Time Of Collection Research Articles

Variation in initial biopsy technique for primary melanoma diagnosis: A population-based cohort study in New South Wales, Australia

BackgroundFactors associated with non-adherence to guideline-recommended complete excision of suspicious cutaneous lesions are unclear. ObjectiveTo analyse patient, melanoma and clinician factors associated with initial diagnostic biopsy type; and determine whether unwarranted variation from guidelines occurred. MethodsThis population-based, cohort study involved analysis of data from questionnaires completed by clinicians who managed patients with newly-diagnosed, histopathologically-confirmed primary invasive cutaneous melanomas reported to the NSW Cancer Registry between 2006-2007. ResultsOf 2267 biopsies, complete excision was attempted in 69.1% of cases, but histologically incomplete in 14.0%. Multivariable regression analyses showed complete excision was more likely than: incision biopsy in patients <70years (p=0.016); shave biopsy in patients <80years (p=0.034); shave biopsy in melanomas of Breslow thickness 0.8-1.0mm or 2.1-4.0mm (p=0.039); than either punch (p<0.001) or shave biopsy (p<0.003) in melanomas on trunk or limbs; and punch biopsy when treated by a surgeon (p<0.001). Complete excision was less likely than: punch biopsies in females (p<0.003); with LMM or unknown histopathology (p=0.004); shave biopsy in patients with LMM, or other melanoma subtype (p=0.003); punch, shave or incision biopsy when treated by a dermatologist (p<0.001). LimitationsGeneralisability of these findings may be limited to the time of data collection. ConclusionGuideline adherence for biopsy type undertaken for clinically suspected melanoma appeared to be sub-optimal.

Prescribed fire regimes influence responses of fungal and bacterial communities on new litter substrates in a brackish tidal marsh.

Processes modifying newly deposited litter substrates should affect fine fuels in fire-managed tidal marsh ecosystems. Differences in chemical composition and dynamics of litter should arise from fire histories that generate pyrodiverse plant communities, tropical cyclones that deposit wrack as litter, tidal inundation that introduces and alters sediments and microbes, and interactions among these different processes. The resulting diversity and dynamics of available litter compounds should affect microbial (fungal and bacterial) communities and their roles in litter substrate dynamics and ecosystem responses over time. We experimentally examined effects of differences in litter types produced by different fire regimes and litter loads (simulating wrack deposition) on microbial community composition and changes over time. We established replicated plots at similar elevations within frequent tidal-inundation zones of a coastal brackish Louisiana marsh. Plots were located within blocks with different prescribed fire regimes. We deployed different measured loads of new sterilized litter collected from zones in which plots were established, then re-measured litter masses at subsequent collection times. We used DNA sequencing to characterize microbial communities, indicator families, and inferred ecosystem functions in litter subsamples. Differences in fire regimes had large, similar effects on fungal and bacterial indicator families and community compositions and were associated with alternate trajectories of community development over time. Both microbial and plant community compositional patterns were associated with fire regimes, but in dissimilar ways. Differences in litter loads introduced differences in sediment accumulation associated with tidal inundation that may have affected microbial communities. Our study further suggests that fire regimes and tropical cyclones, in the context of frequent tidal inundation, may interactively generate substrate heterogeneities and alter microbial community composition, potentially modifying fine fuels and hence subsequent fires. Understanding microbial community compositional and functional responses to fire regimes and tropical cyclones should be useful in management of coastal marsh ecosystems.

The infrared spectrum of the protic ionic liquid 1-methylimidazolium nitrate: An ab initio molecular dynamics simulation study

Complex features observed in the infrared (IR) spectrum of the protic ionic liquid 1-methylimidazolium nitrate, [C1im][NO3], are assigned using ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulation. AIMD is used at the same level of theory to simulate the known X-ray crystal structure of [C1im][NO3] and a cluster of ionic pairs representing the liquid phase. The calculation of several single particle and collective time correlation functions of velocity forms the basis for the AIMD simulation assignment of the infrared spectra. The AIMD simulation demonstrates that the lift of the degeneracy of the anion asymmetric stretching mode, νas(NO3), due to symmetry breaking and coupling to external modes result in multiple band splitting in the crystal spectrum in the region of the νas(NO3) mode. Owing of the intrinsic anharmonic characteristic of the AIMD simulation, the calculation accounts for the broad band in the high-frequency range of the IR spectrum caused by the cation ν(NH) stretching mode in strong cation–anion hydrogen bond. The AIMD simulation of the liquid captures spectral changes upon melting of [C1im][NO3] due to loosening of the NH···O hydrogen bond and changes in the [NO3]- interaction with other hydrogen atoms of the imidazolium ring. The AIMD simulation assigns the intermolecular stretching mode of the hydrogen bond, ν(NH…O), as the band at 183 cm−1 in the far infrared spectrum of the [C1im][NO3] crystal.

Enhancing forensic blood detection using hyperspectral imaging and advanced preprocessing techniques

Bloodstains are pivotal in forensic investigations as they can provide crucial DNA information about individuals involved in a crime. Traditional methods for bloodstain detection, including chemical tests and forensic lights, have limitations such as non-specificity to human blood and susceptibility to false positives. In forensic blood detection, molecular spectroscopy is crucial for identifying the unique spectral fingerprints of blood, which arise from its molecular composition. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) leverages this principle by capturing a wide spectrum of light for each pixel in an image, allowing for the detailed analysis of various substances. HSI has emerged as a promising alternative, offering non-contact, rapid, and cost-effective detection of bloodstains by analyzing the visible and near-infrared electromagnetic spectrum. This study explores the application of HSI for blood detection, addressing challenges such as spectral mixing, time-related changes in bloodstain spectra, and data complexity. The study introduces a novel framework to optimize HSI data, enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of bloodstain classification, called the Fast Extraction (FE) framework. It includes two stages. The main method in the first one is the Enhancing Transformation Reduction (ETR) method to reduce the dimension and complexity of the HSI. The second stage contains a compatible classification model to enhance feature extraction and classification. Our approach is validated using the HyperBlood datasets and many evaluation methods, demonstrating superior performance compared to state-of-the-art deep learning models. It provides high accuracy (97%–100 %) for all HSIs, overcoming various difficulties and blood collection times.

Water collection through a directional leaf vein pattern by fast laser marker ablation of stainless-steel

Inspired by the natural water harvesting mechanisms of desert beetles, cactus thorns, and leaf veins, we designed a heterogeneous wettability surface with superhydrophilic pattern integrating leaf vein as the directional water transport main channel, attached capillary triangles as auxiliary channel plus a deep rough desorption channel on an overall superhydrophobic surface for an efficient water collection. A superhydrophilic surface was initially fabricated on the stainless steel disc by laser marker ablation allowing 1 μL droplet to spread completely to 0° within 0.12 seconds, followed by fluorine-containing coating transforming superhydrophilic surface to superhydrophobic one. Directional water transport patterns were then etched on the superhydrophobic surfaces by the secondary laser marker. The surface energy gradient and Laplace pressure induced by the pattern facilitated directional fast transport and efficient desorption of droplets, thus improving water collection efficiency. The enhancement mechanism of the water harvesting behavior for such surfaces was analyzed, with one focus on enhancing collection in hydrophobic regions with capillaries to reduce bouncing off loss and the other on improving balanced cycling of the collection process. At a fog flow rate of 1500ml/h and 20cm away from the fog outlet, the directional leaf vein-patterned 19.625cm2 sized surface demonstrated a fog water collection rate (WCR) of 5.6 Kg·m-2·h-1 and first drop collection at the 49th s, an impressively short time rarely reported. Compared to the superhydrophobic, superhydrophilic samples, and the reference, WCR increased by 180%, 62%, and 59%, respectively, and the first droplet collection time decreased by 73%, 46%, and 62%, respectively. This efficient water collection method has huge potential in arid regions.

The Statue and the Readymade: Thinking is Not Ready-Made

Statues and other monuments that mark the great names of colonization and empire are specifically privatized forms of colonizing memory. To reduce the collective forces of history to a single name is a form of defacement. This essay argues for a mode of history and memory beyond the face and beyond the individual. Debates surrounding the removal or preservation of statues for the sake of history and memory assume a humanized and privatized form of historical time. The destruction of statues is a positive event that opens the possibility of collective time. Rather than preserving history through terms that are readymade, this essay argues for an aesthetics of the ready-made, or the found object that appears alien and out of place.

Characteristics of Chemotherapy Treatments for Breast Cancer Patients at Bhayangkara Tk.1 Pudsdokkes Polri Hospital, Jakarta

Background: Breast cancer is a malignant breast tumor that develops in the ductal or lobular epithelium and usually attacks women. Chemotherapy is a cornerstone of breast cancer treatment, particularly for patients with advanced disease or those who are not candidates for surgery or radiation therapy. This research aims to observe the use of chemotherapy drugs for breast cancer patients in terms of chemotherapy regimens and cycles at Bhayangkara Tk.1 Pudsdokkes Polri Hospital. Methods: This study employs descriptive quantitative approaches. Data were gathered retrospectively from medical records of breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy at Bhayangkara Tk.1 Pudsdokkes Polri Hospital Jakarta from July to December 2021. Results: From 110 patients, 86 (78.18%) patients used the CAF regimen, 18 (16.36%) patients used the AC regimen, and 3 (2.73%) patients used the TAC regimen, while the regimen that did not comply with the guidelines was 2 (1.82%) patients using the combination of paclitaxel and epirubicin, 1 patient utilizing the combination of paclitaxel and doxorubicin. Forty-six (41.82%) patients with the CAF regimen had completed six cycles of chemotherapy with intervals of 3 weeks or 21 days, while only 5 patients (3.63%) completed four cycles of the AC regimen at 3-week or 21-day intervals. At the time of data collection, 11 patients, and 1 patient utilizing the AC regimen. This was because 59 patients had not yet finished the chemotherapy cycle, specifically in the advanced stage. Conclusions: The CAF regimen was the most commonly used chemotherapy regimen, followed by the AC and TAC regimens. This finding aligns with current clinical guidelines for breast cancer treatment. A significant number of patients had not yet completed their chemotherapy cycles, particularly those with advanced-stage breast cancer. This highlights the challenges associated with treating advanced disease and the need for more effective and less toxic treatment options.

Ride-hailing technology mitigates effects of driver racial discrimination, but effects of residential segregation persist

We assess racial disparities in the service quality of app-based ride-hailing services, like Uber and Lyft, by simulating their operations in the city of Chicago using empirical data. To generate driver cancellation rate disparities consistent with controlled experiments (up to twice as large for Black riders as for White riders), we estimate that more than 3% of drivers discriminate by race. We find that the capabilities of ride-hailing technology to rapidly rematch after a cancellation and prioritize long-waiting customers heavily mitigates the effects of driver discrimination on rider wait times, reducing average discrimination-induced disparities to less than 1 min-an order of magnitude less than traditional taxis. However, our results suggest that even in the absence of direct driver discrimination, Black riders in Chicago wait about 50% longer, on average, than White riders because of historically informed geographic residential patterns. We estimate that if Black riders in the city had the same wait times as White riders, the collective travel time saved would be worth $4.2 million to $7.0 million per year.

LIDAR3DNETV2: Smart Approach to Classify 3D Objects Based on Real Point Clouds

Point clouds generated in simulators avoid collection time costs and provide a high and organized amount of point clouds, an ideal scenario for deep learning networks. However, these networks have limitations when applied to real point clouds. This work proposes a multilayer perceptron-based method to classify 3D objects based on real point clouds obtained using LiDAR sensors. The method includes a pre-processing step that normalizes and adjusts the point clouds in the 3D Cartesian plane to overcome discrepancies in the point distribution. Furthermore, we created a dataset and used the ModelNet dataset for comparison purposes. The proposed neural network, Lidar3DNetV2, achieved 98.47% and 125 μs in accuracy and test time with real data, respectively. The pre-processing step provided a significant increase in the classifier’s performance. Finally, the proposed method performs better than other state-of-the-art networks considering real point clouds.

Parents caring and sham-feeding their child born with Esophageal atresia at home while waiting for reconstructive surgery.

For children with Esophageal atresia who have to wait for reconstructive surgery, long hospital stay, delayed introduction of oral feeds and hampered oro-motor function has traditionally been draw-backs for this treatment as the patients have minimal training of oro-motor function while waiting for surgery. In this paper, we present the concept of sham-feed at home awaiting reconstructive surgery with the aim to obliviate these problems. The aim was to describe the characteristics of patients with Esophageal atresia waiting for reconstructive surgery sham-feeding at home by their parents and further describe adverse events that arose. The study is a retrospective descriptive single center study on all children with a delayed reconstruction of Esophageal atresia who was sham-fed by their parents at home before reconstructive surgery between January 2010 and January 2023 at the Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm. Nine patients where home waiting for reconstructive surgery for a median of 72days. No adverse events were reported related to the sham-feed procedure at home. The children had reconstructive surgery at a median 120days of age. Five of the children ate full meals orally day 8-27 after surgery. Two children ate fully before 1year after surgery. Two children had surgery less than 1year ago and were not eating fully orally at the time of data collection. Sham-feeding at home by the parents was safe and feasible with the benefits of a prolonged time out of hospital awaiting reconstructive surgery.

The Perception of Health Belief and Vaccine Valence Towards Domestic Tourist Intention to Travel during COVID-19 Pandemic

This research investigates health risk perception and vaccine valence as factors that affect Malaysian intention to engage in domestic vacations. An online survey was created with Google Forms and distributed to a sample of 265 domestic travellers at least 18 years of age in May and June 2021; this is when the nationwide vaccine program started in Malaysia. The result indicates that vaccine valence risk perception was a significant factor in affecting domestic vacation intention. Only perceived behavioural control and subjective norms mediated the relationship between health risk perception and domestic vacation intention. Overall, vaccine valence risk perception tested significantly with all constructs in this study due to the various factors, especially the timing of data collection where the data collection was carried out amid the national vaccination program. Hence, the vaccine is now perceived as a hope for many as the solution to the current pandemic problem. It indicates that domestic vacationers will return once vaccinated and when tourism sectors are open for business and resume their regular operation. These findings extend the body of knowledge for the theory of health belief and theory of planned behaviour in predicting tourist intention to travel during a pandemic. Findings also indicate the positive impact of vaccine valence on the tourist's intention to travel, which provides a glimpse of future tourist behaviour when facing similar uncertainties.

Blood volume collected for cultures in infants with suspected neonatal sepsis.

To evaluate blood culture sample volumes, identify factors linked to insufficient samples, and compare volumes among neonates treated for culture-negative-sepsis, sepsis-rule-outs, and bloodstream infections (BSI). Observational cohort of blood cultures collected during NICU stay. Association of age, weight, gender, source, and collection time with lower-than-recommended volumes was determined by logistic regression. Blood culture inocula of patients with culture-negative-sepsis, sepsis rule-out, and BSI were compared using ANOVA. 742 blood cultures were obtained from 292 neonates. Median inoculum was 1 mL (IQR:0.6-1.4), and 259 bottles (35%) had inocula <0.9 mL. Night shift sample collection was associated with lower-than-recommended volumes (p = 0.006). No difference in sample volumes was observed between culture-negative-sepsis, sepsis-rule-outs, and BSI (p = 0.5). Median NICU blood culture volumes align with recommendations. Night shift collections correlate with lower volumes. Sample volumes don't differ in patients with culture-negative-sepsis, BSI, and sepsis-rule-out, and should not be a justification for longer duration of antibiotics.

Prevalence of breakthrough COVID-19 infection among healthcare workers in Baghdad.

To determine the prevalence and severity of breakthrough coronavirus disease-2019 infection among health workers, and to assess health workers' post-vaccination adherence to preventive guidelines. The cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2021 to March 2022 at 2 major hospitals in Baghdad, Iraq, and comprised physicians, pharmacists, dentists and paramedical staff present at time of data collection. The participants were classified according to vaccination status with history of infection. Unvaccinated meant infected before vaccination; partially vaccinated meant infected after the first dose; and fully vaccinated meant breakthrough infection after the second dose. Data was analysed using SPSS 28. Of the 506 participants aged 20-59 years, 327(64.6%) were females, 247(48.8%) were physicians, 72(14.2%) were smokers, and 21(4.1%) had asthma. All the 506(100%) participants had been infected after vaccination; 430(85%) after the second dose, and 76(15%) after the first dose. In 445(88.6%) cases, the infection was mild to moderate, while admission was required in 21(4.1%). With respect to adherence to preventive guidelines, 229(45.3%) subjects were always wearing masks before the vaccination, but 119(23.7%) continued doing that after receiving the second dose of the vaccine. The majority of the participants had fallen victim to breakthrough coronavirus disease-2019 infection. Adherence to preventive guidelines was found to be reduced after the second dose of the vaccination.

Long-term Traffic Flow Prediction using Stochastic Configuration Networks for Smart Cities

Accurate predictions of traffic flow are very meaningful to city managers. With such information, traffic systems can better coordinate traffic signals and reduce congestion. By understanding traffic patterns, navigation systems can provide real-time routing suggestions that avoid traffic jams, save time, and reduce fuel consumption. However, traffic flow will be interfered with by multiple factors such as collection time and place. In this paper, we propose to use stochastic configuration networks (SCNs) to predict the traffic flow. The network is trained through stepwise construction, and the network parameters are effectively optimized based on the approximation theorem and convergence analysis optimization mechanism. The proposed network automatically adjusts its structure according to the complexity of traffic flow to better adapt to the complex non-linearity of traffic flow. We observed that the proposed model achieves better prediction performance overall and greater flexibility in the length of the prediction period compared to the benchmarks using the Guangzhou urban traffic flow dataset. It's worth noting that SCNs consistently outperform other models across different prediction intervals. They yield RMSE improvements of up to 10.73% for 10-minute predictions, 5.02% for 30-minute predictions, and 11.21% for 60-minute predictions compared to the least effective models. The R-value also exhibits steady enhancement, increasing up to 0.78%, 0.65%, and 2.33% for 10-minute, 30-minute, and 60-minute predictions, respectively. These notable advancements, combined with the model's computational efficiency, especially in short-term predictions, underscore the effectiveness and practicality of SCNs in traffic flow prediction tasks.

Acute postoperative complications after spine deformity correction in patients with Down syndrome.

Down syndrome, or trisomy 21, is the most diagnosed chromosomal abnormality and is associated with multiple orthopedic concerns, including scoliosis. We sought to examine the surgical treatment of scoliosis associated with Down syndrome with an emphasis on specific complications in this population. A retrospective review of 13 patients with Down syndrome who underwent surgical intervention for spinal deformity between 2000 and 2018 were identified. Postoperative complications were classified using the modified Clavien-Dindo-Sink system. Perioperative and final follow-up radiographic data were analyzed. The mean age at surgery was 14.2 years (11-19) with a mean follow-up of 3.6 years (0.4-6.2) at the time of data collection. Seven (54%) patients had postoperative complications, all related to wound healing. Three patients (23%) had major complications (Clavien-Dindo-Sink grade ≥3). These included one deep surgical site infection, one hematoma, and one seroma, all requiring surgical drainage. Four additional patients (31%) had minor complications (Clavien-Dindo-Sink grade ≤2). Surgical intervention for scoliosis in patients with Down syndrome is associated with high complication rates despite the use of more modern surgical techniques and implant types. Complications in this cohort primarily involved wound healing, whereas previous studies described high rates of postoperative implant failure, pseudoarthrosis, and significant curve progression, which were not experienced by the patients in this study. Although the etiology of wound-related complications is unknown, awareness of this risk may help surgeons optimize surgical technique, postoperative monitoring, and preoperative counseling of families. IV-single-institution retrospective case series.

Auxin injury on cotton, I: Aerial reflectance data, crop injury, and yield

AbstractSynthetic auxin herbicide movement onto sensitive cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars has impacted many US cotton hectares. The spatial scope and severity of auxin damage in‐season is typically estimated by an agronomist. The use of remote sensing technology has the potential to objectively quantify the spatial scope and severity of auxin damage. Experiments were conducted in 2019, 2020, and 2021 in Grand Junction, TN, to determine: (1) the effect of reflectance data collection timing; (2) the effect of auxin exposure timing; (3) the value of near infrared and red‐edge (RE) reflectance versus reflectance within the visible spectrum data; and (4) if/how visual injury relates to aerial reflectance data. Applications of 2,4‐D or dicamba were made to susceptible cotton cultivars at 1X, 1/4X, 1/16X, 1/64X, 1/256X, and 1/1024X rates at either matchhead square (MHS) or 2 weeks after first bloom (FB+2WK). Non‐treated controls were also included for each application timing. Aerial reflectance data were collected 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after application. Unsupervised classification of images into pixels with and without vegetation did not increase correlations between vegetation indices (VIs) and application rate. Although Vis, which generated the strongest correlations with application rate, visual injury, and relative lint yield, were generally RE based, similar correlations were also noted with visible spectrum VIs. Correlations were greater when auxin injury occurred at MHS than FB+2WK. Results suggest reflectance measured within the visible spectrum can quantify the scope and severity of auxin injury if the injury occurs early during the growing season.

Impact of External Sources of Indole Acetic Acid and 2,3,5-Triiodobenzoic Acid on Alkaloid Production and Their Relationships with Primary Metabolism and Antioxidant Activity in Annona emarginata (Schltdl.) H. Rainer.

Annona emarginata is a native Brazilian species capable of producing at least ten alkaloids of ecological, agronomic, and pharmacological importance. Some studies have explored the effect of external phytoregulators on the production of alkaloids, including the effect of auxins, which, like alkaloids, derive from the shikimic acid pathway. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate how indole acetic acid (IAA) and its inhibitor 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid (TIBA) impact the production of alkaloids and the primary metabolism of A. emarginata, which brings advances in the understanding of the mechanisms of alkaloid synthesis and can aid in the bioprospection of molecules of interest in Annonaceae. The design was completely randomized, with three treatments (control, IAA [10-6 M] and TIBA [10-6 M]) and five collection times (12, 36, 84, 156, and 324 h). The following variables were analyzed: total alkaloids, alkaloid profile, nitrate reductase activity, gas exchange in photosynthesis, chlorophyll a fluorescence, sugars, starch, and antioxidant activity. Of the twelve alkaloids analyzed, discretine and xylopine were not detected in the control plants; however, both were detected when IAA was applied (in roots and leaves) and xylopine (in roots) when the inhibitor was applied. The alkaloid asimilobine was not detected with the use of TIBA. Variations in alkaloid concentrations occurred in a punctual manner, without significant variations in photosynthesis and nitrate reductase activity, but with variations in the antioxidant system and sugar concentrations, mainly at 156 h, when the highest alkaloid concentrations were observed with the use of TIBA. It could be concluded that IAA is capable of selectively modulating the production of alkaloids in A. emarginata, either due to an external source or by the application of its inhibitor (TIBA).

Changes in physical activity among Canadian adults more than 6 months into the COVID-19 pandemic: a secondary analysis of the INTERACT cohort study

ObjectiveTo estimate the effect of (a) the COVID-19 pandemic and (b) COVID-19 restriction stringency on daily minutes of device-measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).DesignPhysical activity data were collected from the INTerventions,...

Optimization of Cellular Transduction by the HIV-Based Pseudovirus Platform with Pan-Coronavirus Spike Proteins.

Over the past three years, new SARS-CoV-2 variants have continuously emerged, evolving to a point where an immune response against the original vaccine no longer provided optimal protection against these new strains. During this time, high-throughput neutralization assays based on pseudoviruses have become a valuable tool for assessing the efficacy of new vaccines, screening updated vaccine candidates against emerging variants, and testing the efficacy of new therapeutics such as monoclonal antibodies. Lentiviral vectors derived from HIV-1 are popular for developing pseudo and chimeric viruses due to their ease of use, stability, and long-term transgene expression. However, the HIV-based platform has lower transduction rates for pseudotyping coronavirus spike proteins than other pseudovirus platforms, necessitating more optimized methods. As the SARS-CoV-2 virus evolved, we produced over 18 variants of the spike protein for pseudotyping with an HIV-based vector, optimizing experimental parameters for their production and transduction. In this article, we present key parameters that were assessed to improve such technology, including (a) the timing and method of collection of pseudovirus supernatant; (b) the timing of host cell transduction; (c) cell culture media replenishment after pseudovirus adsorption; and (d) the centrifugation (spinoculation) parameters of the host cell+ pseudovirus mix, towards improved transduction. Additionally, we found that, for some pseudoviruses, the addition of a cationic polymer (polybrene) to the culture medium improved the transduction process. These findings were applicable across variant spike pseudoviruses that include not only SARS-CoV-2 variants, but also SARS, MERS, Alpha Coronavirus (NL-63), and bat-like coronaviruses. In summary, we present improvements in transduction efficiency, which can broaden the dynamic range of the pseudovirus titration and neutralization assays.

The controller-first constraint beyond the Basic Variety: how do instructed learner varieties solve contexts of competition?

Abstract The Basic Variety has been described as a fully fledged system that is developed in second-language acquisition. It is guided by a small number of interacting phrasal, semantic, and pragmatic constraints. This article is devoted to the semantic controller-first constraint, which says that “the NP-referent with highest control comes first” in discourse contexts where this constraint comes into conflict. The Basic Variety, as described by Klein and Perdue, relates to migrant learners that were exposed to target languages in naturalistic contexts and situations outside the classroom. Our study also deals with learners living in the target language’s country at the time of the data collection, but our learners were benefiting from foreign language teaching at university. The goal of this study is twofold. The first part of the article discusses the origins of the key notion of ‘controller’ and introduces related theoretical underpinnings, such as argument hierarchies of transitive verbs and crucial factors determining argument realization. Our analysis shows that the controller-first constraint overlaps with two key concepts of the description of L1 functional grammars – i.e., control asymmetry and the Actor-Undergoer Hierarchy – suggesting that it does not only pertain to the Basic Variety but broadly speaking to the human language capacity. The second part of this study presents some preliminary results on the L2 grammars of Spanish-speaking learners of French in a context of ‘competition’. Our results show the pervasiveness of the controller-first constraint on L2 grammars beyond initial, non-instructed learner varieties, suggesting that this semantic principle is not totally independent of (a) the specifics of the source language and (b) the target constructions of the foreign language classroom.