bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pulmonary vein isolation in a patient with congenital pulmonary atresia: a case report
Authors: Plenge Tobias , Lüker Jakob , Sultan Arian , Steven Daniel
Published: July 2019

Background 

Tetralogy of Fallot is a congenital heart defect characterized by pulmonary valve stenosis, ventricular septal defect (VSD), overriding aorta, and right ventricular hypertrophy. In its’ extreme form, the pulmonary valve orifice does not develop during organogenesis, resulting in pulmonary atresia. We report a case of catheter ablation of symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF) in a 37-year-old patient with congenital pulmonary atresia.

Case summary 

The young man described paroxysmal tachycardia correlating to AF episodes in the previously implanted event recorder. Computed tomography scan described the complex anatomy with congenital pulmonary atresia, VSD, and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries. Electroanatomical mapping revealed typical pulmonary vein electrograms in a hypotrophic left atrium. Modified pulmonary vein isolation was successfully performed and non-excitability of the ablation line was reached. The patient recovered uneventfully and event recorder interrogation showed no AF recurrence after 3 months.

Discussion 

Incidence of pulmonary atresia is low. Untreated survival rate is 50% after 1 year and 8% after 10 years. Tachycardia is a major cause of increased morbidity and mortality in patients with cyanotic congenital heart defects and pulmonary vein foci are described as driver for AF. Considerations preceding catheter ablation included pathophysiological mechanism, complex anatomy, atypical left atrium access, and reduced pulmonary perfusion resulting in a hypotrophic left atrium. Pulmonary veins showed typical electrograms, and isolation of pulmonary veins was feasible without adverse events.
Becker muscular dystrophy associated with sarcomeric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a paediatric patient: a case report
Authors: Dolader Paola , Field Ella , Sarkozy Anna , Kaski Juan Pablo
Published: July 2019

Background 

Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) is a neuromuscular disorder associated with myocardial involvement. The most frequent presentation is dilated cardiomyopathy. There have been isolated reports of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in association with BMD, but it is unclear whether these patients had an additional aetiology.

Case summary 

A 10-year-old boy was diagnosed with BMD having presented with a history of muscular pain during exercise and elevated serum creatine kinase levels. A cardiac screening was arranged and the echocardiogram confirmed an asymmetric septal hypertrophy. Given the unusual finding of HCM in this patient with BMD, we performed genetic testing for HCM-causing mutations and identified a likely pathogenic variant in heterozygosis in the beta-myosin heavy chain gene.

Discussion 

This case highlights the importance of considering additional aetiologies of cardiac disease in the presence of infrequent phenotypic expressions in neuromuscular disorders.
Temporal trends of cardiovascular health factors among 366 270 French adults
Authors: Gaye Bamba , Tajeu Gabriel S , Offredo Lucile , Vignac Maxime , Johnson Stacey , Thomas Frédérique , Jouven Xavier
Published: July 2019

Aims 

We aimed to investigate time trends in cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics in the population at large, as well as in important subgroups.

Methods and results 

In this study, we used a community-based sample of 366 270 adults from France who had a standardized examination to assess cardiovascular risk factors between 1992 and 2011 (20 years). Cardiovascular health metrics categorized into ideal, intermediate, and poor categories were computed using smoking, physical activity, body mass index, total cholesterol, blood glucose, and blood pressure. Matching on age, sex, and depression across 5-year periods (1992–96, 1997–2001, 2002–06, and 2007–11) was performed in order to correct for the sociodemographic differences between the examinations at different periods of times. Mean age across all four time periods was 44.7 (SD 13) years and 38% (138 228) were women. Overall, few participants (≤3.5%) met all six ideal CVH metrics at any time point. The prevalence of meeting ≥5 ideal CVH metrics increased from 6.7% in 1992–96 to 15.0% in 2007–11 (P < 0.001). A significant improvement in CVH (meeting ≥5 ideal CVH metrics) from 1992 to 2011 was observed among younger (from 7.5% to 16.6%) and older individuals (from 1.3% to 4.2%), men (from 4.4% to 11.8%) and women (from 10.4% to 20.1%), those with low (from 9.1% to 10.4%) and high education status (from 15% to 18.1%) and those with (from 5.1% to 12.7%) and without depressive symptoms (from 6.8% to 15.1%). However, the rate of improvement was steepest in the most affluent group in comparison with those with lower socio-economic status.

Conclusion 

Overall CVH improved from 1992 until 2006 and slightly decreased between 2006 and 2011 in French adults. From 1992 until 2006, the improvement in CVH was less pronounced among those with low socio-economic status as compared to those with a higher socio-economic status.
Impact of antibiotic consumption on the carriage of antibiotic-resistant bacteria by school children
Authors: Farkaš Maja , Čulina Tatjana , Sišul Jadranka , Pelčić Gordana , Mavrinac Martina , Mićović Vladimir , Tambić Andrašević Arjana
Published: July 2019

Background

Antibiotic consumption in the paediatric population is one of the key drivers of the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance, which is a serious global threat to public health and clinical medicine. The aims of this study were to investigate systemic antibiotic consumption in school children and to assess the associations among antibiotic consumption, carriage rate and resistance of respiratory pathogens residing in the upper respiratory tract mucosa.

Methods

In this prospective study, throat and nasopharyngeal swabs from 450 school children, 6–15 years of age (225 healthy children and 225 patients who were ambulatory treated for upper respiratory tract infection), were processed in 2014 in Rijeka, Croatia, and clinical data were obtained via a questionnaire.

Results

In total, 17% of the children had consumed an antibiotic in the previous 6 months, including 7% of the healthy children and 27% of the acutely ill patients. The most commonly prescribed antibiotics were amoxicillin (26%), amoxicillin with clavulanic acid (26%) and macrolides (18%). Respiratory pathogens were more frequently isolated from children who had consumed an antibiotic in the previous 6 months [odds ratio (OR) 3.67, P < 0.001]. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria were also more frequent in children who had been exposed to antibiotics (OR 5.44, P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Penicillins are the most frequently used antibiotics among school children. The results of this study demonstrate that antibiotic consumption is linked with higher carriage rates and resistance rates of respiratory tract pathogens. Therefore, rational use of antibiotics could prevent the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria.
A computational method for earthquake cycles within anisotropic media
Authors: Best Mckay Maricela , Erickson Brittany A , Kozdon Jeremy E
Published: July 2019

We present a numerical method for the simulation of earthquake cycles on a 1-D fault interface embedded in a 2-D homogeneous, anisotropic elastic solid. The fault is governed by an experimentally motivated friction law known as rate-and-state friction which furnishes a set of ordinary differential equations which couple the interface to the surrounding volume. Time enters the problem through the evolution of the ordinary differential equations along the fault and provides boundary conditions for the volume, which is governed by quasi-static elasticity. We develop a time-stepping method which accounts for the interface/volume coupling and requires solving an elliptic partial differential equation for the volume response at each time step. The 2-D volume is discretized with a second-order accurate finite difference method satisfying the summation-by-parts property, with boundary and fault interface conditions enforced weakly. This framework leads to a provably stable semi-discretization. To mimic slow tectonic loading, the remote side-boundaries are displaced at a slow rate, which eventually leads to earthquake nucleation at the fault. Time stepping is based on an adaptive, fourth-order Runge–Kutta method and captures the highly varying timescales present. The method is verified with convergence tests for both the orthotropic and fully anisotropic cases. An initial parameter study reveals regions of parameter space where the systems experience a bifurcation from period one to period two behaviour. Additionally, we find that anisotropy influences the recurrence interval between earthquakes, as well as the emergence of aseismic transients and the nucleation zone size and depth of earthquakes.
The contradictions between Canadian capitalist processes and youth mental health: implications for mental health promotion
Authors: Laliberte Shari , Varcoe Colleen
Published: July 2019

Understanding how socio-economic processes inter-relate with young people’s mental health is important to inform the development of responsive mental health promotion initiatives. Thirty diverse Canadian young people were engaged within a process of social praxis, underpinned by a historical-dialectical ontological perspective, to explore the inter-relation among socio-economic processes and youth mental health and implications for mental health promotion initiatives. Findings show several inter-related contradictory processes within two overarching contradictory dynamics that Canadian youth are navigating as they seek to realize their mental health needs. The first overarching contradictory dynamic is between monetized, private, individualistic, profit-oriented economic processes and young people’s need for resources, freedom and time, and inclusive social spaces to enable their mental health needs. Participants’ descriptions of their approaches to seeking to realize their mental health needs in this context reflects a second inter-related overarching contradiction between communal and individual approaches to enabling young people’s mental health needs. In this context, young people are oriented inward to meet their mental health needs at the individual and inter-personal level, despite the crucial role of socio-economic processes to enabling their mental health needs. Despite varied access to resources, all participants struggled to balance meeting their mental health needs. Implications of these findings entail the need to focus on promoting synergistic relations among young people and socio-economic processes whereby enabling universal access to resources for young people’s survival, physical health and comfort is foundational to multi-level mental health promotion initiatives.
Nehari’s Theorem for Convex Domain Hankel and Toeplitz Operators in Several Variables
Authors: Carlsson Marcus , Perfekt Karl-Mikael
Published: July 2019

We prove Nehari’s theorem for integral Hankel and Toeplitz operators on simple convex polytopes in several variables. A special case of the theorem, generalizing the boundedness criterion of the Hankel and Toeplitz operators on the Paley–Wiener space, reads as follows. Let $\Xi = (0,1)^d$ be a $d$-dimensional cube, and for a distribution $f$ on $2\Xi $, consider the Hankel operator $$\Gamma_f (g)(x)=\int_{\Xi} f(x+y) g(y) \, dy, \quad x \in\Xi.$$

Then $\Gamma _f$ extends to a bounded operator on $L^2(\Xi )$ if and only if there is a bounded function $b$ on ${{\mathbb{R}}}^d$ whose Fourier transform coincides with $f$ on $2\Xi $. This special case has an immediate application in matrix extension theory: every finite multilevel block Toeplitz matrix can be boundedly extended to an infinite multilevel block Toeplitz matrix. In particular, block Toeplitz operators with blocks that are themselves Toeplitz can be extended to bounded infinite block Toeplitz operators with Toeplitz blocks.
Anxiety and depression are associated with lower preoperative quality of life and function but not duration of symptoms in patients with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome
Authors: Jochimsen Kate N , Magnuson Justin A , Kocan Kelsea R , Mattacola Carl G , Noehren Brian , Duncan Stephen T , Jacobs Cale A
Published: July 2019

The purposes of this study were to determine the prevalence of anxiety and depression in patients undergoing primary hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) and to compare duration of symptoms (DOS), hip morphology and self-reported pain and function between patients with and without anxiety or depression. From our Institutional Review Board approved registry, we identified 127 consecutive participants [94F/33M; age = 35.2 ± 12.1 years; body mass index (BMI) = 26.8 ± 5.6 kg/m2] scheduled for primary hip arthroscopy for FAIS. Anxiety and depression were recorded based on medical chart diagnoses or anti-depressive/anti-anxiety prescriptions. Alpha angle, lateral center edge angle and DOS were recorded, and the Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS) was completed. Groups were compared using Mann–Whitney U tests, and categorical variables were compared using Fisher’s exact tests. Overall, 45 of 127 participants (35.4%) (94F/33M; age = 35.2 ± 12.1 years; BMI = 26.8 ± 5.6 kg/m2) had anxiety or depression. DOS and bony morphology did not differ between groups (P = 0.11–0.21). Participants with anxiety or depression were older (P = 0.03) and had worse HOOS QOL (21.4 ± 18.4; 30.7 ± 19.6; P = 0.006; 95% CI 2.4–16.3) and HOOS sport (25.6 ± 17.8, 34 ± 21.1, P = 0.03, 95% CI 1.4–15.4). More than one third of participants presented with anxiety or depression. Self-reported quality of life and function were worse for these participants, but neither symptom chronicity nor bony morphology differed. Concomitant anxiety or depression should be considered when counseling patients with FAIS. Adjunct interventions as well genetic and/or developmental factors that may contribute to the high prevalence should be examined.
WEE1 inhibition enhances sensitivity to hypoxia/reoxygenation in HeLa cells
Authors: Goto Tatsuaki , Homma Hisao , Kaida Atsushi , Miura Masahiko
Published: July 2019

Hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) treatment reportedly induces DNA damage response (DDR), including DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair and G2 arrest, resulting in reduction of clonogenic survival. Because WEE1 plays a key role in the G2/M checkpoint along with CHK1/2, we investigated the effect of WEE1 inhibition on H/R-induced DDR using HeLa cells. The H/R treatment combined with WEE1 inhibitor abrogated G2 arrest, subsequently leading to the cells entering the M phase, and finally resulting in mitotic catastrophe after prolonged mitosis. Colony-forming assay showed an enhanced decrease in the surviving fraction and the focus formation of BRCA1 was significantly reduced. We demonstrate for the first time that WEE1 inhibition enhances H/R-induced cell death accompanied by mitotic catastrophe and that the process may be mediated by homologous recombination.
Affect, Behavior, Cognition, and Development
Authors: Ward Colleen , Szabó Ágnes
Published: July 2019

The chapter reviews the major theoretical perspectives on acculturation and adaptation with their varying emphases on affect, behavior, cognition and development. Frameworks for elucidating Stress and Coping; Culture Learning; Cultural Orientations and Intercultural Relations; and Developmental Processes are discussed. Key conceptual and measurement issues are identified, empirical research is summarized and critically analyzed, and recommendations for advancing acculturation theory and research are presented for each approach. Finally, the chapter concludes that each of these approaches offers unique insights and that taken together, they provide a comprehensive perspective on acculturation processes and outcomes.
Exemplars of Kingship
Authors: Eppihimer Melissa
Published: July 2019

The Akkadian kings (ca. 2334–2154 bce) created the first territorial state in the ancient Near East and were remembered as model kings for more than two millennia thereafter. Exemplars of Kingship: Art, Tradition, and the Legacy of the Akkadians evaluates how later rulers engaged with Akkadian visual models and memories of Akkadian kingship in their own images. Through analyses of post-Akkadian victory monuments, votive statues, cylinder seals, and other works of art, the book explores the intersection of visual traditions and cultural memory in ancient Mesopotamia. Exemplars of Kingship also deconstructs the modern reception of Akkadian art to reveal its impact on our perception of ancient responses to Akkadian art and kingship.
Strategic Indeterminacy in the Law
Authors: Lanius David
Published: July 2019

Indeterminacy in legal texts is pervasive.At the same time, there is a widespread misunderstanding about what indeterminacy is - especially in the law. Legal texts are particularly interesting insofar as they address a heterogeneous audience, are applied in a variety of unforeseeable circumstances and must, at the same time, lay down clear and unambiguous standards.Sometimes they fail to do so, either by accident or by intention.While many have claimed that indeterminacy facilitates flexibility and can be strategically used, few have even recognized that there are more forms of indeterminacy than vagueness and ambiguity. A comprehensive account of legal indeterminacy is called for. This book is a contribution to lift the puzzle about the role of indeterminacy in in the law andaims to answer three, related, questions. First, what are the sources of indeterminacy in law? Second, what effects do the different forms of indeterminacy have? Third, how can and should they be intentionally used?Based on an examination of the advantages and disadvantages of the different forms of indeterminacy in the wording of laws, contracts, and verdicts, this book argues for the claim that semantic vagueness is less relevant than commonly supposed in the debate, while other forms of indeterminacy (in particular, polysemy and standard-relativity) are underrated or even entirely ignored. This misconception is due to a systematic confusion between semantic vagueness and these other forms of indeterminacy. Once it is resolved, the value and functions of linguistic indeterminacy in the law can be clearly shown.
Gendered Citizenship
Authors: Behl Natasha
Published: July 2019

It has been shown time and again that even though all citizens may be accorded equal standing in the constitution of a liberal democracy, such a legal provision hardly guarantees state protections against discrimination and political exclusion. More specifically, why do we find pervasive gender-based discrimination, exclusion, and violence in India when the Indian Constitution supports an inclusive democracy committed to gender and caste equality?
Small Steps and Great Leaps in Thought
Authors: Schechter Joshua
Published: July 2019

We are justified in employing the rule of inference Modus Ponens (or one much like it) as basic in our reasoning. By contrast, we are not justified in employing a rule of inference that permits inferring to some difficult mathematical theorem from the relevant axioms in a single step. Such an inferential step is intuitively “too large” to count as justified. What accounts for this difference? This chapter canvasses several possible explanations. It argues that the most promising approach is to appeal to features like usefulness or indispensability to important or required cognitive projects. On the resulting view, whether an inferential step counts as large or small depends on the importance of the relevant rule of inference in our thought.
I’ve Got the Power
Authors: Chaaban Jad
Published: July 2019

This chapter explores the extent to which local commercial banks in Lebanon are linked to the country’s political class, and how this impacts their efficiency. By compiling detailed ownership and political affiliation data on the 20 major commercial banks in 2014, the chapter shows that in 2014, as many as 18 of the 20 banks had major shareholders linked to political elites, who together controlled 43Â?percent of the assets of the sector. “Crony capital” within the banking sector is also shown to be associated with a lower quality of banks’ loans, and with a higher exposure to public debt.
Strange loops of attention, awareness, action, and affect in musical improvisation
Authors: Borgo David
Published: July 2019

This chapter champions the notion of ‘strange’, paradoxical, level-crossing feedback loops as a means to address the shortcomings of information-processing approaches to cognition, especially as applied to musical improvisation. It highlights the inherent challenges of studying improvisation and consciousness, and suggests ways that embodied and enactive theories of cognition, and emerging ideas in predictive processing and social psychology, may offer productive ways to understand mind and consciousness, and the dynamics of collective musical improvisation. Improvising music together, the chapter argues, involves joint action, embodied coordination, collective attention, and shared intention in ways that challenge conventional understandings of cognition and consciousness.
Music, phenomenology, and the ‘natural attitude’: Analysing Sibelius, thinking with Husserl, reflecting on Dennett
Authors: Clarke David
Published: July 2019

This chapter explores the intersection of music and phenomenology as potentially fertile ground for the study of consciousness. Taking the philosophy of Edmund Husserl as a touchstone, and the Violin Concerto, Op. 47 of Jean Sibelius as a case study, the chapter considers how phenomenological concepts such as epoché, noesis, eidos, and the transcendental subject all find resonances within a formal analysis of this musical work. The chapter also juxtaposes Husserl’s transcendental phenomenology and his critique of the ‘natural attitude’ against Daniel Dennett’s physicalist account of consciousness and Wilfrid Sellars’ concept of the ‘scientific image’. In negotiating a pathway between these positions, the chapter considers whether music—and its determination of an autonomous aesthetic sphere—may offer a productive alternative perspective to the often competing claims of philosophy and science in our understanding of consciousness.
Changes in allele and genotype frequency
Authors: Sætre Glenn-Peter , Ravinet Mark
Published: July 2019

Evolution is the change in heritable traits of populations over successive generations. At the molecular level this translates into changes in their genetic composition. A general theoretical investigation of how different demographic and evolutionary processes affect genetic variation within and between populations provides us with tools to reconstruct evolutionary history. This is the fundamental purpose of population genetics. This chapter investigates the relationship between allele and genotype frequencies in a hypothetical population that is not subjected to any evolutionary forces—i.e. the Hardy–Weinberg model. Then, one by one, demographic and evolutionary factors such as non-random mating, genetic drift, selection, mutation, and gene flow are introduced to investigate in what ways they affect allele and/or genotype frequencies. The chapter further introduces F-statistics and goodness of fit tests to investigate statistical deviations from expectations.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Christian Humanism
Authors: Zimmermann Jens
Published: July 2019

Based on a comprehensive reading of his entire work, in this book Jens Zimmermann presents Bonhoeffer’s theological ethos as a Christian humanism, that is, as an understanding of the gospel rooted in apostolic and patristic writers who believed God to have renewed humanity in the incarnation. The heartbeat of Bonhoeffer’s Christianity that unifies and motivates his theological writing, his preaching, and his political convictions, including his opposition to the Nazi regime, is the conviction that Christianity as participation in the new humanity established by Christ is about becoming fully human by becoming Christlike. In eight chapters, the author details Bonhoeffer’s humanistic theology following from this incarnational starting point: a Christ-centered anthropology that shows a deep kinship with patristic Christology, a hermeneutically structured theology, an ethic focused on Christ-formation, a biblical hermeneutic centered on God’s transforming presence, and a theological politics aimed at human flourishing. In offering a comprehensive reading of his theology as Christian humanism, Zimmermann not only places Bonhoeffer in the context of the patristic and greater Christian tradition but also makes apparent the relevance of Bonhoeffer’s thought for a number of contemporary concerns: hermeneutic theory, the theological interpretation of the Bible, the relation of reason to faith, the importance of natural law, and the significance of religion for secular societies. Bonhoeffer turns out to be a Christian humanist and a modern theologian who models the deeply orthodox and yet ecumenical, expansive Christianity demanded by our time.
Anti-constitutional Populist Backsliding
Authors: Sadurski Wojciech
Published: July 2019

This chapter provides a general overview of the post-2015 changes in the Polish state. It demonstrates that they proceeded in an incremental way, without any clear ‘breaking point’. The most nefarious consequences stemmed from the cumulative effects of different changes, often with formal institutions intact, but which were hollowed out of their original function as checks and balances on the legislative and executive branches. Largely, it emulates similar changes in Hungary, except that in Poland, the ruling party has no majority sufficient to pass through constitutional changes. The chapter further argues that, overall, the negative transformation can be described by using three characteristics. First, it is unconstitutional because there have been multiple breaches of express constitutional provisions, constitutional conventions have been disregarded, the constitutional structure has been amended through statutory changes, and the real centre of political power is different from that constitutionally designed. Second, it is populist, in that the ruling elite cares a great deal about popular support, and uses traditional populist devices such as pretending to speak on behalf of the whole nation, and dismantles various institutional mechanisms of the separation of powers. Third, it constitutes backsliding, because trajectory and path-dependence are crucial to understanding Poland’s current state.
Before the Breakdown: 1989–2015
Authors: Sadurski Wojciech
Published: July 2019

This chapter discusses how the recent changes in Polish constitutionalism should be seen against the background of post-communist transformations, after the fall of communism in 1989. It notes that the Round Table agreements of that year were a true constitutional set-up, and were marked by a bargain that enabled a peaceful transition. Bicameralism and semi-presidentialism have their roots in this original compromise. In contrast to many other post-communist states, the chapter shows how the process of constitution-making in Poland was drawn out. Until the Constitution of 1997, the country’s constitutional structure consisted of (1) the constitutional arrangements of the Round Table, (2) the ‘Small Constitution’, and (3) the case law of the reinvigorated Constitutional Tribunal. The process of constitution-making was as important as its outcome, and was marked by multiple compromises. The Constitution of 1997 is then described, with its special emphasis on semi-presidentialism, state-church relations, and a bill of rights containing ‘generous’ socio-economic rights. The first period of Law and Justice (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (PiS)) rule, in 2005–7, was marked by various hostile acts against this constitutional structure, but with no attempts at institutional dismantlement. Between 2005 and 2015, and especially after 2010, a growing political polarization was displayed, consequently weakening the constitutional consensus.
The Fundamentality of Fit
Authors: Howard Christopher
Published: July 2019

Many authors, including Derek Parfit, T. M. Scanlon, and Mark Schroeder, favor a “reasons-first” ontology of normativity, which treats reasons as normatively fundamental. Others, most famously G. E. Moore, favor a “value-first” ontology, which treats value or goodness as normatively fundamental. Chapter 10 argues that both the reasons-first and value-first ontologies should be rejected because neither can account for all of the normative reasons that, intuitively, there are. It advances an ontology of normativity, originally suggested by Franz Brentano and A. C. Ewing, according to which fittingness is normatively fundamental. The normative relation of fittingness is the relation in which a response stands to an object when the object merits—or is worthy of—that response. The author argues that his “fittingness-first” ontology is no less parsimonious than either the reasons- or the value-first ontology, but it can plausibly accommodate the existence of all the normative reasons there are. It therefore provides a superior ontology of normativity.
Dualism and Development
Authors: Nattrass Nicoli , Seekings Jeremy
Published: July 2019

Chapter 2 discusses the Lewis model of development with surplus labour and the ongoing relevance of his dualist approach as demonstrated in the industrialization of Hong Kong, India, Bangladesh, etc. We show, using examples from the South African clothing manufacturing industry, that relatively high- and low-wage firms exist in the same industry by using different technologies and targeting different product markets. There is no necessary ‘race to the bottom’. Industrial policy can usefully promote competitiveness across a range of technologies, supporting labour-intensive technologies (especially in contexts of high unemployment) without undermining firms in more skill- and capital-intensive niches. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the implications of unemployment for development strategy, and for the relationship between development and inequality.
The Moral Economy of Low-Wage Work
Authors: Nattrass Nicoli , Seekings Jeremy
Published: July 2019

Chapter 5 considers the debate over ‘sweatshops’ in the clothing manufacturing industry, arguing that the moral economy of rival positions entails different understandings of the relationship between wages, profits, and employment. Many contemporary arguments reflect those made over a century earlier in Britain and the US. However, whereas the British Fabian socialists sought (and achieved) the simultaneous expansion of labour protection and welfare support for the unemployed, the contemporary anti-sweatshop movement focusses solely on wages. By the early twentieth century in Britain, those who lost their jobs because of rising minimum wages could expect support from the welfare system. In twenty-first-century surplus labour countries, the unemployed fall through what meagre welfare nets exist. In this context, the potential trade-off between wages and employment matters for poverty and inequality. Chapter 5 also reviews the evidence on the impact of rising minimum wages on employment both internationally and in South Africa. The impact is typically neutral or mildly negative, suggesting that policymakers are generally careful about not raising minimum wages excessively. There is, however, evidence that it is mostly unskilled workers who lose jobs when job losses occur.
A review of the mechanism by which exploding bridge-wire detonators function
Authors: Rae P. J. , Dickson P. M.
Published: July 2019

An introduction to exploding bridge-wire (EBW) detonators is given followed by an extensive critical review of open source literature pertaining to these devices. The aim is to better establish the mechanism of operation. Some authors state that the key mechanism is shock-to-detonation while others maintain it is more thermal in nature, or a complex combination of both. In addition to EBW detonators, arc detonators and direct optical initiation detonators are also reviewed, and it is demonstrated that in this manner the usually coupled effects from both shock and deflagration can be somewhat decoupled. As a result, it is hypothesized that the mechanism of operation in all three detonators is in fact the same: the formation of a hot plasma with a power of ≈1 MW and emission in the ultraviolet drives a thermal explosion process.
Minimal
n
-noids in hyperbolic and anti-de Sitter 3-space
Authors: Bobenko Alexander I. , Heller Sebastian , Schmitt Nicholas
Published: July 2019

We construct minimal surfaces in hyperbolic and anti-de Sitter 3-space with the topology of a
n
-punctured sphere by loop group factorization methods. The end behaviour of the surfaces is based on the asymptotics of Delaunay-type surfaces, i.e. rotational symmetric minimal cylinders. The minimal surfaces in H
3
extend to Willmore surfaces in the conformal 3-sphere
S
3
 = H
3
∪S
2
∪H
3
.
Symbionts of the ciliate
Euplotes
: diversity, patterns and potential as models for bacteria–eukaryote endosymbioses
Authors: Boscaro Vittorio , Husnik Filip , Vannini Claudia , Keeling Patrick J.
Published: July 2019

Endosymbioses between bacteria and eukaryotes are enormously important in ecology and evolution, and as such are intensely studied. Despite this, the range of investigated hosts is narrow in the context of the whole eukaryotic tree of life: most of the information pertains to animal hosts, while most of the diversity is found in unicellular protists. A prominent case study is the ciliate
Euplotes
, which has repeatedly taken up the bacterium
Polynucleobacter
from the environment, triggering its transformation into obligate endosymbiont. This multiple origin makes the relationship an excellent model to understand recent symbioses, but
Euplotes
may host bacteria other than
Polynucleobacter
, and a more detailed knowledge of these additional interactions is needed in order to correctly interpret the system. Here, we present the first systematic survey of
Euplotes
endosymbionts, adopting a classical as well as a metagenomic approach, and review the state of knowledge. The emerging picture is indeed quite complex, with some
Euplotes
harbouring rich, stable prokaryotic communities not unlike those of multicellular animals. We provide insights into the distribution, evolution and diversity of these symbionts (including the establishment of six novel bacterial taxa), and outline differences and similarities with the most well-understood group of eukaryotic hosts: insects.
Individual willingness to leave a safe refuge and the trade-off between food and safety: a test with social fish
Authors: Balaban-Feld Jesse , Mitchell William A. , Kotler Burt P. , Vijayan Sundararaj , Tov Elem Lotan T. , Rosenzweig Michael L. , Abramsky Zvika
Published: July 2019

Refuges offer prey animals protection from predation, but increased time spent hiding can reduce foraging opportunities. Within social groups, individuals vary in their refuge use and willingness to forage in the presence of a predator. Here, we examine the relative foraging benefits and mortality costs associated with individual refuge use and foraging behaviour within groups of goldfish (
Carassius auratus
) under predation risk from an avian predator (little egret—
Egretta garzetta
). We assessed individual order of emergence from the refuge and participation over 15 group foraging outings, and assigned each fish a daily outing index score. The individual fish that emerged from the refuge earlier than the other group members and that participated in more outings received high outing index scores and consumed more food compared with fish that tended to emerge in posterior positions and participate in fewer outings. However, individual fish that attained high outing index scores suffered a higher risk of predation. Furthermore, the amount of time the egret spent at the pool affected group foraging behaviour: as predation risk increased, groups of fish consumed significantly less food. Our results exemplify the trade-off between foraging success and safety from predation that prey species regularly experience.
The internal CO2threat to fish: highPCO2in the digestive tract
Authors: Wood Chris M. , Eom Junho
Published: July 2019

Our goal was to use novel fibreoptic sensors to make the first directPCO2measurements in the digestive tracts of live freshwater fish (anaesthetized, artificially ventilated, 12°C).PCO2levels in gastrointestinal fluids were substantially higher than in blood, and were elevated after feeding. In the carnivorous, gastric rainbow trout, the meanPCO2in various parts of the tract increased from 7–13 torr (1 torr = 0.1333 kPa) during fasting to 20–41 torr after feeding, relative to arterial levels of 3.5–4 torr. In the agastric, omnivorous goldfish, the mean gut levels varied from 10–13 torr in fasted animals to 14–18 torr in fed animals, relative to arterial levels of 5–7 torr. These elevatedPCO2values were associated with surprisingly highHCO3−concentrations (greater than 40 mmol l−1) in the intestinal chyme. Incubations of food pellets with acid or water revealed endogenousPCO2generation sufficient to explain gastricPCO2in fed trout and anterior intestinePCO2in fed goldfish. The impacts of possible equilibration with venous blood draining the tract are assessed. We conclude that fish are already coping withPCO2levels in the internal gastrointestinal environment many-fold greater than those of current concern in the external environment for climate change and aquacultural scenarios.
The neural basis of tadpole transport in poison frogs
Authors: Fischer Eva K. , Roland Alexandre B. , Moskowitz Nora A. , Tapia Elicio E. , Summers Kyle , Coloma Luis A. , O'Connell Lauren A.
Published: July 2019

Parental care has evolved repeatedly and independently across animals. While the ecological and evolutionary significance of parental behaviour is well recognized, underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We took advantage of behavioural diversity across closely related species of South American poison frogs (Family Dendrobatidae) to identify neural correlates of parental behaviour shared across sexes and species. We characterized differences in neural induction, gene expression in active neurons and activity of specific neuronal types in three species with distinct care patterns: male uniparental, female uniparental and biparental. We identified the medial pallium and preoptic area as core brain regions associated with parental care, independent of sex and species. The identification of neurons active during parental care confirms a role for neuropeptides associated with care in other vertebrates as well as identifying novel candidates. Our work is the first to explore neural and molecular mechanisms of parental care in amphibians and highlights the potential for mechanistic studies in closely related but behaviourally variable species to help build a more complete understanding of how shared principles and species-specific diversity govern parental care and other social behaviour.
Larger communities create more systematic languages
Authors: Raviv Limor , Meyer Antje , Lev-Ari Shiri
Published: July 2019

Understanding worldwide patterns of language diversity has long been a goal for evolutionary scientists, linguists and philosophers. Research over the past decade has suggested that linguistic diversity may result from differences in the social environments in which languages evolve. Specifically, recent work found that languages spoken in larger communities typically have more systematic grammatical structures. However, in the real world, community size is confounded with other social factors such as network structure and the number of second languages learners in the community, and it is often assumed that linguistic simplification is driven by these factors instead. Here, we show that in contrast to previous assumptions, community size has a unique and important influence on linguistic structure. We experimentally examine the live formation of new languages created in the laboratory by small and larger groups, and find that larger groups of interacting participants develop more systematic languages over time, and do so faster and more consistently than small groups. Small groups also vary more in their linguistic behaviours, suggesting that small communities are more vulnerable to drift. These results show that community size predicts patterns of language diversity, and suggest that an increase in community size might have contributed to language evolution.
Quantification of Conflicts of Interest in an Online Point-of-Care Clinical Support Website
Authors: Chopra Ambica C. , Tilberry Stephanie , Sternat Kaitlyn E. , Chung Daniel Y. , Nichols Stephanie D. , Piper Brian J.
Published: July 2019

Online medical reference websites are utilized by health care providers to enhance their education and decision making. However, these resources may not adequately reveal pharmaceutical-author interactions and their potential conflicts of interest (CoIs). This investigation: 1) evaluates the correspondence of two well-utilized CoI databases: the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments (CMSOP) and ProPublica’s Dollars for Docs (PDD) and 2) quantifies CoIs among authors of a publically available point of care clinical support website. Two data sources were used: the hundred most common drugs and the top fifty causes of death. These topics were entered into a freely available database. The authors (N = 139) were then input into CMSOP and PDD and compensation and number of payment were determined for 2013-2015. The subset of highly compensated authors that also reported “Nothing to disclose” were further examined. There was a high degree of similarity between CMSOP and PDD for compensation (R2 ≥ 0.998) and payment number (R2 ≥ 0.992). The amount received was 1.4% higher in CMSOP ($4,059,194) than in PDD ($4,002,891). The articles where the authors had received the greatest compensation were in neurology (Parkinson’s Disease = $1,810,032), oncology (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia = $616,727), and endocrinology (Type I Diabetes = $377,388). Two authors reporting “Nothing to disclose” received appreciable and potentially relevant compensation. CMSOP and PDD produced almost identical results. CoIs were common among authors but self-reporting may be an inadequate reporting mechanism. Recommendations are offered for improving the CoI transparency of pharmaceutical-author interactions in point-of-care electronic resources.
Actigraphic Screening for Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder
Authors: Kristián Šandala , Simona Dostálová , Jiří Nepožitek , Losada Veronika Ibarburu Lorenzo y , Petr Dušek , Evžen Růžička , Karel Šonka , David Kemlink
Published: July 2019

Background

The patients suffering of the rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) are in high risk of developing a neurodegenerative disorder, most frequently from the group of alpha-synucleinopathies, such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) or multiple system atrophy (MSA). The definitive diagnosis of RBD is based on polysomnographic investigation. Actigraphy is much easier to perform and reflects condition in patient’s home environment.

The aims

The aim of this study was to find suitable biomarkers for RBD, which can be detectable by actigraphic recording.

Methods

High resolution actigraphic recording (MotionWatch, CamNtech ltd.) and confirming polysomnographic recording was performed on 45 RBD patients, 30 patients with other sleep-related motor disorders and 20 healthy controls. Each individual file was analysed by software testing for amount of sleep (MotionWare 1.1.20) and secondly for periodic motor activity (PLMS analysis 1.0.16). The 13-item patient self-rating RBD screening questionnaire (RBD-SQ) translated to Czech language was also used for screening purposes. We used an RBD-SQ score of five points as a positive test result, as suggested by the original publication of the scale.

Results

When using the actigraphic sleep detection, we encountered significant differences mostly on non-dominant hand, related to sleep fragmentation - most notably increased percentage of Short immobile bouts (47.0% vs. 28.0%, p<0.0001), increased Fragmentation index (72.5 vs. 40.7, p<0.0001) and decreased percentage of Sleep efficiency (72.1% vs. 86.8%, p<0.0001)in RBD subjects compared to other sleep disorders and controls. When analyzing periodic motor activity, we also found surprisingly more periodic hand movements (p=0.028, corrected for multiple testing), but differences on lower extremities using either measurement were not significant. The discrimination function based on RBD-SQ and Short immobile bouts % could allocate correctly the RBD status in 87.6% of cases with Wilks Lambda 0.435 and p<0.0001.

Conclusion

In our single-center study in patients from the Czech population, we found that actigraphic recording from upper extremities shows consistently more prominent sleep fragmentation in RBD patients compared to other sleep diagnoses or healthy controls. Actigraphy may be useful in broader screening for RBD.
Pathway Association Studies Tool
Authors: Thrash Adam , Tang Juliet D. , DeOrnellis Mason , Peterson Daniel G. , Warburton Marilyn L.
Published: July 2019

Background

In recent years, a bioinformatics method for interpreting GWAS data using metabolic pathway analysis has been developed and successfully used to find significant pathways and mechanisms explaining phenotypic traits of interest in plants. However, the many scripts implementing this method were not straightforward to use, had to be customized for each project, required user supervision, and took more than 24 hours to process data. PAST (Pathway Association Study Tool), a new implementation of this method, has been developed to address these concerns.

Results

PAST is implemented as a package for the R language. Two user-interfaces are provided; PAST can be run by loading the package in R and calling its methods, or by using an R Shiny guided user interface. In testing, PAST completed analyses in approximately one hour by processing data in parallel. PAST has many user-specified options for maximum customization. PAST produces the same results as the previously developed method.

Conclusions

In order to promote a powerful new method of pathway analysis that interprets GWAS data to find biological mechanisms associated with traits of interest, we developed a more accessible and user friendly tool. This tool is more efficient and requires less knowledge of programming languages to use than previous methods. Moreover, it produces similar results in significantly less time. These attributes make PAST accessible to researchers interested in associating metabolic pathways with GWAS datasets to better understand the genetic architecture and mechanisms affecting phenotype.
Modular Thermal Control of Protein Dimerization
Authors: Piraner Dan I. , Wu Yan , Shapiro Mikhail G.
Published: July 2019

Protein-protein interactions and protein localization are essential mechanisms of cellular signal transduction. The ability to externally control such interactions using chemical and optogenetic methods has facilitated biological research and provided components for the engineering of cell-based therapies and materials. However, chemical and optical methods are limited in their ability to provide spatiotemporal specificity in light-scattering tissues. To overcome these limitations, we present “thermomers,” modular protein dimerization domains controlled with temperature – a form of energy that can be delivered to cells both globally and locally in a wide variety of in vitro and in vivo contexts. Thermomers are based on a sharply thermolabile coiled-coil protein, which we engineered to heterodimerize at a tunable transition temperature within the biocompatible range of 37–42 °C. When fused to other proteins, thermomers can reversibly control their association, as demonstrated via membrane localization in mammalian cells. This technology enables remote control of intracellular protein-protein interactions with a form of energy that can be delivered with spatiotemporal precision in a wide range of biological, therapeutic and living material scenarios.