bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
America in Italian Culture
Authors: Bonsaver Guido
Published: October 2023

This book examines the influence of American culture in Italy during the decades between unification in 1861 and the implosion of Mussolini’s Fascist regime in July 1943. During this period the country witnessed large-scale social and economic modernization as well as an unprecedented explosion of mass culture. Focusing on six key fields of study—the press, literature, cinema, music, radio and the comics industry—the book traces a gradual shift from the hegemonic influence of France on Italy’s highbrow culture to the emergence of the USA as a new transnational model of modernity, able to address all social classes. This phenomenon coincided with the mass migration of Italians, whose hopes for a better life across the ocean produced a positive image of America that was largely at loggerheads with a more dismissive reaction from Italy’s educated elite. By tracing the presence of American culture in Italy, this book offers new perspectives on the development of Italian culture in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It also offers a thorough revision of how Mussolini’s regime responded to American culture, from jazz music to Hollywood films, and dismisses the myth of a fundamentally anti-American totalitarian regime. While scholarship to date has focused on the pervasive influence of American culture in the aftermath of the Second World War, this book tells the story of its first arrival, at a time when the French model was still dominant and Italy was beginning to embrace modernity and mass culture. The book is divided into two parts, each containing five chapters: Part One is entitled ‘The Discovery of America, 1861–1919’, while Part Two covers ‘America in Fascist Italy, 1922–1943’.
The Craze for American Literature and Comics, and the Plight of the English Language
Authors: Bonsaver Guido
Published: October 2023

Chapter 7 concentrates on the circulation of American literature and comics magazines in Fascist Italy. The first section lays important groundwork by returning to the topic of foreign-language teaching, addressing the 1923 reform of state education by Mussolini’s minister and neo-idealist philosopher Giovanni Gentile. The second section concentrates first on the popularity of American middlebrow literature in the 1920—the adventure stories of Jack London being a prime example—and then looks at the so-called mito americano, which, in the late 1930s, brought American literature to the attention of prestigious, highbrow publishing houses. In both cases, the influence of the French literary debate is still palpable. The final section looks at American comic strips, which, in the early 1930s, became enormously popular among Italian teenagers. It finishes by exploring attempts by the Fascist regime to promote a home-grown, ideologically orthodox comic strip industry as a foil to the American ‘craze’.
Secured Debt
Authors: Ferran Eilís , Howell Elizabeth , Steffek Felix
Published: October 2023

This chapter discusses the forms of real security that companies can give to lenders. Topics covered include the advantages of being a secured creditor, economic perspectives on secured debt, freedom of contract, consensual security interests, forms of property that can be used as security, forms of consensual real security, comparison of fixed and floating charges, establishing whether a charge is fixed or floating, the implications of Agnew and Spectrum for other asset classes, the crystallization of a floating charge, priority rules for competing interests in the same property, the registration of company charges, and reforming the law on company charges.
Tudor Networks of Power
Authors: Ahnert Ruth , Ahnert Sebastian E.
Published: October 2023

Tudor Networks of Power is the product of a collaboration between an early modern literary historian and a physicist specialising in complex networks. Together they have reconstructed the information networks that underpinned a century of Tudor history. The British State Papers 1509‒1603 include a body of 132,747 letters which provide crucial information about the organisation of the communication network centred on the Tudor government. Now, for the first time, we know that this epistolary network is composed of 20,560 separate people, covering a geographical span whose peripheries stretch from Manila to Aleppo, Moscow to Havana, Goa to Terceira. By using methods from the field of network science and through the development of bespoke digital approaches, this book examines the contours of this archive to explore the multitude of perspectives it captures and those it obscures. Proceeding as a set of experiments, it examines how the archive records different types of power, from government hubs, to diplomatic brokers, and female mediators. In so doing it provides new perspectives on the Tudor government’s control of its intelligence networks by illuminating its personnel, its geographical coverage, and its concerns.
Introduction
Authors: Korenjak Martin
Published: October 2023

This opening chapter introduces the book’s subject—early modern scientific literature written in Latin—and summarizes the present state of research, pointing out the lack of a comprehensive overview. The decision to approach the subject from a literary perspective is explained and contrasted with other possible approaches such as might be chosen by a historian of science or a book historian. The chronological limits of the study are set out, and its restriction (with few exceptions) to printed material is justified. After that, the rough structure of the book is explained: a first part presenting some necessary background information is followed by a considerably longer second part discussing the various kinds of early modern scientific texts written in Latin. A chapter-by-chapter synopsis is provided as well. The introduction ends with a few terminological remarks, in particular concerning the use of the term ‘science’ and its derivatives.
Literature
Authors: Korenjak Martin
Published: October 2023

This chapter expounds some aspects of the early modern concept of ‘literature’ which are important for understanding the production of scientific texts. It is explained that literature was not restricted, as it tends to be today, to fictional texts but included factual and technical texts as well. The criterion defining a text as a piece of literature was not fictionality but elaborate form. Writing well was taught at school, with the help of philology, the theory of ‘imitatio’, and the toolkit of classical rhetoric. All these factors worked towards the inclusion of scientific texts in the field of literature. Nonetheless, such texts remained marginal within the field, as there was no literary theory of scientific writing. This was not detrimental to the development of scientific literature in practice, however, since it gave authors great freedom, which they used for all kinds of creative experiments.
Print
Authors: Korenjak Martin
Published: October 2023

In this chapter, the impact of print is assessed, beginning with print in general. Its invention around 1450 and its swift rise are described, the groups of people most affected by print—authors, printers, publishers, booksellers, readers, collectors—are presented, and the implications of the transformation of the book into a marketable commodity are assessed. The second part of the chapter evaluates the impact of print on the scientific book in particular. The number of scientific works printed grew from decade to decade, and scientific books developed a number of characteristics, some of which they shared with other learned books: a multitude of new genres and formats emerged; a reader-friendly layout was developed which helped convey the content of scientific books; works were embedded in a paratextual apparatus which fulfilled a variety of functions; and text was complemented by various kinds of non-text.
Making sources accessible
Authors: Korenjak Martin
Published: October 2023

This chapter brings together five genres which gave the early modern reader access to pre-existing scientific literature, ancient and medieval sources, and contemporary texts. The first genre to be discussed is translations. The texts translated were mostly of Greek and Arabic origin in the beginning; from the seventeenth century, mainly vernacular texts were Latinized so that they could reach a pan-European readership. Secondly, many scientific texts had to be rendered understandable by commentaries. Classical works used for teaching at the universities were routinely commented upon, while contemporary works were equipped with commentaries mainly for the benefit of private readers. Thirdly, technical dictionaries helped readers to cope with terminological problems encountered in ancient authors and to keep up with the proliferation of new terms that accompanied the development of early modern science. Fourthly, as more and more scientific writings accumulated, readers drowning in an ocean of books were thankful for the orientation provided by bibliographies, which began to appear in the sixteenth century. Finally, reviews published in the new medium of the learned journal from the late seventeenth century collectively constituted a kind of topical bibliography.
The Cellular Basis of Consciousness (CBC)
Authors: Reber Arthur S. , Baluška František , Miller William B.
Published: October 2023

This chapter presents the biological foundations for the authors’ position that life and sentience are coterminous, that all (and only) living organisms have a palpable internal, felt, experiential life, that they have valenced sensory inputs, and make appropriate determinations about the impact of the events that occur around and within them—that they are conscious beings. This position is contrasted with others that assume that, at a minimum, a nervous system is a prerequisite for mental life. These models, which have come to be viewed as the Standard Model in the field of consciousness studies, have in the authors’ perspective been counterproductive. Arguments are developed that lay bare the reasons why the Cellular Basis of Consciousness position provides a more effective explanatory framework and invites what will certainly be more productive research programmes. The chapter also lays out the overall framework within which the model is developed and how this book will provide the necessary empirical, theoretical, and philosophical foundations for it. The chapter ends with an overview of the issues to be discussed in the rest of the book.
Pauline Style and Renaissance Literary Culture
Authors: Knapper Daniel
Published: October 2023

As major sources of discourse and debate on theological topics such as the resurrection of body and soul, justification by faith, and predestination, the New Testament epistles of Saint Paul played a central role in the development of religious thought and practice across Reformation Europe. But in a period when Christian belief and biblical knowledge permeated every aspect of human life, how did Paul’s epistles inform Europe’s literary and rhetorical cultures? Pauline Style and Renaissance Literary Culture is the first critical history of Saint Paul’s rhetorical style in the Renaissance, 1500–1700. It explores critical and creative responses to Paul’s style across a range of mediums and genres at a time when two powerful and confluent cultural forces—humanism and Protestantism—profoundly altered conceptions of biblical writing. The book argues that Paul’s style developed into one of the most theoretically productive and artistically provocative of the Renaissance, primarily because of its controversial reception among European biblical humanists, who struggled to consistently define and favorably assess its volatile features, qualities, and expressive functions. This theoretical discourse directly impacted literary activity in England, shaping how and why authors such as Shakespeare, Donne, and Milton imitated Paul’s style in their texts. By thus tracing the reception of Paul’s style in Renaissance literary culture, the book reveals how and why English writers drew on biblical models to develop their literary practices, while also revealing how issues of style and rhetoric shaped biblical interpretation and theological discourse in the contentious religious culture of Reformation Europe.
The Political Economy of Bundling Socio-Technical Innovations to Transform Agri-Food Systems
Authors: Barrett Christopher B.
Published: October 2023

Agri-food systems transformation requires accelerated innovations to address multiple economic, environmental and health objectives. No innovation serves everyone’s interests. Political opposition to innovations is therefore inevitable. Promotion of agrifood systems innovations requires overcoming such opposition. One strategy is to bundle multiple technological, socio-cultural, policy, and/or institutional innovations to build political coalitions sufficient to champion bundled innovation that might not suffice to advance one-off innovations. Bundling can translate the potential Pareto improvements of individual innovations into actual Pareto improvements more likely to enjoy political support and advance multiple societal objectives simultaneously. This chapter lays out conceptually why bundling is therefore important for the political economy of innovation to transform agri-food systems. It then illustrates the logic using three cases from Asian agricultural development: China’s Science and Technology Backyards program, a comparison of genetic advances in Green Revolution and golden rice, and the contrasting cases of Bt brinjal in India and Bangladesh.
The Political Economy of Food System Transformation in the European Union
Authors: Matthews Alan , Candel Jeroen , de Mûelenaere Nel , Scheelbeek Pauline
Published: October 2023

The European Commission put forward its Green Deal proposal in December 2019 and its Farm to Fork strategy for a more sustainable food system in May 2020. Ambitious objectives were set, and there was broad political support for the general direction of travel. However, significant pushback has emerged when specific steps toward these objectives are proposed. This chapter explores the political economy of the transition toward a more sustainable food system in the EU. Among the issues highlighted are the success of new players in shaping the agricultural policy agenda, the top-down nature of the initial proposals, tensions between the economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability, the challenges of altering consumer behavior, the need for greater coherence with trade policy, and the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The effects of the invasion have enabled some actors to refocus food policy on increasing food production in the name of food security. Political leadership will be required to avoid unraveling plans for food system transformation in the EU.
Nature and Evil
Authors: Sanil V.
Published: October 2023

Are there laws connecting natural and moral phenomena? What is the ontology of the social such laws demand? Both Gandhi and Ambedkar held ontologically thin conceptions of social reality, including that of caste. Gandhi refrained from referring to caste in his account of untouchability as he thought such deep descriptions would delay the urgent task of self-purification. Ambedkar rejected the intentional and structural accounts of the origin of caste that could obstruct the annihilation of caste by granting it even a minimal justification. Gandhi claimed that the Bihar earthquake in 1934 was a punishment for us practising untouchability. I shall examine the hard connection he affirmed between natural phenomena and evil in the light of recent developments in philosophy of science and Indian metaphysics. Ambedkar, while rejecting the sociological theories about the origin of caste, admiringly refers to the law of imitation proposed by Gabriel Tarde, who rejected the dichotomy between the natural and social sciences and demanded an ontologically thin conception of social phenomenon like capitalism. Ambedkar used Tarde’s concept of the law to trace the origin of caste to the running amok of the means deployed for securing endogamy.
1992
Authors: Arnold Jörg
Published: October 2023

This chapter focuses on the coal crisis of 1992, which was precipitated by Michael Heseltine’s announcement on 13 October that thirty-one of Britain’s remaining fifty collieries would close within five months, reducing British Coal’s workforce from 53,000 to 23,000. The chapter proceeds in four steps. It examines, first, the emergence of a structure of feeling that conceptualized the miner as a noble but pitiful underdog who was caught up in a relentless process of inevitable structural change. It looks, second, at the attempts by the NUM and the UDM to reassert the miners’ collective agency in the context of the public outrage that met the closure announcement. Third, the chapter moves on to consider the responses of ordinary miners to the crisis, as they were conveyed by the media and social scientists. It argues that miners looked for individual resolutions to the crisis, by exiting the industry rather than collective action. Finally, the chapter considers the debate on the future of miners as ex-miners. It shows how the miner came to embody the plight of the industrial worker in a de-industrializing world.
Some Concluding Thoughts and the Way Forward
Authors: Mohan Rajat
Published: October 2023

The journey from Here to Denmark is essentially a journey seeking good governance for all. This in turn needs roust inclusive economic and political institutions in the country. However, it would be naïve to think that that just because good governance matters, it would happen from the goodness of the heart of the governors. There has to be demand for it) from the governed (the citizens). This chapter has identified ten mega trends which, individually and collectively, will play an important role in creating such demand. Increased incomes and a growing middle class leads to increased aspirations, and greater demand for better governance. Demographics is another important driver as is urbanization. Traditional hierarchies and informal power structures hold less sway on the urban population, particularly the youth, who are thus more demanding of the authorities. As the quality of human capital improves, education, aided by the explosion in social media and communications technology increased demand for better governance follows. Politics matters, as do the social contexts. Institutions would thus vary between societies to and, thus, transplanting cannot be transplanted from elsewhere. However, some key essentials appear to be universally valid for building robust institutions: an educated and healthy population and effective community participation by citizens in the affairs of society. Another key factor is the need for a sense of harmony between the three institutions (the State, the markets, and the community) in a society, each complementing the other, as fellow travellers in the journey from Here to Denmark.
Beyond the River and Into the Gulfscape: Yaqui Mobility in Baja California
Authors: Galindo Anabel
Published: October 2023

The visions of missionaries, investors, adventurers, and literary writers have long dominated the history of Baja California, while Indigenous peoples remained at the margins of these accounts. This article proposes a redirection of the peninsular history, one that centers on the experiences of the Yaqui people, whose interconnections with the gulfscape are more far-reaching than expected. Yaqui history for decades has been restricted to the Sonoran-Arizona borderlands. Yaqui people, I argue, were not only familiar with the Gulf but comfortable navigating the waters of the gulfscape, developing an intimate relationship that integrated a cultural perspective. This article challenges the north-south corridor as the only landscape for movement and argues for a new definition of mobility as a more complex process. The article traces a lateral Yaqui mobility from the mid-eighteenth to the early twentieth century to focus on the variegated experiences of Yaquis in Baja California. It highlights how mobility contoured the lived geographies of Yaqui sailors, divers, miners, and their families, creating space for community, culture, identity, and a sense of belonging that was uniquely Yaqui. In doing so, it also documents the contributions of the Yaqui people to the local political and socioeconomic conditions interconnected with the occurrences of the global economies.
In Addition to Damaging the Plasma Membrane, Phenolic Monoterpenoid Carvacrol Can Bind to the Minor Groove of DNA of Phytopathogenic Fungi to Potentially Control Tea Leaf Spot Caused by Lasiodiplodia theobromae
Authors: Yin Jiayu , Wu Shuang , Yang Yongli , Wang Delu , Ma Yue , Zhao Yongtian , Sheth Sujitraj , Huang Honglin , Song Baoan , Chen Zhuo
Published: October 2023

Carvacrol expresses a wide range of biological activities, but the studies of its mechanisms focused on bacteria, mainly involving the destruction of the plasma membrane. In this study, carvacrol exhibited strong activities against several phytopathogenic fungi and demonstrated a novel antifungal mechanism against Lasiodiplodia theobromae. RNA sequencing indicated that many genes of L. theobromae hyphae were predominately induced by carvacrol, particularly those involved in replication and transcription. Hyperchromic, hypsochromic, and bathochromic effects in the UV-visible absorption spectrum were observed following titration of calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) and carvacrol, which indicated the formation of a DNA–carvacrol complex. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy indicated that the response of DNA to carvacrol was similar to that of 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) but different from that of ethidium bromide (EB), implying the ionic bonds between carvacrol and ctDNA. Fluorescence spectrum (FS) analysis indicated that carvacrol quenched the fluorescence of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) more than single-stranded DNA, indicating that carvacrol mainly bound to dsDNA. A displacement assay showed that carvacrol reduced the fluorescence intensity of the DNA–DAPI complex through competition with DAPI, but this did not occur for DNA–EB. The FS assay revealed that carvacrol bound to the AAA sequence on the minor groove of ds-oligonucleotides. The hydroxyl of carvacrol was verified to bind to ctDNA through a comparative test in which structural analogs of carvacrol, including thymol and 4-ethyl-1,2-dimethyl, were analyzed. The current study indicated carvacrol can destruct plasma membranes and bind to the minor groove of DNA, inhibiting fungal proliferation by disturbing the stability of dsDNA.
Traditional Open Repair and Reconstruction of Achilles Tendon Rupture
Authors: Chien Bonnie , Arciero Emily
Published: October 2023

Despite the development of minimally invasive techniques and more effective nonoperative functional rehabilitation protocols, traditional open approaches remain viable options for both acute and chronic Achilles tendon rupture repair and reconstruction. Here, techniques for open Achilles tendon repair and reconstruction are discussed, along with outcomes, possible complications, and brief comparisons to other management options.

Level of Evidence:

Level V.
Validating a Proteomic Signature of Severe COVID-19
Authors: Cosgriff Christopher V. , Miano Todd A. , Mathew Divij , Huang Alexander C. , Giannini Heather M. , Kuri-Cervantes Leticia , Pampena M. Betina , Ittner Caroline A. G. , Weisman Ariel R. , Agyekum Roseline S. , Dunn Thomas G. , Oniyide Oluwatosin , Turner Alexandra P. , D’Andrea Kurt , Adamski Sharon , Greenplate Allison R. , Anderson Brian J. , Harhay Michael O. , Jones Tiffanie K. , Reilly John P. , Mangalmurti Nilam S. , Shashaty Michael G. S. , Betts Michael R. , Wherry E. John , Meyer Nuala J.
Published: October 2023

OBJECTIVES:

COVID-19 is a heterogenous disease. Biomarker-based approaches may identify patients at risk for severe disease, who may be more likely to benefit from specific therapies. Our objective was to identify and validate a plasma protein signature for severe COVID-19.

DESIGN:

Prospective observational cohort study.

SETTING:

Two hospitals in the United States.

PATIENTS:

One hundred sixty-seven hospitalized adults with COVID-19.

INTERVENTION:

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:

We measured 713 plasma proteins in 167 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 using a high-throughput platform. We classified patients as nonsevere versus severe COVID-19, defined as the need for high-flow nasal cannula, mechanical ventilation, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or death, at study entry and in 7-day intervals thereafter. We compared proteins measured at baseline between these two groups by logistic regression adjusting for age, sex, symptom duration, and comorbidities. We used lead proteins from dysregulated pathways as inputs for elastic net logistic regression to identify a parsimonious signature of severe disease and validated this signature in an external COVID-19 dataset. We tested whether the association between corticosteroid use and mortality varied by protein signature. One hundred ninety-four proteins were associated with severe COVID-19 at the time of hospital admission. Pathway analysis identified multiple pathways associated with inflammatory response and tissue repair programs. Elastic net logistic regression yielded a 14-protein signature that discriminated 90-day mortality in an external cohort with an area under the receiver-operator characteristic curve of 0.92 (95% CI, 0.88–0.95). Classifying patients based on the predicted risk from the signature identified a heterogeneous response to treatment with corticosteroids (p = 0.006).

CONCLUSIONS:

Inpatients with COVID-19 express heterogeneous patterns of plasma proteins. We propose a 14-protein signature of disease severity that may have value in developing precision medicine approaches for COVID-19 pneumonia.
The International Cardiac Arrest Research Consortium Electroencephalography Database
Authors: Amorim Edilberto , Zheng Wei-Long , Ghassemi Mohammad M. , Aghaeeaval Mahsa , Kandhare Pravinkumar , Karukonda Vishnu , Lee Jong Woo , Herman Susan T. , Sivaraju Adithya , Gaspard Nicolas , Hofmeijer Jeannette , van Putten Michel J. A. M. , Sameni Reza , Reyna Matthew A. , Clifford Gari D. , Westover M. Brandon
Published: October 2023

OBJECTIVES:

To develop the International Cardiac Arrest Research (I-CARE), a harmonized multicenter clinical and electroencephalography database for acute hypoxic-ischemic brain injury research involving patients with cardiac arrest.

DESIGN:

Multicenter cohort, partly prospective and partly retrospective.

SETTING:

Seven academic or teaching hospitals from the United States and Europe.

PATIENTS:

Individuals 16 years old or older who were comatose after return of spontaneous circulation following a cardiac arrest who had continuous electroencephalography monitoring were included.

INTERVENTIONS:

Not applicable.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:

Clinical and electroencephalography data were harmonized and stored in a common Waveform Database-compatible format. Automated spike frequency, background continuity, and artifact detection on electroencephalography were calculated with 10-second resolution and summarized hourly. Neurologic outcome was determined at 3–6 months using the best Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) scale. This database includes clinical data and 56,676 hours (3.9 terabytes) of continuous electroencephalography data for 1,020 patients. Most patients died (n = 603, 59%), 48 (5%) had severe neurologic disability (CPC 3 or 4), and 369 (36%) had good functional recovery (CPC 1–2). There is significant variability in mean electroencephalography recording duration depending on the neurologic outcome (range, 53–102 hr for CPC 1 and CPC 4, respectively). Epileptiform activity averaging 1 Hz or more in frequency for at least 1 hour was seen in 258 patients (25%) (19% for CPC 1–2 and 29% for CPC 3–5). Burst suppression was observed for at least 1 hour in 207 (56%) and 635 (97%) patients with CPC 1–2 and CPC 3–5, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS:

The I-CARE consortium electroencephalography database provides a comprehensive real-world clinical and electroencephalography dataset for neurophysiology research of comatose patients after cardiac arrest. This dataset covers the spectrum of abnormal electroencephalography patterns after cardiac arrest, including epileptiform patterns and those in the ictal-interictal continuum.
A Cross-sectional Study on the Impact of Unfair Treatment Associated With COVID-19 Infection and Psychological Distress in Japanese Workers
Authors: Tesen Hirofumi , Konno Yusuke , Tateishi Seiichiro , Mafune Kosuke , Tsuji Mayumi , Ando Hajime , Nagata Tomohisa , Matsugaki Ryutaro , Yoshimura Reiji , Fujino Yoshihisa ,   for the CORoNaWork Project
Published: October 2023

Objective

Psychological distress is commonly reported sequela in COVID-19–infected people. We investigated the association between experiencing COVID-19 infection and psychological distress in Japan.

Method

A total of 14,901 persons who participated in a follow-up survey in December 2022 were included in the analysis. Odds ratios and regression coefficients were estimated by statistical analysis, with history of COVID-19 infection as the independent variable and presence of psychological distress as the dependent variable.

Result

Experiencing COVID-19 infection was associated with psychological distress. In a model adjusted for “feeling treated unfairly,” the association between infection experience and a high K6 score was significantly attenuated.

Conclusions

The results showed that the experience of COVID-19 infection is associated with psychological distress. Moreover, most cases of psychological distress among those who experienced COVID-19 infection can be at least partly explained by a perception of unfair treatment.
Performance of a novel artificial intelligence software developed to derive coronary fractional flow reserve values from diagnostic angiograms
Authors: Ben-Assa Eyal , Abu Salman Amjad , Cafri Carlos , Roguin Ariel , Hellou Elias , Koifman Edward , Feld Yair , Lev Eli , Sheinman Guy , Harari Emanuel , Abu Dogosh Ala , Beyar Rafael , Garcia-Garcia Hector M. , Davies Justine , Ben-Yehuda Ori
Published: October 2023

Background

Although invasive measurement of fractional flow reserve (FFR) is recommended to guide revascularization, its routine use is underutilized. Recently, a novel non-invasive software that can instantaneously produce FFR values from the diagnostic angiograms, derived completely from artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms has been developed. We aim to assess the accuracy and diagnostic performance of AI-FFR in a real-world retrospective study.

Methods

Retrospective, three-center study comparing AI-FFR values with invasive pressure wire–derived FFR obtained in patients undergoing routine diagnostic angiography. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of AI-FFR were analyzed.

Results

A total of 304 vessels from 297 patients were included. Mean invasive FFR was 0.86 vs. 0.85 AI-FFR (mean difference: −0.005, P = 0.159). The diagnostic performance of AI-FFR demonstrated sensitivity of 91%, specificity 95%, positive predictive value 83% and negative predictive value 97%. Overall accuracy was 94% and the area under curve was 0.93 (95% CI 0.88–0.97). 105 lesions fell around the cutoff value (FFR = 0.75–0.85); in this sub-group, AI-FFR demonstrated sensitivity of 95%, and specificity 94%, with an AUC of 0.94 (95% CI 88.2–98.0). AI-FFR calculation time was 37.5 ± 7.4 s for each angiographic video. In 89% of cases, the software located the target lesion and in 11%, the operator manually marked the target lesion.

Conclusion

AI-FFR calculated by an AI-based, angio-derived method, demonstrated excellent diagnostic performance against invasive FFR. AI-FFR calculation was fast with high reproducibility.
Association between Global Myopia Prevalence and International Levels of Education
Authors: Jong Monica , Naduvilath Thomas , Saw Jeanne , Kim Kunyoung , Flitcroft Daniel Ian
Published: October 2023

SIGNIFICANCE

The Global Myopia Prevalence and International Levels of Education study models national trends in educational performance with myopia prevalence in children; it examines the association of near work with myopia in the form of an ecologic analysis and also discusses how this may relate to educational frameworks.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between myopia prevalence and national educational performance.

METHODS

The prevalence of myopia in the 15- to 19-year age group in 35 regions was obtained from a meta-analysis by Holden et al. (Ophthalmology 2016;123:1036–1042) and matched with educational performance quantified by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) testing from 2000 to 2018. A generalized estimating equation was used to describe the relationship between PISA scores and myopia prevalence. Clustering effects of country and chronological year were accounted for in the analysis. Linear and nonlinear terms of PISA scores using lines of best fit were further explored.

RESULTS

There is a significant positive relationship between Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development PISA educational performance and myopia prevalence in teenagers with higher PISA scores correlating with higher myopia prevalence, even after accounting for chronological year (generalized estimating equation model:P= .001, .008, and .005 for math, science, and reading, respectively). Scatterplots with cubic and logistic fits indicated that PISA math showed the strongest relationship with myopia prevalence (r2= 0.64), followed by science (r2= 0.41) and reading (r2= 0.31).

CONCLUSIONS

These results strongly suggest that educational achievement at a national level is associated with higher myopia prevalence. Programme for International Student Assessment scores are a significant driver of many countries' education policies, and countries that have a balance between high PISA scores and lower myopia prevalence may be good models of educational policies to address the myopia public health issue.
Dexmedetomidine Withdrawal Syndrome in Children in the PICU: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Knapp Thomas , DiLeonardo Olivia , Maul Tim , Hochwald Alexander , Li Zhuo , Hossain Jobayer , Lowry Adam , Parker Jason , Baker Kimberly , Wearden Peter , Nelson Jennifer
Published: October 2023

OBJECTIVES:

To systematically review literature describing the clinical presentation, risk factors, and treatment for dexmedetomidine withdrawal in the PICU (PROSPERO: CRD42022307178).

DATA SOURCES:

MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched.

STUDY SELECTION:

Eligible studies were published from January 2000 to January 2022 and reported clinical data for patients younger than 21 years old following discontinuation of dexmedetomidine after greater than or equal to 24 hours of infusion.

DATA EXTRACTION:

Abstracts identified during an initial search were screened and data were manually abstracted after full-text review of eligible articles. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to assess study quality. Summary statistics were provided and Spearman rank correlation coefficient was used to identify relationships between covariates and withdrawal signs. A weighted prevalence for each withdrawal sign was generated using a random-effects model.

DATA SYNTHESIS:

Twenty-three studies (22 of which were retrospective cohort studies) containing 28 distinct cohorts were included. Median cumulative dexmedetomidine exposure by dose was 105.95 μg/kg (range, 30–232.7 μg/kg), median dexmedetomidine infusion duration was 131.75 hours (range, 20.5–525.6 hr). Weighted estimates for proportion (95% CI) of subjects experiencing withdrawal signs across all cohorts were: hypertension 0.34 (range, 0.0–0.92), tachycardia 0.26 (range, 0.0–0.87), and agitation 0.26 (range, 0.09–0.77). Meta-analysis revealed no correlation between dexmedetomidine exposure variables and withdrawal signs. A moderate negative monotonic relationship existed between the proportion of patients who had undergone cardiac surgery and the proportion experiencing hypertension (correlation coefficient, –0.47; p = 0.048) and tachycardia (correlation coefficient, –0.57; p = 0.008), indicating that in cohorts with a higher proportion of patients who were postcardiac surgery, there were fewer occurrences of hypertension and or tachycardia.

CONCLUSIONS:

On review of the 2000–2022 literature, dexmedetomidine withdrawal may be characterized by tachycardia, hypertension, or agitation, particularly with higher cumulative doses or prolonged durations. Since most studies included in the review were retrospective, prospective studies are needed to further clarify risk factors, establish diagnostic criteria, and identify optimal management strategies.
7 T MRI of the Cervical Neuroforamen
Authors: Feuerriegel Georg C. , Marth Adrian A. , Germann Christoph , Wanivenhaus Florian , Nanz Daniel , Sutter Reto
Published: October 2023

Objectives

The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of 3-dimensional dual-echo steady-state (DESS) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the cervical spine at 7 T compared with 3 T in patients with cervical radiculopathy.

Materials and Methods

Patients diagnosed with cervical radiculopathy were prospectively recruited between March 2020 and January 2023 before undergoing surgical decompression and received 3-dimensional DESS imaging at 3 T and 7 T MRI. Cervical nerve root compression and the dimensions of the dorsal root ganglia were assessed by 2 radiologists independently. Signal intensity, visibility of nerve anatomy, diagnostic confidence, and image artifacts were evaluated with Likert scales. The degree of neuroforaminal stenosis was assessed on standard clinical 3 T scans. Statistics included the analysis of the diagnostic accuracy and interreader reliability. The Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to assess differences between the groups.

Results

Forty-eight patients (mean age, 57 ± 12 years; 22 women) were included in the study with the highest prevalence of severe neuroforaminal stenosis observed at C6 (n = 68) followed by C7 (n = 43). Direct evaluation of nerve root compression showed significantly higher diagnostic confidence and visibility of cervical nerve rootlets, roots, and dorsal root ganglia on 7 T DESS than on 3 T DESS (diagnostic confidence: P = 0.01, visibility: P < 0.01). Assessment of nerve root compression using 7 T DESS allowed more sensitive grading than standard clinical MRI (P < 0.01) and improved the performance in predicting sensory or motor dysfunction (area under the curve combined: 0.87).

Conclusions

7 T DESS imaging allows direct assessment of cervical nerve root compression in patients with radiculopathy, with a better prediction of sensory or motor dysfunction than standard clinical MRI. Diagnostic confidence and image quality of 7 T DESS were superior to 3 T DESS.
A multistate capture-recapture model to estimate cause-specific injury and mortality of North Atlantic right whales
Authors: Linden Daniel W. , Hostetler Jeffrey A. , Pace Richard M. , Garrison Lance P. , Knowlton Amy R. , Lesage Véronique , Williams Rob , Runge Michael C.
Published: October 2023

Understanding the causes of mortality for a declining species is essential for developing effective conservation and management strategies, particularly when anthropogenic activities are the primary threat. Using a competing hazards framework allows for robust estimation of the cause-specific variation that may exist across multiple dimensions, such as time and individual. Here, we estimated cause-specific rates of severe injury and mortality for North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis), a critically endangered species that is currently in peril due to human-caused interactions. We developed a multistate capture-recapture model that leveraged 30 years of intensive survey effort yielding sightings of individuals with injury assessments and necropsies of carcass recoveries. We examined variation in the hazard rates of severe injury and mortality due to entanglements in fishing gear and vessel strikes as explained by year and the age and reproductive status of the individual. We found strong evidence for increased rates of severe entanglement injuries after 2013 and for females with calves, with consequently higher marginal mortality. The model results also suggested that despite vessel strikes causing a lower average rate of severe injuries, the higher mortality rate conditional on injury results in significant total mortality risk, particularly for females resting from a recent calving event. Large uncertainty in the estimation of carcass recovery rate for vessel strike deaths permeated into the apportionment of mortality causes. The increased rates of North Atlantic right whale mortality in the last decade, particularly for reproducing females, puts the species at risk of severe decline. By apportioning the human-caused threats using a quantitative approach with estimation of relevant uncertainty, this work can guide development of conservation and management strategies to facilitate species recovery.
Convergent and divergent responses of the rhizosphere chemistry and bacterial communities to a stress gradient in the Atacama Desert
Authors: Dussarrat Thomas , Latorre Claudio , Barros Santos Millena C. , Aguado-Norese Constanza , Prigent Sylvain , Díaz Francisca P. , Rolin Dominique , González Mauricio , Müller Caroline , Gutiérrez Rodrigo A , Pétriacq Pierre
Published: October 2023

Plants can modulate their rhizosphere chemistry, thereby influencing microbe communities. Although our understanding of rhizosphere chemistry is growing, knowledge of its responses to abiotic constraints is limited, especially in realistic ecological contexts. Here, we combined predictive metabolomics with bacterial sequencing data to investigate whether rhizosphere chemistry responded to environmental constraints and shaped bacterial communities across an elevation gradient in the Atacama Desert. We found that metabolic adjustments of rhizosphere chemistry predicted the environment of four plant species independently of year, identifying important rhizosphere metabolic biomarkers. Inter-species predictions unveiled significant biochemical convergences. Subsequently, we linked metabolic predictors to variation in the abundance of operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Chemical response influenced distinct and common bacterial families between species and vegetation belts. The annotation of chemical markers and correlated bacterial families highlighted critical biological processes such as nitrogen starvation, metal pollution and plant development and defence. Overall, this study demonstrates a unique metabolic set likely involved in improving plant resilience to harsh edaphic conditions. Besides, the results emphasise the need to integrate ecology with plant metabolome and microbiome approaches to explore plant-soil interactions and better predict their responses to climate change and consequences for ecosystem dynamics.
Pharmacological AMP-activated protein kinase activation suppresses low glucose-dependent macrophage migration inhibitory factor release from macrophages
Authors: Zhang Jiping , Pollard Alice E. , Carling David , Viollet Benoit , Ellacott Kate L.J. , Beall Craig
Published: October 2023

Aims/hypothesis

Acute hypoglycemia promotes pro-inflammatory cytokine production, increasing risk for cardiovascular events in diabetes. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is regulated by and influences production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. We tested the mechanistic role of AMPK in low glucose induced changes in the pro-inflammatory cytokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), which is elevated in patients with diabetes.

Methods

Macrophage cell line Raw264.7 cells, primary macrophage bone marrow derived macrophages obtained from wild type mice or AMPK γ1 gain-of-function mice were utilized, as were AMPKα1/α2 knockout mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF). Allosteric AMPK activators PF-06409577 and BI-9774 were used, in conjunction with inhibitor SBI-0206965 were also used. We examined changes in protein phosphorylation/expression using western blotting, and protein localisation using immunofluorescence. Metabolic function was assessed using extracellular flux analyses and luciferase-based ATP assay. Cytokine release was quantified by ELISA. Oxidative stress was detected using a fluorescence-based ROS assay, and cell viability was examined using flow cytometry.

Results

Macrophages exposed to low glucose showed a transient and modest activation of AMPK and a metabolic shift towards increased oxidative phosphorylation. Low glucose induced oxidative stress and increased release of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF). Pharmacological activation of AMPK by PF-06409577 and BI-9774 attenuated low glucose-induced MIF release, with a similar trend noted with genetic activation using AMPKγ1 gain-of-function (D316A) mice, which produced a mild effect on low glucose-induced MIF release. Inhibition of NFĸB signalling diminished MIF release and AMPK activation modestly but significantly reduced low glucose-induced nuclear translocation of NFĸB. AMPK activation did not alter low glucose-induced oxidative stress in macrophages but application of AMPK inhibitor SBI-0206965 enhanced oxidative stress in macrophages and in AMPK knockout MEFs, suggesting an AMPK-independent mechanism

Conclusions/interpretation

Taken together, these data indicate that pharmacological AMPK activation suppresses release of MIF from macrophages. This is mediated by reduced activation of NFĸB signalling in response to low glucose-induced oxidative stress and suggests that pharmacological AMPK activation could be a useful strategy for mitigating hypoglycemia-induced inflammation.

Graphical abstract

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Low glucose induces pro-inflammatory MIF release from macrophages, and pharmacological AMPK activation suppresses the release of MIF. AMPK/ NFĸB signalling pathway is involved, which may be a new strategy to attenuate the pro-inflammatory response in hypoglycemia.
IGSF3 is a homophilic cell adhesion molecule that drives lung metastasis of melanoma by promoting adhesion to vascular endothelium
Authors: Guo Yue , Kasai Yutaka , Tanaka Yuto , Ohashi-Kumagai Yuki , Ito Takeshi , Murakami Yoshinori
Published: October 2023

The immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF) is one of the largest families of cell-surface molecules involved in various cell-cell interactions, including cancer–stromal interactions. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive RT-PCR-based screening for IgSF molecules that promote experimental lung metastasis in mice. By comparing the expression of 325 genes encoding cell-surface IgSF molecules between mouse melanoma B16 cells and its highly metastatic subline, B16F10 cells, we found that expression of theImmunoglobulin superfamily member 3(Igsf3) was significantly enhanced in B16F10 cells than in B16 cells. Knockdown ofIgsf3in B16F10 cells significantly reduced lung metastasis following intravenous injection into C57BL/6 mice. IGSF3 promoted adhesion of B16F10 cells to vascular endothelial cells and functioned as a homophilic cell adhesion molecule between B16F10 cells and vascular endothelial cells. Notably, the knockdown of IGSF3 in either B16F10 cells or vascular endothelial cells suppressed the transendothelial migration of B16F10 cells. Moreover, IGSF3 knockdown suppressed the extravasation of B16F10 cells into the lungs after intravenous injection. These results suggest that IGSF3 promotes the metastatic potential of B16F10 cells in the lungs by facilitating their adhesion to vascular endothelial cells.