bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Author Correction: Effects of rainfall manipulation and nitrogen addition on plant biomass allocation in a semiarid sandy grassland
Authors: Zhang Jing , Zuo Xiaoan , Zhao Xueyong , Ma Jianxia , Medina-Roldán Eduardo
Published: September 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Cytokines mapping for tissue-specific expression, eQTLs and GWAS traits
Authors: Salnikova Lyubov E. , Khadzhieva Maryam B. , Kolobkov Dmitry S. , Gracheva Alesya S. , Kuzovlev Artem N. , Abilev Serikbay K.
Published: September 2020

Dysregulation in cytokine production has been linked to the pathogenesis of various immune-mediated traits, in which genetic variability contributes to the etiopathogenesis. GWA studies have identified many genetic variants in or near cytokine genes, nonetheless, the translation of these findings into knowledge of functional determinants of complex traits remains a fundamental challenge. In this study we aimed at collection, analysis and interpretation of data on cytokines focused on their tissue-specific expression, eQTLs and GWAS traits. Using GO annotations, we generated a list of 314 cytokines and analyzed them with the GTEx resource. Cytokines were highly tissue-specific, 82.3% of cytokines had Tau expression metrics ≥ 0.8. In total, 3077 associations for 1760 unique SNPs in or near 244 cytokines were mapped in the NHGRI-EBI GWAS Catalog. According to the Experimental Factor Ontology resource, the largest numbers of disease associations were related to ‘Inflammatory disease’, ‘Immune system disease’ and ‘Asthma’. The GTEx-based analysis revealed that among GWAS SNPs, 1142 SNPs had eQTL effects and influenced expression levels of 999 eGenes, among them 178 cytokines. Several types of enrichment analysis showed that it was cytokines expression variability that fundamentally contributed to the molecular origins of considered immune-mediated conditions.
Activated ROCK/Akt/eNOS and ET-1/ERK pathways in 5-fluorouracil-induced cardiotoxicity: modulation by simvastatin
Authors: Muhammad Radwa Nasser , Sallam Nada , El-Abhar Hanan Salah
Published: September 2020

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is used in the treatment of different solid tumors; however, its use is associated with rare, but serious cardiotoxicity. Nevertheless, the involvement of ROCK/NF-κB, Akt/eNOS and ET-1/ERK1/2 trajectories in the cardiotoxic effect and in the potential cardioprotective upshot of simvastatin has been elusive. Male Wistar rats were allocated into 5-FU (50 mg/kg/week; i.p, 6 weeks), simvastatin (15 mg/kg/day; p.o, 8 weeks) treated groups and simvastatin + 5-FU, besides the normal control group. 5-FU-induced cardiotoxicity boosted the serum level of N-terminal pro-brain (B-type) natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), aortic contents of endothelin (ET)-1 and thromboxane (TX) A2, as well as cardiac contents of NADPH oxidases (Nox), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, malondialdehyde (MDA), phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt), phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK)1/2 and the protein expressions of rho-kinase (ROCK) and caspase-3. On the other hand, it suppressed cardiac reduced glutathione (GSH) and phosphorylated endothelial nitric oxide synthase (p-eNOS). Contrariwise, co-administration with simvastatin overcame these disturbed events and modulated the ROCK/NF-κB, Akt/eNOS and ET-1/ERK1/2 signaling pathways. This study highlights other mechanisms than coronary artery spasm in the 5-FU cardiotoxicity and reveals that NT-proBNP is a potential early marker in this case. Moreover, the cross-talk between ROCK/ NF-κB, ROS/COX-2/TXA2, Akt/eNOS and ET-1/ERK1/2 pathways contributes via different means to upsetting the vasoconstriction/vasodilatation equilibrium as well as endothelial cell function and finally leads to cardiomyocyte stress and death—the modulation of these trajectories offers simvastatin its potential cardio-protection against 5-FU.
On the reliability of highly magnified micrographs for structural analysis in materials science
Authors: Wortmann Martin , Layland Ashley Stephen , Frese Natalie , Kahmann Uwe , Grothe Timo , Storck Jan Lukas , Blachowicz Tomasz , Grzybowski Jacek , Hüsgen Bruno , Ehrmann Andrea
Published: September 2020

Highly magnified micrographs are part of the majority of publications in materials science and related fields. They are often the basis for discussions and far-reaching conclusions on the nature of the specimen. In many cases, reviewers demand and researchers deliver only the bare minimum of micrographs to substantiate the research hypothesis at hand. In this work, we use heterogeneous poly(acrylonitrile) nanofiber nonwovens with embedded nanoparticles to demonstrate how an insufficient or biased micrograph selection may lead to erroneous conclusions. Different micrographs taken by transmission electron microscopy and helium ion microscopy with sometimes contradictory implications were analyzed and used as a basis for micromagnetic simulations. With this, we try to raise awareness for the possible consequences of cherry-picking for the reliability of scientific literature.
Effect of heterogeneity on failure of natural rock samples
Authors: Alzaki Taqi , Al-Dughaimi Saud , Muqtadir Arqam , Kandil Mohamed E. , Dvorkin Jack
Published: September 2020

A carbonate sample extracted from the depth of about 10 kft was subjected to uniaxial loading while the confining stress remained constant. Post-experiment inspection of the sample showed an inclined crack at an angle less than 20° to the horizontal. This subhorizontal crack orientation was contrary to the expected 45° inclination, the plane of the maximum shear stress. Coincidentally, as shown by CT-scan prior to loading, there was a boundary between two layers of different density inside the sample located almost exactly where the crack appeared. This density difference has arguably translated into the contrast in the elastic properties at the boundary. The hypothesis is that because of this elastic heterogeneity, an incipient crack developed at the boundary due to the unavoidable tensile stressing of the sample as it was brought to the benchtop from its original state of high confining stress at depth. Controlled uniaxial compression made the sample slip along this crack, which then developed into a prominent feature. This assumption was corroborated by a numerical experiment showing a strong von Mises stress concentration at the elastic contrast boundary during hydrostatic tensile loading. Another sample, from the same formation, but without strong density heterogeneity, exhibited a classic 45° crack after uniaxial loading. These results provide a novel and important insight into the mechanics, breakage, and strength of natural rock.
Characterization of quantum and classical correlations in the Earth’s curved space-time
Authors: Liu Tonghua , Cao Shuo , Wu Shumin
Published: September 2020

The preparation of quantum systems and the execution of quantum information tasks between distant users are always affected by gravitational and relativistic effects. In this work, we quantitatively analyze how the curved space-time background of the Earth affects the classical and quantum correlations between photon pairs that are initially prepared in a two-mode squeezed state. More specifically, considering the rotation of the Earth, the space-time around the Earth is described by the Kerr metric. Our results show that these state correlations, which initially increase for a specific range of satellite’s orbital altitude, will gradually approach a finite value with increasing height of satellite’s orbit (when the special relativistic effects become relevant). More importantly, our analysis demonstrates that the changes of correlations generated by the total gravitational frequency shift could reach the level of $$<0.5\%$$

<
0.5
%

within the satellite’s height at geostationary Earth orbits.
Delta-shaped gastroduodenostomy using a robotic stapler in reduced-port totally robotic gastrectomy: its safety and efficiency compared with conventional anastomosis techniques
Authors: Kim Ji Su , Batajoo Hemant , Son Taeil , Choi Seohee , Seo Won Jun , Cho Minah , Kim Yoo Min , Lee Joong Ho , Kim Hyoung-Il , Hyung Woo Jin
Published: September 2020

To investigate the safety and efficiency of using robotic staplers for intracorporeal gastroduodenostomy in reduced-port robotic gastrectomy for gastric adenocarcinoma. We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent totally robotic and laparoscopic gastrectomy with intracorporeal gastroduodenostomy. Gastroduodenostomy using the ENDOWRIST robotic stapler (RR) was compared to that using an endolinear stapler during robotic gastrectomy (RE) and to that using an endolinear stapler during laparoscopic gastrectomy (LE). A total of 296 patients underwent gastroduodenostomy: 58, 28, and 210 patients with RR, RE, and LE, respectively. There were no conversions to other methods, and all robotic stapling procedures were performed on the console without receiving additional assistance from a bedside surgeon during RR. Comparing the operative outcomes of RR with those of RE and LE, respectively, we noted similar postoperative short-term outcomes. There were no major complications, including anastomosis-related complications, during the postoperative period after RR. The median reconstruction time during RR was 8 min and 45 s, which was similar to that during RE (8 min, 5 s [P > 0.9999]), but longer than that during LE (6 min, 30 s [P < 0.0001]). Intracorporeal gastroduodenostomy using the robotic stapler during robotic gastrectomy could be safely and feasibly performed on the console without the assistance of assistant, bedside surgeons.
Air-stable Pd(0) catalyst bearing dual phosphine ligands: a detailed evaluation of air stability and catalytic property in cross-coupling reactions
Authors: Sato Ryota , Kanbara Takaki , Kuwabara Junpei
Published: September 2020

The Pd(0) complex bearing donor and acceptor phosphine ligands shows long-term air stability and good catalytic activity even in a reaction with a relatively inactive substrate.
Sequential Conia-ene-type cyclization and Negishi coupling by cooperative functions of B(C6F5)3, ZnI2, Pd(PPh3)4 and an amine
Authors: Cao Min , Yesilcimen Ahmet , Prasad Soumil , Genova Jason , Myers Tanner , Wasa Masayuki
Published: September 2020

A hybrid catalyst system for sequential Conia-ene-type cyclization/Negishi coupling for union of alkynyl ketones and aryl iodides has been developed.
One- and two-point source statistics from the LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey first data release
Authors: Siewert T. M. , Hale C. , Bhardwaj N. , Biermann M. , Bacon D. J. , Jarvis M. , Röttgering H. J .A. , Schwarz D. J. , Shimwell T. , Best P. N. , Duncan K. J. , Hardcastle M. J. , Sabater J. , Tasse C. , White G. J. , Williams W. L.
Published: September 2020

Context.The LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) will eventually map the complete Northern sky and provide an excellent opportunity to study the distribution and evolution of the large-scale structure of the Universe.

Aims.We test the quality of LoTSS observations through a statistical comparison of the LoTSS first data release (DR1) catalogues to expectations from the established cosmological model of a statistically isotropic and homogeneous Universe.

Methods.We study the point-source completeness and define several quality cuts, in order to determine the count-in-cell statistics and differential source count statistics, and measure the angular two-point correlation function. We use the photometric redshift estimates, which are available for about half of the LoTSS-DR1 radio sources, to compare the clustering throughout the history of the Universe.

Results.For the masked LoTSS-DR1 value-added source catalogue, we find a point-source completeness of 99% above flux densities of 0.8 mJy. The counts-in-cell statistic reveals that the distribution of radio sources cannot be described by a spatial Poisson process. Instead, a good fit is provided by a compound Poisson distribution. The differential source counts are in good agreement with previous findings in deep fields at low radio frequencies and with simulated catalogues from the SKA Design Study and the Tiered Radio Extragalactic Continuum Simulation. Restricting the value added source catalogue to low-noise regions and applying a flux density threshold of 2 mJy provides our most reliable estimate of the angular two-point correlation. Based on the distribution of photometric redshifts and thePlanck2018 best-fit cosmological model, the theoretically predicted angular two-point correlation between 0.1 deg and 6 deg agrees reasonably well with the measured clustering for the sub-sample of radio sources with redshift information.

Conclusions.The deviation from a Poissonian distribution might be a consequence of the multi-component nature of a large number of resolved radio sources and/or of uncertainties on the flux density calibration. The angular two-point correlation function is < 10−2at angular scales > 1 deg and up to the largest scales probed. At a 2 mJy flux density threshold and at a pivot angle of 1 deg, we find a clustering amplitude ofA = (5.1 ± 0.6) × 10−3with a slope parameter ofγ = 0.74 ± 0.16. For smaller flux density thresholds, systematic issues are identified, which are most likely related to the flux density calibration of the individual pointings. We conclude that we find agreement with the expectation of large-scale statistical isotropy of the radio sky at the per cent level. The angular two-point correlation agrees well with the expectation of the cosmological standard model.
Multiple photoionization cross sections for Fe2+ K shell
Authors: Kučas Sigitas , Kynienė Aušra , Masys Šarūnas , Jonauskas Valdas
Published: September 2020

Multiple photoionization cross sections from the K shell are studied for all levels of the Fe2+ 3d6 configuration. The study shows that the quadruple photoionization leads to the largest cross sections. A large variation in the multiple photoionization cross sections is determined among the levels of the Fe2+ 3d6 configuration. Main decay branches of radiative and Auger cascades, following the photoionization of the K shell for the ground configuration of the Fe2+ ion, are identified. The radiative and Auger cascade is studied by considering transitions among energy levels and subconfigurations. The obtained data for ion yields are compared with previous calculations produced for configuration averages.
Virtual Reality (VR) in der Nephrologie
Authors: Zgoura Panagiota , Kantzow Boris , Westhoff Timm H.
Published: September 2020

Die virtuelle Realität (VR) hat in den letzten Jahren immer mehr Einzug in die Welt der Medizin gehalten. Projekte für den Fachbereich der Nephrologie sind noch rar. Wir stellen in diesem Beitrag unsere 3 Programme vor: Erstens haben wir ein VR-Trainingsprogramm für das Erlernen der Peritonealdialyse konzipiert und an Probanden getestet. Hiermit können Patienten alle dafür notwendigen Schritte virtuell erlernen. Die Vorbereitung am Simulator stellt den Schritt vor dem eigentlichen Training mit einer Fachkraft dar. Zweitens haben wir ein VR-Trainingsprogramm für den Aufbau eines Hämodialysegerätes erstellt, die hauptsächlich für das Dialysefachpersonal interessant sein wird. Drittens entwickeln wir derzeit ein Aufklärungsvideo über die unterschiedlichen Nierenersatztherapien, in dem eingestreute VR-Anteile die Methoden dem Nutzer reell nahebringen sollen. In einer virtuellen Kulisse eingebettet geht man durch den Vorgang der Hämodialyse, der Peritonealdialyse und der Nierentransplantation durch.
Burn-out-Syndrom in der Pflege
Authors: Haag Stefanie
Published: September 2020

In den letzten Jahren entwickelte sich der Pflegeberuf im Bereich der Hämodialyse zu einem Arbeitsbereich mit ansteigender Arbeitsbelastung, u. a. aufgrund der älter werdenden und multimorbiden Patienten. Dies führt zu Stress und erhöht die Anfälligkeit für ein Burn-out. Definiert ist ein Burn-out als ein emotionaler, körperlicher und geistiger Erschöpfungszustand und Frustration, der durch eine anhaltende Auseinandersetzung mit emotional anstrengenden Situationen entsteht. Dies kann mittels des „Maslach Burnout Inventory“ Fragebogen gemessen werden.
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in critically ill patients is safe and effective when performed in the endoscopy suite
Authors: Farina Domenico A. , Komanduri Srinadh , Aadam A. Aziz , Keswani Rajesh N.
Published: September 2020

Background and study aims Critically ill patients may require endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) but performing ERCP in the intensive care unit (ICU) poses logistic and technical challenges. There are no data on ICU patients undergoing ERCP in the endoscopy suite. The primary aim of this study was to report outcomes, including safety, when ERCP in critically ill patients is performed in the endoscopy suite.

Patients and methods We queried our institutional endoscopy database to identify all ICU patients who underwent ERCP at a single academic medical center from 04/01/2010 to 11/30/2017. Only patients admitted to an ICU prior to ERCP were included.

Results Of 7,218 ERCPs performed during the study period, 260 ERCPs (3.6 %) were performed in 231 ICU patients (mean age 61y; 53 % male); nearly all ICU patient ERCPs (n = 258; 99 %) occurred in the endoscopy suite. ERCP indications included cholangitis (50 %), post-liver transplant cholestasis (15 %), and bile leak (10 %). All ERCPs were performed with anesthesiology, most with general anesthesia (60 %) and in the prone position (60 %). Most patients (73 %) had sepsis. Prior to ERCP, 17 % of patients required vasopressors; vasopressors were begun during ERCP in 4 %.The cannulation success rate was 95 % (94 % in native papillae). Adverse events occurred in 9 % (n = 23) of cases with post-ERCP pancreatitis most common. No patients died during or within 24 hours of ERCP. Mortality at 30 days was 16 %, all attributed to underlying disease.

Conclusions When advanced ventilatory and hemodynamic support is available, critically ill patients can safely and effectively undergo ERCP in the endoscopy suite.
Patency of endoscopic ultrasound-guided gastroenterostomy in the treatment of malignant gastric outlet obstruction
Authors: Kastelijn Janine B. , Moons Leon M.G. , Garcia-Alonso Francisco J. , Pérez-Miranda Manuel , Masaryk Viliam , Will Uwe , Tarantino Ilaria , van Dullemen Hendrik M. , Bijlsma Rina , Poley Jan-Werner , Schwartz Matthijs P. , Vleggaar Frank P.
Published: September 2020

Background and study aims Endoscopic ultrasound-guided gastroenterostomy (EUS-GE) with a lumen-apposing metal stent (LAMS) is a novel, minimally invasive technique in the palliative treatment of malignant gastric outlet obstruction (GOO). Several studies have demonstrated feasibility and safety of EUS-GE, but evidence on long-term durability is limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate patency of EUS-GE in treatment of malignant GOO.

Patients and Methods An international multicenter study was performed in seven centers in four European countries. Patients who underwent EUS-GE with a LAMS between March 2015 and March 2019 for palliative treatment of symptomatic malignant GOO were included retrospectively. Our main outcome was recurrent obstruction due to LAMS dysfunction; other outcomes of interest were technical success, clinical success, adverse events (AEs), and survival.

Results A total of 45 patients (mean age 69.9 ± 12.3 years and 48.9 % male) were included. Median duration of follow-up was 59 days (interquartile range [IQR] 41–128). Recurrent obstruction occurred in two patients (6.1 %), after 33 and 283 days of follow-up. Technical success was achieved in 39 patients (86.7 %). Clinical success was achieved in 33 patients (73.3 %). AEs occurred in 12 patients (26.7 %), of which five were fatal. Median overall survival was 57 days (IQR 32–114).

Conclusions EUS-GE showed a low rate of recurrent obstruction. The relatively high number of fatal AEs underscores the importance of careful implementation of EUS-GE in clinical practice.
Feasibility of balloon endoscope-assisted endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for the elderly
Authors: Hakuta Ryunosuke , Kogure Hirofumi , Nakai Yousuke , Hamada Tsuyoshi , Sato Tatsuya , Suzuki Yukari , Inokuma Akiyuki , Kanai Sachiko , Nakamura Tomoka , Noguchi Kensaku , Ishigaki Kazunaga , Saito Kei , Saito Tomotaka , Takahara Naminatsu , Mizuno Suguru , Yamada Atsuo , Tada Minoru , Koike Kazuhiko
Published: September 2020

Background and study aims Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for patients with surgically altered anatomy is challenging. Recently, balloon endoscopy has been shown to facilitate ERCP for this population with a high technical success rate, but adverse events (AEs) are not uncommon. Compared to non-elderly patients, elderly patients may be at higher risk of AEs due to underlying comorbidities. The current study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of balloon endoscope-assisted ERCP (BE-ERCP) for the elderly.

Patients and methods We retrospectively identified patients who underwent BE-ERCP between January 2010 and September 2019. For patients who underwent multiple procedures during the study period, the first session was analyzed. Early AEs associated with BE-ERCP were compared between elderly (≥ 75 years) and non-elderly patients.

Results A total of 1,363 BE-ERCP procedures were performed, and 568 patients (211 elderly and 357 non-elderly) were included for the analyses. Technical success rates were high in both the elderly and non-elderly groups (80 % vs. 80 %, respectively). The rates of early AEs were similar between the groups (12 % vs. 9.0 % in the elderly and non-elderly group, respectively; P = 0.31). The mltivariable-adjusted odds ratio for early AEs comparing elderly to non-elderly patients was 1.36 (95 % confidence interval, 0.74–2.51; P = 0.32). Specifically, we did not observe between-group differences in rates of gastrointestinal perforation (2.4 % vs. 2.8 % in elderly and non-elderly groups, respectively; P = 0.99) and aspiration pneumonia (1.9 % vs. 0.6 %, P = 0.20).

Conclusions BE-ERCP is a feasible procedure for elderly individuals with surgically altered anatomy.
Trauma-Induced Coagulopathy and Massive Bleeding: Current Hemostatic Concepts and Treatment Strategies
Authors: Gratz Johannes , Oberladstätter Daniel , Schöchl Herbert
Published: September 2020

Hemorrhage after trauma remains a significant cause of preventable death. Trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) at the time of hospital admission is associated with an impaired outcome. Rather than a universal phenotype, TIC represents a complex hemostatic disorder, and standard coagulation tests are not designed to adequately reflect the complexity of TIC. Viscoelastic testing (VET) has gained increasing interest for the characterization of TIC because it provides a more comprehensive depiction of the coagulation process. Thus, VET has been established as a point-of-care-available hemostatic monitoring tool in many trauma centers. Damage-control resuscitation and early administration of tranexamic acid provide the basis for treating TIC. To improve survival, ratio-driven massive transfusion protocols favoring early and high-dose plasma transfusion have been implemented in many trauma centers around the world. Although plasma contains all coagulation factors and inhibitors, only high-volume plasma transfusion allows for adequate substitution of lacking coagulation proteins. However, high-volume plasma transfusion has been associated with several relevant risks. In some European trauma facilities, a more individualized hemostatic therapy concept has been implemented. The hemostatic profile of the bleeding patient is evaluated by VET. Subsequently, goal-directed hemostatic therapy is primarily based on coagulation factor concentrates such as fibrinogen concentrate or prothrombin complex concentrate. However, a clear difference in survival benefit between these two treatment strategies has not yet been shown. This concise review aims to summarize current evidence for different diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in patients with TIC.
Renal Dysplasia and Precocious Diabetes Onset in Microcephalic Osteodysplastic Primordial Dwarfism Type II Syndrome: A Case Report
Authors: Segovia-Ortí Raquel , Espinosa de los Monteros Aliaga Cano Natalia , Lumbreras Javier , Sotto-Esteban Diego de , Rodrigo María Dolores
Published: September 2020

Microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type II (MOPDII) is a genetic syndrome. Its main characteristics are bony dysplasia, prenatal and postnatal growth deficiencies, microcephaly, and cerebrovascular disease. Several other features have been added recently. We report an individual with MOPDII affected by congenital renal dysplasia and hyperosmolar coma diabetic onset. Renal dysplasia has not been previously described in individuals with MOPDII. By publishing cases of unusual genetic disorders, it will be possible to broaden the spectrum of these rare syndromes, and improve the diagnosis and management of comorbidities.
Affirmative and silent cyber coverage in traditional insurance policies: Qualitative content analysis of selected insurance products from the German insurance market
Authors: Wrede Dirk , Stegen Tino , Graf von der Schulenburg Johann-Matthias
Published: September 2020

This paper examines the design of affirmative and silent coverage in view of the cyber risks in traditional insurance policies for select product lines on the German market. Given the novelty and complexity of the topic and the insufficient coverage in the literature, we use two different sources. We analysed the general insurance terms and conditions of different traditional insurance lines using Mayring’s qualitative content analysis. Also, we conducted interviews with experts from the German insurance industry to evaluate how insurers understand their silent cyber exposures, and what measures they take to deal with this new exposure. The study shows a considerable cyber liability risk potential for insurers in the considered insurance lines. This arises from the affirmative as well as silent cover inclusions and exclusions for cyber risks, which result from imprecise wordings of insurance clauses and insufficient descriptions of the contractually specified scope of the insurance coverage.
Exposure to catastrophe risk and use of reinsurance: an empirical evaluation for the U.S.
Authors: Drexler Alejandro , Rosen Richard
Published: September 2020

Reinsurance has long been used for tail risk protection. There is ample anecdotal information from practitioners about this dimension of reinsurance. The subject, however, remains largely unexplored in the academic literature given the lack of data about non-proportional reinsurance contracts. We develop a novel approach to measure the use of non-proportional reinsurance and use it to disentangle reinsurance used for catastrophe risk protection from reinsurance used for other motivations, for example regulatory capital relief. Our findings rely on a new measure of catastrophe risk that has strong explanatory power about insurers’ behaviour towards risk beyond what has been captured by existing measures.
Streptozotocin-induced diabetic cardiomyopathy in rats: ameliorative effect of PIPERINE via Bcl2, Bax/Bcl2, and caspase-3 pathways
Authors: Wang Yan , Sun Hui , Zhang Jianwu , Xia Zhiyang , Chen Wei
Published: September 2020

The objective of present investigation was to appraise the effects of piperine on STZ-induced diabetic cardiomyopathy in rats. Diabetes was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats with intraperitoneal STZ injection, and the rats were assigned to seven groups. Electrocardiograph, hemodynamic, various biochemical, molecular, and histological parameters were examined. Treatment with piperine significantly (p < 0.05) restored altered myocardial functions, inhibited cardiac marker, and restored electrocardiogram and hemodynamic alterations. The elevated level of cardiac oxido-nitrosative stress and decreased cardiac Na-K-ATPase concentration, after STZ administration, were significantly (p < 0.05) attenuated by piperine treatment. Piperine also considerably (p < 0.05) increased myocardial mitochondrial enzyme activity. STZ-induced alteration in heart ANP, BNP, cTn-I, Bcl2, Bax/Bcl2, and caspase3 mRNA expression was significantly (p < 0.05) restored by piperine treatment. Piperine administration reduced histopathological aberrations induced by STZ. In conclusion, the present investigation suggests that piperine ameliorates STZ-induced diabetic cardiomyopathy via modulation of caspase-3, Bcl2, Bax/Bcl2 pathways.

Abbreviations: ACE: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme; ANOVA: Analysis of Variance; ANP: Atrial Natriuretic Peptide; APAF: Apoptotic Protease-Activating Factor; ARB: Angiotensin Receptor Blockers; ATP: Adenosine Triphosphate; Bax: Bcl-2-associated X protein; Bcl2: B-cell lymphoma 2; BPM: Beats Per Minute; BNP: brain natriuretic peptide; CAD: Caspase-3-Activated DNase; cDNA: Complementary DNA; CK-MB: Creatine Kinase-MB; CPCSEA: Committee for the Purpose of Control And Supervision of Experiments on Animals; cTn-I: cardiac troponin I; DBP: Diastolic Blood Pressure; DCM: Diabetic Cardiomyopathy; DNA: Deoxyribonucleic Acid; DPX: DisterenePhthalate Xylene; ECG: Electrocardiogram; ETC: Electron Transport Chain; GOD-POD: Glucose Oxidase Peroxidase; GSH: Glutathione; IAEC: Institutional Animal Ethics Committee; IL-6: Interleukin-6; IL-1b: Interleukin-1b; LDH: Lactate Dehydrogenase; LV: Left Ventricle; LVEDP: left ventricular end-diastolic Pressure; MABP: Mean Arterial Blood Pressure; MDA: Malondialdehyde; mRNA: Messenger Ribonucleic Acid; MTT: 3- (4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-DiphenyltetrazoliumBromide; NADH: Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate; NADPH: Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate Hydrogen; NO: nitric oxide; NP: Natriuretic Peptides; OXPHOS: Oxidative Phosphorylation; p.o.: per os; PCR: Polymerase Chain Reaction; RT-PCR: Reverse Transcriptionpolymerase Chain Reaction; PPAR: Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma; RAS: Renin-Angiotensin System; RNA: Ribonucleic Acid; ROS: Reactive Oxygen Species; SBP: Systolic Blood Pressure; SDH: Succinate Dehydrogenase; SEM: Standard Error Means; SOD: superoxide dismutase: STZ: Streptozotocin; TNF: Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha; TnI: Troponin I
Effects of breeding and molt activity on songbird site fidelity
Authors: Figueira Luiza , Martins Pedro , Ralph C John , Stephens Jaime L , Alexander John D , Wolfe Jared D
Published: September 2020

The prebasic molt is a perilous period for songbirds, characterized by heightened energetic demands and vulnerability to predators. Given these vulnerabilities, songbirds are under selective pressure to locate and use quality habitat during the prebasic molt, potentially resulting in site fidelity between years. In this study, we aimed to determine how differences in breeding and molting activity affected site fidelity for a diversity of species at the landscape scale. To accomplish our objective, we used 31 yr of banding data from northern California and southern Oregon for 16 species of songbirds with Cormack-Jolly-Seber analyses and weighted linear regression models to assess the effects of molting and breeding activity on the probability of a species returning to a site in subsequent years. Despite substantial variation in site use for breeding and/or molting, each study species had at least some locations that were used for both breeding and molting. Captured breeding birds (n = 18,574) were much more common than molting birds (n = 7,622). Breeding activity was positively correlated with higher site fidelity for 10 of the 16 species, while we found little evidence of a relationship between molting activity and site fidelity. Only the Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) showed increased site fidelity with increased presence of molt activity. It is likely that a shifting mosaic of food resources during the post-breeding period drives dynamic movements of songbirds in search of the necessary resources to successfully complete their annual molt.
Meta-i6mA: an interspecies predictor for identifying DNAN6-methyladenine sites of plant genomes by exploiting informative features in an integrative machine-learning framework
Authors: Hasan Md Mehedi , Basith Shaherin , Khatun Mst Shamima , Lee Gwang , Manavalan Balachandran , Kurata Hiroyuki
Published: September 2020

DNA N6-methyladenine (6mA) represents important epigenetic modifications, which are responsible for various cellular processes. The accurate identification of 6mA sites is one of the challenging tasks in genome analysis, which leads to an understanding of their biological functions. To date, several species-specific machine learning (ML)-based models have been proposed, but majority of them did not test their model to other species. Hence, their practical application to other plant species is quite limited. In this study, we explored 10 different feature encoding schemes, with the goal of capturing key characteristics around 6mA sites. We selected five feature encoding schemes based on physicochemical and position-specific information that possesses high discriminative capability. The resultant feature sets were inputted to six commonly used ML methods (random forest, support vector machine, extremely randomized tree, logistic regression, naïve Bayes and AdaBoost). The Rosaceae genome was employed to train the above classifiers, which generated 30 baseline models. To integrate their individual strength, Meta-i6mA was proposed that combined the baseline models using the meta-predictor approach. In extensive independent test, Meta-i6mA showed high Matthews correlation coefficient values of 0.918, 0.827 and 0.635 on Rosaceae, rice and Arabidopsis thaliana, respectively and outperformed the existing predictors. We anticipate that the Meta-i6mA can be applied across different plant species. Furthermore, we developed an online user-friendly web server, which is available at http://kurata14.bio.kyutech.ac.jp/Meta-i6mA/.
TNF Inhibitors and Risk of Malignancy in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Systematic Review
Authors: Muller Marie , D’Amico Ferdinando , Bonovas Stefanos , Danese Silvio , Peyrin-Biroulet Laurent
Published: September 2020

Background and Aims

The association between tumour necrosis factor inhibitors [TNFi] and malignancy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] is not well understood. Our aim was to systematically evaluate the impact of TNFi use on risk of malignancy in IBD patients in daily clinical practice.

Methods

We searched Pubmed, Embase and Scopus until March 1, 2020 for observational cohort studies on adult IBD patients reporting malignancy occurrence and TNFi use.

Results

Twenty-eight studies [20 retrospective and eight prospective] were included, involving 298 717 IBD patients. Mean age at inclusion ranged from 28 to >65 years. Mean follow-up varied from 7 to 80 months. Infliximab was the most frequently used TNFi [13/28 studies, 46.4%], followed by adalimumab [3/28, 10.7%], while both infliximab and adalimumab were evaluated in five studies [17.8%]. In total, 692 malignancies were diagnosed in IBD patients treated with TNFi, accounting for an overall occurrence of 1.0%. The most frequent malignancies were non-melanoma skin cancers [123/692, 17.8%], digestive malignancies [120/692, 17.3%] and haematological malignancies [106/692, 15.3%]. The association between TNFi and malignancy was evaluated in 11 studies [39.3%]: no significant association was found in ten studies, while an increased risk of lymphoma in patients exposed to TNFi was reported in one study.

Conclusion

TNFi treatment is not associated with an increased risk of malignancy in IBD patients in real-life settings. Further large studies are needed to assess the prognosis of patients exposed to TNFi and risk of recurrence or new cancers in subjects with personal malignancy history.
Musicians and their monuments in the Burgundian Netherlands: some art historical perspectives
Authors: Brine Douglas
Published: September 2020

Musicians and their monuments in the Burgundian Netherlands: some art historical perspectives

This article examines the monuments with which some of the most celebrated musicians and composers of the Burgundian Netherlands were commemorated. Perhaps best known is Guillaume Du Fay’s wall-mounted memorial; thanks to musicologists’ research, his sculpted tablet is also one of the best documented of its kind and thus can be situated within the context of the composer’s various provisions—musical and otherwise—to secure his posthumous commemoration. Du Fay’s memorial is considered in relation to selected artworks commemorating his contemporaries and successors, including Gilles Binchois, Jacob Obrecht, Josquin des Prez and Marbrianus de Orto. These include not only tombs and memorial tablets but also panel paintings—like Hans Memling’s portrait of Gilles Joye—and, in one case, a brass reliquary coffer. Of particular concern are the ways in which these monuments reflect their patrons’ wealth, status, personal relationships and devotional priorities, as well as their identities as musicians and clerics.
International Constraints, Political Turnover, and Voting Consistency in the United Nations General Assembly
Authors: DiLorenzo Matthew , Rooney Bryan
Published: September 2020

Recent studies demonstrate that turnover in domestic political leadership is associated with change in states’ foreign policies. While domestic changes matter even after controlling for international factors, many argue that international factors should overwhelm the effects of domestic turnover on foreign policy change. Yet existing studies tend to focus on other domestic-level variables (e.g., regime type) as constraints on domestic turnover. We consider how three sets of international factors that scholars have argued might outweigh the influence of domestic changes—security environment, socialization, and economic dependence—moderate the effects of domestic coalition changes on variance in voting patterns in the United Nations. To do this, we interact a measure of domestic coalition turnover with various proxies for international context in a statistical model of voting consistency. We find that many international factors are associated with greater consistency in voting behavior. Yet the effects of domestic change on foreign policy are remarkably resilient. We find only limited evidence that the effect of domestic change attenuates as states face more international constraints. The results reinforce the importance of understanding the role of both domestic political factors and international context in shaping foreign policy.
On the Market Dominance of the Provider of Ad Blocker Software on an Asymmetrical Two-Sided Market – Also a Discussion of the German Federal Supreme Court’s Decision of 8 October 2019, KZR 73/17 ‒ Ad Blocker III
Authors: Seidel Andreas
Published: September 2020

The German Federal Supreme Court has once again ruled in the matter of advertisement blockers. It is the Court’s third decision concerning the use of ad blocking services, this time from the perspective of competition law. Of particular importance was the clarification of the market definition and market dominance in a two-sided market, where the substitution possibilities and ad blocker software countermeasures are of greater importance. The Court also developed guidelines for the balancing of interests in the context of the examination of an abusive exploitation of a possibly market dominant position by an ad blocking business model. The resolution of this dispute will provide a benchmark for the assessment of acceptable behaviour of intermediaries under competition law. It will be of considerable importance here that the company behind ‘Adblock Plus’ software is operating on an ‘asymmetrical’ or significantly imbalanced two-sided market. In this market the benefits of the software are almost one-sided on the part of the internet users, but the financing is mainly covered by website operators who themselves experience significant disadvantages from the use of the ad blocker.
Queering explanatory frameworks for wartime sexual violence against men
Authors: Schulz Philipp , Touquet Heleen
Published: September 2020

In this article we argue that prevalent explanatory frameworks of sexual violence against men primarily pursue one line of inquiry, explaining its occurrence as exclusively strategic and systematic, based on heteronormative and homophobic assumptions about violence, gender and sexualities. Feminist IR scholarship has significantly complexified our understanding of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), documenting its multiple forms and causes across time and space—thereby moving beyond the persistent opportunism-strategy dichotomy and critically engaging with the dominant ‘rape as a weapon of war’ narrative. Drawing on empirical material from Sri Lanka and northern Uganda we queer the current explanatory frameworks, analyzing multiple instances of CRSV against men that both simultaneously seem to confirm and defy categorizations as opportunistic or strategic, while being situated in broader and systematic warfare dynamics and unequal power-relationships. Our empirical material shows that relying on crude categorizations such as the opportunism–strategy binary is unproductive and essentialist, as it tends to mask over the complexities and messiness of deeply gendered power relationships during times of war. Binary strategy/opportunism categorizations also imply broader unintended political consequences, including the further marginalization of sexual violence acts that fall outside the dominant scripts or binary frameworks—such as sexual violence against men with opportunistic underpinnings.
Redescription and notes on the ecology of Pagurapseudes dentatus (Brown, 1956) (Peracarida: Tanaidacea), a shell-inhabiting tanaid from South Africa
Authors: Brokensha Rouane , Landschoff Jannes , du Plessis Anton , Griffiths Charles L
Published: September 2020

The tanaid Pagurapseudes dentatus was described from a male collected from the intertidal zone at False Bay, South Africa. The description was poorly illustrated, incomplete, did not describe the female or juvenile stages, and gave no information on its habitat. The species was rediscovered and found to be locally abundant at locations in South Africa, where it inhabits vacant gastropod shells. We redescribe P. dentatus by fully illustrating and describing its morphological characters, including the copulatory female and manca II stages. Pagurapseudes dentatus differs from similar species by a long seta on the basis of the characteristically elongated pereopod-1, as well as its singular distal pectinate setae on the propodus and adjacent to the dactylus of pereopod 6. Nano-CT scanning was used to illustrate and document the unusual mode of occupation of empty gastropod shells by the species. It was found (N = 139) occupying shells of 19 gastropod species from 10 different genera, occurring most abundantly in shells of Tricolia Risso, 1826, Burnupena Iredale, 1918, Assiminea Fleming, 1828, and Gibbula Risso, 1826. It forms dense populations under intertidal boulders, where it co-occurs with, and may compete for empty shells, with at least two common species of hermit crabs.
Pricing Under Fairness Concerns
Authors: Eyster Erik , Madarász Kristóf , Michaillat Pascal
Published: September 2020

This paper proposes a theory of pricing premised upon the assumptions that customers dislike unfair prices—those marked up steeply over cost—and that firms take these concerns into account when setting prices. Because they do not observe firms’ costs, customers must extract costs from prices. The theory assumes that customers infer less than rationally: When a price rises due to a cost increase, customers partially misattribute the higher price to a higher markup—which they find unfair. Firms anticipate this response and trim their price increases, which drives the passthrough of costs into prices below one: Prices are somewhat rigid. Embedded in a New Keynesian model as a replacement for the usual pricing frictions, our theory produces monetary nonneutrality: When monetary policy loosens and inflation rises, customers misperceive markups as higher and feel unfairly treated; firms mitigate this perceived unfairness by reducing their markups; in general equilibrium, employment rises. The theory also features a hybrid short-run Phillips curve, realistic impulse responses of output and employment to monetary and technology shocks, and an upward-sloping long-run Phillips curve.
Government-Created Nonprofit Organizations and Public Service Turnaround: Evidence from a Synthetic Control Approach
Authors: Alonso José M , Andrews Rhys
Published: September 2020

Theories of sectoral advantage and failure suggest that collaborations between public and nonprofit organizations can create new collaborative capabilities that compensate for sector-specific weaknesses. Drawing on these perspectives, we investigate whether government-created nonprofit organizations (GCNPOs) can turn around public services regarded as “failing” by government agencies. In doing so, we analyze the transfer of all of the functions of a “failing” inner London local education authority (Hackney) to a specially created not-for-profit organization (the Learning Trust) responsible for all the primary and high schools within its jurisdiction (circa 60 schools, with about 25,000 pupils). Using a synthetic control method approach to investigate the performance effects of this intervention, we find that educational outcomes improved in Hackney during the years following the creation of the Learning Trust. Documentary evidence suggests that the nonprofit form of the Learning Trust may have enabled it to develop better relations with the local community and access new revenue streams, which helped to improve outcomes. Our findings highlight the breadth and depth of the contribution that GCNPOs can make to the delivery of public services and to their potential effectiveness in helping to turnaround those that are failing.
No false grounds and topology of argumentation
Authors: Shi Chenwei
Published: September 2020

We integrate Dung’s argumentation framework with a topological space to formalize Clark’s no false lemmas theory for solving the Gettier problem and study its logic. Our formalization shows that one of the two notions of knowledge proposed by Clark, justified belief with true grounds, satisfies Stalnaker’s axiom system of belief and knowledge except for the axiom of closure under conjunction. We propose a new notion of knowledge, justified belief with a well-founded chain of true grounds, which further improves on Clark’s two notions of knowledge. We pinpoint a seemingly reasonable condition which makes these three notions of knowledge collapse into the same one and explain why this result looks counter-intuitive. From a technical point of view, our formal analysis driven by the philosophical issues reveals the logical structure of the grounded semantics in Dung’s argumentation theory.
First L band detection of hot exozodiacal dust with VLTI/MATISSE
Authors: Kirchschlager Florian , Ertel Steve , Wolf Sebastian , Matter Alexis , Krivov Alexander V
Published: September 2020

For the first time, we observed the emission of hot exozodiacal dust in L band. We used the new instrument MATISSE at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer to detect the hot dust around κ Tuc with a significance of 3σ to 6σ at wavelengths between 3.37 and $3.85\, {\mu {\rm m}}$ and a dust-to-star flux ratio of 5 to $7{{{\ \rm per\ cent}}}$. We modelled the spectral energy distribution based on the new L band data alone and in combination with H band data published previously. In all cases we find $0.58\, {\mu {\rm m}}$ grains of amorphous carbon to fit the κ Tuc observations the best, however, also nanometre or micrometre grains and other carbons or silicates reproduce the observations well. Since the H band data revealed a temporal variability, while our Lband data were taken at a different epoch, we combine them in different ways. Depending on the approach, the best fits are obtained for a narrow dust ring at a stellar distance in the 0.1–029 au range and thus with a temperature between 940 and $1430\, {\rm K}$. Within the 1σ uncertainty dust location and temperature are confined to $0.032{\!-\!}1.18\, {\rm au}$ and $600{\!-\!}2000\, {\rm K}$.