bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Judicial Development
Authors: Payne Cymie R.
Published: September 2021

This chapter examines the role of international judicial bodies' primary role with respect to the environment, which is to resolve disputes by deciding contentious cases and to guide the application of international law by issuing advisory opinions. International court and tribunals (ICTs) can influence the development of international environmental law by providing an authoritative articulation of a legal rule or principle. The chapter then looks at the development of legal norms for governing Earth's environment through ICT judgments. It describes the range of courts available, the remedies that they can offer, the capacity of ICTs to handle environmental problems, and problems that challenge their effectiveness in the overarching objective of providing a high degree of environmental quality. It does this whilst recognizing that courts and law are but one part of the system of governance, technology, politics, and economics that shapes human interactions with the environment.
Transboundary Air Pollution
Authors: Okowa Phoebe
Published: September 2021

This chapter investigates the causes of transboundary air pollution. Much of the experience and knowledge comes from the context of the global North, with far less known about problems of transboundary air pollution across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The chapter then discusses the role of customary law rules in the field before turning to a discussion of the main treaty regimes addressing transboundary air pollution in Europe and North America, as well as the more recent 2002 Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Transboundary Haze Pollution Agreement. As yet, there is no global treaty addressing air pollution and this seems unlikely to emerge. The chapter concludes that further regulation will likely come through regional efforts, as well as intersection with the climate regime.
Climate Change
Authors: Rajamani Lavanya , Werksman Jacob
Published: September 2021

This chapter provides an overview of international regulatory efforts to address climate change. It focuses on the UN climate change regime, which comprises the 1992 UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement, and decisions of parties under these instruments. However, the universe of climate change law extends well beyond the UN climate change regime. There are rules and principles of general international law, such as the harm prevention principle, due diligence, and state responsibility, which apply to climate change. There are treaty regimes and institutions, including those addressing other areas of international environmental law or other fields of international law, which intersect with, complement, and function to implement the UN climate change regime. There are also a multiplicity of rules, regulations, and institutions at the regional, sub-regional, and national levels that directly or indirectly address climate change, many of which have been put in place in response to the UN treaties.
The Protection of the Marine Environment Pollution and Fisheries
Authors: Fabra Adriana
Published: September 2021

This chapter begins by looking at the role of the 1982 UN Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS) as the framework legal instrument on the oceans. Indeed, the UNCLOS is one of the most significant international law instruments of all time and is at the core of today's governance of the oceans. UNCLOS is a product of the time when it was negotiated, which brought together a desire to provide global stability to competing jurisdictional claims over the oceans and devise solutions to rapidly increasing rates of marine pollution. However, technological changes and increased or unforeseen sources of pollution and habitat destruction have exposed some of the Convention's limitations, which derive from a fragmented perspective of the marine environment, and a failure to address the interaction between different ocean uses and marine stressors and provide rules on the conservation of marine biological diversity. The chapter then evaluates global and regional treaty requirements, soft law instruments, and case law concerning the protection of the marine environment from various sources of pollution, and the conservation of marine living resources, with a focus on fisheries, and the protection of marine biodiversity.
Indigenous Peoples
Authors: Ruru Jacinta
Published: September 2021

This chapter highlights Indigenous peoples and international environmental law. There is a myriad of international instruments and commitments that presently incorporate some recognition of Indigenous peoples. The chapter provides a broad overview of some of these milestones in international environmental law to demonstrate the general tenor of how these instruments are purporting to encompass (or not) Indigenous peoples' aspirations for self-determination in caring for the environment. It first reflects on Indigenous peoples' law. The chapter then considers the development of rights of Indigenous peoples at international law, focusing on the International Labour Organization's (ILO) 1989 Convention concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries and the 2007 United Nations (UN) Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It concludes that international environmental law is simply at the early stages of recognizing the aspirations of Indigenous peoples.
Human Rights
Authors: Knox John H.
Published: September 2021

This chapter examines the relationship between human rights and the environment, which has developed through the adoption and interpretation of many different national constitutions and laws, human rights treaties, and multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). The development of what might be called ‘environmental human rights law’ has occurred in three main channels. First, efforts to achieve recognition of a human right to a healthy environment, while ineffective at the UN, have achieved widespread success at the national and regional levels. Second, some multilateral environmental instruments have incorporated human rights norms, especially rights of access to information, public participation, and remedy. Third, human rights tribunals and other monitoring bodies have ‘greened’ human rights law by applying a wide range of human rights to environmental harm. The chapter explains each of these paths of development before sketching potential lines of further development through recognition of the rights of nature and of future generations.
Disaster
Authors: Verchick Robert R. M. , Rink Paul
Published: September 2021

This chapter evaluates the relationship between environmental protection and disaster law and policy. How well one approaches disaster risk helps to determine how functional the surrounding environment will be. The chapter examines a range of international laws and policies used to manage disaster risk, focusing on those that are particularly relevant to environmental issues. It begins with a brief look at global disaster risk in the twenty-first century, placing it in the context of natural systems, human activities, and climate change. It then looks at the United Nations' (UN) major frameworks on reducing disaster risk (the Hyogo and Sendai Frameworks), along with the international strategy to implement framework goals (the UN Plan of Action). Finally, the chapter turns to other areas of international law that have strong overlapping interests in disaster risk, particularly ecosystem management and rules pertaining to transboundary harm.
Compliance Theory
Authors: Mitchell Ronald B.
Published: September 2021

This chapter describes the conceptual and theoretical challenges raised by efforts to understand international environmental agreement (IEA) compliance and effectiveness. Both compliance and non-compliance can arise for reasons unrelated to an IEA's causal influence. Equating IEA compliance (comparing state behaviours to legal standards) with IEA influence can overstate the latter by conflating IEA-induced compliance and ‘coincidental’ compliance, in which state behaviours meet IEA standards for reasons unrelated to the IEA. States may negotiate IEA obligations that require no change in their behaviours, may comply because doing so is cheaper than violation, or may lack the capacity to violate IEA rules. Equating non-compliance with a lack of IEA influence also misleads because it ignores the fact that IEAs can lead states to take well-intended actions that fall short of legal standards, as when IEAs set ambitious obligations or exogenous changes put compliance out of reach. Indeed, IEAs with aggressive obligations may be highly effective despite having high non-compliance rates. Thus, the chapter argues that investigations of compliance improve to the extent that scholars use them to identify the causal influence of IEAs rather than a causal assessment of rule-following.
Non-Compliance Procedures
Authors: Doelle Meinhard
Published: September 2021

This chapter reflects on non-compliance procedures, which have emerged in multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) as they have in other areas of international law. While the focus of international treaty negotiation may, at one point, have been the substantive issues, the scope has, over time, shifted to include efforts to ensure the effective implementation of the substantive commitments and obligations negotiated. Along with other elements, such as dispute settlement procedures, education, and capacity-building, non-compliance procedures have become a key element of the overall effort to ensure the effective implementation of MEAs. The chapter considers the role of compliance systems in MEAs, with a brief survey of the debate over the respective role of facilitation and enforcement, followed by an exploration of the relationship between the primary rule system and elements of the compliance system. It then looks at the key elements of compliance systems before studying a selection of MEA compliance systems.
Effectiveness
Authors: Andresen Steinar
Published: September 2021

This chapter introduces some key concepts: what international regimes are; how to measure their effectiveness (the dependent variable); how this can be explained (independent variable); and the severe methodological challenges associated with answering these questions. Two main explanatory perspectives are introduced: the nature of the problem dealt with by the regime and its problem-solving ability. The chapter then surveys some key general findings that have emerged from the study of the effectiveness of international environmental regimes. Perhaps the most important finding is that although most international regimes that have been studied have had some effect on the problems they address, they have very rarely been able—if at all—to solve them fully. Another important observation is the sizeable variation among regimes in their problem-solving ability. The chapter presents empirical examples to illustrate how effectiveness can be measured and explained in practice. Most attention is given to the global climate regime, given its prominence on the international agenda. Viewed from a problem-solving perspective, however, the climate regime emerges as a low-effectiveness regime. This is briefly contrasted with the highly successful international ozone regime, as well as a regime that is very hard to measure in terms of effectiveness due to the deep and divisive conflicts over values, namely, the international whaling regime.
Africa
Authors: Kotzé Louis J.
Published: September 2021

This chapter reflects on examples where some domestic and regional African courts have engaged directly and indirectly with international environmental law (IEL). Generally speaking, African states have had and continue to have a tenuous and/or superficial relationship with IEL. Having said this, Africa is also a site for innovation and progressive development in the area of IEL, especially through the work of the courts. Regional quasi-judicial institutions are pioneering the innovative jurisprudential development of environmental norms, while domestic African courts are increasingly, either directly or indirectly, interpreting, applying, and further refining IEL. Collectively, while one must be wary of the challenges and barriers to the implementation of IEL, such innovation bodes well for the potential and gradual development of a more amicable and constructive relationship between IEL and Africa.
China
Authors: Lin Jolene
Published: September 2021

This chapter investigates international environmental law (IEL) in the courts of China. It is noteworthy that the first international conference that the People's Republic of China (PRC) participated in after it was formally recognized by the United Nations (UN) in 1971, was the 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm). It is widely recognized that this conference brought environmental protection onto the Chinese government's radar and led to the promulgation of the Environmental Protection Law in 1979. Since then, China has signed or ratified nearly all multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and is an active participant in global environmental diplomacy. However, Chinese courts do not play a significant role in interpreting or developing IEL. Even if environmental litigation were to flourish due to the steps taken to encourage environmental public interest litigation (EPIL), it is unlikely that IEL will feature prominently in the jurisprudence.
European Union/United Kingdom
Authors: Scotford Eloise
Published: September 2021

This chapter evaluates international environmental law (IEL) in the courts of the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom. This topic potentially covers many different kinds of courts, considering that the EU comprises many member states, each with its own court system, and the United Kingdom itself is a system of devolved government with different court systems. To draw out some key themes, the chapter focuses on decisions of the EU courts and the UK courts in England and Wales, as well as particularly notable decisions of other EU member state courts (available in English). The different experiences of IEL in these three sets of courts demonstrate that the doctrines of different legal systems and their legal cultures are critical to the experiences of their courts in implementing IEL. The chapter examines the reception and application of IEL in these different courts in two steps. It first looks at cases in which IEL has been directly applied by courts, considering the complex EU law in this area, and the EU's special role in implementing IEL in member states. The chapter then addresses cases where IEL applies indirectly in judicial reasoning.
Introduction
Authors: Shelton Dinah
Published: September 2021

This introductory chapter provides an overview of the doctrine of peremptory norms (jus cogens). Publicists have long sought to develop a theory that would serve to constrain the claimed unlimited State discretion, in the exercise of sovereignty, to accept or reject an international treaty norm or developing customary international law. The doctrine of peremptory norms (jus cogens) is the primary theory developed in this effort. Notably, however, the norms most often cited as jus cogens have been universally accepted as customary international law or are contained in treaties adhered to by all or nearly all States. Breach of any such norm is a violation of international law; calling the norm jus cogens seems to add little—unless the consequences of violating such norms are enhanced or differ in other ways from breaches of ‘normal’ international law. The only references to peremptory norms in positive law are found in the Vienna conventions on the law of treaties.
Vibrational and rotational spectral data for possible interstellar detection of AlH3OH2, SiH3OH, and SiH3NH2
Authors: Watrous A G , Westbrook B R , Davis M C , Fortenberry Ryan C
Published: September 2021

This work provides the first full set of vibrational and rotational spectral data needed to aid in the detection of AlH3OH2, SiH3OH (silanol), and SiH3NH2 (silylamine) in astrophysical or simulated laboratory environments through the use of quantum chemical computations at the CCSD(T)-F12b level of theory employing quartic force fields for the three molecules of interest. Previous work has shown that SiH3OH and SiH3NH2 contain some of the strongest bonds of the most abundant elements in space. AlH3OH2 also contains highly abundant atoms and represents an intermediate along the reaction pathway from H2O and AlH3 to AlH2OH. All three of these molecules are also polar with AlH3OH2 having the largest dipole of 4.58 D and the other two having dipole moments in the 1.10–1.30 D range, large enough to allow for the detection of these molecules in space through rotational spectroscopy. The molecules also have substantial infrared intensities with many of the frequencies being over 90 km mol−1 and falling within the currently uncertain 12–17 μm region of observed infrared spectra. The most intense frequency for AlH3OH2 is ν9 that has an intensity of 412 km mol−1 at 777.0 cm−1 (12.87 μm). SiH3OH has an intensity of 183 km mol−1 at 1007.8 cm−1 (9.92 μm) for ν5, and SiH3NH2 has an intensity of 215 km mol−1 at 1000.0 cm−1 (10.00 μm) for ν7.
Quantifying stochasticity-driven uncertainties in H ii region metallicities
Authors: Arora Raghav , Krumholz Mark R , Federrath Christoph
Published: September 2021

With the advent of integral field units (IFUs), surveys can now measure metallicities across the discs of nearby galaxies at scales ≲100 pc. At such small scales, many of these regions contain too few stars to fully sample all possible stellar masses and evolutionary states, leading to stochastic fluctuations in the ionizing continuum. The impact of these fluctuations on the line diagnostics used to infer galaxy metallicities is poorly understood. In this paper, we quantify this impact for six most commonly used diagnostics. We generate stochastic stellar populations for galaxy patches with star formation rates varying over a factor of 1000, compute the nebular emission that results when these stars ionize gas at a wide range of densities, metallicities, and determine how much inferred metallicities vary with fluctuations in the driving stellar spectrum. We find that metallicities derived from diagnostics that measure multiple ionization states of their target elements (e.g. electron temperature methods) are weakly affected (variation <0.1 dex), but that larger fluctuations (∼0.4 dex) occur for diagnostics that depend on a single ionization state. Scatter in the inferred metallicity is generally largest at low star formation rate and metallicity, and is larger for more sensitive observations than for shallower ones. The main cause of the fluctuations is stochastic variation in the ionization state in the nebula in response to the absence of Wolf–Rayet stars, which dominate the production of ≳2−3 Ryd photons. Our results quantify the trade-off between line brightness and diagnostic accuracy, and can be used to optimise observing strategies for future IFU campaigns.
How to inflate a wind-blown bubble
Authors: Pittard J M , Wareing C J , Kupilas M M
Published: September 2021

Stellar winds are one of several ways that massive stars can affect the star formation process on local and galactic scales. In this paper, we investigate the numerical resolution needed to inflate an energy-driven stellar wind bubble in an external medium. We find that the radius of the wind injection region, rinj, must be below a maximum value, rinj,max, in order for a bubble to be produced, but must be significantly below this value if the bubble properties are to closely agree with analytical predictions. The final bubble momentum is within 25 per cent of the value from a higher resolution reference model if χ = rinj/rinj,max = 0.1. Our work has significance for the amount of radial momentum that a wind-blown bubble can impart to the ambient medium in simulations, and thus on the relative importance of stellar wind feedback.
Seeds don’t sink: even massive black hole ‘seeds’ cannot migrate to galaxy centres efficiently
Authors: Ma Linhao , Hopkins Philip F , Ma Xiangcheng , Anglés-Alcázar Daniel , Faucher-Giguère Claude-André , Kelley Luke Zoltan
Published: September 2021

Possible formation scenarios of supermassive black holes (BHs) in the early universe include rapid growth from less massive seed BHs via super-Eddington accretion or runaway mergers, yet both of these scenarios would require seed BHs to efficiently sink to and be trapped in the Galactic Centre via dynamical friction. This may not be true for their complicated dynamics in clumpy high-z galaxies. In this work, we study this ‘sinking problem’ with state-of-the-art high-resolution cosmological simulations, combined with both direct N-body integration of seed BH trajectories and post-processing of randomly generated test particles with a newly developed dynamical friction estimator. We find that seed BHs less massive than $10^8\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$ (i.e. all but the already-supermassive seeds) cannot efficiently sink in typical high-z galaxies. We also discuss two possible solutions: dramatically increasing the number of seeds such that one seed can end up trapped in the Galactic Centre by chance, or seed BHs being embedded in dense structures (e.g. star clusters) with effective masses above the mass threshold. We discuss the limitations of both solutions.
Investigating the evolution of PKS B1144−379: comparison of VLBI and scintillation techniques
Authors: Said N M M , Ellingsen S P , Shabala S , Orosz G , Liu J , Bignall H E , McCallum J N , Reynolds C
Published: September 2021

We have investigated the evolution of the BL Lac object PKS B1144−379 using the University of Tasmania Ceduna 30-m radio telescope at a frequency of 6.7 GHz and very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) data at 8.6 GHz. Variability time-scales associated with two flares detected in 2005 November and 2008 August were derived from long-term variations in total flux density monitored by Ceduna between 2003 and 2011. A kinematic study of the parsec-scale jet of PKS B1144−379 was performed using VLBI data obtained between 1997 and 2018. Quasi-periodic flarings with a period of ∼3–4 yr were observed. Over the 20-yr interval, the average jet position angle was found to be ~150°.
Diverse functional elements in RNA predicted transcriptome-wide by orthogonal RNA structure probing
Authors: Chan Dalen , Feng Chao , England Whitney E , Wyman Dana , Flynn Ryan A , Wang Xiuye , Shi Yongsheng , Mortazavi Ali , Spitale Robert C
Published: September 2021

RNA molecules can fold into complex structures and interact with trans-acting factors to control their biology. Recent methods have been focused on developing novel tools to measure RNA structure transcriptome-wide, but their utility to study and predict RNA-protein interactions or RNA processing has been limited thus far. Here, we extend these studies with the first transcriptome-wide mapping method for cataloging RNA solvent accessibility, icLASER. By combining solvent accessibility (icLASER) with RNA flexibility (icSHAPE) data, we efficiently predict RNA-protein interactions transcriptome-wide and catalog RNA polyadenylation sites by RNA structure alone. These studies showcase the power of designing novel chemical approaches to studying RNA biology. Further, our study exemplifies merging complementary methods to measure RNA structure inside cells and its utility for predicting transcriptome-wide interactions that are critical for control of and regulation by RNA structure. We envision such approaches can be applied to studying different cell types or cells under varying conditions, using RNA structure and footprinting to characterize cellular interactions and processing involving RNA.
Binding of DNA origami to lipids: maximizing yield and switching via strand displacement
Authors: Singh Jasleen Kaur Daljit , Darley Esther , Ridone Pietro , Gaston James P , Abbas Ali , Wickham Shelley F J , Baker Matthew A B
Published: September 2021

Liposomes are widely used as synthetic analogues of cell membranes and for drug delivery. Lipid-binding DNA nanostructures can modify the shape, porosity and reactivity of liposomes, mediated by cholesterol modifications. DNA nanostructures can also be designed to switch conformations by DNA strand displacement. However, the optimal conditions to facilitate stable, high-yield DNA–lipid binding while allowing controlled switching by strand displacement are not known. Here, we characterized the effect of cholesterol arrangement, DNA structure, buffer and lipid composition on DNA–lipid binding and strand displacement. We observed that binding was inhibited below pH 4, and above 200 mM NaCl or 40 mM MgCl2, was independent of lipid type, and increased with membrane cholesterol content. For simple motifs, binding yield was slightly higher for double-stranded DNA than single-stranded DNA. For larger DNA origami tiles, four to eight cholesterol modifications were optimal, while edge positions and longer spacers increased yield of lipid binding. Strand displacement achieved controlled removal of DNA tiles from membranes, but was inhibited by overhang domains, which are used to prevent cholesterol aggregation. These findings provide design guidelines for integrating strand displacement switching with lipid-binding DNA nanostructures. This paves the way for achieving dynamic control of membrane morphology, enabling broader applications in nanomedicine and biophysics.
Impact of the methylation classifier and ancillary methods on CNS tumor diagnostics
Authors: Wu Zhichao , Abdullaev Zied , Pratt Drew , Chung Hye-Jung , Skarshaug Shannon , Zgonc Valerie , Perry Candice , Pack Svetlana , Saidkhodjaeva Lola , Nagaraj Sushma , Tyagi Manoj , Gangalapudi Vineela , Valdez Kristin , Turakulov Rust , Xi Liqiang , Raffeld Mark , Papanicolau-Sengos Antonios , O’Donnell Kayla , Newford Michael , Gilbert Mark R , Sahm Felix , Suwala Abigail K , von Deimling Andreas , Mamatjan Yasin , Karimi Shirin , Nassiri Farshad , Zadeh Gelareh , Ruppin Eytan , Quezado Martha , Aldape Kenneth
Published: September 2021

Background

Accurate CNS tumor diagnosis can be challenging, and methylation profiling can serve as an adjunct to classify diagnostically difficult cases.

Methods

An integrated diagnostic approach was employed for a consecutive series of 1258 surgical neuropathology samples obtained primarily in a consultation practice over 2-year period. DNA methylation profiling and classification using the DKFZ/Heidelberg CNS tumor classifier was performed, as well as unsupervised analyses of methylation data. Ancillary testing, where relevant, was performed.

Results

Among the received cases in consultation, a high-confidence methylation classifier score (>0.84) was reached in 66.4% of cases. The classifier impacted the diagnosis in 46.7% of these high-confidence classifier score cases, including a substantially new diagnosis in 26.9% cases. Among the 289 cases received with only a descriptive diagnosis, methylation was able to resolve approximately half (144, 49.8%) with high-confidence scores. Additional methods were able to resolve diagnostic uncertainty in 41.6% of the low-score cases. Tumor purity was significantly associated with classifier score (P = 1.15e−11). Deconvolution demonstrated that suspected glioblastomas (GBMs) matching as control/inflammatory brain tissue could be resolved into GBM methylation profiles, which provided a proof-of-concept approach to resolve tumor classification in the setting of low tumor purity.

Conclusions

This work assesses the impact of a methylation classifier and additional methods in a consultative practice by defining the proportions with concordant vs change in diagnosis in a set of diagnostically challenging CNS tumors. We address approaches to low-confidence scores and confounding issues of low tumor purity.
Changes of healthy brain tissue after salvage radiotherapy of glioblastoma
Authors: de la Cruz Leandra , Chen Xiaoran , Konugoglu Ender , Ciernik I Frank
Published: September 2021

Background

Salvage radiotherapy (SRT) with photons is a valid treatment option for patients suffering from recurrent glioblastoma (GBM). However, the tolerance of healthy brain to ionizing radiation (IR) is limited. The aim of this study was to determine to what extent brain structures in the radiographically tumor-free hemisphere change after repeated radiotherapy.

Methods

Five of 26 patients treated with SRT for local recurrence of GBM were found to have magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies available for complete volumetric analysis before and after primary chemo-radiation and after SRT. Manual segmentation and joint segmentation (JS) based on a convolutional neural network were used for the segmentation of the gray matter, the white matter and the ventricles in T1 MRIs.

Results

Qualitative results of manual segmentation and JS were comparable. After primary chemo-radiation and SRT, the volume of the contralateral ventricles increased steadily by 1.3–4.75% (SD ± 2.8 %, R2 = 0.82; P = <.01) with a manual segmentation and by 1.4–7.4% (SD 2.1%, R2 = 0.48; P = .025) with JS. The volume of the cortex decreased by 3.4–7.3% except in one patient, the cortex volume increased by 2.5% (SD ± 2.9%, R2 = 0.18; P = .19) when measured manually. When measured with JS GM decreased by 1.0–7.4%, in one case it increased by 3.0% (SD = 3.2%, P = .22, R2 = 0.18). The white matter remained stable when assessed with manual segmentation (P = .84, R2 = 0.004) or JS (P = .44, R2 = 0.07).

Conclusion

SRT of relapsed GBM leads to continuous changes of the tumor-free contralateral brain by means of manual segmentation or JS. The cortex seems more susceptible to repeated RT compared to the white matter. Larger cohort studies and complementary functional analysis are encouraged.
Comparative analysis of variation in the quality and completeness of local outbreak control plans for SARS-CoV-2 in English local authorities
Authors: Yu Xinming , Li Mengye , Lawson-Portuphy Laurie , Chowdhury Avirup , Badrinath Padmanabhan
Published: September 2021

Background

Local outbreak control plans (LOCPs) are statutory documents produced by local authorities (LAs) across England. LOCPs outline LAs’ response to Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID19) outbreaks and the coordination of local resources, data and communication to support outbreak response. LOCPs are therefore crucial in the nation’s response to COVID-19. However, there has been no previous systematic assessment of these documents. We performed this study to systematically assess the quality of LOCPs and to offer recommendations of good practice.

Methods

All published LOCPs were assessed for basic characteristics. A framework based on Department of Health and Social Care guidelines was used to assess a random sample of LOCPs. Qualitative analysis was undertaken for LOCPs with highest completeness.

Results

Hundred and thirty-seven of 150 LAs publicly published a full LOCP; 9 were drafts. Statistical analysis demonstrated the significant difference between reporting of mainstream schools, care homes and the homeless population and other educational settings, high-risk settings and other vulnerable groups. LOCPs varied in approach when structuring outbreak response information and focused on different areas of outbreak management.

Conclusions

The majority of LAs are publicly accessible. There is significant variation between the reporting of high-risk settings and groups. Suggested recommendations may help to improve future LOCP updates.
Seasonal variation in the management and outcomes of cardiac arrest complicating acute myocardial infarction
Authors: Patlolla S H , Kanwar A , Sundaragiri P R , Cheungpasitporn W , Doshi R P , Singh Mandeep , Vallabhajosyula S
Published: September 2021

Background

There are limited data on the influence of seasons on the outcomes of acute myocardial infarction-cardiac arrest (AMI-CA).

Aim

To evaluate the outcomes of AMI-CA by seasons in the United States

Design

Retrospective cohort study

Methods

Using the National Inpatient Sample from 2000 to 2017, adult (>18 years) admissions with AMI-CA were identified. Seasons were defined by the month of admission as spring, summer, fall and winter. The outcomes of interest were prevalence of AMI-CA, in-hospital mortality, use of coronary angiography, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), hospital length of stay, hospitalization costs and discharge disposition.

Results

Of the 10 880 856 AMI admissions, 546 334 (5.0%) were complicated by CA, with a higher prevalence in fall and winter (5.1% each) compared to summer (5.0%) and spring (4.9%). Baseline characteristics of AMI-CA admissions admitted in various seasons were largely similar. Compared to AMI-CA admissions in spring, summer and fall, AMI-CA admissions in winter had slightly lower rates of coronary angiography (63.3–64.3% vs. 61.4%) and PCI (47.2–48.4% vs. 45.6%). Compared to those admitted in the spring, adjusted in-hospital mortality was higher for winter {46.8% vs. 44.2%; odds ratio (OR) 1.08 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06–1.10]; P < 0.001}, lower for summer [43% vs. 44.2%; OR 0.97 (95% CI 0.95–0.98); P < 0.001] and comparable for fall [44.4% vs. 44.2%; OR 1.01 (95% CI 0.99–1.03); P = 0.31] AMI-CA admissions. Length of hospital stay, total hospitalization charges and discharge dispositions for AMI-CA admissions were comparable across the seasons.

Conclusions

AMI-CA admissions in the winter were associated with lower rates of coronary angiography and PCI, and higher rates of in-hospital mortality compared to the other seasons.
Trust and Insurance Contracts
Authors: Gennaioli Nicola , La Porta Rafael , Lopez-de-Silanes Florencio , Shleifer Andrei
Published: September 2021

We assemble homeowner insurance claims from 28 independently operated country subsidiaries of a multinational insurance firm. We propose a new insurance model, in which consumers can make invalid claims and firms can deny valid claims, as is common in the data. In the model, trust and honesty shape equilibrium insurance contracts, disputes, and claim payments, especially when disputes are too small for courts. We test the model by investigating claim incidence, dispute, rejection, and payment, as well as insurance costs and pricing across countries. The evidence is consistent with the centrality of trust for insurance markets, as our model predicts.

Authors have furnished data/code, which are available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online.
Early and late neural correlates of mentalizing: ALE meta-analyses in adults, children and adolescents
Authors: Fehlbaum Lynn V , Borbás Réka , Paul Katharina , Eickhoff Simon B , Raschle Nora M
Published: September 2021

The ability to understand mental states of others is referred to as mentalizing and enabled by our Theory of Mind. This social skill relies on brain regions comprising the mentalizing network as robustly observed in adults but also in a growing number of developmental studies. We summarized and compared neuroimaging evidence in children/adolescents and adults during mentalizing using coordinate-based activation likelihood estimation meta-analyses to inform about brain regions consistently or differentially engaged across age categories. Adults (N = 5286) recruited medial prefrontal and middle/inferior frontal cortices, precuneus, temporoparietal junction and middle temporal gyri during mentalizing, which were functionally connected to bilateral inferior/superior parietal lobule and thalamus/striatum. Conjunction and contrast analyses revealed that children and adolescents (N = 479) recruit similar but fewer regions within core mentalizing regions. Subgroup analyses revealed an early continuous engagement of middle medial prefrontal cortex, precuneus and right temporoparietal junction in younger children (8–11 years) and adolescents (12–18 years). Adolescents additionally recruited the left temporoparietal junction and middle/inferior temporal cortex. Overall, the observed engagement of the medial prefrontal cortex, precuneus and right temporoparietal junction during mentalizing across all ages reflects an early specialization of some key regions of the social brain.
Frictions in the bioeconomy? A case study of policy translations and innovation practices
Authors: Solbu Gisle
Published: September 2021

Building on a case study of a strategic funding initiative for biotechnology research and innovation, the paper analyses how policy objectives concerning innovation and value creation are responded to within the practices of researchers and governance actors. The paper employs an analytical perspective that centres on the interrelation between policy articulations and actors’ daily work practices and provides a novel study of how innovation demands are negotiated and made sense of within the context of three different empirical sites: national policy and science governance, intermediary science governance, and research practices. The paper addresses a problematic ‘hopeful’ mode of governance in today’s policy that is based on the idea of filling innovation deficits in current practices. As an alternative to this mode, the paper argues for the need for a more empathetic and practice-oriented policy discourse on innovation and value creation.
Twenty years of evolution and diversification of digitaria streak virus in Digitaria setigera
Authors: Ortega-del Campo Sergio , Grigoras Ioana , Timchenko Tatiana , Gronenborn Bruno , Grande-Pérez Ana
Published: September 2021

Within the family Geminiviridae, the emergence of new species results from their high mutation and recombination rates. In this study, we report the variability and evolution of digitaria streak virus (DSV), a mastrevirus isolated in 1986 from the grass Digitaria setigera in an island of the Vanuatu archipelago. Viral DNA of DSV samples was amplified from D. setigera specimens, derived from the naturally infected original plant, which were propagated in different laboratories in France and Italy for more than 20 years. From the consensus sequences, the nucleotide substitution rate was estimated for the period between a sample and the original sequence published in 1987, as well as for the period between samples. In addition, the intra-host genetic complexity and diversity of 8 DSV populations with a total of 165 sequenced haplotypes was characterized. The evolutionary rate of DSV was estimated to be between 1.13 × 10−4 and 9.87 × 10−4 substitutions/site/year, within the ranges observed in other single-stranded DNA viruses and RNA viruses. Bioinformatic analyses revealed high variability and heterogeneity in DSV populations, which confirmed that mutant spectra are continuously generated and are organized as quasispecies. The analysis of polymorphisms revealed nucleotide substitution biases in viral genomes towards deamination and oxidation of single-stranded DNA. The differences in variability in each of the genomic regions reflected a dynamic and modular evolution in the mutant spectra that was not reflected in the consensus sequences. Strikingly, the most variable region of the DSV genome, encoding the movement protein, showed rapid fixation of the mutations in the consensus sequence and a concomitant dN/dS ratio of 6.130, which suggests strong positive selection in this region. Phylogenetic analyses revealed a possible divergence in three genetic lineages from the original Vanuatu DSV isolate.
Mutation of a Single Core Gene, tssM, of Type VI Secretion System of Xanthomonas perforans Influences Virulence, Epiphytic Survival, and Transmission During Pathogenesis on Tomato
Authors: Liyanapathiranage Prabha , Jones Jeffrey B. , Potnis Neha
Published: September 2021

Xanthomonas perforans is a seedborne hemibiotrophic pathogen that successfully establishes infection in the phyllosphere of tomato. While most studies investigating mechanistic basis of pathogenesis have focused on successful apoplastic growth, factors important during asymptomatic colonization in the early stages of disease development are not well understood. In this study, we show that tssM gene of the type VI secretion system cluster i3* (T6SS-i3*) plays a significant role during initial asymptomatic epiphytic colonization at different stages during the life cycle of the pathogen. Mutation in a core gene, tssM of T6SS-i3*, imparted higher aggressiveness to the pathogen, as indicated by higher overall disease severity, higher in planta growth, and shorter latent infection period compared with the wild-type upon dip inoculation of 4- to 5-week-old tomato plants. Contribution of tssM toward aggressiveness was evident during vertical transmission from seed to seedling, with wild-type showing reduced disease severity as well as lower in planta populations on seedlings compared with the mutant. Presence of functional TssM offered higher epiphytic fitness as well as higher dissemination potential to the pathogen when tested in an experimental setup mimicking transplant house high-humidity conditions. We showed higher osmotolerance being one mechanism by which TssM offers higher epiphytic fitness. Taken together, these data reveal that functional TssM plays a larger role in offering ecological advantage to the pathogen. TssM prolongs the association of hemibiotrophic pathogen with the host, minimizing overall disease severity yet facilitating successful dissemination.
2020 Clinical Engineers Salary Survey
Authors: Manzoli Michele
Published: September 2021

Given the low number of Clinical Engineering professionals in the country, it is often difficult for healthcare organizations' human resources departments to determine appropriate salary ranges. This work aims at providing more visibility around actual salaries for specific Clinical Engineering positions in different geographic areas. More than 100 responses were received and analyzed, taking into consideration cost of living and seniority associated to each data point. Starting salaries were obtained for each position, allowing the reader to calculate—adjusting for tenure and local cost of living—their personal salary estimate. A larger number of participants in future surveys will determine more accurate results.
Employment Status Transition Predicts Adult Obesity Trajectory
Authors: Kang Young Joong , Lee Dong-wook , Park Min Young , Kang Mo-Yeol
Published: September 2021

Objectives:

To investigate the impact of employment status on health by describing obesity trajectories with employment status transitions.

Methods:

We used data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service - National Sample Cohort 2006–2015 data. Employment status transitions were measured using four categories: continuously non-employed, continuously employed, transition into employment, and transition out of employment. The time trends in the likelihood of obesity were examined both before and after employment status transition.

Results:

The time trends of the likelihood of obesity showed a significantly increasing trend in the transition into employment group, especially in younger men, and increasing trends of obesity among the transition out of employment group, especially in older female participants.

Conclusions:

This study found increase in obesity prevalence of men after transition into employment and of women after transition out of employment.
Rectovaginal Fistula in Women With Pessary for Pelvic Organ Prolapse: A Case Series and Literature Review
Authors: Miranda Varella Pereira Glaucia , Oliveira Brito Luiz Gustavo , Slongo Helena , Carvalho de Araújo Camila , Benedito de Castro Edilson , Teatin Juliato Cássia Raquel
Published: September 2021

Objective

In this study, we present a series of 2 cases of rectovaginal fistula (RVF) due to the use of a ring-type pessary in the conservative treatment of pelvic organ prolapse and a literature review on the management of RVF related to the use of pessaries.

Methods

Two patients were selected from the medical records of the urogynecology service, and their demographic and clinical data were retrieved. An updated literature review was included presenting cases of RVF induced by or after use of a pessary.

Results

Both patients evolved with removal of the pessary and correction of the fistula. The surgical procedures of choice were Le Fort Colpocleisis and posterior colporraphy without major complications. In the literature review, we selected 17 studies with a total of 23 cases reporting RVFs induced or followed by the use of pessaries.

Conclusions

Although the pessary is commonly indicated for the conservative treatment of pelvic organ prolapse, this device is not exempt from generating complications.
Clinical Feasibility of High-Resolution Contrast-Enhanced Dynamic T1-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Upper Abdomen Using Compressed Sensing
Authors: Kim Yeonsoo , Hwang Jiyoung , Hong Seong Sook , Kim Hyun-joo , Chang Yun-Woo , Sung JaeKon , Nickel Dominik
Published: September 2021

Objective

The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical feasibility of high-resolution contrast-enhanced dynamic T1-weighted imaging (T1WI) using compressed sensing (CS) in magnetic resonance imaging.

Methods

This study retrospectively included 35 patients who underwent dynamic T1WI using volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) with CS reconstruction (CS-VIBE) and 35 patients with conventional VIBE for comparison. Two observers assessed the liver and pancreas edges, hepatic artery, motion artifacts, and overall image quality. Quantitative analysis was performed by measuring signal intensity and image noise.

Results

The results showed that CS-VIBE achieved significantly better anatomic delineation of the liver and pancreas edges and hepatic artery clarity than VIBE (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in motion artifacts in dynamic phases and overall image quality. The signal intensities and INs of CS-VIBE were higher than VIBE.

Conclusions

High-resolution dynamic T1WI using CS provides better anatomic delineation with comparable or better overall image quality than conventional VIBE.
Intermittent Administration Regimen of Sirolimus for Refractory Cervicofacial Lymphatic Malformation
Authors: Gao Qingwen , Chen Haini , Sun Buhao , Cui Jie , Shen Weimin
Published: September 2021

Background:

The cervicofacial lymphatic malformations (LMs) often have poor outcomes due to their microcystic component and diffuse infiltration. Mostly, traditional treatments are inadequate for these refractory cases. Recent researches have shown that sirolimus is effective in the treatment of complicated LMs, however, there is still no standard strategy.

Objective:

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intermittent oral sirolimus in treating refractory cervicofacial LMs as a second-line treatment.

Methods:

Fifteen pediatric patients of refractory cervicofacial LMs were retrospectively analyzed in this study. All the cases had received traditional therapy before, but could not completely control the symptoms and eliminate lesions. As a remedy, sirolimus was then proceeded with an intermittent administration regimen, that is 3 continuous months as a course and started the next course after 1 month interval. The clinical characteristics, imaging data of patients, the changes in the signs and symptoms observed, and associated adverse effects were collected and analyzed.

Results:

The patients initiated sirolimus therapy at the average age of 2.3 years (range 28 days-8 years 9 months). At the end point of the study, 2 patients remained on sirolimus in continuous courses of treatment. Of 13 patients who withdrawn therapy, 4 had restarted due to recurrence of symptoms and re-expansion of LMs. All patients demonstrated reduction in residual LMs and complete disappearance of symptoms during treatment, and 2 patients with complete resolution on imaging. Toxicity was tolerant in this series. There was no patient develop opportunistic or systemic bacterial infection.

Conclusions:

Sirolimus is commended as a second-line treatment to treat intractable cervicofacial LMs after failure of traditional therapy. The intermittent administration regimen is efficacious to completely control symptoms and partially reduce residual lesions with good tolerance and limited side effects.