bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of inter- and intra-layer delay time on TPU parts fabricated by laser powder bed fusion
Authors: Connor Samuel , Goodridge Ruth , Maskery Ian
Published: January 2025

In polymer laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB-P) techniques, such as laser sintering, the time between scanning a given point in one layer and the same x-y point in the next layer is known as the ‘inter-layer delay time’. Multiple parts are normally fabricated in a PBF-LB-P build for efficiency; however, this leads to variation in the inter-layer delay time for individual parts; in this study, we present a specific investigation using a commercially available thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). Multiple part layouts were used and the resulting parts were subject to tensile testing and fracture surface analysis. The results demonstrate that an increase in inter-layer delay time can lead to a significant reduction in mechanical properties. Fabricating specimens in groups of 5 led to a 10% reduction in ultimate tensile strength, 30% reduction in extension at break, and 15$$\%$$
%
reduction in Young’s modulus compared to specimens fabricated individually. Fractography suggests this is due to decreased inter-layer bonding and an increase in defects. This has significant implications for the production of multiple parts in a build where consistent mechanical properties are critical. Based on our understanding of this detrimental effect, we put forward a novel build packing approach for PBF-LB-P, based on scanning area equivalence rather than the conventional time minimisation, to mitigate against it.
Multidisciplinary care pathways for falls prevention in older adults: visualizing the needs of primary care-based health care professionals
Authors: Groos Sara S. , Tan Stefanie M. , Linn Annemiek J. , Kuiper Judith I. , van Schoor Natasja M. , van Weert Julia C. M. , van der Velde Nathalie
Published: January 2025

Purpose

Multidisciplinary care pathways for falls prevention, which include falls risk stratification, multifactorial falls risk assessment, and management of multidomain interventions, can reduce falls in older adults. However, efficient multidisciplinary falls prevention care is challenging due to issues such as poor communication and role allocation. This study aimed to identify and visualize the multidisciplinary care needs of primary care-based health care professionals (HCPs) for falls prevention in the Netherlands using the novel co-design approach of journey mapping.

Methods

Online focus groups and interviews (N = 45) were conducted with physical therapists (n = 15), district nurses (n = 9), occupational therapists (n = 7), pharmacists (n = 6), nurse practitioners (n = 5), podiatrists (n = 2), and one general practitioner. HCPs were asked about their interactions, experiences, needs, and barriers with regards to multidisciplinary falls prevention care in a primary care context. Insights were used to visualize a journey map depicting the desired future state of multidisciplinary care pathways for falls prevention.

Results

Journey mapping identified the following needs for effective multidisciplinary falls prevention care: a dedicated case manager after risk stratification, preparatory patient information before the assessment, small multidisciplinary care team for the assessment, patient involvement during intervention management, good communication between HCPs, and a reduction in workload for HCPs.

Conclusion

The inclusion of a case manager program for older adults and access to resources to facilitate good communication between HCPs are important to optimize the configuration of multidisciplinary care pathways for falls prevention in actual practice.
Speech Separation in Time–frequency Domain by Deep Learning with High Performance and Reducing Parameters
Authors: Takahashi K. , Shiraishi T.
Published: January 2025

Introduction

Traditional speech separation algorithms used time–frequency (T-F) masks. Recently, deep neural networks, which are generally called deep learning, have been used to estimate T-F masks, and the separation performance has been improved owing to it. However, a conventional deep learning approach that achieved the high separation performance requires a large number of parameters because its network is composed of recurrent neural networks (RNNs) which have recurrent and full connections. This is a disadvantage because the low memory consumption is desired in the case of using speech separation algorithms for actual applications. Because of this shortcoming, we proposed a novel network architecture that balances both the high separation performance and the low memory cost.

Methods

The proposed network is composed of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) which have a sparse connection instead of RNNs to reduce the number of parameters. Additionally, aiming to achieve the high separation performance, we designed the proposed network for speech separation to make it possible to learn the feature of speech. We evaluated the separation performance for each network on the task of separating two-speaker mixture.

Results

In the simulation results, the separation performance of the proposed network was competitive with one of conventional ones with the highest separation performance regardless of realizing the more than 80% reduction of the number of parameters.

Conclusion

The results indicated that the proposed network is superior to a conventional one considering the cost-performances of both the speech separation performance and the memory cost.
The Role of the Intermediary: Equitable Programming and Implementation Support
Authors: Billings Matthew , Fixsen Amanda A. M.
Published: January 2025

An organization that functions as an intermediary has been described as an entity that engages in the support of many programs while also building capacity for the implementation and delivery of programs locally so that they may be successfully sustained over time. The role of the intermediary in the distribution and support of usable innovations and evidence-based programs must be clearly defined if the functions of the intermediary, as well as the evidence-based programs, are to be sustained and scaled. Effective intermediary organizations require consistent attention to program implementation strategies and to integrating principles related to race equity within the structures and functions of intermediary organizations so that all children and families can benefit from usable innovations. This paper provides case examples of two intermediary organizations in the United States. We describe how they use the Active Implementation Frameworks to support the implementation of evidence-based practices and their organizational efforts to operationalize equity throughout their intermediary structure and functions.
Learning about AI ethics from cases: a scoping review of AI incident repositories and cases
Authors: Knight Simon , McGrath Cormac , Viberg Olga , Pargman Teresa Cerratto
Published: January 2025

Cases provide a practical resource for learning regarding the uses and challenges of AI applications. Cases give insight into how principles and values are implicated in real contexts, the trade-offs and different perspectives held regarding these contexts, and the—sometimes hidden—relationships between cases, relationships that may support analogical reasoning across contexts. We aim to (1) provide an approach for structuring ethics cases and (2) investigate existing case repository structures. We motivate a scoping review through a conceptual analysis of ethics case desirable features. The review sought to retrieve repositories, (sometimes known as observatories, catalogues, galleries, or incident databases), and their cases, for analysis of their expression of ethics concepts. We identify n = 14 repositories, extracting the case schema used in each, to identify how this metadata can express ethical concepts. We find that most repositories focus on harm-indicators, with some indicating positive impacts, but with little explicit reference to ethical concepts; a subset (n = 4) includes no structural elements addressing ethical concepts or impacts. We extract a subset of cases from the total cases (n = 2000) across repositories addressing education (n = 100). These are grouped by topic, with a structured content analysis provided of ethical implications from one sub-theme, offering qualitative insights into the ethical coverage. Our conceptual analysis and empirical review exemplify a model for ethics cases (shorthanded as Ethics-case-CPR), while highlighting gaps both in existing case repositories and specific examples of cases.
The crises in the Middle East: reshaping the region’s geopolitical landscape and altering the global order
Authors: Saeed Seevan
Published: January 2025

The recent events in the Middle East caught most political commentators, observers and thinkers by surprise. Who would have imagined that a non-state actor like Hamas could launch an attack on Israel and create such a complex condition for a powerful state, heavily supported by the USA and Western powers? However, crises in the Middle East often escalate unpredictably, defying calculations and expectations. This paper argues that since October 7th 2023, not only in the Middle East but also in several other regions worldwide, major rival powers have been struggling with crises that are leading to reshape the global order. The paper argues that the realms of Economy, Security, and Diplomacy among the primary global powers are all under scrutiny as they navigate the crises that have intensified significantly towards altering the global order.
Constructing an Incarnational Theology
Authors: Wells Samuel
Published: January 2025

Why did Jesus come? The traditional argument is that he came to redeem us from sin and destroy death, and thus reverse the fall. Many have long found this unsatisfactory, because it centres human deficit, rather than divine abundance. In this study, Samuel Wells traces his notion of 'being with' right into the Trinity itself, and in dialogue with Maximus the Confessor, Duns Scotus and Karl Barth, among others, articulates a truly Christocentric theology in which God's means and God's ends are identical. In the process, Wells not only greatly expands the compass of 'being with,' showing its scriptural and doctrinal significance, but also offers a constructive account of the incarnation, cross and resurrection of Jesus that out-narrates conventional atonement theories. Wells correspondingly proposes an account of sin, evil, suffering and death that accords with this revised understanding. The result is a compelling and transformational proposal in incarnational theology.
Wine, Soil, and Salvation in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament
Authors: Scarlata Mark
Published: January 2025

Biblical authors used wine as a potent symbol and metaphor of material blessing and salvation, as well as a sign of judgement. In this volume, Mark Scarlata provides a biblical theology of wine through exploration of texts in the Hebrew Bible, later Jewish writings, and the New Testament. He shows how, from the beginnings of creation and the story of Noah, wine is intimately connected to soil, humanity, and harmony between humans and the natural world. In the Prophets, wine functions both as a symbol of blessing and judgement through the metaphor of the cup of salvation and the cup of wrath. In other scriptures, wine is associated with wisdom, joy, love, celebration, and the expectations of the coming Messiah. In the New Testament wine becomes a critical sign for the presence of God's kingdom on earth and a symbol of Christian unity and life through the eucharistic cup. Scarlata's study also explores the connections between the biblical and modern worlds regarding ecology and technology, and why wine remains an important sign of salvation for humanity today.
Tip-toeing through the Tulips with Congress
Authors: Nedal Dani Kaufmann , Schramm Madison V.
Published: January 2025

Over the years, the US has intervened covertly in many countries to remove dictators, subvert elected leaders, and support coups. Explanations for this focus on characteristics of target countries or strategic incentives to pursue regime change. This Element provides an account of domestic political factors constraining US presidents' authorization of covert foreign-imposed regime change operations (FIRCs), arguing that congressional attention to covert action alters the Executive's calculus by increasing the political costs associated with this secretive policy instrument. It shows that congressional attention is the result of institutional battles over abuses of executive authority and has a significant constraining effect independent of codified rules and partisan disputes. These propositions are tested using content analysis of the Congressional Record, statistical analysis of Cold War covert FIRCs, and causal-process evidence relating to covert interventions in Chile, Angola, Central America, Afghanistan, etc.
Data-centric strategies for deep-learning accelerated salt interpretation
Authors: Gala Apurva , Devarakota Pandu
Published: January 2025

Deep learning (DL) has become the most effective machine learning solution for addressing and accelerating complex problems in various fields, from computer vision and natural language processing to many more. Training well-generalized DL models requires large amounts of data which allows the model to learn the complexity of the task it is being trained to perform. Consequently, performance optimization of the deep-learning models is concentrated on complex architectures with a large number of tunable model parameters, in other words, model-centric techniques. To enable training such large models, significant effort has also gone into high-performance computing and big-data handling. However, adapting DL to tackle specialized domain-related data and problems in real-world settings presents unique challenges that model-centric techniques do not suffice to optimize. In this paper, we tackle the problem of developing DL models for seismic imaging using complex seismic data. We specifically address developing and deploying DL models for salt interpretation using seismic images. Most importantly, we discuss how looking beyond model-centric and leveraging data-centric strategies for optimization of DL model performance was crucial to significantly improve salt interpretation. This technique was also key in developing production quality, robust and generalized models.
The new goals of EU competition law: sustainability, labour rights, and privacy
Authors: Iacovides Marios C. , Stylianou Konstantinos
Published: January 2025

Competition law is experiencing a transformation from a niche economic tool to a Swiss knife of broader industrial and social policy. Relatedly, there is a narrative that sees an expansive role for competition law in broad areas such as sustainability, privacy, and workers and labour rights, and a counternarrative that wants to deny it that role. There is rich scholarship on this area, but little empirical backing. In this article, we present the results of a comprehensive empirical research into whether new goals and objectives such as sustainability, privacy, and workers and labour rights are indeed endorsed in EU competition law and practice. We do so through an investigation into the totality of Court of Justice rulings, Commission decisions, Advocate General opinions, and public statements of the Commission. Our findings inject data into the debate and help dispel misconceptions that may arise by overly focusing on cherry-picked high-profile decisions while overlooking the rest of the EU’s institutional practice.

We find that sustainability is partially recognised as a goal whereas privacy and labour rights are not. We also show that all three goals are more recent than classic goals, that EU institutions have not engaged much with the areas of sustainability, privacy, and workers and labour rights, and that the Commission’s rhetoric is seemingly out of pace with decisional practice. We also identify trends that may bode for change, and we contextualize our analysis through the lens of the history and nature of the EU’s integration and economic constitution.
Conflicts-law constitutionalism in the EMU: how much unity can European diversity sustain?
Authors: Peychev Anna
Published: January 2025

The core of the contract between economic and monetary union is set in not so much the formally legal, if economically irrational and practically contentious, divide of the Treaties, but rather, the rules for governing the right balance of EMU are found in its economic governance framework, set up to condition national budgetary policies into optimal function in service of Union monetary policy. Within those rules we can differentiate two ‘worldviews’ of constitutionalism. The first we may refer to as ‘optimal function EMU’ where sovereigns are equal, democracies may pick their own socio-economic policy and make equally valid claims to be managed by the conflicts law approach of cooperation within the preventive arm of the European Semester based on Article 121 TFEU, and where we may pretend the economic-monetary divide erected by law is a real, tangible phenomenon. The alternative version of constitutionalism is found beyond ‘optimal function EMU’, in fact, as soon as any risk to the model arises. This worldview institutes a strict legal hierarchy that establishes monetary supremacy over the economic realm. Within this setup, the very existence and proper function of the single currency rationalise the ultimate truth – that all Member States are equal, but some are more equal than others. Can conflicts law constitutionalism offer a way to recalibrate unity and diversity in a format fit for the purposes of the contemporary financial and economic context, while simultaneously re-claiming the space for national collective choice and protecting Union values?
Understanding Sex-biases in Kinetoplastid Infections: Leishmaniasis and Trypanosomiasis
Authors: Battistoni Olivia , Huston Ryan H. , Verma Chaitenya , Pacheco-Fernandez Thalia , Abul-Khoudoud Sara , Campbell Alison , Satoskar Abhay R.
Published: January 2025

Background

Leishmaniasis, Chagas disease (CD), and Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) are neglected tropical diseases in humans caused by intracellular parasites from the class Kinetoplastida. Leishmaniasis is one infectious disease that exhibits sex-bias not explained solely by behavioral or cultural differences. However, HAT and CD have less well documented and understood sex-related differences, either due to a lack of differences or insufficient research and reporting.

Methods

This paper reviews the rate of disease and disease severity among male and females infected with CD, HAT, and leishmaniasis. We further review the specific immune response to each pathogen and potential sex-based mechanisms which could impact immune responses and disease outcomes.

Results

These mechanisms include sex hormone modulation of the immune response, sex-related genetic differences, and socio-cultural factors impacting risky behaviors in men and women. The mechanistic differences in immune response among sexes and pathogens provide important insights and identification of areas for further research.

Conclusions

This information can aid in future development of inclusive, targeted, safe, and effective treatments and control measures for these neglected diseases and other infectious diseases.
The sensitivity to pragmatic-conceptual representations in garden path double relatives in L1 Mandarin
Authors: Bai Bing
Published: January 2025

The aim of this study is to investigate how pragmatic-conceptual representations can be integrated into theories of first language acquisition. Experiment 1, using a sentence–picture judgment task, examined how children (N = 53, aged 4–6 years) used prosody boundaries as cues for a recursive interpretation when the recursive relatives (i.e., SO and OO)1 were garden path structures. The results showed that children below six-year had a stronger preference for recursive reading than adults under the conjunction-biased prosody condition and that children after six years of birth exhibited an adult-like preference for recursive readings under the recursion-biased prosody condition. Experiment 2 explored whether and how reversibility (e.g., “a dog eats a banana” vs “a dog kisses a cat”) in the action schema affected the production of OO and SO in Mandarin-speaking children (N = 137, age: 4–8 years). The results showed that adult-like production of OO in both reversible and irreversible conditions appeared at the age of six. The adult-like production ability of SO showed a one-year delay in the reversible condition (seven years under the reversible condition versus six years under the irreversible condition). The study suggests that some pragmatic-conceptual representations (such as the action schema) may be precursors of language and serve as a default analysis in language acquisition, while the mapping of the prosody domain onto syntax matures over time.
Scalar inference calculation through the lens of degree estimates
Authors: Ronai Eszter , Xiang Ming
Published: January 2025

Scalar inference (SI), e.g., utterances containing some being enriched to mean some but not all, is a central topic in semantics and pragmatics. Of recent interest in the experimental literature is scalar diversity: different lexical scales differ in their likelihood of leading to SI. Studies of scalar diversity have almost exclusively relied on the so-called inference task. In this article, we highlight two shortcomings of the inference task: it biases participants by providing them with the stronger alternative, and it obscures pragmatic inferences other than SI. We offer as an alternative a degree estimate task to investigate utterances containing scalar terms. We validate the degree estimate task, i.a., by successfully replicating a previous finding about scalar diversity: that the distinctness of scalar terms (some versus all) is a significant predictor of it. We then use degree estimates to reassess previous inference task-based findings. Our results show that biasing discourse contexts lead to lower degree estimates (i.e., more strengthened meanings) than a manipulation with only, which contrasts with prior literature’s findings. The article concludes that the inference and degree estimate tasks both have advantages: the former offers a straightforward definition of SI calculation, while the latter avoids explicitly mentioning a negated stronger alternative.
The intimacy-power relationships in the usage of direct criticism in Chinese: a reflection of rapport management
Authors: Weng Xin , Liao Qiaoyun
Published: January 2025

This study explored the intimacy-power patterns in Chinese direct criticism and how this may reflect native Chinese speakers’ consideration of rapport management. With data retrieved from BCC, a representative corpus of modern Chinese, the analyses identified the intimacy degree and power relativity of the interlocutors where direct criticism was used. Results revealed that native Chinese speakers use direct criticism mostly in close and equal relationships followed by distant and equal ones; also, direct criticism with different criticizing markers manifests their uniqueness that close and equal relationships appeared more in criticism with “你太(nitai) + adj.”, “我看你(wokanni)” and “你真是(nizhenshi)” while distant and equal relationships appeared more frequently in criticism with “你这(nizhe) + n. /adj.”. These results reflect that native Chinese speakers adopt rapport-maintaining/rapport-enhancing orientations by using criticism more often in close and equal relationships, together with their tendency to ignore rapport, especially in distant and equal relationships. To conclude, this study reveals the patterns of intimacy-power relationships in Chinese speakers’ usage of direct criticism, which reflects their awareness of rapport management. Overall, it provides insights into our understanding of the nature of the speech act of criticism.
Silicon transport and its “homeostasis” in rice
Authors: Huang Sheng , Ma Jian Feng
Published: January 2025

Silicon (Si), the most abundant mineral element in soil, functions as a beneficial element for plant growth. Higher Si accumulation in the shoots is required for high and stable production of rice, a typical Si-accumulating plant species. During the last two decades, great progresses has been made in the identification of Si transporters involved in uptake, xylem loading and unloading as well as preferential distribution and deposition of Si in rice. In addition to these transporters, simulation by mathematical models revealed several other key factors required for efficient uptake and distribution of Si. The expression of Lsi1, Lsi2 and Lsi3 genes is down-regulated by Si deposition in the shoots rather than in the roots, but the exact mechanisms underlying this down-regulation are still unknown. In this short review, we focus on Si transporters identified in rice and discuss how rice optimizes Si accumulation (“homeostasis”) through regulating Si transporters in response to the fluctuations of this element in the soil solution.
Molecular characterisation and expression profiles of an odorant-binding proteins gene (FoccOBP9) from Frankliniella occidentalis
Authors: Zhang Zhike
Published: January 2025

Insect odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) are the key proteins in insect olfactory perception and play an important role in the perception and discrimination of insects. Frankliniella occidentalis is a polyphagous pest and seriously harms the quality and yield of fruits, flowers and crops worldwide. Therefore, the discovery of OBPs has greatly improved the understanding of behavioural response that mediates the chemoreception of F. occidentalis. To identify the OBP gene of F. occidentalis and its sequence and expression, rapid amplification cDNA ends (RACE) and qRT-PCR reaction system were performed. The results showed that the sequence of FoccOBP9 gene was 846 bp and the reading frame was 558 bp, encoding 185 amino acid residues, a 3′ non-coding region of 195 bp and a 5′ non-coding region of 93 bp.The molecular weight of the protein was about 20.08 kDa, and the isoelectric point was 8.89. FoccOBP9 was similar to AtumGOBP and CnipOBP2 (30%), followed by BdorGOBP, DficGOBP, DsuzGOBP, AalbOBP38, CmarOBP6 and SexiOBP. Phylogenetic analysis of the FoccOBP9 demonstrated that the FoccOBP9 had a relatively close evolutionary relationship with SgreOBP1, AtumGOBP, HeleOBP3, CbowOBP17, CnipOBP2 and CpalOBP2. The prediction of secondary structure showed that FoccOBP9 protein contained 135 amino acid residues forming α-helix, 91 amino acid residues forming β-sheets and 24 amino acid residues forming β-turning. However, three-dimensional structure prediction showed that the FoccOBP9 protein skeleton was composed of six α-helices and the loops connecting these helices. Dynamic observation of the three-dimensional structure revealed that five α-helices (α1, α2, α4, α5, α6) were found in the structure. The expression profiles analysis revealed that FoccOBP9 are highly abundant in antenna significantly, followed by the head and belly, and almost no expression in the chest and foot. Therefore, the identification and analysis of OBP may be useful for monitoring and limiting the damage of F. occidentalis.
Early adversity and inflammation at midlife: the moderating role of internalizing psychopathology
Authors: Michal Zachary S. , Marquardt Craig A. , Krueger Robert F. , Arbisi Paul A. , Venables Noah C.
Published: January 2025

Background

Childhood adversity has been associated with increased peripheral inflammation in adulthood. However, not all individuals who experience early adversity develop these inflammatory outcomes. Separately, there is also a link between various internalizing emotional distress conditions (e.g. depression, anxiety, and fear) and inflammation in adulthood. It is possible the combination of adult emotional distress and past childhood adversity may be uniquely important for explaining psychopathology-related immune dysfunction at midlife.

Methods

Using data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study (n = 1255), we examined whether internalizing, defined as past 12-month emotional distress symptomatology and trait neuroticism, moderated associations between childhood adversity and heightened inflammation in adulthood. Using latent variable modeling, we examined whether transdiagnostic or disorder-specific features of emotional distress better predicted inflammation.

Results

We observed that childhood adversity only predicted adult inflammation when participants also reported adult internalizing emotional distress. Furthermore, this moderation effect was specific to the transdiagnostic factor of emotional distress rather than the disorder-specific features.

Conclusions

We discuss the possibility that adult internalizing symptoms and trait neuroticism together may signal the presence of temporally stable vulnerabilities that amplify the impact of childhood adversity on midlife immune alterations. The study highlights the importance of identifying emotional distress in individuals who have experienced childhood adversity to address long-term immune outcomes and enhance overall health.
From ‘remain’ to ‘become’: the history of bliva in Swedish
Authors: Skrzypek Dominika , Engdahl Elisabet
Published: January 2025

In Old Swedish, the verb varda ‘become’ was used both as a copula and as a passive auxiliary. During the 1300s, a period of close contact with Middle Low German, the verb blîven ‘remain’ was borrowed into Swedish as bliva. Despite the difference in meaning (‘become’ vs. ‘remain’), the use of bliva increased, and by the end of the 1500s it was used in all constructions where varda was originally found. We study this development in a collection of Swedish texts from 1487 to 1585. The first occurrences of the ‘become’ meaning are found in constructions with adjectival complements, in particular in the highly frequent phrase bliva död ‘become dead (die)’. Once bliva had acquired the meaning ‘become’, it could also be used as a passive auxiliary, which led to a rapid increase in occurrences and subsequently to bliva replacing varda in all contexts.
Achieving excellence in paediatric cardiac care in resource limited and resource plentiful settings and building successful care networks across different countries
Authors: McMahon Colin J. , Penny Daniel J. , Kim Michael , Jacobs Jeffrey P. , Casey Frank , Kumar Raman Krishna
Published: January 2025

Background:

The delivery of paediatric cardiac care across the world occurs in settings with significant variability in available resources. Irrespective of the resources locally available, we must always strive to improve the quality of care we provide to our patients and simultaneously deliver such care in the most efficient and cost-effective manner. The development of cardiac networks is used widely to achieve these aims.

Methods:

This paper reports three talks presented during the 56th meeting of the Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology held in Dublin in April 2023.

Results:

The three talks describe how centres of congenital cardiac excellence can be developed in low-income countries, middle-income countries, and well-resourced environments, and also reports how centres across different countries can come together to collaborate and deliver high-quality care. It is a fact that barriers to creating effective networks may arise from competition that may exist among programmes in unregulated and especially privatised health care environments. Nevertheless, reflecting on the creation of networks has important implications because collaboration between different centres can facilitate the maintenance of sustainable programmes of paediatric and congenital cardiac care.

Conclusion:

This article examines the delivery of paediatric and congenital cardiac care in resource limited environments, well-resourced environments, and within collaborative networks, with the hope that the lessons learned from these examples can be helpful to other institutions across the world. It is important to emphasise that irrespective of the differences in resources across different continents, the critical principles underlying provision of excellent care in different environments remain the same.
The added value of metadata on test completion time for the quantification of cognitive functioning in survey research
Authors: Nichols Emma , Markot Michael , Gross Alden L. , Jones Richard N. , Meijer Erik , Schneider Stefan , Lee Jinkook
Published: January 2025

Objective:

Information on the time spent completing cognitive testing is often collected, but such data are not typically considered when quantifying cognition in large-scale community-based surveys. We sought to evaluate the added value of timing data over and above traditional cognitive scores for the measurement of cognition in older adults.

Method:

We used data from the Longitudinal Aging Study in India-Diagnostic Assessment of Dementia (LASI-DAD) study (N = 4,091), to assess the added value of timing data over and above traditional cognitive scores, using item-specific regression models for 36 cognitive test items. Models were adjusted for age, gender, interviewer, and item score.

Results:

Compared to Quintile 3 (median time), taking longer to complete specific items was associated (p < 0.05) with lower cognitive performance for 67% (Quintile 5) and 28% (Quintile 4) of items. Responding quickly (Quintile 1) was associated with higher cognitive performance for 25% of simpler items (e.g., orientation for year), but with lower cognitive functioning for 63% of items requiring higher-order processing (e.g., digit span test). Results were consistent in a range of different analyses adjusting for factors including education, hearing impairment, and language of administration and in models using splines rather than quintiles.

Conclusions:

Response times from cognitive testing may contain important information on cognition not captured in traditional scoring. Incorporation of this information has the potential to improve existing estimates of cognitive functioning.
Double trouble: two retrotransposons triggered a cascade of invasions in Drosophila species within the last 50 years
Authors: Scarpa Almorò , Pianezza Riccardo , Gellert Hannah R. , Haider Anna , Kim Bernard Y. , Lai Eric C. , Kofler Robert , Signor Sarah
Published: January 2025

Horizontal transfer of genetic material in eukaryotes has rarely been documented over short evolutionary timescales. Here, we show that two retrotransposons, Shellder and Spoink, invaded the genomes of multiple species of the melanogaster subgroup within the last 50 years. Through horizontal transfer, Spoink spread in D. melanogaster during the 1980s, while both Shellder and Spoink invaded D. simulans in the 1990s. Possibly following hybridization, D. simulans infected the island endemic species D. mauritiana (Mauritius) and D. sechellia (Seychelles) with both TEs after 1995. In the same approximate time-frame, Shellder also invaded D. teissieri, a species confined to sub-Saharan Africa. We find that the donors of Shellder and Spoink are likely American Drosophila species from the willistoni, cardini, and repleta groups. Thus, the described cascade of TE invasions could only become feasible after D. melanogaster and D. simulans extended their distributions into the Americas 200 years ago, likely aided by human activity. Our work reveals that cascades of TE invasions, likely initiated by human-mediated range expansions, could have an impact on the genomic and phenotypic evolution of geographically dispersed species. Within a few decades, TEs could invade many species, including island endemics, with distributions very distant from the donor of the TE.
Water, sanitation, handwashing, and nutritional interventions can reduce child antibiotic use: evidence from Bangladesh and Kenya
Authors: Ercumen Ayse , Mertens Andrew N. , Butzin-Dozier Zachary , Jung Da Kyung , Ali Shahjahan , Achando Beryl S. , Rao Gouthami , Hemlock Caitlin , Pickering Amy J. , Stewart Christine P. , Tan Sophia T. , Grembi Jessica A. , Benjamin-Chung Jade , Wolfe Marlene , Ho Gene G. , Rahman Md. Ziaur , Arnold Charles D. , Dentz Holly N. , Njenga Sammy M. , Meerkerk Theodora , Chen Belinda , Nadimpalli Maya , Islam Mohammad Aminul , Hubbard Alan E. , Null Clair , Unicomb Leanne , Rahman Mahbubur , Colford John M. , Luby Stephen P. , Arnold Benjamin F. , Lin Audrie
Published: January 2025

Antibiotics can trigger antimicrobial resistance and microbiome alterations. Reducing pathogen exposure and undernutrition can reduce infections and antibiotic use. We assess effects of water, sanitation, handwashing (WSH) and nutrition interventions on caregiver-reported antibiotic use in Bangladesh and Kenya, longitudinally measured at three timepoints among birth cohorts (ages 3–28 months) in a cluster-randomized trial. Over 50% of children used antibiotics at least once in the 90 days preceding data collection. In Bangladesh, the prevalence of antibiotic use was 10–14% lower in groups receiving WSH (prevalence ratio [PR] = 0.90 (0.82–0.99)), nutrition (PR = 0.86 (0.78–0.94)), and nutrition+WSH (PR = 0.86 (0.79–0.93)) interventions. The prevalence of using antibiotics multiple times was 26–35% lower in intervention arms. Reductions were largest when the birth cohort was younger. In Kenya, interventions did not affect antibiotic use. In this work, we show that improving WSH and nutrition can reduce antibiotic use. Studies should assess whether such reductions translate to reduced antimicrobial resistance.
The blood pressure lowering effect of beetroot juice is impaired in periodontitis and recovered after periodontal treatment
Authors: Sanchez-Orozco Nydia Y. , Rosier Bob T. , Ruiz-Gutierrez Alondra , Marquez-Sandoval Fabiola , Artacho Alejandro , Carrera-Quintanar Lucrecia , Mira Alex
Published: January 2025

We have previously demonstrated that subgingival levels of nitrate-reducing bacteria, as well as the in vitro salivary nitrate reduction capacity (NRC), were diminished in periodontitis patients, increasing after periodontal treatment. However, it remains unclear if an impaired NRC in periodontitis can affect systemic health. To determine this, the effect of nitrate-rich beetroot juice (BRJ) on blood pressure was determined in 15 periodontitis patients before and 70 days after periodontal treatment (i.e., professional mechanical plaque removal, oral hygiene instruction, and subgingival instrumentation), as well as in a healthy control group of 15 individuals. Additionally, subgingival and tongue samples were taken to analyse the bacterial composition with Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. In healthy individuals, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DPB) decreased significantly (both P < 0.01) 90 min after BRJ intake, but not in periodontitis patients. However, after periodontal treatment, this blood pressure-lowering effect was recovered (P < 0.05 for SBP; P < 0.01 for DBP). Lower levels of salivary nitrate after identical doses of BRJ intake indicated a potentially higher NRC in healthy individuals (P < 0.05). Periodontitis-associated bacteria decreased in tongue and subgingival samples after periodontal treatment (P < 0.01). In contrast, nitrate-reducing bacteria were associated with health in both habitats, but increased only in subgingival plaque after periodontal treatment (P < 0.001). This is the first study showing that periodontitis could limit the blood-pressure lowering effects of nitrate reduction by the oral microbiota. We propose that an impaired NRC represents a potential link between periodontitis and systemic conditions, which should be confirmed in future randomized controlled trials. Future work should also aim to determine if nitrate prebiotic supplementation and/or tongue cleaning could improve the treatment of periodontitis and its associated comorbidities.
Synaptic vesicle characterization of iPSC-derived dopaminergic neurons provides insight into distinct secretory vesicle pools
Authors: Fujise Kenshiro , Mishra Jaya , Rosenfeld Martin Shaun , Rafiq Nisha Mohd
Published: January 2025

The dysfunction of dopaminergic (DA) neurons is central to Parkinson’s disease. Distinct synaptic vesicle (SV) populations, differing in neurotransmitter content (dopamine vs. glutamate), may vary due to differences in trafficking and exocytosis. However, the structural organization of these vesicles remains unclear. In this study, we examined axonal varicosities in human iPSC-derived DA and glutamatergic neurons (i3Neurons). i3Neurons primarily contained small, clear SVs (40–50 nm), whereas DA neurons contained larger, pleiomorphic vesicles including dense core and empty vesicles, in addition to the classical SVs. VMAT2-positive vesicles in DA neurons, which load dopamine, were spatially segregated from VGLUT1/2-positive vesicles in an SV-like reconstitution system. These vesicles also colocalized with SV markers (e.g., VAMP2, SV2C), and can be clustered by synapsin. Moreover, DA axonal terminals in mouse striata showed similar vesicle pool diversity. These findings reveal structural differences in DA neurons’ vesicles, highlighting iPSC-derived neurons as effective models for studying presynaptic structures.
Assessment of the predictive power the radiation-induced lymphocyte apoptosis method in prostate cancer patients
Authors: Sándor Gyöngyvér Orsolya , Farkas Gyöngyi , Székely Gábor , Ágoston Péter , Jorgo Kliton , Gesztesi László , Major Tibor , Pesznyák Csilla , Herein András , Stelczer Gábor , Mihály Dalma , Fröhlich Georgina , Jurányi Zsolt , Takácsi-Nagy Zoltán , Polgár Csaba , Kocsis Zsuzsa S.
Published: January 2025

Due to the better survival of patients with tumorous diseases, it is increasingly important to predict the side effects of radiotherapy, for which the Radiation-Induced Lymphocyte Apoptosis (RILA) method is proving to be effective in multicentric studies. Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men worldwide, which is usually treated with radiotherapy. We recruited 49 patients with localized prostate cancer and performed RILA measurements before radiotherapy. Patients were treated with CyberKnife (35–40 Gy) or high-dose-rate brachytherapy (1 × 21 Gy). We performed chromosome aberration test for five years and graded side effects, IPSS and QoL questionnaire scores were recorded. We found that RILA% correlated with the IPSS increase (p = 0.0016, r=-0.44), which was confirmed with negative binomial regression (p = 0.0013). The negative predictive value for severe urinary side effects according to the IPSS questionnaire was 87.9% at the lower tertile of RILA values. Chromosome aberrations also correlated with side effects, but when we built models including variables of baseline and treatment characteristics of the patients, RILA, and chromosome aberrations, only RILA predicted a late increase in IPSS score (p < 0.0001, adjusted R2 = 68%). The RILA method was shown to be predictive of urinary side effects especially of patient-reported outcomes.
Modelling mixed crop-livestock systems and climate impact assessment in sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Srivastava Amit Kumar , Rahimi Jaber , Alsafadi Karam , Vianna Murilo , Enders Andreas , Zheng Wenzhi , Demircan Alparslan , Dieng Mame Diarra Bousso , Salack Seyni , Faye Babacar , Singh Manmeet , Halder Krishnagopal , Ewert Frank , Gaiser Thomas
Published: January 2025

Climate change significantly challenges smallholder mixed crop-livestock (MCL) systems in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), affecting food and feed production. This study enhances the SIMPLACE modeling framework by incorporating crop-vegetation-livestock models, which contribute to the development of sustainable agricultural practices in response to climate change. Applying such a framework in a domain in West Africa (786,500 km2) allowed us to estimate the changes in crop (Maize, Millet, and Sorghum) yield, grass biomass, livestock numbers, and greenhouse gas emission in response to future climate scenarios. We demonstrate that this framework accurately estimated the key components of the domain for the past (1981–2005) and enables us to project their future changes using dynamically downscaled Global Circulation Model (GCM) projections (2020–2050). The results demonstrate that in the future, the northern part of the study area will likely experience a significant decline in crop biomass (up to -56%) and grass biomass (up to -57%) production leading to a decrease in livestock numbers (up to -43%). Consequently, this will impact total emissions (up to -47% CH4) and decrease of -41% in milk production, and − 47% in meat production concentrated in the Sahelian zone. Whereas, in pockets of the Sudanian zone, an increase in livestock population and CH4 emission of about + 24% has been estimated, indicating that variability in climate change impact is amplifying with no consistent pattern evident across the study domain.
Serological insights from SARS-CoV-2 heterologous prime and boost responses in Thailand
Authors: Ward Daniel , Pattarapreeyakul Lapasrada , Pitaksalee Rujiraporn , Thawong Naphatcha , Sawaengdee Waritta , Tuntigumthon Suthida , Patterson Catriona , Tetteh Kevin , Campino Susana , Dhepakson Panadda , Mahasirimongkol Surakameth , Clark Taane G.
Published: January 2025

During the COVID-19 pandemic, heterologous vaccination strategies were employed to alleviate the strain on vaccine supplies. The Thailand Ministry of Health adopted these strategies using vector, inactivated, and mRNA vaccines. However, this approach has introduced challenges for SARS-CoV-2 sero-epidemiology studies. Our study analysed 647 samples from healthcare workers who received CoronaVac, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, and BNT162b2 vaccines. The serological profile encompassed responses to various SARS-CoV-2 variants and vectors, measuring IgG, IgM, and IgA isotypes, alongside IgG avidity assays. The results demonstrated that heterologous CoronaVac/ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 schedules elicited significantly stronger antibody responses compared to homologous schedules (IgG: 1.2-fold, IgM: 10.9-fold, IgA: 3.1-fold increase). Additionally, a heterologous BNT162b2 boost at 4-weeks post-initial vaccination showed greater antibody levels than a ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 boost (IgG: 1.1-fold, IgM: slight decrease, IgA: 1.5-fold increase). Using a combination of three analytes, IgG against wild-type Spike trimer, nucleoprotein and Omicron receptor binding domains, enabled the clustering of responses within a statistical Gaussian mixture model that successfully discriminates between breakthrough infections and vaccination types (F-score = 0.82). The development of statistical models to predict breakthrough infections can improve serological surveillance. Overall, our study underscores the necessity for vaccine (re-)development and the creation of serological tools to monitor vaccine performance.