bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Consumer sleep technology for the screening of obstructive sleep apnea and snoring: current status and a protocol for a systematic review and meta‐analysis of diagnostic test accuracy
Authors: Pires Gabriel Natan , Arnardóttir Erna Sif , Islind Anna Sigridur , Leppänen Timo , McNicholas Walter T.
Published: February 2023

There are concerns about the validation and accuracy of currently available consumer sleep technology for sleep‐disordered breathing. The present report provides a background review of existing consumer sleep technologies and discloses the methods and procedures for a systematic review and meta‐analysis of diagnostic test accuracy of these devices and apps for the detection of obstructive sleep apnea and snoring in comparison with polysomnography. The search will be performed in four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library). Studies will be selected in two steps, first by an analysis of abstracts followed by full‐text analysis, and two independent reviewers will perform both phases. Primary outcomes include apnea–hypopnea index, respiratory disturbance index, respiratory event index, oxygen desaturation index, and snoring duration for both index and reference tests, as well as the number of true positives, false positives, true negatives, and false negatives for each threshold, as well as for epoch‐by‐epoch and event‐by‐event results, which will be considered for the calculation of surrogate measures (including sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy). Diagnostic test accuracy meta‐analyses will be performed using the Chu and Cole bivariate binomial model. Mean difference meta‐analysis will be performed for continuous outcomes using the DerSimonian and Laird random‐effects model. Analyses will be performed independently for each outcome. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses will evaluate the effects of the types (wearables, nearables, bed sensors, smartphone applications), technologies (e.g., oximeter, microphone, arterial tonometry, accelerometer), the role of manufacturers, and the representativeness of the samples.
Assessment of peritubular capillary rarefaction in kidneys of cats with chronic kidney disease
Authors: Paschall Rene E. , Quimby Jessica M. , Cianciolo Rachel E. , McLeland Shannon M. , Lunn Katharine F. , Elliott Jonathan
Published: February 2023

Background

Hypoxia is a key driver of fibrosis and is associated with capillary rarefaction in humans.

Objectives

Characterize capillary rarefaction in cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Animals

Archival kidney tissue from 58 cats with CKD, 20 unaffected cats.

Methods

Cross‐sectional study of paraffin‐embedded kidney tissue utilizing CD31 immunohistochemistry to highlight vascular structures. Consecutive high‐power fields from the cortex (10) and corticomedullary junction (5) were digitally photographed. An observer counted and colored the capillary area. Image analysis was used to determine the capillary number, average capillary size, and average percent capillary area in the cortex and corticomedullary junction. Histologic scoring was performed by a pathologist masked to clinical data.

Results

Percent capillary area (cortex) was significantly lower in CKD (median 3.2, range, 0.8‐5.6) compared to unaffected cats (4.4, 1.8‐7.0; P = <.001) and was negatively correlated with serum creatinine concentrations (r = −.36, P = .0013), glomerulosclerosis (r = −0.39, P = <.001), inflammation (r = −.30, P = .009), and fibrosis (r = −.30, P = .007). Capillary size (cortex) was significantly lower in CKD cats (2591 pixels, 1184‐7289) compared to unaffected cats (4523 pixels, 1801‐7618; P = <.001) and was negatively correlated with serum creatinine concentrations (r = −.40, P = <.001), glomerulosclerosis (r = −.44, P < .001), inflammation (r = −.42, P = <.001), and fibrosis (r = −.38, P = <.001).

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Capillary rarefaction (decrease in capillary size and percent capillary area) is present in kidneys of cats with CKD and is positively correlated with renal dysfunction and histopathologic lesions.
Co‐optation without representation: The relationship between the Bolivian state and the indigenous organization CONAMAQ
Authors: Springerová Pavlína , Vališková Barbora
Published: February 2023

The goal of this article is to examine the process of institutionalization of the Bolivian indigenous organization National Council of Ayllus and Markas of Qullasuyu from its birth until 2019, and its consequences on the dynamics of organization. This organization, as one of the key indigenous representatives in Bolivia, went through its internal crisis under the second Movement for Socialism government led by the president of indigenous origin Evo Morales Ayma. The division and demobilization of the organization in this crisis seems paradoxical considering Morales’ indigenous origin and the anticolonial programmatic agenda that resulted in increasing numbers of indigenous people in state power structures. This paradox of organization crisis in times of indigenous rule and increasing indigenous political representation will be explored by means of process tracing method, to explain the relationship between institutionalization of the organization and its dynamics. For that purpose, the differentiation between institutionalization (substantive representation) and co‐optation (descriptive representation) will be made to reveal if the demobilization of the National Council organization stems from the perceived effectiveness of institutional ways of representation in the sense of satisfying the organization's demands or was caused by state actors’ strategies to mitigate its challengers through co‐optation and patronage.
Institutional pragmatism of the Pacific Alliance: Does it favor a deep integration?
Authors: Tremolada Álvarez Eric
Published: February 2023

This article aims to establish whether the Pacific Alliance truly configures a pragmatic regionalization scheme in Latin America. It approaches the study of its Constitutive Treaty to interpret its provisions—in light of the economic and legal theories of integration—and addresses its developments, so we can consider if the member countries intend willfully to achieve a deep integration or if these plans are merely baseless statements. We analyze the ostentatious challenges imposed by the preamble and its attractive—or perhaps wishful—objectives. Then, we verify or question the institutional framework to determine if it is strong enough. Finally, we consider if the Alliance has legal personality as an international organization. The inevitable conclusion is that, despite the noble and lofty objectives laid out in the Constitutive Treaty of the Pacific Alliance, its member countries have made little to no effort to materialize them with each other or in their relationships with third‐party countries—observer countries and those located in the Asia‐Pacific region.
Global movements in Hisaye Yamamoto's short fiction
Authors: Mather Jeffrey
Published: February 2023

This study focuses on the short fiction of Hisaye Yamamoto and explores how formal techniques, generic patterns, and thematic ambiguities associated with modernism “travel” and are enacted within specific social contexts. Through a close reading of two of Yamamoto's stories—“Seventeen Syllables” and “Wilshire Bus”—I argue that her fictionalized rendering of internment, racism, and social restriction shed light on the constraints that peripheral “modernist” authors faced. Building on studies that have shown how Yamamoto's stories articulate subtle resistance though acts of voicing, this study explores how her fiction persistently draws the readers into the conditions of physical and social constraint, forcing us to grapple emotionally with the experiences of her characters while gaining perspectives on the boundaries that limit and structure individual actions. While Yamamoto was clearly influenced by the modernist revisitation of the short story as a literary form that could express the fragmentation, psychological intensity, and fleeting poetic qualities of twentieth‐century life, her self‐reflexive representation of minority experience provides a poignant alternative account of modernity, casting critical light on conventional notions of modernism as understood in relation to ideas of travel, mobility, artistic alienation, and cosmopolitan urban life.
Large effective population size masks population genetic structure in Hirondellea amphipods within the deepest marine ecosystem, the Mariana Trench
Authors: Piertney Stuart B. , Wenzel Marius , Jamieson Alan J.
Published: February 2023

The examination of genetic structure in the deep‐ocean hadal zone has focused on divergence between tectonic trenches to understand how environment and geography may drive species divergence and promote endemism. There has been little attempt to examine localized genetic structure within trenches, partly because of logistical challenges associated with sampling at an appropriate scale, and the large effective population sizes of species that can be sampled adequately may mask underlying genetic structure. Here we examine genetic structure in the superabundant amphipod Hirondellea gigas in the Mariana Trench at depths of 8126–10,545 m. RAD sequencing was used to identify 3182 loci containing 43,408 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across individuals after stringent pruning of loci to prevent paralogous multicopy genomic regions being erroneously merged. Principal components analysis of SNP genotypes resolved no genetic structure between sampling locations, consistent with a signature of panmixia. However, discriminant analysis of principal components identified divergence between all sites driven by 301 outlier SNPs in 169 loci and significantly associated with latitude and depth. Functional annotation of loci identified differences between singleton loci used in analysis and paralogous loci pruned from the data set and also between outlier and nonoutlier loci, all consistent with hypotheses explaining the role of transposable elements driving genome dynamics. This study challenges the traditional perspective that highly abundant amphipods within a trench form a single panmictic population. We discuss the findings in relation to eco‐evolutionary and ontogenetic processes operating in the deep sea, and highlight key challenges associated with population genetic analysis in nonmodel systems with inherent large effective population sizes and genomes.
Athletes in medicine: A systematic review of performance of athletes in medicine
Authors: Anderson Kathryn G. , Lemos Jacie , Pickell Samantha , Stave Christopher , Sgroi Michael
Published: February 2023

Introduction

As interest in medicine grows, admissions committees must review an increasingly competitive pool of medical school and residency candidates. Nearly all admissions committees have moved towards a holistic review, which considers an applicant's experiences and attributes in addition to academic metrics. As such, identifying nonacademic predictors of success in medicine is necessary. Parallels between skills necessary to succeed in athletics and in medicine have been drawn, including teamwork, discipline and resiliency. This systematic review synthesises the current literature to evaluate the relationship between participation in athletics and performance in medicine.

Methods

The authors searched five databases to conduct a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines. Included studies assessed medical students, residents or attending physicians in the United States or Canada and used prior athletic participation as a predictor or explanatory variable. The review examined associations between prior athletic participation and outcomes in medical school, residency and/or as an attending physician.

Results

Eighteen studies evaluating medical students (78%), residents (28%) or attending physicians (6%) met inclusion criteria for this systematic review. Twelve (67%) studies specifically assessed participants based on skill level, and five (28%) studies specifically assessed participants based on type of athletic participation (team versus individual). Sixteen studies (89%) found that former athletes performed significantly better than their counterparts (p < 0.05). These studies found significant associations between prior athletic participation and better outcomes in multiple performance indicators, including exam scores, faculty ratings, surgical errors and burnout.

Conclusions

Current literature, although limited, suggests that prior participation in athletics may be a predictor of success in medical school and residency. This was demonstrated through objective scoring methods, such as USMLE, and subjective outcomes, such as faculty ratings and burnout. Specifically, multiple studies indicate that former athletes demonstrated increased surgical skill proficiency and decreased burnout as medical students and residents.
Integrated optimization of multi‐vehicle‐type timetabling and scheduling to accommodate periodic passenger flow
Authors: Hu Baoyu , Fu Yangyang , Feng Shumin
Published: February 2023

A method was developed for integrating the process of multitype bus timetable generation and chains of trips formed by considering multiperiod passenger flow characteristics. First, the cumulative passenger demand curve was fitted and combined with the vehicle trajectory. Second, according to the results, the combined departure interval for multiple vehicle types was determined, and a one‐way possible timetable set was established. Third, considering the departure time window, the upward and downward possible timetable sets were connected. A bi‐objective mixed integer nonlinear programming model based on a spatiotemporal network was developed through two‐way matching. The objective of the model was to minimize the generalized fleet cost (a problem solved by the continuous deficit function of multiple vehicle types) and passenger waiting time. For two‐way matching, the computational complexity was reduced according to the postroot jump traversal rule, and the 𝑘‐shortest path algorithm was used to solve the bi‐objective Pareto‐optimal solution set. Finally, the Harbin No. 96 bus line was used as an example to validate the proposed model and algorithm. The optimization reduced the bus purchase cost by 51.28%, energy loss cost by 31.78%, and passenger waiting time by 37.07%, indicating that the proposed model can significantly reduce the costs for bus companies and passengers.
The Kari'na ceramic tradition through ethnographic collections
Authors: Gaspar Meliam Viganó
Published: February 2023

The collections of ethnographic ceramic vessels made by Kari'na women in Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Brazil present part of the history of a ceramic tradition that was consolidated over at least 200 years. The characteristics of ceramics and their production process can be associated to historical relations established by the Kari'na with different collectors and other peoples, as well as the agency of potters to maintain and transform their own tradition. By relating the history of these collections to the global history of museum institutions, this article contributes to the debate on museum decolonization and the transdisciplinary study of ethnographic ceramic collections. In addition, a look back into the past of collections can also give elements for a look forward into the future of the relations between objects and peoples.
Convergently selected NPF2.12 coordinates root growth and nitrogen use efficiency in wheat and barley
Authors: Siddiqui Md. Nurealam , Pandey Kailash , Bhadhury Suzan Kumer , Sadeqi Bahman , Schneider Michael , Sanchez‐Garcia Miguel , Stich Benjamin , Schaaf Gabriel , Léon Jens , Ballvora Agim
Published: February 2023

Understanding the genetic and molecular function of nitrate sensing and acquisition across crop species will accelerate breeding of cultivars with improved nitrogen use efficiency (NUE).

Here, we performed a genome‐wide scan using wheat and barley accessions characterized under low and high N inputs that uncovered the NPF2.12 gene, encoding a homolog of the Arabidopsis nitrate transceptor NRT1.6 and other low‐affinity nitrate transporters that belong to the MAJOR FACILITATOR SUPERFAMILY.

Next, it is shown that variations in the NPF2.12 promoter correlated with altered NPF2.12 transcript levels where decreased gene expression was measured under low nitrate availability. Multiple field trials revealed a significantly enhanced N content in leaves and grains and NUE in the presence of the elite allele TaNPF2.12TT grown under low N conditions. Furthermore, the nitrate reductase encoding gene NIA1 was up‐regulated in npf2.12 mutant upon low nitrate concentrations, thereby resulting in elevated levels of nitric oxide (NO) production. This increase in NO correlated with the higher root growth, nitrate uptake, and N translocation observed in the mutant when compared to wild‐type.

The presented data indicate that the elite haplotype alleles of NPF2.12 are convergently selected in wheat and barley that by inactivation indirectly contribute to root growth and NUE by activating NO signaling under low nitrate conditions.
Root‐associated fungal communities are influenced more by soils than by plant‐host root traits in a Chinese tropical forest
Authors: Hogan J. Aaron , Jusino Michelle A. , Smith Matthew E. , Corrales Adriana , Song Xiaoyang , Hu Yue‐hua , Yang Jie , Cao Min , Valverde‐Barrantes Oscar J. , Baraloto Christopher
Published: February 2023

Forest fungal communities are shaped by the interactions between host tree root systems and the associated soil conditions. We investigated how the soil environment, root morphological traits, and root chemistry influence root‐inhabiting fungal communities in three tropical forest sites of varying successional status in Xishuangbanna, China.

For 150 trees of 66 species, we measured root morphology and tissue chemistry. Tree species identity was confirmed by sequencing rbcL, and root‐associated fungal (RAF) communities were determined using high‐throughput ITS2 sequencing.

Using distance‐based redundancy analysis and hierarchical variation partitioning, we quantified the relative importance of two soil variables (site average total phosphorus and available phosphorus), four root traits (dry matter content, tissue density, specific tip abundance, and forks), and three root tissue elemental concentrations (nitrogen, calcium, and manganese) on RAF community dissimilarity. The root and soil environment collectively explained 23% of RAF compositional variation. Soil phosphorus explained 76% of that variation. Twenty fungal taxa differentiated RAF communities among the three sites.

Soil phosphorus most strongly affects RAF assemblages in this tropical forest. Variation in root calcium and manganese concentrations and root morphology among tree hosts, principally an architectural trade‐off between dense, highly branched vs less‐dense, herringbone‐type root systems, are important secondary determinants.
How Do People Respond When They Know That Robots Will Take Their Jobs?
Authors: Gunadi Christian , Ryu Hanbyul
Published: February 2023

In recent years, the USA observed a substantial increase in the adoption of robotic technology. The use of industrial robots in the US economy increased rapidly from about 1 robot per 1,000 workers in 2005 to 1.7 robots per 1,000 workers in 2017, a 70% increase. At the same time, there is a concern that the rapid adoption of robots will transform our society in a way that we have never seen before. In this article, we investigate whether individuals are responding to the increasing use of robots in their locality by altering their schooling decision. The results of the analysis suggest that a 10% increase in robot exposure is associated with an approximately 2.5% rise in college enrolment rate. In the long run, we find evidence that more intense exposure to robots during school ages is associated with an increase in the probability of an individual obtaining a college degree.
Analgesic utilization in people with knee osteoarthritis: A population‐based study using primary care data
Authors: Taqi Aqila , Gran Sonia , Knaggs Roger D.
Published: February 2023

Purpose

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic painful condition that often affects large joints such as the knee. Treatment guidelines recommend paracetamol, nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and opioids. Antidepressants and anti‐epileptic drugs (AEDs) are commonly prescribed for chronic noncancer pain conditions including OA, as an off‐label use. This study describes analgesic utilization in patients with knee OA at population level using standard pharmaco‐epidemiological methods.

Method

This was a cross‐sectional study between 2000 and 2014 using data from the U.K. Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). The use of antidepressants, AEDs, opioids, NSAIDs, and paracetamol was studied in adults with knee OA using the following measures: annual number of prescriptions, defined daily doses (DDD), oral morphine equivalent dose (OMEQ), and days' supply.

Results

In total, there were 8,944,381 prescriptions prescribed for 117,637 patients with knee OA during the 15‐year period. There was a steady increase in the prescribing of all drug classes, except for NSAIDs, over the study period. Opioids were the most prevalent class prescribed in every study year. Tramadol was the most commonly prescribed opioid, with the number of DDD increasing from 0.11 to 0.71 DDDs per 1000 registrants in 2000 and 2014, respectively. The largest increase in prescribing was for AEDs, where the number of prescriptions increased from 2 to 11 per 1000 CPRD registrants.

Conclusion

There was an overall increase in the prescribing of analgesics apart from NSAIDs. Opioids were the most frequently prescribed class; however, the greatest increase in prescribing between 2000 and 2014 was observed in AEDs.
Infrared thermography of in situ natural freezing and mechanism of winter‐thermonasty in Rhododendron maximum
Authors: Arora Rajeev , Wisniewski Michael , Tuong Tan , Livingston David
Published: February 2023

Evergreen leaves of Rhododendron species inhabiting temperate/montane climates are typically exposed to both high radiation and freezing temperatures during winter when photosynthetic biochemistry is severely inhibited. Cold‐induced “thermonasty,” that is, lamina rolling and petiole curling, can reduce the amount of leaf area exposed to solar radiation and has been associated with photoprotection in overwintering rhododendrons. The present study was conducted on natural, mature plantings of a cold‐hardy and large‐leaved thermonastic North American species (Rhododendron maximum) during winter freezes. Infrared thermography was used to determine initial sites of ice formation, patterns of ice propagation, and dynamics of the freezing process in leaves to understand the temporal and mechanistic relationship between freezing and thermonasty. Results indicated that ice formation in whole plants is initiated in the stem, predominantly in the upper portions, and propagates in both directions from the original site. Ice formation in leaves initially occurred in the vascular tissue of the midrib and then propagated into other portions of the vascular system/venation. Ice was never observed to initiate or propagate into palisade, spongy mesophyll, or epidermal tissues. These observations, together with the leaf‐ and petiole‐histology, and a simulation of the rolling effect of dehydrated leaves using a cellulose‐based, paper‐bilayer system, suggest that thermonasty occurs due to anisotropic contraction of cell wall cellulose fibers of adaxial versus abaxial surface as the cells lose water to ice present in vascular tissues.
The effects of death awareness and reactance on texting‐and‐driving prevention
Authors: Bessarabova Elena , Massey Zachary B.
Published: February 2023

Using a 2 (mortality: salient, control) × 2 (freedom‐limiting language: freedom‐limiting, autonomy‐supportive) independent‐group design, this study examined the relationship between mortality salience and psychological reactance in the context of texting‐and‐driving prevention messages. The terror management health model and the theory of psychological reactance guided study predictions. Results showed mortality salience produced adaptive effects on attitudes toward texting‐and‐driving prevention and behavioral intentions to reduce unsafe driving practices. Additionally, some evidence for the effectiveness of directive, albeit freedom‐limiting communication, emerged. These and other results are discussed along with the implications, limitations, and future research directions.
Transferring Jerusalem to Moscow: Maksim Grek’s Letter and Its Afterlife
Authors: Willson Justin , Morse Ashley
Published: February 2023

Few debates in late seventeenth‐century Muscovy were as heated as the controversy over the naming of the Resurrection “New Jerusalem” Monastery (1656). This essay draws attention to an overlooked sixteenth‐century source, a letter by the Greek‐born Slavic translator Maksim Grek (d. 1556), which played an important role in shaping the Church’s thinking. Maksim’s letter helps to explain why Jerusalem ideology took a very different path in Russia than it did in Western Europe, and why replications of the Holy Sepulcher are only very rarely encountered in Muscovy. Maksim’s letter introduces several themes which foreshadow the course of the later debate: the irrevocability of Jerusalem’s name; the inalienable holiness of the loca sancta; and the connection between the holy sites and churches built on them. These themes, in turn, invite a reconsideration of the success of Jerusalem ideology in Muscovy, which has often been taken for granted. We first situate this contrarian text in its original context and then trace its mediation through important Ruthenian authors who guaranteed its wide reception in Moscow. Our study demonstrates that the Russian clergy and the Moscow Synod of 1666/67 based their critiques of the ‘New Jerusalem’ Monastery’s name on a reading of Maksim’s letter and its mediators.
Utilization of dental services by children with autism spectrum conditions: The role of primary health care
Authors: de Souza Maximiliano Loiola Ponte , de Lima Priscilla Dias Leite , Herkrath Fernando José
Published: February 2023

Aim

Children with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) face many barriers to access dental health services, despite having a greater need for care. The aim of the study was to evaluate the use of dental health services by children with ASC and the individual factors related to the demand for primary care services.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study was carried out with 100 caregivers of children with ASC aged 6–12 years in a city in Brazil. After the descriptive analysis, logistic regression analyses were carried out to estimate the odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals.

Results

The caregivers reported that 25% of the children had never been to the dentist and 57% had an appointment over the past 12 months. Seeking primary care for dental treatment and frequent toothbrushing were positively associated with both outcomes and participating in oral health preventive activities decreased the chance of never having been to the dentist. Having male caregivers and activity limitations due to autism decreased the chance of having been to the dentist over the past year.

Conclusion

The findings suggest that reorganizing care of children with ASC can contribute to reducing access barriers to dental health services.
An evaluation of mechanical and biophysical skin parameters at different body locations
Authors: John Anto J. U. K. , Galdo Francesco Del , Gush Rodney , Worsley Peter R.
Published: February 2023

Background

Skin is the largest organ in the body, representing an important interface to monitor health and disease. However, there is significant variation in skin properties for different ages, genders and body regions due to the differences in the structure and morphology of the skin tissues. This study aimed to evaluate the use of non‐invasive tools to discriminate a range of mechanical and functional skin parameters from different skin sites.

Materials and methods

A cohort of 15 healthy volunteers was recruited following appropriate informed consent. Four well‐established CE‐marked non‐invasive techniques were used to measure four anatomical regions: palm, forearm, sole and lower lumbar L3, using a repeated measures design. Skin parameters included trans‐epidermal water loss (TEWL), pH (acidity), erythema, stratum corneum hydration and stiffness and elasticity using Myoton Pro (skin and muscle probe). Differences between body locations for each parameter and the intra‐rater reliability between days were evaluated by the same operator.

Results

The results indicate that parameters differed significantly between skin sites. For the Myoton skin probe, the sole recorded the highest stiffness value of 1006 N/m (SD ± 179), while the lower lumbar recorded the least value of 484 N/m (SD ± 160). The muscle indenter Myoton probe revealed the palm's highest value of 754 N/m (± 108), and the lower lumbar recorded the least value of 208 N/m (SD ± 44). TEWL values were lowest on the forearm, averaging 11 g/m2/h, and highest on the palm, averaging 41 g/m2/h. Similar skin hydration levels were recorded in three of the four sites, with the main difference being observed in the sole averaging 13 arbitrary units. Erythema values were characterised by a high degree of inter‐subject variation, and no significant differences between sites or sides were observed. The Myoton Pro Skin showed excellent reliability (intra‐class correlation coefficients > 0.70) for all sites with exception of one site right lower back; the Myoton pro muscle probes showed good to poor reliability (0.90–017), the corneometer showed excellent reliability (>0.75) among all the sites tested, and the TEWL showed Good to poor reliability (0.74–0.4) among sites.

Conclusion

The study revealed that using non‐invasive methods, the biophysical properties of skin can be mapped, and significant differences in the mechanical and functional properties of skin were observed. These parameters were reliably recorded between days, providing a basis for their use in assessing and monitoring changes in the skin during health and disease.
Antigen copy number and antibody dose can determine the outcome of erythrocyte alloimmunization inducing either antibody‐mediated immune suppression or enhancement in a murine model
Authors: Wabnitz Hanna , Cruz‐Leal Yoelys , Lazarus Alan H.
Published: February 2023

Background

The administration of anti‐D for the prevention of hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn is one of the most successful clinical uses of the phenomenon of antibody‐mediated immune suppression (AMIS). However, despite adequate prophylaxis, failures can still occur in the clinic and are poorly understood. Recently, the copy number of red blood cell (RBC) antigens has been shown to influence immunogenicity in the context of RBC alloimmunization; however, its influence on AMIS remains unexplored.

Study Design and Methods

RBCs expressing approximately 3,600 and approximately 12,400 copy numbers of surface‐bound hen egg lysozyme (HEL), named respectively HELmed‐RBCs and HELhi‐RBCs, and selected doses of a polyclonal HEL‐specific IgG were transfused into mice. Recipient HEL‐specific IgM, IgG, and IgG subclass responses were evaluated by ELISA.

Results

Antigen copy number affected the antibody dose required for AMIS induction with higher antigen copy numbers requiring larger doses of antibody. For instance, 5 μg of antibody caused AMIS for HELmed‐RBCs but not HELhi‐RBCs, while 20 μg induced significant suppression for both HEL‐RBCs. Overall, increasing amounts of the AMIS‐inducing antibody were associated with a more complete AMIS effect. In contrast, the lowest tested doses of the AMIS‐inducing IgG led to evidence of enhancement at the IgM and IgG levels.

Discussion

The results demonstrate that the relationship between antigen copy number and antibody dose can influence the outcome of AMIS. Further, this work suggests that the same antibody preparation can induce both AMIS and enhancement but that the outcome may depend on the quantitative interrelationship of antigen–antibody binding.
Longitudinal analysis of annual national hemovigilance data to assess pathogen reduced platelet transfusion trends during conversion to routine universal clinical use and 7‐day storage
Authors: Pitman John P. , Payrat Jean‐Marc , Park Min‐Sun , Liu Kathy , Corash Laurence , Benjamin Richard J.
Published: February 2023

Background

France converted to universal pathogen reduced (PR; amotosalen/UVA) platelets in 2017 and extended platelet component (PC) shelf‐life from 5‐ to 7‐days in 2018 and 2019. Annual national hemovigilance (HV) reports characterized longitudinal PC utilization and safety over 11 years, including several years prior to PR adoption as the national standard of care.

Methods

Data were extracted from published annual HV reports. Apheresis and pooled buffy coat [BC] PC use was compared. Transfusion reactions (TRs) were stratified by type, severity, and causality. Trends were assessed for three periods: Baseline (2010–14; ~7% PR), Period 1 ([P1] 2015–17; 8%–21% PR), and Period 2 ([P2] 2018–20; 100% PR).

Results

PC use increased by 19.1% between 2010 and 2020. Pooled BC PC production increased from 38.8% to 68.2% of total PCs. Annual changes in PCs issued averaged 2.4% per year at baseline, −0.02% (P1) and 2.8% (P2). The increase in P2 coincided with a reduction in the target platelet dose and extension to 7‐day storage. Allergic reactions, alloimmunization, febrile non‐hemolytic TRs, immunologic incompatibility, and ineffective transfusions accounted for >90% of TRs. Overall, TR incidence per 100,000 PCs issued declined from 527.9 (2010) to 345.7 (2020). Severe TR rates declined 34.8% between P1‐P2. Forty‐six transfusion‐transmitted bacterial infections (TTBI) were associated with conventional PCs during baseline and P1. No TTBI were associated with amotosalen/UVA PCs. Infections with Hepatitis E (HEV) a non‐enveloped virus resistant to PR, were reported in all periods.

Discussion

Longitudinal HV analysis demonstrated stable PC utilization trends with reduced patient risk during conversion to universal 7‐day amotosalen/UVA PCs.
Intra‐ and extra‐regional trade costs: A comparative approach to Latin‐American performance
Authors: Moncarz Pedro Esteban , Flores Manuel , Villano Sebastián , Vaillant Marcel
Published: February 2023

The world expansion of trade in manufactured goods has been more dynamic than production over the last 25 years. The greater trade openness was due more to the growth of extra‐regional trade than to intra‐regional trade. Regions and trade agreements performed heterogeneously. Using a structural gravity model, we obtain that different mechanisms of trade liberalisation complemented each other, through the reduction of Most Favoured Nation (MFN) tariffs, the expansion and deepening of existing plurilateral agreements and the incorporation of new deeper agreements. The contribution derived from the reduction of MFN tariffs stands out, followed in importance by the component of preference for openness and trade facilitation. The contribution of the preferential channel via preferential trade agreements has been more important for extra‐regional than intra‐regional trade. For Latin America, heterogeneity is the fundamental characteristic, from the protectionism of Argentina and Brazil to a better openness performance of the countries of Central America and the Caribbean, and the members of the Andean Community (CAN) with an intermediate behaviour. Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Peru, economies from different regions, are the most open in Latin America. The concept of open regionalism is highlighted: without non‐discriminatory trade openness, there is no regionalism that can significantly reduce trade costs.
A narrative review of the impact of work hours and insufficient rest on job performance
Authors: Steffey Michele A. , Risselada Marije , Scharf Valery F. , Buote Nicole J. , Zamprogno Helia , Winter Alexandra L. , Griffon Dominique
Published: February 2023

Objective

This review discusses the scientific evidence regarding effects of insufficient rest on clinical performance and house officer training programs, the associations of clinical duty scheduling with insufficient rest, and the implications for risk management.

Study design

Narrative review.

Methods

Several literature searches using broad terms such as “sleep deprivation,” “veterinary,” “physician,” and “surgeon” were performed using PubMed and Google scholar.

Results

Sleep deprivation and insufficient rest have clear and deleterious effects on job performance, which in healthcare occupations impacts patient safety and practice function. The unique requirements of a career in veterinary surgery, which may include on‐call shifts and overnight work, can lead to distinct sleep challenges and chronic insufficient rest with resultant serious but often poorly recognized impacts. These effects negatively impact practices, teams, surgeons, and patients. The self‐assessment of fatigue and performance effect is demonstrably untrustworthy, reinforcing the need for institution‐level protections. While the issues are complex and there is no one‐size‐fits‐all approach, duty hour or workload restrictions may be an important first step in addressing these issues within veterinary surgery, as it has been in human medicine.

Conclusion

Systematic re‐examination of cultural expectations and practice logistics are needed if improvement in working hours, clinician well‐being, productivity, and patient safety are to occur.

Clinical significance (or Impact)

A more comprehensive understanding of the magnitude and consequence of sleep‐related impairment better enables surgeons and hospital management to address systemic challenges in veterinary practice and training programs.
Growth of homotopy groups of spheres via the Goodwillie–EHP sequence
Authors: Boyde Guy
Published: February 2023

We bound the volume of the homotopy groups of the 2‐local Goodwillie approximations of a sphere in terms of the amount of 2‐torsion in the stable stems, providing a Goodwillie‐theoretic refinement of a result of Burklund and Senger. At the ‐excisive approximation, this bound is obtained by ‘multiplying the stable answer by a polynomial of degree ’. The main tool is Behrens' Goodwillie–EHP long exact sequence.
Upper bounds on the extremal number of the 4‐cycle
Authors: Ma Jie , Yang Tianchi
Published: February 2023

We obtain some new upper bounds on the maximum number of edges in ‐vertex graphs without containing cycles of length four. This leads to an asymptotically optimal bound on for a broad range of integers as well as a disproof of a conjecture of Erdős from 1970s which asserts that .
Toroidal integer homology three‐spheres have irreducible SU(2)$SU(2)$‐representations
Authors: Lidman Tye , Pinzón‐Caicedo Juanita , Zentner Raphael
Published: February 2023

We prove that if an integer homology three‐sphere contains an embedded incompressible torus, then its fundamental group admits irreducible ‐representations.
Higher homotopy normalities in topological groups
Authors: Tsutaya Mitsunobu
Published: February 2023

The purpose of this paper is to introduce ‐maps (), which describe higher homotopy normalities, and to study their basic properties and examples. An ‐map is defined with higher homotopical conditions. It is shown that a homomorphism is an ‐map if and only if there exists fiberwise maps between fiberwise projective spaces with some properties. Also, the homotopy quotient of an ‐map is shown to be an ‐space if its LS category is not greater than . As an application, we investigate when the inclusions and are ‐locally ‐maps.
Dopamine differentially affects retinal circuits to shape the retinal code
Authors: Warwick Rebekah A. , Heukamp Alina S. , Riccitelli Serena , Rivlin‐Etzion Michal
Published: February 2023

Dopamine has long been reported to enhance antagonistic surrounds of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Yet, the retina contains many different RGC subtypes and the effects of dopamine can be subtype‐specific. Using multielectrode array (MEA) recordings we investigated how dopamine shapes the receptive fields of RGCs in the mouse retina. We found that the non‐selective dopamine receptor agonist apomorphine can either increase or decrease RGCs’ surround strength, depending on their subtype. We then used two‐photon targeted patch‐clamp to target a specific RGC subtype, the transient‐Off‐αRGC. In line with our MEA recordings, apomorphine did not increase the antagonistic surround of transient‐Off‐αRGCs but enhanced their responses to Off stimuli in the centre receptive field. Both D1‐ and D2‐like family receptor (D1‐R and D2‐R) blockers had the opposite effect and reduced centre‐mediated responses, but differently affected transient‐Off‐αRGC's surround. While D2‐R blocker reduced surround antagonism, D1‐R blocker led to surround activation, revealing On responses to large stimuli. Using voltage‐clamp recordings we separated excitatory inputs from Off cone bipolar cells and inhibitory inputs from the primary rod pathway. In control conditions, cone inputs displayed strong surround antagonism, while inputs from the primary rod pathway showed no surround. Yet, the surround activation in the D1‐R blockade originated from the primary rod pathway. Our findings demonstrate that dopamine differentially affects RGC subtypes via distinct pathways, suggesting that dopamine has a more complex role in shaping the retinal code than previously reported.

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Key points

Receptive fields of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) have a centre–surround organisation, and previous work has shown that this organisation can be modulated by dopamine in a light‐intensity‐dependent manner.

Dopamine is thought to enhance RGCs’ antagonistic surround, but a detailed understanding of how different RGC subtypes are affected is missing.

Using a multielectrode array recordings, clustering analysis and pharmacological manipulations, we found that dopamine can either enhance or weaken antagonistic surrounds, and also change response kinetics, of RGCs in a subtype‐specific manner.

We performed targeted patch‐clamp recordings of one RGC subtype, the transient‐Off‐αRGC, and identified the underlying circuits by which dopamine shapes its receptive field.

Our findings demonstrate that dopamine acts in a subtype‐specific manner and can have complex effects, which has implications for other retinal computations that rely on receptive field structure.
El cuidado de la salud en las familias en Colombia: política sanitaria, trabajo de las mujeres y desigualdad
Authors: Hernández Bello Amparo
Published: February 2023

El libro titulado El cuidado de la salud en las familias en Colombia: política sanitaria, trabajo de las mujeres y desigualdad analiza la relación entre la equidad de género en el cuidado de la salud en los hogares y la orientación y los fundamentos de la política de salud en Colombia, con un claro aporte a la formulación de políticas públicas.
Sequential Ensemble Monte Carlo Sampler for On-Line Bayesian Inference of Time-Varying Parameter in Engineering Applications
Authors: Lye Adolphus , Marino Luca , Cicirello Alice , Patelli Edoardo
Published: February 2023

Several on-line identification approaches have been proposed to identify parameters and evolution models of engineering systems and structures when sequential datasets are available via Bayesian inference. In this work, a robust and “tune-free” sampler is proposed to extend one of the sequential Monte Carlo implementations for the identification of time-varying parameters which can be assumed constant within each set of data collected but might vary across different sequences of datasets. The proposed approach involves the implementation of the affine-invariant Ensemble sampler in place of the Metropolis–Hastings sampler to update the samples. An adaptive-tuning algorithm is also proposed to automatically tune the step-size of the affine-invariant ensemble sampler which, in turn, controls the acceptance rate of the samples across iterations. Furthermore, a numerical investigation behind the existence of inherent lower and upper bounds on the acceptance rate, making the algorithm robust by design, is also conducted. The proposed method allows for the off-line and on-line identification of the most probable models under uncertainty. The proposed sampling strategy is first verified against the existing sequential Monte Carlo sampler in a numerical example. Then, it is validated by identifying the time-varying parameters and the most probable model of a nonlinear dynamical system using experimental data.
Micro-Energy Harvesting From Automotive Dynamics
Authors: Cossa Fernando Henrique Seefeldt , Idehara Sérgio Junichi , Rabelo Marcos Alves , de Oliveira Milton Evangelista
Published: February 2023

Most modern vehicles feature some level of automation that contributes to the overall feeling of comfort and safety. Traditional designs are, however, more difficult to apply. In fact, it is a growing consumer of wires for power and communication use, which increases the weight and cost. As a result, new micro-electronics development aims to create systems that do not require external power sources. The automotive systems are exposed to disturbances, which exhibit a vibrational response. This may be harvested into electrical energy. Therefore, the generated energy may be a potential power source for devices, applied to the vehicle. To this end, a micropower generator based on a piezo-electric device is attached to the front suspension arm, an unusual solution in the automotive industry, for extracting energy from vehicle dynamics to power micro-electronic devices and sensors. A numerical simulation from a three degrees-of-freedom model and an experimental vehicular test in different road types were applied to map the energy generated in the harvesting process. The results show that the possibility of generating micro-energy on good quality roads; is low when the International Roughness Index (IRI) is less than 4, and the micro-energy is less than 0.1 mW. However, significant performance is achieved on uneven roads (IRI > 10), that achieve harvested power greater than 0.2 mW. The IRI is a standard method for classifying road roughness. It was found generally that an off-road vehicle is better for harvesting micro-energy because of the high acceleration in the suspension.
Tip Leakage Flow Structures and Its Influence on Cavitation Inception for a NACA0009 Hydrofoil
Authors: Feng Xianren , Liu Yunqiao , Wang Benlong
Published: February 2023

Cavitation inception in tip leakage flows remains a challenging topic in the engineering field, as the effect of tip gap width on inception is unclear. The present study is devoted to an analysis of the effect of gap width on tip leakage cavitation inception by using full-wetted numerical simulations. Numerical results show that the cavitation inception number is strongly related to the dimensionless gap width τ, which is defined as the ratio of tip gap width to the maximum hydrofoil thickness, and the reason behind it is explained by the specific flow structures. The cavitation inception number of suction side (SS) sheet cavitation decreases gradually with the increase of dimensionless gap. The cavitation inception numbers of tip leakage vortex (TLV) and tip separation vortex (TSV) increase first and then decrease with the increase of the gap, reaching the maximum at τ=0.2 and τ=0.3, respectively. The main reason is that in the gap range of 0.2−0.3, TLV and TSV cores have the highest vorticity and the lowest pressure.