bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Obstructions to reciprocity laws related to division fields of Drinfeld modules
Authors: Cojocaru Alina , Garai Sumita
Published: December 2022

Letqqbe an odd prime power, denote byFq\mathbb {F}_qthe finite field withqqelements, and setA≔Fq[T]A ≔\mathbb {F}_q[T],F≔Fq(T)F ≔\mathbb {F}_q(T). Letψ:A→F{τ}\psi : A \to F\{\tau \}be a DrinfeldAA-module overFF, of rankr≥2r \geq 2, withEndF¯(ψ)=AEnd_{\overline {F}}(\psi ) = A. For a non-zero idealn\mathfrak {n}ofAA, denote its unique monic generator bynn, denote the degree ofnnas a polynomial inTTbydeg⁡n\deg n, and denote then\mathfrak {n}-division field ofψ\psibyF(ψ[n])F(\psi [\mathfrak {n}]). A reciprocity law forψ\psiasserts that, ifgcd(charF,r)=1\gcd (charF, r) = 1or ifn\mathfrak {n}is prime, then a non-zero prime idealp∤n\mathfrak {p} \nmid \mathfrak {n}ofAAsplits completely inF(ψ[n])F(\psi [\mathfrak {n}])if and only if the Frobenius tracea1,p(ψ)a_{1, \mathfrak {p}}(\psi )ofψ\psiatp\mathfrak {p}and the first componentb1,p(ψ)b_{1, \mathfrak {p}}(\psi )of the Frobenius index ofψ\psiatp\mathfrak {p}satisfy the congruencesa1,p(ψ)≡−r(modn)a_{1, \mathfrak {p}}(\psi ) \equiv -r \pmod nandb1,p(ψ)≡0(modn)b_{1, \mathfrak {p}}(\psi ) \equiv 0 \pmod n. We find the Dirichlet density of the set of non-zero prime idealsp\mathfrak {p}for which the latter congruence never holds, that is, for whichb1,p(ψ)=1b_{1, \mathfrak {p}}(\psi ) = 1. Using similar methods, we prove an asymptotic formula for the function ofxxdefined by the average<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="StartFraction 1 Over number-sign StartSet German p colon degree p equals x EndSet EndFraction sigma-summation Underscript German p colon degree p equals x Endscripts tau Subscript upper A Baseline left-parenthesis b Subscript 1 comma German p Baseline left-parenthesis psi right-parenthesis right-parenthesis">1#{p: deg⁡p=x}∑p: deg⁡p=xτA(b1,p(ψ))\frac {1}{\#\{\mathfrak {p}: \ \deg p = x \}} \sum _{\mathfrak {p}: \ \deg p = x} \tau _A(b_{1, \mathfrak {p}}(\psi )), wherep=Ap\mathfrak {p} = A pdenotes an arbitrary non-zero prime ideal ofAAwhose monic generatorp∈Ap \in Ahas degreexxand whereτA(b1,p(ψ))\tau _A(b_{1, \mathfrak {p}}(\psi ))denotes the number of monic divisors ofb1,p(ψ)b_{1, \mathfrak {p}}(\psi ).
Asymptotic stability of evolution systems of probability measures for nonautonomous stochastic systems: Theoretical results and applications
Authors: Wang Renhai , Caraballo Tomás , Tuan Nguyen
Published: December 2022

The limiting stability of invariant probability measures of time homogeneous transition semigroups for autonomous stochastic systems has been extensively discussed in the literature. In this paper we initially initiate a program to study the asymptotic stability of evolution systems of probability measures of time inhomogeneous transition operators for nonautonomous stochastic systems. Two general theoretical results on this topic are established in a Polish space by establishing some sufficient conditions which can be verified in applications. Our abstract results are applied to a stochastic lattice reaction-diffusion equation driven by a time-dependent nonlinear noise. A time-average argument and an extended Krylov-Bogolyubov method due to Da Prato and Röckner [Seminar on stochastic analysis, random fields and applications V, Birkhäuser, Basel, 2008] are employed to prove the existence of evolution systems of probability measures. A mild condition on the time-dependent diffusion function is used to prove that the limit of every evolution system of probability measures must be an evolution system of probability measures of the limiting equation. The theoretical results are expected to be applied to various stochastic lattice systems/ODEs/PDEs in the future.
Lower bounds for the first eigenvalue of 𝑝-Laplacian on Kähler manifolds
Authors: Wang Kui , Zhang Shaoheng
Published: December 2022

We study first nonzero eigenvalues for the

p
p

-Laplacian on Kähler manifolds. Our first result is a lower bound for the first nonzero closed (Neumann) eigenvalue of the

p
p

-Laplacian on compact Kähler manifolds in terms of dimension, diameter, and lower bounds of holomorphic sectional curvature and orthogonal Ricci curvature for

p
∈
(
1
,
2
]

p\in (1, 2]

. Our second result is a sharp lower bound for the first Dirichlet eigenvalue of the

p
p

-Laplacian on compact Kähler manifolds with smooth boundary for

p
∈
(
1
,
∞
)

p\in (1, \infty )

. Our results generalize corresponding results for the Laplace eigenvalues on Kähler manifolds proved by Li and Wang [Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 374 (2021), pp. 8081–8099].
𝒬-conic arrangements in the complex projective plane
Authors: Pokora Piotr
Published: December 2022

We study the geometry of

Q

\mathcal {Q}

-conic arrangements in the complex projective plane. These are arrangements consisting of smooth conics and they admit certain quasi-homogeneous singularities. We show that such

Q

\mathcal {Q}

-conic arrangements are never free. Moreover, we provide combinatorial constraints of the weak combinatorics of such arrangements.
Aperiodic subshifts of finite type on groups which are not finitely generated
Authors: Barbieri Sebastián
Published: December 2022

We provide an example of a non-finitely generated group which admits a nonempty strongly aperiodic subshift of finite type. Furthermore, we completely characterize the groups with this property in terms of their finitely generated subgroups and the roots of their conjugacy classes.
On relations between Mabuchi’s generalized Kähler-Einstein metrics and various canonical Kähler metrics
Authors: Nitta Yasufumi
Published: December 2022

In this short note, we prove that a generalized Kähler-Einstein metric

g
g

on a Fano manifold is actually a Kähler-Einstein metric if and only if one of the following conditions is satisfied: (i)

g
g

is a Kähler-Ricci soliton; (ii)

g
g

is an extremal Kähler metric.
Initial 𝐿²×⋯×𝐿² bounds for multilinear operators
Authors: Grafakos Loukas , He Danqing , Honzík Petr , Park Bae Jun
Published: December 2022

The

L
p

L^p

boundedness theory of convolution operators is based on an initial

L
2

→

L
2

L^2\to L^2

estimate derived from the Fourier transform. The corresponding theory of multilinear operators lacks such a simple initial estimate in view of the unavailability of Plancherel’s identity in this setting, and up to now it has not been clear what a natural initial estimate might be. In this work we obtain initial

L
2

×
⋯
×

L
2

→

L

2

/

m

L^2\times \cdots \times L^2\to L^{2/m}

estimates for three types of important multilinear operators: rough singular integrals, multipliers of Hörmander type, and multipliers whose derivatives satisfy qualitative estimates. These estimates lay the foundation for the derivation of other

L
p

L^p

estimates for such operators.
Strichartz estimates and blowup stability for energy critical nonlinear wave equations
Authors: Wallauch David
Published: December 2022

We prove Strichartz estimates in similarity coordinates for the radial wave equation with a self-similar potential in dimensions

d
≥
4

d\geq 4

. As an application of these, we establish the asymptotic stability of the ODE blowup profile of the energy critical radial nonlinear wave equation for

4
≤
d
≤
6

4\leq d\leq 6

.
Asymptotic behavior of 𝐿^{𝑝} estimates for a class of multipliers with homogeneous unimodular symbols
Authors: Bulj Aleksandar , Kovač Vjekoslav
Published: December 2022

We study Fourier multiplier operators associated with symbols

ξ
↦
exp
⁡
(

i

λ
ϕ
(
ξ

/

|

ξ

|

)
)

\xi \mapsto \exp (\mathbb {i}\lambda \phi (\xi /|\xi |))

, where

λ
\lambda

is a real number and

ϕ
\phi

is a real-valued

C

∞

\mathrm {C}^\infty

function on the standard unit sphere

S

n
−
1

⊂

R

n

\mathbb {S}^{n-1}\subset \mathbb {R}^n

. For

1
>
p
>
∞

1>p>\infty

we investigate asymptotic behavior of norms of these operators on

L

p

(

R

n

)

\mathrm {L}^p(\mathbb {R}^n)

as

|

λ

|

→
∞

|\lambda |\to \infty

. We show that these norms are always
<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper O left-parenthesis left-parenthesis p Superscript asterisk Baseline minus 1 right-parenthesis StartAbsoluteValue lamda EndAbsoluteValue Superscript n StartAbsoluteValue 1 slash p minus 1 slash 2 EndAbsoluteValue Baseline right-parenthesis">

O
(
(

p
∗

−
1
)

|

λ

|

n

|

1

/

p
−
1

/

2

|

)

O((p^\ast -1) |\lambda |^{n|1/p-1/2|})

, where

p
∗

p^\ast

is the larger number between

p
p

and its conjugate exponent. More substantially, we show that this bound is sharp in all even-dimensional Euclidean spaces

R

n

\mathbb {R}^n

. In particular, this gives a negative answer to a question posed by Maz’ya. Concrete operators that fall into the studied class are the multipliers forming the two-dimensional Riesz group, given by the symbols

r
exp
⁡
(

i

φ
)
↦
exp
⁡
(

i

λ
cos
⁡
φ
)

r\exp (\mathbb {i}\varphi ) \mapsto \exp (\mathbb {i}\lambda \cos \varphi )

. We show that their

L

p

\mathrm {L}^p

norms are comparable to

(

p
∗

−
1
)

|

λ

|

2

|

1

/

p
−
1

/

2

|

(p^\ast -1) |\lambda |^{2|1/p-1/2|}

for large

|

λ

|

|\lambda |

, solving affirmatively a problem suggested in the work of Dragičević, Petermichl, and Volberg.
Bottom of the length spectrum of arithmetic orbifolds
Authors: Frączyk Mikołaj , Pham Lam
Published: December 2022

We prove that cocompact arithmetic lattices in a simple Lie group are uniformly discrete if and only if Salem numbers are uniformly bounded away from

1
1

. We also prove an analogous result for semisimple Lie groups. Finally, we shed some light on the structure of the bottom of the length spectrum of an arithmetic orbifold

Γ
∖
X

\Gamma \backslash X

by showing the existence of a positive constant

δ
(
X
)
>
0

\delta (X)>0

such that squares of lengths of closed geodesics shorter than

δ
\delta

must be pairwise linearly dependent over

Q

\mathbb {Q}

.
Improving artificial intelligence pipeline for liver malignancy diagnosis using ultrasound images and video frames
Authors: Xu Yiming , Zheng Bowen , Liu Xiaohong , Wu Tao , Ju Jinxiu , Wang Shijie , Lian Yufan , Zhang Hongjun , Liang Tong , Sang Ye , Jiang Rui , Wang Guangyu , Ren Jie , Chen Ting
Published: December 2022

Recent developments of deep learning methods have demonstrated their feasibility in liver malignancy diagnosis using ultrasound (US) images. However, most of these methods require manual selection and annotation of US images by radiologists, which limit their practical application. On the other hand, US videos provide more comprehensive morphological information about liver masses and their relationships with surrounding structures than US images, potentially leading to a more accurate diagnosis. Here, we developed a fully automated artificial intelligence (AI) pipeline to imitate the workflow of radiologists for detecting liver masses and diagnosing liver malignancy. In this pipeline, we designed an automated mass-guided strategy that used segmentation information to direct diagnostic models to focus on liver masses, thus increasing diagnostic accuracy. The diagnostic models based on US videos utilized bi-directional convolutional long short-term memory modules with an attention-boosted module to learn and fuse spatiotemporal information from consecutive video frames. Using a large-scale dataset of 50 063 US images and video frames from 11 468 patients, we developed and tested the AI pipeline and investigated its applications. A dataset of annotated US images is available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7272660.
Advances in the field of phage-based therapy with special emphasis on computational resources
Authors: Bajiya Nisha , Dhall Anjali , Aggarwal Suchet , Raghava Gajendra P S
Published: December 2022

In the current era, one of the major challenges is to manage the treatment of drug/antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Phage therapy, a century-old technique, may serve as an alternative to antibiotics in treating bacterial infections caused by drug-resistant strains of bacteria. In this review, a systematic attempt has been made to summarize phage-based therapy in depth. This review has been divided into the following two sections: general information and computer-aided phage therapy (CAPT). In the case of general information, we cover the history of phage therapy, the mechanism of action, the status of phage-based products (approved and clinical trials) and the challenges. This review emphasizes CAPT, where we have covered primary phage-associated resources, phage prediction methods and pipelines. This review covers a wide range of databases and resources, including viral genomes and proteins, phage receptors, host genomes of phages, phage–host interactions and lytic proteins. In the post-genomic era, identifying the most suitable phage for lysing a drug-resistant strain of bacterium is crucial for developing alternate treatments for drug-resistant bacteria and this remains a challenging problem. Thus, we compile all phage-associated prediction methods that include the prediction of phages for a bacterial strain, the host for a phage and the identification of interacting phage–host pairs. Most of these methods have been developed using machine learning and deep learning techniques. This review also discussed recent advances in the field of CAPT, where we briefly describe computational tools available for predicting phage virions, the life cycle of phages and prophage identification. Finally, we describe phage-based therapy’s advantages, challenges and opportunities.
LncReader: identification of dual functional long noncoding RNAs using a multi-head self-attention mechanism
Authors: Liu Tianyuan , Zou Bohao , He Manman , Hu Yongfei , Dou Yiying , Cui Tianyu , Tan Puwen , Li Shaobin , Rao Shuan , Huang Yan , Liu Sixi , Cai Kaican , Wang Dong
Published: December 2022

Long noncoding ribonucleic acids (RNAs; LncRNAs) endowed with both protein-coding and noncoding functions are referred to as ‘dual functional lncRNAs’. Recently, dual functional lncRNAs have been intensively studied and identified as involved in various fundamental cellular processes. However, apart from time-consuming and cell-type-specific experiments, there is virtually no in silico method for predicting the identity of dual functional lncRNAs. Here, we developed a deep-learning model with a multi-head self-attention mechanism, LncReader, to identify dual functional lncRNAs. Our data demonstrated that LncReader showed multiple advantages compared to various classical machine learning methods using benchmark datasets from our previously reported cncRNAdb project. Moreover, to obtain independent in-house datasets for robust testing, mass spectrometry proteomics combined with RNA-seq and Ribo-seq were applied in four leukaemia cell lines, which further confirmed that LncReader achieved the best performance compared to other tools. Therefore, LncReader provides an accurate and practical tool that enables fast dual functional lncRNA identification.
Development and application of an efficient genomic mating method to maximize the production performances of three-way crossbred pigs
Authors: Tang Zhenshuang , Yin Lilin , Yin Dong , Zhang Haohao , Fu Yuhua , Zhou Guangliang , Zhao Yunxiang , Wang Zhiquan , Liu Xiaolei , Li Xinyun , Zhao Shuhong
Published: December 2022

Creating synthetic lines is the standard mating mode for commercial pig production. Traditional mating performance was evaluated through a strictly designed cross-combination test at the ‘breed level’ to maximize the benefits of production. The Duroc–Landrace–Yorkshire (DLY) three-way crossbred production system became the most widely used breeding scheme for pigs. Here, we proposed an ‘individual level’ genomic mating procedure that can be applied to commercial pig production with efficient algorithms for estimating marker effects and for allocating the appropriate boar-sow pairs, which can be freely accessed to public in our developed HIBLUP software at https://www.hiblup.com/tutorials#genomic-mating. A total of 875 Duroc boars, 350 Landrace–Yorkshire sows and 3573 DLY pigs were used to carry out the genomic mating to assess the production benefits theoretically. The results showed that genomic mating significantly improved the performances of progeny across different traits compared with random mating, such as the feed conversion rate, days from 30 to 120 kg and eye muscle area could be improved by −0.12, −4.64 d and 2.65 cm2, respectively, which were consistent with the real experimental validations. Overall, our findings indicated that genomic mating is an effective strategy to improve the performances of progeny by maximizing their total genetic merit with consideration of both additive and dominant effects. Also, a herd of boars from a richer genetic source will increase the effectiveness of genomic mating further.
SimCH: simulation of single-cell RNA sequencing data by modeling cellular heterogeneity at gene expression level
Authors: Sun Lei , Wang Gongming , Zhang Zhihua
Published: December 2022

Single-cell ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequencing (scRNA-seq) has been a powerful technology for transcriptome analysis. However, the systematic validation of diverse computational tools used in scRNA-seq analysis remains challenging. Here, we propose a novel simulation tool, termed as Simulation of Cellular Heterogeneity (SimCH), for the flexible and comprehensive assessment of scRNA-seq computational methods. The Gaussian Copula framework is recruited to retain gene coexpression of experimental data shown to be associated with cellular heterogeneity. The synthetic count matrices generated by suitable SimCH modes closely match experimental data originating from either homogeneous or heterogeneous cell populations and either unique molecular identifier (UMI)-based or non-UMI-based techniques. We demonstrate how SimCH can benchmark several types of computational methods, including cell clustering, discovery of differentially expressed genes, trajectory inference, batch correction and imputation. Moreover, we show how SimCH can be used to conduct power evaluation of cell clustering methods. Given these merits, we believe that SimCH can accelerate single-cell research.
A systematic assessment of deep learning methods for drug response prediction: from in vitro to clinical applications
Authors: Shen Bihan , Feng Fangyoumin , Li Kunshi , Lin Ping , Ma Liangxiao , Li Hong
Published: December 2022

Drug response prediction is an important problem in personalized cancer therapy. Among various newly developed models, significant improvement in prediction performance has been reported using deep learning methods. However, systematic comparisons of deep learning methods, especially of the transferability from preclinical models to clinical cohorts, are currently lacking. To provide a more rigorous assessment, the performance of six representative deep learning methods for drug response prediction using nine evaluation metrics, including the overall prediction accuracy, predictability of each drug, potential associated factors and transferability to clinical cohorts, in multiple application scenarios was benchmarked. Most methods show promising prediction within cell line datasets, and TGSA, with its lower time cost and better performance, is recommended. Although the performance metrics decrease when applying models trained on cell lines to patients, a certain amount of power to distinguish clinical response on some drugs can be maintained using CRDNN and TGSA. With these assessments, we provide a guidance for researchers to choose appropriate methods, as well as insights into future directions for the development of more effective methods in clinical scenarios.
Magnetic sphincter augmentation: considerations for use in Barrett’s esophagus
Authors: Reiter Audra J , Farina Domenico A , Fronza Jeffrey S , Komanduri Srinadh
Published: December 2022

Barrett’s esophagus (BE) occurs in 5–15% of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). While acid suppressive therapy is a critical component of BE management to minimize the risk of progression to esophageal adenocarcinoma, surgical control of mechanical reflux is sometimes necessary. Magnetic sphincter augmentation (MSA) is an increasingly utilized anti-reflux surgical therapy for GERD. While the use of MSA is listed as a precaution by the United States Food and Drug Administration, there are limited data showing effective BE regression with MSA. MSA offers several advantages in BE including effective reflux control, anti-reflux barrier restoration and reduced hiatal hernia recurrence. However, careful patient selection for MSA is necessary.
Two-stage prediction model for postoperative delirium in patients in the intensive care unit after cardiac surgery
Authors: Cai Shining , Cui Hang , Pan Wenyan , Li Jingjing , Lin Xiaolei , Zhang Yuxia
Published: December 2022

OBJECTIVES

Postoperative delirium is a common severe complication in patients in the intensive care unit after cardiac surgery. We developed a two-stage prediction model and quantified the risk of developing postoperative delirium to assist in early prevention before and after surgery.

METHODS

We conducted a prospective cohort study and consecutively recruited adult patients after cardiac surgery. The Confusion Assessment Method for patients in the intensive care unit was used to diagnose delirium 5 days postoperatively. The stage I model was constructed using patient demographics, health conditions and laboratory results obtained preoperatively, whereas the stage II model was built on both pre- and postoperative predictors. The model was validated internally using the bootstrap method and externally using data from an external cohort.

RESULTS

The two-stage model was developed with 654 patients and was externally validated with 214 patients undergoing cardiac surgery. The stage I model contained 6 predictors, whereas the stage II model included 10 predictors. The stage I model had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.76 (95% confidence interval: 0.68–0.81), and the stage II model’s area under the receiver operating characteristic curve increased to 0.85 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.81–0.89]. The external validation resulted in an area under the curve of 0.76 (95% CI: 0.67–0.86) for the stage I model and 0.78 (95% CI: 0.69–0.86) for the stage II model.

CONCLUSIONS

The two-stage model assisted medical staff in identifying patients at high risk for postoperative delirium before and 24 h after cardiac surgery. This model showed good discriminative power and predictive accuracy and can be easily accessed in clinical settings.

Trial registration

The study was registered with the US National Institutes of Health ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03704324; registered 11 October 2018).
Near-chromosomal de novo assembly of Bengal tiger genome reveals genetic hallmarks of apex predation
Authors: Shukla Harsh , Suryamohan Kushal , Khan Anubhab , Mohan Krishna , Perumal Rajadurai C , Mathew Oommen K , Menon Ramesh , Dixon Mandumpala Davis , Muraleedharan Megha , Kuriakose Boney , Michael Saju , Krishnankutty Sajesh P , Zachariah Arun , Seshagiri Somasekar , Ramakrishnan Uma
Published: December 2022

The tiger, a poster child for conservation, remains an endangered apex predator. Continued survival and recovery will require a comprehensive understanding of genetic diversity and the use of such information for population management. A high-quality tiger genome assembly will be an important tool for conservation genetics, especially for the Indian tiger, the most abundant subspecies in the wild. Here, we present high-quality near-chromosomal genome assemblies of a female and a male wild Indian tiger (Panthera tigris tigris). Our assemblies had a scaffold N50 of >140 Mb, with 19  scaffolds corresponding to the 19 numbered chromosomes, containing 95% of the genome. Our assemblies also enabled detection of longer stretches of runs of homozygosity compared to previous assemblies, which will help improve estimates of genomic inbreeding. Comprehensive genome annotation identified 26,068 protein-coding genes, including several gene families involved in key morphological features such as the teeth, claws, vision, olfaction, taste, and body stripes. We also identified 301 microRNAs, 365 small nucleolar RNAs, 632 transfer RNAs, and other noncoding RNA elements, several of which are predicted to regulate key biological pathways that likely contribute to the tiger's apex predatory traits. We identify signatures of positive selection in the tiger genome that are consistent with the Panthera lineage. Our high-quality genome will enable use of noninvasive samples for comprehensive assessment of genetic diversity, thus supporting effective conservation and management of wild tiger populations.
Principles, personalities, or trade? Explaining Taft’s 1911 prosecution of U.S. Steel
Authors: Brawley Mark R
Published: December 2022

In 1911, the Taft Administration undertook one of the most consequential antitrust prosecutions, charging U.S. Steel with violating the Sherman Act. Some accept Taft’s claim that he was bound to act by legal principles. Others view these prosecutions as a pre-emptive attack on Theodore Roosevelt, sparked by rivalries within the Republican Party. Neither account is persuasive. The Republicans did split, but the resulting cleavage does not align with either of these arguments. These prosecutions sprang from a struggle over trade policy. Taft tried to liberalize trade twice. With his second failure, Taft abandoned those efforts. He joined the protectionist Stand-Pat wing, turning to antitrust policy to defend the protectionists’ interests. The trade-based interpretation resolves several inconsistencies in the traditional narratives, and yields a clearer description of the resulting cleavage. Taft shifted antitrust policy for tactical reasons, not because of legal principles, nor a personal rivalry with Roosevelt.
International Trade Agreements: Laboratories of Innovation or Propellers of Fragmentation?
Authors: Lewis Meredith Kolsky
Published: December 2022

The original ‘building blocks or stumbling blocks’ debate considered the positive and negative impacts on the multilateral trading system in the form of the World Trade Organization (WTO) of free trade agreements (FTAs) at a time when FTAs were primarily bilateral and/or regional. This article recasts the debate in light of modern realities. Since the collapse of the Doha Round, WTO Members have increasingly formed FTAs with more than one large economy; plurilateral as well as bilateral groupings; and agreements including WTO-plus commitments. Further, Members have pursued plurilateral subject-specific negotiations both outside the WTO such as the Trade in Services Agreement and within, in the form of Joint Statement Initiatives. The article assesses from General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade formation to the present the extent to which the full range of trade agreements have facilitated experimentation and to which such agreements have had a fragmenting impact on the WTO. While the answers to these questions are nuanced, what is clear is that Members who wish to liberalize more deeply than other Members will find a way to do so outside the WTO rather than abandoning their objectives. As such, the debate today is no longer whether bilateral or regional FTAs are good or bad for a single undertaking-based multilateral WTO. Instead, we must weigh whether it is preferable for new plurilateral initiatives to be accommodated within the WTO at the expense of strict consensus or to reject such initiatives with the understanding that powerful Members will instead to pursue their objectives in plurilateral arrangements outside the WTO.
Inheritance of Two Traits With High Plasticity, Developmental Speed, and Body Size, in Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)
Authors: Morales-Ramos Juan A , Rojas M Guadalupe , Tweedy Damian , Emery Virginia , Kelstrup Hans C
Published: December 2022

The study of inheritance of quantitative traits of high plasticity in insects has been limited. The heritability of larval development time and body weight in Tenebrio molitor L. was determined using the method of parent-offspring regression. The parental group of adults obtained from a cohort from one day of oviposition from a stock colony was divided into 28 class groups according to their larval development time and pupal weight. The progeny resulting from these parental classes was grouped in experimental units and allowed to develop to the pupal stage. Means of larval development time and pupal weight of the progeny were compared with their parental class levels using linear regression. The selection of larval development time and pupal weight in the parental classes had a significant impact on the means of larval development time and pupal weight of the progeny. The regression coefficients for larval development time and pupal weight were 0.626 ± 0.02 and 0.408 ± 0.02, respectively. These values represent the proportion of genetic determination of these two traits based on the principles of the method of parent-offspring regression. The apparent independence of larval development time and pupal weight based on their poor linear correlation is discussed.
PD-1 Inhibitor for Disseminated Mycobacterium avium Infection in a Person With HIV
Authors: Liu Li , Song Zichen , Xun Jingna , Liu Danping , Wei Jianhao , Wang Zhenyan , Tang Yang , Sun Jianjun , Chen Jun
Published: December 2022

We report a case of a person with human immunodeficiency virus with disseminated Mycobacterium avium infection, in whom antiretroviral therapy combined with all drugs of anti–M avium activity failed to clear the pathogen. After PD-1 inhibitor treatment, T-cell exhaustion was reversed and M avium–specific T-cell response was boosted, together with M avium clearance.
DEVELOPMENT OF ABSOLUTE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM FOR𝑾AIRIN 60CO GAMMA RAYS
Authors: Sato Yuuki , Shimizu Morihito , Takeda Masakatsu , Fujita Yukio , Kato Masahiro , Kurosawa Tadahiro , Sato Masanori
Published: December 2022

In the ICRU Report 90, the uncertainty of the recommendation for ${{W}}_{{air}}$ was changed from 0.15 to 0.35%. The purpose of this study is to develop an absolute measurement system for ${{W}}_{{air}}$ in electrons with lower uncertainty using 60Co gamma rays. ${{W}}_{{air}}$ was determined by the ratio of the energy deposition to the number of ion pairs created in a given volume of air using a graphite calorimeter and a graphite-wall ionisation chamber. The obtained value for ${{W}}_{{air}}$ was 33.91 eV with a relative standard uncertainty of 0.08 eV (k = 1), and was in good agreement with the recommended value of the ICRU Report 90 (33.97 eV). Additionally, the uncertainty for ${{W}}_{{air}}$ obtained in this investigation is 0.23% and is comparable with that reported by Burns et al., which is the lowest uncertainty in recent studies determining ${{W}}_{{air}}$ In the future, the proposed system can be used to measure ${{W}}_{{air}}$ in high-energy electron beams.
BCG is protective against death in male but not female patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in Guinea-Bissau
Authors: Bohlbro Anders Solitander , Mendes Antonio Matteus , Sifna Armando , Patsche Cecilie Blenstrup , Soelberg Martin Emil Schomann , Gomes Victor , Wejse Christian , Rudolf Frauke
Published: December 2022

Background

Growing evidence supports the existence of a sex difference in immunity to tuberculosis (TB). This is most often to the detriment of males. This study aimed to assess the association between scar size from bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) and mortality risk stratified by sex.

Methods

Kaplan–Meier survivor functions and Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess mortality risk by sex and scar size. Groups were further compared by clinical and epidemiological characteristics.

Results

Between 2003 and 2019, 2944 eligible patients were identified, of whom 1003 were included in the final analysis. Males with BCG scars, particularly large scars, were less likely to die within 1 y of diagnosis than males with no scar (adjusted hazard ratio 0.36 [95% confidence interval 0.15 to 0.88]). In contrast, females with small scars trended towards higher mortality than females with no scars or females with large scars.

Conclusions

BCG protects against death in male but not female patients with TB. More research is needed to determine the mechanisms underpinning these sex differences and whether they are generalizable beyond this setting.
Two Xylella fastidiosa subsp. multiplex Strains Isolated from Almond in Spain Differ in Plasmid Content and Virulence Traits
Authors: Román-Écija M. , Navas-Cortés J. A. , Velasco-Amo M. P. , Arias-Giraldo L. F. , Gómez L. M. , Fuente L. De La , Landa B. B.
Published: December 2022

The plant-pathogenic bacterium Xylella fastidiosa is a major threat to agriculture and the environment worldwide. Recent devastating outbreaks in Europe highlight the potential of this pathogen to cause emergent diseases. X. fastidiosa subsp. multiplex ESVL and IVIA5901 strains that belong to sequence type 6 were isolated from almond orchards within the outbreak area in Alicante province (Spain). Both strains share more than 99% of the chromosomal sequences (average nucleotide identity), but the ESVL strain harbors two plasmids (pXF64-Hb_ESVL and pUCLA-ESVL). Here, virulence phenotypes and genome content were compared between both strains, using three strains from the United States as a reference for the phenotypic analyses. Experiments in microfluidic chambers, used as a simulation of xylem vessels, showed that twitching motility was absent in the IVIA5901 strain, whereas the ESVL strain had reduced twitching motility. In general, both Spanish strains had less biofilm formation, less cell aggregation, and lower virulence in tobacco compared with U.S. reference strains. Genome analysis of the two plasmids from ESVL revealed 51 unique coding sequences that were absent in the chromosome of IVIA5901. Comparison of the chromosomes of both strains showed some unique coding sequences and single-nucleotide polymorphisms in each strain, with potential deleterious mutations. Genomic differences found in genes previously associated with adhesion and motility might explain the differences in the phenotypic traits studied. Although additional studies are necessary to infer the potential role of X. fastidiosa plasmids, our results indicate that the presence of plasmids should be considered in the study of the mechanisms of pathogenicity and adaptation in X. fastidiosa to new environments.

[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .
The Single Distinct Leader Protease Encoded by Alpinia oxyphylla Mosaic Virus (Genus Macluravirus) Suppresses RNA Silencing Through Interfering with Double-Stranded RNA Synthesis
Authors: Hu Weiyao , Dai Zhaoji , Liu Peilan , Deng Changhui , Shen Wentao , Li Zengping , Cui Hongguang
Published: December 2022

The genomic 5′-terminal regions of viruses in the family Potyviridae (potyvirids) encode two types of leader proteases: serine-protease (P1) and cysteine-protease (HCPro), which differ greatly in the arrangement and sequence composition among inter-genus viruses. Most potyvirids have the same tandemly arranged P1 and HCPro, whereas viruses in the genus Macluravirus encode a single distinct leader protease, a truncated version of HCPro with yet-unknown functions. We investigated the RNA silencing suppression (RSS) activity and its underpinning mechanism of the distinct HCPro from alpinia oxyphylla mosaic macluravirus (aHCPro). Sequence analysis revealed that macluraviral HCPros have obvious truncations in the N-terminal and middle regions when aligned to their counterparts in potyviruses (well-characterized viral suppressors of RNA silencing). Nearly all defined elements essential for the RSS activity of potyviral counterparts are not distinguished in macluraviral HCPros. Here, we demonstrated that aHCPro exhibits a similar anti-silencing activity with the potyviral counterpart. However, aHCPro fails to block both the local and systemic spreading of RNA silencing. In line, aHCPro interferes with the dsRNA synthesis, an upstream step in the RNA silencing pathway. Affinity-purification and NanoLC–MS/MS analysis revealed that aHCPro has no association with core components or their potential interactors involving in dsRNA synthesis from the protein layer. Instead, the ectopic expression of aHCPro significantly reduces the transcript abundance of RDR2, RDR6, SGS3, and SDE5. This study represents the first report on the anti-silencing function of Macluravirus-encoded HCPro and the underlying molecular mechanism.
A National Survey of Medication Dosage Calculation Teaching Methods and Competency Criteria on Nursing Student Success: Recommendations for Nurse Educators
Authors: Schneidereith Tonya , Barr Erik
Published: December 2022

AIM

The purpose of this study was to synthesize the current landscape of medication dosage calculation (MDC) education for prelicensure nursing students in the United States.

BACKGROUND

There is little consistency in the format of MDC education and evaluation in prelicensure nursing education, yet consequences of not passing MDC exams can affect the number of graduating nurses. Consequences can include withdrawal from the course, delayed progression of a semester or more, or dismissal from the nursing program.

METHOD

An electronic survey was emailed to prelicensure administrators of 1,620 associate, bachelor’s, and master’s entry programs in the United States.

RESULTS

Surveys were received from 210 programs. Results confirmed inconsistent methods used to teach and evaluate MDC competency.

CONCLUSION

Inconsistent teaching methods and competency criteria can affect retention and subsequent growth of the nursing workforce. Based on the characteristics associated with MDC success, recommendations are made for nurse educators.
A National Qualitative Study of Work-Life Balance in Prelicensure Nursing Faculty
Authors: Crawford Ryan P. , Barbé Tammy , Troyan Patricia J.
Published: December 2022

AIM

This study explored how full-time, prelicensure baccalaureate nursing faculty members described their experiences with work-life balance.

BACKGROUND

With increasing shortages of nursing faculty and practicing nurses, schools of nursing are developing faculty recruitment and retention efforts. It is imperative to understand the experiences of nursing faculty with regard to balancing their work and personal lives.

METHOD

A web-based survey including two open-ended questions related to work-life balance was disseminated to deans of nursing programs, who disseminated the survey to nursing faculty. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

The sample (n = 320) was representative of current nursing faculty demographics. Three themes emerged: Relationship With Administration, Nursing Faculty Workload, and Boundary Setting. Opposing subthemes were noted in each theme.

CONCLUSION

Administrators may use the findings from this study to create administrator and faculty development opportunities and mentorship programs that promote work-life balance of nursing faculty.
A National Report on Clinical Judgment Model Use in Prelicensure Nursing Curricula
Authors: Jessee Mary A. , Nielsen Ann , Monagle Janet , Gonzalez Lisa , Lasater Kathie , Dickison Philip
Published: December 2022

AIM

This study examined US prelicensure nursing program use of clinical judgment models and teaching strategies to promote students’ clinical judgment.

BACKGROUND

Growing interest in teaching clinical judgment associated with upcoming changes in NCLEX-RN testing warrants exploration of how models and teaching strategies are currently used.

METHOD

A cross-sectional survey with multiple-choice and open-ended response items was used to examine programs’ use of clinical judgment educational models.

RESULTS

Of 234 participants (9 percent response rate), 27 percent reported using a model; 51 percent intended and 20 percent did not intend to start using a model. Tanner’s clinical judgment model was the most used, followed by the clinical reasoning cycle. Models were used to inform design of teaching/learning strategies and facilitate clinical teaching and evaluation.

CONCLUSION

Clinical judgment model use may increase as programs prepare for changes in NCLEX-RN. Research is needed to understand how model use contributes to measurable differences in clinical judgment skill.
A Comparison of the Representation of Women in Editor Positions at Major Medical Journals in 2021 vs 2011
Authors: Starchl Christina , Shah Vianca , Zollner-Schwetz Ines , Knezevic Jovana , Geiger Simon , Amrein Karin
Published: December 2022

Purpose

There continues to be a disparity in the representation of women across medicine, including in editor positions at major medical journals. The authors repeated a study they had conducted in 2011 to compare the representation of women in editor-in-chief and editorial board member positions in 2011 and 2021.

Method

The authors included in their analysis the 60 journals from their original 2011 study and the top 5 ranked journals by Journal Impact Factor in each of 12 disciplines in 2021. This led to the inclusion of 86 journals. The authors collected the names and genders of the editors-in-chief and editorial board members at these journals, using information provided by the journals and a Google search for the photos and/or pronouns of the remaining editors. They compared results across years (2021 vs 2011), editor positions, disciplines, Journal Impact Factors, and ranks.

Results

Twenty-two of the 90 editors-in-chief (24.4%) were women in 2021 compared with 10 of 63 (15.9%) in 2011, an increase of 8.5%. Of the 6,285 editorial board members, 1,756 were women (27.9%) in 2021 compared with 719 of 4,112 (17.5%) in 2011, an increase of 10.4%. Journals with women editors-in-chief gained 3.5 ranks and 9.1 points in Journal Impact Factor on average over this 10-year period, compared with no gain in rank and an increase of 4.7 points in Journal Impact Factor for journals with men editors-in-chief; both are statistically significant differences (P = .045 and P = .016, respectively).

Conclusions

In almost all evaluated disciplines and editor positions, there was an increase in the percentage of women at top-ranked medical journals over a 10-year period. Despite this increase, improvements are still needed to accelerate the currently slow rate of change in these positions to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion for women in medicine.
Diagnostic capability of the scratch collapse test compared with other clinical diagnostic tests for diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome: a prospective case-control study
Authors: Najd Mazhar Farid , Shariatzadeh Hooman , Hosseinzadeh Danial
Published: December 2022

Background:

Diagnostic performance of the scratch collapse test for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is not clear. This study evaluated its diagnostic capability for CTS diagnosis in comparison with other widely used clinical CTS tests, including the Tinel’s sign, Phalen’s test, and Durkan’s test.

Methods:

In a prospective case-control study, 78 CTS patients and 78 group-matched healthy control subjects were included. The electrodiagnostic testing was regarded as a reference standard CTS diagnostic method. The tests were conducted separately for the case and control groups; the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of the tests were calculated.

Results:

The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy of CTS diagnosis were 7.7%, 100%, 100%, 52% and 53.8% for the scratch collapse test; 91%, 97.4%, 97.3%, 91.6%, and 94.2% for the Tinel’s sign test; 84.6%, 100%,100%, 88.6%, and 93.6% for the Phalen’s test; and 87.2%, 100%, 100%, 88.6%, and 93.6% for the Durkan’s test, respectively.

Conclusions:

Scratch collapse test has a low sensitivity and accuracy for diagnosing CTS. These results do not support its routine use for the diagnosis of CTS.

Level of Evidence:

Level III
Pleural Effusions in Patients With Congestive Heart Failure: Frequency, Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Implications
Authors: Elgwairi Emadeldeen , Abdalla Amira , Elkheshen Ahmed , Elharabi Zeyad , Nugent Kenneth
Published: December 2022

Patients with cardiac disease frequently develop pleural effusions; the incidence is approximately 500,000 cases per year in the United States. These effusions often represent important clinical events for patients, indicating that either there has been an acute change in the patient’s clinical status or the patient’s chronic management program needs review. These effusions usually develop in both the right and left hemithorax but can be unilateral. The pathogenesis involves increased fluid transfer from parietal pleural capillaries into the pleural space and possibly decreased pleural fluid uptake into parietal pleural lymphatic structures. The increased fluid transfer develops due to increased capillary pressure secondary to elevated venous outflow pressure and secondary to decreased lymphatic flow into central vessels secondary to heart failure. Most pleural effusions associated with heart failure are transudates, but 20% to 25% have increased protein and lactate dehydrogenase levels suggesting an exudative process. Additional testing can clarify the situation and requires calculation of the serum albumin to pleural fluid albumin gradient or measurement of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide in the pleural fluid. An albumin gradient of greater than 1.2 g/dL suggests that the fluid is a transudate. The presence of a pleural effusion in a hospitalized patient at discharge is associated with an increased likelihood of rehospitalization and mortality within the next year. Patients with large symptomatic pleural effusions may require therapeutic thoracentesis. Recurrence of symptomatic effusions presents a management dilemma that might require repeated thoracenteses, indwelling intrapleural catheter placement, or other management steps used in advanced chronic heart failure.
Effects of Return-to-Office, Public Schools Reopening, and Vaccination Mandates on COVID-19 Cases Among Municipal Employee Residents of New York City
Authors: Greene Sharon K. , Tabaei Bahman P. , Culp Gretchen M. , Levin-Rector Alison , Kishore Nishant , Baumgartner Jennifer
Published: December 2022

Objective

On September 13, 2021, teleworking ended for New York City municipal employees, and Department of Education employees returned to reopened schools. On October 29, COVID-19 vaccination was mandated. We assessed these mandates' short-term effects on disease transmission.

Methods

Using difference-in-difference analyses, we calculated COVID-19 incidence rate ratios (IRRs) among residents 18 to 64 years old by employment status before and after policy implementation.

Results

IRRs after (September 23–October 28) versus before (July 5–September 12) the return-to-office mandate were similar between office-based City employees and non-City employees. Among Department of Education employees, the IRR after schools reopened was elevated by 28.4% (95% confidence interval, 17.3%–40.3%). Among City employees, the IRR after (October 29–November 30) versus before (September 23–October 28) the vaccination mandate was lowered by 20.1% (95% confidence interval, 13.7%–26.0%).

Conclusions

Workforce mandates influenced disease transmission, among other societal effects.
Useful Flaps for Plastic Surgeons to Know
Authors: Neligan Peter C.
Published: December 2022

Learning Objectives:

After studying this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Describe different useful flaps. 2. Identify pitfalls of specific flaps. 3. Incorporate tips that facilitate flap use.

We have a wide selection of flaps to choose from for any given reconstruction. This article describes the use of different flaps that the author has found useful in his practice. Some of these flaps are mainstream, whereas others are not. The article does not suggest that these are the only flaps that one should use, nor does it go into great detail on the dissection of each flap except where the author has identified pitfalls or where he can offer tips and tricks that facilitate use of these flaps. Flaps are described from head to toe.