bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Real-Life Efficacy of Tofacitinib in Various Situations in Ulcerative Colitis: A Retrospective Worldwide Multicenter Collaborative Study
Authors: Resál Tamás , Bacsur Péter , Keresztes Csilla , Bálint Anita , Bor Renáta , Fábián Anna , Farkas Bernadett , Katsanos Kostas , Michalopoylos George , Ribaldone Davide Giuseppe , Attauabi Mohamed , Zhao Mirabella , Barak Hadar Amir , Yanai Henit , Bezzio Cristina , Rispo Antonio , Castiglione Fabiana , Bar-Gil Shitrit Ariella , Pugliese Daniela , Armuzzi Alessandro , Savarino Edoardo Vincenzo , Kolar Martin , Lukáš Milan , Chashkova Elena , Filip Rafał , Rozieres Aurore , Nancey Stéphane , Krznarić Željko , Schäfer Eszter , Szamosi Tamás , Sarlós Patrícia , Franko Matej , Drobne David , Knyazev Oleg V , Kagramanova Anna V , Limdi Jimmy , Wetwittayakhlang Panu , Lakatos Peter L , Maharshak Nitsan , Bannon Lian , Nyári Tibor , Szepes Zoltán , Farkas Klaudia ,   TFB Study Group, Saibeni Simone , Kastylova Kristyna , Seidelin Jakob Benedict , Burisch Johan , Hajdú Helga , Molnár Tamás
Published: August 2023

Background and Aims

Tofacitinib (TFB) appears to be effective in the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC); however, available real-world studies are limited by cohort size. TFB could be an option in the treatment of acute severe ulcerative colitis (ASUC). We aimed to investigate efficacy and safety of TFB in moderate-to-severe colitis and ASUC.

Methods

This retrospective, international cohort study enrolling UC patients with ≥6-week follow-up period was conducted from February 1 to July 31, 2022. Indications were categorized as ASUC and chronic activity (CA). Baseline demographic and clinical data were obtained. Steroid-free remission (SFR), colectomy, and safety data were analyzed.

Results

A total of 391 UC patients (median age 38 [interquartile range, 28-47] years; follow-up period 26 [interquartile range, 14-52] weeks) were included. A total of 27.1% received TFB in ASUC. SFR rates were 23.7% (ASUC: 26.0%, CA: 22.8%) at week 12 and 41.1% (ASUC: 34.2%, CA: 43.5%) at week 52. The baseline partial Mayo score (odds ratio [OR], 0.850; P = .006) was negatively associated with week 12 SFR, while biologic-naïve patients (OR, 2.078; P = .04) more likely achieved week 52 SFR. The colectomy rate at week 52 was higher in ASUC group (17.6% vs 5.7%; P < .001) and decreased with age (OR, 0.94; P = .013). A total of 67 adverse events were reported, and 17.9% resulted in cessation of TFB. One case of thromboembolic event was reported.

Conclusions

TFB is effective in both studied indications. TFB treatment resulted in high rates of SFR in the short and long terms. Higher baseline disease activity and previous biological therapies decreased efficacy. No new adverse event signals were found.
Ulcerative Colitis Is Associated With Diet-related Inflammation and Physical Activity in the IBD Partners E-cohort
Authors: DuBois Kelli E , Blake Christine E , Rudisill Caroline , Harrison Sayward E , Wirth Michael D , Hébert James R
Published: August 2023

Background

Individuals with ulcerative colitis (UC) seek complementary treatment methods, including diet and physical activity, to manage the burden of living with UC. This study examined associations between diet-associated inflammation, physical activity (PA), and UC-related health outcomes.

Methods

Data were obtained from 2052 IBD Partners e-cohort participants with UC. To quantify the inflammatory potential of food intake, dietary data were converted into Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and energy adjusted (E-DII) scores. Physical activity data were collected using the Godin-Shephard Leisure Time Activity Index. Outcome variables included the Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index, Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire, and psychosocial PROMIS domains.

Results

Higher E-DII scores, as indicator of increased dietary inflammatory potential, were associated with increased disease activity (β = 0.166; P < .001), anxiety (β = 0.342; P = .006), depression (β = 0.408; P = .004), fatigue (β = 0.386; P = .005), sleep disturbance (β = 0.339; P = .003), and decreased social satisfaction (β = -0.370; P = .004) and quality of life (β = −0.056; P < .001). Physical activity was inversely associated with disease activity (β = −0.108; P < .001), anxiety (β = −0.025; P = .001), depression (β = −0.025; P = .001), fatigue (β = −0.058; P < .001), and sleep disturbance (β = −0.019; P = .008), while positively associated with social satisfaction (β = 0.063; P < .001) and quality of life (β = 0.005; P < .001). Beneficial effects were generally greater for strenuous PA intensity.

Conclusions

An anti-inflammatory diet and increased PA are associated with decreased disease activity, anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms, and fatigue, and associated with improved quality of life, sleep, and social satisfaction for patients with UC. Such modalities may reduce the daily burden of illness and aid in managing systemic and localized inflammation associated with UC.
Temperature and Turgor “Limitation” and Environmental “Control” in Xylem Biology and Dendrochronology
Authors: Segovia-Rivas Alí , Olson Mark E
Published: August 2023

Synopsis

Trees and other woody plants are immensely ecologically important, making it essential to understand the causes of relationships between tree structure and function. To help these efforts, we highlight persistent traditions in plant biology of appealing to environmental factors “limiting” or “controlling” woody plant features. Examples include the idea that inevitable drops in cell turgor with plant height limit cell expansion and thus leaf size and tree height; that low temperatures prohibit lignification of cells and thus the growth of woody plants at high elevation; and notions from dendrochronology and related fields that climate factors such as rainfall and temperature “control” growth ring features. We show that notions of “control,” “limitation,” and the like imply that selection would favor a given trait value, but that these would-be favored values are developmentally impossible to produce. Such “limitation” scenarios predict trait frequency distributions that are very narrow and are abruptly curtailed at the upper limit of developmental possibility (the right-hand side of the distribution). Such distributions have, to our knowledge, never been observed, so we see little empirical support for “limitation” hypotheses. We suggest that, as a more productive starting point, plant biologists should examine adaptation hypotheses, in which developmental possibility is wide (congruent with the wide ranges of trait variation that really are observed), but only some of the possible variants are favored. We suggest that (1) the traditional the proximate/ultimate causation distinction, (2) purging scenarios of teleology/anthropomorphism, and (3) stating hypotheses in terms of developmental potential and natural selection are three simple ways of making “limitation” hypotheses clearer with regard to biological process and thus empirically testable.
Stress Hormone Dynamics Are Coupled to Brain Serotonin 4 Receptor Availability in Unmedicated Patients With Major Depressive Disorder: A NeuroPharm Study
Authors: Vulpius Gunild M , Köhler-Forsberg Kristin , Ozenne Brice , Larsen Søren V , Nasser Arafat , Svarer Claus , Gillings Nic , Keller Sune H , Jørgensen Martin B , Knudsen Gitte M , Frokjaer Vibe G
Published: August 2023

Background

A prominent finding in major depressive disorder (MDD) is distorted stress hormone dynamics, which is regulated by serotonergic brain signaling. An interesting feature of the cerebral serotonin system is the serotonin 4 receptor (5-HT4R), which is lower in depressed relative to healthy individuals and also has been highlighted as a promising novel antidepressant target. Here, we test the novel hypothesis that brain 5-HT4R availability in untreated patients with MDD is correlated with cortisol dynamics, indexed by the cortisol awakening response (CAR). Further, we evaluate if CAR changes with antidepressant treatment, including a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, and if pretreatment CAR can predict treatment outcome.

Methods

Sixty-six patients (76% women) with a moderate to severe depressive episode underwent positron emission tomography imaging with [11C]SB207145 for quantification of brain 5-HT4R binding using BPND as outcome. Serial home sampling of saliva in the first hour from awakening was performed to assess CAR before and after 8 weeks of antidepressant treatment. Treatment outcome was measured by change in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale 6 items.

Results

In the unmedicated depressed state, prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices 5-HT4R binding was positively associated with CAR. CAR remained unaltered after 8 weeks of antidepressant treatment, and pretreatment CAR did not significantly predict treatment outcome.

Conclusions

Our findings highlight a link between serotonergic disturbances in MDD and cortisol dynamics, which likely is involved in disease and treatment mechanisms. Further, our data support 5-HT4R agonism as a promising precision target in patients with MDD and disturbed stress hormone dynamics.
Optimized Schwarz methods for the time-dependent Stokes–Darcy coupling
Authors: Discacciati Marco , Vanzan Tommaso
Published: August 2023

This paper derives optimized coefficients for optimized Schwarz iterations for the time-dependent Stokes–Darcy problem using an innovative strategy to solve a nonstandard min-max problem. The coefficients take into account both physical and discretization parameters that characterize the coupled problem, and they guarantee the robustness of the associated domain decomposition method. Numerical results validate the proposed approach in several test cases with physically relevant parameters.
Antibacterial activity of Lagerstreomia speciosa and its active compound, corosolic acid, enhances cefotaxime inhibitory activity against Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Sinelius Sylvia , Lady Jullietta , Yunardy Michellina , Tjoa Enty , Nurcahyanti Agustina D R
Published: August 2023

Aims

Various epidemiology studies have reported the emergence of Staphylococcus aureus and its methicillin resistance strain causing global health concerns, especially during and post-COVID-19 pandemic. This pathogen presents as a co-infection in patients with COVID-19. In addition, certain virulence factors and resistance to β-lactam antibiotics, including cefotaxime, have been identified. We aimed to investigate the antibacterial activity of Lagerstreomia speciosa, a medicinal plant with antidiabetic activity, against S. aureus, including the strain resistant to methicillin. Furthermore, we examined whether the extract and one of its bioactive compounds, corosolic acid, can enhance the therapeutic effect of cefotaxime on antibiotic-resistant S. aureus.

Methods and results

The minimum inhibitory concentration of each substance was determined using the standard broth microdilution test following the checkerboard dilution. The type of interactions, synergistic, additivity, indifference, or antagonism, were determined using isobolograms analysis and the dose reduction index (DRI). The evaluation of synergy and bactericidal activity of the natural products in combination with cefotaxime was performed using the time-kill kinetic assay. Corosolic acid, L. speciosa leaves extract, and bark extract alone showed antibacterial activity against all tested S. aureus ATCC 33591, S. aureus ATCC 29213, S. aureus ATCC 25923, and clinical isolated S. aureus. Corosolic acid enhanced the antibacterial activity of cefotaxime, showing a synergistic effect and greater DRI of cefotaxime against all tested S. aureus strains. Time-kill kinetic assay showed that corosolic acid has a more profound effect than L. speciosa extracts to potentiate the bactericidal activity of cefotaxime. Whereas L. speciosa leaves and bark extract showed some inhibitory effect on the growth of S. aureus after a single administration.

Conclusions

Lagerstreomia speciosa leaves and bark extract and its active compound, corosolic acid, could be used as a potential anti-Staphylococcus aureus treatment to enhance the therapeutic use of cefotaxime.
Utilization of electronic health records and associated factors among nurses in a faith-based teaching hospital, Ilishan, Nigeria
Authors: Ayamolowo Love B , Irinoye Omolola O , Olaniyan Abayomi S
Published: August 2023

Introduction

It has been documented that nurses’ use of electronic health records (EHRs) impacts clients’ health outcomes positively. Some health facilities, primarily privately owned institutions, introduced EHRs for optimal healthcare. Evidence of such and associated factors among nurses must be documented to improve utilization and quality.

Objective

The study assessed the utilization of EHRs and associated factors among nurses in a faith-based teaching hospital.

Materials and Methods

This sequential explanatory mixed-methods study involved a sample of all 240 nurses from a teaching hospital where EHRs have been introduced. Quantitative data through semistructured questionnaires were collected and analyzed using Chi-square and logistic regression. Qualitative data were collected from 10 purposively selected nurses using an in-depth interview guide and analyzed through content analysis.

Results

The majority of participants reported availability of EHR computer software (62.8%), internet facility (84.2%), and desktops (76.3%), but EHR was poorly utilized (27.3%). Factors significantly associated were nurses who were females [OR (odds ratio) = 1.5, 95% CI (confidence interval), 0.21–11.24], BNSc degrees holders [OR = 4.3; 95% CI, 1.06–17.43]; had computer EHR software [OR = 7.4, 95% CI, 0.83–3.81], and sponsored EHR training [OR = 2.10; 95% CI, 0.24–18.6]. Noncapturing of nursing tasks and nursing standardized language by EHR software, lack of institutional enforcement on EHR use, and absence of clear EHR policies were the main identified themes for the key barriers to using EHRs.

Conclusion

EHR was poorly utilized among nurses. Gender, educational qualification, EHR resources, and sponsored training were factors significantly associated with the use. There is an urgent need for comprehensive EHR packages, sustained sponsored training, and formulation of EHR policy for effective EHR implementation.
Removing maternal heat stress abatement during gestation modulated postnatal physiology and improved performance of Bos indicus-influenced beef offspring
Authors: Izquierdo Vinicius S , Silva João V L , Ranches Juliana , Santos Giovanna C M , Carroll Jeffery A , Burdick Sanchez Nicole C , Bittar João H J , Vendramini João M B , Moriel Philipe
Published: August 2023

This study evaluated the growth and immune response of beef calves born from Bos indicus-influenced beef heifers provided pre- and postpartum heat abatement on pasture. On 83 ± 4 d prepartum (day 0), 64 Brangus crossbred beef heifers (~¼ B. indicus) were stratified by body weight (BW; 454 ± 37 kg) and body condition score (BCS; 6.3 ± 0.28; scale 1 to 9), and then allocated into 1 of 16 bahiagrass pastures (1 ha and 4 heifers per pasture). Treatments were randomly assigned to pastures (8 pastures per treatment) and consisted of heifers provided (SH) or not (NSH) access to artificial shade (4.5 m2 of shade area per heifer) from 83 d prepartum to 50 d postpartum (days 0 to 133). Heifers and calves were managed similarly from day 133 until the start of the breeding season (day 203). Calves were weaned on day 203 (at 119 ± 19 d of age), limit-fed the same drylot diet at 3.5% of BW (DM basis) days 209 to 268 (3 to 4 calves per pen; 8 pens per treatment) and vaccinated against respiratory disease pathogens on days 222 and 236. Heifer intravaginal temperatures from days 35 to 42 were lower (P ≤ 0.03) for NSH vs. SH heifers from 0000 to 0800 hours but greater (P ≤ 0.05) for NSH vs. SH heifers from 1100 to 1800 hours. Heifer intravaginal temperature from days 126 to 132 did not differ (P = 0.99) between NSH and SH heifers. Heifers assigned to NSH had greater respiration rates from days 20 to 96 (P ≤ 0.0007), greater plasma concentration of cortisol on days 35 (P = 0.07) and 55 (P = 0.02), less plasma concentration of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) on days 35 (P = 0.10), 55, and 133 (P ≤ 0.05), and less BCS from days 55 to 203 (P ≤ 0.01) compared to SH heifers. Calves born from NSH heifers had less birth BW (P = 0.05), greater overall plasma haptoglobin concentrations (P = 0.05), greater seroconversion against bovine respiratory syncytial virus on day 222 (P = 0.02), tended to have greater ADG from days 209 to 268 (P = 0.07), and had greater BW on day 268 (P = 0.05) compared to SH offspring. Plasma concentrations of cortisol and serum titers against other respiratory disease pathogens did not differ (P ≥ 0.15) between NSH and SH offspring. Hence, removing maternal access to artificial shade: (1) increased prepartum intravaginal temperature and plasma concentrations of cortisol but reduced prepartum BCS and plasma concentrations of IGF-1 in grazing B. indicus-influenced beef heifers; and (2) increased post-weaning BW gain and had positive effects on humoral immune response of their offspring.
A diagnosis method for imbalanced bearing data based on improved SMOTE model combined with CNN-AM
Authors: Wang Zhenya , Liu Tao , Wu Xing , Liu Chang
Published: August 2023

A boundary enhancement and Gaussian mixture model (G) optimized synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE) algorithm (BE-G-SMOTE) is proposed to improve diagnostic accuracy under imbalanced bearing fault data conditions. It is designed to solve the problem that the diversity of samples generated by the original SMOTE model is limited, as well as the deep learning model is limited by the size of training samples and processing speed. Firstly, a few bearing fault data are clustered by G to achieve cluster division. Secondly, according to the cluster density distribution function designed in this paper, the weights of different clusters and sample weights to achieve intra-class balance are determined and data quality is improved. Then, to take full advantage of the limited fault data, based on the sensitivity of the support vector machine (SVM) to imbalanced data, the enhanced boundary is established between generated data and the SVM classifier under different penalty factor (PF) values. According to the accuracy, the optimal PF is determined, and fault datasets satisfying diversity are obtained. To improve the classification accuracy, a convolutional neural network with an attention mechanism is built. Finally, analysis using two practical cases shows the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Delivering ADAPT+ to Latino Families Living in Rural Communities: Feasibility and Acceptability of Implementing a Health Promotion Program Including Mindfulness
Authors: Stern Marilyn , Rancourt Diana , Soca Lozano Sandra , Buro Acadia W , Gray Heewon L , Rodriguez Carmen , Bailey Rocio , Redwine Laura
Published: August 2023

Background

Obesity is a major public health crisis in Latino youth. Mounting evidence implicates stress in the development and maintenance of obesity. This study examined the feasibility and acceptability of having community health workers, i.e., promotoras, deliver Adaptando Dieta y Acción Para Todos (ADAPT)+, a family-based health promotion program integrating mindfulness strategies for stress reduction to underserved Latino families in rural communities.

Methods

In an ORBIT model Phase IIb longitudinal quasi-cluster feasibility study, promotoras delivered the 6-session ADAPT+ intervention and 1-session Enhanced Usual Care (EUC) in rural Florida. Feasibility was assessed via sample size and recruitment, randomization by community, data collection completion, and intervention fidelity. Acceptability was assessed via participant retention and program satisfaction. Effect sizes of differences in parent stress and mindful eating between conditions at baseline, end of treatment, and 3-month follow-up were calculated.

Results

Feasibility and acceptability were demonstrated. The recruitment target was 99% met (n = 95 recruited). Randomization was limited to site level due to coronavirus disease 2019-related challenges. Data collection procedures were feasible (100% completion). Retention was 86% at post-assessment and 82.6% at 3-month follow-up. All sessions were completed (100% fidelity). Mean program satisfaction was 3.91/4.00. ADAPT+ parents reported lower stress (difference = −3.04, medium-to-large effect, d = .70) and more mindful eating (difference = 2.00, medium effect, d = .44) than EUC parents at 3-month follow-up.

Conclusion

Study implementation and intervention delivery to rural Latino families using promotoras were feasible and acceptable. Promising findings regarding parent stress and mindful eating support a larger (ORBIT Phase III) efficacy trial.

Clinical Trial Registration

This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier NCT04800432.
Exploration of the candidate beneficial bacteria for Penaeus vannamei culture by core microbiome analysis using amplicon sequencing
Authors: Lalitha Natarajan , Ronald Berty Samuel Masilamoni , Chitra Murugesan Ananda , Jangam Ashok Kumar , Katneni Vinaya Kumar , Suganya Panjan Nathamuni , Senthilnayagam Hemalatha , Senthilkumar Tuticorin Maragatham Alagesan , Muralidhar Moturi
Published: August 2023

Globally, Penaeus vannamei is the vital species in aquaculture production. Beneficial bacterial exploration of gut, sediment, and water were investigated in P. vannamei culture using Illumina Miseq sequencing of 16S RNA V3-V4 hypervariable regions. Predominant phyla identified were Proteobacteria, Tenericutes, Bacteroidetes in gut; Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Planctomycetes in sediment and Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Planctomycetes in water. In total, 46 phyla, 509 families and 902 genera; 70 phyla, 735 families and 1255 genera; 55 phyla, 580 families and 996 genera were observed in gut, sediment and water, respectively. Diversity of microbial communities in respect of observed Operational Taxonomic Units, diversity indices (Shannon and Simpson), richness index (Chao1) were significantly high P (<0.05) in 60 DoC in gut and 30 DoC in sediment. Beta diversity indicated separate clusters for bacterial communities in gut, sediment and water samples and formation of distinct community profiles. Core microbiome in P. vannamei rearing ponds over a time consisted of 9, 21, and 20 OTUs in gut, rearing water and sediment, respectively. This study helps to intervene with suitable beneficial microbes to establish an aquaculture system thereby contributes to enhance the productivity, improve water quality and pond bottom condition, and control the pathogenic agents at each stage of the culture.
The Yijing Principles in the Japanese Creation Myth: A Study of the Jindai-No-Maki (‘Chapters on the Age of the Gods’) in the Nihon Shoki (‘The Chronicles Of Japan’)
Authors: Ng Benjamin Wai-ming
Published: August 2023

The Yijing (‘Classic of Changes’) is an important text in Daoist and Confucian traditions in China. It also served as a building block of ancient Japanese culture. The Japanese creation myth described in the Jindai no maki (‘Chapters on the Age of the Gods’) of the Nihon shoki (‘Chronicles of Japan’, 720 CE) was strongly influenced by such Yijing-related concepts as taiji (‘Supreme Ultimate’), yinyang (the two complementary and contradictory forces in the universe), qiankun (first two trigrams representing heaven and earth), sancai (three powers or realms of the universe: heaven, earth, man), wuxing (five phases or agents), and bagua (eight trigrams). The Japanese creation myth was later Confucianised in the Tokugawa period (1603–1868), when Japanese Confucian and Shinto scholars provided the Neo-Confucian metaphysical underpinning for Shinto mythology. Based on a close reading of the Jindai no maki, this study aims to investigate how Yijing-related concepts were used to construct the Japanese creation myth and how Tokugawa Confucian and Shinto scholars further elaborated upon it.
Decay, Death, and the Return of Light: The I Ching Yin-Yang Cycle in Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle
Authors: Lai John T P
Published: August 2023

Through a critical investigation of Philip K. Dick’s best-selling novel The Man in the High Castle, this essay attempts to unearth deeper levels of characterisation and motifs in the novel by discovering the implicit and nuanced symbolisms of the I Ching (Book of Changes) incorporated within it. The article scrutinises the influences of the I Ching upon Dick’s literary creation, particularly how the major themes of decay, death, and the return of light are uniquely depicted in the I Ching cycle of yin and yang, and metaphorically symbolised by several corresponding hexagrams.
Connectivity, Grounding, and Amplification: The Base-Line in Changing and its Functions
Authors: Berengarten Richard
Published: August 2023

This essay is by the author of Changing (CH), ‘a composite poem … based closely on the Chinese Book of Changes’. Here, I explore the multiple functions of the ‘base-line’ in this work. I then discuss Western artists’ emphasis on chance in the I Ching, and argue that this is not the sole quality to be appreciated in the ancient masterpiece. In this context, I apply ideas from quantum theory to suggest that entanglement may be a key to better understanding the I Ching. Since this essay is primarily an exploration of my own compositional procedures as a poet, I implicitly acknowledge the subjective basis of this interpretative enquiry.
Origin of the complex iron line structure and spectral variation in Mrk 766
Authors: Mochizuki Yuto , Mizumoto Misaki , Ebisawa Ken
Published: August 2023

Complex Fe-K emission/absorption line features are commonly observed in the 6–11 keV band from Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). These features are formed in various physical components surrounding the black holes. The Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxy Mrk 766, in particular, exhibits characteristic blue-shifted Fe-K absorption lines caused by the ultrafast outflow (UFO), and a broad Fe-K emission line, as well as variable absorbers partially covering the X-ray emitting region. We re-analyse the Mrk 766 archival data of XMM-Newton, NuSTAR, and Swift to investigate the origin of the Fe-K line feature and the 0.3–79 keV energy spectral variation. We have found that the spectral variation in ≲10 keV is primarily explained by the variable partial covering of the central X-ray source by multilayer absorbing clouds. The Fe-K line feature consists of the blue-shifted absorption lines due to the UFO, a narrow emission line from the distant material, a broad emission line from the inner-disc reflection, and a slightly broadened weak emission line at around 6.4–6.7 keV whose equivalent width is ∼0.05 keV. The last one is presumably due to the resonance scattering in the UFO out of the line-of-sight, as predicted by a Monte Carlo simulation based on the hydrodynamical UFO modelling. We suggest that the seemingly complex Fe-K line features and the X-ray energy spectra of Mrk 766 are explained by a moderately extended central X-ray source around a Schwarzschild black hole, an optically thick accretion disc with a truncated inner-radius, the UFO, multilayer partial covering clouds, and a torus.
Towards super-resolution simulations of the fuzzy dark matter cosmological model
Authors: Sipp Meris , LaChance Patrick , Croft Rupert , Ni Yueying , Di Matteo Tiziana
Published: August 2023

AI super-resolution, combining deep learning and N-body simulations, has been shown to successfully reproduce the large-scale structure and halo abundances in the Lambda cold dark matter cosmological model. Here, we extend its use to models with a different dark matter content, in this case fuzzy dark matter (FDM), in the approximation that the difference is encoded in the initial power spectrum. We focus on redshift z = 2, with simulations that model smaller scales and lower masses, the latter by two orders of magnitude, than has been done in previous AI super-resolution work. We find that the super-resolution technique can reproduce the power spectrum and halo mass function to within a few per cent of full high-resolution calculations. We also find that halo artefacts, caused by spurious numerical fragmentation of filaments, are equally present in the super-resolution outputs. Although we have not trained the super-resolution algorithm using full quantum pressure FDM simulations, the fact that it performs well at the relevant length and mass scales means that it has promise as a technique that could avoid the very high computational cost of the latter, in some contexts. We conclude that AI super-resolution can become a useful tool to extend the range of dark matter models covered in mock catalogues.
Isolating the linear signal when making redshift space distortion measurements
Authors: Chapman Michael J , Zhai Zhongxu , Percival Will J
Published: August 2023

Constraints on the linear growth rate, fσ8, using small-scale redshift space distortion measurements have a significant statistical advantage over those made on large scales. However, these measurements need to carefully disentangle the linear and non-linear information when interpreting redshift space distortions in terms of fσ8. It is particularly important to do this given that some previous measurements found a significant deviation from the expectation based on the Lambda cold dark matter (ΛCDM) model constrained by Planck cosmic microwave background data. We construct a new emulator-based model for small-scale galaxy clustering with scaling parameters for both the linear and non-linear velocities of galaxies, allowing us to isolate the linear growth rate. We train the emulator using simulations from the AbacusCosmos suite, and apply it to data from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey luminous red galaxy sample. We obtain a value of fσ8(z = 0.737) = 0.368 ± 0.041, in 2.3σ tension with the Planck 2018 ΛCDM expectation, and find less dependence on the minimum measurement scale than previous analyses.
Identifying parent bodies of meteorites among near-Earth asteroids
Authors: Carbognani A , Fenucci M
Published: August 2023

Meteorites provide an important source of information about the formation and composition of asteroids, because the level of accuracy of studies and analyses performed in a laboratory cannot be achieved by any ground- or space-based observation. To better understand what asteroid types a meteorite represents, it is crucial to identify the body they originated from. In this paper, we aim to determine possible parent bodies for the known meteorite falls among the known population of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs). By using the similarity criterion DN, based on geocentric quantities, we found 20 possible NEA–meteorite pairs. By performing additional numerical simulations of the backward dynamics, we found that 12 of these pairs may be associated with a possible separation event from the progenitor NEA, while the remaining 8 pairs appear to be ambiguous or random associations. The most interesting are the Pribram and Neuschwanstein meteorites, which are dynamically associated with (482488) 2012 SW20 with a common separation age dating back to about 20–30 kyr ago, and the Motopi Pan meteorite, which has three candidate parent bodies: (454100) 2013 BO73, 2017 MC3, and 2009 FZ4. The average time of separation between our meteorite list and the progenitor body appears to be about 10 kyr, a time consistent with what is expected from the collision frequency of small NEAs. Based on our results, we suggest that about 25 per cent of meteorites do not originate in the main belt, but mainly from little collision events happening between NEAs in the inner Solar system.
EPOCHS VII: discovery of high-redshift (6.5 < z < 12) AGN candidates in JWST ERO and PEARLS data
Authors: Juodžbalis Ignas , Conselice Christopher J , Singh Maitrayee , Adams Nathan , Ormerod Katherine , Harvey Thomas , Austin Duncan , Volonteri Marta , Cohen Seth H , Jansen Rolf A , Summers Jake , Windhorst Rogier A , D’Silva Jordan C J , Koekemoer Anton M , Coe Dan , Driver Simon P , Frye Brenda , Grogin Norman A , Marshall Madeline A , Nonino Mario , Pirzkal Nor , Robotham Aaron , Jr Russell E Ryan , Ortiz III Rafael , Tompkins Scott , Willmer Christopher N A , Yan Haojing
Published: August 2023

We present an analysis of a sample of robust high-redshift galaxies selected from the ‘blank’ fields of the Prime Extragalactic Areas for Reionization Science (PEARLS) survey and Early Release Observations (ERO) data from JWST with the aim of selecting candidate high-redshift active galactic nuclei (AGN). Sources were identified from this parent sample using a threefold selection procedure, which includes spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting to identify sources that are best fitted by AGN SED templates, a further selection based on the relative performance of AGN and non-AGN models, and finally morphological fitting to identify compact sources of emission, resulting in a purity-oriented procedure. Using this procedure, we identify a sample of nine AGN candidates at 6.5 < z < 12, from which we constrain their physical properties as well as measure a lower bound on the AGN fraction in this redshift range of 5 ± 1 per cent. As this is an extreme lower limit due to our focus on purity and our SEDs being calibrated for unobscured Type 1 AGN, this demonstrates that AGN are perhaps quite common at this early epoch. The rest-frame UV colours of our candidate objects suggest that these systems are potentially candidate obese black hole galaxies (OBGs). We also investigate Chandra and VLA maps of these areas from which we calculate detection limits. Of note is a z = 11.9 candidate source exhibiting an abrupt morphological shift in the reddest band as compared to bluer bands, indicating a potential merger or an unusually strong outflow.
A case with febrile attacks and vasculopathy associated with ADA2 and MEFV pathogenic variants
Authors: Parlar Kerem , Tahir Turanli Eda , Nuhoglu Kantarci Eda , Hacioglu Aysa , Kirectepe Aydin Asli , Ayla Ali Yagiz , Voyvoda Umut , Ozdogan Huri , Ugurlu Serdal
Published: August 2023

Deficiency of adenosine deaminase 2 (DADA2), caused by recessive mutations in the adenosine deaminase 2 (ADA2) gene, results in cutaneous or systemic vasculitis with variable clinical manifestations. There is only one other case in literature carrying both ADA2 and MEFV gene pathogenic variants. Here we report the second case that carries both ADA2 and MEFV pathogenic variants, presenting with characteristic phenotypes of both familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) and DADA2. A male patient, currently 29 years old, was initially diagnosed with FMF and developed livedo reticularis and nodular dermal lesions compatible with cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) a year after diagnosis. His family history revealed a brother 2 years older than himself who was diagnosed with PAN and died at age 22 because of gut perforation secondary to acute mesenteric ischaemia. ADA2 gene mutation analysis on chromosome 22q11.1 was positive, and the patient responded to colchicine and infliximab.
Impact of menopausal symptoms on work and careers: a cross-sectional study
Authors: O’Neill M T , Jones V , Reid A
Published: August 2023

Background

Women over 50 years are one of the fastest-growing employment groups. Menopausal symptoms can adversely impact quality of life, work performance and attendance; however, few studies look at the impact of individual menopausal symptoms on work and career development.

Aims

To measure the prevalence of menopausal symptoms in employees in a healthcare setting, to assess the impact of individual symptoms on work, attendance and career development and to explore perceptions about workplace supports.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study of Irish hospital workers, menopausal employees were asked about the frequency of 10 menopausal symptoms and the extent to which each symptom impacted them at work. Impacts on performance, attendance and career development were assessed, along with the benefits of workplace support.

Results

Responses from 407 women showed that the most common menopausal symptoms affecting employees greater than 50% of the time while at work were fatigue (54%), difficulty sleeping (47%), poor concentration (44%) and poor memory (40%). Work performance was impacted for 65% of respondents and 18% had taken sick leave. There was a significant association between symptom severity at work and reduced work performance, career development decisions and attendance. Manager awareness about menopause (29%) and flexible working times (29%) were selected as the most important workplace supports.

Conclusions

Female employees are negatively impacted by menopausal symptoms while at work, particularly by psychological and neurocognitive symptoms which were associated with reduced work performance, attendance and career decisions. Manager awareness and flexible schedules were considered the most beneficial workplace supports.
Prognostic Risk Stratification and End-of-Life Care Outcomes in Patients With Metastatic Melanoma Treated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
Authors: Grad Robert N , Jung Seungyeon , Ye Fei , Sun Lili , Johnson Douglas B , Agarwal Rajiv
Published: August 2023

Introduction

The emergence of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has improved survival outcomes in patients with metastatic melanoma, while potentially increasing the use of systemic therapy near the end of life (EOL). Yet, less is known on how to facilitate treatment decision making and identify patients who might benefit from early palliative care comanagement.

Materials and Methods

We determined baseline clinical and laboratory factors that are associated with poor prognosis for patients with advanced melanoma treated with ICIs. We subsequently identified prognostic subgroups to evaluate association with EOL outcomes and determine if EOL care varied across prognostic strata.

Results

Our cohort included 398 patients with metastatic melanoma treated with ICIs. Factors associated with overall survival (OS) included: lactate dehydrogenase, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, performance status, prior therapies, liver metastases, and lung metastases. Patients were stratified by risk of death using risk scores developed from multivariable analyses. A total of 205 patients died: 45/133 (34%) low-risk, 63/133 (47%) medium-risk, and 97/132 (73%) of high-risk patients. Among those who died, higher risk patients were more likely to receive ICIs within 14, 30, and 90 days of death. We found no association between risk group and hospice referrals or location of death.

Conclusion

Patients with metastatic melanoma at highest risk of death as defined by our model were more likely than lower-risk patients to receive ICIs near the EOL. Prognostic risk stratification may guide early palliative care interventions to appropriately utilize ICIs and optimize EOL care.
Emergence of ultradiscrete states due to phase lock caused by saddle-node bifurcation in discrete limit cycles
Authors: Yamazaki Yoshihiro , Ohmori Shousuke
Published: August 2023

Dynamical properties of limit cycles for a tropically discretized negative feedback model are numerically investigated. This model has a controlling parameter τ, which corresponds to the time interval for the time evolution of phase in the limit cycles. By considering τ as a bifurcation parameter, we find that an ultradiscrete state emerges due to phase lock caused by saddle-node bifurcation. Furthermore, focusing on limit cycles for the max-plus negative feedback model, it is found that the unstable limit cycle in the max-plus model corresponds to the unstable fixed points emerging by the saddle-node bifurcation in the tropically discretized model.
Dusk2Dawn: an EEGLAB plugin for automatic cleaning of whole-night sleep electroencephalogram using Artifact Subspace Reconstruction
Authors: Somervail Richard , Cataldi Jacinthe , Stephan Aurélie M , Siclari Francesca , Iannetti Gian Domenico
Published: August 2023

Whole-night sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) is plagued by several types of large-amplitude artifacts. Common approaches to remove them are fraught with issues: channel interpolation, rejection of noisy intervals, and independent component analysis are time-consuming, rely on subjective user decisions, and result in signal loss. Artifact Subspace Reconstruction (ASR) is an increasingly popular approach to rapidly and automatically clean wake EEG data. Indeed, ASR adaptively removes large-amplitude artifacts regardless of their scalp topography or consistency throughout the recording. This makes ASR, at least in theory, a highly-promising tool to clean whole-night EEG. However, ASR crucially relies on calibration against a subset of relatively clean “baseline” data. This is problematic when the baseline changes substantially over time, as in whole-night EEG data. Here we tackled this issue and, for the first time, validated ASR for cleaning sleep EEG. We demonstrate that ASR applied out-of-the-box, with the parameters recommended for wake EEG, results in the dramatic removal of slow waves. We also provide an appropriate procedure to use ASR for automatic and rapid cleaning of whole-night sleep EEG data or any long EEG recording. Our procedure is freely available in Dusk2Dawn, an open-source plugin for EEGLAB.
Speciation-by-Extinction
Authors: Seeholzer Glenn F , Brumfield Robb T
Published: August 2023

Extinction is a dominant force shaping patterns of biodiversity through time; however its role as a catalyst of speciation through its interaction with intraspecific variation has been overlooked. Here, we synthesize ideas alluded to by Darwin and others into the model of “speciation-by-extinction” in which speciation results from the extinction of intermediate populations within a single geographically variable species. We explore the properties and distinguishing features of speciation-by-extinction with respect to other established speciation models. We demonstrate its plausibility by showing that the experimental extinction of populations within variable species can result in speciation. The prerequisites for speciation-by-extinction, geographically structured intraspecific variation and local extinction, are ubiquitous in nature. We propose that speciation-by-extinction may be a prevalent, but underappreciated, speciation mechanism.
Genome analyses of species A rotavirus isolated from various mammalian hosts in Northern Ireland during 2013−2016
Authors: Lagan Paula , Mooney Mark H , Lemon Ken
Published: August 2023

Rotavirus group A (RVA) is the most important cause of acute diarrhoea and severe dehydration in young mammals. Infection in livestock is associated with significant mortality and economic losses and, together with wildlife reservoirs, acts as a potential source of zoonotic transmission. Therefore, molecular surveillance of circulating RVA strains in animal species is necessary to assess the risks posed to humans and their livestock. An RVA molecular epidemiological surveillance study on clinically diseased livestock species revealed high prevalence in cattle and pigs (31 per cent and 18 per cent, respectively) with significant phylogenetic diversity including a novel and divergent ovine artiodactyl DS-1-like constellation G10-P[15]-I2-R2-C2-M2-A11-N2-T6-E2-H3. An RVA gene reassortment occurred in an RVA asymptomatic pig and identified as a G5-P[13] strain, and a non-structural protein (NSP)2 gene had intergenomically reassorted with a human RVA strain (reverse zoonosis) and possessed a novel NSP4 enterotoxin E9 which may relate to the asymptomatic RVA infection. Analysis of a novel sheep G10-P[15] strain viral protein 4 gene imparts a putative homologous intergenic and interspecies recombination event, subsequently creating the new P[15] divergent lineage. While surveillance across a wider range of wildlife and exotic species identified generally negative or low prevalence, a novel RVA interspecies transmission in a non-indigenous pudu deer (zoo origin) with the constellation of G6-P[11]12-R2-C2-M2-A3-N2-T6-E2-H3 was detected at a viral load of 11.1 log10 copies/gram. The detection of novel emerging strains, interspecies reassortment, interspecies infection, and recombination of RVA circulating in animal livestock and wildlife reservoirs is of paramount importance to the RVA epidemiology and evolution for the One Health approach and post-human vaccine introduction era where highly virulent animal RVA genotypes have the potential to be zoonotically transmitted.
Study of Infections in Breast Augmentation Surgery with Implants in 9,691 Patients over 5 Years
Authors: Mesa Felipe , Cataño Sebastian , Tuberquia Oscar
Published: August 2023

Background:

This study presents a review of a single retrospective cohort of patients who underwent surgery for breast augmentation with implants, during a period of 5 years, aged 17–60 years (mean 32 years), in a single institution, IQ Interquirofanos, a private clinic in the city of Medellín, Colombia.

Method:

A single retrospective cohort study was carried out, in which the database of patients who underwent breast augmentation with implants during 5 years was analyzed.

Results:

In this period of time, 9,691 female patients and a total of 19,382 breast implants implanted by 66 plastic surgeons underwent breast augmentation surgery. All the breast prostheses used were round, made of silicone gel in all cases and textured in most of them. 37 patients presented infection at the surgical site, 33 were unilateral and four bilateral, with an incidence of 0.38% per patient. The form of presentation was cellulitis in 46% of the cases, followed by seroma and hematoma in 25%. It was found that there is no difference in the incidence of infection between patients with breast augmentation for the first time and implant replacement due to different causes (OR 1.25, 95% CI 0.66–2.3, P = 0.49). One of the surgeons was associated with 37.8% of the infections and was found to be an asymptomatic carrier of Staphylococcus aureus, requiring medical treatment. The relationship of the infection with the treating surgeons was also analyzed and it was found that there is an association between these two variables. The infection appeared in the first 2 weeks after surgery in 92.7% of the cases. The main isolated germ was Staphylococcus aureus, followed by Pseudomona aeruginosa, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Serratia marcescens, Candida parapsilosis, Enterobacter cloacae, and a patient with Mycobacterium fortuitum in both breasts. Of the 37 patients with infection, six breast implants were required to be explanted in five patients, who were repositioned 3–6 months later without complications.

Conclusions:

Incidence of infection in augmentation mammoplasty with implants was 0.38% in patients infected in one or both breasts, during 5 years. There is a relationship between the presence of breast infection and the surgeon who performed the intervention. The most frequent germs found in breast implant infections continue to be Staphylococcus aureus followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.