bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Metabolomic profiles of breath odor compounds for prognostic prediction in patients with acute‐on‐chronic liver failure: A pilot study
Authors: Jing Jing , Sang Xiu‐xiu , You Shao‐li , Zhu Bin , Cui Yan‐fei , Li Chun‐yu , Wang Zhong‐xia , Zhao Xu , Liu Xiao‐yi , Tian Miao , Ren Yue‐bo , Yu Si‐miao , Xiao Xiao‐he , Wang Jia‐bo , Niu Ming , Wang Rui‐lin
Published: November 2020

Aim

The aim of this study was to use a metabonomics approach to identify potential biomarkers of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) for predicting the prognosis of acute‐on‐chronic liver failure (ACLF).

Methods

Using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry, EBC metabolites of ACLF patients surviving without liver transplantation (n = 57) and those with worse outcomes (n = 45), and controls (n = 15) were profiled from a specialized liver disease center in Beijing. The metabolites were used to identify candidate biomarkers, and the predicted performance of potential biomarkers was tested.

Results

Forty‐one metabolites, involving glycerophospholipid metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, arachidonic acid metabolism, and amino acid metabolism, as candidate biomarkers for discriminating the different outcomes of ACLF were selected. A prognostic model was constructed by a panel of four metabolites including phosphatidylinositol [20:4(5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z)/13:0], phosphatidyl ethanolamine (12:0/22:0), L‐metanephrine and ethylbenzene, which could predict the worse prognosis in ACLF patients with sensitivity (84.4%) and specificity (89.5%) (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.859, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.787–0.931). Compared with Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score (AUC = 0.639, 95% CI = 0.526–0.753) and MELD‐sodium (MELD‐Na) score (AUC = 0.692, 95% CI = 0.582–0.803), EBC‐associated metabolite signature model could better predict worse outcomes in patients with ACLF (p < 0.05). Using the MELD‐Na score and EBC metabolite signatures, a decision tree model was built for predicting the prognosis of ACLF identified on logistic regression analyses (AUC = 0.906, 95% CI = 0.846–0.965).

Conclusion

EBC metabolic signatures show promise as potential biomarkers for predicting worse prognosis of ACLF.
The age and geochemistry of the Bardkish syenite, northwest Iran: Syenite formation during Neo‐Tethyan subduction
Authors: Jafari Amin , Moayyed Mohsen , Williams Ian S.
Published: November 2020

SHRIMP U–Pb dating of zircon from two representative samples of the Bardkish syenitic pluton, Urumieh plutonic complex, northwestern Iran, yielded a Late Cretaceous weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 91.1 ±0.8 Ma (Turonian). The pluton is characterized by high K2O content, Ti–Nb–Ta depletion, enrichment in light rare earth elements and large ion lithophile elements compared to high field strength element, Mg‐rich biotite and calcic amphibole, suggesting a shoshonitic affinity. Geochemical features of the Bardkish syenite are consistent with derivation by fractional crystallization of initial mafic parent magmas. It is most likely that primary magma of the syenite originated from a metasomatized subcontinental lithospheric mantle source with minor crustal component, and underwent a fractional crystallization process during its emplacement. The estimates of trapping pressures and temperatures suggest that crystallization began at the middle crustal level (less than 11 km) near 700–730 °C. The generation of the Bardkish syenite could be related to the subduction of Neo‐Tethyan oceanic crust beneath the Central Iranian microcontinent and it possibly marks a major magmatic episode prior to the final closure of the Neo‐Tethyan ocean in northwest Iran.
Dermatologic sequelae of breast cancer: From disease, surgery, and radiation
Authors: Milam Emily C. , Rangel Lauren K. , Pomeranz Miriam K.
Published: November 2020

The care of breast cancer patients is important to dermatologists. Breast cancer’s initial presentation, clinical progression, and its associated treatments can result in a variety of cutaneous complications. Dermatologists may be the first to identify a breast cancer diagnosis, as a subset of patients first present with direct extension of an underlying tumor or with a cutaneous metastasis. The surgical treatment of breast cancer also begets a variety of skin sequelae, including postoperative lymphedema, soft tissue infections, seromas, pyoderma gangrenosum, and scarring disorders. Moreover, breast cancer radiation treatment commonly results in skin changes, which can range from mild and temporary dermatoses to chronic and disfiguring skin ulceration, fibrosis, and necrosis. Radiation may also precipitate secondary malignancies, such as angiosarcoma, as well as rarer dermatologic diseases, such as radiation‐induced morphea, lichen planus, and postirradiation pseudosclerodermatous panniculitis. Finally, breast cancer is also associated with an array of paraneoplastic phenomena, including Sweet’s syndrome and the rarer intralymphatic histiocytosis. Herein, we review the dermatological manifestations of breast cancer, including conditions associated with its presentation, progression, and treatment sequelae. Chemotherapy‐induced cutaneous side effects are beyond the scope of this review. This article provides a comprehensive review for dermatologist to be able to identify, diagnose, and manage breast cancer patients from initial presentation to treatment monitoring and subsequent follow‐up.
La dimension sociale du commerce international à la lumière du pluralisme de l'Organe d'appel de l'OMC
Authors: LANGILLE Joanna
Published: November 2020

Pour certains juristes du travail, les règles de l'OMC pourraient empêcher les États de sanctionner comme ils l'entendent les atteintes aux normes et droits relatifs au travail protégés par le droit national ou international, sur leur sol ou ailleurs. Cependant, dans sa jurisprudence, l'Organe d'appel de l'organisation a admis un certain pluralisme des règles, protégeant ainsi l'autonomie des État en matière réglementaire. Cette interprétation élargit également le champ des exceptions autorisées, et elle atténue la portée dérégulatrice de certaines dispositions du droit de l'OMC. De nombreuses mesures de protection des travailleurs pourraient donc devenir acceptables et compatibles avec les règles du droit commercial international.
Multimodal representational gestures in the transition to multi‐word productions
Authors: Murillo Eva , Casla Marta
Published: November 2020

The aim of this study was to analyze the use of representational gestures from a multimodal point of view in the transition from one‐word to multi‐word constructions. Twenty‐one Spanish‐speaking children were observed longitudinally at 18, 21, 24, and 30 months of age. We analyzed the production of deictic, symbolic, and conventional gestures and their coordination with different verbal elements. Moreover, we explored the relationship between gestural multimodal and unimodal productions and independent measures of language development. Results showed that gesture production remains stable in the period studied. Whereas deictic gestures are frequent and mostly multimodal from the beginning, conventional gestures are rare and mainly unimodal. Symbolic gestures are initially unimodal, but between 24 and 30 months of age, this pattern reverses, with more multimodal symbolic gestures than unimodal. In addition, the frequency of multimodal representational gestures at specific ages seems to be positively related to independent measures of vocabulary and morphosyntax development. By contrast, the production of unimodal representational gestures appears negatively related to these measures. Our results suggest that multimodal representational gestures could have a facilitating role in the process of learning to combine meanings for communicative goals.
Factors associated with the mass of eggs laid by tree swallowsTachycineta bicolorvaried yearly between 2008 and 2016 in Michigan
Authors: Lombardo Michael P. , Thorpe Patrick A. , Otieno Sango , Weglarz Dan , Hawker Alyssa
Published: November 2020

The initial investment a female bird makes in an offspring is her production of its egg. The size of this investment can have important evolutionary consequences for both the female and her offspring. Between 2008 and 2016, we weighed 1977 tree swallow eggs freshly laid in nest boxes in west Michigan to investigate factors associated with egg mass. Breeding female age class was not associated with egg mass. Overall, eggs that hatched weighed significantly more than those that did not. An egg's mass was not associated with clutch size but increased with its position in the laying sequence. Females that bred multiple times showed high repeatability of egg mass. Mother–daughter narrow sense heritability of egg mass was low. There were statistically significant associations, both positive and negative, between female morphological characteristics and egg mass in some years but not others. Similarly, relationships between egg mass and weather conditions during egg formation were statistically significant in some years but not others. In summary, female characteristics and weather conditions were associated with tree swallow egg mass, but their influences varied yearly. These results reinforce the importance of long‐term studies for identifying the causes of selection that shape life‐history characteristics.
Individual and sex‐related patterns of prolonged flights during both day and night by great reed warblers crossing the Mediterranean Sea and Sahara Desert
Authors: Malmiga Gintaras , Tarka Maja , Alerstam Thomas , Hansson Bengt , Hasselquist Dennis
Published: November 2020

A wide variety of the barrier crossing strategies exist among migrating songbirds, ranging from strict nocturnal flights to non‐stop flights over a few days. We evaluate barrier crossing strategies in a nocturnally migrating songbird crossing the Mediterranean Sea and the Sahara Desert, the great reed warbler, exploring variation between the sexes and within individuals. We used data from 31 year‐round light‐level geolocators tracks from 26 individuals (13 males and 13 females), with four individuals tracked for 2–3.5 consecutive years. Almost all individuals (25 of 26) prolonged their flights into the day at least on one occasion. The mean duration of these prolonged flights was 19.9 h and did not differ between sexes or seasons. Fifteen birds performed non‐stop flights during more than one full day and night (≥ 24 h; mean = 31.9 h; max = 55 h) in autumn and/or spring, but these flights were generally too short to cross an entire barrier (such as the Sahara Desert) in one non‐stop flight. Patterns of prolonged flights showed considerable within‐individual variation in females between seasons (autumn versus spring) and in both males and females between years, suggesting high individual flexibility in migration strategy. Significantly more males than females performed prolonged flights during autumn migration, but not spring, possibly reflecting sex‐specific carry‐over effects. We conclude that great reed warblers have the ability to conduct prolonged continuous flights for up to several nights and days, which potentially would allow them to cross the Sahara Desert in one non‐stop flight. However, they typically use a mixed strategy of several nocturnal flights with intermittent stopovers in combination with 1–3 prolonged flights. Prolonged flights covered less than half (44%) of the total flight time across the barriers, and the diurnal parts of the flights covered only 18% of this time.
Commentary: What to do with irritability? Do not give it a new diagnostic home—a commentary on Evans et al. (2020)
Authors: Fristad Mary A.
Published: November 2020

Irritability is ubiquitous and therefore nonspecific. Evans and colleagues conducted an international study to test clinicians’ ability to differentiate chronic irritability from four ‘boundary’ presentations: nonirritable oppositionality, episodic bipolar disorder irritability, depressive disorders, and normative irritability. Clinicians assigned to rate vignettes according to the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems‐Eleventh Revision (ICD‐11) fared best, while those assigned to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual‐5th Edition (DSM‐5) condition had the most false positives and false negatives. Findings are consistent with a decade’s worth of investigation on the utility of irritability as a diagnostic criterion. Irritability is commonly associated with both internalizing and externalizing disorders. Multiple investigations of its new ‘home’ within the DSM‐5 categorical diagnosis of DMDD indicate a poor fit. Irritability is more useful as a specifier for other disorders, consistent with how it is utilized within the ICD‐11.
Isotopic (δ15N) relationship of pregnant females and their embryos: Comparing placental and yolk‐sac viviparous elasmobranchs
Authors: Baró‐Camarasa Isis , Marmolejo‐Rodríguez Ana J. , O'Hara Todd M. , Elorriaga‐Verplancken Fernando R. , Trejo‐Ramírez Abel , Martínez‐Rincón Raúl O. , Galván‐Magaña Felipe
Published: November 2020

Nitrogen stable isotopes ratios (δ15N) were determined for selected tissues (muscle, liver, blood and yolk) of pregnant females and their embryos of a placental viviparous species, the Pacific sharpnose shark (Rhizoprionodon longurio), and a yolk‐sac viviparous species, the speckled guitarfish (Pseudobatos glaucostigmus). The R. longurio embryo tissues were 15N enriched compared to the same tissues in the pregnant female, using the difference in δ15N (Δδ15N) between embryo and adult. Mean Δδ15N was 2.17‰ in muscle, 4.39‰ in liver and 0.80‰ in blood. For P. glaucostigmus, embryo liver tissue was significantly 15N enriched in comparison with liver of the pregnant female (Δδ15N mean = 1.22‰), whereas embryo muscle was 15N depleted relative to the muscle of the pregnant female (Δδ15N mean = −1.22‰). Both species presented a significant positive linear relationship between Δδ15N and embryo total length (LT). The results indicated that embryos have different Δδ15N depending on their reproductive strategy, tissue type analysed and embryo LT.
Determination of soluble solids content and firmness in plum using hyperspectral imaging and chemometric algorithms
Authors: Meng Qinglong , Shang Jing , Huang Renshuai , Zhang Yan
Published: November 2020

Hyperspectral imaging technology coupled with chemometric algorithms was investigated to determine soluble solids content (SSC) and firmness in plum. A model of determining SSC and firmness in plum was established and optimized. Hyperspectral images of two varieties of “Red” and “Green” plums were acquired by hyperspectral imaging acquisition system. Two methods of partial least square regression (PLSR) and principal components regression (PCR) were employed to establish models based on full spectra. The multiple linear regression (MLR) and error back propagation (BP) network were applied to establish simplified models based on characteristic spectra selected by the methods of successive projection algorithm (SPA) and competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS). By comparing the results of different modeling methods, CARS‐MLR model was the optimal models for predicting SSC and firmness with R2 P greater than 0.9 and 0.6, RPD above 3.7 and 1.8. Especially, for SSC (R2 P = 0.93, RMSEP = 0.57%, RPD = 3.73), for firmness (R2 P = 0.69, RMSEP = 0.63 kg/cm2, RPD = 1.81). Results showed that hyperspectral imaging technology coupled with chemometric algorithms is feasible to determine SSC and firmness, CARS‐MLR model was the optimal models.

Practical applications

Soluble solids content (SSC) and firmness are two significant quality attributes that determine fruit maturity and grade after harvest. Traditional methods for determining SSC and firmness are destructive, time‐consuming, and extremely affected by subjective factors. Hyperspectral imaging technology has the advantages of nondestructive, rapid, non‐pollution, and so on. The results demonstrated that hyperspectral imaging technology coupled with chemometric algorithms is feasible to determine SSC and firmness, and it can provide a theoretical basis to develop a real‐time detection system to determine the quality of fruits.
Metabolic activity assessment by 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing Yttrium‐90 transarterial radioembolization
Authors: Kim Do Young , Lee Hye Won , Kang Wonseok , Kim Gyoung Min , Won Jong Yun , Yun Mijin
Published: November 2020

Background and Aim

18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is a functional image technique that can inform clinical decisions related to prognosis. We investigated the predictive role of 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing Yttrium‐90 (Y‐90) transarterial radioembolization (TARE).

Methods

Patients with HCC treated with TARE and pre‐TARE PET/CT scan were recruited between 2009 and 2013. Maximum standardized uptake value and tumor‐to‐non‐tumorous liver uptake ratio (TLR) were measured. Tumor response was evaluated in accordance with modified RECIST criteria at 3‐month intervals after Y‐90 TARE.

Results

Forty patients were included in the final analysis. The median age was 56.5 years and male predominant. Disease control in treated lesion was achieved in 82.5% (n = 33) of patients. During median 18.3‐month follow‐up, 27.5% (n = 11) of patients achieved progression‐free survival. The cutoff of TLR, which was related to the median value, did not affect disease control rate, progression‐free survival, and overall survival in patients with Y‐90 TARE.

Conclusions

The TLR‐based stratification may be a simple method, but our study did not show the usefulness in predicting prognosis in HCC patients with Y‐90 TARE. Further studies with large number of patients are needed.
Socio‐Legal Studies in 2020
Authors: WHEELER SALLY
Published: November 2020

This article looks back to a paper written by the author and Phil Thomas in 2000 on socio‐legal studies and reflects on what has changed in the world of socio‐legal studies since then. It then turns to the continued modesty of the claims that socio‐legal studies researchers make for their work. The suggestion made is that socio‐legal studies forms a social ecology in what is termed the ‘hyphen‐space’ and that through this space social ecology theory allows much larger claims to be made about how actors and issues at different levels and scales relate to each other. To this end, the article takes an issue, an artefact, and a broad classification of ‘people’ within the sphere of international commercial law to illustrate how social ecology can be used to broaden the claims that research makes.
Effectiveness of an intraoral thermoformed splint with magnet device in patients with xerostomia and hyposalivation: A pilot study
Authors: Dakovic Dragana , Mladenovic Rasa , Ristic Ljubisa , Jevtovic Radoslav , Videnovic Nebojsa , Bukumiric Zoran
Published: November 2020

Aim

The aim of the study was to examine the effectiveness of intraoral thermoformed splint with a magnet device over a period of 3 months, that is, to assess acceptability of this method of treatment using both objective and self‐reported measures.

Materials and methods

This study was designed as a prospective clinical pilot trial. 22 patients with xerostomia and hyposalivation were included. Xerostomia was assessed using a 4‐question xerostomia questionnaire score and a test for unstimulated salivary flow rates. Evaluations were performed before the treatment and 3 months after the treatment using a thermoformed splint with a magnet device.

Results

There was a significant reduction in subjective symptoms after using a thermoformed splint with a magnet device for 3 months. For all 4 scored items, there was a statistically significant difference (P < .001) in median VAS scores before and 3 months after treatment. There was also a statistically significant difference in USFR before (0,15 ± 0,04 ml/min) and after treatment (0,24 ± 0,03 mL/min).

Conclusion

Our findings indicate that the use of this device alleviated oral dryness and stimulated the function of the submandibular salivary gland. An intraoral thermoformed splint with a magnet device is safe, physiologically indifferent, useful, and effective in treating xerostomia and hyposalivation.
The effect of local taxes on firm performance: Evidence from geo‐referenced data
Authors: Belotti Federico , Di Porto Edoardo , Santoni Gianluca
Published: November 2020

This paper investigates the effect of local property tax for businesses on firm performance by using a panel of Italian manufacturing firms. To identify this effect, we implement a pairwise spatial‐differenced estimator and exploit the exogenous variation in local property tax rates caused by the political alignment of local and central governments. We find that business property taxation has a sizeable negative impact on equipment, the more volatile part of tangible assets, employment, and value‐added. We interpret these results as evidence of a distortionary mechanism. When heavy equipment are included in the business property tax base, as was the case in Italy during our estimation period, business property taxation depresses investment and induces firms to also reduce output and downsize.
Rural Employment of Health Care Workers: A Longitudinal Cohort Study
Authors: Walker Jasmine , Quaile Mary , Tumin Dmitry
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Preserving and increasing the health care workforce in rural areas has become imperative due to the shortage of health care workers serving rural populations. However, limited data are available on long‐term patterns of employment in rural settings among health care workers.

Methods

We analyzed the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, which enrolled a nationally representative sample of adolescents in 1979 and tracked their career outcomes through 2016. Using the US Census Bureau occupation codes, we identified participants who worked in health care occupations, and we classified their employment in rural versus urban areas.

Findings

Of the 1,007 respondents (including 109 doctoral health professionals), 70% worked only in urban locations, 13% worked only in rural locations, and 17% worked in both rural and urban locations during their health care career. Rural upbringing, White race, and female gender were associated with rural employment. Among nondoctoral health professionals, lower educational attainment was associated with increased likelihood of working only in rural settings.

Conclusion

Our study indicates the rural workforce is split between workers who are only employed in rural settings, and those who are intermittently employed in rural and urban settings. Therefore, retention of health care workers in rural settings and recruitment of workers from urban settings to practice in rural areas are important strategies for addressing the rural health care worker shortage. Rural upbringing, previously described as predictive of physician practice in rural locations, appears the strongest predictor of rural employment for both doctoral health professionals and nondoctoral health professionals.
Discontinuous Wefts: Weaving a More Interconnected Supply Chain Management Tapestry
Authors: Harland Christine
Published: November 2020

The COVID‐19 crisis quickly drew attention to shortages of critical supplies in complex, global healthcare, and food supply chains, despite emergency and pandemic plans existing in many countries. Borders and factories closed through lockdowns and slowly reopened under different working arrangements, causing supply chains to struggle to respond to this global crisis, with severe impact on GDPs internationally. Ironically, despite global communications technologies, global political structures, and the immense capability of humans, the only true global actor in this crisis is a virus, one of the simplest, most dependent forms of life. Supply chain management research and practice contains threads of knowledge and understanding that are vital to mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery in global crises; we just have not woven them together yet. This essay proposes a more interconnected approach to supply chain management to tackle these current and future global crises, weaving together understanding of supply markets, public procurement, humanitarian aid supply chain management, network and systems thinking, and global stewardship, with the more traditional conceptualizations of firm‐based supply chain management. Questions are posed to illustrate current discontinuous wefts of knowledge to explore how weaving a more interconnected, systems thinking‐based approach to supply chain management might stimulate research to support coordination of future global supply preparedness.
Of literary jackfruits and the female sage: The colonial Bengali reception of George Eliot
Authors: Sarkar Abhishek , Das Ballari
Published: November 2020

George Eliot was read in select circles of the English‐educated colonial Bengali intelligentsia but her popularity was never unqualified. Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) in an 1882 essay recalls with admiration the passage inMiddlemarchabout a squirrel's heartbeat, but in an 1892 essay he compares her novels to a jackfruit (a large tropical multiple fruit) and suggests that each of her novels can be helpfully divided into several smaller ones. In the Bengali novelKahake(‘Whom?’; 1898) by Tagore's elder sister Swarnakumari Debi Ghosal (1855–1932), later translated into English asAn Unfinished Song(1913) by the author herself, four Bengali characters appear to be familiar with George Eliot's novels and one of these characters even claims George Eliot to be as great as Shakespeare in her own realm. But the enthusiasm shown by this fictional character was not necessarily replicated by real‐life Bengali readers of English novels in the long nineteenth century. Standard histories of Bengali literature never register George Eliot to be a major influence on the Bengali novel. Besides, her novels were hardly adapted in Bengali. The case made by some critics that Tagore's epic novelGora(1909–1910) was palpably influenced byFelix Holt, the Radicalis not widely accepted. A 1909 article published in the monthlyPrabasicalls Tagore the ‘George Eliot of Bengal’ because of the similarity between Tagore and George Eliot as regards the attention they give to the exploration of human psychology in their novels. The same article declares that George Eliot's novels are for the refined intellect and likely to be detested by the common reader. This article also observes that George Eliot's novels have been profitably read by many as lessons in psychology. This comment signals another tendency in the Bengali reception of George Eliot, that of hailing her as a (female) sage. This tendency is also seen in an 1885 article published in the monthlyBharati, which discusses her non‐fictional writing especially with respect to her affinity with Comte's Positivism and mentions her novels only in passing. The comments on George Eliot generated by the colonial Bengali elite seem to be aware of her gender but consistently highlight the intellectual appeal of her corpus irrespective of her gendered identity.
Mothers' experiences of breastfeeding a child with tongue‐tie
Authors: Waterman Jillian , Lee Tiffany , Etchegary Holly , Drover Anne , Twells Laurie
Published: November 2020

Tongue‐tie is characterized by an abnormally tight, short and thick lingual frenulum restricting the tongue's movement. This functional impairment can hinder a child's ability to maintain an effective latch and suckle and may lead to complex breastfeeding difficulties. The primary aim of this study was to explore the experiences of mothers who have breastfed a child with tongue‐tie, including their experiences with the health care system. A qualitative description study design was used. Two semistructured focus groups were conducted in February 2016 with a total of nine participants in the largest metropolitan area of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Content analysis using constant comparison revealed a common incongruity between participants' breastfeeding expectations and their actual experiences of feeding a child with tongue‐tie. Three major themes are discussed: mothers' well‐being, strained interpersonal relationships and frustration with the health care system.
Fungal guilds and soil functionality respond to tree community traits rather than to tree diversity in European forests
Authors: Prada‐Salcedo Luis Daniel , Goldmann Kezia , Heintz‐Buschart Anna , Reitz Thomas , Wambsganss Janna , Bauhus Jürgen , Buscot François
Published: November 2020

At the global scale, most forest research on biodiversity focuses on aboveground organisms. However, understanding the structural associations between aboveground and belowground communities provides relevant information about important functions linked to biogeochemical cycles. Microorganisms such as soil fungi are known to be closely coupled to the dominant tree vegetation, and we hypothesize that tree traits affect fungal guilds and soil functionality in multiple ways. By analysing fungal diversity of 64 plots from four European forest types using Illumina DNA sequencing, we show that soil fungal communities respond to tree community traits rather than to tree species diversity. To explain changes in fungal community structure and measured soil enzymatic activities, we used a trait‐based ecological approach and community‐weighted means of tree traits to define ‘fast’ (acquisitive) versus ‘slow’ (conservative) tree communities. We found specific tree trait effects on different soil fungal guilds and soil enzymatic activities: tree traits associated with litter and absorptive roots correlated with fungal, especially pathogen diversity, and influenced community composition of soil fungi. Relative abundance of the symbiotrophic and saprotrophic guilds mirrored the litter quality, while the root traits of fast tree communities enhanced symbiotrophic abundance. We found that forest types of higher latitudes, which are dominated by fast tree communities, correlated with high carbon‐cycling enzymatic activities. In contrast, Mediterranean forests with slow tree communities showed high enzymatic activities related to nitrogen and phosphorous. Our findings highlight that tree trait effects of either ‘fast’ or ‘slow’ tree communities drive different fungal guilds and influence biogeochemical cycles.
Pattern and causes of the establishment of the invasive bacterial potato pathogen Dickeya solani and of the maintenance of the resident pathogen D. dianthicola
Authors: Blin Pauline , Robic Kévin , Khayi Slimane , Cigna Jérémy , Munier Euphrasie , Dewaegeneire Pauline , Laurent Angélique , Jaszczyszyn Yan , Hong Kar‐Wai , Chan Kok‐Gan , Beury Amélie , Reverchon Sylvie , Giraud Tatiana , Hélias Valérie , Faure Denis
Published: November 2020

Invasive pathogens can be a threat when they affect human health, food production or ecosystem services, by displacing resident species, and we need to understand the cause of their establishment. We studied the patterns and causes of the establishment of the pathogen Dickeya solani that recently invaded potato agrosystems in Europe by assessing its invasion dynamics and its competitive ability against the closely related resident D. dianthicola species. Epidemiological records over one decade in France revealed the establishment of D. solani and the maintenance of the resident D. dianthicola in potato fields exhibiting blackleg symptoms. Using experimentations, we showed that D. dianthicola caused a higher symptom incidence on aerial parts of potato plants than D. solani, while D. solani was more aggressive on tubers (i.e. with more severe symptoms). In co‐infection assays, D. dianthicola outcompeted D. solani in aerial parts, while the two species co‐existed in tubers. A comparison of 76 D. solani genomes (56 of which have been sequenced here) revealed balanced frequencies of two previously uncharacterized alleles, VfmBPro and VfmBSer, at the vfmB virulence gene. Experimental inoculations showed that the VfmBSer population was more aggressive on tubers, while the VfmBPro population outcompeted the VfmBSer population in stem lesions, suggesting an important role of the vfmB virulence gene in the ecology of the pathogens. This study thus brings novel insights allowing a better understanding of the pattern and causes of the D.solani invasion into potato production agrosystems, and the reasons why the endemic D. dianthicola nevertheless persisted.
Distributed computing for region‐wide line source dispersion modeling
Authors: Kim Daejin , Liu Haobing , Xu Xiaodan , Lu Hongyu , Wayson Roger , Rodgers Michael O. , Guensler Randall
Published: November 2020

This work introduces a parallelly distributed computing technique to quantify the traffic‐related pollutant concentrations at regional scales. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)‐recommended dispersion model AERMOD involves complex model setup that requires extensive data inputs with strict formatting rules. These strict requirements increase the likelihood of human errors, especially in larger‐scale high‐resolution dispersion modeling. The paper presents a streamlined framework that integrates the processes of data preparation, link and receptor configuration, and mobile source emissions modeling. The emissions model is then connected with dispersion model through a parallel computing system. Such linkages allow high‐resolution traffic‐related air quality impacts to be estimated at the regional scales with high computational efficiency. The tool can be used by a broad audience, including any stakeholders interested in mobile source emissions modeling, and near‐road pollutant concentration modeling under the National Environmental Policy Act, and Clean Air Act transportation and air quality conformity analysis.
Development of new treatments with drug repositioning strategies: POEMS and Guillain‐Barré syndrome
Authors: Misawa Sonoko
Published: November 2020

POEMS syndrome and Guillain‐Barré syndrome (GBS) are rare and potentially intractable peripheral neuropathies. This review considers the development of new therapeutic interventions for these disorders using drug repositioning strategies. The prognosis for patients diagnosed with POEMS syndrome was previously quite poor; however, therapeutic interventions based on those used successfully for the treatment of myeloma have significantly improved the prognosis of this disease. While many new drugs have been developed to treat myeloma, thalidomide is the only drug with a safety and efficacy profile that has been documented by the results of a randomized controlled trial. While POEMS syndrome is an extraordinarily rare disease, prospective controlled trials should be performed to establish evidence‐based therapeutic strategies. Similarly, GBS is an acute, immune‐mediated polyneuropathy. While many patients achieve full recovery, others go on to experience long‐lasting neurological sequelae; this latter group includes patients who were treated appropriately with immunoglobulins or plasmapheresis. Complement activation has been associated with severe nerve injury in patients diagnosed with GBS; indeed, inhibition of complement activation prevented disease‐associated paralysis and nerve injury in a relevant murine model. Eculizumab, an antibody that targets complement protein C5, is a potent inhibitor of complement activation that has been approved for the treatment of complement‐mediated disorders. A recent phase 2 clinical trial of eculizumab for GBS performed in Japan revealed that eculizumab may be effective for the treatment of patients with this disease. Further confirmation of this finding will be a major step forward with respect to the management of GBS.
VAPYRIN attenuates defence by repressing PR gene induction and localized lignin accumulation during arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis of Petunia hybrida
Authors: Chen Min , Bruisson Sébastien , Bapaume Laure , Darbon Geoffrey , Glauser Gaëtan , Schorderet Martine , Reinhardt Didier
Published: November 2020

The intimate association of host and fungus in arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis can potentially trigger induction of host defence mechanisms against the fungus, implying that successful symbiosis requires suppression of defence.

We addressed this phenomenon by using AM‐defective vapyrin (vpy) mutants in Petunia hybrida, including a new allele (vpy‐3) with a transposon insertion close to the ATG start codon. We explore whether abortion of fungal infection in vpy mutants is associated with the induction of defence markers, such as cell wall alterations, accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), defence hormones and induction of pathogenesis‐related (PR) genes.

We show that vpy mutants exhibit a strong resistance against intracellular colonization, which is associated with the generation of cell wall appositions (papillae) with lignin impregnation at fungal entry sites, while no accumulation of defence hormones, ROS or callose was observed. Systematic analysis of PR gene expression revealed that several PR genes are induced in mycorrhizal roots of the wild‐type, and even more in vpy plants. Some PR genes are induced exclusively in vpy mutants.

Our results suggest that VPY is involved in avoiding or suppressing the induction of a cellular defence syndrome that involves localized lignin deposition and PR gene induction.
Use of telemedicine for ichthyosis: Patient advocacy group as conduit to expert physician advice
Authors: Asch Sarah , Swink Shane M. , Vivar Karina L. , Pickford Jean , Breuning Lisa , Wassel Christine , Hand Jennifer L. , Milstone Leonard , Castelo‐Soccio Leslie
Published: November 2020

Background/Objectives

Patients with rare diseases are challenged when it comes to finding physicians with expertise in their condition. The Foundation for Ichthyosis and Related Skin Types (FIRST) Tele‐Ichthyosis program has provided telemedicine for patients and their families with keratinizing disorders since 2009. This study aims to characterize a decade of experience with the program.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study analyzed cases for demographics of patients and the clinicians who submitted their cases, nature of questions asked, number of expert responses, and characteristics of responses. Surveys were sent electronically to all users of the FIRST Tele‐Ichthyosis service to assess experiences with the service and solicit constructive recommendations. Descriptive statistics were performed on the case review and responder surveys.

Results

Eighty‐eight geographically diverse cases were reviewed showing increased use over time by various specialists for patients of all ages. Sixty‐six percent of cases were definitively ichthyosis, and most submitters queried on diagnosis (47%) or treatment (72%). Most submitters described the service as easy to use (66.6%) and advice as timely (61.1%), clear (66.6%), and beneficial (61.1%). All submitters made suggestions for improvement (100%). Experts predominately worked with pediatric populations (70%) and reported self‐motivation to volunteer and improve patients’ lives (100%). Experts found technological barriers minor and provided feedback to enhance the service.

Conclusions

This report highlights how a rare‐disease patient advocacy group successfully supports physician collaboration and patient outcomes through secure and efficient telemedicine. Lessons learned are highly relevant in the current healthcare environment.
Adherence in pediatric renal recipients and its effect on graft outcome, a single‐center, retrospective study
Authors: Feddersen Nele , Pape Lars , Beneke Jan , Brand Korbinian , Prüfe Jenny
Published: November 2020

Background

In recent years, treatment‐adherence gained increasing attention in nearly every area of medicine including transplant medicine. Medication adherence following solid organ transplantation is known to be indispensable for a satisfactory allograft survival.

Methods

We examined 60 patients between the ages of four months and 20 years who underwent kidney transplantation at Hannover Medical School between January 2011 and August 2017. Age at transplantation varied from 4 months to 20 years. 12 patients (20%) already underwent their second solid organ transplantation. 5 patients (8.3%) had a combined kidney‐liver‐transplantation.

We used two different methods for rating adherence: An objective one based on the coefficient of variation (CoV%) of immunosuppressant trough levels, and a subjective questionnaire answered by the patients themselves, their parents or legal custodians, the treating pediatrician, as well as by the attending psychologist.

Results

The CoV% in our study was by‐trend higher in those patients who suffered from a biopsy‐proven rejection (x̅CoV% = 35.7, σ CoV% = 30.1 in patients with rejection vs. x̅ CoV% = 26.0, σ CoV% = 10.5 in patients without rejection). Furthermore, the psychologist's assessment correlated significantly both with rejections as well as with the formation of de novo donor‐specific antibodies (dnDSA) while the pediatrician's rating showed no correlation (Prejections = 0.005 and PdnDSA = 0.03 for psychologist's rating vs. Prejections = 0.50 and PdnDSA = 0.50 for pediatrician).

Conclusions

Apart from underlining the importance of medication adherence, the present research stresses the role of a multi‐disciplinary treatment approach to support pediatric renal transplant recipients and their families.
Combined Addition of Ethanol and Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid Enhances Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Effects in Methylene Blue‐Mediated Photodynamic Treatment against Pseudomonas aeruginosa In Vitro
Authors: Sarker Roma Rani , Tsunoi Yasuyuki , Haruyama Yasue , Ichiki Yayoi , Sato Shunichi , Nishidate Izumi
Published: November 2020

Antimicrobial photodynamic treatment (aPDT) for infection with drug‐resistant bacteria has received much attention. For P. aeruginosa, however, efficient formation of biofilms and the nature of Gram‐negative bacteria often limit the efficacy of aPDT. In this study, we investigated the effects of ethanol and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) as additives on bacterial viability, biofilm biomass, and structures of bacteria and biofilms in methylene blue (MB)‐mediated aPDT in vitro. Matured P. aeruginosa biofilms were incubated with 32‐µm MB solutions with different concentrations of additives and then illuminated with 665‐nm light from an LED array. The combined addition of 10% ethanol and 10 mm EDTA to MB resulted in significantly greater bactericidal effects than those of MB alone and of MB with 10% ethanol or 10 mm EDTA. Crystal violet assays showed significant reductions in biofilm biomass by aPDT with addition of both ethanol and EDTA compared to that in the case of aPDT with MB alone. Scanning electron microscopy showed broken bacterial cells and reduction in the cell density and amount of biofilm under those conditions. Ethanol addition alone did not improve aPDT efficacy. Reduced amount of biofilm by EDTA addition would have improved the transportation of MB and ethanol to bacteria.
Comment on Susanna Siegel, The Rationality of Perception
Authors: Railton Peter
Published: November 2020

In Susanna Siegel’s compelling presentation of the case for the rationality of perception, a “significant part of the constructive defense” is played by the idea that there are “inferential routes to perceptual experience” (Siegel 2017, p. 94). Inferences, after all, are epistemically evaluable and bear on the rational standing of their conclusions. She argues that an obstacle to accepting this idea is a “Reckoning Model” of inference, and shows by example that we recognize as inferences various familiar kinds of responses to information that do not fit this model. She offers a more general approach to the nature of inference that fits these examples and accommodates inferential routes to perceptual experience. I argue that Siegel needs to say more about the mental processes involved in such inferrings, and how it can be more than merely associative and yet still distinct from Reckoning. Fortunately, a psychologically‐ and conceptually‐grounded distinction between model‐free vs. model‐based learning and guidance processes can provide a characterization that plays the role Siegel needs.
Women are an Advantage in Supply Chain Collaboration and Efficiency
Authors: Ma Siqi , Hao Li , Aloysius John A.
Published: November 2020

A large body of literature has documented gender differences in prosocial behaviors, but little is known about the implications of different gender pairings of partner firm agents for supply chain performance. Using a production decision experiment which features asymmetric information and asymmetric risk sharing, we report three key findings. First, women are more collaborative than men in the role of both buying agents and supply agents. Second, information about counterparts’ gender affects behaviors, as both genders are more collaborative when paired with women than when paired with men. Finally, all‐women supply chain pairs outperform all other gender pairings in supply chain efficiency. Our results suggest that women exhibit an advantage over men in supply chain collaboration, and that employing women is advantageous irrespective of gender diversity concerns.
Care‐coordination: Gain‐sharing Agreements in Bundled Payment Models
Authors: Ghamat Salar , Zaric Gregory S. , Pun Hubert
Published: November 2020

We study gain‐sharing agreements in a target price‐minimum quality payment system. Our work is inspired by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) bundled payment model. In our model, patients receive care from a hospital and a post‐acute care provider. A third‐party payer establishes target levels for total billing by the hospital and provider, and a target on the overall quality of care. The hospital and provider receive fee‐for‐service (FFS) billings during an episode of care, defined as the period that starts with an admission of a patient to the hospital and ends 90 days post‐discharge. The hospital may also receive an incentive payment if total FFS billing by both parties is below the target price and total quality by both parties is above the minimum quality. The goal of the incentive payment is to encourage hospitals to enter into “gain‐sharing” agreements with providers. We model the interactions between the three parties. We show that while using a gain‐sharing agreement might be a “win‐win‐win” scenario for the three parties, good design of the payment scheme by the payer is essential to incentivize a hospital to participate in the bundled payment model (e.g., CJR) and sign a gain‐sharing agreement with the provider. Furthermore, we illustrate that a target price‐minimum quality bundled payment model would be more effective, in care‐coordination, in healthcare settings where the provider is much more effective than the hospital in reducing its billing.