bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Perinatal treatment of parents with the broad-spectrum antibiotic enrofloxacin aggravates contact sensitivity in adult offspring mice
Authors: Kowalczyk Paulina , Strzępa Anna , Szczepanik Marian 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Background
Antibiotics, while eliminating pathogens, also partially deplete commensal bacteria. Antibiotic-induced dysbiosis may contribute to the observed rise in “immune-mediated” diseases, including autoimmunity and allergy. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of perinatal antibiotic treatment on T cell-mediated immune response in adult mice.

Methods
Oral treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotic enrofloxacin during gestation and breastfeeding or breastfeeding or gestation alone was used to evaluate whether antibiotic exposure early in life could modulate contact sensitivity (CS) in adult mice.

Results
Here, we demonstrated that enrofloxacin treatment during gestation and breastfeeding, but not during pregnancy or breastfeeding alone, aggravated CS reaction in adult mice measured by ear swelling. These data correlate with increased myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in the ear extracts and elevated production of IL-6 and IL-17A by auricular lymph node cells (ELNC) and was not influenced by food consumption and body weight. In each dosing regimen, enrofloxacin treatment reduced the relative abundance of Enterococcus spp. but did not influence the relative abundances of Lactobacillus, Clostridium cluster XIVa, XIVab, I, Bacteroidetes, and segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB). However, prolonged enrofloxacin-treatment during both gestation and breastfeeding decreased the relative abundance of Clostridium cluster IV.

Conclusion
These data show that long-term perinatal enrofloxacin treatment induces intestinal dysbiosis, characterized by decreased levels of anti-inflammatory Clostridium cluster IV, and alters T cell-dependent immune responses, enhancing CS reaction in adult mice.
Training persons with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease how to use an electronic medication management device: development of an intervention protocol
Authors: Tellier Myriam , Auger Claudine , Demers Louise 
Published: January 2021

AbstractBackground/Objectives:Medication management is challenging for persons with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and their caregivers. Electronic medication management devices (eMMDs) are specifically designed to support this task. However, theory-driven interventions for eMMD training with this population are rarely described. This study aimed to develop and assess the appropriateness of an intervention protocol to train persons with early-stage AD how to use an eMMD.Methods:Interviews with three categories of participants [persons with early-stage AD (n= 3), caregivers (n= 3), and clinicians (n= 3)] were conducted to understand medication management needs, perceived usefulness of an eMMD, and to explore training strategies. Subsequently, this knowledge was integrated in an intervention protocol which was validated with the three clinicians. A content analysis led to iterative modifications to maximize the acceptability and coherence of the intervention protocol in a homecare context.Results:The final intervention protocol specifies the expertise required to provide the training intervention and the target population, followed by an extensive presentation of eMMD features. Specific learning strategies tailored to the cognitive profile of persons with AD with step-by-step instructions for clinicians are included. Finally, it presents theoretical information on cognitive impairment in AD and how eMMDs can support them.Conclusions:This intervention protocol with its theoretical and pragmatic foundation is an important starting point to enable persons with early-stage AD to become active users of eMMDs. Next steps should evaluate the immediate and long-term impacts of its implementation on medication management in the daily lives of persons with AD and their caregivers.
Characterization of a glacial paleo-outburst flood using high-resolution 3-D seismic data: Bjørnelva River Valley, SW Barents Sea
Authors: Bellwald B. , Planke S. , Polteau S. , Lebedeva-Ivanova N. , Faleide J.I. , Morris S.M. , Morse S. , Castelltort S. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractProglacial braided river systems discharge large volumes of meltwater from ice sheets and transport coarse-grained sediments from the glaciated areas to the oceans. Here, we test the hypothesis if high-energy hydrological events can leave distinctive signatures in the sedimentary record of braided river systems. We characterize the morphology and infer a mode of formation of a 25 km long and 1–3 km wide Early Pleistocene incised valley recently imaged in 3-D seismic data in the Hoop area, SW Barents Sea. The fluvial system, named Bjørnelva River Valley, carved 20 m deep channels into Lower Cretaceous bedrock at a glacial paleo-surface and deposited 28 channel bars along a paleo-slope gradient of ~0.64 m km−1. The landform morphologies and position relative to the paleo-surface support that Bjørnelva River Valley was formed in the proglacial domain of the Barents Sea Ice Sheet. Based on valley width and valley depth, we suggest that Bjørnelva River Valley represents a braided river system fed by violent outburst floods from a glacial lake, with estimated outburst discharges of ~160 000 m3s−1. The morphological configuration of Bjørnelva River Valley can inform geohazard assessments in areas at risk of outburst flooding today and is an analogue for landscapes evolving in areas currently covered by the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.
Determining the evolution of an alpine glacier drainage system by solving inverse problems
Authors: Irarrazaval Inigo , Werder Mauro A. , Huss Matthias , Herman Frederic , Mariethoz Gregoire 
Published: January 2021

AbstractOur understanding of the subglacial drainage system has improved markedly over the last decades due to field observations and numerical modelling. However, integrating data into increasingly complex numerical models remain challenging. Here we infer two-dimensional subglacial channel networks and hydraulic parameters for Gorner Glacier, Switzerland, based on available field data at five specific times (snapshots) across the melt season of 2005. The field dataset is one of the most complete available, including borehole water pressure, tracer experiments and meteorological variables. Yet, these observations are still too sparse to fully characterize the drainage system and thus, a unique solution is neither expected nor desirable. We use a geostatistical generator and a steady-state water flow model to produce a set of subglacial channel networks that are consistent with measured water pressure and tracer-transit times. Field data are used to infer hydraulic and morphological parameters of the channels under the assumption that the location of channels persists during the melt season. Results indicate that it is possible to identify locations where subglacial channels are more likely. In addition, we show that different network structures can equally satisfy the field data, which support the use of a stochastic approach to infer unobserved subglacial features.
Association of dietary fat composition with cognitive performance and brain morphology in cognitively healthy individuals
Authors: Matura Silke , Prvulovic David , Mohadjer Nina , Fusser Fabian , Oertel Viola , Reif Andreas , Pantel Johannes , Karakaya Tarik 
Published: January 2021

AbstractBackground:Dietary lipids (omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3) PUFAs) and saturated fatty acids (SFA) seem to play an important role in brain health. (n-3) PUFAs have been shown to improve cerebral perfusion and to promote synaptogenesis. In this study, we investigated the relationship between dietary fat composition, cognitive performance and brain morphology in cognitively healthy individuals.Methods:A total of 101 cognitively healthy participants (age: 42.3 ± 21.3 years, 62 females) were included in this study. Verbal memory was assessed using the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT). Intake of (n-3) PUFA and SFA was calculated from food-frequency questionnaire-derived data (EPIC-FFQ). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were obtained (Siemens Trio 3T scanner) and grey matter volumes (GMV) were assessed by voxel-based morphometry (VBM/SPM8). We examined the association of SFA/(n-3) PUFA ratio and memory performance as well as GMV using regression models adjusted for age, sex, education, body mass index, apolipoprotein E (APOE) status and alcohol consumption. For VBM data, a multiple regression analysis was performed using the same covariates as mentioned before with intracranial volume as an additional covariate.Results:A high SFA/(n-3) PUFA ratio was significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with poorer verbal memory performance and with lower GMV in areas of the left prefrontal cortex that support memory processes.Conclusions:These findings suggest that a diet rich in PUFAs is likely to exert favourable effects on brain morphology in brain areas important for memory and executive functions. This could constitute a possible mechanism for maintaining cognitive health in older age.
Fatal asymmetries
Authors: Sánchez Luis 
Published: January 2021

AbstractInDescent of Man, Charles Darwin noted the impact of political institutions on natural selection. He thought that institutions such as asylums or hospitals may deter natural selection; however, he did not reach a decisive answer. Questions remain as to whether the selective impacts of political institutions, which in Darwin’s terms may be referred to as “artificial selection,” are compatible with natural selection, and if so, to what extent. This essay argues that currently there appears to be an essential mismatch between nature and political institutions. Unfitted institutions put exogenous and disproportionate pressures on living beings. This creates consequences for what is postulated as the condition of basic equivalence, which allows species and individuals to enjoy similar chances of survival under natural circumstances. Thus, contrary to Darwin’s expectations, it is sustained that assumed natural selection is not discouraged but becomes exacerbated by political institutions. In such conditions, selection becomes primarily artificial and perhaps mainly political, with consequences for species’ evolutionary future.
Embeddings of non-simply-connected 4-manifolds in 7-space. II. On the smooth classification
Authors: Crowley D. , Skopenkov A. 
Published: January 2021

We work in the smooth category. Let$N$be a closed connected orientable 4-manifold with torsion free$H_1$, where$H_q := H_q(N; {\mathbb Z} )$. Our main result isa readily calculable classification of embeddings$N \to {\mathbb R}^7$up to isotopy, with an indeterminacy. Such a classification was only known before for$H_1=0$by our earlier work from 2008. Our classification is complete when$H_2=0$or when the signature of$N$is divisible neither by 64 nor by 9.The group of knots$S^4\to {\mathbb R}^7$acts on the set of embeddings$N\to {\mathbb R}^7$up to isotopy by embedded connected sum. In Part I we classified the quotient of this action. The main novelty of this paper is the description of this action for$H_1 \ne 0$, with an indeterminacy.Besides the invariants of Part I, detecting the action of knots involves a refinement of the Kreck invariant from our work of 2008.For$N=S^1\times S^3$we give a geometrically defined 1–1 correspondence between the set of isotopy classes of embeddings and a certain explicitly defined quotient of the set${\mathbb Z} \oplus {\mathbb Z} \oplus {\mathbb Z} _{12}$.
Constitutional Rigidity Matters: A Veto Players Approach
Authors: Tsebelis George 
Published: January 2021

AbstractConstitutional amendment rules have traditionally been considered the most important part of a constitution. Nevertheless, recent empirical analyses argue that constitutional amendment rules do not matter at all. This dispute is due to the misuse of independent and dependent variables and inappropriate methodology. Using the Veto Players approach to measure constitutional rigidity, this article proposes a new index covering ninety-four democratic countries. It starts by explaining the underlying logic of the veto players approach and describing the specific derivation of the rules for the construction of the rigidity index, which aggregates all institutional provisions in a logically consistent way. It then explains why the lack of constitutional rigidity is anecessary but not sufficientcondition for significant constitutional amendments in democratic countries. Finally, the author creates a new dataset on thesignificanceof constitutional amendments and estimates the appropriate (heteroskedastic) model, which corroborates the theoretical expectations and demonstrates that more significant amendments lead to a better fit.
Tariffs As Electoral Weapons: The Political Geography of the US–China Trade War
Authors: Kim Sung Eun , Margalit Yotam 
Published: January 2021

AbstractIn response to President Trump instigating conflict over trade with China, the Chinese government countered by issuing tariffs on thousands of products worth over USD 110 billion in US exports. We explore whether China's tariffs reflected a strategy to apply counterpressure by hurting political support for the president's party. We also assess the strategy's impact on the 2018 midterm elections and examine the mechanism underlying the resulting electoral shift. We find strong evidence that Chinese tariffs systematically targeted US goods that had production concentrated in Republican-supporting counties, particularly when located in closely contested Congressional districts. This apparent strategy was successful: targeted areas were more likely to turn against Republican candidates. Using data on campaign communications, local search patterns online, and an original national survey, we find evidence that voters residing in areas affected by the tariffs were more likely to learn about the trade war, recognize its adverse impact, and assign the Republicans responsibility for the escalating dispute. These findings demonstrate how domestic political institutions can be a source of vulnerability in interstate disputes.
Antibiotics in treatment of peritonsillar infection: clindamycin versus penicillin
Authors: Hallgren F , Lindell E , Nilsson-Helger B , Lundqvist A 
Published: January 2021

AbstractObjectiveThis study aimed to compare antibiotic treatment with clindamycin versus penicillin V or G in terms of time to recovery and recurrence in patients with peritonsillar infection, including both peritonsillar cellulitis and peritonsillar abscess.MethodThis retrospective cohort study examined the records of 296 patients diagnosed with peritonsillar infection. Based on the ENT doctor's choice of antibiotics, patients were divided into clindamycin and penicillin groups.ResultsMean number of days in follow up was 3.5 days in the clindamycin group and 3.4 days in the penicillin group. The recurrence rate within 2 months was 7 per cent in the clindamycin group and 4 per cent in the penicillin group.ConclusionThis study found no significant differences in either recovery or recurrence between the groups. This supports the use of penicillin as a first-line treatment, considering the greater frequency of adverse effects of clindamycin shown in previous studies, as well as its profound collateral damage on the intestinal microbiota, resulting in antibiotic resistance.
Healthcare in Cuba: Sustainability Challenges in an Ageing System
Authors: Mesa-Lago Carmelo , Díaz-Briquets Sergio 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThis article assumes a balanced position between two contrasting views regarding the accessibility, quality, efficiency and financial sustainability of the Cuban healthcare system. It evaluates those issues in the 2006–20 period by identifying strengths and weaknesses based on a comprehensive statistical compilation of health indicators, physical infrastructure trends, availability of physicians and other elements to assess the system's long-term financial sustainability. Finally, it examines the likely consequences of population ageing on healthcare, including potential policies.
WITHDRAWN – Social isolation, rather than loneliness, is associated with cognitive decline in older adults: the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study
Authors: Yu Bin , Steptoe Andrew , Chen Yongjie , Jia Xiaohua 
Published: January 2021

AbstractBackgroundSocial isolation and loneliness have each been associated with cognitive decline, but most previous research is limited to Western populations. This study examined the relationships of social isolation and loneliness on cognitive function among Chinese older adults.MethodsThis study used two waves of data (2011 and 2015) from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study and analyses were restricted to those respondents aged 50 and older. Social isolation, loneliness, and cognitive function were measured at baseline. Follow-up measures on cognitive function were obtained for 7761 participants (mean age = 60.97, s.d. = 7.31; male, 50.8%). Lagged dependent variable models adjusted for confounding factors were used to evaluate the association between baseline isolation, loneliness, and cognitive function at follow-up.ResultsLoneliness was significantly associated with the cognitive decline at follow-up (episodic memory: β = −0.03, p < 0.01; mental status: β = −0.03, p < 0.01) in the partially adjusted models. These associations became insignificant after additional confounding variables (chronic diseases, health behaviors, disabilities, and depressive symptoms) were taken into account (all p > 0.05). By contrast, social isolation was significantly associated with decreases in all cognitive function measures at follow-up (episodic memory: β = −0.05, p < 0.001; mental status: β = −0.03, p < 0.01) even after controlling for loneliness and all confounding variables.ConclusionsSocial isolation is associated with cognitive decline in Chinese older adults, and the relationships are independent of loneliness. These findings expand our knowledge about the links between social relationships and the cognitive function in non-Western populations.
Creating a patient and community advisory committee at the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health
Authors: Berglas Sarah , Vautour Nadine , Bell Daryl 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
In recognition of patients’ roles using, and contributing to, a publicly funded health system, the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) created a Patient and Community Advisory Committee. Twelve members bring lived experiences of chronic illness, progressive illness, mental illness, trauma, traveling long distances for treatment, and caregiving to an ill child, parent, or spouse. Members contribute their own insights and ideas but do not represent specific organizations or viewpoints. This paper explores how CADTH determined the committee's role, whether to have individuals or organizations as members, and how to recruit for diversity. The creation of this committee is changing how CADTH engages with patients.
Ship domain model for ships with restricted manoeuvrability in busy waters
Authors: Pan Wei , Xie Xin-lian , Bao Tian-tian , Li Meng 
Published: January 2021

AbstractShip domain is an important theory in ship collision avoidance and an effective collision detection method. First, several classical ship domain models are used in experiments. The results show that the alarm rate is too high in busy waters, leading to greatly reduced practicality of the model. Potential collision risk cannot be detected effectively, especially for a ship with restricted manoeuvrability, which is usually regarded as an overtaken ship due to its navigation characteristics. Therefore, it is necessary to fully consider the interference of other ships to ships with limited manoeuvrability in an encounter situation. A novel ship domain model for ships with restricted manoeuvrability in busy waters is proposed. Considering the navigation characteristics of a ship with restricted manoeuvrability and the influence of the ship–ship effect, an algorithm to determine the boundary of the ship domain model is given by force and moment equations. AIS trajectory data of the North Channel of the Yangtze River Estuary are used to perform a comparative experiment, and four classical ship domain models are employed to perform comparative experiments. The results show that the alarm rates of the novel ship domain model are 7⋅608%, 15⋅131%, 55⋅785% and 7⋅608% lower than those of the other four classical models, and this outcome can effectively reduce the high false alarm rate produced by other models in this environment.
Individual Attention Patterns in Children Born Very Preterm and Full Term at 7 and 13 Years of Age
Authors: Bogičević Lilly , Pascoe Leona , Nguyen Thi-Nhu-Ngoc , Burnett Alice C. , Verhoeven Marjolein , Thompson Deanne K. , Cheong Jeanie L.Y. , Inder Terrie E. , van Baar Anneloes L. , Doyle Lex W. , Anderson Peter J. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractObjective:To identify attention profiles at 7 and 13 years, and transitions in attention profiles over time in children born very preterm (VP; <30 weeks’ gestation) and full term (FT), and examine predictors of attention profiles and transitions.Methods:Participants were 167 VP and 60 FT children, evaluated on profiles across five attention domains (selective, shifting and divided attention, processing speed, and behavioral attention) at 7 and 13 years using latent profile analyses. Transitions in profiles were assessed with contingency tables. For VP children, biological and social risk factors were tested as predictors with a multinomial logistic regression.Results:At 7 and 13 years, three distinct profiles of attentional functioning were identified. VP children were 2–3 times more likely to show poorer attention profiles compared with FT children. Transition patterns between 7 and 13 years were stable average, stable low, improving, and declining attention. VP children were two times less likely to have a stable average attention pattern and three times more likely to have stable low or improving attention patterns compared with FT children. Groups did not differ in declining attention patterns. For VP children, brain abnormalities on neonatal MRI and greater social risk at 7 years predicted stable low or changing attention patterns over time.Conclusions:VP children show greater variability in attention profiles and transition patterns than FT children, with almost half of the VP children showing adverse attention patterns over time. Early brain pathology and social environment are markers for attentional functioning.
The marriage market for immigrant families in Chosŏn Korea after the Imjin War: women, integration, and cultural capital
Authors: Han Sangwoo 
Published: January 2021

AbstractChallenging the myth of premodern Korea as ethnically homogenous, this study focuses on immigrant marriages in Chosŏn Korea following Japanese invasions (Imjin War, 1592–1598). By examining household registers and genealogies, I investigate the status of women who married into the families of Japanese and Ming Chinese immigrants and the social consequences of such marriages. The results unexpectedly indicate that immigrant families rarely intermarried, preferring integration with local families. As a means of acquiring social and cultural capital, Korean brides from elite families were vital to the success of immigrant families in forming social networks and in producing candidates for the civil service examinations, with failure to obtain such a bride proving a potential long-term obstacle to social advancement. There is a noticeable difference between families of Chinese and Japanese origin in this context due to the preference shown by Korean families for the descendants of Ming generals over Japanese defectors. Contributing to a growing number of studies that question whether the Korean family was fully “Confucianized” in the seventeenth century with a consequent decline in the status of women, this study argues that women possessed social and cultural capital and held particular value for immigrant families.