bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Scarring/arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy
Authors: Corrado Domenico , Zorzi Alessandro , Cipriani Alberto , Bauce Barbara , Bariani Riccardo , Brunetti Giulia , Graziano Francesca , De Lazzari Manuel , Mattesi Giulia , Migliore Federico , Pilichou Kalliopi , Rigato Ilaria , Rizzo Stefania , Thiene Gaetano , Perazzolo Marra Martina , Basso Cristina
Published: April 2023

The designation of ‘arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy’ reflects the evolving concept of a heart muscle disease affecting not only the right ventricle (ARVC) but also the left ventricle (LV), with phenotypic variants characterized by a biventricular (BIV) or predominant LV involvement (ALVC). Herein, we use the term ‘scarring/arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (S/ACM)’ to emphasize that the disease phenotype is distinctively characterized by loss of ventricular myocardium due to myocyte death with subsequent fibrous or fibro-fatty scar tissue replacement. The myocardial scarring predisposes to potentially lethal ventricular arrhythmias and underlies the impairment of systolic ventricular function. S/ACM is an ‘umbrella term’ which includes a variety of conditions, either genetic or acquired (mostly post-inflammatory), sharing the typical ‘scarring’ phenotypic features of the disease. Differential diagnoses include ‘non-scarring’ heart diseases leading to either RV dilatation from left-to-right shunt or LV dilatation/dysfunction from a dilated cardiomyopathy. The development of 2020 upgraded criteria (‘Padua criteria’) for diagnosis of S/ACM reflected the evolving clinical experience with the expanding spectrum of S/ACM phenotypes and the advances in cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. The Padua criteria aimed to improve the diagnosis of S/ACM by incorporation of CMR myocardial tissue characterization findings. Risk stratification of S/ACM patients is mostly based on arrhythmic burden and ventricular dysfunction severity, although other ECG or imaging parameters may have a role. Medical therapy is crucial for treatment of ventricular arrhythmias and heart failure. Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is the only proven life-saving treatment, despite its significant morbidity because of device-related complications and inappropriate shocks. Selection of patients who can benefit the most from ICD therapy is one of the most challenging issues in clinical practice.
How the new technologies and tools will change the electrophysiology of the future
Authors: Tondo Claudio
Published: April 2023

Novel technologies and therapies are evolving rapidly in the field of electrophysiology and cardiac ablation, particularly with the aim of improving the management of atrial fibrillation (AF) where pharmacologic treatment fails. High-power short-duration radiofrequency (RF) ablation, in association with the optimized cooling process of the electrode–tissue interface, is one of the most promising approaches for treating durable lesions and pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Cryo energy, laser, and RF current are examples of novel tools used by competitive balloon catheter platforms and these tools are specifically created to properly promote an effective PVI. Specific mention deserves to be made on the linear array ablation with ultra-low temperature cryoablation that appears promising for durable lesions. It is needless to remind here about the novel evolving energy source in the form of pulsed electrical field (PFA), which results in an irreversible electroporation of myocardial tissue, sparing the surrounding tissue, and thus, apparently with a significant reduction of potential untoward effects. Furthermore, intensive research is in place to specifically investigate the activation pattern of AF so as to devise a patient-(‘tailored’) target ablation, although with inhomogeneous results. Overall, it seems that technologies and therapies are evolving so rapidly than ever with the hope of achieving better long-term clinical results and an improved quality of life for our patients.
The PACMAN-AMI trial: a revolution in the treatment of acute coronary syndromes
Authors: De Luca Leonardo , Halasz Geza
Published: April 2023

After an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) persists despite the reperfusion of the culprit lesion. The addition of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors (PCSK9i) to standard lipid-lowering therapies has been demonstrated to effectively reduce the levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), with a consistent decrease of MACE in large, randomized clinical trials enrolling patients at high risk of cardiovascular events. There is a strong rationale for an immediate and aggressive LDL-C lowering with the use of PCSK9i in ACS patients. The PACMAN-AMI trial tested this hypothesis demonstrating that in ACS patients, the addition of subcutaneous biweekly alirocumab, compared with placebo, to high-intensity statin therapy resulted in significantly greater coronary plaque regression in non-infarct-related arteries after 52 weeks, as assessed by novel intra-coronary imaging modalities. These findings might provide the mechanistic rationale in favour of early initiation of very intensive LDL-C-lowering therapy in the acute setting of ACS, potentially modifying the actual common pattern of treatment.
Dynamic Analysis of Early Stage Pine Wilt Disease in Pinus massoniana Using Ground-level Hyperspectral Imaging
Authors: Pan Jie , Xie Tianyi , You Cheng , Xia Xiuli
Published: April 2023

Pine wilt disease (PWD) is caused by the pine wilt nematode and is a tremendous threat to coniferous forests. Remote sensing, particularly hyperspectral remote sensing, has been utilized to identify PWD. However, most studies have focused on distinguishing the spectra between infected and healthy pine trees and ignored further visualization of spectral symptoms, which could greatly improve the pre-visual diagnosis of PWD. This research used the false color feature maps (FCFMs) synthesized using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the ratio vegetation index (RVI) calculated from selected feature bands to analyze the changes in the spectral and image dimensions of the hyperspectral data. Our main findings were (1) the confirmed feature bands were 440, 550, 672, 752, 810, and 958 nm; and (2) NDVI (810, 440), NDVI (810, 672), NDVI (550, 672), RVI (810, 550), RVI (810, 672), and RVI (550, 672) were suitable to synthesize the FCFMs. As PWD developed, the color of the infected needles changed from blue and white to red on the NDVI-based feature maps and from blue to red on the RVI-based feature maps. Importantly, the color changes were captured by the FCFMs when the symptoms were not visible on the true color images, indicating the ability to identify PWD during the early infection stage.
Joint Associations of Device-Measured Sleep Duration and Efficiency With All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality: A Prospective Cohort Study of 90 398 UK Biobank Participants
Authors: Liang Yannis Yan , Ai Sizhi , Xue Huachen , Chen Yilin , Zhou Jiajin , Shu Xinyue , Weng Foqian , Zhou Mingqing , Ma Huan , Zhang Jihui , Geng Qingshan , Wing Yun-Kwok
Published: April 2023

Background

Both sleep duration and efficiency are essential for health outcomes. However, few studies have considered the effects of both sleep duration and efficiency on predicting the risks of mortality. This study investigated the independent and joint associations of accelerometer-measured sleep duration and efficiency with all-cause and cause-specific mortality.

Methods

The UK Biobank is a cohort study of over 500 000 individuals recruited between 2006 and 2010. This study included participants wearing wrist accelerometers for 7 consecutive days between February 2013 and December 2015. Mortality was ascertained by the national death registries.

Results

Of the 90 398 participants (age, 62.4 [7.8] years, 43.5% male) who were included, 2 685 deaths were reported within a median follow-up duration of 6.4 years. Both accelerometer-measured short (adjusted hazard ratios, 1.27; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11–1.45) and long sleep duration (adjusted hazard ratios, 1.16; 95% CI: 1.06–1.28) were positively associated with the risks of all-cause mortality. Lower sleep efficiency was associated with an increased risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Significant interaction existed between accelerometer-measured sleep duration and efficiency for the risk of all-cause mortality (Pinteraction = .001), participants with long sleep duration and lower sleep efficiency had a double mortality risk compared with those with higher sleep efficiency and normal sleep duration (adjusted hazard ratios = 2.11; 95% CI: 1.44–3.09).

Conclusions

Accelerometer-measured short/long sleep duration and lower sleep efficiency were associated with increased risks of mortality. Sleep efficiency modified the effects of long sleep duration on survival.
A longitudinal perspective on perceived vulnerability to disease during the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium
Authors: Delporte Margaux , De Coninck David , d’Haenens Leen , Luyts Martial , Verbeke Geert , Molenberghs Geert , Matthijs Koen
Published: April 2023

During the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, individuals relied heavily on media sources to stay informed about the disease and public health measures. However, differences exist in the type and frequency of news media consumption, which can be linked to their perceived vulnerability to disease. In this longitudinal study, 1000 Flemish (Belgium) individuals were followed from March 2020 until September 2020, focussing on the evolution in perceived vulnerability to disease (i.e. perceived infectability and germ aversion). Media consumption significantly impacts perceived germ aversion; heavy consumers of commercial media reported greater germ aversion than light consumers of these media. The evolution of germ aversion among individuals from March to August depends on their gender, living environment, age and possibility to work from home. Furthermore, the evolution of perceived infectability depends on the age and living environment of the respondent. These findings may interest policy makers and media professionals to anticipate how anxieties regarding contracting an infectious disease evolve over time and how individual characteristics affect this evolution.
COVID-19 messages targeting young people on social media: content analysis of Australian health authority posts
Authors: Taba Melody , Ayre Julie , Freeman Becky , McCaffery Kirsten , Bonner Carissa
Published: April 2023

Health authorities utilized social media during the COVID-19 pandemic to disseminate critical and timely health messages, specifically targeting priority groups such as young people. To understand how social media was used for this purpose, we investigated the content of COVID-19-related social media posts targeting young people (16–29 years old) shared by Australian health departments. Posts targeting young people with COVID-19 information were extracted from all eight Australian State and Territory health department Facebook, Instagram and TikTok accounts over 1 month of the Delta outbreak (September 2021) and analysed thematically. In total, 238 posts targeting young people were identified from 1059 COVID-19 posts extracted. All eight health departments used Facebook, five used Instagram and only one used TikTok. The majority of posts implicitly targeted young people; only 14.7% explicitly mentioned age or ‘young people’. All posts included accompanying visuals; 77% were still images like photos or illustrations whilst 23% were moving images like videos and GIFs. Communication techniques included calls to action (63% of posts), responsive communication (32% of posts) and positive emotional appeal (31% of posts). Social marketing techniques catering to young people were used to varying extents despite receiving higher levels of engagement; 45% featured emojis whilst only 16% used humour, 14% featured celebrities and 6% were memes. Priority groups like ethnic/cultural groups and chronic health/disability communities were rarely targeted in this communication. The findings indicate a lack of health communication on social media directed towards young people, highlighting an opportunity for increased use of platforms like TikTok and trends popular with young people online.
Cluster-Permutohedra and Submanifolds of Flag Varieties with Torus Actions
Authors: Ayzenberg Anton , Buchstaber Victor
Published: April 2023

In this paper, we describe a relation between the notion of graphicahedron, introduced by Araujo-Pardo, Del Río-Francos, López-Dudet, Oliveros, and Schulte in 2010 and toric topology of manifolds of sparse isospectral Hermitian matrices. More precisely, we recall the notion of a cluster-permutohedron, a certain finite poset defined for a simple graph $\Gamma $. This poset is build as a combination of cosets of the symmetric group, and the geometric lattice of the graphical matroid of $\Gamma $. This poset is similar to the graphicahedron of $\Gamma $, in particular, 1-skeleta of both posets are isomorphic to Cayley graphs of the symmetric group. We describe the relation between cluster-permutohedron and graphicahedron using Galois connection and the notion of a core of a finite topology. We further prove that the face poset of the natural torus action on the manifold of isospectral $\Gamma $-shaped Hermitian matrices is isomorphic to the cluster-permutohedron. Using recent results in toric topology, we show that homotopy properties of graphicahedra may serve an obstruction to equivariant formality of isospectral matrix manifolds. We introduce a generalization of a cluster-permutohedron and describe the combinatorial structure of a large family of manifolds with torus actions, including Grassmann manifolds and partial flag manifolds.
Hard Exterior, Soft Interior: Skill Regulation and Employer Control over Migrant Worker Selection Policy in Australia
Authors: Boucher Anna K , Wright Chris F
Published: April 2023

This paper utilises a regulatory analysis of skilled visas and insights from labour law scholarship to examine how Australian immigration law regulates ‘skill’ and the implications for migrant workers’ employment relationships. While qualifications or ‘hard skills’ act as the formal basis for selection under Australian immigration law, interpersonal attributes associated with ‘soft skills’ often decide who employers recruit. Immigration regulations that allow employers discretion to recruit based on soft skills widen scope for employer misuse and migrant worker exploitation, including for those on high-skilled visas, and for diversity bias against women and ethnic minorities. Our major theoretical contribution is to highlight how immigration laws that give employers discretion over the criteria used in skilled immigration selection intensify power imbalances within the contract of employment. The regulatory definitions of skill constructed by immigration law can thus serve as an additional lever of employer control. The findings indicate that precise regulation of skill is necessary to limit the potential for employers to exert undue control over migrants in worker selection processes.
Whistleblowing Litigation and Legislation in Ireland: Are There Lessons to be Learned?
Authors: Kierans Lauren
Published: April 2023

The Protected Disclosures Act 2014 is Ireland’s main workplace whistleblowing legislation. It will be amended by the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022 on 1 January 2023 on foot of Ireland’s obligation to transpose into national law Directive 2019/1937/EU of the European Parliament and the Council of 23 October 2019 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law. This paper addresses the question of whether, in amending the 2014 Act, there were lessons that could have been learnt from the experience in the UK in the operation of its whistleblowing legislation. In answering this question, the findings of an analysis of the case law under the 2014 Act between 15 July 2014 and 15 July 2020 are presented and discussed. In conducting the case law analysis, specific issues were assessed, including, procedural issues concerning the forum for the taking of a claim, costs, fees, processing times, and time limits for presenting penalisation claims and substantive issues regarding the type of claim and the success rate. The research established that there are deficiencies in the 2014 Act, and in some of its amendments under the 2022 Act. It also established that there is an inequity in the treatment under the legislation of ‘employees’ and workers other than employees. The author concludes that to address these procedural and substantive deficiencies and inequities, Ireland should have gone beyond the minimum standards of the Directive and looked to the UK for guidance.
HIV testing among women of reproductive age in 28 sub-Saharan African countries: a multilevel modelling
Authors: Zegeye Betregiorgis , Adjei Nicholas Kofi , Ahinkorah Bright Opoku , Tesema Getayeneh Antehunegn , Ameyaw Edward Kwabena , Budu Eugene , Seidu Abdul-Aziz , Yaya Sanni
Published: April 2023

Background

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) remains one of the most significant public health challenges globally, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Although HIV testing is a vital step for both prevention and treatment, its uptake is still low in SSA. We therefore examined HIV testing in SSA and its individual/household and community factors among women of reproductive age groups (15–49 y).

Methods

Demographic and Health Survey data collected between 2010 and 2020 from 28 SSA countries were used for this analysis. We analysed the coverage of HIV testing and individual/household and community factors on 384 416 women in the reproductive age groups (15–49 y). Bivariate and multivariable multilevel binary logistic regression analysis were conducted to select candidate variables and to identify significant explanatory variables associated with HIV testing and the results were presented using adjusted odd ratios (AORs) at 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results

The pooled prevalence of HIV testing among women of reproductive age in SSA was 56.1% (95% CI 53.7 to 58.4), with the highest coverage found in Zambia (86.9%) and the lowest in Chad (6.1%). Age (45–49 y; AOR 0.30 [95% CI 0.15 to 0.62]), women's education level (secondary; AOR 1.97 [95% CI 1.36 to 2.84]) and economic status (richest; AOR 2.78 [95% CI 1.40 to 5.51]) were some of the individual/household factors associated with HIV testing. Similarly, religion (no religion; AOR 0.58 [95% CI 0.34 to 0.97]), marital status (married; AOR 0.69 [95% CI 0.50 to 0.95]) and comprehensive knowledge of HIV (yes; AOR 2.01 [95% CI 1.53 to 2.64]) were significantly associated individual/household factors for HIV testing. Meanwhile, place of residence (rural; AOR 0.65 [95% CI 0.45 to 0.94]) was found to be a significant community-level factor.

Conclusion

More than half of married women in SSA have been tested for HIV, with between-country variations. Both individual/household factors were associated with HIV testing. Stakeholders should therefore consider all above-mentioned factors to plan an integrated approach to enhancing HIV testing through health education, sensitization, counselling and empowering older and married women, those with no formal education, those who do not have comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge and those in rural areas.
A Neoclassical Realist Theory of Overbalancing
Authors: Mallett Ellis , Juneau Thomas
Published: April 2023

Why do states overestimate threats and, as a result, mount disproportionately strong and therefore costly balancing responses? To answer this question, we build a neoclassical realist theory of overbalancing to argue that unit-level intervening variables help generate a counterforce greater than what a structurally induced ideal response would call for. We identify the factors and conditions that steer states to deviate from realist, optimal policies, pinpoint the consequences of such suboptimal behavior, and provide policymakers with recommendations more suited to an interest-driven foreign policy in line with power considerations. We apply our theory to two distinct case studies: Egypt's costly intervention in Yemen in the 1960s and the American overreaction to the real, but very limited, threat posed by terrorism since 2001.
Augmented virtual reality and 360 spatial visualization for supporting user-engaged design
Authors: Lee Jin-Kook , Lee Sanghoon , Kim Young-chae , Kim Sumin , Hong Seung-Wan
Published: April 2023

This paper discusses an approach to augmented virtual reality (AVR) and 360-degree spatial visualization. The approach involves locating stereoscopic three-dimensional virtual objects into a real off-site panorama, supporting spatial remodel design decision-making through realistic comparisons. Previous studies have shown that in the design process, end-user engagement promotes the quality and satisfaction of design solutions. Immersive media such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have increasingly been used as communication tools for user engagement in design, as they provide intuitive and realistic user experiences, particularly in comparing design plans. However, the dichotomous affordance of current VR and AR devices is limited in satisfying both the sense of realism and immersion that are essential for user engagement. To overcome this shortcoming, we propose an AVR-based design visualization approach that integrates the advantages of both media technologies to provide a high sense of realism and immersion off-site, responding to location and environmental stimuli, such as lighting, material, and other factors. To achieve this goal, we used 360-degree panorama data of the target space as a design visualization background, with content immersion experienced through VR hardware. Additionally, we developed software to demonstrate the actual use of the AVR-based approach, and various visualization-purposed file formats can be exported automatically using this software. The software supports the authoring of 360-degree spatial visualization videos for realistic design comparisons, which can be easily accessed by end-users using a head-mounted display or smartphone, even in real-time. We performed a demonstration of this approach using an actual remodel design project for the university library lobby, and this paper shows the usability and applicability of the AVR-based approach for user engagement.
Continuous deformation of flat-foldable crease patterns via interpretation as set of twist-patterns
Authors: Yamamoto Yohei , Mitani Jun
Published: April 2023

In the study of origami, various parametric methods have been proposed to design crease patterns under geometric conditions for flat-folding. Each design method contributes to finding a desirable crease pattern, e.g., one with superior engineering properties, by manipulating parameters. On the other hand, to continuously deform other crease patterns, it is necessary to recreate it once with such a parametric method; however, this inverse problem is less studied. This paper is basic research to solve this problem and to allow parametric deformation of flat-foldable crease patterns. Given crease patterns are interpreted as networks consisting of twist-folding patterns that can be generated by an existing parametric method named twist-based design method. Then, by manipulating the parameters, the crease pattern is deformed. Importantly, any flat-foldable crease pattern having no crease line connecting two points on the boundary can be targeted, and it is locally guaranteed that deformed crease patterns have non-intersecting crease lines and are flat-foldable. The proposed method contributes to increased origami variations by deformations of existing crease patterns.
Economic Analysis of Wildfire Impacts to Water Quality: A Review
Authors: Wibbenmeyer Matthew , Sloggy Matthew R , Sánchez José J
Published: April 2023

As the frequency and severity of large wildfires in the western United States have grown, impacts to private property and air quality have typically attracted the greatest attention; however, wildfires can also substantially affect water resources, altering watershed function and contaminating drinking water supplies. Although there is significant scientific literature describing impacts of wildfires on water resources, the literature on economic dimensions of these impacts is limited. In this article, we identify ways in which economic analyses can contribute to understanding and managing wildfire impacts to water resources and review pertinent literature to characterize important areas of future work. These include estimation of damage costs, measurement of avoidance behavior and costs, mapping risks to infrastructure and the environment, optimization of fuel treatments, and risk mitigation. The areas of research covered in this review will only become more important as the climate changes and wildfires continue to pose a risk to natural resources.
Robot-assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty in an adult with pelvic ectopic kidney with hydronephrosis: a case report and literature review
Authors: Geng Shangzhen , Li Ming , Chen Guanghao , Qi Wenqiang , Yu Jianyong , Chen Shu , Meng Hui , Jiang Xuewen , Shi Benkang
Published: April 2023

Pelvic ectopic kidney is a congenital anomaly with a higher probability of hydronephrosis than a normal kidney. Few studies have reported cases of pelvic ectopic kidney with hydronephrosis in adults treated with robot-assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty (RALP). We performed RALP on a 22-year-old male and he recovered well after the procedure. The patient’s pain disappeared after surgery. No complications occurred during the perioperative period and had a rapid postoperative recovery.
Agenesis of gallbladder—an unexpected absence in laparoscopy
Authors: Thant Phyu C , Gupta Anurag
Published: April 2023

Gallbladder agenesis is a very rare condition, majority of which are normally diagnosed intraoperatively because of low index of suspicion and high rate of false positive results for cholecystitis on ultrasound imaging. We present a case of a 25-year-old man who presented with a right upper quadrant pain, whose ultrasound suggests a contracted gallbladder with gallstones. He was treated as an acute on chronic cholecystitis and booked for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Intraoperatively, there was no gallbladder to be seen and decision was made to abandon procedure and avoid further exploration. Post-operative magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography confirmed the congenital agenesis of gallbladder. It is important to have awareness of this condition, and possible further imaging modalities should be used if the ultrasound suggests a shrunken or contracted gallbladder that is not easily visible to avoid the risk of undergoing an unwarranted surgery.
Chowing down: diet considerations in rodent models of metabolic disease
Authors: Klatt Kevin C , Bass Kevin , Speakman John R , Hall Kevin D
Published: April 2023

Diet plays a substantial role in the etiology, progression, and treatment of chronic disease and is best considered as a multifaceted set of modifiable input variables with pleiotropic effects on a variety of biological pathways spanning multiple organ systems. This brief review discusses key issues related to the design and conduct of diet interventions in rodent models of metabolic disease and their implications for interpreting experiments. We also make specific recommendations to improve rodent diet studies to help better understand the role of diet on metabolic physiology and thereby improve our understanding of metabolic disease.
Deflecting Ockham’s Razor: A Medieval Debate about Ontological Commitment
Authors: Brower-Toland Susan
Published: April 2023

William of Ockham (d. 1347) is well known for his commitment to parsimony and for his so-called ‘razor’ principle. But little is known about attempts among his own contemporaries to deflect his use of the razor. In this paper, I explore one such attempt. In particular, I consider a clever challenge that Ockham’s younger contemporary, Walter Chatton (d. 1343) deploys against the razor. The challenge involves a kind of dilemma for Ockham. Depending on how Ockham responds to this dilemma, his razor will, Chatton argues, either prove unacceptably dull when it comes to determining ontological commitment or prove unacceptably sharp when it comes to determining commitments entailed by certain theological doctrines. While Chatton’s objection is subtle and interesting in its own right, the broader significance of the debate between these thinkers lies in the light it sheds on medieval approaches to issues surrounding metaphysical methodology.
PlasMapper 3.0—a web server for generating, editing, annotating and visualizing publication quality plasmid maps
Authors: Wishart David S , Ren Leah , Leong-Sit Jacques , Saha Sukanta , Grant Jason R , Stothard Paul , Singh Upasana , Kropielnicki Abby , Oler Eponine , Peters Harrison , Gautam Vasuk
Published: April 2023

PlasMapper 3.0 is a web server that allows users to generate, edit, annotate and interactively visualize publication quality plasmid maps. Plasmid maps are used to plan, design, share and publish critical information about gene cloning experiments. PlasMapper 3.0 is the successor to PlasMapper 2.0 and offers many features found only in commercial plasmid mapping/editing packages. PlasMapper 3.0 allows users to paste or upload plasmid sequences as input or to upload existing plasmid maps from its large database of >2000 pre-annotated plasmids (PlasMapDB). This database can be searched by plasmid names, sequence features, restriction sites, preferred host organisms, and sequence length. PlasMapper 3.0 also supports the annotation of new or never-before-seen plasmids using its own feature database that contains common promoters, terminators, regulatory sequences, replication origins, selectable markers and other features found in most cloning plasmids. PlasMapper 3.0 has several interactive sequence editors/viewers that allow users to select and view plasmid regions, insert genes, modify restriction sites or perform codon optimization. The graphics for PlasMapper 3.0 have also been substantially upgraded. It now offers an interactive, full-color plasmid viewer/editor that allows users to zoom, rotate, re-color, linearize, circularize, edit annotated features and modify plasmid images or labels to improve the esthetic qualities of their plasmid map and textual displays. All the plasmid images and textual displays are downloadable in multiple formats. PlasMapper 3.0 is available online at https://plasmapper.ca.
RNA-NRD: a non-redundant RNA structural dataset for benchmarking and functional analysis
Authors: Khan Nabila Shahnaz , Rahaman Md Mahfuzur , Islam Shahidul , Zhang Shaojie
Published: April 2023

The significance of RNA functions and their role in evolution and disease control have remarkably increased the research scope in the field of RNA science. Though the availability of RNA structure data in PBD has been growing tremendously, maintaining their quality and integrity has become the greater challenge. Since the data available in PDB are results of different independent research, they might contain redundancy. As a result, there remains a possibility of data bias for both protein and RNA chains. Quite a few studies have been conducted to remove the redundancy of protein structures by introducing high-quality representatives. However, the amount of research done to remove the redundancy of RNA structures is still very low. To remove RNA chain redundancy in PDB, we have introduced RNA-NRD, a non-redundant dataset of RNA chains based on sequence and 3D structural similarity. We compared RNA-NRD with the existing non-redundant RNA structure dataset RS-RNA and showed that it has better-formed clusters of redundant RNA chains with lower average RMSD and higher average PSI, thus improving the overall quality of the dataset.
Are the Relevant Risk Factors Being Adequately Captured in Empirical Studies of Smoking Initiation? A Machine Learning Analysis Based on the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study
Authors: Le Thuy T T , Issabakhsh Mona , Li Yameng , María Sánchez-Romero Luz , Tan Jiale , Meza Rafael , Levy David , Mendez David
Published: April 2023

Introduction

Cigarette smoking continues to pose a threat to public health. Identifying individual risk factors for smoking initiation is essential to further mitigate this epidemic. To the best of our knowledge, no study today has used machine learning (ML) techniques to automatically uncover informative predictors of smoking onset among adults using the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study.

Aims and Methods

In this work, we employed random forest paired with Recursive Feature Elimination to identify relevant PATH variables that predict smoking initiation among adults who have never smoked at baseline between two consecutive PATH waves. We included all potentially informative baseline variables in wave 1 (wave 4) to predict past 30-day smoking status in wave 2 (wave 5). Using the first and most recent pairs of PATH waves was found sufficient to identify the key risk factors of smoking initiation and test their robustness over time. The eXtreme Gradient Boosting method was employed to test the quality of these selected variables.

Results

As a result, classification models suggested about 60 informative PATH variables among many candidate variables in each baseline wave. With these selected predictors, the resulting models have a high discriminatory power with the area under the specificity-sensitivity curves of around 80%. We examined the chosen variables and discovered important features. Across the considered waves, two factors, (1) BMI, and (2) dental and oral health status, robustly appeared as important predictors of smoking initiation, besides other well-established predictors.

Conclusions

Our work demonstrates that ML methods are useful to predict smoking initiation with high accuracy, identifying novel smoking initiation predictors, and to enhance our understanding of tobacco use behaviors.

Implications

Understanding individual risk factors for smoking initiation is essential to prevent smoking initiation. With this methodology, a set of the most informative predictors of smoking onset in the PATH data were identified. Besides reconfirming well-known risk factors, the findings suggested additional predictors of smoking initiation that have been overlooked in previous work. More studies that focus on the newly discovered factors (BMI and dental and oral health status,) are needed to confirm their predictive power against the onset of smoking as well as determine the underlying mechanisms.
Using Thermal Imaging to Track Cellulitis
Authors: Amendola Julie A , Segre Alberto M , Miller Aaron C , Hodges Jacob T , Comellas Alejandro P , Polgreen Linnea A , Polgreen Philip M
Published: April 2023

Background

Cellulitis is a common soft tissue infection and a major cause of morbidity. The diagnosis is based almost exclusively on clinical history and physical exam. To improve the diagnosis of cellulitis, we used a thermal camera to track how skin temperature of the affected area changed during a hospital stay for patients with cellulitis.

Methods

We recruited 120 patients admitted with a diagnosis of cellulitis. Daily thermal images of the affected limb were taken. Temperature intensity and area were analyzed from the images. Highest daily body temperature and antibiotics administered were also collected.

We estimated a longitudinal linear mixed-effects model with a random intercept for the affected body area. All observations on a given day were included, and we used an integer time indicator indexed to the initial day (ie, t = 1 for the first day the patient was observed, etc.). We then analyzed the effect of this time trend on both severity (ie, normalized temperature) and scale (ie, area of skin with elevated temperature).

Results

We analyzed thermal images from the 41 patients with a confirmed case of cellulitis who had at least 3 days of photos. For each day that the patient was observed, the severity decreased by 1.63 (95% CI, −13.45 to 10.32) units on average, and the scale decreased by 0.63 (95% CI, −1.08 to −0.17) points on average. Also, patients’ body temperatures decreased by 0.28°F each day (95% CI, −0.40 to −0.17).

Conclusions

Thermal imaging could be used to help diagnose cellulitis and track clinical progress.
Can Oncologists Prompt Patient Prognostic Awareness to Enhance Decision-Making? Data From the NEOetic Study
Authors: Carmona-Bayonas Alberto , Rodriguez-Gonzalez Adán , García-García Teresa , Velasco-Durantez Verónica , Hernández-San Gil Raquel , Cruz-Castellanos Patricia , Fernandez-Montes Ana , Castillo-Trujillo Alfredo , Ballester Inmaculada , Rogado Jacobo , Calderon Caterina , Jimenez-Fonseca Paula
Published: April 2023

Introduction

Anti-neoplastic therapy improves the prognosis for advanced cancer, albeit it is not curative. An ethical dilemma that often arises during patients’ first appointment with the oncologist is to give them only the prognostic information they can tolerate, even at the cost of compromising preference-based decision-making, versus giving them full information to force prompt prognostic awareness, at the risk of causing psychological harm.

Methods

We recruited 550 participants with advanced cancer. After the appointment, patients and clinicians completed several questionnaires about preferences, expectations, prognostic awareness, hope, psychological symptoms, and other treatment-related aspects. The aim was to characterize the prevalence, explanatory factors, and consequences of inaccurate prognostic awareness and interest in therapy.

Results

Inaccurate prognostic awareness affected 74%, conditioned by the administration of vague information without alluding to death (odds ratio [OR] 2.54; 95% CI, 1.47-4.37, adjusted P = .006). A full 68% agreed to low-efficacy therapies. Ethical and psychological factors oriented first-line decision-making, in a trade-off in which some lose quality of life and mood, for others to gain autonomy. Imprecise prognostic awareness was associated with greater interest in low-efficacy treatments (OR 2.27; 95% CI, 1.31-3.84; adjusted P = .017), whereas realistic understanding increased anxiety (OR 1.63; 95% CI, 1.01-2.65; adjusted P = 0.038), depression (OR 1.96; 95% CI, 1.23-3.11; adjusted P = .020), and diminished quality of life (OR 0.47; 95% CI, 0.29-0.75; adjusted P = .011).

Conclusion

In the age of immunotherapy and targeted therapies, many appear not to understand that antineoplastic therapy is not curative. Within the mix of inputs that comprise inaccurate prognostic awareness, many psychosocial factors are as relevant as the physicians’ disclosure of information. Thus, the desire for better decision-making can actually harm the patient.
Novel players in organogenesis and flavonoid biosynthesis in cucumber glandular trichomes
Authors: Feng Zhongxuan , Sun Lei , Dong Mingming , Fan Shanshan , Shi Kexin , Qu Yixin , Zhu Liyan , Shi Jinfeng , Wang Wujun , Liu Yihan , Song Liyan , Weng Yiqun , Liu Xingwang , Ren Huazhong
Published: April 2023

Glandular trichomes (GTs) are outgrowths of plant epidermal cells that secrete and store specialized secondary metabolites that protect plants against biotic and abiotic stresses and have economic importance for human use. While extensive work has been done to understand the molecular mechanisms of trichome organogenesis in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), which forms unicellular, nonglandular trichomes (NGTs), little is known about the mechanisms of GT development or regulation of secondary metabolites in plants with multicellular GTs. Here, we identified and functionally characterized genes associated with GT organogenesis and secondary metabolism in GTs of cucumber (Cucumis sativus). We developed a method for effective separation and isolation of cucumber GTs and NGTs. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses showed that flavonoid accumulation in cucumber GTs is positively associated with increased expression of related biosynthesis genes. We identified 67 GT development–related genes, the functions of 7 of which were validated by virus-induced gene silencing. We further validated the role of cucumber ECERIFERUM1 (CsCER1) in GT organogenesis by overexpression and RNA interference transgenic approaches. We further show that the transcription factor TINY BRANCHED HAIR (CsTBH) serves as a central regulator of flavonoid biosynthesis in cucumber GTs. Work from this study provides insight into the development of secondary metabolite biosynthesis in multicellular GTs.
Comparisons as a discursive tool: shaping megaproject narratives in the United Kingdom
Authors: Sergeeva Natalya , Ninan Johan
Published: April 2023

The mobilization of narratives is essential in integrating people and constructing identities that help in navigating complexity, uncertainty, and conflictuality. This paper explores how comparisons are used as a discursive tool to shape narratives and bring about changes in policy and society, using the High Speed Two megaproject in the UK as a case study. We examine the comparisons that promoters and protesters employ in an organizational setting. In particular, we explore how the narratives that result from these comparisons—on questions including the need for the megaproject, the benefits of the megaproject, alternatives to the megaproject, and issues of noise, sustainability, compensation, and branding—help their efforts to organize. The research highlights how comparisons serve as an important cue in discourse and how different forms of comparison can help to create narratives and shape policy outcomes.
Nutri-microbiome epidemiology, an emerging field to disentangle the interplay between nutrition and microbiome for human health
Authors: Gou Wanglong , Miao Zelei , Deng Kui , Zheng Ju-Sheng
Published: April 2023

Diet and nutrition have a substantial impact on the human microbiome, and interact with the microbiome, especially gut microbiome, to modulate various diseases and health status. Microbiome research has also guided the nutrition field to a more integrative direction, becoming an essential component of the rising area of precision nutrition. In this review, we provide a broad insight into the interplay among diet, nutrition, microbiome, and microbial metabolites for their roles in the human health. Among the microbiome epidemiological studies regarding the associations of diet and nutrition with microbiome and its derived metabolites, we summarize those most reliable findings and highlight evidence for the relationships between diet and disease-associated microbiome and its functional readout. Then, the latest advances of the microbiome-based precision nutrition research and multidisciplinary integration are described. Finally, we discuss several outstanding challenges and opportunities in the field of nutri-microbiome epidemiology.
No worries with ChatGPT: building bridges between artificial intelligence and education with critical thinking soft skills
Authors: Rusandi M Arli , Ahman  , Saripah Ipah , Khairun Deasy Yunika , Mutmainnah
Published: April 2023

This correspondence discusses the role of artificial intelligence (AI) like ChatGPT in education and research, focusing on developing critical thinking skills and maintaining academic integrity. AI can complement learning and research processes when used ethically and responsibly. Integrating specific teaching methods in education and research can help develop better critical thinking skills and a deeper understanding of the contexts in which AI is used. The article emphasizes the importance of developing critical thinking skills among students and researchers to effectively use AI and distinguish accurate information from hoaxes and misinformation. In conclusion, the collaboration between AI and humans in learning and research will yield significant benefits for individuals and society as long as critical thinking skills and academic integrity remain top priorities.
Reducing uncertainties in quantitative adverse outcome pathways by analysis of thyroid hormone in the neonatal rat brain
Authors: Ford Jermaine , Riutta Cal , Kosian Patricia A , O’Shaughnessy Katherine , Gilbert Mary
Published: April 2023

A number of xenobiotics interfere with thyroid hormone (TH) signaling. Although adequate supplies of TH are necessary for normal brain development, regulatory reliance on serum TH as proxies for brain TH insufficiency is fraught with significant uncertainties. A more direct causal linkage to neurodevelopmental toxicity induced by TH-system disrupting chemicals is to measure TH in the target organ of most concern, the brain. However, the phospholipid-rich matrix of brain tissue presents challenges for TH extraction and measurement. We report optimized analytical procedures to extract TH in brain tissue of rats with recoveries >80% and low detection limits for T3, rT3, and T4 (0.013, 0.033, and 0.028 ng/g, respectively). Recovery of TH is augmented by enhancing phospholipid separation from TH using an anion exchange column coupled with a stringent column wash. Quality control measures incorporating a matrix-matched calibration procedure revealed excellent recovery and consistency across a large number of samples. Application of optimized procedures revealed age-dependent increases in neonatal brain T4, T3, and rT3 on the day of birth (postnatal day, PN0), PN2, PN6, and PN14. No sex-dependent differences in brain TH were observed at these ages, and similar TH levels were evident in perfused versus non-perfused brains. Implementation of a robust and reliable method to quantify TH in the fetal and neonatal rat brain will aid in the characterization of the thyroid-dependent chemical interference on neurodevelopment. A brain- in addition to a serum-based metric will reduce uncertainties in assessment of hazard and risk on the developing brain posed by thyroid system-disrupting chemicals.
Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses unveil the growth advantage mechanism conferred by heterosis of Michelia ‘Zhongshanhanxiao’
Authors: Chen Tingting , Wang Zhiquan , Wang Junjie , Liu Jiaqi , Zhang Rui , Jia Xiaoyu , Yu Chaoguang , Yin Yunlong , Creech David
Published: April 2023

Michelia compressa (Maxim.) Sarg. is one of the important timber trees in Taiwan province, P. R. China. Michelia ‘Zhongshanhanxiao’ is a group of variants found among the progeny of M. compressa that exhibit higher growth rates compared with normal individuals, with a significantly increased stem diameter and height, as well as enlarged leaves and flowers. However, the molecular mechanisms fostering the growth advantage and morphological variations are unknown and deserve further study. Through analysing the transcriptome, metabolome and physiological processes of leaves, we identified remarkable differences in gene expression and metabolic profiles between Michelia ‘Zhongshanhanxiao’ and both the maternal M. compressa and its normal progeny. These differences were widely associated with a plant–pathogen interaction, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, cyanoamino acid metabolism, carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms and plant hormone signal transduction. Additionally, physiological measurements showed that Michelia ‘Zhongshanhanxiao’ possesses stronger photosynthetic capacity and higher plant hormone content. These results suggest that the heterosis of Michelia ‘Zhongshanhanxiao’ is regulated by candidates related to cell division, resistance to pathogens and the accumulation of organic compounds. The findings of this study provide crucial information on the molecular mechanisms underlying the growth advantages conferred by heterosis in trees.