bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Management of dyslipidaemia in patients with chronic kidney disease: a position paper endorsed by the Italian Society of Nephrology
Authors: Pontremoli Roberto , Bellizzi Vincenzo , Bianchi Stefano , Bigazzi Roberto , Cernaro Valeria , Del Vecchio Lucia , De Nicola Luca , Leoncini Giovanna , Mallamaci Francesca , Zoccali Carmine , Buemi Michele
Published: February 2020

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) represents a major public health issue worldwide and entails a high burden of cardiovascular events and mortality. Dyslipidaemia is common in patients with CKD and it is characterized by a highly atherogenic profile with relatively low levels of HDL-cholesterol and high levels of triglyceride and oxidized LDL-cholesterol. Overall, current literature indicates that lowering LDL-cholesterol is beneficial for preventing major atherosclerotic events in patients with CKD and in kidney transplant recipients while the evidence is less clear in patients on dialysis. Lipid lowering treatment is recommended in all patients with stage 3 CKD or worse, independently of baseline LDL-cholesterol levels. Statin and ezetimibe are the cornerstones in the management of dyslipidaemia in patients with CKD, however alternative and emerging lipid-lowering therapies may acquire a central role in near future. This position paper endorsed by the Italian Society of Nephrology aims at providing useful information on the topic of dyslipidaemia in CKD and at assisting decision making in the management of these patients.
Screening oat landraces for resistance to Blumeria graminis f. sp. avenae
Authors: Okoń Sylwia , Kowalczyk Krzysztof
Published: February 2020

Landraces have considerable potential for use in increasing genetic diversity of cultivated crops. They present a unique source of specific traits for disease and pest resistance, nutritional quality and marginal environment tolerance. In this study we screened of 156 A. sativa and A. strigosa landraces originated from Poland, for resistance to powdery mildew disease, caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. avenae. In general, the tested genotypes showed lower level of resistance than expected. Among A. sativa landraces five were resistant to single isolates, the rest of them showed intermediate or susceptible response to B. graminis f. sp. avenae isolates used in host-pathogen tests. One A. strigosa genotype was resistant to all tested isolates and could be valuable source of resistance against oat powdery mildew.
Topological mixing of Weyl chamber flows
Authors: DANG NGUYEN-THI , GLORIEUX OLIVIER
Published: February 2020

In this paper we study topological properties of the right action by translation of the Weyl chamber flow on the space of Weyl chambers. We obtain a necessary and sufficient condition for topological mixing.
Auditory brainstem response (ABR) profiling in schizoaffective disorder
Authors: Juselius Baghdassarian Eva , Lewander Tommy
Published: February 2020

Objective:

The aim of the study was to assess whether the auditory brainstem response (ABR) profiling test for schizophrenia (SZ) would recognise schizoaffective disorder (SZA) patients as SZ or not.

Method:

Male and female SZA patients (n = 16) from the psychosis unit at Uppsala University Hospital were investigated. Coded sets of randomised ABR recordings intermingled with patients with SZ, adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and healthy controls were analysed by an independent party blinded to clinical diagnoses.

Results:

The ABR profiling test for SZ was positive in 5/16 patients (31%) and negative in 11/16 patients (69%) with SZA. A surprising finding was that 4/16 (25%) SZA patients were positive for the ABR profiling test for ADHD.

Conclusion:

With the ABR profiling test, a minority of patients with SZA tested positive for SZ. In contrast, a majority (85%) of patients with SZ in a previous study tested positive. These preliminary results leave us ignorant whether SZA should be regarded as a SZ-like disorder or a psychotic mood disorder and add to the questions regarding the validity of this diagnostic entity. However, the ABR profiling method is still in its infancy and its exploration in a range of psychiatric disorders is warranted.
Expression of 22 serotonin-related genes in rat brain after sub-acute serotonin depletion or reuptake inhibition
Authors: Näslund Jakob , Studer Erik , Nilsson Staffan , Eriksson Elias
Published: February 2020

Objective:

Although the assessment of expression of serotonin-related genes in experimental animals has become a common strategy to shed light on variations in brain serotonergic function, it remains largely unknown to what extent the manipulation of serotonin levels causes detectable changes in gene expression. We therefore chose to investigate how sub-acute depletion or elevation of brain serotonin influences the expression of a number of serotonin-related genes in six brain areas.

Methods:

Male Wistar rats were administered a serotonin synthesis inhibitor, para-chlorophenylalanine (p-CPA), or a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, paroxetine, for 3 days and then sacrificed. The expression of a number of serotonin-related genes in the raphe nuclei, hypothalamus, amygdala, striatum, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex was investigated using real-time quantitative PCR (rt-qPCR).

Results:

While most of the studied genes were uninfluenced by paroxetine treatment, we could observe a robust downregulation of tryptophan hydroxylase-2 in the brain region where the serotonergic cell bodies reside, that is, the raphe nuclei. p-CPA induced a significant increase in the expression of Htr1b and Htr2a in amygdala and of Htr2c in the striatum and a marked reduction in the expression of Htr6 in prefrontal cortex; it also enhanced the expression of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) in raphe and hippocampus.

Conclusion:

With some notable exceptions, the expression of most of the studied genes is left unchanged by short-term modulation of extracellular levels of serotonin.
Estimating slim-majority effects in US state legislatures with a regression discontinuity design under local randomization assumptions
Authors: De Magalhães Leandro
Published: February 2020

Regression discontinuity design could be a valuable tool for identifying causal effects of a given party holding a legislative majority. However, the variable “number of seats” takes a finite number of values rather than a continuum and, hence, it is not suited as a running variable. Recent econometric advances suggest the necessary assumptions and empirical tests that allow us to interpret small intervals around the cut-off as local randomized experiments. These permit us to bypass the assumption that the running variable must be continuous. Herein, we implement these tests for US state legislatures and propose another: whether a slim-majority of one seat had at least one state-level district result that was itself a close race won by the majority party.
Elite Communication and the Popular Legitimacy of International Organizations
Authors: Dellmuth Lisa M. , Tallberg Jonas
Published: February 2020

This article offers the first systematic and comparative analysis of the effects of elite communication on citizen perceptions of the legitimacy of international organizations (IOs). Departing from cueing theory, it develops novel hypotheses about the effects of elite communication under the specific conditions of global governance. It tests these hypotheses by conducting a population-based survey experiment among almost 10,000 residents of three countries in relation to five IOs. The evidence suggests four principal findings. First, communication by national governments and civil society organizations has stronger effects on legitimacy perceptions than communication by IOs themselves. Secondly, elite communication affects legitimacy perceptions irrespective of whether it invokes IOs’ procedures or performance as grounds for criticism or endorsement. Thirdly, negative messages are more effective than positive messages in shaping citizens' legitimacy perceptions. Fourthly, comparing across IOs indicates that elite communication is more often effective in relation to the IMF, NAFTA and WTO, than the EU and UN.
Mormons Study “Abroad“: Brigham Young's Romance with American Higher Education, 1867-1877
Authors: Simpson Thomas W.
Published: February 2020

Because Mormons could never fully realize their separatist dreams of a visible Zion in North America, the history of Mormonism has involved highly complex contacts and negotiations with non-Mormons. In their attempts to convert, resist, or appease outsiders, Mormons have engaged in a distinctive dialectic of secrecy and self-disclosure, of esoteric rites and public relations. The result has been an extended process of controlled modernization.

Narratives of this process have focused on the 1890 “Manifesto” of LDS President and Prophet Wilford Woodruff, the momentous declaration that Latter-day Saints must cease to contract plural marriages. The Manifesto put an end to the intense federal persecution of the 1880s, when government agents imprisoned or exiled husbands of plural wives, confiscated Mormon assets, abolished Utah women's right to vote, and secularized Mormon schools. President Woodruff's truce with the federal government brought Mormons a relative peace and an important sign of acceptance: the granting of statehood to Utah in 1896.
Emotional recognition training modifies neural response to emotional faces but does not improve mood in healthy volunteers with high levels of depressive symptoms
Authors: Penton-Voak Ian S. , Adams Sally , Button Katherine S. , Fluharty Meg , Dalili Michael , Browning Michael , Holmes Emily A. , Harmer Catherine J. , Munafò Marcus R.
Published: February 2020

Background

There is demand for new, effective and scalable treatments for depression, and development of new forms of cognitive bias modification (CBM) of negative emotional processing biases has been suggested as possible interventions to meet this need.

Methods

We report two double blind RCTs, in which volunteers with high levels of depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory ii (BDI-ii) > 14) completed a brief course of emotion recognition training (a novel form of CBM using faces) or sham training. In Study 1 (N = 36), participants completed a post-training emotion recognition task whilst undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate neural correlates of CBM. In Study 2 (N = 190), measures of mood were assessed post-training, and at 2-week and 6-week follow-up.

Results

In both studies, CBM resulted in an initial change in emotion recognition bias, which (in Study 2) persisted for 6 weeks after the end of training. In Study 1, CBM resulted in increases neural activation to happy faces, with this effect driven by an increase in neural activity in the medial prefrontal cortex and bilateral amygdala. In Study 2, CBM did not lead to a reduction in depressive symptoms on the BDI-ii, or on related measures of mood, motivation and persistence, or depressive interpretation bias at either 2 or 6-week follow-ups.

Conclusions

CBM of emotion recognition has effects on neural activity that are similar in some respects to those induced by Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) administration (Study 1), but we find no evidence that this had any later effect on self-reported mood in an analogue sample of non-clinical volunteers with low mood (Study 2).
Psychological treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder in adults: a network meta-analysis
Authors: Mavranezouli Ifigeneia , Megnin-Viggars Odette , Daly Caitlin , Dias Sofia , Welton Nicky J. , Stockton Sarah , Bhutani Gita , Grey Nick , Leach Jonathan , Greenberg Neil , Katona Cornelius , El-Leithy Sharif , Pilling Stephen
Published: February 2020

Background

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a potentially chronic and disabling disorder affecting a significant minority of people exposed to trauma. Various psychological treatments have been shown to be effective, but their relative effects are not well established.

Methods

We undertook a systematic review and network meta-analyses of psychological interventions for adults with PTSD. Outcomes included PTSD symptom change scores post-treatment and at 1–4-month follow-up, and remission post-treatment.

Results

We included 90 trials, 6560 individuals and 22 interventions. Evidence was of moderate-to-low quality. Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) [standardised mean difference (SMD) −2.07; 95% credible interval (CrI) −2.70 to −1.44], combined somatic/cognitive therapies (SMD −1.69; 95% CrI −2.66 to −0.73), trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (TF-CBT) (SMD −1.46; 95% CrI −1.87 to −1.05) and self-help with support (SMD −1.46; 95% CrI −2.33 to −0.59) appeared to be most effective at reducing PTSD symptoms post-treatment v. waitlist, followed by non-TF-CBT, TF-CBT combined with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), SSRIs, self-help without support and counselling. EMDR and TF-CBT showed sustained effects at 1–4-month follow-up. EMDR, TF-CBT, self-help with support and counselling improved remission rates post-treatment. Results for other interventions were either inconclusive or based on limited evidence.

Conclusions

EMDR and TF-CBT appear to be most effective at reducing symptoms and improving remission rates in adults with PTSD. They are also effective at sustaining symptom improvements beyond treatment endpoint. Further research needs to explore the long-term comparative effectiveness of psychological therapies for adults with PTSD and also the impact of severity and complexity of PTSD on treatment outcomes.
Discriminating bipolar depression from major depressive disorder with polygenic risk scores
Authors: Liebers David T. , Pirooznia Mehdi , Ganna Andrea ,   Bipolar Genome Study (BiGS), Goes Fernando S.
Published: February 2020

Background

Although accurate differentiation between bipolar disorder (BD) and unipolar major depressive disorder (MDD) has important prognostic and therapeutic implications, the distinction is often challenging based on clinical grounds alone. In this study, we tested whether psychiatric polygenic risk scores (PRSs) improve clinically based classification models of BD v. MDD diagnosis.

Methods

Our sample included 843 BD and 930 MDD subjects similarly genotyped and phenotyped using the same standardized interview. We performed multivariate modeling and receiver operating characteristic analysis, testing the incremental effect of PRSs on a baseline model with clinical symptoms and features known to associate with BD compared with MDD status.

Results

We found a strong association between a BD diagnosis and PRSs drawn from BD (R2 = 3.5%, p = 4.94 × 10−12) and schizophrenia (R2 = 3.2%, p = 5.71 × 10−11) genome-wide association meta-analyses. Individuals with top decile BD PRS had a significantly increased risk for BD v. MDD compared with those in the lowest decile (odds ratio 3.39, confidence interval 2.19–5.25). PRSs discriminated BD v. MDD to a degree comparable with many individual symptoms and clinical features previously shown to associate with BD. When compared with the full composite model with all symptoms and clinical features PRSs provided modestly improved discriminatory ability (ΔC = 0.011, p = 6.48 × 10−4).

Conclusions

Our study demonstrates that psychiatric PRSs provide modest independent discrimination between BD and MDD cases, suggesting that PRSs could ultimately have utility in subjects at the extremes of the distribution and/or subjects for whom clinical symptoms are poorly measured or yet to manifest.
Natural language processing of clinical mental health notes may add predictive value to existing suicide risk models
Authors: Levis Maxwell , Leonard Westgate Christine , Gui Jiang , Watts Bradley V. , Shiner Brian
Published: February 2020

Background

This study evaluated whether natural language processing (NLP) of psychotherapy note text provides additional accuracy over and above currently used suicide prediction models.

Methods

We used a cohort of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) users diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) between 2004–2013. Using a case-control design, cases (those that died by suicide during the year following diagnosis) were matched to controls (those that remained alive). After selecting conditional matches based on having shared mental health providers, we chose controls using a 5:1 nearest-neighbor propensity match based on the VHA's structured Electronic Medical Records (EMR)-based suicide prediction model. For cases, psychotherapist notes were collected from diagnosis until death. For controls, psychotherapist notes were collected from diagnosis until matched case's date of death. After ensuring similar numbers of notes, the final sample included 246 cases and 986 controls. Notes were analyzed using Sentiment Analysis and Cognition Engine, a Python-based NLP package. The output was evaluated using machine-learning algorithms. The area under the curve (AUC) was calculated to determine models' predictive accuracy.

Results

NLP derived variables offered small but significant predictive improvement (AUC = 0.58) for patients that had longer treatment duration. A small sample size limited predictive accuracy.

Conclusions

Study identifies a novel method for measuring suicide risk over time and potentially categorizing patient subgroups with distinct risk sensitivities. Findings suggest leveraging NLP derived variables from psychotherapy notes offers an additional predictive value over and above the VHA's state-of-the-art structured EMR-based suicide prediction model. Replication with a larger non-PTSD specific sample is required.
An agro-pastoral palimpsest: new insights into the historical rural economy of the Milesian peninsula from aerial and remote-sensing imagery
Authors: Wilkinson Toby C. , Slawisch Anja
Published: February 2020

Examination of a number of satellite and aerial images of the Milesian peninsula has allowed the mapping of a large number of apparently ancient linear features across the landscape. These are here interpreted, for the most part, as relicts of agro-economic field systems of unknown date, but most plausibly established during the Archaic, Hellenistic or late antique periods and perhaps used for centuries after, before the economic decline of the region in the second millennium AD. While earlier survey work has noted the existence of terracing and rural divisions at certain points in the landscape, the new remote-sensing data have provided an unprecedented large-scale insight into the extent and variety of forms of division, as well as documenting the stripping of macquis overgrowth by modern farming practices, which has, on the one hand, exposed these ancient landscapes but also, on the other, poses a threat to their preservation. The extent of the linear features suggests a high degree of land use on the peninsula at certain points in the past. Further investigation of these important features has the potential to provide critical insights into the economic history of rural and urban Miletos over the last 2,000 to 5,000 years.
Outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Ghana, 2015: degree of losses and outcomes of time-course outbreak management
Authors: Tasiame W. , Johnson S. , Burimuah V. , Akyereko E. , El-Duah P. , Amemor E. , Emikpe B. O. , Owiredu E. W.
Published: February 2020

This retrospective study highlights the degree of losses and time-course through which the 2015 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks in Ghana were managed. A total of 102 760 birds from 35 farms across five regions in Ghana included in this study were affected. Out of this, 89.3% was from the Greater Accra region. Majority of the birds were culled (94.2%). Adult layers were most affected and destroyed (64.0%), followed by broilers (13.7%). Event initiation to reporting averaged 7.7 ± 1.3 days (range: 1–30 days). Laboratory confirmation to depopulation of birds averaged 2.2 ± 0.5 (0–15) days while depopulation to disinfection took 2.2 ± 0.7 (0–20) days. Overall, some farms took as long as 30 days to report the outbreak to the authorities, 15 days from confirmation to depopulation and 20 days from depopulation to disinfection. On average, outbreak management lasted 12.3 (2–43) days from event initiation to depopulation. The study reveals a significant number of avian losses and delays in HPAI reporting and management by the authorities in Ghana during the 2015 outbreak. This poses a high risk of spread to other farms and a threat to public health. Awareness creation for poultry farmers is necessary for early reporting, while further study is required to set thresholds for the management of such outbreaks by veterinary departments.
Detection of norovirus infections in Denmark, 2011–2018
Authors: Korcinska M. R. , Dalsgaard Bjerre K. , Dam Rasmussen L. , Tvenstrup Jensen E. , Fischer T. K. , Barrasa A. , Ethelberg S.
Published: February 2020

Norovirus (NoV) infections occur very frequently yet are rarely diagnosed. In Denmark, NoV infections are not under surveillance. We aimed to collect and describe existing laboratory-based NoV data. National NoV laboratory data were collected for 2011–2018, including information on patient identification number, age and sex, requesting physician, analysis date and result. We defined positive patient-episodes by using a 30-day time window and performed descriptive and time series analysis. Diagnostic methods used were assessed through a survey. We identified 15 809 patient-episodes (11%) out of 142 648 tested patients with an increasing trend, 9366 in 2011 vs. 32 260 in 2018. This corresponded with a gradual introduction of polymerase chain reaction analysis in laboratories. The highest positivity rate was in patients aged <5 years (15%) or >85 years (17%). There was a large difference in test performance over five Danish geographical regions and a marked seasonal variation with peaks from December to February. This is the first analysis of national NoV laboratory data in Denmark. A future laboratory-based surveillance system may benefit public health measures by describing trend, burden and severity of seasons and possibly pinpoint hospital outbreaks.
Miniatures as Ritual Objects: Exploring the Role of Small-Sized Vessels among the Complex Late Holocene Hunter-Gatherers from the Paraná River Lowlands in South America
Authors: Ottalagano Flavia
Published: February 2020

This study is the first systematic approach to ceramic miniatures from the lowlands of the Paraná River (northeastern Argentina), which have received marginal attention from regional archaeology. This paper presents an analysis of 24 pottery miniatures recovered from archaeological sites generated by complex Late Holocene hunter-gatherers, dating from between 460±50 and 1056±47 yearsbp. Morphological and decorative data, errors of manufacture, traces of use and the context of the pieces’ deposition are recorded in order to explore aspects of their variability and functionality. The miniatures correspond to bowls, basins, cups and ‘bell’ artefacts, all of which are commonly found in the regional record. The data obtained suggest that at least some of the sample were used in the symbolic sphere, such as burial offerings.
Henry Mayhew, Urban Ecologist
Authors: Leckie Barbara
Published: February 2020

This article argues that Mayhew'sLondon Labour and the London Poorarticulates a mid-nineteenth-century urban ecology that resonates with the “open” and “unfinished” form of midcentury London and Mayhew'sLondon Labouritself. Mayhew's extensive elaboration of midcentury recycling, repurposing, and reusing practices is put into dialogue with the volumes’ print innovations and, in particular, print recycling practices. Drawing on the passage in which Mayhew describes his ecological vision most compactly—itself recycled from an earlier work—it illustrates how these volumes unite “the ragpicker” and the writer in the production of open and usable forms generative of social change.
Intimate Ecologies: Symbioses in the Nineteenth Century
Authors: Samyn Jeanette
Published: February 2020

Studies of symbiosis have been instrumental in recent thinking about bodies and ecologies as open systems. But even before the invention of symbiosis toward the end of the nineteenth century, parasitism helped scientists conceive of open ecologies marked by complex, interdependent intimacies. This essay shows how the invention of symbiosis as an umbrella term for “true parasitisms” and “non-parasitisms” helped to close off previously existing (if precarious) possibilities for reciprocality within the older concept, and suggests that the time has come for a revitalization of parasitism as a conceptual tool in the face of social and ecological crisis
Evaluation of PTV margins in IMRT for head and neck cancer and prostate cancer
Authors: Youssoufi M. A. , Bougtib M. , Douama S. , Ait Erraisse M. , Abboud F. Z. , Hassouni K. , Bentayeb F.
Published: February 2020

Purpose:

The aim of this study was to evaluate planning target volume (PTV) margins for two different locations using an electronic portal imaging device (EPID) to ensure that the correct radiation dose is delivered to the tumour when using intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).

Materials and methods:

Setup data were collected from 40 patients treated with IMRT for head and neck cancer (HN) (20 patients) and prostate cancer (20 patients). Setup errors from 720 registration images were analysed to evaluate systematic and random errors. Thereafter, optimal PTV margins were calculated based on International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements 62 (ICRU), Stroom and Parker formulas compared with the Van Herk’s recipe.

Results:

To calculate the margins around the PTV, several different formulas have been used. Setup margins ranged between 2–4·3, 2·2–4·6 and 2·1–4·7 mm in X, Y and Z directions, respectively, for HN cases. Similarly, for the prostate site, setup margins ranged between 3·7–8·3, 3·2–6·8 and 3·3–8·2 mm in X, Y and Z directions.

Conclusion:

To ensure better coverage of target volume, we adopted a PTV margin of 5 mm for HN PTVs and 10 mm for prostate PTVs in our department.
Survey of bearded sprangletop (Leptochloa fusca spp. fasicularis) response to clomazone in California rice
Authors: Driver Katie E. , Al-Khatib Kassim , Godar Amar
Published: February 2020

Bearded sprangletop is a problematic weed in California rice production and few herbicides provide effective control. As control of bearded sprangletop has declined, grower suspicion of resistance to clomazone has increased, because of the continuous rice cropping system and herbicide dependence in the region. The objectives of this research were to confirm clomazone resistance in bearded sprangletop populations and determine the level of resistance. Seed from 21 suspected clomazone-resistant populations was collected from the California rice growing region. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to determine population sensitivity to clomazone. Clomazone was applied into the water to emerging seedlings. Plant ht and control of bearded sprangletop were recorded weekly for 3 wk, plants were then harvested, and dry weight was measured. Of the populations tested, 17 were susceptible and four (5%) were resistant to clomazone. A dose-response assay was conducted using eight doses ranging from an eighth of the full rate to 12 times the full rate. The three most resistant populations had resistant-to susceptible ratios of 1.25×, 2×, and 5× the labeled rate of clomazone. The use of clomazone in California rice production is beneficial; however, it should be used at the appropriate timing and as part of an herbicide program to prevent further development of clomazone resistance.
Screening preemergence herbicides for weed control in cassava
Authors: Ekeleme Friday , Dixon Alfred , Atser Godwin , Hauser Stefan , Chikoye David , Olorunmaiye Patience M. , Olojede Adeyemi , Korie Sam , Weller Stephen
Published: February 2020

Weed competition severely constrains cassava root yield in sub-Saharan Africa; thus, good weed control measures, including the use of herbicides, are increasingly important. Herbicide trials were conducted at five locations across eastern, western, and north-central Nigeria over two cropping seasons (2014 and 2015). Nineteen premixed PRE herbicides applied at different rates were evaluated for efficacy on weeds and selectivity on cassava. Manual hoe-weeding at 4, 8, and 12 wk after planting (WAP) and two S-metolachlor + atrazine treatments commonly used by cassava growers were included for comparison. Six of the 19 PRE herbicide treatments (indaziflam + isoxaflutole, indaziflam + metribuzin, flumioxazin + pyroxasulfone, isoxaflutole, acetochlor + atrazine + terbuthylazine, and terbuthylazine + S-metolachlor) consistently provided 80% to 98% broadleaf and grass weed control up to 8 wk after treatment. Overall, PRE herbicide treatments and cassava yield were significantly positively correlated. Herbicide treatments terbuthylazine + S-metolachlor, flumioxazin + pyroxasulfone, diflufenican + flufenacet + flurtamone (respectively, 60 + 60 + 60, 120 + 120 + 120, 90 + 360 + 120, and 135 + 360 + 180 g ha−1), acetochlor + atrazine + terbuthylazine (875 + 875 + 875 g ha−1), S-metolachlor + atrazine (870 + 1,110 g ha−1), oxyfluorfen (240 g ha−1), indaziflam + isoxaflutole (75 + 225 g ha−1), indaziflam + metribuzin (75 + 960 g ha−1), and aclonifen + isoxaflutole (500 + 75 g ha−1) contributed to yields exceeding twice the Nigerian national average of 8.76 tonnes ha−1. These treatments had root yields of 1.4 to 2 times higher than plots that had been hoe-weeded three times. There were some adverse herbicide treatment effects such as delayed cassava sprouting and temporary leaf bleaching observed in indaziflam and diflufenican + flufenacet + flurtamone treatments, whereas sulfentrazone caused prolonged leaf crinkling. The PRE applications alone at rates safe for cassava did not provide adequate season-long weed control; supplemental POST weed control is needed about 10 WAP for satisfactory season-long control.
Nutritional and environmental contributions to autism spectrum disorders: Focus on nutrigenomics as complementary therapy
Authors: Jaureguiberry María S. , Venturino Andrés
Published: February 2020

Abstract. The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has risen sharply in the last 30 years, posing a major public health concern and a big emotional and financial challenge for families. While the underlying causes remain to be fully elucidated, evidence shows moderate genetic heritability contribution, but heavy environmental influence. Over the last decades, modern lifestyle has deeply changed our eating, rest, and exercise habits, while exposure to air, water, and food chemical pollution has increased due to indiscriminate use of pesticides, food additives, adjuvants, and antibiotics. The result is a drastic change in the quality of our energy source input, and an overload for antioxidant and detoxification pathways that compromises normal metabolism and homeostasis. Current research shows high prevalence of food selectivity and/or food allergy among children with autism, resulting in essential micronutrient deficits that may trigger or aggravate physical and cognitive symptoms. Nutrigenomics is an emerging discipline that focuses on genotype-micronutrient interaction, and a useful approach to tailor low risk, personalized interventions through diet and micronutrient supplementation. Here, we review available literature addressing the role of micronutrients in the symptomatology of ASD, the metabolic pathways involved, and their therapeutic relevance. Personalized and supervised supplementation according to individual needs is suggested as a complement of traditional therapies to improve outcome both for children with autism and their families.
Structural Control on Megathrust Rupture and Slip Behavior: Insights From the 2016 Mw 7.8 Pedernales Ecuador Earthquake
Authors: Soto‐Cordero Lillian , Meltzer Anne , Bergman Eric , Hoskins Mariah , Stachnik Joshua C. , Agurto‐Detzel Hans , Alvarado Alexandra , Beck Susan , Charvis Philippe , Font Yvonne , Hayes Gavin P. , Hernandez Stephen , Lynner Colton , Leon‐Rios Sergio , Nocquet Jean‐Mathieu , Regnier Marc , Rietbrock Andreas , Rolandone Frederique , Ruiz Mario
Published: February 2020

The heterogeneous seafloor topography of the Nazca Plate as it enters the Ecuador subduction zone provides an opportunity to document the influence of seafloor roughness on slip behavior and megathrust rupture. The 2016 Mw 7.8 Pedernales Ecuador earthquake was followed by a rich and active postseismic sequence. An internationally coordinated rapid response effort installed a temporary seismic network to densify coastal stations of the permanent Ecuadorian national seismic network. A combination of 82 onshore short and intermediate period and broadband seismic stations and six ocean bottom seismometers recorded the postseismic Pedernales sequence for over a year after the mainshock. A robust earthquake catalog combined with calibrated relocations for a subset of magnitude ≥4 earthquakes shows pronounced spatial and temporal clustering. A range of slip behavior accommodates postseismic deformation including earthquakes, slow slip events, and earthquake swarms. Models of plate coupling and the consistency of earthquake clustering and slip behavior through multiple seismic cycles reveal a segmented subduction zone primarily controlled by subducted seafloor topography, accreted terranes, and inherited structure. The 2016 Pedernales mainshock triggered moderate to strong earthquakes (5 ≤ M ≤ 7) and earthquake swarms north of the mainshock rupture close to the epicenter of the 1906 Mw 8.8 earthquake and in the segment of the subduction zone that ruptured in 1958 in a Mw 7.7 earthquake.
Toxicity of fatty acid profiles of popular edible oils in human EndoC-βH1 beta-cells
Authors: von Hanstein Anna-Sophie , Lenzen Sigurd , Plötz Thomas
Published: February 2020

An inappropriate diet, particularly excessive consumption of dietary fats and oils, may have a major negative impact on beta-cell function and cause type 2 diabetes mellitus. To investigate this issue, we examined the toxicity of free fatty acid (FFA) compositions mirroring the FFA profiles of various popular edible oils in human EndoC-βH1 beta-cells and in rat islets. For this purpose, we made compositions consisting exclusively of various FFAs in different volumetric percentages mimicking these oils and additionally mixtures of these compositions. Human EndoC-βH1 beta-cells were incubated with different oil compositions and the toxicity, lipid droplet formation, ER-stress, and H2O2 production were analyzed. Compositions with prominent content of saturated as well as unsaturated long-chain FFAs showed moderate but significant toxicity both in human EndoC-βH1 beta-cells and rat islets, however, without further measurable metabolic impairments. On the other hand compositions with high content of medium-chain FFAs revealed no toxicity. A composition with 50% of the very long-chain unsaturated FFA erucic acid caused high toxicity with concomitant peroxisomal H2O2 production. The toxicity of FFAs to human EndoC-βH1 beta-cells was dampened in mixtures of FFA compositions with a significant content of medium-chain FFAs, but not with a significant proportion of unsaturated FFAs.
Protein expression of prenyltransferase subunits in postmortem schizophrenia dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
Authors: Pinner Anita L. , Mueller Toni M. , Alganem Khaled , McCullumsmith Robert , Meador-Woodruff James H.
Published: February 2020

The pathophysiology of schizophrenia includes altered neurotransmission, dysregulated intracellular signaling pathway activity, and abnormal dendritic morphology that contribute to deficits of synaptic plasticity in the disorder. These processes all require dynamic protein–protein interactions at cell membranes. Lipid modifications target proteins to membranes by increasing substrate hydrophobicity by the addition of a fatty acid or isoprenyl moiety, and recent evidence suggests that dysregulated posttranslational lipid modifications may play a role in multiple neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia. Consistent with these emerging findings, we have recently reported decreased protein S-palmitoylation in schizophrenia. Protein prenylation is a lipid modification that occurs upstream of S-palmitoylation on many protein substrates, facilitating membrane localization and activity of key intracellular signaling proteins. Accordingly, we hypothesized that, in addition to palmitoylation, protein prenylation may be abnormal in schizophrenia. To test this, we assayed protein expression of the five prenyltransferase subunits (FNTA, FNTB, PGGT1B, RABGGTA, and RABGGTB) in postmortem dorsolateral prefrontal cortex from patients with schizophrenia and paired comparison subjects (n = 13 pairs). We found decreased levels of FNTA (14%), PGGT1B (13%), and RABGGTB (8%) in schizophrenia. To determine whether upstream or downstream factors may be driving these changes, we also assayed protein expression of the isoprenoid synthases FDPS and GGPS1 and prenylation-dependent processing enzymes RCE and ICMT. We found these upstream and downstream enzymes to have normal protein expression. To rule out effects from chronic antipsychotic treatment, we assayed FNTA, PGGT1B, and RABGGTB in the cortex from rats treated long-term with haloperidol decanoate and found no change in the expression of these proteins. Given the role prenylation plays in localization of key signaling proteins found at the synapse, these data offer a potential mechanism underlying abnormal protein–protein interactions and protein localization in schizophrenia.
Stress impacts sensory variability through cortical sensory activity motifs
Authors: McGirr Alexander , LeDue Jeffrey , Chan Allen W. , Boyd James D. , Metzak Paul D. , Murphy Timothy H.
Published: February 2020

Medically unexplained symptoms in depression are common. These individual-specific complaints are often considered an ‘idiom of distress’, yet animal studies suggest that cortical sensory representations are flexible and influenced by spontaneous cortical activity. We hypothesized that stress would reveal activity dynamics in somatosensory cortex resulting in greater sensory-evoked response variability. Using millisecond resolution in vivo voltage sensitive dye (VSD) imaging in mouse neocortex, we characterized spontaneous regional depolarizations within limb and barrel regions of somatosensory cortex, or spontaneous sensory motifs, and their influence on sensory variability. Stress revealed an idiosyncratic increase in spontaneous sensory motifs that is normalized by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment. Spontaneous motif frequency is associated with increased variability in sensory-evoked responses, and we optogenetically demonstrate that regional depolarization in somatosensory cortex increases sensory-evoked variability for seconds. This reveals a putative circuit level target for changes in sensory processing and for unexplained physical complaints in stress-related psychopathology.
Correction: Hepatic gene expression explains primary drug toxicity in bipolar disorder
Authors: Birkl-Toeglhofer Anna Maria , Birkl Christoph , Llenos Ida Cirila , Weis Serge , Haybaeck Johannes
Published: February 2020

The original Article had an incomplete acknowledgements list. The following sentence has now been added to the HTML and PDF versions of this Article: “This study was performed within the framework of the PhD program Molecular Medicine of the Medical University of Graz. This work was supported by the Medical University of Graz within the Open Access Publishing Funding Program.”
A disinhibitory nigra-parafascicular pathway amplifies seizure in temporal lobe epilepsy
Authors: Chen Bin , Xu Cenglin , Wang Yi , Lin Wenkai , Wang Ying , Chen Liying , Cheng Heming , Xu Lingyu , Hu Tingting , Zhao Junli , Dong Ping , Guo Yi , Zhang Shihong , Wang Shuang , Zhou Yudong , Hu Weiwei , Duan Shuming , Chen Zhong
Published: February 2020

The precise circuit of the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) involved in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is still unclear. Here we found that optogenetic or chemogenetic activation of SNr parvalbumin+ (PV) GABAergic neurons amplifies seizure activities in kindling- and kainic acid-induced TLE models, whereas selective inhibition of these neurons alleviates seizure activities. The severity of seizures is bidirectionally regulated by optogenetic manipulation of SNr PV fibers projecting to the parafascicular nucleus (PF). Electrophysiology combined with rabies virus-assisted circuit mapping shows that SNr PV neurons directly project to and functionally inhibit posterior PF GABAergic neurons. Activity of these neurons also regulates seizure activity. Collectively, our results reveal that a long-range SNr-PF disinhibitory circuit participates in regulating seizure in TLE and inactivation of this circuit can alleviate severity of epileptic seizures. These findings provide a better understanding of pathological changes from a circuit perspective and suggest a possibility to precisely control epilepsy.
The first Australian plant foods at Madjedbebe, 65,000–53,000 years ago
Authors: Florin S. Anna , Fairbairn Andrew S. , Nango May , Djandjomerr Djaykuk , Marwick Ben , Fullagar Richard , Smith Mike , Wallis Lynley A. , Clarkson Chris
Published: February 2020

There is little evidence for the role of plant foods in the dispersal of early modern humans into new habitats globally. Researchers have hypothesised that early movements of human populations through Island Southeast Asia and into Sahul were driven by the lure of high-calorie, low-handling-cost foods, and that the use of plant foods requiring processing was not common in Sahul until the Holocene. Here we present the analysis of charred plant food remains from Madjedbebe rockshelter in northern Australia, dated to between 65 kya and 53 kya. We demonstrate that Australia’s earliest known human population exploited a range of plant foods, including those requiring processing. Our finds predate existing evidence for such subsistence practices in Sahul by at least 23ky. These results suggest that dietary breadth underpinned the success of early modern human populations in this region, with the expenditure of labour on the processing of plants guaranteeing reliable access to nutrients in new environments.
Publisher Correction: Gaze, visual, myoelectric, and inertial data of grasps for intelligent prosthetics
Authors: Cognolato Matteo , Gijsberts Arjan , Gregori Valentina , Saetta Gianluca , Giacomino Katia , Hager Anne-Gabrielle Mittaz , Gigli Andrea , Faccio Diego , Tiengo Cesare , Bassetto Franco , Caputo Barbara , Brugger Peter , Atzori Manfredo , Müller Henning
Published: February 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Convergent Evolution of Boats with Sails
Authors: Bejan A. , Ferber L. , Lorente S.
Published: February 2020

This article unveils the geometric characteristics of boats with sails of many sizes, covering the range 102–105 kg. Data from one hundred boat models are collected and tabulated. The data show distinct trends of convergent evolution across the entire range of sizes, namely: (i) the proportionality between beam and draft, (ii) the proportionality between overall boat length and beam, and (iii) the proportionality between mast height and overall boat length. The review shows that the geometric aspect ratios (i)–(iii) are predictable from the physics of evolution toward architectures that offer greater flow access through the medium.
Multiple Growth Factor Targeting by Engineered Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein-3 Augments EGF Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Efficacy
Authors: Wang Elizabeth A. , Chen Wan-Yu , Wong Chi-Huey
Published: February 2020

Resistance to cancer therapy is a challenge because of innate tumor heterogeneity and constant tumor evolution. Since the pathway of resistance cannot be predicted, combination therapies may address this progression. We discovered that in addition to IGF1 and IGF2, IGFBP-3 binds bFGF, HGF, neuregulin, and PDGF AB with nanomolar affinity. Because growth factors drive resistance, simultaneous inhibition of multiple growth factor pathways may improve the efficacy of precision therapy. Growth factor sequestration by IGFBP-3-Fc enhances the activity of EGFR inhibitors by decreasing cell survival and inhibiting bFGF, HGF, and IGF1 growth factor rescue and also potentiates the activity of other cancer drugs. Inhibition of tumor growth in vivo with adjuvant IGFBP-3-Fc with erlotinib versus erlotinib after treatment cessation supports that the combination reduces cell survival. Inhibition of multiple growth factor pathways may postpone resistance and extend progression-free survival in many cancer indications.
Spin-structures of the Bose-Einstein condensates with three kinds of spin-1 atoms
Authors: He Y. Z. , Liu Y. M. , Bao C. G.
Published: February 2020

We have performed a quantum mechanic calculation (including solving the coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations to obtain the spatial wave functions, and diagonalizing the spin-dependent Hamiltonian in the spin-space to obtain the total spin state) together with an analytical analysis based on a classical model. Then, according to the relative orientations of the spins SA, SB and SC of the three species, the spin-structures of the ground state can be classified into two types. In Type-I the three spins are either parallel or anti-parallel to each other, while in Type-II they point to different directions but remain to be coplanar. Moreover, according to the magnitudes of SA, SB and SC, the spin-structures can be further classified into four kinds, namely, p + p + p (all atoms of each species are in singlet-pairs), one species in f (fully polarized) and two species in q (a mixture of polarized atoms and singlet-pairs), two in f and one in q, and f + f + f. Other combinations are not allowed. The scopes of the parameters that supports a specific spin-structure have been specified. A number of spin-structure-transitions have been found. For Type-I, the critical values at which a transition takes place are given by simple analytical formulae, therefore these values can be predict.
PEGylated nano-graphene oxide as a nanocarrier for delivering mixed anticancer drugs to improve anticancer activity
Authors: Pei Xibo , Zhu Zhou , Gan Zhoujie , Chen Junyu , Zhang Xin , Cheng Xinting , Wan Qianbing , Wang Jian
Published: February 2020

Due to their high specific surface area, graphene oxide and graphene oxide-base nanoparticles have great potential both in dual-drug delivery and combination chemotherapy. Herein, we developed cisplatin (Pt) and doxorubicin (DOX) dual-drug-loaded PEGylated nano-graphene oxide (pGO) to facilitate combined chemotherapy in one system. In this study, nano-sized pGO-Pt/DOX ranged around 161.50 nm was fabricated and characterized using zeta-potential, AFM, TEM, Raman, UV-Vis, and FTIR analyses. The drug delivery efficacy of Pt was enhanced through the introduction of pGO, and the final weight ratio of DOX: Pt: pGO was optimized to 0.376: 0.376: 1. In vitro studies revealed that pGO-Pt/DOX nanoparticles could be effectively delivered into tumor cells, in which they induced prominent cell apoptosis and necrosis and exhibited higher growth inhibition than the single drug delivery system or free drugs. The pGO-Pt/DOX induced the most prominent cancer cell apoptosis and necrosis rate with 18.6%, which was observed almost 2 times higher than that of pGO-Pt or pGO-DOX groups. in the apoptosis and necrotic quadrants In vivo data confirmed that the pGO-Pt/DOX dual-drug delivery system attenuated the toxicity of Pt and DOX to normal organs compared to free drugs. The tumor inhibition data, histopathology observations, and immunohistochemical staining confirmed that the dual-drug delivery system presented a better anticancer effect than free drugs. These results clearly indicated that the pGO-Pt/DOX dual-drug delivery system provided the means for combination drug delivery in cancer treatment.