bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
COVID-19 and the rise of social activism in Southeast Asia: a public health concern
Authors: Corpuz Jeff Clyde G 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
The current public health crisis has radically altered the social and civic involvement in Southeast Asia. Although the virus has shifted the landscape of engagement, it has not dampened the enthusiasm of the public. In 2020–2021, more people than ever seem to be paying attention and even getting involved in activism. Many dramatic events happened during the coronavirus crisis such as from protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, public activism around the environment, economic inequality, authoritarianism and human rights violations. In Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and just recently Myanmar. The journal has lately published about the ‘Relationship of George Floyd protests to increases in COVID-19 cases using event study methodology’ and it has rightly expressed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-recommended social distancing guidelines must be followed in a protest situation. In response to the situation of social activism in Southeast Asia, one must follow the CDC-recommended and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines in the Region. Although protesting is an individual human right, one must also be cautious and be aware of the deadly virus since we are still in a pandemic and the COVID-19 virus continues to mutate.
Psychospiritual care for parents during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Quendan Randy G , Lingad Reiner B , Gozum Ivan Efreaim A 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
In a recent article, energy poverty increases the likelihood of depression in parents. The authors responded that this situation must be given attention because parental well-being can influence child development and outcomes. With this, we propose, in this paper, that an avenue that can be done is by providing a psychospiritual care for parents especially during the COVID-19 pandemic in which anxieties among family members arise.
Impact of psoriasis disease activity and other risk factors on serum urate levels in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis—a post-hoc analysis of pooled data from three phase 3 trials with secukinumab
Authors: Dehlin Mats , Fasth Andreas E R , Reinhardt Maximilian , Jacobsson Lennart T H 
Published: February 2021

Abstract

Objectives
Our aims were to determine if the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) score and serum urate (SU) levels were associated at baseline and whether the change in PASI score during 12 weeks of treatment resulted in a significant change in SU, adjusted for relevant confounders.

Methods
Data from patients with psoriasis/PsA (n = 1042/204) in three phase 3 randomized control trials treated with secukinumab (dose 300 mg, n = 628) or placebo (n = 414) were pooled. At baseline, values for SU, PASI and the following covariates were assessed: age, sex, BMI, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and medication with diuretics. To assess the changes in PASI (ΔPASI) and SU (Δurate), the differences (week 12 minus baseline) in patients receiving the active drug were used. Multivariable linear regression, adjusting for covariates, was used to assess the association between PASI and SU at baseline with all patients pooled and to assess the association between Δurate and ΔPASI over 12 weeks of treatment with secukinumab.

Results
The degree of skin involvement of psoriasis showed a statistically significant, albeit modest, association with SU (R2 = 0.014, P &lt; 0.0001 univariately), whereas known risk factors for hyperuricaemia had a much larger impact cross-sectionally at baseline (R2 = 0.33, P &lt; 0.0001). Furthermore, a substantial improvement in PASI score resulted in only a modest decrease of SU over 12 weeks of treatment with secukinumab (R2 = 0.014, P &lt; 0.0001 univariately).

Conclusions
There is a statistically significant, albeit modest, association with both extent and change in PASI score and SU in patients with psoriasis, compatible with a potential pathophysiological relationship between urate and psoriasis.

Trial Registration
ERASURE: clinicaltrials.gov, https://clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01365455; FIXTURE: clinicaltrials.gov, https://clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01358578; SCULPTURE: clinicaltrials.gov, https://clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01406938
Competing for Talent: Firms, Managers, and Social Networks
Authors: Hacamo Isaac , Kleiner Kristoph 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Do social networks help firms recruit talented managers? In our setting, firms are randomly connected to prospective young managers through former employees. Under a discrete choice model, we find networks increase the likelihood firms hire high-ability managers, while having no effect on the hiring rate of low-ability managers. Effects are greatest for nonlocal firms, strong ties, and peers living in the same neighborhood. Survey evidence suggests social networks promote recruitment by providing information about firm fundamentals to potential applicants. Our results help rationalize why the majority of managers hold prior connections to the firm.
PRACTICAL GUIDANCE ON THE REGULATORY MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE LIQUID DISCHARGES FROM MEDICAL, EDUCATIONAL AND RESEARCH LABORATORIES
Authors: Carinou E , Housiadas C 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
License applicants are often faced with the need to perform a radiological impact assessment study for the liquid discharges in public sewers, even for practices with short-lived isotopes used in medical, educational or research laboratories. The present paper addresses the regulatory management challenges in performing such assessments and provides a practical calculation toolbox that enables more realistic derivation of doses to critical members, based on a simple calculation means. The proposed methodology is validated through comparisons with results from other models. The effectiveness of the method is illustrated by considering relevant examples of hospitals and education and research establishments in Greece. The results show that the proposed method is a sound tool that achieves a more realistic estimation of the induced doses. In most cases a reduction in the initial screening dose estimates by several orders of magnitude is attained, thus greatly facilitating the effort needed to ascertain regulatory compliance.
Legislative Regulation of Criminal Liability for Environmental Crimes in the BRICS Countries
Authors: Ivanova Liliya V , Minin Roman V , Perezhogina Galina V 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
One of the areas of cooperation between the BRICS countries is the joint solution of environmental problems, in particular, air and water pollution by harmful emissions, waste management, climate change, biodiversity conservation, as well as the implementation of joint ‘green’ environmental projects. The aim of the study is to identify the features of criminal environmental protection in the BRICS countries. The leading method for studying this problem is the method of analysis of legal acts of the Russian Federation, the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Republic of India, the People’s Republic of China, and the Republic of South Africa, which establish criminal liability for infringements in the field of environmental protection. As a result of the study, the norms contained in the Brazilian Law on Environmental Crimes, in the Criminal Code of Russia, China, as well as in the laws of India and South Africa, which protect the air, land, water, animal, and plant life, were studied. The practical significance of the study is determined by the necessity to introduce liability for environmental crimes in individual countries that are members of the BRICS. It was concluded that it is necessary to develop supranational provisions to ensure environmental protection by legal means.
Antibiotic Response to Pediatric Scrub Typhus in South India: Is Clinical Failure to Azithromycin to be Worried?
Authors: Veerappan Ilamaran , Ramar Rathisharmila , Palanisamy Soundararajan 
Published: February 2021

ABSTRACT

Background
Scrub typhus is typically associated with a rapid defervescence and clinical improvement within 48 h of initiation of appropriate antibiotics. But increasing reports of resistance to anti-rickettsial medications in scrub typhus are being reported in the literature.

Methods
This is a retrospective observational study of children up to the age of 14 years admitted between July 2017 and March 2020, to a private medical college hospital in southern part of India. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical response to antibiotic therapy with doxycycline and azithromycin in pediatric scrub typhus infection.

Results
One hundred thirty-eight children with scrub typhus infection were included for analysis. The median fever control time (h) was 12 (IQR = 6–29) and 24 (IQR = 10–52) with doxycycline and azithromycin respectively (p &lt; 0.001*). Rapid fever control within 48 h was observed in 92% with doxycycline and in 74% with azithromycin (p &lt; 0.001*). The clinical failure rate (defined by the necessity to change the antibiotics due to: (i) worsening of symptoms and signs of scrub typhus despite 48 h of antibiotics or (ii) persistence of fever and other symptoms of scrub typhus beyond 72 h), was significantly less with doxycycline (1%) compared with azithromycin (9.6%).

Conclusion
There has been a significant delayed clinical response to azithromycin in the treatment of scrub typhus in India, when compared to doxycycline. Hence it is preferable to use doxycycline as the first line of antibiotic for undifferentiated fever in scrub typhus endemic areas.

Lay summary
This retrospective study aims to compare the clinical response to doxycycline or azithromycin in the treatment of scrub typhus infection in children. The median fever control time, clinical failure rate and the proportion of children with rapid defervescence of fever within 48 h were significantly superior with doxycycline as compared to azithromycin. The findings of this study and those of similar studies in India represent a spectrum of delayed clinical response of Orientia tsutsugamushi to azithromycin as compared to doxycycline in this region.
Effects of visual attention modulation on dynamic effective connectivity and visual fixation during own-face viewing in body dysmorphic disorder
Authors: Wong Wan-wa , Rangaprakash D. , Diaz-Fong Joel P. , Rotstein Natalie M. , Hellemann Gerhard S. , Feusner Jamie D. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractBackgroundIn individuals with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), selective attention biases and aberrant visual scanning patterns may cause imbalances in global vs. detailed visual processing, contributing to perceptual distortions for appearance. The mechanistic effects of modifying visual attention on brain function in BDD, which may be critical to developing perceptual-based treatments, have not been explored. This study tested the effects of visual-attention modulation on dorsal and ventral visual stream activation and connectivity, and eye behaviors.MethodsWe acquired functional magnetic resonance imaging data in 37 unmedicated adults with BDD and 30 controls. Participants viewed their faces under two conditions: a) unconstrained (naturalistically), and b) holding their gaze on the center of the image (visual-attention modulation), monitored with an eye-tracking camera. We analyzed activation and dynamic effective connectivity in dorsal and ventral visual streams and visual fixation duration.ResultsVisual-attention modulation resulted in longer fixation duration and reduced activation in dorsal and ventral visual streams in both groups compared with naturalistic viewing. Longer fixation duration was associated with greater effective connectivity from V1 to early dorsal visual stream during the second naturalistic viewing, across groups. During naturalistic viewing, there was greater V1 to early dorsal visual stream connectivity after, compared with before, visual-attention modulation.ConclusionsWhen viewing one’s face, longer visual fixation may confer greater communication in dorsal visual system, facilitating global/holistic visual processing. The finding that reduction in visual scanning while viewing one’s face results in persistent effects during unconstrained viewing has implications for perceptual retraining treatment design for BDD.
FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines are effective per real-world evidence synthesized across a multi-state health system
Authors: Pawlowski Colin , Lenehan Patrick , Puranik Arjun , Agarwal Vineet , Venkatakrishnan AJ , Niesen Michiel J.M. , O’Horo John C. , Virk Abinash , Swift Melanie D. , Badley Andrew D. , Halamka John , Soundararajan Venky 
Published: February 2021

AbstractLarge Phase 3 clinical trials of the two FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines, mRNA-1273 (Moderna) and BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech), have demonstrated efficacies of 94.1% (n = 30,420, 95% CI: 89.3-96.8) and 95% (n = 43,448, 95% CI: 90.3-97.6) in preventing symptomatic COVID-19, respectively. Given the ongoing vaccine rollout to healthcare personnel and residents of long-term care facilities, here we provide a preliminary assessment of real-world vaccination efficacy in 62,138 individuals from the Mayo Clinic and associated health system (Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, Wisconsin) between December 1st2020 and February 8th2021. Our retrospective analysis contrasts 31,069 individuals receiving at least one dose of either vaccine with 31,069 unvaccinated individuals who are propensity-matched based on demographics, location (zip code), and number of prior SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests. 8,041 individuals received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and were at risk for infection at least 36 days after their first dose. Administration of two COVID-19 vaccine doses was 88.7% effective in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection (95% CI: 68.4-97.1%) with onset at least 36 days after the first dose. Furthermore, vaccinated patients who were subsequently diagnosed with COVID-19 had significantly lower 14-day hospital admission rates than propensity-matched unvaccinated COVID-19 patients (3.7% vs. 9.2%; Relative Risk: 0.4; p-value: 0.007). Building upon the previous randomized trials of these vaccines, this study demonstrates their real-world effectiveness in reducing the rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity among individuals at highest risk for infection.
Multidimensional Single-Nuclei RNA-Seq Reconstruction of Adipose Tissue Reveals Adipocyte Plasticity Underlying Thermogenic Response
Authors: de Biagi Carlos Alberto Oliveira , Cury Sarah Santiloni , de Pádua Alves Cleidson , Rabhi Nabil , Silva Wilson Araujo , Farmer Stephen R. , Carvalho Robson Francisco , Batista Miguel Luiz 
Published: February 2021

AbstractAdipose tissue has been classified based on its morphology and function as white, brown, or beige / brite. It plays an essential role as a regulator of systemic metabolism through paracrine and endocrine signals. Recently, multiple adipocyte subtypes have been revealed using RNA sequencing technology, going beyond simply defined morphology but by their cellular origin, adaptation to metabolic stress, and plasticity. Here, we performed an in-depth analysis of publicly available single-nuclei RNAseq from adipose tissue and utilized a workflow template to characterize adipocyte plasticity, heterogeneity, and secretome profiles. The reanalyzed dataset led to the identification of different subtypes of adipocytes including three subpopulations of thermogenic adipocytes and provided a characterization of distinct transcriptional profiles along the adipocyte trajectory under thermogenic challenges. This study provides a useful resource for further investigations regarding mechanisms related to adipocyte plasticity and trans-differentiation.HighlightsMultidimensional transcriptome analysis at single-nucleus resolution recovers nuclei of cell types in adipose tissueAdaptative thermogenic response results in 3 distinct mature adipose cell typesSingle-nuclei transcriptomic-based secretome analysis reveals adipose cell-type-specific genesThein vivotrajectory of adipocyte plasticity for thermogenic response reveals sets of trans-differentiation genesGraphic Abstract
Statistical determinants of visuomotor adaption along different dimensions during naturalistic 3D reaches
Authors: Ferrea E. , Franke J. , Morel P. , Gail A. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractNeurorehabilitation in patients suffering from motor deficits relies on relearning or re-adapting motor skills. Yet our understanding of motor learning is based mostly on results from one or two-dimensional experimental paradigms with highly confined movements. Since everyday movements are conducted in three-dimensional space, it is important to further our understanding about the effect that gravitational forces or perceptual anisotropy might or might not have on motor learning along all different dimensions relative to the body. Here we test how well existing concepts of motor learning generalize to movements in 3D. We ask how a subject’s variability in movement planning and sensory perception influences motor adaptation along three different body axes. To extract variability and relate it to adaptation rate, we employed a novel hierarchical two-state space model using Bayesian modeling via Hamiltonian Monte Carlo procedures. Our results show that differences in adaptation rate occur between the coronal, sagittal and horizontal planes and can be explained by the Kalman gain, i.e., a statistically optimal solution integrating planning and sensory information weighted by the inverse of their variability. This indicates that optimal integration theory for error correction holds for 3D movements and explains adaptation rate variation between movements in different planes.
Gene loss during a transition to multicellularity
Authors: Jiménez-Marín Berenice , Rakijas Jessica B. , Tyagi Antariksh , Pandey Aakash , Hanschen Erik R. , Anderson Jaden , Heffel Matthew G. , Platt Thomas G. , Olson Bradley J. S. C. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractMulticellular evolution is a major transition associated with momentous diversification of multiple lineages and increased developmental complexity. The volvocine algae comprise a valuable system for the study of this transition, as they span from unicellular to undifferentiated and differentiated multicellular morphologies despite their genomes being highly similar, suggesting multicellular evolution requires few genetic changes to undergo dramatic shifts in developmental complexity. Here, the evolutionary dynamics of six volvocine genomes were examined, where a gradual loss of genes was observed in parallel to the co-option of a few key genes. Protein complexes in the six species exhibited a high degree of novel interactions, suggesting that gene loss plays a role in evolutionary novelty. This finding was supported by gene network modeling, where gene loss outpaces gene gain in generating novel stable network states. These results suggest developmental complexity may be driven by gene loss, and not just by gene gain.Significance StatementIncreased developmental complexity is thought to evolve mainly through genetic innovation and co-option. Comparison of the genomes of the closely related volvocines revealed that despite large changes in developmental complexity their genomes are exhibiting significant gene loss. Further, a burst of gene loss is shown to occur at the transition to undifferentiated multicellularity by gene inactivation and decay. This likely results in changes to protein-protein interactions within the cell, suggesting evolutionary novelty does not always require gene gain. Using empirical and modelling approaches we demonstrate gene loss can more easily produce protein network novelty than gene gain. We propose that gene loss can be a driver of biological innovation, allowing for reconfiguration of gene networks and differential use of existing functional repertoires.
Evolutionary jumps in bacterial GC content
Authors: Mahajan Saurabh , Agashe Deepa 
Published: February 2021

AbstractGenomic GC content is a fundamental molecular trait linked with many key genomic features such as codon and amino acid use. Across bacteria, GC content is surprisingly diverse and has been studied for many decades; yet its evolution remains incompletely understood. Since it is difficult to observe GC content evolve on laboratory time-scales, phylogenetic comparative approaches are instrumental; but this dimension is rarely studied systematically in the case of bacterial GC content. We applied phylogenetic comparative models to analyse GC content evolution in multiple bacterial groups across two major bacterial phyla. We find that GC content diversifies via a combination of gradual evolution and evolutionary “jumps”. Surprisingly, unlike prior reports that solely focused on reductions in GC, we found a comparable number of jumps with both increased and decreased GC content. Overall, many of the identified jumps occur in lineages beyond the well-studied peculiar examples of endosymbiotic and AT-rich marine bacteria, and do not support the predicted role of oxygen dependence. Our analysis of rapid and large shifts in GC content thus identifies new clades and novel contexts to further understand the ecological and evolutionary drivers of this important genomic trait.
The Anna Karenina model of β cell maturation in development and their dedifferentiation in type 1 and type 2 diabetes
Authors: Nimkulrat Sutichot D. , Ni Zijian , Brown Jared , Kendziorski Christina , Blum Barak 
Published: February 2021

AbstractLoss of mature β cell function and identity, or β cell dedifferentiation, is seen in all types of diabetes mellitus. Two competing models explain β cell dedifferentiation in diabetes. In the first model, β cells dedifferentiate in the reverse order of their developmental ontogeny. This model predicts that dedifferentiated β cells resemble β cell progenitors. In the second model, β cell dedifferentiation depends on the type of diabetogenic stress. This model, which we call the “Anna Karenina” model, predicts that in each type of diabetes, β cells dedifferentiate in their own way, depending on how their mature identity is disrupted by any particular diabetogenic stress. We directly tested the two models using a β cell-specific lineage-tracing system coupled with RNA-sequencing in mice. We constructed a multidimensional map of β cell transcriptional trajectories during the normal course of β cell postnatal development and during their dedifferentiation in models of both type 1 diabetes (NOD) and type 2 diabetes (BTBR-Lepob/ob). Using this unbiased approach, we show here that despite some similarities between immature and dedifferentiated β cells, β cells dedifferentiation in the two mouse models is not a reversal of developmental ontogeny and is different between different types of diabetes.
Perceptual restoration fails to recover unconscious processing for smooth eye movements after occipital stroke
Authors: Kwon Sunwoo , Fahrenthold Berkeley K. , Cavanaugh Matthew R. , Huxlin Krystel R. , Mitchell Jude F. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe visual pathways that guide actions do not necessarily mediate conscious perception. Patients with primary visual cortex (V1) damage lose conscious perception but often retain unconscious abilities (e.g. blindsight). Here, we asked if saccade accuracy and post-saccadic following responses (PFRs) that automatically track target motion upon saccade landing are retained when conscious perception is lost. We contrasted these behaviors in the blind and intact-fields of 11 chronic V1-stroke patients, and in 8 visually-intact controls. Saccade accuracy was relatively normal in all cases. Stroke patients also had normal PFR in their intact-fields, but no PFR in their blind-fields. Thus, V1 damage did not spare the unconscious visual processing necessary for automatic, post-saccadic smooth eye movements. Importantly, visual training that recovered motion perception in the blind-field did not restore the PFR, suggesting a clear dissociation between pathways mediating perceptual restoration and automatic actions in the V1-damaged visual system.