bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Overlapping Functional Representations of Self- and Other-Related Thought are Separable Through Multivoxel Pattern Classification
Authors: Parelman Jacob M , Doré Bruce P , Cooper Nicole , O’Donnell Matthew Brook , Chan Hang-Yee , Falk Emily B 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Self-reflection and thinking about the thoughts and behaviors of others are important skills for humans to function in the social world. These two processes overlap in terms of the component processes involved, and share overlapping functional organizations within the human brain, in particular within the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). Several functional models have been proposed to explain these two processes, but none has directly explored the extent to which they are distinctly represented within different parts of the brain. This study used multivoxel pattern classification to quantify the separability of self- and other-related thought in the MPFC and expanded this question to the entire brain. Using a large-scale mega-analytic dataset, spanning three separate studies (n = 142), we find that self- and other-related thought can be reliably distinguished above chance within the MPFC, posterior cingulate cortex and temporal lobes. We highlight subcomponents of the ventral MPFC that are particularly important in representing self-related thought, and subcomponents of the orbitofrontal cortex robustly involved in representing other-related thought. Our findings indicate that representations of self- and other-related thought in the human brain are described best by a distributed pattern rather than stark localization or a purely ventral to dorsal linear gradient in the MPFC.
Moxifloxacin Pharmacokinetics, Cardiac Safety, and Dosing for the Treatment of Rifampicin-Resistant Tuberculosis in Children
Authors: Radtke Kendra K , Hesseling Anneke C , Winckler J L , Draper Heather R , Solans Belen P , Thee Stephanie , Wiesner Lubbe , van der Laan Louvina E , Fourie Barend , Nielsen James , Schaaf H Simon , Savic Radojka M , Garcia-Prats Anthony J 
Published: July 2021

Abstract

Background
Moxifloxacin is a recommended drug for rifampin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) treatment, but there is limited pediatric pharmacokinetic and safety data, especially in young children. We characterize moxifloxacin population pharmacokinetics and QT interval prolongation and evaluate optimal dosing in children with RR-TB.

Methods
Pharmacokinetic data were pooled from 2 observational studies in South African children with RR-TB routinely treated with oral moxifloxacin once daily. The population pharmacokinetics and Fridericia-corrected QT (QTcF)-interval prolongation were characterized in NONMEM. Pharmacokinetic simulations were performed to predict expected exposure and optimal weight-banded dosing.

Results
Eighty-five children contributed pharmacokinetic data (median [range] age of 4.6 [0.8–15] years); 16 (19%) were aged &lt;2 years, and 8 (9%) were living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The median (range) moxifloxacin dose on pharmacokinetic sampling days was 11 mg/kg (6.1 to 17). Apparent clearance was 6.95 L/h for a typical 16-kg child. Stunting and HIV increased apparent clearance. Crushed or suspended tablets had faster absorption. The median (range) maximum change in QTcF after moxifloxacin administration was 16.3 (–27.7 to 61.3) ms. No child had QTcF ≥500 ms. The concentration–QTcF relationship was nonlinear, with a maximum drug effect (Emax) of 8.80 ms (interindividual variability = 9.75 ms). Clofazimine use increased Emax by 3.3-fold. Model-based simulations of moxifloxacin pharmacokinetics predicted that current dosing recommendations are too low in children.

Conclusions
Moxifloxacin doses above 10–15 mg/kg are likely required in young children to match adult exposures but require further safety assessment, especially when coadministered with other QT-prolonging agents.
Induced shifting involvements and cycles of growth and distribution
Authors: Nikiforos Michalis 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe paper builds on the concept of (shifting) involvements, originally proposed by Albert Hirschman (1982). However, unlike Hirschman, the concept is framed in class terms. A model is presented where income distribution is determined by the involvement of the two classes, capitalists and workers. Higher involvement by capitalists and lower involvement by workers tends to increase the profit share and vice versa. In turn, shifts in involvements are induced by the potential effect of a change in distribution on economic activity and past levels of distribution. On the other hand, as the profit share increases, the economy tends to become more wage led. The dynamics of the resulting model are interesting. The more the two classes prioritise the increase of their income share over economic activity, the more possible it is that the economy is unstable. Under the stable configuration, the most likely outcome is Polanyian predator–prey cycles, which can explain some interesting historical episodes during the twentieth century. Finally, the paper discusses the possibility of conflict and cooperation within each of the distribution-led regimes.
Friends-Based Crowdsourcing: Algorithms For Task Dissemination Over Social Groups
Authors: Li Zhiyao , Liu Wei , Gao Xiaofeng , Chen Guihai 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Crowdsourcing has become increasingly popular in recent years. In order to achieve the optimal task allocation, one of the most important issues is to select more suitable crowdworkers. By leveraging its pervasiveness, social network can be employed as a novel worker recruitment platform. A robust task allocation scheme over the social network could also consider the word-of-mouth (WoM) mode, in which tasks are delivered from workers to workers. In this paper, we discuss an Non-deterministic Polynomial-Hard (NP-Hard) problem, cost-effective and budget-balanced task allocation (CBTA) problem under the WoM mode in social groups. We propose two heuristic algorithms: CB-greedy and CB-local based on greedy strategy and local search technique, respectively. We also prove that the running time of CB-greedy is $O(m^2\log m)$, whereas CB-local utilizing disjoint-set achieves $O(mn\alpha (m, n))$, where $m$ is the number of edges indicating interactions of social groups, $n$ is the number of social groups and $\alpha $ is the inverse Ackerman function. Extensive experiments validate the efficiency and performance of our proposed algorithms.
Optimization of Climatic Conditions Affecting Determination of the Amount of Water Needed by Plants in Relation to Their Life Cycle with Particle Swarm Optimization, and Determining the Optimum Irrigation Schedule
Authors: Bülbül Mehmet Akif , Öztürk Celal , Işık Mehmet Fatih 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Plants’ need for water has become a topic of research for the agriculture industry. The fact that plant species are very diverse and each plant’s need for water varies makes it difficult to plan programs with conventional irrigation methods. Plants exhibit different stages from their seed time to harvest season. Each stage is defined within as days, and the amount of water needed by the plant throughout these stages varies. In this study, optimization of the irrigation schedule for each stage of a plant is provided. The amount of water needed by the plant was first figured out by using climatic data, and then, these values were recalculated in relation to the plant type. The amount of water needed at each stage was related to the plant type by using particle swarm optimization. The obtained results revealed the optimal irrigation schedule for each stage with the obtained data.
Designed quadrature to approximate integrals in maximum simulated likelihood estimation
Authors: Bansal Prateek , Keshavarzzadeh Vahid , Guevara Angelo , Li Shanjun , Daziano Ricardo A 
Published: July 2021

SummaryMaximum simulated likelihood estimation of mixed multinomial logit models requires evaluation of a multidimensional integral. Quasi-Monte Carlo (QMC) methods such as Halton sequences and modified Latin hypercube sampling are workhorse methods for integral approximation. Earlier studies explored the potential of sparse grid quadrature (SGQ), but SGQ suffers from negative weights. As an alternative to QMC and SGQ, we looked into the recently developed designed quadrature (DQ) method. DQ requires fewer nodes to get the same level of accuracy as QMC and SGQ, is as easy to implement, ensures positivity of weights, and can be created on any general polynomial space. We benchmarked DQ against QMC in a Monte Carlo and an empirical study. DQ outperformed QMC in all considered scenarios, is practice ready, and has potential to become the workhorse method for integral approximation.
Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in unclear cases of ventricular interdependence: a case series
Authors: Moseley Alex , Mazur Wojciech , Ahmad Saad 
Published: July 2021

Abstract

Background
Diagnosis of constrictive pericarditis requires demonstration of interventricular interdependence which can prove difficult even with invasive haemodynamics. Its treatment requires invasive surgical procedures prior to which diagnostic certainty is necessary. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an underutilized tool for identification of this pathology.

Case summary
We present two cases of heart failure due to interventricular interdependence with inconclusive invasive haemodynamic. Prior to recommending invasive surgical treatment, confirmation of the diagnosis was required. This was achieved using cardiac MRI leading to pericardiectomy followed by clinical improvement.

Discussion
These cases demonstrate the clinical utility, sensitivity, and specificity of cardiac MRI for ventricular interdependence.
Against all odds—late repair of multiple shunt lesions in a patient with Down syndrome: a case report
Authors: Arvanitaki Alexandra , Januszewska Katarzyna , Malec Edward , Baumgartner Helmut , Kehl Hans-Gerd , Lammers Astrid Elisabeth 
Published: July 2021

Abstract

Background
Children with congenital heart defects (CHD) usually undergo elective surgical repair of haemodynamically relevant shunt lesions within the first year of life. Due to susceptibility for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in patients with Down syndrome, repair is usually aimed for no later than 6 months of life. However, with rising immigration from developing countries to Europe, more patients with unrepaired CHD are diagnosed at a later age. Anatomical repair may be precluded, when advanced pulmonary vascular disease has been established.

Case summary
We report a 39-month-old male patient with Down syndrome with a large non-restrictive perimembranous ventricular septal defect, a large patent ductus arteriosus, and a secundum-type atrial septal defect with a prominent left-to-right shunting. Haemodynamic assessment revealed only a mild increase of pulmonary artery pressures (mPAP) with low pulmonary vascular resistance index (PVRi). Vasodilator testing led to a further increase of the left-to-right shunt and decrease of PVRi, suggesting operability. After careful consideration, the patient underwent complete surgical repair with a good post-operative clinical outcome. Cardiac catheterization 6 months after corrective repair showed a normal mPAP. No signs of PAH have been detected in the medium-term follow-up.

Discussion
Expertise, increased physician awareness, and a thorough pre-operative multidisciplinary evaluation are paramount to determine the best treatment approach for patients, who may present late with multiple shunts, and—in our case—underlying Down syndrome. Long-term close post-surgical follow-up in an expert centre is warranted to promptly diagnose and treat a possible late presentation of PAH appropriately.
MINOCA-induced apical ballooning case report: a diagnostic conundrum
Authors: Dungarwalla Moez , Demetriades Polyvios , Been Martin , Khan Jamal Nasir 
Published: July 2021

Abstract

Background
Myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) is a recently described phenomenon where no flow-limiting lesions are noted on coronary angiography in a patient with electrocardiogram changes, elevated cardiac biomarkers, and symptoms suggesting acute myocardial infarction. Patients with MINOCA can also potentially develop structural cardiac defects through ischaemic injury. Therefore, the absence of a flow-limiting lesion on angiography coupled with structural defects (e.g. apical ballooning) can very easily result in a diagnosis of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC). This can lead to potentially serious consequences since treatment options between TTC and MINOCA are different.

Case summary
We report a case of a patient presenting with features suggestive of TTC but where the final diagnosis was of a MINOCA that induced an apical ventricular septal defect (VSD). Reaching the correct diagnosis proved challenging given that there is no gold standard diagnostic modality for diagnosing MINOCA.

Conclusion
Imaging adjuncts played a vital role in both diagnosing the underlying MINOCA as well as revealing and planning closure of the resultant VSD. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging played an instrumental role in establishing the patient’s primary pathology and in planning a remediation of the structural defect. Structural myocardial defects in a patient with a diagnosis of TTC should prompt clinicians to further investigate whether there is an underlying infarct aetiology (MINOCA).
Chromosome assembled and annotated genome sequence of Aspergillus flavus NRRL 3357
Authors: Skerker Jeffrey M , Pianalto Kaila M , Mondo Stephen J , Yang Kunlong , Arkin Adam P , Keller Nancy P , Grigoriev Igor V , Glass N Louise 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Aspergillus flavus is an opportunistic pathogen of crops, including peanuts and maize, and is the second leading cause of aspergillosis in immunocompromised patients. A. flavus is also a major producer of the mycotoxin, aflatoxin, a potent carcinogen, which results in significant crop losses annually. The A. flavus isolate NRRL 3357 was originally isolated from peanut and has been used as a model organism for understanding the regulation and production of secondary metabolites, such as aflatoxin. A draft genome of NRRL 3357 was previously constructed, enabling the development of molecular tools and for understanding population biology of this particular species. Here, we describe an updated, near complete, telomere-to-telomere assembly and re-annotation of the eight chromosomes of A. flavus NRRL 3357 genome, accomplished via long-read PacBio and Oxford Nanopore technologies combined with Illumina short-read sequencing. A total of 13,715 protein-coding genes were predicted. Using RNA-seq data, a significant improvement was achieved in predicted 5’ and 3’ untranslated regions, which were incorporated into the new gene models.
Precise measurement of the fitness effects of spontaneous mutations by droplet digital PCR inBurkholderia cenocepacia
Authors: Rana Anita , Patton David , Turner Nathan T , Dillon Marcus M , Cooper Vaughn S , Sung Way 
Published: July 2021

AbstractUnderstanding how mutations affect survivability is a key component to knowing how organisms and complex traits evolve. However, most mutations have a minor effect on fitness and these effects are difficult to resolve using traditional molecular techniques. Therefore, there is a dire need for more accurate and precise fitness measurements methods. Here, we measured the fitness effects in Burkholderia cenocepacia HI2424 mutation accumulation (MA) lines using droplet-digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR). Overall, the fitness measurements from ddPCR-MA are correlated positively with fitness measurements derived from traditional phenotypic marker assays (r = 0.297, P = 0.05), but showed some differences. First, ddPCR had significantly lower measurement variance in fitness (F = 3.78, P &lt; 2.6 × 10−13) in control experiments. Second, the mean fitness from ddPCR-MA measurements were significantly lower than phenotypic marker assays (−0.0041 vs −0.0071, P = 0.006). Consistent with phenotypic marker assays, ddPCR-MA measurements observed multiple (27/43) lineages that significantly deviated from mean fitness, suggesting that a majority of the mutations are neutral or slightly deleterious and intermixed with a few mutations that have extremely large effects. Of these mutations, we found a significant excess of mutations within DNA excinuclease and Lys R transcriptional regulators that have extreme deleterious and beneficial effects, indicating that modifications to transcription and replication may have a strong effect on organismal fitness. This study demonstrates the power of ddPCR as a ubiquitous method for high-throughput fitness measurements in both DNA- and RNA-based organisms regardless of cell type or physiology.
Revisiting N-glycosylation in Halobacterium salinarum: Characterizing a dolichol phosphate- and glycoprotein-bound tetrasaccharide
Authors: Vershinin Zlata , Zaretsky Marianna , Guan Ziqiang , Eichler Jerry 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Although Halobacterium salinarum provided the first example of N-glycosylation outside the Eukarya, much regarding such post-translational modification in this halophilic archaea remains either unclear or unknown. The composition of an N-linked glycan decorating both the S-layer glycoprotein and archaellins offers one such example. Originally described some 40 years ago, reports from that time on have presented conflicted findings regarding the composition of this glycan, as well as differences between the protein-bound glycan and that version of the glycan attached to the lipid upon which it is assembled. To clarify these points, liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry was employed here to revisit the composition of this glycan both when attached to selected asparagine residues of target proteins and when bound to the lipid dolichol phosphate upon which the glycan is assembled. Such efforts revealed the N-linked glycan as corresponding to a tetrasaccharide comprising a hexose, a sulfated hexuronic acid, a hexuronic acid and a second sulfated hexuronic acid. When attached to dolichol phosphate but not to proteins, the same tetrasaccharide is methylated on the final sugar. Moreover, in the absence of the oligosaccharyltransferase AglB, there is an accumulation of the dolichol phosphate-linked methylated and disulfated tetrasaccharide. Knowing the composition of this glycan at both the lipid- and protein-bound stages, together with the availability of gene deletion approaches for manipulating Hbt. salinarum, will allow delineation of the N-glycosylation pathway in this organism.
Health and politics in pandemic times: COVID-19 responses in Ethiopia
Authors: Østebø Marit Tolo , Østebø Terje , Tronvoll Kjetil 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
With a focus on responses to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Ethiopia and on political developments that have occurred in the country during the pandemic, this article contributes to the existing scholarship that explores the relationship between health and politics. Drawing on qualitative data from the project ‘COVID-19 Impact Tracing in Ethiopia: Social, Economic, Political, and Security Ramifications’, carried out in the Tigray, Amhara and Oromia Regional States (RS) from June to September 2020, we offer new empirical and theoretical perspectives that shed light on the political status of health and health policies in Ethiopia and beyond. In all the three regions, COVID-19 and the government’s pandemic response was subject to politicization and securitization. The degree of securitization and politicization differed between the regions and fluctuated over time; in areas with strong opposition to political authorities, the COVID-19 mitigating efforts were—during the first phase of the pandemic—more politicized and securitized than in areas with less opposition. Yet, as the political opposition and instability increased, threatening national security and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s political project, the authorities and the public paid increasingly less attention to the pandemic and the mitigating policies. In our analysis of these dynamics, we draw on a classic distinction that scholars of global public health have borrowed from political science: that of ‘low’ and ‘high’ politics. We argue that a contextually situated use of the high/low distinction allows us to recognize the fleeting and context-dependent nature of health’s political status, providing valuable insights that help us understand the ways that health emerges and disappears as high politics. The temporal and inter-regional shifts that appeared in, and as a response to, Ethiopia’s pandemic policies illustrate the importance of a continuous analysis of the relationships between health and politics at national as well as at sub-national levels.
Admixture mapping analysis reveals differential genetic ancestry associated with Chagas disease susceptibility in the Colombian population
Authors: Casares-Marfil Desiré , Guillen-Guio Beatriz , Lorenzo-Salazar Jose M , Rodríguez-Pérez Héctor , Kerick Martin , Jaimes-Campos Mayra A , Díaz Martha L , Estupiñán Elkyn , Echeverría Luis E , González Clara I , Martín Javier , Flores Carlos , Acosta-Herrera Marialbert 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Chagas disease is an infection caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, endemic in Latino America. Leveraging the three-way admixture between Native American (AMR), European (EUR) and African (AFR) populations in Latin Americans, we aimed to better understand the genetic basis of Chagas disease by performing an admixture mapping study in a Colombian population. A two-stage study was conducted, and subjects were classified as seropositive and seronegative for T. cruzi. In stage 1, global and local ancestries were estimated using reference data from the 1000 Genomes Project (1KGP), and local ancestry associations were performed by logistic regression models. The AMR ancestry showed a protective association with Chagas disease within the major histocompatibility complex region [Odds ratio (OR) = 0.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.66–0.83, lowest P-value = 4.53 × 10−8]. The fine mapping assessment on imputed genotypes combining data from stage 1 and 2 from an independent Colombian cohort, revealed nominally associated variants in high linkage disequilibrium with the top signal (rs2032134, OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.90–0.97, P-value = 3.54 × 10−4) in the previously associated locus. To assess ancestry-specific adaptive signals, a selective sweep scan in an AMR reference population from 1KGP together with an in silico functional analysis highlighted the Tripartite Motif family and the human leukocyte antigen genes, with crucial role in the immune response against pathogens. Furthermore, these analyses emphasized the macrophages, neutrophils and eosinophils, as key players in the defense against T. cruzi. This first admixture mapping study in Chagas disease provided novel insights underlying the host immune response in the pathogenesis of this neglected disease.