bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Poorly known sponges in the Mediterranean with the detection of some taxonomic inconsistencies
Authors: Díaz Julio A. , Ramírez-Amaro Sergio , Ordines Francesc , Cárdenas Paco , Ferriol Pere , Terrasa Bàrbara , Massutí Enric 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe poorly known sponge speciesAxinella vellerea(Topsent, 1904),Acarnus levii(Vacelet, 1960) andHaliclona poecillastroides(Vacelet, 1969) are reported from bottom-trawl samples off the Balearic Islands, Western Mediterranean. A re-description is provided for all three species and the Folmer fragment of cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) obtained forA. leviiandH. poecillastroides. This is the second report ofA. vellereain the Mediterranean, the first time thatA. leviiis reported outside Corsica and the first time thatH. poecillastroidesis documented outside the Gulf of Lion, France. The systematic allocation ofA. leviiandH. poecillastroidesis discussed based on a COI phylogenetic analysis and morphology. The poorly understood phylogeny of the Haplosclerida does not permit us to find a proper allocation forH. poecillastroides, although its current position in the genus Haliclona or the family Chalinidae is not defensible. On the other hand,A. leviicurrently fits best in the family Microcionidae, and seems related to someClathriaspecies with mixed features betweenClathriaandAcarnus. Considering that the species of the genusAcarnusshares a strong synapomorphy (the possession of Cladotylotes), it is plausible for allAcarnusspecies to be Microcionids. We conclude thatH. poecillastroidesneeds to be reallocated to a new genus:Xestospongia poecillastroidescomb. nov. (Petrosiidae). However, a reallocation ofA. leviiis not advisable for the moment, as this would imply major systematic changes such as the reallocation of the whole genusAcarnusto Microcionidae, and the redescription of Microcionidae and Acarnidae.
In vitro studies and preclinical evaluation of benznidazole microparticles in the acute Trypanosoma cruzi murine model
Authors: Rial Marcela S. , Seremeta Katia P. , Esteva Mónica I. , Búa Jacqueline , Salomon Claudio J. , Fichera Laura E. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractChagas disease is a serious parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. Unfortunately, the current chemotherapeutic tools are not enough to combat the infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the trypanocidal activity of benznidazole-loaded microparticles during the acute phase of Chagas infection in an experimental murine model. Microparticles were prepared by spray-drying using copolymers derived from esters of acrylic and methacrylic acids as carriers. Dissolution efficiency of the formulations was up to 3.80-fold greater than that of raw benznidazole. Stability assay showed no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the loading capacity of microparticles for 3 years. Cell cultures showed no visible morphological changes or destabilization of the cell membrane nor haemolysis was observed in defibrinated human blood after microparticles treatment. Mice with acute lethal infection survived 100% after 30 days of treatment with benznidazole microparticles (50 mg kg−1 day−1). Furthermore, no detectable parasite load measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and lower levels of T. cruzi-specific antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were found in those mice. A significant decrease in the inflammation of heart tissue after treatment with these microparticles was observed, in comparison with the inflammatory damage observed in both infected mice treated with raw benznidazole and untreated infected mice. Therefore, these polymeric formulations are an attractive approach to treat Chagas disease.
Host-induced phenotypic plasticity in Saccocoelioides lamothei Aguirre-Macedo and Violante-González, 2008 (Digenea: Haploporidae) a parasite of freshwater, brackish and marine fishes from Middle America
Authors: González-García Marcelo Tonatiuh , Andrade-Gómez Leopoldo , Pinacho-Pinacho Carlos Daniel , Sereno-Uribe Ana Lucia , García-Varela Martín 
Published: December 2020

AbstractSaccocoelioides is a genus of trematodes associated with fishes from the Americas. In the current research, morphologically distinct specimens of Saccocoelioides spp. were collected from six countries in Middle America. Specimens were sequenced using three molecular markers, the domains D1–D3 of the large subunit (LSU) from the nuclear rDNA, the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunit 1 (nad1) from mitochondrial DNA. A total of 74 new sequences were compared and aligned with other sequences available in GenBank. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses were inferred from the LSU and cox1 datasets, revealing unequivocally that all the specimens correspond to S. lamothei. A haplotype network was built with 119 sequences of the nad1 gene. The network detected 57 distinct haplotypes divided into three haplogroups. To explore morphological differences among samples of S. lamothei, 17 morphological features were measured from 53 specimens from three fish families: Eleotridae, Mugilidae and Gobiidae. Principal component analysis yielded three main polygons that corresponded with each family analysed, suggesting host-induced phenotypic plasticity. The current evidence suggests that S. lamothei infects at least five fish families along the Pacific coasts of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
The impacts of COVID-19 outbreak on mental health in general population in different areas in China
Authors: Ran Mao-Sheng , Gao Ru , Lin Jing-Xia , Zhang Tian-Ming , Chan Sherry Kit Wa , Deng Xiao-Peng , Zhang Bing-Zhi , Zhang Xin-Feng , Huang Guo-Ping , Pu Dao-Shen , Bai Jing-Zhen , Xu Liu-Xiu , Liu Bo 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundThis study aimed to explore the impacts of COVID-19 outbreak on mental health status in general population in different affected areas in China.MethodsThis was a comparative study including two groups of participants: (1) general population in an online survey in Ya'an and Jingzhou cities during the COVID-19 outbreak from 10–20 February 2020; and (2) matching general population selected from the mental health survey in Ya'an in 2019 (from January to May 2019). General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) were used.ResultsThere were 1775 participants (Ya'an in 2019 and 2020: 537 respectively; Jingzhou in 2020: 701). Participants in Ya'an had a significantly higher rate of general health problems (GHQ scores ⩾3) in 2020 (14.7%) than in 2019 (5.2%) (p < 0.001). Compared with Ya'an (8.0%), participants in Jingzhou in 2020 had a significantly higher rate of anxiety (SAS scores ⩾50, 24.1%) (p < 0.001). Participants in Ya'an in 2020 had a significantly higher rate of depression (SDS scores ⩾53, 55.3%) than in Jingzhou (16.3%) (p < 0.001). The risk factors of anxiety symptoms included female, number of family members (⩾6 persons), and frequent outdoor activities. The risk factors of depression symptoms included participants in Ya'an and uptake self-protective measures.ConclusionsThe prevalence of psychological symptoms has increased sharply in general population during the COVID-19 outbreak. People in COVID-19 severely affected areas may have higher scores of GHQ and anxiety symptoms. Culture-specific and individual-based psychosocial interventions should be developed for those in need during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Impact of South Carolina’s TANF Program on Earnings of New Entrants Before and During the Great Economic Recession
Authors: EDELHOCH MARILYN , FLYNN CYNTHIA , LIU QIDUAN 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis study assesses the impact of South Carolina’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, Family Independence (FI), on the longitudinal earnings of three cohorts of new entrants who entered the study before, at the beginning of, and at the height of the 2007-2009 recession. Applicants who began the application process but did not enroll in TANF were propensity-score matched to entrants by background characteristics including pre-intervention earnings history, and served as the comparison group. We constructed a latent growth curve model to test whether earnings histories were similar for the program and comparison groups up until FI intake, to estimate program impact by comparing post-intake earnings of program participants to those of the comparison group, and to determine the statistical significance of cohort differences in program impact. The findings showed FI had a positive impact on the earnings of participants before the recession. The effect became weaker during the state’s period of rising unemployment, and disappeared during the worst economic recession in decades. This study demonstrates the usefulness of longitudinal administrative data, propensity score matching, and latent growth modeling techniques for evaluating the impact of program interventions.
The State and Higher Education in Hong Kong
Authors: Burns John P. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBased on archival material and interviews, the paper argues that the autonomy of Hong Kong's institutions of higher education has varied since 1911, with the colonial state initially exercising tight control and relaxing it especially as the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong approached. China has sought to reassert control especially since 2014 in what continues to be contested space.
Mapping the ‘invisible college of international lawyers’ through obituaries
Authors: Leão Soares Pereira Luiza , Ridi Niccolò 
Published: December 2020

AbstractSince Oscar Schachter’s articulation of the concept, scholars have attempted to better understand the ‘invisible college of international lawyers’ making up our profession. They have done this through piecemeal surveys of public professional rosters (arbitrators, International Court of Justice counsel), piecing together anecdotes of connections between members, or constructing stories about individuals’ role in discrete legal developments. Departing from these approaches, we use the obituaries published in the British Yearbook of International Law (1920–2017) to draw an interactive map of the ‘invisible college’. Obituaries are a unique window into international law’s otherwise private inner life, unveiling professional and personal connections between international lawyers and their shared career paths beyond single institutions or individual stories. Employing network analysis, a method commonly used in social sciences to describe complex social phenomena such as this, we are able to demonstrate the ubiquity of informal networks whereby ideas move, and provide evidence of the community’s homogeneity. Exploring connections between international lawyers and their shared characteristics in this novel way, we shed light on the features of this group and the potential impact individual personalities have on the law. These characteristics of the profession and its members are evident to insiders but externally invisible. Graphic representation is a powerful tool in bolstering critiques for diversity and contestation of mainstream law-making narratives. Rather than exhaustively mapping, however, we propose to take the ‘dead white men’ trope to an extreme, provoking the reader to question the self-image of the profession as an impersonal expert science.
Relating Response Inhibition, Brain Connectivity, and Freezing of Gait in People with Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Peterson Daniel S. , Smulders Katrijn , Mancini Martina , Nutt John G. , Horak Fay B. , Fling Brett W. 
Published: December 2020

ABSTRACTObjective:Freezing of gait (FoG) in Parkinson’s disease (PD) has been associated with response inhibition. However, the relationship between response inhibition, neural dysfunction, and PD remains unclear. We assessed response inhibition and microstructural integrity of brain regions involved in response inhibition [right hemisphere inferior frontal cortex (IFC), bilateral pre-supplementary motor areas (preSMA), and subthalamic nuclei (STN)] in PD subjects with and without FoG and elderly controls.Method:Twenty-one people with PD and FoG (PD-FoG), 18 without FoG (PD-noFoG), and 19 age-matched controls (HC) completed a Stop-Signal Task (SST) and MRI scan. Probabilistic fiber tractography assessed structural integrity (fractional anisotropy, FA) among IFC, preSMA, and STN regions.Results:Stop-signal performance did not differ between PD and HC, nor between PD-FoG and PD-noFoG. Differences in white matter integrity were observed across groups (.001 < p < .064), but were restricted to PD versus HC groups; no differences in FA were observed between PD-FoG and PD-noFoG (p > .096). Interestingly, worse FoG was associated with higher (better) mean FA in the r-preSMA, (β = .547, p = .015). Microstructural integrity of the r-IFC, r-preSMA, and r-STN tracts correlated with stop-signal performance in HC (p ≤ .019), but not people with PD.Conclusion:These results do not support inefficient response inhibition in PD-FoG. Those with PD exhibited white matter loss in the response inhibition network, but this was not associated with FoG, nor with response inhibition deficits, suggesting FoG-specific neural changes may occur outside the response inhibition network. As shown previously, white matter loss was associated with response inhibition in elderly controls, suggesting PD may disturb this relationship.
Mediators and Moderators of the Association Between Perceived Stress and Episodic Memory in Diverse Older Adults
Authors: Zaheed Afsara B. , Sharifian Neika , Kraal A. Zarina , Sol Ketlyne , Manly Jennifer J. , Schupf Nicole , Brickman Adam M. , Zahodne Laura B. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractObjective:Stress is a risk factor for numerous negative health outcomes, including cognitive impairment in late-life. The negative association between stress and cognition may be mediated by depressive symptoms, which separate studies have identified as both a consequence of perceived stress and a risk factor for cognitive decline. Pathways linking perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and cognition may be moderated by sociodemographics and psychosocial resources. The goal of this cross-sectional study was to identify modifying factors and enhance understanding of the mechanisms underlying the stress–cognition association in a racially and ethnically diverse sample of older adults.Method:A linear regression estimated the association between perceived stress and episodic memory in 578 older adults (Mage= 74.58) in the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project. Subsequent models tested whether depressive symptoms mediated the stress–memory relationship and whether sociodemographics (gender, race, and ethnicity) or perceived control moderated these pathways.Results:Independent of sociodemographics and chronic diseases, greater perceived stress was associated with worse episodic memory. This relationship was mediated by more depressive symptoms. Higher perceived control buffered the association between stress and depressive symptoms. There was no significant moderation by gender, race, or ethnicity.Conclusion:Depressive symptoms may play a role in the negative association between perceived stress and cognition among older adults; however, longitudinal analyses and studies using experimental designs are needed. Perceived control is a modifiable psychological resource that may offset the negative impact of stress.
EVOLUTIONARY DYNAMICS IN DISCRETE TIME FOR THE PERTURBED POSITIVE DEFINITE REPLICATOR EQUATION
Authors: ALBRECHT AMIE , AVRACHENKOV KONSTANTIN , HOWLETT PHIL , VERMA GEETIKA 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe population dynamics for the replicator equation has been well studied in continuous time, but there is less work that explicitly considers the evolution in discrete time. The discrete-time dynamics can often be justified indirectly by establishing the relevant evolutionary dynamics for the corresponding continuous-time system, and then appealing to an appropriate approximation property. In this paper we study the discrete-time system directly, and establish basic stability results for the evolution of a population defined by a positive definite system matrix, where the population is disrupted by random perturbations to the genotype distribution either through migration or mutation, in each successive generation.
3D conformal, IMRT and VMAT for the treatment of head and neck cancer: a brief literature review
Authors: Afrin Kazi T. , Ahmad Salahuddin 
Published: December 2020

AbstractAim:The objective of this study has been to identify monitor unit (MU) and treatment time variations, volume coverage dissimilarity among 3D conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT), intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatment plans for head and neck cancer (HNC) based on literature review.Methods:A number of HNC cases were studied with the investigation of conformity and homogeneity index.Results:When high-dose modulation was required around small organs at risk (OARs), a clinically acceptable IMRT plan was achieved as VMAT usually required longer dose optimisation time. The greatest benefit of VMAT has been rapid treatment delivery allowing improved patient comfort, reduced intra-fraction motion and increased patient throughput. In some papers, 3D-CRT was shown not to meet well the requirements on parotid glands. One paper showed that cerebellum dose was lower for 3D-CRT than IMRT. However, it was found in other papers that OAR sparing with 3D-CRT was reasonable but in complex cases not enough.Conclusions:IMRT usually consists of several treatment fields with different directions, hundreds of beam lets with modulated intensity, an advantage over 3D-CRT, whereas VMAT has advantage over IMRT due to rotating beam utilisation. VMAT has lower total MU and treatment times than IMRT and 3D-CRT, while maintaining similar dosimetric endpoints.
Future provision of home end-of-life care: Family carers’ willingness for caregiving and needs for support
Authors: Chan Wallace Chi Ho 
Published: December 2020

AbstractObjectiveThis study aimed to examine family carers’ willingness, perceived difficulties and confidence in providing home end-of-life care to family members in future and their needs for support for doing so. Specific focus was on whether significant differences were found between carers of low and high levels of psychological distress.MethodFamily carers who had been providing care to family members living in the community were recruited via a local elderly agency in Hong Kong. A survey was conducted. Carers were asked to complete a questionnaire which included self-developed items, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Carers’ Support Need Assessment Tool.ResultsOf the 89 participants, 63.8% reported willingness to provide end-of-life care in future (increased to 78.5% if support needs were met), but most perceived it as difficult, and over half were not confident about doing so. The three greatest needs for support in end-of-life care are understanding the relative's illness, knowing what to expect in future, and knowing who to contact if concerned. Participants of the high psychological distress group experienced a significantly greater need for support in “dealing with your feelings and worries” and “looking after your own health.”Significance of ResultsCurrent family carers may not be ready for future provision of home end-of-life care. Meeting their support needs in providing end-of-life care is crucial to ensure the continuity of care provision. Psychologically distressed carers may often ignore self-care and may need helping professionals’ additional support.
Gender, Benevolent Sexism, and Public Health Compliance
Authors: Chen Philip , Farhart Christina 
Published: December 2020

AbstractGrowing research shows a correlation between gender, benevolent sexism, partisanship, and COVID-19 public health compliance. We show first that women are more likely than men to engage in protective behaviors to slow the spread of COVID-19. We also find that while Republicans and Independents are less likely to comply with these measures, benevolent sexism moderates the effect of partisanship and can increase compliance. These results suggest that framing public health directives in terms of chivalry and protection activates benevolent sexism, potentially offsetting patterns of noncompliance associated with partisanship. We discuss the negative consequences of these results and posit a need for bipartisan messages to reduce reliance on benevolent sexism in the future.
Introducing Latin. Non-specialist Latin teachers talk
Authors: Hunt Steven 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis article describes the ways in which four non-specialist Latin teachers are introducing Latin to their schools1. The interviews reported here took place in four secondary schools in London and the South-East in 2019. The interviews were informal and were held with the teachers while I was consultant on behalf of the charity Classics for All while training non-specialists to introduce Latin into their schools, where no classical subjects had been offered previously. Teachers use Latin to meet Ofsted targets for the uptake of the English Baccalaureate (henceforth EBacc2) and to provide a broad and ambitious curriculum for all students. Resources and subject knowledge provide intellectual challenge and also stimulation. In conclusion I recommend greater support from the Department for Education (DfE) working with subject organisations to develop a coherent strategy for introducing classical subjects in state-maintained schools in order to support DfE and Ofsted objectives.
Further Investigation Into Detection Efficiency and False Alarm Rate for the Geostationary Lightning Mappers Aboard GOES‐16 and GOES‐17
Authors: Bateman Monte , Mach Douglas , Stock Michael 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) is a geostationary lightning detection and location instrument, developed for the R generation of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES‐R, S, T, and U). This paper details a new technique to assess detection efficiency (DE) and false alarm rate (FAR), which indicate how well the instrument is detecting lightning and rejecting nonlightning. In an attempt to compare GLM with the best possible ground truth data, we clustered several ground‐based lightning networks into a single “virtual” network and compare it to the GLM results. A major issue with determining the GLM DE and FAR values is that over much of the instrument field of view (FOV), there are no high DE systems. To assess the GLM DE and FAR over these regions, we modified our prior coincidence criteria by increasing the time window from ±1 s to as much as ±10 min to account for the lower DE of the ground truth systems. Using the expanded time window, we compare GLM flash data from August 1, 2019 through January 31, 2020 for both instruments against the virtual network lightning flash data. We find that increasing the time window, while maintaining the distance criteria of 50 km, greatly improve the DE and FAR values. With the full ±10 min time window, over the whole GLM FOV, the GLMs on GOES‐16 and GOES‐17 have a DE of over 90%. For the same time window, the FAR for GLM on GOES‐16 is just over 5%, while the FAR for the GLM on GOES‐17 is just under 20%.