bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Parliamentary Debate as a Driver of Military Justice Reform in Canada
Authors: Lim Preston Jordan 
Published: December 2020

AbstractIn June 2019, the Supreme Court of Canada pronounced judgment in the case ofR v Stillman, upholding the military justice system’s ability to try serious civil offences. TheStillmandecision highlighted one key mechanism of military justice reform: court judgments. This article argues, however, that military legal experts have overlooked Parliamentary debate as a key driver of military reform. By drawing on analysis of Hansard from past decades, this article argues that the Canadian Parliament has historically pushed for radical reform to the military justice system. This reformist consensus continues to shape Parliamentary discussions on military justice in the twenty-first century.
Is the incompatibility of UK data retention law with EU law really a victory?
Authors: White Matthew 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) in 2014 ruled in Digital Rights Ireland that the Data Retention Directive was invalid for exceeding the limits of proportionality in light of Articles 7, 8 and 52(1) of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (Charter). Subsequently, preliminary references from the England and Wales Court of Appeal and the Swedish Administrative Court of Appeal sought clarification from the ECJ as to whether EU law permitted a general obligation to retain traffic data covering all persons, all means of electronic communication and all traffic data without any distinctions, limitations or exceptions for the purpose of combating crime. The ECJ in Tele2 and Watson ruled that in light of Articles 7, 8, 11 and 52(1) of the Charter, EU Member States were precluded from adopting national measures which provided general and indiscriminate retention of traffic and location data of all subscribers and registered users relating to all means of electronic communication. The ECJ also ruled that Member States were only permitted to adopt data retention measures for the purpose of fighting serious crime, and only when access to retained data was subject to prior review by a court or an independent administrative body.In 2018, the issue of the UK's data retention regime envisaged in Part 4 of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 came before the England and Wales High Court. The High Court ruled that Part 4 was incompatible with EU law because access to retained communications data was not limited to the purpose of fighting serious crime, and it was not subject to prior review by a court or an independent administrative body. This judgment was regarded by the claimants, Liberty, as a ‘landmark victory for privacy rights’. However, this paper questions whether certain aspects of the High Court ruling are indeed a victory, by assessing its compatibility with EU law and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
Color Properties at the Mars InSight Landing Site
Authors: Maki J. N. , Golombek M. , Banerdt W. , Smrekar S. , Deen R. , Abarca H. , Lu S. , Hall J. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe color properties observed at the InSight landing site by the lander cameras are spectral mixtures of two source materials: gray‐black rocky material with chromaticity values of x = 0.32, y = 0.32 (standard deviations of σx = 0.02 and σy = 0.03) and yellowish‐brown dust with chromaticity values of x = 0.42, y = 0.36 (standard deviations of σx = 0.02 and σy = 0.03). These results are consistent with published values from other Mars landed missions. The InSight measurements also include the first published value of the white point of Mars daylight, chromaticity of x = 0.35, y = 0.34 (standard deviations of σx = 0.01 and σy = 0.02), which is redder than earth daylight by δx = 0.04 and δy = 0.01. InSight measurements also show a small color difference (δx = 0.02 and δy = 0.01) between the near field terrain (within 20 m of the lander) and the far field area beyond. This color difference is believed to be caused by dust being blown off by near field terrain by the lander rockets during the landing event. The visual difference between these two regions is caused primarily by the brightness variation. Chromaticity measurements of the Martian sky also match previous missions with additional variability caused by differences in dust loading and the dynamic nature of the Martian atmosphere.
Decreasing Atmospheric CO2 During the Late Miocene Cooling
Authors: Tanner Thomas , Hernández‐Almeida Iván , Drury Anna Joy , Guitián José , Stoll Heather 
Published: December 2020

AbstractA pronounced late Miocene cooling (LMC) from ~7 to 5.7 Ma has been documented in extratropical and tropical sea surface temperature records, but to date, available proxy evidence has not revealed a significant pCO2 decline over this event. Here, we provide a new, high‐resolution pCO2 proxy record over the LMC based on alkenone carbon isotopic fractionation (εp) measured in sediments from the South Atlantic at Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1088. We apply a recent proxy calibration derived from a compilation of laboratory cultures, which more accurately reflects the proxy sensitivity to pCO2 changes during late Quaternary glacial‐interglacial cycles, together with new micropaleontological proxies to reconstruct past variations in algal growth rate, an important secondary influence on the εp. Our resulting pCO2 record suggests an approximately twofold to threefold decline over the LMC and confirms a strong coupling between climate and pCO2 through the late Miocene. Within this long‐term trend are pCO2 variations on sub‐myr timescales that may reflect 400‐kyr long‐eccentricity cycles, in which pCO2 minima coincide with several orbital‐scale maxima in published high‐resolution benthic δ18O records. These may correspond to ephemeral glaciations, potentially in the Northern Hemisphere. Our temperature and planktonic δ18O records from Site 1088 are consistent with substantial equatorward movement of Southern Ocean frontal systems during the LMC. This suggests that potential feedbacks between cooling, ocean circulation and deep ocean CO2 storage may warrant further investigation during the LMC.
Fulminant myocarditis: a comprehensive review from etiology to treatments and outcomes
Authors: Hang Weijian , Chen Chen , Seubert John M. , Wang Dao Wen 
Published: December 2020

AbstractFulminant myocarditis (FM) is characterized by a rapid progressive decline in cardiac function and a high mortality rate. Since the first report of FM patients in the 1980s, several clinical trials and research studies have been published increasing our knowledge regarding FM. Currently, the diagnosis of FM depends on various techniques including electrocardiography, echocardiography, endomyocardial biopsy, and cardiac magnetic resonance. The development of mechanical circulation support (MCS) devices and progress in our understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying FM, treatment regimens have evolved from simple symptomatic treatment to a life support-based comprehensive treatment approach. The core mechanism underlying the development of FM is the occurrence of an inflammatory cytokine storm. This review provides a comprehensive account of the current understanding of FM pathophysiology and knowledge regarding its etiology, pathophysiology, treatments, and outcomes.
Intron retention is a robust marker of intertumoral heterogeneity in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
Authors: Tan Daniel J. , Mitra Mithun , Chiu Alec M. , Coller Hilary A. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractPancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive cancer with a 5-year survival rate of <8%. Unsupervised clustering of 76 PDAC patients based on intron retention (IR) events resulted in two clusters of tumors (IR-1 and IR-2). While gene expression-based clusters are not predictive of patient outcome in this cohort, the clusters we developed based on intron retention were associated with differences in progression-free interval. IR levels are lower and clinical outcome is worse in IR-1 compared with IR-2. Oncogenes were significantly enriched in the set of 262 differentially retained introns between the two IR clusters. Higher IR levels in IR-2 correlate with higher gene expression, consistent with detention of intron-containing transcripts in the nucleus in IR-2. Out of 258 genes encoding RNA-binding proteins (RBP) that were differentially expressed between IR-1 and IR-2, the motifs for seven RBPs were significantly enriched in the 262-intron set, and the expression of 25 RBPs were highly correlated with retention levels of 139 introns. Network analysis suggested that retention of introns in IR-2 could result from disruption of an RBP protein−protein interaction network previously linked to efficient intron removal. Finally, IR-based clusters developed for the majority of the 20 cancer types surveyed had two clusters with asymmetrical distributions of IR events like PDAC, with one cluster containing mostly intron loss events. Taken together, our findings suggest IR may be an important biomarker for subclassifying tumors.
Efficiency enhancement of CZTSSe solar cells via screening the absorber layer by examining of different possible defects
Authors: Minbashi Mehran , Ghobadi Arash , Yazdani Elnaz , Ahmadkhan Kordbacheh Amirhossein , Hajjiah Ali 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis study represents the investigation of earth-abundant and non-toxic CZTSSe absorber materials in kesterite solar cell by using the Finite Element Method (FEM) with (1) electrical, and (2) optical approaches. The simulated results have been validated with the experimental results to define guidelines for boosting the cell performance. For improving the cell efficiency, potential barrier variations in the front contact, and the effect of different lattice defects in the CZTSSe absorber layer have been examined. Controlling the defects and the secondary phases of absorber layer have significant influence on the cell performance improvement. Previous studies have demonstrated that, synthesis of CZTSSe:Na nanocrystals and controlling the S/(S + Se), Cu/(Zn + Sn), and Zn/Sn ratios (stoichiometry) have significant effects on the reduction of trap-assisted recombination (Shockley–Read–Hall recombination model). In this work, a screening-based approach has been employed to study the cell efficiency over a wide range of defect densities. Two categorized defect types including benign defects ($${N}_{t}<{10}^{16}$$

N
t

<

10

16

cm−3 , Nt defines trap density) and harmful defects $${(N}_{t}>{10}^{16}$$

(
N

t

>

10

16

cm−3) in the absorber bandgap in the CZTSSe solar cell, by analyzing their position changes with respect to the electron Fermi level (Efn) and the Valence Band Maximum positions have been identified. It is realized that, the harmful defects are the dominant reason for the low efficiency of the kesterite solar cells, therefore, reducing the number of harmful defects and also total defect densities lead to the power conversion efficiency record of 19.06%. This increment makes the CZTSSe solar cells as a promising candidate for industrial and commercial applications.
Impact of comorbid asthma on severity of coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
Authors: Lee Sang Chul , Son Kang Ju , Han Chang Hoon , Jung Ji Ye , Park Seon Cheol 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe severity of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is associated with various comorbidities. However, no studies have yet demonstrated the potential risk of respiratory failure and mortality in COVID-19 patients with pre-existing asthma. We selected 7272 adult COVID-19 patients from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment COVID-19 database for this nationwide retrospective cohort study. Among these, 686 patients with asthma were assessed by their severities and evaluated by the clinical outcome of COVID-19 compared to patients without asthma. Of 7272 adult COVID-19 patients, 686 with asthma and 6586 without asthma were compared. Asthma was not a significant risk factor for respiratory failure or mortality among all COVID-19 patients (odds ratio [OR] = 0.99, P = 0.997 and OR = 1.06, P = 0.759) after adjusting for age, sex, and the Charlson comorbidity score. However, a history of acute exacerbation (OR = 2.63, P = 0.043) was significant risk factors for death among COVID-19 patients with asthma. Asthma is not a risk factor for poor prognosis of COVID-19. However, asthma patients who had any experience of acute exacerbation in the previous year before COVID-19 showed higher COVID-19-related mortality, especially in case of old age and male sex.
Scavenger receptor MARCO contributes to cellular internalization of exosomes by dynamin-dependent endocytosis and macropinocytosis
Authors: Kanno Sanae , Hirano Seishiro , Sakamoto Tsubasa , Furuyama Akiko , Takase Hiroshi , Kato Hideaki , Fukuta Mamiko , Aoki Yasuhiro 
Published: December 2020

AbstractMacrophage receptor with collagenous structure (MARCO) is a scavenger receptor class-A protein that is expressed on the cell surface of macrophages. MARCO mediates binding and ingestion of unopsonized environmental particles, including nano-sized materials. Exosomes are cell-derived, nano-sized vesicles (40–150 nm) that can contain lipids, RNA, DNA, and various proteins. Exosomes play an essential role in cell-to-cell communication via body fluids. However, mechanisms for the recognition and internalization of exosomes by recipient cells remain poorly characterized. In this study, cellular association of serum-derived fluorescent exosomes and 20-nm fluorescent nanoparticles (positive control) was compared between MARCO-expressing (CHO-MARCO) and control (CHO-CT) CHO-K1 cells to examine whether MARCO expression by recipient cells mediates the cellular uptake of exosomes and environmental nanoparticles. Fluorescence microscopic studies and quantitative analyses revealed that the cellular associations of both exosomes and 20-nm nanoparticles were greater in CHO-MARCO cells than in CHO-CT cells. Exosomes and nanoparticles colocalized with green fluorescent protein (GFP)-MARCO in cells transfected with GFP-MARCO-encoding constructs . Furthermore, inhibitory studies showed that actin reorganization and dynamin are involved in the MARCO-mediated cellular internalization of exosomes. These results indicated that MARCO plays a role in the uptake of exosomes.
Blockage of interleukin-1β with canakinumab in patients with Covid-19
Authors: Landi Lorenza , Ravaglia Claudia , Russo Emanuele , Cataleta Pierluigi , Fusari Maurizio , Boschi Andrea , Giannarelli Diana , Facondini Francesca , Valentini Ilaria , Panzini Ilaria , Lazzari-Agli Luigi , Bassi Paolo , Marchionni Elisa , Romagnoli Rossella , De Giovanni Raffaella , Assirelli Marina , Baldazzi Federica , Pieraccini Fabio , Rametta Giovanna , Rossi Lucia , Santini Luca , Valenti Ivana , Cappuzzo Federico 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThere is the urgent need to study the effects of immunomodulating agents as therapy for Covid-19. An observational, cohort, prospective study with 30 days of observation was carried out to assess clinical outcomes in 88 patients hospitalized for Covid-19 pneumonia and treated with canakinumab (300 mg sc). Median time from diagnosis of Covid-19 by viral swab to administration of canakinumab was 7.5 days (range 0–30, IQR 4–11). Median PaO2/FiO2 increased from 160 (range 53–409, IQR 122–210) at baseline to 237 (range 72–533, IQR 158–331) at day 7 after treatment with canakinumab (p < 0.0001). Improvement of oxygen support category was observed in 61.4% of cases. Median duration of hospitalization following administration of canakinumab was 6 days (range 0–30, IQR 4–11). At 7 days, 58% of patients had been discharged and 12 (13.6%) had died. Significant differences between baseline and 7 days were observed for absolute lymphocyte counts (mean 0.60 vs 1.11 × 109/L, respectively, p < 0.0001) and C-reactive protein (mean 31.5 vs 5.8 mg/L, respectively, p < 0.0001).Overall survival at 1 month was 79.5% (95% CI 68.7–90.3). Oxygen-support requirements improved and overall mortality was 13.6%. Confirmation of the efficacy of canakinumab for Covid-19 warrants further study in randomized controlled trials.
Common variants in SOX-2 and congenital cataract genes contribute to age-related nuclear cataract
Authors: Yonova-Doing Ekaterina , Zhao Wanting , Igo Robert P. , Wang Chaolong , Sundaresan Periasamy , Lee Kristine E. , Jun Gyungah R. , Alves Alexessander Couto , Chai Xiaoran , Chan Anita S. Y. , Lee Mei Chin , Fong Allan , Tan Ava G. , Khor Chiea Chuen , Chew Emily Y. , Hysi Pirro G. , Fan Qiao , Chua Jacqueline , Chung Jaeyoon , Liao Jiemin , Colijn Johanna M. , Burdon Kathryn P. , Fritsche Lars G. , Swift Maria K. , Hilmy Maryam H. , Chee Miao Ling , Tedja Milly , Bonnemaijer Pieter W. M. , Gupta Preeti , Tan Queenie S. , Li Zheng , Vithana Eranga N. , Ravindran Ravilla D. , Chee Soon-Phaik , Shi Yuan , Liu Wenting , Su Xinyi , Sim Xueling , Shen Yang , Wang Ya Xing , Li Hengtong , Tham Yih-Chung , Teo Yik Ying , Aung Tin , Small Kerrin S. , Mitchell Paul , Jonas Jost B. , Wong Tien Yin , Fletcher Astrid E. , Klaver Caroline C. W. , Klein Barbara E. K. , Wang Jie Jin , Iyengar Sudha K. , Hammond Christopher J. , Cheng Ching-Yu 
Published: December 2020

AbstractNuclear cataract is the most common type of age-related cataract and a leading cause of blindness worldwide. Age-related nuclear cataract is heritable (h2 = 0.48), but little is known about specific genetic factors underlying this condition. Here we report findings from the largest to date multi-ethnic meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (discovery cohort N = 14,151 and replication N = 5299) of the International Cataract Genetics Consortium. We confirmed the known genetic association of CRYAA (rs7278468, P = 2.8 × 10−16) with nuclear cataract and identified five new loci associated with this disease: SOX2-OT (rs9842371, P = 1.7 × 10−19), TMPRSS5 (rs4936279, P = 2.5 × 10−10), LINC01412 (rs16823886, P = 1.3 × 10−9), GLTSCR1 (rs1005911, P = 9.8 × 10−9), and COMMD1 (rs62149908, P = 1.2 × 10−8). The results suggest a strong link of age-related nuclear cataract with congenital cataract and eye development genes, and the importance of common genetic variants in maintaining crystalline lens integrity in the aging eye.
Movement errors during skilled motor performance engage distinct prediction error mechanisms
Authors: Gabitov Ella , Lungu Ovidiu , Albouy Geneviève , Doyon Julien 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe brain detects deviations from intended behaviors by estimating the mismatch between predicted and actual outcomes. Axiomatic to these computations are salience and valence prediction error signals, which alert the brain to the occurrence and value of unexpected events. Despite the theoretical assertion of these prediction error signals, it is unknown whether and how brain mechanisms underlying their computations support error processing during skilled motor behavior. Here we demonstrate, with functional magnetic resonance imaging, that internal detection, i.e., without externally-provided feedback, of self-generated movement errors evokes instantaneous activity increases within the salience network and delayed lingering decreases within the nucleus accumbens – a key structure in the reward valuation pathway. A widespread suppression within the sensorimotor network was also observed. Our findings suggest that neural computations of salience and valence prediction errors during skilled motor behaviors operate on different time-scales and, therefore, may contribute differentially to immediate and longer-term adaptive processes.
A serine protease secreted from Bacillus subtilis cleaves human plasma transthyretin to generate an amyloidogenic fragment
Authors: Peterle Daniele , Pontarollo Giulia , Spada Stefano , Brun Paola , Palazzi Luana , Sokolov Alexej V. , Spolaore Barbara , Polverino de Laureto Patrizia , Vasilyev Vadim B. , Castagliuolo Ignazio , De Filippis Vincenzo 
Published: December 2020

AbstractAggregation of human wild-type transthyretin (hTTR), a homo-tetrameric plasma protein, leads to acquired senile systemic amyloidosis (SSA), recently recognised as a major cause of cardiomyopathies in 1–3% older adults. Fragmented hTTR is the standard composition of amyloid deposits in SSA, but the protease(s) responsible for amyloidogenic fragments generation in vivo is(are) still elusive. Here, we show that subtilisin secreted from Bacillus subtilis, a gut microbiota commensal bacterium, translocates across a simulated intestinal epithelium and cleaves hTTR both in solution and human plasma, generating the amyloidogenic fragment hTTR(59–127), which is also found in SSA amyloids in vivo. To the best of our knowledge, these findings highlight a novel pathogenic mechanism for SSA whereby increased permeability of the gut mucosa, as often occurs in elderly people, allows subtilisin (and perhaps other yet unidentified bacterial proteases) to reach the bloodstream and trigger generation of hTTR fragments, acting as seeding nuclei for preferential amyloid fibrils deposition in the heart.
The kinetics of humoral response and its relationship with the disease severity in COVID-19
Authors: Ren Lili , Zhang Lulu , Chang De , Wang Junwen , Hu Yongfeng , Chen Hong , Guo Li , Wu Chao , Wang Conghui , Wang Yingying , Wang Ying , Wang Geng , Yang Siyuan , Dela Cruz Charles S. , Sharma Lokesh , Wang Linghang , Zhang Dingyu , Wang Jianwei 
Published: December 2020

AbstractCoronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a global pandemic. Here we profiled the humoral response against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by measuring immunoglobulin (Ig) A, IgM, and IgG against nucleocapsid and spike proteins, along with IgM and IgG antibodies against receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein and total neutralizing antibodies (NAbs). We tested 279 plasma samples collected from 176 COVID-19 patients who presented and enrolled at different stages of their disease. Plasma dilutions were optimized and based on the data, a single dilution of plasma was used. The mean absorbance at 450 nm was measured for Ig levels and NAbs were measured using geometric mean titers. We demonstrate that more severe cases have a late-onset in the humoral response compared to mild/moderate infections. All the antibody titers continue to rise in patients with COVID-19 over the disease course. However, these levels are mostly unrelated to disease severity. The appearance time and titers of NAbs showed a significant positive correlation to the antibodies against spike protein. Our results suggest the late onset of antibody response as a risk factor for disease severity, however, there is a limited role of antibody titers in predicting disease severity of COVID-19.
Future Antarctic snow accumulation trend is dominated by atmospheric synoptic-scale events
Authors: Dalaiden Quentin , Goosse Hugues , Lenaerts Jan T. M. , Cavitte Marie G. P. , Henderson Naomi 
Published: December 2020

AbstractOver the last century, the increase in snow accumulation has partly mitigated the total dynamic Antarctic Ice Sheet mass loss. However, the mechanisms behind this increase are poorly understood. Here we analyze the Antarctic Ice Sheet atmospheric moisture budget based on climate reanalysis and model simulations to reveal that the interannual variability of regional snow accumulation is controlled by both the large-scale atmospheric circulation and short-lived synoptic-scale events (i.e. storm systems). Yet, when considering the entire continent at the multi-decadal scale, only the synoptic-scale events can explain the recent and expected future snow accumulation increase. In a warmer climate induced by climate change, these synoptic-scale events transport air that can contain more humidity due to the increasing temperatures leading to more precipitation on the continent. Our findings highlight that the multi-decadal and interannual snow accumulation variability is governed by different processes, and that we thus cannot rely directly on the mechanisms driving interannual variations to predict long-term changes in snow accumulation in the future.