bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spatiotemporal characteristics of atmospheric turbulence over China estimated using operational high-resolution soundings
Authors: Lv Yanmin , Guo Jianping , Li Jian , Cao Lijuan , Chen Tianmeng , Wang Ding , Chen Dandan , Han Yi , Guo Xiaoran , Xu Hui , Liu Lin , Solanki Raman , Huang Gang
Published: April 2021

Large-scale in situ observations are sorely lacking, leading to poor understanding of nationwide atmospheric turbulence over China. Nevertheless, high-resolution soundings have become available starting in 2011, providing a unique opportunity to investigate turbulence across China. Here, we calculated the mean turbulence dissipation rate (ϵ) from radiosonde measurements across China for the period 2011–2018 using Thorpe analysis. The atmospheric layers that had stronger turbulence indicated by larger ϵ generally came with larger Thorpe length but with smaller Brunt–Väisälä frequency. Overall, the clear-air ϵ in the free atmosphere exhibited large spatial variability with a ‘south-high north-low’ pattern. Large clear-air ϵ values were observed in both the lower stratosphere (LS) and upper troposphere (UT), especially over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and its neighboring regions with complex terrain likely due to large-amplitude mountain waves. Particularly, less frequent but more intense clear-air turbulence was observed in both lower troposphere (LT) and UT over the TP, while more frequent, less intense clear-air turbulence was found in northern China. The all-sky turbulence considering the moist-saturation effects was much stronger in the troposphere, notably in southern China where convective clouds and precipitation oftentimes dominated. In the vertical direction, the altitude of peak clear-air ϵ in the troposphere was found to decrease poleward, broadly consistent with the meridional gradient of tropopause height in the Northern Hemisphere. A double-peak mode stood out for the profiles of clear-air ϵ at midlatitudes to the north of 30° N in winter: one peak was at altitudes of 15–18 km, and another at altitudes of 5–8 km. The strong shear instabilities around the westerly jet stream could account for the vertical bimodal structures. The seasonality of ϵ was also pronounced, reaching maxima in summer and minima in winter. Our results may help understand and avoid clear-air turbulence, as related to aviation safety among other issues.
Effect of copper ions concentration on the particle size of alginate-stabilized Cu2O-Cu nanocolloids and its antibacterial activity against rice bacterial leaf blight (Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae)
Authors: Ngoc Doan Thi Bich , Bui Duy Du , Tuan Le Nghiem Anh , Thach Bui Dinh , Tho Tran Phuoc , Van Phu Dang
Published: April 2021

In this study, nano Cu2O-Cu/alginate was synthesised by the chemical reduction of tetra-amminecopper (II) ion complexes soluble using hydrazine as a reducing agent and alginate as a stabiliser. The influence of various copper ion concentrations on particle size and morphology of produced nano Cu2O-Cu/alginate was investigated. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement revealed that the synthesised nano Cu2O-Cu/alginate was mostly composed of Cu2O-Cu in the form of a Cu2O@Cu core–shell structure with particle sizes of 4.2, 5.3, and 8.4 nm for 60, 80, and 100 mM of copper ion initial concentrations, respectively. The obtained nano Cu2O-Cu/alginate exhibited high antibacterial activity against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. Oryzae (Xanthomonas OO). The results showed that the nano Cu2O-Cu/alginate containing 30 mg.l−1 of copper ions completely inhibited the growth of Xanthomonas OO bacteria, which are responsible for the rice leaf blight disease. Nano Cu2O-Cu/alginate materials can be used as a fungicide to replace toxic agro-chemicals and potentially applied to the development of sustainable agricultural production.
Kant on the Aesthetic Ideas of Beautiful Nature
Authors: Reiter Aviv
Published: April 2021

For Kant the definitive end of art is the expression of aesthetic ideas that are sensible counterparts of rational ideas. But there is another type of aesthetic idea: ‘Beauty (whether it be beauty of nature or of art) can in general be called the expression of aesthetic ideas: only in beautiful nature the mere reflection on a given intuition, without a concept of what the object ought to be, is sufficient for arousing and communicating the idea of which that object is considered as the expression.’ What are these aesthetic ideas? I argue that Kant is drawing on the idealist conception of art, associated with Vasari, Bellori and Winckelmann, as presenting idealized spatial forms characteristic of natural kinds. He incorporates this conception into his analysis of the beauty of nature and adds that we have non-conceptual access to it. These idealized forms he names aesthetic normal ideas of natural species.
Snowball Sampling Study Design for Serosurveys Early in Disease Outbreaks
Authors: Kennedy-Shaffer Lee , Qiu Xueting , Hanage William P
Published: April 2021

Serological surveys can provide evidence of cases that were not previously detected, depict the spectrum of disease severity, and estimate the proportion of asymptomatic infections. To capture these parameters, survey sample sizes may need to be very large, especially when the overall infection rate is still low. Therefore, we propose the use of “snowball sampling” to enrich serological surveys by testing contacts of infected persons identified in the early stages of an outbreak. For future emerging pandemics, this observational study sampling design can answer many key questions, such as estimation of the asymptomatic proportion of all infected cases, the probability of a given clinical presentation for a seropositive individual, or the association between characteristics of either the host or the infection and seropositivity among contacts of index individuals. We provide examples, in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, of studies and analysis methods that use a snowball sample and perform a simulation study that demonstrates scenarios where snowball sampling can answer these questions more efficiently than other sampling schemes. We hope such study designs can be applied to provide valuable information to slow the present pandemic as it enters its next stage and in early stages of future pandemics.
MG-BERT: leveraging unsupervised atomic representation learning for molecular property prediction
Authors: Zhang Xiao-Chen , Wu Cheng-Kun , Yang Zhi-Jiang , Wu Zhen-Xing , Yi Jia-Cai , Hsieh Chang-Yu , Hou Ting-Jun , Cao Dong-Sheng
Published: April 2021

Motivation: Accurate and efficient prediction of molecular properties is one of the fundamental issues in drug design and discovery pipelines. Traditional feature engineering-based approaches require extensive expertise in the feature design and selection process. With the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, data-driven methods exhibit unparalleled advantages over the feature engineering-based methods in various domains. Nevertheless, when applied to molecular property prediction, AI models usually suffer from the scarcity of labeled data and show poor generalization ability.

Results: In this study, we proposed molecular graph BERT (MG-BERT), which integrates the local message passing mechanism of graph neural networks (GNNs) into the powerful BERT model to facilitate learning from molecular graphs. Furthermore, an effective self-supervised learning strategy named masked atoms prediction was proposed to pretrain the MG-BERT model on a large amount of unlabeled data to mine context information in molecules. We found the MG-BERT model can generate context-sensitive atomic representations after pretraining and transfer the learned knowledge to the prediction of a variety of molecular properties. The experimental results show that the pretrained MG-BERT model with a little extra fine-tuning can consistently outperform the state-of-the-art methods on all 11 ADMET datasets. Moreover, the MG-BERT model leverages attention mechanisms to focus on atomic features essential to the target property, providing excellent interpretability for the trained model. The MG-BERT model does not require any hand-crafted feature as input and is more reliable due to its excellent interpretability, providing a novel framework to develop state-of-the-art models for a wide range of drug discovery tasks.
Topographic variability of the normal circle of Willis anatomy on a paediatric population
Authors: Zrafi Wael , Veres Cristina , Dangouloff-Ros Volodia , Boddaert Nathalie , Haddy Nadia , Journy Neige , Allodji Rodrigue , Alabdoaburas Mohamad Mohamad , Diallo Ibrahima , de Vathaire Florent
Published: April 2021

Long-term sequelae are major limitations of radiation therapy use, especially for childhood brain tumour. Circle of Willis irradiation strongly increases the long-term risk of stroke, but to establish dose-response relationship, anticipating long-term effects of new techniques, requires to perform accurate and reproducible dosimetric estimations in large cohorts of patients having received radiotherapy decades ago. For the accuracy of retrospective dose reconstruction, the topographic variability of the Circle of Willis arteries is crucial. In order to improve retrospective dosimetric studies and dose-volume estimates to the typical Circle of Willis arteries, we aim to study the inter-individual topographic variability of these structures. Thirty-eight time of flight MRI sequences of children aged 2–17 years in both genders were investigated. A region growth algorithm was used for the segmentation of the cerebral arteries. A rigid registration in a common skull was performed following the anatomy of skull base foramina. The Posterior clinoid processes of the sella turcica were used as reference landmark (R0), and 5 key landmarks were chosen in each segmented Circle of Willis, then distances between the 5 landmarks and R0 were calculated for each of the 38 subjects. The distance between R0 and each landmark of the Circle of Willis followed a normal distribution, the average values ranging from 13.6 to 17.0 mm, and the standard deviations ranged from 2.6 to 3.0 mm, i.e. less than a fifth of the average value. The perimeter of the Circle of Willis was longer in older subjects, this increase being isotropic. Our study shows a remarkably low topographic variability of the typical Circle of Willis. An important result, allowing reliable anthropomorphic phantoms-based retrospective estimations of the radiation doses delivered to these arterial structures during radiotherapy treatment.
Renal protection in chronic heart failure: focus on sacubitril/valsartan
Authors: Pontremoli Roberto , Borghi Claudio , Perrone Filardi Pasquale
Published: April 2021

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is highly prevalent in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and increases the risk of overall and cardiovascular (CV) mortality. Despite evidence supporting the effectiveness of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-Is), angiotensin receptor blockers, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists in decreasing mortality in patients with CHF, CKD hampers the optimization of standard pharmacologic therapy for heart failure. Therefore, other treatment options are needed to optimize treatment outcomes in CHF patients with CKD. The first-in-class angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor, sacubitril/valsartan, has a complementary activity that counteracts the potential unwanted long-term effects of over-activation of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system. Sacubitril/valsartan reduced the risk of CV mortality compared to standard therapy with an ACE-I in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) in the PARADIGM-HF trial and has been shown to be safe and effective in a broad range of HFrEF patients. However, data on the efficacy and tolerability of sacubitril/valsartan in patients with more advanced CKD are limited. This review discusses the evidence for the role of sacubitril/valsartan in providing additional renal benefit in patients with HFrEF. Data from clinical trials and real-world experience in patients with HFrEF and advanced CKD support the benefits of dual angiotensin/neprilysin inhibition across the breadth of kidney disease stages, including patients with significant renal impairment that was not reported in the pivotal PARADIGM-HF trial, and suggests a central role for the cardiac benefits of sacubitril/valsartan in nephroprotection.
Tax or green nudge? An experimental analysis of pesticide policies in Germany
Authors: Buchholz Matthias , Musshoff Oliver
Published: April 2021

We use a business management game to investigate how a pesticide tax and a green nudge affect crop, tillage and pesticide decisions for a virtual farm. Results from German farmers reveal that both policies can reduce pesticide applications. The pesticide tax involves a substantial profit loss. Unlike in the green nudge scenario, participants under pesticide tax adjust their cropping and tillage strategies. We compare farmers’ decisions to those made by a mathematical programming model. Assuming profit maximisation would overestimate farmers’ response to the tax and underestimate the effectiveness of the nudge.
Changes in smoking and alcohol consumption during COVID-19-related lockdown: a cross-sectional study in France
Authors: Guignard Romain , Andler Raphaël , Quatremère Guillemette , Pasquereau Anne , du Roscoät Enguerrand , Arwidson Pierre , Berlin Ivan , Nguyen-Thanh Viêt
Published: April 2021

Background

In many countries, lockdown measures were implemented to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. This situation may have an impact on mental health, tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption. The aim of this research report is therefore to describe changes in tobacco and alcohol consumption in the general French population during the first 2 weeks of lockdown and identify any associated factors.

Methods

Self-reported changes in smoking and alcohol consumption following the lockdown implemented in France on 17 March 2020 were collected from 2003 respondents aged 18 years and older in an online cross-sectional survey carried out from 30 March to 1 April 2020. Anxiety and depression levels were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.

Results

Among current smokers, 26.7% reported an increase in their tobacco consumption since lockdown and 18.6% reported a decrease, while it remained stable for 54.7%. The increase in tobacco consumption was associated with an age of 18–34 years, a high level of education, and anxiety. Among alcohol drinkers, 10.7% reported an increase in their alcohol consumption since lockdown and 24.4% reported a decrease, while it remained stable for 64.8%. The increase in alcohol consumption was associated with an age of 18–49 years, living in cities of more than 100 000 inhabitants, a high socio-professional category, and a depressive mood.

Conclusions

The national lockdown implemented in France during the COVID-19 pandemic influenced tobacco and alcohol consumption in different ways according to sociodemographic group and mental health.
Substrate specificities of α1,2- and α1,3-galactosyltransferases and characterization of Gmh1p and Otg1p in Schizosaccharomyces pombe
Authors: Fukunaga Takamasa , Tanaka Naotaka , Furumoto Toshio , Nakakita Shinichi , Ohashi Takao , Higuchi Yujiro , Maekawa Hiromi , Takegawa Kaoru
Published: April 2021

In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, α1,2- and α1,3-linked D-galactose (Gal) residues are transferred to N- and O-linked oligosaccharides of glycoproteins by galactosyltransferases. Although the galactomannans are important for cell–cell communication in S. pombe (e.g., in nonsexual aggregation), the mechanisms underlying galactosylation in cells remain unclear. Schizosaccharomyces pombe has 10 galactosyltransferase-related genes: seven belonging to glycosyltransferase (GT) family 34 and three belonging GT family 8. Disruption of all 10 α-galactosyltransferases (strain Δ10GalT) has been shown to result in a complete lack of α-Gal residues. Here, we have investigated the function and substrate specificities of galactosyltransferases in S pombe by using strains expressing single α-galactosyltransferases in the Δ10GalT background. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of pyridylaminated O-linked oligosaccharides showed that two GT family 34 α1,2-galactosyltransferases (Gma12p and Gmh6p) and two GT family 8 α1,3-galactosyltransferases (Otg2p and Otg3p) are involved in galactosylation of O-linked oligosaccharide. Moreover, 1H-NMR of N-glycans revealed that three GT family 34 α1,2-galactosyltransferases (Gmh1p, Gmh2p and Gmh3p) are required for the galactosylation of N-linked oligosaccharides. Furthermore, HPLC and lectin-blot analysis revealed that Otg1p showed α1,3-galactosyltransferase activity under conditions of co-expression with Gmh6p, indicating that α-1,2-linked galactose is required for the galactosylation activity of Otg1p in S. pombe. In conclusion, eight galactosyltransferases have been shown to have activity in S. pombe with different substrate specificities. These findings will be useful for genetically tailoring the galactosylation of both N- and O-glycans in fission yeast.
Rawls and right-wing populism— A qualified defense of the former: A reply to Gila Stopler
Authors: Müller Jan-Werner
Published: April 2021

This reply to Gila Stopler’s provocative piece on the possible complicity of political liberalism and right-wing populism welcomes Stopler’s strategy of identifying structural weaknesses in liberal theory. But it also presents three specific disagreements: first, it is argued that Rawls is much less of a defender of the status quo in really existing liberal democracies than Stopler makes him out to be; second, the argument is advanced that political liberalism has significant resources to counter right-wing populism; and, third and most important, it is claimed, following the work of philosophers such as Gina Schouten, that political liberalism can (and must) incorporate feminist concerns.
In patients with multi-vessel coronary artery diseases, does hybrid revascularization provide similar outcomes to conventional coronary artery bypass grafting?
Authors: Maskell Perry , Graham Catherine , Roberts Lydia , Harky Amer
Published: April 2021

A best evidence topic in cardiac surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was: In [patients with multivessel coronary artery diseases (CAD)] is [hybrid revascularization (HCR)] equal to [coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)] in regard to [mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke and target vessel revascularization (TVR)]? Three-hundred and fifty-five papers were found using the reported search, of which 8 represented the best evidence to answer the question. The authors, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes and results of these papers are tabulated. The studies included 4 observational studies, 3 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 1 meta-analysis. The meta-analysis consisted of predominantly observational data with 1 randomized controlled trial and suggested non-significant differences in all major clinical outcomes. The observational studies generally cited benefit towards hybrid revascularization on the basis of equivalent major clinical outcomes rates compared to coronary artery bypass grafting, yet favourable in-hospital outcomes. One randomized controlled trial provided robust evidence of equivalent 5-year outcomes; however, the others were insufficiently powered for an effective comparison. There is a paucity of robustly designed studies to answer our clinical question effectively, given hybrid procedures are not routine in clinical practice. On the basis of mostly observational and small randomized cohorts with relatively short follow-up intervals, we conclude that current evidence suggests similar mid-term rates of major clinical outcomes after hybrid revascularization and coronary artery bypass grafting. However, without longer-term follow-up, the comparison of the two techniques, particularly relating to repeat revascularization, is still very much uncertain.
Free and Fair? The Differential Experiences of Voting Barriers and Voting Policies in American Midterm Elections
Authors: Foley Jordan M , Wagner Michael W , Hughes Ceri , Suk Jiyoun , Cramer Katherine J , Friedland Lewis A , Shah Dhavan V
Published: April 2021

In this research note, we provide evidence about burdens people face when voting and who benefits from policies designed to mitigate those burdens. Using pre-and-post 2018 midterm elections panel surveys in Wisconsin, we show that Black voters estimate greater time getting to the polls and Hispanic voters report longer wait times once they are there. Regarding who takes advantage of policies purported to ease these burdens on voting—early voting, voting by mail, and absentee voting—our analysis reveals that that those facing temporal disadvantages are not the groups benefiting from these electoral policy affordances.
Compassionate use of cefiderocol for carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii prosthetic joint infection
Authors: Mabayoje Diana A , NicFhogartaigh Caoimhe , Cherian Benny P , Tan Mei Gie Meiqi , Wareham David W
Published: April 2021

Background

Cefiderocol is a recently licensed novel siderophore-conjugated cephalosporin stable to hydrolysis by serine and MBLs. It has been successfully used to treat Enterobacterales infections and is approved for the treatment of infections due to aerobic Gram-negative organisms in adults with limited treatment options.

Objectives

To describe the compassionate use of cefiderocol and clinical outcome in a case of prosthetic joint infection due to MDR Acinetobacter baumannii.

Patients and methods

This case study follows a 66-year-old woman who sustained an open fracture of the left distal humerus in Pakistan. She underwent open reduction and internal fixation and on return to the UK presented to hospital with a discharging surgical wound.

Results

Debridement of her wound cultured NDM carbapenemase-producing A. baumannii susceptible to colistin, tobramycin and tigecycline only. She developed vomiting with acute kidney injury with colistin and tigecycline. Antimicrobial efficacy of cefiderocol was predicted from in vitro and in vivo susceptibility tests. A successful request was made to Shionogi for compassionate use of cefiderocol, which was added to tigecycline. Cefiderocol was well tolerated with no toxicity and improved renal function. In total she received 25 days of cefiderocol and continued on tigecycline for a further 6 weeks in the community. She has well-healed wounds and good range of elbow movement.

Conclusions

Cefiderocol’s novel mode of cell entry is effective against MDR Gram-negative bacteria with reduced toxicity compared with other last line antibiotics. Our case demonstrates that cefiderocol may be useful as therapy for patients with limited treatment options due to antimicrobial resistance. The prescribing information for cefiderocol is available at: https://shionogi-eu-content.com/gb/fetcroja/pi.
Comparison of the Modified Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2019-Novel Coronavirus Real-Time RT-PCR Method for Detection of Infectious and Heat-Inactivated Virus on Stainless Steel
Authors: Brunelle Sharon L , Bird Patrick M , Boone Jeremy , Nelson Maria , Johnson Zerlinde , Coates Scott
Published: April 2021

Background

Infectious Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) was used in the validation of methods for detection of SARS-CoV-2 on stainless-steel surfaces in the AOAC Research Institute Emergency Response Validation project. Handling infectious virus requires Biosafety Level (BSL)-3 facilities.

Objective

To compare the recovery and detection of infectious and heat-inactivated (HI; 65°C for 30 min) SARS-CoV-2 from stainless steel by the modified US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Real Time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) Diagnostic Panel.

Method

Viral stocks were diluted in viral transport medium (VTM) and deposited onto stainless-steel test areas at 2 × 103 and 2 × 104 genomic copies for low and high, respectively. Test areas were sampled and aliquots of the resulting test solutions analyzed by RT-qPCR according to the CDC method. Results were analyzed by probability of detection (POD) statistics.

Results

The low level, where fractional positive results (25–75%) are expected, yielded PODI = 0.80 (0.58, 0.92) for the infectious virus and PODHI = 0.15 (0.05, 0.36) for the HI virus. The bias, dPODHI = −0.65 (−0.80, −0.35), demonstrated a statistical difference between infectious and HI virus detection. No difference was observed at the high inoculation level.

Conclusions

Despite the statistical difference observed, the use of the HI virus is a viable alternative for matrix extension studies using a method comparison study design. Highlights: The use of HI SARS-CoV-2 can mitigate the need for a BSL-3 facility for matrix extension validation of alternative methods in SARS-CoV-2 studies.

Highlights

The use of HI SARS-CoV-2 can mitigate the need for a BSL-3 facility for matrix extension validation of alternative methods in SARS-CoV-2 studies.
The Semantics of Comparatives: A Difference-Based Approach
Authors: Zhang Linmin , Ling Jia
Published: April 2021

Degree semantics has been developed to study how the meanings of measurement and comparison are encoded in natural language. Within degree semantics, this paper proposes a difference-based (or subtraction-based) approach to analyze the semantics of comparatives. The motivation is the measurability and comparability of differences involved in comparatives. The main claim is that comparatives encode a subtraction equation among three scalar values: two measurements along an interval scale and the difference between them. We contribute two innovations: (i) using interval arithmetic to implement subtraction, and (ii) analyzing comparative morpheme -er/more as an additive particle, denoting the default, most general, positive difference. Our analysis inherits existing insights in the literature. Moreover, the innovations bring new conceptual and empirical advantages. In particular, we address the interpretation of comparatives containing than-clause-internal quantifiers and various kinds of numerical differentials. We also account for three puzzles with regard to the scope island issue, the monotonicity of than-clauses, and the discourse status of the standard in comparison.
Chondroid tenosynovial giant cell tumour of the temporomandibular joint
Authors: Kanbour Abdullah , Hurrell Michael , Ricciardo Peter
Published: April 2021

Chondroid tenosynovial giant cell tumour (TGCT) is an extremely rare disease affecting the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). This report details the peri-operative findings and treatment with custom TMJ replacement of an initially misdiagnosed chondroid TGCT involving the TMJ.
A new species of Sakuraeolis from Mozambique, described using 3D reconstruction of anatomy and phylogenetic analysis
Authors: Ellis-Diamond Dawn C , Picton Bernard E , Tibiriçá Yara , Sigwart Julia D
Published: April 2021

Here we describe a new species of shallow-subtidal nudibranch from south-eastern Africa. The strikingly vivid orange sea slug with white markings belongs to the long-disputed family Facelinidae, and has been photographed and recorded in the region by divers for some time. Tomographic modelling was applied to produce a 3D anatomical reconstruction of the reproductive and digestive organs from serial sections. A molecular phylogeny using multiple markers (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, 16S rRNA and histone H3) recovered three distinct clades within the paraphyletic Facelinidae, in agreement with other recent studies. This topology supported a genus-level clade, including the type species of Sakuraeolis Baba, 1965, S. enosimensis Baba, 1930, the new species described herein, S. arcana n. sp., and an undescribed sibling species that shares morphological resemblance to S. arcana n. sp. Facelina quatrefagesi Vayssière, 1888 is also recognized as Caloria quatrefagesi n. comb. on the basis of molecular and morphology affinity. Field observations provided insight into phenology, with a population decline noted in August. Although the new species does not have the penial structure previously considered diagnostic for Sakuraeolis, the decision was made on the balance of evidence for phylogenetic affinity to amend the diagnosis of the genus to accommodate S. arcana n. sp.
Hiding behind the Veil of Action Fraud: The Police Response to Economic Crime in England and Wales and Evaluating the Case for Regionalization or a National Economic Crime Agency
Authors: Button Mark
Published: April 2021

This article explores the policing structures that emerged in the noughties in England and Wales to tackle economic crime, such as Action Fraud and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau. This article reviews some of the growing literature on these structures, in-particular, two reports by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services and a major investigation by the Police Foundation which provides a critical review of the police response to economic crime. This article argues the central problem is the lack of investigative capacity, among others. It also argues Action Fraud, which has become commonly derided, has become a useful veil from which the police to hide their inadequate response. This article argues radical change is required to address the investigative gap through either regionalization or a national solution, through a National Economic Crime Agency. This article considers some of the arguments for against such approaches and calls for a debate to commence on the future structures for policing economic crime.
Large-scale nuclear shell-model calculations of isotopes in the southwest region of 208Pb
Authors: Yoshinaga N , Yanase K , Watanabe C , Higashiyama K
Published: April 2021

Large-scale nuclear shell-model calculations are performed in the neutron- and proton-deficient Pt, Au, Hg, and Tl isotopes ($Z < 82$ and $N \le 126$) near $^{208}$Pb. All the single-particle levels in the one-major shells, six neutron ($2p_{1/2}$, $1f_{5/2}$, $2p_{3/2}$, $0i_{13/2}$, $1f_{7/2}$, and $0h_{9/2}$) orbitals and five proton ($2s_{1/2}$, $1d_{3/2}$, $0h_{11/2}$, $1d_{5/2}$, and $0g_{7/2}$) orbitals are considered. For an effective two-body interaction, one set of the multipole pairing, quadrupole–quadrupole interactions is employed for all the nuclei considered. These phenomenological interactions are determined to reproduce the experimental energy spectra. Some of the isomeric states are analyzed in terms of the shell-model configurations. Octupole correlated states are discussed in terms of a collective octupole excitation on top of each shell model state.
Big Data in Finance
Authors: Goldstein Itay , Spatt Chester S , Ye Mao
Published: April 2021

Big data is revolutionizing the finance industry and has the potential to significantly shape future research in finance. This special issue contains papers following the 2019 NBER-RFS Conference on Big Data. In this introduction to the special issue, we define the “big data” phenomenon as a combination of three features: large size, high dimension, and complex structure. Using the papers in the special issue, we discuss how new research builds on these features to push the frontier on fundamental questions across areas in finance—including corporate finance, market microstructure, and asset pricing. Finally, we offer some thoughts for future research directions.
miR-936 is Increased in Schizophrenia and Inhibits Neural Development and AMPA Receptor-Mediated Synaptic Transmission
Authors: Panja Debabrata , Li You , Ward Michael E , Li Zheng
Published: April 2021

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression and play important roles in the development and function of synapses. miR-936 is a primate-specific miRNA increased in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of individuals with schizophrenia. The significance of miR-936 increase to schizophrenia is unknown. Here, we show that miR-936 in the human DLPFC is enriched in cortical layer 2/3 and expressed in glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons. miR-936 is increased from layers 2 to 6 of the DLPFC in schizophrenia samples. In neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iNs), miR-936 reduces the number of excitatory synapses, inhibits AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission, and increases intrinsic excitability. These effects are mediated by its target gene TMOD2. These results indicate that miR-936 restricts the number of synapses and the strength of glutamatergic synaptic transmission by inhibiting TMOD2 expression. miR-936 upregulation in the DLPFC, therefore, can reduce glutamatergic synapses and weaken excitatory synaptic transmission, which underlie the synaptic pathology and hypofrontality in schizophrenia.
CarcSeq Measurement of Rat Mammary Cancer Driver Mutations and Relation to Spontaneous Mammary Neoplasia
Authors: McKim Karen L , Myers Meagan B , Harris Kelly L , Gong Binsheng , Xu Joshua , Parsons Barbara L
Published: April 2021

The ability to deduce carcinogenic potential from subchronic, repeat dose rodent studies would constitute a major advance in chemical safety assessment and drug development. This study investigated an error-corrected NGS method (CarcSeq) for quantifying cancer driver mutations (CDMs) and deriving a metric of clonal expansion predictive of future neoplastic potential. CarcSeq was designed to interrogate subsets of amplicons encompassing hotspot CDMs applicable to a variety of cancers. Previously, normal human breast DNA was analyzed by CarcSeq and metrics based on mammary-specific CDMs were correlated with tissue donor age, a surrogate of breast cancer risk. Here we report development of parallel methodologies for rat. The utility of the rat CarcSeq method for predicting neoplastic potential was investigated by analyzing mammary tissue of 16-week-old untreated rats with known differences in spontaneous mammary neoplasia (Fischer 344, Wistar Han, and Sprague Dawley). Hundreds of mutants with mutant fractions ≥ 10−4 were quantified in each strain, most were recurrent mutations, and 42.5% of the nonsynonymous mutations have human homologs. Mutants in the mammary-specific target of the most tumor-sensitive strain (Sprague Dawley) showed the greatest nonsynonymous/synonymous mutation ratio, indicative of positive selection consistent with clonal expansion. For the mammary-specific target (Hras, Pik3ca, and Tp53 amplicons), median absolute deviation correlated with percentages of rats that develop spontaneous mammary neoplasia at 104 weeks (Pearson r = 1.0000, 1-tailed p = .0010). Therefore, this study produced evidence CarcSeq analysis of spontaneously occurring CDMs can be used to derive an early metric of clonal expansion relatable to long-term neoplastic outcome.
Anticancer Activity and In Vitro to In Vivo Mechanistic Recapitulation of Novel Ruthenium-Based Metallodrugs in the Zebrafish Model
Authors: Karas Brittany F , Hotz Jordan M , Gural Brian M , Terez Kristin R , DiBona Victoria L , Côrte-Real Leonor , Valente Andreia , Buckley Brian T , Cooper Keith R
Published: April 2021

Ruthenium is popular as a metal core for chemotherapeutics, due to versatile molecular coordination. Because new metallodrugs are synthesized at high rates, our studies included assays in zebrafish to expedite the initial evaluation as anticancer agents. Here we evaluated novel metallodrugs (PMC79 and LCR134), and cisplatin, a widely used platinum-based chemotherapeutic. We hypothesized that this model could characterize anticancer properties and recapitulate previous in vitro results in vivo. Our findings suggest anticancer properties of PMC79 and LCR134 were similar with less toxicity than cisplatin. Exposures from 24 to 72 h at or below the LOAELs of PMC79 and LCR134 (3.9 µM and 13.5 µm, respectively), impaired blood vessel development and tailfin regeneration. Blood vessel examination through live imaging of larvae revealed distinct regional antiangiogenic impacts. The significant decrease in gene expression of the VEGF-HIF pathway and beta-actin could explain the morphological effects observed in the whole organism following exposure. Tailfin amputation in larvae exposed to PMC79 or LCR134 inhibited tissue regrowth and cell division, but did not impact normal cell proliferation unlike cisplatin. This suggests Ru drugs may be more selective in targeting cancerous cells than cisplatin. Additionally, in vitro mechanisms were confirmed. PMC79 disrupted cytoskeleton formation in larvae and P-glycoprotein transporters in vivo was inhibited at low doses which could limit off-target effects of chemotherapeutics. Our results demonstrate the value for using the zebrafish in metallodrug research to evaluate mechanisms and off-target effects. In light of the findings reported in this article, future investigation of PMC79 and LCR134 are warranted in higher vertebrate models.
The COVID-19 Outbreak, High Stress, and Increased Substance Use
Authors: Naeim Mahdi , Rezaeisharif Ali
Published: April 2021

After the outbreak of the coronavirus and the epidemic of this deadly disease with the imposition of restrictions and the rumor that addicts are not infected, the rate of slippage among drug users in the COVID-19 period has increased to some extent and in a way, addiction has followed a secret process. In addition to increasing public awareness of rumors through the media, it should be noted that the main bulwark fight against the tendency to use drugs is the family. When the foundations of the family weaken, we must wait for any harm to the youth. If families do not take action to prevent drug use, we will have to witness unpleasant events in the not too distant future.
Finding a New Normal
Authors: Norton Michelle , Hagstrom Amy
Published: April 2021

Background:

Infants discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) dependent on medical technology (eg, respiratory or nutritional support) are a growing vulnerable population. These infants are medically fragile, prone to emergency department visits and readmissions, and require increased caregiver demands at home. The experiences of their maternal caregiver's after NICU discharge however, are not well understood.

Purpose:

This qualitative descriptive study addressed this knowledge gap by interviewing mothers of technology-dependent infants about their experience during their first 2 weeks transitioning to home from the NICU. This is a critical period in which mothers must first assume advanced caretaking responsibilities in the home.

Methods:

Eight mothers participated in semistructured audio-recorded interviews via the Web conferencing system Zoom and completed demographic questionnaires.

Results:

Five themes emerged from the data that described essential features of the mothers' transition to home: (a) needing coordinated discharge care; (b) establishing a routine; (c) being an advocate; (d) having a support system; and (e) finding normalcy. An additional important finding of this study was the presence of maternal posttraumatic stress and postpartum depression.

Implications for Practice:

Results highlight the importance of providing mothers hands-on practice opportunities and identifying social support and home healthcare options prior to discharge of technology-dependent infants.

Implications for Research:

Future research should focus on multidisciplinary interventions targeted toward discharge preparation, transitional support, and understanding maternal psychiatric symptoms among mothers of technology-dependent infants.
Does Local Steroid Reduce Dysphagia After Cervical Disc Replacement? A Prospective, Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Double-blinded Study
Authors: Curto Ryan A. , Edwards Charles C.
Published: April 2021

Study Design:

A prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded study.

Objective:

To examine the effect of intraoperatively administered local Depo-Medrol on the incidence and severity of postoperative dysphagia in patients undergoing cervical disk replacement (CDR) surgery.

Summary of Background Data:

Dysphagia is often reported as an adverse event after anterior cervical surgeries. One method for reducing the incidence of postoperative dysphagia in patients undergoing anterior cervical discectomy and fusion surgeries is the intraoperative application of topical corticosteroids to the retroesophageal space. There have been no studies examining the effect of local steroids on dysphagia after CDR surgery.

Materials and Methods:

Seventy-three patients underwent CDR surgery by a single surgeon at a single institution. A 1 cm ×3 cm ×3 mm gel foam collagen sponge was saturated by the nurse with either saline (1 cc) or Depo-Medrol (40 mg/1 cc) based on randomization protocol. The sponge was placed ventral to the cervical disk implant in the retroesophageal space. Study follow-up occurred on postoperative day 1, 4, 7, 14 and postoperative month 1, 2, and 3. Dysphagia outcomes were classified using the Bazaz Dysphagia Score and Eating Assessment Tool 10.

Results:

The steroid group, compared with the control group, had significantly reduced incidence of dysphagia (50% vs. 75%; P=0.0427) and severe dysphagia (12% vs. 36% Bazaz score, P=0.0253; 18% vs. 42% Eating Assessment Tool 10, P=0.0378) at POD4. There was no significant long-term difference in rates of dysphagia between the control and the steroid group.

Conclusions:

This study provides level 1 evidence that the use of intraoperative locally administered Depo-Medrol significantly reduces the incidence and severity of dysphagia within the first week after CDR surgery. The use of local steroid may provide patients undergoing CDR surgery with a more pleasant early recovery experience with respect to dysphagia.
The Initial Impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on ICU Family Engagement: Lessons Learned From a Collaborative of 27 ICUs
Authors: Hwang David Y. , Zhang Qiang , Andrews Adair , LaRose Kimberly , Gonzalez Martin , Harmon Lori , Vermoch Kathleen
Published: April 2021

Objectives:

To describe the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on family engagement among ICUs participating in a multicenter collaborative promoting implementation of family-centered care projects and to report sites’ experiences with the collaborative itself prior to its cancelation due to the pandemic in March 2020.

Design:

Cross-sectional survey.

Setting:

Twenty-seven academic and community ICUs in the United States and South Korea.

Subjects:

Site leaders.

Interventions:

Prior to March 2020, all sites had participated in 6 months of webinars, monthly calls, and listserv communication to facilitate projects and to collect preimplementation family satisfaction and clinician perception data.

Measurements and Main Results:

Planned projects included ICU orientation initiatives (12, 44.4%), structured family care conferences (6, 22.2%), and ICU diaries (5, 18.5%). After cancelation of the collaborative, 22 site leaders (81.5%) were surveyed by phone from June 2020 to July 2020. Twenty (90.1%) reported having stopped their site project; projects that continued were 1) a standardized palliative extubation protocol and 2) daily written clinical summaries for families. Sites described significant variability in visitor restriction policies and uncertainty regarding future policy changes. Four sites (18.2%) reported that their hospital did not provide personal protective equipment to visitors. Regarding video conferencing with families, 11 sites (52.4%) reported clinicians’ using their own personal devices. Two-hundred twelve family surveys and 346 clinician surveys collected prior to cancelation highlighted a broad need for family support. When leaders were asked on a scale from 0 to 10 how helpful collaborative activities had been prior to cancelation, mean response was 8.0 (sd 2.5).

Conclusions:

While the collaborative model can help promote ICU family engagement initiatives, coronavirus disease 2019 has impeded implementation of these initiatives even among motivated units. ICUs need adequate personal protective equipment for visitors and video conferencing capabilities on hospital devices while strict visitor restrictions continue to evolve.
Recent advances in HIV-associated chronic lung disease clinical research
Authors: Kunisaki Ken M.
Published: April 2021

Purpose of review

To highlight recently published, clinically focused research on chronic lung disease in adult persons with human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV) (PWH).

Recent findings

Chronic lung disease was the most common comorbidity in hospitalized PWH in New York and second-most common condition in ambulatory PWH in Canada. The elevated risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in PWH has been widely recognized, but PWH are also at higher risk for asthma and worse asthma outcomes. Expanded assessments of lung structure and function, such as single-breath diffusing capacity of carbon monoxide (DLCO), exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), and chest computed tomography (CT) have provided new insights into HIV effects on the lungs. New biomarker analyses are emerging, but further studies are needed to validate predictive biomarkers for chronic lung disease in PWH. Clinical trials addressing chronic lung disease in PWH are few in number.

Chronic lung disease is a common and high-impact comorbidity among PWH. Future studies should collect more comprehensive lung assessments such as DLCO, FeNO, and chest CT in order to better phenotype lung derangements in HIV. Clinical trials are desperately needed to reduce the rising burden of chronic lung disease in PWH.
Green space, air pollution, traffic noise and saliva cortisol in children
Authors: Bloemsma Lizan D. , Wijga Alet H. , Klompmaker Jochem O. , Hoek Gerard , Janssen Nicole A. H. , Oldenwening Marieke , Koppelman Gerard H. , Lebret Erik , Brunekreef Bert , Gehring Ulrike
Published: April 2021

Background:

Green space, air pollution, and traffic noise exposure may be associated with stress levels in children. A flattened diurnal cortisol slope (the decline in cortisol concentrations from awakening to evening) is an indicator of chronic stress. We examined associations of green space, ambient air pollution, and traffic noise with the diurnal cortisol slope in children 12 years of age.

Methods:

At age 12 years, 1,027 participants of the Dutch PIAMA birth cohort collected three saliva samples during 1 day. We estimated residential exposure to green space (i.e., the average Normalized Difference Vegetation Index [NDVI] and percentages of green space in circular buffers of 300 m and 3,000 m), air pollution, and traffic noise. Associations of these exposures with the diurnal cortisol slope (in nmol/L per hour) were assessed by multiple linear regression, adjusting for potential confounders.

Results:

Higher average NDVI and total percentage of green space in a 3,000 m buffer were associated with a larger diurnal decrease in cortisol levels (adjusted difference [95% confidence interval] = −0.11 nmol/L/hr [−0.21, 0.00 nmol/L/hr] per interquartile range increase in the average NDVI; −0.13 nmol/L/hr [−0.26, 0.00 nmol/L/hr] per interquartile range increase in the total percentage of green space). These associations were largely driven by associations with the percentage of agricultural green space and by associations in children living in nonurban areas. We observed no relationships between air pollution or traffic noise and the diurnal cortisol slope.

Conclusions:

Residential exposure to green space in a buffer of 3,000 m may be associated with lower stress levels in children 12 years of age.