bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Lessons Learned From Cases of COVID-19 Infection in South Korea
Authors: Kang Yun-Jung 
Published: May 2020

ABSTRACTOn December 31, 2019, the Chinese government officially announced that the country had a single pneumonia case with an unknown cause. In the weeks after, South Korea had 24 confirmed cases by February 8, and the number has increased steadily since then. The highly contagious virus known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infected Case No. 31 in Daegu; she was the first patient related to Sincheonji Church. Later, the number of cases involved with Sincheonji skyrocketed. On March 6, 2020, the number of confirmed cases was 6284, with 42 dead. This study, through collecting epidemiological data about various COVID-19 infection cases, discovered that getting together in large groups leads to mass infection, and that paying close attention to personal hygiene by means of wearing masks, sanitary gloves, etc., can prevent the spread of COVID-19. Additional epidemiological data and related studies on COVID-19 infections in South Korea are likely to support or slightly modify this conclusion. However, this study is significant in that it emphasizes the precautionary principle in preventing and managing infectious diseases, and has a suggestion for public health policies, which are currently in high demand.
COVID-19: Are We Ready for the Second Wave?
Authors: Ali Inayat 
Published: May 2020

ABSTRACTThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has already exerted an enormous impact on the entire world. Everything is overwhelmed in the face of a rapid escalation of cases. The countries that have already reported the peak of transmission are easing their preventive measures yet fearing a second wave of infection. If the virus causes that next wave, are we sufficiently prepared to deal with it? I argue that the stakeholders concerned should simultaneously handle the ongoing pandemic while making effective preparations for its second wave. To relax the preventive measures, countries must thoroughly revisit their situations based on scientific evidence.
Assertions, Handicaps, and Social Norms
Authors: Graham Peter J. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractHow should we undertand the role of norms – especially epistemic norms – governing assertive speech acts? Mitchell Green (2009) has argued that these norms play the role of handicaps in the technical sense from the animal signals literature. As handicaps, they then play a large role in explaining the reliability – and so the stability (the continued prevalence) – of assertive speech acts. But though norms of assertion conceived of as social norms do indeed play this stabilizing role, these norms are best understood as deterrents and not as handicaps. This paper explains the stability problem for the maintenance of animal signals, and so human communication; the mechanics of the handicap principle; the role of deterrents and punishments as an alternative mechanism; and the role of social norms governing assertion for the case of human communication.
Eroding Support from Below: Performance in Local Government and Opposition Party Growth in South Africa
Authors: Farole Safia Abukar 
Published: May 2020

AbstractHow does support for opposition parties grow in dominant party systems? Most scholarship on the rise of competitive elections in dominant party regimes focuses on elite defections from the ruling party and coordination by opposition parties as key explanations, but there is less focus on how politics at the local level contributes to opposition victories. This article argues that effective service delivery in local government helps opposition parties grow support in local elections. Examining the case of the Democratic Alliance (DA) in South Africa, this article provides a systematic analysis of local elections and opposition party performance. Using an original data set of electoral, census and spatial data at the lowest electoral unit in South Africa (the ward), this article shows that in the areas where it is the incumbent party, support for the DA grows as the delivery of basic services to non-white households improves, and when DA-run wards outperform the neighbouring ones run by the ruling African National Congress party, support for the DA increases in neighbouring wards. Overall, this study contributes to our understanding of how local politics erode dominant party rule.
Mechanical Characterization of Heterogeneous Polycrystalline Rocks Using Nanoindentation Method in Combination with Generalized Means Method
Authors: Ayatollahi M.R. , Najafabadi M. Zare , Koloor S. S. R. , Petrů Michal 
Published: May 2020

ABSTRACTThe mechanical characterization of rocks is important in engineering design and analysis of rock-related structures. In the current researches, rocks are classified as heterogeneous materials with anisotropic behavior, and advanced methods such as combined experimental-numerical approach are developed to characterize the behavior of rocks. In this study, the nanoindentation experiment in conjunction with the generalized means method is used to determine the Young’s modulus and hardness of eight different polycrystalline granite rocks. In the first step, the Young’s modulus and hardness of granites’ constituents are determined through nanoindentation tests on pure granite minerals. Then, the properties of granites are determined using generalized means method by considering the mechanical properties of minerals, their volume fractions and an empirical constant called the microstructural coefficient. Accurate results with less than 3% error are obtained for 62.5% of the granite samples. The generalized means is introduced as a simple and effective method to characterize the mechanical properties of heterogeneous polycrystalline rocks.
Commentary: A network science summer course for high-school students
Authors: Klimm Florian , Maier Benjamin F. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractWe discuss a two-week summer course on “Network Science” and “Complex Systems” that we taught for 15 German high-school pupils of ages 16–18. In this course, we covered topics in graph theory, applied network science, programming, and dynamic systems alike. We find that “Network Science” is a well-suited course for introducing students to university-level mathematics. We reflect on difficulties regarding programming exercises and the discussion of more advanced topics in dynamic systems. We make the course material available and encourage fellow network scientists to organize similar outreach events.
Knowing me, knowing you: theory of mind in AI
Authors: Cuzzolin F. , Morelli A. , Cîrstea B. , Sahakian B. J. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractArtificial intelligence has dramatically changed the world as we know it, but is yet to fully embrace ‘hot’ cognition, i.e., the way an intelligent being's thinking is affected by their emotional state. Artificial intelligence encompassing hot cognition will not only usher in enhanced machine-human interactions, but will also promote a much needed ethical approach. Theory of Mind, the ability of the human mind to attribute mental states to others, is a key component of hot cognition. To endow machines with (limited) Theory of Mind capabilities, computer scientists will need to work closely with psychiatrists, psychologists and neuroscientists. They will need to develop new models, but also to formally define what problems need to be solved and how the results should be assessed.
The Countryside of Roman Britain: A Gallic Perspective
Authors: Fulford Michael 
Published: May 2020

ABSTRACTThe publication of the RurLand (Rural Landscape in North-East Gaul) project has provided an opportunity to compare methodologies and results with those of The Rural Settlement of Roman Britain project. Two themes, which draw out the asymmetrical development of settlement in the two regions, are examined: the very different impacts of the Roman conquests of Gaul and of Britain on settlement numbers and settlement continuity, and the development of the agricultural economy and its relationship with the frontiers of Britain and Germany, as reflected in the growth and decline of villa estates in Britain and Gaul.
The banning of bromacil in Costa Rica
Authors: Valverde Bernal E. , Chaves Lilliana 
Published: May 2020

AbstractBromacil was introduced at the beginning of the 1960s for PRE and early POST control of grasses and broadleaf weeds, particularly in citrus (Rutaceae spp.) orchards and pineapple [Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.] plantations as well as in noncultivated areas. Both the acidic form of bromacil and its lithium salt are highly soluble in water; the herbicide is moderately to highly persistent in the soil with a half-life from 60 d to 8 mo and is prone to percolate in the soil and reach groundwater. In Costa Rica, bromacil was registered for both citrus and pineapple, but in recent years its major use has been in pineapple. An average of 60,000 kg of active bromacil per year were imported before its banning in 2017. Pineapple is grown in more than 40,000 ha; the recommended rate of bromacil was 1.6 to 3.2 kg ha−1. In a survey conducted by the National University between 2001 and 2004, bromacil was the most frequently found pesticide, at levels between 0.5 and 20 µg L−1, in water springs and wells in the pineapple-growing area of the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. Further studies conducted more recently also documented the presence of bromacil in the ground and surface water in areas where pineapple is planted. The local standard for the quality of drinking water of 2015 established maximum acceptable values of 0.1 µg L−1 and 0.5 µg L−1 for a single pesticide and for the sum of all pesticides present, respectively, but it was amended for bromacil to comply with requirements determined by the Constitutional Court to “non-detectable by method.” This paper provides an account of the scientific and administrative considerations for the banning of bromacil that occurred on May 24, 2017.
Forced Patterns of Sea Level Rise in the Community Earth System Model Large Ensemble From 1920 to 2100
Authors: Fasullo John T. , Gent Peter R. , Nerem R. S. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractTo provide context for observed sea level rise, the forced response (FR) in dynamic sea level (DSL) during the 20th and 21st centuries is examined in the Community Earth System Model Large Ensemble (LE). After accounting for simulation drift, which in the LE is sizable, the DSL FR is found to be complex, both in space and time. Its evolving character is suggested to arise from both the diversity and transient evolution of climate forcing agents and the slow adjustment timescales of the intermediate and deep oceans. Nonetheless, various intervals of spatially coherent change simulated for the recent past and near future are identified, and their characteristics and associated driving mechanisms are identified and discussed. The mid‐ to late‐20th century DSL FR is characterized by an hemispherically asymmetric pattern of change, with depressed rates of rise in the northern oceans. There is also a dipole of change in the Southern Ocean caused by changes in near‐surface zonal winds. Through the late 20th and early 21st centuries, a different pattern of rise emerges with elevated rates in the tropics and depressed rates at high latitudes. Zonal and interbasin variations characterize both intervals and involve the pattern and depth of anomalous ocean heat content storage and spatial contrasts in the expansion coefficient tied mainly to base state temperature, with greater rates of rise in warm regions per unit warming. The relative roles of surface flux and ocean convergence anomalies are examined.
Reproducing the dopamine pathophysiology of schizophrenia and approaches to ameliorate it: a translational imaging study with ketamine
Authors: Kokkinou Michelle , Irvine Elaine E. , Bonsall David R. , Natesan Sridhar , Wells Lisa A. , Smith Mark , Glegola Justyna , Paul Eleanor J. , Tossell Kyoko , Veronese Mattia , Khadayate Sanjay , Dedic Nina , Hopkins Seth C. , Ungless Mark A. , Withers Dominic J. , Howes Oliver D. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractPatients with schizophrenia show increased striatal dopamine synthesis capacity in imaging studies. The mechanism underlying this is unclear but may be due to N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) hypofunction and parvalbumin (PV) neuronal dysfunction leading to disinhibition of mesostriatal dopamine neurons. Here, we develop a translational mouse model of the dopamine pathophysiology seen in schizophrenia and test approaches to reverse the dopamine changes. Mice were treated with sub-chronic ketamine (30 mg/kg) or saline and then received in vivo positron emission tomography of striatal dopamine synthesis capacity, analogous to measures used in patients. Locomotor activity was measured using the open-field test. In vivo cell-type-specific chemogenetic approaches and pharmacological interventions were used to manipulate neuronal excitability. Immunohistochemistry and RNA sequencing were used to investigate molecular mechanisms. Sub-chronic ketamine increased striatal dopamine synthesis capacity (Cohen’s d = 2.5) and locomotor activity. These effects were countered by inhibition of midbrain dopamine neurons, and by activation of PV interneurons in pre-limbic cortex and ventral subiculum of the hippocampus. Sub-chronic ketamine reduced PV expression in these cortical and hippocampal regions. Pharmacological intervention with SEP-363856, a novel psychotropic agent with agonism at trace amine receptor 1 (TAAR1) and 5-HT1A receptors but no appreciable action at dopamine D2 receptors, significantly reduced the ketamine-induced increase in dopamine synthesis capacity. These results show that sub-chronic ketamine treatment in mice mimics the dopaminergic alterations in patients with psychosis, that this requires activation of midbrain dopamine neurons, and can be ameliorated by activating PV interneurons and by a TAAR1/5-HT1A agonist. This identifies novel therapeutic approaches for targeting presynaptic dopamine dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia and effects of ketamine relevant to its therapeutic use for treating major depression.
How does spaceflight affect the acquired immune system?
Authors: Akiyama Taishin , Horie Kenta , Hinoi Eiichi , Hiraiwa Manami , Kato Akihisa , Maekawa Yoichi , Takahashi Akihisa , Furukawa Satoshi 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe impact of spaceflight on the immune system has been investigated extensively during spaceflight missions and in model experiments conducted on Earth. Data suggest that the spaceflight environment may affect the development of acquired immunity, and immune responses. Herein we summarize and discuss the influence of the spaceflight environment on acquired immunity. Bone marrow and the thymus, two major primary lymphoid organs, are evidently affected by gravitational change during spaceflight. Changes in the microenvironments of these organs impair lymphopoiesis, and thereby may indirectly impinge on acquired immunity. Acquired immune responses may also be disturbed by gravitational fluctuation, stressors, and space radiation both directly and in a stress hormone-dependent manner. These changes may affect acquired immune responses to pathogens, allergens, and tumors.
Model of vaccine efficacy against HSV-2 superinfection of HSV-1 seropositive mice demonstrates protection by antibodies mediating cellular cytotoxicity
Authors: Burn Aschner Clare , Knipe David M. , Herold Betsy C. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractA majority of the world’s population is infected with HSV-1, highlighting the need for vaccines that are effective in HSV-1-seropositive hosts. We established a superinfection model by infecting mice intranasally with a sublethal dose of HSV-1, which results in high rates of seropositive, latently infected mice susceptible to HSV-2 superinfection. Sublethal HSV-1 induced a predominantly neutralizing antibody response. Vaccination of HSV-1-seropositive mice with recombinant adjuvanted glycoprotein D (rgD-2) failed to significantly boost HSV total or neutralizing antibody responses and provided no significant increased protection against HSV-2 superinfection compared to control-vaccinated HSV-1-seropositive mice. In contrast, immunization with a single-cycle virus deleted in gD (ΔgD-2) significantly boosted total HSV-specific antibody titers and elicited new antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity responses, providing complete protection from death following HSV-2 superinfection. This model recapitulates clinical responses to natural infection and the rgD-2 vaccine trial outcomes and suggests that ΔgD-2 may prove protective in HSV-1-seropositive hosts.
PATH - Prediction of Amyloidogenicity by Threading and Machine Learning
Authors: Wojciechowski Jakub W. , Kotulska Małgorzata 
Published: May 2020

AbstractAmyloids are protein aggregates observed in several diseases, for example in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. An aggregate has a very regular beta structure with a tightly packed core, which spontaneously assumes a steric zipper form. Experimental methods enable studying such peptides, however they are tedious and costly, therefore inappropriate for genomewide studies. Several bioinformatic methods have been proposed to evaluate protein propensity to form an amyloid. However, the knowledge of aggregate structures is usually not taken into account. We propose PATH (Prediction of Amyloidogenicity by THreading) - a novel structure-based method for predicting amyloidogenicity and show that involving available structures of amyloidogenic fragments enhances classification performance. Experimental aggregate structures were used in templatebased modeling to recognize the most stable representative structural class of a query peptide. Several machine learning methods were then applied on the structural models, using their energy terms. Finally, we identified the most important terms in classification of amyloidogenic peptides. The proposed method outperforms most of the currently available methods for predicting amyloidogenicity, with its area under ROC curve equal to 0.876. Furthermore, the method gave insight into significance of selected structural features and the potentially most stable structural class of a peptide fragment if subjected to crystallization.
Improved designs for pET expression plasmids increase protein production yield in Escherichia coli
Authors: Shilling Patrick J. , Mirzadeh Kiavash , Cumming Alister J. , Widesheim Magnus , Köck Zoe , Daley Daniel O. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe pET series of expression plasmids are widely used for recombinant protein production in Escherichia coli. The genetic modules controlling transcription and translation in these plasmids were first described in the 1980s and have not changed since. Herein we report design flaws in these genetic modules. We present improved designs and demonstrate that, when incorporated into pET28a, they support increases in protein production. The improved designs are applicable to most of the 103 vectors in the pET series and can be easily implemented.
Adaptive laboratory evolution enhances methanol tolerance and conversion in engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum
Authors: Wang Yu , Fan Liwen , Tuyishime Philibert , Liu Jiao , Zhang Kun , Gao Ning , Zhang Zhihui , Ni Xiaomeng , Feng Jinhui , Yuan Qianqian , Ma Hongwu , Zheng Ping , Sun Jibin , Ma Yanhe 
Published: May 2020

AbstractSynthetic methylotrophy has recently been intensively studied to achieve methanol-based biomanufacturing of fuels and chemicals. However, attempts to engineer platform microorganisms to utilize methanol mainly focus on enzyme and pathway engineering. Herein, we enhanced methanol bioconversion of synthetic methylotrophs by improving cellular tolerance to methanol. A previously engineered methanol-dependent Corynebacterium glutamicum is subjected to adaptive laboratory evolution with elevated methanol content. Unexpectedly, the evolved strain not only tolerates higher concentrations of methanol but also shows improved growth and methanol utilization. Transcriptome analysis suggests increased methanol concentrations rebalance methylotrophic metabolism by down-regulating glycolysis and up-regulating amino acid biosynthesis, oxidative phosphorylation, ribosome biosynthesis, and parts of TCA cycle. Mutations in the O-acetyl-l-homoserine sulfhydrylase Cgl0653 catalyzing formation of l-methionine analog from methanol and methanol-induced membrane-bound transporter Cgl0833 are proven crucial for methanol tolerance. This study demonstrates the importance of tolerance engineering in developing superior synthetic methylotrophs.
A virus that has gone viral: amino acid mutation in S protein of Indian isolate of Coronavirus COVID-19 might impact receptor binding, and thus, infectivity
Authors: Saha Priyanka , Banerjee Arup Kumar , Tripathi Prem Prakash , Srivastava Amit Kumar , Ray Upasana 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Since 2002, β coronaviruses (CoVs) have caused three zoonotic outbreaks, SARS-CoV in 2002, MERS-CoV in 2012, and the recent outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 late in 2019 (also named as COVID-19 or novel coronavirus 2019 or nCoV2019). Spike (S) protein, one of the structural proteins of this virus plays key role in receptor (ACE2) binding and thus virus entry. Thus, this protein has attracted scientists for detailed study and therapeutic targeting. As the nCoV2019 takes its course throughout the world, more and more sequence analyses are being done and genome sequences are being deposited in various databases. From India, two clinical isolates have been sequenced and the full genome has been deposited in GenBank. We have performed sequence analyses of the Spike protein of the Indian isolates and compared with that of the Wuhan, China (where the outbreak was first reported). While all the sequences of Wuhan isolates are identical, we found point mutations in the Indian isolates. Out of the two isolates, one was found to harbor a mutation in its receptor-binding domain (RBD) at position 407. At this site, arginine (a positively charged amino acid) was replaced by isoleucine (a hydrophobic amino acid that is also a C-β branched amino acid). This mutation has been seen to change the secondary structure of the protein at that region and this can potentially alter receptor binding of the virus. Although this finding needs further validation and more sequencing, the information might be useful in rational drug designing and vaccine engineering.