bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Benefit of Endoscopic Surgery in the Management of Acute Invasive Skull Base Fungal Rhinosinusitis
Authors: D'Andrea Megan R. , Gill Corey M. , Umphlett Melissa , Govindaraj Satish , Del Signore Anthony , Bederson Joshua B. , Iloreta Alfred M.C. , Shrivastava Raj K.
Published: July 2021

Objective This article aims to characterize 14 patients who underwent purely endoscopic surgical debridement of acute invasive skull base fungal rhinosinusitis, and to evaluate postoperative outcomes and risk for recurrence.

Design Retrospective cohort study.

Setting Tertiary single-institution neurosurgery department.

Participants We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients with skull base fungal infections treated with a purely endoscopic surgical approach at Mount Sinai Hospital from 1998 to 2018.

Main Outcome Measures Clinical presentation, number of recurrences, and mortality rate.

Results The most common underlying medical comorbidities were hematologic malignancy in 8 (57.1%) patients and poorly controlled diabetes mellitus in 7 (50%) patients. Presenting symptoms included headache (50%), eye pain (35.7%), facial pain (28.6%), visual changes (21.4%), and nasal congestion (14.3%). The fungal organisms identified on culture were Aspergillus (42.9%), Mucorales (28.6%), Fusarium (14.3%), Penicillium (7.1%), and unspecified (7.1%). Eight (57.1%) patients developed recurrence and required multiple surgical debridements. Patients who had only a hematologic malignancy were more likely to require multiple surgical debridements compared with those who did not have a hematologic malignancy or those who had both hematologic malignancy and underlying diabetes mellitus (p = 0.03). The mortality rate from surgery was 42.9%.

Conclusion Surgical endoscopic intervention is an option for definitive management of acute invasive skull base fungal rhinosinusitis; however, postoperative mortality and risk of recurrence requiring additional surgical interventions remains high. Patients with hematologic malignancy may be more susceptible to recurrent infection requiring multiple surgical debridements. We recommend early aggressive multimodal treatment. Multiple debridements may be warranted in most cases; close clinical surveillance is needed during neurosurgical intervention.
Removal of cross-phase modulation artifacts in ultrafast pump–probe dynamics by deep learning
Authors: Bresci A. , Guizzardi M. , Valensise C. M. , Marangi F. , Scotognella F. , Cerullo G. , Polli D.
Published: July 2021

Pump–probe spectroscopy is a gold standard technique to investigate ultrafast electronic dynamics of material systems. Pulsed laser sources employed to pump and probe samples feature typically high peak power, which may give rise to coherent artifacts under a wide range of experimental conditions. Among those, the Cross-Phase Modulation (XPM) artifact has gathered particular attention as it produces particularly high signal distortions, in some cases hiding a relevant portion of the dynamics of interest. Here, we present a novel approach for the removal of XPM coherent artifacts in ultrafast pump–probe spectroscopy, based on deep learning. We developed XPMnet, a convolutional neural network able to reconstruct electronic relaxation dynamics otherwise embedded in artifact distortions, thus enabling the retrieval of fundamental information to characterize the material system under investigation. We validated XPMnet on Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), a heavily doped semiconductor displaying a plasmon resonance in the near-infrared, which is a key material for the development of infrared plasmonic devices. Pump–probe measurements of ITO show strong XPM artifacts that overwhelm the electronic cooling dynamics of interest due to the low optical density of the material at near-infrared photon energies. XPMnet retrieved ITO electronic dynamics in excellent agreement with expected outcomes in terms of material-specific time constants. This artificial intelligence method constitutes a powerful solution for XPM artifact removal, providing high accuracy and short execution time. We believe that this model could be integrated in real time in pump–probe setups to increase the amount of information one can derive from ultrafast spectroscopy measurements.
Observational evidence that cloud feedback amplifies global warming
Authors: Ceppi Paulo , Nowack Peer
Published: July 2021

Significance

A key challenge of our time is to accurately estimate future global warming in response to a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide—a number known as the
climate sensitivity
. This number is highly uncertain, mainly because it remains unclear how clouds will change with warming. Such changes in clouds could strongly amplify or dampen global warming, providing a climate feedback. Here, we perform a statistical learning analysis that provides a global observational constraint on the future cloud response. This constraint supports that cloud feedback will amplify global warming, making it very unlikely that climate sensitivity is smaller than 2 °C.
Surviving winter on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau: Pikas suppress energy demands and exploit yak feces to survive winter
Authors: Speakman John R. , Chi Qingsheng , Ołdakowski Łukasz , Fu Haibo , Fletcher Quinn E. , Hambly Catherine , Togo Jacques , Liu Xinyu , Piertney Stuart B. , Wang Xinghao , Zhang Liangzhi , Redman Paula , Wang Lu , Tang Gangbin , Li Yongguo , Cui Jianguo , Thomson Peter J. , Wang Zengli , Glover Paula , Robertson Olivia C. , Zhang Yanming , Wang Dehua
Published: July 2021

Significance

Endothermic animals must survive periods of seasonally lowered temperature, coincident with lowered food supply. While we know much about hibernation and migration as survival strategies, the responses of nonhibernating, nonmigrating species are more opaque, yet how these animals survive such periods is important to understand their potential susceptibility to climate change. Here, we report on a 13-y study of a species of lagomorph (plateau pika) from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. We show pikas suppress their metabolism in winter and exploit a novel food source (feces of its supposed competitor, the domestic yak), which may contribute to their survival. Deposition of a fat store in the fall and its progressive utilization was not part of the overwinter strategy.
A large-scale experiment finds no evidence that a seismic survey impacts a demersal fish fauna
Authors: Meekan Mark G. , Speed Conrad W. , McCauley Robert D. , Fisher Rebecca , Birt Matthew J. , Currey-Randall Leanne M. , Semmens Jayson M. , Newman Stephen J. , Cure Katherine , Stowar Marcus , Vaughan Brigit , Parsons Miles J. G.
Published: July 2021

Significance

Seismic surveys are used to locate deposits of oil and gas in seabeds throughout the world’s oceans. There are conflicting views on the impact of these surveys on fish fauna and whether they harm commercial catches. To resolve this issue, we conducted an experimental seismic survey and monitored the composition, abundance, behavior, and movement of an assemblage of commercially important demersal fishes on a shelf habitat using acoustic telemetry and underwater video. We found that the seismic survey did not alter fish abundance or behavior in multiple before-after-control-impact and dose–response experimental frameworks. Our work may allay some of the concerns of stakeholders about the negative impacts of seismic surveys on demersal fishes in tropical shelf environments.
A method for measuring investigative journalism in local newspapers
Authors: Turkel Eray , Saha Anish , Owen Rhett Carson , Martin Gregory J. , Vasserman Shoshana
Published: July 2021

Major changes to the operation of local newsrooms—ownership restructuring, layoffs, and a reorientation away from print advertising—have become commonplace in the last few decades. However, there have been few systematic attempts to characterize the impact of these changes on the types of reporting that local newsrooms produce. In this paper, we propose a method to measure the investigative content of news articles based on article text and influence on subsequent articles. We use our method to examine over-time and cross-sectional patterns in news production by local newspapers in the United States over the past decade. We find surprising stability in the quantity of investigative articles produced over most of the time period examined, but a notable decline in the last 2 y of the decade, corresponding to a recent wave of newsroom layoffs.
An exploration of poetological manipulation on Howard Goldblatt’s translation of Mo Yan’s Life and Death Are
Wearing Me Out
Authors: Liu Hu
Published: July 2021

Drawing on André Lefevere’s rewriting theory, this paper explores how Howard Goldblatt translates Mo Yan’s novel
Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out (hereafter referred to as L&D) with regard to
poetological manipulation. The paper analyses in detail how the translator rewrites the novel’s poetological features, including
its unique linguistic, stylistic and narrative features, to produce a translation which is accessible to the intended audience. On
the basis of this analysis, the paper identifies three characteristics of Goldblatt’s poetological rewriting: (1) macro-stylistic
consistency with the source text, i.e. overall stylistic conformity to the original work; (2) simplification principle; (3)
typical features of authentic English writing. The analysis reveals poetological manipulation in the translation process, from
which we infer that rewriting in favour of the target poetological currents is the best way to achieve reader acceptance.
How the vacuole ESCRTs its own proteins to their final destination
Authors: Henne W. Mike
Published: July 2021

Lysosomes (vacuoles in yeast) are master regulators of metabolism and protein turnover, but how they degrade their own resident proteins is unclear. Recently, multiple models have been proposed explaining yeast vacuole protein sorting, but the role of the ESCRT pathway was unclear. In this JCB issue, work from Yang et al. (https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.202012104) highlights how the ESCRT pathway localizes to the vacuole surface to execute protein sorting of its resident proteins.
Development of an automatic control and analysis system for the conditioning of high-power couplers at IHEP
Authors: Deng Z. , Zhang P. , Huang T. , Wang Q. , Lin H. , Dai J. , Ma Q. , Xiao L. , Pan W.
Published: July 2021

A new radio frequency (rf) conditioning system for power couplers has been developed for the High Energy Photon Source (HEPS) project. The system adopted a function-driven modular design, and the control software development was based on Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) platform to be compatible with the HEPS control system. Dedicated data acquisition system and in-house developed interlock system, as well as universal instruments and devices, constitute the main hardware infrastructure, while distributed EPICS input/output controllers, tailor-made operator interfaces, and data archiving comprise the control software pillars. Automatic control logics were developed to adjust the conditioning parameters according to vacuum pressure readings, thus largely spares human misoperations and considerably reduces the operator’s workload. Limited human supervision is required and the conditioning efficiency may be improved. Besides, data analysis and automatic report generation programs were developed and integrated into the conditioning system. Performances and behaviors of the couplers being conditioned can be easily obtained to help identify potential issues. The system has been used in the conditioning of power couplers and has also been customized to accommodate high-power tests of several other rf components thanks to its modular nature. The performance of both the hardware and the control software was excellent during the tests. The design, realization, and operation of the new rf conditioning system are presented.
Sending out an SOS: using start of rainy season indicators for market price forecasting to support famine early warning
Authors: Davenport Frank M , Shukla Shraddhanand , Turner William , Funk Chris , Krell Natasha , Harrison Laura , Husak Greg , Lee Donghoon , Peterson Seth
Published: July 2021

We examine relationships between the start of rainy season (SOS) and sub-national grain (white maize) market price movements in five African countries. Our work is motivated by three factors: (a) some regions are seeing increasing volatility SOS timing; (b) SOS represents the first observable occurrence in the agricultural season and starts a chain reaction of decisions that influence planting, labor allocation, and harvest—all of which can have direct impacts on local food prices and availability; and (c) pre- and post-harvest price movements provide key insights into supply-and-demand issues related to food insecurity. We start by exploring a number of different SOS definitions using varying reference periods to define whether an SOS is ‘on-time’ or ‘late’. We then compare how those different definitions perform in seasonal price forecasting models. Specifically, we examine if SOS indicators can predict price means over 6 and 9 month periods, or roughly the length of time from planting to market. We use different reference periods for defining ‘early’ versus ‘late’ seasonal starts based on the previous year’s start date, or median start dates over the past 3, 5, and 10 year periods. We then compare the out-of-sample forecast performance of univariate time-series models (autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA)) with time-series (ARIMAX) models that include various SOS definitions as exogenous predictors. We find that using some form of SOS indicator (either an SOS anomaly or 1st month’s rainfall anomaly) leads to increased predictive power when examining prices over a 6 months window. However, the results vary considerably by country. We find the strongest performance of SOS indicators in central Ethiopia, southern Kenya, and southern Somalia. We find less evidence in support of the use of SOS indicators for price forecasting in Malawi and Mozambique.
Does soybean production in indonesia still have competitiveness advantages? a policy analysis matrix approach
Authors: Dewi YA , Yulianti A
Published: July 2021

The soybean production in Indonesia still faces several challenges causing production depended on import supplies. This paper aims to assess the competitiveness advantages of soybean production. Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM) was used to examine its competitiveness using secondary data and deliberating results of previous studies. The results of the study in 2015 showed that domestic production still could afford private and social prices. Soybean nearly did not show competitiveness advantages reflected from the ratio of DRC and PCR that were almost one. The government interventions brought various impacts, for instance farmers paid cheaper inputs by 26.67% and there was inefficiency of government policy towards the output. The government policy to assure profit in the long term was also insufficient reflected from the EPC (1.03) and PC (0.06). From the SRP variable, it described that the government not all farmers received a benefit from the government policy. The sensitivity analysis resulted: (i) the combination of increasing soybean price + procurement price at 8,000 IDR/kg and (ii) the increasing import tariff by 5% + procurement price at 8,000 IDR/kg provided the most favorable impacts.
Climate, land area and fertilizer distribution policy supports to Lampung strategic food production
Authors: Hevrizen R , Meidaliyantisyah
Published: July 2021

Rainfall, land area, and subsidized fertilizer distribution system policies are predicted to affect the production of strategic crops in Lampung Province. This study aims to determine how much influence the rainfall, land area, and distribution system of subsidized fertilizers on the production of rice, corn and cassava in Lampung Province and determine the carrying capacity of climate, land and fertilizer distribution policies on the production of strategic food crops in Lampung. This study used a descriptive analysis method by taking data on rainfall, land area, subsidized fertilizer distribution system and time-series food crop production for 15 years (2002-2016). Data analysis used multiple linear regression with Eviews 9.0 software. Testing data using assumption tests (autocorrelation and multicollinearity), F test (overall), correlation coefficient (r), coefficient of determination (R). The results showed that each 1 mm/year increase in rainfall in Lampung Province from 2002-2016 would reduce rice production by 45.6 tons, corn by 87.97 tons and cassava by 733.6 tons. Meanwhile, every increase of 1 hectare of land in Lampung Province will increase rice production by 6.2 tons, corn 4.65 tons, and cassava 26.01 tons. In addition, the subsidized fertilizer distribution system variable which is also part of the production factor also plays a positive role in the production of rice, corn and cassava. The carrying capacity of rainfall, land area, and the distribution system of subsidized fertilizers on Lampung strategic food crop production are rice 96.1%, corn 86.9% and cassava 79.09%.
A Study on an Impact of Tower Surge Impedance Against Lightning Surge Phenomena
Authors: Satchathampitak Chakkri , Chatthaworn Rongrit , Suksri Amnart
Published: July 2021

Lightning strikes creates damages to the electrical power system utilization and equipment. To reduce the effect of lightning strikes in the tower transmission, the ground resistance of the tower must be kept to a low value of less than 5 Ω. This research is a study of tower surge impedance using additional conductor line connected by parallel two overhead ground wire at the top of the tower transmission line. The additional of ground wire which is connected from the top of the tower utilizes copper and aluminium alloy for the simulation. Calculation of tower surge impedance using finite element method by COMSOL in 3D simulation based on traditional electromagnetism equations. Surge impedance values were calculated, and it was found that the calculation results obtained with less than 0.5 % error when using finite element method compare with conventional numerical method. Aluminium alloy conductor was found to have an effect on reducing the overvoltage magnitude of lightning strikes at the tower transmission line when compare with copper conductor.
On the Path of Sustainability in Wastewater Treatment: The Golden Mean Applied to Regional Context
Authors: Santos E
Published: July 2021

An important part of the environmental degradation is caused by the discharge of untreated or mistreated wastewater. Since centralized treatment systems have proved to be inefficient, tackling the environmental issues requires a regional approach. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) mitigate environmental impacts and contribute to financial savings of other firms. However, the literature evaluating WWTPs’ financial performance and economic sustainability does not abound. Thus, this paper analyses the economic sustainability of wastewater treatment companies in Portugal by NUTS II regions, in 2016-2019. Using firms’ financial reports from SABI, results show that, by and large, firms in the Centre region display higher financial performances when compared to other regions. These results can be used to investigate whether firms in the central region are implementing the best practices regarding management and technology. Results can also foster enhancements in the governance of regulated utilities.
Analysis of Armenia’s Green Building and Vision Proposal
Authors: Papoyan Atanes , Zhan Changhong
Published: July 2021

This research is intended to do an overview of green building and market trends, to determine the recent state and future industry prospects, to analyze the current state of green architecture in Armenia. The major fraction of this research work is based on scientific research and literature review. The information has been derived from legislative documents, evaluation guidelines, governmental reports, company databases and through an extensive analysis of the scientific articles as well. There had been arranged several interviews with key representatives of the construction and architecture field. Besides of the interviews done with the professionals, there were done a questionnaire survey for citizens of Armenia. Have been collected more than 200 answers.
Modelling the accidental oil spills at potentially hazardous facilities in the Arctic zone of Krasnoyarsk Krai
Authors: Grebnev Y , Moskalev A
Published: July 2021

Intensified human activity in exploiting the natural resources leads to increasing technogenic load on Arctic’s fragile ecosystem. The boost in industrial facilities is associated with a growing number of stationary fuel reservoirs poorly monitored due to their considerable remoteness and extreme weather conditions. The 2020 emergency in the Arctic zone of Krasnoyarsk Krai exposed the lack of adequate methods for risk assessment and behaviour in case of accidents at potentially hazardous facilities. The existing methodologies for assessing the area of spill following an accidental depressurisation present significant limitations. Most methodologies are based on analytical models not taking into account the physics of processes. This work uses modelling with neural networks of oil spill at the potentially hazardous object located in the Arctic territory of the Krasnoyarsk Krai. The software used was neural network simulator NeuroPro, developed in the Institute of Computational Modelling of Krasnoyarsk Scientific Centre of SB RAS. For training the neural network there were used daily operational data on fourteen main vectors affecting the propagation rate. The neural network modelling of the accidental oil spill during the depressurization of one of the fuel tanks at potentially hazardous facilities in the Arctic zone in 2020 correlated perfectly with the real data.
The Russian Arctic World as a “cultural circle” and an object of development
Authors: Sukhorukov V D , Gladkiy Yu N , Kulik S V
Published: July 2021

The geospatial image of the Russian Arctic in the cultural and civilizational context is considered, taking into account the current policy and development strategy of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2035. Russian Arctic world as a domestic phenomenon, which embodies the specifics of Russian civilization, national culture, history and geography, is in the center of attention. It is emphasized that the “space factor” played and continues to play a huge role in the formation of Russian civilization. It left a vivid imprint on all aspects of public life. Overcoming the space in Russia still remains one of the most urgent state tasks. First of all, this applies to the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, the strategic importance of which is becoming more and more significant. It is pointed out that the implementation of the unique geospatial capabilities of the Russian Arctic lies not only in the implementation of the strategic tasks of socio-economic development and technological advancement, but also in the spiritual, moral, cultural and professional growth of people living and working there.

As the methodological basis of the study, the authors chose the concept of “spatial rotation”, which covers modern social theory and practice. Its main content boils down to the fact that space is recognized as an active participant in the interactions taking place on Earth. At the same time, the space is represented as a “characteristic” human work, saturated with the meanings of social dialectics and strategy. This statement was an argument to consider the fact of “spatialization” of the Russian Arctic into the category of a special life world. In this regard, the idea is expressed about the need for an intensive “humanization” of the Russian Arctic world.
Digital infrastructure as the factor of innovative development of Arctic regions in framework of Industry 4.0 concept
Authors: Kozlov A , Kankovskaya A , Teslya A
Published: July 2021

The purpose of the article is studying of the impact of the level of digital infrastructure development on formation of Industry 4.0 in Arctic regions of Russian Federation. The study objects are four arctic territories of Russian Federation, namely, Murmansk region, Yamalo Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, Chukotka Autonomous District and Nenets Autonomous District. The methodological basis for the study is assessment of the level of regional digital infrastructure through analysis of separate indicators and calculation of the integrated indicator. The data of the Russian Federal statistic agency and its branches for period of 2014-2019 were used for assessment and analysis. The results highlight the not very positive dynamics of integrated digital infrastructure development indicator since the level of it has a tendency or stagnate or grow slowly. The formation of Industry 4.0 that requires to combine internal enterprise’s computerized design and automated machinery with ecommerce and Internet of Things in one integrated ebusiness system, is looking problematic in current situation for analyzed regions. The authors formulated the limitations for the study and defined the directions of the future research.
Information and analytical support of the Arctic industrial-natural complexes safety
Authors: Yakovlev S Yu , Shemyakin A S , Oleinik A G
Published: July 2021

Recently, increased attention has been paid to issues of information and analytical support for the Russian Arctic security. However, risk management problems are especially acute for lower levels of management hierarchy. Therefore, it is relevant to consider issues of managing technogenic-ecological industrial-natural complexes safety of the Arctic. In this article, these features are considered on the example of a heat power plant. Accidents related to oil and oil products spills are considered as a typical example. In first part of the work, main goals and objectives of prevention, forecasting and elimination of accidents consequences are given, the features of operational management in event of an emergency are revealed. It is shown that Arctic industrial-natural complexes safety management is a complex interdisciplinary area of fundamental and applied research. The structure of information-analytical complex for risk management has been formed. The second section presents some research and developments in field of information-analytical support of industrial-natural safety. Directions for further research are outlined.
Using of summary calculations for assessment of air pollution in the urban habitat in the Arctic region
Authors: Trishina A , Shironina A , Vasileva Zh , Mokhorov D
Published: July 2021

This article discusses the possibility of using summary calculations as a standard for assessing the quality of the city air. Murmansk, like many industrialized Arctic cities, has its own specifics of development, which leads to an increase in the concentration of pollutants in the urban atmosphere, which negatively affects the health of the population and the urban environment quality. There is an air quality management system In Russia, but for many reasons it is imperfect. At the same time, along with it, there is a practice of applying summary calculations to assess air pollution by emissions from road transport and industrial facilities, which allows getting a more detailed picture of the atmospheric air quality. The authors of this article compared the results of assessing of pollutants distribution in the atmosphere of Murmansk city, obtained by using of summary calculations and actual indicators of hazardous components content in the air. The objectivity of summary calculations maps and the possibility of their use for predicting the distribution of air pollution in Murmansk are determined.
Tourism 4.0: Education, Pedagogy and Digital Learning Solutions for the Russian Arctic
Authors: Timoshenko D S
Published: July 2021

The study aims to identify the main problems associated with the provision of professional tourism training and the creation of a tourism talent pool for the Russian Arctic in the context of Industry 4.0. The article analyses the current socio-economic factors that determine the development of the Russian Arctic. The pedagogical environment’s crucial aspects are systematised to ensure an effective educational process in modern tourism pedagogy. The necessary conditions required for creating the high competitiveness of tourism specialist are determined. The factors and features of tourism personnel training for the Russian Arctic are systematised. An analysis of the organic tourism design concept is carried out. Based on the results obtained, methodological recommendations for the Tourism 4.0 educational process and the formation of a Russian Arctic tourism talent pool are proposed. The necessity of developing the latest competencies for competitive specialists and vocational guidance in the needs of Tourism 4.0 has been substantiated. A model of arctic tourism vocational guidance activities withing integration “education throughout life” into the full educational and life cycle is proposed. The need to increase the level of digital literacy and in-demand informational, tech skills, communication competencies and over-professional skills of the tourism talent pool for the Russian Arctic has been substantiated. The latest technologies that must be studied and applied in tourism pedagogy are listed.
NeuroPpred-Fuse: an interpretable stacking model for prediction of neuropeptides by fusing sequence information and feature selection methods
Authors: Jiang Mingming , Zhao Bowen , Luo Shenggan , Wang Qiankun , Chu Yanyi , Chen Tianhang , Mao Xueying , Liu Yatong , Wang Yanjing , Jiang Xue , Wei Dong-Qing , Xiong Yi
Published: July 2021

Neuropeptides acting as signaling molecules in the nervous system of various animals play crucial roles in a wide range of physiological functions and hormone regulation behaviors. Neuropeptides offer many opportunities for the discovery of new drugs and targets for the treatment of neurological diseases. In recent years, there have been several data-driven computational predictors of various types of bioactive peptides, but the relevant work about neuropeptides is little at present. In this work, we developed an interpretable stacking model, named NeuroPpred-Fuse, for the prediction of neuropeptides through fusing a variety of sequence-derived features and feature selection methods. Specifically, we used six types of sequence-derived features to encode the peptide sequences and then combined them. In the first layer, we ensembled three base classifiers and four feature selection algorithms, which select non-redundant important features complementarily. In the second layer, the output of the first layer was merged and fed into logistic regression (LR) classifier to train the model. Moreover, we analyzed the selected features and explained the feasibility of the selected features. Experimental results show that our model achieved 90.6% accuracy and 95.8% AUC on the independent test set, outperforming the state-of-the-art models. In addition, we exhibited the distribution of selected features by these tree models and compared the results on the training set to that on the test set. These results fully showed that our model has a certain generalization ability. Therefore, we expect that our model would provide important advances in the discovery of neuropeptides as new drugs for the treatment of neurological diseases.
TDP-43 and FUS mislocalization in VCP mutant motor neurons is reversed by pharmacological inhibition of the VCP D2 ATPase domain
Authors: Harley Jasmine , Hagemann Cathleen , Serio Andrea , Patani Rickie
Published: July 2021

RNA binding proteins have been shown to play a key role in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Mutations in valosin-containing protein (VCP/p97) cause ALS and exhibit the hallmark nuclear-to-cytoplasmic mislocalization of RNA binding proteins (RBPs). However, the mechanism by which mutations in VCP lead to this mislocalization of RBPs remains incompletely resolved. To address this, we used human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived motor neurons carrying VCP mutations. We first demonstrate reduced nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratios of transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43), fused in sarcoma/translocated in liposarcoma (FUS) and splicing factor proline and glutamine rich (SFPQ) in VCP mutant motor neurons. Upon closer analysis, we also find these RBPs are mislocalized to motor neuron neurites themselves. To address the hypothesis that altered function of the D2 ATPase domain of VCP causes RBP mislocalization, we used pharmacological inhibition of this domain in control motor neurons and found this does not recapitulate RBP mislocalization phenotypes. However, D2 domain inhibition in VCP mutant motor neurons was able to robustly reverse mislocalization of both TDP-43 and FUS, in addition to partially relocalizing SFPQ from the neurites. Together these results argue for a gain-of-function of D2 ATPase in VCP mutant human motor neurons driving the mislocalization of TDP-43 and FUS. Our data raise the intriguing possibility of harnessing VCP D2 ATPase inhibitors in the treatment of VCP-related ALS.
Patient Factors and Hospital Outcomes Associated With Atypical Presentation in Hospitalized Older Adults With COVID-19 During the First Surge of the Pandemic
Authors: Marziliano Allison , Burns Edith , Chauhan Lakshpaul , Liu Yan , Makhnevich Alex , Zhang Meng , Carney Maria T , Dbeis Yasser , Lindvall Charlotta , Qiu Michael , Diefenbach Michael A , Sinvani Liron
Published: July 2021

Background

Literature indicates an atypical presentation of COVID-19 among older adults (OAs). Our purpose is to identify the frequency of atypical presentation and compare demographic and clinical factors, and short-term outcomes, between typical versus atypical presentations in OAs hospitalized with COVID-19 during the first surge of the pandemic.

Methods

Data from the inpatient electronic health record were extracted for patients aged 65 and older, admitted to our health systems’ hospitals with COVID-19 between March 1 and April 20, 2020. Presentation as reported by the OA or his/her representative is documented by the admitting professional and includes both symptoms and signs. Natural language processing was used to code the presence/absence of each symptom or sign. Typical presentation was defined as words indicating fever, cough, or shortness of breath; atypical presentation was defined as words indicating functional decline or altered mental status.

Results

Of 4 961 unique OAs, atypical presentation characterized by functional decline or altered mental status was present in 24.9% and 11.3%, respectively. Atypical presentation was associated with older age, female gender, Black race, non-Hispanic ethnicity, higher comorbidity index, and the presence of dementia and diabetes mellitus. Those who presented typically were 1.39 times more likely than those who presented atypically to receive intensive care unit–level care. Hospital outcomes of mortality, length of stay, and 30-day readmission were similar between OAs with typical versus atypical presentations.

Conclusion

Although atypical presentation in OAs is not associated with the same need for acute intervention as respiratory distress, it must not be dismissed.
Itinerant Saint: The Architecture of Golden Goa and the 1952 Exposition of St. Francis Xavier’s Relics
Authors: Kandolkar Vishvesh Prabhakar
Published: July 2021

Francis Xavier (1506–52) was Spanish, but it was the Portuguese who kept his legacy alive in their Asian colonies. Although Xavier died in China, it was Goa—capital of the Portuguese Empire in Asia—that received his mortal remains in 1554, which were believed to be miraculously preserved from blemish. This article concerns the 1952 exposition of the saint’s relics, which marked 400 years of Xavier’s death and was attended by a record number of pilgrims. Although the exposition was intended to celebrate a saint, the state (Estado Novo) used the occasion to showcase Goa’s Europeanised culture for propaganda. With the pressure from newly Independent India to oust the Portuguese from Goa, the Estado Novo refused to cede any part of its overseas territory on the basis of its uniqueness from the neighbouring region. The state used the exposition, and the large gathering of devotees attending it, to make a point that Goa continued to remain an integral part of the Portuguese nation. Ostensibly, the state changed the venue of the exposition from the Basilica of Bom Jesus to Sé Cathedral. Although the basilica had been hosting the periodic exposition from 1859 to 1942, the cathedral was considered to be architecturally a much bigger and richer monument. This shift of the exposition to the cathedral was also aimed at adding a new ritual to the event: a grand procession of Xavier’s body from one church to another. Located 1000 feet apart from each other, the procession traversed a public open space between these historical buildings, wherein a record number of devotees could witness/participate this event simultaneously. While the body of Xavier and architecture of Old Goa were relics from the heyday of the empire, the state also wanted to use the faithful, who came in large numbers to celebrate this occasion, as visual evidence to showcase the longevity of Portuguese presence in Goa.
Peripheral facial nerve schwannoma at the inferior mandibular margin: a case report
Authors: Sakakibara Akiko , Hasegawa Takumi , Takeda Daisuke , Kusumoto Junya , Sakakibara Shunsuke , Akashi Masaya
Published: July 2021

Schwannomas commonly occur in the head and neck region as acoustic neuromas. Facial nerve schwannomas are rare and usually occur in the temporal region. A 57-year-old woman presented with a mass at the right mandibular margin. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a schwannoma located immediately caudal to the mental foramen. We were initially uncertain whether it arose from the trigeminal nerve or the facial nerve. Excision was performed under general anesthesia. The mass was encapsulated and easily detached from the surrounding tissue. The nerve of origin was identified proximal to the tumor. A facial nerve origin was confirmed as the muscles supplied by the marginal mandibular branch of the facial nerve moved on nerve stimulation. Nerve fibers were not found distal to the tumor, possibly because they had been cut during excision. We believe that this is the first report of a schwannoma arising from the peripheral facial nerve.
Two-blackbody portraits of radiation from magnetized neutron stars
Authors: Yakovlev D G
Published: July 2021

We study a simple model describing thermal radiation spectra from magnetized neutron stars. The model assumes that a star is nearly spherical and isothermal inside and possesses dipole magnetic fields (B ≲ 1014 G) near the surface, which make the surface temperature distribution non-uniform. We assume further that any surface element emits a blackbody (BB) spectrum with a local effective temperature. We show that such thermal spectra (including phase-resolved) are accurately approximated by simple equivalent two-BB (2BB) models. We introduce and study phase-space maps of 2BB parameters and show that these maps can be useful for interpreting neutron star observations, in which 2BB spectral fits have been done.
Probing large-scale UV background inhomogeneity associated with quasars using metal absorption
Authors: Morrison Sean , Pieri Matthew M , Som Debopam , Pérez-Ràfols Ignasi
Published: July 2021

We study large-scale UV background inhomogeneity in three-dimensions associated with the observed quasar populations at high redshift. We do this by measuring metal absorption through quasar absorption spectrum stacking as a function distance to closest quasar in SDSS-IV/eBOSS on 10 s of comoving megaparsec scales. We study both intergalactic medium absorbers and mixed circumgalactic medium absorbers and probe absorption in O vi, C iv, and Si iv, and Si iii. Overall, stronger high ionization species absorption is seen closer to quasars at 2.4 < z < 3.1. O vi absorption shows a particularly strong change, with effects in C iv evident in some cases, and more marginal effects in Si iii and Si iv. We further study 2.05 < z < 2.4 (with weak signs of increasing homogeneity with time) and explore the study of metal absorption as a function of integrated SDSS-r band flux quasar flux (yielding consistent but less significant results). While the metal absorption does show sensitivity to large-scale 3D quasar proximity, the current incomplete quasar samples limit detailed interpretation. This work does, however, demonstrate that UV background inhomogeneities exist on scales of several 10 s of comoving megaparsecs associated with quasars and that they can be measured with precision by examining metal absorption in the intergalactic medium.
Clinical Characteristics, Course, and Outcomes of Vertebral Artery Dissections in the Postpartum Period
Authors: Azad Hooman A , Prasad Nikil , Shlobin Nathan A , Mitra Akash , Cloney Michael B , Hopkins Benjamin S , Jahromi Babak S , Potts Matthew B , Dahdaleh Nader S
Published: July 2021

BACKGROUND

Postpartum vertebral artery dissections (ppVADs) are rare but potentially morbid conditions that occur in otherwise healthy patients.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate clinical characteristics of ppVADs.

METHODS

Demographic, clinical, treatment, and outcome data were collected on ppVADs and are presented in a case series of 12 patients and compared to the general cohort.

RESULTS

In total, 12 patients had ppVADs in our cohort of 310 patients with vertebral artery dissections (VADs). They occurred 11.27 days (95% CI, −0.85 to 23.39) postdelivery. Of these, there were 5 (42%) with a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, and 4 (33%) who had migraines. A total of 3 (25%) had ischemic strokes and 1 (8%) had a subarachnoid hemorrhage. In total, 2 patients (17%) had unfavorable modified Rankin Scale (mRS, 2-6) at discharge from hospital. Patients with ppVADs more often had bilateral VADs (42% vs 17%, P = .03), had pseudoaneurysms (50% vs 18%, P = .0068), were younger (33.83 years vs 44.32 years, P = .018), and had lower Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI = 0 vs 0.99, P = .0038). Anticoagulant treatment was used in a similar percentage of patients. Multivariate analysis revealed 3 factors were predictive of change in mRS: CCI (OR = 1.09, 95% CI, 1.02-1.15), stroke (OR = 0.78, 95% CI, 0.65-0.95), and mRS at hospital discharge (OR = 0.80, 95% CI, 0.74-0.87).

CONCLUSION

There are only 15 isolated ppVADs reported in the literature; this study adds 12 patients with 17 ppVADs. Postpartum VADs occur in younger, healthier patients than in the general cohort, raising questions about mechanism of injury. The majority of ppVADs have good neurological outcomes.
Risks of Opportunistic Infections in People With Human Immunodeficiency Virus With Cancers Treated With Chemotherapy
Authors: Makinson Alain , Park Lesley S , Stone Kimberly , Tate Janet , Rodriguez-Barradas Maria C , Brown Sheldon T , Wadia Roxanne , Crothers Kristina , Bedimo Roger , Goetz Matthew Bidwell , Shebl Fatma , Reynes Jacques , Moing Vincent Le , Sigel Keith M
Published: July 2021

Background

We ascertained incidence of opportunistic infections (OIs) in people with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH) with cancer undergoing chemotherapy with non-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) comparators.

Methods

We identified 2106 PWH and 2981 uninfected Veterans with cancer who received at least 1 dose of chemotherapy between 1996 and 2017 from the Veterans Aging Cohort Study. We ascertained incident OIs within 6 months of chemotherapy amongst zoster, cytomegalovirus, tuberculosis, Candida esophagitis, Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP), toxoplasmosis, Cryptococcosis, atypical Mycobacterium infection, Salmonella bacteremia, histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, or progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. We used Poisson methods to calculate OI incidence rates by HIV status, stratifying for hematological and nonhematological tumors. We compared OI rates by HIV status, using inverse probability weights of HIV status, further adjusting for PCP prophylaxis.

Results

We confirmed 106 OIs in 101 persons. Adjusted OI incidence rate ratios (IRRs) indicated higher risk in PWH for all cancers (IRR, 4.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.8–8.2), hematological cancers (IRR, 8.2; 95% CI, 2.4–27.3), and nonhematological cancers (IRR, 3.9; 95% CI, 2.1–7.2). Incidence rate ratios were not significantly higher in those with CD4 >200 cells/mm3 and viral load <500 copies/mL (IRR, 1.8; 95% CI, 0.9–3.2). All PCP cases (n = 11) occurred in PWH, with 2 microbiologically unconfirmed cases among 1467 PWH with nonhematological cancers, no PCP prophylaxis, and CD4 counts >200/mm3.

Conclusions

Veterans with HIV undergoing chemotherapy had higher rates of OIs than uninfected Veterans, particularly those with hematological cancers, but not in PWH with HIV controlled disease. Our study does not support systematic PCP prophylaxis in solid tumors in PWH with HIV controlled disease.
Hearing
Authors: Riddell Fraser
Published: July 2021

This article explores the significance of the body in decadent writing about music. It focuses on the fictional and nonfictional writings of the American journalist and critic James Gibbons Huneker (1857–1921). Huneker’s texts demonstrate the striking ways in which literary decadence aligns musical experience with nervous illness and madness, how it dwells on the materiality of sound as it is sensed through the body, and how it frames musical talent as fundamentally shaped by the gender, sexuality, and race of performers and listeners. The article concludes by examining those decadent musical cultures that Huneker’s writings overlook, such as the Harlem Renaissance, to demonstrate how literary texts present new modes of decadent community emerging from embodied and affective responses to music.
Book Arts
Authors: MacLeod Kirsten
Published: July 2021

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, decadent culture is manifest not only between the covers of a book, but also on them, with the book itself taking material form as an aesthetic artifact of the very culture the book describes. This essay considers this phenomenon in relation to the livres de luxe produced by French bibliophile societies of this era. Following an outline of French bibliophile culture and its promotion of a decadent trend in the French book, Huysmans’s À rebours (Against Nature, 1884) serves as case study to consider the decadent materiality of the book, in two senses: first, how decadent bibliophilia and the decadent book arts are represented in this novel; second, how the novel itself was subject to decadent embodiment in a 1903 edition produced for the society Les Cent Bibliophiles, and in a series of unique bindings commissioned by its bibliophile owners.
Philosophy
Authors: Huddleston Andrew
Published: July 2021

Decadence is a perennial theme in philosophy. But tracing the arc of decline becomes an especially prominent focus of attention in European philosophy in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This article explains and contrasts several “narratives of decadence” in the post-Kantian tradition. The article first lays out briefly the basics of G. W. F. Hegel’s optimistic view of progress and history as a foil and point of reference, then turns to expounding several narratives of decadence from other canonical philosophical figures in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries—specifically, from Friedrich Nietzsche, from Martin Heidegger, and from Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer. All of these thinkers see modern humanity as being, in some (often quite nuanced) sense, in a decadent state, but all have a rather different diagnosis of what that fallen state consists of, and of how (or whether) we might be able to extricate ourselves from it.