bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mean thermal energy balance analysis in differentially heated vertical channel flows
Authors: Kim Ki-Ha , Ahn Junsun , Choi Jung-Il
Published: June 2021

Direct numerical simulations of differentially heated vertical channel (DHVC) flows were performed for Ra=105–109 to investigate the characteristics of the streamwise mean momentum and mean thermal energy equations. The log law for mean temperature was observed for Ra≥108 at y+>50, where y+ is the wall-normal distance normalized by the viscous wall unit. From the mean momentum equation, negligible viscous force and logarithmically increasing Reynolds shear stress were observed in the region where the log law for mean temperature occurred. The streamwise mean velocity did not exhibit a linear relationship with y+ close to the wall and did not show logarithmic development far from the wall due to the buoyancy force. In the mean thermal energy equation, a constant heat flux layer was observed, and the turbulent heat flux contribution was scaled by the inverse of wall-normal distance to satisfy the log law of mean temperature. For a high Rayleigh number (Ra=109), the turbulent heat flux spectra contained scale-separated inner and outer sites with linearly growing energetic structures along the wall-normal distance, which was not observed for a low Rayleigh number (Ra=106). The flow structures of turbulent heat flux originated from the upward wall-normal velocity fluctuations that triggered the non-directional structures of the temperature. These results suggest that the scale separation between the viscous and outer length scales with the wall-attached energetic structures resulted in the log law for mean temperature. These findings could serve as the basis of scaling formulations for the mean velocity and temperature in DHVC flows.
Data-driven super-resolution reconstruction of supersonic flow field by convolutional neural networks
Authors: Kong Chen , Chang Juntao , Wang Ziao , Li Yunfei , Bao Wen
Published: June 2021

The pursuit of high-resolution flow fields is meaningful for the development of hypersonic technology. Flow field super-resolution (SR) based on deep learning is a novel and effective method to provide HR flow fields in a scramjet isolator. Single-path and multiple-path network models based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been developed to augment the spatial resolution of the experimental supersonic flow field. The single-path model uses a simple convolutional layer and fully connected layer serial architecture, and the multiple-path model increases the branch path by adding pooling layers to achieve a fusion structure architecture. Ground experiments of flow in a supersonic isolator at various working conditions are conducted to establish an experimental dataset. The trained single-path and multiple-path CNNs are compared with the traditional interpolation method on the flow field SR reconstruction accuracy. The results demonstrated that single-path CNNs have certain learning ability, but the SR accuracy is not satisfactory; multiple-path CNNs significantly improve the accuracy of flow field SR, and the multiple-path CNN with one branch path achieves the best SR performance.
Soil metabolome response to whole-ecosystem warming at the Spruce and Peatland Responses under Changing Environments experiment
Authors: Wilson Rachel M. , Tfaily Malak M. , Kolton Max , Johnston Eric R. , Petro Caitlin , Zalman Cassandra A. , Hanson Paul J. , Heyman Heino M. , Kyle Jennifer E. , Hoyt David W. , Eder Elizabeth K. , Purvine Samuel O. , Kolka Randall K. , Sebestyen Stephen D. , Griffiths Natalie A. , Schadt Christopher W. , Keller Jason K. , Bridgham Scott D. , Chanton Jeffrey P. , Kostka Joel E.
Published: June 2021

Significance

While peatlands have historically stored massive amounts of soil carbon, warming is expected to enhance decomposition, leading to a positive feedback with climate change. In this study, a unique whole-ecosystem warming experiment was conducted in northern Minnesota to warm peat profiles to 2 m deep while keeping water flow intact. After nearly 2 y, warming enhanced the degradation of soil organic matter and increased greenhouse gas production. Changes in organic matter quality with warming were accompanied by a stimulation of methane production relative to carbon dioxide. Our results revealed increased decomposition to be fueled by the availability of reactive carbon substrates produced by surface vegetation. The elevated rates of methanogenesis are likely to persist and exacerbate climate warming.
Text operators as dialogical mechanisms in judgments of the French Court of Cassation
Authors: Dolata-Zaród Anna
Published: June 2021

The aim of this article is to present text markers as a dialogical mechanism in the French language used in a legal setting. The dialogue between the court and the public administration takes place primarily through a judgment’s justification. On the other hand, the dialogue between the authorities and the court takes place in two possible variants: as a response to the parties allegations raised in the complaint or cassation complaint or as arguments formulated in the cassation complaint. Analyzing the decisions issued by the FrenchCour de cassation, one may notice that this material is characterized by three aspects: intentional, conventional and institutional, as it refers to a set of established beliefs about the nature of the world of a given community.
The question-response system in Mandarin conversation
Authors: Wang Wei
Published: June 2021

This article provides an overview of the question-response system in Mandarin Chinese from a conversation analytic perspective. Based on 403 question-response sequences from natural conversations, this study discusses the grammatical coding of Mandarin questions, social actions accomplished by questions, and formats of responses. It documents three grammatical types of questions, that is, polar questions (including sub-types), Q-word questions, and alternative questions. These questions are shown to perform a range of social actions, confirmation request being the most frequent. Also, this article reveals that the preferred format for confirming polar answers is interjection, while that for disconfirming polar answers is repetition. It provides a starting point for future studies on Mandarin questions and responses as well as a reference point for further crosslinguistic comparison.
LO And: an A-subtype contact binary with a very cool third component
Authors: Huang Hui-Ping , Yu Yun-Xia , Yu Ting , Hu Ke , Xiang Fu-Yuan
Published: June 2021

Despite the intensive investigations since the discovery of LO And approximately 60 yr ago, its evolutionary status and subtype are still a matter of controversy. By simultaneously modeling the radial-velocity curves and new light curves with the Wilson-Devinney code, we present new geometric, photometric and absolute parameters for this system. The simultaneous solution suggests that LO And is an A-subtype contact binary with a contact degree of 32.4%. The absolute parameters are modified to become M
1 = 1.409 M
⊙, M
2 = 0.449 M
⊙, R
1 = 1.36 R
⊙ and R
2 = 0.83 R
⊙. From our observations and data from surveys, we determined 334 eclipse timings. The O – C diagram, constructed from the new eclipse timings and those reported in the literature, reveals a secular increase and a cyclic variation in its orbital period. The former is caused by conservative mass transfer from the secondary component with less mass to the primary one with more mass. The latter may be explained by either the cyclic magnetic activity on the two components or the light-time effect due to a third body. With the absolute physical parameters, we investigated its evolutionary status, and find that LO And is an unevolved contact binary undergoing thermal relaxation oscillation, which will eventually coalesce into a single star with rapid rotation.
Generating and detecting bound entanglement in two-qutrits using a family of indecomposable positive maps
Authors: Bhattacharya Bihalan , Goswami Suchetana , Mundra Rounak , Ganguly Nirman , Chakrabarty Indranil , Bhattacharya Samyadeb , Majumdar A S
Published: June 2021

The problem of bound entanglement detection is a challenging aspect of quantum information theory for higher dimensional systems. Here, we propose an indecomposable positive map for two-qutrit systems, which is shown to detect a class of positive partial transposed (PPT) states. A corresponding witness operator is constructed and shown to be weakly optimal and locally implementable. Further, we perform a structural physical approximation of the indecomposable map to make it a completely positive one, and find a new PPT-entangled state which is not detectable by certain other well-known entanglement detection criteria.
Emergence of transient chaos and intermittency in machine learning
Authors: Kong Ling-Wei , Fan Huawei , Grebogi Celso , Lai Ying-Cheng
Published: June 2021

An emerging paradigm for predicting the state evolution of chaotic systems is machine learning with reservoir computing, the core of which is a dynamical network of artificial neurons. Through training with measured time series, a reservoir machine can be harnessed to replicate the evolution of the target chaotic system for some amount of time, typically about half dozen Lyapunov times. Recently, we developed a reservoir computing framework with an additional parameter channel for predicting system collapse and chaotic transients associated with crisis. It was found that the crisis point after which transient chaos emerges can be accurately predicted. The idea of adding a parameter channel to reservoir computing has also been used by others to predict bifurcation points and distinct asymptotic behaviors. In this paper, we address three issues associated with machine-generated transient chaos. First, we report the results from a detailed study of the statistical behaviors of transient chaos generated by our parameter-aware reservoir computing machine. When multiple time series from a small number of distinct values of the bifurcation parameter, all in the regime of attracting chaos, are deployed to train the reservoir machine, it can generate the correct dynamical behavior in the regime of transient chaos of the target system in the sense that the basic statistical features of the machine generated transient chaos agree with those of the real system. Second, we demonstrate that our machine learning framework can reproduce intermittency of the target system. Third, we consider a system for which the known methods of sparse optimization fail to predict crisis and demonstrate that our reservoir computing scheme can solve this problem. These findings have potential applications in anticipating system collapse as induced by, e.g., a parameter drift that places the system in a transient regime.
Enacting a Jazz Beat: Temporality in Sonic Environment and Symbolic Communication
Authors: Solli Mattias , Netland Thomas
Published: June 2021

What does it mean to enact a jazz beat as a creative performer? This article offers a critical reading of Iyer’s much-cited theory on rhythmic enaction. We locate the sonic environment approach in Iyer’s theory, and criticize him for advancing a one-to-one relationship between everyday perception and full-fledged aural competence of jazz musicians, and for comparing the latter with non-symbolic behaviour of non-human organisms. As an alternative, we suggest a Merleau-Ponty-inspired concept of rhythmic enaction, which we call the enactive communicative approach. Key to this approach is the fact that jazz musicians play by ear, and that the beat emerges because of reciprocal, real-time aural communication. From this perspective, we outline the temporality of a jazz beat as a holistic and dialectical temporal structure. Throughout the discussions, we use John Coltrane’s ‘Trane’s Slo Blues’ as a point of reference.
The dispersal-related traits of an invasive plant Galinsoga quadriradiata correlate with elevation during range expansion into mountain ranges
Authors: Liu Rui-Ling , Yang Ying-Bo , Lee Benjamin R , Liu Gang , Zhang Wen-Gang , Chen Xiao-Yan , Song Xing-Jiang , Kang Ju-Qing , Zhu Zhi-Hong
Published: June 2021

Detecting shifts in trait values among populations of an invasive plant is important for assessing invasion risks and predicting future spread. Although a growing number of studies suggest that the dispersal propensity of invasive plants increases during range expansion, there has been relatively little attention paid to dispersal patterns along elevational gradients. In this study, we tested the differentiation of dispersal-related traits in an invasive plant, Galinsoga quadriradiata, across populations at different elevations in the Qinling and Bashan Mountains in central China. Seed mass–area ratio (MAR), an important seed dispersal-related trait, of 45 populations from along an elevational gradient was measured, and genetic variation of 23 populations was quantified using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. Individuals from four populations were then planted in a greenhouse to compare their performance under shared conditions. Changing patterns of seed dispersal-related traits and populations genetic diversity along elevation were tested using linear regression. Mass–area ratio of G. quadriradiata increased, while genetic diversity decreased with elevation in the field survey. In the greenhouse, populations of G. quadriradiata sourced from different elevations showed a difference response of MAR. These results suggest that although rapid evolution may contribute to the range expansion of G. quadriradiata in mountain ranges, dispersal-related traits will also likely be affected by phenotypic plasticity. This challenges the common argument that dispersal ability of invasive plants increases along dispersal routes. Furthermore, our results suggest that high-altitude populations would be more effective at seed dispersal once they continue to expand their range downslope on the other side. Our experiment provides novel evidence that the spread of these high-altitude populations may be more likely than previously theorized and that they should thus be cautiously monitored.
Efficient production of the rare sugar l-gulose using a wheat-bran culture extract of Penicillium sp. KU-1
Authors: Kuroishikawa Takayuki , Yoshihara Akihide , Furuta Itsumi , Mochizuki Susumu , Watanabe Akira , Izumori Ken , Asada Yasuhiko
Published: June 2021

We found that l-gulose, a rare sugar, was produced from d-sorbitol efficiently, using a wheat-bran culture extract of the fungus Penicillium sp. KU-1 isolated from soil. The culture extract showed enzyme activity for the oxidation of d-sorbitol to produce l-gulose; a high production yield of approximately 94% was achieved.
Analysis of the light regulatory mechanism in carotenoid production in Rhodosporidium toruloides NBRC 10032
Authors: Pham Khanh Dung , Hakozaki Yuuki , Takamizawa Takeru , Yamazaki Atsushi , Yamazaki Harutake , Mori Kazuki , Aburatani Sachiyo , Tashiro Kosuke , Kuhara Satoru , Takaku Hiroaki , Shida Yosuke , Ogasawara Wataru
Published: June 2021

Light stimulates carotenoid production in an oleaginous yeast Rhodosporidium toruloides NBRC 10032 by promoting carotenoid biosynthesis genes. These genes undergo two-step transcriptional activation. The potential light regulator, Cryptochrome DASH (CRY1), has been suggested to contribute to this mechanism. In this study, based on KU70 (a component of nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ)) disrupting background, CRY1 disruptant was constructed to clarify CRY1 function. From analysis of CRY1 disruptant, it was suggested that CRY1 has the activation role of the carotenogenic gene expression. To obtain further insights into the light response, mutants varying carotenoid production were generated. Through analysis of mutants, the existence of the control two-step gene activation was proposed. In addition, our data analysis showed the strong possibility that R. toruloides NBRC 10032 is a homo-diploid strain.
VoroContacts: a tool for the analysis of interatomic contacts in macromolecular structures
Authors: Olechnovič Kliment , Venclovas Česlovas
Published: June 2021

VoroContacts is a versatile tool for computing and analyzing contact surface areas (CSAs) and solvent accessible surface areas (SASAs) for three-dimensional (3D) structures of proteins, nucleic acids and their complexes at the atomic resolution. CSAs and SASAs are derived using Voronoi tessellation of 3D structure, represented as a collection of atomic balls. VoroContacts web server features a highly configurable query interface, which enables on-the-fly analysis of contacts for selected set of atoms and allows filtering interatomic contacts by their type, surface areas, distance between contacting atoms and sequence separation between contacting residues. The VoroContacts functionality is also implemented as part of the standalone Voronota package, enabling batch processing.

Availability and implementation

https://bioinformatics.lt/wtsam/vorocontacts.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Snapshots Quiz
Authors: Lee T-Y , Lin J
Published: June 2021

A 72-year old man presented with recurrent attacks of melaena and severe anemia Oeesophago-Gastro-Duodenoscopy and Colonoscopy were normal. A contrast enhanced abdominal computed tomography scan showed extravasation of contrast medium in the left abdomen. Ongoing bleeding necessitated surgical intervention. At surgery a 1.5☓2.0cm lesion in the proximal jejunum, 10cm distal to the Treitz ligament was found. What is the diagnosis?
Differing Alterations of Odor Volatiles Among Pathogenic Stimuli
Authors: Millet Patrick , Martin Talia , Opiekun Maryanne , Beauchamp Gary K , Kimball Bruce A
Published: June 2021

Alterations of the volatile metabolome (the collection of volatiles present in secretions and other emanations) that occur in response to inflammation can be detected by conspecifics and chemometric analyses. Using a model system where mouse urinary metabolites are altered by treatment with lipopolysaccharide (found in the outer cell membrane of gram-negative bacteria), we hypothesized that alteration of body odor volatiles will vary according to the pathogen responsible for inducing the inflammation. We tested this hypothesis by treating mice with different immunogens that engage different immune signaling pathways. Results suggest that alterations of body odor volatiles resulting from inflammation do contain detailed information about the type of pathogen that instigated the inflammation and these differences are not merely dependent on the severity of the inflammatory event. These results are encouraging for the future of differential medical diagnosis of febrile diseases by analysis of the volatile metabolome. In particular, our data support the possibility that bacterial infections can be differentiated from viral infections such that antibiotic drug stewardship could be drastically improved by reducing unneeded treatments with antibiotics.
Variance-component-based meta-analysis of gene–environment interactions for rare variants
Authors: Jin Xiaoqin , Shi Gang
Published: June 2021

Complex diseases are often caused by interplay between genetic and environmental factors. Existing gene–environment interaction (G × E) tests for rare variants largely focus on detecting gene-based G × E effects in a single study; thus, their statistical power is limited by the sample size of the study. Meta-analysis methods that synthesize summary statistics of G × E effects from multiple studies for rare variants are still limited. Based on variance component models, we propose four meta-analysis methods of testing G × E effects for rare variants: HOM-INT-FIX, HET-INT-FIX, HOM-INT-RAN, and HET-INT-RAN. Our methods consider homogeneous or heterogeneous G × E effects across studies and treat the main genetic effect as either fixed or random. Through simulations, we show that the empirical distributions of the four meta-statistics under the null hypothesis align with their expected theoretical distributions. When the interaction effect is homogeneous across studies, HOM-INT-FIX and HOM-INT-RAN have as much statistical power as a pooled analysis conducted on a single interaction test with individual-level data from all studies. When the interaction effect is heterogeneous across studies, HET-INT-FIX and HET-INT-RAN provide higher power than pooled analysis. Our methods are further validated via testing 12 candidate gene–age interactions in blood pressure traits using whole-exome sequencing data from UK Biobank.
The Early Impact of the IDEA Collaboration Results: How the Results Changed Prescribing Practice
Authors: Iveson Timothy , Hanna Catherine , Iveson Poppy , Zhang Sui , Levasseur Alexandra , Meyerhardt Jeffrey
Published: June 2021

Background

Traditionally, adjuvant treatment for colon cancer has been 6 months of combination chemotherapy. Six phase III trials tested the hypothesis that 3 months is noninferior in efficacy to 6 months and reduces long-term side effects for patients. The results were pooled in the International Duration Evaluation of Adjuvant therapy (IDEA) collaboration. Although this did not meet the noninferiority endpoint, a preplanned subgroup analysis by chemotherapy regimen did demonstrate noninferiority for capecitabine and oxaliplatin. Additionally, risk stratification by T and N stage was defined.

Methods

In an effort to understand the real-life impact of these results, 4 months after the IDEA results, an online survey was distributed to clinicians to ask their approach to the adjuvant treatment of patients with stage III colon cancer.

Results

The survey was completed by 458 clinicians from 12 countries. Assuming that 6 months of treatment was the pretrial standard of care, 89.5% of clinicians reported they had changed practice to prescribe 3 months of treatment for some patients. For patients with low-risk stage III disease, there was a preference for 3 months, and for patients with high-risk stage III disease, most clinicians still prescribed 6 months at that time. Overall, capecitabine and oxaliplatin regimen was the most popular. There were important differences in responses depending on the location of respondent and T and N stage of disease.

Conclusion

This survey shows that the IDEA collaboration has been practice changing but reveals important differences in the way results are interpreted by individual clinicians.
NMR structure of the Vibrio vulnificus ribosomal protein S1 domains D3 and D4 provides insights into molecular recognition of single-stranded RNAs
Authors: Qureshi Nusrat Shahin , Matzel Tobias , Cetiner Erhan Can , Schnieders Robbin , Jonker Hendrik R A , Schwalbe Harald , Fürtig Boris
Published: June 2021

The ribosomal S1 protein (rS1) is indispensable for translation initiation in Gram-negative bacteria. rS1 is a multidomain protein that acts as an RNA chaperone and ensures that mRNAs can bind the ribosome in a single-stranded conformation, which could be related to fast recognition. Although many ribosome structures were solved in recent years, a high-resolution structure of a two-domain mRNA-binding competent rS1 construct is not yet available. Here, we present the NMR solution structure of the minimal mRNA-binding fragment of Vibrio Vulnificus rS1 containing the domains D3 and D4. Both domains are homologues and adapt an oligonucleotide-binding fold (OB fold) motif. NMR titration experiments reveal that recognition of miscellaneous mRNAs occurs via a continuous interaction surface to one side of these structurally linked domains. Using a novel paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) approach and exploring different spin-labeling positions within RNA, we were able to track the location and determine the orientation of the RNA in the rS1–D34 bound form. Our investigations show that paramagnetically labeled RNAs, spiked into unmodified RNA, can be used as a molecular ruler to provide structural information on protein-RNA complexes. The dynamic interaction occurs on a defined binding groove spanning both domains with identical β2-β3-β5 interfaces. Evidently, the 3′-ends of the cis-acting RNAs are positioned in the direction of the N-terminus of the rS1 protein, thus towards the 30S binding site and adopt a conformation required for translation initiation.
Telehealth and Rural-Urban Differences in Receipt of Pain Care in the Veterans Health Administration
Authors: Chen Jessica A , DeFaccio Rian J , Gelman Hannah , Thomas Eva R , Indresano Jess A , Dawson Timothy C , Glynn Lisa H , Sandbrink Friedhelm , Zeliadt Steven B
Published: June 2021

Objective

Examine changes in specialty pain utilization in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) after establishing a virtual interdisciplinary pain team (TelePain).

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

A single VHA healthcare system, 2015–2019.

Subjects

33,169 patients with chronic pain-related diagnoses.

Methods

We measured specialty pain utilization (in-person and telehealth) among patients with moderate to severe chronic pain. We used generalized estimating equations to test the association of time (pre- or post-TelePain) and rurality on receipt of specialty pain care.

Results

Among patients with moderate to severe chronic pain, the reach of specialty pain care increased from 11.1% to 16.2% in the pre- to post-TelePain periods (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.37, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.26–1.49). This was true of both urban patients (aOR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.53–1.71) and rural patients (aOR: 1.16, 95% CI: 0.99–1.36), although the difference for rural patients was not statistically significant. Among rural patients who received specialty pain care, a high percentage of the visits were delivered by telehealth (nearly 12% in the post-TelePain period), much higher than among urban patients (3%).

Conclusions

We observed increased use of specialty pain services among all patients with chronic pain. Although rural patients did not achieve the same degree of access and utilization overall as urban patients, their use of pain telehealth increased substantially and may have substituted for in-person visits. Targeted implementation efforts may be needed to further increase the reach of services to patients living in areas with limited specialty pain care options.
Tetraphenylethylene-conjugated polycation covered iron oxide nanoparticles for magnetic resonance/optical dual-mode imaging
Authors: Yang Li , Fu Shengxiang , Liu Li , Cai Zhongyuan , Xia Chunchao , Song Bin , Gong Qiyong , Lu Zhiyun , Ai Hua
Published: June 2021

Magnetic resonance (MR)/optical dual-mode imaging with high sensitivity and high tissue resolution have attracted many attentions in biomedical applications. To avert aggregation-caused quenching of conventional fluorescence chromophores, an aggregation-induced emission molecule tetraphenylethylene (TPE)-conjugated amphiphilic polyethylenimine (PEI) covered superparamagnetic iron oxide (Alkyl-PEI-LAC-TPE/SPIO nanocomposites) was prepared as an MR/optical dual-mode probe. Alkyl-PEI-LAC-TPE/SPIO nanocomposites exhibited good fluorescence property and presented higher T2 relaxivity (352 Fe mM−1s−1) than a commercial contrast agent Feridex (120 Fe mM−1s−1) at 1.5 T. The alkylation degree of Alkyl-PEI-LAC-TPE effects the restriction of intramolecular rotation process of TPE. Reducing alkane chain grafting ratio aggravated the stack of TPE, increasing the fluorescence lifetime of Alkyl-PEI-LAC-TPE/SPIO nanocomposites. Alkyl-PEI-LAC-TPE/SPIO nanocomposites can effectively labelled HeLa cells and resulted in high fluorescence intensity and excellent MR imaging sensitivity. As an MR/optical imaging probe, Alkyl-PEI-LAC-TPE/SPIO nanocomposites may be used in biomedical imaging for certain applications.
Is specific jurisdiction dead and did we murder it? An appraisal of the Brussels Ia Regulation in the globalizing context of the HCCH 2019 Judgments Convention
Authors: Poesen Michiel
Published: June 2021

Specific jurisdiction in the European Union (EU) is in a state of flux. While its theoretical foundation varies among legal systems, the explanatory model in EU law—established by the Brussels Ia Regulation—is the close geographical connection between a dispute’s subject matter and a court. It is believed that the court with such a connection is best positioned to judge the matter. Therefore, Article 7 of the Brussels Ia Regulation allocates jurisdiction over subject matters as broadly defined as contracts and torts to the court of an array of predetermined locations. However, in reality the courts so identified will not always have a close connection to the dispute. Nonetheless, the court of that place has jurisdiction. This article will evaluate the legitimacy of denying a more concrete role to the linkage between a forum and a dispute. It will also contrast the current state of play in the EU with the approach taken in the jurisdictional filters featuring in the 2019 Hague Judgments Convention.
Recent developments in the law of secured transactions of movables under the new Chinese Civil Code
Authors: Zhang Jing
Published: June 2021

In May 2020, the first Chinese Civil Code was enacted. This Civil Code incorporates several modifications of the law of secured transactions concerning corporeal movables and receivables. These modifications are made under the influence not only of international conventions, model laws, and legislative guides by the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law but also of overseas legislation, especially Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code. First, a semi-functional approach is taken by the Civil Code. The security agreement includes, in addition to typical security contracts, ‘other contracts having a function of security’. Consequently, the rules concerning the property right of charge (hypothec) are also applicable to reservation of ownership, financial lease, factoring, and other security interests, provided that there is no lex specialis. This leaves a larger space of autonomy for individual parties. Moreover, the new Civil Code intends to construct a more inclusive register by requiring reservation of ownership, financial lease, factoring, and other types of security rights to be registered to be effective against third parties. The future register for ordinary corporeal movables and claims will very possibly be a notice-filing system.
Integrating animal movements with phylogeography to model the spread of PRRSV in the USA
Authors: Makau Dennis N , Alkhamis Moh A , Paploski Igor a. D , Corzo Cesar A , Lycett Samantha , VanderWaal Kimberly
Published: June 2021

Viral sequence data coupled with phylodynamic models have become instrumental in investigating the outbreaks of human and animal diseases, and the incorporation of the hypothesized drivers of pathogen spread can enhance the interpretation from phylodynamic inference. Integrating animal movement data with phylodynamics allows us to quantify the extent to which the spatial diffusion of a pathogen is influenced by animal movements and contrast the relative importance of different types of movements in shaping pathogen distribution. We combine animal movement, spatial, and environmental data in a Bayesian phylodynamic framework to explain the spatial diffusion and evolutionary trends of a rapidly spreading sub-lineage (denoted L1A) of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) Type 2 from 2014 to 2017. PRRSV is the most important endemic pathogen affecting pigs in the USA, and this particular virulent sub-lineage emerged in 2014 and continues to be the dominant lineage in the US swine industry to date. Data included 984 open reading frame 5 (ORF5) PRRSV L1A sequences obtained from two production systems in a swine-dense production region (∼85,000 mi2) in the USA between 2014 and 2017. The study area was divided into sectors for which model covariates were summarized, and animal movement data between each sector were summarized by age class (wean: 3–4 weeks; feeder: 8–25 weeks; breeding: ≥21 weeks). We implemented a discrete-space phylogeographic generalized linear model using Bayesian evolutionary analysis by sampling trees (BEAST) to infer factors associated with variability in between-sector diffusion rates of PRRSV L1A. We found that between-sector spread was enhanced by the movement of feeder pigs, spatial adjacency of sectors, and farm density in the destination sector. The PRRSV L1A strain was introduced in the study area in early 2013, and genetic diversity and effective population size peaked in 2015 before fluctuating seasonally (peaking during the summer months). Our study underscores the importance of animal movements and shows, for the first time, that the movement of feeder pigs (8–25 weeks old) shaped the spatial patterns of PRRSV spread much more strongly than the movements of other age classes of pigs. The inclusion of movement data into phylodynamic models as done in this analysis may enhance our ability to identify crucial pathways of disease spread that can be targeted to mitigate the spatial spread of infectious human and animal pathogens.
Morphology-based cladistics splinters the century-old dichotomy of the pied harvestmen (Arachnida: Gonyleptoidea: Cosmetidae)
Authors: Medrano Miguel , Kury Adriano Brilhante , Mendes Amanda Cruz
Published: June 2021

The cosmetids are conspicuous harvestmen, remarkably diverse in size, shape and colour. However, the effectiveness of all these morphological traits for diagnosing groups is scarcely explored in the literature. Since the early 20th century, the family Cosmetidae has been divided into two subfamilies, Cosmetinae and Discosomaticinae, and there has been no further effort to delimit additional or alternative subfamilial groups.

In this analysis, we aim to test the issue of the basal dichotomy of Cosmetinae and Discosomaticinae. Thus, we propose a more comprehensive phylogenetic analysis using both parsimony and Bayesian approach, comprising 103 terminals of Cosmetidae, plus seven outgroup terminals scored for 130 morphological characters. Discosomaticinae is revisited and all its species were included in our matrix. To offer a real challenge to the monophyly of Discosomaticinae, members of 36 genera of Cosmetinae have also been scored. Our results support neither Cosmetinae nor Discosomaticinae sensu Pickard-Cambridge/Roewer as monophyletic groups. We found that Cosmetidae may be organized into a few major clades, which are here diagnosed. Accordingly, taxonomic changes in the arrangement of the family are introduced: description of one new tribe, five new subfamilies and revalidation of a sixth, description of three new genera, and proposition of synonymies, transfers and revalidations at generic level.
Myiasis in Neglected Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck: Review of Management and Current Protocol Recommendations
Authors: Grinblat Golda , Frenkel Yulia , Shochat Isaac , Košec Andro , Midbari Ayelet , Rysin Roman , Dandinarasaiah Manjunath , Braverman Itzhak , Wolf Yoram
Published: June 2021

OBJECTIVE

To propose a first-aid management protocol for myiasis in neglected cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the ED based on a recent literature review.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed.

STUDY SELECTION

Inclusion criteria were all series and case reports of primary/secondary cutaneous SCC with myiasis of the head and neck, including orbital SCC cases, published after 2005.

DATA EXTRACTION

A total of 14 articles including 15 patients were included.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Demographics, socioeconomic situation, site of the lesion, larvae species with bacterial suprainfection, and first-aid treatment options were discussed. Two representative cases are described.

CONCLUSIONS

Large, ulcerated, necrotic, myiasis-burdened SCC lesions in the head and neck area present a challenge for treatment, and to date, no consensus regarding first-aid management exists. The authors’ proposed four-pillar first-aid management scheme may be a valid option to rapidly improve wound condition through disinfection, pain relief, and malodor and discharge eradication as a bridge to surgery.
The Effects of Biological Sex on Sepsis Treatments in Animal Models: A Systematic Review and a Narrative Elaboration on Sex- and Gender-Dependent Differences in Sepsis
Authors: Zhang MengQi , Montroy Joshua , Sharma Rahul , Fergusson Dean A. , Mendelson Asher A. , Macala Kimberly F. , Bourque Stephane L. , Schlechte Jared M. , Eng Mikaela K. , McDonald Braedon , Gill Sean E. , Fiest Kirsten M. , Liaw Patricia C. , Fox-Robichaud Alison , Lalu Manoj M.
Published: June 2021

OBJECTIVES:

Preclinical studies provide an opportunity to evaluate the relationship between sex and sepsis, and investigate underlying mechanisms in a controlled experimental environment. The objective of our systematic review was to assess the impact of biological sex on treatment response to fluid and antibiotic therapy in animal models of sepsis. Furthermore, we provide a narrative elaboration of sex-dependent differences in preclinical models of sepsis.

DATA SOURCES:

MEDLINE and Embase were searched from inception to March 16, 2020.

STUDY SELECTION:

All studies reporting sex-stratified data comparing antibiotics and/or fluid resuscitation with a placebo or no treatment arm in an in vivo model of sepsis were included.

DATA EXTRACTION:

Outcomes of interest were mortality (primary) and organ dysfunction (secondary). Risk of bias was assessed. Study selection and data extraction were conducted independently and in duplicate.

DATA SYNTHESIS:

The systematic search returned 2,649 unique studies, and two met inclusion criteria. Both studies used cecal ligation and puncture models with imipenem/cilastatin antibiotics. No eligible studies investigated fluids. In one study, antibiotic therapy significantly reduced mortality in male, but not female, animals. The other study reported no sex differences in organ dysfunction. Both studies were deemed to be at a high overall risk of bias.

CONCLUSIONS:

There is a remarkable and concerning paucity of data investigating sex-dependent differences in fluid and antibiotic therapy for the treatment of sepsis in animal models. This may reflect poor awareness of the importance of investigating sex-dependent differences. Our discussion therefore expands on general concepts of sex and gender in biomedical research and sex-dependent differences in key areas of sepsis research such as the cardiovascular system, immunometabolism, the microbiome, and epigenetics. Finally, we discuss current clinical knowledge, the potential for reverse translation, and directions for future studies.

REGISTRATION:

PROSPERO CRD42020192738.
Intravenous Drug Use–Associated Infective Endocarditis in Canada: A Call for a Standardized Treatment Strategy That Includes In-Hospital Addiction Medicine and Harm Reduction Services
Authors: Dreaddy Kim , Greene Alison , Adams Corey
Published: June 2021

Amidst the Canadian opioid crisis, the incidence of infective endocarditis associated with intravenous drug use (IVDU-IE) has increased. A survey assessing current perceptions and practice patterns of Canadian cardiac surgeons found a lack of objective evidence to guide decision making, limited interprofessional management programs, and a need and willingness to create a national strategy to better respond to IVDU-IE. These findings are in keeping with evidence of gaps in health care services for people who inject drugs and the need for a multidisciplinary approach that includes the specialty of addiction medicine and the implementation of harm prevention and reduction services. This commentary is a call for the Canadian Society of Cardiac Surgeons to take the lead in initiating an effective treatment strategy for IVDU-IE in Canadian hospitals.

Au centre de la crise des opioïdes au Canada, l’incidence de l’endocardite infectieuse associée à l’usage de drogues intraveineuses (IVDU-IE) a augmenté. Une enquête évaluant les perceptions et les modèles de pratique actuels des chirurgiens cardiaques canadiens a révélé un manque de preuves objectives pour guider la prise de décision, des programmes de gestion interprofessionnelle limités et un besoin et une volonté de créer une stratégie nationale pour mieux répondre à l’IVDU-IE. Ces résultats sont conformes aux preuves de lacunes dans les services de santé pour les personnes qui s’injectent des drogues et à la nécessité d’une approche multidisciplinaire que comprend la spécialité de la médecine de l’addiction et la mise en œuvre de services de prévention et de réduction des méfaits. Cette présente anyalyse est un appel à la Société canadienne des chirurgiens cardiaques pour qu’elle prenne l’initiative de lancer une stratégie de traitement efficace pour l’IVDU-IE dans les hôpitaux canadiens.
Implementation and Evaluation of a Healthcare System’s Approach to Surge Staffing and Training
Authors: Kelley Christina , Sitzer Verna , Neumann Kathleen , Williams Julie , Ecoff Laurie
Published: June 2021

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, a multihospital healthcare system expanded its nursing resources to accommodate the anticipated and actual surge of patients infected with COVID-19. Nursing professional development practitioners rapidly implemented and evaluated a novel, structured orientation and training program to provide additional surge staffing. Transitioning to a team-based model using the new role of nurse extender ensured the continued deployment of safe, person-centered care. Evaluation strategies enabled iterative improvements to the program.
Androgen Receptor is Expressed in Breast Cancer Brain Metastases
Authors: Bergen Elisabeth S. , Berghoff Anna S. , Steindl Ariane , Rajky Orsolya , Mercea Petra A. , Kiesel Barbara , Tendl-Schulz Kristina , Bago-Horvath Zsuzsanna , Exner Ruth , Fitzal Florian , Dieckmann Karin , Widhalm Georg , Steger Guenther G. , Preusser Matthias , Bartsch Rupert
Published: June 2021

Background:

Androgen receptor (AR) expression is a potential therapeutic target in breast cancer (BC) as it is frequently expressed in the luminal A and B subtypes and in approximately one third of basal-like cancers. As AR-positive BC displays a distinct biological behavior, we aimed to analyze AR expression in the particular context of BC brain metastases (BM).

Materials and Methods:

Patients with newly diagnosed BC BM treated with neurosurgical resection were identified from the Vienna Brain Metastasis Registry and clinical data including patient characteristics, biological tumor subtypes and overall survival were obtained by retrospective chart review. Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded specimen containing BM tissue were retrieved from the Neuro-Biobank. Immunohistochemical staining of AR was performed and AR expression in the tumor-cell nucleus was evaluated.

Results:

Fifty-seven BM samples from 57 individual patients with BC were available for this analysis. AR expression of ≥1% tumor cells was evident in 20/57 (35.1%) BM specimens; the median AR-expression rate was 10% (range: 1% to 60%). AR expression was observed in 11/21 (52.4%) BM of the luminal/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative subtype, 3/13 (23.1%) of the luminal/HER2-positive subtype, 2/7 (28.6%) of the HER2-positive subtype and 4/16 (25.0%) of the triple-negative subtype (P=0.247). Median survival from diagnosis of BM was 10 months (range: 0 to 104 mo) in the entire cohort. No significant association of overall survival and AR expression ≥1% was observed (15 vs. 13 mo; P>0.05).

Conclusion:

AR is expressed in more than one third of BC BM with the highest rates among the luminal/HER2-negative BC subtype and may therefore be a potential prognostic and predictive biomarker in this particular BC population.
Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitor Use in Patients Undergoing Decompression Surgery for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
Authors: Pham Tri , Butler Adam , Weideman Rick A. , Annaswamy Thiru M.
Published: June 2021

Objective

Our objectives were to explore the association between phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor use and lumbar decompression surgery by evaluating the prevalence of lumbar decompression surgery in a treatment group of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis compared with a control group.

Design

We performed database review and extracted data including lumbar decompression surgery prevalence, phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor dosage, and fill dates. Treatment group was defined as those with phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor fill dates of less than 30 days before surgery, and control group was defined as those with phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor fill dates at any other time. Lumbar decompression surgery prevalence rates for both groups were calculated.

Results

Our study found 599 lumbar spinal stenosis patients who were prescribed phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor. Three hundred thirty-eight underwent lumbar decompression surgery. Of these, 71 (21%) filled their prescription of less than 30 days before surgery, whereas 267 (79%) filled their prescription during a different period. The majority (94.6%) of surgical patients received decompression at two or more spinal levels.

Conclusions

Prevalence of lumbar decompression surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis was significantly lower in patients in the treatment group on phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor therapy compared with the control group. Among many potential explanations, the vasodilatory effect of phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor may have contributed to a lower surgical rate. This is the first study to explore this novel association. Future prospective studies are necessary to better define the utility of phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor in lumbar spinal stenosis.
A songbird adjusts its heart rate and body temperature in response to season and fluctuating daily conditions
Authors: Linek Nils , Volkmer Tamara , Shipley J. Ryan , Twining Cornelia W. , Zúñiga Daniel , Wikelski Martin , Partecke Jesko
Published: June 2021

In a seasonal world, organisms are continuously adjusting physiological processes relative to local environmental conditions. Owing to their limited heat and fat storage capacities, small animals, such as songbirds, must rapidly modulate their metabolism in response to weather extremes and changing seasons to ensure survival. As a consequence of previous technical limitations, most of our existing knowledge about how animals respond to changing environmental conditions comes from laboratory studies or field studies over short temporal scales. Here, we expanded beyond previous studies by outfitting 71 free-ranging Eurasian blackbirds (Turdus merula) with novel heart rate and body temperature loggers coupled with radio transmitters, and followed individuals in the wild from autumn to spring. Across seasons, blackbirds thermoconformed at night, i.e. their body temperature decreased with decreasing ambient temperature, but not so during daytime. By contrast, during all seasons blackbirds increased their heart rate when ambient temperatures became colder. However, the temperature setpoint at which heart rate was increased differed between seasons and between day and night. In our study, blackbirds showed an overall seasonal reduction in mean heart rate of 108 beats min−1(21%) as well as a 1.2°C decrease in nighttime body temperature. Episodes of hypometabolism during cold periods likely allow the birds to save energy and, thus, help offset the increased energetic costs during the winter when also confronted with lower resource availability. Our data highlight that, similar to larger non-hibernating mammals and birds, small passerine birds such as Eurasian blackbirds not only adjust their heart rate and body temperature on daily timescales, but also exhibit pronounced seasonal changes in both that are modulated by local environmental conditions such as temperature.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Measuring physiology in free-living animals (Part I)’.