bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Migration and Economic Coercion
Authors: Connell Brendan J , Moya Samantha L , Shin Adrian J
Published: June 2021

Sender costs of economic sanctions exacerbate the enforcement problem associated with multilateral coercive measures. When third-country sanctioners share strategic interests with the target state, they have commercial and diplomatic incentives to defect from multilateral sanctions arrangements. In addition to these well-documented sender costs, this article argues that migration pressure from the target state has become an important consideration for potential sanctioners. Economic sanctions often increase the economic distress on the target country, which in turn causes more people to migrate to countries where their co-ethnics reside. Countries hosting a large number of nationals from the target country face a disproportionately high level of migration pressure when sanctions increase emigration from the target country. Therefore, policymakers of these countries oppose economic sanctions on the target country as an attempt to preempt further migration. Analyzing the sanctions bills in the European Parliament from 2011 to 2015, we find empirical support for our prediction.
Dose–Response Relationships Between Polypharmacy and All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Among Older People
Authors: Huang Yun-Ting , Steptoe Andrew , Wei Li , Zaninotto Paola
Published: June 2021

Background

Although medicines are prescribed based on clinical guidelines and expected to benefit patients, both positive and negative health outcomes have been reported associated with polypharmacy. Mortality is the main outcome, and information on cause-specific mortality is scarce. Hence, we investigated the association between different levels of polypharmacy and all-cause and cause-specific mortality among older adults.

Method

The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing is a nationally representative study of people aged 50+. From 2012/2013, 6 295 individuals were followed up to April 2018 for all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Polypharmacy was defined as taking 5–9 long-term medications daily and heightened polypharmacy as 10+ medications. Cox proportional hazards regression and competing-risks regression were used to examine associations between polypharmacy and all-cause and cause-specific mortality, respectively.

Results

Over a 6-year follow-up period, both polypharmacy (19.3%) and heightened polypharmacy (2.4%) were related to all-cause mortality, with hazard ratios of 1.51 (95% CI: 1.05–2.16) and 2.29 (95% CI: 1.40–3.75) respectively, compared with no medications, independently of demographic factors, serious illnesses and long-term conditions, cognitive function, and depression. Polypharmacy and heightened polypharmacy also showed 2.45 (95% CI: 1.13–5.29) and 3.67 (95% CI: 1.43–9.46) times higher risk of cardiovascular disease deaths, respectively. Cancer mortality was only related to heightened polypharmacy.

Conclusion

Structured medication reviews are currently advised for heightened polypharmacy, but our results suggest that greater attention to polypharmacy in general for older people may reduce adverse effects and improve older adults’ health.
BIM-based analysis of energy efficiency design of building thermal system and HVAC system based on GB50189-2015 in China
Authors: Zhao Tianyi , Qu Ziyi , Liu Chao , Li Kuishan
Published: June 2021

Recently, the application of building information modeling (BIM) in building energy efficiency design programs has been emphasized in research. In China, faced with requirements in building energy efficiency design standards and specifications, researchers have been using BIM as a platform for breaking up bottlenecks in energy simulation and design software, and BIM is considered the key to improve the efficiency of building energy efficiency design. Firstly, based on the trade-off energy consumption judgment method proposed in the ‘Public Building Energy Efficiency Design Standard (GB50189-2015)’, this study combines the BIM platform with an orthogonal simulation design adopting an experimental building construction project in a cold region of China, to thereby study the influences of different envelope structural parameters on cooling and heating loads. Then, this study analyzes the continuity and consistency of data exchange between different BIM-related software, through the modeling software Revit and the sustainable analysis software Ecotect. Finally, through the experiment, the critical factors of the optimized design of the building envelope are investigated and applied for the optimized design of the building thermal system. In addition, this study uses BIM to complete an energy efficiency design for a laboratory heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. According to the experimental results, the following conclusions can be drawn: this study proposes a BIM-based optimized design method of building thermal system, which complies with various Chinese building energy efficiency standards and polices and can be used as a reference for Chinese designers. Also, the issues and challenges in building consumption simulation based on BIM technology and the application of BIM technology in the design of building thermal HVAC systems are discussed, and the development trends of BIM technology in China are analyzed. Building thermal system and HVAC system design are the key points of building efficiency design. The optimized design method proposed in this paper is of great significance to this system design. The optimized design method can improve the design efficiency of designers while complying with China’s standards and policies. Therefore, it can save costs, improve the economic benefits of the projects and, at the same time, obtain an ideal building efficiency design.
Telling the story of complex change: an Impact Framework for the real world
Authors: Willett Jo , Barclay Michelle , Mukoro Felix , Sweeney Grace
Published: June 2021

Background

In the National Health Service (NHS) in England, traditional approaches to evidencing impact and value have an important role to play but are unlikely to demonstrate the full value of national quality improvement programmes and large-scale change initiatives in health and care. This type of work almost always takes place in complex and complicated settings, in that it involves multiple players, numerous interventions and a host of other confounding factors. Improvement work is usually emergent, with cause and effect only understood in hindsight; challenges around contribution and attribution can lead the key players to question how they can be certain that the described or observed changes are due to their intervention and would not have happened without them. In this complex environment, there is a risk of oversimplifying the observed impact and focusing instead on those things that are easier to measure, missing that which is important but more difficult to evidence.

Methods

Between 2016 and 2019, an action-orientated approach, drawing on realist and development evaluation approaches, was taken to designing and testing the Impact Framework. First, we undertook a pragmatic review of tools and approaches used by others to capture and demonstrate their impact both within and outside the health and care environment. Following the identification and review of these tools and approaches, and in consultation with national improvement teams in England about their evaluation challenges and aspirations, we developed a set of underpinning principles to inform the design and build of the framework. The principles were informed and finessed following conversations with improvement teams and programme leads in NHS England with respect to the challenges that they were facing and their aspirations in terms of demonstrating their impact and learning as they worked.

Results

The ‘Impact Framework’ described in this article offers a practical approach to capturing the impact of improvement work at any scale, taking account of unintended outcomes, considering attribution and contribution, and using a narrative approach to uncover the difference made by improvement initiatives in rich detail. In this article, we describe how the Impact Framework has been used with one of NHS England’s national programmes, Time for Care, which was delivered between 2016 and 2020.

Conclusions

The Impact Framework continues to be used, developed and further tested by national improvement programmes being delivered by NHS England and NHS Improvement and is updated regularly. The framework has been developed to be accessible to frontline teams and is supported by a set of resources to help improvement teams and individuals to use by themselves (https://www.england.nhs.uk/sustainableimprovement/impact-framework/).
PRoBE the cloud toolkit: finding the best biomarkers of drug response within a breast cancer clinical trial
Authors: O'Grady Nicholas , Gibbs David L , Abdilleh Kawther , Asare Adam , Asare Smita , Venters Sara , Brown-Swigart Lamorna , Hirst Gillian L , Wolf Denise , Yau Christina , van 't Veer Laura J , Esserman Laura , Basu Amrita
Published: June 2021

Objectives

In this paper, we discuss leveraging cloud-based platforms to collect, visualize, analyze, and share data in the context of a clinical trial. Our cloud-based infrastructure, Patient Repository of Biomolecular Entities (PRoBE), has given us the opportunity for uniform data structure, more efficient analysis of valuable data, and increased collaboration between researchers.

Materials and Methods

We utilize a multi-cloud platform to manage and analyze data generated from the clinical Investigation of Serial Studies to Predict Your Therapeutic Response with Imaging And moLecular Analysis 2 (I-SPY 2 TRIAL). A collaboration with the Institute for Systems Biology Cancer Gateway in the Cloud has additionally given us access to public genomic databases. Applications to I-SPY 2 data have been built using R Shiny, while leveraging Google's BigQuery tables and SQL commands for data mining.

Results

We highlight the implementation of PRoBE in several unique case studies including prediction of biomarkers associated with clinical response, access to the Pan-Cancer Atlas, and integrating pathology images within the cloud. Our data integration pipelines, documentation, and all codebase will be placed in a Github repository.

Discussion and conclusion

We are hoping to develop risk stratification diagnostics by integrating additional molecular, magnetic resonance imaging, and pathology markers into PRoBE to better predict drug response. A robust cloud infrastructure and tool set can help integrate these large datasets to make valuable predictions of response to multiple agents. For that reason, we are continuously improving PRoBE to advance the way data is stored, accessed, and analyzed in the I-SPY 2 clinical trial.
Quantification of Usaramine and its N-Oxide Metabolite in Rat Plasma Using Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Lin Feifei , Ma Yan , Pan Anni , Ye Yang , Liu Jia
Published: June 2021

A sensitive, fast and robust liquid chromatography--tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS-MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of usaramine (URM) and usaramine N-oxide (UNO) in rat plasma. The separation was conducted on an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 Column (50 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) and gradient eluted with mobile phase A (0.1% formic acid with 5 mM ammonium acetate in water) and B (0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile/methanol, 9/1, v/v). The method was linear over the range of 1–2,000 ng/mL for both analytes. The validated method was applied to investigate the pharmacokinetic behaviors and sex differences of URM and its N-oxide metabolite in rats. After intravenous administration of URM at 1 mg/kg, the AUC0-t values for URM and UNO were 363 ± 65 and 172 ± 32 ng/mL*h in male rats, while 744 ± 122 and 30.7 ± 7.4 ng/mL*h in females, respectively. The clearance of URM was significantly higher in male rats than in females (2.77 ± 0.50 vs 1.35 ± 0.19 L/h/kg, P < 0.05). After oral administration of URM at 10 mg/kg, the AUC0-t values of URM and UNO were 1,960 ± 208 and 1,637 ± 246 ng/mL*h in male rats, while 6,073 ± 488 and 300 ± 62 ng/mL*h in females, respectively. The oral bioavailability of URM in female rats (81.7%) was much higher than in males (54.0%). In conclusion, sex-based differences were observed in the pharmacokinetics, N-oxide metabolism and oral bioavailability of URM.
Can the Intake of a Synthetic Tryptamine be Detected Only by Blood Plasma Analysis? A Clinical Toxicology Case Involving 4-HO-MET
Authors: Wagmann Lea , Manier Sascha K , Meyer Markus R
Published: June 2021

Tryptamines represent a group of hallucinogenic new psychoactive substances with increasing prevalence. Unfortunately, only limited data concerning their toxicology and bioanalysis are available as tryptamines are not included in routine screening procedures in many laboratories. In order to expand the current knowledge, we report a non-fatal clinical toxicology case involving the synthetic tryptamine 4-HO-MET (4-hydroxy-N-methyl-N-ethyl-tryptamine, 3-{2-[ethyl(methyl)amino]ethyl}-1H-indol-4-ol, metocin or methylcybin). As only blood of the intoxicated patient was available, our systematic blood plasma screening approaches based on gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to low-resolution linear ion trap mass spectrometry (ITMSn) or high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (HRMS-MS) were conducted. The ingestion of the synthetic tryptamine 4-HO-MET could be revealed by blood plasma analysis using both LC-based systematic screening approaches. However, 4-HO-MET was not detected by GC–MS. Furthermore, the detection of metabolites, which may be used to confirm an intake of the parent compound 4-HO-MET, was only successful using LC–HRMS-MS most probably due to its increased sensitivity compared to LC–ITMSn. A total of four metabolites were detected in blood, including N-demethyl-, oxo- and hydroxy-4-HO-MET, as well as the N-oxide. Finally, LC–HRMS-MS analysis revealed a plasma concentration of 193 ng/mL for 4-HO-MET using the standard addition method. The presented data may help clinical and forensic toxicologists with the interpretation of future cases involving synthetic tryptamines, especially if only blood samples are available.
Short- and Long-Term Stability of Methylphenidate and Its Metabolites in Blood
Authors: Smith Christina R , Swortwood Madeleine J
Published: June 2021

Methylphenidate (MPH) is a medication used to combat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder by speeding up brain activity. MPH has two chiral centers; however, d-threo-MPH is responsible for its effects. Few studies have analyzed MPH and its metabolites, ritalinic acid (RA) and ethylphenidate (EPH), in blood. Stability studies are crucial in a forensic setting to provide insight on ideal storage conditions and analysis time. In this study, d,l-MPH, d,l-EPH and RA were analyzed at two concentrations (15 and 150 ng/mL) over 5 months at room temperature (∼25°C), refrigerated (4°C), frozen (–20°C) and elevated (35°C) temperatures. Analytes were analyzed using a validated liquid chromatography--mass spectrometry method. RA concentrations increased 53% at 25°C after 24 h, while d- and l-MPH concentrations dropped 18.1 and 20.6%, respectively. Additionally, d- and l-EPH concentrations decreased 22.3 and 28.8%, respectively. All analytes were stable at 4°C for 1 week (±17% change). At −20°C, all analytes were stable for 5 months. At 35°C, l-EPH remained stable for 24 h (14.4% loss) at the high concentration, while RA increased 244%. Losses of 64.1, 68.7 and 27.2% were observed for d- MPH, l-MPH and d-EPH, respectively. Due to this, a follow-up study was designed to assess the breakdown of MPH. The short-term experiment assessed d,l-MPH at two concentrations for 1 month in the same conditions. As MPH decreased, RA concentrations rose. At 25°C, it took 2 weeks for MPH to metabolize completely into RA. In refrigerated and frozen temperatures, MPH did not completely metabolize to RA. In elevated temperatures, MPH broke down to RA within 2 weeks. Due to this, it was concluded that d,l-MPH breaks down in the blood to its metabolite RA and may make data interpretation difficult if samples are not properly stored. The optimal storage for these analytes is recommended at −20°C.
Horn Fly (Diptera: Muscidae)—Biology, Management, and Future Research Directions
Authors: Brewer Gary J , Boxler Dave J , Domingues Luísa N , Trout Fryxell Rebecca T , Holderman Chris , Loftin Kelly M , Machtinger Erika , Smythe Brandon , Talley Justin L , Watson Wes
Published: June 2021

The horn fly, Haematobia irritans irritans (L.), is one of the most important external parasites of cattle in North America and elsewhere. Horn fly adults have an intimate association with cattle, their primary host. With their often-high numbers and by feeding up to 38 times per day per fly, horn flies stress cattle. The resulting productivity loss is valued at more than 2.3 billion USD in the United States. Insecticides are commonly used to mitigate direct injury from feeding and indirect injury from disease transmission. This paper discusses horn fly biology, distribution, and management. Emphasis is on promising new approaches in novel insecticides, repellents, biological control, vaccines, animal genetics, and sterile insect technology that will lead to effective preventative tactics and the integration of smart technologies with horn fly management. We conclude with a discussion of research needs necessary to shift horn fly integrated pest management to an emphasis on preventative tactics and the precision use of reactive techniques.
An investigation into the nonstationary characteristics of separation-bubble formation on a smooth circular cylinder in the critical transition range
Authors: Lai Yi-Huei , Miau Jiun-Jih
Published: June 2021

To investigate the characteristics of the separation-bubble formation of flow over a smooth circular cylinder in the critical transition range, a sliding-window (SW) method and a peak-valley (PV) method were proposed to identify the intermittent jumps, named the characteristic events, in the real-time pressure signal obtained on both sides of the cylinder model. By evaluating the counts of the qualified events of the SW and PV methods, the PV method was found less sensitive to the small-scale disturbances in the pressure signal, therefore was adopted for later analysis. With the PV method, the characteristic events were identified from the pressure signal and categorized into two types: Type-1 is referred to the events of pressure descending and Type-2 is referred to the events of pressure ascending. Subsequently, the count per minute of the characteristic events was determined for describing the intermittency of the separation-bubble formation, and the time scale of each of the characteristic event was regarded as the time length of the separation-bubble formation. The count per minute of the characteristic events appeared to be the highest in the transitional regime. While the time scales of the characteristic events were varying with Reynolds number, the weighting-averaged normalized time scales in the transitional regime of the three cases studied were found comparable to the normalized time scale of the lift jump noted in the literature. Physically, the characteristic events found in the pressure signals in this study can be attributed to the three-dimensional aspect of separation-bubble formation.
Influence of anthropic and eco-hydrological factors on the floristic diversity of the herbaceous vegetation around the temporary ponds in Ferlo, northern Senegal
Authors: Faye Ndiabou , Diallo Aly , Sagna Moustapha Bassimbé , Peiry Jean Luc , Sarr Papa Saliou , Guisse Aliou
Published: June 2021

Temporary ponds play substantial roles in preserving biodiversity in the Sahel. This study investigated the influence of anthropic and eco-hydrological factors on the plant diversity around two grazed ponds and one ungrazed pond in Ferlo, northern Senegal. Two phytoecological transects were established per pond. On each transect, homogenous herbaceous vegetation units were identified and characterized (herbaceous cover, exposure, soil texture, soil moisture and pH, average height and slope). The herbaceous flora comprised 55 species, 41 genera and 22 families across the three ponds. Species of the Poaceae, particularly Eragrostis tremula and Enteropogon prieurii, mostly colonized the grazed ponds, while the ungrazed pond favored other families’ species such as Achyranthes sp., Commelina forsskaolii, Corchorus sp. The Shannon’s diversity index (H′) of Wendu Marodi (ungrazed pond) was slightly higher (4.9 bits) than that of Belel Lougal and Belel Sow (grazed ponds) with 4.8 and 4.5 bits, respectively. The equitability indices were relatively high in the three ponds (0.85, 0.83 and 0.78). Eco-ecological factors distinguished four species’ groupings: a Tribulus terrestris grouping colonizing the constraining and over-grazed zones, a Digitaria horizontalis grouping, and Chloris barbata grouping found in the transition zones, and an Achyranthes aspera grouping in the wetlands, where woody plants were strongly present and the anthropic action low. This study highlighted the importance of maintaining a landscape mosaic of ungrazed or semi-protected ponds and grazed ponds to preserve the herbaceous floristic diversity in the center of Ferlo (Senegal) and the Sahel in general.
Endovascular aortic aneurysm repair with reversed chimney graft technique in a patient with crossed fused renal ectopia: a technical note
Authors: Kawatani Yohei , Yamasaki Motoshige , Oguri Atsushi
Published: June 2021

Crossed fused renal ectopia is a very rare congenital ectopia and poses great challenges when performing abdominal aortic surgery because of the accompanying abnormal vessels and urinary tracts. A 79-year-old woman with an abdominal aortic aneurysm and L-shaped crossed fused renal ectopia was referred to our facility. One of the large ectopic renal arteries arose from the right common iliac artery. The aneurysm was treated with an endovascular aortic repair. The reversed chimney graft technique was applied to preserve the ectopic renal artery while elongating the distal landing zone on the right side. The patient experienced no complications such as renal dysfunction or recurrence of the abdominal aortic aneurysm during the 6-month follow-up period.
Liposarcoma of gallbladder: a case report and literature review
Authors: Ushida Yuta , Ito Hiromichi , Inoue Yosuke , Sato Takafumi , Ono Yoshihiro , Oba Atsushi , Takahashi Yu
Published: June 2021

A 53-year-old man with prior history of resection of liposarcoma in his leg presented with gallbladder mass. Computed tomography showed 4-cm tumor at gallbladder fundus with weak enhancement with IV contrast. Differential diagnoses included hemangioma and liposarcoma, and laparoscopic cholecystectomy was recommended. In the operating room, the tumor appeared without serosal and liver invasions and uncomplicated laparoscopic cholecystectomy was completed. Histopathological examination revealed the tumor as myxoid liposarcoma with round cells. Adjuvant chemotherapy was not given, and he was placed on imaging surveillance. At 16 months after the operation, he developed recurrence of liposarcoma in the left popliteal fossa.
Determining quarantine length and testing frequency for international border opening during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Dickens Borame L , Koo Joel R , Lim Jue Tao , Park Minah , Sun Haoyang , Sun Yinxiaohe , Zeng Zitong , Quaye Sharon Esi Duoduwa , Clapham Hannah E , Wee Hwee Lin , Cook Alex R
Published: June 2021

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the closure or partial closure of international borders in almost all countries. Here, we investigate the efficacy of imported case detection considering quarantine length and different testing measures for travellers on arrival.

Methods

We examine eight broad border control strategies from utilizing quarantine alone, pre-testing, entry and exit testing, and testing during quarantine. In comparing the efficacy of these strategies, we calculate the probability of detecting travellers who have been infected up to 2 weeks pre-departure according to their estimated incubation and infectious period. We estimate the number of undetected infected travellers permitted entry for these strategies across a prevalence range of 0.1–2% per million travellers.

Results

At 14-day quarantine, on average 2.2% (range: 0.5–8.2%) of imported infections are missed across the strategies, leading to 22 (5–82) imported cases at 0.1% prevalence per million travellers, increasing up to 430 (106–1641) at 2%. The strategy utilizing exit testing results in 3.9% (3.1–4.9%) of imported cases being missed at 7-day quarantine, down to 0.4% (0.3–0.7%) at 21-day quarantine, and the introduction of daily testing, as the most risk averse strategy, reduces the proportion further to 2.5–4.2% at day 7 and 0.1–0.2% at day 21 dependent on the tests used. Rapid antigen testing every 3 days in quarantine leads to 3% being missed at 7 days and 0.7% at 14 days, which is comparable to PCR testing with a 24-hour turnaround.

Conclusions

Mandatory testing, at a minimal of pre-testing and on arrival, is strongly recommended where the length of quarantining should then be determined by the destination country’s level of risk averseness, pandemic preparedness and origin of travellers. Repeated testing during quarantining should also be utilized to mitigate case importation risk and reduce the quarantining duration required.
Thermophysical evolution of planetesimals in the primordial disc
Authors: Davidsson Björn J R
Published: June 2021

The primordial disc of small icy planetesimals, once located at 15–$30\, \mathrm{au}$ from the Sun, was disrupted by giant planet migration in the early Solar system. The primordial disc thereby became the source region of objects in the present-day Kuiper belt, scattered disc, and Oort Cloud. I present the thermophysical code ‘Numerical Icy Minor Body evolUtion Simulator’, or nimbus, and use it to study the thermophysical evolution of planetesimals in the primordial disc prior to its disruption. Such modelling is mandatory in order to understand the behaviour of dynamically new comets from the Oort Cloud, as well as the activity of Centaurs and short-period comets from the scattered disc, that return pre-processed to the vicinity of the Sun. I find that bodies in the midst of the primordial disc with diameters ranging 4–$200\, \mathrm{km}$ lost all their CO ice on time-scales of order 0.1–$10\, \mathrm{Myr}$ depending on size, through a combination of protosolar and long-lived radionuclide heating. CO and other hypervolatiles therefore require a less volatile host for their storage. I consider two possible hosts: amorphous water ice and CO2 ice. Because of the high luminosity of the protosun, some primordial disc bodies may have sustained significant crystallization, CO:CO2 segregation, and CO2 sublimation in the uppermost few tens of metres. I discuss how this may affect coma abundance ratios and distant activity in dynamically new comets.
Deep Extragalactic VIsible Legacy Survey (DEVILS): consistent multiwavelength photometry for the DEVILS regions (COSMOS, XMMLSS, and ECDFS)
Authors: Davies L J M , Thorne J E , Robotham A S G , Bellstedt S , Driver S P , Adams N J , Bilicki M , Bowler R A A , Bravo M , Cortese L , Foster C , Grootes M W , Häußler B , Hashemizadeh A , Holwerda B W , Hurley P , Jarvis M J , Lidman C , Maddox N , Meyer M , Paolillo M , Phillipps S , Radovich M , Siudek M , Vaccari M , Windhorst R A
Published: June 2021

The Deep Extragalactic VIsible Legacy Survey (DEVILS) is an ongoing high-completeness, deep spectroscopic survey of ∼60 000 galaxies to Y < 21.2 mag, over ∼6 deg2 in three well-studied deep extragalactic fields: D10 (COSMOS), D02 (XMMLSS), and D03 (ECDFS). Numerous DEVILS projects all require consistent, uniformly derived and state-of-the-art photometric data with which to measure galaxy properties. Existing photometric catalogues in these regions either use varied photometric measurement techniques for different facilities/wavelengths leading to inconsistencies, older imaging data and/or rely on source detection and photometry techniques with known problems. Here, we use the ProFound image analysis package and state-of-the-art imaging data sets (including Subaru-HSC, VST-VOICE, VISTA-VIDEO, and UltraVISTA-DR4) to derive matched-source photometry in 22 bands from the FUV to 500 $\mu$m. This photometry is found to be consistent, or better, in colour analysis to previous approaches using fixed-size apertures (which are specifically tuned to derive colours), but produces superior total source photometry, essential for the derivation of stellar masses, star formation rates, star formation histories, etc. Our photometric catalogue is described in detail and, after internal DEVILS team projects, will be publicly released for use by the broader scientific community.
Analysis of modern astrometric catalogues in the Gaia era
Authors: Akhmetov V S , Fedorov P N , Tsvetkova V S , Bannikova E Yu
Published: June 2021

We investigate the systems of proper motions of stars in the ground-based catalogues HSOY, UCAC5, GPS1, and PMA derived by combining with the Gaia DR1 space data. Assuming the systematic differences of stellar proper motions of two catalogues to be caused by the mutual solid-body rotation and glide of the coordinate systems produced by the data of the catalogues under comparison, we analyse the components of the mutual rotation vector and displacement of the origins of these systems. The equatorial components of the vector of mutual rotation velocity of the compared coordinate systems, as well as velocities of the mutual displacement of their origins, vary within the range from 0.2 to 2.9 mas yr−1, were derived from a comparison of proper motions of the sources that are common for Gaia EDR3 and the TGAS, UCAC5, HSOY, GPS1, and PMA catalogues, respectively. The systematic errors of proper motions of stars in the HSOY, GPS1, PMA, and Gaia EDR3 catalogues in the range of faint stellar magnitudes were estimated by analysing the formal proper motions of extragalactic objects contained in these catalogues. The coordinate system realized by the Gaia EDR3 data at the level of <0.1 mas yr−1 is shown to have no rotation and glide relative to the LQAC-5, ALLWISEAGN, Milliquas extragalactis sources within the range from 15 to 21 stellar G mag. Among the ground-based catalogues, the system of proper motions of the PMA stars, which is independent of the Gaia EDR3 data, is the closest to the Gaia EDR3 system of proper motions in G magnitude range from 15 to 21 and UCAC5 is closer to Gaia EDR3 system than PMA in the 10–15 mag range.
High-ionization emission-line ratios from quasar broad-line regions: metallicity or density?
Authors: Temple Matthew J , Ferland Gary J , Rankine Amy L , Chatzikos Marios , Hewett Paul C
Published: June 2021

The flux ratios of high-ionization lines are commonly assumed to indicate the metallicity of the broad emission-line region in luminous quasars. When accounting for the variation in their kinematic profiles, we show that the N v/C iv, (Si iv + O iv])/C iv, and N v/Ly α line ratios do not vary as a function of the quasar continuum luminosity, black hole mass, or accretion rate. Using photoionization models from cloudy, we further show that the observed changes in these line ratios can be explained by emission from gas with solar abundances, if the physical conditions of the emitting gas are allowed to vary over a broad range of densities and ionizing fluxes. The diversity of broad-line emission in quasar spectra can be explained by a model with emission from two kinematically distinct regions, where the line ratios suggest that these regions have either very different metallicity or density. Both simplicity and current galaxy evolution models suggest that near-solar abundances, with parts of the spectrum forming in high-density clouds, are more likely. Within this paradigm, objects with stronger outflow signatures show stronger emission from gas that is denser and located closer to the ionizing source, at radii consistent with simulations of line-driven disc-winds. Studies using broad-line ratios to infer chemical enrichment histories should consider changes in density and ionizing flux before estimating metallicities.
Finding Hybrid Incompatibilities Using Genome Sequences from Hybrid Populations
Authors: Blanckaert Alexandre , Payseur Bret A
Published: June 2021

Natural hybrid zones offer a powerful framework for understanding the genetic basis of speciation in progress because ongoing hybridization continually creates unfavorable gene combinations. Evidence indicates that postzygotic reproductive isolation is often caused by epistatic interactions between mutations in different genes that evolved independently of one another (hybrid incompatibilities). We examined the potential to detect epistatic selection against incompatibilities from genome sequence data using the site frequency spectrum (SFS) of polymorphisms by conducting individual-based simulations in SLiM. We found that the genome-wide SFS in hybrid populations assumes a diagnostic shape, with the continual input of fixed differences between source populations via migration inducing a mass at intermediate allele frequency. Epistatic selection locally distorts the SFS as non-incompatibility alleles rise in frequency in a manner analogous to a selective sweep. Building on these results, we present a statistical method to identify genomic regions containing incompatibility loci that locates departures in the local SFS compared with the genome-wide SFS. Cross-validation studies demonstrate that our method detects recessive and codominant incompatibilities across a range of scenarios varying in the strength of epistatic selection, migration rate, and hybrid zone age. Our approach takes advantage of whole genome sequence data, does not require knowledge of demographic history, and can be applied to any pair of nascent species that forms a hybrid zone.
Constraints on ultra-low-frequency gravitational waves with statistics of pulsar spin-down rates. II. Mann–Whitney U test
Authors: Kumamoto Hiroki , Hisano Shinnosuke , Takahashi Keitaro
Published: June 2021

We investigate gravitational waves with sub-nHz frequencies (10−11 Hz ≲ fGW ≲ 10−9 Hz) from the spatial distribution of the spin-down rates of millisecond pulsars. As we suggested in Yonemaru et al. (2018, MNRAS, 478, 1670), gravitational waves from a single source induce a bias in the observed spin-down rates of pulsars depending on the relative direction between the source and the pulsar. To improve the constraints on the time derivative of gravitational wave amplitude obtained in our previous work (Kumamoto et al. 2019, MNRAS, 489, 3547), we adopt a more sophisticated statistical method called the Mann–Whitney U test. Applying our method to the ATNF pulsar catalogue, we first find that the current data set is consistent with no gravitational wave signal from any direction in the sky. Then, we estimate the effective angular resolution of our method to be 66 deg2 by studying the probability distribution of the test statistic. Finally, we investigate gravitational wave signals from the Galactic Center (GC) and M 87 and, comparing simulated mock data sets with the real pulsar data, we obtain upper bounds on the time derivative as $\dot{h}_{\rm GC} < 8.9 \times 10^{-19}$ s−1 for the GC and $\dot{h}_{\rm M87} < 3.3 \times 10^{-19}$ s−1 for M 87, which are stronger than those obtained in Kumamoto et al. (2019, MNRAS, 489, 3547) by factors of 7 and 25, respectively.
SIRIUS project. III. Star-by-star simulations of star cluster formation using a direct
N
-body integrator with stellar feedback
Authors: Fujii Michiko S , Saitoh Takayuki R , Hirai Yutaka , Wang Long
Published: June 2021

One of the computational challenges of cluster formation simulations is resolving individual stars and simulating massive clusters with masses of more than 104 M⊙ without gravitational softening. Combining a direct N-body code with smoothed-particle hydrodynamics (SPH) code, we have developed a new code, ASURA+BRIDGE, in which we can integrate stellar particles without softening. We add a feedback model for H ii regions into this code, in which thermal and momentum feedback is given within the Strömgren radius. We perform N-body/SPH simulations of star cluster formation. Without softening, a portion of massive stars are ejected from the forming clusters. As a result, the stellar feedback works outside the clusters. This enhances/suppresses the star formation in initially sub-virial/super-virial clouds. We find that the formed star clusters are denser than currently observed open clusters, but the mass–density relation is consistent with or even higher than that which is estimated as an initial cluster density. We also find that some clusters have multiple peaks in their stellar age distribution as a consequence of their hierarchical formation. Irrespective of the virial ratio of molecular clouds, approximately one-third of stars remain in the star clusters after gas expulsion.
An analytical density profile of dense circumstellar medium in Type II supernovae
Authors: Tsuna Daichi , Takei Yuki , Kuriyama Naoto , Shigeyama Toshikazu
Published: June 2021

Observations of Type II supernovae imply that a large fraction of their progenitors experience enhanced mass loss years to decades before core collapse, creating a dense circumstellar medium (CSM). Assuming that the CSM is produced by a single mass eruption event, we analytically model its density profile. We find that a double power-law profile, where the inner (outer) power-law index has a characteristic value of −1.5 (−10 to −12), gives a good fit to the CSM profile obtained using radiation hydrodynamical simulations. With our profile the CSM is well described by just two parameters, the transition radius r* and density at r = r* (alternatively r* and the total CSM mass). We encourage future studies to include this profile, if possible, when modelling emission from interaction-powered transients.
Improving implementation of school-based healthy eating and physical activity policies, practices, and programs: a systematic review
Authors: Barnes Courtney , McCrabb Sam , Stacey Fiona , Nathan Nicole , Yoong Sze Lin , Grady Alice , Sutherland Rachel , Hodder Rebecca , Innes-Hughes Christine , Davies Marc , Wolfenden Luke
Published: June 2021

Although best practice recommendations exist regarding school-based healthy eating and physical activity policies, practices, and programs, research indicates that implementation is poor. As the field of implementation science is rapidly evolving, an update of the recent review of strategies to improve the implementation of healthy eating and physical activity interventions in schools published in the Cochrane Library in 2017 was required. The primary aim of this review was to examine the effectiveness of strategies that aim to improve the implementation of school-based policies, practices, or programs to address child diet, physical activity, or obesity. A systematic review of articles published between August 31, 2016 and April 10, 2019 utilizing Cochrane methodology was conducted. In addition to the 22 studies included in the original review, eight further studies were identified as eligible. The 30 studies sought to improve the implementation of healthy eating (n = 16), physical activity (n = 11), or both healthy eating and physical activity (n = 3). The narrative synthesis indicated that effect sizes of strategies to improve implementation were highly variable across studies. For example, among 10 studies reporting the proportion of schools implementing a targeted policy, practice, or program versus a minimal or usual practice control, the median unadjusted effect size was 16.2%, ranging from –0.2% to 66.6%. Findings provide some evidence to support the effectiveness of strategies in enhancing the nutritional quality of foods served at schools, the implementation of canteen policies, and the time scheduled for physical education.
Cypermethrin induces Sertoli cell apoptosis through mitochondrial pathway associated with calcium
Authors: Wang Heng-Xue , Zhang Rui , Li Zheng , Wang Lu-Shan , Yu Yue , Wang Qi , Ding Zhen , Zhang Jin-Peng , Zhang Mei-Rong , Xu Li-Chun
Published: June 2021

Cypermethrin, one kind of pyrethroid pesticides, has been shown to act as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The purpose of this study was to explore the roles of Sertoli cell apoptosis through mitochondrial pathway associated with calcium (Ca2+) in cypermethrin-induced male reproductive toxicology. The mouse Sertoli cells TM4 were cultured with 0 μM, 10 μM, 20 μM, 40 μM and 80 μM of cypermethrin. We used flow cytometry, Fluo-4 AM, western blot and JC-1 Assay Kit to examine apoptosis, intracellular Ca2+, expressions of mitochondrial apoptotic pathway-related proteins and mitochondrial membrane potential. We found cypermethrin increased apoptosis rate of TM4 cells significantly and with a significant increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration. Cypermethrin significantly decreased the protein expressions of cytosolic B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and mitochondrial cytochrome c (Cyt-c). The protein expressions of cytosolic Bcl-2-associated x (Bax), Cyt-c, cleaved caspase-3, calmodulin (CaM), Ca2+/CaM-dependent protein kinases II (CaMKII) and phosphorylated CaMKII were increased significantly in cypermethrin-exposed TM4 cells. Cypermethrin decreased mitochondrial membrane potential significantly. Then, Bcl-2 family and Ca2+/CaM/CaMKII pathway participate in cypermethrin-induced homeostasis. Ca2+ overload activates mitochondrial pathway by increasing permeability of mitochondrial membrane and decreasing mitochondrial membrane potential. We suggest cypermethrin induces Sertoli cell apoptosis involving mitochondrial pathway associated with Ca2+ regulated by Bcl-2 family and Ca2+/CaM/CaMKII pathway. The study provides a new insight into mechanisms involved in cypermethrin-induced male reproductive toxicology.
Analytical and Omics-Based Advances in the Study of Drug-Induced Liver Injury
Authors: Kralj Thomas , Brouwer Kim L R , Creek Darren J
Published: June 2021

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a significant clinical issue, affecting 1–1.5 million patients annually, and remains a major challenge during drug development—toxicity and safety concerns are the second-highest reason for drug candidate failure. The future prevalence of DILI can be minimized by developing a greater understanding of the biological mechanisms behind DILI. Both qualitative and quantitative analytical techniques are vital to characterizing and investigating DILI. In vitro assays are capable of characterizing specific aspects of a drug’s hepatotoxic nature and multiplexed assays are capable of characterizing and scoring a drug’s association with DILI. However, an even deeper insight into the perturbations to biological pathways involved in the mechanisms of DILI can be gained through the use of omics-based analytical techniques: genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. These omics analytical techniques can offer qualitative and quantitative insight into genetic susceptibilities to DILI, the impact of drug treatment on gene expression, and the effect on protein and metabolite abundance. This review will discuss the analytical techniques that can be applied to characterize and investigate the biological mechanisms of DILI and potential predictive biomarkers.
Imaging correlates of serum enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot (EITB) positivity in patients with parenchymal neurocysticercosis: results from 521 patients
Authors: Vasudevan Prabhakaran , Moorthy Ranjith K , Rebekah Grace , Jackson Ellen , Pamela Betcy Evangeline , Thamizhmaran Subashini , Manoj Josephin , Thanigachalam Anupriya , Drevets Douglas , Carabin Hélène , Rajshekhar Vedantam
Published: June 2021

Background

The presence of perilesional edema among patients with parenchymal neurocysticercosis (pNCC) of various lesion subtypes has not been correlated with results of serum enzyme-linked immunotransfer blot (EITB) for cysticercal antibodies.

Methods

In total, 521 patients with pNCC were classified into solitary cysticercus granuloma (SCG), multiple lesions, at least one of which was an enhancing granuloma (GMNCC), solitary calcified cysticercal lesion (SCC) and multiple calcified cysticercal lesions (CMNCC). The proportion of EITB positivity among each lesion subtype and its association with perilesional edema were determined.

Results

There were significantly higher positive EITB results in patients with GMNCC (90/111, 81.1%) compared with other lesion types. Perilesional edema was associated with positive EITB in patients with CMNCC. On univariate analysis, perilesional edema and GMNCC were associated with EITB positivity. On multivariate analysis, only GMNCC (OR 7.5; 95% CI 3.5 to 16.2) was significantly associated with EITB positivity.

Conclusions

In patients with pNCC, the presence of perilesional edema is associated with a higher probability of a positive EITB result in patients with CMNCC, suggesting a synchronicity in the mechanisms associated with formation of perilesional edema and the antibody response in this subtype. In patients with enhancing granulomas, edema is not an independent predictor of a positive EITB, suggesting that the enhancement itself is associated with a strong antibody response.
A Novel Signaling Pathway Connects Thiamine Biosynthesis, Bacterial Respiration, and Production of the Exopolysaccharide Amylovoran inErwinia amylovora
Authors: Yuan Xiaochen , McGhee Gayle C. , Slack Suzanne M. , Sundin George W.
Published: June 2021

Erwinia amylovora is a plant pathogen causing necrotrophic fire blight disease of apple, pear, and other rosaceous plants. This bacterium colonizes host vascular tissues via the production of exopolysaccharides (EPSs) including amylovoran. It is well-established that the nearly ubiquitous plasmid pEA29 of E. amylovora is an essential virulence factor, but the underlying mechanism remains uncharacterized. Here, we demonstrated that pEA29 was required for E. amylovora to produce amylovoran and to form a biofilm, and this regulation was dependent on the thiamine biosynthesis operon thiOSGF. We then conducted carbohydrate and genetic analyses demonstrating that the thiamine-mediated effect on amylovoran production was indirect, as cells lacking thiOSGF produced an EPS that did not contain glucuronic acid, one of the key components of amylovoran, whereas the transcriptional activity and RNA levels of the amylovoran biosynthesis genes were not altered. Alternatively, addition of exogenous thiamine restored amylovoran production in the pEA29-cured strain of E. amylovora and positively impacted amylovoran production in a dose-dependent manner. Individual deletion of several chromosomal thiamine biosynthesis genes also affected amylovoran production, implying that a complete thiamine biosynthesis pathway is required for the thiamine-mediated effect on amylovoran production in E. amylovora. Finally, we determined that an imbalanced tricarboxylic acid cycle negatively affected amylovoran production, which was restored by addition of exogenous thiamine or overexpression of the thiOSGF operon. In summary, our report revealed a novel signaling pathway that impacts E. amylovora virulence in which thiamine biosynthesis enhances bacterial respiration that provides energetic requirements for the biosynthesis of EPS amylovoran.

[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .