bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transfer learning may explain pigeons’ ability to detect cancer in histopathology
Authors: Kilim Oz , Báskay János , Biricz András , Bedőházi Zsolt , Pollner Péter , Csabai István
Published: July 2024

Pigeons’ unexpected competence in learning to categorize unseen histopathological images has remained an unexplained discovery for almost a decade (Levenson et al 2015 PLoS One
10 e0141357). Could it be that knowledge transferred from their bird’s-eye views of the earth’s surface gleaned during flight contributes to this ability? Employing a simulation-based verification strategy, we recapitulate this biological phenomenon with a machine-learning analog. We model pigeons’ visual experience during flight with the self-supervised pre-training of a deep neural network on BirdsEyeViewNet; our large-scale aerial imagery dataset. As an analog of the differential food reinforcement performed in Levenson et al’s study 2015 PLoS One
10 e0141357), we apply transfer learning from this pre-trained model to the same Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) histopathology and radiology images and tasks that the pigeons were trained and tested on. The study demonstrates that pre-training neural networks with bird’s-eye view data results in close agreement with pigeons’ performance. These results support transfer learning as a reasonable computational model of pigeon representation learning. This is further validated with six large-scale downstream classification tasks using H&E stained whole slide image datasets representing diverse cancer types.
Effects of extreme stratospheric polar vortex events on near-surface wind gusts across Europe
Authors: Utrabo-Carazo Eduardo , Lockwood Julia F , Dunn Robert J H , Minola Lorenzo , Aguilar Enric , Azorin-Molina Cesar
Published: July 2024

Extreme stratospheric polar vortex (SPV) events can influence winter tropospheric circulation for up to 60 d. Their impacts on air temperature have been extensively studied recently. However, there is a research gap in their effects on wind speeds and its extremes. This study aims to evaluate, for the first time, the impacts of such extreme SPV events on observed and modelled near-surface wind gusts across Europe. We have analysed wind gust data coming from: station-based observations (for the Iberian Peninsula and Scandinavia), the ERA5 reanalysis and the SEAS5 and GloSea6 seasonal forecasting systems. We assess their similarities in reproducing 4 parameters of their corresponding distributions: median, standard deviation, skewness and kurtosis. For all these datasets, the results indicate that extreme positive SPV events are followed by negative wind gust anomalies in Southern Europe and positive in Northern Europe. Whereas, negative SPV events (such as Sudden Stratospheric Warmings) have positive gust anomalies in Southern Europe and negative in the north. A central region shows negligible anomalies in both cases. This highlights the ability of SPV as a predictor for short-medium-term forecasting of extreme wind events, which would have direct applications to many socioeconomic and environmental issues such as the estimation of wind-power generation.
Evaluation of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and its degradation products in human exhaled breath and indoor air in a community setting
Authors: Lee Jung Hyun , Bryant Alaina K , Alajlouni Marwan , Boor Brandon E , Tasoglou Antonios , Liu Sa
Published: July 2024

Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) is a widely utilized volatile chemical in industrial applications, including dry cleaning and metal degreasing. Exposure to PCE potentially presents a significant health risk to workers as well as communities near contamination sites. Adverse health effects arise not only from PCE, but also from PCE degradation products, such as trichloroethylene (TCE) and vinyl chloride (VC). PCE, TCE, and VC can contaminate water, soil, and air, leading to exposure through multiple pathways, including inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact. This study focused on a community setting in Martinsville, Indiana, a working-class Midwestern community in the United States, where extensive PCE contamination has occurred due to multiple contamination sites (referring to ‘plumes’), including a Superfund site. Utilizing proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PTR-TOF-MS), PCE, TCE, and VC concentrations were measured in the exhaled breath of 73 residents from both within and outside the plume areas. PCE was detected in 66 samples, TCE in 26 samples, and VC in 68 samples. Our results revealed a significant positive correlation between the concentrations of these compounds in exhaled breath and indoor air (Pearson correlation coefficients: PCE = 0.75, TCE = 0.71, and VC = 0.89). This study confirms the presence of PCE and its degradation products in exhaled breath in a community exposure investigation, demonstrating the potential of using exhaled breath analysis in monitoring exposure to environmental contaminants. This study showed the feasibility of utilizing PTR-TOF-MS in community investigations to assess exposure to PCE and its degradation products by measuring these compounds in exhaled breath and indoor air.
Synthesis of NO by rotating sliding arc discharge reactor with conical-spiral electrodes
Authors: CHEN 陈 Bingyan 秉岩 , LIU 刘 Qi 琦 , LI 李 Xu 旭 , ZHANG 张 Chunyang 春阳 , GUO 郭 Xiangbin 湘彬 , YU 余 Qingzhou 青洲 , TANG 唐 Zhicheng 志承 , HE 何 Xiang 湘 , SU 苏 Wei 巍 , JIANG 蒋 Yongfeng 永锋
Published: July 2024

The present work investigates the potential applications of nitrogen oxides (NO
x
), particularly nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), generated through discharge plasma in diverse sectors such as medicine, nitrogen fixation, energy, and environmental protection. In this study, a rotating sliding arc discharge reactor was initially employed to produce high concentrations of gaseous NO
x
, followed by the utilization of a molybdenum wire redox reactor for NO2-to-NO conversion. The outcomes reveal that the discharge states and generations of NO
x
are affected by varying parameters, including the applied energies, frequencies and airflow states (1.3–2.6 m/s are the laminar flow, 2.6–5.2 m/s are the transition state, 5.2–6.5 m/s are the turbulent flow), and the concentrations of NO
x
within the arc discharge are higher than that in the spark discharge. Moreover, the concentrations of NO, NO2 and NO
x
gradually increased, and the concentration ratios of NO/NO2 and NO
x
/NO2 decreased with increasing the applied energy for one cycle from 14.8 mJ to 24.3 mJ. Meanwhile, the concentrations of NO, NO2 and NO
x
gradually decreased, and the concentration ratios of NO/NO2 and NO
x
/NO2 first decreased and then increased with increasing the applied frequencies from 5.0 kHz to 9.0 kHz. Further, the concentrations of NO, NO2 and NO
x
gradually decreased, and the concentration ratios of NO/NO2 and NO
x
/NO2 first increased and then decreased with increasing the air flow speeds from 1.3 m/s to 6.5 m/s. Lastly, the concentrations of NO increased and NO2 decreased with increasing temperature from 25 °C to 400 °C using molybdenum converted. These findings provide experimental support for the application of plasma in the fields of medicine, nitrogen fixation, energy and environmental protection.
Predictive models for inorganic materials thermoelectric properties with machine learning
Authors: Don-tsa Delchere , Mohou Messanh Agbeko , Amouzouvi Kossi , Maaza Malik , Beltako Katawoura
Published: July 2024

The high computational demand of the Density Functional Theory (DFT) based method for screening new materials properties remains a strong limitation to the development of clean and renewable energy technologies essential to transition to a carbon-neutral environment in the coming decades. Machine Learning comes into play with its innate capacity to handle huge amounts of data and high-dimensional statistical analysis. In this paper, supervised Machine Learning models together with data analysis on existing datasets obtained from a high-throughput calculation using Density Functional Theory are used to predict the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and power factor of inorganic compounds. The analysis revealed a strong dependence of the thermoelectric properties on the effective masses, we also proposed a machine learning model for the prediction of highly performing thermoelectric materials which reached an efficiency of 95 percent. The analyzed data and developed model can significantly contribute to innovation by providing a faster and more accurate prediction of thermoelectric properties, thereby, facilitating the discovery of highly efficient thermoelectric materials.
On the benefit of attention in inverse design of thin films filters
Authors: Hadad Barak , Oren Omry , Bahabad Alon
Published: July 2024

Attention layers are a crucial component in many modern deep learning models, particularly those used in natural language processing and computer vision. Attention layers have been shown to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of various tasks, such as machine translation, image captioning, etc. Here, the benefit of attention layers in designing optical filters based on a stack of thin film materials is investigated. The superiority of Attention layers over fully-connected Deep Neural Networks is demonstrated for this task.
Risks of source and species-specific air pollution for COVID-19 incidence and mortality in Los Angeles
Authors: Yang Lin-Syuan , Kleeman Michael J , Cushing Lara J , Lipsitt Jonah , Su Jason , Burnett Richard T , Batteate Christina M , Nau Claudia L , Young Deborah R , Tartof Sara Y , Butler Rebecca K , Padilla Ariadna , jerrett Michael
Published: July 2024

Growing evidence from ecological studies suggests that chronic exposure to standard air pollutants (PM2.5, NO2, and ozone) exacerbates risks of coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) incidence and mortality. This study assessed the associations between an expanded list of air pollutants and COVID-19 incidence and mortality in Los Angeles. Annual mean exposure to air pollutants in 2019—including PM0.1 mass, PM2.5 mass, PM2.5 elemental carbon (EC), PM2.5 tracer from mobile sources, NO2, and ozone—were estimated at the ZIP code level in residential areas throughout Los Angeles. Negative binomial models and a spatial model were used to explore associations between health outcomes and exposures in single pollutant and multi-pollutant models. Exposure to PM0.1 mass, ozone, NO2, and PM2.5 EC were identified as risk factors for COVID-19 incidence and mortality. The results also suggest that PM2.5 and NO2 together may have synergistic effects on harmful COVID-19 outcomes. The study provides localized insights into the spatial and temporal associations between species-specific air pollutants and COVID-19 outcomes, highlighting the potential for policy recommendations to mitigate specific aspects of air pollution to protect public health.
Assessing the impact of afforestation as a natural climate solution in the Canadian boreal
Authors: du Toit Francois , Coops Nicholas C , Mulverhill Christopher , Toomey Aoife
Published: July 2024

Natural climate solutions (NCSs) are conservation, restoration, and improved land management actions that have potential to provide climate mitigation across different land cover types. NCS related to forests offer a significant portion of cost-effective NCS mitigation required to limit warming to below 2 °C. Afforestation—planting trees in areas where forests can occur but does not currently exist has been proposed as a viable NCS. Here, we examine how long-term, medium resolution satellite datasets and physiological growth models can be used to inform potential carbon accumulation from forest afforestation. We leverage free and open Landsat-derived datasets to examine potential increases in aboveground biomass (AGB) and tons of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) that afforestation may provide by 2050 in the Canadian boreal. We utilized contemporary Landsat-scale definitions of land cover, forest age, and species datasets to identify opportunities for new forest growth in areas previously unforested across study sites. These datasets, along with terrain and climate, were used as inputs for the 3-PG physiological growth model, which converts solar radiation into net primary productivity on a monthly time-step, and was parameterized for key natural species to simulate forest growth and carbon accumulation under three different future climate scenarios. We compared these new fine-scale, climate-adapted estimates with previous findings. The amount of CO2e sequestered per hectare per year increased with increasing CO2 emissions (4.0%–12.4% more carbon). Using a reference area, the fertilized simulation sequestered 24.38 Tg CO2e yr−1 in 2050 compared to 24.9 Tg CO2e yr−1 proposed in other research under the warmest scenario. The use of physiological models linked to satellite data to support NCS calculations, particularly for unforested areas, is a new application. The results highlight the potential for 3-PG to be used to estimate AGB and provide valuable information for the performance of NCS under a changing climate.
Shcherbytsky’s Leadership between Moscow and the Regions
Authors: Kibita Nataliya
Published: July 2024

Shelest’s successor Volodymyr Shcherbytsky played by the rules. Shcherbytsky projected an image of a strong leader. But the Ukrainian leadership remained weak. The limits of the Ukrainian leadership’s authority became visible with the Chornobyl nuclear catastrophe. Gorbachev’s perestroika undermined what little authority the Ukrainian leadership had by the mid-1980s. But Gorbachev’s decision to correct deformations in the nationality policy gave Shcherbytsky hope that the central leadership would address the imbalance between the responsibilities and powers of the republics, increase their autonomy, and formalize the relationship between the centre and the republics. Throughout Shcherbytsky’s tenure, the Communist Party of Ukraine (CPU) remained fragmented. Obkom secretaries continued to rely on local managers for the socio-economic agenda and fulfilling agricultural plans. Party–industry alliances remained in place. Perestroika revealed both the fragmentation of the CPU and the distinctiveness of Western Ukraine. Gorbachev’s call to increase the self-governing of Soviet society and glasnost prompted obkom secretaries to urge Shcherbytsky to concentrate on their needs. Under pressure from the regions, on 31 December 1988, Shcherbytsky wrote a letter to Gorbachev in which he defended the institutional interests of the Ukrainian leadership. Pending a reaction from Moscow, under the pressure of a deteriorating economic situation and rapid liberalization of political life, obkom secretaries continued to insist that Shcherbytsky deviate from defending the interests of all-union agencies, focus on the socio-economic needs of the Ukrainian regions, and empower the regions. Shcherbytsky refused to formally empower the obkoms and oblispolkoms and, at the end of September 1989, left the post.
The Practice Theory
Authors: Stavropoulos Nicolaos
Published: July 2024

In its original, pure form, the practice theory is an account of what it is to have an obligation. It holds that obligations are ultimately a social construct, made of shared attitudes to patterns of action. This chapter argues that, by restricting itself to social factors, the theory loses sight of the critical role of the normative. The chapter proposes an alternative explanation which holds that nonsocial normative factors explain why social practices matter transparently, taking into account all relevant considerations. It considers a mixed view, on which what people do in their social practice fixes the content of the standard or obligation that the practice constitutes, while some nonsocial, inherently normative factors give the socially defined standard or obligation binding force. A defence of the mixed view may be modelled on the idea of a normative power shared among members of a group. The chapter argues that such a defence would fail. Where a social practice emerges, appeal to shared powers would be redundant in an explanation of how it is that the practice may affect the normative situation. The chapter argues that the alternative transparent explanation accounts for the phenomena successfully.
Officials, Subjects, and the Recognition Challenge for (International) Legality
Authors: Roughan Nicole
Published: July 2024

Leading philosophers of international law have argued that the absence of a clear official/subject division supports its treatment as a legal order, though not a legal system—a distinction that may divert international legal scepticism. In contrast, the present chapter argues that recognition of a role of official, and recognition within an official-subject relation, are aspects of legality itself. The recognition of officiality underlies a rule of recognition among officials, officials’ claims to law’s authority, and officials’ own subjection to the rule of law. This chapter advances a recognition challenge facing international legality, in which disruptions to the recognition of a role of official and official-subject relations undermine law’s differentiation from mere force. While this challenge is not specific to international law the international context’s formally flattened and fragmented structure, and its combination of hierarchical and interactional legal forms, highlights the full normative implications of the recognition of officiality.
Justification and Duty
Authors: Edwards James , Simester A P
Published: July 2024

Some claim that to plead a justificatory defence is to concede having breached a duty. It is because the duty was breached that a justification is required. Others claim that a breach of duty is what pleading a justificatory defence denies. It is by showing that no breach occurred that one clinches the justification. On both these views, the relationship between wrongdoing and justification is univocal: all justifications are in this respect alike. This chapter argues for a different position. It argues that, while some justifications concede a breach of duty, others deny the breach. On this bifurcated view, the relationship between justification and wrongdoing depends on which justification is at issue. This is the case, the chapter contends, in both morality and law.
The Trouble with Trespass
Authors: Oberdiek John
Published: July 2024

The tort of trespass offers robust protection to owners of private property: one who enters the property of another without their authorization is liable to them even if the entry is justified. It is this chapter’s aim to challenge the normative cogency of this apparent fact of positive law. The chapter argues that trespass acquires whatever normative significance it has, ultimately, from the tort of battery. It follows from this that property should not be more protected than people. And yet the common law does protect property more than people insofar as the prima facie case of battery is rebutted if a would-be battery is justified while the prima facie case of trespass is not rebutted even if a would-be trespass is justified. Put another way, although a justified battery is not in fact a battery, a justified trespass is nevertheless still a trespass. This asymmetry reveals that the common law of trespass is conceptually and morally misguided.
Albert’s Mysterious Quantum Gloves Experiment
Authors: Stuckey W M , Silberstein Michael , McDevitt Timothy
Published: July 2024

Chapter 0 is a parable where Alice and Bob discover the mystery of entanglement per the superposition of the imaginary properties of handedness and color for entangled “quantum gloves” in an experimental challenge given to them by Albert. Alice and Bob show how Albert’s quantum gloves experiment leads to the ‘average-only’ conservation of the entangled properties that characterizes the mystery of entanglement. They solve this mystery by using the relativity principle to justify the fact that they both measured the same value of Planck’s constant h, regardless of the relative spatial orientations of their measurement devices. They propose this solution because it is totally analogous to how Albert solved the mystery of length contraction, i.e., he used the relativity principle to justify the fact that everyone measures the same value of the speed of light c, regardless of the relative velocities of their measurement devices.
The Delayed-Choice Experiment
Authors: Stuckey W M , Silberstein Michael , McDevitt Timothy
Published: July 2024

The mystery of Zeilinger’s delayed choice experiment is solved via Information Invariance & Continuity as justified by the relativity principle (NPRF + h). Accordingly, NPRF + h is a 4D (all-at-once) AGC that constrains the relationship between the outcomes at detector D2 (fixed) and the position of detector D1 (controlled by the experimentalist). So, it is neither the case that the experimentalist’s choice of where to locate D1 ‘caused’ the outcomes at D2 nor the case that the outcomes at D2 ‘caused’ the experimentalist to choose a particular location for D1. The mystery of the delayed choice experiment is therefore seen to be just another example of misplaced constructive bias. The double-slit experiment is explained using the qubit Hilbert space and the Hilbert space for the triple-slit experiment is constructed from the qubit Hilbert space per the locality axiom for QM reconstruction.
Cardio-Rheumatology Insights Into Hypertension: Intersection of Inflammation, Arteries, and Heart
Authors: Akhtari Shadi , Harvey Paula J , Eder Lihi
Published: July 2024

There is an increased prevalence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD) including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriatic arthritis, and systemic sclerosis. The mechanism for the development of ASCVD in these conditions has been linked not only to a higher prevalence and undertreatment of traditional cardiovascular (CV) risk factors but importantly to chronic inflammation and a dysregulated immune system which contribute to impaired endothelial and microvascular function, factors that may contribute to accelerated atherosclerosis. Accurate ASCVD risk stratification and optimal risk management remain challenging in this population with many barriers that include lack of validated risk calculators, the remitting and relapsing nature of underlying disease, deleterious effect of medications used to manage rheumatic diseases, multimorbidity, decreased mobility due to joint pain, and lack of clarity about who bears the responsibility of performing CV risk assessment and management (rheumatologist vs. primary care provider vs. cardiologist). Despite recent advances in this field, there remain significant gaps in knowledge regarding the best diagnostic and management approach. The evolving field of Cardio-Rheumatology focuses on optimization of cardiovascular care and research in this patient population through collaboration and coordination of care between rheumatologists, cardiologists, radiologists, and primary care providers. This review aims to provide an overview of current state of knowledge about ASCVD risk stratification in patients with IRD, contributing factors including effect of medications, and review of the current recommendations for cardiovascular risk management in patients with inflammatory disease with a focus on hypertension as a key risk factor.
Outcomes of In-Office, High Resolution Ultrasound Silicone Breast Implant Surveillance by Plastic Surgeons
Authors: Glener Adam D , Sergesketter Amanda R , Adams William P
Published: July 2024

Background

Implant rupture is a known complication in cosmetic breast surgery, but access and cost barriers hinder proper implant surveillance.

Objectives

In this study we aimed to validate high resolution ultrasound (HRUS) for diagnosing silicone implant rupture, and secondarily explore the predictors of implant rupture in a single-surgeon cohort.

Methods

A retrospective chart review identified patients who underwent HRUS of silicone breast implants that were placed by W.P.A. HRUS sensitivity and specificity and predictive values were calculated. Multivariable logistic regression assessed predictors of implant rupture. Kaplan-Meier methods estimated 10-year and 15-year implant survival.

Results

Among 254 patients (508 implants) included, 52 patients (104 implants) underwent operative exploration for various reasons; 20 implants had confirmed ruptures. Examining this operative cohort, HRUS had excellent positive and negative predictive value, respectively, 100% (95% CI 83.1%-100%) and 97.6% (95% CI 91.6-99.3%); the sensitivity was 90.9% (95% CI 70.8-98.9%) and specificity was 100% (95% CI 95.6%-100%). The median age of the implant at the time of ultrasound was 119 months (10 years; interquartile range 79-152 months). After multivariable adjustment, only the implant age was a significant predictor of implant rupture (P = .04). Across the entire cohort, Kaplan-Meier methods estimated 10-year and 15-year implant survival rates of 0.98 (95% CI 0.96-0.99) and 0.80 (95% CI 0.71-0.87), respectively. Subgroup analysis showed 10-year and 15-year implant survival rates of 0.99 and 0.92, respectively, for surveillance-only HRUS patients.

Conclusions

Plastic surgeon–delivered office-based HRUS surveillance is a highly sensitive and specific method for assessing silicone breast implant integrity.

Level of Evidence: 3
Bridging aquatic invasive species threats across multiple sectors through One Biosecurity
Authors: Bray Jonathan Peter , Hewitt Chad Le Roy , Hulme Philip Eric
Published: July 2024

Understanding the magnitude of biosecurity risks in aquatic environments is increasingly complex and urgent because increasing volumes of international shipping, rising demand for aquaculture products, and growth in the global aquarium trade, are accelerating invasive alien species spread worldwide. These threats are especially pressing amid climate and biodiversity crises. However, global and national biosecurity systems are poorly prepared to respond because of fragmented research and policy environments, that often fail to account for risks across sectors or across stakeholder needs and fail to recognize similarities in the processes underpinning biological invasions. In the present article, we illustrate the complex network of links between biosecurity threats across human, animal, plant, and environment sectors and propose a universal approach to risk assessment. One Biosecurity is a holistic, interdisciplinary approach that minimizes biosecurity risks across human, animal, plant, algal, and ecosystem health and is critical to reduce redundancy and increase cross-sectoral cohesion to improve policy, management, and research in aquatic biosecurity.
Association between Air Quality Index and the risk of rosacea: a nationwide population-based cohort study
Authors: Ma Sheng-Hsiang , Wu Chun-Ying , Li Meng-Chieh , Ho Hsiu J , Ao Chon-Kit , Wu Chen-Yi
Published: July 2024

Background

Air pollution is associated with several inflammatory skin disorders. However, the association between air quality and rosacea remains unclear.

Objectives

To investigate the association between the Air Quality Index (AQI) and incidence of rosacea.

Methods

In total, 21 709 479 participants without rosacea before 2008 were recruited from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. The long-term average AQI value for each participant was acquired from the Taiwan Air Quality Monitoring System Network and calculated from 1 January 2008 until the diagnosis of rosacea, withdrawal from the National Health Insurance programme, or 31 December 2018.

Results

We observed a significant association between AQI and the incidence of rosacea, with each unit elevation in the AQI increasing the risk of rosacea by 5%. We then categorized participants equally into four groups by quantiles (Q) of AQI values, with mean AQI values of: Q1, 69.0 (SD 6.4); Q2, 79.0 (SD 2.3); Q3, 89.9 (SD 3.6); and Q4, 103.9 (SD 6.8). Compared with the Q1 group, the Q2, Q3 and Q4 cohorts exhibited 1.82-fold, 4.48-fold and 7.22-fold increased risk of rosacea, respectively. Additionally, exposure to particulate matter (PM)2.5 (airborne particulate matter with a diameter ≤ 2.5 μm), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and carbon monoxide increased the risk of rosacea, whereas exposure to PM10 (airborne PM with a diameter ≤ 10 μm) was associated with a lower risk.

Conclusions

This study supported a significant dose–response relationship between AQI and the incidence of rosacea.
Uncovering the shared genetic components of thyroid disorders and reproductive health
Authors: Figuerêdo Jéssica , Krebs Kristi , Pujol-Gualdo Natàlia , Haller Toomas , Võsa Urmo , Volke Vallo , Laisk Triin , Mägi Reedik ,   Estonian Biobank Research Team, Metspalu Andres , Milani Lili , Esko Tõnu , Nelis Mari , Hudjashov Georgi ,   Health Informatics Research Team, Kolde Raivo , Laur Sven , Reisberg Sulev , Vilo Jaak
Published: July 2024

Objective

The aim of the study is to map the shared genetic component and relationships between thyroid and reproductive health traits to improve the understanding of the interplay between those domains.

Design

A large-scale genetic analysis of thyroid traits (hyper- and hypothyroidism, and thyroid-stimulating hormone levels) was conducted in up to 743 088 individuals of European ancestry from various cohorts.

Methods

We evaluated genetic associations using genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis, GWAS Catalog lookup, gene prioritization, mouse phenotype lookup, and genetic correlation analysis.

Results

GWAS meta-analysis results for thyroid phenotypes showed that 50 lead variants out of 253 (including 5/52 of the novel hits) were linked to reproductive health in previous literature. Genetic correlation analyses revealed significant correlations between hypothyroidism and reproductive phenotypes. The results showed that 31.9% of thyroid-associated genes also had an impact on reproductive phenotypes, with the most affected functions being related to genitourinary tract issues.

Conclusions

The study discovers novel genetic loci linked to thyroid phenotypes and highlights the shared genetic determinants between thyroid function and reproductive health, providing evidence for the genetic pleiotropy and shared biological mechanisms between these traits in both sexes.
Early Diversification of Membrane Intrinsic Proteins (MIPs) in Eukaryotes
Authors: Irisarri Iker , Lorente-Martínez Héctor , Strassert Jürgen F H , Agorreta Ainhoa , Zardoya Rafael , San Mauro Diego , de Vries Jan
Published: July 2024

Membrane intrinsic proteins (MIPs), including aquaporins (AQPs) and aquaglyceroporins (GLPs), form an ancient family of transporters for water and small solutes across biological membranes. The evolutionary history and functions of MIPs have been extensively studied in vertebrates and land plants, but their widespread presence across the eukaryotic tree of life suggests both a more complex evolutionary history and a broader set of functions than previously thought. That said, the early evolution of MIPs remains obscure. The presence of one GLP and four AQP clades across both bacteria and archaea suggests that the first eukaryotes could have possessed up to five MIPs. Here, we report on a previously unknown richness in MIP diversity across all major eukaryotic lineages, including unicellular eukaryotes, which make up the bulk of eukaryotic diversity. Three MIP clades have likely deep evolutionary origins, dating back to the last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA), and support the presence of a complex MIP repertoire in early eukaryotes. Overall, our findings highlight the growing complexity of the reconstructed LECA genome: the dynamic evolutionary history of MIPs was set in motion when eukaryotes were in their infancy followed by radiative bursts across all main eukaryotic lineages.
Gene expression and splicing QTL analysis of blood cells in African American participants from the Jackson Heart Study
Authors: Wen Jia , Sun Quan , Huang Le , Zhou Lingbo , Doyle Margaret F , Ekunwe Lynette , Durda Peter , Olson Nels C , Reiner Alexander P , Li Yun , Raffield Laura M
Published: July 2024

Most gene expression and alternative splicing quantitative trait loci (eQTL/sQTL) studies have been biased toward European ancestry individuals. Here, we performed eQTL and sQTL analyses using TOPMed whole-genome sequencing-derived genotype data and RNA-sequencing data from stored peripheral blood mononuclear cells in 1,012 African American participants from the Jackson Heart Study (JHS). At a false discovery rate of 5%, we identified 17,630 unique eQTL credible sets covering 16,538 unique genes; and 24,525 unique sQTL credible sets covering 9,605 unique genes, with lead QTL at P < 5e−8. About 24% of independent eQTLs and independent sQTLs with a minor allele frequency > 1% in JHS were rare (minor allele frequency < 0.1%), and therefore unlikely to be detected, in European ancestry individuals. Finally, we created an open database, which is freely available online, allowing fast query and bulk download of our QTL results.
Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Chinese version of the HLS-EU-Q47
Authors: Zhang Mengjun , Lu Zhouyu , Song Chunjian , Ling Yuting , Li Wenyuan , Zuo Chao
Published: July 2024

The development of health literacy in China is relatively slow, and there are fewer health literacy scales, which is difficult to measure. Therefore, this study aims to promote the development of health literacy in China through the translation and application of the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47). The scale was translated into Chinese, back-translated, culturally adapted and finally subjected to psychometric evaluation. A multi-stage stratified sampling method was used to select 2504 residents to test the reliability and validity of a questionnaire on health literacy. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to evaluate the validity of the results, and the back consistency was calculated by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The EFA revealed that health care, disease prevention and health promotion explained 78.68% of the total variance in health literacy. The scale and its subscales demonstrated strong internal consistency, with high Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from 0.947 to 0.983. CFA confirmed the three-factor model’s goodness-of-fit for the Chinese population. The dimensions of healthcare, disease prevention and health promotion showed high convergent validity with an average variance extracted values ranging from 0.52 to 0.60 and composite reliability values ranging from 0.94 to 0.96. The reliable and valid Chinese version of the HLS-EU-Q47 (HLS19-Q47-CN) developed and evaluated in this study is an important tool for assessing health literacy levels in the Chinese population. Furthermore, as this tool has global applicability, it has the potential to assess health literacy levels across different countries, enabling practical international comparisons.
Burn-Related Violence Against Women in the United States: Findings From the ABA Burn Registry
Authors: Wayne Colton D , Singer Yvonne M , Malic Claudia C , Baselice Holly E , Bernal Nicole P
Published: July 2024

Violence against women is a global public health problem. Centers for Disease Control and Precention (CDC) data show 41% of US women have experienced intimate partner violence. Burn-related violence against women is an extremely confronting form of physical violence. The aim of this study was to describe the frequency, demographics, injury characteristics, and outcomes of women admitted to US burn centers who have experienced burn violence compared to those with accidental burn injuries. 2008-2018 data were comparative statistics were used to describe/compare groups. 54 523 women met study inclusion criteria. 956 (2%) experienced burn violence. Women who experienced burn violence had a younger median [IQR] age (36 [27,48] vs 47 [32,61], P < .0001), were Black/African American (44.5% vs 22.4%, P < .0001), were covered by Medicaid (38.8% vs 21.6%, P < .0001), had a higher median [IQR] %TBSA extent (6.0% [3,15.2] vs 3.0% [1,7.3], P < .0001), a higher proportion with third-degree burns (35.4% vs 28.9%, P < .0001), and a higher proportion with TBSA > 20% (18.2% vs 6.7%, P < .0001). Scald/flame injuries were the most frequent mechanism of injury. Women who experienced violence had a higher median [IQR] length of hospital stay (7.0 [2,18] vs 4.0 [1,11] days, P <.0001), Intensive Care Unit (ICU) stay (8.5 [2,27] vs 4 [2,13] days, P < .0001), and mortality rate (5.7% vs 4.3%, P < .04). The frequency of women who sustained burn violence appears small yet experience worse outcomes. Clinicians should be aware of these demographic/clinical characteristics to provide optimal care to this vulnerable population.
Signaling by neutrophil G protein-coupled receptors that regulate the release of superoxide anions
Authors: Dahlgren Claes , Forsman Huamei , Sundqvist Martina , Björkman Lena , Mårtensson Jonas
Published: July 2024

In human peripheral blood, the neutrophil granulocytes (neutrophils) are the most abundant white blood cells. These professional phagocytes are rapidly recruited from the bloodstream to inflamed tissues by chemotactic factors that signal danger. Neutrophils, which express many receptors that are members of the large family of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), are critical for the elimination of pathogens and inflammatory insults, as well as for the resolution of inflammation leading to tissue repair. Danger signaling molecular patterns such as the N-formylated peptides that are formed during bacterial and mitochondrial protein synthesis and recognized by formyl peptide receptors (FPRs) and free fatty acids recognized by free fatty acid receptors (FFARs) regulate neutrophil functions. Short peptides and short-chain fatty acids activate FPR1 and FFA2R, respectively, while longer peptides and fatty acids activate FPR2 and GPR84, respectively. The activation profiles of these receptors include the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase. Activation of the oxidase and the production of ROS are processes that are regulated by proinflammatory mediators, including tumor necrosis factor α and granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor. The receptors have signaling and functional similarities, although there are also important differences, not only between the two closely related neutrophil FPRs, but also between the FPRs and the FFARs. In neutrophils, these receptors never walk alone, and additional mechanistic insights into the regulation of the GPCRs and the novel regulatory mechanisms underlying the activation of NADPH oxidase advance our understanding of the role of receptor transactivation in the regulation of inflammatory reactions.
Effects of leguminous green manure–crop rotation on soil enzyme activity and stoichiometry
Authors: Liu Meixia , Hu Zonghao , Fan Yi , Hua Bin , Yang Wei , Pang Shuang , Mao Rong , Zhang Yang , Bai Keyu , Fadda Carlo , De Santis Paola , Bergamini Nadia , Usmankulova Aziza , Samedjanovich Buriyev Salimjan , Zhang Ximei
Published: July 2024

As a crucial strategy for sustainable agricultural production, green manure–crop rotation can regulate soil nutrient cycling and decrease the reliance on nitrogen fertilizers. However, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of the changes in soil eco-enzyme activities, microbial metabolism and nutrient limitations caused by leguminous green manure–crop rotation. Here, we conducted field experiments of leguminous green manure–crop rotation across China to analyze soil extracellular enzyme activities, specifically β-glucosidase (BG), N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase (NAG), leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) and acid phosphatase (AP). The study revealed that long-term green manure–crop rotation increased carbon and nitrogen accumulation in farmland, with a significant average increase of 20.1% and 36.4% in BG, AP enzyme activities in topsoil, while showing a decrease in ln(NAG + LAP):ln(AP) ratios. The ratios of ln(BG):ln(NAG + LAP) and ln(NAG + LAP):ln(AP) in soil across various regions were typically below 1:1, indicating that soil microbial activity is more constrained by nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients rather than by carbon. Precipitation, temperature, soil total carbon (TC) and total nitrogen (TN) were identified as key environmental factors for extracellular enzyme activities and stoichiometric ratios. Our study highlights that the green manure–crop rotation alleviates nitrogen limitation while enhancing phosphorus limitation, and is closely related to the accumulation of TC and TN in the soil.
A case of bone tumor-induced compartment syndrome
Authors: Chaudhry Nadeem , Qureshi Abid , Sultana Mosammath , Pawanarkar Meehika , Rizwan Muhammad
Published: July 2024

Compartment syndrome is a rare critical condition that can arise in individuals with cancer, presenting with significant challenges in diagnosis and management. Compartment syndrome occurs when the pressure within a closed fascial space rises to a point that restricts circulation. A 56 year-old male patient presented with 2 days of pain and swelling in the right upper extremity pain. Physical examination was remarkable for right upper extremity erythema swelling and tense compartments, concerning for compartment syndrome. Humerus X-ray showed moth eaten appearance of mid humerus with periosteal reaction and fracture. Patient was taken to the operating room for anterior and posterior compartment fasciotomies. Compartment syndrome is a surgical emergency, for which fasciotomy is generally performed. Pathology has rarely been linked to malignancy, with seldom reports examining causation. More research regarding pathophysiology of cancer in relation to compartment syndrome needs to be conducted.
Pediatric Emergency Planning and Resuscitation
Authors: Jackson Shawn S. , Urman Richard D.
Published: July 2024

Children and infants represent a growing population of patients treated by anesthesiologists outside of the operating room. As treatment outside the operating room increases, focus on the prevention and management of emergency situations becomes even more important. While pediatric guidelines for resuscitation and emergency algorithms have many similarities to those used with adults, it is important to recognize the important differences in medications and treatment practices for children and infants. In addition, a growing focus of pediatric resuscitation is the early detection of at-risk individuals before an emergency arises. This chapter provides a resource for pediatric resuscitation based on the American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care, most recently updated in 2015.
Epilepsy Genomics
Authors: Delgado-Escueta Antonio V.
Published: July 2024

Approximately 1% of 25,000 genes and 25 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the genome of modern humans are epilepsy variants. Epilepsy variants are the molecular basis of fatal progressive myoclonus epilepsies, epileptic encephalopathies, and other genetic epilepsies. This chapter annotates the early success and key turning points in the quest to cure fatal epilepsies. The first key turning point occurred in 2018 when “every-2-weeks” intraventricular infusion of cerliponase alfa, enzyme replacement therapy, halted progression of an early childhood progressive myoclonus epilepsy (CLN2 Batten disease), as reported by Schulz et al. In 2021, Schaeffer et al. reported 2 years of intraventricular cerliponase alfa delayed or prevented onset of symptoms in presymptomatic CLN2 infants. Earlier, in 2017, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency approved Nusinersen, an antisense oligonucleotide, and AVXS-101 (Zolgensma), a viral-mediated gene replacement therapy, as disease halting and potential cures for Werdnig Hoffmann type I spinal muscular atrophy of infancy (SMN1). Even now, breakthrough advances by others include (1) ex vivo HSPC transduction gene therapy in metachromatic keukodystrophy, and (2) genome editing with zinc finger nuclease opening DNA strands and inserting a correct alpha-L-iduronidase into the genome of Hurler mucopolysaccharidoses patients. Recently, the FDA proclaimed that they expect to approve 10–20 cell and gene therapies a year from 2025 onward. As clinical trials raise hopes for cures, vigilance for adverse effects and ethical concerns must not waiver.
Role of the Subiculum in Focal Epilepsy
Authors: Evstratova Alesya , Diaz-Fernandez Belén , Lévesque Maxime , Avoli Massimo , Huberfeld Gilles
Published: July 2024

The subiculum has for a long time been neglected and solely considered as the output region of the hippocampus, conducting or relaying inputs to the entorhinal cortex. However, significant evidence does not support such a passive role. The subiculum is a three-layer cortex structured associated with highly organized substructures. Preeminent bursting neuronal behavior and local microcircuits favor the production of strong neuronal activities. All hippocampal rhythms such as theta, gamma, sharp-wave ripples, and ripples can be generated by the subiculum. As a result, the subiculum is an important limbic structure involved in spatial location and memory. The role of the subiculum in epilepsy was highlighted by studies on human postoperative tissues, showing that it is a major and autonomous site of genesis of epileptic interictal and ictal activities. In these studies, a leading role of interneurons in the buildup of epileptic activities was suggested, and chloride dysregulation leading to depolarizing and potentially excitatory effects of GABAA signaling was unraveled. Evidence indicates that the subiculum not only anatomically “supports” hippocampal outputs, but that it also actively participates to the generation of epileptic activities in the temporal lobe.
A Classification of Seizures Based on Dynamics
Authors: Sheheitli Hiba , Wang Huifang , Lemarechal Jean-Didier , Bernard Christophe , Jirsa Viktor K.
Published: July 2024

Patient stratification according to seizure types is a pivotal step in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy. Great progress has been made in the understanding of the pathology and physiological substrates of epilepsy, leading to formal classification schemes based on empirical clinical features. However, much remains elusive regarding the mechanisms underlying seizures and the heterogeneity of its manifestations, which formal classification schemes attempt to capture. In the pursuit of a fundamental theory of seizure dynamics, dynamical systems theory provides the mathematical framework for a mechanistic understanding for the underlying dynamical processes. Within this framework, the need for a classification of seizures based on dynamics becomes evident. The diverse types of seizure onset and offset patterns are shown to be captured mathematically by different types of bifurcations that exhibit canonical invariant dynamical features. A seizure can then be classified into a corresponding “dynamotype” consisting of its onset and offset pair of bifurcations. Sixteen dynamotypes arise as combinations of the simplest relevant bifurcations, resulting in an organizational taxonomy of seizure dynamics (TSD). The current chapter provides a brief introduction into the mathematical theory upon which this taxonomy is built before presenting the different seizure dynamotypes. It then describes how TSD can be implemented as a classification scheme for the analysis of clinical stereo electroencephalographic data, along with sample results that summarize the observed prevalence of the different dynamotypes in a sample clinical dataset. The chapter ends with a discussion of the clinical ramifications of TSD and its implications for seizure control.