bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Metered‐dose inhalers versus nebulization for the delivery of albuterol for acute exacerbations of wheezing or asthma in children: A systematic review with meta‐analysis
Authors: Payares‐Salamanca Laura , Contreras‐Arrieta Sandra , Florez‐García Victor , Barrios‐Sanjuanelo Alexander , Stand‐Niño Ivan , Rodriguez‐Martinez Carlos E.
Published: September 2020

Objectives

The benefits of metered‐dose inhalers with a spacer (MDI+S) have increasingly been recognized as an alternative method of albuterol administration for treating pediatric asthma exacerbations. The aim of this systematic review was to compare the response to albuterol delivered through nebulization (NEB) with albuterol delivered through MDI+S in pediatric patients with asthma exacerbations.

Methods

We conducted an electronic search in MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, Ovid, and ClinicalTrials. To be included in the review, a study had to a randomized clinical trial comparing albuterol delivered via NEB versus MDI+S; and had to report the rate of hospital admission (primary outcome), or any of the following secondary outcomes: oxygen arterial saturation, heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), the pulmonary index score (PIS), adverse effects, and need for additional treatment.

Results

Fifteen studies (n = 2057) met inclusion criteria. No significant differences were found between the two albuterol delivery methods in terms of hospital admission (relative risk, 0.89; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.55–1.46; I2 = 32%; p = .65). There was a significant reduction in the PIS score (mean difference [MD], −0.63; 95% CI, −0.91 to −0.35; I2 = 0%; p < .00001), and a significantly smaller increase in HR (better; MD −6.47; 95% CI, −11.69 to −1.25; I2 = 0%; p = .02) when albuterol was delivered through MDI+S than when it was delivered through NEB.

Conclusions

This review, an update of a previously‐published meta‐analysis, showed a significant reduction in the PIS and a significantly smaller increase in HR when albuterol was delivered through MDI+S than when it was delivered through NEB.
The promise and pitfalls of composite endpoints in sepsis and COVID‐19 clinical trials
Authors: Brown P. M. , Rogne Tormod , Solligård Erik
Published: September 2020

Composite endpoints reveal the tendency for statistical convention to arise locally within subfields. Composites are familiar in cardiovascular trials, yet almost unknown in sepsis. However, the VITAMINS trial in patients with septic shock adopted a composite of mortality and vasopressor‐free days, and an ordinal scale describing patient status rapidly became standard in COVID studies. Aware that recent use could incite interest in such endpoints, we are motivated to flag their potential value and pitfalls for sepsis research and COVID studies.
Keep accessibility central in COVID‐19 mitigation plans
Authors: Hope Joan
Published: September 2020

By the time students and staff come back to campus, your institution has no doubt taken steps to reduce the risk of COVID‐19 transmission. But you can work with facilities staff to ensure mitigation efforts don't restrict access for individuals with disabilities.
Dumb money or smart money? Meta‐analytically unpacking corporate venture capital
Authors: Huang Peiyuan , Madhavan Ravi
Published: September 2020

Research Summary

As an important strategic tool for entrepreneurial ventures and for established corporations alike, corporate venture capital (CVC) has attracted significant research attention. However, extant studies are equivocal about CVC's performance impact, and measurement approaches vary widely. Separating CVC performance into its corporate and venture elements, we conducted a meta‐analytic structural equation model (MASEM) analysis to quantitatively synthesize 151 effect sizes from 68 studies. While results indicate that CVC does create value for both investing corporation and invested venture, they also hint at different magnitudes for, and nuanced interrelationships between, the various performance aspects. We highlight implications for CVC scholarship in terms of measurement and theory.

Managerial Summary

What is the bottom line impact of corporate venture capital (CVC)? While CVC is attractive to both startups and corporations, potential benefits are different for each participant—for example, capital and industry contacts for the startup, learning and financial returns for the corporation. The multiple and potentially competing benefits complicate the assessment of CVC's performance impact. Our quantitative summary of 68 empirical studies shows that CVC creates value for startups and corporations alike, but in varying magnitude, suggesting that the benefits are not equally shared between partners and across performance aspects. The nuanced distribution and interrelationship among CVC outcomes have practical implications for startup leaders and corporate investors as they enter into and manage CVC investments.
Statistical approaches using longitudinal biomarkers for disease early detection: A comparison of methodologies
Authors: Han Yongli , Albert Paul S. , Berg Christine D. , Wentzensen Nicolas , Katki Hormuzd A. , Liu Danping
Published: September 2020

Early detection of clinical outcomes such as cancer may be predicted using longitudinal biomarker measurements. Tracking longitudinal biomarkers as a way to identify early disease onset may help to reduce mortality from diseases like ovarian cancer that are more treatable if detected early. Two disease risk prediction frameworks, the shared random effects model (SREM) and the pattern mixture model (PMM) could be used to assess longitudinal biomarkers on disease early detection. In this article, we studied the discrimination and calibration performances of SREM and PMM on disease early detection through an application to ovarian cancer, where early detection using the risk of ovarian cancer algorithm (ROCA) has been evaluated. Comparisons of the above three approaches were performed via analyses of the ovarian cancer data from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. Discrimination was evaluated by the time‐dependent receiver operating characteristic curve and its area, while calibration was assessed using calibration plot and the ratio of observed to expected number of diseased subjects. The out‐of‐sample performances were calculated via using leave‐one‐out cross‐validation, aiming to minimize potential model overfitting. A careful analysis of using the biomarker cancer antigen 125 for ovarian cancer early detection showed significantly improved discrimination performance of PMM as compared with SREM and ROCA, nevertheless all approaches were generally well calibrated. Robustness of all approaches was further investigated in extensive simulation studies. The improved performance of PMM relative to ROCA is in part due to the fact that the biomarker measurements were taken at a yearly interval, which is not frequent enough to reliably estimate the changepoint or the slope after changepoint in cases under ROCA.
Understanding and adjusting for the selection bias from a proof‐of‐concept study to a more confirmatory study
Authors: Qu Yongming , Du Yu , Zhang Ying , Shen Lei
Published: September 2020

It has long been noticed that the efficacy observed in small early phase studies is generally better than that observed in later larger studies. Historically, the inflation of the efficacy results from early proof‐of‐concept studies is either ignored, or adjusted empirically using a frequentist or Bayesian approach. In this article, we systematically explained the underlying reason for the inflation of efficacy results in small early phase studies from the perspectives of measurement error models and selection bias. A systematic method was built to adjust the early phase study results from both frequentist and Bayesian perspectives. A hierarchical model was proposed to estimate the distribution of the efficacy for a portfolio of compounds, which can serve as the prior distribution for the Bayesian approach. We showed through theory that the systematic adjustment provides an unbiased estimator for the true mean efficacy for a portfolio of compounds. The adjustment was applied to paired data for the efficacy in early small and later larger studies for a set of compounds in diabetes and immunology. After the adjustment, the bias in the early phase small studies seems to be diminished.
Thermal Safety Performance Evaluation for Typical Free Radical Polymerization Initiator of Tert‐butyl Peroxypivalate
Authors: Wu Xingliang , Liu Dabin , Xu Yabei , Meng Zichun , Xu Feiyang , Wang Xu , Cao Weiguo , Xu Sen
Published: September 2020

Tert‐butyl peroxypivalate is a typical free radical polymerization initiator due to the active O−O peroxide group, and it is a thermal instability material. To evaluate the thermal safety of tert‐butyl peroxypivalate, Dewar test, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Accelerating Rate Calorimeter (ARC) were used to study the self‐accelerating decomposition temperature (SADT), thermal performance parameters and kinetic parameters. The results of DSC reveal that the onset decomposition temperature of the initiator was 76.30 °C. The apparent activation energy (Ea) was 91.86 kJ mol−1 by Kissinger method. In ARC test, the onset decomposition temperature was 40.64 °C. The adiabatic temperature of the reaction was 86.68 °C, and the apparent activation energy was 120.14 kJ mol−1. The results of Dewar test show that the SADT of the initiator was 38 °C. The simulated SADT value by thermal analysis software (AKTS) was about 35 °C which was basically consistent with the results of Dewar test.
Palladium‐Catalyzed Cascade Carbonylative Cyclization Reaction of Trifluoroacetimidoyl Chlorides and 2‐Iodoanilines: Toward 2‐(Trifluoromethyl)quinazolin‐4(3H)‐ones Synthesis
Authors: Yang Hefei , Wang Le‐Cheng , Wang Wei‐Feng , Chen Zhengkai , Wu Xiao‐Feng
Published: September 2020

A palladium‐catalyzed cascade carbonylative/cyclization reaction for the synthesis of 2‐(trifluoromethyl)quinazolin‐4(3H)‐ones has been achieved. The transformation utilizes readily available 2‐iodoanilines and trifluoroacetimidoyl chlorides as the starting reagents, enabling a simple and convenient access to pharmaceutically significant quinazolin‐4(3H)‐one derivatives.
Single‐cell RNA sequencing in Drosophila: Technologies and applications
Authors: Li Hongjie
Published: September 2020

Single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‐seq) has emerged as a powerful tool for investigating cell states and functions at the single‐cell level. It has greatly revolutionized transcriptomic studies in many life science research fields, such as neurobiology, immunology, and developmental biology. With the fast development of both experimental platforms and bioinformatics approaches over the past decade, scRNA‐seq is becoming economically feasible and experimentally practical for many biomedical laboratories. Drosophila has served as an excellent model organism for dissecting cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie tissue development, adult cell function, disease, and aging. The recent application of scRNA‐seq methods to Drosophila tissues has led to a number of exciting discoveries. In this review, I will provide a summary of recent scRNA‐seq studies in Drosophila, focusing on technical approaches and biological applications. I will also discuss current challenges and future opportunities of making new discoveries using scRNA‐seq in Drosophila.

This article is categorized under:

  Technologies > Analysis of the Transcriptome
Scaling‐equivalent rotating flows
Authors: Magyari Eugen
Published: September 2020

Three outstanding rotating disk flows described by an exact solution of the Navier–Stokes equations are revisited in this paper. The purpose is to find out to what extent the corresponding boundary value problems can be mapped on each other by scaling transformations. The three addressed, and seemingly basically different axisymmetric flows are (A) the flow induced by a rough rotating disk, (B) the flow induced by a simultaneously rotating and radially stretching disk, and (C) the classical von Kármán swirl. The main results of the paper can be summarized as follows. (i) The continuous set of solutions of the problem (A) corresponding to is scaling‐equivalent to the solution of von Kármán, (C), (ii) Every given solution of the problem (A) with generates by a suitable scaling transformation a unique solution of (B) with , (iii) every given solution of the problem (B) with a can generate a continuous set of solutions of the problem (A), (iv) in the stretching dominated subcritical range of (B), no scaling‐equivalent solutions of the three problems exist. All the above results are also valid for the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) extensions of the problems (A), (B), and (C). For these cases an approximate solution could be found in a closed analytical form which furnishes for large values of the magnetic parameter M highly accurate results.
Pole-skipping of scalar and vector fields in hyperbolic space: conformal blocks and holography
Authors: Ahn Yongjun , Jahnke Viktor , Jeong Hyun-Sik , Kim Keun-Young , Lee Kyung-Sun , Nishida Mitsuhiro
Published: September 2020

Abstract

Motivated by the recent connection between pole-skipping phenomena of two point functions and four point out-of-time-order correlators (OTOCs), we study the pole structure of thermal two-point functions in d-dimensional conformal field theories (CFTs) in hyperbolic space. We derive the pole-skipping points of two-point functions of scalar and vector fields by three methods (one field theoretic and two holographic methods) and confirm that they agree. We show that the leading pole-skipping point of two point functions is related with the late time behavior of conformal blocks and shadow conformal blocks in four-point OTOCs.
The edge regions in tergites of the desert isopod Hemilepistus reaumuri: the transition from hard cuticle to flexible arthrodial membrane
Authors: Ernst Franziska , Fabritius Helge-Otto , Griesshaber Erika , Schmahl Wolfgang W. , Ziegler Andreas
Published: September 2020

The arthrodial membrane is a thin and flexible type of cuticle that inserts at the edge regions of neighbouring rigid skeletal elements creating a flexible connection. In the present study, we analyzed the structure, mineral composition, calcite organization and local stiffness and hardness of edge regions that form transitions to the arthrodial membranes in the tergites of the desert isopod Hemilepistus reaumuri. For the transitions to the arthrodial membrane, the results show an increase in the thickness of the epicuticle at cost of the distal exocuticle and a calcite layer, an increase in the ratio of phosphorus to calcium and a decrease in the local mechanical properties. The posterior edge region contains an unusually large stack of unidirectionally oriented parallel fibrils projecting to the lateral sides. At the edge, it turns down into a long ventral cuticle overlapping an anterior part of the neighbouring tergite. It forms a thin arched gap between the tergites that can help reducing water loss through the arthrodial membrane and protects the arthrodial membrane upon predation. A thick ventral ridge near the transition to the arthrodial membrane carrying bristles can prevent sand grains from access to the arthrodial membrane. From the dorsal cuticle to the transition to the arthrodial membrane, calcite units become larger and single crystalline turning their c-axes orientation perpendicular to the sagittal section plane. Comparison with edge regions of the beach isopod Tylos europaeus reveal common characteristics of the edge region, but also specific adaptations to the desert habitat of H. reaumuri.
Buckling analysis of a non-concentric double-walled carbon nanotube
Authors: Malikan Mohammad , Eremeyev Victor A. , Sedighi Hamid M.
Published: September 2020

On the basis of a theoretical study, this research incorporates an eccentricity into a system of compressed double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs). In order to formulate the stability equations, a kinematic displacement with reference to the classical beam hypothesis is utilized. Furthermore, the influence of nanoscale size is taken into account with regard to the nonlocal approach of strain gradient, and the van der Waals interaction for both inner and outer tubes is also considered based on the Lennard–Jones model. Galerkin decomposition is employed to numerically deal with the governing equations. It is evidently demonstrated that the geometrical eccentricity remarkably affects the stability threshold and its impact is to increase the static stability of DWCNTs.
Measuring commitment to self-tracking: development of the C2ST scale
Authors: Hancı Elçin , Lacroix Joyca , Ruijten Peter A. M. , Haans Antal , IJsselsteijn Wijnand
Published: September 2020

Self-tracking technologies bring a new set of experiences into our lives. Through sensors and ubiquitous measurements of bodily performance, a new form of automation experience shapes our understanding of our body and our behavior. While for many individuals self-tracking has an important role in their daily lives, a theoretical understanding of the level and behavioral manifestations of commitment to self-tracking is still missing. This paper introduces the concept of commitment to self-tracking and presents the development and first validation of a new 12-item behavior-based scale for its measurement, the Commitment to Self-Tracking (C2ST) scale. Using online survey data from individuals wearing self-tracking technology (N = 300), we explore the underlying factor structure of the scale and determine its reliability and validity. An analysis of the survey data indicates that commitment to self-tracking positively correlates with autonomous motivation for tracking and negatively correlates with controlled motivation. The C2ST scale brings insights on how self-tracking technology, as a novel automation experience, is affecting users’ everyday behaviors. Overall, by emphasizing the feasibility of defining commitment behaviorally, the paper concludes with implications for theory and practice and suggests directions for future research.
Metformin Is Associated with Reduced Tissue Factor Procoagulant Activity in Patients with Poorly Controlled Diabetes
Authors: Witkowski Marco , Friebel Julian , Tabaraie Termeh , Grabitz Sinah , Dörner Andrea , Taghipour Lena , Jakobs Kai , Stratmann Bernd , Tschoepe Diethelm , Landmesser Ulf , Rauch Ursula
Published: September 2020

Purpose

Metformin is the first-line antidiabetic drug and shown to reduce cardiovascular risk independent from its glucose lowering action. Particularly in poorly controlled diabetes, tissue factor (TF) is expressed in the vasculature and accounts for thromboembolic complications. Here, we aimed to assess the effect of metformin on TF activity and markers of vascular inflammation in poorly controlled type 2 diabetes.

Methods

In a cohort of patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (glycosylated hemoglobin 8.39 ± 0.24%, 68.1 ± 2.6 mmol/mol, n = 46) of whom half of the individuals were treated with metformin and the other half did not receive metformin as part of an anti-diabetic combination therapy, we assessed TF activity and markers of vascular inflammation. In vitro, human monocytic cells (THP-1) were exposed to metformin and TF expression measured in the presence and absence of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activator 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide riboside (AICAR) or the AMPK inhibitor compound C.

Results

In the patients, metformin treatment was associated with lower levels of TF protein (241.5 ± 19 vs. 315.4 ± 25 pg/mL, p = 0.03) and reduced TF activity (408.9 ± 49 vs. 643.8 ± 47 U/mL, p = 0.001) compared with controls. Moreover, the patients on metformin showed lower levels of vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)1 (26.6 ± 1.4 vs. 35.03 ± 3.1 ng/mL, p = 0.014) and higher expression of miR-126-3p/U6sno (11.39 ± 2.8 vs. 4.26 ± 0.9, p = 0.006), a known post-transcriptional down regulator of TF and VCAM1. In vitro, metformin dose-dependently reduced lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced TF expression in THP-1 cells. The AMPK activator AICAR alone lowered TF expression in THP-1, while the AMPK inhibitor compound C abrogated the metformin-dependent reduction in TF expression.

Conclusions

Our data are the first to report that metformin is associated with reduced plasma TF procoagulant activity possibly explaining—at least in part—the vasculoprotective properties of metformin.
Co-sputtering of $$\hbox {Al}_{1-x}\hbox {Sc}_{x}\hbox {N}$$ thin films on Pt(111): a characterization by Raman and IR spectroscopies
Authors: Solonenko Dmytro , Lan Chuanqi , Schmidt Constance , Stoeckel Chris , Hiller Karla , Zahn Dietrich R. T.
Published: September 2020

In this work, aluminium scandium nitride ($$\hbox {Al}_{1-x}\hbox {Sc}_{x}\hbox {N}$$

Al

1
-
x

Sc
x

N

) thin films are deposited by reactive DC magnetron co-sputtering on Pt(111) layers. The sputtering power of the Sc target is varied in a broad range up to 900 W to effectively vary the Sc content later assessed using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). We show that commonly used X-ray diffraction techniques may yield ambiguous results, and thus, additional verification is crucial to substantiate the actual composition of the sputtered thin films. Therefore, we employ optical spectroscopy techniques, such as Raman and Fourier transformed infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopies in order to study the vibrational properties of the alloys. Our Raman spectra show that low Sc content leads to a phase separation with the formation of cubic ScN and AlScN phases during the sputtering process. Nevertheless, small amounts of the wurtzite phase are detected in the rock-salt dominated samples owing to the enhancement of the $$\hbox {A}_{{1}}$$

A
1

(LO) phonon mode by the Berreman effect in the FTIR spectra. The Sc-induced shifts of the AlN phonon modes are determined in a broad range of Sc content.
Teatime in the Serengeti: macrodetritivores sustain recalcitrant plant litter decomposition across human-modified tropical savannahs
Authors: Sundsdal Anders , Graae Bente J. , Speed James D. M. , Bukombe John , Mtweve Philipo Jacob , Arneberg Marit K. , Haukenes Vilde L. , Grevskott Ragnhild T. , Smith Stuart W.
Published: September 2020

Background and aims

Intensification of savannah land-use is predicted to negatively influence soil biodiversity and functioning such as litter decomposition by detritivores. Loss of macrodetritivores, particularly termites, may be problematic in drier savannahs due to the capacity of macrodetritivores to sustain litter decomposition. Here we investigate how human land-use and spatiotemporal rainfall influence the contribution of macrodetritivores to plant litter decomposition.

Methods

We measured decomposition using globally standardized litter: labile green and recalcitrant rooibos tea litter. The contribution of macrodetritivores to litter decomposition was determined through exclusion using meshed litterbags. Litter decomposition was determined in agricultural land, pastureland and wildlife protected areas during both wet and dry seasons and in mesic and wet rainfall regions across the borders of the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.

Results

Macrodetritivores consumed recalcitrant rooibos and mainly avoided labile green tea litter. On average macrodetritivores enhanced recalcitrant litter decomposition by 22%, but litter mass loss varied across land-uses, typically being higher on agricultural and pastureland compared to wildlife protected areas, and was sustained during periods of water scarcity. However, we observed instances of higher decomposition of recalcitrant litter by macrodetritivores in wildlife protected areas. In contrast, litter decomposition by microbes and microdetritivores was more constrained by seasonal and regional water availability with a minor influence of land-use.

Conclusion

We found that moderate human-modification of savannahs is compatible with macrodetritivore litter decomposition. As savannahs become more intensely used by humans, raising ecological awareness among agropastoralist is required to ensure continued contribution of macrodetritivores to litter decomposition.
How to know about waters? Finnish traditional knowledge related to waters and implications for management reforms
Authors: Mustonen Tero , Huusari Noora
Published: September 2020

Finnish lakes, rivers, the Baltic and wetlands–our aquatic ecosystems–are surveyed, assessed and studied using natural sciences and ecological data. We argue that this approach is leaving out a key repository of information–the traditional knowledge of waters. By reviewing aspects, qualities and depth of knowledge across Finland from mid-boreal ecosystems in Eastern Finland to large Saimaa lake system to Western Finnish lakes we demonstrate a potentially reformative approach to aquatic assessments. Cultural indicators, baseline data from oral histories, linguistic diversity and behaviour of species on lakes based on traditional knowledge observations have the potential to greatly enhance our understanding of ecosystem health. Of special importance are the spawning locations of fish known through traditional knowledge, but often ignored by science-based assessments.
Effect of different planting times on the quantitative variation of total seed isoflavone content and composition in Korean soybean cultivars (Glycine max (L.) Merr.)
Authors: Kim Hong-Sik , Kang Beom-Kyu , Seo Jeong-Hyun , Kim Hyun-Tae , Ha Tae-Joung , Oh Jae-Hyeon , Shin Sang-Ouk , Baek In-Yeol
Published: September 2020

There is great interest in the enhancement of isoflavones as one of the functional ingredients in soybean. This study aimed to investigate the effects of changes in the ecological environment over different planting times on isoflavone content. A total of 28 Korean soybean cultivars were grown at different planting times in late May, mid-June, and early July and their isoflavone content was measured over 2 years (2017 and 2018). Analyses of variance revealed significant effects of genotypes, planting times, years, and their interactions on isoflavone content. The average content of total isoflavone, as well as its component groups of malonylglucoside and aglycon, increased significantly as the seed planting time was delayed from late May to early July. The accumulation of each isoflavone component varied with changes in the planting time. The isoflavone content of the soybean cultivars for soy-sprout and soy-paste and tofu were higher for plantings in early July than for those in late May and/or mid-June, except for the black soybean cultivars. Despite significant correlations of the isoflavone content of the 28 cultivars among the three planting times, the responses of individual cultivars varied in isoflavone content by planting time. When planting was delayed, the time to flowering and maturity was also delayed and the number of days of growth from planting or flowering to maturity decreased; however, this was not related to isoflavone content. When planting was delayed, the temperature during the ripening period from flowering to maturity was lower, which was inversely related to the isoflavone content.
Method for Evaluating Potential Maximum Shear Strain for a Fine Metal Wire in Torsion Testing
Authors: Gondo S. , Akamine H. , Mitsui R. , Kajino S. , Asakawa M. , Takemoto K. , Tashima K. , Suzuki S.
Published: September 2020

The torsion number of drawn fine high carbon steel wires was measured through torsion testing. The angles between the scratches on the tested wire surface and its longitudinal axis were measured. The shear strain calculated from torsion number γt, shear strain at fractured point γf, and plastic shear strain γpc were evaluated. The following results were obtained. First, the shear strain distribution homogenized; further, torsion number per unit length N, γt, and γpc increased when decreasing the difference between γf and γpc where γpc subtracted from γf (=Δγfpc) > 0. Second, the external factors caused non-uniform shear strain distribution and reduction from the potential maximum shear strain, even for the wire that was hardly affected by the internal factors. The difference of shear strain non-uniformity caused a variation in reduction from the potential maximum shear strain. The internal factors included non-uniform microstructure and existence of inclusions and voids. The external factors were caused by the testing machine and setting of the sample. The potential maximum shear strain was obtained when the effects of internal and external factors were inhibited. Finally, two evaluation methods of the potential maximum shear strain were suggested. One method identifies a sample with a small Δγfpc, and a large γpc where Δγfpc > 0. This sample can be regarded as having the closest strain to the potential maximum shear strain. The other method determines γpc when Δγfpc is closest to 0. This value can be interpreted as plastic strain of the potential maximum shear strain.
The Role of Social Media Content Format and Platform in Users’ Engagement Behavior
Authors: Shahbaznezhad Hamidreza , Dolan Rebecca , Rashidirad Mona
Published: September 2020

The purpose of this study is to understand the role of social media content on users’ engagement behavior. More specifically, we investigate: (i)the direct effects of format and platform on users’ passive and active engagement behavior, and (ii) we assess the moderating effect of content context on the link between each content type (rational, emotional, and transactional content) and users’ engagement. The dataset contained 1,038 social media posts and 1,336,741 and 95,996 fan likes and comments, respectively based on Facebook and Instagram. The results reveal that the effectiveness of social media content on users’ engagement is moderated by content context. The findings contribute to understanding engagement and users’ experience with social media. This study is a pioneering one to empirically assess the construct of social media engagement behavior through the effects of content types and content contexts on a dual social media platform.
Relative Change
Authors: Duncombe Matthew
Published: September 2020

A relative change occurs when some item changes a relation. This Element examines how Plato, Aristotle, Stoics and Sextus Empiricus approached relative change. Relative change is puzzling because the following three propositions each seem true but cannot be true together: (1) No relative changes are intrinsic changes; (2) Only intrinsic changes are proper changes; (3) Some relative changes are proper changes. Plato's Theaetetus and Phaedo property relative change. I argue that these dialogues assume relative changes to be intrinsic changes, so denying (1). Aristotle responds differently, by denying (3) that relative change is proper change. The Stoics claimed that some non-intrinsic changes are changes (denying (2)). Finally, I discuss Sextus' argument that relative change shows that there are no relatives at all.
Stakeholder Protection and Corporate Social Responsibility from a Comparative Company Law Perspective: Nigeria and South Africa
Authors: Amodu Nojeem
Published: September 2020

There have been notable legislative advancements, as well as improvements in corporate governance codes, aimed at protecting stakeholder rights. However, how much protection have they really afforded stakeholders against socially irresponsible corporate behaviour? This article undertakes a comparative analysis of the legal framework underlying South Africa's stakeholder-inclusive approach and Nigeria's environmental, social and governance or sustainability corporate reporting. It identifies a misplaced philosophical background as well as policy misalignment of corporate governance codes and primary corporate law as critical factors that undermine efforts to embed responsible corporate behaviour in order to safeguard the interests of qualified and legitimate stakeholders. It recommends specific amendments to address the ideological defect and align corporate governance codes with primary corporate legislation in these two countries.
Differences between primary care physicians and specialised neurotologists in the diagnosis of dizziness and vertigo in Japan
Authors: Ito T , Matsuyama S , Shiozaki T , Nishikawa D , Akioka H , Yamanaka T , Kitahara T
Published: September 2020

Objective

Vertigo and dizziness are frequent symptoms in patients at out-patient services. An accurate diagnosis for vertigo or dizziness is essential for symptom relief; however, it is often challenging. This study aimed to identify differences in diagnoses between primary-care physicians and specialised neurotologists.

Method

In total, 217 patients were enrolled. To compare diagnoses, data was collected from the reference letters of primary-care physicians, medical questionnaires completed by patients and medical records.

Results

In total, 62.2 per cent and 29.5 per cent of the patients were referred by otorhinolaryngologists and internists, respectively. The cause of vertigo or dizziness and diagnosis was missing in 47.0 per cent of the reference letters. In addition, 67.3 per cent of the diagnoses by previous physicians differed from those reported by specialised neurotologists.

Conclusion

To ensure patient satisfaction and high quality of life, an accurate diagnosis for vertigo or dizziness is required; therefore, methods or materials to improve the diagnostic accuracy are needed.
Evaluation of gray matter reduction in patients with typhoon-related posttraumatic stress disorder using causal network analysis of structural MRI
Authors: Chen Hui Juan , Qi Rongfeng , Ke Jun , Qiu Jie , Xu Qiang , Zhong Yuan , Lu Guang Ming , Chen Feng
Published: September 2020

Background

The structural changes recent-onset posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) subjects were rarely investigated. This study was to compare temporal and causal relationships of structural changes in recent-onset PTSD with trauma-exposed control (TEC) subjects and non-TEC subjects.

Methods

T1-weighted magnetic resonance images of 27 PTSD, 33 TEC and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy control (HC) subjects were studied. The causal network of structural covariance was used to evaluate the causal relationships of structural changes in PTSD patients.

Results

Volumes of bilateral hippocampal and left lingual gyrus were significantly smaller in PTSD patients and TEC subjects than HC subjects. As symptom scores increase, reduction in gray matter volume began in the hippocampus and progressed to the frontal lobe, then to the temporal and occipital cortices (p< 0.05, false discovery rate corrected). The hippocampus might be the primary hub of the directional network and demonstrated positive causal effects on the frontal, temporal and occipital regions (p< 0.05, false discovery rate corrected). The frontal regions, which were identified to be transitional points, projected causal effects to the occipital lobe and temporal regions and received causal effects from the hippocampus (p< 0.05, false discovery rate corrected).

Conclusions

The results offer evidence of localized abnormalities in the bilateral hippocampus and remote abnormalities in multiple temporal and frontal regions in typhoon-exposed PTSD patients.
Public Sphere without a Printing Press: Texts, Reading Networks, and Public Opinion in Venezuela during the Age of Revolutions
Authors: Soriano Cristina
Published: September 2020

At the end of the eighteenth century, members of the colonial elite of the Captaincy General of Venezuela addressed a letter to the king of Spain in which they sought permission to have a printing press in the city of Caracas. In the letter, they argued that the establishment of such a press was fundamental for the economic and commercial development of the Captaincy. Months later, they learned that the permission for a printing press had been denied without further explanations. Venezuela became one of the last capital cities in colonial Spanish America to possess this technology. The lack of a printing press during this politically dynamic period moved by the Atlantic revolutions did not necessarily affect public access to reading, sharing of information, and political debate in Venezuela. Venezuela's unique geographical location, and its open and frequent connections with the Caribbean region during the Age of Revolutions allowed for the effective entrance and transit of people and written materials that spread revolutionary ideas and impressions, creating a dynamic and contested political environment. Here I argue that during the late-colonial period, semiliterate forms of knowledge transmission, partially promoted by Spanish reformism, mobilised a socially diverse public that openly debated the monarchical regime, the system of slavery, and the hierarchical socio-racial order of colonial society. The colonial public sphere in Venezuela was shaped, then, within a context of emerging socio-racial tensions and became a space of contestation and struggle, animated by the overlapping of contradictory political discourses.

This study contributes to recent debates about the character, nature, and relevance of the public sphere in the colonial world. It explores the circulation of manuscripts and ephemeral written materials, the different modes of production and reception of texts that developed in the colonial context, and an analysis of the character of the urban spaces that facilitated the performativity of texts. It thus offers a new framework for understanding the emergence of a public sphere in Venezuela, a colonial peripheral province with no printing press.
Censorship as Negotiation: The State and Non-European Newspapers in Kenya, 1930–54
Authors: Frederiksen Bodil Folke
Published: September 2020

This article is concerned with the colonial state as a producer, consumer, and regulator of print. Propaganda and censorship may represent two extremes in the management of a colonial public sphere. Censorship was an interactive and negotiated process—one whose successful management was in the interest of both the censoring agents and those censored. One might think that censorship is a measure taken in order for communication to break down. If we imagine colonial print communication as a continuum suspended between partners that at one end desire full freedom of expression and at the other full control, absolute censorship does constitute silence, like that represented by the dramatic closure of the African press in Kenya with the Emergency of 1952. In a politicised colonial environment, like that in postwar Kenya, censorship may be understood as negotiation between colonisers and colonised on the limits of free speech. The article examines what changed in Kenya's late-colonial period in relation to the production, broadcasting, censoring, and suppression of non-European newspapers, and how the change affected the institutions and groupings that produced and received texts. More narrowly, it seeks to trace the dynamics of textual interfaces between the European print frameworks and those of the consolidated or emerging non-European publicists and publics. An examination that situates censorship in a broader context of management of discourse, of negotiation and dialogue, one that tests and goes beyond the dualism of suppression and resistance, may make it clearer why and to what extent a number of critical, anti-colonial publications were allowed to exist, and some were encouraged; and what the limits were, when opposition became unacceptable, and communication broke down.
ASYMPTOTIC EXPANSION FOR THE TRANSITION DENSITIES OF STOCHASTIC DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS DRIVEN BY THE GAMMA PROCESSES
Authors: Jiang Fan , Zang Xin , Yang Jingping
Published: September 2020

In this paper, enlightened by the asymptotic expansion methodology developed by Li [(2013). Maximum-likelihood estimation for diffusion processes via closed-form density expansions. Annals of Statistics 41: 1350–1380] and Li and Chen [(2016). Estimating jump-diffusions using closed-form likelihood expansions. Journal of Econometrics 195(1): 51–70], we propose a Taylor-type approximation for the transition densities of the stochastic differential equations (SDEs) driven by the gamma processes, a special type of Lévy processes. After representing the transition density as a conditional expectation of Dirac delta function acting on the solution of the related SDE, the key technical method for calculating the expectation of multiple stochastic integrals conditional on the gamma process is presented. To numerically test the efficiency of our method, we examine the pure jump Ornstein–Uhlenbeck model and its extensions to two jump-diffusion models. For each model, the maximum relative error between our approximated transition density and the benchmark density obtained by the inverse Fourier transform of the characteristic function is sufficiently small, which shows the efficiency of our approximated method.
“How Do We Solve This Task?”
Authors: Erdmann Kim Angeles , Vetter Verena Clara , Schäferling Michaela , Reuner Gitta , Hertel Silke
Published: September 2020

Abstract. The study examines (a) whether gestational age relates to parental scaffolding (SCA), when controlling for child cognitive development, parenting stress, and socioeconomic status, and (b) how SCA links to parent–child problem-solving performance. The sample included 142 parents with a full-term or preterm 2-year-old toddler (corrected age). Parents’ SCA during one of two (randomly assigned) problem-solving tasks was rated on five scales (use of SCA means, cognitive support, metacognitive support, transfer or responsibility, contingency management). The results suggest that gestational age is positively related to parents’ transfer of responsibility and metacognitive support. The effects decrease, however, once covariates are controlled for. Regarding the problem-solving performance, direct effects were observed from parents’ cognitive and metacognitive support, transfer of responsibility, and contingency management. The data also confirm an indirect effect of parents’ use of SCA means on the problem-solving performance, partially mediated via parents’ cognitive support. Implications for the design of interventions are discussed.
Ocean Observations Under Two Major Hurricanes: Evolution of the Response Across the Storm Wakes
Authors: Sanabia Elizabeth R. , Jayne Steven R.
Published: September 2020

Hurricanes fundamentally alter the upper ocean thermal structure across millions of square kilometers annually through a medley of complex processes that are not well understood but are critically important to hurricane intensification. High‐resolution, air‐deployed profiling float observations beneath Hurricanes Irma (2017) and Florence (2018) detail storm‐induced changes in upper ocean temperature, salinity, and density structures. This unique and comprehensive data set allows for validation and quantification of results from previous observational and modeling studies, including the time evolution of sea surface cooling and upper ocean near‐inertial oscillations, greater mixed layer deepening right of each storm track, and inhibition of mixing by salinity stratification (beneath Irma). These observations also reveal that storm‐forced upper ocean currents remain remarkably uniform with increasing distance from the radius of maximum winds and result in consistent mixed layer deepening, particularly right of each storm track. These observed ocean mixed layer depth changes are closely approximated by a mixing depth parameterization, which may enhance storm‐forced ocean response predictability and therefore increase hurricane intensity forecast accuracy. Further, these hurricane‐induced upper ocean temperature changes contribute to the evolving nature of hurricanes and ocean heat storage on seasonal and climate time scales.
Liu Receives 2019 Fred L. Scarf Award
Authors:   AGU
Published: September 2020

Terry Zixu Liu received the 2019 Fred L. Scarf Award at AGU’s Fall Meeting 2019, held 9–13 December in San Francisco, Calif. The award is given annually to “one honoree in recognition of an outstanding dissertation that contributes directly to solar–planetary science.”
Core transcriptional regulatory circuitries in cancer
Authors: Chen Ye , Xu Liang , Lin Ruby Yu-Tong , Müschen Markus , Koeffler H. Phillip
Published: September 2020

Transcription factors (TFs) coordinate the on-and-off states of gene expression typically in a combinatorial fashion. Studies from embryonic stem cells and other cell types have revealed that a clique of self-regulated core TFs control cell identity and cell state. These core TFs form interconnected feed-forward transcriptional loops to establish and reinforce the cell-type-specific gene-expression program; the ensemble of core TFs and their regulatory loops constitutes core transcriptional regulatory circuitry (CRC). Here, we summarize recent progress in computational reconstitution and biologic exploration of CRCs across various human malignancies, and consolidate the strategy and methodology for CRC discovery. We also discuss the genetic basis and therapeutic vulnerability of CRC, and highlight new frontiers and future efforts for the study of CRC in cancer. Knowledge of CRC in cancer is fundamental to understanding cancer-specific transcriptional addiction, and should provide important insight to both pathobiology and therapeutics.
RCSB Protein Data Bank tools for 3D structure-guided cancer research: human papillomavirus (HPV) case study
Authors: Goodsell David S. , Burley Stephen K.
Published: September 2020

Atomic-level three-dimensional (3D) structure data for biological macromolecules often prove critical to dissecting and understanding the precise mechanisms of action of cancer-related proteins and their diverse roles in oncogenic transformation, proliferation, and metastasis. They are also used extensively to identify potentially druggable targets and facilitate discovery and development of both small-molecule and biologic drugs that are today benefiting individuals diagnosed with cancer around the world. 3D structures of biomolecules (including proteins, DNA, RNA, and their complexes with one another, drugs, and other small molecules) are freely distributed by the open-access Protein Data Bank (PDB). This global data repository is used by millions of scientists and educators working in the areas of drug discovery, vaccine design, and biomedical and biotechnology research. The US Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank (RCSB PDB) provides an integrated portal to the PDB archive that streamlines access for millions of worldwide PDB data consumers worldwide. Herein, we review online resources made available free of charge by the RCSB PDB to basic and applied researchers, healthcare providers, educators and their students, patients and their families, and the curious public. We exemplify the value of understanding cancer-related proteins in 3D with a case study focused on human papillomavirus.