bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
COVID‐19 is Associated with an Unusual Pattern of Brain Microbleeds in Critically Ill Patients
Authors: Fitsiori Aikaterini , Pugin Deborah , Thieffry Camille , Lalive Patrice , Vargas Maria Isabel
Published: July 2020

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Covid‐19, initially described as a respiratory system's infection, is currently more and more recognized as a multiorganic disease, including neurological manifestations. There is growing evidence about a potential neuroinvasive role of SARS‐CoV‐2. The purpose of this study is to describe new findings, in the form of cerebral microbleeds affecting different brain structures, observed in MRIs of critically ill patients.

METHODS

For this purpose, the MR images of 9 patients with a common pattern of abnormal findings (2 women/7 men; 55‐79 years of age; mean age: 67.7 years) were depicted. All patients were tested positive for SARS‐CoV‐2 and presented with delayed recovery of consciousness or important agitation, requiring brain MRI.

RESULTS

All patients had suffered from severe (5/9) or moderate (4/9) acute respiratory distress syndrome, requiring prolonged stay in the intensive care unit. Their common MRI finding was the presence of microbleeds in unusual distribution with a specific predilection for the corpus callosum. Other uncommon locations of microbleeds were the internal capsule (5/9), as well as middle cerebellar peduncles (5/9). Subcortical regions were also affected in the majority of patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Brain MRI raised evidence that Covid‐19 or its related treatment may involve the brain with an unusual pattern of microbleeds, predominantly affecting the corpus callosum. The mechanism of this finding is still unclear but the differential diagnosis should include thrombotic microangiopathy related to direct or indirect—through the cytokine cascade—damage by the SARS‐CoV‐2 on the endothelium of brain's vessels, as well as mechanisms similar to the hypoxemia brain‐blood‐barrier injury.
MRI Measurement of Upper Cervical Spinal Cord Cross‐Sectional Area in Children
Authors: Papinutto Nico , Cordano Christian , Asteggiano Carlo , Caverzasi Eduardo , Mandelli Maria Luisa , Lauricella Michael , Yabut Nicole , Neylan Matthew , Kirkish Gina , Gorno‐Tempini Maria Luisa , Henry Roland G.
Published: July 2020

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Neurological and neurodegenerative diseases can affect the spinal cord (SC) of pediatric patients. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows for in vivo quantification of SC atrophy via cross‐sectional area (CSA). The study of CSA values in the general population is important to disentangle disease‐related changes from intersubject variability. This study aimed at providing normative values for cervical CSA in children, extending our previous work performed with adults.

METHODS

Seventy‐eight children (age 7‐17 years) were selected from a Developmental Dyslexia study. All subjects underwent a 3T brain MRI session and any incidental findings were reported on the scans. A sagittal 1 mm33‐dimensional T1‐weighted brain acquisition extended to the upper cervical cord was used to measure CSA at C2‐C3, as well as spinal canal area and skull volume (V‐scale). These three metrics were linearly fitted as a function of age to extract trends and percentage annual changes. Sex differences of CSA were assessed using least squares regression analyses, adjusting for age. We tested normalization strategies proven to be effective in reducing the intersubject variability of adults’ CSA.

RESULTS

CSA changed as a function of age at a faster rate when compared with skull volume (CSA: 1.82% increase, V‐scale: .60% reduction). Sex had a statistically significant effect on CSA. Normalization methods based on canal area and skull volume reduced the CSA intersubject variability up to 16.84%.

CONCLUSIONS

We present CSA normative values in a large cohort of children, reporting on sources of intersubject variability and how to reduce them applying normalization methods previously developed.
Oral administration of royal jelly may improve the preservation of rooster spermatozoa
Authors: Rahnama Golsomeh , Deldar Hamid , Ansari Pirsaraei Zarbakht , Kazemifard Mohammad
Published: July 2020

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of royal jelly (RJ) on liquid and frozen storage of rooster spermatozoa. Twenty‐five 30‐week‐old of Mazandaran native breeder roosters were randomly divided into five treatments (n = 5 roosters/group). Experimental treatments are designed to include a control group and various levels (0.0 (RJ0), 100 (RJ100), 200 (RJ200), 300 (RJ300) mg kg−1 BW−1) of royal jelly (RJ) that were fed to the roosters using force‐feed method. The percentage of forward progressive motility, abnormal spermatozoa, membrane integrity and viability of spermatozoa evaluated after 24 and 48 hr of cooling (at 4°C) and after the freeze–thawing process. Also, mitochondrial activity and DNA fragmentation in fresh (24 hr) and post‐thawed spermatozoa were assessed. The result of this study showed that the spermatozoa forward progressive motility, abnormality, membrane integrity, and viability were improved by the RJ100 group compared to the other groups after 24 and 48 hr storage period at 4°C. The percentage of membrane integrity and forward progressive motility after freeze–thawing in the RJ100 group was significantly higher than the other groups, and the percentage of abnormal spermatozoa was lower. A significant decrease in semen quality parameters was seen after 24 and 48 hr of refrigeration, but there was no observed change between 2 and 24 hr in the RJ100. The viability percentage of spermatozoa in both RJ100 and RJ200 groups was not different. Moreover, after freeze–thawing, DNA integrity and mitochondrial activity in the RJ100 group were significantly higher than the other groups. According to our results, feeding of RJ at 100 mg kg−1 BW−1 to the roosters was improved spermatozoa characteristics during liquid and cryopreservation conditions.
Intersexual mimicry and imperfect deceit of a threatened aquatic herb Ottelia acuminata
Authors: Yang Jing , Niu Yang , Sun Wei‐Bang , Cai Xiang‐Hai , Chen Gao
Published: July 2020

Mimicry of non‐rewarding flowers to rewarding flowers has been accepted as a strategy to improve pollination success in angiosperms. It has been proposed that this mechanism depends on whether potential pollinators can discriminate between the flowers. In this study, the intersexual mimicry and deceit pollination were studied in a threatened dioecious aquatic herb, Ottelia acuminata. Its female flowers resemble male flowers in morphology and odor compounds, to avoid discrimination by pollinators and outcompete male flowers in attracting the pollinators using stronger scents and bigger flowers. However, an obvious visit bias of its pollinator (Apis cerana) to male flowers was detected, suggesting that bees can distinguish the rewarding males from non‐rewarding females. Although the deceit was not successful, pollination was not seriously undermined because pollen limitation was found to be low in the sampled natural population. We speculate that, due to “accidental” visits on female flowers and “mistake” pollinations, pollen limitation could be mitigated by a high frequency of pollen donors, and is correlated with the size and sex ratio of a population. Ottelia acuminata is a threatened dioecious aquatic herb. We suggest that developing multi‐stakeholder coalitions should be encouraged to save the threatened edible and ornamental plant species in China. We hope this study could provide new insights into understanding of the role of intersexual mimicry in other flowering plants.
Multiple Pleistocene refugia and recent diversification for Streptocarpus ionanthus (Gesneriaceae) complex: Insights from multiple molecular sources
Authors: Kyalo Cornelius M. , Chen Ling‐Yun , Lema Mathias , Malombe Itambo , Hu Guang‐Wan , Wang Qing‐Feng
Published: July 2020

Streptocarpus ionanthus (Gesneriaceae) is endemic to Tanzania and Kenya, distributed in Tanga, Morogoro, and Kilifi regions. The species houses nine subspecies characterized by complex morphotypes and poorly understood evolutionary relationships, and thus is an ideal model for investigating evolutionary dynamics over time. Using multiple methods, we sought to test our hypothesis that the infraspecific taxa in Str. ionanthus are slightly variable and evolving populations. We first examined the genetic diversity, population differentiation, and phylogeographic structure among the populations of Str. ionanthus using both chloroplast and nuclear markers. We then estimated the divergence time of Str. ionanthus lineages and modeled past and future distribution. Despite Str. ionanthus exhibiting bottleneck events across its range, the populations maintain relatively high genetic diversity attributed to historical population admixture or local adaptation arising from habitat heterogeneity. The phylogeographic and genetic structure revealed a high connection among the Usambara mountains populations, while molecular dating suggested most diversification of haplotypes began ~1.32–0.18 million years ago and intensified toward the present, a conclusion of recent diversification. Phylogenetic relationship of Str. ionanthus cpDNA haplotypes revealed five main lineages with unique haplotypes that could be suggestive of past isolated refugia during the Pleistocene climate shifts. According to niche modeling, the stability of suitable areas during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) offered protective micro‐habitats that have preserved the genetic diversity of Str. ionanthus to date. In conclusion, our findings suggest a complex Str. ionanthus with slightly variable lineages or populations attributed to multiple refugia and on the verge of divergence.
Actigraphy in sleep research with infants and young children: Current practices and future benefits of standardized reporting
Authors: Schoch Sarah F. , Kurth Salome , Werner Helene
Published: July 2020

Actigraphy is a cost‐efficient method to estimate sleep–wake patterns over long periods in natural settings. However, the lack of methodological standards in actigraphy research complicates the generalization of outcomes. A rapidly growing methodological diversity is visible in the field, which increasingly necessitates the detailed reporting of methodology. We address this problem and evaluate the current state of the art and recent methodological developments in actigraphy reporting with a special focus on infants and young children. Through a systematic literature search on PubMed (keywords: sleep, actigraphy, child *, preschool, children, infant), we identified 126 recent articles (published since 2012), which were classified and evaluated for reporting of actigraphy. Results show that all studies report on the number of days/nights the actigraph was worn. Reporting was good with respect to device model, placement and sleep diary, whereas reporting was worse for epoch length, algorithm, artefact identification, data loss and definition of variables. In the studies with infants only (n = 58), the majority of articles (62.1%) reported a recording of actigraphy that was continuous across 24 hr. Of these, 23 articles (63.9%) analysed the continuous 24‐hr data and merely a fifth used actigraphy to quantify daytime sleep. In comparison with an evaluation in 2012, we observed small improvements in reporting of actigraphy methodology. We propose stricter adherence to standards in reporting methodology in order to streamline actigraphy research with infants and young children, to improve comparability and to facilitate big data ventures in the sleep community.
Outsourcing: A Case of Shared Mental Models in Conflict
Authors: Hira Ron
Published: July 2020

For more than two decades, outsourcing – the business practice of transferring jobs, knowledge, and technologies from high‐ to low‐cost countries – has been a leading public policy issue in the U.S. and other economies. Policymakers respond to public concerns over outsourcing in two ways. One, they craft an electoral message to attract voters, and two, they choose policy responses. Two competing ideologies have emerged, one shared by elites and the other the public, to describe outsourcing and formulate policy solutions. This paper applies the Shared Mental Models (SMM) framework developed by Denzau and North to the two ideologies and it describes how each ideology shapes the politics and policies of outsourcing. Outsourcing is the kind of difficult collective choice – highly complex with strong uncertainty, limited information feedback, and mixed motivations ‐ well suited for the SMM framework. The framework provides a novel view into the political and policy dynamics of outsourcing.
Body size preferences and food choice among mothers and children in Malawi
Authors: Flax Valerie L. , Thakwalakwa Chrissie , Phuka John C. , Jaacks Lindsay M.
Published: July 2020

Overweight in mothers and children in sub‐Saharan Africa is rapidly increasing and may be related to body size perceptions and preferences. We enrolled 268 mother–child (6–59 months) pairs in central Malawi; 71% of mothers and 56% of children were overweight/obese, and the remainder were normal weight. Interviewers used seven body silhouette drawings and a questionnaire with open‐ and closed‐ended questions to measure mothers' perceptions of current, preferred and healthy maternal and child body sizes and their relation to food choices. Overweight/obese and normal weight mothers' correct identification of their current weight status (72% vs. 64%), preference for overweight/obese body size (68% both) and selection of an overweight/obese silhouette as healthy (94% vs. 96%) did not differ by weight status. Fewer overweight/obese than normal weight mothers' preferred body silhouette was larger than their current silhouette (74% vs. 29%, p < .001). More mothers of overweight than normal weight children correctly identified the child's current weight status (55% vs. 42%, p < .05) and preferred an overweight/obese body size for the child (70% vs. 58%, p < .01), and both groups selected overweight/obese silhouettes as healthy for children. More than half of mothers in both groups wanted their child to be larger than the current size. Mothers said that increasing consumption of fruits, vegetables, meat, milk, grains, fizzy drinks and fatty foods could facilitate weight gain, but many cannot afford to purchase some of these foods. Their desired strategies for increasing weight indicate that body size preferences may drive food choice but could be limited by affordability.
The relationship between eDNA particle concentration and organism abundance in nature is strengthened by allometric scaling
Authors: Yates M. C. , Glaser D. M. , Post J. R. , Cristescu M. E. , Fraser D. J. , Derry A. M.
Published: July 2020

Organism abundance is a critical parameter in ecology, but its estimation is often challenging. Approaches utilizing eDNA to indirectly estimate abundance have recently generated substantial interest. However, preliminary correlations observed between eDNA concentration and abundance in nature are typically moderate in strength with significant unexplained variation. Here, we apply a novel approach to integrate allometric scaling coefficients into models of eDNA concentration and organism abundance. We hypothesize that eDNA particle production scales nonlinearly with mass, with scaling coefficients < 1. Wild populations often exhibit substantial variation in individual body size distributions; we therefore predict that the distribution of mass across individuals within a population will influence population‐level eDNA production rates. To test our hypothesis, we collected standardized body size distribution and mark–recapture abundance data using whole‐lake experiments involving nine populations of brook trout. We correlated eDNA concentration with three metrics of abundance: density (individuals/ha), biomass (kg/ha) and allometrically scaled mass (ASM) (∑(individual mass0.73)/ha). Density and biomass were both significantly positively correlated with eDNA concentration (adj. r2 = 0.59 and 0.63, respectively), but ASM exhibited improved model fit (adj. r2 = 0.78). We also demonstrate how estimates of ASM derived from eDNA samples in "unknown" systems can be converted to biomass or density estimates with additional size‐structure data. Future experiments should empirically validate allometric scaling coefficients for eDNA production, particularly where substantial intraspecific size distribution variation exists. Incorporating allometric scaling may improve predictive models to the extent that eDNA concentration may become a reliable indicator of abundance in nature.
Pathophysiology, classification, and MRI parallels in microvascular disease of the heart and brain
Authors: Thomas Michael A. , Hazany Saman , Ellingson Benjamin M. , Hu Peng , Nguyen Kim‐Lien
Published: July 2020

Diagnostic imaging technology in vascular disease has long focused on large vessels and the pathologic processes that impact them. With improved diagnostic techniques, investigators are now able to uncover many underlying mechanisms and prognostic factors for microvascular disease. In the heart and brain, these pathologic entities include coronary microvascular disease and cerebral small vessel disease, both of which have significant impact on patients, causing angina, myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, and dementia. In the current paper, we will discuss parallels in pathophysiology, classification, and diagnostic modalities, with a focus on the role of magnetic resonance imaging in microvascular disease of the heart and brain. Novel approaches for streamlined imaging of the cardiac and central nervous systems including the use of intravascular contrast agents such as ferumoxytol are presented, and unmet research gaps in diagnostics are summarized.
Reinstatement and lectotypification of Alysicarpus procumbens (Papilionoideae, Leguminosae/Fabaceae), an Indian endemic legume
Authors: Arjun Prasad Tiwari
Published: July 2020

Alysicarpus procumbens (Desmodieae, Leguminosae/Fabaceae), is a for the genus highly unique species. It resembles Desmodium in its peculiarly compressed pod, but is similar to Alysicarpus in having uni‐foliolate leaves (sometimes mixed one and three‐foliolate), scarious stipules, ebracteolate flowers, scarious persistent calyx and by the nature of the flowers. Still, A. procumbens has been treated as synonym A. hamosus. After examination of type material, the protologue and a large number of specimens deposited in different herbaria, as well as fresh collections of both species, it is concluded that A. procumbens distinctly differ from A. hamosus not only in the compressed pod, but also in the shape of leaves, broadness of pod joints, internally septate pods, the nature of pod breakage and shape of seeds. Based on these distinct morphological characters, A. procumbens is reinstated as a species. A colour drawing is designated as the lectotype of A. procumbens. A detailed description along with an illustration, color photographs of live plant and a comparison with A. hamosus are provided.
Physical activity and atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence in atrial fibrillation patients after catheter ablation
Authors: Lu Shangxin , Du Xin , Yang Xiaoyi , Jia Zhaoxu , Li Jingye , Xia Shijun , Chang Sanshuai , Zuo Song , Guo Xueyuan , Tang Ribo , Sang Caihua , Bai Rong , Zhou Yingchun , Dong Jianzeng , Ma Changsheng
Published: July 2020

Background

The association between physical activity (PA) and atrial tachyarrhythmia (AT) recurrence after ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) remains unclear.

Methods

We consecutively enrolled 496 patients treated with AF ablation therapy in Beijing Anzhen Hospital. After excluding six patients with valvular heart disease, seven patients with congenital heart disease, 33 patients lost to follow‐up, and 14 patients who did not provide PA level during follow‐ups, 436 patients had their PA level assessed by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire‐Short Form before ablation and each time of follow‐up. The association between PA level (measured at the time closest to AT recurrence, or the end of 12‐month follow‐up if no AT recurrence), as well as active PA during follow‐up, and postablation AT recurrence was tested by multivariate logistic regression.

Results

Of the enrolled patients, 134 (30.7%) patients experienced AT recurrence in the first 12 months postablation. Compared to patients with low PA, patients with moderate or high PA had a lower risk of AT recurrence (odds ratio [OR] = .44; 95% confidence interval [CI], .25‐.80; P = .01 for patients with moderate PA; and OR = .43 [95% CI, .21‐.85], P = .02 for patients with high PA). Compared to patients without active PA, patients with active PA had a lower risk of AT recurrence (OR = .44 [95% CI, .27‐.70], P < .01).

Conclusions

Moderate and high PA are associated with a lower risk of AT recurrence after AF ablation. Active PA during follow‐up is also associated with a significantly lower risk of AT recurrence in the postablation AF population.
HIPPOCRATES AT PHAEDRUS 270C
Authors: Jelinek Elizabeth , Pappas Nickolas
Published: July 2020

At Plato's Phaedrus 270c, Socrates asks whether one can know souls without knowing ‘the whole.’ Phaedrus answers that ‘according to Hippocrates’ the same demand on knowing the whole applies to bodies. What parallel is intended between soul‐knowledge and body‐knowledge and which medical passages illustrate the analogy have been much debated. Three dominant interpretations read ‘the whole’ as respectively (1) environment, (2) kosmos, and (3) individual soul or body; and adduce supporting Hippocratic passages. But none of these interpretations accounts for the Phaedrus' rhetorical method. A better reading sees the whole as the genos ‘soul,’ as the Phaedrus' taxonomies divide that genus.
Insights into gene expression responses to infections in teleosts using microarray data: a systematic review
Authors: Caruffo Mario , Mandakovic Dinka , Cabrera Pablo , Pacheco Igor , Montt Liliana , Chávez‐Báez Ignacio , Mejías Madelaine , Vera‐Tamargo Francisca , Perez‐Valenzuela Javiera , Carrasco‐Labra Alonso , Pulgar Rodrigo
Published: July 2020

The rapid growth of production in aquaculture in the last decades has brought unwanted consequences affecting fish health and increasing the susceptibility to different infections. This systematic review aimed to analyse and summarize the current knowledge of gene expression responses to infectious diseases in teleosts using viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites as agents through published microarray data. We conducted searches in electronic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science and SCOPUS until 1 May 2019. We identified 862 citations across databases and manual searches. After removing duplicates, we screened 455 unique references using titles and abstracts, of which 262 proved potentially eligible and evaluated using full text. A total of 79 articles proved eligible for this review. From the articles retrieved, we examined 261 different experiments (or ‘studies’) and more than a hundred thousand differentially expressed genes (DEGs). This systematic review represents the first catalogue of genes (and their associated processes) that differentially transcribe in different teleost species (13 species) due to infections generated by a large variety of pathogens (38 types). Although the obtained gene expression results are in considerable measure associated with expected immune response, other genes showed surprising significant transcriptional outcomes that may unravel unknown functions related to fish infections. This type of investigations facilitates the visualization of existing gaps in researches that may inspire future analysis in non‐traditional but relevant host or pathogen species.
Community perspectives on the reintroduction of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) to the UK
Authors: Hawkins Sally A. , Brady Deborah , Mayhew Michael , Smith Darrell , Iversen Sara Vangerschov , Lipscombe Steven , White Chris , Eagle Adam , Convery Ian
Published: July 2020

The potential for the reintroduction of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) to the UK gained considerable attention in 2017 when the Lynx UK Trust announced their intention to apply for a license to hold a controlled trial reintroduction of lynx in Kielder Forest, Northumberland, an application which was denied in 2019 by the then Secretary of State Michael Gove MP. The historical extirpation of large carnivores in the UK has resulted in communities, populations, and landscapes with little or no experience of coexistence with large predators. While charismatic carnivores have significant cultural symbolism and are often promoted as flagship species for conservation and rewilding, their reintroduction presents challenges for conservation and rewilding in practice, not least in terms of managing often vehement opposition. This article presents findings from the initial consultation process and considers the lessons learned from the methodological approach. In particular, while the incomplete consultation centered on a community‐based approach, there were several factors that constrained public participation, information sharing, and transparent communications integral to this. These are identified and explored here using qualitative data collected during the local consultation, with the intention of informing any similar reintroduction projects.
Ebola Virus Dose Response Model for Aerosolized Exposures: Insights from Primate Data
Authors: Mitchell Jade , Dean Kara , Haas Charles
Published: July 2020

This study develops dose–response models for Ebolavirus using previously published data sets from the open literature. Two such articles were identified in which three different species of nonhuman primates were challenged by aerosolized Ebolavirus in order to study pathology and clinical disease progression. Dose groups were combined and pooled across each study in order to facilitate modeling. The endpoint of each experiment was death. The exponential and exact beta‐Poisson models were fit to the data using maximum likelihood estimation. The exact beta‐Poisson was deemed the recommended model because it more closely approximated the probability of response at low doses though both models provided a good fit. Although transmission is generally considered to be dominated by person‐to‐person contact, aerosolization is a possible route of exposure. If possible, this route of exposure could be particularly concerning for persons in occupational roles managing contaminated liquid wastes from patients being treated for Ebola infection and the wastewater community responsible for disinfection. Therefore, this study produces a necessary mathematical relationship between exposure dose and risk of death for the inhalation route of exposure that can support quantitative microbial risk assessment aimed at informing risk mitigation strategies including personal protection policies against occupational exposures.
Global Household Energy Model: A Multivariate Hierarchical Approach to Estimating Trends in The Use of Polluting and Clean Fuels for Cooking
Authors: Stoner Oliver , Shaddick Gavin , Economou Theo , Gumy Sophie , Lewis Jessica , Lucio Itzel , Ruggeri Giulia , Adair-Rohani Heather
Published: July 2020

In 2017 an estimated 3 billion people used polluting fuels and technologies as their primary cooking solution, with 3.8 million deaths annually attributed to household exposure to the resulting fine particulate matter air pollution. Currently, health burdens are calculated by using aggregations of fuel types, e.g. solid fuels, as country level estimates of the use of specific fuel types, e.g. wood and charcoal, are unavailable. To expand the knowledge base about effects of household air pollution on health, we develop and implement a novel Bayesian hierarchical model, based on generalized Dirichlet–multinomial distributions, that jointly estimates non-linear trends in the use of eight key fuel types, overcoming several data-specific challenges including missing or combined fuel use values. We assess model fit by using within-sample predictive analysis and an out-of-sample prediction experiment to evaluate the model's forecasting performance.
Public Sector Growth in the British Cape Colony: Evidence From New Data on Expenditure and Foreign Debt, 1830‐1910
Authors: Gwaindepi Abel , Fourie Johan
Published: July 2020

The public expenditure shifts that took place following the discovery of diamonds and gold during the second half of the nineteenth century had far‐reaching consequences for southern Africa’s development. Using new data for public expenditure and foreign debt in the Cape Colony and evidence from Cape parliamentary budget debates, we trace and explain the growth of the public sector. We find that the coincidence of mineral discovery in 1867 and the granting of responsible government status rapidly accelerated the growth of the public sector. Owing to strong mining interests, railways accounted for more than 70% of the public works expenditure from the 1880s onwards. Spending on human capital and welfare enhancement remained limited. Both the quantitative and qualitative evidence suggests that the mining elites managed to build coalitions that swayed public expenditure decisions towards self‐serving ends.
Young athletes' ECG: Incomplete right bundle branch block vs crista supraventricularis pattern
Authors: Diaz‐Gonzalez Leonel , Bruña Vanesa , Velásquez‐Rodriguez Jesús , Valenzuela Pedro L. , Valero‐Masa María Jesús , González‐Saldívar Hugo , Martinez‐Sellés Manuel , Lucia Alejandro , Boraita Araceli
Published: July 2020

Background

Incomplete right bundle branch block (IRBBB) is prevalent among athletes, but its etiology remains to be clearly elucidated and the commonly advocated mechanism, an intraventricular conduction delay, does not explain all cases. In the general population, an apparently similar phenomenon but with different pathophysiology and potential consequences, “crista supraventricularis pattern” (CSP, defined as QRS ≤ 100 ms, S wave <40 ms in I or V6 together with an RSR´ pattern in lead‐V1) has been described. Yet, this manifestation has not been studied in athletes. Given that IRBBB can be associated with some serious conditions (including Brugada syndrome, arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, or atrial septal defects) the differentiation between IRBB and CSP could enhance the accuracy of the pre‐participation screening (PPS). We thus aimed to determine the prevalence of CSP in young athletes.

Methods

Observational study of standard 12‐lead resting ECG in a cohort of children (5‐16 years) attending a PPS program (August 2018–May 2019).

Results

6,401 children (mean ± SD age 11.2 ± 2.9 years, 99.2% Caucasian, 93.8% male, 97.2% soccer players) were studied. We found CSP in 850 participants (prevalence = 13.3% [95% confidence interval 12.5‐14.1]) whereas 553 (8.6%) had IRBBB. The proportion of athletes showing an S1S2S3 pattern was higher in those with CSP compared with the other QRS morphologies (P < .05).

Conclusions

CSP might have been overlooked in previous reports of sports PPS for children and misdiagnosed as IRBBB, as the proportion of the former condition was higher. Our findings might add useful information to improve the interpretation of the young athletes’ ECG and thus the diagnostic value of PPS.
Unpacking the Suitcase: Premigratory Experiences with Ethnic Violence and Descriptive Representation Among Asian Americans
Authors: Ishiyama John , Silva Andrea
Published: July 2020

Objective

Do premigratory experiences shape the perceived need for racial and/or ethnic political representation? Although there is much literature that has examined whether a “pan‐ethnic” Asian‐American identity is emerging, we test the effects of premigration experiences with ethnic violence on the perceived need for descriptive representation among Asian Americans.

Methods

Using the 2016 National Asian American Pre‐Election Survey, in combination with comparative cross‐national data, we explore the relationship between premigration experiences and the perceived need for racial and ethnic representation.

Results

Using both multilevel logit and a Heckman selection analyses, we find that premigratory experiences with violence significantly reduce the assessment that racial and ethnic representation is important.

Conclusion

This suggests that premigratory experiences with ethnic violence reduce individual assessments that racial and ethnic representation is important. Individuals who emigrated from countries that experienced ethnic violence eschew descriptive representation in understanding politics in the United States.
Protein‐encoding ultraconserved elements provide a new phylogenomic perspective of Oestroidea flies (Diptera: Calyptratae)
Authors: Buenaventura Eliana , Lloyd Michael W. , Perilla López Juan Manuel , González Vanessa L. , Thomas‐Cabianca Arianna , Dikow Torsten
Published: July 2020

The diverse superfamily Oestroidea with more than 15 000 known species includes among others blow flies, flesh flies, bot flies and the diverse tachinid flies. Oestroidea exhibit strikingly divergent morphological and ecological traits, but even with a variety of data sources and inferences there is no consensus on the relationships among major Oestroidea lineages. Phylogenomic inferences derived from targeted enrichment of ultraconserved elements or UCEs have emerged as a promising method for resolving difficult phylogenetic problems at varying timescales. To reconstruct phylogenetic relationships among families of Oestroidea, we obtained UCE loci exclusively derived from the transcribed portion of the genome, making them suitable for larger and more integrative phylogenomic studies using other genomic and transcriptomic resources. We analysed datasets containing 37–2077 UCE loci from 98 representatives of all oestroid families (except Ulurumyiidae and Mystacinobiidae) and seven calyptrate outgroups, with a total concatenated aligned length between 10 and 550 Mb. About 35% of the sampled taxa consisted of museum specimens (2–92 years old), of which 85% resulted in successful UCE enrichment. Our maximum likelihood and coalescent‐based analyses produced well‐resolved and highly supported topologies. With the exception of Calliphoridae and Oestridae all included families were recovered as monophyletic with the following conclusions: Oestroidea is monophyletic with Mesembrinellidae as sister to the remaining oestroid families; Oestridae is paraphyletic with respect to Sarcophagidae; Polleniidae is sister to Tachinidae; Rhinophoridae sister to (Luciliinae (Toxotarsinae (Melanomyinae + Calliphorinae))); Phumosiinae is sister to Chrysomyinae and Bengaliinae is sister to Rhiniidae. These results support the ranking of most calliphorid subfamilies as separate families.
Detection of the HLA‐A*11:280 allele in a Taiwanese individual
Authors: Yang Kuo‐Liang , Li Chi‐Cheng , Lin Py‐Yu
Published: July 2020

One nucleotide substitution in codon 304 of HLA‐A*11:01:01:01 results in a novel allele, HLA‐A*11:280.
Fingerprinting subducted oceanic crust and Hainan Plume in the melt sources of Cenozoic Basalts from the South China Sea Region
Authors: Tian Zhi‐Xian , Yan Yi , Huang Chi‐Yue , Dilek Yildirim , Yu Meng‐Ming , Liu Hai‐Quan , Zhang Xin‐Chang , Zhang Yong
Published: July 2020

Geochemical data compilation of Cenozoic basalts recovered from the South China Sea tectonic domain shows westward weakening of the influence of a focal zone‐like component in Nd–Hf, Nd–Pb and Sr–Pb, but not in Pb–Pb isotope spaces because the Pb isotopes are dominantly controlled by the high U/Pb component derived from the subducted Pacific oceanic slab. Low Th/U melt generated by recycling of marine carbonates, rather than the subduction‐related enriched mantle (EM2), signals the emplacement of the Hainan Plume at ~25 Ma. Radiogenic Hf in the pre‐existing ancient sub‐continental lithospheric mantle beneath the Cathaysia Block was greatly depleted by early‐stage magmatism influenced by the high U/Pb component. Hence, late Cenozoic basalts associated with the carbonatitic melts display contrasting Nd–Hf isotope covariations, with the Red River–Zhongnan Fault System as a dividing line, implying that the East and Southwest sub‐basins have been developed on the Cathaysia and Indochina Blocks respectively.
Golden retriever pigmentary uveitis: Challenges of diagnosis and treatment
Authors: Townsend Wendy M. , Huey Jane A. , McCool Emily , King Adam , Diehl Kathryn A.
Published: July 2020

Pigmentary uveitis (PU), also known as Golden Retriever Pigmentary Uveitis (GRPU), is a common ocular condition of Golden Retrievers that has severe, vision‐threatening ocular complications and can require surgical intervention. In order to ensure consistency in the diagnosis of GRPU between examiners, a specified set of diagnostic criteria must be applied. This is critical to ensure owners, breeders, and veterinary ophthalmologists maintain confidence in the ocular certification process. Therefore, current and former members of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists’ Genetics Committee came together to draft this Viewpoint Article on the challenges of diagnosis and treatment of Golden Retriever Pigmentary Uveitis for veterinary ophthalmologists, Golden Retriever owners, and Golden Retriever breeders.
St. Lucia Creole English and Dominica Creole English
Authors: Irvine Melissa
Published: July 2020

This paper provides a comparative sketch of two emergent creoles: St. Lucia Creole English and Dominica Creole English. With very similar circumstances surrounding their formation and emergence, it is expected that they will have many features in common. While this is generally the case, however, this paper also outlines some areas in which their grammars diverge. This research represents original data for varieties that are somewhat under‐documented and calls for further data collection and fieldwork to confirm the patterns found here.
Attenuation analysis of flexural modes with absorbent lined flanges and different edge conditions
Authors: Afzal Muhammad , Shafique Sajid
Published: July 2020

The analysis of fluid-structure coupled waveforms and the attenuation of these waveforms in a flexible waveguide is carried out. The physical configuration contains an expansion chamber connected by an extended inlet/outlet by means of vertical lined flanges. The governing boundary value problem is solved by using Mode-Matching (MM) technique. The associated eigen expansions of field potentials include non-orthogonal eigenfunctions and the related eigen-sub-systems are classified in the non-Sturm Liouville category, whereby the use of generalized orthogonal characteristics has ensured the point-wise convergence of solution. The low frequency approximation (LFA) which relies on the limited propagating modes is developed and is compared with MM solution. In the low frequency regime, a good agreement between MM and LFA results is found. Furthermore, the numerical experiments are performed to analyze the effects of absorbent linings and edge conditions on the attenuation of flexural modes. The guiding structure is exited with the structure-borne mode incident as well as the fluid-borne mode incident. It is found that the use of edge conditions and the absorbent linings significantly affect the attenuation of structure-borne mode and fluid-borne mode, respectively.
Acute Consumption of Varied Doses of Cocoa Flavanols Does Not Influence Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage
Authors: Corr Liam D. , Field Adam , Pufal Deborah , Killey Jenny , Clifford Tom , Harper Liam D. , Naughton Robert J.
Published: July 2020

Polyphenol consumption has become a popular method of trying to temper muscle damage. Cocoa flavanols (CF) have attracted attention due to their high polyphenol content and palatability. As such, this study will investigate whether an acute dose of CF can aid recovery following exercise-induced muscle damage. The study was a laboratory-based, randomized, single-blind, nutrient-controlled trial involving 23 participants (13 females and 10 males). Participants were randomized into either control ∼0 mg CF (n = 8, four females); high dose of 830 mg CF (CF830, n = 8, five females); or supra dose of 1,245 mg CF (CF1245, n = 7, four females). The exercise-induced muscle damage protocol consisted of five sets of 10 maximal concentric/eccentric hamstring curls and immediately consumed their assigned drink following completion. To measure muscle recovery, maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) of the knee flexors at 60° and 30°, a visual analog scale (VAS), and lower-extremity function scale were taken at baseline, immediately, 24-, 48-, and 72-hr postexercise-induced muscle damage. There was a main effect for time for all variables (p < .05). However, no significant differences were observed between groups for all measures (p ≥ .17). At 48 hr, there were large effect sizes between control and CF1245 for MVIC60 (p = .17, d = 0.8); MVIC30 (p = .26, d = 0.8); MVIC30 percentage change (p = .24 d = 0.9); and visual analog scale (p = .25, d = 0.9). As no significant differences were observed following the consumption of CF, there is reason to believe that CF offer no benefit for muscle recovery when ingested acutely.
Convergent Validity, Reliability, and Sensitivity of a Running Test to Monitor Neuromuscular Fatigue
Authors: Leduc Cédric , Tee Jason , Lacome Mathieu , Weakley Jonathon , Cheradame Jeremy , Ramirez Carlos , Jones Ben
Published: July 2020

Purpose: To investigate the convergent validity, reliability, and sensitivity over a week of training of a standardized running test to measure neuromuscular fatigue. Methods: Twenty male rugby union players were recruited for the study, which took place during preseason. The standardized running test consisted of four 60-m runs paced at  ~5 m·s−1 with 33 seconds of recovery between trials. Data from micromechanical electrical systems were used to calculate a running-load index (RLI), which was a ratio between the mechanical load and the speed performed during runs. RLI was calculated by using either the entire duration of the run or a constant-velocity period. For each type of calculation, either an individual directional or the sum of the 3 components of the accelerometer was used. A measure of leg stiffness was used to assess the convergent validity of the RLI. Results: Unclear to large relationships between leg stiffness and RLI were found (r ranged from −.20 to .62). Regarding reliability, small to moderate (.47–.86) standardized typical errors were found. The sensitivity analysis showed that the leg stiffness presented a very likely trivial change over the course of 1 week of training, whereas RLI showed very likely small to a most likely large change. Conclusions: This study showed that RLI is a practical method to measure neuromuscular fatigue. In addition, such a methodology aligns with the constraint of elite team-sport setup due to its ease of implementation in practice.
The bystander effect in rats
Authors: Havlik John L. , Vieira Sugano Yuri Y. , Jacobi Maura Clement , Kukreja Rahul R. , Jacobi John H. Clement , Mason Peggy
Published: July 2020

In rats as in humans, nonhelping bystanders suppress helping whereas naive bystanders boost helping above individual levels.
Gut microbiota dysbiosis and altered tryptophan catabolism contribute to autoimmunity in lupus-susceptible mice
Authors: Choi Seung-Chul , Brown Josephine , Gong Minghao , Ge Yong , Zadeh Mojgan , Li Wei , Croker Byron P. , Michailidis George , Garrett Timothy J. , Mohamadzadeh Mansour , Morel Laurence
Published: July 2020

Gut microbiota dysbiosis induces lupus-like autoimmunity in mice through altered tryptophan catabolism.
An extracorporeal bioartificial liver embedded with 3D-layered human liver progenitor-like cells relieves acute liver failure in pigs
Authors: Li Wei-Jian , Zhu Xue-Jing , Yuan Tian-Jie , Wang Zhen-Yu , Bian Zheng-Qian , Jing Hong-Shu , Shi Xiao , Chen Cai-Yang , Fu Gong-Bo , Huang Wei-Jian , Shi Yao-Ping , Liu Qian , Zeng Min , Zhang Hong-Dan , Wu Hong-Ping , Yu Wei-Feng , Zhai Bo , Yan He-Xin
Published: July 2020

A bioartificial liver device containing human progenitor-like cells attenuates acute damage and inflammation, enhancing liver regeneration in pigs.
Cefazolin Inoculum Effect and Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Osteoarticular Infections in Children
Authors: McNeil J. Chase , Sommer Lauren M. , Boyle Mary , Hogan Patrick , Vallejo Jesus G. , Hultén Kristina G. , Flores Anthony R. , Kaplan Sheldon L. , Fritz Stephanie
Published: July 2020

Select methicillin-susceptible
Staphylococcus aureus
(MSSA) strains may produce β-lactamases with affinity for first-generation cephalosporins (1GCs). In the setting of a high inoculum, these β-lactamases may promote the cleavage of 1GCs, a phenomenon known as the cefazolin inoculum effect (CzIE). We evaluated the prevalence and impact of CzIE on clinical outcomes among MSSA acute hematogenous osteomyelitis (AHO) cases. MSSA AHO isolates obtained from two children’s hospitals between January 2011 and December 2018 were procured through ongoing surveillance studies.
Species-Specific Quorum Sensing Represses the Chitobiose Utilization Locus in Vibrio cholerae
Authors: Klancher Catherine A. , Newman Jane D. , Ball Alyssa S. , van Kessel Julia C. , Dalia Ankur B.
Published: July 2020

In nature, bacteria live in multicellular and multispecies communities. Microbial species can sense the density and composition of their community through chemical cues using a process called quorum sensing (QS). The marine pathogen
Vibrio cholerae
is found in communities on the chitinous shells of crustaceans in its aquatic reservoir.
V. cholerae
interactions with chitin are critical for the survival, evolution, and waterborne transmission of this pathogen. Here, we show that
V. cholerae
uses QS to regulate the expression of one locus required for
V. cholerae
-chitin interactions.
Seasonality and Community Separation of Fungi in a Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant
Authors: Zhang Shaoqing , Fan Fuqiang , Meng Fangang
Published: July 2020

Fungi are important contributors to the various functions of activated sludge in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Unlike previous studies, this work demonstrated the seasonality of the fungal community over a longer time span while it also systematically assessed the contributions of abundant, conditionally rare, and rare taxa to the whole community. Importantly, in the present study, we considered sludge flocs of a certain size range rather than the whole sludge flocs as a community. Our results revealed significant differences in fungal community structure among different-sized flocs, which supported the idea that size-based fungal community segregation is occurring in activated sludge ecosystems. The findings provide new insights into the dynamic changes or distribution of fungi in the bioaggregates of sludge flocs in WWTPs.
Clinical Evaluation of Self-Collected Saliva by Quantitative Reverse Transcription-PCR (RT-qPCR), Direct RT-qPCR, Reverse Transcription–Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification, and a Rapid Antigen Test To Diagnose COVID-19
Authors: Nagura-Ikeda Mayu , Imai Kazuo , Tabata Sakiko , Miyoshi Kazuyasu , Murahara Nami , Mizuno Tsukasa , Horiuchi Midori , Kato Kento , Imoto Yoshitaka , Iwata Maki , Mimura Satoshi , Ito Toshimitsu , Tamura Kaku , Kato Yasuyuki
Published: July 2020

The clinical performances of six molecular diagnostic tests and a rapid antigen test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were clinically evaluated for the diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in self-collected saliva. Saliva samples from 103 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 (15 asymptomatic and 88 symptomatic) were collected on the day of hospital admission. SARS-CoV-2 RNA in saliva was detected using a quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-qPCR) laboratory-developed test (LDT), a cobas SARS-CoV-2 high-throughput system, three direct RT-qPCR kits, and reverse transcription–loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP).