colonial relations that characterise the United States−Puerto Rico relationship. First, people’s acts of resilience are shown to signify acts of resistance to pursue self‐determination and relinquish their dependency on the United States for their everyday lives and disaster recovery. Second, the paper demonstrates how resistance is enacted by women in the domestic space, which challenges masculinist and patriarchal notions of resistance. Third, exploring resilience “from below” is suggested to expose how state‐centric conceptualisations of resilience do not fit neatly with how disaster‐affected people define and intuitively enact resilience.
Physical, chemical and oxidative changes in raw peanuts: Effect of relative humidity
Authors: Guo Yajing , Liu Ying , Liu Kunlun
Published: September 2021

Peanuts are susceptible to oxidative deterioration due to various factors during storage. This research studied the proximate composition (lipid, protein, total sugar, moisture and ash.), composition and content of amino acids and fatty acids, peroxide value (PV), carbonyl value (CV), malondialdehyde content (MDA), protein composition and structure changes in the peanuts stored for 320 days under different relative humidity (RH; 50%, 65% and 80%) conditions. Lipid oxidation was delayed at low RH (50% and 65%) storage conditions. At high RH (80%), the contents of unsaturated fatty acids, amino acids, protein and lipids decreased significantly during storage (P < 0.05), whereas the PV, CV and MDA contents increased significantly (P < 0.05). The CV values of YH‐9326 and YH‐22 increased by 14.46 and 17.48 times respectively. In addition, the protein structure changed throughout the whole storage period (P < 0.05). This research provides a theoretical reference for maintaining storage quality and extending shelf life.
Nutritional and functional characterisation of hydrolysates from quinoa flour (Chenopodium quinoa) using two proteases
Authors: Gremasqui Ileana de los A. , Giménez Maria A. , Lobo Manuel O. , Sammán Norma C.
Published: September 2021

The objective was to study the nutritional and functional properties of hydrolysates from quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis of defatted quinoa flour (DQF). The commercial enzymes alcalase and flavourzyme were used to obtain the hydrolysates defatted quinoa flour hydrolysate with alcalase (DQFA) and defatted quinoa flour hydrolysate with flavourzyme (DQFF), respectively, after 3 h of digestion at 50°C and pH 8. The degree of hydrolysis (47.32%), yield (31.05%) and protein recovery (88.80%) values were higher in DQFA; however, its protein content (48.34%) was lower compared to that of DQFF (55.06%). Also, DQFA had a solubility greater than 57% over a wide pH range (2–10) and good foam stability (70–90%). On the other hand, DQFF presented adequate emulsifying activity (61.30 m2/g), emulsifying stability (158.62 min) and foaming capacity (131%). Due to the high content of macro‐ and micronutrients and adequate emulsifying and foaming properties, DQFA and DQFF could be used as ingredients in various processed food products and protein supplements.
The changes of chemical composition of microencapsulated roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) seed oil by co‐extrusion during accelerated storage
Authors: Goh Kok Ming , Low Soo San , Nyam Kar Lin
Published: September 2021

Roselle seed oil (RSO) is an underutilised seed oil, which is having beneficial properties to humans. Microencapsulation of vegetables and seed oil is an alternative to preserve these properties and deliver them to the human diet. In this study, microencapsulation of RSO was performed using co‐extrusion technology and 1.5% w/w sodium alginate solution with 1.5% w/w high methoxyl pectin as the wall materials. Results showed that the microencapsulation efficiency was high (95.68 ± 1.95%) and the microencapsulation indeed preserved the content of unsaturated fatty acids, phytosterols, and tocopherols. During an accelerated storage condition at 65 °C for 24 days, most of these properties remained high for the first six storage days, including tocopherol which preserved high γ‐tocopherol. Worth noting that the microencapsulated RSO (MRSO) was particularly effective in preserving the total unsaturated fatty acids (especially C18:1 and C18:2), even during the 24th day of storage. The total unsaturated fatty acids retained by MRSO were significantly (P < 0.05) higher (70 ± 0.4%) than the RSO (65.6 ± 1.6%). In short, microencapsulation was effective in preserving the RSO properties.
Myosteatosis as a novel predictor of urinary incontinence after robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy
Authors: Yamashita Shimpei , Kawabata Hiroki , Deguchi Ryusuke , Ueda Yuko , Higuchi Masatoshi , Muraoka Satoshi , Koike Hiroyuki , Kikkawa Kazuro , Kohjimoto Yasuo , Hara Isao
Published: September 2021

Objectives

To evaluate the impact of sarcopenia and myosteatosis on urinary incontinence after prostatectomy.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients who underwent robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy without nerve sparing between December 2012 and March 2019. Psoas muscle index and average total psoas density, which were measured on preoperative computed tomography images at level L3, were used to evaluate sarcopenia and myosteatosis, respectively. In addition, several magnetic resonance imaging variables associated with pelvic muscles, the urethra and the prostate were measured. Urinary continence was defined as non‐use or use of just one incontinence pad per day. Logistic regression analyses aimed to identify the predictors of urinary incontinence 3 and 12 months after surgery.

Results

Overall, 121 patients were included in the analysis. The incidence rates of urinary incontinence 3 and 12 months after surgery were 42% (51/121 cases) and 16% (19/121 cases), respectively. Logistic multivariable analysis showed that low average total psoas density was the only significant independent predictor of urinary incontinence 3 months after surgery (P < 0.01), and low obturator internus muscle thickness (P = 0.01), short membranous urethral length (P = 0.01) and low average total psoas density (P < 0.01) were significant independent predictors of urinary incontinence 12 months after surgery. By contrast, psoas muscle index was not statistically associated with urinary incontinence after surgery.

Conclusions

Myosteatosis (low average total psoas density) could be a novel predictor of urinary incontinence after robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy.
International Council of Nurses representing nursing at the World Health Organization: COVID‐19, policy and holding politicians to account
Authors: Catton Howard
Published: September 2021

The International Council of Nurses is in a unique position to represent nurses at the World Health Organization, and its task has never been more urgent than this year. Amid the global COVID‐19 pandemic, the death rates of nurses and other health care workers are truly shocking, with around 115 000 deaths. However, many countries do not collect statistics on health and care workers’ deaths and infections from COVID‐19, so the full extent of this awful situation is not known.

At this year's World Health Assembly, the body that sets the World Health Organization's agenda for the following year, the International Council of Nurses’ 50‐strong delegation voiced the concerns of nurses and ensured that the views and advice of nurses were heard by the World Health Organization's 194 member states’ delegates. Here, the International Council of Nurses’ Chief Executive Officer Howard Catton describes how the Council is influencing health and care policy worldwide. He urges nurses everywhere to hold their politicians to account.
Correlation between grain size and electrical properties of high‐temperature lead‐free 0.70BiFeO3‐0.30BaTiO3 ceramics
Authors: Guo Jian , Cheng Hongwei , Tong Binbin , Lin Jianyin , Liu Hongbo , Cheng Jinrong , Chen Jianguo
Published: September 2021

0.70BiFeO3‐0.30BaTiO3 (0.70BF‐0.30BT) ceramics have been widely concerned because of their potential applications for high‐temperature piezoelectric devices. In this work, a series of dense 0.70BF‐0.30BT ceramics with average grain size variation from 0.55 to 6.0 μm were prepared. XRD results indicate that 0.70BF‐0.30BT ceramics show the coexistence of rhombohedral and pseudo‐cubic phases and the volume fraction of the rhombohedral phase increase with the grain size. The dielectric, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties increase with the grain size initially from 0.55 to 5.0 μm and then decrease slightly. Values of d33, Pr, and εr, of 0.70BF‐0.30BT ceramics with the grain size of 5.0 μm are 185 pC/N, 21.2 μC/cm2, and 638, respectively, about five times higher than those ceramics with fine‐grain of 0.55 μm. Of particular importance is that 0.70BF‐0.30BT ceramics with large grain sizes possess better piezoelectric thermal stability due to the much stabler poled domain state with the rising temperature. The detailed structural studies indicate that the enhanced electric properties are owing to the significantly improved domain motion and the increased lattice distortion. This clarifying the relationship between electrical properties and grain size offers a novel way of improving the performances of piezoceramics.
Mangrove distribution and diversity during three Cenozoic thermal maxima in the Northern Hemisphere (pollen records from the Arctic–North Atlantic–Mediterranean regions)
Authors: Popescu Speranta‐Maria , Suc Jean‐Pierre , Fauquette Séverine , Bessedik Mostefa , Jiménez‐Moreno Gonzalo , Robin Cécile , Labrousse Loïc
Published: September 2021

Aim

Past pollen records reveal the changes in latitudinal distribution of plants in relation to climate, particularly their expansion in response to global warming. The maximum northward expansion of the mangrove genus Avicennia since the Early Eocene is known, but this information is missing for other mangrove taxa. Here, we evaluate the diversity of past mangroves with respect to latitude during three Cenozoic thermal maxima (PETM: 56 Ma; EECO: 54–49 Ma; MMCO: 17–14 Ma).

Location

North Atlantic, Mediterranean.

Taxa

Avicennia, other mangrove taxa (Rhizophoraceae, Nypa, Xylocarpus, Pelliciera, etc.).

Method

We collected well‐dated marine sediments along a Northern Hemisphere latitudinal transect and we analysed their pollen content in order to compare the past distribution of mangrove taxa with the present. The analysis of 89 samples (PETM: 13; EECO: 31; MMCO: 45) was performed and interpreted using a robust botanical background for identification of pollen grains and their representativeness in marine sediments.

Results

During the Early Eocene, two palaeolatitudinal thresholds at 65–70°N and 35°N, respectively, delimited the Avicennia‐only mangrove from a diversified but scrawny mangrove and finally from a diversified and well‐developed mangrove. The Avicennia threshold was selective at 40°N during the Mid‐Miocene. The Avicennia range limit was up to 10–15° poleward of the limit for other mangrove taxa during the Early Eocene and the Mid‐Miocene compared with 9° at present.

Main conclusions

A buffer zone characterised by a diversified but scrawny mangrove co‐occurring with a few megathermal plants occurred in the Early Eocene between 35°N and 65–70°N. This finding questions the relative influence of a more ‘equable’ climate and/or the ability of some taxa to expand towards areas with cooler conditions in the past. Mangrove provincialism, which was established progressively after the Early Eocene, was probably forced by plate tectonics. The taxonomic impoverishment of the Atlantic East Pacific province was probably caused by successive periods of global cooling. These results support the Tethyan origin of the mangroves.
Pacing site‐ and rate‐dependent shortening of retrograde conduction time over the slow pathway after atrial entrainment of fast‐slow atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia
Authors: Kaneko Yoshiaki , Nakajima Tadashi , Tamura Shuntaro , Hasegawa Hiroshi , Kobari Takashi , Ishii Hideki
Published: September 2021

Introduction

We tested our hypothesis that atrial entrainment pacing (EP) of a) the common‐type (com‐) fast‐slow (F/S‐) atypical atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) using a typical slow pathway (SP), or b) the superior‐type (sup‐) F/S‐AVNRT using a superior SP, both modify the retrograde conduction time across the SP immediately after termination of EP (retro‐SP‐time).

Methods

We measured the difference in the His‐atrial interval (HA difference) immediately after cessation of EP, performed at 2 ± 2 rates from the high right atrium (HA[1]‐HRA) versus from the proximal coronary sinus (HA[1]‐CS) in 17 patients with com‐F/S‐AVNRT and 11 patients with sup‐F/S‐AVNRT. We also measured the atrial‐His and HA intervals of the first and second cycles immediately after cessation of EP and during stable tachycardia.

Results

Unequal responses, defined as a ≥ 20‐ms HA difference at ≥1 EP rates, were observed in 16 patients (57%), including 7 with com‐ and 9 with sup‐F/S‐AVNRT. Irrespective of the EP rate, all unequal responses of com‐F/S‐AVNRT were due to a shorter HA[1]‐CS than HA[1]‐HRA, with a mean 34 ± 11 ms HA difference, whereas all unequal responses of sup‐F/S‐AVNRT were due to a longer HA[1]‐CS than HA[1]‐HRA, with a mean 49 ± 25 ms HA difference. The unequal responses resolved within two cycles after the cessation of EP.

Conclusions

We have identified a little‐known pacing site‐ and pacing rate‐dependent shortening of the retro‐SP‐time.
Quantifying key parameters related to the life cycle of Caligus rogercresseyi
Authors: Jeong Jaewoon , McEwan Gregor F. , Arriagada Gabriel , Gallardo‐Escárate Cristian , Revie Crawford W.
Published: September 2021

The salmon louse Caligus rogercresseyi (Boxshall and Bravo 2000) is a common ectoparasite of farmed salmonids in Chile. Sea lice can negatively impact the growth of hosts, adversely affecting aquaculture productivity. Unlike Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Krøyer, 1838), whose life cycle parameters have been well studied due to its importance in the Northern Hemisphere, for C. rogercresseyi no single source exists that quantifies the parameters required to model this ectoparasite's life cycle. Given that different species of sea lice have substantially different biological characteristics, it is important to parameterize the life cycle of C. rogercresseyi using appropriate observational data, rather than simply trying to adapt parameters developed for L. salmonis. Using data from existing literature, we quantified the development and survival rates for each stage in the C. rogercresseyi life cycle. We illustrate how development rates are affected by water temperature and explore the important impacts of salinity on rates of survival. We present equations that can be used to model development periods and survival proportions given certain water temperature and salinity profiles. While key parameters to quantitatively model the life cycle of C. rogercresseyi are presented, further research is required to adequately model the complete population dynamics of this ectoparasite on Chilean salmon farms and consequently to support decision‐making to achieve effective control and mitigation.
Apple target recognition method in complex environment based on improved YOLOv4
Authors: Ji Wei , Gao Xiaoxiao , Xu Bo , Pan Yu , Zhang Zhuo , Zhao Dean
Published: September 2021

In order to solve the problem of accurate recognition of apples in complex environments, this article proposes an apple recognition method based on improved YOLOv4, which can accurately locate and recognize apples in a variety of complex environments. This method uses the lightweight EfficientNet‐B0 network as the feature extraction network for apple recognition and then combines with the PANet (Path Aggregation Network) network to fuse the features in the adjacent feature layers, which improves the recognition accuracy of fruit targets. In the experiment, the apples under bagging, nonbagging and night environment are identified. The results of the experiment show that the average precision of the improved YOLOv4 method is 93.42%, the recall rate is 87.64%, and the F1 value is 0.9035, which is about 2% lower than that of the original YOLOv4. However, the storage memory required for the model trained on the improved YOLOv4 is decreased by 87.8% compared with the original YOLOv4, which is only 29.8 MB, and the recognition speed is increased by 43%, reaching 63.20 frames per second. The recognition accuracy and speed are much higher than that of the two‐stage Faster‐RCNN. The recognition accuracy is equivalent to that of Mobilenetv3‐YOLOv4, but the model of our method is smaller and the recognition speed is faster.

Practical Applications

Achieving rapid and accurate recognition of apples in complex environments is one of the key technologies for automatic fruit picking by picking robots, and it is also an important method and means for realizing orchard yield estimation. In order to recognize apples in the orchard environment more quickly and effectively, a light‐weight YOLOv4 target recognition method based on deep learning is proposed. The method proposed in this article can significantly reduce the storage space and computing power requirements of the device. On the basis of maintaining high accuracy, it can achieve real‐time and accurate recognition of apples in complex environments, and has great application value and practical significance for picking robot.
A feature dimensionality reduction strategy coupled with an electronic nose to identify the quality of egg
Authors: Hua Zhijie , Yu Yang , Zhao Chenran , Zong Jinwei , Shi Yan , Men Hong
Published: September 2021

In this study, a feature dimensionality reduction strategy is proposed to reduce the feature dimensionality of the electronic nose (e‐nose) sensor, combined with support vector machine (SVM) to distinguish the gas information of eggs produced by chickens with different breeding methods. First, to characterize the overall properties of the original detection signal, five different time domain features are extracted from each sensor. Second, max‐relevance and min‐redundancy (MRMR) is introduced to obtain a preliminary optimal feature set. Finally, kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) is introduced to further eliminate the correlation between features and obtain the optimal feature set. The result shows that the optimal feature set is obtained by MRMR–KPCA, and good classification accuracy is obtained based on SVM. In conclusion, the feature dimensionality reduction strategy effectively reduces the feature dimensionality of the e‐nose sensor, eliminates the correlation between features, realizes the nondestructive detection for the quality of egg, and provides an effective technical method for the market quality supervision of egg.

Practical applications

In different breeding conditions, the nutritional value of eggs produced by chickens is different. To get more benefit, some inferior eggs are brought into the market instead of those with a higher nutritional value. Therefore, it is very important to use the nondestructive detection technology to quickly identify the quality of egg. In this work, e‐nose is used to obtain the gas information of eggs produced by chickens with different breeding methods. A feature dimensionality reduction strategy is proposed to process the e‐nose data, which realizes the effective identification of gas information of eggs. Moreover, it provides an effective detection method for the quality monitoring of the egg market.
A systematic review of long‐term care facility characteristics associated with COVID‐19 outcomes
Authors: Konetzka R. Tamara , White Elizabeth M. , Pralea Alexander , Grabowski David C. , Mor Vincent
Published: September 2021

Background/Objectives

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic has taken a disproportionate toll on long‐term care facility residents and staff. Our objective was to review the empirical evidence on facility characteristics associated with COVID‐19 cases and deaths.

Design

Systematic review.

Setting

Long‐term care facilities (nursing homes and assisted living communities).

Participants

Thirty‐six empirical studies of factors associated with COVID‐19 cases and deaths in long‐term care facilities published between January 1, 2020 and June 15, 2021.

Measurements

Outcomes included the probability of at least one case or death (or other defined threshold); numbers of cases and deaths, measured variably.

Results

Larger, more rigorous studies were fairly consistent in their assessment of risk factors for COVID‐19 outcomes in long‐term care facilities. Larger bed size and location in an area with high COVID‐19 prevalence were the strongest and most consistent predictors of facilities having more COVID‐19 cases and deaths. Outcomes varied by facility racial composition, differences that were partially explained by facility size and community COVID‐19 prevalence. More staff members were associated with a higher probability of any outbreak; however, in facilities with known cases, higher staffing was associated with fewer deaths. Other characteristics, such as Nursing Home Compare 5‐star ratings, ownership, and prior infection control citations, did not have consistent associations with COVID‐19 outcomes.

Conclusion

Given the importance of community COVID‐19 prevalence and facility size, studies that failed to control for these factors were likely confounded. Better control of community COVID‐19 spread would have been critical for mitigating much of the morbidity and mortality long‐term care residents and staff experienced during the pandemic. Traditional quality measures such as Nursing Home Compare 5‐Star ratings and past deficiencies were not consistent indicators of pandemic preparedness, likely because COVID‐19 presented a novel problem requiring extensive adaptation by both long‐term care providers and policymakers.
Growing old in prison
Authors: Levine Jeffrey M.
Published: September 2021

See related article by Williams et al.
The impact of COVD‐19 on North American dermatology practices
Authors: Zarbafian Misha , Guo Danny , Dover Jeffrey , Humphrey Shannon
Published: September 2021

COVID‐19 continues to affect the delivery of healthcare services, as practices across North America gradually re‐open with new safety measures and practice guidelines. Specifically in dermatology, clinical care is delivered in close physician‐patient proximity through physical examination and the use of additional diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. We designed a 10‐question survey to better understand how COVID‐19 has impacted the delivery of care in North American dermatology practices. Survey questions explored themes including changes in patient volumes, the use of virtual visits/teledermatology, the frequency of aesthetic and surgical procedures, and other related topics. We invited 102 board‐certified dermatologists working in a variety of medical, aesthetic, surgical, and mixed practices, to participate in our survey hosted through Qualtrics XM. These dermatologists were selected based on their geographic location and our ability to access their contact information. Each dermatologist received an individualized e‐mail and survey link; however, all survey responses were anonymized. In 2.5 weeks after survey invitations were sent, the survey was viewed and completed by 71 and 54 dermatologists, respectively. The second wave of e‐mails was sent to the remaining 48 dermatologists who had not yet completed the survey, after which 15 participants both viewed and completed the survey. In total, 69 responses were recorded with an overall response rate of 67.6%. We report decreased patient volume capacity, fewer aesthetic and surgical procedures, and an increase in the use of virtual medicine among board‐certified North American dermatologists. However, this represents a reflection on perspectives at a single time point in a rapidly evolving situation. Understanding the full scope of the impact that COVID‐19 continues to have on dermatologic care is paramount to effectively serve our patients.
Regional personality assessment through social media language
Authors: Giorgi Salvatore , Nguyen Khoa Le , Eichstaedt Johannes C. , Kern Margaret L. , Yaden David. B. , Kosinski Michal , Seligman Martin E. P. , Ungar Lyle H. , Schwartz H. Andrew , Park Gregory
Published: September 2021

Objective

We explore the personality of counties as assessed through linguistic patterns on social media. Such studies were previously limited by the cost and feasibility of large‐scale surveys; however, language‐based computational models applied to large social media datasets now allow for large‐scale personality assessment.

Method

We applied a language‐based assessment of the five factor model of personality to 6,064,267 U.S. Twitter users. We aggregated the Twitter‐based personality scores to 2,041 counties and compared to political, economic, social, and health outcomes measured through surveys and by government agencies.

Results

There was significant personality variation across counties. Openness to experience was higher on the coasts, conscientiousness was uniformly spread, extraversion was higher in southern states, agreeableness was higher in western states, and emotional stability was highest in the south. Across 13 outcomes, language‐based personality estimates replicated patterns that have been observed in individual‐level and geographic studies. This includes higher Republican vote share in less agreeable counties and increased life satisfaction in more conscientious counties.

Conclusions

Results suggest that regions vary in their personality and that these differences can be studied through computational linguistic analysis of social media. Furthermore, these methods may be used to explore other psychological constructs across geographies.
Textural properties and muscle activities during mastication of normal and ultrasonically softened sticky rice aimed for consumers with swallowing disorder: A pilot study
Authors: Wattanapan Pattra , Saengnil Thanathat , Niamnuy Chalida , Paphangkorakit Jarin , Devahastin Sakamon
Published: September 2021

Ultrasonication was used to develop softer sticky rice for elder adults. Textural properties of original sticky rice (oSR) and ultrasonically modified sticky rice (mSR) were determined. In addition, jaw muscle activities during mastication of both oSR and mSR were investigated. Twenty‐seven healthy elderly subjects, age 68.9 ± 7.6 years, were asked to masticate both types of sticky rice in random sequence for three times with a 5‐min rest between each test. Activities of bilateral masseter and suprahyoid muscles were recorded. Root mean square (RMS) and mastication duration were analyzed. After mastication trials, subjects were asked to rate preference and softness of the samples. mSR exhibited significantly lower hardness than oSR, while cohesiveness and adhesiveness values of the two samples were not significantly different. Interestingly, all the muscle activities were not significantly different between masticating oSR and mSR, whereas the number of chewing cycles while chewing the mSR was larger. However, 92% of the subjects preferred mSR and felt that it was softer. mSR may therefore be regarded as having potential for elder people who have difficulty masticating hard solid foods based on its lower hardness and higher level of preference compared to oSR.
The effectiveness of different model statement variants for eliciting information and cues to deceit
Authors: Leal Sharon , Vrij Aldert , Hudson Charlotte , Capuozzo Pasquale , Deeb Haneen
Published: September 2021

Background

According to previous research, the use of a model statement results in both truth tellers and lie tellers reporting a similar amount of extra information than the instruction to be detailed. We examined (1) whether level of engagement with attending to the model statement affects the veracity findings and (2) whether valuable details is a diagnostic veracity indicator.

Method

We created four model statement variants, two had lower levels of engagement and two had higher levels of engagement with attending to the model statement content. Participants were allocated to one of these four conditions or to the no model statement control condition.

Results

Participants in one of the higher engagement conditions recalled the model statement content significantly better than participants in one of the lower engagement conditions. The audio model statement and the face‐to‐face model statement resulted in more information than the no model statement control condition. In none of the model statement conditions did total details emerge as a veracity indicator; valuable details did not yield the expected effect either.

Conclusion

A model statement serves as an eliciting information tool and the amount of additional information is similar among truth tellers and lie tellers.
Low calcification rate, structural complexity, and calcium carbonate production of Pocillopora corals in a biosphere reserve of the central Mexican Pacific
Authors: González‐Pabón María A. , Tortolero‐Langarica J. J. Adolfo , Calderon‐Aguilera Luis E. , Solana‐Arellano Elena , Rodríguez‐Troncoso Alma Paola , Cupul‐Magaña Amilcar L. , Cabral‐Tena Rafael A.
Published: September 2021

The capacity of coral reefs to provide ecosystem services is widely recognized, but this ability depends on continued carbonate production within the coral community. The Islas Marías archipelago (21° 29.5′ N–106° 15′ W) is subject to minimal anthropic pressures. This archipelago serves as a model to study the influence of environmental variables [e.g., sea surface temperature (SST), upwelling periods, El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events, and pH] on the structure of the coral community. The aim of this study was to evaluate the growth parameters, ecological volume, and CaCO3 production of Pocillopora corals, which comprise the dominant genus in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP). During an annual period (2016–2017), 10 colonies were stained with alizarin red and height, major diameter, and minor diameter measurements were recorded. Live coral cover, the annual extension rate (cm/year), skeletal density (g/cm3), the calcification rate (g/cm2 year−1), ecological volume (cm−3), and carbonate production (kg m−2 year−1) were also calculated. The average extension rate (± SD), skeletal density, and the calcification rate were 1.86 ± 0.31 cm/year, 2.28 ± 0.34 g CaCO3 cm−3, and 4.34 ± 1.28 g CaCO3 cm−2 year−1, respectively. The average live coral coverage was 3.19 ± 3.17%, and the relative cover of Pocillopora corals was 65%. Ecological volume increased 140.6 ± 84.28% with respect to the initial volume, and the average production of CaCO3 was 0.46 ± 0.41 kg CaCO3 m−2 year−1. This study shows evidence of low growth rates, low generation of three‐dimensionality, and low CaCO3 production in the study area when compared to other sites in the ETP. These results are relevant because they indicate compromised long‐term maintenance and reef development in Islas Marías, which may result in low reef functionality and compromise the stability of reef‐associated biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Consistent signatures of urban adaptation in a native, urban invader ant Tapinoma sessile
Authors: Blumenfeld Alexander J. , Eyer Pierre‐André , Helms Anjel M. , Buczkowski Grzegorz , Vargo Edward L.
Published: September 2021

Biological invasions are becoming more prevalent due to the rise of global trade and expansion of urban areas. Ants are among the most prolific invaders with many exhibiting a multiqueen colony structure, dependent colony foundation and reduced internest aggression. Although these characteristics are generally associated with the invasions of exotic ants, they may also facilitate the spread of native ants into novel habitats. Native to diverse habitats across North America, the odorous house ant Tapinoma sessile has become abundant in urban environments throughout the United States. Natural colonies typically have a small workforce, inhabit a single nest, and are headed by a single queen, whereas urban colonies tend to be several orders of magnitude larger, inhabit multiple nests (i.e., polydomy) and are headed by multiple queens (i.e., polygyny). Here, we explore and compare the population genetic and breeding structure of T. sessile within and between urban and natural environments in several localities across its distribution range. We found the social structure of a colony to be a plastic trait in both habitats, although extreme polygyny was confined to urban habitats. Additionally, polydomous colonies were only present in urban habitats, suggesting T. sessile can only achieve supercoloniality within urbanized areas. Finally, we identified strong differentiation between urban and natural populations in each locality and continent‐wide, indicating cities may restrict gene flow and exert intense selection pressure. Overall, our study highlights urbanization's influence in charting the evolutionary course for species.
Flg22‐induced Ca2+ increases undergo desensitization and resensitization
Authors: Chi Yuan , Wang Chao , Wang Mengyun , Wan Di , Huang Feifei , Jiang Zhonghao , Crawford Bridget M. , Vo‐Dinh Tuan , Yuan Fang , Wu Feihua , Pei Zhen‐Ming
Published: September 2021

The flagellin epitope flg22, a pathogen‐associated molecular pattern (PAMP), binds to the receptor‐like kinase FLAGELLIN SENSING2 (FLS2), and triggers Ca2+ influx across the plasma membrane (PM). The flg22‐induced increases in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) (FICA) play a crucial role in plant innate immunity. It's well established that the receptor FLS2 and reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst undergo sensitivity adaptation after flg22 stimulation, referred to as desensitization and resensitization, to prevent over responses to pathogens. However, whether FICA also mount adaptation mechanisms to ensure appropriate and efficient responses against pathogens remains poorly understood. Here, we analysed systematically [Ca2+]i increases upon two successive flg22 treatments, recorded and characterized rapid desensitization but slow resensitization of FICA in Arabidopsis thaliana. Pharmacological analyses showed that the rapid desensitization might be synergistically regulated by ligand‐induced FLS2 endocytosis as well as the PM depolarization. The resensitization of FICA might require de novo FLS2 protein synthesis. FICA resensitization appeared significantly slower than FLS2 protein recovery, suggesting additional regulatory mechanisms of other components, such as flg22‐related Ca2+ permeable channels. Taken together, we have carefully defined the FICA sensitivity adaptation, which will facilitate further molecular and genetic dissection of the Ca2+‐mediated adaptive mechanisms in PAMP‐triggered immunity.
Children with special health care needs and mothers' anxiety/depression: Findings from the Tokyo Teen Cohort study
Authors: Kaji Namiko , Ando Shuntaro , Nishida Atsushi , Yamasaki Syudo , Kuwabara Hitoshi , Kanehara Akiko , Satomura Yoshihiro , Jinde Seiichiro , Kano Yukiko , Hiraiwa‐Hasegawa Mariko , Igarashi Takashi , Kasai Kiyoto
Published: September 2021

Aim

Children with special health care needs (CSHCN) are those who require more care for their physical, developmental, or emotional differences than their typically developing peers. Among a wide range of burdens that caregivers of CSHCN experience, the mental burden of caregivers is still not well investigated. This study aimed at examining the relationship between caring for CSHCN and mothers' anxiety/depression.

Methods

This study used data from the Tokyo Early Adolescence Survey, a population‐based cross‐sectional survey. Using screening questionnaires, we evaluated the prevalence of CSHCN and identified their primary caregivers. Focusing on mothers as caregivers, we analyzed the relationship between having CSHCN and mothers' anxiety/depression, and between the severity of children's condition and mothers' anxiety/depression. We further determined what mediates these relationships using path analyses.

Results

Among 4003 participants, we identified 502 CSHCN (12.5%), and 93% of responding caregivers were mothers. We found that mothers with CSHCN were significantly more anxious/depressed than those without CSHCN, which was closely related to the severity of children's condition. The mediation effect of social support on the relation between CSHCN and mothers' anxiety/depression was statistically significant.

Conclusion

Mothers of CSHCN were more anxious/depressed than other mothers in this study. Social support was indicated to have a significant mediating effect on the relationship between CSHCN and mothers' anxiety/depression. Our results suggest that considering ways to offer social support may effectively relieve the mental stress experienced by mothers of CSHCN.
Impact of Competitor Store Closures on a Major Retailer
Authors: Akturk M. Serkan , Ketzenberg Michael
Published: September 2021

We use a proprietary data set from a national US department store chain to investigate the impact of competitor store closures on a major retailer. The transaction level data set includes nearly 80 million transactions, corresponding to $2 billion in sales over a 25‐month period. We find that store sales increase with respect to a store's proximity to closed competitor locations. More interestingly, we find that online channel sales also increase in geographic locations where competitors close stores and where our focal retailer has store locations in close proximity to the markets it serves. This latter finding highlights the important role that stores play in the online channel. Stores provide a level of shopping assurance generally not available online and support customer webrooming and showrooming to mitigate purchase uncertainty. Stores are also integral to omnichannel services like return‐to‐store wherein stores provide a convenient nearby location to make a free return should an online purchase not meet expectations. Consistent with these shopping behaviors, our results demonstrate that the focal retailer, in markets affected by competitor store closures, is able to capture demand that exhibits greater uncertainty in purchases as evidenced by (i) a disproportionate increase in riskier high value vs. low value store purchases consistent with webrooming, (ii) increased online sales of product categories associated with showrooming, and (iii) an increase in return‐to‐store instances for online purchases.
Hand‐related action words impair action anticipation in expert table tennis players: Behavioral and neural evidence
Authors: Wang Yingying , Ji Qingchun , Fu Rao , Zhang Guanghui , Lu Yingzhi , Zhou Chenglin
Published: September 2021

Athletes extract kinematic information to anticipate action outcomes. Here, we examined the influence of linguistic information (experiment 1, 2) and its underlying neural correlates (experiment 2) on anticipatory judgment. Table tennis experts and novices remembered a hand‐ or leg‐related verb or a spatial location while predicting the trajectory of a ball in a video occluded at the moment of the serve. Experiment 1 showed that predictions by experts were more accurate than novices, but experts’ accuracy significantly decreased when hand‐related words versus spatial locations were memorized. For nonoccluded videos with ball trajectories congruent or incongruent with server actions in experiment 2, remembering hand‐related verbs shared cognitive resources with action anticipation only in experts, with heightened processing load (increased P3 amplitude) and more efficient conflict monitoring (decreased N2 amplitude) versus leg‐related verbs. Thus, action anticipation required updating of motor representations facilitated by motor expertize but was also affected by effector‐specific semantic representations of actions, suggesting a link from language to motor systems.
Your Money, Your Life, or Your Freedom? A Discrete‐Choice Experiment on Trade‐Offs During a Public Health Crisis
Authors: Belle Nicola , Cantarelli Paola
Published: September 2021

We conducted a discrete‐choice conjoint analysis on a sample of residents in Italy to explore trade‐offs between human lives, individual freedoms, and the economy that governments and their citizens face while coping with a public health crisis. Our results indicate that people prefer to avoid income losses over reduction in the number of victims by the same percentage. The relative preference for saving income over saving lives widens as the size of losses at stake increases. The duration of restrictions to individual freedoms per se does not appear to have a sizable impact on people's preferences once income and human losses are accounted for. Our study contributes to scholarship on the value of a statistical life and sheds light on morally problematic trade‐offs. Further, we illustrate how conjoint analysis through discrete choice modeling can address public administration and policy issues that are inherently multidimensional.