bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Plasma and acrosomal membrane lipid content of saltwater crocodile spermatozoa
Authors: Miller R. R. , Beranek F. , Anderson A. L. , Johnston S. D. , Nixon B.
Published: May 2021

This study describes the chemical lipid composition of the sperm plasma and acrosomal membranes of the saltwater crocodile Crocodylus porosus with the aim of providing new insights into sperm physiology, particularly that associated with their preservation ex vivo. The specific fatty acid composition of the sperm plasma and acrosomal membranes is documented. The mean (± s.d.) ratio of unsaturated to saturated membrane fatty acids within the plasma membrane was 2.57 ± 0.50, and was determined to be higher than a similar analysis of the lipids found in the acrosomal membrane (0.70 ± 0.10). The saltwater crocodile sperm plasma membrane also contained remarkably high levels of cholesterol (mean (± s.d.) 40.7 ± 4.5 nmol per 106 sperm cells) compared with the spermatozoa of other amniote species that have so far been documented. We suggest that this high cholesterol content could be conferring stability to the crocodile sperm membrane, allowing it to tolerate extreme osmotic fluxes and rapid changes in temperature. Our descriptive analysis now provides those interested in reptile and comparative sperm physiology an improved baseline database for interpreting biochemical changes associated with preservation pathology (e.g. cold shock and cryoinjury), epididymal sperm maturation and capacitation/acrosome reaction.
Image-charge effects on ion adsorption near aqueous interfaces
Authors: Son Chang Yun , Wang Zhen-Gang
Published: May 2021

Significance

Understanding electrostatic interactions across interfaces is of critical importance in energy storage devices and biological science. We study the adsorption of salt ions on aqueous interfaces using molecular dynamics simulations, applying an efficient algorithm that enables us to systematically control the effect of surface, solvent, and solute polarization. In the absence of applied potential difference, the image-charge attraction of the ions predicted by continuum electrostatics is shown to be screened out by the solvating water molecules, resulting in no appreciable difference in the ion profiles near a metal surface vs. a nonpolarizable surface. However, the metal surfaces promote significantly enhanced fluctuation in, and magnitude of, the charge separation across the confined electrolyte, leading to greater capacitance under applied electric field.
Parameterized reinforcement learning for optical system optimization
Authors: Wankerl Heribert , Stern Maike L , Mahdavi Ali , Eichler Christoph , Lang Elmar W
Published: May 2021

Engineering a physical system to feature designated characteristics states an inverse design problem, which is often determined by several discrete and continuous parameters. If such a system must feature a particular behavior, the mentioned combination of both, discrete and continuous, parameters results in a challenging optimization problem that requires an extensive search for an optimal system design. However, if the corresponding inverse design problem can be reformulated as a parameterized Markov decision process, reinforcement learning (RL) provides a heuristic framework to solve it. In this work, we use multi-layer thin films as an example of the aforementioned optimization problems and consider three design parameters: Each of the thin film layer’s dielectric material (discrete) and thickness (continuous), as well as the total number of layers (discrete). While recent methods merely determine the optimal thicknesses and—less commonly—the layers’ materials, our approach optimizes the total number of stacked layers as well. In summary, we further develop a Q-learning variant to solve inverse design optimization and thereby outperform human experts and current approaches like needle-point optimization or naive RL. For this purpose, we propose an exponentially transformed reward signal that eases policy search and enables constrained optimization. Moreover, the learned Q-values contain information about the optical properties of multi-layer thin films, which allows us a physical interpretation or what-if analysis and thus enables explainability.
Role of anharmonicity in the electronic heat capacity of superconductors
Authors: Singh Nitin P , Gour Preetam Singh , Saini Sapan Mohan
Published: May 2021

The role of anharmonicity in the electronic heat capacity (EHC) of high temperature superconductors (HTS) has been investigated via electron density of state (EDOS) using quantum dynamical approach. The EDOS may be obtained using correlation function with the help of Zubarev double time temperature dependent electron Green’s functions (GF) via a generalized Hamiltonian which consists of (i) unperturbed electron, (ii) unperturbed phonon, (iii) electron-phonon, (iv) anharmonic and (v) defect interactions. The model Hamiltonian includes the force constant changes and mass difference caused by the impurities along with the effects of cubic anharmonicity reveals some striking features of EHC of HTS.
Understanding Facial Muscle Aging: A Surface Electromyography Study
Authors: Cotofana Sebastian , Assemi-Kabir Shirin , Mardini Samir , Giunta Riccardo E , Gotkin Robert H , Moellhoff Nicholas , Avelar Luiz E T , Mercado-Perez Arnaldo , Lorenc Z Paul , Frank Konstantin
Published: May 2021

Background

Facial aging is a multifactorial process that involves all tissues of the face, including skin, muscles, fat, ligaments, and bone. Whereas robust evidence is available for age-related changes of bone and facial fat, the influence of age on facial muscle activity is poorly understood.

Objectives

The objective of this study was to investigate the motor unit action potential of facial muscles by utilizing surface-derived, noninvasive electromyography in young and old healthy volunteers.

Methods

The study investigated a total of 32 healthy volunteers with a mean [standard deviation] age of 42.6 [19.6] years (range, 21-82 years) and a mean BMI of 23.9 [2.7] kg/m2 (range, 18.5-29.7 kg/m2) by performing surface-derived, noninvasive facial electromyography. Nine facial muscles were investigated bilaterally, resulting in a total of 1632 measurements of the signal, baseline noise, and signal-to-noise ratio of these muscles.

Results

The results of the study revealed that age does not significantly influence the signal (P = 0.234), the baseline noise (P = 0.225), or the signal-to-noise ratio (P = 0.432) of younger individuals (<30 years) vs older individuals (>50 years) in a gender- and BMI-matched statistical model. Exceptions were the zygomaticus major muscle (reduced activity), procerus muscle (increased activity), and corrugator supercilii muscle (increased activity).

Conclusions

The results of this facial electromyography study may help to increase the understanding of facial aging. Future studies need to reproduce the results presented herein to further increase our understanding of facial aging.
Photographic Misrepresentation on Instagram After Facial Cosmetic Surgery: Is Increased Photography Bias Associated With Greater User Engagement?
Authors: Vaca Elbert E , Perez Megan M , Lamano Jonathan B , Turin Sergey Y , Moradian Simon , Fagien Steven , Schierle Clark
Published: May 2021

Background

Before-and-after images are commonly used on Instagram (Menlo Park, CA) to advertise aesthetic surgical treatments and are a powerful means of engaging prospective patients. Consistency between before-and-after images accurately demonstrating the postoperative result on Instagram, however, has not been systematically assessed.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to systematically assess facial cosmetic surgery before-and-after photography bias on Instagram.

Methods

The authors queried 19 Instagram facial aesthetic surgery–related hashtags on 3 dates in May 2020. The “top” 9 posts associated with each hashtag (291 posts) were analyzed by 3 plastic surgeons by means of a 5-item rubric quantifying photographic discrepancies between preoperative and postoperative images. Duplicate posts and those that did not include before-and-after images of facial aesthetic surgery procedures were excluded.

Results

A total of 3,477,178 posts were queried. Photography conditions were observed to favor visual enhancement of the postoperative result in 282/291 analyzed top posts, with an average bias score of 1.71 [1.01] out of 5. Plastic surgeons accounted for only 27.5% of top posts. Physicians practicing outside their scope of practice accounted for 2.8% of top posts. Accounts with a greater number of followers (P = 0.017) and posts originating from Asia (P = 0.013) were significantly associated with a higher postoperative photography bias score.

Conclusions

Photographic misrepresentation, with photography conditions biased towards enhancing the appearance of the postoperative result, is pervasive on Instagram. This pattern was observed across all physician specialties and raises significant concerns. Accounts with a greater number of followers demonstrated significantly greater postoperative photography bias, suggesting photographic misrepresentation is rewarded by greater user engagement.
Gene tree and species tree reconciliation with endosymbiotic gene transfer
Authors: Anselmetti Yoann , El-Mabrouk Nadia , Lafond Manuel , Ouangraoua Aïda
Published: May 2021

Motivation

It is largely established that all extant mitochondria originated from a unique endosymbiotic event integrating an α−proteobacterial genome into an eukaryotic cell. Subsequently, eukaryote evolution has been marked by episodes of gene transfer, mainly from the mitochondria to the nucleus, resulting in a significant reduction of the mitochondrial genome, eventually completely disappearing in some lineages. However, in other lineages such as in land plants, a high variability in gene repertoire distribution, including genes encoded in both the nuclear and mitochondrial genome, is an indication of an ongoing process of Endosymbiotic Gene Transfer (EGT). Understanding how both nuclear and mitochondrial genomes have been shaped by gene loss, duplication and transfer is expected to shed light on a number of open questions regarding the evolution of eukaryotes, including rooting of the eukaryotic tree.

Results

We address the problem of inferring the evolution of a gene family through duplication, loss and EGT events, the latter considered as a special case of horizontal gene transfer occurring between the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes of the same species (in one direction or the other). We consider both EGT events resulting in maintaining (EGTcopy) or removing (EGTcut) the gene copy in the source genome. We present a linear-time algorithm for computing the DLE (Duplication, Loss and EGT) distance, as well as an optimal reconciled tree, for the unitary cost, and a dynamic programming algorithm allowing to output all optimal reconciliations for an arbitrary cost of operations. We illustrate the application of our EndoRex software and analyze different costs settings parameters on a plant dataset and discuss the resulting reconciled trees.

Availability and implementation

EndoRex implementation and supporting data are available on the GitHub repository via https://github.com/AEVO-lab/EndoRex.
iCircDA-LTR: identification of circRNA–disease associations based on Learning to Rank
Authors: Wei Hang , Xu Yong , Liu Bin
Published: May 2021

Motivation

Due to the inherent stability and close relationship with the progression of diseases, circRNAs are serving as important biomarkers and drug targets. Efficient predictors for identifying circRNA–disease associations are highly required. The existing predictors consider circRNA–disease association prediction as a classification task or a recommendation problem, failing to capture the ranking information among the associations and detect the diseases associated with new circRNAs. However, more and more circRNAs are discovered. Identification of the diseases associated with these new circRNAs remains a challenging task.

Results

In this study, we proposed a new predictor called iCricDA-LTR for circRNA–disease association prediction. Different from any existing predictor, iCricDA-LTR employed a ranking framework to model the global ranking associations among the query circRNAs and the diseases. The Learning to Rank (LTR) algorithm was employed to rank the associations based on various predictors and features in a supervised manner. The experimental results on two independent test datasets showed that iCircDA-LTR outperformed the other competing methods, especially for predicting the diseases associated with new circRNAs. As a result, iCircDA-LTR is more suitable for the real-world applications.

Availability and implementation

For the convenience of researchers to detect new circRNA–disease associations. The web server of iCircDA-LTR was established and freely available at http://bliulab.net/iCircDA-LTR/.
Restorative Justice and the School-to-Prison Pipeline: A Conceptual Framework to Address Racial and Ethnic Disproportionality
Authors: Agudelo Felipe Ignacio , Cole Donna , Gallant Sarah , Mabee Cassandra
Published: May 2021

This article develops a restorative justice framework that aims to address racial and ethnic disproportionality in the school-to-prison pipeline (STPP) in the United States. The framework uses literature on restorative justice and the STPP as its foundation and applies a restorative justice approach to three major strategies related to racial and ethnic disproportionality in the STPP: (1) school climate and school–student relationship, (2) a school’s cultural humility and connectedness, and (3) exclusionary discipline reduction. The first strategy proposes the development of respectful and credible relationships among teachers, staff, and students. The second suggests two techniques: (1) self-reflection to address implicit biases among teachers/administrators and (2) parental involvement. Both the first and the second strategies are considered prevention strategies. The third strategy uses techniques of intervention, including peer mediation, restorative circles, and community service, as alternative punishments. This framework theorizes that a focus on these three major strategies will challenge institutional racism in schools as a determinant of the disciplinary inequity that students of color experience. This framework further theorizes that addressing institutional racism through these specific interrelated strategies will result in three major outcomes that can decrease racial and ethnic disproportionality in the STPP.
Biventricular dysfunction and lung congestion in athletes on anabolic androgenic steroids: a speckle tracking and stress lung echocardiography analysis
Authors: D'Andrea Antonello , Radmilovic Juri , Russo Vincenzo , Sperlongano Simona , Carbone Andreina , Di Maio Marco , Ilardi Federica , Riegler Lucia , D’Alto Michele , Giallauria Francesco , Bossone Eduardo , Picano Eugenio
Published: May 2021

Aims

The real effects of the chronic consumption of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AASs) on cardiovascular structures are subjects of intense debate. The aim of the study was to detect by speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) right ventricular (RV) and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction at rest and during exercise stress echocardiography (ESE) in athletes abusing AAS.

Methods and results

One hundred and fifteen top-level competitive bodybuilders were selected (70 males), including 65 athletes misusing AAS for at least 5 years (users), 50 anabolic-free bodybuilders (non-users), compared to 50 age- and sex-matched healthy sedentary controls. Standard Doppler echocardiography, STE analysis, and lung ultrasound at rest and at peak supine-bicycle ESE were performed. Athletes showed increased LV mass index, wall thickness, and RV diameters compared with controls, whereas LV ejection fraction was comparable within the groups. left atrial volume index, LV and RV strain, and LV E/Em were significantly higher in AAS users. Users showed more B-lines during stress (median 4.4 vs. 1.25 in controls and 1.3 in non-users, P < 0.01 vs. users). By multivariable analyses, LV E/Ea (beta coefficient = 0.35, P < 0.01), pulmonary artery systolic pressure (beta = 0.43, P < 0.001) at peak effort and number of weeks of AAS use per year (beta = 0.45, P < 0.001) emerged as the only independent determinants of resting RV lateral wall peak systolic two-dimensional strain. In addition, a close association between resting RV myocardial function and VO2 peak during ESE was evidenced (P < 0.001), with a powerful incremental value with respect to clinical and standard echocardiographic data.

Conclusions

In athletes abusing steroids, STE analysis showed an impaired RV systolic deformation, closely associated with reduced functional capacity during physical effort, and—during exercise—more pulmonary congestion.
Nitric oxide determines the development of actinomycetoma byNocardia brasiliensisin eNOS knockout C57BL/6 mice
Authors: Vazquez-Marmolejo Anna V , Lopez-Lopez Nallely , Ascacio-Martinez Jorge A , Valadez-Calderon Jose G , Espinoza-Martinez Pablo E , Salinas-Carmona Mario C
Published: May 2021

Mycetoma is a chronic human infectious disease that produces severe deformation frequently in the lower extremities. Etiological agents include fungi (eumycetoma) and bacteria (actinomycetoma) that produce similar clinical and microscopic changes. The clinical appearance includes swelling, abscesses, ulcers, scars and sinuses that drain purulent material with microbe microcolonies. The pathogenesis of actinomycetoma has been studied mainly in rodents. Using this approach, it was found that Nocardia brasiliensis produces proteases that may play a role in tissue damage, as well as immunosuppressive molecules, such as brasilicardin A. Nitric oxide (NO) is a molecule with biological activities depending on its local concentration. Its effect on killing intracellular bacteria such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been known for decades. NO plays an important role in innate and adaptive immunity. It can promote or suppress some biological activities despite its short half-ife. NO is produced by three different nitric oxide synthases (NOS). We used the genetic blockade of eNOS in C57BL/6 mice to demonstrate the role of NO in actinomycetoma development. Inflammation and actinomycetoma were prevented in genetically modified mice infected with N. brasiliensis. T cell proliferation was increased in these rodents, and antibody production, IL-6 and IL-10 expression were similar and TNF-α was lower.
Draft genome of the Korean smelt Hypomesus nipponensis and its transcriptomic responses to heat stress in the liver and muscle
Authors: Xuan Biao , Park Jongbin , Choi Sukjung , You Inhwan , Nam Bo-Hye , Noh Eun Soo , Kim Eun Mi , Song Mi-Young , Shin Younhee , Jeon Ji-Hyeon , Kim Eun Bae
Published: May 2021

Pond smelt (Hypomesus nipponensis) is a cold-freshwater fish species and a winter economic aquaculture resource in South Korea. Because of its high susceptibility to abnormal water temperature from global warming, a large number of smelt die in hot summers. Here, we present the first draft genome of H. nipponensis and transcriptomic changes in molecular mechanisms or intracellular responses under heat stress. We combined Illumina and PacBio sequencing technologies to generate the draft genome of H. nipponensis. Based on the reference genome, we conducted transcriptome analysis of liver and muscle tissues under normal (NT, 5°C) vs. warm (HT, 23°C) conditions to identify heat stress–induced genes and gene categories. We observed a total of 1987 contigs with N50 of 0.46 Mbp, with the largest contig (3.03 Mbp) in the assembled genome. A total of 20,644 protein-coding genes were predicted, and 19,224 genes were functionally annotated: 15,955 genes for Gene Ontology terms and 11,560 genes for KEGG Orthology. We conducted the lost and gained genes analysis compared with three species that: human, zebrafish, and salmon. In the lost genes analysis, we detected that smelt lost 4461 (22.16%), 2825 (10.62%), and 1499 (3.09%) genes compare with above three species, respectively. In the gained genes analysis, we observed that smelt gained 1133 (5.49%), 1670 (8.09%), and 229 (1.11%) genes compared with the above species, respectively. From transcriptome analysis, a total of 297 and 331 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with a false discovery rate <0.05 were identified in the liver and muscle tissues, respectively. Gene enrichment analysis of DEGs indicates that upregulated genes were significantly enriched for lipid biosynthetic process (GO:0008610, P < 0.001) and regulation of apoptotic process (GO:0042981, P < 0.01), and genes were downregulated by immune responses such as myeloid cell differentiation (GO:0030099, P < 0.001) in the liver under heat stress. In muscle tissue, upregulated genes were enriched for hypoxia (GO:0001666, P < 0.05), transcription regulator activity (GO:0140110, P < 0.001), and calcium-release channel activity (GO:0015278, P < 0.01), and genes were downregulated for a nicotinamide nucleotide biosynthetic process (GO:0019359, P < 0.01). The results of KEGG pathway analysis were similar to that of gene enrichment analysis. The draft genome and transcriptomic of H. nipponensis will be a useful genetic resource for functional and evolutionary studies. Our findings will improve understanding of molecular mechanisms and heat responses and be useful for predicting survival of the smelt and its closely related species under global warming.
The Role of Media Sources for COVID-19 Information on Engaging in Recommended Preventive Behaviors Among Medicare Beneficiaries Aged ≥ 65 Years
Authors: Ng Boon Peng , Park Chanhyun
Published: May 2021

Objectives

The public relies on various media sources and communication platforms for receipt of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) information. Therefore, identifying the primary sources of COVID-19 information among older adults can be valuable, as it can enable information on life-saving measures to be effectively disseminated to this population.

Methods

We analyzed the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey COVID-19 Supplement that was administrated from June 2020 through July 2020 (n = 8,050). A survey-weighted logistic model was conducted to examine the association between the sources of COVID-19 information Medicare beneficiaries most relied on (i.e., traditional news sources, social media, comments/guidance from government officials, other webpages/internet, friends/family members, and health care providers) and engaging in all 3 recommended preventive behaviors (i.e., mask wearing, social distancing, and handwashing).

Results

Among study participants, 89.8% engaged in all 3 recommended preventive behaviors. Approximately 59.3% of beneficiaries reported that they most relied upon traditional news sources for COVID-19 information; 11.4% reported health care providers; 10.6% reported comments/guidance from government officials; 8.8% reported other webpages/internet; 8.6% reported friends/family members; and 1.3% reported they relied upon social media. Beneficiaries who relied on comments/guidance from government officials for COVID-19 information (vs. traditional news sources) were more likely to engage in preventive behaviors (odds ratio [OR] = 1.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.20–2.35). However, those who relied on COVID-19 information from friends/family members (vs. traditional news sources) were less likely to engage in preventive behaviors (OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.44–0.73).

Discussion

Our findings can inform decision making about the effective communication sources to reach Medicare beneficiaries for public health messaging regarding preventive measures, including COVID-19 vaccination.
Using Task Models to Understand the Intersection of Numeracy Skills and Technical Competence With Medical Device Design
Authors: Bowen Judy , Coben Diana
Published: May 2021

Task models are used in many different ways throughout the design and development of interactive systems. When the interactive systems are safety critical, task models can play an important role in ensuring system behaviours are consistent with user requirements, which may help to prevent errors. While task models can be used to describe a user’s goals and the steps required to achieve that goal, to understand where user errors may occur we also need to consider the users’ understanding of how to perform a task and how this relates to the system they are using. Our focus is on the use of medical devices such as syringe drivers and infusion pumps for intravenous medication, which forms a major part of hospital inpatient care throughout the world. While we might rely on software engineering and human factors techniques to ensure correctness of such devices, their use by medical personnel in practice includes other factors that are equally important. These include training medical personnel in the use of medical devices. Also numeracy education for medical staff to ensure that they are able to set up and perform the necessary calculations to convert prescribed medication into the appropriate values and measures for their delivery mechanisms. We have developed an approach that aims to bring together concepts of technology design (both functional correctness and usability concerns), numeracy and medication delivery competency. In order to do so we use task models as a common language that enables us to consider these different domains in a single way. We find that the ability to describe the two domains within a single process allows us to compare models of knowledge, tasks and use of devices, which can elicit potential mismatches and problems.
Education: An introduction to the core data for cefiderocol with reflections for a possible role within UK clinical practice
Authors: Karas J Andreas , Edgeworth Jonathan
Published: May 2021

The video in this section is a copy of a recorded webinar organized by Shionogi to launch cefiderocol to the UK market in September 2020. Dr Andreas Karas presents the key clinical data for this new antibiotic for MDR Gram-negative infections, followed by reflections from Professor Jonathan Edgeworth on the potential use of the new agent in UK clinical practice. Included in the latter is a case study example of a compassionate use case using cefiderocol. The prescribing information for cefiderocol is available at: https://shionogi-eu-content.com/gb/fetcroja/pi.
Water quality associations and spatiotemporal distribution of the harmful alga Prymnesium parvum in an impounded urban stream system
Authors: Clayton John B , Patiño Reynaldo , Rashel Rakib H , Tábora-Sarmiento Shisbeth
Published: May 2021

The Jim Bertram Lake System consists of several stream impoundments within the City of Lubbock, Texas (USA). Baseflow in the upstream reach is dominated by nitrogen-rich-treated wastewater. While toxic blooms of Prymnesium parvum have occurred in this system for ∼2 decades during fall or winter-spring, little is known about water quality variables that facilitate blooms or the alga’s spatiotemporal distribution. Water quality associations were examined monthly over a 1-year period. Total phosphorus was largely below the detection limit, suggesting that the system is phosphorus limited. Algal abundance was low during the assessment period and associations were determined using multiple logistic regression. Algal incidence was negatively associated with temperature and positively with organic nitrogen and calcium hardness. These findings conform with earlier reports but positive associations with the latter two variables are noteworthy because they have not been widely confirmed. Spatiotemporal distribution was evaluated in fall and winter-spring of three consecutive years. Prymnesium parvum incidence was higher in the upper than in the lower reach, and detections in the lower reach occurred only after a dense bloom developed in the upper reach contemporaneously with stormwater runoff-associated flooding. Thus, the upstream reach is a major source of propagules for downstream sites. Because urban runoff is a source of phosphorus and its nitrogen: phosphorus ratio is lower than prevailing ratios in the upper reach, what triggered the bloom was likely relief from phosphorus limitation. This study provided water quality, geographic and hydrological indices that may inform prevention and control methods for harmful algae in nitrogen-enriched urban systems.
The complex variability of blazars: time-scales and periodicity analysis in S4 0954+65
Authors: Raiteri C M , Villata M , Larionov V M , Jorstad S G , Marscher A P , Weaver Z R , Acosta-Pulido J A , Agudo I , Andreeva T , Arkharov A , Bachev R , Benítez E , Berton M , Björklund I , Borman G A , Bozhilov V , Carnerero M I , Carosati D , Casadio C , Chen W P , Damljanovic G , D’Ammando F , Escudero J , Fuentes A , Giroletti M , Grishina T S , Gupta A C , Hagen-Thorn V A , Hart M , Hiriart D , Hou W-J , Ivanov D , Kim J-Y , Kimeridze G N , Konstantopoulou C , Kopatskaya E N , Kurtanidze O M , Kurtanidze S O , Lähteenmäki A , Larionova E G , Larionova L V , Marchili N , Markovic G , Minev M , Morozova D A , Myserlis I , Nakamura M , Nikiforova A A , Nikolashvili M G , Otero-Santos J , Ovcharov E , Pursimo T , Rahimov I , Righini S , Sakamoto T , Savchenko S S , Semkov E H , Shakhovskoy D , Sigua L A , Stojanovic M , Strigachev A , Thum C , Tornikoski M , Traianou E , Troitskaya Y V , Troitskiy I S , Tsai A , Valcheva A , Vasilyev A A , Vince O , Zaharieva E
Published: May 2021

Among active galactic nuclei, blazars show extreme variability properties. We here investigate the case of the BL Lac object S4 0954+65 with data acquired in 2019–2020 by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and by the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope (WEBT) Collaboration. The 2-min cadence optical light curves provided by TESS during three observing sectors of nearly 1 month each allow us to study the fast variability in great detail. We identify several characteristic short-term time-scales, ranging from a few hours to a few days. However, these are not persistent, as they differ in the various TESS sectors. The long-term photometric and polarimetric optical and radio monitoring undertaken by the WEBT brings significant additional information, revealing that (i) in the optical, long-term flux changes are almost achromatic, while the short-term ones are strongly chromatic; (ii) the radio flux variations at 37 GHz follow those in the optical with a delay of about 3 weeks; (iii) the range of variation of the polarization degree and angle is much larger in the optical than in the radio band, but the mean polarization angles are similar; (iv) the optical long-term variability is characterized by a quasi-periodicity of about 1 month. We explain the source behaviour in terms of a rotating inhomogeneous helical jet, whose pitch angle can change in time.
Survival of ALMA rings in the absence of pressure maxima
Authors: Jiang (蒋昊昌) Haochang , Ormel Chris W
Published: May 2021

Recent ALMA observations have revealed that a large fraction of protoplanetary discs contain bright rings at (sub)millimetre wavelengths. Dust trapping induced by pressure maxima in the gas disc is a popular explanation for these rings. However, it is unclear whether such pressure bumps can survive for evolutionary time-scales of the disc. In this work, we investigate an alternative scenario, which involves only dust–gas interactions in a smooth gas disc. We postulate that ALMA rings are a manifestation of a dense, clumpy mid-plane that is actively forming planetesimals. The clumpy medium itself hardly experiences radial drift, but clumps lose mass by disintegration and vertical transport and planetesimal formation. Starting from a seed ring, we numerically solve the transport equations to investigate the ring’s survival. In general, rings move outwards due to diffusion of the clump component. Without pressure support, rings leak material at rates ∼40 ${\rm M}_\oplus \, \mathrm{Myr}^{-1}$ and in order for rings to survive, they must feed from an external mass reservoir of pebbles. In the case where the pebble size is constant in the disc, a cycle between ring formation and dispersion emerges. Rings produce large quantities of planetesimals, which could be material for planet formation and explain the massive budget inferred debris disc. Mock images of ALMA observations compare well to the rings of Elias 24 and AS 209 from DSHARP’s sample.
AT2017gfo: Bayesian inference and model selection of multicomponent kilonovae and constraints on the neutron star equation of state
Authors: Breschi Matteo , Perego Albino , Bernuzzi Sebastiano , Del Pozzo Walter , Nedora Vsevolod , Radice David , Vescovi Diego
Published: May 2021

The joint detection of the gravitational wave GW170817, of the short γ-ray burst GRB170817A and of the kilonova AT2017gfo, generated by the the binary neutron star (NS) merger observed on 2017 August 17, is a milestone in multimessenger astronomy and provides new constraints on the NS equation of state. We perform Bayesian inference and model selection on AT2017gfo using semi-analytical, multicomponents models that also account for non-spherical ejecta. Observational data favour anisotropic geometries to spherically symmetric profiles, with a log-Bayes’ factor of ∼104, and favour multicomponent models against single-component ones. The best-fitting model is an anisotropic three-component composed of dynamical ejecta plus neutrino and viscous winds. Using the dynamical ejecta parameters inferred from the best-fitting model and numerical–relativity relations connecting the ejecta properties to the binary properties, we constrain the binary mass ratio to q < 1.54 and the reduced tidal parameter to $120\lt \tilde{\Lambda }\lt 1110$. Finally, we combine the predictions from AT2017gfo with those from GW170817, constraining the radius of a NS of 1.4 M⊙ to 12.2 ± 0.5 km (1σ level). This prediction could be further strengthened by improving kilonova models with numerical-relativity information.
Neuro-Oncology PracticeClinical Debate: FDG PET to differentiate glioblastoma recurrence from treatment-related changes
Authors: Parent Ephraim E , Johnson Derek R , Gleason Tyler , Villanueva-Meyer Javier E
Published: May 2021

The ability to accurately differentiate treatment-related changes (ie, pseudoprogression and radiation necrosis) from recurrent glioma remains a critical diagnostic problem in neuro-oncology. Because these entities are treated differently and have vastly different outcomes, accurate diagnosis is necessary to provide optimal patient care. In current practice, this diagnostic quandary commonly requires either serial imaging or histopathologic tissue confirmation. In this article, experts in the field debate the utility of 2-deoxy-2[18F]fluoro-d-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) as an imaging tool to distinguish tumor recurrence from treatment-related changes in a patient with glioblastoma and progressive contrast enhancement on magnetic resonance (MR) following chemoradiotherapy.
Next-Generation Sequencing to Detect Pathogens in Pediatric Febrile Neutropenia: A Single-Center Retrospective Study of 112 Cases
Authors: Horiba Kazuhiro , Torii Yuka , Okumura Toshihiko , Takeuchi Suguru , Suzuki Takako , Kawada Jun-ichi , Muramatsu Hideki , Takahashi Yoshiyuki , Ogi Tomoo , Ito Yoshinori
Published: May 2021

Background

Febrile neutropenia (FN) is a frequent complication in immunocompromised patients. However, causative microorganisms are detected in only 10% of patients. This study aimed to detect the microorganisms that cause FN using next-generation sequencing (NGS) to identify the genome derived from pathogenic microorganisms in the bloodstream. Here, we implemented a metagenomic approach to comprehensively analyze microorganisms present in clinical samples from patients with FN.

Methods

FN is defined as a neutrophil count <500 cells/µL and fever ≥37.5°C. Plasma/serum samples of 112 pediatric patients with FN and 10 patients with neutropenia without fever (NE) were sequenced by NGS and analyzed by a metagenomic pipeline, PATHDET.

Results

The putative pathogens were detected by NGS in 5 of 10 FN patients with positive blood culture results, 15 of 87 FN patients (17%) with negative blood culture results, and 3 of 8 NE patients. Several bacteria that were common in the oral, skin, and gut flora were commonly detected in blood samples, suggesting translocation of the human microbiota to the bloodstream in the setting of neutropenia. The cluster analysis of the microbiota in blood samples using NGS demonstrated that the representative bacteria of each cluster were mostly consistent with the pathogens in each patient.

Conclusions

NGS technique has great potential for detecting causative pathogens in patients with FN. Cluster analysis, which extracts characteristic microorganisms from a complex microbial population, may be effective to detect pathogens in minute quantities of microbiota, such as those from the bloodstream.
Transforming the Urban Space: Catholic Survival Through Spatial Practices in Post-Reformation Utrecht
Authors: Yasuhira Genji
Published: May 2021

This article argues that historians have underestimated the agency which Catholics, a politico-religious minority within the Dutch Republic, wielded in surviving the Reformed regime in seventeenth-century Utrecht, the main theatre of the confessional struggle between Calvinists and Catholics on Dutch soil. The Reformed public authorities strategically attempted to deprive Catholics of their spaces where they could live as Catholics, claiming that they were being Catholic too publicly even inside their private homes. Catholics, for their part, persisted in practising their faith not only in their houses, but also in public facilities, tactically deploying diverse spatial practices; they continued to use the urban space as they had in medieval times, and newly appropriated that space as they sought to adjust to the early modern environment of confessional coexistence. Through their spatial practices, Catholics not only actively facilitated their Catholic way of life, but also played an indispensable role in transforming Utrecht from a mono-religious medieval city to a multi-confessional early modern city. The Utrecht case thus bears witness to a hitherto neglected, yet surprisingly dynamic agency exercised by politico-religious minorities in shaping an urban landscape of coexistence.
Ecological Opportunity from Innovation, not Islands, Drove the Anole Lizard Adaptive Radiation
Authors: Burress Edward D , Muñoz Martha M
Published: May 2021

Islands are thought to facilitate adaptive radiation by providing release from competition and predation. Anole lizards are considered a classic example of this phenomenon: different ecological specialists (“ecomorphs”) evolved in the Caribbean Greater Antilles (Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico), resulting in convergent assemblages that are not observed in mainland Latin America. Yet, the role of islands in facilitating adaptive radiation is more often implied than directly tested, leaving uncertain the role of biogeography in stimulating diversification. Here, we assess the proposed “island effect” on anole diversification using Bayesian phylogenetic comparative methods that explicitly incorporate rate heterogeneity across the tree and demonstrate two cases of would be false positives. We discovered that rates of speciation and morphological evolution of island and mainland anoles are equivalent, implying that islands provide no special context for exceptionally rapid diversification. Likewise, rates of evolution were equivalent between island anoles that arose via in situ versus dispersal-based mechanisms, and we found no evidence for island-specific rates of speciation or morphological evolution. Nonetheless, the origin of Anolis is characterized by a speciation pulse that slowed over time—a classic signature of waning ecological opportunity. Our findings cast doubt on the notion that islands catalyzed the anole adaptive radiation and instead point to a key innovation, adhesive toe pads, which facilitated the exploitation of many arboreal niches sparsely utilized by other iguanian lizards. The selective pressures responsible for arboreal niche diversification differ between islands and the mainland, but the tempo of diversification driven by these discordant processes is indistinguishable. [Anolis; Caribbean; key innovation; morphological evolution; RevBayes; speciation.]
An economic valuation of federal and private grazing land ecosystem services supported by beef cattle ranching in the United States
Authors: Maher Anna T , Quintana Ashwell Nicolas E , Maczko Kristie A , Taylor David T , Tanaka John A , Reeves Matt C
Published: May 2021

Beef cattle ranching and farming is a major agricultural industry in the United States that manages an estimated 147 million ha of private land and uses approximately 92% of forage authorized for grazing on federal rangelands. Rangelands, as working landscapes, sustain beef cattle ranching while providing habitat for wildlife, recreation, and open space amenities, as well as spiritual and cultural values that define a way of life. Historically, discussions regarding the economics of beef cattle ranching have focused primarily on the value of beef production but have more recently expanded to consider related ecosystem services. A systematic search of peer-reviewed literature published between 1998 and 2018 found 154 articles that considered ecosystem services from rangelands/grasslands. Of these, only two articles (1%) provided an in-depth economic valuation (monetary measure) of ecosystem services in the United States. To fill this knowledge gap, we primarily used publicly available data to conduct an economic valuation of major ecosystem services associated with beef cattle production in the United States at both the national and state levels. We find that over 186 million ha were actively grazed by beef cattle ranches and farms in the United States in 2017. We estimate the economic value of this land use to be $17.5 billion for wildlife recreation, $3.8 billion for forage production, and $3.2 billion for other ecosystem services related to the conservation of biodiversity—a combined total of $24.5 billion. Ecosystem services from federal rangelands in 16 western states accounted for 35% of the total value. Ecosystem services per beef cow and per kilogram of retail beef were estimated to be $1,043.35 and $2.74, respectively. More studies like these are needed to inform decision-makers at the industry, land management, and federal levels to ensure that the conservation, improvement, and restoration of these ecosystem services are considered in future management and research efforts.
Location Matters
Authors: Dawson Aprill Z. , Segon Ankur , Levine Doug , Nagavally Sneha , Walker Rebekah J. , Egede Leonard E.
Published: May 2021

Payors hold hospitals accountable for patient experience using the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. The objective was to determine if hospital unit (medicine versus nonmedicine [ie, cardiology, oncology, urology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and surgery]) influences HCAHPS scores when care is given by the same providers on different units. This retrospective analysis of adult inpatient data (n = 845), included overall hospital satisfaction, staff communication, care and communication from physicians, and discharge communication. Average overall satisfaction was 8.9 out of 10 and length of stay was 4.6 days. Patients treated on nonmedicine units had higher overall satisfaction than those on medicine units (P = 0.02) and higher scores when asked how often doctors listened to the patient carefully (P = 0.002). The type of inpatient unit can influence overall satisfaction and satisfaction with physician communication. Differences in room environment, amenities, and staffing may explain why medicine patients were more satisfied on nonmedicine versus medicine units.
Critical Analysis of the Nursing Metaparadigm in Spanish-Speaking Countries
Authors: Suárez-Baquero Daniel F. M. , Walker Lorraine Olszewski
Published: May 2021

This critical analysis examines the definitions of concepts in the nursing metaparadigm presented in English language literature in relation to the perspective of published Spanish-speaking nurse researchers in Spanish-speaking countries. Because language shapes our understanding, nurses who are taught in Spanish to become nurses possess a distinctive disciplinary perspective, based on the notion of nursing as the science of caring. This article is intended to facilitate an awareness with which researchers can overcome language barriers in theoretical development. For settings in which English-speaking and Spanish-speaking nurses must work together, sensitivity to differences in linguistic nuances is important.
The Impact of Establishing a Dedicated Liver Surgery Program at a University-affiliated Hospital on Workforce, Workload, Surgical Outcomes, and Trainee Surgical Autonomy and Academic Output
Authors: Azoulay Daniel , Eshkenazy Rony , Pery Ron , Cordoba Mordechai , Haviv Yael , Inbar Yael , Zisman Eliyahu , Lahat Eylon , Salloum Chady , Lim Chetana
Published: May 2021

Objective:

To detail the implementation of a dedicated liver surgery program at a university-affiliated hospital and to analyze its impact on the community, workforce, workload, complexity of cases, the short-term outcomes, and residents and young faculties progression toward technical autonomy and academic production.

Background:

Due to the increased burden of liver tumors worldwide, there is an increased need for liver centers to better serve the community and facilitate the education of trainees in this field.

Methods:

The implementation of the program is described. The 3 domains of workload, research, and teaching were compared between 2-year periods before and after the implementation of the new program. The severity of disease, complexity of procedures, and subsequent morbidity and mortality were compared.

Results:

Compared with the 2-year period before the implementation of the new program, the number of liver resections increased by 36% within 2 years. The number of highly complex resections, the number of liver resections performed by residents and young faculties, and the number of publications increased 5.5-, 40-, and 6-fold, respectively. This was achieved by operating on more severe patients and performing more complex procedures, at the cost of a significant increase in morbidity but not mortality. Nevertheless, operations during the second period did not emerge as an independent predictor of severe morbidity.

Conclusions:

A new liver surgery program can fill the gap between the demand for and supply of liver surgeries, benefiting the community and the development of the next generation of liver surgeons.