bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The First Publication of Dugald Stewart’s Lectures on Political Economy
Authors: Weber Lina
Published: July 2021

Dugald Stewart’s contribution to the formation of political economy as a science in the early nineteenth century is ambiguous. The professor of moral philosophy at the University of Edinburgh was the first academic to teach an independent course on political economy. However, scholars often assign Stewart a rather indirect role on the formation of political economy as a distinct body of knowledge because he never published his innovative lectures. The article argues that the assumption that Stewart’s lectures were known only to a small group of students is mistaken. Between 1814 and 1815, the London-based journal The New Monthly Magazine published a series of anonymous essays under the titles “MS. Recollections of Lectures on Political Oeconomy” and “Recollections of the Unpublished Lectures of an Eminent Professor.” Comparing these essays with manuscript notes that students took on Stewart’s lectures, the article shows that these “Recollections” were taken from Stewart’s teaching and made its content available to a wider audience.
Peregrinations of a Corporatist Economist
Authors: Brisset Nicolas , Fèvre Raphaël
Published: July 2021

This article examines François Perroux’s corporatist thought from the interwar period to the Vichy period, in the light of his travels in Italy, Germany, Austria, and Portugal from 1934 to 1935. We will show that Perroux’s critical analysis of what he called “fascist”—politically authoritarian and economically corporatist—regimes is central to grasp his intellectual and institutional trajectory. To do so, we reconstruct Perroux’s original diagnostic regarding these regimes, stressing the way he distinguished the totalitarian model of Italy and Germany from the national-Catholic model outlined by Austria and Portugal. Then, we show that Perroux’s travels influenced his economic thought, both theoretically and methodologically. Eventually, the diagnostic he drew from his mid-1930s tour within foreign experiences will also help shed light on the way he welcomed and tried to guide Vichy France’s socio-economic reforms.
Progress
Authors: Chrostowska S. D.
Published: July 2021

This article begins from the assumption that what was once an integral dimension of progress—the development of literature and of art more generally—now lies outside its scope. The essay falls into three parts that juxtapose French with German intellectual history. The first part examines the notion of literary progress developed by Charles Perrault and Fontenelle, as well as the opposition to it by Boileau and other antiquarians, during the querelle des Anciens et des Modernes in the later seventeenth century. The second part treats the reception of those arguments during the eighteenth century by J. C. Gottsched, J. J. Bodmer, and J. J. Breitinger. Special attention is given to the paradox that Gottsched, the leader of the German antiquarians, and Bodmer, the leader of the German progressives, were equally devoted to the Leibnizian-Wolffian philosophical system and thus that German Romanticism, heavily indebted to Bodmer's poetics, had roots in rationalist philosophy. The essay's third part discusses ideas of literary progress in the writings of the early Romantics J. G. Herder and Friedrich Schlegel. As these discussions show, the conception of general progress was formed in a field that has since dissociated itself from progress's march.
miR-8b is involved in brain and eye regeneration ofDugesia japonicain head regeneration
Authors: Liu Hongjin , Song Qian , Zhen Hui , Deng Hongkuan , Zhao Bosheng , Cao Zhonghong
Published: July 2021

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of evolutionarily conserved small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the translation level in cell growth, proliferation and differentiation. In addition, some types of miRNAs have been proven to be key modulators of both CNS development and plasticity, such as let-7, miR-9 and miR-124. In this research, we found miR-8b acts as an important regulator involved in brain and eyespot regeneration in Dugesia japonica. miR-8b was highly conserved among species and was abundantly expressed in central nervous system. Here, we detected the expression dynamics of miR-8b by qPCR during the head regeneration of D. japonica. Knockdown miR-8b by anti-MIRs method caused severe defects of eyes and CNS. Our study revealed the evolutionary conserved role of miR-8b in the planarian regeneration process, and further provided more research ideas and available information for planarian miRNAs.
Auxin treatment increases lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Loose Julia A. , Ghazi Arjumand
Published: July 2021

The auxin-inducible degradation system (AID) has proven to be a highly versatile technology for rapid, robust and reversible depletion of proteins in multiple model systems. In recent years, AID has been adapted into the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a tool for conditional protein knockdown. Numerous transgenic strains have been created that, upon auxin exposure, undergo protein inactivation in the worm germline or somatic tissues, both during development and in young adults. Since longevity assays often involve long-term gene- and protein-manipulation, the facility for spatiotemporally precise and extended protein removal makes AID a potentially highly valuable tool for aging biology. However, whether auxins themselves impact worm longevity has not been directly addressed. Here, we show that prolonged exposure to indole 3-acetic acid (IAA), the auxin used in worm AID studies, extends lifespan. We also report that two transgenic strains expressing Arabidopsis proteins that are key components of the AID platform are longer lived than wild-type animals. Together, our results highlight the necessity for exercising caution while utilizing AID for longevity studies and in interpreting the resulting data.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
APC/CFZR-1 regulates centrosomal ZYG-1 to limit centrosome number
Authors: Medley Jeffrey C. , DiPanni Joseph R. , Schira Luke , Shaffou Blake M. , Sebou Brandon M. , Song Mi Hye
Published: July 2021

Aberrant centrosome numbers are associated with human cancers. The levels of centrosome regulators positively correlate with centrosome number. Thus, tight control of centrosome protein levels is critical. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome and its co-activator FZR-1 (APC/CFZR-1), a ubiquitin ligase, negatively regulates centrosome assembly through SAS-5 degradation. In this study, we report the C. elegans ZYG-1 (Plk4 in humans) as a potential substrate of APC/CFZR-1. Inhibiting APC/CFZR-1 or mutating a ZYG-1 destruction (D)-box leads to elevated ZYG-1 levels at centrosomes, restoring bipolar spindles and embryonic viability to zyg-1 mutants, suggesting that APC/CFZR-1 influences centrosomal ZYG-1 via the D-box motif. We also show the Slimb/βTrCP-binding (SB) motif is critical for ZYG-1 degradation, substantiating a conserved mechanism by which ZYG-1/Plk4 stability is regulated by the SKP1–CUL1–F-box (Slimb/βTrCP)-protein complex (SCFSlimb/βTrCP)-dependent proteolysis via the conserved SB motif in C. elegans. Furthermore, we show that co-mutating ZYG-1 SB and D-box motifs stabilizes ZYG-1 in an additive manner, suggesting that the APC/CFZR-1 and SCFSlimb/βTrCP ubiquitin ligases function cooperatively for timely ZYG-1 destruction in C. elegans embryos where ZYG-1 activity remains at threshold level to ensure normal centrosome number.
The role of load-dependent sensory input in the control of balance during gait in rats
Authors: Popov Alexander , Lyakhovetskii Vsevolod , Bazhenova Elena , Gorskii Oleg , Kalinina Daria , Merkulyeva Natalia , Musienko Pavel
Published: July 2021

Locomotor activity requires fine balance control that strongly depends on the afferent input from the load receptors. Following hindlimb unloading (HU), the kinematic and EMG activity of the hindlimbs is known to change significantly. However, the effects of HU on the integrative control mechanisms of posture and locomotion are not clear. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the center of mass (CoM) dynamic stabilization and associated adaptive changes in the trunk and hindlimb muscle activity during locomotion after 7 days of HU. The EMG signals from the muscles of the low lumbar trunk [m. longissimus dorsi (VERT)] and the hind limb [m. tibialis anterior (TA), m. semitendinosus (ST), m. soleus (SOL)] were recorded together with the hindquarter kinematics during locomotion on a treadmill in six rats before and after HU. The CoM lateral shift in the step cycle significantly increased after HU and coincided with the enhanced activity of the VERT. The mean EMG of the TA and the ST flexor activity increased significantly with reduction of their burst duration. These data demonstrate the disturbances of body balance after HU that can influence the basic parameters of locomotor activity. The load-dependent mechanisms resulted in compensatory adjustments of flexor activity toward a faster gait strategy, such as a trot or gallop, which presumably have supraspinal origin. The neuronal underpinnings of these integrative posture and locomotion mechanisms and their possible reorganization after HU are discussed.
Aerial course stabilization is impaired in motion-blind flies
Authors: Leonte Maria-Bianca , Leonhardt Aljoscha , Borst Alexander , Mauss Alex S.
Published: July 2021

Visual motion detection is among the best understood neuronal computations. As extensively investigated in tethered flies, visual motion signals are assumed to be crucial to detect and counteract involuntary course deviations. During free flight, however, course changes are also signalled by other sensory systems. Therefore, it is as yet unclear to what extent motion vision contributes to course control. To address this question, we genetically rendered flies motion-blind by blocking their primary motion-sensitive neurons and quantified their free-flight performance. We found that such flies have difficulty maintaining a straight flight trajectory, much like unimpaired flies in the dark. By unilateral wing clipping, we generated an asymmetry in propulsive force and tested the ability of flies to compensate for this perturbation. While wild-type flies showed a remarkable level of compensation, motion-blind animals exhibited pronounced circling behaviour. Our results therefore directly confirm that motion vision is necessary to fly straight under realistic conditions.
Liver-First Approach for Synchronous Colorectal Metastases: Analysis of 7360 Patients from the LiverMetSurvey Registry
Authors: Giuliante Felice , Viganò Luca , De Rose Agostino M. , Mirza Darius F. , Lapointe Réal , Kaiser Gernot , Barroso Eduardo , Ferrero Alessandro , Isoniemi Helena , Lopez-Ben Santiago , Popescu Irinel , Ouellet Jean-Francois , Hubert Catherine , Regimbeau Jean-Marc , Lin Jen-Kou , Skipenko Oleg G. , Ardito Francesco , Adam René
Published: July 2021

Background

The liver-first approach in patients with synchronous colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) has gained wide consensus but its role is still to be clarified. We aimed to elucidate the outcome of the liver-first approach and to identify patients who benefit at most from this approach.

Methods

Patients with synchronous CRLM included in the LiverMetSurvey registry between 2000 and 2017 were considered. Three strategies were analyzed, i.e. liver-first approach, colorectal resection followed by liver resection (primary-first), and simultaneous resection, and three groups of patients were analyzed, i.e. solitary metastasis, multiple unilobar CRLM, and multiple bilobar CRLM. In each group, patients from the three strategy groups were matched by propensity score analysis.

Results

Overall, 7360 patients were analyzed: 4415 primary-first, 552 liver-first, and 2393 simultaneous resections. Compared with the other groups, the liver-first group had more rectal tumors (58.0% vs. 31.2%) and higher hepatic tumor burden (more than three CRLMs: 34.8% vs. 24.0%; size > 50 mm: 35.6% vs. 22.8%; p < 0.001). In patients with solitary and multiple unilobar CRLM, survival was similar regardless of treatment strategy, whereas in patients with multiple bilobar metastases, the liver-first approach was an independent positive prognostic factor, both in unmatched patients (3-year survival 65.9% vs. primary-first 60.4%: hazard ratio [HR] 1.321, p = 0.031; vs. simultaneous resections 54.4%: HR 1.624, p < 0.001) and after propensity score matching (vs. primary-first: HR 1.667, p = 0.017; vs. simultaneous resections: HR 2.278, p = 0.003).

Conclusion

In patients with synchronous CRLM, the surgical strategy should be decided according to the hepatic tumor burden. In the presence of multiple bilobar CRLM, the liver-first approach is associated with longer survival than the alternative approaches and should be evaluated as standard.
Delicate balance: the relationship between internal astigmatism and lens astigmatism
Authors: Liu Meng , Dai Cheng , Zhou Guimei , Lv Xiaodong , Li Jingjia , Li Binzhong
Published: July 2021

Background: Due to lack of equipment for directly measuring crystal morphology, there has been little research on crystal astigmatism. The purpose of this study was to accurately explore the correlation between internal astigmatism and lens astigmatism in patients with ametropia.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, China, in September 2020. Diopter values (refractive astigmatism, RA) of patients with ametropia was recorded, and the corneal and lens biological parameters were measured by CASIA2 (corneal/anterior segment optical correlation tomography analyzer). Biometric parameters, including the total corneal astigmatism (TCA), anterior and posterior curvature radius of the lens (ACL, PCL), internal astigmatism (IA), anterior and posterior astigmatism of the lens (AAL, PAL) were measured. Grouping and comparisons were made according to gender and age.

Results: In total, 151 participants (293 eyes) were included in the analysis. There were significant (P<0.05) differences in the IA (Z=-2.194, P=0.028) according to gender, but not in the other parameters. By age group, there were statistically significant differences in the TCA (H=10.609, P=0.005), IA (F=3.722, P=0.025), and PAL (H=8.254, P=0.016), but not in the others. The IA was positively correlated with the age (r=0.155, P=0.008), RA (r=0. 534, P<0.001), AAL (r=0.308, P<0.001), and was negatively correlated with the TCA (r=-0.244, P<0.001). The regression equation between the IA and AAL was: Y (IA) =-0.626 +0.447X (AAL).

Conclusions: There is a delicate balance between internal astigmatism and intraocular astigmatism. There were no significant differences in the other parameters except IA for different gender groups. For different ages, there are symbol differences in the TCA, IA and PAL, but not in the other parameters. In the analysis of IA with lens astigmatism, it was found that internal astigmatism was mainly related to AAL, but not to PAL.
The existential stakes of platform governance: a critical literature review
Authors: Papaevangelou Charilaos
Published: July 2021

This study introduces a comprehensive overview of literature concerning the concepts of regulation and governance, and attempts to connect them to scholarly works that deal with the governance of and by social media platforms. The paper provides fundamental definitions of regulation and governance, along with a critique of polycentricity or multi-stakeholderism, in order to contextualise the discussion around platform governance and, subsequently, online content regulation. Moreover, where traditional governance literature conceptualised stakeholders as a triangle, this article proposes going beyond the triad of public, private and non-governmental actors, to account for previously invisible stakeholder clusters, like citizens and news media organisations. This paper also contends that, while platform governance is an important field of study and practice, the way it has been structured and investigated so far, is posing an existential risk to the broader internet governance structure, primarily, because of the danger of conflating the internet with platforms. As a result, there exists a timely need to reimagine the way in which we understand and study phenomena related to platform governance by adjusting our conceptual and analytical heuristics. So, this article wishes to expand the theorisation of this field in order to better engage with complicated platform governance issues, like the development of regulatory frameworks concerning online content regulation.
Public trust and genomic medicine in Canada and the UK
Authors: Savić-Kallesøe Sarah , Middleton Anna , Milne Richard
Published: July 2021

Background: Genomic medicine could improve precise risk stratification, early prevention, and personalised treatment across a broad spectrum of disease. As this reality approaches, questions on the importance of public trust arise. The success of genomic medicine initiatives is influenced by the public’s trust and willingness to engage. Specific social actors influential in the public's trust have been identified by the “Your DNA, Your Say” study, including doctors, researchers, and governments. This paper aims to identify and examine which specific social actors, if any, in Canada and the United Kingdom (UK) are the most trustworthy and influential to engage the public in genomic medicine research.

Methods: Using data from the ‘Your DNA, Your Say’ study, logistic regression models and Pearson’s chi-square tests were conducted to explore trust in social actors across Canada and the UK.

Results: The results demonstrate Canada and the UK significantly differ in public trust and willingness to donate. Non-profit researchers, domestic doctors, and personal doctors were identified to be the most influential and trustworthy social actors in Canada and the UK.

Conclusions: The comparative results indicate that both countries would benefit from engaging the public through doctors and non-profit researchers. The UK could additionally support public trust by engaging with the public through the National Health Service. However, the results suggest that whilst public trust is significant, it may be neither necessary nor sufficient in influencing willingness to donate. Future research could do well to investigate how the importance of public trust compares in countries with lower public trust.
Which Workers are Most Exposed to covid-19 and Social Distancing Effects in a Dual Labour Market?
Authors: Cardenas Jeisson , Montana Jaime , Bosworth David
Published: July 2021

This paper provides evidence for the different potential effects of covid-19 on formal and informal employment, using the work-from-home (Dingel & Neiman, 2020; Saltiel, 2020) and the proximity occupation approaches (Mongey et al., 2020) in Colombia. We found that only 13 % of informal employment positions can be performed from home (remotely) and that the figure for formal employment is twice as large (20 %). We recoded the  raw occupational responses of the Colombian Household Survey to a granular level to directlycombine occupational information from two sources: O*net and step. We then calculated work-from-home estimates, extracting cohesive results from both sources. We investigated how personal and household characteristics relate to work-from-home and proximity and provide sound evidence for a larger effect on the informal population and its association with vulnerability (lower income and education levels, no internet access, poorworking conditions). Standard employment policies will not impact directly on the most vulnerable populations in developing countries where informal employment is the norm.
Giving Away the Game – Scattershot Notes on Social Class and Other Afflictions
Authors: Donnelly Jim
Published: July 2021

One of my earliest jobs was driving for an unregulated car service in New York.  In the days before Uber they were called ‘gypsy cabs.’  One night I found myself on the business end of a revolver.  Telling the tale to my dispatcher next day, he was staggeringly nonplussed.  ‘Ya gotta put up with a lot,’ he said, ‘when you’re tryin’ t’ get ahead.’  ‘Yeah,’ I replied, disgusted, ‘even gettin’ your head blown off.’  Some time later, another driver, an African-American in a similar scenario, didn’t make it, emphasizing how much higher the stakes for a person of color.  These are the real wages of work, I thought, and the rules of the game.

My dispatcher’s nonchalance bespoke how invested in the game he was; in a set of beliefs, assumptions, and animating myths that keep the wheel of fortune going.  Like the Monty Python skit about the collapsing tower, if too few invest in those myths, the entire edifice crumbles.

The following is a personal essay that attempts to navigate the game’s parameters - social class, aspiration, and its attendant neurosis - and the myths that animate such notions as ‘getting ahead,’ ‘climbing the ladder,’ and the ‘American Dream,’ my country’s main (ideological) export.  The approach is less theory-driven than empirical, phenomenological.  Hence the numbered sections, a style popularized by Wittgenstein, Herbert Read and others.  Here it doesn’t represent chronology so much as the elusive, episodic nature of the beast.
Viscometric Study of n-Hexylammonium and n-Octylammonium perchlorates in Binary Non-Aqueous Solvents Probed by a Physicochemical Approach in the Temperature Ranging 298 - 328K at Atmospheric Pressure
Authors: Pathania Vivek , Sharma Shrutila , Vermani S.K. , Vermani B.K. , Grover Navya , Kaur Manpreet
Published: July 2021

Viscosity data were measured for n-hexyl ammonium perchlorate (C6H13NH3ClO4)(HAP) and n-octylammonium perchlorate (C8H17NH3ClO4) (OAP) in acetonitrile (AN), dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and their binary mixtures containing 0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 mol%DMSO at 298, 308, 318 and 328 K in the concentration range 60-350×10-4 mol.dm-3. The data was further examined to evaluate ion-ion and ion-solvent interactions in terms of the Aand B coefficients of the Jones-Dole equation respectively. A and B coefficients for the studied electrolytes came out be to be positive throughout the whole composition range. However, smaller values of A as compare to B reveal the dominance of ion-solvent interaction over ion-ion interactions especially at 60 mol% DMSO in AN-DMSO mixtures. Thermodynamic parameters like free energy, enthalpy and entropy change of activation of the viscous flow have also been evaluated by using Erying transition state theory.
Cement-in-cement femoral component revision
Authors: Kennedy Ian W. , Ng Nigel Y. B. , Young David , Kane Nicholas , Marsh Andrew G. , Meek R. M. Dominic
Published: July 2021

Aims

Cement-in-cement revision of the femoral component represents a widely practised technique for a variety of indications in revision total hip arthroplasty. In this study, we compare the clinical and radiological outcomes of two polished tapered femoral components.

Methods

From our prospectively collated database, we identified all patients undergoing cement-in-cement revision from January 2005 to January 2013 who had a minimum of two years' follow-up. All cases were performed by the senior author using either an Exeter short revision stem or the C-Stem AMT high offset No. 1 prosthesis. Patients were followed-up annually with clinical and radiological assessment.

Results

A total of 97 patients matched the inclusion criteria (50 Exeter and 47 C-Stem AMT components). There were no significant differences between the patient demographic data in either group. Mean follow-up was 9.7 years. A significant improvement in Oxford Hip Score (OHS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and 12-item Short-Form Survey (SF-12) scores was observed in both cohorts. Leg lengths were significantly shorter in the Exeter group, with a mean of -4 mm in this cohort compared with 0 mm in the C-Stem AMT group. One patient in the Exeter group had early evidence of radiological loosening. In total, 16 patients (15%) underwent further revision of the femoral component (seven in the C-Stem AMT group and nine in the Exeter group). No femoral components were revised for aseptic loosening. There were two cases of femoral component fracture in the Exeter group.

Conclusion

Our series shows promising mid-term outcomes for the cement-in-cement revision technique using either the Exeter or C-Stem AMT components. These results demonstrate that cement-in-cement revision using a double or triple taper-slip design is a safe and reliable technique when used for the correct indications.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2021;103-B(7):1215–1221.
The 20-year results of the first 400 Conserve Plus hip resurfacing arthroplasties
Authors: Amstutz Harlan C. , Le Duff Michel Jean
Published: July 2021

Aims

Adverse local tissue reactions associated with abnormal wear considerably slowed down the general use of metal-on-metal (MoM) hip resurfacing arthroplasty (HRA), now limited to a few specialized centres. In this study, we provide the clinical results of 400 consecutive MoM HRAs implanted more than 20 years ago in one such centre.

Methods

A total of 355 patients (400 hips) were treated with Conserve Plus HRA between November 1996 and November 2000. There were 96 female (27%) and 259 male patients (73%). Their mean age was 48.2 years (SD 10.9). The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) hip scores and 12-item Short Form Survey (SF-12) quality of life scores were reported. Survivorship was assessed using Kaplan-Meier analyses.

Results

The mean follow-up was 16.5 years (0.1 to 24.0), including 34 patients (37 hips) who died. The mean UCLA hip scores were 9.3 (2 to 10), 9.1 (3 to 10), 9.0 (3 to 10), and 6.9 (2 to 10) for pain, walking, function, and activity, respectively. The mean SF-12 scores were 48.4 (16.0 to 62.1) for the physical component and 48.5 (10.5 to 66.5) for the mental component, and did not differ from those of the general population of the USA. A total of 60 hips in 55 patients were revised. Using revision for any indication as the endpoint, the Kaplan-Meier survivorship was 83.5% at 20 years. A diagnosis of developmental dysplasia (hazard ratio (HR) 2.199 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.140 to 4.239); p = 0.019) and a low BMI (HR 0.931 (95% CI 0.873 to 0.994); p = 0.032) were risk factors for revision. Female sex was a risk factor only because of hip dysplasia and small component size. There were no cases of metal sensitivity associated with revision surgery. Radiological analysis showed persistent fixation in all but one hip.

Conclusion

The 83.5% 20-year survivorship of this initial series surpasses that of total hip arthroplasties in use 20 years ago in these young patients, suggesting satisfactory lifelong durability of the device for almost all of the remaining patients. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2021;103-B(7 Supple B):25–32.
Changing the face of surgery
Authors: Hindle Stella
Published: July 2021

Our new building welcomes a transformed College.
An Art School Schizologue [George Floyd, Rest in Power]
Authors: Broadey Andy
Published: July 2021

This critical cartography surveys seven moments in critical practice/art pedagogy, which oscillate around the protests of 1968 and diffract the contemporary possibilitiesof art education in association with Halberstam’s (2019) notions of evacuation and wildness. The article reads across Deleuzoguattarian (1994 and 2007) schizoanalysis and Baradian (2007) intra-action to articulate struggles for racial justice as instances of Harney and Moten’s (2013) undercommons, operating as alternate sites of knowledge production and collective self-experimentation outside the neoliberal university. These moments of practice—Black Lives Matter protests in Bristol, the UK, the writings of Aimé Césaire, Audre Lorde, Mohamed Melehi, Benjamin Patterson, and Howardena Pindell, as well as a student occupation of Central Saint Martins, also in the UK—are aligned in series allowing the reader to appropriate each one in resonance with each other as a proposal for an art-pedagogy-to-come.
The Necessity of an Immanent Pedagogy of In|difference in the Shadow of the Anthropocene
Authors: Jagodzinski Jan
Published: July 2021

Life can be theorised actively (liveliness) or passively, or as entangled. What does this mean for pedagogy within the Anthropocene? This essay speculatively develops the concept immanent pedagogy of in|difference to explore such a question. This involves an engagement with various expressions of new materialisms, presenting a case as to how the passivity of an indifferent life needs to be recognised to mitigate the excessive claims of life from personalist modernist instrumentalism to neo-Darwinian accounts.
Almanac: Liquid Agency
Authors: Skinner Sam
Published: July 2021

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High-fidelity and rapid cellular-level Mueller matrix imaging for tissue identification with unstained sections
Authors: Wang Jiazhi , Li Yanqiu , Cao Chenle , Zhou Guodong , Li Li
Published: July 2021

Mueller matrix polarimetry is regarded as a promising technique in the field of biomedicine, especially for pathological diagnosis. However, the current studies on Mueller imaging of pathological sections are all at the tissue-level, and the cellular-level polarization information is difficult to obtain. To overcome this challenge, we first propose a cellular-level Mueller matrix imaging method for accurate quantitative identification of tissues in this study. Benefiting from the significant birefringent behavior of paraffin in unstained sections, the proposed method can locate the paraffin distribution areas of retardance images by involving Otsu’s algorithm. Then, the real cellular-level polarization information (e.g., depolarization) is acquired. The efficiency of the proposed method was demonstrated on unstained rat tissue samples. The results showed that the obtained depolarization images are highly consistent with the stained microscopic images in terms of the morphology and arrangement of the tissues at cellular level. Finally, this method was preliminarily applied to the detection of human lung cancer tissue section, effectively realizing the quantitative differentiation of normal, inflamed, and malignant areas in unstained section. This study provides a possible approach for the rapid and accurate diagnosis of cancer.
Evaluating the coupling efficiency of OAM beams into ring-core optical fibers
Authors: Rojas-Rojas Santiago , Cañas Gustavo , Saavedra Gabriel , Gómez Esteban S. , Walborn Stephen P. , Lima Gustavo
Published: July 2021

In optical communications, space-division multiplexing is a promising strategy to augment the fiber network capacity. It relies on modern fiber designs that support the propagation of multiple spatial modes. One of these fibers, the ring-core fiber (RCF), is able to propagate modes that carry orbital angular momentum (OAM), and has been shown to enhance not only classical but also quantum communication systems. Typically, the RCF spatial modes are used as orthogonal transmission channels for data streams that are coupled into the fiber using different free space beams. Free space beams commonly used are Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) and perfect vortex (PV) beams. Here, we study the optimal conditions to multiplex information into ring-core fibers in this scheme. We study the beam coupling efficiency using the overlap between free space beams and RCF bound beams and determine which are the most relevant LG beams to be considered and how their coupling efficiency can be maximized by properly adjusting the beam width with respect to the fiber parameters. Our results show that the coupling efficiency depends upon the OAM value and that this can limit the achievable transmission rates in SDM systems. In this regard, we find optimal coupling configurations for LG beams based on the RCF fiber and beam parameters. Further, we study the PV beam that allows for nearly perfect coupling efficiencies for all spatial modes supported by these fibers. PV beams present higher coupling efficiencies than LG beams and negligible dependence on the OAM value, thus offering an attractive solution to multiplex high counts of OAM channels from free space into a ring-core fiber using a single coupling configuration.
Modeling changes in probabilistic reinforcement learning during adolescence
Authors: Xia Liyu , Master Sarah L. , Eckstein Maria K. , Baribault Beth , Dahl Ronald E. , Wilbrecht Linda , Collins Anne Gabrielle Eva
Published: July 2021

In the real world, many relationships between events are uncertain and probabilistic. Uncertainty is also likely to be a more common feature of daily experience for youth because they have less experience to draw from than adults. Some studies suggest probabilistic learning may be inefficient in youths compared to adults, while others suggest it may be more efficient in youths in mid adolescence. Here we used a probabilistic reinforcement learning task to test how youth age 8-17 (N = 187) and adults age 18-30 (N = 110) learn about stable probabilistic contingencies. Performance increased with age through early-twenties, then stabilized. Using hierarchical Bayesian methods to fit computational reinforcement learning models, we show that all participants’ performance was better explained by models in which negative outcomes had minimal to no impact on learning. The performance increase over age was driven by 1) an increase in learning rate (i.e. decrease in integration time scale); 2) a decrease in noisy/exploratory choices. In mid-adolescence age 13-15, salivary testosterone and learning rate were positively related. We discuss our findings in the context of other studies and hypotheses about adolescent brain development.
POMAShiny: A user-friendly web-based workflow for metabolomics and proteomics data analysis
Authors: Castellano-Escuder Pol , González-Domínguez Raúl , Carmona-Pontaque Francesc , Andrés-Lacueva Cristina , Sánchez-Pla Alex
Published: July 2021

Metabolomics and proteomics, like other omics domains, usually face a data mining challenge in providing an understandable output to advance in biomarker discovery and precision medicine. Often, statistical analysis is one of the most difficult challenges and it is critical in the subsequent biological interpretation of the results. Because of this, combined with the computational programming skills needed for this type of analysis, several bioinformatic tools aimed at simplifying metabolomics and proteomics data analysis have emerged. However, sometimes the analysis is still limited to a few hidebound statistical methods and to data sets with limited flexibility. POMAShiny is a web-based tool that provides a structured, flexible and user-friendly workflow for the visualization, exploration and statistical analysis of metabolomics and proteomics data. This tool integrates several statistical methods, some of them widely used in other types of omics, and it is based on the POMA R/Bioconductor package, which increases the reproducibility and flexibility of analyses outside the web environment. POMAShiny and POMA are both freely available athttps://github.com/nutrimetabolomics/POMAShinyandhttps://github.com/nutrimetabolomics/POMA, respectively.
A hidden deadly venomous insect: First eco-epidemiological assessment and risk mapping of lonomism in Argentina
Authors: Casafús Milena Gisela , Favalesso Marília Melo , Gritti Micaela Andrea , Coronel Juan Manuel , Guimarães Ana Tereza Bittencourt , Elisa Peichoto Maria
Published: July 2021

Background

Envenomation by the South AmericanLonomiasaturniid caterpillars, named lonomism, constitutes an emerging and somewhat neglected public health issue in Argentina and neighboring countries. Considering that there is an intricate relationship between environment and human health in such cases, this study aimed to analyze the eco-epidemiological profile of 40 accidents and 33 occurrences ofLonomiaspp. in Misiones (Argentina) between January 2014 and May 2020.

Methodology/Principal findings

We described the eco-epidemiological variables and characterized the abiotic scenario of such cases. Additionally, we obtained a density map that shows the punctual intensity ofLonomiarecords throughout Misiones. Most of the accidents occurred in the Department of Guaraní and involved male victims younger than 20 years old. The accidental/occasional occurrence ofLonomiaspp. (considering both adult and caterpillar stages together) was significantly higher in the rural area, whereas only adult specimens were found in urban areas. We determined that the presence of this insect in Misiones is positively related to higher temperatures and solar radiation, and larger precipitation and evapotranspiration throughout the year.

Conclusion/Significance

This study represents an initial step towards the global understanding of lonomism as a public health problem in Argentina. It provides a map of the risk level for this envenomation in Misiones, which could help authorities address public health policy efforts to implement sustainable strategies for prevention and response to this threat in Northeastern Argentina and neighboring regions.
Inequalities of visceral leishmaniasis case-fatality in Brazil: A multilevel modeling considering space, time, individual and contextual factors
Authors: Cota Gláucia , Erber Astrid Christine , Schernhammer Eva , Simões Taynãna Cesar
Published: July 2021

Background

In Brazil, case-fatality from visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is high and characterized by wide differences between the various political-economic units, the federated units (FUs). This study was designed to investigate the association between factors at the both FU and individual levels with the risk of dying from VL, after analysing the temporal trend and the spatial dependency for VL case-fatality.

Methodology

The analysis was based on individual and aggregated data of the Reportable Disease Information System-SINAN (Brazilian Ministry of Health). The temporal and spatial distributions of the VL case-fatality between 2007 and 2017 (27 FUs as unit of analysis) were considered together with the individual characteristics and many other variables at the FU level (socioeconomic, demographic, access to health and epidemiological indicators) in a mixed effects models or multilevel modeling, assuming a binomial outcome distribution (death from VL).

Findings

A linear increasing temporal tendency (4%/year) for VL case-fatality was observed between 2007 and 2017. There was no similarity between the case-fatality rates of neighboring FUs (non-significant spatial term), although these rates were heterogeneous in this spatial scale of analysis. In addition to the known individual risk factors age, female gender, disease’s severity, bacterial co-infection and disease duration, low level schooling and unavailability of emergency beds and health professionals (the last two only in univariate analysis) were identified as possibly related to VL death risk. Lower VL incidence was also associated to VL case-fatality, suggesting that unfamiliarity with the disease may delay appropriate medical management: VL patients with fatal outcome were notified and had VL treatment started 6 and 3 days later, respectively, in relation to VL cured patients. Access to garbage collection, marker of social and economic development, seems to be protective against the risk of dying from VL. Part of the observed VL case-fatality variability in Brazil could not be explained by the studied variables, suggesting that factors linked to the intra FU environment may be involved.

Conclusions

This study aimed to identify epidemiological conditions and others related to access to the health system possibly linked to VL case-fatality, pointing out new prognostic determinants subject to intervention.
Temporal requirements of SKN-1/NRF as a regulator of lifespan and proteostasis in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Grushko Danielle , Boocholez Hana , Levine Amir , Cohen Ehud
Published: July 2021

Lowering the activity of the Insulin/IGF-1 Signaling (IIS) cascade results in elevated stress resistance, enhanced protein homeostasis (proteostasis) and extended lifespan of worms, flies and mice. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), the longevity phenotype that stems from IIS reduction is entirely dependent upon the activities of a subset of transcription factors including the Forkhead factor DAF-16/FOXO (DAF-16), Heat Shock Factor-1 (HSF-1), SKiNhead/Nrf (SKN-1) and ParaQuat Methylviologen responsive (PQM-1). While DAF-16 determines lifespan exclusively during early adulthood and governs proteostasis in early adulthood and midlife, HSF-1 executes these functions foremost during development. Despite the central roles of SKN-1 as a regulator of lifespan and proteostasis, the temporal requirements of this transcription factor were unknown. Here we employed conditional knockdown techniques and discovered that in C. elegans, SKN-1 is primarily important for longevity and proteostasis during late larval development through early adulthood. Our findings indicate that events that occur during late larval developmental through early adulthood affect lifespan and proteostasis and suggest that subsequent to HSF-1, SKN-1 sets the conditions, partially overlapping temporally with DAF-16, that enable IIS reduction to promote longevity and proteostasis. Our findings raise the intriguing possibility that HSF-1, SKN-1 and DAF-16 function in a coordinated and sequential manner to promote healthy aging.
Chance elections, social distancing restrictions, and KENTUCKY’s early COVID-19 experience
Authors: Courtemanche Charles , Garuccio Joseph , Le Anh , Pinkston Joshua , Yelowitz Aaron
Published: July 2021

Early in the pandemic, slowing the spread of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) relied on non-pharmaceutical interventions. All U.S. states adopted social-distancing restrictions in March and April of 2020, though policies varied both in timing and scope. Compared to states with Democratic governors, those with Republican governors often adopted measures for shorter durations and with greater resistance from their residents. In Kentucky, an extremely close gubernatorial election immediately prior to the discovery of SARS-CoV-2 replaced a Republican incumbent with a Democrat, despite Republicans easily winning all other statewide races. This chance election result offers a unique opportunity to examine the impact of early social distancing policies in a relatively conservative, rural, white-working-class state. Our study begins by estimating an event-study model to link adoption of several common social distancing measures–public school closures, bans on large gatherings, closures of entertainment-related businesses such as restaurants, and shelter-in-place orders (SIPOs)–to the growth rate of cases across counties in the Midwest and South in the early stages of the pandemic. These policies combined to slow the daily growth rate of COVID-19 cases by 9 percentage points after 16 days, with SIPOs and entertainment establishment closures accounting for the entire effect. In order to obtain results with more direct applicability to Kentucky, we then estimate a model that interacts the policy variables with a “white working class” index characterized by political conservatism, rurality, and high percentages of white, evangelical Christian residents without college degrees. We find that the effectiveness of early social distancing measures decreased with higher values of this index. The results imply that the restrictions combined to slow the spread of COVID-19 by 12 percentage points per day in Kentucky’s two largest urban counties but had no statistically detectable effect across the rest of the state.
Development and validation of a quantitative, non-invasive, highly sensitive and specific, electrochemical assay for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in saliva
Authors: Chiang Samantha H. , Tu Michael , Cheng Jordan , Wei Fang , Li Feng , Chia David , Garner Omai , Chandrasekaran Sukantha , Bender Richard , Strom Charles M. , Wong David T. W.
Published: July 2021

Amperial™ is a novel assay platform that uses immobilized antigen in a conducting polymer gel followed by detection via electrochemical measurement of oxidation-reduction reaction between H2O2/Tetrametylbenzidine and peroxidase enzyme in a completed assay complex. A highly specific and sensitive assay was developed to quantify levels of IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in saliva. After establishing linearity and limit of detection we established a reference range of 5 standard deviations above the mean. There were no false positives in 667 consecutive saliva samples obtained prior to 2019. Saliva was obtained from 34 patients who had recovered from documented COVID-19 or had documented positive serologies. All of the patients with symptoms severe enough to seek medical attention had positive antibody tests and 88% overall had positive results. We obtained blinded paired saliva and plasma samples from 14 individuals. The plasma was analyzed using an EUA-FDA cleared ELISA kit and the saliva was analyzed by our Amperial™ assay. All 5 samples with negative plasma titers were negative in saliva testing. Eight of the 9 positive plasma samples were positive in saliva and 1 had borderline results. A CLIA validation was performed as a laboratory developed test in a high complexity laboratory. A quantitative non-invasive saliva based SARS-CoV-2 antibody test was developed and validated with sufficient specificity to be useful for population-based monitoring and monitoring of individuals following vaccination.